FEBRUARY 2, 2022

(Lotus)
Lotus and battery cell expert Britishvolt have signed an MoU to collaborate on the research and development of advanced new EV technology. The partnership will focus on "the co-development of an innovative new battery cell package to power the next generation of electric sports cars from Lotus," according to Lotus PR minions. The package is aimed for a new sports car, powered by Britishvolt cells and utilizing advanced electric propulsion technologies developed by Lotus. An official design sketch "provides the first clues to a new Lotus EV sports car." Editor-in-Chief's Note: Yeah, right. The design sketch indicates a big fat nothing. 2030? This is a giant "we'll see" as far as we're concerned. -PMD



The AE Song of the Week:

There's trouble on the streets tonight, 
I can feel it in my bones. 
I had a premonition, 
That he should not go alone. 

I knew the gun was loaded, 
But I didn't think he'd kill. 
Everything exploded, 
And the blood began to spill. 

So baby, here's your ticket, 
Put the suitcase in your hand. 
Here's a little money now, 
Do it just the way we planned. 

You be cool for twenty hours 
And I'll pay you twenty grand. 
I'm sorry it went down like this, 
And someone had to lose, 

It's the nature of the business, 
It's the smuggler's blues. 
Smuggler's Blues 
The sailors and pilots, 

The soldiers and the law, 
The pay offs and the rip offs, 
And the things nobody saw. 
No matter if it's heroin, cocaine, or hash, 

You've got to carry weapons 
'Cause you always carry cash. 
There's lots of shady characters, 
Lots of dirty deals. 

Every name's an alias 
In case somebody squeals. 
It's the lure of easy money, 
It's gotta very strong appeal. 

Perhaps you'd understand it better 
Standin' in my shoes, 
It's the ultimate enticement, 
It's the smuggler's blues, 

Smuggler's blues. 
See it in the headlines, 
You hear it every day. 
They say they're gonna stop it, 

But it doesn't go away. 
They move it through Miami, sell it in L.A., 
They hide it up in Telluride, 
I mean it's here to stay. 

It's propping up the governments in Columbia and Peru, 
You ask any D.E.A. man, 
He'll say "There's nothin' we can do", 
From the office of the President, 

Right down to me and you, me and you. 
It's a losing proposition, 
But one you can't refuse. 
It's the politics of contraband, 
It's the smuggler's blues, 
Smuggler's blues.

"Smuggler's Blues" by Glenn Fry from the album "The Allnighter" (1984)*. Written by Glenn Lewis Fry and Jack Tempchin. Publisher: Red Cloud Music, Wixen Music Publishing. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Official Music Video here. 

*This song tells the story of a drug deal gone bad, not uncommon in the smuggling trade. Frey wasn't a drug-runner, but he was closer to the action than most. "You don't spend fifteen years in rock and roll without coming in contact with entrepreneurs," he said in Behind The Hits. "I've wanted to write a song about drug smuggling for a long time, but I'm glad I waited for this one. It says everything I wanted to say on the subject. I'm proud of the lyrics - it's good journalism." With Ronald Reagan in office and the drug trade a big political issue, America was fascinated with the dynamics of the industry. This song played to that fascination with lyrics peppered with guns, agents, and of course, drugs. The "War On Drugs" drummed up a lot of interest in the topic, which was exploited in movies and TV shows, but until "Smuggler's Blues," there was no hit song that took it on in such dramatic fashion. When this song was released on Frey's second solo effort in 1984, it got the attention of Michael Mann, who was working on a TV series called Miami Vice about two undercover cops policing the drug trade in Miami. Mann had the writer Miguel Piñero adapt the song into an episode, then he asked Frey to guest star on the episode and use his song. The episode, which first aired February 1, 1985 on the first season, was titled "Smuggler's Blues" and featured Frey as a drug-addled pilot who lived with his plane (Frey described him as "This pilot who was a wacko and loved hard rock"). The main characters, Crockett and Tubbs (Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas) go undercover as drug smugglers and hire him to fly the plane. The song was used at various points in the episode, with some of the lyrics peppered into the dialogue. It was good timing for Frey, who wrote a song about drug smuggling at a time when Miami Vice was looking for ideas. The series ended up being a huge hit and gave Frey a nice career boost as both a musician and actor. In 1989, he appeared in seven episodes of the TV series Wiseguy. He got his own show, South of Sunset, in 1993, but it was quickly canceled. Miami Vice had lots of musical connections: Sheena Easton, Phil Collins and Miles Davis are among the musicians who acted on the show; the stars, Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, both released albums (Johnson had a Top 10 hit with "Heartbeat"). Just about every episode had at least one popular song; season one featured "In The Air Tonight," "Better Be Good To Me," "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Wonderful Tonight." Frey wrote this song with Jack Tempchin, a longtime Eagles associate who also co-wrote "You Belong To The City" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling." This was one of several solo hits for Frey during the Eagles hiatus (1981-1993). Explaining the group's breakup, he said, "I started the band, I got tired of it, and I quit." Frey's '80s output isn't as durable as that of his Eagles co-founder Don Henley, but he found a contemporary sound that served him well on tracks like this one. This song got an additional boost when it was included on the Miami Vice soundtrack, released in October 1985. The album spent 11 weeks at #1 in the US and sold over 4 million copies. (Knowledge courtesy of SongFacts.com)