Author Archives: Tom Muscarella

Song of the Week – Third World Man, Steely Dan

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Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of Steely Dan’s album Gaucho.  Gaucho is perhaps my least favorite Dan disc – a little too “yacht rocky” for me – but by the standards of other artists, it’s a damn fine record.

Gaucho was not an easy album to make.  Multiple personal issues caused major distractions.  Walter Becker was deep into his heroin addiction at the time.  Add to that a freak car accident while walking back to his apartment in New York that resulted in a broken foot that laid him up for six months!  If that wasn’t enough, his then girlfriend died of an overdose in his home which led to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit by her family that he eventually won.

Then there was the technical snafu.  The band worked for weeks on a song called “Second Arrangement” that they felt was one of their best songs ever.  That was until an assistant engineer accidentally erased most of the master.  (Something similar happened years earlier when the masters for Katy Lied were damaged due to an equipment malfunction.)  They tried to recreate it but when the new takes didn’t live up to the standard of the erased mix, they abandoned the song.  (It’s no wonder that the band stopped recording for some 20 years after they finished Gaucho.)

The “Second Arrangement” debacle left the album light one track.  So, Donald Fagan went back to the vaults from earlier album sessions and found the tapes for a song called “Were You Blind That Day.”  The lyrics were changed and the new track, “Third World Man,” was added to the album, and is today’s SotW.

Some Steely Dan fans think “Were You Blind That Day” was an Aja outtake.  But Larry Carlton, who played the song’s outstanding guitar solo has been quoted as saying it was a leftover from The Royal Scam sessions.  Experts agree that Carlton’s solo is the best of any Steely Dan recording.  It is less busy than his typical solos but perfectly complements the feel of the unusually slow Dan song.

As is typical for Steely Dan songs, the lyrics to “Third World Man” are ambiguous and can be interpreted in multiple ways.

Johnny’s playroom
Is a bunker filled with sand
He’s become a third world man
Smoky Sunday
He’s been mobilized since dawn
Now he’s crouching on the lawn
He’s a third world man

Soon you’ll throw down your disguise
We’ll see behind those bright eyes
By and by
When the sidewalks are safe
For the little guy

I saw the fireworks
I believed that I was dreaming
Till the neighbors came out screaming
He’s a third world man

Soon you’ll throw down your disguise
We’ll see behind those bright eyes
By and by
When the sidewalks are safe
For the little guys

When he’s crying out
I just sing that Ghana Rondo
E l’era del terzo mondo
He’s a third world man

Is Johnny a child playing Army?  Is he a real soldier that was deployed to a hostile country?  Are the fireworks real or the consequence of PTSD?

In 2005, Joni Mitchell released a covers CD album that was only available through Starbucks coffee shops.  Artist’s Choice – Music That Matters to Her included “Third World Man.”  It should be no surprise that Mitchell is so fond of that song for two reasons.  Firstly, since she is such an accomplished writer herself, it is no wonder she would be attracted to “Third World Man’s” sophisticated lyrics.  Then there’s her affection for guitarist Carlton’s work.  He has played on many of her albums, including Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and the awesome Hejira.

Happy anniversary, Gaucho!  “I just sing that Ghana Rondo e l’era del terzo mondo.”

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Children’s Fantasy, Glass Harp

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In late ‘60s Ohio, there were two bands on the circuit with gun-slinger guitarists – Joe Walsh’s James Gang, and Phil Keaggy’s Glass Harp.  Yes, Phil Keaggy of Glass Harp.

Keaggy deserved the accolades.  Listen to the guitar solo the 19-year-old Keaggy rips off on “Children’s Fantasy” from the band’s debut, self-titled album (1970).

Back in the day, there were rumored quotes of more well-known guitar heroes giving props to Keaggy.  The most famous was that Johnny Carson had Jimi Hendrix on the Tonight Show in the late ‘60s and asked him how it felt to be the world’s greatest guitar player.  Hendrix purportedly responded “I don’t know. You’d have to ask Phil Keaggy.”  A review of the tape of Hendrix’s only Tonight Show appearance (with Flip Wilson sitting in for Carson) proves that never happened.  But that doesn’t diminish Keaggy’s talent.

Just before the debut album was recorded, Keaggy’s mother died after a serious car accident.  This incident led him to follow his sister into Christianity.  In fact, a couple of songs on the debut reflected his newfound faith.  “Can You See Me” contained the lyric:

The Son died for you and me
That we may live eternally
Through Him there is a peace we can share
Yes, we can share

Later in his career, Keaggy devoted his music primarily to contemporary Christian rock and earned Grammy nominations for his work.

At age 69, Keaggy is still recording and touring.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Groovy Kind of Love; Diane and Annita, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebells, The Mindbenders, Phil Collins

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Today’s SotW is another installment of the Evolution Series – where I trace a song from its original version through various cover interpretations.  Today’s subject is “Groovy Kind of Love.”

“Groovy Kind of Love” was written in 1965 by Toni Wine and Carol Bayer Sager.  Wow, I didn’t realize those ladies were in the biz when they were that young – they were only 18!

They picked up on a “new” slang word and decided to write a song using it.  When it was done – they claim to have finished it in about 20 minutes – they pitched it to Leslie Gore, but her producer rejected it.  He didn’t like the word “groovy.”

So it was recorded by Diane and Annita and proceeded to go nowhere.

There isn’t much information about Diane and Annita on the internet.  The most common “fact” about them is that they met working for Ray Anthony’s Bookends.

In 1966, the next version was recorded by Patti LaBelle & the Bluebells and was produced by Bert Berns of Bang Records fame as well as writing and producing songs for the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and numerous early soul/R&B acts.

The LaBelle version made it across the Atlantic to England where it was introduced to the Wayne Fontana-less Mindbenders.  Fontana was replaced as the group’s lead singer by guitarist Eric Stewart, who would later go on to be a key member of 10cc.

The Mindbenders took the song all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late Spring of 1966.

The song bounced around on oldies stations for the next 20+ years until Phil Collins recorded a remake in 1988.

Collins was working on the soundtrack for the movie Buster that was mostly a compilation of oldies.  He thought “Groovy Kind of Love” would be a good fit and recorded a demo to present to the movie’s production team.  They agreed and decided to use his demo, untouched, instead of The Mindbenders’ version.  Collins’ recording did even better than the Mindbenders’, topping the charts in both the US and UK and finding its way onto many wedding reception playlists.

Covers have been recorded by Sonny & Cher, Gene Pitney, Petula Clark, and Neil Diamond, among others.

The melody of the song was based on the “Rondo from Sonatina in G Major” by 18th/19th century classical composer Muzio Clement.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Pick Up the Pieces, Average White Band

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In 1974, the ironically named Average White Band (AWB) released their second album, AWB, that contained their biggest hit – “Pick Up the Pieces.”  The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

During my freshman year in college – 1974-75 – “Pick Up the Pieces” was ubiquitous.  It was on the radio, on friend’s turntables, and always playing in bars and clubs where it was certain to fill the dancefloors.  Since those were the days of “disco sucks” and I was a rocker, you would think that I’d hate this song.  But I don’t.  It’s just too good!!!

The songwriting credit on the album was given to “R. Ball, H. Stuart & AWB.”  (Hamish) Stuart wrote the guitar part.  Sax player (Roger) Ball wrote the horn melody.  But the tenor sax solo was played by Malcolm “Molly” Duncan.  And it’s a killer! 

Duncan died a little over a year ago, on October 8th, 2019, of cancer.

Tragedy visited the band early on.  On September 22, 1974, AWB played a sold-out show at Hollywood’s Troubadour club.  After their performance, the band and friends went to a party at the home of Wall Street “whiz-kid” Kenneth Moss.  Many guests snorted white powder from a vial they thought contained cocaine, but it was heroin.  AWB drummer Robbie McIntosh died from an OD the next day.  The band’s bass player, Alan Gorrie, also might have died, but Cher took him back to her place and kept him up and walking until the drugs wore off.

Oh yeah, and the band’s name…  It has been attributed to Bonnie Bramlett, of Delaney & Bonnie, because she was amused that these pale-skinned, Scottish boys played such convincing soul music.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Out of My League, Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts

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“Out of My League” by Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts has been in heavy rotation on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM radio recently.  It was even featured as that station’s “Coolest Song in the World” the week of September 21st.

It is from Hamilton’s latest album, Nowhere To Go But Everywhere, on Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records imprint.  He was quoted in a press release as saying the album is “a group of songs about heartbreak and finding yourself.”  He goes on to describe “… League” as “a song idea that was almost 10 years old. I found the old demo, and it rang true, considering what I was going through. So, I revisited the song, and reworked it into the version that it is now.”

What “it is now” is a power-pop classic in the same vein as tracks by Fountains of Wayne.  The lyrics are so humble and self-effacing that you instantly fall in love with the singer.

She’s the prettiest thing I think I’ve ever seen.

It’s like she walked right off the cover of a magazine.

Which begs the question.

What’s she doing with me?

and

All my friends are saying she’s just looking to settle.

Guess what? I’m gonna let her.

And you feel his pride when he exclaims “I got a trophy wife!”

Ryan Hamilton & The Harlequin Ghosts are not newcomers.  Their previous album, 2019’s This is the Sound, was critically acclaimed and won Album of the Year at the Independent Music Awards.  That record was also a big hit in the UK where his ties are strong.  The Texan’s band is from the UK and most of the new album was cut while on tour there.

Hopefully “Out of My League” will make it into heavy rotation on your playlist.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Taunta/Nantucket Sleighride, Mountain

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Mountain was guitarist Leslie West’s band, but was also a vehicle for the artistic expression of Felix Pappalardi (bass, guitar, keys, vocals, production, songwriting).

Mountain’s second album was Nantucket Sleighride (1971).  The title song was written by Pappalardi and his then girlfriend (later wife) Gail Collins, who also painted the album’s cover artwork.

For today’s SotW I’m including the 1 minute long “Taunta” with “Nantucket Sleighride (to Owen Coffin)” because to my ear they are inextricable.

By now, most of you have probably heard that a “Nantucket sleighride” refers to what happens to a boat full of whalers when they harpoon a whale that tries to swim away.

The song was written to fictionalize the true story of a tragic whaling expedition in 1820.  The sperm whale they attempted to kill sunk their boat.  The crew survived on small whaleboats but most of them died, one-by-one.  When it got down to the final four, they drew straws to decide who would be sacrificed for the other three to cannibalize.  Poor Owen Coffin, the youngest crewman, lost.

Collins wrote the lyrics to the song that begins:

Goodbye, little Robin Marie
Don’t try following me
Don’t cry, little Robin Marie
‘Cause you know I’m coming home soon

My ships’ leaving on a three-year tour
The next tide will take us from shore
Windlaced, gather in sail and spray
On a search for the mighty sperm whale

No mention of poor Owen Coffin, but who is Robin Marie?  It turns out Robin Marie was a woman Pappalardi was cheating on Collins with.  Collins passive-aggressively wrote her into the song and then sent her man away for three years!

Although Pappalardi and Collins ended up getting married, their relationship continued to be stormy.  In 1983 she shot and killed him with a gun he had given her as a gift.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Runnin’ With the Devil, Van Halen

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My plan for today’s SotW was to write a tribute to Tommy DeVito of the Four Seasons, who died on September 23rd at the age of 92.  But this week Eddie Van Halen died and that takes precedent.

Van Halen was playing the clubs in metro LA when they came to the attention of Gene Simmons of Kiss.  Simmons was impressed with their talent (and cockiness), so he signed them to a contract and brought them back to New York to record some demos at Electric Lady Studios.  This was 1976, two years before their debut on Warner Brothers was released.

Those demos have never seen the light of day on official band releases.  But the “Zero” demos have been circulating on bootlegs for years.

Many of the songs on the Zero demos ended up on the band’s first album, though the demo versions were a little rougher and a little faster.  But the blueprint for what was to come was already there.

In the New York Times obituary for Eddie Van Halen, writer Jim Faber eloquently described his guitar playing as follows:

Mr. Van Halen structured his solos the way Macy’s choreographs its Independence Day fireworks shows: shooting off rockets of sound that seemed to explode in a shower of light and color. His outpouring of riffs, runs and solos was hyperactive and athletic, joyous and wry, making deeper or darker emotions feel irrelevant.

Van Halen will be missed, but his music will live on for a very long time.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Words of Love, The Beatles; Well All Right, Blind Faith; I’m Gonna Love You Too, Blondie

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Buddy Holly released his first record – “Blue Days, Black Nights”/”Love Me” – on Decca in April 1956, when he was just 19 years old.  He died less than three years later, in February 1959, at the age of 22.  In that very short career, Holly recorded eight Billboard Top 40 hits in the US, 3 of which were Top 10.

His discography is so well known and so highly respected that it should be no surprise that his songs have remained alive for generations via cover versions.  Today’s SotW post highlights a few of the best.

The Beatles were huge Buddy Holly fans.  They chose their name as a play on Holly’s Crickets, but not Beetles, instead making a pun out of their “beat group” music.  They also included as many as a dozen of his songs in their early club sets, many of which can be heard on the BBC recordings.  So, let’s start with “Words of Love” from Beatles For Sale in the UK and Beatles VI here at home; the only cover to make it onto an official, studio release.

The Beatles don’t stray very far from Holly’s original arrangement – the “handclaps” are a new feature – but the Lennon/McCartney (Lennon/Harrison?) harmony is sublime.  The boys laid this track down in two takes – no surprise since it was in the band’s repertoire since their days woodshedding in Hamburg, Germany.

In 1969, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Rick Grech formed Blind Faith, one of the first rock “supergroups.”  The short-lived band released only one album that had only 6 cuts – but one of them, “Well All Right,” was a cover of a Buddy Holly B-side.

Blind Faith made the song their own, adding a heavy opening riff and an improvisational middle section that extended its play time to a whole 4 ½ minutes!

In 1978, Blondie released their power-pop classic, Parallel Lines.  On it, they covered Holly’s “I’m Gonna Love you Too” and released it as the first single from the album (though it didn’t chart!).

Deborah Harry’s vocal and the bands aggressive backing adds some punk/new wave fury to the arrangement that modernizes Holly’s original, smoother rockabilly approach.

A Buddy Holly tribute album, Rave On Buddy Holly, was released in 2011.  It has covers of Holly songs by contemporary artists The Black Keys, She and Him, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Fiona Apple, the recently deceased Justin Townes Earle, and classic rockers Paul McCartney, Nick Lowe, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Graham Nash.  It proves that Holly’s music remains vital.  The album is worth a listen.

Rave on!

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – How Deep It Goes, Arbouretum

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Arbouretum often draws comparisons to Richard Thompson for their brand of psychedelic folk music and tasteful guitar solos.  This holds true on the Baltimore band’s most recent album, Let It All In.

Take a listen to the opening track, “How Deep It Goes.”

It gallops along with a steady rhythm and chiming guitars until it flows into a Grateful Dead-like wig out of guitar soloing (Dave Huemann) over a synth bed (Matthew Pierce), about halfway through.

Arbouretum has been releasing quality records since the early oughts.  Let It All In is another in that long line.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Early Soundtracks by Rock Artists in Film

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Today’s post is the next installment in my series on rock music in films.  The last in the series covered rock in ‘60s psychedelic movies.  It was largely centered on soundtracks that included performances by rock bands.  Today’s post focuses on movie soundtracks written and performed by rock acts.

One of the best movies of the ‘60s was The Graduate (1967), starring a young Dustin Hoffman.  Directed by Mike Nichols, with a screenplay by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, and also starring Anne Bancroft and Katherine Ross, it was a coming of age story and a box office smash.  The hip vibe of the flick was aided by the soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel.

The soundtrack recycled several songs from the first couple of Simon and Garfunkel albums that perfectly reflected the mood of the scenes that used them.  But there was one original, the major hit “Mrs. Robinson.”  This is the soundtrack version, not the hit that was on Bookends.

A year earlier, Francis For Coppola hired The Lovin’ Spoonful to provide the soundtrack to You’re A Big Boy Now.  Interestingly, YABBN tackled a subject very similar to The Graduate – a young man engaged in an affair with an older woman.

“Darling Be Home Soon” is a beautiful song that was covered with a gospel feel by Joe Cocker and was previously featured as a SotW.

The Spoonful also provided the soundtrack for Woody Allen’s What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1967).

There was a trio of films with notable rock soundtracks that came out in 1971:

Harold & Maude – Cat Stevens

Friends – Elton John

Percy – The Kinks

Like The Graduate soundtrack, Harold & Maude’s reused tracks from early Cat Stevens albums supplemented with some new material.  The most famous of the two new songs – “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” – was a SotW in August 2013, so let’s hear the other – “Don’t Be Shy.”

Elton John was considered for the role of Harold and was instrumental in connecting director Hal Ashby with Stevens.

Friends was John’s release between Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water.

“Friends” made it into the Billboard Top 40 and the soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy in 1972 for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture.  Despite those accolades, the Friends soundtrack album didn’t sell and could be found in the cut-out bins for a couple of bucks for years.

The strangest of these 1971 soundtracks was for Percy, by the Kinks.

“The Way Love Used to Be” is the best of the lot and was later included on The Great Lost Kinks Album (1973).  But it must be difficult writing songs for a story that is about a guy named Edwin that loses his penis when a man falls from the sky and lands on him.  When he gets a penis transplant, he names it Percy.

All of these soundtracks set the stage for rock music to be used to score films in the years to come.  A few examples of outstanding soundtracks by rock musicians are:

Mark Knopfler – Princess Bride

Queen – Flash Gordon

Richard Thompson – Grizzly Man

Ry Cooder – Paris, Texas

Peter Gabriel – Last Temptation of Christ

Enjoy… until next week.