Author Archives: Tom Muscarella

Song of the Week – Song for America, Kansas

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Back in college my roommates and I had a routine. After we finished our studies each night we would unwind by listening to a few of our favorite records. We would turn on a black light or light a few candles. We would sit in the darkness and listen intently (and at a very high volume) to a handful of songs that always did the trick for us. In those days, most of what fit the bill was songs by jam bands or prog rock. A few that I can remember were:

Jethro Tull – “Thick as a Brick”
Jefferson Airplane – “Feels So Good” (live from Thirty Seconds over Winterland)
Yes – “And You And I”

The last one I recall is today’s SotW, “Song for America” by Kansas (1975).

“Song for America” was exactly the kind of cut we were looking for – long (almost 10 minutes), progressive rock with several movements, odd time signatures and some top notch, virtuoso playing. This is a well-conceived and executed composition written by Kerry Livgren.

It opens with a long three part intro. The first part has a heavy riff that slows for a synthy transitional part about 2 minutes in. The third section introduces the melody for the first couple of verses sung powerfully by Steve Walsh. The second two verses have a totally different melody. Just after the 5 minute mark the vocals are over and the song moves into the full on prog rock section that includes a nifty violin solo by Rob Steinhardt. When that middle section concludes there’s a return to the main theme for one final vocal verse and then the very Yes-like fade out. Phil Ehart’s drum work is outstanding throughout.

The song’s lyrics play on an ecological theme. Initially it expounds on the virtues of our land’s pristine, natural beauty. By the end it is distraught by the overpopulation and overbuilding that destroyed our paradise.

If all you know about Kansas is “Carry on My Wayward Son” and/or “Dust in the Wind,” you may turn your nose up to today’s SotW selection. That would be a mistake.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Angels, Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey

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In 1991 the two original members of the power pop group the dB’s, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, released a duo album in 1991 under their own names called Mavericks.

I first became aware of this album by my cousin Tom V who is tied into the Hoboken, NJ music scene where it was recorded. His friend James MacMillan played bass on Mavericks.

This is a beautiful album, well played, with terrific, heartfelt lyrics. The songs were all written by either Holsapple and Stamey except the Gene Clark chestnut “Here Without You” (recorded by The Byrds on Mr Tambourine Man) and a Stamey collaboration with Mick Jones and Joes Strummer of The Clash, “Lovers Rock.”

The SotW is their one collaboration on the disc — “Angels.”

“Angels” is understated, with clever harmonies over a bed of jangly acoustic guitars and a swirling organ. The lyrics are clever, charming and heartfelt.

Keep one eye out for angels
When you’re on the road
And if you see an angel, do let me know

‘Cause when you’re on the road babe
When you’re on the move
Sometimes I hear an angel on the roof

And it’s a crazy little sound that I here up there
And it wakes me up
Sometimes I think I must be dreaming and as it turns out
No such luck

Chorus:
Hear an angel
Hear her moving over me
Hear an angel
Hear an angel calling me

She says “I know where he’s at tonight
and he is not with you
he’s with another angel
and he’ll call you when he’s through”

Some nights I go back to bed
And sleep till way past ten
And some nights I lay wide awake
And wait for her again

And it’s a crazy little sound that she makes up there
And it wakes me up

Chorus

When you’re home it’s all OK
And when you’re gone it’s not
We don’t choose the lives we lead
But there’s one thing you forgot

An angel will protect you
From any present danger
Remember I’ve got one here,
From your last angel’s stranger

And it’s a crazy little sound that she makes upstairs
And it wakes me up
So I take her to the kitchen and feed her something
From her cup

She wonders where you are tonight
And so do I, I guess

Chorus

Mavericks went virtually unnoticed at the time of its release and quickly went out of print. Fortunately, through the magic of the internet, you can hear it today on either Spotify or YouTube, so check it out.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Four and Twenty Miles, The Flat Earth Society

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The SotW features lots of cool bands that have been undeservedly destined for obscurity. The reasons are varied, but none is more peculiar than that of the mid 60s, Lynn, MA psych band, the Flat Earth Society.

The Flat Earth Society was discovered by a Boston advertising agency that was running a campaign for the F.B. Washburn Candy Company. The idea was to find a hip, young band to record an album and a jingle for their Waleeco candy bar. If you sent in 6 Waleeco bar wrappers and a buck and a half, you got a copy of the album. It wasn’t sold in stores. Needless to say, that wasn’t a strategy to get the record heard by the masses. (Most of the copies ended up in a landfill.)

But the album survived and is recognized by serious collectors as a psychedelic rock classic.

My choice for the SotW is “Four and Twenty Miles.” A rewrite of this song was the basis for the Waleeco bar jingle.

Inspired by acts like the Jefferson Airplane, it has all the hallmarks of 60s psych/garage rock – fuzz guitar, a solid beat, etc. While it’s not particularly unique sounding, you have to admit that these high school kids could play and sing.

By the way, a Waleeco bar was F.B. Washburn’s take on a coconut macaroon – sort of like a Mounds. If you grew up in New England you (or your parents) may remember it.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Doctor Wu & Chain Lightning, Steely Dan

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As an amateur sax player, I always take notice when great players pass on from this earth. In September we lost two important jazz sax greats – Wilton Felder (September 27th) and Phil Woods (September 4th).

As I thought about their work, it occurred to me that both men played on Steely Dan albums. I couldn’t recall of the top of my head which songs they played on so I did a little research and was reminded that Felder played bass (not sax) on “Chain Lightning” and Woods was on “Doctor Wu” – both from Katy Lied (1975). Now that’s a pretty strange coincidence!

p13032t7y42Felder is most well known as a founding member of The Jazz Crusaders. In that band he was known as a tenor sax player. Check out his work on Carole King’s “So Far Away” from the live album Scratch, where he holds a near one minute long note toward the end. The audience is whooping encouragement at first. As the tension builds, some guy shouts “stop” and there’s some nervous laughter to break it. It’s a marvelous moment caught on tape.

But Felder was also was an “in demand” session bass player on recordings for many popular music artists. He played bass on the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” to mention just a few of the hits. He also played bass on albums by Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell.

weather09240481443647101Woods was known as the “New Bird” in tribute to his influence, Charlie Parker. (He later married Parker’s widow.) The bulk of his career remained close to his bebop roots. He played with many of the greats including Dizzy and Monk.

But he also made some advances into popular music. He can be heard on Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” and Paul Simon’s “Have a Good Time.”

Sometimes, like this week, the SotW writes itself!

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Jimmy Olsen’s Blues, Spin Doctors

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Last Sunday Jack Larson, the man that played cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the 50s television show Adventures of Superman, died. I was such a huge fan of the show when I was a kid that this news touched me.

I went to YouTube to see if the shows intro was available to view. It was and I wasn’t even slightly surprised that I could still recite the entire script, word perfect, as I watched it.

So then, what does Jimmy Olsen have to do with the SotW? How about “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” by Spin Doctors?

Spin Doctors are most well known for their songs “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” from their 1991 hit album Pocket Full of Kryptonite. But that album also contained “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues.”

JOB is the only “Superman” song I could think of that is from the point of view of Olsen rather than the Man of Steel himself. In this song, Olsen seems to be suffering from depression and jealousy because his partner Lois Lane seems to be more attracted to Clark Kent than him.

Those other “Superman” songs include many different recordings simply called “Superman” by Eminem, The Clique (covered by R.E.M.), Snoop Dog, and Barbra Streisand. Then there’s “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan and “Superman’s Song” by Crash Test Dummies.

Have I forgotten any?

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Stay With Me, Lorraine Ellison

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Where did you go when things went wrong baby?
Who did you run to
And find a shoulder to lay your head upon?
Baby wasn’t I there?
Didn’t I take good care of you?
No no, I can’t believe you’re leaving me
Stay with me baby
Please, stay with me baby
Ooh, stay with me baby
I can’t go on
Who did you touch when you needed tenderness?

So goes the opening section of “Stay With Me” by Lorraine Ellison (1966).

But those words on paper don’t come anywhere close to the emotion that Ellison conveys with her interpretation of the song.

It begins quietly with a simple piano arpeggio, the beat kept with a tap on the high hat. Ellison begins to plead with her man to think about all the kindness and affection she’s given him. Each word is sung with total passion. Then comes the big payoff. The music and her voice swell to an emotion plea to “stay with me baby.”

This may be too bombastic for some of your tastes; to me it is infused with authenticity. Ellison sounds like a woman at the end of her rope – she simply can’t bear to let this man go without a fight. She’s willing to lay it all out, to scratch and claw her way back into his heart, pride be damned.

Some of you may recognize this song from the soundtrack to Bette Midler’s movie The Rose. It was also covered by Janis Joplin. (Although I don’t think she ever did a proper studio recording of “Stay With Me” you can find a live version on YouTube.) That ‘s no surprise when you realize that the tune was co-written by Jerry Ragovoy and George Weiss. Remember, Ragovoy was one of her favorite songwriters, responsible for several other hits in her set list – “Get It While You Can,” “My Baby,” “Piece of My Heart,” and “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” (also recorded by Ellison).

Sadly, Ellison died back in 1983 of ovarian cancer. She was only 51.

One last bit about “Stay With Me.” As the story goes, this cut, produced by Ragovoy, only came about because Frank Sinatra cancelled a recording session that was booked with a full orchestra. It was too late to send the musicians home without pay, so Ragovoy decided to take advantage of the opportunity and call Ellison in to take a shot at recording the song live. That was a good call.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Joke, Chastity Belt

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Being provocative is a cornerstone of rock and roll. Pre rock and roll R&B had salacious lyrics imbued with sexual innuendo. Elvis shook his pelvis, Little Richard was a gender bender, and Jerry Lee married his 13 year old cousin (once removed). The MC5 preached revolution, Alice Cooper used a guillotine and snakes as props, and Johnny Rotten spit on his audience.

chastity beltOne of today’s most provocative bands is an all-woman quartet out of the Seattle area called Chastity Belt. If the name itself doesn’t leave you uneasy, how about their early publicity shot with band member Julia Shapiro lifting her skirt to expose a raw steak covering her private parts?

The band met at Whitman College and formed a group to write songs that celebrate the rights of women to party and have casual sex. Their first album, No Regerts (sic), included song titles such as “Seattle Party,” “Pussy Weed and Beer,” “Giant Vagina,” and “Nip Slip.”

Their second album, Time to Go Home, is a little tamer lyrically though it does have a song called “Cool Slut” (Ladies, it’s OK to be/OK to be slutty). But they’ve compensated with more sophisticated music.

Today’s SotW is “Joke.”

I’m not quite sure if this is an ode to pyromania or a simple story about getting stoned and crackin’ up. Either way, it’s not the lyrics – it’s the Television-like (Richard Lloyd & Tom Verlaine) guitar interplay that really makes the song work. It nimbly straddles the line between indie pop and jam band.

This is a band to keep your eyes on in the next few years.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Something on Your Mind, Karen Dalton

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Tim Hardin: “She’s an incredible broad.”

Fred Neil: “… the greatest female singer I’ve ever heard.”

Bob Dylan: “… a voice like Billie Holiday’s and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed and went all the way with it.”

Who are these icons of the folk world showering with compliments? The best folk singer you’ve never heard – Karen Dalton.

Dalton was one of the most original folk singers in the early 60s Greenwich Village scene but languished in obscurity – mostly of her own doing. Opportunities were frequently presented to her but she was always reluctant to take advantage of them. She didn’t release an album until 1969 and by then she’d missed the opportunity to connect with a broad audience that was by then listening to more rock oriented music. And she hated public performances. Carlos Santana met her at Woodstock and invited her to tour with him in Europe. She accepted and appeared in a few cities but refused to come out of her dressing room (paralyzed with fear) for the rest of the tour. She died in 1993 at the tender age of 55 from an AIDS related illness, destitute and homeless.

The SotW is the Dino Valenti (Valente?) penned “Something on Your Mind” from her 1971 album, In My Own Time.

What grabs you first is the quality of Dalton’s voice. Sharp as shard glass; yet fragile and vulnerable too. But let’s not overlook that she’s a pretty damned good guitar player too.

Thom Jurek at allmusic.com summarizes the song nicely:

The material is choice, beginning with Dino Valente’s gorgeous “Something on Your Mind.” [Harvey] Brooks’ rumbling single-note bassline opens it with a throb, joined by a simple timekeeping snare, pedal steel, and electric guitars. When Dalton opens her mouth and sings “Yesterday/Anyway you made it was just fine/Saw you turn your days into nighttime/Didn’t you know/You can’t make it without ever even trying/And something’s on your mind…,” a fiddle enters and the world just stops. The Billie Holiday comparisons fall by the wayside and Dalton emerges as a singer as true and impure as Nina Simone (yet sounds nothing like her), an artist who changed the way we hear music. The band begins to close in around her, and Dalton just goes right into the middle and comes out above it all. She turns the song inside herself, which is to say she turns it inside all of us and its meaning is in the sound of her voice, as if revelation were something of an everyday occurrence if we could only grasp its small truth for what it weighs.

Dalton was recently honored with a tribute album – Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs by Karen Dalton – that includes Sharon Van Etten, Patty Griffin, Isobel Campbell, Julia Holter, Marissa Nadler and Lucinda Williams performing her own compositions.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Tighten Up, Archie Bell & the Drells; Dance to the Music, Sly & the Family Stone; Memphis Soul Stew, King Curtis; Reggae Recipe, Desmond Dekker; The Intro and the Outro, The Bonzo Dog Band

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I like a lot of songs where the band leader introduces each of the instruments into the song, one by one. I’ll call them “instrument intro songs.” For some reason they remind me of summer, though when I researched the actual release and peak chart position dates, I’m not sure any of my favorites were actually summer hits. But who cares about accuracy? In my mind these oldies are perfect songs to wrap up the summer of 2015.

First up is “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells… from Houston, Texas.

“Tighten Up” peaked in the US at #15 in May of 1968. It does double duty as a song with a dance that goes along with it (like The Twist or The Mashed Potatoes). The song is just plain fun. Other hip bands including R.E.M and Yo La Tengo must agree since they’ve covered the song.

Sly & the Family Stone contributed the great “Dance to the Music.”

I was surprised to find that “Dance to the Music” actually came out just a little before “Tighten Up.” Its chart peak was at #8 in late April 1968. In my mind’s eye “Dance…” came out after “Tighten…” I was surprised to see they were on the airwaves at the same time.

I didn’t discover the next two instrument intro songs until well after their original releases.

“Memphis Soul Stew” is a funky number by saxophonist King Curtis from the late 60s.

When “Memphis Soul Stew” was released Curtis was recording for Atlantic Records. But he had a long and storied career. He warmed up for the Beatles at their historic Shea Stadium performance that just had their 50th anniversary on August 15th. He played that famous sax break on Aretha’s “Respect.” He recorded a cool cover version of Joe South’s “Games People Play” that featured Duane Allman on guitar. But he died tragically at the age of 37 in 1971 having been stabbed near his NYC apartment after an argument with a pair of drug dealers.

Desmond Dekker gives us a reggae instrument intro song called “Reggae Recipe.”

Dekker is best known for his #1 hit from 1969, “The Israelites.” “Reggae Recipe” is far less popular but ought not to be. I’m not sure, but I think this song came out later in the same year. The reggae recipe for this song is pure delight!

And of course I have to end with the greatest instrument intro song – The Bonzo Dog Band’s “The Intro and the Outro.”

This is really a parody of the Part One finale of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” where there is a pompous introduction of the many instruments used in its orchestration. No time here for the full album side of “… Bells” just to hear that one section, but the Bonzo’s parody is beautiful! In fact, it’s the Bonzo’s Viv Stanshall that calls out the instruments for both recordings.

I tried to think of a contemporary example of an instrument intro song but couldn’t come up with one. Can you?

Enjoy… until next week.

Correction:

Lawr pointed out “Slight correction, Tommy. “The Intro and the Outro” was released on “Gorilla” in 1967, while “Tubular Bells” was in 1973, What “The Intro and the Outro” really riffs on is Duke Ellington’s “C-Jam Blues.”

He’s right! My bad. I need a better fact checker.

TM