Category Archives: song of the week

Song of the Week – War in Peace, Alexander “Skip” Spence

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It seems like every rock music critic/writer has put together a list of “the best albums you’ve never heard.” And one of the albums that is on just about everyone’s list is Oar by Alexander “Skip” Spence.

Spence was the drummer in the original Jefferson Airplane and one of the founders of San Francisco’s Moby Grape. In 1968, after he left the group (after attempting to go all Lizzy Borden on a couple of his bandmates), ended up in New York’s Bellvue Hospital for about 6 months. There he wrote the songs for Oar that he recorded in Nashville, playing all of the instruments himself – about a year before Paul McCartney pulled the same trick on his own debut solo album.

Oar is emotionally raw and can be very depressing at times. But it is also one of the most authentic records I’ve ever heard and that’s what ultimately give it its legs.

The SotW is “War in Peace.”

I discovered a website called Julian Cope’s Head Heritage that has a feature called The Book of Seth. Several times a year Seth writes a review of an Unsung album or 45. In February 2004 he featured Oar. Here’s what he had to say about today’s SotW:

“The weightless “War In Peace” is an emanation from eternity’s echo chamber. Spence’s electric lead guitar bursts in midway — chipped, fragmentary and falling like glittering silt as echoed whispering and whistling crisscross the patch of snapped tight hit-hats and bass lines like posts demarcating an unswerving boundary into the distance. By the time the electric guitar solo arrives, the infamously shattered “Sunshine Of Your Love” riff is already stumbling down a ravine in slow motion hitting branches, bouncing off rocks and causing landslides while atomic particles just collect and disperse in its wake until finally breaking down into a cosmic freefall beyond their once dimensional limitations.”

There’s not much I can add to that!

Wikipedia reports that the album was the lowest selling record in the Columbia Records catalog, deleted and relegated to the cut out bins in less than a year. I’d love to have one of those copies!

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Mother Russia, Renaissance

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Vladimir Putin and Russia have been in the news quite a bit lately. The annexation of Crimea, bombing of Syrian rebels and civilians in support of the Assad regime and cyber hacking interference in our 2016 presidential election have left US-Russian relations in worse shape since the end of the Cold War.

This reminded me of the song “Mother Russia” by the 70s prog rock band, Renaissance.

“Mother Russia” was inspired by the Soviet treatment of writer/political activist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who was sent to a labor camp for 8 years for criticizing Joseph Stalin (in private letters).

Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name, his blood flows frozen to the snow

Red blood, white snow
He knows frozen rivers won’t flow
So cold, so true
Mother Russia-he cries for you

This is a heavy song, musically and lyrically, written about a weighty subject at a time when artists did such things.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Still… You Turn Me On, Emerson Lake & Palmer

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The Rock world lost another legend this week. Greg Lake of the original King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer passed away on December 7th at the age of 69.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/arts/music/greg-lake-dies.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fobituaries&action=click&contentCollection=obituaries®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=2

I’ve had an ELP cut on my SotW idea list for several months. So I guess now is as good a time as any to present it.

“Still… You Turn Me On” is a lovely ballad in the same style as one of Lake’s most popular songs, “Lucky Man.” It was on ELP’s excellent 1973 album, Brain Salad Surgery.

BSS was an ambitious album. On it the band tackled William Blake (“Jerusulem”) and classical composer Alberto Ginastera (“Tocatta”). While this isn’t my favorite ELP record – I’m partial to the debut and Tarkus – it has its moments, including “Still… You Turn Me On.”

It has another stunning vocal by Lake, a beautiful musical arrangement using multiple guitars (the wah-wha is awesome) and keyboards, and poignant lyrics.

Do you wanna be the pillow
Where I lay my head
Do you wanna be the feathers
Lying on my bed
Do you wanna be the cover
Of a magazine
Create a scene

Every day a little sadder
A little madder
Someone get me a ladder

I rediscovered the song a few months ago when reading an article by M.C. Antil called “50 Deep Tracks That Will Blow Your Kids’ Minds.” “Still… You Turn Me On” comes onto the list midway at #25.

M.C. Antil – 50 Deep Cuts That Will Blow Your Kids’ Minds

One of my bandmates, Chris H. shared a fine YouTube video of Lake performing his holiday classic, “I Believe in Father Christmas,” performed in 1975 with Ian Anderson. Since we’re in the season it is appropriate to share that too.

ELP’s “over blown,” pretentious approach to making records is often held responsible for the backlash that produced the DIY attitude of Punk Rock. I get that, but I think there’s room for both. Progressive Rock has not been treated kindly by rock historians. Evidence of that is the dearth of prog rock artists that have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That needs to be corrected.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Magical Misery Tour, National Lampoon; Ouch!, The Rutles

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This has been a very Beatle-y year. We marked the 50th anniversary of Revolver and their last full concert at Candlestick Park. Then there was the release of the new Ron Howard film Eight Days a Week that celebrated the touring years. The Beatles has such a significant impact on popular culture that we can expect the next few years to be Beatle-y as well. 50th anniversary celebrations of events from ’67-70 will be commonplace. Expect a media onslaught when we reach the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper next June.

Still, this year’s focus on Beatle history has allowed me to indulge in a few esoteric aspects of Beatle fandom. For instance, I’ve been building a playlist of Beatles covers. I don’t expect this project to have an end but it currently has over 700 songs.

Another has been to listen to Beatle parodies. The first SotW is the National Lampoon’s John Lennon parody, “Magical Misery Tour” aka “Genius is Pain.”

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This song is a riot but if you’re offended by the “f” word, skip it! It was written by Tony Hendra (lyrics) and Chris Cerf (music). Hendra had the clever idea to take actual quotes from the famous Lennon Rolling Stone interview with Jann Wenner and set them to music. Brilliant!!! And that’s Melissa Manchester playing the role of Yoko at the end.

The greatest Beatles parody of all was the movie/soundtrack called All You Need is Cash by the Rutles. The 14 Beatle parody songs contained within were written by Neil Innes, formerly of Monty Python and The Bonzo Dog Band. You should check them all out but today I’ll treat you to the take-off on “Help” – the Rutles song “Ouch!.”

Of course there are other Beatles parodies worth checking out. In fact the Prince of Parody, “Weird Al” Yankovic, has done three himself – Generic Blues (Yer Blues), Pac-man (Taxman) and Gee I’m a Nerd (Free as a Bird).

Part of the charm that fueled Beatlemania was the Fab Four’s good natured irreverence. It’s only fair then that they take a little bit of their own medicine.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – These Words, The Lemon Twigs

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The Lemon Twigs – teenage brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario — are a cool new band from Hicksville, Long Island. It’s no coincidence that their aesthetic is closely linked to their west coast brethren, Foxygen, since that band’s Jonathan Rado produced their debut album – Do Hollywood.

Today’s SotW is “These Words”, a song about self-identity, by the Lemon Twigs.

The brothers have told how their musician father, Ronnie, weened them on the music he grew up with and loved, primarily the Beatles. He taught the boys to avoid common, simplistic chord progressions and the value of vocal harmonies. Those lessons were learned well judging by “These Words.”

This song has a bit of everything thrown into it. It starts off with a funky piano, synth, bass romp that quickly evolves into a baroque rock power ballad. There’s a little honky tonk piano section in the middle that keeps growing to a massive crescendo of horns and harmony until it returns to the chorus.

Brian and Michael inherited one other thing from their dad… his vinyl record collection. These are boys after my own heart!

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Everybody’s Crying Mercy, Bonnie Raitt

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Wow! It has been a rough couple of weeks for music lovers. In less than two weeks we’ve lost Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell and Mose Allison.

I planned to write about my favorite Leonard Cohen song, “Famous Blue Raincoat”, but I couldn’t find the time before my last post.

Then Leon Russell passed and I thought I’d write about his work with Marc Benno in the overlooked Asylum Choir. I especially like the Asylum Choir II album and suggest you listen to it on Spotify or YouTube if you’re not familiar with it. I already posted about Leon’s “Delta Lady” some time ago.

This past week has been full of MSM and social media attention to Mose Allison. Much has been duly focused on his own recordings. Other has drawn attention to cover versions such as The Who’s rockin’ take on “Young Man Blues” and the versions of “Parchman Farm” by bands as diverse as Blue Cheer, Cactus, Hot Tuna and Johnny Winter (among others).

So I’m left with few directions to take to pay tribute to these tremendous artists. But I think I’ve found a cut that hasn’t been overexposed that will do the trick. Today’s SotW is Bonnie Raitt’s rendition of Allison’s “Everybody’s Crying Mercy” from her 1973 album Takin’ My Time.

Bonnie’s recording is sultry and bluesy. The subtle harp, guitar licks, piano comps and late night bar bass all complement Raitt’s strong vocal performance.

Elvis Costello also took a run at the song on his covers album, Kojak Variety, from 1995. It’s not bad, but Bonnie’s hits the mark more effectively.

The SotW is all about exposure to songs that have been Ignored, Obscured or Restored. There are enough of those in the catalogs of Cohen, Russell and Allison to last for quite a while. Please treat yourself and go check them out.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Down Home Girl – Alvin Robinson, Rolling Stones, Taj Mahal, Nic Armstrong

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Today’s SotW is another installment in my ongoing “evolution” series. This one is solidly in the category of you can’t ef up a great song.

“Down Home Girl” was written by Jerry Leiber and Artie Butler and first recorded by New Orleans based Alvin “Shine” Robinson on the Red Bird Records in 1964. Red Bird was a label founded by Leiber and Mike Stoller after their long, successful run at Atlantic Records. They hit their stride with the Dixie Cups “Chapel of Love” and a series of hits by the Shangri-Las.

The original Robinson recording has a vocal that is reminiscent of Ray Charles’ singing style and was produced by Leiber & Stoller.

A year later, in 1965, the Rolling Stones covered the song.

Before Jagger and Richards began to have success as songwriters, they had an uncanny sense for selecting great songs to cover. Irma Thomas’ “Time is on My Side” and Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” are a couple of fine examples. The Stones use a harp to color the song a little more blue and translate the original’s distinctive horn riff with a guitar. Mick’s vocal is especially strong on this cut that was on the British album The Rolling Stones No. 2 and Now! in the US. Check out the movie Charlie My Darling for a cool, full live performance of the song.

“Down Home Girl” continued to attract more artists to take a run it. Later in ’65 the Astronauts, a Colorado based surf band, recorded it. The Coasters, who may have been the best interpreters of Leiber/Stoller songs, recorded yet another version in 1967.

Almost 30 years later, in 1993, Taj Mahal revived the song on his album Dancing the Blues.

Mahal expands the arrangement with a full horn section that’s featured about 2 minutes in and a sax solo that takes it through the fade out.

In 2004, retro rocker Nic Armstrong released his own version of “Down Home Girl.”

Armstrong’s take is similar to the Stones’. The novelty in his version is in the middle section where a guitar references Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman.” Do you hear it?

I’m aware of another, slower, country take by the Old Crow Medicine Show that came out as recently as 2006. And I’m equally sure we will be hearing new versions for years to com.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Don’t Do What I Did, The Continental Drifters

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Today’s SotW was written by Mark Vincent. Mark is a fellow music lover and multi instrumental musician (guitar, bass and recently drums). His current gig is with a band called The Occasionalists that specializes in bringing live karaoke to the Brooklyn, NY club scene. When he’s not indulging his passion for music he has a chiropractic practice in Manhattan.

My cousin Tom has invited me to be a guest contributor to SotW, a genuine honor that I’ve tried not to let disrupt my entire work day. We both share a significant musical influence in the person of my much older brother and his cousin, Tom Vincent, who introduced me to this week’s band, The Continental Drifters, in addition to numerous other acts over the past 40 years.

The Continental Drifters were formed in LA in 1991 and soon relocated to New Orleans, enjoying local success in both cities. The band’s lineup seemed to evolve throughout their 11 year existence, but at their peak of recording/touring (1997-2001) it included a number of big names — Peter Holsapple (dB’s), Vickie Peterson (Bangles), Susie Cowsill (The Cowsills) and founding members Mark Walton (Dream Syndicate) and Carlo Nucci, who was replaced by Ralph Brousard after their first album.

Their sound is about what you would expect from that mix of talent: power pop/college rock/alt country/soul with a layer New Orleans sweat. Vocals and songwriting were shared among several members, expanding their range and style.

Choosing a single cut is difficult since their sound varied considerably within their three albums. With a band full of vocalists, their harmonies standout on many songs, but you won’t hear that on my selection. Being a dB’s fan, I’m partial to Peter Holsapple’s contributions.

“Don’t Do What I Did” is a driving pop song with electric guitars battling Holsapple’s accordion to keep up with his vocals. The song is probably about some form of regret based on the title, but I don’t pay much attention to lyrics when there’s this much music going on. The bridge shifts to an even faster pace but it never feels manic or muddled; the luxury of having a band of great players.

Give a listen to other Drifters tracks to get a sample of their harmonies and musicianship, but listen to this one if you need to wake up.

The band dissolved soon after Cowsill and Brousard left early in 2002. They’ve played a few reunion shows and last year put out a 2cd set of previously unreleased originals, covers, live cuts, demos and European releases.

Holsapple has since done work with the dB’s and Chris Stamey among others. Carlo Nucci has continued to be a fixture in the New Orleans music scene and co-wrote the NFL Saint’s anthem “Who Dat”. Peterson and Cowsill still perform together as the Psycho Sisters and Cowsill has a band with drummer Brousard, whom she married. Walton has played reunion gigs with Dream Syndicate.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – River, Terry Reid

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Pete Best was the original drummer for The Beatles. Just as they were about to break out with a recording contract, Best was sacked in favor of Ringo Starr. Eighteen months later The Beatles made their first trip to the US to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show and Beatlemania commenced. To be so close to worldwide stardom, then miss out, must have led to massive regrets that Best has had to live with the rest of his life!

But imagine, instead, if the missed opportunity was self-inflicted? So goes the legend of British musician Terry Reid who is most often noted for his decision to turn down an offer from Jimmy Page to join his then new group, Led Zeppelin, as its lead singer. Not only did Reid turn down the gig, but he was magnanimous enough to suggest to Page that he hire a young singer named Robert Plant instead.

Page’s invitation was not without merit. No less than Aretha Franklin was quoted in 1968 as saying “There are only three things happening in England: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Terry Reid.”

Later, in 1969, Reid was recruited to join Deep Purple and passed on that one too. The great Ian Gillian got the job.

Although Reid chose to go his own way, releasing five solo albums between 1968 and 1979, he toiled in relative obscurity. That’s despite a catalog of high quality recordings. My favorite is the Tom Dowd produced River, from 1973, and the SotW is the title song.

River is an album of two distinct sides. The first side had four more traditional rockers. Side two had three songs that were “jazzy” in the same way as some Van Morrison cuts but tempered with the folksiness of Nick Drake. None clock in at less than 4 minutes. “River” is a samba flavored jazzy cut. (In fact, Reid later became friends with Brazilian jazz legends Gilberto Gil and Carlos Jobim.)

So let’s return to the theme of regret. Reid has none. A recent article in MOJO written by Sylvie Simmons cites “in over four hours of interview, (Reid) hadn’t a bad word to say about anyone, nor a twinge of bitterness at how the road to fame and fortune went wrong.”

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Wang Dang Doodle, Koko Taylor; 2120 South Michigan Avenue, The Rolling Stones

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An icon of Blues and R&B, Phil Chess, passed away this week.

Phil and his brother Leonard co-founded Chess Records in Chicago, home to such artists as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.

Here’s one of my favorites from Chess – “Wang Dang Doodle” by Koko Taylor

“WDD” was written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf, but it’s Taylor’s version that hit with an audience. The gender switch makes it really sassy.

I don’t know if you could say that The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, the initial Fleetwood Mac and Cream wouldn’t have existed without Chess Records, but it’s pretty safe to say without Chess they wouldn’t have sounded the same.

The Rolling Stones visited Chess Studios on their first visit to the US in June 1964. In fact, they were totally psyched to not only get to look around but to actually record in the same room as their blues heroes.

One of the tracks they laid down was an instrumental called “2120 South Michigan Avenue.”

The title of the song pays tribute to Chess Studios – it calls out the street address. The writing credit was given to Nanker Phelge, a pseudonym used by the Stones in the early days for group compositions.

The version heard in the US on the album 12 x 5 was only about two minutes long. I have a German release of Around and Around that has an extended version that runs about three and a half minutes. That version was used on the CD release of 12 x 5 and is the one I’ve presented here.

Phil Chess was 95 years old when he died in Arizona. May he rest in peace.

Enjoy… until next week.