Category Archives: song of the week

Song of the Week – Cuyahoga, I Believe, Swan Swan H, R.E.M.

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I’ve wanted to post a SotW featuring R.E.M. for a long time but haven’t gotten around to it. The weird thing is that I been paralyzed by the choice because I love so many of their cuts. So I’m finally ready to take a stand by choosing three songs, all from the band’s 4th album, Lifes Rich Pageant.

This is my favorite R.E.M. album. It was the first one I really sunk my teeth into but it also was the album that bridged their early indie (I.R.S. Records), college radio years with the broad commercial success of their releases on Warner Brothers records.

LRP had two songs that were popular, “Fall On Me” and a cover of The Clique’s “Superman”, so I’ll skip over them. That’s easy because every other song on the album is so good.

Let’s start with “Cuyahoga.”

It is a protest song that addresses both environmental concerns (the Ohio river famously caught fire in 1969 due to pollution) and protecting the heritage and natural resources of the native Americans.

Let’s put our heads together and start a new country up
Up underneath the river bed we’ll burn the river down

This is where they walked, swam
Hunted, danced and sang
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

Next is “I Believe.”

The banjo intro acts as a sort of overture to create an Americana feel for this country rocker. (It has a similar feel to “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” but I like this number better.) As is often the case with R.E.M. the lyrics are indecipherable but interesting nonetheless.

I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract
Explain the change, the difference between
What you want and what you need, there’s the key
Your adventure for today, what do you do
Between the horns of the day

I believe my shirt is wearing thin and change is what I believe in

Lastly is “Swan Swan H.”

Asked about his inspiration for “Swan Swan H”, lead singer/lyricist Michael Stipe said “(It’s a) Civil War song. That’s all I know of writing it. I remember the inspiration but it just flowed. “What noisy cats are we” I lifted from an actual Civil War written piece.” The music features a haunting, folky twelve string guitar, a military drum beat, and a subtle vocal delivery that perfectly supports the songs emotional narrative.

A pistol hot, cup of rhyme
The whiskey is water, the water is wine
Marching feet, Johnny Reb
What’s the price of heroes?

Six and one, half dozen the other
Tell that to the captain’s mother
Hey, captain, don’t you want to buy
Some bone chains and toothpicks?

LRP was released in in 1986 which makes it almost 30 years old! That doesn’t seem possible. But the album still holds up so I hope you’ll check out the rest of it.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Full Moon, Woods and Give Me Love, George Harrison

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It’s the end of another year, so I’ve been sorting through a lot of the new music I was exposed to this year, trying to compile my favorites. One song I’ve been listening to often is “Full Moon” by Woods, yet another Brooklyn based band. It’s from their 8th album of Americana, With Light and With Love.

“Full Moon” has a breezy Southern California feel. The intro has a strummed acoustic guitar, a wah-wah and a cool slide guitar that sounds like something from a George Harrison solo album. The lyrics are sung by Jeremy Earl in a high register that may remind you a little of Wayne Coyne’s work with The Flaming Lips.

The George Harrison comparison now has “Give Me Love” stuck in my mind.

That song, from 1973’s Living in the Material World, was a #1 hit when it was released. Its lyrics espousing peace and love and freedom and good karma are perfect concepts to think about as we approach the end of another year. And it still sounds great to me after all these years.

Happy New Year!

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Holland, 1945, Neutral Milk Hotel

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As many of you already know, I’m a ginormous fan of Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report. I’ve hardly missed an episode during the show’s nine year run. Stephen feels like a brother to me. My heart is filled with sadness that the show is over. There will be a huge hole in my daily routine that The Colbert Report used to fill.

The show “ended” with Stephen singing “We’ll Meet Again” with dozens of the shows friends coming onstage to join him.

But if you were patient and stayed tuned past the commercial break you saw the final sign off.

But it was a story by Doug Sibor on the pop culture website, Complex, that caught my attention because it identified the background music as “Holland, 1945” by Neutral Milk Hotel.

Sibor went further to explain why that song was chosen, quoting from a New York Times column written about Colbert by Maureen Dowd last April.

He had 10 older siblings. But after his father and the two brothers closest to him in age died in a plane crash when he was 10 and the older kids went off to college, he said, he was “pretty much left to himself, with a lot of books.”

He said he loved the “strange, sad poetry” of a song called “Holland 1945” by an indie band from Athens, Ga., called Neutral Milk Hotel and sent me the lyrics, which included this heartbreaking bit:

“But now we must pick up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on…
And here is the room where your brothers were born
Indentions in the sheets
Where their bodies once moved but don’t move anymore.”

These words are especially poignant during the holiday season that so many people find difficult to manage through.

Neutral Milk Hotel is a band worth investigating further. Led by Jeff Mangum, they have songs with fascinating lyrics and are accompanied by a band of multi instrumentalists that comes up with interesting, clever arrangements.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week Revisited – Bar-B-Q, Wendy Rene

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Stax/Volt soul singer Wendy Rene has died of complications from a stroke. She was only 67 years old. You can read a full obituary here:

Wendy Rene Obituary

Below is a SotW I originally posted on June 30, 2012. I’m revisiting it here today in her honor.

I’ve always got my ear to the ground with the hope of discovering some long lost soul gem. A couple of months ago I was listening to the 9 CD, 244 song, boxed set – Stax/Volt – The Complete Singles 1959-1968. The collection has all of the well know favorites by the label’s major stars, but also goes deep into the catalog for some wonderful obscurities. I found one that’s perfect for the summer and the upcoming 4th of July holiday — 1964’s “Bar-B-Q” by southern soul legend, Wendy Rene.

Born Mary Frierson, her stage name was the suggestion of Stax label mate Otis Redding. Her first release, the mournful “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” was her biggest hit. That song was eventually covered by Alicia Keys under the title “Where Do We Go From Here.”.

But I prefer the lighthearted, upbeat “Bar-B-Q.” The bass and organ lay down a funky rhythm. The famous Memphis Horns add to the southern soul stew. It even features a little Steve Cropper guitar solo. Then there’s Wendy’s sassy vocal on the playful lyric.

i smell something in the air, you know it smells like barbecue
if i had some i wouldn’t care because i like barbecue

well, i like barbecue
you like barbecue
we like barbecue
you know i sure like barbecue

sister’s out back sittin’ in the swing, she wants some barbecue
little brother’s on the porch doin’ handsprings, singin’ i’d like some barbecue

chorus

my old dog has got a bone, and he wants some barbecue
i’ve got an old gray cat sittin’ on the stone, and he’s beggin’ for barbecue

chorus

here comes pop from up the street and he’s got some barbecue
all the kids are startin’ to pat their feet because they want some barbecue

By 1967, Wendy was in a second marriage and raising a growing family so she decided to leave the record business. I’ve heard the story – but I’m not sure if it’s true – that she was scheduled to perform one last show with Otis Redding and other Stax artists but that she turned it down at the last minute. As the story goes, that gig was Redding’s last. He was killed along with four of the Bar-Kays when their plane crashed on the return from the show.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Acknowledgement, John Coltrane

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This week marked the 50th anniversary of the recording of one of the most important jazz recordings — perhaps one of the most important recordings of any genre – John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme.

The personnel on the album were Coltrane (saxophones), McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (double bass), and Elvin Jones (drums). Legend has it Coltrane’s band had little idea what they would be doing when they arrived in the studio on December 9th, 1964… but Coltrane was on a mission. His goal was to make a recording that somehow captured the spiritual essence of the world’s religions. He once told Newsweek “My goal is to live the truly religious life and express it in my music.”

Today’s SotW is the first movement of the four-part suite – “Acknowledgement.”

Wikipedia describes the piece like this:

The album begins with the bang of a gong (tam-tam), followed by cymbal washes. Jimmy Garrison follows on bass with the four-note motif which structures the entire movement. Coltrane’s solo follows. Besides soloing upon variations of the motif, at one point Coltrane repeats the four notes over and over in different modulations. After many repetitions, the motif becomes the vocal chant “A Love Supreme”, sung by Coltrane (accompanying himself via overdubs).

This piece forms the musical foundation for the improvisational journey that continues from there.

Tyner once told NPR:

“I remember they cut the lights down kind of. The lights were dimmed in the studio. I guess they were trying to get a nightclub effect or whatever. I don’t know if it was John’s suggestion or whatever. I remember the lights being dimmed.”

Do yourself a favor – recreate that setting and find the time to listen to the entire 33 minute suite. Even during this busy holiday season it would not be a waste of time.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – F.U.C. Her, The New Barbarians

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This was a terrible week for rock and roll. We lost two giants in the field, albeit they were guys that toiled in the background. Sax man Bobby Keys died last Tuesday at the age of 70. Ian McLagan died the next day at the age of 69.

I needn’t reiterate their bios here. Anyone that reads these posts already knows who they are and appreciates the huge contributions they made to rock music. In fact, for just that reason I hadn’t planned to dedicate today’s SotW to them. But Friday my friend John S. reminded me that they toured together in 1979 as the New Barbarians – a band Ron Wood and Keith Richards assembled to help Keith meet some obligationsto the Canadian government and to support Ron’s solo effort, Gimme Some Neck. That confluence is just too good to pass up. (Thanks John!)

The SotW is dirty little number called “F.U.C. Her” from the first leg of that tour.

The reason I’ve chosen this song from the album is because it highlights the contributions of McLagan and (especially) Keyes better than most of the others on the album. The band plays it fast and loose, just as you would expect from this group of hell-raisers. A little past the midpoint, Keyes rips off a sax solo that highlights his playing style. The only problem with the performance is that the vocals are unbearable – so just hang in there for the sax solo.

So thank you Bobby and Ian for adding your magic to hundreds of great recordings we all know and love and sing and play. Your memory will live on for decades. Rest in peace.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week Revisited – Whatever Gets You Through the Night, John Lennon

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Today the great sax player, Bobby Keys, died at the age of 70. In his honor I’m re-posting a SotW I originally sent out 2 years ago tomorrow – November 3, 2012.

One of my favorite session men is tenor sax player Bobby Keys. Known mostly for his long association with the Rolling Stones – that’s Keys on “Brown Sugar”, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and all over Exile on Main Street – Keys also made significant to contributions to recordings by everyone from Joe Cocker, to George Harrison, to Harry Nilsson, to Buddy Holly.

He played the sax on Elvis Presley’s “Return to Sender.” That’s him again on Dion’s “The Wanderer.”

Keys rock star lifestyle excesses are legendary. In February he published an autobiography titled Every Night’s a Saturday Night: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Life of Legendary Sax Man. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m certain it contains some great stories.

My pick for the SotW is John Lennon’s collaboration with Elton John – “Whatever Gets You through the Night.”

I chose this song because Lennon really created a lot of space for Keys to do his thing. (And let’s face it; it’s a really fun song that you probably haven’t heard in a dog’s age.) From the opening note, Keys is blaring away. Then he gets a couple of opportunities in between each verse and chorus to add short solos. He really makes the song.

As a side note, WGYTTN has an interesting story to go along with it. Apparently, in the recording studio Elton predicted it would be a hit. Lennon didn’t agree, so they made a bet. If the song reached #1, Lennon would have to appear on stage to perform it with Elton. Indeed, the song hit #1 on the Billboard charts on November 16, 1974. Lennon made good on his wager and appeared with Elton at Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1974.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Day of the Eagle, Robin Trower

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Forty years ago, Robin Trower released his second solo album – Bridge of Sighs – named after the famous 17th century Italian structure in Venice.

To be honest, it’s not an album that I paid much attention to when it spent 31 weeks on the charts in 1974. On several occasions my good buddy Steve S has mentioned to me how much he loves this album. He was in Venice recently and it made me wonder if he was able to get to the famous Bridge to check it out. That all got me to thinking that since I have so much respect for Steve’s taste in music that I should give the record a spin again to see if it connects with me now in a way it hadn’t before.

I must admit it’s a pretty damned good album. Trower’s guitar playing is terrific, the songwriting is solid and the vocals by James Dewar (he plays bass as well) are bluesy and soulful.

The SotW is the lead of track from the album, “Day of the Eagle.”

It starts off with an aggressive guitar riff reminiscent of some of the work Trower did with Procol Harum prior to going solo, like “Whiskey Train,” but with more of a Hendrix styled power trio edge to it. This is a record meant to be played loudly!

About 3 minutes in, the song slows to a swampy blues crawl and a veeery slow fade out that provides Trower the room to throw off some tastefully emotive licks.

And it all sounds outstanding thanks to production by Trower’s former bandmate, Matthew Fisher and engineering by Geoff Emerick of Beatles fame.

Trower is still in the game. His most recent album, Roots and Branches, was released in 2013. He continues to gig and has tour dates scheduled in the UK for the spring of 2015.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Everyday Feels Like Sunday, of Montreal

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Ten years ago television commercials started to use some really cool music. I’m not sure if that was because marketing departments became more hip or because artists began to cash in, no longer fretting over the “sell out” label. HP used The Kinks “Picture Book” to advertise a line of printers. (It was named “Campaign of the Year” in the February 7, 2005 issue of Adweek magazine.) Apple used The Vines’ garage rock influenced “Ride” and U2’s “Vertigo” (their last great rocker) in their iPod campaign.

Today’s SotW, of Montreal’s “Everyday Feel Like Sunday”, was even used in an ad for NASDAQ. NASDAQ!?!

This wasn’t the first, or last, time that of Montreal licensed a song for a commercial. “Wraith Pinned to the Mist” was used earlier for a popular Outback Steakhouse ad. Later Comcast used “A Sentence of Sort in Kongsvinger” and T-Mobile used “Gronlandic Edit” in their campaigns.

Athens, Georgia based of Montreal is the main creative outlet for Kevin Barnes. Describing their style is very difficult because it has changed and evolved so many times since the band formed in 1996.

Beside their repertoire of eclectic songs, the band also has a very unique stage presence. I was able to see the once in San Diego in 2009 and the show lived up to expectations. Much like The Flaming Lips, their show is an extravaganza of music, costumes, lights, props, etc. In a word – bizarre. There are plenty of examples to check out on YouTube.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Delta Lady, Leon Russell

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If I told you that almost 45 years ago someone recorded an album that had appearances by 2 Beatles (Harrison and Starr), 3 Stones (Jagger, Wyman and Watts), 2 Blind Faith (Clapton and Winwood) a Domino (Jim Gordon – as in Derek & The…) Joe Cocker, Klaus Voormann and others – would you believe me?

Leon Russell released his first solo album in 1970 with that stellar cast of backing musicians. Of course, they didn’t all perform on every song. And I’ve scoured the internet trying to find the details of who played on which songs but thus far have come up empty. But one thing is for certain, Leon Russell is a great album.

Leon had a great career. Early on he made his way from Oklahoma to LA where he was a member of Phil Spector’s “Wrecking Crew” and played on many of the most important records in Rock history. In the mid 60s he was a member of the house band for the pop music TV series Shindig! that ran for two seasons on ABC.

By the late 60s/early 70s he hooked up with Delaney & Bonnie and then Joe Cocker – he was the musical director for Cocker’s famous Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour. He also did a great set at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. If you’re over 50 you’ve probably heard it. If not, you should check out his “Jumping Jack Flash/Youngblood Medley.”

Today’s SotW is “Delta Lady” from that debut solo album mentioned earlier. Here’s the album version.

But you should really check out this live version too. I have no idea where it was filmed. It seems to be on a soundstage somewhere. After a couple of false starts, Leon and the band really kick into gear. (Also check out the backing vocals by Cathy McDonald. Amazing!)

Many of you will recognize the song from the “more popular” Joe Cocker version. But Leon’s is much earthier. It is a prime example of Russell’s own brand of American roots music. It’s funky, bluesy, gospely (is that a word?) and sung with his trademark Southern drawl. (Rita Coolidge was his inspiration for the song.)

“Delta Lady” is one of Russell’s best known songs but others were even more popular. His single “Tightrope” almost cracked the Top 10 in 1972. Its flip side, This Masquerade” was the most popular song on George Benson’s hit album Breezin’ (1976). That song was also recorded by The Carpenters, who strangely (IMHO), had a strong connection with Russell’s songs. They hit with “Superstar” — co-written by Delaney Bramlett – (#2, 1971) and used “A Song for You” as the title song for their 1972 album.

In 2010, Elton John cited Russell as one of his biggest influences. He rescued Russell from near obscurity and they recorded an album together, The Union, that reached #3 in the US charts.

Enjoy… until next week.