Category Archives: TV

Coachella Gold from John Coleman

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This weekend at Coachella the legendary Cleveland guitarist Glenn Schwartz performed with legendary Eagles savior Joe Walsh (who introduced Schwartz as the guy who taught him to play guitar), and Dan Auerbach, who is producing a boogie rock album by a band called the Arcs that contains (but certainly not restrains) all three.

I don’t think any of us anticipated seeing the Arc in our imaginary Coachella.

Legendary Clevelander and two-time Tout Wars winner John Coleman turned us on to Schwartz a couple of years ago. He has a great story and obviously great chops.

There is a short clip on YouTube here:

The much better clip is on Facebook, but you have to go to the Rock Remnants page on Facebook for us to help you find it. You should go there. This is excellent boogie rock at its best.

Can I say that Facebook is stupid about these outside links? Yes I can. Please let us link freely.

That said, it’s great to see Glenn Schwartz out and playing. Joe Walsh, too.

 

Today is National Lineman Appreciation Day!

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I posted about Jimmy Webb’s song Wichita Lineman, or rather Freedy Johnson’s version of it, a few years ago here. But today is the day for appreciating linemen (actually it was yesterday, but close enough), this seems like a good time to take a look at the Glen Campbell version, which was a No. 3 hit in 1968 (No. 1 on the country charts).

Campbell is backed on the record by the Wrecking Crew, of which he was a member.

Reading about the Campbell version, I learned about the many other covers of the tune. Most surprisingly? Kool and the Gang.

Jazzy instrumental, hard to not think of the lyrics though it goes to a totally different place.

The inspiration for the song, according to the Wikipedia entry, was a lineman working atop a telephone pole who Webb saw while driving across Oklahoma and brooding about a failed romantic relationship. Webb imagined himself on the pole, talking to his gal, his heart breaking. Webb called the image “the picture of loneliness.”

Moody Blues, Go Now

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The various incarnations of the Moody Blues are legendary. They started as a R&B band, hit the charts and evolved into a progressive band who made hits. No bad choices, there.

This early cover of an awfully good original by the wife of the songwriter (which Tom M. posted on Saturday), doesn’t surpass the original, but it has its own merits.

Duly noted:

Gladys Knight and the Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia

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When I was in high school I could be an asshole. My friends could be assholes, too. We hated this song, which seemed like the ultimate in cheese. That is errant and random emotional expression without a regulator.

But children should not always be believed.

I spent yesterday in the car, driving many hundreds of miles, sometimes listening to my phone, and sometimes tuning in the radio. Sometime in mid afternoon, this giant hit came up.

It was a giant hit because of the melody and the Pips, but it is also a fabulously complex statement of ambiguous love and, ultimately, devotion. With awesome hooks and smart lyrics. Wow.

Dan Hicks Died.

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Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks made four records back in the late 60s and early 70s that I wore out. Dan was a jazz guy, he liked novelty songs and the sounds of the 30s, though he started out as the drummer in the somewhat psychedelic Charlatans, a forerunner of the SF bands of the second half of the 60s. One Charlatan ended up in the Flamin’ Groovies, even.

Hicks didn’t play drums in his band, he played guitar, and he played with terrific fiddle players and acoustic bass and, of course, the Lickettes. They always sound a little crazed, mad with joy or fear or whatever bit of gut and smile they’ve got going in one of Dan’s terrific songs. All of them sound like they’re going to spin out of control, but they never do, at least not unless it’s on purpose, and the reward is a collection of great songs that are made even greater because of Hicks’ thoroughly delightful commitment to them.

This first clip is a promotional film featuring the first Hot Licks band in 1969, lip synching to their recording of the the Jukies Ball.

Here’s a silly party song with the Lickette’s out front from the Flip Wilson show.

His greatest song has all the same elements, yet isn’t silly at all.

Back in those crazy early 70s I listened a lot to Dan Hicks and Commander Cody, another funny band playing old music not for nostalgia’s sake, but because the songs are catchy and great, especially when played straight, as if the sound of before was a perfect fit for today. There were plenty of other bands mining this same vein of ore, not rock, but for me the others felt false and lacked the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. They were playing old peoples music, while Dan and the Commander were delighting in their eternal youth.

Until this week.

 

 

PiL, Double Trouble

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What century are we in? PiL was on that Stephen Colbert show last night. I forget what it’s called. The Tonight Show? Probably not.

I’ve gotten used to seeing Lydon on TV, chubby and stubby and how he used to be missing teeth, but isn’t anymore.

What I never get used to is how electrifying he is when he’s actually singing. This seems to be a crap song about hiring a plumber or something, which doesn’t go right because, well, who knows. The spouse didn’t do it right?

Or maybe it’s about something else entirely, but what matters is that the performance is pretty electrifying, and the sound is huge and, um, unusual for these times. Not nearly as dub as PiL was back in the day, but not punky at all.

And Lydon’s performance, intense and focused and a real performance (he delivers), brings it all home. I’m not arguing the moment is historic, memorable into the future, but it strikes me as a lovely blow against the empire. I’ll take it.

Rufus, Tell Me Something Good

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Gene’s post of the Brothers Johnson on Facebook led me to this Rufus with Chaka Khan track, which I adored back in the day when it was new. This is all modulation and anticipation, the beat is slowed and crawling, and Chaka revels in the suspense.

I count this as an example of the most serious and amazing sounds released and people got it. Art and the godhead mix.

Breaking News! Lord Rockingham Ghostwrote Hillary Clinton’s “Hard Choices”

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This isn’t really breaking news. This link leads to a story from June 2014, but it’s new to me.

Yes, it seems that the Upper Crust’s Lord Rockingham, an Upper Crust member in 1995 through 1997, wrote Hard Choices, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s inside look at the choices and challenges she has made and faced.

But not Bernie Sanders.

The linked story has some clips, but let’s add one more. h/t to Cindy Brolsma.

As if that’s not enough, there is a surprise Upper Crust documentary, that features plenty of Ted Widmer, aka Lord Rockingham.

I’ve just started it, but, um, it is called Let Them Eat Rock!