This clip is notable for awkward pauses, not all of which are the result of having an English punk rocker singing country tunes for the country elite. But notable because the Englishman charms and the country guys embrace.
Night Music: The Funkees, “Break Through”
Cover of the Atomic Rooster tune. This dates to the mid 70s, when the Funkees moved to London from Nigeria.
Breakfast Blend: Stranger In The House
Another of Elvis Costello’s secret songs was Stranger in the House. I have a copy that came as a bonus 45 in, um, Armed Forces, maybe. I can’t remember. Limited edition. Only a few thousand out there.
But then George Jones and Elvis recorded this duet, and the internet happened. I no longer believe my Stranger in the House b/w Neat Neat Neat is going to pay for my daughter to go to school for more than a day or two. But it’s still a great song. Heck, the Damned cover is awesome, too.
It is bizarre that Stranger in the House, Hoover Factory and Radio Sweetheart weren’t on My Aim Is True. Hard choices, I guess.
Here’s Radio Sweetheart as a singalong with a crowd that needed coaxing. I can’t imagine going there, but that’s a performer’s job.
Night Music: Elvis Costello, “Hoover Factory”
This song is not on any regular Elvis Costello album. The first time I heard it was at a friend of my girlfriend’s house somewhere in Connecticut, on a record I was embarrassed I didn’t know existed, a bootleg, and it made a mighty impression. I played it over and over and over that day, and have ever since. When you watch recent live versions you can see how a performer can lose the meaning of the song. But this original is one of the great songs about architecture.
Song of the Week – Black Magic Woman, Fleetwood Mac & Gypsy Queen, Gabor Szabo
IGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED
Santana’s most commercially successful album was probably Abraxas. Released in 1970 it contained three of the band’s best known songs – “Oye Como Va”, “Hope You’re Feeling Better” and “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen.” Released in September 1970, the album reached #1 on the Billboard album charts – no doubt benefiting from the March 1970 release of the Woodstock movie where their incendiary performance of “Soul Sacrifice” was a highlight of the film.
“Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” was not an original composition. In fact, it was a combination of two covers that are today’s Songs of the Week.
“Black Magic Woman” was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac. Not the Bob Welch (Bare Trees, Mystery to Me) version or the Buckingham/Nicks (Fleetwood Mac, Rumours) version, but the Peter Green led band.
Peter Green was a blues guitar virtuoso that replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers. When his stint with Mayall had run its course, he formed the original Fleetwood Mac. “Black Magic Woman” was the first single from their 1968 debut.
“Gypsy Queen” was originally recorded by Hungarian jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo.
The Santana version follows the Szabo template very closely and signaled that Santana would soon be led into a more jazz influenced direction later in his career. Santana’s style is a bit “heavier” and more Latin influenced, but the guitar riffs are near identical.
Although I almost always favor the version of a song that I heard (and loved) first, it’s always interesting to hear the originals. Don’t you think?
Enjoy… until next week.
Night Music: Keith Richards and Norah Jones, “Love Hurts”
Okay, I got onto Love Hurts tonight because John Mahoney was in the movie of that name, which comes from a song the Everly Brothers made famous that was written by Boudleaux Bryant. I know the Everly’s version, which is iconic, but the one I know most is Gram Parson’s version.
Ten years ago there was a tribute concert to Gram Parsons. I don’t know where or why, at that time, but what I found tonight was this clip of Keef and Norah. She has a lovely voice and Keef seems to enjoy holding her close, but the impressive thing is his vocals, which aren’t particularly powerful but are nuanced and adept and show that he’s a good singer and having a gas, despite sporting a rather odd look.
Breakfast Blend: Say Anything
Watched this modern classic last night with the family. The parents were touched by the way the movie makes romantic teen cliches feel a little new. The teen felt the movie worked like all movies, predictably.
What struck this parent most was the way John Mahoney did an almost perfect imitation of Remnant Gene’s vocal inflection and, perhaps, parenting approach. Mahoney has just one kid to work with, but I get the sense Gene was half of a team (hi Vickie) that got them out the door and on the way, and then the rest of the way there. I couldn’t find a Mahoney clip from the movie worthy of Gene, the trailer uses Mahoney as a foil, not the much more interesting character he plays, but the connection is striking, if dubious.
This being a Cameron Crowe movie, there is music. Crowe’s wife, Nancy Wilson, is the musical director. Two songs that are awfully nice to wake up to. First an excellent Cheap Trick tune:
And a Replacements tune that presages Paul Westerberg’s solo career, but has a very quirky arrangement that is a quieter moodier Replacements.
Breakfast Blend: Rolling Stone
Pieta or pinata?
Night Music: Ten Years After, “I’d Love to Change the World”
I’ve always liked this song. It’s earnest lyrics are best when when awkward and offensive (freaks and hairies, dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity), and otherwise awful (world pollution, that’s no solution, execution by electrocution), but the harmonies are Beatles-esque and when it really gets going it chugs like, um, Pink Floyd? That’s not right.
Digging through the Alvin Lee ouvre tonight it was striking just how bad his later covers of Hey Joe and Good Morning Little School Girl were. Not a bad guitarist, but not a good blues guitarist, he peaked at good enough, which was good enough to headline the show that made Peter Frampton a star. I don’t know what to do.
The Lunch Quiz
What happened here?
Just to be clear, I learned to ice skate here (professionally), I saw many Long Island Duck hockey games, and this is where my friends and I came to see the NY Nets play with red white and blue balls, long before the arrival of Rick Barry, Dr. J. and Larry Kenon.
But something Rock happened here besides your everyday run of the mill conerts, those happened too, and it surprised me when I heard about it today.
Answers in the comments please. If you’re not registered it will take a while to approve you, but the earliest answer will win.
What? You get to make your own Breakfast Blend post. Retail value? Almost $4,000.
Good luck.