Song of the Week – My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me), David Ruffin

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David_Ruffin_-_My_Whole_World_EndedIGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED

David Ruffin was the lead voice in The Temptations, singing some of their most important hits including “My Girl”, “Ain’t to Proud to Beg” and “I Wish It Would Rain.” He was clearly one of the most important voices in the history of soul music.

His raspy, yet sweet, voice was an inspiration to many other singers including a number of rock artists that covered his material like Rod Stewart as a solo artist (“(I Know) I’m Losing You”) and with the Faces (“I Wish It Would Rain”) and Mick Jagger (“Ain’t to Proud to Beg”).

But Ruffin was also a flawed man, succumbing to substance abuse that affected his ability to keep his professional commitments to the group. This eventually led to him being fired… sort of. He famously showed up at a number of their gigs where he would jump up on stage, grab the mic from his replacement (Dennis Edwards) and sing some of his best known songs. This was all portrayed in a 1998 miniseries on NBC.

Once Ruffin left the Tempts, his career was virtually over even though he continued to record, release and perform material up until his death in 1991 at age 50. But not quite. His first release as a solo artist is a classic and today’s SotW – “My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me).”

This is a very cool song. It opens with a flute piece that’s based on “Frühlingslied” by Felix Mendelssohn. Then the Funk Brothers kick in with another steady groove — a funky bassline, sharp horn charts, and Latin percussion.

Then comes “the voice.” Ruffin’s performance is intense and emotional – as if he has something to prove (to his former group, and he does). You can feel his pain as he describes how he can’t go on without the woman that ditched him. He wants so badly to understand why she left him (and hopes he can convince her to come back).

Oh tell me baby
Where did I go wrong, honey
Whatever changed your mind, baby
I’ve asked myself these questions over a million times
Baby, baby, oh baby
My whole world ended the moment you left me

I can listen to this song a thousand times and never tire of it. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

Oops. Last Saturday I told you it was Record Store Day. I was a week ahead of myself. In fact, today is Record Store Day. So please support your favorite independent record store and treat yourself to a vinyl collectible today.

Enjoy… until next week.

Night Music: The Shaggs, “Philosophy of the World”

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The whole idea of art and agency in art is challenged by outsider artists. That is creators who don’t seem to have technical chops but somehow make visuals or sounds that engage anyway.

The Shaggs were a bunch of sisters who formed a band at their father’s direction and made an album in 1969 that went no where, at least partly because it was horribly played.

But, some years later that horrible playing became a virtue, and they were adopted by Frank Zappa and Terry Adams as naifs, making brilliant music without consciousness.

I spent some time tonight with Laura (last name unregistered by my brain), who plays drums in the modern version of the Shaggs, backing up Dot Wiggins, apparently the last remaining sister on tour. Until tonight I didn’t really know the Shaggs’ album, but Laura told a story about Dot’s musical tastes.

“What do you listen to,” Laura asked.

Dot said, “Herman Hermits.” Her tastes were fixed in the 60s.

Lester Bangs said the Shaggs were better than the Beatles, which is one side of the discussion about interesting naivete versus commercial calculation. I didn’t grow up with the Shaggs and didn’t invest myself in their story when Terry Adams and Frank Zappa revived them. For me this is outsider art, if art is what you want to call it.

I’m glad to hear it, I find it hard to give it much credit but enthusiasm.

Lunch Break: The Band “Chest Fever”

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Of course I am working, and streaming KTKE (still the best radio on earth in the best traditional listening to the radio sense) and The Band’s Chest Fever hit the airwaves.

The studio version is among my favorite songs by the iconic group, but I found this live version from Woodstock that is so good (too bad no real video).

Aside from the killer church organ intro, the group pushes this cranker forward in such a relaxed fashion, that it just flies by.

Really love the drums and Robbie Robertson is as good as they come on the guitar. Vastly under-rated.

 

Song of the Week – Look at the World It’s Changing/You Because You Know Me, Heads Hands & Feet

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IGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED

I went to a record collectors show a few weeks ago. One of the vendors had a box of records for $5 each. I ended up buying two or three simply because I had never seen them before. That’s pretty unusual for me. I come across a lot of records I don’t own, but very few I’ve never heard of or seen.

One was a double album by a band called Heads Hands & Feet. Have you ever heard of them? Well, they were pretty damn good.

I had to do a lot of digging on the web to learn about them. Here’s what I found. They were a British sextet made up mostly of professional session musicians. Chas Hodges (bass, violin, vocals) had been around the block, working with Joe Meek, Shirley Bassey and Jerry Lee Lewis. Lead guitarist Albert Lee went on to a long career in the music biz including work with Eric Clapton, Dave Edmunds and Willie Nelson. He was best known as James Burton’s replacement in Emmy Lou Harris’ Hot Band, contributing to several of her best known albums including Luxury Liner and Evangeline. His reputation rests on his ability to play very fast. Tony Colton (lead vocals) and Ray Smith (guitar) co-wrote most of the songs.

Most of the info I found on the band describes them as a country band. If you check out their YouTube videos they definitely live up to that billing. But the disc I bought (their debut) is much more expansive.

Take, for example, today’s SotW – “Look at the World It’s Changing/You Because You Know Me.”

Heads Hands & Feet – Look at the World It’s Changing/You Because You Know Me

The first song in the suite, “Look at the World…,” sounds more like early prog rock to me — a bit of Pink Floyd here, a dash of The Strawbs there. Drummer Pete Gavin’s style reminds me of ELP’s Carl Palmer. It also has a pretty nifty alto sax solo by guest Elton Dean. Dean had played with Reginald Dwight in Long John Baldry’s band. (Dwight combined their first names to come up with his famous stage name – Elton John.)

“Look at the World…” segues gently into “You Because…” which is a beautiful folk song. It has certain elements that could have been lifted out of the Paul Simon songbook.

So the record show was a success for me. I scored a good record and learned about a band I’d never heard of before. I love it!

BTW – This cut is a vinyl rip because the song isn’t available for download. Nor is it available on YouTube or Spotify. It’s just too rare.

Speaking of vinyl records… today is Record Store Day. Please try to support your favorite local record store. You can probably find a cool special edition collectible by one of your favorite artists or some unexpected gem like today’s SotW.

Enjoy… until next week.

Breakfast Blend: In The Midnight Hour

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I’ve been listening to Roxy Music lately and their version of Wilson Pickett’s In the Midnight Hour is notable for a total lack of dirtiness. The blurps and beeps in the arrangement, which float far in front of a very solid sounding horn part, render this modern, even though Ferry plays it straight. This came shortly after Elvis Costello’s fairly triumphant cover of Pickett’s I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down, and an Englishy buzz about Stax and Atlantic soul. I may not be totally cool with the sound, is it gimmicky? But I like it.

But not as much as I like the first version I knew. Which had nothing on what I later heard from Pickett himself, but which is an exemplar of the blue-eyed sound. The Rascals were great.

Night Music: Wilson Pickett, “The Midnight Hour”

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Holy cow, it’s the midnight hour, and Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper wrote a song about it!

Pickett may have my favorite voice in all of soul, a fantastic blend of grit and croon, and The Midnight Hour was his first big hit. This track is an indelible pleasure, even when you consider the delights that came later.