Believe it or not. Now I know it’s time for me to move on to the next life.
My research led me to this sentence in a turntable review. Too good not to pass on:
“I forgot how one focuses when listening to a record rather than a 102 song play list. You end up reading the record jacket and actually listening.”
I think I have owned up to the fact that I was never a huge Lynyrd Skynyrd fan, particularly, during the heyday of the band.
I always thought Freebird sort of silly and overindulgent, and the band did pretty much seem like a street fight version of the Allman Brothers, and I remember being in London, at my cousins Jim and Evie’s, when the news of the 1977 plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zandt. That was on the heels of the release of the album Street Survivors which featured the band prophetically with a wall of flames behind them, and the truth is my first thoughts were about the power of karma.
Well, except that I did indeed find the song What’s Your Name? was a pretty funny and well executed pop song. And, over the years, as with bands like Rush, and even the Zep, whom I was cooler on for years than the band deserved, I have come to appreciate the Skynyrds as a pretty good and fun band with some good chops and clever words.
But, over the last month, the SONY TV HD Channel–one of several million it seems on my remote–a lot of documentaries about music and bands have been showing. There was one on the Allmans, and a pretty fun one on wierd Christmas songs that featured a lot of time with Dr. Demento, among others.
But, for some reason I taped Gone With the Wind: The Remarkable Rise and Tragic Fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd, which clocks in at almost three hours, believe it or not.
And, the film was more than engaging, highlighting not just the band, but in particular the driven Ronnie Van Zandt, the brains and driving force behind the group, who it seems was hardly a thug.
In fact, Van Zandt seemed to have been disciplined and focused beyond all belief, as the film reveals. He learned to be a pretty good singer, and truly was a solid enough songwriter, and, well, if nothing else, his band was a lot of fun. They were also a monster triple guitar attack band, although it seems improvising was not within the realm of the group.
I do recommend the film though: interesting, engaging, and well fun watching a lot of stoners reminisce. For a sample, how out Mr. Saturday Night Special. Tell, me though: is it pro gun, or anti? Van Zandt was fabulous at these vagaries.
The former music biz guy turned newsletter ranter, Bob Lefsetz, has a piece today about something called Skyville Live. Skyville Live is a video show that appears to be a small club in which mostly old musicians play with a crackin’ house band, reeling off classic tunes quite wonderfully. Lefsetz hinges his piece on this cover of the Allman Brothers Whipping Post by country star Chris Stapleton.
https://vimeo.com/188680983
Stapleton is a rising star, maybe a rised star. He’s written more than a handful of No. 1 hits, and since becoming a recording performer (in 2015) has been nominated for just about every major award and won some of them, too. So, he’s living the dream.
Skyville Live, it turns out, is a video show out of Nashville that is shown on some weird Verizon channel, and has clips on Vimeo.
Here’s my gripe. Whipping Post is a great song. It’s also a great song because the Allman Brothers recorded it twice brilliantly. And those performances are a part of what makes Whipping Post one of the great classic rock songs of all time.
In contrast, this cover, which seems to be conferring cannon status on the song, is kind of small. I was going to get into a whole argument about organic versus copies, about virtuosity versus chops, about the magic of the moment versus the nod toward nostalgia, about the weak slide guitar, but then I found this clip of the Allman Brothers playing the song in 1970.
I can’t help but think that Stapleton and band, no matter how well intentioned, aren’t paying tribute to the song. It feels like they’re speaking to their own glory by covering a transcendent performance—in a professional manner.
Whipping Post is a great song, but part of the thing that made it as great as it is is the arrangement and musicianship of the Allman Brothers. Stapleton and his session guys are excellent, but they chose the wrong song. They act like they’re playing a song from the cannon, a tune that a proficient rendering will justify. But it doesn’t. The great classic rock songs are usually tied not only to the excellence of the song, but also the moment (and excellence) of the performance. If you don’t live up to that, why bother?
This isn’t to say that great songs and performances can’t be covered, they can, but the artist has to bring something else to the table besides the cover. Think about the Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, one of the great tunes of all time:
Devo, of course, raised their profile by their brilliant cover, which totally resets the song. Way to go, Devo.
Bill told me it’s selling really well. The band is way more popular now than they ever were. I think they haven’t given an inch musically or lyrically, indeed they’re better both musically and lyrically. I can’t understand a lot of the words, which is always good. Check ’em out live a few months ago playing one of the really good new songs.
So, came across this band tonight. A few years old, so not new, and referencing old music mostly, but trying more.
This song, Please, is like a soul cover, but it might be an original.
This is catchy. A real cover.
I like this one because it starts out like a Crystals song, though it goes in a different direction. But there is a lot of music, harmonies and arrangement going on here. And maybe I’m thinking of the Shangri-las.
They have a new one, same as the old one. Which is good enough.
IGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED
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.
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.
Gene posted the Searchers version in the comments yesterday, which led me to this TV lipsynch version of the original, which is also great. Too many strings, not necessary, as the Searchers knew, but DeShannon’s version is both closely observed and kind of epic.
The Searchers were a beat group out of the Merseybeat sound, contemporaneous with the Beatles and the Hollies. They recorded a lot of pop covers early on, and good ones, like Sweets for My Sweet, Love Potion #9, and most notably Needles and Pins, which they helped make a classic.
I’ve long thought them to be an important band, because they played so well, and were such an important part of this most important pop scene, but I’ve been listening again lately and as much as I like all these songs, and admire the polish and playing on them all, the variety of styles and approaches leads me to conclude that the Searchers may have been, in their day, the world’s best wedding band.
I don’t mean that as a put down. Wedding bands are different from first rate rock bands, so I’ve dug a hole the Searchers have to climb out of, but I think they can do it. My point is that bands usually coalesce around some principles that guide their sound, their choice of material, their approach, or in other words, their vibe.
The Searchers didn’t really. They had the beat group sound, but they sampled pop and soul sounds without any orthodoxy. They just played, and like the best wedding bands, they brought great chops and energy to everything they did.
Which brings us to Alright, which seems to owe a lot to Ray Charles, but which also has a kick ass guitar solo. I love the way these guys play, but I also see that they’re not very visionary. Nothing wrong with that, but it does tamp down expectations. In any case, enjoy this!
Found this elpee yesterday called the Richard Hell Story. It’s an hour long, the greatest hits if you will. I’m sure I’ve heard this oldie before, but I don’t recall it. Neon Boys were the precursor to the version of Television that Hell was in. I was impressed by Tom Verlaine’s creaky solo, which sounds like he’s playing a cigar box guitar. But he does something with it anyway, and it really elevates the song.
