In the mid 70s (’74-’78) there was a short lived power pop band founded in San Francisco but relocated to LA called The Nerves. They never reached their full potential, but a couple of the group members went on to greater fame – Peter Case with The Plimsouls (“A Million Miles Away”) and Paul Collins with The Beat. Both had decent success as solo acts too.
But The Nerves put out some pretty good tunes that still deserve to be heard. The first is the British Invasion inspired “When You Find Out” written by Case.
It opens with a simple drum beat, jangly guitars and a catchy melody. The lyrics are simple and earnestly sung with a nice harmony in the chorus.
The other song is “Hangin’ on the Telephone” – yes, the same song made famous by Blondie through its inclusion on their blockbuster album Parallel Lines.
The Nerves version is a bit slower, rawer and less dense. Although I love Blondie’s recording, I think I like this one better.
Graham Nash has recently released his autobiography titled Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life. This has caused him to go on an extensive promotional tour, conducting numerous, in-depth interviews. I’ve heard two of them – one with Howard Stern and the other with Terry Gross. Here is the Stern interview if you’re interested in listening to it:
Nash reveals some very interesting and insightful stories in these interviews (and probably even more in the book). Like how Crosby, Stills & Nash tired to get a record deal by demoing the whole first album live, to many label chiefs and recording stars that were unimpressed and turned them down. Like the cool, dreary morning in LA when he was inspired to write “Our House” after having breakfast with Joni Mitchell. And the unique way Neil Young previewed his then unreleased album Harvest to Nash.
He also tells an interesting story of how C,S & N came to record Paul McCartney’s civil rights inspired “Blackbird.” There is a bootleg recording of them working out the harmony parts and that is today’s SotW.
If you listen closely, you can hear the improvement with each take. It is quite fascinating. I also find it interesting that the Beatles’ “Blackbird” was released in November 1968 and only 3 months later C, S & N were already working on their version. Only the Beatles could generate that level of respect and inspiration.
One of the books I read on my summer vacation was Big Day Coming, a biography of the Hoboken, NJ based band Yo La Tengo. But the book is much more than the band’s bio – in fact it is subtitled Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock. If you’re interested in the subject the book is a very good read, chock full of interesting facts and colorful stories.
What interested me from the standpoint of the SotW was all of the cool songs the band curated into their repertoire – not only when they were beginning as a cover band playing at parties for friends, but sprinkled into their live performances throughout their career. They even released the obligatory (mostly) covers album in 1990 called Fakebook.
Here’s an excerpt from the book describing some of the hip, deep cuts they included in one of their early sets.
In addition to the hundred plus songs rolling through their recent memories, A Worrying Thing (a pre Yo La Tengo band name) continued to practice covers. Ira (Kaplan) and Tony (Blow, an early band member) attempted harmonies on the Kinks’ “This Man He Weeps Tonight.” Tony did the Dils’ “Sound of the Rain,” and they took on a batch of ‘60s pop obscurities, including Love’s “A House Is Not a Motel,” the Monkees’ “The Door into Summer,” the Rascals’ “Find Somebody,” (an early SotW) Syd Barrett’s “No Man’s Land,” and Everything Is Everything’s “Witchi Tai To.” There was also Parliament’s “One Nation Under a Groove,” soul songwriters Gamble and Huff’s “Drowning in the Sea of Love,” and a recent Waves B-side, “Hey, War Pig!” There was likewise a pair of songs popularized by the Weavers, Ira’s Hudson Valley neighbors: a funkified run at “Darling Corey,” and a similarly tarted up version of the left-wing anthem “If I Had a Hammer,” written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays.
Now that’s a pretty cool list of songs! So let’s listen to a few.
“This Man He Weeps Tonight” is one of a relatively few Kinks’ songs penned and sung by Dave Davies. As such, it isn’t very well known to most people, even those that consider themselves Kinks fans. It was originally included on the band’s album of rarities called The Great Lost Kinks Album (itself the subject of another early SotW).
Next is Love’s “A House is Not a Motel” from the band’s important album Forever Changes and was the b-side to the album’s first single release “Alone Again Or.” This psych classic presages the Viet Nam era alienation some would feel in cities like L.A. after the Summer of Love. The guitar duets set the mood perfectly.
Lastly is “The Door Into Summer” from Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. Michael Nesmith takes the lead on the type of protest song the band fought for the right to record. It showcases Peter Tork’s underrated keyboard prowess.
These are all terrific recordings. Thanks, Yo La Tengo, for inspiring me to check them out again.
Over the years, rock music has made for some strange bedfellows. One of the most famous examples I can think of was when David Bowie sang with Bing Crosby on their version of the now classic “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy.” But there have been others.
How about when James Brown hooked up with Luciano Pavarotti in 2002 to knock out a version of “It’s A Man’s World?”
Then there’s Tom Jones with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young doing “Long Time Gone” on his variety show in 1969.
Now before you think I’m smugly mocking these collaborations let me make clear that I think they’re all pretty cool. Yes, really, all of them… that’s why I’ve posted them here.
But the award for the weirdest rock collaboration that I’m aware of has to go to ukulele playing, falsetto singing, Tiny Tim accompanied by The Band. Yes, THE Band.
That’s right. Back in 1967 when Bob Dylan and The Band were recording the Basement Tapes at Big Pink in Woodstock, NY, Tiny Tim paid a visit to lay down a few tracks to be included for the soundtrack to Peter (of Peter, Paul & Mary) Yarrow’s movie You Are What You Eat.
My favorite of the 4 songs they recorded together and today’s SotW is the Phil Spector classic “Be My Baby.”
The Band is really hot, just like when they paid tribute to their Rock ‘n Roll roots on Moondog Matinee. I only wish I could say the same for Tim.
I understand that many of you have no idea who Tiny Tim was. If you’re old enough to remember Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, you know. Or, if you listened to Howard Stern in the mid 90’s, you know. Otherwise, look him up in Wikipedia.
I’m more conflicted about today’s SotW than just about any I’ve ever posted. But I’m going ahead with it anyway and I’ll let you be the judge.
The song is by The Strypes, a group of 16-18 year old Irish lads. They make no secret of their fondness for the 60s era R&B and blues rock first popularized by The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and the 70s group Dr Feelgood. Like those bands, The Strypes count Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf among their influences.
So here’s the rub – is this band the “real deal” or a rock ‘n roll version of One Direction? Some musical giants with a little about 60s R&B/mod rock cred like Elton John, Paul Weller, Roger Daltrey, Dave Grohl, Jeff Beck and Noel Gallagher have sung their praises.
The band put out a four song EP in 2012 and just released their first full length album, Snapshot. Snapshot has a mix of originals and covers. Nothing wrong with that – just think about the early Beatles and Stones albums.
“She’s So Fine” is an original rave up complete with bluesy harp.
The lyric is pure teenage R ‘n R; all about girls:
She doesn’t like to talk but she likes to dance all night
She doesn’t like the dark but she likes it when I turn out the light
Bottom line – I like it, but it still feels a little cloying.
So I keep asking myself a couple of questions. Will these very young guys continue to develop their craft and still be around when they’re, say, 30? A few years from now will I be embarrassed that I considered them worthy of the SotW? I just don’t know.
My mind’s eye is always on the lookout for a SotW idea. I might hear something new on a blog I follow or read an interesting article in a magazine or hear a long forgotten gem on the radio. But a couple of weeks ago my friend David K posted a video on his Facebook page of Crack the Sky doing “She’s a Dancer.” Eureka! I hadn’t thought about that band or song for a very looong time.
If you’ve never heard of Crack the Sky, you’re not alone. Most people haven’t, unless you’re from their adopted hometown of Baltimore (they were originally from Pittsburgh) where they were a big hit in the mid seventies.
The band was led by John Palumbo and played a very smart, pop biased form of progressive rock – at least in the strictest sense. Their songs are played by virtuoso musicians, often use complex arrangements, tricky time signatures and have pretentious lyrics, and on occasion run very long. But most of the songs still fit into more conventional pop structures.
Take the song David reminded me about, “She’s a Dancer”, for instance.
“She’s a Dancer” is from CTS’s self titled debut (1975). The album received some critical praise – Rolling Stone declaring it “Debut Album of the Year” – but it did little in sales or airplay. The song contains many of the characteristics described above but also comes in under 4 minutes and contains some latter day Beatles’ influence. Plus it ends with a pretty cool, horn driven, instrumental section played by the Brecker Brothers and David Sanborn. Not too shabby!
The lyric covers some of the same territory as The Kinks “Lola.”
Check out the rest of the set and their fine second album, Animal Notes, on Spotify.
Last week I raved about the new album by Willie Nile, a guy that released his first album 33 years ago in 1980. Today I’d like to turn you onto another new album, but this time by a more contemporary artist – Typhoon.
Typhoon is an 11 piece band out of Portland, OR that is the creative outlet for Kyle Morton and their new album is called White Lighter. The band has previously released another album and an EP.
You can’t really grasp the full impact of the new set without hearing the back story. As I understand it, Morton has suffered very serious illnesses through most of his childhood, including multiple organ failures (he received a kidney transplant) caused by a serious case of Lyme disease that went undiagnosed for a long time.
In interviews and website letters to fans he has often referred to his numerous near-death experiences and how they affected him. These experiences clearly inform many of the songs on White Lighter. But although themes of death run rampant throughout the set, it isn’t without optimism. The large band that includes a string section, a horn section and two drummers is used effectively to convey a positive message in spite of the underlying grief.
My favorite cut is “Young Fathers” – the SotW.
The song begins with a spare acoustic guitar and vocals but soon builds more layers than a wedding cake. They fit together as tightly as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The intricate arrangements hold your interest because you just can’t predict what’s going to happen next. In that way, this orchestrated pop music reminds me of the best recordings by Sufjan Stevens (Illinoise?).
If your musical taste expands beyond two guitar, bass and drums, 4/4 rock & roll; give this a listen. You won’t be disappointed. The band will be playing the Austin City Limits festival in a couple of weeks. If any of you are attending (and I know some of you are) make sure you go to see Typhoon.
I’ve been writing the SotW for over 5 ½ years now and have been thinking about selecting a song from Willie Nile’s self titled debut for most of that time. I just never got around to it until today. So why now? The main reason is that he’s reentered my consciousness since he released a new album, American Ride, a few months ago that I’ve been listening to a whole lot. It is very good. Not just for an old timer – it’s good compared to anything currently released! So I’ll include a song from the new album too.
Who is Willie Nile you ask? The New York based Nile first came to my attention when his first album was released in 1980. I heard about it because a Boston based guitarist that I followed, Peter Hoffman, was on the record. Hoffman was also the lead guitarist in Heidi & The Secret Admirers – a band that had a loyal following at Boston’s Elliott Lounge at the time.
Another point of interest for me was that Nile’s band also included Jay Dee Daugherty, the powerful drummer in Patti Smith’s band.
So I gave the Nile record a listen and it turned out to be pretty damned good. The album got very good reviews despite nonexistent promotional support from Arista records.
Nile has a knack for wordplay and storytelling that caused early reviewers to compare him to Dylan and Springsteen. Wikipedia reports: “The New York Times, rock critic Robert Palmer wrote of Nile; ‘Every once in awhile the times seems to produce an artist who is at once an iconoclast and near-perfect expression of contemporary currents. He is one of the best singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in a long time.’” Nice!
His music is very good too. Sometimes it comes on with a force that could measure up to The Clash and at other times is reminiscent of the early rock & roll of Buddy Holly.
In fact the first SotW is “That’s the Reason” the most Holly like song on the album.
But let’s not forget about the new album. You should really listen to the whole thing (several times) on Spotify. It’s a terrific set of rock & roll.
Sometimes picking one song from such a good album is very difficult for me. But choosing a song is easy this week. The news has been filled with 9/11 anniversary remembrances and debate about Syria, terrorists and dysfunction in much of the Middle East. Nile’s new album has an interestingly timely song called “Holy War.”
The song opens with a riff that’s a cross between ELO’s “Fire on High” and Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” The lyrics are somewhat simplistic, but they’re so catchy that you have to love them.
God is great but you’re not
You took dead aim, you fired the shot
Killed my brother, thanks a lot
God is great, you’re not.
Nile’s singing voice isn’t the best, but there’s something about his phrasing that often reminds me of The Clash’s Joe Strummer. And it works well to convey his passion.
I was fortunate to see Nile in the Paradise Club in Boston in 1980. At the time I was going through a photography phase and got a bunch of very nice b&w shots of Nile and the band. Unfortunately they’ve long been misplaced.
Back in the late 70s and early 80s, my college buddy Paul C. was spending a lot of time in New York City checking out new indie bands in the rock clubs. He gave me a copy of the B52s indie release of “Rock Lobster” b/w “52 Girls” at least a half year before their WB debut. (I still have my copy.)
Today’s SotW is “Houston El Mover” by another artist he turned me on to, Tex-Mex musician Joe “King” Carrasco & The Crowns. “Houston El Mover” is a fun party record. It was released during the height of the New Wave in 1981 and was quickly dubbed Nuevo Wavo.
The song uses the Tex-Mex template laid out by other Texan bands like Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs (“Wolly Bully”) and The Sir Douglas Quintet (“She’s About A Mover” and “Mendicino”) — fun loving, R&B based songs driven by a cheesy Farfisa organ sound.
You just can’t keep still when this song is playing.
The original 45 rpm single “Party Weekend” b/w “Houston El Mover” was financed by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and helped the band to get early notices. From there they got on a bit of a roll. They earned a record contract, played dates in all of New York’s hottest clubs, did a European tour and were honored with an opportunity to perform on Saturday Night Live. The band even won kudos from the notoriously hard to please pen of Lester Bangs.
I’ve been entertaining the idea to write a post featuring a selection of Tuareg music from the Sahara Desert (e.g. Ali Farka Touré and Tinariwen) for some time now – but I never seem to get around to it.
Then I recently discovered Bombino. Bombino (Omara “Bombino” Moctar) released his third album Nomad this past April. It was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, adding some discipline to Bombino’s sound without sanitizing or watering down his ethnic roots. In other words, Auerbach polished it up a little for western ears. For instance, many tracks utilize keyboards even though Tuareg desert music traditionally doesn’t.
This is a terrific album that should appeal to anyone that enjoys world music and/or The Black Keys brand of dirty, blues rock. Take, for example, the album’s opener and today’s SotW, “Amidinine.”
It romps along a bluesy riff with a solid rock beat and purring organ. But the hand claps, guitar solos, native language lyrics and chanted chorus all work together to provide an authentic Tuareg sound.
The entire album is available to stream on Spotify, so you should check it out.
