Ray Davies – The Big Guy

I first heard this song a few years ago on someone else’s blog. After hearing his lyrics, I knew there had to be some big influence around it. The song was about three different things. One, his bodyguards who would save him from himself on tour. Two, Davies nearly lost his life in New Orleans when he chased a man who had stolen his girlfriend’s purse and was subsequently shot in the leg. Three, the title also alludes to God. The track explores the idea that you are never truly alone or abandoned “as long as the big guy” is there.

It comes from Ray Davies’ 2018 album Our Country: Americana Act II. Like much of the album, the song draws from Ray’s own life and experiences in America. By this point, Davies had little left to prove as a songwriter. Instead, he was looking back on the people and events that shaped his life. That gives “The Big Guy” a personal feel that makes it stand out on the record.

The inspiration for the song goes back to a frightening event in 2004. While in New Orleans, Davies chased a man who had stolen a purse from his companion and was shot in the leg during the confrontation. Years later, he reflected on waking up in the hospital and thinking about the bodyguards and friends who had looked after him over the years. The “big guy” of the title was partly inspired by those men. There is humor in the song, but there is also gratitude. Davies was looking back at a moment that could have ended very differently.

The album was recorded with members of the Jayhawks, who also played on Americana. Their playing gives the song a warm sound. The sessions focused on storytelling rather than a big commercial production. That approach fits Davies perfectly. He has always been one of rock’s great storytellers, and this album shows that.

What I like about the song is that it shows another side of Ray Davies. It’s thoughtful and reflective in a way that is a little different from the Kinks.

Ray Davies: “‘The Big Guy’ is reflections on waking up in a hospital with gunshot wounds. The big guys in the book [2013’s Americana] are my bodyguards, a guy called Tony and a guy called Bobby. The song is about them and what they meant to me, because I have a tendency to self-destruct on tour, like most musicians. Tony was under instructions that if I had more than two pints he could break my arm – or threaten to.”

Ray talks about writing the song here:

The Big Guy

Everybody’s afraid of the big guy called the gorilla
Wish you could be here today now I’m lying in the gutter
Though the cop car surrounds me I feel afraid
Now I’m lying here staring at the pearly gates

Tony, Tony you gave me security
You were a minder extraordinaire
And I miss you now that you’re not there

Terrified and in a fret
Like a child who’s lost his mother
Shivering in a cold, cold sweat
With my face in the gutter

Bobby, Bobby you gave me security
And Tony, Tony you did the same for me
Now you’re both sadly demised
I can’t believe I’m still alive

Bobby came out of Chicago
To give me a helping hand
He sat me down when I acted so sloppy
And he did the same for my whole band

Tony came out of South London
He was a cockney boy
He saved my ass back in ’82
When I acted such a silly boy

Come on man, don’t be a fool
Come on man, you’re gonna crawl
One day you’re gonna fall

Everybody’s afraid of the big guy called the gorilla
But he was never heavy, out of hand
In fact he was as gentle as a lamb

Tony, Tony you gave me security
You know
Tony, Tony you gave me security
Minder extraordinaire
I miss you now that you’re not there
Yeah I miss you now that you’re not there
No you’re never alone as long as the big guy’s there

Ricky Nelson

On Turn Table Talk, the topic was “It’s No Act!” . We all can think of musicians who’ve tried to make the leap to acting – David Bowie, Cher, Sting, among many others – but this month we’re looking at actors/actresses or other celebrities who’ve decided to try to launch a music career after being noted in other entertainment fields. I picked Ricky Nelson. Thanks Dave!

I think Ricky Nelson is one of the few examples of actors who went into music and were remembered as musicians. He was a good actor, but he will be remembered more as a musician.

I went through a Ricky Nelson phase when I graduated in 1985. I purchased a greatest-hits package and was learning more of his songs. I wanted to go see him perform that year, and I kept waiting for him to appear somewhere because I heard he was touring. This was before the internet, and you had to read the newspapers for announcements and listen to the radio. Musicians would play at places, and you would never know sometimes.

I never got a chance to see him because on December 31, 1985, his chartered jet crashed, killing him and six other passengers. Ricky was a rockabilly guy and a great one. He gets lost in the shuffle because he was a huge teenage actor at the time on his family’s show…The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In the rock world, being a teen idol knocks you down the respect ladder.

Before Ricky Nelson became one of the biggest teen idols of the 1950s, he was already a television star. He was born in 1940 into a show business family. His parents, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Nelson, starred in the popular radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ricky appeared on the show as himself beginning in the early 1950s. Millions of viewers watched him grow up on screen each week. By the time he reached his teenage years, he was already one of the most recognizable young faces in America.

Music came almost by accident. Ricky wanted to impress a girl (she was a massive Elvis fan) and claimed he was a recording artist. To make the story true, he recorded Fats Domino’s I’m Walkin’ in 1957. The song became a hit. Soon he was recording regularly and turning out hits such as Poor Little Fool, Travelin’ Man, and Hello Mary Lou. Unlike many teen stars of the era, Nelson worked with strong musicians and was full tilt in rockabilly and early rock and roll.

As the 1960s arrived, Nelson continued acting while building a successful music career. He later dropped the “Ricky” and became known as Rick Nelson. His sound matured and moved toward country rock before the style became popular. While television gave him his start, music became his legacy. He is remembered as one of the few entertainers who successfully made the jump from television star to respected recording artist.

The sad part is that his music wasn’t taken as seriously later on because he was a teen idol. That started to change over time, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987. I always considered Rick Nelson a musician and a great rockabilly artist, along with country rock. I always considered him the real deal.

I’ve heard the phrase “The universal language is not music, nor love; it is loneliness,” and this song fits it perfectly.

Mick Taylor – Broken Hands

Mick Taylor was in the Stones during their most successful period. That wasn’t a coincidence. He was probably the most talented guitar player they ever had. That’s not a knock on Brian Jones or Ron Wood; he was just that good. I had no clue that he could sing as well, so this was a treat when someone sent me a link to this. You can hear his style and connect the dots to that sound. When he left the Stones, it was never replaced. Ronnie Wood plays in a different style altogether.

This song is one of the standout tracks from Mick Taylor’s self-titled debut solo album, released in 1979. The album arrived five years after Taylor left the Rolling Stones, where he had earned a reputation as one of the best guitarists in rock music. While the record never became a commercial success, it gave Taylor a chance to step out from the shadow of the Stones and show what he could do as a songwriter, singer, and bandleader. This song was tucked away near the end of side one and remains one of the album’s hidden gems.

The sessions for the album spanned several years, from 1976 to 1979. Recording took place at several studios in England, including Island Studios, Ramport Studios, Ridge Farm, and the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Taylor produced the album himself and played many of the instruments. On this song, he handled guitar, vocals, and bass guitar duties. The song has a loose rock feel with traces of blues and the melodic style that he did with the Stones.

Like much of the album, the song arrived at the wrong time commercially. By 1979, punk and new wave were dominating the music press while Taylor was delivering a blues-rock record. The album stalled on the charts, but over the years it has gained a loyal following among Rolling Stones fans and guitar enthusiasts. He was a complete musician who just happened to spend his most famous years standing next to some very large shadows that included John Mayall, Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger.

Broken Hands

Yeah, I got broken hands, God

Feel so loose and I feel so free
Running so fast that you can’t catch me
Play the night like a dream machine
Play my guitar ’cause I feel so mean

Drivin’ down the highway
Trying to get ahead
And I shake the blues away, yeah
Yeah, broken hands, I’m a broken man

Ah baby, where are we?
Howling winds on a heavy sea
Always think that you got it made
I can never see you behind your shades

Fools are around me, the devils inside
So much craziness to exercise
Let’s get small and get some lovin’ done
This life’s so hard, hit and run

There’s nothin’ happenin’ here, anyway
If we sit around much longer we’re gonna slide away
Mesmerizing, washed out eyes
Users and losers, hypnotized

I like music that sounds so sweet
I like to dance and move my feet
When I hear such a heavy sound
Come on baby, let’s get down

Drivin’ down the highway
I’m just trying to get ahead
And shake these blues away
There’s nothin’ happenin’ here, anyway

Yeah, broken hands, I’m down and out
Gimme a smile and I’ll pull ya out
Yeah, broken hands

Yeah, broken hands, I’m a broken man
Yeah, broken hands, I’m down and out
Gimme a smile and I’ll pull ya out

Drifters – There Goes My Baby

Sometimes I need a 1950s song, and the Drifters are a group that can give it. Some songs are timeless and could have been released at any time. Some are tied to an era. This one is, and in the best possible way. This is a transport song, a song that transports you to a certain era even if you weren’t there. Well, at least to your version of the era. These songs have cool chord structures, and many are both depressing and uplifting at the same time.

There Goes My Baby was a turning point for the Drifters and for rhythm and blues music itself. Released in 1959, the song sounded unlike anything else on the radio. The group had already enjoyed success, but this record took them in a completely new direction. It blended R&B, pop, and orchestral music in a way that was almost unheard of at the time. Today it is considered one of the most influential records of the late 1950s.

The song was written by Ben E. King along with Lover Patterson and George Treadwell. Producer Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wanted to create something different from the standard R&B records of the day. The session featured strings and a Latin-flavored rhythm. Some people in the music business thought the record sounded strange and would never become a hit. Fortunately, they were wrong. You have the great Ben E. King’s lead vocal. His voice gave the song both power and its heartbreak.

The song became a major hit and helped reshape popular music. The song reached the Top 10 and opened the door for more ambitious productions in soul and pop music. Looking back, it is easy to hear how records from the 1960s were influenced by it. More than sixty years later, it still sounds fresh. Not bad for a song that many people thought was too unusual to succeed.

The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B Charts in 1959.

I’ve only done this once, but sometimes I run across amateurs doing a cover of a song. Rarely do I stop and think, oh I must post this. She is far from perfect in this, but she knows what the song is about. This is really a simple version, but she finds the essence of this song. You can hear cars pass by while she is doing this. It shows you how great the song is when you can express it perfectly over a lone acoustic and a voice. She goes by “Blazin’ Blair” and this was like 15 years ago. She has appeared on local tv stations where she lives. It’s lo-fi and raw, but the spirit is there. Something about it…hit me the right way…especially the intro.

There Goes My Baby

Bom-bom (do-do-do-do-do)
There she goes (do-do-do-do-do)
There she goes (do-do-do-do-do)
Bom-bom (do-do-do-do)
Bom-bom (do-do-do-do)

There goes my baby, movin’ on down the line
Wonder where, wonder where, wonder where she is bound?
I broke her heart and made her cry
Now I’m alone, so all alone
What can I do, what can I do?

There goes my baby (whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh)
There goes my baby (yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)
There goes my baby (whoa-oh-oh-oh)
There she goes, yeah, there she goes

I wanna know if she loved me
Did she really love me?
Was she just playing me for a fool?
I wonder why she left me
Why did she leave me so all alone?
So all alone?
I was gonna tell her that I loved her
And that I need her
Beside my side to be my guide

I wanna know, where is my – (do-do-do-do-do)
Where is my baby? (Do-do-do-do-do)
I want my baby (do-do-do-do-do)
I need my baby (do-do-do-do-do)
Yeah, whoa-oh-oh

There goes my baby
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
There goes my baby

The Arctic Ship SS Endurance

The Arctic Ship SS Endurance

I want to thank all of you for helping me get this new blog about ships off the ground. I won’t continue to reblog indefinitely, I don’t think, but I just wanted to give it a boost. After The Prisoner is finished, I will probably only blog on https://oldsteamships.blog on Fridays unless I have a post that doesn’t fit on the weekend. I plan to do one post on Fridays, period, and on that other blog….and my regular posts on the weekend on this one…that won’t change…only Fridays.

The Prisoner – The Girl Who Was Death

January 18, 1968 Season 1 Episode 15

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

The script for this show was a leftover script from McGoohan’s earlier show Danger Man. They turned it into a Prisoner episode, and yes, it gets confusing. I’ll do my best to explain this one, but explaining the next two episodes will be hard. I watched this episode, and I was wondering how they could make it make sense. They do!

This is one of the most unusual episodes of The Prisoner. Number Six is enjoying a rare day outside the Village (you don’t know how or why) when he encounters a mysterious young woman who seems determined to kill him after she already killed someone else. She uses one elaborate trap after another. She has already killed another spy. Number Six barely escapes each one. At first, he has no idea why he is being targeted. The episode is more like a spy adventure than a typical Village story.

It quickly turns into something closer to a comic-strip adventure. A glamorous assassin and a smug announcer push the story into a world where danger is real, but everything is staged like entertainment. The Girl herself is the main weapon; she’s charming, always one step ahead, and the whole thing plays out like a game designed to break his rhythm and make him look foolish.

As the story unfolds, Number Six discovers that the woman is working for her father, a dangerous scientist who has created a weapon capable of threatening Britain. The scientist hides his plans behind riddles, clues, and puzzles. Number Six follows the trail across the countryside. Along the way, he faces more traps and narrow escapes. The episode is filled with disguises, secret messages, and a sense of fun that is very different from the darker episodes of the series.

In the end, Number Six uncovers the scientist’s plan and races to stop the weapon before it can be used. The final confrontation reveals that things are not quite what they seem. That’s all I’ll say, or I would give it away. That’s what makes this show fun. They can explain almost anything with the Village. It remains one of the most debated and unique episodes in the entire series that is full of them.

The character “Bowler” is portrayed by an actor named John Drake. Not only is John Drake the name of Patrick McGoohan’s character in his old show Danger Man, but it is also possibly the true identity of Number 6 in this show. McGoohan hired Drake because he was amused by the coincidence. Be Seeing You!

…

Puppies Galore

A few months ago, I posted about us finding a Great Pyrenees we named Buddy. Well, we found the owner, but not before Buddy left us a gift- or 8 gifts that keep giving. On May 8, Martha had 8 puppies between midnight and 5 in the morning…without further ado…here they are!

Buddy is at his home, and Martha is doing well and has been a super mom. It’s been an adventure for all of us. We barricade them in a room, and they bust out. Usually the one leading the charge is the only one that has a name…Cosmo…and that would be number 6 on here. Of course, we picked him out to keep before we knew of Mr. Cosmo’s rebellious nature. Some of their paws are brownish in the pictures; that would be them getting to eat off a plate for the first time. What’s the fun in that when they can romp in it as well!

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Steamboat Bill Jr.

It’s hard to tell you how big of a fan of Buster Keaton I am. Not only do I love his on-screen character, but his filmmaking techniques are still second to none. I got to know Buster through reading about Clara Bow. First, about his Sunset Boulevard cameo, and then I went back and watched his films. The Navigator, The General, Sherlock Jr., Battling Butler, and, of course, Steamboat Bill Jr. I also watched his “shorts” that he made before features. There was no one like him. No one took a fall like he did. He was a natural acrobat. He didn’t use stunt men because the stunt men would say they could not do it like Buster Keaton. This movie has the most famous scene of Buster Keaton’s film career and possibly of silent movies in general.

He was a little off kilter compared to his comedy peers. He was more subtle than Chaplin or Harold Lloyd. Keaton used non-movement to his advantage. You would see him in a crowd easily. They would be moving along, and his stillness would get your attention. Buster was also an excellent filmmaker with the way he paced a movie. He didn’t fake stunts…he didn’t like cutting in at the last minute. He wanted the scene to be filmed in one shot and completely natural. Ok, enough of my love for Buster Keaton.. .well, nah, I’ll continue.

Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr. was released in 1928. It came near the end of the silent film era. Keaton plays William Canfield Jr., a young man who returns home to spend time with his Riverboat Captain dad after years away at college. His father, Steamboat Bill Canfield, is a tough old riverboat captain who is disappointed to find his son is more interested in music and fashion than life on the river. A generation gap that has been going on since time began. The film centers on their rocky relationship and a rivalry between competing steamboat owners. The scenes between Buster and Ernest Torrence, who plays his father, are very funny.

The movie was filmed during one of the most difficult periods of Keaton’s career. He was still making films independently before losing much of his creative freedom after signing with MGM. Even so, he poured everything he had into this production. The river scenes were expensive and complicated to film. Entire sets were built and later destroyed for the movie’s famous storm sequence.

Today, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is remembered for one of the greatest stunts in film history. During a tornado scene, the front wall of a house falls directly toward Keaton. He survives because he stands in the exact spot where an open window passes around him. There were no special effects. No trick photography. If he had missed his mark by even a few inches, he could have been seriously injured or killed. The front of that building weighed 2 tons, so it would not twist in the wind. The scene remains one of the most famous moments in silent film. The director turned his head away during that scene because he feared Buster would misjudge it.

Although the movie was not a major box office success when it was released, its reputation grew over the years. Many film historians now consider it one of Keaton’s masterpieces. Nearly a century later, this movie still feels relatable and shows why Buster Keaton is still remembered.

The making of Steamboat Bill, Jr. was almost as dramatic as the film itself. During production in 1927, the devastating Mississippi River floods were still fresh in the public’s mind. Keaton’s original ending involved a flood, but he decided to change it to a cyclone and storm sequence to avoid reminding audiences of a recent tragedy.

The final storm scenes were some of the most expensive ever filmed for a silent movie. Huge sets were built and then destroyed by giant wind machines, water pumps, and carefully planned special effects. Keaton insisted on doing most of the dangerous stunts himself, including the famous falling house facade scene. The film would also become his last truly independent production before he joined MGM. It was his final chapter of the creative freedom that made Buster Keaton one of the greats of film.

Complete Movie

Sonny Rollins – St. Thomas

Sonny Rollins passed away not long ago, and I hate to admit it, but I only knew him for playing sax on Waiting On A Friend by the Stones. Christian always runs a jazz song on his Sunday Six posts, and I find myself getting excited to hear another jazz song to start my Sunday. This post took me a while to write. I went out of my comfort zone with this one, but it was worth it, and I would like to do more in the future.

Sonny Rollins spent years learning from some of the giants of the era. He was born in New York City in 1930; Rollins came of age during the rise of bebop. By the early 1950s, he had already recorded with legends such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker. Rollins quickly developed a style of his own. His playing was powerful and melodic. He became known for taking simple melodies and turning them into something completely new through improvisation.

This one was recorded on June 22, 1956, during the sessions for the album Saxophone Colossus. Rollins was backed by pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Max Roach. The tune was based on a Caribbean folk melody that Rollins had heard from his mother’s family. His parents were from the Virgin Islands, and the song reflected those roots. The calypso rhythm immediately set it apart from many jazz recordings of the period.

What I’m hearing is Rollins using a melody as a launching point for a series of inventive solos. Max Roach drives the recording while Flanagan and Watkins provide a steady foundation. I’ve noticed in these recordings that the musicians leave plenty of space for one another, which gives tracks a loose and natural feel. It is one of those recordings that sounds new no matter how many times you hear it because it’s unpredictable in the best way.

This song introduced many listeners to Rollins and became his signature tune. More than seventy years later, it is still played by jazz musicians around the world. Like so many great recordings, it takes something simple and familiar and turns it into something you remember. I understand why Sonny Rollins is regarded as one of the true giants of jazz.

Souther, Hillman, Furay Band – Fallin’ In Love

I was searching for bands to cover and ran across this one. I’ve heard of them a lot but never really listened to their music. The minute I played this one, I remembered it. This song has a bite to it, with that intro guitar. They keep an edge over the Southern California style of that time. It’s catchy without being too sweet. It works as a nice pop song.

They were formed in 1974 when J. D. Souther, Chris Hillman, and Richie Furay joined together after their earlier bands had already helped shape country rock. Furay had come from Buffalo Springfield and Poco; Hillman had been in The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers; and Souther was already becoming known as a songwriter closely tied to the Southern California music scene. This song appeared on their 1974 debut album and became the group’s biggest single.

J. D. Souther wrote the song, and his style is all over it… a polished sound, different from what Furay and Hillman did earlier. The recording sessions were handled with producer Tom Sellers. Top Studio players helped give the record a commercial sound, but with some edge still in there as well.

Even though this song gave the band a hit, Souther-Hillman-Furay Band never fully broke through the way many expected. The music business was changing quickly, and country rock was becoming more polished and corporate by the mid-1970s. The group released two albums before splitting up in 1975. Still, this remains a good snapshot of that California country-rock era.

This song peaked at #27 on the Billboard 100 in 1974.

Fallin In Love

Here I go again, it’s all right
Full moons grown to brighten the night
I’ve been lookin’, now seein’ the light
It’s sure shinin’ bright, yea

Well, honey, believe in it, it bein’ free mm
Nothin’ to love’s like nothin’ to be
You’ve got once a lifetime
To see just how much of your dream

Honey, to feel like fallin’ in love, just to know
Honey, to feel like fallin’ in love

Turnin’ home, runnin’ free as the wind
Stretchin’ my stride, wanna hold you again
Well, it’s time to be taken in
Let me know where I’ve been, yea

Honey, to feel like fallin’ in love, just to know
Don’t you know what it feels like fallin’ in love

Honey to feel like fallin’ in love

Turnin’ home, runnin’ free as the wind
Stretchin’ my stride, wanna hold you again
Well it’s time to be taken in
Let me know where I’ve been

Gary U.S. Bonds – This Little Girl

That opening G#m chord is simple but so effective. That strum on that chord alone drew me into this song and still does. When I was 14, I bought this single and wore it out. Finding the single sleeve that went with it for this post brought back so many memories. At that time I knew Gary US Bonds vaguely for Quarter to Three. Now this one is the first song I think of when his name comes up. This guitar sound is perfect, and I love the bounce of the song.

Springsteen wrote the song, and it sounds like it could have fit on one of his own records. The recording sessions took place at the Power Station in New York. Members of the E Street Band played on the track. Bonds brought his voice, while Springsteen supplied the song and the energy behind it. Springsteen and Van Zandt ended up producing the album.

The song accomplished something that is not easy to do. It sounded modern for the early 1980s but still carried some early 60s rock and roll sound. Older listeners would like it, and so would the teens of the day. This teen certainly did. This song was one of my favorite early 80s hits. It has a timeless sound that is hard to pin down in a time period.

This was released as a single in 1981; it became Bonds’ biggest hit in nearly twenty years. It reached the Top 20 in the United States and helped introduce him to a new generation of listeners. More importantly, it proved that Bonds was far more than an oldies act. The success of the song led to more recordings and appearances for him. It was cool to see Bruce work with an older influence, and their sound went together well.

It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100, #15 in Canada, #43 in the UK, and #11 in New Zealand.

This Little Girl (Is Mine)

Here she comes walkin’ down the street
You know she’s walkin’ just like
She’s walkin’ to come and see me
Oh she’s so young and she’s so fine

I know what’s on your mind
Know what you want to do
But if you mess with her
I’m gonna mess with you
You better watch your step
You better stay in line

This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
Oh this little girl
This little girl
This little girl is mine

Well if the world was mine to do with
What I want to do sir
Well I’d wrap it up in a bow
And give it all to her yeah
And all my love
All of the time

You know I’d hold her tight
I’d never let her go
And late at night
You know I’d love her so
Yeah I’d treat her right
So she’d never mind

This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
Oh this little girl
This little girl
This little girl is mine
Mine, mine, mine

Hey you better watch out
I’m telling you the score
Are you going to be sweeping your
Broken heart up off the floor
Oh and that ain’t all
I’m telling you my friend

I know what’s on your mind
I know what you want to do
But if you mess with her
I’m gonna mess with you

You like the way she moves
You like to watch her walk
You better listen up
‘Cause man this just ain’t talk
You better watch yourself
You better stay in line

Now mister I said
This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
This little girl
This little girl
This little girl is mine

Oh this little girl is mine
This little girl
This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
This little girl
This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine

Yeah, yeah
This little girl
This little girl
Oh this little girl is mine
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
This little girl is mine
This little girl she’s mine all mine

Now this little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine
Oh I said this little girl
This little girl
This little girl is mine, mine, mine
This little girl is mine
Oh this little girl is mine

The Prisoner – Living In Harmony

December 29, 1967 Season 1 Episode 14

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

And away we go! We trade the village scenery for the Old West. This one does away with the regular intro, and we start off with Number 6 riding a horse in the town of Harmony after a fight. This was Patrick McGoohan’s favorite episode to make. This episode is one of the strangest episodes of The Prisoner, and that is saying something. When it starts, you are wondering what is going on. Is this the right show? Then everything starts falling into place after a few minutes. It’s now an episode that I love.

Number Six suddenly finds himself in what looks like the American Old West. This town, Harmony which is run by the Judge, with the Kid, a young gunslinger, as his murderous assistant. Number 6 is a former sheriff who has resigned his position, much like he resigned from his old life before arriving in the Village. The townspeople do not trust him. The new authorities want him gone. No matter where he turns, he is pressured to explain why he resigned. Just like in the Village, nobody accepts his right to make his own choices.

As the story moves on, Number Six faces harassment and constant attempts to break his spirit. The Western setting is different, but the methods are familiar. The town is really another form of prison. The people around him are playing assigned roles. The authorities try to push him into violence or force him to submit. Number Six refuses to give them what they want. He continues to resist even when the odds are against him.

Near the end, the illusion begins to crack. The western town is revealed to be another experiment designed to control and study him. They try to make him more disposed to killing. The familiar faces of the Village return. Number Six learns that changing the scenery changes nothing. Whether he is in a modern Village or a frontier town, the battle remains the same. It is a fight for freedom, individuality, and the right to remain his own man. Be Seeing You!

…

Bronco – Time (So Long Between)

Ever since hearing Robbie Blunt, who played with Robert Plant on his first 3 albums, I wanted to know more about him. Bronco was the first major band he was in, and I love the results. His style was so unique and helped make Plant’s signature sound after Zeppelin. One listen to Big Log, and you can hear the uniqueness of his guitar playing. He didn’t have that sound in this, but really tasteful guitar playing.  Bronco wasn’t formed for hits; they made really good, solid albums. My UK readers, do you remember this band? 

Bronco never really became a well-known band, but for a few years in the early seventies, they were one of those British bands that blended country rock, blues, and folk in a way that fit right alongside bands like Buffalo Springfield, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and The Band. They formed in 1969 around singer Jess Roden after he left The Alan Bown Set. They signed with Island Records during the label’s peak years, when they had many roots-style bands. This song and album are very seventies-sounding, which makes sense, of course. 

Robbie Blunt joined on guitar alongside Kevyn Gammond, and even then, you could hear the tasteful style that later became so important. Blunt is not a super flashy player. He worked more in mood, tone, and feel.

Their first album, Country Home, came out in 1970 and had a laid-back country-rock sound with harmony vocals and touches of blues.  Around this period, Bronco toured the US and played shows at places like the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. Blunt later talked about seeing Duane Allman during that trip, something that left a real impression on him as a guitarist.

This song is off the Country Home album. Jess Roden and Robbie Blunt wrote this song. 

Steve Van Zandt – Until The Good Is Gone

I listened to some tracks of Van Zandt, Miami Steve, or Little Steven… any of his monickers gives you heartfelt Americana soul music. One band he always pushes is The Rascals, and I can see why. You hear that influence in his music, along with the Jersey Shore sound he helped create. This song is so tuneful, and some tasty guitar licks are going on, especially in the intro. Listening to this album was a pleasure, song after song. His passion really comes through his voice in this one.

This song came from Little Steven’s 1982 album Men Without Women. At that point, Steven Van Zandt was still a major part of the E Street Band, but he wanted something of his own. He grew up loving soul records, girl groups, and the Phil Spector sound. Those influences were all over this album. The sessions took place at the Power Station in New York. Van Zandt wanted the record to sound alive. Not polished to death. He wanted horns, echoes, and emotion.

The recording is hard into soul music. The horns punch through the mix while the guitars and rhythm section keep it grounded in rock and roll. Van Zandt and horns have a great history, like Sixteenth Avenue Freeze Out. There are stories that Springsteen added backing vocals during parts of the sessions, which gave the album even more of that Asbury Park spirit without turning it into an E Street record.

A lot of the material on Men Without Women had been around since the Southside Johnny days. Van Zandt was writing constantly then. Songs moved around between projects depending on where they fit best. This song ended up fitting perfectly on this album because it captured that mix of street soul and rock-and-roll. The record did not become a massive commercial hit, but over the years fans have come back to it. The song still sounds real today. It feels like musicians in a room, playing for the song rather than for the charts.

Until The Good Is Gone

Hmm-hmm hmm-hmm hmm-hmm hmm

Yeah, we always stood on the same block way back then
Waiting to find out where in the world we fit in
Then something on the radio changed everything we’d been
Ever since, I need it, over and over again

Where it comes from baby, I don’t know
That same old something just won’t let me go
It’s too late baby, it’s been too long
Don’t try to stop me ’till the good is gone

Now listen, it seems like only yesterday I could hear big mama call, (yes)
Get the boys and meet me down at the union hall, (yes)
And always in the background even after everybody’s gone
It was something on the radio saying, “Come on, come on”

Where it comes from baby, I don’t know, no no
That same old something ain’t gonna let me go
Oh it’s too late baby, it’s been too long
Don’t try to stop me ’till the good is gone

Let me hear you now
Say yeah, yeah, alright
Come on

Oh, yeah yeah yeah
Now baby
Oh
Woah

So many others never beat the city line
They weren’t so different, they just ran out of time
You need something in your soul baby that’s gonna keep you strong
Oh that kind of good never ever ever never gonna go wrong

Where it comes from baby I don’t know, don’t know
That same old something just won’t let me go
Oh it’s too late baby, it’s been too long
Don’t try to stop me ’till the good is gone
Say one more time
Don’t try to stop me ’till the good is gone
One more time
Don’t try to stop me ’till the good is gone
Oh let me hear you say it
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Let me hear you say it
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
One more time
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah honey
Oh yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah yeah), sing
Say yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), say everybody say
Yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
Say one more time
Yeah (yeah)…