Badfinger (Max)

George Thorogood and the Destoyers – One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

I accidentally published this yesterday around 5:30 CST by mistake…I took it back off the market pretty quick…I apologize to anyone who was trying to view it.

I first heard of George Thorogood when I watched the movie Christine back in the 1980s and the song Bad to the Bone. This song is what a grimy bar (not a dance club) in the 1980s sounded like…trust me. When I heard this song I was in high school in Graphic Arts class while Mr Hall, the teacher, was listening to it. He would tell us stories of traveling to Memphis to see artists like Jimi Hendrix.

The song’s roots trace back to the 1950s, originally written by Rudy Toombs and recorded by rhythm and blues artist Amos Milburn in 1953. Milburn’s version was a straightforward R&B number, capturing the era. John Lee Hooker gave the song a new lease on life. Hooker’s rendition infused it with a talking blues style, adding to the future interpretations.

Thorogood supercharged the song. He didn’t just cover it…he transformed it into an epic medley by incorporating elements from Hooker’s House Rent Boogie. It was released by George Thorogood and the Destoyers on their self-titled debut album in 1977.

What makes the live version work so well is the storytelling. It sets up the dynamics of the song perfectly.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Want to tell you a storyAbout the house-man bluesI come home one FridayHad to tell the landlady I’da lost my job

She said that don’t confront meLong as I get my money next FridayNow next Friday come I didn’t get the rentAnd out the door I went

So I goes to the landladyI said you let me slide?I’ll have the rent for you in a monthNext I don’t know

So said let me slide it onI notice when I come home in the eveningShe ain’t got nothing nice to say to meBut for five year she was so nice

Loh’ she was lovy-dovyI come home one particular eveningThe landlady saidYou got the rent money yet?

I said no, can’t find no jobTherefore I ain’t got no moneyTo pay the rentShe said I don’t believe

You’re tryin’ to find no jobSaid I seen you today you was standin’ on a cornerLeaning up against a postI said but I’m tired

I’ve been walkin’ all dayShe said that don’t confront meLong as I get my money next FridayNow next Friday come I didn’t have the rent

And out the door I wentSo I go down the streetsDown to my good friend’s houseI said look man

I’m outdoors you knowCan I stay with you maybe a couple days?He said let me go and ask my wifeHe come out of the house

I could see it in his faceI know that was noHe said I don’t know manAh she kinda funny, you know

I said I knowEverybody funny, now you funny tooSo I go back homeI tell the landlady I got a job

I’m gonna pay the rentShe said yeah? I said oh yeahAnd then she was so niceLoh’ she was lovy-dovy

So I go in my roomPack up my things and I goI slip on out the back doorAnd down the streets I go

She a-howlin’ about the front rentShe’ll be lucky to get any back rentShe ain’t gonna get none of itSo I stop in the local bar you know people

I go to the bar, I ring my coatI call the bartenderSaid look man, come down hereHe got down there

So what you want?One bourbon, one scotch, one beerWell I ain’t seen my babySince I don’t know when

I’ve been drinking bourbon, whiskeyScotch and ginGonna get high man I’m gonna get looseNeed me a triple shot of that juice

Gonna get drunk don’t you have no fearI want one bourbonOne scotch and one beerOne bourbon, one scotch, one beer

But I’m sitting now at the barI’m getting drunk, I’m feelin’ mellowI’m drinkin’ bourbonI’m drinkin’ scotch

I’m drinkin’ beerLooked down the barHere come the bartenderI said look man, come down here

So what you want?One bourbon, one scotch, one beerNo I ain’t seen my baby sinceThe night before last

Gotta get a drink manI’m gonna get gassedGonna get high manI ain’t had enough

Need me a triple shot of that stuffGonna get drunkWon’t you listen right hereI want one bourbon

One shot and one beerOne bourbon, one scotch, one beer

Now by this timeI’m plenty highYou know when your mouth a-getting dryYou’re plenty high

Looked down the barI say to my bartenderI said look manCome down here

He got down thereSo what you want this time?I said look manA-what time is it?

He said the clock on the wallSay three o’clockLast call for alcoholSo what you need?

One bourbon, one scotch, one beerNo I ain’t seen my baby sinceA nigh’ and a weekGotta get drunk man

Till I can’t even speakGonna get high manListen to meOne drink ain’t enough

Jack you better make it threeI want to get drunkI’m gonna make it real clearI want one bourbon

One scotch and one beerOne bourbon, one scotch, one beer

…

Chris Isaak – Wicked Game

When I first heard this song…I thought this song was very different. It’s almost like its origin was in a dream. I can imagine this song being a soundtrack to a fever dream easily. It’s that guitar with its sliding and bending notes. The guitar player was James Calvin Wilsey who played that haunted-sounding lead.

I remember hearing Isaak before this hit from a friend who had his Silvertone album. I really liked a song called Gone Ridin’. It was rockabilly with a modern twist. I talked to my friend recently and we talked about Isaak. He agreed with me that we never saw the success of Wicked Game coming.

Most of the time, songs that go out on a limb and are different are not heard as much. My blog is full of those songs but this one actually reached the masses. Along with that guitar is Isaak’s haunting but strong voice. He wrote it one night when a troubled lady was coming over to his house (see quote at bottom).

The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada, #7 in New Zealand, and #10 in the UK. It also reached #2 on the Billboard Alternative Charts in 1990. The song was on the 1989 album Heart Shaped World.

When the song was placed in a movie it took off. An instrumental version was used in the David Lynch film called Wild At Heart in 1990. That certainly helped the song as well. I’m a huge David Lynch fan and Chris had this to say about him. “I enjoy talking about David Lynch because he’s such a great guy. The question I get about him is, ‘How is David Lynch? Is he scary or spooky or something?’ I don’t think it’s ever guys who make films like David makes or who have that kind of weird bent in their artwork–those guys are probably the nicest guys in real life because they’ve expressed all of their weird angles. The guys you have to watch are the guys who go, ‘I’m a scout master, the proud father of two children, and I’m also a deacon in the church.’ Then you go, ‘Be careful.’ If he’s out in the back yard at night with a shovel, be careful because he’s burying something.”

Chris Isaak: “This one I wrote really late at night and it was written in a short time, because I remember that a girl had called me and said, ‘I want to come over and talk to you,’ and ‘talk’ was a euphemism. And she said, ‘I want to come over and talk to you until you’re no longer able to stand up.’ And I said, ‘Okay, you’re coming over.’ And as soon as I hung up I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I know she’s gonna be trouble. She’s always been trouble. She’s a wildcat. And here I am, I’m going to get killed, but I’m doing this.’ And I wrote ‘Wicked Game’: ‘world’s on fire and no one can save me but you.’ It’s like you start thinking about it, and by the time she came over to the house, I had the song written. And I think she was probably upset because I was more excited by the song. (Laughing) I was like, ‘Yes, you’re gorgeous, baby. But listen to this song!'”

Chris Isaak: “I think that sometimes you get easy ones that come very quick and you’re really glad – you go, ‘Wow, where’d this come from?’ It’s so fast to write. And then there’s other songs that you do and it’s like doing your homework. It’s like you really are working and biting the pencil and working on that third verse. Most of the time you do work. But sometimes you get lucky.”

Wicked Game

The world was on fire and no one could save me but youIt’s strange what desire will make foolish people doI never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like youAnd I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you

No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)With youWith you(This world is only gonna break your heart)

What a wicked game you play, to make me feel this wayWhat a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of youWhat a wicked thing to say, you never felt this wayWhat a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you

And I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)With you

The world was on fire and no one could save me but youStrange what desire will make foolish people doI never dreamed that I’d love somebody like youAnd I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you

No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)With you (this world is only gonna break your heart)With you (with you)(This world is only gonna break your heart)

No, I (this world is only gonna break your heart)(This world is only gonna break your heart)

Nobody loves no one

…

Little Walter – You’re So Fine

I’ve read so many artists influenced by Little Walter including The Band. I never really listened to him until recently. The man was magical on harmonica. He sounded so different at the time. He played using an amplified harmonica. He played it through a microphone and amp, giving it a loud, distorted sound that was new and exciting at the time and still is. As I read more about him…some call him The Jimi Hendrix of the Harmonica.

Little Walter’s (Marion Walter Jacobs) career took off when he joined Muddy Water’s band in the early 1950s. His first release was in 1947 with Ora Nelle Blues. He did really well in the R&B charts in the 1950s. He continued to perform and record throughout the 1960s, but his health and personal life crumbled. Little Walter died on February 15, 1968, at the age of 37 from injuries sustained in a fight.

You’re So Fine peaked at #2 on the R&B Charts 1954. It was written by Little Walter.

Here is a super-live version with Otis Rush.

You’re So Fine

You’re so fine pretty baby, let me love you all the time

Well and I got a girl she’s fine and brown
What I like about her, she’s mine all mine
She’s so fine, yes she’s so fine
You’re so fine pretty baby, let me love you all the time

Well I wanna give you all my money buy you diamond, everything
Till you be mine, baby then we will make romance
You’re so fine, yes you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, I wanna love you all the time

Now you fill my conversation baby, you made me talk myself to death
I’m in love with you baby and I don’t want nobody else
You’re so fine, yeah you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, I wanna love you all the time

Yeah you’re so fine baby, let me love you all the time

Now you know I love you baby and I just can’t help myself
Goin’ crazy ’cause you’re lovin’ someone else
You’re so fine, yeah you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, let me love you all the time

Fleetwood Mac – Albatross

Albatross is an instrumental from Fleetwood Mac…the 60’s version of the band with the great guitar player Peter Green. I first heard about the song in a book. The Beatles were recording Abbey Road and they played this song constantly through the sessions. You can hear the reverb effect used on Sun King by Lennon that resembles Albatross.

When this song was released, Fleetwood Mac was six years away from their pop conversion of the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era. The lineup on this track was Peter Green (vocals, guitar), John McVie (bass), Danny Kirwan (guitar), and Mick Fleetwood (drums). The song was released on November 22, 1968, with ‘Jigsaw Puzzle Blues’ (written by the band’s James Kirwan) on the B-side.

It remains one of the band’s most recognizable songs from their early blues- period. The song peaked at #1 on the UK Charts, #45 in Canada, and #4 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Charts (per Wiki) in 1969. Peter Green wrote this song. Albatross was re-released in 1973 peaking at #2 on the UK Charts. In 1989, it was released again and peaked at #96 on the UK Charts…and in 2020-2023 it was released yet again and peaked at #8 on the UK Singles Charts. The song keeps on giving.

Funny enough…this song remains their only #1 UK song! That surprises me with the later commercial success they had. Few bands could evolve like they did. Genesis is one and David Bowie is another one that pulled off different sounds but remained popular.

The title came from a bird called The Albatross, which sailors regarded as a sign of bad luck. That is where the saying “like an Albatross around your neck” came from. Green was also influenced by the Santo and Johnny song Sleep Walk…which you can hear that sound in this. Green also said some of it came from notes that Clapton would play with the John Mayall Bluesbreakers on the song The Last Meal but just slowed down. Peter Green would replace Eric in that band.

Peter Green remains one of my favorite guitar players. My admiration for him has grown through the years. Sleep Walk from Santo and Johnny remains one of my favorite instrumentals and I can hear it in this clearly…makes me like it more.

Danny Kirwan: Well, that was Monsieur Peter Green – I called him Monsieur, you know – and I played with him. On “Albatross” he told me what to do, all the bits I had to play.

George Harrison: “So we said, ‘Let’s be Fleetwood Mac doing Albatross, just to get going.’ It never really sounded like Fleetwood Mac… but that was the point of origin.”

Peter Green talking about LSD and Albatross

Godzilla Minus One

I was reading the Master Mix Movie blog and this movie was featured. I have to say it’s very different from the modern Godzilla movies we have had.

I’m a huge Godzilla fan and as far as movies go…but it’s not a monster movie…it’s a movie with a monster in it. The plot is well done and Godzilla never looked better. Toho Studios in Japan made this movie and it even won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Godzilla is back to being Godzilla. He is not the American anti-hero in this film. He is back to being a massive monster of rage. For one of the few times, I cared about the characters in a Godzilla movie. The original movie came out in 1954. Less than a decade after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a new genre of movies was created. The first movie was a response to the fear of nuclear attack and the trauma suffered by those who were directly affected by the bombs.

I watched this movie with English subtitles and the people in the movie were more than cardboard cutouts. There have been some very good Godzilla movies like the 2014 Godzilla and the 1954 original version was great. This movie I would recommend like I would a normal movie. Godzilla looked so real, not cartoonish like the Hollywood version lately.

I talked to fellow blogger Mitch Teemley about it and he was right about something…a little overacting in this one but that is normal for many Japanese movies.

Something different that the Japanese did that Hollywood forgets…they used CGI as a tool, not as the complete movie. It’s not a buddy movie like the latest Godzilla and King Kong movie of the Monsterverse but a real movie with Godzilla in it. The story would have been great for a movie without the big guy appearing.

If you get a chance…watch this movie. It has a color and black and white version…personally, I think the black-and-white version captures it best.

Here is a short storyline from IMDB.

Feeling as if he unfairly cheated death too many times, Shikishima, a surviving Kamikaze pilot, is attacked on Odo Island along with many war plane engineers by a gargantuan monster. After the engineers die because of Shikishima failing to distract the monster, an overwhelming amount of guilt weighs on him, especially after a homeless woman and a baby move into his home when he returns. Shikishima, now on a personal mission, teams up with a large group of veterans to try to finally take down the monster known as Godzilla.

…

Joe Cocker – Cry Me A River

I wanted to post something by Joe Cocker from the now legendary Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. I have a Joe Cocker 1980s song in my drafts but I wanted to do another song from that tour.

I was lucky enough to see him one time. He was opening up for Tina Turner on October 20, 2000, in Gaylord Arena. It was a hell of a double feature with those two performers. Cocker still had that voice and he sounded excellent.

This song was written in 1953 by Arthur Hamilton. The first release of this song was by Julie London in 1955. London was Jack Webb’s wife at the time and she is probably best known for her role in Emergency.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen kicked off on March 20, 1970, and ended on May 16, 1970. Cocker’s manager, Dee Anthony, saw an opportunity to capitalize on Cocker’s rising fame and organized a new tour. A band was quickly put together by musical director Leon Russell. It included an eclectic mix of musicians, backup singers (such as Rita Coolidge), and even a dog mascot.

The tour was immortalized in the live album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, released in August 1970. It became a critical and commercial success. It is still considered one of the great live albums in rock.

The album peaked at #95 on the Billboard 100, #46 in Canada, and #2 in New Zealand. Looks like New Zealand is the only country that got it right.

The song peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100 and #15 in Canada in 1970.

Arthur Hamilton: “I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words… Instead of ‘Eat your heart out’ or ‘I’ll get even with you,’ it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart.”

I Will See You Next Weekend!

Cry Me A River

Why don’t you, why don’t youWhy don’t you cry me a river?

Now you say that you’re lonelyAfter being so untrue

I want you to cry (cry me a river)Want you to cry (cry me a river)All over me (cry me a river)I want you to cry (cry me a river)Yeah, over me (cry me a river)Hey, yeah, cry (cry me a river)Yeah, I cried a river over you

Now you say that you’re sorryOh, for being so unkind

I want you to cry (cry me a river)Cry for me (cry me a river)Oh! (cry me a river)Over me (cry me a river)Want you to cry (cry me a river)Right on me, yeah (cry me a river)Oh, I cried a river over you

You drove me, nearly drove me out of my headNever shed a tearRemember, I remember all that you saidTold me love was a stupid thingYou were through with me

Cry me a riverCome on love (cry me a river)Won’t you cry? (cry me a river)Oh, yeah (cry me a river)Oh, cry (cry me a river)Cry me a river (cry me a river)Oh, I cried a river over you

You drove me, nearly drove me out of my headOoh, never shed a tearRemember, I remember all that you saidTold me love was a stupid thingYou were through with me

Cry me a riverYes, cry (cry me a river)I want you to cry (cry me a river)Cry me a river (cry me a river)Ah (cry me a river)Cry me (cry me a river)Oh, I cried a river over you

Yeah, I cried a river over you(I cried a river over you)Over you (I cried a river over you)Over you (I cried a river over you)

I, I cried (I cried a river over you)Let me (I cried a river over you)I cried a river (I cried a river over you)Cry me a river (I cried a river over you)Over the mountain (I cried a river over you)(I cried a river over you)Baby, I cried a river over you

One, two, three, fourCry me a riverCry me a riverCry me a riverCry me a riverYeah (cry me a river, cry me a river)Cry, cry a river over you

Thanks againThank you very much

Pretty Things – Don’t Bring Me Down

I’ve heard of this band for so long but never listened to many of their songs. This one is right up my alley…raw, garage-sounding, and slightly punk. They formed in London in 1963. They were known for their raw sound and rebellious image, they are often cited as one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and 1970s. They didn’t have a lot of hits but their sound was copied.

This song was released in 1964, and The Pretty Things was probably the scruffiest band around in 1964… and that includes the Stones.

The song peaked at #10 in the UK and #34 in Canada in 1964. The song was a stand-alone single. They would release their self-titled debut album in 1965. The song was written by Johnny Dee, the manager of a British band at the time called The Fairies.

The Pretty Things continued to evolve after “Don’t Bring Me Down” exploring different musical styles including psychedelia and hard rock. Despite numerous lineup changes and challenges, they remained active for decades, maintaining a cult following.

In 1968 they released the album S.F. Sorrow, one of the first rock operas, predating The Who’s Tommy. It is a concept album that tells the story of a character named Sebastian F. Sorrow from birth to death. Though not a commercial success at the time, it has since been recognized as a groundbreaking work and a classic of that genre.

Don’t Bring Me Down

I’m on my own, nowhere to roam
I tell you baby, don’t want no home
I wander round, feet off the ground
I even go from town to town
I said I think this rock is grand
Say I’ll be your man
Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down

I met this chick, the other day
And then to me, she said she’ll stay
I get this pad, just like a cave
And then we’ll have, our living made
And then I’ll lead her on the ground
My head is spinning round
Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down

I, I, I, I, I need a lover ’cause someone new
And then to her I will be true
I’ll buy her furs and pretty things
I’ll even buy a wedding ring
But until then I’ll settle down?
Say I’ll be your man
Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down

Until then I’ll settle down?
Say I’ll be your man
Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down
Don’t bring me down

Brothers At Arms

Brothers at Arms – Introduction

Steve Miller / Paul McCartney – My Dark Hour

I really like this song and the pre-hit Steve Miller Band as well. I do like many of his hits but his early catalog is filled with great songs and musicianship. This one has a lot of history. I think Miller’s hits has been a huge victim of radio overplay but I realize that is not his fault…doesn’t mean “Jet Airliner” is not any good…we just have sometimes have heard those songs too much. I have songs like that…but give it some time and I can listen to them again.

His earlier songs have more of a blues feel. The former members of his band has included Boz Scaggs, Nicky Hopkins, Doug Clifford (CCR drummer), Ross Valory, Lonnie Turner, and about a page more of names.

Steve Miller wrote this tune and Paul McCartney played drums, bass, some guitar, and backing vocals. You will also catch the future riff to Fly Like An Eagle in this song. Paul would be credited as Paul Ramone. Paul went by that name on their first tour and that is where the Ramones got their name.

When I read the story of this recording the title would probably match what McCartney was feeling. Allen Klein had just suckered John, George, and Ringo into signing a management contract and he wanted Paul. It was on a Friday afternoon and Paul refused. I’m not always on Paul’s side but in this case…oh yes. He told the other 3 something I find quite funny. Klein wanted 20% of the Beatles earnings and Paul told them wait…The Beatles are kinda big and let him have 10% but John would have none of it. Paul never signed and later on John, George, and Ringo would regret the decision as they all sued Klein and Klein sued them.

On that day, Steve Miller walked into the studio after a giant fight with only Paul left there. I’ll let Paul McCartney tell it: Steve Miller happened to be there recording, late at night, and he just breezed in. ‘Hey, what’s happening, man? Can I use the studio?’ ‘Yeah!’ I said. ‘Can I drum for you? I just had a fucking unholy argument with the guys there.’ I explained it to him, took ten minutes to get it off my chest. So I did a track, he and I stayed that night and did a track of his called My Dark Hour. I thrashed everything out on the drums. There’s a surfeit of aggressive drum fills, that’s all I can say about that. We stayed up until late. I played bass, guitar and drums and sang backing vocals. It’s actually a pretty good track.

It was a very strange time in my life and I swear I got my first grey hairs that month. I saw them appearing. I looked in the mirror, I thought, I can see you. You’re all coming now. Welcome.

The song was on The Steve Miller Band’s album Brave New World released in 1969. The album peaked at a respectable #22 on the Billboard Album Charts and #38 in Canada.

Steve Miller: I got John Lennon’s Epiphone Casino and played through his amp, Paul got on the drums. It was like we’d been playing together forever.

Here is a snippet of Badfinger covering this song live. They were expanding their sound live with longer jams.

My Dark Hour

My dark hourMy dark hourYou know it’s drivin’ me wild

Well, well, I went to see the doctorAnd I had my fortune readAnd you know, the doctor told me“Son, you better stay in bed”

Who’s that comin’ down that roadLooks like he’s carryin’ a heavy loadWhat’s that word that he started to say?Wanna come with me on my way?

My dark hour, a mother nature’s childMy dark hour, oh, it’s drivin’ me wild

Well, I went (to see the doctor)Just to have (my fortune read)Well, well, well, well, well(The doctor told me)“Son, stay in bed”

So do you think these sinners will fallOr do you think they’ll survive us all?Well, well, well, well, a-down this roadWon’t you help me carry my load?

My dark hour, mother nature’s childMy dark hour, oh-oh, it’s drivin’ me wild

Oh-oh-oh, mother nature’s childOh, yeah, oh, oh, yeahOh, oh, oh, oh, yeah

…

Billy Joe Shaver – Live Forever

I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna cross that river
I’m gonna catch tomorrow now

Phil from The Cactus Notes mentioned this artist on the Flatlanders post last week and I thank him. Between CB, Phil, Lisa, and Randy…I’m learning more and more about Texas singer/songwriters. Whatever they have in the water there has worked for a long time. This is a song I love. I’ve heard it before somewhere but it has a great melody and I love the meaning behind the words.

I really like this song. It could be country/pop/rock it doesn’t matter. I like the philosophy of it…you can’t live forever but the impact one leaves behind can endure indefinitely. . There are 14 different covers of this song. Artists such as Johnny Cash, The Highwaymen, Willie Nelson, Robert Duvall, and Joe Ely. You know…it’s like walking in a crowded city and on every single corner I see Joe Ely! He is so deeply ingrained in Texas music and music in general. He has popped up in so many configurations while exploring this genre.

Billy Joe Shaver was part of the Outlaw Country movement, he co-wrote Live Forever with his son Eddy, a talented guitarist and songwriter. This song was part of their collaborative album, Tramp on Your Street, released in 1993.

Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas. Raised primarily by his grandmother, he experienced a difficult childhood (many ordeals that you should read about). Shaver moved to Nashville in the late 1960s, where he initially struggled to make a name for himself. His break came when he met Kris Kristofferson, who became a mentor and helped him get a songwriting contract.

His major breakthrough came with Waylon Jennings’ 1973 album “Honky Tonk Heroes,” which featured nearly all Shaver-penned songs. This album is credited with helping to define the Outlaw Country movement.

This song was released in 1993. This song went to #96 on the Canadian Country Charts. Billy Joe Shaver passed away in 2020 at 81.

Live Forever

I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna cross that river
I’m gonna catch tomorrow now
You’re gonna wanna hold me
Just like I always told you
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
Nobody here will ever find me
But I always be around
Just like the songs I leave behind me
I’m gonna live forever now

You fathers and you mothers
Be good to one another
Please try to raise your children right
Don’t let the darkness take ’em
Don’t make ’em feel forsaken
Just lead them safely to the light
When this old world has blown asunder
And all the stars from fall this sky
Remember someone really loves you
We’ll live forever you and I

I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna cross that river
I’m gonna catch tomorrow now

I’m gonna live forever now
I’m gonna live forever now
I’m gonna live forever now
I’m gonna live forever now

Dream of angels and sunshine
Rivers of red wine, and orange peel blues
Dream of angels and sunshine
Rivers of red wine, and orange peel blues

Work Related Break

Usually, I plan these breaks out but this one was planned for me.

Our company has purchased two businesses and IT (that’s my department) will be involved heavily this month. This will interfere with my weekday posting. On the weekends…I should be fine. I will be traveling through some weeks also…so starting Monday…I will only be posting on weekends until July. I have enough posts to post for 3 weeks but if I cannot comment back…why bother? So…this weekend I WILL post though and every weekend until July.

This time I really didn’t want a break but I’m not sure how much time I’d be able to use checking the blog. Thank you all again for checking my blog out I will see you on weekends and should be back full-time in July.

Thank you all again for reading this every day! See you tomorrow. I have to include a song…so this one works for me.

…

Beatles – From Me To You

This song was on the third Beatles album I bought. That would have been The Red Album compilation.

I’m posting it because I just heard the live version from the Anthology and for me…it’s better than the released version. I like the harmonica as an instrument but I like this live version they did without it. John didn’t want to use it because they had used it on Love Me Do, Please Please Me, and then this one. He didn’t want them repeating themselves but was talked into it.

This was their third single in the UK. Love Me Do (#17), Please Please Me (#2), and then this song which peaked at #1 in the UK. When The Beatles hit America…their hits more times than not charted higher in the US. Some of the examples are Twist and Shout (#2 US #0 UK), Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields (#1 US #2 UK), Something (#4 UK #1 US) and more. Now some did the opposite but this song was really odd. It didn’t chart in the top 40 in America at all. Very unusual in 1964.

George Martin asked them to come up with something as good as Please Please Me and they gave him this. No, I don’t think it’s as good but it’s a good song. There was a column in the New Musical Express that was titled From You To Us which featured fans writing columns. This particular one featured a fan letter talking about how Cliff Richard was currently outshining Elvis Presley in the charts. Lennon stated in May of 1963 that Paul and he started to “talk about one of the letters in the column,” which led to them putting ideas together for a song inspired by the title of this newspaper column. This one both Lennon and McCartney agreed was a 50/50 composition.

Paul said that they wrote it while on tour with Roy Orbison. The only problem is that the song was already released then. They were on tour with Helen Shapiro who at the start of the tour were more popular than they were.

Del Shannon was the first American to cover a Beatles song…and he covered this one in 1963.

John Lennon: We were just fooling about on the guitar, this went on for a while. Then we began to get a good melody line and we really started to work at it. Before the journey was over we’d completed the lyric, everything. The words weren’t really all that difficult – especially as we had decided quite definitely not to do anything that was at all complicated. I suppose that is why we often had the words “you” and “me” in the titles of our songs. It’s the kind of thing that helps the listeners to identify with the lyrics. We think this is very important. The fans like to feel that they are part of something that is being done by the performers.”

That said, this song was “below Beatles par ” by a critic…John Lennon: “Maybe it wasn’t as good as ‘Please Please Me,’ but below par? I’ll never forget that one. That’s when I first realized you’ve got to keep it up, there’s some sort of system where you get on the wheel and you’ve got to keep going around.”

The original version is below…there is one thing you can hear now in the remastered versions…the bass!

From Me To You

If there’s anything that you wantIf there’s anything I can doJust call on me and I’ll send it alongWith love, from me to you

I’ve got everything that you wantLike a heart that’s oh so trueJust call on me and I’ll send it alongWith love, from me to you

I’ve got arms that long to hold youAnd keep you by my sideI’ve got lips that long to kiss youAnd keep you satisfied (oh)

If there’s anything that you wantIf there’s anything I can doJust call on me and I’ll send it alongWith love, from me to you

From meTo youJust call on me and I’ll send it alongWith love, from me to you

I’ve got arms that long to hold youAnd keep you by my sideI’ve got lips that long to kiss youAnd keep you satisfied (oh)

If there’s anything that you wantIf there’s anything I can doJust call on me and I’ll send it alongWith love, from me to youTo youTo youTo you

…

David Essex – Rock On

The bassline and minimalist nature to this song…makes it all worth the repeat listens. It’s very much a cultural artifact that encapsulates its time.

This is a song from childhood that I will never forget. It had a strange sound and that is what made it special. No other than Herbie Flowers played bass on this song and he made it stand out. Yes this song is worn out but I will turn it up sometimes just to hear that bass.

David wrote and released this song in 1973. It appeared in the movie he and Ringo Starr were appearing in called That’ll Be The Day. Essex made unsuccessful recordings in the sixties until found success as an actor. This was the first of his many hits in the UK.

On another note. That’ll Be The Day is a really good movie and so is the follow-up… Stardust. I would suggest if you get the chance…watch them. I think it’s the best movie Ringo Starr ever appeared in excluding A Hard Days Night.

The song peaked at #1 in Canada, #5 in the Billboard 100, and #3 in the UK in 1973. Essex never charted another hit in America, although the Grammy nomination he got for “Rock On” was enough to give him a cult following in America.

The producer of this song was a jingle composer named Jeff Wayne. Wayne was an unusual choice, but his background in jingles, which must be very efficient, proved worthy.

Jeff Wayne: “I can recall the three musicians on the backing track for ‘Rock On’ all looking around in a mostly empty Advision Studios, Studio 1, wanting to know when the rest of the band was arriving! I explained there weren’t any others for that track, and I was relying on them to understand my idea for the production. While the drums and percussion parts were written out, it was definitely Herbie that grasped immediately that a bass guitar playing a lead riff could fill a large part of the spatial spectrum and he took my idea and turned some basic notes of mine, into his amazing bass riff. Then to top it off, he suggested playing it again an octave higher. So you get this unusual bass sound right up front – now it couldn’t have been up front if the arrangement didn’t allow the air and the space to be created that way.”

Rock On

Hey kids rock and roll,
Rock on, oh my soul
Hey kids boogey too, did ya

Hey shout, summertime blues,
Jump up and down in my blue suede shoes
Hey kids rock and roll, rock on

And where do we go from here?
Which is the way that’s clear

Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen
Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean
James Dean, rock on

Have Gun Will Travel

I never got into TV westerns very much but this one was different. It was on for 6 seasons from 1957 – 1963 that featured very different leading man type… Richard Boone. Boone was the perfect to play Paladin and I always liked him in his movies.

24 episodes were written by Gene Roddenberry before he tackled Star Trek. The writing and the stories set this show apart from Bonanza and many other Westerns from this period. That is not a knock on the other Westerns but this one was unique.

A rich sophisticated gunslinger (that goes by the name Paladin)…with morals…. lives in an 1880s hotel in San Francisco. Anyone in trouble can hire him at his normal fee of 1000 dollars (if the cause is good….he sometimes doesn’t charge)… He is a problem solver and only kills if he has to. Paladin never reveals his real name but during each episode, he will flash his business card to a prospective client, and then Paladin changes from socialite clothing to an all-black outfit. He is a man’s man who is a fast draw and quotes Shakespeare, Homer, Oscar Wilde, and many more… Not your average Western gunslinger…

Guest stars included Charles Bronson, Jack Lord, Buddy Ebsen, Harry Morgan, Dan Blocker, DeForest Kelley, Ken Curtis, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine and many more.

I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did because they did not dumb it down like so many shows did then and especially now.

If you decide to give this series a try…watch the 1st episode of the 6th season (Genesis) first… because it explains where Paladin got his name…but still never gives his real name.

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers – I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent

I like quite a few doo-wop songs of the 1950s. The song was written by George Goldner and it was featured on their 1956 album, The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. It peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1957. The song was featured in the movie Rock, Rock, Rock.

Their big hit was Why Do Fools Fall In Love released in 1956. The group only lasted until 1957 when the manager kept pushing Lymon over the group and he started a solo career. He never reached the heights he did with the Teenagers.

I like concentrating on the music but this story has a sad ending.

They did reunite for a brief time in 1965 but the times had changed. They didn’t have much success so Lymon went back to a solo career. At age 15, he tried heroin for the first time in the mid-fifties. In 1966, he was arrested for heroin possession and was drafted into the Army instead of going to jail. He got off of heroin while in the army but kept going awol…he was dishonorably discharged from the army in 1967 and signed with Roulette Records in 1968.

He celebrated signing by using heroin for the first time in two years. Lymon had a sad ending to his life as he only lived to be 25 and died of a heroin overdose in February 1968. Another music business casualty. He was Michael Jackson before Michael Jackson.

Why Do Fools Fall In Love

I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent

I’m not a juvenile delinquentNo-no-no-no-no-no-no-noNo-no-no-no-no-no-no-noNo-no-no, I’m not a juvenile delinquentDo the things that’s rightAnd you’ll do nothing wrongLife will be so nice, you’ll be in paradiseI know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent

But listen boys and girlsYou need not be blueAnd life is what you make of itIt all depends on youI know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent

It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be badStay out of trouble, and you be gladTake this tip from me, and you will seeHow happy you will beOh-oh, boys and girls, this is my storyAnd I add all of my gloryI know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent

No-no-no, I’m not a juvenile

…