1960s – Page 13 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Car Songs…Part 2

I have so many songs I want to have on here. I read the original post I did and re-read the comments and took some songs from your suggestions and used them. I haven’t got to all of them…so the others probably will be on the next one. I picked one song and you all picked the rest. Some will be in the next edition that I couldn’t fit in this one.

I hope you are all having a great Sunday.

Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats – Rocket 88

CB mentioned this one and it should have been on the first one…since this is often said to be the first rock and roll song. It’s only fitting that it was about a car. The recording session happened on March 3, 1951, at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee, which would later become the legendary Sun Studio.

The song was written by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston. The Delta Cats were actually Ike Turner’s band Turner’s King of Rhythm.

A review from Time Magazine in 1951

Rocket 88 was brash and it was sexy; it took elements of the blues, hammered them with rhythm and attitude and electric guitar, and reimagined black music into something new. If the blues seemed to give voice to old wisdom, this new music seemed full of youthful notions. If the blues was about squeezing cathartic joy out of the bad times, this new music was about letting the good times roll. If the blues was about earthly troubles, the rock that Turner’s crew created seemed to shout that the sky was now the limit.

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen – Hot Rod Lincoln

The main thing I like about the song is the guitar. It has a slight Chuck Berry feel to it and I like the fills the guitar player throws in. Of course, I like Commander Cody’s (George Frayne) vocal sound as well.

The band signed with Warner Brothers and the label wanted a soft country sound but the band refused to change its raw style.

Hot Rod Lincoln was originally written by Charlie Ryan. It was first recorded and released by Charlie Ryan and The Livingston Brothers in 1955. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were a County-Rock group formed at the University of Michigan. Commander Cody is the lead singer and piano player George Frayne. This would be their only top-ten hit. Another song that is well-known by them is Smoke Smoke Smoke.

The Renegades – Cadillac

Fellow blogger HotFox63 mentioned this song when I did a Clash post on Brand New Cadillac so I thought it would be perfect for this. Very cool song that I knew nothing about.

The Renegades were a British rock band formed in Birmingham in 1960. The original lineup consisted of Kim Brown (vocals, guitar), Denys Gibson (guitar), Ian Mallet (bass), and Graham Johnson (drums). Cadillac was released as a single in 1964. The song quickly became a hit in Finland, reaching #1 on the charts. Its success in Finland helped the band gain a substantial following in Scandinavia, and the song’s popularity also spread to other parts of Europe, including Italy.

Rosanne Cash – Black Cadillac

Obbverse mentioned this one. It’s a song from 2005 from an album with the same name. The black Cadillac in the song symbolizes both a funeral car and a connection to her father, who owned a black Cadillac…and about loss, memory, and mourning.

She wrote the album about dealing with the death of her father.

“It certainly crossed my mind that I was opening myself to questions about how much [of the album] was documentary and how much was poetry, I certainly did think about it. But, at the same time, I think that the themes are so universal that it almost doesn’t matter what’s particular to my life. … People can bring their own lives to this subject very easily.”

Beach Boys – 409

Christiansmusicmusings and Halffastcyclingclub both mentioned this one by the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys would be an endless supply of cars and endless summers. This song was written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Gary Usher and was released in 1962.

This song was the B side to Surfin’ Safari.

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1970s Amicus Anthology Horror Films

I love horror anthologies. They were really big in the early seventies. The Amicus Productions company made quite a few good ones. I remember some of these as a kid…especially Tales from the Crypt. I’m going to list my top 5 of only Amicus today.

I am working on a post that lists my favorite 5-10 Anthologies of all time. Today I want to focus on the British film company Amicus. One actor that they depended on a lot was Peter Cushing. He is in all of the ones below except for Vault Of Horror.

Amicus Productions was a British film production company specializing in horror and suspense anthology films during the 1960s and 1970s. The company was founded in 1962 by Americans Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg, who aimed to replicate the success of Hammer Film Productions, another prominent British studio known for its horror films.

Despite their success, Amicus struggled financially in the late 1970s due to changing audience tastes and the declining popularity of horror anthology films. Milton Subotsky eventually left the company in 1975, and without his creative leadership, Amicus gradually faded from the spotlight.

The good news though… it was announced in 2023 that Amicus will be coming back to film production…they are trying to make a film called In The Grip of Terror.

Below are the 5 and most descriptions I got from IMDB. My favorite anthology horror is at the bottom.

Asylum 1972

A young psychiatrist interviews four inmates in a mental asylum to satisfy a requirement for employment. He hears stories about 1) the revenge of a murdered wife, 2) a tailor who makes a suit with some highly unusual qualities, 3) a woman who questions her sanity when it appears that her brother is conspiring against her, and 4) a man who builds tiny toy robots with lifelike human heads.

Vault Of Horror 1973

Five strangers board a descending lift, one by one, in a modern office block in London. They reach the sub-basement and find a large, elaborately furnished room that appears to be a gentlemen’s club. Resigned to waiting for help, they settle down with drinks and talk. The conversation turns to dreams, and each man tells of a recurring nightmare. Tom Baker is in the last episode of this one. My personal favorite Doctor of the Doctor Who franchise.

The complete movie!

From Beyond The Grave

The first tale, titled “The Gate Crasher” stars David Warner and has a sort of Hellraiser feel about it, as he buys an old mirror from the antique store and it turns out to be inhabited by a ghost-like thing that entices Warner into bringing it fresh blood. It’s not a bad story, though I feel that more could have been made of it. 2) Story number two is the best and focuses on a man who steals a war medal from the antique store to impress a former army man and ends up getting more than he bargained for. This tale is very strange and stars Donald Pleasance in one of his weirder roles. It’s imaginative and inventive, and therefore interesting as it’s impossible to tell where it’s going. 3) Story number three, “The Elemental” is a fun little story, though there isn’t really a great deal of point to it. 4) The fourth and final tale appears to be the centerpiece and focuses on an old wooden door that gives way to an expansive blue room. This is a decent little story and we get to watch Lesley-Anne Down wielding an axe, which makes it worthwhile.

Overall, From Beyond the Grave is everything an anthology should be: it’s fun and interesting in the right places. There are plenty of plot holes, but also no need to pay them any mind. From Beyond the Grave comes highly recommended to horror fans!

The House That Dripped Blood

Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Joss Ackland, Jon Pertwee all star in this 4 story anthology.

A Scotland Yard investigator looks into four mysterious cases involving an unoccupied house and its tragic previous tenants: 1) A hack novelist encounters a strangler who’s the villain of his books, leading his wife to question his sanity, 2) Two men are obsessed with a wax figure of a woman from their past, 3) A little girl with a stern, widowed father displays an interest in witchcraft, and 4) An arrogant horror film actor purchases a black cloak which gives him a vampire’s powers.

Here is the complete movie!

Tales From The Crypt

Joan Collins, Peter Cushing are among the actors in the movie. To me… this is the best anthology horror. Five people meet deep in a cave and they don’t know how they got there. They soon find out how and why and what is about to happen to them.

Five people come upon a catacomb and take the tour. After they get lost, they find they’re trapped, and they see The Crypt Keeper (Sir Ralph Richardson). He asks them each to see why they’re there: (1) And All Through the House: Christmas Eve, Joanne Clayton (Dame Joan Collins) kills her husband (Martin Boddey) expecting to receive his insurance. She hears on the wireless that the police are seeking an escaped homicidal maniac posing as Santa. When the man knocks on her door, she can’t phone the Police, and she has a Christmas surprise. (2) Reflection of Death: Carl Maitland (Ian Hendry) leaves his wife (Susan Denny) and children for his mistress, but something happens during his journey. (3) Poetic Justice: the widowed janitor, Arthur Edward Grimsdyke (Peter Cushing) is a good man who spends his leisure time with the children from the neighborhood. His heartless neighbor doesn’t like him and destroys his life, leading Grimsdyke to commit suicide on Valentine’s Day. A year later, Grimsdyke rises from his tomb seeking revenge. (4) Wish You Were Here: dirty businessman Ralph Jason (Richard Greene) is bankrupt, and his lawyer and friend, Charles Gregory (Roy Dotrice), tells him he must sell his real estate. When he tells his wife Enid (Barbara Murray), she recalls they have a statue with a legend; it’ll grant three wishes to the owner. She makes the wishes, and leads Ralph to eternal damnation. (5) Blind Alleys: cruel Major Rogers (Nigel Patrick) comes to the Elmridge home for the blind, with his dog, to be the new director. He tortures the internees until the day they get revenge. Soon, the internees discover they’re at the gate of Hell.

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Tim Buckley – Buzzin’ Fly

I first heard Tim Buckley on, of all things, The Monkees television show. As a kid I remember hearing how great his voice was. I was around 7 so I had no clue who he was. Here is that clip that I saw around 1974. The first time I saw Frank Zappa was on the Monkees as well. At the end of the Monkee’s second and final season, they had almost full control and they used it as much as possible to promote artists they liked.

Buzzin’ Fly was released in 1969 on the Happy Sad album. On this album, he was transitioning from his earlier folk sound to a more jazz-influenced and experimental style. The album was produced by former Lovin’ Spoonful members Zal Yanovsky and Jerry Yester.

This was released at the height of his popularity. The album peaked at #81 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1969. When he started experimenting and moving away from his folk sound it upset some of his long-time fans. After this album, his popularity decreased because he moved toward a jazz feel.

This song was written before the other songs on the album. Buzzin’ Fly was written around 1966. It was performed with his high school band Harlequin 3, with bassist Jim Fielder and later lyricist, Larry Beckett.

The song became one of the most requested songs in concert that he had at the time. Gregg Allman called Tim Buckley and wanted to do an album with him in 1975 and Buckley agreed…but the world would lose Tim Buckley after an overdose in June of 1975 at age 28.

Buzzin’ Fly

Just like a buzzin’ flyI come into your lifeNow I float awayLike honey in the sunWas it right or wrongI couldn’t sing that song anyway

Oh, but darlin’Now I rememberHow the sun shown downAnd how it warmed your prayin’ smileWhen all the love was there

You’re the one I talk aboutYou’re the one I think aboutEverywhere I goAnd sometimes honeyIn the mornin’Lord, I miss you so

That’s how I know I found a homeThat’s how I know I found a home

Oh, hear the mountains singingLord, I can hear them ringing, darlin’,Out your nameAnd tell me if you knowJust how the river flowsDown to the sea

Now I wanna knowEverything about youI wanna knowEverything about you

What makes ya smileWhat makes ya wildWhat makes ya love me this wayDarlin’ I wanna knowDarlin’ I wanna know

You’re the one I talk aboutYou’re the one I think aboutEverywhere I goAnd sometimes honeyIn the mornin’Lord, I miss you so

That’s how I know I found a homeThat’s how I know I found a home

A-walkin’ hand in handAnd all along the sandA seabird knew your nameHe knew your love was growin’Lord, I think it knows it’s flowin’Thru you and me

Ah, tell me darlin’When I should leave you,Ah, tell me darlin’I don’t want to grieve you…

Just like a buzzin’ flyI come into your lifeNow I float awayLike honey in the sunWas it right or wrongI couldn’t sing that song anyway

Oh, but darlin’Now I rememberHow the sun shown downAnd how it warmed your prayin’ smileWhen all the love was there

You’re the one I talk aboutYou’re the one I think aboutEverywhere I goAnd sometimes honeyIn the mornin’Lord, I miss you so…

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Lightnin’ Hopkins – Shotgun Blues

You know I’m gonna shoot my woman
Cause she’s foolin’ around with too many men

Before I start this I want to thank Randy from Mostly Music Covers. While writing this up the song title I had was “Bring Me My Shotgun” but I couldn’t find the album it was on. I’m a babe in the woods with blues…so I asked Randy and Shotgun Blues was recorded in 1948. As far as I can tell he did re-record many of his songs and this one around 1960. I’ll include the earlier version of Shotgun Blues and the 1960 version named Bring Me My Shotgun..at least for this post. He would change up the lyrics in some versions. What made it confusing was that he changed the way he did the vocals a little as well… again thank you, Randy.

I’m sitting with headphones on listening to Lightnin’ Hopkins and it’s like he is in the room with me. I’ve never posted anything about him before but I wanted to clear that up today.

He was born in Texas and He grew up in a musical family and learned the blues from his older cousin, country blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson. Jefferson and Hopkins started to play together at church gatherings. Hopkins started performing in the 1920s and 1930s in the local Texas blues scene. By the mid-30s Hopkins was sent to a prison farm but the reason is unknown. He described working on a road gang and being shackled to his bunk at night.

In the mid-1940s he was teamed with a Houston piano player named Wilson “Thunder” Smith. They were known as Thunder an’ Lightnin’ and they had a local hit named Katie May with Aladdin Records. Hopkins would record with many different labels throughout the rest of his life. The Folk-Blues revival was stirring in 1959, and Folkways producer Sam Charters persuaded Lightning (with the help of a bottle of gin!) to record 10 tracks in the shabby room where he had been living in Houston. I have one of them below called “Hopkins Sky Hop.” Bring Me My Shotgun was released in 1960.

He started to get popular, especially with the British white soon-to-be musicians. He worked the College and club circuit, toured Europe with the Folk/Blues Festival, and starred at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. He found an appreciative new audience of rock fans who heard this great guitarist who lived the blues.

He later headlined over the Jefferson Airplane and he played with the Grateful Dead a few times. He recorded dozens of albums through the 60s and 70s. He finally left us in 1982.

Bring Me My Shotgun

Woah, go bring me my shotgun
Oh I’m gonna start shootin’ again
Go bring me my shotgun
You know I just got to start shootin’ again
You know I’m gonna shoot my woman
Cause she’s foolin’ around with too many men

Yes bring me my shotgun
Yes man and a pocket full of shells
Yes go bring me my shotgun
Yes man and a pocket full of shells
Yeah you know I’m gonna kill that woman
I’m gonna throw her in that old deep dug well
Hide her from everybody they won’t know where she at

That woman said Lightnin’ you can’t shoot me
She said now you is dead of tryin’
I don’t take a day off for nobody
She said Lightnin’ you can’t shoot me
She said yes and you dare to try
I said the only reason I don’t shoot you little woman
My double barrel shotgun, it just won’t fire

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Beatles new Let It Be video

Apple has released a clean version of the Let It Be film. Today they dropped a new video of the song Let It Be. I have had this movie since the 80s but you could only get a terrible quality version. This video shows how clear it will be as in The Get Back film a few years ago.

My only complaint is I wish the Let It Be version would have included George’s distorted solo.

This is the video of the title song they just released today.

Here is a comparison

Here is the trailer

The short Featurette

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Peter and Gordon – Woman

When I first saw the Michael Myers character Austin Powers I automatically thought of Peter Asher. I learned about them in the 80s while listening to an oldies channel at where I used to work. Peter and Gordon were Peter Asher and Gordon Waller.

The first song I remember hearing and liking from them was I Go To Pieces. They were part of the British Invasion to come in after The Beatles. Peter Asher had a secret weapon. His sister was going out with Paul McCartney and McCartney was living at the Ashers at this time in a room beside Peters.

McCartney first gave the duo a song called A World Without Love that John Lennon rejected because of the first line he didn’t like (Please lock me away). The record was huge… it peaked at #1 in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK in 1964. Paul wrote “World Without Love,” Nobody I Know,” “I Don’t Want To See You Again,” and “Woman” for the group. Woman though was different than the others.

Paul didn’t want the Lennon/McCartney name on this song. People were saying they were only hits because of who wrote the song. Peter and Gordon were told they were only jumping on the Beatle bandwagon. When this song was released it first got credited to A. Smith and then Bernard Webb. The song was rising up the charts but only after two weeks, it was traced back to Lennon and McCartney’s publishing company Northern Songs so it was exposed.

The song was a hit regardless peaking at #14 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, #28 in the UK, and #7 in New Zealand in 1966. The duo would have other hits not written by McCartney like I Go To Pieces and Lady Godiva. They had a longer career than I first thought. Their success lasted until 1967 but not before they amassed 10 top 40 hits in America alone.

Peter Asher would later become head of A&R for Apple Records in 1968. He signed, produced, and managed James Taylor. After Allen Klein destroyed what was left of Apple Records, Asher packed up and moved to California. He took James Taylor with him and produced him through the seventies. He also picked up another artist and produced her…Linda Rondstadt. He also produced albums by J. D. Souther, Andrew Gold, and Bonnie Raitt. He also worked with Cher and 10,000 Mainiacs.

He became Senior Vice-President, of Sony Music Entertainment in 1995 and held that job until 2002 when he went back to artist management. .

Peter and Gordon reunited in 2005 and played concerts when they had time. They did this up until Gordon’s death in 2009 of a heart attack. Peter would go on to Sirus Radio doing a Beatle show on their Beatles channel called “From Me To You. ”

He also wrote a book on The Beatles called The Beatles From A to Zed. I just read it and it is really good. It’s not a biography on the Beatles or any dirt though…it’s a fun book and he goes through the alphabet and names Beatles songs, places, things, and etc corresponding to whatever letter he is on.

Woman

Woman, do you love me?
Woman, if you need me then
Believe me I need you
To be my woman

And should you ask me how I’m doing?
What shall I say? Things are okay
But I know that they’re not
And I still may have lost you

Woman, do you love me?
Woman, if you need me then
Believe me I need you
To be my woman

I guess you’ll take your time and tell me
When we’re alone, love will come home
I would give up my world
If you’ll say that my girl is my woman

I’ve got plenty of time (I’ve got plenty of time)
Time just to get through it
Once again you’ll be mine (once again you’ll be mine)
I still think we can do it
And you know how much I love you

Woman, don’t forsake me
Woman, if you take me then
Believe me I’ll take you
To be my woman

Monkees – She

As a 6-year-old I watched the Monkees show in re-runs intently dreaming of one day forming a band and living all together. Most of that dream came true except the all living together…which we probably wouldn’t still like each other if that had happened. This song was popular with me because I remember the TV show and liked this song. The Monkees had their own MTV before MTV…their show would not only play videos of hits but album cuts as this was…and it’s a good one.

This song was written and produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart with lead vocals by Mickey Dolenz. He had one of the best pop voices in the sixties. “She” was on The Monkees’ second album More of the Monkees. This album was the last one they would not have much control over. The album was released without the band’s knowledge. They discovered it while they were in Cleveland, Ohio on tour. They were not happy at all. This album’s release was the key moment that started Mike Nesmith’s fight for control.

After the album was released Nesmith and the others met with Don Kirshner (the show and music creator). They met him in the Beverly Hills Hotel and Nesmith punched a hole in the wall and told Kirshner and his lawyer…“That could have been your face!” After that Nesmith was told to read his contract so Nesmith did the only thing he could do to break free from the control…he threatened to quit.

Kirshner refused to allow them to play instruments on their records, hiring seasoned studio musicians instead…although Nesmith and Tork did get to play some instruments on their first two albums. After Nesmith threatened to quit…the executives took notice. They dropped Kirshner from The Monkees completely. After he was dismissed from the Monkees…he created the Archies…because he said “I want a band that won’t talk back.”

Four months after More of the Monkees was released…The Monkees released their album Headquarters in May of 1967. This time they were in control and played their own instruments with no Kirshner to be found.

More of the Monkees peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, in Canada, and The UK in 1967. Their first album with them playing everything…Headquarters peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #2 in the UK. It tops some people’s Monkee album lists.

By the way…their next album after Headquarters, again playing most of the instruments themselves Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. also peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100 in 1967. So for those who are keeping score…that is three #1 albums released in 1967.

Here are quotes about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by each member of the Monkees.

Peter Tork: [Wenner] doesn’t care what the rules are and just operates how he sees fit. It is an abuse of power. I don’t know whether the Monkees belong in the Hall of Fame, but it’s pretty clear that we’re not in there because of a personal whim. Jann seems to have taken it harder than everyone else, and now, 40 years later, everybody says, ‘What’s the big deal? Everybody else does it.’ [Uses studio artists or backing bands.] Nobody cares now except him. He feels his moral judgment in 1967 and 1968 is supposed to serve in 2007.

Michael Nesmith: “I can see the HOF (Hall of Fame) is a private enterprise. It seems to operate as a business, and the inductees are there by some action of the owners of the Enterprise. The inductees appear to be chosen at the owner’s pleasure. This seems proper to me. It is their business in any case. It does not seem to me that the HOF carries a public mandate, nor should it be compelled to conform to one.”

Davy Jones: “I’m not as wealthy as some entertainers, but I work hard, and I think the best is yet to come. I know I’m never going to make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but maybe there’s something else for me in show business. I’ve been given a talent—however big or little—that has given me many opportunities. I’ve got to try to use it the best way I can. A lot of people go days without having someone hug them or shake their hand. I get that all the time.”

Micky Dolenz: “As far as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame I’ve never been one to chase awards or anything like that; it’s never been very important to me. I was very proud to win an Emmy for The Monkees, having come out of television as a kid. When we won the Emmy for best TV show in ’66 or ’67 that was a huge feather in my cap. But I’ve never chased that kind of stuff. I’ve never done a project and thought, ‘What do I do here to win an award?’ Specifically as far as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame I’ve been very flattered that the fans and people have championed the Monkees. Very flattered and honored that they do. If you know anything about the organization, and I’ve done charity work for the foundation, the Hall of Fame is a private club.”

She

She, she told me that she loved me,
And like a fool I believed her from the start.
She, she said she’d never hurt me,
But then she turned around and broke my heart

Why am I standing here,
Missing her and wishing she were here.
She only did me wrong;
I’m better off alone.

She, she devoured all my sweet love,
Took all I had and then she fed me dirt.
She, she laughed while I was cryin’.
It was such a joke to see the way it hurt.

Why am I standing here,
Missing her and wishing she were here.
She only did me wrong;
I’m better off alone.

And now I know just why she
Keeps me hangin’ ’round.
She needs someone to walk on,
So her feet don’t touch the ground.
But I love her,
I need her,
I want her.
Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! She!

[Instrumental]

Why am I standing here,
Missing her and wishing she were here.
She only did me wrong now;
I’m better off alone.

Why am I missing her?
I should be kissing her.

My Least Favorite Beatle Songs

This is an interesting list to make. Everyone knows I’m a huge fan but there are some that I won’t listen to…not because they are burned out…I won’t even list those…these are ones I never really liked since I was a kid.

Some of you will notice that one “song” or experiment is not in here…that’s because I count Revolution #9 as an experiment and not a true song. I find it fascinating…a sound collage. I looked up the usual suspects… Yellow Submarine, Good Day Sunshine, Don’t Pass Me By, Rocky Raccoon, and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da but I like those.

These are songs I’ll never post except this once.

5: Little Child – This was on their Meet The Beatles album in the US. Never liked it as a kid, teen, or now. But I did find a version I like by The Inmates that I just found recently.

4: Mister Moonlight – This song was written by someone else but I just never took to it at all…although John did a great vocal on it.

3: Can’t Buy Me Love – I know…this one seems out of place on this list but it was on the first Beatle album I ever bought (Hey Jude Again) and I skipped it even as an eight-year-old.

2: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer – I’ve heard my share of jokes about this song with me being named Max. I would like to use that damn hammer on every recording of this. I’ll never forgive Paul for introducing Maxwell to the world. The other three Beatles felt the same. There are some that really like it…more power to them!

1: Now the number 1 song…it’s the only one on the White Album I cannot and will not listen to. Wild Honey Pie. This song makes Revolution #9 look like Stairway to Heaven. I have to think they did this as a joke and just left it on. Patti Harrison liked this one so Paul left it on. Paul is the only one on this song.

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Jimmy Simpson – North To The Last Frontier

This post is more personal for me. Jimmy Simpson was my uncle…my mom’s brother. The man got around and had an interesting life. He was an extra in some movies (the one I know is The Alamo) because of his friendship with John Wayne and James Arness. He was built like them and reminded me of both.

He was born in 1928 and moved out of Tennessee in the early 50s and went to Florida and ended up in Texas working in oil fields while playing at night at clubs. He would go to gigs in Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Louisana, Texas, and everything in between. He wasn’t an amateur…he played with some big players like Jim Reeves’ Blue Boys.

He recorded some singles while living in Nashville and Texas. Jimmy and his wife got to know Jimmie Rodger’s widow which this below sounds like it’s heavily influenced by.

He then moved to Alaska in the late 50s to mine for gold which he was successful at. He bought into a snowmobile factory there and played country music in bars in Alaska and Canada. He also released a few albums and charted on local charts in Alaska and Canada.

Simpson Earnest Tubb — Nashville, mid-1950s. From left: Billy Byrd, Ernest Tubb, Jimmy Simpson. Courtesy Jimmy Simpson.

My dad’s side of the family made guitars and they gave Jimmy an acoustic. Gower guitars are compared to Martins and still get really high prices at shops and on eBay. He had that guitar stolen while playing in Alaska…he finally chased the guy down and got the guitar back. The man tore out one of the serial numbers inside the guitar but didn’t get by with it…and knowing my uncle Jimmy the dude was probably missing some teeth afterward. My uncle was a man’s man. He told me about it…“Max…you don’t mess with a man’s guitar…you just don’t.”

Around six months before my uncle passed away in 2014, he came by and gave me that guitar and another one his daughter once owned that our family made. I asked him why because he treasured those guitars (his daughter passed away a few years earlier) and he said, “I want you to have them before I pass away to make sure you get them.” He was 86 at the time. I will treasure them and I play them a lot. I would include a picture but they are getting serviced right now.

He also had an autobiography published in the mid-90s called A Vanishing Breed: The Gold Miner that I read and he lived 3 lifetimes in one. I remember as a kid him showing me this bag of gold…pieces as big as a quarter and very thick. You know it’s a shame…so many questions I would love to ask the man now.

Here is one recording from 1956… I’ll copy what it says from the wired-for-sound.blogspot.com. It’s called “Blue As I Can Be“…it has a little of the Johnny Cash sound in it.

Jimmy Simpson, Tennessee honky tonk singer, Texas oilfield wildcatter, and Canadian gold digger made this one superb session in a West Monroe, Louisiana radio station studio in 1956 with Bobby Garrett (steel) and Leo Jackson (lead guitar), both on hiatus from Jim Reeves’ Blue Boys. Records and gigs weren’t paying Jimmy’s rent, so he picked up jobs working in Texas oil fields for much of the 1950s, before moving to Alaska in 1957.

“I lived at Greggton, Texas (in 1956-57),” Jimmy said in an interview. “We were on our way back from Nashville to San Angelo, and we stopped at Greggton…little town just out of Longview. We had everything we owned in the car. I had my work shoes and my hardhat, ‘cause I could always go to work on an oil rig if everything else failed. In a little restaurant there in Greggton, there was a driller in there that was short-handed, and I overheard ‘em talking. I walked over there and said, “You looking for a derrick man?” He said, “Yeah. You got your work shoes and hardhat with you?” I said, “I got it all underneath the trunk of my car.”

At the time of this session, Jimmy was appearing at the famed Reo Palm Isle club in Longview. “That’s Bobby and Leo (on the session). I forget who that bass player was. He was from Monroe. I’m on rhythm guitar. I didn’t carry a fiddle at that time, but when I was in San Angelo at the Peacock Club, I had two steels and a fiddle. Everybody else would talk about two fiddles. I didn’t make any money up there myself. I was working on an oil rig. But I thought it would be different… Jiffy (Fowler) was a jukebox operator. I just kind of stumbled into him. It was a disc jockey there in Monroe, Ed Hamilton, who set us up in there and turned us loose…You know why that ‘Blue As I Can Be’ come by? Johnny Horton’s ‘I’m a Honky-Tonk Man.'” Two other songs recorded at this session were released on Big State 595 in the Starday custom series.

…

Crow – Evil Woman (Don’t Play Your Games With Me)

I was browsing through songs to write about and this title jumped out at me. I had to listen to it and I recognized it right away. It’s probably been the 70s since I heard this one last. Who ever recorded the bass in this song knew what they were doing…it’s crystal clear in front.

Crow was a blues rock band from Minneapolis and their first band name was South 40. They formed in 1967 and their members were brothers guitarist Dick Wiegand and bassist Larry Wiegand, singer David Wagner, keyboardist Kink Middlemist, and drummer Harry Nehls who was replaced by Denny Craswell.

Crow gained popularity locally in Minneapolis and then expanded their reach by touring regionally. They built a strong reputation for their live performances and powerful blues-rock sound. In 1969, Crow signed a record deal with Amaret Records.

This song was on their debut album called Crow Music. It was their only big hit. and peaked at #15 in Canada and #17 on the Billboard 100 in 1969. Many people will know the song because Black Sabbath covered it with the name of just Evil Woman and it was their first single.

The band broke up in 1972…they reformed in 1980 with a different lineup. In 2005, they were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame and, in 2009, the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Hall of Fame. I had no clue they had those Hall of Fames in those states. They still play once in a while in the Midwest.

Larry Wiegand bass player: “It was not a fictional story but had the same inspiration as Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Both tell the story of a guy who was accused of being the father of a gal’s baby. He claims he isn’t the father. ‘Evil woman, don’t play those games with me’ is his response to her accusations. Not an uncommon story for young folks – then or now. All the Crow songs were about what young folks had to deal with at one time or another. I like to think each song is a snapshot of what was happening to us at the time.”

Black Sabbath’s cover

Evil Woman (Don’t Play Your Games With Me)

I see the look of evil in your eyes
You’ve been filling me all full of lies
The morrow will not change your shameful deed
You will be someone else’ fertile seed
Evil woman, don’t play your games with me
Evil woman, don’t play your games with me

Now I know just what your looking for
You want me to claim this child you bore
But I know that it was he, not me
And you know just how it’s got to be
Evil woman, don’t play your games with me
Evil woman, don’t play your games with me

Wickedness lies in your moistened lips
Your body moves just like the crack of a whip
Black cats lay atop your satin bed
You sure wish that you could see me dead
Evil woman, don’t play your games with me
Evil woman, don’t play your games with me

…

Beach Boys – Do It Again

I remember hearing this song long in the late seventies for the first time. The intro drum sound is interesting. Their engineer at the time, Stephen Desper, came up with the drum effect heard at the beginning of the track. Desper created it by blending the original sound with that of one drum strike being repeated four times.

This song was released in 1968. By this time their popularity in America was falling since releasing Pet Sounds…which makes no sense considering the legendary status that album has. Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote this song and went back to the surfing image with this one. The song peaked at #20 on the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK (where they remained very popular), and #10 in Canada.

This was a single release…released only two weeks after their album Friends. This was their second UK number one…the first one was Good Vibrations. Brian Wilson named “Do It Again” as one of his favorite Beach Boys original songs, offering insight into his creative process with Mike Love. He did say it was his favorite song that he co-wrote with Mike Love. Since its Spotify debut, this track has earned over 10 million plays!

Carl Wilson: Yes, I suppose it has got the old Beach Boys surfing sound. It’s back to that surfing idea with the voice harmony and the simple, direct melody and lyrics. We didn’t plan the record as a return to the surf or anything. We just did it one day round a piano in the studio. Brian had the idea and played it over to us. We improved on that and recorded it very quickly, in about five minutes. It’s certainly not an old track of ours; in fact it was recorded only a few weeks before it was released. We liked how it turned out and decided to release it.

Mike Love: “I went to the beach with my friends and we went to the surfing spot down at a place called San Onofre, down near the Marine Corps base down south. And it was such a beautiful day and the waves were great. And then of course one of the great things about the beach is it attracts good looking girls. [Laughing].”

I’ve never been a fan of Mike Love. He kicked Brian Wilson out of the band at one time and is not known as a nice guy. Here is a short clip of Brian Wilson talking about Mike Love.

Do It Again

It’s automatic when I
Talk with old friends
The conversation turns to
Girls we knew when
Their hair was soft and long
And the beach was the place to go

Suntanned bodies and
Waves of sunshine
The California girls and a
Beautiful coastline
Warmed up weather
Let’s get together and do it again

With a girl the lonely sea looks good
Makes your night times warm and out of sight

Been so long, long, long, long
Been, been, been, been, been
Been, been, been, been, been

Been so long

Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now
Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now
Hey now, hey now

Well I’ve been thinking ’bout
All the places we’ve surfed and danced and
All the faces we’ve missed so let’s get
Back together and do it again

Beatles – Any Time At All

I’m 8-9 years old again when I hear this song. It’s not a deep meaningful song but it’s just catchy and good. I heard it first in 1976 on the Beatles compilation album Rock and Roll Music. That was terrible packaging…not the albums but the packaging itself. It made the Beatles look like they were popular in the 1950s.

Ringo Starr said: “It made us look cheap and we never were cheap. All that Coca-Cola and cars with big fins was the Fifties!” John Lennon told Capitol that the cover looked like a Monkees reject. He offered to design the cover but was declined. That doesn’t mean the album didn’t contain great music…a double album full of some great songs.

This song was on the UK version of A Hard Day’s Night album. In America, it was on the Something New album. They were pressed for time and John finished the song off while on vacation and brought it to the studio. Lennon is believed to be the only writer of this song. This one was known then as an album track but it’s not like it doesn’t have a nice hook.

We know that Paul is very active in songwriting but on this album, John ended up writing 10 of the 13 songs. I had a book that measured each of them in the Lennon/McCartney songs and Lennon wrote a larger percentage, most of that because of the early days.

John later said it was an effort in re-writing It Won’t Be Long (my first favorite Beatle song) and it’s true. It’s also got some of All I’ve Got To Do theme in it.

On the albums in America. Something New peaked at #2 on the Billboard 100 and #2 in Canada. The reason it peaked at #2? A Hard Day’s Night was released in America on June 26, 1964, and peaked at #1 in America and Canada. Something New was released less than a month later on July 20, 1964. A Hard Days Night held its sister album off. There were 6 Beatles albums released in America and 5 in Canada in 1964. In the UK there were 2 released in 1964. Capitol pulled songs from 1962-1963 and all of them came rolling out.

I’ve also included the song It Won’t Be Long. A very underrated Beatles early rocker which they never played live for some reason. When you are 8 years old…that guitar riff sounded so cool…wait a minute…it does now also!

John Lennon: “An effort in writing ‘It Won’t Be Long’ – same ilk. C to A minor, C to A minor with me shouting.”

George Harrison: “Paul and John write a song, bring it into the studio and usually, nine times out of ten, Ringo and I haven’t heard the song before, and we get into the studio and try all different arrangements. We all stick little bits here and there, you know.”

My first favorite Beatles song It Won’t Be Long

Any Time At All

Any time at all, any time at all
Any time at all, all you gotta do is call
And I’ll be there

If you need somebody to love
Just look into my eyes
I’ll be there to make you feel right
If you’re feeling sorry and sad
I’d really sympathize
Don’t you be sad, just call me tonight

Any time at all, any time at all
Any time at all, all you gotta do is call
And I’ll be there

If the sun has faded away
I’ll try to make it shine
There is nothing I won’t do
When you need a shoulder to cry on
I hope it will be mine
Call me tonight and I’ll come to you

Any time at all, any time at all
Any time at all, all you gotta do is call
And I’ll be there

Any time at all, any time at all
Any time at all, all you gotta do is call
And I’ll be there
Any time at all, all you gotta do is call
And I’ll be there

…

Bobby “Blue” Bland – Turn On Your Love Light

Bobby “Blue” Bland, a renowned singer from Tennessee, gained popularity in the 1950s and 60s. His hit song “Turn On Your Love Light” was covered by various artists, including Van Morrison and The Grateful Dead. Bland’s career faced financial troubles but he continued to chart until the 1980s. His influence is felt across genres.

Turn on your love light, let it shine on me
And let it shine, shine, shine, let it shine

I learned about this guy through different sources. Van Morrison, Pig Pen, and finally Gregg Allman… all of them covered it. The other artists are Lonnie Mack, The Rascals, Tom Jones, Edgar Winter’s White Trash, Bob Seger, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, and Jeff Beck just to name a few. The first version I heard was from Them, Van Morrison’s early band.

Bobby Blue Bland was from Rosemark Tennesse. He started to get popular in the 1950s and 60s. Some of Bland’s most famous songs include “Turn On Your Love Light,” “Stormy Monday Blues,” “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City,” and “I Pity the Fool.” This song was written by Joseph Wade Scott and Deadric Malone.

Bland released this song in 1961 and it peaked at #28 on the Billboard 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B Charts. Allman has talked about playing this on the jukebox. When you hear someone like Gregg Allman say that Bobby “Blue” Bland is one of his singing idols…you know something great is there waiting to be heard. This I have heard before and was impressed even without Mr. Allman’s recommendation. If you want to hear something that was just once in a lifetime…The Allman Brothers AND The Grateful Dead together at the Fillmore doing this song.

Bland began his career in Memphis, Tennessee, with bluesman B.B. King and ballad singer Johnny Ace (all three were part of a loose aggregation of musicians known as the Beale Streeters). He had some hits in the 50s and early 60s but had some financial troubles in 1968 and had to break up his band.

His record company was then sold to ABC Dunhill and he started up his career again and continued to chart til the 1980s. Of all bands…Whitesnake covered his song Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City in 1978 and charted in the UK in 1980.

Below I have Them with Van Morrison, The Grateful Dead with Pig Pen, and the last one Bobby Blue Bland who they were all getting this from.

Turn On Your Love Light

Without a warning you broke my heart
You took it darlin’ and you tore it apart
You left me sitting in the dark, crying
You said your love for me was dying

I’m begging you, baby, baby please
I’m begging you, baby, baby please
Turn on the light, let it shine on me
Turn on your love light, let it shine on me
And let it shine, shine, shine, let it shine

And I wanna know
When I

I get a little lonely
In the middle of the night
I need you darlin’
To make things alright

Come on baby, come on please
Come on baby, baby please
Turn on the light, let it shine on me
Turn on your love light, let it shine on me
A little bit higher, a little bit higher
Just a little bit higher, a little bit higher
A little bit higher

Come on, baby, come on please
I’m begging you, baby, I’m down on my knees
Turn on the light, let it shine on me
Turn on your love light, let it shine on me

I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright, baby

…

Ten Years After – I’m Going Home

I was reading about Bruce Springsteen in the 70s and the book said that some people called him “Alvin Lee by the Sea” because of his guitar playing. I thought to myself…hmm, I need to check out Alvin Lee. We all know “I’d Love To Change The World” but I remembered another song from the Woodstock soundtrack. CB brought it up the other day, and after I clicked on the link, it returned to me.

That guitar intro to this song just ripped through my headphones when I listened to it yesterday. Alvin Lee was so aggressive on guitar and I love it. It was pedal to the floor and never looking back.

Ten Years After’s music was characterized by Alvin Lee’s guitar playing and their excellent live performances. They released their first album Ten Years After in 1967. This song was from the live album Undead released in 1968. It was written by Alvin Lee.

Their popularity kicked in after the Woodstock triple album soundtrack came out in 1970. That album was one of my first live albums. This song performance is one of the film’s standout performances. I’m Going Home was a live staple in the band’s set for a couple years and then was released as a three-minute edited single.

The single version

Woodstock Performance

I’m Going Home

Goin’ home, my babyGoin’ home, my babyGoin’ home, to see my baby

Our baby, how goodMy baby, be goodI’m goin’ home, my babyHome to see my girl

Oh baby, baby, I’m coming homeBaby, baby I’m coming homeTell me mama, baby, I’m coming home

Gonna see my baby, see my baby fineGonna take my baby, want to take my baby mineHoping my woman treats me real kind

I’m goin’ home, my babyI’m goin’ home, to see my babyGoin’ home, my baby

Gonna see my baby, see my baby fineTake my baby, take my baby mineGonna tell your mama how good that love of ours

I’m goin’ home, to see my babyI’m goin’ home, to see my babyOh, baby ooh

Gonna take you back, take where love belongTreat me baby, treat, don’t treat me wrong

Oh, baby, I’m rollin’Baby, baby, I’m rollin’Baby, baby, I’m rollin’

Won’t you shake me, baby, well get you rollin’ downWon’t you shake me, baby, well get you rollin’ downOh, baby, we’re gonna have some fun

Baby, please don’t go, baby, please don’t goBaby, please don’t go, baby, please don’t goPlease don’t go, she’s cold, I need you

Comin’ home, ooh, heyCome on over baby, whole lotta shakin’ goin’ onI’m goin’ home, to see my babyHome, to see my girl, ooh

I’m goin’ home, take my babyI’m goin’ home, see my babyGonna take me back, I’ll take her where I belong

I’m goin’ home, to see my babyI’m goin’ home, to see my babyCome on, take me, yeah

I’m goin’ home, I’m goin’ homeI’m goin’ home, hey, hooGonna take me back back back where I belong

I’m goin’ home, I’m goin’ homeI’m goin’ home, I’m goin’ homeHoo, hoo, right where I belong

…

Jefferson Airplane – Somebody To Love

This will wrap up the visit to the 60s and ’70s San Francisco sound. Sorry for not covering The Grateful Dead and Joplin…but I post those two regularly. My whole reason for blogging is to learn new artists and the stories behind those artists and songs. This week I posted 4 artists I never posted about before. I also picked up a few good songs. I was impressed by these artists. Also thank you to the ones who told me their stories of that time… Phil, Jim, and halffastcyclingclub…those are the stories I love hearing.

***Also, I want to ask my readers something…were you at the famous Watkins Glen concert held in New York in 1973 that drew 600,000 people? If you were there I would love to hear your story. Jim has given me his story so I can repost my post about that concert on the anniversary. Thank you so much.

I’ve only posted one song by this band version, so I’m happy to do another. I always favored the Airplane over Jefferson Starship a little and REALLY favored either one over just the 1980s Starship. I first learned about them in Gimme Shelter…the Stones film about Altamont and the destruction there. Marty Balin was knocked out cold there by the Hell’s Angels.

And here it is…”You gotta keep your bodies off of each other unless you intend love…” Grace Slick.

This is one of those songs played in most movies about the 1960s. It’s one of those songs that transport you there even if you weren’t…at least you think you are.

Grace Slick was in a band named The Great Society that featured her brother-in-law who wrote this song, Darby Slick. She was married to Jerry Slick, the drummer of the band. It was released as a single from that band but did nothing. The Great Society also did another song that Slick wrote…White Rabbit.

Darby Slick started to see the downside to free love that was taking over. He saw jealousy and disconnect with some. This song is about loyalty to one person and finding one person to be with.

The Great Society opened for the Jefferson Airplane at some shows. Grace Slick said she always looked at them with awe. When she was approached to join, she jumped at the chance. That essentially ended The Great Society. She brought both songs over with her to Jefferson Airplane. They play it faster, harder, and cleaner. They set up the pause before the chorus that kicks the whole song forward using dynamics. And their arrangement suits Grace Slick’s voice much better than the original.

The song was on the Surrealistic Pillow album released in 1967. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard Album Charts and #5 in Canada.

Somebody To Love peaked at #1 in Canada and #5 on the Billboard 100.

Somebody To Love

When the truth is found to be liesAnd all the joy within you diesDon’t you want somebody to loveDon’t you need somebody to loveWouldn’t you love somebody to loveYou better find somebody to loveLove, love

When the garden flowers, baby are dead, yes andYour mind, your mind is so full of redDon’t you want somebody to loveDon’t you need somebody to loveWouldn’t you love somebody to loveYou better find somebody to love

Your eyes, I say your eyes may look like hisYeah, but in your head, babyI’m afraid you don’t know where it isDon’t you want somebody to loveDon’t you need somebody to loveWouldn’t you love somebody to loveYou better find somebody to love

Tears are running downThey’re all running down your breastAnd your friends, babyThey treat you like a guestDon’t you want somebody to loveDon’t you need somebody to loveWouldn’t you love somebody to loveYou better find somebody to love