1970s – Page 22 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

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.

…

Thin Lizzy – Bad Reputation

Happy Mother’s Day!

What a groundbreaking band Thin Lizzy was at the time. You had a black Irish singer, Phil Lynott, who reminded people of Van Morrison singing and a little of Springsteen in some of his writing…all in a harder rock format. Thin Lizzy revolutionized the dual synchronized guitar attack. Other bands that did the same in the future would use Thin Lizzy as a how-to guide.

The dual guitar is on display here…one playing lead and the other playing the same lead an octave higher. Other bands had two and sometimes three guitarists but they usually didn’t play in unison like Thin Lizzy. It made for a different sound. Now you can use a guitar effect to get close to that on one guitar. Brian May would do it with Queen at times on recordings.

The song was written by Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, and Phil Lynott. It was on the album Bad Reputation released in 1977. The album peaked at #4 in the UK, #39 on the Billboard Album Charts, and #44 in Canada. The album sold very well and went gold.

The song was not a hit but it was played on FM radio stations at the time. It’s one of the songs they are remembered by like Whiskey In A Jar, The Boys Are Back In Town, Jailbreak, and my personal favorite The Cowboy Song.

The members of Thin Lizzy were bassist and singer Phil Lynott, Drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Brian Robertson, and guitarist Scott Gorham. Gary Moore was a member for a few months and also Them’s keyboardist Erix Wrixon but Moore and Wrixon didn’t stay long.

Scott Gorham: “Well, I had the riff down. Phil came up and he says, ‘We need to do an off-time thing with this.’ He started to work with Brian Downey on that, and that’s when they came up with this strange timing that you don’t usually associate with Thin Lizzy. I listened to that and went, ‘Man, that is so fu–ing cool, it’s unbelievable,’ and I jumped in on it. Then it kind of developed itself from there.”

“‘Bad Reputation’ was one of those songs that came together really quickly, as soon as we had that off-timing tagline come in, everything just fell into place, all the harmony guitar work and all that, the lead guitar thing. Phil’s idea from it, from the riff itself, he just thought, you know, something along the lines of, ‘Man, this could give us a really bad reputation. That’s it. That’s what we’re going to call this song.’ And he started writing this song called ‘Bad Reputation.'”

Bad Reputation

You’ve got a bad reputationThat’s the word out on the townIt gives a certain fascinationBut it can only bring you down

You better turn yourself aroundTurn yourself aroundTurn it upside downTurn yourself around

You had bad breaks, well, that’s tough luckYou play too hard, too much rough stuffYou’re too sly, so coldThat bad reputation has made you old

Turn yourself aroundTurn yourself aroundTurn it upside downTurn yourself around

…

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

…

Tom Robinson Band – Up Against The Wall

High wire fencing on the playgroundHigh rise housing all aroundHigh rise prices on the high streetHigh time to pull it all down

I’ve heard of this band…Dave posted something before but I never listened to a lot of their songs. CB sent me a link and off I went. The Tom Robinson Band was a British rock band formed in 1976. The band was named after its frontman, Tom Robinson, a singer-songwriter and bassist. Their music was influenced by punk rock and new wave, and they were associated with the punk scene in London during the late 1970s.

Truth is…I could have picked MANY songs but this one talked to me. It’s fairly well known and since I always like to pick a song that would ring a bell for the first song of an artist I never posted before…I picked this one. He did have a top 10 hit in the UK in 1977 with 2-4-6-8 Motorway. More than punk or new wave…he reminds me a lot of Springsteen, Joplin, and Phil Lynott…spitting out words like his life depended on it. You can see, feel, and hear the intensity as he sings. These are the kind of artists that I like… the ones that give you everything they have. Robinson not only gave everything but is a hell of a writer on top of that.

He often addressed political and social issues, including themes of anti-racism, LGBT rights, and other causes. Tom Robinson himself was openly gay in the 1970s, and this was reflected in his music, making him an important figure in that community at the time.

This song was inspired by actual events, particularly the “Battle of Lewisham” in 1977, where anti-fascist protesters clashed with members of the National Front during a march. The song captures the tension and conflict between protesters and police.

This song was on his album Power in the Darkness album released in 1977. Robinson and Roy Butterfield wrote this song. The album peaked at #4 in the UK and #144 on the Billboard Album Charts. One note about the album which I think is brilliant. They included a stencil much like the album cover but with a warning…”This stencil is not meant for spraying on public property!!!”

The song peaked at #33 in the UK in 1978.

Up Against The Wall

Darkhaired dangerous schoolkidsVicious, suspicious sixteenJet-black blazers at the bus stopSullen, unhealthy and meanTeenage guerillas on the tarmacFighting in the middle of the roadSupercharged FS1Es on the asphaltThe kids are coming in from the cold

Look out, listen can you hear itPanic in the County HallLook out, listen can you hear itWhitehall, up against a wallUp against the wall…

High wire fencing on the playgroundHigh rise housing all aroundHigh rise prices on the high streetHigh time to pull it all downWhite boys kicking in a windowStraight girls watching where they goneNever trust a copper in a crime carJust whose side are you on?

Look out, listen can you hear itPanic in the County HallLook out, listen can you hear itWhitehall, up against a wallUp against the wall…Against the wall

Consternation in BrixtonRioting in Notting Hill GateFascists marching on the high streetCarving up the welfare stateOperator get me the hotlineFather can you hear me at all?Telephone kiosk out of orderSpraycan writing on the wall

Look out, listen can you hear itPanic in the County HallLook out, listen can you hear itWhitehall, up against a wallLook out, listen can you hear itPanic in the County HallLook out, listen can you hear itWhitehall, up against a wallUp against the wallUp against the wall

Van Morrison – Tupelo Honey Album

I don’t do many album reviews because frankly…I think other people do them better but sometimes I cannot resist…and this is one of them.

When I was 18 or so, I ordered exports from Tower Records because you could not just go to many record stores in America and buy a Them album in the eighties.

I bought the “Backtracking” album which was a compilation of Them. His voice blew me away. That is when I looked in the Van Morrison section for the albums I could buy there. The first album I bought…just by chance…was Tupelo Honey. Compared to the raw intense Them songs…this was a totally different ballgame. The songs’ production values and sophistication were in a new league.

Personally, I really like this album. I thought it was a great introduction to his catalog. Is it his best? No, it’s not, but for a beginner Van fan, it was a great introduction album. The songs on Tupelo Honey are very radio-friendly. After this album I bought Moondance, His Band and Street Choir, Veendon Fleece, etc…the 8 albums up to Wavelength. After that, I started on the 80’s catalog.

He made this album in 1971 when he moved to Northern California with his wife Janet Planet who was from that area. He originally wanted to make a country album. Soon that idea was dropped and he worked with Ted Templeton as producer. He used a lot of unused songs that he had.

The opening track Wild Night has an irresistible hook and is one of Van’s best-known songs. The title track may be my favorite Van Morrison song period. The only song that I would skip when I got the album, and still do, is I Wanna Roo You. In Moonshine Whiskey and some other songs, you can hear some of the country album he was going to make.

Another favorite on the album is Old Old Woodstock and he puts you there with his lyrics and the feel of the song. You’re My Woman was a song for Janet Planet and I’ve always liked that one.

The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard Album Charts and #32 in Canada in 1971.

Again, this is not Van’s best album but it got me into his solo career. It’s a great-sounding album and one of Van’s most commercial. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to explore Van the Man’s catalog.

Tracklist

Wild Night
(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball
Old Old Woodstock
Starting a New Life
You’re My Woman
Tupelo Honey
I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative)
When That Evening Sun Goes Down
Moonshine Whiskey

I could not find the complete album on Spotify so I found it all grouped together on YouTube with this link…

Tupelo Honey

You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You can’t stop us on the road to freedom
You can’t keep us ’cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You can’t stop us on the road to freedom
You can’t stop us ’cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You know she’s alright
You know she’s alright with me
She’s alright, she’s alright (she’s an angel)

You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around the seven oceans
Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because she’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like the honey, baby, from the bee
She’s my baby, you know she’s alright…..

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

…

Jim Croce – I Got A Name

When I hear this song it automatically makes me feel good but it’s also tinged with sadness because of what happened before this was released.

Whenever I think of Jim Croce…I think of his album that my sister and I played when I was 6 and 7 years old. It was the first time I ever heard about a star dying. I heard it on the radio when I was 7. My sister had his greatest hits and I played it non-stop. This one is easy for kids to remember. This song has been played to death and I wasn’t going to post it…but after listening to it I admit I was enjoying the song again.

Jim Croce and guitarist Maury Muehleisen died in a plane crash on September 20, 1973. The song peaked at #1 in July of 1973 and was still on the charts when the accident happened. There were 3 stars around this time that died and that stuck with me for the rest of my life. Jim Croce, David “Stringbean” Akeman, and Don Rich the lead guitarist for Buck Owens a year later. As a kid I knew Croce the best and I couldn’t fully comprehend what was going on.

On September 20, 1973, a chartered small plane attempted to take off in thick fog from Natchitoches in Louisiana, bound for Sherman, Texas. On reaching the end of the runway, the pilot suffered a heart attack and lost control of the aircraft and they hit a tree. No one survived.

Jim Croce was not a pin-up model…he looked like a regular blue-collar worker going to work on a construction site. He and Maury Muehleisen were pure magic on guitars. I didn’t realize how good they were together until years later after I started playing guitar.

This song was the title track to his album, released 3 months after he died. The song was used as the theme song of the soundtrack to a 1973 movie, The Last American Hero, starring Jeff Bridges and based on the life of stock-car racing driver Junior Johnson. Croce and Muehleisen didn’t write this song which surprised me. The song is credited to Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It’s been used in other movies as well since then like the 2012 film Django Unchained.

The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard 100 and #8 in Canada in 1974. The album I Got A Name peaked at #2 on the Billboard Album Charts and #2 in Canada.

Ingrid Croce (Jim’s wife): “More people think he wrote that song. His voice was so unique… the timbre in his tone and his warmth and his generosity, everything came through that voice. So when he took a song, he’d make it his own, and I think he did a great job with ‘I’ve Got A Name.’ So many people like to think of Jim with that song that I hate to tell them it isn’t his.”

Producer Terry Cashman: “We recorded it because Jim was going to get a lot of money to record the song, and if it was released as a single, it would be the main title of a movie called The Last American Hero. So it wasn’t a song that Jim wrote on the guitar with Maury [Muehleisen]. Tommy and Jimmy and Maury and myself came up with the arrangement together. It was a different kind of animal. We did that song with just the tracks for us, and then recorded Jim’s voice over it, which is the way most people did records in those days. But most people think that Jim wrote that song because it sounds like the other songs, and then the production of course is a little bit more elaborate. It was different in that way, but Maury has a big guitar part and it certainly sounded like one of his records. And it became one of his most popular records. You know, a lot of people have covered that song, and it’s been used in a number of other movies.”

I Got A Name

Like the pine trees linin’ the windin’ road
I’ve got a name, I’ve got a name
Like the singin’ bird and the croakin’ toad
I’ve got a name, I’ve got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I’m living the dream that he kept hid

Movin’ me down the highway, rollin’ me down the highway
Movin’ ahead so life won’t pass me by

Like the north wind whistlin’ down the sky
I’ve got a song, I’ve got a song
Like the whippoorwill and the baby’s cry
I’ve got a song, I’ve got a song
And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I’ll go there proud

Movin’ me down the highway, rollin’ me down the highway
Movin’ ahead so life won’t pass me by

And I’m gonna go there free

Like the fool I am and I’ll always be
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream
They can change their minds but they can’t change me
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream
Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you’re goin’ my way, I’ll go with you

Movin’ me down the highway, rollin’ me down the highway
Movin’ ahead so life won’t pass me by
Movin’ me down the highway, rollin’ me down the highway
Movin’ ahead so life won’t pass me by

New Riders of the Purple Sage – Lonesome L.A. Cowboy

This is a band I’ve read about and I’ve liked most of what I’ve heard. They have a long history and are still going now. The membership is fluid in this band. Many have performed with them including Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Spencer Dryden, Robert Hunter, and more.

This band grew out of jam sessions between Jerry Garcia and John “Marmaduke” Dawson in 1969. Their name was based on a band that included Foy Willing and The Riders of the Purple Sage…yea they just added the “new” and off they went…it worked. Jerry Garcia was learning the pedal steel guitar and they played a few small clubs initially. The two soon picked up Peter Grant on banjo, David Nelson on lead guitar, Bob Mathews on bass, and Mickey Hart on drums and that was the beginning of The New Riders of the Purple Sage.

They would often open for the Grateful Dead. Garcia would leave in 1971 but he would go back to them from time to time and play with them live and on albums. Garcia had many side projects going on when the Dead were not touring and recording.

From what I’ve heard of this band…I think of the Flying Burrito Brothers. I love name-dropping songs and this one has them. Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, and Martin Mull was mentioned. Along with L.A.’s music hangouts like Barney’s Beanery and the Troubadour. The song was on the album The Adventures of Panama Red and was written by Peter Rowan. It peaked at #55 on the Billboard 100.

And off of their website: The New Riders of the Purple Sage received a Lifetime Achievement Award from High Times magazine at their Doobie Awards in September 2002 and performed a brief set (which included “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy” and “Panama Red” with Peter Rowan) at the festivities at B.B. King’s Blues Club in New York City.

Henry’s taken the brakes off and 2006 finds the New Riders of the Purple Sage back on the road with a revived and inspired lineup, bringing the songs of John Dawson back to the ears of adoring crowds nationwide as well as taking those songs to places they’ve never been before musically. Led by David Nelson and Buddy Cage, the current touring lineup includes Michael Falzarano (Hot Tuna) on guitar and vocals, Ronnie Penque on bass and vocals and Johnny Markowski on drums and vocals. John Dawson passed away on July 21 2009 but before he passed he had given the guys his blessing and was excited to know his music is being heard live again by a whole new generation of fans. The new lineup vows to keep the NRPS spirit and tunes alive by taking them to fans everywhere. In 2009 the band released its first studio album in 20 years called Where I Come From on Woodstock Records. It features new songs written by David Nelson and Robert Hunter, Michael Falzarano, Johnny Markowski, and Ronnie Penque. The band continues to grow breaking out new songs on every tour while staying true to the legacy that was started over 40 years ago by John Dawson and Jerry Garcia.

Lonesome L.A. Cowboy

I’m just a lonesome l.a. cowboy,Hangin’ out, hangin’ onTo your window ledge, callin’ your nameFrom midnight until dawnI been smokin’ dope, snortin’ coke,Tryin’ to write a songForgettin’ everything I know‘Til the next line comes alongForgettin’ everything I know‘Til the next line comes alongThere’s so many pretty people in the city,I swear some of them are girlsI meet’em down at Barney’s beaneryWith their platform heels and spit curlsI buy’em drinks, we smoke our hopesTry to make it one more nightBut when I’m left all alone at lastI feel like I’ll die from frightRepeat Well, I know Kris and Rita, and Marty MullAre meeting at the troubadourWe’ll get it on with the joy of cookingWhile the crowd crys out for more‘Round six o’clock this morningI’ll be gettin’ kind of slowWhen all the shows are over, honey,Tell me, where do you think I go?Repeat

…

Quicksilver Messenger Service – Fresh Air

This is a band I knew nothing about going in but I have a new respect for them now. I didn’t think I knew any of their songs…but I have heard this one. When I pick these bands that I’m learning about I usually pick a radio-friendly song to introduce them. After listening to their songs…there are songs I like a little more but this one is great and I’ve heard it somewhere at some point. It’s a cool song.

Quicksilver Messenger Service was formed in 1965 and quickly rose to prominence alongside peers like Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and Grateful Dead. With their melodies, guitar work, and some experimentation, Quicksilver became synonymous with the psychedelic scene. The members included John Cipollina on guitar, Gary Duncan on guitar, Greg Elmore on drums, David Freiberg on bass, and Jim Murray on guitar and harmonica…it also included the famous British session player Nicky Hopkins at one time. In 1970 it included Dino Valenti.

Their history is confusing because I get different stories as I read on. One of the members and possibly the founding member was Chester William Powers, Jr. He was known as Chet Powers and his stage name was Dino Valenti. But we are not done…as a songwriter he was known as Jesse Oris Farrow. He wrote the very popular “Get Together” made famous by The Youngbloods in 1967. He and Gary Duncan wrote this song…Fresh Air.

It seems that Cipollina and Duncan helped form the band with Dino Valenti in 1964-65. Valenti was busted for pot and amphetamine possession right after and sold his rights to Get Together for a legal defense. He spent time in jail until 1968. When he got out he made a solo album and even opened up for Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore West. He would finally join Quicksilver in late 1969 or early 1970.

Fresh Air was released as a single in 1970 and also appeared on their album Just for Love. The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard Album Charts and #49 on the Billboard 100. Dino Valenti does the lead vocals on this song. They were a popular band because 4 of their album were in the top 30 of the Billboard Album Charts.

There is much more history to this band than I have of course. I will post another one by them shortly and expand on some of their history.

The band is still going with David Freiberg.

David Freiberg on the name: “Originally there were four Virgos in the band, and one Gemini. Of the four Virgos, there were only two birthdays: John and I were born on August 24, and Gary and Greg were born on September 4…. The ruling planet for Virgo in astrology is Mercury, and it is for Gemini also. So in searching for a name, we said, ‘Well, let’s see – mercury’s the same as quicksilver, right? Mercury’s the messenger god? Quicksilver Messenger Service.’”

John Cipollina: It was Valenti who organized the group. I can remember everything Dino said. “We were all going to have wireless guitars. We were going to have leather jackets made with hooks that we could hook these wireless instruments right into. And we were gonna have these chicks, backup rhythm sections that were gonna dress like American Indians with real short little dresses on and they were gonna have tambourines and the clappers in the tambourines were going to be silver coins.” And I’m sitting there going, ‘This guy is gonna happen and we’re gonna set the world on its ear.’

Gary Duncan: That’s the story Cipollina told everybody. But according to Dino, that wasn’t the case at all. When he’d been looking for a band, he’d talked to Cipollina, and everybody somehow put two and two together. He actually lived with us when he got out of prison, and while we played some music together and wrote songs, he had no interest in playing in Quicksilver; he wanted to start his own career. Well, when his own career didn’t do so well, he had more interest in playing in Quicksilver!

Fresh Air

Oh, what you do to me
Oh, what you do to me, little girl
Oh, have another hit of sweet air
Oh, have another hit

I want to know where you going
I want to know, sweet mama, where you gonna go?
Oh, have another hit of fresh air
Oh, have another hit

Oh, baby what you gonna do?
I what to know what you gonna do sweet thing?
Oh, have another hit of sweet love in the morning
Oh, have another hit

I love you, yes I do
I love you, god knows I do
Oh, have another hit of sweet California sunshine
Oh, have another hit

Take me home, take me home
Take me home, I wanna go home with you
Oh, have another hit of fresh air
Oh, have another hit

Savoy Brown – A Hard Way To Go

I’ve heard a lot about this band but never listened to them much. Yesterday I did and they were stacked with great musicians. They have a big blues punch and melodic songs.

I just started to listen to many of their songs and this one caught my attention because of the tight bass intro. That is when I noticed a little of Santana’s sound in there as well. This song is a brief 2:20. If you get a chance on Spotify or Youtube…check them out. So far I’ve been going through their first 4 albums.

They are a British blues rock band formed in 1965 by guitarist Kim Simmonds. They are one of the pioneering bands of the British blues rock scene and bands like The Rolling Stones and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.

Over the years, the band’s lineup has changed numerous times, with Simmonds being the only constant member. Savoy Brown has released over 30 albums, with their early work being highly influential in the blues-rock genre.

They have Kim Simmonds’ expressive guitar work and the band’s tight rhythm section. The song was on the album Raw Sienna released in 1970. The album peaked at #75 in Canada and #121 on the Billboard Album Chart. It was written by the then lead singer Chris Youlden who would be with Savoy Brown from 1967 to 1970.

A Hard Way To Go

Ain’t got time for doubts or fearsAin’t got time for shallow tearsAin’t got time to bare my soulBecause I still got a hard way to go

Said that you got a losing handAin’t no point in you raising sandAin’t got time to bare your soulBecause I still got a hard way to go

And it’s a crying shameThat you can’t lay the blameOn anybody else but yourself

Wish that you had my sympathyYou ain’t got no hold on meAnd my heart is getting coldAnd I still got a hard way to go

And it’s a crying shameThat you can’t lay the blameOn anybody else but yourself

And I still got a hard way to go

Marshall Tucker Band – Take The Highway

This wraps up my southern week…I hope you enjoyed it. Toy Caldwell was their guitar player and he could match up with any guitarist from other bands.

This song was on their self-titled debut album released in 1973. Even though Take the Highway might not be as famous as some of the band’s other hits, it’s still a total winner that deserves a spot on playlists.

There is no Marshall Tucker in The Marshall Tucker Band. The name refers to a blind piano tuner from Columbia, South Carolina. They saw the name on a door key where they used to rehearse and decided it would make a good name for their band.

The mix between the flute (Not a southern rock standard) at the beginning with Caldwell’s great guitar licks along with his powerful singing sets this song off.

This album contained the classic Can’t You See. Their 1973 album peaked at #29 on the Billboard 100 in 1973.

Many say that Toy Caldwell was the soul of that band. He was a Marine in the 60s and served in Vietnam. After getting injured he was able to go home and started to play music with his high school friends. Toy and his brother helped start Marshall Tucker.

Toy left Marshall Tucker in 1984. Contributing to his leaving was the fact that his brother… co-founder of the band and bass guitarist Tommy Caldwell, was killed at age 30 in an automobile accident on April 28, 1980. Toy’s other brother Tim Caldwell, on March 28, 1980, one month before Tommy’s death, was killed at age 25 in a collision in South Carolina.

Gregg Allman: When we wanted to get away from our old ladies, we’d head on down to Grant’s Lounge, which was a great place to hang out. We saw a lot of bands, including Marshall Tucker, or Mother Tucker, as we called them. Toy Caldwell was a good friend of mine…was Marshall Tucker—he made that band what it was.

Take The Highway

Take the highwayLord knows I’ve been gone too longLot of sad daysOne day you’ll turn around and I’ll be gone

And the time has finally comeFor me to pack my bags and walk awayHear me say

I’ll be back somedayBut darling, please don’t wait for me too longThere’s just one place I can’t stayMemories of your love still lingers on

And the time has finally comeFor me to pack my bags and walk awayHear me say

I’ll be back somedayBut darling, please don’t wait for me too longThere’s just one place I can’t stayMemories of your love still lingers on

And the time has finally comeFor me to pack my bags and walk awayMake me stay

Take the highwayTake the highwayTake the highwayTake the highway

And the time has finally comeFor me to pack my bags and walk awayHere me say

…

Allman Brothers – Ramblin’ Man

I’ve written a ton of Allman Brother posts but for some odd reason, I never wrote bout this one…their biggest hit. I never thought it was their best song but I do love Dickey Betts’s guitar work in this one. It was on their album “Brothers and Sisters” and it hit a chord with pop culture. Two popular shows at the time The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie fit in with the family theme.

After finishing Eat A Peach after Duane died…they started to work on Brothers and Sisters. They refused to replace Duane Allman with another guitar player. They didn’t want someone at that time just mimicking Duane. While they were recording the album, Gregg Allman recorded his first solo album, Laid Back. He was working with a fantastic piano player named Chuck Leavell. Gregg later invited Chuck to join the Allman Brothers and the Brothers agreed he would fit perfectly and give them a different sound.

Barry Oakley was in disarray at this time after Duane died. For a year he was spiraling down with drugs and drink. In September of 1972, Chuck joined the band and Barry Oakley was excited. It was the first time that he seemed like his old self again since Duane passed. He took Leavell under his wing and showed him the ropes of being in that band.

Leavell said he was fantastic and some of the band thought that Oakley may have been coming out of it and back to himself. That was not to be. On November 11, 1972, Berry Oakley died in a motorcycle crash within a few blocks of where Duane crashed a year and 13 days earlier. He played on two songs on this album…Wasted Words and Ramblin’ Man. Lamar Williams replaced him and finished the album on bass.

Dicky Betts knew a country guy he was friends with and the guy always told him…” are you still playing your guitar and doing the best that you can?” The phrase stuck with Betts. He had the germ of the idea before The Allman Brothers started. Before Duane was killed the band played around with the song in some rehearsals in Gatlinburg.

He was hesitant to record the song. He thought it could be too country for the band. They needed a song and recorded it anyway and it sounded great. He added the solos at the end to make it more of an Allman Brothers song.

The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead were not known for their top ten hits. This is their highest-charting single. It also helped propel the album Brothers and Sisters to the top of the Billboard Album Chart chart, solidifying the band’s status as one of the leading acts of the Southern rock genre…although they were more of a blues, jazz, rock, and jam band.

The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard Album Charts #1 in Canada, and #42 in the UK. What helped the album was Ramblin’ Man and Jessica, two of their most classic songs. They toured with this album and played sold-out stadiums and arenas.

Ramblin’ Man peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and #7 in Canada in 1973.

Just found out that Dickey Betts passed away today at age 80.

Dickey Betts: “When I was a kid, my dad was in construction and used to move the family band and forth between central Florida’s east and west coasts, I’d go to one school for a year and then the other the next. I had two sets of friends and spent a lot of time in the back seat of a Greyhound bus. Ramblin’ was in my blood.”

The Allman’s November 2nd, 1972 performance went down at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Portions of the show were broadcast on ABC’s In Concert program. In this clip below we get to see rare footage of the post-Duane, pre-Berry death lineup of the band which featured Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Jaimoe, Chuck Leavell, Butch Trucks, and Oakley. Barry Oakley would die 9 days after this concert…it was his last concert with the band and Chuck Leavell’s first concert with them. This was before the single was released.

Ramblin’ Man

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ manTryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I canAnd when it’s time for leavin’I hope you’ll understandThat I was born a ramblin’ man

Well, my father was a gambler down in GeorgiaAnd he wound up on the wrong end of a gunAnd I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound busRollin’ down highway 41

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ manTryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I canAnd when it’s time for leavin’I hope you’ll understandThat I was born a ramblin’ man

Alright

I’m on my way to New Orleans this mornin’Leaving out of Nashville, TennesseeThey’re always having a good time down on the bayouLord, and Delta women think the world of me

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ manTryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best I canAnd when it’s time for leavin’I hope you’ll understandThat I was born a ramblin’ man

Lord, I was born a ramblin’ manLord, I was born a ramblin’ manLord, I was born a ramblin’ manLord, I was born a ramblin’ man

Max Picks …songs from 1995

1995

We have come to the end of the line for Max Picks. I decided to draw the line this year. What a year it was for me in music. I was 2 when the Beatles stopped playing music. I never got to experience a new Beatles song and this was it. It’s still a favorite of mine. I’m going to work up a few Missed Max Picks because of the songs I missed. I want to thank ALL of you for the support and your comments on this series. It was a fun one to do. We started this on June 23, 2023!

Beatles – Free As A Bird

In the 1990s I kept reading about the Beatles Anthology coming out and the three surviving Beatles getting back together to release old never heard before music as well as new. They were going to take a John Lennon demo and add something to it. This was beyond exciting for me. I was too young to remember a new Beatles song coming out.

It had an older feel but sounded modern at the same time. George Harrison’s distorted slide guitar playing brought an edge to it. It even had a strange ending like some of their other songs.

I got an early release of the Anthology CD from a friend of mine who worked in a record store and he said…don’t tell anyone. I sat glued to Free As a Bird because for once I was listening to a new Beatles song… I was one year old in 1968 so I missed them when they were originally out. I liked the song and still do. I have talked to Beatles fans who don’t really like it that much but the song has stuck with me. .

Was Free As a Bird the best song in the Beatles catalog? No not even close but just to hear something new was fantastic. The Anthology videos and CDs jump-started their popularity all over again…and it hasn’t stopped since then. I had cousins who were teenagers at the time who were never interested in them until Anthology came out. All I could say to them was…I’ve told you for years.

Also…my favorite music video of all time

Jayhawks – Blue

This song would rank high among my favorite songs. The Jayhawks were an Alt-Country band with a pop/folk sound formed in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in 1985 and played alternative country rock. They have released 10 studio albums and are worth checking out.

The song was on the album Tomorrow the Green Grass.

They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album Paging Mr. Proust was produced by Peter Buck of REM.

They combine country, folk, rock, and pop with good harmonies.

Oasis – Wonderwall

This song is awash in sixties influence…which isn’t surprising by Oasis. It caught my attention in the 90s seeing that it had a mod mid-sixties influence.

This song was supposedly about Noel Gallagher’s then-girlfriend Meg Mathews, who is compared with a schoolboy’s wall to which posters of footballers and pop stars are attached. He said: “It’s about my girlfriend. She was out of work, and that, a bit down on her luck, so it’s just saying, ‘Cheer up and f—in get on with it.’” Noel later married and then divorced Meg Mathews.

Noel also said… “The meaning of that song was taken away from me by the media who jumped on it. And how do you tell your Mrs. it’s not about her once she’s read it is? It’s about an imaginary friend who’s going to come and save you from yourself.”

Everclear – Santa Monica

With my big black boots and an old suitcase
I do believe I’ll find myself a new place

Those lyrics hit me for some reason as did the song. It was my first introduction to the band and I loved it. This is one of the few new bands at the time that I followed.

Art Alexaskis formed Everclear in Portland, Oregon, in 1991. Portland in the early 90s had a huge music scene. Everclear broke out first with this song nationally. Many bands there didn’t think Everclear deserved it over everyone else…there was a lot of competition there at that time.

Santa Monica is a seaside town in California where Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis grew up. He describes it as Like LA but on the coast.

The song peaked at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Charts, #4 in Canada’s Alternative Charts, #27 in New Zealand, and #40 in the UK in 1996.

It was on the 1995 album Sparkle and Fade. John at 2 Loud 2 Old Music reviewed all of their albums in this article. It’s a great review of their recording career.

Ramones – I Don’t Want To Grow Up

This came off of the Ramones’ last album Adios Amigos. This song is a Tom Waits cover. This song actually made the top 30 for the Ramones. Their reputation grew through the years. They probably got more popular after they broke up than they were when they were together. It’s a shame that many of their songs didn’t hit bigger at the time. Their songs are short, to the point, and usually very catchy. You would have thought radio would have loved them.

The album is really good and it was a good way to go out for them.

BONUS PICK… I’m going to break my own rule about only 5 songs since this is the last Max Picks…and I’m breaking another rule by featuring a band twice in one post. Which band should it be?

Beatles – Real Love

This was the second “new” song by the Beatles to be released in the 1990s and it was on the Anthology 2 album. I liked the song but it didn’t resonate with me like Free As A Bird did. Real Love sounded more like a Lennon solo song with the Beatles backing him…but I love Lennon’s solo output so I did like it but it wasn’t as “Beatle-ly” to me as Free As a Bird.

The song was more fully realized than Free As a Bird and didn’t take as much input by the other three shaping it. This is the only Beatles song where the songwriting credit is John Lennon alone instead of Lennon-McCartney or all four Beatles.

Paul McCartney did his best John Lennon’s imitation to help the lead vocal because the recording of John’s voice was low and spotty in some places. The lead vocal is actually a John and Paul duet.

…

Wet Willie – Weekend

It’s funny how local radio stations will change how songs are remembered. When I hear Wet Willie’s band name I think of one song…Keep on Smiling. When I posted that song a while ago…some did not know it but they knew this song. We did hear this song but to tell you the truth…until Dave told me it was Wet Willie a few years ago doing this song Weekend…I would have never known.

When I posted about them before…I’ll say the same thing. First, let’s get this out of the way… wet–willy. Noun. (plural wet willies) (slang) A prank whereby a saliva-moistened finger is inserted into an unsuspecting person’s ear, often with a slight twisting motion… Oh yes…I’ve given them and have been on the receiving end. When you are 12 given wet willies were a lot of fun….oh wait…that was yesterday!

Wet Willie began as a blues-rock band during the Summer of 1969 down in Mobile Alabama. The original nucleus of the group that eventually became known as Wet Willie was called Fox. Wet Willie eventually moved to Macon Georgia and signed to Capricorn Records sharing the label with The Allman Brothers and The Marshall Tucker Band. Still, they really didn’t have a Southern rock sound.

This song was released in 1979 on the album Manorisms. The album peaked at #118 on the Billboard Album Charts.

The song peaked at #29 on the Billboard 100 and #34 in Canada. Their biggest hit was Keep On Smiling which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 100 and #21 in Canada in 1974.

Southern Rock took off in the 70s but crashed when Lynyrd Skynyrds plane did in 1977. It hung around a little longer with 38 Special and Molly Hatchet but died when the 80s came. Gregg Allman had a great quote on “Southern Rock.” He is right in this quote below. Most of the bands were so different from each other. The only thing many of them had in common was that they were Southern. The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd were the two biggest bands and they were day and night. Skynyrd was more like The Stones and Free and The Allman Brothers were a combination of blues, jazz, rock, and country.

Gregg Allman: For some reason, people think that we all grew up together and we all knew each other, and our friends were their friends and their friends were our friends, like there was one big town of southern rock stars or something. Man, it wasn’t nothing like that at all. You might know two or three cats in one band here and there, and you’d see each other passing in the night. If you did a tour together, then you’d see each other maybe a couple of hours a day.

Of course, there was some competition between bands—there has to be. But we weren’t out there to sell southern rock, we were out there because we had the best goddamn band in the land. The Allman Brothers Band has had its bad nights, but we are some Super Bowl motherfuckers compared to all them other bands.

Weekend

One Friday evenin’What a feelin’, feel like singin’Tired of workin’, my mind is buzzin’Feel like dancin’ yes I do

But you gotta make the best of life while you’re youngGood people, weekendDo just what you want to do, weekendWhen those workin’ days are throughWeekend, weekend, weekendWeekend, weekendYou know it’s time to get away, weekendI want to hear ev’rybody sayWeekend, weekend, weekend

Saturday night feelin’ just rightMakin’ new friends, lazy SundayEvery Monday ends my weekend, yes it doesBut you gotta make the best of life while you’re youngListen people, weekendParty down with all your friends, weekendIt’s party, hearty time againWeekend, weekend, weekendWeekend, weekendSpendin’ all my hard-earned pay, weekendWith crazy nights and lazy daysWeekend, weekend, weekend

But you believe me right now, weekendWatchin’ all the people play, weekendI want to hear ev’rybody sayWeekend, weekend, weekendWeekend, weekendDo what you want to do, weekendWhen those workin’ days are throughWeekend, weekend, weekendAh you gotta make the best of life while you’re youngRight now, weekendDo what you want to do, weekendWhen those workin’ days are throughWeekend, weekend, weekendYeah weekend

…

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tuesday’s Gone

This song is one of their best songs to me. I like it better than Freebird and many other more popular ones. I could see The Stones doing this song as well as the Allman Brothers. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s sound has always been closer to British crunch rock like Free and The Stones than their southern roots.

Since I’ve been blogging I’ve read a few books about them and heard from my UK readers. They were huge in the UK in the mid-70s. They toured there and played at Knebworth in 1976 on a bill with the Rolling Stones.

Ronnie Van Zant wrote the lyrics and Allen Collins wrote the music to this song. I’ve talked about how Ray Davies and Bruce Springsteen could write about everyday life and make it sound interesting and believable. I’ll put Van Zant in that same category with no hesitation. His deceptive simple lyrics always hit home.

Metallica and Phish both have both covered this song. The best cover version I’ve heard is a live version from Gregg Allman. You can imagine what the Allmans would have done with it. There was a train track near the place where the band rehearsed. The sound of the trains inspired lead singer Ronnie Van Zant to write the first line, “Train roll on, on down the line.”

Tuesday’s Gone was on the debut album Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd and peaked at #27 on the Billboard Album Chart, #47 in Canada, and #44 in the UK in 1973. It’s one of the best rock debut albums. They opened up for The Who on their Quadrophenia tour at this time.

Their producer at the time was Al Kooper. He played on this track and brought a Mellotron in this song. He would go on to produce their first three albums and also signed them to MCA records. He found them in a bar and offered to sign them after a few nights. Right after that someone broke into their van and stole all of their equipment. Van Zant called Al Kooper and asked him if he could help them out. Kooper said yes of course and sent the band $5000 and Van Zant told him…“Al, you just bought yourself a band for five thousand dollars.”

Cameron Crowe on Ronnie Van Zant: “He was the first musician that crossed the line and talked to me like I was an artist or a writer. It blew me away. He was a guy who treated me like I was an equal, and it gave me a lot of confidence, doing that. A straight-ahead, sensitive guy. No agenda, he didn’t ask me to write about him, just took the opportunity to tell me the story had reached him. Over the next three years, we stayed pretty tight, and I did write about them and went on the road with them and all kinds of stuff.”

Al Kooper talking about the stolen equipment: “Al, our equipment van got broken into last night and we can’t put food in our families’ mouths without that gear. We have engagements to fulfill immediately and unless you can lend us five thousand dollars by tomorrow morning, we’re fucked!”
I didn’t even think twice: “Where do I send it, buddy ?” He gave me the address and closed with: “Al, you just bought yourself a band for five thousand dollars.”
I never worried about that money. Ronnie was a gentleman and a man of his word. He ruled that band with an iron fist, and God help any band member who crossed him. Of course, that was impossible, because they all worshipped him. Possessed of a unique talent for savvy songwriting, a rather pedestrian voice that had its own unique sound, and remarkable leadership skills, Ronnie was the mediator between the rest of the band and myself. As a producer, I offered my artists one hundred percent of my input. What percentage they chose to use was up to them. Of course, it varied from act to act. With Skynyrd, there wasn’t that much to do. They were incredibly well rehearsed (they even composed their guitar solos beforehand), they were the best damn arrangers I have ever worked with, and their musical discipline was everything to them.

Gregg Allman singing Tueday’s Gone.

Tuesdays Gone

Train roll on, on down the line,
Won’t you please take me far, far away
Now I feel the wind blow, outside my door,
I’m leavin’ my woman at home, oh yeah
Tuesday’s gone with the wind,
Oh my baby’s gone, gone with the wind
And I don’t know, oh, where I’m goin’
I just want to be left alone
When this train ends, I’ll try again
I’m leavin’ my woman at home

Tuesday’s gone with the wind
Tuesday’s gone with the wind
Tuesday’s gone with the wind
My baby’s gone, with the wind
Train roll on, Tuesday’s gone

Train roll on many miles from my home, see I’m
I’m ridin’ my blues, away yeah
But Tuesday you see, a she had to be free
Somehow I got to, to carry on

Tuesday’s gone with the wind
Tuesday’s gone with the wind
Tuesday’s gone with the wind
My baby’s gone, with the wind

Train roll on
My baby’s gone
I’m ridin’ my blues, baby
Tryin’ to ridin’ my blues
Ride on train
Ride on train
Ridin’ my blues, baby
Goodbye Tuesday, goodbye Tuesday
Oh, oh, oh, train

….