This song has been covered by so many bar bands that the smell of beer comes with the song.
This was written and originally recorded by no other than J.J. Cale. Clapton gave Cale a huge boost he recorded Cale’s song “After Midnight” in 1970 and released it as his first solo single. This helped earn Cale a record deal.
This was on Clapton’s album Slowhand. The version that was a hit was the live version from Just One Night.
In his autobiography Clapton, Clapton said when he recorded this song he had kicked a serious heroin habit but was filling his body with cocaine and alcohol. His attitude at the time was that he could manage his addiction and quit at any time…he just didn’t want to; that’s why he could sing so objectively about a drug that was consuming him.
After he cleaned up, Clapton removed this song from his setlist because he thought it gave the wrong message about cocaine use. He started playing it again after he rearranged the song to include the line, “That dirty cocaine” into the choruses.
The song peaked at #30 in the Billboard 100 and #3 in Canada in 1980.
From Songfacts
When Clapton was looking for songs for his Slowhand album, he once again looked to Cale, and chose “Cocaine,” which became the first song on the set. Clapton would later cover Cale’s song “Travelin’ Light,” and in 2006, the pair teamed up to record an album together called The Road To Escondido.
The lyrics are about drug addiction, something Clapton knew quite well. As he When he finally did get off drugs and alcohol, he had to learn how to make music while sober, which was a big transition as everything sounded very rough to him. He also realized how damaging his addiction was to himself and others on a personal level, and became active in helping others get through their addictions; in 1998 he opened the Crossroads rehab center in Antigua, where clients go through a 29 day wellness-centered approach to treatment.
During the Slowhand sessions, Clapton and his band got to see a J.J. Cale concert, and Cale brought Clapton on stage to duet on this song.
This is one of Clapton’s most famous songs, but the studio version was never released as a single. Clapton included the song on his 1980 live album Just One Night (Live At Budokhan), and the version from this show was released as the B-side of “Tulsa Time,” which was also taken from the concert. This single charted at #30 in the US.
When J.J. Cale wrote this song, he envisioned it as a jazz number. His producer, Audie Ashworth, convinced him to make it a rocker, which required some overdubbing by Cale, since he played very simple guitar parts. Cale did three single-string overdubs of the riff. He played the bass himself, but had session pro Reggie Young play the guitar solo. Clapton’s version has a much more complex guitar line and vocals that are more prominent in the mix.
After Clapton recorded this song, J.J. Cale saw many new faces at his concerts, but many of them expected him to sound like Clapton. Cale didn’t conform, and took a more laid-back approach to his next album, 5, which was released in 1979. There were no hits on that one, although a Santana cover of one of the cuts, “The Sensitive Kind,” made #56 in 1981.
Cocaine
If you want to hang out, you’ve gotta take her out, cocaine If you want to get down, get down on the ground, cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
If you got that lose, you want to kick them blues, cocaine When your day is done, and you want to ride on cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
If your day is gone, and you want to ride on, cocaine Don’t forget this fact, you can’t get it back, cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie, Cocaine
This is a perfect song for a slow Sunday…kick back and enjoy this 1971 classic song by the Stones.
Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics about his breakup with Marianne Faithfull.
Bobby Keys played the saxophone on this track and Jim Price, who also came up with the horn arrangements, played the trumpet. They both joined The Stones for their 1970 European tour. Billy Preston also played the gospel organ on this track.
Sticky Fingers was the first album The Stones recorded on their own label and the first in which Mick Taylor played guitar on nearly all the tracks. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, and #1 in Canada, and the UK.
Many consider this and Exile on Mainstreet their best albums.
I’ve Got The Blues
As I stand by your flame I get burned once again Feelin’ low down, I’m blue
As I sit by the fire Of your warm desire I’ve got the blues for you, yeah
Every night you’ve been away I’ve sat down and I have prayed That you’re safe in the arms of a guy Who will bring you alive Won’t drag you down with abuse
In the silk sheet of time I will find peace of mind Love is a bed full of blues
And I’ve got the blues for you And I’ve got the blues for you And I’ll bust my brains out for you And I’ll tear my hair out I’m gonna tear my hair out just for you If you don’t believe what I’m singing At three o’clock in the morning, babe, well I’m singing my song for you
Curtis Loew is not the name of an actual person from Ronnie Van Zant’s life. Curtis Loew is a composite of different people, including Skynyrd lead guitarist Ricky Medlocke’s grandfather, Shorty Medlocke. Despite the song’s lyrics, Shorty was not black.
When Ed King was writing the liner notes for the Second Helping album, he decided to name the character after Loew’s Theater thus giving an old bluesman a Jewish name.
Personally, I think it’s one of their best songs. It has an old feel about it and the slide is perfect.
Many bands go into the studio without complete songs written and work on them in there. The two bands I’ve read about that were ready when they walked into a studio were this band and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Ronnie Van Zant ran the band with an iron fist and they were rehearsed like crazy. If someone missed a note on stage…it would not be a happy time afterward.
This song was on their second album Second Helping. Their first two albums were great and the next few dipped a bit but they came back strong with their last studio album Street Survivors.
Since the song mentions a dobro…A dobro is a resonator guitar with a mechanical amplifier. It was originally released in 1927. Gibson now owns the rights to the dobro guitar.
They had many great album cuts and this is one of them. It never was released as a single but remains on the playlist of classic rock stations.
The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Well, I used to wake the mornin’ Before the rooster crowed Searchin’ for soda bottles To get myself some dough Brought ’em down to the corner Down to the country store Cash ’em in, and give my money To a man named Curtis Loew
Old Curt was a black man With white curly hair When he had a fifth of wine He did not have a care He used to own an old Dobro Used to play it ‘cross his knee I’d give old Curt my money He’d play all day for me
Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew Well, I got your drinkin’ money Tune up your Dobro People said he was useless Them people all were fools ‘Cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker To ever play the blues
He looked to be sixty And maybe I was ten Mama used to whoop me But I’d go see him again I’d clap my hands, stomp my feet Try to stay in time He’d play me a song or two Then take another drink of wine
Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew Well, I got your drinkin’ money Tune up your Dobro People said he was useless Them people all were fools ‘Cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker To ever play the blues
Yes, sir
On the day old Curtis died Nobody came to pray Ol’ preacher said some words And they chunked him in the clay Well, he lived a lifetime Playin’ the black man’s blues And on the day he lost his life That’s all he had to lose
Play me a song Curtis Loew, hey Curtis Loew I wish that you was here so Everyone would know People said he was useless Them people all were fools ‘Cause Curtis you’re the finest picker To ever play the blues
I liked every era of The Kinks but I first bought their current records in the late half of the 70s and early eighties. This song was on the album Low Budget released in 1978.
This song was written by Kinks singer/songwriter Ray Davies, he called this “a very political song about people going on strike.”
Clive Davis who ran Arista Records wanted the Kinks to do a club-friendly song.
The Kinks didn’t love disco but it was huge at the time. They found a groove they liked and infused it with their sound. Davies sings about how an ordinary person has to be Superman to survive in these difficult times…kinda applies today also.
Ray Davies: “It was kind of a joke, taking the piss out of Clive wanting us to do a club-friendly record.”
The song peaked at #41 in the Billboard 100 and #43 in Canada in 1978.
Dave Davies: “I think that one [‘Superman’] was, not the biggest mistake, but it could’ve been one of the biggest mistakes we made. I remember I had quite a difficult time with Ray while we were making the record, because I didn’t like the direction it was going. It was a strange time for music in general, anyway. The fact that it’s funny, that it was a humorous song, saved it. I don’t feel bad about that song at all, but it could have been a big mistake.”
The live version is a little more guitar based than the studio version.
(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman
Woke up this morning, started to sneeze I had a cigarette and a cup of tea I looked in the mirror what did I see A nine stone weakling with knobbly knees I did my knees bend press ups touch my toes I had another sneeze and I blew my nose I looked in the mirror at my pigeon chest I had to put on my clothes because it made me depressed Surely there must be a way For me to change the shape I’m in Dissatisfied is what I am I want to be a better man
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman Superman superman I want to be like superman I want to be like superman Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
Woke up this morning, what did I see A big black cloud hanging over me I switched on the radio and nearly dropped dead The news was so bad that I fell out of bed There was a gas strike, oil strike, lorry strike, bread strike Got to be a superman to survive Gas bills, rent bills, tax bills, phone bills I’m such a wreck but I’m staying alive
(Look in the paper, what do I see, Robbery, violence, insanity.)
Hey girl we’ve got to get out of this place There’s got to be something better than this I need you, but I hate to see you this way If I were superman then we’d fly away I’d really like to change the world And save it from the mess it’s in I’m too weak, I’m so thin I’d like to fly but I can’t even swim
Superman superman I want to fly like superman Superman superman wish I could fly like superman Superman superman wish I could fly like superman Superman superman I want to be like superman Superman superman I want to fly like superman
The intro to this song is worth the price of admission. Van Morrison and guitar player Ron Elliot are trading guitar licks and then Lee Charlton joins with some great jazz-influenced drums. Van has said it was written in a stream of consciousness style. The recording was more of a jam than a thought out rehearsed process. It’s easy to get lost in this song.
Morrison released this song and album Saint Dominic’s Preview in 1972. I “found” Van in the 80s. I had heard Domino, Blue Money, and Wavelength (on SNL) when I was a kid but first heard “Brown Eyed Girl” when I was 18 years old. Why it took me so long I don’t know but after that, I had to know everything about him.
I was lucky to see him in concert in 2006 at the Ryman. If you ever get the chance to see him…don’t pass it up. His voice is even better in concert than on record and that is saying something.
Van Morrison:I picked up the phone and the operator said, “You have a phone call from Oregon. It’s Mister So-and-So.” It was a guy from the group Them. And then there was nobody on the other end. So out of that I started writing, “I can hear Them calling, ‘way from Oregon.” That’s where that came from.
Almost Independence Day
I can hear them calling way from Oregon I can hear them calling way from Oregon And it’s almost Independence Day
Me and my lady, we go steppin’ (we go steppin’) We go steppin’ way out on China town All to buy some Hong Kong silver And the wadin’ rushing river (we go steppin’) We go out on the, out on the town tonight
I can hear the fireworks I can hear the fireworks I can hear the fireworks Up and down the, up and down the San Francisco bay Up and down the, up and down the San Francisco bay I can hear them echoing I can hear, I can hear them echoing Up and down the, up and down the San Francisco bay
I can see the boats in the harbor (way across the harbor) Lights shining out (lights shining out) And a cool, cool night And a cool, cool night across the harbor I can hear the fireworks I can hear the people, people shouting out I can hear the people shouting out (up and down the line) And it’s almost Independence Day
I can see the lights way out in the harbor And the cool, and the cool, and the cool night And the cool, and the cool, and the cool night breeze And I feel the cool night breeze And I feel, feel, feel the cool night breeze And the boats go by And it’s almost Independence Day And it’s almost, and it’s almost Independence Day
Way up and down the line Way up and down the line…
To those that it applies…Happy Independence Day! I’ll have a couple of songs coming up related to Independence Day.
I never got into comic books like Marvel or DC…I would save up my allowance for Cracked and Mad magazine…and records of course. Mad Magazine was by far the most popular out of all of the satire comic magazines. William Gaines was the publisher of Mad magazine and was brilliant.
1952 – Present…now you an only get Mad from Comic Book Shops or order it. The new editions consist of mostly material from their archive.
Cracked was known as the poor man’s Mad but I still liked it and the magazines shared some writers and artists through the years. I bought my first Cracked Magazine when Mad was sold out but I never missed an issue after that.
1958-2007 Now the name is alive on a website but no longer a comic.
Alfred E Newman and Sylvester P. Smythe
Don Martin was my favorite artist. He was one of Mad’s most famous artists. He was there from 1956 to 1988. He was known as “Mads Maddest Artist” and then moved to Cracked and was jokingly known as “Cracked’s Crackedest Artist.”
Fellow Cracked artist Dan Clowes: “As far as I could tell, he was happy, don’t think he ever seemed to notice that Mad was respected, whereas Cracked was loathed.”
I’ve always liked Lemmy Kilmister. He was a good bass player and very aggressive on vocals. He also gave some of the best interviews I’ve ever heard. He is best known for forming Motörhead in 1975. He joined Hawkwind in 1971.
He also was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and went frequently to see the Beatles at the Cavern Club before they hit.
Hawkwind was a UK psychedelic heavy metal band…that often sang about science fiction. They were also called a Space Rock Band. They formed in London in 1969 as Group X. They changed their name shortly to Hawkwind Zoo and then Hawkwind. Although this was their only hit, their space-age rock albums sold consistently well throughout the ’70s.
This was by far the biggest hit for Hawkwind, peaking at #3 in the UK and getting played on the TV show Top Of The Pops. Hearing Hawkwind on BBC radio was very strange for many of their fans, as the group was far off-center and notoriously anti-establishment.
Kilmister is singing lead on this track. Lemmy wasn’t the group’s main singer…that was Bob Calvert. Calvert’s attempts to record the vocal didn’t quite make it, so Lemmy did the singing on this one.
A version of the band is still together with Dave Brock as the only original member.
From Songfacts
Hawkwind guitarist Dave Brock wrote the music to this track, and their frontman Bob Calvert composed the lyric. According to Mojo magazine September 2011, Calvert’s lyric was inspired by an Alfred Jarry short story called How To Construct A Time Machine. However, rather than writing about a “cosmic space travel machine” he made it about his new silver racing bike.
“Lemmy had a high voice but it was just very much more powerful, he had a gruffness with it, so we decided to use his vocal,” their manager Doug Smith explained. Calvert, who was hospitalized at the time for manic depression, didn’t find out that his vocal had been replaced until later. When he did, he was not pleased.
Released as a single, the song was recorded live from the Roundtree in London on February 13, 1972. The live performance had vocals by Bob Calvert, but they were replaced by Lemmy’s when the song was mixed and overdubbed at Morgan Studios.
When this song took off, the British music magazine NME put Lemmy on the cover with no sign of his bandmates. This gave the impression that he was the frontman and leader of the band, when really he rarely sang lead and had just joined the outfit.
A self-described “space rock” band from North Carolina named themselves Silver Machine after this song.
Silver Machine
I, I just took a ride in a silver machine And I’m still feeling mean
Do you want to ride See yourself going by The other side of the sky I’ve got a silver machine
It flies Sideways through time It’s an electric line To your zodiac sign
I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine
It flies out of a dream It’s antiseptically clean You’re gonna know where I’ve been
Do you want to ride See yourself going by The other side of the sky I’ve got a silver machine
I said I just took a ride In a silver machine And I’m still feeling mean It flies Sideways through time It’s an electric line To your zodiac sign
I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine I’ve got a silver machine
With ELO and Jeff Lynne, you knew you were getting a quality pop/rock song and it would be very catchy.
Strange Magic was written by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, “Strange Magic” was on Electric Light Orchestra’s fifth studio album Face the Music.
By this time, the band had toned their orchestral sound to make it brighter and more radio-friendly. The strategy paid off, as this song and “Evil Woman” were both big hits.
The song peaked at #14 in the Billboard 100, #42 in Canada, and #38 in the UK in 1976. The album Face The Music peaked at #8 in the ===Billboard album charts and #35 in Canada.
Jeff wrote the song on various pianos in separate places while on tour in England with the band, presumably during the Eldorado tour.
From Songfacts
The song is about a captivating woman, but “Strange Magic” is also a good description for this song’s sonics. Compressed to a tight 3:27 for the single release (it runs 4:29 on the album), the song packs in an intriguing array of harmonies and hooks while integrating the famous ELO string section. The lyric is suitably trippy, and very repetitious, with the title appearing five times per chorus.
The weepy-sounding guitar lick is provided courtesy of Richard Tandy, who was somehow persuaded to take his hands off his various keyboards to pick up a guitar. Normally, Tandy’s array of Moog synth, clavinet, mellotron, and piano was so omnipresent that it led to the stereotype of prog-rock bands having a stack of keyboards onstage.
Some of you movie-music fans may cringe at this, but this song was also used in the 2007 stage production of Xanadu. Fear not, it was not part of the 1980 film soundtrack, although the soundtrack was the least of that film’s problems… or so we’re told.
The Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, doubled as the set of “Xanadu.”
Strange Magic
You’re sailing softly through the sun In a broken stone age dawn You fly so high
I get a strange magic Oh, what a strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic Got a strange magic Got a strange magic
You’re walking meadows in my mind Making waves across my time Oh no, oh no
I get a strange magic Oh, what a strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic Got a strange magic Got a strange magic
Oh, I’m never gonna be the same again Now I’ve seen the way it’s got to end Sweet dream, sweet dream
Strange magic Oh, what a strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic Got a strange magic Got a strange magic
It’s magic, it’s magic, it’s magic Strange magic Oh, what a strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic Got a strange magic Strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic
Got a strange magic Strange magic Oh, what a strange magic Oh, it’s a strange magic
Got a strange magic Strange magic You know I got a strange magic Yeah I got a strange magic Strange magic
Driving that train, high on cocaine Casey Jones is ready, watch your speed
As a teenager, this song blasted from the car stereo with the windows down. The rebellion had kicked in and just to sing along with “cocaine” made us all giddy…although none us would have known cocaine if it was in front of us. Great song by the Dead.
The song was on the album Workingman’s Dead released in 1970. With it’s Americana sound…it became with the American Beauty one of their most popular albums. The song was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.
“Casey Jones” is very loosely based on the real-life happenings of the heroic engineer Casey Jones, who was the subject of the famous 1902 song “The Ballad Of Casey Jones.” It was doubtful that Jones was high on cocaine when he took over the train, and although his life was ended when he was hit by a train traveling the wrong way, he sacrificed his life so those on board could be saved.
Casey Jones was not released as a single and did not chart. It remains one of their most popular songs known by non-Dead Heads.
The Real CASEY JONES 1864-1900
American folk hero Casey Jones was born John Luther Jones on March 14, 1864, in a rural part of southeastern Missouri. He would work as an engineer on the railroad later in life.
On April 30, 1900, Jones volunteered to work a double shift to cover for a fellow engineer who was ill. He had just completed a run from Canton, Mississippi, to Memphis, Tennessee, and was now faced with the task of returning on board Engine No. 1 headed southbound.
When he pulled out of the Memphis station in the early hours of April 30, the train was running late so he hurried to make up for lost time. As the train rounded a curve near Vaughan, Mississippi, it collided with another train on the tracks, but not before Jones told his fireman to jump to safety. Jones remained on board, supposedly to try to slow the train and save his passengers, and Jones the only person to die in the accident.
Following Jones’s death, Wallace Saunders, an African-American railroad worker in Mississippi, developed a ballad about the fallen engineer that became popular with other men in the railroad yards.
Ask if the song grates his nerves when he hears it…Jerry Garcia: “Sometimes, but that’s what it’s supposed to do. It’s got a split-second little delay, which sounds very mechanical, like a typewriter almost, on the vocal, which is like a little bit jangly, and the whole thing is, I always thought it’s a pretty good musical picture of what cocaine is like. A little bit evil. And hard-edged. And also that sing-songy thing, because that’s what it is, a sing-songy thing, a little melody that gets in your head.”
Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter came up with the line “Drivin’ that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones you’d better watch your speed,” which he wrote down and put in his pocket. He didn’t think of it as part of a song until he looked at it later and decided to complete the lyrics.
When they put the song together, Hunter looked for ways to omit the word “cocaine,” which at the time was a controversial word for song lyrics (they had taken some heat for using “Goddamn” in “Uncle John’s Band”). Hunter tried some other phrases – “whipping that chain,” “lugging propane” – but couldn’t find an acceptable substitute, so Casey Jones ended up high on cocaine as originally written.
Casey Jones
Driving that train, high on cocaine Casey Jones is ready, watch your speed Trouble ahead, trouble behind And you know that notion just crossed my mind
This old engine makes it on time Leaves central station ’bout a quarter to nine Hits river junction at seventeen to At a quarter to ten you know it’s travelin’ again
Driving that train, high on cocaine Casey Jones is ready, watch your speed Trouble ahead, trouble behind And you know that notion just crossed my mind
Trouble ahead, lady in red Take my advice you’d be better off dead Switchman’s sleeping, train hundred and two is On the wrong track and headed for you
Driving that train, high on cocaine Casey Jones is ready, watch your speed Trouble ahead, trouble behind And you know that notion just crossed my mind
Trouble with you is the trouble with me Got two good eyes but you still don’t see Come round the bend, you know it’s the end The fireman screams and the engine just gleams…
On Sundays, I am going to start posting a good album cut.
When I think of forgotten great album cuts…this one is one of the first songs that come to mind. If you haven’t heard it give it a try. The song has a good riff starting out and the arrangement of the melody is a little different than some of their previous songs. I credit that to new guitarist Steve Gaines… Gaines and Van Zant wrote this song.
Give this song a try…The song takes a while to get going but the melody, guitar work, and the bass are great in this one.
Steve joined the band as a guitarist in 1976. Gaines had an immediate impact, writing or co-writing four of the eight songs on Street Survivors, which was released three days before the group’s plane crashed in Mississippi, killing Gaines, his sister Cassie (a backup singer with the group) and Van Zant.
It is my favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd song hands down. The band never played this live…the original or the new edition.
Street Survivors peaked at #5 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1977.
I Never Dreamed
My daddy told me always be strong son Don’t you ever cry You find the pretty girls, and then you love them And then you say goodbye I never dreamed that you would leave me But now you’re gone I never dreamed that I would miss you Woman won’t you come back home
I never dreamed that you could hurt me And leave me blue I’ve had a thousand, maybe more But never one like you I never dreamed I could feel so empty But now I’m down I never dreamed that I would beg you But woman I need you now
It seems to me, I took your love for granted It feels to me, this time I was wrong, so wrong Oh Lord, how I feel so lonely I said woman, won’t you come back home
I tried to do what my daddy taught me, But I think he knew Someday I would find One woman like you I never dreamed it could feel so good Lord That two could be one I never knew about sweet love So woman won’t you come back home Oh baby won’t you come back home
I don’t really consider The Allman Brothers “southern rock” but they are classified that way. They were cut above their southern brethren at the time. One hearing of At Fillmore East and any doubts go out the window.
I don’t feature many instrumentals but this one is worth it. It was used really well in the movie Field Of Dreams. This song is a great song for traveling.
Jessica is the name of Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts’ daughter. He was working on this song when she crawled into the room and inspired him. Jessica Betts was born May 14, 1972 – she was one year old when her dad wrote the song.
Dickie Betts was trying to compose a song that could be played on the guitar with two fingers in the style of Django Reinhardt, a 1930s Jazz musician Betts admired who lost two fingers in a fire.
Chuck Leavell played piano on this. He was brought in after Duane Allman died to provide another lead instrument. It created a different sound, as the Allmans now had 1 piano and 1 guitar rather than 2 guitars.
Jessica was on the album Brothers and Sisters released in 1973.
The song peaked at #65 in the Billboard 100 and #35 in Canada in 1973.
From Songfacts
Betts had Jessica with Sandy Bluesky, who also inspired one of his famous Allman Borthers songs: he wrote “Blue Sky” for her. The couple were married in 1973.
This is an instrumental song that had little chart success but has endured as a staple of classic rock radio and a favorite among fans.
This is the theme song to the UK TV show Top Gear.
The Allman Brothers performed this on The Late Show with David Letterman on February 29, 1996.
A live recording was included on the album An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set in 1995. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
When we spoke with Devon Allman, he offered some insight on why songs like this don’t need lyrics. “‘Flor D’Luna’ by Santana, ‘Jessica’ by the Allman Brothers – these songs don’t need words because that lead guitar is doing the talking and the singing. It’s a strong enough melody to stand on its own. Words over that wouldn’t make sense because it’s already doing the speaking.”
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
This morning there will be 3 southern rock songs. Two well-known and one of my favorite album cuts. I live in the south…so I don’t know if it is a self-conscious thing with me but I don’t feature much southern rock. When some of my classmates were listening to Lynyrd Skynrd, Marshall Tucker, and The Allman Brothers…my feet were stuck firmly in the UK in the 1960’s…and really they never left…I just expanded some.
Now, I see music fans that really get into this music in Germany, UK, and all over the world. It’s made me appreciate what was in my own backyard.
This song sounds older than what it is…The chorus is catchy and is southern as you can get. Since I live in the south I have been bombarded with Southern Rock but I’ve been listening to it recently and have started to enjoy more of it.
This country-rock ballad was written by George McCorkle, guitarist for the Marshall Tucker Band. Set during the California gold rush, it tells the story of a family that sets out from their home in Carolina looking to strike it rich.
The song peaked at #38 in the Billboard 100 and #81 in Canada in 1975.
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 Caldwell played steel guitar on this track, but according to McCorkle, he played it out of tune because he had just recently bought the instrument and didn’t know how to tune it properly.
Toy stayed with Marshall Tucker until he left in 1984. Contributing to him 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, who on March 28, 1980, one month prior to 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, but I wouldn’t give you a nickel for the rest of them. Toy Caldwell was Marshall Tucker—he made that band what it was.
This was The Marshall Tucker Band’s second-highest hit, the highest being “Heard It In A Love Song.” It was also one of their only two Top 40 hits.
Fire On The Mountains
Took my family away from our Carolina home Had dreams about the west and started to roam Six long months on a dust covered trail They say heaven’s at the end But so far it’s been hell
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
We were digging and shifting from five to five Selling everything we found just to stay alive Gold flowed free like the whiskey in the bars Sinning was the big thin Lord And Satan was the star
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
Dance hall girls were the evening treat Empty cartridges and blood lined the gutters of the street Men were shot down for the sake of fun Or just to hear the noise of their 44 guns
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
Now my widow, she weeps by my grave Tears flow free for her man she couldn’t save Shot down in cold blood by a gun that carried fame All for a useless and no good worthless claim
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there
Fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there Waiting for me there
This song came to mind first when I thought about doing songs containing songs that reference money. I couldn’t for the life of me think who did it until John told me Monday. Thanks, John. I’ve heard this used on countless shows and documentaries.
The songwriting/production duo of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff co-wrote this song with Anthony Jackson, who also played bass on the track. Gamble and Huff wrote many songs that helped define the Philadelphia Soul sound.
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, and #29 in Canada in 1974.
For The Love Of Money has become the modern anthem for anyone who’s hustling to make the all mighty dollar. The bass in this song is filtered with a reverse echo…that is what drew me into it. The phrase “For the Love of Money” comes from a well-known Bible verse, 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
From Songfacts
A key contributor to the song was Joe Tarsia, who was the engineer at Sigma. He had just installed an Eventide phaser in the control room, and when Jackson started playing, Tarsia tried recording the bass (with a wah-wah pedal) through the phaser. Gamble loved the effect, which provided a unique sound that made the song stand out on the airwaves.
Tarsia added effects to the background vocals as well, creating a reverse echo where the echo precedes the vocal, something Jimmy Page did on a few Led Zeppelin tracks, including “Whole Lotta Love.”
Often misinterpreted as a song celebrating the accumulation of money, it’s actually one of the more unadorned warnings about the sordid side of the mighty dollar, pointing out the things people will do for it: cheat, lie, even steal from their mother. The song was written at a time when the songwriters Gamble and Huff were reaping the financial rewards of their success, but also reconciling it with their spiritual beliefs (Gamble had recently converted to Islam). The duo often wrote messages into their songs gleaned from their everyday conversations. On this track, they are very clear: “Don’t let money change you.”
With the chorus of “Money, money, money, money,” this has been used in many promos, TV shows and movies where greed or the pursuit of the almighty dollar are concerned.
TV shows to use the song include:
Scandal (“The Other Woman” – 2012) Hawaii Five-0 (“Kuka’awale” – 2015) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (“Man Up” – 2011) Friends (“The One in Vegas: Part 1” – 1999) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (“Winner Takes Off” – 1993) Moonlighting (“Brother, Can You Spare a Blonde?” – 1985)
Movies include:
Deepwater Horizon (2016) Think Like a Man Too (2014) The Honeymooners (2005) All About the Benjamins (2002) Driven (2001) For Richer or Poorer (1997) Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) Strictly Business (1991) New Jack City (1991) Action Jackson (1988)
There is also a 2012 film called For The Love Of Money that uses the song.
Some people got to have it Some people really need it Listen to me y’all, do things, do things, do bad things with it You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it Talk about cash money, money Talk about cash money- dollar bills, y’all
For the love of money People will steal from their mother For the love of money People will rob their own brother For the love of money People can’t even walk the street Because they never know who in the world they’re gonna beat For that lean, mean, mean green Almighty dollar, money
For the love of money People will lie, Lord, they will cheat For the love of money People don’t care who they hurt or beat For the love of money A woman will sell her precious body For a small piece of paper it carries a lot of weight Call it lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar
I know money is the root of all evil Do funny things to some people Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime Money can drive some people out of their minds
Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Some people really need it How many things have I heard you say Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Lay down, lay down, a woman will lay down For the love of money All for the love of money Don’t let, don’t let, don’t let money rule you For the love of money Money can change people sometimes Don’t let, don’t let, don’t let money fool you Money can fool people sometimes People! Don’t let money, don’t let money change you It will keep on changing, changing up your mind
WordPress decided not to place this in the reader…so I’ll try reposting it. Sorry if you have already seen this one.
This week I’m going to feature songs that cover that certain thing we all need to survive…money…John Lennon might disagree.
As a bass player, it’s nice to hear songs like this where bass plays the main riff. I’m not a huge Pink Floyd fan but I do like some of their songs. Their 60s songs I like best but I grew up with this one.
Roger Waters put together the cash register tape loop that plays throughout the song. It also contains the sounds of tearing paper and bags of coins being thrown into an industrial food-mixing bowl. The intro was recorded by capturing the sounds of an old cash register on tape, and meticulously splicing and cutting the tape in a rhythmic pattern to make the “cash register loop” effect.
Like many of their songs, this was not released as a single in the UK, where singles were perceived as a sellout…but it was released as a single in Anerica in 1973.. It peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100 and #18 in Canada.
The lyrics contain a “no-no” word. “Bulls–t” was left in the original release, but their record company quickly put out a version with the word removed, which became known as the “Bull Blank” version.
From Songfacts
This song is about the bad things money can bring. Ironically, it made Pink Floyd lots of cash, as the album sold over 34 million copies.
This is often misinterpreted as a tribute to money. Many people thought the line “Money, it’s a gas,” meant they considered money a very good thing.
The song begins in an unusual 7/8 time signature, then during the guitar solo the song changes to 4/4, then returns to 7/8 and ends in 4/4 again. When Guitar World February 1993 asked Dave Gilmour where the famous time signature for “Money” came from, the Pink Floyd guitarist replied: “It’s Roger’s riff. Roger came in with the verses and lyrics for ‘Money’ more or less completed. And we just made up middle sections, guitar solos and all that stuff. We also invented some new riffs – we created a 4/4 progression for the guitar solo and made the poor saxophone player play in 7/4. It was my idea to break down and become dry and empty for the second chorus of the solo.”
Roger Waters is the only songwriter credited on this, but the lead vocal is by David Gilmour. Waters provided the basic music and lyrics, while the whole band created the instrumental jam of the song. Gilmour was the one overseeing time change and responsible the acclaimed guitar solo. Rick Wright and Nick Mason.
Many studio effects were used on this song. They were using a new 16-track recorder, which allowed them to layer sounds much easier, but complex studio techniques like this still took a long time to do in 1973, as there weren’t digital recorders and samplers available like we have today. If you wanted to copy and paste something, you had to do it the hard way – with a razor blade and splicing tape.
Bands like The Beatles had used tape loops, but never like this. The tape loop used on this was about 20 feet long, and if you’ve ever seen a reel-to-reel tape machine, you can imagine how hard it was to keep it playing. In order to get the right tension and continuously feed the machine, they set up the loop in a big circle using microphone stands to hold it up. It was fed through the tape machine and played throughout the song.
The album was engineered by famed British producer and studio genius Alan Parsons at Abbey Road Studios, where he also worked with The Beatles. Parsons later started his own band called The Alan Parsons Project and scored a hit in the ’80s with “Eye In The Sky.”
Speaking with Songfacts about the studio habits of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, Parsons said: “They both liked to use the studio to its fullest, and they were always looking for new effects and new sounds. That was the beauty of working with those guys: There were always new horizons to discover in sound.” >>
Along with “Us And Them,” this is one of two songs on the album to use a saxophone, which was played by Dick Parry. The band wanted to experiment with new sounds on these sessions.
As happens throughout Dark Side of the Moon, random voices come in at the end. Waters drew up flashcards with deep philosophical questions on them, then showed them to people around the studio and taped their answers. The ones they liked made the album. Among the people questioned: a doorman, a roadie, and Paul McCartney. Most contributions were not used, but McCartney’s guitarist at the time, Henry McCullough, made the final cut with his answer, “I don’t know; I was really drunk at the time.”
Due to a record company dispute, they had to re-record this for their 1981 greatest hits album, A Collection Of Great Dance Songs (the title is a joke. You can’t dance to Floyd). There are very subtle differences between this version and the original.
If you start the CD on the third roar of the MGM lion, this begins just as the film goes to color in The Wizard Of Oz.
A cultural difference in the song: the reference to the “football team.” In America, the sport is known as soccer.
There is a scene in The Wall where the main character (Pink) is a student in school, and the teacher catches him writing a poem instead of doing the work he was supposed to be doing. The teacher reads the poem out loud, and it is this song. He makes the student look like a fool and everyone in the classroom laughs at him. The teacher then tells him “It’s rubbish laddy, now get back to work!” It probably symbolizes the way that we are raised almost uniform-like throughout our entire lives, starting in school. This is a theme of the movie.
The line, “Money, so they say, is a root of all evil today” is a paraphrase from the New Testament – 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
In 2002, a group called The Easy Star All-Stars recorded a reggae version of the album called Dub Side Of The Moon. On this song, the sounds of money were replaced by sounds of someone smoking from a water-based marijuana delivery device (OK, a bong).
A group called Reloaded, made up of former Guns N’ Roses members with Scott Weiland from The Stone Temple Pilots as lead singer, recorded this for the 2003 movie The Italian Job.
This was the first project for the group, which eventually changed its name to Velvet Revolver.
The cash register loop and bass line at the introduction to this song are used in a radio show that plays in the US, The Dave Ramsey Show. The show offers financial advice to struggling people, so the song ties in well. >>
In the documentary The Making of Dark Side of the Moon, it was revealed that Roger Waters wrote this in his garden, and the original demo version was described by him as being “Prissy and very English.” >>
In Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 film Reservoir Dogs, this song was originally intended to be used in a specific opening sequence. However, after hearing the song “Little Green Bag” by the George Baker Selection, Tarantino decided to use it instead because he it gave him an extreme sense of nostalgia. >>
Guitar World asked Gilmour if he was purposely trying to get away from just playing a 12 bar blues on guitar. He replied: “No, I just wanted to make a dramatic effect with the three solos. The first solo is ADT’d – Artificially Double Tracked. I think I did the first two solos on a Fender Stratocaster, but the last one was done on a different guitar – a Lewis, which was made by some guy in Vancouver. It had a whole two octaves on the neck, which meant I could get up to notes that I couldn’t play on a Stratocaster.”
Asked by Uncut in 2015 if there’s a song that reminds him of Roger Waters, David Gilmour replied: “‘Money.’ I’m not talking about the lyric. Just the quirky 7/8 time reminds me of Roger. It’s not a song I would have written. It points itself at Roger.”
Money
Money, get away Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay Money, it’s a gas Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash New car, caviar, four star daydream Think I’ll buy me a football team
Money, get back I’m all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack Money, it’s a hit Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set And I think I need a Lear jet
Money, it’s a crime Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie Money, so they say Is the root of all evil today But if you ask for a raise it’s no surprise that they’re Giving none away, away, away
Sorry if you are seeing this twice…I can’t blame WordPress for this…I scheduled it for yesterday…this morning. I’m posting it again.
Who are all of those shadows on the cover? That would be the one-man band of John Fogerty who played everything on the album. It was released in 1973.
John wanted to pay tribute to the country artists he admired so he released this album right after CCR broke up. Instead of going about it the traditional country-music way…with a bunch of musicians sitting together in a room and performing the music live as the tapes roll – Fogerty played every single instrument on The Blue Ridge Rangers himself.
Jambalaya is a song written and recorded by country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in 1952. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous cover versions.
Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh. Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou. My Yvonne, sweetest one, me oh my oh. Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou.
[CHORUS:] Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo ‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio. Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo, Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou.
Thibodeaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin’, Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen. Dress in style, go hog wild, and be gayo. Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou.
[CHORUS:] Oh, guitar!
[CHORUS]
Oh, Lord! Hang tight, ooh Lord! Ah, take it out. He’s comin’, ah!
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