Tomorrow Dave will be hosting a post of mine on his site A Sound Day…and I will be hosting a post by him… right here…end of commercial!
I wanted to shake things up a little today…This post is about my first car… what was your first car?
It’s funny how you don’t know what you have when you have it. I was 16 in 1983 and my mom surprised me with my first car. It was used…it cost her 1000 dollars. I thought it was cool and everything, but I didn’t know cars. The car was a year older than I was at the time. It was purplish…I currently cannot find a picture of it. Inside was off-white cloth seats with blue carpet…not factory I assure you.
I drove the wheels off of that car. The engine was decent, and it didn’t burn much oil at all for an old car.
Was it a perfect car for a 16-year-old boy? NO, it was not the perfect first car for a kid.
My mom had bought me a 1966 Mustang. I still cannot believe I had this car. No sixteen-year-old should have a classic Mustang…but then again…in 1983 they were not classic yet.
It looked something like this except with a bad homemade matte finish, no cool wheels, way more beat up, and it looked much older even then. In other words, the model was the same, but the similarities ended there.
Those cars do not have much room, but my friends and I made it work. Our band would have gigs or practice and the four of us would pile into the car…with our amps and drum kit. The passenger back window would not roll all the way up and in winter our drummer would be in the back seat on that side…he said his teeth would hurt because he was so cold when we arrived at our destination with the bass drum in his lap.
The first time it snowed, I got out in the car. I didn’t know what I was doing at all. No one ever taught me how to drive in snow. In middle Tennessee, we don’t get much snow now… but in the 70s and 80s, we did. We got off of school early that day because of the snow so a couple of friends of mine (Kenny and Paul) jumped in the car and we went out exploring the winter wonderland. Kenny was in the backseat with my Epiphone guitar that stayed with me. Paul was riding shotgun and we were happy getting out of school early.
I drove us around most of the day and it was at least 5 inches of very wet snow on the roads. I thought well, this is no problem. That is until we started down a certain snow-covered hill. I did the one thing you don’t do on snow…locked up the breaks. Everything was in slow motion when that happened. I suddenly said…” we are going to wreck guys”. I heard a laugh and sure enough, off we went into a creek.
We hit the creek bed with a crunching thud… everybody was tossed around. What was the first thing your humble writer asked? Did I ask how everyone was? No, the first thing I asked was “Hey, Kenny… is my guitar ok?”…Ya, I was a sensitive 16-year-old. They never let me forget that to this day. By the way, the guitar was ok and Paul and Kenny still walk the earth today so no one was seriously hurt.
We had no money on us, we walked through the snow for a couple of miles…me carrying my guitar to a friend’s house and I borrowed $25 for a tow truck.
I was extremely lucky with the Mustang. The only damage was the passenger side fender. It took me months to find a fender for that car. I finally had to order it from a junkyard, and it cost me 75 dollars in 1984.
In 1985 the Mustang broke down and I got another car instead of getting it repaired but not after racking up a lot of mileage and fun… You only get one first car…and mine was something to remember. Now when I see an old Mustang, I think of how I wish I would have appreciated mine more.
I remember this song well. In 1981 I was 14 and after I bought the Start Me Up single I went out and bought Tattoo You. Tattoo You was a good Stones album. In fact, I would say it was their last great album. I did like a few of the albums that would follow but this one had everything.
The Stones had dug down deep in their vaults for several songs. Some songs came from the Mick Taylor era. The Stones first recorded this song in 1978 at the Some Girls sessions. Lyrics were added and it was repackaged for Tattoo You.
The song is said to be pointed at the UK. The Stones rarely performed in England because of the huge taxes that were levied on entertainers… it was much more profitable for them to live and work elsewhere.
Hang Fire means a delay or delayed in taking action or progressing. The original title was said to be “Lazy Bitch,” supposedly aimed at a certain British prime minister.
The tour for this album was massive. I remember vividly wanting to go but they didn’t come to Nashville. It was the first rock tour I remember being publicized as an event rather than a concert. You must remember the Stones were getting “old.” People were saying this could be it for the band because they were over the hill. Mick was a whopping 38 years old in 1981. If only we knew what was coming!
The American leg was sponsored by Jovan which yea…I went out and got their cologne. It was the largest grossing tour of 1981 with $50 million in ticket sales. Roughly two million concert goers attended the concerts, setting various ticket sales records.
Most importantly about this tour. It was the last time the Stones toured without backup singers and musical help on stage. Yes, they sounded more ragged on this tour but…that fit them perfectly. I would have rather heard Keith sing backup than pitch perfect backup singers. I did get to see them in the 90s and in 2006.
A film of the tour was released in 1983 called Let’s Spend the Night Together directed by Hal Ashby.
From Songfacts
A “hang fire” is a delay from when a trigger is pulled on a flintlock gun and when it actually fires. The expression means a delayed response, but in this song could apply to the lazy people who won’t take action. It’s also a great phrase to sing, which Mick Jagger does a few different ways throughout the song, sometimes stretching out “fire,” and other times keeping it contained.
In the UK, “Hang Fire” wasn’t released as a single, but in America it was the third single from the Tattoo You album, which hung around for a while. The song peaked at #20 in May 1982, 10 months after the album was released.
MTV launched on August 1, 1981, giving The Rolling Stones instant access to a new audience in America. They were ready, having made several videos (known as “promotional films” back in the day) already with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who returned to helm the Tattoo You videos. “Start Me Up” was the first in the set, showing the band performing the song on an empty set. This was typical, as Lindsay-Hogg kept the focus on the band, which were adept performers with a lead singer who could pull focus. “Hang Fire” had a similar look, but with posters of the album artwork adorning the set. These low-budget videos did very well on MTV, which was thrilled to have The Stones in rotation.
Hang Fire
In the sweet old country where I come from Nobody ever works Yeah nothing gets done We hang fire, we hang fire
You know marrying money is a full time job I don’t need the aggravation I’m a lazy slob I hang fire, I hang fire Hang fire, put it on the wire baby Hang fire, hang fire put it on the wire baby, go ahead Hang fire
We’ve got nothing to eat We got nowhere to work Nothing to drink We just lost our shirts I’m on the dole We ain’t for hire Say what the hell Say what the hell, hang fire Hang fire, hang fire, hang fire, put it on the wire, baby Hang fire, hang fire, hang fire, hang fire Hang fire, hang fire, put it on the wire, baby
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo, hang fire, hang fire, hang fire
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo doo, hang fire, hang fire, put it on the wire, baby Doo doo
Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo doo Doo doo
Yeah ten thousand dollars, go have some fun Put it all on at a hundred to one Hang fire, hang fire, hang fire, put it on the wire, baby Doo doo Doo doo, hang fire, hang fire put it on the wire Hang fire, hang fire, hang fire, hang fire Put it on the wire, baby Put it on the wire
This song is my favorite of the Flying Burrito Brothers. It came off their great country album The Gilded Palace of Sin. It didn’t chart at the time. It probably would have helped if they would have given it a proper name but regardless… it’s a great song.
Parsons wrote this song with Burrito bass player Chris Ethridge while the band was living in their San Fernando Valley house that was dubbed “Burrito Manor.”
This song, like the album The Gilded Palace of Sin, barely made a dent on the music world of 1969. They did develop a cult following after this albums release that included Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. The band was more popular with other musicians than the public.
Gram joined the Flying Burrito Brothers after leaving the Byrds in 1968.
The Gilded Palace of Sin. One thing you notice are the “Nudie” suites on the front cover. Nudie Cohn was an American tailor who designed decorative rhinestone-covered suits. Parsons’ suit was hand-stitched by Manuel Cuevas, Nudie Cohen’s protégé, who has called the suit “a map for him to follow to his death.”
The green leaves featured in the design on the front of the jacket are a marijuana plant, and the red-petaled flowers above them are poppies, the natural source of morphine, opium, and heroin. Gram Parsons would die in 1973 and the cause of death was an overdose of morphine and alcohol
This album was a major influence on the Eagles, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Randy Travis.
Hot Burrito #1
You may be sweet and nice But that won’t keep you warm at night ‘Cause I’m the one who showed you how To do the things you’re doing now He may feel all your charms He might hold you in his arms But I’m the one who let you in I was right beside you in the end Once upon a time You let me feel you deep inside But nobody knew, nobody saw Do you remember the way we cried? I’m your toy I’m your old boy But I don’t want no one But you to love me No, I wouldn’t lie You know I’m not that kind of guy Once upon a time You let me feel you deep inside But nobody knew, nobody saw Do you remember the way we cried? I’m your toy I’m your old boy But I don’t want no one But you to love me No, I wouldn’t lie You know I’m not that kind of guy
To wrap 1970’s AM Radio Gold week up…I had to include this one….so I hope you have a happy Sunday…in your Chevy Van or whatever you drive. This song takes me back to being a kid hearing on a car radio at night. I try not to repeat songs on my blog…but with this theme…I just had to include this one. For me when I think of AM radio…this is the first one that comes to mind. I posted a small post about this song 4 years ago…hope you don’t mind.
Sammy Johns re- released Chevy Van back in 1975 and it peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100,#7 in Canada and #2 in New Zealand. It is pure AM 70’s pop and it caught my imagination as a youngster.
I remember vans in the seventies…painted with all kinds of designs until the minivan came and ruined the whole damn thing. We went from this:
to this…in a blink of an eye. No place to hide in this one.
The musicians that back Johns are the famous Wrecking Crew from Los Angeles. The song has been covered by many Country artists and most recently by Eric Church.
John’s compositions have also been recorded or covered by other artists such as Waylon Jennings, Sammy Kershaw, Conway Twitty. Jennings sang John’s composition “America” on a nationally broadcast ceremony to mark the restoration done on the Statue of Liberty. This led to the success of the single which went gold and was even nominated country song of the year.
Also this song was the theme song to the movie The Van (which yea…I have) released in 1977. It was the first movie Danny DeVito was in. I thought I would include a movie trailer to The Van. It won’t be confused with The Godfather at anytime but it’s a fun B 70s Movie.
Thank you for reading this week!
Chevy Van
I gave a girl a ride in my wagon She rolled in and took control She was tired and her mind was a-draggin’ I said get some sleep and dream of rock and roll
‘Cause like a picture she was layin’ there Moonlight dancin’ off her hair She woke up and took me by the hand She’s gonna love me in my Chevy van And that’s all right with me
Her young face was like that of an angel Her long legs were tanned and brown Better keep your eyes on the road, son Better slow this vehicle down
‘Cause like a picture she was layin’ there Moonlight dancin’ off her hair She woke up and took me by the hand She’s gonna love me in my Chevy van And that’s all right with me
I put her out in a town that was so small You could throw a rock from end to end A dirt road Main Street, she walked off in bare feet It’s a shame I won’t be passin’ through again
‘Cause like a picture she was layin’ there Moonlight dancin’ off her hair She woke up and took me by the hand We made love in my Chevy van And that’s all right with me
We just got 2-3 inches of snow last night…Summer Breeze is just what we need.
I’m probably the only one out there that always thought it was “Seals and Croft” not a plural Crofts. Other than me not paying attention all my life to that…this song IS the 70s. No song I can write about represents AM Gold better than this one.
Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were from Texas. They belonged to a later version of The Champs…The Champs had a hit “Tequila” in 1958. When the group dissolved in 1965, they worked with several other artists including Gene Vincent. In 1969 they released their first album as a duo. “Summer Breeze” was the first hit single, appearing on their fourth album in fall 1972.
“Summer Breeze” almost went nowhere. By the fall of 1972 the album Summer Breeze had been out for a couple of months, but the title single…the song the duo had worked so hard to perfect had barely charted, and their label informed them it would do no more promotion. While they were on tour in Boston, their manager convinced them that while they were there, they should show up to one of the city’s most popular radio stations and play “Summer Breeze” for a DJ.
The DJ ended up liking it. After listening to it, he looked up and delivered the news… Summer Breeze was going into rotation. The song quickly caught on in Boston and other markets like Philadelphia and Dallas, soon followed. When they got back to L.A., they heard Summer Breeze on the car radio.
Jim Seals is the brother of Dan Seals, who was “England Dan” in the duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. They had several hit songs in the ’70s.
The song peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, and #14 in New Zealand in 1973.
I’ve always liked a 1974 cover by the Isley Brothers also, featuring much livelier guitar. It peaked at #16 in the UK. Some of the other artists to cover it include Johnny Mathis, The Main Ingredient, and Jason Mraz.
Jim Seals:“A very simple song about a man coming home from work and hearing the dog barking and things like that, and to a lot of people the song’s about looking for security. Our meaning goes further than that, for a prison can be the prison of self and a person can become insecure and paranoid if he doesn’t have a direction in his personal life.”
From Songfacts
“Blowing through the jasmine in my mind”? Long before it was a Disney princess, jasmine was a kind of flower that blooms in the summer. Also good for tea, Seals & Crofts use it to bring about feelings of contentment and harmony in this song, which is a feel-good classic about enjoying some simple pleasures in life with the ones you love. Jim Seals explained in 1972: “We operate on a different level, we try to create images, impressions and trains of thought in the minds of our listeners.”
Seals & Crofts were devoted to the Baha’i faith, and believed that by writing about life itself, many meanings would emerge for the listener.
Type O Negative released a very foreboding cover of “Summer Breeze” in 1993 that was used in the 1997 movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. Other movies to use the song include:
Rock Odyssey (1987) King of California (2007) Land of the Lost (2009) Vacation Friends (2021)
It also appears in these TV shows: Freaks and Geeks (“Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers” – 2000) How I Met Your Mother (“Matchmaker” – 2005) Girls (“The Return” – 2012) Family Guy (“Yacht Rocky” – 2019) The Blacklist (“The Protean (No. 36)” – 2021)
Summer Breeze
See the curtains hangin’ in the window, in the evenin’ on a Friday night A little light a-shinin’ through the window, lets me know everything is alright
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
See the paper layin’ in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Sweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom July is dressed up and playing her tune And I come home from a hard day’s work And you’re waiting there, not a care in the world See the smile a-waitin’ in the kitchen, food cookin’ and the plates for two Feel the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Bread was one of the first bands I found out about. My sister loved them because every time she started to date someone or broke up with someone…out came the Bread albums. She is 8 years older than me so I was just 6 when she was 14 but I knew the dating cycle of a teenage girl rather well at that time.
My sister now…(she will kill me if she finds out I posted this)
Bread was a soft rock band that later on I probably would have never claimed that I liked…but I did…and still do. I called them a guilty pleasure (the guilt-o-meter peaks) for a while but hell…I like them. When I hear the opening guitar in this song, it’s the early seventies again.
The song peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100 and #6 in Canada in 1971. It also peaked at #1 in the Easy Listening chart in America and Canada. The song was on the album Mana that peaked at #21 in the Billboard Album charts and #16 in Canada.
David Gates was the writer who wrote most of the hits. Gates is a very good singer songwriter who knows how to write a good pop melody. In this song there is no chorus to speak of but it works well.
David Gates:“I wrote that one night at the dining room table, after my kids and my wife had gone to bed. It took me about an hour and a half, with an extra verse left over. If you look at it, there’s a few bizarre lines in there, like ‘you and I would simply fly away’ – that’s kind of an unusual thought. When I was done, I said, ‘That’s the best song I’ve ever written and probably will be the best song I’ll ever write.’ For me it’s really held up over time, more than any of the others.”
One odd fact about this song… Kojak actor Telly Savalas recorded a spoken-word version that went to #1 in the UK in 1975.
If
If a picture paints a thousand words, Then why can’t I paint you? The words will never show the you I’ve come to know. If a face could launch a thousand ships, Then where am I to go? There’s no one home but you, You’re all that’s left me too. And when my love for life is running dry, You come and pour yourself on me.
If a man could be two places at one time, I’d be with you. Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way. If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die, I’d spend the end with you. And when the world was through, Then one by one the stars would all go out, Then you and I would simply fly away
There were times when I could not hear this song anymore because it’s been played so much but…now I enjoy hearing it again. It is a great song but a song that radio has played endlessly. When I think of this phrase, I think of Elvis. Elvis loved the saying…he wore a “TCB” necklace and called his backing group “The TCB Band.”
Canadian Randy Bachman wrote this song and the music was inspired by The Beatles Paperback Writer. He came up with the idea for the song in the late-’60s while he was still a member of The Guess Who. After hearing Paperback Writer and he used that music to create a song about going to work called “White Collar Worker,” which needed a new hook to complete.
For the lyric, Bachman was listening to C-Fox radio on the way to the club and heard the DJ say they were “Takin’ Care of Business,” which gave him the idea for the hook. Singing his lyrics to “White Collar Worker,” Bachman sang “Takin’ Care of Business” in the breakdown, and he had his song.
The song lay dormant until Bachman formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive and was playing a show when lead singer Fred Turner’s voice gave out. Forced to sing for a set, Bachman told the band to “Play these three chords over and over – C, B flat, and F – endlessly and when I get to the hook, help me out.”
Randy Bachman: “Ralph (Murphy) and I wrote a song in ’67 called ‘A Little Bit Of Rain.’ That riff is used in the middle of ‘Takin’ Care Of Business,’ just to break the monotony because ‘Takin’ Care Of Business’ was three chords over and over and over. It had no bridge. No hook. No song format, other than that it was ‘Louie Louie.’ Endless, mind-bashing of three chords. And the original version, as I explained at the Ryman, had twelve chords. That’s why nobody liked it. It had an incredible number of chords.”
From Songfacts
The band captured the feel of jamming in the club by having Bachman sing it, which Turner appreciated since it would give his voice a rest at their shows. Bachman had a sore throat and a head cold when he recorded his vocals.
The song propelled the phrase “Takin’ care of business” into the popular lexicon, forever to be used by athletes, performers and the common man to indicate they are on the job.
While the song title implies an industrious responsibility, a closer listen reveals that this song is more of a slacker anthem. The singer is presumably unemployed, and he “loves to work at nothing all day.”
Norman Durkee played the piano on this track. So who is this Norman fellow? John Presho, who knew Bachman and worked security at their concerts, gives this account: “Randy Bachman told me that when BTO was in the recording studio the record producer wasn’t happy with the raw version of that song. BTO took a time out, ordered a pizza and went back to work on the song. A while later there was a knock on the studio door and it was the pizza delivery man. After giving the band their pizza he commented that ‘Takin’ Care of Business’ was a great song but it needed some piano playing. The pizza man introduced himself as Norman and said that he was a piano player. BTO thanked and tipped him and sent him on his way. Hours later with no improvement in the song they decided to call Norman, but no one got his phone number or could remember the name of the pizza place. BTO called a half dozen pizza houses before they were able to track him down. The band paid Herman’s $75 to join the musicians union so he could play the piano in the recording studio.”
BTO being introduced by the great Keith Moon.
Takin’ Care Of Business
You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning Take the 8:15 into the city There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’ And the girls who try to look pretty And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine And start your slaving job to get your pay If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed I love to work at nothing all day
And I’ll be taking care of business (every day) Taking care of business (every way) I’ve been taking care of business (it’s all mine) Taking care of business and working overtime, work out
If it were easy as fishin’ you could be a musician If you could make sounds loud or mellow Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you’ll go far If you get in with the right bunch of fellows People see you having fun just a-lying in the sun Tell them that you like it this way It’s the work that we avoid, and we’re all self-employed We love to work at nothing all day
And we be taking care of business (every day) Taking care of business (every way) We be been taking care of business (it’s all mine) Taking care of business and working overtime
Mercy Whoo All right
Take good care of my business When I’m away, every day Whoo
You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning Take the 8:15 into the city There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’ And the girls who try to look pretty And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine And start your slaving job to get your pay If you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed I love to work at nothing all day
And I be taking care of business (every day) Taking care of business (every way) I’ve been taking care of business (it’s all mine) Taking care of business and working overtime, take care
Takin’ care of business, whoo Takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business (every day) Takin’ care of business (every way) Takin’ care of business (it’s all mine) Takin’ care of business and working overtime, whoo
Takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business We be takin’ care of business We be takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business Takin’ care of business
I had a greatest hits package by the Guess who given to me by a relative. At the time I thought the Guess Who and The Who were the same.
The title of this song was inspired by Bob Dylan. Randy Bachman said he got the idea after hearing the Dylan song “Ballad In Plain D” on the radio. It was a very long song, and just as Bachman was about to turn off the radio, Dylan sang the line “She came undone.” Bachman said the lyrics were about a girl he saw at a party who went into a coma after dropping acid.
Canadian Jazz guitarist Lenny Breau taught Bachman some chords and you can hear the jazzy feel of the song. Bachman also was influenced by an obscure Kenny Rankin song called “Soft Guitar.”
Burton Cummings learned to play the flute for this song. In his old band The Deverons he played saxophone. While playing at a music store Cummings saw a flute in a case. Burton learned from the dealer that the fingering for the flute was the same as a sax (except for C).
Their name came about when their label Quality Records released their first hit single (“Shakin’ All Over”) credited only to “Guess Who?” in an attempt to build a mystique around the band. They wanted the public to believe that this was a possible British band. The real name of the band was “Chad Allan & The Expressions,” but radio station DJs continued to refer to them as “The Guess Who.” when playing subsequent singles.
This was released as the B-side of Laughing. It got radio play when some disc jockeys flipped the single and played it. That in turn prompted the record company to release it as an A-side 4 months later.
The song peaked at #21 in Canada and #22 in the Billboard 100 in 1969. The song was on the album Canned Wheat.
Undun
She’s come undun She didn’t know what she was headed for And when I found what she was headed for It was too late
She’s come undun She found a mountain that was far too high And when she found out she couldn’t fly It was too late
It’s too late She’s gone too far She’s lost the sun
She’s come undun She wanted truth but all she got was lies Came the time to realize And it was too late
She’s come undun She didn’t know what she was headed for And when I found what she was headed for Mama, it was too late
It’s too late She’s gone too far She’s lost the sun She’s come undun
Too many mountains, and not enough stairs to climb Too many churches and not enough truth Too many people and not enough eyes to see Too many lives to lead and not enough time
It’s too late She’s gone too far She’s lost the sun
She’s come undun
It’s too late She’s gone too far She’s lost the sun
She’s come undun She didn’t know what she was headed for And when I found what she was headed for It was too late
She’s come undun She found a mountain that was far too high And when she found out she couldn’t fly Mama, it was too late
It’s too late She’s gone too far She’s lost the sun
I haven’t had a theme week in a while. This week will be 1970’s songs that you would have heard on AM Radio back then that were big pop hits…as you were cruising in your parent’s LTD or some other vehicle.
This is one of those AM Gold radio singles from the seventies. It’s made to be heard through an AM station while you are riding in your…insert your 1970s car of choice (mine would be an Opel GT).
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were, in one word, eclectic. They have been called southern rock, country, country rock, and pop. This song is one of those great pop hits during the mid-seventies. It is part of my childhood DNA.
The band started out with the name “Family Tree” but they found out that another band was using that name, so they stopped using it. They soon had a “naming party” and came up with “Cosmic Corn Cob & His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils” but decided to shorten the name…and none of the band wanted to be called Cosmic Corn Cob.
The song was written by bandmates Steve Cash and Larry Lee. The song was inspired by someone they had met in L. A. that was strung out on drugs. It was a guy who partied way too much…when they recorded the song, they changed Jackie to a girl.
This song was off of their It’ll Shine When It Shines album released in 1974. The song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100, #2 in Canada, and #9 in New Zealand. It was the biggest hit of their career…they are known most for this song and If You Want To Get To Heaven. After their first two albums, they didn’t have a lot of big hits but retained a good following. They have released 8 studio albums and 6 charting singles…the latest album was released in 2018 called Off The Beaten Path.
Bassist Mike ‘Supe’ Granda: “[Ozarks drummer] Larry Lee brought the song to us. He said he wrote it about a guy we knew. Every night, this guy would go out to the nightclub with a wad of money and a pocket full of blow and he’d be out there chasing women. “So we played this song for about a year. After we recorded the song we went to LA to mix it, and A&M said: ‘You’ve recorded a number one song, but Jackie needs to be a girl.’ So Larry took Steve Cash, our lyricist, into the other room, and three or four hours later they came out and Jackie was a girl. Larry laid his vocals down, and it flipped all of us out. “We’d been hearing this song about a guy for a year-and-a-half, and all of a sudden it was about a girl. But it sounded great.”
Jackie Blue
Ooh, Jackie Blue Lives her life from inside of her room Hides a smile when she’s wearin’ a frown Ooh, Jackie you’re not so down
You like your life in a free-form style You’ll take an inch but you’d love a mile There never seems to be quite enough Floating around to fill your lovin’ cup
Ooh, Jackie Blue What’s a game girl, if you never lose? Ask a winner and you’ll probably find Ooh, Jackie they’ve lost at sometime
Don’t try to tell me that you’re not aware Of what you’re doing and that you don’t care You say it’s easy, just a natural thing Like playing music, but you never sing
Ooh, Jackie Blue Making wishes that never come true Going places that you’ve never been Ooh, Jackie Blue, you’re going again
Ooh, Jackie Blue Lives a dream that can never come true Making love is like sifting through sand Ooh, Jackie, it slips through your hand
Every day, in your indigo eyes I watch the sunset but I don’t see it rise Moonlight and stars in your strawberry wine You’d take the world but you won’t take the time
Ooh-hoo-hoo, Jackie Blue Lives her life from inside of a room Makes you think that her life is a drag Ooh Jackie, what fun you have had
My friend and I discovered his father’s Buffalo Springfield’s greatest hits album in the early eighties. I grew to be a fan then and there, before I knew about Stills, Young, and the rest. Broken Arrow was my favorite song but Mr. Soul, For What It’s Worth, and this one we could not get enough of.
This song was Buffalo Springfield’s first single and the breakout for both Stephen Stills and Neil Young – although it wasn’t supposed to be. Originally the song Go and Say Goodbye by Stephen Stills on the A-side and Young’s Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing on the B-side, before their producers caved to pressure from distributors and flipped the sides.
Richie Furay sings the lead on this song after hearing Young play it earlier. Furay had songs he wanted to include on the album. His songs got lost in the shuffle with the Stills and Young and the developing rivalry between the two.
It wasn’t a smash by any means, but it charted at #110 in the Billboard 100 and #75 in Canada in 1966… so it got some airplay and was a regional success in California. Their album Buffalo Springfield peaked at #80 in the Billboard Album charts in 1967.
In Los Angeles, California’s WKHJ was the first radio station to play the song. Buffalo Springfield’s management arranged this feat by giving the station advanced tapes of “A Day In The Life” by the Beatles, which gave them the chance to break the song ahead of anyone else.
Neil Young wrote this song, which is partially based on one of his real-life schoolmates. Ross “Clancy” Smith attended Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Canada, with Young.
Neil Young:“He was a kind of persecuted member of the community. He used to be able to do something, sing or something, and then he wasn’t able to do it anymore. The fact was that all the other problems or things that were seemingly important didn’t mean anything anymore because he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.”
The Carpenters did a version on their album Ticket To Ride in 1969.
From Songfacts
Further stress on the band’s debut was brought about by frustration with their producers. Though the legendary Ahmet Ertegun was their mentor, they’d been hooked up through the management team of Charlie Greene and Brian Stone, who were clearly out of their depth. Greene and Stone named themselves Buffalo Springfield’s producers and had them signed not to Atlantic proper or even their subsidiary Atco, but to their own York/Pala Records label, giving them a bigger slice of the profit pie than they otherwise would have been entitled to. As drummer Bruce Palmer is quoted in Neil Young: Long May You Run: The Illustrated History, “They were the sleaziest, most underhanded, backstabbing motherf–kers in the business! They were the best!”
Also from that book: “What hurt the album more than anything, though, was Greene and Stone’s production. Despite the Springfield’s strength as a live act, the managers forced each musician to record separately, piecing the parts together. Worse, after the band participated in the mono mix, Greene and Stone quickly converted the album to stereo, resulting in a tinny mix that outrages the group to this day. Young commented that Greene and Stone made them sound like the All-Insect Orchestra.”
In the same book, classmate Diana Halter says Clancy had multiple sclerosis, and was “so intelligent and so bright that he masked the sweet soul beneath it all.”
All accounts taken together, it’s hard to put an exact picture together of what made Clancy such a standout figure, but all agree he was exactly that.
Though Clancy was an inspiring figure in the song, “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing” is about Young as much as it about Clancy. He wrote it in 1965 after having a terrible time in Toronto, where his attempts to get things going as a professional musician totally flopped. The rejection he experienced there was so complete (“humbling,” as he called it) that it sent him into a fit of introspective, frustrated songwriting. Out of this pain began to emerge the songwriting style on which Young would build his legend. The pinnacle of those songs, many of which were only recorded on demos or not recorded at all, was “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing.”
Released on Buffalo Springfield’s eponymous debut album, the song peaked at #110, which wasn’t very good at that time. Unlike the modern era when there are so many bands and expectations are a bit more muted, back then a major-label act, even a new one, was expected to at least break into the top 100 to be considered commercially viable. The song was popular in the Los Angeles area, however, which was the nexus of hippie counterculture.
Young first recorded this song on a January 1966 demo for Elektra Records (Elektra rejected the demos). It can be heard on the 2009 release of The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972.
There’s a live solo recording of the song on Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968.
The psychedelic band Fever Tree recorded the song in 1968 on their self-titled debut album.
Furay got an early preview of this song from Young himself when the Canadian visited Furay’s New York City apartment. He was auditioning to be house performer at a nightclub called the The Bitter End and played it there. Some of the auditions were recorded but haven’t been released anywhere.
The Clancy Brothers inspired the musical form in this song, with its Irish-styled 2/4 rhythm verses and 3/4 rhythm choruses.
Many journalists and historians have noted this song as Young’s artistic breakthrough, the one that helped him find the niche that would give him the kind of appeal that endured over 50 years later.
Who’s coming home on old 95?
Einarson in Don’t Be Denied posits that this line might refer to a trip that Young took home to Winnipeg in the fall of ’65, suggesting that the train was numbered 95.
Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing
Hey who’s that stomping all over my face? Where’s that silhouette I’m trying to trace? Who’s putting sponge in the bells I once rung? And taking my gypsy before she’s begun? To singing the meaning of what’s in my mind Before I can take home what’s rightfully mine Joinin’ and listenin’ and talkin’ in rhymes Stoppin’ the feeling to wait for the times Who’s saying baby that don’t mean a thing ‘Cause nowadays Clancy can’t even sing
And who’s all hung-up on that happiness thing? Who’s trying to tune all the bells that he rings? And who’s in the corner and down on the floor? With pencil and paper just counting the score? And who’s trying to act like he just in between? The night isn’t black, it can only be screened Don’t bother looking you’re too blind to see Who’s coming on like he wanted to be Who’s saying baby, that don’t mean a thing ‘Cause nowadays Clancy can’t even sing
And who’s coming home on the old ninety five? Who’s got the feeling to keep him alive Though havin’ it, sharin’ it ain’t quite the same It ain’t no gold nugget you can’t lay a claim Who’s seeing eyes through the crack in the floor There it is baby don’t you worry no more Who should be sleepin’ but is writing this song Wishin’ and a-hopin’ he weren’t so damned wrong Who’s saying baby, that don’t mean a thing ‘Cause nowadays Clancy can’t even sing Who’s saying baby that don’t mean a thing ‘Cause nowadays Clancy can’t even sing
Being a fan of bands like this is like being in a secret club. When you do find a person who knows Big Star, The Velvet Underground, or any other band like that…you usually have found a friend.
In the 80s a buddy of mine had some Velvet Underground albums (same one with Big Star albums) and I loved what I heard. After I started to know some of their songs, I wanted to talk to other people about them…most people I talked to never knew who I was talking about. Lou Reed they knew but not this band. That is when I learned what a cult band was…after being introduced to Big Star and Velvet Underground by the same person…I’ll never be able to thank him enough.
This song was on their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico it was released in 1967. Lou Reed wrote There She Goes Again. The lyrics to this song must have sounded outrageous to the listeners in 1967. The album only charted at #129 in the Billboard 100 and that would be the best charting LP of all of their 5 original albums.
Their compilation album VU did peak at #85 in 1985.
The band got its name from the 1963 paperback book of the same title. Cover quote on the book: “Here is an incredible book. It will shock and amaze you. But as a documentary on the sexual corruption of our age, it is a must for every thinking adult.”
It came with an introduction by Louis Berg, M.D. Cover price: sixty cents. Lou Reed called it “the funniest dirty book he’d ever read.
From Songfacts
“There She Goes Again” is the 8th track from the Velvet Underground’s debut album, reaching up the Billboard Hot 100 charts at… oh, wait, the Velvet Underground never charted. However as Velvet Underground songs go, this one is perhaps the most mainstream-sounding.
The lyrics more than make up for the ear-friendly notes, however, when you realize that this song is about a woman falling into prostitution. And in fact it does so with gritty references to being on her knees and walking the streets – maybe not so shocking today, but monocle-popping in 1967.
On December 11, 1965, the Velvets appeared at the Summit High School Auditorium for one of their first paid gigs, alongside two other bands since long forgotten. Their set began with this song, then went to “Venus In Furs,” and finished with “Heroin.” At a high school. Sterling Morrison later recounted in a 1983 interview that a “murmur of surprise” changed to “a roar of disbelief” and then to “a mighty howl of outrage and bewilderment” over the course of their three-song set.
Musically, this song does borrow from Marvin Gaye’s “Hitch Hike” – give it a listen. It’s even more obvious of an influence if you listen to the Rolling Stones cover on the Out of Our Heads album – there’s the guitar riff and the pronounced stops.
That album cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico – have you ever thought about how, if you peel off the sticker, the revealed banana is pink? Isn’t that an… interesting color choice for a… peeled banana? It’s almost like Andy Warhol was trying to convey some subtle Freudian signal to us. Pink banana.
There She Goes Again
There she goes again (There she goes again) She’s out on the streets again (There she goes again) She’s down on her knees, my friend (There she goes again) But you know she’ll never ask you please again (There she goes again)
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes She won’t take it from just any guy, what can you do (There she goes again) You see her walkin’ on down the street (There she goes again) Look at all your friends she’s gonna meet (There she goes again) You better hit her
There she goes again (There she goes) She’s knocked out on her feet again (There she goes) She’s down on her knees, my friend (There she goes) But you know she’ll never ask you please again (There she goes)
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes Like a bird, you know she would fly, what can you do (There she goes) You see her walkin’ on down the street (There she goes) Look at all your friends that she’s gonna meet (There she goes) You better hit her
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes Like a bird, you know she will fly, fly, fly away (Fly, fly, fly) See her walking on down the street Look at all your friends that she’s gonna meet
She’s gonna bawl and shout, she’s gonna work it She’s gonna work it out, bye bye Bye by by by by by bye baby She’s all right
This wasn’t released in the prime years of Badfinger. Pete Ham was gone by this point but this is one new Badfinger song that I heard on radio at the time. I liked it so much that I bought the album Airwaves.
I posted another Airwaves song not long with a song called Lost Inside Your Love that came off of the Airwaves album. This song was a minor hit and peaked at #69 in 1979. It’s a nice power pop song that Joey Molland wrote.
Following the “hold placed (by the record company) on the last Badfinger album, Head First, and the suicide of group co-founder Pete Ham in 1975, Badfinger disbanded, and the remaining members joined various other groups or dropped out of music for the next two years.
This was a comeback album for the band trying to make it back without their main songwriter Pete Ham.
Rick Springfield just covered the song with Joey Molland that was released on an album which Joey worked with different artists such as Todd Rundgren, Springfield, Rick Wakeman, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Sonny Landreth, Vanilla Fudge and more for a Badfinger cover album called Badfinger No Matter What: Recovering the Hits.
Love Is Gonna Come At Last
There are times when it feels so hard just to carry on There are times when the days all seem to be so long Then this feeling inside of me sets me free from the past
And I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last Yes, I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last
Been alone in a crowded room, watched it all go on I’ve had so many sleepless nights when I dreamed alone Then a break in the clouds above feels like love shining down
And I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come around Yes, I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come around
I live for tomorrow, what it may bring I live through the sorrow Live in my dreams, in my dreams
This feeling inside of me sets me free from the past And someday I’ll find a way to make my dreams come true
‘Cause I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last Yes, I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last Yes, I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last Yes, I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last Yes, I know that when I’m ready, love is gonna come at last
I’ve seen the Stones twice…once in 1997 and another time in 2006. If they would not have played Satisfaction it would not have bothered me in the least. Don’t get me wrong….it’s a great song…an iconic song but they could have subbed Happy or All Down The Line and I would have been happy. That is the way I felt at the time…but looking at it now…yea they are identified with this song. You probably could call it their signature song. This song made them international stars.
On May 6, 1965, The Rolling Stones played to about 3,000 people at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Florida while on their first US tour. That night, Keith Richards woke up in his hotel room with the guitar riff and lyric “Can’t get no satisfaction” in his head. He recorded it on a portable tape deck, went back to sleep, and brought it to the studio that week. The tape contained his guitar riff followed by the sounds of him snoring…no he doesn’t still have the tape.
The guitar riff is similar to Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street.” Richards thought that is where he got the idea, and was worried that it was too similar.
Mick Jagger wrote all the lyrics except the line “Can’t get no satisfaction.” The lyrics deal with what Jagger saw as the two sides of America, the real and phony. He sang about a man looking for authenticity but not being able to find it. Jagger experienced the vast commercialism of America in a big way on their tours, and later learned to exploit it, as The Rolling Stones made truckloads of money through sponsorships and merchandising in the US.
The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, The Uk…but…Canada was the rebel of the bunch…it peaked at #3 there.
Keith Richards about the Fuzzbox:“It was the first one Gibson made. I was screaming for more distortion: This riff’s really gotta hang hard and long, and we burnt the amps up and turned the s–t up, and it still wasn’t right. And then Ian Stewart went around the corner to Eli Wallach’s Music City or something and came around with a distortion box. Try this. It was as off-hand as that. It was just from nowhere. I never got into the thing after that, either. It had a very limited use, but it was just the right time for that song.”
Mick Jagger: “It sounded like a folk song when we first started working on it and Keith didn’t like it much, he didn’t want it to be a single, he didn’t think it would do very well. I think Keith thought it was a bit basic. I don’t think he really listened to it properly. He was too close to it and just felt it was a silly kind of riff.”
Mick Jagger:“People get very blasé about their big hit. It was the song that really made The Rolling Stones, changed us from just another band into a huge, monster band. You always need one song. We weren’t American, and America was a big thing and we always wanted to make it here. It was very impressive the way that song and the popularity of the band became a worldwide thing. It’s a signature tune, really, rather than a great, classic painting, ’cause it’s only like one thing – a kind of signature that everyone knows. It has a very catchy title. It has a very catchy guitar riff. It has a great guitar sound, which was original at that time. And it captures a spirit of the times, which is very important in those kinds of songs… Which was alienation. Or it’s a bit more than that, maybe, but a kind of sexual alienation. Alienation’s not quite the right word, but it’s one word that would do.”
From Songfacts
Richards was staying at the Fort Harrison Hotel (known at the time as the Jack Tar Harrison Hotel) when he rolled out of bed with the idea for this song. The hotel still exists. In 1975, it was bought by the Church of Scientology and frequently hosts religious retreats.
This was released in the United States on June 6, 1965, just a month after Keith Richards woke up with the guitar riff in his head. In the UK, it wasn’t issued until August 20, since The Stones did not want to release it in England until they were there to support it. While they were touring in America, they became very popular in England, so they kept recording singles in the States to keep their momentum until they could return for a tour.
Richards ran his guitar through a Gibson Fuzz Box to create the distortion effect. He had no intention of using the sound on the record, but Gibson had just sent him the device, and he thought the Fuzz Box would create sustained notes to help sketch out the horn section. The band thought it sounded great and wanted to use the sound because it would be very unusual for a rock record. Richards thought it sounded gimmicky and did not like the result, but the rest of the band convinced him to ditch the horn section and use the distorted guitar sound.
There is some debate as to whether this is the first use of fuzz guitar in a rock song. Shiloh Noone sheds some light on the subject in his book Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear: “Anne Margaret does have one claim to fame that embarrassingly whitewashes the rock generation, namely her studio recording of ‘I Just Don’t Understand’ which boasts the first fuzz guitar applied to wax, courtesy of Billy Strange, a one time member of Phil Spector’s session crew who later hit the charts with an instrumental version of Monty Norman’s ‘James Bond theme.’ ‘I Just Don’t Understand’ was later launched as a single by Freddie & The Dreamers and also played live by the Beatles at the Cavern. Billy Strange repeated his fuzz on ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah’ (Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans). So what’s the buzz about fuzz? Well it did launch the early stages of psychedelia and boost its prime exponents The Ventures, specifically their 1962 single ‘2.000lb Bee.’ Sure-fisted Keith Richards claims he revolutionized the fuzz on the ripping ‘Satisfaction’ while utilizing his new fuzz box, yet Big Jim Sullivan used it previously on P.J. Proby’s ‘Hold Me.’ Billy Strange exalted the riff that Link Wray had already laid claim to three year previous, so what’s the fuzz?”
The Stones performed this on their third Ed Sullivan Show appearance, which took place February 13, 1966. The line, “Trying to make some girl,” was bleeped out by Sullivan’s censors, as it was a family show. Sullivan was perhaps the only host that could get away with this, as he helped launch the band in America. On their fifth appearance, Jagger agreed to sing “Let’s Spend The Night Together” as “Let’s Spend Some Time Together.”
This was included on the US version of the Out Of Our Heads album, but not the British. Putting singles on albums was considered ripping people off in England.
The stereo mix has electric instruments on one channel and acoustics on the other.
Jack Nitzsche worked with The Stones on this, playing piano and helping produce it. He also played the tambourine part because he thought Jagger’s attempt lacked soul. Nitzsche was a successful producer who worked on many early hits for the Stones, including “Get Off My Cloud” and “Paint It, Black.” He died in 2000 at age 63.
Otis Redding recorded this in 1966 at the behest of Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones, who were part of his backing band at Stax Records. Otis hadn’t heard the song, and he didn’t like it, so he did a radically different version of the song, using horns and changing many of the words. Using horns was what Keith Richards originally had in mind for the song, and he lauded Redding’s take. His version was one of the first British songs covered by a black artist; usually it was the other way around.
The final take was recorded just five days after Richards first came up with the idea. Three weeks later, it was released as a single in the US. An instant hit, it made The Stones stars in America; it helped that they were already touring the US to support it.
There is a song by Chuck Berry called “Thirty Days” with the line “I can’t get no satisfaction from the judge.” Richards is a huge Chuck Berry fan and it is possible that this is where he got the idea for the title.
This was featured in the 1984 film Starman, starring Jeff Bridges. The movie is set on a deep space probe in the ’70s. >>
Sesame Street did a version called “(I Can’t Get No) Cooperation,” which is about a kid at school having trouble to finding someone to play jump rope or ride the seesaw.
Some of the artists who have covered this include Britney Spears and Devo. Another unusual cover was by The Residents, whose version is much more intense, with distorted, raging vocals, and a heavy guitar solo courteously of Phil “Snakefinger” Lithman.
The Stones don’t own the publishing rights to this song. In 1965, they signed a deal with an American lawyer named Allen Klein and let him make some creative accounting maneuvers to avoid steep British taxes. He ended up controlling most of their money, and in order to get out of their contract, The Stones signed over the publishing rights to all the songs they wrote up to 1969. Klein, who died in 2009, still had to pay royalties to the songwriters, but controlled how the songs were used.
Richards says he never plays this on stage the same way twice.
In 2006, The Rolling Stones played this at halftime of Superbowl XL.
The phrase, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” is grammatically incorrect. It’s a double negative and really means, “I Can Get Satisfaction.”
Keith Richards used his fuzzbox, but he also played clean guitar during the song, with Brian Jones strumming an acoustic throughout. This meant Keith had to switch between his two tones during the song, as multiple tracks were sparse back then and overdubs rare. If you listen to the song at :36 you will hear Keith switching on his fuzz with an audible click, just between Jagger’s “get” and “no.” At about 1:35, Keith is stomping his fuzz too late, slightly missing his cue, ending up playing the riff a little behind. At his next cue (2:33) he probably wants to be sure that his fuzz is on, so you can hear a short but audible fuzz note (accidentally?) played before the actual riff and slightly before Jagger’s “I can’t get.”
Despite the dig at TV advertising in this song (“When I’m watchin’ my TV, and that man comes on to tell me how white my shirts can be…”), Snickers wanted it badly for their “Snickers Satisfies” campaign, and got it for a price of $4 million, according to Allen Klein of the song’s publishing company, ABKCO. Klein said $2.8 million of that went to Jagger and Richards as writers of the song.
Further, Snickers didn’t even get the original song for their money. The commercial, which aired in 1991 used a version performed by studio musicians.
The song spent four weeks at #1 in America before getting knocked off by Herman’s Hermits “I’m Henry The VIII, I Am.” In the UK, it spent two weeks at #1, knocked off by The Walker Brothers “Make It Easy on Yourself.”
The Stones debuted “Satisfaction” on the ABC variety show Shindig! May 20, 1965, a few weeks before it was released in America. Months earlier, they had a UK #1 with “Little Red Rooster,” a song originally recorded by Howlin’ Wolf, an American bluesman who wasn’t well known in his home country. The Stones insisted that Wolf appear on the show, and they helped introduce his performance of How Many More Years.
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
I can’t get no satisfaction, I can’t get no satisfaction ‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m drivin’ in my car, and the man come on the radio He’s tellin’ me more and more about some useless information Supposed to fire my imagination
I can’t get no, oh, no, no, no, hey, hey, hey That’s what I say I can’t get no satisfaction, I can’t get no satisfaction ‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m watchin’ my TV and a man comes on and tells me How white my shirts can be But, he can’t be a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke The same cigarettes as me
I can’t get no, oh, no, no, no, hey, hey, hey That’s what I say I can’t get no satisfaction, I can’t get no girl reaction ‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try I can’t get no, I can’t get no
When I’m ridin’ ’round the world And I’m doin’ this and I’m signin’ that And I’m tryin’ to make some girl, who tells me Baby, better come back maybe next week Can’t you see I’m on a losing streak? I can’t get no, oh, no, no, no, hey, hey, hey That’s what I say, I can’t get no, I can’t get no I can’t get no satisfaction, no satisfaction No satisfaction, no satisfaction I can’t get no
I’m very happy to have Colin Jackson and Paul Fitzpatrick from Once Upon A Time In The 70’s guest host my blog today and reproduce a great post. As many of you know two of my favorite rock stars are Keith Moon and Keith Richards. What an experience this had to be! Without further ado…
Colin Jackson and Paul Fitzpatrick grew up in Bearsden, a northern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. They were school friends from the age of five until in 1974, aged sixteen, Paul left school to starta career working with fashion and sportswear brands.Their paths would not cross again for forty-four years, during which time Colin pursued a career in Banking.
With Paul in London and Colin in Glasgow they re-connected in 2020 when they both became active on their old secondary school’s Facebook page, instigating discussion and memories of their time at Bearsden Academy in the early to mid ’70s.
It became apparent pretty quickly that they enjoyed revisitingthose halcyon daysand after a quick catch up, they agreed that most people of a certain age, would have stories to share of growing up and living through the late 1960s and ’70s.
Inspired by the recent Apollo posts I’ve decided to share some of my own gig memories.
On 12th of May 1976, myself and my friend Peter attended The Rolling Stones concert at The Glasgow Apollo.
I don’t remember too much about the gig but apparently, it wasn’t their best as it was beset by sound problems all night.
It’s what happened after the gig that is etched on my mind, however.
As we were leaving there was an altercation on the street right outside the main doors. Peter and I decided to cut along Renfield Lane to avoid whatever was happening. Just as we got to the side door it burst open and a figure hurtled out, slipped on the cobbles and crashed to the ground. I reached down to help him to his feet.
‘Scrag-dab Groog Slubdabahoo!’ spluttered the man and I suddenly realized that the skinny figure I was propping up was a totally wasted Keith Richards! Almost immediately a black limo screeched to a halt in front of us and a very large man jumped out, removed KR from my arms, opened the back door and threw him onto the back seat! He grunted ‘Thanks man’ jumped into the car and sped off! The entire incident lasted about 40 seconds!
Peter and I just stared open-mouthed at each other and then burst out laughing!
A few weeks later, on 5th June 1976, I was very fortunate to be asked to be part of the security team at ‘The Who Put The Boot In’ all-day gig at Celtic Park.
My brother was friendly with a guy (MR) who booked all the bands for Glasgow Tech and he was asked to provide some bodies for the day. MR was very well known in the UK music industry and even had Pans People at his 22nd birthday party at the old Albany Hotel, where I danced with my long-time crush, the gorgeous Cherry Gillespie……but I digress.
My brother and I and 4 other friends duly turned up at Celtic Park at 8.00am and along with 60 other ‘security’ guards were given a briefing on our duties for the day. We were issued with our yellow ‘Harvey Goldsmith’ security jackets and split up into teams of six. We were then taken on a tour of the ground’s fire exits, toilets, catering, and first aid points. We were also shown the No Access areas and told that in no uncertain terms that the large, bulky figures sporting the blue ‘Rock Steady’ jackets were the REAL security and we were to assist them whenever asked to!
Our team of six was then told to report to the front of the stadium where the crowds had been gathering for the last few hours. We were to assist the Police confiscating the fans’ alcohol before they entered the stadium! ‘Either drink it where you stand or give it to us!’ We had to open and empty the beer cans and smash the glass bottles into large brick bins. The smell of alcohol was eye-watering! People were attempting to consume their entire kerryoot there and then! Especially the ones at the back of the huge queues as the word quickly spread.
I watched a skinny wee guy down a bottle of vodka in the five minutes it took him to get to the turnstile! I doubt if he saw much of the day’s entertainment!
Though I imagine quite a lot (hunners) of half and quarter bottles of alcohol were missed by our untrained searches and smuggled into the stadium. (I’m also sure quite a few made it into Yella Jaikets’ zipped pokits!) After about 2 hours of confiscating booze, I was partnered with an older guy and sent to guard the pylon on the right side of the stage.
We were there to prevent anybody trying to climb up it, but as you couldn’t see the stage from there, nobody did! After a boring half-hour, my partner announced that he was ‘Offski’ ‘F#€K This’ were his exact words. I later found out that he was ejected for drinking. I lasted another 15 minutes then abandoned my post and decided to have a wander backstage. Little Feat were on stage and I was enjoying Lowell George’s superb slide guitar work.
Little Feat’s Lowell George
I was talking to a long haired denim clad guy next to me who turned out to be the bass player (Frank O’Keefe… I had to google him) of The Outlaws who had already played their set.
The Outlaws, Frank O’Keefe second from right
A man approached us and said to Frank ‘Excuse me, this is Alan Longmuir of The Bay City Rollers….’Alan also plays bass’ Frank stared right through him, shrugged a ‘So what?’ and returned to talking to me! I felt really sorry for Alan Longmuir.
A Rock Steady Security Guy shouted ‘Right you! Follow me!’ So I did.
I followed him down a back staircase and emerged outside in a courtyard.
A few weeks before the gig a Sunday newspaper ran a competition to win a gig ticket and the chance to meet Keith Moon and help him smash up a replica of the organ used in Rock Opera, Tommy!
There stood Keith Moon dressed in a leather bikers jacket with tasseled sleeves and brandishing a sledgehammer!
Keith Moon
After posing for press photographs, cackling Keith dealt the first mighty blow to the poor keyboard sending black and white keys flying in all directions! Then he handed his sledgehammer to me and said ‘Your turn’ The competition winner and I then set about the helpless instrument with glee! After 15 minutes our ‘Appetite for Destruction’ waned and we put down our weapons. Keith reappeared and invited us onto The Who’s tour bus for a drink. We were greeted by a stunning 6′ 2″ woman dressed in a black leather basque, fishnet stockings and thigh length leather boots with 4″ stiletto heels! Oh and she was carrying a whip! The bus had been converted into a fully functioning bar with beer pumps, spirit optics and high stools! We took our seats and Miss Whiplash served our drinks. I had an ice cold beer (very welcome after our exertions) and a Jack & Coke. I did feel a pang of guilt for all the poor sods that had had their carry outs destroyed earlier…but not for long.
Keith was laughing and talking nonstop and it was obvious that he was already quite drunk and had probably partaken of other various substances. It was around 4pm and The Who weren’t due on stage for at least another 5 hours!
Keith offered us a second round but I declined and said I’d better, very reluctantly, get back to work. The competition winner (we never did introduce ourselves) left the bus with me. We were both still on a high after this amazing encounter with one of the legends of rock!
I returned backstage and watched SAHB’s amazing set. Nobody questioned why I was there and I had a brilliant view! The crowd went wild at Alex Harvey’s mad antics and Zal and the rest of the band pounded out song after song!
SAHB’s elaborate Vambo set then had to be dismantled and The Who’s much-heralded outdoor laser light show (the first in Scotland) was set up.
The crowd was getting a bit restless by the time The Who took the stage about 9.30pm but they played a magnificent set.
However the laser show didn’t really work as intended as it was still pretty light until around 10.30pm. Then the show was over and I met up again with my brother and his pals as we queued up to be paid. The deal was ‘Hand in your Yellow Jacket and get paid £1 per hour cash or keep the jacket and get zero. Now if I’d known then that eBay would exist in the future then I would’ve kept the jacket and sold it now for £500!
However I took my £14.00 handed out by Harvey Goldsmith himself sitting in a little wooden booth.
HG was beaming as he handed over the little bundles of cash obviously calculating the tens of thousands that he’d personally made from the tour!
I can’t even remember how we all got home from that exhausting but exhilarating day!
Now this last story may not be true…..It was told to me by an older guy who regularly attended gigs throughout 70’s
Fun and substance-loving band Dr. Hook were partying hard with their crew and local security at The Central Hotel after their gig at The Apollo.
Dr Hook
One of the band overheard a local guy mentioning ‘Hocken-Shoe-Gal! and in their spaced out, inebriated state the sound of this, strange, mystical place must’ve appealed to them and they decided they must visit, so they enquired how to get there. The local guy suggested a taxi but the band insisted on traveling ‘like the other pilgrims do’ ‘Then get the No. 64 bus from under the bridge’ They were told, so off they went to Argyle St. and got on the No. 64 bus….
Unfortunately, they boarded it on the wrong side of the road so instead of traveling east to the magical, mystical Auchenshuggle, they headed west through Finnieston, Partick, Whiteinch, Yoker, Clydebank and arrived at the large concrete terminus of Dalmuir West!
The band was very confused and didn’t appreciate these surroundings at all! They clambered back on the bus for the return journey back to the city centre to continue their par-tay! Hahaha
I just had a Ricky Nelson song not long ago…sue me…I’ve been listening to him a lot lately.
“Poor Little Fool” was written by 17-year-old Sharon Sheeley when she was still attending high school in Newport Beach, California. Female songwriters were rare at the time, and when the song climbed to #1 in the US, she became the first woman to compose an American chart-topper on her own.
Sharon Sheeley was engaged to Eddie Cochran and was involved in the car wreck that killed Cochran and injured Gene Vincent. Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis, Vincent broke his ribs and collarbone and added further damage to his already weak leg.
Sheeley later collaborated with Jackie DeShannon on hits for artists like Brenda Lee, and Irma Thomas. Sheeley and DeShannon were the first female writing team to have significant success in the pop realm. She died in 2002 at the age of 62 of complications following a cerebral hemorrhage.
Ricky Nelson didn’t hear hit potential in this song, but his father, the popular bandleader Ozzie Nelson, did. Ozzie convinced Ricky’s label, Imperial Records, to issue it as a single, but Ricky refused to approve a photo for the cover and wouldn’t perform it on the family TV show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ozzie’s instincts were correct. Father knew best in this instance.
Poor Little Fool featured The Jordanaires, who were Elvis Presley’s backing singers. This song peaked at #1 in the Billboard Charts in 1958. This was Ricky’s first number one hit.
Poor Little Fool
I used to play around with hearts that hastened at my call But when I met that little girl I knew that I would fall Poor little fool oh yeah I was a fool uh huh (Uh huh poor little fool I was your fool oh yeah)
She played around and teased me with her carefree devil eyes She’d hold me close and kiss me but her heart was full of lies Poor little fool She told me how she cared for me and that we’d never part
And so for the very first time I gave away my heart Poor little fool The next day she was gone and I knew she’d lied to me She left me with a broken heart and won her victory
Poor little fool Well I’d played this game with other hearts but I never thought I’d see The day that someone else would play love’s foolish game with me Poor little fool
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