Music – Page 23 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Eric Clapton – Blues Power

Eric Clapton took the guitar and blues to new places. He played differently than most players when he started, and then he was widely copied. His guitar playing in Cream was off the hook with intensity. Because of the trio format, he was pushed by his bandmates. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy his solo work. His playing took on a different character, more restrained and refined. He explored new directions and evolved his sound. It wasn’t all about blazing solos anymore; it was about serving the song and embracing a more soulful, laid-back approach.

I first really noticed Eric Clapton when I heard the solo in Crossroads. I stopped and wanted to know more about this guy. I knew his name from Beatles books and the single my sister had called Promises. I rented a Cream video from the video store, and I was hooked. Like Neil Young and David Bowie, Clapton changed and evolved through the years.

He wrote the songs for his debut album in early 1970, and it was released in July of that year. He wrote most of the songs with Bonnie Bramlett, but Blues Power was written by Clapton and Leon Russell. Russell started the song’s first line the way people saw Clapton at the time. It did not chart when released in 1970, but it did chart when Clapton released a live version in 1980, peaking at #76 on the Billboard 100.

Clapton never stayed in any spot too long. He had gone from The Yardbirds, John Mayall, Cream, Blind Faith, and Delaney & Bonnie in a matter of around 7 years. He would soon be the leader of Derek and the Dominos. The Dominos played on this album and were also playing on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass around the same time.

Blues Power

Bet you didn’t think I knew how to rock ‘n’ roll.
Oh, I got the boogie-woogie right down in my very soul.
There ain’t no need for me to be a wallflower,
‘Cause now I’m living on blues power.

I knew all the time but now I’m gonna let you know:
I’m gonna keep on rocking, no matter if it’s fast or slow.
Ain’t gonna stop until the twenty-fifth hour,
‘Cause now I’m living on blues power.

Talking to you, now.
The boogie’s gonna pull me through.
Keep on, keep on, keep on keeping on.
Keep on keeping on, keep on keeping on.

My Top 5 Big Star Songs

This band is one of the big reasons I started to blog in the first place. To meet more Big Star fans and if I got just one person who didn’t know them to listen… my mission was a success. Want a great documentary? Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

I thought I would list some songs that would be in my top 5 of their catalog. So maybe one of you reading this will take a listen. Here are Graham’s top 10 Big Star songs on his site. These songs are up there with the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, and Who to me. They didn’t have the quantity those bands had, but they had the quality.

Let’s make it 6. My bonus pick is:

BONUS: In The Street – I would say, hands down, the most known song by them besides September Gurls because it was the theme of That Seventies Show. Cheap Trick covered it and someone else for the intro…I wish they had used the original version.

5: Life Is White – Love this driving song by Big Star. It was on Radio City, their second album. Some say it is a response to the Chris Bell song off the first album called My Life Is Right…or a message to his girlfriend Diane (Don’t like to see your face Don’t like to hear you talk at all) that he was splitting with at the time.

4: When My Baby’s Beside Me: Great riff by Alex Chilton and full of the hooks that Big Star is known for. This song was the A-side to In The Street released in 1972. Both songs are on Big Star’s album #1 Record.

3: September Gurls: If Big Star had been heard, this would have been a top-ten hit or at least top 20. It was one of the best pop songs that didn’t chart. September Gurls was rated #180 by Rolling Stone in the magazine’s top 500 songs of all time.

Released as a single, it did not chart despite receiving excellent reviews, due mainly to poor marketing and distribution. It was on their second studio album Radio City. The song was later covered by The Bangles on their album Different Light.

2: Thirteen – This song is an absolutely perfect song about adolescence. I played it to my then 14-year-old son, and it made him a Big Star fan, now 10 years later. This song is the most covered song by Big Star, with 49 different covers. It’s almost a perfect acoustic song. The song is about an adolescent guy and his girlfriend who are rock fans, being what 13-14-year-olds are…confused and lost.

1: The Ballad of El Goodo – There are some songs that I hear, and I think…damn I wish I would have written this. This is one of those songs. To me, it’s a perfect song and represents everything I like. The way they transitioned into the chorus is magical to me. It comes very close to being my favorite song of all time.

The Ballad of El Goodo

Years ago, my heart was set to live, oh
And I’ve been trying hard against unbelievable odds
It gets so hard in times like now to hold on
But guns they wait to be stuck by, at my side is God

And there ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round

There’s people around who tell you that they know
And places where they send you, and it’s easy to go
They’ll zip you up and dress you down and stand you in a row
But you know you don’t have to, you could just say no

And there ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round

I’ve been built up and trusted
Broke down and busted
But they’ll get theirs and we’ll get ours if you can
Just-a hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

Years ago, my heart was set to live, oh
Though I’ve been trying hard against strong odds
It gets so hard in times like now to hold on
Well, I’ll fall if I don’t fight, and at my side is God

And there ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round
Ain’t no one going to turn me ’round

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

Hail! Hail! Rock ‘N’ Roll

This is one of the best rock and roll documentaries that’s out there. A great documentary and probably the best that Chuck has ever sounded. He had a hell of a band behind him, and his songs did the heavy lifting. Pure poetry-driven songs about life with a huge backbeat. The band was incredible… Keith Richards, Robert Cray, the great Johnnie Johnson (Chuck’s original piano player), Steve Jordan, Bobby Keys, Chuck Leavell, and Eric Clapton are guests on a few songs. More than Chuck or the band… It’s a great showcase for those wonderful songs Chuck wrote for all of us.

This documentary starts off in 1986 with Chuck Berry reminiscing about the Cosmopolitan Club, where he played in the earlier days. The film centers around Chuck Berry’s 60th birthday and Keith Richards assembling an All-Star Band to support Chuck in concert. Chuck had been touring since the 60s by traveling from town to town and playing with any pickup band he found. All he brought was his guitar. He would get paid with cash in a paper bag in many places. That was his motivation more than playing with a good band. Chuck could be very sloppy playing live, but he did keep that great feel.

Chuck could also be difficult, to say the least. Keith was determined that Chuck was going to be backed by a great band for this concert… Chuck was Keith’s idol, but Chuck seemed to want to give Keith as much trouble as possible. Richards says in the documentary that Chuck was the only man who hit him that he didn’t hit back. During the rehearsals for the song “Carol”, you can feel the tension in the air between the two.

Seeing Keith’s reaction to Chuck at times is worth the price of admission, and I’m glad Keith was persistent and patient and got this done. It’s great footage of Chuck playing his classics. The concert at the Fox Theatre ended up a success. Chuck sounded great, and so did the band. I will be forever grateful they did this show, and we get to see Chuck Berry at his best.

During the documentary, there are some great comments by Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Dixon, and more. Some of the artists that came on and sang were Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, and Julian Lennon. Chuck was a complicated man, but he was a poet as well. I can’t recommend this documentary enough. If you are a music fan you should like it. Chuck Berry may have influenced Rock and Roll more than anyone else.

My favorite story is from Bruce Springsteen. Bruce and the E Street Band volunteered to back up Chuck Berry for a show in the early seventies. Being Chuck’s temporary pickup band must have been nerve-wracking for musicians. Chuck didn’t tell them what songs he was playing or what key…this is Bruce’s quote “About five minutes before the show was timed to start, the back door opens and he comes in. He’s by himself. He’s got a guitar case, and that was it, I said ‘Chuck, what songs are we going to do?’ He says, ‘Well, we’re going to do some Chuck Berry songs.’ That was all he said!”

Below is the video. it’s not extremely clear but watchable.

Blue Northern – Can’t Make No Sense

The reason I enjoy the weekends so much on the blog is that I try to post new/old music that I like, which isn’t the most well-known. I go out searching for more music I missed real time. If I had heard of Blue Northern in the early 1980s, I would have bought them. The young Max would have connected with these guys, but better late than never.

This band sounds like the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and some power-pop mixed together. The songs are likable at first listen. They did have some success in Canada in the early eighties, and they recently re-released their first album under the name Tango!.

I couldn’t decide on which song to pick, so I just flipped a coin and picked one, but I’m featuring both. They were a country rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They were together between 1977 and 1983. I found this band by following Billy Cowsill around and his different bands.

The band started out with Gary Comeau, Lee Stephens, Brady Gustafson, and Jimmy Wilson. They were later joined by guitarist Ray O’Toole and Billy Cowsill. Can’t Make No Sense was written by Ray O’Toole. He also wrote Too Late To Turn Back Now.

They only released one album…Blue Northern in 1980 and an EP called Blue in 1979. Both of these songs were on the Blue Northern album, and both were singles. Too Late To Turn Back peaked at #15 on the RPM Cancon singles charts, and Can’t Make No Sense peaked at #25 on the RPM Cancon singles charts in 1980-1981.

Can’t Make No Sense

You say we must end it, the feeling is gone
There just ain’t no reason to carry on
I say we should try it a day or two
And I can’t make no sense out of loving you

Wedding bells were ringing in my head
I could not hear what people might have said
You see we have different points of view
And I can’t make no sense out of loving you

You say you must break my heart
And I will understand
The hurt will go away so soon
Like castles in the sand
And it’s crazy crazy crazy what I’ll do
And I can’t make no sense out of loving you

You say you must leave me now
Closing all the doors
Does he mean that much to you
You can’t see me no more
And it’s crazy crazy crazy what I’ll do
And I can’t make no sense out of loving you

No no I said, I can’t make no sense out of loving you
I, I, I can’t make no sense out of loving you

____________________________

Too Late To Turn Back Down

Well your name’s all over town
Since you’ve been laying your favors round
Your reputation is going down down down the drain
I still remember awhile ago
When you had no place to go
Then your smile was just a show
You gave to a friend

Baby it’s too late
Too late to turn back
Well your money’s all gone
Friends are catching on to you

Baby it’s too late
Too late to turn back
You’ve been doing alright
Just fading out of site, baby

Baby it’s too late
Too late to turn back
Well your money’s all gone
Friends are catching on to you

Baby it’s too late
Too late to turn back
You’ve been doing alright now
Fading out of site, baby

Ah you’ve been doing alright
Been fading out of site, baby
Oh you’ve been doing alright
You’re fading out of site, baby

…

Band – The Band… album review

In Turntable Talk Dave said: This time around, we’re going Sans Sophomore Slump. We all remember the triumphant debuts to the scene by The Knack, Meat Loaf, the Ramones…but how many recall, let alone listen to ‘But the Little Girls Understand’, ‘Dead Ringer’s or ‘Leave Home’… the follow-ups for them? In other words a great 2nd album by any artist. Many times, that 2nd album is rushed, or the artist used all of their songs for the first album. The example I use is The Knack. It was a great fun first album and a bad second.

Thank you, Dave, for including me in this so I can talk about this great album. There were a few that came to mind while doing this. The Who’s A Quick One, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, Carole King Tapestry, and many more but I decided on this great Americana band that was actually most Canadian. The album is called The Band, and its nickname is The Brown Album. Their first album was Music From Big Pin,k and it was released in 1968. This album was released in 1969.

They recorded this album not in a recording studio but at Sammy Davis’s house in California. They remodeled the adjacent pool house into a recording studio. The Band fashioned a makeshift workshop environment similar to the one at their former home, Big Pink. The album peaked at #2 in Canada, #9 on the Billboard 100, and #25 in the UK.

The album is said to be a concept album about a past America. It’s an album that every rock fan should own. While even novice fans of the group likely know classics like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Up on Cripple Creak,” the record is an amazing listening experience from beginning to end. Robbie Robertson’s lyrics weave fluidly from one song to the next, while the musical accompaniment never disappoints.

Robertson wasn’t just a songwriter. He was more of a director and screenwriter, tailoring roles that played to the strengths of his three leading men. He did have 3 lead singers to work with who could have fronted 3 other bands. They knew each other so well that he could pick who sang what and when. His songwriting process had more in common with films than rock songs. Robertson would go to flea markets and antique stores to purchase screenplays. That’s how he wrote songs…like it was a screenplay.

The man not only was a great storyteller, but many of his songs were mini-movies you could visualize. Who couldn’t imagine the drunkard and his sweetheart defender Bessie betting on horses up on Cripple Creek? Those are not just songs; they are visual pictures sent through music that only Robertson could write. We continue to benefit from his hard work and gift…and always will.

Manuel was the most versatile singer in the Band. He was called the lead singer if someone asked. Manuel took the lead vocals on Across The Great Divide, Rockin’ Chair, and Jawbone, and shared it in King Harvest. Of all the singers, Manuel is overlooked more than the other two. It’s probably because he wasn’t singing lead on the huge “hits” such as The Weight, Up On Cripple Creek, and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. He does sing on one of my favorite Band songs ever…King Harvest (Has Surely Come). I didn’t realize how great a voice he had until I heard him sing Georgia On My Mind.

Levon had that great southern voice that was earthy and soulful. Robertson knew just when to use Levon, and he did strengthen Robertson’s songs. Rick Danko had the most vulnerable voice of all three. I never quite heard a voice like his before or since. The amount of talent they had was staggering. I’m talking about voices here, but I haven’t even mentioned the musical skills of these guys. Garth Hudson, who recently passed, played keyboards like NO other. I mean no other. He made a massive wall of sound in the background that identified them from other bands. His approach to his sound was so unique that it’s not copied much because it has to be in the right musical surroundings. Robertson has said that there was no one like him period.

This album contains some of their best-known and best tracks. Let’s look at some of the tracks. Now, is this as good as Music from Big Pink? I think so and in some ways, I like it more. I think it was their best album when all is said and done. I could yack and yack more…but just listen to the album!

Across The Great Divide, Rag Mama Rag, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Up On Cripple Creek, Whispering Pines, King Harvest (Has Surely Come), When You Are Awake, Jemima Surrender, Rockin’ Chair, Look Out Cleveland, Jawbone, and The Unfaithful Servant.

What a tracklist that is.

…

Al Green – Tired of Being Alone

If I had to give a definition for soul music…I would play this song. Something about Al Green’s voice that is so soothing and exciting at the same time. Green originally wrote the song in 1968 and recorded a version while signed to Hi Records. However, the song was initially not released. Green said: “I was toting my song around in my pocket for days on end, saying, ‘Hey, I got a song.’ Finally, at the end of the session, I said, ‘Well, I still got a song.'”

This song was released in 1971 as the first single from his album Al Green Gets Next to You. It was written by Al Green himself, along with Al Jackson Jr. (the drummer for his band, the Hi Rhythm Section). The song became a huge hit and is considered a classic. It has a blend of soul, gospel, and R&B, which did him well in his career.

This song never gets old, and listening to Al’s voice certainly never gets old. This song peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100 and #36 in Canada. Al Green has had twenty songs in the Billboard top 100, eight top 10 songs, and a #1 with Let’s Stay Together. This song was a turning point in his career. This was his first top-twenty hit. Al Green Gets Next to You peaked at #58 on the Billboard Album Charts.

During a 1979 concert in Cincinnati, he fell 12 feet off a stage and barely missed being seriously injured. Already a Christian, preaching in front of his Memphis congregation most every Sunday morning, Green thanked Jesus and walked away from performing, vowing never to return. “The fall was God’s way of saying I had to hurry up,” Green said a decade ago, smack in the middle of The Gospel Years. “I wasn’t moving toward God fast enough.” He has rarely performed live since then outside of his Church.

Al Green is currently the Pastor at Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis TN.

Tired of Being Alone

I’m so tired of being alone,
I’m so tired of on my own,
Won’t you help me, girl,
Just as soon as you can.
People say that I’ve found a way,
To make you say,
That you love me.
But baby,
You didn’t go for that,
Ha, it’s a natural fact,
That I want to come back,
Show me where it’s at, baby.

I’m so tired of being alone,
I’m so tired of on my own,
Won’t you help me, girl,
Soon as you can.
I guess you know that I, uh,
I love you so,
Even though,
You don’t want me no more,
Hey, hey, hey, hey I’m cryin’ tears,
Through the years,
I tell you like it is,
Honey, love me if you can.

Ya baby,
Tired of being alone here by myself, now
I tell ya, I’m tired baby,
I’m tired of being all wrapped up late at night,
In my dreams, nobody but you, baby.
Sometimes I wonder,
If you love me like you say you do,
You see baby, I, I, I, I’ve been thinking about you,
I’ve been wanting to get next to you, baby,
Sometimes I hold my arms and I say,
Oh baby, yeah, needing you has proven to me,
To be my greatest dream, yeah

Awh!

I’m so tired of being alone,
I’m so tired of on my own,
Sometimes late at night I get to wonderin’ about you baby,
Baby, baby, ya ya, baby you’re my heart’s desire

Cowsills – Cocaine Drain

This is a band I never really thought about posting, although they had some huge hits in the ’60s. This is NOT what I was expecting from the Cowsills. This song has a Linda Rondstadt/Clapton 1970s feel to it. The album Cocaine Drain Plus 6 was recorded in 1978 but not released until 2008. Paul, John, Barry, Bob, and Susan Cowsill are on this one and worked with Chuck Plotkin. Billy or his mom wasn’t on this album. Susan does most of the singing, and when you hear her grown up…you understand why.

Susan Cowsill was just a little girl when she joined her brothers in the ’60s. Here she is, just 19 years old, and she belts out this song and others. Like I said, it does have a Ronstadt feel, and she is a very good singer. The band sounds really good. John Hall wrote this song. Critics at the time caught them live playing this song and really liked it.

Since the band was pigeonholed, they would perform under different names like The Secrets and The Critics in the 1970s. They got together in 1978 after playing in Los Angeles at the time. The album was never completed, and at some point, the master tapes were lost. For almost 30 years, the album existed only as a scratchy acetate. An acetate played like an old 45. They were created for demo or publishing purposes NOT for selling.

In March 2008 a version of the album was finally released, remastered from that acetate under Bob Cowsill’s direction. Several other previously unreleased tracks were included in the 2008 release. After the Cocaine Drain sessions, the Cowsills did some reunion shows in 1979–1980 but returned to their separate careers after that.

Audiophiles here will not be happy, as these are obviously recorded from acetate, and the hisses and pops of any 30-year-old LP are apparent. If they couldn’t get it released when it was recorded, they obviously couldn’t afford high remastering to clean it up, and the value in this release is that we finally get to hear these songs AT ALL. But there are only so many things you can do now, though it probably COULD be cleaned up. I like that the proceeds went straight to the band, as it was released to Apple via their self-owned Robin Records label. It was released as MP3s only.

They have some good songs on there, and the album is not bad at all. Spotify doesn’t have it, but HERE is a link to the album on YouTube. I added a bonus song called That Particular Way from the same album.

Cocaine Drain

I remember you,
When you were the talk of town.
You always said,
Hello and goodbye.

You looked me right in the eye.
I could be sure of you,
You’d never lie.
You’re so different now.
Are you going down that Cocaine Drain.

Now you’re up all night (up all night),
Feelin’ like a shining star.
But with the Lord in mind,
Let you forget who you really are (really are).

You’re a fragile thing after all.
Remember that even a heavenly body can fall.
And I’m afraid you’re fallin’, (fallin’)
Falling down that Cocaine Drain.
(I’m afraid, afraid you’re fallin’)
Falling down that Cocaine Drain.
(Cocaine Drain)

Now you’re keeping up,
With some pretty fancy company. (fancy company)
But if things get rough,
You know you can always come to me.
(Come to me)

But please don’t wait too long.
I’ve known a few before you who are already gone.
And I don’t want to see you (I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(Cocaine Drain)

I can’t stand by to see you
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
I don’t want to see you
(I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that –
(I don’t want to see you) Cocaine Drain.
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(I don’t want to see you)
Slipping down that Cocaine Drain.
(I don’t want to see you).

Gillian Welch – Wrecking Ball

I met a lovesick daughter of the San Joaquin
She showed me colors I’d never seen
Drank the bottom out of my canteen
Then left me in the fall
Like a wrecking ball

I was searching around for more singer-songwriters. I’ve heard of her name a lot but didn’t know any songs by her. Smart storytelling against some great music and harmonizing. When I heard her voice and style…I automatically liked it. I use these phrases a lot, but I mean them. Down-to-earth, rootsy, and authentic. I knew I had heard of her and read about her last year on Lisa’s site.

She grew up in Los Angeles, where she was exposed to folk and country music at an early age. She attended UC Santa Cruz and then the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she met her future collaborator, David Rawlings. She released her debut album, Revival, in 1996. She has 7 studio albums in all right now, with her last one called Woodland, released in 2024.

This song came off of her 4th album, the 2003 Soul Journey. This was written by Welch and her collaborator David Rawlings, as is most of her music. She had usually used sparse recordings up to this point. This one has a full band sound and it works well. The lyrics and music are right up my alley.

Gillian wrote it about her time in college at UC Santa Cruz, where she started playing in bands and did some experimenting with recreational drugs. She was also apparently a Grateful Dead fan as well. The album peaked at #107 on the Billboard Album Charts, #3 on the US Indie Charts, and #65 in the UK in 2003.

Wrecking Ball

Look out boys, ’cause I’m a rollin’ stone
That’s what I was when I first left home
I took every secret that I’d ever known
And headed for the wall
Like a wrecking ball

Started down on the road to sin
Playin’ bass under a pseudonym
The days were rough and it’s all quite dim
But my mind cuts through it all
Like a wrecking ball

Oh, just a little deadhead
Who is watching, who is watching?
I was just a little deadhead
I won a dollar on a scholarship
Well, I got tired and let my average slip
Then I was a farmer in the pogonip
Where the weed that I recall
Was like a wrecking ball

I met a lovesick daughter of the San Joaquin
She showed me colors I’d never seen
Drank the bottom out of my canteen
Then left me in the fall
Like a wrecking ball

Standin’ there, in the morning mist
A Jack and Coke at the end of my wrist
Yes, I remember when first we kissed
Though it was nothing at all
Like a wrecking ball

Hey boys, just a little deadhead
Who’s watching, who’s watching?
I was just a little deadhead
With too much trouble for me to shake
Oh, the weather and the blindin’ ache
Was ridin’ high until the ’89 quake
Hit the Santa Cruz garden mall
Like a wrecking ball

…

Wilco – I Must Be High

I really like this band and many of the bands during this period. Good music and good lyrics…they have it all. This one album is quite different than their later albums. It sounded like a continuation of Tweedy’s former band Uncle Tupelo.

This song was the opening song on their A.M. album released in 1995. Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar had creative differences with Uncle Tupelo so they split…Tweedy with Wilco and Farrar with Sun Volt. They both released an album within 5 months of each other.

Wilco was formed in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, following the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band was founded by Jeff Tweedy, along with former Uncle Toledo members John Stirratt, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston. Over the years, Wilco evolved from an alternative country sound into a more experimental and genre-blending style. After this album, their sound changed from the alt-country sound they had with Uncle Tupelo.

The album wasn’t a commercial success but it would pick up fans through the years. I’ve also added Casino Queen to this post. The two were the first two the band ever recorded as Wilco. All songs on the album were written by Jeff Tweedy. The album peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart.

Jeff Tweedy: We recorded “A.M.” with Brian Paulson at Easley Studios in Memphis. “I Must Be High” is the first take of the first performance that we ever did as Wilco. Maybe that’s noteworthy. We had all been in a band together as Uncle Tupelo, and we played together a little bit just sitting around with acoustic guitars to learn the songs and everything, but the very first tape that we ever rolled as Wilco recording is basically what you hear on that first song on the record. “Casino Queen” on that record would be the other one I’d talk about. My dad asked me to write a song about it—it’s a real riverboat casino. I took my dad to go to the casino one time, and he said, “This could be something you could write a song about.” He basically forced me to do it

Jeff Tweedy: “We had all been in a band together as Uncle Tupelo, and we played together a little bit just sitting around with acoustic guitars to learn the songs and everything, but the very first tape that we ever rolled as Wilco recording is basically what you hear on that first song on the record.”

I Must Be High

You always wanted more time
To do what you
Always wanted to do
Now you got it
And I, I must be high
To say goodbye
Bye bye bye

You never said you needed this
You’re pissed that you missed
The very last kiss
From my lips
And I, I must be high
To say goodbye
Bye bye bye

And you never looked in my eyes
Long enough to find
Any peace of mind
But now you got it, and I
I must be high
To let you say goodbye
I must be high

Bye bye bye
Bye bye bye

…

T-Rex – Baby Boomerang

It seems to me to dreamIs something too wildIn Max’s Kansas CityYou a belladonna child

I like joining in Jim’s Song Lyric Sunday when I can. I wanted to this weekend, and when I saw the subject (a Song that mentions your name), the answer should have been easy…Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. One problem: I don’t like it, and I only post songs I like. I searched around and found many songs that have my name, but this one I really liked.

Now, what was Max’s Kansas City? It was a well-known nightclub, restaurant, and music venue in New York City, located at 213 Park Avenue South. It operated from 1965 to 1981 and became a central meeting hub for artists, musicians, and the counterculture. It was famous for being a meeting place for Andy Warhol’s Factory crowd, the punk rock movement, and early glam rock acts.

This song was on the album The Slider, released in 1972, and was written by Marc Bolan. It was never released as a single, but the album did really well. The album peaked at #4 in the UK, #11 in Canada, and #17 on the Billboard 200. It was their highest charting album in America and Canada.

T. Rex was huge in the UK starting around 1970 but then declined in 1974. They did have a documentary made about them, produced and directed by Ringo Starr, called Born to Boogie. Some have credited Bolan with starting Glam Rock.

He went on to host a musical TV show called Marc, in which he hosted a mix of new and established bands and performed his own songs. Marc’s final show was recorded on September 7, 1977, with special guest David Bowie, who was a friend of Bolan.

Baby Boomerang

Slim lined sheik facedAngel of the nightRiding like a cowboyIn the graveyard of the night

New York witch in the dungeonOf the dayI’m trying to write my novelBut all you do is play

Mince pie dog-eyeEagle on the windI’m searching through this garbageLooking for a friend

Your uncle with an alligatorChained to his legDangles you your freedomThen he offers you his bed

It seems to me to dreamIs something too wildIn Max’s Kansas CityYou a belladonna child

Riding on the highwaysOn the gateways to the southYou’re talking with your bootsAnd you’re walking with your mouth

Baby BoomerangBaby BoomerangYou never spike a personBut you always bang the whole gangThank you ma’am

Son Volt – Drown

I’ve been staying on this Americana kick with some new bands to me….or alt-country…whichever label you wanna use. So many of these great bands started or really hit their stride in the 1990s. The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, The Blue Shadows, Wilco, The Old 97s, and many more. Bands to listen to…to forget your problems. No, you will not see a ton of hits with these bands and that is ok with me because they sound so damn good.

When Uncle Tupelo dissolved in 1994, singer Jay Farrar set out to create a new band that would continue blending rock with country influences. This led to the formation of Son Volt, a band that would quickly become a major force in the alt-country movement.

This song was released as a single on their debut album, Trace, in 1995. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Alternative Chart and #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts. The album received critical praise for its songs, authenticity, and raw sound. It peaked at #166 on the Billboard Album Charts and #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.

Son Volt has continued to perform and record. They have released 11 albums, and their last one was in 2023, named Day of the Doug. Another thing I like about these albums is that they are organic sounding with no big production or tricks.

Drown

Sky cracks open, walls falling to the floorJust as well to keep it, a guessing game in storeYou’re with me now, will be againAll other points in between

And the cruel, cruel morningsHave turned to days of swim or sinkIf living right is easy, what goes wrongYou’re causing it to drown

Didn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drownDoesn’t make a difference nowYou’re causing it to drown

Silence knows, can’t drown a heartHappenstance is falling through the cracks each dayToo close now to change itFool’s gold is lighter anyway

When in doubt, move on, no need to sort it outYou’re with me now, will be againAll other points in betweenAnd I want to find the right side of you

If living right is easy, what goes wrongYou’re causing it to drownDidn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drown

Doesn’t make a difference nowYou’re causing it to drownSilence knows, can’t drown a heartWhen in doubt, move on, no need to sort it out

You’re with me now, will be againAll other points in betweenAnd I want to find the right side of youIf living right is easy, what goes wrong

You’re causing it to drownDidn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drownDoesn’t make a difference now

You’re causing it to drownSilence knows, can’t drown a heart

…

Lucinda Williams – Can’t Let Go

He won’t take me back when I come around
Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

I was an instant fan when I heard this song. I spent some time figuring out who the hell this lady was. Her vocals and the song really impressed me. The track is so down to earth and real, with the music being as tight as you can get. It came off her breakthrough album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Steve Earle played guitar on the album and helped produce it. I thought this song was a big hit because it was played a lot in Nashville when it was released. When she goes into the lyrics at the top, He won’t take me back when I come around, her voice really kicks in.

The album was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy. Williams wrote every song on the album except this one. Randy Weeks wrote Can’t Let Go and first recorded it with his band, The Lonesome Strangers, in the late 1980s. The song had a bluesy, rootsy feel but didn’t gain much recognition then. Williams first heard the song performed by Randy Weeks at the Palomino Club in Los Angeles and asked him if she could work it into her own style.

Can’t Let Go won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. I never really liked awards for things like this…but she deserved this one. The song didn’t chart (Life is not fair), but the album peaked at #65 in the Billboard 200 and #14 in Canadian RPM Country Albums.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss covered the song on their album Raise the Roof, and their version also received praise. Personally, I like the Williams version the best. It’s hard to beat her vocals. I tried to find a live version, but none of them has the intensity of the studio track, which is odd.

Lucinda Williams: “I was playing Steve Earle’s dobro, which had a really wide neck, and my fingers kinda slipped on it. But the track was so brilliant that everyone went, No, no, it’s great! I agonized over it for weeks and weeks, and they all kept saying, It’s great. But see, there’ve been other things where I’ve gone in and said, ‘I think we should redo this track because it’s not in the pocket or it’s too fast

Can’t Let Go

Told my baby one more time
Don’t make me sit all alone and cry
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
I’m like a fish out of water
A cat in a tree

You don’t even want to talk to me
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

See I got a candle and it burns so bright

In my window every night
Well it’s over I know but I can’t let go
You don’t like to see me standing around

Feel like I been shot and didn’t fall down
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

Turn off trouble like you turn off a light

Went off and left me it just ain’t right
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
Round every corner something I see

Bring me right back how it used to be
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

It’s over I know it but I can’t let go
It’s over I know it but I can’t let go
It’s over I know it but I can’t let go

Max’s Drive – In Movie – The Seven-Ups…

I’ve had problems posting this so I’ll try one more time.

My cousin Ricky let me borrow this movie because he thought I would like it. He was right. It’s described as a crime, action, mystery, and neo-noir ’70s police movie. I would easily put it in the same category as The French Connection and movies like that. Some of the same techniques and backdrops. It was released in 1973, and you can’t get any more early seventies than this movie.

My uncle was an undercover cop (Fulton was his name) in the ’70s and ’80s, and the movie rings true to some of the stories he told me. In one incident, he was undercover in a restaurant in a drug deal, and someone he knew in real life came up and yelled, “Hey, Fulton!” he had to lay the guy out right there with a punch and pass it off as something else. I never asked if he was still friends with the guy afterward. It was a dangerous job, and black roses were delivered to his doorstep more than once.

Philip D’Antoni directed this film. He had produced The French Connection and Bullit. This was his only director credit to his name. Some think it is a follow-up on Scheider’s character of Buddy from The French Connection. It doesn’t matter because it’s strong either way. The movie is not perfect; it has a few disjointed plot points, but it works well.

It has that grittiness that I love in movies from this period. The realistic feel makes the story so much better because you buy into it. The actors look like everyday people against the backdrop of early 70s New York. When I see some period modern movies try to replicate this look… they usually fail. You won’t find one thing in this movie that is new and shiny. Even the car wash looks grim.

The Seven Ups has all the earmarks of a 70s Cop film. Corruption, rogue cops, and the mafia all rolled up into one. It has that stark, cold landscape feel from the ’70s. You almost want to slip on a jacket while watching. You also have a hell of a car chase that was in many movies at this time, and this one does not disappoint. If you want a real white knuckle car chase, you just have to see the one in this film. You feel like you’re right in the middle of it.

Roy Scheider is Buddy and one of a small group of NYC cops with unusual methods, and they are called The Seven-Ups. One of his partners is murdered, and he sets out to find and kill the thugs who were responsible while at the same time discovering that they’re involved in a plan to kidnap mobsters to extort ransom money.

The movie encompasses all the pitfalls and dangers of police undercover work and the alliances between partners, as well as the relationships and betrayals of informers. The cast is superb, and one of the things that made it even better is none of the actors at the time were big stars. I do like that in some movies because you don’t really associate the actors with other roles. Roy Scheider would soon star in Jaws a couple of years after this movie.

Plot

The movie follows Buddy Manucci (played by Roy Scheider), a tough New York City detective leading an elite undercover police unit called The Seven-Ups—named after their specialty of catching criminals who receive sentences of seven years or more. The unit operates in the shadows, using unorthodox methods to bring down high-level criminals.

However, their investigation into a series of kidnappings involving Mafia figures takes a dark turn when one of their own is killed, leading Manucci on a personal quest for justice.

The full movie

Animals – It’s My Life

The Animals were one of the many British bands I learned through reading about the Beatles. A friend had House of the Rising Sun and I was mesmerized by the lead singer’s voice. Eric Burdon’s voice was huge and commanding. The Animals may have had the hardest edge of any of the British Invasion bands with the exception of the lesser-known Them with Van Morrison.

This song was written by Carl D’Errico and Roger Atkins specifically for The Animals. Eric Burdon didn’t like the song at all but changed a few words and he recorded it. This song starts off with Chad Chandler’s bass line and it sets the tone for the rest of the song. Eric Burdon sounds tough, determined, and cocky through the verses. The song peaked at #23 on the Billboard 100, #7 in the UK, and #2 in Canada in 1965.

They formed in 1963, from the fusion between two rival bands, one headed by bassist Chas Chandler, the other headed by organist Alan Price, stage veteran, former jazz pianist, and disciple of Ray Charles. Eric Burdon, who had played with Price until 1962, was hired as the singer. The Kontours changed their name first to The Alan Price Combo, after adding drummer John Steel, and then to The Animals, after adding guitarist Hilton Valentine.

The original lineup only recorded three albums, yet nevertheless broke out eight Top 40 hits between 1964 and 1966. Alan Price left in 1965, and John Steel the following year. Also in 1966, Chandler left to start managing artists, and he discovered Jimi Hendrix in Greenwich Village. Now a very different group, they were known as Eric Burdon & The Animals and had six additional Top 40 hits before finally disbanding in 1968.

It’s My Life

It’s a hard world to get a break in
All the good things have been taken
But girl there are ways to make certain things pay
Though I’m dressed in these rags, I’ll wear sable some day

Hear what I say
I’m gonna ride the serpent
No more time spent sweatin’ rent
Hear my command
I’m breakin’ loose, it ain’t no use
Holdin’ me down, stick around

But baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want
Show me I’m wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine

There’ll be women and their fortunes
Who just want to mother orphans
Are you gonna cry, when I’m squeezin’ the rye
Takin’ all I can get, no regrets
When I, openly lie
And leave only money
Believe me honey, that money
Can you believe, I ain’t no saint
No complaints
So girl go out
Hand it out

And baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want
Show me I’m wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine

(It’s my life and I’ll do what I want) Don’t push me
(It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want) It’s my life
(It’s my life and I’ll do what I want) And I can do what I want
(It’s my mind and I’ll think what I want) You can’t tell me
(It’s my life and I’ll do what I want) I’ll do what I want

Jeff Healey – See The Light

I had another Jeff Healey song already written up called Angel Eyes. I still have it ready to go but then my friend Deke blew those plans all to hell (thanks Deke). He sent me this song by Healey on the Johnny Carson show. I knew Healey was a great guitar player and I say that in my Angel Eyes post that you will see one day…but I never knew he was THIS.

I sent the Carson clip to my friend Ronald. He is a guitar player that I have played with most of my life. He was as blown away as I was. He would be hard to copy because of the way he played.

I’ve heard some of his songs off and on but never really dived into his catalog. This song is the title track from Jeff Healey’s debut album, See the Light, released in 1988. The album broke him through internationally with help of the hit Angel Eyes. The album peaked at #25 in Canada, #22 in the Billboard Album Charts, #17 in New Zealand, and #58 in the UK in 1988.

He lost his sight to retain retinoblastoma as an infant, he was a self-taught guitar player who developed a totally different way of playing the guitar. He used a lap-style approach that allowed him to bend notes in ways few others could. He had so much leverage in fretting the guitar like he did.

Healey was adopted and raised in Toronto, where he developed a passion for music. He formed The Jeff Healey Band in 1985 with Joe Rockman and Tom Stephen. The band gained recognition in Toronto’s blues scene before being discovered by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. He would release 5 albums with The Jeff Healey Band and also played with the Jazz Wizards.

See The Light

Can you see the light,
Can you see the light of need shinin’ in my eye?
Can you see the light,
Can you see the light of need shinin’ in my eye?

Well, you know I need you baby,
And I sure ain’t gonna tell you no lie

Can you see the light,
Can you see the light of want shinin’ on my face?
Can you see the light,
Can you see the light of want shinin’ on my face? hey

Well, you know I want you, mama,
Come on, we’ll get from this place, now
Look out!, yeah!

Can you see the light,
Can you see the light of love shinin’ from my heart?
Can you see the light,
Can you see the light of love shinin’ from my heart?
Yeah

Well, you know I love you, baby,
An’ I sure want to give this thing a start, Lord!
Can you see the light?
Can you see the light?
Can you see the light?, say!
Can you see the light, yeah?

…