Category: Music

Stiff Records

This week I’m going to tip the proverbial cap to the pioneering Stiff Records which was an independent Record Company that helped a lot of artists in the UK. I’ll be posting a song each day off that label. This week I’ve written up 3 songs and Randy and Dave are going to contribute two songs. I really appreciate them for doing that. 

Stiff Records gave you an alternative to the Top 40. They would take chances on performers than the established record companies wouldn’t take. Who would have taken a chance on a nerdy-looking fellow named Elvis Costello? Many of the artists didn’t fit in with the major labels’ idea of what an artist should sound or look like. They had their own unique roster of talent. 

This could be a mile-long post but I’m going to keep it short. This record company was created in 1976 by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. The label was created to capitalize on the new punk and new wave scenes, providing an alternative to the major record companies. They used bold marketing tactics…their slogan was “If It Ain’t Stiff, It Ain’t Worth a F***. The company didn’t have a lot of money but they had plenty of ideas. 

Stiff REcords people

They signed a lot of talent and that talent is what we are going over this week. I wanted to do a week of Stiff Records and let’s see what we will find. The talent was Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Rumour, Madness, The Damned, Motorhead, Devo and even Tracey Ullman. 

Jake Riviera left in 1978 to form Radar Records, taking Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe with him. Despite its success, the label faced financial difficulties in the early 1980s. Stiff was sold to Island Records in 1984, which marked the end of its independent era.

Stiff Records was revived in the 2000s by ZTT Records (Zang Tumb Tuum), releasing new music while managing its extensive back catalog.

Nike Lowe: The pop business was full of these dreadful groups, Genesis and Journey and REO Speedwagon and people like that. And it was all safe and run by these bean counters and know-nothings. That’s why, over here, the pub rock thing started up. When punk came along a few years later, that was the thing that it really needed, but I would say that pub rock was spawned for the same reasons — dissatisfaction that it was all rubbish and needed to be pulled down. Because it had gotten to a point where you just couldn’t have another concept album or triple bullshit thing.

Allen Toussaint – Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)

I posted a Dr. John song last week, and I mentioned Allen Toussaint, who works as a producer and writes charts for horns. I had heard about him through Robbie Robertson’s book Testimony, which is a great book—just saying. CB and I started talking, and I had no idea Toussaint was a performer and songwriter—a very successful songwriter. I thought he mostly just did horn charts for musicians so his story and the songs he wrote totally surprised me.

Allen Toussaint started his career in the 1950s. He was born in New Orleans and grew into a huge musician, songwriter, producer, and performer. Toussaint was inspired by Professor Longhair and other New Orleans piano legends. By the time he was a teenager, Toussaint was already working as a keyboardist and songwriter. He has produced, written for, arranged, had his songs covered by, and performed with music giants The Judds, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Patti LaBelle, Dr John, Aaron and Art Neville, Joe Cocker, The Meters, Glen Campbell, The Band, Little Feat, The Rolling Stones, Devo, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Eric Gale and the countless others.

That list alone knocked me out. A few of his songs are Mother-in-Law by Ernie K-Doe (1961), Working in the Coal Mine by Lee Dorsey, Fortune Teller (The Rolling Stones), Southern Nights (later a hit for Glen Campbell), and many more. That is a diverse set of songs. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues) I remember as a kid because I had Three Dog Night’s greatest hits and this one was a favorite of mine. Many people have covered this song including Levon Helm, Frankie Miller, B.J. Thomas, and Maria Muldaur. 

This song was released in 1974 and was covered by five artists in a year. It was the Three Dog Night version that was a hit. It peaked at #33 in the US and #25 in Canada for the band. It was released on their Hard Labor album. Toussaint was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and he received the National Medal of Arts in 2013 from Former President Barack Obama.

Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)

Well, I tried to run my gameShe said “Man, that’s the same old thing I’ve heard before”And I’m too tired to go for your show (again and again)

And she started to explainShe said “Man, I ain’t saying what you’re playing just can’t make itBut I just can’t take it anymore”

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Well, I started to sweatShe said “Don’t get upset ’cause you just might break a stringAnd that won’t do a thing for your show

So I said to myselfI said “Self, do you see what is sailing through my soul?”And I gotta have some more, don’t ya know

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

It’s enough to make it light in the darkIt’s enough to make a bite just a barkIt’s enough to make a body move aroundIt’s enough to make a rabbit hug a dogPlay something sweet

Well, I tried to run my gameShe said “Man, that’s the same old thing I’ve heard before”And I’m too tired to go for your show (again and again)

And she started to explainShe said “Man, I ain’t saying what you’re playing just can’t make itBut I just can’t take it anymore”

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet, play something mellowPlay something I can sink my teeth in like JelloPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

Play something sweet and make it funkyJust let me lay back and grin like a monkeyPlay something I can understandPlay me some Brickyard Blues

…

Dan Hicks – I Scare Myself

A while back CB introduced me to Dan Hicks. The first thing I noticed about Dan was that he was countryish but not a standard country artist at all. He had this Country, Jazz, Bluegrass, Folk, and more thrown in there going on. I did notice he was off-centered compared to other artists. I’m thinking of a Zappa and Beefheart kind of artist with different influences.  He is one of the most fascinating artists I’ve run across. He also injected a great sense of humor in some of his songs. 

Dan HIcks was from Arkansas but his family moved to California when he was a child. He got interested in music and started off as a drummer. He transitioned to playing guitar and singing, and then he shifted toward folk and country music. He liked a little of everything from swing jazz to Western swing to folk music.

In 1965, Hicks joined The Charlatans (not the English Band), one of the pioneering bands in the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene. Though the group never achieved big commercial success, they helped create the counterculture sound. Hicks’ time with The Charlatans was short, as he eventually left to pursue his own musical direction.

In 1967 he formed Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. Ironic that the band didn’t use a drummer. The Hot Licks broke up in 1973, but Hicks continued to perform as a solo artist and reformed the group several times in later years.

This song was on his 1972 album Striking It Rich along with another song at the bottom of the post called Moody Richard (The Innocent Bystander). He has released 16 albums between 1969 and 2013. He passed away on February 6, 2016, from liver cancer, leaving behind a legacy of musical innovation and humor that continues to resonate with fans and musicians alike.

He didn’t avoid mainstream completely. I did find a spot he did on the Flip Wilson Show. He was also an actor at times as well as he appeared in a few movies and television shows. 

I Scare Myself

I scare myself
When I’m without you
I scare myself
The moments that you’re gone
I scare myself
When I let my thoughts run

And when they’re runnin’
I keep thinking of you
And when they’re runnin’
What can I do?

I scare myself
And I don’t mean lightly
I scare myself
It can get frightenin’
I scare myself
To think what I could do
I scare myself
It’s some kinda voodoo

And with that voodoo
I keep thinking of you
And with that voodoo
What can I do?
See pop shows near Nashville
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You might also like
The Laughing Song
Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes
Taj Mahal
’Long Come A Viper
Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks

But it’s oh so, so, so different
When we’re together
And I’m oh so so much calmer, I feel bettеr
For the stars have crossed our paths forеver
And the sooner that you realize it, the better

Then I’ll be with you
And I won’t scare myself
And I’ll know what to do
And I won’t scare myself
And then I’ll think of you
And I won’t scare myself
And then my thoughts’ll run
And I won’t scare myself

Then I’ll be with you
And I won’t scare myself
And I’ll know what to do
And I won’t scare myself
And I’ll think of you
And I won’t scare myself
And my thoughts will run
And I won’t scare myself…

…

Steve Miller – Space Cowboy

I’m getting into this pre-fame hits, Steve Miller. The music was a little more edgier and deeper. I think Miller’s hits have been a huge victim of radio overplay and I realize that is not his fault…doesn’t mean “Jet Airliner” is not any good…we have sometimes heard those songs too much. I have songs like that…but give it some time and I can listen to them again.

In the first line of this song, he references his first real hit, Living In The USA, and he even brings in some musical elements from it. I like the bottom-end riff that drives this song. He would recycle riffs and phrases at times. The phrase “Some call me the Space Cowboy” would later be referenced in Miller’s massive 1973 hit, “The Joker”. This era of the Steve Miller Band should have received more attention in real-time. The talent he had in that band was outstanding.

The music on this album could be labeled as blues and psychedelic in some ways considering the era it was recorded in. The title itself was partly because of the countercultural movement, space exploration going on that year, and free-thinking of the American West.

His earlier songs have more of a blues feel. The former members of his band have included Boz Scaggs, Nicky Hopkins, Doug Clifford (CCR drummer), Ross Valory, Lonnie Turner, and about a page more of many more names.

The song was on The Steve Miller Band’s 1969 album Brave New World, which peaked at a respectable #22 on the Billboard Album Charts and #38 in Canada. This is the same album that featured My Dark Hour, a collaboration between Miller and Paul McCartney.

Glyn Johns produced this album and four albums altogether for Steve Miller. They worked great together. Glyn was a busy man at the time. While he was finishing up this album he would go and work on Let It Be and also cross the hall at Olympic and work on the Stones album Let It Bleed as a sound engineer. He also helped George Harrison produce an album by Billy Preston…all of these projects were at the same time.

Glyn Johns: I returned to California to start the Steve Miller Band’s third album, Brave New World. We were getting on fine until I got a call from The Beatles, asking if Steve would let me go for a couple of weeks, to return home to London to do some sessions for what became Abbey Road. They made him an offer he could not refuse, saying they would pay all the expenses incurred by the delay to his recording schedule. So the band got to hang out in a hotel in L.A. courtesy of The Beatles, while I disappeared back to London for what proved to be a somewhat grueling few days.

I went straight from the plane to Apple for a couple of days, and then to Olympic Studios for an all-night session with the Stones till six a.m. Then to Apple again in the afternoon before going on to the Albert Hall that evening to record Jimi Hendrix in concert.

Space Cowboy

I told you ’bout living in the U.S. of A.
Don’t you know that I’m a gangster of love
Let me tell you people that I found a new way
And I’m tired of all this talk about love
And the same old story with a new set of words
About the good and the bad and the poor
And the times keep on changin’
So I’m keepin’ on top
Of every fat cat who walks through my door

I’m a space cowboy
Bet you weren’t ready for that
I’m a space cowboy
I’m sure you know where it’s at
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I was born on this rock
And I’ve been travelin’ through space
Since the moment I first realized
What all you fast talkin’ cats would do if you could
You know, I’m ready for the final surprise
There ain’t no way around it
Ain’t nothing to say
That’s gonna satisfy my soul deep inside
All the prayers and surveyors
Keep the whole place uptight
While it keeps on gettin’ darker outside

I’m a space cowboy
Bet you weren’t ready for that
I’m a space cowboy
I’m sure you know where it’s at
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I see the show downs, slow downs, lost and found, turn arounds
The boys in the military shirts
I keep my eyes on the prize, on the long fallen skies
And I don’t let my friends get hurt
All you back room schemers, small trip dreamers
Better find something new to say
Cause you’re the same old story
It’s the same old crime
And you got some heavy dues to pay

I’m a space cowboy
Bet you weren’t ready for that
I’m a space cowboy
I’m sure you know where it’s at
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

…

Gene Vincent – I’m Goin’ Home (To See My Baby)

I love this man’s music. He is severely overlooked by many who only know Be Bob A-Lula. His voice goes with that slapback echo better than any other singer. His influence can be heard through the decades including Springsteen in Glory Days. This song has been covered 15 times including The Zombies. 

One thing about Vincent. You can hear people emulate Elvis and Johnny Cash but no one sounded like Vincent. Besides, no one sounding like him… no one looked like him either. No pompadour. No huge hair. Just a curly sort of quiff-ish look. 

 Union restrictions prevented his own band, the Blue Caps, from crossing the Atlantic with him, Gene Vincent had been forced to use a British backing group, and the group selected for his UK tour was Sounds Incorporated. 

The song is different in some ways. I love the sax in this song and the drumming (Tony Newman). The song has some cool dynamics built in as it starts off with just Gene and a nice guitar…it then starts with the drums and plows ahead until the end. Sounds Incorporated backed him on this song and the B-side Love Of A Man. This was their big break and after this, they also backed Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brenda Lee, and Sam Cooke.

I’ll mention Springsteen again because the man knows dynamics in songs and artists like this inspired him. The song was written by Bob Bain and was released in 1961. It peaked at #36 in the UK Charts. It was a pure single…not off an album. 

By this time the UK was where all of the 50’s rock stars went because America was too busy listening to Paul Anka, Fabion, and Pat Boone. It was a sad state of music at that time for rock and roll. The parents probably loved the no soul no trouble singers. Then thankfully…the British invasion and Motown were coming up.

 

I’m Goin’ Home Home (To See My Baby)

Well, I’m going home, to see my baby
Yeah, I’m going home, to see my gal
Well, don’t you know, she really loves me
Ah, don’t you know, she really cares

Yeah, I’m going home, to see my baby
Well, I’m going home, to see my gal
Ah, don’t you know, she really loves me
Yeah, I’m going home, to see my gal

Well, I’m going home, to see my baby
Yeah, I’m going home, to see my gal
Ah, don’t you know, she really loves me
Ah, don’t you know, she really cares

She’s there to love me every night
Don’t you know she treats me right
Yeah, she’s alright, yeah…

She’s there to love me all the time
Don’t you know I’m glad she’s mine
Yeah, she’s alright, yeah…

Well, I’m going home, to see my baby
Well, I’m going home, to see my gal
Ah, don’t you know, that she’s my baby
Well, don’t you know, that she’s my gal

She’s there to love me all the time
Don’t you know I’m glad shе’s mine

 

 

…

Replacements – Little Mascara

Great name for a song or a band…and that guitar is what I was sorely missing around this time in the 1980s. This album was in the stretch of great albums by the band. Let It Be, Tim, and Please To Meet Me. Personally, I never knew how big this song was with fans. One search on YouTube and you can find bands covering this song everywhere.

Everyone who knows me… knows I’m not a huge fan of the Top 40 in the 1980s but alternative rock is a different story. In my opinion, the two best American alternative rock bands to come out of the 80s were The Replacements and R.E.M. The Replacements were the generation’s Big Star influencing 1990s and 2000s bands. They had a secret weapon in Westerberg as a songwriter. I would safely say they were two of my favorite bands in the 80s.

This song was on their 1985 album Tim. Why was the album called Tim? There was no reference to the name on the album. The band’s manager said that he asked Paul Westerberg what the name of the album would be. Paul told him “Tim,” and the manager asked why. Paul said, “because it’s such a nice name.”

This album was their first major label release on Sire Records in 1984. This would be the last album by the original band because Bob Stinson would be kicked out a couple of years later. Stinson did a great solo in this song…very Keith Richards-like.

Tim was placed 136th on Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and 137 in a 2012 revised list. The album peaked at #186 in the Billboard Album Chart in 1986.

I couldn’t find any footage of them originally doing this song live so here they are when they regrouped in the teens.

Little Mascara

You and I fall togetherYou and I sleep aloneAfter all, things might be betterAfter one, and there’s one that’s long gone

For the moon you keep shootin’Throw your rope up in the airFor the kids you stay togetherYou nap ’em and you slap ’em in a highchairAll you ever wanted was someone to take care of yaAll you’re ever losin’ is a little mascaraLittle mascaraLittle mascara

Afternoon, things are quietSettle back now if you canStations clip by like a rocketDon’t you worry if you wonder why he ran

All you ever wanted was someone to take care of yaAll you’re ever losin’ is a little mascaraLittle mascaraLittle mascaraThat you cry, cryThat you cryYour eyes outThat you cryThat you cryThat you cryYour eyes out

All you ever wanted was someone Ma’d be scared ofAll you’re ever losin’ isA little mascaraLittle mascaraLittle mascaraThat you cryThat you cryThat you cryYour eyes outThat you cryThat you cryThat you cryYour eyes outThat you cryThat you cryThat you cry…

…

Fats Domino – I Want To Walk You Home

This man could take any song and make it his own. He must have loved walking… he had hits with I’m Walkin’, Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?, Walking To New Orleans, and this song I Want To Walk You Home. It was written by Fats Domino and produced by his long-time collaborator Dave Bartholomew. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100 and #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts. 

Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was not flashy and wild like some of his 1950s peers such as Elvis, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The first I heard of Fats Domino was on “Happy Days” and the song Blueberry Hill. I was at a relative’s yard sale when I was a kid and was given his and Chuck Berry’s greatest hits. My Aunt never knew how much those two records would influence me. 

Domino was the youngest of eight children in a musical family, he spoke Creole French before learning English. At age 7 his brother-in-law taught him how to play the piano. By the time he was 10, he was already performing as a singer and pianist.

Fat’s first hit in the Billboard 100 was the great “Aint That A Shame” in 1955 written by  Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew which peaked at #16 and his last charting song was a cover of the Beatles’s “Lady Madonna”(great version) that peaked at #100 in 1968. He had 45 songs in the top 100 and 4 top 10 hits…many more top 10 hits in the R&B Charts.

He lived in New Orleans During Hurricane Katrina, he lost most of his possessions and he and his family were rescued by the Coast Guard. He unselfishly made many personal appearances to raise money for the hurricane relief. His house was hit hard and he lost his National Medal and gold records but George Bush gave him another medal to replace the lost one and the RIAA gave him replacement gold records.

To raise money for repairs for his own home, friends and fellow musicians recorded a tribute album, Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, featuring Robert Plant, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and more. He was living in New Orleans at the time of his death on October 24, 2017.

He was a huge influence on The Beatles, Elton John, Robert Plant, and Randy Newman. Elvis even called Fats “The King”…a well-deserved title. 

I Want To Walk You Home

I want to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeI wants to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeYou look so good to me, oh-ooh-eeI wish I was the lucky guy who could walk you right on down the aisle

I love the way you walkI love to hear you talkI love the way you walkI love to hear you talkI’m not tryin’ to be smart, I’m not tryin’ to break your heartBut if I ask you for a date, will you tell me that I’m not too late

I want to hold your handPlease let me hold your handI want to hold your handPlease let me hold your handYou look so good to me, oo-ooee

I saw you walking all alone, that’s why I want to walk you home

So let me walk you homePlease let me walk you homeI want to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeYou look so good to me, oh-ooh-eeI saw you walking all alone, that’s why I want to walk you homeThat’s why I want to walk you home, that’s why I want to walk you homeThat’s why I want to walk you home

…

Big Star – I’m In Love With A Girl

One thing the break I took a few months ago did for me was to reignite my love for Big Star. When I heard The Ballad of El Goodo on my “Break” post I reached for their albums again. This song is a short ballad by Alex Chilton on their second album Radio City. They had songs that were as good as The Beatles or The Kinks but just as not widely known.

When they started this album, a key member quit: Chris Bell. He wrote half of the debut album #1 Record. The failure of the first album was the key. Bell was a sensitive guy and took it hard. The problem was Stax Records who were going through financial hardships at the time.

When the record was played on the radio it got a huge popular response but when people went to the record stores…there was no album. Stax had a huge problem with distribution at the time. Plus…they didn’t know how to promote a power pop band. In my opinion, if they had been on Capitol or WB they probably would have succeeded. The debut album is about as perfect of a power pop album as you can get.

Radio City is a little edgier and some fans like it more than #1 Record. They decided to stay together with the three of them…Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens, and Alex Hummel. Chilton wrote this touching short acoustic song. It’s one of the most popular songs on the album. On Spotify, it’s second only to September Gurls on times being played with 5,544,493.

It’s a sweet short song that sticks with me.

A rare live version from 1974

I’m In Love With A Girl

I’m in love with a girlFinest girl in the worldI didn’t know I could feel this way

Think about her all the timeAlways on my mindI didn’t know about love

All that a man should do is true-ooh-oohAll that a man should do is true-ooh-ooh

I’m in love with a girlFinest girl in the worldI didn’t know this could happen to me

…

Humble Pie – Thunderbox

This guitar riff caught me right off the bat…I heard it for the first time not long ago. It’s pretty much irresistible. It reminds me of a song that Free would have one. The term “thunderbox” is British slang for a portable toilet, which reflects Steve Marriott’s sense of humor.

You know, I love Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, John Prine, and other performers who write deep songs. Sometimes though it’s nice to play a song like Thunderbox and let it go. The song was written by Steve Marriott and David Clempson.

Humble Pie released their seventh studio album Thunderbox in 1974. They were considered a “supergroup” at the time. Along with Small Faces Marriott, they featured former Herd lead guitarist Peter Frampton and ex-Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley plus teenage drummer Jerry Shirley. The album peaked at #52 on the Billboard 100 and #58 in Canada in 1974. This was the start of the decline of the band. They got ripped off bad and Steve Marriott mentioned the mob and John Gotti being one of the beneficiaries of the band’s profits.

Humble Pie had some great songs but nothing really caught on with the masses. That’s not always a bad thing but they never had a big song identifiable to them as some other bands do. The Faces had Stay With Me but Humble Pie never had that one song. For me, it should have been 30 Days in the Hole.

They did have four top twenty albums but were more known as a live band…check out Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore …that album put them over the hump.

Thunderbox

Oh, yeah
Ooh, oh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Oh, yeah
He’s a thunderbox, sure
You got your hot pants round your shoulders
Lick your lips and you a fox
Everybody stopped and told us
They say you got a thunderbox
You can see for yourself, I’ve got a clean bill of health
I ain’t never seen a thunderbox
Oh, oh, what do you know
Well, I get to sing–solo
He’s a thunderbox
Oh yea, he’s a thunderbox…
Well, was your claim to fame
In the same letter name
It’s your game I’m playing
While the music is swaying
Oh, I’m so glad I came in here
He’s a thunderbox
Oh yea, he’s a thunderbox…
You’re not a lot, you know, when you ain’t a gypsy
And a hooker with your wicked knots
I had to park the car and take a look to see
‘Cause I ain’t never seen a thunderbox
Oh, oh, well, I don’t know where you’ve been
But I can guess what you’ve seen
You know what I mean
He’s a thunderbox
Oh, yea, he’s a thunderbox…
Oh, oh, I can see what you’ve got
Since you sure got a lot
And, and the band’s still playing
Let the music sway
Oh, I’m so glad I came in here
He’s a thunderbox
Oh, yea, he’s a thunderbox…
Some say you from Dallas there
And you’re hooked on pork and beans
But I think it might be you’re from Louisiana
Roundabout New Orleans
I can see you don’t smell like no flower
But I can say the same for myself
Tell you girl, I know that you know that I know I’ve got my reasons
You know that you’re bad yourself
Don’t ask me for no answers
You could never ever take the shock
I’ve got the grief and I’ll take my chances
Rolling with my thunderbox
Oh, oh, I guess you may say
It’s just a casual affair
But I just got to know you all
He’s a thunderbox
Oh, yea, he’s a thunderbox…

…

Beatles – Cry Baby Cry

The king of Marigold was in the kitchenCooking breakfast for the queenThe queen was in the parlorPlaying piano for the children of the king

One song off the White Album that I found when I was 13 years old. It’s a good reason why I’m happy they kept it as a double album. I wouldn’t have this song and a few more. When the chorus kicks in it sticks in your head. That is the beauty of the White Album…it has something for everyone. Lennon had a way of delivering sometimes dark imagery, forming it around a catchy melody and it worked. It’s just part of the album’s huge tapestry.

The track includes a coda not originally part of the song… a snippet of Paul McCartney singing a few lines known as “Can You Take Me Back?” That was an unfinished song by Paul. This fragment segues into Revolution 9 on the album and adds an eerie, unresolved feeling to the end of the track. They would explore this more on the B side of Abbey Road.

Although the songs differ in style they all have that Beatles touch to them whether it be the hard Helter Skelter, country Rocky Raccoon, or even the fairytale-like Cry Baby Cry. The sessions were not the happiest time for the band (the Esher Demos were though) but they came up with the most eclectic batch of songs they ever produced. The demos they made gave another look at the song.

When John Lennon was killed in 1980 there were three albums I bought that long winter. Double Fantasy, The White Album,  and Abbey Road. I’m back there again in that 1980-81 winter and spring when I hear this album.

The White Album is as diverse as you can get… Pop, Rock, Country, Folk, Reggae, Avant-Gard, Blues, Hard Rock and some 20’s British Music Hall thrown in the mix. It has plenty of songs that you have heard of and many that the masses have not heard as much. John Lennon wrote one of his best songs for this album… Dear Prudence.

The Beatles more than many bands could bend to a style of music and play that style well.

Of all the songs I heard on this album…this is the one where I thought…hmmm… John Lennon was so different in writing songs compared to Paul. I love this example of John’s fairytale. He wrote the song in 1967, inspired by a commercial jingle he heard on Television. The lyrics play on the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence, with lines like Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh evoking a fairy-tale atmosphere.

Ian MacDonald, in his book Revolution in the Head, described this song as “a charmingly wayward waltz” with “a whimsical, mildly satirical undertone.”

The White Album was released in 1968 and peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Chart, #1 in Canada, #1 in the UK, and #1 about everywhere else

The demo of Cry Baby Cry. You can hear John double his voice. 

Cry Baby Cry

Cry, baby, cryMake your mother sigh

The king of Marigold was in the kitchenCooking breakfast for the queenThe queen was in the parlorPlaying piano for the children of the king

Cry, baby, cryMake your mother sighShe’s old enough to know betterSo cry, baby, cry

The king was in the gardenPicking flowers for a friend who came to playThe queen was in the playroomPainting pictures for the children’s holiday

Cry, baby, cryMake your mother sighShe’s old enough to know betterSo cry, baby, cry

The duchess of Kirkcaldy always smilingAnd arriving late for teaThe duke was having problemsWith a message at the local bird and bee

Cry, baby, cryMake your mother sighShe’s old enough to know betterSo cry, baby, cry

At 12 o’clock, a meeting ’round the tableFor a seance in the darkWith voices out of nowherePut on specially by the children for a lark

Cry, baby, cryMake your mother sighShe’s old enough to know betterSo cry, baby, cryCry, baby cryMake your mother sighShe’s old enough to know betterSo cry, baby, cry

Cry, cry, cryMake your mother sighShe’s old enough to know betterSo cry, baby, cry

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Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire

Johnny Cash crossed genre’s probably better than anyone. I’ve met metal, punk, and rock fans who love this man. It’s probably a combination of personality and music that draws people into his orbit. He is still crossing genres even after being gone for years. 

This song was written by his best friend June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore in 1962. The inspiration came from June’s feelings about her relationship with Johnny Cash. At the time, their relationship was intense as Johnny was struggling with addiction and the complications of his personal life. When she wrote the song, they were just close friends at the time and not married yet. They would not get married until March 1, 1968. 

Johnny wasn’t the first to record this song though. That would be Anita Carter who was June’s sister. She did a really good version of it but without those horns…it just doesn’t click like Johnny’s version does. Cash claimed that he dreamed of the song’s eventual arrangement, including the Mexican-style trumpets. He wanted the song to have a mix of country, rock, and mariachi sounds.

The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and #17 on the Billboard 100 in 1963. It appeared on the compilation album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash in 1963.

Vivian Cash (Johnny’s Ex-Wife):  “She didn’t write that song any more than I did. The truth is, Johnny wrote that song, while pilled up and drunk, about a certain private female body part.”

Ring of Fire

Love is a burnin’ thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire

I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire

I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire

The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
I fell for you like a child
Oh, but the fire went wild

I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire

I fell into a burnin’ ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
The ring of fire, the ring of fire

…

Jeff Beck – I Ain’t Superstitious

You combine Jeff Beck playing in this song with a great young Rod Stewart and you get pure gold. Jeff Becks’ use of the wah-wah pedal gives the song a cool psychedelic feel. The man was so adventurous on guitar…he is one guitar player that when I listen to his music…I can honestly say I never heard the guitar played that way before on many of his songs. 

After being booted out of the Yardbirds… Beck formed The Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on rhythm guitar and sometimes bass. They had an ever-changing rhythm section with bassists and drummers who came and went. They released the album Truth in 1968.

This album has been considered one of the first ones with “heavy metal” leanings on it. Beck was not happy with Jimmy Page when Zeppelin’s first album included a cover of the blues song You Shook Me. Beck’s album the song as well. Page insisted it was a coincidence but Beck never bought that. 

Truth was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Olympic Studios in 1967-1968. Beck and his band aimed for a raw feel, with huge heavy riffs, rougher vocals, and minimal production. That is why this album sounds so good. They kept the studio tricks at a minimum. 

Beck continued to explore guitar tones. His use of distortion, feedback, and the wah-wah pedal helped craft a heavier blues sound.

This song was written by the blues legend Willie Dixon. It was released in 1962 by Howlin’ Wolf. The album Truth peaked at #15 on the Billboard Album Charts and #37 in Canada in 1968. That is remarkable for a debut album with no hits to push it. The album is now considered a classic as it should be. 

I always like to include a live clip from the era it was released but I can’t find any from the 60s or 70s… this one is from 1984…so sorry about that. It’s still good though. 

I Ain’t Superstitious

I ain’t superstitiousBlack cat crossed my trailI ain’t superstitiousBut a black cat crossed my trailBad luck ain’t got me so farAnd I won’t let it stop me now

The dogs begin to barkAll over my neighborhood and that ain’t allDogs begin to barkAll over my neighborhood (mm, mm)This is a mean old world to live inAnd I can’t face it all by myself

At all

And dogs begin to barkAll over my neighborhoodThe dogs begin to barkAll over my neighborhood

I got a feelin’ about the futureAnd it ain’t too good I know that

I know, I know, I know, I

Ain’t superstitiousBut a black cat crossed my trailI said so many times beforeI ain’t superstitiousA black cat crossed my trailBad luck ain’t got me so farAnd you know I ain’t gonna let it stop me now

….

Dr. John – Such A Night

I remember this well from my childhood on WMAK, an AM station in Nashville that played the hits. Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack) had a voice that was hard to forget along with his delivery. This one was written by Dr. John not to be confused with The Drifters song Such A Night. 

This song was from the album In the Right Place released in 1973. It’s is a delight…you have John’s New Orleans-style funk and his unique voice. When I first heard it I would have sworn he was saying “Saturday Night” instead of Such a Night when I heard him on the Last Waltz doing this song. He put a little New Orleans in everything he did.

This was his breakthrough album. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard Album Charts. Before this album he was a musician’s musician but after he became a pop star as well. This song peaked at #42 on the Billboard 100 but Nashville must have liked it more than that…they played it a lot. 

Dr. John collaborated with legendary producer Allen Toussaint and The Meters, a huge New Orleans funk band and the results were gold. I knew I heard of Allen Toussaint before…he worked with The Band. Robbie Robertson wanted horns on Life Is A Carnival and Toussaint did it. After that, Robbie asked him to write horn parts for an entire live show. He did that over Christmas of 1971 and The Band’s live album Rock Of Ages came out of that collaboration. 

Such A Night

Such a night, it’s such a nightSweet confusion under the moonlightSuch a night, such a nightTo steal away, the time is right

Your eyes caught mine, and at a glanceYou let me know that this was my chanceBut you came here with my best friend JimAnd here I am, tryin’ to steal you away from him

Oh, but if I don’t do it, you know somebody else willIf I don’t do it, you know somebody else willIf I don’t do it, you know somebody else willIf I don’t do it, you know somebody else will

And it’s such a night, it’s such a nightSweet confusion under the moonlightIt’s such a night, such a nightTo steal away, the time is right

Yeah, I couldn’t believe my ear and my heart just skipped a beatWhen you told me to take you walkin’ down the streetOh yeah, you came here with my best friend JimHere I am, I’m stealin’ you away from him

Oh, but if I don’t do it, you know somebody else willIf I don’t do it, you know somebody else willIf I don’t do it, you know somebody else willIf I don’t do it, you know somebody else will‘Cause it’s such a night

…

Guy Clark – L.A. Freeway

In the past couple of years, I’ve been listening to more and more of the Texas style singer/songwriters and I can’t get enough. I keep looking for more but there are a few I always come back to…Guy Clark, Townes Van Zant, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Steve Earle.  In 1975 Guy Clark released this song on his first album Old No. 1 and eventually released 13 studio albums. 

In the 1960s, Guy Clark tried his luck in the California music scene. He also built and repaired guitars and had a shop in San Francisco in 1969. In 1971 he was signed as a songwriter by Sunbury Music in Los Angeles, he decided to relocate to the company’s Nashville office in 1971. His arrival helped usher in a migration of new songwriting talent to the city.

Clark wrote this song while living in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. He and his wife, Susanna Clark, lived in a small, rundown apartment, and they felt out of place in the city. They wanted to leave Los Angeles and return to Texas, where he felt more at home.

The idea for the song reportedly came to Clark while he was driving on the freeway, scribbling lyrics on a paper bag. The line “pack up all your dishes, make note of all good wishes” showed his desire to escape the chaotic nature of L.A. at the time.

Jerry Jeff Walker was the first to record the song on his self-titled album in 1972. Walker’s version of this song peaked at #98 on the Billboard 100 so Walker popularized it. 

L.A. Freeway

Pack up all your dishesMake note of all good wishesAnd say goodbye to the landlord for meThat son of a bitch has always bored me

Throw out them LA papersAnd that mouldy box of vanilla wafersAdios to all this concreteGonna get me some dirt road back streets

If I can just get off ofI’ll be down the road in a cloud of smokeTo some land I ain’t bought, bought, bought

And it’s, here’s to you old skinny DennisThe only one I think I will missI can hear that old bass singingSweet and low, like a gift you’re bringing

Play it for me one more time, nowGot to give it all you we can nowI believe every thing you’re sayingAnd just to keep on, keep on playing

If I can just get off of this L.A. freewayWithout gettin’ killed or caughtI’ll be down the road in a cloud of smokeTo some land I ain’t bought, bought, bought

And you put the pink card in the mailboxLeave the key in the front door lockThey’ll find it likely as notI’m sure there’s somethin’ we have forgot

Oh Susanna, don’t you cry, babyLove’s a gift that’s surely handmadeWe got somethin’ to believe inDon’t you think it’s time we’re leavin’?

If I can just get off of this LA freewayWithout gettin’ killed or caughtI’ll be down the road in a cloud of smokeTo some land I ain’t bought, bought, bought

If I can just get off of this LA freewayWithout gettin’ killed or caughtDown the road in a cloud of smokeTo some land I ain’t bought

So pack up all your dishesMake note of all good wishesAnd say goodbye to the landlord for meThat son of a bitch has always bored me

Buzzcocks – Orgasm Addict

This band is a blast to listen to. They have the punk edge but with power pop choruses. Along with bands, like The Jam, Small Faces, Slade, and a host of others…America just didn’t hear unless you were in the know.  These guys blended punk and pop about as well as anyone. I had a friend with their import records in the eighties. That was the only way I could hear them. Orgasm Addict was a hell of a debut single for the band. It was banned by the BBC soon after the release. Yet another song about teenage masturbation. 

The song was written by Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto during Devoto’s time with the band, though he left before it was recorded. Known for its risqué and lyrics, the track asked for controversy and limited radio play at the time of release but has since become a punk rock staple. This song was released in 1977 and was not an album track. It peaked at #56 on the UK Charts. 

They chose the name Buzzcocks after reading the headline, “It’s the Buzz, Cock!”, in a review of the TV series Rock Follies in Time Out magazine. The “buzz” is the excitement of playing on stage; “cock” is northern English slang meaning friend. They were formed in 1976 by Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto after seeing the Sex Pistols. They were able to blend punk’s spirit and sound with pop.

Nirvana invited them to open select dates on the grunge outfit’s last European tour, in early 1994. Steve Diggle told about a memory he has of Kurt Cobain: “Doing two grams of coke is one of my famous stories with him.” They also opened up for Pearl Jam in 2003.

They released 3 albums and broke up in 1981 after a dispute with their record company. They reunited in 1989 and released 6 more albums. Pete Shelley continued to play with the band until his death from a heart attack in 2018. The band still continues to tour.

Orgasm Addict

Well, you tried it just for onceFound it all right for kicksBut now you found outThat it’s a habit that sticks

And you’re an orgasm addictYou’re an orgasm addict

Sneaking in the back doorWith dirty magazinesNow your mother wants to knowWhat all those stains on your jeans

And you’re an orgasm addictYou’re an orgasm addict

Ah-huh, ah-huh, ahAh-huh, ah-huh, ah

You get in a heatYou get in a sulkBut you still keep a beatingYour meat to pulp

‘Cause you’re an orgasm addictYou’re an orgasm addict

You’re a kid CasanovaYou’re a no JosephIt’s a labour of loveFuckin’ yourself to death

Orgasm addictYou’re an orgasm addict

Ah-huh, ah-huh, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahAh-ah-ahh!

You’re makin’ out with school kidsWinos and heads of stateYou even made it with the ladyWho puts the little plastic bobins on the Christmas cakesButcher’s assistants and bellhopsyou’ve had them all here and thereChildren of God and their joy-stringsInternational women with no body hair

Ooh, so where they’re askin’ in an alleyAnd your voice ain’t steadyIf sex mechanic’s rough, you’re more than ready

You’re an orgasm addictYou’re an orgasm addict

Johnny want fuckie always and all waysHe’s got the energy, he will amaze

He’s an orgasm addictHe’s an orgasm addict

He’s always at itYou’re always at it‘Cause you’re an orgasm addictWe’re all orgasm addicts

…