Thanks to Dave for posting this song. It was a response to Dave asking us about songs that mention a city on Turntable Talk. This one and Nashville Cats came to mind…but I went with the Purple.
This song is all about the riff…it is a memorable riff… The song has drive and suspense. The dynamics are great after the middle section when the intro riff is reintroduced. What made Deep Purple different from other hard rock bands at the time was the Hammond C3 organ played by Jon Lord. In this song the Hammond sounds as mean as the guitar.
The song was inspired by Deep Purple’s first tour of Japan in 1972. The band was struck by the contrast between the crowded bustling, modern city of Tokyo and the traditional aspects of Japanese culture. Tokyo is personified as a woman.
Woman from Tokyo was on the album Who Do We Think We Are released in 1973. The band members were dealing with exhaustion from constant touring and the pressure to deliver another hit album. The album did quite well peaking at #4 in the UK, #15 on the Billboard Album Charts, and #11 in Canada.
Deep Purple wasn’t a singles band, but this one got a lot of airplay on radio. The song peaked at #60 on the Billboard 100 and #55 in Canada in 1973. That surprises me because I did hear this one a lot growing up.
The band never liked it very much. They didn’t start playing it live until they re-formed in 1984 after their 1976 split. Roger Glover insists that no real live versions of this song existed until the 80s despite being on live compilation albums from their 1970s period.
Because of endless touring and fatigue, Ian Gillan gave a six-month notice stating that he was leaving the band after fulfilling all his commitments in 1973. After lead singer Ian Gillian left Deep Purple in 1973, they had two other lead singers before reforming in 1984…and they were David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner. To me though…Ian Gillian is the singer I think of when I think of Deep Purple.
Ritchie Blackmore: “We were in Japan, and it was an incredible experience for us. The song came out of our admiration for the country and the fans there. Tokyo had a lasting impression on us.”
Ritchie Blackmore: “I wanted ‘Woman from Tokyo’ to have a strong, catchy riff that would stay with the listener. The middle section was intended to give it a different feel, almost like taking the listener on a journey.”
Ritchie Blackmore: “The recording sessions for ‘Who Do We Think We Are’ were tough. There was a lot of tension in the band, but ‘Woman from Tokyo’ was one of the moments where things came together well.”
Woman from Tokyo
Fly into the rising sun Faces, smiling everyone Yeah, she is a whole new tradition I feel it in my heart
My woman from Tokyo She makes me see My woman from Tokyo She’s so good to me
Talk about her like a Queen Dancing in a Eastern Dream Yeah, she makes me feel like a river That carries me away
My woman from Tokyo She makes me see My woman from Tokyo She’s so good to me
But I’m at home and I just don’t belong
So far away from the garden we love She is what moves in the soul of a dove Soon I shall see just how black was my night When we’re alone in Her City of light
Rising from the neon gloom Shining like a crazy moon Yeah, she turns me on like a fire I get high
My woman from Tokyo She makes me see My woman from Tokyo She’s so good to me
Randy from mostlymusiccovers.com and I teamed up to write about different brothers in rock and roll through the years. This is the first one of the series. I combined the introduction with this first post. I will post these on Sunday mornings.
We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In a periodic mini-series Randy, from mostlymusiccovers.com, and I will explore some “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings. As it happens the Knopfler brothers are among many sets and while we can’t talk about all of them, we will feature some of the better-known sibling rivalries. Two, three, and sometimes even more brothers in a band, well, stop being a band of brothers. How many more cheesy puns can we come up with? Just some of the names Randy and I discussed were; The Everly’s, The Fogerty’s, The Gibb’s, to the Gallagher’s, Allmans, and the Davies.
For those of you who have not checked out Randy and his blog, you really need to. He has been writing a blog about Cover Songs, music genres, and artists since early 2018. He gets in-depth with many artists You can read about the origins of Rock and Roll, Blues, R&B, and Country Music. There are Cover Song and Chart statistics as well, all with a focus on the 1950s, 60s, and 70s at MostlyMusicCovers.com. He has also helped me out with blues artists and Canadian Charts in general.
While we can’t get too in-depth as literally books have been written, we can give a good thumbnail sketch of the bash ups and the break ups. A few days ago Randy mentioned that brothers Doug and Rusty Kershaw had split, but I did not read about it being that acrimonious, more of a creative differences situation. Our brother stories have a bit more ‘punch’ to them.
This is the first post in a periodic mini-series where Randy from mostlymusiccovers.com and I will explore some “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings. The original post is here. Randy tells us about Don and Phil Everly.
“Bye, Bye, Love” The Everly Brothers first big hit from 1957.
Don was born in 1937 (2021) and Phil in 1939 (2014), raised in Kentucky, the brothers would move to Nashville in 1955 to pursue a recording career. As in the above clip it was “Bye, Bye, Love” in 1957 that sent the brothers skyrocketing. Written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant it was #1 on the Country chart, #2 in the US and Canada, #6 in the UK and 14 in Australia, and #14 on the R&B chart. Their next song “Wake Up Little Susie” was #1 in the US and Canada, #2 in the UK, and #3 in Australia.
They toured with Buddy Holly in 1957 and 1958 and became very close, Buddy’s death, Feb. 3, 1959 would have a devastating impact on the pair. Don wrote their next and last #1 hit “Cathy’s Clown” in 1960. This was after a dispute with the record/publishing company, leaving Acuff/Rose and unfortunately songwriters Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.
Still, they had a busy schedule, the demands of touring and the pressures of performing and recording, the inevitable happened. The use of amphetamines was rampant in the business and they both got hooked.
By the mid 1960’s they fought over just about everything and of the two it was Don that had the most severe drug problem. Chart success was eluding them and the brothers were not getting along, but it was kept a closely guarded secret that they were able to hold for several years. Don attempted to go solo in 1970 but had no success. Things finally came to a head and in 1973 they agreed their July 14/15 show would be the last one.
Don was drunk before the show started, part way into the show Phil smashed his guitar and walked off stage. Don would finish the show and perform solo the next night. They did not speak for nearly ten years. They would reunite in 1983, had a great reunion concert, and released an album EB84, produced and named in his style 1 by Dave Edmunds that charted #38 on Billboard and #24 on the Country Album chart. They continued to perform periodically, and in 2003 they toured with Paul Simon. They remained close until Phil’s death at age 74 in 2014. Don passed in 2021 at age 84.
“On the Wings of a Nightingale” written for The Everly Brothers by Paul McCartney
Despite the battles and the hardship, they gave us some of the most remarkable harmonies ever-ly recorded.
Dave Edmunds released his 7th Studio album called D.E. 7th in 1982.
This 1965 song still works…it can light up a party in a heartbeat. This is one of those songs that you can play without rehearsing if you are in a band. A fun rock and roll song that doesn’t take itself seriously.
The exact meaning of Wooly Bully is left ambiguous, fitting the song’s fun nature. Others must agree because according to secondhandsongs.com it has 190 cover versions. Those versions include Dave Edmunds, Lindisfarne, and of course…Billy Bacon and The Forbidden Pigs. I don’t know much about them but with that name…I had to include them.
The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard 100. They were kept out of the top spot by those two upstart bands…The Rolling Stones with Satisfaction and The Beatles with Help!. The song peaked at #2 in Canada as well in 1965 and #11 in the UK.
They were not a one-hit wonder though. They had one other top ten song (#2) with Li’l Red Riding Hood. They had 6 top-40 hits between 1965 and 1970. Look at the variety of the 1960s. Satisfaction, Help!, Like A Rolling Stone, and Wooly Bully all within a couple of years.
The band’s leader, Domingo “Sam” Samudio, was born in Dallas, Texas. He first started performing in the late 1950s. Sam joined various bands before forming The Pharaohs in 1961 and another version in 1963 and that time it stuck. Samudio wrote this song as well.
In 1970, Sam started a solo career and was awarded a Grammy in 1971 for Best Album Liner Notes to his record Sam, Hard and Heavy. He later started to cover gospel and country as well.
Wooly Bully
Uno dos, one two tres quatro
Ay, wooly bully Watch it now, watch it
Here he comes, here he comes Watch it now, he get ‘cha
Matty told Hatty About a thing she saw Had two big horns And a wooly jaw Wooly bully Wooly bully Yeah drive Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Hatty told Matty Let’s don’t take no chance Let’s not be L-seven Come and learn to dance Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Watch it now, watch it watch it watch it Ay… Ay, drive, drive, drive
Matty told Hatty That’s the thing to do Get you someone really Pull the wool with you Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Wooly bully Watch it now, watch it, here he comes You got it, you got it
This is my first King Crimson post. I’ve heard their debut album the most and I like it. I went exploring, found some others I liked, and wrote up one song (publishing later) but I decided to start with this. I have been a Robert Fripp fan from way back. This song is the opening track to their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. I found out about this band through a big brother of a friend I have…the same one who introduced me to Big Star and The Grateful Dead.
The song was written by the original lineup of King Crimson, which included Robert Fripp (guitar), Greg Lake (bass and vocals), Ian McDonald (saxophone, flute, keyboards), Michael Giles (drums), and Peter Sinfield (lyrics). The debut album was called In The Court of the Crimson King. The album was a hit. It peaked at #5 in the UK, #27 in Canada, and #28 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1969.
For me to like progressive rock it has to have a good melody to it. King Crimson, ELP, and some of Yes do…, especially the live cuts. The musicianship on these albums is out of this world. I like this song’s changing time signatures and the rock, jazz, and classical feel.
This live cut is short but it’s the only thing I could find in this era. I always try to include a live version in the era it was released.
21st Century Schizoid Man
Cat’s foot iron claw Neuro-surgeons scream for more At paranoia’s poison door. Twenty first century schizoid man.
Blood rack barbed wire Polititians’ funeral pyre Innocents raped with napalm fire Twenty first century schizoid man.
Death seed blind man’s greed Poets’ starving children bleed Nothing he’s got he really needs Twenty first century schizoid man.
I didn’t think I would ever see an extensive book (nearly 600 pages) on Keith Moon. Tony Fletcher wrote this book and he thoroughly researched Keith and he had been a fan since his teenage years. As a teenager, he actually met Keith before he died.
Fletcher talks to everyone of importance in Keith’s life. The only disappointing thing for me and for Fletcher himself is he had to debunk some of the myths about Keith. The great story of him driving a car in the pool of a Flint Michigan Holiday Inn… didn’t happen… but the real story is just as interesting though.
The veil is drawn back on a lot of myths. It’s not a book full of Keith doing wild things like the book “Full Moon”. This one shows his ugly side also. Keith had one of the most dangerous traits you could have…the ability not to be embarrassed. Think about that…that keeps us in check at times. With Keith, anything could happen at any time.
Trouble Boys – Bob Mehr
One of the only books about The Replacements. After this book, I started to understand the reckless and sabotaging behavior of the band. It also goes through the tough decision of Bob Stinson leaving the band only to die a few years later.
It was interesting to see the relationship they had with other bands such as REM at the time. They would goad each other into making better albums. I was a fan before I read it but it increased my interest by a bunch afterwards.
Up and Down with the Rolling Stones – Tony Sanchez
This was the first book I read on the Rolling Stones when I was around 13. It’s an easy but dark read. It’s written by Tony Sanchez, Keith’s drug dealer and sometimes partner in crime. Tony was also a photographer who took photos of the Stones and the Moody Blues. Spanish Tony, as he was called hung around with the Stones, Moody Blues and also knew the Beatles.
It’s full of wrecked cars, heroin, dead friends, sleazy characters, and some eventful journeys. At first, I would take some of the stories with a grain of salt but most of the events were verified by Keith’s book “Life.”
Let The Good Times Roll – Kenney Jones
Kenney Jones was the drummer of three of England’s most influential bands – The Small Faces, The Faces and for a few years The Who. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Kenney keeps the book interesting from his childhood, teen years, swinging London, the Swinging Seventies, up til now.
I never knew much about the Small Faces and Faces and this book answered some questions I had about both bands. He gave much more information than Roger Daltrey did in his book about Jone’s tenure as the drummer of the Who and their difficulties. Personally, I don’t think Kenney was the right drummer for the Who but then again…I don’t think anyone could have taken Moon’s place. He does give an interesting perspective on it though.
I didn’t’ realize that Keith Moon and Kenney were as close as they were. Kenney had played with the Who before in sound checks when the Small Faces and Who were touring with each other and Moon couldn’t be found. After Moon died a few strange things happened to Kenney right before Bill Curbishley (The Who’s Manager) called to see if he would join. The strange events helped him make the decision.
Living The Beatles Legend – Kenneth Womack
I did a review on this last year but I wanted to get it in here.
I’ve been waiting on this book since I read about the Beatles in the 70s as a kid. I knew the story…after a showdown with police Mal Evans was shot and killed on January 5, 1976. He was working on his autobiography at the time. Evans was the last person you would think would die that way…and in this case…he wanted it. Could the police have handled it better? Yes, but Mal had said that is how he wanted to go out. He forced the situation. He was only 40 years old.
Mal Evans along with Neil Aspinal were the roadies for the Beatles. Imagine that…2 roadies for the world’s biggest band. Mal worked at a telephone company in the early ’60s but he loved rock and roll…especially Elvis Presley. He would go see bands at the Cavern and struck up a friendship with George Harrison. George told him since he loved music…take a part-time job as a bouncer at The Cavern. The Beatles automatically liked him from the start. He was a big guy at 6’4″ but he never wanted to use violence. More times than not…he talked his way out of trouble. Aspinal was their only roadie and when Love Me Do and then Please Please Me came out…they needed another person because Aspinal was worn out.
I would highly recommend this book. Kenneth Womack had full access to his diaries and used many of the entries. This book turned up a lot of things about them that I had no clue about. It also gave a different look at their personalities on an everyday basis. Near the end, Mal went to the 2nd Beatles convention and spoke. He started to battle depression in the seventies after living in California and missing his wife and kids back in London. He picked up a girlfriend in California and that made his guilt worse. Drugs also affected him in the end.
I started to listen to The Beat Farmer’s debut album Tales of the New West a few months ago. I came across this song and liked it with the first listen…it took me a second but I realized it was an old Velvet Underground song.
I can’t recommend this album enough. I first heard of the band through a more of a novelty song called Happy Boy. I just recently started to listen to them and they are fantastic.
The Beat Farmers formed in San Diego California in 1983. They went to a studio with a $4000 budget, and they recorded Tales Of The New West. The album was released in 1985. The members were Country Dick Montana, Jerry Raney on guitar, Rolle Dexter on bass, Buddy Blue on guitar, and Joey Harris on guitar. They did a tour opening up for the Blasters and then signed a 7 Record Deal with CURB Records…which turned out to be a mistake…they fought for years to get away from them.
Together they released 6 albums and 15 singles + EPs. The band came to a halt on November 8, 1995, when Country Dick Montana died on stage. They have occasionally got together since then.
This song was on the Velvet Underground debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico and was released in 1967. Lou Reed wrote There She Goes Again. The lyrics to this song must have sounded outrageous to the listeners in 1967. The album only charted at #129 in the Billboard 100 and that would be the best charting LP of all of their 5 original albums.
There She Goes Again
There she goes again (There she goes) Yeah, I see her walkin’ on down the streets again (There she goes) Well, she’s down on her knees again (There she goes) But she’ll never ask you please again (There she goes)
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes She won’t take it from just any guy. What can you do?
Yeah, when you see her walkin’ on down the streets (There she goes) Yeah, I see her lookin’ at all the boys that she’s gonna meet (There she goes) If I see her messin’ ’round, I don’t know what I’m gonna do
Well, there she goes again (There she goes) Yeah, I see her walkin’ on down the streets again (There she goes) Well, she’s down on her knees again (There she goes) Yeah, but she’ll never ask me please (There she goes) again
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes She won’t take it from just any guy. What can you do?
Yeah, when you see her walkin’ on down the streets (There she goes) Yeah I see her lookin’ at all the pretty boys that she’s gonna meet (There she goes) Oh, when I see that stuff, I just don’t know
Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes Like a bird, she’s a-gonna fly. What can you do?
Yeah, when you see her walkin’ on down the streets (There she goes) Yeah, I see her lookin’ at al the boys that she’s gonna meet (There she goes) Yeah, I know that she isn’t down on her feet (There she goes) Yeah, but she’ll never ask you please (There she goes) Oh-ho!
You could blindfold me and I could tell you if Mick Taylor was playing with The Stones live. He had his own unique sound because of the Les Paul he played. He made those songs in the classic Stones period go.
Many people think that Mick Taylor went uncredited on this and many songs. The melody doesn’t sound like a Keith melody but in any case, Jagger/Richards get credited with this one. They rarely if ever play it live.
The solo in this song is great by Mick Taylor. It reminds me a little of Carlos Santana. He quit shortly after this album was released and it was the end of the classic Stones era. They would never sound the same again after this. The song was on It’s Only Rock and Roll which was a good album but not up to the level of the five preceding albums. A big reason was because of the absence of producer Jimmy Miller.
So why did Mick Taylor leave the band? I’ve read different things from him and others. Taylor felt underappreciated and frustrated that he didn’t receive proper credit for his contributions to the band’s music. He claimed to have co-written several songs, such as Sway and Moonlight Mile but Jagger and Richards would not give a songwriting credit to him. I do believe that because Brian Jones and Ronnie Wood also had the same problem.
His health and well-being were also factors in his decision to leave. The intense touring schedule and the pressures of being in The Stones took a toll on him. Besides pot…he said he didn’t take drugs when he joined the band but like others before and after him…he slowly started to do harder drugs while with the band. When he quit the band it took him a while to get off of heroin.
The song is a favorite among many Stones fans I know and it should be more well known.
Time Waits For No One
Yes, star-crossed in pleasure, the stream flows on by Yes, as we’re sated in leisure, we watch it fly, yes
And time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me And time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me
Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman’s face Hours are like diamonds, don’t let them waste
Time waits for no one, no favors has he Time waits for no one, and he won’t wait for me
Men, they build towers to their passing Yes, to their fame everlasting Here he comes, chopping and reaping Hear him laugh at their cheating
And time waits for no man, and it won’t wait for me Yes, time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for thee
Drink in your summer, gather your corn The dreams of the nighttime will vanish by dawn
And time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me And time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me No, no, no, not for me, no, not for me
Well we might as well close out July with this classic.
When I hear this song I automatically think of the 1950s. One problem with that thought…it was released in late 1961 but it doesn’t matter…it’s pretty damn awesome. This is one of the songs that I missed on my Max’s Picks. The song has a magical quality about it…I have to smile when I hear it.
The song originated from warm-up exercises by the doo-wop group The Dukays. The group’s members would sing “doo doo doo” to prepare their voices, which evolved into “duke duke duke.” The song was written by Gene Chandler, Earl Edwards, and Bernice Williams. The song was recorded in one take.
The song established Gene Chandler’s career and became his signature hit. He adopted the persona of the “Duke of Earl,” often appearing in a cape and top hat during performances. Chandler went on to have a long career. He released music until 1986. He had a lot of success on the Billboard R&B charts and had some more top 40 singles as well, but nothing as big as The Duke of Earl.
This song is just one of those songs that you know the instant it starts. It’s one of the most famous openings of any song from the rock ’n’ roll era. Chandler was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 for “The Duke of Earl” and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014.
The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100 and #1 in Canada (from all I’ve found) in 1962. There are 35 cover versions of this song but it would be impossible to wipe away the memory of the original.
Duke Of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
As I walk through this world
Nothing can stop the Duke of Earl
And-a you, you are my girl
And no one can hurt you, oh no
Yes-a, I, oh I’m gonna love you, oh oh
Come on let me hold you darlin’
‘Cause I’m the Duke of Earl
So hey yea yea yeah
And when I hold you
You’ll be my Duchess, Duchess of Earl
We’ll walk through my dukedom
And a paradise we will share
Yes-a, I, oh I’m gonna love you, oh oh
Nothing can stop me now
‘Cause I’m the Duke of Earl
So hey yeah yeah yeah
Well, I, oh I’m gonna love you, oh oh
Nothing can stop me now
‘Cause I’m the Duke of Earl
So hey yeah yeah yeah
This song was on the band’s debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo. I’m just learning about them but they started off with a psychedelic phase with this album. I really admire their career…their discography reads like War and Peace. They released their last album Backbone in 2019. This album was before their shift to boogie music of the 1970s.
Ice in the Sun peaked at #8 in the UK, #29 in Canada, and #70 on the Billboard 100. It charted well in the rest of the world. The song was written by Marty Wilde (a popular British rock and roll singer in the 50s) and Ronnie Scott (a British pop promoter). It’s a cool blend of psychedelic pop and rock. I really love the 1965-1968 era in rock because you had psychedelic, pop, rock, hard rock, folk, Americana, country, and a little bit of everything.
When Pictures of Matchstick Men hit the American charts, the group made the decision to remain in Europe, focusing their efforts on the UK market…they would regret this later on. It paid off in the UK as Status Quo became one of the most popular bands in Britain, charting over 60 singles but they missed out in America. Their only other chart entry here was Ice In The Sun.
The album received positive, especially for its single Pictures of Matchstick Men, which peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #12 on the Billboard 100. Ice in the Sun has stuck in their live repertoire through the years.
Status Quo
I’m not a little boy I’ve lived alone and loved so many more But when she touches me I’m on the way I’m underneath the floor
Like ice in the sun I melt away Whenever she comes I melt away Like ice in the sun I melt away
I sit down in a chair and Read a book as if I couldn’t there But she is in a room and I must look I see her everywhere
Like ice in the sun I melt away Whenever she comes I melt away Like ice in the sun I melt away
She opens up her eyes as if to speak She looks at me and I am weak Her eyes they seem much bigger than before I cannot think anymore
Like ice in the sun I melt away Whenever she comes I melt away Like ice in the sun I melt away
Like ice in the sun I melt away Whenever she comes I melt away Like ice in the sun I melt away
Like ice in the sun I melt away Whenever she comes I melt away Like ice in the sun
The first time I heard this song I loved it. Many people have covered it but I know it primarily through CCR. Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, wrote this song and recorded it in 1940. Back when I was playing in a band…around one am, a couple of hours before closing we would do this song. People would be singing along with us.
Some bands and artists seem to cross genres and CCR is one of those bands. Yes, I’ve met people who didn’t love them but most like something they do. I’ve met metal heads, hard rock fans, country, bluegrass, pop, and rock fans who like them. Most can’t believe they came from California and not the swamps of Louisana. They looked like blue-collar workers going to work every day…and by their music…they were.
I visited secondhandsongs.com and found that this song has 187 versions of it. It’s been covered by Harry Belafonte, Odetta, Bill Monroe, Buck Owens, The Staple Singers, The Beach Boys, Van Morrison, and so many more.
Creedence covered it on the Willy and the Poor Boys album released in 1969. It was not released as a single in America but it peaked at #1 in Mexico in 1970. The album had the well-known hits Fortunate Son, Down On The Corner, The Midnight Special, and the fan favorite It Came Out of the Sky. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in Canada, and #10 in the UK.
Creedence had 18 songs in the top 100 and 9 top 10 hits yet no number 1’s in the Billboard 100 until Have You Ever Seen The Rain in 2021!
Cotton Fields
When I was a little bitty baby My mama would rock me in the cradle In them old cotton fields back home
It was down in Louisiana Just about a mile from Texarkana In them old cotton fields back home
Oh, when them cotton bolls get rotten You can’t pick very much cotton In them old cotton fields back home
It was down in Louisiana Just about a mile from Texarkana In them old cotton fields back home
When I was a little bitty baby My mama would rock me in the cradle In them old cotton fields back home
It was down in Louisiana Just about a mile from Texarkana In them old cotton fields back home
Oh, when them cotton bolls get rotten You can’t pick very much cotton In them old cotton fields back home
It was down in Louisiana Just about a mile from Texarkana In them old cotton fields back home
When I was a little bitty baby My mama would rock me in the cradle In them old cotton fields back home
It was down in Louisiana Just about a mile from Texarkana In them old cotton fields back home
I would have loved to have gone to this concert. The Grateful Dead, The Band, and The Allman Brothers! How much more Americana could you get? Many people felt the same…I mean MANY. 51 years ago today this mammoth concert happened.
I would love to hear from you if you were at this concert. I have one person who did give me a comment.
I first read about this festival in a Grateful Dead biography… There is not much video footage from the concert. No professional film because The Dead didn’t want it to be a movie or soundtrack. I could never understand why this concert wasn’t as well known as The Atlanta Pop Festival and others. It drew more than any other festival including Woodstock with some others combined.
Fans who arrived early were treated to an impromptu soundcheck by the Grateful Dead on July 27, which essentially turned into an extra set…it lasted for hours. Despite the enormous crowd, the atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful and communal. Whether they knew it or not…they were part of something truly historic.
Some cars were abandoned and a few of them are still there! I have a video below that shows some of the rusted cars now that were left.
An estimated 600,000 people attended this concert on July 28, 1973, in Watkins Glen N.Y. 51 years ago. Below is a blogger who was there and a member from each band talking about the concert. I’ll let all of them do the talking.
Jim from Unique Title For Me wrote this about going to this concert. He was one of the lucky ones that got to see Summer Jam.
Jim: That was my favorite concert that I attended, and I have some great memories of being there. We drove into the concert with an ounce of pot on the dashboard and since it was sold out, they were no longer collecting tickets, so they just waved us through the gate. There was this spaced-out naked guy standing nearby Danny, Patty, Irene and I and Danny said that we had to move because he was ruining the show for us. He had a snake around his neck, and he kept drooling, but I liked the spot we had so I grabbed him by his arm and flung him into the mud pit in front of the stage where all the other naked weirdos were.
From the bands themselves, almost all agree the sound check on Friday was better than the concerts.
Perspective about the concert by a member from each band.
Robbie Robertson from his book Testimony
Then we got a request from Bill Graham, who was putting together a show “just up the highway from us” at the Watkins Glen Raceway. We’d be performing with the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead. Playing some gigs could help us get “back on the stick,” as they say. We went up to Watkins Glen the day before the show for the sound check. Bill Graham said that the Dead would go on first and play for three or four hours—that was part of their thing, giving the audience their money’s worth. “Until the drugs wear off,” said Bill, laughing. We’d go on in the late afternoon, and the Allmans would take over at sundown. As we were leaving the sound check, it looked like cars were heading toward the racetrack from every direction. Bill said he expected maybe a hundred thousand or more. When we came back the next day, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Hundreds of thousands of people had showed up, and more just kept coming and coming. The crowds mowed down the high chain-link fences around the racetrack and filled the area as far as the eye could see. Bill was running around trying to make people pay admission, but the mobs were out of control. When it came time for the Band to take the stage, it started pouring. As we waited, hoping it was going to let up, Bill came over. “They’ve determined there are 650,000 people here. It’s the biggest concert in history.” The news was somewhere between an incredible accomplishment and a huge disaster. The rain started letting up, and Garth played some churchy, rainy-day keyboard sounds out over the crowd. When it was safe to go on, we decided to start our set with Chuck Berry’s “Back to Memphis.” And wouldn’t you know, as Levon sang that baby, the sun came out.
Gregg Allman from My Cross to Bear
Right before Brothers and Sisters came out, we played the festival at Watkins Glen with the Band and the Grateful Dead, in front of six hundred thousand people—the biggest show in history to that point. People always talk about Woodstock. Watkins Glen was like three Woodstocks. I think actually it might’ve been a little too big. They should have had people all the way around the raceway, and maybe had the stage in the center revolving real slowly, do a revolution in a minute. That’s not that complicated. A show like Watkins Glen was uncomfortable, because you know that you’re getting the show across to this many people, but you still got two times that many behind them. You could finish a song, take your guitar off, put it in the case, and latch it up before the last guy heard the last note. Sound ain’t all that fast, not compared to light.
When you’re playing in that situation, you’re kind of thinking about the end. Not that you’re wishing it to be over, but you can’t even hear yourself—that was back before we had the in-ear monitors. Everything was so loud. You just walk out there and start to wince before you even start playing. It’s hard to get any kind of coziness, any kind of feel with the audience. I guess there’s something about that many people seeing you all at once that’s real nice, but it’s just too much. You’re just like a little squeak in the middle of a bomb going off. But it was interesting, and it was a pretty fun day. People were OD’ing all over the place. And of course, Uncle Bill was there, which cured everything. It was exciting to be there and see it—and to be able to make ’em stand up, now that was something else.
Bill Kreutzmann from Deal
We made some questionable business decisions and we couldn’t sell records, but we sure could sell tickets. We sold around 150,000 tickets for a single show at a racetrack in Watkins Glen, New York, on July, 28, 1973. Yes, and more than 600,000 people ended up coming out for it. The lineup was just us, the Allman Brothers, and the Band. That show, called the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for what, at the time, was the largest audience ever assembled at a rock concert. In fact, that record may still hold today, at least in the U.S., and some have even proposed that it was the largest gathering in American history. Originally, the bill was supposed to just be the Dead and the Allmans, but our respective camps fought with the promoter over which band would get headliner status. The solution was that both bands would co-headline and they’d add a third, “support” act. The friendly (“-ish”) competition between us and the Allman Brothers carried through to the event itself. And yet, the memory that I’m most fond of and hold most dear from that whole weekend was jamming backstage with Jaimoe, one of the Allman’s drummers. We were just sitting in the dressing room, banging out rhythms, and that was a lot of fun for me. Jaimoe backed Otis Redding and Sam & Dave before becoming a founding member of the Allman Brothers, where he remains to this day. He’s a soulful drummer and just an incredible guy who is impossible not to like. As for the show itself, it is a well-known fact that the Grateful Dead always blew the big ones. Watkins Glen was no exception. However, we still got a great night of music out of it—the night before. The show took place on a Saturday, but by Friday afternoon there were already about 90,000 people in front of the stage. I’ve heard others place that number closer to 200,000. Either way, the audience was already many times the size of any of our regular shows, and the show was still a full day away. The only duty we had on Friday was to do a soundcheck, and even that was somewhat optional. The Band soundchecked a couple of songs. The Allman Brothers soundchecked for a bit. Then, perhaps spurred on by our friendly rivalry, we decided to one-up both bands by turning our soundcheck into a full-on, two-set show. Naturally, without any of the pressure of the “official show” the next day, we really let loose and played a good one. There was an eighteen-minute free-form jam that eventually made it onto So Many Roads, one of our archival box sets. It’s good music, all right, and it still holds its own. On the day of the actual show, we had to fly into the venue via helicopter because the roads were all backed up, like what happened at Woodstock. People left their cars on the side of the road and walked for miles to the gig. I remember looking down from the helicopter and seeing the most incredible impressionist painting, a Monet of heads, shoulders, tie-dyes, baseball caps, and backpacks, packed front to back. You couldn’t see the ground for the crowd. To this day, I’ve never seen anything else like that. Nowadays at large music events and festivals, they have golf carts for artists and crews to get around, but back then they used little motor scooters. Early, during the day of our supposed “soundcheck,” I commandeered one of these scooters and, because the venue was an actual racetrack, I decided to do a lap. This was before the gates were opened. The scooter went maybe fifteen or eighteen miles an hour, something stupid like that, and it took forever just to do one lap. But I did it. And that’s when I first started to get a feel for the scale of the event and just how large it was. During the Summer Jam itself, I watched the other bands play and I honestly thought the Allman Brothers played better on the big day than we did. As for the Band, well, they always sounded great.
Peter Wolf was doing his thing in this song. Wolf is the complete package as a lead singer. He can give you a great voice to drive the songs and move around the stage like he is on fire. I would put him up as one of the best in rock. In the era of Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, and Mick Jagger. Peter Wolf could keep up with the best…and still can.
The song Looking for a Love was originally recorded by The Valentinos, a soul group featuring Bobby Womack, in 1962. It became an R&B hit (#8) at the time and was written by J. W. Alexander and Zelda Samuels. The J Geils Band took the song and lit it up with energy. It’s some fantastic fun R&B that the band covered great. That was their strong suit…infectious driving live band who had soul and some funk to boot.
The J. Geils version peaked at #25 in Canada and #39 on the Billboard 100 in 1971. It was on the band’s second album called The Morning After. It peaked at #63 on the Billboard Album Charts and #73 in Canada.
Bobby Womack re-recorded it in 1974 and had a massive hit with it that peaked at #1 on the R&B Charts and #10 on the Billboard 100.
The J. Geils Band was formed in 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The band came out of the Boston club scene in the late sixties. I always thought they should have been bigger than they were in the 1970s. They didn’t hit their commercial peak until the early 80s with Love Stinks, Come Back, and then the hugely popular Freeze-Frame album in 1983 but their 70s output gets lost at times and that is a big shame.
Also, there are a couple of you who recommended their live album Full House…that would be CB and John Holton…I appreciate it because it’s one of the best live albums I’ve heard.
Looking For a Love
Somebody help me Somebody help me now Somebody help me now
Somebody help me Find my baby Somebody help me Find my baby right now
I`m looking for a love I`m looking for a love I`m looking here and there I`m searching everywhere I`m looking for a love To call my own
Gonna get up in the morning And rub my head I`m looking for a love To call my own
Fix my breakfast And bring it to my bed I`m looking for a love To call my own
Do my love Do it all the time I`m looking for a love To call my own
With lots of love and kisses But people until then I`m looking for a love To call my own
I`m looking for a love I`m looking for a love I`m looking here and there I`m searching everywhere I`m looking for a love To call my own
Stay in my corner All the way, yeah I`m looking for a love To call my own
Stick by me, baby No matter what they say I`m looking for a love To call my own
I`ll give my love To her all the time I`m looking for a love To call my own
Loving, kissing People on the way I`m looking for a love To call my own
I`m looking for a love I`m looking for a love I`m looking here and there I`m searching everywhere I`m looking for a love To call my own
Somebody help me To find my baby I said I`ve got to find My baby right now
I`m looking in the morning I`m looking at night Got to find my baby But she`s nowhere in sight
Somebody help me To find my baby I said I`ve got to find My baby right now
I`m looking in the morning I`m looking at night Got to find my baby She`s nowhere in sight
Strap them kids in, give ’em a lil bit of vodka In a cherry Coke, we’re goin to Oklahoma To the family reunion for the first time in years It’s up at Uncle Slaton’s ’cause he’s getting on in years
I ran across McMurty’s name when I wrote up a post about a temporary band that John Mellencamp put together called The Buzzin’ Cousins. I listened to Sweet Suzanne by them and YouTube recommended a member named James McMurtry. I listened to this song and liked it right away. It has some great writing with a big dose of Americana. It’s not a long folk song…it has some kick to it. His other music is well written as well.
McMurtry is another Texas songwriter who I admire. He was born in Fort Worth Texas in 1962. He is the son of the famous novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry, known for works like “Lonesome Dove,” and Jo Scott McMurtry, an English professor and writer. Growing up in a literary family, McMurtry was exposed to storytelling from a young age.
He began playing guitar at seven years old. His early exposure to literature and music heavily influenced his later work as a songwriter. McMurtry has released 13 albums over the years, each contributing to his reputation as a keen observer of America.
James released his first album, Too Long in the Wasteland, in 1989. It was produced by none other than John Mellencamp. His debut album showed everyone just how good he was at writing songs that feel like mini-movies.
When he sings this song live he sometimes says it’s about “the North Texas-Southern Oklahoma crystal methamphetamine industry.” Choctaw Bingo was released in 2002 on his Saint Mary of the Woods album.
Ray Wylie Hubbard covered the song as well.
Choctaw Bingo
Strap them kids in, give ’em a lil bit of vodka In a cherry Coke, we’re goin to Oklahoma To the family reunion for the first time in years It’s up at Uncle Slaton’s ’cause he’s getting on in years You know he no longer travels but he’s still pretty spry He’s not much on talk and he’s just too mean to die And they’ll be comin’ down from Kansas and West Arkansas It’ll be one great big old party like you’ve never saw
Uncle Slaton’s got his Texan pride Back in the thickets with his Asian bride He’s got an airstream trailer and a Holstein cow Still makes whiskey, ’cause he still knows how He plays that Choctaw Bingo every Friday night You know he had to leave Texas but he won’t say why He owns a quarter section up by Lake Eufaula Caught a great big ol’ Bluecat on a driftin’ jugline Sells his hardwood timber to the chippin’ mill Cooks that crystal meth because his shine don’t sell He cooks that crystal meth because his ‘shine don’t sell You know he likes that money, he don’t mind the smell
My cousin Roscoe, Slaton’s oldest boy From his second marriage up in Illinois He’s raised in east St. Louis by his mamma’s people Where they do things different, thought he’d just come on down He’s goin’ to Dallas, Texas in a semi truck Caught from that big McDonald’s You know that one that’s built up on that Great big old bridge across the Will Rogers turnpike Took the big cabin exit, stopped and bought a carton of cigarettes At that Indian smoke shop with the big neon smoke rings In the Cherokee nation, hit Muskogee late that night Somebody ran the stoplight at the Shawnee Bypass Roscoe tried to miss ’em but he didn’t quite
Bob and Mae come up from Some little town way down by Lake Texoma, where he coaches football They were two-A champions for two years running But he says they won’t be this year No, they won’t be this year And he stopped off in Tushka at the pop knife and gun place Bought a SKS rifle and a couple full cases of that steel core ammo With the Berdan primers from some East bloc nation That no longer needs ’em And a Desert Eagle, that’s one great big old pistol I mean, fifty caliber made by bad-ass Hebrews And some surplus tracers for that old BAR Of Slaton’s as soon as it gets dark, we’re gonna have us a time We’re gonna have us a time
Ruth-Anne and Lynn come from Baxter Springs That’s one hell-raisin’ town Way up in Southeastern Kansas Got a biker bar next to the lingerie store That’s got the Rollin’ Stones’ lips Up there in bright pink neon And they’re right downtown where everyone can see ’em And they burn all night You know they burn all night You know they burn all night
Ruth-Anne and Lynn, they wear them cut-off britches And then skinny little halters and they’re second cousins to me Man, I dont care, I want to get between them With a great big ‘ol hard-on Like an ol’ Bodark fencepost That you can hang a pipe rail gate from Do some sister twisters till the cows come home And we’ll be having us a time
Uncle Slaton’s got his Texan pride Back in the thickets with his Asian bride He’s cut that corner pasture into acre lots He sells ’em owner financed strictly to them It’s got no kind of credit ’cause he knows they’re slackers And they’ll miss that payment and then he takes it back He plays that Choctaw Bingo every Friday night And drinks his Johnny Walker at that club 69
We’re gonna strap them kids in, and give ’em a lil’ bitty bit In a cherry Coke, we’re goin to Oklahoma Gonna have us a time Gonna have us a time
Since I did the Car Songs post and obbverse recommended Black Nova, I’ve been listening to Wilco much more. I first heard of Wilco when I heard the song “Secret of The Sea” which was on the album Mermaid Avenue Volume II. This song was on the first volume.
Mermaid Avenue was a collaborative album by the band Wilco and the British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg. It features previously unpublished lyrics by the legendary folk musician Woody Guthrie. The album was released in 1998 and is named after the street in Coney Island, New York, where Guthrie lived. There were 3 albums in all.
I can’t imagine the pressure Bragg and Wilco felt doing this. Having the legendary Woody Guthrie lyrics in front of you and writing melodies around them. They brought in a new generation of fans to Woody Guthrie. In this song, Jeff Tweedy wrote the music around Guthrie’s lyrics. Many of these lyrics were written in the 1930s – 1940s and finished in 1997.
The project was started by Woody Guthrie’s daughter, Nora Guthrie, who wanted to breathe new life into her father’s huge collection of unpublished lyrics. She invited Billy Bragg to set the lyrics to music, and Bragg, in turn, invited Wilco to join the project. They did a fantastic job on these albums.
The album was well-received by critics, who praised Bragg and Wilco for their ability to honor Guthrie’s legacy while bringing his lyrics into a modern musical context. Mermaid Avenue was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
The album peaked at #34 in the UK and #90 on the Billboard 100 in 1998.
Billy Bragg: I hate to draw comparisons, but it’s what Dylan and the Band were doing in the Basement Tapes. They took those old folk songs, that had deep roots, and they messed around with them and made a great record. We were able to apply that same idea to these songs, although we were perhaps more radical, because we had the whole history of rock music between when Woody wrote the songs, and us, whereas Dylan was quite early on in that tradition. That’s the trick with these Woody Guthrie compilations, is not to be too reverent to the material. Don’t worry about Woody’s words – they’re going to work. Bring yourself in – do what you think he would do. Do what you think you should do. Meet him half way.
There’s a hundred different ways to write a song. And every way is the right way, as long as you end up with a song. Some of those songs that Woody wrote, who knows what tunes he had for them? Maybe we were miles off, maybe we were close, I don’t know. But ultimately it’s what the guy was saying that matters – not the way he was saying it. And what he was saying is preserved. We were fortunate enough to put a frame around his artistic endeavors.
At My Window Sad and Lonely
At my window sad and lonely Oft times do I think of thee Sad and lonely and I wonder Do you ever think of me?
Every day is sad and lonely And every night is sad and blue Do you ever think of me, my darling As you sail that ocean blue?
At my window, sad and lonely I stand and look across the sea And I, sad and lonely wonder Do you ever think of me?
Will you find another sweetheart In some far and distant land? Sad and lonely now I wonder If our boat will ever land
Ships may ply the stormy oceans And planes may fly the stormy sky I’m sad and lonely but remember Oh, I will love you ’til I die
When I’m at work I listen to Tonio K quite a bit. I pull him up on Spotify and listen. Notes From the Lost Civilization and Life in the Foodchain are the two albums I know the most by him. Great music on both of these albums. I really like the clean flow of this song and the guitar sound.
He has written music for some films and with a lot of artists. Some of the artists are Brian Wilson, J.I. Allison, The Crickets, Al Green, Bette Midler, The Pointer Sisters, Tanya Tucker, Diane Schuur, Percy Sledge, Phoebe Snow, Jules Shear, The Runaways, Patty Smyth, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Who is Tonio K? He was born Steve Krikorian in California on July 4, 1950. He is a singer/songwriter, whose songs have been recorded by Charlie Sexton, Bette Midler, Peter Case, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Vanessa Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Brian McKnight, and others. His most successful song is “Love Is”… a #1 hit for Vanessa Willams with Brian McNight.
Krikorian and Alan Shapazian (rhythm guitar) formed a band called The Raik’s Progress which recorded one single for Liberty Records, released in 1967. In 1973, he appeared as a member of the former Buddy Holly backing band the Crickets on their album “Remnants.”
He released his first album in 1978 called Life in the Foodchain. In 1988 he released Notes From the Lost Civilization and this song is off that album. Without Love peaked at #42 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts in 1988. He has released nine albums in total.
Without Love
It ain’t worth nothin’ without love
It ain’t worth nothin’ without real love
These days it’s a crime not to be beautiful
It’s a crime not to be young
It’s a crime to be different from everyone else
It’s a crime not to always have fun
Well, that’s OK
Except of course that none of it is true
The real crime is how they have divided me from you
Because
See pop shows near Nashville
Get tickets as low as $188
You might also like
Children’s Crusade
Tonio K
The Funky Western Civilization
Tonio K
Houdini
Eminem
[Chorus]
It ain’t worth nothin’ without love
It ain’t worth nothin’ without real love
[Bridge]
I don’t know what it was
It was some kind of primitive dream
I saw all these prisoners of counterfeit love in the world
They were finally set free
There were people on the moon last night
Probably on their way to Mars
There’s people under the ocean
And a hundred stories up
Dreaming about the stars
Now everybody’s on the move
Ain’t nothin’ we can’t do
Nothing we can’t buy or build
To make these dreams come true, but
It ain’t worth nothin’ without love
It ain’t worth nothin’ without real love
It ain’t worth nothin’ without love, love, love, love
It ain’t worth nothin’ without real love
Ice in the Sun peaked at #8 in the UK, #29 in Canada, and #70 on the Billboard 100. It charted well in the rest of the world. The song was written by Marty Wilde (a popular British rock and roll singer in the 50s) and Ronnie Scott (a British pop promoter). It’s a cool blend of psychedelic pop and rock. I really love the 1965-1968 era in rock because you had psychedelic, pop, rock, hard rock, folk, Americana, country, and a little bit of everything.
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 