Music – Page 39 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Frank Zappa – Catholic Girls

I grew up listening to Zappa on the American Top 40 show with Casey Kasem. Uh…scratch that. No, I only heard Zappa when I was over at a friend’s house with an older brother’s record collection. This was the first song I ever heard by him and it sticks with me after listening to it. The second song was Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow but I always favored this one.

This song reflects Zappa’s typical satirical style, poking fun at religion and society. I could only guess how many people were offended by this one. His songs still feel vibrant and new.

It was on the album Joe’s Garage which was released in two parts. “Act I” came out in September 1979, while “Acts II & III” followed in November 1979. The entire album was later released as a triple LP. He came up with the idea for Joe’s Garage as a satire on the music industry, government censorship, and society in general.

The album was about Joe, a young guitarist who started a garage band. The band gains popularity, but Joe soon faces disillusionment with the music industry. He gets involved with a groupie named Lucille, contracts a venereal disease, and ends up in trouble with the law.

I thought just maybe this would have been released as a single. Hell, he released the song Bobby Brown but not this one.

One thing the man didn’t get as much credit for as he deserved…his guitar playing was phenomenal.

Catholic Girls

Catholic GirlsWith a tiny little mustacheCatholic GirlsDo you know how they go?Catholic GirlsIn the Rectory BasementFather Riley’s a fairyBut it don’t bother Mary

Catholic GirlsAt the CYOCatholic GirlsDo you know how they go?Catholic GirlsThere can be no replacementHow do they go, after the show?

All the way(That’s right, all the way!)That’s the way they goEvery day(That’s right!)And none of their mamas ever seem to knowHip-Hip-HoorayFor all the class they showThere’s nothing like a Catholic GirlAt the CYOWhen they learn to blow

They’re learning to blowAll the Catholic Boys!Warren CuccurulloCatholic Boys!Kinda young, kinda WOW!Catholic Boys!Vinnie Colaiuta . . .

Where are they now?Did they all take The Vow?

Catholic Girls!Carmenita Scarfone!Catholic Girls!Hey! She gave me VD!Catholic Girls!Toni Carbone!

With a tongue like a cowShe could make you go WOW!

VD Vowdy vootieRight awayThat’s the way they goEvery dayWhenever their mamas take them to a showMatineePass the popcorn pleaseThere’s nothing like a Catholic GirlWith her hand in the boxWhen she’s on her knees

She was on her kneesMy little Catholic GirlChorus:In a little white dressCatholic GirlsThey never confessCatholic GirlsI got one for a cousinI love how they goSo send me a dozenCatholic GirlsOOOOOOH!(Well well now)Catholic Girls(Ma-ma-mum ma-ma-mum)Yai-ee-ahhh!Catholic GirlsOOOOOOH!(Well well now)Catholic Girls(Ma-ma-mum ma-ma-ma-ma-mum)Yai-ee-ahhh!

Joe had a girl friend named Mary.They would meet each other at the Social Club.Hold handsAnd think Pure ThoughtsBut one night, at the Social Club meeting…

…

Car Songs…Part 3

It’s a lot of fun doing these Car Songs…I could probably do one on just Cadillac songs alone! I hope you enjoy these. I try to pick songs with a car title in them. That is why I haven’t done Drive My Car and others. But I’m breaking that today…I am including a bonus.

Blasters – Long White Cadillac

A perfect road trip song from the 1983 album Non-Fiction. You’ll want to go out and buy a long white Cadillac and drive it on a long-lost highway. Dave Alvin wrote this song….The song is about the night Hank Williams died in back of a car. He died somewhere between Bristol, Tenn., and Oak Hill on the way to a New Year’s Day 1953 show in Canton, Ohio.

Dwight Yoakum recorded a version of this song in 1989 for his first greatest hits package Just Lookin’ for a Hit.

The Tom Robinson Band – Grey Cortina

This song was on his fantastic album Power In The Darkness. If you want to know a little more about him…I posted a song by the singer-activist a few months ago with the song Up Against The Wall. He has some great music and this album is great through and through.

Tom DID get his Grey Cortina in real life but… unfortunately, he said: “I bought the Cortina and it lasted 1 day before somebody ran into it and wrote it off (my fault) :-(“

Clash – Long Black Cadillac

This was a great cover by The Clash. It was on the London Calling album released in 1979. They started off as a punk band but The Clash, unlike some other Punk bands, could really play and sing well…, especially Mick Jones. He was probably the best pure musician in the band.

The song was originally by Vince Taylor and released in 1959. It was the B side to a song called Pledging My Love. Taylor wrote the song but Tony Sheridan is credited with the cool guitar riff running through the song. The song’s riff reminds me of the original Batman riff…or really the other way around.

Wilson Pickett – Mustang Sally

The music is in groove mode, but Pickett’s explosive voice drives it home. Mustang Sally was recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The studio had a unique sound plus some of the best musicians anywhere. It started to get the attention of Atlantic Records and they sent Pickett to record there. Later on, a guitar player known as Duane Allman would end up as a studio musician and talked Pickett into recording Hey Jude.

As soon as they finished this take… the tape flew off the reel and broke into pieces everywhere. Producer Tom Dowd cleared the room and told everyone to return in half an hour. Dowd pieced the tape back together and saved what became one of the coolest songs of the decade.

Quiet Riot – Slick Black Cadillac

This one is for my friend Deke. The song originally appeared on Quiet Riot’s second album, Quiet Riot II, released in 1978. This album was only released in Japan. A re-recorded version of Slick Black Cadillac was included on their more widely known album, Metal Health, released in 1983.

In high school, this album was played and played by our local rock station.

Bonus today…

Cars – Gary Numan

This was suggested by glyn40wilton… This song was released in 1979 was one of many signs a change was coming in music. The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #1 in the UK and #1 in Canada. The song was keyboard-driven with a synth riff.

Gary Numan on the inspiration of the song. “A couple of blokes started peering in the window and for whatever reason took a dislike to me, so I had to take evasive action. I swerved up the pavement, scattering pedestrians everywhere. After that, I began to see the car as the tank of modern society.”

Numan has stated that he has Asperger syndrome, which is a mild form of autism, but until he was diagnosed, he had a lot of trouble relating to other people.

Kinks – Dead End Street

There’s a crack up in the ceilingAnd the kitchen sink is leakingOut of work and got no moneyA Sunday joint of bread and honey

I’ve posted a lot by The Kinks but there are always more great songs I never covered and this is one of them. I like this one more than some of their huge hits…it’s a great song…catchy and meaningful.

Another Ray Davies song on the struggles of working-class life in Britain during the 1960s, focusing on themes of poverty, social inequality, and hopelessness. Not only in Britain in the 60s but extends to now as well all over. The title of the song says it all of being in a vicious cycle. This is just another example of Ray Davies’s brilliant songwriting. When you read the Ray Davies quotes at the bottom you will see where he was coming from.

Dead End Street was released in 1966 as a non-album single. It was quite successful peaking at #5 in the UK, #4 in New Zealand, #28 in Canada, and #73 on the Billboard 100. At that time, Ray, Dave, Pete Quaife, and Mick Avory were the Kinks. Also joining them was again…super session piano player Nicky Hopkins. It would be easier to list the songs Hopkins didn’t play on during the sixties. Quaife did not play bass on this song because of a scooter accident but John Daulton subbed for him.

Ray Davies said that Shel Talmy produced the song but he wanted more of a pop beat so they tricked Talmy. Ray Davies said: “He finished the track and said, ‘That’s great,’ and went home. Then we pretended to leave but came back to the studio and re-recorded the song. We played it to him the next day and he said, ‘See what I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it.’ He thought we were playing him his version.”

The video of this song shows the boys dressed as undertakers and it was directed by Ray himself.

Ray Davies: I wrote it around the time I had to buy a house and I was terrified. I never wanted to own anything because my dad had never owned property. He’d inherited from his dad that he had to rent all his life. So I still have inbuilt shame of owning anything. It’s guilt.”

Ray Davies: “My whole feeling about the ’60s was that it’s not as great as everyone thinks it is. Carnaby Street, everybody looking happy, that was all a camouflage. That’s what Dead End Street was about.

Dave Davies: “A song full of character, pathos, yet containing an underlying sense of hope. Reflecting a fondness for the past but at the same time expressing a determination and yearning for change.

“Anguished voices calling to a heartless world. A world where the plight of the ordinary person mattered little. “

Dead End Street

There’s a crack up in the ceilingAnd the kitchen sink is leakingOut of work and got no moneyA Sunday joint of bread and honey

What are we living for?Two-roomed apartment on the second floorNo money coming inThe rent collector’s knocking, tryna get in

We are strictly second classWe don’t understand

Why we should be on dead end street(Dead end!) People are living on dead end street(Dead end!) I’m gonna die on dead end streetDead end street (yeah!)Dead end street (yeah!)

On a cold and frosty morningWipe my eyes and stop me yawningAnd my feet are nearly frozenBoil the tea and put some toast on

What are we living for?Two-roomed apartment on the second floorNo chance to emigrateI’m deep in debt and now it’s much too late

We both want to work so hardWe can’t get the chance

People live on dead end street(Dead end!) People are dying on dead end street(Dead end!) I’m gonna die on dead end streetDead end street (yeah!)Dead end street (yeah!)

People live on dead end street(Dead end!) People are dying on dead end street(Dead end!) I’m gonna die on dead end streetDead end street (yeah)Dead end street (yeah)

Dead end street (yeah)Head to my feet (yeah)Dead end street (yeah)Dead end street (yeah)Dead end street (yeah)

How’s it feel? (Yeah)How’s it feel? (Yeah)Dead end street (yeah)Dead end street (yeah)Dead end street (yeah)

Yeah, yeahYeah, yeahYeah, yeahYeah, yeahYeah, yeahYeah, yeahYeah, yeahYeah, yeah

…

Jimi Hendrix – The Star Spangled Banner… Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day!

This is the second year I’ve posted this on the 4th. I hope you liked the previous post on The Blasters. Hendrix did a great version of The Star Spangled Banner in my opinion. He had served as a paratrooper in the Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Clarksville Tennessee in the early 60s.

Yes, this is my favorite version of the song. The poem that formed the basis of the lyrics was penned in 1814 during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer who was sent to negotiate with the British in an attempt to gain the release of an American prisoner they were holding.

Later, Key watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship he was on. The next morning he saw the Americans take down the battle-torn US flag at the fort and replace it with a larger one.

Key’s poem was published on September 17, 1814, the day after he returned to Baltimore. The poem was sung to the music of a popular British drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven, ” attributed to John Stafford Smith.

Any time someone does an unusual approach to this song…there is always a lot of complaining from people. Once when Jose Feliciano did the song in Game 5 of the MLB World Series in 1968 on guitar and singing…all hell broke loose. Some listeners thought he had “desecrated” and disrespected the national anthem but when asked about it, Feliciano explained that the reason he offered a non-traditional rendition of the anthem was to get people to pay attention to it. It was a great version of the song.

Hendrix took the stage at Woodstock at 8am…only around 30,000 were left out of the huge crowd there. He had been warned not to do the anthem when he toured but did it anyway. He even recorded a studio version and after his death, the takes were put together and released but the Woodstock performance is the one that is best known. What amazes me is when he is imitating bombs dropping…he suddenly goes right back in on time and doesn’t miss a lick.

He didn’t get as much flack as Feliciano did…I think because it wasn’t on prime time during a World Series.

Blasters – American Music

The Blasters play what I would call rockabilly with some Americana thrown in. Some of the descriptions I found were rockabilly, blues, early rock and roll, punk rock, mountain music, rhythm and blues, and country…but in short…they rock.

American Music was first released on the band’s 1980 debut album, the self-titled American Music. The album was independently produced and helped establish The Blasters as a force in the roots rock movement. They recorded 22 songs, and many covers, whittling it down to 13 for the final product. Released in February 1980, it sold out but only 2000 were pressed then.

The Blasters never had mainstream success…but mainstream radio back in the 80s would have been greatly improved by these guys. They were a rock and roll band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman.

This sounds like a homage to the American musical heritage, it reflects the band’s influences from blues, rockabilly, and early rock ‘n’ roll. Its lyrics and upbeat tempo celebrate the rich tapestry of American music genres.

Below I have a long quote from Dave Alvin on recording an album that an unknown truck driver complimented the album and meant the world to them.

Dave Alvin: Phil, Bill, John, and I were working day jobs, rehearsing at night in a factory in Garden Grove and trying desperately to find any steady gig that paid more than free beer. Our friends, James Harman and Mike Foresta, had recorded a demo tape of us and we’d taken copies to every “cool” nightclub in the Hollywood/West LA area, but no one was interested in a roots band, especially one from Downey, California, with no hip credentials.

I read somewhere about “Rockin” Ronny Weiser and his small rockabilly label (Rollin’ Rock), so Phil called him about the possibility of recording us. Ronny was skeptical until Phil sang and played guitar over the phone and within an hour Phil and I were sitting in Ronny’s living room playing him our tape. Ronny dug the tape, but still wouldn’t make a commitment to record us because we’d only played in biker and country bars on the decidedly untrendy southeast side of LA County. We knew none of the Hollywood scenesters and tastemakers and they definitely didn’t know us. That is until this truck driver came by Ronny’s to pick up boxes of records to be shipped.

“Who’s this playing?” he asked Ronny.

“It’s us,” Phil said.

“Is this what these records are? If it is, I’ll buy a copy. My wife and I dig this kind of music. You can’t find music like this anymore.”

We couldn’t have asked for more even if we’d paid him a million bucks. Once he left, Ronny quickly discussed when we’d record our first album and within a few weeks we were in Ronny’s garage/studio. James and Mike were with us for moral support. We drank a lot of beer. Phil, the most experienced, led us patiently and sang his heart out. James let me record with a white Fender Stratocaster that he swore once belonged to Magic Sam. I made mistakes I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to forget, but Ronny kept pushing us to quit thinking too much and just keep it rockin’ (and with a rhythm section like John and Bill, that was no problem). After that first day of recording, we drove back to our side of town punching each other in excitement and jumping up and down in the car seats like little boys. we yelled at strangers in passing cars that we’d made a record and we were gonna be famous. I remember at one point all four of us had our heads out the car windows, laughing cursing, screaming, and howling at the moon.

American Music

Well, a U.S. soldier boy on leave in West-Berlin
No music there that rocks, just a thousand violins
They wanna hear some American music
American music
They wanna hear that sound right from the U.S.A

Well, it can be sweet and lovely, it can be hard and mean
One thing’s for sure, it’s always on the beam
They wanna hear some American music
American music
They wanna hear that sound right from the U.S.A

Well, it’s a howl from the deserts, a scream from the slums
The Mississippi rollin’ to the beat of the drums
They wanna hear some American music
American music
They wanna hear that sound right from the U.S.A

We got the Louisiana boogie and the delta blues
We got country, swing and rockabilly, too
We got jazz, country-western and Chicago blues
It’s the greatest music that you ever knew
It’s American music
It’s American music
It’s American music
It’s that crazy sound right from the U.S.A
See pop shows near Nashville
Get tickets as low as $5

…

Small Faces – Song Of A Baker

Another band this week that didn’t break America but should have.

A great pop song by The Small Faces with Ronnie Lane on the lead vocal. Ronnie Lane was inspired to write this song by a book of Sufi wisdom given to him by Pete Townshend. The song was credited to Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott. The Small Faces

In 1966-67 Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott moved into a Westminster apartment, and a new drug entered their orbit that expanded their artistic vision almost beyond all recognition… LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide).

This song came off of their best-known album, Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake. In its initial release, the album was packaged in a mock tobacco tin that was a circular metal container with oversized folded paper as one finds in a pipe tobacco tin. It proved to be too expensive and impractical, so later releases were packaged in conventional cardboard album covers. A compact disc reissue also was marketed in a mock Ogdens tin.

Ogden’s Nut-brown Flake was a tobacco brand produced in Liverpool from 1899 onwards by Thomas Ogden.

The album was a psychedelic concept album. It was one of rock’s first concept albums coming before The Who’s Tommy. Side two follows a boy named Happiness Stan who is trying to find the missing half of the moon. The story was thought of on a boating trip to teh river Thames.

Ian McLagan on touring Australia and New Zealand: “[The Australian press] gave me hell from the very beginning, because I’d just been busted, I was on my way to Athens for a holiday but never got further than Heathrow. As I was showing my passport they smelt the hash on me, searched and busted me. As soon as we landed in Australia we had a press conference, so we’re all lined up in front of the television cameras and the first guy goes: ‘Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan… you’re the drug addict right?’”

“On our way to New Zealand we had to stop off in Sydney. You couldn’t drink on internal flights back then, but one of Paul Jones’ Australian backing band passed a bottle around and the police were called. We weren’t even drinking but they arrested and held us in the first-class lounge where a waitress came straight up to us and said: ‘What would you like to drink?’ “So we drank. The police arrested us as soon as we arrived in New Zealand, but we ended up having a great time. Steve had his 21st birthday party; Keith [Moon] wrecked his room; it was business as usual.”

Kenney Jones: “The lyrics came from Ronnie’s Sufi investigations, with the importance of the ‘wheat in the field’ and all that, I love his melodic bass playing on it. He used to think like he was playing lead guitar and that mentally fused into his bass playing.”

Ian McLagan: “It was weird that they allowed Here Comes The Nice to come out at all, we were dabbling in all kinds of chemicals and Methedrine was one of them. We were wrong to have written about a speed dealer. They weren’t the nicest people. The guy you bought your hash from was usually just a head, but a speed dealer – like a coke or heroin dealer – was only interested in getting your money. It was quite different. They weren’t your friends.”

Son Of A Baker

There’s wheat in the field
And water in the stream
And salt in the mine
And an aching in me

I can no longer stand and wonder
Cause I’m driven by this hunger
So I’ll jug some water
Bake some flour
Store some salt and wait the hour

While I’m thinking of love
Love is thinking for me
And the baker will come
And the baker I’ll be

I am depending on my labor
The texture and the flavor

…

Bats – North By North

This New Zealand band came out in the 80s. I learned about this band through Graham on his Aphoristic Album Reviews site. I love the jangle and their power pop ways. It’s too bad they didn’t get heard more. They did tour the US a few times opening for Radiohead.

The Bats were formed in Christchurch, New Zealand. The original lineup included Robert Scott (vocals, guitar), Kaye Woodward (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Paul Kean (bass), and Malcolm Grant (drums).

This song was from their debut album Daddy’s Highway released in 1987. They would go on to release 10 albums and 8 EPs. This song was used as the theme song for a television show called The Hollowmen. It was also used in the movie: Topless Women Talk About Their Lives.

The band released Foothills, their tenth studio album in 2020. They are a band worth checking out. Daddy’s Highway was recorded at Mascot Studios in Christchurch, New Zealand. The recording sessions took place in late 1986 and early 1987.

They were on an interesting New Zealand indie label called Flying Nun.

North by North

Some people are happy most of the time
But they don’t know they’re in line
I don’t know what to do with you
I don’t know how to deal with you

North by north
I’m still following home
North by north
I know your name
North by north
I’m still wondering why

I find out what you’re meaning now
Your term is darkness anyhow
I can’t find out what it is with you
If there is one thing I can’t get through

North by north
I’m still following home
North by north
I know your name
North by north
I’m still wondering why

Absolve the waiting that you’ve done
Take away those moments of fun
There won’t be much left there for you
I’m taught we’ve a choice in what we do

North by north
I’m still following home
North by north
I know your name
North by north
I’m still wondering why (why, why)

Bo Diddley – Road Runner

The bands I was in always did this song. I didn’t know this version at the time though…it was The Who’s version that we went by. That riff was a powerful guitar riff that kicked in after edging down the strings.

This song was written by Bo Diddley who came up with the ultimate riff with the song Bo Diddley. This song was released in 1959 and it peaked at #20 in the Billboard R&B Charts and #75 on the Billboard 100. It has been covered by many artists over the years and featured in various movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates. He had his name changed to Ellas McDaniels when he was adopted. He took his stage name from a one-stringed Deep South instrument, the Diddley Bow.

You can be cool… but not Bo Diddley playing his square guitar cool… he was a great guitarist and showman.

I always loved his square guitar. He built a guitar that looked like no other. He designed and constructed a custom-built square-shaped guitar for himself, he then commissioned Gretsch Guitars and Kinman Guitar Electrix to build further custom-built square-shaped models for him.

Road Runner

I’m a road runner honey,Beep! Beep!

I’m a road runner honey,And you can’t keep up with me,I’m a road runner honey,And you can’t keep up with me,Come on, let’s race,Baby baby, you will see,Here I come,Beep! Beep!

Move over honey,Let me by,Move over baby,Let this man by,I’m gonna show you baby, look out your head,Gonna put some dirt in your eye,Here I go!

Oh yea, how am I doin?Beep! Beep!

Take my hand baby,I’m gonna prove to you that I’m a road running man,I wanna show you something,That I’m the fastest in the land,Now let me by,Beep! Beep!Oh yea, you said you’s fast,But it don’t look like you gonna last,Goodbye! I’ve got to put you down,I’ll see you some day,Baby, somewhere hangin’ around.

…

Cream – N.S.U.

Looking through my index…I can’t believe I’ve never posted this one by Cream before. I’m rectifying that mistake today! The song was born from a riff they played in their first rehearsal.

You probably will ask yourself…what did NSU stand for? That would be courtesy of Eric Clapton. He had a venereal disease at the time that was called Non-Specific Urethritis. They thought it would be fun to name the song with the initials.

How this band must have sounded to ears when they first got played. Compared to what was going on it must have sounded like aliens. I would also include Jimi Hendrix with this wash of hard rock psychedelic music.

Cream was formed in 1966 and consisted of Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, vocals), and Ginger Baker (drums). They were one of the first supergroups, with members already having successful careers. Eric had played with The Yardbirds, Bluesbreakers, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Powerhouse, and more. Jack Bruce played with Manfred Mann, Blues Incorporated, and helped form The Graham Bond Organisation. Ginger Baker played with Blues Incorporated, Johnny Burch Octet, and The Graham Bond Organisation before Cream.

The song was on their debut album Fresh Cream released in 1966. The album peaked at #39 on the Billboard Album Charts and #6 in the UK. I can’t find a reliable source but one source has it peaking at #39 in Canada.

This song was written by bassist Jack Bruce.

N.S.U.

Driving in my car, smoking my cigar,
The only time I’m happy’s when I play my guitar.

Singing in my yacht, what a lot I got,
Happiness is something that just cannot be bought.

I’ve been in and I’m out, I’ve been up and down,
I don’t want to go until I’ve been all around.

What’s it all about, anyone in doubt,
I don’t want to go until I’ve found it all out.

…

Jeff Beck Group – Spanish Boots

I haven’t reviewed Beck’s discography as much as I should have. This song is really good and so is the rest of the album. They touch on so many different styles.

The Jeff Beck Group was formed by guitarist Jeff Beck after he left The Yardbirds. The original lineup included Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, Micky Waller on drums, and Nicky Hopkins on piano. This lineup is known for blending rock, blues, and jazz elements. The critics also cited this album as a big step to heavy metal and hard rock.

This was before The Faces with Wood and Stewart. Rod Stewart did some of his best vocals with this band. Spanish Boots was written by Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, and Ronnie Wood. The song appears on Jeff Beck’s album Beck-Ola, released in 1969. Beck-Ola peaked at #39 in the UK, #15 on the Billboard 200, and #22 in Canada.

The album didn’t achieve the same level of commercial success as some of Jeff Beck’s later works but was critically acclaimed. Truth was their debut album, and it was released in 1968. It was a big success and critically acclaimed.

Spanish Boots

I used to work and take a salaryIn a hole up near a foundryBut it did not take me too longTo get my boots on a “So Long!”Long Spanish boots on a “So Long!”I took a day job in BethlehemI nearly threw in the towel thenBut it did not take me too longTo get my boots on a “So Long!”High Spanish boots on a “So Long!”

Dig itI took a Spanish haberdasheryRestored with 15th century tapestryBut oh, Mr. Nesbitt got the best of meSo I strapped on my boots and said “So Long!”Laced up my high boots and “So Long!”

GoodbyeAm on a job you see‘Cause my old boots they mean too much to meLeather boots are just a mysteryPut on my boots and said “So Long!”High Spanish boots on and “So Long!”Put on my boots and said “So Long!”Those old Spanish bootsPut on my boots and said “So Long!”High Spanish boots

….

Decemberists – Burial Ground

They’ve undid the aerialTore down the merry-go-roundThis world’s all wrongSo let’s go where we belongPack up the stereo, meet at the burial ground

***I’m slipping this in today because my business trip was moved up a day so I won’t be posting until next Friday or Saturday. Have a great week next week!***

Jangle…CHECK… Harmonizing…CHECK…Overall power pop sound…CHECK. I love the sound of this band. Put them in 1965 and they would fit…place them on the alternative scene of the 1980s…and they would fit like a glove.

I usually don’t get super excited at newer music but this band I’ve liked everything I’ve heard. I always check out eclecticmusiclover (Jeff…it’s where I found this), christiansmusicmusings (Christian), and albumreviews (Graham) sites for newer music. They do the work so I don’t have to… by tracking these bands/artists down and I appreciate it.

This is some wonderful power pop. It has a nice Byrds/Jayhawks/Big Star sound. I could listen to this music all day and night. The Decemberists formed in 2000. They have released a total of 9 different albums since 2002. They are classified as an indie band but have had a number 1 Billboard album on the charts with The King Is Dead in 2011.

I’ve started to listen to their back catalog and along with power pop they blend in a lot of Americana with that. This American band was formed by Colin Meloy after he moved to Portland from Montana. He initially joined forces with Nate Query (bass), Jenny Conlee (keyboards, accordion), Ezra Holbrook (drums), and Chris Funk (guitar). The lineup has changed through the years, but Colin Meloy remains the main singer/songwriter with them.

Burial Ground is on their new album As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again released on June 14, 2024. The song has already charted on the Billboard Alternative Chart at #2. This song features James Mercer…a singer/songwriter for The Shins on backup vocals.

Check this band out…if you like power pop/Americana you should like this.

Colin Meloy: “‘Burial Ground’ is in that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyard. The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception.”

Burial Ground

Oh, Len, come downAnd meet at the burial groundThey’ve undid the aerialTore down the merry-go-roundThis world’s all wrongSo let’s go where we belongPack up the stereo, meet at the burial ground

Here among the fallen leavesAre we alone, the ones that dare to breathe?Throw your worries down, they’re oh so gravely heldYou have carried them so well

Ooh, woahOoh, woah

Oh, Len, come downAnd meet at the burial groundThey’ve undid the aerialTore down the merry-go-roundThis world’s all wrongSo let’s go where we belongPack up the stereo, meet at the burial ground

You laid down below a stoneSaying, “Wherever they have gone, I long to goSomewhere out beyond these maladies in my head.”At least, I think that’s what you said

Oh-whoa, oh-whoa

Oh, Len (oh, Len) come down (come down)And meet at the burial ground (meet at the burial ground)They’ve undid the aerialTore down the merry-go-roundThis world’s (this world’s) all wrong (all wrong)So let’s go where we belong (let’s go where we belong)Pack up the stereo, meet at the burial ground

Oh, Len (oh, Len) come down (come down)And meet at the burial ground (meet at the burial ground)They’ve undid the aerialTore down the merry-go-round (merry-go-round)(Tore down the merry-go-round)This world’s (this world’s) all wrong (all wrong)So let’s go where we belong (let’s go where we belong)Pack up the stereo, meet at the burial ground

It’s a contract malarial, meet at the burial ground

George Thorogood and the Destoyers – One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

I accidentally published this yesterday around 5:30 CST by mistake…I took it back off the market pretty quick…I apologize to anyone who was trying to view it.

I first heard of George Thorogood when I watched the movie Christine back in the 1980s and the song Bad to the Bone. This song is what a grimy bar (not a dance club) in the 1980s sounded like…trust me. When I heard this song I was in high school in Graphic Arts class while Mr Hall, the teacher, was listening to it. He would tell us stories of traveling to Memphis to see artists like Jimi Hendrix.

The song’s roots trace back to the 1950s, originally written by Rudy Toombs and recorded by rhythm and blues artist Amos Milburn in 1953. Milburn’s version was a straightforward R&B number, capturing the era. John Lee Hooker gave the song a new lease on life. Hooker’s rendition infused it with a talking blues style, adding to the future interpretations.

Thorogood supercharged the song. He didn’t just cover it…he transformed it into an epic medley by incorporating elements from Hooker’s House Rent Boogie. It was released by George Thorogood and the Destoyers on their self-titled debut album in 1977.

What makes the live version work so well is the storytelling. It sets up the dynamics of the song perfectly.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Want to tell you a storyAbout the house-man bluesI come home one FridayHad to tell the landlady I’da lost my job

She said that don’t confront meLong as I get my money next FridayNow next Friday come I didn’t get the rentAnd out the door I went

So I goes to the landladyI said you let me slide?I’ll have the rent for you in a monthNext I don’t know

So said let me slide it onI notice when I come home in the eveningShe ain’t got nothing nice to say to meBut for five year she was so nice

Loh’ she was lovy-dovyI come home one particular eveningThe landlady saidYou got the rent money yet?

I said no, can’t find no jobTherefore I ain’t got no moneyTo pay the rentShe said I don’t believe

You’re tryin’ to find no jobSaid I seen you today you was standin’ on a cornerLeaning up against a postI said but I’m tired

I’ve been walkin’ all dayShe said that don’t confront meLong as I get my money next FridayNow next Friday come I didn’t have the rent

And out the door I wentSo I go down the streetsDown to my good friend’s houseI said look man

I’m outdoors you knowCan I stay with you maybe a couple days?He said let me go and ask my wifeHe come out of the house

I could see it in his faceI know that was noHe said I don’t know manAh she kinda funny, you know

I said I knowEverybody funny, now you funny tooSo I go back homeI tell the landlady I got a job

I’m gonna pay the rentShe said yeah? I said oh yeahAnd then she was so niceLoh’ she was lovy-dovy

So I go in my roomPack up my things and I goI slip on out the back doorAnd down the streets I go

She a-howlin’ about the front rentShe’ll be lucky to get any back rentShe ain’t gonna get none of itSo I stop in the local bar you know people

I go to the bar, I ring my coatI call the bartenderSaid look man, come down hereHe got down there

So what you want?One bourbon, one scotch, one beerWell I ain’t seen my babySince I don’t know when

I’ve been drinking bourbon, whiskeyScotch and ginGonna get high man I’m gonna get looseNeed me a triple shot of that juice

Gonna get drunk don’t you have no fearI want one bourbonOne scotch and one beerOne bourbon, one scotch, one beer

But I’m sitting now at the barI’m getting drunk, I’m feelin’ mellowI’m drinkin’ bourbonI’m drinkin’ scotch

I’m drinkin’ beerLooked down the barHere come the bartenderI said look man, come down here

So what you want?One bourbon, one scotch, one beerNo I ain’t seen my baby sinceThe night before last

Gotta get a drink manI’m gonna get gassedGonna get high manI ain’t had enough

Need me a triple shot of that stuffGonna get drunkWon’t you listen right hereI want one bourbon

One shot and one beerOne bourbon, one scotch, one beer

Now by this timeI’m plenty highYou know when your mouth a-getting dryYou’re plenty high

Looked down the barI say to my bartenderI said look manCome down here

He got down thereSo what you want this time?I said look manA-what time is it?

He said the clock on the wallSay three o’clockLast call for alcoholSo what you need?

One bourbon, one scotch, one beerNo I ain’t seen my baby sinceA nigh’ and a weekGotta get drunk man

Till I can’t even speakGonna get high manListen to meOne drink ain’t enough

Jack you better make it threeI want to get drunkI’m gonna make it real clearI want one bourbon

One scotch and one beerOne bourbon, one scotch, one beer

…

Chris Isaak – Wicked Game

When I first heard this song…I thought this song was very different. It’s almost like its origin was in a dream. I can imagine this song being a soundtrack to a fever dream easily. It’s that guitar with its sliding and bending notes. The guitar player was James Calvin Wilsey who played that haunted-sounding lead.

I remember hearing Isaak before this hit from a friend who had his Silvertone album. I really liked a song called Gone Ridin’. It was rockabilly with a modern twist. I talked to my friend recently and we talked about Isaak. He agreed with me that we never saw the success of Wicked Game coming.

Most of the time, songs that go out on a limb and are different are not heard as much. My blog is full of those songs but this one actually reached the masses. Along with that guitar is Isaak’s haunting but strong voice. He wrote it one night when a troubled lady was coming over to his house (see quote at bottom).

The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada, #7 in New Zealand, and #10 in the UK. It also reached #2 on the Billboard Alternative Charts in 1990. The song was on the 1989 album Heart Shaped World.

When the song was placed in a movie it took off. An instrumental version was used in the David Lynch film called Wild At Heart in 1990. That certainly helped the song as well. I’m a huge David Lynch fan and Chris had this to say about him. “I enjoy talking about David Lynch because he’s such a great guy. The question I get about him is, ‘How is David Lynch? Is he scary or spooky or something?’ I don’t think it’s ever guys who make films like David makes or who have that kind of weird bent in their artwork–those guys are probably the nicest guys in real life because they’ve expressed all of their weird angles. The guys you have to watch are the guys who go, ‘I’m a scout master, the proud father of two children, and I’m also a deacon in the church.’ Then you go, ‘Be careful.’ If he’s out in the back yard at night with a shovel, be careful because he’s burying something.”

Chris Isaak: “This one I wrote really late at night and it was written in a short time, because I remember that a girl had called me and said, ‘I want to come over and talk to you,’ and ‘talk’ was a euphemism. And she said, ‘I want to come over and talk to you until you’re no longer able to stand up.’ And I said, ‘Okay, you’re coming over.’ And as soon as I hung up I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I know she’s gonna be trouble. She’s always been trouble. She’s a wildcat. And here I am, I’m going to get killed, but I’m doing this.’ And I wrote ‘Wicked Game’: ‘world’s on fire and no one can save me but you.’ It’s like you start thinking about it, and by the time she came over to the house, I had the song written. And I think she was probably upset because I was more excited by the song. (Laughing) I was like, ‘Yes, you’re gorgeous, baby. But listen to this song!'”

Chris Isaak: “I think that sometimes you get easy ones that come very quick and you’re really glad – you go, ‘Wow, where’d this come from?’ It’s so fast to write. And then there’s other songs that you do and it’s like doing your homework. It’s like you really are working and biting the pencil and working on that third verse. Most of the time you do work. But sometimes you get lucky.”

Wicked Game

The world was on fire and no one could save me but youIt’s strange what desire will make foolish people doI never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like youAnd I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you

No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)With youWith you(This world is only gonna break your heart)

What a wicked game you play, to make me feel this wayWhat a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of youWhat a wicked thing to say, you never felt this wayWhat a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you

And I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)With you

The world was on fire and no one could save me but youStrange what desire will make foolish people doI never dreamed that I’d love somebody like youAnd I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you

No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)No, I don’t wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)With you (this world is only gonna break your heart)With you (with you)(This world is only gonna break your heart)

No, I (this world is only gonna break your heart)(This world is only gonna break your heart)

Nobody loves no one

…

Little Walter – You’re So Fine

I’ve read so many artists influenced by Little Walter including The Band. I never really listened to him until recently. The man was magical on harmonica. He sounded so different at the time. He played using an amplified harmonica. He played it through a microphone and amp, giving it a loud, distorted sound that was new and exciting at the time and still is. As I read more about him…some call him The Jimi Hendrix of the Harmonica.

Little Walter’s (Marion Walter Jacobs) career took off when he joined Muddy Water’s band in the early 1950s. His first release was in 1947 with Ora Nelle Blues. He did really well in the R&B charts in the 1950s. He continued to perform and record throughout the 1960s, but his health and personal life crumbled. Little Walter died on February 15, 1968, at the age of 37 from injuries sustained in a fight.

You’re So Fine peaked at #2 on the R&B Charts 1954. It was written by Little Walter.

Here is a super-live version with Otis Rush.

You’re So Fine

You’re so fine pretty baby, let me love you all the time

Well and I got a girl she’s fine and brown
What I like about her, she’s mine all mine
She’s so fine, yes she’s so fine
You’re so fine pretty baby, let me love you all the time

Well I wanna give you all my money buy you diamond, everything
Till you be mine, baby then we will make romance
You’re so fine, yes you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, I wanna love you all the time

Now you fill my conversation baby, you made me talk myself to death
I’m in love with you baby and I don’t want nobody else
You’re so fine, yeah you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, I wanna love you all the time

Yeah you’re so fine baby, let me love you all the time

Now you know I love you baby and I just can’t help myself
Goin’ crazy ’cause you’re lovin’ someone else
You’re so fine, yeah you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, let me love you all the time

Fleetwood Mac – Albatross

Albatross is an instrumental from Fleetwood Mac…the 60’s version of the band with the great guitar player Peter Green. I first heard about the song in a book. The Beatles were recording Abbey Road and they played this song constantly through the sessions. You can hear the reverb effect used on Sun King by Lennon that resembles Albatross.

When this song was released, Fleetwood Mac was six years away from their pop conversion of the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era. The lineup on this track was Peter Green (vocals, guitar), John McVie (bass), Danny Kirwan (guitar), and Mick Fleetwood (drums). The song was released on November 22, 1968, with ‘Jigsaw Puzzle Blues’ (written by the band’s James Kirwan) on the B-side.

It remains one of the band’s most recognizable songs from their early blues- period. The song peaked at #1 on the UK Charts, #45 in Canada, and #4 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Charts (per Wiki) in 1969. Peter Green wrote this song. Albatross was re-released in 1973 peaking at #2 on the UK Charts. In 1989, it was released again and peaked at #96 on the UK Charts…and in 2020-2023 it was released yet again and peaked at #8 on the UK Singles Charts. The song keeps on giving.

Funny enough…this song remains their only #1 UK song! That surprises me with the later commercial success they had. Few bands could evolve like they did. Genesis is one and David Bowie is another one that pulled off different sounds but remained popular.

The title came from a bird called The Albatross, which sailors regarded as a sign of bad luck. That is where the saying “like an Albatross around your neck” came from. Green was also influenced by the Santo and Johnny song Sleep Walk…which you can hear that sound in this. Green also said some of it came from notes that Clapton would play with the John Mayall Bluesbreakers on the song The Last Meal but just slowed down. Peter Green would replace Eric in that band.

Peter Green remains one of my favorite guitar players. My admiration for him has grown through the years. Sleep Walk from Santo and Johnny remains one of my favorite instrumentals and I can hear it in this clearly…makes me like it more.

Danny Kirwan: Well, that was Monsieur Peter Green – I called him Monsieur, you know – and I played with him. On “Albatross” he told me what to do, all the bits I had to play.

George Harrison: “So we said, ‘Let’s be Fleetwood Mac doing Albatross, just to get going.’ It never really sounded like Fleetwood Mac… but that was the point of origin.”

Peter Green talking about LSD and Albatross