Happy Independence Day! Hendrix did a great version of The Star Spangled Banner in my opinion. He had served as a paratrooper in the 101st 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.
It doesn’t get better than this. I was very fortunate to see Mavis Staples in 2016 open up for Bob Dylan. She was open to the audience and told us that she dated “Bobby” back in the day and thought the world of him. It was a typical hot humid June day in Nashville at a now-defunct amphitheater. She commanded the stage and that voice filled the summer air.
Dylan and Staples first got together during the Newport Folk Festival, possibly in 1963 — though the year was not mentioned. The festival was held annually from 1959 to 1969, barring two years of inactivity in 1961 and 1962. Mavis Staples said, “We would write letters back and forth because we wouldn’t see each other until we were on a festival together. And we’d smooch!”
It has been said that Dylan proposed to Mavis back in 1963. She turned him down because she thought she was too young. Mavis Staple recently said: “I often think about what would have happened if I’d married Bobby, though. If we’d had some little plum-crushers, how our lives would be. The kids would be singing now, and Bobby and I would be holding each other up.”
This song sounds spiritual and very close to a gospel song. There is a reason for that…it came out of a tragic event. Al Bell wrote the song. He signed the band to Stax Records and was an executive and co-owner of Stax Records. His little brother was shot and killed. After returning from the funeral he wrote this song. He said “I went out in the backyard in my father’s home. He had an old school bus there parked that was not running. I went back there and sat on the hood of that bus thinking about all that was happening. And all of a sudden, I hear this music in my head. And I heard these lyrics: ‘I know a place, ain’t nobody worried, ain’t nobody crying, and ain’t no smiling faces lying to the races, I’ll take you there.’ I heard it, and I heard the music. And it wouldn’t leave, it stayed there. kept trying to write other verses, but I couldn’t. Nothing worked – there was nothing left to say.”
It’s a beautiful song that builds hope that there is something better will be in the future. The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #20 in the UK, and #21 in Canada. The song was released in 1972 on Stax Records. It surprises me that it didn’t go much higher in the charts.
The first time I noticed who the Staple Singers were…was in the Last Waltz singing a beautiful version of The Weight. I started to look for more by them and I realized this song, which I knew from childhood, was them. That’s how some of us learn about new music…like a giant tree with roots and a lot of musical branches. With me, it started with the Beatles > Dylan > The Band > The Staple Singers. I found most of the music I like from The Beatles, Stones, and The Who. I followed their influences and what came after.
Mavis Staples: “I sing, ‘Play it, Barry, play your piano…,’ that was Barry Beckett. Then ‘Help me, Daddy…,’ and that was my father playing the guitar. My dad plays that solo, none of that stuff was rehearsed. The only thing that was rehearsed was the verse, but all of the other stuff that I’m doing just came to me in the studio. It wasn’t written down, it all comes from what you feel. And God blessed me to be able to do that. It comes from inside me.”
Al Bell: “Mavis couldn’t get into it, she couldn’t feel it, so I stood there on the floor and tried to sing it to the guys, as they got the music and they got into it. After getting it down, later on, I came back and sat with Mavis and, after a while, she started feeling it and giving in to that rhythm. Of course, she took it to heights that only a Mavis Staples can take it. Nobody else could do it justice, and I guess it was supposed to be that way.”
“Ill Take You There”
Oh mmm I know a place
Ain’t nobody cryin’
Ain’t nobody worried
Ain’t no smilin’ faces
Mmm, no no
Lyin’ to the races
Help me, come on, come on
Somebody, help me now (I’ll take you there)
Help me, ya’all (I’ll take you there)
Help me now (I’ll take you there)
Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Oh! Oh! Mercy! (I’ll take you there)
Oh, let me take you there (I’ll take you there)
Oh-oh! Let me take you there! (I’ll take you there)
Play your, play your piano now
All right Ah do it do it
Come on now
Play on it, play on it
Daddy daddy daddy
Ooh, Lord
All right now
Baby, easy now
Now, come on, little lady
All right
Dum-dum-dum-dum
Sock it, sock it
Ah, oh, oh!
I know a place, ya’all (I’ll take you there)
Ain’t nobody cryin’ (I’ll take you there)
Ain’t nobody worried (I’ll take you there) No smilin’ faces (I’ll take you there)
Uh-uh (Lyin’ to the races) (I’ll take you there)
Oh, no Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Oh oh oh! (I’ll take you there)
Mercy now! (I’ll take you there)
I’m callin’ callin’ callin’ mercy (I’ll take you there)
Mercy mercy! (I’ll take you there)
Let me (I’ll take you there)
Oh oh! I’ll take you there (I’ll take you there)
Oh oh oh oh Wanna take you there! (I’ll take you there) Just take me by the hand
Let me (I’ll take you there)
Let me, let me, let me lead the way
Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Let me take you there (I’ll take you there)
Let me take you there! (I’ll take you there)
Ain’t no smilin’ faces (I’ll take you there)
Up in here, lyin’ to the races (I’ll take you there)
You oughta, you gotta gotta come let me, let me (I’ll take you there)
Take you, take you, take you over there (I’ll take you there) Ooh! Oh! Oh! All right (I’ll take you there)
Oh-oh! All right! (I’ll take you there)
Oh! Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Mmmm ah Oh! Yeah! (I’ll take you there)
Whoa! (I’ll take you there)
Let me lead the way (I’ll take you there)
I have heard this song all of my life and never knew much about it. I like the song because of the sad lyrics set against upbeat music.
Don Gibson wrote this song and it was produced by a legend of country music…Chet Atkins. Atkins, meanwhile, was inducted into the Country Music, Rock & Roll, and Musicians Halls of Fame. Atkins is also one of the primary figures credited with creating the “Nashville sound,” which transformed country music in the 1950s with a sound much cleaner and smoother than the style that preceded it.
Gibson released this in 1958 and it peaked at #7 on the Billboard 100. This was his only top-10 entry in the pop charts. Gibson, an inductee of the Country Music, Nashville Songwriters, and North Carolina Music Halls of Fame, wrote multiple songs now considered country standards.
It’s been covered by a lot of artists. Neil Young and The Kentucky Headhunters are just two that covered the song as well. It was the biggest hit The Headhunters had and it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Country Charts and #19 on the Canadian Country Charts in 1990.
Others who covered it are Johnny Cash who took it to #13 Country and #93 on the Hot 100 in 1961…Stonewall Jackson’s 1970 rendition went to #63 Country. Other acts to cover the song include Bing Crosby, Bob Luman, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ray Charles, Connie Francis, and Bobbi Martin.
Neil Young covered it on his album After The Gold Rush in 1970.
Oh Lonesome Me
Everybody’s going out and having fun
I’m a fool for staying home and having none.
I can’t get over how she set me free.
Oh, lonesome me.
There must be some way that I can lose these lonesome blues
Forget about my past and find someone new
I’ve thought of everything from A to Z
Oh, lonesome me.
I’ll bet she’s not like me.
She’s out and fancy free,
Flirting with the boys with all her charms
But I still love her so,
And brother don’t you know
I’d welcome her right back here in my arms
This song is rocking and raw…it reminds me a little of his song Ramblin’, Gamblin’, Man because of his voice and sound. I remember this song vividly from the 1985 movie Mask with Eric Stoltz, Cher, and Sam Elliott.
In the 1960s Kathmandu (the correct spelling) was a place where people traveled to find themselves and to get enlightenment from life…or just to go where no one could find or bother them. It’s the capital of Nepal and a remote location. Seger used an alternate spelling of the song (Katmandu) so it would be easier for people to recognize. Cat Stevens wrote a song with the same name years before and used this spelling.
This song was more popular in Michigan (Seger’s home state) than the rest of the country but it did chart at #43 on the Billboard 100 and #57 in Canada. Now it’s one of those songs that live on with classic radio. The album Beautiful Loser peaked at #131 but it sold two million copies since it was released. Three songs charted off of the album…Beautiful Loser, Nutbush City Limits, and Katmandu.
On his albums, he would record sometimes half with The Silver Bullet Band and half with the Muscle Shoals musicians. This song came off of the Beautiful Loser album which was his breakthrough album. It set him up for his next album that made him a household name…Night Moves.
On this album, he recorded 7 out of 9 tracks in Muscle Shoals including this song. The owners of the studio were also the musicians: Jimmy Johnson (guitar), Barry Beckett (keyboards), David Hood (bass), and Roger Hawkins (drums), and were much more affordable than big studios plus you got that Muscle Shoals sound.
Katmandu
I think I’m going to Katmandu That’s really, really where I’m going to If I ever get out of here That’s what I’m gonna do K-k-k-k-k-k Katmandu I think that’s really where I’m going to If I ever get out of here I’m going to Katmandu
I got no kick against the west coast Warner brothers are such good hosts I raise my whiskey glass and give them a toast I’m sure they know it’s true I got no rap against the southern states Every time I’ve been there it’s been great But now I’m leaving and I can’t be late And to myself be true
That’s why I’m going to Katmandu Up to the mountain’s where I’m going to And if I ever get out of here That’s what I’m gonna do Aw, k-k-k-k-k-k Katmandu Really, really where I’m going to If I ever get out of here I’m going to Katmandu
Oh Take it away I ain’t got nothin’ ‘gainst the east coast You want some people where they got the most And New York City’s like a friendly ghost You seem to pass right through I know I’m gonna miss the USA I guess I’ll miss it every single day But no one loves me here anyway I know my plane is due
The one that’s going to Katmandu Up to the mountain’s where I’m going to If I ever get out of here That’s what I’m gonna do K-k-k-k-k-k Katmandu Really, really, really, going to If I ever get out of here If I ever get out of here If I ever get out of here I’m going to Katmandu, oh Ooh huh huh Ooh huh huh ooh yeah
I usually run this on Wednesdays after the Star Trek. We finished up season 2 and we are starting the last season…season 3 tomorrow! Thanks for visiting the third installment of Max Picks. If you missed the first or second just follow the links.
1957
Let’s start this year with two brothers with some of the best harmonies ever in Rock/Pop…The Everly Brothers. Many guitar players could get close to the intro to this song but never exactly. The reason is Don Everly was using open G tuning…what Keith Richards later learned and made a career out of it…and that’s not an exaggeration. If you tune your guitar to open G tuning…you could play over half of the Stones catalog…believe me I do. Enough of guitar talk… this song was written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. This song has sheer beauty to it and also drive. I love Elvis but I’m leaving him off of this one since we featured him in the last two.
Now we get to the one…the only Pat Boone! NOT. I had to make sure you were paying attention. Now lets get to the bad boy of the fifties and all the decades that followed. He made other “bad boys” look tame. Jerry Lee Lewis was the real deal. Pure Rock and Roll that made Elvis look subtle. I can imagine he was public enemy number one with a lot of parents. Forget that though… his music is like an adrenaline rush to get up and move. The song was written by Dave “Curlee” Williams and James Faye “Roy” Hall.
I promised more Buddy Holly in the last post so I’m coming through on that promise. I could not believe the songs I could pick from in 1957. Take a look at the singles he had this year. Oh Boy, Not Fade Away, Peggy Sue, Everyday, Rock Around With Ollie Vee, and last but not least…That’ll Be The Day. That simple intro to this song is magic. I could have picked any of those songs. This song was written by Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly, and Norman Petty.
Now we have a singer who had a voice that was as smooth as silk. Sam Cooke‘s voice still gets to me. It was named as one of the 500 most important rock and roll recordings by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many artists have covered it but I’ll take Cooke’s version of it any day. It was written by the man himself.
I want to add a doo-wop vocal group because they were very popular then and this song is great. This song is called Come Go With Me by The Del-Vikings. The first time Paul and John met…John and his band The Quarrymen were playing this song with Lennon making up the words “Come and Go with me to the penitentiary” and probably some obscene words here and there. It was written by Clarence Quick.
When I purchased The Grateful Dead’s greatest hits back when I was around 13 or so…the songs like Truckin, Casey Jones, and Uncle John’s Band that I knew. After that, I found out that I liked everything on that album. This song became one of my favorites back then.
Jerry Garcia not only played with the Grateful Dead but did many solo shows while the Dead were on hiatus. He played with the New Riders of the Purple Sage as well. Jerry Garcia and John “Marmaduke” Dawson (New Riders of the Purple Sage ) wrote the music to the song and lyricist Robert Hunter came up with the lyrics except for one important line. The original chorus went like this.
I set out running but I take my time It looks like water but it tastes like wine If I get home before daylight I just might get some sleep tonight
After hearing it on tape as a demo…John Dawson said all the lyrics were great except It looks like water but it tastes like wine. He then suggested, “How about… A Friend of the Devil is a friend of mine?” That was it…the right line for the right song.
The following day, Hunter awoke in the group’s communal residence to find Garcia listening to a tape of the new song. “He had that funny look in his eye,” Hunter recalled. “The next thing I knew, the Grateful Dead had snapped it up, much to the New Riders’ dismay.”
After the song appeared on American Beauty it became an immediate hit with fans, ultimately becoming a permanent fixture in the Dead’s onstage repertoire. At first, it was performed at a brisk, bluegrass-style tempo built upon a descending scale played by Garcia… then, several years later, a piano provided much of its melodic sound.
American Beauty peaked at #19 on the Billboard 100, #43 in Canada, and #27 in the UK in 1970. A single was not released of this song. Truckin’ was released as Ripple as the B side.
Dennis McNally (Grateful Dead publicist and official biographer) on the intro: “Before they started recording, Nelson was checking to see that his guitar was in tune, and he ran this thing, ding, ding, ding, down a scale. And if you listen to the recording, that’s how the song opens. When he first did that, he did it simply to check the guitar’s tuning and they kept it. It suddenly became part of the song.”
Robert Hunter: “We all went down to the kitchen to have espresso made in Dawson’s new machine. We got to talking about the tune and John said the verses were nifty except for “it looks like water but it tastes like wine” which I had to admit fell flat. Suddenly Dawson’s eyes lit up and he crowed “How about “a friend of the devil is a friend of mine.” Bingo, not only the right line but a memorable title as well! We ran back upstairs to Nelson’s room and recorded the tune.”
Friend Of The Devil
I lit out from Reno, I was trailed by twenty hounds Didn’t get to sleep that night ’til the morning came around
Set out runnin’ but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight Just might get some sleep tonight
Ran into the devil, babe, he loaned me twenty bills Spent the night in Utah in a cave up in the hills
Set out runnin’ but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight Just might get some sleep tonight
I ran down to the levee but the devil caught me there He took my twenty dollar bill and he vanished in the air
Set out runnin’ but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight Just might get some sleep tonight
Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely night: The first one’s named sweet Anne Marie, and she’s my heart’s delight The second one is prison, babe, and the sheriff’s on my trail And if he catches up with me, I’ll spend my life in jail
Got a wife in Chino, babe, and one in Cherokee The first one says she’s got my child, but it don’t look like me
Set out runnin’ but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight Just might get some sleep tonight
Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely night: The first one’s named sweet Anne Marie, and she’s my heart’s delight The second one is prison, babe, the sheriff’s on my trail And if he catches up with me, I’ll spend my life in jail
Got a wife in Chino, babe, and one in Cherokee The first one says she’s got my child, but it don’t look like me
Set out runnin’ but I take my time A friend of the devil is a friend of mine If I get home before daylight Just might get some sleep tonight
I’m not the biggest fan of Rush but there are songs that were masterpieces…and this was one of them. When I heard that guitar riff at the beginning…BOOM…automatically loved the song.
As I listen to interviews and watched their documentary… that I will plug to everyone that would listen. I’ve grown to like them more and more. As a musician myself…yes I respect them as masters of their craft.
They had an unusual songwriting setup in that band. For the most part Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will come up with the music and drummer Neil Peart will supply the often complex lyrics. The drummers I’ve worked with…uh… that would not happen. This song hit me a like a great rock song which it is and is completely understandable.
While Alex and Geddy are outgoing guys…Neil Peart was not. He never hated the fans or anything but he was shy and didn’t feel comfortable with meet and greets etc. As Geddy Lee said (full quote below): “Limelight was probably more of Neil’s song than a lot of the songs on that album in the sense that his feelings about being in the limelight and his difficulty with coming to grips with fame and autograph seekers and a sudden lack of privacy and sudden demands on his time… he was having a very difficult time dealing with.
Neil said that while he was a huge fan of The Who and Keith Moon…he would have never dreamed of following them back to their hotel or meeting them. He just didn’t understand that concept and why. The song is about his feelings toward the fame that hit Rush and changed everything.
Neil Peart was a heavy reader and you could see the influence in many things. William Shakespeare’s 1599 play As You Like It contains the line “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” – a similar phase appears in the lyrics – “All the worlds indeed a stage, and we are merely players.” Rush named one of their albums All The Worlds A Stage.
The song peaked at #18 in Canada, #55 on the Billboard 100, and #4 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks. It was on the album Moving Pictures (My favorite by them) and that one peaked at #1 in Canada, #3 on the Billboard Album Charts, and #3 in the UK. This was the album in my area that had young musicians going out and learning these songs…not an easy task.
While researching this song I saw a headline that best sums it up. “Neil Peart explains his introverted nature through Rush song ‘Limelight.”
Geddy Lee: “Limelight was probably more of Neil’s song than a lot of the songs on that album in the sense that his feelings about being in the limelight and his difficulty with coming to grips with fame and autograph seekers and a sudden lack of privacy and sudden demands on his time… he was having a very difficult time dealing with. I mean we all were, but I think he was having the most difficulty of the three of us adjusting; in the sense that I think he’s more sensitive to more things than Alex and I are, it’s harder for him to deal with those interruptions on his personal space and his desire to be alone. Being very much a person who needs that solitude, to have someone coming up to you constantly and asking for your autograph is a major interruption in your own little world. I guess in the one sense that we’re a little bit like misfits in the fact that we’ve chosen this profession that has all this extreme hype and this sort of self-hyping world that we’ve chosen to live in, and we don’t feel comfortable really in that kind of role.”
Alex Lifeson: “I’ve always enjoyed the elasticity of that solo, particularly the way it sounds on the record. It has a certain tonality I just love. I do like playing the solo live, but I think I prefer listening to it on the album. On record, it has a magical quality to it – it really conveys the pathos of the song and the lyrics. I’ve never been able to re-create that live. I get pretty close, but it’s never exactly the way it is on record. I’ll keep trying, though.”
Neil Peart: “Success puts a strain on the friendship and it puts the strains on your day-to-day relationship, and it’s something that we did go through, you know, we’re not immune to it. But we were able to overcome it just through our closeness and we were able to help each other with difficulties like that and then we could deal with the pressures and things and that.”
Limelight
Living on a lighted stage
Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel
In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage
Cast in this unlikely role
Ill-equipped to act
With insufficient tact
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact
Living in the limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme
Living in a fish eye lens
Caught in the camera eye
I have no heart to lie
I can’t pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend
All the world’s indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another’s audience
Outside the gilded cage
Living in the limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme
Living in the limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme
The real relation
The underlying theme
Hello everyone…I changed the name of this series…I never liked the original name and I heard from a couple of commenters and I totally agreed… Last week I got great responses from many of you and I appreciate it.
1956
Rock and Roll was reviving up now. The song that represents it the most this year to me was Be-Bop-a-Lula. The song is a perfect piece of rock and roll. His voice with reverb is just magical and artists have been chasing that sound ever since. I can’t imagine hearing this on the radio back then. Gene Vincent must have sounded so alien to some people but it’s what rock and roll needed. The song was written by Gene Vincent, Donald Graves, and Bill “Sheriff Tex” Davis.
“That beginning – ‘we-e-e-e-e-l-l-l-l-l!’ – always made my hair stand on end.” John Lennon
***We have a bonus today at the bottom out of Lubbock Texas***
Yes, I could have gone with the Elvis version but I wanted the rockabilly man who wrote the song. Carl Perkins with Blue Suede Shoes. This was released in January of 1956 on Sun Records. Carl was amazing with his songwriting, guitar playing, and singing. The man could rock with the best.
I will make a confession here…out of all the 50s artists…Buddy Holly was probably my all-time favorite. The man had it all and he was ahead of his time. I’ve said this before but if he would have lived…out of all the 50s artists…he is the one that could have made a huge mark in the 60s alongside the British Invasion bands. They were playing modified versions of the songs he already wrote. This was not a massive hit… in fact it was a B side but one I’ve always liked. Blue Days, Black Nights. You WILL be seeing/hearing more Buddy in this series.
Now we are getting to the meat on the bone. Little Richard sings what was my dad’s favorite rock song…Long Tall Sally. The only time I remember getting a standing ovation is when I was 16 in a bar (shhhh don’t tell) playing this song with our band. Little Richard’s voice was fierce…I compare it to Jimi Hendrix’s guitar…just relentless. The song was written by Enotris Johnson, Robert Blackwell, and Richard Penniman (Little Richard).
Saw Uncle John with Long Tall Sally They saw Aunt Mary comin’ So they ducked back in the alley
It’s hard to go through these songs and pick only 5. Let’s close things out with The Man in Black! Johnny Cash released this in 1956 on Sun Records.
***BONUS: Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Scotty Moore, and Carl Perkins all in one place….backstage at a High School in Lubbock Texas in this really short clip. I wish we could hear the music.***
This was originally posted at Dave’s Turntable Talk. This is what Dave asked for… Tell us about a song (or album if you’re more ambitious) you like that is all about going somewhere. Trains, planes, automobiles – there’ve been scores of good songs about traveling, geographically or even mentally, not to mention songs about specific destinations from ‘Viva Las Vegas’ to ‘One Night in Bangkok’ and about everyplace in between.
After Dave asked us to write a post about traveling… it was between Promise Land by the Big E and this one by Bruce. I had to go with this one.
This song is a journey through an enjoyable play of words. It was written about a bus journey to Bruce’s girlfriend’s house. This song was also based on people and places Springsteen met in his early years as a songwriter. His father was a bus driver for a time, which helped inspire the song.
I listened to it so many times that I know every word to this day. I was surprised to see that he still plays this in concert every now and then…but you can’t beat the studio version.
I was around 19 (1986) or so when I found this album, or when the album found me, and I was going through an angry young man phase. I had just bought a 1976 Fender Musicmaster guitar (I still have it) and a black leather jacket so I was ready. The imagery flows like water with Greetings From Ashbury Park, Bruce’s debut album in 1973… It’s not very polished but that adds to it. The songs have a stream-of-consciousness feel to them. It was critically praised but did not have huge sales. The album only peaked at #60 in the Billboard Album Charts.
This album is my favorite by Springsteen. Yes, I like his other albums…but I love the wordplay on this one. I think the only song that halts the album is Mary Queen of Arkansas. I hear some Dylan and a very strong Van Morrison influence on this album and song. It is rough and raw and unpredictable.
Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps Interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp Love’s like that (sure it is)
Songs like this helped give Springsteen the tag….” the new Dylan” and he was the one performer who actually lived up to it…strap in and ride the Springsteen-driven bus.
Does This Bus Stop At 52nd Street?
Hey bus driver, keep the change Bless your children, give them names Don’t trust men who walk with canes Drink this and you’ll grow wings on your feet Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine Advertiser on a downtown train Christmas crier bustin’ cane He’s in love again
Where dock worker’s dreams mix with panther’s schemes To someday own the rodeo Tainted women in VistaVision Perform for out-of-state kids at the late show
Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps Interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp Love’s like that (sure it is) Queen of diamonds, ace of spades Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades They take out a full-page ad in the trades To announce their arrival And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope She rides to heaven on a gyroscope The Daily News asks her for the dope She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”
Senorita, Spanish rose Wipes her eyes and blows her nose Uptown in Harlem she throws a rose To some lucky young matador
I always thought this band was the ultimate power trio…and I mean no offense to ZZ Top. Seeing Cream was like watching a baseball team that has all-star players in each position.
When I first started to listen to Cream, what stood out was not Clapton’s guitar or Baker’s drumming…no it was Jack Bruce’s bass. There are three bass players I listened to while starting to play music. John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Paul McCartney. Those three covered the chaotic, the sliding, and the melodic. Jack Bruce had all of these traits.
Chester Burnett…better known as Howlin’ Wolf was from White Station, Mississippi. He influenced so many including Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. This was his signature song although he didn’t write it…the one and only Willie Dixon did. Howlin’ Wolf released this song in 1960.
Cream released this single in 1967 and it was off the UK album Fresh Cream in 1966. That album peaked at #6 in the UK and #39 on the Billboard Album Charts. I searched the Canadian RPM archives but this album did not show up.
There have been many rumors about what the song is about. Some say the song is about heroin and cooking it up. Some say it’s about… let’s just say sex. Willie Dixon said no on both. Here is Dixon’s take on it. “The idea of ‘Spoonful’ was that it doesn’t take a large quantity of anything to be good if you have a little money when you need it, you’re right there in the right spot, that’ll buy you a whole lot. If a doctor give you less than a spoonful of some kind of medicine that can kill you, he can give you less than a spoonful of another that will make you well”. Asked about heroin, he replied, “People who think ‘Spoonful’ was about heroin are mostly people with heroin ideas”.
Cream influenced so many bands. They mixed blues, jazz, and hard rock into new kind of music in 1966. They may have created Heavy Metal/Hard Rock or it evolved from what they were doing. Bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, and countless more. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker are all probably in the top 5 in rock with each of their instruments.
Its 1968 double album Wheels of Fire features a 16-minute-plus live version of “Spoonful” recorded at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom.
Spoonful
Could fill spoons full of diamonds, Could fill spoons full of gold. Just a little spoon of your precious love Will satisfy my soul.
Men lies about it. Some of them cries about it. Some of them dies about it. Everything’s a-fightin’ about the spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
Could fill spoons full of coffee, Could fill spoons full of tea. Just a little spoon of your precious love; Is that enough for me?
Men lies about it. Some of them cries about it. Some of them dies about it. Everything’s a-fightin’ about the spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
Could fill spoons full of water, Save them from the desert sands. But a little spoon of your forty-five Saved you from another man.
Men lies about it. Some of them cries about it. Some of them dies about it. Everything’s a-fightin’ about the spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful. That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
The name alone makes me want to listen to the song. The bass line is one of the coolest bass parts I’ve heard in a number 1 song. Usually on high-charting songs you just don’t hear basslines like this. I also like the out-of-left-field sax solo by saxophonist Davey Payne.
This song was supposedly inspired by Dury’s disability. He contracted polio when he was 7 years old. Luckily, he was not confined to a wheelchair but he did have to use a walking cane.
The song was recorded live with all the Blockheads placed in different positions in the studio’s live area, with Jankel playing aBechsteingrand piano,Mickey Gallagherplaying theHammond organ, and Dury sitting on a stool in the center singing into a hand-held microphone.
He wrote this song with Chaz Jankel in 1978. Chaz was in a band with Dury called The Kilburns and when they disbanded…he got together with Ian Dury as a co-songwriter. It is the group’s most successful single, reaching number one on theUK Singles Chartin January 1979 as well as reaching the top three inIreland,Australia,andNew Zealand, and it was also a top 20 hit in several European countries.
The song was a non-album single. He didn’t like to include singles on his albums if possible. It peaked at #1 in the UK, #2 in Australia, #3 in New Zealand, and #79 on the Billboard 100 in 1979. I found no charting in Canada.
“Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick” was named the 12th best single of 1978 by the writers of British music magazineNME, and best single of 1979 in the annual ‘Pazz & Jop’ poll organized by music criticRobert ChristgauinThe Village Voice.
Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick
In the deserts of Sudan
And the gardens of Japan
From Milan to Yucatan
Every woman, every man
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
Je t’adore, ich liebe dich,
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me slowly, hit me quick.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
In the wilds of Borneo
And the vineyards of Bordeaux
Eskimo, Arapaho
Move their body to and fro.
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
Das ist gut! C’est fantastique!
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
It’s nice to be a lunatic.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
In the dock of Tiger Bay
On the road to Mandalay
From Bombay to Santa Fe
Over hills and far away
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
C’est si bon, mm? Ist es nicht?
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Two fat persons, click, click, click.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me!
Hit me!
Hit me! Ow!
Hit me!
Hit me!
Hit me! hit me!
I’ve always liked rockabilly and roots rock but CB has made me appreciate it even more. We have talked about Dave Edmunds before but now, let’s go deeper into his great catalog. The first time I saw Edmunds was in a movie called Stardust. The next time I saw him really play was in the Concert for Kampuchea when Rockpile did a blistering version of Little Sister with Robert Plant.
Edmunds was born in 1944 in Cardiff, Wales. His first band was with his brother Geoff, they were called fittingly enough…The Edmunds Brothers in 1954. After that, they moved on to a band called The Stompers where Dave played lead and Geoff played rhythm guitar. Keep in mind that in those two bands, Dave was only 10 years old. His brother Geoff was 15. Dave went through several bands such as The Heartbeats, The 99ers, and in 1960 he was in The Hill-Bills and then in the Raiders. In 1965 he was with a band called The Image who briefly had a recording contract and he then joined a band called The Human Beans. The Human Beans later evolved into a band called Love Sculpture and that band is where he really started his career.
Love Sculpture played mostly blues standards with some punch. They did hit the charts with a song called The Sabre Dance. The song was originally in the final act of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet Gayane. Love Sculpture’s version peaked at #5 in the UK charts in 1968. It was helped by being played by the great British DJ John Peel. After two albums the band broke up after a US 1970 tour.
The name Rockpile was used as the title of a Dave Edmunds solo album in 1970 and as the name of his backing band when he toured that year. In 1974, Edmunds began working with Lowe on various studio projects. Then, in 1976, Rockpile came together, but still wouldn’t release material as Rockpile until 1980 even though they had recorded several songs before then as a band. This was due to Edmunds and Lowe being contracted to different labels, but in 1980 they were finally able to sign to the same label and Rockpile released the album Seconds of Pleasure.
in 1981 the band went their separate ways. According to the liner notes of the CD release of Seconds of Pleasure in 2004, Nick Lowe said. “We got together for fun and when the fun had all been had… we packed it in.”
Dave released 14 albums under his name. He is also a major producer. Some of the acts that he has produced are Foghat, Flamin’ Groovies, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stray Cats, Brinsley Schwarz, and so many more. So let’s take a quick tour through Dave Edmunds’ history.
Dave started off his solo career quite nicely! This song is probably the best-known out of his catalog. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts, #4 on the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada, and #3 in New Zealand in 1970. The song was written by Dave Bartholomew.
In 1978 Edumnds released Tracks on Wax 4 his fourth album. I’m hooked on this album that CB told me about. Not a weak song on the album. If you want…and I suggest checking this album out. Here is the link to the complete album. I’ve lived a week with this album at work and at home. I picked one song from the album to place on this post…it could have been any of them.
For those of you who like Rockpile the band with Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremmer, and Terry Williams…this IS a Rockpile album released by Edmunds. Since Edmunds and Lowe were signed to two different record companies…they could not release it under Rockpile at the time. Edmunds overdubs his voice over Lowe’s on some songs.
I cannot stop listening to this song. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Will Come). The song was written by Bruce Springsteen during The River sessions and one that did not get released by Bruce until 2003. Dave Edmunds released it in 1982. It peaked at #28 on the Billboard 100.
Now lets hear a song officially by Rockpile off the album Seconds of Pleasure released in 1980. This song rocks and it’s called If Sugar Was As Sweet As You.
I heard this when I was in high school and bought the single. Slipping Away was released in 1983. The pairing was odd but it worked. Jeff Lynne wrote and produced this song…even with all of the ELO studio enhancements, Edmunds still comes through. It peaked at #7 on the US Mainstream Rock Charts. I also like the Longhorn Danelectro guitar that Edmunds is playing in this video.
BONUS Track Today!
Dave Edmunds and Carlene Carter did Baby Ride Easy in 1980. Carlene at the time was married to Nick Lowe.
I was walking around for days with the words “Every Highway” chorus in my head which I knew was Lightfoot but I had forgotten the name of the song. The mystery was solved when I got on youtube.
Lightfoot said he was influenced by a road sign he saw just north of Phoenix, Arizona. Lightfoot was traveling between Southwest concert tour stops in the early 1970s, and jotted the name of the Carefree Highway down on a piece of paper after reading it on a roadway sign. Interstate 17 had just been completed around that time between Phoenix and Camp Verde.
He kept the piece of paper with the song’s lyrics for a long time before turning it into a tune. “I thought it would make a good title for a song, I wrote it down, put it in my suitcase and it stayed there for eight months.” Just in case you want to know… The Carefree Highway is an east-west segment of State Route 74 in Maricopa County that connects I-17 to Tom Darlington Drive near the town of Carefree.
He had said that the song was about Ann, an old girlfriend of his when he was 22. She dropped by to see Gordon much later after the song had been released at a concert. After the concert, he didn’t say a word about the song and he never knew if she knew it was her he was talking about in this song.
The song peaked at #11 in Canada, #1 on the Canada Adult Contemporary Charts, #1 on the Canadian Country Charts, #1 on Billboard 100, and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary in 1974.
The song was off the album Sundown released in 1974. It peaked at #1 in Canada, #1 on the Billboard Album Charts, and #45 in the UK. This was Lightfoot’s only number 1 album in the Billboard Album Charts.
Gordon Lightfoot: “I thought it would make a good title for a song, I wrote it down, put it in my suitcase and it stayed there for eight months.”
Gordon Lightfoot: “There was a real Ann, it reaches way back to a time when I was about 20 or so. It’s one of those situations where you meet that one woman who knocks you out and then leaves you standing there and says she’s on her way.”
“She stopped by to say hello, I don’t think she knew that she is the one the song was about, and I wasn’t about to tell her.”
Gordon Lightfoot: “I’m not an act that just sits around and waits for inspiration to hit. Making record albums takes a lot of work and a lot of sweat. To borrow a phrase, 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.
“Writing takes application of your talents. A lot of people think songs pop off the top of your head while you’re walking down the street, but that is not the case. Ideas may come this way, but not songs.
Carefree Highway
Pickin’ up the pieces of my sweet shattered dream
I wonder how the old folks are tonight
Her name was Ann and I’ll be damned if I recall her face
She left me not knowin’ what to do
Carefree highway, let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The mornin’ after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away
Slip away on you
Turnin’ back the pages to the times I love best
I wonder if she’ll ever do the same
Now the thing that I call livin’ is just bein’ satisfied
With knowin’ I got no one left to blame
Carefree highway, I got to see you my old flame
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The mornin’ after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away
Slip away on you
Searchin’ through the fragments of my dream-shattered sleep
I wonder if the years have closed her mind
I guess it must be wanderlust or tryin’ to get free
From the good old faithful feelin’ we once knew
Carefree highway, let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, you seen the better days
The mornin’ after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away
Slip away on you
Let me slip away on you
Carefree highway, I got to see you my old flame
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The mornin’ after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away
Slip away on you
There she is again Standin’ over by the record machine Looking like a model On the cover of a magazine
Every single time I post a Chuck Berry song I go on and on about how great a lyricist he was…and this one will be no different. The words in his songs have a flow to them that seems so natural.
This song has the Chuck Berry style all over it. It appeared on the 1959 album Chuck Berry Is on Top and was released as a double A-side with “Almost Grown.” He has a line in the song that people seem to frown on these days. “She’s too cute to be a minute over seventeen” because of her age. What some forget is back then the target audience was teenagers. The singer whether it be Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, or Buddy Holly…they were the voice of the teens. They were the teenagers talking…the rock stars were the teen’s voices.
The song peaked at #80 on the Billboard 100 in 1959.
Later on in the late 60s and to the 2000’s he would tour by himself and in his contract…the promoter had to provide a backing band. He did this to save money but it affected the quality of the shows at times. He did have a super backing band at one of his gigs in 1973.
Berry’s contract stipulated that it was the promoter’s responsibility to supply him with a backing band for this concert. Apparently, Bruce Springsteen learned about a week before the show that the promoter was seeking a group to support Berry and immediately volunteered his band’s services for free, which the promoter gladly accepted.
There was no rehearsal or soundcheck with Berry, so Bruce and the band improvised as best they could. The show was Bruce’s first known appearance in Maryland. Bruce and the E-Street Band opened their part of the show with a 50-minute set, followed by a 60-minute set by Jerry Lee Lewis and his band. Chuck Berry (with Springsteen’s entire band backing him, including Bruce and Southside Johnny) closed the evening’s festivities with a 70-minute performance.
Springsteen asked Chuck what songs they were going to do. Berry said: “We’re going to do some Chuck Berry songs.” That is one of the funniest rock stories I’ve ever heard. Imagine being on stage and not knowing what song is coming. What makes it worse is that Chuck would change the keys of songs. So instead of playing in the universally known A chord to Johnny B Goode…he would start in an F# chord sometimes. Luckily the bass player Gary Tallent was a music historian so he led the band that night. He played in those keys because his former piano player Johnnie Johnson helped him write and arrange those songs so Chuck would play them in keys as a piano player would.
More than 20 years later, Springsteen again played backup for Berry, at a concert at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, celebrating the opening of the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame.
Bruce Springsteen when Chuck Berry died: “Chuck Berry was rock’s greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock ‘n’ roll writer who ever lived. This is a tremendous loss of a giant for the ages.”
Little Queenie
I got lumps in my throat When I saw her comin’ down the aisle I got the wiggles in my knees When she looked at me and sweetly smiled There she is again Standin’ over by the record machine Looking like a model On the cover of a magazine She’s too cute to be a minute over seventeen
Meanwhile I was thinkin’
If she’s in the mood no need to break it I got the chance and I oughta take it If she can dance we can make it C’mon queenie let’s shake it
Go, go, go, little queenie Go, go, go, little queenie Go, go, go, little queenie
Tell me who’s the queen Standin’ over by the record machine Looking like a model On the cover of a magazine She’s too cute to be a minute over seventeen
Meanwhile, I was still thinkin’ If it’s a slow song, we’ll omit it If it’s a rocker, then we’ll get it And if it’s good, she’ll admit it C’mon queenie, let’s get with it
Go, go, go, little queenie Go, go, go, little queenie Go, go, go, little queenie
I want to start something called “Max Picks” and go through every year from 1955 to around 1990 or so. Right now I’ll try to get these in on Wednesday after Star Trek. When Star Trek ends on August 26th I might move it to the weekends. I will try to make each of these short and sweet. This post will hopefully be the longest one I write only because of telling you about it. I will pick 5 songs out of each year…now of course I’m breaking my rule in the first one! You will see why.
I won’t just pick hits as we go along. In the 80s there will be some “alternative” music and I will try to mix it up. The reason I am starting in 1955? The first song below is the reason. It helped jumpstart Rock and Roll.
1955
Ok, let’s get this rolling. The huge hit this year? The one you will know later on in Happy Days. Bill Haley and His Comets Rock Around The Clock. It was one of the most important rock songs of all time. This one was huge in America and it popped into the UK charts in 1955. Whether you are a rock fan, pop fan, heavy metal fan, or anything in between…1955 helped kick it all off.
Here…a middle age looking man takes the world by storm. The following year it would be in the movie of the same name featuring Bill and his Comets. Take it away big fellow.
Mr. Chuck Berry also debuted with his first single…the classic Maybelline. The song was written by Chuck Berry and the song just flat out rocks. This song and its beat influenced young kids like Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and many more.
Now one of my favorites from the year and decade. The one and only Fats Domino Ain’t That A Shame. I love Cheap Tricks version but Fats is Fats…he was one of the most understated rockers of this decade. This song was written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew.
I could not have this without the Big E! Elvis Presley…I’m stuck between two songs to pick. Heartbreak Hotel and Mystery Train. So…on my first post in this…I’m going to pick both! This is the Elvis that I love… before the Army and Tom Parker took his soul away. Junior Parker wrote this song and the great Sam Phillips produced it. Heartbreak Hotel was written by Mae Boren Axton (Hoyts Mom!) and Tommy Durden. Tom Parker got Elvis’s name writing credits but he didn’t have anything to do with it but singing.
Since we have thrown in rockers…I thought I would try a ballad that’s been in a lot of movies and was huge at the time. The Penguins doing Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) written by Curtis Williams, Gaynel Hodge, and Jesse Belvin.
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