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
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.”
I wanted to post something by Joe Cocker from the now legendary Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. I have a Joe Cocker 1980s song in my drafts but I wanted to do another song from that tour.
I was lucky enough to see him one time. He was opening up for Tina Turner on October 20, 2000, in Gaylord Arena. It was a hell of a double feature with those two performers. Cocker still had that voice and he sounded excellent.
This song was written in 1953 by Arthur Hamilton. The first release of this song was by Julie London in 1955. London was Jack Webb’s wife at the time and she is probably best known for her role in Emergency.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen kicked off on March 20, 1970, and ended on May 16, 1970. Cocker’s manager, Dee Anthony, saw an opportunity to capitalize on Cocker’s rising fame and organized a new tour. A band was quickly put together by musical director Leon Russell. It included an eclectic mix of musicians, backup singers (such as Rita Coolidge), and even a dog mascot.
The tour was immortalized in the live album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, released in August 1970. It became a critical and commercial success. It is still considered one of the great live albums in rock.
The album peaked at #95 on the Billboard 100, #46 in Canada, and #2 in New Zealand. Looks like New Zealand is the only country that got it right.
The song peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100 and #15 in Canada in 1970.
Arthur Hamilton: “I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words… Instead of ‘Eat your heart out’ or ‘I’ll get even with you,’ it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart.”
I Will See You Next Weekend!
Cry Me A River
Why don’t you, why don’t you Why don’t you cry me a river?
Now you say that you’re lonely After being so untrue
I want you to cry (cry me a river) Want you to cry (cry me a river) All over me (cry me a river) I want you to cry (cry me a river) Yeah, over me (cry me a river) Hey, yeah, cry (cry me a river) Yeah, I cried a river over you
Now you say that you’re sorry Oh, for being so unkind
I want you to cry (cry me a river) Cry for me (cry me a river) Oh! (cry me a river) Over me (cry me a river) Want you to cry (cry me a river) Right on me, yeah (cry me a river) Oh, I cried a river over you
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head Never shed a tear Remember, I remember all that you said Told me love was a stupid thing You were through with me
Cry me a river Come on love (cry me a river) Won’t you cry? (cry me a river) Oh, yeah (cry me a river) Oh, cry (cry me a river) Cry me a river (cry me a river) Oh, I cried a river over you
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head Ooh, never shed a tear Remember, I remember all that you said Told me love was a stupid thing You were through with me
Cry me a river Yes, cry (cry me a river) I want you to cry (cry me a river) Cry me a river (cry me a river) Ah (cry me a river) Cry me (cry me a river) Oh, I cried a river over you
Yeah, I cried a river over you (I cried a river over you) Over you (I cried a river over you) Over you (I cried a river over you)
I, I cried (I cried a river over you) Let me (I cried a river over you) I cried a river (I cried a river over you) Cry me a river (I cried a river over you) Over the mountain (I cried a river over you) (I cried a river over you) Baby, I cried a river over you
One, two, three, four Cry me a river Cry me a river Cry me a river Cry me a river Yeah (cry me a river, cry me a river) Cry, cry a river over you
I’ve heard of this band for so long but never listened to many of their songs. This one is right up my alley…raw, garage-sounding, and slightly punk. They formed in London in 1963. They were known for their raw sound and rebellious image, they are often cited as one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and 1970s. They didn’t have a lot of hits but their sound was copied.
This song was released in 1964, and The Pretty Things was probably the scruffiest band around in 1964… and that includes the Stones.
The song peaked at #10 in the UK and #34 in Canada in 1964. The song was a stand-alone single. They would release their self-titled debut album in 1965. The song was written by Johnny Dee, the manager of a British band at the time called The Fairies.
The Pretty Things continued to evolve after “Don’t Bring Me Down” exploring different musical styles including psychedelia and hard rock. Despite numerous lineup changes and challenges, they remained active for decades, maintaining a cult following.
In 1968 they released the album S.F. Sorrow, one of the first rock operas, predating The Who’s Tommy. It is a concept album that tells the story of a character named Sebastian F. Sorrow from birth to death. Though not a commercial success at the time, it has since been recognized as a groundbreaking work and a classic of that genre.
Don’t Bring Me Down
I’m on my own, nowhere to roam I tell you baby, don’t want no home I wander round, feet off the ground I even go from town to town I said I think this rock is grand Say I’ll be your man Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down
I met this chick, the other day And then to me, she said she’ll stay I get this pad, just like a cave And then we’ll have, our living made And then I’ll lead her on the ground My head is spinning round Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down
I, I, I, I, I need a lover ’cause someone new And then to her I will be true I’ll buy her furs and pretty things I’ll even buy a wedding ring But until then I’ll settle down? Say I’ll be your man Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down
Until then I’ll settle down? Say I’ll be your man Don’t bring me down, don’t bring me down Don’t bring me down
I really like this song and the pre-hit Steve Miller Band as well. I do like many of his hits but his early catalog is filled with great songs and musicianship. This one has a lot of history. I think Miller’s hits has been a huge victim of radio overplay but I realize that is not his fault…doesn’t mean “Jet Airliner” is not any good…we just have sometimes have heard those songs too much. I have songs like that…but give it some time and I can listen to them again.
His earlier songs have more of a blues feel. The former members of his band has included Boz Scaggs, Nicky Hopkins, Doug Clifford (CCR drummer), Ross Valory, Lonnie Turner, and about a page more of names.
Steve Miller wrote this tune and Paul McCartney played drums, bass, some guitar, and backing vocals. You will also catch the future riff to Fly Like An Eagle in this song. Paul would be credited as Paul Ramone. Paul went by that name on their first tour and that is where the Ramones got their name.
When I read the story of this recording the title would probably match what McCartney was feeling. Allen Klein had just suckered John, George, and Ringo into signing a management contract and he wanted Paul. It was on a Friday afternoon and Paul refused. I’m not always on Paul’s side but in this case…oh yes. He told the other 3 something I find quite funny. Klein wanted 20% of the Beatles earnings and Paul told them wait…The Beatles are kinda big and let him have 10% but John would have none of it. Paul never signed and later on John, George, and Ringo would regret the decision as they all sued Klein and Klein sued them.
On that day, Steve Miller walked into the studio after a giant fight with only Paul left there. I’ll let Paul McCartney tell it: Steve Miller happened to be there recording, late at night, and he just breezed in. ‘Hey, what’s happening, man? Can I use the studio?’ ‘Yeah!’ I said. ‘Can I drum for you? I just had a fucking unholy argument with the guys there.’ I explained it to him, took ten minutes to get it off my chest. So I did a track, he and I stayed that night and did a track of his called My Dark Hour. I thrashed everything out on the drums. There’s a surfeit of aggressive drum fills, that’s all I can say about that. We stayed up until late. I played bass, guitar and drums and sang backing vocals. It’s actually a pretty good track.
It was a very strange time in my life and I swear I got my first grey hairs that month. I saw them appearing. I looked in the mirror, I thought, I can see you. You’re all coming now. Welcome.
The song was on The Steve Miller Band’s album Brave New World released in 1969. The album peaked at a respectable #22 on the Billboard Album Charts and #38 in Canada.
Steve Miller: I got John Lennon’s Epiphone Casino and played through his amp, Paul got on the drums. It was like we’d been playing together forever.
Here is a snippet of Badfinger covering this song live. They were expanding their sound live with longer jams.
My Dark Hour
My dark hour My dark hour You know it’s drivin’ me wild
Well, well, I went to see the doctor And I had my fortune read And you know, the doctor told me “Son, you better stay in bed”
Who’s that comin’ down that road Looks like he’s carryin’ a heavy load What’s that word that he started to say? Wanna come with me on my way?
My dark hour, a mother nature’s child My dark hour, oh, it’s drivin’ me wild
Well, I went (to see the doctor) Just to have (my fortune read) Well, well, well, well, well (The doctor told me) “Son, stay in bed”
So do you think these sinners will fall Or do you think they’ll survive us all? Well, well, well, well, a-down this road Won’t you help me carry my load?
My dark hour, mother nature’s child My dark hour, oh-oh, it’s drivin’ me wild
This song was on the third Beatles album I bought. That would have been The Red Album compilation.
I’m posting it because I just heard the live version from the Anthology and for me…it’s better than the released version. I like the harmonica as an instrument but I like this live version they did without it. John didn’t want to use it because they had used it on Love Me Do, Please Please Me, and then this one. He didn’t want them repeating themselves but was talked into it.
This was their third single in the UK. Love Me Do (#17), Please Please Me (#2), and then this song which peaked at #1 in the UK. When The Beatles hit America…their hits more times than not charted higher in the US. Some of the examples are Twist and Shout (#2 US #0 UK), Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields (#1 US #2 UK), Something (#4 UK #1 US) and more. Now some did the opposite but this song was really odd. It didn’t chart in the top 40 in America at all. Very unusual in 1964.
George Martin asked them to come up with something as good as Please Please Me and they gave him this. No, I don’t think it’s as good but it’s a good song. There was a column in the New Musical Express that was titled From You To Us which featured fans writing columns. This particular one featured a fan letter talking about how Cliff Richard was currently outshining Elvis Presley in the charts. Lennon stated in May of 1963 that Paul and he started to “talk about one of the letters in the column,” which led to them putting ideas together for a song inspired by the title of this newspaper column. This one both Lennon and McCartney agreed was a 50/50 composition.
Paul said that they wrote it while on tour with Roy Orbison. The only problem is that the song was already released then. They were on tour with Helen Shapiro who at the start of the tour were more popular than they were.
Del Shannon was the first American to cover a Beatles song…and he covered this one in 1963.
John Lennon: We were just fooling about on the guitar, this went on for a while. Then we began to get a good melody line and we really started to work at it. Before the journey was over we’d completed the lyric, everything. The words weren’t really all that difficult – especially as we had decided quite definitely not to do anything that was at all complicated. I suppose that is why we often had the words “you” and “me” in the titles of our songs. It’s the kind of thing that helps the listeners to identify with the lyrics. We think this is very important. The fans like to feel that they are part of something that is being done by the performers.”
That said, this song was “below Beatles par ” by a critic…John Lennon: “Maybe it wasn’t as good as ‘Please Please Me,’ but below par? I’ll never forget that one. That’s when I first realized you’ve got to keep it up, there’s some sort of system where you get on the wheel and you’ve got to keep going around.”
The original version is below…there is one thing you can hear now in the remastered versions…the bass!
From Me To You
If there’s anything that you want If there’s anything I can do Just call on me and I’ll send it along With love, from me to you
I’ve got everything that you want Like a heart that’s oh so true Just call on me and I’ll send it along With love, from me to you
I’ve got arms that long to hold you And keep you by my side I’ve got lips that long to kiss you And keep you satisfied (oh)
If there’s anything that you want If there’s anything I can do Just call on me and I’ll send it along With love, from me to you
From me To you Just call on me and I’ll send it along With love, from me to you
I’ve got arms that long to hold you And keep you by my side I’ve got lips that long to kiss you And keep you satisfied (oh)
If there’s anything that you want If there’s anything I can do Just call on me and I’ll send it along With love, from me to you To you To you To you
The bassline and minimalist nature to this song…makes it all worth the repeat listens. It’s very much a cultural artifact that encapsulates its time.
This is a song from childhood that I will never forget. It had a strange sound and that is what made it special. No other than Herbie Flowers played bass on this song and he made it stand out. Yes this song is worn out but I will turn it up sometimes just to hear that bass.
David wrote and released this song in 1973. It appeared in the movie he and Ringo Starr were appearing in called That’ll Be The Day. Essex made unsuccessful recordings in the sixties until found success as an actor. This was the first of his many hits in the UK.
On another note. That’ll Be The Day is a really good movie and so is the follow-up… Stardust. I would suggest if you get the chance…watch them. I think it’s the best movie Ringo Starr ever appeared in excluding A Hard Days Night.
The song peaked at #1 in Canada, #5 in the Billboard 100, and #3 in the UK in 1973. Essex never charted another hit in America, although the Grammy nomination he got for “Rock On” was enough to give him a cult following in America.
The producer of this song was a jingle composer named Jeff Wayne. Wayne was an unusual choice, but his background in jingles, which must be very efficient, proved worthy.
Jeff Wayne:“I can recall the three musicians on the backing track for ‘Rock On’ all looking around in a mostly empty Advision Studios, Studio 1, wanting to know when the rest of the band was arriving! I explained there weren’t any others for that track, and I was relying on them to understand my idea for the production. While the drums and percussion parts were written out, it was definitely Herbie that grasped immediately that a bass guitar playing a lead riff could fill a large part of the spatial spectrum and he took my idea and turned some basic notes of mine, into his amazing bass riff. Then to top it off, he suggested playing it again an octave higher. So you get this unusual bass sound right up front – now it couldn’t have been up front if the arrangement didn’t allow the air and the space to be created that way.”
Rock On
Hey kids rock and roll,
Rock on, oh my soul
Hey kids boogey too, did ya
Hey shout, summertime blues,
Jump up and down in my blue suede shoes
Hey kids rock and roll, rock on
And where do we go from here?
Which is the way that’s clear
Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen
Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean
James Dean, rock on
I like quite a few doo-wop songs of the 1950s. The song was written by George Goldner and it was featured on their 1956 album, The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. It peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1957. The song was featured in the movie Rock, Rock, Rock.
Their big hit was Why Do Fools Fall In Love released in 1956. The group only lasted until 1957 when the manager kept pushing Lymon over the group and he started a solo career. He never reached the heights he did with the Teenagers.
I like concentrating on the music but this story has a sad ending.
They did reunite for a brief time in 1965 but the times had changed. They didn’t have much success so Lymon went back to a solo career. At age 15, he tried heroin for the first time in the mid-fifties. In 1966, he was arrested for heroin possession and was drafted into the Army instead of going to jail. He got off of heroin while in the army but kept going awol…he was dishonorably discharged from the army in 1967 and signed with Roulette Records in 1968.
He celebrated signing by using heroin for the first time in two years. Lymon had a sad ending to his life as he only lived to be 25 and died of a heroin overdose in February 1968. Another music business casualty. He was Michael Jackson before Michael Jackson.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent
I’m not a juvenile delinquent No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no No-no-no, I’m not a juvenile delinquent Do the things that’s right And you’ll do nothing wrong Life will be so nice, you’ll be in paradise I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
But listen boys and girls You need not be blue And life is what you make of it It all depends on you I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be bad Stay out of trouble, and you be glad Take this tip from me, and you will see How happy you will be Oh-oh, boys and girls, this is my story And I add all of my glory I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be bad Stay out of trouble, and you be glad Take this tip from me, and you will see How happy you will be Oh-oh, boys and girls, this is my story And I add all of my glory I know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent
This song was on the forgotten Black and Blue album. My all-time favorite Stones song is on that album…Memory Motel.
This album was made when the best guitarist the Stones ever had…left them. That’s no knock on Keith, Brian, or soon-to-be Ronnie Wood at this time…Mick Taylor was just that good. He was on 4 of the 5 classic albums they are mostly known for. Another significant person left before Taylor did…Jimmy Miller produced the albums Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, and Goats Head Soup. He was the most important producer they worked with. He gave them a sound that they did not have before.
Ronnie Wood is not the guitar player in this song. They were auditioning guitar players on this album. The three guitar players were Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel, and Ronnie Wood. Wayne Perkins, a super-session player, was the lead guitar player on this song. He didn’t get the job because he was from Alabama. Keith said that was hard to get over because they wanted the Stones to remain an English band. Wayne Perkins was probably the best guitar player they auditioned…but Ronnie Wood looked the part and fit in.
The album was not as well received but still peaked at #1 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in Canada, #2 in the UK, and #4 in New Zealand in 1976.
Fool To Cry peaked at #10 on the Billboard 100, #11 in Canada, #6 in the UK, and #38 in New Zealand.
Mick Jagger has said of this song: This dates from the period when I had a young child, my daughter Jade, around a lot, calling me daddy and all that. It’s another of our heartmelting ballads, a bit long and waffly at the end maybe, but I like it.
Keith Richards: “I was just glad somebody in the band could sing that falsetto. I got a pretty good falsetto myself. But when you got a singer and he can hit those notes, baby go for it. And Mick was always fascinated with the falsetto Soul singers like Aaron Neville. That’s crafty stuff, you know what I mean? But he’d been listening to so many people. It’s kinda like what goes in, will come out. You’ll just hear a phrase or a piece of music. And one way or another it’s part of your experience. And a lot of the time it comes out what you do without even realizing it. I don’t really like to think about these things too much. It’s more to do with feeling than intellectualizing about it.”
Keith Richards: Ronnie wasn’t necessarily a shoo-in as our new guitarist, despite our closeness at the time. He was still, for one thing, a member of the Faces. We tried other players before him–Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel. Both great players, both of them are on Black and Blue. Ronnie turned up as the last one, and it was really a toss-up. We liked Perkins a lot. He was a lovely player, same style, which wouldn’t have ricocheted against what Mick Taylor was doing, very melodic, very well-played stuff. Then Ronnie said he had problems with the Faces. So it came down to Wayne and Ronnie. Ronnie’s an all-rounder. He can play loads of things and different styles, and I’d just been playing with him for some weeks, so the chips fell there. It wasn’t so much the playing, when it came down to it. It came down to the fact that Ronnie was English! Well, it is an English band, although you might not think that now. And we all felt we should retain the nationality of the band at the time. Because when you get on the road, and it’s “Have you heard this one?,” you’ve all got the same backgrounds. Because of being London-born, Ronnie and I already had a built-in closeness, a kind of code, and we could be cool together under stress, like two squaddies. Ronnie was damn good glue for the band. He was a breath of fresh air. We knew he’d got his chops, we knew he could play, but a big decider was his incredible enthusiasm and ability to get along with everybody. Mick Taylor was always a bit morose. You’ll not see Mick Taylor lying on the floor, holding his stomach, cracking up with laughter for anything. Whereas Ronnie would have his legs in the air.
Fool To Cry
When I come home baby
And I’ve been working all night long
I put my daughter on my knee, and she says
Daddy what’s wrong?
She whispers in my ear so sweet
You know what she says, she says
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why
Daddy you’re a fool
You know, I got a woman (daddy you’re a fool)
And she lives in the poor part of town
And I go see her sometimes
And we make love, so fine
I put my head on her shoulder
She says, tell me all your troubles
You know what she says?
She says, ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why
Daddy you’re a fool to cry
Yeah, she says
Oh, Daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why
She says, ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Ooh, daddy you’re a fool to cry
Even my friends say to me sometimes
And make out like I don’t understand them
You know what they say?
They say, ooh daddy you’re a fool to cry
You’re a fool to cry
And it makes me wonder why, ah
I’m a fool baby, ah ya
I’m a certified fool, ah yeah
Gotta tell ya, baby
I’m a fool baby, ah yeah
Whoo
Certified fool for ya, mama, ya, yeah, come on, yeah
I’m a fool, yeah
I thought it was time for another 1970s arena rock track. This one is more of a ballad which you didn’t get much from Foghat. This was one of their biggest singles.
David “Lonesome Dave” Peveret
Their lead singer during this time was David “Lonesome Dave” Peverett. Dave Peverett was a good singer, guitar player, and songwriter. Other Foghat alumni who made their mark elsewhere in music include replacement lead vocalist Charlie Huhn, who was also in Humble Pie and in Ted Nugent’s band before that. Also, Foghat guitarist Bryan Bassett is better known as the lead strings on “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.
I always liked their name…Foghat…it just sounds like a cool rock and roll name. Foghat was born out of the blues band Savoy Brown. Dave Peverett, the drummer Roger Earl, and the bassist Tony Stevens quit that band and decided to form their own band in 1970. The band wanted to take the sound of Savoy Brown a step further and add a rock edge to its basic boogie blues. The name Foghat was taken from a word that Peverett and his brother, John, had invented in a Scrabble game. I also looked up the name and it said… Foghat: A euphemism for getting high on marijuana.
Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool) peaked at #23 on the Billboard 100 and #33 in Canada in 1979. This was their second-highest charting single…right behind the #20 Slow Ride. This song is from the album Boogie Motel. The album peaked at #35 on the Billboard Album Charts.
This album was a little different from their earlier ones. They sounded a bit more radio-friendly on this album. Another song that charted on the album was Somebody’s Been Sleepin’ in My Bed. The band is still out there playing and releasing albums. Unfortunately, Lonesome Dave passed away in 2000 from kidney cancer. For me…he was the band.
Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)
It’s all behind me There’s good luck up ahead Can’t break what’s left of my heart Once bitten twice shy I hate to see it all fall apart First love I had I was seventeen and I was younger Love to us was some kind of game And all my letters said I would never forget her Now I can’t recall her name
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
I was in love one time I thought it was the real thing But I kept the feelings to myself Afraid to show them Expecting her to know It’s the reason she found someone else
It’s all behind me There’s good luck up ahead Can’t break what’s left of my heart Once bitten twice shy I hate to see it all fall apart
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
The first time I was a fool never knew that love could be so cruel It happened again Third time lucky Oh Yeah
Take a little Americana and mix it with a little jangle and you get this song. The Bodeans were a great band in the 80s and 90s but never got to the masses consistently. However, this song did reach a big audience.
In 1977 Sophomores Sam Llanas and Kurt Neumann meet in study hall at Waukesha South High School and bond over a shared love of music. The two later end up playing music together. In 1980 At Neumann’s urging, Llanas dropped out of college to pursue music full-time. The group pursues gigs at small bars, clubs, dances, and events. Llanas comes up with the name, Da BoDeans.
Llanas and Neumann added drummer Guy Hoffman (Oil Tasters, Confidentials, later the Violent Femmes) and bass player Bob Griffin (The Agents) to fill out their sound in 1983.
Upon its release, “Closer to Free” did not achieve huge chart success. However, its fortunes changed when it was selected as the theme song for the Fox television drama Party of Five, which premiered in 1994.
The song was on their 5th studio album called Go Slow Down. It was produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett in 1993. The album peaked at #127 on the Billboard Album Chart.
The song peaked at #16 on the Billboard 100 and #1 in Canada in 1993.
Closer To Free
Everybody wants to live how they wanna live and
Everybody wants to love how they wanna love and
Everybody wants to be closer to free
Everybody wants respect, just a little bit
And everybody needs a chance once in a while
Everybody wants to be closer to free
Everybody one, everybody two, everybody free
Everybody needs to touch, you know now and then and
Everybody wants a good good friend
Everybody wants to be closer to free
I said everybody one, everybody two, everybody free
Everybody wants to live like they wanna live
And everybody wants to love like they wanna love
And everybody wants to be closer to free
After listening to the Flatlanders…I’ve listened to Joe Ely and Johnnie Dale Gilmore but never Butch Hancock. I was struck by his voice and was reminded a little of Dylan, Prine, Buddy Holly, and a little of Steve Earle at times.
In the early 1970s, Hancock co-founded The Flatlanders with fellow Lubbock musicians Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The group initially struggled to find commercial success but later became famous within the Americana and alternative country scenes. Hancock has been a very good songwriter. Artists who covered him include Willie Nelson, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Texas Tornados, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, and more.
This song was on the album Eat Away The Night which was released in 1994. He has released 12 albums since 1978. This man is worth checking out. He will never make the top 40 but he has some quality songs that are worth hearing. This song has his voice and also a twangy guitar that sold it for me.
As I’ve been perusing his catalog…I’ve noticed a lot of storytelling, a sense of humor, good lyrics plus that voice. The album’s sound is powered by a classic rock ‘n’ roll combination of a Hammond B-3 organ, electric guitars, an acoustic, harmonica, and steel guitar at the edges for country and folk flavorings.
The title song closes the album, and I will include that above To Each His Own. Eats Away the Night sounds like something a musician would play at four in the morning after a six-hour gig. A quiet, restrained, and thoughtful tune to settle down with. A good way to end a night of music-making and an album. It’s almost a solo performance, with only a slide guitar accompanying Hancock’s voice and guitar.
Down in the pit of my stomach
I knew it couldn’t last…
It left me just as fast…
I tried to blame it on the moon above…
As I walked the beach alone
But all I heard were these few words…
To each his own
Down in the heart of the matter…
I first lost touch with you…
But for rosy and her constant chatter…
There was not much i could do
The world I tried to reach with her…
You can only reach alone
I even heard rose say to herself…
To each his own…
I’ve seen survival’s violent side…
I’ve seen some beast of prey…
Bring down some beasts of burden…
That just got in their way…
Some tore the hide…some chewed the
Flesh…right down to the bone
Some stopped there but some kept going…
To each his own…
I’ve run these things around my mind…
I’ve run ’em through my heart
In the mighty dream of life, i seem…
To play the strangest part
If I’m buried when I die…
Carve this on my stone…
Take a little here and leave a little there but
give…to each his own…
One of the many Haggard songs that my dad would play. This one along with a song called Sam Hill I heard a lot when I was a child. Sing Me Back Home was released in 1967, and it became one of Haggard’s most enduring hits.
Most people know that he spent his early adulthood behind bars for a failed attempt at robbery. While in San Quentin State Prison, Haggard wrote many songs while dreaming of freedom and life beyond the bars of a cell.
Sing Me Back Home was inspired by his fellow inmates James Rabbit and Caryl Chessman. Rabbit was executed in 1961 for killing a California Highway Patrolman, and Chessman was the first modern American executed for a non-lethal kidnapping.
Haggard and James Rabbit hatched a plan one night to escape (they would hide inside a desk he was building in the prison furniture factory), though at the last moment, Rabbit advised Haggard not to take part in the plan. Rabbit escaped, was recaptured, killed an officer, and was brought back to San Quentin to be executed. It was the first of many events to change something in Haggard’s criminal ways.
It is an incredibly sad song and you get it with the first two lines of the song. The warden led a prisoner down the hallway to his doom, I stood up to say goodbye like all the rest. The song was on his Sing Me Back Home album released in 1968. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Album Charts. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and #7 on the Canadian Country Charts.
Merle Haggard: “Something happened to me there, I came to the fork in the road and took it, you might say. And I kind of started back in the other direction, trying to make something out of myself rather than to dig myself in a deeper hole.”
Sing Me Back Home
The warden led a prisoner down the hallway to his doom I stood up to say goodbye like all the rest And I heard him tell the warden just before he reached my cell Let my guitar playing friend, do my request
Let him sing me back home with a song I used to hear Make my old memories come alive Take me away and turn back the years Sing me back home before I die
I recall last Sunday morning a choir from ‘cross the street Came to sing a few old gospel songs And I heard him tell the singers There’s a song my mama sang Can I hear once before we move along?
Sing me back home, the song my mama sang Make my old memories come alive Take me away and turn back the years Sing me back home before I die
Well Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes
What a find this was for me. When CB recommended Joe Ely a while back, I found that he played in this band from 1972 until now. Their music is not the tears in my beer Nashville country music that you heard at the time and sometimes now. I would call it Americana…they have developed a big following following over the years. Comparing their music to country music at the time…this sounds like it came from a different planet.
They were formed in 1972 by three singer-songwriters: Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock. The band was born out of the music scene in Lubbock, Texas, where all three members grew up. They recorded their first album, All American Music in Nashville. Initially, the album was released only as an 8-track tape by Plantation Records, with the title “Jimmie Dale and the Flatlanders.” This limited release received little attention at the time, and the band members soon went their separate ways to pursue solo careers.
They then released an album in 1980 called One More Road. Their debut album was re-released in 1990 as More a Legend Than A Band after all of them had some success during their solo careers. They have released 9 albums including a live album in 2004 from 1972 to 2021. Their last album was released in 2021 called Treasure Of Love. They started to chart in the music charts in the 2000s.
Dallas was on their debut album All American Music released in 1972. This song was written by Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The track has a cool tool/instrument on it that always interested me…Steve Wesson is playing a saw on this. Take a listen to this and I included a much more recent live cut from Austin City Limits.
In 2016 The Flatlanders were voted into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore: “The hook line of the song occurred to me while I was actually flying into Dallas, the line just presented itself to me. I had all those mixed feelings about the city and the song just came gradually. I’ve never felt that I’ve got it down right though. I’ve always been a perfectionist about that song. Joe also recorded it several times before he got the version that they put on the Musta Notta Gotta Lottaalbum. I’ve had a strange relationship with the song. I’ve had periods when I wish I’d never written it, then I’ve rediscovered it, looking at it through different eyes.”
Jimmie Dale Gilmore: “It so happened that in 1970 we all happened to be back in Lubbock, I had been in Austin working with a band called the Hub City Movers. Joe had been traveling in Europe and Butch had been in San Francisco. We just coincidentally moved back to Lubbock at the same time and started playing together. There was no design to put a band together as such but the chemistry was so great that it just took on a life of its own. We all had a common love of folk music, country and country blues-but then we also loved the Beatles. We had very eclectic taste. There was great radio in Lubbock at that time especially the border stations at night. We listened to it all.”
Joe Ely on the album: “It’s pretty crude but there’s a certain flavor about the record. It had an eerie, lonesome sound which reflected our roots in Lubbock and the wind, the dust and the environment.”
Music Critic Robert Christgau: In 1972, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and leader Jimmie Dale Gilmore–drumless psychedelic cowboys returned to Lubbock from Europe and San Francisco and Austin–recorded in Nashville for Shelby Singleton, and even an eccentric like the owner of the Sun catalogue and “Harper Valley P.T.A.” must have considered them weird. With a musical saw for theremin effects, their wide-open spaceyness was released eight-track only, and soon a subway troubadour and an architect and a disciple of Guru Mararaji had disappeared back into the diaspora. In cowpunk/neofolk/psychedelic-revival retrospect, they’re neotraditionalists who find small comfort in the past, responding guilelessly and unnostalgically to the facts of displacement in a global village that includes among its precincts the high Texas plains. They’re at home. And they’re lost anyway. A-
Dallas
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well Dallas is a jewel, oh yeah, Dallas is a beautiful sight
And Dallas is a jungle but Dallas gives a beautiful light
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well, Dallas is a woman who will walk on you when you’re down
But when you are up, she’s the kind you want to take around
But Dallas ain’t a woman to help you get your feet on the ground
And Dallas is a woman who will walk on you when you’re down
Well, I came into Dallas with the bright lights on my mind,
But I came into Dallas with a dollar and a dime
Well Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes
A steel and concrete soul with a warm hearted love disguise
A rich man who tends to believe in his own lies
Yeah Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes
Well, I came into Dallas with the bright lights on my mind,
But I came into Dallas with a dollar and a dime
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Well Dallas is a jewel, oh yeah, Dallas is a beautiful sight
And Dallas is a jungle but Dallas gives a beautiful light
Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night?
Spent time feelin’ inferior standing’ in front of my mirror Combed my hair in a thousand ways, but I came out lookin’ just the same
*If you are on the main site…sorry for the formatting but if I correct the spaces it will publish everything as one huge paragrah…thanks WP*
This is my favorite song by Rod Stewart hands down. It’s an acoustic-driven rocker with Rod never relenting on the lyrics. The song has a stream-of-consciousness feel to it. Every Picture Tells a Story was written by Stewart and Ron Wood.
For my money…this is Rod Stewarts best era. He sounds sharp, the music is alive, and he is not following a trend. I just wish they would have saved some of these songs for The Faces also. This song has something some of his later songs did not…a raw energetic sound.
He had some guests on this song. Maggie Bell with vocals, Long John Baldry with vocals, Ian McLagan on Hammon organ, Ronnie Wood on lead and acoustic guitar, and Kenney Jones on drums.
Stewart went from recording the second Faces’ album Long Player, while also squeezing in tour dates with the group, to starting up the sessions for Every Picture Needs a Story. He also produced this album and laid the songs down fast. This album made Rod Stewart in a lot of ways. The album had Maggie May, Reason To Believe, (I Know) I’m Losing You (with the Faces), Mandolin Wind, and of course the title song. It is my favorite Stewart album. I grew up with most of the singles.
One lyric that I’ve heard wrong…well not really heard wrong. In the line On the Peking ferry I was feeling merry, sailing on my way back here. I knew what he was singing…but I thought it was “Peking Ferry I was feeling Mary“ which I think would have fit perfectly.
Rod Stewart: “I can remember the build up. You know what the song’s about – your early teenage life when you’re leaving home and you’re exploring the world for yourself. Ronnie (Wood) and I rehearsed round my house at Muswell Hill and recorded it the next day. That whole album was done in 10 days, two weeks, about as long as it takes to get a drum sound right nowadays.”
Every Picture Tells a Story
Spent some time feeling inferior Standing in front of my mirror Combed my hair in a thousand ways But I came out looking just the same
Daddy said, “Son, you better see the world I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave But remember one thing, don’t lose your head To a woman that’ll spend your bread” So I got out, whoo
Paris was a place you could hide away If you felt you didn’t fit in The French police wouldn’t give me no peace They claimed I was a nasty person
Down along the Left Bank, minding my own, whoo Was knocked down by a human stampede Got arrested for inciting a peaceful riot When all I wanted was a cup of tea I was accused, whoo
I moved on Down in Rome, I wasn’t getting enough Of the things that keep a young man alive My body stunk, but I kept my funk, whoo At a time when I was right outta luck
Getting desperate, indeed I was, yeah Looking like a tourist attraction Oh, my dear, I better get outta here For the Vatican don’t give no sanction I wasn’t ready for that, no, no
I moved right out east, yeah Listen On the Peeking ferry, I was feeling merry Sailing on my way back here I fell in love with a slit-eyed lady By the light of an eastern moon
Shanghai Lil never used the pill She claimed that it just ain’t natural She took me up on deck and bit my neck Oh, people, I was glad I found her Oh, yes, I was glad I found her, whoo-hoo
Wait a minute I firmly believed that I Didn’t need anyone but me I sincerely thought I was so complete Look how wrong you can be
The women I’ve known I wouldn’t let tie my shoe They wouldn’t give you the time of day But the slit-eyed lady knocked me off my feet God, I was glad I found her
And if they have the words I can tell to you To help you on the way down the road I couldn’t quote you no Dickens, Shelley or Keats ‘Cause it’s all been said before Make the best out of the bad, just laugh it off, ha You didn’t have to come here anyway
So, remember, every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Whoo
Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it? Every picture tells a story, don’t it?
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 