This album track came off of their second album Second Helping released in 1974. It was less than a year after their fantastic debut album called Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd.
In my opinion they had some good albums after this one but not until their final one Street Survivors did they match their first two.
Second Helping contained their big hit Sweet Home Alabama. The album peaked at #12 in the Billboard Album Chart and #9 in Canada in 1974.
They played schools, parties, and bars for years before they hit it big. The band was first discovered in a rock club called Funnochio’s, on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1972. They were found by the famous Al Kooper, who had just landed an executive position at MCA Records and was searching to find some new talent for MCA’s “Sounds of the South” label. At that time Kooper was on tour supporting Badfinger at the time.
This album was produced by Al Kooper who was a founding member of Blood, Sweat, and Tears and he also played organ on Bob Dylan’s classic Like A Rolling Stone.
The three guitar attack was important with this band but it was Ronnie Van Zant’s songwriting that made them what they were. This song is a little slower but has that Skynryd build up of guitars. The band had some great album cuts and this is one of them.
Al Kooper:“Ronnie Van Zant was Lynyrd Skynyrd. I don’t mean to demean the roles the others played in the group’s success, but it never would have happened without him. His lyrics were a big part of it – like Woody Guthrie and Merle Haggard before him, Ronnie knew how to cut to the chase. And Ronnie ran that band with an iron hand. I have never seen such internal discipline in a band. One example: These guys composed all of their guitar solos. Most bands improvised solos each time they performed or recorded. Not them. Ronnie’s dream was that they would sound exactly the same every time they took the stage.”
I Need You
Ain’t no need to worry There ain’t no use to cry ‘Cause I’ll be comin’ home soon To keep you satisfied
You know I get so lonely That I feel I can’t go on And it feels so good inside babe Just to call you on the telephone An’ I said…
Ooh baby I love you What more can I say Ooh baby I need you I miss you more everyday
I woke up early this mornin’ And sun came shining down And it found me wishin’ and a’hoping Mama you could be around
Well you know I need you More than the air I breathe And I guess I’m just tryin’ to tell you woman Oh what you mean to me yeah, yeah
Ooh baby I love you What more can I say Ooh baby I need you I miss you more everyday What I say…
I’m tryin’ to tell you I love you In each and every way I’m tryin’ to tell you I need you Much more than just a piece of leg
Ooh baby I love you What more can I say Ooh baby I need you I miss you more everyday
Ooh baby I love, love, love, love you What more can I say yeah ‘Cause ooh baby I need your sweet lovin’ I miss you more an’ more everyday
I had something else planned to post but I found out that Mike Nesmith passed away. Nesmith was a big inspiration to me. There is no question…Nesmith would have made it without the Monkees…he was a talented writer, actor, producer, novelist and a very good Texas guitar player. He wrote some great country rock songs, Elephant Parts, and even a hit for Linda Ronstadt’s band The Stone Poneys…Different Drum.
While watching the reruns of the Monkees I bugged my mom to buy me a green wool hat with buttons but you can’t buy them off the shelf. She got me a green stocking cap…it wasn’t the same but I was happy. When the Monkees are mentioned some people cringe but they still have a place in my 5-year-old heart…plus how many bands can say that Jimi Hendrix opened up for them? Although that might be the worst pairing ever.
I’m not saying they deserve to be remembered with the best bands ever. Not at all but they do need to be recognized for their influence on a couple of generations. They influenced a lot of kids to form bands…mostly because of their weekly prime-time television show and ensuing hit singles. In the 80s they had a big comeback with a tour and massive airplay on MTV… I got to see them then…without Nesmith though.
They were a lot of fun. I thought WOW… I must be in a band one day. Little did I know that being in a band was not living in a cool place at the beach and having adventures at every turn…not to mention everyone getting along…it just doesn’t happen that way…but it is a special feeling being in a band with an us against them attitude and a great growing experience.
After I went through the Monkees faze I discovered the Beatles, The Who, Stones, Kinks…anything British but I still have a soft spot for some of the old Monkees songs.
The Monkees basically took A Hard Days Night movie humor and made a television show around a life of a mid-sixties rock band. Kids wanted to form bands after seeing them romp around the screen with girls…who wouldn’t want that gig? Michael Stipe from REM has said he was influenced by them.
They were not allowed to play on their first couple of albums…only sing…The Monkees were put together by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider for Screen Gems with two real musicians in the band…Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork… Micky Dolenz (he did sing in cover bands before The Monkees) and Davy Jones could sing and act…. and Mickey quickly learned drums.
When news came out that they didn’t play on their albums they were roundly criticized in the 1960s. They fought Don Kershner who controlled what they sang…. and won… The funny thing is many sixties pop bands didn’t play on their records and the Monkees actually started to play their own instruments on their third album (Headquarters) and writing some songs for every album afterward.
In the second season of their tv show they started to gain more control. Some of those last episodes are very pot influenced…especially the episode called “The Frodis Caper”… It is surreal and broke the fourth wall…the second season is worth a watch…all of them are fun but the 1st season is more formulaic.
I still like many songs by them…anything written by Michael Nesmith (famous also for Elephant Parts), Pleasant Valley Sunday, Randy Scouse Git, Steppin Stone and Saturday’s Child.
All in all, they ended up singing and playing on some of the best-known sixties pop-rock hits.
I’ll just add one more thing…he Monkees belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I must admit I never heard of Bonds until Bruce Springsteen wrote a song for him called This Little Girl on Bond’s 1981 Dedication album.
Bruce covered this song in the seventies live. One performance in paticular was outstanding… the 1979 No Nukes concert encore (at the bottom).
I like Gary’s version a lot because of the party atmosphere which contrasts to the smoother records at the time.
After listening to the lyrics…I wondered who Daddy G was…Daddy G is Gene Barge, tenor saxman in an instrumental group called The Church Street Five, which released a song called “A Night With Daddy G” that reached #111 in February 1961.
Bonds’ real name is Gary Anderson. His label boss, Frank Guida, changed it to “U.S. Bonds” for his first single, New Orleans, as a play on the posters asking Americans to “buy U.S. savings bonds.” Pretty clever, but too many people, including many DJs, got it wrong and thought it was the name of a group. His next single, “Quarter To Three,” was initially issued as U.S. Bonds but soon changed to Gary U.S. Bonds, along with his subsequent releases.
The writing credits on this song go to Bonds and the three men who wrote the instrumental on which it is based…A Night With Daddy G. They would be Gene Barge (Daddy G), Frank Guida, and Guida’s engineer and songwriting partner Joe Royster.
Daddy G was a popular guy…he got another mention a few months later when he showed up in the lyric to The Dovells song “Bristol Stomp,” where they sing about how they “rocked with Daddy G.” That song went to #2 in 1961.
The song went to #1 in the Billboard 100, #3 on the R&B Charts, and #7 in the UK in 1961.
From Songfacts
In this song, Gary U.S. Bonds sings about staying up till quarter to three in the morning, dancing to the swinging sax of Daddy G.
Like Bonds, The Church Street Five were signed to Legrand Records, owned by former record store owner Frank Guida. Bonds wrote a lyric for the song and recorded it (with Daddy G on saxophone) as “Quarter To Three.” In June 1961, it went to #1, where it stayed for two weeks.
Bruce Springsteen, a big fan of Bonds, played this at many of his concerts in the ’70s before and after his rise to stardom. When Springsteen played The Palladium in New York City on October 29, 1976, he brought Bonds on stage to perform the song. By this time, Bonds had long fallen out of favor (his last Hot 100 hit was in 1962 with “Copy Cat”) and stuck on the cabaret circuit. Springsteen worked at a breakneck pace for the next few years, but found time after the release on his 1980 album The River to work with Bonds, resulting in a successful 1981 comeback album for Bonds called Dedication.
Springsteen wrote a lot more songs than he could record, and three of them went to Bonds: “This Little Girl,” “Your Love” and the title track. Springsteen and members of his E Street band also played on the album and worked on the production. “This Little Girl” was a hit, going to #11 in the US and reviving Bonds’ career. When Springsteen brought Bonds on stage a few times in 1981, the crowds were far more familiar with him. In 1982, Springsteen and his band worked on another album for Bonds: On the Line.
Bonds sued Chubby Checker in 1962, claiming he stole “Quarter To Three” for his song “Dancin’ Party.” The case was settled out of court.
Quarter To Three
Don’t you know that I danced I danced till a quarter to three With the help, last night, of Daddy G He was swingin on the sax like a nobody could And I was dancin’ all over the room Oh, don’t you know the people were dancin’ Like they were mad It was the swingin’est band they had ever had It was the swingin’est song that could ever be It was a night with Daddy G Let me tell you now I never had it so good Yeah and I know you never could Until you get hip with that jive And take a band like the Church Street Five Oh don’t you know that I danced I danced till a quarter to three With the help last night of Daddy G Everybody was as happy as they could be And they were swingin with Daddy G Blow Daddy
Let me tell you now I never had it so good Yeah and I know you never could Until you get hip with that jive And take a band like the Church Street Five Oh don’t you know that I danced I danced till a quarter to three With the help last night of Daddy G He was swingin on the sax like nobody could And I was dancin all over the room Oh don’t you know the Dance, do bee wa dah Dance, do bee wah dah You can dance, do bee wah dah You can dance, dance, dance
As a kid growing up this is one of the first bands that I knew the name of…I knew them as BTO and later found out their full name. Something that I didn’t know…”Bachman” is pronounced “Back-man” not “Bock-man“…I always used the latter pronouncement. An American DJ pronounced it wrong and it stuck for Americans.
Randy Bachman not only wrote this song but also was the lead singer. Turns out there was a purpose to this song…Randy was inspired.
There were rumors that Randy Bachman was directing the lyrics straight out of his old lead singer…Burton Cummings. They were both from The Guess Who. Cummings had said that Bachman would never make it in the music business after leaving their band. Burton was wrong in this case.
Randy did confirm all of the rumors years later. Randy Bachman: “I deserved to gloat a bit after all the mud Burton had slung at me.”
The song was on Four Wheel Drive and that album peaked at #1 in Canada and #5 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1975. There were two singles that were released… Quick Change Artist which charted at #7 and this one. Hey You did as well as the album…it peaked at #1 in Canada and #21 in the Billboard 100.
Randy left the band in 1977 but the band continued as “BTO.” Bachman returned in 1983, and the band has toured and recorded sporadically since.
I remember BTO opening up for Van Halen in 1986 on an 11-month tour. This was Van Halen’s first tour with new lead singer Sammy Hagar, who wanted BTO to blast out hits to get the crowd fired up. Van Halen would take the stage minutes later, leaving no time for the crowd to think about David Lee Roth.
Hey You
Hey you, you say you wanna change the world It’s alright, with me there’s no regret It’s my turn, the circle game has brought me here And I won’t let down ’til every song is set
You realize now You should have tried now, ooh The music’s gone now You lost it somehow Hey you, sha la la la Hey you, sha la la la Woo! Sha la la Woo! Sha la la
Hey you, you say the race is much too fast It’s okay, with me I’m keeping pace It’s my game, the music is inside my head For every one on top there’s one who can’t retrace
You realize now You should have tried now, ooh ooh The music’s gone now, you’ll find out You lost it somehow Hey you, sha la la la Hey you, sha la la la Woo! Sha la la Woo! Sha la la
You realize now, ooh You could have tried now The music’s gone now You lost it somehow Hey you, hey you, sha la la la Hey you, sha la la la Woo! Sha la la Woo! Sha la la
Sha la la la, hey you, hey you, hey you (Woo!) Sha la la la, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baby, it’s true (Woo!) Sha la la la, no time, no time left, no time (Woo!) Sha la la la, don’t let me down, don’t let me down (Woo!) Sha la la la, you gotta learn to take it easy, baby (Woo!) Sha la la la, music’s over, it’s over (Woo!) Sha la la la, too late, too late, too late (Woo!) Sha la la la, I should have realised it a lot sooner than this (Woo!) Sha la la la, hey you
This band was never huge but should have been. They were many things…a blues rock band and then blossomed into a great power-pop band. This song is during their blues/rock period.
It is off of their album Teenage Head. Years later a band in Canada were influenced by the Flaming Groovies…a band named after this album… Teenage Head. This album and Sticky Fingers by the Stones were released within weeks of each other. Mick Jagger reportedly noticed the similarities between the Groovies Teenage Head album … and thought the Flamin’ Groovies did the better take on the theme of classic blues and rock ‘n roll revisited in a modern context.
It’s a mid-tempo song but when the vocal hits we have a hint of Sun Records slap back and I love it. Lead singer Roy Loney left the band just three weeks after Teenage Head was released. Some critics hold it up to Sticky Fingers.
By the end of the sixties they clashed over where to go. Loney was more Stones and Cyril Jordon leaned toward the Beatles. Loney left in 1971 and they got an 18 year old lead singer named Chris Wilson and the power pop era began.
Whiskey Woman
I’ve been hungry all day long For that girl whose wastin’ time She was here but now she’s gone I’ve got a taste for wine
Whiskey woman, why can’t you See the hell you put me through? We are tears dressed in blue
As I sit and write this song You’re the one thing on my mind We’ve been lovers far too long The good times were passin by
Whiskey woman, I feel good Locked me in her womanhood Like I always knew she would
Yeah
Whiskey woman, I want you Whiskey woman, I want you Whiskey woman, I want you
Come on, come on I want you I want you I want you
Where is the woman Where are you Where, where are you? I want you I want you, yeah
The great Garth Hudson gives us a wonderful intro to this song. In live shows, the song became a Hudson showcase, with him improvising wildly on organ (and later, on synthesizer) before cutting into the song. This improvisation came to be known as “The Genetic Method.” .Eventually the improvisation quoted Bach’s “Fugue in D Minor” and followed into the song’s main riff. Only part of the improvisation was included on the actual album cut.
Garth Hudson was the Band’s secret weapon according to Robertson. Back when they were backing Ronnie Hawkins….they asked the classically trained Hudson to join them. His parents didn’t like the idea but… Hudson agreed to join the band on two conditions: that Hawkins buy him a Lowrey organ, and that he be paid an extra $10 a week to give music lessons to the other Hawks. After that he was in The Band.
This gem came from Music From Big Pink in 1968. The song is credited to Robbie Robertson. Levon Helm said that he and Richard Manual wrote the lyrics to the song.
I was talking to another blogger the other day about the Band. They lived up to their name more than about any other band. Not only did they all contribute to songs…not writing…but all of them did contribute some but they all could play each others instruments.
Music From Big Pink was a huge influence on other artists back then and to this day. George Harrison and Eric Clapton were two that were influenced by it. Eric even had ideas of joining the Band. You can hear it in music at that time. Psychedelic was out and more Americana or roots music was in. The album’s influence far outweighed it’s chart position.
The album peaked at #18 in Canada and #30 in the Billboard Album Chart. It has to be on the list of best debut albums of all time.
Robbie Robertson:When Garth played the intro to “Chest Fever,” which he called “The Genetic Method,” I was reminded there was no other keyboard player in rock ’n’ roll who had his improvisational abilities and imagination.
Robbie Robertson:“It’s kind of a hard love song,” “But it’s a reversal on that old rock & roll thing where they’re always telling the girl, ‘He’s a rebel, he’ll never be any good.’ This time, it’s the other way around.”
From Songfacts
The Band’s guitarist, Robbie Robertson, felt he needed a counterbalance for the album’s centerpiece, “The Weight.” He wrote the music for the song solely for that purpose.
Robertson, drummer Levon Helm, and pianist Richard Manuel improvised lyrics (Robertson often calls them meaningless) over the course of the song. Those lyrics remain unchanged on the track, although they loosely tell a story of a man thrown aside by a hard-drinking, fast-talking woman who subsequently literally becomes sick with love for her.
This was the opening song for the Band’s set at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
Chest Fever
I know she’s a tracker Any style that would back her They say she’s a chooser But I just can’t refuse her She was just there, but then she can’t be here no more
And as my mind unwheels I feel the freeze down in my knees But just before she leaves, she receives
She’s been down in the dunes And she’s dealt with the goons Now she drinks from a bitter cup I’m trying to get her to give it up She was just here, I fear she can’t be there no more
And as my mind unwheels I feel the freeze down in my knees But just before she leaves, she receives
It’s long, long when she’s gone I get weary holding on Now I’m coldly fading fast I don’t think I’m gonna last very much longer
She’s stoned said the Swede, And the moon calf agreed But I’m like a viper in shock With my eyes in the clock She was just there somewhere and here I am again
And as my mind unweaves I feel the freeze down in my knees But just before she leaves, she receives
Greetings on this Sunday Morning…Pure poetry! What a voice! This song is like a shot of adrenaline. If Little Richard came out today…what kind of music would he sing?
Little Richard wrote this song in 1955 when he was working as a dishwasher at a Greyhound bus station in his hometown of Macon, Georgia.
Little Richard’s real name was Richard Wayne Penniman and was born in Macon, Georgia. He was one of twelve children… “Little Richard” was his childhood nickname, and even though he was not a little adult (almost 6 feet tall), he kept the name. His family listened to singers like Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald. Richard couldn’t find any music he liked, so he created it.
This was Little Richard’s first hit, but his success was far from instant. His first recordings were in 1952 for RCA Records, and were failures. He moved to Peacock Records the next year and released some singles with the Johnny Otis Trio backing him up.
Richard’s break came when the singer Lloyd Price played a show in Macon, Georgia, and Richard, who was selling drinks at the gig, went to the dressing room and played Price “Tutti Frutti” on the piano.
The song peaked at #18 in the US, #2 in the R&B Charts, and #29 in the UK in 1955.
This song was a huge influence on many future rock stars, but it had special significance for David Bowie, as it was the first rock song he heard. Bowie’s father, who ran a London music hall, brought the record home when David was 9 years old.
Bowie said: “My heart nearly burst with excitement,” “I had heard God.”
Little Richard:“I couldn’t talk back to my boss man. He would bring all these pots back for me to wash, and one day I said, ‘I’ve got to do something to stop this man bringing back all these pots to me to wash,’ and I said, ‘Awap bop a lup bop a wop bam boom, take ’em out!’ and that’s what I meant at the time. And so I wrote ‘Tutti Frutti’ in the kitchen, I wrote ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’ in the kitchen, I wrote ‘Long Tall Sally’ in that kitchen.”
Little Richard:“My greatest achievement would have to be ‘Tutti Frutti.’ It took me out of the kitchen – I was a dishwasher at the Greyhound bus station, making $10 a week working 12 hours a day, and ‘Tutti Frutti’ was a blessin’ and a lesson. I thank God for ‘Tutti Frutti’.”
From Songfacts
Richard says that “Awap bop a lup bop a wop bam boom” was kind of his catch phrase, something he would reply to folks who asked him how he was doing.
Long before Richard recorded this, he performed it at his shows as “Tutti Frutti, Good Booty.” It was a very raucous and sexual song and was considered too suggestive for white audiences, so it was cleaned up considerably when he recorded it for Specialty Records. The chorus was changed to “Tutti Frutti, aw Rudi,” and these original lyrics were replaced:
If it’s tight, it’s alright
If it’s greasy, it makes it easy
Some sources have claimed that Richard also sang “A good God damn” instead of “a wop bam boom,” but according to the notes in the 2012 reissue of the album, Richard (who later became a minister) never took the Lord’s name in vain and never sang that lyric. Price encouraged Richard to send a tape to Specialty Records, so he sent them a demo of two songs he recorded in February 1955 with his group The Upsetters: “Baby” and “All Night Long.” Specialty owner Art Rupe was unimpressed, but Richard kept calling and sending letters.
His persistence paid off and Rupe finally sent his producer Bumps Blackwell to New Orleans, where on September 13 and 14, they recorded the nine songs that would comprise the Here’s Little Richard album. “Tutti Frutti” was released as a single and became a breakout hit, which Richard found out when the record company called him in Georgia to explain. They flew him to Hollywood and had him record follow-up singles “Long Tall Sally” and “Slippin’ and Slidin’.”
This was the last song recorded for the album, and it barely made it. The first eight tracks Richard put down were blues numbers which weren’t wowing his producer Bumps Blackwell, who took a break and brought Richard to a local bar called the Dew Drop Inn. Richard, feeling more relaxed with an audience to play for, sat down at a piano in the bar and started playing his live favorite “Tutti Frutti.” This got Blackwell’s attention, and he insisted that Richard record the song.
Of course, the original racy lyrics about “good booty” had to be replaced, and Little Richard had no particular talent for writing words that would match his melody yet mollify a white audience. This task fell to Dorothy LaBostrie, who Blackwell described as “a girl who kept hanging around the studio to sell songs.” She was on hand because Richard recorded her song “I’m Just A Lonely Guy” earlier that day. With time running out in the session, an embarrassed Richard sang her the raunchy lyrics, looking at the wall while he did so. LaBostrie left and came back with the sanitized lyrics with just 15 minutes of studio time remaining. They quickly recorded the song, getting it right on the third take with two minutes to spare. Dorothy LaBostrie earned what became a very lucrative writing credit for her efforts.
This song introduced Little Richard’s famous “Whooooo,” and also a big “Aaaaaaahhh” scream which he sings just before the tenor sax solo performed by Lee Allen. Richard’s scream had a practical purpose: to let Allen know when to start playing. They were recording on just three tracks, so overdubbing the horns wasn’t a practical option.
You can also hear Richard’s classic line in this song, “A wop bop a lu bop, a wop bam boom!” He felt you could express your emotions without singing actual words. He would also put a little something extra into the words he sang, which he called “that thing.” It was something he learned playing piano and singing in church, and it was a style that would influence the next generation of rock music.
This is one of the most famous songs of all time, making #43 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs, but it was not a huge hit, going to #2 on the R&B charts and reaching just #17 on the Hot 100.
Pat Boone fared better with his 1956 cover, taking it to #12. Boone had a long career doing sanitized covers of songs by black artists, and he also covered Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.” Many listeners at the time only knew the song through Boone, so Little Richard’s promotional materials often labeled him “Original ‘Tutti Frutti’ Man.”
Boone changed some of the lyrics, so “Boy you don’t know what she’s doing to me” became “Pretty little Susie is the girl for me.”
“The kids didn’t care – they didn’t know,” he said in a Songfacts interview. Boone went on to explain that Little Richard was grateful for the exposure, as he introduced the song to a white audience.
Like “Long Tall Sally,” this song was covered by Elvis. Little Richard once said, “Elvis may be the King of Rock and Roll, but I am the Queen.”
Little Richard did not invent the name “Tutti Frutti”; it was a popular flavor of ice cream. The phrase is Italian for “All Fruits,” and the ice cream had little bits of candied fruit mixed in. In 1938, the Jazz duo Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart, who recorded as Slim And Slam, released a popular song called “Tutti Frutti,” which was about the ice cream. Little Richard’s was a completely different song.
Little Richard recorded this at J&M Studios in New Orleans, which was the only place to record in the city for many years. Opened in the late ’40s, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded there as well. It has since become a laundromat. >>
Huey “Piano” Smith played the piano on the first eight songs during the session that produced this album, but he didn’t have time to learn “Tutti Frutti” so Richard played it himself. The drummer on the session was Earl Palmer, who later moved to Los Angeles and became one of the most prolific drummers of all time, playing on songs by the Righteous Brothers, Elvis Costello, B.B. King and hundreds of others. On this song, Palmer had no rehearsal and Richard was pounding out a rock rhythm on the piano.
Palmer later explained, “The only reason I started playing what they come to call a Rock and Roll beat was came from trying to match Richard’s right hand – with Richard pounding the piano wih all ten fingers, you couldn’t so very well go against that. I did at first – on ‘Tutti Frutti you can hear me playing a shuffle. Listening to it now, it’s easy to hear I should have been playing that rock beat.” (From Backbeat: Earl Palmer’s Story.)
Buchanan & Goodman sampled this in their 1956 novelty hit, “The Flying Saucer.”
Charles Connor, Little Richard’s drummer in the 1950s and 60s told Uncut magazine the rock ‘n’ roll star took his “Awap bop a lup bop a wop bam boom” catch phrase from his drums. “Richard called me about a month and a half before he passed, and we talked for a long time,” Connor added. “He said, ‘Charles, thanks for helping me create my style of singing.’ He called us the architects of rock and roll, but I said I was the bricklayer, laying the foundation of the rhythm for him.”
On Queen’s last tour with Freddie Mercury (in 1986), they included this song in their setlist along with another ’50s favorite, “Hello Mary Lou” by Ricky Nelson.
Tutti Frutti
Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom!
Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Wop bop a loo bop a lop ba ba!
I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do She rock to the East, she rock to the West But she is the gal that I love best
Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie, ooh Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom!
I got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy Got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy She knows how to love me, yes indeed Boy you don’t know what she do to me
Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie, ooh Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Wop bop a loo bop!
Oh tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie ooo Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom!
I got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drive me crazy Got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drive me crazy She knows how to love me, yes indeed Boy you don’t know what she do to me
Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Tutti frutti oh rootie Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!
I first learned about Howlin’ Wolf after reading a Rolling Stones biography. It contained an interview that Brian Jones did in the early sixties. He founded the Stones and pushed the Stones toward the blues.
Howlin’ Wolf’s real name was Chester Burnett and he was born in 1910. He was a blues singer, guitarist, and harp player. He had a professional rivalry with fellow bluesman Muddy Waters. Waters ended up getting Wolf his first job in Chicago.
This classic song was recorded way back in 1956 at the legendary Chess studios in Chicago. Wolf is listed as the songwriter and the producers were Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, and Willie Dixon. He lives up to the Howlin’ part of his name…his voice is powerful. He has been credited as one of the first to move acoustic blues to electric guitar.
The Yardbirds (The Clapton version) covered this song and Howlin’ Wolf himself considered their version the definitive version of his song. That had to be quite an honor coming from the man himself.
After reading many of Christian’s posts…I realized I need to add some more blues into my blog…
Smokestack Lightning
Whoa, smokestack lightnin’ Shinin’ just like gold Why don’t you hear me cryin’? A-whoo-hoo, a-whoo-hoo, whoo
Whoa-oh, tell me, baby What’s the matter here? Why don’t you hear me cryin’? Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
Whoa-oh, tell me, baby Where did you stay last night? Why don’t you hear me cryin’? Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
Whoa-oh, stop your train Let a poor boy ride Why don’t you hear me cryin’? Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
Whoa-oh, fare-you-well Never see a you no more Why don’t you hear me cryin’? Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
Whoa-oh, who been here baby since I, I been gone a little bitty boy? Girl, be on A-whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo, whoo
The Raspberries formed in the early 1970s when Eric Carmen and Jim Bonfanti envisioned a band that would emulate bands such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Beach Boys.
This song came off of the Side 3 album released in 1973. This song…well the way I would describe it is country tinged power pop. It was an odd and cool album cover. It was a die-cut of a basket of Raspberries, with the group’s name placed on top of the LP sleeve.
Three members wrote and sang songs. It wasn’t just Eric Carmen…This song was written and sung by Dave Smalley the bass player. This was their third album and they would end up releasing four studio albums.
The band consisted of Eric Carmen (vocalist/guitarist/bassist/pianist), Wally Bryson (guitarist), Jim Bonfanti (drummer), and Dave Smalley (guitarist/bassist).
Their last appearance as the original lineup was on The Mike Douglas Show in 1974. Shortly after… Bonfanti and Smalley both quit the band to pursue individual music careers. Michael McBride and Scott McCarl replaced them and shortly after Raspberries went on to produce their fourth and final album Starting Over…which yielded what could be their masterpiece… Overnight Sensation.
In 2004, the original four members of the group performed at Cleveland’s House of Blues. This resulted in a 2005 mini-tour. The Raspberries performed at other venues around the United States, with their final concert performance in Cleveland, Ohio at KeyBank State Theatre on December 14th, 2007.
Should I Wait
Don’t you know you’re gonna lose If you love somebody that don’t love you? You’ll believe him when he’s untrue But I can’t bear seein’ him break your heart in two I’ve let it happen much too long
Should I wait, hopin’ you’ll find out on your own? It’s me who’s loved you for so long
If he hurts you with his lies Don’t let it take too long to open your eyes You’re gonna see through his disguise But I can’t bear seein’ him break your heart in two I’m tired of tryin’ to play it cool
Should I wait, hopin’ you’ll find out on your own? The one you love is just a fool
If I had the chance I’d make you see When you fall in love how it should be A love that makes you sad can only turn out bad So I’ll be hangin’ ’round until you’re free
Don’t you know you’re gonna lose If you love somebody that don’t love you? You’ll believe him when he’s untrue But I can’t bear seein’ him break your heart in two I’ve let it happen much too long
Should I wait, hopin’ you’ll find out on your own? It’s me who’s loved you for so long
This song came off the album Straight Up that was released in 1971. Sweet Tuesday Morning was guitarist Joey Molland’s ballad about his then new wife Kathie.
All the band members wrote songs and sang. Pete Ham was the most successful out of the four but that doesn’t mean the rest were mediocre. Joey and Tom were both good songwriters and all collaborated with each other at times.
Joey Molland joined the band when bass player Ron Griffiths quit right after they recorded Come and Get It because of friction caused by his marriage. Molland who was previously with Gary Walker & The Rain, The Masterminds, and The Fruit-Eating Bears joined as a guitar player. Tom Evans switched to bass and this was the most successful lineup.
Sweet Tuesday Morning is mostly an acoustic song with simple backing that fit the early 1970s. In the UK this was the B side of Day After Day, Badfinger’s biggest hit. Joey Molland had quite a strong showing on Straight Up…with the songs “Sweet Tuesday Morning,” “Suitcase,” “I’d Die Babe” and the albums most rocking song “Sometimes.”
Most consider Straight Up the best album they made. If you ever decide to buy a Badfinger album and want something other than just a greatest hits…this is the one to buy.
Sweet Tuesday Morning
Sweet Tuesday morning You came and you smiled And all of my fears, They have left me
Sweet Tuesday morning You came and you smiled And love is the answer you gave me
I’ve been to places all around, astound me I’ve seen the breaking of the souvenirs I’m in a brightness I can feel surround me And it’s the first time I’ve felt it for years
Sweet Tuesday morning, You came and you smiled And love is the answer you gave me….mm-mhm
I’ve been to places all around, astound me I’ve seen the breaking of the souvenirs I’m in a brightness I can feel surround me And it’s the first time I’ve felt it for years
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Buddy song…and any time is too long. He is one of the most important influences from the 50s or any era. Since I’m a Beatle fan I have to say…without Buddy the Beatles would have been different. He wrote his own songs that were part country, rock, rockabilly, and a touch of power pop with his crisp Stratacaster leading the way.
Of all the stars in the 50s I believe Buddy was the one who would have been heard from more in the sixties. His music fit what was going on and had a timeless quality about it.
This song peaked at #27 in the Billboard Hot 100, #9 in the R&B Charts, and #11 in the UK in 1958. Think It Over was written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Norman Petty in 1958. Per Wiki… Norman Petty’s wife, played piano on this recording.
John Lennon: “He was a great and innovative musician. He was a ‘master’. His influence continues, I often wonder what his music would be like now, had he lived…”
“Buddy Holly was the first one that we were really aware of in England who could play and sing at the same time—not just strum, but actually play the licks.”
Keith Richards:“Holly passed it on via the Beatles and via The Rolling Stones … He’s in everybody”
Think It Over
Think it over, what you’ve just said Think it over in your pretty, little head Are you sure that I’m not the one? Is your love real or only fun?
You think it over Yes, think it over A lonely heart grows cold and old
Think it over and let me know Think it over, but don’t be slow Just remember all birds and bees Go by twos through life’s mysteries
You think it over Yes, think it over A lonely heart grows cold and old
Think it over and think of me Think it over and you will see A happy day when you and I Think as one and kiss the blues goodbye
You think it over Yes, think it over A lonely heart grows cold and old
No, this is not the strongest song in the Beatles catalog or even the strongest on the Let It Be album but…I love that guitar riff! That riff is one of the most unorthodox riffs I’ve heard. Only the mind of John Lennon could have come up with that part. The same man that brought us the riffs of Daytripper and And Your Bird Can Sing.
The part that hooked me as a kid was the guitar riff as I’ve said and the I, I, I, I Iyeeeeeeeee that starts it out. The other strong part of the song is the chorus “All I Want Is You!” “Everything has got to be just like you want it to!” and right after that the riff comes in again. I also like John’s raw vocals in this one. Also…it’s hard not to like “I roll a stoney. “The orginal title was All I Want Is You.
John Lennon would often string words together to create nonsensical phrases for his lyrics. When asked about this song he said it refers to no specific person and the lyrics are “nonsense,” a lyrical technique he also attributes to Bob Dylan songs. John said he made it up as he went along.
The lyrics were brought up in the movie “Imagine” released in 1988.
This part below was in the Imagine movie.
In a clip after the Beatles broke up, a young man…obviousy on hard times ended up in John’s garden. The fellow’s name was Curt Claudio. He looked a bit lost and scarred. He latched onto John Lennon and his music, believing that he had some sort of connection to John and he traveled to England to find out if he really did. He was found sleeping on the grounds of Tittenhurst Park, John and Yoko’s home in Ascot. Claudio thought John was speaking to him through his songs. He mentions lyrics to Dig a Pony.
John took the time to go out and talk to Curt and very kindly told him that he was just a guy too, and that while Curt thought that John’s songs were written with Curt in mind, they were really just written from personal, everyday experiences. He then invited him in the house for something to eat.
Video below
Dig A Pony
I dig a pony Well, you can celebrate anything you want Yes, you can celebrate anything you want Oh
I do a road hog Well, you can penetrate any place you go Yes, you can penetrate any place you go I told you so
All I want is you Everything has got to be just like you want it to Because
I pick a moon dog Well, you can radiate everything you are Yes, you can radiate everything you are Oh now
I roll a stoney Well, you can imitate everyone you know Yes, you can imitate everyone you know I told you so
All I want is you Everything has got to be just like you want it to Because (woo)
Oh now I feel the wind blow Well, you can indicate everything you see Yes, you can indicate everything you see Oh now
I load a lorry Well, you can syndicate any boat you row Yeah, you can syndicate any boat you row I told you so
All I want is you Everything has got to be just like you want it to Because
I’ve been watching Get Back on Disney Plus and this is one of the songs they have went over. I always thought Two Of Us should have been a single… It’s not slick or full of production…just John and Paul singing together like they did in the early years. It feels like they had come full circle.
Paul McCartney wrote this about enjoying his travels with his wife Linda. The song was on the album Let It Be recorded in January of 1969 but wasn’t released until 1970. It was the last studio album released of the Beatles career but not the last recorded.
After this album The Beatles embarked on recording the classic album Abbey Road in the summer of 1969. As the film Get Back shows…yes they would argue but it was not as bad as we have been led to believe or they would not have recorded Abbey Road. There was also talk of another possible album after Abbey Road but they decided to call it a day.
I always thought The Beatles ended at the right time. They never made a bad album like some other bands. I do think they had a couple of albums left in them but to end a career recording Abbey Road…its hard to top that.
It’s interesting to speculate if they would have got back together if John Lennon would not have been murdered. I don’t think they would have recorded again but I do think Lennon and McCartney would have written together again.
Linda McCartney:As a kid I loved getting lost. I would say to my father – let’s get lost. But you could never seem to be able to get really lost. All signs would eventually lead back to New York or wherever we were staying! Then, when I moved to England to be with Paul, we would put Martha in the back of the car and drive out of London. As soon as we were on the open road I’d say, ‘Let’s get lost’ and we’d keep driving without looking at any signs. Hence the line in the song, ‘Two of us going nowhere’.
Paul wrote ‘Two Of Us’ on one of those days out. It’s about us. We just pulled off in a wood somewhere and parked the car. I went off walking while Paul sat in the car and started writing. He also mentions the postcards because we used to send a lot of postcards to each other.
From Songfacts
Lennon and McCartney sang together on this song, which is something they did a lot in the early years of The Beatles, but not so much later on, when they started writing separately and restricting the lead vocal to whoever wrote the song.
This song is mostly acoustic, with Lennon and McCartney each playing acoustic guitar. George Harrison’s electric guitar is there, but low in the mix. There is no bass on the track.
This appears twice in the Beatles documentary movie Let It Be, first as a duet by John and Paul and then with the whole band.
John Lennon did the whistling on the fade-out.
Two Of Us
Two of us riding nowhere Spending someone’s hard-earned pay You and me Sunday driving Not arriving On our way back home We’re on our way home We’re on our way home We’re going home
Two of us sending postcards Writing letters on my wall You and me burning matches Lifting latches On our way back home We’re on our way home We’re on our way home We’re going home
You and I have memories That stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats Standing solo You and me chasing paper Getting nowhere On our way back home We’re on our way home We’re on our way home We’re going home
You and I have memories That stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats You and me chasing paper Getting nowhere On our way back home We’re on our way home We’re on our way home We’re going home
During Han’s song draft, fellow blogger Paul picked Caravan off of the album Moondance. I got the album out and enjoyed it yet again. I first got the album in the mid-80s and I count it as one of my favorite albums ever…and it’s not even my favorite Van Morrison album.
The song is one of the most romantic songs ever. Van had recently married his girlfriend Janet Planet (gotta love that name) when he wrote this song. It’s a very popular wedding song, it didn’t work too well though for Van though… Morrison and Janet divorced in 1973.
Her name before she married Morrison was Janet Rigsbee.
The song has been covered many times. Artists to cover this song include Brian McKnight, Ray Charles, Aaron Neville, Helen Reddy, Rod Stewart, Paul Carrack and John Anderson. Canadian vocalist Michael Bublé covered this for the title track of his 2009 album.
Van Morrison’s ex-wife, Janet Planet, now goes by Janet Morrison Minto after marrying her third husband, Chris Minto. She currently operates a beading business in Los Angeles via Etsy. Her shop, Lovebeads, sells uniquely designed necklaces and bracelets. So go and buy some necklaces or bracelets from Janet Planet!
Crazy Love
I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles And the heaven’s open every time she smiles And when I come to her that’s where I belong Yet I’m running to her like a river’s song
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love
She’s got a fine sense of humor when I’m feeling low down Yeah when I come to her when the sun goes down Take away my trouble, take away my grief Take away my heartache, in the night like a thief
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love
Yes I need her in the daytime (I need her) Yes I need her in the night (I need her) Yes I want to throw my arms around her (I need her) Kiss and hug her, kiss and hug her tight
Yeah when I’m returning from so far away She gives me some sweet lovin’ brighten up my day Yes it makes me righteous, yes it makes me whole Yes it makes me mellow down in to my soul
She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love She give me love, love, love, love, crazy love
The song was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Chip Taylor. Chip Taylor is famous for writing Wild Thing.
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)” is the opening track on I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
That was Janis’s debut solo studio album and it was released on September 11, 1969. It was the first album which Joplin recorded after leaving her former band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. This would be the only solo album released in her lifetime. Pearl came out in January 1971 three months after her death on October 4, 1970.
This song charted in Canada at #89 in 1969. The album peaked at #5 in the Billboard Album Charts and #4 in Canada in 1969.
She got good reviews for the album partly because she wasn’t trying to out shout the loud Big Brother and The Holding Company…although I did like Big Brother…without them she might not have made it.
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
Try, try, try just a little bit harder So I can love, love, love him, I tell myself ‘Cause I’m gonna try, oh yeah, just a little bit harder So I won’t lose, lose, lose him to nobody else, yeah Hey, I don’t care how long it’s gonna take ya But if it’s a dream I don’t want No I don’t really want it Yeah if it’s a dream I don’t want nobody to wake me
Yeah I’m gonna try, oh yeah, just a little bit harder So I can give, give, give, give him every bit of my soul I’m gonna try, oh yeah, just a little bit harder So I can show, show, show him love with no control, yeah Hey! I don’t care how long it’s gonna take ya But if it’s a dream I don’t want No I don’t really want it Yeah if it’s a dream I don’t want nobody to wake me Hey, dig it! Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right
Try oh yeah, hey, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord Try oh yeah, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord Try oh yeah yeah, try, whoa, try oh yeah, Lord, Lord, Lord, Push, work, push, work, oh yeah, try, oh yeah hey! Try oh yeah, hey try oh yeah Try Lord, try, try, you ain’t trying man You’re not trying out man, come up with it Come on, that’s a wanker that listens to words, man Hey you gotta work all night Hey little girl, gotta push on You gotta need Work a little more, hey, try a little more Need a little more Yeah, work on, push on, move on, move on You gotta work for it, you gotta work on it Push on, need on, move on Move on, hey hey hey
Work it daddy Work it daddy Come on, work it daddy, oh Yeah, yeah, you better try, try, try, try a little more You ain’t never gonna get any man if that’s the sort of thing you can do Shit, there’s lot more talent around than that man Try, try, try, try try try You’ve gotta try, try, try, try Try, try, try, try, try, try… You gotta try, try, try, try… Lord, try, try, try, try Lord, try, try, try, try Hey, try, try, try, try
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