I will be reposting some of my Thanksgiving Posts along with some music until Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone…we are only two days away for those who celebrate it. This special first premiered on November 20, 1973, on CBS and won an Emmy Award. Great Thanksgiving special as always with the earlier Peanuts.
The Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Peanuts specials I always looked forward to. The way their world was only for kids where grownups were heard but only as noise in the background.
It starts off with Lucy tempting Charlie Brown with that football. Just one time I want to see Charlie kick the football…or Lucy.
It’s Thanksgiving and Peppermint Patty invites herself and Marcie over to Charlie Brown’s house but Charlie and Sally are ready to go to their grandmothers. Charlie talks to Linus and he suggests having two Thanksgiving dinners.
The only thing Charlie can come up with is feeding his friends toast and cold cereal which does not make Peppermint Patty happy whatsoever. She lets Charlie have it really bad until Marcie reminds her that she invited herself over.
Not going to give it away for those who have not seen this wonderful holiday cartoon. The music by Vince Guaraldi is excellent and makes every Peanuts cartoon special.
This song has always reminded me of a John Lennon-type song because of the heavy use of echo and the raw riff. The song was on arguably Paul’s best album Band on the Run. The song was the B side to the song Jet in 1974. I like some of the Wings material…this one to me is in the top tier.
Let Me Roll is in my top two of McCartney’s Wings songs along with Juinor’s Farm. It’s a song our band played a lot and it’s powerful live. I’m not a huge fan of Wings but I’ve been digging into them after finishing a huge McCartney book called The McCartney Legacy.
McCartney wanted to record this album somewhere remote and not in the same old studios in London. He picked Lagos Nigeria to record partly thinking that his family could hit the beach and have a nice time. That didn’t happen for Wings. Before they were set to go guitarist Henry Mccullough quit and a week later drummer Denny Seiwell quit.
At that point, Paul had only two other Wings members. Linda McCartney and Denny Laine. A big problem at the time was that money was tight. The reason money was Paul hadn’t seen his royalties from any of his Wings albums or even Let It Be because all of it had gone into Apple. The same with John, George, and Ringo. Everything was tied up with Allen Klein.
The three set off to Lagos and recorded at the EMI studio there which was severely underequipped. Ginger Baker had a studio down there and was unhappy that Paul didn’t record at his place. They did end up going there and recording Picasso’s Last Words there.
Wings were not welcomed by Feti Kuti, a huge musician there, because he thought Paul was there to steal their music. Around 40 angry people including Kuti went into the studio to confront Paul so Denny Laine called Ginger Baker. He came out to diffuse the situation. You know it was pretty bad when Baker plays the peacemaker.
Also, Paul and Linda were told NOT to wander off of the compound they were staying at because it was unsafe. Paul and Linda took a chance and left at dark and started to walk down a dirt road and a car pulled up and robbed them at knifepoint. Linda probably saved their lives by letting the robbers know who Paul was…they were lucky they were not killed.
They managed to record most of the album there and saved most of the overdubbing until they got back to London. When Paul’s back was to the wall…he pulled off what I think is his best solo album.
Paul McCartney: Let Me Roll It was a riff, originally, a great riff to play, and whenever we played it live, it goes down great. We’d play it on two guitars, and people saw it later as a kind of John pastiche, as Lennon-ish, Lennon-esque. Which I don’t mind. That could have been a Beatles song. Me and John would have sung that good.”
Let Me Roll It
You gave me something
I understand
You gave me loving in the palm of my hand
I can’t tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
I want to tell you
And now’s the time
I want to tell you that
You’re going to be mine
I can’t tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
I can’t tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
You gave me something
I understand
You gave me loving in the palm of my hand
I can’t tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Dave from A Sound Day asked us to name a song that we feel should have been a hit but wasn’t.Coulda Been a Contender…
When Dave asked the question…this band came to my head right away. The Replacements should have had a lot of hits. The songs I had to pick from were Alex Chilton, I Will Dare, I’ll Be You, Unsatisfied, Skyway, Bastards Of Young, Here Comes a Regular, and the one I ended up picking… Can’t Hardly Wait.
This song was first recorded for the 1985 album Tim but didn’t make the cut. It appeared on the 1987 album Pleased to Meet Me. It was also featured in the movie Can’t Hardly Wait and on the soundtrack in 1998.
The original, found on the Tim demo sessions is about committing suicide. The record company felt that Pleased To Meet Me, with the suicide song “The Ledge,” didn’t need any controversy over having two songs about suicide, so the lyrics to this song were altered. Jim Dickenson produced it in Memphis at Ardent Studios. The same studio that Big Star used. He also dubbed some horns on this song which made it incredibly radio-friendly.
This new video was released this year for the new Pleased to Meet Me (2020 Remaster) version. It was originally shot in 1987 for “The Ledge;” however, that video was pulled from MTV for “objectionable song content,” so the band re-used it for the follow-up, “Alex Chilton.” This version comes with an HD resolution upgrade and remastered audio.
Alex Chilton is very radio-friendly but the subject is not.
Can’t Hardly Wait
I’ll write you a letter tomorrow
Tonight, I can’t hold a pen
Someone’s got a stamp that I can borrow
I promise not to blow the address again
Lights that flash in the evening
Through a crack in the drapes
Jesus rides beside me
He never buys any smokes
Hurry up, hurry up, ain’t you had enough of this stuff
Ashtray floors, dirty clothes, and filthy jokes
See you’re high and lonesome
Try and try and try
Lights that flash in the evening
Through a hole in the drapes
I’ll be home when I’m sleeping
I can’t hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
I can’t wait
Hardly wait
This song had the perfect producer…Tom Petty. In 2017 this album (Bidn’ My Time) by Chris Hillman was released. CB sent me a link to this song and I liked the jangle and the song. The next day I listened to it some more and it suddenly dawned on me…I’ve heard this song before.
After I looked at the title again I knew I’d heard it. It was a Byrd song written by Gene Clark. It was a B-side on the single with Turn, Turn, Turn. Clark was an excellent songwriter and his songs included Eight Miles High and I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better.
Chris Hillman joined the Byrds as the bass guitarist without ever having played the instrument. With his background in country and folk music, he picked up playing the bass with no problem. He brought country music to the Byrds. After David Crosby quit…Gram Parsons was recruited and Hillman found another member to share his love of country music with. They made the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album in 1968 which still serves as inspiration for musicians.
Parsons quit the Bryds after that album and Hillman brought in the great guitarist Clarence White to replace Gram. Soon after that Hillman quit and formed The Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons.
In the 1980s, Hillman formed The Desert Rose Band which had some success in the Country charts.
Hillman thought he was done making albums but Tom Petty and Desert Rose Band remember Herb Pedersen had other ideas. Pedersen convinced Hillman to make one more album and Tom Petty wanted to produce it. The album is very rootsy and also contains the Byrds sound. A couple of Byrds help with out with the album…David Crosby and Roger McGuinn. Petty brought Heartbreakers Benmont Tench, Steve Ferrone, and Mike Campbell.
I listened to this album and it’s a combination of jangle, bluegrass, country rock, and folk. It’s a nice melding of all of these styles.
I’m going to add this video which is a very short story about the album.
She Don’t Care About Time
Hallways and staircases everyday to climb
To go up to my white walled room out on the end of time
Where I can be with my love for she is all that is mine
And she’ll always be there, my love don’t care about time
I laugh with her, cry with her, hold her close she is mine
The way she tells me of her love and never is she trying
She don’t have to be assured of many good things to find
And she’ll always be there, my love don’t care about time
Her eyes are dark and deep with love, her hair hangs long and fine
She walks with ease and all she sees is never wrong or right
And with her arms around me tight I see her all in my mind
And she’ll always be there my love don’t care about time
In the year 1967, all kinds of experimentation was going on in music. Sitars, spacey lyrics, and phased guitars were the order of the day. Personally, I like the abstract lyrics and sound…artists were branching out as far as they could.
This song was written by guitarist Dave Mason and it was his first song. It was their follow-up to their first hit single Paper Sun. Despite the lyrics, Mason has said that this song was written before he tried LSD. He said that his bandmates didn’t think this represented their sound.
The brief monologue in the middle was spoken by a girl named Francine Heimann who was Chris Blackwell’s stepdaughter. Chris Blackwell was the founder of Island Records and a prominent producer. Jimmy Miller produced this song and their album Mr Fantasy.
Hole In My Shoe and Paper Sun were singles only and not included on an album. Back in that time, singles and albums were treated differently by artists than they would be in the 70s and 80s. Those two singles would be included on the 2000 CD re-release of Mr Fantasy.
Dave Mason left the band after their debut album but rejoined during the sessions of their second album in 1968 and then left again in 1969.
The song peaked at #2 in the UK and #4 in Canada in 1967.
Dave Mason: “That’s the first song I ever wrote. It was my first attempt at songwriting. I mean, that stuff I did back then, when I listen to it, I cringe and realize I need to work on writing. But writing comes out of living. You have to have something.”
Steve Winwood: “We never wanted to be a pop band but we had a hit with ‘Shoe,’ which was Dave’s song. Dave had his own idea about the band, the rest of us had another one – a not-quite-as-sensible one, really, because it wasn’t half as commercial.”
Hole In My Shoe
I looked to the sky
With an elephant’s eye
Was looking at me
From a bubblegum tree
And all that I knew was
The hole in my shoe which
Was letting in water (letting in water)
I walked through a field
That just wasn’t real
With a hundred tin soldiers
Would shoot at my shoulder
And all that I knew
The hole in my shoe which
Was letting in water (letting in water)
(I climbed on the back of a giant albatross
Which flew through a crack in the cloud
To a place where happiness reigned all year round
And music played ever so loudly)
I started to fall
And suddenly woke
And the dew on the grass
Had soaked through my coat
And all that I knew
The hole in my shoe which
Was letting in water (letting in water)
T for Texas T for Tennessee T for Tennessee T for Thelma That gal that made a wreck out of me
Jimmie Rodgers was the first country star and is called the Father of Country Music. He is also called The Singing Brakeman and The Blue Yodeler. He was massively popular and others got their start imitating him like Roy Rodgers and Gene Autry. Rodgers had a deep love for Texas and all it represented. He drew inspiration from his travels and experiences across the country.
I never heard Rodgers version until the internet. I had read where a young George Harrison mention that he was a big influence on him. I do know this song well by Lynyrd Skynyrd who Ronnie Van Zant was influenced by him. They took this 1928 song and turned it on its ear.
Rodgers recorded this at what used to be Trinity Baptist Church in New Jersey. The record company Victor (later RCA Victor) was launched in Camden, New Jersey in 1901 and, in 1918, purchased Trinity Baptist Church, at 114 N. Fifth St., in order to have a space large enough to record a symphony orchestra, with good acoustics. Many artists recorded there including Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and the Carter Family. At the time of his death in 1933, his sales represented 10% of the total for the label. Even during the Depression his records sold well.
The song was released on February 3, 1928. Why the yodels? Rodgers said he saw a troupe of Swiss yodelers doing a demonstration at a church. They were touring America, and he just happened to catch it, liked it, and incorporated it into his songs. Altogether he wrote 13 Blue Yodels.
It’s been covered in every decade since. According to secondhandsongs.com it’s had 71 versions. Jimmie Rodgers died at 35 from a pulmonary embolism that was a direct result of tuberculosis he was diagnosed in 1924. He passed on May 26, 1933.
Journalist John Lilly wrote about the original song in 1992: It generated an excitement and record-buying frenzy that no one could have predicted. … The lyrics made an obvious connection to the southern states, talked about hard times with women and work, and had a macho, slightly dangerous undertone. Not only were these to be recurring themes in subsequent Jimmie Rodgers songs, (he re-worked these ideas for a total of 13 ‘Blue Yodels’ but they continue as themes in country songwriting to this day.”
Blue Yodel No 1 (T For Texas)
T for Texas
T for Tennessee
T for Tennessee
T for Thelma
That gal that made a wreck out of me
If you don’t want me mama
You sure don’t have to stall
You sure don’t have to stall
‘Cause I can get more women
Than a passenger train can haul
I’m gonna buy me a pistol
Just as long as I’m tall
Just as long as I’m tall
I’m gonna shoot poor Thelma
Just to see her jump and fall
I’m goin’ where the water
Drinks like cherry wine
Drinks like cherry wine
‘Cause this Georgia water
Tastes like turpentine
I’m gonna buy me a shotgun
With a great long shiny barrel
With a great long shiny barrel
I’m gonna shoot that rounder
That stole away my gal
‘Druther drink muddy water
Sleep in a holler log
Sleep in a holler log
Than to be in Atlanta
Treated like a dirty dog
“We took some pictures of the native girls; but, they weren’t developed. But, we’re going back again in a coupla weeks.”
What did I do on my summer vacation short blog break? I did some projects around the house and caught some Marx Brothers movies. I did miss blogging and talking to everyone. I thought I would start off a little different…with a movie.
Harpo (Adolph Marx), Groucho (Julius Henry), Chico (Leonard Joseph Marx), and Zeppo Marx (Herbert Manfred Marx). No one was remotely like them and they haven’t been matched. My favorite movie by them is Duck Soup and Horse Feathers but this one is up there. They also had another brother…Milton “Gummo” Marx and helped them outside of being on stage. Harpo later changed his real name from Adolph to Arthur for obvious reasons.
The Brothers made 14 movies in all and 3 hit Broadway Plays (I’ll Say She Is, Cocanuts, and Animal Crackers). The first five remain my favorite. They were totally without rules and they were incredibly irrelevant. Anarchy would be the word…the plot goes out the door but that is alright. After the fifth movie they signed with MGM and their movies had solid plots and were more ordered…but those were without Zeppo. He decided to retire from the screen and became a very successful businessman. I still like the total anarchy of their earlier movies best but I do like the others also.
If you have never seen a Marx Brothers movie, just try one, I would suggest either Duck Soup, Horse Feathers, or Animal Crackers. If you want more of a plot try A Night At The Opera…one of the two Marx Brothers movies that Queen named one of their albums after…the other being A Day At The Races.
Animal Crackers had a huge revival in the early 70s on college campuses. No one had the rights to show this movie but it was cleared in America in 1974*. Groucho, who was alive then, could not believe they were popular all over again. Lines wrapped around street corners for blocks waiting to see this movie. It was their second movie and it was made in 1930. It wasn’t hard for them to make because they had performed this play on Broadway that was written for them.
All of them have certain traits that are on display. Groucho is the king of the put-downs or the comebacks…you can’t beat him. Harpo was great at pantomime…he should have been in silent movies. Chico was a great piano player and I loved his conversations with Groucho…which is in every Marx Brothers movie. Zeppo…poor Zeppo was the straight-man brother. Most of them say in real life he was the funniest Marx Brother.
The reason Harpo never talked on stage was because of a negative review he received in vaudeville. He also said there was no way he could out-talk Groucho and Chico. Everyone thought Harpo was mute but of course, he could talk fine. His father once won a bet with an audience member when the man bet him that Harpo could not talk.
Another cast member I will mention is Margaret Dumont…she plays Mrs. Rittenhouse…she played the straight person and love interest in many of their movies. There was a great chemistry between her and Groucho. Dumont didn’t have a great sense of humor…she would ask Groucho…was that supposed to be funny? She didn’t understand their humor at all and just played it completely straight.
Animal Crackers was written by George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, Bert Kalmar, and Harry Ruby. Kaufman was a brilliant writer.
I can only imagine Broadway audiences being introduced to one of their plays. Reviewers say they tore up the stage and people were literally laughing so hard they cried and fell down in the aisle. Animal Crackers would be the last play they made…after this, they moved out to Hollywood to make movies only. Their first two movies look kind of clumsy because “talkies” were just starting to get big and the cameras were huge and hard to move around. They basically filmed the exact play…not live of course but they used many of the play’s cast.
The characters in “Animal Crackers” celebrate the return of world traveler Captain Spaulding (Groucho) while also dealing with the theft of a rare work of art at the home of the wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Dumont), where the party takes place. But once the captain arrives, along with Spaulding’s stenographer Jamison (Zeppo), Signore Ravelli (Chico), and the Professor (Harpo), nothing sane or expected takes place afterward. But really, what do you expect?
If you want a movie to get you out of a funk (like I did) this will do it! If you like movies that you can quote later…this one is for you! Below are some quotes I liked from this movie… but the quotes don’t work on paper as well unless Groucho is delivering them. I’ll start off with the famous one.
“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don’t know.”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, which doesn’t say much for you.”
“Why, you’ve got beauty, charm, money! You *have* got money, haven’t you? Because if you haven’t, we can quit right now.”
“I’m sick of these conventional marriages. One woman and one man was good enough for your grandmother, but who wants to marry your grandmother? Nobody, not even your grandfather. Think! Think of the honeymoon! Strictly private. I wouldn’t let another woman in on this. Well, maybe one or two. But, no men! I may not go myself.”
Capt. Spaulding: [to Mrs. Rittenhouse and Mrs. Whitehead] What do you say, girls? What do you say? Are we all going to get married?
Mrs. Whitehead: All of us?
Capt. Spaulding: All of us!
Mrs. Whitehead: But, that’s bigamy!
Capt. Spaulding: Yes, and it’s big of me too.
*In 1957, Paramount forgot to renew the soundtrack rights which reverted back to the authors of the play. (The studio did renew the picture rights, though.) As a result, the film could not legally be seen in the USA until 1974, when Universal, which had since purchased Paramount’s film library, was persuaded by fan requests to re-release it.
Some tv episodes are classic and will live on. When you tell someone you like a certain show, there is always that certain episode that many people will bring up that represents that show. I’ll go through a few random shows in the next few weeks and pick the one that I remember the most. They will be in no particular order.
” Those can’t be skydivers. I can’t tell just yet what they are but… Oh my God! They’re turkeys! Oh no! Johnny can you get this?”
” The Pinedale Shopping Mall has just been bombed with live turkeys. Film at eleven”
“I really don’t know how to describe it. It was like the turkeys mounted a counter-attack. It was almost as if they were… organized!”
“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”
WKRP IN CINCINNATI – Turkeys Away
When I talk to people about this show. This episode always comes to mind. The Characters are Bailey Quarters, Les Nessman, Mr. Carlson, Venus Flytrap, Dr. Johnny Fever, Herb Tarlek, Jennifer Marlowe and Andy Travis
Les’s play by play of the promotion is great. The complete episode is great but when Mr. Carlson says the closing line it turns into a classic episode.
It starts off with the big guy Mr. Carlson trying to act busy driving everyone crazy trying to be useful and probing the office to see what everyone was up to. He decided he would plan a promotion. He told the salesman Herb to get 20 turkeys ready for a Thanksgiving radio promotion.
Les is at the shopping center and Mr Carlson and Herb are up in a helicopter. He then notices a dark object being dropped from the helicopter, then a second one. Believing them to be skydivers, his tone becomes increasingly cautious when he sees no parachutes are opening. After a few more moments he realizes in horror that the objects are live turkeys. Continuing his broadcast (which bears a strong resemblance to the Hindenberg disaster) he says that the turkeys are hitting the ground and that the crowd has begun running away in panic. One turkey hits a parked car. Les continues, saying the turkeys are hitting the ground like “sacks of wet cement”. He tries to retreat to the store behind him but realizes he can’t after annoying the owner.
At the studio, the gang are listening, horrified themselves, when the broadcast is suddenly cut off. Johnny calmly tries to re-establish contact with Les, but hears only silence. Johnny thanks Les, telling his listeners that the shopping mall was just “bombed by live turkeys” and ends the broadcast.
At the end, Mr. Carlson says the phrase that elevates the episode to a classic. “As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”
Because of work and home projects…I’m going to take a short break and close the joint down. I’ll be back on November 17th. Last year I took a month and it was too long all at once and I took a couple of weeks this past April.
Thank you all for reading and commenting because that is the reason I still do this…the interaction. Along with the projects, this will give me a few days to recharge the batteries.
I didn’t think I’d see this band on any modern chart in my lifetime.
His father said son you’ve given in, you know you won your harp But you lost in sin.
Do you ever play an album and skip a certain song to get to the next? When I first got the album Stage Fright I remember the order was The Shape I’m In, The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show, Daniel and the Scared Harp, and then the title song which I loved (I can’t remember yesterday but I can remember the order of songs from the 1980s when I got the album). I would skip this one like an idiot…which yes I was. Later on, I played it through…and fell head over heels in love with this song. It has become my favorite on the album.
What a beautiful song from The Band on their Stage Fright album. It’s one of the most fascinating songs they ever did. It’s fast becoming a favorite of mine by them. Robbie Robertson’s songwriting in this is incredible.
This story song is close to Robert Johnson‘s story of selling his soul to the devil to be able to play like he did. It’s a song based on the Faust story. I always enjoyed stories about selling your soul for an item or an ability. In movies also…like The Devil and Daniel Webster. If you are wondering what the Faust story is…here is a brief definition I found: a German necromancer or astrologer who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power.
Also, I must add…Sacred harp music is a religious folk music named for Benjamin Franklin White’s The Sacred Harp (1844) using four-shape shape note notation… Its old-time spirituals are sung a cappella… the “sacred harp” is the human voice singing hymns to God.
Robbie seemed to be going for an Appalachian sound in this song and succeeded. He also made it sound biblical against the backdrop of the American South long ago.
Robbie used the words ‘sacred harp’ but this harp is a physical one. What kind of harp is it? To blues players, it’s a mouth harp or harmonica. Could it be a harp as the kind angels play? The song’s vocals are shared between Levon Helm and Richard Manuel. Manuel sings the part of “Daniel” in this song and Levon is the narrator of the story.
The end of the song is chilling. He played out his heart just the time to pass But as he looked to the ground, he noticed no shadow did he cast. The Band never played Daniel and the Sacred Harp live.
Stage Fright peaked at #5 on the Billboard Album Charts, #6 in Canada, and #15 in the UK in 1970. The album has some of my favorite songs by the Band on it. The Shape I’m In, Stage Fright, The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show, and this one.
Robbie Robertson: I was so obsessed that I was stealing everything in sight. From Fred Carter, Roy Buchanan, the Howlin’ Wolf records. I came a long way in a short time, and people used to kid me, saying, “What is it with this guy? Did he sell his soul?”
Robbie Robertson: Roy Buchanan was only three or four years older than me, but he’d been around quite a bit for his age. He told me a lot of stories, crazy stories about how he was half-wolf, half man. They were like the stories you heard about Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil. We know these are just silly stories, but at the same time they’re fascinating American mythology. Like we’d be sitting in a room playing together and I’d ask Buchanan how he’d figured out some lick and he’d say, “Well, I can’t really tell you,” clearly implying that he, too, had made some sort of pact. Years later, it became obvious he was playing a game with me.
An alternate take…
Daniel And The Sacred Harp
Daniel, Daniel and the sacred harp
Dancing through the clover
Daniel, Daniel would you mind
If I look it over
I heard of this famous harp years ago back in my hometown
But I sure never thought old Daniel be the one to come and bring it around
Tell me Daniel how the harp came into your possession
Are you one of the chosen few who will march in the procession?
And Daniel said
The sacred harp was handed down, from father unto son
And me not being related, I could never be the one
So I saved up all my silver and took it to a man
Who said he could deliver the harp, straight into my hand
Three years I waited patiently
‘Till he returned with the harp from the sea of Galilee
He said there is one more thing I must ask
But not of personal greed
But I wouldn’t listen I just grabbed the harp
And said take what you may need
Now Daniel looked quite satisfied, and the harp it seemed to glow
But the price that Daniel had really paid, he did not even know
Back to his brother he took his troubled mind
And he said dear brother I’m in a bind
But the brother would not hear his tale
He said Old Daniel’s gonna land in jail
So to his father Daniel did run
And he said oh father what have I done
His father said son you’ve given in, you know you won your harp
But you lost in sin.
Then Daniel took the harp and went high on the hill
And he blew across the meadow like a whippoorwill
He played out his heart just the time to pass
But as he looked to the ground, he noticed no shadow did he cast
When I hear Robert Johnson…I think of all the myths built around him. Not all are myths though…to hear his guitar on those songs is incredible. He was a man ahead of his time. He is so mysterious…we still only know so much about him. If one song captures the mystery of this legendary bluesman, it is this song… a haunting tale of a man pursued by the devil. Only three confirmed photos of the man are known to exist.
Was Robert Johnson the most influential guitarist in the history of blues and rock? That very possibly could be true. It wasn’t until the 80s that I started to read and hear more about him. Reading interviews with Clapton, Jimmy Page, and others…they all owed a huge debt to Johnson.
My introduction to Robert Johnson came from Eric Clapton while playing with Cream. Johnson was a great blues guitarist who supposedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to be able to play the blues. Some of the songs he wrote played into this myth. He only cut 29 songs that he recorded in a two-year period between 1936 and 1937.
Movies such as the 1980s film Crossroads brought Johnson more fans. Many people have searched for Johnson after listening to artists that were influenced by him. His voice will haunt you after you listen to his recordings. They are pure and timeless.
Son House and Willie Brown
The great bluesman Son House talked about when he and Willie Brown played in different juke joints that Johnson would want to play with them. He said Johnson made a racket with the guitar and everyone wanted him to stop playing. Then one day Johnson left town and came back between 6-8 months later and he had mastered the guitar. That boosted the “selling of his soul to the devil” rumors.
Hellhound On My Trail
I got to keep movin’, I’ve got to keep movin’
Blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hail
Mm mm mm, blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hail
And the days keeps on worryin’ me of a hellhound on my trail
Hellhound on my trail, hellhound on my trail
If today was Christmas eve, if today was Christmas eve
And tomorrow was Christmas day
If today was Christmas eve and tomorrow was Christmas day
(Aow, wouldn’t we have a time, baby?)
All I would need, my little sweet rider, just
To pass the time away, huh huh, to pass the time away
You sprinkled hot foot powder, mmm
Mmm, around my door, all around my door
You sprinkled hot foot powder, mmm
All around your daddy’s door, hmm hmm hmm
It keep me with ramblin’ mind, rider
Every old place I go, every old place I go
I can tell, the wind is risin’, the leaves tremblin’ on the tree
Tremblin’ on the tree
I can tell, the wind is risin’, leaves tremblin’ on the tree
All I need’s my little sweet woman
And to keep my company, hmm hmm, hey hey
My company
I’ve never heard a song by Buddy Holly that I didn’t like. Well…All Right was released just a couple of months before Buddy Holly died in that lonely Iowa cornfield. A while back I posted Blind Faith‘s cover of this song. The song is in my top 10 of Buddy Holly’s songs easily.
This song was somehow a B side. In the 50s and 60s many times a B side was a throwaway track. People started to flip the hit singles over and sometimes…sometimes find gold! He had a song called Heartbeat that he thought would be a big hit. I like Heartbeat a lot but I lean more toward Well…All Right. I think Heartbeat sounds like the 50s…but this song sounds fresher.
It’s a quiet song but Holly builds in dynamics for the chorus showing his strength and tenderness on this recording. The construction of the melody and lyrics are outstanding. Its simple instrumentation yet powerful push is what won me over.
Heartbeat only peaked at #82 on the Billboard 100 and #30 on the UK Charts. It’s the flipside that has been remembered. It was written by Buddy Holly, Norman Petty, Jerry Allison, and Joe Mauldin.
What really hurts about Holly’s career is that he was just getting started. He had matured and was experimenting more than his rocking peers. Fortunately for all of us, he left behind a significant musical catalog that still influences new and old artists today.
Well…All Right
Well all right, so I’m being foolish Well all right let people know About the dreams and wishes you wish In the night when lights are low
Well all right, well all right We’ll live and love with all our might Well all right, well all right Our lifetime of love will be all right
Well, all right, so I’m going steady It’s all right when people say That those foolish kids can’t be ready For the love that comes their way
Well all right, well all right We will live and love with all our might Well all right, well all right Our lifetime of love will be all right
Well all right, well all right We’ll live and love with all our might Well all right, well all right Our lifetime love will be all right
Neath a delta moon and a worn brass ring in the house of a thousand guitars.
I’ve really been into this artist lately and especially this song. This song should have been played on the radio. I have a weakness for songs that name-drop other people. For instance Tom Petty’s Jammin’ Me, R.E.M.’s The End of the World (As We Know It), The Replacements Alex Chilton, Neil Young’s “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black), and well…you get the picture. I posted an earlier article about Nile and the readers really liked it.
Nile made two critically acclaimed albums in 1980 and 81 and then walked away from the music business. He didn’t like the business end but came back with an album in 1991. Since then he has made up for lost time with 11 albums. This was the title track to his 2009 album. It was his 6th studio album and since this album he has released 8 more. One of those albums is Positively Bob: Willie Nile Sings Bob Dylan which is fantastic.
In this song, Nile lists John Lennon, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, The Stones, Bob Dylan, and more. It also has a hell of a catchy chorus that will stick with you. It’s very commercial-sounding and accessible.
Willie Nile is still out there touring and playing concerts.
House of the Thousand Guitars
Jimmy Hendrix plays all night long in the house of a thousand guitars.
Through a purple haze you can hear the song in the house of a thousand guitars.
When the clock strikes 12 Robert Johnson sings in the house of a thousand guitars.
Neath a delta moon and a worn brass ring in the house of a thousand guitars.
There’s not a dry eye when old Hank sings in the house of a thousand guitars.
With the pain and the hurt love sometime brings in the house of a thousand guitars.
Well you can hear Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones in the house of a thousand guitars.
There will be no vultures picking on their bones in the house of a thousand guitars.
House of a thousand, house of a thousand, house meet the moon and stars.
House of a thousand, house of a thousand, house of a thousand guitars.
You can spread your finger across the universe in the house of a thousand guitars.
John Lennon, Muddy Waters, man you can do worse in the house of a thousand guitars.
Well you can walk bare foot on broken glass in the house of a thousand guitars.
Cause Mr. John Lee Hooker’s gonna kick your ass in the house of a thousand guitars.
House of a thousand, house of a thousand, house meet the moon and stars.
House of a thousand, house of a thousand, house of a thousand guitars.
You can hear electric fingers playin’, dripping down life’s crooked alleways.
They say there are no broken strings in the house of a thousand guitars.
Just some busted hearts and bee that stings.
There are stained glass windows on the bedroom walls.
You can hear the cry when salvation calls.
Well you can move your body, you can shake your heads in the house of a thousand guitars.
You can play with blood on your fingtips in the house of a thousand guitars.
House of a thousand, house of a thousand, house meet the moon and stars. House of a thousand, house of a thousand, house of a thousand guitars.
This was one of John Lennon’s favorite songs throughout his life. Rosie and the Originals were also mentioned by Led Zeppelin on liner notes after the song Dy’er Mak’er…“Whatever happened to Rosie and the Originals?”
Rosie Hamlin wrote “Angel Baby,” her and the Originals’ lone hit, when she was just 14, with her first boyfriend and the Penguins’ “Earth Angel” serving as her primary inspiration. After penning the song over a couple hours in the afternoon, Hamlin and some instrument-playing San Diego friends laid down the first version of the track.
They had trouble landing a record deal. No appointments with any of the labels. They eventually found a private studio and recorded the song themselves…all teenagers. After that, they took one of their 45’s to Kresge’s Department Store in San Diego. They had listening booths in their music section where you could preview records before you bought them. Rosie asked the manager to play their record and see if he could sell it in his store.
A distributor from Highland Records heard “Angel Baby” and, without officially signing the group to a record contract, took control of the single’s master take and gave songwriting credit to the Originals’ eldest member. The single eventually found its way to famed DJ Alan Freed, who played “Angel Baby” numerous times a day in November 1960; two months later, the single peaked at Number Five on the Hot 100.
However, Hamlin parted ways with Highland after a legal battle over the song’s authorship and ownership. After disbanding the Originals, Hamlin recorded an album with her guitarist husband Noah Tafolla before leaving the music industry by 1963.
After her divorce, a little over 3 years later, she did venture into music again but never had any other hits and played live some. She made a Spanish version of this song in 2002.
It’s been covered many times but Rosie’s favorite cover version was…John Lennon’s that he recorded for his Rock and Roll album released in 1975 but the song didn’t end up being released until 1986. John’s voice can be heard saying: “This is one of my all-time favorite songs… My love to Rosie wherever she may be.”
Rosie and the Originals never received a penny from “Angel Baby,” nor any of the other Highland recordings until September 1994, when a financial settlement was reached and the masters of their recordings were returned to them. Rosie said: “It looks like that song will be around longer than I will.”
And it is …Rosie passed away in 2017 at the age of 71.
Angel Baby
It’s just like heaven being here with you
You’re like an angel, too good to be true
But after all, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
When you are near me, my heart skips a beat
I can hardly stand on my own two feet
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
Oh, I love you, oh I do
No one could love you like I do
Ooh, ooh
Please, never leave me blue and alone
If you ever go, I’m sure you’ll come back home
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
It’s just like heaven being here with you dear
I could never stay the way without you near
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
Oh, I love you, oh, I do
No one could love you like I do
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
I want to thank all of you readers this week. I have blogged way more than usual and I appreciate you reading. I will be taking a break after Monday until the 17th and then I’ll be back! I’ll see you all this weekend.
I’m not ranking these books… but I will kick it off with another Marx Brothers book. If you missed the first one it’s here.
Raised Eyebrows by Steve Stolliar. Stoliar, who was Groucho’s personal secretary and archivist while attending UCLA published this book in 1996. He was there in the seventies in Groucho’s house for the last three years of Groucho’s life. A who’s who of movie and rock stars visited. From Queen to Barbara Streisand to Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. So many came by and Stoliar doesn’t pull punches.
Sound Man by Glyn Johns – I read this book not knowing what to expect but I did know of Glyn Johns… so many of my albums had his name on it…A name that is known throughout the music industry as a great recording engineer, producer, and mixer. Glyn has worked with huge rock groups such as The Rolling Stones, Beatles, Who, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, The Band, and more.
Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka – A biography about Brian Jones who founded the Rolling Stones written by Paul Trynka. This is more of a sympathetic look on Brian than other books I’ve read. Trynka digs deep with meticulous research. He tries to be fair and Brian isn’t always shown as the nicest guy in the world but he also isn’t always the person that Mick and Keith seem to remember when they actually remember him at all.
This book is not just a rehash of the best-known things about Jones and the Stones. Some instances that Stones fans know like the period where Keith ran off with Brian’s girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, we get more information on what happened. He researched Brian’s childhood and adult life thoroughly and you feel like you know the man before the book is over.
Moon The Loon or Full Moon – This book is for fans OR non fans alike. The book will have you physically burst out laughing at different parts of it. Keith left a trail of wrecked cars, wrecked drums, wrecked hotel rooms, wrecked nerves, wrecked bars, and many smiles.
Dougal doesn’t try to tell Moon’s life history. Full Moon highlights the tales of Mr. Keith John Moon…Patent British Exploding Drummer. It is a very quick read at around 250 pages. The audio version is approximately 9 hours long.
Butler worked for Moon for ten years and was right there during much of the craziness. He was behind the wheel of Moon’s AC Frua 428 as it flipped end-over-end through a field off Chertsey Lane after Moon decided to grab the shifter and downshift at around 120 mph.
In my next edition…I’ll include Tony Fletcher’s nearly 700 -page book on Keth Moon. It is fantastic.
IT by Stephen King – I always describe this book as a coming-of-age book that just so happens to have a psychotic alien shape-shifter clown. The book is brilliantly written. It takes place in a fictional town called Derry. After you read it…it doesn’t feel like a fictional town. You know every detail of the city and where everything is located. The films, 1990 and 2017, don’t even come close to this book.
I have re-read this book so many times and I find something new every time. I wanted to include a fiction book in this edition so here you go.
Miss O’Dell: Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton… by Chris O’Dell and Katherine Ketcham
I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s almost like a fantasy book. You are a fan and suddenly you get thrown into the world with The Beatles as friends and co-workers. You move from the Beatles to the Stones, CSNY, Bob Dylan and the list kept growing.
I will say this… as a Beatle fan, this book gave me insight that I never had before. Chris O’Dell happened to meet Derek Taylor (press officer of the Beatles) in Los Angeles in 1968…she worked for him for a few weeks in LA as a PA. He told her she should come over to London to check out the new company that The Beatles were starting called Apple. He didn’t promise her a job but she took a chance and sold her records and borrowed from her parents to go to London. She was like Alice down the rabbit hole, O’Dell stumbled upon a life even she could not have dreamed of.
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 