For the most part I've been starting the Top Tens earlier than usual rather than trying to hold things in my head and then forgetting most of them when it was time to think up of ten songs I've been listening to. Ten years into doing this you'd think there would be a easier way of doing things but until I start my own podcast this will have to do.
Sad to say that I missed the jam session for the Mike Swearingen tribute show that they had at the Eagle's Club, a place that sits on top of a hill overlooking the Ellis Golf Course, I spent over an hour driving in circles before stopping at The Best Western and got directions and finally made it later in the afternoon. Ron was there but Russ wasn't, opting to stay at home to watch The Masters but I did talk to a couple of Mike's friends about music and for the most part stayed an hour before boredom got the best of me and I needed to stop at Sav A Lot to pick up some things before they closed. I really didn't feel like Karaoke anyway, but hopefully this will help Mike pay off some medical bills and get him back on the road to recovery. Love ya bro.
Tad this week provided some of his favorite B Sides at his website. But he also points out another website about the Moody Blues and a new book about them and the authors have invited comments from us to which Tad added his two cents worth. Their site: http://moodiesbook.wordpress.com/
Tad's Site: http://tadsbackupplan.blogspot.com/2013/04/653-church-of-moody-blues.html
For those out in New York Bleaker Bob's Record Stores are closing up. Another victim of the double edge technology we call the internet and MP3s. As far as I know all Zia's out in AZ and Vegas are doing quite well and will be there when I visit the great desert region in June. Right in the middle of 100 degree temps and plenty of sun. Too bad I can't take this back home when the damn rains wet up the basement.
Goot Evening, this week, an overplayed classic, some new ones and Jones on the jukebox.
1. Maggie May-Rod Stewart 1971 Cumulus is taking over my top ten they must have bought me out and now we will have the same old same old right? One of Rod's best songs ever that got destroyed by being in regular rotation for over forty years on rock radio and it's on every Rod Stewart best of too. I'd go with Every Picture Tells A Story for best Rod song ever but since Mother named her late great German Shepard after this song I pretty much put this on in Maggie's memory. A fun and smart doggie who played frisbee up till her passing. Getting back to the song, this starts out the cheapo Class Reunion 1971 comp that Polygram put out in their cheap bins and it begins with the guitar interlude before the song starts playing. And Stewart had a helluva band backing him up, the forgotten Martin Q on acoustic, Ron Wood on other guitar, Pete Sears (later of Jefferson Starship) on bass and Micky Waller, one of the best unknown drummers ever. Of course when this comes on the radio station I turn it, but when I have it on CD I'll play it once per year and file it away. Guess I'm done now.
2. Bad Love-Kings Of The Sun 1988 Another great drummer you never heard is Cliff Hoad and he may have been more closer to Keith Moon than Clem Burke or Rod Smith, the guy was a beast and the two albums that they did for RCA should have been rock classics, more so than Guns N Roses to which The Kings got booted off opening for them when Jeff Hoad said some unflattering things about them. That may have killed all that was going for them. Their first album was great, next one was even better and then they disappeared. RCA dropped them and their third album sells for big bucks on Ebay. The Hoad brothers have continued on with The Rich And Famous and made a couple albums that I never heard either. On his website Cliff mentioned that there's a new KOTN album coming out this year. Hopefully some day I'll get around finding a copy and hearing it.
3. White Lightning-George Jones 1965 (released in 1973) The first version was the closest thing ole' George got to rockabilly but it was the 2nd version that I first heard and it came via the late great KOEL FM station in Oelwein before they got bought out and became yet another faceless top forty autotuned farce station. Technical notes indicated that this came out on RCA Victor but since George didn't record for RCA, it actually came from Pappy Daly and Musicor and it has also been on budget labels as well. Best use of fiddles, they're a hook upon themselves when you hear this masterpiece, written by the late great and never forgotten J P Richardson (The Big Bopper). From the Time Life concept cheapo CD Heartaches And Hangovers which best describes the old Possum back then.
4. Lucifer Sam-Pink Floyd 1967 I may be in the minority here but I'll take the Syd Barrett led band Piper At The Gates Of Dawn over Dark Side Of The Moon any day. There's a strange magical charm in that first album that always captures me especially this track which sounds like it could have been at home in a James Bond movie. And it's one of those CDs that the first version still kicks major ass hard to believe right? Well back then they didn't compress and LOUD things up like they do now. Didn't get into Floyd till I was out in AZ in 86 and brought A Nice Pair in the cheap bins to which I still have the album. I think I bought the CD at Relics years ago used as well.
5. Guess I'm Falling In Love-The Velvet Underground 1967 released 1986 Judging by who you talk to, The Velvets are either the best band ever or the most overrated (Mark Prindle thinks the latter) but VU the 1984 collection of a unreleased album would have been great even back then but the spotty Another View which scrapes the bottom of the barrel is for fans only. World really didn't need one version, much less two of Hey Mr Rain and Coney Island Steeple Chase and Ferryboat Bill is half based as they come. Only stuff I can tell you about that's worth a listen is We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together which might have worked as a single, a rough run through of Rock And Roll but with a different ending than the Loaded version and this loud jam that would have found a home on White Light/White Heat. There might be a vocal version of this song but I'll stick to this instrumental to which the VU threatened to cave the recording studio inwards with this up to 10 sound. Here's a even rougher version featuring vocals if you're interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDSJggL5FB0
And a live version to boot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt0WsXQkwN4
The Another View version done faster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-bYKWwgphg
There ya go, a threesome of this song. You're welcome.
6. Rock N Roll Ruby-Warren Smith 1956 I have a lot of Sun Rockabilly compilations on my shelves and one can't have enough Sun Rockabilly if you want to know about real rock and roll of the 50s but this was written by Johnny Cash and recorded by Warren Smith, one of the more harder rockabilly artists of that time. Better known for Ubangi Stomp, this was released as a single and did fairly well on the local charts.
7. Come On-Agents Of Good Roots 1998 One of those bands that RCA signed up to compliment the jam band craze at that time The Good Roots sounded more like a cross between Dave Matthews and the Fiji Mariners and had a lead singer that made Tom Waits sound tuneful. I think they did the HOARDE tour thing as well but this record sank like a stone to the depths of one dollar CD land to which I still think it's worth it if you find it. A word of warning though, there's a annoying chick singer on a couple tracks. Hard to believe this came out 15 years ago, where DOES the time fly?
8. One Too Many Mornings-The Association 1970 How can a band that was so much played to death on AM radio in the late 70s and is fondly remembered for that but anything after Birthday didn't sell? Their last two WB albums and Waterbeds In Trinidad! the sole Columbia offering showed a more country rock then the Middle of the road soft pop of Windy or Cherish. But I also think The Association, like Chicago served a purpose in rock and roll, after all they were a rock and country vocal band and like Chicago won't make it to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame unless they pay admission fare in. A live take of Bob Dylan's song to which The Beau Brummels did better on a failed 45 attempt (also for Warners). An side note: some guy did buy the 2.99 double album vinyl at Half Priced Books but failed to see the Japanese CD selling for two bucks in the bargain bin. Worth picking up for the sole purpose of the Japanese's interpretation of the lyrics and most of the time they were nowhere near of the original verses (oh you focking American tink you so smart). Even in this day and age the Japanese CD still sells for 40 plus bucks anyway.
9. Prodigal-Craig Erickson 2012 Home town nice guy and blues guitar ace Craig returns with a fairly new album that nobody had till I seen it used at you know where. He returns back to Mike Varney's Blues Bureau International label after a decade of self releases on little known labels and he ditched his side kick violin playing Molly Nova (formerly of The Blue Band featuring you know who) in favor of a power trio of him, bass player and drummer. If he was anywhere else (New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago) he would be a name you all know but since he's Cedar Rapids based only the locals and myself know him. And he still works at The Music Loft as well. Great all around guy and somebody you can actually talk to without being talked down or in other cases get unfriended from Twitter or Facebook. Not naming names.
10. Denver Daydream-Robey, Fauk & Bod 1972 One of the folk rock bands that CBS signed and ignored this trio remains a mystery since they only released one album and better known for one of the early albums ever produced by Tom Werman who later would rack up a impressive roster of bands on his resume (Ted Nugent, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Motley Crue, The Tearaways etc etc) and Glen Spreen who was better known at that time. RFB had that high pitched Poco influenced vocal sound but they were more easy listening country rock than Poco themselves. This song by far is their most rocking though. Dean Sciarra took it upon himself to remastered and released this album himself on CD via It's About Music and he's did a fine job too. http://www.itsaboutmusic.com/
Hi Five Dude!
Ain't It So-New York City 1973
Valley Of Freedom-Needtobreathe 2009
Used-Ashley Monroe 2013
In The Jailhouse Now-Jimmie Rogers 1929
The Troublemaker-Willie Nelson 1974
And Willie Nelson makes his way to The Paramount Theater this week. Tickets are a pricey 64 dollars and I'll wait for the DVD to come out.
Record Review: Alvin Lee-Still On The Road To Freedom (Rainman)
A sad way farewell that a few months after issuing this album that we lost Alvin Lee in March and he'll forever will be remembered for I'm Going Home which brought the house down at Woodstock years ago. Last time he made a dent in the charts was the rambling Detroit Diesel in 1986 and then did one more album for Ten Years After, the forgettable Terry Manning produced About Time, but while Ten Years After continued to solder on with a new singer and guitar player, Lee continue to follow his own muse and made more albums over the course of his lifetime, the final chapter Still On The Road To Freedom and it's a uneven but heartfelt album that explores more variety than he ever did with TYA. Never a prolific songwriter, his lyrics were uneven at best, but his guitar playing was as fluid as ever. The title track features the late Ian Wallace playing the drums (PS he plays on Listen To Your Radio Station) and would find a home on Cricklewood Green but Lee goes for a Rockpile feeling on I'm A Lucky Man and even does a fine J J Cale soundalike with Nice And Easy. If all else fails, he does play the blues and does it well. I'm not sure if the world needed a update with Love Like A Man but you could do worse.
Grade B
Pick Hits: Still On The Road To Freedom, Nice And Easy.
I don't watch much daytime TV which means I miss out on the Kaplin crap Commercials that drive the rest of us up the world if we can't find a job without any experience. They should use this one for those who wasted 4500 dollars trying to better themselves in the real world.
And now, the last word comes from Mike Swearingen from the Sunday benefit for him.
We want to thank everyone who took part in the benefit yesterday...i want you all to know we delivered over 275 lbs of food to the food bank today and so many kids will go to sleep less hungry because of you... Majoli and I are so humbled to know people like you all and so proud to know we have you as part of our lives...we can never thank you enough and hope your lives can be as blessed as ours for having friends like you...
thank you again
Majoli and Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment