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THE ZOMBIES: "TIME OF THE SEASON", "SHE'S NOT THERE", "TELL HER NO"

10/30/2014

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THE ZOMBIES' under-appreciated 1968 album, "Odyssey and Oracle", now considered one of the 60's best

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HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: "SPELL ON YOU", "FIRE", "MONSTER MASH"

10/28/2014

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(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: “SPELL ON YOU”, “FIRE”, & “MONSTER MASH”
by Alan L. Chrisman

This is a special look at some classic Halloween-type songs and their creators:

SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS is most known for his chilling, “I PUT A SPELL ON YOU”. Hawkins wanted to be an opera singer and that voice would come in handy for his classic song. The song was originally to be a ballad, but (like the legend about another classic song I wrote about, “Louie Louie”), it was recorded while the band and Hawkins were drunk and he added blood-curdling screams to his deep R&B voice. An even-toned down version was released and it became a hit in 1956, despite being banned on some radio stations because of its James Brown-like guttural vocals and sensuality.

Alan Freed, legendary rock ’n’ roll DJ in Cleveland, Ohio, where Hawkins was also from, suggested that, when he sang it live, he come out of a coffin. That soon became part of his stage show as well as his wearing outlandish costumes, with leopard skins and voodoo-like props. In the excellent film about Alan Freed, American Hot Wax, in 1976, where several original 50’s rockers played themselves, Hawkins appears doing his signature tune. Hawkins would continue releasing R&B-influenced albums and In 1991, he recorded, Black Music For White People (a great title), including covers of Tom Waits. Hawkins was a particular favorite of punk bands for his raw sound and theatrical appearances. He would later open for the bands, The Clash, The Cramps, The Fuzztones, Nick Cave, and even The Rolling Stones. He would also have a big influence on Alice Cooper, Kiss, and Black Sabbath. Hawkins never had as big a hit again, but it became such as classic that many later artists covered it, including Nina Simone and a stirring version by CCR on their album, Proud Mary. Hawkins died in 2000, leaving behind several women, fighting over his estate, and reportedly between 50 and 75 offspring.

Another classic, screaming song was “Fire” by British singer Arthur Brown. Brown had originally been part of the group, The Foundations, who had the hits in the late 60’s & early ‘70’s, “Build Me up Buttercup” and “Baby, Now that I’ve Found You”. They were the first mixed-race group in England to have a #1 hit.

But Brown released his own album, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, in 1968. It was produced by The Who’s manager, Kit Lambert, and was on the Who’s label, Track Records. Similar to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in his R&B influenced vocals and sound (he actually had a cover version of “I Put a Spell on You” on it that album), and like Hawkins, he was also known for his theatrical shows and crazy costumes and antics. He would sometimes set his head in a helmet on fire. Brown played the priest in The Who’s “Tommy” and sang on Alan Parson’s Project’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Brown released three albums with his band, Kingdom Come in the 70’s and later was associated with Hawkwind and early electronic musician, Klaus Shultz. But it’s his Crazy World album with its haunting song, “Fire” that he’s most known.

Another Halloween perennial song with an interesting story is Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s, “Monster Mash”. The way the story goes is-one night, while recording, aspiring actor/ singer, Picket, started imitating the voices of horror film’s Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The song was written by Gary Paxton, who had penned the earlier novelty hit, “Alley Oop”. And It was also following a popular dance craze at the time,”the Mashed Potato”, and thus the lines, ” “Whatever happened to the Transylvania Twist?”. On the session for the B-side instrumental, “Monster Mash Party”, was pianist, Leon Russell. It was first released around Halloween in 1962, and became a big hit and has been popular every Halloween since. The band was called the Crypt-Kickers (a later Crypt-Kicker in the touring band of the 70’s would be Paul McCartney’s later guitarist, Brian Ray). It’s been covered by groups from The Beach Boys to the Misfits. It’s a novelty song, but has some funny Halloween lines. I remember seeing the American Hot Wax film right before Saturday Night Fever and at intermission, I heard kids asking who was this Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, duck-walking across the stage and jumping on the piano. So long before videos, rock had a theatrical side and these singers just carried it a bit further and foretold of others to come.

These three classic songs and their theatrical performers should send chills up your spine, but in a fun way, so Happy Halloween!

THE MONSTER MASH, Bobby “Boris” Pickett,from the Original Monster Mash LP, 1962:

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

CHORUS –

He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast

The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

REPEAT CHORUS HERE

The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

REPEAT CHORUS

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?"

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

See below Screamin’ Jay Hawkins doing his “I Put A Spell on You”:

http://youtu.be/orNpH6iyokI

& Below “Fire” from the Crazy World of Arthur Brown,1968:

http://youtu.be/FaHEusBG20c

"MONSTER MASH", classic Halloween song by Bobby"Boris" Pickett, album above, 1962

"CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN" album with hit and video below, "FIRE", 1968

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IN HONOR OF JACK BRUCE: CREAM BASSIST, SONGWRITER & FELIX PAPPALARDI, CREAM PRODUCER

10/26/2014

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CLASSIC 1967 CREAM ALBUM, DISRAELI GEARS, with "SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE", Co-written by bassist, and co-vocalist, JACK BRUCE, and produced by FELIX PAPPALARDI

(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs. So far: Jeff Lynne, Bob Seger, Long John Baldry, Tony Joe White, Harry Nilsson, Glen Campbell, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Johnny Rivers, The Rascals, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Badfinger, Bob Marley.)

IN HONOR OF JACK BRUCE: CREAM BASSIST, SONGWRITER

& FELIX PAPPALARDI, PRODUCER

Jack Bruce, who was a bass player, vocalist, and songwriter for Cream, passed away Oct. 25. He was best known for the 60’s blues-rock British band, Cream with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. But he was trained as a cellist and was considered to be one of rock’s best bassists.

He started out in the early 60’s as part of Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated (see my article on Long John Baldry) which included at the time as well: later Cream drummer, Ginger Baker, organist Graham Bond, and guitarist, John McLaughlin. They recorded two Graham Bond Organization records in 1963. Bruce then joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, where he met Eric Clapton and he had also played briefly in ‘66 with Manfred Mann and their hit, “Pretty Flamingo”.

But it was when Clapton, Bruce and Baker formed Cream, that they were most commercially successful. Bruce not only provided the bass but also shared vocals with Clapton and co-wrote with lyricist, Pete Brown, many of their big hits like “Sunshine of Your Love”, White Room” and his “Toad”. Cream’s classic album is 1967’s Disraeli Gears.

Felix Pappalardi, another influential bass player, produced Disraeli Gears. Pappalardi, as well as producing, also co-wrote with Clapton their song, “ Strange Brew”. Pappalardi also was behind their 2Lp set, Wheels on Fire, the next year, and the band considered him to be almost the fourth member, he had such an influence on them. Pappalardi had also produced the 1st Youngbloods album with the 60’s anthem, “ Get Together” and would later found the heavy-rock band Mountain and write their hit, “ Mississippi Queen”.

Cream became known for their live shows with their long improvisational solos ( some said they went on too long), which are captured on their Live Cream albums. Their final record was Goodbye which included Clapton’s and George Harrison’s great song, “Badge”. But by that time, they disbanded, and Clapton, Baker, and Traffic’s Stevie Winwood, under pressure from their management, formed the “supergroup”, Blind Faith, which again soon imploded after only one album. Bruce released his first solo album, Songs from a Tailor in ’69.

After, Bruce would go in a more jazzy direction, (which he said, he always considered himself more a jazz player). So he reconnected with guitarist, John McLaughlin, from the old Blues Incorporated, and drummer, Tony Williams in the Tony Williams Lifetime band in the early 70’s.

In 1972, Bruce joined Felix Pappalardi’s former Mountain band members, Leslie West and Corky Laing to form West Bruce and Lang. Bruce would go on to play on several people’s albums, Lou Reed’s Berlin, the Stones’ Mick Taylor and their piano player, Ian Stewart, from his Alexis Korner’ days, and John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra with drummer, Billy Cobham in the 70’s and 80’s.

By the 80’s, Bruce’s drug habits had made him bankrupt, but he did release two albums with guitarist, Robin Trower. And for the next several years he would make several guest appearances with buddies like Rory Gallager and Gary Moore and even a couple reunion shows with Clapton.

Felix Pappaladi was a bassist, producer, and very influential for many musicians. He also played on or was the arranger for several artists’ albums besides Cream, Mountain and Youngbloods: Tom Paxton, Fred Neil, Richie Havens, and the Canadians, Buffy Saint-Marie, Ian & Sylvia, and Kensington Market and many others. He was shot by his long-time wife, who co-wrote many of their songs, after an argument and died, in 1983.

Bruce was part of Ringo Starr’s touring All-Star bands with Peter Frampton from the late 90’-2000. But in 2003, even though he had finally kicked his drug habit, he got liver cancer and had a transplant. He passed away on Oct. 25, 2014 of liver disease at the age of ’71. Bruce, the Scottish bassist, was in some great rock, blues, and jazz groups and was considered one of rock’s best bassists and co-wrote some classic Cream songs.

See Cream & Jack Bruce perform, “Sunshine of Your Love”, from Disraeli Gears:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbqQL0J_Vr0

http://youtu.be/HbqQL0J_Vr0

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CANADA LOSES ITS INNOCENCE: BUT SHOULDN'T OVER-REACT

10/24/2014

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CANADA LOSES ITS INNOCENCE,
BUT SHOULDN'T OVER-REACT

by Alan L. Chrisman

I’m writing this from Ottawa, Canada’s capitol, a couple days after a shooter killed a soldier next to the War Memorial and then attacked the Canadian Parliament buildings. Many have said this is when Canada lost its innocence.

I don’t often write about politics (although I sometimes comment about social effects), preferring to try and change things through music and art. Understandably, Canadians are still in shock and upset. And as when it happened in the U.S. with 9/11, people are reacting emotionally, waving flags, and calling for more security and surveillance. And like then, there will be politicians waiting to exploit this upset.

But as, perhaps in the Ebola scare (where doctors have now said the biggest fear is fear itself), things must be kept in perspective. Some have tried to characterize the shooter, for example, as a Muslim extremist (he was a convert to Islam, but was born in Canada). But more information is becoming available about him: He was also a cocaine and heroin addict and had several criminal offenses. At one point, he even tried to rob a McDonalds in Vancouver with only a stick so he’d get put in jail, he had said then, to force himself to kick his drug habit. He clearly was a very disturbed person and a portrait is emerging, more of a loner, with a history of problems, closer perhaps to several of the school shooters in the U.S. He also, as far we can tell, came from a good home; his mother had a high-level Canadian Immigration government job, and he came from a decent family, although his parents were divorced. His mother hadn’t seen him for 5 years, except the week before the tragic incident, for lunch.

There had been a hit and run killing of another Canadian soldier with a car in Quebec, a couple days earlier, by a Muslim sympathizer, so some are trying to connect the two. But people, who had talked with the Parliament attacker at a homeless shelter where he had stayed in Ottawa the past couple weeks, said he told them he was in Ottawa, from Vancouver, to try and get a passport to go Syria or maybe Libya, where his father had been from. In fact, the Canadian government had been holding up his passport, because they wondered if he might have been a security risk. So the Canadian authorities already knew about him (although they didn’t think he was dangerous). And he may have resorted to this desperate act partly, out of anger, over that.

He might well have just been, as one former FBI profiler described it, a misfit and copycat killer, who had latched on to radical religion, to try and justify his drug habit and personal problems. We will probably never know, as with so many of these mentally-confused people, what exactly were their motivations, if any. We can’t understand irrational individuals and acts, so we too often look for re-assuring easy answers.

But that’s not the picture, the media and politicians are presenting to an insecure public. Like in the U.S., there are calls for more guns and guards and giving the intelligence services more far-reaching eavesdropping powers. He was killed by an armed guard at the Parliament buildings, who bravely, defended the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament and staff. The soldier, who sadly died, was ceremoniously guarding the War Memorial, but had been unarmed. But more guns and security even may not prevent someone, clearly bent on the destruction of others or himself, from carrying out these kind of attacks. The U.S. White House, has been breached already 7 times this year alone, despite being one of the most guarded places.

The present Canadian Conservative government will, no doubt, try to use this latest incident to push through legislation for tougher security and surveillance. The Conservatives, had right before this, because of their majority status, been able to send Canadian warplanes to fight ISIS in Iraq (although it’s unclear whether most Canadians really wanted that). The Conservatives had sent soldiers to Afganistan, despite the earlier Liberal government not sending Canadian troops to Iraq. Obama (despite not intervening in Syria and saying he wouldn’t allow chemical weapons- we don’t hear much about if Assad really is complying with that, in the media, these days), and now Canada too, is back once again in that quagmire. It will be hard for even the opposition parties in Canada to resist in this mood of fear.

Canadian Remembrance Day for war veterans is coming up November 11 and there will be calls for supporting soldiers and the military, much as there was for the First Responders and U.S. military after 9/11. George Bush exploited that mood in America, and intelligence budgets blossomed and privacy rights were lessened. Edward Snowden revealed that at one time, the NSA wanted every device sold to the public, to be secretly outfitted with eavesdropping capabilities (and they almost got it!).

So things, as I say, should be kept in perspective. This killer, appears to have been more of a disturbed lone gunman, more influenced by personal demons and with religious leanings. There could well be more “lone wolf” copycat attempts, as there was after the school shootings (there was the following day, reports of an attack on two NYC policeman with a hatchet, which they again have called “terrorism”, although his friends said he more just hated police and whites). But all the emotional calls for more guns and tougher public surveillance laws should be tempered in an atmosphere of public unease. The media’s and politicians’ own agendas should be examined too. But all the flag waving and understandable emotional outpourings, now in Canada too, brought up by this senseless act, aren’t necessarily going to solve the problem.

In that sense, yes, Canada has lost its innocence.

“IMAGINE” by John Lennon

Imagine there’s no countries

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living Life in Peace

See below video of Lennon’s words of wisdom:

http://youtu.be/vND53ZrQD9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vND53ZrQD9M

(NO GUNS ALLOWED)

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JEFF LYNNE: ELO, THE MOVE,THE BEATLES, & TRAVELING WILBURYS

10/22/2014

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JEFF LYNNE: ELO, THE MOVE, THE BEATLES, & TRAVELIN’ WILBURYS

by Alan L. Chrisman

(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs. So far: Bob Seger, Long John Baldry, Tony Joe White, Harry Nilsson, Glen Campbell, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Johnny Rivers, The Rascals, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Badfinger, Bob Marley, etc.)

Jeff Lynne was the brains behind Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and their many hits in the 70’s & 80’s. But he is also one of rock’s most respected producers, having produced albums for the ex-Beatles, Tom Petty, Traveling Wilburys, Roy Orbison, Dave Edmunds, Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, etc.

Lynn was originally from Birmingham, England. He was in an early band, Idle Race, which put out two albums in ’69. But in 1970, he joined The Move, led by Roy Wood. The Move were well respected and popular in England and known for their theatrical performances, but were not known very much in America at the time. They recorded 4 British albums: The Move, Shazam, Looking On and Message from The Country and several great singles, “I Can Hear The Grass Grow”, “Flowers in The Rain”, “Brontosaurus”, “California Man” and “Do Ya”, from 1966-‘72.

Then Roy Wood and, now Jeff Lynn who joined The Move in 1970, had this idea to combine rock and classical, which led to ELO. Wood left around that time to form his own band, Wizard, which had some success in England. But Lynne carried on with the original drummer, Bev Bevan, from The Move, and added Richard Tandy on synthesizer and others on string instruments. Lynne, Beatles-influenced, said he hoped to create the kind of sound used in John Lennon’s, “I Am the Walrus”.

ELO’s first album, contained their first hybrid classical-rock hit, “Roll Over Beethoven”, in 1972. They were to go on to have many successful: On the Third Day (‘73), Eldorado (’74), Face The Music (’75), New World Record (’76), double Lp Out of The Blue (’77), Discovery (’79) and several more into the 80’s. And off these albums they would have several, especially in America, massively popular hits, “Evil Woman”, “Livin’ Thing”, “Strange Magic”, “Telephone Line”, “Mr. Blue Sky”, “Hold on Tight”, “Don’t Bring Me Down”, and many more.

But in the mid-1980’s, Jeff Lynne (who wrote the songs and was basically ELO), disbanded them to concentrate on his other love, producing. In 1987, he produced and co-wrote songs for George Harrison’s, Cloud 9, and co-wrote his “This is Love”. Then as part of the supergroup, Traveling Wilburys (Harrison, Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Lynne), he co-produced with Harrison their two classic albums. This led to Lynne producing Orbison’s Mystery Girl in ’88 and co-producing Tom Petty’s next two albums, Full Moon Fever and co-writing hits, “I Won’t Back Down”, “Free Fallin’”, and Into The Great Wide Open (“Learning to Fly”) in 1989 and ‘91. He also produced songs for Brian Wilson, Duane Eddy and Randy Newman., and a posthumous album for Del Shannon, Rock On.

Lynne put out his first solo album, Armchair Theatre, with the single, “Every Little Thing”, in 2001, including George Harrison and old ELO bandmate, Richard Tandy. But it was when he was chosen to produce two left-over John Lennon songs, ”Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”, with the remaining Beatles for their Anthologies in ’95 and ’96, that he finally got to work with all his long-time heroes, The Beatles. He then produced one of Paul McCartney’s best recent albums, Flaming Pie, in ’97.

In 2001, Lynne put out one more ELO album, Zoom, with guests George Harrison, Ringo and Richard Tandy. And he produced George Harrisons excellent last album, Brainwashed, before Harrison died in November, 2001 and produced the live tribute CD, Concert for George, in 2003. He produced an album, Analogue Man, for Joe Walsh in 2012 and Lynne released his second solo album, Long Wave, in 2013. He also provided a song for the Hollywood film, American Hustle.

For the 50th anniversary of The Beatles coming to America Grammy Tribute, in Feb, 2014, Lynne performed “Something” and “Hey Bulldog”. It’s also been announced that he is producing Bryan Adams new CD.

Lynne re-visited his hometown, Birmingham, England and received an award in September-not bad for a Birmingham lad, who realized his dream of combining rock and classical and getting to work with some of rock’s biggest artists. Jeff Lynne also has the distinction of being one of the few producers to work with The Beatles, besides their long-time producer, George Martin, and legendary producer, Phil Spector, and to become one of their close friends.

I was fortunate to see Jeff Lynne and ELO three times: The first for their 1st album with “Roll Over Beethoven” in 1972. At that concert they did a version of the original Move rocker,“ Do Ya”, originally written for The Move. I remember they also did a great cover of The Beatles,“Daytripper” too.

I next saw them in ‘80 in Montreal at the Man & His World, former Expo ’67 site for their album, Eldorado. It was a beautiful summer night, and the first time I saw lasers used in a concert.

And again at the Montreal Forum in ‘77 for their double album, Out Of The Blue, with their ‘Flying Saucer’ stage. ELO always had a very theatrical part to their live shows. They were always one of my favorite bands, besides The Beatles.

ELO'S CLASSIC "ELDORADO" 1974 ALBUM- with it's own ABBEY ROAD-Like Production by Jeff Lynne

The Move, the British band with Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan that preceded ELO

See below ELO perform “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” from their 1974 Eldorado album:

http://youtu.be/PoZ0b9lwpUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoZ0b9lwpUA

Below, ELO's version of “Do YA”, originally written by Jeff Lynne for The Move:

http://youtu.be/kuRvumUxMMI

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BOB SEGER: HARD DRIVIN' DETROIT ROCK

10/19/2014

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(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs. So far: Long John Baldry, Tony Joe White, Harry Nilsson, Glen Campbell, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Johnny Rivers, The Rascals, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Badfinger, Bob Marley, etc.)

BOB SEGER & HARD DRIVIN’ DETROIT ROCK
By Alan L. Chrisman

Bob Seger has just released his first album, Ride Out, in 8 years and it’s already in the Top 10 of Billboard’s charts. I saw him recently perform on the Jimmy Kimmel TV show and he had the whole house rockin’! It was great to see whole new generations exposed to his “Old Time Rock ’n’ Roll”.

Seger comes from a long line of rockers from Detroit. Of course, Detroit is known musically for The Supremes and Motown, but it has equally created many great, especially hard rockers, from Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels in the 60’s (“Devil with A Blue Dress On”, “Jenny Take a Ride”), The political band MC5 to Grand Funk Railroad (“We’re An American Band”) to punk’s Iggy Pop in the 70’s & 80’Different cities seem to produce different sounds and Detroit’s and Seger’s music reflects that tough working-class sound. For years, Seger played in various bands and recorded for various small labels and became a local favorite. He even had an early song, “The Lonely One”, produced by Del Shannon in ’61. It wasn’t until he formed The Bob Seger System and signed with Capitol Records that he had his first big hit, “Ramblin’Gamblin’ Man”, in 1969, with Detroit friend and future Eagle, Glen Frey, singing back-up. Seger then played briefly for Teagarden & Van Winkle, who had a hit with, “God, Love & Rock’n’Roll” in ’71. He recorded the album, Back in ’72, with the famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, who would often play on his later albums, with the original version of his song,” Turn The Page”. Another recommended , but hard to find album from this period, is his third hard-rocking Bob Seger System LP in 1970, with the song, ”Lucifer”, which some critics say pre-dated Nirvana.

But it was when he formed the Silver Bullet Band and released the Live Bullet album, recorded at Detroit’s Cobo Arena in 1976, that he finally began to take off and began getting national attention. Some critics said it was one of the best live albums. Then he had a big hit with his Night Moves album and song too, the album also containing the smash, “Rock ’n’ Roll Never Forgets”. In ’78, he followed with the Stranger in Town album with hits: “Still the Same”, “Hollywood Nights” and ”We’ve Got Tonight”.

In 1980, Seger released his classic LP, Against The Wind, backed up with The Eagles’ Don Henley, Tim Schmit, and friend, Glen Frey( with whom he co-wrote the Eagles’ song, “Heartache Tonight”). This album had several hit singles, the title song, and “Fire Lake” and “You’ll Accompany Me”, etc. He released Live Tonight in ’81 and Like a Rock in ’86. His Greatest Hits has sold sold over 10 million copies.

He took a long break to raise his family, but recorded his most recent album, before this new one, 2006’s, Face the Promise, which sold well and showed he was still popular. Seger re-released some of the songs from his olderalbums , like Smokin’ O.P.’s from ’72 on his Early Seger, Vol.1 in 2009. He recorded a duet on John Fogerty’s song, “Who’ll Stop the Rain”, for Fogerty’s , Wrote a Song For Everyone in 2013.

But The Man is back with his new, Ride Out, album now and helping us remember that a great rocker and “Old Time Rock ’n’ Roll” is still timeless.

Bob Seger doing “ Old Time Rock ’n’ Roll, Live from Detroit’s Cobo Hall, 1983:

http://youtu.be/PQswfILThsY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQswfILThsY

Above BOB SEGER'S classic 1980 album, " AGAINST THE WIND" with several hits

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LONG JOHN BALDRY: BLUES MENTOR/ROD STEWART & ELTON JOHN

10/18/2014

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(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs. So far: Harry Nilsson, Glen Campbell, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Johnny Rivers, The Rascals, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Badfinger, Bob Marley, etc.)

LONG JOHN BALDRY: BLUES MENTOR/ROD STEWART & ELTON JOHN

Long John Baldry was one of the first to sing blues in British clubs. His bands contained many musicians who would go on to great success; he discovered Rod Stewart and Elton John is named after him. Baldry was 6’7”, and thus his nickname, was “Long John”. In the early 60’s, while singing with Alex Korner’s Blues Incorporated, they recorded the 1st English blues album”, Live at The Marquee, at the club where the future Rolling Stones and Cream’s, Jack Bruce, were some of the musicians sharing the stage with him.

In 63’, he was with the Cyril Davis All Stars, which included pianist, Nicky Hopkins, who would later play on Stones’ and Beatles’ albums. Baldry had befriended the Beatles at the Cavern and appeared on their 1964 TV special, Around the Beatles.

Baldry discovered Rod Stewart, one night busking at a train stop after one of Baldry’s shows, and made him part of his band, The Hoochie Coochie Men. He creates an almost-7 minute opus song about this, “Don’t Try to Lay No Boogie on The King of Rock ’n ’Roll”, for his album, It Ain’t Easy. In 1965, the band became known as Steampacket, with Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger (later to form Trinity). Also in the band was a piano player named Reg Dwight, who changed his name to Elton John, after “Long John” and after Elton Dean (later of Soft Machine) who was in it too. The It Ain’t Easy album, in 1971, was produced, one side each, by Rod Stewart and Elton John, and is a real classic blues-rock record, with Ron Wood, Doris Troy and Madeline Bell also on it. Stewart and Elton John would also co-produce Baldry’s album, Everything Stops for Tea in ’72.

Baldry had a big hit in England with “Let the Heartaches Begin” in ‘67. The Elton John song “ Somebody Saved my Life Today” was about when Elton almost tried to commit suicide, after his failed relationship with a woman, and Baldry had helped talk him out of it(them both coming to grips with being gay), at a time when in England it was still illegal. Baldry was also supposedly the last person to see Marc Bolan of T-Rex alive, before he was killed in an accident in 1977.

In 1968, Long John Baldry moved to Vancouver and became a Canadian citizen. He continued to put out Canadian Juno Award-winning albums and toured and did voice/acting roles. He had another hit with in 1979 with American vocalist, Kathi McDonald, with a re-make of the Righteous Bros., “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”. Baldry died in Vancouver in 1995 at the age of 64.

But he left behind a record of being one of the very first to do blues on the British scene and he had a big influence on a whole generation of later well-known English musicians and recorded some classic songs like his signature, ”Don’t Try to Lay No Boogie on The King of Rock ’n’ Roll”.

In that sense, as a bandleader, he was like another adopted-Canadian, Ronnie Hawkins from Arkansas, who discovered and trained the Hawks (who would later be known as Dylan’s The Band) and also The Sparrows (later Steppenwolf), and several others. Leaders, like Baldry and Hawkins, didn’t always achieve the fame of their once-recruits, but they recognized their potential talents and nurtured them.

LONG JOHN BALDRY below doing his classic, “Don’t Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xod14bpm3UE

http://youtu.be/xod14bpm3UE

See amazing jam below with: Long John Baldry, Eric Burdon, Stevie Winwood, Julie Driscoll and Rod Stewart –“ I Feel Alright” (The Fifth National Jazz and Blues Festival, Richmond, August 8th 1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTmlBiIRk_I

http://youtu.be/sTmlBiIRk_I

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TONY JOE WHITE: "RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA", "POLK SALAD ANNIE"

10/16/2014

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(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs. So far: Harry Nilsson, Glen Campbell, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Johnny Rivers, The Rascals, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Badfinger, Bob Marley, etc.)

TONY JOE WHITE: “RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA”, “PORK SALAD ANNIE”
by Alan L. Chrisman

Tony Joe White is a U.S. Southern singer/songwriter, who is known for his deep baritone voice and his soulful songs: “Rainy Night in Georgia”, a romantic classic for Brook Benton in 1969, and his own funky hit, “Polk Salad Annie” in ’70. These are true R&B classics, covered by everyone from famously, Elvis, to Tom Jones.

White grew up in Louisiana and absorbed the blues all around him. His first album, Black & White, was recorded at the legendary Mussel Shoals Studio and yielded his defining sound and hit, “Polk Salad Annie” and also included a version of “Wichita Lineman” (see article on Glen Campbell and writer Jimmy Webb) in 1969. Brook Benton had several late 50’s and early 60’s hits,“ It’s Just a Matter Of Time” and “Boll Wevil Song” and wrote songs for Nat King Cole, Clyde McPhatter and Dinah Washington. Benton recorded White’s ‘Rainy Night” on his comeback album, Brook Benton Today, produced by Arif Mardin and was a big hit.

Tony Joe White, describing where these two songs came from, said that he had driven a dump truck then and when it rained, he didn’t have to go to work, so he could just play his guitar. And remembering those rainy nights in Georgia, caused him to write that song. Also “Polk” salad was a plant eaten in the South.

White was part of Jerry Lee Lewis’ respected Southern Roots album, with the original Booker T. and the MG’s and also Carl Perkins and Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders (previous article on Paul Revere and “Louie Louie”) and his “Willie and Laura Mae” was on Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis LP in ’69.

He would go on to play on and write several songs, including, “Steamy Windows”, on Tina Turner’s 1989 album, Foreign Affairs, produced by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. White released, Heroines, duets with Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Shelby Lynn and Jesse Colter in 2004. Uncovered was recorded in 2006 with Eric Clapton, J.J. Cale, Michael McDonald, and Knopfler.

Tony Joe White remains a favorite of top musicians and he created songs that perfectly capture that funky/country white R&B sound, as well as anyone.

Tony Joe White, will be appearing as part of Foo Fighter, Dave Grohl’s new documentary series, Sonic Highways, on well-respected American regional musicians, which makes its debut on HBO-TV, this Friday, Oct. 17.

Tony Joe White doing his own, “Rainy Night in Georgia”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf7GrgbE8cg

http://youtu.be/Jf7GrgbE8cg

& see Tony Joe White doing his funky, “Polk Salad Annie”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrT-TQTLoiw&feature=youtu.be

http://youtu.be/WrT-TQTLoiw

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HARRY NILSSON: "WITHOUT YOU", SINGER/SONGWRITER

10/14/2014

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(This is part of a series of blogs I’ve been doing on some of the groups and on some of the perhaps lesser-known songwriters and players behind some of rock’s classic artists and songs)-so far: Glen Campbell, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Johnny Rivers, The Rascals, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Badfinger, Bob Marley, etc.)

HARRY NILSSON: “WITHOUT YOU”, SINGER/SONGWRITER

by Alan L. Chrisman

Harry Nilsson, singer/songwriter, had quite the life; several hits and albums, and was friends with The Beatles. He had hits with “Everybody’s Talking” (’69), “Without You” (‘71) and “Coconut” (’72). He also wrote “One”, a hit for Three Dog Night.

He also had many ups and downs, perhaps fitting for someone whose grandparents were circus performers and whose father left when he was two. He got work at an early age, as a bank clerk, because he was self-trained on computers, but wrote songs at night.

He struggled for several song writing years, until he released his first real album, Pandemonium Side Show, in 1966. It contained a cover of The Beatles’ song ” You Can’t Do That” and other re-created sounds that impressed The Beatles and they proclaimed him as their favorite American artist, which helped raise his profile. In 1968, Nilsson released his 2nd album, Ariel Ballet, with a song by Fred Neil, “Everybody’s Talkin’”, that became a hit from the movie Midnight Cowboy with Dustin Hoffman and John Voigt.

Nilsson worked for Phil Spector and wrote “One “ ( ‘is the loneliest number’) for Three Dog Night and songs for The Monkees and their film, Head, directed by Jack Nicholson. He had another hit with “I Guess the Lord Must Live in NYC”, originally written for Midnight Cowboy. In 1970, Nilsson dedicated a whole album to a little known songwriter at the time, Randy Newman, Nilsson Sings Newman.

He next did the soundtrack to a children’s animation feature, The Point, about a child that doesn’t fit in with the song, “Me and My Arrow”. But in 1971, Nilsson had a #1 with his version of Beatles-produced band, Badfinger’s (see my previous article on Badfinger) classic song, “Without You”, on his album Nilsson Schmilsson which also had the hits, “ Coconut” and “Jump in The Fire”.

But Nilsson, despite his success, was always trying different directions, and who rarely performed live, then turned to covers of 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s songwriters like Irving Berlin, with fascinating renditions of “As Time Goes By” and “It Had to be You”, etc., with a full orchestra, on his “ A Touch of Schmilsson in The Night “ album.

Then in 1973, during John Lennon infamous “long weekend”, when separated from Yoko, Lennon produced Nilsson’s Pussy Cats LP. The result is an interesting combination of original songs and old rock covers like “ “Rock around The Clock”, Jimmy Cliff’s “ Many Rivers To Cross” and Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, with drinking buddies, Ringo and The Who’s Keith Moon on drums and Jesse Ed Davis on guitar. But When John Lennon was killed in 1980, Nilsson took it particularly hard, and he and his song writing was never the same.

The flat Nilsson had in London, near the Beatles’ Apple headquarters, which he rented out to other musicians was also tragically the location, where both Mama Cass Elliot in ’74, and later Keith Moon in ’78, died. And Nilsson found out in 1990 that his financial advisor had stolen all the money he had made from his recordings and he only had $300 in the bank. He would die in 1994 of heart failure and a 2-Cd retrospective of his work was released in 1995.

So Harry Nilsson, singer/songwriter, had quite the life; a close friend of The Beatles and an eclectic writer of some great songs and albums which are highly recommended.

See below Harry Nilsson do Badfinger’s “Without You”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bQGRRolrg0

http://youtu.be/_bQGRRolrg0

HARRY NILSSON'S SONGS RETROSPECTIVE-2CD'S.

JOHN LENNON PRODUCED HARRY NILSSON"S 1974 ALBUM, "PUSSYCATS", WITH RINGO, KEITH MOON, JESSE ED DAVIS, ETC. A COMBINATION OF ORIGINAL SONGS & CLASSIC ROCK'N' ROLL COVERS

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GLEN CAMPBELL: "RHINESTONE COWBOY", GUITAR PLAYER & Jimmy Webb, Songwriter

10/12/2014

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Glen Campbell: “Rhinestone Cowboy”, Guitar Player, & Jimmy Webb’, Songwriter
by Alan L. Chrisman

Glen Campbell has recently announced that because he has Alzheimers, he has recorded his last songs and a documentary on him, called I’ll Be Me is being released. He had many hits throughout the late 60’s and 70’s, among which are: “Gentle on my Mind”, “ By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Galveston”, “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights”. But some people may not know that before that, he was also a session guitarist as part of "The Wrecking Crew” , a much-used L.A. collective of musicians, who played on many artists’ recordings and hits: The Mamas and The Papas (“ California Dreamin’”), Beach Boys (”Good Vibrations”, “California Girls” , “Pet Sounds”, The Byrds’,( “ Mr. Tamborine Man”), Simon and Garfunkle, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, The Carpenters, Phil Spector, The Monkees, 5th Dimension, and many, many more.

Glen Campbell grew up in Arkansas in a sharecropping family of 12. He was a later part of The Champs, who had an instrumental hit, “Tequilla” in 1958 and in ‘64 he toured with the Beach Boys, replacing Brian Wilson. But in 1967, Campbell had his first big hit with John Hartford’s “Gentle on my Mind”. Then he followed up with the best sellers, “By the Time I get To Phoenix”, and” Wichita Lineman”, both written by Jimmy Webb. I mentioned Jimmy Webb in my earlier article on Johnny Rivers. As I said, Rivers first discovered Webb, recording the first version of “Phoenix” in 1966 and with “Up Up and Away” for the 5th Dimension, which Rivers produced. Webb would also write a giant hit for actor Richard Harris, ““McArthur Park”, a seven minute extravaganza in ’68.

In 1968, Campbell would be a summer replacement for the very popular Smothers Bros.TV Show, which would lead to his own show from ’69-“72, in which he had many musical guests like John Hartford, Anne Murray, and Jerry Reed.

“Galveston”, another Jimmy Webb composition was a chart-topper too. And in the mid-70’s, Campbell hit with his biggest seller, “Rhinestone Cowboy” and with New Orlean’s Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights”. Campbell also did some acting, appearing in John Wayne’s film, “True Grit” in ’69.

Jimmy Webb, songwriter, would continue to write songs for Linda Ronstadt, Barbra Streisand, John Denver, etc. He also released several solo albums throughout the 70’s of his own songs, including Words and Pictures(’70), which includes a reference to fellow songwriter ,“P. F. Sloan”, (“Eve of Destruction”, “Secret Agent Man”) whom I again talked about in my article on Johnny Rivers.

Glen Campbell, singer and guitar player, had several hits and played on many others, not credited. Not bad for a southern boy and guitar picker! Campbell, because of his advancing Alzheimers, doesn’t always recognize some people, but can still, evidently, sometimes play his guitar.

See below GLEN CAMPBELL doing Jimmy Webb songs medley:

http://youtu.be/CbTCTbGjfck