Archive for Music - page 8

Today let me walk you down memory lane for a little one hit wonder action – 1970’s style, baby!  I have often referenced the AM Radio Top 40 format in my past music posts, and so these songs are songs that made the charts and therfore received play time on AM radio in the 70’s.  Now, just because these songs were on the charts doesn’t mean they were good.  I’m conviced that a couple of these made the charts simply because they sounded very much like popular bands of the day.  Everybody in?  Seatbelts on?  Please keep your hand and feet inside the vehicle…here we go.

OK, just so I don’t piss you off immediately, the first song is actually a good song, and you may still hear it on the radio if you listen to a classic rock station.  It is What You Won’t do For Love by  early “Blue Eyed Soul” artist Bobby Caldwell.

That is one Mellow Groove.  Next up is an American group called “The Ides of March”.  They must have been Shakespeare fans (they were).  Anyhoo…this song is titled simply Vehicle.  You may recognize it – you also may recognize that it sounds very much like “Blood Sweat and Tears” who were very a popular band at this time with several hit records of their own.  It’s possible that was the formula – pick a popular band and imitate their sound as closely as possible.  Here’s Vehicle:

Not bad…and yep.  A lot like Blood Sweat and Tears.  OK, I saved the worst for last.  I’m not kidding.  I can’t exactly tell you not to listen to this song since I’m the one who posted it, but you probably won’t make it all the way through, I’ll bet.  I’m pretty sure these guys were trying to cash in on sounding very much like the Bee Gees – the band is Tin Tin and the song is Toast and Marmalade for Tea

That is horrible.  I don’t know how it charted.  I had initially thought of doing this entire post with bad songs like that.  God knows there were plenty of them!  Now I’m glad I didn’t.  Please forgive me for that one.  But if you can remember any stinkers and wish to relive the trauma, leave them in the comments and maybe I’ll treat..I mean punish everyone with them in a future post.

Boys and Girls, please remain in the car until it comes to a complete stop….and thank you for visiting!  Please come again and have a great day!

Because I felt like sayin’ a little prayer

These three things I pray…Amen

My second Music Friday post is related to the first in that it is somewhat of a prequel to my Happy Birthday Paul McCartney post directly below this one.  This post features a Paul McCartney song from the Beatles final album, the last Beatles album recorded before McCarntey’s solo career began – Abbey Road.  The song is: You Never Give Me Your Money:

Someone may say that Let it Be was the Beatles last album, which is at least technically correct in that it was released after Abbey Road;  However it was recorded before Abbey Road.  And so chronologically, in terms of the life of the group, Abbey Road is their final album.

Personal history note:  when this album was released there was a rumor that Paul McCartney had died and that the news was being kept secret;  However… there were clues secretly recorded on the album.  A friend of mine and I, using a small cheap reel to reel tape recorder (3″ or 4″ reels), recorded and played back in reverse some parts of the album.  There was no smoking gun, but there was some weird stuff on there which I have to assume was done intentionally.  I don’t remember the deatails now, but it was enough to make a couple teenagers say “Whoa…” (the word “dude” had not yet entered the lexicon).

…Belated…to Sir Paul McCartney who turned 72 this week.  Happy Birthday to you!

It would be nearly impossible to overstate the success that Paul McCartney has had in music.  Whether his music is defined as art or business, or whether  the artist himself is defined as a composer or performer, Paul McCartney is one of the most prolific, popular and influential musicians of all time.  However, one can’t think of McCartney without also thinking of The Beatles – a band that is a rock icon in it’s own right.  In the light of history, the Beatles episode would only turn out to be McCartney’s overture.  It seemed like The Beatles served merely as a showcase for Lennon’s and McCartney’s talent, often to the consternation of Ringo and George.  Perhaps their breakup after all was a blessing since afterward we were able to fully experience the offerings of all four bandmates.

Not intending this to be a complete McCartney biography, I do intend to focus on his “birth” as a solo artist with some of his first solo works released post-Beatles. Per my usual format I have selected three songs that may be slightly obscure,  since I’d like to show you something you may not have heard before, or at least something you haven’t heard in a while or very often.

First up is a song from Pauls’ first solo album McCartney, sometimes known as the “cherries” album because of the cover art.  This is the album that produced the mega-hit Maybe I’m Amazed;  perhaps you’ve heard it a time or two over the past 40 years – unless you’ve been in a cave.

Anyhoo…this song is titled “Teddy Boy”.  Enjoy:

Next up area a couple songs from his second album, Ram.  This album was quite successful and several songs from this album made the charts, notably Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and Another Day.  The first track is Too Many People:

Now that I think about it, that track may have also reached the charts – I seem to recall it getting some radio play.  though I could be mis-remembering because I listend to the crap out of this ablbum when it came out.  The final birthday offering is Ram On:

Doesn’t he make it seem effortless?  He had no formal music training, was (is?) largely self-taught, plays guitars, bass, keyboards and drums.  So, again, Happy Birthday!  And THANKS!

PS – You may wish to click on the Admiral Halsey link – the YouTube video contains what looks like some PM home video that I hadn’t seen before.  Interesting! -MS

While I was compiling the previous Goodbye Yellow Brick Road post, I came across the following song from the Tumbleweed Connection album and I had to share it as it is one of my all-time favorite songs.  Enjoy:

My goal with this week’s Music Friday – Yellow Brick Road Edition was to find an artist who is virtually a household name and perhaps introduce you to a few of his more obscure songs from my formative years, which are?  Anyone?   Bueller?  That’s right, the 70’s!  And by way of maintaining the connection to progressive or alt rock, I can tell you that Elton John, while he was still known by his real name Reginald Dwight, once auditioned for lead singer of King Crimson.  And you can’t get any more prog or alt than King Crimson.  Obviously, he did not pass the audition.  Though he teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin in the 60’s and his debut album Empty Sky was released in 1969, it was his 1970 album Elton John that established his style and contained his first US Top 100 single, Your Song.  Anyhoo... back to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  The double album was released in early 1973 to instant critical acclaim, and yielded the hits Bennie and the Jets, Candle In The Wind as well as the title track, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  If you click on those titles, the link will take you to YouTube where you can listen to those songs.  For my purposes today, I will feature three  songs you may not be familiar with if you haven’t listened to the album tens of thousands of times like I have.  You think I’m exaggerating…

First up:  Harmony (not hominy as someone suggested in the YouTube comments)

Next up:  This Song Has No Title.  Actually is does have a title – that is the title.

Finally we’ll ride off into the sunset with Roy Rogers

Elton John and Bernie Taupin collaborated on something like 30 albums, and they did not work together.  Taupin would write a set of lyrics and then send them, usually through the mail, to John wherever he was.  John would then put the lyrics to music.  Well.. whatever works.  And this works!

There are usually threads that run through the various aspects of my life, connecting them into one giant…big giant connected thing.  I’ll have to think about that and come back to it.  Anyhoo…that is true with my likes in music, too.  One of the bands I like is Asia, two of the members come from other bands I like.  The drummer, Carl Palmer is of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.  Greg Lake of ELP was briefly part of Asia as well.  The guitarist, Steve Howe is from YES.  Not a lot else to say about this one…aging rockers all a round, but they can still play.  Here’s Asia live performing Sole Survivor.  Lotta bald spots in the audience – and that’s the women!  Badda-Bing!.  A  sign of the times I guess.

Since I was the youngest of four siblings I was influenced by the music my brother and sisters listened to.  Eventually I got old enough to discern my own musical tastes – I remember asking my father to buy me a record – a single or a 45 of  The Animals  “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” when I was about 9 years old, my first acquisition of music that was my own.

I was fortunate in that my older brother with whom I shared a room was also interested in music and so had a record player, later a stereo, and some music.  I had his stereo to play my music on and his collection to listen to.  Since I usually destroyed most of his stuff like little brothers often do, I’m sure I scratched most of his records and roached a few of the stereo’s needles.  Of course there was no malice aforethought – but still – sorry Ted!  However, most of the time it was the radio that supplied the music.  When I say radio, I mean AM Top 40 radio as that was the format of that era.  And that was enough for some years, but as the sixties waned, the music scene was evolving too.  Stereo setups became a little more sophisticated, usually incorporating a tuner/amplifier with an FM band.  FM stations began to spring up with what was known as album-oriented formats or free form programming.  Bottom line is there were no playlists, the DJs played pretty much whatever they wanted.  The first one I was exposed to was KSAN, a San Fransisco station – as I recall it was because the father of a high school friend of mine had a Cadillac with an FM radio.  A little later, local station KZAP came along.  These stations provided access to progressive or alternate rock like Genesis, YES, Emerson, Lake &Palmer, etc. that was never heard on AM because of the Top 40 format.  AM radio was still very much alive, however, since most cars only had AM radios and we kids were still a few years off from our own cars and having money for after market sound sysytems.  Eventually the free form FM format died out, apparently not commercial enough to succeed.  No matter – the internet was born.  Thank you Al Gore!  I couldn’t do this without YouTube!

So you have a little glimpse into what happened to turn me into the maladjusted developmentally arrested freak I am today.  Did I say that out loud?  What I meant is now you know why I subject you to these music offerings each Friday.  If you have a music question, a band you’d like to know more about or a song request, leave it in the comments – I’ll do what I can.

Here’s a little of that ELP – don’t be frightened!  This is on the mellow side.  You’ll see it’s all clear…You were meant to be here…from the beginning

…but it all comes down to you.

I give you Stevie Nicks – well, Fleetwood Mac really.  But this song is all Stevie.

If you’ve ever seen Stevie Nicks interviewed then you know she is…interesting.  She definitely has the artist vibe going.  Maybe I’ll expand on that one of these music Fridays.

…so we’ll continue our mellow Music Friday with this screeching guitar solo…just kidding!  We’re going MELLOW today.  This next one’s so mellow you may want to get grab a cup of coffee to stay alert.  Hopping off from the last post, I have another Dan Fogelberg song from his Souvenirs album, which you might remember was produced by…hint…it was in one of last Friday’s music posts…give up?  The answer is Joe Walsh produced Souvenirs.  Here is the title track:

Bonus backtrack:  mellow + Eagles + Joe Walsh = Pretty Maids All In a Row