Spinning on the turntable this weekend.............well or the MP3 player.

The Hissing of Summers Lawns - Joni Mitchell

Back to Mono - Phil Spector

Electric Rendezvous - Al di Meola

Christine McVie - Christine McVie

Under the Covers Vol. 2 - Matthew Sweet & Suzanna Hoffs

At War With the Mystics - The Flaming Lips

Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain but all my cares just drift right into space on the roof

Songs Everyone Should Know

“Up on the Roof” by Carole King and James Taylor (2010)

Holy crap where do I begin! There is so much historical significance here I fear I can barely scratch the surface, but I will try to give you an idea or two.

This album from last year has a good cover of the song the Drifters¹ originally made famous in 1963. That is where we start..........

Married when they were teenagers Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin worked as part of the song writing team in the Brill Building in New York. (in Manhattan not far from the famous Tin Pan Alley – another story, another time).  The Brill Building is important for song writing and publishing that pre-dates World War I.  This is where ‘Big Band’ hits were pounded out. You might think this sounds sort of contrived, but music was big business. Was there a formula for a hit song? Arguably the results speak for themselves. You could cut a demo, find a manager, find a publisher, and find someone to release your work all in one building. Song writers worked in cramped rooms side-by-side to craft the next pop hit, competing head- to- head, under a lot of pressure to find that elusive song. Carole and Gerry were deep in the mix.   

Carole King went on to be one of the biggest female singers of the ‘70s with the pinnacle of her career coming with the album “Tapestry” in 1971, number 1 album on the charts for 15 weeks and staying on the charts for some 300 weeks.  It was huge and Carole became a household name. No more being stuck in the little cubby hole in the Brill Building!

Interestingly Carole and Gerry’s daughter Louise Goffin is a talented singer-songwriter but never hit the big time like her famous parents. (I like her first album ‘Kid Blue’, with songs like “Red Lite Fever”, and “All I’ve Got to Do” and some help from her famous parent’s producer friend Danny Kortchmar¹⁾. Her most recent album “Sometimes a Circle” of 2002 is a much more mature effort.

A bit obscure, my favourite Carole King song to this day is “Main Street Saturday Night”. A kind of disco-era one-off describing American teen culture – a good reprieve from all the disco at the time really.  She also put out a very cool version of “One Fine Day” which was a number one hit by the Chiffons that Carole and Gerry wrote (actually originally intended for Little Eva, their babysitter of ” Locomotion” fame)

If you look under “singer-song writer” the definition will likely be ‘James Taylor’. “Fire and Rain” and “You’ve Got a Friend” were huge for James in the early ‘70’s. Anthems for the underdog! This is where we first get our connection to Carole King – She Wrote “You’ve Got a Friend”. If you want a good primer for James Taylor I would give the album “Sweet Baby James” a listen. Sweet Baby James was a song he wrote for his brother’s recently born baby that he called ‘James’ after his famous uncle. He purportedly wrote this on his way back from touring England with this ‘Fire and Rain’ fame requiring him to tour.

Finally, The Troubadour coffee house built in Los Angeles (1967) was originally modeled after the Troubadour coffee house in England – the sign even looks the same.  Serious music fans have gone here to see artists ever since. It is on the famous Santa Monica Boulevard (referenced by Sheryl Crow in her 1993 ‘All I Wanna Do’.)  If you were crusin’ in your stingray late on night³ you probably would drive by it.

Everybody and his dog has played here include Carole and James, but also Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, and even Guns N’ Roses, and Motley Crue.

This album is worth a listen for its own sake never mind the myriad of music history here.

1.       The Drifters -Popular doo-wop group popular in the late '50's early '60's.

2.       Danny Kortchmar produced many famous artists, including but certainly not limited to Don Henley, Jackson Browne, and Hall & Oats.

3.       Refers to the Jan and Dean song “Deadpan’s Curve” 1964.

Carole King & James Taylor - Up On the Roof (Live)

Thanks to all who have been enjoying Davo-rama Music! We had over 250 hits this week. Keep sharing with friends and family that may enjoy it. Cheers!

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life (Prince, 1984)

Fun Fact of the Week

Besides being a bizillionaire, Prince is a very prolific song writer. Some of his shared successful efforts include – Manic Monday by The Bangles, Stand Back by Stevie Nicks, Pray by M.C. Hammer, Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O’Connor, When you Were Mine by Cyndi Lauper, and A Love Bizarre by Sheila E.

Tommy James & the Shondells - Crystal Blue Persuasion.wmv

Do You Think You're Alone Now?

70's Pick of the Week

“Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James and the Shondells (1969)

So this is technically a 1969 release but it had such an impact on the ‘70’s I claim artistic license to include it here. When I was talking to a buddy, Stu a few months ago it reminded me of this childhood memory-

When I was about 10 years old, we were visiting a friend of my parents who had a son about 3 or four years older than me.  Being very impressionable, particularly where music was concerned, this was an important evening as it would turn out.

Jimmy, besides being a chemistry nut and having the new spirograph, (you know the real fancy one that came out later), and was totally into music. He asked me if I had any records. I told him I had a few K-Tels but that was about it. He laughed and said “You have to hear this record”. He proceeded to put this strange small record (45) on his little record player and out came “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James and the Shondells. I was ‘knocked out’ as they would say at the time. I just sat there and listened to it over and over and over.  (I had seen LP records, like the big ones, because my Dad had many of them but never had I really noticed one of these before that I recall..........)

After what seemed like an hour, Jimmy’s mother yells up the stairs – “Would you shut that noise off Jimmie!” Off came the record and Jimmy ran down stairs with me in hot pursuit to find out what this ball of fire was up to next. Into the living room where everyone was sitting around he announced that we were watching TV because the “Tom Jones” show was on.  Jimmy flipped the channels (yes manually in those days) till we saw Tom singing “Delilah” I think it was.( I am thinking “Whassup with the ‘fro dude? ......not really, I was 10)

By the time I went home that night I had learned: 45s are cool. Tommy James and the Shondells are cool. Tom Jones is cool (although I don’t really understand the whole thing with the women fawning over him), Jimmy was cool. And music itself is very cool!  Quite a lot to take in, in one evening for a 10 year old.

 Tommy James knew what he wanted to do from a very early age – be a rock star. He thought well, Elvis can do this, so can I. I remember something David W said to me once in school, “I want to be a movie producer, what are you going to do?" I told him I did not have a flippin’ clue........of course he is a movie producer now and Tommy became a rock star. I on the other hand I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.

Tommy James first single “Hanky Panky” was recorded when he was in high school and became a bit of a local hit. Not getting the attention he thought he should, Tommy kept at it and a few years later it was dug up and became a hit. Eventually it was recorded on Roulette records.

Still not getting the public exposure he thought he should get, Tommy shleped his demo around.No one would talk to him and he was getting frustrated. Finally Jerry Wexler (of Atlantic records fame) told him that Morris Leavy of Roulette records had called him and everyone else and told him to “back off, it is our record!”.

You see, Rouleete records was a front for the Mob. As a result, the Shondells never did get a fair share of royalties. The upside though was, Roulette was a small label and they let Tommy do whatever he wanted as long as he was pumping out the hits. No pressure!

As my daughter and I were talking the other night, at the time, singles (in  45 rpm format)  were what you needed to succeed. They came first before the album. It has come almost full circle now as Lady Gaga puts out her songs one at a time. (It would be great if they put out a Lady Gaga 45!)

Tommy James and the Shondells have sold over 110 million records so far, so you have to know some of these, or at least their successful covers:

·        Mony, Mony (later covered by Billy Idol)

·        Crimson and Clover (later covered by Joan Jett)

·        Draggin’ the Line (later covered by R.E.M. for “The Spy Who Shagged me”

·        I Think We’re alone now (later covered by Tiffany) 

 

·        Sweet Cherry Wine

And finally-

·        Crystal Blue Persuasion (a Jimmy favourite that sold some 3 million copies)

Another interesting tidbit with ‘Mony, Mony’ was that apparently Tommy was under the gun to come up with a song (maybe literally). He was staying in a hotel in New York and  looked out the window for inspiration. There was a sign that said ‘Mutual of New York’. The legend is that this became the inspiration for MONY, MONY. Who knows?

Thanks Jimmy. Still love TJ & the Shondells!

What Davo-rama is listening to this week

Here is what I am listening to this week-

4 non-Blondes – Bigger, Better, Faster, More!

Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes   

Tom Waits - Closing Time

Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All these Years

Quicksilver Messenger Sevice - Happy Trails

 

Elvis Presley... Good Rockin' Tonight - 1954 (Rockabilly)

If You Could Bring a Dead Rock Star Back to Life, Who Would it Be?

Dead Rock Stars You Should Know

Elvis Presley 1935-1977
John Lennon 1940-1980
Jimi Hendrix 1942-1970
Kurt Cobain 1967-1994
Jim Morrison 1943-1971
Marc Bolan 1947-1977
John Bonham 1948 -1980
Nick Drake 1948-1974
Freddy Mercury 1946-1991
Michael Jackson 1958-2009
George Harrison 1943-2001
Roy Orbison 1936-1988
Peter Tosh 1944-1987
Dennis Wilson 1944-1983
Doug Bennett 1951-2004
And if you are much younger than me:
The Notorious B.I.G. 1972-1997
Tupac Shakur 1971-1996 You know all of these right?

The Pretenders - My City Was Gone

Went Back to Ohio but My City Was Gone........

Pick of the Week

“My City Was Gone” by The Pretenders (1982)

From the very cool “Learning to Crawl” album which sustains it’s poise to this day. Certianly my favourite Pretenders album.

My friend Scotty B. actually gave me the idea to revisit this song a few weeks ago when we talked about the economic conditions in Cleveland and Detroit. The social and economic implications ring clearly through here. 

From the loose, vibrant opening base riff to the guitar interplay of a very tight band this song rocks! The sultry, breathy Chrissie Hynde reminds us of how fragile an urban setting can be and this is so apropos with the economy in the U.S. right now. Her concerns are as valid now as they were then - Cleveland is in tough shape.

Chrissie Hynde is the picture of tenacity and an interesting story..........From Akron Ohio, and in classic style an art school graduate, she landed in the punk scene in London in 1976. )She was in the U.K. and France earlier trying to form a band to no avail She had worked a bit as a writer for the U.K. NME (New Music Express) but really was trying to form a band. She responded to an ad in NME to form a band with what would become the punk band 999, who I once had the pleasure to meet.  (I  had the keys to the games room and let them in to play Galaga – nice guys!)

Anyway, Chrissie did not succeed in that band and was asked by Malcolm McLaren, famous for his management of the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols to leave the group just as it became ‘The Damned’ (produced by Nick Lowe).  One might give up, but Chrissie didn’t. 

Finally in 1978 with the help of Dave Hill of Real Records Chrissie put together “The Pretenders”. I think this was based on the song ‘The Great Pretender’ by the Platters – feeling kind of that way at this point I’m sure.

So the result was The Pretenders by the Pretenders (produced by Nick Lowe – he put out “Labour of Lust" with “Cruel to be Kind” the very next year – great album BTW)). A great first effort including a single called “Brass in Pocket” that finally made Chrissie famous!  

 Usually I do not like versions of songs for tributes, commemorations or ‘causes’ as the efforts can be less than stellar. The artists come together at the last minute, don’t practice and produce lacklustre results. There are exceptions though and a sweet surprise is a version of this song done for the “The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” in 1996.