The past couple of days, Mary Kit has been singing,
"Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona Such a fine sight to see It's a girl my Lord in a flat-bed Ford Slowin' down to take a look at me" (from Take it Easy)...
So this gets me singing in my head one of my favorite songs, actually the final medley from the Eagles 1973 album Desperado, Doolin' Daltons/Desperado (Reprise). This album came out when I was a senior in high school when themed albums were still being done by bands. If you didn't get a chance to see the History of the Eagles tour from 2013 to this past July, the band shows video of their old west shootout scenes featuring Jackson Browne and JD Souther who contributed to the concept and song writing on the album. I was especially thrilled to see Bernie Leadon join the stage with the Eagles on this tour. Glenn Frey wished Randy Meisner well and if you know anything about the Eagles recent history, Don Felder wasn't even mentioned. I do recommend seeing the documentary film, History of the Eagles (Netflix, Showtime), where you can learn many tidbits like the Felder feud and other back stories.
Next up and in my head this past week, a couple of songs from Neil Young's 1970, After the Gold Rush. I absolutely wore this vinyl record out on my bedroom record player. It is a classic with Tell Me Why and Only Love Can Break Your Heart as two more favorites of mine since I was a sophmore in high school. I remember once writing my first girl friend a letter (whom I had broken up with as a freshman) and included the lyrics to Tell Me Why. She wrote back and said she didn't understand what the hell I was trying to say to her. Well, being a 16 year old kid, I probably didn't know what I was trying to say either. So who better for me to quote than the brilliant and often abstract Neil Young.
I'll take these three gems and include them in My 100 Songs playlist and enjoy your music Monday!
Today, I'm introducing a new blog theme segment where I will feature 100 of my all-time favorite songs, over time. I plan to focus on one or two songs per blog. I've also created My 100 Songs YouTube playlist and you'll see the rated order slowly emerge from 1-100. So play along with me Monday readers and start your own list too!
The idea and motivation for starting this list is my response to Rolling Stone magazine's Lists. Rolling Stone has been doing all kinds of lists for years which has been highly successful in marketing their magazine. However, the more lists they make, it seems the less relevant they are becoming. I'm a list kind of person myself, but this recent list of 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, got me thinking. Any list like this is subjective, but when you're shooting for the middle to currently satisfy the most people, you are actually satisfying no one. Their title is the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, really, of all time? You know they meant the last 60 or so years of rock 'n roll, but they should have got the title right, right? Not to mention that R. Kelly is #80 and Björk is #81 on this all time list, need I say more.
So, I think I can do as good with my boomer rock 'n roll years of experience and picking my own favorite songs sounds like a fun writing exercise.
The first song to add to my100 is, The Water is Wide by Karla Bonoff from her 1979 album, Restless Nights and produced by her longtime collaborator, Kenny Edwards (1946-2010). The Water is Wide is a traditional Scottish folk song that has been performed by countless artists over the years, but I have always favored Karla's version the best. Karla's and Kenny's arrangement of the song features: Karla and James Taylor on acoustic guitars, James in one of his best backup vocal recordings ever (with J.D. Souther too) and Garth Hudson from the Band, playing a longing accordion that gives the song it's seaworthy roots. This song is simply the love song of all love songs. Be prepared to shed a tear for that one person in your heart who means more than anything to you.
My friends, Jane and Paul Hobbs lent me their book, Born Standing Upby Steve Martin (2007). Last Wednesday night, I sat down to start reading this book and didn't put it down until I finished it. Like many, I've always liked Steve's comedy as he emerged to be the most successful stand-up comedian in the late 70's and then walked away from that part of his career in 1981. I highly recommend this book as he takes his personal circumstances and local environment to build a career born out of his pure motivation and creativity.
If you've followed my Monday blogs since I started this writing exercise in January, you'll recognize my central theme to date- musicians who gained fame in the 60's and 70's, but continually strive for a level of creativity throughout their lives. I just have an affinity for people like Steve Martin who build and build, have a huge hit cycle and then keep building and moving forward. Steve Martin is a study of creativity whether he is writing and/or performing in television, movies, plays, music, books, etc. In the book, Martin as a college student puzzles about his favorite poet, E. E. Cummings' quote, “Like the burlesque comedian, I am abnormally fond of that precision which creates movement.” As his stand-up act is honed into a finely tuned machine, he comes to understand Cummings and reflects, "Precision was moving the plot forward, was filling every moment with content, was keeping the audience engaged."
Earlier this year, Paul had given me the 2013 CD of
Steve Martin's and Edie Brickell's, Love Has Come For You. This is a fantastic collaboration as Steve is a first class banjo player working alongside the wonderful voice of Edie Brickell. This is a musical match and they know it as they are about to release their second album together this October 30th, So Familiar. Hey Paul, please, I got this one covered for you when it comes out, I'll get us both copies.
Now, I'm going to stop writing and start working on a Steve Martin YouTube Playlist. Hope you enjoy the creative and wildly diverse Steve Martin.
breach
/brēCH/
noun
1. an act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct.
2. a gap in a wall, barrier, defense, (or period in time)
verb
1. make a gap in and break through (a wall, barrier, or defense).
2. (of a whale) rise and break through the surface of the water.
I googled the definition of breach to help me organize my thoughts for this week and help describe all my feelings from the experience of finally seeing Jackson Browne live, after all these years.
It was a wonderful concert. Jackson Browne at 66 still having a great singing voice, looking great and playing with a fantastic band behind him. The crowd was excited to see him and none more than San Diego's Bill Walton who'll I just say was our hands-raised after every song best representative. Bill, of course, just stands out. I spotted him right after the first song when the lights went up, sitting tall in the middle of the middle floor rows, kind of like he was just mixed in with the rest of us.
As Jackson gets into his set, this is when the breach part starts to creep into my mind. He isn't just playing a good-time summer re-run show of his 1970's hits, he's playing a lot of his 2014 album, Standing in the Breach. I love it, most of the crowd being the gray hairs we are, are very respectful giving heartfelt applause after each song. But then I start feeling a small but growing lack of attention vibe around me. The couple to my left start having a lengthy conversation. Two ladies right behind my wife, Mary Kit and I have actually been talking straight through the first several songs and seem oblivious when the volume drops and Jackson's voice is the lead instrument. We both use the quarter head turn around maneuver several times before they kind of get the visual hint to pipe down.
Now Jackson's also being Jackson as he makes several politically left comments throughout HIS show and anyone has just got to know that before buying a ticket or they haven't been paying attention to him in the last 45 years. Now the dude to the right of Mary Kit is a different sort. He is whistling loudly, even during some soft parts of songs until the guy in front of him turns around and tells him, "You're annoying." But here's the weird part, whenever Jackson makes a political remark, the dude yells, "bullshit!" It's like a time warp- Man, I loved you when I had long hair in the seventies and smoked pot, but now that I've grown into a conservative, I'd wish you'd just play the rock 'n roll and please stop talking. I'm thinking, did this dude ever listen to the words of any Jackson Browne song like, Before the Deluge?
So Jackson's playing on, starts at 8:05 and ends a little after 11:00 pm with a 15-minute break in between. He has a strong set (here is the list), the band in total sync, calm and in command. This past week, I read a review of his show in Pittsburgh, Oct. 2014, Concert review: Jackson Browne tour puts the focus on new songs. You can read it, but the reviewer basically blasts Browne for having the audacity to play his new songs when people like him should only show up for the last half hour when he plays his rocking hits of the 70's. This undoubtedly is the same tired review all great musician's get ad nauseam after world stage success early in their careers and cursed for writing and performing anything new to the masses after their major hit cycle. Jackson actually handles these situations with humor. During the concert, he remarked after several insistent fans kept shouting at him to sing one of his old hits (and I paraphrase), "Our relationship is like a marriage, you keep saying it and I want to do just the opposite. And, as we often say in marriage, I heard you the first time."
So, I read the breach definition and had a couple of thoughts. First, the crowd was great but some were bored liked the reviewer above as they themselves failed to hold their own attention to something new and just wanted the familiar. Second, was Jackson himself, a whale rising and breaking through the surface of the ocean. May we all continue to break through in the things we do and with the support of others (whatever the size of our personal fanbase) actively attending in the process.
Here are the lyrics to Standing in the Breach. I love his belief that self-determination is the key, that no matter natural or man-made disasters, it's only each one of us to make or rebuild our world in the place that it can be.
One last thing, you love rock 'n roll, so The Birds of St. Marks is a song in your wheelhouse that Jackson Browne wrote in 1967 and recorded on the new album. For me, this was my favorite moment last Wednesday night. The moment when you get that excitement rush, like when a band and a song all come together.
My friend Jeff McCarthy posted this wonderful Youtube video of Cilla Black on Facebook, the day after she passed away on August 1st in Spain.
It's always emotional to watch an artist who has recently died and then you watch them on video or film working in their prime. Well, this one got me big time as I've watched this piece several times this past week. Jeff is a huge Beatle fan and I have great memories of friends Jeff and Paul Hobbs playing Beatle songs in their band, Hobbs, McCarthy, Landers and Gooding at the Santa Maria Airport and the Santa Barbara County Fair. My point here is that influence begets influence as it's shared and passed on and on. The Beatles were big fans of Cilla Black and when you put her in Abbey Road Studios with George Martin and Burt Bacharach, you know that some magic was going to result. Alfie, the song was a big hit for Dionne Warwick in the US but also a big hit for Cilla Black in the UK and used in promoting the film, Alfie released
in March of 1966. (I didn't realize this, but Cher's version of the song was actually used in the movie credits roll itself. I don't think I need to comment.)
I will say that both Black's and Warwick's versions of Alfie are classics and propelled the Hal David and Burt Bacharach tune to be one of the most iconic songs of the 1960's.
When George Martin says, "Those opening lines, What's it all about Alfie, I think is one of the nicest things I've ever heard." He is referring to Cilla Black's voice and as Jeff said in his post, "What a song. And what a voice." I couldn't have said it better. And thank you, Jeff for your posts, I hope we can see each other someday again in the future.
Enjoy these two videos of Cilla Black, may she rest in peace.
If you look at the tour schedules for bands and individuals from the 60's and 70's, you'll be amazed (or maybe not) of how many acts are still currently touring. It seems that 'older' rock 'n roll acts represent at least 50% of the current concerts, when in fact, most of these acts haven't had a hit in years. I don't need to ask why, as you already know, that the power of rock 'n roll is still very strong with the people who cut their teeth to the rhythm of acoustic and electric guitar.
In this past year, I have seen Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Bette Midler and Gary Clark Jr., not to mention, Motown the Musical. In the coming months, I have tickets for Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, Mark Knopfler, Don Henley and Shawn Colvin, Neil Young and Elton John. I love the music, the nostalgia and to see it live is just so special. I have and will continue to go to shows to hear hit songs from the past. Some of the songs are even a bit tiresome (if you read my blog last week), but live music gets your blood pumping and feeling part of a community, just having fun and enjoying the good vibrations. We are all blessed to celebrate music together in venues all over America.
In going to see all these great bands this past year, I thought about Rick Nelson, who like several other prominent music greats, died in a plane crash. I thought about all the great musicians that I will never see live. Rick Nelson's 1972 song, Garden Party, struck a chord with me in that we should always celebrate the old songs but also, embrace an artist's new songs with an open mind. I say this as several older musicians have come out with new music in 2015 (e.g. James Taylor, Neil Young), or will be coming out with a new album soon (e.g. Don Henley). This gives me inspiration to always be creating something new, even if you're an old dog. So let's all keep creating new stuff! However, at the same time I can't help but reflect, the good die young and it's sad we'll never get to hear new music from the likes of Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Rick Nelson.
Anyway, I've never seen Jackson Browne live. I will finally get that pleasure on August 12th, here in San Diego. Whatever he chooses to play, it will be a gift.
On July 6th of this year, I wrote a blog called A Stream Runs Through It. I created a sidebar called, Great Songs Ruined by Radio. I've now gotten feedback from several people, so I thought I'd feature it this week. (For me, several people = a go in this stage of my blog writing.) Anyway, If you didn't read that blog, I asked everyone, to think of great hit songs that you once loved that have been ruined for you by overplay, year after year on commercial radio.
So, from several people, Google searches and many years of being in a car, I started a bullet list with no rankings or general order of once great but overplayed songs. As the list emerged, it was clear that I was editing out songs that were definitely overplayed, but in my personal opinion, were not great and often just terrible. I'm talking about big 70's - 80's hits from groups like Boston, Foreigner and Journey that followed many of the 60's groups. Rock 'n roll has alway had its share of second tier acts, but let's just say, for a Boomer, my musical crap gauge was developed in the 70's. So please don't get hurt feelings, if you came up with, More Than A Feeling by Boston. In fact, it may be irritating that classic rock radio ruined, Stairway To Heaven for everyone, but it's a far greater crime to be in the supermarket and forced to listen to Journey's, Don't Stop Believin' for the billionth time. Anyway, this is why one writes a blog, to share their own opinion and this week, it's about greatness diminished by satiation.
So here's my current list (that I will periodically update) with the great songs and artists who recorded them. Note, I won't be creating a linked playlist this week because I (and possibly you) don't want to hear these songs anymore, okay maybe Satisfaction again in a few more years. My suggestion for the week is to listen to deeper cuts by these same wonderful people or musicians that are new to you. Also, start listening to community radio (see radiofreeamerica.com) and the sounds of fresh air.
GREAT Songs Ruined by Radio
Stairway to Heaven, Led Zepplin
Hotel California, The Eagles
Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
Moondance, Van Morrison
Our House, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Light My Fire, The Doors
Proud Mary, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Ike and Tina Turner
Heard It Through The Grapevine, Marvin Gaye, and CCR
Magic Man, Heart
I Love Rock 'n Roll, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits
Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who
Here Comes the Sun, The Beatles (Submitted by my wife, Mary Kit. But here's the thing even though I've included several Beatles songs myself here; The Beatles are a rare exception in that, after all these years, many people still never tire of even their top hits.)
Take It Easy, The Eagles
Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
Southern Man, Neil Young (Sorry but the rebuttal, Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynyrd was a hit and overplayed, but not great)
Owner of a Lonely Heart, Yes
My Girl, The Temptations
Your Song, Elton John
California Dreamin', The Mamas And The Papas
What A Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
Ramblin' Man, The Allman Brothers Band
Let It Be, The Beatles
Maybe I'm Amazed, Paul McCartney
Imagine, John Lennon
Money, Pink Floyd
Daniel, Elton John
American Pie, Don McLean
Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac
Hungry Heart, Bruce Springsteen
Evil Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
Reelin' In The Years, Steely Dan
Doctor My Eyes, Jackson Browne
Jump, Van Halen
Sara Smile, Hall and Oates
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
Rock This Town, The Stray Cats
(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, Otis Redding
Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
My Guy, Mary Wells
Boys of Summer, Don Henley
Start Me Up, The Rolling Stones
Rock The Casbah, The Clash
Burning Down The House, Talking Heads
I Melt With You, Modern English
Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), Green Day
Losing My Religion, REM
Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
Babylon, David Gray
Home, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Submitted by my step-daughter, Abby. Now what's interesting about this song is that I had to look it up on YouTube and play it. Now once I heard it, I recognized it and yes, a good song overplayed to death. I just had to laugh at myself as I keyword searched "overplayed songs" from the last several years as I couldn't recognize one song from reading the titles. Maybe I've just saved myself a lot of frustration by drastically limiting my listening to commercial radio in the last five years. Thank you KPBS/NPR and Jazz88.3 in San Diego!)
Rolling In The Deep, Adele
I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons
Let It Go, Idina Menzel (as a consumer, Disney hits you on so many fronts and as a grandparent, I can't take this song anymore!)
In 1970, I was a 15 year-old freshman in high school with the world in front of me. From the sidelines, I watched the hippies lined up by the 101 to hitch-hike, the Vietnam war live on TV and listened to all the wonderful music. We took the music for granted at the time, as the industrial revolution was beginning to crumble, rock 'n roll was our biggest cultural industry. American music (with a little help from the Brits) did more for democracy than Nixon's flag pin would ever do. As James Taylor sang four years later,
Cause tennis shoes, and rhythm and blues Are second generation All across the nation, now, And mama knows, Papa too rock 'n roll is music, Rock 'n roll is music, now.
Music wise, the 70's were going to build off the 60's and it was all going to start with the break-up of the best band of all-time, The Beatles. 1970, among many things, was the year of the solo album and again the Beatles would lead the pack in that department too. All four Beatles had solo albums plus movies, soundtrack credits and yes of course, Let It Be.
I started this blog after seeing this Wikipedia article called, 1970 in music. You have to go to this link now because it sets up my YouTube Playlist for this week. The events (including Janis Joplin's and Jimi Hendrix's deaths) and albums created by such gifted people are simply astounding. For me, I clearly remember two conflicting thoughts. One, I wished that I was 18, ("To be on your own, with no direction home"), to be free of my parent's world. And two, I was just lucky enough to be too young to be drafted for the war. I actually lived the Wonder Years, a tail-end boomer just old enough to take it all in. I was an outside spectator who wanted in. Enjoy my mix (link w/release dates & notes), (I keep adding more by the hour) released from January-December, 1970.
I woke up Saturday morning thinking I'd never seen Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in concert and that I'm going to make that a priority for the future. I then starting singing Mary Jane's Last Dance in my head all day, and that always tells me, "there's a blog in there somewhere."
People have different theories on what the song is about. Many think the song is about weed or drugs, but I think it's about Tom's experience with Microsoft Windows (just kidding). The band's official video of the song kind of turns the whole thing upside down with a creepy Weekend at Bernie's theme going on. I think that video is just Tom and the boys having a little fun with us all. The song, as band member Mike Campbell says, "could also just be a goodbye love song." Well, that's always been my interpretation as I tend to lean heavily towards 'love lost' songs. But, I'll save that talk and Don Henley's Boys of Summer (also co-written by Mike Campell), for another day.
I love the beat and guitar riffs in Mary Jane's Last Dance, by one of the best bands, the Heartbreakers, but the lyrics and chorus harmony just knock me out.
Mary Jane's Last Dance
She grew up in an Indiana town
Had a good-lookin' mama who never was around
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them Indiana boys on them Indiana nights
Well, she moved down here at the age of eighteen
She blew the boys away, was more than they'd seen
I was introduced and we both started groovin'
She said, "I dig you baby, but I got to keep movin' on
Keep movin' on"
Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again
Well, I don't know, but I've been told
You never slow down, you never grow old
I'm tired of screwin' up, tired of going down
Tired of myself, tired of this town
Oh, my my, oh, hell yes
Honey, put on that party dress
Buy me a drink, sing me a song
Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long
Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again
There's pigeons down on Market Square
She's standin' in her underwear
Lookin' down from a hotel room
Nightfall will be comin' soon
Oh, my my, oh, hell yes.
You got to put on that party dress
It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone
I hit my last number and walked to the road
Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again
And now, a live concert video of the band performing, Mary Jane's Last Dance, one of my all-time favorite songs along with a longing to see these guys live myself, singing this song.
This past May, I visited my pal Bill DeVoe at his home in Wilder, Idaho (population about 1000). This is a fifty-minute car ride from Boise. Anyway, he has his truck and kitchen radio tuned to Radio Boise KRBX, a community radio station which also streams its programming on the Internet at radioboise.us/stream/.
During my stay, I got hooked by the eclectic variety of music coming from the various community DJ's on Radio Boise. I was surprised to be hearing such wonderful diverse music all the while surrounded by alfalfa, wheat and hops fields. Every morning we would take a walk next to the network of water irrigation channels running through all these fields. We would then come back and Radio Boise was on during breakfast and sometimes in the evening. I was in a different place and simply enjoying my new surroundings. I couldn't tell you one song I heard there, but the beauty is that the music had become a part of my overall positive experience while in Idaho.
This trip got me thinking about how important it is to get out of our routine and be a part of another routine for at least a short while. And if you can't physically get away, try something small and new out of your routine. One little suggestion is to stop listening to your same radio stations and even your personal music collection and simply, step out of your musical box.
Here is a fun musical exploration to do just that, try Radio Free America.
"Radio Free America is the FREE online / mobile platform for public radio (college, independent and non-commercial / educational stations) and their DJs / Program Hosts - along with the listeners and the contributors that make up the broader community. We provide not only the streams, but essential tools and services - free of charge - to optimize the radio experience for all users and stations. Our cloud-streaming and cloud-storage environment supports and enhances public radio stations, allowing them to preserve and distribute the innovative content served up in this, the last bastion of unencumbered free form radio." From - About Radio Free America
Currently, I'm in my hometown of Santa Maria, California and visiting with another old pal of mine, Paul Hobbs. I'm telling Paul about this blog and I asked him to provide me a song title I want to include here about me being 60 years old and having heard the same classic rock song, far too many many times. I said give me a good example of a great song you once loved, but radio has forever killed it for you. He said, "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. So true, within earshot, my mind just wants to block out that song. We humans can only take so much saturation of the same thing, but yet that is what we are fed on the commercial airwaves.
So I would like to start a little sidebar here called, Great Songs Ruined by Radio.
Now, think of a song that you once loved that has been ruined for you by overplay, year after year on radio. Please write it in the comments section below if you like or send me an email at dgmcintosh@gmail.com with the subject line - Great Songs Ruined by Radio. I will collect a list and present in a future blog with the same title.
One of mine is, Won't Get Fooled Again by the Who. Damn you KGB-FM. I'm not just talking about in your car where you have control, but at the grocery store, the mall, or at the stop light from some baby boomer's car with the windows rolled down - "pick up my guitar and play just like yesterday."
I'll leave you with Radio Boise's piece on Why is Community Radio Important? Here is an excerpt - "There is almost a limitless amount of music that’s been recorded in the world, yet most of it doesn’t get heard. up and down the radio dial, most stations are owned by highly- consolidated media organizations – many suggest that it’s 7 corporations (CBS, Time Warner, Clear Channel, Disney, Comcast, News Corp, Viacom) that direct most of the public media we consume every day. talk about ultimate control of content and discourse. at RadioBoise, DJs shape the tone of their shows independently around the loose guidelines of providing sounds that are more like a unique gems than overplayed sameness that exists on other stations. The internet provides vast means in which you can entertain your ears, most of which at their root are computer programs. When human beings program a show to share on the airwaves, the idea is that a warmth and personality is communicated with awareness of our communities’ nuances that the automated mechanisms cannot provide. That is one definition of community. The station’s goal is to make sure we’re filling a unique niche in music and local-interest programming that is refreshing, engaging, and helps expand our listeners perspective."
This past week James Taylor released, Before This World, his 17th studio album of new material and first since October Road, in 2002. James says in this recent article about his life and crafting songs, James Taylor: 'A big part of my story is recovery from addiction', "It used to be that these songs got squeezed out of every pore, and you just couldn’t stop ’em. Then it slowly turned to where you had to kind of coax them out. Now you have to pull them out with a winch." I often go back to the classic tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, as a life's lesson in defining achievement. My take has a slight twist on the classic line, 'slow and steady wins the race'. I would prefer to say, "slow and steady for the long run." As an inspiration to us all, James has done just that. After a whirlwind start, James was fast out of the gate, first young artist to sign with the Beatles on Apple Records, drug addiction, hit songs and famous women, and a life of activism. Except for the drug part, James was the man, or at least the walking man in the 70's to aspire to. But as addiction and fame take so many, James learned to slow down and set a new, slower pace for himself. I'm personally inspired by James to enjoy the fruits of life but also stay steady on our run here on earth and to always keep creating.
So last Tuesday, I bought Before This World and highly recommend you purchase it too. Now as I get older, I find myself getting extremely emotional when watching a great movie, drama or news show, and of course, great music. On Saturday, Mary Kit and I saw, Everybody's Talkin': The Music of Harry Nilsson, at the Lyceum Theater in San Diego. Well, if you read my previous blog, As time goes by Harry Nilsson, you hold up, you know I'm a big Harry Nilsson fan. Nilsson's music is so emotionally deep and was sung so well by the cast, that I teared up quite a bit during the whole play. Same thing this past week with listening to Before This World, tearing up because the songs are so deeply crafted and with James, it just hits home. The song, You and I Again is one of James Taylor's best songs ever, and I'm guessing you will agree as well. I'll lead with it on my Before This World YouTube playlist. Enjoy and just keep creating and loving for the long run my friends.
Update - Before This World has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in it's first week! Though James has had eleven albums reach "Top Ten" in his career, this is his first #1 album.
But hey, Mary Kit and I were there for the nostalgia and did this musical ever deliver the music! The songs and singing performances were electric and still have us humming the tunes we grew up with on the radio. I'm sure many of these songs will be in my head for weeks as I put this Motown playlist together for this blog.
Also, since the play only mentions one line about The Funk Brothers, I do want to mention their impact to the world of popular music in the 1960's and early 70's. The Funk Brothers, were hand-picked studio musicians assembled by Gordy in 1959 to be the house band for all the recordings done at Motown in Detroit (Hitsville... USA), until Gordy moved Motown to Los Angles in 1972. The Funk Brothers were not invited to join Motown in Los Angeles. This is all brought to light in the 2002 documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown about The Funk Brothers, which I highly recommend. I believe I saw it on Showtime several months ago, but currently I can't find it being played on TV or freely streamed on any service. (Here is the Amazon Prime rent price of $2.99 and purchase price for $5.99 if you are interested.)
This week is also the traditional time of year for K-12 school to end and celebrate high school graduation. I can't think of a better way to kick off the summer with a playlist of all my favorite Motown songs on YouTube. Motown the Musical uses the promo line, "A beat of a generation. A soul of the nation." So now, enjoy all these wonderful artists' enduring songs with the beat and soul of the Funk Brothers backing them up.
I have finally updated 13 previous blogs with YouTube videos to replace the Grooveshark audio files that no longer work. The Grooveshark website was shut down on April 30th of this year.
So, take a look back on these posts as I have included many new tracks along with concert footage or pictorial videos as individual clips or new playlists. Enjoy and please comment on any of these blogs or videos you like.
Mary Kit and I went out on our first date June 1, 1973. We had met as seniors in high school English class. She sat in the desk right in front of me and being the painfully shy person that I was, didn't ask her out on a date until a couple weeks before we graduated. As time was ticking, I asked her out and we went to the movies and saw Blume in Love. Thinking back, it was perfect.
So forty-two years later, and a lot of water under the bridge, I wake up this morning in West Seattle (where Mary Kit's three children live). Well, she surprises me with a gift certificate for a massage in the morning and tickets to Bette Midler tonight at the Key Arena in Seattle. That's my Mary Kit, always giving. Later, I'm driving back from my massage, by myself in the rain, and the song's opening lyrics just come into my head.
"They were perfect for each other and they knew it, they both been around the block and lived through it too"
The song, Seattle Rain, written and sung by dear friend Paul Hobbs. Paul is a fantastic musician who I've known since junior high. Recently, we talked about setting up a YouTube Channel for many of his songs. I also plan to feature his work on a future blog once we get some more songs uploaded.
But for now, I leave you with Seattle Rain, a wonderful song about two people who found each other.
I love you, Mary Kit. Happy first date anniversary!
This past week David Letterman finished a 33 year run with 6,028 shows on late-night television at NBC and CBS. This is truly a phenomenal feat of talent and stamina. Letterman did this all the while with his musical director Paul Shaffer at his side. The trust and bond between these two men have provided the public with a treasure trove of memorable moments through the daily preparation and collaboration of Letterman and Shaffer. I don't think David Letterman would have done 33 years unless he had Paul Shaffer and the band to help deliver the show night in and night out. I'm sure that like Dave, Paul was not feeling it every night, but you would never know. Shaffer's passion and professionalism always shined through and made the Late Show with David Letterman the place to showcase almost every genre of music. From an eclectic selection of musical guests, including famous musicians who just wanted to play the night in Paul's band, we all got treated to music not always heard on mainstream television. America doesn't often play Americana music on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, but Dave did. Letterman's move to CBS ultimately didn't win the TV ratings war with Leno's and Fallon's The Tonight Show, but he won the hearts of a nation with his unique combination of angst and love. And, Dave loved the music.
With a show of this magnitude and duration, there is no way to capture the thousands of musical guests who created magic on Letterman's shows. This magic was especially preserved in the musical performances in the Ed Sullivan Theater once HD television enhanced the sight and sound of live music. Listen to the more recent recordings and you'll hear the theater's acoustics in the performances. We now have thousands of those moments to enjoy on the Internet and I had quite a task this week to screen a 100 or so videos. I selected 33 choice cuts for your pleasure and hope you enjoy my YouTube Playlist this week.
Dave and Paul, thanks for the memories and 33 years of wonderful music.
I have to end with David Letterman's first guest in 1982 and his last non-musical guest, Bill Murray. Bill takes to the streets and leads a classic Lennonesque chant with the crowd outside the studio, "All we are saying, is more Worldwide Pants."
This past Thursday, Riley B. King passed away at 89 in his home in Las Vegas. We all know him as B.B. King, the most influential Blues guitarist of all time. As Rock 'n' Roll was birthed from the Blues, B.B. is simply King of the Blues and the master of the solo to all the younger electric guitarists coming up in the 60's. B.B. King thrilled these young players as they emulated his style and in turn, these great players thrilled us beyond imagination.
“This morning, I come to you all with a heavy heart. BB King was the greatest guy I ever met. The tone he got out of that guitar, the way he shook his left wrist, the way he squeezed the strings… man, he came out with that and it was all new to the whole guitar playin’ world. He could play so smooth, he didn’t have to put on a show. The way BB did it is the way we all do it now. He was my best friend and father to us all.
I’ll miss you, B. I love you and I promise I will keep these damn Blues alive. Rest well.
All my love,
Buddy”
Here is Eric Clapton's video message on the passing of his mentor and friend.
B.B. King was a wonderful person and will be remembered not only for his great guitar playing and singing of the Blues, but also as a kind soul who opened up his heart to people and taught us how to share our talent with each other.
I must have played more than 50 videos on YouTube this past week putting together this playlist. I narrowed it down to 10 for your pleasure. Ladies and Gentlemen, the King of the Blues.
Into the late 1960's, pop and rock 'n' roll stars just couldn't sing other people's songs. Yes, all the greats still covered other artist's songs but it was a new day and the up and coming stars were both singers and songwriters. Harry Nilsson was one of the best. He could cover a tune as most of us first heard him on the radio in 1969 with the hit song, Everybody's Talkin' from the movie, Midnight Cowboy. Harry could also write songs with a range that put him in a very elite group of singer-songwriters by the early 1970's. But my god, the voice, this guy could sing as well as Bennett and Sinatra not only on ballads but rock 'n' roll tunes too.
Harry Nilsson is one of my all-time favorites and his voice and songs simply hold the test of time. Enjoy my little YouTube Harry Nilsson Playlist here.
p.s. Blog update - With the demise of Grooveshark, I learned this past week how to make Playlists in YouTube. I played with Spotify and Amazon Prime music but for finding and creating playlists, YouTube is probably the best way to go. YouTube has a treasure search of playing free music, not to mention making playlists on your Youtube Channel. With YouTube, I can also play my free playlists on my smartphone as well as share and embed them, like my blog here. Oh, and don't forget to put the lime in the coconut.
Last week a couple of things happened that inspired this post. First off, Grooveshark was fatally speared as the sea of lawsuits by the BIG recording companies finally brought them down. And down they went, not to mention their parental scolding inspired apology statement on their former website. You could almost feel the tears - Please Please don't put us in jail! Kind of makes me think this will truly be the last (company-based) mp3 pirate of the free Internet. Almost makes you want to reminisce over the wild west days of Napster and Limewire. Anyway in 2011, Grooveshark was a free and subscription music service on the Internet and it got me actively back into listening to music from the 60's and 70's. I tried free Internet radio and playing with streaming services like Spotify,but nobody beat Grooveshark for having rare older songs and also the ability to customize free streaming playlists for both my computers and smartphone. But as it sometimes goes with free apps, here today and gone tomorrow. Hey, but I'll be on the search and will report back once I find a (probably fee-based) music service with customized playlists to share. In the meantime, I'll happily embed here with the deep pockets of Google's YouTube to share 40+ year old songs with you.
That brings me to my musical selection as business took me to Bakersfield this past week. From San Diego, one takes the I 5 north through LA, over the Grapevine, to Highway 99 and into Bakersfield. The whole trip was freeway, cars and trucks and it made me instantly think of the Tom Waits song, Ol' '55, covered by the Eagles on their 1974 record, On the Border. Well I was driving with my true lady luck, Mary Kit, as we must have passed a thousand trucks in the blazing heat . It's not like we were roughing it like in the old days, going over the Grapevine in a car with no AC, it's 95 degrees with the windows rolled down, and you're praying the radiator doesn't blow. Kind of decedent of me to admit having a Honda CRV with the AC on and the heated leather lumbar seats on to keep my old back loose on the trip, just talking with my lady.
Well here's the great song, Ol' '55. I'll say bye-bye to the audio link in Grooveshark as this is now shared to you courtesy of YouTube.
This song goes out to the boomer's as they know the experience of being inside a 1955 car on the roadways. No need to buckle up.
It's kind of been a Ringo couple of weeks for me. Got tickets to see Ringo and his All-Starr Band October 2nd in Paso Robles with VIP seating, oh boy living the high life! With that, I received in the mail a Ringo t-shirt that I'm wearing as I write this and also a Ringo canvas bag and poster that I have on my office wall. I was never in the The Beatles Fan Club or saw them live, but now, I finally get to see a Beatle!
So what's been playing in my head all week, It Don't Come Easy written and produced by George with Ringo assisting in 1970. George was so kind to his dear friend that he gave the song and all writing credits to Ringo. It got me thinking, these guys had been through so much together as struggling to famous musicians that their friendship could never be shaken . As the Beatles were now broken as a group in 1970, George and Ringo would just continue to be the great friends they were, bonded forever. It Don't Come Easy was released as a Ringo single in 1971 by Apple Records and went to #4 in the UK and US single charts. The song gave Ringo an identity outside The Beatles and kick-started his solo career. And George, just giving and being the great friend he was to Ringo.
Most of us have developed an extended circle of friends over the years. But if you are so lucky, you may also have a much smaller group of friends who you grew up or went to school with, and they still mean the world to you. As you grow older, you start to realize that getting new friends in your inner circle, don't come easy.
Deep friendship is a powerful gift. The trust between two great friends is understood and unshaken even if you don't see or talk that much together on a regular basis. Once you are in the presence of a great friend, it's like you both never skipped a beat, you are talking and interacting just like you did years ago, well maybe with a bit more maturity. Great friends are simply timeless and so is this song!
Concert for Bangla Desh, It Don't Come Easy - YouTube
With a Little Help from My Friends from the first verse and song written by John and Paul for their buddy Ringo, it's often the ongoing impression many have of Richard Starkey. Part self-made fool and Beatles manufactured court jester, Ringo is still to this day often maligned as the weak link in the best band in the world. I just heard someone on TV the other day say something about every group or family having a "Ringo." This is just old crap and time to lay to rest the tired bit about Ringo as the lovable but inferior one. To me, Ringo is such an inspiration for overcoming sickness and adversity in childhood to becoming the definitive rock and roll drummer of all time, and yes, still very lovable.
What I admire most about Ringo is his sustainability. As most rock stars fade, Ringo endures through hard work and taking care of his body and mind. At 74, he shows us to keep doing the thing that makes us happy and brings joy to ourselves and everyone around us. Ringo is that social person who gets his strength from and with, his friends. And Ringo is on a roll. He has a new album out, Postcards from Paradise, he's continually on tour with his All-Starr Band, and on Saturday he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Now this last part goes back to the rub described above. Why did it take the rock and roll establishment until 2015 to bring Ringo into the Hall of Fame as a solo artist? But from the man himself, no worries and complaining about his respect, he only needs it from the people around him! You have to love this guy for his sheer tenacity and willingness to just be a good person to everybody. I love this line by Paul about Ringo in the Rolling Stone article, Being Ringo: A Beatle's All-Starr Life, He remembers the first show the Beatles did with Ringo, in 1962, at the Cavern in Liverpool, was when they became a real band. "The first few minutes that Ringo is playing, I look to the left at George and to the right to John, and we didn't say a word, but I remember thinking, 'Shit, this is amazing.' " As George would say, "Ringo's got the best back beat I've every heard and can play 24 hours a day." Well I can't wait to hear that beat on October 2nd at the Vina Robles Ampitheater in Paso Robles, second row middle seats baby. Ringo simply rocks and yes, can carry a tune!
Enjoy the video below of the 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and will be on HBO, Saturday, May 30th at 8pm.
Writing Sunday morning at 5:45 am in the Las Vegas Airport. My head is remarkably clear but my stomach is now saying, "dude, what in the hell have you been putting in me for the past 4 days!" I'm not eating anything on this plane ride back to San Diego that's for sure. Anyway, I'm popping Altoids to settle things down so let's talk Vegas, history and music as I'm hearing country pop piped in from the ceiling.
For me, Las Vegas is always a fish out of water experience as I land here and start my little venture with wall to wall people from all over the world, coming to have a little fun in sin city. This trip included my sister Stephanie, her husband Roger and my lovely wife Mary Kit. My daughter Shawna recommended that we see the Mob Museum located in the historic federal courthouse and U.S Post Office building. It was fantastic! You've got to do this on your next visit here as it will not disappoint. By the way if you're ever in Memphis, you must also see the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel (site of Martin Luther King's assassination). For Boomers, both museums let you travel through our parents and our own generation's history either directly experienced or connected through conversation, books, news, television and the movies. You get little mental flashbacks of yes I remember that and lots of new info too. I didn't realize for example that the Beatles were scheduled to play at the Sahara Hotel on their 1964 tour, but with the overwhelming response the two shows had to be moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center to hold at least 8,000 screaming fans. The mafia ruled the town back then with a lot of other interesting people who made this place America's playground. It got me thinking about being born in the 1950's. We landed right in the middle of the 20th century and I think it gives many of us an unique perspective on life. For example, we know a lot of things about The Great Depression and World War II even though we weren't there. We know who Moms Mably was and are interested in Frank Sinatra (see new HBO documentary) and the Rat Pack all the while streaming new digital music to our smartphones. We experienced the middle and end of the industrial age, created the digital age and will carry that probably to some middle stage before we check out. I just hope this perspective can be valued a little more as we get older because we have something to share to young people about our times here. We were good listeners.
Well now, back to Vegas 2015. The low cost hotel rates and meal days are long gone here and you're just going to have to shell out some cash from your savings if fun is on your agenda. The only thing that's the same and eerily nostalgic about Las Vegas is the deja vu levels of second hand smoke you experienced as a child. You literally get that thick-head smoke high once you enter the casinos, combined with the recycled AC, your body is changing and you haven't even started drinking beer, cocktails and eating rich food yet. Oh did I mention that other thing, the part about giving your hard earned money away to shiny machines or to a person sitting around a table with strangers?
But oh, the musical entertainment in this town is the reason many of us come here in the first place and Las Vegas doesn't disappoint. First off, we got to see The Beatles Love at the Mirage for the second time (Mary Kit her third). It's becoming a religious pilgrimage for us and we converted Stephanie and Roger too. I don't think you can ever see this very special Cirque du Soleil show too many times.
Second up, we got to see Fleetwood Mac at the MGM Grand. A simply fabulous show by the same people who formed the 1975 - present lineup of the band: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and the wonderful Christine McVie. (Mary Kit, pal Mark Hunter and I saw the band way back in 1975 at the old Balboa Stadium in San Diego with Heart, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rod Stewart on the same bill.) Anyway, Christine is back touring with the band after a 16 year absence and makes them complete. Mary Kit and I just saw them in December in San Diego (40 years later) when they started their tour and they even seemed more energized this time while doing this long tour together. Stevie said this was their 78th show of the tour and they just had the place rockin', lots of smiling from the band and the crowd was in a very singalong groove. With that I leave you some YouTube videos from the recent April shows, and as the band says, "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow." Or as Frank would say, "Vegas baby." So get online, check out who's playing when and where and start planning that Vegas trip soon!
So this gets me singing in my head one of my favorite songs, actually the final medley from the Eagles 1973 album Desperado, Doolin' Daltons/Desperado (Reprise). This album came out when I was a senior in high school when themed albums were still being done by bands. If you didn't get a chance to see the History of the Eagles tour from 2013 to this past July, the band shows video of their old west shootout scenes featuring Jackson Browne and JD Souther who contributed to the concept and song writing on the album. I was especially thrilled to see Bernie Leadon join the stage with the Eagles on this tour. Glenn Frey wished Randy Meisner well and if you know anything about the Eagles recent history, Don Felder wasn't even mentioned. I do recommend seeing the documentary film, History of the Eagles (Netflix, Showtime), where you can learn many tidbits like the Felder feud and other back stories.
