Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXLIV--Eddie Cochran: C'mon Everybody

 Somehow, almost a week late seems a lot better than almost two weeks late....

Somewhat sheepishly, I have to admit that, to the best of my knowledge, my introduction to this week's tune was a Hershey's commercial released in 2021.  It would have upped my coolness quotient (well, probably not) a bit if I'd said I'd heard Springsteen talk about it and checked it out from his thoughts on the song.  Alas, I heard it in the background as I was working at this computer, and thought, "That song sounds great.  Wonder who did it?"  Thanks to a quick check online I found it...and after numerous listens fell in love with it....

I wrote about Eddie Cochran in Jukebox, Vol. CXLIII, and as he's, sadly, been dead for sixty-five years now, there really isn't anything I can add to that previous bio paragraph.  I will say, though, that after hearing this week's tune in addition to the song from the earlier post, the world really lost a great talent, and it would have been interesting to see what his musical future would have held.

"C'mon Everybody" was released as a single in 1958, and it went to #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It reached #6 in the U.K. (where Cochran had a great deal of success).  After his death, it was included on The Eddie Cochran Memorial Album .

Fun Fact:  Cochran has never had an album chart in the United States.  That means he's probably the only member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without an album that hit the charts in America.

I have no idea who was the first guitarist to play a jangly guitar riff, but Eddie Cochran had to have been one of the first.  His guitar playing on this one fills in all the holes and perfectly captures the groove of the song.  The bass drum (I think--not exactly a drum aficionado) is also incredible--it sounds as if it's echoing (it might mimic the rhythm of the guitar?) and it plays well with the jangly guitar.  Cochran's vocals capture perfectly the joy of the song's story--his folks are out of town, and he wants to have a party for everybody at his house.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the "Hooo!" before he sings "C'mon everybody"--it's one of those small moments that make a song that much better.  For whatever reason, over the past few months I've been listening to a lot of music from this era--it's incredible how much great music came from the late fifties, and "C'mon Everybody" is just one more stellar single from a stellar era.

Lyric Sheet:   "Well, when you hear that music you can't sit still/ If your brother won't rock then your sister will/Hooo! C'mon everybody!"

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Right on, Rolling Stone

I don’t think a better headline could have been written about what happened yesterday. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

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— George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 (@gtconway.bsky.social) April 15, 2025 at 1:48 AM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXXX--Eagles: Take It Easy

 Only four days late this week--getting there!

To the best of my recollection, my introduction to this week's featured tune was probably classic rock radio.  I certainly hadn't begun my musical journey when it was originally released, though if you'd asked me before I did my half-assed research for this week, I would have thought it was released a few years later than it actually was.  Funny how time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future....

I wrote about the Eagles in Vol. CCXXIX, and since then only a couple of new notes.  First, sadly, original member Randy Meisner passed away in 2023, leaving only Don Henley and Bernie Leadon as surviving original members.  Second, in September of 2023 the band announced it was beginning its final tour, entitled the Long Goodbye Tour.  It's still ongoing, so at least they got the "long" part of it correct....

"Take It Easy" was the very first single ever released by the Eagles, from their very first album, the ever so inventively entitled 1972 release Eagles.  The song would peak at #12 (with a bullet!)  on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album would climb to #22 on the Billboard 200.

Fun Fact:  As has happened a time or two before here on Friday Night Jukebox, I can play this week's tune on my guitar, all by my lonesome.  And, if I do say so myself, it doesn't sound half bad (which can also mean that it doesn't sound half good, either....).

The songwriting for "Take It Easy" was begun by Jackson Browne and later finished by Glenn Frey (the Wikipedia entry cited above has a nice overview of how the song--and some of its parts, especially Winslow, Arizona--came to be).  It's been said that the two had differing views on life (Browne serious, Frey fun) and that the juxtaposition of the two makes the song what it is.  What it is, is a story of a man trying not to let the craziness of life bring him down and just learn how to, uh, take it easy.  The rather well-done lyrics are both a snapshot of life in the early seventies and a nod to the redemption that love can bring to us.  Frey's vocals are a clarion call, Leadon's guitar work is a rumble down the highway, and the band's signature harmonies were most certainly begun here.  A tremendous debut by a tremendous band--and even fifty-three years down the road, as relevant and life affirming as ever.

Lyric Sheet:  "Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona/And such a fine sight to see/It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford/Slowin' down to take a look at me..."

Enjoy:  

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Is this what you voted for?

He’s not making up: news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/... Is this really what y’all voted for? 🫤 💰

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— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) February 18, 2025 at 2:51 PM

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXX--Kasey Chambers: We're All Gonna Die Someday

Since this is the last one of 2024, thought it might be nice to finish it before the year ends....

My introduction to this week's tune came about because of a good review in Rolling Stone.  I took a chance on a new artist, and it paid off as I really enjoyed listening to her album and our song of the week became an all-time fave.  As an added bonus, I eventually learned how to play it on my guitar, making me quite the musical maven...or not.

Kasey Chambers, who incidentally just happens to have the same birthday as me (though considerably younger), has had quite the career in her native Australia.  At the ripe old age of sixteen, she began playing with her parents and her older brother in the Dead Ringer Band (so-called because many people noted the children bore striking resemblances to their parents) before embarking on a solo career in 1998.  Over the course of the last twenty-six years, Chambers has had numerous hits, toured regularly, performed with a Who's Who of Australian music, won fourteen ARIA Music Awards, and written three books.  She also gets bonus points in my book for playing the banjo in addition to the guitar--a dual threat.  Along the way she had three children, two broken relationships, a miscarriage, an eating disorder, and a nervous breakdown.  Still, she's come out on the other side, and credits music for helping her to rebuild her life.  For her career, Chambers has released thirteen studio albums (five #1's in Australia, and seven of which have charted on the Billboard Country Albums Chart) and thirty-seven singles (with one #1 and three other top ten hits--again, in Australia).  Chambers is the youngest solo artist to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, still tours regularly, and released her latest album earlier this year.

Fun Fact:  Chambers has won nine--count 'em, nine--Aria Music Awards for Country Album of the Year.  That is downright dominating.

"We're All Gonna Die Someday" was the last song on Chambers 1999 solo debut LP, the rather nautically entitled The Captain.  The song was not released as a single (should have been!), while the album rose to #11 in the Land Down Under and #49 on the American country charts.

Despite the rather downcast sentiment in the song title, "We're All Gonna Die Someday" is all about the fun.  Chambers makes the case, humorously, that our faults don't matter all that much because, well, we're all gonna die someday.  Her vocals are pure unadulterated twang and they are used to perfection.  The band breaks in with a couple of nice hillbilly instrumental breaks, and a rollicking good time is had by all.  The song also brings to a close year ten of our musical journey here on Friday Night Jukebox, and I hope it's been as fun for you as it's been for me.  Onward to more musical musings in 2025!

Lyric Sheet:  "Well they can all kiss my ass lord/They can all kiss my ass/If they want to kiss my ass well they better do it fast/'Cause we're all gonna die someday..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXVI--Marvin Gaye: Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

On the bright side, at least it's less than a week late....

Not one hundred percent sure when this one first came to me, but I'm pretty sure it was back in the seventies when I was listening to a lot of Top 40 radio.  Not judging (because I have no idea what today's music radio is like), but way back when there was a nice mix of the newest hits and the older hits which taught me an awful lot about the pop music that came before music became a lifelong journey for me.  I distinctly remember loving this week's tune since I was a teenager, though I wouldn't rule out my memory playing tricks on me....

I wrote about Marvin Gaye a thousand years ago (give or take) in Jukebox, Vol. XXXIX, and since back in the day my bio paragraphs were somewhat less inclusive of career highlights, I'd like to add that Gaye won two Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, and that his nickname was the "Prince of Soul" (that's a ten on the Coolness Quotient Scale).  For his career, Gaye released twenty-five studio albums (with four of them reaching the top ten on the Billboard 200) and eighty-three singles (with sixteen of those hitting the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100).  There have also been twenty-four compilation albums, with fifteen of those coming after his passing.  Gaye's legacy only continues to grow--in its latest installation of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone moved this week's featured album to #1 on the list (originally #6).

"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" was the second single from his 1971 album, with the rather questioning title of What's Going On (sans question mark, though).  The single peaked at #4 (with a bullet!), while the album reached #6.

Fun Fact:  Gaye had three singles from this week's album reach the top ten--and thus (somewhat surprisingly to me) became the first male solo artist to have three top ten hits from one LP.

"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is one of the most beautiful songs featured here on Friday Night Jukebox, and its theme (man's destruction of our planet) is just as relevant today as it was more than fifty years ago.  Gaye's vocals are exquisite--they could easily represent the natural beauty that fills our planet earth.  I'm also certain that if they'd been able to record 2000 years ago, Jesus' vocals would have sounded remarkably similar to Gaye's.  It's a warning and a prayer, and all of it in just two minutes and thirty seconds.  An absolutely stunning piece of work, by an artist at the height of his talents.  

Lyric Sheet:  "Oh, mercy, mercy me/Oh, things ain't what they used to be/What about this overcrowded land/How much more abuse from man can she stand?"

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDLXIX--Bob Dylan and the Band: Apple Suckling Tree

 The top three non-familial influences on my musical tastes would be (in no particular order): 1) WLS-89 AM radio in Chicago, for instilling the love of pop music in me, 2) The rockumentary (which all three of my regular readers will know I've mentioned a time or two or a hundred) The Last Waltz which not only introduced me to the Band (and several other artists), but opened up the world of Americana music to me, and 3) Rolling Stone's tenth anniversary issue, in which numerous critics cited the best songs/albums released during the magazine's first ten years, and which I spend a considerable chunk of my college years trying to track down most (all?) of said songs/albums for my burgeoning collection--one of which just happens to be this week's tune.  Seemed like a good way to end 2023....

I've written about Bob Dylan three times on Friday Night Jukebox (one, two, three) and the Band once (only once? yikes, I've got some work to do) in Vol. CLXXXVI, and as I've noted a time or two or a hundred before in these bios, there really isn't much I can add to the volumes that have been written about either by folks much more talented and knowledgeable than I.  I would, however, like to note a little about the album from which this week's song comes.  While The Basement Tapes were released in 1975 (a couple of years before my musical interests in either of the two), it was actually recorded in 1967 and between then and its release had developed a reputation of almost mythical proportions (numerous bootleg copies of songs were made, and Dylan at the time was thought to be the most bootlegged artist in history).  While the luster has worn off somewhat (Rolling Stone only had it at #291 on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums), it's still considered to be a career changer for Dylan, the start of the Americana movement, and the father of alt-country.  Not a bad resume.

"Apple Suckling Tree" was the fourth song on side two (yes, I own the LP) of The Basement Tapes.  It was not released as a single (no song was), and the album would reach #7 on the Billboard 200.

Fun Fact:  Dylan and the Band only took two takes of the song--the second one was the version that ended up on the album. It is absolutely stunning to me that they could record a song this brilliant in two takes.

This one is just fun--not really sure what the lyrics mean (or what they are), but in the end it's just five guys jamming, and having a hell of a time doing it.  The first standout is Garth Hudson's organ--as a Band fan I'm used to hearing Hudson's excellence on the keyboards, but I think this one is just a good old-fashioned boogie-woogie, and it rocks.  Second is guitar virtuoso Robbie Robertson...on drums.  Just a beat maniac.  And lastly is Dylan's vocals which capture perfectly the song's raucousness.  In the end, it's just a kick ass rock and roller--man, if you can't swing to "Apple Suckling Tree" you're probably dead.

[A note on the lyrics--as I listened to the song, it was brutally obvious that the lyrics listed on every web site did not match the lyrics Dylan was singing.  Or even very close.  So I actually went to Dylan's web site and sure enough he lists the same lyrics as every other lyrics site.  You got me...which is why I'm just going with the chorus, because it's the only thing that sounds like what he's singing.]

Lyric Sheet:  "Under that apple suckling tree, oh yeah/ Underneath that apple suckling tree, oh yeah/Underneath that tree/There's just gonna be you and me/Underneath that apple suckling tree, oh yeah..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDLXIII--Seals and Crofts: Summer Breeze

Once again, a week late and a million dollars short....

There are certain songs that conjure an era, and if you were a child of the 70's this week's tune is a reminder of the early seventies when the last vestiges of what the sixties sprang to rock and roll had not yet been corrupted by corporate rock.  Plus, the song was ubiquitous--especially, though not surprisingly, in the summer....

Seals and Crofts (Jim Seals and Dash Crofts) were both born in Texas and took a pretty convoluted path to music stardom.  They met and began playing together in various incarnations in their native Texas before moving to Los Angeles to try their hand at music in Southern California. The bounced around from band to band (at one point Crofts returned to Texas), before settling in as a duo in 1969.  They released two albums with little success before landing a contract with Warner Brothers, after which their fourth album was a great commercial and critical success.  They had a number of hits in the seventies, but by 1980 their career had run its course and they parted.  They reunited in 1991 for a concert tour, and again in 2004 when they released their last album.  Seals was the brother of Dan Seals of England Dan and John Ford Coley  and a successful solo country career, and the brothers performed together in their later years.  Crofts released a solo record.  For their career, Seals and Crofts released twelve studio albums (with two reaching the top ten), and sixteen singles (three of which hit the top ten).  The duo were devoted practitioners of the Bahai Faith, and would preach its message at their concerts and through their songwriting.  Sadly, Jim Seals passed away in 2022 after an extended illness.

Fun Fact:  All three of their songs that reached the top ten on the Billboard 100 peaked at number six.  Which as a religious pair had to be a bit odd, as their top ten single positions were 666, the number of the beast....

"Summer Breeze" was the lead single from their aptly entitled 1972 album, Summer Breeze.  The single reached--you guessed it--#6 (with a bullet!), while the album would hit #7 on the Billboard 200.  "Summer Breeze" was ranked #13 on Rolling Stone's list of the all-time best summer songs.

"Summer Breeze" opens with a nice slice of acoustic guitar before the pair begins singing, and the song's infectious melody just wraps itself around you and fills you with the soul of summer.  Their harmonies are luscious, the break is a jolt to the senses, and the chorus is as catchy as all hell.  As you listen, you'll notice a tiny tinkle...which happens to be the sound of a children's toy piano.  But the creme de la creme of the song, is that even fifty years down the road, every time I see or hear the word jasmine (be it the Disney Princess or scent or food related) the chorus of the song pops immediately into my head.  Which, in addition to being a tad bizarre, also tells you all you need to know about the enduring nature of this timeless tune.

Lyric Sheet:  "Summer breeze makes me feel fine/Blowing through the jasmine in my mind..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDXLIII--Dr. Hook: The Cover of "Rolling Stone"

A novelty song, such as this week's featured tune, always runs the risk of having a one way ticket to Dorkville, but I think our song of the week keeps its coolness quotient for three main reasons: (1) It was written by Shel Silverstein of Where the Sidewalk Ends fame (among many others, including writing the hit "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash) (2) It's a tongue-in-cheek look at the lives of rock stars (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and (3) It was featured in one of the best, if not the best, movies about rock and roll, Almost Famous.  As for my coolness quotient, that ship sailed some time ago....

It was a good week for my half-assed research--not only did I not know Shel Silverstein wrote this week's song, I had no idea Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show (shortened to just plain old Dr. Hook in 1975) was from New Jersey (for some odd ass reason I thought they were a Southern band).  They began their career in 1968 in Union City and developed a reputation as a good live band.  It led eventually to their being signed by the great (or not) Clive Davis who was then at CBS.  While the band had a number of hit singles, they were not able to sell albums, and coupled with their inability to manage money, the band filed for bankruptcy in 1974.  A few more hit singles helped the band get back on its feet, but by 1983 they had run the course of their most success.  Dr. Hook broke up in 1985, reunited in 1988, broke up again in 2015, and reunited for the last time in 2019 and continue to pay their bills playing on the Never-Ending Nostalgia Tour.  For their career, they released twelve studio albums (the last in 1983), twenty-three (!!!) compilation albums, and thirty singles (six of which hit the top ten).

"The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" was the second single from the group's second studio album, the rather crudely titled Sloppy Seconds.  The song would hit #6 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album would peak at #41, the highest charting album of their career.

Fun Fact:  Dr. Hook did make the cover of Rolling Stone, in March of 1973.  Sadly for the band, it was just a caricature of three of its members.  You'd think Rolling Stone would have enough class to give the entire band a photo shoot just for the free advertising....

While I'm sure that someone somewhere has written a dissertation on a novelty song, this post isn't going to attempt to wax poetic about a song that's more or less just a lot of fun.  The song is catchy as all hell, Silverstein's lyrics have some nice word play, there's a knowing wink at the life of a rock star, and the band engages in a lot of banter (apparently a part of their live show).  "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" hearkens back to an era when rock stars were troubadors who played music for the love of the music, and not so their brand could sell perfume and condoms.  If nothing else, it's a nice reminder that once upon a time Corporate America didn't rule the airwaves, and people made music to make other people smile.

Lyric Sheet:  "(Rolling Stone) Wanna see my picture on the cover/(Stone) Wanna buy five copies for my mother/(Stone) Wanna see my smilin' face/On the cover of the Rolling Stone..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDXXXV--Bob Dylan: Like a Rolling Stone

Somewhere in the mid-seventies, I was told to clean the garage (which seemed like torture but was actually just straightening a few things and sweeping the floor), and as I had recently discovered that chores went by much quicker when listening to music, I had the radio tuned to WFBQ in Indianapolis (thankfully it wasn't raining--early FM signals were weak unless you lived nearby and just a few clouds could make reception a warbled miasma) as I swept away. At some point this week's song blasted through our small radio and I was instantly smitten.  I had really just begun to check out album-oriented rock, having previously been a burgeoning devotee of top 40 pop. It led me to seek out Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits and Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II...and a love affair was born.  

The number of books and articles written about Bob Dylan is just south of the number of stars in the sky, and an amateur bozo like me isn't going to add much in a paragraph (note that I've featured a song and an album here on Friday Night Jukebox).  For posterity, though, I will admit the older I've gotten the more I admire Dylan the artist and the less I admire the Dylan the man (a greedy bullshit artist pretty much sums it up).  I also find his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature to be delusional--to think his sucking his fans dry with dozens of releases of shitty outtakes ranks with artists who spent careers creating actual art for pennies is ludicrous.  Rant over!

"Like a Rolling Stone" was the first single released from his groundbreaking 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited.  The song would go on to be the highest charting single of Dylan's career, hitting #2 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200. [Side note:  If you've never heard the album, make the time.  It's easily one of the top ten albums ever made and well worth the listen.]

Fun Fact:  There is much debate as to whether Dylan is raging against a specific person or at himself in the song. For what it's worth (probably not much), since very, very early in my listening experience I have thought his anger was directed at himself--even more so since I learned during my weekly half-assed research that when he wrote the polemic that would become "Like a Rolling Stone" he was tired of both his life and the direction his music was going.

People have literally written dissertations about "Like a Rolling Stone" and as noted above, a putz like me isn't going to have any earth-shattering discoveries about such a visionary work. Suffice is to say it's a stunning song that changed rock and roll forever.

Lyric Sheet:  "You used to be so amused/At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used/Go to him now, he calls ya, ya can't refuse/When ya ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose/You're invisible now, ya got no secrets to conceal..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDXIX--Jason Isbell: Super 8

 A little late this week--could almost call it Tuesday Night Music Club...but I'm pretty sure that name's already taken....

This week's tune once again comes courtesy of my far too cool daughter, with an assist from my cooler than cool son-in-law.  For some reason I thought it had been a lot more than ten years since they first introduced me to this week's artist...time flies when you're getting older.

Jason Isbell was born in 1979 in Green Hill (not Greenbow), Alabama, and began learning musical instruments at the age of six.  By his teens he was playing in bands, and at age twenty-two joined Drive-By Truckers (he writes as if he's completely familiar with the band...that he never heard of before doing his half-assed research last week).  Isbell released his first solo album in 2007, and the rest as they say is history.  He's won four Grammy Awards and has had several acting roles including an appearance in an upcoming Martin Scorsese film.  For his career Isbell has released eight studio albums (three of which have hit the top ten on the Billboard 200 which surprised the hell out of me), four live albums, and a whopping one single.  Isbell will begin a tour this year in June.

Fun Fact:  Isbell has been nominated for four Grammy Awards...and won four Grammy Awards.  Not sure too many people have had perfect success when it comes to Grammy nominations.

"Super 8" was included on Isbell's fourth studio album, Southeastern.  The song was not released as a single, and the album hit #23 on Billboard's top album chart.  It was also ranked at #458 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the Five Hundred Greatest Albums of All-Time.

In "Super 8" Jason Isbell weaves the tale of a man on a bender (while not autobiographical, Isbell is a recovering alcoholic and did spend a number of years imbibing and ingesting which he freely admits he doesn't remember clearly) ending up in a Super 8 Motel with some other man's girlfriend...and the rather unpleasant event of her boyfriend showing up screaming like a banshee and armed with a fungo (along the lines of a baseball bat for those not familiar) bat.  Isbell delivers a rollicking rockabilly performance, and his lyrics capture the moment with a simplicity that many a songwriter would die for.  I often find it compelling when a song (or a movie or a book) depicts a life situation that is far removed from your life experience yet is so well done that it still strikes a resonant chord--and that is exactly what Isbell does with "Super 8."  

Lyric Sheet:  "Well they slapped me back to life/And telephoned my wife/And filled me full of Pedialyte/Saw my guts, saw my glory/It would make a great story/If I ever could remember it right..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Losers

Peace,

emaycee

Heaven help America if Merrick Garland doesn't have the guts to do the right thing

Ok it’s pretty funny that Trump told four advisors this and one them immediately leaked it to Rolling Stone pic.twitter.com/sjtOXPR5MX

— Will Beaman (@agoingaccount) July 18, 2022

Republican = Traitor

Peace,

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCLX--Sly and the Family Stone: Everyday People

 A song from the sixties calling for loving and understanding each other at a time when our differences have never been greater.  Sadly, it's become far too fashionable to punch a hippie; it may have been an imperfect time but it sure fought a lot harder for a perfect world than is done today, often with songs just like this week's featured tune....

Sly and the Family Stone were formed in my birth home of San Francisco in 1966 by Sly Stone (birth name, Sylvester Stewart) and actually did feature his family, what with his brother and sister being in the band as well as other musicians.  The band is famed for being the first American music group to feature not only white and black musicians, but also men and women musicians, as well.  Sly and the Family Stone is considered one of the most influential bands in American music history, playing a large role in the funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic styles.  Three of their albums made Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all-time, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.  As has been known to happen, rampant drug use and sometimes violent confrontations between band members hastened the demise of the band, and by 1987 they were done.  For their career, the band released eleven studio albums (with one #1), and 22 singles, of which three hit the top of the charts.  The band has "reunited" twice--once at their induction ceremony (long enough for Sly to say a few words and then disappear) and at a Grammy tribute (long enough for Sly to sing a verse and then disappear).  Sadly, Sly Stone at last glance was living in a van getting by with the help of neighbors and had completely turned his back on the music industry.

"Everyday People" was originally released as a single in 1968, and later added to their seminal 1969 album, Stand!  The single was the first of Sly and the Family Stone's to hit #1 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album was their first to become a hit, eventually reaching #13 on the Billboard 200.

Fun Fact:  This week's tune is credited with popularizing the phrase "Different strokes for different folks."  And another addition to the extremely long list of things I never would have guessed....

"Everyday People" opens with some jaunty piano joined by a pulsating bass and a little snappy drumming, and only gets better from there.  Sly Stone sings some peace and love lyrics with a joyful certainty, and sister Rose breaks in with sing song stanzas that give the song a gritty innocence.  You can literally imagine grade school children singing this one at an assembly (it'd be one cool ass assembly).  Rolling Stone ranked it #145 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all-time, and it's easy to see why:  it's two minutes and forty-seven seconds of some of the funkiest hope and dreams you'll ever hear.

Lyric Sheet:  "And so on and so on/And scooby dooby dooby/Oh sha sha/We got to live together..."

Enjoy:

Republican = Racist

Peace,

emaycee

On the cover of the Rolling Stone...

EXCLUSIVE: Jan. 6 Protest Organizers Say They Participated in "Dozens" of Planning Meetings With Members of Congress and White House Staff https://t.co/zlNIXW0hk8

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 25, 2021

The Republican Party Is Now a Fascist Cult Just Like Nazi Germany

Peace,

emaycee

 

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCXXXIX--Ry Cooder: I Think It's Going to Work Out Fine

For fuck's sake, who'd have ever guessed--a Friday Night Jukebox post that actually appears on a fucking Friday night!

 I don't feature instrumentals on Friday Night Jukebox too often, but this week's tune is one of the best rock and roll has ever had to offer, and sadly, it isn't nearly as well known as it should be (though the Ike and Tina Turner song it covers is considerably more well known...if you're of a certain age).  It's also proof that at one time Rolling Stone magazine had some sway over my musical tastes--the album the song came from I bought solely based on their review proclaiming it one of the best albums of..gulp...1979....

In an historic first for FNJ, this week's featured artist is the only one (and it isn't likely to be repeated) whose first name is Ryland.  Ry Cooder was born in Los Angeles in 1947, began playing music professionally in his teens, and released his last album just three short years ago in 2018.  Along the way he became known as one of the greatest guitar players of all-time (#8 on Rolling Stone's top 100 in 2003; #32 on Gibson--of guitar making fame--list of 2010).  Cooder has become a composer of soundtracks extraordinaire, with over 17 for his career.  He has 59 listings on LPs as a guest musician, as well as 19 collaborative efforts (including Buena Vista Social Club which brought Cuban music back into the spotlight, won a Grammy, as well as leading to an Academy Award nominated documentary).  For his solo career, Cooder has released seventeen solo studio albums, and seven singles.  He's also won six Grammy Awards.  And to put a cherry on the top of his illustrious body of work, Cooder is an unabashed Democrat who has supported numerous liberal causes, including civil rights, immigration, and income inequality to name but a few.

Fun Fact:  As noted above, this week's song is a cover of an Ike and Tina Turner song from 1961 which was entitled "It's Gonna Work Out Fine."  It reached #4 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.  I'd never heard it before doing my half-assed research this week, but would highly recommend it (it can be found here)--it's considerably (and I do mean considerably) more sultry that Cooder's more laid back instrumental, but well worth the listen.

"I Think It's Going to Work Out Fine" was released in 1979 on Cooder's stellar (and wonderfully entitled) LP, Bop Till You Drop.  The song was not released as a single, and the album reached a tragically low chart position of #62.

Imagine a movie where a protagonist goes through a long and protracted struggle to reach an end result, and at the end, while the end result may not have been exactly what our hero was hoping for, it worked out well enough.  The song that could be playing while he's walking into the setting sun would be "I Think It's Going to Work Out Fine."  Every time I hear it, oddly enough, the song sounds to me as if yes, indeed, everything is going to work out fine.  While Cooder plays the bulk of the guitar parts (and plays them exquisitely), he and David Lindley play off one another throughout and if you're a guitar aficionado like me it's pure six string heaven.  I can guarantee you that if when I was ten I'd chosen guitar lessons instead of Little League (still one of the worst decisions of my life), this is a song I'd either be playing or still trying to learn, even now, forty-two years later.  If joy was a song instead of a word, this is what it would sound like.

Lyric Sheet:  Obviously an instrumental, but lyrics inserted for anyone interested in Ike and Tina's version...

Enjoy:

You Have a Choice:  Pass a Voting Rights Bill, or Welcome Fascism to America

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCXXXIII--Steve Miller Band: Take the Money and Run

 This week we're going back to the decade that many--myself included--consider the best ever for rock and roll:  the 1970's.  And now, everybody together (with eye rolls), "OK, Boomer..."

Steve Miller moved to Chicago at the ripe old age of twenty-two to follow his dream of being a blues musician.  After a year he grew unhappy with the music scene there and in 1966 moved to San Francisco where he formed the Steve Miller Blues Band.  Shortly thereafter Miller took the bold step of taking the word "Blues" out of the band's name and it became just the Steve Miller Band (it was hoped that taking the word out would broaden the band's audience--it worked quite well).  The Steve Miller Band would have its first charting album in 1969, and would continue to chart albums moderately successfully until 1973 when it had its first pop hit with the song "The Joker" and the band would have four of its next five albums hit the top three on the Billboard 200 (with nary a number one, oddly enough).  In 1978 the Steve Miller Band released its Greatest Hits and to date the compilation has sold more than 13 million copies.  For their career, the band has released 18 studio albums, six live albums, and nine compilations.  They've also released thirty singles, with three #1's and two more top ten hits.  Sadly, most of the band's original members have gone to the Great Rock and Roll Concert in the Sky, though Miller still tours with the band's current incarnation.  Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 (and managed to be perhaps the only inductee to be such an asshole as to have the band inducting him--the Black Keys--later recant their speech honoring him).

Fun Fact:  emaycee fave Boz Scaggs met Miller at the age of 12 when the pair were in prep school.  They would later attend the University of Wisconsin together, and go their separate ways for a few years before meeting up again in San Francisco.  Scaggs was the guitarist on the Steve Miller Band's first two albums before returning to his solo career.

"Take the Money and Run" was the first single released (in 1976) from Miller's appropriately titled for the seventies album, Fly Like an Eagle.  The single would reach #11 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the albums would peak at #3.

"Take the Money and Run" tells the tale of two young lovers who rob a rich man and are followed by a mean detective until they escape over the border--which sounds somewhat lame until you remember America's fascination with outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde or John Dillinger, folks who stole from the rich to support themselves.  The song is catchy, Miller's vocals are detached enough to keep the song from inanity, and there's some nice guitar work along the way.  While I would never say I waited with baited breath for a Steve Miller Band release, I liked a number of their songs as I went through my formative years.  But I chose this one because...in the second chorus and again right before the end after Miller sings "take the money and run" he bellows "Ooooh, Lord!" and it's one of those moments in a song that takes it from being a nice little single to one you want to hear again and again.  And it's those small (even if sometimes silly) moments that have kept me entertained listening to pop music for almost fifty years now.

Lyric Sheet:  "They got the money, hey/You know they got away/They headed down south and they're still running today/Singin' go on take the money and run/Go on take the money and run...oooh Lord..."

Enjoy:

It Was an Insurrection--the Blood of Those Killed on January 6th Is on Republican Hands

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCCIII--Paul McCartney: Maybe I'm Amazed

 I'm guessing that at least a person or two has figured out the four week theme after reading this week's title....

The artist biography for this week is going to be really easy, because much like last week with John Lennon, it's impossible to encapsulate a career as full as Paul McCartney's in a simple paragraph.  Like Lennon, McCartney has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  He's won an Academy Award, eighteen Grammy's, has been knighted in his native U.K. and just to show what a cultural icon he truly is, he has an asteroid named after him (4148 McCartney--though actually all of the Beatles do).  Since he left the Beatles, McCartney has released 38 albums and 111 singles.  Including his work with the Beatles, Sir McCartney has had 32 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, 24 number one singles on the UK Singles Chart, and has sold over 100 million singles and albums.  There's so many stats in this one that there should be a ball being tossed about, don't you think?

Fun Story:  My very first boss with Camelot Music liked to tell the tale of the time in the late 70's when he was managing one of our stores and a young man came to the counter with one of McCartney's post Beatles LPs, and asked my boss in all earnestness, "Did you know that Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?"  My boss swore that he merely said, "Yes, I did," and thanked the youngster for his purchase...and had a story to tell for the rest of his life.

"Maybe I'm Amazed" was released on McCartney's first solo album, entitled amazingly enough, McCartney, in 1970.  It was not released as a single, though a live version was released in 1977 and reached #10 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was also ranked at #347 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All-Time."

Not gonna lie--of all the songs released by each of the Beatles in their solo careers, there isn't a one of them that comes close to me loving as much as I love "Maybe I'm Amazed."  Part of it is the simplicity (says the guy who knows as much about music theory as he does about nuclear physics--nothing)--there is a starkness to McCartney's piano playing that accentuates the uplifting melody.  The lyrics are short and sweet, honest without being sugary.  There's a couple of nice instrumental breaks, including one with a tasty guitar solo.  But what turns it into a classic is McCartney's impassioned vocals, sung with the wonder and conviction of a man who knows how lucky he is to have found the love of his life.  I'm not sure in the fifty years that have followed McCartney ever gave a better vocal performance.  As I've noted a time or two here before, it's one of those songs that sounds as, uh, amazing to me today as it did when I first heard it eons ago when I was a senior in high school.  One of the best love songs ever.

Lyric Sheet:  "Maybe I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song/Right me when I'm wrong/Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you..."

Enjoy:

230,000+ Dead Americans

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXCIV--Suzanne Vega: Marlene on the Wall

A thousand years ago when I first took over a Camelot Music store in Fairview Heights, Illinois it was not the best of times.  But the debut album by this week's featured artist went a long way toward helping me survive one of the toughest stretches I went through as a music store manager....

Suzanne Vega was born in Santa Monica, CA and moved to New York, New York at a young age.  While attending Barnard College she began playing her folk music at clubs throughout Greenwich Village and in 1984 landed her first recording contract.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  While Vega has never had commercial success of great heights, she has had more than enough to support her career over the past thirty-six years.  Vega is most known for her single "Luka" about an abused child which, despite its rather dark subject matter, reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  She is also well known for the DNA remix of her acapella song "Tom's Diner."  For her career, Vega has released nine studio albums (one of which hit #11 on the Billboard 200), a four LP set of acoustic material, two compilation albums, and five live albums.  She has released 23 singles, but only two of them charted here in the states, though she has had considerable more chart success in the U.K. (so many cool kids in Great Britain!).  She has won a pair of Grammy Awards and written a number of songs for movie soundtracks.  Vega continues to record (last album in 2016) and tour, and is sometimes joined by her daughter for her live performances.

(Not So) Fun Fact:  In 1989, Vega became the first woman to headline the Glastonbury Festival in England.  Unfortunately, a crazed fan had threatened her before the show and she had to perform the entire concert while wearing a bulletproof vest.

"Marlene on the Wall" was the first single from Vega's debut album, entitled appropriately enough, Suzanne Vega.  The single did not chart here in America, but did reach #21 in the United Kingdom (so many cool...never mind, already hit that number).  The album only reached #91, but was listed at #80 on Rolling Stone's list of the hundred best albums of the eighties.

"Marlene on the Wall" tells the story of a young woman who has had a series of lovers move in and out of her life, with the only constant being the stare of a Marlene Dietrich poster from the wall of her abode.  Every now and again as I do my half-assed research of my weekly tunes, I find something that I'd never noticed before but makes the song even more special.  This week it was how fast Vega delivers her vocals--which fuses with the spinning of her character's life, a life that she's beginning to question (is she actually falling in love with this one?) and the destiny of which she may be changing.  It's a nice slice of folk (emaycee fave!), literate without being pretentious, and Vega delivers it with a subtle yet melodic (I never really noticed or had forgotten how marvelous her voice is) overtone.  Listening to "Marlene on the Wall" this week was like seeing an old friend who you hadn't seen in a while and couldn't believe you'd almost forgotten about--a fine trip down memory lane for a damn fine song.

Lyric Sheet:  "But the only soldier now is me/I'm fighting things I cannot see/I think it's called my destiny/That I am changing...Marlene on the wall..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, CCXCI--The O'Jays: Love Train

There are very few songs that fill me with more unadulterated joy than this week's tune...and while it will also cause me to put on my dancing shoes, sadly, it does not have the magical capability to improve my dancing skills....

The O'Jays got their start in 1958 in Canton, Ohio.  They had a few small hits through the sixties and were considering calling it quits in 1972 when they signed with noted producers Gamble and Huff and their career began an upward trajectory.  They would have a steady string of hits through the seventies and while their chart success would slow they still managed to chart into the nineties.  For their career, the O'Jays released 29 studio albums with eight of them reaching the top twenty.  They also released 92 singles, and had 7 of them hit the top twenty while enjoying one #1.  They are still together performing and released their latest album just last year.  The O'Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

"Love Train" was released as a single in 1972 from their album Back Stabbers.  It would go on to be their only #1 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

"Love Train" is the O'Jays anthem asking us all to join hands and love one another, which is quite the noble sentiment.  Add in the Philadelphia soul sound and some righteous vocals (from members Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and Eric Grant) and you have yourself a classic single.  There's a nice break where the O'Jays show off their vocal chops, and I also love the shout outs after each line in the chorus ("c'mon" "'round the world, y'all").  I don't remember when my love affair with this song began (though it was a number of years after its initial release), but as I noted above it still fills me with as much bliss as it did when I first marveled at its exuberance.  And it's just another reminder of just how much fun--and how hopeful--pop music can be.

Lyric Sheet:  "People all over the world (Sisters and Brothers)/Join hands (join, come on)/Start a love train (ride this train, y'all)/Love train (come on)..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCLXXXVII--Mott the Hoople: All the Young Dudes

My introduction to this week's tune, oddly enough, came when Queen had success with the David Bowie penned "Under Pressure."  I was about six months into my career with Camelot Music when the song was released, and a co-worker noted upon it reaching hit status that Bowie had bailed out another band whose career was headed into oblivion (might have been a slight exaggeration for Queen).  I nodded like I understood what he meant (actually had no clue) and went home that night and found some old rock and roll books and was able to deduce that he was speaking of this week's tune....

Mott the Hoople (named for a character in a novel of the same name who earned his living as a circus freak) formed in 1969 in England and had a couple of incarnations before settling in as a band.  They had some moderate success with their first four albums, but were ready to disband when David Bowie, a fan of the group, heard and offered them his song "Suffragette City."  The band said no thanks (who the fuck turns down a song from David Bowie?), so Bowie offered them this week's tune in 1972 and the rest, as they say, is history.  The single gave them enough credibility that they were able to continue as a band until 1980.  They've had four reunions since then, and as of this year are officially a group once again.  For their career, Mott the Hoople released 7 studio albums (and two more as just Mott), nine live albums, and 12 compilations.  They also released 15 singles, seven of which charted in the U.K., and three of which charted here in the states.  Sadly, two of the band's original members have gone to The Great Rock Concert in the Sky, but as noted above, Mott the Hoople continues to trudge along the oldies circuit.

"All the Young Dudes" was released as a single in 1972 from their album entitled, appropriately enough, All the Young Dudes.  The song would go on to become the biggest hit of their career, reaching #3 in their native U.K. and #37 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was also #253 on Rolling Stone's original list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time.

Fun Fact:  The song is often considered a glam rock anthem and/or a gay anthem, but Bowie staunchly insisted it was neither.  He said it was about the end of life as we know it on earth and the young men having to deliver that news to the rest us.

While Bowie may not have considered the song to be an anthem, that is certainly what it became.  I've seen (on film) Bowie perform it live (remarkably similar to Mott the Hoople's version), and I can guarantee you it's one of those songs that not one person in the audience isn't singing and swaying along.  Vocally, Ian Hunter delivers the performance of a lifetime, replete with an urgency reflected again and again in the impromptu shouts of the chorus that gives the song a life of its own.  All the more is that Bowie wrote what may be the best lyrics of his career (I'm sure many would disagree) and Hunter and the band do not waste a one of them--from the poignant guitar that opens to the rousing backing vocals through the chorus there is never a doubt in this one that you are listening to one of the truly great songs in the annals of rock and roll.

Lyric Sheet:   "Television man is crazy/Saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks/Oh, man, I need TV when I got T-Rex..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee