And even though it all went wrong, I'll stand before the Lord of Song...and still be (six days) late again....
[Back to back days--twice as nice!]
I don't remember my introduction to this week's tune, but being a child of the seventies it's likely it was from some AOR radio station sometime during my teen years. As is, it's one of those songs that just stays with you through the years and you're nothing but the happier for it having remained so....
Of all the bands I've featured on Friday Night Jukebox, Badfinger quite easily has the saddest bio of any featured artist. Starting out as the Iveys in Swansea, Wales in 1961, they labored playing cover songs in gigs across the U.K. before signing to the Beatles Apple Records in 1968. After a slow start, Paul McCartney wrote and produced their first hit. After another hit, George Harrison produced their next song, and it went on to be the best selling of their career. A fourth (minor) hit, as well as some session work on a Harrison solo project, and it looked like they were primed for rock and roll stardom. Sadly, along the way and thereafter, very little went right. The dissolution of Apple Records left them with legal issues that for a time prevented touring and signing a new contract. They signed an epically bad deal with a manager who turned out to be swindling them, and as one might expect, infighting further damaged the band's psyche. Triggered in part by their financial issues, lead singer and guitarist Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975. Also a victim in part because of their financial ruin, bassist Tom Evans committed suicide as well in 1983. For all intents and purposes Badfinger was done at that point, though remaining original members Mike Gibbins (drums) and Joey Molland (guitar) would continue in various incarnations until their deaths in 2005 (Gibbins, brain aneurysm) and 2025 (Molland, complications from diabetes). For their all too short career, the band released (several of these were after the fact) ten studio albums, three live albums, four compilations, and fourteen singles (with three top tens in both their native U.K. and the U.S. They sold over fourteen million records and are considered one of the progenitors of (emaycee fave!) power pop.
Fun Fact: The band's name comes from the working title--"Bad Finger Boogie"--of the Beatles' hit "With a Little Help from My Friends." It was originally called such because John Lennon had an injured finger as he played piano on the song.
"Day After Day" was the first single released from their 1971 album, the rather vertically entitled Straight Up. The single would hit #4 (with a bullet!) in America and #10 in Great Britain; it was also their only gold single. The album reached #31 in America, but for some odd-ass reason, Wikipedia makes no mention of its charting in the U.K.
"Day After Day" is a power pop ballad, driven by inspired vocals from Pete Ham, otherworldly harmonies from the band, and some magnificent slide guitar by George Harrison. Upfront it's a song about missing the one you love, but in the end it's a song about how love can save us from loneliness and make us whole. It's another in a long line of fine seventies songs that line the pantheon of Friday Night Jukebox, and for me, another reminder just how wondrous power pop can be.
Lyric Sheet: "Looking out from my lonely room, day after day/Bring it home, baby, make it soon/I give my love to you..."
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose, won't you let me go down in my dreams, and...I'm (fifteen days--yikes!) late again....
[Blogger's Aside: Imagine my chagrin when I realized yesterday that I'm not two Jukebox posts behind but actually three. Sheee-it! Going to have to remedy that...
My introduction to this week's tune was when this week's artist debuted it on Saturday Night Live, with Howard Cosell(though I have to admit I did not remember that it was their American debut--just thought they happened to be the musical guest on that week's show). Howard Cosell (known much more for sports announcing than emceeing entertainment) was attempting to mimic the success of the bygone Ed Sullivan Show(he failed miserably as the show only lasted eighteen episodes), and I can remember him hyping the band as the next Beatles (if you're of a certain age, there was about a twenty year period after the Beatles debuted in America in 1964 where every pop band out of the U.K. was "the next Beatles"--unsurprisingly, none were). Oddly enough, though I remember liking the song immediately I didn't purchase a copy. The only version I have is one I downloaded from iTunes many years after the fact--one supposes, though, that it's better late than never....
The Bay City Rollers began in 1964, and the history of their band members is so convoluted and numerous it would take the length of a post (already long enough) at the very least to sort it all out. Suffice it to say that they're actually Scottish, their heyday was from the mid-seventies to the early eighties, and they sold a ton of records (estimated from 120 million to 300 million...which is quite the disparity). For their career, the Rollers released thirteen studio albums (with two #1's and a #3 and #4 in the U.K)., two live albums, ten compilations, and thirty-one singles (with ten top ten singles in Great Britain including two #1's, and three top ten songs in the U.S. with one #1). Sadly, two members of what is called the classic lineup (see heyday above) have passed away. The band became the Rollers for a spell after petering out and then joined the oldies circuit in numerous incarnations with one of them still touring today.
Fun Fact: The Bay City Rollers were originally the Saxons but wanted a name that sounded more Americanized as they crawled their way up the ladder of success. The band settled on Rollers but wanted an American name in front of it. They tossed a dart at a map of the U.S., and it originally landed on Arkansas. Not fond of that one (and what a wise choice that was--The Arkansas Rollers sounds like a half-assed country and western band), they threw the dart again and it landed near Bay City, Michigan--and a band name was born.
"Saturday Night" was the fourth single from the Rollers 1974 debut album, the rather citcularly entitled Rollin'.The song did not chart in the U.K., but nearly a year later was released as their first single in America and promptly climbed to #1 (with a bullet!). It also hit #1 in Canada--so many cools kids in the Great White North! The album reached #1 in the U.K. but was not released here. An album called Bay City Rollers (a mishmash of their first three albums) was released in the U.S. to capitalize on the success of the single, and it peaked at #20.
The one trait of this song that I would like to call out is the complete and utter genius of spelling out "Saturday" and following it with a rousing, crowd screaming "night," and then using it several times throughout the song. Rhythmic, rollicking, catchy as all hell, and easy to remember--the perfect pop music moment. The rest of the song is a delightful paean to dancing with your baby on a Saturday night (which, truth be told, I know nothing about, but it sounds fun). Sometimes a great pop song is just a great pop song and "Saturday Night" is every bit a great pop song.
Lyric Sheet: "Gonna rock it up, roll it up/Do it all, have a ball/Saturday night, Saturday night..."
Love you every day, girl, always on my mind, one thing I can say, girl...is that I'm (over two weeks late--Jesus H., what the hell am I doing with my time?) late again....
Alas, my introduction to this week's song was little more than its release in 1974. I will say, though, that it came out when I was first becoming enamored of pop music, when I would listen to the radio for hours waiting to hear a current fave, much like this week's tune....
After the Beatles (he gives a link, even though the most technologically inept person in the world could find out just about anything about the band) break-up, Paul McCartney (ditto this link) recorded two solo albums before starting another band, Wings, which he would remain with for the next ten years (1971-1981). I think it's often overlooked, as whatever McCartney has done has pretty much been credited to, well, McCartney, that he was actually in two bands. Not much more to add--it's Paul McCartney for Christ's sake--though I did write about a song of his in Vol. CCCIII, as well as two Beatles' songs (here and here), and one absolutely incredible Beatles' album. And, in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.
"Jet" was the first single released from Wings' third album, the rather elusively named Band on the Run. The single would hit #7 (with a bullet!) in the U.S., and also in the U.K. (coincidence or lucky roll of the dice?). The album hit number one in each nation.
Fun Fact: [Blogger's Aside: Any of my loyal readers (all three of you) who are devotee's of lyrics may want to skip this week's fact.] "Jet" got its title from either a dog (original McCartney claim) or a horse (later McCartney claim). Regardless, it has nothing to do with the song, which is about McCartney meeting his future wife's father, who was something of a hardass and didn't much care for pop stars (I know--he was a fucking Beatle! Give it a rest!). Also, the word "suffragette," which appears several times in the song, has nothing to do with anything--McCartney thought it was a goofy word and liked the way it sounded.
From it's in your face blasting horns beginning with the band shouting "Jet!" in tandem, McCartney and Wings take us on a magical journey that reminds us yet again how unbelievably good the music of the seventies was. Plenty of 'ooh-ooh-ooh's," a stellar vocal performance from McCartney, and rock-solid rocking from the band. A couple of points: First, it's easy to forget, especially with how many ballads or soft rock tunes McCartney did as he career progressed, that McCartney could flat out rock with the best of them. Second, with the amount of weak tunes McCartney released in his later years (with a few exceptions), sometimes it's also easy to forget that he also had a hell of a solo career. There were a lot of smiles this week as I listened to it, as well as a lot of shaking my head as to just how great of a song it was. Suffragette!
Lyric Sheet: "Jet, with the wind in your hair of a thousand laces/Climb on the back, and we'll go for a ride in the sky.."
Like a complete unknown, like a...guy who's late once again....
Amazingly enough, my introduction to this week's tune would have been my sophomore year of high school, which coincidentally would be the year it was released. It was quite ubiquitous on my music radio of choice (or not choice as we didn't have FM radio in the family car and good luck getting an FM station on our portable radio unless the skies were bluer than blue) WLS-89 AM out of Chicago. It's also one of those songs that not only did I like when it was originally released, but as I--and the song--have aged my appreciation for it has only grown....
Billy Preston was born in 1946 in Houston, Texas, and by the time he was ten he was playing keyboards (a prodigy, he was self taught) for gospel groups. At sixteen he had backed Little Richard and Sam Cooke, and by the end of the sixties had played with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He went solo in the early seventies, had a string of hit singles through the early eighties (and won two Grammys), and then, sadly, his life took a series of unfortunate turns. Preston suffered from sexual abuse as a child, which may have led to his cocaine addiction, had the relationship break up from hell, was charged with drunk driving (more than once), assault, and insurance fraud, struggled with his homosexuality vis-a-vis his strong religious beliefs, and by 1997 found himself sentenced to four years in prison for cocaine possession during his probation for drug charges. Preston would serve eighteen months of the four years and get himself finally cleaned up. Through it all, Preston continued to tour and play keyboards for a plethora of stars (probably easier to list the ones he didn't play for than the ones he did). For his solo career, Preston released twenty-three studio albums, four gospel albums, one live album, and forty-six singles (two #1 singles, one #2, and two #4's). Unfortunately, Preston's drug addictions eventually caught up with him and he fell into a coma in late 2005 from complications of kidney disease and never recovered, passing away in 2006. Preston was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
"Nothing from Nothing" was the first single from his 1974 LP, the rather youthfully entitled, The Kids & Me.The single would hit #1 (with a bullet!), and the album would become the highest charting of his career, reaching #17.
Fun Fact: "Nothing from Nothing" was the first song played in the first musical appearance on Saturday Night Live when the show debuted in 1974.
Fun Fact #2: Preston is the only artist to be listed as a co-performer by the Beatles. Their single "Get Back" was credited as The Beatles with Billy Preston.
Opening with a snippet of carnivalesque reverie, "Nothing from Nothing" rolls right into some funky ass keyboards (quickly easy to see why Preston was considered one of the best keyboard players ever), and Preston adds to the fun with some funky ass vocals (nailing both the rhythm and the blues). A little further down the line a funky ass horn section joins the rollicking express and gives us a funk/pop/soul delight. Preston and co-writer Bruce Fisher heap on some nice wordplay in the lyrics, as well. Not really sure what the song is about (bringing something to the table if you're serious about a relationship with the protagonist?), but I don't know if it's all that important as long as the song moves you. In the end, it's another in a long line of glorious tunes from my favorite rock and roll era, the seventies--and for me, the more's the merrier.
Lyric Sheet: "Don't you remember I told ya/I'm soldier/In the war on poverty/Yeah, yes I am..."
I've got to admit (my lateness is) getting better, getting a little better all the time (it can't get no worse)....
My introduction to this week's tune came courtesy of a young man (now pretty much my age if he's still among the living) named Jeff who worked at the store in Huntsville, Alabama where I trained to be a manager for Camelot Music. Jeff was a drummer in a punk band and wasn't all that thrilled with most of the albums we had open for instore play, but he did love a Kinks live album called One for the Road (released on my twenty-first birthday no less) and played it whenever he got a chance to put on a record. It was chock full of Kinks' hits, all played with the gusto you'd hope for while seeing them live. Among those hits was our song of the week, which I fell in love with almost immediately in the late summer of 1980....
I wrote about the Kinks in Jukebox Vol. CCX, and as the band has still not reunited since their breakup in 1997 and no one from the band has headed for The Great Rock and Roll Concert in the Sky (thankfully) I'm just going to let that bio stand. I will note, though, that over the past few years my appreciation for the Kinks has done nothing but grow (largely due to finding their brilliant album Muswell Hillbilliesat a library sale for a dollar), and I still think that while I wouldn't say they were underappreciated, they certainly haven't received the recognition they should have.
"Catch Me Now I'm Falling" was the second single released from their 1979 album, the rather bargain basement entitled Low Budget. The song did not chart, while the album reached #11 on the Billboard 200.
Fun Fact: I was actually reintroduced to this week's tune when I found One for the Road for a dollar at our library's annual sale (I have some seriously good luck at library sales) a few years back. I'm not usually a big fan of live albums, but I have to admit it was every bit as good as it was when I first heard it in 1980.
Until my reintroduction to "Catch Me Now I'm Falling," I'd always thought the song was a call from a guy looking for a helping hand from those he'd helped before. Little did I know the song was actually a diatribe against those allies of America who were helped by the U.S. in their time of need yet abandoned her in the late seventies when times were a little tough (most notably during the Iran Hostage Crisis of '79-'81). That being said, it's still a hell of a rock and roll record, with lots of killer guitar from Dave Davies, inspired lyrics and vocals from Ray Davies, and a plethora of powerful instrumental breaks. There's a ton of repetition in the lyrics, but it really works. You can also see why it was included on a live album--this one is made for the concert show with the flashing lights and the exploding amps. All in all, just a stellar effort from a band at the height of its musical prowess.
Lyric Sheet: "Now I'm calling on citizens from all over the world/This is Captain America calling/I bailed you out when you were down on your knees/So will you catch me now I'm falling..."
One of the joys for me in my days of working in a thrift store was the wonderful CDs that would be donated for us to resell--a lot of them were shit, but sometimes you'd get utterly amazing, like managing to get this week's featured album (and at the same time, Rubber Soul--yowza!). Needless to say, I quickly snatched it up for moi, and thankfully I did--I was not familiar with this week's featured tune and it quickly became an all-time fave.
This will be the third time I've written about the Beatles (could--and probably should--be a lot more considering I'm 507 songs into this project), with the previous posts linked inside the parentheses (song and album). I've also written one post about a single by each of the Fab Four: John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Say! what a lot of Beatles posts there are (thanks, Dr. Seuss). Other than that, I've done a Greatest Beatles Facts bio, and there's not much an amateur rock critic can add to their story that hasn't been said or written better by many much more talented rock and roll writers than me.
"Here, There and Everywhere" was the fifth song on side one of the Beatles rather whirlingly (couldn't come up with an adverb for "gun"...) entitled Revolver. The song was not released as a single (somewhat surprisingly, though I'm sure it's much easier in retrospect), while the album, in a not so stunning turn of events, reached number one in the U.S. and the U.K., as well as in the five other nations Wikipedia was so kind to list (somehow it peaked at #14 in Norway--apparently not nearly enough cool kids in Norway).
Fun Fact: McCartney has cited as his inspiration for this week's tune the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," I already mentioned this in my post for "God Only Knows" but since my half-assed research was really half-assed this week, it'll have to do.
McCartney, Lennon, and Beatles producer George Martin have all said that "Here, There and Everywhere" ranks as one of their favorite Beatles tunes...and who am I to question their choices. Like the (just) aforementioned "God Only Knows," this week's song is truly one of the great love ballads ever, and in a testament to just how great the Beatles were, it never really feels like a love ballad, just a brilliant piece of pop music condensed into two minutes and twenty-four seconds. And it says every bit as much about the human condition as the one thousand and umpteen pages of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest(not that I've ever waded my way through that morass). Written for one time McCartney love interest Jane Asher, the song has simple lyrics, smoothly sweet vocals from McCartney, a tasty melody, and the backing "oohs" throughout (which I just discovered while doing my prep this week) are to absolutely die for. One of those songs for which you give thanks that you existed long enough to hear it....
Lyric Sheet: "Here, making each day of the year/Changing my life with a wave of her hand/Nobody can deny that there's something there..."
My introduction to this week's tune wasn't this version--it was the Ramones cover version (though truth be told, our featured song is actually a cover version, too). After years of hearing the Ramones cover, I finally got around to listening to the original and found it to be...amazing. While the Ramones rendition has its charms (three chord thrashing guitar, furious drumming, Joey's fevered vocals), the 1964 version is a nice slice of sixties pop pie....
The Rivieras (they eventually named themselves after the General Motors luxury car the Buick Riviera) formed while its original members were still in high school in 1962, in that hot bed of rock and roll, South Bend, Indiana. They recorded a single, managed to get it distributed, and had a hit. Before they could even record their first LP, two of its original members joined the Marines. The band would change members frequently (the draft and parental desires for them to attend college), before disbanding in 1966. In their short career, they released two studio albums, and eleven singles. Some band members would reunite under the name Wildcat from 2000-2010 but the band is now officially defunct.
"California Sun" was originally released as a single only in 1964, but after its success was the lead cut on their debut album, Let's Have a Party. The single would peak at #5 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and I was unable to discern if the album ever charted.
Fun Fact: Some people consider "California Sun" to be the last American rock and roll hit before the British Invasion. When it peaked at number five, the #1 song on the charts was a little ditty you might have heard of: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles....
As you listen to "California Sun," keep in mind that the young men recording it were still in fucking high school! It's not like George Martin was in the studio to produce it for them--they did it themselves. Just a killer rat-a-tat guitar, pulsating drums, a rambunctious organ (and its mid-song solo), and devil-may-care vocals that capture all the hope and joy that is our west coast. All I know is the more I hear it, the more I'm all in for heading out to that warm California sun. An absolute triumph of youth.
Lyric Sheet: "And they walk, and I'll walk/They twist and I'll twist/They shimmy and I'll shimmy/They fly and I'll fly/Well, they're out there a-havin' fun/In that warm California sun..."
For the second straight week, my introduction to the featured song came via a cover version, this time a band you may have heard of--the Beatles. I actually thought it was a solo effort from Ringo Starr (who did eventually release a duet version with Buck Owens in 1988), but the Beatles loved the song and recorded it in 1965. And their version led me to seek out the original....
Buck Owens was born in Sherman, Texas in 1929 and took a somewhat roundabout way to stardom. A self taught musician (guitar, mandolin, horns, and drums) Owens worked on his father's farm, as a radio personality, and as a truck driver after he started making music in 1945, before he finally hit the big time in 1959 with his first top forty country hit. In 1963 he had his first number one hit and would record 21 more during his heyday. Sadly, Owens best friend and guitarist, Don Rich, died in a motorcycle accident in 1974, and Owens freely admitted that neither he nor his musical career were ever the same afterward. Nonetheless, Owens would go on to have a major success with the country variety show Hee Haw, and was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. For his career, Owens released 39 studio albums, 9 live albums, 16 compilations, and 97 singles. Regular readers (both of you) may remember a shout out to Owens for an earlier Friday Night Jukebox post for Dwight Yoakam's "Streets of Bakersfield." Buck Owens passed away in 2006 from a heart attack in his sleep, just hours after what would become his final performance.
"Act Naturally" was released as a single only in 1963. It would go on to become the first #1 hit on the Hot Country Singles Chart of Owens' career.
Fun Fact: The Beatles version was released in 1965 and rose to #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also originally released as a single only, and was paired with "Yesterday." While most folks would have assumed (myself included) that "Yesterday" was the A-side, it was actually "Act Naturally." Another in a long line of instances giving credence to the old maxim, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray...."
In "Act Naturally," Owens sings the plaintive tale of a man who says he could be a movie star if they put him in a movie about a man who's sad and lonely because all he'd have to do is...act naturally. Owens captures the best of what makes a good country single--it's short (2:17), simple (a heartbroken lad), and heartfelt (Owens' vocals nail it). Owens' longtime band, the Buckaroos, provide a nice backdrop, and a nice steel guitar break from Don Rich just adds to the songs nuance. In the end, it's a reminder of how special country music can be when it's at its best--and Buck Owens and the Buckaroos have done the genre proud with this one.
Lyric Sheet: "We'll make a scene about a man that's sad and lonely/And begging down upon his bended knee/I'll play the part but I won't need rehearsing/All I have to do is act naturally..."
Enjoy:
Taxing the Wealthy Is Good Politics for the Democratic Party
In which our hero tries and fails miserably to convey the essence of one of rock and roll's greatest albums from one of rock and roll's greatest bands in his birthday inspired once a year album review. Hell, even the album cover is one of the most memorable in rock's history....
Already wrote a bio of the Beatles and each of its members--just going to cut to the quick of synopsizing each song on Abbey Road(all seventeen of them):
Come Together--With its ominous musical overtones, "Come Together" opens the album and sets the standard for all the songs to come. Staccato guitar, a pulsating bass drum, and the rattlesnake cymbals make for a stunning intro . The gibberish lyrics just add to its charm. Favorite Line: "He say I know you, you know me/One thing I can tell you is you got to be free..."
Something--Just to give you an idea, 200 artists have done a cover version of this one (only "Yesterday" has more covers of a Beatles song). Yeah, it's a little on the sappy side, but it has a lovely melody, heartfelt lyrics, heartfelt vocals, and a nice guitar solo. An excellent effort from George Harrison--one of the greatest love songs ever written. Favorite Line: "Something in the way she knows/And all I have to do is think of her..."
Maxwell's Silver Hammer--Serial killing with an upbeat tempo. Not the best on the album or in Paul McCartney's career. Still better than anything Styx or REO Speedwagon ever did, though. Favorite Line: "Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical/Science in the home..."
Oh! Darling--A raucous piece of barroom rock and roll. Essentially a 'baby please don't leave me" song. McCartney does his best to sound like he warmed up his voice by smoking three packs of cigarettes and drinking a fifty of whiskey--it works well enough. No one would ever confuse it with one of the Beatles' best, but a listenable effort. Favorite Line: "When you told me/You didn't need me anymore/Well you know I nearly broke down and cried..."
Octopus's Garden--Did you know that octopuses collect items from the ocean floor and build gardens from them? Me, either, but learning new things is one of the perks of Friday Night Jukebox. Ringo Starr wrote this one and performs the vocals. As novelty efforts go, it's not quite "Yellow Submarine," but it's still a cut above. Considered by many to be a great children's song. Quirky and lovable, just like Ringo. Favorite Line: "We would be warm below the storm/In our little hideaway beneath the waves..."
I Want You (She's so Heavy)--A nearly eight minute love song from John Lennon to Yoko Ono. Considered by some to be a precursor to heavy metal. Not your usual Beatles fare, but it works tremendously well. The lyrics are simple, the construction of the song is not. Lots of feedback over a foreboding guitar, while the drums accentuate the somber tone. One of those songs that make you realize why the Beatles were (and are) one of the most influential bands ever. Favorite Line: "I want you/I want you so bad/It's driving me mad..."
Here Comes the Sun--And out of the darkness comes one of the most hopeful, both musically and lyrically, songs ever written. The second gem on the album penned and sung by George Harrison, The light at the end of the tunnel, the end of the rainbow--it's the easing of your struggles and the peace you had hoped for coming over the horizon. The opening acoustic guitar is instantly recognizable and utterly unforgettable. Favorite Line: "Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter/Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here..."
Because--Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison all harmonize on this one, the first time all three would share lead vocals. Not only that, they did some fancy studio wizardry to make it sound as if it were nine voices. While the nature of this song is very different, like "I Want You (She's so Heavy)" this is another signature song for the Beatles which makes you realize why they're often considered to be the greatest band of all-time. Favorite Line: "Love is old, love is new/Love is all, love is you..."
You Never Give Me Your Money--The first song of an eight song medley (though this one sounds like it's three songs in one). Listening to the Beatles juxtapose all three sections is a joy--ballad to a bit of a rocker to a sing song pop song. Some think McCartney wrote this one believing Abbey Road would be the Beatles last album. Favorite Line: "You never give me your money/You only give me your funny paper..."
Sun King--The second song of the medley, and the second song where Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison harmonize the lead vocals. This one's a lot of lovely instrumental and a few lyrics, including a mix of romance languages at the end which Lennon admitted later was just the Beatles goofing around. Favorite Line: Everybody's laughing/Everybody's happy/Here comes the sun king..."
Mean Mr. Mustard--Lennon wrote a song about a real life miser who supposedly hid his money so well he couldn't spend it because he couldn't find it, to continue the medley. It only last one minute six seconds, but as with the best art a lot is packed into that short time. Almost has a whimsical quality, and I always liked it because I found it to be so catchy. The mention of the miser's sister Pam is a lead in to the next song. Favorite Line: "Saving up to buy some clothes/Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose/Such a mean old man..."
Polythene Pam--This Lennon penned ditty is the fourth song of the medley. Like the previous tune, extremely short and extremely catchy (from small things big things come). Supposedly about sex with a woman wrapped in polythene--which Lennon may or may not have been part of. Favorite Line: "Get a dose of her in jackboot and kilts/She's killer-diller when she's dressed to the hilt..."
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window--Number five. Based on a true story of a fan who used a a ladder to climb through the bathroom window of McCartney's home. She promptly let some friends in and they stole a handful of items. Another short catchy song. Maybe a theme? Favorite Line: "Sunday's on the phone to Monday/Tuesday's on the phone to me..."
Golden Slumbers--The last three songs of the medley are as close to godliness as rock and roll can get, and this one is a lovely lullaby. A beautiful plea to to a sleepy child to stop crying and let a peaceful sleep bring her a happy awakening. McCartney absolutely nails the vocal. Favorite Line: "Once there was a way to get back homeward/Once there was a way to get back home..."
Carry That Weight--Another song written by McCartney anticipating the end of their time together. The phrase "carry that weight" is an acknowledgment that all of them would carry the weight forever of being in the Beatles. A rare song as the chorus features all four Beatles harmonizing. An uplifting exhortation. Favorite Line: "Boy, you're gonna carry that weight/Carry that weight a long time..."
The End--A stellar drum solo from Ringo Starr, stupendous guitar solos in order from McCartney, Harrison, and Lennon, and perhaps the greatest single line ever written in a rock and roll song completes the last time the Beatles would be in the studio together. A masterful ending to a master work. Favorite Line: "And in the end/The love you take/Is equal to the love/You make..."
Her Majesty--Just to add the cherry on top, the Beatles added this novelty ode to Queen Elizabeth as a hidden track (on the original release). Twenty-six seconds of lighthearted fun to send us all home happy. Favorite Line: "I wanna tell her that I love her a lot/But I gotta get a belly full of wine..."
Enjoy a masterpiece:
It Was an Insurrection--the Blood of Those Killed on January 6th Is on Republican Hands
A few years back when I was still managing a thrift shop, I had heard Richie Havens version of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" on some cable station that was showing the Woodstockrockumentary and for the first time I really came to appreciate how great it was. As luck would have it, a few days later someone kindly donated a copy of Havens' greatest hits, which I scooped up for a dollar. Little did I know that there would be several of his songs I liked just as much as "Here Comes the Sun," and a few even more--such as this week's tune.
Richie Havens was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1941. At the ripe old age of 20 he headed for Greenwich Village for a chance to better express himself artistically, picked up a guitar shortly thereafter, and by 1966 he had released his first LP. Havens would go on to develop a sterling reputation both as a singer and as a live performer (his performance at Woodstock was equal to any other band's), and would continue to record and tour through his retirement due to health reasons in 2012. Havens also belongs to a long list of emaycee faves that have not been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Squeeze, the Spinners, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and the Guess Who to name a few). For his career, Havens released 22 albums (with one reaching the top thirty), and 13 singles (one hitting the top twenty). Sadly, Havens died from a heart attack in 2013, leaving a rock solid legacy in the music world, and, in my humble opinion, is one of the most underrated music artists I've ever heard.
(Not sure whether or not this is a) Fun Fact: Havens requested to be cremated at his death and to have his ashes scattered over the fields where the original Woodstock was held--and his family complied with those wishes.
"Follow" was released on Havens' debut album, Mixed Bag. The song was not released as a single, and the album did not chart on the Billboard 200.
If, like me, you have a soft spot for folk music then "Follow" should be a cool breeze on a warm summer day for you. The song features a lightly strummed acoustic guitar, a bass, and a delicate touch of electric guitar, and lets Havens vocals carry the day--which he does with an understated yearning as he passes on an old man's hopes for a younger generation. The plea--which is more or less to enjoy the bounties which love and nature provide us--is delivered so gently and with such earnestness that if you can harness your inner child for six minutes it will not be lost on you. There are some songs from the sixties where the message of peace, hope, and love don't age so well, but "Follow" is not one of them. A timeless classic from a timeless and classic performer.
Lyric Sheet: "And maybe you can sing to me the words that I just told you/If all the things you feel ain't what they seem/And don't mind me 'cos I ain't nothin' but a dream..."
Enjoy:
526,000+ Dead Americans Because of Donald Trump's Incompetence
Sappy story: I was single for many years after my first marriage ended, and whenever it seemed hopeless that love would enter my life again...I'd play this week's tune. Even sappier, the song's main theme, that life is a gamble and you never know when something or someone special will enter your life...most certainly came true with my life. I'd say it's embarrassing, but the Beautiful Girl and I are eighteen years down the road now and it seems to be working out just fine....
For the fourth straight week I'm going to note that the artist biography will be short because what else could I possibly add about Ringo Starr that hasn't already been written--and then proceed to write a lengthy paragraph about his life anyway. Of all the Beatles, Ringo was the one that probably would have been voted least likely to have much success as a solo artist, but he's fifty years down the road and has frankly had a hell of a solo career. Like each of his fellow Beatles, he's a two time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is widely considered one of the five best rock and roll drummers of all-time. He still tours regularly (well, when there's not a pandemic anyway) with his Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band group, which features any number of rock and roll veterans (Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Bill Preston, Bonnie Raitt, and Clarence Clemons to name but a very few). Starr has won an Academy Award and Grammy Awards with his fellow Beatles, but in a first, he is the only Beatle to be nominated for an Emmy (Daytime Emmy for Shining Time Station,a Thomas the Tank Engine spin-off). For his solo career, Starr has released 20 studio albums (with two top ten LPs), nine albums with his All-Starr Band, and 44 singles (with two #1's and six more top ten hits). He celebrated his eightieth birthday earlier this year with a virtual concert.
Fun Fact: Starr has been knighted, but he was given the honor by his real name, so he is Sir Richard Starkey instead of Sir Ringo Starr. And I'm probably the only person on the planet who finds that interesting....
"You Never Know" was released in 1991 on the soundtrack to the mildly entertaining film, Curly Sue. Neither the song or the album came anywhere near the Billboard charts.
As with "Watching the Wheels" by John Lennon from a few weeks back, "You Never Know" is not Starr's best single, but it's my personal favorite and so the rest of y'all are going to have to suffer with my choice. As noted above, the song is an ode to keeping your eyes open for that four leaf clover that's going to change your life, and Starr sings it with all the happy-go-lucky charm that he can muster. Both the music and the lyrics have a whimsical quality to them which fits with a song about keeping the dice rolling because that 7 might just hit on your next roll. In the end, it's a sweet slice of pop music pie sung by a man who's seen his share of both the best and the worst of what life has to offer--and who knows that the rainbow is always just a rainstorm away.
Lyric Sheet: "I never saw exactly where the road would lead me/One day I woke to find somebody needs me/I thought I'd taken luck as far as it would go/But then again you never know..."
When I go over my favorites list on my iPod, it always surprises me that I have as many songs by George Harrison and Ringo Starr as I do by John Lennon and Paul McCartney...which probably shows just how much the Beatles were a sum of their parts. And probably one of the numerous reasons why they're considered by many to be the greatest rock and roll band of all time.
For the third straight week the biographical portion of this week's post will be brief (though I should note that each of the Beatles' entries on Wikipedia takes longer to read than it does to write the corresponding week's post)--the life of George Harrison has been written about numerous times by writers much better than myself (including Harrison himself). Though he developed a reputation as the quiet Beatle (mostly because he got strep throat on their first trip to America and didn't speak much at press conferences to protect his voice), Harrison was anything but. He was very active in charities of every stripe (civil rights, poverty, animal rights, environmental to name but a few), and was also known for playing and corroborating with numerous other artists (Dylan, the Band, Eric Clapton, Badfinger, Billy Preston to name but a few). Unlike the other Beatles, Harrison joined another band--the Traveling Wilburys--who released two albums before going their separate ways. Like his bandmates Lennon and McCartney, Harrison is a double inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He won thirteen Grammys altogether, and an Academy Award. For his solo career, Harrison released twelve albums (two of which reached #1), and 35 singles (with three hitting the top of the charts). Harrison passed away in 2001 after battling numerous cancers over the last four years of his life.
"What Is Life" was the second single released from Harrison's seminal 1970 LP All Things Must Pass. The single reached #10 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album reached #1 on the Billboard 200. Rolling Stone ranked it 368th on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time."
Fun Fact: All Things Must Pass, surprisingly enough, is widely considered to be the best of all the solo albums by the members of the Beatles. Bet you there weren't many people that had that ticket in 1970 in the greatest Beatles solo albums pool....
For whatever reason, George Harrison's sense of pop music always meshed very well with mine--there are really any number of his songs that I could have featured this week, but I chose "What Is Life" for the sheer exuberance of its music, lyrics, and vocals. From its laser gun burst guitar opening to its snazzy horns throughout, the song is a celebration. Harrison mixed the best of the Beatles catchy hooks with a Motown vibe and came up with a pop masterpiece worthy of the ages. While there is some minor disagreement as to who the song is speaking of (is it God or a woman who love he can't live without?), in the end the song is a paean to a special love--with Phil Spector's Wall of Sound providing the soundtrack. Other than the whole using real musicians who play real instruments (God do I sound like a cranky old fart), it's the kind of song that even fifty years down the road sounds as if it would be a hit right here in 2020.
Lyric Sheet: "What I feel, I can't say/But my love is there for you anytime of day..."
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..."
There will be a theme emerging over the next several posts of Friday Night Jukebox...see how long it takes you to figure it out!
For those of you who just stepped out of a spaceship from an alien planet, John Lennon at one time was in a band called The Beatles. That's it for me--what the hell else are you going to say about one of the most successful musicians in human history? Hey, here's a surprise--he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice--solo and and for the band) and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. In addition to that tiny bit of success he had with The Beatles, Lennon found time to release 11 solo albums. After his death, his estate must have gotten really busy because he has 21 compilation/box set releases. Sadly--though his loss is much sadder for his family than his fans--his assassination robbed the world of what might have been.
Fun Fact: For any of my readers (both of you) who may be David Bowie fans, his #1 hit song "Fame" was co-written by...John Lennon. How the hell I've been following pop music for nearly fifty years now and didn't know that is a mystery for the ages.
"Watching the Wheels" was the last single released from Lennon's final album before his death, Double Fantasy. It would eventually reach #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album hit #1 on the Billboard 200, though as someone who was working in a record store when he was murdered can honestly tell you, the album never would have had he not died.
To be perfectly honest, "Watching the Wheels" isn't even close to being Lennon's best song from his solo career. But as I've aged, it's one of those songs that I appreciate more so on a personal level because it encapsulates my aging in the working world--having gone from being a top notch performer to being more than happy to be a cog in the works and letting everybody else get the glory. For those who don't know, after the birth of his second son Sean, Lennon spent five years just being a house husband, and "Watching the Wheels" chronicles Lennon's joy in simple domesticity. While Lennon eventually decided to get back to his art, I decided to keep watching the wheels--and Lennon's song is a perfect reminder of the serenity I've found watching the world go ceaselessly by. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Lyric Sheet: "I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round/I really love to watch them roll..."
If they gave musicians lessons on how to write the perfect pop tune, this week's ditty (one of my all time favorite pop songs) could serve as an exceptional example of how to do exactly that.
Gerry and the Pacemakers were formed in 1959 (the same year I was born--coincidence? I think not...) in Liverpool, U.K. (hmm, seems some other band I know of was from there...) by Gerry Marsden. After being signed by Brian Epstein (of The Beatles fame), they recorded their first single in 1963 (produced by George Martin, who helped produce a song or two for The Beatles) which promptly went to #1 on the U.K. Charts, as did their next two singles, making them the first band ever in the U.K. to have their first three singles reach the top of the chart. Their fourth single release would just miss, reaching #2. Though for several years Gerry and the Pacemakers and their Merseybeat sound rivaled the Beatles in popularity in their native U.K., by 1966 they were finished, but they reunited off and on from 1972 through 2018 when Marsden announced his retirement. For their career they released a dozen albums (with a #2 and #19 in the U.K., a number 13 here in the U.S.), and 19 singles with six top ten hits in the United Kingdom and three here in the States. They also made a film (see below) which many consider, for better or worse, to be their A Hard Day's Night(and considering the plots are remarkably similar and they had the same management as the Beatles, it's not surprising). Other than its theatrical release, the movie has never been shown on TV or released on video.
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" was released in 1965 on the soundtrack for the film of the same name as noted above. The single would reach #6 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and #8 on the U.K. chart. The soundtrack was their second highest charting album in the U.K. and their highest charting LP here in America.
Fun Fact: It's a lot funner for me, but as regular readers (both of you) know, I've mentioned the Chicago radio station WLS-AM 89 a time of two here before as being quite the influence on my musical tastes (a collective yawn is not taken personally!), and interestingly enough (or not) "Ferry Cross the Mersey" had its best sales in Chicago, where it reached #1 on...WLS-AM 89. Too cool for words....
In an odd confluence, as I was roaming about the house this week singing "Ferry Cross the Mersey" to my heart's content, it dawned on me that the song reminded me of (and I am in no way equating the two) The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset"--and sure enough as I was doing my weekly half-assed research I checked out the Wikipedia entry for the the Kinks song in which Ray Davies noted that he was heavily influenced by the Merseybeat sound when he wrote the song, and that the song was originally called "Liverpool Sunset." For those not familiar, the Mersey is a river which runs through Liverpool and into Liverpool Bay. Much like "Waterloo Sunset," "Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a nice song about a moment in time in one's home city and the strong bond that many are lucky enough in life to develop to it. Marsden delivers an understated vocal that captures his bond with Liverpool, and the lyrics offer a beautiful slice of the life he loves there. The melody is the stuff dreams are made of--I've literally been singing it for the last three days and it just never gets old. Wondrous, artful, serene--I'm not sure there are enough adjectives to describe how much I love this slice of pop music pie, another in a long line of songs that have made every moment I've spent listening and learning about music more than worth the while.
Lyric Sheet: "People around every corner/They seem to smile and say/We don't care what your name is boy/We'll never turn you away..."
Richard Penniman, better know to the world as Little Richard, passed away today at the age of 87, leaving behind a legacy that few will ever know in the world of rock and roll. With his passing, only Jerry Lee Lewis remains among the four biggest early influences (Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry being the other two) on rock music. He will be remembered for his flamboyant stage presence, unabashed vocals, and flashy dressing style. He is known as The Architect of Rock and Roll (like Chuck Berry he wrote many of his biggest hits), and was among the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
While always familiar with his work, I became a little more intimate when my youngest son was in day care and fell in love with a couple of his songs. It became one of those situation where familiarity bred not contempt, but a greater appreciation.
I don't really have much to add to the worldwide tributes pouring in today--just wanted to note that the world lost another great musician and pay homage to him the only way I know how with one of the great songs of rock and roll history, "Tutti Frutti."
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
