The song of the day is “Don’t Ever Let Me Know”, by The Bobby Fuller Four. Bobby Fuller is one of the lesser known heroes of early American Rock & Roll, which is sad because he wrote a lot of really good songs in his all too short career, releasing 17 singles between 1961 and 1966. While many musicians were turning away from rock and into psychedelic music in the mid 60’s, Fuller stayed true to his roots, and no doubt would have gone on to release more great music, had he not died at the tender age of 23 under suspicious circumstances.
After my last post about Joya Landis’s version of “Angel of the Morning”, I thought it would be cool to take a look at how three distinctly non-reggae bands incorporated some reggae influence into their music. All of these songs are built around reggae guitar riffs, the key attribute of which is “the skank”, or striking the chords on the off-beat (think hitting the “and” in a “1 and 2 and 3 and 4” progression.) What I love about all three of these songs is that they maintain their autonomy. They’re not reggae rip-offs, but instead do a great job of building that influence into their music. So here we go…
Being of Canadian blood myself, this one is my sentimental favourite. However, it’s also just a great song. Probably best known as the standout song on the “Valley Girl” soundtrack, the boys from the Payolas did a great job on this one. The riff doesn’t kick in until the first chorus, but when it does it sends the song into a completely different and unexpected groove that is pretty brilliant, and certainly sets it apart from all of the other radio hits from that era, making it a pretty timeless groove. You can find the song on their album No Stranger To Danger, produced by the great Mick Ronson, available on iTunes or on Amazon.
Following in Ray Charles’ footsteps by fusing gospel music with secular lyrics, Sam Cooke packed more soul into a 3-minute single than most singers can muster over an entire lifetime. In fact, many critics contend that he “invented” Soul music (although for me that is too simplistic an interpretation of the pioneers and sources of the genre). Blessed with suave charisma and a magical voice, Cooke’s all-too-brief career was filled with terrific highlights and smash hits, including 30 Top 40s between 1957 and 1963, as well as several posthumous successes like the glorious, Civil Rights-infused “A Change is Gonna Come”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOYuhLNwh3A
That epic song points to the direction Cooke would undoubtedly have headed had he lived: politically aware music committed to the cause of Civil Rights and social justice, just as he was in life. “A Change is Gonna Come” also prefigures the social awakening that such artists as Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye would undergo as the 1960s wore on by showing that protest music was a natural fit for R&B and soul and not merely the sole province of white folk singers.
Though there are a ton of songs to choose from among the less political, from “Wonderful World”, “Chain Gang”, “Cupid” and “You Send Me” to name just a few, the more classically blues-structured “Somebody Have Mercy” has always seemed to me one of the best Cooke recorded during his breakout crossover period onto the pop charts: soulful but not too sweet, lyrically very clever and featuring top notch musical backing.
Obviously, we can say that at 33 Sam Cooke died far, far too young, robbing us of a full lifetime of his rapidly evolving greatness. But with his enormous influence on the artists that followed him such as Otis Redding, James Brown, Al Green, Gaye, Ben E. King, Bobby Womack and on up to today’s soulful R&B singers, as well as popular music as a whole, we can also say that Sam Cooke never really died at all. The true immortals never do.
Blogging could be sporadic with the upcoming Turkey Day blowout but wanted to throw this great Sly & the Family Stone tune out there for y’all because it seems just right for the occasion…
One of the last gasps from that great interracial collective before drugs destroyed the band, 1969’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” could be cited as truly revolutionary for its bass line alone. Seeming to infuse nearly every funk track to follow in the 70s, Larry Graham’s “slapping” style of percussive bass is literally the sound that launched a thousand R&B bands. And of course the pure stoned compositional genius that is Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart is on full display here, with enough sonic and lyrical mischief happening to bring a smile to the most jaded hipster. It may be a cliche but it happens to be true: If Prince has a musical daddy, it’s Sly Stone.
Even after a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, when you hear “Thank You” you’ll wanna shake it to the groove. So let’s take a moment to give thanks for great music and great food. And especially to the great friends & family who so importantly let us be ourselves–Thank You!
Of the Big Four megabands to emerge from the Seattle grunge explosion of the early 90s, the one that stayed below the radar the most is Screaming Trees. Everyone knows Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. But for many, the more psychedelically inclined ‘Trees have been somewhat forgotten as the years have passed. And that’s a shame. Because not only were the Screaming Trees very often the best of those four bands in purely musical and creative terms but their lead vocalist, Mark Lanegan, was arguably the second best behind the superhuman lungs of Chris Cornell. And really “best” is a massively subjective term to apply in this instance because it assumes we are judging all vocalists by the same measure. If Rock ‘n Roll has taught us anything it’s that the guy with the rough hewn, damaged and soulful sound can trump the fellow with the operatic range. The epically beautiful “Ode to Sad Disco” from the most recent Mark Lanegan Band album, Blues Funeral, is another strong performance in favor of that argument.
So, equally mystifying to me, is why Lanegan remains a fairly subdued commerical force in his many years as a solo act. Continue reading →
Angel of the Morning is one of those great songs that that is so great it’s been been covered countless times by countless artists, and they all sound pretty good. For me though, the best of the best is the 1968 version by Joya Landis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1HPG0vnILg
Landis was an American, but she recorded the track for Treasure Isle records, the Rocksteady/Reggae label run by Duke Reid in Jamaica. Ms. Landis’s version rides the fence between both genres, but to me it leans further into the Rocksteady category. It has everything that makes the genre great – the grooving guitar riff, the swagger, the tempo, the horns, the back-up singers, and of course her beautiful vocal track, which sounds relaxed and powerful all at once.
The tune features wonderful solos by the often overlooked Golson and the great trombonist Curtis Fuller, who wrote it. The rest of the bouncy group for this session includes Al Harewood on drums and the brothers Tommy and Ray Bryant on bass and piano respectively. Moving along at a jaunty 4:26 and featuring tight team playing, “A Bit of Heaven” more than lives up to its title with Golson coolly demonstrating his impressive range amongst fine company.
Before there was Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes, there was My Morning Jacket. Hailing from Kentucky and dedicated to pushing their unique brand of alt-country rock to the very edge, the two things you can say about MMJ are: 1) You can never be quite sure what they’re going to try and pull off next and 2) These guys can fucking play. Check out this live version of “Dondante” and see if you don’t agree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNfldEgE8nY
With nine albums under their belt since 1999, My Morning Jacket are as prolific as they are unwilling to be neatly categorized. Country-indie? The new Wilco? Way too easy and pat. But you can safely say that they’re their own men and follow their own vision even if it’s not guaranteed to make them rich. In short, they’re artists. Artists who have toured like maniacs and always put on a killer live show, as 2006’s double album Okonokos (and the fantastic corresponding concert film) prove so well. While you may occasionally fear for the health of lead vocalist Jim James’ throat at times with his wildly committed delivery, there’s no denying that My Morning Jacket make a lasting impression that lingers long after the shouting is over.
With mourning for the late, great Lou Reed subsiding, it’s time to get back to posting music. And what better way to get back on the horse (if you’ll pardon the expression, Lou) than a little something by The Master, Marvin Gaye:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-n5nsv9M_s
This little known track was recorded in the mid-1960s but was only released in the mid-80s in the wake of Marvin’s tragic death. It’s a classic Holland-Dozier-Holland composition with sophisticated chord progressions and a great vehicle for a supple vocalist, with a lot of opportunities for heartfelt melismas. Marvin’s always cool, always emotional voice hit it just right.
But like a lot of classic tunes in the Motown era it was also recorded by other artists pretty much simultaneously and even on different labels. The forgotten Jimmy McFarland’s version for tiny RPR records is also very good with a quicker tempo and very pleasing to the ear, if not quite the amazing vocal quality that made Marvin Gaye the Master.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpYP3RfK6_I
And Gaye’s fellow Motown stablemates the Four Tops also cut a nicely overwrought, heavily soulful version:
One great song, 3 killer versions. Call it a Friday bonus after a sad week for music.
One could say it was too soon to go at 71 but he packed a lot of hard living and a helluva lot of art into those years. Really, who would have thought he’d survive this long? And what he left behind as his legacy sure ain’t too bad for a punk kid from Brooklyn who couldn’t hit it sideways…
