VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 7

 

🎶✨🎄 The Best Christmas Song Ever 🎶✨🎄

THE POGUES - Fairytale of New York 1987

There are as many stories about this song as there are about Christmas itself. Various accounts of how and when it was written, who did what and when, but it's pretty much acknowledged that the main force behind it was Shane MacGowan. Originally written as a duet with Cait O'Riordan doing the female part, she didn't feature on the final release. That was mainly due to the band's split with producer Elvis Costello, who was in a relationship and later married Cait. After Elvis left, Cait followed.

Steve Lillywhite became the Pogues new producer and while working on 'Fairytale ...' with Shane doing both male and female parts, he was encouraged to take the track back to his home studio. He did that and had his wife, Kirsty MacColl do some vocals. When he brought his edited version back to the studio it was agreed that Kirsty should sing the female lead.

The lyrics of the song contain a few words and references that have caused controversy over the years, starting back as early as '92 when 'arse' and 'faggot' were first flagged as being inappropriate for some broadcasts. The conversation still goes on today, particularly with the word 'faggot'. There is an alternative version where Kirsty sings "you're cheap and you're haggard" and that has been more universally accepted on radio and TV stations.  

Regardless of the disputed lyrics, to me the best and most poignant verse comes just before the end of the song. It's an exchange between the two characters, following the harsh and hurtful insults thrown previously. There's tenderness and caring and pathos and regret - and whether that's the way it was meant is irrelevant - that's how it comes across to me and it brings a lump to my throat every single time I hear it.

"I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you"

Merry Christmas

Fairytale of New York

STEELY DAN - Aja - 1977 Reelin' In The Years (compilation) 1985

 

My dentist in Nutley in the late 1990s was a Steely Dan fan. I brought him some stuff he didn't have before and from then on most procedures were painless. 

In the same vein, Tracy cut her Steely Dan teeth on 'Aja', with a particular favourite being 'Deacon Blues'. By the time they recorded that album, Steely Dan had gone from being a sort of normal touring band to just the original pair of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen doing studio only work and bringing in session musicians and guests as and when needed. This is a prime example of that, using up to 40 additional people including Michael McDonald on the track 'Peg'. Michael was a real part of Steely Dan for a bit as well as being with the Doobie Brothers.

If you go back far enough, to the late 60's early 70's, one group Becker and Fagan played in called Leather Canary had Chevy Chase on drums !!

There are people around who swear blind that they don't like jazz. They don't understand it, they can't follow it, they have no patience for it. However, those same people probably have one, two or more favourite Steely Dan tracks. Jazz takes lots of forms and much of Steely Dan's work is very jazz-rock oriented, giving it a distinctive sound, instantly recognizable as their music.

When fitting their songs into a genre, they also became an early candidate for that later development, Yacht Rock. I mentioned Yacht Rock back in June 2020 when reviewing Boz Scaggs and he falls under the same heading of music with R&B, jazz and folk rock roots.

Between 1972 and 1980 Steely Dan had 17 charting singles and 7 successful albums. This 1985 compilation 'Reelin' in the Years' really is a "best of" in the truest sense of the term. From early tracks like 'Do It Again' and 'My Old School' to their most popular single 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' right through to 'Hey Nineteen' this double album has all the classics. About the only thing missing from MY playlist would be 'FM' but if you're willing to supplement your vinyl with a CD there are later compilations that include the odd non-album single.

On a scale of one to thank-you-very-much, Steely Dan are high on my rotation. Some deeper album tracks miss the mark here and there, but the popular radio plays were, and still are, just that. Popular. Good music for those laid-back days.

Deacon Blues

Hey Nineteen

BOB DYLAN - Christmas in the Heart 2009

 

At last count I had 186 Dylan albums, official, unofficial, studio, live and box sets making a total of 4574 tracks. I could, and probably will, review many of them, but for now because of the season, here's the oddest recording Mr. Zimmerman has ever made. 

Amanda Petrsich, in her review of this album on Pitchfork.com described Dylan's voice as a "craggy, get-off-my-lawn snarl" which makes the decision to do Christmas songs even stranger. At the bottom of it though was a benevolent and charitable motive. All of Bob's royalties went to Feeding America in the USA, Crisis in the UK, and the World Food Programme.

So here it is, Bob's nod to Christmas, despite being born and raised Jewish (he converted to Christianity in the 70's). All the favourites are here - 'Do You Hear What I Hear', 'Winter Wonderland', 'Silver Bells' et al. Never one to miss an opportunity, Bob sings 'Must Be Santa' with the verse ..
"Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton".

Bob produced quite a number of his own albums, often using the pseudonym Jack Frost. That name seems especially relevant to this one, it gives it an even more Christmassy feel.

There's not much more to say really. This is a Dylan Christmas album. It does what it says on the tin. It has festive songs in Dylan's voice. Nobody should buy this record by mistake. It should be perfectly obvious what you're going to get.

Enjoy .. I certainly did.

Here Comes Santa Claus

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 6

Happy Birthday Tom Waits.

I'm a bit of a Tom fan. 21 albums and a few tribute albums of his work by others. Many many favourites, but 2 stand out. From early in his career there's '(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night' and from more recently there's the hard, powerful 'Hell Broke Luce'. Both excellent tracks from either end of the spectrum.

(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night

Hell Broke Luce

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 5

 

We put up the tree, we hung the lights and I took out my prized audio system to play some seasonal favourites.

RICK NELSON & THE STONE CANYON BAND - Rudy the Fifth 1971

 

When Rick Nelson wrote his 1972 hit 'Garden Party' he wasn't just pulling words out of the air to write a fictitious lyric. He was angry, hurt and probably mistaken about a recent performance and wrote the song as a deliberate comment about the way he felt.

The 'Garden Party' he went to was Madison Square Garden the previous year. He'd been invited as part of a "Rock & Roll Spectacular" with other 50's stars.

"I went to a garden party
To reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
And play our songs again"

Rick (Ricky as he was back in the day) became famous not only for his music but also for appearing in the movie and TV series featuring his family, 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'. Always portrayed as a clean-cut kid, by the mid 60's he got into country-rock, being an early 'California Sound' singer. By the 70's he was singing with the Stone Canyon Band and had a minor hit with a cover of Dylan's 'She Belongs To Me'. Randy Meisner left the group and went on to be a founding member of The Eagles.

So, when Rick turned up at The Garden he was no longer the clean-cut kid of his past, he was sporting long hair and a sequined outfit and that was reflected in the song ..

"When I got to the garden party
They all knew my name
No one recognized me
I didn't look the same".

The "Rock & Roll Spectacular" started off OK. Rick sang some of his old stuff, but then started on newer songs and covers he'd done for this album 'Rudy the Fifth' which was due for release. Specifically, he did his cover of Dylan's 'She Belongs To Me' then the crowd got a bit hostile when he sang the Stones 'Honky Tonk Women' .. and that also got a mention in the lyrics of 'Garden Party' ..

"I said hello to 'Mary Lou'
She belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk
It was time to leave"

Other artists and spectators got a mention along the way .. Chuck Berry ..
"Someone opened up a closet door
And out stepped "Johnny B Goode"
Playing guitar
Like a-ringin' a bell
And lookin' like he should"

"Yoko brought her walrus" .. John and Yoko obviously. Less obvious was a reference to George Harrison .. "Mr Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes" .. George was a friend of Ricks and he used the name 'Mr. Hughes' when he was on the road.

Ultimately, Rick may have been wrong about the booing he got from the crowd - it was later reported that the police were involved with something going on at the concert and the crowd were booing their actions, but Rick took it as an attack on his performance. Maybe a lucky mistake, the song he wrote about it became his highest charting single since 1963.

The chorus of 'Garden Party' gives Rick's take on the whole thing ..

"But it's all right now
Learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone
So you got to please yourself"

He did that with the release of this album 'Rudy the Fifth', but within a few years he put the 'Y' back on his name and as Ricky Nelson he released a greatest hits album and started a comeback tour with Fats Domino. Sadly, on New Year's Eve 1985 while travelling to a concert in Dallas, Rick's plane crashed and he was killed.

I like this album. Apart from the couple of Dylan covers and the 'Honky Tonk Women', all of which are passable versions, he also does a great job of 'This Train' and 'Feel So Good (Feel So Fine)' a 1955 song by Shirley and Lee.

From the days of 'Hello Mary Lou', through a bleak time in the 60's when the 'Teen Idols' were run out of town by everything that the 60's were, to a quick burst in the 70's and a brief revival in the 80's, Rick Nelson deserves more respect than he sometimes gets. Take another listen.

Garden Party

Feel So Good (Feel So Fine)

GEORGE HARRISON & FRIENDS - Concert For Bangladesh 1971

Firstly, I have to say how sad and upset I am that my copy of this triple album disappeared somewhere along the way. I bought it, I played it, I loved it well - and now it's gone. All that's left is a photo of an empty record player and a downloaded image of what used to be. 

I do still have the CD's and the video so all is not lost.

1971 was a time when I was hearing about Ravi Shankar, George Harrison was doing some of his best work since The Beatles, Dylan was being Dylan and Leon Russell was partly in front and partly behind - performing, producing and backing everybody.

This album brought them all together. Ringo and Billy Preston jumped in and one of the best concerts ever was ready to begin. Dropping the needle on the first track, side one, 'George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Introduction' you get a taste of what's to come. George gives his opening remarks, then Ravi and Ali Akbar Khan begin working on their instruments. At the 6 minute mark they pause, the audience clap and cheer and Ravi says, quietly and cheerfully .. "Thank you. If you appreciate the tuning so much I hope you will enjoy the playing more."

There is then a 16 minute masterclass of sitar and sarod with tabla and tambura  accompaniment reinforcing the fact that, despite the upcoming popular songs from popular artists, this concert was for the people caught up in the situation in what was East Pakistan. It was important and fitting and to me, very moving, to have the music of those people open the show.

I'm not going to discuss the politics of the concert or the legal and financial wrangling that went on - let's just look at the music.

George and Ravi were the driving force behind the benefit, so after Ravi's epic performance it was George who took the stage to play the next 3 songs - 'Wah-Wah', 'My Sweet Lord' and 'Awaiting on You All'. Billy Preston gave 'That's the Way God Planned It' and Ringo bounced along with 'It Don't Come Easy' before George came back with 'Beware of Darkness' and the classic 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. I should mention that one of the players on stage, but not taking centre-stage, was Eric Clapton, who was there playing on the original recorded version of 'While my Guitar ..' Also, this was the first time George and Ringo had shared a stage since 1966.

Leon Russell takes the Jagger/Richards song 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' to new heights as part of a medley along with 'Youngblood' after which George plays 'Here Comes the Sun'.

Finally, on side five of a six side set, we get Bob !!! It wasn't a done deal that Dylan would even show up, much less play, but in his first concert appearance in 5 years, he came out and did a 5 song set. A photo from this show was used as the cover of his 'Greatest Hits Vol II' album. Bob gave the crowd five out of five with his selection - 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall', 'It Takes a Lot to Laugh ..', 'Blowin' in the Wind', 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'Just Like a Woman'. That has to be worth the trip for anyone.

George returned to wrap up the concert, playing 'Something' followed by 'Bangla Desh', a song he wrote and released as a charity single four days before the concerts. I use the plural because there were two shows on the same day and this album pulls from them both.

This is a landmark recording. It deserves to be better known and played more often. I'm stuck now with the digital download, but I remember the smell and feel of the original vinyl and the magnificent 64 page booklet that came in a box that opened on the side like a precious gift.

 

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE - Oxygène 1976

 

Here's another artist who can easily divide the room. It's musical Vegemite, love it or hate it, and for me, I'll have it on toast every day of the week !!

As a kid I loved the spacey BBC Stereophonic Workshop 'Doctor Who' theme. Although classed as an early piece of electronic music it was created before commercial synthesisers. It was assembled from pieces of tape, some of just one note on a plucked string, manipulated, stretched, oscillated and generally used and abused. Pitch was altered, speeds were changed, sounds were mixed without the invention of multitrack machines.

In 1969 Gershon Kingsley recorded 'Popcorn' for his album 'Music to Moog By' and the track was subsequently rerecorded by many others. The most popular was by Hot Butter in 1972 but that same year another version was released by The Popcorn Orchestra with Jammie Jefferson - the whole thing being an alias for Jean-Michel Jarre.

Then came 1976 and this album, 'Oxygène'. This was Jean-Michels 3rd album, the first two having limited release as soundtracks. It wasn't until the middle of '77 that it was available internationally and I grabbed it as soon as I could. I was in New Zealand and I've written previously (June 28 2020 - Hall & Oates) about how myself and a friend would play at being audiophiles, testing, calibrating and generally messing about with stuff. When I got hold of this album it became not only one of my favourites to listen to, it was also one of my favourite 'test' records.

Back in the day it was always said when you were buying or testing new audio equipment, take along a record you knew well, one you could compare with how you knew it SHOULD sound against how it sounded on other setups.

This was my 'control' record. I knew the nuances, the best and the worst of it and when it was sounding the way it should sound.

The album tracks were individually titled by part number, 'Oxygène (Part I)', 'Oxygène (Part II)' etc., and the single from the album was 'Oxygène (Part IV)'. Even today when I play that track I'm taken back in time to my flat in Mt. Eden, Auckland, putting marbles under speakers to help with isolation and trying to precision balance the tone arm with adjustable counterweights .. ah, those heady days of being pretentious !!

Jean-Michel followed 'Oxygène' with another couple of albums, 'Équinoxe' and 'Les Chants Magnétiques' which I got to know from tracks included on his 1983 compilation 'The Essential Jean-Michel Jarre'. The tracks included from 'Les Chants Magnétiques' are listed as 'Magnetic Fields (Part VI)' etc, even though the literal translation is 'Magnetic Songs'. It all comes down to homophones and a play on words and French/English and to be honest I lost interest a while ago. Just let it be known that the music is excellent.

If this is new to you, listen with an open mind. 'Oxygène' is over 40 years old now and electronic music has come a long way, but this came after the early pioneers when people like Jean-Michel were becoming masters of their craft. Mostly the critics, particularly the British critics, disliked this album, but I always thought it stood on it's own two feet and didn't need to apologise.

Just for the trivia and movie buffs out there, he was married for 20 years to the English actress Charlotte Rampling between '76 and '96.

Oxygène (Part IV)

Équinoxe (Part V)

ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill 1995

 

"Isn't it ironic" sang Alanis, but unfortunately, most of it wasn't. About the only line in the song that comes close is "As the plane crashed down he thought 'well, isn't this nice'..." which is sarcasm, a loose example of irony.

Having got that out of the way (the discussion went on for years) the album itself is a triumph. Twelve songs on vinyl, 13 on the CD if you include the 'hidden track' and many of them went on to be classics. 6 of them were released as singles with 4 of them reaching #1 in Canada (no surprises there).

The album took the world by storm. It was Alanis' 3rd album but her first two were Canadian releases. This was the first one with worldwide coverage and it made a massive impact. Apart from reaching #1 on the Canadian album charts it also made it to #1 in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands. In fact it topped out in 13 countries! Nominated for 9 Grammies it won 5 and at 21 years old in 1995, Alanis became the youngest artist to get Album of the Year.

Most of the tracks are autobiographical in some form or other, full of anger, angst, but by teaming with Glen Ballard to write the music, some of the lyrics are tempered  and softened to become more listenable - but if you DO listen you get a lot of rawness coming through. No punches pulled either.

In 'You Oughta Know' she gets straight to the point talking about her lovers new partner, with very direct questioning ..
"Is she perverted like me?
Would she go down on you in a theater?"

Just as a bit of trivia, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers plays bass on this track.

'Hand in my Pocket' seems to be a statement about multi-tasking - "'Cause I've got one hand in my pocket *And the other one is giving a high five* - *flicking a cigarette* - *giving a peace sign* - *playing the piano* - *hailing a taxi cab*" but it also has some revealing dualisms ..
"I'm sad but I'm laughing, I'm brave but I'm chicken shit".

'You Learn' has the album title in the opening few lines ... 
"I, recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone, yeah
I, recommend walking around naked in your living room, yeah
Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)" ...
basically talking about stuff that, to use the old adage, if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger. Just after moving to L.A. Alanis was robbed at gunpoint and writing some of these songs helped her work through it.

This is a good (dare I say great) album and deserves to be listened to more often than I have been doing. The music of Alanis was used for the Broadway musical 'Jagged Little Pill' which opened in December 2019. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19 the show, along with the rest of Broadway, closed early in 2020. Before the closure the reviews were good and it had 15 Tony nominations.

If you get a chance, have another listen to this album. There's a reason it was #1 in 13 countries.

You Oughta Know

Hand in my Pocket

BONEY M - Nightflight to Venus 1978

 

It's OK, you can say it. We won't judge you, this is a safe place. I'll go first - "I LIKE BONEY M".

There, that wasn't too difficult was it.

Boney M was a bit like ABBA, or eating an ice-cream cone as a teenager. It was a guilty pleasure you didn't want your friends to know about. You were meant to be too 'cool' for that, but when no-one was around you'd be singing ..
"Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone"

In the best traditions of The Archies, The Monkees and The Partridge Family, Boney M was created for a purpose. Frank Farian, a German producer singer songwriter put out a single in 1974 called 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump' credited to Boney M. He manipulated his voice on the recording to get low-lows and high-highs. When it started to become a bit of a hit he realised he needed some people to go on the telly and look like a group. He brought together Maizie Williams, Bobby Farrell, Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett.

When they were doing live shows, all 4 of them were on stage singing, along with back-up singers to make it sound good. In reality the recordings were made by Farian, Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett. Farian didn't think the other two voices were suitable for the records.

Farian later went on to 'create' Milli Vanilli, and we all know what happened there.

Regardless of any background shenanigans with voices and studio manipulations and supplemented stage shows, Boney M were popular. Eurodisco had made it big, even in the Soviet Union - although when they toured Moscow in 1978 they weren't allowed to sing 'Rasputin'.

I unashamedly bought this album on the strength of 'Rivers of Babylon' and 'Brown Girl in the Ring' but was pleasantly surprised by their covers of 'King of the Road' and 'Heart of Gold'. Some of the other tracks were a bit disposable, but for it's time, not a bad effort.

One rather spooky coincidence was the death of frontman Bobby Farrell. He passed away on 30 December 2010 in St. Petersburg. Rasputin passed away 30 December 1916 in St. Petersburg. "Oh, those Russians"

Rivers of Babylon

Brown Girl in the Ring

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - ELO's Greatest Hits 1979 Time 1981

 

ELO have quite a pedigree, comprising initially of three main members, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan who were all part of The Move (remember 'Flowers in the Rain', 'Fire Brigade', 'Blackberry Way').

They got together while The Move were still performing and released their first album, the eponymous 'The Electric Light Orchestra' in 1971. It was released in the US in early 1972 as 'No Answer'. When the US label United Artists rang to find out the name of the album nobody picked up the phone and when someone wrote down 'No Answer' they took that to be the album title. 

Roy Wood left in 1972 and formed Wizzard, releasing one of my favourite singles of 1973 'See My Baby Jive'. The new core line-up for ELO now included keyboard player Richard Tandy and stayed that way until they disbanded (for the first time) in 1983. They were under contract to do one more album, so went back into the studio in 84-86 but then went their separate ways.

In the meantime, in 1981, they recorded my favourite album, 'Time'. It's a concept album about a time-traveler going from the 1980's to 2095. In the song 'Yours Truly, 2095' there's a glimpse of the 1980's view of the future when Jeff sings about someone he's met, but she was built by IBM ..
"She is the latest in technology,
Almost mythology, but she has a heart of stone,
She has an IQ of 1,001,
She has a jump suit on and she's also a telephone." 

I'm sure by 2095 everyone will be hybrid telephones.

'Time' contains one of their rockingest rollingest tracks ever .. 'Hold On Tight'. I defy anyone to sit still while it plays.

At last count ELO had released around 14 compilation albums, but this early one from 1979 has most of the stuff I like. About the only one of the old favourites that's missing is 'Don't Bring Me Down'. One bonus is that 'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' is on here, notable if for no other reason than Marc Bolan plays guitar on it !!

After ELO Jeff Lynne made more of his ability as a songwriter and producer, specifically working with George Harrison, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison on their respective albums. With the addition of Bob Dylan they all got together in 1988 as the incredible Traveling Wilburys.

Plenty to choose from, lots of hits and good album tracks, all-in-all, ELO should be in every collection.

Hold on Tight

THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN - Hollywood Dreams 1970

 

When Thunderclap Newman released their single 'Something in the Air' it was one of the most popular songs of 1969. Sadly, although critically acclaimed, their one and only album, 'Hollywood Dreams' released the following year faded into oblivion.

John 'Speedy' Keen used to be a chauffeur for The Who. He wrote 'Armenia City in the Sky' for the Who album 'The Who Sell Out'. On the strength of that Pete Townshend wanted to get a band together to promote Speedy's songwriting. He got a friend of his from art college, Andy 'Thunderclap' Newman who was playing jazz piano in pubs and a 15 year old kid, Jimmy McCulloch, to play guitar. With Speedy on drums and vocals he brought them all together at his home studio and the first time they met they recorded Speedy's composition 'Something in the Air'. Taking Andy's nickname as a name for the group, 'Thunderclap Newman' came into being. One addition for this recording (and the album) was bass guitarist Bijou Drains - otherwise known as Pete Townshend himself. Townshend also produced their recordings.

Their album was made up of mainly Speedy Keen's songs, the exceptions being an instrumental 'Hollywood Dream' by Jimmy and Jack McCulloch and, surprisingly, Bob Dylan's 'Open the Door, Homer' which was at that time still a pretty obscure title, recorded along with the famous 'Basement Tapes' but in 1970 relatively unknown and unheard by most people.

They did release a few more singles, 'Accidents' from the album and a couple of nondescript throwaways, but essentially they were destined to be one-hit wonders.

They also reluctantly did some touring, despite not having a lot of material or any cohesive act. They did get better, with some changes and additions to the line-up and more songs and covers in the shows and even supported people like Deep Purple and Leon Russell, but by 1971 the band broke up.

Speedy went on to be a session musician but passed away in 2002 aged 56.

Jimmy McCulloch had his own band for a while, then from 1974-77 he played along with McCartney as part of Wings. After Wings he hooked up with the reformed Small Faces for a bit but in 1979 he was found dead in his flat from heart failure. He was 26.

Andy 'Thunderclap' Newman tried a brief solo career but then went back to life as an electrician. In 2010 he put together a new version of Thunderclap Newman, recorded an album 'Beyond Hollywood' and played some live shows as well as the 2012 Isle of Wight Festival. Andy passed away in 2016 aged 73.

Thunderclap Newman had a brief time in the sun and left just one album, but if you get a chance it's worth a listen. It tends to be a bit musically naïve in parts, gimmicky in others (the overuse of a kazoo!) but there are glimpses of what could have been. 

Something in the Air

CULTURE CLUB ‎– This Time - The First Four Years 1987

 

As glamorous as Boy George is when dressed to kill for his performances, or even generally in his day wear, my lasting image of him is from 2006 on the streets of New York City with a hi-viz jacket and a broom doing community service for the Department of Corrections. Far from being a low point or making him a subject of ridicule, it increased my admiration for him - he messed up, he got caught, he took his punishment. Good for you George.

One thing he didn't mess up, through all the other mess-ups, was his music. If you remember nothing else from the 80's I can pretty much guarantee everyone can see Culture Club in their mind's eye, singing and dancing on a paddleboat called 'The Chameleon' steaming down the Mississippi in the 1870's. Sadly you'd be wrong, they were actually on 'The New Southern Belle' on the Thames in Surrey. The Chameleon bit is right though, 'Karma Chameleon' to be exact.

The group only formed in 1981, and their debut album 'Kissing to be Clever' the following year spawned 5 singles, among them the worldwide #1 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me'. 

When 'Colour By Numbers' came out in 1983 the group were already well established and when 'Karma .. 'became their second #1 they were unstoppable.

This compilation includes - as it says on the tin - a selection of the first four years, and out of the 12 tracks at least 8 are must-haves. As well as the two tracks mentioned above you get 'Church of the Poison Mind', 'Time (Clock of the Heart)', 'It's a Miracle', 'I'll Tumble 4 Ya' and more.

Boy George had a secret relationship with drummer Jon Moss, largely unknown to the general public, but when they broke up after a pretty abusive four years George spiraled down into drug abuse and that started a long period of upheaval for the band. They broke up, they reformed, George did a solo career, Jon Moss was there and then he wasn't. Very confusing and volatile. In 2018 there was a new album released, 'Life' billed as Boy George & Culture Club and coincidentally, as we speak, Boy George is back on telly promoting a new concert on 19 Dec 2020 at the SSE Arena, Wembley. 

Give Culture Club another listen, there are some great songs in there.

Karma Chameleon

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

SQUEEZE - Singles 45's and Under 1982

 "I fancy this, I fancy that, I wanna be so flash
I give a little muscle and I spend a little cash
But all I get is bitter and a nasty little rash"

Yep, we've all been there.

Squeeze were classed as one of the great singles acts, so reviewing a compilation album makes sense. This is where the fun is. The group was founded by Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Paul Gunn and our old friend, bandleader, composer, presenter and OBE Jools Holland. Tilbrook and Difford were the writers of virtually all Squeeze's songs and with few exceptions Tilbrook takes lead vocals.  

One of Squeeze's songs has a famous mondegreen. Instead of singing 'Pulling mussels from a shell' I wonder how many people sang some variation of 'Pulling mussels for Michelle'. Oh, was it just me?

That song was all about having holiday sex. Maybe not obvious until you realise that 'pulling mussels' is a euphemism for getting into ladyparts !! It becomes more obvious when the chorus describes having a knee-trembler round the back of the accommodation.
"But behind the chalet
My holiday's complete
And I feel like William Tell
Maid Marian on her tiptoed feet
Pulling mussels from a shell"  

The whole song reminds me of a set of saucy seaside postcards, each verse could create a whole scene. Jools comes into his own on this track, giving a piano solo around the 2:15 mark.

There was a 1968 movie called 'Up the Junction' and although their song isn't about the movie, it got it's title from there. The phrase is another English term, this one meaning basically that you're screwed. The song is the tale of a guy who gets his girlfriend pregnant, turns to drink and she and the kid leave him. Chris Difford said of the song "The first time we played it I remember thinking, God, this is great. It was everything I loved in music - Bob Dylan in a sweet wrapper."

Probably my favourite song is 'Black Coffee in Bed' which started life when Difford picked up his notebook and it had a coffee stain on it. Backing vocals on this song were done by Elvis Costello and Paul Young. Elvis also did backing on another great track 'Tempted' and he was also co-producer on the original album 'Tempted' came from, 'East Side Story'.

At the top of this post is a few lines from probably Squeeze's best known and certainly one of their most popular songs 'Cool For Cats'. The whole thing is done in a Cockney accent by Chris Difford and has been likened to a bloke down the pub telling stories to his mates. The song title is from the first UK TV show with music for teenagers. It was 15 minutes long and ran from 1956-61 and obviously had a major impact on kids at the time. 

Squeeze can almost be passed over today as just another band that came and went and had a few good songs on the way, but they really had an influence back in the day. Just check out this info from Chris Difford's book .. "Many bands and artists who would later achieve phenomenal success would begin their careers opening for Squeeze, including Dire Straits, The Jam, R.E.M., The Specials, U2 and XTC."

Black Coffee in Bed

Cool For Cats

STEELEYE SPAN - Commoners Crown 1975 - Original Masters 1977

 "And away you santy, my dear honey,
O you New York girls, can't you dance the polka?"

British folk rock at it's best. These are the two albums I still have, but back in the day I had more. The one previous to 'Commoners Crown' was 'Now We Are Six' which was famous for some right and a couple of wrong reasons. The right reasons were the excellent interpretations of traditional folk music, particularly 'Thomas the Rhymer' which was released as a single. Not so well received were the title track, which was basically a set of riddles with a piano accompaniment, 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', which is just what it says on the tin and then the last track, the Phil Spector classic 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'.

People were upset that the album included a rock 'n' roll track when they expected Steeleye Span to be doing 'folk rock' and not modern rock. The thing was, in their stage act at the time their encore usually consisted of doing things like 'Da Doo Ron Ron' and 'Long Tall Sally'.

One bit of trivia - on the said track 'To Know Him is to Love Him', none other than David Bowie plays the sax !! The album was also partly produced by Jethro Tull's frontman Ian Anderson.

They are not the only guests to make an impact. Coming back to one of the featured albums 'Commoners Crown' there's a great performance on the last track 'New York Girls' by the legendary Peter Sellers. The band needed someone to play a ukulele and although none of them knew him, they decided to ask Peter Sellers to do it. Not only does he play, but he also does vocals. But wait, there's more. Not only does he do vocals, he does them in the voices of two of his famous 'Goons' characters, Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister. Pure magic. The rest of the album is full of great traditional songs - 'Long Lankin', Dogs and Ferrets', 'Galtee Farmer' .. each one a masterpiece of old and new to produce a revival of long lost songs brought to the modern ear. 

Like many groups, Steeleye Span went through a lot of line-up changes but this period was probably their 'golden age' with Maddy Prior, Tim Hart, Bob Johnson, Rick Kemp, Peter Knight and Nigel Pegrum. Martin Carthy came and went but it's easier to catch his work on some of their compilations.

The album after 'Commoners Crown' was 'All Around My Hat' which produced their best know and most popular single, the title track. It's a thumping, belting, sing-along joyous song about a very sad topic, but no-one seems to care.

'Original Masters' is a two-record collection of tracks with some great examples of their work - 'Sir James the Rose', 'Long Lankin' and 'Black Jack Davey' among them.

If you're new to Steeleye Span, dip your toe in with the links below. If you knew them back in the day, sing along.

New York Girls (Peter Sellers at 1:20)

All Around My Hat - shorter version

NINE INCH NAILS - Downward Spiral 1994

 This entry was prompted by Nine Inch Nails being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2 days ago on Nov. 7 2020. 

We came in late to the NIN fan club. It wasn't until 2012 that they made an impact on us. That's when one teenage member of our family, who shall remain nameless, branched out from many years of school choirs and joined the 'School of Rock'. One of the first shows our 'mystery singer' did was NIN music that included vocals on 'All The Love in the World', 'Capital G', 'Terrible Lie' and 2 of the songs from this featured album 'Piggy' and 'Hurt'.

Above all else, those are basically the tracks we've come to know. Proponents of industrial rock, NIN are somewhat of an acquired taste.

This is a concept album about a man's 'downward spiral' to his ultimate suicide. The whole album becomes slightly more macabre when you find out that Trent Reznor bought the house at 10050 Cielo Drive in L.A. and recorded the album there. That was the house where Sharon Tate and others were murdered by the Charles Manson family. He moved out after the recording was done and the house was demolished.

Some of the sounds used on the tracks are sampled from a variety of sources, each one more bizarre than the last. Screams in 'The Becoming' are from a giant robot falling on a crowd in the movie "Robot Jox". 'Reptile' has the sound of a woman falling down a hill taken from 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and not to be outdone, the beginning of 'Big Man With a Gun' has a distorted recording of a porn actress having an orgasm. Fun for all the family!!

In 1997 David Bowie did a collaboration with NIN on his song 'I'm Afraid of Americans'. He'd been touring with the group and although he'd done the song by himself originally, the NIN version became the more popular mainly because of the video. 

So .. two video links I'm adding are not NIN themselves. The first is our family 'mystery singer' with an excellent version of 'Hurt' and the second is the Bowie/Reznor video mentioned above. The third is NIN doing 'Capital G' ..
"I pushed the button and elected him to office and
He pushed the button and he dropped the bomb"

Nine Inch Nails - see what you think.

Hurt

David Bowie 'I'm Afraid of Americans' with Trent Reznor

Capital G

THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN - 1968

 

"Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot"

It's Bonfire Night and believe it or not, there's an album called 'Fireworks' by a group called 'Bonfire' released in 1987, but they are German, a bit obscure and I've got nothing by them.

Instead, let's go the obvious way and bring back everybody's pyrotechnical favourite, Arthur Brown. Perhaps best known for occasionally setting his head on fire, Arthur Brown was a bit of a legend in the 60's and this album is exactly what you would expect it to be. Psychedelic, weird, acid, everything that the 60's demanded from the fringes.

The album was produced by Kit Lambert, the Who's manager, with input from Pete Townsend, so it certainly had some weight behind it. Obviously 'Fire' was the track that helped to sell it, but surprisingly there are some other good to great tracks there, depending on your taste.

Common to many of the album cuts is the brilliant organ work of Vincent Crane and some great examples are on 'Come and Buy', 'Time/Confusion' and 'Spontaneous Apple Creation'. Arthur himself shouldn't be discounted as a novelty act either. He has what has been described as an 'operatic' voice and he spans four octaves, so the guy is no slouch - although he maybe doesn't use his voice to it's full advantage with some of this music he does have a talent to be reckoned with.

Most of the songs on the album are original compositions by either Arthur himself or in partnership with the other group members, particularly the aforementioned Vincent Crane. Along with the originals there are 2 covers. Screamin' Jay Hawkins did the definitive version of his own song 'I Put A Spell On You' but Arthur does a credible effort, adding a bit of his own flavour. The same can't really be said about the other cover song, 'I've Got Money' originally by James Brown. Both versions have their own brand of insanity, but there's not much more that Arthur could add to James' performance.

I keep using this phrase, and each time I do it's meant sincerely. This is a record of it's time. If you didn't live through it, you may find it harder to listen to than if you have personal memories of 'being there'.

I Am the God of Hellfire
Happy Bonfire Night. 

Fire

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 2

 'When We Collected 45's'

When I was a kid in our little terrace house in England, all we had was a wind-up gramophone playing 78's, first in my Gt-gran's attic next door, later moved into our front room.

Then, one day in 1960, Dad came home with a record player! I distinctly remember him putting it down in the kitchen, taking out the lightbulb and plugging it into the socket, then sending my sister over the road to the neighbours house to borrow a 45rpm record, because we had the machine but not the vital bit to put on it.  

My sister came back from the neighbours house clutching a record - it was placed lovingly on the turntable, the needle was dropped and the strains of 'Theme From A Summer Place' by Percy Faith and his Orchestra filled the room.

As a family we started getting records but for Christmas 1963 my sisters boyfriend bought me my very first single - not for the family - for me. Gene Pitney's '24 Hours From Tulsa'. I played it until you could see through the vinyl. It was where it all started for me.

The value and importance of these 7" gems cannot be overstated. Artists lived and died by their sale - radio stations fought and cheated and ran scams and payola schemes to promote them. Phone-in competitions gave them as prizes and teenagers around the world crowded into booths in record shops to listen.

They came in many forms and between me and Tracy we still have examples. There's a Beatles picture disk, a Dylan limited run, a-ha, 10,000 Maniacs and Simple Minds cover art, Desiderata's lyrics on a 7' EP, Dream Academy's ex-jukebox stock with a spider to fill the middle, Max Romeo's 'Wet Dream re-issued classic. 

There were obscure b-sides, double a-sides, album track releases, non-album stand-alones. They were cheap(ish) and cheerful and could be bought out of one week's pocket money or allowance. You could stack 10 on an auto-changer and sit back for the next 20 or 30 minutes listening to your own version of a mix-tape long before we knew what a mix-tape was. They started as 2 or maybe 3 minute songs until 'House of the Rising Sun' by the Animals broke out at one second under four and a half minutes and opened the floodgates. I was excited to buy Nilsson's 'I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City' .. it was the first STEREO single I owned !!

For a while you could buy portable 45rpm players that looked like overweight 90s CD players. There were even some that fit in your car. It was affordable music for the masses and something you took with you whenever you visited a friend. 

In 1966 I fell off a motorcycle I was riding illegally, wearing only a pair of shorts. I ripped open my elbow, took off the end of my toe and scrapped up my hip, but the thing that upset me most was that I lost the copy of 'Rocking Goose' by Johnny and the Hurricanes that fell out of my knapsack.

Rocking Goose

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 1

 This is not strictly a Vinyl Vault review as I only have a digital download of the new album - it is therefore an 'Alternate Take'.

In 1970 Cat Stevens released the excellent 'Tea For the Tillerman'. I included it in my review of Cat's 'Teaser and the Firecat' LP (20 June 2020).

Fifty years later we get a chance to hear new arrangements and new interpretations of these seminal works in 'Tea for the Tillerman²'. We also see the Tillerman in a space suit and the kids listening to music and on their phones in the new cover artwork.

I've been playing this album for a few days now and I'm pleased to report that it was worth the wait. Let's be clear - NOTHING can improve on the original. If you play this to compare then you'll be disappointed. However, if you play this with a fresh approach, with the maturity that the past 50 years has given both Cat as the performer and you as the listener, then you're in for a treat.

Some tracks are totally different. 'Wild World' and 'Longer Boats' both receive dramatic work-overs, but every song is fundamentally new and they deserve to be acknowledged as such. Different instrumentation, fuller backing vocals, there's even rap! The part that doesn't change is Cat's sincerity in everything he does.

Having grown old alongside him, to me the most poignant track is 'Father and Son'. When he first recorded it, Cat was a 22 year old singing the part of an older man trying to impart his wisdom. Now, 50 years later, he sings the same song with the voice of age taking the part of the younger man wanting to break free. I've seen some comments where people wanted to hear the father sung by today's Cat and the son using the original recording. I don't agree. Both recordings are an interpretation of a generation gap from one voice with two perspectives and both of them are achingly beautiful.

I'm 22 in the body of a 70 year old - I own that song.

If you are a fan of Yusuf/Cat I'd recommend getting this new album to complete the journey.

Wild World

Father and Son

THE CLASH - London Calling 1979

 

"Now, sing, Michael, sing"

The opening line to my favourite Clash song 'Rudie Can't Fail' has Joe Strummer encouraging Mick Jones to sing - and off they go on a joyous duet, coming in and out of the lines randomly. I think one of the reasons I like this song so much is because it goes back to the 60's roots of ska and reggae. Rudie isn't someone's name, it's a reference to the 'rude boys' Jamaican street culture that I've talked about in previous posts. (The Specials 12 June 2020 - Desmond Decker 17 July 2020).

This LP is a long way from The Clash's first album just 2 short years before. That self-titled recording was punk, no apologies. This time around with a slightly transitional album in between they embraced more styles and a cosmopolitan range of topics. 

There are many retro nods on this album, starting with the most obvious one, the iconic cover. Based deliberately on Elvis Presleys eponymous 1956 album, Ray Lowry uses the same colour and font styling on the 'London Calling' sleeve. Even the single of the title track had old school artwork, again by Lowry. On the single cover he used an illustration of a couple of kids listening to 78's, but changed the record covers to classic sleeves. L-R there's Please, Please Me, Never Mind the Bollocks, Rolling Stones debut, Clash debut, Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and the Elvis debut that the main LP artwork was based on.  (see photo).

On the album itself, after the title track it goes straight into a cover of the 1959 song 'Brand New Cadillac' originally by Vince Taylor and the Playboys. The opening guitar gives a taste of what's to come. 'Wrong 'em Boyo' starts off with a version of Stagger Lee that lasts 30 seconds before it heads into the ska influenced 1967 Clive Alphonso cover done by The Rulers. Danny Ray's 'Revolution Rock' gets a make-over with some 'Get Up' sampling and Joe Strummers altered lyrics. There's a nice use of horns in there too.

The rest of the tracks are all Strummer/Jones compositions with the occassional input from Paul Simonen and Topper Headon. The variety is almost overwhelming, bouncing from genre to genre and changing pace and definately keeping you on your toes as a listener.

'Jimmy Jazz' is a laidback jazz? swing? punk? song that just takes you along with the story. Good fun. That goes straight into 'Hateful' which is anti-drug and gets personal when Joe sings about the recent loss of his friend Sid Vicious - "this year I've lost some friends". Getting into consumerism and social depersonalisation, 'Lost In The Supermarket' IMHO sums it all up in two lines ..
"I wasn't born so much as I fell out
Nobody seemed to notice me".

I'm not going to go through the album track by track - it was a double album with 19 songs. I will mention the last song though, 'Train in Vain'. Depending which copy you have, this track may be classed as "hidden". It was added after the cover was printed and so doesn't appear on some track listings. Early editions had a sticker on the wrapper and some had the track name scratched into the runout.

On a personal note, Tracy's favourite Joe Strummer composition is 'Mondo Bongo' by The Mescaleros from the movie soundtrack of Mr & Mrs Smith. Joe passed away too soon in 2002 aged just 50 years old.

Jimmy Jazz

Mondo Bongo - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW - Soundtrack 1975

 HALLOWEEN

This isn't an album review, just the best soundtrack that exists in the history of ever ! 

The Rocky Horror Show music was written by Richard O'Brien, born in England, emigrated with his family to New Zealand aged 10, then returned to England as an adult. In 2011 he became a New Zealand citizen and went back to live in Katikati. 

Growing from an idea Richard had in London one winter in the early 70's, the production started at a 60 seat experimental theatre and ended up being a Broadway show, movie and album and achieving cult status around the world. 

I could give all the technical details, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and tid-bits of gossip and scandal, but why? Everyone who knows The Rocky Horror Show has their own memories and stories of seeing it and listening to it and getting drunk and dancing the 'Time Warp'. 

At this time of year there are Riff-Raffs and Sweet Transvestites going to Halloween parties hosted by Brad and Janet dress-alikes. The DVD's on many bookshelves (and maybe even an old VHS tape) the vinyls and the CD's are being dusted off for another airing as thousands of people take a jump to the left and then a step to the right.

Even now, in the middle of a pandemic, there are theatres showing the movie. Forty-five years after it was released it is the longest running movie in film history, drawing in audiences who interact with the characters, dress up, throw things and squirt water-pistols. 

The music is still so well-known that it is currently being used in a political version for the Democratic party in the 2020 elections. Jack Black at his demonic best. (see link below) 

Do you have a Rocky Horror story? Did you dress up? Did you interact with the movie? Did you build a creature? Let's know in the comments. Although we didn't catch Frank-n-Furter on stage, Tracy and I did see Tim Curry live in 2005 playing King Arthur in the original Broadway cast of 'Spamalot' - so there.

Over At The Frankenstein Place

Time Warp (Political version - Tenacious D & guests)

MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller 1982

 

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN

For a long time, Michael Jackson was a source of annoyance to me. I used to work with a guy called Ben, around the same time Jacko had his song by the same name, all about a rat !! I'd come in to work, see Ben and immediately get stuck with the earworm.
"Hi Ben" .. 'the two of us need look no more' DAMN!
Then just as I'd get rid of the song in my head, I'd run into Ben again.
"Hi Ben" .. 'the two of us need look no more' DAMN! DAMN!

If it wasn't for the Halloween theme I maybe wouldn't have reviewed this album, but on reflection that would have been remiss of me.

Michael Jackson has gone in and out of favour, he's been massive and then plummeted into ridicule, idolised and maligned. From the 'King of Pop' to 'Whacko Jacko'. Whichever version you settle on, it has to be acknowledged that he was a major talent and influence on music throughout his life and this album made a massive contribution to that legacy. There are 9 songs on the album and 7 were released as singles with 5 of them reaching #1 somewhere in the world. 'Billie Jean' made it to the top spot in 7 countries.

Even though it's become THE Halloween song, looking at the timing of both the 'Thriller' album and the single of the same name, neither were released to coincide with Halloween, so it seems the association was not planned. It's amazing to think that it's almost 40 years since the song came out and the video a year later.

Yesterday I reviewed the Alice Cooper album 'Welcome To My Nightmare' and these two albums have one thing in common. Vincent Price. He is possibly more well-known for his work on 'Thriller' than his intro to Alice's 'Black Widow' but both recordings benefit from his uniquely spooky narration.

The writer of the track 'Thriller' as well as 2 other songs on the album, 'Baby Be Mine' and 'The Lady In My Life' was Rod Temperton, an English songwriter who wrote 'Boogie Nights' for his band at the time, Heatwave and 'Give Me The Night' for George Benson. He'd previously written 'Off The Wall' and 'Rock With You' for MJ.

Apart from the title track, this album really does have some strong performances by Michael with the obvious stars being 'Beat It' and 'Billie Jean'. His duet with Paul McCartney, 'The Girl Is Mine' despite getting it's fair share of criticism, is not a bad song. It followed on the heels of a couple of other collaborations the previous year, 'Say, Say, Say' and 'The Man', both of which were on McCartney's album 'Pipes of Peace'.

A few other people helped contribute to the album - the recently departed Eddie Van Halen did the guitar solo on 'Beat It', sisters Janet and La Toya Jackson did background vocals on 'P.Y.T.', founding member of 'Toto' Steve Lukather did guitar on three tracks and then of course there was McCartney and Vincent Price as mentioned.

So, Michael Jackson, Halloween, Thriller. Trick or Treat. 

Thriller

ALICE COOPER - Welcome To My Nightmare 1975

 

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN

I mentioned this album back in September when I reviewed Alice's 'Lace and Whisky' LP, but now, because of Halloween, here's a proper look. I'll start by repeating what I wrote the last time ..

"In 1975 Alice released his 'Welcome to My Nightmare' album, followed by a promotional world tour. Well, I say world tour. What actually happened was after touring MOST of the world, the Australian Labour and Immigration Minister banned Alice from bringing the show to Australia and so the New Zealand leg was also put on hold. It wasn't until 16 months later on 14th March 1977 that Alice set foot on an Australian stage (Perth) to begin the Oceania part of the long awaited tour and it was 4th April '77 - the very last performance of 'Welcome To My Nightmare' at Western Springs in Auckland when I finally got to see men dressed as giant spiders climbing an enormous web, dancers in a graveyard projected onto a screen that then split and allowed the live figures onto the stage and Alice singing that he was 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', there were 'Billion Dollar Babies' and 'Only Women Bleed'. Songs from the named 'Welcome .. ' album as well as back catalogue stuff."

Spiders, skeletons, dead people, graveyards and the young lad Steven. This is a concept album which easily led to a whole theatrical production, a concert movie and a TV movie. The theme is that we get to share in the horrors of Stevens sleeping mind - 'Welcome To My Nightmare'.

If the subject matter doesn't qualify this album to be included in the Halloween section, then one of it's guest performers certainly does. After being welcomed to Stevens nightmare we get to know one of his fears .. spiders. 'Devil's Food' gives a glimpse, but then at the 1:45 mark there's a monologue by none other than the creepiest voice in horror movie land - Vincent Price. Years before he gave us the chills in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', Vincent was doing his thing on this album, playing the part of The Curator with a 2 minute lead in to the following track 'The Black Widow'. He got a bigger part in the TV movie 'The Nightmare' when he played 'The Spirit of the Nightmare'.

'Only Women Bleed' was the hit from the album, but the title was shortened to 'Only Women' for the single release. It was thought the original title referred to menstruation, but it was written about a woman in an abusive marriage.
'Cold Ethyl' is just odd.
"One thing
No lie
Ethyl's frigid as an eskimo pie
She's cool in bed
Well she oughta be 'cause Ethyl's dead"

OK, got it, thanks Alice.

To be honest, this isn't a great album. It's barely a good album. As I mentioned above I saw the live concert and I got the LP, but it was probably 75% novelty value, the same way I bought the album 'They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!' by Napoleon XIV with such classic songs as 'Photogenic, Schizophrenic You' and 'I Live In A Split Level Head'.

Anyway, back to Alice. This was his first solo album after the band broke up and to an extent it shows. It was a bit gutless and cliché filled but is probably the best known of Alice's works alongside 'School's Out'.

In the spirit of the season, here it is. I'm not including any video links, I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's worth the effort.

This, and previous posts are on my blog -

https://smell-of-vinyl.blogspot.com/ 

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Murder Ballads 1996

 

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN

This is like the audio-book of the worst horror story you've ever come across. Most copies had the obligatory "Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics" sticker on the cover, but seriously, it also needed to be sprinkled with holy water, surrounded by garlic and have Max von Sydow put on his Father Merrin robes and perform an exorcism over it. Did little Kylie Minogue know what she was getting into when Elisa Day took the pseudonym 'The Wild Rose' and sang along with Nick about 'Where The Wild Roses Grow'? Though it deals with the seduction of a young woman and her ultimate murder it is probably the mildest track on the album.
"On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist"
It was released as a single along with another album track 'Henry Lee', a duet with PJ Harvey.

'Stagger Lee' is an old American folk song published in 1911 and recorded for the first time in 1923. It was based on a real murder by 'Stag' Lee Shelton and the song has been called 'Stagger Lee', 'Stagolee' and sometimes 'Stack-a-Lee', but trust me gentle reader, none of the previous versions recorded by every man and his dog come anywhere near this one. It's not really a cover to be honest, it's a rewrite taking the narrative deeper and darker and far grosser than anything that came before it.

'The Curse of Millhaven' has the story of a 14 year old girl serial-killer. In a perverse twist, Nick gathers a group of people to sing along on the track and refers to them as 'The Moron Tabernacle Choir'. (yes, MORON)

I'll skip over the rest of the album and go to the last track, a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Death Is Not The End'. Someone wrote that it is "like the equivalent of hearing 'Mr. Sandman' play at the end of the movie Halloween where you’re kind of relieved but still freaked the fuck out." Backing singers on the track are once again Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey, but also include Shane MacGowan.

Nick Cave himself said about this album ..  "I was kind of aware that people would go and buy the Murder Ballads album and listen to it and wonder 'What the fuck have I bought this for?' because the Kylie song wasn't any true indication of what the record was actually like."

If you have a mind to listen, go ahead, but keep the lights on and don't answer the phone - the call could be coming from INSIDE the house.

Where The Wild Roses Grow

Stagger Lee (EXPLICIT LYRICS)

JOE COCKER - Cocker Happy 1971

 

Yes, it's called 'Cocker Happy', stop sniggering in the back !!

Joe is one of those singers who splits the room - there are many who thought he was great on the radio but couldn't bear him on the telly. To say his movements were individually expressive is possibly being kind, they could be slightly uncomfortable to watch but it certainly helped him get the message across.

Let's just dispel one story before we go any further. Joe Cocker is NOT related to Pulp singer/songwriter Jarvis Cocker. OK, on with the show.

The compilation here was only released in Australia, New Zealand and Spain, so I was lucky to be able to get it. There have been many more anthologies since to keep pace with the releases after 1971, but there are already at least 7 or 8 classics out of the 12 tracks on this LP.

As with most of his songs, this album reflects Joe's use of other people's works, either the writing and/or the recording, then reinterpreting them in his own distinctive style.

The album starts with one of my favourites. Cue the piano .. 5 seconds in and there's a guitar .. 8 seconds and .. MORE COWBELL !! It can only be the magnificent 'Hitchcock Railway'. Joe did this in 1969, just one year after it was recorded and released by José Feliciano, but who remembers that version? This is fast, furious and fun.

There are two Lennon/McCartney songs here .. obviously the 1968 single 'With A Little Help From My Friends' has to be there. It is probably THE song that Joe is known for above all others. It was on his first album, it was sung by him at Woodstock and it was liked so much by McCartney that Joe was encouraged to record 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' the following year.

'Marjorine', 'She's So Good To Me' and 'Something's Coming On' are all co-written by Joe. Apart from 'Marjorine' which was an early single release, the other two are really just fillers - although 'She's So Good To Me' can almost stand up on it's own.

Leon Russell, Joe's partner in crime through many projects, not the least of which was the infamous 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen' concerts, album and film, penned the brilliant 'Delta Lady' sung tongue in cheek by Joe. Full of all sorts of sexual reference and innuendo 'Delta Lady' by Joe was Leon's first major hit as a songwriter. The original lyric was "I'm over here in England" but because Joe WAS English he sang "when I'm home again in England".

'Feelin' Alright' was and is always one of my go-to Joe songs and I'm ashamed to say that it was many years before I discovered it was actually a Dave Mason composition recorded by Traffic on their eponymous 1968 album. Both versions are great and I have a new found appreciation for the original, although Joe's will never fade.

There's a cover of the Lovin' Spoonful track 'Darling Be Home Soon' from a 1966 movie soundtrack and also Joe's unique take on the 1967 Box Tops hit 'The Letter'. All in all, I credit myself with making a very wise purchase back in 1971.

I can't end any Joe Cocker review without mentioning the elephant in the room. His later song 'You Are So Beautiful' to me - is horrible. I'll just leave that there. It runs just over 'Up Where We Belong' on the cringeworthy chart. Fortunately the good outweighed the bad and 'Midnight Rider', 'Many Rivers To Cross' and the Randy Newman masterpiece 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' make up for the odd dud here and there.

Joe should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he isn't. He's been put forward, but not selected. One theory is because, although he has a major body of work and has made a massive contribution, ultimately the majority of the stuff was not his own. I don't think that should stop him being included but there we are. Maybe one day.

In the meantime, this Yorkshire lad from Sheffield with the "gritty voice, spasmodic body movements and distinctive versions of popular songs" left an indelible mark on my musical history.

Hitchcock Railway

With a Little Help From My Friends

Delta Lady

SIMON & GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water 1970

Harrogate, Jan/Feb 1970. I was a switchboard operator at Central Taxis working the night shift. I was filling my airwaves with stuff like ...
"Gray 3, pickup at the Montpellier Club to Pennypot"
"Gray 5, Brian, are you still on the rank?"
Meanwhile, Simon and Garfunkel were filling their radio waves with the newly released, soon to be classic, 5 minute soaring gospel inspired single 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' from the album of the same name.

Three months later I was back in Australia heading to my favourite record shop in Mount Isa to spend some of my first pay packet after getting my old job back. This is one of the albums I bought.

Some songs are excellent, some are brilliant and the ones that aren't as good are still amazing. Ten tracks, ten gems.

Art wanted Paul to sing the solo on 'Bridge ..' but Paul convinced Art to do it. Art's ethereal haunting vocals make grown men cry, but later, when Paul would see Art alone on stage getting all the applause and credit he says he regrets not doing it himself. One bit of controversy was the line 'Sail on silver girl' which paranoid puritans thought was a reference to drugs and needles but was written about Paul's future wife who'd got upset about finding some grey hairs.

'El Condor Pasa' was a bit of a hint as to where Paul Simon's music would go in later years, the world influences of albums like 'Graceland' and 'Rhythm of the Saints', but this early track led to a court case. Paul heard the instrumental of a tune called 'Paso Del Condor' played by Los Incas in Paris. They were an Andean folk group and incorrectly told him it was a traditional folk song. After writing English lyrics and recording it he was sued by Daniel Robles whose father had written the song in 1913 and taken copyright in the US in 1933. It was all basically a genuine misunderstanding and things were settled amicably.   

My second favourite track on the album is the beautiful 'The Only Living Boy In New York', with it's choir of angelic harmonies, all done by multiple overdubs of the two of them in an echo-chamber singing "aaahhh" and "here I am". When they were getting stuff together for this album, Art Garfunkel was also making the movie "Catch-22" and had to leave for filming. Paul was left in New York and wrote this song about their separation. I love the opening verse where he says ..
"Tom, get your plane right on time
I know your part'll go fine
Fly down to Mexico
Do-n-do-d-do-n-do and here I am,
The only living boy in New York"
making a direct reference back to their 1950's personas Tom and Jerry and noting that Tom (Art Garfunkel) was the one going away.

'Bridge ...' is the song that claims the spotlight, but for me the masterpiece of this album, and indeed probably my all time favourite S&G song from their complete catalogue together, is 'The Boxer'.

I love everything about it. The story in the lyrics, the atmosphere, the New York City winters and the whores on Seventh Avenue, the places where the ragged people go all creating vivid images. The music, an opening guitar lick, tubas, flutes, harmonicas, chopping staccato bursts and crashing drums after every 'lie la lie' chorus. This song took over 100 hours to record, part of it in a church for the acoustics and part of it in a corridor in front of an elevator in the Columbia office building to get the sound for those crashing drums.

For the purist, there was one more verse to the song that didn't get recorded on this album but has been sung live in concert by both S&G and by Paul on his own -
"Now the years are rolling by me
They are rockin' evenly.
I am older than I once was,
And younger than I'll be.
That's not unusual;
No, it isn't strange:
After changes upon changes
We are more or less the same;
After changes we are more or less the same."

After this album was released, Simon and Garfunkel went their separate ways. The last track on the album, 'Song For The Asking' seems to hold a promise that they would always be there for each other, but as history shows, that wasn't really the case.
"Here is my song for the asking
Ask me and I will play
So sweetly, I'll make you smile"

They did get together a couple of times afterwards, but it wasn't until they did the 1981 concert in Central Park and released the live album that they started working together for any extended period. A world tour was organised and I went to see them on 18 Feb 1983 when they played Western Springs in Auckland, NZ. Sadly they spent a lot of the tour not speaking to each other and basically from then until now, apart from little bursts of daylight along the way, they've never really regained the friendship they once had.

I would be surprised if Simon and Garfunkel, together or alone, were not on everyone's playlist. Their total body of work is immense and varied with worldwide appeal and their songs have been covered by many artists in many styles. The Bangles took their 'Hazy Shade of Winter' to new heights and The Tennors made 'The Only Living Boy ... ' into a rocksteady version called 'Weather Report'.

Simon and Garfunkel. There's something there for everyone.

The Boxer - album version

The Boxer - (Central Park) with extra verse

 

CARLY SIMON - No Secrets 1972

 

Here's another 1972 album. Seems like every second album I owned and am reviewing came from 1972. I really was making up for lost time. After being in the army and only buying the odd one or two LP's, here I was back in the world and able to buy, store and play music at my leisure.

'No Secrets' was Carly's 3rd studio album and I bought it on the tails of the single 'You're So Vain'. I could probably write this whole post about that one song, there's so much mystery and legend around it, but it's all been said before without any real firm conclusion as to who it was really was about.

Before all that though, just a bit of background. Carly was the daughter of Richard L. Simon, which meant nothing to me until I found out he was co-founder of Simon & Schuster, at one time the third largest publishing house in the US. In the early 60's Carly and her sister Lucy recorded 3 albums under the name of The Simon Sisters. Lucy left to get married and in 1968 Carly was briefly lead singer for the New York group Elephant's Memory. I only know of them from 2 songs they did on the Midnight Cowboy movie soundtrack, but Carly had left by then.

Her first album, the 1971 eponymous 'Carly Simon' had the single 'That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be' and her second album 'Anticipation' gave us the single of the same name. The story goes that she wrote that song in 15 minutes as she waited for Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date!

'No Secrets' really was a major album for Carly. If the background players are anything to go by, it was always destined to be big. When you have people like Bonnie Bramlett (from Delaney & Bonnie), Paul and Linda McCartney and James Taylor as backup singers and Klaus Voorman, Ray Cooper and Nicky Hopkins among the musicians, you're 90% there.

It made sense for James Taylor to appear, they were married just a few weeks before the album was released and one of the tracks, 'Night Owl' was written by him. A couple of other tracks of note (IMHO) are 'The Right Thing To Do' and 'We Have No Secrets'.

Recording the background vocals for 'You're So Vain', Carly had Harry Nilsson in the studio. Mick Jagger came in, Harry realised they had a better connection so he backed away. The end result is that Mick has uncredited vocals on the chorus. Talking of that chorus, it was used almost 30 years later by Nine Inch Nails on their song 'Starfu**ers'. How's that for longevity and crossover.

Not all the reviews of the album and specifically that song, were pleasant. One commentator, Robert Christgau, wrote rather scathingly "if a horse could sing in a monotone, the horse would sound like Carly Simon, only a horse wouldn't rhyme 'yacht', 'apricot', and 'gavotte'. Is that some kind of joke?" Oh boy, harsh Robert.  

Carly's following album, 1974's 'Hotcakes' had a duet with James Taylor, 'Mockingbird' and also had the single 'Haven't Got Time For the Pain' and in 1977 she did the theme song 'Nobody Does it Better' for the Bond movie 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. After that I pretty much lost track of her, which basically means for me, her best work was in the 70's.

You're So Vain