MANFRED MANN - Mann Made Hits 1966

 Like Bon Jovi, Santana and Van Halen where the whole band takes it's name from just one member, so too with Manfred Mann. Born Manfred Sepse Lubowitz he gave his name to a number of incarnations of groups bearing his name. The eponymous 'Manfred Mann', 'Manfred Mann Chapter Three' and 'Manfred Mann's Earth Band'.

Starting as the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers with Mike Hugg and Graham Bond, then changing to Manfred Mann and the Manfreds when Mike Vickers, Dave Richmond and Paul Jones joined, the name was trimmed down to just Manfred Mann when they released their first record in 1963, a blues instrumental called 'Why Should We Not'. 

For this post though I mainly want to look at the group from 1964-69. They started having hits in early '64 but in September of that year I left for Australia so had to follow them long distance. It wasn't until 1966 that I got this first compilation.

When they were asked to compose a song as a theme tune to the ITV pop music show "Ready, Steady, Go!" Hugg, Jones and Mann came up with the brilliantly conceived '5-4-3-2-1'. The reason it was so brilliant is that it contained a major bit of self-promotion - each verse,  whether singing about the Charge of the Light Brigade or the Trojan Horse, ended with the line -

"Uh-huh, it was the Mannnn-freds!". 

The song was played weekly to households of rampant teenagers aching to buy records.

On '5-4-3-2-1' and their next single 'Hubble Bubble Toil and Trouble' Paul Jones not only provided the lead vocals but also some exceptional harmonica. Hardly surprising that years later he was awarded "harmonica player of the year" in the British Blues Awards of 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Two more singles came out in 1964 - their first #1 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' and the equally happy 'Sha La La' and 1965 continued their success, branching into Paul Jones' mellower tones with things like 'Come Tomorrow'. Over the years between early and late Manfred Mann groups they did over a dozen Dylan covers and 1965 gave us one of their best to date with 'If You Gotta Go, Go Now', a pre-cursor to the version in French "Si Tu Dois Partir" done by Fairport Convention in 1969 (Vinyl Vault June 4 2021).

Also in '65 there was another self-promoting song, 'The One in the Middle' this time written just by Paul Jones and really giving himself a lot of praise - he was the one in the middle !! "Let me tell you 'bout the Manfreds" he sings, then goes through an intro .. like a 'meet the band' break in a live concert - 

"Mike Hugg plays the drums, yeah
Tom McGuiness lays it down on the bass
But the one in the middle sings "hey, diddle, diddle"
God, he's just a pretty face ...
... Manfred Mann plays the organ
Mike Vickers plays guitar
And there's a geezer called Paul who's so thin and so tall
And sure wants to be a star"

Shortly after getting a mention though, bassist Tom McGuiness took over guitar and relinquished the bass to .. wait for it .. Jack Bruce. Yes, THE Jack Bruce of Bluesbreakers and Cream fame. He wasn't with them long, but did play on the 1966 hit 'Pretty Flamingo' This was his only #1 record. Although he did play bass on The Scaffold's #1 'Lily the Pink', that was uncredited. When Jack left, Klaus Voormann took over. What a line-up!

In possibly one of the worst decisions since Abraham Lincoln bought tickets to the theatre, after 'Pretty Flamingo' Paul Jones decided to go solo. 'High Time' and 'I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy' were good songs and did OK, but to put it kindly, he was less successful without the band than they were without him. He was very quickly replaced with Mike d'Abo who helped them out by singing on 'Ha Ha Said the Clown', 'My Name is Jack' 'Fox on the Run' and another Dylan composition 'Quinn the Eskimo' which they put out as 'Mighty Quinn' and got it to #1. Sadly, the group known simply as Manfred Mann disbanded in 1969.

I can't leave it there though. Two more things need to be said. The first concerns Tom McGuiness, erstwhile bass player then guitarist. After the breakup of MM he later got together with ex Bluesbreakers drummer Hughie Flint to form .. you guessed it .. McGuiness Flint. They went on to release an album in 1972 called 'Lo and Behold'. It was credited to Coulson, Dean, McGuiness, Flint and it's taken me almost 50 years to find it. It was so very worth the wait and the search. It contains 10 Dylan cover songs done perfectly. I have over 30 albums of Dylan covers done by other artists and this one has become my favourite so far.

The second thing that bears comment is the other commercially successful incarnation - Manfred Mann's Earth Band - and if nothing else the monumental 1976 cover of Springsteen's 'Blinded By the Light' with Chris Thompson providing blistering vocals. Bruce originally had this on his debut album 'Greetings From Asbury Park' in 1973. Strangely, I didn't get the Springsteen album until well after hearing, buying and knowing the MM version for years and it came as a massive revelation. Both are great versions but oh so different and I love the MM interpretation and will be forever glad it was made .. BUT .. when Springsteen sings it you get the added bonus of Clarence Clemons on saxophone and that alone makes the original all the more worthwhile. 

Manfred Mann in it's various group forms has written a very significant chapter in rock, pop, r&b, jazz and blues history. Known mainly as 'chart' groups they have a depth and breadth in their albums that is worth discovering.  

5-4-3-2-1 A live performance and some ridiculously great harmonica from Paul Jones

Blinded By the Light (short version)

THE BYRDS - Sweetheart of the Rodeo 1968

 I bought this when I lived in Mount Isa, a north-west Queensland mining town that had an annual rodeo. I was easily influenced !!

This is another one of those albums that gained stature and respect well after it was released. At the time it was positively reviewed but mostly commercially ignored. It was only later when taken in the context of hindsight and history that 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' became classed as an influential album in the development and acceptance of country rock.

The Byrds were created in 1964 by Jim McGuinn. Jim began using his middle name in 1967 so is better known as Roger McGuinn. By 1965 when they recorded their #1 hit, the Dylan song 'Mr. Tambourine Man' they were yet to be fully formed in terms of musicality, so session musicians (later known as The Wrecking Crew) were used for the track. One of them was Leon Russell, playing electric piano. Lovely trivia !!

Their early music was essentially folk-rock, but as time went on and group members changed so did their output, and then psychedelia kicked in. After a diet of 'Tambourine' and 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' things like 'Eight Miles High' and '5D (Fifth Dimension)' began to creep in along with 'Mr. Spaceman' and the punchier 'So You Want To Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star'.      

By 1968 Gene Clark, Michael Clarke and David Crosby had come and gone from the group and all that was left was McGuinn and Chris Hillman. Kevin Kelley, Hillman's cousin, came on as drummer and then Larry Spector, the bands business manager, brought in Gram Parsons.

That proved to be a pivotal move - the 21 year old Parsons had firm ideas for his musical direction and set his sights on using the Byrds as a platform for his passion. McGuinn had the bones of an idea for the 'Sweethearts ..' album, wanting to create a 2-disc set of the history of American popular music. Parsons however felt that a fusion of styles that he termed 'Cosmic American Music' but basically came to be country-rock was the best way to go and through persuasion and influence he eventually got everyone on board. The Byrds had used country in their previous albums, but the direction that 'Sweethearts .. ' took was quite a departure from their earlier hybrid releases. 

Even so, there were still two Dylan compositions on the album. The first one, 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' caused a bit of to-and-fro between Dylan and Roger McGuinn. On Dylans original version from 1967 (which he didn't record) the line was
'Pick up your money, pack up your tent' .. but McGuinn transposed it and sang ..
'Pack up your money, pick up your tent'.
In 1971 Dylan did a major re-write of the song before recording it himself, adding a callout to Roger ..
'Pack up your money, put up your tent, McGuinn'.
Roger waited until 1989 when he did lead on the same song for a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album and sang ..
'Pack up your money, pick up your tent, Dylan'. All good clean fun.

Despite Gram Parsons heavy involvement in the album, he quit the band almost eight weeks before it was released. There was some legal hassle surrounding Parsons previous contract and if he should have even been on the album. McGuinn jumped in on post-production and replaced 3 of Parsons lead vocals with his own voice, although 3 other songs still featured Gram on lead.

Gram Parsons went on to have a short but brilliant solo career, particularly with his album 'Grievous Angel', but his death at age 26 was all sorts of weird. He used to like going to Joshua Tree National Park, getting extremely drunk and stoned. In September 1973 it got the better of him and he died of an overdose of alcohol and morphine. Now for the weird bit. His wish was to be cremated at Joshua Tree and have his ashes scattered over Cap Rock. His stepfather organised a funeral in New Orleans and didn't invite any of his music friends and associates. One of his friends, Phil Kauffman, got wind of it and along with another person they stole his body from L.A. airport in a borrowed hearse, took it to Joshua Tree, poured a few gallons of petrol into the coffin and tossed in a match. After they were arrested they were fined for stealing a coffin. pparently there was no law against stealing a dead body !!

Regardless of everything surrounding the making of this album, it now has it's place in the history of country rock, helping to bring about acts such as the Flying Burrito Brothers, Souther Hillman Fray, New Riders of the Purple Sage and having influence on CSNY, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and even The Grateful Dead.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

THE WHO - Live at Leeds 1970

When I saw this album in my local record bar in 1970, the irony was lost on me.

I'd just returned to Australia after 15 months back in England and the words 'Live at Leeds' drew me in. I looked at the cover and thought "that looks like shit, the record can't be much good" so I didn't buy it right then. Oddly though, it kept popping up and gradually I learned more about it. This was a year after the release of their monumental rock opera 'Tommy' and by now The Who had gained the reputation of being one of the best live acts in the history of ever. Problem was, they hadn't made a live album. The only way the 'fans' could hear them live was by hunting down bootlegs.

That's where the genius of design came in. What I thought was an album "that looks like shit" was in fact a masterstroke by the packaging gurus to make this look like another bootleg. Brilliant. Completely fooled me. Even the labels on the record are hand-written with a note saying not to try to correct the crackling noises! This being the 70's though, the single LP came in a gatefold sleeve which contained a goody-bag of inserts. There were copies of all sorts of things (12 items in total) to keep most fans happy. A band photo, lyric sheets with handwritten notes, the contract for their appearance at Woodstock, the list goes on.

Fortunately, my copy of the album still contains all these extras - things that often get scattered to the four winds.

Depending which version of 'Live at Leeds' you go for dictates how much of the show you get to hear. The full set list for the show has 33 songs. This original vinyl pressing has just 6, but one of those is a 14.27 version of 'My Generation' that includes bits of a couple of 'Tommy' songs. 'Substitute' gets an airing, as does 'Magic Bus' but the other 3 tracks aren't Pete Townshend compositions. Instead they went for covers .. 'Young Man Blues', 'Summertime Blues' and 'Shakin' All Over'. 

If you waited until 2001 for the Deluxe CD you got all 33 tracks. Disc one had 13 songs including 'Happy Jack', one of my all-time favourites - they should have included that on the original vinyl !! Disc two was a live performance of the complete 'Tommy'.

'Live at Leeds' has received many accolades as one of the best ever live recordings. IMHO in it's original format it's good, but it's not great. I mentioned the live bootlegs and many people thought that there were better bootleg shows than this commercial release, but by definition boots were harder to get, and this was readily available. Bruce Eder & Stephen Thomas Erlewine said about it "this show may not have been the absolute best, it's so damn close to it that it would be impossible for anybody but aficionados to argue. Here, the Who sound vicious -- as heavy as Led Zeppelin but twice as volatile" - "There is certainly no better record of how this band was a volcano of violence on-stage, teetering on the edge of chaos but never blowing apart." 

I've gone with The Who through various phases. I have their original 'Tommy' but prefer the 1972 LSO version with guest singers (Reviewed Vinyl Vault 7 June 2020). I have 'Quadrophenia' and detest it in it's entirety. When I reviewed 'Who's Next' (Vinyl Vault 7 Sept 2020) I wrote the following .. "I'm a bit of a hit and miss Who fan. I loved all their early singles .. 'Substitute', 'Happy Jack', Pictures of Lily', 'Magic Bus', 'I Can See For Miles' .. but when it comes to albums I'm a bit ambivalent."

That still stands.

Even so, 'Live at Leeds' remains a must-have album because it's a major piece of music history. It's a slice of life from 50 years ago and sitting in the dark with headphones on you can be transported back to a wilder, looser place and time.

Substitute

NANA MOUSKOURI - Every Grain of Sand 2021

 It's widely known that I am quite a fan of Bob Dylan. Apart from his own albums I also have around 30 albums of his music by other artists in other styles. Compilations such as "All Blues'd Up: Songs of Bob Dylan", "Is It Rolling Bob? A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan", "Dylan's Gospel", "Black America Sings Bob Dylan" as well as albums of his songs  by artists such as Odetta, Judy Collins, Bryan Ferry, The Hollies, The Byrds etc. I recently discovered the amazing jazz release from 2009 "Dylan Different" by Ben Sidran, well worth searching out. Just this year I've acquired 2 more tributes - "Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan" and this one by Nana Mouskouri.   

At first glance this may seem like a very odd choice for Vinyl Vault - an 86 year old Greek artist who, let's be honest, was often used as the punchline of jokes or a caricature of herself. In reality Nana is a multi-genre singer with a beautiful voice and a legacy of over 200 albums in more than 12 languages. Over the years Nana has recorded many Dylan songs and this collection released last month (May 2021) brings together her cream of the crop. The album title is significant if her quote is to be believed .. 'Nana Mouskouri has claimed that after a concert of hers she and Bob went out for a meal and “he wrote Every Grain Of Sand for me”.'

My personal best from this LP is her 1967 rendition of 'Farewell Angelina', sung here in French as 'Adieu Angelina'. I think this track in particular shows two things. Firstly it perfectly showcases Nana's beautiful pure voice. It parallels Joan Baez's version somewhat in arrangement, but where Joan's voice can sometimes have an edge, a slight harshness to it, Nana sings this song with a clarity and smoothness that is mesmerising. The song repeats the same melody over and over and totally draws you in. The second thing illustrated here is for those Dylan detractors. This is, in no uncertain terms, a beautiful song - in any language.

There are 13 tracks here, but only 11 individual Dylan songs. Two tracks, 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit' and 'Every Grain of Sand' appear twice, once in English and then respectively French and German. Staying true to her roots though, even when singing in other languages, there is often a Greek flavour running through the orchestration. The selections are taken from a wide range of Nana's albums starting in 1967 with "Le Jour Où La Colombe" right through to the 2018 release "Forever Young" which not only had 2 Dylan tracks but also others as diverse as songs made famous by Elvis, The Beatles and Amy Winehouse.

Nana Mouskouri at this stage of her life deserves to be listened to with fresh ears and to be celebrated for her diverse and remarkable body of work.

Adieu Angelina (Farewell Angelina)

ROBERT PALMER - Heavy Nova 1988

 Robert Palmer was a Yorkshireman. That should be enough recommendation for anybody !! He was born in Batley, where quite a few of my ancestors lived and moved to Scarborough where we used to go for one day a year on our holidays.

Robert progressed through a few bands, the first being The Mandrakes when he was just 15, then to lead singer with The Alan Bown Set, a stint with a 12 piece jazz-rock band, Dada, then joining 2 members of Dada, Elkie Brooks and Pete Gage to form Vinegar Joe. He went solo in 1974 with his first album 'Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley'.

I bought this album, 'Heavy Nova', in 1989 when I got back to Australia after working in Papua New Guinea. One year later, a friend came over to see me and brought me the same album on CD .. that was the very first CD I owned !!!

'Heavy Nova' brought Robert to even greater world wide attention partly because of the track 'Simply Irresistable' but mostly because of the video that accompanied that track. That's strange really because it wasn't the first time he'd used that music video formula.

In 1986 for the video to 'Addicted to Love' there was a line-up of 5 girls all dressed the same, expressionless playing 3 guitars, a keyboard and drums. The same year he released another single 'I Didn't Mean to Turn You On' which had the same all-girl group with the addition of 4 dancers.

In 1988 for the 'Simply Irresistible' video there were 5 girls but no instruments. The girls were superimposed in different outfits and at some points there were 13 of them on-screen. Finally, early in 1989 he did a video for 'Change His Ways' but this time there was a noticable difference. There were still 3 guitars, a keyboard but no drums. There was however an accordion and a violin, but instead of fashion models, the band was made up of female cartoon ducks !!! 

This however is not a video post, it's meant to be about music, so back to our regular scheduled programming.

One stand-out feature of todays album is the list of contributing musicians. People like Tom 'T-Bone' Wolk, who was bassist for Hall & Oates and part of the Saturday Night Live house band. Ricky Fataar, record producer, member of the Beach Boys for 3 years and the actor who played Stig O'Hara, a parody of George Harrison, in the movie 'The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash'. Then there was Rick Danko and Garth Hudson, both members of The Band, famous in their own right and more so for being with Dylan.

The two single releases from this album, 'Simply ..' and 'Change ..' were both written by Robert, but a lot of his stuff was other people's music. Going back to his first album, the title track 'Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley' with a bit of 70's funk is a great introduction, with some excellent harmonica by Steve York. The rest of the 70's had some good releases - 'Every Kinda People', the calypso beat 'Man Smart, Woman Smarter' and radio playlist staple 'Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor').

In the early 80's there were a couple of tracks that really stood out for me. Although never a hit, in 1980 'Johnny and Mary' became one of my favourites. Contrary to what I said, this is a Robert composition and for me it works on every level. There's a bass tone running through that first kicks in just before the 1.20 minute mark guaranteed to make your speaker woofers buzz !! In 1982 Robert released 'Some Guys Have All the Luck' which was later done by Rod Stewart, but this is a strong version.

For a very short while in '84-'85 Palmer was part of the 'supergroup' The Power Station which included John Taylor and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran and Tony Thompson from Chic. They released 3 singles from their eponymous album, went on tour, Robert left and that was the end of his supergroup days. Back to solo work.

Then came the girl group video songs mentioned above but in amongst those was another single release from 'Heavy Nova', 'She Makes My Day'. Described variously as a "lilting, easy-paced rock ballad" - a "smouldering Sinatra-esque slow jazz single" and "arguably the sweetest few minutes in his entire catalogue" it really is a smooth laid back listen.

Just as a little bit of priceless trivia, when Robert was recording the 'Heavy Nova' album he was sent a track from - wait for it - Prince !! The song was called 'Lust You Always' and even though Robert recorded it, he didn't want it on the album. In his own words he said ..  "I had to record it because I didn't want to offend the chap, did I? But I thought the lyric stank."

I can't finish without a reference to a couple of other artists who rank high in my musical life - Dylan and UB40. In 1990 Robert recorded his 10th album 'Don't Explain' and included the Dylan song 'I'll Be Your Baby Tonight' with UB40 providing backup vocals. He also covered Marvin Gaye's 'Mercy Mercy Me' on the same album.

Robert sadly passed away too young in 2003, aged just 54. Remembered as a dapper dresser with a wide range of musical genres under his belt he was, is and always will be a Yorkshireman.

Johnny and Mary
Every Kinda People

JOHN PRINE - The Tree of Forgiveness 2018 - John Prine 1971

 For this post about John Prine I'm going to begin at the end and end at the beginning.

John passed away on April 7 2020 from Covid-19 complications. He was 73 years old. His last song 'I Remember Everything' was released two months after his death.

In 1998 John was diagnosed with squamous-cell cancer on his neck. The drastic treatment took away part of his neck, severed nerves in his tongue and damaged some salivary glands. Then in 2013 he had cancer surgery on his left lung. The results of all those health issues changed John's voice dramatically but due to his tenacity, therapy and hard work he went back on tour, and his last album 'The Tree of Forgiveness' came out in 2018. The photo on the cover of that album has an older, frailer John, but as shown by the last track on the album, it's also a John who retains his sense of fun and slight irreverence. 'When I Get To Heaven' is a fitting, almost prophetic song but one full of joy. He had friends and family in the studio singing along and when he said there should be people playing kazoos, one of his fan/friends singer Brandi Carlile joined in. When John passed away the internet was flooded with tears and the hope that everything he sang about in that song was waiting for him.   

In the middle of his career John wrote the beautiful 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' and put it on his 1986 album 'German Afternoons'. In 1993 Nanci Griffith released her album 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' doing covers of a variety of artists. Included on that album was her rendition of 'Speed of the Sound .. ' and none other than John Prine himself provided backing and duet vocals. (I did a Vinyl Vault entry of Nanci on Aug 20 2020). It remains one of my all-time favourite versions.

Now let's look at the start of John's recording career. 1971. His debut eponymous album.

What an album - however you classify it, bluegrass, country folk, Americana, it's quality from beginning to end. The album really came about with promotion from four people. Film critic Roger Ebert heard John play at the Fifth Peg in Chicago and wrote John's first ever review. Steve Goodman (writer of the excellent song 'City of New Orleans' amongst others) was performing with Kris Kristofferson and suggested Kristofferson should go and catch John's act. Kristofferson went on to get Prine and Goodman to open for him when he was playing The Bitter End in NYC. Jerry Wexler from Atlantic Records was in the audience and signed John the following day.

The resulting album is a breath-taking introduction to a massive talent. Half the songs there, all written by John, have been covered by a multitude of people as well as becoming classics in their own right for John himself.

'Angel of Montgomery' is sung by John but taken from a female perspective. The opening line is "I am an old woman .." The story is of a woman desperately wanting to get out of everything about her life but daily becoming old before her time. It uses the theme of aging along with another track from the album, the achingly beautiful heart-rending 'Hello in There'. John was only 25 years old when he recorded this album, but the empathy and pathos contained in the lyrics of this song are from a much older soul.

"You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, "Hello in there, hello""

When it comes to lyrics, IMHO John wrote one of the most powerful lines ever written. 'Sam Stone' deals with a military veteran, coming home with a Purple Heart and an addiction. The Vietnam War isn't mentioned but is inferred and the only drug named is morphine for the pain, but it's clear that heroin was the overdose that eventually killed Sam. The line that kicks me in the gut every time I hear it is sung as if from a child ..

"There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes" 

One more song on this amazing album had a deeper meaning for John and although it was recorded almost 50 years before his death, the sentiments expressed were taken as a dying wish. From the song 'Paradise' John sang ..

"When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester dam
I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
Just five miles away from wherever I am."

After his death, half of his ashes were buried next to his parents in Chicago and the other half were sprinkled in the Green River.

In keeping with this write-up, I'm including two links. One is from his very first album, the other from his last. At the very least listen to these recordings and after that, indulge yourself by digging deeper into the legend that is John Prine.

Sam Stone
When I Get To Heaven

JOAN BAEZ - The First Ten Years (compilation) 1970

 If you want to be pedantic, by 1970 Joan was in her 11th year of recording, having appeared on the album "Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square" in 1959 singing 6 solos, 3 duets and one song as part of a full trio. This featured title though 'The First Ten Years' refers to her 10 years on the Vanguard label.

In 1970 I'd been listening and buying Dylan for long enough to know where Joan Baez fitted into the mix. Her loyalty to him and her devotion to his music are legendary, but unfortunately I fall into the camp that believes they should never have sung together. Bob has a distinctive voice, a style and a quality and so does Joan. Unfortunately, for me, they are totally incompatible.

Listening to Joan sing Dylan's songs however is another kettle of fish entirely. Even though this, her first compilation album, contains 6 Dylan songs it was her rendition of Phil Ochs' composition 'There But For Fortune' that drew me in. Once there, this double album had a lot going for it. Tim Hardin's 'If I Were a Carpenter', Jagger/Richards plaintive 'No Expectations' from the Stones Beggars Banquet album and some great traditional standards.

A few months before buying this album I got hold of the original 3 LP set of the Woodstock soundtrack. Joan had 2 songs on there, 'Joe Hill' and 'Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man'. I played those 2 songs until the needle wore out. I had to wait until 2020 to get hold of a 38 CD set covering everything ever recorded at Woodstock to discover there were 15 songs by Joan in total. What a bounty !!

Although a song-writer in her own right she is best known for covering other artists, taking songs from extremely diverse genres and styles to put her own stamp on them. From reggae - 'No Woman, No Cry', pop classics - 'Eleanor Rigby', spirituals - 'Oh Happy Day', to heartfelt standards like Cohen's 'Suzanne' and John Prine's 'Hello In There'. There are also countless versions of Dylan's material.

The cover she is most well-known for would have to be her recording of Robbie Robertson's song written for The Band, 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down'. The track was included on her last Vanguard album 'Blessed Are ..' in 1971 and her single was certified Gold in October of that year. Curiously her version had incorrect lyrics. She'd never seen them printed out and so sang what she thought she heard!  

Joan's involvement with Dylan certainly had it's ups and downs and despite originally stating that the song she wrote - 'Diamonds and Rust' - was about her husband David, she later made it very clear that it was in fact about Dylan. She even references lines from the song in her memoir "And a Voice to Sing With' when talking about her relationship with his Bobness.

On that same album, 'Diamonds and Rust' Joan does a cover of Bob's song 'Simple Twist of Fate'. I've included a link below. Go to 2.18 minutes to hear Joan do her Dylan impersonation !! In fact, she parodied him quite often.

In 2018 she released her last album 'Whistle Down the Wind', the album title taken from the first track, a song written by Tom Waits.

Now in her 80th year Joan is still in fine voice and going strong and was recently one of the recipients of the 2021 43rd Kennedy Center Awards. Her body of work is enormous but fortunately if you want somewhere to start there are over 20 compilation albums/CDs out there. Travel through the years with some of Joan's best interpretations and enjoy the journey.

Simple Twist of Fate

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

IRON BUTTERFLY - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida 1968

 Like millions of others, I bought this album way-way-way back when, partly on the strength of the music and partly on the mystery of the title.

Did you have this album?

Did you play this album more than once?

Were you relieved when you found there was a sub 3 minute version of the title track instead of the 17+ minute opus on the album?

Or maybe to paraphrase a popular idiom, if you can remember hearing this album, you weren't really there.

Regardless of whether you thought this was a masterpiece or an indulgent prolonged jam that went too far, the facts speak for themselves. In 1968/69 it sold over 8 million copies, more than any other record in the history of recorded music to that time and received the music industry's first ever 'Platinum' album. Iron Butterfly were also the first band to fill an entire side of an LP with just one song. Even more remarkable is that this l-o-n-g track was recorded as a soundcheck filler but after the rehearsal they reckoned it was so good that another take wasn't needed.

The stories surrounding the track and album title are legendary - and sometimes confusing and contradictory.  All versions rely on the fact that the song was MEANT to be called "In the Garden of Eden". 

One story relates to the soundcheck recording .."According to legend, the group was so stoned when they recorded the track that they could neither pronounce the title "In the Garden of Eden" or end the track, so it rambles on for a full 17 minutes, which to some listeners sounds like eternity.

Another story states .."The title was supposed to be "In The Garden Of Eden." Someone had written "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," possibly while drunk, on a demo copy. A record company executive saw it and decided to use it as the title, since it sounded exotic and Eastern spirituality was big at the time, with The Beatles going to India and The Rolling Stones experimenting with Indian instruments.

Yet a third tells us .. "According to drummer Ron Bushy, organist-vocalist Doug Ingle wrote the song one evening while drinking an entire gallon of Red Mountain wine. When the inebriated Ingle then played the song for Bushy, who wrote down the lyrics for him, he was slurring his words so badly that what was supposed to be "in the Garden of Eden" was interpreted by Bushy as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"."

Somewhere in there I suppose is the true tale of the title, but in the end it doesn't matter too much. What resulted was a piece of history.

The band were meant to be playing at Woodstock in 1969 but were stuck at the airport in New York. They telegramed their situation, they were promised a helicopter, nothing happened and then they got a telegram back from the Woodstock promotion manager reading ..

For reasons I can't go into

Until you are here

Clarifying your situation

Knowing you are having problems

You will have to find

Other transportation

Unless you plan not to come." 

The first letter of each line in the telegram made it clear that the band was not welcome.

Lee Dorman who played bass guitar and did backing vocals, left the group in 1971 and went on to form Captain Beyond. Their claim to fame is that they recorded one of my all time favourite tracks, 'Sufficiently Breathless' from the 1973 album of the same name. If you go back to last year I did a VINYL VAULT entry of Captain Beyond on 6 June 2020.

Between 1966 and 2020 there have been over 60 members of Iron Butterfly but despite still playing and touring they haven't released a studio album since 1975.

If those little orange pills you took in the 60's ever give you a flashback, dig out this album, play side 2 and taste the colours man !!

2 links to the title track

2.54 minute version

17.02 minute version

FAIRPORT CONVENTION - Unhalfbricking 1969

Yes, I know. The featured album is 'Unhalfbricking' but the photo is 2 different records. Bear with me.

'Unhalfbricking' used to belong to me. It was lost along the way, but there was a very good reason for owning it. The group included 3 Dylan tracks on this, their third album. One of the songs was based on Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" but was sung in French and retitled "Si Tu Dois Partir" - literally 'If you have to go'. It was their one and only chart single, peaking at #21. Like many people, they had managed to hear bootleg Dylan songs from 'Great White Wonder' etc that included early Basement Tapes tracks, so they also recorded 'Million Dollar Bash' and 'Percy's Song'. Despite that, critics call this a 'transitional' album moving more towards English folk than the previous American influenced stuff they'd been doing.

As mentioned above, my record collection (and music collection in general) has been gathered and lost a few times over the years and that is evident by the 2 albums shown here. Both 'Fairport Live Convention' (1974) and 'Rising For The Moon' (1975) have a retailer stamp inside the sleeve saying "The Record Finder - Rare Records & New" in Fremantle, Western Australia. That means I know with certainty that I rebought these in 1990. 

The personel behind Fairport Convention has changed dramatically over the years, with 5 current members still performing and 20 previous members who made contributions over the years. Sandy Denny joined the band early but came and went, having two bites at the cherry, 1968-1969 and again 1974-1975. Funnily enough, all the albums I have feature Sandy. To me, she is the 'voice' of Fairport Convention, much the same as Maddy Prior is the 'voice' of Steeleye Span. Talking of Steeleye Span, I thought it was very odd that the inside sleeve of 'Rising For The Moon' was a full ad for the Span .. friendly rivalry perhaps. (see photo).

The album 'Fairport Live Convention' was recorded at the Sydney Opera House, the London Rainbow and the Fairfield Halls, Croydon between Dec 1973 and Jan 1974. The Sydney Opera House gets top publicity as there is a photo of the group on the album inner sleeve, standing on the steps of this venerable building. This original vinyl album contains 9 tracks but on the CD reissue there are 5 bonus tracks. Amongst the extras is a live version of "That'll Be The Day", the old Buddy Holly song. On the surface that song appears to be incongruous to everything else on the album and also everything else they were known for, but once more, like Steeleye Span who included things like 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' in their live sets and album, Fairport Convention also did off-genre things when they were let loose.

A number of groups have taken English Folk to a commercial level, not only Fairport and Steeleye but others such as Pentangle and Fotheringay (which was a Sandy Denny off-shoot band) - even Jethro Tull had shades of the genre. When prog rock/psychedelic/jazz rock group Traffic released their 1970 album 'John Barleycorn Must Die (reviewed in Vinyl Vault on July 28 2020) Steve Winwoods arrangement of the traditional title track was likened to the style of Fairport Convention.

They are not to everyone's taste. As mentioned, the line-up, form and feel of the group has changed, but I still prefer the 60s/70s Sandy Denny years.

Sandy died very young and if you were being brutally honest it could almost be said she was the reason behind her own demise. Spiralling into drug and alcohol abuse, depression and manic behaviour, she also had a history of throwing herself downstairs or off bar stools in the pub. Despite having a child, her behaviour didn't improve and she passed away in a coma in 1978 aged just 31.

Early in the life of Fairport Convention, as shown on 'Unhalfbricking' they covered many Dylan songs. In 2018 a compilation CD was released and the title speaks for itself - "A Tree With Roots - Fairport Convention And The Songs Of Bob Dylan". Oddly, one of the 17 songs included is 'Ballad of Easy Rider' which is attributed to Roger McGuinn. Dylan is not listed as co-writer but it has sort of been acknowledged that he had some input. Regardless, it's been added to my collection. Worlds collide !

Si Tu Dois Partir

 

LAURA NYRO - More Than a New Discovery 1967 / The First Songs 1969

 Let's go with a singer-songwriter you may not think you know, but trust me, you do. If you're a fan of a wide range of 60's/70's artists then you are aware of Laura Nyro. Laura was a prolific songwriter and on this, her debut album, she hit the ground running. First released in 1967 as 'More Than a New Discovery' I didn't get hold of it until 1970 when it was re-issued and made available in Australia under a new title (The First Songs) with a different track order and in STEREO !! Oooh.

By the time I got this album I was well aware of Lauras music. Many of the tracks had already been covered and made popular by other artists, but regardless of how well you know them, Lauras songs deserve to be listened to when sung by Laura herself.     

The album opens strongly - 'Wedding Bell Blues'. Laura was only 18 when she wrote this song, but that doesn't stop her from plaintively calling for Bill to marry her. Before the 5th Dimension had their hit with it, Laura sings her song with passion. 'Blowin' Away', included here, was also covered by the 5th Dimension, but from this album two more tracks became standards for other acts. 

Peter, Paul & Mary recorded her song 'And When I Die' in 1966, a year before Laura herself included it here, and Blood, Sweat & Tears went on to make it their signature. Then after hearing 'Stoney End' on this LP, Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys covered it on a 1968 album and Barbra Streisand picked it up for a 1970 version. Once again, the 5th Dimension included it in their repertoire too. Lauras debut album had provided 4 hits for 4 major artists - not a bad introduction at all.

In the words of many a DJ - "and the hits just keep on coming". 

In 1968 Laura put out her second album 'Eli and the Thirteenth Confession' and once again her songs went on to become staples in the playlists of others. The 5th Dimension were first out of the gate with two more of Lauras songs, 'Sweet Blindness' and 'Stoned Soul Picnic' (Can you surry? Can you picnic? whoa-whoa). Before you sing-along and try to figure it out, let me put you out of your misery. "Surry" was a word made up by Laura (a neologism) and when asked about it's meaning and why she used it she said "Oh, it's just a nice word."

Three Dog Night were beginning to make a name for themselves by 1968 and they claimed one of Lauras tracks from this album and took it to #10 on the US charts. 'Eli's Coming' was their fifth charting single and was included on their second album 'Suitable For Framing'.

By the time she released her third album, 'New York Tenderberry' Laura was becoming one of the hottest songwriters around and on the strength of that reputation, this became her most commercially succesful album. Once more her album tracks were covered by others, notably 'Save the Country' by old faithfuls the 5th Dimension and Barbra Streisand came back for another bite of the apple, this time taking 'Time and Love'. 

It really is a strange twist that after writing such great songs made famous by others, Lauras best selling single release was not one of her own compositions, it was a version of the Carole King / Gerry Goffin song 'Up On the Roof'.

Although she achieved so much more in her short life, I have to include this connection. On July 4, 1991, she opened for Bob Dylan at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Sadly Laura passed away in 1997 of ovarian cancer at the same age and from the same disease as her mother. Many artists have credited her with being an influence on their work, Elton John being quoted as saying he "idolized" her. Tribute albums and musical revues have been produced in her name and in 2010 she was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, then in 2012 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If you thought you'd never heard of Laura Nyro, hear of her now.

Stoned Soul Picnic

BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds 1966

 Listening to this album again in it's entirety, 55 years after it's release, is, I think, the closest I'll get to opening a time capsule. 

I imagine the items in my time capsule would be some things familiar, some things I perhaps didn't understand at the time and other things that were cutting edge. That's what 'Pet Sounds' is - all those things on a flat, round piece of vinyl.

Everybody knows a Beach Boys song. There's no escape, young or old their music is everywhere. If it's not on your favourite radio station playlist then it's in the supermarket or elevator. At the very least it's seasonal and appears when the sun gets warm and the beaches open. It's music that can evoke memories.

'Wouldn't It Be Nice', the opening track, is the familiar thing in my time capsule. Heavier in parts and stronger in total it still carries a bit of earlier surfing sounds to it - a gutsier 'California Girls' perhaps. Like the later track 'Sloop John B' it's newly different, but comfortable.

In between those songs we get a mix. Here are maybe some of the difficult to understand things in my time capsule. There's 'You Still Believe In Me' which can be slightly unsettling on new ears. Beautiful harmonies as expected but some chord and tempo changes that aren't. There's also the introduction of 'sound effects'. More on that later.

'Let's Go Away For A While' seems at first listen to be a waste. Where are those beautiful harmonies, those angelic and soaring vocals. This is an instrumental track. Where are The Beach Boys. But of course, this whole album is mainly Brian Wilson and so this is the Brian Wilson you get - and after the initial surprise, it's a magical instrumental.

In a controversial move Brian conceded to changes in his song 'I Know There's An Answer'. He'd written it as a more 'druggy' song which didn't sit well with other members of the group and so lines were altered and the original title 'Hang On To Your Ego' was scrapped. Musically it's a hodge-podge of sounds, but strangely attractive.

Then there is the cutting-edge corner of my time capsule. The title track 'Pet Sounds' is another instrumental and the album is rounded off with tracks using basslines, harpsicords and an electro-theremin !! 

'Caroline, No' was a title by Tony Asher that was meant to be "Carol, I Know' but Brian Wilson heard it as 'Caroline, No' and so that's what it became.

Once again, there are 'sound effects' on this track.

I haven't yet mentioned the first track on side two. Sometimes called one of the greatest songs ever written, one of the few to ever mention God in it's title and lyrics and one that took the album to a whole new level, it was of course 'God Only Knows'. It gets no description from me, it just has to be heard.

I mentioned sound effects on some tracks. Bicycle bell and horns at the end of 'You Still Believe in Me' - trains and dogs barking at the fade out of 'Caroline, No' are very reminiscent of things from The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper', but of course, this album came first. There's also the thread of slight psychedelia running through the whole record and after listening to all tracks you just KNOW that around the corner, coming very soon, is the classic 'Good Vibrations'. It didn't make it onto the album, it was too involved, too long in production and Brian chose to include the title track 'Pet Sounds' instead. Thankfully it was released later and found it's own place in music history.

'Pet Sounds' is one of those iconic albums that is always touted as being one of 'the most influential'. That accolade of course is subjective, but in this case I think I have to agree. The internal politics of the band, the almost maniacal control of Brian Wilson and the uncertaintly of classifying this as a Beach Boys or a Brian Wilson solo album takes nothing away from the end result. An album bridging the gap from one genre to another that contains all the elements of my imaginary time capsule.

God Only Knows