Well this was a most interesting day. I was privileged to interview one of Rolling Stone's 100 Top Guitarists, and Jen gave a yell for us to join in tonight's Tuesday Twisted MixTape Party. This week's theme is interesting: Epic Songs.
Songs that tell a story, have a beginning middle and end, are epic tales.
Now the first one that comes to mind, will probably come to a lot of people's mind: "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald." Next one that comes to mind is Billy Joel's story of Brenda and Eddie, "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." Did I ever tell you when that song came out I knew a couple named Brenda and Eddie? Yeah, story for another day.
Another song that pops into my head is one that is truly a great one, so I'll start out with it. For lyrics, it doesn't get much more visual, and great melody and sing-along chorus. Just good songwriting. And, it tells the story of...
"The Boxer"
This is a wonderful live clip, though it ends a little short. But a great vocal and some real pretty guitar work. AND, it has a story... sad though it is. Mr. Robert Cray.
"Right Next Door"
One of Eric Burdon's musical influences was Bo Diddley. They never did meet face to face while Bo was alive, but Burdon attended his funeral. This is that story.
"Bo DiddleySpecial"
Bruce Springsteen has told many stories. One of his best needs no introduction, The title song from his fifth studio album, a song of the promise of a future and the loss of a dream.
"The River"
Final Selection for this week is another song loaded with imagery. And a great vocal. Melissa Etheridge.
"You Used To Love To Dance"
Go figure. The happiest song of the bunch is the one about a funeral. Welcome to my world.
I missed Jen's party last week because there were just too many commitments and not enough hours. And I was gonna bow out this week too, but then she started tweeting "Come out and play," and well you know, I do hate to miss a party when there's good music. So here I am at 6:45 in the morning. For you Jen, for you.
The theme for the Twisted MixTape this week is Beautiful Songs. All righty then, that could be anything.
Let me start by saying, just because it's beautiful, doesn't mean it's happy. One of the most beautiful songs you will ever hear is a heartbreaking song of realization. Written by Eric Kaz and Libby Titus and covered over the years by Linda Rondstadt and Rosanne Cash among others. I first heard it by Bonnie Raitt, it was fabulous then and still is.
"If I could buy your love
Then I'd surely try my friend
And if I could pray
My prayers would never end
But if you want me to beg
I'll fall down on my knees
And ask you to come back
I'd be pleading for you to come back
I'd beg for you to come back to me"
So powerful, so sad, so Beautiful.
"Love Has No Pride"
Next up is a song I used in a blog a year or so ago. It's not fancy or complicated. It's just Beautiful. The band is Railroad Earth.
"Lovin You"
I first heard Judy Collins sing this song a very long time ago. Beyond her voice are the lyrics. Of course they were written by the incomparable Leonard Cohen, and they are Beautiful.
"Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror"
"Suzanne"
Tim Hardin wrote a song which became a Top Ten hit for Bobby Darin in 1966. As a thank you, Darin then wrote "Simple Song of Freedom" for Hardin, and it was equally successful. But the Hardin song is the one that fits in today. I've heard it done by Johnny Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Led Zeppelin and, well there was even an entire album of covers of it released. Those who know me can guess who I've picked. "If I Were A Carpenter"
Tomorrow being 9/11, and with this country thinking about dropping bombs again, I thought this would be the perfect song to end a Beautiful list. John said it best.
"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace..."
I'll be slithering back to my dark hole now. See you all soon.
Because the snackies were so delish at Jen's party last week, well I showed up again. She had another great theme for her Tuesday Twisted MixTape blog hop this week, one where I'm sure we all could think of a few songs that fit. I Suck or You Suck... as in baby ya done me wrong kind of suck. Yeah.
The first one that came to mind was by the Eagles and off one of my favorite albums, On The Border. Love this live clip with Frey looking like a rock star, not an LA businessman. sigh.
"Already Gone"
If you have to get dumped, let someone sing real pretty to you while he does it. From Silk Degrees, I give you Boz Scaggs.
"Its Over"
Vocally impressive, lyrically biting and overall a great sound. It wasn't number one for 642 weeks for nothing. Adele.
"Rolling In The Deep"
Paul Carrack, if you don't know the name, you know the voice. Remember Ace, Squeeze, Mike & the Mechanics. Yeah, that voice. Well in 1987 he put out a solo album called One Good Reason. There's a bunch of good songs on it, two of which... maybe even three, could fit this theme. I can't choose, so I'm posting two of them.
"Don't Shed A Tear"
"Button Off My Shirt"
Sad story getting dumped or dumping someone... I think I need some blues. Something real sweet by Robert Cray.
"I Guess I Showed Her"
Let's finish it up here with one of the greats. Mr. Ray Charles.
"Hit The Road Jack"
Guess it's time for me to hit the road too. Got a nice bottle of white here, anybody have a corkscrew?
I can't help myself. I already sent my RSVP back to Jen with my regrets that I wouldn't have time to enter this week's Twisted Tuesday MixTape, and yet here I am.
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Yes, much like Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail," I live my life through the wisdom of Godfather quotes. Be afraid.
Anyway, I couldn't resist the pull of this week's theme. No Strings Attached... as in well, you know. Three songs immediately popped into my head, so I figured what the hell, just write it. So here's a quick list, and I mean quick. Also I apologize to everyone who has been leaving comments on my posts, for not commenting back. All I've had time to do is take a look at your lists, smile and move on. There have been some great choices out there. One more week of insanity and things should ease up.
So here we go.
The second song I ever remember about a one-night stand was quite a scandal when it came out in 1968. Originally offered to Connie Francis, who thought it was a little too, well, you know, eventually it became a hit by Merrilee Rush. Later it had a second life with Juice Newton.
"Angel Of The Morning"
For a male perspective that isn't quite wham-bam-thank-you-maam, Bob Seger wrote a beautiful ode to loneliness.
"We've Got Tonight"
Another different perspective from a woman on a mission. Heart sang about a one-night-stand with a lasting gift.
"All I Wanna Do (Is Make Love To You)"
Though not about a one-nighter, it is a song about no-strings attached. This time the view is from the one who is hurt by an affair, not the person having it. Before Dolly Parton was known more for her wigs and amusement park, she was considered one of the best songwriters around. Most of us know she wrote "I Will Always Love You," taken into the stratosphere by Whitney Houston, but this song of pain and desperation is one of her best. Miley Cyrus even recorded it, but don't hold that against it.
"Jolene"
Back to a woman looking for a little lovin' with no strings attached, although this is sung by a man. Probably not familiar to most of you, it's off an album called HiStory by One Man's Trash. It's just fun.
"The Real Thing"
And the last song for this tape, is the first song I remember about "going all the way." Talk about standing the test of time, it was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin for the Shirelles in 1960. It has been covered by, ok, everyone. Why, because it's a beautiful song, that's why. I could have chosen from Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, The Bee Gees, or probably twenty more. I don't know why, but my favorite is by Dave Mason.
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"
That's it, I'm outta here and crawling back to my dark hole. See y'all in a week, maybe less. Thanks Jen, next time the beer's on me.
While I haven't had a lot of time for writing my blogs as of late, there's a good reason. The project I've been waiting to start is about to explode. It's about as an exciting opportunity as I've ever had in my life, and at the same time, it's overwhelming and scary. But good scary.
My input into this new venture won't be visible here on my blogs, so I'll try to keep them going as often as I can in the short run. In the long run everything should balance out, and hopefully things will get back to normal... or there may be a new normal. As soon as this project launches, I'll give you an update to explain where things are headed. But for today, I promised Jen I would deliver the second part of the Twisted Tuesday MixTape for the 90's for her blog hop. I'm using all live performances for his MixTape and they're really good. So let's do it.
Coming out of Pittsburgh in 1990, Rusted Root combines a staggering number of influences to produce one of music's most unique sounds. Truly one of the best groups of the decade, this song was a hit and was eventually used in a commercial... but don't hold that against them. This live performance captures everything that is special about them,
"Send Me On My Way"
Dear god do I love this next song. I've used it a few times already, and if I feel like it, I'll use it again. It has everything, great guitar, power vocal, a chorus which is one of the best EVER, and between Kenny Wayne and lead singer Noah Hunt, two of the more insanely hot men on the planet. Did I mention they were hot?
"Blue on Black"
I first saw Amanda Marshall when she opened up for John Mellencamp at Madison Square Garden. I fell in love with her voice from the moment she started to sing. Her self-titled debut album doesn't have a bad track and is still in my rotation. Deciding which song to choose wasn't easy.
Rites of Passage by the Indigo Girls is another one of those special albums that never get retired for too long. While "Galileo" is my favorite song on it, I used that not too long ago when I picked the song for Lance's 100 Word Song Challenge. Next best choice...
Not sure why I'm going with this last pick. It's not one which I owned or would search out, but I've always liked it and it was what seemed to be the last gasp for a heavy rock sound that wasn't metal. Lenny Kravitz and...
"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
Thanks for having me over again Jen, sorry I forgot the chips. Hope to make it to your place again next week.
It's MixTape Tuesday again. This week we are closing out the 80's with way too many choices to cut out. It seems everyone over at Jen's place has broken the five song limit this week, even Jen. And duh, it's the music stupid. An overabundance of great, good and relevant tunes.
It was probably the decade where musically I had the most fun, other than the present. With reviewing, interviewing and just attending the shows I have been lately, this is a whole different kind of fun. But back then there weren't a lot of responsibilities to keep me away and let's face it, less responsibilities means more disposable income. I disposed of a lot of income on concert tickets.
I'm not sure how many songs will be on this list. I'm just looking at the bunch I have written down and will see where it goes. For me this was the MTV era, so I've used almost all of the original videos that appeared on MTV. Cheesy and wonderful.
Little Feat, great damn band. When founding member Lowell George died in 1979, the band took a hiatus. They came back strong with a brilliant album titled Let It Roll. There are easily five songs I could have picked, this album is still in heavy rotation at my place, but because it has style, great rhythm and it just rocks... the title song.
"Let It Roll"
Next up is my nod to the dance era, no not disco. More conga than hustle. I've showcased this on a previous blog as a birthday song to my bestie, but because I can never hear it without having a smile on my face or remembering a lot of champagne induced evening dancing to it... Buster Poindexter.
"Hot Hot Hot"
There were several great groups coming out of Australia in the 80's. One of them made a political statement and drove it up the charts. Their name was Midnight Oil and the song was...
"Beds Are Burning"
Asia had several hits, all really good. Always enjoyed the videos and I was a huge MTV girl back in the day. More about that later. Carl Palmer on the drums, yep worked for me. So did this song.
"Don't Cry"
When I first heard the voice of Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, I was hooked. So different, and so was his look with the wild red hair. Loved this song the first time I heard it, love it still.
"Holding Back The Years"
While we are holding back, my next pick is a no-brainer for those who know me. Back to the MTV thing. While they had huge success with "Eye of the Tiger," the video age of MTV brought Survivor a new way to top the charts. With a new lead singer, one not exactly hard on the eyes, their video for "I Can't Hold Back" went to #1 in the MTV rotation. The fact that all these years later I would be able to interview, review and consider them friends of this blog is totally irrelevant. Or maybe not.
"I Can't Hold Back"
In 1981, Blondie released a song with something I was totally unfamiliar with. Rap. Sure, not what would become signature rap, but rap nonetheless. It made it to the top of the charts.
"Rapture"
Once the 80's started with the techno-pop shit, it lost me for the most part. While there were a few songs which were memorable, most were just annoying. I've showcased this song on an edition of Guilty Pleasures here on Kat's Theory of Music, and I'm throwing it in today. Howard Jones had a few decent songs, this was one of them,
"No One Is To Blame"
Ok, now I feel like I've stayed way past dessert. But there's one more song which denotes for me anyway, the whole MTV era. In fact, MTV is mentioned throughout the song. Who can forget Sting singing on this Dire Straits song, "I want my MTV"?
"Money For Nothing"
I'm just going to add a few honorable mentions because it's my blog and I feel like it.
I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted on this blog. Right now I have too many irons in the fire, and unfortunately I haven't done a good job of finishing things. Hopefully, I will catch my breath sometime this next week. But today, I find myself back at Part 2 of the 1970's for Twisted Mix Tape Tuesday over at Jen's place, My Skewed View.
Last week's choices for Part 1 were for the most part pretty mainstream, and this week there are a few hits thrown in as well. And maybe a few that weren't quite hits, but were memorable... at least to me.
One song from the 70's was a constant background theme for my senior year of high school. Don McLean wrote a song so epic, its lyrics are still being debated today. It was one of those great songs where a car full of HS girls could sing at the top of their lungs, and laugh and enjoy every minute of it.
"American Pie"
In 1970 James Taylor released his second album, and it was the one which would change his career. To this day, how can you not smile when you hear "Goodnight you moonlight ladies, rockabye Sweet Baby James" Between the title song and "Fire and Rain," JT's music was everywhere. It was for me, one of those records that was played everyday. But besides those two great songs, the one which took me to another place began this way...
"Take to the highway won't you lend me your name
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same"
"Country Road"
Ok, this one I'm gonna cheat on. I only did one part of the 60's, so I'll bend the rules a bit for this entry. The song originally came out in the 60's true enough, but there was this film a documentary in fact which spawned an album. See where I'm going? The band was... The Band. The film was The Last Waltz and the song I need to put in is "The Weight" Why... because it deserves the designation of one of the most important songs of a decade. In this case, it could fit into several decades.
"The Weight"
Another one of those songs where you just had to sing along with was one with the strangest subject matter. But then again, that was how Warren Zevon wrote.
"I saw a werewolf drinkin' a pina colada at Trader Vic's
His hair was perfect"
"Werewolves of London"
In 1970 Eric Burdon and War released a song which was a little provocative for the time. A song that was played at every party where the wine was spilled and joints were passed.
"Spill the Wine"
I'm going over the five song limit again this week. Sue me, I'm a rebel. I didn't get to Motown songs in the 60's and I will not make that mistake in the 70's. Soul and R&B were as much of the soundtrack to my life in those days as anything else. And choosing one artist as a template for the rest has given me a headache, choosing only one of his songs well... it's kind of making me nuts, but I'm having fun going through them.
As someone who musically has run the gamut, Stevie Wonder has shown his brilliance through his songwriting. In the 70's he had Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life, all with charting singles. I could have chosen a dozen, but the one I thought had the most influence for the time was "Living for the City." The equal rights movement had created laws, but it didn't change the hearts and minds of a lot of people. This song addressed inequality, prejudice and the ugliness of all that occurred. Stevie managed to get the point across beautifully.
"A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty
His parents give him love and affection
To keep him strong moving in the right direction
Living just enough, just enough for the city."
"Living for the City"
I could go on and would love to, but it's time to end the trip through the 70's music scene. Thanks for having me over Jen.
