Music Review: Glen Campbell--Ghost on the Canvas (2011)

Take this link to my review of this CD: www.associatedcontent.com/article/8725163/music_review_glen_campbellghost_on.html?cat...

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Jerry Lee Lewis--Great Balls of Fire (1957)

     You know, being in the headlines for misbehaving has become a bit of an art form for rock musicians for as long as the genre has had a name. Some are calculating their bad behavior, some can't get out of the way of themselves, others just have issues that cause them problems (drinking, drugs, sex....all three...). None of them set the bar, for better or worse like Jerry Lee Lewis. Jerry didn't need artificial stimulation....he could raise hell without any outside influences....      Watching him tackle...

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Ben E. King--Stand By Me (1961)

     Ben E. King began his career as Ben E. Nelson and a singer in The Drifters (the second version of the group....that's story is a blog in itself....). They had several big hits with him in lead with, "Save the Last Dance for Me" reaching #1 on the pop charts. After a dispute over money, he was let go, and embarked on a solo career.      After a name changed to Ben E. King, he scored his first hit with, "Spanish Harlem", then "Stand By Me" in 1961. The song was written by King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller...

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Bachman-Turner Overdrive--Takin Care of Business (1974)

     The group Brave Belt had morphed into Bachman-Turner Overdrive by 1973, and their first album release was a promising debut, having reached #70 on the US album charts. Late that year, they went back to the studio to record what was to become their breakthrough with a top 10 showing and two hit singles, "Let It Ride", and "Takin' Care of Business".       The song had it genesis back when Randy Bachman was still playing with the Guess Who. It was written for a recording technician who was working...

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Marty Robbins--El Paso (1959)

     Every once in awhile an artist will create a song that overshadows his work so much that you THINK that he is a one hit wonder, but really isn't. Such is the case for Marty Robbins      Robbins first No. 1 hit on the country charts was in 1952, and began a long relationship with country fans having 41 top 10 hits with 16 of those reaching the top. Not only that, but he reached the top 20 pop chart 11 times, with "El Paso" being is top hit.      It's easy to understand why the song...

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Shelley Fabares--Johnny Angel (1962)

    Shelley Fabares is best known as an actress. From 1958 to 1963, she played, "Mary Stone" on the "Donna Reed Show", and would go on to co-star with Elvis in three of his pictures, and would have greater fame on the TV show, "Coach", and with a long standing part on "One Day at A Time". By the early 60's, the phenomenon of taking teen television stars and putting them in a recording studio was in full swing and Shelley was no different.      Darlene Love and the Blossoms were here back up group on the record....

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Bruce Springsteen--Born to Run (1975)

     In the grand history of rock and roll, there were probably albums that were as important, The Who's, "Who's Next", and The Rolling Stones', "Sticky Fingers" are a couple that come immediately to mind. But both bands had made their initial mark in the late 60's and will always be identified with that era. However, in my mind, the album that made the biggest impact by a 70's era act was "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen".       His two previous albums had been very well received by critics, but...

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New CD review: Lindsay Buckingham--Seeds We Sow (2011)

My review of Lindsay Buckingham's latest CD, "Seeds We Sow" is available to read here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8402403/music_review_lindsey_buckinghamseeds.html &nb...

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The Eagles--In The City (1979)

     Every so often a song is played so much on the radio that you THINK it was a single, when actually it wasn't. Of course, the greatest example of that is Led Zeppelin's, "Stairway to Heaven", but in the late 60's and especially in the 70's, this would occur.       The song, "In The City" recorded by the Eagles and written by Joe Walsh and Barry DeVorzon was like that. It was years after that before I realized the song had never actually been released as a single. Written for the movie, "The Warriors",...

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The Three Degrees--When Will I See You Again (1974)

     The Three Degrees began in 1963 out of Philadelphia, and was discovered (and managed) by Richard Barrett. The original lineup was Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter, and Linda Turner, although Pinkney was the only one who was still around at the time of this recording (she left soon afterward however and was replaced by Helen Scott).       Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff wrote this song, and Shelia Ferguson recalled that when Kenny first played it for her she was unimpressed. "....I threw a tantrum. I...

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Hank Williams--Hey Good Lookin' (1951)

     As a child, I remember the two album set that my daddy owned. It had a purple label and the music was a foreign to me as anything I had ever heard. At the time my listening experiences had been AM radio, and dad listened to country, but nothing had prepared me for hearing this yodeling and this voice that seemed to bounce around like a yo-yo at times. But there was something sweet about the vocals, actually it was downright poetic....that was my first introduction to Hank Williams Sr.       One of the reasons...

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Paul/Linda McCartney--Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (1971)

     It's hard to imagine now the atomic blast that was the break-up of the Beatles. Although not a true fan of their music at the time (or anyone elses), I distinctly remember at the age of 9 hearing about the breakup. Having been a rabid fan over the years since, reading as many accounts as I could get my hands on, it's sad that something so totally unmusical caused the break up, at the same time it being so inevitable. Those first few years afterward the microscope on their lives was as intense as ever, as each of them dealt...

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Glen Campbell--Rhinestone Cowboy (1975)

     One of the things that can happen as one gets older is something I call generational arrogance. It's usually caused by an assumption that just because people of my age group knows something, that everyone (including anyone younger than us) ought to know it too. However after running into a few people who had no idea who he was, I found myself surprised that after over 250 blogs this year, that this song hadn't come up on my list of things to do. After just releasing his highly acclaimed album just a few weeks ago and heading...

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The Bar-Kays: Soul Finger (1967)

     The Bar-Kays were a group of session musicians out of Memphis working with the Stax label. In 1967 they joined Otis Redding as his backing band. Late that year all but two of them died in the plane crash that also took the life of Redding. Trumpet player Ben Cauley who was the only survivor of the crash, and bassist James Alexander who was on another plane, rebuilt the group into more of a dance/funk outfit in the 70's.       The kids you hear in this recording had been hanging around outside the...

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Barbara and Neil--You Don't Bring Me Flowers (1978)

This song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman for a TV pilot created by Norman Lear called All That Glitters. The song was intended to be a theme song, but Norman Lear changed the concept of the show so that the song no longer fit. Eventually, Neil Diamond and several collaborators came upon the song (then only 45 seconds long) and expanded it with instrumental sections. The Bergmans expanded the song to full length with an additional verse, and the composition took form. In 1977, Diamond released the album I'm Glad You're Here with...

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Redbone--Come and Get Your Love (1974)

     The group Redbone was led by two brothers, Patrick and Lolly Vasquez (their stage name was Vegas). They're known as being one of the first (if only) groups to hit the charts who had all Native American members. This is true, although the brothers were actually of mixed heritage (which was the reason for the name change), it was also the basis of the name "Redbone", which is a Cajun term for someone of mixed race. The group is also seen as a one hit wonder (thanks oldies radio), but they actually had another top 40 hit in...

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Otis Redding--Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay (1968)

    If all you did was listen to oldies radio, you would think this song was the only hit that Redding had. And it IS true that it was his only top 20 song (it went to #1), but he had success going all the way back to 1965 having 7 songs in the top 40 during that time. His success on the R&B charts and in Britain were much stronger.      As opposed to what some might think, "Dock of the Bay" was actually to be Redding's next single and worked on it just a few days before his death. The whistle at the end...

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Patsy Cline--Crazy (1961)

     The song "Crazy" put two different artists on the musical map. The singer who made her signature song, and the writer who would later become an star in his own right.....      By 1961, Patsy Cline had just taken a turn in her career that would help her break through in a big way. In 1955, she had signed a contract with Four Star Records, but there was stipulation that she could only record songs by Four Star songwriters. This didn't set well with her as she struggled to find a sound suitable for her...

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The Band--The Weight (1968)

     Luis Bunuel was a Spanish born movie director. Many of his movies were full of surrealism and religious imagery. Although for most of his life, he considered himself an atheist, much of the subject matter of his movies dealt with issues of morality.  It was some of the moral dilemmas explored in Bunuel's work that caught the attention of Robbie Robertson.      The group that he was a member of had been backing Bob Dylan on his previous tour which saw a transition from an acoustic folk sound, to an electric,...

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Jefferson Starship--Miracles (1975)

     The Jefferson Airplane had run into the ground. With the Paul Kantner/Grace Slick songwriting axis on one side, and Kaukonen/Cassady on the other, Balin and his romantic ballads had been left out. His close friend Janis Joplin had just died and was wanting to separate himself from the drug lifestyle that the others were involved in. He finally left the group in 1970, and not long after that, the group itself ground to a halt. Jack Cassady and Jorma Kaukonen devoted themselves full time to Hot Tuna and Kantner/Grace released...

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Sunday Morning Vault: Head East--Never Been Any Reason (1975)

     I am not usually one of those people who would talk about the "days when I was a kid" to a younger generation. But with today's blog one of the two things (vinyl albums being one) that made music better in the 70's comes to the forefront of my mind.      The story of how FM began to be used as a regular alternative for music other than top 40 AM radio is for another day. But for me, it was in Jr. High school that my memory of our local "underground" music station comes clear. KSHE 95 was the station...

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Leo Sayer--You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (1977)

    I'd like to say there was a real good reason for posting this song. Except for the fact that the dammed thing has gotten stuck in my head and by hearing it maybe it will go away.....     Leo was born in England although just a few years back became an Australian citizen, and spent time on the US charts from 1974-81, quite a bit longer in Britain.  ...

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Billy Preston---Outa Space (1972)

     He had been around.....a lot.      As a child he played organ alongside Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and Andre Crouch. In the early 60's, he had already played in Little Richard's band and appeared on an album with Sam Cooke in addition to releasing his own gospel album in 1963. During that time he was touring with Richard, they traveled to Hamburg, Germany where he met a fledgling group from Liverpool called The Beatles. The meeting was a friendly one and would later be of great benefit to the...

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The Bee Gees--Night Fever (1978)

     Today is Barry Gibb's 65th birthday, and it's time to give him some props....       I've never been a fan of 70's era disco, but it's not without it's charms, and although it turned into a record producer's version of spam, at it's peak it could be innovative (not to mention fun). Enter The Bee Gees. They had a long career by the time and at least to the public had dissipated from the popular music landscape. During this time however, they had continued to put out quality albums, and write...for...

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