This is default featured slide 1 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 2 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 3 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 4 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

This is default featured slide 5 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Foghat--Slow Ride (1975)

     From the dawn of Rock and Roll, from first base to home, sex has been a lyrical topic. In it's infancy, artists had to shroud the intent from the prying ears of the government (via the FCC) and parents. As the music became more daring in the late 60's the envelope was pushed as lyrics played more explicitly with double entendres. In the song "Slow Ride" we have not only lyrical examples of this, but musical ones as well.
    The group Foghat was formed from three members of Savoy Brown who broke away to form their own band in 1970. "Lonesome" Dave Peverett (vocals & guitar), Tony Stevens (bass), and Roger Earl (drums) were joined by Rod Price (guitar/slide guitar) late that year and the foursome began to tour and work on their first album. Their first album, "Foghat", released in 1972 failed to chart in the states, but it's follow-up, "Rock and Roll" (1973) reached the top 100 and 74's "Engergized" began a streak of seven albums in the top 40
     The blues-based band was a staple of FM-radio throughout the 70's, but "Slow Ride" was the only song to reach the top 20 on the singles charts as well. The album version clocks in at over 8 minutes, but the was shortened to just under four for AM-radio consumption.
     They fell off the chart radar quickly into the 80's, but never stopped touring or releasing albums, Roger Earl is the only one of the original band left. Their latest album, "Last Train Home" was released in 2010 and it's website can be found here: http://www.foghat.net/

Friday, March 22, 2013

John Fogerty/Blue Ridge Rangers--Jambalya (1972/3)

     John Fogerty ranks easily as one of great songwriters/singers of the early days of modern rock. Having said that, it seems like much of his career has been spent fighting for his own self significance. Some of the fights, like with Fantasy records were wholly justified, others, like with his brothers and band-mates left one scratching their head and wondering what the fuss was really about.
     Without going too deep into it here, John's brother Tom had already left the band, over wanting more control in the band along with the remaining members, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. They made it clear they didn't want total control, but they desired to work more as a cooperative then "John Fogerty and his band". Instead of working with the others to craft songs, an ultimatum was for each to take a third of the album and write their own music or else the band would be dissolved.
     The result, "Marti Gras" was a disaster (at least by CCR standards) and the band broke up in early 1972. With Fogerty feuding with Fantasy and his musical family, he retired into the studio to make an album of just songs that influenced him. No one else was involved in it as John played all of the parts, and produced it as well. To continue to separate himself from his own legacy, there was no picture of him on the cover of the album, and he took the name, "Blue Ridge Rangers" instead of promoting his own name. Of course, with that distinctive vocal sound, it was not hard to know who was doing the singing. The Hank Williams Sr. classic, "Jambalya" was chosen as the first single (released in late 1972)  off the album and reached the bottom part of the top 20 early in 1973.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

King Floyd--Groove Me (1970)

     King Floyd III was born in New Orleans in 1945. He started singing in the Bourbon Street area before entering the army. After that he went to California where he hooked up with former AFO producer Harold Battiste and recorded an album featuring songs written by Dr. John. The album failed to chart, and Floyd moved back to Louisiana.
     By 1969, he was working for the post office with most ideas of making in the industry fading. It was there however that Wardell Quezergue, an R&B arranger convinced him to record for a small label out of Jackson, Mississippi called Malaco Records. Floyd went there and recorded "What Our Love Needs" (A-side) and "Groove Me" on the flip. Interestingly enough Jean Knight was also at that session and recorded what was to be another big hit for the small label, "Mr. Big Stuff".
     The A side went nowhere but the New Orleans DJ's began to flip it over and play "Groove Me". It soon became national and rewarded King with a #6 hit. He recorded a couple more albums, and although fine records, never was able to achieve the magic again. He passed in 2006 at the age of 61.
 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Dan Fogelberg--Same Old Lang Syne (1980)

     1980 was arguably Dan Fogelberg's best year in the music industry. It began with the album, "Phoenix" rising up to the #3 spot on the charts, his best selling single, "Longer" reaching #2 and "Heart Hotels" making the top 40 as well. Late that year came the release of, "The Innocent Age" which, although not quite reaching the same heights on the charts (still was #6 at it's peak), spawned four top 20 hits through 1982. One of the reasons several of these songs became classics was the autobiographical nature of his writing. All who are Fogelberg fans know, "Leader of the Band", but the one that always stuck out to me not only because of the song, but it's back story was "Same Old Lang Syne"
     His website admits that this was based on an encounter with an old girlfriend back in the mid-70's. (If your not familiar with the story...I suggest you click on the link below and listen) Because at the time he wrote the song the woman was still married, (he thought)  the singer refused to release her name to the public. There is reason the song is still played during the holidays every year, as old themes of love found and lost and holiday recollection are captured within the melancholy of the tune itself, complete with a sax solo from Michael Brecker.
     The rest of the story comes upon the death of Fogelberg in 2007. A woman named Jill Greulich came forward in December of that year with the story. Back in Woodruff High School in the late 60's  they had dated when her name was Jill Anderson. They went to different colleges and after graduation Jill got married and moved to Chicago and Dan went to Colorado to purse his musical career. On December 24, 1976, the chance meeting in Peoria occurred when both were going to a convenience store to pick up some food items. They bought a six pack of beer and drank it in her car for two hours while they talked.
     Jill remembers the first time she heard "Same Old Lang Syne" while driving to work, but never said anything because she feared that coming forward would disrupt his marriage. Interestingly enough, by the time of the songs release, she had divorced the man described in the song. As with many autobiographical songs, there were a few changes to make the song work. Jill noted two inaccuracies. She has green eyes, not blue, and her husband was not an architect - he was a physical education teacher, and it is unlikely Fogelberg knew his profession anyway.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Focus--Hocus Pocus (1973)

     With it's odd blend of classical, jazz, and avant-garde, progressive rock in the early 70's struck an odd pose compared to much of what was going on around it. Every so often however some of this music broke through to a wider audience. One of those songs was "Hocus Pocus", with it's yodeling, whistling set on top of a hard rock base.
     What is somewhat unfortunate is that a majority of those who remember that song is unaware of the Dutch group's background in improvisational-jazz style progressive rock. The band began with keyboardist/flutist Thijs van Leer, guitarist Jan Akkerman, bassist Martin Dresden and drummer Hans Cleuver. This was the group who recorded the 1970 album, "In and Out of Focus" which wasn't heard much outside The Netherlands. Akkerman left to form his own group with bassist Cyril Havermans and drummer Pierre van der Linden. van Leer soon joined and Bert Ruiter replaced Havermans. This became the classic lineup of the band for much of the 70's.
     The song, "Hocus Pocus" came from the second album.  ("Focus 2" in Europe, "Moving Waves" in the states) It was released stateside in 1973 where it reached the top 10. Although it the only hit they would have on the US charts, several songs were used quite a bit as background music for sports shows ("House of the King", "Sylvia") and their albums sold quite well to the progressive rock crowd during this time. They never received the attention due them, but if you want to dig a bit deeper than the hit, you might find yourself listening to a bit more of this band.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

The Flying Machine--Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)

     In the late 60's there were two groups called, "The Flying Machine" that became footnotes in the history of rock/pop music. One of them was a group that James Taylor was a member of before going solo, and made mention of in one of his biggest hits, "Fire and Rain" ("sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"). The second one isn't known either other than it's one and only hit here in the US.
     The group was from Britain, but none of the members were of note before or after this song save for the bass player Stuart Colman who became a session musician and later a BBC Radio DJ. The song itself was written by award winning songwriter Tony Macaulay ("Baby, Now That I Found You", "Build Me Up Buttercup") and reached number 5 here in the states, but didn't even dent the charts in their home country. A follow up single, "Baby, Make It Soon", broke in the top 100, but by 1971 the group had packed it in.
 

The Flying Machine--Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)

     In the late 60's there were two groups called, "The Flying Machine" that became footnotes in the history of rock/pop music. One of them was a group that James Taylor was a member of before going solo, and made mention of in one of his biggest hits, "Fire and Rain" ("sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"). The second one isn't known either other than it's one and only hit here in the US.
     The group was from Britain, but none of the members were of note before or after this song save for the bass player Stuart Colman who became a session musician and later a BBC Radio DJ. The song itself was written by award winning songwriter Tony Macaulay ("Baby, Now That I Found You", "Build Me Up Buttercup") and reached number 5 here in the states, but didn't even dent the charts in their home country. A follow up single, "Baby, Make It Soon", broke in the top 100, but by 1971 the group had packed it in.
 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Eddie Floyd--Knock On Wood (1966)

     Floyd was born in  Birmingham, AL and raised in Detroit. The founded the Falcons which included Mack Rice and later Wilson Pickett on lead vocals. After the group disbanded he was signed by Stax Records as a songwriter in 1965 and soon was teamed up with guitarist Steve Cropper to write some songs for Wilson Pickett. It was this collaboration that put him on the map as a writer. "Knock On Wood" was written the pair for Otis Redding, with Floyd providing the vocals on the demo. However, the result was so good that Stax released it as Floyd's first single with the label.
     He spent much of the rest of the decade writing for others and releasing his own material. His biggest hits on the charts was in 1968. "I've Never Found A Girl" (#2, r&b) and "Bring It On Home To Me" (#4, r&b, #17 pop). He continued to make r&b chart action into the mid-70's.
     "Knock On Wood" was successfully covered by several such as Otis Redding, David Bowie, and probably best known in a disco version by Amii Stewart.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Weekend Vault: AFO Executives With Tammy Lynn (Pt.2)

     When we left off, many of the members of AFO, including Tammy Lynn went to the west coast seeking work. After some difficulty getting regular work in LA she went to New York long enough to play some gigs at the Birdland and to hook up on a recording session with producer Bert Berns. However, there wasn't enough to keep her busy so she moved back to California and reunited with Harold Battiste who had made a foothold for himself by producing early sides for Sonny and Cher, and reuniting with other New Orleans musicians such as Dr. John. She got quite a bit of work doing commercials, and backing vocals including the artists just mentioned. Over the years she has contributed her voice to many projects including the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street.
     In 1971, she was approached by Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records to re-record one of the songs off of the AFO Executives album called, "Mojo Hannah". She agreed and it was released on Cotillion Records to little fanfare, but it was a fantastic recording and felt the need to include it in our retrospective.
     While this is going on, just based in a hunch, Atlantic released the song which Tammy had recorded back in New York in the mid-60's. "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" became a big hit for her in the UK and it looked as if she was finally going to make it big. Here is an old video from the "Top of the Pops" show in England.
     On the success of the single, she went to the studio and recorded a number of cuts, which Atlantic pasted together with, "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" and "Mojo Hannah" with a group of songs that were haphazardly put together. The resulting album, "Love Is Here and Now Your Gone" went nowhere. Looking back, it was easy to see what happened. The cuts that were recorded in the states were quite inconsistent and she didn't even have a foothold in the US that would warrant an album in the first place. Secondly, the hit in the UK was a straight up piece of pop, and Mojo Hannah and much of the album were blues and jazz inflected. Not exactly the intended market who bought the single.
     As mentioned before, she probably best known in the states for her work on the album, "Exile on Main Street" and also on the single, "Would I Lie To You" by Eurythmics in 1985. She has kept busy over the years and released a new CD in 1992 called, "Tamiya Lynn". After 30 years of success in LA as a producer, Harold Battiste returned home to New Orleans and restarted AFO Foundation to recognize and document the musical history of his home. 

    
    

Friday, March 8, 2013

The Weekend Vault: AFO Executives and Tammy Lynn, Part 1

    Today we start a two part set featuring the AFO Executives with Tammy Lynn. AFO stands for "All For One' and was the brainchild of New Orleans native Harold Battiste who believed that his city needed and deserved a black owned and operated record label. A place where local songwriters and musicians could come together as a collective and everyone could share in the profits rather than the constant bickering with labels who's dealings were a bit more than shady.
     Part of the support for the label was bankrolled by Juggy Murray who was the president of Sue Records out of New York City, which although giving immediate capital for the fledgling new label and would also provide national distribution. It came right out of the gate in 1961 with Prince La La's single, "She Put the Hurt On Me" (#28 r&b, #119 pop), the next single did even better, Barbara George's "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) (#1 r&b, #3 pop).
     Subsequent follow-up's to both singles didn't do very well, and Murray, who thought they could do better with George on their own, signed her away to a larger contract. This seemed to be the Achilles heel of AFO as over the three years of their existence, they recorded many of the hottest names in New Orleans at that time; Prince La La, Barbara George, The Blenders, Willie Tee, Mac Rebennack (Dr. John), but they would be "discovered" by bigger labels and would soon sign up with them and move on.
     An interesting sidelight to AFO was their Jazz division. One of the albums featured some of the best session musicians that New Orleans had to offer; Battiste on alto sax and piano, Alvin "Red" Tyler on tenor sax, John Bordreaux at the drums, Melvin Laste on Cornet, Peter Badie on Bass, and a young singer known as Tammy Lynn.
    Tammy Lynn was born Gloria Brown in the Gert Town area of New Orleans in 1942 She began like many singers of that day in the church, but also had a love of musical theater in school. Her first gig came about totally by chance as Red Tyler's band was to play at a club down the street from Brown's house called, the Joy Tavern. Tyler's vocalist was a no show and the owner of the club mentioned there was a girl down the street who was a good singer. Although very nervous, she held her own and soon became a regular singer with the band.
     In 1961, Tyler became a member of the AFC Executives and brought Tammy along with him. Battiste signed Brown (now Tammy or Tami Lynn) and they released her first single on the label called "Baby"/"Where Can I Go"

     The single went nowhere, but Tammy Lynn continued to tour the New Orleans area with the AFO Executives, as they finally went into the studio in 1963 to record, "A Compendium". The album went nowhere at the time, but it's seen now as a classic recording of what was happening in the New Orleans jazz scene at the time.The following is the Barrett Strong song, "Money".
Soon afterward AFO went out of business and many of the musicians went to the west coast. Tomorrow we pick up the story of Tammy Lynn....

Thursday, March 7, 2013

A Flock of Seagulls--I Ran (1982)

     The memories of the 80's and it's music seem to be indelibly stamped on the minds of those who lived through it in a way that no other decade of music ever will. That's isn't necessarily because the music was that much better (although there was great music made), but with the advent of MTV and it's rock and it's country offspring, the images that were connected  in a way never done before. By the 90's and beyond a generation of music listeners and TV watchers had  gotten used to it and videos became strictly promotional tools rather than a combination of that and cable entertainment.
     Because it was so new our minds become wedded (for better or worse) to the images regarding a song or artist. When one mentions Cindi Lauper, Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran, or Eurythmics you can certainly remember the song, but the image that comes with it cannot be untangled. More than a few artist might never had a hit in the states if it were not for those images which brings us to Mike Score's hair.
     In the early era of videos, very little was actually spent on making them, and the video to "I Ran" was one of the cheapest, with the band surrounding the one camera as it spun around taking pictures. However, one could not take your eyes off of Score's hair that seemingly sprouted wings on both sides while dipping over the front covering one eye (on re-watching this video, it occurs to me that it's isn't nearly a pronounced on this video than it would be later)
     For music fans who were still recovering from disco, it was a strange sight, and the music provided a backdrop that seemed odd as well. However it just seemed to be the right sound and look at the right time. "I Ran" went to number 9 that year and it's followups, "Space Age Love Song" (#30) and "Wishing (I Had a Photograph Of You) (#26) made 1982 a very successful year for the band.
     They reached the Hot 100 once more in 1984 and then vanished from sight. The song proved that just like dozens of other songs from the 1980's, a picture was worth at least a couple of hundred thousand in sales.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Fleetwoods--Come Softly To Me (1959)

     The Fleetwoods consisted of three high school classmates from Olympia (WA) High School. Gary Troxel was heard singing a tune as he was walking the halls of the school. Gretchen Christopher heard it and commented that it was the same progression to a song she had been working on. She sang the lyrics to his riff to her friend and singing partner, Barbara Ellis.
     The trio performed the song a few times around school, and classmates began to ask for recordings of it. They made a demo on a tape player that belonged to Gretchen's dad, and took it to Seattle producer Bob Reisdoff who started Dolphin Records, to record it. It took several months to get the vocals just right as Troxel use his car keys to keep time (you can hear that on the record), and then sent to LA for acoustic and bass guitar overdubs.
     The result was a number one hit for the trio and began a string of top 40 hits that reached to 1963, (including another number one; "Mr. Blue" later in 1959) when Troxel had to serve in the military.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Flatt & Scruggs--The Ballad of Jed Clampett (1962)

     It might come as a surprise to many that I am not, nor ever have been, much of a television watcher. We all have our favorite media, and for me, the radio (and now the internet) has always been my preferred carrier of information and entertainment. Having said that, there are still some shows that have been favorites over the years no matter how many times  I've watched them, and one of them are The Beverly Hillbillies.
     The opening of the show is one of the more iconic songs in the history of television and was written by Paul Henning who was actually a producer and writer. The voice you hear on the song is that of Jerry Scoggins who had spent over a decade on TV and radio as a member of Gene Autry's Cass County Boys. By the early 60's however, he was working as a stockbroker when the call came for him to record this song.
     Of course, what made it not only a touchstone to early 60's television, but a great bluegrass number was the picking of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. Although very successful in bluegrass and county, this was the closest thing to a pop hit the group ever got, reaching #44 on the Hot 100 chart, however they would hit the charts again in 1968 with "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", which was used as the main theme for the movie, "Bonnie and Clyde". The song also reached #1 on the Country charts which was the first time a television theme had done that, and the only time other than Waylon Jennings, "Good Ole' Boys" from the series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" in 1980.




The Flamingos--I Only Have Eyes For You (1959)

    The song, "I Only Have Eyes for You" has been a touchstone song for many generations dating back to it's origins in 1934. Written for the movie "Dames" starring Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, then later used in the movie the following year, "The Lady in Red" starring Barbara Stanwick and Gene Raymond. The song was recorded by Peggy Lee in 1950, but it was this version by The Flamingos that has become the standard version. 
   The song later became a hit for Art Garfunkel in October of 1975 and have been used in TV shows as recent as the supernatural thriller, "666 Park Avenue" and "Glee" and movies such as the 2003 movie, "Something's Gotta Give" with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
  

Monday, March 4, 2013

Playlist for The Rock and Roll Omnibus #82 (week of March 4, 2013)

We're on the air tonight at 9pm Central on WRFN 107.1 in Nashville . You can also listen at www.radiofreenashville.org

Opening
The Four Tops—Can't Help Myself 1965
The Four Tops---Reach Out I'll Be There 1966
The Four Tops—Bernadette 1967
The Four Tops—Ain't No Woman Like The One I Got 1973
Ernie Freeman—Raunchy 1957
Bobby Freeman—Do You Want To Dance 1958
Freddie and the Dreamers—I'm Telling You Now 1965
The Free Movement—I've Found Someone Of My Own 1971
Connie Francis—Who's Sorry Now 1958
Connie Francis—My Happiness 1958
Connie Francis—Everybody's Somebody's Fool 1960
Samantha Fox—Touch Me 1986
Foxy—Get Off 1978
Frankie and the Knockouts—Sweetheart 1981
Frankie Goes to Hollywood—Relax 1985
Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad—I Know Something's Going On 1982

Hour 2

Ace Frehley—Rip It Out 1978
Ace Frehley—New York Groove 1978
The Frost—Jennie Lee 1969
Frozen Ghost—Should I See 1987
Peter Gabriel—Solsbury Hill 1977
Peter Gabriel—On the Air 1978
Peter Gabriel—I Don't Remember 1980
Peter Gabriel—Shock the Monkey 1982
Peter Gabriel—In Your Eyes 1985
Peter Gabriel—Big Time 1985
The Fugs—I Want To Know 1966

The Flaming Ember--Mind, Body, and Soul (1969)

     For many music fans, when you say, "Detroit", the first thing that comes to mind is "Motown", and of course the pop/soul music machine did take front and center on the charts throughout the 60's and 70's. However, the city was a hotbed of many styles and genres. The MC5, Stooges, Frigid Pink, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, all called the auto capital of the US it's home. The Bob Seger System represented more of a white soul sound along with this group, The Flaming Ember.
     The group began as The Flaming Embers in 1964 and spent it's first few years recording for local Detroit labels with local success but not much more. It was a move to the Hot Wax label that began a string of singles that reached the charts. Three of the four reached the top forty beginning with, "Mind, Body, and Soul" in the fall of 1969. 1970 became the pinnacle of their success with three songs on the Hot 100. A year later the band had fallen off the charts, and they changed their name to "Mind, Body and Soul", spending the rest of the 70's on the Detroit bar circuit where they began.