George Harrison--All Those Years Ago (1981)

     Over the years there has been many songs written either referencing or directly dealing with John Lennon. After his shocking death in December of 1980, the musical world attempted to come to grips with his legacy. There are several song that stand out, the first (and in my mind the best) was Elton John's "Empty Garden" off of the 1982 album, "Jump Up". Paul McCartney came in with "Here Today" from his album, "Tug of War", and this song by George Harrison.
     Of the three songs mentioned, this was the first one released ("Here Today" was never released as a single). George had written a song for Ringo, but Starr never cared much for it because it was a bit high in pitch for the drummer. Harrison took the song back and in the meantime, when Lennon died, he put new lyrics to song. He took Ringo's voice off of the song, but kept his drumming track, then invited Paul and Linda McCartney with former Wings member Denny Lane to come and provide backing vocals.
     At the time the single was released, some critics found it a bit trite because of the bouncy music, but lyrically it spoke of George's loss. With it's release in May of 1981 it was the first of many tributes to the fallen Beatle. It was the third of four top five hits for Harrison who would not be heard from on the American charts again until 1987's, "Got My Mind Set On You"

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Kiki Dee--I've Got The Music in Me (1974)

     Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews), is best known for her duet with Elton John in 1976. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was a massive number 1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. However she only hit the charts one more time in the when she paired again with John with the Cole Porter classic, "True Love" in 1993. I suppose it's fitting that way, since her biggest successes occurred when linked with Elton.
     Dee had been one of the top backup/session singers from the mid-60 through the early 70's. She had recorded several singles on Fontana Records, with none of them hitting the charts. For a brief time, she had a contract in the US with Motown, making her the first white woman from Britain to do so. It wasn't until being signed by Elton in 1973 to his new Rocket Records that she began to achieve some chart action.
     She hit the top 20 in America with, "I've Got the Music In Me", which perhaps rocks harder than anything else in her catalog. It reached number 12 here in the states in 1974 and was by far her biggest hit before her collaboration with Elton.  She has a powerhouse voice, and is shown off here to full effect. In fact, like many a top session vocalist, Dee is also very versatile, which that inability to find a niche genre might have hurt her in the long run.
     She continues to tour and record today.

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Listen Here!! -#1 Sgt. Pepper (1967) Part 1

    I'm starting something new for the Omnibus this year. We are a people who love to make lists, and those who love music do the same. The Billboard top 40 has been a part of the landscape as long as Elvis as been shaking his hips. Since the blog and radio show deals with the music of our past, I thought it be a cool idea to write about the albums that have influenced modern music, and the albums that should have done so. There will also be a opportunity for me to stretch out a bit beyond the confines of where the Omnibus usually goes in the way of content. Hope you like it, and if you have any suggestions...I'm all ears.
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      It's easy to pick this one as the first album to write about. For someone who was not familiar with music before 1990, I'd hand them this one, because much of what happened in rock music after 1967, for better or worse came because of Sgt. Pepper. Personally, it's not my favorite (that usually flips between 'Revolver' and 'Abbey Road' depending on my mood), but it is not arguable of it's influence in it's day, and in the decades since.

      There are many places where you can read the whole story of the album's conception, but the real beginning of the album came at the end of the group's last tour in 1966. Unencumbered by the rigors of touring the world, they could focus on the experimentation begun with the 'Revolver' album.

      The original concept was Paul's, that the group had become pigeon-holed and that a way they go beyond what the fans expected was to create an alter ego, which would have different names which would allow them to go in whichever direction musically they wanted to go. It seems like a bit of a silly proposition now, and the other members were not crazy about the idea per se, but all were interested in pursuing a different sound in the studio. As it turned out, other than the the opening song (and it's reprise), any of songs, as John Lennon later said, "could have been on any other album".

       The first song lays out that initial concept of Sgt. Pepper, and then leads into a song written especially for Ringo. "With a Little Help From My Friends" was sung in the character of Billy Shears, and looking back at it, was a perfect vehicle for the drummer. Starr rejected an original line in the song, "What you do if you sang out a tune/Would you stand and throw and throw tomatoes at me?" Ringo remembered a comment that George had made in the early days of Beatlemaina about liking jelly beans, and spending the rest of his touring days as a Beatle dodging the little missiles being throw at him from a distance. He begged the boys to change the lyrics....which they did....

     I remember reading about "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" for the first time. Even as a teenager it was hard for me to believe it when Lennon said it wasn't about acid. Was it really about a picture Julian drew and brought home for his dad to see? Well....sure. I don't have a doubt that the picture was the first inspiration for his song. It also wouldn't be the first time a Beatle would write a song that had layered meaning. All of that aside, it is a great song that has had a great cover as well. Lennon provided background vocals and guitar to Elton John's cover of the song in 1974. It became the only Beatle cover to reach #1 on the charts.

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Happy 64th Birthday to Sir Elton!

This morning was a tough call....today is Elton John's birthday, but it is also Aretha Franklin's. I respect the Queen of Soul, but anyone who knows me would figure Elton would go first (he IS the real Queen of England ya know....). Elton John is not only the artist that got me head over heels into the love of music, but into the love of the craft of making music.There isn't a lot to be said about him that already been talked about....so am going to allow the music to do the talking. Since the release of "Songs From the West Coast", EJ has had a bit of a renaissance. His singles do not make the charts much anymore, and the albums don't sell like they used too, but John/Taupin have written a quartet of albums that, for consistency, rivals anything they have done since 1976...here are some videos from Elton over the years.... 

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