Music – Page 21 – Maverick Philosopher

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Ten from the Billboard Top 100 from 25 February 1967

The Seekers, Georgy Girl. Chart position: #5 The Australian group's first hit (1965) was I'll Never Find Another You.

Sonny and Cher, The Beat Goes On. Chart position: #6. Inane lyrics. "The teeny bopper is our new born king."

Spencer Davis Group, Gimme Some Lovin. Charted at #7. Captures the Dionysian drive of R & R. Check out this 1983 version!

Cannonball Adderley, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Chart position: #11

Lefte Bank, Pretty Ballerina. Chart position: #15. The year before, Walk Away Renee. How sweet the illusions and transports of romantic love that wash over the souls of the young and not-so-young.

Buffalo Springfield, For What It's Worth. Charted at #25. "Paranoia strikes deep!"

Mamas and Papas, Dedicated to the One I Love. Chart position: #57. Outstanding, but doesn't get the length of the Shirelles' original.

Simon and Garfunkel, 59th Street Bridge Song. Chart position: #69. "Slow down, you're movin' too fast!"

Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever. Chart position: #83.

James Carr, The Dark End of the Street. Chart position: #98. Great song. Better known is Linda Ronstadt's version.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Points of the Compass

Johnny Cash & Joni Mitchell, Girl from the North Country

Joan Baez, North Country Blues. A great cover of a great song. The only Dylan tune I am aware of written from a female point of view. This self-certified Dylanologist invites refutation.

Johnny Horton, North to Alaska

Orlons, South Street, 1963

Neil Young, Southern Man

The Band, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Baez version.

Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Southern Cross

Paul Butterfield Blues Band, East-West (full album)

Cheech and Chong, Born in East L. A.

Bob Dylan, West Texas, 1962

Marty Robbins, (West Texas Town of) El Paso, 1959

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Some 1940’s Proto-Rock

Freddie Slack and Will Bradley Trio (1940), Down the Road A Piece.

If you like to boogie woogie, I know the place.
It's just an old piano and a knocked out bass.
The drummer man's a guy they call Eight Beat Mack.
And you remember Doc and old "Beat Me Daddy" Slack.

Man it's better than chicken fried in bacon grease
Come along with me, boys, it's just down the road a piece.

Ella Mae Morse (1945), The House of Blue Lights. Shows that 'square' and 'daddy-o' and 'dig' were already in use in the '40s. I had been laboring under the misapprehension that this patois first surfaced in Beat/Beatnik circles in the '50s.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Cats

Loving Spoonful, Nashville Cats, 1966. They's playin' since they's babies.

Harry Chapin, Cat's in the Cradle. For you fathers out there. Bond with your son when he's five. Wait till he's 50 and he won't give you the time of day.

Tokens, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, 1961

Bent Fabric, Alley Cat, 1962. Bent fabric can be said to have a kink in it. Therefore,

Kinks, Phenomenal Cat

Tom Jones, What's New Pussycat? 1965. This reminds me to get my wife a pussyhat for her birthday to wear while I watch O'Reilly and the boys.

Norma Tanega, Walkin' My Cat Named 'Dog.' The queen of the one-hit wonders?

Mongo Santamaria, El Pussycat. If you remember this one, I'll buy you a pussyhat and a watermelon. While we have Mongo Santamaria cued up, here is his rather better-known Watermelon Man, muchachos.

Buck Owens, Tiger by the Tail. This one goes out to Kathy P.

Stray Cats, Stray Cat Strut

Ted Nugent, Cat Scratch Fever

Sue Thompson, Paper Tiger, 1965. This one's for Barack "Red Line" Obama.

Elton John, Honky Cat, 1972

Robert Petway, Catfish Blues, 1941. An influential song in the history of the blues.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Musical Instruments

Billy Joel, Piano Man. A great slice of pure Americana.

Johnny Cymbal, Mr. Bass Man, 1963

Bob Dylan, Mr. Tambourine Man, 1964. Philip Larkin is supposed to have called this the greatest song ever written. Don't believe me? See here:

Like Thwaite, Hartley is insistent that Larkin loved women; nor will she go along with the idea of him as a miser. When she won a place at university as a mature student, Larkin, knowing how hard-up Hartley was, opened a book account for her, and placed a fat sum in it. She is full of stories about him: the time they went to see Louis Armstrong together in Bridlington; the time Larkin arrived at a party clutching a bottle of crème de menthe. She reminds me – so unlikely seeming, this – that he thought Dylan's "Mr Tambourine Man" the best song ever written. Larkin, who once described his physique as being like that of a "pregnant salmon", hated dancing, but at departmental Christmas parties, he would be sure to ask every woman in the room to dance: cleaners, caterers, library assistants. No one was left out.

Linda Ronstadt, Different Drum

Eric Clapton, et al., While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Paul Anka, A Steel Guitar and a Glass of Wine Now when was the last time you heard this one?

Sandy Nelson, Let There Be Drums

Dave Cortez, The Happy Organ

New Year’s Eve at the Oldies: ‘Last’ Songs for the Last Night of the Year

Happy New Year, everybody.

Last Night, 1961, The Mar-Keys.

Last Date, 1960, Floyd Cramer.

Save the Last Dance for Me, 1960, The Drifters.

At Last, Etta James.

Last Thing on My Mind, Doc Watson sings the Tom Paxton tune. A very fine version.

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream, Simon and Garfunkel.

Last Call, Dave van Ronk. "If I'd been drunk when I was born, I'd be ignorant of sorrow."

(Last night I had) A Wonderful Dream, The Majors. The trick is to find in the flesh one of those dream girls. Some of us got lucky.

This night in 1985 was Rick Nelson's last: the Travelin' Man died in a plane crash. Wikipedia:

Nelson dreaded flying but refused to travel by bus. In May 1985, he decided he needed a private plane and leased a luxurious, fourteen-seat, 1944 Douglas DC-3 that had once belonged to the DuPont family and later to Jerry Lee Lewis. The plane had been plagued by a history of mechanical problems.^[104] In one incident, the band was forced to push the plane off the runway after an engine blew, and in another incident, a malfunctioning magneto prevented Nelson from participating in the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois.

On December 26, 1985, Nelson and the band left for a three-stop tour of the Southern United States. Following shows in Orlando, Florida, and Guntersville, Alabama, Nelson and band members took off from Guntersville for a New Year's Eve extravaganza in Dallas, Texas.^[105] The plane crash-landed northeast of Dallas in De Kalb, Texas, less than two miles from a landing strip, at approximately 5:14 p.m. CST on December 31, 1985, hitting trees as it came to earth. Seven of the nine occupants were killed: Nelson and his companion, Helen Blair; bass guitarist Patrick Woodward, drummer Rick Intveld, keyboardist Andy Chapin, guitarist Bobby Neal, and road manager/soundman Donald Clark Russell. Pilots Ken Ferguson and Brad Rank escaped via cockpit windows, though Ferguson was severely burned.

It's Up to You.

Bonus: Last Chance Harvey.

In memory of those who died this past year: Bobby Vee, Leonard Cohen, and Leon Russell.

Last but not least: Auld Lang Syne.

Christmas Eve at the Oldies: Tunes of the Season

Merry Christmas everybody. Pour yourself a drink, and enjoy. Me, I'm nursing a Boulevardier. It's a Negroni with cojones: swap out the gin for bourbon. One ounce bourbon, one ounce sweet vermouth, one ounce Campari, straight up or on the rocks, with a twist of orange. A serious libation. It'll melt a snowflake for sure. The vermouth rosso contests the harshness of the bourbon, but then the Campari joins the fight on the side of the bourbon. Or you can think of it as a Manhattan wherein the Campari substitutes for the angostura bitters. That there are people who don't like Campari shows that there is no hope for humanity. An irrational prejudice against artichokes?

Cheech and Chong, Santa Claus and His Old Lady
Canned Heat, Christmas Boogie

Leon Redbone and Dr. John, Frosty the Snowman
Beach Boys, Little St. Nick. A rarely heard alternate version.

Ronettes, Sleigh Ride
Elvis Presley, Blue Christmas. This one goes out to Barack and Michelle.

Jeff Dunham, Jingle Bombs by Achmed the Terrorist. TRIGGER WARNING! Not for the p.c.-whipped.

Porky Pig, Blue Christmas

Dylan Magon, White Christmas. Don't know this dude. Appears to be a black Italian. Good performance, except that he says'sly bells' instead of 'slay bells.'

Charles Brown, Please Come Home for Christmas

Wanda Jackson and the Continentals, Merry Christmas Baby
Chuck Berry, Run Rudolph Run

Eric Clapton, Cryin' Christmas Tears
Judy Collins, Silver Bells

Ry Cooder, Christmas in Southgate. Don't miss this one if you are a Los Angeleno.
Bob Dylan, Must Be Santa

Is this the same guy who sang Desolation Row back in '65? This is the 'stoned' version. It'll grow on you! Give it chance.

Bob Dylan, Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache. Not Christmasy, but a good tune.

Who could possibly follow Dylan's growl except

Tom Waits, Silent Night. Give it a chance.

A surprising number of Christmas songs were written by Jews.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Ramblin’ and Gamblin’

Liam Clancy, Ramblin', Gamblin' Willie. Lonely Heartstring version. Dylan's version. Dylan borrowed the melody from Brennan on the Moor.

The Band, Up on Cripple Creek

Kenny Rogers, The Gambler

Barrett Strong, Money. Flying Lizards' parody.

Allman Bros., Ramblin' Man

B. B. King, Gambler's Blues

Blood, Sweat and Tears, Go Down Gambling

Buckwheat Zydeco, Jackpot

Ry Cooder, I Got Mine. Frank Stokes' 1928 version.

Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Roving Gambler. A later version from his Kerouac's Last Dream album.

Dolly Parton, Silver Dagger. Great version, but then so is Joan Baez's.

John Cohen/Down Hill Strugglers, The Roving Gambler

Tex Ritter, The Deck of Cards, 1948. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Some Space Tunes in Honor of John Glenn

The third American in outer space, and the first to orbit the earth, John Glenn passed away the other day at 95. So I raise my glass this Saturday night in salute of a great American hero.

1960's psychedelia explored inner space, but there were a few songs from the '60s about outer space themes. Telstar, an instrumental by the British band, The Tornados, 1962, was presumably in celebration of Telstar, the first communications satellite which got high in '62. (Telstar the song made it high on Earth to the #1 slot on both the U. S. and British charts.)

Speaking of getting high, the Byrd's Eight Miles High, 1966, tells of a trip into the outer or perhaps into the 'inner' or both. I never paid much attention to the obscure lyrics. The Coltranish riffs executed on a 12-string Rickenbacker were what got my attention. Damn if it doesn't sound as raw and fresh as it did back in '66.

Also by the Byrds, 1966, is the playful Mr. Spaceman. And we can't omit Elton John, Rocket Man from 1972.

Steve Miller Band, Space Cowboy, 1969

Kinks, Supersonic Rocket Ship, 1972. My favorite Kinks number is Waterloo Sunset.

Police, Walking on the Moon. With Apollo 11 footage.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: ‘Easy’ Songs

Electric Flag, Groovin' is Easy

Eagles, Take it Easy. A great road song. This one goes out to Kathy H. who objected to these lines:

Well, I'm a standing on a corner
In Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my lord, in a flat bed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me.

Eagles, Peaceful Easy Feeling

The Essex, Easier Said Done

Linda Ronstadt, It's So Easy. The old Buddy Holly tune.

Marty Robbins, Am I That Easy to Forget? A country classic. Here is George Jones' version.

Byrds, The Ballad of Easy Rider

Frank Sinatra, Nice 'n' Easy

Ringo Starr, It Don't Come Easy

And that just scratches the surface. My main principle of selection? I have to like the song.

He Was a Friend of Mine

John F. Kennedy was assassinated 53 years ago today. Here is The Byrds' tribute to the slain leader. They took a traditional song and redid the lyrics. Here Willie Nelson does a great job with the traditional song. You Dylan aficionados will want to give a listen to young Bob's rendition of the old song.

I was in the eighth grade when Kennedy was gunned down. We were assembled in an auditorium for some reason when the principal came in and announced that the president had been shot. The date was November 22, 1963. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was seated behind my quondam inamorata, Christine W. My love for her was from afar, like that of Don Quixote for the fair Dulcinea, but at the moment I was in close physical proximity to her, studying the back of her blouse through which I could make out the strap of her training bra . . . .

Since those far-off and fabulous days of 'Camelot,' we have learned a lot about Kennedy's dark side. But every man has his 'wobble,' and who among us would want to be exposed to the full light of day? He was a boyhood hero of mine, "the intrepid skipper of the PT 109," as I described him in a school essay. My assessment of him has been dialed downward over the years, but there were traces of greatness about him. He was a resolute commie fighter and a lifetime member of the NRA and Second Amendment defender. In those days, a decent, patriotic American could be a Democrat.

And if it weren't for his inspiration we wouldn't have beaten the Evil Empire in the space race.

By the way, if you want to read a thorough (1,612 pages with notes on a separate CD!) takedown of all the JFK conspiracy speculation, I recommend Vincent Bugliosi, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

It was a tale of two nonentities, Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby. Both were little men who wanted to be big men. Oswald, acting alone, shot Kennedy. Ruby, acting alone, shot Oswald. That is the long and the short of it. For details, I refer you to Bugliosi.

And let's not forget that it was a commie who murdered Kennedy.

Saturday Night at the Oldies: ‘Witch’ Songs

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!

We 'deplorables' have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. My hat is off to every one of you who did his bit to defeat Hillary and "fundamentally transform' her into a political nonentity, thereby delivering a stinging rebuke to the destructive Obama and all he stands for. We conservatives now have to keep up the attack on the Left and hold Trump's feet to the fire so that he accomplishes at least some of what he has promised.

Donovan, Season of the Witch

Bloomfield, Kooper, Stills, Season of the Witch

Eagles, Witchy Woman

Carlos Santana, Black Magic Woman

Cream, Strange Brew

Now, to stretch a little,

Elmore James, Dust My Broom

Since 1992, the most beat-to-crap broom on my premises was always given the name, 'Hillary's Broom.' "Wifey, hand me Hillary's Broom. I got me a dirty job to do."

Canned Heat, Dust My Broom

Saturday Night at the Oldies: ‘Hard’ Songs

Woody Guthrie, Hard Travelin'

Johnny Winter, Hard Way. Fine blues guitar.

Joan Baez, A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall. I've been listening to this version of the Dylan classic for 50 years and I still love it. Brings tears to my eyes every time.

Chicago, Hard Habit to Break

Elvis Presley, Hard Headed Woman

The Seeds, Pushin' Too Hard. A cheesy tune by a '60s garage band. Video intro by the late Casey Kasem. His reference to the Southland is to the So. Cal. area.

Johnny Winter, Life is Hard. "Life is hard, and then you die." "The devil wears a blue dress and she is bound to get you in the end."

Billy Joel, A Hard Day's Night, live, Frankfurt, 1994.

Three Dog Night, Easy to be Hard

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Clowns Before They Were Creepy and Violent

Being hung up on the '60s, there is and will be only one clown for me, Bozo the Clown. After Bozo I had no truck with clowns. I'm a serious man. But I can relate to this segment from the Seinfeld episode, "The Fire." It is one of the funniest in the whole series. But I suppose you had to be there. In the '60s I mean. With Bozo. The Clown. Now some songs featuring clowns.

Roy Orbison, In Dreams. "A candy-colored clown they call the sandman . . . ."

James Darren, Goodbye Cruel World. "I'm off to join the circus, gonna be a broken-hearted clown."

Frank Sinatra, Send in the Clowns

Everly Bros., Cathy's Clown

Burl Ives, A Little Bitty Tear. A little bitty tear let me down, spoiled my act as a clown/ I had it made up not make a frown, but a little bitty tear let me down.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Tears of a Clown

Kinks, Death of a Clown

Harry Nilsson, 1941

Saturday Night at the Oldies: Songs About Kerouac

"Pretty girls make graves." (Dharma Bums)

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) died 47 years ago yesterday, at the age of 47, his years dead now equaling his years alive. Here are some songs that refer to him and his work.

Alela Diane, We Are Nothing

Jack Kerouac, Tristessa (written 1955-56, first published in 1960), p. 59:

Since beginningless time and into the never-ending future, men have loved women without telling them, and the Lord has loved them without telling, and the void is not the void because there's nothing to be empty of.

Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard, California Zephyr

10,000 Maniacs, Hey Jack Kerouac

Some readings:

Jack Kerouac, Mexico City Blues, 228th Chorus

Jack Kerouac, Safe in Heaven, Dead. Good sound quality. "I wish I was free of that slaving meat wheel, safe in heaven, dead."

Jack Kerouac, Charlie Parker. "Charlie, Parker, lay the bane off me, and everybody."

UPDATE 10/24. Patrick Kurp of Anecdotal Evidence contributes Aztec Two-Step's The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty.