Saturday, January 26, 2013

R&B Legend Remembered

Sadly, it was during this week in 1984 when we lost soul singer and dynamic live performer Jackie Wilson. He died of a massive heart attack at the age of only 49: still touring; still doing what he loved. Jackie Wilson was from Detroit and I am from the Detroit area. Perhaps I have that accident of location to thank for my musical familiarity with him.

With a voice capable of bordering on operatic, this super talented soul legend could sing ballads capable of bringing a person to teas, and he often did. Yet, known as Mr. Excitement, he could also belt out an R&B classic, destined to become a top 40 smash as well. And aren't we glad he chose to do just that, time and again?

On my rock history twitter feed I've featured Higher and Higher as well as Whisper's Gettin' Louder, two of his later and biggest hits. But now let's take it back a bit further to my own favourite Jackie Wilson record.

1959 - That's Why (I Love You So) by Jackie Wilson



That's another Classic Track LookBack. See ya next time.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

LookBack #28: Walls and Bridges

Today, it's a classic album track LookBack. It's from John Lennon's 1974 release, Walls and Bridges. The LP gave us two singles, namely Whatever Gets You Thru the Night and #9 Dream. But this one is my favourite.

1974 - Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) by John Lennon



That's another Classic Track LookBack. See ya next time.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

LookBack #27: Stones Censored

A trip in our virtual way back machine offers another example of how much times change.

In January 1967, when the Rolling Stones performed Let's Spend the Night Together on Ed Sullivan's popular Sunday night variety show, they were instructed to change the recurring lyric line to "let's spend some time together." I guess this was because "nice people" did not spend the night together back in '67.

Anyway, the Stones complied, but Mick Jagger rolled his eyes several times as he sang the altered line. Ed Sullivan responded by saying that the Stones would never again appear on his show, and indeed, they never did.

Today's track features the Stones singing their classic hit, complete with those squeaky clean lyrics, at least a couple of eye rolls and a lot of camera work not being focused on Mick, or at least at a great distance. If I were a betting man, the cameras were being directed to avoid focusing on it as much as possible.

1967 - Let's Spend ... Some Time Together by the Rolling Stones[[cue eye roll]]


We now return you to your current century.

That's another Classic Track Lookback. See ya next time.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

LookBack #26: Bowie is Back

Hey Bowie Fans!

I know you're out there in big numbers.

It's been 10 years since the last David Bowie album and you'll be glad to hear that a new album from him is planned for release in March. In the meantime, we have a single from that album called Where Are We Now. I like it a lot.

2013 - Where Are We Now? by David Bowie


That's another Classic Track LookBack. Or should I say LookAhead? Either way, see ya next time.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

LookBack #25: Seger in '66

Those of us who were into rock music between the mid '70s and early '80s may still own at least one Bob Seger album, perhaps Night Moves on either vinyl or CD. But let's have a look and a listen to a Seger TV appearance from 1966. This is a lip-synched clip of Seger's first single, East Side Story, from a show called Swingin' Time, a local Detroit teen dance show hosted by WKNR's (Keener13) DJ Robin Seymour. It was enjoyed by the same viewers who more than likely tuned in American Bandstand.

1966 - East Side Story by Bob Seger


That's another Classic Track LookBack. See ya next time.



Sunday, January 06, 2013

LookBack #24: Flipping the 'A' Sides

Today our Classic Track Lookback looks back at a few flipped over 45s. I'm betting that half of the fine folks who dropped by for a look and a listen are wondering what in the world I might be talking about. I'll explain, but first a minor diversion, a twist in the path, if you will.

This week as I contemplated my first blog of the new year, inspiration didn't drop by with a bright and shiny new year idea. My excuse? Well, January has never been my favourite month and perhaps its confines tend to dull my brain as well.

So I persevered with the Rock History tweets that I write during the week, hoping that an ember of an idea might drop by for a visit. Finally it did, in the form of the humble 45, specifically those 45s that not only reached #11, but did so with a hit on both sides of the record in question. That happened four years in a row during the first week in January between 1965 and 1968.

OK, diversion concluded. For my readers who started following music when it came on CD and only learned about record albums as they resurfaced during the past few years, let's talk about the historic 45. It came with one song on each side and was priced somewhere between 70 cents and a dollar, depending on where you chose to spend your record buying allowance.

Usually, Side 1, generally termed the 'A Side', contained the song that either was, or was meant to be the hit which radio stations played frequently. The 'B Side', or flip side, was generally a throwaway song that left you wondering why the artist in question hadn't been just too ashamed to record it. But sometimes, you found that the flip side also contained a strong song. Rarer still, you would begin to hear that flip side on the radio, essentially doubling the artist's exposure.

That brings us back to the four #1 records that topped the charts during the first week of January between 1965 and 1968. Not suprisingly three of the four records were by the Beatles. Just for the record, I bought all four of these double sided hits. I guess this means that either I had good taste or that I simply followed the stampede that rushed to the record store to buy two hits for the price of one. We'll start our lookback in 1965.

1965 - The Beatles

Beatlemania was still going strong, a year after burstng forth west of the Atlantic. At that time, just to confuse things a bit, the Beatles had two albums out. There was Beatles for Sale in the UK and Beatles 65 (which I still own on mono vinyl) in Canada and the United States. The Hot 45 on that album was I Feel Fine. The flip side, which I actually liked a bit better, was this one.

She's A Woman


1966 - The Beatles

January 1966 brought us We Can Work It Out, another hit for the Beatles, with Day Tripper on the flip side. This one was marketed as a 'double A side' record, meaning that, at least in theory, its label promoted both sides equally. To further confuse the issue, when both sides of a record became hits, they were considered separately for chart positioning. So, on one national US chart we had We Can Work It Out topping the chart, while Day Tripper peeked at #5. To me, they are from the same record. You could not purchase only one side, therefore, to me at least, both should be considered to have reached the same chart position.

Day Tripper


1967 - The Monkees

The first week of the new year saw a break from #1 Beatle music. Instead, we had the Monkees enjoying chart supremacy with I'm A Believer. The other side of the record, again my favourite side, was (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone. You couldn't say that the Monkees evolved naturally through friendship or shared musical interests. Rather, they were assembled for a TV show which ran from 1966 through 1968. Nevertheless, unlike the Partridge Family, another TV show-inspired group which came along a couple of years later, the Monkees all sang and generally played on the singles and albums that they released. I'm A Believer was written by Neil Diamond, while Steppin' Stone was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who also charted nicely with hits which they performed themselves. Steppin' Stone was originally recorded by Paul Revere and the Raiders, appearing on their 1966 Midnight Ride album. But it was the Monkees who put the song on the radio.

(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone


1968 - The Beatles

By 1968, the Beatles were into more complex lyrics and chord progressions. We had already enjoyed Sgt. Pepper, their summer 1967 release. Then, as 1967 neared its end, it was time for a Magical Mystery Tour. As for this particular Mystery Tour single, Hello Goodbye was the side that I heard first. Then, very shortly thereafter, I heard I Am the Walrus. In a way, Walrus contradicted the image of more complex Beatles lyrics.

I Am the Walrus was credited to both Lennon and McCartney, though it was mainly a Lennon project. It came to be as the result of several concepts. As for the Walrus reference itself, it originated in a Lewis Carroll poem entitled The Walrus and the Carpenter. Other aspects of the song came from three different song ideas that John had been working on. Finally, a verse of basically nonsense became part of the recipe when John heard that a teacher at his old primary school was having students analyze Beatles lyrics as part of their classwork. John was bothered by the idea of turning Beatles lyrics into schoolwork, so he set out to write a line of lyrics that could not be analyzed. Still, many have tried and B side or not, Walrus rode the singles charts to the top.

I Am The Walrus



Till next time, that's another Classic Track Lookback at rock history. Speaking of rock history, you can always find my rock history tweets in all of their Storified glory, waiting for you to read, complete with music links. These are not dated tweets that die with the moment, but are mini slices of the music that we love. Find last week's tweets and their rockin music links right here.