By now it’s safe to assume folks have heard of Tina Turner’s passing yesterday (April 24) at age 83 at her home near Zurich, Switzerland. While neither a notification on Turner’s Facebook page nor a statement by her publicist provided the cause, she had been in poor health in recent years. Based on concerts in Germany and the U.S. in 1985 and 1993, respectively, the Queen of Rock & Roll was among the most energetic performers I’ve seen to date, together with Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and U2.
This post is all about celebrating Tina Turner’s music, which will stay with us. In case you are looking for a traditional obituary, you have plenty of other choices, such as The New York Times, CNN or Rolling Stone. My focus will be on six tunes from Turner’s 40-year-plus performing career, followed by a Spotify playlist of these and some additional songs.
River Deep – Mountain High (1966)
River Deep – Mountain High is one of my favorite tunes Tina Turner recorded with her then-husband Ike Turner as Ike & Tina Turner. Written by producer Phil Spector, together with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, River Deep – Mountain High was first released as a single in May 1966 as the title track of a studio album by Ike & Tina Turner. That album first appeared in the UK in September 1966 and three years later was also issued in the U.S.
Private Dancer (1984)
Private Dancer is the title track of Turner’s fifth solo and comeback album released in May 1984. The tune, penned by then-Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, was one of multiple hit singles from what became Turner’s best-selling album with more than 12 million copies sold worldwide. It catapulted her to international stardom as a solo artist – eight years after she had fled from her abusive husband with just 36 cents and a Mobil card.
Proud Mary (1971)
Ike & Tina Turner’s version of Proud Mary is one of the best remakes I can think of. The song was written by John Fogerty who first recorded it with his band Creedence Clearwater Revival for their second studio album Bayou Country, released in January 1969. The tune also appeared as a single at the same time and became one of CCR’s biggest hits, climbing to no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ike and Tina Turner’s version, which was included on their 1970 studio album Workin’ Together, did nearly as well, peaking at no. 4 on the U.S. pop chart. Unlike CCR, it also won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972.
What You Get Is What You See (1986)
When it comes to Tina Turner’s solo career, I tend to favor her rock over her more pop-oriented songs. One tune in this context is What You Get Is What You See, off her sixth solo studio album Break Every Rule, which came out in September 1986. Turner’s follow-on to Private Dancer was another major internal chart and commercial success. What You Get Is What You See, co-written by Terry Bitten and Graham Lyle and produced by Bitten, also became the album’s third single in February 1987.
Acid Queen (1975)
Turner recorded Acid Queen as the title track of her second solo album released in August 1975. The tune was written by Pete Townshend and first appeared as The Acid Queen on The Who’s rock opera album Tommy from May 1969. A different recording of the song was also included on the March 1975 soundtrack album to the 1975 film Tommy, in which Turner starred as the Acid Queen. Her second solo album was inspired by that performance.
Nutbush City Limits (live) (1988)
The last track I’d like to highlight is a killer live version of Nutbush City Limits that was included on Turner’s first live solo album Tina Live in Europe. Notably, part of that album was recorded at Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany on April 14, 1985 – one of the above-mentioned Tina Turner shows I attended! Written by Tina Turner, the semi-autobiographical tune about her rural hometown of Nutbush, Tenn. was the title track of a 1973 studio album by Ike & Tina Turner. It also became the duo’s most successful single and one of the last hits they released together.
Here’s the aforementioned Spotify playlist of the above and some additional tunes. The Queen of Rock & Roll sadly has left us, but her music will continue to reign!
Sources: Wikipedia; Tina Turner Facebook page; YouTube; Spotify
Recently, I came across a post from September 2018 about British boogie rockers Status Quo and felt it deserved to be republished. So here we are and here we are and here we go, all board and we’re hittin’ the road, here we go, with a Spotify playlist added at the end.
Three Chords, Straight Beats And Catchy Hooks
Status Quo have stayed true to their trademark boogie rock for more than 45 years
The other day, I spotted a live album from Status Quo called Down Down & Dirty At Wacken, (a place in northern Germany of an annual open air heavy metal festival), which was released only a couple of weeks ago. While starting to listen, I was reminded what a fun live band they are and how they’ve pretty much stuck with the same formula since 1970 when they changed from psychedelic to boogie rock. This brilliant insight inspired the idea of a post and playlist!
The origins of Status Quo date back to 1962 when high school mates Frances Rossi (guitar), Alan Lancaster (bass), Jess Jaworski (keyboards) and Alan Key (drums) formed a band called The Scorpions in London (not related to and predating the German hard rock band Scorpions by three years). In 1965, Rossi met guitarist Rick Parfitt. They became friends and later that year started what would become a longtime collaboration until Parfitt’s untimely death in December 2016 at the age of 68. The following summer, the band, which had changed their name to The Spectres, got their first record deal, with Piccadilly Records, and released various commercially unsuccessful singles.
By 1967, the band had embraced psychedelic music, became Traffic, then Traffic Jam to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood’s Traffic, and eventually Status Quo in August that year. Parfitt had joined them as rhythm guitarist the previous month. January 1968 saw the release of Status Quo’s first hit single Pictures Of Matchstick Men. This was followed by their debut studio album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From Status Quo in September – gee, what a memorable title!
Status Quo circa 1977 (from left): John Coghlan (drums), Rick Parfitt (rhythm guitar, vocals), Alan Lancaster (bass, vocals), and Francis Rossi (lead guitar, vocals)
After the release and commercial failure of Status Quo’s second album Spare Parts in September 1969, the band decided to change their musical style to straight boogie-oriented rock – a decision that is safe to assume they didn’t regret! Piledriver, their fifth studio record from December 1972, finally brought the breakthrough, peaking at no. 5 in the U.K. charts. Since then, Status Quo have released 27 additional studio albums. Their impressive catalog also includes 10 live records and nine compilations.
Given the band’s faithful adherence to the three-chord boogie rock formula, their music starts sounding repetitive after a little while. But so do Chuck Berry and The Beach Boys’ surf rock, to name two artists who spontaneously came to mind! Besides, if it’s fun, who cares! Okay, enough of the blah-blah-blah and time for some of that repetitive music!
While the band’s psychedelic phase was comparatively short, it’s still part of their long history, so I’d be amiss not to acknowledge it. My favorite tune I know from that phase is the above-mentioned Pictures Of Matchstick Men, which was written by Rossi. It climbed to no. 7 on the U.K. Singles Chart and reached the top 10 in many other European countries. In the U.S., it peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, the only Status Quo song that got noticed in America. In addition to its release as a single, it was also included on the band’s debut album.
Next Up: Paper Plane from the Piledriver album. The song was co-written by Rossi and Bob Young. Since 1969, Young had contributed to writing Status Quo’s music and was often called their unofficial fifth member. He frequently joined the band during live performances in the ’70s and also occasionally thereafter.
Another co-write by Rossi and Young is Caroline, which became a no. 5 hit in the U.K. in August 1973, Status Quo’s highest charting single at the time. The tune was also included on the band’s sixth studio album Hello!, which appeared in September that year.
In November 1974, Status Quo scored their first of two no. 1 singles in the U.K. with Down Down. Yet another Rossi/Young co-write, the song also appeared on the band’s eighth studio record On The Level from February 1975.
Perhaps my favorite Status Quo tune is Rockin’ All Over The World. As a boogie rock fan, how can you not love that tune, which was written and first recorded by the great John Fogerty in 1975! Status Quo released their cover as a single in September 1977. It also became the title track of their tenth studio album that came out in November of the same year. Since this tune is made for live performances, I chose the following clip captured during a 1990 concert in Knebworth, England.
Whatever You Want is another Status Quo classic. It was co-written by Parfitt and keyboarder Andy Bown, who has performed on all of the band’s albums since Rockin’ All Over The World and became a full member in 1982. One of the things I’ve always liked about this tune is the cool-sounding guitar intro.
Status Quo’s biggest hit in the ’80s was their cover of Bolland & Bolland’sIn The Army Now from September 1986, which topped the charts in various European countries, including Austria, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. In the U.K., the tune peaked at no. 2. Since I’m not particularly fond of it, I’m highlighting another cover instead: The Wanderer from October 1984. Written by Ernie Maresca, the tune was first recorded and released by Dion in November 1961. While I prefer the original, Quo’s cover isn’t bad either.
To make this playlist career-spanning, I also like to touch on Status Quo’s music beyond the ’80s. Since I’m basically not familiar with it, it’s a bit of a challenge. As such, the remaining selections for this playlist are somewhat arbitrary. Here’s Can’t Give You More from the band’s 20th studio album Rock ‘Til You Drop, which appeared in September 1991. Written by Bown, the tune is another typical Status Quo boogie rocker – if you like Quo’s ’70s music, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Jumping to the current century, in September 2002, Status Quo released Heavy Traffic, their 25th studio record, which peaked at no. 15 on the charts in the U.K. and earned them silver status there. Here’s Creepin’ Up On You, which was co-written by Parfitt and then-Quo bassist John ‘Rhino’ Edwards. It’s shuffling along nicely!
The final studio release I’d like to touch on is called Acoustic (Stripped Bare) from October 2014. It’s a compilation of stripped-down versions of previously recorded Status Quo songs. While there’s no new material here, I’m kind of intrigued by this album and will probably further explore it. The record became another success for Quo in the U.K., climbing to no. 5 on the charts and earning Gold certification there – not too shabby for a band that by then had been around for 52 years, if you include their 1962 origins; if you start counting from when they became Status Quo, it still adds up to a mighty 47 years! Here’s Again And Again, a tune credited to Parfitt, Bown and Jackie Lynton, and first recorded for the band’s 11th studio album If You Can’t Stand The Heat from October 1978. It’s got a nice Cajun feel to it!
So what’s going on with Status Quo these days? Well, it’s more three chords, straight beats and catchy boogie rock – in other words the status quo – that was clever, huh? Rossi remains the only founding member. Bown (keyboards) and Edwards (bass) are still around as well. The current lineup, pictured on top of the post, is rounded out by Leon Cave (drums) and Richie Malone (rhythm guitar), who replaced Parfitt in July 2016, after he had suffered a stroke and could no longer perform.
I already mentioned the new live album. In addition, a look on setlist.fm revealed the band has been pretty busy touring Europe since May. The current tour schedule on their website shows upcoming gigs in Lisbon, Portugal (Sep 29); Innsbruck, Austria (Oct 4); Kempten, Germany (Oct 5); and Zurich, Switzerland (Oct 6).
– END-
The original post, which was published on September 7, 2018, ended here. In September 2919, Status Quo released their 33rd studio album Backbone. Remarkably, it debuted at no. 6 on the UK albums chart. Not only was it their highest-charting album of original material since 1+9+8+2 (1982), but it also marked their 25th album in the UK that charted in the top 10. Between February and December 2022, Quo toured Europe. According to Wikipedia, over some 48 years of touring activity, they have played at least 3,700 documented gigs. Including undocumented gigs, the band estimates the real total is over 6,000 shows. Any of the two figures is pretty impressive!
Last but not least, here’s the previously mentioned Spotify list featuring the above and some additional tunes.
After 50-year quest, Fogerty gains publishing rights to most of CCR song catalog
John Fogerty managed to acquire the majority of his historic song catalog from Concord for an undisclosed amount, giving him the U.S. and worldwide publishing rights to most of the songs he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival. This marks the end of Fogerty’s 50-year quest to finally own this music, a remarkable story that was first reported by Billboard. It broke just in the wake of Jeff Beck’s death and I almost would have missed it.
According to Billboard, the reclaimed CCR copyrights cover more than 65 songs, mostly written by Fogerty, including gems such as Proud Mary, Down on the Corner, Fortunate Son, Bad Moon Rising, Up Around the Bend and Green River. Concord, which owned the rights since 2004 when it acquired CCR’s original record label Fantasy Records, retains the CCR master recordings in its catalog. They will also continue to administer Fogerty’s share of the publishing catalog for an unspecified amount of time.
John Fogerty signing publishing rights deal with Concord (Photo: Julie Fogerty)
This whole saga started in 1967 when Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz offered CCR, who were then still called The Golliwogs, the opportunity to record a full-length album. When they signed a deal with the label, John Fogerty didn’t realize Fantasy would also own the publishing rights to his songs. Fogerty who extricated himself from Fantasy in 1974 made repeated attempts to gain control over his early CCR catalog to no avail. After his relationship with Zaentz had soured, he even refused to perform CCR songs during his concerts until the late ’80s, since he didn’t want Zaentz to profit from any royalties.
Things took a turn to the outright bizarre in 1985 when Zeantz sued Fogerty for copyright infringement, claiming his song The Old Man Down the Road essentially was the music of Run Through the Jungle, a CCR tune to which Zaentz owned the rights. Fogerty prevailed and was also successful in his efforts for reimbursement of legal fees, though it required taking the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1989, it appeared Fogerty through mediation had reached a deal with Zaentz to finally buy his publishing rights, but it fell apart when according to Fogerty Zaentz doubled the price at the last minute, something he couldn’t afford.
While Fogerty signed with Concord after they had acquired Fantasy from Zaentz in 2004 and they reinstated artist royalties to him, Fantasy wasn’t ready to sell any of the publishing rights as recently as 18 months ago. That’s when according to Billboard, he and his wife and manager Julie Fogerty realized that under U.S. copyright law, rights to his compositions would begin reverting back to him in a few years as the songs turned 56 years old, but that wouldn’t have included rights outside the U.S. I think it’s safe to assume this legal context played a role in reaching a deal.
John Fogerty with his wife and manager Julie Fogerty (Photo: Kyle Spicer)
“As of this January, I own my own songs again,” John Fogerty said in a statement on his website. “This is something I thought would never be a possibility. After 50 years, I am finally reunited with my songs. I also have a say in where and how my songs are used. Up until this year, that is something I have never been able to do. I am looking forward to touring and celebrating this year!”
Added Julie Fogerty: “I was always hoping for a miracle that John would own his songs, and I’m so blissful knowing that this has finally come true for him. The songs he wrote for CCR were going to start reverting in approximately three years, continuing for each year forward. I thought to myself that if there was anything I could do to make that happen now, it would be that miracle that we have been waiting for more than 50 years. I began to produce a plan to purchase his publishing right now. In doing so, I enlisted the help of Irving Azoff, Jason Karlov, Susan Genco and we were able to secure the US Rights in addition to Worldwide Rights, which would not have been part of the copyright reversions. I am so joyful, grateful, and excited for John.”
Billboard rightly notes that Fogerty’s purchase decision stands in contrast to other artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, who recently sold their publishing rights for millions of dollars. Of course, nothing would prevent John Fogerty from doing the same. But after a 50-year quest, for now, he’s planning to hang to his publishing rights and for the first time in his life enjoy control over this music.
I’m happy for John and like to wrap up this post with clips of some of the songs he now fully owns. I’m also throwing in a Spotify playlist with these and some other tunes from his 55-year-plus recording career.
Proud Mary – Bayou Country (January 1969)
Green River – Green River (August 1969)
Bad Moon Rising – Green River (August 1969)
Down On the Corner – Willy and the Poor Boys (November 1969)
Fortunate Son – Willy and the Poor Boys (November 1969)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain – Pendulum (December 1970)
Here’s the aforementioned Spotify playlist:
Sources: Wikipedia; Billboard; John Fogerty website; YouTube; Spotify
Music fellow blogger Dave from A Sound Day has a great recurring feature, Turntable Talk, for which he invites other bloggers to contribute their thoughts about a given topic. This time, he called it “Those Were the Days My Friend,” I guess a nod to the tune popularized by Mary Hopkin in 1968. Or as he summed it up: Simply put, we’re asking the contributors to write about “music’s best year.” Following is my contribution, which first ran on Dave’s blog yesterday. For this post, I added some clips, as well as a Spotify playlist at the end.
Here we are with another great topic for Turntable Talk – thanks for continuing to host the fun series, Dave, and for having me back.
Interestingly, when prompted to think about what I feel is the best year in music, I instantly had the answer – or so I thought until I started having second thoughts.
Admittedly, this is typical for me who oftentimes tends to overthink things. That’s why I also keep emphasizing that I’m “ranking-challenged.” Anyway, after careful agony, guess what happened? I stuck with my initial spontaneous choice: 1969 – what an amazing year in music!
From an overall perspective, the year saw two epic moments and a less-than-glorious event: The first was the three-day Woodstock festival in mid-August with an incredible line-up of bands and artists, such as Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jimi Hendrix. Can you imagine a music event of that caliber these days?
At the same time, I don’t want to romanticize things either and will add it was probably a near-miracle Woodstock didn’t end in complete disaster, given the overcrowding and horrible sanitary conditions. Also, let’s not forget the three lives that were lost: two drug overdoses and another fatality when a 17-year-old sleeping in a nearby hayfield was run over by a tractor.
Then there was that other concert by one of the bands who would decline to perform at Woodstock: On January 30, 1969, The Beatles played an impromptu gig on the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters in London. Commonly known as the rooftop concert, it became their final public appearance as a band.
Speaking of concerts, again, I’d be remiss in not to least briefly acknowledging The Rolling Stones’ performance at Altamont Speedway in California on December 9, 1969. The gig became infamous for its violence, including a fan who was stabbed to death by members of the biker gang Hells Angels who had been hired to provide security for $500 worth of beer. I guess you can put this mind-boggling arrangement into the ‘you can’t make up this stuff’ and ‘what were they thinking?’ departments!
Next, I’d like to highlight some of the great albums that were released in 1969. Looking in Wikipedia, I easily came up with 20-plus – obviously way too many to cover in this post. As such, I decided to narrow it down to five. I’m briefly going to touch on each in the following, in chronological order. I’m also picking one track from each I like in particular.
January 5: Creedence Clearwater Revival released their sophomore album Bayou Country, the first of three(!) records they put out in 1969. Here’s Proud Mary, which like all other songs except one was written by John Fogerty.
May 23: The Who put out their fourth studio album Tommy, Pete Townshend’s first rock opera. While the production oftentimes feels unfinished, the double LP is a gem. One of my favorite songs has always been We’re Not Gonna Take It. Like most of the other tunes, it was solely penned by Townshend.
September 23: Of course, it was a forgone conclusion any favorite year in music while The Beatles were still together would include one of their albums. In this case, it’s Abbey Road, which actually was their final record, even though it appeared prior to Let It Be. Two of the best tracks on the album were written by George Harrison. Here’s one of them: Something.
August 22: Santana’s eponymous debut album was released in the wake of the band’s legendary performance at Woodstock. Here’s the amazing instrumental closer Soul Sacrifice.
October 22: Last but not least, on that date, Led Zeppelin released their sophomore album Led Zeppelin II, only nine months after their January 12 debut. One of my all-time favorite Zep tunes is Whole Lotta Love, initially credited to all members of the band, with the subsequent addition of Willie Dixon. Once again, unfortunately, it took litigation to give credit where credit was due!
In the final section of this post, I’m going to look at a few additional great songs that were released as singles in 1969.
First up are The Rolling Stones and Honky Tonk Women, a non-album single that appeared on July 4. Co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was the first of two versions of the song. The second version, Country Honk, which has slightly different lyrics, appeared on the Stones’ Let It Bleed album that came out on December 5 of the same year.
Suspicious Minds is one of my all-time favorite tunes performed by Elvis Presley, which was released on August 26 as a single. Written and first recorded by American songwriter Mark James in 1968, Suspicious Minds topped the Billboard Hot 100, giving Elvis his first no. 1 on the U.S. pop chart since 1962, helping revive his chart success in America, following his ’68 Comeback Special, a concert special that had aired on NBC on December 3, 1968. The song also was a major hit in many other countries.
Let’s do two more: First up is Reflections of My Life by Scottish band Marmalade, a song I loved from the very first moment I heard it on the radio back in Germany many moons ago. Co-written by the group’s lead guitarist Junior Campbell and vocalist Dean Ford, this gem was first released as a single in the UK on November 14 and subsequently appeared on their 1970 studio album Reflections of the Marmalade.
I’d like to close out this post with what remains one of my favorite David Bowie songs to this day: Space Oddity. Written by Bowie, the tune was first released as a single on July 11. It also was the opener of his sophomore eponymous album, which subsequently became commonly known as Space Oddity because of the song and to distinguish it from Bowie’s 1967 debut album, which was also self-titled. Bowie’s tale of fictional astronaut Major Tom was used by the BBC during its coverage of the Moon landing.
I can hardly think of another year in music that was as rich as 1969. That said, I was considering 1971. And 1972 didn’t look shabby either. Now that I think about it, let me go back to further reflect!😊
Following is a Spotify playlist of the above and some additional tunes from 1969.
Celebrating music with six random tracks at a time
Welcome to another Sunday Six to celebrate the beauty of music in different flavors, six tunes at a time. Before getting to that, I’d be remiss not to acknowledge today’s 21st anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks on the U.S. One thing that came out of the unspeakable horror that day was a strong sense of solidarity to come together. I feel we could badly need some of that spirit today. Back to what this blog aims to be, a “happy destination” that leaves any troubles you may have behind, at least while you’re here!
Dave Stewart/Lily Was Here (feat. Candy Dulfer)
The first stop on today’s musical excursion is the year 1989 and a beautiful smooth jazz track I was reminded of the other day. English musician, songwriter and producer Dave Stewart is best known for being one half of Eurythmics, the British pop duo he launched with Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox in 1980. Candy Dulfer is a Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist. The daughter of Dutch tenor saxophonist Hans Dulfer began playing the drums as a five-year-old before discovering the saxophone a year later. Since the age of seven, she has focused on the tenor saxophone. By the time she was 11, Dulfer made her first recordings for her father’s jazz band De Perikels (the perils). Three years later, she opened up two European concerts for Madonna with her own band Funky Stuff. In 1989, Stewart invited Dulfer to play sax on Lily Was Here, an instrumental he had composed for the soundtrack of a Dutch movie of the same name. The single became a no. 1 in The Netherlands and a top 20 in several other European countries, Australia and the U.S. It encouraged Dulfer to launch a solo career, which continues to this day. Hard-core jazz aficionados may consider the track to be “on the light side,” but I absolutely love it, mainly because of Dulfer’s amazing saxophone part!
Dire Straits/Once Upon a Time In the West
For this next track, we’re going to jump back 1o years to June 1979, which saw the release of Dire Straits’ sophomore album Communiqué. After the British rock band had received favorable reviews for their eponymous debut that had come out the year before, critics were generally lukewarm about the follow-up. Many felt it sounded too similar to Dire Straits. While that is not an unfair observation, I still like Communiqué and especially this tune, Once Upon a Time In the West. Written by Mark Knopfler, it also became a U.S. single in October of the same year. Unlike the internationally successful Sultans of Swing, Once Upon a Time In the West missed the charts altogether. In my opinion, that’s unfortunate – I just love that Mark Knopfler signature Fender Stratocaster guitar sound!
Lucinda Williams/Metal Firecracker
Since I saw Lucinda Williams open up for Bonnie Raitt in Philadelphia back in June, I’ve been planning to explore the catalog of the American singer-songwriter. While I featured her in a Sunday Sixinstallment in August with a tune from her ninth studio album Little Honey from October 2008, I haven’t made much progress to date – too much great music, too little time! Metal Firecracker, penned by Williams, is from Car Wheels On a Gravel Road. Her fifth studio album, released in June 1998, marked her commercial breakthrough. Nine additional studio albums have since appeared. Luckily, Williams largely recovered from a debilitating stroke she suffered in November 2020 and was able to resume performing. I love this tune – check out this neat electric guitar sound! Based on the credits listed underneath the YouTube clip, it appears that part was played by Gurf Morlix who was a member of Williams’ backing band from 1985 until 1996 and co-produced her 1988 eponymous studio album and the 1992 follow-on Sweet Old World.
Creedence Clearwater Revival/Green River
Okay, we’re four stops into this trip, so don’t you agree it’s time for some ’60s music? I trust Creedence Clearwater Revival don’t need much if any introduction. The American rock band led by singer-songwriter John Fogerty (lead guitar, vocals) was active under that name between 1967 and 1972. Initially, the members of the group, who also included John’s brother Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass) and Doug Clifford (drums), had performed as The Blue Velvets (1959-1964) and The Golliwogs (1964-1967). For some reason, that latter name always reminds me of the Gremlins! Green River, written by John Fogerty, was the great title track of CCR’s third studio album that appeared in August 1969. It also became the record’s second single in July that year, one month ahead of the group’s performance at the Woodstock music festival.
Robert Plant/Turnaround
Let’s travel to the current century. The year is 2006. The month is November. That’s when Robert Plant released a box set titled Nine Lives. It features remastered and expanded editions of nine albums the ex-Led Zeppelin vocalist released post-Zep between 1982 and 2005, both under his name and The Honeydrippers. Turnaround was first recorded during the sessions for Plant’s sophomore solo album The Principle of Moments released in July 1983, but the tune didn’t make the album. In addition to being featured on this box set, the tune is included as a bonus track on a 2007 remastered version of the aforementioned second solo effort by Plant.
Buddy Guy/We Go Back (feat. Mavis Staples)
And once again, we’ve reached the point to wrap up another Sunday Six, and I have a real goodie: We Go Back, the second single from Buddy Guy’s upcoming new album The Blues Don’t Lie. The 86-year-old blues guitar legend’s 34th record is scheduled for September 30. The release date marks the 65th anniversary of Guy’s arrival in Chicago from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This ambassador of the blues is just incredible! On the nostalgic We Go Back, released on September 2nd and co-written by Richard Fleming and Guy’s longtime collaborator, drummer and producer Tom Hambridge, Guy is joined by none other than Mavis Staples. What an amazing duo and tune – really looking forward to that album!
Last but not least, here’s a Spotify playlist featuring the above tunes. Hope there’s something you dig!
Celebrating music with six random tracks at a time
Another Sunday morning is upon us, at least in my neck of the woods (Central New Jersey, USA). Of course, this means it’s time to embark on another journey to celebrate music of the past six decades, six tunes at a time.
Julius Rodriguez/Gift of the Moon
This trip starts in the present. The immediate present. Julius Rodriguez, aka Orange Julius, is an American pianist, drummer and composer, whose music combines elements of jazz, avant-garde, R&B, hip-hop and pop. He started studying classical piano at a young age, or I should say at an even younger age – he’s only 23 years old! His father, a jazz connoisseur, introduced him to artists like Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane. Rodriguez has been an active touring member of New York jazz combo Onyx Collective, and has worked as a sideman with numerous other artists like Macy Gray, Wynton Marsalis and Nick Hakim. And, yes, in addition to all of that, Rodriguez has been releasing music under his own name and the Orange Julius moniker since 2015. Here’s Gift of the Moon, off his new album Let Sound Tell All, which appeared on June 10.
John & Yoko & Plastic Ono Band/New York City
Now let’s kick it up with some great rock & roll. One artist I’ve always loved in this context is John Lennon. I recall reading somewhere that John said the rock & roll covers The Beatles played at the Star-Club in Hamburg and the Cavern in Liverpool before they were famous were the best music they ever performed. Of course, John said many things about The Beatles after they had broken up, which seemed to dismiss their original music. While I don’t agree with some of his remarks, I think he’s right The Beatles were a great rock & roll band. John was a great rock & roll singer, which he not only demonstrated on his 1975 covers album Rock ‘n’ Roll but also on this tune: New York City, a track that appeared in June 1972 on a double LP titled Some Time in New York City, released as John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory – rolls right of your tongue! Go, Johnny, go – que pasa New York!
Creedence Clearwater Revival/Born On the Bayou
I don’t know about you, I’m in the mood for more rock. Let’s go to 1969 and the swamp. I trust Creedence Clearwater Revival, aka CCR, don’t need an introduction. If you’d like a crash course, check this AllMusicbio. Like most CCR tunes, Born On the Bayou was penned by the group’s leader John Fogerty. Yes, the man had pretty strong opinions, which he oftentimes imposed on his bandmates. And, yes, I feel sometimes they don’t get the credit they deserve. But there’s no doubt John knew what he was doing. Born On the Bayou is the lead track of CCR’s sophomore album Bayou Country, which appeared in January 1969. It also was released separately as the B-side to the record’s single Proud Mary. In my humble opinion, Born On the Bayou should have been a separate single, and it should have been an A-side – man, I love this tune!
Asia/Heat of the Moment
And next, we find ourselves back in ’82. When I caught Heat of the Moment by Asia on the radio the other day, it reminded me of what a catchy tune it is. Growing up in the ’80s back in Germany, I loved much of the music that came out during that decade. I suppose you could say, well, it was in the heat of the moment! While I can’t deny a certain remaining weak spot, nowadays I’m no longer as fond of ’80s music. That being said, some songs are holding up pretty well to me. One is Asia’s debut single, co-written by the band’s John Wetton (lead vocals, bass) and Geoff Downes (keyboards, vocals), which appeared on their eponymous debut album, released in March 1982. After they broke up in 1986, Asia reunited in 1989 and remain active to this day, with Downes as the only original member.
The Wallflowers/Shy of the Moon
Undoubtedly, being a music artist and offspring of Bob Dylan poses challenges. But I feel Jakob Dylan, a son of Bob and his first wife Sara Dylan (born Shirley MarlinNoznisky), has done pretty well. While Jakob played guitar in various high school bands and was featured as a guitar player on his friends’ group’s eponymous 1987 album, Trash Matinee, he didn’t start focusing on a professional music career until 1989. Together with his childhood friend Tobi Miller (lead guitar) he began forming a band called The Apples. After Barrie Maguire (bass), Peter Yanowitz (drums) and Rami Yafee (keyboards) had joined the group, they changed their name to The Wallflowers and released their eponymous debut album in August 1992. The Wallflowers are still around, though it’s now a music project by Dylan with a revolving cast of touring musicians. Here’s Shy of the Moon, the great openers of The Wallflowers’ above-noted eponymous debut album. Like all except one of the remaining tracks on the album, the tune was penned by Dylan.
Southern Avenue/Keep On
And once again another music trip has arrived at its final stop. If you’re a more frequent visitor of the blog, you probably recall Southern Avenue are one of my favorite contemporary bands. They are also among the nicest, down-to-earth professional musicians I’ve met. The group from Memphis, Tenn., which has been around since 2015, blends blues and soul with flavors of contemporary R&B. I also love the racial diversity they represent. Southern Avenue are Israeli blues guitarist Ori Naftaly; two amazing African American ladies, lead vocalist Tierinii Jackson and her sister Tikyra Jackson who plays the drums and sings backing vocals; white bassist Evan Sarver; and African American keyboarder Jeremy Powell. Tellingly, in 2016 they became the first new act signed to Stax Records in many years. Here’s the great title track of their sophomore album Keep On, released in May 2019.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist of the above tunes. Hope there’s something you enjoy!
Once again it’s time to pack my suitcases and head for that imaginary desert island in the sun. However, prior to my departure, I have to make an existential decision. If I could only take one tune by an artist I haven’t covered yet or only given marginal attention, what would be my pick?
More specifically, I’m up to the letter “F” in my online music library. Some of the options I didn’t select include Jose Feliciano, Fleetwood Mac, John Fogerty, The Four Tops and Peter Frampton. In the end, I decided to go with Foghat who sound like they should be right up my alley, yet until now I had not dedicated a post to this English rock band.
Admittedly, my knowledge of Foghat is, well, a bit foggy! While I had been aware of the name for many years, I could only name three of their songs. Perhaps not surprisingly, these are their most popular tunes: Slow Ride, I Just Want to Make Love to You and Fool for the City – all great songs! A look in Spotify revealed another gem I had heard before: Drivin’ Wheel.
And my pick is Slow Ride. Yes, selecting what has been called the group’s signature tune is a predictable choice, but I just love this song! Penned by Foghat co-founder and first guitarist Dave Peverett, Slow Ride first appeared on the group’s fifth studio album Fool for the City released in September 1975.
A shortened version of the 8:14-minute album track also appeared separately as a single in December that year. In fact, Wikipedia notes there are five versions of the song – looks like they really milked that one!
Slow Ride became Foghat’s biggest hit, riding all the way to no. 20 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, it reached no. 14 on the top 100. The great song remains a staple on classic rock radio to this day. And since it’s so much fun, how about a live version? This is from an August 1977 release ingeniously titled Foghat Live, which happens to be the band’s best-selling album with over two million copies sold as of October 1984.
Let’s take a look at Songfacts for some additional tidbits about the tune:
While the “slow love” theme is common in R&B music where the tempo is more congruent with the lyrics, this is a rare rock song that pulls off the feat. The famous guitar riffs change speed and climax near the end, effectively simulating a lovemaking session. [Jeez, sex in rock & roll – I’m truly shocked, this should have been banned! – CMM] Those who are feeling strong can use the album version, but a single cut down to 3:56 with a fade out ending is also available.
A ’70s classic, this was used in the movie Dazed and Confused, which was set in that era. The song also appeared on The Simpsons, Seinfeld, That ’70s Show and My Name Is Earl…Did you know: Foghat got their name when Peverett came up with the word while playing a Scrabble-like game with his brother. Peverett convinced the band to go with it instead of Brandywine [I’ve always wanted to know this but never dared to ask – CMM]
Foghat’s lineup as of 2022 features (from left) Rodney McQuinn (bass), Scott Holt (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Roger Earl (drums) and Brian Bassett (lead guitar)
But, wait, there’s more. Following is a recollection of Foghat co-founder and drummer Roger Earl, the band’s only remaining member who has played in all lineups. This is based on a 2010 interview with Vintagerock.com:
“We took time off to do the Fool For The City album. Nick [Nick Jameson (bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) – CMM] had just joined the band…Rod [Rod Price (lead guitar, backing vocals) – CMM] and I had a house out here on Long Island, so Nick and I drove down from Woodstock and we had a basement, which was soundproof somewhat. And the first song to come out of there was “Slow Ride.””
“It was from a jam. We were just jamming. Nick had a cassette player and he would record whatever we played there. As I recall it, the whole song was written— the middle part and the bass part and the ending were all Nick’s ideas. Basically, Nick wrote the song, but we just jammed on it, and Nick cut the stuff up so it made sense as far as the song goes. And then Dave said, “I’ve got some words.” That’s how that came about (laughs).”
It’s been a while since the last installment of this irregularly recurring feature. While picking a random date is an arbitrary way to look at music history, I think it’s always interesting to see what comes up. As usual, the picks reflect my music taste and are not supposed to be a complete list.
1965: The double A-side non-album single Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out by The Beatles hit no. 1 in the UK on the Official Singles Chart, becoming their ninth chart-topper there. Primarily written by John Lennon, the tune was credited to him and Paul McCartney, as usual. According to Songfacts, the lyrics were the first reference to LSD in a Beatles song. Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out were also included on Yesterday and Today, a U.S. album from June 1966 that caused an uproar over its original “butcher cover,” showing The Beatles in white coats, covered with decapitated baby dolls and pieces of raw meat. Frankly, I much prefer Day Tripper – always loved that cool guitar riff!
1966:The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their first UK single Hey Joe, backed by Stone Free. Different recordings of the song were credited to different writers, including Billy Roberts and Dino Valenti. Some recordings have indicated it as a traditional song. The first commercial recording was made by Los Angeles garage band The Leaves in late 1965. Hendrix’s rendition is the best-known version of the song and became one of his biggest hits in the UK, reaching no. 6 on the Official Singles Chart.
1970:Credence Clearwater Revival received Gold certification in the U.S. for their singles Down on the Corner, Lookin’ Out My Back Door, Travelin’ Band, Bad Moon Rising and Up Around the Bend. All songs were written by John Fogerty. CCR’s first five albums Credence Clearwater Revival (May 1968), Bayou Country (January 1969), Green River (August 1969), Willy and the Poor Boys (November 1969) and Cosmo’s Factory (July 1970) were also certified Gold. Here’s Travelin’ Band, the lead single from Cosmo’s Factory, which appeared in January 1970, backed by Who’ll Stop the Rain. Love that tune!
1972:Me And Mrs. Jones, the biggest hit for American soul singer Billy Paul, reached no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was included on Paul’s 1972 album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul. The tune about marital infidelity was co-written by prominent Philly soul songwriting team Kenny Gamble, Leon Hoff and Cary Gilbert. SongfactsnotesMe And Mrs. Jones knocked I’m the Woman out of the top spot, a female-empowerment anthem by Helen Reddy.
1989:Billy Joel’s 11th studio album Storm Front, which had come out in October of the same year, reached no. 1 on the Billboard 200. The piano man’s second-to-final pop record to date was also pretty successful internationally. Among others, it topped the charts in Australia, climbed to no. 4 in Canada, and reached no. 5 in the UK and Germany. Here’s the lead single We Didn’t Start the Fire, which like the album turned out to be a big hit for Joel. The fast-paced recitation of 118 significant political, cultural, scientific and sporting events that occurred between Joel’s birth year 1949 and 1989 became one of his signature songs.
1993:Nirvana’sMTV Unplugged in New York concert aired for the first time on MTV. Unlike other MTV Unplugged shows Nirvana chose to perform predominantly lesser-known material including various covers. Moreover, in contrast to previous performances in the series, which were entirely acoustic, Nirvana used electric amplification and guitar effects during their set. The concert was taped on November 18, 1993, at Sony Studios in New York City, less than five months prior to lead vocalist Kurt Cobain’s suicide on April 8, 1994. Here’s Nirvana’s haunting cover of David Bowie’sThe Man Who Sold the World.
Sources: Wikipedia; This Day in Music; Songfacts; Songfacts Music History Calendar; YouTube
After a longer pause, it’s time again for another installment of my irregular feature where I explore what happened on an arbitrarily picked date throughout rock history. The only rule I have it that it must reflect my music taste and be a date I haven’t covered yet. The good news is I got plenty of choices left, including October 14, so without further ado, let’s get to it!
1957:The Everly Brothers hit no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 with Wake Up Little Susie. Written by husband-and-wife country and pop songwriting duo Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant, the tune became the first of three no. 1 songs Don Everly and Phil Everly scored on the mainstream charts. The Bryants also wrote Bye Bye Love, the previous single by The Everly Brothers, as well as numerous of their other hits. Wake Up Little Susie reached the top of the Billboard country and R&B charts as well, and was included on The Everly Brothers’ 1958 eponymous debut album. It was the first song by them I heard in my early teens when I was still pretty much adoring Elvis Presley. While in my mind back then nobody could ever match Elvis when it came to rock & roll, The Everly Brothers quickly earned my respect.
1967: Of course, no music history post can be without The Beatles or related topics. In this case, it’s an artist who managed to knock out The Fab Four from the top of the charts. The great Bobbie Gentrie, who later became a woman of mystery, hit no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 with her debut album Ode to Billie Joe, ending the 15-week reign of The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. According to Wikipedia, it was the only record that managed to displace Sgt. Pepper from the top spot. Released on August 21 that year, Gentry’s debut album had been quickly assembled following her successful single with the same title. This is such a great tune!
1968: Next let’s turn to The Beatles themselves to see what they were up to. The year was 1968 and the location was Studio 2 at EMI Studies, Abbey Road, London. John, Paul and George were working on eight songs for the White Album – of course, The Beatles Bible had to count them all! The ultimate record of Beatles truth further notes Ringo Starr had left for a two-week family vacation to Sardinia and as such was absent. In fact, he had no further involvement in the album’s mixing and sequencing. The recording session saw the completion of work on one the tunes: Savoy Truffle, a song by George Harrison, which had been inspired by Eric Clapton. Eric has “got this real sweet tooth and he’d just had his mouth worked on,” Harrison explained. “His dentist said he was through with candy. So as a tribute I wrote, ‘You’ll have to have them all pulled out after the Savoy Truffle’. George’s sense of humor could be peculiar!
1971:Specialty Records, the company that held the rights to Little Richard’s songs, sued John Fogerty, charging the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Travelin’ Band plagiarized Richard’s Good Golly, Miss Molly. Here’s Richard’s tune. The CCR track is below. Great gosh a’mighty, if this is plagiarism, then pretty much all classic rock & roll songs are! I feel this is very different from Zep’s rip-off of Spirit’sTaurus or the similarity between George Harrison’sMy Sweet Lord and The Chiffons’ record of He’s So Fine. Eventually, the case was settled out of court. Travelin’ Band first appeared in January 1970 as the B-side to Who’ll Stop the Rain, the lead single of CCR’s fifth studio album Cosmo’s Factory released in July of the same year.
1977:David Bowie released his 12th studio album Heroes. The second installment of Bowie’s so-called Berlin Trilogy only came nine months after predecessor Low. The third album in the series, Lodger, would appear in May 1979. Bowie recorded all three albums in West Berlin, Germany, in collaboration with Brian Eno and co-producer Tony Visconti. Bowie was quite busy in 1977. The making of Heroes followed his participation as keyboarder during a tour of his friend Iggy Pop and co-producing Pop’s second studio album Lust for Life. Heroes incorporated elements of art rock and experimental rock, and built on Low’s electronic and ambient approaches. In general, I’m more fond of Bowie’s late ’60s and glam rock period. That being said, I always liked the album’s title track that was co-written by Bowie and Eno. The record did pretty well in the charts, reaching no. 3 in the UK, the top 20 in various other European countries, no. 6 in Australia and no. 35 in the U.S. – overall largely matching the performance of Low.
1983: Let’s finish this little history post with another album release: She’s So Unusual, the solo debut by Cyndi Lauper. The record became a huge chart success and Lauper’s best-selling album with more than 16 million units sold worldwide as of 2008. It certainly was welcome news for Lauper who only a few years earlier had found herself forced to file for bankruptcy, a fallout from the aftermath of her previous band Blue Angel, a failed debut album and a lawsuit the band’s manager Steven Massarsky had brought against her and the band. Beware of hiring a lawyer as your manager! She’s So Unusual yielded several hit singles. Here’s the most successful and my favorite, Time After Time, co-written by Lauper and Rob Hyman who is best know as a founding member of American band The Hooters. The tune topped the mainstream charts in the U.S. and Canada, climbed to no. 3 in New Zealand, reached no. 5 in Australia, and became a top 10 hit in various European countries, including Austria (no. 6), Ireland (no. 2), France (no. 9), Germany (no. 6), The Netherlands (no. 8) and the UK (no. 3).
Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts Music History Calendar; This Day in Rock; The Beatles Bible; YouTube
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It’s time again for The Sunday Six and another set of tunes from different genres and different decades. This installment touches the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, 90s and 2021, and features jazz, psychedelic blues rock, alternative pop rock, rock and bluesy R&B.
Lou Donaldson/Blues Walk
Starting us off is beautiful saxophone jazz by American jazz alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson. Donaldson, who is 94 years old and only retired in 2016, had a 64-year career as an active performer. That’s just mind-boggling! Here’s an excerpt from the bio on his website: Jazz critics agree that “Sweet Poppa Lou” Donaldson is one of the greatest alto saxophonists of all time. He began his career as a bandleader with Blue Note Records in 1952 and, already at age 25, had found his sound, though it would continue to sweeten over the years — earning him his famed nickname –“Sweet Poppa Lou.” He made a series of classic records for Blue Note Records in the 50’s and takes pride in having showcased many musicians who made their first records as sidemen for him: Clifford Brown, Grant Green, Blue Mitchell, Donald Byrd, Ray Barretto, Horace Parlan, John Patton, Charles Earland, Al Harewood, Herman Foster, Peck Morrison, Dave Bailey, Leon Spencer, Idris Muhammad, and others. After also making some excellent recordings for Cadet and Argo Records in the early 60s, Lou’s return to Blue Note in 1967 was marked by one of his most famous recordings, Alligator Bogaloo. I’ve decided to highlight one of his earlier recordings: Blues Walk, the title track of his 1958 album, which according to Wikipedia “has been considered Donaldson’s undisputed masterpiece.” I’m not a jazz expert but I know is this: I love the saxophone, and Donaldson surely sounds sweet. Also, check out Herman Foster on piano!
The Doors/Riders on the Storm
Now let’s turn to a classic psychedelic tune with a great jazz and blues vibe by The Doors, who I trust need no further introduction. Riders on the Storm is the magnificent closer of their sixth studio album L.A. Woman from April 1971 – yet another great record that has turned 50 this year! It was the final to be released during the lifetime of lead vocalist Jim Morrison who passed away three months later in Paris, France at the age of 27. While the official cause of death was listed as heart failure, several people who maintained they were eyewitnesses said Morrison died from an accidental heroin overdose. Of course, we know all too well the history of rock is littered with so many talented artists who became casualties to drugs! Riders on the Storm was credited to all members of The Doors, who in addition to Morrison included Ray Manzarek (keyboards), Robby Krieger (lead guitar) and John Densmore (drums). It’s such a cool tune that still gives me goosebumps the moment that thunderstorm sound in comes on in the beginning.
Noods/Starting Over Again
For this next tune, let’s jump 50 years to the present and a recent discovery: Starting Over Again by Noods. Unfortunately, there is very little public information about the group. This short profile on Oh My Rockness describes them as a “fuzzy jangle pop band from from NY” and lists the following members: Trish Dieudonne (vocals, guitars), Nick Seip (vocals, guitars, synths, piano), Shane Danaher (drums, synths) and Mandy Romano (bass, vocals). According to this preview piece on Stereogum, the band released their debut EP Noods Please in 2017. The first full-length album is titled Blush. It has since appeared on April 16 this year. Here’s Starting Over Again, a pleasant song co-written by Dieudonne and Seip. I like the jingle-jangle guitar sound and the laidback vibe.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Something in the Air
When it comes to Tom Petty, one of my long-time favorite artists, there are so many great original tunes I could have picked. And yet I chose to highlight a cover. Why? Coz I absolutely love this tune and Petty’s rendition, which he recorded with The Heartbreakers for their November 1993 Greatest Hits compilation. That album is best known for the single Mary Jane’s Last Dance, which climbed to no. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Petty’s first top 20 hit of the ’90s in the U.S. mainstream chart. The band’s cover of Something in the Air also appeared as a single but missed the Billboard Hot 100. It did make Billboard’sMain Stream Rock chart, reaching no. 19. Written by singer-songwriter Speedy Keen, the tune was first recorded by short-lived British band Thunderclap Newman and became a no. 1 hit in the UK in mid-1969. Before joining Thunderclap Newman, Keen was the driver of none other than Pete Townshend and shared an apartment with him in London. Keen also wrote Armenia in the Sky, a tune The Who included on their third studio album The Who Sell Out from December 1967. Townshend was the catalyst behind the formation of Thunderclap Newman and also produced Something in the Air and the band’s only album Hollywood Dream released in September 1970.
Credence Clearwater Revival/Have You Ever Seen the Rain
This brings me to another band and song I’ve dug for many years: Creedence Clearwater Revival and Have You Ever Seen the Rain. In my book, it’s a great timeless tune that holds up well, even though I literally must have listened to it more than 100 times. In fact, it’s running in the background as I’m writing this! 🙂 Like most CCR songs, Have You Ever Seen the Rain was penned by the great John Fogerty. CCR were on a roll when this came out. The tune was included on their sixth studio album Pendulum released in December 1970, only five months after predecessor Cosmo’s Factory. It’s perhaps my favorite CCR song, together with Hey Tonight, Proud Mary and Born on the Bayou.
The Animals/I’m Crying
Am I already again at the point to wrap up this post, just when I’m having so much fun? I guess this means it’s time to shed some tears! 🙂 But, don’t worry, since I started The Sunday Six this January, it’s become my favorite recurring feature, so there will be more. The final tune for this installment shall belong to The Animals. When I first learned about them as a teenager, essentially, I only knew The House of the Rising Sun, their signature song and biggest hit that topped the charts in the U.S., UK and Canada in 1964. While it’s a great tune, there’s much more to the British rock band that was fronted by one of the best white blues vocalists, Eric Burdon, who turned 80 just a few days ago. Which brings me to I’m Crying, a gem that first appeared as a single in September 1964. Co-written by Burdon and the band’s first keyboarder Alan Price, the tune was also included on The Animals’ second studio album The Animals on Tour from February 1965 – a somewhat misleading title for a record that didn’t include any live tracks. I always liked the band’s raw bluesy guitar sound combined with Price’s organ and Burdon’s distinct, deep vocals.
Sources: Wikipedia; Lou Donaldson website; Oh My Rockness; Stereogum; YouTube
Christian's Music Musings 