The Sunday Six

Happy Sunday morning, afternoon, or evening – in whichever time zone you are, I hope you’re doing great and are in the mood to join me on another journey to visit music of the past and the present century. This trip will have six stops in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2008.

Shorty Rogers Quintet/Breezin’ Along in the Trades

Let’s start today’s journey by setting our music time machine to the year 1957. That’s when the Shorty Rogers Quintet released an album titled Wherever the Five Winds Blow. Born in 1924 Milton Rajonsky, Shorty Rogers was a trumpet and flugelhorn player who was instrumental in creating West Coast jazz. According to Wikipedia, this jazz style was developed in the 1950s in San Francisco and Los Angeles and is often viewed as a subgenre of cool jazz. Rajonsky who hailed from Great Barrington, Mass. started his career in the ’40s, working with Will Bradley, Red Norvo and Woody Herman. In the early ’50s, he played with Stan Kenton. In 1952, he released his debut as a bandleader, Modern Sounds, the first of many such albums that would appear over the next 40 years. Apart from playing as a sideman, Rajonsky also became a sought-after arranger of jazz music and beyond. Notable examples of the latter include The Monkees, e.g., Daydream Believer, and Bobbie Gentry’s first three albums. Rajonsky passed away from melanoma in November 1974 at the age of 70. Coming back to Wherever the Five Winds Blow, here’s Breezin’ Along in the Trades, a beautiful original composition. Shorty Rogers (trumpet) was backed by Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, saxophone), Lou Levy (piano), Ralph Pena (bass) and Larry Bunker (drums).

The Jayhawks/Wichita

Our next stop takes us to September 1992 and Hollywood Town Hall, the third studio album by The Jayhawks. Since coming across them in August 2020, I’ve come to like this American alt. country and country rock band. Initially formed in Minneapolis in 1985, The Jayhawks originally featured Mark Olson (acoustic guitar, vocals), Gary Louris (electric guitar, vocals), Marc Perlman (bass) and Norm Rogers (drums). By the time Hollywood Town Hall was released, Rogers had been replaced by Ken Callahan. After four additional albums and more line-up changes, the group went on hiatus in 2004. They reemerged with a new formation in 2009, which still includes Louris and Pearlman, and have since released four additional albums, most recently July 2020’s XOXO. Hollywood Town Hall became the group’s first album that made the U.S. mainstream chart Billboard 200 (no. 192). Notably, it also climbed to no. 11 on the Top Heatseekers. Here’s the great Wichita, co-written by Olson, Louris and Pearlman.

The Who/I Can See For Miles

Time for a stopover in the ’60s to visit one of my all-time favorite bands. In December 1967, The Who released their third studio album The Who Sell Out. Primarily written by guitarist Pete Townshend with contributions from bassist John Entwistle and Thunderclap Newman vocalist Speedy Keen, the brilliant concept album includes a collection of songs interspersed with fake commercials and public service announcements. One of the tracks is I Can See For Miles, which also appeared separately as the lead single in October 1967. Townshend was convinced he had written a hit, yet the single “only” reached no. 10 in the UK. It did best in Canada, where it climbed to no. 8, and also charted slightly higher in the U.S., getting to no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 40 in New Zealand (no. 13), Australia (no. 20), The Netherlands (no. 28) and Germany (no. 37). Yet Townshend was disappointed. To me, it was the ultimate Who record, yet it didn’t sell,” he later commented. “I spat on the British record buyer.” While I wouldn’t call the tune’s chart performance terrible, I do agree with Townshend that I Can See For Miles is one of the gems by the British rockers.

John Mellencamp/Theo and Weird Henry

Let’s move on to the late ’80s. In May 1989, John Mellencamp released his 10th studio album Big Daddy, the last under the John Cougar Mellencamp name. Musically, the record continued his transition from heartland straight rocker to roots-oriented artist, which had begun with its predecessor The Lonesome Jubilee. Lyrically, it presents a collection of largely reflective songs. “Big Daddy was the best record I ever made,” Mellencamp told The Associated Press in December 1991 in the wake of his 11th studio album Whenever We Wanted. “Out of my agony came a couple of really beautiful songs. You can’t be 22 years old and had two dates and understand that album.” For context, the AP story also quoted Mellencamp as saying, “I had a daughter who grew up and I didn’t know who she was [I assume he referred to Michelle from his first marriage to Priscilla Esterline – CMM]. I was getting a divorce [from Victoria Granucci, his second wife – CMM] and I didn’t want one.” Big Daddy became best known for its lead single Pop Singer, which topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and peaked at no. 8 in Australia. In the U.S., it surged to no. 2 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and reached no. 15 on the Hot 100. Theo and Weird Henry, on the other hand, is a deep cut I love. It’s got more of a heartland rock vibe.

10cc/The Things We Do For Love

Our next stop takes us back again, to December 1976. That’s when British art pop band 10cc released The Things We Do For Love as a single. Co-written by guitarist Eric Stewart and bassist Graham Gouldman, who had founded the group with Lol Creme (guitar, keyboards) and Kevin Godley (drums) in July 1972, the tune was also included on their fifth studio album Deceptive Bends from May 1977. The Things We Do For Love placed in the top 10 singles charts in the UK (no. 5), Australia (no.) and the U.S. (no. 6). In Canada, it became their second no. 1 after I’m Not in Love, which had become 10cc’s breakthrough hit outside the UK in May 1975. I’ve liked the band’s often quirky songs since my teenage years. 10cc are still around as a touring act led by Gouldman and have been on the road for The Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour, which has upcoming gigs in The Netherlands before moving on to New Zealand and Australia in June. The current schedule is here.

The Hold Steady/Constructive Summer

And once again, we’re reaching the final stop of yet another music time travel trip, which takes us to the current century. In July 2008, The Hold Steady released their fourth studio album Stay Positive – kudos to fellow blogger Graham from Aphoristic Album Reviews who recently reminded me of the New York indie rock band by ranking their nine studio albums that have appeared to date. One of the albums he suggested I check out is Stay Positive. I did and voila! The Hold Steady first entered my radar screen in late March with their most recent studio release The Price of Progress. Formed in 2003, their current lineup includes co-founders Craig Finn (lead vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Galen Polivka (bass), along with Steve Selvidge (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Franz Nicolay (piano, keyboards, accordion, harmonica, backing vocals) and Bobby Drake (drums, percussion). Wikipedia  notes The Hold Steady are known for their “lyrically dense storytelling”, “classic rock influences” and “narrative-based songs [that] frequently address themes, such as drug addiction, religion and redemption, and often feature recurring characters within the city of Minneapolis.” Let’s wrap things up with Constructive Summer, the kickass opener of Stay Positive. Like all other tracks on the album, it was co-written by Finn and Kubler.

So where’s the bloody Spotify playlist? Ask and you shall receive!

Sources: Wikipedia; Associated Press/Bowling Green Daily News; 10cc website; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

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’s Main 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

Baby, You Can Drive My Car, and Yes, You’re Gonna Be a Star!

Since my recent post about Something in the Air by Thunderclap Newman, the above creatively borrowed and somewhat adjusted phrase had been stuck in my head, just like the catchy song. The first part of the statement is true, the second half is perhaps debatable. But while this British rock band only had one real hit, there’s no doubt in my mind Thunderclap Newman was more than just a one-hit-wonder.

As a fan of The Who, I’m intrigued by Pete Townshend’s role in the band’s history – in fact, without Townshend, there would have been no Thunderclap Newman. He brought the band’s core members together in late 1968/early 1969: Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Speedy Keen (born John David Percy Keen), Dixieland jazz pianist Thunderclap Newman (born Andrew Lawrence Newman) and lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (born James McCulloch). They are pictured in that order from left to right in the above photo.

Interestingly, prior to the band’s formation, Keen had been The Who’s chauffeur and shared an apartment with Townshend. He also had written Armenia In the Sky, the opener to The Who’s third studio album The Who Sell Out from December 1967. Apparently, Townshend was impressed with the songwriting talents of Keen who had played in different bands since 1964, so he decided to introduce him to Newman and McCulloch. Townshend was also instrumental in getting the band a contract with Track Records, an independent label established by The Who’s managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp.

The first song Thunderclap Newman recorded was their big hit Something in the Air written by Keen. The sessions took place at Townshend’s home studio. He also produced the single and played bass on the recording under the pseudonym Bijou Drains. Released in May 1969, Something in the Air topped the UK Singles Chart only three weeks after its appearance, replacing The Beatles’ Ballad of John and Yoko. The tune’s original title was Revolution, but it was changed because The Beatles already had a song with that title, which had come out in 1968.

Following the success of Something in the Air, an initially reluctant Thunderclap Newman agreed to go on the road. They brought in Jim Pitman-Avery (bass) and Jack McCulloch (drums), Jimmy’s older brother, to support Deep Purple on a 26-date tour of England and Scotland from July to August 1969. After the tour, Pitman-Avery and Jack McCulloch exited and formed country-rock band Wild Country, leaving Thunderclap Newman with their three core members. Keen, Newman and McCulloch went back into the studio and recorded Hollywood Dream, their only studio album.

Like Something in the Air, Townshend played a key role, producing Hollywood Dream and again playing bass under the name of Bijou Drains. And while the final track Something in the Air undoubtedly is the hit, there are other gems on this album. Let’s kick things off with the nice opener Hollywood #1, which like most of the other tracks was written by Keen.

Here’s Open the Door Homer, a great cover of a Bob Dylan song. If I see it correctly, Dylan did not release the tune until 1975 when he included it on The Basement Tapes, a collection of tracks he had recorded in 1967, mostly with backing by The Band. In particular, I dig Keen’s singing on this tune.

Next up: Accidents, another original tune written by Keen. There’s a lot going on in this more than nine-minute track, including some great piano and guitar work. In fact, as much as I dig Something in the Air, Accidents is the album’s tue standout to me. A shorter version was released separately and peaked at no. 46 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1970, becoming Thunderclap Newman’s only other single to make the charts.

The last song I’d like to call out is the title track. To readers who know my affection for vocals, it may come as a bit of a surprise that I chose to highlight an instrumental. Well, it’s not that I don’t like instrumentals – after all, I’m a big fan of Pink Floyd’s ’70s albums that are filled with instrumental parts. But after a while, I simply feel the need to hear some vocals! In part, I also chose Hollywood Dream since it was co-written by the McCulloch brothers, making it the only original that wasn’t penned by Keen. BTW, Jimmy McCulloch was only 15 years when he recorded this tune with the band.

In early 1971, Thunderclap Newman brought in Australian musicians Roger Felice (drums) and Ronnie Peel (bass) to create a new touring lineup. This was followed by another tour with Deep Purple that included Sweden, Norway and Denmark. And then it was suddenly all over for the band. Why? Referencing a 1972 interview Newman gave to the New Musical Express (now known as NME), Wikipedia hints to personal friction between Newman and Keen. It’s unfortunate when egos clash, but certainly not unheard of, especially in music!

Keen went on to record two solo albums, Previous Convictions (1973) and Y’ Know Wot I Mean? (1975), and also played as a session musician with Rod Stewart, The Mission and Kenny G. Sadly, he passed away from heart failure at the age of 62 on March 12, 2002.

Newman also recorded a solo album, Rainbow, which appeared in 1971. Other than that he was “was musically dormant and worked as an electrician, until he put together a new version of Thunderclap Newman in 2010,” according to an obituary in The Guardian. In addition to Newman, the band’s new line-up featured Tony Stubbings (bass), Nick Johnson (lead guitar), Mark Brzezicki (drums) and Pete Townshend’s nephew Josh Townshend (rhythm guitar and vocals). Shortly thereafter, the band released Beyond Hollywood, an album of studio and live tracks of old Thunderclap Newman songs. In 2011, they toured the UK with Big Country. The last two gigs listed on the band’s official website are from 2012. Newman died on March 29, 2016 at the age of 73.

Jimmy McCulloch formed his own group in October 1971 and also played guitar in various other bands, most importantly Paul McCartney’s Wings, which he joined in August 1974. After exiting Wings in September 1977, McCullogh joined the reformed Small Faces. Another own band and a few additional stints followed. On September 27, 1979, McCulloch was found dead, apparently having died from a heart attack attributed to morphine and alcohol poisoning. He was only 26 years old.

This post was updated on September 18, 2021 to note that Thunderclap Newman’s second tour with Deep Purple in 1971 included Sweden, Norway and Denmark, not England and Scotland, as had previously been stated.

Sources: Wikipedia; The Guardian; YouTube