The Sunday Six

Welcome to the final Sunday Six of 2021 – can’t believe I’m writing this! To those celebrating, I hope you had a nice Christmas and are still enjoying the holiday season. To everybody else, hope you’ve been having a great time anyway! Today, this weekly recurring feature is hitting a milestone with its 50th installment. It’s another eclectic set of music touching the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2021. Ready for the last mini music excursion of the year? Let’s do it!

Frank Zappa/Pink Napkins

I’d like to start today’s music time travel with an artist I never thought I’d feature. While I recognize Frank Zappa was widely acclaimed, except for the weirdly catchy Bobby Brown Goes Down, I always found it difficult to listen to his music and never warmed to him. That being said, I’ve always known he was a pretty talented musician. When my streaming music provider served up Pink Napkins the other day, I was immediately intrigued by this guitar-driven instrumental. And, yes, I was quite surprised to learn I had just listened to Frank Zappa! Pink Napkins is from Son of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar, the second in a series of three all-instrumental albums released in May 1981, which subsequently appeared as a box set in 1982. It’s a very improvisational collection of what essentially are guitar solos. While hey there, people, you may wonder, wonder, why Zappa released a massive collection of guitar solos, dare I say it, I actually dig Pink Napkins!

Pink Floyd/Stay

Next is what I would call a deep track from Pink Floyd’s catalog. Stay, co-written by the band’s keyboarder Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour, was included on the group’s seventh studio album Obscured by Clouds that came out in June 1972. It was the soundtrack for a French motion picture titled La Vallée and directed by Iranian-born Swiss film director and producer Barbet Schroeder. Among others, he’s known for directing Hollywood films Barfly (1987) and Single White Female (1992). While Obscured by Clouds didn’t match the chart performance of the group’s two preceding records Meddle and Atom Heart Mother, it still reached a respectable no. 6 in the UK. By comparison, it remained, well, a bit more obscure in the U.S. where it stalled at no. 46. This was in marked contrast to Pink Floyd’s next album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Little Richard/Good Golly, Miss Molly

Okay, boys and girls, it’s time to get movin’ and groovin’ with some killer classic rock & roll by the great Little Richard: Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball, whoo/Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball/When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’/Can’t hear your momma call…Even though I’ve listened to Good Golly, Miss Molly countless times since I first heard it 40-plus years ago, I’m still amazed by Richard’s energy. This man was a force of nature and an incredible performer. Good Golly, Miss Molly was co-written by John Marascalco and producer Robert “Bumps” Blackwell. It was first recorded by Richard and appeared as a single in January 1958. It was also included on Richard’s eponymous sophomore album released in July of the same year.

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band/Ways and Means

Let’s keep rockin’ and jump to 2021 and The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. If you happened to read part 1 of my recent year-in-review feature, you may recall the name of this unusual country blues trio, which has been around since 2003. Ways and Means is the opener of Dance Songs for Hard Times, the trio’s energetic 10th studio album that came out back in April. Check out the official video, which is fun to watch. These guys are just amazing! Peyton is a really talented guitarist, and his singing ain’t too shabby either – my kind of reverend!

The Mamas & The Papas/Monday Monday

After two high-energy tunes, I’d like to slow it down a little with some beautiful sunshine pop from the ’60s. For the purposes of this feature, the tune really should have been titled “Sunday Sunday”, but I’ll gladly go with Monday Monday. The third single by The Mamas & The Papas, released in March 1966, became the L.A. vocal group’s only no. 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by the group’s leader John Philipps, aka Papa John Phillips, the tune was a big hit outside the U.S. as well, reaching no. 2 in Austria, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands; no. 3 in the UK; and no. 4 in Australia, among others. Monday Monday was also included on The Mamas & The Papas’ debut album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears from February of the same year. I’ve always loved their beautiful harmony singing.

Bonnie Raitt/You

I’d like to wrap up this installment with one of my all-time favorite artists: Bonnie Raitt. Since I was introduced to her with Nick of Time in 1989, I’ve come to love her music and amazing slide guitar-playing. I also finally had a chance to see her in August 2016 in New Jersey. If you’re curious you can read more about the show here and watch a clip of the entire gig, which is still up! For this post, I’ve picked You, a beautiful tune from Raitt’s 12th studio album Longing in Their Hearts that appeared in March 1994. The song was co-written by John Shanks, Bob Thiele and Tonio K. (born Steven M. Krikorian). Bonnie Raitt will tour in 2022. Man, would I love to catch her again – we’ll see whether conditions are going to responsibly allow it!

Last but not least, here’s a playlist with the above tunes!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

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The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band Release Damn Good New Album

To anyone who knows me and my music taste, perhaps it was predictable that I would follow up my latest Best of What’s New installment with a dedicated post on The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. The energetic music by this unusual country blues trio, which released their new album Dance Songs for Hard Times on Friday, April 9, is just too damn good to do otherwise.

In case you didn’t read my aforementioned post, the trio has been around since 2003 and consists of Josh “The Reverend” Peyton (guitar, lead vocals), his wife “Washboard” Breezy Peyton (washboard) and Max Senteney (drums). Notably, they don’t have a bassist. Peyton, a great guitarist, compensates with skillful fingerstyle playing that includes the prominent use of his thumb to play bass lines.

As noted on the band’s website, Dance Songs for Hard Times was written during the dreadful pandemic and reflects the ups and downs life can throw at you. To start with a story that has become all too familiar, COVID-19 completely derailed the band’s touring schedule. Pre-pandemic they played a whooping more than 250 dates per year. Added to this were a lingering illness affecting Peyton’s wife – possibly an undiagnosed case of COVID – and a cancer diagnosis for his father. On top of all, bad weather knocked off power for multiple days at the Peyton’s 150-year-old log cabin in Southern Indiana – jeez!

While his wife rested and recovered, Peyton wrote the album’s songs in near darkness. “It’s been a struggle the entire time,” he explained. “Nothing’s been easy. Other than the music. The music came easy.” Given all of that rather bleak context, you might expect to hear a downcast album. Not so! “I like songs that sound happy but are actually very sad,” Peyton noted. “I don’t know why it is, but I just do.”

It’s also notable that at the suggestion of Nashville producer Vance Powell, who has worked with the likes of Chris Stapleton and Jack White, production relied on analog eight-track recording. Peyton’s vocals and guitar-playing were captured live in the studio, and overdubs were kept to a minimum. Together with the use of Peyton’s 1954 Supro Dual Tone electric guitar and other “old” gear, this gives the album a great vintage sound. Let’s get to some music!

Here’s the opener Ways and Means, which nicely sets the mood for the entire album. Peyton’s guitar playing is really impressive, and his vocals neatly fit the songs. “‘Ways and Means’ was written for all those folks who have the moves, the style, the substance, the talent, but maybe not the seed money or the famous last name,” Peyton stated. “All those people who had to work extra hard because they didn’t get to start way ahead. Folks who have been playing catch-up since they were born and had to get really good just to make it to zero.” And all of that is packaged in upbeat music. The video is also fun to watch!

On Rattle Can, the band is pushing the pedal to the metal. Peyton sings in such rapid fire motion that it’s difficult at times to understand the words. An excerpt: I need the whole enchilada, I need the whole shebang, just a little taste won’t do/ I need the whole enchilada, I need the whole shebang, just a little taste won’t do /I need the whole enchilada, I need the who shebang, I need all the marbles too/I need the whole enchilada, I need the whole shebang, just a little taste won’t do/rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, shake, shake/Shake it like a rattle can, baby, oh yeah…

Here’s Too Cool to Dance, the tune I highlighted in my previous Best of What’s New. I guess it was just too cool to skip! “I was thinking about all the times where I’ve been somewhere and felt too cool to dance,” Peyton noted about the song. “I didn’t want to be that way. Not being able to do anything last year, I had this feeling of, ‘Man, I’m not going to waste any moment like this in my life – ever.'” Another engaging video to watch. The energy is just infectious!

Time to slow down things a little with No Tellin’ When. The words make it pretty clear what the tune is about. No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll see my mom again/No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll see my mom again// No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll get to work again/No tellin’ when, no tellin’ when/No tellin’ when I’ll get to work again…

Let’s do one more: Nothing’s Easy but You and Me. I wonder what that song is all about! 🙂 Bills keep coming like a freight train running/Bills keep coming like a freight train running/Back it up mama it don’t cost nothing/Bills keep coming like a freight train running/Nothing’s cheap and nothing’s free/Nothing’s easy but you and me…

“Despite the hardships of this moment in history, it created this music that I hope will maybe help some people through it,” Peyton summed up the album. “Because it helps me through it to play it.” The band’s website also revealed some other positive news. After undergoing surgery, Peyton’s father was declared cancer free last year. The band has also been able to stay connected with their fans and make some money through a page on Patreon, a service to support musicians and other artists through recurring monetary contributions in exchange to gaining access to exclusive content created by the artist.

Sources: Wikipedia; The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band website; YouTube