JAMES LEE STANLEY – RIPE FOUR DISTRACTION

It all leads back to the Monkees.  In the 80s, shortly before I got married, I shared a house for a couple of years with two guys who were also huge Monkees fans – to the degree that we ordered three copies of that infamous Hawaiian 3-record bootleg set. (I still have mine. Don’t worry – virtually everything on it has been reissued in much better quality thanks to Andrew Sandoval.)

I stayed in Monkees fandom, and consequently heard in 1994 that Peter Tork was issuing his first solo album. Sent in my check, and when the CD was delivered, there was also a cassette in the package from some guy named “James Lee Stanley”.  I quickly realized that he had produced Peter’s album, so I listened to the cassette. Not bad. Not half bad. Put it away for a couple of weeks. Listened again. Pretty good.  There’s a few songs on here that have possibilities. Listened again the next day. And the next and the next and then had to have everything the guy had ever recorded and meet him and talk to him and start an email list for him and and and and and and and ……….

Twenty years later and I have the privilege of calling the man, the artist that is James Lee Stanley - my friend and it all came from the cassette version of “Ripe Four Distraction”

TOUCH LIKE MAGIC (James Lee Stanley) “Jimmy’s got a touch like magic.” I’ll agree with that. A song about a gambler who has just a little too much good luck…

EVERYDAY (Rick Ruskin/James Lee Stanley) – This was my first favorite James song. (The first of dozens.) About a relationship that is over. Well, sort of over. “No matter how I try, I love her more and more. I do all right till I see her, then it’s ooh, such a teaser to have her so near and yet so far.” “She never heard the word ‘forever’, I never opened up my eyes.” A beautiful song, sung in James’ plaintive voice – has a haunted quality that fits perfectly with the lyrics. (Note the video below is not the version from this album, but a later version with James & Peter Tork)

I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT (Severin Browne/James Lee Stanley) There are a group of James’ songs from different albums (two from the album) that I have always called “The Bitter Suite”. James tells the story of writing this song, about a girl yelling at him on the phone as she pointed out all of his faults, then kept saying “I don’t want to talk about it” and then proceeding to continue talking about it. An absolutely wonderful song. “It was so easy living in slow motion. It was so easy til you got the notion to fool around, mess around, run around and – oh, I don’t want to talk about it.” “Every time you leave you put on such an act. You say you’re going for cigarettes and never do come back. What – am I crazy? I’ve heard this number before.”

ALL I EVER WANTED (James House/James Lee Stanley) – And on a totally different note, one of James’ greatest love songs. His friends don’t understand the relationship, but they don’t understand that “I love you, and I love the mystery. What you do still holds for me. That ain’t news, it’s just the same old history. Without you, I’d lose my way.” “All I ever wanted you give me, all I ever wanted you are. All I ever wanted – without you, would leave me with an empty heart.”

ME AND THE MOVIE QUEEN (James Lee Stanley) – James’ rumination on Marilyn Monroe.  “I was just a boy when I saw you on the magazine, looking like a sailor’s dream.” “Never anything less than perfect to me, never anything more than a dream.” About how the perception of a media image can disguise the reality. “Where does the time go – all the glory, all the pain? What does it all mean? Without love, we’re all the same." Amen.

RIPE FOUR DISTRACTION (James Lee Stanley)  Lovely instrmental interlude. Sounds like it could be playing in the background of a Humphrey Bogart detective movie.

TAKE IT FROM ME (Rick Ruskin/James Lee Stanley) – Part two of the “Bitter Suite”. “Take it from me, I took it from you. And for all the good that it did me, it can do you too!” “Maybe I’ve changed, maybe I’m brand new. Maybe I’m colder now, but every trick in the book that I learned, I learned it from you!”  What happens after being in a relationship with someone who has used you to the ultimate.  We’ve all been there!

(DON’T GO) TALKIN’ TO STRANGERS (James Lee Stanley) Advice for life – “Don’t go talking to strangers, these days you never know for sure. Don’t go talking to strangers, don’t let them inside your door.” Simply put, a song about being careful of the decisions you make.

MY MY (CHIARASCURO) (James Lee Stanley) One of the most beautiful, haunting songs that James has ever written, in this case about Mohammed Ali.  “He stands at the window, watching a blood red sun. He stares in a mirror; he says what makes me do this?” “He stands in the shadows, he says people like a mystery. Selling old tickets, he grins helplessly.” “My, my, isn’t the world strange.” It is indeed.  At the time that James wrote this song, Ali had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but the news wasn’t widely known. I wonder if early symptoms might be part of what inspired this song?

WELCOME TO THE GREENHOUSE (James Lee Stanley) And James goes all political on us (and as James knows, my politics and his are pretty much a match.) “Heads in the sand won’t hear another word.” “They turn away – who are they anyway? Running the show, making all of the rules. Deep in the dark, they’re caught in a spider’s web. Lost in the light ahead, we’re so many fools.” We’ll get there by and by, get our rewards if we’re good little sheep.” “Follow the herd into the slaughterhouse, can’t lose your place in the long-standing line.” An intense song. If it doesn’t make you think, you’re not listening close enough.

JUST KEEP IT UP (Rick Ruskin/James Lee Stanley(?)) – “Just keep it up, looking at me with those eyes, just keep it up – you’re gonna get a surprise.”  Whatever it is that she is doing, it’s working. He’s falling for her.

Overall, a fantastic “starting point” album for anyone looking to get into James’ work. Available through Amazon, Itunes, CDBaby and James’ website, http://www.jamesleestanley.com – you can also check out James’ advice to aspiring musicians at www.datamusicata.com .

HARRY NILSSON – NILSON SCHMILSSON

It’s really weird. I’ve always had Nilsson in my collection, primarily because in his early days he was heavily associated with the Monkees, and because I have always loved “Without You.” My collection of music includes a compilation that I purchased quite a number of years ago with the rather unwieldy title “Simply the Best: Without You: His Greatest Hits.”

But a few months ago, I was wandering around on Amazon’s Instant Videos looking for something to watch and saw “Who Is Harry Nilsson and Why Is Everybody Talkin’ ‘Bout Him? I’ve always enjoyed documentaries about singers, so I downloaded it up and watched it. By the time I finished watching it, I had resolved to buy all of Harry’s available albums. This is not one of the ones I bought, because I had found a copy of Nilsson Schmilsson at the local thrift store many years ago for 50 cents, and had transferred the vinyl to CD.  But it was quite a ways down my playlist, so I pulled it up and listened, then listened again. Why had I not fallen in love with it the first time I listened? I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention.  Because this album is phenomenal.

NILSON SCHMILSSON  by Harry Nilsson, produced by Richard Perry, featuring Jim Gordon, Klaus Voorman, Chris Spedding, Herbie Flowers and John Uribe as his backing band.  The album reached number 3 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. Three singles were released: “Jump Into the Fire” reached #27 on the Top Pop Singles chart, “Coconut” reached #8 and “Without You” reached #1 on both the Pop Chart and the Adult Contemporary Chart. Nilsson won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance Male (for “Without You”,) and was nominated for Record of the Year (“Without You”) Album of the Year & Best Engineered Album (for the full album.) The album was released in 1971.

Gotta Get Up (Harry Nilsson) – Great opening song, all about a need to get up and get going. Haven’t we all had days like this?

Driving Along (Harry Nilsson) – A song of observation: “Driving along you can see all the people who seem to have nothing to say to each other. Each day they grow farther and farther away from each other.“ Are we sure that this was written in 1971 and not in 2014?

Early In the Morning (Leo Hickman, Louis Jordan, Dallas Bartley) – Even on the songs Harry didn’t write, he always seemed to find a way to personalize them and make them his own. “I went to Dooby Chase to get something to eat” (I assume a restaurant in L.A. at the time?) “Waitress looked at me and said ‘Harry you sure look beat!’”

The Moonbeam Song (Harry Nilsson) Micky Dolenz re-did this a couple of decades later as a lullaby, and that is certainly appropriate. Harry’s song were frequently a slice of life about what goes on in a day.  “Have you ever watched a moonbeam As it slid across your windowpane Or struggled with a bit of rain Or danced about the weathervane Or sat along a moving train And wondered where the train has been” I mean, I’ve been there, haven’t you?

Down (Harry Nilsson) – I have to admit that this is not one of the most eloquent lyrics. Basically the entire song is “I’m going down to the bottom of a hole” and variations on the phrase. But it is wonderful to listen to because Harry takes that phrase and rocks it!

Without You (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) – The hit. The hit beyond hits. Technically, Harry’s version was a cover, but how many times has the song been covered by other artists. I must have fifteen or twenty versions in my own collection by everyone from Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis to Clay Aiken and Joshua Ledet. The song isn’t so much about the lyrics as it is about showing off one’s voice. I used to love the fact that I could sing it – and hit those notes!  Note the words “used to”.

Coconut (Harry Nilsson) Pure fun. “Put the lime in the coconut and drink them both up.” A woman does this and calls her doctor “Ain’t there nothing I can take to relieve this belly ache?” His solution? “Put the lime in the coconut and call me in the morning!” Love it!

Let the Good Times Roll (Shirley Goodman, Leonard Lee) – Harry’s version of Shirley & Lee’s 1956 song, with Harry multi-tracking his vocals and turning himself into a trio! The video below combines "Let the Good Times Roll" with the Everly Brothers "Walk Right Back"

Jump Into the Fire (Harry Nilsson) – Fantastic rocker!  “You can climb a mountain, You can swim the sea, You can jump into the fire, But you'll never be free” Lots of echo and lots of blues shouting.

I’ll Never Leave You (Harry Nilsson) A quiet and calm follow up to the album’s heavy rocker. “Some nights I go to sleep without you, The river's far too deep without you. I can't make it alone, I need you by my side.”

Harry had one of the most phenomenal voices in rock history. From a perfect falsetto to early metal screams, he could do it all – until he ruined his voice through the constant cigarettes, booze & drugs. But when Nilsson Schmilsson came out, he was at his vocal peak. A perfect album.

JUDY COLLINS – TIMES OF OUR LIVES

Once upon a time, just short of 30 years ago, a family lost its home in a fire. Well that can be said of lots of familes every day, but in this case, it was my wife, myself and our daughter, who was then 13. None of us was physically injured in any way, we even got our cat out. The only loss of life was a goldfish.  But we lost almost everything we owned.

I say almost, because I had just married my wife a few months before and was in the process of adopting our daughter.  I moved in with them, and the home did not have room for all of my stuff, so a lot of it got put in storage. About half of my records had moved in with me, about half had been stored, so after the fire, we still had the rest of my stuff, and most importantly, the music. As we both had copies of almost all Judy Collins' albums, my copies of those had been in storage. 

One album that helped get me through that period was the then-newest album by the phenomenal Judy Collins – Times of Our Lives.

Great Expectations (Hugh Prestwood) - One of those songs that I just needed then.  This is a song that fits in with many self-help programs. Including lyrics like “Down has never been a place I care to stay”, “I believe in beginning again, I expect to be winning again. I intend to have love in my life.” Hugh Prestwood is primarily known as a country songwriter, but Collins fell in love with his work and she recorded quite a number of his songs over the years, starting with “Hard Times for Lovers” in 1979

The Rest of Your Life (Judy Collins)  - A song about motherhood, and how it never ends. “Every mother has to let her child go, even though it may tear her apart. I can hear the lullabies I sang you – now you stand taller than my heart.” “Whatever you’re doing for the rest of your life, I’m here to tell you you can count on me.” I believe that Judy wrote this for her son, discussing how a mother has to let go – and yet never can.

Granddaddy (Judy Collins) – A song reminiscent of the Irish jigs that Judy heard from her father in her childhood, morphed into a tale of a child and her grandfather “Wrap me up in your winter coat, wrap me up so tight. I never will feel the cold, I’ll be safe tonight.” Astonishingly beautiful.

It’s Gonna Be One of Those Nights (Hugh Prestwood) – Another love song about a happy couple! “I think we’re gonna have one tonight, we’re gonna have one of those nights, we’re gonna have one of those star-spangled nights, one of those times of our lives. Tonight in this world, there’s gonna be just you and me, we’re gonna be falling in love – darling, just you wait and see. Again, a song that is uplifting and empowering.

Memory (T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn) – From “Cats”, the ballad of Grizabella sung by one of the most beautiful voices on the face of the earth. Perfection – what else can I say?

Sun Son (Anna McGarrigle) – the magnificent McGarrigle sisters will be getting more than one entry on this blog, but Anna wrote this wonderful homecoming tune “It’s the sun, son, shining on the water – it’s not Cairo, New York or Rome. It’s a matter of hours before you see your Mama, waiting for you back at home.”  Another magnificently uplifting tune (are we beginning to see a pattern in this album?)

Mama, Mama (Judy Collins) – Well, not every song has to be happy, and this song takes a very different tack. This is the story of a single mother who already has several children, “trying to raise a bunch of kids on nothing but love and guts.”  “Five kids are gonna drive me crazy, Lord, I can’t have another baby.” Suddenly you realize that she is making a night-time trip while her kids are sleeping to have an abortion. “Mama, mama you know how it feels, love never knows a season. Mama tell me you understand – the heart always has a reason.” A heartbreaking song.

Drink a Round To Ireland (Hugh Prestwood) – I can’t think of this song without thinking of a dear friend who passed away a few months ago, who once wrote a story inspired by the lyrics of this song. The song makes me cry, both for what it says and how it makes me feel.

DRINK A ROUND TO IRELAND

Music and lyrics by Hugh Prestwood

Father was a singing man, most of what he sang

Had to do with Ireland, the place from where he came.

Ireland of his childhood, Ireland of his spring

To return to Ireland was his dream.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ, who died for Irishmen.

I guess he left his dreams to me after he was gone

And there were many years to come when I sang my father’s song.

And so I came to Ireland, here I live today,

Lately I’ve been wondering why I stay.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ who died for Irishmen.

Dad, I think you’re fortunate your dreams did not come true.

I know that it would break your heart to see the things we do.

If you could see the murder here, if you could feel the pain

To see the way we live would bring you shame.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ who died for Irishmen.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ, who died for Irishmen.

Angel On My Side (Judy Collins) – Picking us back up, a song about how down times are followed by better times “Somewhere down the line I found myself upon that road, where the devil led me I would go. Lost, I was lost like a child in the dark drifting away with the tide. God only knows how I made it back home – I must have an angel on my side.”

Don’t Say Goodbye, Love (Judy Collins) – What it says – a woman begging her lover not to leave her. An odd place to close the album, (I think “Angel On My Side” would have been a better ending) but nevertheless a beautiful song. “Don’t Say Goodbye love, I couldn’t bear to hear it.”

For 30 years, I have turned to this album - and to Judy’s astonishing voice - in my times of need. As long as I live, I will love this collection of songs. Thank you, Judy.

HEY, HEY, IT’S THE RIDICULOUS CLICHÉ!

I mean how many articles, blog posts, etc. etc. etc. can we take titled "Hey, Hey, They're The Monkees!"

As I mentioned in my last post, I fell in love with the music of the Monkees from the very beginning. Before the TV show ever started, as a matter of fact. Our local top 40 radio station started playing “Last Train To Clarksville” three or four weeks before the show premiered on September 12, 1966, so when that first episode showed up, I had already learned the song.

Since the Monkees were such an influence on my love of music, rather than just doing one blog post about them, I have decided to do several – starting out with one per album, and probably at least one for each of the members and a few more for the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even 21^st century activities of the group. (But not all at once. There will be lots of other subjects in between.)

So to begin at the beginning (as they say)

THE MONKEES

Peter Tork

Michael Nesmith

Davy Jones

Micky Dolenz

As I’ve already said at least once in this blog, and will probably say dozens more times, I love albums. When I was a kid, if I found a new artist I liked, I would frequently buy a single, mostly so that I could listen to the “B” side and see if I really liked them. But once I knew, I went straight for albums. And more often than not, my favorite songs weren’t the ones released as singles. My mother was disabled, so we kids did most of the work around the house, and were well compensated for it. So albums were not out of my price range, and I bought my first album (the soundtrack from the movie “Bambi”) when I was only 7. Consequently, when the Monkees first album came out, I had it quickly. And I loved it.

So here we go, song by song

Theme from The Monkees (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) – The show, of course, needed a theme song and Boyce & Hart came up with a great one. The Monkees were designed to be young and hip, but at the same time, safe. So that was how they started each show “We’re too busy singing to put anybody down. We’re just trying to be friendly.”  Micky’s vocals were on the money and he did a great job on a song that would be played every day for the next forty-eight years.

Saturday’s Child (David Gates) Micky doing lead again on a great song, probably my favorite on the album (Well, depending on my mood – my favorites everywhere change frequently.) This was before Gates got to be a big name himself, but a magnificent song that could easily bring to mind his later work with Bread.

I Wanna Be Free (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) Davy’s first lead vocal, and one of his better ones. Don Kirshner, producer of this album and their next, definitely had his legendary “golden ear”  – up to a point. He focused all his energies on Micky and Davy, believing that neither Nesmith nor Tork had a voice worth pursuing. Davy tended to get relegated to love ballads, and yes, he did them well – although I think that if he had been pushed into a slightly earthier style, he might have learned.  When I first got the album, I liked this song quite a bit, but both on the series and radio, this song tended to get overplayed. Consequently, I have been known in later years to hit the “skip” button when this track comes on.

Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day (Tommy Boyce / Steve Venet) Micky back on leads, and another great song from Tommy Boyce with a different partner this time. Your basic “she done me wrong” song, expressing the attitude “I’m gonna be a lot better off without you, bitch. (Okay they didn’t sing “bitch”, but if the song were written now, it would be there.)

Papa Gene’s Blues (Michael Nesmith) - The song that vies with “Saturday’s Child” for my favorite on the album.  “I have no more than I did before, but now I’ve got all that I need – For I love you and I know that you love me.” What a perfect lyric.  With lines like “Happiness is all rolled up in you” and “Free from all the helpless worry that besets a man when he’s alone” – what can I say? Magnificent. Getting to see this done live last spring when Nesmith did his solo tour was one of the great experiences of my life.

Take a Giant Step (Gerry Goffin/Carole King)  Micky’s fourth lead on the six songs of Side “A”, both the tune and lyrics here are, well, Goffin & King. What more needs to be said?  In later years, this song has become more known by Peter than Micky, but Micky’s version is terrific as well. Probably also one of the best cover versions of any Monkees song was Taj Mahal’s version of this track.

Last Train To Clarksville  (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) The first single issued by the Monkees, and with good reason. Very commercial, very well sung, and a subtle, anti-war lyric.

This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day (Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart) I get the feeling that this was written by Tommy & Bobby specifically to be sung by Davy – it has a very music hall feel, the standard British style that Davy seemed to lean toward so often.

Let’s Dance On (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) Your basic “let’s thrown in the names of every dance we can think of” song. By far the weakest track on the album.

I’ll Be True To You (Gerry Goffin/Russ Titelman)  Although this is a close second for the “weakest track” title. Another Davy ballad that sounds like a 14 year old’s love note. Goffin without King is like toast without butter. Dry and tasteless.

Sweet Young Thing (Gerry Goffin/Carole King/Michael Nesmith) I’ve heard that this was an attempt to get Nesmith to write something that didn’t sound quite so country, and that the songwriters did not get on well together. If so, it’s hard to tell by listening to the track, because it is strong and very well written. “I know that something very strange is happening to my brain, I’m either feeling very good or else I am insane.” Fantastic lyrics, fantastic tune. I have no idea who contributed what, but the blending of these three talents, however difficult it might have been, turned out a superior song.

Gonna Buy Me A Dog (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) A rather feeble attempt at transferring the zaniness of the TV show to the record. I liked it when I was 10, but it doesn’t hold up over the years. “I wish I had a glass of water.” “Why, are you thirsty?” “No, I want to see if my neck leaks.” Yawn.

All in all, a mixed bag of an album – I have always wondered what it would have been like if the group had been given at least partial control from the start. First, I doubt that we would have had seven songs by Micky, three by Davy, two by Nez and Peter represented on the album only on indistinguishable backup guitar on two tracks. Sadly, that will always be speculation, since they didn’t gain that control until the third album.

MUSIC IS LIFE

Music is life? What kind of garbage is that?

For me, it’s not garbage at all – it’s reality. I was raised in a musical family – my father and my brother both played guitars, my sister played a mandolin. She was disabled, but she was a good singer and loved music.  I loved her.  By the time I was born, my mother already had congenital heart disease, and six other kids before me, two in wheelchairs and unable to walk or stand. So my biggest influence was my sister, seventeen years older than me. She taught me to read before Kindergarten, and if I was good, she’d let me operate her record player for her. I could play her singles – pop, rock, country, she loved everything.

A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation by Marty Robbins.

My Happiness by Connie Francis.

As Far As I’m Concerned by Faron Young.  

Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On by Hank Locklin.

And her very favorite song, Angel Baby by Rosie and the Originals.

When she let me put records on her player, that was almost always the first one we chose.  My sister sounded a lot like Rosie.

I started school in the fall of 1962, as a half-day Kindergarten student. My favorite part of the day? Singing time, of course. After singing, it was nap time.  I never could get to sleep, so while the other kids dozed, I laid on my nap mat and went through the songs we sang, memorizing the lyrics.

First grade was the same, more new songs, more music and I loved it all. But in the spring of my first grade year, specifically April 1, 1964, came the day that my life became hell. My dear oldest sister went into the hospital with pneumonia. I was scared and walked the ¾ mile to school as I always did, but this time I was in tears. I just knew that she was going to die.  I told this to my teacher when she asked why I was crying, and she said, “Oh, your sister will be okay.” Early in the afternoon,  one of my older sisters appeared in the classroom door and handed the teacher a note.  I stood up and walked to the door with her.

I remember very little of the next ten years. I know I went to school, I know I did well in my classes, I think I had some friends, but not many and the ones I did have were pretty tolerant, because I didn’t talk much. In second grade, my parents got called in for a meeting with my teacher because I avoided playing with the other kids at recess. Instead, I walked around and around the inside of the playground fence, alone and quiet. But parts of the day were okay – when time for music came, I felt better. I paid attention. I can almost remember those times.

When I got home, I did my chores, then I went into my bedroom.  I put on records and listened while I read books or comic books.  Or I watched TV, especially if variety shows were on. I loved the variety shows, because they had singers. I loved the singers. This is the part of my life that I remember best – being alone, reading, listening, watching. Anything that didn’t require me to move around, that didn’t require me to play. That didn’t require me to cooperate with others.

When I was nine, I remember that a new television show was about to start. I loved the idea that it would combine two of my favorite kinds of TV – sitcoms and music shows. The show, of course, was The Monkees.  More and more, the pieces of my life that I felt best were times when I was enjoying music. I sang at school, I was always in the school choirs, and I was told I had a pretty good voice. The rest of the time, though, I didn’t communicate well, I had few friends. The only extra-curricular things I did involved – okay, you get the idea.

Well, the idea saved me. In 10^th grade, my choir director encouraged me to get involved in the school musical. It wasn’t a standard Broadway type show – It was a show that was written by one of our history teachers about the history of the school – our 100 year old school.  I’ll get to that another time. 

VIC DANA - IF I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME

VIC DANA

Vic Dana was born in Buffalo, NY in 1942. He began his entertainment career as a Tap Dancer and was spotted by Sammy Davis, Jr., who encouraged him to move to California to further his career. His family did, but eventually he decided to focus on singing rather than dance. His first chart hit was in 1961 with the Christmas song, “Little Altar Boy.”  Following that, he stayed in the middle regions of the chart until 1965 when he recorded “Red Roses For a Blue Lady” which finally propelled him into the Top Ten for the first – and unfortunately only – time. His songs were all from the Bobby Darin / Frankie Avalon / Fabian school, generally teenage romance ballads. He was a solid, if unspectacular seller.

In 1969, Vic switched labels from Dolton to Liberty and issued a new, hipper, “edgier” album called “If I Never Knew Your Name.” The album included two cover versions of Neil Diamond songs, the title track and “Red Red Wine” both of which charted, the first reaching #45 and the second reaching #72. (Both made the Top 30 of the Adult Contemporary chart.)  The other tracks on the album, mostly never issued as singles, (Sad Day Song and Another Dream Shot Down were issued as “B” sides) were undiscovered gems.

“Mama Come and Get Your Baby Boy” is a country rocker by DeWayne Blackwell, writing songs since the 50s, but it wasn’t until the 90s that he had his biggest hit –  called “Friends In Low Places”. This song is from a genre that appeared more than once in the late 60s, the “I ran away and boy am I sorry now” school, but very well done.  Add a third harmony, you would have early 70s Byrds. What is unique about this song is the way it plays with words:

I was just sixteen when I quit school

Learned just enough to be a fool

Mama cried when I left home with my guitar

Mama, I won’t stop pickin’ ‘til I’m a star

I picked potatoes in Washington, beans in Oregon

Honeydew melons in Oklahoma and in Chowchilla, California

Picked cotton up to my adam’s apple

Speaking of apples, I picked them too.

Mama, that ain’t what I set out to do

Mama, if I’m still your pride and joy

Mama, come and get your baby boy

“Good Woman” is a loving ballad about the woman who done him right! “This time I know I’m gonna make it, There ain’t no way to stop me now. Whatever happens I can take it, I got a good woman now.” This one is written by a pretty interesting trio, starting with Dana himself, along with Robert Velline and Thomas Glasser. (If those names don’t sound familiar, their professional names might – Bobby Vee and Tompall Glaser.)

“Everything” is another love song, and my favorite track from the album. Written by Kenny Nolan (“Lady Marmalade”, “My Eyes Adored You”)

“Everything she does works its way into my heart

And with every word she speaks

I know she knows I can’t help but care

She knows I know love is ours to share

Yes, everything she does turns me on.”

The song ends with a long, high note that is held for about eight bars.  I used to be able to match the note and the length. I also used to be 20.

The first side continues with a song that Vic Dana wrote all by himself, although it sounds as good as Neil Diamond’s work from the same period. It’s called  ”Another Dream Shot Down”  Here’s a version that was posted on YouTube, when the song was used as the B side of Red Red Wine

<video removed becuse it was some bizarre thing in Japanese. Sorry!>

And the last song on the side is called “Who Would Ever Think That I Would Marry Margaret” a bright and upbeat song written by Ralph Dino and John Sembello.

Side two starts with Neil Diamond again, Red Red Wine, sounding a lot more like Diamond’s original than by the rather bizarre UB40 version from a couple of decades later.

Angeline by Buzz Clifford comes next, the required Earth Mother song that seemed to be on every album at the time “Angeline lives in the forest where the shadows creep, She turns the fireflies on, sings the owls to sleep.”

Then comes “Sunshine On a Cold Morning” written by Bob Stone who would later have a huge hit called “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.

Half and Half by Mac Davis (about twelve million hits) was next on the list. Davis’ own version of this did rather well a few years later.

Sad Day Song by Martin Kosins is essentially a song about a man’s conversation with God – “Then he asked me the question – What’s the reason for this war? And I swear I couldn’t tell him, just what the war was for.” This album, of course, was issued during the Vietnam debacle.

The last song was once again made more famous later when recorded by it’s composer. In this case, the song was called "Rebecca", the composer was Glenn Frey and he recorded it with Longbranch Pennywhistle.

Researching for this post, one thing that strikes me was the number of early works from composers on the album who really didn't make it big until years later. Frey, Stone, Davis, and Nolan all fall into that category.

I bought this album in a cut-out bin somewhere around 1971 or 1972. I still have my original copy which you can certainly tell by the condition of the scan (that scan is from my copy) above. Over the years, I have recorded it onto 8-track tape, cassette, cd and now mp3. Still love the album, still one of my favorite over 40 years after I first heard it!.

I Love To Singa

I've thought for years about starting a blog, but kept getting stopped by the thought that I really don't have much to say.  What would I blog about that 33 million other bloggers haven't already blogged about?  So what is even slightly unusual about me?

And then the answer came to me. The answer that is the same as all the other answers in my life (okay, most of the other things) - MUSIC. 

To me, music is life. Always has been, always will be. And yes, I do love to sing, but not in public. Trust me, you're happier that way. But at the same time, I have musical tastes that are literally all over the map.  From Easy Listening to rock, from Big Band to vocal jazz.  About the only thing you can say is common to all of my favorite music is that it involves human voices. I love great guitar playing, but a guitar-only album will put me to sleep in no time. It's not about understanding the lyrics, I have many songs in my collection that aren't in English and I can't understand a damned word of!  It's just that to me, the perfect instrument for music is that human voice I mentioned up there.

The title of this blog comes from a wonderful Tex Avery cartoon from 1936 about an owl kid who wants to sing jazz instead of the classical music his parents want him to learn. Remember it?

If you want to see the cartoon, you can find it on Youtube. (I love cartoons too, but one blog at a time...)
So, back to the start - what do I blog about?  How about some of my favorite singers, talk a little about them, what I can learn about them on the web, what some of their great albums are, how I discovered them, what I like the most about them. I'll warn you right off the bat, I'm not generally a guy into "singles" - if I like something, chances are pretty good that I am going to want a bunch of them, so my emphasis has always been on albums.

One last thing for today - I don't plan to do this on any schedule, just when I get around to it. On some days, I may do two posts in a day, other times it may well be a couple of weeks between posts.  Or I may forget that I started this thing altogether. Who knows?  Well, let's find out!  See you next time!