Reviews of books that have held my interest. And things that happen along the way.
I have made it simpler to leave a comment. Just hit the comment selection and choose anonymous at the bottom- Or at my yahoo;
robertrswwilliams@yahoo.com
And let's not forget my friends at the Public Libraries!Most of my selections come from the Libraries listed on my sidebar. They are a great resource and a wonderful use of our tax dollars.
Have you hugged a Librarian today?
Here’s Carole King’s demo recording of “Pleasant Valley
Sunday” which she co-wrote with her then husband Gerry Goffin. He wrote the
lyrics about the life they were then leading living in a suburban development
in West Orange, New Jersey.
Demos are recordings made by artists who are writers and not
necessarily performers. The demos are shopped around to various artists in the
hopes that one of them will score a Number One hit with their own version of
the song. The resultant royalties due the writer are enormous when a record
goes Gold or Platinum. In the days before she recorded her own songs, Ms. King
made a small fortune in this way. That was before she released her blockbuster
album “Tapestry” in 1970.
The Monkees had the big hit with this one. Of course they
aren’t really playing all the instruments as they appear in the film below.
Chip Douglas, their music producer, played bass on this one, after showing Mike
Nesmith which strings to play on guitar to make the signature riff.
Notice the
absence of that riff in Ms. King’s version and you will understand the
difference between being a writer and a performer. That riff is actually a
variation of George Harrison’s guitar part on “I Want to Tell You” from the
Revolver album. Peter Tork did actually play the piano and Davy Jones shook the
maracas while Mickey Dolnez sang the lead vocal.
The record peaked at Number 3 and still gets plenty of
airplay today. It’s always an interesting experience to compare a writer’s
version of a song to the “hit” by someone else. More often than not I enjoy the
writer’s version more. But in this case, I have to go with the Monkees.
The following remarks were
delivered yesterday by Eddie Ray of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame at the
ceremonies honoring Thelonius Monk, which took place in Rocky Mount, N.C. I was
privileged to be asked to write a little something befitting of the occasion;
and glad to do it.
My original draft was
a little bit different in that it included 3 paragraphs which Eddie Ray chose
not to speak, thus proving his legendary talents as an accomplished Artists and
Repertoire (A&R) man. I have been known to go on tangents and need minding.
So, here is the text of the remarks as written by me and edited to a fine edge
by Eddie Ray, and then spoken at the ceremony. It was an honor for me to write
about Thelonius Monk; and although I might not be the number 1 fan as purported
in the in the opening remarks; I do recognize the genius of the man.
Introduction by Bobby Monk.
Eddie Ray:
“Thank you Bobby,
When Robert Williams,
a devoted fan of Thelonius
Monk, heard that I had been
honored to participate in Thelonius’
97th Birthday Celebration in his
home town of Rocky Mount, NC, he sent me
some suggested comments
about his musical idol that he would have liked to share if he were participating
in the Celebration. Robert’s comments
were so beautiful and emotionally moving, I decided to share them with you. He
entitled his presentation,
“THE PICASSO FROM
ROCKY MOUNT”
“The leaves would have been turning; just as they are now.
Look around outside at the beautiful colors surrounding us; these were the
first sights that the boy would ever see.
And though he traveled far; would they ever leave him? The sounds of his first winter would have
been full of the wind as it howled and blew through the hills;
and when it froze he would have
heard the cracking of the tree limbs as they broke away from the trunks,
crashing, quietly muffled on the
snow covered ground; crashing quietly;
just like the struggles evident in his music later on; when discordant notes
fought for a place among sweeter melodies. Could his senses have ever really
forgotten from where that came?
Surrounded by the colors and SOUNDS of these hills and
mountains where he was born had to have helped form the mind of the boy who
would someday mesmerize the world with his unique SOUNDS. And although he would
leave these hills at an early age; he was only 5 years old when his family
moved to New York City; this is where he came from.
After moving to New York, where the people today still claim him as their own; it seemed like everybody wanted a piece
of him. A largely self-taught musician, he did attend Julliard for a while; where it must have been difficult for him to contain his musical visions within
the confines of a structured school setting.
But, at age 17 he toured with a gospel band playing the organ for a few
years before forming his own ensemble.
After that, came the legendary years, which produced such
classics as “Round Midnight” in 1947. Photos of him at the time; he was 30;
show a sharply dressed and focused man. I could go on about all his great
achievements in the field of Progressive; and even Advant Garde Jazz, but all
of that has been covered elsewhere by others. You didn't come here to hear a
biography. You came here to celebrate a great musical SOUND.
Somewhere, sometime; there was a note, or
possibly a melody, which entranced you and drew you in, And then you were
hooked on that “SOUND”. Thelonius Monk was that SOUND personified. And his
entire life; until his death over 30 years ago; was a continued exploration of
just how far he could take that SOUND, from Rocky Mount, NC to New York City and
to every city in the world he took his SOUND he refined it each step of the way
, adding something he heard here; and a note he heard there; until those
combined SOUNDS became the soundtrack of his own life and travels; and the
lives of those that traveled the musical path with him.
On behalf of the NC Music Hall of Fame, I am
honored and grateful to have
the opportunity to help preserve, honor and promote Thelonius Monk’s extraordinary contributions to the
rich musical history of our State of North Carolina and to the entire
world. The memory and enjoyment of his
amazing musical contributions to the world of music will live on forever.
For more about both Eddie Ray and the NC Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis, go to their link at;
The English never get full credit for their
interpretation; and writing; of American style country music. From the Rolling
Stones to early Fleetwood Mac, English pop music is replete with wonderful
country music which never gets played on American country stations.There is no
real reason that “Faraway Eyes” isn’t played, right along with “No
Expectations” or even the original version of “Honky Tonk Woman”, called
“Country Honk”, which was written in Australia.
I was going to write something about pop music and how the
words are like the paints used by traditional artists. Then I ran across this
country ballad by Squeeze, an English band from the late 1970's and early 80's.
They still tour today, and Jools Holland, the founding member, is finally back on
keyboards. As for the vocals, well Glenn Tilbrook still sounds exactly the same
as in this 1982 live performance of "Labelled With Love." By the time
this performance was filmed, Holland had already left the band. I saw them once
in Spain, with Jools Holland, it was the first time I'd ever heard of them.
This was about 1979 or so. They were fantastic.
What I really like about this song is the full range of
imagery that Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford have displayed in their writing.
The song is from the 1981 album "East Side Story." You can actually
see and feel the cold chill of an English winter as this old woman struggles
through each year, pawning her valuables to keep the electric on. I can smell
the cat piss. And when she reminisces about having married the soldier and
moving to America, I can feel the desert heat and see the trailer they probably
lived in, though it is never mentioned.
Chris Difford had this to say about how he arrived at the
lyrics, after seeing a photograph of an old woman sitting at a bar in Paris in
the 1930's; "'Labeled With Love' was an adult lyric in a way that the
older generation could latch on to and understand. My mother absolutely loved
it. The story is about the end of a relationship after the war. I'd been reading
about American soldiers in Britain during the war who married English girls and
whisked them off their feet to the States."
As with all of their collaborations, Tilbrook and Difford
are among the more visual of the "pop" writers to emerge from the
60's style of songwriting. Together they bridged the "punk" rock
years, and Squeeze became one of the bands that kept "pop" alive
through the 1980's. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video as much as I do. Here
are the lyrics;
"Labelled
With Love" - Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford
She unscrews the top of her new whisky bottle,
and shuffles around in her candle-lit hovel.
Like some kind of witch with blue fingers in mittens,
She smells like the cat and the neighbours she sickens.
The black and white T.V. has long seen a picture,
The cross on the wall is a permanent fixture.
The postman delivers the final reminders,
She sells off the silver and poodles of china.
Drinks to remember I, me and myself
Winds up the clock, and knocks dust from the shelf.
Home is a love that I miss very much,
So the past has been bottled and labelled with love.
During the wartime an American pilot
made every air-raid a time of excitement.
She moved to his prairie and married the Texan,
She learnt from a distance how love was a lesson.
He became drinker and she became mother,
She knew that one day she’d be one or the other.
He ate himself older, and drank himself dizzy,
Proud of her features she kept herself pretty..
Drinks to remember I, me and myself,
Winds up the clock, and knocks dust from the shelf.
Home is a love that I miss very much,
So the past has been bottled and labelled with love.
He like a cowboy died drunk in a slumber,
out on the porch in the middle of summer.
She crossed the ocean back home to her family,
But they had retired to roads that were sandy.
She moved home alone without friends or relations,
lived in a world full of aged reservations.
On moth-eaten armchairs, she’d say that she’d sod-all
the friends who had left her to drink from the bottle.
Drinks to remember I, me and myself,
Winds up the clock, and knocks dust from the shelf.
Home is a love that I miss very much,
So the past has been bottled and labelled with love.
This recording of “Spanish Harlem” has just become my
favorite version among the scores that have been recorded. And that includes
the iconic version by Ben E. King. Why? Because it’s so bare and simple. With
no marimbas or percussion, Jerry Leiber’s vocals (that’s him singing) really
leap out and the beauty of the words is so much more apparent.
And the guitar playing, by Phil Spector, is a very pleasant
surprise. He’s nuanced in his approach, in much the same way as Mr. Leiber is
with his vocals. Mike Stoller apparently produced the session. Phil Spector and
Jerry Leiber are the accredited songwriters.
Here are the lyrics- seeing them written down reinforces
their beauty. And below that is a link to the Ben E. King version in its
finished form. You be the judge.
There is a rose in Spanish Harlem
A red rose up in Spanish Harlem
It is a special one, it's never seen the sun
It only comes out when the moon is on the
run
And all the stars are gleaming
It's growing in the street right up through
the concrete
But soft and sweet and dreamin'
There is a rose in Spanish Harlem
A red rose up in Spanish Harlem
With eyes as black as coal that looks down
in my soul
If you have only listened to Fleetwood Mac with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, who joined the band in the mid 1970's, then you have never really heard Fleetwood Mac before. This band, more than any other I can recall, underwent a huge change in the 1970's, transforming themselves from one of the most raw blues bands into a "pop music formula factory", cranking out hit after hit. But none of their later recordings has ever come close to the magic which was the so evident in the original band.
The above performance is of the classic number "Oh Well", which is kind of a conversation about morality, people and God. Compare that to anything this band has done since 1975 and you will find that the newer stuff doesn't even come close in edginess to the bands original format.
The original lineup consisted of founding members John McVie on bass guitar, Mick Fleetwood on drums, Peter Green on lead guitar and vocals, Jeremy Spencer on slide guitar and sometimes piano, with Danny Kirwan filling all the spaces in between on his guitar. McVie and Fleetwood had come from the John Mayall Bluesbreaker band. That band spawned almost all of the British bands of importance at the time. Mayall was himself a genius musically, and had a knack for picking raw talent, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and even Mick Taylor, who did a few years with the Rolling Stones before semi- retiring.
This color film from New Years Eve in Paris 1968 features Peter Green leading the band in "My Baby." Notice how tightly knit they are, weaving guitar riffs back and forth while McVie and Fleetwood keep that steady backbeat going. audience is kind of a hip version of American Bandstand, but wearing the latest in Paris fashion for the time.
This clip is like a time capsule of the prevailing music scene at the close of 1968. Everything was changing, France had just gone through the worst of the student-labor strikes which paralyzed the country that summer, even as our own streets were awash in violence during the Democratic Convention. The year had been so traumatic and bloody, with the murders of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy in the U.S. Watching the audience dance is interesting, as some are doing slow versions of the twist, while others are just moving in place. It was really like nobody knew what to expect next. They seem a bit lost, waiting for the next blow.
And nothing can compare with the guitar work of Peter Green; who is by the way Jewish; on "Need Your Love So Bad." His vocals, as well as his guitar, both cry out in pain, searching for the love that has been lost. Somewhere along the line Peter Green lost his "calling" and his desire to be a musician, and he retired from the band by 1971, which is when John McVie had his wife Christine, join the lineup. They had a few good albums before the big change over to "pop" music. Those albums, "Bare Trees" and "Kiln House", are both great examples of the change that was taking place within the band at the time.
After those two albums it was all down hill for me, as the band became the purveyor of what I like to call "formula rock", which is to say that the format of almost all of their subsequent hits were arranged in much the same fashion as the last one, until they all became almost indistinguishable from one another.
When Fleetwood Mac came to New York they played the Fillmore East regularly, often doing a late show which ran from about midnight to almost 6 AM, when the acid wore off, and the music began to lose some of its punch. If you were at any of those concerts you know what I mean.
As for Peter Green, he became quite reclusive for several years, with the most prevalent rumor being that he had become a grave digger somewhere in Scotland. I don't know that this is true for a fact, but it's a great story; right up there with Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads. Sometimes it's best to just believe the story and not dig any further, for fear of losing the mystique.
While reading Glen Slater's blog “It’s Never Been Easy” the
other day I got hung up on this song and a few memories; all of which can be
blamed on Mr. Slater and his post about a Carousel, which can be viewed here;
I think it was around March of 1970, probably late in the month,
when John and Jimmy and I went down to Coney Island. The amusement parks, like
Luna and Astroland, didn't open until April, but some of the concession stands;
most notably Nathan’s; were open year round. So, we spent our 20 cents each and got on the
subway for the 15 minute trip to Coney Island. In nice weather it was about 20
minutes to ride a bicycle there, but it was March, so we took the train.
Unlike other neighborhoods; we never called the Merry Go Round a Carousel. That term was reserved for the ride in Central Park, which I
only remember riding one time. With only a little man-made lake nearby; rather
than the Atlantic Ocean; the Carousel just never held the allure of the Merry Go Round in Coney Island. The Merry Go Round seemed more proletariat to me, like something my
Uncle Irving would have ridden as a kid. On the other hand, the Carousel seemed to be geared more
toward the Manhattan crowd, and all those gentried folk who live by the Park itself.
The big prize on the Merry Go Round was to grab the
proverbial “brass ring” which hung precariously from a wooden board protruding
from a vertical post, and always seemed
just out of reach until you were too old to ride the merry go round anymore.
There was also the Wonder Wheel, with swinging gondola cars mounted on rails which
made the gondolas glide precariously to the outer edges of the wheel itself,
giving the impression that you were about to be hurled off of the wheel and
into the ocean; or even into the crowds below.
When we got tired of being scared to death on that, there
was always the confusion of riding the Tilt-A-Whirl. This was one of those
rides which are based on the love of centrifugal force, with the spider like
arms of the ride spinning faster and faster, almost as if they were about to
become detached, once again launching the rider into orbit. When you’d get off
of the Tilt-A-Whirl, the meaning behind the name of the ride became apparent.
We walked like drunken sailors for a block or so as our equilibrium restored
itself.
The crowning delight of a cold March day had to have been a
hot dog at Nathan’s with a hot chocolate to wash it down. The combination would
probably kill me today, but back then; to a 15 year old; it was a delicacy.
A few of the Roll-a-Ball places were open and so we lost a
few bucks there, accumulating tickets towards prizes we would never get. I don’t
recall whether or not the bumper cars were open at the time. But we did ride
those at other times.
This is just one of those memories which came of reading
Glen Slater’s post about the “Boy Who Ran the Carousel.” That’s the best part of blogging; reading
another person’s story can often jog your own memory with delightful results.
This song was used in the film “Made in Dagenham” which
deals with the Equal Pay Act in Britain, and was passed in 1970 as a result
of the Ford strike by sewing machinists in 1968. The law went into effect in
1975; we’re still waiting for ours here in America; the champion of Human Rights.
The song is a real old favorite of mine, coming from the first album by Small
Faces, the group which later became known as Faces, with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane; of future Rolling Stones fame; on guitar. Their hits eventually
eclipsed the brilliant work done by the band when it was under the leadership
of Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane; shown here; before they left the band in 1969.
Although Faces was tremendously successful; commercially; for me they never came up to the artistic achievements of Small Faces earlier works; such as “Itchycoo Park”, “Lazy Sunday” or even the concept album “Nut Gone
Flake”, which was a heavy influence on other pop artists such as Pete Townsend
and the Kinks’ Ray Davies.
According to Steve Marriott’s mother, this song was
apparently written by Steve Marriott about breaking up with his girlfriend. However,
Steve Marriott disputes this, claiming the song is about Rod Stewart’s first
wife breaking up with Rod Stewart. Personally, I believe Steve's mother.
This song is from the album “From the Beginning" which is on
Decca records and was released at the beginning of 1966. The original lineup of
musicians was changed once during their short tenure; Jimmy Winston, the
keyboard player, was replaced by Ian McLagan around the time of this film from
BBC television.
I don't think you can find two people from such divergent backgrounds, who worked together for decades, shaping and influencing American pop culture, than Shel Silverstein and Bobby Bare. Everyone knows Shel Silverstein for his Playboy cartoons of the 1950's, as well as his travelogues, and still later his books, little gems such as "The Giving Tree." But his role as a songwriter of funny little ballads is not given as much attention as it deserves. He spanned every genre from country to pop to children's songs. And he did it effortlessly. He reportedly wrote on any available scrap of paper, from napkins to gum wrappers.
Bobby Bare is one of those country performers who made the transition from "straight" to "outlaw" during the late 1960's and early 1970's. He was one of the Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings crowd, who helped break down some of the old barriers in country music. Today's country music, which is mainly 1960's pop and rock, owes a large debt to these guys for putting some new life into the genre just as it was gasping for air.
During the 1970's and on through Shel Silverstein's death in 1999, the two continued to collaborate on several projects, most notably the 1998 release of "Old Dogs", for which Shel Silverstein did the artwork, produced and even wrote some of the tracks. The performers were Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Reed and Mel Tillis.
These are the lyrics to an earlier collaboration from about 1978. Health foods were just gaining traction, and some folks were having problems with it. That's the gist of the song. Shel Silverstein wrote it- Bobby Bare recorded it. You can listen to the recorded version below the lyrics.
"Food Blues" by Shel Silverstein
I was waitin' in Rosie's Restaurant
When the waiter came up and said, "What do you want?"
I looked at the menu -- it looked so nice
Till he said, "Let me give you some advice."
He said, "Spaghetti and potatoes got too much starch,
Pork chops and sausage are bad for your heart.
There's hormones in chicken and beef and veal.
A bowl of ravioli is a dead man's meal.
Bread's got preservatives, there's nitrites in ham,
There's artificial coloring in jellies and jam.
Stay away from donuts. Run away from pie.
Pepperoni pizza is a sure way to die.
Sugar rots your teeth and makes you put on weight,
But artificial sweetener's got cyclamates.
Eggs got cholesterol, there's fat in cheese.
Coffee ruins your kidneys, and so does tea.
Fish got mercury. Red meat is poison.
Salt's gonna send your blood pressure risin'.
Hot dogs and bologna got deadly red dyes.
Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides."
So I said, "What can I eat that's gonna make me last?"
He said, "A small drink of water in a sterilized glass."
And then he stopped and he stared and he thought for a minute,
And said, "Never mind the water - there's carcinogenics in it."
So I got up from the table and walked out in the street
Realizing that there was nothing I could eat.
Now, I ain't eaten for a month, and I'm feeling fine...
'Cause he never mentioned beer, whiskey, women and sweet red wine.
This is the original version of the film that was later shown on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968. It differs only slightly from the one that aired. The video was begun as a student film project in late 1967 with the original music to have been Beethoven's 5th Symphony. When Mason Williams, who was then a writer on the show, saw the film, he suggested, and then wrote, the new music for it. After obtaining permission from the films creator, the "Classical Gas" video made its debut on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in July 1968. The recording went on to become one of the bestselling instrumental recordings ever made.
The original video from the show has not been seen since 1968. Legal reasons are the chief culprit. This version was made using the original student film, which was never aired. It has been re-edited to "Classical Gas" and aside from a couple of frames is almost identical to the one shown on the Smothers Brothers Show over 40 years ago.
Note: The original student film, set to the Beethoven piece, was titled "God Is Dog Spelled Backward."
I was never much of a Bee Gees fan, beyond their early hits such as "I've Gotta Get A Message to You", "New York Mining Disaster 1941" and the other early pop hits recorded between 1967 and 1972. Of course they scored a super crossover with "To Love Somebody", a great song by the Bee Gees, but a real blues experience in the hands of Janis Joplin, who had the ability to take any song and make it her own. Witness her recording of Kris Kristofferon's "Me and Bobby McGee." People still think she wrote that one.
The Bee Gees became the soundtrack of the 1970's cocaine, Florida based sound of Disco music and Huck-a Poo shirts. This 2 CD compilation is a great testament to the contribution that the Bee Gees made to music. That they survived for 4 decades in an industry that thrives on change says some very strong things about the group, and ourselves. Did this group change over time, or with time? Did they steer, or were they steered by, the times they were in?
There was a time when I wouldn't have been caught dead listening to something like "Jive Talkin' ", yet yesterday I found myself in the car, windows down, breeze blowing, singing along to it! And as the album played on, I began to realize just how much of the background music to my life has been by the Bee Gees. I danced to them in every major city of the world when I was traveling during the 70's and 80's. I listened to them as background music in movies and even in elevators and at malls. And they have been a staple at every Bar Mitzvah or Wedding that I have attended for the past 30 years.
Checking out the playlist of 40 songs there is not one that doesn't evoke some sort of memory or event from their 3 decades at the top of the charts. The pictures of the group over the years also show a remarkable transformation of the brothers from Pop Stars to Disco Kings.
Every once in awhile I surprise myself by reading, or listening to, something that I didn't think I really cared for. This was one of those times. As to the relevancy the Bee Gees still exert on our current music scene, both in sound and style - just check out the hat that last night's "America's Got Talent" winner was wearing and then look back at the cover of this album. Oh, and in between there has been another guy with a hat just like it. His name was Michael Jackson.
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