Jim Carroll - "People Who Died" (forgotten song)

Danette pointed out that memorials were becoming an unfortunate theme as of late (e.g., Ronnie Montrose, Clarence Clemons, Ronnie James Dio) so naturally the appropriate song is Jim Carroll's "People Who Died", which tells the autobiographical story from Carroll's 1978 book "Basketball Diaries" (and made into a film of the same name in 1995). Aside from the film's soundtrack, the song originally appeared on The Jim Carroll Band's 1980 LP "Catholic Boy".

You occasionally hear this song on the radio, but only when they're playing alternative 80s or something like that. That's too bad, because this is a great song and features prominently on several of my playlists. The take away message from this song is: you and your friends aren't nearly as screwed up as Jim and his friends...

I was surprised to learn that Jim Carroll recently (2009) joined the people who died.

Jim Carroll Band: Basketball Diaries Film Video, live (198x?), studio version (with lyrics)

Townes Van Zandt - "Pancho and Lefty" (the song remains the same)

In my previous post I introduced Ronnie Montrose to illustrate the concept of popular vs. influential. Continuing in that theme we now look at Townes Van Zandt, a songwriter's songwriter. You probably haven't heard of Townes, but he was an enormously influential on and respected by artists you do know, as we will see.

One reason Townes never achieved greater fame is that he was his own worst enemy, embodying all the cliches of "Bad Blake" in Crazy Heart, but without the happy ending. His death could be a movie by itself. Somewhere, Townes must have heard that you need to suffer to be a good songwriter... and he was a very good songwriter. As Steve Earle once said:

"[Van Zandt is] the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that."

My first introduction to Van Zandt's music was long before I even knew who he was. In 1983, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard released a collaborative album entitled "Pancho & Lefty". I had a lot of exposure to country music at the time because my mother played it 24-7 and even though I was into metal then, I knew "Pancho and Lefty" was a compelling song.

It tells the story of the two outlaws, Pancho now dead and Lefty retired (for the record: it is not about Pancho Villa). They live a hard life on the run, but perhaps their freedom is a farce:

All the Federales say
We could have had him any day.
We only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose.

Eventually Pancho is "laid low" and Lefty escapes:

The day they laid poor Pancho low,
Lefty split for Ohio.
Where he got the bread to go,
There ain't nobody knows.

The exact details of what happened are never revealed. One reading of the song is that it is a retelling of the universal theme of betrayal, but even though the evidence suggests otherwise I like to think Lefty didn't flip on Pancho (read the rest of the lyrics to decide for yourself). The story that Townes tells is simple, direct, and powerful; there are no wasted words. It is a perfect match for Willie Nelson's voice, who absorbs the story and the way he sings the opening stanza gives me chills:

Living on the road my friend,
Was gonna keep you free and clean.
Now you wear your skin like iron,
Your breath as hard as kerosene.
You weren't your mama's only boy,
But her favorite one it seems.
She began to cry when you said goodbye,
And sank into your dreams.

Before Willie and Merle recorded it, Emmylou Harris recorded it for her 1977 LP "Luxury Liner", and it first appeared on Towne's 1972 LP, "The Late Great Townes Van Zandt". As you can see below, you can take almost any combination of country and folk singers and find a live version. Some of the notable versions are:

Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard: studio (1983), live

Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan: live

Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris: live (2000)

Emmylou Harris: live (1977), live (2008)

Steve Earle: studio, live (2009), live (2009)

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings: live (1997)

and of course:
, live (ca. 1975, from "Heartworn Highways")
Townes Van Zandt: live (1993), interview + live (1984), live (ca. 1975, from "Heartworn Highways")

Montrose - "I Got the Fire" (forgotten song)

I wanted to acknowledge the recent passing of Ronnie Montrose, the influential guitarist and founder of the band Montrose. Never heard of him? That's because Ronnie nicely illustrates the difference between influential and popular. I only knew a little bit about Montrose during my metal years and never owned any of their LPs. One reason I knew little of them is their popularity was brief and peaked in the mid-70s. Apparently Ronnie was hard to work with and his interests wandered, not being especially interested in continuing to refine the formula of their successful 1973 eponymous LP.

But they had a huge impact on the bands that defined my metal years. You might have known that Sammy Hagar got his start as the vocalist for Montrose (read Sammy's tribute to Ronnie in Rolling Stone). What you might not have known is that Eddie Van Halen was heavily influenced by Ronnie, and Van Halen played Montrose covers during their bar band days.

My first introduction to them was via the Iron Maiden covers of "I Got the Fire" (which Iron Maiden retitled "I've Got the Fire"). Robert Gordick had all of the import singles and EPs, including the 1980 "Sanctuary" single whose b-side featured a live version with original vocalist Paul Di'Anno, as well as the 1983 single "Flight of Icarus" whose b-side featured a studio version of the song with the more famous vocalist Bruce Dickinson. I remember first hearing this song and being blown away by the riffs and hooks. "I Got the Fire" originally appeared on the 1974 LP "Paper Money", and was one of the last of the (original) collaborations between Sammy and Ronnie.

Other Montrose songs are arguably more popular ("Space Station #5", "Rock Candy", "Bad Motor Scooter"), but in part to the Iron Maiden covers, my favorite is "I Got the Fire". Short, simple, and an unforgettable guitar riff. Thanks to Ronnie for influencing the bands that influenced me.

Montrose: "I Got the Fire" (live in the studio version)

Iron Maiden (w/ Paul Di'Anno): "I've Got the Fire"

Iron Maiden (w/ Bruce Dickinson): "I've Got the Fire"

Rainbow - "Rising" (LP Review)

So here's my dilemma: I'd like to increase my hipster indie cred by writing more about artists like Autechre, The Caretaker, Balam Acab, etc. On the other hand, I also like it when people actually read what I write, and so far my two most popular reviews (in terms of page views) are Black Sabbath - "Vol. 4" and Rainbow - "On Stage". In the interest of more clicks, I'm digging up another high school era LP...

Rainbow's 2nd LP, 1976's "Rising"*, is one of a handful of LPs that I have on both vinyl and CD; that should be some indication of how important I thought this LP was at a particular time. I still remember purchasing the vinyl LP at the music store in the Newmarket North mall, ca. 1985. I can't quite remember when I purchased the CD, but I think it was a few years later while I was in college.

As I said in the "On Stage" review, Rainbow Mk. II was their best lineup: Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Tony Carey (keyboards), Jimmy Bain (bass), and Cozy Powell (drums). Sadly, they only made this one studio LP together (Rainbow's lineup changed for every single studio release), and although 1978's lineup for "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" is similar, that LP isn't nearly as good. Unlike "On Stage", I've always had mixed feelings about this LP. At six songs and approximately 33 minutes, there is actually a lot to dislike about this LP, but an epic, 16 minute, two-song sequence makes this LP worthwhile.

One song is ok ("Tarot Woman"), three songs are awful ("Run With The Wolf", "Starstruck", "Do You Close Your Eyes"), and two songs are amazing ("Stargazer", "A Light in the Black"). The latter two songs formed side two of the vinyl record, so I pretty much pretended that there was only 1/2 of an LP to play. "Starstruck" and "Do You Close Your Eyes" are especially bad: mid 70s blues rock songs that Dio simply can't pull off. Related bands like Whitesnake and later versions of Deep Purple could do well with those kinds of songs, but Dio is best when he sticks within the epic fantasy genre. "Tarot Woman" moves in that direction, but side two is where the LP shines.

"Stargazer" and "A Light in the Black" form a two-part story of a person who (loosely summarizing) joins a cult and helps build a tower for a wizard who seeks to fly:

In the heat and the rain
With whips and chains
To see him fly
So many die
We build a tower of stone
With our flesh and bone
Just to see him fly
But we don't know why
Now where do we go?

Of course, the wizard falls to the ground instead of flying and his former followers are left to ponder why and find their way back home (from ALITB):

Won't forget his face, what a lonely place
Did he really let us go?
All the time that's lost, what's the final cost
Will I really get away?
All my life it seems, just a crazy dream
Reaching for somebody's star
Can't believe it all, did he really fall?
What to do now I don't know
Somethings calling me back, like a light in the black
Yes I'm ready to go
I'm coming home

Well... I thought it was cool in HS. "Stargazer" successfully integrates an orchestra with the music to give the appropriate epic, soundtrack quality. "A Light in the Black" is stripped down and features Cozy Powell at his best: providing the solid foundation of the newly realized certainty of the character. Tony Carey is excellent in both songs.

These two songs provided the template for Dio's future direction in fantasy metal, both in Black Sabbath and later in Dio. Sadly, this Rainbow line up gave us one great live LP and just one studio LP that was only half-great.

Standout tracks: "Tarot Woman", "Stargazer" (live), "A Light in the Black" (live)

Skip 'em tracks: "Run With The Wolf", "Starstruck", "Do You Close Your Eyes" (live)

Final score: 7/10**. I struggled with this one, but if you like Blackmore & Dio, this LP should be in your collection. If you don't like them, this LP won't convince you otherwise.

Bonus link: the entire LP as a single YouTube track.

* Worthless trivia: The vinyl record was originally entitled "Rainbow Rising", with the artist being "Blackmore's Rainbow". Additionally, their first LP was actually billed as by "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow". It wasn't until "On Stage" that the band's name was simply "Rainbow", and they retroactively retitled the first two LPs.

** I'm ready for the clicks to come pouring in! Hopefully no nasty grams since this rated "only" a 7/10.

2017-02-01 edit: I just saw that Jimmy Bain died about a year ago -- I'm not sure how I missed that.  Cozy Powell died a long time ago (1998), so only Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Carey are the only surviving members of this lineup. 

Autechre - "Peel Session" (LP Review)

If you don't like repetitive, electronic music you're not going to like Autechre, who are in some ways electronica's answer to Phillip Glass. Herbert turned me on to Autechre (aka Sean Booth & Rob Brown) many years ago, and their 1999 EP "Peel Session" is probably my favorite release of theirs.

At first listen, Autechre's music seems rather simple: loops of different melodies and percussion gradually introduced, combined, retracted, modified, and reintroduced (thus the comparison with Glass). Any single loop is simple enough, but their combination and the summation of their effect is surprisingly complex and hypnotic, and only reveals its full design after repeated listenings.

"Peel Session" was recorded for and broadcast by John Peel in 1995, but the EP itself wasn't released until 1999. At 25 minutes, it contains three songs in increasing length and complexity: "Milk DX", "Inhake 2", and "Drane". They're all good, but "Drane" is a hypnotic masterpiece (with some elements bordering on shoegazing). This EP has a more ambient feel than some of their more IDM-influenced releases, making it that much stronger in my opinion.

Standout songs: "Milk DX", "Inhake 2", "Drane"

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 8/10. Don't play this as background music, because it will suck the air out of the room.

The Clash - "Straight to Hell" (forgotten song)

I just realized that while I had a Super Bowl themed post last year, I didn't have one this year. So just a few days late... The Clash?! Admittedly this is one of the last bands you would associate with the Super Bowl.

Here's the tie-in: Madonna did the half-time show this year and although she lip-synced (that's bad), it was still better than last year's oddly bland performance by the Black Eyed Peas (anyone that says the BEPs performance was the worst ever must have forgotten about the 2010 performance by The Who...). One of Madonna's guests was M.I.A., who apparently flipped off somebody -- NBC, NFL, FCC, America, Madonna -- it isn't clear.

Upon reading about that my first reaction was "who?". But then I remembered that M.I.A. did the song "Paper Planes", made famous by being featured in the 2008 movie "Slumdog Millionaire". Of course, what made that song memorable is that it heavily samples from the last (proper) single by The Clash, 1982's "Straight to Hell", from the LP "Combat Rock".

The Clash's last single was fittingly a great song, and although their lyrics deal with examples of immigration issues ca. 1982, it is still a proper summary of the GOP policy on immigration:

There ain't no need for ya
Go straight to hell boys

The Clash: "Straight to Hell" (SNL 1982 live version, stadium live version)
M.I.A. "Paper Planes"

Bonus Links:
Lily Allen & Mick Jones: "Straight to Hell"
The Clash: "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (B-Side to the 1982 single).

Roseanne Cash - "Seven Year Ache" (forgotten song)

This has been driving me crazy for quite some time... Katy Perry songs are featured regularly at the Y (about the only place where Danette and I hear pop music). Although it makes me a little ashamed, I have to admit Perry writes some strong hooks, with her 2010 single "Teenage Dream" probably being my "favorite". But the thing that always struck me was part of the song reminded me of what I thought was a 70s song; specifically how she sang the following lines, first occurring at 2:27--2:43 and repeated again at 3:23--3:40:

I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight

Last night at the Y I think I figured it out: I believe I'm thinking of "Seven Year Ache", the country/pop cross-over single from the 1981 LP of the same name by Roseanne Cash. Yeah, so 1981 isn't quite "70s", but it is close enough. I'm not claiming a copy or ripoff, just similarity: listen to the phrasing and structure of lines like (0:32--0:48):

Girls in the bars thinking who is this guy
But they don't think nothing when they're telling you lies
You look so careless when they're shooting that bull
Don't you know heartaches are heroes when their pockets are full

as well as the chorus:

Tell me your trying to cure a seven year ache
See what else your old heart can take
The boys say when is he gonna give us some room
The girls say, God, I hope he comes back soon

and then compare to the Perry lines. Danette confirmed that they were similar and said it was a good pull, but she may have just said that so I would shut up about it. Anyway, I think I've uncovered the similarity that's been a pebble in my shoe every time we'd hear this song while working out. And while it has been probably 10 minutes since you've heard a Katy Perry song, when was the last time you heard a Roseanne Cash song?

Roseanne Cash -- "Seven Year Ache"
Katy Perry -- "Teenage Dream"