Rolling Stones - "Waiting on a Friend"

Last month, jazz saxophone great Sonny Rollins died.  I'm not going to attempt to convey the depth and magnitude of classic LPs like "Saxophone Colossus", other than to point out that it was inducted in Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2016.  He is of additional personal interest to me because he was the last living artist from the iconic 1958 photograph "A Great Day in Harlem", and the film based on this photograph is what Danette and I saw on our second date, in Portsmouth, 1998.  I can't remember the exact venue, it may have been a church or community center -- it was not a standard movie theater as I recall.  I've looked online for more details, but records from 1998 are sparse.  

What does this have to do with The Rolling Stones?  Fun fact: Sonny Rollins plays saxophone on "Waiting on a Friend", the second single from their 1981 smash comeback LP, "Tattoo You".  I was 12 at the time, only sort of knew how important The Rolling Stones were, and certainly knew nothing of Sonny Rollins.  I recall how much I loved the sax from the early MTV video of this song, even though I would not learn that it was Sonny Rollins until a few years ago.  Another fun fact: "Tattoo You" is almost entirely constructed from studio leftovers and demos, and although this song came out in 1981, it was recorded in 1973 during the classic "Goats Heads Soup" sessions.   

Sonny Rollins is, well, a saxophone colossus, but "Waiting on a Friend" is pleasant surprise to his canon, and will always have a special place in my heart for all the reasons listed above.  

The Rolling Stones (with Sonny Rollins) - "Waiting on a Friend"

 

Grateful Dead - "Reckoning"

Bob Weir, a founding member of the Grateful Dead, died earlier this month.  And since I'm far behind on my posting, I'll just this entry to cover bassist and founding member Phil Lesh, who died just over a year ago, and vocalist and former member Donna Jean Godchaux (1972-1079), who died just a few months ago.  The only original and long-time members still alive are their two drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart (an inverse Spinal Tap, if you will). 

I liked them well enough, even though I was never the biggest Grateful Dead fan, but many of my friends were, and given the time and place of my birth, they were an ever present force in my cultural peer group.  Everyone I knew liked them to some degree or another; it was just a question of "how much" and not "if".  To that end, I have three personal stories from back in the day involving the Grateful Dead.  

The first was in High School (maybe early college? looking at this list, it could be any of the 1986--1989 shows) and involved standing in line at a music store to get wrist bands for the opportunity to stand in line to buy tickets for a Grateful Dead tickets.  Or maybe even a spinoff band, like the Jerry Garcia Band, or a Grateful Dead pseudonym, like The Warlocks.   The whole experience was arranged by someone more in the know than me (Robert Dempster?), but Muriel and I went along with Terry, Drew, and others and got the first stage wristbands.  They were designed so that you could not take them off, but we got them off anyway and were able to sell them for $20 or so.  Again, not for a ticket, but for a wrist band that would allow you the chance to buy a ticket.  Not a bad haul for an evening's work in the mid- or late-80s.  

The second story involves my inability to sync with Drew to see the Grateful Dead for one of their two 1992 shows in Hampton. I was graduated and working at NASA at the time, and Drew, still at UVA, had picked up an extra ticket and called me to say he was coming down and if I was interested in seeing the show.  I was absolutely was, and we made plans by phone several days before the show to meet by the fountain in the Hampton Coliseum parking lot.  We both knew the place and this would be an easy rendezvous point.  Unfortunately, because it was the Grateful Dead, they had "grately" expanded the perimeter with fencing, and the fountain was far inside the and given the crush of people, not in line of sight view.  I arrived at the appointed time, but with no means of communicating with Drew (no cell phones in 1992!), I just walked around the perimeter and then went home -- there really was nothing else that could be done.  I often tell this story to "younger" people who don't remember a time before cell phones -- synchronizing with your friends used to be difficult.  Jerry Garcia died in 1995, and I never had a chance to see the Grateful Dead again.  

The third and final story explains why I chose this LP to mark Bob Weir's passing.  I was at Terry's place at JMU, either late 1991 or early 1992, and we came back after partying all night (it may have been the same evening as the described in the "Cactusland" post).  He put on a tape of "Reckoning" as we drifted to sleep, and it was the perfect late evening listening, and I was touched by the beauty of the songs, especially "It Must Have Been The Roses".  Right before I passed out, I told Terry "I'm going to steal this tape."  And the next morning, I did just that.  I eventually bought the CD and returned the tape a couple of years later (he had completely forgotten the event), but this LP was my go to sleep music nearly every night that I lived in Seaford.  

Released in 1981, "Reckoning" was the acoustic live LP, with "Dead Set" as the electric companion released in the same year.  Judging the quality of Grateful Dead shows and ranking the versions of individual songs is far beyond my Dead expertise, but I've gathered that the 1980 shows that these tracks are selected from are considered exemplars of that era.  The CD version that I own has "Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie" omitted, which is unfortunate because it's one of the better songs.  

Of course, hardcore fans listen to soundboard recordings of individual shows, not live LPs.  But this is a "grate" starting point for casual fans, and it's perfect for late night listening.  

Standout songs: I have a special affinity for the first five (CD) or six (tape) songs, after which I was generally asleep: "Dire Wolf", "The Race Is On",  "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie", "It Must Have Been the Roses", "Dark Hollow",  "China Doll"

Skip 'em songs: "Monkey and the Engineer" (for me, this song breaks up the flow of CD/tape)

Final score: 9/10.  You can make this a 10/10 by deleting a couple of songs and adding back "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie" 

Bonus links:

Merging my professional and personal interests, the Internet Archive hosts the definitive Grateful Dead archive.  Via the Internet Archive, here are some of the shows that were used to make "Reckoning":

• 1980-09-26 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-09-30 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-10-07 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-10-07 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-10-11 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-10-13 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-10-14 Warfield Theatre
• 1980-10-25 Radio City Music Hall
• 1980-10-26 Radio City Music Hall
• 1980-10-27 Radio City Music Hall
• 1980-10-30 Radio City Music Hall

The I would have made if cell phones existed in 1992: Grateful Dead at the Hampton Coliseum: 1992-03-05 (IA), 1992-03-06 (IA)

Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

Stax house band member and session guitarist extraordinaire Steve Cropper died this week.  Most people haven't heard of him, but he was instrumental in defining the "Memphis Soul" sound of the 1960s, and co-wrote or played on countless recordings, including decade-defining songs like "Knock on Wood", "In the Midnight Hour", "Soul Man", "Green Onions", and of course, "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay".  

Cropper was a musician's musician, revered for his feel, timing, and soul. Our friend Gregg Brooks told us of his meeting Cropper in 2004. When Gregg told Steve of his love of Al Jackson Jr., Steve showed Gregg one of Al's old kits that was still in the studio. 

Rolling Stone's "12 Essential Steve Cropper Songs" is a great review of his contributions, and had a few surprises for me, including Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" and Big Star's cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale".  "Femme Fatale" is one of my favorite songs and I was tempted to use it for Cropper's passing, but upon further reflection, how could I pass up the universally beloved "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay"?

Otis Redding (and Steve Cropper) - "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay"

Bonus link: Big Star - "Femme Fatale" 

Jimmy Cliff - "Trapped"

Reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff passed last week.  I originally knew of him via Bruce Springsteen's cover of "Trapped", which started to get radio airplay when it was released on 1985's "We Are the World" soundtrack.  I always liked it, and it was later when I heard the original (1972) and learned that Bruce turned an otherwise triumphant song into a dirge (surprise!).

Much later I learned about the movie "The Harder They Come" (and soundtrack), and their influence on bands like the Clash.  

Although I'm not sure he was ever "popular" in the US, he was extremely influential on artists that are popular in the US.  Everyone knows about Bob Marley, but Jimmy Cliff is probably the second most influential Jamaican musician. 

Jimmy Cliff - "Trapped" (studio), "Trapped" (live on David Letterman) 

Bruce Springsteen - "Trapped" (live 1984)*

* I consider myself lucky that when we saw Bruce in DC in 2023, he performed "Trapped".  Drew & fam saw the previous show in Greensboro, and they got "Darlington County" instead; "Trapped" is a far better song. 

Ozzy Osbourne - "Mama, I'm Coming Home"

Ozzy Osbourne died last month, less than three weeks after his farewell concert in Birmingham.  Watching the performance on July 5, it seemed likely that this really was his last performance: although he sounded great, he performed seated and he was similarly always seated in the backstage scenes. 

It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of Ozzy in the metal community in my HS years. Randy Roads had only been dead about a year (1982), and the Black Sabbath cannon and the first two Ozzy solo LPs were in high rotation on everyone's personal playlist. Even as the metal community divided over glam/hair metal vs. thrash/black metal, everyone loved Ozzy. 

Last month, as I listened to Ozzy do four songs from "Blizzard of Ozz", I was surprised at the wave of nostalgia I felt listening to "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley". and "Suicide Solution".  You still hear "Crazy Train" on the radio regularly, and I've continued to listen to Black Sabbath to this day, but it's been maybe 30-40 years since I've heard the others? Why don't I listen to these LPs more often?

To mark Ozzy's passing, I thought about reviewing either "Blizzard of Ozz" (better singles?) or "Diary of a Madman" (start-to-finish, a more solid LP?), but I'm not quite ready to revisit them. Instead, I'm going to highlight the fifth song last month's solo set, 1991's "Mama, I'm Coming Home".  To be honest, it's not even a favorite song of mine.  Ozzy arguably invented the metal ballad genre with 1972's "Changes", but I just never cared for this this one compared to, say, "Goodbye to Romance" or "So Tired".  But thematically, it's an obvious choice in retrospect, in part because Ozzy was clearly emotionally moved while singing it last month.  

It's safe to say, there will never be another Ozzy. 

"Mama, I'm Coming Home" -- studio, live (Back to the Beginning, July 2025; watch this version instead)

Bonus link: Drew made me aware of this great roots/Americana cover by Larkin Poe, from their 2020 LP "Kindred Spirits".  This version made me think that what I really don't like about Ozzy's version is the modish over-the-top production. 

Bonus fact: This is one of a handful of songs that Ozzy co-wrote with Lemmy. 

The Spaniels - "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite"

My mother died last month, after a lengthy battle with cancer.  That event is mostly beyond the scope of this blog, but in my eulogy I mentioned the 1954 hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" by The Spaniels. When I was young, she used to sing this song to me when it was time for me to go to bed.  It wasn't until much later in life, presumably I was an adult, that I realized this song was an actual song from her youth and not a song that she made up to shepherd me into bedtime. It's a perfectly fine doo-wop song, but for me it will always be associated with my mother and my childhood bedtime. 

The Spaniels - "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".  

The Moody Blues - "Go Now"

 

Denny Laine, co-founder of both The Moody Blues and Wings, died last month.  Most people consider Wings as just a Paul McCartney solo project, and that's mostly true, but few realize that Laine was a constant member of the band (along with Linda), pretty much from start to finish. In addition to other various projects, Laine was also a member of Ginger Baker's Air Force.  

Although he left before what we now consider the "classic lineup" of The Moody Blues, he did sing lead on the "Go Now", which wasn't their first single, but probably their earliest single that still gets airplay today.  It was only today that I learned that "Go Now" is actually a cover of a song originally recorded by Bessie Banks, with her version predating the The Moody Blues version by a few months.  Normally I credit the original artist, but The Moody Blues version is a great way to remember Denny.  

The Moody Blues - "Go Now"

Wings - "Go Now" (live, 1976)

Bessie Banks - "Go Now" 

Angels of Light - "I Pity the Poor Immigrant"

 

Almost three years ago, Miles Seaton, a founding member of Akron/Family, died in a car accident.  I learned of Akron/Family, one of the coolest bands you've never heard of, from Butch Lazorchak during one of our many musical exchanges.  I struggle to define Akron/Family, but imagine Tortoise and other post-rock bands, channeling 1967-era Brian Wilson.  

My favorite LP of theirs is the "Akron/Family & Angels of Light".  The story behind this LP is a little complicated: it's a split LP, ostensibly between two bands: Akron/Family and Angels of Light, but Akron/Family plays on all the Angels of Light tracks.  

Angels of Light is the neofolk persona of Michael Gira, founder of the noise rock band The Swans.  I'm a big fan of The Swans and have several of their LPs, but did not know about Angels of Light until Butch turned me onto them.  Michael Gira runs his own record label, Young God Records, and was the first to sign and promote Akron/Family, with Akron/Family serving as the backing band for many Angels of Lights releases.  

The full LP deserves its own review (see the Pitchfork review: "...Gira's fatherly measuredness is a nice foil to Akron's hyperkinetic mini-opera..."), but for the moment I'll just spotlight their cover of Bob Dylan's "I Pity the Poor Immigrant", from his 1967 LP "John Wesley Harding".  I'm a sucker for obscure Dylan covers, as well as Gira's drawling baritone.  

For the moment, Akron/Family is defunct, and Seaton's death might keep it that way.  Fortunately, they left a significant discography to explore.  

Angels of Light (with Akron/Family) - "I Pity the Poor Immigrant"

Bob Dylan - "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" (live 1976, with Joan Baez)

I pity the poor immigrant
Whose strength is spent in vain
Whose heaven is like ironsides
Whose tears are like rain
And who eats but is not satisfied
Who hears but does not see
Who falls in love with wealth itself
And turns his back on me

 

The Pogues - Live at the Town and Country Club (1988-03-17)

 

Shane MacGowan, best known as the frontman for The Pogues, died a few weeks ago.  If you know anything about Shane MacGowan, you're probably surprised he made it to 65.  

I first learned of The Pogues in my final year of college, courtesy of my roommates (I can't recall if it was Jason, Frey, or Terry -- perhaps all of them).  With their (then) unique blend of Irish folk and punk, their LPs were in heavy rotation at our house on Wharton Street.  Only later in life was I able to understand what they were doing as an Irish/UK equivalent of what, for example, the Violent Femmes were doing in the US.  

To mark Shane's passing, I turn to their 1988 video release, "Live at The Town & Country Club London 1988", of a St. Patrick's Day concert, featuring collaborations with Joe Strummer, Steve Earle, Kirsty MacColl, Lynval Golding, and others.  The video was edited down to about an hour, but the setlist for the full concert makes me hopeful that and extended release could happen in the future.   

Aside from an occasional reunion, The Pogues haven't been active since 2014.  But in 1988, just a year or two before my discovery of them, The Pogues were at their height.  

MacColl (2000), Stummer (2002), guitarist Philip Chevron (2013), bassist Daryl Hunt (2022), and now MacGowan (2023) -- all featured in the 1988 video -- sadly have all passed.  This single concert may be the greatest collection of artists you've never (or barely) heard of. 

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The Specials - "Enjoy Yourself"

"Hello, Hi, I'm Terry, and I'm going to enjoy myself first."

Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials, died last December of pancreatic cancer at age 63.  First of all, 63 no longer seems that old. Second, I was pretty young when The Specials were at their height, and though some songs got airplay in the early days of MTV, it was not until I was much older that I really appreciated them.  There were many good bands in the ska revival / Two-Tone genre, but The Specials were like The Clash with respect to punk: other bands might be enjoyable, but they were important, and Terry Hall was a big part of the reason why.  The membership of The Specials and their many permutations is a complex story, and certainly Jerry Dammers should receive most of the credit as the primary song writer, but to me, if it didn't have Terry, it wasn't The Specials.  

While I've mentioned The Specials here many times, I have yet to review the LPs.  I don't have time to really share all my thoughts about the two primary LPs from their classic lineup, but the short version is while their debut "The Specials" (1979) has better individual songs, I always thought their 1980 follow-up, "More Specials", was a better LP, start-to-finish.  It wasn't until researching this post that I discovered that genre-bending "More Specials" is credited with influencing 90s genres such as lounge and trip hop.  

So, if I'm not reviewing the entire LP, the obvious choice would be the opening/closing versions of the song about mortality, "Enjoy Yourself".  I always enjoyed how it joyfully opened the LP, as well as the dirge-like reprise that closed the LP.  What I did not know until recently is that this is a cover of a 1949 song, titled "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", first made famous by Guy Lombardo.  Ok, technically, it's a cover of the slightly different version by Prince Buster as a B-side in 1963 (and later released as an A-side).  Either way, all versions of this song are enjoyable and clearly timeless.  

Apparently, The Specials had been planning to work on a new LP, but I guess that won't happen now.  I'll eventually review "The Specials" and "More Specials", but until then you can appreciate the unexpected story of their sophomore LP's opening and closing song.  

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think 

Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink

The years go by, as quickly as you wink 

Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

The Specials: "Enjoy Yourself" (studio), "Enjoy Yourself (reprise)", "Enjoy Yourself" (live 1, live 2)

Prince Buster: "Enjoy Yourself", "Madness / Enjoy Yourself" (live)

Guy Lombardo: "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)"

While researching this article, I saw that original drummer John Bradbury died in 2015.  

Sinead O'Connor - "War"

We found out today that Sinead O'Connor died.  Probably best known for her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U", if you weren't there, it's hard to convey just how big she was in the early 1990s -- right up until she became famous for her other cover: Bob Marley and the Wailers's "War".

I'm 95% certain I watched this live in 1992 on SNL, though it's possible that I watched later coverage of it and the mists of time have caused me to conflate source.  The reaction was nearly universal revulsion, and it's safe to say this greatly curtailed a promising career.  I wasn't offended, but I was surprised at her boldness and conviction.  

And with the benefit of time, it should be clear to all her detractors from 31 years ago that she was 100% right.  I don't recall child abuse in the Catholic Church being well-known at the time, but that started to change after her performance.  There are innumerable villains in the story, but when you're the pope, the papal buck stops with you.  

What I didn't know until today is that Bob Marley's original song, from the 1976 LP "Rastaman Vibration", is based on a 1963 speech to the UN by Ethiopia's Haile Selassie:

That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil. 

Bob Marley adapted that speech into a song, and Sinead O'Connor adapted the song to be about child abuse.  She repeated the song (sans picture) at the 1992 Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert.  

Her SNL version starts off a little shaky and unsure, likely because she knows she's on the precipice of an act she can't undo, before it builds to its powerful conclusion.  The best definition of bravery I've seen says it's not about "not being afraid", but rather "being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."  Sinead was brave, and she was right.  

Sinead O'Connor -- War (1992 SNL; 1992 30th Bob Dylan Anniversary Concert)

Bob Marley & The Wailers -- War (1976 LP version, live 1979)

N.B. It's also a nice reminder that if all you have is "Legends", which admittedly was standard issue when I was in college, you're missing out on Marley's overtly political canon.  

Julee Cruise - "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears"

It's been almost a year since her death, but somehow I failed to mark the passing of Julee Cruise.  I indirectly referenced it when I wrote of the death of Angelo Badalamenti, but somehow I mistook sending a flurry of texts to my friends last year for actually writing about it.  

Having covered Julee extensively in the past (Twin Peaks, Industrial Symphony #1, Floating into the Night), I'm not sure I have anything new to say.  I have a fair amount of her later collaborations (i.e., those not with Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch), but instead I want to draw your attention to a cover of an Elvis song she did for the "Until the End of the World" soundtrack, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears".  

I'm guessing it was recorded during the sessions for either "Floating into the Night" or maybe even "The Voice of Love".  To the best of my knowledge, it never appeared on a Julee Cruise LP and the soundtrack is the only place to get it.  

As I've mentioned before, Cruise was a titan in the dream pop genre and her discography is just too short.  Unless there are some unreleased tracks sitting in a vault somewhere, this is it, so enjoy this excellent Elvis cover -- and bonus points for a cover of an obscure B-side too. 

Julee Cruise - "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears"

Elvis - "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears"

Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (LP Review)

 

Angelo Badalmenti, soundtrack composer extraordinaire, died last month.  You've probably never heard of him, but you probably have heard his music: in addition to doing nearly all of David Lynch's films, as well as other art films (e.g., The City of Lost Children), he also did some mainstream films, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  He also composed the opening theme of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Despite these and his many other accomplishments, he would be a favorite of mine if all he had ever done was collaborate with Julee Cruise and David Lynch in the Twin Peaks milieu. 

I've long ago reviewed Julee Cruise's "Floating into the Night" LP; it is impossible for me to overstate how important that LP is for me.  Not because of Twin Peaks -- I've never seen the TV series -- but because of the otherworldly soundscapes the three of them conjure, and the time and place where I first heard them.  

To mark Badalamenti's passing, I thought about reviewing Cruise's 1993 LP "The Voice of Love", but then it occurred to me that I should showcase where their oeuvre gained significant public attention: the Twin Peaks soundtrack, released in 1990.  Since eight of the 11 songs are instrumentals (the other three feature Julee Cruise), it seems more fitting to commemorate Badalamenti with a mostly instrumental soundtrack.  And to be fair: if this was the only LP that Badalamenti/Cruise/Lynch had created, it would be a standout.  But as much as I like it, this LP is forever in the shadow of Julee Cruise's "Floating into the Night", released in 1989.  They share a lot of material, both directly and derivatively (for example, "Twin Peaks Theme" is just an instrumental version of "Falling") and perhaps it's not fair to compare a proper LP to a soundtrack, but once you've heard "Floating into the Night" start to finish, you can't really go back.  The feel is slightly different, with the soundtrack focusing slightly more on a cool jazz feel than "Floating into the Night", but the distinction is slight.  

I think the Badalamenti/Cruise/Lynch collaboration came to an end in 1993, with pairs of them working together after that, but never the three of them again.  And while it tempting to be greedy and wish they had done more together, we should celebrate what they did accomplish. 

Standout songs: the ones with Julee Cruise, obviously: "Falling", "Into the Night", "The Nightingale"; (Full LP)

Skip 'em songs: none

Final Score: 9/10

(And yes, somehow I've failed to mark Julee Cruise's passing in June, 2022.  I'll rectify that soon).

Fleetwood Mac - "Over My Head"

 

Christine McVie, longtime member of Fleetwood Mac, died earlier this month.  As I've discussed earlier, most people don't recognize that Fleetwood Mac had released nine LPs prior to their 1975 LP "Fleetwood Mac", which was the first of their "classic" period, with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. 

Christine was actually a session musician with Fleetwood Mac from about 1968-1971, since she was then in Chicken Shack as well as releasing a solo LP.  She became an official member in 1971, credited as a full member on 1971's "Future Games" LP.  Prior to Fleetwood Mac, she also won the Melody Maker "best female vocalist" award in both 1969 and 1970.  

Of course, Fleetwood Mac really took off in 1975 with the addition of Buckingham & Nicks, effectively making Christine the George Harrison of Fleetwood Mac: the third best songwriter in the group, while still being a songwriter that most other groups would love to have. 

Of the various songs that Christine is credited with, my personal favorite is "Over My Head", from their 1975 eponymous LP.  It's a mellow song, and reminds me a turbulent but exciting period for me in the spring of 1991. 

I wonder what will happen with Fleetwood Mac.  Of the three principal singers from the classic period, the recent past has only featured two.  Assuming Buckingham and Nicks will never work together again, can Fleetwood Mac continue with only Nicks?  

Fleetwood Mac - "Over My Head"

Low - Live at Austin Community Television (ACTV) Main Studio (1996)

 

Mimi Parker, the drummer for Low, died last month, after a battle with ovarian cancer.  She and her husband Alan Sparhawk were the two main members of the long-running and genre-defining slowcore band Low.  

I first learned of Low from the Joy Division tribute LP "A Means to an End", where their cover of "Transmission" was a standout among a strong LP.  Based on my enjoyment of their track, I got several of their early LPs, although I don't have nearly enough of their lengthy discography.  

Low's sparse, slow sound is perfect for contemplative late night listening.  Mimi's three piece drum kit,  as shown in the image above, is a nice metaphor for their minimalist, yet surprisingly large sound.  This 1996 four song set, which includes "Transmission", is a good example of their sound at the time.  I don't know the exact date of this concert, but setlist.fm puts them in Austin on both 1996-04-18 and 1996-03-15.

Low had a number of different bassists through the years, but Alan and Mimi were the constants.  Even if Alan continues to make music, I'm not sure he can continue as "Low" without Mimi.  

Bonus link: "Transmission" (studio version), original (Joy Division)

PS -- Given Alan a follow on Twitter; he's thoughtful and engaging.

Biz Markie - Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz (forgotten song)

This July Marcel Theo Hall, aka Biz Markie, died.  He was probably best known for his one big single, 1989's "Just a Friend", which I covered long ago in my post about Freddie Scott and "(You) Got What I Need".   While I have unlimited love for "Just a Friend", Biz was so much more: once again demonstrating the difference between centrality and popularity.  While he came across as a carefree clown, he was a serious rapper and DJ, well known for his extensive record collection and respected by his peers.  Luminaries such as The Beastie Boys knew this, and included him on their records (e.g., cleverly transforming a Ted Nugent instrumental ("Home Bound") into a "real" song ("The Biz vs. The Nuge")).  He was also a guest on DJ Kool's 1996 party anthem "Let Me Clear My Throat" (video).  

I'm choosing to remember Biz with an earlier song of his, "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz", since it nicely features both his rapping and beatboxing.  It can be found on his self-titled 1986 EP as well as his 1988 debut LP "Goin' Off".

So don't feel guilty about enjoying "Just a Friend", but do take the time to explore some of his lesser-known canon.  He was a big part of the classic hip hop sound, and there's a good chance he's among your favorite rapper's favorite rappers.   

"Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz"

Bonus links: Covid-era (2020-04-03) home DJ set: part 1, part 2.

Depeche Mode - "Death's Door" (forgotten song)

Andy Fletcher, a founding member of Depeche Mode, unexpectedly died earlier this week.  As part of the founding trio of Depeche Mode, Fletcher received no songwriting credits and his role in the band was that of business manager, spokesperson, and tie-breaker for creative disputes.  As I've gotten older, I can better appreciate the role of someone like Andy in a creative endeavor.  

As a member of Generation X, it's impossible to not like Depeche Mode -- it was a constant soundtrack in high school, college, and beyond.  While not to diminish the influence of their early work in their ongoing discography, for my money, it's hard to beat their three LP run of "Music for the Masses" (1987), "Violator" (1990), and "Songs of Faith and Devotion" (1993), all of which I plan to review here some day (tm).  

There are dozens of songs with which we could recognize Andy Fletcher's passing, but I will take overlooked "Death's Door", from the excellent 1992 Wim Wenders soundtrack "Until the End of the World".  Most of the soundtrack was original music, with some of the artists releasing the songs on later LPs.  I don't think Depeche Mode ever released "Death's Door" on a regular studio LP, so other than B-sides and a single with remixes, I think the soundtrack is the only place you can hear it. 

Depeche Mode - "Death's Door"

Blackalicious - "Paragraph President" (In Memoriam)

I've fallen behind on posting, but I'll restart by acknowledging the passing of Timothy J. Parker, AKA Gift of Gab, best known as one-half of Blackalicious and part of the influential Quannum Projects collective.  I could tell you that Gab had a voice, flow, and diction that put him head and shoulders above most other MCs, but you should instead read the tributes from DJ Shadow, Chief Xcel, and the many others that recognized his unique talents. 

I thought about highlighting "Midnight in a Perfect World (Gab Mix)" by DJ Shadow, but I already used that EP to mark the passing of David Axelrod four years ago.  I also thought about using "Alphabet Aerobics" (studio, live 2016), which you might remember from Daniel Radcliffe turning in an impressive version of it on the Jimmy Fallon show many years ago.  It's a great song, but verges on novelty and fails to capture the seriousness of Gift of Gab.

Instead, I settled on "Paragraph President", a 2001 single from the 2002 Blackalicious LP "Blazing Arrow".  DJ Shadow featured the last half of this song (listed as "halfway home") on his 2004 LP "Live! In Tune and On Time".  DJ Shadow was a guest producer for "Paragraph President", and once you listen to the combo of Gift of Gab and DJ Shadow, it will only make you regret they did not work together more often. 

Blackalicious - "Paragraph President"

The Supremes - "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (In Memoriam)

Mary Wilson, co-founder and only continuous member of The Supremes from 1959-1977, died earlier this month.  Though I write about it infrequently here, I'm a big fan of Motown (who isn't, really?), and The Supremes were one of the core elements of the Motown sound (honorable mention to session musicians extraordinaire, The Funk Brothers, as well as the incomparable songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland). 

I was going to mark Wilson's passing with my favorite track from The Supremes, "Someday We'll Be Together", but I was surprised to learn that Mary Wilson does not appear on the studio recording.  Instead, I'll choose the defiant "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which checks all the boxes: Mary Wilson (and co-founder Florence Ballard) appear, as do The Funk Brothers, and it's written by Holland-Dozier-Holland. 

Of course, this song has been covered more times than I can count, but any child of the 80s will immediately recall Kim Wilde's version.  I'm also sneaking this in on the last day of Black History Month.

The Supremes - "You Keep Me Hangin' On" 

Kim Wilde - "You Keep Me Hangin' On"

John Prine - "Sam Stone" (forgotten song)

I'm far behind in my In Memoriam posts, so I'll close out 2020 by scratching one off the list and acknowledging the passing of John Prine, who we lost to Covid-19 near the beginning of the pandemic. 
 

I'll admit that while I knew of John Prine, I was mostly ignorant of his music.  But I did know the he was a songwriter's songwriter (cf. Roky Erickson, Daniel Johnston, and Leonard Cohen), and was revered by people I revere, such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. 

I'm marking his passing with one his most celebrated songs: "Sam Stone", from his 1971 debut LP.   Today I learned that this song was referenced via melody in Pink Floyd's "The Post War Dream" and lyrically in Spiritualized's "Cop Shoot Cop", which are both on extraordinary LPs: "The Final Cut" and "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space", respectively. 

 

John Prine - "Sam Stone" -- live 1997, Sessions at West 54th; live 1988, Austin City Limits; 1971 LP Version

Bonus link: Johnny Cash, "Sam Stone" -- live 1987, Austin City Limits