239. Motorhead & Girlschool "Please Don't Touch"
Lemmy Kilmister is pretty much the avuncular presence on the British rock scene. Old enough to have been initially influenced by first-wave rock and roll like Little Richard and Buddy Holly, yet still vital and creating new music that continues to influnce the scene today. Playing with everyone from late-wave Brit Invasion outfit the Rockin' Vickers to space rock weirdos Hawkwind (with a brief period as Jimi Hendrix's roadie in between), then finally with the high-speed juggernaut that put Lemmy's stamp on the world, the mighty Motorhead*. Motorhead and Lemmy's staying power can be attributed to hewing closely to the cardinal rock virtue that loud, fast and dirty is usually the best option and by codifying a leather-clad scuzzball aesthetic that's influenced just about every metal, punk or any other hard-music act that arrived in their wake.
In the early 80's Motorhead crossed paths with the all-female London metal combo Girlschool, with whom they shared a smilar style and attitude. In fact, one could be forgiven for referring to them as "Motorhead with breasts." On this cover of an old Johnny Kidd & the Pirates** classic, they're catchy as hell without sacrificing any of the trademark raucousness. Lemmy's trademark growl (described by one critic as 'the vocal equivalent of guitar feedback') has never sounded so wonderfully dirty old mannish and Kelly Johnson's licentious purr is the exact right accompaniment (listen to the way they harmonize on 'spend the night just shakin' like a leaf.'). Fast Eddie Clarke provides some of his best guitar playing ever, first providing cacophonous locomotive riffing, then a solo that sounds like a melodic series of missile launches. Everything ultimately evokes the cheap & nasty liaison of the lyric perfectly. If at the end of this session all involved piled up in one big dirty orgy, I wouldn't be a bit surprised.
As a bonus, from European TV, here's the whole gang performing the tune. With Girlschool's Denise Dufort behind the kit, Motorhead's drummer Philthy Animal Taylor seems at a loss and decides to show off his skill on the dancefloor)
*Not to mention, along the way, collaborating with everyone from tabla player Sam Gopal to punk stalwarts The Damned. Whatta resume
**Johnny Kidd & the Pirates are a story unto themselves. One of the first home-grown British rock outfits, they were never huge commercially, but were very influential on younger musicians (their 'Shakin' All Over,' would become a standard cover on both sides of the Atlantic). Lemmy would later collaborate with the Pirates guitarist Mick Green on some rockabilly covers that are worth hearing.
Lemmy Kilmister is pretty much the avuncular presence on the British rock scene. Old enough to have been initially influenced by first-wave rock and roll like Little Richard and Buddy Holly, yet still vital and creating new music that continues to influnce the scene today. Playing with everyone from late-wave Brit Invasion outfit the Rockin' Vickers to space rock weirdos Hawkwind (with a brief period as Jimi Hendrix's roadie in between), then finally with the high-speed juggernaut that put Lemmy's stamp on the world, the mighty Motorhead*. Motorhead and Lemmy's staying power can be attributed to hewing closely to the cardinal rock virtue that loud, fast and dirty is usually the best option and by codifying a leather-clad scuzzball aesthetic that's influenced just about every metal, punk or any other hard-music act that arrived in their wake.
In the early 80's Motorhead crossed paths with the all-female London metal combo Girlschool, with whom they shared a smilar style and attitude. In fact, one could be forgiven for referring to them as "Motorhead with breasts." On this cover of an old Johnny Kidd & the Pirates** classic, they're catchy as hell without sacrificing any of the trademark raucousness. Lemmy's trademark growl (described by one critic as 'the vocal equivalent of guitar feedback') has never sounded so wonderfully dirty old mannish and Kelly Johnson's licentious purr is the exact right accompaniment (listen to the way they harmonize on 'spend the night just shakin' like a leaf.'). Fast Eddie Clarke provides some of his best guitar playing ever, first providing cacophonous locomotive riffing, then a solo that sounds like a melodic series of missile launches. Everything ultimately evokes the cheap & nasty liaison of the lyric perfectly. If at the end of this session all involved piled up in one big dirty orgy, I wouldn't be a bit surprised.
As a bonus, from European TV, here's the whole gang performing the tune. With Girlschool's Denise Dufort behind the kit, Motorhead's drummer Philthy Animal Taylor seems at a loss and decides to show off his skill on the dancefloor)
*Not to mention, along the way, collaborating with everyone from tabla player Sam Gopal to punk stalwarts The Damned. Whatta resume
**Johnny Kidd & the Pirates are a story unto themselves. One of the first home-grown British rock outfits, they were never huge commercially, but were very influential on younger musicians (their 'Shakin' All Over,' would become a standard cover on both sides of the Atlantic). Lemmy would later collaborate with the Pirates guitarist Mick Green on some rockabilly covers that are worth hearing.
240. Elmore James "Blues Before Sunrise"
Slide guitar, or fretting the strings with a metal tube or the neck of a whiskey bottle, is a time-honored technique in the acoustic blues tradition, used to create wailing notes that echo the singer's voice. When the blues got electrified, the possibilities of the slide increased exponentially. And the undisputed master of the electric slide guitar was a cat from Mississippi named Elmore James.
On this tune James uses the slide to create flurries of notes that fly out at you like sparks off a metal grinding wheel. In front of wooden-spoon-on-a-bucket drums and with a vocal that sounds like a grumpy man dragged out of bed, this song is the musical embodiment of a day off to a bad start, but unlike most hangovers you don't want this one to end.
Slide guitar, or fretting the strings with a metal tube or the neck of a whiskey bottle, is a time-honored technique in the acoustic blues tradition, used to create wailing notes that echo the singer's voice. When the blues got electrified, the possibilities of the slide increased exponentially. And the undisputed master of the electric slide guitar was a cat from Mississippi named Elmore James.
On this tune James uses the slide to create flurries of notes that fly out at you like sparks off a metal grinding wheel. In front of wooden-spoon-on-a-bucket drums and with a vocal that sounds like a grumpy man dragged out of bed, this song is the musical embodiment of a day off to a bad start, but unlike most hangovers you don't want this one to end.
241. Peppermint Trolley Company "Baby You Come Rollin' Cross My Mind"
This record is probably the perfect example of that bubblegum subgenre known as 'sunshine pop,' that took it's cues from the Beatles' lighter records, the Mamas & the Papas and the Association.
With it's gently plucked guitar, tinkling piano, strings, romantic daydream lyrics and sighing background vocals, this song is like sitting in the park on a sunny spring day. Just lay back and enjoy the feel of the grass between your toes.
This record is probably the perfect example of that bubblegum subgenre known as 'sunshine pop,' that took it's cues from the Beatles' lighter records, the Mamas & the Papas and the Association.
With it's gently plucked guitar, tinkling piano, strings, romantic daydream lyrics and sighing background vocals, this song is like sitting in the park on a sunny spring day. Just lay back and enjoy the feel of the grass between your toes.
242. Harvey Averne Dozen "Never Learned To Dance"
In the late 1960's, with the growing Latino population in urban areas and increased musical miscegenation, a new sound began to emerge mixing salsa with a dash of rock and a heaping helping of funk and soul, known alternately as Latin Soul or Boogaloo. One practicioner of this sound was a cat named Harvey Averne (like salsa legend and label mate Larry 'El Judio Maravilloso' Harlowe, Averne is a non-Latino Jewish gentleman from New York).
The fat thumping bass (which leaps to the forefront in perfect hip-swinging time) and blaring horns are straight-outta-the-Gospel-According-To-James-Brown, but the clattering percussion and vibes are pure Latin flavor, and the sly vocal is perfect topping. For a record about not knowing how to dance, this sure is danceable. But when he sings "Dancin' is alright, but lovin's outta sight," he's making his true intentions known, methinks.
In the late 1960's, with the growing Latino population in urban areas and increased musical miscegenation, a new sound began to emerge mixing salsa with a dash of rock and a heaping helping of funk and soul, known alternately as Latin Soul or Boogaloo. One practicioner of this sound was a cat named Harvey Averne (like salsa legend and label mate Larry 'El Judio Maravilloso' Harlowe, Averne is a non-Latino Jewish gentleman from New York).
The fat thumping bass (which leaps to the forefront in perfect hip-swinging time) and blaring horns are straight-outta-the-Gospel-According-To-James-Brown, but the clattering percussion and vibes are pure Latin flavor, and the sly vocal is perfect topping. For a record about not knowing how to dance, this sure is danceable. But when he sings "Dancin' is alright, but lovin's outta sight," he's making his true intentions known, methinks.
243. ZZ Top "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
In the late 60's, Texas native Billy Gibbons was in a band called the Moving Sidewalks who had a minor hit with the psyche-garage nugget "99th Floor" which landed them an opening act slot on a leg of Jimi Hendrix's American tour. In a bio Hendrix is quoted as calling the Sidewalks "the best garage band in America" and Gibbons his "favorite guitarist." Some have called the story apocryphal, but this picture shows Jimi and a very young Gibbons (in the white shirt and neckbeard) together, for what it's worth.
Gibbons went on to form the Texas power trio ZZ Top, and performances like this one showcased here make me believe the Hendrix stories. Against a lazy backbeat and a Jesus-as-hobo lyric Gibbons provides a shimmering stinger of a guitar line that sounds like highway haze on a hot day looks, creating a perfectly desolate atmosphere. It's also Gibbons' best vocal performance, just listen to the way he hollers "Take me with you, Jesus," before going into a solo that's pure bottled lightning. I sure hope Jesus got to New Orleans or at least caught interesting ride.
In the late 60's, Texas native Billy Gibbons was in a band called the Moving Sidewalks who had a minor hit with the psyche-garage nugget "99th Floor" which landed them an opening act slot on a leg of Jimi Hendrix's American tour. In a bio Hendrix is quoted as calling the Sidewalks "the best garage band in America" and Gibbons his "favorite guitarist." Some have called the story apocryphal, but this picture shows Jimi and a very young Gibbons (in the white shirt and neckbeard) together, for what it's worth.
Gibbons went on to form the Texas power trio ZZ Top, and performances like this one showcased here make me believe the Hendrix stories. Against a lazy backbeat and a Jesus-as-hobo lyric Gibbons provides a shimmering stinger of a guitar line that sounds like highway haze on a hot day looks, creating a perfectly desolate atmosphere. It's also Gibbons' best vocal performance, just listen to the way he hollers "Take me with you, Jesus," before going into a solo that's pure bottled lightning. I sure hope Jesus got to New Orleans or at least caught interesting ride.
244. Impressions "This Is My Country"
When the role of music in the civil rights struggle is brought up, someone usually conjures up images of folksingers earnestly strumming and gospel choirs singing freedom songs. Not to disparage the noble efforts of either group, but from a cultural perspective, the mainstream popularity of R&B and soul music had a much greater impact. Every soul record that topped the charts made the segregationalist postion that much more untenable since it's hard to justify hating and excluding what moves you so, especially when it makes humanity show through so well.
In the mid-60's, mainstream records explicitly addressing the racial turmoil were rare but when they were released the impact could be enormous. The unshakable dignity that Curtis Mayfield invests in his vocal here makes the declaration of the chorus impossible to ignore. The gorgeous stately melody and quiet but determined beat don't hurt either. It's been decades but Curtis' question "Shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation?" still hasn't been completely answered. Someday, here's hoping.
When the role of music in the civil rights struggle is brought up, someone usually conjures up images of folksingers earnestly strumming and gospel choirs singing freedom songs. Not to disparage the noble efforts of either group, but from a cultural perspective, the mainstream popularity of R&B and soul music had a much greater impact. Every soul record that topped the charts made the segregationalist postion that much more untenable since it's hard to justify hating and excluding what moves you so, especially when it makes humanity show through so well.
In the mid-60's, mainstream records explicitly addressing the racial turmoil were rare but when they were released the impact could be enormous. The unshakable dignity that Curtis Mayfield invests in his vocal here makes the declaration of the chorus impossible to ignore. The gorgeous stately melody and quiet but determined beat don't hurt either. It's been decades but Curtis' question "Shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation?" still hasn't been completely answered. Someday, here's hoping.
245. Paul Revere & the Raiders "Just Like Me"
Since they were the house band on a local Bandstand type show in their native Pacific Northwest and because of their Revolutionary War inspired stagewear (which was the organist and leader attempting to capitalize on the Name he was born with: Paul Revere Dick. I can understand ditching the surname) they were written off by many as a teenybopper act.
Which is a damned shame, since these fellows created some of the toughest, wildest American rock of the mid-60's, like this number. With it's crude caveman drums and squalling British-invasion style guitar and pounding organ it definitely qualifies as a species of proto-punk. But it's also very explicitly R&B influenced, especially in the dynamics of Mark Lindsay's vocals, the way he goes from the tension of the verses where he's panting like an obscene phone caller then explodes into a throaty shout aginst the drum fills on the chorus. The costumes may have been goofy, but these guys were nobody's poster boys.
Since they were the house band on a local Bandstand type show in their native Pacific Northwest and because of their Revolutionary War inspired stagewear (which was the organist and leader attempting to capitalize on the Name he was born with: Paul Revere Dick. I can understand ditching the surname) they were written off by many as a teenybopper act.
Which is a damned shame, since these fellows created some of the toughest, wildest American rock of the mid-60's, like this number. With it's crude caveman drums and squalling British-invasion style guitar and pounding organ it definitely qualifies as a species of proto-punk. But it's also very explicitly R&B influenced, especially in the dynamics of Mark Lindsay's vocals, the way he goes from the tension of the verses where he's panting like an obscene phone caller then explodes into a throaty shout aginst the drum fills on the chorus. The costumes may have been goofy, but these guys were nobody's poster boys.
246. J. Geils Band "House Party (live)"
The J. Geils Band always seemed to have a confused identity in the public eye although they always came through clearly to me. Born in the union of a Boston R&B outift and a Bronx disc jockey, the latter-day fans who discovered them through their (excellent) early eighties hit "Centerfold" viewed them as a new wave act. Many people (possibly with tin ears) in their earlier days pegged them as a 'boogie' act in the Humble Pie/Foghat mold. No offense to either of those bands, I like them, but this bunch was something else entirely. For one thing they showed much more rhythmic dexterity than the more leaden boogie crews and vocalist Peter Wolf had more charisma and energy than any of their singers.
I always saw them as what I like to call 'post-greaser music,' sort of a 1970's update on what fans of the original Chuck Berry/James Brown/Little Richard school of rock had been up to while all the other trends came and went. By ressurecting this trad-rock sensibility without pandering to nostalgia but making it vital and alive again, they paved the way for Springsteen/Seger/Mellencamp et al's emergence. This live demolition of the Show Stoppers' soul chestnut is a near perfect illustration of what made these guys so special. Opening with Stephen Bladd's volcanic drumming and some slicing chords from Jerome Geils guitar, the song simply erupts into a frenzy rocking like a van with something naughty going on inside. Wolf gives and absolutely manic vocal performance and Magic Dick's harmonica blasts and Seth Justman's exultant organ all help evoke the wild wing-ding of the title perfectly. These guys had the good sense to know that a song about partying should make you wanna party. This certainly makes me wanna swing from the chandelier.
The J. Geils Band always seemed to have a confused identity in the public eye although they always came through clearly to me. Born in the union of a Boston R&B outift and a Bronx disc jockey, the latter-day fans who discovered them through their (excellent) early eighties hit "Centerfold" viewed them as a new wave act. Many people (possibly with tin ears) in their earlier days pegged them as a 'boogie' act in the Humble Pie/Foghat mold. No offense to either of those bands, I like them, but this bunch was something else entirely. For one thing they showed much more rhythmic dexterity than the more leaden boogie crews and vocalist Peter Wolf had more charisma and energy than any of their singers.
I always saw them as what I like to call 'post-greaser music,' sort of a 1970's update on what fans of the original Chuck Berry/James Brown/Little Richard school of rock had been up to while all the other trends came and went. By ressurecting this trad-rock sensibility without pandering to nostalgia but making it vital and alive again, they paved the way for Springsteen/Seger/Mellencamp et al's emergence. This live demolition of the Show Stoppers' soul chestnut is a near perfect illustration of what made these guys so special. Opening with Stephen Bladd's volcanic drumming and some slicing chords from Jerome Geils guitar, the song simply erupts into a frenzy rocking like a van with something naughty going on inside. Wolf gives and absolutely manic vocal performance and Magic Dick's harmonica blasts and Seth Justman's exultant organ all help evoke the wild wing-ding of the title perfectly. These guys had the good sense to know that a song about partying should make you wanna party. This certainly makes me wanna swing from the chandelier.
247. Johnny Copeland "Sufferin' City"
Johnny Copeland could be described as one of popular music's great journeymen (he even took a whack at Chuck Berry-esque straight ahead rock with 1958's "Rock And Roll Lily" which was a minor hit in Houston, Copeland's adopted hometown ). While he was never a huge commercial success, he definitely was one of the missing links between the urban electric blues of the 1950's and the soul of the '60's. Initially influenced by the likes of T-Bone Walker and Gatemouth Brown, Copeland also toured the chitlin circuit with latter day R&B and soul singers and picked up a trick or two.
And nowhere is the confluence more visible than on this gem from 1968. The choked guitar and sax blasts are right out of the Stax-Volt playbook as are the perfectly inserted female background wails. Copeland's frayed-at-the-edges lead, on the other hand, is pure blues (unlike most soul singers who were gospel trained). And what a vocal it is. I don't think I've ever seen a sense of plain old weariness conveyed as well as here especially when it's accompanied by a pefectly uncluttered production and a beat that reminds of nothing so much as tired feet on a city sidewalk. The poor-boy-a-long-ways-from-home is one of the oldest stories there is, but an old tale well told is still worth hearing.
Johnny Copeland could be described as one of popular music's great journeymen (he even took a whack at Chuck Berry-esque straight ahead rock with 1958's "Rock And Roll Lily" which was a minor hit in Houston, Copeland's adopted hometown ). While he was never a huge commercial success, he definitely was one of the missing links between the urban electric blues of the 1950's and the soul of the '60's. Initially influenced by the likes of T-Bone Walker and Gatemouth Brown, Copeland also toured the chitlin circuit with latter day R&B and soul singers and picked up a trick or two.
And nowhere is the confluence more visible than on this gem from 1968. The choked guitar and sax blasts are right out of the Stax-Volt playbook as are the perfectly inserted female background wails. Copeland's frayed-at-the-edges lead, on the other hand, is pure blues (unlike most soul singers who were gospel trained). And what a vocal it is. I don't think I've ever seen a sense of plain old weariness conveyed as well as here especially when it's accompanied by a pefectly uncluttered production and a beat that reminds of nothing so much as tired feet on a city sidewalk. The poor-boy-a-long-ways-from-home is one of the oldest stories there is, but an old tale well told is still worth hearing.
248. Patti Smith "Gloria"
Since the beginnings of mass media, much ado has been made over the supposed distinctions between crass, commercial product (rock and roll often given as an example) and supposedly 'high' art. Attempts at reconciling rock with the European 'fine art' heritage have resulted in 'art-rock' attempts to combine the two traditions (with extremely spotty success and some embarassing failures) and self-conciously lowbrow attempts at rebelling against that establishment, which have been more reliably successful.
Patti Smith, in true punk rock fashion, just works as if those barriers don't exist (which they don't really, until we decide they do). Smith drew inspiration from both dark Romantic poetry like Baudelaire and Rimbaud and the rawest gutbucket rock and roll. Here she seamlessly fuses her own verse with a ferocious cover of one of the best known rock standards of all. Opening with portentous piano and a famously blasphemous lyric, Smith attacks the vocal with venomous gusto as Lenny Kaye's guitar slowly builds behind her then flows effortlessly into a rendition of the Van Morrison-penned garage classic, which Patti and the band attack as if they're playing it for the first time. This song isn't so much covered as reborn.
Since the beginnings of mass media, much ado has been made over the supposed distinctions between crass, commercial product (rock and roll often given as an example) and supposedly 'high' art. Attempts at reconciling rock with the European 'fine art' heritage have resulted in 'art-rock' attempts to combine the two traditions (with extremely spotty success and some embarassing failures) and self-conciously lowbrow attempts at rebelling against that establishment, which have been more reliably successful.
Patti Smith, in true punk rock fashion, just works as if those barriers don't exist (which they don't really, until we decide they do). Smith drew inspiration from both dark Romantic poetry like Baudelaire and Rimbaud and the rawest gutbucket rock and roll. Here she seamlessly fuses her own verse with a ferocious cover of one of the best known rock standards of all. Opening with portentous piano and a famously blasphemous lyric, Smith attacks the vocal with venomous gusto as Lenny Kaye's guitar slowly builds behind her then flows effortlessly into a rendition of the Van Morrison-penned garage classic, which Patti and the band attack as if they're playing it for the first time. This song isn't so much covered as reborn.
