The Rolling Stones, Oh No Not You Again . . . Oh yes, I’m back with another show, with this opening rocker from the most recent studio album of original material by the Stones, A Bigger Bang in 2005. Originally, there was talk of this being the title of the album. I think they should have gone with it, but too late now. Speaking of late, or overdue, as a Stones’ fan, I just wish they’d release some new material. They keep talking about it, but all we’ve seen since is the blues cover album, Blue and Lonesome, in 2016. A fine record but I want some original, new, studio stuff!
Booker T. and The MGs, Melting Pot . . . Some great, extended sould/funk/R & B from the band best known for Green Onions although they have so many great tunes.
Little Feat, Let It Roll . . . Up-tempo title cut from the band’s 1988 album, the first one without founding member and chief songwriter Lowell George, who died in 1979. Like so many veteran bands, they’re still around, with various replacement members, carrying on even after the death in 2019 of guitarist/singer Paul Barrere, who joined Little Feat for their third album, Dixie Chicken, in 1973 and essentially assumed leadership of the reformed group after George’s passing. I saw them in 2004 in a club in Hamilton, Ont. Great show.
UFO, Love Lost Love . . . Typically great guitar from Michael Schenker on this one from 1975’s Force It album.
Ancient Relic, Via Maris … Another Iron Maiden-like track from Toronto artist/one-man band Jesse Feyen. Jesse contacted me some months ago to see whether I’d play some of his stuff which he figured fit into the type of material I play. And I do occasionally play metal, his stuff is Maiden-influenced so, why not? He’s working on an album and for now, his stuff is available on You Tube.
James Gang, The Bomber … I’ve played a few Eagles’ tunes on the show in recent weeks,which got me thinking of Joe Walsh and the James Gang. This extended piece, great stuff, is from Rides Again, the band’s second album, in 1970.
Chicago, Fancy Colours . . . I’ve always loved this tune, from the second album. Some have suggested it’s about a drug trip, who knows, who cares. Great guitar as always, including wah-wah, by Terry Kath. I remember getting this album via the Columbia Record Club my older brother and sister joined way back then, 1970, which led us to Chicago and other Columbia acts at the time, including Blood, Sweat & Tears and Santana.
Marianne Faithfull, Sister Morphine (12” version, 1979) . . . Co-written by Faithfull with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was originally released by Faithfull in 1969 and featured Jagger on acoustic guitar, Ry Cooder on slide guitar and bass and Charlie Watts on drums. The Stones released their own version, with slightly different lyrics and also featuring Cooder, in 1971 on the Sticky Fingers album. This version is from 1979, when Faithfull re-recorded it for her great comeback album, Broken English. It wasn’t on the original album but was released as 7- and 12-inch singles as the flip side to the song Broken English. It later came out on an expanded 2-CD re-release of the Broken English album and is available on some compilations, and online. Harrowing stuff, every version.
John Lennon, Working Class Hero . . . From Plastic Ono Band, Lennon’s 1970 album which contains two songs, this one and Oh God, whose lyrics were hugely influential on my young, developing mind.
Blind Faith, Sea Of Joy . . . Not a bad song on the one and only Blind Faith studio album. Sort of a combination of Cream (Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker), Traffic (Steve Winwood) and Family (Ric Grech). The result? A fabulous album I never tire of.
David Wilcox, Somethin’s Shakin’ . . . Great tune from this outstanding Canadian artist who, repeating myself as I do every time I play him, I first saw while working as a doorman at a bar in Oakville, Ont., putting myself through college in the late 1970s. In walks Wilcox a few hours before he was on, just a regular guy in street clothes, asking me where the bands played as he was in for a sound check. And, later that night, still in those regular streets clothes, just a white spotlight as stage lighting for his trio, blew the roof off the joint.
Garland Jeffreys, True Confessions . . . I bought 1981’s Escape Artist album for his cover of ? And The Mysterians’ 96 Tears and became a fan. Love when that happens. Some real heavyweights on the album including Springsteen’s E Street Band members Roy Bittan and the late Danny Federici.
T-Bone Burnett, Primitives . . . Spooky track by Burnett, well-known as a producer with too many great album credits to count, Burnett first came to prominence as a member of Bob Dylan’s band during the 1970s. His resume is pretty much mind-blowing given his own music, production credits,music for film and TV. Just a brilliant artist.
Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles, Marbles (live) . . . Blazing instrumental, a John McLaughlin tune released on the 1972 live album by Santana and Miles. It was recorded inside the Diamond Head volcano in Hawaii, which was a ‘thing’ bands did during the 1970s in collaboration with local artists, until the state canceled the deal due to noise and environmental impact concerns.
The J. Geils Band, Detroit Breakdown . . . Got talking about The Who (they’re coming up later in the set) with some friends this week, concerts we had seen and who opened. One friend saw J. Geils (and Heart) open for The Who back in 1980 so the great blues-rock outfit Geils came to mind. Fantastic live outfit, this is the studio version. It might be the first time I’ve played a studio version of one of their songs on the show, actually, their live versions are so terrific. But so is the studio stuff.
Talking Heads, The Overload . . . One of my younger brothers thought I had become a stoner when he heard me listening to this droning track from 1980’s Remain In Light. Well, I was experimenting a bit at the time.
Bruce Cockburn, Radium Rain . . . Extended, self-explanatory piece from Cockburn’s 1986 Big Circumstance album, when things like acid rain were a hot topic. Whatever happened to that, anyway? Well, general talk about climate change is more widespread and acid rain itself, yes I looked this up, does not have as big an impact these days as it did in the 1970s and 80s, due to stronger air pollution regulations.
Warren Zevon, Veracruz . . . I’ve always loved this track from Excitable Boy, great ballad about the battle for the city, between the United States and Mexico in 1914.
Screaming Trees, Who Lies In Darkness . . . Just saw this one lying around in the station computer system, from a previous download of mine, and decided to play it. From one of the Seattle grunge bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains which shook up the music world in the early 1990s.
The Who, Music Must Change . . . I told you, a few songs ago, that I’d get to The Who in the show. This is a great one from 1978’s Who Are You album, drummer Keith Moon’s swan song. Love the coin drop intro.
Led Zeppelin, Night Flight . . . So much great stuff on Physical Graffiti, can’t go wrong picking any song for the show but I do have to fly out of here soon so perhaps that’s why, subconsciously, went with this one and placed it here, near the end of the set.
The Allman Brothers Band, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed (live) . . . Typically great Allmans instrumental, one of their best. This version is from At Fillmore East, widely acknowledged as one of rock’s greatest live albums. Written by guitarist Dickey Betts, it’s about a woman he was involved with but Elizabeth Reed wasn’t her name; Betts took it from the name on a headstone in Macon, Georgia, where the band was largely based after forming in Jacksonville, Florida.
Badfinger, It’s Over . . . And so it is, for another week. Great tune by the first band to be signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records. They had a string of hits in the early 1970s – Come And Get It (written and produced by Paul McCartney); No Matter What (produced by Beatles’ personal assistant Mal Evans); Day After Day (produced by George Harrison) and Baby Blue (produced by Todd Rundgren).