Song of the Day-Ride The Wild Surf

Jan & Dean are pretty much forgotten today, which is a bit of a shame. They started out doing crude, straight-ahead doo-wop recordings, recorded in a studio in Jan Berry's garage. By the time of the duo's demise their recordings were much more polished with mastermind Jan taking his cues from Brian Wilson who had supplied them with their biggest hit "Surf City" which you might know better as the "Two Girls for Every Boy" song. Brian also sang the back-up high harmonies on that track which hit number 2 in 1964. Dean Torrence later returned the favor by singing co-lead vocals on the Beach Boys "Barbara Ann" where he can be heard being thanked as the record fades out ("Thanks Dean!").

Jan & Dean's records became more sophisticated and Jan, aping Brian, starting making use of LA's "The Wrecking Crew" group of backup musicians's led informally by drummer Hal Blaine. Jan was also influenced by Phil Spector and some of his tracks approximated Phil's "Wall of Sound." Jan & Dean made surf songs, car songs, songs about drag racin' Grandma's ("Little Old Lady From Pasadena") and songs about Popsicles ("Popsicle") many with tongue-pressed firmly in cheek. They were near-constant presences on early 60's TV and in fact hosted the famous TAMI show which featured among others, James Brown, The Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. TAMI was the precursor to the big Rock Festivals of the 60's.

In 1964, Jan, Brian and Roger Christian wrote the title song for a beach movie starring all the usual suspects. Fabian, Tab Hunter, Shelly Fabares which, I guess, was the 60's version of the Brat Pack. Jan & Dean were scheduled to be in the movie themselves but were dropped from this stellar lineup when a friend of Dean's kidnapped Frank Sinatra Jr. Legend has it that the song was dropped too, but that wasn't true.

The track itself is one of Jan & Dean's best. The Wrecking Crew are in top notch form and the guitars clash and clang at the beginning with energy and excitement. The chorus is strong and hooky and the falsetto, provided by Dean, evokes Brian Wilson's best moments. Working with a bigger budget due to it being a movie tune, Jan adds sweeping violins and orchestration giving the song an epic feel. The preferred way to hear this track is in mono as the stereo mix has a diffuseness that subtracts some of the power. The backing vocals are also mixed differently in the stereo version.

"Ride The Wild Surf" only got to number 16 on Billboard and is more or less missing in action from oldies radio formats. But still an exciting, worthwhile listen.

Two years later, Jan & Dean's career lay in ruins after Jan's car accident on April 12, 1966 which left Jan clinging to life with closed head injuries. Jan was in a coma for week's. Jan & Dean's career was essentially over. Jan would survive, brain-damaged and impaired. He would return to the studio in a few years, without success and return to the road with Dean, to much greater success. This comeback was chronicled in the excellent made-for-TV film "Deadman's Curve with Jan & Dean played by Richard Hatch and Bruce Davidson.

I got to meet Jan & Dean once during their later touring years at an in-store appearance at the Oakland Mall Harmony House. They were very nice guys but Jan's struggle with the after-affects of his accident filled me with sadness. That struggle ended on March 26, 2004 when he passed away a relatively young 62 after having suffered a seizure. Dean still tours occasionally with the "Surf City All Stars."

Song of the Day-Love Lost

Today's song of the day, well, if it were a vinyl record we would be blowing the dust out of the grooves! It goes back to one year after I was born. Yeah, that old!  It has often been said that Beach Boy Major Domo Brian Wilson developed the sound of the Beach Boys by combining the then current rock'n'roll sound of Chuck Berry, with "jazz-based" vocals reminiscent of the Four Freshmen. Brian grew up listening to the Four Freshmen, a group that his father (and first Beach Boy manager) Murray Wilson loved. The Four Freshmen had a very cool, very modern vocal blend. Before my Dad died back in 1997, I got a chance to go and see the Four Freshmen with him because they were one of his favorites. He loved the great 50's, pre-rock vocal groups. And my Dad loved a lot of the Beach Boy's records because of the similarity of their sound. It was a great evening of music from another era. One of very few I got to spend with my Father. But that night we bonded over great vocal harmonies.

The Four Freshmen were started by four students at Indiana's Butler University in 1948. By 1997, all the original members had passed away or retired, though, founding member and leader Bob Flanagan still managed the group. Bob would come up during the show and take a vocal on one song during the set. Bob passed away in May of last year at the age of 84. Joined, I am sure by many in that night's audience as my wife and I were the youngest there by about two decades. There is still a Four Freshman, and from their  website (yes they have a website-I don't mean to be "ageist" but I don't know that many in the Four Freshmen demo have or use computers!) and from their photos, appear to have an average age  of about 34! What I find interesting is that  believe you will see this more and more among rock'n'roll groups whose music will live on, in artfully played and very entertaining shows performed by talented "interpreters" or "impersonators" if you will. There are Beatles tribute bands in every major state. Some, like the Fab Faux, offer "state-of-the-art" performances. Others, obviously, are not as talented. But still fun. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 70 year old Beach Boys replaced in upcoming years by younger performers, bashing out "Surfin USA" for an "ever-graying" audience.

Here is the Four Freshmen tune "Love Lost" from the album of the same name released in 1959. The tune was written by the Four Freshmen themselves and you can see a direct connection between the Four Freshmen sound and the Beach Boys sound. Give it a listen!

Song of the Day-Blues Stay Away From Me

The Delmore Brothers were pioneers of Country Music and among the early acts on the Grand Ole Opry. Alton and Rabon Delmore (gotta love those country names) were one of the first of Country Music's brother acts, such as the Louvin' Brothers, the Stanley Brothers, the Monroe Brother's and, of course, the Everly Brothers who crossed over to big time Rock'n'Roll fame. They pioneered the "close harmony" country vocal style that even showed up in the work of the Beatles. When John and Paul lean into the mike together, nose-to-nose, like on "I'll Follow The Sun" or "Two Of Us" then they are channeling a sound that got started with the Delmore's.

"Blues Stay Away From Me" is their best-known song, and one of my favorites. Some music historians consider it country music's prime suspect for 'first rock'n'roll record, though I don't hear it. I have started off with the Delmore's version followed by the Everly's:

 

Next up is the great NRBQ with their rocked up, "rockabillyish" version. This is the original 5 piece NRBQ.

Finally, here are a couple of Beatle tunes where they approximate the old Country and Western close harmony style.

Song of the Day-I'll Love You Forever (Happy Birthday Kelly)

When Davy Jones of the Monkees died on Leap Day, the inevitable tributes poured onto the web. Many of the tributes were set to this late Monkees song "I'll Love You Forever" from the the album "Pool It." It was written by Davy Jones and I understand that more than a few weddings have used this song, which I would prefer hearing to the inevitable "young country" flash in the pan. Anyway, Davy wrote this tune and I think it's a worthwhile little composition, nice production, probably no other Monkees (besides Peter Tork) are on it. And I dedicate it to my wife Kelly who just celebrated her birthday because it sums up the way I feel! In a moment of sheer madness she agreed to marry me 17 years ago, thus saving my life.

CD Storegasm-Film at 11!

"CD Storegasm" (or the similar "music storegasm") is, according to Websters, any trip to a Record Shop wherein five or more CD/Records are purchased. The rolls of the music store "dead" seem to get longer every year. In the year just ended, we lost Rock-A-Billy's, Record Time and Car City Records. We gained some new spots for shopping, like the most excellent UHF in Royal Oak. And then there is Dearborn Music, located, as it has been for the last 1,000 years, at the Northwest corner of Michigan and Monroe. Back in the day, it was Dearborn "Records" a staunch, family-owned competitor to Harmony House, Korvettes, Repeat The Beat  and other purveyors of vinyl that provided the soundtrack for my teen years. Now, it soldiers on as maybe the biggest and best record/cd/dvd/blu-ray/memorabilia store in the area. I spent some time there this morning. Not long enough as I have, you know, a life (of sorts). Coupling it with lunch at the fine Miller's Bar (best burger in Michigan?) I ended up filling my bag with the following:

The Kinks-Face To Face-Deluxe 2 Disc Edition

Wilco-The Whole Love Limited Deluxe 2 cd edition

Bruce Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball"

Arthur Alexander's The Greatest

Cowboy Junkies "Nomad" Series 3 Sing In My Meadows

Poco Very Best of Live  

The Bangles Sweetheart of the Sun 

The Move-Live at the Fillmore

Otis Rush I Can't Quit The Blues

And the Piece of Resistance, at a bargain price though still sealed, the 9 CD, 1 DVD Robert Plant "Nine Lives" collection featuring his first 9 solo albums after leaving Led Zeppelin, remastered with bonus tracks. 

If you call me and I don't hear my phone ringing, it's because the music is too damn loud!

 

Song of the Day-Ornaments Of Gold

Siouxsie Sioux, a pseudonym for one Susan Janet Ballion got her start as a contemporary of the Sex Pistols in a band she named "Siouxsie and the Banshees."  Formed way back at year zero of the great punk explosion, 1976, the original recording Banshees besides Sioux were Steve Severin, Kenny Morris and John McKay, though others, including a pre-Pistols Sid Vicious had drifted through, but failed to gel with Sioux. The early band was an instant hit, though their challenging songs and aggressive instrumentation were arguably a much less accessible listen then their contemporaries such as the Clash and the Sex Pistols. The band soldiered on through many personnel changes with Siouxsie being the one constant, experimenting with various kinds on instrumentation and having quite a bit of success on the British Charts.

This track is from the mid-point of their career, 1988's "Peepshow" an album which featured unusual keyboards and string instruments leading to the first bit of success they were to have on this side of the Atlantic. While not one of the "hit" singles from the album, "Ornaments Of Gold" was a popular track. Give it a taste!

Song of the Day-These Dreams

"These Dreams" is a key song in the career of the rock band Heart. Like a lot of "AOR" bands who started out in the 70's, Heart turned to outside songwriters when their commercial fortunes foundered. In this case, it was songwriter Martin Page ("We Built This City" "King Of Wishful Thinking"). The strategy worked commercially. Bolstered by an extremely popular MTV video "These Dreams" hit number one Billboard Pop and AC, the first of two times Heart would top the charts. It was also by guitarist sung by Nancy Wilson, not usual lead singer Ann Wilson, demonstrating a nice touch with a power ballad. The story goes that Nancy had a cold that day giving the song a bit of a "raspy" feel that producers would ask her to re-create telling her "Why don't you just get another cold?"

Of course, chart-topping success was not without it's pitfalls. Heart abandoned the sound that had won them their big mid 70's success, that of a kind of folkier, female Led Zeppelin, in favor of a more commercially oriented, mainstream rock sound. Heart would have more success after "These Dreams" but even this more commercially-oriented sound would, in time, pay diminishing returns.

After a long hiatus, Heart released Red Velvet Car in 2010 and, no surprise, it was a return to the sound that made Heart famous early in their career. "These Dreams," the song and video, is very much an artifact of the mid-80's with the classic "Power Ballad" production sheen. It is, nonetheless, a worthy tune!

Song of the Day-It's A Shame

The Spinners hailed from the Ferndale/Royal Oak Township area where they attended Ferndale High School. For a time, they lived in the Herman Garden's housing project which was located about a block from where I grrw up, but was an area roughly bounded by Tireman, Southfield, Joy and Asbury Park.

My father and grandmother lived in the Gardens for a time in the 50s. I get a kick out of thinking that the young Spinners might been neighbors with members of my family. Nevertheless, their very earliest sides were recorded for Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi label and former Moonglow Harvey may have even sang on a couple of their records. Harvey later became a producer and executive at Motown and brought the Spinners with him. They were plunked on the Motown VIP imprint, a home for second tier Motown acts. While at Motown, they recorded this Stevie Wonder composition which hit number 14 on the Billboard Pop Charts but hit number 4 on the RnB charts (then known as the Soul charts). Like the Temptations "Get Ready" which did not chart highly but became a classic, "It's A Shame" is much more fondly remembered as an oldie then it was during it's chart run. The lead singer of the group at that time was GC Cameron, and he sings both the tenor lead and falsetto lead on this exciting production. It is, in my opinion, one of the great Motown sides from 1970.

The Spinners, after cutting a couple of more sides, were dropped by the label. GC Cameron stayed with Motown as a solo artist without having any real success. The Spinners cuts some demos at Pac 3 studios (Greenfield and Warren-also my old neighborhood) and on the strength of those, got signed to Atlantic, hooked up with producer Thom Bell and had many, many hits, mainly with the ill-fated Phillipe Wynne as lead singer. They became one of the biggest acts of the 70's with a more dance-oriented, silkier sound. Old timers in the Ferndale area still proudly consider the Spinners their own, neighborhood boys who made good. Made great, in fact!

A sample of Atlantic era Spinners!

Song of the Day-Wonderful World

Yes it is a remake of the Sam Cooke hit, and it was a number one tune on the AC charts in 1977 reaching #17 on the so-called "Pop" charts! Featured on the Art Garfunkel album "Watermark" it features shared lead vocals with Paul Simon and James Taylor. Nice feel to this tune in my opinion. A cool oldie that you don't hear too much on the radio anymore!

The Deaths of Ronnie Montrose and Robert Sherman

I wanted to mention a couple of notable deaths in the music world yesterday, of two men who had very little in common.

First, and in no particular order, the great Disney songwriter Robert Sherman, who, along with his brother Richard Sherman, wrote some of the most beloved movie tunes of all time. I am gonna throw out three for you: "It's A Small World," "Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious," and "Spoonful Of Sugar." There, at least one of those is now stuck in your head! Amazingly,  he was still active and working on a new Disney film at the time of his death at the age of 86. Quite a run for this little known but gifted tunesmith. Here's a cool Sherman Brother's tune from the popular Merlin Jones series of films in the 60's. The title tune from "The Monkey's Uncle" featuring Annette and The Beach Boys. Sadly, Annette herself was stricken with MS sometime ago and rumor has it that she is no longer able to speak.

Another notable musical figure to pass from the scene was Ronnie Montrose. Ronnie is probably best well-known for starting the band "Montrose" after leaving the Edgar Winter Group, and discovering a young Sammy Hagar who was his first lead singer.  The first Montrose album was really a genre classic and is sadly overlooked on today's (mostly awful) classic Rock Radio. Ronnie could shred, as he demonstrated below on this Montrose classic with Sammy on vocals "Bad, Motor Scooter."

Ronnie had more than one  arrow in his guitar "quiver." He was capable of playing with great melodic restraint, as demonstrated to such fine effect on many records with Edgar Winter and, especially the two albums he cut with Van (The Man) Morrison, "St. Dominic's Preview" and "Tupelo Honey".  Here is Ronnie backing up Van Morrison on a classic tune by the Cranky Old Bastard.

Farewell Robert and Ronnie! You made your marks on our little world of music and will be remembered for a long time!

Happy Birthday Sara

My daughter Sara turns 11 today. Spent yesterday, and this morning, getting ready for the party. My other child, Lucas, turns 14 in April. Sara is still definitely a pre-teen with all that entails and still loves her parents, blindly. Lucas, on the other hand, is firmly into that "love-hate" tug of war we all went through with our parents and, if we our lucky and live that long, experience again from the other side. Here is my favorite song about what it means to be a father to a daughter.

Loudon Wainwright III tells the tale:

Song of the Day-The Murder Mystery

The old cliche about the Velvet Underground was that their first album "The Velvet Underground & Nico sold only 2,000 copies, but everyone who bought one started a band." Probably not literally true but it is clear that the Velvet Underground were a huge influence on the punk movement of the mid-70s. It is also true that David Bowie, who was a huge fan of the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed specifically cites them as a major influence going so far as to record live versions of "White Light/White Heat" and "I'm Waiting For My Man."  Lou Reed and John Cale, the main creative forces of the Velvet Underground continue to actively record today with Lou doing his controversial project with Metallica and Cale releasing an EP just last September.

"The Murder Mystery" is the penultimate track on the Velvet's self-titled 3rd album. Cale has departed to be replaced by Doug Yule. Reed is clearly in charge from here on out, and the Andy Warhol influences get scrubbed too. The focus becomes the fine vocals and songwriting skills of Mr. Reed who writes every track. The instrumentation and sound become a little softer and Lou shows off his more "soulful" if not downright, romantic side. This track is, however, a throwback to the longer compositions of John Cale, and is probably the most experimental track on the album. The mood is subtle and trance like, with voices murmuring out of each speaker in the stereo mix, in counter-point to each other. Definitely a track that would never have made sense in the era of monophonic recordings. Nothing poppy or even particularly "rocky" about this track but with a good pair of headphones, it is a hypnotic listen that transports the listener to another place entirely.

They would hit their commercial sweet spot with the release of 1970's "Loaded" which was probably their most accessible effort, with tracks like "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll." Their entire catalog is available on the Spotify. This was a great band, and the Lou Reed of the late 60's was a great songwriter and great singer (though his voice not to everybody's taste, ala Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash). Check 'em out!