Song of the Day-Magic Hollow (which inspires an epic rant)

Life is not fair, as anybody who grows up a Lion's fan, or supported Al Gore in 2000 or....hell....any number of examples you can throw out there. It goes double if you are a fan of a great band who puts out tremendous music over a period of years only to see that music unjustly ignored. Sometimes a great band soldiers on, recording album after album to generally diminishing returns, while it's fan base gets smaller, older (dies off). The music satisfies the fan's but it's preaching to the choir. And, honestly, it probably is not quite as good as the music that coulda SHOULDA broken them to mass appeal (I'm looking at you NRBQ! You too Poco!).

The great NRBQ. This shoulda been on everybody's radio in the 70's. "Riding In My Car!"

Poco put a lot into the "A Good Feelin' To Know" album. When it flopped, it lead to the eventual departure of their leader Richie Furay. Another "shoulda been" hit.

Sometimes the band cruelly withers and dies way before it's prime, with great albums under their belt, zero sales and a career in insurance sales in their future when they could be putting out great albums. Their are so many of these that one can barely count them. The Zombies did an album, Odessey and Oracle, that was compared to Pet Sounds before they broke up and went on to new bands (Argent), leaving the smash hit "Time of the Season" in their wake.  It was a worldwide hit a year after they broke up. Bad Timing.

Sometimes the hits are at the start of their career, done so effortlessly that it sounds like they could do it forever like the Beau Brummells whose "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just A Little" are heard on oldies stations to this day. They went on to be present at the birth of country-rock with two classics of the genre, Triangle and Bradley's Barn, only to see the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brother's get all the credit. And the Eagles get all the money!

And our song of the Day from the Triangle album, "Magic Hollow."

Moby Grape put out a tremendously great first album. Featuring Five songwriters and five singers they had oodles of potential. The record company released just about every song on their debut as a single. None of them were hits.  They imploded in a few years in a haze of record company hype. Most of the band were out of the business in a few years, while one, Skip Spence, went really crazy. "Syd Barrett"-crazy!

It's called "Omaha" but a lot of folks think it's called "Listen My Friends!"

Love was led by the late Arthur Brown, a mercurial genius who spent years in prison on crazy, weapons violations. When released, he reformed the band, (of course, without any other original members) and did some great shows, including one at the Royal Oak Music Theater where they opened for the Zombies. Arthur was an African-American leading an all-white band, and he just generally could not hold his LSD. They produced some hit singles, and the classic Forever Changes lp. Even recorded with Jimi Hendrix. By the mid-70's they were a memory.

My favorite "Love" song, "Alone Again Or!"

Studio geniuses like Emitt Rhodes of the Merry Go Round and Micheal Brown who headed up the Left Banke, the Beckies and the Stories were not allowed to have long productive careers like a Paul McCartney but instead disappeared for decades, amid hushed rumors of JD Salinger-like-one-man-band recording.

"You're A Very Lovely Woman" by Emmitt Rhodes and the Merry-Go-Round.

Michael Brown had some big ones. First with the Left Banke.

Then this huge mid 70's smash with The Stories!

This started out as an appreciation of a fine, overlooked later Beau Brummells tune, which morphed into an angry, sad rant about the vagaries of the music business and public taste. Sorry. But enjoy the tunes. They are all great!

I have tossed these songs up on the Spotify. Go to "Chadwick's Listening Room" and sink into the musical excellence!

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.

NRBQ Drummer Tom Ardolino Passes Away

I awoke today to the news that the former drummer for the rock band NRBQ had passed away after a recent illness. Tommy Ardolino was much beloved by NRBQ's small, but intense fanbase. Whether slamming out a backbeat on a Q classic like "I Want You Bad" or "Me And The Boys" or taking a lead vocal on an acoustic version of "Sukiyaki" Tommy clearly loved every moment of his time in the band.  Sadly, Tommy was unable to continue on with NRBQ when leader Terry Adams announced that he was revitalizing the NRBQ brand by putting together a new version of the classic American combo. Perhaps a foreshadowing of the health problems that led to Tommy's recent hospitalization. Tommy will be missed!

Here is Tommy doing what he does best, backing up his beloved friends Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato and Johnny Spaminato on the Conan O'Brien show with "Over Your Head" from "Message For The Mess Age."