Steve Mellow Band

Mother Nature has finally decided to cool the temperature down in my neck of the woods. Personally, I’ve been looking forward to the change from summer to fall. Ironically, my song pick for today is entitled “Winter Time” and was released by the Steve Miller Band during the mid to late 70s. I’d describe it as a very mellow tune. Sparse and spacey also apply to this one.

At the musical core of the song, you have Miller’s vocal and a guitar playing arpeggiated chords. Throw in some lonesome harmonica from Norton Buffalo, a bit of sitar, and a wind sound effect… and that’s just about the rest of it.

“Winter Time” was on Miller’s “Book of Dreams” album which produced upbeat hits like “Swing Town”, “Jungle Love”, and the Paul Pena penned tune “Jet Airliner.” You might say its easy to overlook this song in comparison. I didn’t find a ton of covers of this song, but Canadian singer-songwriter Reid Jamieson has a good one out there.

Jamieson recorded this cover for his appropriately entitled album “Songs for a Winter’s Night.” You can hear keyboard featured more prominently in his version, but it still conveys the feeling of isolation like the original one. There’s also a Steve Miller tribute album with a version of “Winter Time” featuring guitarist Peter Banks.

This song is one I can listen to repeatedly if I’m feeling mellow in the morning. I think The Doors song “Riders on the Storm” is the only one I play more than this one on those occasions.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Getting Synthy With It

I was headed to pickup a prescription at my local grocery store recently when a song on the in-store music grabbed my attention. I heard some sort of a synthesizer on the recording, but couldn’t immediately place the tune. I thought it could be “Cars” by Gary Newman, but it turned out to be “Fantasy” by Aldo Nova.

I think MTV is the only reason I ever heard this early 1980s song. The video featured helicopters, machine guns, and leopard print. Very 80s! I think most Americans consider Aldo Nova to be a “one hit wonder” because of this song. Apparently, Aldo was born in Canada to Italian parents.

Another great synth song from roughly the same era (late 70s/early 80s) has been on my “to blog” list for a while. If you’ve ever heard a joke about Turkish prisons and scratched your head about it, those originate with the 1978 film “Midnight Express.” The memorable song on the soundtrack by Giorgio Moroder is called “Chase.”

I have to credit indoor soccer for turning me on to this song because The Kansas City Comets team used this song for its team theme song. I don’t think I watched the film until several years later. All I can say is Turkish prison is not for the squeamish. I have a Beatles synth tune or two in mind which I’ll save for later.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Eye of the Beholder

I woke up to a human interest story on a local TV news station in Kansas City today. It’s about a Chiefs football superfan. This is a guy who goes to all of the games and collects official jerseys, etc. You know the type. However, this guy was, unfortunately, in a serious car accident and had to get a prosthetic glass eye. That’s not exactly a unique situation either, but what he decided to was a new one on me.

Instead of opting for a glass eye in his birth eye color, he decided to have a custom made one with the Kansas City Chiefs logo on it made for him. (I wonder how much the royalty fee cost.) To me, the only appropriate artist to go with this story is obviously David Bowie, and “Sound and Vision” seems like the obvious choice.

After the video clip of the story aired on TV, all three of the news anchors were smiling giddily while I’m thinking “What the Hell is wrong with you people?” Okay, it’s the superfan’s choice of what to do with his replacement eye, but I just don’t get it. This guy says he even considered getting two different ones that he could pop in and out — one for offense and one for defense! I suppose this will now be the superfan’s claim to fame.

My initial thought on the marketing angle of the story was this: I bet notorious huckster Gene Simmons of KISS is kicking himself. He could have been marketing a set of four interchangeable eyes with the Demon, Spaceman, Starchild, and Catman. “X-Ray Eyes”, anyone?

I mean the possibilities are endless for interchangeable eyes — Seven Dwarfs, Twelve Apostles, Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. What about a seasonal favorite of eight tiny reindeer with one blinking red for Rudolph? That might even outdo the superfan. Plus, Halloween is right around the corner.

Let’s hope this news story doesn’t start a trend of NFL fans maiming themselves to keep up, but, as a society, it wouldn’t surprise me to see it happen.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Bad Boy Lennon, Part 2

In case you missed the non-award winning blog entry of Part 1, we’re talking about the song called “Bad Boy”, which was written and originally released by Larry Williams. The song is an interesting slice of novelty and rock n roll. You’ll hear some saxophone on the original Williams version, which is not the case with The Beatles cover.

The Beatles also covered a few other Williams tunes like “Slow Down” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”, which I believe John Lennon sang lead on as well. Another bad dude has a live version out there. I’m talking about George Thorogood (& The Destroyers.)

It’s interesting to hear Thorogood give John Lennon some credit as an inspiration. I found a few other covers out there including The Gants, Cowboy Junkies, Shaun Cassidy, and one from the “Backbeat” film soundtrack. I believe I still have my copy on cassette.

What else can you say about “Bad Boy”? It’s a short song that really moves. I think you have to give credit to both Larry Williams along with that Bad Boy John Lennon and The Beatles. Here’s hoping you are having a good day whether you’re bad or not.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Bad Boy Lennon, Part 1

If memory serves me correctly, one of my buddies turned me onto a collection of songs by The Beatles called “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music.” It’s not one of their “original 12” albums, but a hodgepodge of different tunes. One of those popped into my head today. It’s not a Lennon & McCartney original, but one written by Larry Williams. “Bad Boy” is not only a song that rocks, but it tells the story of a rebellious teenager who just won’t play by the rules. And, yes, we need to celebrate that.

I checked out a few YouTube videos and recordings of the isolated song parts. If you listen to Paul McCartney’s bass line by itself it’s not too exciting, but it serves the song. He also played some keyboard on it as well. I happened to find one video that is just Lennon’s vocals including some raucous screams combined with Ringo Starr’s drumming.

Another is Lennon and George Harrison’s isolated guitar parts. Dig those crazy string bends!

I think Lennon’s vocals are insanely good on this track and I think it’s a direct result of all of those hours of live gigs played in Hamburg and elsewhere. The way he sings the line “Behave yourself” really works. George Harrison’s guitar licks aren’t too shabby either. Will there be a Part 2? Time will tell.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Edgysmith vs. Flocks of Chicken Little

I decided to pop in to a Wal Mart on my way to work this morning. (I wanted to buy some of those unhealthy-but-tasty orange crackers with the peanut butter inside of them.) Before I got to the front door, I saw a homeless woman hauling her shopping cart full of junk across the adjacent sidewalk. What made it even more memorable was the fact that she had a little dog riding on top of her belongings. It made me think of an Aerosmith lyric from the early 90s: “There’s something wrong with the world today I don’t know what it is.” “Livin’ on the Edge” was written by Aerosmith band members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, along with songwriter Mark Hudson.

It’s hard to believe the song was released after the L.A. riots and, apparently, partly inspired by them. If you thought the world (or the U.S.) was a mess THEN, what do you think of it NOW? Nowadays, I don’t think riots are an ongoing issue. However, we do have nonstop battles over data center construction, Canadian tariffs, whether or not Artificial Intelligence will completely eliminate human beings from the planet some time soon…oh and flock cameras!

Do I sound like the Chicken Little character referenced in the song? Maybe the sky isn’t falling, but it certainly does feel like “There’s something wrong with the world today“. I mean, what is the proper response to seeing a homeless woman with her dog riding shotgun in the shopping cart? Do you run into Wal Mart and buy the dog some food? Do you consult with a clerk about which food is appropriate for both owner and pooch? Honestly, I don’t know what to think. (I will say that during the 90s, PETA would have probably beaten the woman with a pool noodle.)

In conclusion, I’m going to start my own flock camera company…I haven’t decided on the name yet, but I’m pretty sure Chicken Little should be involved.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Tipton Two-fer

Have you ever heard of Tipton, Missouri? It’s a small town of roughly 3,000 residents. When I think about Tipton, two specific names pop to mind. One is comedic actor David Koechner. He’s probably best known for playing chauvinistic sportscaster Champ Kind in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”, but also hilariously played the annoying neighbor in Mike Judge’s underrated film “Extract”, which I highly recommend.

The second name I think of is Gene Clark. Clark was a musician and songwriter who is best known for being a member of The Byrds. He wrote and sang lead on their song “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better.” It was apparently the B-side of a Byrds’ Bob Dylan cover, but got its share of airplay. It was released in 1965.

A guitarist friend of mine is the person who really made me appreciate this song. At two-and-a-half minutes, it’s a short song, but it’s a good one in my opinion. The guitar solo on it is pretty distinct…sounds sort of like a mandolin to my ears or maybe just has that 12-string guitar “jangle” that was a big part of The Byrds’ sound. Clark also re-released the song on one of his solo albums.

As for The Byrds’ influence, Tom Petty was definitely a fan. Petty covered this one on his massive “Full Moon Fever” album in 1990.

I think his Traveling Wilburys pal Jeff Lynne sings some of the backing vocals on this one.

What else can you say about Tipton, MO? Apparently, it’s the home of the “World’s Largest 8-Ball.” It’s their unique water tower…apparently, they had a billiard table factory there and that was a tribute to it. When I Googled “Tipton, MO manufacturing” the name Koechner Manufacturing appeared as a result. I’m assuming that could be a relative of David Koechner.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Three Scariest Words

It’s officially Labor Day Weekend in the U.S.A. and that means a three day weekend for a lot of us — myself included. There will be BBQs, parties, road trips, etc. I’d say this weekend normally marks the last breath of summer, but it is about 8 billion degrees Fahrenheit where I live and it’s going to stay there for at least another week.

My plans?

Well, I purchased a storage shed recently. It’s a necessary evil which leads me to the title of this blog entry. The three scariest words to me are “Some Assembly Required.” With a lot of help, I’ve been assembling it and it’s nearly finished. The only appropriate song I can think of to celebrate this event is called “Workin’ on a Building.” My favorite version is the first one I heard. It’s part of John Fogerty’s first post-Creedence solo album called “The Blue Ridge Rangers.”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the album, there are no Fogerty originals on it. Every instrument you hear was played by Fogerty himself. Not sure about the vocals. This particular song’s author is credited to “Traditional.” I think you could label the song as a “spiritual” or “Southern Gospel” thing.

Some people may associate this tune with some of the BIGGEST names in bluegrass music like The Carter Family, Bill Monroe, and The Stanley Brothers. I found another cool version by a band called Marley’s Ghost. Apparently, they are located in the Pacific Northwest.

I like the harmony and the arrangement on this version. Do you think The Beach Boys ever considered doing this one? I mean there’s no mention of surf bunnies, waves, or Woodies, but they could pull off the harmony for sure.

Some big names outside of bluegrass music have recorded this one, too…Elvis Presley, Cowboy Junkies, and even B.B. King. Apparently, B.B. King had this in his repertoire when he was a busker on the streets of Memphis. I saw an interview where he said that gospel fans would compliment him, but blues fans would throw him a buck or two. I guess that’s the economics of the music business.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

P.S. By the way, there’s much more to the plastic resin shed saga. I can’t give out specifics, but it involves a used shed, a pickup truck, a highway, and an explosion on impact. Happy Labor Day!

Lunar La Bamba

It seems like there’s mention of a solar or lunar eclipse now and then on the news. I never stay up late or get up early to enjoy the things in real time, but I’m aware of them. Apparently there’s one in a day or so which will be a “deep partial lunar eclipse.”

It’s ironic because I started thinking about the Van Morrison song “Moondance” today. It was released in 1970 on the album of the same name and has enjoyed plenty of radio airplay and probably in films as well. “Jazzy” is the word I would use to describe it.

You have a walking bass on the track along with some piano, saxophone, a great Van Morrison vocal (along with a little bit of scatting), and it culminates with a dramatic jazz flute crescendo. To clarify, it wasn’t the lunar eclipse which made this song pop into my head — it was a song called “Midnight Blue” by jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. Can you hear the similarity?

Apparently Burrell’s album entitled “Midnight Blue” was out in 1963, but from what I read on Wikipedia, Grant Green’s “Lazy Afternoon” was actually the inspiration behind “Moondance.”

I suppose there’s some similar vibes to all three of the songs. Maybe some other musicians will be inspired to write some new music based on “Moondance” by the next eclipse, but I have no idea when that will be.

If you’re into the whole eclipse phenomenon, I don’t think any special 3-D glasses are required for this one, but isn’t that half of the fun?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Slim Hurricane O’Blues

I was listening to a blues show on my local public station this weekend when I heard a great live cut from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. This was an early recording from the “In the Beginning” album, which was released in 1990 following his untimely death at the age of 35. The album was originally broadcast on an Austin, Texas radio station in 1980 and has some great, high energy, raw blues on it. The particular song is entitled “They Call Me Guitar Hurricane.”

I knew this song was a cover, but could only find the SRV version when I searched for it by title. Apparently, he rewrote the lyrics from a song by Guitar Slim (real name Eddie Jones). The original is entitled “I’m Guitar Slim.”

I think you could call the vibe of both songs as a sort of gunslinger/I’m coming to get you thing (or thang). Tragically, Guitar Slim died young from pneumonia in his early 30s. SRV also recorded a cover of his song “The Things That I Used to Do.”

I’d recommend checking out “In the Beginning.” Apparently, bassist Tommy Shannon hadn’t entered the picture yet so Jackie Newhouse is on the recording along with drummer Chris Layton.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!