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!

Blues Scribe Extraordinaire

If I had to pick a favorite songwriter that would be a tough question to answer…John Fogerty, Lennon, McCartney, Hank Williams Sr. would all be in my top 10. However, one of the front runners for me has to be Willie Dixon. If you’re unfamiliar with his name, he wrote A LOT of well-known, classic Chicago blues songs like “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Little Red Rooster” which have been recorded by acts like Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones.

One song I didn’t realize Dixon had written until recently was recorded by Guitar God Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, and released following his death in 1991. Please don’t confuse “Close to You” with The Carpenters song by the same name.

I always loved SRV’s vocal on this cut. You could call the song “simple” or “basic”, but I think it works. I’m assuming Vaughan heard Muddy Waters’ recording on this one and put his own spin on it.

I don’t know if Muddy Waters was envisioning this one as a novelty record because he’s laughing throughout a lot of it. There’s also a version by The Doors out there, but this one features keyboardist Ray Manzarek on vocals (and not Jim Morrison).

Lyrically, I think the song shows Willie Dixon’s sense of humor and genius. My favorite line is that one that rhymes “hen” with “Siamese twins”, but there are some other great ones, too like “fire is to smoke” and “pig is to poke (pork).” I remember laughing the first time I heard this one, which was the SRV version. In conclusion, please play this song for anyone who says blues is nothing but “sad music.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Hang On Greasy?

I had a song pop into my head recently and I think it’s a good one… The particular song is “Hang On Sloopy.” If you’re like me, you’ve heard the popular version by Ohio band The McCoys. I would have bet money the song was written by McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer (his real last name is Zehringer by the way), but I would have been dead wrong. The original song was called “My Girl Sloopy” and was released by a group called The Vibrations in 1964.

Songwriting credits are attributed to Wes Farrell and Bert Russell Berns. There’s a lot of background about who was going to cover the song in 1965 including The Strangeloves and The Dave Clark Five. The Yardbirds even have a version out there. Somehow it found its way to a group called Rick & The Raiders (who then changed their name to The McCoys). It’s a great slice of American 60s garage rock.

I love the lead vocal on this cut and that’s a pretty wild guitar solo. To make things a little more confusing, there is a version with three verses and a version with two. I think the shorter one was the hit we all know and love. Also, Rick Derringer re-released the tune during the 70s as well. I even found a video about the woman who danced as “Sloopy” in the 70s video clip.

Also, a song from the 1978 Grease soundtrack has a pretty similar groove to Sloopy. I thought it was called “Summer Lovin'” or “Summer Loving”, but it’s actually called “Summer Nights.”

There are obviously other sections to the song, but the main feel to it is “Sloopy” to my ears. What else? Well, “Hang On Sloopy” is the state of Ohio’s official rock song and its played at Ohio State University sporting events. Fans chant “O-H-I-O” along to the tune. I worked in admissions recruiting when Ohio State decided to start calling itself “THE Ohio State University.” Maybe they should have called the song, “Hang On THE Sloopy”?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

That Other Loch

I was going through a long list of songs I had saved online today. These were mainly songs I either have already dabbled with or want to learn on guitar. While I consider myself a classic rocker and blues guy, I enjoy some thoroughly “hardcore” folk music — traditional tunes, Bob Dylan, etc. (By the way, in the pre-internet days I always struggled to choose songbooks on acoustic guitar because they would have a bunch of songs I had never heard like “Arkansas Traveler” or some crap the author had made up.)

In any event, one song that was in my list is the Scottish tune “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond.” “You’ll take the high road, etc.” The song has been recorded a couple of hundred times by different bands and singers in any number of musical arrangements: acapella, acoustic, punk rock, etc. Here’s a fairly typical arrangement sung by Judy Collins.

Not to pick on Judy, but her voice is too operatic for me. It’s just a matter of personal preference. I listened to a song by Odetta today and had the same issue with it. As for Loch Lomond, There’s no shortage of versions featuring a female singer accompanied by strings. As I worked my way through the list, I found an interesting version by Fats Waller.

I don’t think I’ll be learning all of those piano parts on guitar, but I can appreciate his unique take on the tune. One thing I didn’t know before today is AC/DC recorded an instrumental version of the song called “Fling Thing.”

I think this version finally scratched my itch so to speak. (I remember reading that AC/DC’s Malcom and Angus Young were born in Glasgow, Scotland before their family moved to Sydney, Australia. I watched a concert clip from the 70s where Angus and lead singer Bon Scott were decked out in what looked like Scottish soccer uniforms. ) Oh yeah, did you know the guy named Bon Scott was also Scottish?

As for other versions, take your pick: Benny Goodman, The Real McKenzies, etc. Apparently, the song goes all the way back to 1745. You can find more info via Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bonnie_Banks_o%27_Loch_Lomond

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Rants, Raves, Beatles, & Faves

This is an example of my ultimate pet peeve conversation:

Author: What kind of music do you like?

Other Person: I like all kinds.

Author: So who are some of your favorite bands? I like The Beatles. Do you have a favorite song?

Other Person: It depends on my mood.

Author: I see… so if you were given a $10.00 gift card that could only be spent on recorded music, what would you buy?

Other Person: It depends.

Author: So are you in the mood for “The Macarena”, “Blitzkrieg Bop” , or “Theme for an Imaginary Western”?

Other Person: Well….I’m not really sure….

Author: So if Planet Earth was going to explode unless you spent the $10.00 music gift card in the next 5 minutes, which songs would you spend it on: “Hello, Goodbye”, “The End”, or something un-goodbye-related?

Other Person: Ummm….

Author: Hey, is that a mushroom cloud on the horizon? (Moving to strangle Other Person.)

I think about these kind of things — sort of like the infamous Top 5 Lists discussed by the record store employees in the 2000 film “High Fidelity.” Perhaps music is just more important to me than your average “I like all kinds” person or I just have actual opinions. In any event, I’ve been thinking about some of my favorites from The Beatles. I’m not afraid to claim, share, and even justify them.

  1. My favorite Beatles album: “Revolver”(1966). If I had to pick a reason why it’s my favorite, I think it’s the vocal harmonies on the record. What else? It’s psychedelic, you have the Indian music vibe on at least one song, and songs like “Elanor Rigby” which are a departure from their earlier pop sound. What else? You have 3 George Harrison tunes on the record (“Taxman”, “Love You To”, and “I Want to Tell You”). You have Lennon tunes like “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Doctor Robert, “I’m Only Sleeping”. Some of those Lennon songs weren’t included on Capitol’s original U.S. release. Paul McCartney’s compositions are primarily upbeat songs like “Good Day Sunshine” and “Got to Get You into My Life.” Could you say The Beatles were expanding their minds and expanding in the recording studio? Yes, I think you could.

2. My favorite Beatles fast song: “Helter Skelter” (1968). This song absolutely blew my mind the first time I heard it. It is raucous. It’s heavy. You can certainly research the origin of the song and it has nothing to do with Charles Manson at all. This song made me want to play electric guitar. You have a young Paul McCartney’s vocals on it along with a pretty good backing band including some eerie backing vocals. There’s that whole fade in, fade out ending where Ringo Starr shouts, “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” From The Beatles White Album.

3. My favorite Beatles slow song: “I Will” (1968). I think it’s ironic that both my favorite fast and slow songs by The Beatles are both from The White Album (and not my previously claimed favorite album “Revolver”). Both just happen to be primarily Paul McCartney compositions. While this song is pretty sparse or stripped down, I’ve always loved it. Incidentally, I had a guitar teacher tell me that The Cars’ borrowed this riff as part of their song “My Best Friend’s Girl.”

4. My favorite cover recorded by The Beatles: “You Really Got a Hold on Me” (1963). This song was originally written and recorded by Smokey Robinson (& The Miracles). The harmony is what makes my ears perk up on this one. This was on their second studio album “With The Beatles”, which I consider to be their Motown album.

5. My favorite Beatles album cover: Revolver (1966). Beatles Hamburg friend Klaus Voorman is credited with the black and white collage of pictures and artwork. I’m sure some prefer the Sgt. Pepper cover or even the shadowy “With The Beatles” cover, but I dig collages. What can I say?

There are certainly many other things to discuss regarding Beatles favorites so there may be additional blog entries. I guess “it just depends on my mood.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

“It’s not the kill…it’s the thrill of the chase.”

Deep Purple. I feel like they have a handful of songs that keep their musical legacy on people’s radars. “Smoke on the Water” is a pretty safe bet for the first song most players learn on guitar. (There’s a cool story behind the lyrics, too.) Then you have other songs like “Highway Star” which is an automotive enthusiast (motorhead) tribute and then there are other popular songs like “Woman from Tokyo.” Musically, I have always loved their song “Knocking at Your Back Door” which was on the “Perfect Strangers” (1984) album. I’m sharing an instrumental version first.

How would you describe this song? I’d say dramatic is the first word that pops into my mind. I think I recorded this song during a Rock n Roll 500 countdown on my local AOR (Album Oriented Rock) station. I almost feel like the song has a progressive rock feel to it, but I could be wrong. I mean the song rocks, but it also has the sort of strings effect on it — I’m assuming that’s a keyboard.

I’ve read a few things about the song’s lyrics and meaning…but you probably don’t want to know. I will say that line “It’s not the kill, it’s the thrill of the chase” is a great one in my opinion. It’s stuck with me for years. According to Wikipedia, the Seattle Supersonics NBA team used the song when doing their lineup introductions.

I really enjoy the overall production and mix on the vocals and instruments of this track. Apparently, bassist Roger Glover and Deep Purple as a whole are listed as the producer on the album.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

J.J.’s Lowdown

I can’t say I have sat down to watch a full concert video any time recently, but I feel like the really great ones stand out. Some of the big ones to me include The Last Waltz (The Band), Concert for George (Harrison), Concert for Bangladesh (George Harrison, Dylan, and more), etc. I think a musician friend of mind recommended “Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood – Live From Madison Square Garden”, and I have to say there is some great stuff in that one. Apparently the show was recorded during 2008 and released in 2009. One of the first songs was a new one to me, but I liked right away. It turns out it was written by J.J. Cale.

If you don’t recognize Cale’s name, you’ve definitely heard some of his songs. He wrote things like “Call Me the Breeze” which was popularized by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Clapton recorded a few of his songs including “Cocaine” and “After Midnight”– technically, Clapton recorded a fast version of Midnight and a slow one, too.

I found a few different versions of “Low Down” by J.J. Cale and enjoyed this live one.

Maybe some songs lend themselves to being played live. They’re not too complicated, but they’re catchy and they work. Maybe that’s why Cale’s songs will continue to be recorded for years to come.

I chose this song because I wish the temperature was Low Down where I live, but the heat index has been around the 100 degree mark for awhile. Also, I think J.J.’s Lowdown is a good name for a bar and grill. What do you think?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Talkin’ Temperature Blues

Today is one of the hottest days of the year in my neck of the woods so my motivation and creativity are lacking. You might say they have been zapped from me or that I have “the blues” at some level. That’s a good excuse to kick them via Howlin’ Wolf. The song I’m using is called “Who’s Been Talking.”

You might recognize some of the other musicians listed on the album cover of “The Holwin’ Wolf London Sessions” like Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, plus Bill Wyman and Charlies Watts of The Rolling Stones fame. I found about 50 versions of this tune including the title track from Robert Cray’s first album called “Who’s Been Talkin’.”

Cray’s take on the song is mellower, but still a great listen. If you’re looking for an extensive jam, there are some 10 to 11 minute versions by The Allman Brothers Band out there. Kansas City native Samantha Fish also has a version out there as well.

I could say more about the meaning of the song, but I feel like it’s pretty clear. I’ve also heard/seen the title listed as “The Causing of It All.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!