Epic Allmans

Lately, I’ve been thinking about The Allman Brothers Band. I’ve never been a superfan, but I have enjoyed a lot of their popular songs which received radio airplay. For some reason, I remember going to a much touted record store in St. Louis, MO and being pretty disappointed with its selection; however, I did purchase an album called “The Best of the Allman Brothers Band.” Guitarist Dickie Betts compositions “Blue Sky” and “Ramblin’ Man” were big reasons why I bought it, but I think time and age have led me to appreciate the vocals and songwriting of Gregg Allman even more. “Whipping Post” is a pretty safe bet if you’re into epic blues rock.

Lyrically, it’s basically a “you done me wrong” blues tune. I think there are only two verses, but Allman’s gravelly vocals convince you whatever he’s singing, he MEANS it. My favorite lyric is:

“She took all my money
Wrecked my new car
Now she’s with one of my good time buddies
They’re drinkin’ in some crosstown bar”

Musically, it starts with Berry Oakley’s bass guitar echoed by electric guitar, then the whole band joins in including Gregg Allman on Hammond B-3 organ. It’s hard to believe Allman wrote and recorded this around the age of 21 because his voice and the lyrics sound so “weathered.” It’s also interesting that “Whipping Post” was on the band’s first album. Years later, a 20-minute version would appear on the live “At Fillmore East” record, too.

I’ve been listening this song on repeat and really am enjoying it. Hopefully, you enjoy it, too.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Happy Shatner-Ween!

Well, it’s basically October…I would say that means it’s “Halloween time”, but retailers have already been hocking their seasonal goods for a good while now. That, and temperatures are still in the 80s where I live. Is Pumpkin Spice flavor still all the rage? It’s hard for me to keep up. Anyway, if you need a jump start to get into the Halloween spirit, I recommend listening to William Shatner’s cover of “I Put a Spell on You” featuring guitarist Pat Travers.

This cover of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins tune demonstrates exactly why Shatner IS a cultural icon.

If that isn’t enough, check this out. I Googled “Halloween Shatner” and an interesting bit of trivia popped up. The Michael Meyers masked killer in the “Halloween” film franchise always wears a generic looking mask — however, the mask is apparently a Shatner mask which has been altered. This sort of demonic shenanigans could only happen down at the “Crossroads.” It’s a William Shatner “twin spin”!

By the way, Shatner isn’t stupid. Guitarist James Burton (who formed Elvis Presley’s TCB Band) plays on the track as well. It’s hard to believe William Shatner actually recorded an album entitled “The Blues”, but he did. I wonder if actually practices the vocal parts or just “Shatnerizes” them in an improvisational manner. Either way, I’m glad he did.

Happy Shatner-ween!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Disgrace…Yes or No?

I was looking for a piece of music to ease into the work week and decided to go with some progressive or “prog” rock from the band Yes. The band has quite a catalog of music to choose from, but one that caught my ears years ago is called “Yours is no Disgrace” from 1971’s “The Yes Album”. It’s an interesting listen on headphones and is a pretty wild mix of what I would call funky wah pedal guitar, jazzy sections, and unique lyrics.

Lead singer Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire sing a lot of harmony on the track and Squire’s bass really pops throughout the nearly ten minute song. As I mentioned, Steve Howe’s wah-driven guitar is what grabbed me the first time I heard it. I remember writing down the song title on a piece of paper because I didn’t want to forget.

I feel like, lyrically, “Yours is no Disgrace” is all over the place. Apparently, the title is meant to be a message to soldiers in the Vietnam war — you have no choice in this, so there’s no disgrace in your participation. As far as “purple wolfhounds”, I’m not so sure about the meaning there. However, I really enjoy the musicianship on this track.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Law & Order: Overload

I had the TV on last night and I did a double take when I heard the announcer mention “Law & Order: Toronto”. Toronto? Nothing against the city, but it seems like their writers have literally run out of ideas. The original concept has already spun off into the following Law & Orders: Criminal Intent, Special Victims Unit, LA, Organized Crime, UK, and that’s NOT even all of them!

Here are a few ideas for new Law & Orders I’d like to contribute:

  1. Law & Order: Detroit Rock City. The original KISS lineup reforms to investigate crimes in the Motor City. Each episode ends with lead guitarist Ace Frehley crashing the KISS patrol vehicle into a different building while Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley focus on songwriting. Episode 1 features Ted Nugent and James Jamerson as guest stars. Somehow the Red Wings hockey team and Peter Criss are also involved.

2. Law & Order: Steve Miller Band. Steve Miller rides a white Pegasus horse with rainbow wings (like the one on his “Book of Dreams” album cover) while he solves crimes with harmonica player Norton Buffalo. Miller is originally from Texas so it will be set there. Episode 1 will involve heinous crimes committed at various locations of Whataburger. Law & Order’s infamous gavel “cha ching” will be fit nicely in Miller’s “Abracadabra” guitar solo.

3. Law & Order: Grunge. Set during 1990s Seattle, flannel clad detectives investigate crimes while hanging out at Starbucks and writing songs in dropped guitar tunings. This will obviously spinoff into Law & Order: Unplugged Grunge and will feature bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains. No one better think about “coming to snuff The Rooster” on their beat. Ticketmaster is also involved.

    4. Law & Order: Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley rides his motor scooter around Chicago with his red square guitar on his back and maraca player Jerome Green in tow. Naturally, they investigate crimes and the theme song now features the Bo Diddley beat interspersed with the “cha ching” sound. In Episode 1, George Thorogood reprises his role as a pool hustler from the “Bad to the Bone” video and Leonard Chess makes an appearance.

    5. Law & Order: The Rolling Stones. The beauty of this version is each week the cast lineup will change to include different guitarists from the band’s history including Brian Jones, Mick Taylor, and Ron Wood. Detectives Jagger and Richards’ contentious relationship doesn’t keep them from investigating crimes in England and beyond. Episode 1 features a deep dive into urban legend Spring Heeled Jack. Episode 2 features a trip on the fabled “Route 66” including their version of the song bearing its name.

    Well, those are a few ideas I have on yet additional spinoffs to Law & Order. It seems NBC is on a similar mission as the NFL, which is to ram their product down the throats of every person on the globe. I think it’s working.

    Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

    Super Sax

    I saw a Facebook post which asked group members to post a rock song with saxophone in it. Ironically, I heard a sax song TWICE during that same week so I took it as a sign to blog about it. I’m talking about “Maneater” by Hall and Oates.

    It was released on the 1982 album “H2O“. After doing a little research I found out the sax player’s name is Charlie DeChant. His nickname is “Mr. Casual”, which I assume is a play on words (i.e. casual sax) and he’s apparently been with Hall and Oates since 1976. He obviously contributed some other great sax to other songs in their catalog.

    Another rock song which features saxophone is a great piece of New Orleans songwriting. My first introduction to “Send Me Some Lovin'” was a live album by the one and only Little Richard. It has a fantastic vocal and a great sax solo, too.

    After a quick search on Google, I found out Lee Allen played tenor sax on the recording and Alvin “Red” Tyler played baritone sax. When I think about saxophone, this is the first piece of music which pops to mind. You can label it an “oldie”, but I think it’s fantastic!

    I had a third song in mind, but I can’t seem to remember what it is. In any event, the saxophone was actually invented by a Belgian dude named Adolphe Sax. I guess he also invented some instruments I’m not familiar with including the saxotromba, saxhorn, and saxtuba. I reserve the right to revisit Super Sax in the future!

    Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

    F.A.T. – Funny Album Titles

    I’ve been thinking about record albums — you know those round, 33 and 1/3 RPM things? I was a teenager in the 80s during the cassette/CD era, but albums were still around and I remember them from my even younger days.

    Recently, I saw the film “Wayne’s World” again and it got me thinking about album titles. There’s a scene where Wayne tells musician Cassandra she and her band, “kick ass. You’re Double Live Gonzo! Intensity in 10 Cities. Live at Budokan” — all references to rock album titles. Here’s a short list of some of my favorite album TITLES. As a disclaimer, I have never owned any of these, but definitely enjoy these songs and artists.

    First up, is a selection of my midwestern bias. I’m talking about the band REO Speedwagon. Their 1978 album was entitled “You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish.” One song on the album is called “The Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot.”

    Kudos to lead guitarist Gary Richrath for this instrumental. I always chuckled in the record store when I would see this album title.

    My second pick comes from Leslie West. He’s the portly dude who played guitar in the band Mountain and sang lead vocals on “Mississippi Queen.” West apparently had a great sense of humor because his 1975 solo album was entitled “The Great Fatsby.” One of the interesting covers on the record is “If I Were a Carpenter”.

    The song was written by Tim Hardin. (Oh, and The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I read it my freshman year in high school.) Leslie West also recorded some other interesting covers on the album like “Honkytonk Women” and “House of the Rising Sun.”

    My third pick for Funny Album Title comes from former Thin Lizzy frontman-bassist Phil Lynott. I don’t know that there’s ever been a better solo album title released from a band member than “Solo in Soho.” One cut is a tribute to Elvis Presley called “King’s Call.”

    Mark Knopfler contributed the weepy sounding guitar on the track. There’s another song on the album called “Yellow Pearl” which was used as a theme song for Top of the Pops.

    Well those are my three picks for Funniest Album Title. I wonder if record company execs objected to any or all of these titles? Nevertheless, they are memorable.

    Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

    Great Whitford’s Ghost!

    Once in a while you find a song whose title isn’t really a prominent part of the lyrics. Led Zeppelin has a few songs, if not several, which fall into this category: “Black Dog”, “Over the Hills and Far Away”, etc. The song which popped into my head recently isn’t by Led Zeppelin, but rather by Aerosmith. This one has a hypnotic bass and guitar riff and is called “Last Child.” It was written by band members Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford.

    Whitford might be thought of as “the other guitarist in Aerosmith” or “the one who isn’t Joe Perry”. Kudos to Brad Whitford on this one. While Joe Perry and Steven Tyler are the band’s primary songwriters he definitely came up with a good one here.

    There aren’t a ton of covers of this song, but there’s one by Canadian guitarist Pat Travers. I always think of Travers as the “Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)” Guy. I like his take on this one.

    You can find another Travers’ version with drummer Carmine Appice. Another noteworthy version appeared on “Not the Same Old Song and Dance – Tribute to Aerosmith”.

    This version featured singer Mickey Thomas, guitarist Earl Slick, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Stephen Ferrone.

    What else can you say about “Last Child”? The intro is an interesting contrast to the rest of the riff-driven song. You have some off the wall lyrics including mentions of the meadow vs. the ghetto, J. Paul Getty, and of course South Tallahassee.

    Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

    Mobilizing the Mods

    I had to go to a work conference about 60 miles away recently and found myself thinking of a particular song throughout my journey. The song isn’t one of my all-time favorites, but it just popped to mind and I think it’s an interesting listen. I don’t know if anyone really thinks of this one as a road tripping song, but “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” by The Who is the song in question. You might think of it as more an anthem of independence.

    The song is right in line with a lot of other songs from the mid-sixties. It’s got a youthful, Mod innocence about it including a strummy guitar intro. At the same time you see and hear the elements that make them The Who in the video: windmill guitar, cascading drums a la Keith Moon…and raucous volume. I really enjoy the falsetto backing vocals from Pete Townshend and John Entwistle on this track. One interesting thing about this song is Roger Daltrey shares songwriting credits with Pete Townshend on it. Also, there’s a piano on it as well, which was played by Nicky Hopkins.

    Years later, The Who would release “Going Mobile” on 1971’s “Who’s Next” album. This one is more of an RV anthem.

    Roger Daltrey apparently didn’t participate in the writing or recording of this one. Sole songwriting credits go to Townshend on this one…and, yes, he apparently had his own mobile home.

    Sadly, I have seen some news stories about The Who’s recent squabbles with drummer Zak Starkey. It makes me think they’ve become the old farts they were rebelling against as Mods, but I could be wrong.

    Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

    Hold That Tigrette

    It’s been a busy summer…I’ve been busy mowing the yard, keeping the mower operational, and popping enough allergy meds to kill most people. That said, I came across something blog-worthy today. I was surfing YouTube and watched a horribly AI-narrated video about George Harrison when I learned something new. I had previously heard Harrison had an affair with Ringo Starr’s first wife Maureen “Mo” Cox, but I never really knew what happened to her P.B.B. — Post Beatles Breakup. It turns out she married this guy named Isaac Tigrett so the Yes version of “Tiger Rag” seems appropriate.

    So who is Tigrett and why should you know his name? Well, he was one of two guys (the other being Peter Morton) who started the original Hard Rock Cafe and later House of Blues (with Dan Akroyd). I feel like the rock music memorabilia themed chain came to my attention during high school and college. You’d see people walking around with the iconic logo sweatshirts labelled with locations like London, etc. Apparently, Tigrett was inspired to name his place after a photo of The Doors on their Morrison Hotel album. I went to the Hard Rock in St. Louis, MO before it closed.

    If you’ve ever seen The Beatles farewell rooftop performance, Maureen Cox is the “Mo” Paul McCartney acknowledges.

    McCartney also wrote a song called “Little Willow” as a tribute to her. Jeff Lynne shares a co-writing credit.

    Sadly, Maureen Cox Tigrett died at the age of 48 following a battle with leukemia. It’s amazing how many different bands and musicians intersected as part of this blog entry.

    Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

    Exotic Angle-Land?

    I found myself thinking about Sherlock Holmes recently. I woke up in the middle of the night and turned on the 1939 film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles starring Basil Rathbone (What a name!). I enjoyed this old black and white film and it got me thinking about some things tied to the whole “Hound of the B” thing.

    One thing I find interesting is some of the terminology used in both the film and the book. Growing up in suburban St. Louis, we didn’t have “moors” and “bogs”. I guess we had fog occasionally, but it’s not really the same. Even San Francisco fog isn’t really the same either. While we’re all still mourning the death of Englishman Ozzy Osbourne, I think Bark at the Moon is appropriate.

    I wonder if the Baskerville Hound bore any resemblance to the one in the Ozzy video, but I digress…

    I looked up some info about the setting of the story. We’re talking about Dartmoor, which is apparently in the county of Devon. More specifically there is a location called Fox Tor Mire which is apparently the inspiration for Conan Doyle’s Grimpen Mire. Grimpen Mire?? How would you like to hear a game show host tell you that you’ve won an all expenses paid trip to Grimpen Mire? Personally, I think it would be a great name for a heavy metal band if it hasn’t been done already. However, I think Grympen Myre is much more metal.

    I’d love to see what a tourism brochure for the area looks like. Explore the countryside…feed the Hound….fall in a bog! In conclusion, I think there needs to be a parody version of Ozzy’s song called “Bark on the Moor.” Conan Doyle was into the occult, so I think he would approve.

    Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!