Rockabilly Rod

When you think about the subject matter of a lot of rock n roll or rockabilly songs, you can definitely pick up on some patterns. There’s love, women, and cars to name a few. Sometimes the songs even involve two or more of those subjects simultaneously like Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene.” While that song is a good one in it own right, today I’m focusing on one that you don’t hear much any more. The song in question is called “Hot Rod Lincoln.” The definitive version to me is by Commander Cody & his Lost Airmen.

The song was written by Charley Ryan and released in the mid 50s. The fast tempo of the song and the guitar are what keeps it moving, which is an interesting contrast to the spoken word motorhead lingo. Plus, it tells a story. Recently, I found another version I really like which features the voice of actor Jim Varney and the guitar playing of Ricky Skaggs.

I’ve never seen the film, but this version was released on “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1993) soundtrack. You’ll find other versions by Johnny Bond, the bands Asleep at the Wheel and All among others. This song has a little bit of everything: story, hot rods, guitar, country, rock, and humor! Speaking of humor, Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio did an O.J. Simpson-themed version called “White Ford Bronco.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Born to Be Willem?

Do you think it’s hard to typecast Willem Dafoe? I’ve seen him play everything from The Green Goblin to a sheriff, a grunt in the Vietnam War, and numerous other roles. If you think of Dafoe as a 50s style biker, you probably think of Walter Hill’s “Streets of Fire” film from 1984. However, his first starring role was also as a 50s style biker in “The Loveless” (1981). Rockabilly musician Robert Gordon not only starred as another biker dude, but also contributed some appropriate music for the soundtrack. I don’t think “Drivin’ Wheel” is on the soundtrack, but you get the idea.

If you have the slightest interest in rockabilly style and music, you should check out this film. It’s definitely not a mainstream pick. It’s kind of a road movie with some random drama, tragedy, and action. Dafoe’s acting chops definitely stand out. As an example of the whole 50s vibe, Dafoe buys two packs of Lucky Strike, two cases of Dixie Beer, and 4 bottles of Thunderbird wine.

Going back to Dafoe’s look in “Streets of Fire”, what was up with that? He had greased hair with a spit curl and then these black leather looking overalls on his pasty white shoulders. He was kind of like a Goth firefighter with a little bit of Lenny and Squiggy thrown into the mix. Personally, I prefer his look in “The Loveless”, which was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery.

By the way, these are alternate titles I considered for this blog entry: Loveless Willem, Willem the Outlaw Motorrijder , Gothic Brandweerman, and Willem’s Greaserama. Let me know if I missed the mark.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085872/soundtrack/

Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Perfect Rockabilly Harmony

I was probably in my twenties when I went through my own personal rockabilly phase, but, honestly, I don’t think I ever left it. I’ve always loved what some call roots, Americana, or oldies music. Rockabilly seems to encompass all of that along with some twangy country guitar. While Elvis Presley is probably the most well known Rockabilly Cat of all time, his predecessor Carl Perkins had an enormous influence on aspiring musicians like The Beatles and many others. During my personal rockabilly phase, I stumbled upon a really catchy Perkins tune called “Your True Love.”

I think the call-and-response vocal harmony is what really grabbed my attention. Just today, I found a version by James McCartney — the son of Sir Paul McCartney.

I basically know nothing about James McCartney, but I think this is a great cover. I would say it’s pretty SWINGIN’.

This song brings to mind a few things. First, Carl Perkins was an enormous influence on The Beatles. For example, George Harrison apparently used the stage name “Carl Harrison” in his early days as a musician. Ringo Starr covered several of Perkins’ songs during the days of the Fab Four as did Harrison. Paul McCartney covered “Movie Magg” years later. I’m sure there has to be some John Lennon covering Carl Perkins as well.

Another point is Perkins’ songwriting is one thing which distinguishes him from a lot of his other peers. I mean he wrote “Blue Suede Shoes”, right? I hope he got a good deal on royalties.

There’s a great live version of this song with George Harrison and Dave Edmunds accompanying Perkins from a TV special called “Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session” as well.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

More Ashes Than Wednesday

If I had to guess, YouTube would be responsible for the first time I heard this somewhat obscure Eric Clapton song called “Slow Down Linda.” It was originally released on his 1983 album “Money and Cigarettes.” I can’t tell you how many times I looked at the album cover in my local record shop and wondered what was happening there…it’s the one with the melting electric guitar on an ironing board while Clapton is smoking a cigarette.

If I had to describe the song itself, the word(s) that pop to mind might be boogie-woogie, rockabilly, or even country-rock. Of course, the presence of guitarist Albert Lee might be reason enough for that. I don’t think “Slow Down Linda” is what I would call musically complicated or sophisticated, but I think it works. Maybe that’s the beauty of it and/or why I like it?

If you haven’t heard of Albert Lee, it’s unusual to see him without his Einstein-esque-white-gray hair so consider this video a visual anomaly. (One website I found had Albert Lee at the #1 spot for Clapton’s best/favorite guitarists.)

Getting back to Clapton, I think this song is a good example of how varied his musical career has been. E.C. is revered among blues guitar players, but he has had plenty of well-known songs which don’t really fall into the blues category…”Tears in Heaven”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, “Wonderful Tonight”, etc. I think “Slow Down Linda” is a bit more like the country-rock of say “Lay Down Sally.” Besides, it has a good beat and is apparently easy to dance to.

Somewhere along the way, I remember Clapton talking about how The Band’s “Music from Big Pink” changed his life. I think this is pretty good example of that. Blues purists might write this song off as insignificant or a throwaway, but I say it’s just rock and roll.

In college, I remember giving this acquaintance of mine a ride into town and I had Eric Clapton’s Time Pieces Volume One playing in the cassette deck. When Clapton’s version of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” started playing, he wasn’t really into it. It’s pretty obvious Clapton must have a spiritual side. I don’t know where the line “I’ve got more ashes than Wednesday” originated, but I think it’s a good one.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Train…I ride…sixteen coaches long

The first time I heard this song was in the early Nineties. If I remember correctly, it wasn’t an old record or the radio, but it was on USA Network late one night on cable TV. I came across a film called “The Last Waltz”, which is a great concert film about The Band’s last live show. Guest musicians included everyone from Neil Young to Neil Diamond and many more, including Bob Dylan. Of all the great songs in the film, “Mystery Train” was probably my favorite. It was a duet with The Band’s drummer/vocalist Levon Helm and blues harmonica player Paul Butterfield.

To my ears, this song had it all — simple, straightforward lyrics, but it was bluesy, rockin’, and a little mysterious. (To my knowledge, The Band’s version is the only one with that catchy guitar riff a la Robbie Robertson.) Basically, it was about guy trying to figure out where the mystery train has taken “his baby.” Sounds like a good reason to sing to me.

As time went on, I found out credit for popularizing the song really went to The King: Elvis Presley. He recorded it at Sun Studios in Memphis and it was released in 1955. However, the original version (1953) was written and recorded by fellow record label mate Junior Parker (the ensemble Little Junior’s Blue Flames). I’ve even seen Sun Records Guru Sam Phillips given a songwriting credit on this one.

The original has the train-like instrumentation and vocals on it. It reminds me of the tune “Night Train” in that way.

“Mystery Train” is a song that has absolutely taken on a life of it’s own. The beauty of classifying the Elvis version as rockabilly says something to me — it’s not really a straight blues or a country song — it lives in some great place in between both musical worlds. This version by Tom Fogerty is a great example.

This is a song which has been recorded by A LOT of musicians: Neil Young, UFO, The Staples, AND SO MANY MORE…..Scotty Moore, The Nighthawks, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Brian Setzer (Stray Cats, ’68 Comeback Special), Link Wray, Alvin Lee, Jerry Reed. I’m partial to the guitar playing of Pete Anderson — longtime associate of Dwight Yoakam. Hopefully, there’s a version that suits your taste. Viva, Mystery Train!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Almost Saturday Night!

To quote Bob Seger, “I like that old time rock n roll!” Recently, I dug into a cardboard box full of dubbed cassette tapes and found a compilation/mix tape I made years ago. I must have been in a rockabilly phase at the time. I’ve always gone for rockabilly and what some call roots rock or Americana. And, yes, the two artists were solely Dave Edmunds and John Fogerty. Good stuff.

Fogerty was the driving force behind the roots-oriented Creedence Clearwater Revival and all of its swamp rock/American glory. One tasty original song he recorded post-CCR is called “Almost Saturday Night.” I don’t ever remember hearing this on the radio, but it was released on his self-titled album in 1975.

I always enjoyed the guitar intro on this one, but also the lyrics are a celebration of anticipating the best night of the week. “Gonna push the clouds away, Let the music have its way.” Across the Atlantic, Welshmen Dave Edmunds also recorded this one.

I like both versions. Edmunds’ harmony on this song reminds me of The Everly Brothers. It’s also got some great TWANGY guitar on it, too. Appropriately enough, it was released on his 1981 album entitled “Twangin…” If you’re into covers, it’s worth a listen. (Edmunds has done some interesting stuff. He covered Smiley Lewis’ “I Hear You Knocking”, produced The Stray Cats first album, and even recorded a version of “The Sabre Dance.” )

Getting back to “Almost Saturday Night”, there are other versions out there (Ricky Nelson, The Searchers, and The Georgia Satellites), but these two roots rockers have are my personal favorites.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Treat me like a fool…

“Treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel, but love me.” Wow. The songwriting duo of Leiber and Stoller wrote some incredible songs. The song, which is actually titled “Love Me”, is one of them. Most folks (myself included) first think of The King’s version. Elvis Presley popularized it with his 1956 release. More on that in a moment.

When researching this blog entry, I found the original 1954 version recorded by Willy and Ruth. It was an obscurity to me. I’d never heard it until today.

It makes me wonder…Did The King have this 45 rpm in his collection? (If I only had “The Elvis Encyclopedia” checked out from the library for the 20th time, I could look it up.) Listening to the original version is interesting because it’s a little more R & B, plus it’s a duet.

Whether you have bias towards or against Elvis Presley, I don’t think you can honestly listen to this song and deny his ability as a singer. He not only made the song his own, but he turned it into a vocal showcase. I’m positive his version inspired many of the other covers out there. The Mavericks’ Raul Malo has some amazing pipes of his own and this song is a great showcase for them.

I first heard The Mavericks’ version on a TV special called “It’s Now or Never: The Tribute to Elvis”. This is my favorite cut off the soundtrack. Another great version of “Love Me” features the voice and piano of Norah Jones.

Wikipedia describes the band featuring Norah Jones (The Little Willies) as an “alternative country supergroup.” If you’re into rockabilly, there’s no shortage of covers from the likes of Johnny Burnette, Flat Duo Jets, and Frantic Flintstones. Oh, and if your musical taste buds were removed at birth, there’s also a version by Pat Boone.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!