OLD MUSIC

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Little known Karen Dalton. Dylan once called her the best female folk singer.

 


Launching the psychedelic era (and later inspiring more than a few punk bands) were the 13th Floor Elevators. Their mid-sixties, rollicking garage punk style, rolled out of Texas in '65/'66 with a sinister sound and an electric jug.

 
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Dion with Abraham, Martin & John. Marvin Gayle and Smokey Robinson have great covers of this, but I have always liked the horns and harp on this version.


Eerie story with this. I looked up the song on wiki yesterday to see if Dion wrote this (he didn't) and if he was the first to record/popularize (he was). Later for my evening walk, decided to listen to Steve Earle's show on Sirius/XM, from a few weeks ago. Well, his guest was none other than Dion, to promote his new album. This new album sounds quite interesting as he got Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen and others to help out.

Anyway, the last song of the show was Abraham, Martin & John which previously I had not listened to in quite some time, though I saw it mentioned on some clickbait "Best Songs of the 60s" article. Also powerful given the song lyrics "it seemed the good, they die young", in light of the death of Justin Townes Earle.
 


Time to add a little cool, sophisticated soul. They are two songs that would be on my list of ...well, something.

First up is Jan Bradley's top 20 1962 release "Mama Didn't Lie". It was written and produced by Curtis Mayfield. "They're wrong to think I'll be caught by the wink of an eye".




Second up is the Marvelettes, "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" from 1967. It was written and produced by Smokey Robinson. Lead singer Wanda Young weaves through one of Robinson's paradoxes.

 



tikited said:
RIP to Walter Lure of the Heartbreakers. Richard Hell is the only one left.
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He put out a sort of farewell album a couple years back. Seemed like a fun little album. When I played in a basement band in college we used to get a great reaction playing The Heartbreakers All by Myself.

Did you ever see the local guys who did a Thunders tribute every year?
 



Ignatius L Hoops said:
Launching the psychedelic era (and later inspiring more than a few punk bands) were the 13th Floor Elevators. Their mid-sixties, rollicking garage punk style, rolled out of Texas in '65/'66 with a sinister sound and an electric jug.

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Got to see Roky live a few years back. He had been a mythical figure to me, my brother and friends growing up. Pre-internet he was like a secret password to fellow weirdos. He was genuinely strange and awe inspiring. Knowing how messed up he got made the comeback unbelievable. It was like I paid $25 and got to see bigfoot.
 

Frink said:
He put out a sort of farewell album a couple years back. Seemed like a fun little album. When I played in a basement band in college we used to get a great reaction playing The Heartbreakers All by Myself.

Did you ever see the local guys who did a Thunders tribute every year?
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What? I had no idea.
 

tikited said:
What? I had no idea.
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Yep, it was quite a while back now but it was guys you probably know. Grant Johnson, Jacques Waite and Davin Odegaard. Forget who the 4th member was. They had the leather jackets, Grant had the same Gibson Thunders used and they knew all the foul between songs patter from that infamous after hours gig on the Anarchy in the U.K. tour. Played the Turf every year for a while. Some of us were just pestering Grant about getting it going again.
 

Frink said:
Yep, it was quite a while back now but it was guys you probably know. Grant Johnson, Jacques Waite and Davin Odegaard. Forget who the 4th member was. They had the leather jackets, Grant had the same Gibson Thunders used and they knew all the foul between songs patter from that infamous after hours gig on the Anarchy in the U.K. tour. Played the Turf every year for a while. Some of us were just pestering Grant about getting it going again.
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That sounds awesome. Let me know if it happens. I miss live music so much.
 







The Cryan' Shames were a terrific '60's garage band (a bit Byrd like with the 12 string and harmonies). They were Midwest favorites-especially if you lived within radio range of WLS Chicago. Their string of regional hits including the self penned "I First Saw You in a Magazine".

 

Frink said:
Wow, a friend just showed me this. It's Elvis Costello's dad Ross McManus.

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Thanks for posting. EC writes a lot about his dad in his memoir, if you're interested. Ross was far more successful as a jazz trumpeter than a band leader. Here they both are playing together (not a great quality video).

 

RIP to to the great Toots Hibbert, the man who invented the word reggae. I'm a real casual fan of the genre but I've got some of his stuff around nobody puts a smile on my face like Toots.

 
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Frink said:
RIP to to the great Toots Hibbert, the man who invented the word reggae. I'm a real casual fan of the genre but I've got some of this stuff around nobody puts a smile on my face like Toots.

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Best compilation cd I ever bought. Every song is great. RIP Toots.
 

Anyone remember Gypsy? Local band. Guess they were the Underbeats before that. This buddy of mine really dug them back in the day. Dude always seemed to be playing their album.
 

Frink said:
RIP to to the great Toots Hibbert, the man who invented the word reggae. I'm a real casual fan of the genre but I've got some of his stuff around nobody puts a smile on my face like Toots.

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Thanks for posting. Toots & the Maytals are one of those peripheral bands for me. Always liked their stuff but never got too into them. I have friends who are much more into reggae/ska/rocksteady and love Toots, even opening for them a couple times.

So here's the question. Is it Toots as in boots or books? I've heard both from people who should know. When I was younger I said Toots as in boots. Now I say Toots as in books because it sounds less like a nasally Minnesotan accent.
 

Here's the best power punk pop song there is in my opinion, Husker Du with Celebrated Summer.


I don't think I have ever celebrated summer more than this year, even without any concerts taking place, at least since college.
 

Novelty Break (I apologize in advance):

In the “Original Songs” thread, Coolhandgopher posted Wayne Cochran’s “Last Kiss”- one of the best of the “Death Discs”. The genre’s first song may have been The Cheers “Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots” which hit #6 in August 1955. It was the first big chart hit written by Lieber and Stoller. Rock ‘n Roll it ain’t.

A year later French chanteuse Edith Piaf did a grittier version which became one of her all time hits.

In June 1956 Nervous Norvis (Jimmy Drake) rode “Transfusion” to #8 on the charts despite some radio stations refusal to play it. (A decade later “Transfusion” transformed DJ Barry Hanson into Dr. Demento).

Nervous was prolific in ’56 hitting the charts with “Ape Call” in August and releasing “Dig”. “Dig” continued to get some play over the years including this 1977 version by NRBQ which has nothing to do with "Death Discs" but who cares?




 


Just saw Dead Horses perform at a drive-in show near LaCrosse, and they finished with this. Never gets old.

 

Roy Head passed away on Monday, and if you're not sure who he is, don't feel bad, neither did I. However, once I realized his hit song was Treat Her Right (which I first heard on The Commitments movie and soundtrack) and read this well done article on him, I got a much better understanding of who he was.

On a side note, at the beginning of this video clip-I'm curious about the relationship between the host and the dancer twerking (or the mid '60s version of twerking) right next to him-I'd have a tough time concentrating myself o_O
 

coolhandgopher said:
Roy Head passed away on Monday, and if you're not sure who he is, don't feel bad, neither did I. However, once I realized his hit song was Treat Her Right (which I first heard on The Commitments movie and soundtrack) and read this well done article on him, I got a much better understanding of who he was.

On a side note, at the beginning of this video clip-I'm curious about the relationship between the host and the dancer twerking (or the mid '60s version of twerking) right next to him-I'd have a tough time concentrating myself o_O
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Huh, I have this song by Twin Cities band Chooglin'. Never knew it was a cover. That original... groovy, man, groovy.

 

Frink said:
Huh, I have this song by Twin Cities band Chooglin'. Never knew it was a cover. That original... groovy, man, groovy.

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OMG...Chooglin'! I haven't thought about Chooglin' in forever. They were my favorite band for about a month and a half after seeing them at Palmer's.
 

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