Picture Book

Ok, I know you remember this catchy Hewlett Packard commercial featuring the Kinks' tune, "Picture Book". This ad was a marketers' dream come true.

 

If there ever was a band that is more than worthy of some quality cover versions, it's gotta be The Kinks. There's such a deep, deep well of great songs to do.

After some digging around, I found an excellent Kinks tribute CD that was released back in 2002 by the fine folks at Rykodisc. Not only is there a primo cast of musicians but each seems well matched to the tune they are performing. "Victoria" was custom-made for Cracker. Fountains Of Wayne do a great version of "Better Things" and Matthew Sweet turns in an epic "Big Sky". And "Art Lover", done here by Lambchop, is one of the most disturbing yet poignant songs Ray Davies ever wrote.

Although the rest of the CD is just plain great, I absolutely love this joyful romp through "Picture Book" by Bill Lloyd, formerly of country duo Foster & Lloyd, and Tommy Womack, solo Americana rocker. This just sounds like it was a lot of fun to record. They also really nailed the essence of The Kinks' sound; not an easy thing to pull off by any means. I'll bet this song will be stuck in your happy little head for the rest of the day.

You can grab this highly recommended tribute album at Amazon for a very reasonable fee. Please also check out some of Bill Lloyd's solo efforts and Tommy Womack as well. It'll be worth your while, I promise. And if you are somehow lacking at least a Greatest Hits disc from The Kinks, well... we need to talk.

Christmas Time Is Here

Steve Vai and tri-polar guitar

Remember that scene in the 1st "Men In Black" film where agents K and J are reviewing all these records of celebrities who are actually aliens? Steve Vai could very well be one of those aliens, because normal humans don't play guitar like he does. Alien or not, he is certainly one of the most diverse, technically proficient, visionary, and pioneering guitarists of our time. In his younger days, Vai's employer at the time, Frank Zappa, called him his "little Italian virtuoso" and "stunt guitarist". Vai earned both titles with his groundbreaking guitar technique, showmanship and deep musicality.

During the 1997 holiday season, Sony Music put out "Merry Axemas", a collection of well-known Christmas tunes interpreted by some of the best rock guitarists out there, including Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani and Brian Setzer, who has already cornered his own slice of the holiday music market. Steve Vai bravely chose to interpret a modern classic that is well ingrained in the public ear, Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" from the ageless soundtrack, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". This track has the mark of a great cover version. It completely respects the original, yet sounds like no one else but Vai. The band Vai assembled for the song was top notch too, including bassist Bryan Beller, keyboardist-guitarist & fellow Zappa veteran, Mike Keneally and current Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini. Not a slouch in the bunch.

So, sit back with a cup of something warm and sturdy, and enjoy this very cool version of "Christmas Time Is Here". Try not to spill your mug when you go all 'air guitar'.

Merry Axemas is still available at Amazon for cheap. Steve Vai has released quite a catalog of amazing recordings over the last 25 years or so. I would recommend getting at least a best-of collection.

And if, for whatever reason, after all these years, you still don't have a copy of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in your collection, well, it's almost not Christmas without it.

While we're on the subject, I want to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a rockin' New Year! Thanks for checking in.

Get Together

Today, I've got a nice rarity for you as a holiday treat! From the glory days of unique promotional CD's, here's a 1989 radio station disc that combined a holiday greeting with a cover tune by Indigo Girls from their very first album, "Strange Fire".

The single, which is a fairly rare item these days but is also both findable and affordable, has 3 tracks on it. A spoken holiday greeting, which is often used by radio stations during the Christmas season, is followed by a very nice acoustic version of "Get Together". Track 3 is a combination of the first 2 tracks with the song being faded in following the greeting. It is that track that I present to you here.

"Get Together" was written in the early 1960's by American singer-songwriter Chet Powers (aka Dino Valenti). The song was originally recorded as "Let's Get Together" by The Kingston Trio and released in June of 1964, on their album "Back in Town". While it was not released as a single, The Kingston Trio often performed it live. Another version of the song first broke into the top forty in 1965, when We Five, produced by Kingston Trio manager Frank Werber, released "Let's Get Together" as the follow-up to their top ten hit "You Were on My Mind." While it did not achieve the same level of success, "Let's Get Together" provided the group with a second top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at #31. It would be their last hit record.

The Youngbloods' 1969 single

In 1967, The Youngbloods released their version of the song under the title "Get Together." It became a minor Hot 100 hit for them, peaking at #62. However, renewed interest in The Youngbloods' version came when it was used in a radio public service announcement as a call for brotherhood by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The Youngbloods' recording, the most-remembered today, was quickly re-released in 1969, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

So, if you are up for some last minute holiday shopping, the Indigo Girls' catalog is readily available at Amazon. There's an excellent, 21 song Youngbloods anthology there too.

Have a safe, warm, grateful and very happy Christmas!!

The Story In Your Eyes

Last summer, veteran music writer & uber-blogger Steve Simels wrote that "Sky Full Of Holes" by New Jersey rockers, Fountains Of Wayne was his choice for Rock Album of the Year for 2011. He added "It's not even a contest."

Far be it from me to disagree with Mr. Simels, although to be fair, there was some brief discussion of Fountains Of Wayne beginning to 'eat it's own tail' in terms of songwriting. They have certainly developed their own unique sound & style by now and I can see where it might be easy to lean back and ride the formula. Yet, I will quickly digress.

The bottom line is that smart, poignant and funny storytelling matched with deft compositional & melodic skills never go out of style. "Sky Full Of Holes" is still the most fun I've had listening to any new release from anybody so far this year or last. It might even top their previous best, "Welcome Interstate Managers", which set a rather high bar.

If you buy the exclusive MP3 download version from Amazon, you can get a couple of extra tracks, including this stellar cover version of the Moody Blues' classic chestnut, "The Story In Your Eyes". Enjoy!

Definitely do pick up some of F.O.W.'s earlier work at Amazon. Your ears will be so happy!

It should go without saying that you simply must have some Moody Blues in your collection, preferably the 7 albums from '67 thru '72. There oughta be a box set of those!

And, so that props are given where due, you should go check out Steve Simels' Powerpop blog, when you have a minute. It's short, often snarky and a fun read.

I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach is one of those lucky songwriters who's had his tunes recorded by so many performers over the years, it must be hard for his accountant to keep track of them all. I've discovered that a surprising number of folks who've been in & around music for a long time really enjoy Bacharach's songs. I guess they've been part of the landscape for so long that I just... walked on by.

Apparently, the power poppers at the now defunct Big Deal label dug them some Burt too. So much, that back in 1998, they assembled a tribute album with contributions from bands signed to Big Deal at the time. There's plenty of good versions of Burt classics like "Close To You", "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", "Make It Easy On Yourself" & a dozen others. I also have to give props to whoever contracted legendary Mad magazine artist, Jack Davis, to do the cover art. I'll bet that's where most of the project budget went. (Click on the pic to enlarge.)

The standout track is this gear-shifting take of "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by Splitsville. It starts off with an authentic 60's lounge-pop feel for a verse or two, then jumps into a diesel-powered Liverpool groove for the bridge. At about the 2:00 mark, there's an unexpected nod to a 'sweet' power pop classic! Can you guess the song? The fade out provides one more tip of the hat to a groundbreaking 80's hit that'll make you smile.

This excellent tribute CD is well worth picking up at Amazon. It's out of print, but super cheap. If you like Bacharach at all, then I know you'll really dig it. There's several CD's available from Splitsville too.

Africa

In 1983, this album by Toto was just about inescapable, much like Journey, Foreigner or New Wave dance music. It was everywhere, but it was, and remains, far less objectionable than some other things of that era. The individual members of Toto were highly regarded for their musicianship and collectively, were the band that other skilled musicians looked up to and did their best to emulate.

Fast forward almost 30 years. Two guys are playing in a pizzeria in South Jordan, Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City. As the camera rolls, guitarist Mike Masse and bassist Jeff Hall lean into a rendition of the Toto song, "Africa".

This video clip has been making its way around the Facebook postings of my musician friends for awhile now. Every one of them has been completely gobsmacked by how good these guys are. The song really isn't all that difficult to play once you get a handle on it. But, those vocals... wow.

It sure sounds good enough through the 1st verse, but when that chorus kicks in, well, try to keep your jaw off the floor. And remember, it's just 2 guys. Playing in a pizzeria. In Utah.

In July of this year, Mike Masse's 11 month old son, Noah, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Mike's musical enterprises are currently sidelined while he and his family focus on Noah's treatment and recovery. If you like Mike's music and you think you'd like to help out or just want more info, please visit Let It Be (for Noah) or Mike's website. There are lots of Mike's cover tunes available on iTunes also. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

And yes, you can pick up some Toto at Amazon for cheap.

Respect

The Queen of Soul in Atlantic Studios, 1967

No discussion of cover tunes can be complete without involving a few "Kover Klassics". My recent post on Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" was one. Aretha Franklin's barn-burning version of "Respect" is certainly another.

"Respect" was written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin, who recorded for Atlantic. The music in the two versions is significantly different and, through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told by the songs have a completely different flavor.

OTIS! My MAN!!

Redding's version is a plea from a desperate man, who will give his woman anything she wants. He won't care if she does do him wrong, as long as he gets his due respect when he comes home. However, Franklin's version is a declaration from a strong, confident woman, who knows that she has everything her man wants. She never does him wrong and demands his respect. Aretha's brassy cover was also a landmark for the feminist movement, as such a strong stance was uncommon in the popular music of the day.

Besides the lyrical differences, I feel there is a telling distinction in the groove of each version. Redding's recording is in solid quarter beats, emphasizing his insistence on the respect he wants. But Aretha's take, thanks to the mighty Muscle Shoals rhythm section, has a lot more sass and swagger and that feel lends itself well to a female point of view.

A stone classic. Go buy it NOW.

The song was included on Redding's third studio album, "Otis Blue". Otis was supported on these recordings by Memphis soul greats, Booker T. & The MG's. The album became widely successful, even outside of his largely R&B and blues fan base. The inspiration for the song had come when, in response to Redding's complaints after a hard tour, MG's drummer Al Jackson reportedly said, "What are you griping about? You're on the road all the time. All you can look for is a little respect when you come home.". At the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in the summer following the release of Aretha's version, he was quoted playfully describing "Respect" as the song "that little girl done stole from me".

Despite being overshadowed, Redding's version is still considered a soul classic and highly regarded by fans of Stax/Volt and southern soul recordings.

Ok, enough talk. Here's Otis Redding's original version of "Respect".

...and here's Aretha Franklin in her prime. The backing vocals make such a huge difference!

There are more good Aretha and Otis collections available at Amazon than is reasonable. Here's two excellent single disc collections. Your library & your ears need this music.

The Very Best of Aretha Franklin - The 60's

The Very Best of Otis Redding