Cool Change

Little River Band, during their chart-ruling 80's heyday.

Early in my Air Force years, at the dawn of the 80's, I was assigned to a technical school outside Denver, Colorado. There, I made fast friends with a sergeant who was in charge of a rock band that was part of a "special duty" squadron. As having that duty meant that I would be exempt from some of the other more traditional military nonsense, I was quick to audition and was accepted for the rhythm guitar and backing vocal slot.

One of the first things this sergeant told me was that he wanted the bands' vocals to sound like the Little River Band, who had recently been through town. He had attended their concert and said that they had opened their show with the song, "Lonesome Loser", which has an acapella harmony intro. Apparently, this was mind-blowing to Sarge and he had decided that his band was going to sound just like that. Yeah, well, sometimes you have to deal with the talent you've got, so suffice it to say that our little band of misfit airmen did the best we could with what we had. After some time, it did turn out to be a fairly good 6 piece band after all. We rehearsed daily for at least 2 hours, so something had to stick. I can also assure you that we played a few songs that are on my short list of tunes that I will never play again; not even under duress. But such were the 80's. Here's the Little River Band with one of their songs that we did manage to pull off reasonably well, "Cool Change".

An excellent cover version of "Cool Change" can be found as a bonus download that's included with the fine new album from Vegas With Randolph, "Rings Around The Sun", which is easily one of the very best albums of 2013, and probably one of my top favorite new releases of the last 5 years as well. It's apparent that the band puts a lot of work into getting their music to sound good. The audio quality is great, and will likely sound just as good in earbuds as it would through some large, high-powered speakers, although I would opt for the latter. The songwriting is tight and the lyrics are clever in a good way. VWR knows the value of storytelling in songwriting. This is a well-constructed Rock album that's fun to listen to and doesn't wear the listener out. VWR's take of "Cool Change" was also one of the standout tracks on the must-own tribute album, "Drink A Toast To Innocence", which is now appearing on many 'Best of 2013' lists around the blogosphere. Crank this one up loud and enjoy! Things get interesting in the 2nd verse.

You can snag "Rings Around The Sun" and other great music from Vegas With Randolph at their online store. It's always best to buy direct from musicians, wouldn't you say?

The single, "Cool Change" is only available as a download from the band, but if you want it on a physical CD, then get thee with haste to the Monsters Of Lite Rock homepage, where you can, and definitely should buy this fantastic tribute album! It's absolutely my favorite compilation album of any kind for 2013. Another reviewer stated, and I'll paraphrase, "it represents the sub-genre of 70's Lite Rock better than a 25 CD series could".

And of course, music from Little River Band is best found either at Amazon, or the budget CD bin of your local independent music emporium. LRB is one of those bands that's best represented in your collection by a solid anthology. Here's a good one.

Kool Kovers would like to wish all of our readers and Facebook friends a very happy, prosperous, and healthy New Year! 2014 has a lot of potential to be a good one around our way, and we want the same for all of you! Cheers!

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Back when my father was a boy, the list of celebrities that a kid could look up to were pretty much limited to baseball players and cowboys. Although Roy Rogers would later call himself "King Of The Cowboys", the most popular and versatile of the silver screen western heroes was Gene Autry.

Gene Autry

Owner of one of the more diverse and busiest resumes in entertainment history, Autry, along with his successes in radio, movies, television, and live appearances, made a whopping 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. His records have sold more than 100 million copies and he was awarded more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold. ("That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine", later recorded by The Everly Brothers.) While such sales numbers are not unheard of today, it's worth remembering that we're partially talking about sales of 78 rpm singles, back when few homes had a phonograph. In that light, Autry's record sales were truly phenomenal.

His classic Christmas and children's records "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" and "Peter Cottontail" are among Gene's best known recordings. Today's feature song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", is the second all-time best selling Christmas single, with sales in excess of 30 million. The all-time leader is still, after all these years, "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby.

Now, I will turn the story over to the pages of "Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry", written by Holly George-Warren, who relates the story of the recording of "Rudolph" in detail, and does it much better than I could in summary.

An original Columbia 78 from 1949.

Gene's session on June 27, 1949, yielded the most enduring hit of his entire career. The success of "Here Comes Santa Claus" had begged a follow-up. Submissions arrived over the transom from numerous eager songwriters, including one tuneful narrative based on a 1939 poem popularized by the Montgomery Ward stores. The story of an outcast reindeer whose "difference" ultimately helped him save Santa's threatened sleigh ride, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was written by veteran composer Johnny Marks. His brother-in-law, copywriter Robert L. May, originally had penned the verse for the department store's annual holiday booklet giveaway, a practice discontinued in 1947. The copyright became May's, who got the poem published as an illustrated children's book that sold one hundred thousand copies. May then permitted Marks to use the story for a composition. "I thought about it for a while and sat down to write a song about it," Marks related. "That song was easily one of the worst songs ever written. Then about a year later I was walking down the street when a new melody came to me. It's the only time that ever happened, and I have to admit, it's a great melody." Marks sent a demonstration recording to RCA Victor recording artist Perry Como, but the pop singer turned it down when the composer wouldn't allow him to change any lyrics. Marks later confessed to Gene that it had been rejected by Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore as well.

The 78's picture sleeve.

Over the years, Gene always told the story that he didn't care for the song either, but that Gene's wife, Ina, had heard Marks's demo acetate and, enchanted by the "Ugly Duckling" theme, had encouraged him to record it. It became widely acknowledged that if not for Ina, there would be no "Rudolph" by Gene Autry. But according to Carl Cotner's widow, Juanita, Marks originally contacted Carl, who was Gene's musical director and "wanted Carl to talk Gene into (recording it)... Johnny Marks had said, 'I'll give you a piece of the action if you will do it,' and Carl said, 'Well, I don't want that,'... which was not a good business decision, but that was Carl. Carl had told Gene, 'I think it's a good song for you,' and Carl did the arrangement. When working out the material for the session, Gene said, 'How about that song that you're so crazy about?' They threw it up on the stand, and did it in one take. Later, a publicity man put it out that it was Ina that talked Gene into it."

Now, go pour yourself a good sized mug of something festive and enjoy Gene Autry's original 1949 recording of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer". Sing along if you want. It'll take you right back to your childhood.

So, with that under way, I'm going to tell you that Tommy Emmanuel just might be the World's Best Acoustic Guitarist.

Tommy Emmanuel

There, I've said it. I know there are plenty of excellent, even mind-blowing acoustic guitarists out there; some already famous, many who are unknown, who might qualify for that accolade. Both Phil Keaggy and Leo Kottke come to mind. But Tommy Emmanuel is the guy that some of the best guitarists on the planet say they want to sound like. Welsh guitar master Dave Edmunds even told me so face-to-face back in 2002. I think that says a lot.

Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. The legendary guitarist has a professional career that spans five decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. Tommy’s technique, which he calls simply 'finger style', is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers. Rather than using a whole band for melody, rhythm, bass, and drum parts, Tommy plays all that and more on one guitar. Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to try this "fingerpicker" style as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel’s biggest fans.

It's fairly easy for solo acoustic guitar recordings to sound a bit thin. But Tommy's recordings always sound crisp, clear, full and just plain fantastic. His albums fit into a rare category of music that is very nice to have playing as pleasant background while you're doing something else around the house. But when you take the time to sit down and really listen to what is being played, you will discover performances of staggering skill, present humanity and impish humor.

Tommy is no flash-in-the-pan newbie who rushes a holiday record out before their 3rd proper release has dropped. For this one, like all of his recordings, a lot of obvious care and thought was put into crafting it. Here's Tommy's instrumental rendition of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer". This is the sort of Christmas music I can really get behind. Enjoy!

You can find Tommy Emmanuel's recordings on Amazon. Tommy has at least a dozen albums worth of great music available, and all of them come highly recommended. For starters, I'd recommend "The Mystery" and "Little By Little". If you like acoustic music half as much as I do, then you're in for a real treat.

While there are over 60 albums by Gene Autry available, there is no reason to go any further than this excellent anthology, unless you're a rabid collector of Cowboy memorabilia. It has every song on it by Gene that the casual collector could ever want. The book, "Public Cowboy No.1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry", is available in an affordable paperback edition.

I'd also like to wish all of our readers and Facebook friends a very Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a fantastic 2014! See ya next week with one last Kool Kover for the year!

It's Cold Outside

Yes, indeed. Winter has arrived with a bold entrance and friends of the blog all over the USA are scrambling to find their gloves, scarves, parkas, and breaking out their sturdiest holiday elixirs. All of which brings us to today's featured song from the classic Psychedelic Garage era of the mid to late '60's.

The 1967 Roulette 45

I know I've mentioned before on these pages how I'm a little envious that my wife's first Rock concert was The Guess Who and The Raspberries. I would have loved to have seen either of those bands in their prime. (For the record, my first concert was Golden Earring, Foghat and Black Oak Arkansas!) But I bring this little factoid up again because one of today's featured bands was a predecessor of The Raspberries, and that little old band from Cleveland was known as The Choir.

Three members of The Choir, Jim Bonfanti, Dave Smalley, and Wally Bryson went on to form The Raspberries with Eric Carmen. The Choir had a fairly good repertoire of original songs, most notably "It's Cold Outside", which parlayed impressive local success (a #1 hit in Cleveland), into a nationally charting single for Roulette Records that maxed out at #68. This song had been recorded for a local label under the bands' first name, The Mods, in 1966. But the group soon learned that a Chicago group calling themselves The Modernaires had shortened their name to The Mods, and so, our heroes quickly changed their name to The Choir to avoid potential hassles.

The Choir at a reunion in 2006.

Not long after that single was recorded, two members left the band and a series of line-up changes ensued. Ironically, considering that he would later front The Raspberries with three core members of the band, Eric Carmen's audition to join The Choir did not go well, and Kenny Margolis was selected instead. The band's second and third singles did not have the same success as their first, and in the spring of 1968, The Choir disbanded.

But then, in late 1968, they had second thoughts and reformed. So, in early 1969, the band returned to the studio and recorded a planned album that had a more psychedelic flavor, with eight original songs and a cover of the song "David Watts" by The Kinks. The tape was shipped to several different record labels without success. The Choir released a final unsuccessful single on Intrepid Records in 1970, and the band officially broke up for the final time. Such was the tale of many bands of that era.

Here's The Choir with "It's Cold Outside". This is a record with all the flavor of its origins and its time.

The Queers play VERY loud. Can't you tell?

So, if you were to form a band that would have a sound based on your two biggest musical influences, what would it sound like? Well, one band decided that a blend of The Beach Boys and The Ramones was the ticket. Unfortunately, they named the band The Queers. I feel they could done better with their name, but the sound is definitely there. Supposedly, the band name was adopted just to poke fun at their local art community, so let's all just smile and nod, and roll with that explanation for now.

The Queers are a punk rock band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that formed way back in 1982. Singer-Guitarist-Songwriter Joe King has been the principal member of the group all along, with a long list of musicians cycling in and out of the band over the years. While some punk bands use their music to impart a social or political message, King has made it clear that The Queers exist simply to play just for the fun of it. The Queers' style of juvenile pop-punk has produced anthems like "Can't Stop Farting", "Born To Do Dishes", and "I Can't Get Invited To The Prom", but also features plenty of songs about girls, beer, and a variety of other rude topics. But their repertoire is also jam-packed with cover songs and they have a way of making each one sound like it belongs in their set list. Case in point: their kickin' rendition of "It's Cold Outside", from their 2002 album, "Pleasant Screams", which ranks as one of their very best efforts. Play this as loud as you can stand it. You know you want to.

While it appears that an official website for The Queers is MIA, and there are a few fan sites online, the band seems to rely on their infrequently updated Facebook page, which does have a link to their Online Store where you can buy records and CD's direct from the band. There's also lots of their music available on Amazon, as you might expect. You'd think that a band that has been going for over 30 years would at least have a decent website by now. Just sayin'.

Buy this album NOW!

Recordings by The Choir are a little harder to come by. The Sundazed anthology from 1994 can be had, used, for under $20, but a new copy might get spendy. "It's Cold Outside" first made a CD appearance on Volume 4 of the authoritative and extensive Garage-Psych-Rock compilation series, "Pebbles". I also found it on the now out-of-print, box set version of "Nuggets" from Rhino Records, which is trading hands at enough of a collectors' premium that you may have to fill out finance paperwork. Wow.

But, although "It's Cold Outside" isn't on it, the original "Nuggets" album is a must-have, all-time great compilation of mid-60's Psychedelic Garage classics; many of them one hit wonders, in excellent quality. It's still in print and available affordably. And yes, there's 180 gram vinyl too! If you enjoy 60's Rock at all, you owe it to yourself to get this one. Yes, seriously.

If It's Really Got To Be This Way

Bill Kirchen at The Waiting Room, Omaha

My wife and I were lucky enough to catch a recent Sunday afternoon show by Bill Kirchen, one of the modern masters of the Telecaster. Kirchen led his trio through two smokin' hot sets of Truckabilly, Texas twang, and Honky tonk thunder. I've seen a whole lot of guitar players over the years and Kirchen is easily one of the very best. Kirchen's band takes a minimalist approach, even with their gear, but although they travel light, they get more sound out of less equipment than many other bands. The best explanation for that is that they are journeymen musicians who can really play, and since they don't need to rely on much outboard gear for their sound, it's about as pure and clean as you're gonna hear. And yes, Kirchen played a rip-snortin' extended take of "Hot Rod Lincoln", which really got the crowd wound up.

Many of you may recall Kirchen as the guitarist of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. Bill now carries that legacy forward, infusing his repertoire with Rockabilly, Country, Americana, and good ol' Rock n' Roll. Here's a 5 minute video of Bill Kirchen with guitar tech Dan Erlewine, that features Bill demonstrating some his signature guitar techniques. Bill also talks a bit about his guitar's custom features and construction with Dan. Gearheads, take notes.

One of the songs Bill and his band played for us was a slightly off the cuff rendition of "If It's Really Got To Be This Way", a song written by Arthur Alexander. Bill had recorded it in 2007 for his album "Hammer Of The Honky Tonk Gods", and the song closes the album. During a break, Bill told me that he'd simply heard Arthur's recording and liked it enough to do it himself. Simple as that.

I do find it interesting that Arthur Alexander chose that same song to open his 1993 album, "Lonely Just Like Me", which turned out to be his final recording. It sets up the tone for the album as a statement of purpose. Along with Alexander, the album features performances by legends of the Muscle Shoals sound, including Reggie Young, Dan Penn, Donnie Fritts, and Spooner Oldham.

Alexander's best known work appeared in the early 60's when, as was common then, British Rock bands were busy educating American kids on their own music; predominantly Soul, Chicago Blues and Rhythm & Blues. Two of Arthur's songs, "Anna" and "You Better Move On" were recorded by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, respectively. It's possible that John Lennon's song "All I've Got To Do" was his way of copping Alexander's writing and vocal phrasing, as was the Jagger/Richards tune, "Congratulations". Both Paul McCartney and Keith Richards have often cited Alexander as an inspiration in various interviews over the years.

Other successful songs of Arthur's include "Every Day I Have To Cry Some", which was a hit for both Dusty Springfield and Ike & Tina Turner, and "Set Me Free", covered by both Esther Phillips and Joe Tex. More recently, "Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms), which The Beatles did for the BBC way back when, was revived by both Marshall Crenshaw and Pearl Jam. Bob Dylan recorded "Sally Sue Brown" on his 1988 album "Down In The Groove", and "Go Home Girl" was done by Ry Cooder on his great 1979 album "Bop Till You Drop". Alexander's influence is still felt in songwriters like John Hiatt, who said "Arthur Alexander is really one of my all time favorites. His singing has such a beautiful, sad quality which builds as he goes along. It's country sounding, stately and wonderful".

Arthur, Dan Penn & Donnie Fritts, in rehearsal.

Along with his contributions to Rock 'n Roll, Alexander also played a large role in the development of the Southern roots music that became known as the Muscle Shoals sound. Arthur was not merely a participant in the pioneering of Muscle Shoals, Alabama as a center for recording and songwriting, but helped the town to emerge as a haven for interracial artistic collaboration during an often hostile climate of segregation.

"Lonely Just Like Me" was Arthur's first album in 21 years. He had signed a new recording and publishing contract in May of 1993, but suffered a fatal heart attack the following month, three days after performing in Nashville with his new band. Arthur had endured some hard miles along the way and was just at a point of discovering some newfound peace and stability in his life. He had just turned 53 when he passed.

Here's Arthur Alexander with "If It's Really Got To Be This Way". This is Soul. Feel it.

There is a very good and highly recommended expanded edition of "Lonely Just Like Me" available on Amazon. You can also find several collections of Arthur Alexander's classic earlier recordings as well. No serious Rhythm and Blues or Rock history fan should be without these. For you more casual fans, try this one from the great UK reissue label, Ace Records, which can be had, used, very affordably. It's the real deal.

Bill Kirchen's music is available through his Website Store. It's also at Amazon and very likely, your local indie music shop too. You guitar aficionados who like their Tele with a zesty splash of twang sauce should be on this like cheap on a suit. Go getcha some.