Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft

The one thing I try to understand about every cover version that I've featured on this blog is the reason why it was done. Was it something as simple as 'I just liked the song'? Was it an attempt to either studiously replicate or totally renovate the original? Or, was it due to entirely different motivations? But on occasion, once I start turning over a few rocks, I find that things go further down the rabbit hole than I anticipated. Such is today's journey into the past, and possibly, into the future as well.

Tricky Dick with The Carpenters at the White House in 1973

The Carpenters were, along with Bread, their fellow purveyors of pillow-soft Pop, one of the early 70's pioneers of what we now know as 'Lite Rock'. To those who were part of the late 60's counterculture, the high popularity of the music made by siblings Richard and Karen Carpenter was taken as musical proof that the revolution was dead, gone, and had not been televised. The Carpenters hailed from Connecticut; often perceived as one of the WASP-iest states, and had broken through to superstardom on the coattails of a reconfigured jingle that had been written for a bank commercial. Their music was seen as so completely harmless that then-President Richard Nixon invited them to the White House to perform for the visiting German chancellor. Nixon called them "Young America at its best". Safe as milk.

John Henry Bonham!

But the multi-demographic popularity of The Carpenters belied their extraordinary musical gifts. Not only did Karen Carpenter have one of the richest and most identifiable voices in Pop history, she was also a fairly accomplished drummer who, in 1973, actually finished ahead of John Bonham in Playboy magazine's music poll for Best Drummer! Bonham was reportedly incensed by this news and is quoted as saying "She couldn't last ten minutes with a Zeppelin number!" Today, Richard Carpenter is widely regarded as nothing less than one of the greatest music arrangers of his generation. The Carpenters also had access to some very good songs by acknowledged masters like Burt Bacharach and Paul Williams, which helped them score a long string of timeless hits in the early 70's.

But time marches on, and the lighter sound of the 70's evolved from AM Pop into singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Carole King. Those who weren't partying to boogie-fied Hard Rock were enjoying more radio friendly tunes from the likes of Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Steve Miller. At the same time, an onslaught of Disco acts like the remodeled Bee Gees, Donna Summer, and KC and the Sunshine Band had begun their takeover of the charts, which they would dominate through the later 70's. During this time, Richard Carpenter was having difficulties with a prescription drug habit and Karen would struggle with anorexia and likely some other issues as well. In 1977, with their squeaky-clean style long out of fashion and their record sales falling off the charts like dead flies, The Carpenters took an adventitiously strange left turn into some high level weirdness.

In the music business, when sales of a formerly popular act falter, the suits don't blame the artist; they go after the producer first. The producer in this case, was Richard Carpenter. But such was the shift in the taste of the ever-fickle public that, at that time, no outside producer wanted to work with The Carpenters! So the suits caved and permitted Richard to continue producing the recordings, but demanded that he turn in something very different. According to Richard Carpenter himself, "Not one major producer would sign on. Radio was not quite as friendly at that time to our type of sound and to be honest, my track record on the whole was a tough act to follow. Accordingly, I remained producer, but I did try to approach this new project from a different angle, hence my selection of songs for this album made 'Passage' a bit of a departure from our previous recordings."

To say that "Passage" was a departure is something of an understatement. It's the kind of change-up that usually does little else but confuse fans. Even The Carpenters' familiar swirly logo was ditched for the cover art. Opening the album was a Michael Franks tune with the Zappa-esque title of "B'wana, She No Home" that only compounded matters. But it was the album closer that raised plenty of eyebrows.

US picture sleeve for the 'Calling Occupants' 45

On the official Carpenters website, Richard Carpenter has this to say about the song, "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem Of World Contact Day)": "I heard this song on the debut album of Klaatu, a talented group of Canadian studio musicians who were heavily inspired by The Beatles, and named after the purposeful alien in the sci-fi thriller, 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. Always looking for something novel, we decided on it for 'Passage' and ended up immersing ourselves, and 160 musicians and singers, in the biggest 'single' recording we ever attempted. Initially I did not think of this track as a single, but coincidentally, 'Star Wars' had been released, and was all the rage, not long after we recorded 'Occupants'. As a result, I allowed myself to be persuaded into releasing an edited version as a single. It did moderately well in the U.S., but, to our pleasant surprise, went Top 10 in the U.K., and stayed there for two months. Incidentally, there was no actual 'World Contact Day', as we've answered many times. Maybe in the future…". Here's The Carpenters' epic, big budget recording.

As Carpenter noted, "Calling Occupants..." was originally recorded in 1976 by a Canadian group called Klaatu, who named themselves in honor of the messianic alien in the 1951 film, "The Day The Earth Stood Still". But the anonymous nature of the band members and 'heavily inspired' sound of the music soon gave rise to a widespread rumor that Klaatu was really The Beatles; reformed and recording under a pseudonym. These suspicions weren't totally unfounded by the public either.

The rumor was originally concocted by Providence Journal reviewer Steve Smith in February 1977. stating in an article that the album might be an anonymous project by The Beatles themselves. The rumor turned into a global phenomenon with Beatle fans being fed 'clues' by radio stations, Capitol Records, and print media alike.

While all this was happening, Klaatu themselves were in England, recording their second album. They were somewhat aware of the situation, but did not take it entirely seriously, possibly because the UK's New Musical Express famously published an article on 'The Beatles are Klaatu' theory under the snarky title "Deaf Idiot Journalist Starts Beatle Rumour". Meanwhile, Capitol Records, who controlled The Beatles' music in the US, tried to make as much scratch out of the rumor as possible, by issuing ambiguously worded promotional statements that failed to make the band's identity entirely clear. The dust was soon settled when a program director at WWDC in Washington, D.C., checked the records at the U.S. Copyright Office and uncovered the band members' real names. Suffice it to say they were not John, Paul, George or Ringo. Well, there was a John, but... oh, just have a listen.

The band, Klaatu: John Woloschuck, Terry Draper and Dee Long

In an interview with Mary MacDonald Rival, John Woloschuk and Terry Draper of Klaatu discussed The Carpenters' recording of "Calling Occupants...".

Mary: How did The Carpenters come to record your song?

John: As we found out later, their guitar player discovered our first album during that 'Beatle Rumour Thingy' and brought it to their attention.

Terry: Wasn't there something Richard Carpenter said about "The 3 Bs… The Beatles, Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach, instead of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms…" or something to that effect?

John: I seem to recall something like that. Anyway, they were much taken with our endeavor and decided to record "Calling Occupants" with a full orchestra and choir, much to our delight. Actually, Terry and I were both fans of The Carpenters long before this. Karen's beautiful voice and those lush arrangements and those chromatic chord progressions…

Terry: (singing) "Rainy Days and Mondays always get me-e dowwwwn…"

Mary: So, it's safe to say you like their approach, their cover of your song?

Terry: Actually, we see it, or should I say, we hear it, as the ultimate compliment. This song is unlike anything that The Carpenters had attempted previously and they nailed it. I think their version is more accessible than ours… more mainstream.

So apparently, the boys from Klaatu were happy with how things turned out and everyone lived happily ever after. But wait, there's more! Oh yes, it gets weirder. You'll recall that Richard Carpenter made a point of stating that there was no actual World Contact Day, despite its mention in the subtitle of the song. Apparently, their fans had asked them repeatedly about it, as if Karen and Rich had the answer. But, there was one indeed.

World Contact Day was first declared on March of 1953 by an organization called the International Flying Saucer Bureau, as a day on which all IFSB members would attempt to send a telepathic message into space, theorizing that if both telepathy and alien life were real, a large number of people focusing on an identical piece of text may be able to transmit the message through space. The message which IFSB members focused on in 1953 was: "Calling occupants of interplanetary craft that have been observing our planet Earth. We of IFSB wish to make contact with you. We are your friends, and would like you to make an appearance here on Earth. Your presence before us will be welcomed with the utmost friendship. We will do all in our power to promote mutual understanding between your people and the people of Earth. Please come in peace and help us in our Earthly problems. Give us some sign that you have received our message. Be responsible for creating a miracle here on our planet to wake up the ignorant ones to reality. Let us hear from you. We are your friends." The message is both referenced and quoted by the songwriters of the band Klaatu in their song, "Calling Occupants...". So how could Carpenter not know about all this?

Now, let's go back to the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still". You'll recall that the movie came out in what year? 1951; two years prior to World Contact Day. In the film, intergalactic emissary Klaatu is injured by the military upon his arrival. Klaatu escapes his guards and lodges at a boarding house, assuming the alias of a Mr. Carpenter(!), the name on a dry cleaners' tag attached to the clothing he borrows. There's a reason for this in the script, but it remains an interesting coincidence. Or is it?

Finally, there's this bit of fodder for the Beatle theorists. On the cover of his 1974 album for Capitol Records, "Goodnight Vienna", Ringo Starr's head was shown superimposed on the body of Klaatu. The connection was fortified by Apple promotional material for the album, such as this button that reads 'Don't Forget: Klaatu Barada Nikto', which is Klaatu's famous missive to his robot, Gort. Klaatu used the phrase to instruct Gort to pilot their spaceship away from Earth, as Klaatu had been mortally wounded. (According to the film's scriptwriters, the implied translation of the phrase is "I die, repair me, do not retaliate".) By the way, Ringo's album title is Liverpool slang for "Let's get out of here". So, there's that.

"Calling Occupants..." would resurface as an intolerably awful cover by Babes In Toyland, on the spotty-at-best 1994 tribute album, "If I Were A Carpenter", and again in 2001, when recordings of The Langley Schools Music Project became a hit with hipsters. Both are worth avoiding by a light year, at least.

Unless you are an obsessive fan or collector, this 2 CD anthology of The Carpenters is all you will ever need or want. It's nicely mastered, thorough, and priced right.

Regarding Klaatu, there's about a dozen releases on the market, but the ones to have are a couple of British import 'two-fers' that together, contain their first 4 albums; 2 on each.

All of the songs that are worth having on Ringo Starr's "Goodnight Vienna" album appear on this nicely comprehensive collection of Ringo's best work. Peace and Love to Ringo, nonetheless.

And in case you've not had the pleasure of viewing the original 1951 version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still", it's now out on Blu-Ray and looking good. Avoid the 2008 Keanu Reeves remake like a snot-infested daycare center. The packaging of both versions is very similar, so read the box carefully.

Goodnight, Vienna!

Head Like A Hole

If the last few decades have proven anything, it's that popular music is a cyclical animal. This applies double for Rock 'n Roll. For every popular musical trend that has occurred since the 1930's, there arose a backlash that sought to modify, reverse or even tear down what had gone before in the name of progress. This could manifest as anything from subtle change to a raging tidal wave. Remember, Sinatra was once a threat to Bing Crosby, who superseded Rudy Vallee. Sinatra's popularity was threatened by Elvis, who worried about The Beatles, who called it a day before the Rock industry got fat and bloated in the 70's, when Punk shook things down to the roots, and so it goes to this very day.

I really hope you didn't get ANY of these logos tattooed on you.

The very late 80's was an interesting time, as it was, in retrospect, very ripe for change. What is now referred to as Hair Metal was very popular and was selling truckloads of CD's, records and cassettes. Major labels, as they were prone to do, were signing up any band that looked glammy and sounded even remotely like Guns 'n Roses or Poison. Rock 'n Roll hedonism, or the appearance of it, was either at its peak or nadir, depending on your point of view. The larynx-crushing throat punch of Nirvana's "Nevermind", which almost single-handedly knocked Hair Metal into a glittery scrap heap of scarves and spandex, was still a couple of years away yet. But as the clock ran out on the 80's, one of the forebears of what was to come in the 90's and beyond came in angry and roaring on a small independent label.

Yep, it's sideways. That's how the CD booklet is oriented.

Written, arranged, and performed by Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails' first album "Pretty Hate Machine" debuted in 1989. Reznor and his co-producers expanded upon Reznor's initial demos by adding the soon-to-be singles "Head Like A Hole" and "Sin". Rolling Stone's Michael Azerrad described the album as "industrial-strength noise over a pop framework" and "harrowing but catchy music". Reznor simply proclaimed this combination "a sincere statement of what was in my head at the time".

"Head Like A Hole" was one of the last songs completed for the album. The song's title comes from a sample taken from a concert by another industrial noise band, Ministry, which Reznor had recorded and later used in the production of "Head Like A Hole". The album, "Pretty Hate Machine" eventually spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, easily achieving Platinum sales. This is a fairly angry song to have been the hit that it was.

Rack 'em up, soldier!

As Nine Inch Nails continued their musical onslaught into the 90's, Reznor would occasionally find time for a side project. In early 1996, Reznor collaborated with Id Software to help create the very dark, creepy music and sound effects to the first-person shooter computer game, "Quake". As a nod to his contribution, the entire Quake series featured the Nine Inch Nails band logo on ammo crates for the in-game nail gun weapon.

While playing the song, I'm sure you heard the repeated authoritarian lyric, "Bow down before the one you serve. You're going to get what you deserve", which relentlessly pounds against the rebellious spirit of the chorus. In musical and artistic circles of the day, there was quite a bit of venom directed at the first Bush administration's foreign policies and the fascistic overtones of Bush Sr.'s "New World Order". The band that directly inspired the formation of Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, even had a music video entitled "New World Order" that got heavy play on MTV. But these musicians weren't necessarily doing something completely original. There's always a traceable musical ancestor to any seemingly new sub-genre, and in this case, that ancestor is none other than Devo.

Devo, circa 1980

Any mention of Devo will usually raise a chuckle of recognition, as most people remember them for goofy hits like "Whip It". But make no mistake, Devo had a dark side to their concept that was often the undercurrent of the same nerdy, seemingly harmless, tune.

The name "Devo" comes from the concept of 'de-evolution'; the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society. This idea was developed as a joke by Kent State University art students Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis as early as the late 1960s. Casale and Lewis created a number of satirical art pieces in a devolution vein. They met Mark Mothersbaugh around 1970, who introduced them to a pamphlet from 1924, "Jocko Homo Heavenbound", which includes an illustration of a winged devil labeled "D-EVOLUTION". This pamphlet would later inspire the archetypical Devo song, "Jocko Homo". But the 'joke' soon became very serious, following the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970. This event would be cited multiple times as the impetus for forming the band, Devo.

Rare promotional CD single of "Head Like A Hole"

Throughout their career, the spudmen of Devo have been no strangers to doing inspired cover versions of popular songs, dating back to their earliest releases. Their bracing cover of the Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and near-rewrite of Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man" were both disturbing and highly original. They almost had a hit when their twisted take on Lee Dorsey's "Workin' In A Coal Mine" was featured in the 1981 animated movie, "Heavy Metal". So it makes perfect sense that Devo would take on the dystopian lyric and mood of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like A Hole". The dance groove of the original is certainly intact and there's a new focus on money, but given the application of the whole D-evolution thing, the lyric about "Bow down before the one you serve..." becomes a tad more disturbing than perhaps even Trent Reznor imagined.

You can find nearly everything released by Devo at the corporate spud house known as Amazon. Devo's version of "Head Like A Hole" can only be found on a fine career-spanning anthology from Warner Archives, which contains all the essential stuff and many cool rarities, or, on the soundtrack to the 1996 Jackie Chan shoot 'em up, "Supercop", for which it was recorded. By all appearances, it's the high point of the album, unless the idea of Tom Jones covering "Kung Fu Fighting" appeals to you. I mean, after all these years, Tom's still the man, but... I dunno.

Amazon is also a great place to find the works of Nine Inch Nails, besides your local indie record store; especially the ones where even the store cat has black nail polish on. To be straight up honest, I'm not a fan. Art in any form is supposed to provoke a response, and my response to that music is that it doesn't work for me. I find most of Trent Reznor's music to be very dark, deeply depressing and unsettling. Maybe that works for you, and that's fine. Enjoy. Me? I'm gonna go play outside!

World Turning

Given that the current environment for musicians on major record labels is, more or less, 'hit one out of the park or you're done', you could say that if they were starting out today, it would have been difficult for Fleetwood Mac to have survived their earliest incarnation as a blues band. But The Mac were fortunate to have had their formative years during a different era when record companies would sign a band because they liked the music and believed the band had potential to find an audience once they were promoted enough, which usually meant constant touring by the band. Such was the case of Warner Brothers Records in the 70's, under the leadership of Mo Ostin, who had the philosophy of developing an audience for an artist and steadily building sales over time, as it was for the likes of Randy Newman and Ry Cooder.

Fleetwood Mac circa 1975. All was not as sunny as it appears.

Fleetwood Mac had a lengthy and complex history already by the time they signed on with Warner Brothers' Reprise label, which had begun as a signature label by and for Frank Sinatra. In one of the few signs of stability in their lives, the band has, for the most part, remained on that label ever since. The Mac's first album for Reprise, "Then Play On", came in 1969, and featured their now-classic live showpiece, "Oh Well", which has become a standard for Blues bands worldwide.

Fleetwood Mac would record and release another 6 albums for Reprise, all prior to 1975. That's an astonishing achievement considering that the bands' personnel was in constant flux almost from the jump, yet they managed to stay on the road for nearly that entire time. Matters were further complicated by a bizarre management debacle in 1973 over ownership of the name that included a false Fleetwood Mac being sent out on tour in place of the real band! Can you imagine any major record label today putting up with that sort of volatility over the course of 6 albums that garnered only modest sales at best without cutting their losses and calling it a day? Not anymore.

An autographed vinyl copy of the breakthrough 1975 album.

It took the departure of guitarist Bob Welch, who later found some solo success, and the discovery of 2 new band members for Fleetwood Mac to finally achieve a new level of success that was to exceed their wildest dreams, but not without all of them paying heavily for it through drama in their personal lives along the way, which has been well documented.

In a chance meeting that would change everything, Mick Fleetwood was introduced to Lindsey Buckingham while they both happened to be at L.A.'s famed Sound City Studios. Fleetwood had heard one of Buckingham's demo recordings and invited him join The Mac as Welch's replacement. Buckingham accepted, on the condition that his partner, Stephanie Nicks would join the band also.

The album that would result from the this new collaboration, the eponymous "Fleetwood Mac", would soon sell over 5 million copies within a year and become their first recording to reach #1 on the Pop album charts worldwide, spending 37 weeks within the Top 10, and more than 15 months within the Top 40. Sales were supported by three #1 singles and constant radio airplay of most of the album's other tracks. Here's one song from the album that was written by Buckingham with Christine McVie. It's a bit less Pop, but far more true to The Mac's origins in the Blues, as well as Mick Fleetwood's long standing interest in World rhythms. This is "World Turning".

Leo Kottke

Another artist who feels a kinship with unusual rhythms is the widely acknowledged master of the 12 string guitar, Leo Kottke. I first heard his astounding work in the early 70's, in an ad for a show he was playing at a local Folk-oriented coffeehouse in suburban Philadelphia known as The Main Point. Kottke's guitar playing sounded to me like it was everywhere, yet right there at the same time. His technique and skill were such that the sound he created was nothing short of arresting.

Much of Kottke's work is instrumental, though he has recorded many noteworthy vocals. His discography is extensive, to say the least, and is spread out over multiple decades and record labels. The concept of compiling a cross-label, comprehensive boxed set of Leo's recordings would be daunting. Nonetheless, Leo is the rare sort of skilled musician where the popularity of one of his recordings over another is a poor barometer of the quality contained therein. There's plenty of gold to be found.

As a comparison to Kottke's seeming reluctance to sing, which can be construed as his saying that his instrument is more eloquent than himself, Kottke's music is its own best definition. Leo Kottke is best heard, rather than described second hand, as attempts at description of his music are often futile. Suffice it to say, as I already have, that he is a master musician. If you enjoy acoustic music at all, and acoustic guitar in particular, you owe it to yourself to look into the world of Leo Kottke.

From Leo's 1997 album, "Standing In My Shoes", here is his version of "World Turning". Enjoy.

You can find the excellent music of Leo Kottke at A-Mart, or likely, in the Folk section of your local independent music retailer. Leo's put out quite a lot of music since 1969, so newcomers should pick up the guitarist's debut, "6 & 12 String Guitar", which was recently reissued on vinyl. It's a fine place to begin if you're unfamiliar with his work. If you're ready to go big, there's a fine multi-label Anthology available that covers a lot of ground. Do investigate the music of Leo Kottke. Your ears will thank you profusely.

As the band has been active since the late 60's, you might imagine that the Fleetwood Mac catalog has grown rather large by this time, and you'd be correct about that. So, it's going to depend on what era of the band's history works well for you. If you enjoy the post-1974 band with Buckingham & Nicks, then you'll be happy to hear that both the white "Fleetwood Mac" album, and "Rumours" have been nicely remastered and reissued with a generous helping of bonus material; particularly true in the case of "Rumours", which is now a 3 disc set. If all that sounds extravagant and you just want the hits, there's a nice 2 disc "Very Best Of..." collection that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Good stuff, this is.

If you're more partial to the Bob Welch-Danny Kirwan-Jeremy Spencer era, which contained such fine works as "Bare Trees", "Mystery To Me", "Then Play On", and "Kiln House", they're all in print and are even being reissued on vinyl and assorted deluxe editions. But, I will absolutely recommend that you snatch up this bargain priced, 5 disc boxed set (shown at right) of mid-period Mac before someone realizes what a smokin' cheap deal it is and pulls it off the market.

The recordings of the early incarnation of Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green are confusing at best. There were but 3 studio albums released during that time, but many more of varying quality and dubious origin have surfaced since, and it only serves to clutter the market and confuse the earnest customer. Here's another attractively priced boxed set that contains those 3 early albums. As for the rest; approach with caution and 'caveat emptor'.

Take Me With U

By any measure, nearly twenty years is a darn long time between visits to any town by a touring musician. The last time Marshall Crenshaw set up camp for an evening in Omaha was in November of 1994! In fact, the last 2 places he performed at here are long gone; either repurposed, or razed and built over. But this past weekend, Crenshaw made up for his lengthy absence with a setlist that could have been written by any of his dedicated fan base, who ignored near-zero degree temperatures to attend in force, easing any concerns the promoter had about the weather affecting turnout. The enthusiastic crowd got plenty of Crenshaw's hits, a few covers, new stuff and deep album tracks arranged in a balanced way that made it all work well together. All told, a fine show by a seasoned artist.

The crowd was also rewarded by a snarly, hour-long opening set of prime Americana Rock by The Bottle Rockets, who also very capably served as Crenshaw's band. The Bottle Rockets came in armed for bear, playing many songs from their first 2 albums, which date from the early 90's, and for which they were just recently able to recover full ownership of their master tapes. There was plenty of newer material also; proving that the experience of the many miles since the 90's have in no way been a wasted lesson. The Bottle Rockets are now a mature, sturdy, ass-kickin' Rock band with plenty of midwestern grit and a keen sense of melody and harmony. Plus, they feature twin lead guitarists on Baritone and Coral Sitar! Don't miss 'em if they play in your town.

Marshall Crenshaw (photo courtesy of Mars Booth)

After the show, I did get to speak with Marshall briefly, but not privately, as the traffic at the merch table was extremely busy. To say the least, that environment makes for distracted conversation at best. Nonetheless, Marshall did share with me a couple of his personal favorites of the cover recordings that he's done since the 80's, which was probably not easy, as Crenshaw has a lengthy resume of excellent cover recordings. While he's partial to the straight, orchestrated cover of The Carpenters' "Close To You" that he just released on one of his new series of vinyl EP's, along with the as-yet unrecorded workup of "Man With Money" by The Everly Brothers that he opened his show with, he did tell me that he was happy with how his version of Prince's "Take Me With U" turned out, despite referring to it with a grin as "my trailer park version". A little humility from musicians is always welcome.

What Marshall and I did not get to discuss was exactly why he chose to do that song, at that time. While Crenshaw is known for making less than obvious choices of material to cover, this one seems almost too slick for him, lacking in the requisite chordal gymnastics that is a trademark of Crenshaw's sound. Perhaps, that is exactly why he did it. But, I did get to tell Marshall when he mentioned "Take Me With U" that I felt it was a good one for him to have done because his version sounds like he could have written the song. He seemed to enjoy hearing that.

From his 2003 album "What's In The Bag?", here's Marshall's recording of "Take Me With U", which was produced by the mighty Eric "Roscoe" Ambel. Marshall must have liked this enough that it's the 3rd track on the album, which is a prime spot. Enjoy!

Prince's recording of "Take Me With U" was the last song from the blockbuster "Purple Rain" album to be released as a single, peaking at #25 in early 1985. Soon after, Prince would prove his mercurial nature by moving on from "Purple Rain" to the neo-psychedelic pop of his next project, "Around The World In A Day".

The ultimate follow-up plan to the commercial success of his previous album "1999" would have been for Prince to hit a home run with every possible demographic in the Pop market, which is exactly what he did. Even if there hadn't been a movie, the album "Purple Rain" was still a breakthrough by anyone's definition. But, this was 1984, when the advent of music video on television was a new chapter of how Pop music was getting into people's homes and wallets. In a 'go big or go home' play, Prince doubled down with a film that would enable him to dominate radio airplay, movie theaters, and MTV programming for at least the next year.

Some have said that the semi-autobiographical film "Purple Rain" was, for all purposes, an extended length music video, much like many of its ancestors, going back to "A Hard Days Night". But that's not a bad thing if it all ties together well enough to make it work as a movie. So, to say that "Purple Rain" was little more than a 110 minute commercial for the album, as critics of the day often did, is off the mark, as it covered all the checkpoints for being successful as a movie. "Purple Rain" has good production values (considering the budget), and a sustained level of energy. It features a magnetic star and an engaging supporting cast (with an eminently quotable star turn by singer Morris Day), and a story that encourages empathy with Prince's character, called simply "The Kid", without forcing the issue. That's a huge accomplishment, as empathy is not something people give up easily to a personality as outsized as Prince. The only contrary thing is that the film is very much of its time, and may seem dated to some today. But the story holds up well and the music remains electrifying.

"Take Me With U" was sung as a duet with Prince's co-star of the movie, Apollonia Kotero, with Lisa Coleman doubling the part, and was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 side project. Prince obviously knew a good song when he heard one and wisely pulled it from that project for the movie.

Almost anything that you might be missing from the extensive catalog of His Purple Badness is waiting for you at Amazon, or your local independent music connection. Some have become pricey collectables, so shop wisely. Speaking of that, I never should have sold my purple vinyl promotional copy of "Purple Rain", but the album has recently been reissued on black 180 gram vinyl, for those of you who want the original 1984 experience. It'll just sound better now.

Lately, Marshall Crenshaw has been busy with a unique new angle on distributing his music. Foregoing involvement with any traditional record label, he's taken the road of a true independent; recording and releasing new music on his own schedule. His vision is to not have to wait until he has written what others consider to be a cohesive 12-15 song album. Being a lifelong fan of singles, Crenshaw began releasing a series of 10" vinyl EP's last year. The EP's include a new original song on the A side, and the B side will typically have a cover song plus a rare or live recording of one of his older songs. Also included is a card that gets you a free digital download of all the songs. The EP's are available now on Crenshaw's website, where you can get them individually, or buy a subscription for the next 3 forthcoming EP's. Collectors should know that limited editions in colored vinyl are available only thru independent record stores. Subscription vinyl is black only. As to whether all the EP's will eventually be assembled on a CD, that is not known, as it's way too early in the process. Before I forget, most of Marshall's excellent back catalog is available at The Big A, and yes, your local indie music shop.

There She Goes

Many years ago, a friend who did session work as a bassist, said this when asked how the previous evening's work had gone, and he said it with all the world weariness of Eeyore. "There's nothing worse in the world than a bad band argument". The years since have proven him to be a prophet.

There exists the opinion that a creative environment of differing ideas, or even one of outright hostility, can forge in fire a sturdier product than one that would have come from a more focused, single-minded birth. It's certainly true that some very famous Rock bands have been made up of people who, under different circumstances, would not be found in the same room together. Yet, given a more or less similar musical goal, they still managed to work as a unit, despite the volatility. But this can only hold for so long before the inevitable implosion.

The La's at an early gig in Liverpool.

Another type of conflicted band is one that has loads of potential, but just can't get it together due to their relentless perfectionism combined with an unfocused vision. This is always a recipe for disaster. Even when they do manage success with considerable help, the project is doomed to crash and burn shortly after takeoff. Such is the case of Liverpool's The La's.

Having been in enough bands myself over the years, I have concluded that perfection is a fine goal, but unfulfilling as an expectation. By all accounts, going back to their inception in 1986, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Lee Mavers was a perfectionist with a nearly obsessive penchant for detail. Consequently, The La's were never able to fulfill their potential.

On the strength of their demo tapes, Go! Discs signed the band in 1987, releasing the single "Way Out", which received good reviews, yet wasn't a chart success. Similarly, the following year's "There She Goes" received good press, but it too, stalled on the charts. Mavers then dismissed and replaced the entire band before commencing work on what was to be The La's only album, which didn't see release until 1990, due to the difficult process of chasing an elusive sound, while going through at least 6 different engineers and producers. A cautionary tale to say the least. Fortunately, and despite Mavers claiming it was rush-released, the album, now produced by Steve Lillywhite, received glowing reviews and strong sales. A re-released single of "There She Goes", having been spit polished by Lillywhite, entered the U.K. Top 20 and hit #49 in America.

At the time of its release, there was some talk in the music press about the lyric having to do with the rush of a heroin shot, which was roundly dismissed by the band, along with charges that parts of the song had been pinched from "There She Goes Again" by The Velvet Underground. Though denied, it remains worth mentioning, though the Velvet's song is completely different. But really, what band hasn't pinched something from The Velvet Underground? The La's may have ended up a one-hit-wonder, but "There She Goes" is a jangly charmer for the ages.

I find it interesting that "There She Goes" sounds like no other song on the album; to the point of feeling like an entirely different band cut either the album or that song. To me, this proves that perfectionism over minutiae can cause the big picture to be overlooked. Sometimes, you've just got to know when to quit and call it done. It's also worth noting that, to my ears, The La's previous single, "Way Out", sounds for all the world like an early Oasis demo.

Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash of Sixpence meet Lee Mavers of The La's (center)

Since forming in 1993, the Nashville-based band Sixpence None The Richer (started by guitarist Matt Slocum and singer Leigh Nash), has released four albums and scored a few hits, including the absolutely gorgeous single "Kiss Me", plus "Breathe Your Name", and covers of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" and today's featured song, "There She Goes", which did not appear on their 1997 self-titled third album until a re-release in 1999, after "Kiss Me" was already a hit. The band also appeared on a bunch of movie soundtrack albums, scored a platinum record, and even earned a few Grammy nominations. But, as things, happen, they amicably parted ways in 2004, shortly after releasing their last full-length record, "Divine Discontent". After taking the next several years off, Nash and Slocum reformed Sixpence and released a new album, "Lost In Transition" in August of 2012.

Regarding the curious band name, Leigh Nash said this about it during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. "It comes from a book by C.S. Lewis called 'Mere Christianity'. A little boy asks his father if he can get a sixpence, a very small amount of English currency, to go and get a gift for his father. The father gladly accepts the gift and he's really happy with it, but he also realizes that he's not any richer for the transaction. C.S. Lewis was comparing that to his belief that God has given him, and us, the gifts that we possess, and to serve Him the way we should, humbly, realizing how we got the gifts in the first place."

The video for "There She Goes" is a bit chaotic, but worth watching for one thing. (Well, besides the fact that Leigh Nash is just lovely.) There's a late 60's Fender electric 12 string guitar that is featured prominently here, and it's also in the video for "Kiss Me". The instrument is a cornerstone of the sound of Sixpence. I used to have one of those guitars back in the 80's, and it looked exactly like this one. Whether it's the very same one or not, I have no way of telling for sure. But I'd like to think the instrument went on to better things after I let it go; something which I nonetheless regret to this day. It's on my short list of guitars I've sold that I'd really like to have back, although I know that's not likely to happen. I paid $400 for it back then. They now sell for about $3000.

Here's the video. I prefer the tighter production and dynamics on Sixpence's version. It really brings out the shine. This is as perfect as Pop music gets. If songs like this were hits more often, the world would be a happier place.

Music from Sixpence None The Richer is available for you online at A-Mart, and most likely, the used bin at your local independent CD dispensary. Heads up to collectors: their 'Best Of' album features a hard-to-find cover of Brian Wilson's "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", and a brilliant re-recording of "Kiss Me" sung by Leigh in Japanese! It's one of the best foreign language remakes ever.

Regarding The La's, the beautiful mess that is their debut album, is now available in a Deluxe Edition with far superior mastering to the previous single CD from the 90's. With all the demos and working versions included, it's as complete as you could ever want. For the obsessives, there's also a collection of their sessions done for the BBC, which rarely surpass demo quality, and sound every bit like the works in perpetual progress that they were. "There She Goes" can also be found on the 80's volume of Rhino's excellent Poptopia series. It's out of print, so new copies are spendy, but used ones can be had for a very fair price. There's only 3 volumes, 70's thru 90's, so grab 'em up if you can.