Come On (Part 1)

Jimi Hendrix

This past week, while doing some stuff around the house where some assembly was required, I found it helpful to have some energetic music going to help me get my work done. For whatever reason, I was feeling the need to get some Jimi Hendrix rolling through the house, as Jimi's music always had a very special energy.

Hendrix was certainly one of the more creative spirits in the history of popular music; fusing his own musical background of Southern rhythm & blues, Chicago blues, adding the groundbreaking showmanship that was pioneered by those musicians, along with a healthy dose of British and American rock 'n roll, and running it all through the psychedelic filter of his own revolutionary guitar techniques. Hendrix was the right guy at the right time in music history. His star burned very brightly for too short a time, but he left us with a wealth of incredible music; the influence of which is still reverberating in squalls of feedback today.

Coincidentally, my son-in-law had recently mentioned an interest in doing some hard listening to Jimi's music. It always thrills me when younger folks express a serious interest in musicians of the past. I always try to encourage them to remember when they're listening that there was a time when Jimi's music was fresh, with bewildering lyrical poetry and astonishing originality. In other words, there have been 10,000 guitar players who've come on the scene since Hendrix, so that tends to blur the view a bit. But back when Jimi was a new discovery, people thought he was from Mars or certainly of some different form of consciousness. He was absolutely unique. To this day, Hendrix is often imitated, but like his contemporaries, The Beatles, he may never be duplicated.

The music that influenced Hendrix early on popped up frequently in his playing. From his staggeringly great third album, "Electic Ladyland", here's Jimi Hendrix with "Come On (Part 1)". Dig, y'all.

Earl King

People who enjoy electric blues guitar often refer to "The 3 Kings", meaning Albert, B.B., and Freddie. But there was a fourth King and his name was Earl.

Earl King was born Earl Silas Johnson IV in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1934. He started to play guitar at age 15. Soon after, he started entering talent contests at local clubs. It was at one of those clubs where he met his idol, Guitar Slim, who was a huge influence on King's musical directions. His first recording came in 1953 when the Savoy label released a 78, "Have You Gone Crazy" b/w "Begging At Your Mercy", under his own name, Earl Johnson. In 1954, Guitar Slim was injured in an automobile accident, right around the time he had a #1 R&B hit with "The Things That I Used To Do". King was quickly deputized to continue Slim's band tour as a stand-in, representing himself as Slim!

In 1960, legendary New Orleans bandleader and arranger Dave Bartholomew invited King to record for Imperial Records. It was there that he recorded his signature songs "Come On" and "Trick Bag". Both songs remained as standards for decades, notably covered by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, who essentially covered Hendrix's version, and Anson Funderburgh. "Trick Bag" has also been widely covered, including versions by The Meters and Robert Palmer. You can probably walk down Bourbon St. in New Orleans on any given evening and hear either or both of these songs.

Here's Earl King's classic, "Come On (Part 1). It's original New Orleans R&B at it's finest!

 

For some reason, any album by Earl King is unreasonably expensive, even used. You're best off getting Earl's hits on a good collection of New Orleans R&B, like this excellent one from Rhino Records, at about 12 bucks, previously enjoyed. The other great hits on that CD will make it worth your investment. There's a highly recommended Volume 2 available also.

And, as you might imagine, you can get experienced with all the Jimi Hendrix music you can handle at Amazon.

Flowers On The Wall

Back around 1999-2001, I played bass for a regional Top 40 country band. I suppose admittance is the first step to recovery, but all in all, it was a good band and a good time. We had a six piece band, so we could cover a lot of ground, musically. One thing I learned quickly was that the country audience often knows those songs as well or better than the band does, so you'd best do the homework and always bring your 'A game' or you just won't cut it.

One of the tunes that was popular around that time was this cover of a song called "Flowers On The Wall", originally done by The Statler Brothers in the late 1960's. In 2000, a newcomer named Eric Heatherly kickstarted his music career with the song and walked away with the honor of the #3 Top Country Single of 2000 and also the #1 video designation from both the Great American Country (GAC) and Country Music Television (CMT) cable TV music channels. Not bad for a guy who could found playing at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge a few weeks prior.

Modern country music is something of a paradox, as anyone who works in that industry will readily admit. Songwriters are constantly faced with the choice of either sticking to what will get their song picked up by publishers that sell them to major name performers, who do not want to rock the boat with ultra-conservative country radio, or honoring their country music ancestors with honest story lines that cut to the bone with credible depictions of the often less than glamorous side of life. Often, in order to successfully do the latter, a writer or performer will forego the blessings of airplay and award shows. Oh, they'll get an occasional nod of respect from the industry, but it remains known by both parties that they are outsiders. I find it interesting that the Country Music Hall of Fame is loaded with pioneers who told the truth of life in their songs, but what passes for country anymore is more concerned with image than truth.

All of that makes me wonder how on Earth a song like "Flowers On The Wall" ever got recorded in the first place, especially in 1968. The song, written by a fellow named Lew DeWitt, was the first major hit for the Statlers, but what an odd way to get in the game. It sure has a jaunty little melody during the verses, but jumps to a minor key for the chorus, indicating that behind the public smile lives a very sad and possibly disturbed personality.

Back when this song was written, it was not uncommon for patients living in psychiatric hospitals to have absolutely nothing or very little to do. They were allowed to smoke in their rooms and sometimes watch television, both activities that were highly desired by patients with nothing to do but count the flowers on the wall (obviously, flowered wallpaper), play solitaire, smoke cigarettes and watch TV. It has often been speculated that the narrator of this song is struggling with anxiety and reluctance for leaving the privacy of his hospital room, probably having to do with agoraphobia or some other form of social anxiety. The speaker is content being bored in his room because he wants nothing to do with the outside world. As far as songwriting is concerned, that's just as dark a subject matter as any other song that might concern a broken marriage, poverty, alcoholism, crime and punishment, death or any of the other topics that are so deeply ingrained in the bloodline of country music.

Here's the Statler Brothers on a 1968 TV show, doing their thing. Give the lyric another listen and think about it. Not so sun-shiney, is it?

You can easily find a suitable Statler Brothers 'best-of' at Amazon, of course. The album, "Swimming In Champagne" from Eric Heatherly, can be had there too, used, for the embarrassing price of one red cent. Further proof that Nashville fame is both fickle and fleeting.

My Baby Loves Lovin'

Elton John, flamboyant even then.

Every musician, no matter how famous they may become, has humble beginnings. Most never escape them, slogging away for decades in taverns and other venues of varying quality around the world. If they're lucky, connected and very good at what they do, they'll get the chance to play on a recording as hired help. Some musicians have made their career of exactly this; forsaking the charms of fame, which most studio players consider overrated anyway. There are hundreds of skilled players who've done plenty of studio work prior to their own name becoming better known by the public. Leon Russell and Glen Campbell are two that you may know. But then, there's the case of one Reggie Dwight, whom you know as Sir Elton John.

As late as 1970, Elton helped pay the rent and gain studio expertise as a session vocalist and piano player by doing sessions for British budget records that "re-created" the sound of current hit singles; a precursor to the legendary K-Tel collections in America, which typically presented 20 truncated versions of current pop singles, but at least those were done by the original artists. In these copycat recordings, Elton took on such vintage AM pop mothballs as Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime", "Up Around the Bend" by CCR, Badfinger's "Come & Get It", "Yellow River" by Christie and oddly, Nina Simone's classic, "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", along with a few stray songs that were hits only in the UK.

Tony Burrows

Of important note is that Elton was most often employed by varying assemblies of the songwriting and producing trio of Tony Macaulay, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. By 1970, Elton had anonymously lent his vocal and keyboard talents to several collections of faux hits. This production group also periodically employed a popular session vocalist named Tony Burrows, who had the distinction of performing the lead vocal on no less than 5 legitimate worldwide hit records by otherwise fictional bands, such as Brotherhood of Man ('United We Stand'), First Class ('Beach Baby') and Edison Lighthouse ('Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes'). These groups existed in name only. Session musicians would appear as the group for TV appearances. We'll have more on Mr. Burrows in a bit.

Elton John's contributions to these albums have been assembled in a CD release intended for budget bins. There are at least 4 different packagings of this music that I've seen. The album cover shown here is the most common and most representative of what the original cheap-o record albums looked like. This reissue, complete with scholarly liner notes, aspires to do nothing more than preserve this footnote in the budding superstar's career, and is of interest mostly to completists and novelty seekers like myself. At the time they were made, Elton, like any other employee, was paid his fee for doing the recording and that was that, so I am certain that Elton holds no rights whatsoever to these recordings or he likely would have squashed the release of this compilation.

These records were never intended to be taken seriously as artistic statements. They were made to squeeze a few quick pounds from casual, unsuspecting pop fans. Musically, for his part, Elton plays it straight; his vocal chops proved to have the necessary versatility and anonymity required of such projects. But, as far as unintentionally funny moments go, there are many. So much so, that it was difficult to pick just one song to feature.

Out of all the tracks on the album, the one that gives the best flavor of the time and what these knockoff records were about is the remake of "My Baby Loves Lovin'", a 1970 hit for the group, White Plains. I think you'll find that Elton's vocal on this track is unmistakably him. Enjoy!

The 1970 UK single picture sleeve.

The original version of the song was written by the afore mentioned Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It was recorded on 26 October 1969, and released on 9 January 1970 on the Decca imprint, Deram Records. A fellow you may have heard of named Tony Burrows performed the lead vocal for the single by the nonexistent White Plains, as was becoming his vocational habit. Why the production team thought it was necessary to re-cut a song that they already owned makes little sense, unless the motivation was either publishing money or solely to keep in line with the other retreads on those knockoff albums.

At any rate, here is the Tony Burrows-led faux band, White Plains with "My Baby Loves Lovin'". I think you'll agree it's a pop song very much of its time, but it does have an exuberance that is rarely heard today. Enjoy!

So where can one find the Elton John recordings? Well, there's 3 versions listed at Amazon. If you are so prone, you might score one of the Laserlight editions by digging in the bargain bins at your local big box store, as that was their intended destination anyway. The White Plains single is nicely remastered on the exponentially great series from Rhino Records, "Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day"; a set of at least 25 CD's released back in the early 90's. There was a box set that had the entire series in it, but that is now very rare and very spendy. It's much cheaper to cherry pick used copies individually.

I've Got My Mind Set On You

Frustrated with the changing musical climate of the early 1980's, George Harrison decided to take a break from his recording career and pursue his other interests, such as film production with his own company, Handmade Films. The odd soundtrack or charity song would surface on occasion, but otherwise it was a musically silent period for Harrison. By late 1986, Harrison felt the desire to make music again and he asked former Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne to co-produce an album with him. This collaboration was likely the spark that took form in 1988 as The Traveling Wilburys, with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison joining in on that project.

After a round of new compositions were written, Harrison entered his home studio at Friar Park on January 5, 1987 to begin recording his first new album in five years. Besides Harrison and Lynne, the sessions also included both Jim Keltner and Ringo Starr on drums, Eric Clapton on guitar, and on piano, both Gary Wright and Elton John, who was recovering from a vocal surgery at the time and needed something to do. Harrison actively promoted the album, entitled "Cloud Nine", with a new found enthusiasm by making a few music videos, which proved popular and greatly boosted the album's sales. He even made a rare concert appearance with Ringo at the Prince's Trust Concert that June.

The first single from "Cloud Nine" was a cover of an old favorite of George's called "I've Got My Mind Set On You", originally recorded by rhythm & blues singer James Ray in 1963. Of Harrison's three number one singles in the US, it was the only song not written by Harrison and the only one without religious overtones. Not only was this the last US number one hit by Harrison, but of any from the other Ex-Beatles in the US. When the song hit #1, it broke a three way tie among Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr, all of whom had two #1 hit singles as solo artists. Paul McCartney still leads in this category with nine #1 hits in the US.

It is likely that Harrison first heard the song as a young Beatle, while on a stateside trip to visit his sister, Louise in September 1963, when The Beatles were still relative unknowns in the US. Personal travel like this would be unthinkable for George in just a few short months.

The song was written by Rudy Clark, who later wrote "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)". Singer James Ray, who lived on a rooftop and was said to be a troubled soul with a 'difficult' personality, recorded the song for his first and only album in 1962. In September of 1963, producer Gerry Granahan released an edited single as "I've Got My Mind Set On You, Parts 1 & 2" as was the vogue of the day with R&B singles. Reportedly, James Ray died as he lived, on the streets, of a drug overdose in 1964.

As you might imagine, all things from George Harrison are available at Amazon and your local indie record store. For all you early soul collectors, a reissue of James Ray's sole album can be found at Amazon.

As a bonus for all you guitar gearheads, George's black 1957 Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet pictured on the cover of the "Cloud Nine" album, is now available as a reproduction from Gretsch guitars. But don't even think about it if you're not ready to bring your checkbook. They're only making 60 of them and they're going for $20,000 each. This video from Gretsch tells the story of the guitar and the intensive replication process.