Friday Influences Thread 12-09-11

Time keeps on tickin'-tickin'. So, post it! Go ahead. Today's the day! Why?

 

Cause... it's interesting what sharing the stuff you dig does to you. In part, it solidifies and strengthens your machine. It gets you sayin', "Damn right. That is what I dig. I dig, and therefore I am."

 

Black Keys - El Camino

 

I've really been loving the whole album. It's one of those rare things where it lives as a whole. Roots upturned and exposed. Still breathing. Blues, 60's big arrangement orchestrated pop, hippie folk and gear grinding fuzz rock seemingly from somewhere south of Dallas in 1967.

 

But it's not any of those things. It's just a couple a guys with a cheap guitar and pedals, some great ideas, an awesome producer (Danger Mouse) and great mixer (Tchad Blake) coming together and willing to share... what they dig.

 

Little Black Submarines. Yeah, I know it lifts from Blind Faith's Can't Find My Way Home. And so what? In the tradition of folk and blues, he's borrowed that structure he dug... and created something very cool. I dig.

 

Oh can it be

The voices calling me

They get lost

And out of time

I should've seen it glow

But everybody knows

That a broken heart is blind

That a broken heart is blind

 

[video=youtube;0_JvY9xeVNM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_JvY9xeVNM

 

And this one for good measure...

 

[video=youtube;8kC6Rl3HXaA]

(youtube sucks, Rhapsody links only this week )

 

Jimmy Webb - you might know him as the author of one of the most unlikely #1 hits ever (

), as the writer of many of Glen Campbell's biggest hits (Wichita Highwayman) or even as the creative force behind the 5th Dimension (Up Up and Away). But his early 70's solo albums have some of the greatest, strangest, hardest rocking songs of the era. Like Serge Gainsbourg, Webb's solo albums are sui generis: pop songs gone to seed, escaping their verse-chorus-verse planters and spreading out like killer weeds or jungle vines, fantastic rhythm guitar work and classic Fuzz Face leads, monster piano/sax jams, psychedelic hippie freakouts and breakdowns; pop, rock, soul, funk, jazz, country and classical rolled into a nearly inexplicable ball of weirdness.

 

Words And Music (1970)

Sleepin in the Daytime

Dorothy Chandler

 

And So: On (1971)

All Night Show

Laspitch

 

Letters (1972)

Song Seller

 

Land's End (1974)

Alyce Blue Gown

 

I've chosen to highlight the freakier/heavier/rockin'er songs here, but Jimmy Webb is also great in a more traditional mode - check out the solo piano and vocals of Ten Easy Pieces Plus Four for examples

 

As far as influence, this is definitely what I was aiming for (suite-like song structure, chordy piano, raucous guitar) in The Man That You Are.

I don't know anything about Rhapsody. Do I need to have an account? Right now I only see an empty player. Is it free?

 

BTW, I don't know anything about Webb but his work for others. I'm looking forward to this! I love him, from what I know of him.

 

I don't know anything about Rhapsody. Do I need to have an account? Right now I only see an empty player. Is it free? BTW, I don't know anything about Webb but his work for others. I'm looking forward to this! I love him, from what I know of him.

 

 

Rhapsody is a cloud based subscription music service. I pay a monthly fee, but I think you can sign up for the free trial and get 25 free streams.

I just signed up for the free 14 day trial and... error on page. Tried a few times. I'll try later on my home Mac.

OK... got it. Explorer was an older unsupported version. Firefox is working great. Wow. Never heard this stuff. Cool. Thanks!

 

 

 

I like the Black Keys, but they will forever be associated with one death-march project delivery weekend for me. It was early spring 2008; the development project I was managing was a little behind schedule and there was a large group of people coming in from around the world to review one of the early milestones. I spent the entire Friday evening through Monday morning sitting on my couch, coding madly and listening to one Black Keys album over and over again.

 

Around 3:30am Monday morning I decided that I had done everything that I could do, and I turned off the Black Keys and wet to bed. Fortunately, the review went well and the project wasn't killed (and in fact, I am still working on that project today). But I haven't listened to the Black Keys since. Maybe today is the day to change that.

I went and saw the Wood Brothers Wednesday night. As a forum service announcement, they are in Florida tonight and tomorrow and Athens the next night. They get back to their tour Jan 25 in Solana Beach, California and make their way up the west coast.

 

Freaking amazing performance, sure. I was really blown away by the quality of sound.

 

[video=youtube;2jodAZGFK7I]

 

Not sure of the sound quality on this video

 

[video=youtube;Oz5lN8U3Ehk]

 

I like the Black Keys, but they will forever be associated with one death-march project delivery weekend for me. It was early spring 2008; the development project I was managing was a little behind schedule and there was a large group of people coming in from around the world to review one of the early milestones. I spent the entire Friday evening through Monday morning sitting on my couch, coding madly and listening to one Black Keys album over and over again. Around 3:30am Monday morning I decided that I had done everything that I could do, and I turned off the Black Keys and wet to bed. Fortunately, the review went well and the project wasn't killed (and in fact, I am still working on that project today). But I haven't listened to the Black Keys since. Maybe today is the day to change that.

 

 

El Camino is cool. It has a T Rex kind of vibe

T Rex!!!!!! That's it! I've been racking my head trying to nail it down. All the octave vocals and spring verb stuff. Even mixed back glock. T Rex! Thank you.

 

I went and saw the Wood Brothers Wednesday night. As a forum service announcement, they are in Florida tonight and tomorrow and Athens the next night. They get back to their tour Jan 25 in Solana Beach, California and make their way up the west coast. Freaking amazing performance, sure. I was really blown away by the quality of sound.

 

 

Yeah! My calender is now marked for the Solana Beach/Belly Up Tavern show January 25. Thanks.

Yeah! My calender is now marked for the Solana Beach/Belly Up Tavern show January 25. Thanks.

 

 

You'll get a kick out the drummer's setup. 3 piece kit: snare, tom, bass drum, and a couple cymbals. The bass drum is laid down, like a giant floor tom with a pedal hitting from the bottom and him also playing on the top with sticks. He keeps a towel on top to change the sound.

You'll get a kick out the drummer's setup. 3 piece kit: snare, tom, bass drum, and a couple cymbals. The bass drum is laid down, like a giant floor tom with a pedal hitting from the bottom and him also playing on the top with sticks. He keeps a towel on top to change the sound.

 

Nice^

 

My guy is just taking out a snare/kick/hat/ride. It's great. Little kit, big sound. Focus baby!

I love "Friday Influences" (thanks, Lee!) -- not least for the erudite and fun-to-read appreciations of 'older' singer/song writers. I'm deeply grateful that "rsadasiv" took the time to write that appreciation of Jimmy Webb and to include links to some of his best, overlooked work. Enjoying each one -- for the first time in some cases -- right this minute. Thanks again. (What DID we do before Harmony Central?)

I love "Friday Influences" (thanks, Lee!) -- not least for the erudite and fun-to-read appreciations of 'older' singer/song writers. I'm deeply grateful that "rsadasiv" took the time to write that appreciation of Jimmy Webb and to include links to some of his best, overlooked work. Enjoying each one -- for the first time in some cases -- right this minute. Thanks again. (What DID we do before Harmony Central?)

 

Thanks Mark.

El Camino is cool. It has a T Rex kind of vibe

 

Not on Rhapsody yet and all the videos seem to have been pulled off of youtube.

Not on Rhapsody yet and all the videos seem to have been pulled off of youtube.

 

You might actually have to buy it if you want it

 

http://www.billboard.com/news/black-keys-el-camino-revs-up-leaves-spotify-1005644412.story#/news/black-keys-el-camino-revs-up-leaves-spotify-1005644412.story

Slow day .....

 

 

How about some Dionne Warwick singing Bacharach/David?

 

[video=youtube;JzCkD3vRukA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzCkD3vRukA

 

[video=youtube;jqWt49o7R-k]

 

[video=youtube;kafVkPxjLYg]

 

[video=youtube;FzQBOBoPg04]

One of my favorite things in the world. ^

Good stuff! I'm already a Black Keys and Jimmy Webb fan. Now I'm a Wood Brothers fan too.

 

Anyone up for some Marc Jordan? I've posted some of his stuff before. His father was Charles Jordan, a well-known Canadian opera singer. Marc Jordan was at one time a back-up musician for Bobby Vee. He also made a couple of terrific LPs in the late 1970s, for Warner Brothers, then seemed to sort of disappear.

 

But did he? Here's a partial list of people who've recorded some of his songs.

 

Cher, Chicago, Joe Cocker, Holly Cole, Natalie Cole, Josh Groban, Kansas, Kenny Loggins, Manhattan Transfer, Olivia Newton-John, Bonnie Raitt, Diana Ross, Sawyer Brown & Rod Stewart.

 

Here's a cool-jazz/disco-ish tune from 1978's Mannequin called "Lost Because You Can't Be Found." (A fitting song for today, seeing as how it almost fits Stickboy's December Challenge criteria.)

 

[video=youtube;p7e6oZ1F8PA]

 

Here's a nice little jazz tune he co-wrote, "I Must Have Left My Heart."

 

[video=youtube;CzrVAQdJJh4]

 

And Marc Jordan's biggest hit, "The Rhythm of My Heart," co-written by John Capek.

 

[video=youtube;6km7phBQRF0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6km7phBQRF0

 

Here's one of my favorites, "Mystery Man." (The volume starts very low, but gets louder at 1:49.)

 

[video=youtube;G-c3n9-NVT0]

 

LCK

You know it's a great lyric when you hear it once or twice, and it stays with you for a lifetime. Case in point: my favorite stanza (below) by lyricist Hal David. We first heard "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" in 1968. Everyone knew it was the latest from Burt Bacharach, and we were used to him writing great songs (the music). What most of us didn't know was -- who was writing those perfect words: It took decades (for me) to realize this was lyric writing at its very best. How could you possibly convey so much timeless info about L.A./Hollywood, in fewer words than these? (From memory imperfect):

 

L.A. is a great big freeway

Put a hundred down and buy a car

In a week (maybe two) they'll make you a star

Weeks turn into years (how quick they pass)

And all those "stars" (that never were)

are parking cars, and pumping gas . . .

 

There's a fat man in that bathtub!

There's a fat man in that bathtub!

 

Yeah... I'm hearing Little Feat all over this stuff... which is great in my book. I love what they're ^ doing with that legacy.

 

Which means maybe we should do this for grins... and if you want to get all sciency on these guys... Little Feat I mean, for fun, listen to the tempo at the top when George is playing the cowbells, then click way later in the tune and check how spot on they are with the tempo. Not that keeping a steady tempo is the holy grail or anything, but... when you got a certain comfort with your groove, and you can nail it like that with energy +, and still keep your tempo... these guys had IT. Man. Bill Payne and Ritchie Hayward. And at 1:00 when George starts singing... you can almost see and feel his big heart tickin' it out with ease. They owned that groove LARGE. And FAT.

 

[video=youtube;VDp3Grz28mE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDp3Grz28mE

And paying homage to my comment about Black Keys lifting Can't Find My Way home, check out a master (Bonnie Raitt) feeling her way through the tune with surety, a little caution, and respect... with Lowell there. No pressure, just makin' music. Here we go. Can you feel that? I can... Relax and go girl... man.

 

[video=youtube;ycTITDLWXUM]

 

LCK

 

 

Never heard of him. I like it. It's funny... when Boz Scaggs came out with Silk Degrees, even as a teen, I had the distinct impression that he was lifting someone. And though Silk Degrees came out before the tune you posted, as much as I respected Boz and his thing, I would not be surprised if Scaggs lifted from this guy. I loved the 3rd one. Nice stuff. Dated, but in a way that makes me want to lift him and modernize it. I really like it. And I was never a Boz fan for the very reason that he sounded like a carbon copy of someone else even though I'd never heard him.