Who's That? Behind Blue Eyes

As we close out our second week special, “Who’s That?,” we leave you with a cover of one of my favorite songs by The Who: “Behind Blue Eyes.” Who am I kidding? I like most of The Who’s songs. Pete Townshend began writing the song after being tempted by a groupie. Having the strength to resist, he began by writing the song’s bridge:

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool;
When I smile, tell me some bad news,
Before I laugh and act like a fool.
And If I swallow anything evil,
Put your finger down my throat;
And If I shiver, please give me a blanket.
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat.

“Behind Blue Eyes” was the second single “Who’s Next” and peaked in the US at #34.

Today’s cover comes from a Dutch symphonic metal band, “Within Temptation,” and features Sharon den Adel on lead vocals. The lyrics were changed to match a female protagonist. To celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2012, Within Temptation recorded 15 cover songs for Belgian radio station Q-Music.

During the following year, the band released 11 of these songs from the session on a CD, as “The Q-Music Sessions.” “Behind Blue Eyes” made the cut for one of the inclusions. It was not, however, released as a single. In my opinion, Within Temptation’s rendition is one of the better covers of this Who classic.

Checker Records: Good Advice

On Saturday, I typically feature songs that didn’t chart in the Top 40, and today is no exception with a rhythm and blues treatment on Checker Records by Koko Taylor. Our “bubbling under” selection is “Good Advice” by Koko Taylor – a song that was composed by bluesman J.B. Lenoir. There is reason to this rhyme, as Willie Dixon discovered Koko Taylor and rediscovered Lenoir about the same time in the early 60s.

Dixon, a Chess producer, A&R man, songwriter, and session musician, knew talent when he heard it. Although “Good Advice” was released twice in 1966 on Checker, neither single produced a hit for Koko Taylor. The original issue as Checker 1140, with “When I Think of My Baby” as a “B” side, failed to attract attention. This version of the record is extremely rare and copies may have only been distributed to radio stations.

Later in September 1966, “Good Advice” returned as a flip side of “Tell Me the Truth” on Checker 1148. Billboard predicted that “Tell Me the Truth” would be a Top 10 R&B hit; it didn’t happen despite Billboard’s assessment that a “Powerful performance makes this disk one to be reckoned with.” Apparently because of radio’s preference for “Good Advice,” the single was flipped, but it failed to chart in the Hot 100 on its second go-around.

Recorded on December 16, 1965, Taylor is joined by Gene Barge on tenor sax, Dillard Crume on bass, Johnny Twist and Rufus Crume on guitar, and Al Duncan on drums. The Crume brothers may be credited incorrectly, as Rufus was the bassist and Dillard the guitarist of The Soul Stirrers – another Checker act. A piano player is present, but not credited. Willie Dixon, the song’s producer, provides the low vocals.

Monty Hall Has Chosen Door Number Three

It must be true, I read it on the Internet and people have posted it on Facebook. Monty Hall has chosen door number three and has entered into eternity. He passed away from heart failure at the ripe old age of 96 today. Since this is a music blog, how can the death of the host of TV’s “Let’s Make A Deal” be musically related? You’d be surprised.

Back in 1974, Steve Goodman and Jimmy Buffett collaborated on a song dealing with the effervescent and zany TV show “Let’s Make A Deal.” Both Goodman and Buffett recorded “Door Number Three” and I’ve chosen the latter’s version for our special tribute. Goodman's version, however, is somewhat lyrically different.

Appearing on Jimmy Buffett’s fifth album, “A1A,” “Door Number Three” was released as a single in July 1975 and peaked at 88 on Billboard’s Hot Country chart. The musicians were loosely arranged in a unit called the Third Coral Reefer Band.

Rest in Peace Monty – let’s hope you got the prize.

Casey Kelly: Reach Out For Me

As in the past, I’ve featured songs that never made it to a respectable position on the charts. Although the term “Bubbling Under” usually refers to songs that charted between 101 to 110, I am a bit more liberal with my definition and use it in a broader sense.

For today’s selection, I picked a cut from an album that was given to me in 1978 while I was a student in Marshall University’s speech department. One of my fellow grad assistants, Joyce Burley McCracken, had a brother that worked in a Warner-Elektra-Asylum warehouse and he had given her some albums a few years earlier. As she knew I loved music, she graciously gave me five of these LPs.

Of that group, two albums stood out: Horslips “Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part” and Casey Kelly’s “For Sale.” Kelly’s LP was often found on my turntable during the next several years. While since the release of his second album for Elektra in 1974, Kelly has distinguished himself as a country songwriter with four top ten country hits he co-wrote with others. The Louisiana native also showcased some of the techniques of the trade in his and David Hodge’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Art of Songwriting published in 2011.

I found it difficult to pick just one song to feature as I liked the entire album. Although the recordings didn’t propel him to fame, I found them refreshing and very personal. In addition, there’s a bit of variety in styles on “For Sale.” After listening to all of the tunes, I’ve decided on “Reach out for Me.” I didn’t know this at the time or until today for that matter, that this was the song Elektra selected as the album’s single release.

“Reach out to Me” reminds me of some of Dan Fogelberg’s early material and probably is my favorite cut on the album. Interestingly enough, I didn’t remember that this song was produced by Norbert Putnam who coincidentally produced Fogelberg’s first LP: “Home Free.” Enjoy.

Sir Lord Baltimore: Kingdom Come

While the term “heavy metal” had been around for a while, the first documented evidence of its usage as a term for a type of music was in May 1971 when Creem Magazine reviewed Sir Lord Baltimore’s debut album. Released in 1970 and charting only at #198 on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart, “Kingdom Come” was ahead of its time.

Today, I feature the title cut, which led side two of the album. I’ve actually have had this cut in the cue to feature on some Saturday – and here we are with our bubbling under song. I received this album from my brother when he was thinning out his album collection in 1972. A year later, he asked for it back, but traded me a copy Grand Funk’s “Phoenix” as a replacement.

Released on Mercury, the band at the time of its release was a power trio and later that year added guitarist Joey Dambra to be a second guitarist to his older brother Louis Dambra; this arrangement lasted only two years. As for the other two original members, John Garner was the vocalist and drummer, while Gary Justin played bass. Sir Lord Baltimore, who were from New York, were active from 1968 to 1976. New songs were written for a third LP, but these were shelved until the band reunited in 2006 sans Gary Justin.

As you listen to “Kingdom Come,” you’ll notice that much of Louis Dambra’s guitar work was overdubbed, as there is only so much a guitarist can do at one time. A number of the leads and guitar accents are double and triple tracked to add depth. Garner who sang lead on all three albums died last year of liver failure.

Mason Proffit: Were You There?

A few months ago, a friend of mine who I’ve known for 40 years said to me, “you play a lot of groups I’ve never ever heard of before.” I just smiled and agreed – the smile was genuine, as I had been successful in exposing folks to recordings they had never had the opportunity to experience. Today is no exception. Typically, I reserve Saturdays for the lesser known of the lesser known. Looking back on my notes, I found a song I had flagged four years ago to feature – the lyrical content makes it appropriate for 2016.

Based in Chicago, Mason Proffit was not a household name, but would you believe at one time they were playing 300 dates a year and some lesser known groups at the time were their opening acts. Perhaps, you’ve heard of some of these artists who supported Mason Proffit: John Denver, the Doobie Brothers, and Steely Dan to name a few. After Mason Proffit disbanded in 1973, the two primary members, Terry and John Michael Talbot, fulfilled the band’s contract with Warner Brothers by recording their first album as The Talbot Brothers.

“Were You There?” speaks to the injustices and atrocities that have been committed upon others because they were from a different ethnic background. “Were You There?” comes from the band’s fourth album, “Rockfish Crossing.” This 1972 release was their first album for a major label: Warner Brothers. Unfortunately, their WB albums failed to chart as high as their previous two albums on Happy Tiger Records and Ampex Records respectively.

This is a great song all the way around; however, the harmonica by Bruce Kurnow makes “Were You There?” really shine. I love this cut.

Dunhill Records: Walking in the Park

We’ve come to the end of the line of our look at Dunhill Records, and typically on Saturdays I like to feature songs that were below the Top 40 line on the Hot 100, an album cut, or were non-charting singles. Today is no different, as we turn to a progressive British jazz/blues/rock band named Colosseum.

While Dunhill didn’t sign Colosseum directly, their American releases were issued on Dunhill through an arrangement with UK’s branch of Fontana Records. Apparently Mercury, Fontana’s US distributor, passed on Colosseum. An outgrowth of the Graham Bond Organization and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Colosseum was formed by drummer Jon Hiseman and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith who played with both bands. I was just talking to someone last week about Heckstall-Smith’s performance novelty of playing two saxes simultaneously.

In addition to Hiseman and Heckstall-Smith, Colosseum featured James Litherland on guitar and lead vocals, Tony Reeves on bass, and Dave Greenslade on keyboards. You may remember Greenslade’s name as he fronted a band of the same name in the 1970s. Their 1969 debut LP, “Those Who Are About to Die Salute You,” took its name from what gladiators would say to Caesar before entering in a contest to the death.

Written and originally recorded by Graham Bond, “Walking in the Park” was the first single from this LP. The placement of this song on the album was interesting. Fontana led the album with the track and Dunhill placed it at the end of the album. Either way, the single failed to chart in either the UK or the US.

“Walking in the Park” also featured sideman Henry Lowther on trumpet. The song has a killer arrangement with Litherwood’s powerful vocals and lead guitar, Greenslade’s organ, and the horns of Heckstall-Smith and Lowther. Buckle-up, as this one really moves.

Bruce Springsteen: Jungleland

As Lou Abbott used to say, “I’ve been a baaaaad boy.” During the last three years, I have let my participation in this blog lapse. Much of my absence has been due to some major changes that have occurred in my life since the end of 2012. Unfortunately, 2015 and 2016 have suffered the most with my lack of posts. I dropped below 100 posts in 2015 and so far this year, I’ve only had 17. It is time to rectify this. Jim Mycyk, a friend of mine since first grade, asked me three weeks ago when I was bringing back “Reading between the Grooves.” I told him soon. That time has come.

What better way to return to writing is to head back to Bruce Springsteen’s landmark album from 1975, “Born to Run.” It wasn’t the first album for this legendary New Jersey rocker, but his third; and, it was the first to propel him to stardom. Having lived in Eastern Kentucky since 1973 where album radio was scarce in the mid-70s, I hadn’t heard of Springsteen until I walked through my college’s library and saw his face on both the covers of Time and Newseek. Who was this guy with the chimera of a guitar that sported a Fender Telecaster body and an Esquire neck?

During that same fall, Springsteen had his first Top 40 hit with the title cut, “Born to Run,” which peaked at #23. A second single, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” fared worse at #83. In 1974, music maven Jon Landau wrote in The Real Paper, “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Springsteen and Columbia Records both took note.

Landau was brought in as one the producers of the “Born to Run” LP and Columbia engaged in a massive quarter of a million dollar publicity campaign for the album. With inflation, that campaign would cost about $2 million in current dollars. Not a small investment for an artist that, up to this point, had minimal success. Was it worth it?  Over the years, “Born to Run” has sold over six million copies worldwide, with two million in sales in the US alone.

While this album was wildly popular, it was not certified gold or platinum until the 21st century. It earned the gold record certification in April 2001 by the Recording Industry Association of America for 500,000 copies sold. Three months later, the RIAA certified it platinum for a million copies sold. By 2004, it achieved double platinum status for two million sold copies – showing that even nearly 30 years after its release, it was still viable in the minds (and ears) of the American public.

Bruce Springsteen holds a special place in my heart, as because of him I received my only hate letter in my 20 year career as a broadcaster. In November 1981, I had done a wildly exaggerated impersonation of Springsteen on the air, and a lady, originally from Philadelphia, saw the need to write a six-page, single spaced, typewritten letter telling me how much she loathed me because I had insulted “The Boss.”

She went on to say that, had I lived in Philadelphia, people would have been camped out on the doorstep of the station waiting for me to end my shift that night to teach me a lesson that only those who lived in and near New Jersey could. I still have the letter, as it was a first. In addition, her Herculean effort was worth saving. Good thing I used a different name on the air at the time.

For my return to “Grooves,” I didn’t pick “Born to Run” or “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” but rather an album cut that is my favorite song on the LP. This nearly 10 minute song closed out the album and starts out uncharacteristic of a typical Sprinsgsteen song – but if you wait, it is Springsteen through and through.

The song commences with Roy Bittan on piano and Suki Lahav on violin before this song about love, gang warfare, and bloodshed commences into a full rocker. It also features one of the best sax solos by Springsteen’s longtime partner in musical crime, the late Clarence Clemmons. The relationship between these two is cemented in the minds of Springsteen fans everywhere due to the iconic album cover of “Born to Run.” The lead guitar on “Jungleland” is played by Springsteen – this was before the addition of Little Steven and Nils Lofgren who augmented these duties later.

The piano, violin, sax, and Springsteen’s overly processed cries of anguish at the song’s conclusion all contributed to this musical epic. The addition of a string arrangement shows a softer side to a harsh story merges with the rock guitar, drums, bass, and organ that accentuates the violence that occurs in “Jungleland’s” story. The production on “Jungleland” is legendary – the changing dynamics are essential to match the emotions in the lyrical content. It doesn’t get much better than this.

A George Martin Production: A Day In The Life

I couldn’t end out my tribute to George Martin without featuring one of his most famous and involved recordings: The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life.” This final cut on the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album took a total of 34 hours to record and the sessions comprised four days in January and February 1967.

While it is generally considered an album cut, it was released as the flipside of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”/”With a Little Help from my Friends” single in 1978. The “A” side only peaked in the US at #71. This single was timed with the release of the musical “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” that featured The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, and others. George Martin arranged and produced the movie’s soundtrack.

As for the original album, “A Day in the Life” had several constituent parts, which are as follows:

• Verses one and two written and sung by John Lennon;
• An orchestral crescendo as a link;
• A bridge written and sung by Paul McCartney;
• A second bridge comprising vocal effects and written by Lennon;
• Verse three written and sung by Lennon; and
• The song’s finale featuring an orchestral crescendo and the eternal chord.

The link and end were the final aspects of the song to be recorded. George Martin composed the score for a 40 piece orchestra by writing out the lowest note of each instrument culminating in their highest note that would comprise an “E” major chord. The instrumentalists were ascending chromatically to their final destination. As one can notice, they were not all in time with each other and not on the same notes. In addition, some of Paul McCartney’s piano chords in the link are discordant – but it all works surprisingly well.

The crescendo was redone for the song’s finale and four takes were overdubbed as one giant orchestral swell. For the song’s ending, the four members of the band originally tried humming an “E” chord, but couldn’t create the impact they desired for this track – it needed to be dramatic. Three pianos were brought into the studio and Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Mal Evans, the band’s road manager and assistant, all played an “E” chord. George Martin also played a harmonium to add to the chord’s texture.

All five struck the “E” chord simultaneously and as it naturally decayed the microphone volumes were increased incrementally to add to the effect. It is probably the most famous chord in recording history. In 1978, The Rutles, a Beatles parody act, recreated a similar, but less involved, crescendo. Their Lennonesque “Cheese and Onions” ended with a humorous staccato chord.

“A Day in the Life” was probably the most creative production that George Martin had been involved. Rest in Peace George and thanks for your many years of musical talent and abilities as an arranger and producer.

RIP Keith Emerson: Take A Pebble

The musical world is reeling over yesterday’s untimely death of Keith Emerson from an apparent suicide. This great talent is now only with us through his recordings. My connection to Emerson came from my first hearing “Lucky Man” in 1970 on the radio and the band’s first two albums at my brother’s house in Lexington, Kentucky during the summer of 1971. Being a high school student on a limited budget, I settled for the “Lucky Man” single. The next year, I received as a gift “Five Bridges” by Emerson’s previous band – The Nice and purchased ELP’s single “From the Beginning.”

I had the opportunity to see ELP in concert during their “Works” tour on May 28, 1977 at the old Charleston, WV Civic Center. It was originally to be one of two consecutive shows in Cincinnati, but the first show was cancelled and Charleston became the venue for the 28th. Since it was a smaller hall than most of their shows that tour, there was no orchestra – just Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

The Charleston show was festival seating and I sat down front and was quickly amazed at the pyrotechnics of Keith Emerson’s playing. Not only was he a fantastic musician, he was quite the showman. He attacked his keyboards with vigor – especially his Hammond organ – which he pulled down on himself several times during the night – never missing a note. He also used daggers to hold the keys down to create a drone sound.

A friend of mine who worked in a record store in Huntington, WV saw the Charleston show as well as the Cincinnati show on May 29 with the orchestra. She admitted the Charleston show was much more interesting. I know I enjoyed myself immensely.

To remember this great musician, I selected a song that features Keith Emerson on piano. Not only does it show his classical and jazz chops, he strums the grand piano in a prepared fashion twice during the tune. “Take a Pebble” is the second and longest cut on their debut album. This is one of my favorite album cuts by ELP.

Long live the music of the master of the keyboards: Keith Emerson.

In Memory of Paul Kantner: We Can Be Together

Paul Kantner, another icon of rock ‘n roll, passed on Thursday, January 28. While some may not recognize his name, his influence was felt for many years as a founding member of Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and the KBC Band.

Like many of the American rock performers of the mid to late 1960s, Kantner began as a folk singer in the vein of Pete Seeger. It was at one of these gigs that Marty Balin saw him and invited him to start a new band that became Jefferson Airplane. He eventually became the band’s leader. While he was not generally the front-person, he had the distinction of being the only member of Jefferson Airplane and its spinoff Jefferson Starship to appear on all of the albums by both groups.

Paul Kantner died in San Francisco from multiple organ failure and septic shock that occurred after having a heart attack. For our tribute to this seminal musician, I’ve selected the “B” side to the first single released from the 1969 LP “Volunteers”: “We Belong Together.” Kantner wrote the song and shared lead vocals with Grace Slick and Marty Balin. Thanks for the music, Paul, we’ll miss you.

David Bowie: Suffragette City

One of the first Bowie songs that I heard on the radio was an album cut from the “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” album in 1972. In addition, “Suffragette City” had the notoriety of being released by RCA Records three times as a single in the UK – twice as a “B” side and once as an “A” side. In the US, its only 45 release appeared as the flip of “Starman” in 1972. It failed to chart in both the US and the UK.

Rumor has it that Bowie first offered the song to Mott the Hoople to record it before he laid down his own glam rock version, but they passed on the song. This is unfortunate, as they did an excellent version of Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes.” I would have liked to hear their interpretation. As for Bowie’s recording, Mick Ronson’s really added to the cut with his lead guitar, the rocking piano, and the ARP synthesizer; all of of which, in my estimation, makes the song.

Wishbone Ash: Blind Eye

I got thinking this week about the British rock band Wishbone Ash and my introduction to their music. I was given a sampler album that featured artists from a variety of MCA labels: Decca (US), Coral, Uni, and Kapp. It was called “The MCA Sound Conspiracy” and the first track on the LP was Wishbone Ash’s “Blind Eye.” It was their first American single, as well as the lead cut from their self-titled debut album.

What was critical to Wishbone Ash’s sound was the twin guitar leads of Andy Powell and Ted Turner. The quartet was rounded out by Martin Turner (no relation to Ted) on bass and Steve Upton on drums. The piano on the cut is uncredited – so, your guess is as good as mine. Ted Turner sings the lead on this track.

Wishbone Ash was discovered by Ritchie Blackmore who encouraged MCA to sign the band. Deep Purple’s producer, Derek Lawrence, handled the production duties on the band’s first three albums – which are often considered their best.

As you can imagine, Wishbone Ash never received the popularity in the US that they deserved. No singles charted and album sales were not commensurate with their overall talent. Wishbone Ash, by the way, is still together with Andy Powell remaining as the band’s sole original member. Still talented – still great music.

Rolling Clones: Can You Hear Me Knocking

For our final “Rolling Clones” selection we bring you a tune that originally appeared on The Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” album from 1971 – “Can You Hear Me Knocking.” Today’s remake is from the 2010 Santana release “Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time” – an album that features some of the best guitar songs and vocals by numerous guests.

I can remember hearing the original of this the first time as I didn’t have the album. One night in 1974, I was recording some music off air from WAMX in Ashland, Kentucky. The station had the greatest selection of album rock courtesy of the jocks’ own record collections. Needless to say, I fell asleep and this was the last cut before the tape ran out. I had no idea the identity of the artist nor did I know the name of the song. Since Google hadn’t been invented, I couldn’t search for it by using the lyrics. When I finally got “Sticky Fingers,” I discovered this long unknown but favorite track.

Instead of guitars by Mick Taylor and Keith Richards and vocals by Mick Jagger, the song features Carlos Santana and Tommy Anthony and vocals by Scott Weiland who fronted the Stone Temple Pilots. While the remake has an impromptu jam, it is different than the one found on the Stones’ recording, which was inspired by Mick Taylor’s improvisation. While I like the original better, this is a very good take on this classic Rolling Stones’ track.

"Brite Eyes Don't Cry" - Robbin Thompson has Passed

I just heard a few minutes ago that Robbin Thompson passed away yesterday at age of 66. The Virginia rocker has been fighting the dreaded disease for 15 years. Personally, I hadn’t heard of Thompson until I moved to Southern West Virginia in 1981. His fan base was within the Southeast and he had a cult-like following especially in the Commonwealth. For those outside of the region, Virginians tend to view their state as the only commonwealth in the US, but it’s not.^*

Although he was born in Boston and reared in Melbourne, Florida, Virginia became his adopted home in 1969 when he began attending Virginia Commonwealth University. In his early years, he fronted Bruce Springsteen’s Steel Mill band for a short period before embarking on a longstanding career as a solo artist and fronting his own ensemble, The Robbin Thompson Band.

Earlier this year, his and Steve Bassett’s song “Sweet Virginia Breeze” was signed into legislation to be one of Virginia’s official popular songs. This song was featured on 1980’s “(two b’s please),” an album that also contained “Candyapple Red” and “Brite Eyes” – his only song to become a minor hit in the US – although it and others were regional hits. We played all three of these selections as album cuts at WCIR-FM, as his popularity had even extended into our region – but not to the north of us.

The album was released regionally on a local label based in Richmond and was picked up by Ovation for national release after selling 200,000 units in Virginia, the Carolinas, and DC. I couldn’t find any chart information on “Brite Eyes” other than it debuted on Billboard’s Radio Play chart at #88 during the fall of 1980.

“Brite eyes don't cry – it’s gonna be alright – you know I hate to see you cry.” Rest in Peace Robbin.

^*Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands are also commonwealths.

Rolling Clones: 2000 Light Years From Home

Every so often, I will do a feature on covers. I actually planned to do this Second Week Feature back in 2013, but replaced it with something else. Now time is on my side to look at covers of songs originally recorded by The Rolling Stones. There were so many good and unusual covers of Stones’ selections that I decided to extend it to eight days and start a day early.

In the same vein I used for Buddy Holly covers (“Not My Buddy”), rehashed Beatles’ songs (“Refab Four”), and Byrds’ remakes (“Mocking Byrds”), today I bring you our new feature – “Rolling Clones.” While I had seven songs picked for 2013, I am only using three of those selections, as I found some more interesting alternate versions of Rolling Stones’ hits. Most of the songs will be familiar, but there are possibly three that mainstream folks won’t know. Today, we have one those selections.

The Stones released “2000 Light Years from Home” as the flipside of “She’s a Rainbow” in 1968. The band’s journey into psychedelic music has always been one of my enduring favorite lesser known Stones’ recordings. For today, I found a 2012 remake by Nektar from their cover album “A Spoonful of Time.” I wasn’t aware that the prog rock German based band of Englishmen had reformed, but after a 20 year hiatus, they have been together again since 2001.

The album “A Spoonful of Time” is also known for Nektar’s use of guest musicians on every cut and “2000 Light Years from Home” is no exception. Its guest is Hawkwind’s former keyboardist Simon House. Nothing like using someone accustomed to an ethereal sound to capture the intent of The Stones’ foray into psychedelia. The vocals are supplied by Nektar’s original guitarist/vocalist Roye Albrighton who left the band in 1977, and who returned for the 21st century reformation.

Nektar’s rendition of “2002 Light Years from Home” is nice, but it’s not for the faint of heart. The only thing missing from this remake is the falsetto background vocals that were on the original. Although, I recognized that they were lacking, I did not miss their absence. I always thought they were supplied by Yoko Ono on the original, but alas it was either Mick or Keith as they are only ones credited as backup singers on the Stone’s version.

Sixth Anniversary - Deram Records: I Woke Up This Morning.

Today is a day of celebration. Six years ago today I began this blog on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It was one of the better decisions I’ve made as I have rekindled friendships and made a number of new ones over the six year period. The last two years (especially last year) with the change in jobs, I’ve not kept up with the blog. In 2015, I’ve had long gaps without new posts. Hopefully, that will change.

Before we get to the stats, our final selection to celebrate the music of Deram Records, we bring you an album cut from Ten Years After fourth album for the label: “Ssssh.” In all, Deram released seven Ten Years After albums – five studio, one live, and a compilation album. “Ssssh” was their second album from 1969 and a number of cuts got some album airplay, no singles were issued from the album to my knowledge.

Until the 1971 hit on Columbia, “I’d Love to Change the World,” singles were just a nuisance that the record company released hoping that mainstream radio would pick up on it. With the exception of “I’d Love to Change the World,” it didn’t work and Deram had no hit records from Ten Years After.

To remedy that, we turned to the final cut on “Ssssh” and an Alvin Lee tune – “I Woke Up this Morning.” It really showcases how great a guitarist Alvin Lee was. Even as great a talent as Lee was, he needed a solid band and Ten Years After fulfilled that need. The band was rounded out by Leo Lyons on bass (always a joy to watch), Chick Churchill on keyboards, and Ric Lee on drums. Great stuff for a Saturday – rainy or otherwise.

RBTG’s Sixth Anniversary Retrospect

Like I had reported with every other anniversary, I took a look backward on how we are doing visitor wise. I began this blog on September 26, 2009, but did not start monitoring the visits until October 16, 2009. Currently, we have 95 declared followers of the blog – the same number as in March 2015 when we had our 1600th post. There are many others who have visited frequently without declaring themselves as followers.

As noted above, we have not been vigilant in maintaining posts, but that hasn’t affected our overall numbers. With over 1600 posts, people have been visiting anyway even without new material that was forthcoming.

The cumulative statistics for the blog are listed below:

Variable	Statistic
Unique Visitors	190,254
Times Visited	213,983
Number of Pages Viewed	298,652
People Visiting 200+ Times	3,188
People Visiting 101-200 Times	1,557
People Visiting 51-100 Times	1,486
People Visiting 26-50 Times	1,418
Number of Visitor Countries Represented	191

The Top Ten Visitor Countries

Since our 1,600th post, three new countries were added to the list: Tajikistan (in Asia), Cuba (in the Caribbean), and Chad in Africa . The Top 10 countries remain the same; however, former tenth position Spain knocked Netherlands out of the ninth position.

Rank	Country	Visits
1	United States	105,359
2	United Kingdom	18,120
3	Canada	11,490
4	Germany	9,847
5	France	7,228
6	Australia	5,213
7	Italy	4,428
8	Brazil	4,224
9	Spain	3,416
10	Netherlands	3,397

As always, I want to take this time to thank all of you for your support of this site and the encouragement to keep going forward. Thanks again for Reading between the Grooves.

Kama Sutra: Stone Woman

For our final day looking at Kama Sutra Records, I’ve picked a non-charting, but important selection in the scheme of music history. Today’s Bubbling Under track was a 1971 recording by the significant, but often overlooked, power trio Dust. The band released two LPs for Kama Sutra before disbanding in 1972.

“Stone Woman” was the band’s first single as well as the lead cut from their self-titled debut LP. Neither the single nor the album charted. Although the band originally had three performing members, a keyboardist was added for their second LP “Hard Attack’ that featured the Frank Frazetta painting “Snow Giants” as its cover.

For the debut album, the group consisted of Richie Wise on guitar and vocals, Kenny Aaronson on bass, and drummer Marc Bell. The band also had a non-performing member, Kenny Kerner, who served as lyricist, producer, and manager. Kerner and Wise co-wrote “Stone Woman.” Aaronson, by the way, also played the fantastic slide guitar on “Stone Woman.”

Following the dismemberment of Dust, Kerner and Wise worked in production with Kiss. They were probably enlisted by Neil Bogart, who previously managed Buddah/Kama Sutra and had left to form the first of his two labels: Casablanca Records. Aaronson joined another Kama Sutra act, The Stories, who had a #1 recording with “Brother Louie” in 1973.

Additionally, Aaronson has been featured on various recordings and has toured with numerous acts since “Dust.” In the early to mid 80s, he received equal billing with Sammy Hagar, Neil Schon, and Michael Shrieve in the band HSAS. As for drummer Marc Bell, he took on the persona of Marky Ramone in the Ramones. As you see, there is life after Dust.

The Many Shades of Leon Russell: Welcome To Hollywood

In 1967, session musicians Leon Russell and Marc Benno joined forces as the Asylum Choir and released one album for Smash Records in 1968. It was a product of its times; however, it never generated enough interest to chart in the Top 200 album chart. Needless to say, neither of the album’s singles (“Welcome to Hollywood” and “Icicle Star Tree”) charted.

“Icicle Star Tree” (also spelled as “Isicle Star Tree” on the 45) was a psychedelic tune that featured Benno on lead vocals and is an interesting song in its own right. I would have featured it for that reason alone, but the album’s first single release, “Welcome to Hollywood,” featured Leon Russell on lead vocals. Since this is a feature on Leon Russell and not Marc Benno, it makes perfect sense to use a song that emphasizes Russell’s vocals. “Welcome to Hollywood,” which is a straight ahead pop song, opens the album as well.

All of the songs on “Look inside the Asylum Choir” were composed by Russell and Benno. Although the album sold poorly, its original cover spurred some controversy, as it depicted a roll of toilet paper. Unlike The Rolling Stones original cover for “Beggar’s Banquet” that featured a dirty bathroom that had been assaulted by the band and wasn’t originally released, the toilet paper cover actually made it to the public and was then pulled.

For a more palatable cover for the times, Smash reissued the album with a psychedelic background featuring pictures of Benno and Russell. The original cover most have had quite a few copies in production as it can be easily found for sale today. There have been several albums that were reissued with a different covers such as The Beatle’s “Yesterday . . . And Today,” Alice Cooper’s “Love it to Death,” “Mom’s Apple Pie,” and Lynryd Skynyrd’s “Street Survivors” that are more difficult to find.

“Look Inside the Asylum Choir” may be one of the few albums with three unique covers. With Leon Russell’s success in the early 1970s, Mercury reissued the album with yet another cover featuring a photo of Russell and Benno. This actually is my favorite version of the album. Although Mercury had discontinued its Smash subsidiary and the cover had the Mercury logo, early pressings of this album still carried the Smash label on the actual discs.

In 1969, the Asylum Choir recorded another album; however, contractual disputes prevented the album’s release until 1971. Once the matter was settled, “Asylum Choir II” was issued by Russell’s Shelter Records’ label. Probably due to Russell’s success at the time, this second Asylum Choir release did much better, as it peaked at #70 on the album charts.

The CD release of “Asylum Choir II” features all but three songs from the band’s first album, including “Welcome to Hollywood,” as bonus tracks. As we wind down this week of the Many Shades of Leon Russell, I have selected “Welcome to Hollywood” – a song that failed to chart as our Saturday Bubbling Under feature.

Chicago: I'm A Man

Released originally as an album cut from Chicago’s debut LP “Chicago Transit Authority” in 1969, the band’s interpretation of the Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m A Man” finally earned its place in the hearts of Americans with its re-release as B-side in 1971. Because Chicago’s second album was intensely popular, Columbia Records decided to reissue the band’s first single “Questions 67 and 68.”

The first time around in 1969, “Questions 67 and 68” only charted at #71. “Listen” was the single’s original flip side and would return to this status with the issue of “Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is” released in late 1970. When “Questions 67 and 68” was re-released in 1971, it did considerably better at #24. In addition, radio did the band one better and flipped the single and played “I’m A Man.” It charted as well, but never cracked the Top 40, as it peaked at #49.

The song is unique in that all three lead singers of Chicago each sing a verse in the triplets of verses. Terry Kath sings the first verses, Peter Cetera sings the second in the series, and Robert Lamm rounds out the verses. The album version song also features an extended drum solo by Danny Seraphine. Kath lead guitar and Lamm’s Hammond organ shine on this cut. When not playing their respective horns, Jimmy Pankow, Lee Loughnane, and Walt Parazaider added a variety of percussion.

In addition, Chicago’s debut album was a double album release. This was highly unusual for a yet unknown band to be afforded this opportunity by their record company. The experiment proved quite successful without the help of any hit singles. “Chicago Transit Authority” peaked at #17 in 1969. Although “Questions 67 and 68” had a brief run at success in 1969, it and the other singles from the album (“Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is” and “Beginnings”) were hits much later.