Elektra Records: People are Strange

Happy Halloween! As with the last several years, I like to find a fitting song to feature on this auspicious holiday of ghosts, goons, and goblins. Since I’m also in the midst of our Fourth Week feature on Elektra Records, the pickings are slim. After much searching for an Elektra recording that fits the mood of All Hallows Eve, I’ve settled upon The Doors’ “People are Strange.”

This 1967 hit has a perfect sound. It starts out with just Robby Krieger’s guitar and Jim Morrison’s vocals. Ray Manzarek adds two keyboard parts. One of these is a tack piano, which is where thumbtacks are applied to a piano’s hammers to give it a clickity (if that’s a word) and old fashioned honky-tonk sound. In the case of this song, it almost has a harpsichord feel. That may be the result of the use of reverb on the piano.  Manzarek also plays accents on his Vox Continental combo organ.

As always, John Densmore is on drums. Since the band didn’t have a bass player and Manzarek typically played a Rhodes’ keyboard bass during their live dates, Douglass Lubahn was brought in as a sideman on bass – a duty he filled quite frequently on The Doors’ recordings. Backing vocals were supplied by Manzarek, Krieger, Densmore, producer Paul Rothchild, and engineer Bruce Botnick. By the way, Krieger’s guitar parts are fantastic and his use of the tremolo bar to raise the pitch of the last chord is a fitting end to this strange tune.

Although actually composed by Morrison and Kreiger, the entire band received songwriting credit. From their second album “Strange Days,” “People are Strange” peaked at #12. This is such a great tune. So tonight, be careful with the “faces [that] come out of the rain.”

Harry Manx: Spoonful

Harry Manx calls his unique merging of eastern and western music as “Mysticssippi blues.” Up to a few weeks ago, I had never heard of this Canadian musician, his style, or his unique instrument – a Mohan Veena. That is until his prized instrument was stolen from the baggage claim at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport in February. Manx’s plight went viral on Facebook where I first heard of him and the Mohan Veena. I decided to investigate and loved his unusual music immediately.

Manx had his Mohan Veena for 20 years and he received it from his mentor who invented the instrument. It was built and named for its craftsman Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. The instrument is an altered arch-top guitar that has three playing strings, five drone strings, and 12 sympathetic strings. It looks like a cross between a guitar and sitar.  When it’s played with a slide, it makes for one crazy blues instrument. 

By the way, Manx was reunited with his prized instrument yesterday, and the perpetrator was apprehended by the Chicago Police on February 24. The absence of his instrument for a few weeks no doubt caused him great consternation, but in the process he gained a number of new fans.

It’s fitting that in the following cut he plays some Chicago blues penned by the late Willie Dixon of Chess Records’ fame. While numerous artists including Muddy Waters and Cream have recorded this tune, Manx’s version has to be the most original because of the Mohan Veena.

Harry Manx explains the Mohan Veena

 

Farfisa Organ: See Emily Play

Our final tribute to the Farfisa organ was written by one of the most tripped out individuals of the psychedelic age – Syd Barrett. Although only released as Pink Floyd’s second single in the UK, “See Emily Play” was released both as a single and a part of the US version of the band’s debut album “Piper at the Gates of Dawn.”

The US and UK versions of the album were somewhat different and only shared eight cuts among them. The UK version had 11 cuts with three unique tracks. The US album only had nine tracks with one different selection – “See Emily Play.” Neither version contained their first single, “Arnold Layne.”

Barrett originally stated that the protagonist of the song was a girl he dreamed about while sleeping in the woods following an acid trip. It was later revealed that the inspiration was the adolescent Emily Young who later went on to become Britain’s premier sculptor. Ms. Young was known to frequent London's UFO Club where Pink Floyd played in 1967.

Emily Young

In addition to Richard Wright’s double manual gray and black Farfisa Compact combo organ, the song also features Wright on piano with some of the parts recorded at half speed which gave the effect of being an octave higher and twice as fast at normal speed. Barrett played slide guitar on the cut which he accomplished by using a plastic ruler as his slide.

The late Richard Wright at his Farfisa

Although charting at #6 in the UK, it failed to break into the Hot 100 in the US despite being issued three different times in 1967 and 1968. The highest peak any of the three US releases was at #134.

Farfisa Organ: Double Shot (of my Baby's Love)

Our next to our last excursion into Farfisa land takes us back to 1966 with The Swingin’ Medallions. The Farfisa takes a prominent role on this song that to me always sounded like a frat party. It was their only record to chart within the Top 40 – it placed at #17 on Billboard’s Hot 100. “Double Shot (of my Baby’s Love)” was originally recorded by Dick Holler and the Holidays.

The song features a great keyboard hook and the cheesy sound of the classic Farfisa Compact combo organ. Even though the band was from South Carolina, a number of stations in the South felt the lyrics were too risqué for airplay.

Farfisa Organ: Rock Lobster

The Farfisa organ had a second life in the late 70s and early 80s as the keyboard of choice for a number of punk and new wave bands. Its usage is epitomized by a classic bubbling under recording by The B-52’s. Although it had been previously issued twice on DB Records in 1977 and 1978, the familiar version was a re-recording of the song in 1979 that appeared on the band’s self-titled debut album on Warner Brothers.

Kate Pierson plays the Farfisa organ as well as the bass lines on a Korg SB100. Ricky Wilson used a vintage Moserite guitar that was tuned a fifth lower like a baritone guitar. Fred Schneider sings lead and adds the cowbell. Backup vocals are supplied by Pierson and and Cindy Wilson. Rounding out the rhythm section was Keith Strickland on drums.

Although it was a #1 record in Canada, it failed to break into the Top 40 in the US peaking at #56. This unusual song always brings back pleasant memories from 1980. During that year, I worked the evening shift at WEMM in Huntington, WV. When my shift ended, I drove over to WKEE and hung out with the late night jocks – notably Greg Smith. Every so often at about 3 AM Greg would sneak a couple songs into the mix that were out of character for the Tri-State’s leading contemporary hit radio station.

Completely breaking format, you might hear The B-52’s “Rock Lobster” or Slim Whitman’s “Indian Love Call” at or around 3 AM. Both songs caused me to laugh uncontrollably. I hadn’t thought about Greg in decades, but his sense of humor was most unusual. He and a handful of other jocks threw a goodbye party for me when I left Huntington in 1981. That was the last time I saw him and I heard that shortly thereafter he had returned to Elkhorn City, Kentucky to work in radio in his hometown.

Farfisa Organ: Incense and Peppermints

One of the quintessential psychedelic recordings of the 1960s was Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense and Peppermints.” The song had some hurdles – the band had just changed its name after the song was released, the song was not even sung by one of the six members of the band, it was never intended to be the “A” side, not all of writers received credit, and it was released three times. Any number of these issues could have been disastrous for “Incense and Peppermints”; however, it was destined to be a number one record.

Originally named as Thee Sixpence, a conflict with another Los Angeles band with a similar name required them to take the high road and rebrand themselves as Strawberry Alarm Clock. Contrary to popular belief, the name was not inspired by The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Even though the band had released four singles on All-American as Thee Sixpence, the new name did not have a negligible effect on their hit potential.

While each member of the band had a try at singing the lead vocals on “Incense and Peppermints,” none performed the band’s liking. Being that “Incense and Peppermints” was relegated to B-side status, they asked a guest who had been brought in to sing back-up to try his hand at singing lead. A guitarist and vocalist in The Shapes, 16-year old Greg Munford who would never be a part of Strawberry Alarm Clock sang lead on their most popular recording.

All American Records released the single in early 1967 with “The Birdman of Alkatrash” as the “A” side under the artist name of “Thee Sixpence”; however, LA radio had a different opinion and began flipping the single and playing “Incense and Peppermints.” In March 1967, All American re-released the single with “Incense and Peppermints” as the “A” side under the Strawberry Alarm Clock banner. The airplay in Los Angeles caught the attention of MCA and they picked up the band and they re-released the single in May on the Uni label.

Four individuals contributed to the writing of the single, and the omission of two band members’ names for some unknown reason nearly erupted in a lawsuit when the single peaked at the number one slot. Songwriters John S. Carter, who also tried his hand at singing lead, and Tim Gilbert were given credit and royalties for writing the song; however, the foundation of “Incense and Peppermints” was written by keyboardist Mark Weitz and guitarist Ed King. King, by the way, later joined Lynyrd Skynyrd – a band that had been Strawberry Alarm Clock’s opening act.

The memorable keyboard parts were played by Mark Weitz on his Farfisa Compact combo organ. Add fuzz guitar, cowbell, handclaps, and a memorable high-hat cymbal break and you have a hit that would stand up for generations to come.

Here’s a video showing Mark Weitz playing his Farfisa organ on “Incense and Peppermints.” Be alerted, the audio is horrible.

Farfisa Organ: Midnight Confession

During summer 1968, The Grass Roots released their biggest single of all time – “Midnight Confessions.” It peaked on the US charts at #5 and on the Canadian charts at #4. By the end of the year, the song had sold over a million units and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Being the third in our series dealing with the Farfisa organ, I am reasonably sure that a Farfisa was used on this cut, but cannot be 100% certain. During this time producer Steve Barri was notorious for not letting the acts that he produced to actually play on their recordings; however, they were allowed to sing the vocals.

It’s not particularly clear who played keyboards on this cut, and with that, it makes it difficult to determine what brand of combo organ was used. If we go by an early video, the band’s keyboardist, Warren Entner, is shown playing an older model gray and black Farfisa Compact combo organ.

In listening to the recording, the organ doesn’t quite have the edge that a Vox Continental had; therefore, I am going out on a limb here and I am going to suggest that it was a Farfisa - but don't quote me on that.

Here’s a TV video showing Warren Entner playing his Farfisa on “Midnight Confessions.”

Farfisa Organ: Crocodile Rock

Our second in our series of Farfisa organ recordings comes from the pen of Elton John and Bernie Taupin – 1972’s “Crocodile Rock.” The song was not only the first number one record for Elton John in the US and Canada, it was the first single released on the newly created MCA Records label. The song placed in the Top Five in the UK, Australia, Germany, and Norway as well.

In 1973, “Crocodile Rock” also was certified as a gold single for sales in excess of a million copies. When the Recording Industry Association of America introduced the platinum designation for single sales in excess of two million copies in the late 1970s, “Crocodile Rock” eventually achieved this status in 1995.

Bringing with it inspiration from ‘50s rock ‘n roll and pop numbers, the song was wildly popular. John’s vocal treatment in part reminds me of the tenor in The Diamonds’ version of “Little Darlin” and the girl character’s vocals on Pat Boone’s “Speedy Gonzales.” Davey Johnstone utilized a popular ‘50s’ guitar technique of muting the strings with the heel of one’s palm while playing arpeggios.

While Elton’s piano is the primary keyboard instrument, you can hear him using the Farfisa organ in a partial staccato fashion. In parts, the Farfisa lends an almost carnival atmosphere that is punctuated by Johnstone’s guitar work. In stereo, John’s double tracked vocals beginning with the first chorus and which comes to fruition during the last verse really add the icing on the cake on this tune from his “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player” album.

Farfisa Organ: Wooly Bully

Growing up in the US, I tended to think that many of the recordings featuring combo organs on this side of the Atlantic used Farfisa organs; however, I was wrong. An equal number of classic American combo organ songs were using Vox organs, which were considered the top of the line for both established acts and garage bands. Most British bands using combo organs sported Voxes as well.

The combo organ craze of the ‘60s made it easy on bands who wanted a polyphonic sound to provide some glue to their songs without the heavy price tag and the added weight of purchasing a tone-wheel organ like a Hammond. It was also possible for one person to carry a combo organ – not so with a Hammond and they were less prone to malfunction than their heavier cousins.

I got my combo organ in August 1982. It was made in Japan under the name of Ace Tone – a predecessor company to Roland. My model, the TOP 1, was the bottom of the line instrument. It had a typical combo red and black exterior but it was in rough shape in 1982, but it played and I cleaned it up and it was worth the $45 I paid for it. I still have it, but have not fooled with it in years. At one time in a fit of insanity, I almost sold it. Thank goodness I didn’t. I sold my Wurlitzer Electric Piano at about the same time and now I could kick myself.

The author and his Ace Tone, 1984

We are here, however, not to talk about Ace Tones, Hammonds, or even Voxes. Our time is to discuss to discuss the organ with the quintessential sound – the Farfisa. The name came from its parent company, FAbbriche Riunite di FISArmoniche, which otherwise translates as the “united factory of accordions.” In 1962, this accordion manufacturer began making electric accordions; however, the popularity of Vox combo organs (later made in Italy) inspired the Farfisa organ and they began manufacturing their own brand in 1964. Gibson’s owner, Chicago Musical Instruments, distributed Farfisa products in the US.

While the Farfisa Compact also came in gray and black, the classic version of this instrument was in combo organ red and black. On the left, it had 12 keys in a reverse color scheme. This octave could be played as a set of bass notes or could be set to be an extension of the organ sounds. Later FAST versions of the Farfisa had three sets of key colors – black/white, gray/white, and white/black. The bass could be programmed to the black/white keys, extended into the grey/white, or extend the organ sounds over the entire keyboard.

Unlike the Vox, some models of the Farfisa Compact folded the legs inward to make transportation and storage easier. Some Farfisas came with an expression pedal (i.e., that’s volume and just “swell”) and a knee lever that opened up all of the settings and was called a Multi-Tone Booster. Just add vibrato and you have that cheesy Farfisa organ sound that made it to a number of recordings.

The first Farfisa hit in the US came about when Domingo Samudio and his band decided to write a tribute song to the “Hully Gully.” Named after Samudio’s cat “Wooly Bully,” his band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs had a hit record during a time when it was difficult to get an American record into the Top 10 – let alone at the number 2 spot.

It also was named the number one record of 1965 by Billboard, which was highly an unusual situation as this is typically reserved for a song that peaked at number one and that held that position for a number of weeks. Uno, Dos, One, Two, Three, Cuatro!

Uriah Heep: Sweet Lorraine

Today’s bubbling under hit comes from my senior year in high school. I honestly think that the reason that “Sweet Lorraine” by Uriah Heep didn’t become a hit is that Mercury Records did not know how to promote this band. Uriah Heep had a reputation of being a bit of an underground/hard rock act and record companies were content at allowing these artists to develop their own following with a modicum of album rock airplay.

Heep also had another strike against them in the US market. They were signed to Bronze Records, a small UK independent label which was originally distributed in the UK by Island Records. Island’s presence in the US began in 1972 when Capitol originally distributed the label. Prior to this, Island’s artists were licensed to a variety of labels.

For example, Traffic’s, The Spencer Davis Group’s and Wynder K. Frog’s releases were assigned originally to United Artists; Fairport Convention’s, Cat Steven’s, and Free’s records were licensed to A&M. In the case of Uriah Heep, their albums were issued in the US by Mercury. Since Mercury had no financial interest in Uriah Heep, any sales were gravy and this would also place them at the bottom of the promotional list when competing with Mercury’s home grown artists. That’s my speculation on what happened.

Had “Sweet Lorraine” received more Top 40 airplay, I believe it would have made it to the Top 20; however, that didn’t happen and this song with a strong hook only placed at 91. It appeared on the Uriah Heep’s 1972 release of “The Magician’s Birthday” and may be the album’s strongest cut. The album, which featured a Roger Dean cover, was certified gold in early 1973.

The song has some great qualities – not at least being the lead and backup vocals by David Byron. The wah-wah rhythm guitar effect by Mick Box has a very contemporary 1972 feel – and effect that would resurface during the late 1970s with the disco craze. Lee Kerslake’s drumming and rhythmic kicks are pristine; however, the crowning moments of the song occur with Ken Hensley’s Moog synthesizer effects.

Throughout most of the song, Hensley is using a very simple lick – a low “A” to an “A” an octave higher and back again with a bit of portemento with the mod wheel up about a quarter. The lead is accomplished with two synth overdubs with one in each channel. The entire song is also punctuated by Gary Thain’s bass and Hensley on Hammond organ. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Leon Russell: Stranger in a Strange Land

Last week, I caught this particular number by Leon Russell and the Shelter People on an older episode of House, MD. The cut, “Stranger in a Strange Land” kicks off the album of the same name. The cut holds up well today; however, the use of the Moog synthesizer is a little dated as it is used more as a sound effect than an active musical element.

Studio engineer Terry Manning who had recently studied under Robert Moog introduced the instrument to Russell. It is unclear who plays it on the cut as no one is credited to playing it; however, Manning is listed as the Moog programmer.

Despite what you may read that the song was one of the first recordings to employ the instrument, this 1971 selection was far behind others such as the Supremes, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Beatles who predated Russell by three to four years. Even Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s “Lucky Man,” which utilized the Moog in a more musical fashion, was released the previous year.

Even though the Moog appears to be an afterthought and sound effect, the rest of the song holds up well musically. The guitar is excellent and is probably the late Jesse Ed Davis; however, it could as well be Don Preston who co-wrote the cut with Leon Russell.

Ben Harper: Picture of Jesus

Ben Harper is joined by The Blind Boys of Alabama in this Spiritual Sunday selection. “Picture of Jesus” actually has a double meaning – one that honors Jesus Christ and the memory of the portrait that hung in his childhood home and one that honors Martin Luther King, Jr. who Harper states that he was a picture of Jesus as well. Since tomorrow is Martin Luther King’s Birthday, I thought I would feature this song today.

Harper is playing a Les Paul TV Special model. The TV Special was a style offered by Gibson from 1955 to 1961 as they believed that the yellow paint allowed the guitar show up better on black and white television. It was definitely less harsh than the pearl white finish that they would later offer on their guitars.

The primary keyboard on this cut is a Wurlitzer electric piano. I had one of these from 1976 through 1987. It was a great little instrument, but I beat it to death. I would love to have another as the action was great. I liked it much better than that of the Rhodes piano which I thought felt mushy.

Appalatin: Shady Grove-Gotita de Lluvia

This coming Monday, it will be a double anniversary for me and it perchance happens, by luck, that my 700th post falls on the second anniversary of “Reading Between the Grooves.” Every once and a while when I inch up towards an anniversary of this blog, I start considering that I cannot possibly continue to do this any longer. When that happens, someone usually writes or calls me explaining what value they have gotten from this simple tome.

This week, I've had two such emails – one was from an old musical friend from the 1970s who played in the Lightning Bar Band in Pittsburgh with the late Nick Brack, the late Rodd Willings, and my brother Chuck. King Richard, the harmonica player, dropped me a line yesterday.

I believe I only had the pleasure of playing with him once and that was at Mann’s Hotel in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania in 1978. I played my Wurlitzer electric piano at that gig; it was one that I will never forget. To get to this suburban hangout built in 1803 or thereabouts, I rode on the back of Nick Brack’s motorcycle through Pittsburgh until we made it to Mann’s. Nick took the curves hard and I think I lost a few years off my life.

I lost track of King Richard decades ago and he now makes his home in San Diego. His email explains how he found me.

“I read your history of Chuck Owston bio and was hoping to see Lightning Bar Band mentioned. I was bummed, but.......

Anyhow, this last July I came back to Pittsburgh and was determined to find Chuck (hadn’t seen him in 35 years).

I tracked him down on Carson St. at Club Café. My wife and I crept in and sat down in a booth in the back. I saw Chuck sitting in the front row and was stoked. I let him play a couple of tunes and then went over to him and surprised him!

We had a great chat reminiscing old times, and gigs in the Burgh. Ask him about it. I hope to see him again someday when I can get out of San Diego and fly back again.

BTW your web site is the bomb!! Check ours out sometime: http://eveningeclecticmusic.com/”

Richard’s blog deals with all types of music – much like this one and I encourage my visitors to check out his. I hope that I have more than made up for my glaring omission of this band in the aforementioned bio of Chuck. King Richard states that the experience was “one of the coolest things I have done in my life and on the bucket list.”

The other important email deals with my feature artist from last Tuesday: Appalatin and their tune “Canta mi Gente.” Yani Vozos, who plays lead guitar and mandolin and provides vocals for Appalatin, wrote the following:

“We read your blog today about our song Canta mi Gente. Thank you so much for your interest in the music!

We had a great time in West Virginia last weekend and can't wait to come back beautiful people and beautiful landscapes.

WV public radio is doing an extended piece about us this weekend, see here http://www.wvpubcast.org/insideapp.aspx

I am sending you an MP3 version of Shady Grove so that you can listen. It features Fernando Moya from Ecuador on the charango (Andean lute/ukelele) with cajon for percussion and acoustic guitars. I would like to send you a hard copy of our CD as well, it really shows the breadth of musical styles that we cover and how we blend all of the flavors from the Andes to the Carribean to Appalachia.

Please send me your address and I will put one in the mail for you. Until then you can listen on our website, www.appalatin.com.

I got permission from Yani to post “Shady Grove-Gotita de Lluvia.” It is a great little number. He mentions the charnago – an instrument I always wanted to try since I heard a band named Chacabuco feature the instrument in the 1980s. It has double course strings like a mandolin and a total range of a ukulele. The strings are nylon. Some charangos are made from the shells of dead armadillos. For those not familiar with the instrument, it was used by Simon and Garfunkel on “El Condor Pasa.”

Yani also mentions a great little percussion instrument named the cajon. This versatile drum can mimic a number of different types of drums and it takes up little space when packing up the equipment for the evening. I haven’t had an opportunity to try one out – maybe someday.

The first song by Appalatin that I had a pleasure to hear was their rendition of the tradition “Shady Grove,” which shares a kinship to the English folk song “Matty Groves.” I normally don't feature an artist more than once in a month, but Appalatin is worth it. I hope you think so too.

Greg Hawkes: Eleanor Rigby

The timing of this recording’s feature on Reading Between the Grooves has no connection to yesterday’s baritone uke feature. I had been planning on using Greg Hawkes’ ukulele cover of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and had promised a co-worker that I would feature it during the near future. She is a personal friend of Hawkes and had not heard this 2008 recording from his CD “Beatles Uke.”

Hawkes was the former keyboardist of The Cars and may be the shortest male rock n’ roller. He stands 5’ 2” tall which is one inch shorter than guitarist Nils Lofgren. In this video featuring four incarnations of Greg Hawkes wearing a Chairman Mao type outfit, Greg plays all four sizes of ukulele. Three of which are made by the C.F. Martin Company of Nazareth, PA. They include the soprano, tenor, and baritone models. The pineapple shaped concert model is made from an unknown (to me) manufacturer. I tried finding the brand on this one, but several companies make pineapple shaped ukes.

The difference between the various ukes is not that great and for the most part sopranos, concerts, and tenors are only differenced in size and are all tuned G C E A with the G sting an octave higher. This tuning is the infamous “My dog has fleas” tuning. This is a fourth higher than the guitar. Some variations include a tuning fifth higher than guitar for the soprano version (A D F# B) and some prefer to use a lower G string on the larger tenor uke.

The size differences are 13” for sopranos, 15” for concerts, and 17” for tenors. The much larger (19”) baritone ukulele is tune like the four high guitar strings as D G B E. The baritone uke does not employ an octave sting.

The Beatles Original

A departure from previous recordings, Eleanor Rigby features Paul McCartney on lead and harmony vocals and John Lennon and George Harrison singing harmony. Ringo Starr does not perform on the cut; however, he did provide some of the song’s lyrical content as did Beatle friend Pete Shotton.

The instrumentation is a string octet that included four violins, two violas, and two ‘cellos. The single was a double sided number one hit with “Yellow Submarine” in most countries. In the US, “Yellow Submarine” charted at #2 and “Eleanor Rigby” placed at #11.

Judas Priest: Diamonds & Rust

One of my Christmas presents this year were sets of new strings for my menagerie of instruments. One of those is my nylon string guitar – it was my $10.00 guitar. It was handmade (cheaply I might add) in Mexico for the tourist market. I bought it around 1989 or 1990 from an ad in the local trading times with words – “Mexican made guitar $10.” They had it strung with steel strings – which I removed and replaced with nylon strings immediately. It was sold under the "Jom" brand. 

I believe the woman who sold it to me said they watched the luthier make the guitar during part of one day. It has its problems, but it frets true and a friend who has borrowed it on a number of occasions for recording purposes swears by its sound. So it must be a decent sounding instrument; however, it is not much to look at. When I told my wife what I paid for it, she commented: “The strings cost more than the guitar – isn’t that like putting lipstick on a pig?” Perhaps.

While replacing the strings and tuning up, one of the songs that came to mind was Joan Baez’s 1975 hit “Diamonds and Rust.” I started playing it immediately. A little later on that evening I began looking for covers of the song and found an excellent version by “Blackmore’s Knight”; however, since I featured them last week – they were out of the question. While pursuing another cover, I recalled that Judas Priest had recorded this tune more than once. Therefore, I turn the stage over to Rob Halford and company.

Rumors have it that the song was written by Baez regarding her early relationship with Bob Dylan; however, Baez has stated on several occasions that the song was really about her activist ex-husband David Harris. The illusions to Dylan, however, are quite strong and some believe that Baez may have used both as an inspiration. Judas Priest doing the song has them coming full-circle as they took their name from the Dylan tune “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” from his “John Wesley Harding” album,

Live Version by Judas Priest

Vocalist Rob Halford shows that he may be the very best vocalist in heavy metal today. Check out his range, dynamics, and his immaculate pitch on this version.

Unplugged Version by Judas Priest

Same arrangement as the above; however, it is fully acoustic. Guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton are both playing Ovation Elite 1778-TX5 models that have spruce tops that are covered in black enamel paint.

These is one of the more expensive Ovation thin line acoustic electrics and comes with an on-board tuner.

Joan Baez’s Original Version

I love the mix of keyboards and the volume pedal effects used on the electric guitar. The single charted at #11 in 1975.

Two Additional Judas Priest versions

Being the completist that I am, here are two earlier recorded versions of Diamonds and Rust. Both are different from each other and the previously featured videos above. The first is the 1977 Studio version from Judas Priest’s album “Sin after Sin” album. This was recorded just two years after Baez’s hit version of the song.

The second is from the Priest’s classic live album from 1979 “Unleashed in the East.” I like this version probably the best due to the delay used on the guitar on the song’s intro and the vocals on the tune’s bridge.

Crooked Oak: Hold The Lantern High

From a private UK pressing, Crooked Oak’s 1976 LP “From Little Acorns Grow” contains a variety of traditional and traditionally inspired tunes. The band featured Steve Evans (guitars, mandolins, & vocals), Paul Rogley (whistles, mandolina, cittern) and Barry Walker (fiddle).

Kicking off the LP is our feature cut, “Hold the Lantern High.” Written by Steve Evans to introduce Tom Haddway’s BBC2’s play, “Bless Thee Jackie Madison,” the song was inspired by the practices of Northumberland fishing villages prior to the time of the construction of permanent harbor lights. To welcome the fishermen home, the wives and children of the men would stand on the beach and welcomed the men back home – hence the invitation to “Hold the Lantern High.”

By the way, the mandolina played by Paul Rogley is the smallest of the mandolin family tuned a fourth higher than a normal mandolin. Tunings for mandolin family instruments are listed below.

Instrument	First Course	Second Course	Third Course	Fourth Course
Mandolina:	c' c'	g' g'	d'' d''	a'' a''
Mandolin:	g g	d' d'	a' a'	e'' e''
Electric Mandolin (4 string):	g	d'	a'	e''
Mandolinetto:	g g	d' d'	a' a'	e'' e''
Mandriola:	G g g	d d' d'	a a' a'	e' e" e"
Mandola:	c c	g g	d' d'	a' a'
Octave Mandolin:	G G	d d	a a	e' e'
Irish Bouzouki (mandolin tuning):	Gg	dd'	aa	e'e'
Irish Bouzouki (drone tuning):	G g	d d'	a a	d' d'
Mandocello:	C C	G G	d d	a a
Mandobass:	EE	AA	D	G

Jean Michel Jarre: Rendezvous II

French composer and multi-instrumentalist Jean Michel Jarre has been wowing live audiences for over 35 years by combining sight and sound. Using an array of electronic instruments, Jarre often performs while being backed by a full orchestra and choir. In addition, light shows and media projection behind Jarre set the stage for the music he is performing.

It is also not uncommon for this classically trained and influenced musician to have fireworks occurring during his concerts. I imagine the crowd responses of awe are not unlike the crowds that witnessed Tchaikovsky’s first performance in 1882 of the “1812 Overture” with actual cannon fire.

The highlight of “Rendezvous II” comes at 3:52 in the video when Jarre plays the laser harp. This invention, which is Jarre’s signature instrument, combines sight and sound. The individual notes are programmable via a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) as each light stream represents an individual pitch that is controlled by breaking the beam of light. Other aspects such as vibrato can be added and controlled by the varying the point of where the break occurs in the beam.

He also uses analog cymbals which may be either miked or set as triggers to an electronic percussion device. The round object in the foreground is a Roland HandSonic Electronic Hand Percussion instrument that can be programmed for a number of sounds to the various areas on the instrument. Roland makes various models of the HandSonic that differ in the number of available trigger pads.

The HandSonic also has a light beam as well that allows the percussionist to mimic sounds that are variable like mallets on a ride cymbal. I had a chance to fool with one of these two years ago thanks to Ron Keller who backs Beth Patterson. It is a great little instrument. I’d love to have one and a laser harp – but don’t know where I would use either one these days.

Kittyhawk and the Chapman Stick®

Today’s post is rather serendipitous in nature as I had planned something else, but got sidetracked by a question at work. The other day, a coworker was telling me about a review he read on Tony Levin and the Stickmen. My friend commented on their unusual band name and I said it must be because Tony Levin plays the Stick^®. "Stick^®," he replied, "what’s that? Is it a different kind of bass (knowing that Levin was formerly the bassist with King Crimson)?" I replied, “not exactly” and proceeded to show him some YouTube examples of videos of the Stick^® in action.

I had planned on doing a Wednesday feature on the Chapman Stick^® at some point in time, but there is no time like the present to discuss this unique instrument. In 1970, Californian Emmett Champman, who was playing guitar in Barney Kessel’s ensemble, began experimenting with his guitar with a two handed tapping technique. By 1974, he had developed a new instrument that combined the voicings of a bass and guitar and a two-handed playing technique much like a keyboardist.

Stick^® inventor and musician Emmett Chapman from a 1982 promotional piece.  

Notice the slimming effects of the Stick^® - as Chapman was 300 pounds 

and five' eight" (not really - he is actually very tall and very thin). 

In October 1974, the first commercially available Stick^® was delivered to a customer and the rest is history. Like with any manufacturing process, once the original patent expired, others were free to copy some of the design for similar touch-style playing guitar like instruments. Currently, there are at least three other manufacturers that make similar instruments; however, since this is a feature on the Chapman Stick^®, it will be the only one I’ll be discussing.

The layout of the  Chapman Stick^® is as follows. The basic and original instrument has 10 strings (although other configurations are available) and is divided with five bass and five melody strings. The bass strings are in reverse order and are tuned in fifths. The recommended classic tuning of the 10 string stick is (low to high in reverse order) is C-G-D-A-E for the bass string configuration. While a normal bass is tuned in fourths (E-A-D-G), chords in the bass range often sound better based on fifths. Other instruments using fifths include ‘cello, viola, violin, and mandolin.

The melody strings (comparable to a guitar) are tuned in fourths. The recommended classic tuning in ascending order is F#-B-E-A-D. I can see myself getting really confused over the set – first the fifths on the bass strings and fourths on the melody. The starting point on C for the bass and F# on the melody strings would be enough to drive me crazy. Talk about playing from both hemispheres of the brain. With these seeming limitations, thousands of musicians now play the Stick^® with little difficulty and Chapman suggests that anyone can get it out of the box and start playing it.

Well, I have been successful in similar endeavors, but not with every instrument I’ve ever attempted. The current price for a new Stick^® runs in the neighborhood of $2000 - $2500, which is much too pricey for an instrument that I may or may not be able to play. Although, I would love to have one, it would have to go to the bottom of my wish list of instruments I don’t own but know I could play out of the box.

This list, in no particular order, includes an octave mandolin, mandocello, baritone guitar, electric sitar, a real clavinet, and an acoustic bass guitar – none of which I own – but would like to have. I would also like to have a palatial estate, a Maserati, and my children to give me the unlimited respect that I really deserve – but don’t see any these happening in my lifetime – well, maybe the respect issue once my kids graduate from the teenage years.

My first experience with the Stick^® was seeing an article and/or an ad in Guitar Player. The first recording I remember owning that featured not one, not two, but three Stickers, Stickies, Stickists, er, Stick^® players was the band Kittyhawk. I read about them, I believe, in Guitar Player; but it could have been in any number of music trade publications I was receiving in the early 80s.

I was so intrigued by what I read and their incorporation of unusual instruments such as fretless guitar, Lyricon (a woodwind synth), and the Stick^® - I had to own their first two LPs – to which my EMI/Liberty rep, Dave Blanford, saw that I received both “Kittyhawk” and “Race to the Oasis.” Although I was working in top-forty at the time (WCIR in Beckley, WV), I still had an attachment to fusion that I discovered in the late seventies. If I remember correctly, one of the members had a familial connection to the Wright Brothers and hence the band utilized the brothers Wright's famous launch site for their name.

Islands

The opening cut to the self-titled “Kittyhawk” album was the song “Islands” and features both Paul Edwards and Daniel Bortz playing Stick^® on this recording from the PBS special “First Flight.” Randy Strom is missing from the lineup on this tune and I am a little confused on whether he was a regular member of the band, an occasional recording and performing sideman, or he joined the band for the second LP. The recording also includes Michael Jochum on drums and percussion and Richard Elliot on alto sax. Part of my attraction with the sound of Kittyhawk was Paul Edwards’ vocal treatments. Often he sang in unison or in harmony at a fifth and sometimes an octave above Richard Elliot’s saxophone.

Bells of Taliesin

This cut from the second LP, “Race for the Oasis,” features Randy Strom and Paul Edwards on Stick^®. Daniel Bortz is playing the fretless guitar – which by far is one of the more interesting instruments on this cut. Strom and Edwards Stick^® playing takes on the role traditionally relegated to keyboards. Richard Elliot plays the tenor sax.

Big City

We return to the four piece version of Kittyhawk with “Big City” from the debut LP. This song showcases Richard Elliot on Lyricon (the woodwind synthesizer). Bortz is on a classic gold-top Gibson Les Paul (fretted of course).

Race for the Oasis

The piece that ended the PBS special “First Flight” is “Race for the Oasis.” The saxophone that Richard Elliot plays is a curved soprano model. Most people are familiar with the straight version of the instrument like Kenny G plays. I have a 1925 Buescher and is a straight model that I dealt with earlier on this blog. The first curved model I had ever seen was played by Jan Garbarek on his ECM recordings from the 1970s.

The Final Word

Intrigued by Kittyhawk's sound, I sent away for information on the Stick^® . I did this often in those days as I loved getting mail and reading about different instruments. The list price in 1982 was $945 with case. Needless to say, since I just took out two loans to pay for a Prophet 5 synthesizer, I was not able to purchase one during the height of my interest and when I was single and able to buy frivolities on a whim. I was already overextended as it was.

It appears that there is resurgent interest in Kittyhawk. New, high quality videos appeared on YouTube two weeks ago and a new web site appears to have debuted last month and is being updated frequently. Perhaps they have returned for a second flight. We can only hope.

Episode 200 - The Prescription Is More Cowbell

Well today is my 200th post (actually the 202nd, but since two are no longer available, I’m counting this one as post 200). At the end, I’ll provide some of the data about the visitors to this blog. I was surprised when I pulled down the information, and I think you will be as well. If you’re interested, scroll to the bottom of this post.

With this momentous anniversary, I need to induct you into the Ancient Order of the Cowbell. You can do this at home. Blindfold yourself, place the blade of a butter knife on your right shoulder and repeat after me that mystical chant, “Magis bovis campana; Magis bovis campana; Magis bovis campana.” All may not be worthy, and to those, we must proceed by entering into this covenant with a brief introduction from “The” Bruce Dickinson and a Saturday Night Live skit from April 2000. If you cannot see the video below, click here.

Of the several jokes in this sketch is the name of Christopher Walken's character Bruce Dickinson. While Sandy Pearlman was the official producer of "Don't Fear the Reaper," Bruce Dickinson is an actual Columbia Records employee who was listed as the reissue producer on the band's greatest hits CD. Although Will Ferrell's character the late Gene Frenkle is purely fictional, fans often express sympathy to the real band over his supposed death in 2000.

While I won’t be featuring Blue Oyster Cult, I’ll echo the sentiments of Bruce Dickinson: “I have a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell.” Although long associated with rock music, the cowbell got its start as – well – a bell for cows. It allowed cattle ranchers to track their herds as the distinctive bells clapped as the cows swayed back and forth.

The cowbell entered the realm of music in the 1920s being used as a percussive feature of hillbilly bands. In the 1930s, it was one of the many novelty instruments of jug bands joining the washboard, washtub bass, spoons, and jugs. In the 1940s, Spike Jones and his City Slickers utilized the cowbell and other strange and exotic instrumentation on their numerous novelty recordings.

The clapperless cowbell gained its prominence with salsa music alongside the percussive sounds of claves, timbales, guiro, and congas. While it gained more popularity with rock songs beginning in 1965, an early example of the cowbell was Annette Funicello’s 1959 recording of “Tall Paul.” To celebrate the 200th post, I bring you “more cowbell” with four selections.

Mountain: Mississippi Queen

No Virginia, he doesn’t sing Pittsburgh – it’s Vicksburg as in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Named after large front man Leslie West, Mountain also included former Cream producer Felix Pappalardi and drummer Corky Laing. Laing cowrote their only hit with David Rea and it begins with Laing’s signature cowbell. Mississippi Queen charted at 21 in June 1970.

The Beatles: Drive My Car – Two Versions

Even the Beatles succumbed to the cowbell craze as Ringo Starr added it to the song “Drive My Car.” As an album cut, it originally appeared on most countries’ versions of the LP “Rubber Soul”; however, in North America, it was issued on the contrived Capitol LP “Yesterday and Today.”

I have provided two rehashed versions of "Drive my Car." The first example is my favorite cut from the CD “Love.” This tune combines “Drive My Car” with “What You’re Doing” and “The Word.” It also contains the horns from “Savoy Truffle” from “the White Album” and the lead guitar from “Taxman.” The second cut is from the remastered version of the “Rubber Soul” CD.

Grand Funk Railroad : We’re An American Band

The title cut from the “We’re An American Band” album, Grand Funk originally released this single and album in gold vinyl. This #1 song from 1973 features the cowbell of Don Brewer. Brewer penned the song after Grand Funk and Humble Pie were arguing about which country produced the better musicians. After listing a number of seminal rockers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, and Fats Domino, Brewer stood up and defended his homeland by uttering, “We’re An American Band.” The next morning he wrote the song.

Free: Wishing Well

I remember buying this single at the Eastland National Record Mart in North Versailles, PA in 1972 without even hearing it – well, because it was Free. I also liked the new label design for Island Records – to match the label art, the sleeve was pink.

“Wishing Well” wasn’t an American hit, as was their previous A&M single “All Right Now,” but it is an excellent rock tune. It was one of three top 10 singles in their native Britain. From their final LP “Heartbreaker,” it features Paul Rodgers on vocals and drummer Simon Kirke on cowbell on the intro and during the choruses.

If you are interested in cowbell, check out Latin Percussion’s Top Ten Cowbells. It allows you to listen to the sounds of the best selling LP cowbells.

Statistical Overview

I began this blog on September 26, 2009, but did not start monitoring the visits until October 16, 2009. Since that time, we have had the following:

Variable	Statistic
Unique Visitors	2,431
Times Visited	3,251
Number of Pages Viewed	5,914
People Visiting 200+ Times	230
People Visiting 101-200 Times	105
People Visiting 50-100 Times	60
People Visiting 26-50 Times	50
Number of Visitor Countries Represented	70
Percentage of Visitors Referred from Search Engines	51.89%
Percentage of Visitors Referred from Other Sites	33.34%
Percentage of Visitors via Direct Access	14.76%

Without much promotion and largely based on my own views about music, it really amazes me that so many have found these pages – even once.

The Top Ten Charts

Just as the music industry has a variety of charts (have you looked at Billboard lately?), I have prepared some Top Ten Charts for "Between the Grooves."

The Top Ten Visitor Countries

Rank	Country	Visits
1	United States	2,150
2	United Kingdom	221
3	Canada	139
4	Germany	93
5	France	61
6	Italy	50
7	Japan	40
8	Brazil	37
9	Australia	36
10	The Netherlands	33

The Top Ten Pages via Direct Access

While most people (770) have visited the home page for “Between the Grooves,” others enter distinct pages through page specific links and via search engine returns. These are the top ten pages bypassing the home page entering the site through a specific daily post.

Rank	Artist: Song	Visits
1	Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks: “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away”	209
2	The Who: “Join Together”	178
3	The Hooters: “And We Danced”	119
4	Yardbirds: “Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page” LP	108
5	Junior Brown: “My Wife Thinks Your Dead”	106
6	Rich Mullins: “Here In America”	99
7	Dominique Riviére: “Rimbaud ä Djibouti”	88
8	The Heavy: “How Do You Like Me Now”	88
9	Fairport Convention: “Matty Groves”	78
10	Kansas: “Point of Know Return”	78

The Top Days by Total Visits

This chart represents the days that encountered the most visits and the content that was featured on those particular days.

Rank	Day	Date	Associated Content	Visits
1	FRI	08 JAN 2010	Elvis: “Trying to Get to You”	89
2	SAT	13 FEB 2010	Bruce Springsteen: “Born to Run” LP	87
3	SAT	06 FEB 2010	The Byrds: “The Notorious Byrd Brothers” LP	78
4	MON	05 APR 2010	Blue Man Group: “Baba O’Riley”	75
5	SUN	28 FEB 2010	Alison Krauss: “In the Palm of Your Hand”	71
6	THU	17 DEC 2009	The Who: “Join Together”	70
7	TUE	09 FEB 2010	Patty Loveless: “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”	69
8	MON	12 APR 2010	Golden Earring: “Eight Miles High”	69
9	SUN	03 JAN 2010	Rich Mullins: “Here in America”	68
10	WED	16 DEC 2009	Quicksilver Messenger Service: “Fresh Air”	67

The Top Days by New Visitors

This chart represents the days that encountered the most visits by first time visitors and the content that was featured on those particular days.

Rank	Day	Date	Associated Content	New Visitors
1	SUN	28 FEB 2010	Alison Krauss: “In the Palm of Your Hand”	46
2	FRI	08 JAN 2010	Elvis: “Trying to Get to You”	35
3	MON	12 APR 2010	Golden Earring: “Eight Miles High”	35
4	FRI	26 MAR 2010	Badfinger: “Without You”	32
5	MON	22 MAR 2010	The Fray: “Fixing a Hole”	31
6	MON	29 MAR 2010	Crosby, Stills, & Nash: “Mr. Fantasy”	31
7	MON	05 APR 2010	Blue Man Group: “Baba O’Riley”	30
8	THU	04 FEB 2010	Nick Drake: “Pink Moon”	29
9	FRI	26 FEB 2010	Jackie DeShannon: “Bette Davis Eyes”	29
10	MON	08 FEB 2010	The Who: “Shakin’ All Over”	28

Thanks to all who have visited and a special thanks to our repeat visitors.

The Tornados: Telstar

Back before the British Invasion of 1964, an act from Great Britain had the opportunity to achieve number one status in their native land. In addition, the song crossed the Atlantic and was the first British recording to top the American charts - this was 18 months before the Beatles had their first American #1 with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” For a non American act in 1962 to achieve number 1 was quite a feat; however, when you consider the song also being an instrumental – the chart action is impressive. Released five months after the launching of AT&T’s telecommunication satellite “Telstar,” a song named in its honor was recorded by the Tornados.

I can remember this song very well as my brother John and I, who shared a bedroom at the time, would listen to Pittsburgh’s KQV. While most stations concluded their broadcast day with the National Anthem, this was not the case for KQV. In late ’62 and ’63, KQV signed off at midnight by playing “Telstar.” When KQV went off the air, we down tuned the radio to 1020 and caught Ed and Wendy King and their call in show “Party Line” on KDKA. That was an unusual show in that you never heard the callers only Ed and Wendy's side of the conversation, which they would then relate to the audience what had been said. Ah yes, those were the days.

“Telstar” had a unique blend of instrumentation. I particularly liked the concert harp that is heard throughout the song as well as the guitar. If you were to ask most anyone else, they would remember the unusual keyboard instrument – the Clavioline – that is featured on “Telstar.” This little vacuum tube tone generated precursor to the analog synthesizer made its way onto several records. It had a unique timbre, and like its descendant, it could only play one note at a time.

Joe Meek demonstrates the Clavioline

Besides “Telstar,” other notable songs featured Clavioline type instruments. One of these, Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” utilized a Musitron for its signature keyboard lead. The Beatles also employed a Clavioline for the strange Indian influenced bagpipe like sound on “Baby You’re a Rich Man” from “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Yellow Submarine.” The Clavioline was not alone in the marketplace. There were others that were similar in sound such as the Ondioline, the Pianoline, the Univox, and the Solovox. All of these seminal synthesizers added to the progress that would be later replaced by names such as Moog, Arp, Roland, Korg, and Sequential Circuits.

The later instruments allowed greater control over the sound – but required a little bit of practice and patience to learn what all their many controls and patches could do or not do. It would be a few years later when Oberheim and Sequential Circuits both released polyphonic synths that had programmable sounds – which returned the ease to playing with different sounds at a touch of a button – much like their ancestor the Clavioline.

Del Shannon: Runaway

The Beatles: Baby You’re A Rich Man