Concrete Blonde: Crystal Blue Persuasion

I intended to have Concrete Blonde’s cover of Tommy James and the Shondell’s “Crystal Blue Persuasion” last Monday; however, both Sunday and Monday were very busy days and I didn’t even get a post up for that day. Concrete Blonde’s version was recorded in 1993 for a compilation that supported the “In Defense of Animals Foundation.”

The band fronted by bassist Johnette Napolitano (her last name just rolls of the tongue) took its name from a pejorative term for 80s hair bands who used so much hairspray that their hair was like concrete. Napolitano’s voice is almost indistinguishable from Tommy James’ voice in places. It’s not an exact copy, but it is close.

Tommy James & the Shondells’ Original

I always loved this song – it’s probably in my top 10 favorites from 1969. When Eddie Gray, Tommy James, Mike Vale wrote the song, the band had just converted to Christianity and were studying various passages out of the Bible. In an interview a number of years ago, James thought that it was Revelation 19 that inspired him and Vale to write the lyrics. I think it is more likely that he was inspired by Revelation 21 and 22. Those two chapters fit with the theme of the song much better.

Others in the Shondells’ organization suggest that imagery from Ezekiel and Isaiah were used for the lyrical content in addition to passages from Revelation. You’ll be hard pressed to find an exact correlation with any specific biblical passage; however, I've always thought the song had a spiritual connection because of the following lyric at the key change:

Maybe tomorrow,
When he looks down
On every green field,
And every town
All of his children,
And every nation
They'll be peace and good, brotherhood–
Crystal blue persuasion.

I always thought the organ on this song sounded like a Young Rascals tune. The production on this recording is fantastic, but it took a great deal of work to create this master piece as Tommy James explained in a 2009 interview with Song Facts:

We went in and had a set of drums, we had guitars, we had keyboards, and by the end, we just realized we had totally overproduced the record. It just was not "Crystal Blue Persuasion" anymore. It was a nice track, but wasn't right. So we had to produce the record, and then we had to un-produce the record. And one by one we just started pulling the instruments out, until we ended up with a conga drum, a bongo, a tambourine, a flamenco guitar, and a very light-sounding bass.

We took out the drums completely. We took out all the keyboards except one, which was a Hammond, and ended up with about four instruments on it. Suddenly it became "Crystal Blue Persuasion," the song that we had written. It has kind of an effervescent sound about it, a lot of atmospherics that just weren't there when it had all those instruments on it. Suddenly when you emptied out the record it sounded like "Crystal Blue" again.

It had that light airy sound, which it needed to be right. And it took us about 6 weeks to do all that. It really was a very intricate un-production, pulling all the things out. Actually, it was tougher than putting them in because you didn't want to mess up the record, but you wanted to empty it out. So it came out and went #1 for us.

The horns were later added to the single mix of “Crystal Blue Persuasion.”

Mamas And The Papas: Creeque Alley

A few weeks ago my old buddy Mike Kinsley asked me to feature the Mamas and Papas’ autobiographical hit “Creeque Alley.” The song is one of those hit record anomalies that does not include the title either in the song's hook or anywhere in the lyrics. It was written by the band’s two primary members: John and Michelle Phillips. “Creeque Alley” chronicles how the band emerged out of John and Michelle’s vocal duo and the short-lived band the Mugwumps.

The Mugwumps included future Mamas and Papas members Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot, future Lovin’ Spoonful members John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky, and folksinger James Hendricks. Hendricks, Elliot, and Tim Rose had previously performed in a folk trio known as the Big Three.

When the Mugwumps split, Denny Doherty joined with John and Michelle (identified both as Michelle and Mitchie in the song) as the New Journeymen. While they were on vacation in the Virgin Islands, Doherty convinced John Phillips to allow his former singing partner Cass Elliot to join the band.

Phillips reluctantly agreed to allow Cass to join, but he was initially skeptical that Elliot’s weight would keep them from fame he desired. While they all were starving folk musicians, the lyrics persisted that “No one was getting fat except Mama Cass” – a reference to Elliot’s obesity. I always wondered what she felt about this demeaning line that she had to sing.

The title “Creeque Alley” comes from the area of the Virgin Islands where the seminal Mamas and Papas formed and performed at Hugh Duffy’s club located on Creque Alley. The band was living off of their American Express cards at the time.

Wanting to “leave their folk music behind,” there is the constant reminder in the song of the success of two former folkies who had crossed over into the pop scene. “McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire in L.A., You know where that's at” is a reference of the success of Roger McGuinn of The Byrds and former New Christy Minstrel member Barry McGuire who had a hit record with “Eve of Destruction.” Finally, their own success is mirrored in the line “And California dreamin' is becomin' a reality...”

The song is really a well written tune that chronicles the band’s prehistory and history. The lyrics are very clever in telling the story. Even though the title is never found in the song, it managed to score a top five hit for the Mamas and Papas.

The Beatles By Others

There were several artists in the 1960s that had hits with Lennon/McCartney credited compositions that were either not recorded by the Beatles or were not released as Beatles' singles. Today, I feature three of these artists: Peter and Gordon, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and The Silkie.

Peter & Gordon: World Without Love

“World without Love” was one of four Paul McCartney compositions recorded by Peter Asher and Gordon Waller. At the time, Paul was dating Peter’s sister Jane Asher and specifically wrote the songs for the British invasion duo. As with their arrangement with publisher Northern Songs, most songs written by either John Lennon or Paul McCartney were automatically credited as Lennon/McCartney compositions despite the input or lack thereof of one of the songwriting duo.

While “World without Love” predated Paul's relationship with the Asher family and had been offered initially to Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, it quickly became a number one hit single for Peter and Gordon in the US and UK. Other McCartney songs released as singles for the duo included “Nobody I Know,” “I Don’t Want to See you Again,” and “Woman.” The latter was credited to Bernard Webb as an experiment to see if Peter and Gordon could have a hit with a McCartney song without it bearing his name. They could and did.

Peter & Gordon live in Beckley, WV in 1965

Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas: Bad To Me

From Liverpool, Billy J. Kramer shared management with The Beatles under the auspices of Brian Epstein. While Kramer’s band the Coasters were lackluster in their live performances, Epstien hired a Manchester based band the Dakotas to perform as his backup. Signed under a separate contract, the recordings in the UK were listed as “Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas.” Since the Dakotas had no separate US contract, the labels on Kramer’s releases on Imperial Records have the artist as “Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.”

Kramer and company recorded a number of Lennon/McCartney compositions including “Do You Want to Know A Secret,” “Bad to Me,” “I’ll Call Your Name,” “I’ll Keep You Satisfied,” and “From a Window.” “Bad to Me,” penned by John Lennon, charted at #9 in the US as the flip to “Little Children” which peaked at #7.

The Silkie: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away

Unlike the previous two examples which were not released by The Beatles, The Silkie’s version of “You’ve got to hide your Love Away” was a song the Fab Four would release on their “Help” soundtrack. The Silkie, another Epstein managed group, were recording in the same studio as The Beatles and received some additional help from their friends.

The Beatles gave The Silkie, known as Britain's answer to Peter, Paul and Mary, the opportunity to release the song as a single. Additionally, three Beatles participated in the recording. Paul played guitar, George provided percussion by tapping on his guitar, and John produced the single. The result – the song peaked at #28 in the UK but was a top 10 hit in the US.

Sequel Songs Part One

What do “Star Wars,” “Alien,” “The Godfather,” “Toy Story,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Rocky,” and “Die Hard” have in common? They were all popular movies that were later followed up by sequels. In most cases, the first movie could stand alone and there would not need to be a sequel. Today’s “Anything Goes” Wednesday looks at three sets of songs that had sequels – thus, today’s selection is called Part One. There will be more to come in the future.

In each case the original song stood alone and the follow-up was due to the success of the first. In most cases, the original artists did the sequel, but not always. I am not including answer songs as these are a separate genre that I’ll address at a later date.

Peggy Sue / Peggy Sue Got Married

The original tune recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets was written by Holly, drummer Jerry Allison, and producer Norman Petty. "Peggy Sue" topped the charts at #3 in 1957 and was Holly's second most popular tune. The first being "That'll be the Day."

The song's original working title was Cindy Lou named after Holly’s niece; however, the title was changed to Peggy Sue in deference to Allison’s girlfriend with whom he had a recent break-up. The song was a colossal hit and is listed as #194 on Rolling Stones’ Greatest Songs of All Time. One of the features of the song is the paradiddles played by Allison on the drums.

In December 1958, Buddy Holly had written and recorded a follow-up to his 1957 hit titled “Peggy Sue Got Married.” Recorded only with an acoustic guitar, the demo recording was found after Holly’s untimely death in February 1959.

Three versions of the song were released. Version one featured the demo augmented additional instrumentation and backing vocals by the Ray Charles Singers. This version was released on a single in 1959 and on “The Buddy Holly Story Volume 2.” While the single was a top 15 hit in the UK, it failed to chart in the US. Jack Hansen produced this recording.

A second version of the song was released in 1964 by producer Norman Petty with the Fireballs providing the backing instrumentation to Holly's demo. There are no backing vocals on Petty's production.

Finally in 1979, the original demo version was issued on the six disc collection released by MCA called “The Complete Buddy Holly.”

Taxi / Sequel

In 1972, Harry Chapin released his debut album “Taxi” – the title cut dealing with a cabby named Harry and a rich socialite named Sue. The song is somewhat autobiographical as it is based on a chance meeting of Harry and an old girlfriend while he was a cabby in New York, and not San Francisco as in the song. The song charted at #24 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

In 1980, Chapin recorded his sequel to his hit from eight years earlier and appropriately titled “Sequel.” Ironically, “Sequel” charted slightly higher at #23 than the original release; however, it doesn’t hold up as well as “Taxi.” Both songs featured here are from a live performances; the second occurring 11 months prior Chapin’s death on July 16, 1981.

Your Wildest Dreams / I Know You’re Out There Somewhere

The next two selections written by Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues are not so evident from the lyrics that they are two chapters of the same story. During the MTV age, the videos that accompanied the releases tied the story of love lost and love found – well, sort of found. While Chapin lyrically presented flashbacks, it is the videos that accomplish this visually for these two songs. “Your Wildest Dreams” was the first single from the 1986 LP “The Other Side of Life” and charted in the US at #9 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

“I Know You’re out there Somewhere,” the follow-up to “Your Wildest Dreams,” was issued as the debut single from the album “Sur La Mer” in 1988. This sequel didn’t fare as well as the initial tune charting at #30 on the Hot 100 and at #9 on the AC charts.

More sequel songs will be forthcoming at a later date.

Songs With A Symphonic Flair

Today’s feature tunes include several movements and are much like mini symphonic pieces rather than typical three or four chord rock ‘n roll songs. Nearly all exceeded five minutes in length and had variations in structure, tempo, and sometimes time signature. While this is atypical in the world of rock music and is not the formula structure for a hit, many of these songs have become well known and some might be even termed as anthemic. Sometimes the titles are obscured in or even absent from the lyrics. Three of the five examples are like this.

Crosby, Stills, and Nash: Suite Judy Blue Eyes

From the very first CSN LP, this Stephen Stills composition has him singing and playing all of the instruments sans drums – which are courtesy of Dallas Taylor. Graham Nash and David Crosby join in on vocals. In fact, it’s Nash’s voice that is the most distinctive voice of the three during most of the song.

The author and Graham Nash in 1982

In the mid 70s, I read an interview with Stephen Stills and he confessed that, on this song about Judy Collins, he tuned his guitar low to high – E-E-E-E-B-E to get the distinctive sound.

My favorite story regarding this song is about one my radio news compadres who went by the contrived moniker of Mike Corsair (my suggestion based on the WW2 US Navy plane). It seems that Mike loved this song so much that he went to the store one day and found it listed on the live LP “4 Way Street.” Not really wanting to spend the money on a double album, but wanting this song, he bought it anyway. At home, he put it on the turntable and was ready to hear a live rendition of his favorite CSN song. The needle hit the vinyl and within moments he was in the midst of “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” only to find that the album contained only the final 33 seconds of the song. A lesson to learn – don’t always believe the label.

The single, which was cut down to from 7:28 to 4:35, charted at #21 in 1969. I had an opportunity to see CSN twice – once in Huntington, WV in 1977 and in Charleston, WV in 1982. I am also thinking that I’ve also seen Crosby and Nash as well, but cannot swear to it.

Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody

If any song could wear the label of being rock operatic, it would be this classic by Freddie Mercury and Queen. In fact it was from the album “Night at the Opera,” which is fitting on so many levels. This tune was a number one record in 1975 in the UK, Australia, Ireland, and The Netherlands; however, it only charted only at 9 in the US. The single was certified platinum in the UK and gold in the US. Frankly, I will admit that I hated this song the first time I heard it, but it really grows on you. The musicianship is superb and Freddie Mercury’s vocals are as always fantastic.

Paul and Linda McCartney: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

Described as a collection of song snippets that were combined together, this piece (for lack of a better term) is titled after Paul’s uncle (Albert of course) and American World War II Admiral: “Bull” Halsey. I remember the first time I heard this song. I had stayed with my brother and sister-in-law in Lexington, KY for two weeks during the summer of 1971. At the end of my visit, the three of us piled into their Chevy Vega for the long trek back to Pennsylvania. The back seat was crowded with PA speaker cabinets and assorted musical equipment and a cat and dog.

As we were heading out of town on I-75, this song came on the radio and I heard if for the first time. I remember asking if it was a new Beatles’ tune, but was informed that it was Paul and Linda McCartney’s latest single from their new album, “Ram.” The song quickly charted at number one. The trip was also memorable because the cat decided to relieve himself on my leg somewhere between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. It was a memorable trip to say the least and the summer heat, well, you know only made a bad experience worse. A stop at a rest area to clean up and change clothes helped somewhat, but not entirely - as the trip lasted for another 3 or 4 hours.

Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven

I first heard this song on WDVE during my senior year in high school. I thought it was just absolutely beautiful and still do nearly forty years later. I never had a chance to see Zeppelin in concert, but I did see Robert Plant in 1985 and he did a wonderful version of this song in concert – although his voice had gotten lower by then.

 Recorders: bass, tenor, alto, soprano, & sopranino

The woodwinds, which John Paul Jones played in concert on a Mellotron, were actually overdubbed recorders (a fipple flute) that Jones also played. While the full version was released on a single in the US to radio only, it never was commercially available as such. In 1987, Mark Nathan at Atlantic Records sent me a mint copy of the promo single (PR-269) – stereo on the blue labeled side and mono on the white labeled side. I will treasure this collectable forever.

Derek and the Dominoes: Layla

Probably the not the best example of a song with more than one movement, “Layla” was written about George Harrison’s wife Patti, who later left George in 1977 and married Eric Clapton in 1979. She was the inspiration for Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” as well. Featuring the twin guitars of Clapton and Duane Allman, the single was released twice in the US. To cater to radio, a 2:43 single was issued in 1971. This version containing only the first portion of the tune only charted at #51. The next year, ATCO re-released the song in its full 7:11 version on single and under the same number (#6809) as the previous version. The 1972 single peaked at #10. I have both single versions in my collection, but have no clue if the shorter version is worth anymore than the later, full reissue of the tune.