Journey: Anyway You Want It

The latest commercial from State Farm is hilarious. It has the claims rep and the customer going through the lyrics of Journey’s “Anyway You Want It” and having a flashback to the 80s with a little Journey moment. “Any Way You Want It” opened Journey’s “Departure” album and was the first single released from this 1980 classic album.

It is said that the vocal and guitar interplay was inspired by the late Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. The song was often used to close out Journey concerts. The single only peaked at #23, but that didn’t stop this Steve Perry/Neal Schon composition from being one of their best known tunes. The album fared much better by peaking at #8.

State Farm Commercial

Shocking Blue: Venus

Although the Shocking Blue had been in existence for two years and released albums and singles in their native land The Netherlands, they burst onto the American pop scene in 1969 for one brief moment. Then they vanished from the American charts forever.

I decided to go with “Venus” today to honor planet that appeared between the sun and the earth yesterday in what is called the transit of Venus. While I did not get to view it first hand as the sun was obscured by clouds in my region, I did view it live from NASA’s stream from Hawaii.

Although today’s one hit wonder was about the mythical goddess from which the planet was named, I thought it fitting to use the Shocking Blue hit for One-Hit Wonder Wednesday. What a hit it was as it charted at number one in the US, Canada, Spain, Belgium, France, and Italy. It peaked at #2 in Germany and Japan and was a #3 record in The Netherlands. A top 10 hit in the UK, the single charted at #8.

The song features the vocals of the late Mariska Veres and the guitar of Robbie van Leeuwen. Klaasje van der Wal plays the memorable bass runs and Cor van der Beek handled the drums. The keyboardist, who actually contributes greatly to the record’s sound, was not credited. I believe an RMI Electra-Piano was used on this cut.

Robbie van Leeuwen is seen playing a Fender Telecaster in the accompanying video; however, other performances have him playing a Coral (by Danelectro) Longhorn thin-line electric six string.

The Big Three Big Ripoff

It is apparent that Robbie van Leeuwen was greatly inspired by a 1963 recording of “Banjo Song” by the folk group The Big Three. The Big Three consisted of Tim Rose, Cass Elliot, and her then husband James Hendricks. If you listen, it is obvious that their interpretation of Stephen Foster’s “Oh! Susanna “was the inspiration for the Shocking Blue’s hit.

Had Tim Rose pushed it, he would have been much richer from song royalties for “Venus” due to copyright infringement. He had a much better case than Ronald Mack’s claim that George Harrison stole from “He’s So Fine” as the basis for “My Sweet Lord.” That claim was tentative at best, but was close enough to win big for Mack and his publisher. The Big Three’s song, although an arrangement of a public domain composition, makes a much stronger case.

Michael Hedges: Aerial Boundaries

I was always impressed with the music of the late Michael Hedges since I first heard his music on a mid 1980s Windham Hill sampler album. He may have been one of the driving forces to bring back the popularity of the harp guitar.

His approach to the six string acoustic guitar is unorthodox at best. The tuning is a modal tuning of C2 C3 D3 G3 A3 D4 – the low C gives the guitar that bass like quality. He uses tapping, hammer ons, pull offs, harmonics, and a two handed technique that mimics someone playing the Chapman Stick.

The title cut from his second album “Aerial Boundaries” is the first song I heard him perform. In was released in 1984 and the album was nominated for the Grammy for the Best Engineered Album. Sadly it didn’t win.

This is a later live re-recording of the same song. How do I know – his hair is much shorter in this video and probably was recorded in the mid to late 90s. I am not sure of the guitar, but I believe it is a Martin 000-28. What a great song and a perfect addition to our Tasty Licks Tuesday collection.

The world lost an incredible talent when he died in a car accident in 1997.

Lisa Loeb: I Do

A coworker walked into my office last week and she was wearing horned rimmed classes as opposed to her normal contact lenses and I made the comment, “You look just like Lisa Loeb.” To which my coworker said, “Who?” I had to pull up a YouTube video of Ms. Loeb to show her the similarities. I happened to be our featured song of today – her 1997 hit “I Do.”

The song was featured on her third solo album “Firecracker” and the single charted at #17. By the way the electric guitar she is playing in the official video of “I Do” is a Danelectro Convertible – their answer to an acoustic electric. Having two Danos, I can appreciate what Nathan Daniel did with Masonite and a lipstick tube pickup.

Lisa got prominent attention with her 1994 recording of “Stay (I Missed You)” that appeared in the movie “Reality Bites.” It was the first #1 song to be recorded by an artist without a major record deal. While “Stay (I Missed You)” was a bigger hit, I prefer “I Do.” Since I write this blog, I get to pick the songs. I hope you concur.

Live Version

In Memory of Doc Watson

This past Tuesday, the music world lost another legend “Doc” Watson. Saddled with the moniker Arthel Lane Watson, the legend is a radio announcer gave him the nickname “Doc” in reference to Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick. Doc lost his eyesight from an infection when he was one year old – therefore, he was blind for the majority of his life.

It is said that he learned his flatpicking style by learning to play fiddle tunes on his guitar. For many years he traveled and performed with his son Merle, who was equally accomplished guitarist. Merle died in an accident on the family farm in 1985.

He had fallen at his home and while at the hospital it was discovered that he had colon cancer. He died following the surgical procedure. Doc was 89 years young. As a tribute to Doc, his rendition of "When I Lay My Burdens Down" is our Spiritual Sunday selection. Rest in Peace, Doc and say hi to Merle for us.

Midnight Oil: Blue Sky Mine

Back in 1990, I was working on a Master’s of Arts degree in humanities with a dual concentration in history and media. One of my classes that fall semester was titled as History of Coal Mining in West Virginia and our final project was to create a week long curriculum to teach a unit on some aspect of coal mining to an eighth grade audience. I selected music class as my vehicle where the students would analyze different songs relating to various aspects of coal mining.

For the Thursday class, the students were to listen to and discuss songs relating to the dangers of coal mining and other industrial accidents. Two of the non-coal mining songs I used in the curriculum were Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and a newer song, Midnight Oil’s “Blue Sky Mine.”

Released earlier that spring, “Blue Sky Mine” dealt with the health dangers contracted by the miners of the Wittenoom blue asbestos mine in Western Australia. In 1966, the government shut down the operation as well as the town. Even visiting the ghost town is considered hazardous today and the town’s name has been removed from maps and road signs. Vehicular traffic stirs up the blue asbestos fibers and increases human inhalation risks.

While the song was a #1 record on both the US mainstream rock and modern rock charts, it only charted at #47 on the Hot 100, making it a bubbling under hit as it failed to chart within the top 40. During the time, I was working at an oldies station and I was introduced to this particular song via MTV.

I really like Peter Garrett’s vocals and harmonica on this particular cut. Since Midnight Oil disbanded in 2002, Garrett has served as a member of Australia’s parliament since 2004 and has held a variety of leadership positions. In 2003, he was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia.

Lyrics

There'll be food on the table tonight
There'll be pay in your pocket tonight

My gut is wrenched out it is crunched up and broken
My life that is lived is no more than a token
Who'll strike the flint upon the stone and tell me why?

If I yell out at night there's a reply of blue silence
The screen is no comfort I can't speak my sentence
They blew the lights at heaven's gate and I don't know why

But if I work all day on the blue sky mine
(There'll be food on the table tonight)
Still I walk up and down on the blue sky mine
(There'll be pay in your pocket tonight)

The candy store paupers lie to the shareholders
They're crossing their fingers they pay the truth makers
The balance sheet is breaking up the sky

So I'm caught at the junction still waiting for medicine
The sweat of my brow keeps on feeding the engine
Hope the crumbs in my pocket can keep me for another night

And if you blue sky mining company won't come to my rescue
If the sugar refining company won't save me
Who's gonna save me?

But if I work all day on the blue sky mine
(There'll be food on the table tonight)
And if I walk up and down on the blue sky mine
(There'll be pay in your pocket tonight)

And some have sailed from a distant shore
And the company takes what the company wants
And nothing's as precious
As a hole in the ground

Who's gonna save me?
I pray that sense and reason brings us in
Who's gonna save me?
We've got nothing to fear

In the end the rain comes down
Washes clean the streets of a blue sky mine

Billy Joel: The Ballad of Billy The Kid

Today’s Friday Flipside is neither historical nor autobiographical; however, for years many have thought that Billy Joel’s “The Battle of Billy the Kid” was just that. While inspired by Aaron Copeland’s ballet, “Billy the Kid,” Joel’s song is pure fiction in recounting the life of William H. McCarty alias William H. Bonney alias Billy the Kid.

In the song, Billy was stated as being from Wheeling, WV. While Wheeling was the home of Marsh-Wheeling Stogies, the Wheeling Jamboree, and was bisected by the National Road, it was not the home of Billy Kid. In fact it has been suggested that he was born in New York City, but his actual birthplace is not known.

“Well, he started with a bank in Colorado” – Bonney wasn’t a thief – he, however, was a gunman and a murderer.

“Well, he never traveled heavy; yes, he always rode alone” is inaccurate as Bonney had a small gang of compadres.

“To watch the hangin' of Billy the Kid” – is another piece of fiction as Billy the Kid was shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett.

“But he finally found a home underneath the Boot Hill grave that bears his name” – If Joel was referring to Boot Hill as a cemetery name (which was used for several cemeteries), then the song is wrong as he was buried in Old Fort Sumner Cemetery in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. If Joel was using boot hill as a euphemism for the graves of those who died with their boots on, then his usage was correct.

While a headstone indicated the approximate burial locations for Bonney, Tom O'Folliard, and Charlie Bowdre, his specific marker was stolen in 1950 and finally recovered in 1976. It was stolen again in 1981, but was quickly recovered.

I always thought that the Billy the Kid from Oyster Bay, Long Island was autobiographical of Joel himself; however, he admitted on the liner notes for “Songs in the Attic” that another Billy, who was a bartender, was the final verse’s inspiration.

Despite the inaccuracies in the lyrics, I always loved this song and it shows the breadth of Joel’s literary genius. Today’s version comes from his 1981 live album “Songs in the Attic.” It was the “B” side to “She’s Got A Way.” The “A” side peaked at #23.

Original Studio Version

The song originally appeared on Joel’s first Columbia album “Piano Man.” This version has a string arrangement. Joel plays harmonica on birth versions.

Only 110 more posts until the end of “Reading Between the Grooves.”