Richard Thompson: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

I took the weekend off to enjoy the Memorial Day holiday and I took liberty from my blog authoring duties. I am back to pick up with at Traditional Tuesday selection. Today, it’s probably one of the better known Richard Thompson songs from his solo career: “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”

This live recording from the 2006 Cambridge Folk Festival showcases the excellent finger style picking of Thompson. The song is a mini epic that has everything – a red haired beauty, love, crime, death, and a classic motorcycle. The tragic ending of this song is not unlike some of the top forty hits of the 60s – notably The Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack” and J. Frank Wilson’s “Last Date.” I like Thompson’s song better though.

Elton John: Elderberry Wine

Our Friday flipside has the distinction of being the first single release on the newly consolidated MCA Records label. In late 1972, Music Corporation of America decided to consolidate all of their various labels that included the following: (American) Decca, Coral, Vocalion, Uni, MCA Special Products, and I am sure there are a few other labels I may be forgetting at the present. Elton John had been signed to the Uni (short for Universal – one of their other companies).

I remember buying the single in December 1972 at H.L. Greens in McKeesport, PA. They had the cheapest records in the area and I paid my fare on the 64-E bus to go into town to music shop. If I am not mistaken (and I am too lazy to go downstairs to pull my copy and check the matrix numbers), I believe “Elderberry Wine” was intended to be the “A” side, but was abandoned as radio picked “Crocodile Rock” as having more potential.

Both tunes were on Elton’s “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.” “Crocodile Rock” hit the top of the charts in the US and the follow-up single, “Daniel,” peaked at #2. The album was certified gold shortly after its release. It currently is triple platinum for 3 million sales.

The Pogues: If I Should Fall From The Grace Of God

Formed in London’s King’s Cross section in the 1980s, The Pogues gave rise to a new genre of music that was a clash (pun intended) of Celtic and punk styles. Today’s TV Thursday selection is the title cut from their 1988 album “If I Should Fall from the Grace of God.” It is currently used in the Subaru Forester “Hockey Mom” commercial.

At the time the band recorded “If I Should Fall from the Grace of God,” they were an eight piece that featured the following musicians:

• Shane MacGowan – vocals and guitar
• Spider Stacy – tin whistle and vocals
• James Fearnley – accordion, piano, mandolin, dulcimer, guitar, cello, and percussion
• Jem Finer – banjo and saxophone
• Andrew Ranken – drums and vocals
• Philip Chevron – guitar and mandolin
• Darryl Hunt – bass, percussion, and vocals
• Terry Woods (formerly of Steeleye Span) – cittern lute, concertina, strings, banjo, dulcimer, guitar, and vocals

Stereo Version

Released as a single in the UK, the song only charted at #58.

Music Video Version (Mono)

If you can stand to watch Shane MacGowan sing, here’s the music video for “If I Fall from the Grace of God.” He will not become the poster child for dental hygiene any time soon.

The Original Version

Recorded the previous year, The Pogues’ original version of the song was much slower and less intense. It was recorded for the “Straight to Hell” movie soundtrack.

Subaru Forester – Hockey Mom Commercial

The Jeff Healy Band: Angel Eyes

The Jeff Healey Band produced only one Top 40 hit, “Angel Eyes,” which was released in 1989 and headed up the Hot 100 to the number five slot. The song also charted at #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart and 24 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

The song also was re-released in 2008 following Healy’s death and charted at 28 in his native Canada on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart. Healy’s live performance also in the 1989 release of “Road House” didn’t hurt the chart performance of “Angel Eyes.” The song was written by John Hiatt.

While this was Healy’s only Top 40 hit, several of his songs charted on the Mainstream Rock chart. They include the following: “I Think I Love You Too Much” at #5, “Full Circle” at #16, “Heart of an Angel” at #20, “I See the Light” at #33, and “How Can a Man Be Strong” at #34. Healy’s only other song to chart in the Hot 100 was “Lost in Your Eyes,” which peaked at 91. Additionally, his interpretation of Freddie King’s “Hideaway” was nominated for best instrumental performance.

Plagued with gentic rentinoblastoma at 8 months of age, Healy was blind before the end of his first year. From early childhood, Jeff learned to play guitar but with it across his lap. He was later discovered by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. At just shy of 23 days from his forty-second birthday, Jeff Healy died of cancer on March 2, 2008.

Live Version from 2006

Talbot Brothers: Trail Of Tears

One of the saddest but most beautiful songs in my collection comes from catalog of music by Terry and John Michael Talbot. Released on their first album following the breakup of Mason Proffit, “Trail of Tears” tells the story of the removal of members of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes from the South Eastern US to relocate to the Indian Territories, which is now the state of Oklahoma.

The Trail of Tears was a series of forced marches of these Native American tribes with the relocation often occurring in the very worst of conditions as they were taken from their homes to reservations hundreds of miles away. For the Seminoles, the journey was a thousand miles or more. Many died from disease, starvation, and exposure to the elements on this tear filled journey. One source estimates that 4,000 of the 15,000 relocated Cherokee died en route to what is now Oklahoma.

I first became acquainted with this album and tune with the re-release of the Warner Brothers album on Sparrow Records in 1976. This is absolutely my favorite cut on the entire album and I think what drew me to this song was the acoustic Hawaiian guitar played by David Lindley. An expert multi-instrumentalist, Lindley adds two tracks of Hawaiian guitar to “Trail of Tears.”

David Lindley playing a Weissenborn Hawaiian Guitar

For those unfamiliar with the instrument, the Hawaiian guitar is a six-string guitar with a raised nut. It was the predecessor to the lap steel guitar and the Dobro®.

I can’t swear to it, but Lindley is probably playing a Weissenborn Hawaiian guitar on "Trail of Tears." It is an unusual instrument in that the guitar’s neck is a part of its body. The neck cavity is hollow as well giving the guitar a sweet but haunting tone with natural reverberation. I hope now you can understand my affinity towards this particular cut.

Laszlo: Mr. Sunshine

As you can tell, I am very eclectic in my musical tastes. I like a wide variety of musical styles and I am not sure how I found the artist Laszlo, but I believe I was searching for mandolin music and this particular cut utilizes mandolin. It is a far cry of the mandolin music I might feature on Traditional Tuesdays, but I like it just the same.

Laszlo is a pseudonym for London based music producer Aaron Frederick Wheeler. It is hard to classify this music as it has West African rhythms, jazz, and technopop influences. Laszlo uses four instruments on the intro of “Mr. Sunshine” that are heavily processed to give the tune its unique sound: mandolin, Spanish guitar, piano, and a Rhodes electric piano.

He also utilizes homemade rhythm instruments and taps the side of the mandolin for percussive purposes. As the song swells to the end, a number of other keyboards are added to the mix. I liked “Mr. Sunshine” immediately. Recently the song was animated and the accompanying video adds some additional sound effects. It also has a surprise ending – watch it in full.

Another cut that can be found on YouTube is “Zeitgeist,” which reminds me of Kraftwerk. The CD features three original tunes and three remixes including the following that really exudes technopop stylings. This is the Raga Waltz Remix.

Bruce Cockburn: Closer To The Light

Today’s spiritual Sunday selection comes from the pen and the guitar of Canadian Bruce Cockburn. Cockburn, who embraced Christianity in the 1970s from his former belief of agnosticism, often subtly links theological messages into his music.

Some will immediately see the connection, while others are trapped in the mystery of his imagery. “Closer to the Light” is one of those songs that is not overtly Christian in its lyrical content; however, its spiritual message is there just the same.

The song was one of many written in tribute to the late Mark Heard following his August 1992 passing. The song is obviously about the loss of someone who now has slipped into the darkness of death but is closer to the light. Subtle, but it is understandable as well.

Closer to the Light

There you go
Swimming deeper into mystery
Here I remain
Only seeing where you used to be
Stared at the ceiling
'Til my ears filled up with tears
Never got to know you
Suddenly you're out of here

Gone from mystery into mystery
Gone from daylight into night
Another step deeper into darkness
Closer to the light

Walked outside
Summer moon was nearly down
Mist on the fields
Holy stillness all around
Death's no stranger
No stranger than the life I've seen
Still I cry
Still I begged to get you back again

Gone from mystery into mystery
Gone from daylight into night
Another step deeper into darkness
Closer to the light