Graham Nash: Chicago

For this week’s “Thirty Something Thursday” feature, I was looking for a song that charted on Billboard’s Hot 100 from 30 to 39 and stumbled onto Graham Nash’s single from 1971. Interestingly enough, last week as I was traveling back from vacation I was singing this tune. Having not heard the song for years, I don’t know inspired me to remember it, but I’m glad I did.

Nonetheless, this single from Nash’s “Songs for Beginners” album met the criteria as it charted at #35. “Chicago” has all sorts of references to the tumultuous times in the Windy City during the late sixties. It references the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the riot incited by the Chicago Eight and their subsequent arrest and trial.

One of the defendants, Bobby Seale, was bound and gagged in the courtroom during the trial because of his frequent outbursts. His experience inspired the opening line, “So your brother’s bound and gagged and they chained him to a chair.” Nash wanted to play a benefit in behalf of the Chicago 8’s defense fund and in the lyrics, he pleads with his Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young bandmates to “please come to Chicago just to sing.”

Although CSN regularly perform the tune in concert, Nash is the only member of CSNY to appear on the studio recording of “Chicago.” Besides providing vocals, he plays guitar, organ, piano, and tambourine. Rita Coolidge, Venetta Fields, Clydie King, and Dorothy Morrison sang the backup lines, “We can change the world.”

J-Man and Keith: 20th Century Boy

Back from a short vacation, I’m ready to rock with “Reading Between the Grooves.” Since today is my father’s birthday, I’ve picked a song that was used in Verizon’s Father’s Day commercial from last month.

Sounding a great deal like T-Rex’s 1973 original recording of “20th Century Boy,” the cover by J-Man and Keith captures the soul of Marc Bolan. The cut was released just weeks before Father’s Day in May 2014.

Original Recording from T-Rex

The original T-Rex recording was originally issued only as a single and did not appear on CD until 1994 when it was added as a bonus track to the 1973 album “Tanx.” The single did quite well in Europe; however, I cannot find any documentation that it was released as such in the US. If it was, it failed to chart.

The Dead of Winter - Johnny Winter

I heard the bad news today that one of the great guitarists of all time passed from this life into the next. John Dawson Winter, better known to most of us as Johnny Winter, died yesterday in his Zurich, Switzerland hotel room. Details of the cause of the 70 year-old’s death have not been released.

Winter was a king of the slide guitar – whether he was playing his National Duolian or Tricone resonator models or one of his many Gibson Firebirds, Johnny put many other slide players to shame. While he played other guitars besides Nationals and Firebirds, they were his signature instruments.

Unfortunately, I’ve only seen him play once and that was during the summer of 1977. My brother, bassist friend Nick Brack, and I piled into one of our Chevy Vegas (Chuck and I both had one) and traveled west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to see Johnny play at Youngstown, Ohio’s Tomorrow Club. It was our mother’s birthday, but we celebrated with Johnny. I hope she has forgiven us after all these years.

Johnny’s playing was unmistakable and his gritty voice was like none other. Prior to going to college, I picked up several of his early albums including “First Winter” on Buddha Records, which Johnny never legitimized. When Johnny began to make noise on the musical scene, one of his early cuts that got airplay was his raucous rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.”

This classic was issued on his third legitimate album and the second for Columbia appropriately called “Second Winter.” This 1969 album was unique as it was a three-sided LP. I have 15 thousand LPs and believe that it’s the only three-sided album I have. There probably were several others, but I can’t think of any – however I have a number of one sided records in my collection. Really “Second Winter” was a typical double-sided record coupled with a one sided LP.

From a talented family, Johnny and his younger brother Edgar began signing together as children and often collaborated over the years while also pursuing solo careers. The world will miss this gifted musician who was slated to begin a US tour next month. Unfortunately, that won’t happen. Rest in Peace Johnny.

Tommy Ramone Was A Punk Rocker

By the time The Ramones hit the music scene, I had just come off from a long association with progressive rock and had moved into listening to jazz and fusion. The Ramones and other punk rock bands were not my cup of tea at the time; however, I learned to appreciate their simplistic style that invoked their rock ‘n’ roll roots. As Tommy Ramone is credited as saying, their choice of music was “hugely influential blasts of short, aggressive, cartoonishly fast songs.”

Born in Budapest, Hungary as Erdélyi Tamás – a name which he also reversed as Thomas Erdelyi before taking the stage surname Ramone. The Ramone moniker was chosen by the band because Paul McCartney had previously used the pseudonym Paul Ramon early in his career.

Last Friday, Tommy Ramone – the last remaining original member of the band – passed away from bile duct cancer at the age of 65. Because of his disdain for touring, Ramone left his post as the band’s drummer in 1979 shortly after the release of their third album, “Rocket to Russia.”

Ramone served as drummer on the band’s first three albums and the 2003 live release of “NYC 1978.” After leaving the band, he served as producer on 1979’s “It’s Alive” and co-producer of 1984’s “Too Tough to Die.” To add to his resume, Ramone/Erdelyi served as an assistant engineer on Jimi Hendrix’ “Band of Gypsies,” Hendrix’s only album for Capitol Recrods.

To honor the last living original Ramone, I have selected “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” from the last studio album with Tommy Ramone as drummer. It was their second highest charting single; as it placed at #81 on the Hot 100. The song also appeared in the movie “Pet Sematary.”

Rest in Peace Tommy – you’ll be missed.

The Year's The Thing: 1921

Our final look at songs with years in the title brings us to an album cut from the very first rock opera: The Who’s “Tommy.” The song “1921” is the third selection on the album. The back story of the song is that Captain Walker, who had been presumed dead, returns from World War I and discovers that his wife moved on with her life with a new lover.

Incensed, Walker kills his rival; however, his young son Tommy (who was born when he was off to war) witnesses the act. The parents tell him “You didn’t hear it”; “You didn’t see it”; and “You won’t say nothing to no one.” Forced into silence, Tommy retreats into his own post-traumatic shell and becomes the deaf, dumb, and blind kid – who later excels at pinball by sense of touch.

Pete Townshend sings lead on “1921” and is joined by Roger Daltry in a duet later during the song’s chorus. While concept albums had been released for several years, “Tommy” introduced the rock opera idea. “Got a feeling '21 is going to be a good year.”

The Year's The Thing: 1900

Probably best known as the label of The Turtles, White Whale Records hit dire financial straits when their flagship act disbanded in 1970. In an effort to reinvigorate sales, White Whale signed Liz Damon’s Orient Express to the label and licensed their recordings from Makaha Records in Hawaii.

This Hawaiian based band fronted by Liz Damon was making waves on the islands, and White Whale hoped to ride the crest to financial stability. Their single “1900 Yesterday” did quite well, as this relatively unknown band was able to land the #33 slot on the Hot 100 in early 1971.

 
Liz Damon’s Orient Express’ best response came via easy listening audiences where “1900 Yesterday” charted at #4 on that specialized chart. Unfortunately, the album failed to make a dent, as it only peaked at #190. After only two weeks on the album charts, it drifted into nothingness. A follow-up single, “But for Love”/“You Make Me Feel Like Someone,” failed to chart and did not repeat the performance of “1900 Yesterday.”

The album and the two singles were among the final releases for the label. It was essentially too little, too late for White Whale to capitalize on Liz Damon’s only chart success; the label folded in 1971.

That same year, White Whale owners Ted Feigin and Lee Lasseff began another recording venture with Anthem Records. Distributed by United Artists, Anthem was home for a number of White Whale alumni including Liz Damon’s Orient Express. The band, however, never achieved the success that they experienced with “1900 Yesterday.”

Liz Damon’s Orient Express’ version of “1900 Yesterday” was a cover of the original 1969 recording by Betty Everrett. John Cameron wrote the tune for fellow Chicagoan Everrett; however, her version was relegated to the Uni Records’ flipside of “Maybe.” That particular single only made it to #116.

While I prefer Everrett’s soul tinged version, Liz Damon’s cover is the one that is familiar with most audiences. Damon’s recording became an unexpected gift to Cameron who reaped more benefit from her single than did White Whale Records.

The Year's The Thing: 1974

Today’s selection is the most recent recording that we’ll feature this week; however, it is not the most recent year, “1974.” Written about the year of Ryan Adams birth, it appears on his 2003 album “Rock N Roll.” The album was released on November 4, 2003 – the day prior to Adams’ 29th birthday. In “1974,” Adams references “just like the day I was born” over and over.

The album did moderately well at the #33 slot; however, “1974” was not released as a single. Adams does all of the guitar work and a good number of other instrumentation on the album. It has been reported that Adams has been temperamental at times and some of that angst comes out in his music. Enjoy.