Not My Buddy: It's So Easy

Buddy Holly only had two Top 5 hits, “That’ll Be The Day” with the Crickets at #1 and his solo “Peggy Sue” which peaked at #2. The only other Top 5 Holly related record was Linda Ronstadt’s cover of “It’s So Easy.” Released in 1977 from her “Simple Dreams” album, “It’s So Easy” was Ronstadt’s second Buddy Holly hit. Her 1976 version of “That’ll Be The Day” charted at #11 – not bad for a couple of songs’ second lives.

While The Crickets released “It’s So Easy” as a single in 1958 and supported the record with a performance on American Bandstand, their version failed to chart. The song is credited to Holly and his producer/manager Norman Petty. Petty’s contribution to Holly’s songs where he received writing credit has always been suspect. A case in point is “That’ll Be The Day.” Nearly a year before meeting Petty, Holly recorded the song for Decca; however, Petty was credited on the hit version of the song by The Crickets as a writing collaborator along with Jerry Allison and Holly.

On the original Decca recording, only Allison and Holly are credited as writers. It was not unusual for producers, managers, and artists to demand payment in kind via credit and in the process picking up a percentage of the songwriting royalties.

The arrangement may have been conditional upon his contract with Petty, Holly may have been ignorant of the nebulous world of song royalties, or it may be a situation of Holly willing to take a smaller percentage over something that would bring him greater fame and money in the long run. In other words, 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

In addition, Petty would also cash in on a share of the publishing royalties; the song was originally published by NorVaJak music – a company owned by Norman Petty (Nor), Violet Ann Petty (Va), and Jack Vaughn (Jak) who were members of the Norman Petty Trio. Paul McCartney’s MPL Communications purchased NorVaJak’s entire catalog of songs in 1975.

Since that time, McCartney has been earning the publishing royalties on many, if not all, of Holly’s songs including “It’s So Easy” and “That’ll Be The Day.” This was the case when Ronstadt recorded the songs and McCartney received mechanical royalties from the sale of the albums, cassettes, and singles. He also earned performance royalties for when Ronstadt's version played on radio and TV and when she sang it in concert. In other words, Sir Paul’s investment was a sound one – and he is still earning royalties from these recordings.

As for Ronstadt’s version, “It’s So Easy” and “Simple Dreams’” other hit single, Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou,” helped propel the album to the number one slot for five weeks. At the time, Ronstadt was the first artist to have two simultaneous Top 5 records since The Beatles and the first female vocalist to perform this feat. And now you know.

Not My Buddy: Blue Days, Black Nights

Released as Buddy Holly’s first single in April 1956, “Blue Days, Black Nights” was not a Buddy Holly composition; however, he was the first to record this Ben Hall song – and thus would be the artist normally associated with this rockabilly classic. Hall would not release his own version of “Blue Days, Black Nights” until 1960 when he and his Circle 4 Ramblers collaborated on a country version of the song complete with steel guitar and his characteristic nasally vocals.

Personally, I prefer Holly’s version, but the original sold less than 20,000 units. Interestingly, a near mint single copy of “Blue Days, Black Nights” has been valued at $500+, while a near mint copy of the pink label promo single fetches over $600. Because of the single’s value, both versions have been often bootlegged and passed off as original releases.

“Blue Days, Black Nights” was one of two singles released by Holly on Decca in 1956 that failed to chart; therefore, Decca shelved the project which also included a nascent and slower version of “That’ll be the Day.” Once The Crickets and Buddy Holly started having hit records on Decca’s own subsidiaries of Brunswick and Coral, Decca finally released an album of the 1956 sessions recorded at Owen Bradley’s studios in Nashville.

To capitalize on The Crickets’ 1957 number one release of “That’ll Be the Day,” Decca used that as the album’s title. This 1958 LP was repackaged twice on Vocalion Records, another Decca (MCA) subsidiary, as “The Great Buddy Holly” and “Good Rockin’.” I have both, but do not own the original Decca release. Three subsequent singles were released from the Decca sessions; however, they proved as lackluster in chart performance as did Buddy’s first single:  “Blue Days, Black Nights.”

By 1957, fellow Texan Bob Luman and the Shadows took a cue from Buddy Holly and recorded a similar version of “Blue Days, Black Nights” for Imperial Records. For the Luman recording, James Burton, who would later play guitar for Ricky Nelson, recreated a sound similar to Sonny Curtis’ chord leads from the original. Unfortunately, Imperial was unable to generate any interest in Luman after three single releases, and so the other recordings from these sessions were shelved. Are we seeing a pattern here?

In 1988, Bear Family Records was able to get its paws on the Imperial recordings and released an LP entitled “Wild Eyed Woman.” With this long overdue album of Luman material from the 50s, the public got its first taste of Luman’s take on Holly’s rendition of Ben Hall’s song “Blue Days, Black Nights.” Sold American, whew!

Bear Family has reissued “Blue Days, Black Nights” on several compilations of Luman material. Unlike the original, Luman’s version features a rockin’ piano. And for the record, I like Luman’s version better than Ben Hall’s. Frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever like Hall’s release.

Luman, who recorded for more labels than Carter’s had Little Liver Pills, finally had one top 10 pop hit in 1960 and one top 10 country hit along with several mid-charting country singles in the early 70s. This rockabilly legend never achieved the fame that his talent deserved. In 1978, Luman died from pneumonia at age 41.

Not My Buddy: Words of Love

It’s the second week of the month and I decided to do my focus on songs by Buddy Holly that were recorded by others. Some of these, the mainstream population will recognize – while others may only be known by diehard fans of Buddy Holly or the cover artists. I have a wide gap of musical styles from which I will choose this week, so let’s get rolling.

Although released as a single in 1957 under Buddy’s own name on Coral Records, “Words of Love” was a wonderful tune, but a colossal failure on the charts. It never made it into the Hot 100 or onto the UK charts; however, some lads in Liverpool, England had a copy of the song and began performing it during their live shows.

When The Beatles originally performed the song, John Lennon and George Harrison sang the duet – which produced a sound similar to Buddy Holly’s double tracked vocals on the original. When The Beatles eventually recorded the song in 1964 for their “Beatles for Sale” LP, it was John and Paul McCartney that sang the vocal duet. In the US, the song appeared on “Beatles VI.”

The guitar on the original appears to be double tracked as well, as the credits only list Buddy Holly on guitar and vocals, Joe Maudlin on bass, and Jerry Allison on drums. George Harrison’s 12-string guitar mimicked Holly’s original two guitar sound. Although Allison played drums on the Holly version, Ringo hand slapped a packing case which gave it the feel of Allison’s percussion on Holly’s “Everday.” On that number, Allison slapped his lap for the sound.

Buddy’s first hit, “That’ll Be the Day,” was recorded under The Cricket’s moniker on the Brunswick label and the record buying public may have not yet associated Buddy Holly on Coral as being the lead vocalist for The Crickets. This may explain why the follow-up to a #1 record completely failed to chart – a highly unusual occurrence in the music business. The momentum of the previous hit should have had some influence on its successor.

Although I was initially familiar with Holly’s version of the song, I got to know The Beatles’ take on the tune when in 1971 I purchased a copy of the German import of “Beatles for Sale” on the Odeon label. Our local National Record Mart in North Versailles, PA’s Eastland Shopping Center had four German import Beatles’ releases and I purchased all four that spring. By 1973, I finally found a copy of the original mono mix of “Beatles VI” on the black Capital label in a Cox’s Department store in McKeesport, PA. Great stuff from the Fab 4.

The Spencer Davis Group: Can't Get Enough of It

Here it ‘tis – another Friday – the day we celebrate the other side of the record with our Friday Flipside selection. Today’s feature is one that, unless you’ve owned the single, you’ve probably never heard The Spencer Davis Group’s “Can’t Get Enough of It.”

This particular number was the “B” side of “I’m A Man” from January 1967. In addition to “I’m A Man” being later covered by Chicago, The Spencer Davis Group charted at the #10 spot in the US with the tune. I don’t believe either side was released on an album at the time – a practice that was fairly common in Britain, but did not happen too often in the US with popular artists that came from across the pond.

The US labels tended to milk the record buying product for all they were worth. First, they had less tracks on an album (12 to the Brit’s 14), and then the surplus tracks and the singles were generally packaged into a new album that was only available in North America. Compare the US and UK Beatles albums and you’ll see what I mean.

Lead singer and keyboardist Steve Winwood, one the most talented men in the business, shines on this number. Not only is Winwood gifted, but it is truly amazing that he was not quite 19 years of age when this cut was released – he always sounded like he was much older and the depth of his playing drew from a well far deeper than his years.

“Can’t Get Enough of It” was cowritten by Winwood and producer Jimmy Miller. It also was one of the last cuts to feature Steve and his brother Muff Winwood. Both left the band with Steve going on to form Traffic and Muff transitioning to the role of Island Records’ A&R Director.

Vanilla Fudge: You Keep Me Hangin' On

It is said that Vanilla Fudge’s cover of The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hanging On” was recorded in one take; however, it took two times on the charts for their version to become a hit in its own right. A 2:50 edit of a seven minute album cut was originally released in June 1967 and immediately stalled at #67.

Believing in the potential of the band, ATCO Records re-released the single in June 1968 and the second time around it peaked at #6. The first release titled the song as "You Keep Me Hanging On" while the second release correctly rendered the title with the dropped "G."

While it seems unusual for a psychedelic band like Vanilla Fudge would record this tune as their first single, but drummer Carmine Appice explains the rationale:

In 1966, when I joined the band, there was a thing going around the New York area and Long Island that was basically slowing songs down, making production numbers out of them, and putting emotion into them . . . We were all looking for songs that were hits and could be slowed down with emotion put into them. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” lyrically was a hurtin’ kind of song, and when The Supremes did it, it was like a happy song. We tried to slow down the song and put the emotion the song should have into it with the hurtin’ kind of feeling the song should have [had].

The Supremes released their version in October 1966 and it skyrocketed up both the Hot 100 and the R&B charts to the top position on both. Vanilla Fudge’s first release of the single was probably positioned too close to The Supremes’ version for it to be taken seriously.

By 1968, enough time had elapsed and Vanilla Fudge’s heavy sound was much more palatable to the record buying public. The tune was authored by Motown staff writers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland who composed numerous hit records for Barry Gordy’s enterprise.

Album Version

Fairport Convention: Percy's Song

I must apologize for being gone for about 10 days, but I needed a little vacation from writing to take care of other aspects of my life. In the last few days, I’ve been familiarizing myself with some Fairport Convention albums that I bought late in my vinyl buying days and procured both “Unhalfbricking” and “Full House” used at the time.

I think the reason for my not purchasing these albums is that they were well represented on the two disc set “History of Fairport Convention” that I purchased as a British import 40 years ago during the summer of 1973. While I had continued to buy newer Fairport releases, I didn’t add these two LPs to my collection until much later. The result is that I don’t know these two albums as well as I do others including some that are not as memorable but good in their own right.

As for “Unhalfbricking,” it was released in the US with a different cover than the UK version and I believe I have both versions in my collection – but I can’t swear to it. I know I at least have the American release on A&M with the silly elephant cover. The original UK version of the album had Fairport in a garden with Sandy Denny’s parents in the foreground. The album’s strange name was a concoction of Denny’s via a word game that the band played on the way to gigs.

“Unhalfbricking” features the band’s take on three Bob Dylan tunes that had not yet appeared on any of his officially released albums: “Million Dollar Bash, “Si Tu Dois Partir,” and “Percy’s Song.” “Si Tu Dois Partir” was a French language version of “If You Gotta Go, Go Now” and the Liverpool Five and Manfred Mann both released the English versions of the song in 1965.

It is said that Dylan’s UK publisher had a listening party of the recently recorded but unreleased “Basement Tapes” and the band chose those three songs to record. I tend to believe it may have been Dylan’s management company, as all three songs are credited to different publishers and “Million Dollar Bash” was the only one from the “Basement Tapes” sessions.

“If You Gotta Go, Go Now” was originally recorded during Dylan’s “Bringing it Back Home” album in 1965. “Percy’s Song” was older and had been omitted from Dylan’s 1963 “The Times They Are A-Changin’” LP. The band also recorded a fourth Dylan tune, “Dear Landlord,” which did not make it to the vinyl release, but was later added to the CD version as an extra cut along with “Ballad of Easy Rider.”

“Percy’s Song” was the first song recorded for “Unhalfbricking” and includes Iain Matthews on back-up vocals. It was the only song on the album with which he appeared just prior to his leaving the band. In many ways, “Unhalfbricking” was an album of transitions for Fairport Convention.

Matthews, who had been with the group from the first album, left during the sessions. Drummer Martin Lamble, another original member, was killed in a tragic accident while the band was returning from a gig. Fairport was beginning to move into an electric folk direction with the recording of “A Sailor’s Life,” and Dave Swarbrick would contribute his fiddle and mandolin on four cuts.

Swarb would become a full-fledged member of Fairport Convention with the release of the next album: “Liege and Lief,” as would drummer Dave Mattacks whose only contribution to “Unhalfbricking” was playing on the bonus track “Ballad of Easy Rider.”

In relation to the crash that killed Lamble and Richard Thompson’s girlfriend, “Percy’s Song’s” seventh verse was strangely prophetic:

A crash on the highway
Flew the car to a field
Turn, turn, turn again
There was four persons killed
And he was at the wheel
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind

Although only two people died, others in the van were badly injured and the accident would have a devastating effect upon Fairport.

From a recording standpoint, “Percy’s Song” starts as an a cappella number and crests and recedes with instrumentation. The vocals are joined successively in order by an acoustic guitar, bass and drums, electric dulcimer, electric guitars, and organ. Toward the song’s end, the instrumentation diminishes to an acoustic guitar, dulcimer, bass, and drums.

Then again the song begins to build with the addition of electric guitars and finally the organ reappears. At the fade, all that is heard is an acoustic guitar, dulcimer, and organ – sweet. It really is a nice arrangement and shows what creative production can do. My goodness, Joe Boyd was a genius in the studio. I hope you enjoy this classic track from 1969 for our Wooden Music Wednesday.

Asylum Records: James Dean

It’s our final look at Asylum Records and our Bubbling Under Hit for this Saturday is the Eagles’ “James Dean.” Showing the incestuous nature of Asylum Records, “James Dean” was co-written by label solo artists Jackson Browne and J.D. Souther and two members of the Eagles, Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

Originally recorded during the sessions for the band’s second album, “Desperado,” it was shelved because, although the song’s subject had a rebellious side, it did not fit the outlaw theme of that particular album. When sessions for “On the Border” were initiated, the band resurrected “James Dean” – at least the song that is.

James Dean, the man not the song, had become legendary despite his starring roles in only three motion pictures. Two events were primary in Dean becoming a cultural icon for a generation: his role of the troubled Jim Stark in “Rebel without a Cause,” with which many teens identified, and his premature death as a result of an automobile accident while driving his Porsche Spyder. The Eagles’ lyrics refer to both of these:

“You were the low-down rebel if there ever was, even if you had no cause” and
“Along came a Spyder and picked up a rider; took him down the road to eternity.”

While Bernie Leadon played the lead guitar on the cut, Glenn Frey was lead singer. I had a chance to meet Frey when he was opening for Tina Turner in 1985. He was a lot of fun. Backstage, I was wearing my Y-94 station baseball jacket with my name sewn on the front. Radio jocks and programmers from three markets were present.

Frey immediately said to me, “Jim, how are you doing?” And then he gave me a big man hug and whispered to me, “I saw your name on your jacket – let’s make these other radio guys think we’re long lost friends.” He then proceeded to do a little dance with me. That’s depicted below and is the only picture I have with Glenn. He’s a fun guy and provided me a great memory for the rest of my life.

“James Dean,” while an album radio cut, was not successful as a single and only charted at #77 in 1974. It was one of the minor hits for the band that had been preceded by two other songs that failed to make the Top 40: “Tequila Sunrise” and “Outlaw Man,” but were well known otherwise. “Already Gone,” which peaked at #32, acted as a Top 40 buffer between these under-performing singles. “James Dean” would be the last single to fail to make a solid dent in the pop charts for the next six years.