One Hit Wonder: Disco Duck

I would be remiss if I did not mention that on this day in 1976, "Disco Duck" topped the charts and stayed for a week. The song, by Los Angeles disc jockey Rick Dees, poked fun at some of the dance styles of the day with its story of a man who dances like a duck. And, like lots of novelty songs that capitalize on a dance or a genre of music, the song didn’t do too much to help whatever shred of credibility other artists working in that style had earned.
Although the song appeared in the disco-defining film Saturday Night Fever, it was not included on the multi-bazillion selling soundtrack album, much to Dees’ consternation (but to the endless gratitude of the rest of us).
So, if you insist on hearing it, you’ll find it here.
Otherwise, it’s best to pretend it never happened.

Cover Connection: Red Red Wine

Most people are familiar with UB40's version of "Red Red Wine." The band's infectious, reggae tinged cover topped the US charts on this day in 1988, although it took five years to get there. The song was a reissue of UB40's first version, with the addition of a "toast" by the band's resident rapper Astro. Both versions trace their influence to a 1969 ska flavored version recorded by Jamaican artist Tony Tribe.
But the original song, written and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1968, was a slower mournful number--a drunk's lament over lost love.

Red, red wine
Go to my head
Make me forget that I
Still need her so

Red, red wine
It's up to you
All I can do, Ive done
But memories wont go
No, memories wont go

I'd have sworn
That with time
Thoughts of you
Would leave my head
I was wrong
And I find
Just one thing
Makes me forget

Red, red wine
Stay close to me
Dont let me be alone
It's tearing apart
My blue, blue heart

Lyrically, it's a great song (as are many Diamond songs) that lends itself to a variety of styles. For example, a full-blown country-style version (with background singers and strings) was also released in 1968 by Jimmy James and the Vagabonds. However, none of these versions tracked very high on the charts. The success of UB40's version of "Red Red Wine" has to be attributed to the dance clubs of the late 1980s where it was one of the most requested songs--and, importantly, featured a solid beat that made it easy to mix. From that point on "Red Red Wine" went mainstream with heavy airplay.
A few years later, "Red Red Wine" went full circle, with a new version again by Neil Diamond, but this time with a nod to UB40's reggae stylings.

Listen to:
Red Red Wine, original version by Neil Diamond--1968

Red Red Wine, country version by Jimmy James and The Vagabonds--1968

Red Red Wine, ska version by Tony Tribe--1969

Red Red Wine, reggae version by UB40 1983

This Day In History: The Doors At Danbury High School

Forty Years ago today, The Doors played a concert at Danbury High School. Why is this significant? Well, for one, Danbury is my hometown, and the high school became part of the college I attended. But, more important it was the site of a memorable live recording of the group.
The Doors had just released their second album Strange Days four days earlier, and had run afoul of TV censors in an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show less than a month before. (The censors objected to the "Girl we couldn't get much higher" line from "Light My Fire," and when Jim Morrison sang it anyway, Sullivan banned the group from ever appearing on the show again.) Then it was back on the road for a concert swing through the northeast, including the Danbury stop.
The concert was put on not by Danbury High School, but by Western Connecticut State College as part of its Fall weekend.
The scene is set by this description from www.doorshistory.com:
This show is primarily attended by nearby college students from Western Connecticut State College and locals of Danbury. Prior to the show, Jim and his drinking buddy Tom Baker were partying all day. Tom even gets to introduce the band tonight preceded by a female announcer who tells the crowd not to leave their seats during the performance, or they will be escorted out of the venue! There was also a beauty pageant prior to this evening's performance.
Early into the show a group of students who are mad about The Four Seasons being cancelled are ragging on the band about how wasted they look and how ragged they appear. The band plays great tonight with a lot of energy, probably a carry over from their fabulous shows at The Scene. Jim however is pretty mellow, and it isn't until late in the concert that he jumps off the stage into the startled audience during "The End," leaps back on stage, and begins to smash the microphone stand into the stage repeatedly in a violent scene. The marks are still there!
The recording was made by a faculty member who taped it off the PA system. It's an amateur job to be sure, but still a decent recording (and the photo above was taken at this show).
The 10-song set list is made up of selections from The Doors and Strange Days, as well as a cover of Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)." According to a note on guitarist Robby Krieger's website, there were very few live recordings of "People Are Strange," so its inclusion here is important. Despite the poor audio quality, this is an interesting picture of a young band on the rise. Less than two months later Morrison made headlines again after he was arrested on stage in New Haven, Connecticut, for criticizing the police to the audience. Morrison said he had been maced by a police officer after he was caught backstage with a girl.
Listen to some cuts the Doors at Danbury High School:
Light My Fire
People Are Strange
Break On Through

Happy Birthday John Lennon

"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see. It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out--it doesn't matter much to me."
John Lennon would have been 67 today had a madman not ended his life. However, this post is not about his death, but of his life and what he did to bring truth, beauty, and peace to the world.
Lennon was my hero when I was growing up. I was a fan of his songs, his humor and his attitude. Through him I learned that there was nothing I can do that can't be done, and nowhere I can be that isn't where I'm meant to be. All I need is love. And, believe it or not, I found solace in those and other Lennon lyrics during some rather dark times of my life. They were positive messages, and helped me see that despite how bleak my situation seemed, it was within my power to change things for the better. And it was. To me it was a humanist philosophy that became part of the fabric of my life. "All You Need Is Love," "Give Peace A Chance," "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Watching The Wheels," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Mind Games," and especially "Imagine," made sense to me. I had "faith in the future, outta the now." I could envision a world without wars, greed, and hunger--nothing to kill or die for--in which we all lived in peace. The big piece of the puzzle was to get others to see it too. We're still light years from that point, and the events of recent years have erased much of the progress that had been made. But you know what? It's still a sustaining vision for me and, like the song says, I'm not the only one.
In honor of John Lennon's birthday, I'd like to share a live acoustic version of "Imagine," recorded 12-17-71at New York's Apollo Theater. Enjoy.

Listen: John Lennon, Imagine (Live)

Today in History: Hey Jude

On September 28, 1968, the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” hit number one on the US charts, where it stayed for nine weeks. It was on the charts for 19 weeks total, and has sold over 8 million copies. The song clocked in at more than 7 minutes, unusual for pop music at the time. The joke among disc jockeys at the time (back when deejays actually spun records) was that “Hey Jude” was the song you played when you needed to take a bathroom break. Frankly, I think it could have been better at a shorter run time—the fade out is longer than the actual song--but then the deejays would have to cross their legs.
"Hey Jude" is, in my opinion, not one of McCartney’s better lyrics because it doesn't seem to work all the way through. As he has said, it’s a message to then 5-year-old Julian Lennon to help him get through his parents’ divorce. That's okay for a few of the verses, but then it seems to be about... finding your love? Huh? And this line: “The movement you need is on your shoulder.” What does that even mean?
Anyway, there’s lots of trivia associated with this song. For example:
• In 1996, Julian Lennon paid £25,000 ($50,000 US today) for the recording notes to "Hey Jude" at an auction.
• In 2002, the original handwritten lyrics for the song were nearly auctioned off at Christie's in London, but Paul McCartney went to court to stop the auction, claiming the paper had been stolen. He won.
• Although written for Julian, John thought “Hey Jude” was about him instead (and many of the lyrics are, in fact, more geared to an adult than a child).
• Julian learned the real meaning behind the song for the first time from Paul in 1987 when the two ran into each other at a New York hotel.
• It was recorded over three days at Trident Studios, from July 29-31. Then on August 1, a 36-piece orchestra was added to the fade out.
• The recording includes an obscenity by John which made it to the final release. It’s buried deep in the mix, but listen closely right around the 3:00 minute mark and you’ll hear it. Singing harmony, John supposedly goofs his part and, nearly at the same moment as the word “begin,” you can hear him say “fuckin’ hell.” I’ve tweaked the EQ to remove most of the instruments on this clip so you can hear it for yourself.
• George does not appear on the record. He played lead guitar in several early takes of the song, but McCartney decided he didn’t want guitar in the final version. McCartney dubbed the bass part later.
• “Hey Jude" was performed just once live, on the British television show Frost on Sunday on September 8, 1968.
• George plays bass in this live performance.
• As a single, "Hey Jude" was backed by the rocker version of "Revolution" (the bluesy version appears on the White Album). Not counting later collections, neither song appeared on any Beatles album.
• 1968 seems to have been the year of long-playing singles. Besides “Hey Jude,” which ran for 7:08, Richard Harris's recording of “MacArthur Park,” came in at 7:29, and The Nice (Keith Emerson's band) had a UK hit with "America" which clocked in around 7:15.

Listen: The Beatles "Hey Jude" outtake from Anthology

Cover Connection: Sugar, Sugar

It's been called the “perfect pop song” and the “blueprint for Bubblegum,” but whatever you want to call it, "Sugar, Sugar" is a classic tune. It hit number one on this day in 1969 and stayed for four weeks. In England it hung on to the top spot for two months. Written by Jeff Barry (who produced The Monkees) and Andy Kim, the song was featured on The Archies cartoon show and very quickly climbed the charts.

Like the greatest of pop songs, "Sugar, Sugar" has hook chorus that you can’t get out of your mind once you hear it. (Don’t forget the “ba-ba-ba-ba ba-baa” part either.)

Sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you.
Honey, ah sugar sugar
You are my candy girl
And you got me wanting you

I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you.
(I just can't believe it's true).
I just can't believe the wonder of this feeling too.
(I just can't believe it's true).

(chorus)

When I kissed you girl, I knew how sweet a kiss could be.
(I know how sweet a kiss can be)
Like the summer sunshine pour your sweetness over me.
(Pour your sweetness over me).

Oh (sugar) pour a little sugar on me honey
(honey honey) Pour a little sugar on me baby
I’m gonna make your life so sweet (Yeah Yeah Yeah.)
Pour a little sugar on me (oh yeah)
Pour a little sugar on me honey
Pour a little sugar on me baby
I’m gonna make your life so sweet (hey hey hey)
Pour a little sugar on me honey.

(chorus)

Some trivia about the song:
• The woman who sang Veronica's line (I'm gonna make your life so sweet) on The Archies' version was Toni Wine, a singer and songwriter who also gave us "A Groovy Kind of Love" and "Candida."
• Also helping out on background vocals was Ellie Greenwich, who wrote dozens of top 40 hits including The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and the Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron."
• The title of one of Def Leppard's most popular songs, "Pour Some Sugar On Me," was taken from the coda section of The Archies' hit.
• Archies lead singer Ron Dante was also lead singer of The Cufflinks who scored a top 10 hit with "Tracy." The Cufflinks were, like The Archies, a nonexistant group, with Dante singing all the vocal parts in the studio. When the song became a hit, a group was assembled (without Dante) to perform it live.

"Sugar, Sugar" has been covered by lots of people, including Tom Jones and Ike & Tina Turner. It also has appeared as a Latin tune by Banda Comala, as a Ska tune by Big Thomas, and as a standard addition to dozens of kid-song records.

But while I’ll always have a soft spot for the original Archies version, I think the best cover is Wilson Pickett's take on "Sugar, Sugar," released in 1970. Pickett scrapes off the bubblegum and sings the song with an R&B grind that gives a whole new meaning to “sugar.” The song was one of Pickett's last hits for Atlantic before leaving the label in 1972.

Listen to The Archies Sugar, Sugar

Listen to Wilson Pickett Sugar, Sugar

One Hit Wonder: Play That Funky Music

It's September 18, 1976, and "Play That Funky Music" hits the charts and stays for three weeks, long enough to become ingrained in our cultural conciousness forever. Because even if you weren't alive back then, or know nothing else about the song, you probably know the chorus to this one:

Play that funky music white boy
Play that funky music right
Play that funky music white boy
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music till you die

The song was the only hit by a Pittsburgh rock band called Wild Cherry, led by singer and songwriter Rob Parissi. Named after a box of cough drops, the band had a rather unremarkable career in the early 1970s before breaking up. Parissi got a job managing a Bonanza steakhouse until he was overcome by the urge to get onstage once again.
But with disco music taking over the charts, the reformed Wild Cherry wasn't doing much better than its predecessor, until a fateful night in a club when they saw the direction their music would take.
"In the dressing room, I told the guys that we had to find a rock'n'roll way to play this disco stuff," Parissi said in an interview. "Our drummer said, 'Well, I guess it's like they say -- You gotta play that funky music, white boy.' I said, 'That's a great idea.' I grabbed a bar pad, the kind used to take down drink orders, and began to write."
The song itself is autobiographical, the tale of a rock band struggling to make it in a disco world until they add a funky beat to their music.

Now first it wasn't easy
Changin' Rock and Roll and minds
and things were getting shaky
I thought I'd have to leave it behind
But now its so much better (it's so much better)
I'm funking out in every way
But I'll never lose that feelin' (no I won't)
Of how I learned my lesson that day

To cement its new rock/funk direction Wild Cherry went into the studio to record a cover of a Commodores tune called "I Feel Sanctified," with"Play That Funky Music" planned as the B side of the disc. But their producer and label pushed for "Funky Music" to be the A side, and it soon took off. The song earned a number of honors for Wild Cherry: Billboard's Best Pop Group of the Year, an American Music Award for the Top R&B Single of the Year, as well as two Grammy nominations (Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo).
But at its heart, "Play That Funky Music" was always a novelty song, and groups that score their first hits with novelty songs are rarely able to follow up and build a lasting career (Dexy's Midnight Runners and "Come On Eileen" being a case in point).
Despite the initial acclaim, the group never scored again. "After that, we started to overproduce our records, and that's probably why we never had another major hit," Parissi said. "A lot of that was my fault, striving to sound different. We cut our last album in February 1979 and then just kind of fell apart."
So, while the group is long gone, its one big hit is still with us and still getting airplay...and royalties for Parissi, I hope.

Just a taste: Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry

A Real Blast From the Past

It's Sept. 15, 1967 and The Who are the musical guests on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS television. The lineup this evening includes actors Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney, as well as comedian and perennial presidential candidate Pat Paulsen, but viewers are tuned in to see this crazy band from England that smashes their instruments.
The Who, for better or worse, had become known for this onstage wreckage, precipitated by an episode in which guitarist Pete Townsend accidently snapped the neck of his guitar on a low club ceiling. The crowd at that gig went crazy, thinking it was part of the act, and Townsend, being no dummy, recognized a good gimmick when he saw one. The instrument-wrecking finale became an occasional part of the band's gigs, but not nearly as often as legend had it.
On the Smothers' program, however, they decided to make a real spectacle of it. Guitar amps were rigged with flash pots and smoke, and one of Keith Moon's bass drums was packed with a small explosive charge. The story goes that sometime before they went on stage, Moon the Loon bribed a stage hand to increase the amount explosives in the drum. The results are obvious at the end of this video. The band is clearly stunned by the blast. No one expected the explosion to be as intense as it was, blowing the front of his bass drum clean off, and spraying Townsend with shrapnel. Townsend, in fact, has said he blames that explosion for contributing to his severe hearing loss over the years. It was a spectacular finish to an otherwise not terribly exciting lip-sync effort, but it cemented the Who's reputation forever after.

Video : Let's Get It On

It was 23 years ago today that Marvin Gaye's classic ode to erotic lust, "Let's Get It On," hit number one on the charts where it stayed for two weeks. Legend has it that, played at the correct volume, the song could turn women to jello, and could make even white guys like me appear sexy. Or maybe I'm just making that up. Anyway, the song became a classic, and the album of the same name became Gaye's biggest seller during his lifetime. Here's a clip of Gaye performing "Let's Get It On" live in Montreux in 1980.