She'll Grow Back

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Spencer and Spencer

2010-06-19T07:00:00.003-04:00

Here's a tie-in post. This ties in Stagger Lee with my recent series of posts on Break-In Records. Spencer and Spencer were actually Dickie Goodman, king of the break-in records, and Detroit DJ Micky Shorr.

A bit of clarification before you download: This isn't actually a break-in record per se, using song lyrics as dialogue. In fact, it only samples two records: Lloyd Price's then-current hit version of Stag, and Stan Freberg's epic takedown of Lawrence Welk. The Freberg record was still very well-known in 1959, two years after its release, and in fact this uses a few of the same jokes ("The Lemon Sisters," a similarly deadly impression of Welk, and even the same sound effect to signify the crushing of Welk's accordion). This whole thing feels like Freberg Lite to me, reusing the diction correction of Stan's "Sh-Boom" and the running back into the studio of his "Day-O." But, in all fairness, even Freberg Lite is still funnier than the SNL parodies of Welk they've been doing lately.

So, to sum up, this isn't the funniest novelty record of 1959, or the funniest version of Stag. But it's good for a few giggles, and if you're a completist of Freberg, Stagger Lee, or even Welk parodies, it's essential listening.

Spencer and Spencer - Stagger Lawrence
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Silly Sundays - John and Ernest - Superfly Meets Shaft

2010-06-13T07:00:00.003-04:00

Remember how I was supposed to be doing a month of break-in records, right before my computer broke itself? Well, here's post #2. In 1973, some seventeen years after his first break-in release, Dickie Goodman produced (and presumably helped write and edit) this record by John and Ernest (wiki). It tells the story of Superfly, who's gone missing, and Shaft, who is called in to investigate.

I bought my own copy of this 45 long before I knew it was connected to "The Flying Saucer," on the title alone, and in fact on first listen it sounded like a familiar formula for a comedy record, but I couldn't quite place it. I didn't put two and two together until I got a cheap cheap copy of the now long-OOP Buchanan and Goodman anthology "Politically Correct?" and it was included therein.

Anyway, the samples used here are the obligatory Mayfield and Hayes, along with Billy Paul, Spinners, Four Tops, etc. (The samples are mostly identified, oddly enough, in the YouTube comments here.) Side two was a short loop of the final few seconds, which I won't be posting, but you can find it over at Jukeboxmafia, who apparently did a whole string of break-in posts a while back (at least one of which I don't currently have in my collection).

I've got at least one more post scheduled on this topic, so stay tuned, folks!

John and Ernest - Superfly Meets Shaft
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Frank Morey

2010-06-12T10:03:00.005-04:00

Frank Morey (official AMG FB MyS profile) is a Massachusetts blues-folk type of guy, with a perfect gravelly voice. Like Waits and Wolf before him, he uses his voice to express not just beauty but pain and anger and wrecked ennui and all sorts of other things, and even occasionally that beauty but through a cracked window.

This version of Stag has a slow, tuning-up kind of start, but soon begins swinging hard and loose. Then it turns into a medley, with quotes from "Delia" (the two songs share a few lines in the folk canon), and in between there and the end there's also a rambling a capella break and a big finish, and a little coda at the end.

There are no screaming guitars, or drum solos, but this is rock and roll at its finest: take traditional American music from a couple of different sources, get a few talented people in a room and have them run through it, with the freedom to do what they want and follow their own musical ideas.

It's too bad I "discovered" Frank Morey right this second -- as of this writing I don't have the money or the time to invest in five new albums from a completely new-to-me artist, but I really really really want to. (His MySpace and Facebook pages also include a mindblowing cover of Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" I might be sharing sometime soon, but you shouldn't wait. Click and listen.)

Frank Morey - Stack O'Lee
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Otis Redding - A Man And A Woman (Things Go Better With Coke)

2010-06-09T09:45:00.004-04:00

So while my computer was broken, I was stuck with what I had uploaded to my MP3 player, which turned out to be this wonderful Otis Redding box set. Over the course of a few weeks, I spent at least 36 hours listening to those four discs, over and over and over, and I never got tired of it. Otis Redding was an amazing performer, and if I ever get time machine access, he's one of the top ten concerts I'll be attending with it.

Case in point -- soda commercials don't have to be great. Especially if the song's already written, and you just have to teach your band the chords and half-heartedly sing it, then whole-heartedly cash the check. But listen to this: it's 90 seconds long, and the product isn't even mentioned for the first fifth of it. If you're not listening carefully, or expecting a commercial, it just sounds like a classic Redding song. Otis and the band worked up a huge arrangement, and wrote a whole new framework around a pre-existing jingle, and Coke approved it. Coke's ad agency was full of geniuses; compare with this ad by Ray Charles. They hired every pop singer they could, and that's one reason they built such a large market share.

Otis Redding - A Man And A Woman (Things Go Better With Coke)
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Foghorn Stringband

2010-06-05T20:37:00.002-04:00

Foghorn Stringband (official bio AMG MyS FB) are an old-timey bluegrass band from Portland, OR. They just completed a major European tour and have their whole summer planned out (including a folk fest next weekend -- if you're in the area, I'm jealous).

This is fast and furious (in a slightly different way from this take on Stag), and the speed and energy the band put into this are almost punishing -- I can't imagine any group of five people keeping this up live for an hour. This is from the band's major label debut in 2005, and their devoted network of fans have kept them touring ever since.

The main original lyrical motif in this version is that we can't find out exactly what time of day the shooting happened -- but it was rainy.

Foghorn Stringband - Stagger Lee
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - The David Bromberg Band

2010-05-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone! I'm finally back, after a nice sabbatical. I had all sorts of musical and real-life adventures, and I'll be back next week with a post about some of that. Sorry about the wait for this return.

David Bromberg (official wiki AMG discography) is a Philly-born multi-instrumentalist, probably better known as a backing player for people like Bob Dylan, John Prine, Tom Rush, Ringo Starr and Jerry Jeff Walker. He currently lives in Wilmington, Delaware, where he occasionally performs live but also runs a violin-making business.

This is an amazing rendition of Stag, with a lovely Dixieland feel and quite a few jokes we've never heard before.

The David Bromberg Band - Mrs. DeLion's Lament
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Craven Apology

2010-04-09T20:37:00.002-04:00

Hi, everyone.

My computer is currently out of order, so I won't be posting anything new until I get it fixed.

As a slight apology, please note that all the stuff I've uploaded is usually available in two open directories: here and here.

I hope it won't be too long. Sorry, folks.

Silly Sundays - Buchanan and Goodman - The Flying Saucer

2010-04-04T21:28:00.003-04:00

As promised back in December, this kicks off a month of themed Silly Sundays posts about break-in records. And here's the very first break-in hit.

Dickie Goodman (wiki AMG extensive bio) and Bill Buchanan (wiki AMG) only worked together for about three years (probably less in reality, but records were credited to the pair until 1959), though they both continued releasing break-in records under various names and pseudonyms for a while, with Goodman continuing until right before his death in 1989.

If you read that extensive bio linked above, you'll get a good overview of Goodman's place in the history of novelty records, and this page here will give you the script of the record and a quick review of the history involved. This record is dizzyingly fast and complex, with layers of jokes (my favorite is probably the repeated misnaming of artists and song titles).

I haven't firmed up all my plans for this month of posts yet, but there's some good stuff coming -- stay tuned.

Buchanan and Goodman - The Flying Saucer Part One
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The Flying Saucer Part Two
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Hogman Maxey

2010-04-03T16:33:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned field and prison recordings before in our discussions of Stag, and here's a take on the song from 1952, in Louisiana State Penitentiary. That same year saw a protest by 31 inmates, who intentionally cut their own Achilles' tendons to protest the inhumane work program.

Matthew "Hogman" Maxey (AMG see also) was recorded by Harry Oster in Angola, and as you'll see at that AMG link, never recorded anything outside of a prison environment.

This version isn't particularly dynamic; from the enthusiastic strumming of the same few chords over and over to Maxey's almost monotone delivery of the verses, it's almost hypnotic. I feel like I have to point out again that I can't imagine the cruelty and misery these prisoners underwent on a continuing basis, the mind-numbing evil banality of wake-work-eat-sleep day after day. The fact that these people managed to find an outlet for creative expression cheers me up, but in a hollow sort of way (much like the too-little-too-late instrumental flourish at the end of this song).

Hopefully tomorrow's Silly Sunday post will find me in a better mood.

Hogman Maxey - Stagolee
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Silly Sundays - 30 Rock - Muffin Top

2010-03-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

Today is my wife's birthday, and in her honor I'm posting her favorite song right now. Since we returned from our honeymoon, we've started watching 30 Rock in earnest, and in the last six weeks we've watched all the available DVDs -- by the end of this season we'll be caught up.

I had to edit this together myself, since the show still hasn't released an official soundtrack, so I took recordings from the two original episodes where the song was featured and slapped them together. It's a tiny bit sloppy at the cuts, but I hope it doesn't interfere with your enjoyment of the song.

In October, I'll be posting the other really really great song from season one, "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah." Until then, download this and put it in all your mixes. Happy birthday, sweetie! I love you.

Jane Krakowski featuring Ghostface Killa - Muffin Top
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Jerry Nelson - Eye of the Storm

2010-03-26T07:00:00.003-04:00

If you made a list of your 20 favorite songs from all the different Muppet productions, I think you'd find that Jerry Nelson (archived fansite bio interview) sang at least 12 of them. As Count von Count, Floyd Pepper, Kermit's little nephew Robin, and Gobo Fraggle, Jerry has spent the vast majority of his life singing and funning his way into the hearts of kids and adults around the world.

And a few months ago he finally released his first solo album, composed of songs he's been writing all his life. (I've been waiting decades for him to do something like this. Now, if only Kevin Murphy from MST3K will release an album my life will be complete.) The album is sprawling and eclectic, featuring musical assistance from Nelson's family and friends, and backing vocals from a lot of his Sesame Street friends. This song in particular is the hardest rocking one off the album, looking at Nelson's perspective on death and naming all his fallen friends (including his daughter, Christine, and his comrades-in-armsleeves Jim Henson and Richard Hunt). But choosing this particular track was a tossup -- there are three or four other songs I wanted to post as well. "Alligators" is a swampy, vaguely Fogerty-esque number, while "Tides" may have made the list of songs to be played at my memorial service whenever I die. As you'll note in this song, Jerry isn't afraid to cuss a little, and the only track that's definitely kid-designed is "Be Positive," though I'd imagine kids of all ages would enjoy the album a lot.

I've been living with this album for a few months now, and it's been in pretty heavy rotation -- I can't tell whether it's as good as I think it is, or just my obsessive Muppet love making me enjoy it so much. What do you folks think?

Jerry Nelson - Eye of the Storm
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Steve Earle - No Place To Fall

2010-03-24T10:10:00.005-04:00

I'm trying to get back in the habit of posting more random songs here, without so much dependence on theme weeks to post frequently -- let's see how I manage...

If you're reading this blog, chances are pretty good that I don't need to tell you who Steve Earle is, and almost as good I won't need to tell you who Townes Van Zandt is. Earle's tribute album has been out for a while now, and in fact I got my copy for my birthday back in September (thanks, Jen!), but I'm just now getting around to writing this post about it.

Townes was Steve Earle's hero and mentor, and for a long time I've been using Steve's quote on and off as an email signature:

“Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.”

The album has been widely reviewed and blogged elsewhere, but it's amazingly good -- just Earle and a small handful of his friends, with no overproduction (which marred most of Townes' studio albums -- though as mentioned in that NY Times story above, his "Live at The Old Quarter" album is a perfect representation of his genius). This is a quietly droning version of one of my five favorite Townes Van Zandt songs. (Don't forget to click here to listen to another Townes cover.)

If you'd like to hear more from the album, or rip audio for a third bonus disc (the nice second disc is just Earle solo versions of the songs from the official album), you can check out live videos on YouTube, or click here or here.

Steve Earle - No Place To Fall
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Long Cleve Reed and Harvey Hull

2010-03-20T10:15:00.002-04:00

Long Cleve Reed and Harvey Hull were also known as The Down Home Boys, and other than that I can't find anything else about them. They recorded a few other sides for a couple of labels, but this record is why they'll be remembered. Not this recording; this record.

This record is incredibly rare -- there's only one copy still extant, and it's worth at least $30,000. (That makes it one of the most valuable records ever.)

I like this -- it feels to me like the best folk music, like something dug out of the dirt and pushed into a primitive shape. The harmony vocals duet with the surface noise to instantly transport me to the past, a time when my ancestors were growing tobacco or cotton in Georgia's red dirt and on weekends they could supplement their income by entering a small record label and singing into microphones.

...wow, I'm more tired than I thought. But it's Saturday, and if I don't finish this now it won't get posted in time. Let's just say I love this recording, and leave it at that.

Long Cleve Reed and Little Harvey Hull - The Original Stack'O Lee Blues
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Dom Flemons

2010-03-13T16:16:00.004-05:00

Dom Flemons (official MySpace AMG) is better known as one-third of Carolina Chocolate Drops, who are currently on tour promoting their new album. (Sadly, I don't think I can make the Atlanta show -- what with the wedding and honeymoon I have very few spare pennies around here right now. Too bad; what I've heard of the album is fantastic.)

This is a high-energy take on Stag (and yet another featuring Furry Lewis' "When you lose your money" moral). Dom puts everything he has into this song, and I can just imagine how much fun it must be to see him do this live.

Stag's adventures in hell continue in this version too -- one unusual lyric is that the earthquake we occasionally hear about isn't caused by Stag tormenting Billy down in hell -- it's just Stagger Lee with his John B. Stetson hat.

Dom Flemons - Stackolee
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Champion Jack Dupree

2010-03-06T20:35:00.004-05:00

Champion Jack Dupree (wiki discography bio MySpace AMG) was a New Orleans-born boogie-woogie blues piano player, who at various times in his life was also a painter, a cook, a POW, and a very good boxer. (For more about boxing and Stag, see here.)

This is a N'awlins-sounding poppy blues take on Stag, recorded the same year as Lloyd Price's huge hit, but not sharing much in common with that. This is from Dupree's biggest hit album, Blues From The Gutter, which also includes recordings of "Junker's Blues" and "Frankie and Johnnie."

Dupree namechecks Louis Armstrong in this song, and in fact the two of them were raised in the same orphanage home (Armstrong had family to live with, but was sent to the home several times for delinquency). Another lyric to note is that the gambling is glossed over in one line, but Billy begs Stag for a two whole verses. (Not quite as sadistic as Broke Toe Rezo's version, but still...)

Champion Jack Dupree - Stack-O-Lee
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Silly Sundays - Macy Skipper - Goofin' Off

2010-02-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

All right. I've been sitting on this for literally months, trying to write it up. Sadly, I can't find much of anything about Macy Skipper online (apart from his other three recordings which you can listen to here). He's apparently from St. Louis, MO, released just a few singles on as many labels, and lived in obscurity.

I wish he would've recorded more stuff like this -- the other records he put out are more standard rockabilly stuff, which I love well enough, but this just feels so special to me. This is a wonderful slab of nonsense which fits ten minutes' worth of absurdity into 180 seconds. It's consistently dazzling, bewildering, and hilarious. I've listened to it at least twenty times in the last week, and I don't think I'll ever want to slow down. Like the best funny spoken word records, I want to memorize it and perform it at parties.

And the worst part is, I want to write something funny about this record, but I can't come up with anything. Man, I feel so unnecessary...

Macy Skipper - Goofin' Off
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Margaret Walker

2010-02-27T07:00:00.004-05:00

This is Dr. Margaret Walker (wiki bio poetry selection). She was born in Alabama in 1915, went to school in New Orleans, and worked as a poet and professor right up until her death in 1998. Her take on Stag was originally published in 1942, when Walker was still a young woman, recently employed by the New Deal's Work Progress Administration and its Federal Writer's Project (alongside Richard Wright). This is a transcription of dialect, and Walker reads it as such in both recordings below. (Both source albums also include recordings of Walker's poem about "John Henry," another legendary black American story also told in dialect.)

Walker recorded her poem twice for Folkways, the record label that also released Harry Smith's epic Anthology of American Folk Music, and a lot of the recordings of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Leadbelly. The first time was in 1954, twelve years after she published the poem -- at the time she was living in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband and their four children. Twenty-one years later, she returned to Folkways to record three albums, one of which included her poem about Stag.

I've included both of them here, so you can hear how the two versions are different -- the text is identical in both, but the delivery varies. The first one is faster, and Walker makes the cartoon birds flying around the cop's head funnier. The second is clearly the voice of an older woman -- this version spends a little more time (going a little slower) when we hear how Stag escaped the lynching meant for his hide, and the tale of how Stag haunts New Orleans.

Walker is pretty important as far as poets go, and this post clearly hasn't done her justice -- click on that poetry link at the top to read more, or go down to the buy link and support the work of Folkways while listening to more from her.

Margaret Walker - Bad Man Stackalee
(1954)
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(1975)
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Buy from Folkways Recordings

John Fogerty - Paradise

2010-02-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

John Fogerty started his solo career under the semi-pseudonym of The Blue Ridge Rangers, and that first album is a wonderful cover album of Americana, with covers of songs by Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers, among others. (I put up one track a while ago.)

Last year, Fogerty issued a sequel, again mostly a cover album, and it opens with the John Prine song I posted here a while ago. The album has a lot of other great covers, with some famous guests, and is definitely well worth your CD-buying dollar.

John Fogerty - Paradise
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Wedding Wednesdays - Ben Folds - The Luckiest

2010-02-24T09:03:00.005-05:00

Here it is, the final song from our wedding, and the one that had the most potential to make me cry. Ben Folds (official wiki AMG) is from Winston-Salem, NC, and is best known to pop audiences as the guy who wrote "Brick," though that might be his most solemn song ever.

When we sat down to start compiling wedding music, I played this for my lovely wife. It was a song she'd never heard before, but Ben's words and sentiments almost had her in tears, something I totally understand. The narrator of this song is an awkward guy, one who can't necessarily express his emotions well in words, but he stumbles around until he manages to say what he feels. (Live video here.)

I'm terrible at that myself, but I just hope that I can help Tiki feel loved, and cherished. I hope I can make her see how much I appreciate her -- everything she does for me, and everything she is. If she feels even half the love I have for her, this marriage can't help but work.

Ben Folds - The Luckiest
Removed due to my 4th DMCA takedown
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Broke Toe Rezo

2010-02-20T08:56:00.004-05:00

Broke Toe Rezo (archived official AMG) is another guy who's only released one album, so again there's not much about him online. From what I can tell, he claims he broke his toe hopping a train, and he also helps rebuild trains. He's just a train kind of guy.

This might be the most sadistic version of Stag we've ever heard, maybe even moreso than Nick Cave's badass version. Stag doesn't personally tell Billy Delion's wife to look at the hole in Billy's head, but he puts his body on a train. He puts his body on a train!

I'm not sure if this is, in fact, Broke Toe's natural singing voice (it sounds like he drops out of it at one point), and I'm not sure if I like it, but this man plays a crazy guitar. This is amazing slide blues work, some of the best we've heard in any version of Stag.

Broke Toe Rezo - Stagger Lee
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Wedding Wednesdays - Michael Bublé - You And I

2010-02-17T23:35:00.005-05:00

Got a few more wedding songs to upload for all of you. This is a song written by Stevie Wonder -- we already heard from him both on this blog and at the wedding, which is why I'm not posting the original. (It's not a coincidence, though -- Stevie is high in the list of our top ten favorite musicians as a couple. He might even be in the top three.)

Michael Bublé (official mySpace wiki AMG) is a Canadian big band/swing crooner, who's been doing some press the last few weeks connected with the Olympics and his upcoming tour. We'll hear his cover of the Stevie Wonder song today (but during our actual wedding ceremony the song was performed by the bride's sister, who did a great job and blew us all away). The album this song comes from also includes Michael's version of "Try A Little Tenderness," and his lackluster cover of "Can't Buy Me Love."

Michael Bublé - You And I
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Patrick Whelan

2010-02-13T20:48:00.004-05:00

Patrick Whelan (official site) is an Irish-born folk-blues musician who has since moved to London and, ultimately, Pennsylvania to ply his trade.

He's only released one album, so there's little about him online outside of his official site. This version is credited to Mississippi John Hurt, though it doesn't sound a lot like Hurt's 1928 take. (It's from a later version, which I haven't posted here yet.) This is also another version where the hat is magical, which we don't hear about often enough for my taste.

Patrick Whelan - Stagolee
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Happy Saint Thurl's Day!

2010-02-06T13:14:00.004-05:00

Hi, everyone. I'm back in town from my wonderful honeymoon, and I'm afraid I let Thurl Ravenscroft's birthday slip up on me. I don't have any new stuff uploaded, but here's a link to all the stuff I've put up in the past.

Don't forget you can find a lot of stuff at the WFMU blog too, and I'll be back soon with more posts. Happy Birthday, Thurl!

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Sidney Bechet

2010-01-16T12:45:00.005-05:00

Sidney Bechet (official tribute wiki AMG) was a master clarinetist and saxophonist, though today you'll only hear him on the clarinet. I don't upload a lot of instrumental versions of Stag, since I'm more interested in the lyrical changes between versions than the musical ones.

But this is a nice mellow take on the song, featuring one Art Hodes on piano. The discography on that tribute site tells us it was recorded in New York City in February of 1946.

At the risk of repeating myself, my wedding is soon, and I'd imagine posts will be kind of light on the ground around here for a few weeks. I'll try to get some in the pipeline, but that's never worked out before.

Sidney Bechet - Old Stack O'Lee Blues
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Wedding Wednesdays - Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star

2010-01-13T10:55:00.004-05:00

Corinne Bailey Rae (official wiki MySpace AMG) is a British torch-jazz-soul singer. She's about to be everywhere at once since she has a new album coming out (with a bonus track which is a Nina Simone cover), two days after our wedding.

This is a nice mellow love song (and possibly the most mainstream thing I will ever, ever post on this blog). I like the lyrics because they're honest about the less romantic side of love ("I don't argue like this / With anyone but you...") but still sweet and hopeful.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star
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Multiple Mondays: Theme From Shaft

2010-01-11T10:06:00.005-05:00

All right. I've been sitting on these way too long, so let's get this done!

Everyone who knows anything about music or pop culture knows Isaac Hayes' iconic "Theme From Shaft." Here are ten of the best recordings related to that track.

The legendary hi-hat riff was first heard in Otis Redding's 1966 version of "Try A Little Tenderness," which had been arranged by Ike while Booker T. Jones was at university. Five years later, Hayes reused the riff, and a stuttering wah-wah guitar, to secure his status as a legend of funk and soul music, with the theme to a major film hit.

The Ventures covered the song the next year, and at about the same time the original backing musicians from Ike's version recorded a sequel, "Son of Shaft." Now we'll leave behind any attempt at chronological organization, as we jump forward a few decades to Malik Adouane's Arabic pop cover. (video) The Central Band of the Canadian Forces play you a representative marching band version, and then we come to Sammy. Sammy Davis, Jr. reused the original backing band (but not the original lyrics) to record his own Rat Pack take on the song, in which "Shaft is the man."

To round out this post, I've added Cookie Monster's note-perfect parody (be sure to watch the video), and a cover by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Finally, we'll listen to Isaac Hayes revisit the song in 1978's disco remix "Shaft II."

As always, you can cherry pick if you insist, but there's a special little surprise in the zipfile you can't get otherwise. I'm planning a second edition of this song soon -- if you have requests for any particular versions, just shout them out in the comments section.

zipfile

01. Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness 1 2
02. Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft 1 2
03. The Ventures - Theme From Shaft 1 2
04. The Bar-Kays - Son of Shaft 1 2
05. Malik Adouane - Shaft 1 2
06. The Central Band of the Canadian Forces - Theme From Shaft 1 2
07. Sammy Davis, Jr. - John Shaft 1 2
08. Cookie Monster - Cookie Disco 1 2
09. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Theme From Shaft 1 2
10. Isaac Hayes - Shaft II 1 2

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Bobby Pratt and the Rockers

2010-01-09T08:54:00.004-05:00

Howdy, all. Sorry for the recent slack -- not a very auspicious start for this blog in the New Year. (I'm blaming it on residual Christmas burnout.)

Here's a raucous rockabilly take on Stag, modeled loosely on Lloyd Price's then-current hit., with some seriously wailing saxophone.

The album today's track comes from is a compilation of radio recordings by various (unknown) artists, featuring covers of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and others, along with vintage ads for Sinclair Oil and Pepsi and some local businesses. Good stuff all around.

Bobby Pratt and The Rockers - Stagger Lee
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Otis Redding and Carla Thomas - New Year's Resolution

2009-12-31T14:17:00.004-05:00

Hey, all. I don't have a lot of time to write up this post today, but I just wanna say this: Happy New Year! Another decade's come and gone; here's hoping we progress as a species a little more this decade than we did during the most recent one!

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas - New Year's Resolution
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Billy Glenn and Shelley Taylor

2009-12-26T10:02:00.003-05:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, Christmas is over. I hope you all had a good one, and that everyone got lots of good swag. Since Christmas is done, and today's Saturday, that means it's time for Stag to return to the blog!

Here's 2009's final version of Stag, and boy is it ridiculous. You'll hear Billy Glenn (official) singing the story of Stag, with interjections and organ by Shelley Taylor (see also).

Did I mention this is silly? I found it via WFMU, of course.

I've got at least one more post before the year's out, so be sure to come back, and become a fan on Facebook if you like.

Billy Glenn and Shelley Taylor - Stagger Lee
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Dan Bryk - Great Adventure

2009-12-25T06:19:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick post, my final one for Christmas 2009. (Edited to point out -- hey, be a fan on Facebook!)

Dan Bryk (official MySpace wiki AMG) is an Ontario-born musician, who moved from Canada to Raleigh, NC in 2003 with his partner Erin McGinn (they married in 2008, two years after this song was released). The reason I mention those specifics of his biography should become apparent when you listen to this song.

The Besotted family has a tradition called (I swear) "scooterpooping," which is where you leave the house with a modest amount of money and a full tank of gas, make a random decision to go one of the four cardinal directions, and drive a few hours until you get hungry, make a random decision to eat at a local nonchain restaurant, and continue meandering until everyone agrees to go home, stopping at any place that catches the eye. While this song details a trip with a more specific goal (the best scooterpooping song ever written is Lou Reed's "New Sensations," but that's a different post for a different day), it still has the feel of a classic scooterpoop.

As the fiancee and I prepare to spend our second Christmas together, and the last as an unmarried couple, I can't help but relate to this song. Sure, we're not moving thousands of miles to start our new life together, but it's going to feel like that all the time. The planning and logistics are causing both of us an awful lot of stress, but it'll all be over in 30 days. And every day after that, it will have been worth it. And, as the man says, that will only be the very start of a very long, very wonderful, very great adventure.

Dan Bryk - Great Adventure
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Buy from Bryk himself

Sesame Street - True Blue Miracle

2009-12-24T20:58:00.005-05:00

I'd planned to post this song as part of the 2009 Christmas mix (theme: colors) but I haven't gotten around to compiling them yet, so I'll just post this one track while I'm watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. That's a 1978 special wherein Big Bird has to find out how Santa gets down chimneys, and Bert and Ernie reenact "The Gift of the Magi."

The first voice you'll hear on this song is Alaina Reed-Amini, who played Olivia until 1988, and who died one week ago. A lot of us grew up with Olivia as one of our TV friends, and it feels a lot like we've been losing more and more of our childhood friends lately. (If you need help mourning, she played a nice part in Sesame Street Episode 1839, which you can watch on YouTube by clicking. But warning -- you'll need a box of tissues -- that's the Mr. Hooper Memorial episode.)

Sesame Street - True Blue Miracle
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Christmas In Jail

2009-12-22T07:00:00.004-05:00

Here's the second part of our unit on prison Christmas songs. I've put a lot of these songs into my annual Christmas mix CDs -- see here and here. (And, of course, John Prine would've made it onto the Country mix if I hadn't had far too much to fit onto one CD.)

Most of these songs deal predominantly with the idea of spending the magical day behind bars, but one or two just mention it as a springboard for other lonely sad Christmas ideas. Almost all the songs are first-person prison narratives, with the exception of two songs about the fat man getting locked up (including a live version of a song from last year's elf mix). Oh, and then there's the exquisite instrumental "Jailhouse Angels" which gives "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "Jailhouse Rock" the Ventures-style Christmas medley treatment. Tonewise, the songs in this collection are all over the map, from the straight-up comedy of the opener to Kansas City Kitty's marvelously depressing blues song about having a lover locked up during the special season.

Have you noticed that it's already the 22nd and I haven't even mentioned this year's Christmas CD compilations? Well, I'm not sure they're going to be done this year -- like I mentioned, I've got a wedding to plan and I still haven't finished putting away all the decorations from September's pirate party. If they're done, I'll put 'em up. If not, I'll still try to post SOMETHING between now and the 25th.

As always, I recommend the zipfile -- that way, your files will already be numbered in the preferred order in your neat little desktop folder, and your MP3 player can play them that way if you choose. (On the other hand, if you have all the previous comps, then there are five songs you'd be double-dipping on. Your call, really.)

Zipfile

01 - Ron Holden - Who Says There Ain't No Santa Claus 1 2
02 - The Youngsters - Christmas In Jail 1 2
03 - Danny Barnes - I'm All Alone On Christmas 1 2
04 - All New Genetically Altered Jug Band - Christmas In Jail 1 2
05 - Adam Kempa - Jailhouse Angels 1 2
06 - Dash Kizer - Christmas In Jail 1 2
07 - Dean - Jail For Christmas 1 2
08 - Drive-By Truckers - Mrs. Claus' Kimono 1 2
09 - Sherwin Linton - Santa Got A DWI 1 2
10 - Kansas City Kitty - Christmas Morning Blues 1 2
11 - Leroy Carr - Christmas In Jail, Ain't That A Pain 1 2
12 - Paul Kelly - How To Make Gravy 1 2
13 - Seasick Steve and The Level Devils - Xmas Prison Blues 1 2

Multiple Mondays: Christmas In Prison

2009-12-21T08:08:00.005-05:00

John Prine recorded "Christmas In Prison" for his third album, in 1973, two years after he recorded "Paradise." In the interest of actually getting something posted today (sorry for the slack over the weekend), I won't tell you all about each individual track, but there's a decent amount of variety here, so be sure to get 'em all. As always, I recommend the zipfile.

Also, there are a lot of covers on YouTube. (1 2 3 4 5 should get you started.)

(Edited to point out that John -- and everyone else -- cusses a tiny bit in this song. If you mind blasphemy in your Christmas music, just move on to the next post. Sorry!)

Come back tomorrow for more Christmas-y prison-y songs!

Zipfile

John Prine 1 2
Emmy The Great and The Lightspeed Champion 1 2
Joshua James 1 2
The Boxmasters 1 2
Billy Button Band (live 12-08-06) 1 2
Rory McLeod 1 2
Honky Tonk Confidential 1 2
Doug Legacy 1 2
Will Kimbrough 1 2
The Conestokers 1 2
John Prine (live) 1 2

Guestpost: Carolyn Sills - George Bailey

2009-12-18T12:04:00.007-05:00

And here's Travis (previously 1 2) to tell you about his favorite Christmas song of 2009:

On a whole, 2009 was not a great year for many people. One of the few bright spots is that Mark introduced me to the first new Christmas song to enter my top 10 list in a long time. Since I put my list on this blog last year, Mark has graciously offered me the opportunity to write about the new song, "George Bailey" by Carolyn Sills (official MySpace) (and a little bit about my favorite movie).

Despite the new age of hope in Washington, 2009 may well be remembered as the year the "Great Recession" peaked. So this year when we settle in to watch the greatest Christmas movie of all time, we might find a greater connection to the problems of Bedford Falls. A movie filled with bank runs, market panics, and subprime mortgages seemed quaint and archaic until they were in our news. The grand historical events of the movie were not yet historical in 1947, so they served as a backdrop for George Bailey's life the same way they had for the lives of the original audiences. Watching near the end of the last century, we saw a man in a strange time, living through events without peer in the modern era. Over the last few years, however, we have had a taste of the times of George Bailey, and now we feel some of the outrage at bankers and some of the fatigue of years of war.

It is interesting, then, that Carolyn Sills ignores all of those parallels, all of the historical backdrop, and even the main conflict of the movie in her song, "George Bailey." Instead, she writes a rocking Christmas love song from a fan, who lives through Mary Bailey. Taken on its own, the lyrics have Mary Bailey singing, until Ms. Sills speaks for all of us, singing that every Christmas George Bailey makes her cry. The lyrics are great, but so is the music. Capturing the seemingly forgotten classic Christmas rock sound (the echoing drum and cymbals lead in told me right off this would be special), "George Bailey" could have been recorded in 1959 as easily as 2009. Great lyrics, great music and a great subject all add up to an instant classic now in my top ten Christmas songs of all time.

As a bonus, the official video for the song takes the style of the iconic "George Lassos the Moon" drawing and transforms it into a early Disney style animation. The animation focuses on Mary Bailey refurbishing the old house, and pressing the various objects of the house into service to help out. The whole video has a great energy and manages to seem not as much intentionally retro as it does appropriate.

I have not watched It's a Wonderful Life for this year - I hope instead to see a screening at our local theatre on Christmas Eve. Until then, this song is in any playlist I create.

Carolyn Sills - George Bailey
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Kevin Mahler - Pirate's Christmas

2009-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Remember last year when I talked about Suburban Sprawl's free annual Christmas compilation? Well, 2009's is up, but here's a look back at two tracks from the first two years.

Kevin Mahler (MySpace) doesn't ONLY write Christmas songs about pirates, but I wish he would. I'd buy that album. (He's also contributed songs to later editions of the compilation, and those are all good too.)

His MySpace genre classification is "Country/Rockabilly/Emo" which sounds ridiculous, but those categories aren't too far from these two songs. The first song is "Pirate At Christmastime," wherein the song's narrator pines for home and Yule logs and family. The second, "Pirate's Christmas," tells a more traditional pirate story, about a battle between an underdog and the bloody Bluebeard. These songs aren't for sale, so the buy link goes to Mahler's latest release instead.

Kevin Mahler - Pirate At Christmastime
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Kevin Mahler - Pirate's Christmas
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Buy Kevin Mahler's latest CD

Bob Dylan - A Visit From St. Nicholas

2009-12-15T07:00:00.004-05:00

Here's what I'd hoped Bob's Christmas album would be like. This is a recording from his XM Radio Show Theme Time Radio Hour, where Bob reads the entirety of "A Visit From St. Nicholas." (via) (If you visit the via link, you should consider downloading at least the two-part Christmas show, if not the entire archive -- Bob's music collection is great, and he's got a fun take on musical commentary too.)

Bob's got a great storytelling voice, like the old cowboy poets. In a parallel universe somewhere, Bob's just an actor who gets small parts in weird movies but makes most of his money recording audio books. I want to live in that universe.

Bob Dylan - A Visit From St. Nicholas
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Donate to Feeding America

Multiple Mondays: Must Be Santa!

2009-12-14T04:16:00.009-05:00

This will absolutely be the silliest Multiple Monday ever, and it's also another oddball one. We're looking at some wildly different (but all closely-related) versions of a call-and-response style of song. (Next week I can put up a regular MM post, I think.)

So, sometime in the last four hundred years (estimates vary and historians are widely divided on the genealogy of the song), German-speakers came up with a call-and-response song named "Schnitzelbank." It's known in America these days as a drinking song heard at Oktoberfests all around the country.

First, we'll hear a traditional Oktoberfest version from Schwarze Schafe, then a kiddie parody from The Biscuit Brothers. Bill Haley and His Comets rewrite it and rock it up as "Rockin' Rollin' Schnitzelbank." Next, the version probably best known to Americans under 35 and not of German heritage, the version from Animaniacs.

Okay, so in 1953, Mel Blanc recorded a holiday version of "Schnitzelbank" entitled "Ya, Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree" which is an excuse to showcase his incredible voice talents. And that was in turn parodied decades later by Joel Kopischke as "Stupid Christmas Song."

Somewhere in the middle of all this mess, our patron saint, Thurl Ravenscroft, added his own version of the song, a silly love song called "Oh You Sweet One."

Now, finally, we come to the point. At least by 1961, which is when Mitch Miller committed his version to tape, we got around to hearing "Must Be Santa." It retains the structure and polka style of "Schnitzelbank" but changes the tune a little and the lyrics a lot. Now it's all about the fat man in the red suit. (I know, I know, I'd never have guessed I'd post a Mitch Miller track on this blog, but it really brings out the call-and-response aspect, and I don't have another good classic take on the song.)

I'd intended at this point in the post to write a long review of Bob's album, but it's been done other places by better, more knowledgeable writers and this post is already a leetle long. So, let me just say this: it's not a particularly good Christmas album, and it's not a particularly good Dylan album. (Bob is one of those people like Tom Waits or Lou Reed, who has the ability to make sweet pretty music but doesn't do so very often. He doesn't try to make any of these songs particularly pretty, and most of them were written to be pretty.)

It is, however, all for charity. A good charity. There's no buy link today, just a link to donate to that charity. "Must Be Santa" is the best track on the album, largely because (in my opinion) it doesn't express or try to inspire reverence for the holiday which means a lot of different things to a lot of different people (and has meant several different things to Bob over the span of his career, I'd bet).

Then, after Bob finishes up, we have the triumphant return of Glenn Campbot, with his ladyfriend Linda Ronbodt, singing "Must Be Giftbot." I love me some singing robots. As always, I recommend the zipfile.

Zipfile

1. Schwarze Schafe - Die Schnitzelbank 1 2
2. The Biscuit Brothers - Schnitzelbank 1 2
3. Bill Haley and His Comets - Rockin' Rollin' Schnitzelbank 1 2
4. Animaniacs - Schnitzelbank 1 2
5. Mel Blanc - Ya, Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree 1 2
6. Joel Kopischke - Stupid Christmas Song 1 2
7. Thurl Ravenscroft - Oh You Sweet One 1 2
8. Mitch Miller and The Gang - Must Be Santa 1 2
9. Bob Dylan - Must Be Santa 1 2
10. Glenn Campbot and Linda Ronbodt - Must Be Giftbot 1 2

Donate to Feeding America

Silly Sundays - Bobby The Poet - A White Christmas and The Three O'Clock Weather Report

2009-12-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, here's a weird one for yas. You know how Bob Dylan put out a Christmas album this year? Sure you do. Well, waaaaay back in the 1960s, Bob was one of the biggest things ever. Impressionists loved to add him to their stable of characters. Impressionists also loved to do Kennedys. Hence, here are the two Bobbys together at last.

A lot of people out there assume this is a parody of Simon and Garfunkel's "Silent Night/9 O'Clock News." And since the album this was eventually released on came out in 1967, months after the Simon and Garfunkel track, that would seem to be a safe assumption. But that album was largely recorded in front of a studio audience (and this is clearly not), and this single says 1962. I'm chalking this up to odd coincidence. (On the other hand, knowing what I do about Paul and Artie's odd sense of humor, it's not inconceivable they'd heard this record and the name stuck with them too.) I don't tend to use the "Musical Mysteries" tag when a record is as clearly sourced as this, but I'm putting it on today anyway. Anyone with facts or info is requested to post it in the comments.

Tomorrow we'll be hearing about the history of one song on Bob's album (oh and by the way, he doesn't do "White Christmas" on the album), with widely varying historical versions of the song, and then on Tuesday I'll complete this little Dylan segment so we can move on to other things.

Bobby The Poet - White Christmas
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Buy on eBay

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Ken Colyer's Skiffle Group

2009-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another version of Stag that mentions the original Christmastime setting.

Ken Colyer (official wiki AMG) was a British jazz musician, one with a fondness for all traditional forms of music. Many people consider him the link between jazz and skiffle.

This is a lot slower than the other two skiffle versions of Stag I posted a few months back, but was recorded in 1956 as well. Lyrically, it's different, and has a nice funny battle between the prosecutor and Stag's own lawyer.

Ken Colyer's Skiffle Group - Stack O'Lee Blues
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Buy from the Ken Colyer Trust (you want LACB 241)

A King-Sized Christmas: Elvis For Christmas!

2009-12-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

Here's the reason I did the whole Elvis thing over the last couple of days: a whole bunch of holiday Elvis "tributes." I didn't include any impersonators here, since I don't as a rule collect those, and the thought of wading through that slush to pick out one good thing to post here made me shudder. (I do like El Vez's take on "Feliz Navidad," though.)

So let's get started, shall we? I haven't mentioned "break-in songs" yet on any Silly Sunday posts, but you can click here to read a little bit about the originator, and then sometime soon I'll do a month of four posts about them. Suffice it to say this: Break-in songs are little comedy skits which use snippets from pop songs as dialogue. When you hear Mad Milo's "Elvis For Christmas" I think you'll figure out what I mean.

Then, Marlene Paula wants to spend Christmas with Elvis. (I also have songs where the singer begs for a Beatle, or even Eddie Fisher, as her Christmas gift.) She tries to namecheck a dozen Elvis hits, and I'm pretty sure she makes it. (via)

This year, we lost The King of Pop. Thirty-two years ago we lost The King of Rock and Roll, and back then tribute records were still a big thing. (I haven't heard any Michael Jackson tribute records, and I can't imagine how they'd sound either.) So Diana Williams sent Santa a letter in 1977, reminding him how rough the year had been for holiday songsters -- why, they lost Elvis and Bing Crosby and even "Mr. Auld Lang Syne," Guy Lombardo. And Linda Hughes wants to remind us tearfully that since Elvis is gone, there'll be no more records, or "great" concerts. (I'm pretty sure that Elvis hadn't done any "great concerts" for five or six years at that point, for the record.) Her final line ALWAYS makes me laugh; it's just so overwrought. And I even agree with her, just not her delivery of the line.

Finally, the King is dead -- long may he reign! The Serious Brothers tell us the tale of how so many Elvis obsessives spend Christmas every year with The King (or at least his shoddy licensed merchandise).

There are a few more Elvis-Christmas-tribute songs out there, but I don't have them so I haven't uploaded them. (I also have one I didn't put on here, Bob Rivers' "Message From The King" which is a two-minute string of lackluster fat jokes from a mediocre impressionist.) Remember - Christmas is a time for peace, and love, and sideburns and sequined jumpsuits. Christmas... is a time for Elvis!

Mad Milo - Elvis For Christmas 1 2
Marlene Paula - I Want To Spend Christmas With Elvis 1 2
Diana Williams - Goodbye Bing, Elvis & Guy 1 2
Linda Hughes - Elvis Won't Be Here This Christmas 1 2
The Serious Brothers - It's Another Joyful Elvis Presley Christmas 1 2

A King-Sized Christmas: Jack Scott - There's Trouble Brewin'

2009-12-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here's the second Christmas Elvis-styled post. I know it may not be fair to post this as a Presleyan thing, but if I didn't tell you it was someone else, and you were a casual music fan, you might be fooled.

Jack Scott (official Myspace wiki AMG) was a Canadian-born rockabilly performer, who had 19 hit singles in 41 months, a record surpassed only by The Beatles. Yet today nobody knows who he is. (You can click on any of those links if that applies to you, of course.)

This record is a classic Christmas favorite on all the music blogs, and I can see why. It begins with a quote from Clement Moore and rapidly becomes a funky slab of rockin country, with a full band blasting the song out, and an irreverent take on Santa as a sex object.

Jack Scott - There's Trouble Brewin'
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

A King-Sized Christmas: Elvis Presley - Merry Christmas Baby

2009-12-09T14:05:00.004-05:00

Here's the first in a series of posts about Elvis and Christmas. It's easy to focus on the overrated, bloated, sad old Elvis from the mid- and late-70s, but he was an innovative performer and he LOVED Christmas music.

Elvis released two Christmas albums. The first was released in 1957 and charted six consecutive Decembers, till 1962. The second was released in 1971, and is the source of today's track. This is Elvis's take on the perennial Charles Brown classic "Merry Christmas, Baby." (I posted it last year as part of a Multiple Monday, but it's reupped today for this Elvis Holiday Retrospective.)

Here, you can hear Elvis grooving on his band, shouting the blues and begging the band to play louder and harder. (That's legendary James Burton on guitar, and Ronnie Tutt who Elvis exhorts to "wake up." This is the long extended mix put out on Reconsider Baby, the OOP blues compilation from the 80's, where the buy link goes.)

Tomorrow and Friday, more Elvisy things.

Elvis Presley - Merry Christmas, Baby (alternate edit)
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Buy from Amazon

Multiple Mondays - Holiday Update Edition

2009-12-07T13:17:00.008-05:00

Hi, everyone. This is an odd edition of Multiple Mondays. I'm going to update a lot of older MM posts with new versions from new artists.

First, let's start with the suggestions from Boy Howdy. He runs Cover Lay Down, the cover blog I'd most like to run if I weren't so dang lazy. In the comments section here last year, he recommended Amy Kuney's (video) take on "River" and Rosie Thomas' cover of "Christmas Don't Be Late (The Chipmunk Song)." They're both wonderful, magical Christmas tracks -- Rosie Thomas does something unexpected and unlikely: she takes a decades-old novelty song and transforms it into something meaningful and, yes, significant.

Remember "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky?" Sure you do. Well, REM want to play you a version called "(Ghost) Reindeer In The Sky."

Then, we'll hear two more versions of Charles Brown's classic "Merry Christmas Baby." First, Dolemite himself, Rudy Ray Moore growls his way through a bluesy 1971 take on it. Then, Sweden's Krystoffer Ragnstam knocks the song out of the park. If 1971 were a lot weirder, and you lived in a college town, this is the type of blues-pop fusion you could've heard in that alternate universe.

As always, I recommend the zipfile, but you can cherrypick if you insist.

Zipfile

1. Amy Kuney - River 1 2
2. Rosie Thomas - Christmas Don't Be Late 1 2
3. REM - Ghost Reindeer In The Sky 1 2
4. Rudy Ray Moore - Merry Christmas, Baby 1 2
5. Krystoffer Ragnstam - Merry Christmas, Baby 1 2

Silly Sundays - The Asylum Street Spankers - You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

2009-12-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

The Asylum Street Spankers (official Myspace wiki AMG) are an Austin-based group of bluesy, folkie swingers. This track uses each verse of the song to highlight a different side of their musical versatility. Besides the country verse I excerpted as a hidden mystery track here, they also take on lounge crooners, oldschool ska, and Mr. Tom Waits. And they acquit themselves admirably in each style.

The whole album is, yes, this good. Make sure to click on the buy link down there -- if you like this track, you'll love the whole thing.

The Asylum Street Spankers - You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
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Buy from the band

Stagger Lee Saturdays - The Grateful Dead 2

2009-12-05T07:00:00.003-05:00

Remember last year when I posted the studio take on Stag from the Dead? Well, as I mentioned in that post, the original real-life shooting took place on Christmas Eve, but there are almost no versions of the tale which mention that.

So I can have a Christmasy Stagger Lee post, here's a nice live take from Jerry and the band. (via) This is a little funkier than the studio version, with some twisted, tortured guitarwork. Overall, a nice solid live take on the song, with not as much extended jamming as you might expect.

(I might have one more seasonal Stag up my sleeve for this year, but no promises. Stag will definitely return in January if not before...)

The Grateful Dead - Stagger Lee (live Nashville, December 16, 1978)
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Bootsy Collins - Boot-Off

2009-12-02T12:29:00.003-05:00

This Christmas season, a lot of Santas are concerned about H1N1, but I think it's important that we all focus on the other meaning of the word "infectious."

And Bootsy Collins (official Myspace wiki AMG) has the remedy for my complaints. This is a track from his 2006 holiday album, which features guest spots from Famous Flame Bobby Byrd, Bootsy's brother Catfish, Charlie Daniels, Snoop Dogg, Buckethead, and George Clinton hisself. The kids on this track are Tyreka and Tyesha Grissom, who met Bootsy at church.

This is pure delectable funk, candy for my ears.

Bootsy Collins - Boot-Off (AKA Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer)
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Buy it from Bootsy

Dr. John - Silent Night

2009-12-01T23:19:00.003-05:00

Hey hey, folks, it's December again. And though I'm crazy busy now, and going to be even crazier busier in a few weeks, I'm going to try to post every day till Christmas again this year. (I do have a wedding to plan though, so no promises.) I'm working on rezipping and reupping all of last year's posts, but it's not done yet. When it is, I'll post links here.

It's only been six weeks since I promised not to mention Dr. John for a while, but that'll have to do. Here is his upbeat take on "Silent Night." Many of you probably know the history of the song -- the story goes that the church organ was out of commission, so a song was quickly arranged for voice and guitar. Lacking the pomp and majesty of the organ, the hymn focused on a quiet, humble thing. Turns out the organ probably wasn't broken at all (the first mention of that happened almost 90 years later), but that's the story I was told in my childhood, both by John Denver, and in the church play I appeared in as a child, based on this book.

I think a much more interesting story -- and one that has the virtue of being true -- is that "Stille Nacht" was one of the few songs sung by both sides during WWI's Christmas Truce of 1914.

"Silent Night" is, like all Christmas songs, played in a variety of styles and moods, and they're not all reverent and quiet. (In fact, I was thinking about posting my loudest versions here some Monday, but that won't happen this year.) Here, Dr. John, whose onstage persona is more likely to believe in frankincense and myrrh than virgin births, rocks the song up.

Dr. John - Silent Night
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Buy from Amazon (buy the MP3s here, cheaper physical CD here)

Silly Sundays - Glenn Campbot - Wichita Linebot

2009-11-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

So here it is, my second blogpost inspired by a news story. That story being, a company in Japan is now producing robot telephone wire maintenancebots.

Have I mentioned I love it when robots sing?

I have? Good. Here's Glenn Campbot, singing a little ditty about being a telephone wire maintenancebot. I hope you enjoy it. (And if you're not already overly familiar with the easy listening of the early 70's, why not familiarize yourself with the original song first?)

Glenn Campbot - Wichita Linebot
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Order a linebot from Japan

Stagger Lee Saturdays - John Cephas and Phil Wiggins

2009-11-28T09:43:00.004-05:00

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins (official wiki AMG) first met in the mid-70's, and played together till Cephas died this March. This delectable take on Stag is from their 1986 album Dog Days of August.

The guitar sparkles; the harmonica makes my heart speed up a little. Cephas' vocals duel with the harmonica for notice, and alllllllmost win out.

Lyrically, there's not much here we haven't heard twenty times before, but there's a joy in distillation of everything good about a song. This is classic Stag, bluesy, folky, violent and dark and dangerous.

December's coming up, folks. Are you ready for Christmas music? It's starting soon.

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins - Stagger Lee
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Buy via the official Cephas Memorial Website

Wedding Wednesdays - Johnny Cash - Flesh And Blood

2009-11-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

I love Johnny, I do. And his marriage with June is one of the stories I think about when I consider love (though, naturally, I hope never to emulate the first eleventeen years of that story).

This is the stripped-down, bare-bones version from Johnny's last years, not the one with the shimmery strings from 1970. Ultimately, this feels more like I hope my wedding will be -- smaller, more intimate. Still perfectly composed and executed, but no pomp or bombast, just quiet satisfaction and happiness with life and love. (If we were having a bigger, more expensive wedding, the other version might be more appropriate, especially since I love June's backing vocals on that take.)

This song is one of those comparative love songs, the ones like "In My Life" which say I love a lot of wonderful things, but I love you most of all. And this song says a lot about the transient beauty of our world, and the durable, lasting beauty of love between humans.

I haven't forgotten what tomorrow is -- click here to see last year's Thanksgiving post. I'm a lucky boy, in a lot of ways, and (not unlike Johnny) one of the things I've been luckiest about is to get a second chance with love. Thanks, sweetie. Happy Thanksgiving.

Johnny Cash - Flesh and Blood
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

Silly Sundays - Eat Us!

2009-11-22T09:59:00.003-05:00

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and that means two things: crazy holiday bargains, and gluttony. Here's a song about gluttony, set at the very first Thanksgiving.

This is from the score of Addams Family Values (also known as Raul Julia's last good movie). The lead vocal is by young Jimmy Workman, who has since retired from acting. (He was working opposite Christina Ricci in those films -- I'd say that's hard to ever top.) The song was written by Marc Shaiman who, of course, is now a big Broadway composer (though he didn't work on the new Addams Family musical).

The buy link is wishful thinking again -- the cheapest used copy on Amazon is $35. I'll be back Wednesday with another wedding song.

Addams Family Values - Eat Us
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Tim Hardin

2009-11-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

Tim Hardin (wiki AMG MySpace fansite) was a rare major-label musician who served in Vietnam. The country of Vietnam, that is; actually, he left the Marines way back in 1961, long before US combat troops were deployed in the country.

In 1963 and '64, he recorded some demos for Columbia Records, which they declined to release. After all, bluesy folksingers were a dime a dozen in those days. In 1967, after Hardin had proven himself as a commercial songwriter and artist for another label, Columbia licensed the tracks out, though the tracks clearly didn't sound like Hardin's current output. (Hardin is, of course, best known as the guy who wrote "If I Were A Carpenter.")

This version of Stag is pretty clearly the template for the last two versions I've posted, including the surprise ending I like so much about last week's.

Tim Hardin - Stagger Lee
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Wedding Wednesdays - John Fogerty - Joy Of My Life

2009-11-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here's the second post about music for my upcoming nuptials. As longtime readers of the blog will know, I love love love John Fogerty. This is one of my two favorite songs from my favorite John Fogerty album, and a song that I've been known to listen to on repeat play for hours at a time.

Musically, this is so perfect for me, with the gorgeous slide guitar hitting me right in my country/blues sweet spot, the unexpected high fretwork about 1:30 (and the metallic clinking thirty seconds later), and the unabashed sweetness of the lyrics.

Fogerty isn't known as a guy who writes love songs, but this is about as perfect a love song as anyone could ask for. I don't want to delve too deeply into the man's personal life, but it seems to me that his wife Julie is mellowing him considerably, in all the right ways. (Granted, John's still able to access his anger lyrically, but the existence of this song shows that he's capable of a full range of emotions, which the CCR rock hits don't show off.) He's starting a short tour this week, and if you have a chance you should go.

This song always has the potential to choke me up if I'm in the right mood, and in fact right now I've been listening for about twenty minutes nonstop, and I'm on the verge. When this plays during my wedding, that might just be the point my eyes mist up. Thanks, John.

John Fogerty - Joy Of My Life
links removed due to my very first takedown notice
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Ewen Forfar

2009-11-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

Ewen Forfar is a local Edinburgh folkie. He plays a couple of days a week at the Royal Oak Folk club, which released a compilation CD last year. That CD is the source of today's recording of Stag.

This starts out, musically and lyrically, to be pretty much the same as last week's version of Stag, but the last verse is very different, with a brutally funny surprise, and the news of Stag's ecologically progressive transportation choice.

If you're in Edinburgh, apparently the Royal Oak is the place to hear folk music, and if you're in luck Ewen might play Stag for you.

Ewen Forfar - Stagolee
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Wedding Wednesdays - Stevie Wonder - At Last

2009-11-11T07:00:00.002-05:00

So have I mentioned I'm getting married in January? I haven't? Sorry -- you folks need to keep up.

Naturally, I'm excited to choose music to play during the ceremony, and afterwards at the reception. So for a few weeks, I'll be putting up some of the choicest cuts, and talking about them here.

We've been working oh so slowly on compiling the music for our ceremony and reception. I personally have DJ'd one wedding, and "At Last" was the first-dance song there. Tiki and I both love the song, and Etta James in general. (Now, as you may know, I don't care for Beyonce, but that's neither here nor there as far as the original version of the song is concerned.) Our thinking is, everyone everywhere plays "At Last" during their wedding, and the lyrics are quite appropriate to both weddings in general and our relationship in particular.

Etta's version is the classic, of course, but Stevie Wonder's cover is just magical. It's fast, funky, and furious. This is not a first dance song. This is an upbeat song for walking down the aisle as man and wife.

(My cousin suggested that we should walk down the aisle to this, and though we both love everything about the song, and I know a lady who did just that [Hi, Martha! Love to all the Tough Pigs!], we won't be doing that either.)

This is heartfelt, triumphant, celebratory: everything we want our wedding to be. We haven't figured out what our first dance song will be, but there's no way I could dance to this song without spraining something.

Stevie Wonder - At Last
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Mark Berenson

2009-11-07T11:54:00.005-05:00

Mark Berenson (official AMG) is a local Colorado musician, who's recorded one album split between covers ("Trouble In Mind," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out") and originals. (Plenty of samples on the official page -- check it out.)

This is the New Orleans version of the song, where every step you take, you're steppin' in Billy DeLyons' blood. But there's also information on Stag's duel of words with the sheriff, and his adventures in hell. (You'll hear another, very similar take on this next week.)

Mark Berenson - Stagolee
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Happy Halloween From Thurl Ravenscroft!

2009-10-31T07:00:00.003-04:00

First, I need to get some housekeeping out of the way. Here is last year's Halloween post, with links to all of 2008's spooky stuff. This year, in addition to the stuff this week, I've posted 20 versions of "Season of the Witch" and ten more versions of "I Put A Spell On You." If the stuff I've put up this week is too goofy, and not horrific enough for you, why not try this post, with a cowboy ghost story? Or this post about crazed murderers? (Speaking of murder, there's no Stag post today, sorry. Stagger Lee Saturdays will return in one week.)

Now that that's out of the way, ladies and gentlemen, may I present a collection of spooky music from this blog's patron saint, Thurl Ravenscroft.

Last year I posted several different recordings of Thurl (and other people) singing "Grim Grinning Ghosts," the theme song to The Haunted Mansion. All those from Thurl are included here, but if you want the other versions, you should go there and download the newly reupped zipfile.

This also has clips from a lot of the LPs Thurl recorded for Disneyland records, including excerpts from the Pirates of the Caribbean story record, the Jungle Cruise record, and the gem of this collection, the newly rereleased Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion (where the buy link sends you today -- in addition to Thurl, the record features a pre-Happy Days-but-post-Andy-Griffith Ron Howard). You'll also hear from Spike Jones and, naturally, The Mellomen. I even threw in a track from the soundtrack to The Hobbit.

I usually upload individual files along with the zips, but not today. I've actually taken a few minutes to sequence this out, so just get the whole thing, all right? It's only 30 MB, and about 30 minutes long. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Zipfile

Buy The Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion from Amazon

Guestpost: Jumpin' Gene Simmons - Haunted House

2009-10-30T07:00:00.006-04:00

Howdy, all. Today's spooky guestpost is by my good friend, The Chromium Swan (his previous guestpost is here). He sez:

Every holiday is, at least in part, an excuse. An excuse to party, an excuse to travel home to friends or family, or even an excuse to listen to seasonal music. Halloween is my excuse to listen to today's featured song ... "Haunted House," by Jumpin' Gene Simmons (wiki AMG obit). This is not the KISS Gene Simmons with a general disdain for all things civil , but Jumpin' Gene Simmons, who once handed a guitar to an unknown Elvis, and recorded 21 songs with Sam Phillips after that same Mr. Presley gave him a referral. For a little history on his career and why "Haunted House" became the only thing we know him for, see here. But I'd rather talk about the song itself.

To the untrained ear, this is just a wacky song about crazy spirits and their shenanigans; however, I submit for your approval that it is not only a brilliant horror story, but also a snapshot of times gone by. The song starts out with a man, clearly alone, who has just moved into a new home, and simply wants to rest. Anyone who has ever moved can attest to how terrible this experience can be, and how important it is that the post-move period be ghost free. It is therefore fact that any horror movie would be at least 47% more horrifying if it started with the main characters moving (Stephen King capitalized on the only setup that was potentially more horrifying -- having the main character shop for a new car). The guy in the song (we'll call him Gene, b/c 'guy in the song' gets old fast, and I like pretending Gene wrote it) is a rough and tumble guy who, after admitting that moving's tough, immediately follows up by assuring us that he has the situation under control. Gene hears some ringing bells and rattling chains, and demonstrates some training in -- or inclination towards -- recognizing paranormal phenomenon. While a modern guy would have called his home inspector back out to check if the noises came from improperly tightened (but responsibly harvested) ceiling lumber, in 1964 men were men and Gene immediately recognizes the signs of a haunting. All this in the first verse!

Gene decides he's already moved in, and he's not leaving, so he goes about his business. The spirits don't take to this kindly, and next thing you know, he's having a conversation with some kind of creature who threatens him by tapping its feet. Gene breaks out the chorus here and tells the creature that he has been lawfully deeded the position of boss on this property, and that no "haint"* is going to change that, especially after he just finished moving.

The song loses a bit of realism at this point, as Gene starts cooking on his new stove; I have moved many times, and I've never been able to find all my kitchen stuff the same day. However, if you suspend disbelief, you hear about a typical 1964 post-move dinner diet... consisting of coffee, grease and a hunk of meat. When his cooking is interrupted by another spirit, he actually tries to warn it! He's such a tough, two fisted (yet courteous) guy that he warns the ghost it might burn itself! The ghost pays him back by eating his dinner and drinking up all his coffee... which is kind of a jerk move, and qualifies as a truly horrific end to a difficult day.

What happens next? Does he leave the house? Does he do the Monster Mash? Or does he go all Ray Parker Jr. on them? I've listened 100+ times and I'm still not sure how it really ends ... listen and see for yourself.

* A haint is apparently a southern colloquialism for a ghost or spirit ... use of jargon like this further proves our hero Gene is an expert in the paranormal.

Jumpin' Gene Simmons - Haunted House
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Vincent Price - A Chilling Challenge

2009-10-29T09:58:00.005-04:00

So this post requires a little backstory. Last year for Halloween, I hosted a party wherein we watched House on Haunted Hill, the original one with Vincent Price, and I recreated the original in-theater gimmick of "Emergo."

I was watching the movie a few days earlier in preparation, and two things struck me. First, the movie is a little like Scooby-Doo -- the "real" monsters never appear, and it's basically just an atmospheric crime thriller (or dark comedy, if you take the same attitude Price clearly did). And that's a lot of fun.

The other thing that struck me is that the characters are locked in a haunted house, one with "no windows, and no doors," leaving them the "chilling challenge" of finding a way out. As a budding Disneyphile, I thought, hang on, Vincent Price played host during the first years of Phantom Manor over at Disneyland Paris -- I wonder if he says those lines from the Ghost Host's spiel? Lo and behold, he does. So I quickly edited this together as an audio introduction to the film. Now, curious friends, you too can hear this.

Once you've listened to this, be sure to click here to see the original film in all its dark, hilarious, scary glory. And, be sure to come back Saturday evening, for more from the original Haunted Mansion in Disneyland.

Vincent Price - Phantom Manor Excerpts
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The Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band - Monster Mash LIVE!

2009-10-28T16:52:00.005-04:00

Here we go, kids, a special Halloween treat. This is an audio rip from the first episode of legendary British children's show Do Not Adjust Your Set. The show helped cement the TV careers of 2/3 of Monty Python, not to mention today's musical contributors, The Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band (official wiki AMG).

The Bonzos included Vivian Stanshall (right) on guitar and lead vocals (he was known to do a killer Elvis impression, featured during the band's performance in Magical Mystery Tour) and Neil Innes on piano and vocals. The Frankenstein Monster in the middle of the picture is Sam Spoons, who plays a nice solo on the spoons in this song.

I have several other performances by the Bonzos of this song, but I'm fond of Viv's spoken interlude in this, and the chaos the song descends into at the end. More spooky stuff to come -- stay tuned!

The Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band - Monster Mash
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Monster Mansion Ridethrough

2009-10-27T22:45:00.005-04:00

So remember my longish post on Monster Mansion? It's the only dark ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, the one which until this year was called "Monster Plantation." If you don't recall it, the best thing to do is click through up there and read it.

Anyway, the park FINALLY released an official soundtrack CD, which is something I hadn't even bothered to hope for -- Six Flags doesn't do things like that, and in fact my tentative research indicates that the Georgia park hasn't put out an album since the early 70's.

I hadn't planned to post this ridethrough on the blog -- I bought the CD specifically to get the ridethrough, and I'd like other people to buy the CD too (incidentally, only available in the park, so if you don't buy it by November 1 you can't get it till next March -- I have one extra, so comment if you must have a copy). I'd planned to post the new area music, produced by these guys, but though it's great fun, the track is 15 minutes long, and I don't have the time or energy to edit it down tonight.

So, ridethrough it is. As I mentioned in the earlier post, nothing substitutes for actually being in the room with the singing robots and seeing/hearing/feeling all the 4D effects. So go, this weekend (I'll be there Sunday morning, the last operating day of the year) if you can, and if not, the next time you're in Atlanta.

Monster Mansion Ridethrough
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Multiple Mondays: Season of the Witch Volume Two

2009-10-26T07:00:00.002-04:00

Here's a second helping of Donovan's atmospheric classic (click here to see Volume One).

In chronological order, here are ten versions. As always, I recommend the zip, but you can cherry pick. (I have many more versions, but they are mostly either terrible, or jambands, which -- sorry! -- tend to run together to me. If you wanna hear more, comment down below.)

Zipfile

Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger (1967) 1 2
Vanilla Fudge (1968) 1 2
Terry Reid (1968) 1 2
Pesky Gee! (1969) 1 2
Suck (1970) 1 2
Coupla Prog (1970) 1 2
Richard Thompson (2003) 1 2
David Gans and Bob Weir (live 2004) 1 2
The Strangelings (2007) 1 2
Blue Matter (2007) 1 2

Silly Sundays - Rose and the Arrangement - The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati

2009-10-25T09:36:00.003-04:00

It's less than a week to Halloween, so hang on to those hats and glasses -- we're going to hear some spooky, kooky, ooky things between now and then.

Here's my favorite song ever about horror films. With a title reminiscent of "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago," and a group of accomplished musicians and singers, Rose and the Arrangement (Dr. Demento loves them) serve up a delicious platter of horrendous rhymes and a catchy earwig of a tune. This was on the first Dr. Demento compilation I ever got, and it's a great novelty tune. Its greatness is largely due to a refusal to take anything seriously, even its own jokes. (I love that the singer has to apologize for one particularly bad pun, and that the background singers criticize the finale of the song.)

The title was borrowed for an otherwise unrelated micro-budget film in 1996, and I don't normally link to these things, but this fan video for the song made me laugh a lot.

Come back tomorrow -- more spoooooky recordings are on the way!

Rose and the Arrangement - The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Johnny Moeller

2009-10-24T13:22:00.002-04:00

Johnny Moeller (archived official wiki AMG) grew up in Texas listening to his father's blues collection, along with the standard rock and pop. He's best known these days as guitarist for The Fabulous Thunderbirds, but here's a version from a few years before he joined that band.

This is a strolling blues cover of Lloyd Price's version of the song, and is credited to Logan/Price on the CD. While Moeller is the artist of record, both the vocals and rockin piano duties were performed admirably here by Moeller's friend Shawn Pittman (official myspace).

Johnny Moeller - Stagger Lee
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Merle Travis

2009-10-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

Merle Travis (fansite wiki AMG) was a highly influential country guitar picker, born in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky (which "Paradise" would later be stripmined for coal) in 1917. He befriended Tennessee Ernie Ford, and even wrote "Sixteen Tons," which would become Ernie's biggest hit.

This is a loose, laidback version, recorded only two years before Travis' death. His voice is appropriately aged, warm and crackling. He improvises a few lyrics, such as Billy's unimpressive claim to have "one little chilluns." You'll note that this is a rare version of Stag where the gambling is over cards, rather than dice. It's also nice that in this version Billy has a gun too -- seems a little more honorable when Stag shoots him dead.

But all that pales in comparison to the real treasure here: the guitar picking. This is one man, on one guitar, but it sounds like at least two of each. I'm a supremely uncoordinated person (which is one reason I have no instrumental talent), but just think -- Travis is singing, and playing a melody line on the guitar, and a rhythm line on the guitar, all at the same time. I'm pretty sure that if I tried any two of those three things, my head would explode. Merle Travis does all three without breaking a sweat, at the age of 64 -- if I have half this much energy at that age, I'll be grateful.

Merle Travis - Stack O'Lee
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Multiple Mondays: Season of the Witch

2009-10-12T23:46:00.010-04:00

It's October, so here's another ten spooky recordings for ya. Donovan Leitch (official myspace wiki AMG) wrote and recorded "Season of the Witch" in 1966. It's a perfect, almost obligatory garage jam -- only two chords, with incredible atmosphere and a perfect skeleton to hang your own improvisations and musical ideas on. (I spent some time at archive.org this week, and downloaded 21 live versions from 21 different artists, which should give you an idea of the popularity among jam bands.)

The covers of this song started right away -- here we have The Little Boy Blues' take from 1967, and Sam Gopal's magnificently fuzzy, amped-up version from 1968 (via). The Dedikation (via) were a New Zealand group, and their 1969 cover has the tastiest organ licks this side of Al Kooper. Speaking of Mr. Kooper, we're also hearing his version with Steven Stills and Mike Bloomfield, from their 1968 Super Session album (featuring Donovan's drummer "Fast" Eddie Hoh).

G. Love and Special Sauce want to play you a representative jamband version, Lou Rawls adds his distinctive jazzy soul touch to the song, and Jenny DeVivo turns the song into a techie dance groove, complete with obscure audio samples.

Finally, we're going to hear two of my ten favorite covers of all time. Luna's take on this song has one of the five best openings of any pop song ever (someday I'll write a post with the entire list) -- this is one of the peppiest records ever, and my favorite version of this song.

Then, my final mention of Dr. John (previously 1 2 3) for a while: his dirty, funky, greasy voodoo take on the song is not only the best thing about Blues Brothers 2000, it's quite possibly the best thing any human being did in the entirety of 1998.

I have about 30 more versions of this song, almost all of them good, so if I get any requests I'd be more than happy to put up a second volume of this song. As usual, I recommend the zipfile, but you can cherrypick if you feel like it.

Zip file

Donovan 1 2
The Little Boy Blues 1 2
Sam Gopal 1 2
The Dedikation 1 2
Steven Stills, Mike Bloomfield, and Al Kooper 1 2
G. Love and Special Sauce 1 2
Lou Rawls 1 2
Jenny DeVivo 1 2
Luna 1 2
Dr. John and The Blues Brothers Band 1 2

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band

2009-10-10T08:52:00.004-04:00

Taj Mahal first recorded a version of Stag in 1969, and here's his take 31 years later. This is a lovely island version, with ukuleles and a full, Hawaiian-tinged band.

This is, if I'm not mistaken, the first version of the song I've posted which posits that Stag's hat is, in fact, magical. I read in Cecil Brown's masterful book Stagolee Shot Billy that quite a few versions indicate that Stag traded his soul to the devil for a magical hat which would give him good luck gambling, but at the time I couldn't think of any version in particular which did so. Here's one of them.

It's weird, kind of, to hear the New Orleans version of Stag ("...every step you take, you're stepping in Delyons' blood...") with this type of backing music, but this is great fun. I recently had to pass up on an opportunity to see Taj and Bonnie Raitt live (due to lack of funds and concert companion), and while it's unlikely he did a version of Stag at that show, I still mourn the lost opportunity.

Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band - Stagger Lee
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buy from Taj hisownself

Multiple Mondays: I Put A Spell On You: The Threequel

2009-10-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hi, folks. Sorry about the lack of Stagger Lee over the weekend -- I had a family daytrip to go on, and forgot to prepare a post ahead of time. Why? Well, I was working on this:

It's October, and people all over the world will be listening to "I'll Put A Spell On You" in a few weeks. Last year, I put up a total of 19 versions of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' classic voodoo howl. I just reupped the zip, and you can find Volumes One and Two here. Now, here are ten more versions of the song.

As Volume Two was mostly concerned with late-60's garage versions of the song, Volume Three is predominantly bluesy, and at some points even really mellow. (I particularly recommend Robben Ford's lovely, quiet instrumental version.)

My original, disastrous attempt to put together a collection involved weeding out all the artists we'd heard from already in the previous collections, and I found that a lot of the other versions I have... aren't fantastic. (I'm looking at you, Diamanda Galas!) So we're hearing a remix of the Sonique version we heard in Volume One, and the Woodstock recording from Creedence, whose version I put up in Volume Two. We've also got a live version from Gov't Mule, and a menacing 1980 rerecording from Screamin' Jay himself, with one K. Richards on guitar (via How Marvellous -- thanks!).

Mr. Richards' friend Bill Wyman is here too, as Beverley Skeete takes the Simone-ish vocal duties for his Rhythm Kings. You'll also hear from Tab Benoit, Jimmy Barnes, Leslie West, and The Black Elevators (with a version which I think frequent commenter CD emailed me last year).

I have about seven more versions of the song, but as I mentioned some aren't great, so you'll have to wait till next October for another collection. I've zipped them all up, and I'd recommend that, but you can cherry pick too if you like.

Zip file

Screamin' Jay Hawkins feat. K. Richards 1 2
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings 1 2
Robben Ford 1 2
Tab Benoit 1 2
Leslie West 1 2
Jimmy Barnes 1 2
The Black Elevators 1 2
CCR live at Woodstock 1 2
Sonique (Full Vocal Remix) 2
Gov't Mule (live Chattanooga TN) 1 2

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Sleepy LaBeef

2009-09-26T13:01:00.005-04:00

Hi there, folks. I'm worn out. In real life, I've been moving boxes full of books all morning, but in the interest of pretending this blog is my only life, let's say It's from cleaning up behind all those pirates. They can mess up anything. I've never seen so many apple cores and bones from various meats piled up before.

Since I'm tired, here's Sleepy LaBeef (official wiki AMG). Born to a Houston family of melonfarmers in 1935, he started recording in 1957, which means he's in his fifth decade as a professional musician. If you had to classify LaBeef, most people would call him either country or rockabilly, but he's got a lot of blues and straightforward rock in him too.

This is a great, full-steam-ahead rocking cover of Lloyd Price's take on Stag. Though LaBeef is a guitarist, his piano player is really high in the mix, which is a trait of a lot of great versions of Stag (for example, see here).

Sleepy LaBeef - Stagger Lee
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Aye, Pirate Week: Thurl Ravenscroft's POTC LP

2009-09-21T21:35:00.008-04:00

Ye come seekin' adventure and salty old pirates, eh? Sure, ye've come to the proper place. Aye, har be the final post o' Pirate Week. Forty-some years ago, the Disneyland ride Pirates O' The Caribbean opened. Soon after they called on our patron saint, Thurl Ra'enscroft, t' narrate a record tellin' the story o' the attraction. I posted that record on Thurl's birthday this year, and ye may find it har.

The flipside o' the record war a bunch o' sea shanties, performed by Thurl, which I done uploaded today. (Ye can see the back co'er o' the disc har.) If ye can only lis'en to one o' these, I heartily suggest "Asleep In The Deep," which be the deepest Thurl has e'er sung. This disc be long out o' print, so the buy link'll send ye to a used copy.

I hope t' do Pirate Week again next year, but until then, mark well my words, mateys: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

...Dead Men Tell No Tales...

1) A Life On The Ocean Waves m1 m2
2) Asleep In The Deep m1 m2
3) A Capital Ship m1 m2
4) Shenadoah m1 m2
5) Tarpaulin Jacket m1 m2

Buy from GEMM

Aye, Pirate Week: Barrett's Privateers

2009-09-20T02:49:00.007-04:00

Arrr, har be the next t' last post o' Pirate Week. Stan Rogers (official wiki AMG) were a Canadian folk singer, and the year were 1976 when he released this shanty about plunderin' American merchant ships, with extensi'e loss o' life and limb, largely from th' shabbiness o' the pirates' own ship.

Ahoy, sadly, Rogers suffered an ironic death several years later -- he too died in an untrustworthy craft: Air Canada Flight 797. (Hist'ry do not record whether Rogers called that plane the scummiest 'essel he'd e'er seen.)

Thar be an extremely detailed line-by-line notation on the song har, so simply steer your browser thar, and read yer fill. Meself, I done read all I can, and now I have a hankerin for a fine pork loin. I hope that pilferin pussycat ain't taken it!

(Lubbers beware: this song do contain a wee bit o' profanity.)

Stan Rogers - Barrett's Privateers
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Buy from Rogers' official site

Aye, Pirate Week: The Derelict

2009-09-19T09:23:00.005-04:00

Ahoy, thar be no Stagger Lee today -- Stag will return next Saturday. (He who complains'll walk the plank! Be that clear, señor?)

Away back in 1883, Robert Louis Ste'enson published Treasure Island, and it contained parts o' a new shanty, "Dead Man's Chest." In 1891, poet Young Allison adapted and expanded the shanty int' a full-length poem, "The Darlict."

One hundred six years later, a band o' young musicians first recorded their 'ersion o' the poem, beginnin' with a quote from Ste'enson's no'el. The Jolly Rogers (official Myspace) be currently plyin' their trade at the Kansas City Renaissance Festi'al -- navigate festwards if ye be in a flat square state nearby.

The Jolly Rogers - The Derelict
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Buy from the band, matey

Aye, Pirate Week: Hoist The Colours

2009-09-18T11:06:00.004-04:00

Aye, speakin' o' pirate mo'ies, har's the theme song t' ...At World's End, the third (but not last) POTC film. It war orchestrated by Hans Zimmer, who not coincidentally orchestrated that Tim Curry song we heard Sunday.

The lyrics war written by the film's writers and director, if this har 'pedia have any truth t' it. This be a fine shanty to sing whilst ye hoist yer own colours, ye blooming cockroachers!

More t'morrow, mateys.

Hans Zimmer - Hoist The Colours
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Buy from Amazon, matey -- Buy from Deep Discount, yarr.

Aye, Pirate Week: Nick Ca'e and Lou Reed.

2009-09-17T21:12:00.005-04:00

Aye, ahoy, mateys. I been nearly swallowed up by Da'y Jones himself, but emerged t' send you more tunes from the likes o' some swank-bellied pirates like meself. Gar.

Arrr, in 2004, Johnny Depp and Gore 'erbinski, while workin' on the second and third Pirates o' the Caribbean mo'ies, thought it would be nice t' have some contemp'ry albums o' sea shanties t' help set the mood. Thar warn't any.

So they produced some.

Har be two tracks from Rogue's Gallery... (wiki liner notes), with two personal fa'orite artists o' mine (but just look at that tracklistin' -- if ye like She'll Grow Back, surely ye'll appreciate the talent har).

Nick Cave - Pinery Boy
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Lou Reed feat. Antony - Leave Her, Johnny
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

Aye, Pirate Week :Tim Curry and The Muppets - A Professional Pirate

2009-09-13T07:00:00.008-04:00

Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course now, mateys.

Aye, greetin's, friends. Welcome t' Pirate Week har on She'll Grow Back. Ahoy, in celebration o' International Talk Like A Pirate Day, I'll be pro'idin' some nautically-themed music all week. So keep your ruddy hands inboard -- that be the best way t' repel boarders!

Aye, as tis' Sunday, har's one o' the silliest thin's we'll lis'en at all week. Tis' Tim Curry and The Muppets, from Muppet Treasure Island. The song be written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also enscribed "On Broadway" and "We Gotta Get Out O' This Place," among others. Arrr, as the soundtrack be impossible t' find, the buy link today steers ye t'wards the movie.

Download with care -- thar be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waitin' for them what don't obey. Aye.

Tim Curry and The Muppets - A Professional Pirate
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Buy from Amazon, Matey -- Buy from Deep Discount, Arr

Stagger Lee Saturdays - James Brown

2009-09-12T07:00:00.004-04:00

James Brown was the Hardest-Working Man In Show Business -- you all know that, so I won't bother with the introductory links this week.

This is a tasty, horn-driven version from 1967, a perfect slab of Famous Flame-broiled goodness. This song is almost out of print on CD, but luckily I found a cheapish import for your buy link down there. Enjoy!

(I apologize for the peremptory nature of this post, but I have another theme week up my sleeve, which starts tomorrow morning.)

James Brown - Stagger Lee
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Buy from Amazon

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Henry Gray

2009-09-05T08:39:00.003-04:00

Henry Gray (official wiki AMG) has been playing professionally for almost 70 years -- he's worked for Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson, Taj Mahal and so on. He was born in Louisiana, like so many of the best performers of Stag, and now lives there again.

This is a great, rockin electric blues version of Stag -- one of the few in my collection which include both fiddle and harmonica, come to think of it. Since Gray is a pianist by trade, the piano is nice and high in the mix -- lots of fun.

This is a live version from 1999, and five years later he'd record the song again; both albums include his cover of "Sweet Home Chicago," among others.

Henry Gray and The Cats - Stagger Lee
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Buy from the record label

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Stack O' Dollars

2009-08-29T07:00:00.007-04:00

Here's the post on Stack A Dollar I promised several weeks ago. Since I have three versions of this song, all recorded within five years of each other, I decided to go all out and put 'em all up.

Before I start, I need to note that, despite a similarity in title, this song is almost entirely lyrically unrelated to the story of "Stag" Lee Shelton and Billy Delions. (You'll note a "rumbling underground," which occurs in a lot of versions of "Stag" when Stag is in hell, turning Billy upside down, but that's about it.) With that said, Stagger Lee and Stack O'Dollars are both pimps and baaad men. (At least, Stack O'Dollars offers money for sex -- it's close enough for the sake of this argument, anyway. I own a 70's novel entitled Stack A Dollar, which I haven't yet read, but it's about a young pimp who presumably took his name from this legend. Also, see this.)

(For more lyrically unrelated versions, click here and here and here and here.)

In the late 1920's Sleepy John Estes (wiki AMG discography) teamed up with James "Yank" Rachell (wiki AMG) to play dances and parties, and they eventually went into a studio to record in 1929. In 1930, they laid down "Stack O'Dollars."

Rachell recorded his own solo version in 1934. One year later, Big Joe Williams (wiki AMG) (best known as the original artist of "(Baby) Please Don't Go") recorded his take on it.

All three men worked together decades later, as Yank Rachell's Tennessee Jug-Busters, though sadly they didn't include this song on their only album. (However, please note that Mike Bloomfield, who did his own version of Stag, also worked on this record.)

Sleepy John Estes - Stack O' Dollars
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

James "Yank" Rachell - Stack O'Dollars Blues
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Buy from Amazon

Big Joe Williams - Stack O'Dollars
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Buy from Amazon

Silly Sundays - Rupert Holmes - Psycho Drama

2009-08-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

Here's a bit of fun from Rupert Holmes' 1973 album, Widescreen, a collection of songs Holmes conceived of as "movies in sound." This is the fullest exploration of that idea from the album, and is more or less a full-blown radio play.

In the liner notes to the expanded collector's edition (where the buy link goes, natch), Holmes writes:

"Had I But Known (as they used to say on such [old-time radio] programs) that in the nineteen-nineties I'd have the chance to write four years worth of such programs for Remember WENN ... I'd probably have traded in this cut for two more ballads."

But if he'd done that, this album would feel a little less special to me.

Rupert Holmes - Psycho Drama
(Link Removed due to my second DMCA takedown notice)
Buy from Amazon

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Lonnie Donegan and Chas McDevitt

2009-08-22T08:18:00.004-04:00

It's skiffle week on Stagger Lee Saturdays! Skiffle is a genre of British jazz-rock-folk-blues, with a lot of instruments like washboard percussion and washtub basses. The King of Skiffle, Lonnie Donegan (official wiki AMG) recorded his version for the Pye label in 1956, and labelmate Chas McDevitt (official wiki AMG) laid his version down the next year.

Donegan's version is a slow, lazy rambling blues take (lyrically similar to Woody Guthrie's), with a few improvisations along the way. McDevitt's version is a rockin' version which, sadly, removes Billy from the story and changes Stag from a murderer into a simple hat thief. With that noted, McDevitt's version is peppy and upbeat -- I love just about any upbeat version of Stag.

I have a third skiffle version around here somewhere, but I'll save it for later. Next week is our final week of double-Stag posts for this month -- we'll be looking at the story of Stack A Dollar.

Lonnie Donegan - Stackalee
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Buy from Amazon

Chas McDevitt - Badman Stackolee
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Buy from Amazon

Silly Sundays - Rupert Holmes - Beef Lo Mein

2009-08-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a track from the soundtrack to Rupert Holmes' 2006 mystery Swing. You can read more about the novel, and listen to the soundtrack, at Holmes' semiofficial site.

The novel is a murder mystery (and, like his first novel Where The Truth Lies, also serves as a metamystery) set in 1940's Golden Gate International Exposition. I won't summarize the plot here, but it's smart and complex, twisty and turny, and simultaneously hilarious and dead serious. Despite the grim, uncomfortable aspects of the plot, there's plenty of time for fun exploration of the World's Fair and 1940's pop culture.

And so, here is a 40's-style novelty song, proving once again that it's hard to write a song about food that isn't funny. (And, funny as this is, the song also turns out to be tragic in the novel. Just go ahead and click the buy link down there, okay?)

Rupert Holmes - Beef Lo Mein
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Buy the novel from Amazon

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway

2009-08-15T11:19:00.005-04:00

Today we're going to hear two oldschool jazzy bandleaders, and their versions of Stag.

Duke Ellington (official wiki AMG)recorded his take in 1927, and it's an uptempo, bluesy little swing instrumental. That's right, an instrumental. I don't post a lot of instrumental takes on Stag (in fact, this is the first one), but Ellington's a big damn name. At the time, he was headlining The Cotton Club.

Four years later, Ellington's replacement at The Cotton Club, Cab Calloway (official wiki AMG), took the same tune and put lyrics to it, which are all about crazy dancing. (I'd believe Cab a little more if he hadn't slowed the tune down so much.) Apparently, Calloway didn't know anything about the legend of Stag, or at least lyrics to fit the tune he liked so much.

Next week, we'll be back to songs about the Stagger Lee/Billy Lyons legend -- there are two more weeks of double posts left this month.

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - Stack O'Lee Blues
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Buy from Amazon

Cab Calloway - Stack O'Lee Blues
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Buy from Amazon

Dr. John

2009-08-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

Dr. John (previously here and here) is a N'awlins legend, who started his career as a voodoo hypnotist, turned mainstream funker, then a MOR standard jazz singer, and is currently a more political singer, whose albums include ties to all his previously visited styles.

I saw him in Atlanta two weeks ago, and he was desitively fan-tastic. Sadly, he held the opening slot, so I only got to see him play for a little over an hour (and also, no version of Stag), but he rocked my little world. (My concert companion, as is her wont, went in knowing little about him, but came out converted to fandom.)

Here are five of the songs I loved the most that night. Dr. John's version of "Saint James Infirmary" (like his version of "Goodnight Irene," which I haven't included here) is dirty and funky and swaggeringly rock-and-roll. His solo version (the studio cut includes Rickie Lee Jones) of "Makin' Whoopee" is outstandingly clean and crisp. Though, as it was played with his rock backup band, The Lower 911, it had a hefty backbeat to it as well.

Dr. John's only hit was "Right Place, Wrong Time," a funky 1973 confection that owes as much to its legendary NOLA producer, Allen Touissant, as it does to Mac himself. The live performance was an awful lot of fun -- we were all invited to stand up and dance, but the people waving their arms in the air at every "Whooo"? That was spontaneous.

My favorite Dr. John song is "I Walk On Guilded Splinters," from his first (and IMHO best) solo album, Gris Gris. Live, the rock band had to perform the backing vocals, and time has passed, so the live version didn't sound just like the record, but it was an excellent 8 minutes that also included an extended percussion-only break, along with a quick quote from "Danse Kalinda Da Boom," which pleased me no end.

After his scheduled onstage time was up, the audience refused to let Dr. John leave -- he played an encore of a song from his latest -- and angriest -- album, entitled The City That Care Forgot. "Save Our Wetlands," though it has an overtly enviro-political message, is as far from issue rock as you can get.

Sadly, I had to leave after the set, as I had to work. Dr. John's friends The Neville Brothers were the headliners (he's been working with them a lot lately). I haven't been able to find a review online anywhere, but if they had him return to the stage for a joint song, I'll kick myself all year.

I hadn't been to a live show in a long time (just click the "live shows" tag to see how long), and I'd forgotten how much fun live music is, how the bass kicks me in the belly and the crowd buoys me up. I need to get back in that habit. Thanks to Chris "CD" for prodding me to comb through concert listings for this show!

Dr. John - Saint James Infirmary
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Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones - Makin' Whoopee
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Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time
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Dr. John - I Walk On Guilded Splinters
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Dr. John and Terrance Simien - Save Our Wetlands
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Buy Gris Gris. Do it now.

Silly Sundays - Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)

2009-08-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

Here's our second post for Rupert Holmes month on Silly Sundays. In 1979, this was a massive #1 hit for Holmes, the song that really launched his career as a popular musician. The album, Partners in Crime, contains a lot of songs themed around unhealthy relationships and cheating, most with a tongue-in-cheek attitude belying the serious nature of the unhappiness chronicled therein.

Which is actually a clue to how Holmes works: he takes a truly unhappy situation and discusses it in a funny way, full of tiny, perfect details and human reactions, and makes you forget just how damned serious the subject can be. (For more, click here and scroll down about 3/5 of the way, for my review of his excellent first novel. In two weeks, we'll be hearing a song from the soundtrack of his excellent second novel.)

Which is why this was a pop hit: people listen to this song, hear the happy ending, and don't think about the fact that this relationship is clearly doomed. If both members of a relationship are trying to cheat, it doesn't matter if they end up cheating with each other -- that's not a very happy ending.

...

Well, that's a little serious for Silly Sundays. Maybe I should've posted something lighter instead. Anyway, come back next week for Holmes' first take on old-time radio, long before he got to create and write Remember WENN...

Rupert Holmes - Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
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Buy from Amazon

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Bruce Jackson and Snatch and the Poontangs

2009-08-08T11:04:00.005-04:00

This week we have two variations on the toast version of Stag. First, we'll listen to Bruce Jackson (official) read a transcription. Bruce Jackson is the compiler of Get Your Ass In The Water and Swim Like Me!, a book first published in 1974. (You can click on this link to read part of the book on Google Books.) The book was reissued in 2004 with a CD of readings; since this is just basically a book on tape, Jackson doesn't expend a lot of energy acting the toast. (For more energetic readings, click and listen to R. L. Burnside and Samuel L. Jackson do two VERY similar rockin' versions.)

Snatch and the Poontangs (myspace AMG wiki) are actually Johnny "Willie and the Hand Jive" Otis (official) and his son Shuggie "Strawberry Letter 23" Otis, along with The Johnny Otis Show's vocalist Delmar Evans. In 1969, they were releasing mainstream funk/rock/soul records, but they also pseudonymously released this gem of profane, obscene rants. As you might guess from the band's name, today's two tracks are totally NSFW. In fact, they're probably NSFHome too. Listen with headphones first.

Bruce Jackson - Stackolee
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Buy from Amazon

Snatch and the Poontangs - The Great Stackalee
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

Silly Sundays - The Buoys - Timothy

2009-08-02T07:00:00.004-04:00

For the month of August, Silly Sundays will be devoted to some tracks written and performed by renaissance man Rupert Holmes (official wiki AMG), the only man to win a Tony and an Edgar for the same work. (We'll be hearing a song from that work later this month, methinks.)

In 1971, Holmes was writing and recording and producing songs with his friend Ron Dante (of The Archies fame/infamy), and his friends The Buoys (official wiki interview). The Buoys were signed for a major label single, but the label wouldn't set aside even a penny for promotion. As such, Holmes had to promote the single himself. He set out to write a song so offensive it would be banned and censored, thereby achieving fame. Inspired partially by Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons," what he came up with was "Timothy," a dark tale of implied cannibalism.

Holmes' plan worked -- the song was quickly banned by some stations, and the record label issued two different censored versions (boo hiss for censorship!), but it slowly moved up the charts. Which means at one point Casey Kasem introduced the song when it entered the Top 40. The label also tried to defuse the controversy by announcing that Timothy was a mule, which claim was immediately denied by Holmes and the band. The Buoys went on to record two more albums, only one of which was released. The members have occasionally reunited in different formations, and here's a live video of the song from 2005. Holmes went on to record many more albums, write Broadway shows and novels and work with Barbra Streisand, of all people.

Most weeks, I provide a buy link for anything in print, but apparently the available commercial release is unofficial, and The Buoys, and Holmes, aren't getting any royalties, so I won't do it this week. Shame.

The Buoys - Timothy
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PS -- It's my mom's birthday today. She doesn't read this blog, but it's worth pointing out that once, she made the creepiest Donner Party joke I've ever heard. Happy birthday, Mom!

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Dr. John, Part Two

2009-08-01T11:13:00.005-04:00

Sorry I crapped out on y'all last week -- it was just too busy for me to get anything done here. Luckily, I've got a lot lined up all this month. (Also, you'll wanna go back to the post of two weeks ago and read the comments -- new stuff has come to light.)

It's been a while since I did a month of double Stag posts, but it's time again, so I can keep the numbers up. Today, we're gonna hear two more takes from Dr. John (learn a little about Dr. John and find his first version here, or on this compilation).

In 1973, the year after his first release of "Stagger Lee," Dr. John recorded a live show on radio, which luckily is in wide circulation. (You can get the whole marvelous thing at Captains Dead -- don't forget to click the link at the bottom for the second half.) This live track is similar lyrically and musically to the version on Dr. John's Gumbo. We're going "tee-na, na-na!"

Thirty-one years later, Dr. John mixed up a new version of the Stag legend for his album N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or D'udda (which album includes guest performances from B. B. King, Randy Newman, Willie Nelson, etc etc). He wrote in the liner notes:

"There was a many a pimp named Stak, and many a card hustler named Stakdollar ... An epic saga of death and char-ack-ters."

As befits the new version, this song has an (apparently) original title spelling. We'll hear more about Stack A Dollar next week, too...

Now, before I give you links, here's what I have planned for the rest of this month. If I can manage it, each Saturday this month will have two versions of Stag for your listening enjoyment. Download 'em, trade 'em, collect 'em all! Each Sunday this month will feature a Silly Sunday track from the same artist -- swing by tomorrow to find out who it'll be! Finally, I got to see Dr. John live last week, and the show blew my ears off. Come by Tuesday or Wednesday, and I'll post a review and some more tracks from Mac. Now, those MP3s:

Dr. John - Stagger Lee (live 1973)
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Dr. John - Stakalee
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

Stagger Lee Saturdays - The Wayside Trio

2009-07-18T14:16:00.003-04:00

I can find next to no information about The Wayside Trio online. They only released one album, as far as I can see, and that was apparently a result of their winning a contest at the 1964 California State Fair Exposition. (The album was, appropriately, titled "Winners: The California State Exposition.")

If I had unlimited time and resources for this blog, I'd visit the California State Archives and see if I could find a picture or poster or something in the Fair's extensive files. Alas, I do not.

Anyway, this is a friendly, upbeat acoustic folk take on Stag, with a nice opening whistle. I tend not to like this early 60's well-scrubbed, inoffensive "folk" style, but this is peppy and I don't mind it at all.

The Wayside Trio - Stagger Lee
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Buy from Amazon

Silly Sundays - Bowser and Blue - Polka Dot Undies

2009-07-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

Boswer and Blue (official wiki AMG) are a Canadian comedy duo, and a real favorite of Dr. Demento, the king of novelty records. I should warn you that, despite that art to the right there, Bowser and Blue aren't really Lou Reed and Jim Belushi playing incognito. This song does, however, include contributions from a sizeable percentage of 80's stalwarts Katrina and the Waves.

This is one of the best of the many many parodies of Bob Dylan out there, with a twist. This one belongs to what I like to call the "Hello Operator, Give Me Number Nine" school of comedy. (You'll hear more of these songs on Silly Sundays to come, I'll bet.)

This song makes me uncontrollably happy, and it can still make me giggle like an eight-year old. Thanks, Bowser and Blue.

Bowser and Blue - Polka Dot Undies
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Buy from Bowser and Blue

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Bert Garvin, JP Fraley and Danielle Fraley

2009-07-11T12:12:00.002-04:00

Here's a nice old-timey version from Bert Garvin, J. P. Fraley (AMG bio), and JP's daughter, Danielle (no links for her, as she seems to only appear backing her father).

This has a nice ringing banjo, and some lovely fiddle work that sounds at least 100 years older than the actual recording date of 1999.

As with so many of the Stagger Lees I present here, this album is currently out of print, and the used copies start at about 25 bucks, so the buy link is wishful thinking.

Bert Garvin, J. P. Fraley and Danielle Fraley - Stackolee
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Buy used from Amazon

Silly Sundays - Free At Last!

2009-07-05T07:00:00.003-04:00

My legal and tax-filing status has been changed. And that's all I'm gonna say here, except that (despite what you may think if you don't listen to The Beatles all the way to the end) I'm a happy, happy boy.

Gabriel Mann and Maxayn Lewis - Free At Last
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The Beatles - Oh! Darling (early take)
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Tom Rush

2009-07-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Tom Rush (official Wiki AMG) is a folk singer who's been a professional musician for 48 years. This is from an early album, recorded in 1963.

This version of Stag has a verse I've never heard anywhere else, wherein Stag's woman, Roberta, guesses that he's killed someone, and Stag replies that the sky does look foreboding, doesn't it. I know it looks silly typed up like that, but I swear the first time I heard this I shivered.

Remember last week when I was so down on Terry Melcher, and noted his version of "These Days" suffered from his delivery as much as his "Stag"? Well, Tom Rush recorded a version of "These Days" in 1970, and I'm happy to report that it is indeed excellent.

Tom Rush - Stackerlee
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Buy from Tom Rush hisownself

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Terry Melcher

2009-06-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

Terry Melcher (AMG Wiki) was a songwriter and producer who worked with The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and also his mom Doris Day.

In 1968, Dennis Wilson introduced Terry Melcher to a friend of his, Charles Manson, and Melcher had Manson as a guest at his home several times, along with Melcher's then-girlfriend Candice Bergen. After Melcher (and Wilson) severed ties with Manson, he left that house, and it was leased to Roman Polanski and his young wife Sharon Tate. Shortly thereafter, Manson's group of followers went to that house. In an attempt to kill Melcher, they ended up murdering five people, including Tate.

This has been another history lesson brought to you by Stagger Lee Saturdays.

In 1974, Melcher continued to work as a musician and producer, and he also released his eponymous first solo album. (via) This has an easy-listening, country rock vibe I just can't warm up to, and Melcher's slow reading and attempts to imbue the material with emotional meaning put me off. (The album also includes a cover of Dylan's "The 4th Time Around," which I'm not sure Melcher realized was a joke, and the least emotionally affecting version of "These Days" I've ever heard.)

Though I don't particularly care for it, I've posted this version today for a reason. Next week I'm posting a really nice slow version, which may be the most moving version of the song I've heard lately. Stay tuned.

Terry Melcher - Stagger Lee
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Buy from Amazon -- Buy from Deep Discount

Beck - Sunday Morning

2009-06-22T14:08:00.004-04:00

Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico 'Sunday Morning' from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

I don't normally do this, embed videos without posting an MP3. But until I can find a nice clean file I wanted to go ahead and post this anyway. Here's the news article that led me this far. This is from Beck's website (which has been a source for a previous post here).

I'll post more once it comes across my desk.

Edited to add: I don't need to blog when I'm supposed to be sleeping. Had I been wide awake, I probably would've done the two-minute Google before I posted, not after. Here's the file:

Beck - Sunday Morning
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Nathan Singleton and His Sideshow Tragedy

2009-06-20T07:00:00.003-04:00

Here's another recent take on Stag. This one's from Nathan Singleton and His Sideshow Tragedy (official MySpace). This original version, from last year, reminds me of some of Bob Dylan's best long, rambling story-songs, like "Lily, Rosemary, and The Jack of Hearts" or "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream."* Musically, this is one of the rockingest, most driving versions of Stag I've ever heard.

Some people like this take on Stag; some do not. Me? I do, most definitely. I'll queue it up again in a minute, right after I listen to "Highlands."

(Oh, and greetings to all my high school friends who found their way over from Facebook. If you have no idea what this post is about, please click here to learn more.)

Nathan Singleton and His Sideshow Tragedy - The Ballad of Stagolee and The Preacher Man
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Buy from Amazon

*Or "Tweeter and the Monkeyman" by Bob's distant cousin, Lucky Wilbury.

Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer - Redemption Song

2009-06-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

Bob Marley, dying from cancer, wrote "Redemption Song" in 1979, borrowing some words from a speech by Marcus Garvey. Twenty-odd years later, another music legend in the last years of his life recorded a version of the song.

Bob and Johnny didn't share a religion, or a race, or a musical style. I think they would've liked each other, though, and Johnny's take on Bob Marley's original is haunting, moving, and uplifting.

I composed a twelve-hour mix of music for a friend's birthday party last week, and this is one of two songs I got specific raving compliments about. Here you go, Julian. I hope this makes up for us running out of corn.

Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer - Redemption Song
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Buy from Johnny's official site

Silly Sundays - Monster Mansion!

2009-06-14T07:00:00.002-04:00

Back in 1981, Six Flags Over Georgia hired a former Disney Imagineer to put together a new dark ride, one that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. That ride became known as Monster Plantation. Last month, the ride reopened as a new, refurbished version of the original, with a new name and a lot of new effects. (If any of those A J-C links want you to register, don't forget bugmenot.)

One thing that didn't change was the theme song (though it sounds better now, thanks to advances in speaker design during the intervening decades, and a new instrumental version plays near the queue area). Here is the original theme song, played in several different instrumentations, all of which can still be heard in the new version of the ride.

I hadn't been to Six Flags in years and years, but when I heard they were refurbing this ride, I bought a season pass. I also wrote this, in an email to my friends:

The first audio-animatronic robots I ever saw were at Six Flags Over Georgia, in The Monster Plantation. I remember almost every part of it, and if it hadn't been as good as it was, I'd probably care less about robots, and dark rides, and Disney parks (and their themed brethren).

Those of you who aren't near Atlanta can see the difference between the old and new versions of the ride on YouTube, but of course watching a dark-ride video is pretty unsatisfying. Anyway, enough talk. This song is insanely catchy, so I don't recommend listening more than twice in any given week.

Monster Plantation/Mansion Theme
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Axe Masterson

2009-06-13T07:32:00.004-04:00

Axe Masterson (MySpace interview) is a Vermont blues/folk musician who's been playing live and in the studio for over 25 years. In 2007, he recorded an album as tribute to the Lomax field recordings, with a version of "Death Letter Blues" (a song best-known recently for the White Stripes' version) and, of course, his version of Stag.

Musically, this is a peppy but stripped-down version, just Axe's vocals, harmonica, and some lovely slide guitar. The lyrics are similarly stripped down -- we don't get to hear about any gambling, or a bulldog, or Stag's adventures in hell, or how all the women weeped and moaned.

The CD is out of print, so the buy link down there goes to MP3 downloads at [redacted], the MP3 downloading service I personally prefer, and one which USED TO send a high percentage of proceeds back to the artists. ([redacted] has given me no money to say this; I just think they're great.)

Axe Masterson - Stack O'Lee Blues
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Buy link removed due to Ukrainian lawbreaking

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Boy Williamson

2009-06-06T07:41:00.006-04:00

In 1947, Alan Lomax sat down with three blues musicians and asked them about the blues. The blues, they decided in a recorded discussion, came from trouble. Trouble came from oppression.

And oppression, it need hardly be said, came from white people.

It's been said better by other people, but Stagger Lee, no matter the spelling, is a story about oppression. Stag is a black antihero who fights back against a crooked game, and in most versions cannot escape retribution.

In this version of the song, Stag drags Billy down the street, which you don't hear in a lot of versions. The three men talking and singing on this album would've heard of, or even witnessed, identical acts in the American South of the time. Again, it need hardly be said, the victims would be black, the perpetrators white.

At the time of this recording, as you'll read in the first link above, the three artists wouldn't let Lomax release the album under their own names, fearing violent reprisals against themselves, and their families, for their brutal honesty. The album didn't get released for over a decade, and then under assumed names.

I'm not a person of color; I can't claim to know anything about racial oppression. What I do know is that music and friendships can give people the strength to survive unbearable situations, and fight against incredible odds. What you hear on this record are three men, honestly and openly talking through their political troubles, and singing songs which might help others deal with the same problems.

Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Boy Williamson
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Silly Sundays - Stan Freberg - Incident at Los Varoces

2009-05-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Our final post for Vegas/Canyon week here at She'll Grow Back also marks the introduction of a new feature: Silly Sundays. After this week's near-death of one of my favorite blogs, Dr. Forrest's Cheeze Factory, I've realized it's time to post or repost some of my favorite silly recordings. (This week's is more serious than most, and much longer too.)

If I had twelve hours to spend on this post, I would put up an additional webpage detailing all the cultural references in this fifty-year old recording, but I don't have anywhere near that long.* So let me just say this:

Stan Freberg was the son of a Baptist minister, and the voracious spirit of Las Vegas, even fifty years ago, bothered him no end. In 1957, network radio was dying, and sponsors were light on the ground. Despite the weak position he found himself as a network radio comedian, Freberg recorded a twenty-minute-long, all-out attack on Las Vegas. Like the best satire, it's just as funny and prescient today as it was at the time. (There have been, in the past week, at least two blog or forum posts tying North Korea's nuclear bragging into this piece.)

And, also like the best satire, it scared the crap out of the people responsible for distributing it to the masses. After hearing it pre-broadcast, weak-willed CBS Radio execs demanded a different ending for this, though I imagine they didn't expect God Himself to take an active role in the new version. (I've never heard the second version, and I don't think it's ever been released to the public after that first broadcast. Anyone out there wanna try to prove me wrong? Please? And, also, boo hiss for censorship!) Stan himself gives us all the details in his delightful autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh.

In 1957, Freberg was at the top of his game. He wrote and produced 15 near-flawless half hours of radio, and it's an incredible shame that these CDs are out of print. Luckily, a best-of is available, via the buy link down there. Like all of the best of Stan's work, today's recording also features Daws Butler, Peter Leeds, June "Rocky" Foray and Peggy Taylor, with the Billy May Orchestra, and also Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires.

This track is 20 minutes long, and 50 MB. Download with care.

Stan Freberg - Incident At Los Varoces
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*If you're looking for extensively-researched blog posts on Freberg, look no further than this page here.