Thank you, Rock Town Hall. Should my life flash before my eyes someday, I’m not sure that the dim memory of Sanford Townsend Band’s “Smoke From a Distant Fire” would have been included in that Great Montage Before Meeting My Maker. Until it came up in today’s Dugout Chatter, I had not thought about this song since maybe 6 weeks after it fell out of Top 40 rotation, way back when. Hearing it again and finding this especially tasty clip may be the high point of my half-completed day. This speaks volumes about some of my core rock values and perspectives. The members of Brinsley Schwarz would have given Brinsley’s left nut for this Top 40 hit. Rock Town Hall, once more you have filled in a gap in my memory that no other rock discussion blog could have filled.
I confess that I had to look the name up before I posted it.
Van has little room to cry foul about a sound alike in my estimation. I’ve working on a theory, the hypothesis of which is this: the bulk of Van Morrison’s 70’s output is based on Here’s Comes My Baby by Cat Stevens.
The thing that strikes me about a ’70s track like this is just how competent bands were back then – in terms of songcraft, playing, production, arrangement, etc. The tide seems to be swinging back to competence these days, but there’s still a way to go.
Funny. Not only do I remember hearing this song endlessly back when it was popular, I remember liking it quite a bit then. But I had forgotten it completely.
The technical proficiency is one of the reasons I would never have mistaken this for Van, a much rougher-edged singer. I have no recollection of this song, but I’m reminded of the era when this type of Van-influenced swing rhythm found its way into the early work of Bruce Springsteen (Kitty’s Back), Elvis Costello (Pay It Back, Graham Parker (Heat Treatment), and Joe Jackson (Kinda Cute).
I think you mean Cat-influenced
I think you may mean Cat influenced. Feel free to make the case, but Van made ten albums in the 70s, and I’m not finding much music there that sounds like Here Comes My Baby. It’s a great song (though I’ve only ever heard the Tremeloes and Yo La Tengo do it, never Cat), but it doesn’t have that swing rhythm (think Jackie Wilson Said) I was pointing to in the songs by those other artists.
I always thought Here Comes My Baby sounded like those very early Neil Diamond records on Bang and the songs he wrote for the Monkees.
I hadn’t thought of that but I see the early Neil Diamond thing.
You should listen to the Cat Stevens version. It’s excellent (and I’m not a Cat Stevens fan). The production and arrangement are the things that inspired me to come up with my half baked Van Morrison Template Theory. In fact it might just be the sax during the chorus.
Regarding the Mod’s comment about 70’s production and arrangement, I agree. One of the things that I especially like is how uncluttered the production is in a lot of that stuff. I recently heard “Magnet and Steel” and “Dancing in the Moonlight” (so I like 70’s a.m. pop crap, sue me) and those songs are really stripped down in a good way.
Love that BC Rich Mockingbird, by the way.
I still love “Dancing in the Moonlight” – talk about your Van Morrison soundalikes! “Magnet and Steel” is another tune I haven’t thought of in 30 years. Is that Walter Egan? I don’t remember how that song went, but didn’t Egan look like a poor man’s Bob Welch, which it goes without saying is a mighty poor look?
Yes, me too. I bet Van has never shared the stage with a pointy guitar in his entire career.
Magnet and Steel unironically kicks ass. I think Lindsey Buckingham produced it or something.
It’s 11:30 on a Friday, by the way. Don’t you guys have anything better to do than post on a rock nerd list?
I thought I’d be at the Amy Rigby-Wreckless Eric-Joe Jack Talcum show about now, but I’m spent from yelling my lungs out at tonight’s Phils game. I’m still seeing Ryan Howard’s majestic first-inning home run come down from high in the sky, through the mist, and over the low wall in centerfield. I lost my voice once and for all screaming at the umps and the Nationals’ rookie clown of a leftfielder as Charlie Manuel argued an over-ruled call for about 7 or 8 minutes after he’d been thrown out. Then Brad Lidge came back with the exact same pitch and struck out the loser – again.
Nationals fans, you should not stand for that pathetic team. Why don’t you ship them back to Montreal, where they had no money but plenty of great young players? And their uniforms ruled. Do the Nats purposely try to collect a failed, featured prospect from every team in the league? Every guy they send out there is some 28-year-old guy who was highly touted by his previous organization 3-5 years ago: Lastings Milledge, Willie Harris… Is Marlon Byrd still with the Nats? I’ve never seen a roster so loaded with failed prospects from other organizations. That rightfielder looks pretty good, Elijah Dukes. However, I’m a sucker for his type. He’ll probably be a flop as well.
I wasn’t even watching the game. I have no excuse…
These guys got way more popular when they shortened their name to Hall and Oates.