It’s that time again, people — time to don our white robes, shave our heads, and go wandering through the dusty record bins of our favorite neighborhood thrift stores, in the hope that our wayward paths will intersect with interesting new music.
Actually, the last few weeks have provided an abundance of riches in the Thrifty Music department — so much so that I’ve decided I need to really get picky for a change, selecting only the tracks that have really rocked my world for 25 cents. And note that I’m pushing these tracks out the door in anticipation of the Great Thrifty Music Score Listening Party, wherein Townsman Christian and I will select some seriously amazing traxx from a wonderful haul I made a week or two ago — a haul remarkable enough to even get E Pluribus to nod his head in sage approval.
Anyhow, on to the matter at hand. Up for your consideration this fine day:
The Stylistics, “People Make the World Go Round” — there’s a story floating around out there that Dionne Warwick once placed an urgent call to Burt Bacharach upon hearing Thom Bell‘s work with the Stylistics, basically to tell him that there was a black cat out there that was one-upping Burt’s sophisticated pop thang, with a whole new groove. I can believe it. This track, from the Stylistics’ first album (by the way, is that a great cover, or what? I love velour suits as much as the next guy, but seeing the Stylistics kickin’ back in the grass, hippie-stylee, makes me all happy for some reason) — sorry, as I say, from their first album, is a total “In your face, Burt!” from the composer/arranger for whom I may have the biggest Kentonite boner, Thom Bell. And dig the coda at the end… in 9/8 time! Wowsers!
Next up, Betty Everett, delivering the first (and clearly best) version of “You’re No Good”. Wotta great production! I read recently that one of the reasons this single sounds so slammin’ is because of a studio fluke: The Dells were listening to the playback in the VeeJay control room, tapping/stomping their feet in unison with the groove. Mr. Producer stopped tape, ran things back, and added a track of the Dells’ feet-stompery, knowing a great thing when he heard one. Instant hit!
Next, a palate cleanser, a country music amuse-bouche, if you will; “Song For the Life”, by Rodney Crowell. This is from a fairly ordinary album that fans of Townes Van Zant and such rave about. I must admit I really fell in love with this number. And talk about star power in the backing band! That’s James Burton, Albert Lee, Hal Blaine, Willie Nelson, and Emmylou Harris plunkin’, thumpin’ and sangin’ behind ol’ Rodney.
Do you wanna dance? How could you not, with Bobby Freeman exhorting you to SWIM! This one was a pleasant surprise for me, as I was already a big fan of The Woggles‘ version and had no idea it was a cover. Both rock, for different reasons.
Lastly, my favorite recent thrifty discovery, by far: “Without You In My Life,” by Tyrone Davis. God, where do I begin listing the reasons why this song kicks such major ass? It’s a perfect integration of music and voice, lyric and melody, simplicity and depth. Damn! Tasteful arrangement, sensitive without being cloying… and listen to the way Tyrone says “wish” — like “wush.” So cool! Man, I used to say that if I could be steal the mojo from any male entertainment personality, it would be Gene Kelly; I may officially change to a Tyrone Davis wannabe, if all his songs are as beautifully manly as this one.
As always, in order to fully understand the music I offer, some thoughtful contemplation is in order. In order to assist you, I offer the following inspirational questions:
1. Which single artist, band or composer/arranger satisfies your deepest Kentonite yearnings?
2. Other than up-skirt shots of her panties, or those Rolling Stone magazine shots of her frolicking in a pink teddy, has Linda Ronstadt ever contributed anything of value to the history of popular music? Extra demerits to anybody who makes any excuses for her collaborations with Nelson Riddle or those mariachis she was hanging out with for a while.
3. Townes Van Zant or Gram Parsons?
4. Bobby Freeman does an excellent job urging us to lose our inhibitions and SWIM! Any other songs worth listening to that ask or show us how to execute specific dances? Have any of us ever actually performed these steps or gyrations in public?
5. Men: name the popular musical artist who best captures, in song and/or performance, the essence of The Man You Wish You Were. No ironic references to Mandom here — I want you to look deep inside your soul and tell us who you really wannabe.
2. Without Ronstadt, I wouldn’t have thought to track down Betty Everett. Also, that Stone Ponies mini-hit is a winner. Considering the times in which she had her hits, I can live with her body of work.
3. Parsons
4. I have followed the command to do the Rwist, I have Twisted again, and I have especially responded to commands to do The Peppermint Twist.
I’ll come back to questions 1 and 5. Good stuff, Hrrundi. I was not aware of that Davis track. What was his great hit song?
4. Don’t tell me you’ve never done The Hokey-Pokey.
I did The Hokey-Pokey once as a kid and felt great shame for both myself and humanity. A few years ago at a roller rink birthday party for one of my oldest son’s friends, they organized a Hokey-Pokey session. He came off the floor, very anxious, saying he didn’t want to do it. I supported his decision and told him to make sure he participated in some other group activity to be polite to his friend.
Mr. Mod — Tyrone Davis’ big hit was “Turn Back the Hands Of Time.”
Also, “Can I Change My Mind,” another serious winner.
I got into Tyrone by way of David Lindley’s band covering his song Turning Point, but yeah Can I Change My Mind? totally rules. I find his arrangements a little all over the place, but he’s a great singer.
Speaking of The Woggles – they will be in Philadelphia soon, soon, soon!
Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 8:00 PM EDT / North Star Bar / Philadelphia, PA
The Woggles with Mondo Topless / Thee Minks
$10.00 – 21 PLUS : http://WWW.NORTHSTARBAR.COM
2. Linda Rondstadt in a pink teddy? Mariachis? I have no idea. I just know that I always get Liza Minelli confused with Linda Rondstadt. Don’t even ask. Maybe it’s their 80s hair.
3. Gram Parsons
4. Roger & The Gypsies urge us to Pass the Hatchet and “Chop it up!” Admittedly, I have never wanted to chop some wood (or anything else for that matter) so bad, until this song. “The bigger they come, the harder they fall, let me chop it, let me chop it, let me chop it! Unh!”
5. Can I be P.P. Arnold? That’s the woman I really wanna be. Soulful, amazing, and spirited!
Then again, I guess that’s not Linda Rondstadt drunk with Dudley Moore. Hmh. So what was the question? Linda who? Stone Poneys, right? The Miseducation of Miss Sally C. Occurring right now.
It seems like previous Thrifty Music sessions have included rare and odd songs that we would not have heard otherwise. Today’s batch is all fairly well-known artists and almost all songs I’ve heard before. Was this by design?
And btw that Stylistics track is so Bacharach it’s ridiculous. Except that Mr. B would never have tacked on a coda as long as the main body of the song itself (even if it is in 9/8).
1. I checked the RTH glossary under Kentonism, and Eno is listed, so I guess he’s my Kentonite.
2. She’s got a great voice, but she needs someone to tell her what to do with it. Randy Newman has made use of it on occasion, notably the version of Gainesville that’s on his Faust album. Speaking of David Lindley, she’s actually listed as producer of his best record and one of my all-time favorites, Very Greasy.
3. Apples and oranges. Townes was ‘just’ a singer-songwriter, and as such didn’t do anything wildly different than dozens of other singer-songwriters, except maybe better. Gram on the other hand arguably changed the course of popular music, and for the better, so I guess he gets my ‘vote.’
4. Has everyone forgotten Do The Freddie so quickly? I imagine I must have done the Freddie when I was a kid. And then there’s Vogue by Madonna. Hardly a moment goes by when I’m not striking a pose.
The Cramps’ Can Your Pussy Do the Dog? has at least minimal instructions, but I’ve let that one pass for obvious reasons. Has anyone ever tried to Do the Strand?
5. Early 70s era Jerry Garcia.
Laughing so hard right now!
Oooh, “cool jerk”. I’ve been to enough family reunions to know that I hate the Twist (‘a little bit softer now, a little bit softer now’) When you see all those ties loose and flailing about in a community centre party setting… but, how about, The Monster Mash! I would rather do that than the Twist – it’s a graveyard smash!
1. Which single artist, band or composer/arranger satisfies your deepest Kentonite yearnings?
I think the RTH definition is in serious error if it includes Eno. Eno’s way of using his mediocre abilities to form entertaining results uses dada absurdity and i-ching much more than it uses hired-gun virtuosi. He sounds very Kentonite on 801 Live, I was just noticing to myself last weekend, but that was very unusual for him. All that home-made low-tech simple pop creations, from Warm Jets throughto the ambient stuff? Very non-Kentonite. All of that is to say, for me, Kentonism serves Frank Zappa very well.
2. Other than up-skirt shots of her panties, […] has Linda Ronstadt ever contributed anything of value to the history of popular music?
First, you flip that off as though up-skirt shots are of little pop value. And secondly, selecting “popular music” restricts the term “of value” to a mighty narrow aperture. I think her forgettable pop songs are as valuable as most seventies bubble-gum.
3. Townes Van Zant or Gram Parsons?
4. Have any of us ever actually performed these steps or gyrations in public?
One fine evening in 1982 I did the Dog, not the Monkey.
5. Men: name the popular musical artist who best captures, in song and/or performance, the essence of The Man You Wish You Were.
I would play the role of Captain Kangaroo fronting a Beefheart cover band in Berlin in the twenties. Hey wait! I already do!
1. Elvis Costello
2. I think several of her middle period records remain quite playable, both despite and because of her operatic tendencies.
3. Shit, man, tough one for me. Townes writes better songs but Parsons works with a more developed band. Parsons is part of what led me to Townes. I’m gonna go with Townes here if only because, in the end, he shoots through the heart a few more times.
BigSteve asks:
It seems like previous Thrifty Music sessions have included rare and odd songs that we would not have heard otherwise. Today’s batch is all fairly well-known artists and almost all songs I’ve heard before. Was this by design?
I reply:
My peculiar overseas upbringing frequently results in unusual blind spots, pop-culturally speaking. I swear to you and al assembled that I’d never heard any of these songs (other than covers) before running into these discs at the local garbage stores. If anything, their relative excellence proves a key assertion of my vinyl guru, E. Pluribus Gergley: the good stuff was popular because it was good!
I assure you, my next compilation will feature far more obscurities. But tellme, had you heard that Tyrone Davis number before?
Could Billy Bragg be my Kenton? I think he is!
Fritz asked:
Yes, it’s on the Rhino best-of I bought to get Turning Point.