REF : Feature Song : Can't Find My Way Home
REG : Tags previously left out due to 200-character limit
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Feature Song : Can't Find My Way Home
Title : Can't Find My Way Home
Original Recording Artist : Blind Faith
written by : Steve Winwood
Year Of Original Recording : 1969
chart : Did Not Chart (in US)
album : Blind Faith
about the song / songfacts :
Blind Faith was a Supergroup made up of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech.
Winwood wrote this and sang lead.
Clapton played acoustic guitar on this, which he rarely did. In his previous group, Cream, he played long, intense solos, something he wanted to get away from with Blind Faith.
The album cover was a photo of an 11-year-old girl. She was naked and holding a model spaceship, which caused a lot of controversy. They released an alternate cover with a picture of the band when stores refused to carry the original.
Clapton sometimes plays this at his concerts, with a member of his band singing.
A common misconception is that Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood reunited at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, July 28, 2007. However, the first true live reunion occurred 2 months earlier at an event called Countryside Rocks at Highclere Castle, Hampshire, UK on May 19, 2007. Steve Winwood performed his set and Eric came on later as a guest. Together they played this song as well as "Watch Your Step," "Presence of the Lord," "Crossroads," "Little Queen Of Spades," "Had to Cry Today" and "Gimme Some Lovin'."
Meaning of Song :
According to Steve Winwood in an interview was that the song was written for a dear friend and his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. He said he wrote it as if it were himself struggling and a inter discussion with himself.
"Come down off your thrown and leave your body alone Somebody must change" = Struggle between physical addiction and spiritual awakening.
"You are the reason I've been waiting here so long" = Again, he has been waiting for himself to return from addiction. The addict is not who he is
"Somebody holds the key" = he does
"I've been up and I just dont have the time and I'm wasted and I can't find my way home" = home is him, A lost aging man wasted on drugs trying to find himself......home
Cover Hierarchy : (truncated list)
Blind Faith, Blind Faith (1969) **ORIGINAL RECORDING ARTIST**
Yvonne Elliman, Yvonne Elliman (1972)
Ellen McIlwaine, Honky Tonk Angel (1972) [you can find a sample on Last FM]
Eric Clapton (live, with Yvonne Elliman), 461 Ocean Boulevard [Deluxe Edition, CD2] 1974
Swans, The Burning World (1989)
House Of Lords, Sahara (1990)
Joe Cocker, Night Calls (1991)
Elkie Brooks, Circles (1995)
Electronic, Twisted Tenderness (2000)
Alsion Krauss, Crossing Jordan Soundtrack (2003)
Widespread Panic, Über Cobra [live album] (2004)
Styx, Big Bang Theory (2005)
lyrics :
Come down off your throne and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.
You are the reason I've been waiting so long.
Somebody holds the key.
But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home.
Come down on your own and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years.
Somebody holds the key.
Chorus
But I can't find my way home.
But I can't find my way home.
But I can't find my way home.
But I can't find my way home.
Still I can't find my way home,
And I ain't done nothing wrong,
But I can't find my way home.
Audio Clips :
Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (Electric Version)
Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home
House Of Lords, Sahara (1990)
others :
Eric Clapton (live, with Yvonne Elliman), 461 Ocean Boulevard [Deluxe Edition, CD2] 1974
Styx, Big Bang Theory (2005)
Alsion Krauss, Crossing Jordan Soundtrack (2003)
Widespread Panic, Über Cobra [live album] (2004)
Bonnie Raitt with John Hammond Jr. & Lowell George (live 1971)
Swans, The Burning World (1989)
Electronic, Twisted Tenderness (2000)
YouTube :
Blind Faith
Steve Winwood & Eric Clapton, Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007
House Of Lords
Elkie Brooks
Yvonne Elliman
Joe Cocker
Styx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Eg0koYuWTI (embedding disabled)
FULL TAGS :
ACT:Alison Krauss, ACT:Blind Faith, ACT:Elkie Brooks, ACT:House Of Lords, ACT:Styx, ACT:Joe Cocker, ACT:Widespread Panic, ACT:Yvonne Elliman, ACT:Steve Winwood & Eric Clapton, ACT:Bonnie Raitt, ACT:Eric Clapton
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s
YOUTUBE
Song : Can't Find My Way Home
All-Time Favourites
Event: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007
FINAL TAGS are truncated due to a 200-character limit allowed
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Almost Cut My Hair
title : Almost Cut My Hair
artist : Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
year : 1970
chart : Did Not Chart
album : Déjà Vu
about the song:
this song is an album track from CSNY's first album as a band, and the second by the trio configuration of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
the album Déjà Vu was released in March '70.
"Almost Cut My Hair" features :
David Crosby - lead vocals & electric guitar
Stephen Stills - electric guitar
Graham Nash - organ
Neil Young - electric guitar
songfacts:
David Crosby recorded this track with the last remaining moments of studio time that the band had remaining, and while he was still reeling from the death of Christine Hinton days earlier in a car accident. She had been his girlfriend, and he was obviously still grieving. The pain in his normally smooth voice reflects a cracked and angry quality, belied by the light-hearted directive he makes at the start of the recording. If you listen to it, he starts, then stops, and comments as to the pace and gain of the recording, then the song starts again. According to the story as told by Crosby on the air with Bob Coburn of KLOS in the late 1990s, the recording is the only take that was done.
The opening comment on this song, ("I will now proceed to entangle the entire area") was actually edited onto this song and was actually spoken prior to cutting a song called "Horses in the Rainstorm". You can find the original track on the two-CD Anthology, "Carry On"
In this song David Crosby sings "I'll let my freak flag fly" which is a reference to Jimi Henrdix's "If 6 was 9" in which Hendrix sings the same lyrics
about the album:
In 2003, the album was ranked number 147 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The same year, the TV network VH1 named Déjà Vu the 61st greatest album of all time.
The album ranked at #14 for the Top 100 Albums of 1970 and
#217 overall by Rate Your Music.
CNSY - Almost Cut My Hair (Live)
CSNY - Almost Cut My Hair (from Easy Rider)
Cactus Soul - Almost Cut My Hair (a damn good cover of the song)
lyrics:
Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It's gettin kinda long
I coulda said it wasn't in my way
But I didn't and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
Cause I feel like I owe it to someone
Must be because I had the flu' for Christmas
And I'm not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking at my mirror and seeing a police car
But I'm not giving in an inch to fear
Cause I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone
When I finally get myself together
I'm going to get down in that sunny southern weather
And I find a place inside to laugh
Separate the wheat from the chaff
I feel like I owe it to someone
Déjà Vu album version :
Unreleased unedited original version (from the 1991 box set : CSN) :
artist : Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
year : 1970
chart : Did Not Chart
album : Déjà Vu
about the song:
this song is an album track from CSNY's first album as a band, and the second by the trio configuration of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
the album Déjà Vu was released in March '70.
"Almost Cut My Hair" features :
David Crosby - lead vocals & electric guitar
Stephen Stills - electric guitar
Graham Nash - organ
Neil Young - electric guitar
songfacts:
David Crosby recorded this track with the last remaining moments of studio time that the band had remaining, and while he was still reeling from the death of Christine Hinton days earlier in a car accident. She had been his girlfriend, and he was obviously still grieving. The pain in his normally smooth voice reflects a cracked and angry quality, belied by the light-hearted directive he makes at the start of the recording. If you listen to it, he starts, then stops, and comments as to the pace and gain of the recording, then the song starts again. According to the story as told by Crosby on the air with Bob Coburn of KLOS in the late 1990s, the recording is the only take that was done.
The opening comment on this song, ("I will now proceed to entangle the entire area") was actually edited onto this song and was actually spoken prior to cutting a song called "Horses in the Rainstorm". You can find the original track on the two-CD Anthology, "Carry On"
In this song David Crosby sings "I'll let my freak flag fly" which is a reference to Jimi Henrdix's "If 6 was 9" in which Hendrix sings the same lyrics
about the album:
In 2003, the album was ranked number 147 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The same year, the TV network VH1 named Déjà Vu the 61st greatest album of all time.
The album ranked at #14 for the Top 100 Albums of 1970 and
#217 overall by Rate Your Music.
CNSY - Almost Cut My Hair (Live)
CSNY - Almost Cut My Hair (from Easy Rider)
Cactus Soul - Almost Cut My Hair (a damn good cover of the song)
lyrics:
Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It's gettin kinda long
I coulda said it wasn't in my way
But I didn't and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
Cause I feel like I owe it to someone
Must be because I had the flu' for Christmas
And I'm not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking at my mirror and seeing a police car
But I'm not giving in an inch to fear
Cause I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone
When I finally get myself together
I'm going to get down in that sunny southern weather
And I find a place inside to laugh
Separate the wheat from the chaff
I feel like I owe it to someone
Déjà Vu album version :
Unreleased unedited original version (from the 1991 box set : CSN) :
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Melanie - Lay Down (Candle In The Rain)
title : Lay Down (Candle In The Rain)
artist : Melanie
year charted : 1970
chart : #6 Billboard Hot 100
album : Candle In The Rain
about the song:
The inspiration for her signature song "Lay Down (Candl
es in the Rain)" apparently arose from the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set. A gospel-boosted genuine one-off, that combined high drama with Melanie's trademark hippie sincerity, the recording became a hit in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States in the spring and summer of 1970. The B-side of the single featured Melanie's spoken-word track "Candles in the Rain". "Lay Down" became Melanie's first Top Ten hit in America, peaking at #6 on the Billboard singles chart, and a worldwide success.
checkout the songfacts for "Lay Down (Candle In The Rain)" HERE
This song was not Melanie's biggest hit. Between December of '71 and January '72, her hit "Brand New Key" hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
lyrics:
chorus*
lay down lay down, let it all down
let your white birds smile up at the
ones who stand and frown
lay down lay down, let it all down
let your white birds smile up at the
ones who stand and frown*
we were so close, there was no room
we bled inside each others wounds
we all had caught the same disease
and we all sang the songs of peace
chorus
so raise the candles high cause if you
don't we could stay black against the night
oh raise them higher again and if you
do we could stay dry against the rain
chrous
we were so close there was no room
we bled inside each others wounds
we all had caught the same disease
and we all sang the songs of peace
some came to sing, some came to pray
some came to keep the dark away
so raise the candles high
cause if you don't we could stay
black against the sky
oh oh raise them higher again
and if you do we could stay dry against the rain
chorus
about the song:
The inspiration for her signature song "Lay Down (Candl
es in the Rain)" apparently arose from the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set. A gospel-boosted genuine one-off, that combined high drama with Melanie's trademark hippie sincerity, the recording became a hit in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States in the spring and summer of 1970. The B-side of the single featured Melanie's spoken-word track "Candles in the Rain". "Lay Down" became Melanie's first Top Ten hit in America, peaking at #6 on the Billboard singles chart, and a worldwide success.checkout the songfacts for "Lay Down (Candle In The Rain)" HERE
This song was not Melanie's biggest hit. Between December of '71 and January '72, her hit "Brand New Key" hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
lyrics:
chorus*
lay down lay down, let it all down
let your white birds smile up at the
ones who stand and frown
lay down lay down, let it all down
let your white birds smile up at the
ones who stand and frown*
we were so close, there was no room
we bled inside each others wounds
we all had caught the same disease
and we all sang the songs of peace
chorus
so raise the candles high cause if you
don't we could stay black against the night
oh raise them higher again and if you
do we could stay dry against the rain
chrous
we were so close there was no room
we bled inside each others wounds
we all had caught the same disease
and we all sang the songs of peace
some came to sing, some came to pray
some came to keep the dark away
so raise the candles high
cause if you don't we could stay
black against the sky
oh oh raise them higher again
and if you do we could stay dry against the rain
chorus
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bob and Doug McKenzie - Take Off
title : Take Off
artist : Bob and Doug McKenzie
year charted : 1982
chart : #16 Billboard Hot 100
album : The Great White North
about the song:
Bob and Doug McKenzie are : Rick Moranis (Bob) & Dave Thomas (Doug)
the song peaked at #16 on The Billboard Hot 100 Singes Chart back in Feb '82, and the album "The Great White North" #8 on The Billboard 200 Album Chart
- Take Off To The Great White North
- It's A Beauty Way To Go
- Take-Off
lyrics:
(Spoken) This is where the DJ talks. Don't say anything, okay?
(Spoken) Okay, eh?
(Sung) Cooo, loo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coooo!
(Sung) Cooo, loo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coooo!
(Spoken) Okay. Good day. Welcome to our single. I'm Bob McKenzie and
this is my brother Doug.
(Spoken) How's it going, eh?
(Spoken) Beauty, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah, I like that.
(Spoken) Okay. (Okay.)
(Spoken) Okay, everyone. This record was my idea.
(Spoken) Get out!
(Spoken) It was.
(Spoken) You're lying!
(Spoken) He... Hosehead here just sort of rides on my coattails.
(Spoken) Why are you doing this? It was our idea together, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah, okay.
(Spoken) (Yeah, okay.)
(Spoken) We agreed to... to say that, but...
(Spoken) Ah, take off!
CHORUS:
Take off! To the Great White North!
Take off! It's a beauty way to go.
Take off! To the Great White North!
(Spoken) Decent singing, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah.
(Spoken) Yeah, he's good.
(Spoken) Okay, so Good Day. Our topic today is music.
(spoken) That's right like, cause my brother and I are now experts in
the field.
(Spoken) Yeah, right, cause we're a band now. (Yeah, yeah, so...)
(Spoken) And ummm... Well, except for him, I'm a band.
(Spoken) Aww. How can you do that? Making me look bad. You're such a
hosehead.
(Spoken) Yea? Well, take off!
CHORUS
(Guitar solo)
(Spoken) Hey, hosehead.
(Spoken) Yeah, what?
(Spoken) Yeah, listen to this what's coming. You know what it is?
(Spoken) What?
(Spoken) It's a drum solo!
(Spoken) Okay, everyone, like this is me on the drums!
(Spoken) Oh, get out! It is not. You're not...
(Spoken) It is so!
(Spoken) Stop lying, will ya?
(Spoken) Take off, eh!
(Spoken) Aww...
CHORUS x2
Take off!
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooooo!
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooooo!
(Repeat to end of song)
(Spoken) Beauty, eh?
(Spoken) Like magic, eh? It's coming in.
(Spoken) Well, that's like...
(Spoken) It's like it was sung by angels.
(Spoken) Hey, hosehead.
(Spoken) Yeah, what?
(Spoken) Guess what?
(Spoken) What?
(Spoken) It's over!
(Spoken) Take off! That can't be it!
(Spoken) Well... It is, yeah. Yeah, it is.
(Spoken) Why?
(Spoken) Because, well, hit records are short. Like, they...
(Spoken) No way.
(Spoken) ...yeah, they're not that long.
(Spoken) Okay. So, that's our topic for today. So, Good Day!
(Spoken) Good day!
(Shouted) Ay, you guys!
(Spoken) What?
(Shouted) Take off!
(Spoken) Wait! No!
(Spoken) Hey! Don't go!
(Spoken) No! Come back, eh?
(Spoken) Aww. Look what you did! Everybody's gone because of you! You said...
(Spoken) Come back! I won't let him do it again!
(Spoken) My fault, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah, your fault.
(Spoken) You are such a hoser.
(Spoken) There's no way I'll ever do another record with you Hoser.
(Spoken) Okay, that's fine! I'll do a solo album.
(Spoken) Fine then, you'll be looking for me...
(Spoken) Yeah? I will not.
(Spoken) ...on another label.
(Spoken) Aww. Now everybody's gone.
(Spoken) So?
(Spoken) Good day!
(Spoken) Good day!
(Spoken) Okay, eh?
(Sung) Cooo, loo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coooo!
(Sung) Cooo, loo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coooo!
(Spoken) Okay. Good day. Welcome to our single. I'm Bob McKenzie and
this is my brother Doug.
(Spoken) How's it going, eh?
(Spoken) Beauty, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah, I like that.
(Spoken) Okay. (Okay.)
(Spoken) Okay, everyone. This record was my idea.
(Spoken) Get out!
(Spoken) It was.
(Spoken) You're lying!
(Spoken) He... Hosehead here just sort of rides on my coattails.
(Spoken) Why are you doing this? It was our idea together, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah, okay.
(Spoken) (Yeah, okay.)
(Spoken) We agreed to... to say that, but...
(Spoken) Ah, take off!
CHORUS:
Take off! To the Great White North!
Take off! It's a beauty way to go.
Take off! To the Great White North!
(Spoken) Decent singing, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah.
(Spoken) Yeah, he's good.
(Spoken) Okay, so Good Day. Our topic today is music.
(spoken) That's right like, cause my brother and I are now experts in
the field.
(Spoken) Yeah, right, cause we're a band now. (Yeah, yeah, so...)
(Spoken) And ummm... Well, except for him, I'm a band.
(Spoken) Aww. How can you do that? Making me look bad. You're such a
hosehead.
(Spoken) Yea? Well, take off!
CHORUS
(Guitar solo)
(Spoken) Hey, hosehead.
(Spoken) Yeah, what?
(Spoken) Yeah, listen to this what's coming. You know what it is?
(Spoken) What?
(Spoken) It's a drum solo!
(Spoken) Okay, everyone, like this is me on the drums!
(Spoken) Oh, get out! It is not. You're not...
(Spoken) It is so!
(Spoken) Stop lying, will ya?
(Spoken) Take off, eh!
(Spoken) Aww...
CHORUS x2
Take off!
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooooo!
Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooooo!
(Repeat to end of song)
(Spoken) Beauty, eh?
(Spoken) Like magic, eh? It's coming in.
(Spoken) Well, that's like...
(Spoken) It's like it was sung by angels.
(Spoken) Hey, hosehead.
(Spoken) Yeah, what?
(Spoken) Guess what?
(Spoken) What?
(Spoken) It's over!
(Spoken) Take off! That can't be it!
(Spoken) Well... It is, yeah. Yeah, it is.
(Spoken) Why?
(Spoken) Because, well, hit records are short. Like, they...
(Spoken) No way.
(Spoken) ...yeah, they're not that long.
(Spoken) Okay. So, that's our topic for today. So, Good Day!
(Spoken) Good day!
(Shouted) Ay, you guys!
(Spoken) What?
(Shouted) Take off!
(Spoken) Wait! No!
(Spoken) Hey! Don't go!
(Spoken) No! Come back, eh?
(Spoken) Aww. Look what you did! Everybody's gone because of you! You said...
(Spoken) Come back! I won't let him do it again!
(Spoken) My fault, eh?
(Spoken) Yeah, your fault.
(Spoken) You are such a hoser.
(Spoken) There's no way I'll ever do another record with you Hoser.
(Spoken) Okay, that's fine! I'll do a solo album.
(Spoken) Fine then, you'll be looking for me...
(Spoken) Yeah? I will not.
(Spoken) ...on another label.
(Spoken) Aww. Now everybody's gone.
(Spoken) So?
(Spoken) Good day!
(Spoken) Good day!
Album Version:
Single Edit:
Monday, August 10, 2009
Journey - 50 Personal Favorites (Part 2 of 3)
Continue with "Journey - 50 Personal Favorites" : Part 2 of 3 : 20 - 11
20 Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' (Live Version) (Captured)
19 Troubled Child (Frontiers)
18 Only Solutions (Tron Soundtrack)/(Time³)
17 Liberty (Time³)
16 Still They Ride (Escape)
12 The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love) (Captured)
11 Keep On Runnin' (Escape)
Boz Scaggs - Breakdown Dead Ahead
title : Breakdown Dead Ahead
artist : Boz Scaggs
year charted : 1980
chart : #15 Billboard Hot 100
album : Middle Man
additional details about the song : featured Steve Lukather - Additional guitars and solo
about the artist:
William Royce Scaggs was born June 8th, 1944 in Canton, Ohio to Royce and Helen Scaggs. His father was a traveling salesman who flew in the Air Force in WW2. Early on, the family moved to Oklahoma, then settled in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. From an early age, Boz loved music, and the first musical instrument he learned to play was the cello at the age of nine.
Having received a scholarship to attend St. Mark's academy in Dallas. It was there he met Steve Miller, who helped him learn to play the guitar. It was also at this school where he picked up the name "Bosley" by someone who kept addressing him that way. Hence, William became known as Boz.
After joining Miller's group "the Marksmen" as a vocalist in 1959, the pair later attended the University of Wisconsin together, playing in blues bands like "the Ardells" and "the Fabulous Knight Trains". In 1963, Scaggs returned to Dallas alone, fronting an R&B unit dubbed "the Wigs". After relocating to England, the group promptly disbanded, and two of its members - John Andrews and Bob Arthur - soon formed "Mother Earth". Scaggs remained in Europe, singing on street corners. In Sweden, he recorded a failed solo LP, 1965's "Boz".
In 1967 he received a postcard from his old classmate Steve Miller, inviting him to come to San Francisco to join the Steve Miller Band. Boz promptly flew back to the USA, and became a songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the band. Performing on the albums "Children Of The Future", and "Sailor", Boz's taste in music showed its difference from Steve's, so in 1968 he left the band to embark upon a solo career.
With the aid of Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner, Scaggs secured a contract with Atlantic Records. Sporting a cameo from Duane Allman, 1968's soulful album titled "Boz Scaggs", failed to find an audience, despite winning critical favour. A song from the album "Loan Me A Dime" later became the subject of a court battle, when bluesman Fenton Robinson successfully sued for composer credit. After signing to Columbia, Scaggs teamed with producer Glyn Johns to record 1971's "Moments", a skilful blend of rock and R&B which, like its predecessor, failed to make much of an impression on the charts.
Scaggs remained a critics' favourite over the course of LPs like 1972's "My Time" and 1974's "Slow Dancer", but he did not achieve a commercial breakthrough until 1976's "Silk Degrees", which reached number two on the album charts while spawning the Top Three single "Lowdown," as well as the hits "Lido Shuffle", "It's Over" and "What Can I Say".
In 1977 Boz received a Grammy for "Lowdown", making him the first blue-eyed soul man to receive one for the R&B category. His next release, "Down Two, Then Left", containing some of his most beautiful music, did not do so well on the charts; but shortly after, "Middle Man" did, with hits "Jojo", and "Breakdown Dead Ahead". Top 40 success kept coming in 1980 when a song he recorded for the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, "Look What You've Done To Me", entered the Top 20. 1981 brought a song called "Miss Sun" that also did well on the record charts.
Despite all of his success, Scaggs spent much of the 1980s in retirement, owning and operating the San Francisco nightclub, "Slim's" and limiting his performances primarily to the club's annual black-tie New Year's Eve concerts.
"I backed away to get my bearings," he said. "It had become too much of a business to me. I needed some distance, some time to figure out my direction."
He finally released an album in 1988, but by then much of his audience had fragmented. When Scaggs toured in 1992 as part of Donald Fagen's New York Rock & Soul Revue, he was heartened to find that audiences had not forgotten his sexy, distinctive tenor. From there, Scaggs slowly rekindled his career, first with 1994's "Some Change" and then in 1997 with "Come On Home", a spirited, confident collection of 10 R&B cover tunes and four originals. By returning to the Delta and Chicago blues of his youth, Scaggs earned some of the strongest reviews of his career.
"I rediscovered my love for guitar making that record," he said. "I got back into the mindset of myself as a musician, not just a singer." In 1998, he toured as an opening act for Stevie Nicks.
In September of 2001, Boz set out on a 20 city U.S. theatre tour in support of his new album called "Dig". Touring with a six-member band, Boz said, "I like doing shows much more now than in the past. Partly because I was away from it for so long and partly because I'm doing it on my own terms now. I'm in a good place. I'm having fun."
In 2003, after more than thirty years in music, Scaggs enjoyed one of his most successful albums when his CD "But Beautiful" spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard jazz charts. For that effort, he enlisted a four-piece ensemble, including impressive young saxophonist Eric Crystal, for a stroll through some jazz standards written by such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Rodgers & Hart, Sammy Cahn and the Gershwins. Scaggs' rich, warm voice fits the songs like a glove.
Boz continued to tour, performing to sold out venues across America. In February, 2007, a remastered, expanded edition of "Silk Degrees" was released and plans for a DVD/CD combo called "But Beautiful Live" were announced.
In June, 2008, Scaggs announced that he was finalizing a label deal for the planned September release of his next album, "Speak Low", that features what he calls "unusual instrumentation" that includes a string trio, bass woodwinds and harp. "It was very challenging to me as a vocalist," Boz noted. "I'm a vocalist. I come more out of a blues / rhythm & blues background, but this is a different way of using my voice, and much more musically challenging and adventurous for me."
Websites :
about the Album: Middle Man
Released: April, 1980
Produced by: Bill Schnee
Record Label: Columbia
Principal Musicians:
David Foster (RCA Records) - All keyboards and synthesizers
David Hungate - Bass
Steve Lukather - Guitars
Ray Parker, Jr. (Arista Records) - Guitar
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
Album Review:
1980's Middle Man was Boz Scaggs' last album for Columbia before an eight-year self-imposed sabbatical. Scaggs nonetheless caps off the decade with equal nods to his '70s hitmaking formulas and the newer, shinier production techniques of the coming decade. The synthesizer rocker "Angel You" and the title track are given the full in-vogue androgynous (i.e., Hall & Oates) treatment, while the opener "Jo Jo" and "Simone" are pages taken from his Here's the Low Down-era grooves that wedded soulful vocals against a flurry of jazz changes. His penchant for the ballad is explored on "You Can Have Me Any Time" and "Isn't It Time," while his seldom-seen rockier side comes up for air on the bluesy "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "You Got Some Imagination," both featuring stinging guitar from Steve Lukather. Not his best album, but a very timely one. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
lyrics:
I call ya
You ain't in
What's this cold reaction
Where've you been
Oooooh, baby, let it on the line
This is last call and you say that's all
You can take it fine
I'm sorry but
It don't make sense
You're pullin' just right out on first offense
Oooooh, baby, play it smart
For you go south with your big mouth
Let it take your heart
Danger, there's a breakdown dead ahead
Maybe you're in way above your head
I may burn, (I may burn)
Might upset you
But you know I'd never let you down
I told ya
No more lyin'
No more tears fallin'
Stop your cryin'
Ooooh, baby (ooooh, baby)
I'm your fan
Before you go back to your side track
Baby understand (understand)
Danger there's a breakdown dead ahead
And just maybe you're in way above your head
I may burn (I may burn)
Might upset you
But you know I'd never let you down
No, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
[Instrumental Interlude]
Danger, there's a breakdown dead ahead
Then just maybe you're in way above your head
I may burn (I may burn)
Might upset you
But you know I'd never let you down
Down, down, down
(Danger)
No, no, no
(Breakdown dead ahead)
(Danger, breakdown dead ahead)
Rush - The Spirit Of Radio
title : The Spirit Of Radio
artist : Rush
year charted : 1980
chart : #51 Billboard Hot 100
album : Permanent Waves
"The Spirit of Radio" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, Rush's only such entry.
about the song:
"The Spirit of Radio" is a song released in 1980 by Canadian rock band Rush from their album
Permanent Waves.
Permanent Waves was released on January 1, 1980. This is the first track on the album, making it arguably the first song released in the '80s.
The song's name was inspired by Toronto radio station CFNY's.
The song was significant in the growing popularity of the band.
"The Spirit of Radio" reached number 13 on the UK singles chart and remains their biggest UK hit to date.
"The Spirit of Radio" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, Rush's only such entry.
about the lyrics:
The final lines of the song ("For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall.../Concert hall/And echoes with the sounds of salesmen") are an allusion to the famous final lyrics from the Simon and Garfunkel classic "The Sound of Silence": "...the words of the prophets/Are written on the subway walls/And tenement halls/And whispered in the sounds of silence."
On performances during the 1981 tour, the line "one likes to believe in the freedom of music" was changed to "one likes to believe in the freedom of baseball" as a commentary on the 1981 Major League Baseball Players Association strike. Geddy Lee still occasionally drops this change into the song when performing live.
read worthy:
lyrics:
Begin the day with a friendly voice,
A companion unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood.
Off on your way, hit the open road,
There is magic at your fingers
For the Spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude.
Chorus
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted.
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question of your honesty, yeah,
Your honesty.
One likes to believe in the freedom of music,
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity.
Chorus
For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall,
Concert hall
And echoes with the sounds of salesmen, of salesmen, of salesmen!
Lou Reed - Intro/Sweet Jane
title : Intro/Sweet Jane
artist : Lou Reed
chart : Did Not Chart
album : Rock 'N' Roll Animal
year : 1973
about the song:
"Sweet Jane" is a song by the Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by Velvet's leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the song into his own live performances years later as a solo artist. The song is a fan favorite and frequently appears on classic rock radio stations.
When Loaded was originally released in 1970, the song's bridge was edited out, possibly to shorten the song for radio airplay. The box set Peel Slowly and See and reissue Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition restored the missing section.
also, Reed has performed "Sweet Jane" in two keys: the 1969 and 1970 versions were in D. On 1972's American Poet, 1973's Rock 'n' Roll Animal, and 1978's Take No Prisoners, the song is in E, while on 1984's Live in Italy the song is back in D.
accolades received:
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Sweet Jane" at number 18 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #335 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Guitar World ranks "Sweet Jane" at number 81 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
about the album:
Rock n Roll Animal is a live album by Lou Reed, released in 1974. In its original form, it features five songs from different periods of his creative career, including several songs by the Velvet Underground. The songs are all re-arranged into a powerful glam rock set. The album was recorded live on December 21, 1973 (1973-12-21), at Howard Stein's Academy of Music in New York.
A remastered version was released on CD in 2000. It featured greatly improved sound quality, including two tracks not included on the original LP or 1990 CD release.
Further excerpts from the same concert were released in 1975 as Lou Reed Live. This live album's stereo mix differs from its counterpart in that guitarist Dick Wagner is heard on the left channel, and Steve Hunter is on the right; this arrangement is reversed on Rock 'n' Roll Animal.
ABC - Beauty Stab (Album)
Artist : ABC
Album : Beauty Stab
Year : 1983
Personal Favourite Tracks :
That Was Then But This Is Now, Hey Citizen,
Love's A Dangerous Language, Unzip, Beauty Stab
about the album (my personal take):
I can still recall vividly having listened to this so many times that i'd almost worn out the tape of the original cassette released by Mercury label (iirc) back in '83/'84.
This album, the follow-up to the band's hugely popular "The Lexicon Of Love" was panned by critics and fans alike after its release in '83.
The timing of the album's release and the nature of its purpose and design, a dramatic departure from the lush, melodramatic New pop of The Lexicon of Love, with emphasis instead placed on guitar-based rock, sure didn't help its cause one bit.
The music world was still in favour of the New Romantic movement, brought about by the likes of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, et al.
This argument certainly holds true as evident by fans reviews on Amazon from as early as 1999 till today ... it's popularity as one of ABC's finest album so ahead of its time when it was first released.
This album remains till this day my favourite ABC album.
INTRO TO 'BEAUTY STAB' (Printed Article):
If there was to be great anticipation around any pop group's follow up album in the early eighties then all eyes must have been focused on ABC. Already described by the press as the band which made perfect pop, their debut album The Lexicon Of Love had made a stunning impact on the music scene reaching No.1 within its first week of release and furnishing the charts with a trio of top ten hits (including Poison Arrow and The Look Of Love). Their style too had become influential not least because, in the age of the New Romantics, ABC had provided the industry with a highly saleable dose of excess and glamour. ABC Performing
Behind the doors of school children's bedrooms, posters of the band in their gold lame suits fronted by lead singer, Martin Fry with his blonde quiff haircut, looked down over teenagers lip-synching the words "Shoot that poison arrow through my h-h-heart." Perfect pop.
In just nine short months ABC had become a household name. After The Lexicon Of Love album was released (in the summer of 1982) the band embarked on an extensive national then international tour covering America, Europe and Japan. he road to success was, it seemed, as simple as their name had suggested.
But ABC were not a band bound by one style and if The Lexicon Of Love album can be accused of bathing in an escapist Hollywood romance with Fry as its matinee idol, then Beauty Stab can equally be regarded as its realist antidote.
"Our lives had changed dramatically," says Martin Fry, "We must have played over a hundred dates on the tour and after all the fame and attention we were ready to crash. By the end of it all, I felt like the gold lame suit was wearing me rather than the other way round. When we returned to Sheffield (the band's home town) it looked desolate, nothing had changed."
Writing new material began immediately and, after all the attention, the band kept a creative distance from both expectant fans and a supportive record company. "We were really insular, a behind-closed-doors kind of attitude". ABC were also in a state of flux. Mark Lickley had left the group before the tour and now drummer, Dave Palmer, surprised everybody by deciding, on the band's final gig in Japan, to stay in Tokyo to work with the Yellow Magic Orchestra. In their places came bass player, Alan Spenner who had played with Joe Cocker and drummer, Andy Newmark who had worked with Sly and the Family Stone. Both had impressed the band members on Roxy Music's hugely successful Avalon album.
If the pace had been fast on tour then it could never have eased. Within three intensive months the album was written and ready to record. The original intention had been for Trevor Horn who had so successfully helped craft The Lexicon Of Love album to produce and, after hearing a couple of demos, he'd agreed. However, other commitments prevented him from joining the team and instead, relative newcomer, Gary Langan, who was to go on to have great success with ZTT Records, took over the helm.
Many regard Langan's production as key to the new sound on Beauty Stab, but the intentions of the band played the greater role. Fry: "None of us wanted to make The Lexicon Of Love Part 2. We wanted to be more real, like a rock band. At the same time we were angry, so most of the tracks are like protest songs, reflecting how we felt about the North of England. It felt right to use loud electric guitars. We wanted it to sound like a hurricane, much more hard-edged and manic."
Martin FryTo be sure, that's what they created in Beauty Stab. A raw, energetic, live-in-the-studio sound that at times makes for uncomfortable listening. Even the title alludes to killing off their glamour image in order to go in the opposite direction. The anthem of the album (and their first single released from it in November 1983) That Was Then But This Is Now, is a powerful statement of intention with Fry's opening lyric marking the declaration of the band's break from their old image, "Why make the past your sacred cow?"
Yet, for all those Lexicon of Love fans there are still many goodies to be found in Beauty Stab. The call for change may be strong in That Was Then, but a sense of play is still evident; "Can't complain, mustn't grumble, help yourself to another piece of apple crumble" parallels The North's typical response in crisis to say never mind, have a cup of tea. Fry is a clever lyric writer that pulls you in but never engages his listener in dialectics.
The tracks The Power Of Persuasion and King Money can, for instance, be seen as prelude to the onslaught of Thatcher's consumerist Britain. The first is a comment on the advertising industry and the second a song about greed. But these were written for more personal reasons. The Power Of Persuasion was a reaction against all that Lexicon Of Love had represented together with Fry's observations of television. King Money, on the other hand, marks the huge chasm that had distanced the band from their community. Says Fry: "Even though we had made it from the dole to pop stars we could see the difference between London and Sheffield. They were hard times in Sheffield and I guess there's some guilt in that song too."
ABC drew a stronger influence from punk and rock and this, together with the fractured and disjointed feel, not only of the album but also within the arrangements of songs such as Love Is A Dangerous Language and Bite The Hand, give Beauty Stab it's great sense of immediacy. But there is also the feeling that the album is rough and ready, unfinished and raw.
The heavier rock style, together with the band's new message meant a change of style. Out went the gloss and glamour and in came crop haircuts and leather. The reaction from the music press to the new tougher style was mixed. In an article for New Musical Express called "Wrong Train From Tuxedo Junction" Julie Burchill criticised ABC's rockier tracks as "terrifyingly naïve little thrash ups" while Rolling Stone magazine had them "floundering in heavy metal clichés." Some of the fans were disappointed too. The first single, That Was Then But This Is Now, had made No.18 in the charts before falling back and now, Beauty Stab which had attained the very respectable position of No.12 in its first week of release was doing the same.
By January 1984 the record company was setting up another series of interviews with the teenage press for the release of the second and only other single from the album, S.O.S. which, interestingly, is a softer piece with Fry's voice charmingly floating across a keyboard-led melody and including Stephen Singleton's soaring saxophone break. Despite the possible pandering to popularity on behalf of the record company, S.O.S. managed only a week in the Top 40 (reaching No.39).
If the press and the fans couldn't accept the change from glamour and escapism to protest and realism then, equally, ABC never sought for success measured by hit singles. And although largely an album that is abrasive and energised it would be wrong to pass over the quieter and more personal numbers. If I Ever Thought You'd Be Lonely and By Default, By Design are both concerned with the need for love, the latter backed with a superb string arrangement. The final track too, United Kingdom, though based around the job crisis in the country is a relaxed solo to piano, Fry's voice is strong yet soothing which may, in part, be due to the fact that it was recorded with minimal crew at four o'clock in the morning.
In fact it would be fair to say that Beauty Stab earned ABC a whole range of new fans who hadn't taken to The Lexicon Of Love, including recognition from a variety of professional musicians. The Eurythmics were said to have used it regularly to test their sound systems and the title track, an instrumental, became the theme to the 1984 Montreux Jazz Festival.
Ultimately, Beauty Stab should be seen as a brave and honest snapshot of where the band were and what mattered to Martin Fry, Stephen Singleton and Mark White in the days following the tremendous success of their world tour. It represents an individual, positive and creative ability not just to take the courage to move away from a previous and known successful formula but to explore a wide new range of sounds and expressions not as immediately accessible as those before. As Martin Fry told the music press in November 1983, "Beauty Stab is a series of observations, a collection that documents Right Now. It's also a record that perhaps benefits from being heard a few times"
Andy Simmons, July 1997. With thanks to Martin Fry.
(Printed) Article :
'Beauty Stab' is an important record in the career of ABC. After the immense success of 'The Lexicon Of Love' many people wondered how ABC was going to follow up to that album. The answer came quickly: with a startling masterpiece, a complete failure, a dramatic change in style, an artistic progression and a record that was completely ABC. 'Beauty Stab' was all that and more.
Line up with saxes'Beauty Stab' proved ABC were in this game for real. They were not willing to bring out sequel after sequel of easily marketable product, 'The Lexicon Of Love' - Parts two, three and four. These were musicians hungry to experiment. The first line uttered by Martin Fry on the album was "Why make the past your sacred cow?". They were willing to do everything to both make great records and explore new territories. On 'Beauty Stab' ABC extended and left behind what they had done on 'The Lexicon Of Love'. It was a record that would prove to be crucial to the group's future.
'The Lexicon Of Love' had been one of the best debut albums ever, debuting at number one in the UK album chart and spawning three top six hit singles. The music was melodramatic, lush, soulful and romantic and it was a record significantly different from the then current trends. The tracks were timeless and even today it still sound fresh and undated. The album had been recorded by the talented singer/lyricist Martin Fry who had worked with what was to become the nucleus of The Art Of Noise including Trevor Horn. The other band members had been somewhat anonymous on the record but things were to change soon.
After 'The Lexicon Of Love' ABC had embarked on a world tour where they performed as a sixteen piece band. The question was raised "who was ABC?" The answer came with 'Beauty Stab'. Martin Fry, Mark White and Stephen Singleton went into the studio with a rhythm section consisting of Andy Newmark and Alan Spenner who had previously worked with Roxy Music. Helped by producer Gary Langan (They had asked Trevor Horn to produce again but he was occupied working on a Yes record) here was a band at work. Not longer was it a project involving skilled guest musicians to put together epic pieces of music but a real band aiming for a stripped down guitar based sound. Working tirelessly hard on their songs it was a band trying to create perfect songs, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not. The end result was stunning: less polished but more varied then 'The Lexicon Of Love' this was a record displaying ABC in every aspect, both pretty and ugly. The vocals and lyrics of Martin Fry, the poignant guitar hooks of Mark White, the squealing sax of Stephen Singleton all added up to a record miles away, both sonically and conceptually from the debut offering. Touring had obviously broadened ABC's perspectives and this album reflected those experiences.
It was on this record that some of the axioms which were to become so characteristic of ABC became apparent. Axiom one: "Although there is no strict formula to any one thing we do, we sort of rebel against the last record we made" Martin Fry said in 1991 when asked about the essence of ABC. "With 'Beauty Stab', rightly or wrongly, we fought hard against making 'The Lexicon Of Love Part Two'. Maybe one day we'll make the sequel, but at the time we felt we had to move on." From then on ABC would regularly change it direction but remain it's own unique style. From 'Beauty Stab' to 'How To Be A Zillionaire' to 'Up', 'Abracadabra' and 'Skyscraping'.
It is here that another pillar behind ABC is revealed: "We've always seen change as stability, change as strength." Apart from that ABC always wanted to create something worthy, something precious. Records with a heart, records with a sense of timelessness, records with style. "We want to do something that doesn't waste people's time, something that is worth the price of admission." On 'Beauty Stab' these values amalgamated into stylistic leaps that dared fans to follow. It would not be the last time.
What struck me at the time was the diversity of the songs. The hit single 'That Was Then But This Is Now' announced the stylistic change and included one of Fry's best remembered lines: "Can't complain mustn't grumble. Help yourself to another piece of apple. Crumble". There were pure pop songs such as 'S.O.S.' and 'King Money'. There was the relentless energy and power of 'Hey Citizen' and 'The Power Of Persuasion'. The inauspicious 'Bite The Hand' reflected the dark side of ABC and 'United Kingdom', with its social realism showed how ABC could make a song sober enough to fit it's content. Compare the funny, bright and danceable 'Unzip' to 'By Default By Design' with its minimal accompaniment which sees Martin's voice to the full. Not satisfied yet? Listen to the curious 'If I Ever Thought You'd Be Lonely', one of their most beautiful songs ever and the raw but melodic 'Love's A Dangerous Language'.
This set is a fantastic collection. An important chapter in the history of one of the best bands England ever produced. It might take some time to really get into these songs and learn to appreciate them but once you do this record will be a faithful friend forever.
Melvin Welters. Thanks to David Richards. June 1997. An shortened version of this article was published in the booklet for the reissue of Beauty Stab.
source for Intro/Article : http://www.abcmartinfry.com/abcbstab/index_l.html
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