Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Turn To White” by She & Him

Music critics crack me up. They’re always looking for something to dis about a record in order to validate their jobs as critics. And, I suppose at times I am no different than the rest. Nothing is ever just great, some fault must be found in order to have something to say. I guess without criticism, you’re just not a critic.

The rap critics usually give Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward every time they release a new She & Him record is that the music is too lightweight and twee with no heft whatsoever.  And to this, I find myself asking what exactly do they expect from this duo, death metal?

Breezy, sun-kissed ‘60s sounding pop is not only She & Him’s stock in trade; it is also what they do best. So if you’re not predisposed to liking this kind of music, than you really have no place reviewing one of their records. But critics do what they do, and slagging off She & Him seems to be one of their favorite pastimes.

For me, She & Him’s retro-pop songs, shimmering string arrangements and heavenly background vocals are right up my alley, and I’ve been a fan of Zooey Deschanel’s dusty voice since I first heard her in the movie Elf singing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” in the shower. (It doesn’t hurt that she’s also not too bad on the eyes, either!) The fact that she also stars in the successful TV sit-com New Girl, which I positively love, is just icing on the cake. Furthermore, M. Ward also has a successful career releasing exceptional critically-acclaimed albums, both solo and with his quasi-supergroup side project, Monsters Of Folk. He is also a terrific producer and a sturdy performer in concert as well.

She & Him were introduced to each other by Martin Hynes who was directing Deschanel in the starring role for the film The Go-Getter. Hynes wanted Deschanel to sing a song over the closing credits of the film, so he introduced her to M. Ward and while recording a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “When I Get To The Border” for the film, the two bonded over their shared a love of sunny, ‘60s pop. Deschanel had been writing for several years as a hobby, and shared her backlog of finished songs with Ward, resulting in the birth of She & Him.

It’s interesting to point out at this juncture that most people are painfully unaware that Deschanel is not only a terrific actress and singer, but she is also a top shelf songwriter, for which she gets little credit. Over the years She & Him have released three albums consisting mainly of Deschanel’s original songs. (They’ve also released a Christmas album.) And while Deschanel is clearly the star of this show, Ward’s understated influence on the proceedings as an arranger and producer is crucial, for without him the album wouldn’t have the transistorized retro pop AM radio sound that makes it work so well.

On the surface, the record is all sunshine, lollipops and ukuleles, especially on the tracks “Somebody Sweet To Talk To” and “Together.” But scratch a little deeper than the surface and you quickly find out that there’s more to this record than meets the ear. Deschanel gets her melancholy on with today’s Song Of The Day, the gorgeous pop ballad “Turn To White,” where hints of cloudy days appear as she sings “But I’m stronger than the picture that you took before you left / In the light, it faded to white…” perhaps alluding to her divorce from husband Ben Gibbard of the band Death Cab For Cutie.

Elsewhere, Deschanel sings “Your love is a blessed curse actually / Bad gets worse supernaturally” in the song “Something’s Haunted You,” and on “I’ve Got Your Number Son” she sings “What’s a man without all the attention? / Well he’s just a man… / Who am I without all your affection? / I’m a nobody,” further cementing the notion that the fallout from her failed marriage has effected the sunny disposition of these proceedings.

Rounding out the record are three well-chosen covers including Deschanel’s smoky pop reading of “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” which was a top ten hit in the 1950s by Karen Chandler, and then again in the 1960s by Mel Carter.  Their Brill Building pop cover of Ellie Greenwich’s classic 1965 hit “Baby,” is also a perfect fit for this album, and Deschanel’s superb reading of Blondie’s “Sunday Girl” proves that Debbie Harry has nothing on her.

While many consider the group inconsequential and lightweight, they do have the clout to attract the likes of Joey Spampinato of NRBQ, Tom Hagerman of Devotchka, Pierre de Reeder of Rilo Kiley, and Mike Watt of The Minutemen as guest musicians on this album.

There are times that It’s hard to tell where Deschanel’s New Girl character, Jess Day begins and Zooey Deschanel ends. However, four albums in Deschanel  proves not to be the clueless cringe-inducing doe-eyed waif like she portrays on TV, but a supremely talented artist who is firmly in charge and knows exactly what she wants.

Volume 3 offers nothing that Volume Two and Volume One didn’t, but as the title suggests, this is just the latest edition of first-rate non-stop

– Eric Berman

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Zooey Deschanel, except where noted.

1. “I’ve Got Your Number, Son” 3:07
2. “Never Wanted Your Love” 3:13
3. “Baby” (George Morton, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) 3:15
4. “I Could’ve Been Your Girl” 3:11
5. “Turn to White” 4:22
6. “Somebody Sweet to Talk To” 3:02
7. “Something’s Haunting You” 2:52
8. “Together” 4:06
9. “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” (Harry Noble)2:44
10. “Snow Queen” 2:32
11. “Sunday Girl” (Chris Stein)3:04
12. “London” 2:28
13. “Shadow of Love” 2:42
14. “Reprise (I Could’ve Been Your Girl)” 1:49

Personnel

She & Him

• Zooey Deschanel – vocals, percussion, keyboards,  vibraphone, ukulele
• M. Ward – guitars, vocals, keyboards,  percussion

Additional musicians

• Scott McPherson – drums
• Joey Spampinato, Tyler Tornfelt, Mike Watt, Pierre de Reeder – bass
• Tom Hagerman – violin
• Amanda Lawrence – viola
• Tilly and the Wall – gang vocals
• Art Baron – trombone
• C. J. Camerieri – trumpet
• Doug Wieselman – saxophone

Related Links

• She & Him Website, facebook, twitter
• Merge Records Website, facebook, twitter

Live on Letterman just recently

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#859 in the Series) is Neil Finn, Try Whistling This

By my inexact and rough estimation of my somewhere near 3000 records, CDs, 8-tracks and cassette tapes, tough as it may be, I would probably rank this my number one. I bought it in 1998 when it came out and I lived in Framingham, MA. and listened to it attentively and intensely and truly believe this is as close to a Lennon/McCartney composition that exists since that duo stopped writing and playing.

I have recommended this to many and will tell you a small sample called me wrong, but I don’t care. It didn’t hurt that I got to see him do this on tour at some small club across from Fenway park in the fall of  98, where in his first date on the tour of Neil and friends featuring special guests, supposed surprise guests, he played with Eddie Vedder and word unfortunately leaked out and there were way too many Pearl Jam fans for anyone’s appetite. It is where I heard one of my favorite lines ever at a show, when the rude crowd did not allow the acoustic and piano set to have its full effect, Neil mentioned, “You over there by the pub, you paid to get in, you are free to leave.”

The first track gets it going and it never stops from there. Every song features some special part, rhythm, pulse, beat, falsetto, hook, all of it everywhere, so that it goes by so fast, you have to listen closely to try and interpret the lyrics, the beat, the music, this is what a brilliant piece should be! If you have never seen Neil live, he likes to take his fan requests by paper airplane and once in Chicago, he played the gorgeously deep “Faster Than Light” for the first and only time on the tour, followed by Split Enz “Message to My Girl” in which he screwed up the latter not the former and said, how could i?

“Try whistling This” the title track and “Addicted” are so gripping, you have to wonder how can someone make the piano the lead instrument in  songs that are so shaped?

I know it can be said of many artist the lyrics to their songs have great meaning and no meaning, sometimes at the same time in the same song, but there are a lot of metaphorical images and simple but clear messages here, that I have to believe some of the stories on this work, as well as later works like Crowded Houses Intriguer, tell of pain, hope and love. Neil did lose close friend and fellow band mate Paul Hester to suicide, but this record was before. Still the songs and the music supersede the need for meaning in the lyrics.

He performed nearly the complete album live in a small venue on David Byrne’s Studio 54, which is available on DVD, and it’s great fun watching the band roll through the tunes, but even more enjoyable to watch them put a live set together and expand on the songs in just the right places and in subtle manner caught only by discerning error. The stretched out vocal on “Truth” , the piano jam on the title song and “addicted” are stellar and stunning.

I love Split Enz, Crowed House,. Tim Finn, but this is a rock record that is intense and beautiful  and it is can be hard to describe why and how it is so good, because it is so good.  What is your number one? This has been mine for a number of years and still is.

– John Driscoll, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Track listing

All songs were written by Neil Finn, except where noted.

1. “Last One Standing” – 3:04
2. “Souvenir” – 3:42
3. “King Tide” (Finn, Robert Moore) – 4:33
4. “Try Whistling This” (Finn, Jim Moginie) – 4:13
5. “She Will Have Her Way” – 3:56
6. “Sinner” (Finn, Marius De Vries) – 4:25
7. “Twisty Bass” – 5:09
8. “Loose Tongue” (Finn, Moginie) – 4:12
9. “Truth” (Finn, Moginie) – 4:03
10. “Astro” – 3:46
11. “Dream Date” – 4:51
12. “Faster Than Light” – 4:23
13. “Addicted” – 4:22

Personnel

• Tony Allen – drums
• Michael Barker – drums, percussion
• Lyn Buchannan – drums
• Marius De Vries –keyboards
• Liam Finn – drums, guitar
• Mitchell Froom – Hammond
• Jim Moginie – guitars, bass, omnichord, percussion
• Robert Moore – bass
• Sebastian Steinberg – bass
• Pete Thomas – drums
• Neil Finn – all other instruments

 Here is most of the album below on a playlist…. 

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Guitar Man” by Jerry Reed

It was difficult to take Jerry Reed seriously, and one suspects it was all by his own design. Reed’s larger than life persona was that of a goofy country hick who sure could tell a tall tale, and numerous TV appearances on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and The Johnny Cash Show, novelty story-song records like “Lord, Mr. Ford” and “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” and numerous movie appearances with the likes of Burt Reynolds and Adam Sandler cemented this notion in the psyche of the American music loving public. But Jerry Reed was a C.G.P.

The C.G.P., or Certified Guitar Player, was a title originated by the first C.G.P., Chet Atkins, and was only bestowed upon folks who not only totally mastered the guitar, but also contributed to the legacy of the instrument. Jerry Reed was one of only five pickers awarded the C.G.P. title. The other four were Chet Atkins, Steve Wariner, John Knowles and Tommy Emmanuel. But more than being a C.G.P., Reed was a showman with a flashy guitar style.

Reed possessed a singular staccato finger picking style that was often imitated, but hard to duplicate. When Elvis Presley chose to cover today’s Song Of The Day in 1967, he summoned Reed to the studio for the session because Presley was dissatisfied with the sound his band was getting on the track. As soon as Reed arrived and began playing, Presley’s face lit up and the session continued, garnering Presley and Reed a hit with the song.

Here’s an account of the circumstances of that session in Reed’s own words: “See, I had my own tuning, and they were trying to record “Guitar Man,” and they couldn’t make it feel like my record. And I forget if it was Pete Drake or Charlie McCoy or Chip Young – one of those musicians said, ‘Well, these guitar players in here are playing with straight picks, and, you know, Reed plays with his fingers. So they called me, and I went down, and I hooked up that electric gut string, tuned the B-string up a whole tone, and I toned the low E-string down a whole tone, so I could bar straight across, and as soon as we hit the intro, you could see Elvis’ eyes light up he knew we had it.”

After Presley recorded another Reed song, “U.S. Male,” Reed wrote and recorded a tribute to Elvis called “Tupelo Mississippi Flash,” which resulted in his first Top 20 hit. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Reed got his start after Atlanta music publisher Bill Lowery helped him secure a songwriting and recording contract with Capitol Records when he was 16 years old.  And while he didn’t have any hits of his own during this period, his songs were covered by Brenda Lee and Gene Vincent, who scored a 1958 hit with his song ”Crazy Legs.”

Reed relocated to Nashville in 1961 to pursue his songwriting career and he garnered some success when Porter Wagoner scored a 1962 No. 1 country hit with his song “Misery Loves Company.”  It was around this time that Reed released his own singles “Goodnight Irene” and “Hully Gully Guitar” which brought him to the attention of musician and record label chief of RCA Nashville, Chet Atkins who began producing his sessions including the 1967 session that produced “Guitar Man.”

Reed continued to land hits on the charts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including “Amos Moses” (#16/1970), “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” (#1/1971), “Ko-Ko Joe” (#11/ 1971), “Lord, Mr. Ford” (#1/1973), “I Love You (What Can I Say)” (#10/1978), “Sugar Foot Rag” (#12/1979), “She Got the Goldmine (I Got The Shaft)” (#1/1982), “The Bird” (# 2/1982), and “Down The Corner” (#13/1983). He also scored clout and credibility as a musician by recording a pair of popular albums (Me & Jerry and Me & Chet) with Chet Atkins in the early 1970s that have become a must-hear for all aspiring country pickers.

By the late ‘70s, Reed had gained recognition not only for a successful solo career but also as an ace session player. But this was never enough for Reed and Hollywood was beckoning, so he answered the call and became, you guessed it, a movie star. After appearing in the 1976 film Gator, Reed struck box office gold with Burt Reynolds in the 1977 film Smokey And The Bandit. The film also spawned another #1 hit for Reed with “East Bound And Down.”

Reed appeared as Reynolds’ sidekick, Cledus Snow in three Smokey And The Bandit movies as well as garnering parts in other films of dubious distinction including High-Ballin’ (1978), Stroker Ace (1983), What Comes Around (1985, of which he also directed), Bat*21 (1988) and The Waterboy  (1998) which also starred Adam Sandler. While none of these movies helped his credibility as a recording artist, he did score several novelty hits and also made a boat-load of money.

Reed died in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 1, 2008, of complications from emphysema.

– Eric Berman 

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “SWLABR” by Cream

While some were spray painting the buildings of England with proclamations that Eric Clapton was God, the real star of Cream was bassist Jack Bruce. Not only was Bruce the songwriter behind some of the group’s biggest hits, but it was his voice that defined the group’s sound. Ginger Baker, of course, laid down the backbeat that drove the machine to greatness, and as for Clapton, he’s been literally coasting on the stellar guitar work he laid down with this group for over 40 years ago.

They were, indeed, one of the early “supergroups” with very high pedigree. Clapton had played with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds and had backed blues greats like Sonny Boy Williamson and Champion Jack Dupree. Baker played with Jazz artist Acker Bilk (later of “Stranger on the Shore” fame), Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation. Bruce had played with Baker in Korner’s Blues Incorporated and The Graham Bond Organisation, with Clapton in The Bluesbreakers and Powerhouse (that also included singer Paul Jones and Steve Winwood), and briefly with Manfred Mann. And for once, this supergroup was much better than the sum of its parts, especially since Bruce and Baker didn’t get along at all.

That said, Cream never made a solid studio album, and even so, the band’s studio recordings are far more preferable than their live workouts that featured endless jamming extended to maddening proportions. Even though albums like Disraeli Gears, Fresh Cream and the half studio-half live Wheels Of Fire are considered classics today, they really are patchy affairs, each featuring a clutch of classic singles surrounded by throwaways.

So if you’re looking for just the cream that rose to the top, the 1995 CD compilation The Very Best Of Cream is the one to have. It’s all here…71 minutes of the heaviest of heavy Cream including the requisite hits “Sunshine Of Your Love,” “Tales Of Brave Ulysses,” “Strange Brew,” “I’m So Glad,” “Spoonful,” “White Room,” “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Badge,” “Crossroads” and “I Feel Free.”

But the collection doesn’t stop with the hits that everyone wants. Also included are single-only rarities, B-sides and album tracks that have gained classic status over the years, like the album cuts “N.S.U.” and “Sweet Wine” (from Fresh Cream), “SWLABR” and “We’re Going Wrong” (from Disraeli Gears), “Politician,” “Sitting On Top Of The World,”  “Those Were The Days” and “Deserted Cities Of The Heart” (from Wheels Of Fire) and the rare singles “Wrapping Paper” and “Anyone For Tennis” (which was recorded for the film The Savage Seven).  In my estimation, the only essential Cream track that’s missing from this collection is “Cat’s Squirrel.”

Oh, and for those that don’t already know, “SWLABR” was also the B-side to the “Sunshine Of Your Love” single, and the title stands for “She walks like a bearded rainbow.” Don’t ask, it was 1967 after all…

– Eric Berman

Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of The Doors, Passes Away at 74

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away today at 12:31PM PT at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek.

Manzarek is best known for his work with The Doors who formed in 1965 when Manzarek had a chance encounter on Venice Beach with poet Jim Morrison. The Doors went on to become one of the most controversial rock acts of the 1960s, selling more than 100-million albums worldwide, and receiving 19 Gold, 14 Platinum and five multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. alone. “L.A.Woman,” “Break On Through to the Other Side,” “The End,” “Hello, I Love You,” and “Light My Fire” were just some of the band’s iconic and ground-breaking songs. After Morrison’s death in 1971, Manzarek went on to become a best-selling author, and a Grammy-nominated recording artist in his own right. In 2002, he revitalized his touring career with Doors’ guitarist and long-time collaborator, Robby Krieger.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” said Krieger. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”

Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy, brothers Rick and James Manczarek, son Pablo Manzarek, Pablo’s wife Sharmin and their three children Noah, Apollo and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please make a memoriam donation in Ray Manzarek’s name at www.standup2cancer.org

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Editors note: As of this writing the only place that I’m seeing this reported is The Doors facebook page. Every other listing is using that as their source.  The Doors website has nothing, Ray’s site and page has nothing. We’re still calling it just ‘a report’

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We know have seen more credible sources so we are changing our piece …

Conan O’Brien

Mo 5/20: Ken Jeong, Mary Lynn Rajskub, the Black Angels
Tu 5/21: Ed Helms, Alice Eve, the cast of “Workaholics”
We 5/22: Jesse Eisenberg, J.J. Abrams, 30 Seconds To Mars
Th 5/23: Vin Diesel, Steve Schirripa, the Mowgli’s

Craig Ferguson

Mo 5/20: Heather Graham, David Benioff
Tu 5/21: Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough
We 5/22: Stephen Fry
Th 5/23: Zach Braff, Gillian Jacobs (R 3/7/13)
Fr 5/24: Morgan Freeman, Vera Farmiga (R 3/25/13)

David Letterman

Mo 5/20: Will Smith, the National
Tu 5/21: Piedmont Bird Callers, Jason Bateman, John Fogerty
We 5/22: Woody Harrelson, Tommy Johnagin, John Fogerty with Dawes
Th 5/23: Harrison Ford, Rita Wilson, Jake Bugg (R 4/10/13)
Fr 5/24: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Lochte, Steve Earle & Dukes (R 4/22/13)

Jay Leno

Mo 5/20: Bradley Cooper, Heidi Klum, The-Dream & Kelly Rowland
Tu 5/21: Eric Stonestreet, Jeremy Wade, Thompson Square
We 5/22: Vin Diesel, Jeff Foxworthy, the Lone Bellow
Th 5/23: Tyler Perry, Isla Fisher, Shout Out Louds
Fr 5/24: Howie Mandel, Sal Basille & Francis Garcia, Sigur Ros

Jimmy Fallon   

Mo 5/20: Colin Farrell, Jaden Smith, Ahmir
Tu 5/21: Aziz Ansari, Gillian Anderson, J. Cole, PJ Morton
We 5/22: Dana Carvey, Elisabeth Moss, Bobby McFerrin
Th 5/23: Julianne Moore, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Danny Bowien, Boz Scaggs
Fr 5/24: Paul Walker, Joss Whedon, They Might Be Giants

Jimmy Kimmel

Mo 5/20: Ed Helms, Jewel
Tu 5/21: Ethan Hawke, Desiree Hartsock, 30 Seconds To Mars
We 5/22: Alyssa Milano, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Darius Rucker
Th 5/23: Mark Ruffalo, Scrabble Champions, Reggie Watts

Jon Stewart

Mo 5/20: Ellen Page
Tu 5/21: Phil Jackson
We 5/22: Bill O’Reilly
Th 5/23: Morgan Freeman

Steven Colbert

Mo 5/20: David Sassoon
Tu 5/21: Noah Feldman
We 5/22: The National
Th 5/23: C.J. Chivers

Saturday Night Live

• See you in the fall! 

compiled by interbridge.com

Saturday Night Live Says goodbye to Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and  Jason Sudeikis.

It’s starting to turn into a tradition… last season’s finale was a musical number that said goodbye to fan-favorite Kristen Wiig. This year music again was used as a way of tipping the old chapeau to three additional favorites, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis.  Someone’s going to be wearing big shoes this fall. I hope they can fill them.

Bill Hader departure had been made official earlier in the week. Jason Sudeikis’ was expected as he was not even planning on staying past the presidential election.  Fred Armisen’s leaving also cannot be considered a surprise.  Seth Myers is taking over the Late Show replacing Jimmy Fallon.  His Saturday Night Live fate has not been decided, at least any decision has not been made official.

Fred reprised his punky “Johnny Rotten-lite” character for the piece named Ian Rubbish.  He was joined on stage by Hader and Sudeikis but it didn’t end there. The song titled “It’s a Lovely Day” featured some surprising and not so surprising musical “influences.”  First up on the stage were Portlandia co-star and member of  Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag Carrie Brownstein and also former Sex Pistol Steve Jones.  They were followed by Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and guitarist J. Mascis from Dinosaur, Jr.  They stage finally reached maximum capacity when joined by the singing / songwriting wife and husband team of Amiee Mann and Michael Penn.

The more than simple song wasn’t bad either! You can give it a listen below via Hulu.

Those three had a very nice run. I know “Stefon” (pictured above) will be missed by many.  You can see his farewell piece below as well….

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(Take a look back at some Mick Jagger highlights from a few years ago when he was host. This page includes some party footage with Mick jamming with the Foo Fighters. CLICK HERE)

Here’s the “Stefon” farewell….

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Bloop Bleep” by Gary McFarland

Gary McFarland towed the line between samba infused light jazz and orchestral mood music. He was a vibist from California who was known as much for his vibe playing as he was for his arranging and orchestrations for others.

After serving in the army where he took up trombone, trumpet and keyboards, McFarland settled on the vibes and began fronting an orchestra that backed the likes of Anita O’Day, Bill Evans and Stan Getz. He also recorded notable sessions with Bob Brookmeyer and Gary Burton.

McFarland began to make a name for himself as an artist after recording a 1963 album with Bill Evans called The Gary McFarland Orchestra/Special Guest Soloist: Bill Evans. After writing arrangements for Stan Getz’s 1964 album Big Band Bossa Nova, McFarland dove head first into the Bossa Nova craze that was sweeping the jazz world. He released several Jazz samba albums for Verve Records that were notable for his soft, wordless vocalese singing, atmospheric whistling and intimate Bossa Nova vibe on a mix of originals and covers of some of the current rock and pop hits of the day. In fact, McFarland was one of the first jazz artists of the 1960s to cover Beatles songs.

Today’s Song Of The Day comes from his 1965 Bossa Nova infused masterpiece, The In Sounds featuring the lineup of Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Kenny Burrell and Gabor Szabo on guitar, Bob Bushnell and Richard Davis on bass, Candino on conga, Sol Gubin and Grady Tate on guitar, Willie Rodriguez and Joe Venuto on percussion, Spencer Sinatra on flute and Sadao Watanabe on flute and tenor sax. McFarland not only plays vibes and sings on the album, but he also wrote the arrangements and conducted. The album was produced by Creed Taylor and was recorded at Van Gelder Studios in Engelwood Cliffs, New Jersey over two days in August of 1965.

McFarland coos vocals about a dripping faucet on today’s Song Of The Day and manages to make it sound intimate, alluring and oh, so sensual. The album is an automatic chill pill that has the power to deposit the listener onto the beaches of Rio de Janeiro at sunset. Following this record, McFarland began to focus more on arranging and recorded several orchestral records that were both intimate and sedate to a fault.

In 1968, McFarland teamed with guitarist Gabor Szabo and vibist Cal Tjader to form the Skye Record label. The label released albums by each of the label principals, as well as titles by Lena Horne, Chuck Rainey, Grady Tate and Airto Moreira. He also released his critically lauded jazz symphony, America the Beautiful around this time.  The label lasted for two years and closed up shop after filing for bankruptcy.

McFarland’s career was cut short on November 2, 1971 after he and his friend David Burnett both ingested drinks that were laced with a fatal dose of methadone in a New York City bar. McFarland was 38 years old.

– Eric Berman

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Chantilly Lace” by The Big Bopper

Jiles “Jape” P. Richardson became a radio D.J. in 1952 and worked for ten years (with a two year break in the middle for army duty) at Texas radio station KTRM where he ultimately became their music director. While working at a sock hop, he decided to change his name to The Big Bopper after he witnessed teenagers dancing to a new dance called The Bop.

Richardson wanted to get into the performing side of the business because he saw it as a way to earn enough money to buy his own radio station. So when a promo man from Mercury Records gave him the opportunity to become a recording artist, he jumped. But while his first single release flopped, his second struck gold.

Today, The Big Bopper is mistakenly remembered as a one-hit-wonder for his 1958 top-ten hit and today’s Song Of The Day, “Chantilly Lace.” Yet most people don’t realize that he scored several other hits including “The Big Bopper’s Wedding,” “Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” He was also a successful songwriter who penned “White Lightning,” a number one hit for George Jones, “Beggar To A King,” a number five hit for Hank Snow and “Running Bear,” another chart-topper for Johnny Preston.

But if you’re going to be remembered for one song, then “Chantilly Lace” is a great one to be known for!  Richardson had great shtick and the song perfectly captures The Big Bopper’s larger-than-life personality with its rolling piano, rollicking backbeat, wailing saxophone and Richardson’s exuberant basso voice gleefully exclaiming “Oh baby, that’s a-what I like!”  It is also one heck of a rambunctious novelty record, to boot!

Richardson was the first recording artist to make music videos. He was convinced that video was going to be the future of recorded music and he coined the term “rock video.” In 1958 he made videos for the songs: “Chantilly Lace,” “The Big Bopper’s Wedding” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” that are now a cherished part of his legacy.

And then came “The Day The Music Died…”

After the success of “Chantilly Lace,” Richardson took to the road with fellow musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Dion & The Belmonts on “The Winter Dance Party Tour.” His wife Adrianne, was unhappy about his decision to tour in support of the single because by now the couple had a young daughter and she was six months pregnant at the time with their second child.

After the eleventh stop on the tour, Holly chartered a plane to fly a few of the “luckier” tour members to their next stop in Moorehead, Minnesota. (Their flight was actually headed to Fargo, North Dakota where the entourage could catch a flight on to Moorehead.) The plan was for Holly and the lucky few who would get seats on the plane, would fly ahead and be able to do laundry for the rest of the musicians on the tour who had already spent weeks on a tour bus on the road.

Waylon Jennings was one of the lucky few who was supposed to take the flight, but he gave his seat up to The Big Bopper at the last minute because Richardson was suffering from the flu. Buddy Holly’s guitarist Tommy Allsup flipped a coin for the last seat with Ritchie Valens and lost, giving Valens the last available seat on the plane.

Nobody knows exactly what went down (other than the plane) on the night of February 3, 1959, but they took off during a blizzard and it is believed that Roger Peterson, the 20 year old pilot, lost his frame of reference and flew the plane down when he should have gone up, resulting in a nose dive to the ground at 200mph that ejected the three musicians out of the plane on impact. It took more than 10 hours for rescuers to find the accident site.

Richardson was survived by his wife, Adrianne and four year old daughter. His son was born two months later. Although “Chantilly Lace” went gold during his lifetime, Richardson had less than $100 in his bank account at the time of his death, and he never got the chance to pick up his gold record. His death was immortalized in the Don McLean hit “American Pie.”

EDITOR’s NOTE: There is a kick-starter project trying to release more lost Big Bopper Songs…….. HERE’s  A LINK

– Eric Berman

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Karn Evil 9 1^st Impression” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

There was a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I’m not talking about the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Hadrosaurus, or even your garden variety Pterodactyls. These dinosaurs wore coats of proggy sounds typified by 20 minute epic-length, multi-movement suites of music. These were dinosaurs that went by names like King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, PFM, The Moody Blues and Yes.

There was no pretention in what they were doing, yet many of them were very, very pretentious. And if you were a rock fan of the 1970s, you ate it up. You loved it. There was nothing better.

But a funny thing happened on their way to extinction…their music has stood the test of time. Sure the punk rock movement temporarily put them out to pasture, but today there is a whole new wave of Prog Rock bands out there, and a whole new fan base along for the ride.

Which brings us to Prog Rock’s first “supergroup,” Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ELP formed in 1970 and consisted of keyboard wizard Keith Emerson who was formerly with The Nice, Greg Lake who came from the classic Prog pedigree of King Crimson, and Carl Palmer who was originally with The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster.

When the group first formed, Emerson and Lake got together and were looking for a drummer. Their first choice was Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, however this didn’t work out and acting upon the suggestion of Robert Stigwood, the pair ultimately chose Carl Palmer.

The uncredited fourth member of ELP was lyricist, Pete Sinfield, who met Lake when he was writing lyrics for King Crimson. Sinfield would later go on to co-write mega pop hits like “Heart Of Stone” for Cher and “Think Twice,” a chart-topper in eight countries by Celine Dion, but I digress….

Today’s Song Of The Day is the centerpiece of ELP’s greatest record in my opinion Brain Salad Surgery, which was released in 1973 and sent the band’s popularity into the stratosphere. “Karn Evil 9” was an extended piece that took up 2/3 of the album. The piece’s title was a play on the world “Carnival” (Karn Evil – get it?) and appeared in three parts. The “1^st Impression” is by far the most popular section. It was edited down and release as a single and is also better known for its opening lyric, “Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends.” An instrumental section of the “1^st Impression” was used for many years as a musical bumper by New York City classic rock FM radio station, WPLJ.

“Karn Evil 9’s” perverted circus show lyrics were some of Sinfield’s finest, including the following brilliant cadences: “Soon the Gypsy Queen in a glaze of Vaseline / will perform on guillotine / What a scene, what a scene. / Next upon the stand / will you please lend a hand / to Alexander’s Ragtime Band / Dixieland, Dixieland…Performing on a stool / is a sight to make you drool / Seven virgins and a mule / Keep it cool, keep it cool. / We would like it to be known / the exhibits that were shown / were exclusively our own / all our own, all our own.”  

The “2nd Impression” of “Karn Evil 9”is where ELP tried their hand at straight-ahead Jazz and came out winners. Elements of the piece were based on a track by Sonny Rollins called “St. Thomas.” The 3^rd Impression” was the least interesting of the three, although it is notable for including Keith Emerson’s only vocal appearance on an ELP record.

The album opens with a stately church hymn called “Jerusalem” that featured lyrics from a poem by William Blake. The song was originally slotted to be the first single, but the band didn’t want to send out the wrong message about the album. It was subsequently released as a single later on.

“Toccata” is a nine minute percussive instrumental that was based on the 4^th Movement of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera’s “1^st Piano Concerto.” After recording the piece, they found out that Ginastera would not give the band permission to interpret his work. So they traveled out to Geneva to meet with the composer face to face. Once Ginastera heard the piece, he gave his approval.

All good ELP albums had a least one ballad that would garner radio play and one throwaway rocker to provide relief from all the bombast. Brain Salad Surgery’s ballad was Greg Lake’s beautiful “Still…You Turn Me On,” which was the big FM radio airplay hit on the album. “Benny The Bouncer” was the throwaway rocker of the album, much like “Are You Ready Eddie” from Tarkus and “The Sheriff” from Trilogy. The song was a piss-take that sounded like a Keith Moon outtake.

The album’s title came from a line in the then-current Dr. John hit “Right Place, Wrong Time,” although the album originally went by the working title Whip Some Skull on Yer,; which was a euphemism for fellatio.

The cover was designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger, who also designed albums for Debbie Harry (Koo-Koo), Danzig (Danzig III & How The Gods Kill), Celtic Frost (To Mega Therion), and most notoriously, the penis-laden inner poster to The Dead Kennedys’ Frankenchrist album that led to an obscenity trial. The penis was also an integral element to Giger’s design for Brain Salad Surgery, but the offending appendage was changed to a shaft of light with the band’s initials on top of it, in order for it to appear on retail record store shelves. The woman on the cover was Giger’s girlfriend, Lil Tobler who committed suicide shortly after the album’s release.

In support of the album, ELP embarked on what became their largest world tour ever, titled the “Someone Get Me A Ladder” tour. (The tour name came from the lyrics to “Still… You Turn Me On”). A chart-topping triple live album from the tour was released the following year under the title, Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends – Ladies and Gentlemen: Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

–Eric Berman

Track Listing

Side one             

1. “Jerusalem” 2:41
2. “Toccata” 7:16
3. “Still…You Turn Me On” 2:50
4. “Benny the Bouncer” 2:15
5. “Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 1″ 8:39

Side two             

1. “Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2″ 4:43
2. “Karn Evil 9: 2nd Impression” 7:05
3. “Karn Evil 9: 3rd Impression” 9:05

 Here is the full album on a playlist