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| Segment 1 |
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Two low-pressure areas merge into a large flow of warm air from the south, a blast of cold from the north, and moisture feeding from the Gulf Stream, simultaneously. That’s a perfect storm, a disastrous confluence of individually innocuous events. It’s rare but when it happens, the negative consequences are magnified, like when Billy Bob Thornton hooked up with Angelina Jolie. Hard to believe such things can happen. But they do, and when they do, the results are. . . unpleasant. But what if a series of discrete events could add up to something positive? Something greater than the sum of its parts? It happened once right here in the Way Back Studios. I knew there was a series of songs I could link with similar sound effects, like rainstorms, and thunder, and crashing waves. I was tempted by the Who’s Quadrophenia. But I resisted. Same with the Doors. “Riders on the Storm” would work, but it was too obvious. .
Then, in the South Side of the Sky I could see it. The Storm at Sunup. And a figure, a man named Gino Vannelli, in a white shirt, unbuttoned to reveal copious and, apparently combed, chest hair staring out from the album cover. In the background, a woman, languid in a slip with the strap slipping down her right shoulder. Staring out the window, chin in hand, elbow on knee, knee deep in ennui. Her profile seems to be saying, love me now. Fragile? Yes. Certainly, though not obvious at first. Still, the two records came together like a perfect storm to create a one of our finest batches of All Hand Mixed Vinyl. Two tracks each from two albums, re-imagined in seven parts as if originally conceived that way. And then, because it fit so nicely, we added a little Spirit at the end with the great sax-man Ernie Watts sitting in on the track “Stoney Night” from Spirit’s album Farther Along. But first, “We Have Heaven.” |
| Yes |
We Have Heaven |
| Gino Vannelli |
Storm at Sunup (part 1) |
| Yes |
South Side of the Sky (part 1) |
| Gino Vannelli |
Storm at Sunup (part 2) |
| Yes |
South Side of the Sky (part 2) |
| Gino Vannelli |
Love Me Now |
| Yes |
South Side of the Sky (part 3) |
| Spirit |
Stoney Night |
| Yes |
We Have Heaven (reprise) |
You can call that what you will, but that’s what I call transitional shenanigans. We spent the first twenty minutes of that set going back and forth between a couple of tracks each from Gino Vannelli’s third album, Storm at Sunup and the fourth album from Yes, simply called “Fragile.” The set opened with “We Have Heaven” which, at the end, slips into some storm sound effects and segues into “South Side of the Sky.” But, unwilling as we are to leave well enough alone, we slipped into the storm sound effects at the start of Gino’s “Storm at Sunup,” a song that begins as a melodramatic ballad, transitions into a furious bit of jazz rock fusion, before returning to the melodrama and ending on a sustained synthesizer note that segues into “Love Me Now.” During those transitions, we mixed in and out of “South Side of the Sky.” What’s really cool about it is that you never have to lift a needle on either album. The two records play like a handshake with the sound effects and other transitional elements presenting themselves as if by design. .
Some say it was pure dumb luck, others talk about instinct. Either way, it turns out you can mix back and forth between the movements of the four songs, playing them in exactly the order they appear on their respective records, with nothing left out. But when all was said and done, we were still a few minutes shy of a full set. So I pulled two more records from the shelf: one, an old sound effects album with storm sound effects, and the other, Spirit’s under-appreciated L.P. Farther Along. We used storm effects to transition from “South Side of the Sky” into “Stoney Night” which opens with a few claps of thunder and the great sax work of Ernie Watts. Then, bringing the whole thing full circle, we flipped Fragile over and closed with the very end of side two. At the end of “Heart of the Sunrise”, you hear the sound effect of a door opening followed by a reprise of “We Have Heaven.” Bringing us right back where we started. And now we’re where we end. Thanks for joining us. In the Way Back Studios, I’m Bill Fitzhugh and I’ll have another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl soon enough, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 2 |
All right everybody, it's time to take your protein pills and put your helmets on or, if you prefer, your conductor cap. Because this week we're taking the train to the Way Back Studios. Here I was listening to Quadrophenia, Daltry singing about how he remembered distant memories, recalled other names, rippled over canyons, and boiled in the train. Oddly, it wasn't the train that caught my ear, though that would come into play later. It was Chris Stainton. Now don't shoot him, he's just the piano player. Played all the piano parts on Quadrophenia, including the barrelhouse riff that got this batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl started..
Funny thing is, he'd used the same riff before on a different record. And that's what caught my ear. Four years earlier Chris had played it on Joe Cocker's "Hitchcock Railway." Which brings us back to that train Daltry was singing about. Two train tickets into LA, one round trip the other way. Well, once we got on board, we ran into the Thin White Duke throwing darts in lovers eyes. Now, he swore it wasn't the side effects of the cocaine, but the story of "Casey Jones" suggests otherwise. Better watch your speed. And by the way, don't that brakeman look good, flaggin' down the Double E? Well, don't say I didn't warn you when your train gets lost. Get your tickets ready, the European cannon is here. All aboard. |
| The Who |
Drowned (part 1) |
| Joe Cocker |
Hitchcock Railway (part 1) |
| The Who |
Drowned (part 2) |
| Joe Cocker |
Hitchcock Railway (part 2) |
| David Bowie |
Station to Station |
| Bob Dylan |
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry |
| Grateful Dead |
Casey Jones |
Like the man said, it takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry, but it took a piano player to get that set started. The Grateful Dead played the caboose there with their ode to the infamous toot-fueled train conductor. Before that, longtime Dead friend, Blind Boy Grunt from the Rolling Thunder Review Tour, 1975. Howie Wyeth on piano. In the middle, Roy Bittan who most people associate with Springsteen, played piano on Bowie's "Station to Station." And Chris Stainton who was a member of the famous Grease Band and also shared piano duties with Leon Russell on the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, played the keyboards on the first two tracks of that set, taking the riff he used first on Joe Cocker's "Hitchcock Railway" then recycling it four years later on Quadrophenia. .
Now, after all that you may find yourself wondering why a train engineer can't be electrocuted, it's because he's not a conductor. From the Way Back Studios, I'm the little engine that couldn't resist that bad joke. Back next time with another batch of Fitzhugh's All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Train Tracks.
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| Segment 3 |
So there was this woman, name of Lucretia McEvil. A regular back-seat Delilah. Tail shakin’, home breakin’, truckin through town. Never done a thing worthwhile. You know the type. Anyway, one day Lucretia says, “Don’t crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers.” Well, strictly speaking that’s not true. I made that part up. Let me explain. See, there was this guy, David Wolinski, a keyboard player, songwriter, and producer, nickname of Hawk. He worked with everybody from Quincy Jones and Rufus to The Guess Who and Chicago. Now, Chicago was on the Columbia label and they were produced in their early years by in-house producer, James Guercio, who was from Chicago, and who also produced the second album for Blood, Sweat, and Tears, also under contract to Columbia. Another group that came out of Chicago was Madura, featuring the keyboardist David Wolinski and a vocalist by the name of Lucretia McEvil..
Well, OK, that last part’s not true. But it is true that Madura once opened for Chicago and they were also produced by James Guercio, who also produced a couple of records for Firesign Theater, including the famous single "Station Break" one of the few 45’s they released for, that’s right, Columbia records. Which raises the question: How can you be two places at once when you’re not anywhere at all? The answer: more sugar! Then, around 1970 a group called Ballinjack came out of Seattle. Like Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Ballinjack had a big fat horn section. Ballinjack was also on Columbia, so guess who produced them… If you said Nick Danger or James Guercio, you’re wrong and I don’t know why, but they all refused to have anything to do with that tramp, Lucretia McEvil. Jethro Tull, on the other hand, uses a nifty flute segue to sneak into today's batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, despite having nothing to do with any of these people or Columbia Records. So, having said all that, here’s a horny little batch from the Way Back Studios. But first, a station break… |
| Firesign Theater |
Station Break |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears |
Lucretia McEvil |
| Ballin' Jack |
Festival (part 1) |
| Madura |
Johnny B. Goode |
| Ballin' Jack |
Festival (part 2) |
| Jethro Tull |
With you there to help me |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears |
Lucretia McEvil (reprise) |
From their third album, simply called Blood, Sweat, and Tears. “Lucretia McEvil” peaked at #29 on the Billboard charts, which qualifies as a lesser hit for a group used to reaching #2 on a regular basis. But what we just heard never charted at all. That was the reprise to the song which is on their third album but which was edited from the single version Columbia released, which we heard near the top of the set. But at the TIP top of the set we heard another group that recorded for Columbia. Firesign Theatre. We heard “Station Break,” a single released in 1969 that was produced by James William Guercio, who at the time was an in-house producer for Columbia and who had produced the second album by Blood, Sweat, and Tears, along with the first several albums by Chicago. A city that also produced a group called Madura who we heard in the middle of the set, doing a version of “Johnny B. Goode” which was also produced by James Guercio for Columbia records. Also in that set, and also on Columbia, and also a horn band like Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears, we heard Ballinjack, a group out of Seattle that wasn’t produced by Guercio. We took Ballinjack’s song “Festival” from their debut album in 1970 and we broke it into two parts, inserting the Madura into the middle.
Near the end of the set, the only group in there not on Columbia Records, a band named after an 18th Century agriculturalist, Jethro Tull, inventor of the seed drill. From the album Benefit we heard, “With You There To Help Me,” also from 1970. The song starts with Ian Anderson’s flute, some of which I believe was recorded and then played backwards which made for a nice segue out of the flute part at the end of the Ballinjack. Well, as David Clayton Thomas said, Hard luck and trouble bound to be your claim to fame here in the Way Back Studios. Thanks for listening. I’m Bill Fitzhugh and someday soon, I’ll be back with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 4 |
When I was a kid, we didn’t have Guitar Hero or Rock Band. What we had was a record player, a broom, and some tennis rackets. With these props and some invisible drums and keyboards, we’d put our favorite records on the turntable and pretend to be the band. Sometimes we did this in our rooms, but other times, being brave and wanting an audience, we’d stand out on the front porch and play to the cars passing by. Sure, no one ever noticed, but we didn’t care. We were rock stars. One day we might be the Stones, the next, we’d be The Animals. But my older brother and his friends always made me be the bass player. I wanted to play lead guitar or even drums so I could at least wave my arms around like I was actually doing something. But no, I was always Bill Wyman or Chas Chandler, or Rick Huxley on the days we were the Dave Clark Five. I never got to be Keith or Mick or Dave or Eric. I was always shuffled off to the side, just standing there, the Rodney Dangerfield of the band. Well, this bottom heavy batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl brings the bass to the front. Gives it the respect it deserves. But there’s no Rick Huxley, maybe next time..
We will hear from the great jazz bassists Jim Hewart and Ray Brown playing with Tom Waits and Maria Muldour. Jaime Leopold plucks the fat strings for Dan Hicks with his Hot Licks on the track You Got To Believe, from their album Striking It Rich. But the set opens with John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, better known as Jaco. In 2006, nineteen years after his tragic death, the readers of Bass Player Magazine voted Jaco the best bass player who ever lived. We’ll hear him working with Joni Mitchell on her tribute album to the great jazz bassist, Charles Mingus but we’ll open with a pair from Jaco’s brilliant debut album, on Epic in 1976, from the Way Back Studios, here’s "Kuru" and "Speak Like A Child." |
| Jaco Pastorius |
Kuru/Speak Like a Child |
| Joni Mitchell |
Dry Cleaner from Des Moines |
| Tom Waits |
Step Right Up |
| Dan Hicks |
You Got To Believe |
| Maria Muldaur |
Walkin' One and Only |
Christ, buddy, you don’t know the meaning of heartbreak. There’s a big dose of west coast hipster swing for you, led down the path by some of the best bass players ever to pluck a string. We ended up with that waitress from the donut shop, Maria Muldaur, from her debut album in 1974, featuring the jazz great Ray Brown on bass and -- much to my surprise -- Ed Shaughnessy on drums. If you’re old enough, you might remember Ed playing with the Tonight Show band back when Johnny Carson was still behind the desk. We heard Maria covering the Dan Hicks tune, “Walkin’ One and Only.” Before that Dan Hicks covering himself, in all modesty on a track called, “You Got To Believe,” featuring Jamie Leopold on bass. By the way, if you liked what you heard, be sure to check Jamie’s Facebook page to hear what he’s been up to lately..
Smack dab in the middle of the set we heard Tom Waits, the king of twenty-first century beatniks, doing “Step Right Up” from his album Small Change, featuring Jim Hughart on bass, a guy with a resume about a mile long. He played with everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass to Johnny Rivers and The Monkees. We opened that set with the troubled but gifted Jaco Pastorius. We heard two from his debut album, the tracks: "Kuru" and "Speak like a Child," followed by Jaco playing on one from Joni Mitchell’s tribute to another great jazz bassist, Charles Mingus – with whom Ed Shaughnessy also played at one point. Here we got “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines.” Well, it's like Tom Waits said, the large print giveth and the small print taketh away, and the small print says we’re out of time. But I’ll be back sooner or later with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl from the Way Back Studios. Thanks for listening, I’m Bill Fitzhugh, in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 5 |
Several years ago, my friend George Taylor Morris and I were talking about favorite old segues from back in the day when we worked with vinyl. I told George about one that a guy named Bruce Owen used to do on WJDX-FM going from Johnny Rivers into the Beatles. In his song “Summer Rain,” Rivers sings the line about how all summer long they were dancing in the sand and everybody just kept on playing "Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band." That lyric is followed by the same drum lick Ringo uses for the reprise to "Sergeant Pepper," and that lets you to go seamlessly into the Beatles, if you do it right. Well, it turned out George had a segue just like that, involving a different song by the Beatles. So I took George’s idea as the basis for this week’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl.
It all starts with a song from Chicago Transit Authority. It was written by Robert Lamm, apparently after he’d spent some time here in Los Angeles. Based on the lyrics, it sounds like he might have been here during the June Gloom and he couldn’t handle all the grey skies. In fact it was so depressing that writing a mere blues was inadequate, so he wrote the “South California Purples.” Now, about five minutes into the song, for reasons we may never know, the band lapses into a couple of bars from “I Am The Walrus.” And that’s when we segue over to The Beatles. From there we go to the Spooky Tooth version of that track before returning to the second part of the Chicago right where we left off with the I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together. After that, it’s a Beatles mash-up of “Strawberry Fields” by Todd Rundgren, broken into three parts and mixed with a one minute excerpt of Peter Gabriel’s version of “Strawberry Fields,” along with a twenty-three second sample from “Magical Mystery Tour,” and the Beatles instrumental, “Flying.” So, from the Way Back Studios, here’s the southern California purple walrus flying over the strawberry fields for about twenty-three minutes. It’s a regular magical mystery set. |
| Chicago Transit Authority |
South California Purples (part 1) |
| Beatles |
I am the Walrus |
| Spooky Tooth |
I am the Walrus |
| Chicago Transit Authority |
South California Purples (part 2) |
| Todd Rundgren |
Strawberry Fields Forever (part 1) |
| Peter Gabriel |
Strawberry Fields Forever (excerpt) |
| Todd Rundgren |
Strawberry Fields Forever (part 2) |
| Beatles |
Magical Mystery Tour (excerpt) |
| Todd Rundgren |
Strawberry Fields Forever (part 3) |
| Beatles |
Flying |
It’s getting hard to be someone but it all works out. We ended that Beatle-centric set with one of the few songs credited to all four of the moptops, from Magical Mystery Tour, that’s called “Flying.” Before that, we took Todd Rundgren’s version of “Strawberry Fields” from his album Faithful and we chopped it into three parts. In between the second two parts we inserted the last twenty-three seconds of “Magical Mystery Tour.” In between the first two parts, we segued over to a minute of Peter Gabriel’s version of “Strawberry Fields” that you’ll find on the soundtrack to the film All This And World War II. A film that was described by at least one reviewer as a triumph of audacity and bad taste where they match actual film clips from World War Two to cover versions of Beatles songs, like, for example, the German army retreating to Rod Stewart’s version of “Get Back.” O-kay.
At the top, “I Am The Walrus” and “South California Purples” – two songs complaining about the weather: The Beatles sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun which doesn’t come so they end up with a tan from standing in the English rain. And Chicago grumbling about how it’s cloudy every morning, sun don’t ever shine. But the weather reference is just a coincidence. The real reason we put those two songs together is the segue where Chicago does a couple of bars of “I Am The Walrus” and we slip over to the original version. That’s a mix created by our friend George Taylor Morris some years ago and used here with permission. And as long as we were singing about that massive sea mammal, we decided to let Spooky Tooth chew on their version of the song before we got back to the Chicago track, right where we left off with I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all in the Way Back Studios. I’m Bill Fitzhugh. Thanks for listening. I’ll be back sooner or later with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl. Right here, in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 6 |
Unless you’re driving or doing surgery, I want you to close your eyes and picture Little Richard. Head thrown back with six inches of hair piled up on top, hands stretching for the piano. Good golly miss molly. Or Jerry Lee Lewis? The killer? Kicking the bench out of the way, standing a few feet back so he has to bend over to wail on the keys. Great balls of fire! Or Fats Domino giving it up on “The Fat Man” one of those songs that’s always on the list as the first rock and roll record. These were the guys who invented the music. And those pianos were iconic. But, somewhere around Duane Eddy and Chuck Berry, the electric guitar took over as the symbol of rock and roll. Now I like guitars as much as the next guy but today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl is all about the 88’s.
The late, great Nicky Hopkins is one of the most important session musicians in rock history. He recorded the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Airplane, and the Steve Miller Band among others. He earned the nickname Edward as a result of his composition and performance on “Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder,” a nine minute piano masterpiece from the Quicksilver Messenger Service album Shady Grove. Well, it turns out there’s a false ending in the middle of the song that allows Chuck Leavell to slide onto the bench and launch into the great Sea Level track, “Rain In Spain,” which, as it turns out, also has a false ending. As you might imagine, hand mixing ensues. Chuck’s resume as a session guy is nearly as impressive as Nicky’s. In addition to his career with the Allman Brothers and Sea Level, he’s played with the Stones, Clapton, and many others. At the end of the set, we’ve got a surprise from the Isley Brothers, but before we get there, how about a surprise from one of the icons of New Age music? George Winston covering The Doors. Trust me. But first, from the Way Back Studios, let’s join Cheech and Chong as they try to give a piano lesson to little Jimmy.
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| Cheech & Chong |
Jimmy (excerpt) |
| George Winston |
Love Me Two Times |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service |
Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder (part 1) |
| Sea Level |
Rain in Spain (pt 1) |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service |
Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder (part 2) |
| Sea Level |
Rain in Spain (part 2) |
| Isley Brothers |
Work to Do |
The Average White Band does a great version of that song, but I’ve always preferred the Isley Brothers take on “Work to Do.” From their 1972 album, Brother, Brother, Brother. Chris Jasper on piano. Before that we tossed Quicksilver Messenger Service into a hand blender with Sea Level mixing “Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder” with the “Rain in Spain,” done in two parts each. Nicky Hopkins, one of rock’s most influential piano players, handled the keyboards for Quicksilver and Chuck Leavel did the same for his Allman Brothers-era side project. Before the first part of the mad shirt grinder, we heard an instrumental version of The Door’s “Love Me Two Times.” If you looked at the display on your radio, you might have thought, uh, that can’t be right. George Winston, the Windham Hill New Age guy? Sure enough. That was from his 2002 release, Night Divides The Day – The Music of The Doors on Dancing Cat Records. I didn’t know it at the time, but Mr. Winston went to middle school about three blocks down the street from where I grew up. Which just goes to show, you never know.
We started the set with a little comedy from Cheech and Chong, trying to teach Jimmy how to play the piano. From my scratchy copy of their 1976 album, Sleeping Beauty, a reference to the design of the album itself, which, when you opened it looked like a huge seconol, a popular barbiturate from the seventies, known as a red. By the way I’m sure you remember Cheech and Chong’s “Basketball Jones,” but do you remember who played on it? How about George Harrison, Tom Scott, Jim Keltner, and three keyboard players, Billy Preston, Carole King and – you guessed it – Nicky Hopkins. Well, the piano sounds like a carnival and the microphone smells like a beer here in the Way Back Studios. Thanks for listening, I’m Bill Fitzhugh back with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl sooner or later, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 7 |
If you’ll pardon my generalization, I think it’s safe to say that once you’ve heard “Takin’ Care of Business” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” you’ve got a pretty good idea of what Bachman Turner Overdrive sounds like. The same is true for, say, “American Woman” and “No Sugar Tonight.” Again, generally speaking, after hearing those two songs, you’ll have a pretty good sense of The Guess Who. You won’t have a complete idea, but you’ll know what their basic sound was and the type of song they had success with. But you won’t get any sense of their range or the musical chances they were willing to take.
So this week’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl sets out to highlight another side of Bachman, Turner Overdrive, The Guess Who and five other artists you know and love. We’ll be playing tracks that go to show that the hits don’t necessarily define an artist’s sound. For example, we’ll show that Spirit was a lot more than just “I Got a Line on You.” And that there’s a lot more to The Steve Miller Band than “Fly Like An Eagle.” But it’s not just that we’ll be playing some of the less familiar songs by these bands, after all, that’s what we do here in the Deep Tracks. No, the unifying aspect of the set is the similar sound of the songs.
I hesitate to describe these songs as smooth and jazzy, lest the fuzak image of Kenny G start dancing in your head, but generally speaking these songs are both smooth and jazzy. So it’s not too surprising that we’ll hear a few bars from Steely Dan somewhere in the middle of all this. Given that introduction, you might not think Tommy Bolin would fit in a set like this since he’s probably best known for his hard rock masterpiece, “Post Toastie” but it turns out his “Gypsy Soul” fits perfectly. As does Ben Sidren’s “Midnight Tango” as filtered through the Steve Miller Band. But before we get to all that and the Boss and BTO and the Guess Who, we’ll start with one from Farther Along, Spirit’s overlooked album from 1976, and a song called “World Eat World Dog.”
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| Spirit |
World Eat World Dog |
| Steve Miller |
Midnight Tango |
| Bachman Turner Overdrive |
Lookin' Out For #1 (part 1) |
| Guess Who |
Undun |
| Bachman Turner Overdrive |
Lookin' Out For #1 (part 2) |
| Steely Dan |
Black Cow (excerpt) |
| Bruce |
Spirit in the Night |
| Tommy Bolin |
Gypsy Soul |
“There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be bad, when you cultivated decadence like a taste.” That’s the opening line from “Greasy Lake,” a great short story by T.C. Boyle that was inspired by Springsteen’s “Spirit In the Night.” You’ll find that in Mr. Boyle’s collection: The Human Fly and Other Stories. Following the Boss we ended the set with an acoustic gem from the late great Tommy Bolin. We heard “Gypsy Soul” from the Private Eyes album. Before that we took a tenderloin from Steely Dan’s “Black Cow” coming out of the second part of Bachman Turner Overdrive’s “Lookin’ Out For Number One.” A song from their 1975 album, Head On and one you’ll find on their Greatest Hits package. The question is why, since it didn’t chart in the Top 40. The answer is that the cocktail jazz of “Lookin’ Out For Number One” was the only Bachman Turner Overdrive track to land on the Easy Listening Charts. By the way, I hope you noticed the mix from BTO into the Guess Who where we not only had a musical segue, but we managed to rhyme ‘Number One’ with ‘Come Undone.’
From 1970 and the album, Number Five, we heard “Steve Miller’s Midnight Tango,” a song written by Ben Sidren who recorded it four years later on his solo album Don’t Let Go where he calls it “Ben Sidren’s Midnight Tango.” And the set opened with a favorite of mine from Spirit’s underrated album Farther Along, from 1976, the song “World Eat World Dog.” Well, as you know, Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley tradin' hands when 'long came Wild Billy with his friend G-man all duded up for Saturday night. Well Billy slammed on his coaster brakes and said anybody wanna go on out to the The Way Back Studios? I’m Bill Fitzhugh, thanks for listening. I’ll have another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl next time, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 8 |
Only one thing is certain in this life after death and taxes. And that is, if you carry a record collection around long enough, some of the records will get scratchy. It’s the nature of vinyl. But the blip in the Neil Young that starts today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl only lasts for a couple of revolutions, so bear with me. Recorded during his 1973 tour, the album Time Fades Away is one of only two Neil Young albums that was never made officially available on CD. The tour followed two major events in Neil’s life: the multi-platinum success of Harvest and the drug overdose death of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten who had been fired during rehearsals for the tour. While the audiences wanted to hear sweet acoustic rockers like “Heart of Gold,” Neil was coming from a darker place. The emotions stirred by Whitten’s death combined with Young’s tendency not to pander to his audience, Neil delivered a series of concerts that Mark Deming called “a ragged musical parade of bad karma and road craziness.” Here we’ll hear Neil, alone at the piano doing “The Bridge.”
The songs that follow, sound like they might have been chosen for Whitten’s memorial service: “I Shall Be Released,” “Teardrops Will Fall,” and “Long, Long, Long,” one of the great, semi-forgotten Beatles songs. By the way, there’s a little something funny to listen for during Ry Cooder’s “Teardrops Will Fall.” At the very end of the song, it sounds as if the record skips. In fact I thought I’d hit the turntable. But I hadn’t. I’ve got both the vinyl and the cd of Ry’s album Into The Purple Valley – and BOTH of them have what sounds like a goofed up edit right at the end, so listen for that. The second half of the set is a trip down south to “Old Virginia” from America, “Sweet Virginia” from the Stones, and the “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodle-loo” from the Grateful Dead. But first, here’s Neil Young. |
| Neil Young |
The Bridge |
| The Band |
I Shall Be Released |
| Ry Cooder |
Teardrops Will Fall |
| Beatles |
Long, Long, Long |
| America |
Old Virginia |
| Rolling Stones |
Sweet Virginia |
| Grateful Dead |
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodle-loo |
That’s the “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodle-loo” from Wake of the Flood, the first album the Grateful Dead released on their own label and the first one recorded following the death of founding band member Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan, At the top of the set, Neil Young from Time Fades Away, the first album Neil recorded following the death of his friend, Crazy Horse guitarist, Danny Whitten. In the middle of the set, we heard “Long, Long, Long” from The White Album, which was the first album the Beatles recorded following the death of their manager, Brian Epstein. That’s a creepy little pattern I didn’t see until I was writing this. “Long, Long, Long” was written by George Harrison and produced by George Martin who also produced the song that followed in the set, “Old Virginia” from America’s album, Hearts.
Elsewhere in the set, we heard the Rolling Stones scraping the shh-tuff right off their shoes, from Exile on Main Street, a track called “Sweet Virginia.” We also heard some Music From Big Pink, the Band covering Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” followed by Ry Cooder doing “Teardrops Will Fall” from his great album Into The Purple Valley, a collection of traditionals and other early Americana that I highly recommend. By the way, if you want to see the set lists for any of the shows, we’ve got ‘em all posted on the website for your convenience, billfitzhugh dot com, where you’ll also find scandalous photos, the unauthorized history of how the show came about, the much talked about interview with former porn star, Geoff Young, just kidding, Geoff’s actually a respectable magazine publisher but he said it was all right if I called him a porn star. In any event, thanks for listening, I’m Bill Fitzhugh in the Way Back Studios. I’ll have another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl next time, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 9 |
One of the very first shows we did here in the Way Back Studios revolved around an identical piano riff that I found in two different songs. I was listening to side three of Quadrophenia one night, and when “Drowned” came on, I knew I’d heard that piano riff somewhere else. Turned out to be Joe Cocker’s “Hitchcock Railway.” By the way if you listen closely you’ll hear the two riffs in the introduction to our show. If you’re not paying attention you might not even notice they’re from different songs, but they are. Now what are the odds that two piano players recording three years apart would use the exact same riff? Well, that’s a trick question because it turns out they’re both played by Chris Stainton, one of the original members of Joe Cocker’s Grease Band who did some session work with The Who. In other words, he nicked the riff from himself.
Well, this week’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl came about in the same way, though this time, it’s a guitar riff and two different guitar players. What happened was this: while listening to the David Bowie hits collection, ChangesOneBowie and the track “John, I’m Only Dancing,” I was struck by the opening guitar riff. I’d heard it somewhere else. The question was where. And the answer was Elton John’s Honky Chateau, specifically the song “Hercules” featuring Davey Johnstone on guitar. I’m not sure if it’s Bowie or Mick Ronson playing guitar on “John, I’m Only Dancing,” but it’s a perfect match for Johnston’s riff in “Hercules.” What’s even better is that “Hercules” has a false ending in the middle allowing a great segue into the Bowie which has a cool ending which allows a nice mix back to the Elton John. After that little beauty, I just went looking for more songs with acoustic guitars to fit with the rest of the set. We’ll end up with Mrs. Robinson, but we’ll start with a great Van Morrison track from Veedon Fleece, a song you just don’t hear often enough. It’s called “Bulbs” and it goes a little something like this.
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| Van Morrison |
Bulbs |
| Cat Stevens |
Tuesday's Dead |
| Elton John |
Hurcules (part 1) |
| David Bowie |
John, I'm Only Dancing |
| Elton John |
Hurcules (part 2) |
| David Bowie |
Star |
| Simon & Garfunkle |
Mrs. Robinson |
Put that in your pantry with your cupcakes. That’s Simon and Garfunkle with Mr. Robinson’s less than faithful wife. The story goes that Paul Simon had agreed to write three songs for The Graduate soundtrack but when it came time to deliver, he had only one written and parts of another song that was all about the past, with references to Mrs. Roosevelt, as in the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mike Nichols, who was directing the film suggested to Paul that the song was now about Mrs. Robinson, thank you very much. You can find one version of the song on the soundtrack for The Graduate, though it’s not the actual version that’s in the movie. You can find the number one hit single version that we just heard on the Bookends album.
Before that, we did some fancy hand mixing in and out of Elton John and David Bowie, all based on a similar guitar riff. From the Honky Chateau album we mixed a cat named “Hercules” with “John, I’m Only Dancing” which was a single never released on a proper album. The song’s heritage is so complicated I’m not sure I’ve got it figured out, but the way I understand it, the original version was recorded in 1972 during the sessions for Alladin Sane. It was released as a single in the UK, with “Hang On To Yourself” as the B-side, but not released in the US. The version we just heard was a 1973 re-recording that was accidentally included on the early versions of ChangesoneBowie, an error that was corrected on later releases of that collection – but don’t quote me on that. Coming out of the second part of “Hercules” we made the transformation as a rock and roll “Star,” from Ziggy Stardust.
The set opened with Van Morrison from Veedon Fleece, a song called “Bulbs” that was released as a single but for reasons I’ll never understand, didn’t chart in the top 40. We followed that with “Tuesday’s Dead” from the Cat Stevens album Teaser and the Firecat. And now, we’re all out of time. Thanks for listening, I’m Bill Fitzhugh back sooner or later with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl satellite delivered from The Way Back Studios to the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 10 |
Some people argue that swing started in 1924 when Louis Armstrong joined Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra. Others say it started in 1935 when Benny Goodman’s Orchestra caught on. What’s interesting about all this is that, as far as I can tell, nobody really agrees on what swing is in the first place. Is it a combination of simple melodic lines written against a rhythmic background or is it when a group performs in such a rhythmically coordinated way as to command a visceral response from the listener? Might be both, I suppose, but the description I’m going with says swing is “an irresistible gravitational buoyancy that defies mere verbal definition.”
Well, whatever it is, and whenever it started, one thing’s for certain: it won’t go away. Remember the film ‘Swingers’ with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn? Came out during the great swing revival of the late nineties? All the sudden everybody was discovering all those Sammy Davis, Dean Martin Rat Pack tracks, not to mention the Louis Jordon and Count Basie catalogues. One thing led to another and before we knew it, we were swinging with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Review, Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and all the rest.
Well this week’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl just goes to show that they weren’t the first generation to rediscover the joys of swinging. In fact this set has more swing than you’ll find on a playground. It’s so money, you can stick it in the bank. It features a couple of classics like Joe Jackson’ take on “Five Guys Named Moe,” and Bette Midler’s cover of the Andrew’s Sisters’ hit, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” And, since we are in the Deep Tracks, we’ll throw in a couple of curves like the Good Rats doing “Fred Upstairs and Ginger Snappers,” “Parker’s Band” from Steely Dan, and the Pointer Sisters doing “Cloudburst.” So call it what you will, define how you like but remember, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”
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| Brian Setzer |
Dirty Boogie |
| Bette Midler |
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy |
| Good Rats |
Fred Upstairs and Ginger Snappers |
| Joe Jackson |
Five Guys Named Moe |
| Joni Mitchell |
Raised on Robbery |
| Steely Dan |
Parkers Band |
| Pointer Sisters |
Cloudburst |
| Jazz Crusaders |
Young Rabbits |
How’s that for a swing set? The Jazz Crusaders doing a Wayne Henderson composition called “Young Rabbits.” The group consisted of Henderson on trombone, Joe Sample on keyboards, Wilton Felder on tenor sax, and Stix Hooper on the drums. Like Tom Scott and the L.A. Express, the members of The Crusaders were in serious demand as session players, you’ll find their names on records by Jackson Brown, Randy Newman, Joe Cocker, Taj Mahal, and Joni Mitchell just to name a few. And proving that very point, we heard “Raised on Robbery” from Joni’s Court and Spark, an album featuring members of both the Crusaders and the L.A. Express.
Before “Young Rabbits,” it was Anita, Bonnie, June and Ruth, The Pointer Sisters from their great debut album in 1973, a song called “Cloudburst.” At the top of the set, one time rockabilly revivalist turned big band leader, Brian Setzer and his orchestra doing the title track to their 1998 release, “The Dirty Boogie” which led us into the Divine Miss M, from the bath houses to Broadway, Busty Bette Midler sounding like a long-lost Andrews Sister on the hit “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” That band with the smooth style of syncopation somewhere in the middle was Steely Dan from Pretzel Logic we heard “Parker’s Band,” as in Charlie Parker spending a Dizzy Gillespie weekend, smacked into a trance. Elsewhere a white as light as moonjune, a band as tight as Mancini’s, all the way from Long Island, those positive rodents: Good Rats. From their very Tasty album, we had a show with ten toe tappers, “Fred Upstairs and Ginger Snappers.” We also heard some Jumpin’ Jive from Joe Jackson, the classic, “Five Guys Named Moe.” Big Moe, Little Moe, Four-eyed Moe, Eat Moe, and No Moe, as in we got no mo’ time. I’m Bill Fitzhugh in the Way Back Studios, saying thanks for listening. I’ll be back with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl next time, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 11 |
Anyone who has read the Village Voice more than a few times since around 1970 is probably familiar with the music critic Robert Christgau. If you haven’t read his work there, perhaps you’ve seen it in Esquire or Rolling Stone or Blender or any number of places. He’s referred to, not least by himself, as the ‘dean of American rock critics.’ Like a lot of good writers with strong opinions he’s someone you either love or hate. Lou Reed, for example. If the tirade on his live album Take No Prisoners is any indication, Lou’s not a big fan. Me? I like him. Don’t always agree with him, but his writing’s a lot of fun. It’s been variously described as maddening, thought-provoking, or catty, like he when he described Willy DeVille as “The song-poet of greaser nostalgia.” Or Jackson Browne’s writing as ‘sentimental sexism and kitschy doomsaying.”
The reason I bring him up is that knowledgeable though he is, like a lot of us, sometimes he just gets it as wrong as is humanly possible. Exhibit A to that claim is somewhere in the middle of this week’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl. It’s a track off David Crosby’s album If I Could Only Remember My Name, an album Cristgau graded a D minus and called a ‘disgraceful performance.’ Well, everybody has one. And my opinion differs. You get to make up your own mind. We’ll hear a song called “Laughing” featuring Crosby with Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann. As long as I was at it, I looked up Christgau’s reviews of the other albums represented in the set. I couldn’t find his thoughts on Captain Beyond but he liked Fleetwood Mac’s Mystery to Me alright, gave it a B+. He seems to have a grudging respect for the country blues interpretations of Hot Tuna, and he gets pretty close to heaping praise on Randy Newman’s Good Old Boys. But I couldn’t find his review of Steve Forbert’s debut album, Alive on Arrival. So, you be the judge. Let’s return now to “Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977.”
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| Steve Forbert |
Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977 |
| Hot Tuna |
Water Song |
| Captain Beyond |
Sufficiently Breathless |
| David Crosby |
Laughing |
| Fleetwood Mac |
Why? |
| Randy Newman |
Louisiana 1927 |
What has happened down here is the wind have changed. Nobody does character and setting in three minutes any better than Randy Newman. That’s from his classic album Good Old Boys. A song called, “Louisiana 1927.” Before that, it’s a Mystery to Me why that Fleetwood Mac album didn’t go platinum, but it didn’t. We heard a beautiful Christine McVie track called “Why?” ending with those strings that segued so nicely into the Randy Newman. Why? I dunno, just did. We opened the set with a guy out of Meridian, Mississippi. Steve Forbert, who wasn’t the first guy to be dubbed the New Dylan, is my favorite example of someone who should have been huge but who ended up with more a cult following. From his fabulous 1978 debut album, Alive on Arrival, we heard “Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977.” If you’re a fan of that record, you’ll want to check out his 2001 release, Young Guitar Days which features previously unreleased tracks from around the same era. Steve’s still out there performing and recording so stop by his website and check his schedule. If he’s in the neighborhood go check him out.
The rest of the set was a healthy serving of spaced out acoustic cowboy hippie pop rock melodies all tenderly hand mixed and all vinyl, except for the Hot Tuna, because my copy of Burgers sounds like someone took it from the sleeve and danced on it in a parking lot. We heard the classic “Water Song” followed by “Sufficiently Breathless” from Captain Beyond a band formed in the wakes of Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly. And in the middle, David Crosby with Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and half the Grateful Dead. From Crosby’s solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name. Oh, that’s right. I’m Bill Fitzhugh, in the Way Back Studios. Thanks for joining us. If you want to see the set lists, drop by the old web site at billfitzhugh.com. In the meanwhile, I’ll be working on another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 12 |
Way, way back in the mists of time, somewhere in the mid-1980’s, there was a radio station in Seattle: K.J.E.T. K-Jet, 15-90 on the AM dial. They were one of the first stations to play the likes of Camper Van Beethoven and Wall of Voodoo. K-JET’s program director was a guy named Steve Larson who moved to the Emerald City after doing album rock radio at KBPI-FM in Denver. And today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl is anchored by a brilliant segue created by my pal Steve. It happened like this: One night, KBPI was hosting a Supertramp concert. Prior to the show, as was the norm, they were playing the station’s feed over the venue’s sound system. Steve says that just before the lights dimmed they were playing Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” As the song winds down with its bluesy acoustic guitar and Robert Plant singing the closing lines, Supertramp took the stage and began playing “School” which opens with an extended harmonica part. Well, Steve knows a good segue when he hears one, but at that moment he didn’t know exactly how good it was. So after the concert he returned to the station and pulled Zeppelin’s debut album and Supertramp’s Crime of the Century and discovered it was a doozy. Smack in the middle of today’s set is perhaps the single best song-to-song segue in the history of mankind. And as you listen, keep in mind there is no harmonica on the Zeppelin record.
But of course two songs does not a full set make, so we’ll go from “School” to “School’s Out” a song that ends with what sounds like someone stopping the record on the turntable, which is the same sound effect David Bowie used to transition from “Momma’s Little Jewel” into “All The Young Dudes” on that Mott the Hoople album he produced, resulting in yet another fun segue. But before those Classic Vinyl war horses, we’ll go a little deeper. From Jethro Tull’s Benefit: “Sossity, You’re a Woman.”
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| Jethro Tull |
Sossity, You're a Woman |
| Led Zeppelin |
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You |
| Supertramp |
School |
| Alice Cooper |
School's Out |
| Mott the Hoople |
All the Young Dudes |
You gotta like an album that wears panties. Back in 1972 when you brought home your copy of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out and you slid the album from the sleeve with your trembling little fingers, you found it wearing a pair of cheap blue panties. A pair of which I currently have in my possession. They didn’t do that sort of thing with cds. And you can’t do it with MP3 files. But they did it with vinyl. Rumor has it the original release of the album was recalled because the panties weren’t flame retardant, which raises the questions: who figured that out and under what circumstances? In any event, if you joined us in the middle of that set you may have thought you’d tuned into Classic Vinyl, what with all the rock standards being trotted out. But as I’ve explained before, here in the Way Back Studios, the segues determine the songs we play, not the other way around. So when we noticed “School’s Out” ends with the same sound effect you hear at the start of “All the Young Dudes,” well, we just couldn’t help ourselves.
But the real beauty in that set was a mix created by my friend Steve Larson when he was at KBPI-FM in Denver back in the mid Seventies. Going from Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” into Supertramp’s “School,” we overlapped thirty-some-odd seconds of Rick Davies harmonica part over the end of the Zeppelin. What’s most amazing is how they both break at the same time, several times during that thirty seconds. In fact, it sounds like Davies is playing harmonica with Led Zeppelin. Steve Larson, by the way, was the program director for K.J.E.T., Seattle when we met in the early Eighties. KJET was one of the country’s first new wave stations, and also the first station in the nation to carry a show called Radio Free Comedy, a little something you can read about in the archives section of my website, Billfitzhugh dot com. At the top of the set, we went deep with Jethro Tull’s “Sossity, You’re a Woman.” Maybe those panties belong to her. From the Way Back Studios, I’m Bill Fitzhugh not wearing the cheap blue panties. I’ll be back eventually with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 13 |
Are you a people person? Or do you find yourself identifying more with Somerset Maugham who said, “I’ve always been interested in people, but I’ve never liked them.” People. Everywhere you go, there’s more of ‘em. Something like six billion of them on the planet now. And of course they say it takes all kinds of people; it really doesn’t, but they’re all there just the same, if you don’t mind my paraphrasing Steve Forbert. You got powerful people, lonely people, and everyday people. In fact you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting some kind of people. People who can’t drive. People who can’t shoot straight. People who just drive you nuts.
What was it Bobby Slayton said? “If you can’t laugh at yourself, make fun of other people.” And of course there are the immortal words of Charles Schultz who said, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand.” Well, today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl is of the people, by the people, and for the people. People like Joan Armatrading and Eleanor Rigby, Jonathan Edwards and Sly Stone. You know, a wise man once said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot redeem your frequent flier miles to get from L.A. to New York on short notice. And speaking of Frank Zappa, I really wanted to play Po-jama People, but we just don’t have the time.
But we do have time for two versions of a song by one of my favorite people, Curtis Mayfield. We’ll hear two interpretations of his classic, “People Get Ready.” You know, according to Woody Allen, “There are two types of people, the good and the bad. The good sleep better but the bad seem to enjoy their waking hours much more.” Actually I don’t think that’s true. I think the two kinds of people are those who think there are only two kinds of people and those who disagree. As for me? I’d have to agree with Jim Morrison who said it best and in only three words: People are Strange. |
| Gino Vannelli |
Powerful People |
| Joan Armatrading |
People |
| Sly & Family Stone |
Everyday People |
| The Beatles |
Eleanor Rigby |
| America |
Lonely People |
| Chambers Brothers |
People Get Ready |
| Jonathan Edwards |
People Get Ready (part 1) |
| The Doors |
People Are Strange |
| Jonathan Edwards |
People Get Ready (part 2) |
The people have spoken. That’s the end of the Jonathan Edwards version of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” a song that was huge hit for The Impressions in 1965. The other version in the set was by a group out of Lee County, Mississippi: the Chambers Brothers. “People Get Ready” was actually the title of the first record, which, oddly enough, was a live album. We heard a studio version recorded a few years later for their album The Time Has Come. It turns out that three songs in this set made it onto the Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. “People Get Ready” is # 24 on the list, which explains why you can find so many cover versions. During that little break near the end of the Jonathan Edwards version, we opened The Doors to find Jim Morrison explaining that, “People Are Strange.” We started the set with the title track of Gino Vannelli’s album, “Powerful People” – the same album that contains one of Gino’s better known tracks, “People Gotta Move.”
After that we did a two song segue I used to do back in my FM radio daze, going from Joan Armatrading’s “People” to Sly and The Family Stone’s “Everyday People” which was the first song by Sly and the Family to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot One Hundred. It’s also the second song in the set to make that Rolling Stone list, coming in at #145. After that, we did two back-to-back that were produced by George Martin. First, the only song in the set without the world ‘people’ in the title: “Eleanor Rigby” from Revolver, followed by America’s “Lonely People” for reasons that should be obvious to most people. By the way, on that Rolling Stone list, “Eleanor Rigby” comes in at #137. Well, sometimes I’m right, and I can be wrong. My own beliefs are in the songs I play here in the Way Back Studios. I’m Bill Fitzhugh, thanks for listening. If you want to find the set lists for any of the shows, drop by my website, billfitzhugh dot com. I’ll be back before you know it with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 14 |
Kids if you want some fun, the Way Back Studios is the place you wanna be. We’re always laughing and playing the record machine here on dusty outskirts of Los Angeles. And today is no different except maybe a little bit. Because this batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl consists of seven tracks that revolve around something that’s not exactly what you’d call Ajax Acme Do Good B-flat rock and roll. In fact some of the songs in today’s set have what you might call a funny beat. Some of it stems from Afro-Caribbean carnival music: call it calypso, chutney, or steelpan. Others stem more from the rhythms originating in Jamaica: ska and rock-steady, verging on reggae where the accent’s on the off beat, sometimes known as the skank or the blue beat. A rhythm that eventually takes us down to New Orleans for that second line back beat Mardi Gras music as played by The Meters. The funky sort of groove that inspired Lowell George and his Little Feat to cook up that “Dixie Chicken” the way they did.
Now, as much as we all might enjoy it, we’re not going down to the dock to hear Harry Belafonte do the “Banana Boat Song” but we do end up in “Montego Bay,” a big hit for Bobby Bloom back in 1970. Unfortunately, that turned out to be his only hit. At the age of 28, he was shot and killed while scuffling with a man who was never identified. And, as usual, the fight was over a girl, a girl whose name, like the killer’s, was lost in the gunsmoke, but we’ll call her “Cecelia” for reasons that become apparent about three songs in. Of course since none of the songs have exactly the same beatn they pretty much defy being segued. But that’s never stopped me before, so consider yourself forewarned. In any event, all this music comes from fun-in-the-sun places which is why we call this the resort music set. So put on your Bermuda shorts and plenty of sun screen, stick an umbrella in your drink and turn up the volume because “Everyone’s Gone To The Movies.”
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| Steely Dan |
Everyone's Gone to the Movies |
| Art Garfunkle |
I Shall Sing |
| Simon and Garfunkle |
Cecelia |
| Bobby Bloom |
Montego Bay |
| Robert Palmer |
Man Smart, Woman Smarter |
| The Meters |
Hey Pockey Away |
| Little Feat |
Dixie Chicken |
For a guy born in L.A., and I don’t mean lower Alabama, Lowell George sure could sound like he grew up down in New Orleans or at least near the bright lights of Memphis and the Commodore Hotel. Sort of like Randy Newman in that respect except where Randy conjured that Southern image with his lyrics, Lowell did it with that funky southern syncopation. Before “Dixie Chicken” we heard from some guys who ARE New Orleans. The Meters gave us a lot of great music over the years but none greater than “Hey Pockey Away.” That’s from their Rejuvination album in 1974. Robert Palmer was big fan of The Meters and used them as a back up group on some of his recordings but on “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” he’s got most of Little Feat sitting in with him. That’s from an album called Some People Can Do What They Like. Like having Little Feat sit in with you.
Before the Robert Palmer, we heard Bobby Bloom’s one hit, “Montego Bay.” Earlier I told you about the unfortunate circumstances of Bobby’s death at the age of 28. Here’s the rest of the story, or at least some of it: Bobby’s producer Jeff Barry, who co-wrote “Montego Bay” with Bloom, was surprised one day to found out he was the sole beneficiary of Bloom’s life insurance policy. Now that’s a friend. At the top of the set, Steely Dan shared the smutty little story of Mr. LaPage with his 8 millimeter projecter showing the kids things they’d never seen before in “Everyone’s Gone To The Movies.” Then it was Art Garfunkle from Angel Clare covering Van Morrison’s “I Shall Sing” which was reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkle’s “Cecelia.” It’s been many years since she ran away, and yes, that guitar player sure could play in the Way Back Studios. I’m Bill Fitzhugh. Thanks for listening. If you want to find out more about the show, just give me a Google and drop by the website. It’s all there. I’ll be back next time with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 15 |
Every now and then we put a set together that, upon further examination, we discover has unforeseen connections, songs we didn’t realize had the same guitarist or songwriter or producer, something like that. And today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl is one of those. It’s actually two short sets attached loosely by guitar strings. The surprising connection goes like this: Way back in the day, I used to do a segue from an obscure Michael Franks song called “When Blackbirds Fly” into “Deep Down Inside” by an obscure artist named Cheryl Dilcher. The segue was based on a similar guitar line in the two songs. Flash forward a few decades and we’re out here trying to expand that into a longer set with our friend and frequent Way Back Studio contributor, D. Victor Hawkins. When he heard the guitar line, he immediately grabbed The Monkees’ album Headquarters, told me to play a song called “You Told Me.” And sure enough, I can hear that guitar line in there.
Now here’s the surprising connection: Headquarters was produced by a guy named Jeff Barry. His name struck me because a couple of weeks ago we did a set with Bobby Bloom’s “Montego Bay,” which it turns out Jeff Barry co-wrote and produced. So I’m sitting here looking at the Cheryl Dilcher album, released on A&M records in 1973, and who do you think produced it? Sure enough, Jeff Barry. What’re the odds? Anyway, we took the Michael Franks, Cheryl Dilcher, and The Monkees and inserted them in the middle of the Buckingham Nicks track “Frozen Love.”
But before we get there, we’ll do something completely different. Two David Crosby compositions that are all about the vocal arrangements. But first, a group that formed in Toronto in 1984. I’ve taken two parts from their song “Tell Me Your Dream” and of course I’ve played them out of order for maximum effect. We start with a beautiful piano part before going into some stunning harmonies, with guest vocalist Sarah McLachlan. One of the prettiest things you’ll ever hear. Here’s Blue Rodeo.
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| Blue Rodeo |
Tell Me Your Dream (part 2) |
| Blue Rodeo |
Tell Me Your Dream (part 1) |
| Crosby & Nash |
Critical Mass |
| David Crosby |
Orleans |
| Buckingham Nicks |
Frozen Love (part 1) |
| Michael Franks |
When Blackbirds Fly |
| Cheryl Dilcher |
Deep Down Inside |
| The Monkees |
You Told Me |
| Buckingham Nicks |
Frozen Love (part 2) |
I dare say that without the display on your radio, you’d have been hard pressed to name all four of the artists in the second half of that set. We ended with Buckingham Nicks, the easiest of the bunch, from their one and only album. Before that, The Monkees from their album Headquarters, the first record that really featured performances by the group members instead of session players. That was Peter Tork picking the banjo on Mike Nesmith’s “You Told Me.” Before that, singer-songwriter-guitarist Cheryl Dilcher who recorded a couple of albums for A&M in the early 70's but somehow never caught on. We heard “Deep Down Inside” from her album Butterfly. And we heard Michael Franks from his first album, a folky, singer-songwriter thing called “When Blackbirds Fly” featuring Wendy Waldman on dulcimer. Franks went on to have a successful career with a series of pop jazz vocal records for Warner Brothers, but that first one came out on the Brut label, distributed by Buddah Records. Deep labels for Deep Tracks.
It was only after putting the set together that I discovered the Cheryl Dilcher and the Monkees were both produced by Hall of Fame songwriter Jeff Barry, whose co-writing credits include a bunch of girl group hits like “Da Do Run Run” and “Be My Baby” among others. At the top of the set we wandered a little outside the Deep Tracks library to find a vocal harmony to lead us into the Crosby-Nash vocalizations of “Critical Mass” and “Orleans.” The group Blue Rodeo started us off with two excerpts from a track called “Tell Me Your Dream.” That comes from a great album called Five Days in July, came out in 1994. Well, that’s all the time we’ve got today, thanks for joining us in the Way Back Studios. I’m Bill Fitzhugh and I’ll be back eventually with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 16 |
There are only two ways to serve rock and roll. Carefully cooked up and crafted in the comfort and convenience of a studio, with multiple takes, overdubs and edits, and all the other tricks and gimmicks that guarantee perfection and deliver a recording unblemished by error, untouched by improvisation, and uncorrupted by the vagaries of real life. The other way is unrestrained and uninhibited, uncorked and undeniable. Working without a net, all the jambs kicked out, live on stage in front of a teeming mass of screaming fanatics.
Now it’s true that a lot of great rock and roll has been created in the studio, but it doesn’t come to life until it hits the stage. And today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl is nothing if not live. We’ve got Bruce and Southside Johnny, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, all the Mad Dogs and Englishmen plus Elvin, Edgar, and the Allmans. And while we usually save segues for the studio sets, we located some live ones for your listening pleasure. The lights are going down so get ready for another live Hand Mixed Concert from the stages of the Way Back Studios… |
| Bruce Springsteen |
Trapped |
| Southside Johnny |
Trapped Again |
| Elvin Bishop |
Rock My Soul |
| Edgar Winter |
Turn on Your Lovelight (part 1) |
| Joe Cocker |
Intro/Honkey Tonk Women |
| Edgar Winter |
Turn on Your Lovelight (part 2) |
| Allman Bros. |
Done Somebody Wrong |
| Edgar Winter |
Turn on Your Lovelight (part 3) |
That’s Edgar Winter covering a song covered by a LOT of artists, from James Cotton to The Grateful Dead, but most famously by Bobby Blue Bland. “Turn on Your Love Light.” As it turned out, quite by accident, that set was mostly covers. We had The Allman Brothers covering the Elmore James classic “Done Somebody Wrong”; The Mad Dogs and Englishmen covered the Glimmer Twins song about that gin soaked barroom queen in Memphis, Southside Johnny covered Springsteen’s “Trapped Again” and, at the very top of the set, Bruce gave us a cover of “Trapped” by Jimmy Cliff, which we took from the album, We Are the World.
In fact the only guy in that entire set with the modesty to cover himself was Elvin Bishop who gave us a lively take on “Rock My Soul.” Well the concert ran a little long so we’re running a little short on time. Thanks for listening. By the way, if you’re looking for the set lists to any of the shows, drop by my website and poke around until you find them. All you need to do is give me Google and I’ll think you’ll find what you need. I’m Bill Fitzhugh and I’ll be back with another batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl before you know it, satellite delivered from the Way Back Studios to the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 17 |
All right boys and girls, sharpen those number two pencils. It’s time for another Way Back Studios Pop Quiz. Here’s your first question: What is the best selling album of all time? Answer? Michael Jackson’s Thriller with estimated sales of over 100 million albums. Here’s your second question: what album was at the top of the list prior to Thriller? Was it Dark Side of the Moon; Bridge Over Troubled Water; Abbey Road; or Tapestry? The answer? Well that depends on whose numbers you believe… but for the purposes of today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, let’s say it was Carole King’s breakthrough singer-songwriter-confessional tour de force, released in 1971. With worldwide sales estimated at 22 million units, Tapestry eventually landed at #36 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Albums of all time, and today’s featured track, “It’s Too Late” not only hit #1 on the charts, it also won a Grammy for Record of the Year and made the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of all time. So what did we do? We broke the song in half and stuck something in the middle, proving once again that we just can’t leave well enough alone.
What happened was this: I was listening to Tapestry one night and, in the middle of “It’s Too Late,” I heard something that reminded me of Traffic. So I grabbed John Barleycorn and dropped the needle here and there until we came to “Freedom Rider” and the mix was in. After that, it’s a lot of big horn sections and cold endings. We’ll hear from the late great Buddy Miles, a song called “Heart’s Delight” featuring the Memphis Horns who lead us to Chicago and their second album. And as long as the horns are blowing, we’ll leave the countryside and get out to Oakland for some Urban Renewal with Tower of Power. And we’ll wrap it up with big hit from 1971 by the current owner of the Killer Shrimp restaurant chain, Lee Michaels, which leads us to the final question in today’s pop quiz: “Do You Know What I Mean?”
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| Carol King |
It's Too Late (part 1) |
| Traffic |
Freedom Rider |
| Carol King |
It's Too Late (part 2) |
| Buddy Miles |
Heart's Delight |
| Chicago |
In the Country |
| Tower of Power |
Only So Much Oil |
| Lee Michaels |
Do You Know What I Mean? |
The story goes that Lee Michaels wrote that song at five in the morning and didn’t think much of it at the time, considered it filler material at best. Of course it turned out to be his biggest hit, reaching #6 on the Billboard chart, which just goes to show ya, “Do You Know What I Mean?” Before that, Tower of Power putting the funk into the politics of sweet light crude as they testify about the limits of the world’s petroleum reserve. There’s “Only so Much Oil in the Ground.” That’s from their album Urban Renewal, from 1974. Funny how that sounds like it might have been written this year instead of thirty-five years ago. But soon enough the world will watch the wells run dry. At the top of the set we did a little hand mixing. We took “Freedom Rider” from Traffic’s John Barleycorn Must Die and slipped it into the middle of Carole King’s smash hit, “It’s Too Late” from the Tapestry album. By the way, have you ever watched a Lakers game and wondered who that guy is sitting next to Jack Nicholson? That’s Lou Adler, the guy who produced Tapestry among a great many other things, like the Monterey International Pop Festival, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In the middle of the set we heard the Memphis Horns blowing alongside Buddy Miles on a song called “Hearts Delight.” That’s from Them Changes, an album the All Music Guide says is “quite simply one of the great lost treasures of soul inspired rock music.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s one of my all time favorites. After that, a Terry Kath composition called “In The Country” from Chicago’s second album. Well, there’s only so much oil in the ground, and there are only so many ticks on the clock, which means our time’s up. If you’re looking for the set lists for any of these shows, drop by my website and click around till you find what you’re looking for. I’m Bill Fitzhugh and I’ll be back before you know it with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 18 |
Blood, Sweat, and Tears had an enviable winning streak in 1969. During a six month period, three of their songs reached #2 on the charts: “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” and the Laura Nyro classic, “And When I Die.” By spring of the following year, if you’d been listening to Top 40 Radio, you’d have heard these three horn-driven hits a thousand times. And if you turned on your radio in April of 1970 and heard the brand new horn-driven single “Vehicle” you could be forgiven for thinking it was Blood, Sweat, and Tears when in fact it was The Ides of March. “Vehicle” was written by Jim Peterik, a guy whose heart had been broken by a girl named Karen. Some months after she unceremoniously dumped him, Karen had the nerve to call and ask him for a ride somewhere. Of course, he obliged. Well this happened several more times before Jim tired of being nothing more than her chauffer. And one day he looked at her and said, “You know, all I am to you is your vehicle.” That’s when the light bulb came on over his head and the heartbreak finally paid off.
But that’s not the song that got me started on today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl. That honor goes to the Blood, Sweat, and Tears hit, “And When I Die.” A song with lots of horns, two false endings, and a cold end. Well, as you know, we have a rule here in the Way Back Studios that says if you find a song with a hole, stick something in it. As you might expect, we’ll put the Ides of March and their horns into one of those holes. But what you might NOT expect in the other is “Thirteen Questions,” a song with a violin riff that echoes the horn riff from “Vehicle” and also has a false ending. And that’s just the first half of the set. After that, it’s a left turn into Van Morrison and Fleetwood Mac, then some more hand mixing between two versions of Pete Townshend’s “Pure and Easy” before ending up with one from Chicago Transit Authority. And when I die, I just hope they have satellite radio where ever I end up. |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears |
And When I Die (part 1) |
| Seatrain |
13 Questions (part 1) |
| Ides of March |
Vehicle |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears |
And When I Die (part 2) |
| Seatrain |
13 Questions (part 2) |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears |
And When I Die (part 3) |
| Van Morrison |
Jackie Wilson Said |
| Fleetwood Mac |
Keep On Going |
| Pete Townsend |
Pure and Easy (part 1) |
| The Who |
Pure and Easy (part 2) |
| Pete Townsend |
Pure and Easy (Part 3) |
| Chicago Transit Authority |
Listen |
I said, all you got to do is “Listen.” Chicago Transit Authority. Before that, there once was a note, listen. We did a little mixing between the two versions of “Pure and Easy” one from The Who and the other from Pete Townshend’s first solo album. At the top of the set, we heard why a lot of people, back in April of 1970, thought the Ides of March hit “Vehicle” was actually Blood, Sweat and Tears. We also heard how similar it’s main horn riff was to the violin riff in Seatrain’s “Thirteen Questions.” As I mentioned earlier, “Vehicle” was written by Jim Peterik after being dumped by a girlfriend who then kept calling him, asking for rides in his ‘64 Valiant. As Jim tells the story on his website, the original opening line of the song was, “I got a set of wheels pretty baby, won’t you hop inside my car?” He did a rewrite after a friend showed him a government-issued anti-drug pamphlet illustrated with a drawing of a dope dealing degenerate cruising in his car looking for easy targets. The caption read, “I’m the friendly stranger in the black sedan, won’t you hop inside my car?” Peterik, by the way, went on to form Survivor, and he co-wrote their hit “Eye of the Tiger.” He also wrote songs recorded by .38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Outlaws, among many others. In the middle of the set, Fleetwood Mac’s “Keep On Going.”
And a Van Morrison track with an interesting heritage that goes back to a 1943 Louis Jordan song called “Reet, Petite, and Gone.” Fifteen years later, Berry Gordy and Billy Davis took part of that title and wrote “Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town)” a song that became a big hit for Jackie Wilson. And about fifteen years after that, Van Morrison wrote “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile).” Even if we’re all out of time, which we are. I’m Bill Fitzhugh, saying Reet Petite from the Way Back Studios and I’ll be back with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl next time, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 19 |
Someone once referred to the South as a circumstance as much as a place, which is sort of how I think of the Way Back Studios. Being from Mississippi I understand the observation but I couldn’t explain it to you, even if you threatened to chunk me into a catfish pond. Based on what I found even in my spotty little record collection, it appears the states of the South have inspired more music than other parts of the country – so we’re going to explore that theory with this set of All Southern Hand Mixed Vinyl. But there are several issues to confront when doing a southern set. Like, first: define The South. If you define it as the original states that seceded from the Union, you’d have to exclude Kentucky, and that’s just wrong. If you add the states that seceded after the attack on Fort Sumter, you’ve got eleven, and that gets us to the issue of time.
We don’t have enough of it for eleven songs. So we had to cut a few states. Texas, Florida, and Arkansas got the axe and I’ll tell you why. First of all, Texas has always struck me as more Western than Southern, with all those cowboys and entanglements with Mexico. And Florida’s really more of a home for snowbirds, a pan-Caribbean retirement community for folks from the east coast. As for the so-called Natural State, it turns out it’s tough to find a good song about Arkansas in my record collection. In fact the only one I found was Springsteen’s “Mary, Queen of Arkansas” which is just too long for the set. Also, since we are in the Deep Tracks, we wanted to avoid the clichés like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “MS Queen,” and “Louisiana 1927” among others. So it ain’t perfect, but it’s what we got. So grab yourself a big plate of bar-b-cue and cornbread, turn down the NASCAR, and turn up the volume. |
| Loggins & Messina |
Back to Georgia |
| Jim Croce |
Mississippi Lady |
| Neil Diamond |
Kentucky Woman |
| Joan Baez |
Brand New Tennessee Waltz |
| The Rolling Stones |
Sweet Virginia |
| J.B. Lenoir |
Alabama |
| J.J. Cale |
Louisiana Women |
| James Taylor |
Carolina in My Mind |
Concluding our Songs of the South set, that’s the original version of “Carolina in My Mind” featuring Paul McCartney on bass and an uncredited George Harrison on guitar. How’d that happen? Well James Taylor was the first non-British act signed to Apple Records. This album was recorded in 1968 at the same time and place the Beatles were doing the White Album, so Paul and George just dropped by. Now since we didn’t have enough time to do songs with the names of all the southern states, we’ll let that one stand for both North and South Carolina. Elsewhere in the set, “Louisiana Women,” “Mississippi Lady,” and “Kentucky Woman.” J.J. Cale, Jim Croce, and Neil Diamond respectively.
In the middle of things, Joan Baez covered Jesse Winchester’s “Brand New Tennessee Waltz” followed by one from Exile on Main Street. Sure, “Sweet Virginia” could be a reference to a woman instead of the state, but it was my best option, so we went with it. After that, “Alabama” and not from Neil Young’s Harvest. Instead, from Monticello, Mississippi: J.B. Lenoir, a guy whose name you might not recognize but whose songs you do. Among the many he wrote that you know, is “You Shook Me” which Lenoir co-wrote with Willie Dixon. It was covered by dozens of artists, most famously of course, by Led Zeppelin. Some of his other songs were covered by John Mayall, Ry Cooder, Jeff Beck, Elvis Costello, Sting, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, Bonnie Raitt, and too many more to mention.
As for a song with Arkansas in the title, I can’t help you but maybe you can help me. The only one in my collection is Springsteen’s “Mary Queen of Arkansas” and it was just too long for the set. If you know of some others, I’d be interested to hear about ‘em. Drop by my website, send me an email. I’d appreciate it. I’m Bill Fitzhugh in the Way Back Studios, saying thanks for listening and I’ll be back with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl sooner or later, right here in the Deep Tracks.
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| Segment 20 |
It’s been said that “Heroes Are Hard to Find.” And that may be so, but they’re still worth looking for. Ernest Hemmingway said, “As you get older, it’s harder to have heroes. But it is sort of necessary.” But where do you look? Some people find their heroes in the world of sports, others find them in their everyday lives. Still others find that regular heroes just don’t cut it; they need superheroes. Spiderman, Batman, and all the others. To the ancient Greeks, heroes were demi-gods, the offspring of a mortal and a god; the sort of partnership that probably wouldn’t be considered legal in some states today. Eventually, the term hero came to mean a character that displayed courage in the face of danger and perseverance in the face of adversity. In modern fiction, the term hero is used synonymously for the protagonist of the story.
The movies have provided heroes for generations. From cowboys and cops, to space adventurers and spies. But heroes don’t exist in a vacuum. They require opposition. Something against which they must struggle. It could be an institution or an alien. Doesn’t matter. Great movies are all about the good guys and the bad guys. The celluloid villains and heroes. According to the American Film Institute, the top three heroes in American film are Atticus Finch, Indiana Jones, and James Bond. Their top three villains are Dr. Lecter, Norman Bates, and Darth Vader. My own personal favorite bad guys include Nurse Ratchet, and Noah Cross. As for heroes, I’ll take Rick from Casa Blanca, Chili Palmer in Get Shorty and Margie Gunderson in Fargo. So, from the Way Back Studios, here’s a heroic batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl.
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| Beach Boys |
Heros and Villains (part 1) |
| Little Feat |
Time Loves a Hero |
| Beach Boys |
Heros and Villains (part 2) |
| Kinks |
Celluloid Heros |
| Leonard Cohen |
A Bunch of Lonesome Heros |
| David Bowie |
Heros |
| Fleetwood Mac |
Heros Are Hard to Find |
| KISS |
A World Without Heroes |
| Beach Boys |
Heros and Villains (part 3) |
That’s the third part of “Heroes and Villains,” a song we broke up and sprinkled throughout our heroic little set. There are several different versions of the song, and I think that was the official single edit but don’t quote me. Before that, what is almost certainly the first time in radio history that Kiss led into the Beach Boys, we heard “A World Without Heroes” from the album Music From The Elder, one of only two Kiss albums that truly stiffed, as did that single which didn’t even crack the top 40.
Before the Kiss, Christine McVie’s “Heroes Are Hard To Find,” from the last Fleetwood Mac album with Bob Welch in the line up. In the middle of the set, a couple of artists whose songs you might not expect to work next to each other, which just goes to show you. We heard Leonard Cohen’s “A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes” which led us neatly into David Bowie’s classic: “Heroes.” The Kinks were in there as well, with their bittersweet ode to Hollywood, “Celluloid Heroes.” And near the top, Little Feat and the title track to the album “Time Loves a Hero.” So, you might ask, why do we love heroes? Well, to paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson, “We love heroes for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men’s reality. Heroes and champions exist as living proof that the tyranny of “the rat race” is not yet final.”
So there you have it. It’s like the novelist Barnard Malamud said, “Without heroes we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.” Until we get to the Way Back Studios. By the way, if you’re looking for the set lists or anything else I might help you with, drop by my website and poke around. I’m Bill Fitzhugh and I’ll be back next time with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl right here, in the Deep Tracks.
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