Be Careful Where You Step

Song 500: Seven weeks after my previous personal friend song post, this week's enticing ride Eggshells comes from my singer-songwriter colleague Patti Rothberg, who also wrote the song, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. My studio partner David Seitz introduced me to her and her music back around 2003, and her work greatly impressed me after only a couple of spins. I soon found that I liked every track, which, given my critical tendencies, does not happen all that often. This cut showcases her melodic talent - an all-too rare quality of modern music - coupled with her clever lyrical wordplays that enliven most, if not all, of her recordings. While many times I catch the layered meanings of her lines, she has personally alerted me to at least one or two that I missed, which ended up making them sound even better. If you've never heard this piece, after one listen you'll probably realize that in the world of eggs there is a general malaise, some of us would be mummies (although not me, of course, being a male) and some of us mayonaise. Of course, even the first time around, you'll in all likelihood understand that chorus advice - Don't talk, don't even walk on eggshells.

One Very Simple Question

Song 499: This week the playlist applauds What Part of No by Lorrie Morgan, written by Wayne Perry and Gerald Smith, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. During the middle of the 1980s while I lived in the East Bay area of CA, I remember at least two or three of my female friends invoking this What part of no question when referring to an incident where a guy approached them in a public setting and tried to assert himself romantically despite their repeated negative responses which he refused to acknowledge in any way, and I enjoyed the clever sarcasm of the phrase, so when a country song based on that entertaining query came along in the early 1990s, I relished the hit, which also features a compelling musical framework and a talented woman's voice. When I acquired my iPod back around 2008, I created a short 9-track Favorite 1990s Country playlist, with this cut being one of the two LM tunes to grace the group. I certainly understand the singer's POV here, and in such a circumstance, I'd be glad to explain if it's too hard to comprehend, though the point implied by the snark is that the fellow being asked the question does not want to recognize rejection to his advances, no matter how obvious such rebukes become.

A Small Amount That Counts

Song 498: This week the playlist comes around to Spoonful by Howlin’ Wolf, written by Willie Dixon, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. Cream introduced me to this tune with their expansive version that came along in the winter of 1967 during my sophomore HS year (and that will probably appear on this list within a few weeks). I couldn't own any 33s while living with a family that despised the Devil's music, but I had friends who did have a copy of Fresh Cream and so I did get to hear that trio's rendition quite often. A few years later, at the turn of the 1970s, living on my own in the Chicago area, my expanding musical horizons included learning about local music legend Howlin’ Wolf and coming to appreciate his many contributions, such as the multiple ways that he had influenced a high percentage of the British Invasion crew, with Clapton and Co. among the crowd of clapping fans. The Howlin’ record sounded pretty good to me the first time I got to hear it, and the sliding sounded ever better the more it graced my personal airwaves. You could fill a spoon full of coffee, or you could fill a spoon full of tea, but I don't particularly care about either of those, and though a spoon full of gold would certainly have some value, a little spoon with precious love might actually be enough.

Access to the Message

Song 497: This week on the playlist you can hear I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. When the Marvin Gaye version of this tune hit the airwaves in late 1968, I liked the way it sounded, but I had to have one of my HS buddies explain the grapevine thing because I had previously never heard the phrase. By the time the CCR cut came along a couple of years later, I clearly understood the message, and the track became one of many compelling reasons to have Cosmo's Factory spinning on the turntable. Hearing it that often, I soon figured out how to play the piece on guitar, and over time, I evolved my own model, embellishing the Creedence take with some original riffs, mainly for personal amusement, since I rarely do covers when performing on stage. People say believe half of what you see, some and none of what you hear, but I would say that when you hear this recording come around, you can believe all of its 11 minutes plus - I know that I certainly do!