Going With the Flow

Song 492: This week the playlist recognizes The Tide Is High by Blondie, written by John Holt, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. When this cut came along soon after the turn of the 1980s, I had recently arrived at the point of understanding the term reggae, and I genuinely appreciated having a hit this cool solidify my grasp of that particular genre. I have relished the edgy tone of Debbie Harry's voice soaring above a moving wave of brass horn sounds that ride on a regular RnR rhythm section. Currently, with the dawn of the new year on the horizon, it really does look like The Tide Is High in certain places, such as the political realm, and I also hope to personally make the musical stream deeper in the coming months, beginning with an album-length CD called Elder Statesman and then following up with a 3-track CD called Purrfection: The Cat Single. That being the case, as the tide continues to rise, I'm holding on, and I can freely admit that I would truly like to be your number one source for new music in the months to come.

Hearing an Old Sound a New Way

Song 491: This week the playlist applauds the sound of Jingle Bell Rock by Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell, written by Joe Beal and Jim Boothe, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. I first heard this cool holiday tune not long after I started college at the turn of the 1970s. I believe the Checker/Rydell version of the piece was the one I got to know, and to hear regularly, though at this point I can't say for certain, but it sure does sound like it fits the season pretty well. As the 1970s unfolded, I got to know a few other holiday season rockers, including Elvis' Blue Christmas (which might possibly appear on this list about a year from now), and later in the decade, Bruce Springsteen's version of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (Song 439). Bruce's Yuletide rocker inspired me to start thinking about writing my own seasonal carol, and soon enough, I came up with a title. A few years later, living in the Bay Area of CA at the turn of the 1980s, when my good friend and musical colleague Jeff Larson shared his new composition Home for the Holidays it moved me to finally get around to writing Commoner's Carole. (You can find a lyric video of that one on YouTube just by clicking on the title.) Once I had written it, I started thinking about how to wrap this gift, and soon enough, I figured out an original way to play The First Noel with just a solo acoustic guitar. One thing led to another, and another, and about a year ago, I released Holiday Card, which packages Commoner's Carole together with solo acoustic guitar versions of a dozen seasonal classics. That CD is pretty mellow, but getting back to Chubby and Bobby, I'd say hearing their Jingle Bell hit from nearly 60 years ago could still convince most listeners that it's a bright time, it's the right time to rock the night away.

Time to Strike the Match

Song 490: This week the playlist comes around to Light My Fire by The Doors, written by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. As the summer of 1967 arrived, one hot topic of music fan discussions was the new Beatles record Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and how it seemed to head in a much different direction from their previous work, but then, as the thermometers got heated up, so did this new 45 by a brand new band. I soon acquired a copy of the single, and had a good time listening to both sides of it, but I also soon got to hear the long version of the track which appeared on the album. I couldn't own 33s while living with parents and grandparents who didn't approve of the devil's music, but I had friends who did own them and share them with me as we hung out, plus, in the school year that followed, I got to hear the entire LP regularly during gatherings such as the monthly student newspaper layout session, which I never missed. Of course, given my fundamentalist family framework, I did feel some guilt over my pleasure from a tune about the sinful indulgence of SEX, but it pulled me in every time I heard it, and I gladly went along with the ride. A couple of years later, when I got to college and escaped the fundamentalism, I left the guilt behind and enjoyed the music even more, and in the room across the hall from me at the dorm lived a guy who played the piano so well, he performed this entire long version at least a couple of times for me, making me appreciate even more both the organ and the guitar solos, along with the striking opening riff. The time to hesitate is through - indeed, it WAS through over 5 decades ago, but hearing this cut can still Light My Fire, and maybe it can still light yours too.

A Sparkling Plugged-in Spin

Song 489: This week on the playlist you’ll find New Electric Ride by Captain Beefheart, written by Don Van Vliet, Jan Van Vliet and Andy DiMartino, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. I had only heard bits and pieces of the Captain's music before Sugar Bowl (Song 148) came out of my car radio speakers on a sunny June day back in 1974, but that cut really grabbed my attention, and moved me to add Unconditionally Guaranteed to my collection soon after. The LP spent a lot of time on my turntable, and I liked it so much, this marks the 5th appearance of a UG track on this list: Upon the My-O-My is Song 265, Magic Be is Song 350 and Lazy Music is Song 427. It surprised me to learn recently that after releasing the followup Bluejeans & Moonbeams (which I also acquired and appreciated), at the end of 1974, when Mr. Van Vliet's contract with Mercury Records expired, he disowned both albums, calling them horrible and vulgar while urging his fans to take copies back for a refund. Had someone told me about this at the time, I would have ignored the suggestion while I continued playing the records. On this one, when the guitar starts playing, the listeners might find themselves watching the shooting stars, being under love's blue sky, twisting and turning over on their side, and going around the curve where they're really going to swerve. Once they’ve taken it for a spin, anyone might enjoy the New Electric Ride as much as I do.

A Dynamic Force in Full Swing

Song 488: This week the playlist features the sound of Got My Mojo Working by Muddy Waters. There is some dispute over who actually wrote the song, so I won't mention a writer for this one, but you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. When the Beatles rocked my world in the winter of 1964, I had no idea about the history of RnR, and the elements that had contributed to it. Arriving in the Chicago area in the fall of 1969 to start college, my musical horizons greatly expanded, with a Rolling Stone subscription filling in a lot of the details. I soon developed a deep appreciation of the role played by blues musicians like Mr. Morganfield in laying the foundation for the music that had grabbed me in my early teens, and upon learning that he and some other prominent blues makers still hit local stages somewhat regularly, I hoped to experience a live Waters performance, but never managed to get there. I did acquire some vinyl blues classics, though, that got plenty of spins on the turntable, this record being one of them. Just having this cut enliven the current moment is enough to make me feel like I've got my mojo working once again, regardless of who it works on, or doesn't, and it also demonstrates that if you do it the right way, you can Muddy Waters and make things better, not worse.