D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities
Episodes
Friday Mar 18, 2022
A Small Eternity In New York City.
Friday Mar 18, 2022
Friday Mar 18, 2022
You might like this little slice of relatively well-recorded tomfoolery recorded live at the famous Fillmore East in 1971. What a night it must have been. Anyhow, it really depends on which mix you like better. Lennon and Ono or Frank Zappa. To me, Some Time In New York City sounds pretty muddy. I like this album because it has (to my knowledge) none of Zappa's Xenechrony. It's all raw, but if you really pay attention, these Mothers were pretty tight.
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Well
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Say Please
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Aaawk (I love Yoko's ferocious "aaawk" squeals...like she's repeatedly being shoved underwater.)
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Scumbag
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - A Small Eternity With Yoko Ono
Willie Dickson and The Playboys - Licking Stick (1969)
Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (1976) Instrumental version sounds almost like a run-through. Especially that bass. I like it.
Collective Consciousness Society CCS - Whole Lotta Love (1971)
Discogs: CCS (Collective Consciousness Society) was a British group formed by bluesman Alexis Korner and Danish vocalist Peter Thorup. The band itself also consisted of different studio casts who would be around but also included Tony Carr (drums), Herbie Flowers (bass), Harold Beckett (trumpet), Harold McNair (woodwind), and Henry Lowther (trumpet), among others. This wasn’t all, as they were going for a unique sound to rival the top Rock acts of the day. So they would grab the creme de la creme of jazz studio musicians of the time. The entire lineup would always be subject to change throughout the band’s history, depending on personnel availability at recordings.
Desmond Dekker and the Aces - Licking Stick (1971)
David Peel and the Lower East Side - The Ballad of New York City - John Lennon / Yoko Ono (1972)
Elephant's Memory - Local Plastic Ono Band (1972)
George Torrence and the Naturals - (Mama, Come Quick, And Bring Your) Lickin' Stick (1968) Note the composer.
James Brown - Licking Stick, Licking Stick (1968) Now, the same song, re-written by James Brown.
Rusty Garnett - Licking Stick, Licking Stick (196?)
Tenth Hour - Lickin Stick (1975) This beat Shazam! Credited to Charles Manley and George Torrence.
The United States Air Force Band featuring The Free Design – "The Now Sound Of Christmas" (1968) These are all live recordings, and some have never been released on Free Design albums. ESPECIALLY the song "Shepherds and Wisemen" which, to my ears, is very good. A hidden gem.
The Proper Ornaments/Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence/Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas)/Christmas Is The Day/Winter Wonderland/Shepherds and Wise Men/Reprise-The Now Sound of Christmas. It would be so nice to hear this on a big FM radio console in a living room.
Jimmy Castor Bunch (featuring the Everything Man) - Supersound (1975) I love this.
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Chris Dedrick
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Gilbert O'Sullivan - We Will (1972) Just a nice pre-'US fame' song I thought you might like.
Michael Johnson - Rooty Toot Toot For The Moon (1973) His big hit was "Bluer Than Blue" in 1978. Produced by Chris Dedrick.
Merry Clayton - Sly Suite (1980) Arranged by Chris Dedrick. Merry Clayton was the backup singer on the Stones' "Gimme Shelter".
From Brute Force's 1980 album (released in 2009), Planetwork. All tracks were arranged by Chris Dedrick.
Driving to the Stars
Fantasy of Nationality
Spinning Rock Lullaby
Spinning Rock
Our man recorded one solo record in 1972 (Be Free), but it wasn't released until 2000.
Chris Dedrick - Begin Work
Chris Dedrick - I'll Go Away
Chris Dedrick - I'm a New Man
Chris Dedrick - Someday
Halo - Have You Ever Felt That Feeling (1981) Produced by Lawrence Hilton Jacobs of Welcome Back, Kotter fame.
Halo - Let Me Do It (1981)
Hudson and Landry - Hippie and the Redneck (1971)
Carpenters - California Dreamin’ (1967/1999)
Hudson and Landy - The Gas Man (1974)
Pere Ubu - 30 Seconds Over Tokyo (1975)
Pere Ubu - Heart Of Darkness (1975)
Rob Agerbeek - Ob-la-di Ob-la-da (1973)
Rob Agerbeek - The Word (1973)
The Chantels - It's Just Me (1966)
Y Dyniadon Ynfyd Hirfelyn Tesog - Dyddiau Fu (1970)
Gene Marshall - Shake Your Good Stuff (?)
Jeff Reynolds - Music For Four Footers (?)
Saturday Nov 13, 2021
Some Great Songs From Past D-Sides Episodes!
Saturday Nov 13, 2021
Saturday Nov 13, 2021
Stevie Wonder - Light My Fire (1970) Listen to that bass player.
Syreeta Wright - Spinnin' and Spinnin' (1974) No one was EVER as hot as Stevie in the '70s, and the album this came from proves that even occupied with his own music, he can lovingly produce one of the best female-sung records of the '70s. I love this factoid from Wikipedia:
Three artists who performed on this album (Stevie Wonder, Deniece Williams, Michael Sembello) would all have Billboard number one songs ("I Just Called to Say I Love You", "Let's Hear It for the Boy", and "Maniac", respectively) within a year of each other, a decade after this album's release. Another artist on this album, Ollie Brown of Ollie & Jerry, would have a Billboard top ten single, "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us", in the same one-year period.
The song "Come And Get This Stuff" was originally intended for Rufus, but lead singer Chaka Khan refused to do the song. Instead, Stevie wrote "Tell Me Something Good" for them which appeared on their album Rags to Rufus.
There's no word to describe how good he was in this five-year period.
This song made it to #49 in the UK, and never a peep in the US, which is a shame.
Gentle Giant - Weekend Cowboy (1970) I love their sound on these early demos. Less prog than they would become, a sort of The Band meets Harry Chapin. Through the filter of England, of course.
Godley and Creme - Random Brainwaves/I Pity Inanimate Objects (1979) When Gary Storm played this on Buffalo's WIZR 107.7, I had never heard anything like it. I still love what they did with the backing vocals.
Jimmy "Bo" Horne - Dance Across The Floor (1978)
Lawrence Hilton Jacobs - Larry's Theme (1978) He was Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on Welcome Back, Kotter and Michael Jackson's father Joe on The Jacksons: An American Dream ("Get the switch!") but I actually find his albums in the late '70s very listenable, especially this. So much shit came out from TV stars around that era. Scott Baio was the worst.
Les Humphries Singers - Mexico (1972) Included here because doing this show helped me discover them. My one-man raison d'être is to make you a believer! It's not that good. Just a strange pre-sampling curio.
Nino Tempo and April Stevens - Love Story (1972) From Buffalo, NY! Their biggest hit was "Deep Purple" from 1963. They were siblings. God, she was beautiful. Her first record came out in 1950 (!) but her biggest solo hit was "Teach Me, Tiger" from 1960. She reprised this in 1965, but this was virtually the same recording, with dialog implying that she had kidnapped one of The Beatles in order to seduce him. Just wow. I love it.
Men At Work - Down Under (original, non-hit version) (1980)
A brief retelling of The Greg Ham Story. Don't Do Drugs.
Mudcrutch - Don't Do Me Like That (original, non-hit version) (1974) The almost note-for-note prototype for the Tom Petty hit a few years later.
The Osmonds - War in Heaven (1973)
Sammy Davis Jr. - John Shaft (1972) Ok, ok. Shaft. Ok! Shut up and let me finish my dinner.
Sha Na Na PSA (1972)
Pink Floyd - Scream Thy Last Scream (1967) I was surprised to learn that Nick Mason sang this.
Bee Gees - Lovers (1976) This is a very strange and wonderful album track from a band on its....third ascension?
Sensational Alex Harvey Band - The Dolphins (1979) I love this song as much as any I have ever played on D-Sides. I never would have heard it if not for this show.
The Langley Schools Music Project - The Long and Winding Road (1977) You should read about this. I think I read about this in RE/Search magazine.
The Residents - Give it To Someone Else (1980) Every song on The Commercial Album is about 60 seconds long. There are 20 per side.
Wild Cherry - Baby Don't You Know (1977) A wonderful, horrible attempt to recapture the lightning of the last single, "Play That Funky Music". THIS is how you follow up a fluke hit:
One more timeWell we play that funky musicAnd we were looking so good yeahElectrified funky feelingWas coming down like I thought it wouldSo we went out on the road yeahTry to get ourselves aheadAnd on the way I was surprised to discoverThat all those funky peopleHad been misled, they were shouting outBlack? NO! White? Right!, Oh what a sight!I really didn't know the suckers was whiteBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowThat the honkey's got soulBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowBaby don't you know, Baby don't you knowThat the honkey's got soul
Roger Nichols and Small Circle of Friends - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1968) So beautiful, especially the "Middle 8". Just amazing harmonies.
The Free Design - Day Breaks (2001) This will be my funeral song. I don't WANT a funeral. Just a little party for people to remember funny stories about me. In life, very few people are still in touch with me in an earnest sense. People have come and gone and sometimes I look around and wonder if someone should have bought me a ball gag long ago. Still, even after all the mistakes I have made in my life and my dealings with people I have lost, I know deep down that some people will be genuinely touched by the fact that we met and decided to be in each other's lives for as long as we had. If you listen to this song and put yourself in that place, celebrate the people who DID choose to be with you, no matter WHAT you said. Everyone is broken. Everyone. You're not alone.
Co-written by my friend Bruce Dedrick.
The Free Design - Friendly Man (1971)
Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol (1972) This song is being used for a commercial in the US. I like to think it's because of me.
The Beatles - Revolution (Take...Your Knickers Off!) (1968)
Sunday Jun 28, 2020
Led Zeppelin Slumming
Sunday Jun 28, 2020
Sunday Jun 28, 2020
Leon Russell - The Ballad of Hollis Brown (1974) With The Gap Band. What a great song. Bobo Dylan wrote this.
The Gap Band - Easy Life (1974)
The Gap Band - Knuckle Head Funkin' (1977) Listen to the bass. Shite.
The Gap Band - Humpin' (1980)
Brownsville Station - The Red Back Spider (1973)
Brownsville Station - Do The Bosco (1971)
Brownsville Station - Rock N Roll Holiday (1969)
Brownsville Station - Fever (1978)
Listen (Robert Plant) - You'd Better Run (1966)
Robert Plant - Laughin' Cryin' Laughin' (1967)
Robert Plant - Our Song (1967)
Alexis Corner (Robert Plant) - Operator (1968)
Screaming Lord Sutch - Cause I Love You (1970)
Screaming Lord Sutch - Flashing Light (1970)
Screaming Lord Sutch - Wailing Sounds (1970)
P J Proby (featuring Led Zeppelin) - Medley: It's So Hard To Be A N*****/Jim's Blues/George Wallace Is Rollin' In This Mornin' (1969)
The Bell Notes - I've Had It (1959)
Fanny - I've Had It (1974)
The Christian Con Man - Maui Girl (?)
Joe Freeman - My Nana (?) Basically, a song-poem ripoff of Neil Diamond.
The Real Pros - Deep Freeze Mama (?) Song-poem
Joe Freeman - Are You Giving Green Stamps, Baby (?) Song-poem
The Free Design - Starlight (1970)
The Free Design - That's All People (1970)
Chubby Checker - No Need To Get So Heavy (1971)
The Dave Pell Singers - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town (1969)
Robert Goulet - Green Tambourine (2001)
Paul Williams - I Kept On Loving You (?)
Sal Mineo - LSD PSA (1967)
Sammy Davis Jr. - You Can Count On Me (Theme From Hawaii 5-0) (1976)
The Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On (in Japanese) (1968)
Fats Domino - Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey (1968)
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
Paul Williams.
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
Carpenters - The Rainbow Connection (1981) Ronnie Tutt, the drummer in Elvis' TCB Band of the '70s, played on this.
Charo - Love Boat Theme (1978)
Charo's husband shot himself. Why? He looked so happy.
Brotherhood of Man - Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) (1981)
The Intruders - Rainy Days and Mondays (1975) As the first group to score hits with the songwriting/production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the Intruders played a major role in the rise of Philadelphia soul, but are sometimes lost in the shuffle amid better-known acts like the O’Jays or Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. The Intruders were originally formed as a doo-wop group in 1960, and sang around Philadelphia for several years. Lead singer Sam “Little Sonny” Brown, Eugene “Bird” Daughtry, Phil Terry, and Robert “Big Sonny” Edwards signed with Gamble and Huff’s fledgling Gamble label in 1966. They scored a Top 20 R&B hit that year with “(We’ll Be) United,” and followed it up a year later with “Together,” as well as their first album, The Intruders Are Together. 1968, though, was the Intruders‘ breakthrough year: “Cowboys to Girls,” a template for what would become Philly soul’s trademark sound, topped the R&B charts and climbed to number six on the pop side, giving the group their biggest hit. The follow-up, “(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game,” was their only other Top 40 pop hit, and the accompanying LP, Cowboys to Girls, wound up their most popular.Gamble and Huff’s success with the Intruders helped convince Columbia to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International, which became the most successful soul label of the early ’70s.
Judy Collins - The Rainbow Connection (1980)
Mel Tormé and Buddy Rich - I Won't Last a Day Without You (1978)
Paul Williams - A Little On The Windy Side (1979)
Paul Williams - Here's Another Fine Mess (1979)
Archie Hahn and the Juicy Fruits - Goodbye Eddie, Goodbye (1974) From the film Phantom of the Paradise.
Paul Williams - The Hell Of It (1974) From the film Phantom of the Paradise.
The Nightmare - Riverbottom Nightmare Band (1977) "We don't wish to learn, but we hate what we don't understand..." Sounds like someone I know. Written by our boy.
The Sandpipers - An Old Fashioned Love Song (1971)
Telly Savalas - You And Me Against The World (1974)
The Holy Mackerel - The Secret Of Pleasure (1968)
The Holy Mackerel - Wildflowers (1968) Nothing says psychedelic like a sitar and Leslie vocals. All innovations of The Beatles. Paul Williams would not exist without Paul McCartney.
The Monkees - Someday Man (1969) Here's an interesting article about this single.
Rolling Stones - Drift Away (1974) Not written by Paul Williams, but his brother Mentor Williams. Why did Mick Jagger sing this with that strange affect?
Kris Kristofferson - Watch Closely Now (1976) From the movie 'A Star is Born'. I think Paul Williams' version of rock is pretty strange. Same chords and progressions.
Freddie Allen - We've Only Just Begun (1970) This version pre-dated the one by Carpenters. Freddie Allen was a pseudonym for Allen "Smokey" Roberds, a friend of co-writer Roger Nichols, who i've featured many times on the show. He was a chiropractor in Fayetteville, AR, so if you need some work done in 1995.... I don't know when this interview was done, or which breed of monkey coded it, but if you put on your specs, you can read this interview.
John Travolta - What Would They Say (1977) Theme from "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble". From his second album, "Can't Let You Go". I told you that story.
?? - Berlin Berlin
Les Humphries Singers -Suzanne (1973)
Les Humphries Singers - Dancing Queen (1976)
Renaissance - Can You Understand (1973)