D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities
Episodes
Monday Aug 16, 2021
Monday Aug 16, 2021
Discogs: Dave Mason was a founding member of the group Traffic, but left following the release of their debut album, Mr. Fantasy (1967), only to rejoin halfway through the sessions for their next album, Traffic (1968), after which he left again. Last Exit (1969), a compilation of odds and ends, features little material by Mason apart from his song "Just for You". Traffic later re-formed without Mason, although he briefly began working with the band for a third time, touring with them in 1971 and playing on Welcome to the Canteen. In his brief spells with the group, Mason never quite fit in; Steve Winwood later recalled. In 1970, Mason was slated to be the second guitarist for Derek and the Dominos. He played on their early studio sessions, including the Phil Spector production of "Tell the Truth", which was later withdrawn from sale (and is now a collector's item). He also played at their first gig at the London Lyceum but left the group soon after that.For a brief period in the mid-1990s, Mason joined Fleetwood Mac and released the album Time with them in 1995. He toured with them over the course of 1994–95. Over the course of his career, Mason has played and recorded with many notable pop and rock musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones (e.g. on Street Fighting Man), George Harrison (appearing on All Things Must Pass), Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and...Cass Elliot. One of Mason's best-known songs is "Feelin' Alright", recorded by Traffic in 1968 and later by many other performers, including Joe Cocker, whose version of the song was a hit in 1969. For Traffic, he also wrote "Hole in My Shoe", a psychedelic pop song that became a hit in its own right. "We Just Disagree", Mason's 1977 solo US hit, written by Jim Krueger, has become a staple of US classic hits and adult contemporary radio playlists.
Cass Elliot was credited with creating the group name 'The Mamas and The Papas' while watching a TV program, with the other band members, while temporarily residing in the U.S. Virgin Islands.Although some releases were still credited to Mama Cass Elliot, it was around this time that she used her original stage name, Cass Elliot. She starred in many a TV show including two specials of her own. She was loved and is still admired for her pleasing alto and all-around ability to entertain. In her way, she was as troubled as her other drug-taking contemporaries like Jim Morrison, in addition to her life-long weight problems which probably kept her close to people but not so close that her loneliness abated. She, to me, sounds like an American Annie Haslam.
So if you didn't know that these two members of the RRHOF did an album together, now you do!
Wiki: After being introduced by a mutual friend, Mason and Elliot hit it off and decided to pursue singing together professionally. Elliot, having released two solo albums at that time, missed the collaborative effort of producing music, and Mason, who had just arrived in the U.S. after splitting with Traffic, was interested in a fresh collaboration. Originally Elliot was intended to be co-producer with Mason on an intended solo album by the latter: after Elliot sang background for Mason on some sessions the idea of the album being a Mason/Elliot collaboration emerged.
Dave Mason and Cass Elliot - Glittering Facade (1971)
Dave Mason and Cass Elliot - Sit and Wonder (1971)
Dave Mason - Every Woman (1973)
Dave Mason - Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave (1970)
Dave Mason - Save Me (1980) Michael Jackson on backing vocals.
Dave Mason and Cass Elliot - On and On (1971)
Cass Elliot - I'll Be There (1972)
Cass Elliot (billed as Mama Cass Elliot) - It's Getting Better (1969)
Cass Elliot - New World Coming (1970)
Dave Mason - The Lonely One (1973) Stevie Wonder on harmonica solo.
Laura Nyro - Beads of Sweat (1970) Laura Nyro (rhymes with "Hero") was a female Jimmy Webb (or he a male Laura Nyro) who reinvented songwriting possibilities for a generation. She influenced so many writers that I cannot list them here. Her influence really shows itself in the works of Todd Rundgren, Elton John, Patti Smith, so so many. She merged the melodic gifts of Carole King with the lyrical ones of Bob Dylan. You know her songs. Between 1968 and 1970, a number of artists had hits with her songs: The 5th Dimension with "Blowing Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", and "Save the Country"; Blood, Sweat & Tears and Peter, Paul and Mary, with "And When I Die"; Three Dog Night and Maynard Ferguson, with "Eli's Comin'"; and Barbra Streisand with "Stoney End", "Time and Love", and "Hands off the Man (Flim Flam Man)". Ironically, Nyro's best-selling single was her recording of Carole King's and Gerry Goffin's "Up on the Roof".
Laura Nyro - Eli's Coming (1968)
Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry (1969)
Laura Nyro - Mr. Blue (1978)
Laura Nyro - Smile (1976)
Cockney Rebel - Psychomodo (1974)
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) (1976)
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Sebastian (1973)
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Ain't Nothing Wrong (1976) Everybody tried disco. Everybody. This song was written by Harry Casey and Rick Finch! Flopped.
Johnny Cougar - Need Somebody Baby (1976) Like my unfortunate management deal that forced me to call myself "Sir Gilbert Slitherbottom VI", John Mellencamp's management had no idea who or what he was. He started out for a brief period of time as a "glam rocker" but then tried out for a solo career with his first album Chestnut Street Incident released by former David Bowie manager Tony DeFries on the Mainman (division of MCA) label. That album was a complete flop partly due to the fact that the record label wanted to mold John into something he was not (a pretty boy ala James Dean) and the fact that the album mostly consisted of cover songs.
Johnny Cougar - The Man Who Sold the World (1976) What a strange curio from the early days of John Mellencamp.
Queen - All Dead, All Dead (1977)
The Spotlights - Batman and Robin (1966) Produced by Leon Russell and Snuff Garrett. Gig's a gig!
Dion and the Belmonts - My Girl the Month of May (1966) This album features the song "For Bobbie" which was written by John Denver, and he recorded it himself in 1972, retitling it' "For Baby."
Mick Taylor - Leather Jacket (1979)
Moody Blues - Veteran Cosmic Rocker (1981)
Ruth Copeland - The Silent Boatman (1970) Do you prefer this version or the one by Parliament?
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
G is for Eva. Songs that begin with that G.
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Gary Scruggs - Gentle When You Say The Word (1967)
Carl Douglas - Gambling Man (1974) Carl Douglas had been doing singles since the 60's. "Kung Fu Fighting" was his first hit.
Stoney & Meatloaf - Game of Love (1971)
Herman's Hermits - Ginny, Go Softly (1975)
G.E. Silicones - The Answer (Got to Investigate Silicones) (1973)
John Harford - Gentle On My Mind (1967)
Ed McMahon - Georgy Girl (1963)
Gerry Marsden - Gilbert Green (1967)
Clarence Reid - Get Back (1969)
Clarence Ried was also:
Nancy Sinatra - Get Ready (1998)
Anne Murray - Get Together (1970)
Doug Clifford - Get Your Raise (1972)
Helen Reddy - Getaway (1963)
Roger Daltrey - Giddy (1977)
Olivia Newton John - Gimme Some Lovin' (1978)
Dirk & Stig - Ging Gang Goolie (1978) Why?
Davy Jones - Girl (1971)
Jan & Dean - Girl, You're Blowing My Mind (1967) Dig that sitar. That backwards masking.
Robert Hazard - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (1979)
Wings - Give Ireland Back To The Irish (1972)
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound - Give It All Back (1969)
Sha Na Na - Glasses (1972)
Glidden - Going Places (1972)
Harlem Globetrotters - Globetrottin' (1970)
"Mad" Maynard Horlick - Go Go Rip Van Winkle (?)
Alice Cooper - Go To Hell (1976)
Yes - Gates of Delirium (Live) (1976)
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
10cc and Led Zeppelin.
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
10cc - Old Wild Men (1974)
10cc - Une Nuit a Paris (1975)
10cc - Ships Don't Disappear In the Night (Do They?) (1972)
10cc - Don't Hang Up (1976)
YMMV, but this is one of the most exciting live albums ever released, in my opinion.
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog (Live) (1972)
Led Zeppelin - Bring it On Home (Live) (1972)
Gilbert Neal - The Things We Do For Love (2019)
Gilbert Neal - All Of My Love (2019) No more singing in the studio.
Jimmy Page - She Just Satisfies (1965)
Jimmy Page - Keep Movin' (1965)
The Senators - She's A Mod (1964) John Bonham on drums.
The Senators - Lot About You (1964)
John Paul Jones - Baja (1964) Written by Lee Hazelwood and recorded first by The Astronauts in 1963.
John Paul Jones - A Foggy Day In Vietnam (1964)
Robert Plant - Laughin', Cryin', Laughin' (1967)
Robert Plant - Our Song (1967)
Robert Plant - Long Time Coming (1967)
Robert Plant - I've Got A Secret (1967)
Band Of Joy - For What It's Worth (1968)
Band Of Joy - Hey Joe (1968)
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
I did this show with virtually no prattle. More XTC and some Russian disco.
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
XTC - Wheel and the Maypole (2000)
XTC - The Last Balloon (1999)
XTC - Dear God (1986)
XTC - River of Orchids (1999)
Dschinghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan (1979)
Dschinghis Khan - Rocking Son Of Dschinghis Khan (1979)
Ray Torske - 666 (1974) (song-poem)
Davron G'oyipov - Sen Qaydan Bilasan (1981) A disco song in Uzbek. Now stop asking me.
Gordon Haskell - How Wonderful You Are (2001)
Grand Funk Railroad - Born To Die (1976)
Sonny And Cher - Hey Jude (1971)
The Archies - Hot Dog (1968)
Mickey Rooney - Be Prepared To Pay (1970)
J Jocko - I'm Gettin' Over (1975)
Jan & Dean - The Universal Coward (1966)
Jeff Lynne - Goin' Down To Rio (1977)
Jefferson Airplane - Let's Get Together (1966)
John Entwistle - Cinnamon Girl (1971)
Blue Jays - This Morning (1975)
Kansas - Portrait (He Knew) (1977)
King Crimson - The Talking Drum (session reels) (1972)
Men At Work - Down Under (original version) (1980)
The Osmonds - Traffic In My Mind (1973)
Paul Williams - For The Hell Of It (1974)
Phil Ochs - The Kansas City Bomber (1972)
Scott Baio - How Do You Talk To Girls (1982)
Alicia Bridges - Self-Applause (1978)
Simon Dupree And The Big Sound - Give It All Back (1969)
Simon Dupree And The Big Sound - Something In The Way She Moves (1969) Read this about the Schulman Family.
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Wichita Lineman (1969)
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
The Jam - Absolute Beginners (1981)
The Jam - That's Entertainment (1980)
The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (1982)
The Jam - Town Called Malice (1982)
The Style Council - Walls Came Tumbling Down (1985)
The Style Council - Internationalists (1985)
The Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods (1984)
The Style Council - You're The Best Thing (1984)
The Free Design - Love Me (1971)
The Free Design - Friends (Thank You All) (1971)
The Free Design - Where Do I Go? (1969)
The Free Design - That's All, People (1970)
David Soul - Going In With My Eyes Open (1977)
Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder - Pops, We Love You (1978)
KC and the Sunshine Band - Do You Wanna Party? (1979)
Godley and Creme - Hit Factory/Business Is Business (1978)
Les Humphries Singers - Jazz Is Dead (1976)
The League Of Gentlemen - Cognitive Dissonance (1980)
Then we left the studio.
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Pere Ubu and Fonzie-Mania.
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Pere Ubu - Road To Utah (2014)
Pere Ubu - Folly Of Youth (1995)
Pere Ubu - Rhapsody In Pink (1980)
Pere Ubu - Rhapsody In Pink (1989)
Fonzie With "Thumbs Up" Action TV Commercial (1976)
R.B. Zipper - Cruisin' With The Fonz (1976) Bruce Wooley, who co-wrote this shit, also co-wrote "Video Killed The Radio Star".
Leather Tuscadero (Suzi Quattro) - Do The Fonzie (1978)
Unknown - Fonzie Impressionist Track (Aaay, Cool, Nerd, Sit On It) (1976)
Frank Lydon - Fonzie Meets Kotter's Sweathogs (At The School Dance) (1976) The best part is when "Fonzie" says "Ayyyy....SHUT UP." And the background music sounds a little like early 70s-style instrumental Zappa.
The Heyettes - The Fonz Song (1976)
The Globetrotters - Meadowlark (1970)
The Globetrotters - Bouncin' All Over The World (1970) Written by Sedaka-Greenfield, the team that penned all those 60s hits.
The Globetrotters - Cheer Me Up (1970)
The Globetrotters - Globetrottin' (1970)
Syreeta - I'm Goin' Left (1974)
Syreeta - Spinnin' and Spinnin' (1974)
Elvis Presley - The Power Of My Love (1969)
Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (1974)
Richard Dawson - Apples and Oranges (1969?)
Rotary Connection - Didn't Want To Have To Do It (1968)
Scott Walker - Joanna (1969)
Screaming Lord Sutch - Flashing Light (1970)
Sha Na Na - Canadian Money (1971)
Sha Na Na - Only One Song (1972)
The Archies - A Summer Prayer For Peace (1969)
The Brady Kids - Drummer Man (1972)
Carpenters - Your Wonderful Parade (1969)
The Collage - She's Just Laughing At Me (1968)
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Dirty Red Pagan
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Gilbert Neal - The New America (2013)
Gilbert Neal - Epiphany (2013)
Gilbert Neal - Let's Get The Band Back Together (2013)
Gilbert Neal - She Is The Reason (2013)
Gilbert Neal - Water (2013)
Gilbert Neal and Ken Ray Wilemon - My Cecile (2019)
Gilbert Neal - Jamie Day (2013)
Gilbert Neal - She's That Way (2013)
Gilbert Neal - Forgive Yourself (2013)
Gilbert Neal - Everything's A Steal (2013)
Gilbert Neal - Remember Me That Way (2013)
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
I don't want much. I just want a little bit. Written by Rosco N. Gordon III in 1959.
"Just a Little Bit" was developed when Gordon was touring with West Coast blues artist Jimmy McCracklin. According to Gordon, McCracklin started to write the song and agreed that Gordon could finish it, with both of them sharing the credit. Gordon later presented a demo version to Ralph Bass at King Records, who was reportedly uninterested in the song. Gordon then approached Calvin Carter at Vee-Jay Records, who agreed to record it.
Meanwhile, Federal Records, a King Records subsidiary, released a version of "Just a Little Bit" by R&B singer Tiny Topsy (1959 Federal 45-12357), with songwriting credit given to Ralph Bass and several others unknown to Gordon. The Tiny Topsy song, featuring a pop-style arrangement with background singers and flute, did not reach the record charts.
Elvis Presley (1973)
Animals (1977)
Freddie King (1973)
Jerry Lee Lewis (1973)
Etta James (1968)
Dave Berry (1964)
Liverpool Five (1966)
Gene Simmons (1964)
Magic Sam Blues Band (1969)
Mitch Ryder and the The Detroit Wheels (1966)
Rory Gallagher (1975)
Rosco Gordon (1959) The original. I find this version has a swing to it that the others don't possess. As if they took the part that didn't swing and emphasized THAT because it was just easier.
Roy Head (1965)
Slade (1974) I like Slade, but this is the worst version here.
The Undertakers (1964)
Them (1965) Also a pretty bad version.
Tiny Topsy (1959)
Note the additional composers.
Tony Worsley and the Blue Jays (1965)
Homer & Jethro - Gonna Send 'Em Home (1964) Nobody sent anybody home.
Janis Joplin - Half Moon (1969) Written by John and Joanna Hall. How exciting it must have been!
John Hall - Voyagers (1978) With James Taylor and Carly Simon on backing vocals. With all that star power, how could this fail? Didn't even reach the top 200.
John Hall - Nu Toone (1970)
John Hall Band - Crazy (1982)
Kangaroo - I Never Tell Me Twice (1968) John Hall's band before Orleans.
La Bionda - I Wanna Be Your Lover (1980) JUST TAKE MY MONEY!!!
Orleans - Please Be There (1973)
John Hall - Power (1979) More Carly and JT. No sales, but it must have been nice to have your song sung at the No Nukes thingie.
Stevie Wonder - As (1976)
Genesis - Behind The Lines/Duchess (1980) I distinctly remember the Duke tour booklet saying to "expect some surprises". Selling out was a surprise, I admit.