Texas Tornados – Little Bit Is Better Than Nada

I’ve been a huge fan of Doug Sahm and that has come in recent years. I honestly don’t think I’ve heard anything by him that I didn’t like. Whether it was the Sir Douglas Quintet, his solo work, or the Texas Tornados, he always seemed to make music that I enjoyed. Another musician I have a lot of respect for is Augie Meyers, who played alongside Sahm in the Sir Douglas Quintet. Both men were part of the Texas Tornados, along with Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez. That was quite a collection of talent in one band. Plus, you can tell they had a lot of fun doing this. That comes over in spades.

This song was written by Doug Sahm and released on the Texas Tornados’ 1996 album 4 Aces. Sahm also sings lead on the song. It has that wonderful mixture of country, rock and roll, and Tex-Mex music that these guys did so well. The accordion, keyboards, and rhythm all work together, and the song has a catchy chorus that stays with you. It was also featured in the 1996 Kevin Costner movie Tin Cup and received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Doug Sahm apparently had a lot of confidence in this song. According to a 1996 Billboard interview, when the Texas Tornados were looking to return to Reprise Records, Sahm actually sang “Little Bit Is Better Than Nada” across the desk to label president Howie Klein. Now that’s one way to pitch a record!

What I like about the Texas Tornados is that they never sounded like they were trying to fit into one particular category. They played the music they loved, and it showed. Sahm had a way of making everything sound natural, whether he was singing country, blues, rock and roll, or Tex-Mex. Augie Meyers was just as important to that sound, especially with his distinctive keyboard playing. It is a great example of what made this band special. Four talented musicians having a good time making music, and you can hear it.

Little Bit Is Better Than Nada

Met her in a border town
We proceeded to get down
She turned me on
I dropped the telephone

Moonlight hits the Rio Grande
And the touch of her hand
It makes me high
Like the Fourth of July

The bad bandido came into town
But man, I’m gonna hunt that gringo down
But these words keep ringin’ in my ear

A little bit is better than nada
Sometime you want the whole enchilada
A little bit is better than nada
A little bit or nothin’ at all

Said Cancun was not her style
Turistas there, they drove her wild
The border’s the place
Put on a brand new face

Me and the boys had just hit town
Shake ’em up and rode ’em down
I guess it was fate
I hope I wasn’t too late

Bad, bad boys was on our trail
Federales want us all in jail
But these words keep ringin’ in my ear

A little bit is better than nada
Sometime you want the whole enchilada
A little bit is better than nada
A little bit or nothin’ at all

A little bit is better than nada
Sometime you want the whole enchilada
A little bit is better than nada
A little bit or nothin’ at all

A little bit is better than nada
Sometime you want the whole enchilada
A little bit is better than nada
A little bit or nothin’ at all

A little bit is better than nada
Sometime you want the whole enchilada
A little bit is better than nada
A little bit or nothin’ at all

Joe Ely – Me and Billy The Kid

We just covered Billy Joel’s “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” so I thought we would stay with the same outlaw for another song. This time it’s Joe Ely with Me and Billy the Kid. I’ve always liked Ely and his mixture of country and rock. This song has a great sense of humor, and unlike Billy Joel’s version, the narrator actually knows Billy. The problem is that he can’t stand him! I love the pacing of Ely’s writing. He makes you want to hear another verse and then another.

The song was written by Ely and appeared on his 1987 album Lord of the Highway. Ely got the idea while passing through Fort Sumner, New Mexico, where Billy the Kid was killed. He stopped at a museum and found very little about the outlaw himself. Since so much of Billy’s life was already surrounded by legend, Ely decided to make up his own story. He imagined himself riding with Billy and competing with him for the same woman. He said he wrote the lyrics on the drive from Fort Sumner to Clovis.

What I like about this song is that Ely doesn’t try to make Billy the Kid into some heroic figure. He’s a thoroughly unpleasant character, and the narrator isn’t exactly innocent either. There are jealousies, a Chihuahua, a robbery scheme, and a rather dark ending. All of it is delivered with a driving country-rock sound and Ely’s wonderful storytelling. It certainly isn’t a history lesson, but it’s one entertaining song. And between Billy Joel and Joe Ely, I think we’ve established that Billy the Kid was a pretty popular fellow with songwriters!

In the past few years, I have learned about some incredible artists, and I thank all of you. Joe Ely, Dave Alvin, Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, Guy Clark, The Flatlanders, and many more. These artists didn’t pop up on the radio as much, and it’s a damn shame.

Me and Billy The Kid

Well, me and Billy the Kid never got along
I didn’t like the way he cocked his hat and he wore his gun all wrong
But we had the same girlfriend and he never forgot it
She had a cute little chihuahua ’til one day I up and shot it
He rode the hard country down the New Mexico line
He had a silver pocket watch that he never did wind
He crippled a piano player for playing his favorite song
No, me and Billy the Kid never got along

Well, me and Billy the Kid never got along
I didn’t like the way he buckled his
Belt and he wore his gun all wrong
He was bad to the bone, all hopped up on speed
I would’ve left him alone if it wasn’t for that senorita
He gave her silver and he paid her hotel bill
But it was me she loved, she said she always will
I’d always go and see her when Billy was gone
No, me and Billy the Kid never got along

Well, me and Billy the Kid never got along
I didn’t like the way he tied his shoes and he wore his gun all wrong
One day I said to Billy, “I got this foolproof scheme
We’ll rob Wells Fargo, it’s bustin’ at the seams”
I admit that I framed him but I don’t feel bad
‘Cause the way I was livin’ was drivin’ me mad
Billy reached for his gun but his gun was on wrong
No, me and Billy the Kid, we never got along

No, me and Billy the Kid never got along
But I did like the way he swayed in the
Wind while I played him his favorite song

Now my baby sings harmony with me to “La Cucaracha”
She winds her silver pocket watch and pets her new chihuahua
I moved into the hotel, I got a room with a shower
We lay and listen to that watch tick hour after hour
Outside I hear the wind blowin’ oh so strong
No, me and Billy the Kid never got along

We never got along
We never got along
We never got along
Never got along
He’d been in the sun too long

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Horror of Dracula (Hammer Horror)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I’ve watched quite a few Dracula movies over the years, but this 1958 Hammer production is my favorite. Yes, I even like it better than the famous 1931 version with Bela Lugosi, and that is saying something! Christopher Lee plays Count Dracula, and Peter Cushing plays his enemy, Dr. Van Helsing. Those two actors alone are enough to make me want to watch it. The movie was released in Britain as Dracula and in America as Horror of Dracula. It was directed by Terence Fisher and helped establish Hammer Films as a major name in horror movies. The American title was The Horror of Dracula.

You give me Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and I’m there! I like some of the other Hammer Draculas after this one, but for me, this is the one to watch.

The story is based on Bram Stoker’s novel, although it takes quite a few liberties with the original. Jonathan Harker arrives at Dracula’s castle pretending to be a librarian, but he’s actually there to destroy the vampire. Things don’t go according to plan, and Van Helsing soon finds himself trying to stop Dracula before more people become victims. I won’t give away too much of the story, but the movie moves along quickly. At around 82 minutes, it doesn’t waste much time.

Christopher Lee is wonderful as Dracula. He doesn’t need a lot of dialogue to make an impression. His height, expressions, and sudden changes from a polite gentleman into a frightening monster do most of the work. But Peter Cushing is just as important to the movie. His Van Helsing is intelligent, determined, and much more active than some earlier versions of the character. I especially like the scenes involving these two actors. They make you believe that this is a battle between two very determined enemies.

What also makes this movie stand out is the atmosphere. The Technicolor photography, the castle, the music, and the Gothic settings give it a look that I love. The blood and violence were quite shocking for audiences in 1958, but the movie doesn’t depend on those things alone. It has a good story and two excellent actors leading the way. I’ve enjoyed other Dracula movies, including the later Hammer films, but I keep coming back to this one. For me, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing made the best Dracula movie of them all.

All Hammer movies have a certain look and feel to them; if you haven’t seen it, check it out! In 2007, this movie was selected for preservation by the BFI.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – I Know A Little

I published my other song (Billy Joel) for Sunday last night for the prompt I joined.

The reason I like this song is all in that intro. The guitar in this is a lot of fun, and it is moving. Unlike most Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, this one was not written or co- written by Ronnie Van Zant. The new guitarist, Steve Gaines, wrote it before he joined the band. He recorded several songs before he joined them.

Gaines replaced Ed King as the band’s guitarist in 1976, but died in the 1977 plane crash that also claimed the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and Gaines’ sister Cassie, who was a backup singer for the group. This song provides a glimpse of songwriting and guitar talent. Steve Gaines was a special talent. I personally believe he would have gone far in music outside of this band. Street Survivors features guitar playing you never heard with this band before. Very sophisticated chord patterns and riffs in songs like “I Never Dreamed.”

This song was the B-side to What’s Your Name. I’ve heard the original version of this with Gaines. It’s supercharged, and he slowed it down for this version. They were a double-threat band…they could hit with singles and make superb rock albums.

Street Survivors peaked at #5 on the Billboard Album Charts and #3 in Canada in 1977. The band has sold 28 million albums in the US since 1991 when Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales, not including album sales for the band’s first 17 years.

Of course, this band’s music is known as “southern rock.” Why, I don’t know. Is Aerosmith known as “northern rock?” I hate when music or people, for that matter, are generalized and boxed into one category like they are all the same. The Southern rock bands were different from each other. The same was true of the British bands as well. Was it a location thing? So by that rule, REM would be southern rock. Of course they are not, but you get what I’m saying. Anyway, let’s continue the post!

I Know A Little

Yes sir

Well the bigger the city, well the brighter the lights
The bigger the dog, well the harder the bite
I don’t know where you been last night
But I think mama, you ain’t doin’ right

Say I know a little
I know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little ’bout it
I know a little ’bout love
And baby I can guess the rest

Well now I don’t read that daily news
‘Cause it ain’t hard to figure
Where people get the blues
They can’t dig what they can’t use
If they stick to themselves
They’d be much less abused

Say I know a little
Lord I do know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little ’bout it
I know a little ’bout love
Baby I can guess the rest
Play me a little, oh yeah
Yeah

Well if you want me to be your only man
Said listen up mama, teach you all I can
Do right baby, by your man
Don’t worry mama, teach you all I can

Say I know a little
Lord I do know a little about it
I know a little
I know a little ’bout it
I know a little ’bout love
Baby I can guess the rest
Well I know a little ’bout love
Baby I want your best

Billy Joel – The Ballad of Billy the Kid

I’m writing this for Song Lyric Sunday for Jim Adams. This week the theme is to find a song about the American West, or one that mentions cowboys, a sheriff, an outlaw, horses, cactus, or tumbleweeds. I’ve always liked songs that tell a story, and this song certainly does that. I participate in a blogging prompt every now and then, and this week’s theme was Westerns, so I had to join.

This song immediately came to mind. It appeared on Joel’s 1973 album Piano Man, and it sounds like something out of an old Western movie. It has everything from galloping rhythms to dramatic orchestration, and you can almost picture the gunfights and dusty streets as the song plays. Joel was only in his early twenties when he recorded it, but he was already showing what a great storyteller he could be.

The song follows the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid, although Joel wasn’t too concerned about historical accuracy. He has Billy robbing banks and traveling through places that don’t exactly match the real outlaw’s life. In fact, Joel has admitted that he took plenty of liberties with the story. The real Billy the Kid was associated mainly with New Mexico, not the adventures described in the song. But that’s part of the fun. Joel was writing a song inspired more by the legend of Billy the Kid than the actual man. The music even has a cinematic quality, with its strings and changes in tempo. It’s almost a little Western movie packed into five minutes.

What I like most about the song is the way Joel brings the story into the present at the end. After all the tales of the outlaw, he introduces another Billy, this time from Oyster Bay, Long Island. It’s a clever ending.

The last verse brings the story into the present with another Billy, this time from Oyster Bay, Long Island. Some people have interpreted that as Billy Joel writing about himself, but Joel explained that he was actually referring to Billy Nastri, a local bartender he knew. I like that little twist at the end. After all the stories about the famous outlaw, we end up with an ordinary guy from Long Island. I’ve always liked Billy Joel’s earlier albums, and this is one of those songs that shows why. He could take a simple idea and turn it into something much bigger. It might not be a very accurate history lesson, but it’s a great song. And sometimes that’s all I ask for.

The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard Album Charts, #26 in Canada, and #98 in the UK in 1973. The song was released as a single in 1974 but didn’t chart.

The Ballad of Billy The Kid

From a town known as Wheeling, West Virginia
Rode a boy with a six-gun in his hand
And his daring life of crime
Made him a legend in his time
East and west of the Rio Grande

Well, he started with a bank in Colorado
In the pocket of his vest, a Colt he hid
And his age and his size
Took the teller by surprise
And the word spread of Billy the Kid

Well, he never traveled heavy
Yes, he always rode alone
And he soon put many older guns to shame
And he never had a sweetheart
And he never had a home
But the cowboy and the rancher knew his name

Well, he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma
And the law just could not seem to track him down
And it served his legend well
For the folks, they loved to tell
‘Bout when Billy the Kid came to town

Well, one cold day, a posse captured Billy
And the judge said, “String him up for what he did!”
And the cowboys and their kin
Like the sea came pourin’ in
To watch the hanging of Billy the Kid

Well, he never traveled heavy
Yes, he always rode alone
And he soon put many older guns to shame
And he never had a sweetheart
But he finally found a home
Underneath the boot hill grave that bears his name

From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island
Rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand
And his daring life of crime
Made him a legend in his time
East and west of the Rio Grande

Inappropriate usage of Holiday Road

One day, probably because of my dark sense of humor, these popped up in my YouTube algorithm. Many were from 2013; better late than never! Whoever made this happen at YouTube deserves a raise. To show you how music can change a scene…ok…I know it’s in bad taste…but that is the point.

Pete Townshend – Face the Face

Pete Townshend will always be best known as the guitarist and songwriter for The Who, but he has made some great solo music as well. This song is one of my favorites. It came from his 1985 album White City: A Novel, which was a concept album about growing up in a working-class neighborhood in London and what happens to the people who live there. The song has a completely different feel from The Who’s music. It has a driving beat, a big brass section, and an almost danceable sound. When the video came out, it was hard to miss. Pete was running around the stage while the horns and backing musicians kept the whole thing moving.

The song was released as a single in 1985 and became one of Townshend’s best-known solo recordings. It features a cool horn arrangement and backing vocals, giving it a sound that was very much of the mid-eighties without losing Pete’s personality. He had been experimenting with synthesizers and electronic sounds for years. He brought them into The Who in a big way on the 1971 Who’s Next album. Here he mixed them with horns and a strong rock rhythm. The result is catchy, energetic, and a little different from what people expected from him.

What I like about this is that Pete didn’t simply try to make another Who song without Roger, John, and Keith/Kenney. He went in a different direction and made it work. The song has a great groove, and the horns make it stand out. Townshend’s solo work deserves attention. He was one of rock’s great songwriters, and songs like this show that he could step outside the band and still come up with something memorable.

The album peaked at #26 on the Billboard Album Charts, #10 in Canada, #20 in New Zealand, and #70 in the UK in 1985.

The song peaked at #26 on the Billboard 100, #17 in Canada, #11 in New Zealand, and #89 in the UK.

Face the Face

Face the face, got to face the face
Face the face, got to face the face

You must have heard the cautionary tales
The dangers hidden on the cul-de-sac trails
From wiser men who’ve been through it all
And the ghosts of failures spray-canned up on the wall

We’ve got to judge the judge
Got to find the finds
We’ve got to scheme the schemes
Have to line the lines
We must stake the stakes
And show the shown
We must take the takes
And know the known
Try to place the place
Where we can face the face.
We got to face the face
Try to place the place
Where we can face the face
Face the face, got to face the face.
Face the face, got to face the face.

Got to
Got to

You must have tried and defied belief
Maybe found futility in insular grief
I need your hunger you need mine
A million appetites can swallow up time.

We’ve got to fool the fools
We got to plan the plans
We got to rule the rules
We got to stand the stands
We got to fight the fight
We must fall the falls
We got to light the light
We got to call the calls
We must race the race
So we can face the face
We got to race the race
We must race the race
So we can face the face
Face the face
We got to face the face
We got to race the race
We got to

Keep looking…
New York! Chicago!
London and Glasgow!
Keep looking!

Keep on looking
Keep on cooking
Gotta stay on this case
Study the pix
Watch the flix
We’ve got to find the face.
Face the face ,got to face the face
Watch the flix
Got to

We’ve got to judge the judge
We got to find the finds
We’ve got to scheme the schemes
We got to line the lines
We got to fight the fight
We got to fall the falls
We got to light the light
We got to call the calls
Try to place the place
Where we can face the face.
We got to face the face…
Try to place the place
Where we can face the face.
Try to place the place
Where we can face the face.
Keep looking, keep looking
We must race the race
So we can face the face.
We got to race the race
We must race the race.
So we can face the face
We got to face the face
We got to race the race

Who – Quadrophenia …album review

I’ve always loved concept albums when they’re done right, and The Who’s Quadrophenia is one of the best. Released in 1973, it was their sixth studio album and their second full-scale rock opera after Tommy. Pete Townshend wrote the album around a young Mod named Jimmy, who is trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs in 1960s Britain. He has problems with his parents, his friends, his girlfriend, and just about everything else. The music captures all of that frustration perfectly. This is one of those albums I like to hear from beginning to end because the songs work together to tell the story.

One of the things I love most about Quadrophenia is how Townshend connected Jimmy’s four personalities to the four members of The Who. Each member has his own musical theme. Roger Daltrey represents the tough guy, John Entwistle the romantic, Keith Moon the lunatic, and Pete Townshend the troubled, introspective side. Those themes appear throughout the album and eventually come together in the instrumental Quadrophenia and again in The Rock. It’s a clever idea, and it gives the album something extra beyond just a collection of great songs.

There are so many good songs here. The Real Me (my favorite on the album)opens things up with some incredible bass playing by John Entwistle. That bass is practically a lead instrument. 5:15 is another favorite, with its horns and driving rhythm. Then there’s Bell Boy, where Keith Moon gets to sing as the former Mod hero Jimmy once admired, now working as a hotel bellboy. I love the contrast between Roger’s powerful vocals and Keith’s almost comical delivery. And of course, Love, Reign O’er Me is one of Roger Daltrey’s greatest vocal performances ever! By the time that song comes around, Jimmy has been through just about everything, and you can hear it in Roger’s voice.

I have a hard time choosing between Who’s Next and Quadrophenia as my favorite Who album. Who’s Next may have more individual songs that I love, but Quadrophenia is a complete experience. Pete Townshend took a story about a confused young man and turned it into something much bigger. Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon were all at the top of their game, and the production gives the music a huge sound without losing the band’s power. It’s an album about growing up, feeling lost, and trying to find your place in the world. More than fifty years later, I think it still holds up as one of the best albums The Who ever made.

The four personality themes are associated with specific songs...Helpless Dancer (Roger), Is It Me? (John), Bell Boy (Keith), and Love, Reign O’er Me (Pete). I will say this as a huge Who fan: this album is their last great album, to me anyway. That’s not saying The Who By Numbers, Who Are You, and the rest are bad, but they never reached the level of this album again.

The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in Canada, and #2 in the UK in 1973.

Backsliders – Throwin’ Rocks At The Moon

The band’s name rang a bell with me, but not because of them. Back in the early 1990s, I was watching an episode of The Waltons when John Walton referred to himself as a “backslider.” I remember thinking, What a great name for a band. Sure enough, when my own band was looking for a new name, we became The Backsliders. I still have a few old business cards with our long-forgotten phone number on them. So when I discovered this band years later, I had to smile. So from one Backslider to another…the name ended up in very good hands!

The Backsliders were formed in Raleigh, North Carolina, in the early 1990s by singer and songwriter Chip Robinson and guitarist Steve Howell. While country music was becoming increasingly polished on commercial radio, the band looked in a different direction. They blended country, rock, bluegrass, folk, and Americana into a sound that felt both timeless and fresh. Their music owed as much to Gram Parsons, The Byrds, and traditional country as it did to roots rock, and they quickly earned a reputation as one of the finest Americana bands on the East Coast.

This song, released in 1997, grabs me from the very beginning. I love the opening guitar, and once the rhythm section settles in, the song just rolls along with confidence. There’s nothing flashy here. It’s simply a well-written song played by musicians who know exactly what they’re doing. The melody is memorable, the harmonies are excellent, and the performance has that relaxed feel that makes the best Americana music so enjoyable.

One thing I like about The Backsliders is that they never sound like they’re trying to recreate the past. You can hear country, folk, rock, and bluegrass woven together naturally, without any one style taking over. That’s harder to do than it sounds, and it’s one of the reasons their records have aged so well.

If you happen to see an old worn-out business card with “The Backsliders” on it from a little band in Tennessee…well…that was us long before I ever discovered this outstanding group.

Throwin’ Rocks at the Moon

Colder than the pennies on a dead man’s eyes
Meaner than a four-ten side-by-side
She’s the stuff that makes worlds collide
She’s a angel with a dangerous side

Upstairs, razor glidin’ on glass
Upstairs, some strangers hand on her ass
Upstairs, there’s a door being closed in the dark

Well she likes to go riding in her sister’s car
Hanging out the window wishing on a star
Beatin’ on the dash when the radio dies
Making different boys with the look in her eyes

Upstairs, her heart’s beatin’ too fast
Upstairs, she swears this one’s her last
Upstairs, there’s a deal going down in the dark

Maybe in the middle of the night
She’ll think about me
Something won’t hit her quite right
And it won’t let her be
Darkness comes swimmin’ all around her
And sleep never follows too soon
I’ll be standing out in my front yard
Throwin’ rocks at the moon

Boys like to dance when that accordion plays
Spinnin’ her wheels down the lost highway
Kickin’ up dust on a dancehall floor
Leavin’ em thirsty beggin’ for more

Upstairs, razor glidin’ on glass
Upstairs, some strangers hand
On her ass upstairs there’s a door being closed in the dark

Maybe in the middle of the night
She’ll think about me
Something won’t hit her quite right
And it won’t let her be
Darkness comes swimmin’ all around her
And sleep never follows too soon
I’ll be standing out in my front yard
Throwin’ rocks at the moon

Throwin’ rocks at the moon
Throwin’ rocks at the moon
Throwin’ rocks at the moon

Otis Redding – I’ve Been Loving You Too Long

I was driving in my car today when Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” came on. I immediately thought that I must have covered this song before on the blog. When I checked, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t. This is one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever heard. Otis doesn’t just sing this song. He sounds like he’s living every word of it. You can hear the desperation in his voice as he tries to hold on to a relationship that is slipping away.

The song was written by Otis Redding and Jerry Butler and released in 1965 on Volt Records. It also appeared on Redding’s album Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul. The recording was made at Stax Studios in Memphis, with that wonderful Stax sound behind him. The arrangement starts quietly and builds as Otis puts more and more emotion into every line. The horns and rhythm section never overpower him. They give the man just enough room to do what he did better than almost anybody.

What gets me about this song is how believable it is. There is nothing polished or artificial about the way Redding sings it. By the end, he is practically pleading, and you believe every second of it. He could take a simple love song and turn it into something unforgettable. If you’ve never heard the live version from the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, do yourself a favor and listen to it. It’s an incredible performance. Otis Redding was only 26 when he died later that year, and listening to a song like this makes you wonder what else he could have given us. I’m just glad I finally got around to covering this one.

It peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B chart in 1965.

I’ve Been Loving You Too Long

I’ve been loving you too long to stop now
You were tired and you want to be free
My love is growing stronger as you become a habit to me
Ooh, I’ve been loving you too long
I don’t wanna stop now, oh

With you, my life has been so wonderful
I can’t stop now
You were tired, and your love is growing cold
My love is growing stronger as our affair, affair grows old
I’ve been loving you, oh, too long to stop now

Oh, oh, oh
I’ve been loving you a little too long
I don’t wanna stop now
Oh, oh

Don’t make me stop now
Oh, baby, I’m down on my knees
Please, don’t make me stop now
I love you, I love you
I love you with all my heart and I can’t stop now

Please, please
Please, please, no
Don’t make me stop now, girl, no

Animals – Monterey

The Animals are one of those bands that I usually associate with a harder sound. Eric Burdon had one of the strongest voices to come out of the British Invasion. Listen to “House of the Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out of This Place, or Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. He could push a song right through the speakers.

Monterey is a different animal. Burdon still has that voice, but he doesn’t try to overpower the song with it. He sings for the song. That may be what I like most about this one. There is almost a relaxed quality to his singing while everything around him keeps changing.

By 1967, this wasn’t really the same Animals that had recorded those earlier hits. The original group had broken apart and Burdon assembled a new version with Vic Briggs, John Weider, Danny McCulloch, and Barry Jenkins. The blues and R&B roots were still there, but psychedelia had entered the picture in a big way. Their album Winds of Change made that change pretty obvious.

Then they played the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967.That festival became one of the defining events of the sixties. The Who played there. So did Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, Ravi Shankar, Hugh Masekela, and, of course, Jimi Hendrix. Burdon apparently came away from the festival completely taken by what he had seen and heard. This became his musical postcard (for lack of a better word) from the event.

The song was written by Burdon along with Briggs, Weider, McCulloch, and Jenkins and produced by Tom Wilson. It was released in late 1967 and later appeared on The Twain Shall Meet. The song peaked at #15 on the Billboard 100 and #3 in Canada.

I think it captures something that couldn’t last. The Monterey Pop Festival happened just before the sixties became darker and more complicated. There is an optimism running through this song. He bought into it completely. For those few minutes, music really does sound like it could change everything.

Monterey doesn’t sound much like the Animals who recorded We Gotta Get Out of This Place. But then again, 1967 didn’t sound much like 1965 either.

Monterey

The people came and listened
Some of them came and played
Others gave flowers away, yes they did
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey
Young Gods smiled upon the crowd
Their music being born of love
Children danced night and day
Religion was being born
Down in Monterey

The birds and the airplane did fly
Oh, Ravi Shankars music made me cry
The Who exploded into fire and light
Hugh Masakela’s music was black as night
The Grateful Dead blew everybodies mind
Jimi Hendrix baby, believe me, set the world on fire, yeah

His Majesty, Prince Jones, smiled as he moved among the crowd
Ten thousand electric guitars were grooving real loud, yeah
You want to find the truth in life
Don’t pass music by
and you know I would not lie, no I would not lie,
No, I would not lie
Down in Monterey

Three days of understanding of moving with one another
Even the cops grooved with us
Do you believe me, yeah?
Down in Monterey
I think that maybe I’m dreaming
Monterey
Down in monterey
Did you hear what I said?

Sun Volt – Windfall

I’ve always liked this kind of music. It’s hard to put it into one category. You can call it alternative country, Americana, or roots rock. I just call it good music. This song is one of those songs that sounds like it could have been recorded twenty years earlier or yesterday. It has a country feel to it, but there is plenty of rock underneath. Jay Farrar has a voice that fits this kind of music perfectly.

Son Volt formed in 1994 after Uncle Tupelo broke up. That band had been led by Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, and when they went their separate ways, Tweedy formed Wilco while Farrar formed Son Volt. Farrar brought in former Uncle Tupelo drummer Mike Heidorn, along with brothers Jim and Dave Boquist. Their debut album, Trace, was released in 1995, with this song opening the album. It’s one of those records that helped define the alternative country sound of the nineties.

This is a song about getting away for a while, driving down the road, and trying to leave your troubles behind. The acoustic guitars, pedal steel, and Farrar’s voice give it a relaxed feeling, but there is a little sadness underneath it all. That’s what I like about the song. It’s just a great melody with a little country and rock mixed together. Sometimes the best thing you can do is get in your car, turn up the radio, and drive. This is a perfect song for that.

The album peaked at #166 on the Billboard Album Charts and #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.

Windfall

Now and then it keeps you running
It never seems to die
The trail’s spent with fear
Not enough living on the outside
Never seem to get far enough
Staying in between the lines
Hold on to what you can
Waiting for the end
Not knowing when

May the wind take your troubles away
May the wind take your troubles away
Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel
May the wind take your troubles away

Trying to make it far enough, to the next time zone
Few and far between past the midnight hour
You never feel alone, you’re really not alone

Switching it over to AM
Searching for a truer sound
Can’t recall the call letters
Steel guitar and settle down

Catching an all-night station somewhere in Louisiana
It sounds like 1963, but for now it sounds like heaven
May the wind take your troubles away
May the wind take your troubles away
Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel
May the wind take your troubles away

May the wind take your troubles away
May the wind take your troubles away