Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler were both steeped in gospel and sang in the same group. By 1958, they had joined a band called the Roosters and were subsequently renamed Jerry Butler and the Impressions. Curtis did most of the writing, but Jerry was at first, the star. They had a smash hit the same year with "Your Precious Love" and another song that would crack the top 30. Jerry subsequently left, taking Curtis to play guitar for his solo act, but Curtis went back and reformed the Impressions.
In 1961, "Gypsy Woman" would chart at #2 and was their biggest hit to date. After that however, little happened and personnel changes would affect the group.
But Curtis was not done. Moving the group to Chicago, they worked with a new producer who helped them achieve a more soulful gospel sound. This led to "It's Alright", which would become a number one hit on the R & B charts and cross over and pop at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This would be one of six songs they would place on the R & B charts.
It is a simple song of encouragement and perseverance. Perhaps the first song to hint of Mayfield's impending social activism that would be reflected in all of his work when he went solo in 1970.
When you wake up early in the morning
Feelin' sad like so many of us do
Hum a little soul
Make life your goal
And surely something's got to come to you
And say it's all right (it's all right)Say it's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, have a good time
'Cause it's all right, whoa, it's all right
There are many who feel that the drum playing on "It's Alright" is among the best drum R & B performances ever. It contains triplets on the hi- hat and and fast rolls across the kit. What is curious is that nobody seems to know for sure who it was! Some claim it was Maurice White who did studio work for the Impressions as well as others and would be part of Earth, Wind and Fire.
Many people were influenced by Mayfield's work and that included Bob Marley and the Wailers who covered several of his songs. He is hailed as a Soul and Funk pioneer, and is even referred to as the founder of Psychedelic Soul. This can be easily observed on his masterful soundtrack for the movie "Superfly".
According to Wikipedia. "Two significant characteristics distinguish Mayfield's sound. First, he taught himself how to play guitar, tuning it to the black keys of the piano, thus giving him an open F-sharp tuning—F#, A#, C#, F#, A#, F#---that he used throughout his career. Second, he primarily sang in falsetto register, adding another flavor to his music. This was not unique in itself, but most singers sing primarily in the modal register."
While Jerry Butler and Mayfield went on to successful solo careers, the Impressions carried on and all of them have received prestigious awards and hall of fame credentials.
On August 13, 1990, Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. He was unable to play guitar, but he wrote, sang, and directed the recording of his last album, New World Order. Mayfield's vocals were painstakingly recorded, usually line-by-line while lying on his back. He was diagnosed with diabetes and died on December 26, 1999.
Prior to his death, (1993), Huey Lewis and the News recorded a cover of "It's All Right" for People Get Ready: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield. Their rendition peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. It is such a great cover from this blues band turned pop, that we are including it here. This particular version by them is from a live and superbly recorded concert in Japan (1993).
A self-effacing product of a Swiss cattle farmer and an English pianist, Dave Brubeck did not grow up outside of San Francisco thinking he was going to be a musician. He had several brothers who were already pursuing that vocation. He had taken lessons from his mom, but (supposedly due to bad eyesight) faked the notes as he could barely read the sheet music in front of him.
Still assuming he was going to work on the ranch, he attended what is now the University of the Pacific. He was nearly kicked out of school when it was exposed that he could not read music, and later (eyesight problems or not) served in the U.S. Army. He played in a Red Cross show and was such a hit that he was told to form a U.S. Army band. In what would be characteristic of him, he formed the first interracial armed services band.
He was now finding his musical groove and went back to college for more formal musical learning.
Brubeck joined an octet and had a trio as well. His first recordings were for a label that went belly-up, but when the same material was handed to the Weiss brothers who were forming Fantasy Records, things took off and everyone started making money.
Brubeck had run into saxophonist Paul Desmond in the army, and Desmond continued to play in most iterations of his bands. He joined The Dave Brubeck Quartet and they generated three popular albums while touring colleges.
Brubeck had the wrong impression of how much of Fantasy Records he owned when he signed as an artist (which was zero). He then, upon finding this out, jumped to Columbia Records.
A story that endears: Brubeck made the cover of Time Magazine in 1949, and was the second jazz musician ever to do so (Louis Armstrong was the first). Instead of being gleeful, he felt embarrassed as he believed Duke Ellington deserved it more and that he received the honor over Duke him because he was white. He told this to Ellington's face...
In 1959, Desmond was playing some original licks that caught on with the band. This would be part of the album "Time Out", which was another Brubeck project aiming to try new times other than the standard 4/4. This song would be called "Take Five" and was recorded with the rest of the album over three months in New York City. Brubeck put a 5/4 meter on the song which is brilliantly matched by Desmond's sax. This also included a legendary drum performance by all time great Joe Morello who was formerly with one of the most important female jazz performers ever, Marion McPartland, whom this blogger met and deeply admired.
The opening riff in 5/4 on piano by Brubeck has been used everywhere and is easily recognizable, perhaps mostly as a ringtone today.
The album was a leap of faith for the label but they released it anyway to huge acclaim. "Take Five" went to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #5 on the Easy Listening Chart.
So there you have it, a harmonic convergence of the right musicians at the right time (maybe a little ahead of their time), to create a signature piece of modern jazz.
Desmond died in 1977. He left his song rights to the American Red Cross, who had sponsored the U.S. Army gig so many years ago that united Desmond with Brubeck. According to records, the national nonprofit still earns about $100,000 from that bequest annually.
And Brubeck? We were fortunate to catch him several times, the last in 2009 where he came out of an extensive heart rehab stint to play the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. He would go on to live one day short of his 92nd birthday. He left behind a staggering 120 albums, and this wonderful song among many for our eternal enjoyment.
The Kinks, one of the most celebrated and concurrently one of the most underrated bands in history started in England in 1964 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. In their 32 years of playing and recording, they put out 24 albums of which no less than nine made the U.S. Top 40. They also had ten top selling singles in the U.S.
Experts agree that the Kinks may well have been the first "punk" (protopunk) band, and the missing link between two generations of rock and roll.
Despite their success in the U.S., they remained a very English band with a devout following. "God Save the Kinks" was a frequently heard mantra used by their fans. Many of those fans might point to their less commercial work as being their best, and the staff here at Monahan's Song wish to offer one of these for your consideration.
Released as a single, "Celluloid Heroes" never charted, but was a staple on FM radio and became a rock anthem that was always on the Kinks set list. Very similar to "Room to Move" by John Mayall as we highlighted in our last post.
"Celluloid Heroes" is one of many songs that go contrary to their commercial hits like "You Really Got Me", "Destroyer" and "All Day and All of the Night" which are fast, three chord songs that influenced The Ramones, The Clash and Oasis, among others.
But really, the Kinks were hard to nail down. "Waterloo Sunset," "Better Things" and "Come Dancing" are departures as well.
Ray Davies wrote "Celluloid Heroes" and created a masterpiece of matching lyrics and arrangement. Wikipedia's entry on the song says it best: "Davies uses the technique of personification (of the Walk's concrete stars) to create an intimate connection with the subject matter. The lyric has a warm, melancholy and nostalgic feel, and is driven by three underlying themes. First, "Celluloid Heroes" specifically cites the inhumane and exploitative manner in which the film industry can use its stars. Second, Davies suggests the escapist fantasy world of movies as an attractive respite. "I wish my life were a non-stop Hollywood movie show," he writes, "because celluloid heroes never feel any pain," and "never really die." Finally, Davies treats as metaphor the sometimes ethereal and elusive nature of Hollywood fame and success. "Everybody's a dreamer, everybody's a star" is followed by a cautionary note to the listener - those who find success must maintain their guard, because "success walks hand-in-hand with failure along the Hollywood Boulevard."
"If you covered him with garbage
George Sanders would still have style
And if you stamped on Mickey Rooney
He would still turn round and smile
But please don't tread on dearest Marilyn
'Cause she's not very tough
She should have been made of iron or steel
But she was only made of flesh and blood"
We get a feeling that Davies is saying that successful or not, famous or not, we are all the same. All that from a pretty famous artist so he show great perspective.
There are other Kink's songs that need to be included as part of the mission of Monahan's Song, but none as thoughtful or resonant as "Celluloid Heroes".
Artists who have covered this song include Joan Jett, Steve Vai, Bon Jovi, Tim Curry and Richie Blackmore...
Here is a story about a classic rock anthem and a man who will be celebrated in perpetuity for his mentoring of legendary rock/blues talent.
After the breakup of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers in early 1969, John Mayall went out on his own his own and recorded a live album called "Vanishing Point." Having been an aspiring artist, he did the albums cover work (as he did with most of his albums). The concert was recorded at Billy Graham's Fillmore East and featured a less guitar oriented theme than previous concerts.
To the staff here at Monahanssong, the most memorable track was "Room to Move" which got great airplay nationwide on emerging AOR FM stations like WNEW in New York. The track features Mayall providing an unprecedented harmonica performance with vocals and mouth percussion played with a lightening fast flute that doubled his own notes (played by John Almond). He calls his harmonica breathing "chicka-chicka," where you breathe in every other beat. The result was a wholly energetic sound that brought the Fillmore East to it's knees that night. Despite charting at #102, the song became a bit of a rock anthem at the time and was a frequently played cut at parties when people wanted to pick things up!
It may seem peculiar
How I think o'you
If you want me, darlin'
Here's what you must do
You gotta give me
'cause I can't give the best
Unless I got room to move
If you want me darlin'
Take me how you can
I'll be circulating
'cause that's the way I am
You gotta give me
'cause I can't give the best
Unless I got room to move
"Vanishing Point" would be one of his most popular albums out of the fifty plus albums he has recorded in his career.
We would be irresponsible if we did not point out Mayall's historic influence on both British and American music.
John Mayall was born November 29, 1933 in Macclesfield, England. He grew up enthralled with his father's 78 rpm records, especially his blues records. He would build an enormous collection in his lifetime. He went to art school and did a stint in England's armed services. It was while he was stationed in Korea that he bought a guitar. He played when he could, but was mostly working as a graphic artist once discharged. The very early 1960's saw the arrival of amps, guitars and harmonica playing in England. A blues club opened in London and that was it for him. He quit his job and began topplay full time.
The blues were slowly catching on and he was able to back-up touring blues greats like John Lee Hooker, T-bone Walker and Sonny Boy Williamson when they toured England.
He began to put various configurations of bands together under the name "The Bluesbreakers". As a result, the band had a fluid roster and was a noted proving ground for talent. This may well be what Mayall will always be famous for.
As a legend of English Blues, John Mayall is likely to be remembered for his leadership and mentoring of some of the greatest names in rock as opposed to his body of work. Guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor joined his band in a remarkable succession in the mid-'60s, honing their chops with Mayall before going on to join Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones, respectively. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (of Free), John Almond, and Jon Mark also played and recorded with Mayall for varying lengths of time. (Credit to Ritchie Unterberger for much of Mayall's bio here).
So we need to show the love here. We recommend you start with "Turning Point" and "John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton" (1966). This album is also called "Beano" as that is the name of the comic Clapton is reading on the cover.
So here it is. Make sure you have some room to move yourself as you listen to this one!
