Van Morrison: "Glad Tidings" (1970)

"Moondance" was the big hit on the identically titled album by Van Morrison in 1970. Looking back on that album, Moondance got all the airplay and one would think that "Glad Tidings" was an afterthought as it was the tenth and last cut on the album.

According to Van, he received a letter while he was in New York from a friend in London. The friend had written glad tidings on the back of the envelope and that gave him the idea for the song.

We read a number of old reviews and they were dead on in that it sounds like something coming right out of an old R & B studio. Vans vocals are sincere, smooth and soulful. The horn arrangements are classic and don't step on the vocals at all.

The song was featured throughout the final episode of The Soprano's fifth season and went so far as to let us her van sing "We send you glad tidings from New York" as Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) is blown away by Tony Soprano (John Gandolfini) wielding a shotgun. The show gave this song another life.

And they'll lay you down low in the easy
And the lips that you kiss will say Christmas.
And the miles that you traveled the distance

So believe no lies, dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la...
And the businessmen will shake hands and talk in numbers
And the princess will wake up from her slumber
Then all the knights will step forth with their arm bands
And ev'ry stranger you meet in the street will make demands
So believe no lies, then dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la...

[Bridge:]
And we'll send you glad tidings from New York
Open up your eyes so you may see
Ask you not to read between the lines
Hope that you will come in right on time
And they'll talk to you while you're in trances
And you'll visualize not taking any chances
But meet them halfway with love, peace and persuasion
And expect them to rise for the occasion
Don't it gratify when you see it materialize
Right in front of your eyes
That surprise

And they'll lay you down low and easy
As for Morrison, there is not enough room on this blog to do his work justice.

George Ivan Morrison was born in Northern Ireland in 1945. He played several instruments and sang with traditional Irish show bands before becoming lead vocalist for Them, an R & B band from the area. They were most identified by the song "Gloria"

Van would strike out on his own in 1967 as the smash "Brown Eyed Girl" was coming out. He has been recording and performing ever since. He has 30 + albums to his credit, six Grammys, and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has numerous foreign awards as well and got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.

Athenaeum - "What I Didn't Know" (1998)

This is a story of a great band from North Carolina who's first iteration burned out fast.

Athenaeum was formed in 1990 at an eighth-grade dance. The main players in this scenario were Mark Kano and Nic Brown.

There would be several personnel changes around them but in 1995, Athenaeum was able to put an EP together that performed well locally. They were subsequently picked up by Atlantic Records the following year, and put out Radiance in 1998.

The song that did the best off of the album was "Flat Tire", which, like "What I Didn't Know" is straightforward rock and roll with great lyrics, infectious guitar and well shaped vocals.

"What I Didn't Know" was released first and did pretty well. Our research shows that tons of people keep stumbling upon this song and think it's new. We saw several people commenting..."this is a great song and it sounds like the '90's!".

Well they are right about that! Maybe Atlantic did not push them very hard. They signed them in 1996 and it took two years to get something out?

This song reminds us of almost anything by the Gin Blossoms, who we love, and  it also  hearkens back to "He Can't Love You" by the Michael Stanley Band as well as "My Sharona" by The Knack. Certainly the vocals evoke a little Brad Roberts from Crash Test Dummies.

From the first note, the song builds and this winds up being a tune you like in about four measure into your first listening.

I complain
When nothing's even wrong
And you're ashamed
Cause you're not quite that strong

That's when I said I'll need
More than you can offer me
I miss your face as you can tell
I hope my absence makes you well

Why did the band name itself Athenaeum at the eighth-grade dance? If they did, these were some smart students! Indications are that Nic Brown left the band to attend Columbia, so the case is made...Wait! Just found some comments from Nic Brown: It was his mother who named the band. Why? Mark couldn't remember the school song during a rally at the school, so she went with it. The definition of athenaeum is: An institution, such as a literary club or scientific academy, for the promotion of learning. Got to learn it Mark!

There is strong evidence that the second album called Athenaeum, is very good although we have not heard it yet. Another band tragedy, frequently found on this site, is that it was released the week of 911.

Enjoy this first rate '90's rock and roll.

Critics Pan Stones and Taylor Swift, Then Retreat When It Catches On...

Kevin Monahan here. This morning, music media was all over last night's Taylor Swift and Rolling Stones duet for "As Tears Go By", and showing the hate. Examples were from Yahoo Music, & ContactMusic, as well as others. I checked out the video and although I do not own a Taylor Swift cd, but I'll look into that. I liked their version, and it was perfectly appropriate for a live concert. Later in the day it seems all the negative press disappeared and it was all about the love. Either the night aggregators were in a bad mood or many critics are just looking for attention. This worked for us here at Monahan's Song.

Flagship Romance: OFFICIAL Version of "Hit the Ground" Just Released.

We liked the stripped down version of "Hit the Ground" on YouTube that was featured in our last post, but this new version best represents their recently released EP  The Fudge Sessions. Check it out!

Congratulations on their opening for the Goo Goo Dolls last night. They are planning the Clean Water Music Fest for August 10.

Nelson Riddle: "Route 66 Theme" (1962)

O.K., this is the first of what will likely be many songs that were not only great, but also T.V. or movie themes. Monahan's Songs has been looking at tapping that musical vein for some time, so here we go. This is the story of "Route 66".

Nelson Riddle (Nelson Smock Riddle Jr.), was born in Oradell, New Jersey,  a state that has boasted an incredible number of musical legends.  He was a legendary orchestral and band music arranger who's early credits include "Mona Lisa", sung by Nat "King" Cole, and was perhaps Nat's most famous hit.
 
Riddle got a reluctant chance to arrange an album in 1953 for Frank Sinatra who was not happy to shift from his favorite music formulas. The resultant album, "I've Got the World on a String," (a $1.29 download on Amazon?) was a big success and brought Sinatra into a whole new era recognition.

His motion picture accomplishments  included “The Young at Heart”, “High Society”, “Pal Joey”, “Paint Your Wagon”, “The Tender Trap”, “Can-Can”, and “The Great Gatsby” (Riddle received an Academy Award for that one).

Millions also know him for his amazing television themes including, “The Untouchables”, “Naked City” and “Route 66”, the first TV theme to become a chart-topper!

A brief background on the show, direct from Wikipedia:

Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America in a Chevrolet Corvette sports car.^[1] The show ran weekly on Fridays on CBS from October 7, 1960 to March 20, 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for the first two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod was shown traveling on his own. Tod met Lincoln Case, played by Glenn Corbett, late in the third season, and traveled with him until the end of the fourth and final season. The series currently airs on Me-TV, My Family TV and RTV.
Among the series more notable aspects were the featured Corvette convertible, and the program's instrumental theme song (composed and performed by Nelson Riddle), which became a major pop hit.
Bobby Troup composed a GEM when he created "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66. This song may be one of the most covered songs ever and the lyrics make us want to feature this song on it's own someday. The lyrics are worth a read:
 Well if you ever plan to motor west
Just take my way that's the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino

Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66 A great song, but the label (or Bobby) wanted more than the producers of Route 66 the TV show, were willing to pay. Good thing, or "Route 66" may never have been written. They approached Nelson Riddle and he composed a clear homage to Troupes tune, yet a uniquely original and catchy instrumental. The arrangement just sounds like movement!

While the show was a brilliantly written drama, critics credit Riddle's theme song and breezy episode arrangements as a big part of the shows allure.

On a final note, Nelson Riddle may have found his greatest recognition via Linda Ronstadt. They recorded three albums of old pop music the label's producers thought would bomb. The albums sold over seven million copies combined and Riddle was rocketed to fame again just before his death.

Please enjoy. There is something eternally hip about this song...Oh, and maybe we should throw in "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66" as well!








Nelson Riddle

Monahan's Song Interviews Flagship Romance

We happened upon Flagship Romance in Downtown Jacksonville during the One Spark event. The duo, comprised of Shawn Fisher and Jordyn Jackson were playing material from there latest EP: The Fudge Sessions. We have been fighting over the copy as there are some really nice cuts on this including "Hit the Ground", and "Treason". They are about to embark on a Kickstarter campaign starting in June and are putting material together for another cd. Here is our interview with this cause-oriented band.

Shawn: What was the first song you learned on guitar?

The first song I ever learned on guitar was "Fat Lip" bySum 41, believe it or not (it was 2001, so cut me some slack, haha!). At the time, I only had a red Fender Stratocaster. Upon learning the song, I called all of my friends and told them to meet me at the local racquetball court. I grabbed the guitar and rode my bike down to the courts and played them the song with no amplification. Oh to be young and newly immersed in the world of performing arts. 

Jordyn: What was the first song you ever performed live?

The first song I ever performed in front of an audience was Disney's "Part Of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. I sang it on a cruise ship in a talent show when I was 13 years old. I felt like a million bucks when they gave me a plastic trophy at the end of the night. haha!

 

Both: Tell us about charity: water, and your role in helping push their mission forward.

"charity: water" is an organization based out of New York City. Their goal is to provide safe, clean drinking water and basic sanitation to the over 800 million people in the world who don't currently have access to it. In order to raise funding for building wells, they usually encourage individuals to give up their birthdays and instead of asking for typical presents, ask for donations to their individual online campaign.

 

The two of us, being performers, wanted to raise awareness and funding in our own way. So, we organized and performed at the inaugural Clean Water MusicFest, which took place at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in August of 2012. With this festival, we had an initial goal of raising $2500, which would fund about half of a well building project. However, by teaming up with Venus Swimwear as our title sponsor, and many other local businesses & bands, we ended up raising close to $12,000. This ended up providing two ENTIRE communities (about 585 people) with clean water and access to basic sanitation for the next 20 years of their lives.

 

To think that we accomplished this just by doing what we love to do makes playing our music that much more gratifying. We have decided to turn the Clean Water Music Fest into an annual event, with the next one taking place on August 10th, 2013, at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

What was the coolest venue you ever played together?

The two of us were actually quite spoiled when it came to our first show together. It took place at the stunning Florida Theatre. For many reasons, we value that show quite a lot. 

 

How did your EP The Fudge Sessions come about?

Shawn: Well, when the two of us began writing music together, we had no intentions of starting our own project. We both had individual projects that were our main focus at the time. In fact, I was originally writing songs with Jordyn for her solo jazz project. However, whenever we performed for friends and strangers, we received so many comments and compliments on not only how well our voices blended, but our chemistry on stage as well. After a while, this encouraged us to take our musical direction further.

 

We spent the better part of a year writing and honing our sound. When we felt that we were ready, we went to New Orleans, LA, to record our debut EP at Fudge Recording Studio.

 

Every morning, we would meet up with the session musicians over coffee and discuss that day's song(s). Once we finalized a direction, we went into the tracking room and recorded a few takes. It was a very off-the-cuff, organic process. We did not want to over-think anything when it came to the full band arrangements.

 

Now, the title of the EP is quite the conversation starter, haha. The reasoning for it is that the two of us felt like this record would not have been the same if we had recorded it anywhere else. We are already in the planning stages to head back to Fudge to cut the next batch of songs. 

 

What advice would you give someone who is just now starting to write and perform in North Florida?

Two things! First, be humble. Confident, yet humble. As large as Jacksonville is, it still retains a small town feel. Especially when it comes to the music scene, everyone knows everyone. Your reputation will follow you wherever you go, so keep that in mind.

 

Second, patience and perseverance is a must. You cannot expect overnight success. The two of us have built our fanbase in a grassroots manner, one by one. It might seem old fashioned, but we can tell you there is nothing more fulfilling than looking at a sold-out crowd and personally knowing every single person in the audience.

Website	http://www.flagshipromance.com
Press Contact	cody@codyjamesfisher.com
Booking Agent	Booking@FlagshipRomance.com | College/University Booking: rjockel@cuttingedgeentertain.com |www.cuttingedgeentertain.com | (860) 693-9116 | Toll Free: (888) 221-6538

 

TLC: A Cover Story. Steve Poltz: "Waterfalls" (2003) Stooshe: "Waterfalls" (2012)

Some songs just stay with us. They were so well written and arranged that a bevy of people wind up covering the song because they liked it so much.

Such is the case with the 1995 hit "Waterfalls", which was performed by TLC. The song was a double Grammy nominee and charted very well. The song was written by Marqueze Etheridge and TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. You may not know that Cee-Lo Green sang backing vocals on the track.

This is NOT a happy song. It's message is a warning and an attempt to bring attention to the violence, drug dealing and chronic HIV cases that were destroying inner-cities in the U.S.

"Waterfalls" would be covered by at least nine artists of which two are notable. The first is by the London pop trio Stooshe who released their cover in 2012 along with a video. This version came as a surprise to both fans and critics alike. Their harmonies during the rap portion of the song is brilliant and the interplay of their voices with horns make this a very likable song. The video is first rate as well and TLC members T-Boz and Chilli have cameos. It is reported that the band decided to do the song after meeting T-Boz earlier that year.

The Steve Poltz version of "Waterfalls" couldn't possibly be more different. This stripped- down solo acoustic guitar performance wowed us and the surprisingly good handling of "Left Eye's" rap portion clinched it for us. Not bad for a guy from Nova Scotia, Canada!

Poltz went to school in San Diego and formed a band called  The Rugburns. They would make some noise in town but Steve eventually went solo and after a disagreement with a record label, started his own. In 2003 he released the album Chinese Vacation and got a lot of play on Sirus XM. "Waterfalls" is now his signature song at his performances and the crowds are still amazed.

So lets hear them all! We are putting all three up for your consideration...