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!
Eric Lindell was born in San Mateo, California, working as a baker by day and playing guitar and bass at night.
After producing his own first album in 1996, he won the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Competition with a song called "Kelly Ann." He would briefly live in New York before landing in New Orleans where he found a funkier sound and was signed by Alligator records.
His music is defined many different ways including Creole funk fusion, swamp pop, blues funk and blue-eyed soul. His 1996 debut on Alligator was "Change in the Weather" and that album saw the song "Give it Time" get considerable radio airplay and was featured on Boston Legal.
Eric Lindell has a reputation for his live performances that seems to eclipse his studio work much in the fashion of the J. Geils Band and The Nighthawks.
He has at least eight albums to his credit and his latest release is the outstanding "Sunday Morning" which teams him with legendary Texas blues guitarist Anson Funderburgh and covers a selection of old R & B and country songs that are favorites of theirs.
Lindell is playing an average of 100 gigs a year and his current tour frequently features Funderburgh.
But our favorite song by him is "Tried and True" which, is from 2009's "Low on Cash, Rich in Love". The song doesn't bother with a long intro that builds to the hook (a technique used WAY too much these days). It grabs you from the first guitar note and moves right into a funky blues groove we can all get behind.
Tell me what more can I say
What more can I do
Baby where, where did I go wrong?
What more could I do to prove myself?
What more can I say?
What more can I do
To prove my love?
Baby it's tried, tried and true.
So give this song a listen and you will likely want to track down all of his recordings. You can catch him in Jacksonville on August 8th at the Mojo Kitchen (Beaches).
Not familiar with this one? No surprise. We dug this album up off of a European website several years ago. We like this song so much that we posted it to YouTube ourselves so it could be featured on monahanssong.blogspot.com.
If you don't feel like dancing to this when you hear it, get in the car and go to the emergency room as you may be dead.
Beach Bongo Part I has very little information attached to it, and nothing about the artist Funk Monk.
It all appears to start with a series of books written by Herbert Ypma called "Hip Hotels". The series was a big hit and sold over a million copies. several times out selling "The Da Vinci Code" which was out at that time.
According to Amazon (and they capitalized all the words, not us):
"Hip Hotels" is More Than Just a Bestselling Book Phenomenon. It Was, and is the First Book to Recognize a Fundamental Shift in the World of Travel, Where the Decision on Where to Stay is Governed by the Experience Offered and the Style of the Environment. People Now Want Something to Talk About – They Want to Be Challenged and They Want an Experience. Travel is Not Dictated by Pragmatism Or Practicality, It’s Dominated by Emotion, and Hip Hotels, Whether it Be Music, Books Or on the Internet, is Set Up to Trigger that Emotion."
So apparently in 2006 to accompany a book in the series called "Hip Hotels: Beach", an album was released of various artists using a matching cover to the book. These were hip songs of the beach.
The song uses bongos throughout and there are no less than eight separate solos on a wide array of instruments. Only Funk Monk could pull off matching a banjo with bongos!
So give this a listen and we assure you you will be adding this to your playlist...
"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.
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.
