On May 20th, we lost one of the greatest rock keyboardists of all time, Ray Manzarek, who passed away at the age of 74 due to cancer. As a founding member and rock organist with The Doors, Manzarek contributed greatly to one of the most influential and revolutionary groups of the 1960s. Manzarek initially met poet Jim Morrison in film school at UCLA, and after running into each other again after graduation, they almost immediately formed The Doors. The group lacked a bass player, so Manzarek usually covered the bass parts on keyboard. His signature sound is that of the Vox Continental combo organ, an instrument used by many other psychedelic rock groups of that era. As a classically-trained pianist, he was instrumental in expanding upon songs of the The Doors, creating distinctive organ intros like that in "Light My Fire" (inspired by Bach's Two and Three-Part Invensions).
From their debut album in 1967, this #1 hit has been featured before during our Psychedelic Rock Week (here), but we're posting it again because it's just that good. While the single version was edited down to just under 3 minutes with nearly all the instrumental break removed for radio airplay, this live performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968 includes the album's 7-minute version. No mistaking that opening sound of Manzarek on his rock organ.
Carrying over their psychedelic rock and blues rock sound into the 1970s, "Love Her Madly" reached #11 on the Billboard chart in 1971, and features Manzarek playing both tack piano and his signature Continental Vox in the recording. Not an actual live performance but nicely done audio and video compilation.
Protest Songs/ Message Music: Part 4
Well, I was originally intending to end this little series on Part 3, but decided to add one last post with a few more political songs, as well as ones with a social message. Oh, and in case you were wondering why the most famous protest song has been left out of this series, Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" was previously featured here during Folk Rock Week.
Written by Mac Davis and recorded by Elvis Presley, "In the Ghetto" is a narrative on generational poverty: a boy child born to a mother with already too many mouths to feed in the ghetto of Chicago; the boy grows hungry, steals and fights, buys a gun, steals a car, runs, but is shot and killed just as his own son is born, thus continuing the cycle. Originally titled "The Vicious Circle," the structure of this gospel- style tune emphasizes this inescapable circle with its simple, stark phrasing and the repetition of "in the ghetto" at the end of every fourth line. Released in April 1969, this song was Presley's first Top-10 hit in the US in four years, peaking at #3, and his first UK Top-10 hit in three years. Known for taking his music seriously, here's a passionate live performance by the King in '69.
One of The Rolling Stones' most politically inclined works to date would be "Street Fighting Man" from their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. Originally titled and recorded as "Did Everyone Pay Their Dues?," Mick Jagger (with Keith Richards) allegedly wrote this about Tariq Ali after Jagger attended a March 1968 anti-war rally at London's U.S. embassy, during which mounted police attempted to control a crowd of 25,000. Released as a single in the US in August 1968, this rock tune only managed #48 on the charts, despite its popularity, because many radio stations refused to play the song based on what were perceived as subversive lyrics. Since, it has been covered by many other artists and it ranked #301 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Here's live footage of "Street Fighting Man," taken from the Stones' last tour of the 1960s.
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In March 1968, The Doors released a very dramatic single, "The Unknown Soldier," written jointly by the band members. This psychedelic rock song was Jim Morrison's reaction to the Vietnam War and the way the conflict was portrayed in American media at the time, with lyrics describing how the news was being presented in the living rooms of ordinary people. In the beginning of the song, a mysterious organ sound depicts the mystery of the "unknown soldier," and by the middle, the song turns into a military cadence complete with a military drum beat and the sound of Sergeant counting off, followed by a drum roll and rifle shot. As you'll see in this footage, the group gets pretty theatrical with this performance, with Robby Krieger aiming his guitar at Morrison like a rifle and Morrison falling to the floor after the drummer plays a rimshot. Peaking at #39 on the Billboard charts, here's the dynamic "Unknown Soldier" live by The Doors.
Our final "message song" of the day comes from Motown with "Love Child" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, the group's eleventh #1 single in the US. Written by The Clan (Motown's staff songwriters), this pop/psychedelic soul tune is notable for its then-controversial subject matter of illegitimacy, with lyrics about a woman who grew up as a "love child" asking her boyfriend not to pressure her, in fear of creating a love child themselves. Released in September 1968, this single knocked off and kept The Beatles' massive "Hey Jude" off the top spot in the US, the last of five replacements at #1 between The Beatles and The Supremes (the two most popular music acts in America during the 1960s). Going on to outsell all of the The Supreme's previous or subsequent singles, here's the debut of "Love Child on the season premiere of The Ed Sullivan Show, September 29th, 1968. (Ed Sullivan performance removed from YouTube).
Happy New Year!!
We're starting bright and early (12:01am PST) with a post of "Hello" songs to greet 2012!
First introduced here during the British Invasion Series, The Tremeloes are the other "beat" band from Liverpool, who were heavily influenced by Buddy Holly & TheCrickets. Like The Beatles, each member of the group was a strong singer, and they combined rock and roll with several other styles of music. Having a successful career in their native UK with nine Top-20 hits, their songs were more popular among young music fans and their parents rather than rock music fans. Released in 1969, "Hello World" is a fun one that reached #14 on the UK charts, featured in this live performance from 1970 (including "My Little Lady" and "Here Comes My Baby").
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So I just recently discovered this San Francisco group (thanks again, Uncle Bill!), and I can't believe I'd been missing out on this delightful music. Sopwith Camel is one of the first "psychedelic" rock bands to get a recording contract with a national record label, however, their "old-timey" sound was more reminiscent of the early songs of The Lovin' Spoonful rather than typical psychedelia. From their first album (and only album from the '60s), the vaudevillian "Hello Hello" became the first hit single to emerge from the San Francisco rock scene, reaching #26 on the US pop charts in January 1967 and #9 in Canada. Playing vintage rock in a wintery setting, here's the only footage I've seen of these guys from this era.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This next classic 'Hello' song is brought to you by The Doors from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. Released as a single that June, "Hello, I love You" reached #1 in the U.S. where it sold over a million copies, and hit #1 in Canada. It was also the group's first big hit in the UK, hitting #15 on the chart. While some skeptics believed the song's musical structure was stolen from The Kinks' "All the Day and All of the Night", which does have a similar riff, Doors guitarist Robby Krieger (who wrote this song with all three band mates) said the song's vibe was taken from Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love. Here's some great footage of a rockin' psychedelic classic.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And of course, it's only appropriate to end this post with "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles. Released in November of 1967, this Paul McCartney tune scored #1 on the charts in the US, UK, France, and Norway, and was the Christmas #1 (UK) of that year. Directed by McCartney, three promotional films were produced, but they were not allowed to air on the BBC because of Musician's Union strict rules about mimed performances, however, one was featured on The Ed Sullivan Show in the US. Wearing their infamous "Sgt. Pepper" uniforms, here's the fun, pop rock song that is basically about "everything and nothing" at the same (as explained by McCartney upon the song's release).
And on that note, Happy New Year, Farewell to 2011, and Hello 2012!
Although Halloween is generally too creepy for me, here's a fun-filled (and I mean full!) post of some innocent, 1960s spookiness.
We're kicking this post off with a Halloween pop favorite, the novelty song "Monster Mash." During the early 1960s, Bobby "Boris" Pickett was an aspiring actor who first gained attention with his Boris Karloff impressions while singing with a band called The Cordials. Composed together with guitarist Leonard Capizzi, Pickett recorded the "Monster Mash" with session musicians credited as "The Crypt-Kickers," and this monster-themed tune reached #1 on the charts in October of 1962, just in time for Halloween. Seeing Pickett's crazy facial expressions are crackup, though you're almost kind of relieved when you finally see him smile at the end (reminds me of the "first Darrin Stephens" from Bewitched in the mid-1960s).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This next creepy tune is brought to you by The Turtles before they scored their best-known hit ("Happy Together") in 1967. Released as a single in May of 1966, "Grim Reaper of Love" barely made the Billboard charts since it was clearly too dark for record-buying public. Written by Turtles lead guitarist Al Nichol and bassist Chuck Portz, it's actually a pretty cool and haunting song with the verses metered in a 5/8 feel (some nerdy musician language for ya).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And who can forget one of the strangest families on 1960s television? Based on Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons,The Addams Family TV series ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966 on ABC, and were often compared to their working-class rivals, The Munsters (that TV theme featured during Surf Rock Week). Composed by American TV and film composer Vic Mizzy (who also wrote the theme to Green Acres), this finger-snappin' tune is still remembered generations later.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next up is a "spooky little" cover by "The White Queen of Soul," British singer Dusty Springfield. Originally an instrumental song played a saxophonist, the best-known version of "Spooky" was actually by The Classics IV, whose jazz fusion/pop rendition reached #3 on the charts in 1968. Unfortunately no decent videos of The Classics IV's "Spooky" are currently available, so here's the next best cover by the beautiful and sultry Dusty, probably in the early 1970s since her signature beehive hairdo of the '60s is not included.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the most recognizable films in cinema history is Hitchcock's 1960 horror film Psycho, with Bernard Herrmann's musical score adding greatly to the tension and drama. Hitchcock himself stated that "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music." The Shower Scene is probably the most famous cue in film music, with the shrill screeching of string instruments. However (no Shower Scene today), this sound clip below is the main title of the soundtrack, an intense yet truly fantastic piece of musical art.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And of course a Halloween post deserves a typical and crazy Monkees romp (a music video precursor), featuring the foursome with classic Hollywood monsters in the episode titled "The Monstrous Monkee Mash." Although the episode first aired in January of 1968, the filming actually started on Halloween of '67. Written together by all four of The Monkees with Diane Hilderbrand, "Goin' Down" shows off Micky Dolenz's impressive (and quick) vocal skills, and was the B-side to "Daydream Believer." Sock it to me! (The individual music video has been removed from YouTube, so here's the whole episode! "Goin' Down" begins around the 20-minute mark).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First opening in August of 1969 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the Haunted Mansion is a beloved dark ride with a classically creepy theme song heard in many different variations throughout "the tour." Composed by Buddy Baker with lyrics written by Disney legend "X" Atencio, "Grim Grinning Ghosts" featured a pickup group of vocalists including Thurl Ravencroft (in the clip, the "singing bust" on its side) who is also known for singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," as well as the voice of Tony the Tiger ("they're ggggreat!"). This particular sound clip comes from the "Graveyard Jamboree" variation where the theme is played the loudest in the ride, with ghosts singing over a background loop including the 1960s-style bass line and rhythm section. In college, I actually based a music composition homework assignment on these chords because I liked the progression so much. ("Graveyard Jamboree" begins around the 10:39 mark).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To end this Spooktacular post, here's my favorite creepy song of the 1960s: "People Are Strange" by The Doors. Written by bandmates Robby Krieger and Jim Morrison, this psychedelic rock song was released as a single in September of 1967, and peaked at #12 on the Billboard charts and #10 on the Cashbox. As a teenager, I heard a cover version of this used for the opening credits of the 1980s vampire film The Lost Boys (with a teenage Keifer Sutherland!), which I think forever etched into my mind the eeriness of this tune. Showcasing The Doors' interest in the theatrical music of European cabaret, this song isn't at all Halloween-related but about alienation and being an outsider, and seems to expose Morrison's vulnerability. On that depressing note, enjoy!
Other 1960s songs that you can include in your Halloween playlist are "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones (already featured here) and The Zombies' very interesting "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" from their Odessey and Oracle LP here.
Happy Fall, everyone!
The Grass Roots were a band project created by songwriter/producer duo P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, who wanted to cash in on the up-and-coming folk rock movement of the time. After going through a couple of groups with the incorporated Grass Roots name, the third and most successful lineup was found in a band that already existed in L.A., who then took on their new role as The Grass Roots in 1967. With Rob Grill as the lead singer/bassist, this lineup went on to have 21 singles to hit the charts (a feat beat by only 9 other bands in the entire history of rock n' roll), and they actually hold the all-time attendance record for a one act U.S. concert of 600,000 people on July 4th, 1982 in Washington, DC. Blending the British beat sound with soul music, rhythm and blues, and folk rock, the group released several hits like "Midnight Confessions" in 1968. As this tune was the first of theirs to use a horn section, the group was concerned that their fans would not like the "departure" from their previous sound, however, it became their biggest hit, reaching #5 that summer. I think I may have a crush on these guys...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Led by guitarist Tom King, The Outsiders (originally named The Starfires) had a built-in advantage over the many American bands that formed in the wake of the British Invasion. Since 1958, they had already been an active rhythm and blues band in the Cleveland, Ohio music scene, sometimes playing six shows a week. With lead singer Sonny Geraci's solid voice and the band's soulful sound accompanied by a screaming brass section, The Outsiders' released "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, which peaked at #5 and remained on the charts for 15 weeks. Although the group had three other hits singles that same year and released four albums in the mid-1960s, they are falsely remembered as a one-hit wonder since this song remains prominent on 'oldies' radio playlists. Is it just me or does this lead singer look an awful lot like Chachi from the TV show Happy Days? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With singer and keyboardist Domingo "Sam" Samudio, known for wearing a robe and turban (and for hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with velvet curtains), the novelty rock group Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were formed in 1963 in Memphis, Tennessee. Written by Sam and released in 1965, "Wooly Bully" was the band's first and biggest hit, becoming a worldwide sensation and reaching #2 on the U.S. charts. Influenced by the British rock sound mixed with traditional Mexican-American conjunto rhythms, this was actually the first American record to sell a million copies during the British Invasion. It was also nominated for a Grammy and was named Billboard's "Number One Song of the Year" even though it didn't reach #1. Because the lyrics were hard to understand, some radio stations actually banned this song. By the way, the lyrics, "Let's not be L-7s," means "Let's not be squares," referring to the shape formed by the fingers making an L on one hand and a 7 on the other. Too funny!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In 1965, The Doors formed in Los Angeles, California, after a chance-meeting between fellow UCLA film school alumni, vocalist Jim Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who decided to form a band. Completely the lineup with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger, this group became one of the most controversial acts of the 1960s, mainly due to Morrison's crazy, poetic lyrics and his unpredictable yet charismatic stage presence. Even after Morrison's death in 1971 with the group eventually disbanding in '73, their popularity continues with over 90 million albums sold worldwide. After mainly recording blues rock, psychedelic rock, and hard rock, their sound shifted with the release of the symphonic rock song "Touch Me" in December of 1968, reaching #3 on the U.S. charts. Written by guitarist Krieger (who you'll notice has a black eye in this video, thanks for Morrison), this song was originally (and ironically) titled "Hit Me," but Morrison changed the lyrics in concern for the rowdy crowds at their concerts. This performance comes from one of their most famous TV appearances on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour where Morrison actually missed his cue for the lines "C'mon, c'mon" (at 1:09). Back by the Nelson Riddle Orchestra (bandleader for Frank Sinatra and many famous vocalists), this song is a blast. And I think I'd like to have a shiny belt like Jim Morrison.
Psychedelic Week: Part 1 After my last post about "Good Vibrations," I think it's a good week to look further into the genre of Psychedelic music. Well, as you could probably guess by the name, psychedelic rock is style of music that was influenced by the psychedelic culture of the mid-1960s, and even tries to imitate the experience of mind-altering drugs (which of course wasn't without its causalities). Other fusions of the genre include psychedelic folk, psychedelic pop, and psychedelic soul. Here are some of this genre's characteristics (from helpful Wikipedia):
- electric guitars, often used with feedback, wah wah and fuzzboxes;
- elaborate studio effects, such as backwards tapes, panning, phasing, long delay loops, and extreme reverb;
-exotic instrumentation, with a particular fondness for the sitar and tabla;
-a strong keyboard presence, especially organs, harpsichords, or the Mellotron (an early tape-driven 'sampler');
-a strong emphasis on extended instrumental solos or jams;
-more complex song structures, key and time signature changes, modal melodies and drones;
-surreal, whimsical, esoterically or literary-inspired, lyrics.
In 1965, when The Beatles began experimenting more with their music in the studio (as well as with "other things"), they were one of the first to use guitar feedback in "I Feel Fine" and the first to use a sitar in "Norwegian Wood" (although actually a folk song, it greatly influenced the further use of Eastern music in rock). However, one of the defining works of psychedelic rock music is "Strawberry Fields Forever." Inspired by The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" (see my last post), The Beatles released this double A-side single (with "Penny Lane") in February 1967.
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A new favorite of mine that makes great use of the trademark psychedelicwah-wah guitar sound and the phasing audio effect is "Pictures of Matchstick Men" by the English group Status Quo. Sometimes considered as an example of bubblegum psychedelia, this song was released in January of '68 and was a hit single. This performance was from England's "Top of The Pops" TV show, on which Status Quo performed over 100 times throughout their career.
When I think of the psychedelic '60s, one of the first band that comes to mind is the San Francisco group Jefferson Airplane, and particularly their breakout successes, "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love." And just your luck, I found a video that includes both performances, as featured on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. From the album Surrealistic Pillow released in February 1967, "White Rabbit," a psychedelic/acid rock song, was written by the group's lead female singer Grace Slick, and her husband, Darby Slick, wrote "Somebody To Love;" both are classic songs of the counterculture movement, included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Alright, so here come some of the "heavies."
A significant 1960's "power trio" (besides Cream with Eric Clapton) was the psychedelic rock group The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Written and originally recorded by folk rocker Bob Dylan, this cover of "All Along The Watchtower" was released in September 1968 and since has been voted the #5 song in Guitar World"s 100 Greatest Guitar Solos, as well as #48 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. One of the greatest electric guitarists in music history, Jimi Hendrix unfortunately died an early death two year later in 1970, but he remains one of the most influential musicians that made use of guitar feedback and wah-wah pedal like never before.
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Another sad causality of the psychedelic era was Jim Morrison, lead singer of the American rock band The Doors, who died in 1971. Released in April 1967, one of The Door's first #1 single was the psychedelic/acid rock "Light My Fire," another song on the Rolling Stone's “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list. Here's the infamous Ed Sullivan Show performance, after which the group was banned from further appearances on the show because they did not change the word "higher," as requested by the producers.
And finally, my last featured group today is Janis Joplin with the San Francisco-based, psychedelic/blues-rock group Big Brother and the Holding Company, giving a great live performance of "A Piece of My Heart." Although originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967, the song gained greater mainstream attention after Janis and the gang released their cover on the summer of '68 album Cheap Thrills, reaching #12 on the U.S. pop chart, and it is another song on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. Just a few weeks after Jimi Hendrix's death in 1970, Janis was also found dead at the age of 27, the same ages as Jimi and Jim Morrison (as well as Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones; see 27 Club).
Since this is probably only a third of the songs I've picked out for this week, I should probably end this post (finally, right?). Hopefully you're not in psychedelic overload because there's still some great tunes to come!
