Woohoo! I'm so excited about this post since it's quite a unique theme (I think): songs with 'Jack' in the title! Interestingly, five of these six songs are performed by artists east of the Atlantic.
Alright, we're starting with a real poptastic tune by those energetic Brits of Manfred Mann. Originally performed by John Simon for the 1968 counter culture semi-documentary You Are What You Eat, The Manfreds really
spiffed up "My Name is Jack" for a single that same year. This "Greta Garbo Home for Wayward Boys and Girls" mentioned in the lyrics was an actual building in San Francisco but was more of a hippie hotel than a children's home. While it was a #8 hit in the UK, the US single was recalled when Mercury Records complained about the phrase "Super Spade" in the lyrics, which referred to a Haight-Ashbury drug dealer. The release was delayed by a week until the offending name was re-recorded as "Superman." Performing on the German TV show The Beat Club, "My Name is Jack" features Manfred Mann himself on keyboards, Mike d'Abo on lead vocals, and Klaus Voorman on bass (dear friend of The Beatles who designed their Revolver album). My kid knows all the words to this happy tune!
If you like the British psych/garage band genre, you'll surely enjoy The Smoke, a short-lived English group that existed from 1965-67. With the exception of being big in Germany, they never really broke internationally, but the quartet did have one hit with "My Friend Jack" in 1967 (#2 in Germany, #45 in UK), which is interpreted by some as an LSD anthem (something about Jack eating sugar lumps?). Whether that's the case (and The '60s Beat does not promote drug-use!), it's a pretty good tune with cool, echoing fuzz guitars, trippy lyrics, and killer riff. Here's more great footage from The Beat Club.
This next little gem is brought to you by Four Jacks and a Jill, a South African folk rock ensemble. They originally formed in 1964 without a "Jill" under a different name. Later, they added lead singer Glenys Lynne and changed the group's name. After scoring a hit in their native country, they cracked the American charts in 1968 with the song "Master Jack," the Billboard chart at #18 and #3 on the contemporary chart. The song also reached #5 on the Cashbox and went to #1 in South Africa, Canada, Malaysia, and Zimbabwe. With prophetic lyrics from 1968, this sweet tune by Four Jacks and a Jill has a poignant message about South African politics.
Here's the upbeat "Happy Jack" by The Who, a #3 hit in the UK and #24 in the US in the spring of 1967. It's composer, Pete Townshend, can be heard at the end of the song shouting "I saw you!" and it is said that he was noticing drummer Keith Moon trying to join in secretly to add his voice to the recording, something the rest of the band disliked. Townshend reported the song is about a man who slept on the beach where he vacationed as a kid. The kids on the beach would laugh at the man and once buried him in the sand. However, the man never seemed to mind and only smiled in response. Featuring Moon's energetic drummer, here's a great footage of The Who performing "Happy Jack," live at The Marquee in '67.
Percy Mayfield's tune, "Hit the Road Jack," was made famous by America singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles with the Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendricks. The song, which has a strong beat, is a brief, rather comic duet
between a fed-up woman and her good-for-nothing man. He tries to wheedle
her into letting him stay, but she will have none of it, "'cause it's
understood: you ain't got no money, you just ain't no good. Charles' recording hit #1 for two weeks on the Billboard chart in October 1961, as well as #1 on the R&B chart, and also got the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. Ranked among Rolling Stones magazine's"500 Greatest Songs of All Time," here's a great live performance of "Hit the Road Jack."
And our final 'Jack' song of the day is no other than the good ol' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song is considered by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding albums. Recorded and released in spring of 1968, this Jagger/Richard's tune is one of the group's most popular and recognizable songs, featured in films and covered by numerous artists including Aretha Franklin. With a distinctive guitar sound, as well as one of the greatest guitar licks of all time, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" reached the top of chart in the UK and #3 in the US, and has been performed on every Stones tour since its release. Here's one of The Stone's promo videos from 1968 that showcases the band lip-syncing and wearing interesting make-up. Oh, you guys...
British Invasion: Part 8
Formed in 1961 in a St. Albans' grammar school, the English rock band that probably sounded the most British among the "Invaders" was The Zombies. After The Beatles, this band's music has some of the most wonderful melodies of the era, using minor-key and jazz-influenced chord progressions with 3-part vocal harmonies. With Colin Blunstone's distinct, breathy lead vocals and the wizardry behind Rod Argent's keyboard skills, it's a shame these guys remain so under-rated. Okay, so maybe I'm a little partial. After winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, The Zombies were signed to the Decca record label and released their first single, "She's Not There," in July 1964. Written by Rod Argent, this song's most distinctive features include Argent's electric piano and the folk-influenced close-harmony style, and of course makes the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
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Formed in 1962, The Hollies were a English pop and rock group from Manchester that we known for their distinct, bright vocal harmonies and chose their name in honor of Buddy Holly. Although they were one of the leading British groups in the 1960's and 70's, they were also one of the last major groups during the Invasion to have significant chart success in the US. Like The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, they're among the few British bands of the early 60's that never officially broke up and continue performing and recording today. Released in May 1967, "Carrie Anne" was among the group's many Top-Ten hits, written by the band members Graham Nash (who would later go on to form Crosby, Stills, & Nash), Allan Clarke, and Tony Hicks. Recorded in Abbey Road Studios and actually written about Marianne Faithfull (another British Invasion artist), this pop tune is just one of The Hollies' varied sound throughout their long-running music career.
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A band that's appeared a few times around here is the Small Faces, one of the most influential mod groups of the 1960's. Founded in East London in 1965, their music from the mid to late 60's remains among the most acclaimed British psychedelic/mod music of the era. Released in August 1967, the psychedelic pop song "Itchycoo Park" became one of the group's biggest hits. Written by the band's Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, 'itchycoo' was the nickname of the stinging nettles in the park they would play in as kids, however, a certain line about "getting high" caused a temporary ban by the BBC. This song was also the first to use the super-cool audio effect called flanging, the layering of the recording on itself at different speeds (listen at :49). Definitely another fun one by a creative group.
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Formed in 1964, one of the greatest rock bands of the 1960's (and beyond) was The Who, known for their energetic live performances and even instrument destruction. Initially influenced by American R&B and skiffle styles, the group was mainly fueled by guitarist Pete Townsend's creative force and songwriting, going on to sell over 100 million records and chart 47 Top-Forty singles in the UK and US. Released in December 1964 in the US (and January '65 in the UK), the rock/power pop song "I Can't Explain" was the group's first single and hit under the name The Who, a recording influenced by The Kinks' sound (who also shared the same American producer Shel Talmy) and another included in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. With Roger Daltrey's powerful voice, John Entwistle's aggressive sound on bass, and Keith Moon's forceful drumming, it's no wonder these guys have had continued success for decades, and this tune continues to be the group's staple at live performances today.
Well, Psychedelic Week has quickly come and gone (not to mention, my computer contracted a virus in the midst of my blogging!), and I am without the time to go into further details about the following psychedelic songs. If you've been diggin' this week's music, here are some more groovy tunes for you to enjoy: From 1967, it's the #1 psychedelic pop hit, "Incense and Peppermints" by Los Angeles group, Strawberry Alarm Clock (can't get more psychedelic than a name like that!). One of the group's guitarists, Ed King, would later go on to join the band Lyrnyrd Skynyrd. Sorry about the poor video quality.
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The English rock band, The Who, also had a hit in 1967 with "I Can See For Miles," their biggest US hit to date. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, this psychedelic/early hard rock song was difficult to perform live because of the complex vocal harmonies, so this video was a mimed performance from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. One of the greatest rock bands in music history, this isn't the last you'll hear about these guys.
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As an Ohio-based psychedelic pop band, The Lemon Pipers had a #1 hit with "Green Tambourine," also released in 1967. Also considered the first bubblegum pop chart-topper, this song has an electric sitar and a cool, psychedelic effect, the tape echo. --------------------------------------------------
Spirit, an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1967. Sometimes considered more of an underground band, "I've Got A Line On You" was a big hit in 1969. My dad loves this group and introduced me to this song in more recent years. Spirit (and the band Poco) actually performed at his high school in Orange County around 1969 or '70! How cool is that? Definitely a great tune!
Also from the Los Angeles area, The Electric Prunes were probably the first to gain international success as an experimental psychedelic group. Their second single, “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” was a hit psychedelic rock song released in November 1966, a tune that became influential in garage rock later in the 1970’s. Although I grew up listening to tons of music from the ‘60s, I’m actually more familiar with the cool cover version by Webb Wilder.
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Another group influential in the development of heavy metal and progressive rock is the psychedelic rock, Amboy Dukes, from Michigan. From 1968, the group is probably best remembered for their hit single, "The Journey to the Center of the Mind." Groovy stuff, folks!
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And before things get too trippy, the last band of the day is the American rock band, The 13th Floor Elevators. Also vital in the history of garage rock and punk rock development, these guys were considered one of the first psychedelic rock groups of the 1960's, releasing "I'm Gonna Miss You" in January 1966.
Well, if that hasn't hit the psychedelic spot, be sure to check out these other bands on YouTube: The Blue Magoos, The Chambers Brothers ("Time Has Come Today"), Cream, Eric Burdon & The Animals, The Idle Race, The Moody Blues ("The Best Way to Travel"), early Pink Floyd ("Arnold Layne"), Small Faces, Steppenwolf, Traffic, and The Yardbirds.
Although I pretty much have all the posted tunes on my iPod, I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan of some of the real heavy stuff, however, I appreciate its significance in music history in setting the foundation for many genres to follow. I think seeing "who" influenced "what" is one of the most fascinating things about 1960's pop music. Hopefully, Psychedelic Week has been as interesting to you as it has to me!
And our final 'Jack' song of the day is no other than the good ol' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song is considered by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding albums. Recorded and released in spring of 1968, this Jagger/Richard's tune is one of the group's most popular and recognizable songs, featured in films and covered by numerous artists including Aretha Franklin. With a distinctive guitar sound, as well as one of the greatest guitar licks of all time, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" reached the top of chart in the UK and #3 in the US, and has been performed on every Stones tour since its release. Here's one of The Stone's promo videos from 1968 that showcases the band lip-syncing and wearing interesting make-up. Oh, you guys...
