Mike’s Letter A

I’m without a turntable right now. This is having a negative impact on my life. A very negative impact. I’m not happy right now. So this is some stuff I remember as being really fing good, even if it really sucks to have to listen to it on a tinny goddamn computer. Or, I’ve got it on CD.

Songs

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (Arcade Fire). Don’t listen to this on youtube, please. You’ve got the album, play it. Don’t know how I forgot about this one as a side one track one. There may not be a better one.

Cuckoo Bird (Clarence Ashley). The version with Doc from the early 60s, although the first recording from the Anthology is pretty great too. When Ashley returned in the early 60’s he was asked to re-record this for his first release. He refused and said he’d have to practice it for a while to get it perfect. Here it is, perfect, a year and a half later.

Firebird Mail (Roy Acuff)

Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC)

Autumn Leaves (Cannonball Adderley)

Oh My Sweet Carolina (Ryan Adams)

Whatevershebringswesing (Kevin Ayers)

Hold Your Head Up (Argent)

Beautiful (Christina Aguilera)

Sleepwalker’s Timeless Bridge (Amon Duul II). I like a lot of their songs if not entire albums and this one benefits by the lack of vocals/lyrics for at least the first three minutes.

Albums

Albion Country Band–Battle of the Field (“New St. George/La Rotta“)

Akron/Family–Akron/Family.

Laurie Anderson–Big Science

Laurie Anderson–Homeland

Albert Ayler–Lorrach, 1966

Art Ensemble of Chicago–Urban Bushmen

Muhal Richard Abrams–1-OQA+19

King Sunny Ade–Ju Ju Music

Asleep at the Wheel– Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

Albert Ayler–Spiritual Unity

Mike’s 1970

Songs

Again decided to restrict myself to songs that did not appear on my top ten albums. It allows me to cover more artists here and in some cases, talk about some additional albums of note:

1. Machine Gun-Band of Gypsys

Oh Christ. This IS the greatest guitar work ever laid down on vinyl.

2. Dear Betty Baby-Mayo Thompson

The arrangements on Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter album from 1970 completely ruined a similar and otherwise lovely batch of Drake songs, whereas this Joe Dugan arrangement is unobtrusive and gorgeous. For some reason the youtube version does not do this song justice so no link. Not on Spotify either, darn it.

3. Child in Time-Deep Purple

I’ve noted it before on this blog; I simply cannot restrain myself when I hear some songs. I become lunatic and inspired. For this one, when Ian takes it up an octave at around 2:50, and again around 8:35, with the swirling Lord organ, I lose all control. I’m screaming along just fine to that point and although I know I can’t possibly reach the note, I try. If I’m wearing headphones, which I usually am when I play this, everyone else leaves the house. If I’m not wearing headphones, I get an embarrassed look that says, ok, here we go again, just how far are you going to be taking this. This is Wagnerian. Like others here, I cherish these moments in recorded history. They alone make life worth living, don’t they?

4. 54-46 Was My Number-Toots & the Maytals

Whenever I need a pick-me-up…

5. (They Long To Be) Close To You-Carpenters

Perfect songcraft.

6. I Am The Walrus-Spooky Tooth

7. It Ain’t Easy-Ron Davies

The album—Silent Song Through the Wood—is at the top of my wishlist. This song completely annihilates the Bowie version. Other songs serve as templates Bowie would mine, especially on Hunky Dory. The guitar riff on Andy Warhol, for example, is copped from the song “Silent Song…”.

8. Let’s Burn Down the Cornfield-Lou Rawls

I struggled between choosing the Newman original and this one. The Newman is a minimalist masterpiece, with every musical note, especially the Cooder slide and the Milt Holland percussion, intended to scare shit out of you. The lyrics could be the first paragraph of a great Harry Crews novel. The muddy production detracts from most of the songs on the Newman album, but it adds to the spookiness of this one.

The Rawls version includes a fiery guitar solo that I could swear is uncredited Duane Allman–he was on everything else in 1970–and a fierce horn section. And there’s the Rawls vocal with the immaculately precise timing.

9. The Way I Feel-Fotheringay

Impossible to choose between this and a bunch of other great British folk from this year: Mr Fox, Forest, Pentangle (“Lord Franklin”–Isn’t this the song, if not the version, we heard Brent on the ferry on Lake Champlain?), Fairport (“Sloth”)…Not to mention the other folkie stuff that I love that missed this list. My favorite Joan Baez song of all-time, maybe because it is so unlike most everything else she’s done, “Jolie Blond”, off one of my favorite Joan Baez albums (One Day at a Time). I also had to leave off what I thought, before this exercise, might be my favorite song of all time, Loudon Wainwright’s “School Days”. I can only justify its exclusion because there is a better version later with his son, daughter and ex-wife on the great McGarrigle Hour album.

10. Woodstock–Joni Mitchell

Just missed:

Dance in the Smoke-Argent

What do you know; one song from Argent nearly made each of my calendar year lists. You might think I’m a huge Argent fan. I’m really not. When I pull out this first album, it is usually only to play this song, although I’ll occasionally put the needle down on song 2 (“Liar”) and let it play through “Schoolgirl” and the rest of the first side to this song. The rest of the album is pretty good too but there is only so much time, right, and so why not just play Odyssey and Oracle instead?

 Albums

1. Plastic Ono Band-John Lennon (“God“)

2. Moon Dance-Van Morrison (“Into the Mystic“)

Side A may be the greatest side of music and lyrics ever released. Side opener, “And It Stoned Me”-awakening, and indestructible youth. Side closer, “Into the Mystic”-recollection and resumption of youthful spirit.

3. Fun House-The Stooges (“Dirt“)

Someone else said: “If all of the great albums in rock history came together and formed like Voltron, this would definitely be the balls.”

4. Bitches Brew-Miles Davis (“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down“)

5. Morrison Hotel-The Doors (“Waiting for the Sun“)

This is a reason why I love these opportunities to focus my listening. I hadn’t played this in 10 years or so, instead reaching for the first record more often than not. I had somehow forgotten the power of this. Every song is great.

6. Exuma-Exuma (“Dambala“)

Before hearing this, I thought Dr. John’s “The Night Tripper” was a totally unique recording. It isn’t. And this may be even better.

7. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You-Caravan

8. 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus-Spirit (“Nature’s Way“)

9. Weasels Ripped My Flesh-The Mothers of Invention (“Toad of the Short Forest“)

This was in my car cd player most of last year. One of the things I love most about the avant-garde is when it is accompanied by humor; for example, the absurdist vocal interjections on Kagel’s Hallelujah, or just about anything by Cage. This is the funniest rock/avant-garde exploration in my collection. Also has “Directly From My Heart To You” with that incomparable Sugarcane Harris violin. It enthralls even my 12 year old, if not everything that leads up to it (“Didja Get Any Onya”) or follows. My favorite Zappa record.

10. Paranoid-Black Sabbath (“Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots“)

The self-titled first release continues the theme of great side A’s with incredibly powerful but lesser side Bs (Morrison Hotel, Exuma, If I Could…, Fun House). Paranoid on the other hand culminates in my favorite Sabbath tune of all-time “Fairies Wear Boots”. For me, it never got any better than this for metal; it never got close and never will. Since my mind was completely blown in 7th grade listening to the first album on 8 track, I’ve spent 35 years trying to find doom metal equivalents. There are none (OK, none aside from Kyuss).

Missed:

After the Gold Rush-Neil Young

I can’t figure out why I don’t love this. Like Bob said in regard to Close To The Edge last month, this fatigues me. I never make it to the end without picking up the needle. Whereas Tonight’s the Night, On the Beach and Everybody Knows This is Nowhere are sometimes reckless and thereby thrilling, this album always feels relatively safe and contrived. I don’t think I’ll ever play it again.

Tea For The Tillerman-Cat Stevens

I always sort of thought Cat Stevens was a joke for some reason. His songs were certainly pleasant enough when I heard them on the radio. I bought a used copy of this when I was quite young but only played it a couple times. I think I considered it a bit twee. It sat in my sister’s room for several years.

Then a few years ago I started listening to an Archer Prewitt record my brother was trying to turn me on to. The first couple of listens I thought he sounded like Cat Stevens and said so in order to be disparaging. But my brother agreed without batting an eye, as though it was a compliment! I kept listening to the Prewitt and eventually came to regard it as one of my favorite, and most often played, records of the 2000’s. Which brought me back to Cat Stevens. If he really is anything like this Prewitt guy, maybe I should take him more seriously. I don’t know if I’d have gotten there without the Prewitt, but I’m glad I did.

Madherb (Mike’s) 1972

Albums

1. Roxy Music—Roxy Music (“Chance Meeting“)

2. Al Green—I’m Still in Love with You (“Love and Happiness“)

3. Nick Drake—Pink Moon (“Horn“)

4. Randy Newman—Sail Away (“Dayton, Ohio 1903“)

5. Willis Alan Ramsey—Willis Alan Ramsey (“Northeast Texas Women“)

6. Genesis—Foxtrot

7. Deep Purple—Machine Head (“Space Truckin‘)

8. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Will the Circle Be Unbroken (“I Saw the Light“)

9. Steely Dan—Can’t Buy a Thrill (“Fire in the Hole“)

10. Yes—Close to the Edge

Songs
1. Julius Hemphill—”Dogon A.D.”
2. Argent—”Hold Your Head Up”
3. Van Morrison—”Almost Independence Day”
4. Annette Peacock—”I’m the One”
5. J.J. Cale—”Call the Doctor”
6. Stevie Wonder—”Maybe Your Baby”
7. Kevin Ayers—”Whatevershebringswesing”
8. Matching Mole–“Starting in the Middle of the Day We Can Drink Our Politics Away”
9. Rastus—”Lucy Bluebird” (excerpt)
10. Cymande—”One More”

All of these are car-wreck songs. That is, every individual song listed and every song off of each of these albums, when I hear one in the car the accelerator hits the floor and I either erupt in a dash-pounding shout-along or the tears generously flow. I hope you enjoyed revisiting this year as much as I did. It gave me an opportunity to revisit less stellar, but still enjoyable and occasionally invigorating stuff from the era as well as the many many greats. Still didn’t get through my entire collection of records from ’72 so in some cases relied on memory.

Enjoyed listening to a variety of folky stuff from the year like Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks (including his best ever song I Scare Myself, which just missed the cut here), Tir Na Nog, Steeleye Span, Morris On. Kevin Coyne’s first solo record (Case History—almost as good as it ever got for him, offering his cracked blues, empathetic character studies of the forgotten, lost souls of the street and of the institution). There is some dispute about whether it came out in 71 or 72. I have it as part of a ‘Dandelion’ box set that offers no help. I eventually decided it was 1971 so I could fit other things. Sure would have liked to include “God Bless the Bride” from that album. I understand the Willis Alan Ramsey is finally available on CD. If I had included songs off albums I selected, at minimum two of his would have made my top ten, but it would have been damn hard to choose them, every song off that album is so damn good. For starters, check out “Northeast Texas Women”. Same goes for any of the other album selections.

Some good hard rock stuff like Twenty Sixty Six, Randy California, Mick Abrahams Band, Atomic Rooster, West, Bruce & Laing, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. None of which of course comes within spitting range of Vol. 4 or Machine Head (not to mention Live in Japan). Only one could make it here. I’ve enjoyed acquainting myself with the hard rock since living in Cleveland from 97-03. There was a Saturday morning DJ who played only hard rock from the seventies. I listened to his show for several hundred hours and swear I never heard the same cut twice.

Some great psych and prog stuff of course. Aside from the classics—Foxtrot, Close to the Edge, Roxy Music (if that belongs in this category, but it doesn’t really belong in any category, does it?), Thick as a Brick, Focus 3, maybe even Argus and Trilogy—we get the first Scorpions album (more prog/psych than metal and maybe my favorite of theirs), two Gentle Giants, and my favorite Kevin Ayers (Whatevershebringswesing) and Captain Beyond albums. Trilogy is the only ELP I’ve listened to in 20 years and an album I continue to get a tremendous kick from, critical status thankgod notwithstanding. Then there’s all the Kraut stuff which I don’t have a great appreciation for, or collection of, I’ll admit. I do like the Amon Duul 2 album Wolf City and Faust So Far quite a lot though and considered a couple cuts off each album, “Green Bubble Raincoated Man”, especially. The Matching Mole song is a great opening cut off a weak album.

As far as jazz, fallouts include three of my favorite all-time cuts by Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Blacknuss, I Love You Yes I Do, Ain’t No Sunshine), one of my favorite Herbie records based only on spotify listens (forever on my LP wishlist), Space is the Place, a groundbreaking Joe Henderson (Black is the Color), a very fine Sonny Rollins (Next Step), and by far my favorite Santana album (Caravanserai) that moved them solidly into the jazz realm. The only Santana album I ever listen to. I’ve still never heard the entire Dogon A.D. album. Not a huge fan of Weather Report, but my favorite album of theirs is here (I Sing the Body). I was surprised that the first RTF record nearly made my top ten. This is just so damn fun, the melodies and ridiculous bass that is just so volcanic and prodigious it throws you on the floor and makes you giggle, I could play it all day long. Also, an unheralded (at least in this country) Neil Ardley  album (Symphony of Amaranths).

We’ve also got the best albums by six of my favorite solo artists: T. Rex (really, how much are we attributing to his cohorts?), Al Green, Nick Drake, Annette Peacock, David Bowie and Randy Newman (happy to debate this, it’s a close call in all cases). And admirable and better efforts from other favorite all-time, first name artists: J.J. (two!), Joni, Van, Neil, Elton, Stevie (two!). (Aside, Stevie Wonder’s two 1972 releases represent the first two of what would be an unbelievable run of releases following his emancipation from the production/song selection strictures of Motown. As it happens, Waylon and Willie in 1972 began to release albums under their personal control for the first time, free from the hit-making, string-laden reaches of the Nashville studios. This artistic independence would reach its greatest fruition for all three artists in 1973 with the release of the seminal Innervisions (SW), Honky Tonk Heroes (WJ) and Shotgun Willie (WN).)

Country was still in a pretty bad state in 1972, although hope emerged: Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Young, and inklings from the aforementioned. But then The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band produced an historical document of America, and they sowed the future of Americana. I guess the Stones’ Exile fits in this category as well as any other. I keep giving it a try, but I simply don’t like it much aside from a couple songs.

Several other albums from 1972 that I don’t care for are short-list critical faves. I know I’m missing out, but at this point in my life I can only say I like Something/Anything, tolerate Ege Bemyasi, and cannot stomach On the Corner, in case you’re wondering about their exclusion. I am going to have to give Big Star another try as well someday, but have to admit I’ve tried a few times now and it’s never hit home with me.

Have to mention The Harder They Come and my favorite song off the album, “Many Rivers to Cross”. Alas, they are another casualty, along with another favorite dub song, Prince Jazzbo’s “Crab Walk”.

I nearly added a pop hit of the day, “Guitar Man”, even if it were to disqualify me from any further contributions here. That bridge, man, cheesy as it is, just takes me to a higher plane:

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along,
You want to get the meaning out of each and ev’ry song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home.

Would have liked to include a couple of my other favorite pop songs, a should-have-been pop hit, the Raspberries’ “I Reach for the Light”, and Roy Wood’s “Wake Up”. Had to drop those along with one of my favorite Elton John songs, “Rocket Man”.

On the soul side, it doesn’t get much better than 1972, does it? Aside from the great Stevie albums, two all-time classics from Al Green, great Dramatics, Spinners and War albums, the all-time soul classic “Papa was a rolling stone” and the second consecutive start-to-finish classic from Bill Withers. Holy crap, “Backstabbers” and “Love train” too from the O’Jays and another near miss, Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th street”. Then, the early strains of disco in an unheralded Chakachas album, one cut of which I nearly selected (“Jungle Fever”). Imagine hearing that on the radio in 1972. Or, hell, any of this shit. Tell me, did it really happen? I gave serious consideration to doing just a soul top ten for the year. As it stands, the genre is underrepresented here. Seriously, “Superfly”.