Mike’s Favorite Drummers

My two favorite drummers are Phil Collins (Genesis–Back in NYC, Eno—Sky Saw) and Elvin Jones. Genesis’ Selling England by the Pound was, for a large portion of my life, among my favorite records. A big reason is that, even after listening to it hundreds of times, I could still be surprised by interesting little percussive elements that I hadn’t noticed before. It is one of the few albums I put on now just to listen to the drums.

As far as Jones, I think Mingus once said that he never plays on the beat but around it, or that he never plays the beat where it is, but rather he paints a picture that makes you feel it’s there while providing enough other stuff around it to keep you interested. Great examples abound, but try anything off the relatively unheralded Coltrane LP Sun Ship, especially Dearly Beloved.

I don’t really know Steve Gadd very well, but most every time I’ve ever encountered him on record, his technicality takes my breath away. One of my favorite drum tracks has to be Steely Dan’s Aja, which thrills me to no end.

There are more than a million completely interchangeable rock drummers out there. Put them in another band and you wouldn’t notice their absence or addition. Scott Krauss (Pere Ubu–Final Solution), David Robinson (15-60-75–Animal Speaks), and Paul Thompson (Roxy Music–Remake/Remodel) have similar styles—each propel songs forward in a way that requires you to attempt to pound your foot (feet) in time, no matter where you are or what you are doing, resulting in potentially awkward situations—but are unique and recognizable and certainly exceptions. They make these and so many other songs special. I think this is actually a different David Robinson than the great drummer from Massachusetts who played with DMZ and became a star with the Cars. Can anyone confirm this? I know this applies to all these guys, but I’ve just gotta say, Paul Thompson, holy crap (2 HB).

You all know what I think of John Bonham. When the Levee Breaks is still the heaviest damn thing ever put on vinyl. How is it that his drums are so much heavier than anyone else’s’? Talk about a recognizable, signature sound. For a completely different take on heaviness there is Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra–Miles Beyond).

Bill Bruford (Heart of the Sunrise) is a genius, but my favorite Crimson drummer is Michael Giles (In the Court of the Crimson King). That’s 10. I’m forgetting lots of others that it will kill me to remember.

Mike’s Notable Covers

When the Levee Breaks–Led Zeppelin (Original: Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie). A good cover song for me requires at least one of two qualities: 1. It must transform the original and/or 2. It must somehow get inside the original. If the cover does neither of these two things, it isn’t tribute, it is derogation. It is U2’s abominable Helter Skelter. I don’t want to get into the many, many songs that Led Zep never bothered attributing; I’m not entirely sure that they ever wrote an original song. But, they completely transformed everything they touched, none more than this.

At Last I Am Free–Robert Wyatt (Original: Chic). Throughout his solo career Wyatt has offered unique takes on popular songs (I’m a Believer), little known songs from popular artists (Elvis Costello’s Shipbuilding) and arcana (Stalin Wasn’t Stalling). His version of the Chic song unearths its best qualities.

America—Yes (Original: Simon & Garfunkel). The original really could not be more perfect, and while this version barely resembles it, it takes full advantage of the gorgeous melody to create an equally beautiful statement. I know this group isn’t universally admired here (am I alone?). I love how much Howe takes liberties in the recreation—his incredibly unique guitar lines, then Squire’s power and Bruford’s proficiency.

Contempt–Naked City (Original: Georges Delerue). One of my very favorite pieces of music… I’d never heard the original Delerue composition that appeared in the Godard film before hearing this. The Delerue expresses mournfulness. Zorn couples that with longing and emotion with his sax lines.

Blue Moon of Kentucky–Elvis Presley (Original: Bill Monroe). The definition of transformation.

Big Joe and Phantom 309–Tom Waits (Original: Red Sovine). Another favorite song. The original is great. The cover, nothing like it!

Mack the Knife–Dave Van Ronk (edit: It’s not a cover of the Darin version, but I like that one too. Here’s the original: Brecht/Weill, Lotte Lenya version).

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face–Roberta Flack (Original: Ewan Maccoll). Everything I love about a cover. A unique voice captures the essence of the original but brings to light intrinsic qualities not emphasized in the original.

Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain–Willie Nelson (Original: Roy Acuff)

Wild Is the Wind–Nina Simone (Original: Johnny Mathis). Live at Town Hall version. First recorded by Johnny Mathis for the film of the same name. The sensitivity of this performance breaks my heart. Other good covers: Bowie’s, Cat Power’s).

I Am the Walrus–Spooky Tooth (Original: The Beatles). You may remember how I love this. The Boris cover that dogonab lists is of course a cover of this inimitable Spooky Tooth version, not so much a cover of the original.

Little Wing–Gil Evans (Original: Jimi Hendrix)

Favorite Tribute Albums

Soupsongs Live: The Music of Robert Wyatt. Attributed to various artists but it is really Annie Whitehead’s band with a few others including Phil Manzanera and Julie Tippett.

Ubu Dance Party: A Tribute to the Music of Pere Ubu. It’s unlikely as hell – 38 bands from Ohio that you’ve never heard of, only a half dozen of which might have an official release under their belts – cover the greatest Ohio band of them all, and it works. As I recall, this was put together to benefit a musician who thought up the idea but found himself in a hospital for an extended period midway through. Must be a hell of a guy because, and not to get too sloppy about it, you can feel the love throughout. I don’t think there’s a straight cover to be found here and it’s the better for it. Well done, all, by God, and if you ever happen by one of these bands in a smoke-filled beer hall in an East Cleveland dive raise a glass to ’em because once they did a damn bit of great.

Buck Owens–Sings Tommy Collins. Somewhere around the beginning of Buck’s career he was Tommy’s guitarist. I’ll have a good time seeking out the originals as well as other, in some cases more famous, versions of these great songs. Meanwhile, this serves as a great entry point to the greatness of Buck and his Buckaroos.

Asleep at the Wheel–Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. (Blues for Dixie)

Guitar Solos

As I considered this topic over the course of the month, I had similar criteria to Tim’s with one addition: the solo must be memorable. So, after listening to hundreds of songs with solos that I thought might qualify, it is interesting that those that finally made it were the same that I probably would have listed at the beginning of the month, off the cuff. Some of these songs are overplayed, yes, and we’ve heard them a million times, but still, in every case I am transported by not just the solo but the song. Like Bob, I’m not even listing some of my favorite guitarists here: Don Rich, Sonny Sharrock, Robin Trower, Fred Frith, Richard Thompson, Frank Zappa, Steve Hackett.

Stranglehold (Ted Nugent)–Ted Nugent. 8 minutes or so of melodic guitar solo bliss.
Sailor’s Tale (Robert Fripp)–King Crimson. The only solo here that consists entirely of chords. So unlike any guitar solo that had probably ever been done before, and since! But not just groundbreaking, earth-shattering and apocalyptic. Few pieces of music have such power.
Hammond Song (Robert Fripp)–The Roches. And then here’s the other side of Fripp. Such a unique sound, it gets me on his guest solos with Bowie, Gabriel, Eno, Heads, etc.. As with all the others, this one takes an already spellbinding song and catapults it into the stratosphere. When I see this album available for $3 or so in every used record store on the planet, I am always tempted to hand it to someone along with a $5.
Starship Trooper (Steve Howe)–Yes. Could have easily selected any song off this album. Given my current listening habits–Bakersfield country–there was no way I could exclude him. As influenced by guys like James Burton and Don Rich as anyone and that is especially clear on this song.
Sultans of Swing (Mark Knopfler)–Dire Straits. Just can’t help it. Lyrical. Check the closing solo on the live Alchemy version as well.
Bohemian Rhapsody (Brian May)–Queen. Another obvious one that I could not in good conscience exclude.
Resemblances (Arto Lindsay)—Arto Lindsay. Brief but perfect noise execution.
Loan Me a Dime (Duane Allman)—Boz Scaggs. Gotta include my favorite blues solo here (especially 7:44-12 something where the song ends just when the solo REALLY gets going).
Time (The Revelator) (Dave Rawlings)–Gillian Welch. Another jaw-dropping instrumentalist who can do absolutely anything he wants with a guitar. One of dozens that I could have picked without embarrassment. I love the Welch songs where he basically solos throughout the song, the guitar acting acting as a melodic counterpoint alongside Gillian’s perfect rhythm.
Machine Gun (Jimi Hendrix)—Band of Gypsys. What can I say, just takes me completely over the edge.

Oh, and one other old favorite from a Wisconsin neighbor: Renaissance (Daryl Stuermer)–Jean Luc Ponty. Plays it like a mandolin.

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”.