#42 Ian Gomm "Hold On" 1979

In the fall of 1979, former Brinsley Schwarz rhythm guitarist ( and co writer with Nick Lowe of "Cruel to Be Kind") Ian Gomm had a Top 20 US hit with this terrific tune. Nothing beats a bass that tumbles its way into the tune. Gomm's chart success led to his opening for Dire Straits on their Sultans of Swing tour, more albums and high expectations for a solo career that never really took off.
  But at a time when US radio offered few alternatives to disco (other than The Knack and Styx), it was nice to hear something that involved strumming guitars.The sax line I could have done without.

Six Degrees of Separation: Nick Drake to Donovan

1. In 1970, for his album Bryter Layter, Nick Drake records "Poor Boy" which features backing vocals by UK hitmaker P.P.Arnold.

2. P.P. Arnold also provides the backing vocals on the Small Faces 1967 hit "Tin Soldier", written and sung by Steve Marriott. (Marriott originally wrote it for P.P. Arnold to record but changed his mind.)





3.A 16 year old Steve Marriott--who played the Artful Dodger in the 1960 London stage production of "Oliver!"-- plays the drummer in the 1963 film "Live It Up!". The singer is Heinz Burt. The guitar player is David Hemmings.



4. In the 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film "Blow Up" Hemmings sees a Yardbirds gig. While Jeff Beck is having all kinds of problems with his guitar, Jimmy Page is chilling on stage. (There's a cleaner version of this scene here .)

5. In his session musician days Page plays guitar on this rockin 1967 cut by singer Dana Gillespie.The song is written by Donovan.

6. There is no evidence Dana Gillespie inspired Donovan's song "Superlungs (My Supergirl) " for his 1969 album, Barabajagal. But one can see how one might make the mistake

Odds And Sods: John Hartford - The Golden Globe Award

I think it's probably fair to assume that John Hartford, best known as the songwriter behind "Gentle On My Mind", is a breast man. The Grammy winning artist played banjo on The Byrds' legendary foray into country music, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and sang on the best selling soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou? Somewhere in between, he recorded this tribute to his girlfriend's breasts "Ah, those golden globes, there ain't none better / Gotta have 'em both 'cause they both go together."

#41 Don Covay Mercy, Mercy 1964

Don Covay was the original "double threat". Not only could he sing, he could drive. Covay played chauffeur for Little Richard and sometimes opened for his idol. In return Little Richard produced Covay's debut single "Bip Bip Bip"  which sank like a stone in 1957
Fast forward to 1964 and Covay, finding success as a songwriter for Jerry Butler, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Wilson Pickett gets a young Jimi Hendrix to play guitar on a new record he wrote: "Mercy, Mercy". The single, a short soulful stew of blues, groove and sweat would hit #35 on the Billboard charts.
The Rolling Stones recorded a better known cover version on Out of Our Heads. It's interesting to hear the two versions side by side. If Mick Jagger hasn't transformed himself into Covay,  he sure as hell seemed to be trying his best to make it happen.
Covay also wrote the #44 pop hit "See Saw" and "Chain of Fools" both covered by Aretha Franklin. In 1969, Covay and the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band recorded a brilliant blues-rock album called House of Blue Light. For more on that amazing album, check out this excellent review on The Rising Storm . Despite a debilitating stroke, Don Covay, mercifully,  is still with us.

Six Degrees: Herman's Hermits to The Rutles

1.In 1966 Herman's Hermits recorded "No Milk Today" by songwriter extraordinaire Graham Gouldman.

 2. In 1972 Graham Gouldman formed 10CC with his fellow Strawberry Studio session musicians Eric Stewart, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley.



  3 At about the same time they played on two Neil Sedaka albums including 1973's The Tra-La Days Are Over which featured a song Neil wrote called "Love Will Keep Us Together."

4.For four weeks in 1975 Captain and Tennille's cover of "Love Will Keep Us Together" topped the US charts. (They sang "Sedaka is back" in the fade out)

5. The Captain, Daryl Dragon. got his nickname from Mike Love when Dragon played keyboards with The Beach Boys in the early 70's. ( You can see him above). Dragon contributed the orchestrations on tracks Dennis Wilson wrote for the Beach Boys 1972 album Carl and the Passions - "So Tough".

6. Among the vocalists on that album, Holland and the live album that followed is Ricky Fataar who played the "George Harrison" character, Stig O'Hara, on The Rutles mockumentary All You Need Is Cash.
 Fataar also played on the hilarious and exceptionally catchy soundtrack released in 1978.



P.S. Rutles founder Neil Innes' former band, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, had a Top 5 UK hit in 1968 with "I'm the Urban Spaceman" which was produced by Apollo C. Vermouth aka Paul McCartney whose 1982 album, Tug of War, was recorded with the help of Eric Stewart, the 10cc band mate of Graham Gouldman.

Odds And Sods: I've Decided To Join the Air Force Today

                                      The Bee Gees I've Decided to Join the Air Force

From the 1968 album that included the hit singles "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" and "I Started a Joke" comes a song that may have seemed out of place at the height of the Vietnam War... but when, thanks to the draft,  push comes to shove:

   I've seen my friends and they all agree/
   That it's better than joining the army or going to sea


To be honest I'm trying to figure out what to do with this music blog. I enjoy finding buried treasures from the 60's and 70's but The Rising Storm already does a superb job of that. I could offer a series of songs based on a theme but Star Maker Machine ( which I contribute to) and For The Sake of The Song are both brilliant blogs by people who know far more than I do.
    So , for now, I think I will take my cue from my days at my college station where we played anything and everything.
 By the way, if you like what you hear let me know. And please buy the record!!!!

#40 Translator - Everywhere That I'm Not, 1982

I was fortunate enough to be a college radio disc jockey at the dawning of "college rock". You young'uns know it as "alternative" now. But back then, in the early 80's, college radio stations began playing music the Top 40 and classic rock stations wouldn't touch. Crazy stuff like R.E.M, U2, The Smiths and XTC.
   I spent much of the summer of 1983 in the basement of WTUL.I was drawn by the music, my new  found friends and, this being New Orleans, the air conditioning. This was the summer of the Violent Femmes, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Big Country;  of Speaking in Tongues, High Land, Hard Rain  and Punch the Clock.
  But the song that takes me back to that musty basement is this one from 1982. San Francisco's Translator didn't exactly take over the world but for four minutes and three seconds, they created perfection and defined the college rock sound.