Brian Eno offers vocals and word play on this track from his former Roxy Music bandmate, guitarist Phil Manzanera's first solo album, Diamond Head. Manzanera , who grew up in Latin and South America, rarely made big statements on guitar in Roxy and on Diamond Head he seems comfortable allowing others to shine. Robert Wyatt sings the opening cut, "Frontera", in drunken Spanish. Other guests include Roxy members past and present: Andy Mackay, Eddie Jobson, Paul Thompson and John Wetton.
Syl Johnson adds a little harmonica and not much else to his cover of Hi label mate Al Green's "Take Me to the River". This would be his highest charting single, peaking at #7 on the R and B charts and #48 on the pop charts.
Here are the other entries for our Top 5 Cover Versions of "Take Me To The River"
1. The Bee Gees moved into Eric Clapton's old Miami home, 461 Ocean Boulevard, as they wrote and recorded the songs on Main Course. The Kool and the Gang style chicka-chicka guitar sound was inspired by the sound the car wheels made on the Julia Tuttle Causeway: "As we crossed the bridge, the bridge went 'tickety tickety tickety tick", said Barry Gibb.
2. "We were calling it 'Jive Talkin', " said Maurice Gibb. " But being British, we thought jive was a dance, so the opening line was 'Jive Talkin', you dance with your eyes...' It was [producer] Arif Mardin who said 'Don't you know what jive talk is? He explained that it was black slang for bullshitting, so we changed the lyric to 'Jive Talkin, you're telling me lies".
3. There were two bass lines in "Jive Talkin'", the main one was played with an ARP 2500 synth. Maurice also played bass on the cut. The Bee Gees Biography author David N Meyer wrote the ascending and descending bass lines were borrowed from the Sly Stone produced "You're The One" by Little Sister.
4. By this point in their career The Bee Gees were so cold, RSO execs decided to revive a trick they used to promote "New York Mining Disaster 1941". They released the single to radio stations on a white label. DJ's wouldn't know the name of the artist until they placed the single on the turntable.
5. "Jive Talkin'" b/w "Wind of Change" hit #1 in the US on the week of August 9, 1975. The single peaked at #5 in the UK. Other singles from Main Course, "Nights on Broadway" (US#7) and "Fanny ( Be Tender With My Love)" (US#12) sealed the deal. The Bee Gees were back. Later in the year Rufus featuring Chaka Khan covered "Jive Talkin'".
If you want to know why Punk Rock was inevitable, look no further than the UK top ten this week in 1975. Yes, 10cc's "I'm Not in Love" is one of the most extraordinary tunes of the entire year, but the rest of this list is filigree and fluff.
Another band playing the pub rock scene, Kokomo offered blue eyed soul of such a fine order Columbia record execs expected the group to surpass the Average White Band in sales. No lack of talent here with five singers and five songwriters. "Anytime" hits my sweet spot. It almost sounds like it could be playing on the radio right now.
In 1975 the future Elvis Costello was playing around London as D.P. Costello in his pub rock band Flip City . They also recorded various demos that would appear on his early albums. Married with a child, he had high hopes of leaving his computer operating job at an Elizabeth Arden cosmetics factory ( later disparaged as a "vanity factory" in "I'm Not Angry").
In 2000 a much more serious and mature Costello put the following 1975 albums into a list he made for Vanity Fair of his 500 Favorite Albums. The song selections are his.
TONY BENNETT and BILL EVANS: The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album (1975), “Some Other Time.”
MILES DAVIS and STAN GETZ and LEE KONITZ: Conception (1975), “Ezz-thetic.”
BOB DYLAN: Blood on the Tracks (1975), “You’re a Big Girl Now”
The Basement Tapes (1975), “Nothing Was Delivered”
EMMYLOU HARRIS: Elite Hotel (1976), “One of These Days"
JOHN LENNON: Shaved Fish (1975), “Instant Karma!”
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS:Natty Dread (1975), “Lively Up Yourself.”
KATE AND ANNA McGARRIGLE: Kate and Anna McGarrigle (1975), “Go Leave.”
THE METERS: The Best of the Meters (1975), “Cissy Strut.”
JONI MITCHELL: The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975), “Shades of Scarlet Conquering”
THE STYLISTICS: The Best of the Stylistics (1975), “People Make the World Go ’Round.”
With England in full recession and the heroes of the Sixties churning out chum ( a collection of oldies from John Lennon? a cover of the "Crossroads Theme" on McCartney's Venus and Mars? That Tommy movie from The Who? Rick. Wakeman.), it was the right time for younger musicians to explore a new sound. Rowdy pubs offered a place to hear a stripped down roots rock sound and some of the bands who did it best were Dr Feelgood, Bees Make Honey, Joe Strummer's 101'ers and Ian Dury's Kilburn and the High Roads.
"The Roadette Song" was the lead off track from the band's debut album, released in June of 1975. It has every bit of that salacious winking Ian Dury we'd all come to enjoy with the Blockheads. Elvis Costello and the Attractions still had that number in their set list when they were touring America in 1977.
