Tuesday, October 23, 2012

ROCK Sex: "You Are So Beautiful" - Billy Preston > Dennis Wilson > Joe Cocker



ROCK Sex says you are so bountiful.

Billy Preston is known as 'the fifth Beatle' and 'the sixth Stone', but who knew he was an adjunct Beach Boy?

_______________


In 1974, Billy jammed with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson at a party, and their ad-lib became the song, "You Are So Beautiful".

BILLY PRESTON -"You Are So Beautiful" (1974)



Later that year, Joe Cocker transformed it into his signature song.

JOE COCKER -"You Are So Beautiful" (1974)



For the next eight years, until his untimely death, Dennis Wilson closed out Beach Boys concerts with the ballad.



© Tym Stevens



See Also:

BEATLESQUE Songs: 1969-esque, with Music Player!

BRIAN WILSON-esque: All The Songs Imitating His BEACH BOYS Music Styles!, with 3 Music Players!

FUNK, The True History: 1970-1974, with 3 Music Players!


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Sunday, October 21, 2012

ROCK Sex: 'The Dreams that You Dare to Dream' - The Wizard of Oz > Electric Light Orchestra



ROCK Sex wishes upon a star.

_______________


"Somewhere over the rainbow,
skies are blue..."


In THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), the Wicked Witch of the West gets a shock when she goes for the ruby slippers.



Jeff Lynne made a concept album with the Electric Light Orchestra about a man escaping his dull life through dreams. So what's a better cover photo than this?

Electric Light Orchestra,
"El Dorado" (1974)



© Tym Stevens



See Also:

"Don't Bring Me Down" -The Animals, The Beatles, Neil Young, WAR, McCartney, ELO


BEATLESQUE Albums: 450 Alternate Universe BEATLES Albums You Need!, with 2 Music Players!

BEATLESQUE Songs: 1967-esque, with Music Player!

BEATLESQUE Songs: 1969-esque, with Music Player!

BEYOND COOL: Badfinger, the Beatles of the 1970s!, with Music Player!


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Friday, October 19, 2012

ROCK Sex: "Early In The Morning" - Louis Jordan > Elmore James > Emitt Rhodes > Nilsson > Gap Band



ROCK Sex faces each new day with a song.

Today, another cycle of 'same title, different song'!

_______________



Blues lament by the great Sonny Boy Williamson.

SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON -"Early In the Morning" (1937)



A different song, swaying between Barrelhouse and Mambo, by the devious Louis Jordan.

LOUIS JORDAN -"Early In the Morning" (1947)



Here's a fierce guitar workout of the Sonny Boy Williamson song by Rock pioneer Elmore James.

ELMORE JAMES -"Early In the Morning" (1953)



A Gospel-soaked Pop original by Bobby Darin, that had to compete with Buddy Holly's cover version!

BOBBY DARIN -"Early In the Morning" (live, 1957)



A pretty Folk ode.

PETER, PAUL, and MARY -"Early In the Morning" (1962)



Perfect Pop by Emitt Rhodes and company.

THE MERRY-GO-ROUND -"Early In the Morning" (1968)



A Baroque Pop hit.

VANITY FARE -"Early In the Morning" (1969)



An ethereal cover of the Louis Jordan song by the One-Man-Beatles.

HARRY NILSSON -"Early In the Morning" (1971)



Electro Funk by the mighty dance masters, with Blues licks.

THE GAP BAND -"Early In the Morning" (1982)



A fiery Garage Punk cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's song.

THE GORIES -"Early In the Morning" (1990)



A song as bright as a new day should be.

JAMES VINCENT McMORROW -"Early In the Morning, I'll Come Calling"" (2010)




© Tym Stevens



See Also:

"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" - Ray Charles > Gerry And The Pacemakers

"Don't Bring Me Down" -The Animals, The Beatles, Neil Young, WAR, McCartney, ELO

"I Want You!" - The Troggs, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello +

"Games People Play" - Joe South > Beach Boys > John Lennon > The Spinners > Alan Parsons

"Talk Talk!" - The Music Machine > Talk Talk

"Too Many People!" - The Hollies > The Leaves > Paul McCartney > Pet Shop Boys


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

ROCK Sex: "Love Is The Drug" - Roxy Music > Chic > Grace Jones > Duran Duran



ROCK Sex dims the light, you can guess the rest.

Today, under the influence of "Love Is The Drug".

_______________


in the mid-'70s, Roxy Music began intersecting their Art Rock with Funk, through Bryan Ferry's love of Soul music.

The quintessential "Love Is The Drug" was the game-changer.


ROXY MUSIC -"Love Is The Drug" (1975)




Nigel Rogers loved the tight terse bass sound so much that it inspired this classic by Chic.

CHIC -"Good Times" (1979)


(Many other songs were then catapulted by this song.)



The combination of angular pop with martial disco influenced PostPunk, Mutant Disco, and New Wave bands to follow.

In the nexus of Reggae Dub, Disco, and New Wave was Grace Jones with her cover version.

GRACE JONES -"Love Is the Drug" (1980)



And if you combine the two songs by Roxy Music and Chic, you have the template for Duran Duran.

DURAN DURAN -"Planet Earth" (1981)



The Duran Duran spin-off band, The Power Station, featured Bernard Edwards (producer) and Tony Thompson (drums) of Chic.




"Love Is The Drug" also inspired these variations.


THE HOT RATS (Supergrass) -"Love Is the Drug" (2009)


BALLA -"Montra" (2010)


Bryan Ferry himself remade the song in a 1920s Jazz style, which was included in Baz Luhrmann's version of THE GREAT GATSBY (2013).





© Tym Stevens



See Also:

"Good Times!" - Chic > SugarHill Gang > Queen > Defunkt > Ting Tings

"Soul Makossa" - Manu Dibango > Trovaioli >
Michael Jackson


"Don't Bring Me Down" - Ronnie Dawson > Electric Light Orchestra > Dazz Band > The Hives

ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

"Strict Machine" - Norman Greenbaum + Donna Summer = Goldfrapp


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Monday, October 8, 2012

ROCK SEX: "Too Many People!" - The Hollies > The Leaves > Paul McCartney > Pet Shop Boys


< br /> ROCK Sex brings you another round robin of 'Same title, different songs'!

Too many people in you space? Too many people in your face? Too many songs trying to keep pace.

_______________



British Invasion!


THE HOLLIES -"Too Many People" (1965)


(Strong Brian Wilson influence on this next one.)

MANFRED MANN -"Too Many People" (1968)


RONNIE BURNS -"Too Many People" (1966)


(Ronnie is actually Australian.)



Garage Rock!


LITTLE JOHN & THE MONKS -"Too Many People" (1965)


THE LEAVES -"Too Many People" (1966)




Funk!


COLD BLOOD -"Too Many People" (1970)


(Remade by Kindred.)



Boogie Rock!


PAUL & LINDA McCARTNEY -"Too Many People" (1971)


(Paul is playing all the music.)



Gospel Soul!


REVELATION -"Just Too Many People" (1975)


(Remade by Melissa Manchester.)



Alt Pop!


PET SHOP BOYS -"Too Many People" (1993)




Punk!


THE BAD SPORTS -"Too Many People" (2011)




Electro!


PRINCESS CHELSEA -"Too Many People" (2015)




There are also songs by Bobby Goldsboro, Graham Bell, Soma Holiday, Wet Wet Wet, and The Moaners.


So many people with songs called "Too Many People"! (Maybe that could be a song.)


© Tym Stevens



See Also:

"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" - Ray Charles > Gerry And The Pacemakers

"Don't Bring Me Down" -The Animals, The Beatles, Neil Young, WAR, McCartney, ELO

"I Want You!" - The Troggs, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello +

"Games People Play" - Joe South > Beach Boys > John Lennon > The Spinners > Alan Parsons

"Talk Talk!" - The Music Machine > Talk Talk



The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Saturday, October 6, 2012

ROCK Sex: "Amen Break" - How 6 Seconds From 1969 Propel All Modern Music



ROCK Sex says, Refine the past to redefine the future.

This is the catalyst for all culture and creativity.

_______________




In 1969, a Funky Soul group called The Winstons had a Top 10 hit with their song "Colour Him Father". The B-side was an instrumental called "Amen, Brother", and its drum solo became the basis for at least 1500 songs across the following decades!

You've heard it in everything, and you don't even know it.

Nate Harrison breaks it all down in his excellent video thesis.


    "I find this quite interesting. Hundreds of tracks, dozens of DJs, a number of clubs and events, in effect an entire subculture- based on this one drumbeat. I mean, based on six seconds from 1969."

- NATE HARRISON

-"Video explains the world's most important 6-second drum loop" (2004)



(excerpt:)
    "During the '80s, when DJs plundered old Jazz and R'n'B records looking for samples, HipHop music in particular and Electronic music in general were not the Pop phenomena and moneymakers we know them as today.

    There seemed to be a brief few sort-of glory years back then, when the novelty of sampling and the rate at which it was being employed as a new technique proved faster than the rate at which any sort of copyright bureaucracy could maintain the law. Older bits of sampling were appropriated, perhaps under the assumption of their being able to be freely used, in the spirit of a pledge to new forms.

    In other words, sampling was not seen as simply rehashing past sounds, but as an attempt to make new from something old, an artistic strategy as time-honored as creativity itself.*

    Only when these Urban forms started receiving a lot of attention and making a lot of money did people and -more importantly- Corporate bigwigs who held the copyrights to much of the back catalog of contemporary American music start cracking down on copyright violation."

© Nate Harrison, 2004.

> Nate Harrison's thesis and installation


*(italics mine)



Like the "Apache" break beat, the "Amen Corner" break is a timeless creation continually being redefined into the future.




© Tym Stevens



See Also:

ROCK Sex: "APACHE", HipHop's Sacred Secret Beat! - Bongo Band > Bambaataa > EVERYONE EVER

"Sing A Simple Song" - Sly Stone > Jimi Hendrix > James Gang > P-Funk > Chili Peppers > Public Enemy

"Good Times!" - Chic > SugarHill Gang > Queen > Defunkt > Ting Tings

ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Thursday, October 4, 2012

JAZZ Sex: "How High The Moon" - Les Paul and Mary Ford > Sarah Vaughan > Charlie Parker > Miles Davis > John Coltrane



ROCK, er, um, JAZZ Sex takes you to the moon, Alice.

Today, we measure "How High The Moon".

_______________


"How High The Moon" came from a Broadway revue called "Two For the Show" (1940) and quickly became a standard.


One of the greatest versions was by Les Paul and Mary Ford. The sonic wizards multi-tracked her angel chorals and his electronic guitar tones in a way that sounded as otherworldy to 1950s radio audiences as they do today.

Paul's quicksilver and fierce leads influenced all the Jazz and Rock'n'Roll that would follow.

LES PAUL and MARY FORD -"How High the Moon" (1951)



Ella Fitzgerald did the song many times, and here Sarah Vaughan does a fun homage to Ella's adventurous scatting.

SARAH VAUGHAN -"How High the Moon" (live, 1957)



Bebop pioneers often played the standards straight at dancehalls, and free-associated radically off of their chord structures in Bebop nightclubs.

New songs rose out of "How High the Moon" like these varied classics.


CHARLIE PARKER -"Ornithology" (1946)



MILES DAVIS -"Solar" (1954)



JOHN COLTRANE -"Satellite" (1960)



Outta sight!


© Tym Stevens



See Also:

Herbie Hancock > Mongo Santamaria > Herbie Hancock

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" - Horace Silver > Earth Wind & Fire > Steely Dan > Stevie Wonder > Madlib

"PHYSICAL GRAFFITI" - Led Zeppelin > Branford Marsalis > Rolling Stones


Revolution 1950s: The Big Damn Bang of Rock'n'Roll!


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

LADIES FIRST: "Mind Your Own Business" - Delta 5 > Chicks On Speed > Pigface



LADIES FIRST respects the classic songs that 'she did first'.

Today, everyone needs to "Mind Your Own Business".

_______________


Straight out of Leeds, with Funk-influenced PostPunk like their compatriots Gang Of Four, here is Delta 5.

DELTA 5 -"Mind Your Own Business" (1979)



Here's Chicks On Speed getting into their business.

CHICKS ON SPEED -"Mind Your Own Business" (2000)



Also getting their noses in it are Pigface, a rotating supergroup centered around Martin Atkins and William Rieflin.

PIGFACE -"Mind Your Own Business" (2003)



Others on the block automatically horning include this band. (Note the cheeky use of the bass from "I Hear It Through The Grapevine").

AUTOMATIC -"Mind Your Own Business" (2019)



"No."



© Tym Stevens



See Also:

Kraftwerk > Trouble Funk > Afrika Bambaataa > New Order

DOCTOR WHO Theme - Delia Derbyshire > Gary Glitter > KLF > Human League

"Chase the Devil Out of Earth!" - Max Romeo > Lee Perry > The Prodigy

LADIES FIRST: "Kultes Klares Wasser" - Malaria! > Chicks On Speed


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist