Musical palate cleanser, word association edition

Upon reading that Chuks Amaechi’s first name is Nigerian for “only God knows”, this was the first thing that jumped into my head:

If Brian Wilson never wrote another song besides “God Only Knows”, he’d still be a genius.

Musical palate cleanser, she’s got a dog that won’t bite edition

I saw Delbert McClinton last night.  It’s the best show I’ve ever seen a 74-year old man put on.  It’s always a pleasure to watch a guy who loves to perform and connect with his audience.  He and his band definitely didn’t mail in a single note.

I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure of listening to his stuff before.  He works around the area where honky-tonk and R & B converge and he’s got a voice that’s made in America.  He’s been at it for decades, so needless to say he’s got as rich a song catalog as anyone out there.

Here’s a taste.  It’s the song he closed with last night and it’s one of my favorites, the slightly Stones-y “Every Time I Roll The Dice”.  Enjoy.

Musical palate cleanser, at least they’re not dead yet edition

I thought I’d get off the R.I.P. kick I’ve been on lately, and turn to the merely old.

From 1965, here are the Rolling Stones on tour in Ireland with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”.

This is why even men of the cloth fall in love with rock ‘n’ roll.

The clip is from a documentary DVD called Charlie Is My Darling.  Per Wikipedia,

The 64 minutes documentary follows the group from their car trip out of London to Heathrow Airport, and from there to Dublin where they had two concerts at the Adelphi Theatre on 3 September. The next day they take a train up to Belfast for two concerts at the ABC Theatre, before returning to London by plane the following day.

Besides stage shots from the concerts (where the second Dublin concert ends in total chaos as fans storm the stage), the film contains scenes from a hotel room in Dublin (where Keith and Mick for fun do a few Beatles songs as well as a couple of their own), scenes from their train trip to Belfast, another impromptu song session by a piano (with both Keith and Andrew Oldham playing the piano while Mick impersonates Elvis Presley and sings Fats Domino’s version of “Blueberry Hill“), and finally their flight back to London. Intermixed with this are interviews with the band members where they talk about fame, fans and future.

Like the clip?  Okay, here’s another one – “The Last Time”.

Jagger’s move with the jacket is classic.

Musical palate cleanser, up where he belongs edition

Joe Cocker, R.I.P.:

His early tours — particularly “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” in 1970, which was documented in a live album and film of the same name — were rowdy affairs, awash in both drugs and the artistic excesses of the era. The sprawling “Mad Dogs” entourage included not only more than 30 musicians, among them the keyboardist and songwriter Leon Russell and the drummer Jim Keltner, but also spouses, babies and pets.

At the same time, Mr. Cocker’s onstage contortions had, for better or worse, become his signature. John Belushi performed a sendup on “Saturday Night Live” in 1975 that ended with his convulsing on the floor; the next year Mr. Cocker performed Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright” on the show, joined by Mr. Belushi in imitation.

Asked about his mannerisms in an interview last year with The Guardian, Mr. Cocker said that they “came with my frustration at having never played guitar or piano.” He added: “It’s just a way of trying to get feeling out. I get excited, and it all comes through my body.”

I can’t think of any better example of all that than this version of “Cry Me A River”, which converted a slow, sultry tune into… well, something very different.

This death shit’s for the birds, by the way.  Sigh.

Mark Bradley is puzzled.

And I am amused.  Troll be trolled, man.

Musical palate cleanser: “Okay, let’s get Bob back in the band.”

You may not be familiar with the name Bobby Keys.  But if you’re someone like me who thinks ’70s era rock is the shiznit – yes, I’m old – then you ought to have some appreciation for how big a deal a guy who could make an argument to being the best rock saxophone player ever was.  He contributed on so many seminal tracks, like this one from the “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” Tour, with Joe Cocker and Leon Russell:

But his biggest claim to fame will always be his work with the Rolling Stones.  (Dunno about you, but reading Keith Richards eulogizing over someone who died from the long-term effects of overindulgence is sad, weird and ironic all at the same time.  But I digress.)  Keys played on so many Stones songs that he might as well have been considered as much of an unofficial member of the band as Ian Stewart was.  Think I’m exaggerating?  Well, Keys was someone who contributed enough that a post like this isn’t a stretch in any conceivable sense.

That list has “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” in the top slot, but I’ll take another song from Sticky Fingers as my favorite Keys bit.  (Keef calls it “the most perfect rock & roll solo.”)

The final word:  As Bob said, “It’s time for the last roundup.”  R.I.P., my man.  You had a helluva run.

Musical palate cleanser, damn it, not another one edition

Ian McLagan, R.I.P.

This shit is getting old.  Mortality sucks.

Most folks’ familiarity with McLagan stems from his work in the ’70s with Faces and Rod Stewart, but today’s clip comes from the Small Faces, when Steve Marriott fronted the band.  It’s my favorite song of theirs, “Tin Soldier”.

I swoon every time I hear that electric piano intro.

As a bonus, here’s the tune again in 2011, during the Faces reunion tour.  McLagan still has the touch.