Iron Leg for the Night Train: It Freaks Me Out!

Posted by funky16corners on January 22, 2017
Posted in: 45s, Beatles-esque Sounds, cover versions, Culture, East LA, folk rock, garage punk, Guest Mixes, Iron Leg, Mod, Music, pop, psychedelia, Rock, Sunset Strip. Leave a comment

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Iron Leg for the Night Train: It Freaks Me Out!

Playlist

Shannon Cannon – Right Back (Tou Sea)
Suzy Wallis Kisses On Paper (RCA)
Ernie and the Emperors – Got A Lot I Want To Say (Reprise)
The Bit-A-Sweet – Out of Sight Out of Mind (MGM)
Grady and Brady – Star of the Show (Planetary)
St John and the Crew – You Belong To Me (Turnette)
Webster’s New World – Henry Thachet (RCA)
The Moon – Got To Be On My Way (Minit)
Gordian Knot – If Only I Could Fly (Verve)
Show Stoppers – If You Want To, Why Don’t You (Columbia)
Maritza Fabiani – O Leilao (Polydor Brazil)
Rupert’s People – Hold On (Bell)

Listen/Download – Iron Leg for the Night Train – It Freaks Me Out! – 56MB/256kbps

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Greetings all.

 

The mix you see before you is the end result of an invitation from the folks at The Night Train Radio Show in the UK (it ran on their show this past Thursday).

I had done a guest mix in the Funky16Corners/soul stylee last year, and at the time they asked if I might return with something a little Iron Leg-gy.

That mix is ‘It Freaks Me Out!’, 30 minutes of hot garage and pop 45s (and a couple of album tracks).

There are lots of homegrown heaters, as well as a couple of very nice international treats.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all next week.

 

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Peter Sarstedt – Frozen Orange Juice b/w Aretusa Loser

Posted by funky16corners on January 15, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized. 1 Comment

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Peter Sarstedt

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Listen/Download – Peter Sarstedt – Frozen Orange Juice

Listen/Download – Peter Sarstedt – Aretusa Loser

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

Last week saw one of the first musical losses of 2017, British singer/songwriter Peter Sarstedt.

Though not very well known here in the States, he had a huge hit in the UK (and internationally) with ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)’ in 1969.

It was that song – which had the sound of early Leonard Cohen, with a very healthy dash of French chanson – that brought him some new level of fame when it was used by Wes Anderson for the soundtrack of ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ in 2007.

Sarstedt was born to a British family in India, and started in a skiffle group with his brother Clive (later known as Robin) Sarstedt, and their older brother Richard was a pop star in the UK under the name Eden Kane.

Today’s selection, ‘Frozen Orange Juice’ was Sarstedt’s follow-up hit in the UK, making it into the Top 10.

‘Frozen Orange Juice’ has the feel of some of the records by the Bee Gees or Tom Northcott from the same period. It has a wonderful arrangement – by Ian Green, who also arranged Sharon Tandy’s epic reading of ‘Our Day Will Come’ and Rosetta Hightower’s classic cover of Eddie Floyd’s ‘Big Bird’ – will all kinds of interesting touches.

Sarstedt had an engaging tenor, and a great way with lyrics.

The flip side, ‘Aretusa Loser’ has a looser, boogie feel to it that suggests a slightly later, pub rock feel (maybe even a little Stealers Wheel).

Sarstedt never had another big hit, but continued to record through the 70s and 80s, including a collaboration with his brother Clive.

He continued to perform until his retirement (due to illness) in 2010.

He will be missed.

See you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #69

Posted by funky16corners on January 8, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

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Why hello there!

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Diane Hildebrand Special

Playlist

ILRS#69

Jody Miller – He Walks Like a Man (Capitol)
Sally Field – Felicidad (Colgems)
Monkees – Auntie Grizelda (Colgems)
Monkees – Goin’ Down (Colgems)
Monkees – Early Morning Blues and Greens (Colgems)
Hondells – Yes To You (Columbia)
Lewis and Clarke Expedition – Memorial to the American Indian: Legend of the Creation, Send Me Rain, Red Cloud’s Farewell Address to His Tribe, Cherokee Indian Lament (Colgems)
Stone Country – Love Psalm (RCA)
Stone Country – Mantra (RCA)
Fountain of Youth – (Angie Love Me) Make the Hurt Go Away (Colgems)
Monkees – Merry Go Round (Orig unreleased)

Diane Hlidebrand – Jan’s Blues (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – From Rea Who Died Last Summer (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – There’s a Coming Together (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – And It Was Good (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – Early Morning Blues and Greens (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – Reincarnation of Emmalina Stearns (Elektra)
Diane Hildebrand – You Wonder Why You’re Lonely (Elektra)

Tiny Tim – The Coming Home Party (Reprise)
Ernestine Anderson and the Pree Sisters – He Says He Loves Me (UNI)
Mama Cass – Easy Come Easy Go (Dunhill)
Bobby Sherman – Easy Come Easy Go (Metromedia)
Partridge Family – Singing Our Song (Bell)
Mama Cass – All My Life (RCA)
Gary and Randy Scruggs – Oh Faith (Vanguard)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #69 – 270MB/256kbps

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Greetings all.

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Iron Leg Radio Show.

We have a very groovy, unusual one for  you this month, all running back to my digging the great (and sadly, only) album by Diane Hildebrand, and my ensuing trip down the rabbit hole discovering her extensive songwriting catalog, much of it tied to the Colgems operation.

There are a lot of very cool things in here, including a bunch that might surprise you.

As always, I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you next week.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast in iTunes!

Peace

Larry

 

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Happy Day – Everybody I Love You

Posted by funky16corners on January 1, 2017
Posted in: 45s, Culture, Iron Leg, Music, Rock, Uncategorized. 2 Comments

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Happy Day

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Listen/Download – Happy Day – Everybody I Love You

Greetings all.

The record I bring you today was a kind of a mystery to me for a while (still is, kind of).

I picked it up a while ago because it had a cover of my favorite Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song – ‘Everybody I Love You’ – on it but ws unable to track down much information on the band.

That their name – Happy Day –  was a fairly common phrase made them largely un-Google-able, and the fact that their three 45s contained more covers than they did group originals made for a very faint trail indeed.

I was finally able (after a couple of false leads) to figure out that the band was based in the Chicago area.

They recorded three 45s for the UNI label (some of which may have been released locally first) in 1970 and 1971.

Their version of ‘Everybody I Love You’ is a pretty faithful cover of the original, with some nice lead guitar and harmonies.

The flipside, ‘Retribution’ is Chicago (the band and the region) style horn-rock.

Strangely enough, they appear to have recorded their 45s in Texas. I don’t know if UNI was dragging bands down there at the time, but they are listed in a Billboard directory as having recorded at Studio III in Dallas, and the producer of one of their 45s, Norm Miller produced Texas acts like the Southwest FOB and the Gasoline Powered Clock.

If anyone has any more info on the group, please drop me a line in the comments.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

Bruce Johnston – Disney Girls

Posted by funky16corners on December 25, 2016
Posted in: Beach Boys, Culture, Curt Boettcher, Iron Leg, Music, pop. 1 Comment

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Bruce Johnston

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Listen/Download – Bruce Johnston – Disney Girls

Greetings all.

Today’s selection is a great example of a song that isn’t terribly well known, yet – on the strength of it’s greatness – still managed to get around quite a lot.

Bruce Johnston is a really interesting, sort of second-level/background musician (not a commentary on the quality of his music, but rather his level of reknown).

He got started on the surf music scene in the early 60s, as part of the duo Bruce and Terry (with Terry Melcher), recording one of the really interesting instrumental albums of the early 60s (1963’s ‘Surfin’ Round the World’), joining the Beach Boys and remaining with them to this day, and eventually writing ‘I Write the Songs’ for Barry Manilow.

‘Disney Girls’ (originally ‘Disney Girls (1957)’ ) was first recorded by the Beach Boys on the ‘Surf’s Up’ album in 1971, with a fuller arrangement and lots of classic Beach Boys harmonies.

The song went on to be covered by Cass Elliot (in a version with both Johnston and Carl Wilson on backing vocals), Art Garfunkel, Shy, the Captain and Tennille and even Doris Day (who happens to be the mother of Johnston’s old partner Terry Melcher).

Johnston released his solo version in 1977 on the b-side of an absolutely execrable disco remake of the Chantays ‘Pipeline’ which really encapsulates everything that was bad about lazy disco cash-in records.

That said, Johnston’s version of ‘Disney Girls’ (which appeared on his 1977 ‘Going Public’ LP, produced by Gary Usher) is every bit as a sublime and lovely as ‘Pipeline’ is offensive.

Delivered by Johnston, with only his piano (and occasionally background singers, of which Curt Boettcher was one) for backing, ‘Disney Girls’ reveals itself as a wonder of stunning, sometimes surprising chord changes. The lyrics are a genuinely sweet ode to nostalgia, sounding like an older person wrapping themselves in the warmth of their memories.

I think of all the versions I’ve heard, Johnston’s solo is still my favorite.

Just beautiful.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

Nino Tempo and April Stevens – The Coldest Night of the Year

Posted by funky16corners on December 18, 2016
Posted in: Culture, folk rock, Iron Leg, Music, pop, Sunset Strip. Leave a comment

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The LoTiempos of Niagara Falls, NY

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Listen/Download – Nino Tempo and April Stevens – The Coldest Night of the Year

Greetings all.

I have something very cool for you to celebrate Christmas this year.

‘The Coldest Night of the Year’ is – like ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ (kind of the other side of this particular coin) is more specifically a ‘winter’ song, but has become associated with Christmas since it was first recorded in 1965.

Contrary to what you might have heard over the years, the original version wasn’t recorded by Twice as Much with Vashti Bunyan (whose version is quite good) but by Nino Tempo and April Stevens.

I have been in the midst of a major rediscovery/exploration of the Nino & April catalog (expect a special edition of the Iron Leg Radio Show), and one of the things I discovered was their version of the song.

Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, ‘The Coldest Night of the Year’ was recorded by Nino and April for their 1965 ‘Hey Baby’ album.

At the time, they were under contract to Atco, and while they were still having some small amount of success, their last big hit was ‘Stardust’ in 1964, and they wouldn’t hit big again until ‘All Strung Out’ in 1966.

Their contract with Atco was running out, and though the ‘Hey Baby’ album is excellent, thanks to Tempo’s knack for experimentation and studio skill and the duo’s harmonies, it wasn’t promoted and sank without much notice (which is why it tends to be fairly expensive and hard to find these days).

Their version of ‘The Coldest Night of the Year’ is a gentle slice of folk pop with a chorus that builds nicely. It never attains the Wall of Sound heights that Tempo was capable of, but it is a pretty song, performed with subtlety.

Bunyan would record the song in 1968 with the duo Twice as Much, and it was done again this year by Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward under their ‘She and Him’ guises.

It’s a groovy song, and I’ll be back sometime in the new year with a comprehensive look and Nino and April.

Merry Christmas!

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

The Chaparral Brothers – Hello LA Bye Bye Birmingham

Posted by funky16corners on December 11, 2016
Posted in: 45s, Country, Country Rock, cover versions, Culture, Iron Leg, Music, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

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The Chaparral Brothers

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Listen/Download – The Chaparral Brothers – Hello LA Bye Bye Birmingham

Greetings all.

I am always a sucker for a cover version of a favorite song.

Though I have never been able to ascertain who recorded the first version of ‘Hello LA Bye Bye Birmingham’, the song, written by Delaney Bramlett and Mac Davis, was recorded a bunch of times by folks like Kin Vassy (my fave), The First Edition (a smoking live version), Artie Christopher, Smokestack Lightnin’, John Randolph Marr, Blue Cheer, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Juicy Lucy, and even Nancy Sinatra.

Someone (and I can’t remember who, so forgive me) informed me about the version by the Chaparral Brothers, so I went out and found me one on the cheap.

I wasn’t originally able to find out much about the duo, other than that their names were John and Paul, and that they recorded two LPs and a bunch of singles for Capitol between 1968 and 1972.

Then, completely by chance I was perusing the very cool Gazzari Dancers website, devoted to the aforementioned troupe, as well as detailed listings of their work on the great mid-60s Hollywood A Go Go dance party show.

There, appearing on the 4/3/65 episode (scroll down to episode 15, and make sure to click on the Youtube link) of the show was a duo calling themselves the Jon Paul Twins, with the credits below naming them as Jon and Paul Vorhaben (the writing credits on the Chaparral Brothers original material.

How they transitioned from the Jon Paul Twins to the Chaparral Brothers I do not know, but the evolution in sounds wasn’t that drastic.

Their version of ‘Hello LA’ was included on their 1970 LP ‘Just For the Record’.

Their sound is pure Bakersfield, which makes sense since they were produced by Earl Ball who also spun the dials for Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Wynn Stewart.

The brothers deliver tight harmonies and it’s kind of a shock that their version – which has a lot of crossover appeal – wasn’t a hit.

It could be chocked up to the fact that the market was already flooded with versions of the song, but as far as I can tell this is the only straight country take on the tune.

That said, I will certainly be on the lookout for more by the duo.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

 

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PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.