My mother sent me the wrong album.

I was a freshman in college and I told her to send me the second Band album and Joe Cocker’s debut. But she sent me "Stage Fright" and Cocker’s second album. And as a result, I know every lick on each of those records. You see I was a freshman in college and I refused to overpay for albums at the Vermont Book Shop, ergo the request for my mother to go to Korvette’s and purchase the records I wanted at a discount.

This plan did not last. Thereafter, I waited for vacations to purchase records, which I often did at the rate of nine or ten a clip. Whereupon my mother asked me why I didn’t buy a tape recorder and record them from someone else. And that’s when I informed her NO ONE ELSE BOUGHT THE RECORDS I DID!

She kept bitching and I kept buying and as a result we end up here today.

And don’t give me a hard time, I described the above-mentioned albums in detail. I wanted the brown Band album… Then again, there was a sepia-toned photo wrapping most of "Stage Fright". I don’t know exactly how I described Joe Cocker’s debut. But I’m thrilled she sent me the second… Because it’s better, it’s the BEST!

1. "Hitchcock Railway"

I have no idea who Don Dunn and Tony McCashen are, but they wrote this song. Yet Joe Cocker and the Grease Band made it their own.

Start with Chris Stainton’s piano intro. Then go to the percussion, which sounds like spoons banging on drum rims. And then there are the backup vocals.

Imagine getting buzzed on Boone’s Farm, getting on a train with your musician friends and WAILING!

That’s exactly what "Hitchcock Railway" sounds like.

It’s not made for the hit parade, maybe that’s why it lasts, why it’s as fresh today as it was in 1970.

"Hitchcock Railway" is a tear, a runaway train, if this doesn’t get you jitterbuggin’, YOU’RE DEAD!

2. "Dear Landlord"

At this point, I did not own "John Wesley Harding", but after becoming infected by Joe’s rendition, I bought a used copy from a junior in Starr Hall. That was the last time I ever did this, it was like he’d ironed his skis upon it, I treasure my vinyl, my collection is still pristine, I could donate it to a museum, there are no fingerprints and no self-inflicted scratches, well, maybe an accidental few, and as a result I ended up buying a new copy of "John Wesley Harding" and Joe’s version is completely different musically from Dylan’s original but it introduced me to those famous lyrics:

Now, each of us has his own special gift
And you know this was meant to be true
And if you don’t underestimate me
I won’t underestimate you

That’s my creed. I was brought up in a family that looked down upon people, that carved up the populace, but Dylan is right, we each have our own special gift, it may not be book learning, but how many times have you gotten insight from someone supposedly dumb? Wisdom can’t only be gained in school.

I’m including Bob’s original in the playlist, because it’s better, but Joe introduced me to the song…and you should know it.

3. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"

It’s got a rollicking barroom feel as opposed to the Beatles take, it’s almost serious instead of ethereal and fun like on "Abbey Road", but it was a radio staple and it’s GREAT!

4. "Something"

Less meaningful than the original, it was one of the very first covers of this second most covered Beatles song. It’s less precious than the Beatles version, and with the heaviness removed it breathes.

5. "Bird On A Wire"

Once upon a time Leonard Cohen was not the icon he is today. As a matter of fact he was decried as a poet poaching in music. Funny how time has a way of settling scores.

Joe lined Leonard’s coffers with this cover, he helped change Cohen’s image.

6. "Delta Lady"

This track is such a killer that I had to immediately go to the mall and buy Leon Russell’s solo debut at the one record store in Bridgeport, Connecticut that stocked it.

Joe’s take is a funky romp that dominated the airwaves, but if you haven’t heard Leon’s take you’re in for a treat.

Leon had something to prove. He saw no need to be subtle, he threw in everything, including the kitchen sink. And his vocals evidence a magnetism that draws both males and females to him. That’s the power of music, that’s why it eclipses money.

But in 1970, musicians were as rich as anybody.

But then Leon convinced Joe to go out with twenty-odd pieces as Mad Dogs & Englishmen and Joe got too drunk and ended up too poor but if you saw that show, not only were you blown away, YOU’LL NEVER FORGET IT!

I had my viewing at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Joe fronted the band, but Leon was the king of cool, in his top hat. And we were all in love with Rita Coolidge, who was truly cool. Sure, it about bankrupted Joe but wasn’t it a great era where the music led and money took a back seat?

Stay in til 3:07 when Leon screams, the song changes and Leon scat/raps… It’s a TOUR DE FORCE!

7. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "That’s Your Business"

They paled in comparison, but separate them from the winners on this album and they’re truly solid. "Hello, Little Friend" is even better.

8. "Darling Be Home Soon"

THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE! A certified classic. Joe makes this Lovin’ Spoonful song his own, it stands as tall as the original.

Why don’t they sing this on those idiotic television vocal competition shows?

It’s the piano playing of the aforementioned Chris Stainton that truly makes the track. And the backup vocals help…but that’s not to minimize Joe’s contribution.

But credit the arranger. And listen to the original. It’s the intimate flip side the same way George Harrison’s "Something" is to Joe’s rendition.

There’s not a wasted word, there’s poignant imagery, but isn’t it true, ain’t that the human condition, we’re not made to be alone, we want you to come home soon.

Long-haired Chris Stainton went on to play with a multitude of bands and is now most often seen with Eric Clapton.

Guitarist Henry McCullough most famously went on to become a member of Wings, it’s his guitar solo that graces "My Love".

Bruce Rowland, the drummer, ultimately played with Fairport Convention.

Alan Spenner died in 1991, after putting his bass on the bottom of a who’s who of musicians’ work, from Ted Nugent to Murray Head to David Soul to Roxy Music.

And the above four put out two records on their own, as the Grease Band.

As for the session musicians, Clarence White died before his time, struck down by a drunk driver.

"Sneaky Pete" Kleinow died in 2007, after gracing a cornucopia of records, most famously the Flying Burrito Brothers’.

Your jaw will drop when you read Milt Holland’s percussion credits. Everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Ry Cooder to Joni Mitchell. He left us in 2005 at the ripe old age of 88.

Paul Humphries was a journeyman with some good drumming credits.

Supposedly Steve Winwood played bass on "Dear Landlord". We cannot heap enough praise upon this musician who not only survived teen stardom, but prospered.

Which brings us to the backup singers…

Merry Clayton eventually acted, it’s a hard life being a backup singer, but she deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her contribution to the Stones’ "Gimmie Shelter" if nothing else.

Bonnie Bramlett had one bright moment with her husband Delaney at the turn of the decade, from the sixties to the seventies, when Eric Clapton and Dave Mason joined their band. Then Eric became Derek, stole the eventual Dominos and Bonnie’s career faded.

Patrice Holloway passed in 2006, but before she did she was the singing voice of Valerie on "Josie and the Pussycats".

Sherlie Matthews’s credits are almost as extensive as those of Milt Holland, even if her name is much less recognizable.

Rita Coolidge got her own solo deal as a result of the Mad Dogs and Englishmen hoopla and released such an over-produced record with so many credits that her solo career was stillborn, she never became a big star. She eventually married Kris Kristofferson and has faded away, she does not radiate, but those who lived through the seventies will never forget her.

Which brings us to Leon Russell. Who used Joe Cocker as a springboard to a solo career that eclipsed Cocker’s and flamed out in a fit of hubris, most famously with the interminable, execrable "Leon Live".

And Joe Cocker never recovered. He became an alcoholic, he got fat, and the follow-up to Mad Dogs & Englishmen was the disappointing "High Time We Went". Eventually he cleaned up and had some MTV hits, but his glory days were behind him. He was a superstar and couldn’t handle it. You think you want to be famous, that you want to own the world, but you have no idea how lonely and disconcerting it is.

But at least Joe’s still here, unlike his famous imitator John Belushi.

One great thing about records is they never change. You can’t return to 1970, but if you listen to this album you’ll get the idea. It was an era when music ruled the world, and the son of a civil servant from Sheffield, England could become internationally famous, and respected.

Listen to this album, you’ll see why.

Spotify playlist

Previous Rhinofy playlists

Forget the money. You’ll never make as much as a banker.

What artists want today is power.

Forget the circle jerk of appearing at SXSW. That’s just preaching to the converted. People who are at the tail end of the dog, yes, the government and the rich are wagging the artists and most don’t even realize it.

Scratch an artist and he’ll complain. About the hoi polloi ripping him off. There’s very little rhetoric about the government, bankers or the rich, there’s just constant rabble-rousing against their brethren. It’s loser upon loser crime. With an occasional stab against the record labels, as if they owed musicians a life. With a twisted turn towards Live Nation, as if Ticketmaster is responsible for all the world’s problems.

I’ll clue you in on something. The executives at the record labels and Live Nation are smarter than the artists. They realize we live in a country of winners and losers and they don’t want to end up with the short end of the stick. Ergo 360 deals and platinum packages and all kinds of ways to make the executives rich.

But none of them are as rich as the bankers.

And if you think record labels and Live Nation have power, you know nothing about how this country really works.

Fortune 100 companies have power. They’re abusing you and ripping you off as I type this. But today the artist’s goal is to suck up to the fat cats, suck some milk from the tit, get an endorsement, charge for a product placement, don’t you see you’re a tool of the system? That the owners of this country are laughing at you?

Artists have incredible power. But they need to use it to their advantage, they need to turn against the rich.

Artists are not rich.

Bankers are rich.

U2 toured for two years and made $750 million. Let’s call the net $400 million, which is way too high, but for the sake of argument, we’ll do it.

U2 splits the money five ways. The four band members and manager Paul McGuinness. That breaks down to $80 million apiece.

And U2 doesn’t pay taxes. Not any to speak of.

So that’s $40 million a year.

But it was more than two years worth of work.

And for the last half a year there’s been no touring income to speak of. And recording revenue has plunged. And if the band went back on the road right now, they’d have trouble selling out stadiums, business was a bit soft in the end. Hell, one can argue that U2 may never be able to sell out stadiums for two years again.

And U2 is the biggest band in the world.

But there are bankers who make $20 million a year, every year. Yup, year in and year out. There are so many people in finance and helming Fortune 100 companies who make eight figures it would make your head spin. And this is net. There are no managers, attorneys or high-priced accountants. How many artists make eight figures a year, year in and year out… ESSENTIALLY NONE!

Are you hearing me yet?

Artists can do one of two things. They can resign themselves to being second class citizens, minstrels who thrive on dope and sex and the fun of playing…

Or they can use their power to rally their audience for change.

Artists have power, far in excess of Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum or President Obama. They just don’t use it.

I’m not saying they’ve got to sing political songs. They just have to act in political ways.

Kind of like SOPA. The netizens stopped the government and the content industries cold.

The artists can stop the government and bankers cold, overnight, if they’d just realize they’re the enemy, not their friend. That by tearing down the wall separating the rich from the poor is how they make more money, not by bitching about their customers and Live Nation.

No one with a brain is going into the music industry. Music is the new sports. Where wannabes beat each other up to play for the owner of the plantation. To paraphrase Chris Rock, it’s the owners who are rich, not the players.

Hell, Simon Cowell is richer than any reality contestant ever.

And he’s got not a fraction of the money of Rupert Murdoch or Sumner Redstone.

We’re fighting amongst ourselves and the owners are laughing.

Pete Townshend once sang of a note, pure and easy, that had millions of people cheering. Just one note, and people LISTEN!

But it’s got to be the right note.

Credit Lady Gaga. She’s trying to change the world, fighting for gay rights and trying to eliminate bullying.

But she’s a party of one. Where are the other artists using their power for change?

They’ve abdicated it in a race to catch up with those who are truly rich.

But that’s positively futile. A musician can’t catch Lloyd Blankfein, not in this game.

But musicians can change the game.

We want what we once had. A level playing field where an artist can be as rich as a corporate executive. The executives are not going to cede power, the musicians are going to have to take it.

I’m ready to grab mine, are you ready to grab yours?

"Another Park, Another Sunday"
The Doobie Brothers

Normally, when I go through e-mail, I leave the music off, it breaks my concentration, especially on a day like today, where I’m trying to go through hundreds, catching up from being out of town.

But testing out the upgrade of my Sonos app on my laptop I brought this up and just like I thought, I could no longer focus on the words on the screen but I was grooving in my seat, actually dancing, sans leg movements, as I stared out the kitchen window on a brilliant SoCal Sunday. And this made me think of Sunday songs.

But before I list a few, I want to direct your attention to this live video of Tom Johnston and the Doobies doing "Another Park, Another Sunday":

From: Paul Santo
Subject: Re: Rhinofy Park

RECENT: listen to Johnston’s VOICE:

http://bit.ly/y2UCj4

Krikey.

peas,

P

"Sunday Will Never Be The Same"
Spanky and Our Gang

The first song I think of when I think of Sunday. They only had three hits, the second, "Lazy Day", was derivative of the first, but this was a glorious smash with a hooky chorus that could not be denied.

Just like "Another Park, Another Sunday", the lyrics are negative, depressed, about love lost, but the music is upbeat.

Every baby boomer knows this, and you can’t find a single one who hates it (wait, my inbox is open!)

Meanwhile, Spanky was in a later iteration of the Mamas and Papas…and why is it all the great sixties songs have magical bridges and modern songsters have forgotten about this device which the Beatles used to such great success?

"My Sunday Feeling"
Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson and Tull have been unfairly maligned. If they’d had fewer hits and played theatres instead of arenas, hipsters would be testifying how great they were.

This is from the debut.

I prefer the follow-up, "Stand Up", but listen to anything through "Thick As A Brick" and you’ll get it, the quality was astounding. And although blues-based, Tull sounded unlike anything else, with the flute, etc.

Break all the rules. Then you might have a chance of success.

Tull was HUGE!

Never mind making a one track album that was not only gargantuan, but good! Come on, you might be burned out on it, but you loved that acoustic guitar intro…

"Really don’t mind if you sit this one out…"

Yup, you can stop reading right here, I don’t care, I’m in an exquisite mood and I’m not gonna let you bring me down.

FURTHERMORE, try "Thick As A Brick" on vinyl, with the stereo effects…WHEW!

"Rockport Sunday"
Tom Rush

And I wish I was there right now… They’re having a heat wave on the east coast, the snow is melting, it’s a time of rebirth.

Tom wrote this, as well as the song it segues into, "No Regrets".

And I regret that the younger generation is missing out on Tom’s greatness. Start here. If you love Mumford & Sons, if you love folk music, if you love meaningful music, there’s nothing better.

Just listen to "Rockport Sunday"… It’s just like Sunday, a day of reflection. And I’m including "No Regrets"…

No regrets
No tears goodbye
Don’t want you back
We’d only cry again
Say goodbye again

This is when you know it’s done. When you realize that if you reconnected, you’d just break up again. Whatever you had was in the past. It looks good from a distance, but you’ve got your rose-colored glasses on, you can’t see the discord, the disagreements, the trouble.

But it’s easier to look backward than forward.

I know, people get remarried. But I find whatever pulled you apart back then does once again.

"Young Girl Sunday Blues"
Jefferson Airplane

Talk about forgotten bands! It’s almost like they never existed.

I started with "Volunteers". And loved it so much I went back and bought "After Bathing At Baxter’s", which everyone said was the best.

This was the follow-up to "Surrealistic Pillow", an unqualified smash, which I did not have to own since I heard it everywhere I went. Stunning to not worry about singles, just getting the music right. "Young Girl Sunday Blues" is good, but not as great as "Won’t You Try/Saturday Afternoon " from the second side, a live version of which was about the only highlight on "Woodstock II". Meanwhile, "Saturday Afternoon" SOUNDS like Saturday!

"Duke’s On Sunday"
Jimmy Buffett

If this doesn’t take you away to the islands, if this doesn’t make you want to immediately board a plane and fly to Waikiki, you’re dead inside, you’re no friend of mine.

Yes, we all need money to survive, but it’s just a vehicle. It’s when you’re relaxing, contemplating, that you feel fully alive.

This is incredible. This deserves more airplay. I’d forgotten about it, but found it in my iTunes library searching on Sunday songs.

(Jimmy doesn’t want us to be exposed to his stiff music, he wants to hide it behind a paywall, thinking it’s about money, not music. Still, it’s right up there on YouTube, where he gets paid nothing and it’s harder to find… http://bit.ly/6VtY )

"Sunday Papers"
Joe Jackson

If you wanna know about the gay politician
If you wanna know how to drive your car…

Pigeonholed as an Elvis Costello clone, Joe was far more commercial and just as good in his own way. His breakthrough was the soft jazz of "Steppin’ Out", but true fans know the debut is best, and this reggae-influenced cut is the finest one on the album.

"Hymn For A Sunday Evening"
"Bye Bye Birdie"

WE’RE GONNA BE ON ED SULLIVAN!

Do they still do "Bye Bye Birdie" at high schools?
This was the most popular, most done (overdone?) play of its era.

Once upon a time, original Broadway cast albums ruled the charts. This one, deservedly so!

"Raining On Sunday"
Radney Foster

I wrote about the hit, done by Keith Urban, but this is the original, by the writer.

It sounds like Sunday, depressing, my least favorite day of the week, I thrive on the action.

Unlike "Another Park, Another Sunday" and "Sunday Will Never Be The Same", the lyrics are upbeat and the music is depressing!

P.S. Darius Rucker sings background vocals…

"Wild Horses"
The Sundays

Best cover of this song in my book, positively wistful. An MTV staple once upon a time, if you don’t know it, you should.

"Pleasant Valley Sunday"
The Monkees

Sounds upbeat and nice, but it’s SUBVERSIVE!

Come on, the harmonies on "bloom" are enough to melt the most hardened heart.

Now, more than ever, we live in status symbol land…but now, nobody questions the empty values, they just want to acquire the symbols themselves.

From Micky’s vocal to the electric guitar to the nonsense vocals to the aforementioned harmonies, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a tour de force, it’s a MASTERPIECE!

P.S. Don’t forget it was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin! I’m including her live take, but really, some songs can be sung by everybody, but can really only be cut once. Like this one.

Spotify link

They DID have another hit. My inbox is telling me over and over again that they burned up the charts with their cover of "Hair".

So let the record stand corrected.

But I always hated their version. Not only did it not hold a candle to the Original Broadway Cast Recording, it didn’t measure up to the OFF-BROADWAY CAST RECORDING!

Yes, the one my mother bought after seeing the production at the Public Theatre. The one with the pink cover, with different versions of the songs…it’s the one I played incessantly and know by heart and via the magic of YouTube, you can now experience it too.

Go to:

Hair – Off Broadway Cast 1967
"Hair" begins around 8:58.

Or, baby boomers can start at the beginning, and marvel at the difference from the Broadway Cast version they know by heart.

As for the Cowsills rendition… It made me retch then and still does. It’s beyond forgettable, it’s been FORGOTTEN!

Then again, not by my intrepid readers!

P.S. And just so I don’t get any more e-mail about my lack of Cowsills knowledge, let me admit that"Indian Lake" inched into the Top Ten too!