How about The Flirtations "Nothing But a Heartache"? BBF played the heck out of it when I was a kid, and I was surprised to learn years later that it barely cracked the Top 40 nationally. Those opening piano chords...man oh man, it sounded the world was coming to an end.
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And The Stiffs Just Keep On Comin'
- Thread starter Radknowski
- Start date
Yeah, great tune. I agree - those opening piano chords are quite dramatic -- really sets up the rest of the song. One of those songs that truly deserved to be a bit, but was not.
Speaking of which - how about "Black Pearl" by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates. I believe it was produced by Phil Spector.
The Flirtations' "Nothin' But A Heartache" is a song that's been in a few of my posts here. The intro, as noted ny other posters, is dynamic and driving. The piano chords are augmented by horns. This is a lethal combination that makes the song, particularly the intro, so ominous and captivating.
The arrangement on "Heartache" is superb, one of those "how the hell did they get that sound" types of arrangements. It makes me appreciate the art and science of arranging and producing. As a guy who can barely find middle C on a piano, I'm in awe and full of admiration for the session guys at Stax, Motown and Nashville Cats who could look at a music chart for five minutes, run through it a few times and play the entire score perfectly, as if they've practiced it for weeks.
Much as it was the singers like Diana Ross and the Supremes, it should be about the guys in the pit, the arrangers who had the creative genius to arrange seven different instruments, the sound engineers who really had to mix on the fly as well as the great singers who did it all in one take.
But it's not only the songs with big intros and mixes that knock me out, it's the songs that have a basic simplicity about themselves. Take Bobby Bland's "Stormy Monday Blues." This is one very simple blues tune that's riding on a sparse guitar riff, brushes on snare drum lots of reverb on the spellbinding vocals. The bridge of the song is so sparse that a listener hangs on every note. From R&B to the realm of folk music, Gordon Lightfoot's "Beautiful" is a bit more lush, but retains a production simplicity enhanced by sweet lyrics that some cynics might call sappy, but they would be wrong.
Speaking of CANCON, "Absolutely Right" by the Five Man Electrical Band is a revved-up Mopar engine that's loaded with guitars and horns along the lines of Blood, Sweat and Tears, but unlike BS&T's cerebral jazz rock fusion, The Five Man Electrical Band comes out and plays with joyful power for a party of beer soaked chuggers.
Speaking of horns and driving guitar rhythm, a song called "Super Highway" by Ballin'jack was one of those no-hit wonders and lost 45s that found its way onto the WKBW playlist and also showed up on WNIA back in the day. Just found a reference to Ballinjack that tells part of the story.
There's another jazz-rock group that belongs to the genre of 60s-70s big horn section, guitar and high profile production pieces. Chase, which had a low to mid chart hit with "Get It On." had a big, ballsy, lights-out intro that was custom made for a Jackson Armstrong intro.
Add to these giutar and horn section songs the great Chicago classics like 25 or 6 to 4, Question 67 & 68 and Beginnings, which remain incomparable testiments to the great musicians who grew up on Charlie Parker licks, modified them and then melded them with rock.
Great arrangements and marvelous musicians who studied their craft and pushed the limits of the artform.
The arrangement on "Heartache" is superb, one of those "how the hell did they get that sound" types of arrangements. It makes me appreciate the art and science of arranging and producing. As a guy who can barely find middle C on a piano, I'm in awe and full of admiration for the session guys at Stax, Motown and Nashville Cats who could look at a music chart for five minutes, run through it a few times and play the entire score perfectly, as if they've practiced it for weeks.
Much as it was the singers like Diana Ross and the Supremes, it should be about the guys in the pit, the arrangers who had the creative genius to arrange seven different instruments, the sound engineers who really had to mix on the fly as well as the great singers who did it all in one take.
But it's not only the songs with big intros and mixes that knock me out, it's the songs that have a basic simplicity about themselves. Take Bobby Bland's "Stormy Monday Blues." This is one very simple blues tune that's riding on a sparse guitar riff, brushes on snare drum lots of reverb on the spellbinding vocals. The bridge of the song is so sparse that a listener hangs on every note. From R&B to the realm of folk music, Gordon Lightfoot's "Beautiful" is a bit more lush, but retains a production simplicity enhanced by sweet lyrics that some cynics might call sappy, but they would be wrong.
Speaking of CANCON, "Absolutely Right" by the Five Man Electrical Band is a revved-up Mopar engine that's loaded with guitars and horns along the lines of Blood, Sweat and Tears, but unlike BS&T's cerebral jazz rock fusion, The Five Man Electrical Band comes out and plays with joyful power for a party of beer soaked chuggers.
Speaking of horns and driving guitar rhythm, a song called "Super Highway" by Ballin'jack was one of those no-hit wonders and lost 45s that found its way onto the WKBW playlist and also showed up on WNIA back in the day. Just found a reference to Ballinjack that tells part of the story.
There's another jazz-rock group that belongs to the genre of 60s-70s big horn section, guitar and high profile production pieces. Chase, which had a low to mid chart hit with "Get It On." had a big, ballsy, lights-out intro that was custom made for a Jackson Armstrong intro.
Add to these giutar and horn section songs the great Chicago classics like 25 or 6 to 4, Question 67 & 68 and Beginnings, which remain incomparable testiments to the great musicians who grew up on Charlie Parker licks, modified them and then melded them with rock.
Great arrangements and marvelous musicians who studied their craft and pushed the limits of the artform.
Bobby Bland is a perfect example of what I was talking about earlier in a post. He had hits on the Billboard R&B Chart that didn't cross over to the Pop Chart that will send chills up your spine. "Call On Me", "Yield Not To Temptation", and my fave not really a hit "Dust Got In Daddy's Eyes" which he talks to his son about the wife leaving. I didn't discover that one until the 1990's. It was part of a series of releases that chronicled Bobby's stay at Duke/Peacock. The second volume is just a drop the needle or laser beam as the case may be release. It was Bobby at the height of his power.
And speaking of Chase, how about his killer version of "Handbags & Glad Rags". And also Jeff Sturges big band arrangements of some popular songs of the day including "Mississippi Queen". That Jazz Rock vein was never mined enough or well enough for me. ;D
And speaking of Chase, how about his killer version of "Handbags & Glad Rags". And also Jeff Sturges big band arrangements of some popular songs of the day including "Mississippi Queen". That Jazz Rock vein was never mined enough or well enough for me. ;D
Wow, I'd forgotten about "Chase" and "Get It On". Bill Chase was a big time jazz trumpet player and arranger, and his foray into rock was powerful stuff. I've always loved bands with horns, and he had FOUR virtuoso trumpet players - himself and three others.
I'm sure that we would have heard more from him - more likely in a jazz vein - if he hadn't died in a plane crash in '74. There's a video on YouTube of Chase & Co. doing "Get It On". It's a pretty rough recording, but the trumpet section is fierce, and he introduces the band. Check it out.
I'm sure that we would have heard more from him - more likely in a jazz vein - if he hadn't died in a plane crash in '74. There's a video on YouTube of Chase & Co. doing "Get It On". It's a pretty rough recording, but the trumpet section is fierce, and he introduces the band. Check it out.
Thanks for the memories SirRoxalot...... even though I'm not a jazz fan, I always loved that song, from where I am, the first station to play it was WFSO (Five Seven 0) an AM rocker that played the hits and alternate songs well before the other stations in the area, both AM and FM.SirRoxalot said:
drt
latitude 27.75 (just a bit south of Buffalo!)
Well, as long as were resurrecting threads, it's Saturday night and Mr. Molson reminded me of a few songs. (I know I promised not to do this again, but...) Fever Tree, "San Francisco Girls" and Derek, "Cinnamon." After wrapping up a job on the East Side last week, Uncle Oskie, Willie the Tagger, Steamin' Steve "The Smoothest Seamer in the World" and I stopped at a watering hole last and heard "Right Place, Wrong Time" by Doctor John the Night Tripper and "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion and Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys' "Good Old Rock n Roll" and the long version of "Green Eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf. Musta been XM or Sirius' 70s channel or a pretty decent CD or cassette... or did somebody put a pirate station on the air in the vacinity of Sheridan and Harlem?
Right on with respect to "Sweetheart". Another perfectly good band from Joisey that don't get no respect. Their follow up "Without You (Not Another Lonely Night)" isn't played either.
How about the Jim Steinman version of "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" which I believe squeaked into the Top 40 (where did I misplace that Billboard book?!?). Yes, Mr. Loaf* recorded it also, resulting in some additional radio spins.
*As the New York Times refers to him
How about the Jim Steinman version of "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" which I believe squeaked into the Top 40 (where did I misplace that Billboard book?!?). Yes, Mr. Loaf* recorded it also, resulting in some additional radio spins.
*As the New York Times refers to him
John C said:In honor of our Molson drinking painter, how about Bobby Vinton's "My Melody of Love"!
Stiff? Guess you haven't been to a wedding in Cheektowaga lately!
John C said:In honor of our Molson drinking painter, how about Bobby Vinton's "My Melody of Love"!
Ah, but there is at least one "legendary" station that does play it...
(should I mention that the 45 is around here somewhere also... no, probably not)
umtrr-author said:John C said:In honor of our Molson drinking painter, how about Bobby Vinton's "My Melody of Love"!
Ah, but there is at least one "legendary" station that does play it...
(should I mention that the 45 is around here somewhere also... no, probably not)
You've not heard it sung until you've heard Aunt Helen belt out the lyrics in Polish... clearly off key... even worse when Aunty Sophie gets half a load on and they become the Dom Polski Duo. Dogs in the neighborhood have been known to yelp and howl in pain. Neighbors have been known to call the police.
Sorry to resurrect this thread... well, not really, but I'm watching Spectacle with Elvis Costello on The Sundance Channel, featuring Elton John.
They're talking about some of the great singer-songwriters and performers, notably James Taylor, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Stewart and Leon Russell.
Leon Russell is a special musician-producer-arranger-performer: A renaissance musician, for sure, performing with and directing Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Joe Cocker's great ensemble back-up band. Leon also is the man who arranged, refined and played on and pitch corrected Gary Lewis & The Playboys' hits like "This Diamond Ring" (what a great freakin' song when it's not played 37 times a week), "Green Grass" and "Sure Gonna Miss Her."
Anyway.
I want to add "Lady Blue" and "Tight Rope" to the official Stiffs List.
Oh yeah... and "Don't Throw Your Love Away," The Searchers' song that got stuck in Steamin' Steve the Smoothest Seamer in the World's craw a few weeks back. Especially weird was this because Steamin' Steve is a Zep-Doors-Captain Beefheart-Little Feat kinda guy and to hear him sing British Invasion power pop is quite strange, but it revealed a pretty good singing voice that kept the crew quite entertained.
That's it. Guess we can now put this thread back to sleep. 'Nite all.
They're talking about some of the great singer-songwriters and performers, notably James Taylor, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Stewart and Leon Russell.
Leon Russell is a special musician-producer-arranger-performer: A renaissance musician, for sure, performing with and directing Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Joe Cocker's great ensemble back-up band. Leon also is the man who arranged, refined and played on and pitch corrected Gary Lewis & The Playboys' hits like "This Diamond Ring" (what a great freakin' song when it's not played 37 times a week), "Green Grass" and "Sure Gonna Miss Her."
Anyway.
I want to add "Lady Blue" and "Tight Rope" to the official Stiffs List.
Oh yeah... and "Don't Throw Your Love Away," The Searchers' song that got stuck in Steamin' Steve the Smoothest Seamer in the World's craw a few weeks back. Especially weird was this because Steamin' Steve is a Zep-Doors-Captain Beefheart-Little Feat kinda guy and to hear him sing British Invasion power pop is quite strange, but it revealed a pretty good singing voice that kept the crew quite entertained.
That's it. Guess we can now put this thread back to sleep. 'Nite all.
Probably too obscure to even be a stiff but how about Gurf Morlix' "Dan Blocker"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI7SeTQXWec
I don't mean to tick off the Rochester folks on this board, but "I Drink to You" by Duke Jupiter would qualify in Buffalo, anyway. WNYS played the hell out of it during the early summer of 1984, then it dropped into oblivion, only to heard again if I happened to be listening to WCMF.
The reason WNYS played it: WNYS was consulted by Tom Mitchell, the then-PD at (co-owned)98PXY. And WNYS did everything 'PXY did back then!
The reason WNYS played it: WNYS was consulted by Tom Mitchell, the then-PD at (co-owned)98PXY. And WNYS did everything 'PXY did back then!