Saturday, July 31, 2010

Three dollar cover Saturday night













Continuing in the ME!ME!ME! series, here's a couple of Sea 7 States sets from the Cityside Cafe on Market Square circa 1986/87. Although it sounds like the recorder was situated on a mountaintop miles away, it actually was sitting on the sound board, about 12 feet from the stage. Yes, that wash of echo and reverb apparently was what that rectangular room actually sounded like to anyone not onstage (where it actually sounded OK). Sorry about that, those of you who were there. This is Sea 7 States original/version I, with Jon Parker, Philip Wolff, Kevin Crothers, and Brett Norton. 

Labels:

Thursday, July 29, 2010

See More States












Part Two of the WUOT radio sessions - this time the tomfoolery of the pre-air warm-up. Some poor soul was in the next studio over doing Night-time with Mozart or something similar while this nonsense went on next door. There is some video of this somewhere in my archives - perhaps it will show up in an addendum to the post sometime. 
Setlist: 
Honeysuckle 
The Ice Age 
Mary Had a Little Jam 
The Beauty of Fire/The Storm/Calypso [part of our intended rock opera/concept album, likely] 
Kevin's Untitled/Unfinished Bit 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Sailing Seven Seas


















Today we return a bit to the origins of the blog, which is/was music of the Knoxville area. Looking back through the archives I realized that I had posted a lot of bands that I had worked with (recorded, mocked, etc.) but not much from bands with which I performed. We'll remedy that oversight starting today.
The first post in my "LOOK AT ME!!!!" series is a radio broadcast that Sea 7 States did on WUOT-FM's UnRadio sometime in early 1987. The mic choices were a little odd (small-diaphragm condenser on bass cabinet?), the mix is full of weird panning (guitar way right, bass way left - kind of like the first couple of Van Halen albums), the singer was unseen out in the hallway on headphones while the rest of the band was playing in the interview studio, the drums go in and out mix-wise, and there are absolutely no effects on the instruments - it's as dry as the Arizona desert. Never-the-less, there are still a couple of moments that give me that arm-hair-raising tingle (the mid-break in perennial night-ending Calendar, for one).
This is the first version of the band, with Jon Parker on vocals and harmonica, Brett Norton on drums and vocals, Phillip Wolff on guitar and vocals, and Kevin Crothers on bass and vocals. 


The Beauty of Fire 
In A Southwind 
Chattanooga is a Military Town 
Another Life Is Lost 
Where The Wild Things Are 
Honeysuckle 
Tennyson 
William Down The Hill 
Schizophrenia 
Choice 
Distant and Narrow 
Swan 
Everything's Right 
Calendar 
Odysseus

Friday, July 16, 2010

Thank Gwen It's Friday

Today we say goodbye to Gwen and her 45s, starting out with an especially relevant song. Goodbye, Gwen!
Gwen 45 05

Love and Kisses - Thank God It's Friday/You're The Most Precious Thing In My Life
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Not Say Goodbye
Wet Willie - Weekend/Mr. Streamline
Bonnie Pointer - Heaven Must Have Sent You/Heaven Must Have Sent You (LP version)
Raydio - Jack and Jill/Get Down
Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water(radio edit)/Smoke On The Water (live)
Four Tops - Sweet Understanding Love/Main Street People
Chicago - Make Me Smile/Colour My World

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Gwen In The Course Of Human Events


Some cool stuff in Gwen's random assortment today - a little bit funky at times - and my favorite Jesus Rock song.

Gwen 45 04

The Hesitations - Who Will Answer/If You Ever Need A Hand
The Supremes - Stoned Love/Shine On Me
Andy Kim - Be My Baby/Love That Little Woman
Chris Hodge - We're On Our Way/Supersoul
The Brotherhood of Man - Reach Out Your Hand/A Better Tomorrow
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Tears Of A Clown/Promise Me
Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky/Milk Cow
Cold Blood - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free/I'm A Good Woman
Eddie Money - Baby Hold On/Save A Little Room In Your Heart For Me

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Gwendnesday

An especially random assortment today, featuring an Ike and Tina encore and a surprisingly peppy Barbra Streisand number.

Gwen 45 03

Ted Taylor - Without A Woman/Honey Lou
Bobby Sherman - Easy Come, Easy Go/July Seventeen
The Hurricanes - Maybe It's All For The Best/Yours
Spinners - Love Don't Love Nobody Pt.s 1 & 2
Bob Seger - Lookin' Back/Highway Child
Ike and Tina Turner - Proud Mary/Funkier Than A Mosquita's Tweeter
Barbra Streisand - Stoney End/I'll Be Home
Jethro Tull - Bungle In The Jungle/Back-Door Angels
Elton John - The Bitch Is Back/Cold Highway
Pretenders - Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)/Space Invader
Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet/Free Wheelin'



I have almost a Pavlovian response to the Sire Records label.
So much of what I love came out on this label.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Gwen Gwen

Day two of Gwen's 45 collection.
Gwen 45 02
Shannon - Let The Music Play/Let The Music Play (Dub Version)
The Osmonds - Yo-Yo/Keep On My Side
Joe Cocker - Up Where We Belong (with Jennifer Warnes)/Sweet L'il Woman
The Partridge Family - I Think I Love You/Somebody Wants To Love You
Cliff Richard - A Little In Love/Everyman
Moe Bandy - Let's Get Over Them Together (with Becky Hobbs)/In Love
Champaign - Try Again/International Feel
Redbone - Maggie/ New Blue Sermonette
Crystal Mansion - Carolina In My Mind/If I Live

Gwen

A friend of mine brought a box of her friend's LPs by the house for me to take a look at (evaluate). While there was nothing special about the selection of disco and soft rock LPs, in the bottom of the box was a large pile of 45s. This week we will feature Gwen's 45's in roughly hour-long sets of A sides and B sides, offering a peek into the life of someone we don't know.


Gwen 45s 01

Cliff Richard - Devil Woman/Love On (Shine On)
Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride/Pay My Dues
The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein/Undercover Man
Paul Revere and the Raiders - Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon/Without You
Ike and Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits/Help Him
Seals and Crofts - Hummingbird/Say
The Jaggerz - The Rapper/Born Poor
Neil Sedaka - Laughter In The Rain/Endlessly






Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Crank up the Victrola, Margaret



Step into the wayback machine for a sampling of turn-of-the-century (the 19th century) popular songs dealing with recent inventions - moving pictures, automobiles, aeroplanes, the telephone, radio, etc.

Today's selection comes to us courtesy of New World Records and their Recorded Anthology of American Music.

Here is a PDF of the extensive and informative liner notes
- six LP-sized pages of information.

Unfortunately, the liner notes don't agree with the actual running order of the first side of the disc.

1 OCEANA ROLL
3 THE GIRL ON THE MAGAZINE COVER
5 HE’D HAVE TO GET UNDER, GET OUT AND GET UNDER
(TO FIX UP HIS AUTOMOBILE)4 ON THE 5:15
2 HELLO, FRISCO
6 COME, JOSEPHINE, IN MY FLYING MACHINE
8 EVERYBODY WANTS A KEY TO MY CELLAR
7 TAKE YOUR GIRLIE TO THE MOVIES

1 THE ARGENTINES,THE PORTUGUESE AND THE GREEKS
2 MR. RADIO MAN (TELL MY MAMMY TO COME BACK HOME)
3 ALABAMY BOUND
4 ALL ALONE5 THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE (AT THE END OF
HONEYMOON LANE)
6 LINDBERGH (THE EAGLE OF THE U.S.A.)
7 HENRY’S MADE A LADY OUT OF LIZZIE
8 IF I HAD A TALKING PICTURE OF YOU

Come Josephine in my Flying Machine: Inventions and Topics in Popular Song 1910-1928