Disc 1
1) Can't You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones
Yeah, I remember--you don't like The Stones. They're assholes, fags, prima donnas. Struttin old motherfuckers! All true, sadly. No defense exits. Still, if you forget that for a single song and allow the playing, yes, even the singing, to work its magic, you won't be sorry. The Wes Montgomery guitar part (I think it's Mick Taylor but I'm not sure) before the last sax break fits well with the song's feel. A tour de force.
2) My Mistake - Canned Heat
Put on the headphones and get ready for The Boogie. The play between the guitars always knocks me over. The Heat is one of the most under appreciated bands of all time. No one else was as successful playing with John Lee Hooker. One of but a handful of white bands that truly understood swing and found it in the blues. Henry Vestine is the buzzy guitar in the right headphone. The rhythm guitar, played by Al Wilson, gives a kind of hazy vagueness on the left. Great, subtle drumming throughout.
3) Move Over - Janis Joplin
I saw Janis do this one on The Dick Cavett Show not so long before her end. Janis' vocal is tense and tight, unrestricted by the all too frequent histrionics displayed in many songs. The band really complements everything she's after. The big organ and piano sounds come from producer Gabriel Mekler who also produced Steppenwolf.
4) I'm Bored - Iggy Pop
Ig gets right down to business on this one. I don't give a shit what he does on stage (I saw The Ig in Memphis, and he does just fine), all I care about is what's coming through my headphones, and from the tight guitar lead to the sheer boredom, Ig delivers basic, stripped down sledge hammering attitude.
5) Happiness Is a Warm Gun - The Beatles
John Lennon--a troubled soul, a hard-ass, a cracked, hilarious clown. Though ample examples exist, this cut provides the full fury of Lennon's savage wit. "I need a fix cause I'm goin down." If only that'd do it. I included the song here because I liked the contrast of the opening light hand to the sardonic sentiments and seriously bent guitar (the tone is a little like Henry Vestine's). The Fucking Beatles - gotta love em.
6) Taunta (Sammy's Tune) - Mountain
7) Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin) - Mountain
Leslie West is one of my favorite guitarists. Mountain began as a vehicle for his talents. Felix Pappalardi, the bass player (and wimpy vocalist on these tracks), produces the band (he also produced Cream and The Youngbloods). The unison lead of bass and guitar after one of the soft parts really makes the song for me. Reminds me a little of Closer to Home by Grand Funk. Check out Mountain Climbing for the real dope.
8) Jean Cocteau - Be Bop Deluxe
Unknown guitarist, singer, writer, and producer Bill Nelson does everything. He plays five guitar parts on this song, which is about Cocteau, the fantasy film director, poet, and man about town. Cocteau did sign his name with a star. He directed a version of Beauty and the Beast (in French) in 1946, but was better known in the states for avant-garde films like Orpheus and Blood of the Poet. The Be Bop Deluxe was never well known here. A pity. Proves the Bossa Nova ain't totally dead. Always reminded me of The Beatles' And I Love Her.
9) Keep It Movin - AfroMan
Got tossed from an AfroMan concert in 2002. He was later arrested at the same venue, as was a tall, beautiful blonde, so we probably got off light. I guess you'll love him or hate him. This song's from the album Drunk and High. It is pretty much what he does all the time. The unusual shit: dope smoking, fucking, etc. Sometimes I just can't get enough.
10) Crown of Creation - Jefferson Airplane
The drumming of Skip Spence is out of this world. Because he was such a weirdo, and because he founded Moby Grape as a guitar player, he's often forgotten as the melodic, trend setting drummer he was. He didn't just play the beat, he played all around it. The mixture of tribal drumming and free form guitar underneath soaring vocal harmonies derived from folk music makes The Airplane unique. This tune has it all.
11) Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
EveryMan's band plays EveryMan's song. Nothing fancy here, just a solid beat and a healthy dose of bemused rage. Fogerty's lyrics and vocals make more points that many another loopy hippy band just plainly missed.
12) Friends - Led Zeppelin
13) Celebration Day - Led Zeppelin
Put these on because I always liked them. I assume you know all about Zep, so all I can add is that Friends always filled me with foreboding and tension, two things I just can't exhaust. The strings and synth sound at the end really bring the creeps. Celebration Day is welcome relief. The wacky sounding guitar makes the song. Page plays four or five parts on the track.
14) Old Time Good Times - Steve Stills
I really dig Stills' organ playing here. Jimi Hendrix does his Wes Montgomery impression on a guitar break and plays tasteful, understated rhythm leading up to it. The cut itself is a real rave. It's from the same album as Love the One You're With.
15) For Pete's Sake - The Monkees
Critics hated The Monkees for various offences, but I agree with Frank Zappa that the band was better produced than many other bands of the time, while at the same time using some of the same musicians who played on the most famous songs and popular albums by artists who didn't catch the same flack for using them. When at their bests, The Monkees really knock it out.
16) The Hangman's Knee - Jeff Beck
A great, hard rocking ensemble piece, unusual in that Beck laid back and let the band just churn for a turn. He gets his licks in though, and the song is nothing but the better for it. The Rod Stewart vocal puts everything where need be.
17) Spiritual - John Coltrane
This is the best goddamned band in the fucking world, to quote John Lennon (even though he was talking about The Beatles). Coltrane's sax comes out of the left headphone, while Eric Dolphy plays bass clarinet on the right, and yes, he is wailing on the second lead. Jam bands beware! You got nuttin on these guys.
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