In the arenas of Music and Pop Culture, Dan has been a Professional slinger of words and spinner of yarns for over 30 years. His on Substack is one of the most-read on the site, with hundreds of paid subscribers!

Last week, we enjoyed hosting of On the Back Edge of the Beat:

Next week, we’ll welcome our favorite Canadian pop maestro, of !

Dan’s song #1 sent to Brad: Tages, “Every Raindrop Means a Lot,” 1967

Dan’s rationale: My favorite Swedish pop group not named ABBA, Gothenburg’s Tages had 13 Top Ten hits in Sweden between 1964 and 1968, several of which held their own with the best pop records coming out of the UK and U.S. during the same period.

The moody, enigmatic “Every Raindrop Means a Lot” (which reached #2 on the Tio-i-Topp…Sweden’s chart and radio program, in early 1967) is one of my Tages favorites, combining traces of psychedelia in both the production and lyrics (”They built a house in our town/That has the shape of a brain”) with a sublimely catchy soul-pop chorus.

Why did I choose to kick off this edition of Tune Tag with it? I’m not actually sure, other than that it was going through my head again the other day, and I thought it might be new to Brad and/or most of the folks reading this. And maybe my house-shaped brain made a subconscious Tag-Tages connection?

Brad’s response: Never heard of Tages, Dan. Morbid curiosity (and a case of OCD-Lite) drove me to dig this up about them (via Discogs): “They started in 1963 as Tages Skiffle-Group by five young teens in the 16-17 age range. On 17 August 1964 they won a pop contest (‘West Coast Beatles’, arranged by GT; the first prize was a London trip). Earlier that year, the group had changed its name to Tages, and in October they released the single ‘Sleep Little Girl’, which became a hit and ended up in the Top 10.”

They released 5 albums between 1965 and ‘67, with nary a one released in the States. The majority of their albums (on both Swedish Platina and London-based Parlophone Records) saw release in just Sweden and Japan; their last album was the only one to see shelf space in the UK.

Brad’s song #1 sent to Dan: Stage, “The World Has Come Between Us,” 2012

Dan’s response: Good god, man — this is horrible. I guess for every awful American rock band like Hoobastank that got played at my gym circa 2003, there had to be dozens of less-successful outfits out there plowing the same mewling sensitive-bro furrow, and this was apparently one of them.

I tried looking Stage up on the internet to see what their deal was, but their name is so profoundly un-Google-able that I was somehow directed instead to Deep Blue Dream’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” an annoying earworm to which I would nonetheless willingly subject myself if forced to choose between it and this Stage song. I honestly couldn’t even make it through the entire thing; if you invited me over to your house and put on music like this, I would abruptly make my excuses and leave.

Brad’s rationale: Anagrammatically speaking, of course, Tages is an anagram for Stage, and predictably enough, vice versa! And, Dan, I’m not in any disagreement with your assessment of the band’s (Stage) competence! They should be taken out back and put out of our misery!

Share Front Row & Backstage

Dan’s song #2: Young John Watson, “Space Guitar,” 1954

Brad’s response: Well, my first thought was, “Is this Johnny Guitar Watson?” Whether ‘tis or not, there could be a Dan-purposed link between the very guitar-forward “The World Has Come Between Us” and also having a guitar in space that may or may not be in the world that “has come between us” or whomever! So, I may pursue more space-aware songs for my tag!

Upon further research via Discogs, indeed, “Young John Watson” was the early nom-de-tune of the man who became Johnny “Guitar” Watson in the ‘70s (at least, that’s the first time I encountered his records around 1977 at Houston’s Cactus Records store).

Turns out, in 1935, Young John Watson was born in Houston, TX, 20 years before I first drew Space City breath! That, too, may trigger a suitable tag with which to possibly befuddle young master Epstein! Hmmm…..NASA is Houston-based (just outside, actually), and with a “Space Guitar” lead-in, where might that lead me?👀

Dan’s rationale: After that hideous Stage song, I desperately needed something to rinse the foul taste out my ears and generally reset my mood, and the music of Johnny “Guitar” Watson is always excellent for that sort of thing!

Released in 1954 under the name Young John Watson, “Space Guitar” is an absolutely ripping R&B guitar instrumental soaked with seemingly random splashes of reverb; it was so out there for its time that the session’s recording engineer purportedly asked Watson if he was from outer space, hence the track’s title. One of the things I really love about Watson’s guitar playing is that you can actually feel his wicked sense of humor and life-affirming joy coming through the grooves, and it’s impossible for me to hear “Space Guitar” without cracking a smile.

Brad’s song #2: The Moving Sidewalks, “99th Floor,” 1968

Dan’s response: Awww yeah, Brad — that’s more like it! I first heard this garage classic circa 1986 on Pebbles, Vol. 2, which remains one of my favorite U.S. garage compilations to this day, and I played it many, many times on my all-’60s college radio show “Peace, Love & Fuzztone” between 1986 and 1989 at Vassar College’s WVKR!

Billy Gibbons’ guitar solo here is one of the wildest things he’s ever waxed. I asked him, about 20 years ago, during an interview if they’d slowed down the tape during recording to make the guitar sound extra crazy at normal speed, but he swore it was just him going nuts with the whammy bar. Not sure I believe him, as Billy’s been known to playfully stretch/gild/obscure the truth about such things; but that solo is one for the ages, regardless.

Brad’s rationale: Two Houston-native guitar greats in a row! Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Billy “Guitar” Gibbons! Mom, as a Houston-based entertainment booking agent (with her Artists Corporation of Texas agency), used to book The Moving Sidewalks in bars and venues in and around Houston in the mid-‘60s. When helping to move her agency from paper and into the computer age, in the ‘90s, I found a handful of Moving Sidewalks booking contracts. “Do you know who this is?”, handing her a contract. She wouldn’t know, of course, so I showed her a ‘70s ZZ Top album with Billy’s picture, and she was suitably impressed!

Share

Dan’s song #3: Roky Erickson, “The Interpreter,” 1977

Brad’s response: Another Texas guitar legend, this time from the 13th Floor Elevators!

Dan’s rationale: It requires no great leap of the imagination to go from that Moving Sidewalks song to Texas psychedelic legends, The 13th Floor Elevators, who were obviously a massive influence upon Billy Gibbons and his pals.

But, rather than pick one of the many great Elevators tunes, I decided to go with my favorite solo track from Elevators frontman, Roky Erickson. Originally released on the flip of 1977’s “Bermuda,” “The Interpreter” (above) is an oblique character study seemingly plucked from the latter third of a Cold War spy flick existing only in Roky’s turbulent imagination, set to a chugging “Sweet Jane” riff and topped with rousing, Thin Lizzy-esque guitar harmonies.

Roky’s long history of painful mental health struggles still makes my heart ache — the one time I saw him live (backed by Meat Puppets at the Austin Music Hall during South by Southwest, 2011), he was pretty “disengaged” from the proceedings, to say the least — but he left us with some incredibly haunting and compelling music.

👍Upgrade for All-Access! Only $35/yr!🔥

Brad’s song #3: Gary Myrick, “Ode to Robert Johnson” (live)

Dan’s response: Cool clip; I’d never seen this before. Myrick’s an interesting figure, pun only partially intended. I first heard him circa 1983 via the film, Valley Girl, which memorably featured Gary Myrick & The Figures’ new wave-y “She Talks in Stereo” during the scene where hot mom, Mrs. Brent, flirts with Skip the delivery boy, having no idea that Myrick had previously been a big deal on the Austin blues scene.

I also really dug the self-titled 1991 album from Havana 3am, the band he formed with former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, which contained a forward-thinking fusion of twangy roots rock, punk aggression, Latin flourishes and reggae grooves that probably would have been much more successful had it been released about five or six years later.

While the lyrics to this song are a bit “on the nose” for my taste — and I’m fully over the whole “Robert Johnson sold his soul to Satan at the crossroads” trope at this point — Myrick isn’t wrong about Johnson’s lasting influence, and his acoustic 12-string playing here is undeniably fantastic.

Brad’s rationale: Two Texas guitar legends in one! Dallas-born Gary Myrick and his original ode to the Mississippi-born Johnson, who spent some brief, but quality time in Dallas! Gary, in an exclusive interview with FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE on January 21, 2022, tells us all about recording in the exact same Dallas office building room as Johnson, for two days, back in 1937:

Gary’s newest single, released in May 2026, “Fame is Dangerous”:

🎵Tune Tag Interactive Chat! Join us!🔥

Dan’s song #4: & The Venus 3, “Goodnight Oslo,” 2009

Brad’s response: An upfront guitar, certainly. Is that it? No cross-pollination on the personnel in the studio for Hitchcock. Of course, it was just Myrick on guitar in his live performance! Hmmmm…..

Dan’s rationale: While the 12-string guitar obviously existed well before The Beatles and The Byrds, the instrument always makes me think “pop jangle” — and that Myrick clip inspired me to dig up a favorite example of the 12-string in jangly action.

But, rather than go back to the 1960s for a well-known 12-string classic, I’m picking one of my favorite songs of the 21st century, the epic and enigmatic closing title track of Robyn Hitchcock’s 2009 album with the Venus 3 (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin).

“It’s just Norwegian speed,” he sings, but the song hovers majestically for six minutes with a restraint that seems decidedly amphetamine-free; if anything, it’s the ringing 12-string (played by Buck, I’m guessing) that gives “Goodnight Oslo” its hypnotic lift. And hypnotize me, it most certainly does — I could happily listen to this one on a loop for hours at a time!

Brad’s song #4: Booker T. & The MGs, “Green Onions,” 1967 (The Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway)

Dan’s response: Speaking of amphetamines... these guys may have popped a greenie or two to stave off their jetlag, if the unusually quick tempo and jittery playing of this performance is any indication!

It’s a fantastic document, however, and the MGs were arguably at the peak of their powers at this point; when Steve Cropper passed away this past December, I posted this very clip in his honor. From a guitar nerd standpoint, it’s also really interesting to see Cropper playing through a Marshall amp. He famously used a Fender Harvard on the original recording of “Green Onions,” and pretty much everything else he played on for Stax Records during the 1960s, but he sounds just as great here — and just as much like Steve Cropper — when powered by Marshall. Because ultimately, kids, it’s all in the fingers.

Brad’s rationale: Well, it’s the last night of the 1967 Stax/Volt Revue in Norway’s capital city. Surely someone had to say, “Goodnight Oslo”!

And, goodnight Dan! It’s been a pleasure, and I’m honoured to have had you grace our Tune Tag stage….surely a reprise awaits! FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE-ers, please enjoy Dan’s most recent publication, “Mac and Me,” where Dan “flashes back on the time Ian McCulloch stopped by [his] office to sing a few Echo & The Bunnymen songs”!👇

Jagged Time Lapse

Mac and Me

I’ve been in a heavy Echo & The Bunnymen mood lately, largely because Tony Fletcher and I decided to tackle the legendary Liverpool band’s self-titled 1987 album for the latest episode of our CROSSED CHANNELS podcast…

Read more

2 days ago · 5 likes · 5 comments · Dan Epstein

Leave a comment

⚡“Dan’s Pace”: Quik✒Notes On Notes🎶, by Dan👇of The Rainbow Rx

🌈I’m continuing with my Pride Month celebration and this week, it involved listening to a lot of music by the artist who I refer to as the Queen Mother of Pop, the one and only Cher. Cher turned 80 this year, and has seemingly been around for longer than that. I love the fact that Cher was having hits in the ‘60s when my mom was a teenager, in the ‘80s when I was a teenager, and in the 2010s when my daughter was a teenager. A truly cross-generational artist!

Cher has been known in recent years primarily for her dance music, but for my money, there’s nothing better than late ‘80s/early-’90s Cher. During that time, she had a string of albums that revitalized her singing career, starting in 1987 with the self-titled Cher, continuing in 1989 with Heart of Stone, and finally ending in 1991 with Love Hurts. I have heard it referred to as her “faux metal” phase, and to celebrate it, I made this lazy playlist containing those albums, plus one soundtrack song - “Trail of Broken Hearts” from Days of Thunder. It could have fit in easily on any of those albums!

Here’s the playlist for your enjoyment:

GIG BUZZ!

Power Popalooza!👇Tomorrow night! The Lemon Twigs & The Rubinoos👇San Francisco’s Fillmore!

Get to know Chris a little better about his writing…through his writing!👇

On The Back Edge Of The Beat

No Sycophants Or Brands, Just A Music Journalist Whose Integrity Still Stands

I love the phrase here on Substack (before you begin typing a word or a sentence) that simply says, “Start writing…” Yesterday, I was too overstimulated to do that. An idea fragment had begun to burn a narrative thread wire through my head, but was extinguished by mental noise. I had initially wanted to respond to this …

Read more

4 months ago · 19 likes · 8 comments · Chris Hedden

Last week, we hosted for his 5th Tune Tag!

Next week, we’ll welcome 3-decade-long professional writer, of , for his first Tune Tag! IKR? When I first asked him, 2 years ago, he was busy writing a book! “Well, excuuuuuuuse MEEEE!”😁You won’t wanna miss this one, folks!📚

Chris’s song #1 sent to Brad: Sturgill Simpson, “A Good Look,” 2019

Chris’s rationale: I’ve loved Sturgill Simpson since around the time I saw him do a PBS Artists Den concert (shown below) for his 2016 album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth (Atlantic Records), mostly because he never follows what’s expected of him. Whether it’s the style of sound he pursues artistically, or even his role within the music industry, he seems to enjoy breaking away from the standard mold of the status quo.

I can’t say I embody that sentiment with quite the same ferocity, but Simpson’s rebellious attitude to say what he wants to say and call out what he doesn’t agree with is an attitude I try to embody every day as an independent writer.

I’ve always been stubbornly resistant to the will of the crowd (even as a child), preferring to go my own way and do my own searching into the truth of things. So even seeing Simpson’s semi-recent stage-name change into Johnny Blue Skies has been riveting to me because he alone is defining himself (like I want to do), the music industry puppeteering be damned!

I chose “A Good Look” from the artist’s 2019 LP, Sound & Fury (Elektra Records, worldwide), because that song (amongst many tracks on the album) rightly calls out flaws in the music monopoly: In the case of “A Good Look,” it’s the industry’s preference for appearance over actual substance; worrying about a good look over a good hook, and basically telling the talent not to take a stand for itself, because at least they’re on the “Big Stage.”

“The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica described Simpson as ‘someone whose zigzag path has been idiosyncratic and misunderstood’ as he turned away from country music to release a hard-rock record. After that, he a put out a (great) hillbilly concept album, re-recorded most of his discography with ‘most likely the greatest bluegrass band on the planet’ (his words), and had an identity crisis that landed him in Paris (by way of Thailand) and led him to assume the name Johnny Blue Skies.”—Chris Cohen, GQ.com, October 22, 2024.

Sound & Fury was already a middle finger from Simpson to his label, Elektra, at the time, who wanted more of his alt-country flavored sound and instead, received a bluesy, synth-psychedelic rock record! He then refused to give them any more music until he was released from his contract!

It was difficult to pick “A Good Look” on a record so devoted to lashing out at a business I agree has so many problems with it, but the fact that it’s co-written with the late, great, legendary singer-songwriter John Prine (with definite signs of his trademark lyrical humor) sealed the deal.

Ultimately, don’t mess with the Dread Pirate, Johnny Blue Skies, FKA Sturgill Simpson, or free-thinking writers like myself who aren’t willing to look the other way or silence themselves when the music industry needs to be put on blast for bad practices.

Share

Brad’s song #1 sent to Chris: Sunday Valley, “Where Did We Go Wrong,” 2004

Chris’s response: A wise choice here, Brad, throwing some early baby Sturgill my way! Listening to Simpson’s early Kentucky country-rock outfit, Sunday Valley, come crashing through the wall with “Where Did We Go Wrong,” immediately makes a few things clear to me: Firstly, that Simpson has long had a knack for crafting high-volume stompers, whether he’s in the beer-soaked barroom with “Where Did We Go Wrong,” or in the post-apocalyptic deadbeat disco rock hothouse of “A Good Look.”

Also, “Where Did We Go Wrong” clearly proved an inspiration to Simpson’s later work, with some lyrics closely mirrored on the end of his 2016 A Sailor’s Guide to Earth solo track, “Call To Arms” (performed live, here, on Saturday Night Live, January 2017):

I think Brad picked this not only due to Simpson’s continued knack for making the speakers shake (and this being another Sturgill-related project), but because even back in the Sunday Valley days, Simpson still proved to be a straight-from-the-hip type of lyrical shooter. No matter the time period, Sturgill Simpson is going to be blunt when it comes to his songwriting opinions. “Where Did We Go Wrong” is up a creek without a paddle, and Simpson makes that crystal clear in trademark outlaw-country fashion.

Chris’s song #2: Uncle Tupelo, “Gun,” 1991

Brad’s response: Features . As for what tags with my Sunday Valley, nothing’s coming to mind immediately.

Chris’s rationale: “Where Did We Go Wrong” immediately put me in mind of the many signature alt-country bands in and around the late ‘80s and ‘90s that melded rootsy twang together with a bounce-off-the-walls sense of steaming rock and roll: Like Lynyrd Skynyrd rammed into The Replacements. The ‘Mats’ influence is particularly strong within the punkish melodicisms of Uncle Tupelo’s “Gun,” from a band that combined the talents of future Wilco frontman, Jeff Tweedy, and Son Volt centerpiece, Jay Farrar.

Here, I’m reminded of Sunday Valley—both because of the electric, six-stringed teeth on this track and the overall sense of life going wrong. “Gun” just seems more personally aimed, as the narrator relates the misfortune of heartache. They experience tripping on wrinkles in rugs, falling out of a window, and breaking their shin on a broken ladder, but “it hurt much worse when you gave up.”

They even attempt to crawl back to this person by selling their guitar, showing that underneath the muscular nature of the instrumentation lies something much more fragile. Maybe less brash than Sunday Valley, but still bold in what it reveals.

I also enjoy the instrumentation of “Gun,” and how it echoes the narrator’s state of mind. The instrumental breaks are the punk-ridden thrash of emotional chaos, suddenly becoming a pendulum into melodic alt-rock before once again crashing into chugging, sludgy, head-banging riffs of defiance! I feel like it really captures the teen or young angst from an angle of love on the rocks.

30 years on: Jeff at home, with “Gun”:

💪Upgrade your sub! Get All-Access!🔥

Brad’s song #2: Van Morrison with Bobby Bland, “Tupelo Honey,” 2007

Chris’s response: I’d say that Brad definitely captured the “Tupelo” angle behind both the band, Uncle Tupelo, and “Tupelo Honey,” though I’d say Morrison and Bland sound a lot sweeter than the pent-up energy from the Uncle Tupelo track!

Regardless, so many tupelo references did make me look up the origin behind the actual honey, which apparently comes from particular tupelo trees down south. It can also be rare and quite unique in taste. Funny what an alt-country band and a soul song can teach you about ecology, eh?

🎵Join us in The Chat Room, after!

Chris’s song #3: B.B. King & Bobby Bland, “It’s My Own Fault,” 1976

Chris’s rationale: Hearing the “tupelo honey” sweet vocals of Bobby “Blue” Bland made me want to dig down for some more of his unique bluesy taste, and I immediately came away with one of his great collaborations with the famed blues guitarist, B.B. King.

“It’s My Own Fault” was originally written by fellow blues greats, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, and was first released by Hooker in 1954. But in my mind, it’s difficult to beat the combination of Bland and King, especially in this live setting, playing and singing such classic material with such a relaxed attitude…like they were just letting the groove take them where it wanted to go next, not any particular setlist or game plan (which the two seem to hint at in the beginning of the recording).

“It’s My Own Fault” is pure blues euphoria, with King and Bland’s voices doing easy battle, swirled around each other, cut in between by King’s classic knack for the guitar in a style I’d know as his from a mile away. Lyrically, “It’s My Own Fault” is classic blues and doesn’t need to say much to go pretty far. The narrator doesn’t treat his woman right, even when she brings her money home to him, and he doesn’t learn the error of his ways until she’s gone. And it’s nobody’s fault but his, and now he’s got those B-L-U-E-S.

The mistake of that decision goes right down to the bones of each note being sung and each guitar note being struck. Despite the shame in their tone, they still can’t quite avoid sounding “tupelo-honey” groovy!

Brad’s song #3: Legendary Masked Surfers, “Summer Means Fun,” 1973

Brad’s rationale: It’s hard to overstate just how stunningly historic this 1973 United Artists Records recording is! First of all, Secondhandsongs has no record of its existence, listing only the four other recordings extant: Bruce & Terry’s June 1964 original, Jan & Dean’s first cover, three months later, followed closely by the Fantastic Baggys, and the impressively faithful 2018 turn by Danish group, Tommy and The Rockets. But, no Masked Surfers, Legendary or otherwise! Thankfully, we can rely on Discogs!

Shown on the flip side of the pic sleeve (shown above on the video thumbnail) is the list of eight legends whose music (or producing/arranging) appears on this single…whether through early-’70s of-the-day recording, or through the use of existing tracks by these legends: Jan Berry, Dean O. Torrance, Bruce Johnston, Terry Melcher, Brian Wilson, Larry Knechtel, Leon Russell, and Glen Campbell (the last three, members of L.A.’s session-player Wrecking Crew).

This is one of those record-exec recognitions I love making, thanks to my obsession, growing up, with liner notes and the frequency that many of the same names popped up on the same records! Sticking out, for me, like the proverbial sore thumb, is the name of Steve Barri (now 84), who produced the live-in-studio blues-duo of B.B. King’n’Bobby Bland, above (hence the Tag to our Legendary Masked Surfers single)!

Barri, at the time, was an ABC Records staff producer/songwriter, who also co-wrote “Summer Means Fun” with the legendary P.F. Sloan in April 1964 (so legendary, Jimmy Webb wrote a song about him, “P.F. Sloan,” in 1970)! I’ll be shocked if Chris can pull any of this out from this single!

Chris’s response: Now I will readily admit, Brad, you threw me for a loop with this one! Tune Taggers beware, Brad is very good at this, and he could hit you with the sweeping off-speed curveball at any time!

My metaphorical knees buckled as I thought, how does an upbeat, dancing summer fun surf-rock song relate to the pace of a hearty-thick, slowly-sipped soup of King/Bland blues? And, finally (my 10 years of guitar lessons utterly failing me), I realized the keyword was right in front of me. Pace. Tempo.

As far apart as the speeds of the two tracks may seem to be on the surface, they’re using the same basic chord structures to tell extremely different stories. While King methodically hits his signature riffing solos, the Legendary Masked Surfers are using those same bones, but by comparison, at warp speed!

The glossy pop of “Summer Means Fun” makes it harder to tell, but the guitar solo within reveals the trick to the choice. You need to have careful ears and consider all angles when you’re in the arena of Tune Tag. Oh, and look into the story of the Legendary Masked Surfers with members of Jan & Dean (who produced this track) and The Beach Boys, very interesting music mythology material. This was a really good one!

The Flip Side

“Gonna Hustle You” (a Brian Wilson/Jan Berry composition): “Back in 1964 (‘63?), Liberty Records felt that this lyric was inappropriate for release on a Jan & Dean single, so instead we heard the Top 40 hit rewrite titled, ‘The New Girl In School,’ which was issued on the flip side of ‘Dead Man’s Curve.’ This 1973 single (‘Summer Means Fun’ b/w ‘Gonna Hustle You’) utilized the original backing track but with Dean’s vocal overdub of the song’s originally-proposed lyric”:

Enjoy Tune Tag? Buy me a ☕! Thank U!

Chris’s song #4: Ray Charles, “Hit The Road Jack,” 1961

Brad’s response: I’m gonna guess Chris is sending our Legendary Masked Surfin’ beach bum, Jack, on a road trip, telling him, in few uncertain terms, “Hit the road”!

Chris’s rationale: After recognizing how cleverly Brad approached his Legendary Masked Surfers tag through well-disguised (yet oh-so-similar) tempo differences, I decided to do the same with Ray Charles’ 1961 recording (backed by his famed Raelettes) of “Hit The Road Jack” (written by Percy Mayfield).

This song sits somewhere, structurally, in the middle of “It’s My Own Fault” and “Summer Means Fun,” while also embracing a veneer that is both a bit blues and a bit pop on top. And, given this is my final song of this Tune Tag installment, how can I not give a cleverly-winking signoff?

Also, this has truly been one of my favorite Ray Charles songs since I was young. I grew up on a few Greatest Hits comps of his, thanks to my parents’ musical taste, and I just always loved/appreciated the way his vocals could match any mood.

Here he was, the scorned troublemaker trying to plead his case, while his woman hands him his walking papers to get out and leave. At other moments, he could sound like the yearning, weather-beaten farmer on “That Lucky Old Sun,” or the sweetly reminiscent soul pouring over his thoughts of “Georgia On My Mind.” Couple that with some of the best piano playing I’ve had the pleasure to hear, and Ray is like nothing else. May his legacy (and this TT’s legacy) live on well into the future!🙌

35 Years On: Ray Charles, “Hit the Road Jack,” live on SNL, 1996:

Brad’s song #4: Billy Joel, “Captain Jack,” Live, 1972, at WSIU (Southern Illinois U)/ PBS studios

Chris’s response: Well, my immediate thought here is Brad going with the “Jack” correlation between this song and the Ray Charles track, though I feel like some story implications could be made here, too. In “Hit The Road Jack,” Charles’ narrator is being told by his woman to get out and leave under unknown circumstances (for bad behavior, infidelity, other illicit activities?), while Joel sings of someone still hanging around drug addiction that just can’t seem to leave “the one-horse town” they live in despite their fatigue at being there.

Joel lyrically questions “what went wrong?” while Charles’ song seems to imply something vaguely similar. Each musician with a style of piano that just sings around words so uniquely their own in every way.

Two different Jacks from similar decks, perhaps? Well, as far as that goes, that’s a story for another life and time, where only the one dealing the cards can determine what that fate may be.

Brad’s rationale: Hit the road and the smack, Captain Jack! This is tremendous early Joel, live at the studios of PBS-er WSIU, the TV station planted on the Carbondale campus of Southern Illinois University on February 10, 1972 (St. Louis is about 100 miles away from SIU, hence Joel’s dropping the city’s name in this performance), three months after the release of his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, on tiny Family Productions Records/Famous Music Corporation. A mastering error rendered his vocals on the disc pitched higher than recorded (and, of course, higher than what is Joel’s natural range/pitch)!

Now, “Captain Jack” was not recorded for Cold Spring Harbor (or was, and didn’t make the final track listing)….stay with me: Sometime in 1972, Joel came to the attention of Columbia Records, thanks to a live broadcast from noted Philadelphia rock station, WMMR-FM’s studios. This performance included “Captain Jack,” to the point of getting “huge phones” (as they used to say) at the station, thus becoming too big for CBS (and their nearby “Black Rock” head office edifice in NYC) to ignore.

All this to say that, in February ‘72, Joel is performing here (in our video above) a virtually spanking-newly-written “Captain Jack,” featuring a really loose performance, an adorable backing band of long-hairs with a Sears Special drum kit! Not to mention Billy’s sweaty, hairy face, a “statement” leather jacket, and looking like nowhere near the buttoned-down, clean-cut/CBS featured “artiste” we will come to know after just a couple of hit singles, top-selling albums, and sold-out arenas! How Joel came to the attention of CBS (from Wikipedia…click here).

36 Years On: Billy Joel, “Captain Jack,” live, NYC’s Shea Stadium, July 2008:

Chris: “Thanks, Brad! I appreciated getting to play Tune Tag so much!”

Leave a comment

⚡“Dan’s Pace”: Quik✒Notes On Notes🎶, by Dan👇of The Rainbow Rx

Since it’s Pride Month, I’m making a concerted effort to watch a lot of LGBT-themed movies. I started on Friday night with Philadelphia from 1993, and then yesterday morning, I watched the 2020 Netflix remake of The Boys in the Band. I had seen the 1970 film original years ago, but had just never gotten around to watching the remake.

The movie is amazing, full of stellar performances (especially Jim Parsons) and even though it takes place in 1968 New York, and is basically a time capsule of what it was like to be a gay man at that time, it is still oddly relevant today. The quote that lingered with me was “if we could just not hate ourselves so much.”

In addition to the performances, the music was great and crucial to setting the scene. All of the pieces were from the late-‘60s, and when the credits rolled, Herbie Hancock’s 1964 “Canteloupe Island” (Blue Note Records) played.

It was vaguely familiar to me, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why: It was interpolated quite heavily in Us3’s 1992 hit, “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” (from their 1993 Hand on the Torch album)! File that under things I should have known, but didn’t.

GIG BUZZ!

Tune Tag Welcomes Back of Earnestness is Underrated!

Nick describes himself as “a middle-aged geek [in NW Washington state]; I have interests in politics, and am enjoying reviving my interest in music. I have been interested in science fiction and role-playing games, but at this point I feel mostly nostalgia for them.” This is Nick’s 5th time joining us for Tune Tag! His most recent was almost a year ago, July 1, 2025, for Tune Tag #99:

Last week, we had a blast with of Best Music of All Time:

Next week, we’ll unlock the door for of On the Back Edge of the Beat!

Nick: “First, I want to thank Brad for hosting (as always), and for being open to my taking Tune Tag in different directions. My selections this time may have cramped his style. I know Brad’s love of matching session musicians or producers; in this case three of my choices are live tracks without a backing band.

“After the one studio track I selected, he Tagged a musician involved in the album, and I imagine he felt a sense of relief!”

Nick’s song #1 sent to Brad: I’m With Her, “The Obvious Child,” 2026

Nick’s rationale: Within hours of hearing this performance, I decided that it would be a good opening song for Tune Tag. The first thing that struck me about their performance was how much fun they had with the song. The second was, “holy sh*t, that’s not easy!”

“The Obvious Child” (written by Paul Simon, debuting it on his The Rhythm of the Saints album) gives each of them some opportunity to show off (and all of them had successful independent careers before creating I’m With Her). You can find other performances on YouTube -- this a slightly looser version, which is good:

I picked the Stephen Colbert/Late Show performance because I liked the focus and intensity of, “we want to impress an audience who may not be familiar with our music.” I have listened to them before and I was impressed.

I also thought of this for Tune Tag because I think that part of the ethos is demonstrating cross-generation musical connections. In this case the song was originally from The Rhythm Of The Saints, which was released in 1990 -- before Sarah Jarosz was born!

Brad’s song #1 sent to Nick: The Monkees, “Saturday’s Child,” 1966

Nick’s response: I’m assuming that Brad is matching the word “child” in the song title. It’s a fun choice; full of energy, and the pleasure of making music. However, I’m going to switch to a different mood. Looking at the album including this song I see two others written by Goffin/King, and immediately think of another Goffin/King song which refers to a day in the title.

Brad’s rationale: David Gates wrote “Saturday’s Child,” which The Monkees recorded in July of ‘66 (and released by Colgems 3 months later). In 1961 (a decade before his Bread would become the toast of the town with hits like “Baby I’m-a Want You”), David and family moved from Tulsa to L.A., where Gates wrote songs, worked as a music copyist, a studio musician, and as a producer for many artists, including Pat Boone.

The self-titled Monkees debut album was produced by Houston native, Michael Nesmith (2 songs), songwriters Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart (who landed half of the dozen songs on the album), and songwriter/producer, Jack Keller (above), working for Don Kirshner’s and Al Nevins’ Aldon Music Publishing. Kirshner is credited as Music Supervisor over the project (album and the band’s eventual output).

The Wrecking Crew (including Glen Campbell on guitar) laid down the backing tracks on the album, with The Monkees providing all the vocals. Occasional guitar backing by Peter Tork was provided. The Wrecking Crew would go on to do the same thing for The Monkees’ second album, More of the Monkees. The band eventually fought for—and won—the right to play their own instruments on subsequent albums, beginning with their third record, Headquarters (May ‘67).

One more note on the song: A month after The Monkees dropped their “Saturday’s Child,” The Palace Guard released their cover in November of ‘66. A psych-pop outfit, The Palace Guard featured then-16-year-old drummer, Emitt Rhodes, later known as “the one-man Beatles.” He’d record albums in the ‘70s for A&M and ABC/Dunhill.

My Three Sons’ Don Grady was in The Palace Guard in 1965 (and recording two songs, singing lead), but had left the band prior to The Guard’s “Saturday’s Child” recording. For more about Grady’s TV and recording career, our 2023 comprehensive essay:

Share Front Row & Backstage

Nick’s song #2: Roberta Flack, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” 1971

Brad’s response: So, lemme talk this one through….Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, that duo also wrote a song or two The Monkees recorded, but that one ain’t it! “Saturday’s Child,” as we know, was written by David Gates.

Nick’s Tag could be in the title…. “Tomorrow”….it’s a day, too, like Saturday!

Nick’s rationale: For me, picking songs for Tune Tag is always a mix of intuition and calculation. I’ll listen to Brad’s song, think of a few starting possibilities and then try to figure out if I can improve on my starting point -- either finding a song that I like more, or which has a more interesting connection.

In this case, that was a very short process, because I went with my first reaction, and happily so. This is an opportunity to share one of my favorites: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” is a perfect pop song. One site claims there are over 460 covers.

But, the lovely thing about the late Roberta Flack’s version (on her 1971 Quiet Fire album) is that it strips the sense of anxiety from the song. She’s concerned about what her partner feels, but there’s no sense that she’s worried about making a mistake. She doesn’t ask the question as an attempt to validate the decision to spend the night together, but as a hope for the future.

Exclusives! Open $ Articles! Upgrade!🔥

Brad’s song #2: Richard Tee, “Strokin’,” 1979

Nick’s response: As I mentioned above, I think Brad picked this because Richard Tee played on Roberta Flack’s Quiet Fire. He was also with Paul Simon on the Rhythm Of The Saints tour; so this connects to both of my selections, and we’ll see if Brad has any additional reasons.

Brad’s rationale: While he didn’t play on Flack’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” Tee was in on the album’s sessions, playing organ on some tracks. On this, his first solo album (for Tappan Zee/Columbia), he plays all the keyboards, and on this cut, “Strokin’,” piano. He arranged and conducted, as well, with Bob James producing.

Must-watch video: He’s played with Bowie, Mariah, Aretha, Paul Simon, Ringo, Peter Gabriel, and many more! Included is the only known video interview with Tee in front of a piano & interviews with session stars you know well, all singing Tee’s praises!

Tee plays piano like no one you’ve heard! As he says, “What you’re learning today, I forgot about already; I’ll come up with something new tomorrow!”👇

Nick’s song #3: Jim Pepper, “Comin’ and Goin’,” 1984

Nick’s rationale: Looking at the musicians who played on Strokin’, I notice bassist Chuck Rainey -- a legendary musician who’s name I recognize from the video about the Steely Dan album, Aja, and specifically, “Peg”:

Rainey has played on so many albums that using him as a Tag allows almost too many possibilities, but one name catches my eye: I see that he played on Jim Pepper’s solo debut, Pepper’s Pow Wow (below). That sends me down a different direction.

Wikipedia describes Richard Tee as playing “jazz fusion.” When I first got interested in Jim Pepper, I saw the album, Afro-Indian Blues, and got a copy for my father. It looked really good, but I knew he would be a better audience for long instrumental pieces than I was. That worked out well; he enjoyed it, and he mentioned that he played it for a friend who was a jazz musician who said that Jim Pepper was one of his favorite sax players.

Then, last year, when I recommended Jim Pepper on Substack, he said that there was one track from the album that he really recommended that I should listen to, and particularly praised the piano playing on it -- “Comin’ and Goin’.” That was enough for me to really pay attention to the track, and I was blown away; it’s fantastic! So, that was a very different style of piano-based jazz fusion, which also matched the song title for “Strokin’,” particularly in the use of apostrophes!

That seemed like a good Tune Tag connection! I realize that some people are not going to listen to a 12-minute jazz recording, but I recommend it! After I sent it to Brad, I listened through it again, and when I finished I felt a sense of calm and peace wash over me. The playing feels so alive and in the moment and then it all comes together in a really satisfying way at the end.

Introducing Amina Claudine Myers

I did have one hesitation: After opening with I’m With Her, I thought it would be fun to stick with female artists for all of my selections, but this was too interesting a tag to resist. Then, a day later, I realized that it was a good fit. I found the album through Jim Pepper, but the four musicians are credited equally and, on this track, Amina Claudine Myers on piano is the lead instrument for the middle section. I picked the song intending to highlight the piano, so it fits the spirit of I’m With Her.

Ms. Myers and her 4-piece, with “African Blues,” featuring Jim Pepper on tenor sax and vocals, at the Jazzfest in Raab, Austria, May 19, 1991:

Brad’s song #3: Bill Miller, “River of Time,” 1995

In 1984, he moved to Nashville. His biggest break came when popular musician Tori Amos, after listening to his Red Road CD on her tour bus, asked him to serve as the opening act on her Under the Pink tour.

Nick’s response: Brad selects another Native American musician. I hadn’t heard of Bill Miller, and am glad to have the introduction. I will listen to more of the album. I like the theme of the song, about making peace with the way that we change over time, and the parts of ourselves that we lose.

Share

Nick’s song #4: Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen, “Tide and The River Rising,” 1989

Brad’s response: The river of time’s tide is rising!

Nick’s rationale: This ended up going in a direction that I didn’t expect: I had a couple of songs that I thought of immediately, but the one that I liked best musically didn’t have a satisfying connection to Brad’s Bill Miller song. I thought of the thematic connection with Kallet & Larsen’s “Tide and the River Rising (Oars)” -- a song about rivers and time, which is also about the way we change as we age.

I found a note which captures the song, “Cindy composed this song for a memorial service held for a close friend of her father. It seems to fit occasions of birth, marriage, despair and hope just as well.”

Even though I liked the fit, I wasn’t planning on choosing the song. I listened to it thinking it might remind me of other songs, but then I found this live recording which I hadn’t heard before and I thought it sounded great. Kallet’s guitar has a really nice tone, and Grey Larsen’s contributions are thoughtful; it’s a good presentation of the song, and that was enough to convince me.

🎉Join us in The Chat Room after!🥳

Brad’s song #4: Jamie Cullum, “River,” 2018

Nick’s response: I notice that Brad did not try to find another song featuring a harmonium. This is a very nice selection. Brad picks one of the most famous “River” songs (Joni Mitchell, from 1971’s Blue album), but with connections to the rest of the round: Jamie Cullum is another jazz pianist. He is covering a song released before he was born (1979, and as a coincidence of language, his grandfather was Indian, but South Asian, not Native American).

I wasn’t sure what to make of the version at first; it’s so different from the original. But it helped me to think of it as a cross-generational artifact. Like I’m With Her, he knows that the original is so firmly established that he can play around with it.

I think this Tune Tag went in interesting directions; if readers are willing to leave a comment I’d be curious to know if people were familiar with any of these recordings and/or which caught your eye reading the piece.

Brad’s rationale: I’ve loved Joni’s “River” for about the last dozen years. It took me about 45 years, though, to discover it…so, it’s about time! Y’see, I had Blue the very week of its Reprise/Warner Bros. Records release on June 22, 1971! I was 16, and it was but one of a handful of other new Warner promo releases Dad brought home from the Houston commercial radio station he worked at.

But, this teenaged boy was far more interested in the Jethro Tull Aqualung album released that March (with plenty of other rock-forward albums!) than this introspective, soft-rock lady! It took Barry Manilow, though, to wake me up to Joni’s gem a few years into this century.

It was in the late ‘70s, after seeing subsequent Manilow tour-stops in Houston that I suddenly realized what Barry’s super power really was…arranging and orchestrating. Around 2012, I caught a glimpse of this live video clip. I loved the song, looked it up, and was stunned to realize it was on the Blue album I had as a teen, and recently sold (with 2,000 other of my albums) on eBay, turn of the century! It took a while, but thanks, Barry:

From 2008, Joni live, with Herbie Hancock on piano:

Howard Salmon

Joni Mitchell — Blue (1971)

There are albums we discover, and there are albums that seem to have been waiting inside us all along…

Read more

14 days ago · 20 likes · 9 comments · Howard Salmon

Our proper finale for this Tune Tag is by our generous and inspired guest, ! I’m so honoured by his thoughtful, earnest, and enthusiastic follow-up, that I don’t mind calling it our standing O! Thank you, Nick! He’s right….Earnestness is Underrated!

Earnestness Is Underrated

Tune Tag & Extras

I joined Brad Kyle for Tune Tag this week, and I’ve very much enjoyed reading the responses. This one felt adventurous; I think both Brad and I ended up following the tags in directions that we wouldn’t have expected, and I appreciate all of the readers who were willing to check it out, and let us know about songs they enjoyed…

Read more

6 days ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · NickS (WA)

Leave a comment

⚡“Dan’s Pace”: Quik✒Notes On Notes🎶, by Dan👇of The Rainbow Rx

If you read any one thing on all of Substack this week, please make it this article by on Haddaway’s “What Is Love” - the ‘90s dance track that launched a thousand head bops.

It is, quite simply, one of the best bits of music writing I have ever read, and I aspire to be able to compose something that flows so effortlessly. The way he manages to acknowledge both the enjoyment and ironic enjoyment of the track is something you really have to read for yourself:

Ear Candy Update

Haddaway - What is Love

Read more

15 days ago · 17 likes · 7 comments · Jason Thompson

Of course, it made me have to go listen to “What Is Love” immediately, and it got added to my May playlist that wrapped up on Sunday. But, it also made me think of that time in 2015 when remixer and mash-up artist extraordinaire, Robin Skouteris, mashed up “What Is Love” with what was then Madonna’s new single, “Living For Love,” from her 2015 album, Rebel Heart. I think it’s one of the best mash-ups I’ve ever heard:

Eleven years after it came out, it still hits. I wonder if Madonna knows it exists, because it would be a perfect way to perform it live!

GIG BUZZ!

Thank you to for this poster: Chicago’s Riot Fest in September:

Matt was also generous enough to collab with me on this nifty Prefab Sprout album dive two years ago:

But, it’s Matt’s Best Music of All Time that has become the most rapidly-improving, impressive, and consistent Substack in the past year (IMO)!

Just spotlighting his “Every Studio Album, Ranked From Worst to Best” articles prove just how gutsy and prodigious Matt’s scope and keen execution has become: The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and most recently, Billy Joel! I can’t recommend highly enough subscribing to Matt’s ‘Stack!

😱THIS JUST IN!🥳🎉🌟👏

I’m not alone in that assessment, either, as it turns out! Matt just sent this announcement on Substack’s social media Notes, this “telegram” (dated 5/25/26, Monday afternoon): “I’m humbled to share that Best Music of All Time crossed the 2,000-subscriber threshold over the weekend!”

Congratulations, Matt, from all of our FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE subscribers (we share a bunch of ‘em, I’m sure, so you know how fabulous they are)!!

Last week, we met (and thoroughly enjoyed) the delightful of Melody Times, as we all enjoyed her debut appearance!

Next week, we’ll welcome back FR&B good friend, for his 5th Tune Tag!

Matt’s song #1 sent to Brad: Wang Chung, “To Live and Die in L.A.,” 1985

Matt’s rationale: It’s fitting that one of the most slept-on film soundtracks of the ‘80s comes courtesy of a band that similarly doesn’t get mentioned in enough “Best Of” moments from that decade as they should.

Even their hits, like “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight,” should be higher up on lots of people’s radars, but here, they hit their peak. That glittering, stuttering synth refrain that starts “To Live and Die in L.A.,” playing off the bassline effortlessly, is such an incredible vibe that Nick Feldman and Jack Hues could bottle it, sell it online, and I would have a case shipped to my condo! The rest of the album meets the high bar that the opening sets, by the way.

It’s also worth mentioning that the eponymous film is worth your time if you’ve never watched it. The late William Friedkin (August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) makes a meal out of the industrial Los Angeles setting, including staging an all-time car chase on a freeway without any traffic stops or guardrails for the stunt drivers. I won’t spoil anything, but seriously, watch the movie, and you’ll see just how insane it is, in practice. Also, you get nice turns from a pre-CSI William Petersen as a corrupt cop, and Willem Dafoe as a money launderer. Neo-noir at its finest, my friends.

Share

Brad’s song #1 sent to Matt: Tony Banks and Jack Hues (aka Strictly, Inc), “Only Seventeen,” 1995

Matt’s response: I had forgotten about this side project! A little Tony Banks-Jack Hues collab several years after the Wang Chung and Genesis hype had died down (I guess the latter were still around and doing stuff to a degree, but it was a far cry from their output and popularity from the previous decade).

I love how cheesy and semi-cringe this track is! The opening synth work kind of reminds me of the cop-show themes from back then, and the animated music video is … um … odd. It does feel like more of a natural extension of Wang Chung’s sound, so I wonder if that’s the direction the creative juices were flowing most strongly at the time. As always, Brad is coming through with GEMS.

Brad’s rationale: Jack Hues of Wang Chung, sings lead here with ex-Genesis keyboardist, Tony Banks. I never knew Banks ever did this; just Genesis, and the occasional solo album, I figured. Here, Banks talks about the use of the “dotted quaver” rhythm effect on the song:

And here, Banks discusses the differences inherent in placing a composition with Genesis, compared to recording a song with a “lesser-known” recording commodity:

Matt’s song #2: Mike + The Mechanics, “All I Need is a Miracle,” 1985

Brad’s response: Tagging two former Genesis members: Tony Banks from my previous song, and Mike Rutherford and his Mechanics from 1985, in a song written by Rutherford and Christopher Neil (who also produced), with Paul Young on lead vocals.

Matt’s rationale: So, Tony Banks means a Genesis tie-in, which meant my mind immediately went to the obvious frames of reference, like my guy Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel. But, then I remembered, no, this is a serious music publication, and I can’t go for the low-hanging fruit all the time! We can (and must) dig a little deeper than that. Otherwise, can I really call myself a music nerd in the purest sense?

And, with that, I submit Mike + The Mechanics, the Mike Rutherford side-project that materialized, oddly enough, after he wasn’t satisfied with his solo (meaning just him) output in addition to his Genesis contributions. He believed his creativity was at its peak when he worked in a group setting, rather than his own personal vacuum.

This outfit had some nice tunes, too: “The Living Years,” “Word of Mouth,” and a couple of others, but “All I Need is a Miracle” is still my favorite jam of theirs. It’s a really fun pastiche of everything I adore about ‘80s music, including the cartoonish music video, that insists on giving you a madcap storyline instead of the same few camera angles of the band performing. What a time it was for music!

🔼grade to All-Access! $5/mo or $35/yr!

🎵Upgrade your subscription to access the debut Tune Tigue with ! Tune Tag as you know & love it, but with the opening being a classical composition!

Brad’s song #2: Paul Carrack, “Don’t Shed a Tear,” 1987

Matt’s response: I had to look it up because the curiosity got the better of me, but “Don’t Shed a Tear” was the only big-time hit Paul Carrack had as a solo artist. It peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1987.

Also, for those who don’t know Mr. Carrack’s work, he’s a legit pop-rock legend: He sang lead on Ace’s yacht rock classic “How Long” [Brad: Rod Stewart’s favorite song for a year or two following the song’s 1975 single release!], Squeeze’s “Tempted,” and was an occasional studio and touring keyboardist for Roxy Music (1978-82). He played piano on “To Turn You On” for their Avalon album, for example. On top of all that, he handled lead vocals for several other Mike + the Mechanics songs, including “The Living Years.”

An interesting question related to Carrack’s career would be this: Which session musicians have had the biggest influence on pop music in the past half-century or so? Would it be folks like Leon Russell, Glen Campbell, and Dave Grohl, who started as session players (the first two, graduates of L.A.’s The Wrecking Crew) before becoming hugely famous performers in their own right?

Or would it be a name like (Wrecking Crew stalwarts), Hal Blaine or Carol Kaye, uber-reliable and distinctive musicians who more than made their mark, albeit more anonymously than the former group? A fun game to play for a few minutes!

Brad’s rationale: Carrack synched playing bass in the Mechanics/“Miracle” video (although he’s not on the studio take), and was a part of The Mechanics’ band. “Don’t Shed a Tear” is from one of his solo albums, 1987’s One Good Reason:

Here’s a live version, performed at The Ritz in New York City, 1988, with Nick Lowe on bass! Let’s call this the bitchin’est brush-off song:

Brad’s Corner of Self-Indulgence

In 1989, the year following The Ritz/NYC performance, Carrack re-released “Don’t Shed A Tear” as a single aimed at the UK market; the original version had been a hit song in the U.S. in ‘88.

For the UK, it was promoted with an updated mix courtesy of Tom Lord-Alge (above right, and below). The updated mix peaked at #60 on the British Singles Chart. The Lord-Alge mix is the rarest of the versions of this song, appearing digitally only on the UK CD-Single:

Carrack has long been a favorite rock male vocalist of mine, joining such varied (and largely, unknown/unsung) singers as Danny Wilde, Tony Burrows, Pat Upton, John Waite, and Rob Grill (to name a few). Here’s the fascinating Songfacts story of “Don’t Shed a Tear” (click here) (song written by Eddie Schwartz and Rob Friedman….Carrack’s studio recording was produced by Christopher Neil).

For more about singer/songwriter, Eddie Schwartz, hit up this recent article by our good friend’n’resident Canadian/CanCon scribe, :

Maple Mixtape

Single flashback + more

Born in Toronto in December 1949, Eddie Schwartz has had a simply remarkable music career that goes well beyond this 1982 single…

Read more

3 months ago · 21 likes · 3 comments · Maple Mixtape 🇨🇦

Matt’s song #3: Art Garfunkel, “Bright Eyes,” 1978 (written, produced, and arranged by Mike Batt)

Matt’s rationale: Have you seen the 1989 film, Sing? If you haven’t, I won’t hold it against you. It was a box-office bomb (that, despite coming from part of the braintrust responsible for Footloose, failed to recoup a significant portion of its $11.5 million budget (it brought in a scant $2.3 million). So, I guess what I’m saying is, don’t bother with the movie!

The soundtrack (above, on Columbia Records), on the other hand, is a cornucopia of ‘80s names you’ll recognize, including Patti LaBelle, Bill Champlin, Michael Bolton, Johnny Kemp, Paul Carrack, and this man, Art Garfunkel.

In a roundabout way, there are two film/TV references embedded in this pick. I hadn’t actually heard this song in a very, very long time (not since it stuck out as one of the better moments on a Garfunkel Greatest Hits that I stumbled upon in my parents’ record collection as a teenager) until a couple of weeks prior to this writing, when it foreshadowed a couple of particularly gory moments in a spattery Black Mirror episode my wife and I were watching. I had to stop and make a note to reference the song in the newsletter later. It was too pretty a ‘70s gem to pass up!

Well, Brad, I’m happy to bestow that little nugget on you for this Tune Tag instead!

Meet Mike Batt, Matt! For all we know, he could have whelped an offspring and named him Matt Batt! But, we’ll learn about and listen to more of Batt, below!

Live, 2017, Mike Batt:

Brad’s song #3: Justin Hayward, “Forever Autumn,” 1994 (live), with Mike Batt conducting and arranging, on a song written by Jeff Wayne (melody), and Paul Vigrass & Gary Osborne, lyrics:

Matt’s response: Ah yes, the great Justin Hayward from the equally great Moody Blues! I struggled to find a more direct connection between Hayward and Garfunkel, though perhaps there’s a Jimmy Webb middle step I missed somewhere along the way.

Honestly, if you need a music trivia get-out-of-jail-free card, you could do much worse than Webb as your “Hail Mary”! Interesting footnote about him: in 1969, at age 23, he nabbed Grammys for not one, not two, but three different songs (”By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “MacArthur Park”). Webb: One of the best to put pen to paper where lyrics are concerned!

Brad’s rationale: Well, first of all, Matt…FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE is happily well-equipped in the Jimmy Webb fandom camp! There’s this from a generous and inspirational tip from FR&B friend, (next week’s Tune Tag guest!):

….and, this, from a suggestion by , one of our early “Inside Tracks”:

Matt: All right, all right, Brad. You did it yet again! Your PhD has trumped my bachelor’s degree. You’ve stumped me with this connection. But, because these are always so much fun to write, I won’t dwell on it. I’m not even thinking about it anymore. I swear to you.

Back to Brad: As you’ve seen above, Matt, it’s all about the Batt Man…Mike Batt!

The Wombles showed up here (and we allowed them to stay!) in a collab with nearly 3 years ago!👇

Batt created the British ‘70s novelty furry pop band, The Wombles (above), after recording the theme song for the animated BBC series of the same name. He also composed, as we know, the song “Bright Eyes” for the 1978 animated film, Watership Down. Batt also has conducted the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and Stuttgart Philharmonic.

🎵Join us in The Chat Room after!😁

Matt’s song #4: Johnny Nash, “I Can See Clearly Now,” 1973

Johnny, with a live mic (as The Midnight Special was keen to do!) on the show’s 15th-ever episode, airing on May 4, 1973 (I had just turned 18, and was a couple weeks away from high school graduation).

Matt’s rationale: The Moody Blues are one of those “almost” groups in Billboard Hot 100 history. Despite their widespread popularity and critical acclaim, they never got to the top of the pop charts. They came agonizingly close in November 1972, not long before Election Day, with the eternal “Nights in White Satin.” Normally, I’d feel more upset than I do, but I can’t be mad at the man (and the tune) that kept the group out of that #1 spot, since it’s “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash (who wrote, arranged, and produced the recording for Epic/CBS Records in 1972).

Frankly, there needs to be a Johnny Nash revival on TikTok, Instagram, or wherever, most importantly because more people need to understand just how incredible a singer he was. That effortless, airy tone and off-the-charts charisma made him such a natural behind the mic or in front of the camera, as the chosen clip demonstrates.

Oddly enough, he ended up being known more for his covers than anything else, besides this song. “Stir It Up,” “Cupid,” and a phenomenal version of “Tears On My Pillow” were all in his repertoire.

I’d go so far as to say that, if you check out only one artist from my picks, let it be Johnny. He was a generational talent.

Brad’s response: Nash sang in the choir at Progressive New Hope Baptist Church in South Central Houston as a child. In the ‘60s, I attended church and elementary school at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in southwest Houston (Meyerland subdivision, near Bellaire).

Beginning in 1953 (as a young teenager), Johnny Nash sang covers of R&B hits on Matinee, a local variety show on Houston’s NBC affiliate, KPRC-TV. The show’s producer was a young lady named Jonni Hartman (shown above), the first female TV producer in Houston, who later became a busy local PR gal, which is how my mom (an entertainment booking agent) got to know Jonni and family, in the ‘60s.

Our families got to be so chummy that, by the late ‘60s (when Lisa and I were in junior high), Jonni’s youngest daughter and I would often go out on movie and pizza dates! Lisa would move to L.A. in the mid-’70s, having landed a recording contract with Kirshner/CBS Records. Her 1976 self-titled debut album (below) was produced by living legend Jeff Barry (now 88), co-composer of such Phil Spector-produced ‘60s rock classics like “Be My Baby,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “Chapel of Love”!

I moved from Houston to L.A. in early ‘80, and Lisa was kind enough to arrange for me to briefly meet Jeff at his upper-Sunset Boulevard office. About a year before that, Barry had written songs with exclusive FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE contributor, Stephen Michael Schwartz! Stephen tells us how all that came together, and even gifted us an exclusive fully-produced (by Barry!) song demo of one of those songs, “Light Years Away” (with Stephen singing and playing guitar) here:

All 20 of Stephen's FR&B articles here!

Jonni would follow Lisa to L.A. in short order, and landed with Ruth Aarons Management, to help handle the careers of David, Shaun, and Jack Cassidy, and Shaun’s mom, Shirley Jones, among others (and, of course, FR&B has been all over a couple of the Cassidys):

Speaking of Lisa (eventual star of CBS-TV’s Knots Landing, and Mrs. Clint Black):

Brad’s song #4: Lisa Hartman, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” 1979

Matt’s response: I had never heard this version of the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic, but it was a pleasant surprise. It’s very 1977, giving a bit of AOR and new wave simultaneously (think ELO crossed with pre-“Heart of Glass” Blondie, perhaps).

It’s fun as a retro stomper, though not up there with my favorite renditions of the song (that honor, believe it or not, goes to the Wicked Pickett’s 1970 cover). Through the entire writing of this, however, the name and face of Lisa Hartman were gnawing at me. I knew I recognized it from somewhere and I couldn’t place it.

Then, lo and behold, I’m at my parents’ house a few weeks after Brad and I had wrapped the initial process of exchanging tunes for this, and the television program Knots Landing was brought up in conversation (for reasons unrelated to this post).

You know when you have those eureka moments in public that you can’t explain to someone else before they happen? They just strike, like the brightest lightning bolt against a darkened sky, and you jump up and declare, “That’s right! I knew I knew her from somewhere!” and it all happens without anyone in the room knowing what you’re talking about? Well, that happened because Brad sent me a link to a Lisa Hartman cover, which made for a good laugh at my expense.

Also, there’s enough material for a listicle sharing the best Lisa Hartman covers during her time on Knots Landing. She sang a LOT of pop songs on that show!

Brad’s rationale: Tagging my fellow Houston home-skillets, Johnny Nash and Lisa Hartman—there’s no earthly way Matt (bless his heart) could’ve known! Somehow working her Knots Landing character, Cathy Geary, into the proceedings, with a “Hangin’ On” turn on the show:

Lisa’s cover (of the 1966 Supremes/Motown hit) comes from her second Kirshner/CBS album, 1979’s Hold On, produced, again, by Jeff Barry, but, adding Michael Lloyd as a producer, as well.

In what had to have been an intentional tactical shift for Lisa (to attempt to hit the charts), you had the guy (Jeff Barry) who co-wrote the song Shaun Cassidy (managed by Lisa’s mom) took to #1 two years before (1977), “Da Doo Ron Ron” (as produced by Michael Lloyd). In fact, Lloyd was becoming the master of ‘70s teen pop productions, producing albums by Shaun, Leif Garrett, Pink Lady, and others.

I can picture Kirshner and the CBS A&R brass meeting with Lloyd and Barry, and trying for another ‘60s top pop smash (“You Keep Me Hangin’ On”) to now aim at the late-’70s teen pop market…with Lisa!

Leave a comment

⚡“Dan’s Pace”: Quik✒Notes On Notes🎶, by Dan👇of The Rainbow Rx

Hot on the heels of the Kylie Minogue documentary on Netflix (Kylie), I’ve been immersed in her 40-year catalog of songs. It got me thinking about one of my favorite albums of hers, 2007’s X.

X, Kylie’s 10th album, was the first album of hers that I experienced in real time. I had purchased Kylie’s debut back in 1989, but it wasn’t until the release of Kylie’s greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie, that I fell head over heels for the diminutive Australian singer.

X was also the first album released after her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. All eyes were on her to see what she would come up with in light of this life-altering event. What it ended up being was an album full of electro dance-pop, wall-to-wall bangers, and “All I See,” the best song Janet Jackson never recorded:

It’s been almost 20 years, and just last week, the vinyl version of X dropped for preorder, along with some other reissues. I missed out on the blue vinyl, but did manage to grab a copy of the black vinyl.

It arrives in August and I’ll be looking forward to (if I may paraphrase Kylie) being able to “drop my socks and grab my mini-boombox.”

GIG BUZZ!

From Steve (S.W. Lauden) of Remember The Lightning: “Dearest MusicStack: Live in L.A.? My ‘90s band Ridel High got added as an opener for this amazing club show on June 26! Tickets were already selling fast before we joined the bill, so grab some today (by clicking here) if interested!”👇

Welcome back, Owen McTigue of ODEA: Classical Music Concerts in NYC!

✔We first met Owen in Tune Tag #124 from last December:

⭐Things worked out so well, and Owen is such a pleasant, knowledgeable and congenial chap, we decided to venture into this classically-tinted, exclusive Tune Tag together, which we hope to make a special, semi-regular Paid-Only Tune Tag (on top of our regular and continuing Tuesday Tune Tags)! Welcome, and thank you for your support! Let’s meet Owen!👇

ODEA is your guide to the most compelling performances in and around New York City. We cut through the noise to bring you events that stand out—whether they challenge tradition, integrate other art forms, or take place in venues that transform how music is experienced.

Oh, and the name — ODEA (oh-DEE-uh) comes from the Greek word for places dedicated to music and performance—think ancient venues where art and ideas came to life. A little nod to the idea that where music is performed is part of the performance itself.

Owen’s piece #1 sent to Brad: Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Owen’s rationale: It’s the size of a symphony, but earns the name “Concerto” because the star soloist happens to be the entire orchestra–each section taking its turn in the spotlight!

Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra stands among the greatest works of the 20th century, and also happens to be one of my favorites. I keep coming back to it for how structured yet surprising it is after all these listens. Bartók’s 145th birthday was back in March, so what better way to celebrate than blasting his masterpiece through my headphones as I walk through the city, lost in reverie!

The piece owes its existence to two fellow Hungarians: Conductor Fritz Reiner (left, who leads this particular recording) and violinist Joseph Szigeti, who couldn’t stand watching their friend wither away and convince himself he’d never compose again.

They knew Bartók needed the money, but more than that, they wanted to give him a reason to live, so they strong-armed Boston Symphony conductor, Serge Koussevitzky (above), to visit the ailing Bartók in a New York City hospital with a commission: Koussevitsky threw down $500 on the hospital bed as a down-payment on the $1000 total, telling Bartók the money was his whether he finished the piece or not.

The commission worked as medicine. Bartók was soon sent by his doctors to a cure cottage in Saranac Lake, a tuberculosis treatment town in upstate New York, where he finished the piece in eight weeks!

Bartók lays out his composition in a symmetrical five movements:

Read more

Melody Times

Meet The Person Behind Melody Times

I have reached over 50 subscribers — wow, thank you. Comparing it to others who have like 1k, it may not seem much, but damn, to me it’s a lot, and I am grateful…

Read more

a month ago · 5 likes · Phillippa Taylor

Phillippa has a new eBook out: The Simple Guide to Song Analysis!

Don’t let the words “music theory” put you off. Before diving into the song analyses, Collection 1 walks you through the basics in plain, simple language — what makes a chord major or minor, why some chords sound tense and unresolved, and what on earth a power chord actually is. No prior knowledge needed.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain songs make you feel a certain way, this section will start to answer that question in a way that finally makes sense!

Last week, we enjoyed the company of of Mellow Vibes Piano:

Next week, join us in welcoming good friend, of Best Music of All Time, for his 3rd Tune Tag!

Phillippa’s song #1 sent to Brad: Imelda May, “Call Me,” 2017

Brad’s response: Jim Ottewill of PRS for Music.com (March 2017), dishes: “From The Specials to Nat King Cole, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to The Cramps, the music of Imelda May is rooted in rock n roll’s rich tapestry, pulling on blues through to Americana and beyond.

“Born and raised in Dublin, Imelda broke through in 2008 via Jools Holland’s show, taking her rootsy sound on tour with him before heading off on her own musical jaunts around the UK and U.S.”

Phillippa’s rationale: Imelda May is an artist I look up to, and I found out about her when I was 10 or 11, when she was on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny (New Year’s Eve celebratory show in the UK) performing “Johnny Got a Boom Boom,” which is a great rockabilly track. This is her official video of the song:

Anyhow, I chose “Call Me” to start off Tune Tag because 1) it’s such a beautiful song and 2) I used to be able to relate to every single lyric, and when I look back to then, comparing it to the present, I don’t think my past self would think I would even be where I am today.

And finally 3) the beautiful chords on the guitar… it’s in A major with the chords of A, F#m, D and E. But, what makes this song beautiful is the odd 7th chords. (7th chord, in simple terms, is 4 notes played together at the same time)…and the beautiful guitar melody.

Give a gift subscription

Brad’s song #1 sent to Phillippa: Lisa Marie Presley, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” 2012

Phillippa’s response: Lisa Marie Presley’s song, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” was produced by T Bone Burnett, and so is “Gone Gone Gone” by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (my next song, below). They share a lot in common as both songs use organic instrumentation, a simulated room sound, analog thump, and quicksilver guitar textures.

Brad’s rationale: Patrick Warren plays keyboards (and arranged the keyboards) on Imelda May’s 2017 album, and he also plays keyboards on this 2012 Lisa Marie track! We may as well get to know him…he may pop up later!

Share

Phillippa’s song #2: Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On),” 2007

Read more

…As we celebrate the release of his brand new album, possessed feat. Beth Anderson! Click here for the official Possessed digital PressKit!

David’s published discography includes over 2 hours of Classical & Romantic-Era music, as of May 2026. Through his Music Heals Newsletter, David presents music with relatable storytelling that supports emotional wellbeing.

His digital live-streams and music videos on YouTube have been viewed 193,767+ times over 3,534+ watch-hours, connecting with thousands over his candidness as a self-proclaimed “amateur” pianist. A major theme he highlights is acknowledging the critical nature of Classical Music culture, and to overcome it simply by spreading kindness and support to fellow musicians!

David’s song #1 sent to Brad: Fiona Apple, “Never is a Promise,” 1996

David’s rationale: I’m immensely lucky to have grown up with music lovers, so I was consistently exposed to classical, pop and techno, R&B, rock, folk, and whatever else you can think of!

Tons of the music my older sisters played on repeat are a part of my musical foundation. So it felt important to pick this Fiona Apple track from her 1996 debut album, Tidal, that was on rotation, which stands out because of its mixture of pop and folk, with violin & piano, melancholic poetry, rich instrumentation, and unexpected shifts.

This is the vibe my soul gravitates toward, including in classical music (which is why I crafted my entire new album, possessed, around this vibe of introspective, dark, brooding music to reflect on grief).

Brad’s song #1 sent to David: Crabby Appleton, “Go Back,” 1970

David’s response: Clever choice sir, with that repetitive harmony similarity. Isn’t it such a compelling backdrop for artists to jump in! “Go Back” feels like an upbeat anthem with a dark/ominous sound that weaves in and out, and it has that satisfying, repetitive back-and-forth in the harmony, just like the Fiona Apple track.

It also shifts to the more positive vibe at end of the phrases and into the later sections. By the way, I’ve never heard of this band or song, and the cleverness of the name makes me smile.

Self-Indulgent Side-Trip—Sunshine Pop: A Primer

Brad’s rationale: “Apples” show up so infrequently in rock….so, how could I resist matching David’s Apple with this one-hit wonder of a short-lived rock band led by a talented melody-loving guitar player, Michael Fennelly.

Read more

Tune Tag Welcomes of !

The first track of my favorite Pearl Jam album—and my favorite album opener—is “Brain of J.” I’ve been a lifelong fan, and I have a graduate degree from the University of Kansas, home of the Jayhawks.

When I’ve focused my energy on my Substack, it’s been in the form of letters to our toddler son—let’s call him “Baby Jay.” I write to him about one album at a time, usually records that have shaped me, but sometimes newer albums I’ve only just discovered. In each letter, I add a bit of music history and a few little‑known facts about the artists. I’d love for you to check out these letters sometime:

Music of My Mind

Elephant

Hi Son…

Read more

2 months ago · 12 likes · 5 comments · Brain of J-Hawk (he/him)

Last August, Brain’n’I Tagged our first Tunes:

Last week, we met of for this Tune Tag:

Next week, join us as we celebrate the new album release by (drops tomorrow👆Wednesday, May 6)!

Brain’s song #1 sent to Brad: Talking Heads, “The Great Curve,” 1980

Brain’s rationale: One of my favorite things in music is when I hear a studio-recorded version of a song and like it. Then, I hear a live version of it and my opinion goes from like to love!

There are many examples I could point to, but this is one I enjoy because of just how incredible the controlled chaos is onstage when I watched the Talking Heads’ 1980 performance in Rome of “The Great Curve.” David, Tina and Adrian Belew (who plays some incredible guitar solos) are just bouncing all over the stage:

Chris is destroying the drums, and Tina eventually gets on top of one of the speakers, stage right, killing her bass riffs. What’s great about this and many of the live performances I’ve seen is the addition of back-up singers.

In this performance, it’s Parliament-Funkadelic co-founder, Bernie Worrell (see interview below), and veteran background singer, Dolette McDonald (shown above, onstage with the Heads). All of the layers to this onion (that’s a compliment because I love onions!) complement each other so well. It’s a complex and wonderful song and my favorite of Talking Heads’ catalog.

Read more

Tune Tag Welcomes as !

Read more

Tune Tag Welcomes Emm of !

Read more

Tune Tag proudly welcomes singer/songwriter/guitarist for The Gumbys, of !

Last week, we enjoyed the outback presence of Australian, of :

Next week, we’re eagerly anticipating the electric arrival of Emm of !

David’s song #1 sent to Brad: Elf, “Black Swampy Water,” 1975

David’s rationale: It’s a gas-heating proto-Dio before the demons and Necromancers. When I was a middle-schooler, I was really into Rainbow and I loved Ronnie James Dio! I was at a party and saw this album sitting on the table next to a turntable, and because I have ears that can tell you who a voice belongs to with some regularity (it’s weird, but it’s a skill), I recognized Dio immediately, but the music was bluesy.

It was Elf, with a heavily made-up RJD as an elf on the cover (above). From there I tried to find everything I could on the band, but there wasn’t much. I found out later that Elf, in fact, sorta became Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore’s touch, of course! I still love this version of Dio. Incidentally, one of my embarrassing secrets I don’t tell people is that I preferred Dio/Sabbath over Ozzy/Sabbath. I loved them both, but if I’m putting in a Sabbath record these days, it’s 1980’s Heaven and Hell.

Brad’s response: I wonder how David feels about Dio/Red Caps! Yes, that’s himself-the-Elf on the far left, below (sans nose prosthetic and stage make-up…yep, Elf’s on the shelf for this one!)🤘😈:

Brad’s song #1 sent to David: Cathy Kreger, “Black Water,” 2007

David’s response: I’d never heard of Cathy Kreger before, but her voice is like butter, really great vibe as an interpreter of this Doobie Brothers cover. I love the intro! Incidentally, I used to make fun of my wife’s acapella group’s version of “Black Water,” thinking about how they must have handled the soulful outro in a classical style. I always imagined it as coming out very schmaltzy. But they were quite good, so it was really just a fun inside joke between us!

Brad’s rationale: My first thought went immediately to The Doobie Bros’ 1974 hit, Patrick Simmons’ swamp-laden “Black Water.” But, while both loving their original, and always averse to the obvious, I looked for riveting covers of the song, and landed on this cagey Cajun one from a Cathy Kreger. We’ll find out more about her, and report back!

From her Instagram account (date unknown): “Still Doing Music...Moved back to my hometown of Portland and became a ‘Mailman’ at the Glastonbury Post Office! Ah LIFE!”

A Kreger original: “Love’s Easy Chair”:

🔥139 Tune Tags at the push of a button!

David’s song #2: The Black Crowes, “By Your Side,” 1999

Brad’s response: Who knew Black Crowes would be attracted to “Black Water,” however swampy? Produced by South African native, Kevin Shirley on Columbia Records, the band of Atlanta natives were celebrating the release of their fifth studio album in a decade.

David’s rationale: Again, a favorite singer of mine, Chris Robinson, from the Black Crowes. I love the vibe and groove on this tune and the outro is killer. I’m really glad to see them back on the horse and releasing music. I think this is the only Crowes album where Rich played all the guitars. The new stuff all seems to throw back to this era of the band.

Share Front Row & Backstage

Brad’s song #2: Black Star Riders, “Kingdom of the Lost,” 2013

David’s response: I loves me a good story song, and a Celtic-inspired one to boot. I wasn’t familiar with these guys but, once again, will have to dig in. The fact that it’s an incarnation of Thin Lizzy, one of my fave ‘70s bands, is making me wonder why I’ve never heard of them. (Though without Phil, is it ever going to be Thin Lizzy? I’m glad they changed the name.)

Listening to Irish songs, it’s amazing how music is so ingrained in their culture. I’m reminded of a friend of mine who told me a story: After marrying an Irish woman and visiting her family, he was surprised to learn that he needed to have a song. “What’s your song, John?” Everyone in the family had a song for when they’d sing together in the evenings. He didn’t have a song so he had to riff in the moment. Which makes me ask, in the same situation, do I have a song? Do you have a song?

Brad’s rationale: Let’s see if David gets past the obvious “Black” match with Black Star Riders, from a 2013 album produced by the same Kevin Shirley (below) who produced the Black Crowes album 14 years before!

Share

David’s song #3: Frank Black, “Headache,” 1994

Life imitates Art (or, at least a ‘60s B&W sitcom)! Raise your hand if you think you’ve got the answer to how Joey gets out of this mess! Now, see how you did! Let us know in The Chat Room!

Brad’s response: Well, David’s matching Black Star Riders with Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, eh? Hmmm…..I guess I just don’t see it, D.B.!🤣For some reason, Mr. Thompson IV goes by the nom de tune of Frank Black!

My first thought is to either keep it creatively going with a song in the key of onyx, or do a neck-whip around to the other neutral shade on the colour wheel!

Brad’s song #3: Todd Rundgren, “The Want of a Nail,” 1989

David’s response: I LOVE this song and this entire album. It takes me right back to driving up the Merritt Parkway with my then-fiancé (now wife) cranking that record as we would drive up to spend time with her parents and my future in-laws (who weren’t completely sure about this long-haired kinda weird dude their daughter was engaged to)! I was always blown away by how much of that Nearly Human record was recorded live in the studio! A throw-back to 1972’s Something/Anythjng?, it sounds fantastic! Great song.

Brad’s rationale: Lyle Workman, who played guitar on the Frank Black album, also played guitar on this Todd song from 1989’s Almost Human album. Workman was also a member of Bourgeois Tagg, whose 1987 album, Yoyo, Todd produced. In fact, Brent Bourgeois (above, on the cover of his book) is one of our two male backing singers on “The Want of a Nail” (the one on the left in the above video)!

One more: The backing singer next to Brent is N.D. Smart (above), who’s the owner of an impressive rock resume: At 17, he was drummer for The Remains, who opened for The Beatles on their 1966 U.S. tour. He was also the drummer for Leslie West’s Mountain, as well as Gram Parsons’ Fallen Angels for a ‘73 tour. Smart was also the drummer for Hello People on their 1974 album, The Handsome Devils, which was produced by (and we’re back again to) Todd Rundgren!

🔥Upgrade to Paid for FR&B All-Access!⭐

David’s song #4: My former band, Pants!, “Rubber Mallet,” 2006

Brad’s response: What better implement to pound a wanted nail into a surface? A rubber mallet, of course! Why, I’ve got one right here…in my Pants!

David’s rationale: Okay, my final song, “Rubber Mallet” by my old band, Pants!

This was our most fun song to play live, by far: Simple, percussive, and an opportunity to show how tight we could be. Also, a great example of how we used to write our songs in what we called “Single Entendre.” A rubber mallet is just a malleable tool for helping others.

This is a silly song off of a silly record by Pants! that came out in 2006. I’ve written about Pants! and how we were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. You can read that story here:

David Baldwin Rocking the Climb Climbing the Rock

How to live your rock n roll dream, play to huge crowds, and get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In three years.

My band was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame…

Read more

6 months ago · 19 likes · 26 comments · David Baldwin

😁Join us in The Chat Room after!👍

Brad’s song #4: 10cc, “Rubber Bullets,” 1973

David’s response: You can’t beat modulation in a song because it starts in one place and goes somewhere else, even if momentarily. Modulating keys in the middle of a piece keeps a listener guessing and builds tension. I also admire happy sounding songs that have scary or sad lyrics.

This song is about a prison riot, but you’d never know it if you just bopped along to it. As Elvis Costello once said, and I paraphrase, “I write sad songs that sound happy.” 10cc also throws me back to one of my all time fave bands, Jellyfish, the band that intro’d Brad and I to each other in the first place via a previous Tune Tag!

Jellyfish is another band with a singing drummer, front and center (Andy Sturmer), writing and playing complex, stunning power pop. Of course, 10cc had to be a major influence for them, too (as well as XTC!). Such a great song and a great band!

Brad’s rationale: Rubber in all (or most) of its forms: A mallet and bullets!

Jellyfish and their “All I Want is Everything” is part of this “Audio Autopsy” Playlist about “Wanting”!👇

Good friend, , with a review of David’s (and The Gumbys) new EP, Last Man on Earth:

On The Back Edge Of The Beat

Never "Too Late" To Make Noise: The Gumbys Prove Rock Has No Expiration Date With Raucously Fun New EP Last Man On Earth

For many years in life, I was convinced that my path of growth was “too late.” I graduated from college late, moved away from home late, struggled at length with social development, and felt like there was no steady place in the world where I could safely stand. That state of mind seemed like it would last forever, though now (in hindsight) I don’t thin…

Read more

2 months ago · 8 likes · 2 comments · Chris Hedden

Leave a comment

GIG BUZZ (2):

Stephen Michael Schwartz

Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill

Welcome to Tune Tag, of The !

Plato said that “music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” This message resonated with me during our COVID lockdown. So, in April 2020, I started sharing a daily dose of music history on Facebook and later to some WhatsApp groups.—Stephen, Australia

Last week, of dropped by for his 3rd Tune Tag, and we had a rippin’ good time!

Next week, we’ll welcome for his debut Tune Tag! We love newbies!

Stephen’s song #1 sent to Brad: The Beatles, “Please Please Me,” 1963

Stephen’s rationale: You can see from The Daily Groove that I cover most genres and countries. However, I keep coming back to The Beatles as one of the most important music makers. “Please Please Me” is a good starting point for Tune Tag.

The Beatles have always been important to me. They were the first step on my lifelong music obsession. A friend gave me A Collection of Beatles Oldies (above) for my 13th birthday and I was hooked. Around that time, I started actively buying music, and The Beatles became a key focus: official releases, bootlegs, anything I could find.

As I worked my way back through their early singles, “Please Please Me” stood out—and not just because it was released on my second birthday! It’s such a perfectly constructed pop tune: tight harmonies, driving beat, and that brilliant harmonica from John.

One of the things that blows me away is that the Fab Four were aged between 20 and 23 when they created this amazing piece of music. After hearing the finished track, producer George Martin reportedly said, “You’ve just made your first number one!”

Beyond being a massive fan of their music, I’m also a collector of Beatles memorabilia, which you can see in this video interview from last year:

A picture of the single is the publication logo for my music Substack, The Daily Groove. Every day, I share a moment in music history.

Brad’s song #1 sent to Stephen: Sabrina Carpenter & , “Please Please Please,” 2024

Read more

Have you ever heard a song you know you’ve heard before (for years), but suddenly it….well, more than hits….it grabs your ear, along with your heart? That’s what happened to me sometime in March, when I stumbled upon this live Bacharach/David medley performed by The Carpenters on The Ed Sullivan Show on November 8, 1970 (I was 15, and may have even seen it at the time)!

Song in question? It happens second in the medley, just after the opening “Close to You.” It’s (like all the songs in this particular medley) a Burt Bacharach/Hal David chestnut, and that opening clarinet riff just grabbed me, and shook me, as did the remainder of the song!

In auditioning several covers, I’ve noticed that opening single-instrument line is/can be performed by trumpet, French horn, piano, and as here, clarinet….plus (also as you’ll hear), a full orchestra!

Moreover, the entire song strikes me as what can be called a quintessential Bacharach/David song: A riveting, borderline unusual (however you care to assess that) Bacharach melody that, to my ears, sounds both “What? Nobody’s ever thought of that before?” all the way to “Good heavens…how on earth did he come up with that….and, why isn’t it illegal?”

That’s all on top of a Hal David lyric that covers “rare-itory” (rare territory), again, I don’t think a song’s ever come close to touching: The “how-to” for jettisoning out of a failing relationship! We’ll start there:

[Verse 1]
Go while the going is good
Knowing when to leave
May be the smartest thing that anyone can learn
Go
I'm afraid my heart
Isn’t very smart

[Verse 2]
Fly while you still have your wings
Knowing when to leave
Won’t ever let you reach the point of no return
Fly
Foolish as it seems
I still have my dreams

[Chorus]
So I keep hoping
Day after day as I wait for the man I need
Night after night
And I wish for a love that can be
Though I'm sure that
No one can tell
Where their wishes and hopes will lead
Somehow I feel
There is happiness just waiting there for me
When someone walks in your life
You'd just better be sure he’s right
’Cause if he’s wrong
There are heartaches and tears you must pay
Keep both of your
Eyes on the door, never let it get out of sight
Just be prepared
When the time has come for you to run away

[Outro]
Sail when the wind starts to blow
But like a fool I don’t know
When to leave.—Hal David, 1968

Promises, Promises: The Broadway Treatment

Bacharach and David were tasked with penning the music to accompany the book by Neil Simon for the Broadway musical, Promises, Promises. Wiki fills it all in:

Promises, Promises “is based on the 1960 film The Apartment, written by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. The story concerns a junior executive at an insurance company who seeks to climb the corporate ladder by allowing his apartment to be used by his married superiors for trysts.” I think we can see how (and perhaps where) today’s song can fit in!

The Broadway lead actress, Jill O’Hara, then, became possibly the first to lay down onto wax our song (as the Fran Kubelik character for the cast recording). In fact, O’Hara “was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1969 for creating the role of Fran Kubelik in Promises, Promises, a role made famous by Shirley MacLaine in the movie the musical is based on, The Apartment (1960).”

First tryouts were held at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, with the opening on Broadway on December 1, 1968.

Full orchestra is in play here (as one might imagine for Broadway), with something of a jaunty tempo (again, appropriate if not obligatory, for B-way)! As with most cover overviews, it’s fascinating to discover all the different tempos and instrumental accompaniments each artist/producer/arranger will employ! But, we start on The Great White Way, in what was the song’s first live performance:

Share

Sue Raney with the First Studio Recording

The first studio recording and release was by jazz singer, Sue Raney (above), in November 1968, a month before O’Hara’s first live performance of the song in December. Raney’s side was produced by Jack Tracy, and arranged and conducted by Bill Byers, on Imperial/Liberty Records:

Burt Gives it a Spin

A half-dozen vocal covers were recorded before Burt, himself, recorded his own instrumental arrangement on his A&M Records album, Make It Easy On Yourself, in May 1969. He had to have heard the renditions that went before! His response, arranged and conducted by Bacharach, who co-produced with Phil Ramone. I was certain Burt’s label boss, Herb Alpert (co-founder of A&M Records) was playing trumpet on it, but, it’s actually Chuck Findley:

Upgrade for Access! $5/mo or $35/yr!💘

Bambi McCormick: With One LP to Her Name, She Makes a Mark

Bambi McCormick: She comes close to lapping the field with this, in my opinion. Some show her recording date as 1968, and as Promises, Promises had a very late-’68 stage premiere, I suppose it’s possible for hers to have been the first studio recording (for Metromedia Records). Let’s just settle on “one of the first.”

Regardless, her arrangement here, by jazz trombonist and composer, Harry Betts (above, who also arranged) is not only clever and unique (with a radically different full orchestral kick-off), but energetic and thrilling without yielding to brashness. And, McCormick’s tasteful vocals hint that she could belt this, but she wisely pulls it in to give us more of a jazz reading, even to the point of singing behind the beat to great effect.

⭐More "Inside Tracks"? Right here!😁

of Earnestness is Underrated, Found a Few Faves!

Nick: I appreciated Brad inviting me to contribute. I hadn’t heard the song before he posted the Carpenter’s medley. It’s a fun song and really interesting to compare different versions.

I’m not a Broadway expert, so I’m mostly looking for which performances felt like they most successfully balanced the emotional meaning of the words with the tune:

Michele Lee, 1968

Michele Lee released her version (on Columbia Records) on November 8, 1968, within a month of the original Broadway show’s opening night. Lee is mostly known as an actress, but she handles the song well. The first thing to say is that it’s easy to follow both the words and the tune. The second is that it’s fun in an uncomplicated way (with an arrangement by Ernie Freeman). She isn’t trying to do anything fancy, but she has good command of the song:

Dionne Warwick, 1970

With only 30 covers of “Knowing When To Leave,” it was possible to listen to most of them. I hadn’t heard of many of the singers, but I did know Dionne Warwick, and she delivers a performance which is precise, with a pleasing and characteristic lightness. She pulls off the line, “I’m afraid my heart isn’t very smart” better than anyone else I heard. She’s able to make it feel natural and not have the rhyme overshadow the meaning.

😁Meet us in The Chat Room after!👍

Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band, 1968

I have to recommend the Baja Marimba Band instrumental cover for the sheer oddity it is. I didn’t make it through the entire song on my first listen, but I did on my second. It is charming, and worth giving a chance:

Eydie Gormé, 1970

My favorite version of the song was from Eydie Gormé, who for me, conveys the most emotion in her performance. Her delivery of “fly while you still have your wings” is my single favorite moment in any of the recordings, and I really enjoyed the texture of her voice.

Brad: The one who’s most likely to blow the roof off a venue by the sheer power of her voice is the one who also has the wisdom and talent to pull it back, as well, and hers is a terrific example:

Extra Bacharach/David Fun…and More!

⭐An exclusive Burt Bacharach & Hal David tribute was written especially for FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE two years ago by singer/songwriter, Jay Asher, who’s written songs that have been recorded by Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, and Julio Iglesias, among others:

⭐In the late-’70s, Jay wrote a song with exclusive FR&B contributor, Stephen Michael Schwartz, “Only Everyday.” The goal was to possibly pitch it to James Ingram; Jay’s friend, Clint Holmes, sang on the fully-produced demo (hear it, exclusively, in this post!). Holmes had a #2 U.S. hit (#1 in Canada) in 1973 with “Playground in My Mind.”👇

⭐ wrote about Clint and his hit song in a recent (and popular!) post about playground reminiscing:

PalCinema, Television, & Music

The Playgrounds in MY Mind

Now that it is spring I’ve been thinking about songs and images from my childhood that remind me of the warmer months. Does anyone remember this 1973 number two hit by Clint Holmes, Playground in My Mind…

Read more

3 months ago · 25 likes · 40 comments · Dan Pal

Leave a comment

Welcome of for his 3rd Tune Tag!

Ian: As well as writing LP Prog Rock here on Substack, I review albums for TheProgressiveAspect.net. A book, Pete Townshend’s Lifehouse, is due for publication later in 2026, and I am researching and writing for a collaborative Genesis book project. The LP podcast launches this year. I live in Olney, Buckinghamshire, UK, with my partner, Jane, and two monochrome animals - a border collie and a cat.

Last May, Ian and I played his 2nd Tune Tag:

Last week, we enjoyed the debut Tune Tag of of Music & Muffins:

Next week, mark your calendars for April’s first Tune Tag with of !

Ian’s song #1 sent to Brad: 10cc, “I’m Mandy Fly Me,” 1976

Ian’s rationale: An unusual and brilliant hit by the extraordinary 10cc. It tells a story within a progressive song structure. There’s a comment below the video on YouTube to the effect that you don’t get this kind of music anymore. Well, we do, but it doesn’t bother the charts very often, now. The fast guitar section was my wake-up call when I was at college in the seventies.

In a radio interview, songwriter (and lead singer) Eric Stewart recalled the origins of the song:

National Airlines used to have this beautiful poster that they displayed of this gorgeous stewardess inviting you onto the plane. Now her name wasn’t Mandy actually, it was something like, er, oh gosh knows, “I’m Cindy”, a very American name. “I’m Cindy, fly me” which was a quite sexual connotation as well, but I remember seeing, in Manchester, this beautiful poster and just below it was this tramp, I mean a serious tramp, quite a raggedy guy, looking up at this girl, and I thought God, do you know, there’s a song there. Look at that guy looking up at Cindy-fly-me and I know he’s never gonna get on an aeroplane, I don’t think, except in his dreams.

He continued:

So I brought it back, the idea, back to the studio, where we were writing for the How Dare You! album, and put it to the guys: “Anybody interested in this ‘I’m Mandy Fly Me’?” I’d switched it to Mandy. And Graham said “yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’ve got some ideas, I’ve got some chords. Let’s slot those things in, try it, mess it around.”

We wrote it, and we didn’t like it. We…we scrapped it. It just wasn’t going anywhere. But, enter from stage left, ha ha, the “wicked villain,” Kevin Godley, twiddling his moustache, says “I know what’s wrong with it. Let’s sit down again.”

He said “I think it just gets too bland, it just goes on, on one plane, your verses and your middles and your der-der-der, they’re all going on the one plane. What it needs is someone to go ‘Bash’ on the side of your head!” So we changed the rhythm completely, and we put two whacking great guitar solos in there, in the middle of this quiet, soft, floaty song. Once we’d got that idea in, it, it just gelled into something else!

Again, impossible to dance to, as a lot of 10cc tracks were, but once Kevin had put that in, he became the third writer in the song so we were quite democratic in that way.

Record World said that it has “shifting harmonies and twisting time signatures.”

Brad’s song #1 sent to Ian: Bunny Walters, “Brandy,” 1971

Read more

The reviews are in for this “Inside Tracks,” and this generous one, from of , is truly appreciated by both Dan and myself! We hope you enjoy it, also! Thank you, Andy!👇

“The way the narrative was crafted here deserves a Pulitzer prize in and of itself, and the stories you both shared are golden and sincere. Two music lovers with different backgrounds and coming from different places, deeply united in music. Beautiful!”

of PalCinema, Television, & Music, lifts off:

In 1977, The Carpenters were coming off their least successful album of the decade up to that point, A Kind of Hush:

It didn’t have the Top Ten hits their previous works had, and generally limped its way to gold status (500,000 units sold) – their first album of the ‘70s that did not go platinum (1 million+ units sold). I remember hearing rumblings that the brother and sister duo were planning to release a “more experimental album” for their follow-up.

When the first single, Steve Eaton’s “All You Get From Love is a Love Song” (which I loved), barely made the Top 40, I was worried that the new album might also fail. However, I had high hopes that they’d be back “on top of the world”!

Brad: A brief (but incredible) aside, Dan: Carpenters recorded their “All You Get From Love is a Love Song” in March 1977. Five months before, the eventual convicted felon, Peter Lemongello (above; cousin to former Houston Astros pitcher, eventual convicted felon, Mark Lemongello) recorded the first cover of Steve Eaton’s 1974 recording.

The Lemongellos’ story is here, and stretches all the way into this century with the successful singing career (including on American Idol) of Peter Lemongello, Jr.!👇

Back to you, Dan: That album, Passage, was released on September 23, 1977.

The album’s liner notes by writer, Tom Nolan (L.A. Times, Rolling Stone) opened with, “You could start by saying that this new Carpenters album is the most daring, innovative, surprising, serendipitous, and satisfying one they’ve ever made.”

It was, truthfully, unlike any album they’d previously made. The single, which would kick off the album’s release, was a cover of Klaatu’s “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” (produced and arranged by Richard Carpenter, with Karen credited as Associate Producer, and British composer, Peter Knight, with orchestration; released on A&M Records, September 20, 1977; written by John Woloschuk and Terry Draper).

The 1989 Remix:

I had no idea who or what Klaatu was. I was a Carpenters fan, having seen them in concert with my brother the year before. The song on the record clocked in at just over 7 minutes (not as long as their 8+ minute cover of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” on the same album), but there was an edited version of the single which lasted a more radio friendly 3:59 (more YouTube versions available below):

Share

Brad: Notes from ground-level, August 11, 1976

Canada’s Klaatu: The Band, The Rumor, The Album

Klaatu’s debut album, self-titled for their U.S. Capitol Records release on August 11, 1976 (called 3:47 E.S.T. in their native Canada, and released on Toronto-based indie, Daffodil Records, with a Capitol/Canada distribution deal) was dropped two weeks before Epic/CBS Records released four albums on August 25th.

That otherwise innocuous end-of-month release included the debut album by Boston, who went on to quickly set sales and airplay records right out of the box.

Here, from behind the mic at commercial FM rocker, WFMF-FM !02/Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the story of that week:

We got the Klaatu album into the station, of course, in early August, and must’ve had it in the control room. I don’t personally recall playing it during my 7-to-midnight nightly shift, but I must have. I was 21, and enjoyed being the one to possibly trend-set if given a chance!

The buzz about Klaatu, the album, was rather deafening. The Capitol rep mentioned something about rumors that some Beatles were either guesting on it, or that the Liverpool 4 (or some faction thereof) was actually masquerading as Klaatu! The rock press and the record biz trades (like Billboard) weren’t at all in a hurry to squelch these rumors, because…..well, because they were so much fun, and people talking usually resulted in increased interest and, of course, sales.

I think there was a groundswell, from what I recall at our station, that we decided there were too many unfounded rumors, and if anything, we wanted to wait until the fallout subsided before we decided on playing album tracks or not. And, by the time the Klaatu kerfuffle died down (and it was determined that they had nothing to do with any Beatles, apart from sharing their label), after a couple weeks, we had moved on to the next thing….like that Boston album!

So, whatever the rear-view mirror of time and history might reveal about the album, the band, and even our song focus, today, none of it (from my boots-on-the-ground POV at the time) seemed intentionally planned or set before the album’s release….by Capitol, the band, or anyone. The band and album’s rumors, were originally a pebble, and quickly became a sonic boulder shamelessly pushed downhill…simply by just whomever wanted to push.

In a Crawdaddy Magazine interview Paul Myers conducted with Klaatu’s Dee Long (shown above), the guitarist revealed that “People were angry and felt they had been made fools of. Same with the DJs and radio people who felt they had been given the run-around. In our defense, we never intended to fool anyone, but we were still glad to at least have made an impact of some kind. We probably have more fans today than ever before.”

💿Discover more, "Inside Tracks"!👍

WORLD CONTACT DAY:

Dave Ling of Loudersound.com, in January 2024, peeled back the aural onion that was becoming Klaatu, revealing this: “The album was mysteriously released in a sleeve that featured a smiling sun rising over a hill strewn with mushrooms and butterflies, but bore no credits for the musicians or the producer behind it. The mystique was heightened when it was revealed that nobody from Capitol Records had even met the band by the time the label released Klaatu in the summer of 1976!

“It was a journalist in Rhode Island [Steve Smith, writing for the Providence Sunday Journal in February 1977, six months after album release] who first put two and two together and came up with five, initiating rumours that Klaatu were none other than The Beatles and that Klaatu was a long-lost, anonymously-issued follow-up to Revolver.

“His ‘evidence’ was flimsy to say the least: The Fab Four had shelved an album before their own 1970 break-up; Klaatu was the name of an alien in the sci-fi film, The Day The Earth Stood Still, in which the actor Michael Rennie had appeared; coincidentally, Rennie had also been pictured at the door of a spaceship that appeared on Ringo Starr’s Goodnight Vienna album:

“The Beatles and Klaatu also shared the same record company in North America; further parallels were drawn between Klaatu’s track, “Sub-Rosa Subway,” and Paul McCartney’s 1973 solo album [title], Red Rose Speedway.

“Meanwhile, the silence from Klaatu was deafening. Consequently, Rolling Stone awarded them Hype Of The Year 1977, and [UK’s] NME ran the headline, ‘Deaf Idiot Journalist Starts Beatle Rumour.’ But by then, Klaatu had already sold more than 600,000 copies.”

Dan's PalCinema, TV & Music Merch!

Brad's FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE Merch!

Dan, with Carpenters’ Curious Cover

The song begins with the Carpenters singing a mock radio jingle, which transitions to a DJ conversing with a call-in alien named Mike saying, “We are observing your earth, and we’d like to make a contact with you.” By the way, in case you’re wondering why the name Mike Ledgerwood was used for the alien phone-caller at the beginning of the Carpenters’ version, he was the British press officer for A&M Records (according to Songfacts)!

We then hear familiar-sounding Carpenters chords and Karen’s beautiful vocals leading to the chorus, which essentially is made up of the song’s title.

The next minute also sounds like a traditional Carpenters song until the alien, with its distorted vocals, chimes in again about wanting to make contact. Still, the production is very Richard Carpenter until the 3:15 mark, when the playful part of the song begins to surface. Pianos, guitars, and other instruments and voices, orchestrated by Peter Knight, create a lush-sounding, big-building, science fiction finish.

According to the Passage liner notes, Richard Carpenter said the reason he wanted to record the song was that “I’m a Beatles fan, a Klaatu fan, and a science fiction fan” (Klaatu was said to have been inspired by The Beatles). On the surface, it made sense for the duo to record and release this song: After all, this was just after George Lucas’s Star Wars became the highest-grossing movie in the world and everyone had sci-fi fever.

So, why did it fail as a single?

Monitoring music trade magazine, Billboard’s Hot 100 very closely in those days, I was saddened to see that, after a promising debut, the Carpenters’ cover only reached a peak of #32. It could be that the song sounded too much like a Carpenters single even with its sci-fi bells and whistles. Richard received a Grammy nomination for his musical and vocal arrangement of the song.

The duo’s popularity and dominance on the charts was fading and this one might have been too weird for traditional fans. Interestingly, the B-side of the single was the Carpenters’ version of “Can’t Smile Without You” (written by Christian Arnold, David Martin and Geoff Morrow) which they’d included on the A Kind of Hush album (with a re-recorded Verse 1 and a remix, including additional orchestration and lyric revisions) and later became a 1978 mega-hit for Barry Manilow.

Their “Calling Occupants” did make the Top Ten in England and Ireland, though. Ultimately, while the duo’s follow-up single, “Sweet, Sweet Smile” (written by Otha Young and Juice Newton) made the Country Top Ten, their Passage album fizzled and failed to go gold.

I never really ventured into Klaatu’s version or any of the other covers that have been released over the years…until now. The Klaatu version doesn’t have the Carpenters’ intro or the great vocals provided by Karen. It’s a big, but more synth-focused production. Generally, it doesn’t sound that different, though. Clearly, the Carpenters were trying to be faithful to the original recording.

😁Join us in the Chat Room!👍

The Covers

Thanks to Brad Kyle’s suggestion, I decided to check out some of the other covers. In 1994, there was a great Carpenters covers album, If I Were a Carpenter, which featured such artists as Sheryl Crow, The Cranberries, Matthew Sweet, 4 Non-Blondes, and others, including Babes in Toyland.

Babes in Toyland

Babes in Toyland covered “Calling Occupants.” This version gets right down to business and into the first verse without an intro. It’s a guitar-driven 90’s “alternative” cover. No attempt is made to copy the sound of Carpenters (or Klaatu for that matter), with the exception of one distorted alien-sounding line. It’s not bad, though, and is definitely fitting for its era:

Atom

In 2004, the group, Atom, released their version on the album I have returned. While they begin with a more traditional opening, the production seems created for the dance floor. The results might satisfy those looking for a more upbeat, less adventurous version of the song. It becomes a bit repetitive toward the end though, but again, it’s an interesting take on a then 28-year-old song:

Sweet Harriet (Harriet Riendeau)

To honor my mother’s first name, I also checked out Harriet Riendeau’s 2015 cover (aka “Sweet Harriet”). This one begins with the aliens speaking, but quickly transitions to a very slow beat and generally low-key production, with some acoustic guitar work, strings, and drums. The vocal by this YouTube content creator in New Hampshire, is not the strongest, but her arrangement is definitely original and pleasant to the ear:

Isabella Taviani

Finally, Brazilian singer, Isabella Taviani, released her own Carpenters covers album in 2016 (Carpenters Avenue). Taviani has a full, rich voice that adds some drama to the song. The arrangement mixes elements from many of the aforementioned versions making it actually sound fairly contemporary and even retro. It’s a pretty cool cover with a rather sassy finish:

I’ll always prefer the audacity of the Carpenters’ version, though, since it took the duo, for a very short time, a bit out of their comfort zone while still maintaining some of their iconic production style and vocals.

Leave a comment

Welcome, of , to your debut Tune Tag!

“Pacific Northwest raised now living in the Midwest. Willing to discuss mountain biking, cars, music, and baking. And not necessarily in that order!”

👆Bob (r) was kind enough to fall by my local N. Austin Panera Bread, February 23, ‘26, on his way to points nearby on a business jaunt! He was also kind enough to buy me lunch, and patiently listen to my endless, “And, listen to this….” rockin’ stories!

One of Bob’s most recent articles on his Music & Muffins tackles the dilemma most of us vinyl hoarders collectors confront from time to time:

Music and Muffins

How much vinyl is to much vinyl?

I finally have most of my vinyl in the one location. I have about 50 or so of my more collectible albums in my office for now. Mostly the bootlegs, picture discs and first pressings…

Read more

5 months ago · 7 likes · 7 comments · Bob Tooker

Last week, we were charmed to have aka Taz, of , join us for a St. Paddy’s Day Tune Taz:

Next week, we’ll set the Tune Tag Table for of , for his 3rd Tune Tag!

Bob’s song #1 sent to Brad: Riot, “Swords and Tequila,” 1981

Bob’s rationale: So, let’s start with something a little less Top 40: Riot and “Swords and Tequila.” This is a song from the band’s third album, released in 1981 (Fire Down Under). Although not having a strong following in the U.S., they did well in the UK. Formed in New York, they had a slightly different sound than what was coming out of the UK and the British Metal invasion of that time. At that point in my life, I was avoiding anything mainstream.🔥

Never one for the mainstream, Riot stood out as something new and different from what my friends were listening to at the time. I was at that point in life where you are trying to find yourself, deciding how you are seen by others. And as Punk was always an option, skinny jeans were not! “Swords and Tequila” featured powerful riffs with passionate vocals that seemed to walk the line between heavy metal and speed metal, although at the time, we didn’t call it speed metal, it was just new and exciting.

Brad’s response: Apparently, as Bob so alludes, these guys had a destiny somewhat unfulfilled. As Loudersound intoned about Riot in February 2021, “This is a story of heroic failure. Of bad luck and lousy timing, misguided decisions and clashing personalities. Of a band who fell afoul of the machinations of the music industry, the fickleness of the record-buying public, and the dark side of the rock’n’roll dream.

“Between 1977 and 1981, they released a string of albums that should have turned them into superstars, one of which – 1981’s Fire Down Under – remains one of the great hard rock records of the era.

“They’re fêted by everyone from [Metallica drummer] Lars Ulrich, who has cited them as an influence, to Lady Gaga, who took inspiration from one of their anthems. They had the songs, the look and the determination.”

“It’s just amazing that anything ever happened,” says drummer Sandy Slavin, who was a member of the band during their early-’80s heyday. “When I played with Ace Frehley, we’d be sitting on the bus and everybody would be telling you their music business horror stories. Mine was always just that little bit more horrifying.

“To be successful, you have to be a great performer, play the game and work with the press,” says Billy Arnell, who co-managed the band in the late ‘70s and early-’80s. “Riot wasn’t that great at that stuff. They didn’t understand that being in the music business, a multi billion-dollar industry, took more than thinking like a Brooklyn kid.

“Former guitarist Rick Ventura – a man who lived through the worst parts of the story – puts it more bluntly: ‘Talk about a band with bad luck.’”

BONUS CONTENT: Our good friend, of (above), dropped by after hearing the music from the street as he was walking his dog!

Read more

Welcome back of for your 2nd Tune Taz!

“Singer, songwriter, producer that hates to perform. What else do you need to know? Lifelong career in technology. Lifelong dabbling in music and dance. Former pilot and current sailor. My Substack is for the stories behind the songs.”

Rare Groove Productions

Musicstack vs Substack

“It’s been seven hours and fifteen days…” Sinead O’Connor…

Read more

4 months ago · 117 likes · 99 comments · Tamara Casey

☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘

Last week, we were pleased as punch to host of , which amassed over 100 positive comments!

Next week, be sure and tune in for the debut Tune Tag for of ! We just met IRL!

🍀

Taz’s song #1 sent to Brad: ABBA, “Fernando,” 1976

Taz’s rationale: I was 10 years old when this song came out. While I know it will be disappointing to Pe () that I was not a huge disco fan, I did love ABBA, and still do. At that age, I was also enthralled by the western novels of Louis L’Amour.

At that age, I also spoke Spanish almost as well as I spoke English. I went to grade school in Berkeley, California, where I was enrolled in Hispanic American studies, so I also knew as much about Mexican history as I did California or U.S. history!

All kids in Berkeley schools at that time had to be enrolled in Hispanic American, African or Asian-American studies. We were probably ground zero for “woke,” but we loved it! As a 4th-generation Californian, yeah, my family had Hispanic roots.

Imagine 10-year-old me then, hearing this song come on the radio and thinking OMG, this sounds like it’s about the Mexican Revolution! I was very excited—the flutes, martial-sounding drums, the perfect arrangement, the beautiful harmonies and that amazing chorus about fighting for liberty; I thought it was one of the most patriotic things I had ever heard. I still do! I would sing along to this song every time it came on the radio. I still do.

Brad’s response: The original, would ya believe (written by Stig Anderson, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus)? Originally planned (and recorded, in Swedish) for a solo Frida (Anni-Frid Lyngstad) album (click here to see and hear the song on YouTube), the ABBA members loved the melody so much, they recorded it all together (and altered the lyrics….instead of Frida’s heart-broken girl comforting an old friend, they morphed into two veterans remembering a past war), and released theirs in March 1976!

Brad’s song #1 sent to Taz: Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Bonita,” 1969

Read more

New Deck and Shuffle

Good friend and Northern Californian, of , wrote a magnificent article merging Sedaka’s recent passing and his family, here:

Earworms and Song Loops

Growing Up Sedaka

That’s Where the Music Takes Me…

Read more

3 months ago · 10 likes · 5 comments · Steve Goldberg

We also wanted to go a bit further, collab-wise, and …

Read more

Greetings, of , and welcome to Tune Tag! Alex celebrated his 100th Vinyl Hour episode last Wednesday!🥂

Alex: In 2000, I stepped away from hospital HR to give writing a full-time try—something I’d always planned to do. That “try” quickly became my new career. Since then I’ve written novels, plays, kids’ books, stories, poems, lyrics, and a long run of songs and albums. The Comeback and The Playmaker (the ones I’m holding in the photo, above) were published by James Lorimer & Company, and in recent years I’ve focused on songwriting—releasing sixteen independent albums and, back in 2000, winning First Prize in the USA Songwriting Competition.

I’ve also written for the stage, including the book for Saturday Night on Bourbon Street, which has had public readings and workshops in two Ontario theatres. I live on a small lake near Parry Sound with my wife. Our kids are grown now, but still find their way into my middle-grade sports stories. I’m currently working on new lyrics and songs, along with another book!

Last week, we thoroughly enjoyed ’s (Chart Chat) 3rd Tune Tag appearance:

Tune in next week for of , and her second Tune Taz!😁

Alex’s song #1 sent to Brad: Bruce Springsteen, “Thundercrack,” Live at the Ahmanson Theater, L.A., 1973

Alex’s rationale: For my first song—the one that introduces me to your wide audience—I wanted to share that I’m a Springsteen fanatic! The author of my university graduation yearbook bio wrote that I was Carleton’s biggest Bruce fan. I don’t know about that, but for me, he’s the total package: The raw and anthemic musical power of The Who, the deep and intelligent lyrics of Dylan; the energy and charisma of Elvis Presley; and the live performance skills of James Brown.

I also wanted to share a not-too-obvious track, one from his earlier days that showcases his unique songwriting skills and raw live energy. “Thundercrack” (1973) was one of his show-stoppers before “Rosalita” became the standard. But, I want everyone to know, my musical tastes are broad and diverse. There are dozens of bands I’ve immersed myself in since I started listening to rock’n’roll way back in the mid-‘70s. On , I like to discuss and share my joy with them all!

Brad’s response: Allmusic’s Mark Deming reflects on “Thundercrack”: “While the song certainly fit the milieu of [late ‘73’s] The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle, it didn’t appear until after that album came out, and didn’t fit the mold for Born To Run, and for years it was only available as a bootleg, first appearing on the superb pirate EP, Fire On The Fingertips, which brought together five classic tunes from the 1973-74 period:

“The Fire On The Fingertips recording was from a clean-sounding live tape (probably a radio broadcast) which showed just how tight and flexible that edition of the E-Street Band could be. However, in late 1998, a studio cut of the tune finally surfaced on the box set, Tracks”:

Alex (and readers)….I played a tiny part in breaking Bruce in Houston (Austin was also an early hotspot for him), during my year at Houston’s commercial FM-rocker, KLOL (I was 20 in 1975); about a year before (and into ‘75), Springsteen manager, Mike Appel, had given cassette tapes of 2 live Springsteen performances to the station: “The Fever” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Bruce, reportedly, hated that he’d done that! For playback on our air, music director, Bob Wright, transferred the songs onto separate 4-track cartridges (carts, as we called them). Read more about this, and more about my time at KLOL, here:

And, of course, Alex’s 100th…on Bruce’s 1975 Born to Run album!👇

Share

Brad’s song #1 sent to Alex: John Cowsill & Vicki Peterson, “Come to Me,” 2025

Read more

Welcome back, , master of the Chart Chat ‘Stack!

For the past three years, I’ve been up to all kinds of musical shenanigans on Substack, operating a little newsletter called Chart Chat! As the name implies, I like to spark conversations related to music and its placement on the myriad industry charts used to track song and album sales and popularity.

While I’ve focused on the Billboard magazine “Modern Rock Tracks” chart, I like to dive through different leaderboards across pop and alternative music, and sprinkle in anecdotes about my life.

In my spare time, I like to devise fun ways to take games like “Tune Tag” to the next level, and I think I pulled off a good one this time! Read on to find out!

At the beginning of last year, Matt and I played Tune Tag #74, his 2nd:

Last week, we were charmed by the Tune Tag mastery of ’s :

Next week, join us for the debut Tune Tag with of !

Matt’s song #1 sent to Brad: Dexter and the Moonrocks, “Sad In Carolina,” 2024

Matt’s rationale: When Dexter and the Moonrocks hit #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay (formerly Modern Rock Tracks) chart in December 2024, I noted at the time that it would take me another seven years to talk about them in a full article on my newsletter.

Brad was hopeful that I would put together something sooner, and I still might, but at least for now I wanted to acknowledge that this song, “Sad In Carolina,” was one of the sparks that got me back into modern music, an area I’d temporarily abandoned over the past few years for myriad reasons.

West Texans, Dexter and the Moonrocks clearly give off a modern vibe, but the DNA of this song is pure ‘90s and ‘00s alternative rock, and it speaks to me both as a present-day classic and as a throwback to my teenage years!

Brad’s song #1 sent to Matt: Jo Dee Messina, “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” 1995

Matt’s response: I pored over this one for a good long time, and I have to admit that I can’t seem to find a connection other than the titles. Jo Dee Messina’s ‘90s country charmer was a Top 10 country hit in 1996 and is fine, even though it’s not my personal cup of tea.

Unlike Dexter and the Moonrocks, who seem to be stuck in Carolina, Jo Dee Messina at least offers a hopeful glimpse of a future with someone, but leaving their destination up to a coin flip. Hopefully she doesn’t choose Carolina, given all the sadness Dexter and his Moonrocks feel there.

Brad’s rationale: Well, I guess if you’re “sad in Carolina,” you’re hoping your coin-flip turns up tails on this 1996 Jo Dee Messina debut single, written by Tim Nichols and Mark D. Sanders.

Share

Matt’s song #2: Green Day, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” 2004

Read more