March 2008

http://djallyn.org/media/Ricky_Nelson-Garden_Party.flv

Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, he was the younger son of Ozzie Nelson, the leader of a big band, and Harriet Hilliard Nelson, the band’s singer. Along with brother David Nelson, the family starred in the long-running radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1944 to 1954 on the radio, and 1952 to 1966 on television. However, David and Ricky Nelson did not join the cast until 1949; for the first five years of the radio show, the sons were played by professional actors.

Despite the promotional aspects of his career, it is clear that Nelson knew and loved music, and was a creditable performer before he became a teen idol, largely due to his parents’ musical background. In addition to guitar, he also played drums and the clarinet. (He showcased his drum skills in the same episode where he made his singing debut.) Unlike many teen idols of the time, Nelson showed his personal taste in working with strong musicians, including James Burton, Joe Maphis, The Jordanaires, and Johnny and Dorsey Burnette. While Elvis may have served as the catalyst for Rick’s musical career, his real inspiration came from none other than Carl Perkins.

From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had thirty Top-40 hits, more than any other artist at the time except Elvis Presley (who had 53) and Pat Boone (who had 38). Many of Nelson’s early records were double hits with both the A side and the B side hitting the Billboard charts. When Billboard introduced the Hot 100 chart on August 4, 1958, Nelson’s single “Poor Little Fool” became the first song ever in the #1 position on that chart.

While Nelson preferred rockabilly and uptempo rock songs like “Hello Mary Lou”, “It’s Late”, “Stood Up”, and “Be-Bop Baby”, his smooth, calm voice made him a natural to sing ballads. He had major success with “Travelin’ Man”, “Poor Little Fool”, “Young World”, “Lonesome Town”, and “Teenage Idol”, which clearly could have been about Nelson himself at the time. (It was Life magazine that reputedly coined the phrase “teen idol” in an article it did about Nelson in 1959).

In addition to his recording career, Nelson also appeared in movies, including Rio Bravo with John Wayne and Dean Martin (1959), The Wackiest Ship In the Army (1960), and Love and Kisses (1965).

On May 8, 1961 (his 21st birthday), Nelson officially changed his recording name from “Ricky Nelson” to “Rick Nelson”. However, not too long before his untimely death, Rick realized a dream of his, when he met his idol, Carl Perkins, who, while musing that they were the last of the “rockabilly breed”, called Nelson “Ricky”. As the story goes, Nelson felt somehow validated by Perkins calling him by the name he stopped using at age 21. He then contacted his manager, who was then instructed to restore the “y” to his name.

In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records, but he had no further major hits after 1964′s “For You”. In the mid-1960s, he began to move towards country music, becoming a pioneer in the country-rock genre. As a result, he was one of the early influences of the so-called “California Sound” (which would include singers like Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and other bands like The Eagles). Yet Nelson himself did not reach the Top 40 again until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs to Me” with the Stone Canyon Band. This most likely included drummer Kevin Edwards, who still lives to tell his story today. In 1972, Nelson reached the Top 40 one last time with “Garden Party”, a song he wrote in disgust after a Madison Square Garden audience booed him when he tried playing new songs instead of just his old hits from the 1950s and 1960s. “Garden Party” reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and was certified as a gold single. (Coincidentally, “Garden Party” was a hit at the same time Elvis Presley was having his last Top-10 single, “Burning Love”, as was Chuck Berry with “My Ding-a-Ling”. (Berry is among the musicians alluded to in the lyrics of “Garden Party”.)

In 1985, Nelson joined a nostalgia rock tour of England. It was a major success, and it revived some interest in his work. He tried to duplicate that effect in the United States, and he began a tour of the South. While on that tour, on his way to a New Year’s Eve concert in Dallas, Texas, he died in a plane crash in De Kalb, Texas. Nelson was buried in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. The last song he sang on stage before his death was Buddy Holly’s “Rave On.” Holly had also perished in a plane crash.

Garden Party

On October 15, 1971, a Rock ‘n Roll Revival concert was given at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The playbill included many greats of the early rock era, including Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Bobby Rydell. Also included was Ricky Nelson, who had dropped the diminutive of his youth and now preferred to be called Rick.

Nelson came on stage dressed in the then-current fashion, wearing bell-bottoms and a purple velvet shirt, with his hair hanging down to his shoulders. He started playing his older songs “Hello Mary Lou” and “She Belongs To Me”, but, then, he played the Rolling Stones hit song “Honky Tonk Woman” and the crowd began to boo. While some reports say that the booing was caused by police action in the back of the audience, Nelson took it personally and left the stage. He watched the rest of the concert backstage and did not take his final bow for the finale.

I went to a garden party
to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party,
they all knew my name
No one recognized me,
I didn’t look the same

But it’s all right now,
I learned my lesson well.
See you can’t please everyone
so you got to please yourself

People came from miles around,
everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus,
there was magic in the air
‘n’ over in the corner,
much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes wearing his disguise

But it’s all right now,
I learned my lesson well.
See you can’t please everyone
so you got to please yourself

lott-in-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Played them all the old songs,
thought that’s why they came
No one heard the music,
we didn’t look the same
I said hello to “Mary Lou”,
she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk,
it was time to leave

But it’s all right now,
I learned my lesson well.
See you can’t please everyone
so you got to please yourself

lot-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Someone opened up a closet door
and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin’ a bell
and lookin’ like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties,
I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang,
I’d rather drive a truck

And it’s all right now,
I learned my lesson well.
See you can’t please everyone
so you got to please yourself

lot-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

And it’s all right now,
I learned my lesson well
See you can’t please everyone
so you got to please yourself

�

Hello Mary Lou
I Got a Woman
Teenage Idol

From the Ozzie and Harriet Show

Hello Mary Lou
Hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart
Sweet Mary Lou I’m so in love with you
I knew Mary Lou, we’d never part
So hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart

Passed me by one sunny day
Flashed those big brown eyes my way
I knew I wanted you forever more
Now I’m not one that gets around
Swear my feet stuck to the ground
And ‘though I never did meet you before

I said hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart
Sweet Mary Lou I’m so in love with you
I knew Mary Lou, we’d never part
So hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart

I saw your lips I heard your voice
Believe me I just had no choice
Wild horses couldn’t make me stay away
I thought about a moonlit night
Arms around you good and tight
That’s all I had to see for me to say

Hey hey
Hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart
Sweet Mary Lou I’m so in love with you
I knew Mary Lou, we’d never part
So hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart
Yes hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart
Hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart

I Got A Woman
I got a woman, way over town
She’s good to me, aw yeah
Well I got a woman, way over town
She’s good to me, woh yeah

Oh she’s my baby, don’t you understand
Yes, and I’m her lovin’ man
I got a woman, way over town
She’s good to me, aw yeah

She’s saved her lovin’, kissin and a huggin’
Aw just for me, aw yeah
She’s saved her lovin’, kissin and a huggin’
Baby just for me, woh yeah

Aw she’s my baby, don’t you understand
Yes, and I’m her lovin’ man
I got a woman, way over town
I said a she’s alright, woh yeah

She’s saved her lovin’, kissin and a huggin’
Aw just for me, aw yeah
She’s saved her lovin’, kissin and a huggin’
Baby just for me, aw yeah

Aw she’s my baby, don’t you understand
Yes, and I’m her lovin’ man
I got a woman, way over town
I said a she’s alright,
Alright, yeah, yeah alright
Aw, aw alright, yeah, yeah alright
Aw, aw alright

I gotta woman, way over town now
She’s good to me, yeah, yeah, yeah

Teenage Idol
Some people call me a teenage idol
Some people say they envy me
I guess they got no way of knowing
How lonesome I can be

I need somebody to be my baby
Someone to tell my troubles to
I’ve got no time to ever find her
Cause I’m just passing through

I travel around from town to lonely town
I guess I’ll always be just a rolling stone
If I find fortune and fame and lots of people know my name
That won’t mean a thing if I’m all alone

I get no rest when I’m feeling weary
I got to pack my bags and go
I got to be somewhere tomorrow
To smile and do my show

I travel around from town to lonely town
I guess I’ll always be just a rolling stone
If I find fortune and fame and lots of people know my name
That won’t mean a thing if I’m all alone

Some people call me a teenage idol
Some people say they envy me
I guess they got no way of knowing
How lonesome I can be
How lonesome I can be

Tagged as: Ricky Nelson

Tubthumping ~ Chumbawamba

March 25, 2008

http://djallyn.org/media/Chumbawamba-Tubthumping.flv

Chumbawamba are an English band that started out playing Anarcho-punk, but over a 25-year career have gone on to play music ranging from pop-influenced dance music and world music to acoustic folk music. The band are best known for their song “Tubthumping” and are generally influenced by anarchist political stances and an irreverent attitude to authority.

Tubthumping

Chumbawama The song addresses themes such as being defeated, but rising again:

I get knocked down, but I get up again; you’re never gonna keep me down

The liner notes on the album Tubthumper, from which “Tubthumping” was the first single, puts the song in a radical context, quoting a UK anti-road protester, Paris 1968 graffiti, details about the famous McLibel case and the short story “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner”. The album version of the song opens with a sample of a monologue performed by Pete Postlethwaite in the movie Brassed Off:

Truth is, I thought it mattered. I thought that music mattered. But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter.

Near the end of the song, the melody of the Prince of Denmark’s March is played on a horn.

(We’ll be singing, when we’re winning, we’ll be singing)

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down

(Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)
He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
(Oh Danny Boy, Danny Boy, Danny Boy)

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down

(Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)
He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
(Don’t cry for me, next door neighbour)

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down

I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing) but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing) but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing) but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing) but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)
I get knocked down, (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You’re never gonna keep me down (ooh)

Tagged as: Chumbawamba

Takin Care of Business ~ Bachman-Turner Overdrive

March 15, 2008

http://djallyn.org/media/BTO-takin_care_of_business.flv

Bachman-Turner Overdrive (frequently known as BTO) is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, that enjoyed a string of hit albums and singles in the 1970s.

The precursor to BTO was the band Brave Belt formed in Winnipeg in 1971 by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan, both formerly of The Guess Who, and drummer Robin “Robbie” Bachman. Randy initially planned to just produce the album for Allan, but eventually both he and Robbie stepped in to provide much of the instrumental work. When the record label wanted them to tour, Randy called fellow Winnipeg bassist/vocalist C.F. “Fred” Turner to perform in the band’s scheduled gigs by the suggestion of Neil Young.

The band had already mulled over using their surnames (à la Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young). While on their way back from a gig in Toronto, the group had spotted a copy of a trucker’s magazine called Overdrive at a Windsor truckstop, after which Turner wrote “Bachman-Turner Overdrive” and the initials “B.T.O.” on a serviette. The rest of the band decided the addition of “Overdrive” was the perfect way to describe their music.

Takin’ Care of Business

Randy Bachman wrote Takin’ Care of Business while still a member of The Guess Who. His original idea was to write about a recording technician who worked on The Guess Who’s recordings. This particular technician would take the 8:15 train to get to work, inspiring the lyrics “catch the 8:15 to the city.” The standard uniform worn by technicians at the studio was a white collared shirt, which gave Randy the name “White Collar Worker.”

The guitar riff Randy had arranged for the song was blatantly that of The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer.” When Randy first played this for Burton Cummings, Burton declared that he was ashamed of him.

Sometime later Randy was driving and listening to the radio when he heard that particular radio show’s catch phrase “Takin’ Care of Business.” After this he rewrote the lyrics to “White Collar Worker” with a new chorus and the title “Takin’ Care of Business.” Along with this he wrote a new guitar riff, which was simply a I-VII-IV progression, played with a shuffle. (though the I-VII-IV progression is quite common, the riff became quite famous) The was recorded by Bachman-Turner Overdrive for their second album Bachman-Turner Overdrive II. It would reach #12 on Billboard and become B.T.O.’s most well known song.

You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’
And the girls who try to look pretty

And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job and get your pay
And if you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And we’ll be taking care of business everyday
Taking care of business every way
I’ve been taking care of business, it’s alright
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

If it were easy as fishin’, you could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you’ll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows

People see you having fun just a-lying in the sun
You tell them that you like it this way
It’s the work that we avoid and we’re all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day

And we been taking care of business everyday
Taking care of business every way
We’ve been taking care of business, it’s alright
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

Taking care

They get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There’s a whistle up above and people pushin’, people shovin’
And the girls who always look pretty

And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job and get your pay
Well, if you ever get annoyed, look at me, I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I’ll be taking care of business everyday
Taking care of business every way
I’ve been taking care of business, it’s alright
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

Takin’ care of business, alright
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business

Takin’ care of business, everyday
Takin’ care of business, ba-ba-baby
Takin’ care of business, it’s all mine
Takin’ care of business

And we’ll be takin’ care of business all night long
There’s business to be done

Tagged as: Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) ~ Green Day

March 14, 2008

http://djallyn.org/media/good_riddance-time_of_your_life.flv

In 1987, 14 year old friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed a band called Sweet Children. The first Sweet Children show took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod’s Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California where Armstrong’s mother was working. In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with former Isocracy drummer, John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante). Kiffmeyer served as both the bands drummer and business manager, handling the booking of shows and helping the band establish a fan base.

Larry Livermore, owner of Lookout! Records, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label. In 1989 they recorded their first EP, 1,000 Hours. Before 1,000 Hours was released, the band dropped the name Sweet Children, according to Livermore this was done in order to avoid confusion with another local band Sweet Baby. The band adopted the name Green Day, allegedly due to their fondness of marijuana.

Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

Originally a “B-side” song on the Insomniac album, in an interview in Guitar Legends magazine in May of 2005, Billie Armstrong said:

“At the time I wrote Good Riddance, I was breaking up with a girl that was moving to Ecuador, and I was trying to be as understanding about it as I could. I wrote the song as kind of a bon voyage. I was trying not to be bitter, but I think it came out a little bit bitter anyway… I thought that calling the song “Time of Your Life” was just a little too level-headed for me, so I had to come up with something different”

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why.
It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it’s worth, it was worth all the while.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Tagged as: Green Day

Asteroids

March 12, 2008

This is a classic game and like so many other classic games it is, of course, classically pointless. The idea is to shoot the asteroids and not get hit by any of the rocks in the process. How simpler things were back then…

Year of the Cat ~ Al Stewart

March 11, 2008

Al Stewart is a British singer-songwriter and folk rock musician. He is best known for his 1976 single “Year of the Cat” and its 1978 follow-up “Time Passages” (both of which were produced by Alan Parsons), although albums such as Past, Present and Future [1973] and Modern Times [1975] are seen as more representative of [...]

Sunshine of Your Love ~ Cream

March 10, 2008

Cream was a 1960s British rock band comprising guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. They were celebrated as the first great power trio and supergroup of rock. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues, pop and psychedelic rock. Cream combined Clapton’s blues guitar playing with the powerful voice and [...]

I’ll Fly Away ~ Alison Krauss

March 9, 2008

Alison Krauss is an American bluegrass singer and fiddle player who has been in the music industry since she was ten years old. She was invited to join the band, Union Station (now Alison Krauss and Union Station) in 1987 and recorded their first album in 1989. Alison has appeared on numerous soundtracks and has [...]

Old Man ~ Neil Young

March 6, 2008

Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. Young’s work is characterized by deeply personal lyrics, distinctive guitar work, and signature falsetto tenor singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments—including piano and harmonica—his claw-hammer acoustic guitar style and often idiosyncratic electric guitar soloing are the linchpins of a sometimes ragged, [...]