Highlights of the story behind Rod Stewart's classic Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story is undoubtedly one of the great albums of the early 70's. Mick Wall has written a great background article, detailing the creation of this outstanding album, at Louder, the classic rock site. It is quite a lengthy piece, but I would definitely recommend reading it, for its comprehensive detail.

Having been a huge fan of the album, in my formative years, many details about the album's recording fascinated me. Some were entirely new, while others reaffirmed snippets that I knew from the past.

There are some insightful details about how the album differed, in both style and the recording process, to the Faces albums recorded during the same period. This detail does not go unnoticed in comments from three of the Faces, Kenney Jones, who only featured on one track of Every Picture Tells a Story, Ron Wood and Ian McLagan who both took part in most of the album.

The only track that features all of the Faces is, the Temptations cover, I Know I'm Losing You. It was surprising to read that this song was declined by the Faces, for one of their own albums, but was one of their most popular tunes, particularly in their live set.

The legend of Rod Stewart's frugality pervades throughout the article. Danny Thompson, from the folk group Pentangle, was never paid for his double bass contributions to Reason To Believe. Ray Jackson, from Lindisfarne, received only £15 for his defining mandolin inputs to Mandolin Wind and Maggie May, and Stone the Crow's singer Maggie Bell's priceless supporting vocal, on the title track, was only worth £30.

Incidentally, for anyone who doesn't know it, check out the Stone the Crows album Ontinuous Performance. The term 'underrated' is massively over used, but that album is truly underrated and Maggie Bell's bluesy vocals are a joy to behold.

In contrast to his frugality, Stewart was already driving a Lamborghini and a Rolls Royce, at the time the album was recorded. I am surprised that he picked up these accoutrements before his big break with Maggie May

What permeates throughout the article, is the sense that everyone involved enjoyed their time and were happy to be part of what they created. Recording sessions were brief and efficient and plenty of time was spent down the pub.

Nearly 50 years later, Every Picture Tells a Story is always worth a revisit.

Time for The Dixie Chicks to Shake Things Up Again, with Another Devastating Truth.

The Dixie Chicks have released a new single, Gaslighter. I was disappointed to discover that this was not a song about America's gaslighting, disinfectant injecting, stable genius, but a more personal anger statement.



For anyone who doesn't remember, The Dixie Chicks made a statement, in 2003, denigrating George W. Bush and his plans to invade Iraq. The Dixie Chicks are from Texas and this did not go down well with their redneck Republican fans, or even those who were never fans. It resulted in huge losses of revenue for them, with boycotts, protests and even death threats.

Other entertainers, including Bruce Springsteen and Madonna, defended their right to free speech. But many others, including TV producers, felt that Bush's right to invade another country, on the other side of the world, based on little to no evidence, was more important.

Although The Dixie Chicks' lead singer, Natalie Maines, who originally made the statement, made some concessions and perfunctory apologies, in the main (see what I did there?) they stuck to their guns and their musical response, to all of the attacks upon them, was 'Not Ready to Make Nice'.

At the 49th Grammy Awards Show in February 2007, the group won all five categories for which they were nominated, including the top awards of Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Not Ready to Make Nice", and Album of the Year, for Taking the Long Way. So, while they were largely unsupported in their native Texas, the wider music world really appreciated their stand for peace and free speech.



However, all the of the pressure from the backlash against their statement took it's toll. While the Dixie Chicks also raised their children over the last 14 years, they have not released another album in all of that time.

Gaslighter, the title of the new single and album, breaks that quiet period. And, although the ladies are probably not in the mood to take on the Republican rednecks again, Gaslighter seems like the perfect title to describe President Trump. Who frequently makes outrageous, stupid and prejudicial statements in front of cameras and then later tries to persuade the country, or the world, that he said, or meant, something different.

The lyrics to Gaslighter are of a more personal nature and are apparently directed at Natlie Maines' ex-husband. But, if The Dixie Chcks are feeling up to it, I think a re-write to address the world's biggest gaslighter would be welcomed by many.

Highway to Hell - Perth Festival 2020

Perth Festival paid tribute to Bon Scott, on the 40th anniversary of his passing, with a parade of bands travelling and playing along the length of Canning Highway, from Applecross to Fremantle, the road that Bon dubbed the Highway to Hell, in the AC/DC song of the same name.

Bon Scott wrote the lyrics to Highway to Hell for AC/DC

The event was massive. The parade included eight bands, most of them featuring special guests and the road was lined with an estimated 150,000 fans.

The logistics of organising such an event are mind blowing, closing down one of Perth's major thoroughfares for 10kms for most of a day, the trucks, staging, lighting, sound systems, stewards, policing the list goes on. So a huge congratulations must go to Perth Festival and everyone involved, for pulling it off with such success and of course to the people of Perth and Fremantle, who showed up in huge numbers and made it so successful.

The trucks started out from close to the Raffles Hotel, in the Applecross suburb of Perth, one of Bon Scott's hang outs back in the day. They left slowly, in 10 minute intervals, with the bands playing AC/DC hits the the length of the trip. They would stop at designated points along the route and play a whole song for large sections of the crowd who had gathered at those locations.

The first cab off the rank was The Pilgrims, an older band who competently handled the Acca Dacca repertoire. Next were The Tommyhawks, an all girl band, with Dom Mariani guesting on guitar. The Tommyhawks were energetic and enthusiastic and include a saxophonist fattening up their sound.

The Tommyhawks with Dom Mariani

I guess the festival organisers wanted to include something for everyone, so the next few bands spanned a range of musical styles. For a traditional AC/DC fan, like myself, this did not always work.

Steve 'N' Seagulls played bluegrass versions of AC/DC songs

Next up were Steve 'N' Seagulls, a country come bluegrass band with a banjo, accordion and upright bass. I had seen this approach to AC/DC songs before, from the Hayseed Dixies. Steve 'N" Seagulls were animated and fun, although far from true to the original versions of the tunes.

At this point it became apparent that all of the bands were playing either It's a Long Way to The Top, or Highway to Hell, or both of them. I mentioned this to a woman standing near me. She said that AC/DC don't have many songs that lots of people know. I said "Really? They've released about 20 albums!" I could have also added that on their last tour they easily sold out the biggest stadium in Perth, twice over. I think the people in attendance would know more than two of their songs.

Carla Geneve was next to come along with The Floors, they answered some of my wishes, by being an actual rock band and playing a nice version of Hells Bells. Unfortunately, Hells Bells was not a Bon Scott era song, but you can't have everything, can you?

I'm not sure if Carla was making an attempt at an Angus Young impression, by wearing shorts and a tie, or maybe that was just her fashion choice for the day.

Shonen Knife, a three piece girl band from Japan, occupied the next truck. Unfortunately their stripped down, basic interpretations and pretty tuneless vocals did not appeal to this audience member. Odette Mercy with Matthas followed, who were proficient, without really doing much for me. Then came Amyl and the Sniffers, a punk rock type of band and once again the lack of quality vocals did not work for me.

Abbe May with the Southern River Band. This is not them, just a golf cart announcing their arrival.

But the best was really saved for last. Abbe May is a genuine bluesy singer and The Southern River Band are a real rock and roll band. Together they gave the true AC/DC fans, who were present, what they wanted.

My experience of the Highway to Hell parade ended at Tompkins Park, where Abbe May and the Southern River Band performed Jailbait, in front of a huge crowd that covered all of the sports fields there. It was announced that earlier over 3,000 people had broken the world record for simultaneous air guitar players, at this venue and there were at least that many here for this performance, which was beamed onto giant screens, so that everyone could see.

Abbe May with the Southern River Band on the big screen at Tompkins Park

From here the parade continued on to Fremantle, where no doubt the crowds were even bigger and more enthusiastic, as that was Bon Scott's home, where he is buried and some of his family still live. Add to that, the booze would have been flowing by then and the bands well warmed up, and you have the recipe for a very big night in the old town.

For those who continued to rock, we salute you!

The Best Music on Letterman

The Best Music from The Late Show with David Letterman 

 

The Late Show with David Letterman ended this week. Letterman has presented late night TV shows on NBC and CBS for 33 years.

Letterman has always divided people, there are plenty of fans, hence his 33 year stint in a tough market. But there are almost as many detractors, who don't get his humour and find him unfunny. I must admit I've always found the show very hit and miss, with plenty of misses. But he always got the big names and segments from the show often made the headlines.

One large section of the show that I always found hard to swallow was Letterman and the producer's penchant for giving screen time to rank amateurs. A huge cast of stage hands, costume ladies, cue card holders and the like were given lengthy and frequent on air presentation duties. This usually resulted in awkward, disjointed segments.

The frequent visitor Jack Hanna, who brought along an endless parade of wild animals from his zoo, also lacked on air skills and always looked very uncomfortable.

But all that aside, I was something of an addict and probably watched significantly more Late Shows than I missed in recent years.

As Mr Letterman said on the last show and regularly before that, the best part about the show was the music. Mostly he was referring to Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra, who were great. The guest musicians, like the comedy, was hit and miss. Much of it was missable, or dismissable, but often there were gems and thank god we live in an age where these performances are preserved and can be re-watched at will.

Thank you for your time David Letterman, but most of all, thank you for the music.

Tom Jones – Burning Hell

As we said earlier, the Late Show often made the headlines and this one made big ones. Because Joaquin Phoenix showed up in a heavy beard and dark glasses and announced that he was giving up acting to become a rap artist and very little else. It was like trying to draw blood from a stone for Letterman to get him to talk.

But the real reason this show should have hit the headlines was for the amazing performance by Tom Jones, singing the bluesy gospel song Burning Hell. Backed only by a drummer and an excellent slide guitarist

Foo Fighters with Zac Brown - War Pigs

The Foo Fighters are reportedly Dave Letterman's favourite band and they closed out the final show. But that was behind a montage of archive footage.

Only last year the Foos did a week's residency on the Late Show, adding guest musicians to their line up each night. This was one of my favourites of those performances, where they were joined by Zac Brown to cover the Black Sabbath classic War Pigs.

Sam Moore and David Sanborn – I Got News for You

The 'Soul Man' legend Sam Moore had guested on the equally legendary saxophonist David Sanborn's album Here and Gone and consequently joined him on his Letterman performance. Sanborn wailed on the sax and Sam Moore showed he had lost nothing, despite his advancing years.

Sam Moore was of course best known for his partnership with Dave Prater, in the duo Sam and Dave. So he saw the irony of appearing on the David Letterman show with David Sanborn, as a result he had a special Tee shirt made up which he flashes in the clip.

Janelle Monáe – Tightrope

 

This was my first ever glimpse of Janelle Monáe and she blew me away.

At first sight, I thought this was another rap act, of which there were far too many featured on the Late Show, in my opinion. But this performance was so full of energy and theatricality, you can not help but love it. 

The Strypes – What a Shame

The was a lot of hype about The Strypes around the time of this performance. All the rock royalty were singing their praises, from Elton John to Dave Grohl. They were not wrong. Their rawness and energy was a breath of fresh air.

St. Paul and The Broken Bones - Call Me

I'd seen St Paul and the Broken Bones previously on the Craig Ferguson show and they were awesome. I had not seen their earlier performance on Letterman, that he refers to in the clip. He asks them to blow it away and they totally delivered. 

St. Paul and The Broken Bones - Call Me [Live... by eidurrasmussen

Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Letterman always finished his pre-christmas show with Darlene Love singing Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and although it's not Christmas now, I think we should too. It was always great to see how much Paul Shaffer enjoyed creating that Phil Spector wall of sound.

Well that's it... for now.

I'm sure that we have missed plenty of great performances from the show. If we've missed any of your favourites, please let us know in the comments, if we agree, we may update the page.

Death of the Poet

Soul Legend Bobby Womack Dies at 70

I was shocked and stunned to hear about the death of Bobby Womack this morning. I knew he had had health problems in recent years, but I thought that he had recovered.

The mainstream press will tell you that he wrote It's All Over Now, which was a huge early hit for the Rolling Stones and that he played with Sam Cooke. But that is only a very small part of the story.

Bobby Womack, The Poet

For me, Bobby Womack epitomised soul music, with his deep brown soulful voice, fantastic songs and sweet guitar sound.

Bobby's career spanned seven decades. Beginning in a gospel quintet with his brothers, when he was only nine years old. The Womack Brothers supported Sam Cooke and numerous other leading gospel acts of the day. But it was the association with Cooke which prompted their cross over to RnB. Cooke signed them to his own label and changed their name to The Valentinos. When their father found out that they were going to sing secular music, he kicked them out of his house.

The Valentinos had an RnB chart hit with Lookin' for Love, in 1962, which Bobby re-recorded and turned into a pop chart hit in 1974. The Lookin' for a Love Again album, on which it was included, also contained the hit You're Welcome, Stop on By - later covered and made a hit, all over again, by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.

Things took off for Bobby in 1964, he joined Sam Cooke's backing band as a guitarist and wrote It's All Over Now, a single for The Valentinos, but a much bigger hit for the Rolling Stones, in fact it was their first UK number one. Incidentally Rod Stewart also recorded a great country style version on his 1970 album Gasoline Alley

Bobby played guitar and wrote for some amazing artists. But he probably first really appeared on my radar in the 80's. His lead vocal on on Jazz Crusader Wilton Felder's 1980 solo album, Inherit the Wind brought him back on many people's radar, having spent some years in the wilderness, dealing with personal and addiction issues. There will surely, one day, be a film made about the Womack family, their story has more drama, marriage, death and divorce than any daytime soap opera.

Inherit the Wind was followed by, arguably, two of Bobby's best albums, The Poet and The Poet II. The latter featured Pattti Labelle on three tracks. Her parts were taken by Alltrinna Grayson in Bobby's UK shows in the 80's, but Alltrinna's defining moments were her duets with Bobby on No Matter How High I Get.

A moment I will never forget was Womack's show at London's Hammersmith Odeon, as it was in those days. My seat was in the centre of the theatre, just over half way back from the stage. While the house lights were up I couldn't understand why everyone in the audience appeared to be looking in my direction. After a few moments, I realised that Stevie Wonder was sitting a couple of rows behind me. Bobby, of course, talked him into joining him on stage for a couple of songs. 

Bobby Womack and Stevie Wonder

RIP Bobby Womack, the world is a poorer place without you, but thanks for the wealth of music that you left us.