Music Labyrinth Episode 007
Track 1
We Run This / Missy Elliott
Well, I don’t think there is much doubt that we just heard the most energetic opening so far in the short history of The Music Labyrinth. That was Missy Elliott with We Run This, and it opened this episode by virtue of the fact that it was the last song we heard last time we went to air. Now remember, the means by which we are moving from song to song in this labyrinth is by finding some link, however nebulous, from one song to the next. We Run This was released in 2006, and the keen-eared listener will have heard a refrain through it, particularly by the brass band, which sounded familiar. Well, congratulations! You were right - clever listener - and the refrain you were hearing is the melody of the 1960 instrumental hit Apache. The first time it was a hit was for Hank Marvin and The Shadows, and thereafter it has been a hit for plenty of others. One of the most interesting and influential versions of the song was released in 1973 by a bongo-based, funk project. The track laid dormant on its release and remained in that state for some years until it became popular with early hip-hop and rap artists in the late 70s and early 80s. So, from 1973, here is the version of Apache as released by The Incredible Bongo Band.
Track 2
Apache / The Incredible Bongo Band
The version of Apache we just listened to eventually inspired a large number of hip-hop performers such as The Sugarhill Gang, LL Cool J, and Moby. That version of the song was even the subject of its own documentary which was narrated by Gene Simmons of Kiss. Samples usually focused on bongos, drums and melody from the Incredible Bongo Band version, as we witnessed a while ago in Missy Elliott's We Run This. In 1991, another high profile band released their own cover version of a different song from 1983, but it heavily featured percussion from Apache by the Incredible Bongo Band. This is Rage Against The Machine and Renegades of Funk.
Track 3
Renegades of Funk / Rage Against The Machine
You're listening to The Music Labyrinth and a few moments ago, as part of a high energy opening to this program, we listened to Rage Against The Machine's Renegades of Funk. That track came from an album of cover versions, called Renegades, released by the band in 2000. So, in order to chill out just a little, lets listen to the original version of another cover from Renegades.
Track 4
Street Fighting Man / The Rolling Stones
Welcome to the Rolling Stones super-room of The Music Labyrinth. This is one band who's longevity in, and influence on the music industry is self-evident, and the pathways out of this room are as numerous as those leading back into it. I'm certain we will be back. We just listened to the 1968 hit Street Fighting Man, written, of course, by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. There is piano on that track, heard most prominently towards the end of the recording, and it was played by Nicky Hopkins. Hopkins is one of the great session musicians of the rock era, and has played with many of the most influential musicians and performers in rock history. Encountering him in the Labyrinth provided me with an irresistible opportunity to play one of my favourite tracks of all time. In 1969 Nicky Hopkins was associated with the Jeff Beck Group, particularly for the recording of the album Beck-Ola. Hopkins wrote this beautiful tune from that album and features on the piano. This is Girl From Mill Valley.
Track 5
Girl From Mill Valley / The Jeff Beck Group
From 1968, that was the Jeff Beck Group with the whimsical, homesick, glorious melodies of Girl From Mill Valley. The Jeff Beck Group offers us a great range of directions for moving on through the Labyrinth. Just the lineup from the Beck-Ola album includes Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and - of course - Jeff Beck. However, lets not do that. Instead, lets walk over a bridge that is so tenuous it will make you roll your eyes and reach for your coffee. The cover art for the Beck-Ola album features a reproduction of the surrealist painting The Listening Room by Rene Magritte. This made me think of other albums which feature famous works of art on the cover. There are plenty, but the first to jump to my mind is an album cover which features a reproduction of Titian's painting Bacchus and Ariadne. From the 1993 album God Shuffled His Feet, this is the Crash Test Dummies with their meditation on aging. This is Afternoons & Coffeespoons.
Track 6
Afternoons & Coffeespoons / Crash Test Dummies
A few moments ago on the Music Labyrinth we listened to the Crash Test Dummies from 1993 and the song Afternoons & Coffeespoons. There are references by name in the song, which I'm sure you heard, to the English poet T S Eliot, and that gives me the perfect opportunity to jump onto one of my favourite music references. In 1922, T S Eliot published his long poem, The Waste Land. For those who are not familiar with the poem, it contains references to Arthurian legend and, in parts, laments the erosion of what might be thought of as "traditional England". What cannot be denied are the thematic similarities, and the lyrical links, to a fantastic prog rock track from 1973. So, as a special treat to the listener, I'm going to play that track, which happens also to be one of my favourites. Keep an ear out for those themes and references, as we turn to the mighty Genesis album Selling England By The Pound, and listen to The Cinema Show.
Track 7
The Cinema Show / Genesis
Selling England By The Pound is certainly one of the great prog rock albums and, in my mind, makes a case outright as one of the great albums of the modern music era. The recording engineer for the album was Rhett Davies, and a year later he made a significant technical contribution to the debut solo album by the then 25 year old Robert Palmer. From that album, Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley, here is Robert Palmer with the opening track, which you might recognise.
Track 8
Sailin' Shoes / Robert Palmer
We're still here in The Music Labyrinth where, a few moments ago, we heard the opening track from Robert Palmer's debut album. The song was, of course, Sailin' Shoes, and I suspect that the listener was all over the fact that it was written by Lowell George and a hit for George's band, Little Feat. In addition, Lowell George makes significant musical and production contributions to the Palmer album. Now, as much fun as a quick trip to the music of Lowell George and Little Feat would be, something else about the Robert Palmer debut album caught my eye. Palmer is backed on many of the tracks by the members of the legendary New Orleans funk band, The Meters. So, here are The Meters from 1969 with the hit Cissy Strut.
Track 9
Cissy Strut / The Meters
From 1969 that was the Meters with Cissy Strut. The Meters are a staple of funk music and the New Orleans scene. They originally formed in 1965 and are still recording and performing. The current lineup of the band still consists of three of the original four founders. In 2018 the band were presented with a lifetime achievement Grammy Award. The song we just heard was included in the 1997 Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown. The soundtrack of that film also included a classic track from the late Bill Withers. I'd love to play the Bill Withers version, but for me, the definitive version is the cover released 24 years after the original. I defy your toes not to tap, your head not to nod, or your body not to sway as we listen to Who Is He And What Is He To You by Meshell Ndegeocello.
Track 10
Who Is He and What Is He To You / Meshell Ndegeocello
That was Meshell Ndegeocello covering the song composed and originally performed by Bill Withers in 1972, Who Is He and What Is He To You. So, as we meander through this Labyrinth, we have found ourselves in a place were we are considering cover versions of the songs of the late Bill Withers. Again, there are a significant number of directions we could take from here, including the songs Ain't No Sunshine, Just The Two of Us, and Lean On Me, but I can think of no reason why we should not end this episode of The Music Labyrinth with a Bill Withers cover released in 2014. Here is Grandma's Hands, admirably interpreted by Meg Mac.
Track 11
Grandma's Hands / Meg Mac
We Run This / Missy Elliott
Well, I don’t think there is much doubt that we just heard the most energetic opening so far in the short history of The Music Labyrinth. That was Missy Elliott with We Run This, and it opened this episode by virtue of the fact that it was the last song we heard last time we went to air. Now remember, the means by which we are moving from song to song in this labyrinth is by finding some link, however nebulous, from one song to the next. We Run This was released in 2006, and the keen-eared listener will have heard a refrain through it, particularly by the brass band, which sounded familiar. Well, congratulations! You were right - clever listener - and the refrain you were hearing is the melody of the 1960 instrumental hit Apache. The first time it was a hit was for Hank Marvin and The Shadows, and thereafter it has been a hit for plenty of others. One of the most interesting and influential versions of the song was released in 1973 by a bongo-based, funk project. The track laid dormant on its release and remained in that state for some years until it became popular with early hip-hop and rap artists in the late 70s and early 80s. So, from 1973, here is the version of Apache as released by The Incredible Bongo Band.
Track 2
Apache / The Incredible Bongo Band
The version of Apache we just listened to eventually inspired a large number of hip-hop performers such as The Sugarhill Gang, LL Cool J, and Moby. That version of the song was even the subject of its own documentary which was narrated by Gene Simmons of Kiss. Samples usually focused on bongos, drums and melody from the Incredible Bongo Band version, as we witnessed a while ago in Missy Elliott's We Run This. In 1991, another high profile band released their own cover version of a different song from 1983, but it heavily featured percussion from Apache by the Incredible Bongo Band. This is Rage Against The Machine and Renegades of Funk.
Track 3
Renegades of Funk / Rage Against The Machine
You're listening to The Music Labyrinth and a few moments ago, as part of a high energy opening to this program, we listened to Rage Against The Machine's Renegades of Funk. That track came from an album of cover versions, called Renegades, released by the band in 2000. So, in order to chill out just a little, lets listen to the original version of another cover from Renegades.
Track 4
Street Fighting Man / The Rolling Stones
Welcome to the Rolling Stones super-room of The Music Labyrinth. This is one band who's longevity in, and influence on the music industry is self-evident, and the pathways out of this room are as numerous as those leading back into it. I'm certain we will be back. We just listened to the 1968 hit Street Fighting Man, written, of course, by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. There is piano on that track, heard most prominently towards the end of the recording, and it was played by Nicky Hopkins. Hopkins is one of the great session musicians of the rock era, and has played with many of the most influential musicians and performers in rock history. Encountering him in the Labyrinth provided me with an irresistible opportunity to play one of my favourite tracks of all time. In 1969 Nicky Hopkins was associated with the Jeff Beck Group, particularly for the recording of the album Beck-Ola. Hopkins wrote this beautiful tune from that album and features on the piano. This is Girl From Mill Valley.
Track 5
Girl From Mill Valley / The Jeff Beck Group
From 1968, that was the Jeff Beck Group with the whimsical, homesick, glorious melodies of Girl From Mill Valley. The Jeff Beck Group offers us a great range of directions for moving on through the Labyrinth. Just the lineup from the Beck-Ola album includes Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and - of course - Jeff Beck. However, lets not do that. Instead, lets walk over a bridge that is so tenuous it will make you roll your eyes and reach for your coffee. The cover art for the Beck-Ola album features a reproduction of the surrealist painting The Listening Room by Rene Magritte. This made me think of other albums which feature famous works of art on the cover. There are plenty, but the first to jump to my mind is an album cover which features a reproduction of Titian's painting Bacchus and Ariadne. From the 1993 album God Shuffled His Feet, this is the Crash Test Dummies with their meditation on aging. This is Afternoons & Coffeespoons.
Track 6
Afternoons & Coffeespoons / Crash Test Dummies
A few moments ago on the Music Labyrinth we listened to the Crash Test Dummies from 1993 and the song Afternoons & Coffeespoons. There are references by name in the song, which I'm sure you heard, to the English poet T S Eliot, and that gives me the perfect opportunity to jump onto one of my favourite music references. In 1922, T S Eliot published his long poem, The Waste Land. For those who are not familiar with the poem, it contains references to Arthurian legend and, in parts, laments the erosion of what might be thought of as "traditional England". What cannot be denied are the thematic similarities, and the lyrical links, to a fantastic prog rock track from 1973. So, as a special treat to the listener, I'm going to play that track, which happens also to be one of my favourites. Keep an ear out for those themes and references, as we turn to the mighty Genesis album Selling England By The Pound, and listen to The Cinema Show.
Track 7
The Cinema Show / Genesis
Selling England By The Pound is certainly one of the great prog rock albums and, in my mind, makes a case outright as one of the great albums of the modern music era. The recording engineer for the album was Rhett Davies, and a year later he made a significant technical contribution to the debut solo album by the then 25 year old Robert Palmer. From that album, Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley, here is Robert Palmer with the opening track, which you might recognise.
Track 8
Sailin' Shoes / Robert Palmer
We're still here in The Music Labyrinth where, a few moments ago, we heard the opening track from Robert Palmer's debut album. The song was, of course, Sailin' Shoes, and I suspect that the listener was all over the fact that it was written by Lowell George and a hit for George's band, Little Feat. In addition, Lowell George makes significant musical and production contributions to the Palmer album. Now, as much fun as a quick trip to the music of Lowell George and Little Feat would be, something else about the Robert Palmer debut album caught my eye. Palmer is backed on many of the tracks by the members of the legendary New Orleans funk band, The Meters. So, here are The Meters from 1969 with the hit Cissy Strut.
Track 9
Cissy Strut / The Meters
From 1969 that was the Meters with Cissy Strut. The Meters are a staple of funk music and the New Orleans scene. They originally formed in 1965 and are still recording and performing. The current lineup of the band still consists of three of the original four founders. In 2018 the band were presented with a lifetime achievement Grammy Award. The song we just heard was included in the 1997 Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown. The soundtrack of that film also included a classic track from the late Bill Withers. I'd love to play the Bill Withers version, but for me, the definitive version is the cover released 24 years after the original. I defy your toes not to tap, your head not to nod, or your body not to sway as we listen to Who Is He And What Is He To You by Meshell Ndegeocello.
Track 10
Who Is He and What Is He To You / Meshell Ndegeocello
That was Meshell Ndegeocello covering the song composed and originally performed by Bill Withers in 1972, Who Is He and What Is He To You. So, as we meander through this Labyrinth, we have found ourselves in a place were we are considering cover versions of the songs of the late Bill Withers. Again, there are a significant number of directions we could take from here, including the songs Ain't No Sunshine, Just The Two of Us, and Lean On Me, but I can think of no reason why we should not end this episode of The Music Labyrinth with a Bill Withers cover released in 2014. Here is Grandma's Hands, admirably interpreted by Meg Mac.
Track 11
Grandma's Hands / Meg Mac