Music Labyrinth Episode 009
Children of the Revolution / Kesha
Hello again, and welcome to Episode 9 of The Music Labyrinth. If you've been with us before you will know (I hope) that this is a place to enjoy being lost within the almost infinite realms of popular music, and allow me to guide your meanderings by pretending to find logical links between one song and the next. If, on the other hand, you have not been with us before, you should probably suspend any expectations of logic and rationality, and just enjoy the journey. We started this episode, as always, where we ended the last. That was Kesha's 2020 cover of the Marc Bolan classic, Children of the Revolution. Prior to being released as a single in 1972, the song appeared in a 1971 film Born To Boogie, and the performance of the song in the film features Marc Bolan, Elton John and Ringo Starr. The film, and the clip of the song are both available on YouTube, and I recommend a look. One of the other songs performed by Bolan, John and Starr in the film is a cover of this game-changer from 1955.
Tutti Frutti / Little Richard
From 1955 that was, of course, the late Little Richard with Tutti Frutti, a song which Mojo Magazine has called "the sound of the birth of rock and roll". The original recording of Tutti Frutti featured Lee Allen on tenor saxophone. 17 years later, in 1972, Lee Allen remained a highly credentialed session musician. Here he is as part of the band assembled by the legendary New Orleans pianist, songwriter and singer, Dr John for the album Dr John's Gumbo. And this is Iko Iko.
Iko Iko / Dr John
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we just encountered the classic New Orleans Madi Gras tune, Iko Iko. The song was first written and released in 1953, but the version we just heard by Dr John is from 1972. Now please don’t think, Valued Listener, that I am unaware that you have figured me out in that many of these links are really thinly disguised excuses to play you my favourite songs and artists. Well, here we go again. You will have picked up on the lyric, Jockamo fi na nay, in the song we just heard. Now, as you might expect, the internet has all kinds of theories on the exact meaning of that phrase, but that doesn't really matter to us. The lyric also appears, as a deliberate homage to New Orleans, in our next song. This is Steve Earle and This City.
This City / Steve Earle
This City was written for the HBO series Treme, about post-Hurricane New Orleans, and the series delivers a pungent taste of the culture of that city. Steve Earle won a Grammy Award for the song - but I'd give Steve Earle a dozen Grammies just for being Steve Earle. I'm confident that if you stay with The Music Labyrinth, you are likely to hear more from that man. Another recording artist who featured in the Treme TV series was the British born, New Orleans funk pianist and song-writer, Jon Cleary. Interestingly, Jon Cleary's website talks about the influences on his musical development, and lists several tracks which have featured in previous episodes of The Music Labyrinth. Here he is with his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, recorded in Sydney in 2008. This is Mo Hippa.
Mo Hippa / Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
That was Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen assuring us that what they've got is Mo Hippa than what we've got. I can only speak for myself here, but I suspect they are largely correct in that assertion. Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen played the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennesee in 2015. Also on the bill for that same festival that year was the wonderful Florence & The Machine. From the 2018 album High As Hope, this is Hunger.
Hunger / Florence & The Machine
If you've just joined us during that short break, you are listening to The Music Labyrinth and you find yourself faced with the sobering prospect of relying on me as your guide. Just before that break, we listened to the song Hunger by Florence & The Machine. In a 2009 interview with the Evening Standard magazine, Forence Welch, in response to a question about her musical heroes, nominated the singer Grace Slick and this particular track from 1967, written and sung by Slick as a member of Jefferson Airplane. Here is the enigmatic White Rabbit.
White Rabbit / Jefferson Airplane
In 2007 Patti Smith included a version of White Rabbit on her album of 12 cover versions, called Twelve. (Actually, many versions of the album include a bonus track, which kind of defeats the logic of the album title. But I fully recognise that, when it comes to the application of logic, I live in a glass house and will not be throwing stones.) And, no, that was not the beginnings of a segue towards Billy Joel music of the early 80s. However, we will stay in that era. Also covered by Patti Smith on her album Twelve was this track from 1985.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World / Tears For Fears
That was Tears For Fears with Everybody Wants To Rule The World from their 1985 album Songs From The Big Chair. Five years later, at the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1990, the BBC deemed a number of songs to be inappropriate for airplay and produced a list of sixty seven which were banned from their stations for the duration of the conflict. The list included Everybody Wants To Rule The World. It also included this classic from Elvis Costello and the Attractions.
Olivers Army / Elvis Costello and The Attractions
That, of course, was Oliver's Army, by Elvis Costello and The Attractions from the 1979 album Armed Forces. The song has been the subject of all sorts of analysis, mainly because of the juxtaposition between the sweet, jaunty melodies and the serious overtones of the lyrics. Elvis Costello has stated that he was inspired to write the song after returning from a visit to Belfast and seeing British military personnel patrolling the streets. In 1993 the song was included in a fundraising compilation album called Peace Together, dedicated to the promotion of peace in Northern Ireland. For that album, Oliver's Army was covered by Blur. For our purposes in moving on through the labyrinth, we can draw a neat line through Blur and the idea of sweet melodies, and arrived directly at this VERY appropriately named tune. This is Sweet Song.
Sweet Song / Blur
That was Sweet Song, by Blur, from the 2003 album Think Tank. I'm sure I am telling the listener nothing by stating that one of the principle members of Blur is Damon Albarn, and that he is one of the great contributors to modern music. Damon Albarn is a musician, singer, song-writer and producer. He has participated in many musical collaborations, including Gorillaz who we have previously encountered in The Music Labyrinth. Several of those collaborations (Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen) have included the English guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong. Lets end this episode of The Music Labyrinth by recalling that Tong, in 1997, was a member of the Verve when they released this hugely successful and slightly controversial song. Thanks for listening.
Bittersweet Symphony / The Verve
Hello again, and welcome to Episode 9 of The Music Labyrinth. If you've been with us before you will know (I hope) that this is a place to enjoy being lost within the almost infinite realms of popular music, and allow me to guide your meanderings by pretending to find logical links between one song and the next. If, on the other hand, you have not been with us before, you should probably suspend any expectations of logic and rationality, and just enjoy the journey. We started this episode, as always, where we ended the last. That was Kesha's 2020 cover of the Marc Bolan classic, Children of the Revolution. Prior to being released as a single in 1972, the song appeared in a 1971 film Born To Boogie, and the performance of the song in the film features Marc Bolan, Elton John and Ringo Starr. The film, and the clip of the song are both available on YouTube, and I recommend a look. One of the other songs performed by Bolan, John and Starr in the film is a cover of this game-changer from 1955.
Tutti Frutti / Little Richard
From 1955 that was, of course, the late Little Richard with Tutti Frutti, a song which Mojo Magazine has called "the sound of the birth of rock and roll". The original recording of Tutti Frutti featured Lee Allen on tenor saxophone. 17 years later, in 1972, Lee Allen remained a highly credentialed session musician. Here he is as part of the band assembled by the legendary New Orleans pianist, songwriter and singer, Dr John for the album Dr John's Gumbo. And this is Iko Iko.
Iko Iko / Dr John
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we just encountered the classic New Orleans Madi Gras tune, Iko Iko. The song was first written and released in 1953, but the version we just heard by Dr John is from 1972. Now please don’t think, Valued Listener, that I am unaware that you have figured me out in that many of these links are really thinly disguised excuses to play you my favourite songs and artists. Well, here we go again. You will have picked up on the lyric, Jockamo fi na nay, in the song we just heard. Now, as you might expect, the internet has all kinds of theories on the exact meaning of that phrase, but that doesn't really matter to us. The lyric also appears, as a deliberate homage to New Orleans, in our next song. This is Steve Earle and This City.
This City / Steve Earle
This City was written for the HBO series Treme, about post-Hurricane New Orleans, and the series delivers a pungent taste of the culture of that city. Steve Earle won a Grammy Award for the song - but I'd give Steve Earle a dozen Grammies just for being Steve Earle. I'm confident that if you stay with The Music Labyrinth, you are likely to hear more from that man. Another recording artist who featured in the Treme TV series was the British born, New Orleans funk pianist and song-writer, Jon Cleary. Interestingly, Jon Cleary's website talks about the influences on his musical development, and lists several tracks which have featured in previous episodes of The Music Labyrinth. Here he is with his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, recorded in Sydney in 2008. This is Mo Hippa.
Mo Hippa / Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
That was Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen assuring us that what they've got is Mo Hippa than what we've got. I can only speak for myself here, but I suspect they are largely correct in that assertion. Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen played the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennesee in 2015. Also on the bill for that same festival that year was the wonderful Florence & The Machine. From the 2018 album High As Hope, this is Hunger.
Hunger / Florence & The Machine
If you've just joined us during that short break, you are listening to The Music Labyrinth and you find yourself faced with the sobering prospect of relying on me as your guide. Just before that break, we listened to the song Hunger by Florence & The Machine. In a 2009 interview with the Evening Standard magazine, Forence Welch, in response to a question about her musical heroes, nominated the singer Grace Slick and this particular track from 1967, written and sung by Slick as a member of Jefferson Airplane. Here is the enigmatic White Rabbit.
White Rabbit / Jefferson Airplane
In 2007 Patti Smith included a version of White Rabbit on her album of 12 cover versions, called Twelve. (Actually, many versions of the album include a bonus track, which kind of defeats the logic of the album title. But I fully recognise that, when it comes to the application of logic, I live in a glass house and will not be throwing stones.) And, no, that was not the beginnings of a segue towards Billy Joel music of the early 80s. However, we will stay in that era. Also covered by Patti Smith on her album Twelve was this track from 1985.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World / Tears For Fears
That was Tears For Fears with Everybody Wants To Rule The World from their 1985 album Songs From The Big Chair. Five years later, at the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1990, the BBC deemed a number of songs to be inappropriate for airplay and produced a list of sixty seven which were banned from their stations for the duration of the conflict. The list included Everybody Wants To Rule The World. It also included this classic from Elvis Costello and the Attractions.
Olivers Army / Elvis Costello and The Attractions
That, of course, was Oliver's Army, by Elvis Costello and The Attractions from the 1979 album Armed Forces. The song has been the subject of all sorts of analysis, mainly because of the juxtaposition between the sweet, jaunty melodies and the serious overtones of the lyrics. Elvis Costello has stated that he was inspired to write the song after returning from a visit to Belfast and seeing British military personnel patrolling the streets. In 1993 the song was included in a fundraising compilation album called Peace Together, dedicated to the promotion of peace in Northern Ireland. For that album, Oliver's Army was covered by Blur. For our purposes in moving on through the labyrinth, we can draw a neat line through Blur and the idea of sweet melodies, and arrived directly at this VERY appropriately named tune. This is Sweet Song.
Sweet Song / Blur
That was Sweet Song, by Blur, from the 2003 album Think Tank. I'm sure I am telling the listener nothing by stating that one of the principle members of Blur is Damon Albarn, and that he is one of the great contributors to modern music. Damon Albarn is a musician, singer, song-writer and producer. He has participated in many musical collaborations, including Gorillaz who we have previously encountered in The Music Labyrinth. Several of those collaborations (Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen) have included the English guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong. Lets end this episode of The Music Labyrinth by recalling that Tong, in 1997, was a member of the Verve when they released this hugely successful and slightly controversial song. Thanks for listening.
Bittersweet Symphony / The Verve