Music Labyrinth Episode 012
Makin' Whoopee / Dr John with Ricki Lee Jones
Hello, and welcome to Episode 12 of The Music Labyrinth - a place to kick back and allow yourself to be guided, somewhat organically, through the labyrinth of modern music. There are some elements of logic to the means by which we progress from one song to the next but, like sausages, I really advise you not to look too closely. Just before we launch into this episode, I thought I would make a quick announcement about episode 15 of The Music Labyrinth which is scheduled for broadcast in three weeks time. Because the scheduled day of broadcast for that episode will mark a personal transition for me from a state of gainful employment to a state of blissful non-employment, I thought I would get all self-indulgent and do something a little different for just that episode. So, as it is planned, episode 16 of The Music Labyrinth will commence where episode 14 concluded, but for the intervening week, lets magically teleport ourselves to another part of the labyrinth, and have an episode which features songs of transition, celebration or retirement. The reason why I am telling you all this three weeks in advance is that I invite you to contribute to that program. If you have a song of farewell, transition or celebration that you would like me to try and weave into a fabric which besuits The Music Labyrinth, please prompt me. The best means of getting that message to me is to go to your favourite internet search engine and type in quotation marks "The Music Labyrinth" and, in the first few results, your search engine should reveal the link to The Music Labyrinth page on nonshedders.net. Alternatively, you can go to www.nonshedders.net and click the link to The Music Labyrinth. Once there, leave me your song suggestion in the comments field. Now, back to the present! We commenced this episode with Dr John and Ricki Lee Jones Makin' Whoopee from the 1989 Dr John album, In A Sentimental Mood. The lyrics for Makin' Whoopee were penned in 1928 by Gus Kahn. Another of his songs, from 1931, was covered during the era of Flower Power counter-culture in 1968, and will be instantly recognised by the listener.
Dream A Little Dream of Me / The Mamas & The Papas
That was, of course, The Mamas & The Papas with their 1968 cover of Dream A Little Dream of Me. The Mamas & The Papas came together as a band in 1965. One of the founding members was John Phillips. Phillips was one of the organisers of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival which is famous in the annuls of popular music for being the first major appearance of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (the listener is probably familiar with the iconic footage of Hendrix pouring lighter fluid onto his guitar and setting it alight). The festival also featured a new lead singer for the established band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Here they are with a track from that era. I suspect you may recognise the vocalist.
Piece of my Heart / Big Brother & The Holding Company
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth were, just before the break, we heard Big Brother & The Holding Company, featuring the unmistakable vocals of the young Janis Joplin. We're going to park Janis to one side at the moment, and focus on the rest of the band, who were an established band in the San Francisco area at the time Janis was recruited to sing. At that time, The Holding Company were the house band at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and, on more than one occasion, they were backed up by this band.
The Joker / Steve Miller Band
From 1973, that was the Steve Miller Band and The Joker. Steve Miller's school friend, and a member of the Steve Miller Band during 1967 and 1968, was this bloke.
Lido Shuffle / Boz Scaggs
You're with The Music Labyrinth and just moments ago we listened to (and, if you are at all like me, sang loudly along with) Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs. The song was co-written by Scaggs and David Paich, and personnel who played on the track included Paich on keyboards and Steve Porcaro on drums. Just after the sessions which produced Lido Shuffle, Paich and Porcaro would team up with the singer Joseph Williams to form this well known band.
Africa / Toto
That was Africa, by Toto. Depending on whether you favour the popular story, or the higher-brow version, Toto was named after a fictional dog, or out of the Latin phrase in toto, which can be interpreted to mean "all encompassing" and was allegedly a reference to the many records and genres the band members had contributed to prior to formation of the band. In any event, Africa was a massive hit for the band. It was later covered by the Los Angeles band Weezer, and delivered that band considerable commercial success, as well as nominations for various awards. Another award winning and highly successful song for Weezer was this one.
Buddy Holly / Weezer
That was Weezer and their 1995 award winning single, Buddy Holly. Now, I suspect that the listener, who is playing along at home, is now scanning the catalogue of hits by the late Buddy Holly in anticipation of the next song in The Music Labyrinth. Well, all I can say is tsk tsk, Dear Listener. As usual, to expect the obvious is to be disappointed. Stay with me here. The band Weezer have produced 14 albums over the course of their career, six of which contained no specific album title, and have become known by the dominant colour of the album photo; respectively, the Blue, Green, Red, White, Teal and Black Albums. Another quite well-known band produced an album which will forever be known as The White Album. From that 1968 album, here are The Beatles, with While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps / The Beatles
This is The Music Labyrinth and moments ago we listened to the magnificent Beatles track While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The song was written by George Harrison, and is widely considered to mark his flowering as a songwriter after spending years in the broad and long songwriting shadows of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The guitar solo on that track was played by Harrison's good friend Eric Clapton, one of the few guest musicians to appear on a Beatles track. Now, once again Dear Listener, don't go racing off in another direction. As tempting as it is to explore the music of Eric Clapton at this point, my mind has been taken in another direction. I can now not hear While My Guitar Gently Weeps without associating it with another artist. In 2004, George Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. At that ceremony, the song we just heard was performed by a band which included Dhanni Harrison, Jeff Lynn, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Prince, who stole the show with an extraordinary guitar solo at the end of the song. The clip is available on YouTube, and if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. Anyway, for that reason, for me While My Guitar Gently Weeps takes me directly to the music of Prince. Here is Raspberry Beret.
Raspberry Beret / Prince & The Revolution
From 1985, that was Prince & The Revolution with Raspberry Beret. Lets stay with Prince, and have a listen to a cover version of another of his songs. This is Quindon Tarver with When Doves Cry.
When Doves Cry / Quindon Tarver
From the soundtrack of the 1996 Baz Luhrmann film Romeo + Juliet, that was Quindon Tarver's cover of When Doves Cry. And, now that we have found our way to the soundtrack of that rather splendid film, I can think of no better way to end this episode than with what I think is the standout song from the soundtrack. The opening chords bring me goosebumps. This is Radiohead with Talk Show Host. Thanks for listening to The Music Labyrinth.
Talk Show Host / Radiohead
Hello, and welcome to Episode 12 of The Music Labyrinth - a place to kick back and allow yourself to be guided, somewhat organically, through the labyrinth of modern music. There are some elements of logic to the means by which we progress from one song to the next but, like sausages, I really advise you not to look too closely. Just before we launch into this episode, I thought I would make a quick announcement about episode 15 of The Music Labyrinth which is scheduled for broadcast in three weeks time. Because the scheduled day of broadcast for that episode will mark a personal transition for me from a state of gainful employment to a state of blissful non-employment, I thought I would get all self-indulgent and do something a little different for just that episode. So, as it is planned, episode 16 of The Music Labyrinth will commence where episode 14 concluded, but for the intervening week, lets magically teleport ourselves to another part of the labyrinth, and have an episode which features songs of transition, celebration or retirement. The reason why I am telling you all this three weeks in advance is that I invite you to contribute to that program. If you have a song of farewell, transition or celebration that you would like me to try and weave into a fabric which besuits The Music Labyrinth, please prompt me. The best means of getting that message to me is to go to your favourite internet search engine and type in quotation marks "The Music Labyrinth" and, in the first few results, your search engine should reveal the link to The Music Labyrinth page on nonshedders.net. Alternatively, you can go to www.nonshedders.net and click the link to The Music Labyrinth. Once there, leave me your song suggestion in the comments field. Now, back to the present! We commenced this episode with Dr John and Ricki Lee Jones Makin' Whoopee from the 1989 Dr John album, In A Sentimental Mood. The lyrics for Makin' Whoopee were penned in 1928 by Gus Kahn. Another of his songs, from 1931, was covered during the era of Flower Power counter-culture in 1968, and will be instantly recognised by the listener.
Dream A Little Dream of Me / The Mamas & The Papas
That was, of course, The Mamas & The Papas with their 1968 cover of Dream A Little Dream of Me. The Mamas & The Papas came together as a band in 1965. One of the founding members was John Phillips. Phillips was one of the organisers of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival which is famous in the annuls of popular music for being the first major appearance of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (the listener is probably familiar with the iconic footage of Hendrix pouring lighter fluid onto his guitar and setting it alight). The festival also featured a new lead singer for the established band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Here they are with a track from that era. I suspect you may recognise the vocalist.
Piece of my Heart / Big Brother & The Holding Company
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth were, just before the break, we heard Big Brother & The Holding Company, featuring the unmistakable vocals of the young Janis Joplin. We're going to park Janis to one side at the moment, and focus on the rest of the band, who were an established band in the San Francisco area at the time Janis was recruited to sing. At that time, The Holding Company were the house band at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and, on more than one occasion, they were backed up by this band.
The Joker / Steve Miller Band
From 1973, that was the Steve Miller Band and The Joker. Steve Miller's school friend, and a member of the Steve Miller Band during 1967 and 1968, was this bloke.
Lido Shuffle / Boz Scaggs
You're with The Music Labyrinth and just moments ago we listened to (and, if you are at all like me, sang loudly along with) Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs. The song was co-written by Scaggs and David Paich, and personnel who played on the track included Paich on keyboards and Steve Porcaro on drums. Just after the sessions which produced Lido Shuffle, Paich and Porcaro would team up with the singer Joseph Williams to form this well known band.
Africa / Toto
That was Africa, by Toto. Depending on whether you favour the popular story, or the higher-brow version, Toto was named after a fictional dog, or out of the Latin phrase in toto, which can be interpreted to mean "all encompassing" and was allegedly a reference to the many records and genres the band members had contributed to prior to formation of the band. In any event, Africa was a massive hit for the band. It was later covered by the Los Angeles band Weezer, and delivered that band considerable commercial success, as well as nominations for various awards. Another award winning and highly successful song for Weezer was this one.
Buddy Holly / Weezer
That was Weezer and their 1995 award winning single, Buddy Holly. Now, I suspect that the listener, who is playing along at home, is now scanning the catalogue of hits by the late Buddy Holly in anticipation of the next song in The Music Labyrinth. Well, all I can say is tsk tsk, Dear Listener. As usual, to expect the obvious is to be disappointed. Stay with me here. The band Weezer have produced 14 albums over the course of their career, six of which contained no specific album title, and have become known by the dominant colour of the album photo; respectively, the Blue, Green, Red, White, Teal and Black Albums. Another quite well-known band produced an album which will forever be known as The White Album. From that 1968 album, here are The Beatles, with While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps / The Beatles
This is The Music Labyrinth and moments ago we listened to the magnificent Beatles track While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The song was written by George Harrison, and is widely considered to mark his flowering as a songwriter after spending years in the broad and long songwriting shadows of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The guitar solo on that track was played by Harrison's good friend Eric Clapton, one of the few guest musicians to appear on a Beatles track. Now, once again Dear Listener, don't go racing off in another direction. As tempting as it is to explore the music of Eric Clapton at this point, my mind has been taken in another direction. I can now not hear While My Guitar Gently Weeps without associating it with another artist. In 2004, George Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. At that ceremony, the song we just heard was performed by a band which included Dhanni Harrison, Jeff Lynn, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Prince, who stole the show with an extraordinary guitar solo at the end of the song. The clip is available on YouTube, and if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. Anyway, for that reason, for me While My Guitar Gently Weeps takes me directly to the music of Prince. Here is Raspberry Beret.
Raspberry Beret / Prince & The Revolution
From 1985, that was Prince & The Revolution with Raspberry Beret. Lets stay with Prince, and have a listen to a cover version of another of his songs. This is Quindon Tarver with When Doves Cry.
When Doves Cry / Quindon Tarver
From the soundtrack of the 1996 Baz Luhrmann film Romeo + Juliet, that was Quindon Tarver's cover of When Doves Cry. And, now that we have found our way to the soundtrack of that rather splendid film, I can think of no better way to end this episode than with what I think is the standout song from the soundtrack. The opening chords bring me goosebumps. This is Radiohead with Talk Show Host. Thanks for listening to The Music Labyrinth.
Talk Show Host / Radiohead