Music Labyrinth Episode 029
My apologies! Once again there were issues with the remote streaming at the host radio station and this week’s program did not make it to air at the scheduled time. If it had, it would have sounded like this ...
Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) / Doobie Brothers
Hello, and welcome to Episode 29 of The Music Labyrinth, where our progress from song to song is justified on some entirely subjective basis, the merit of which is entirely determined by me alone. Sweet deal for me! But, should you object or wish to make any other comment, there are pathways open to you. Recently, The Music Labyrinth got itself its own Twitter account, which most listeners with active accounts of their own (this, at the moment, excludes you, Mr Trump, sorry) will be able to access by searching Twitter for @MusicLabyrinth. There, you can find information about previous and upcoming shows, provide immediate feedback or suggestion, and even tweet live during the program. Just as an aside, I hope to get the opportunity to put the show live to air in coming weeks, and instant feedback and comment via Twitter could be fun on those occasions. Anyway - on with this week’s program. We started the show this week (and I hardly need to explain that we start this week where we ended last week) with Take Me In Your Arms by The Doobie Brothers. That song was written by the legendary Motown songwriting team of Holland/Dozier/Holland, and recorded by several artists before it was covered so splendidly by The Doobies in 1975. So, for now, let’s stay with the songwriting of Holland/Dozier/Holland as we progress onwards into the Labyrinth. This is Sam Brown with her version of Can I Get A Witness.
Can I Get A Witness / Sam Brown
Sam Brown is a singer of some renown, who has worked with some of music’s big names. For a while she was a consistent contributor to the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, appearing on several tracks on the album Jack O The Green: Small World, Big Band Friends 3. From that album, here is a lovely version of a Smokey Robinson and The Miracles tune.
You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me / Joel’s Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra
You’ve returned (bless you!) to The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me, written by Smokey Robinson, and performed for us by the man himself with the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. That song has been often covered, on one occasion by The Zombies, which gives me a perfect opportunity to take us to their classic hit from 1968: Time Of The Season.
Time Of The Season / The Zombies
From the 1968 album Odyssey and Oracle, that was Time Of The Season by The Zombies. The song was written by Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent. After the demise of The Zombies, Rod Argent formed a new outfit which he called - Argent. Wikipedia credits that band with three hits - which, at the risk of generating controversy, I think is generous. But The Listener might recognise this one, also written by Rod Argent.
Hold Your Head Up / Argent
We’re still here in The Music Labyrinth, and we most recently heard Argent with Hold Your Head Up. That song was later covered by the Australian 80s “supergroup” The Party Boys for their eponymous album of 1987. The lineup at that time included John “Swanee” Swan, Kevin Borich, John Brewster from The Angels, Alan Lancaster from Status Quo, Paul Christie from Mondo Rock, and Richard Harvey of The Divinyls. Arguably, the biggest commercial hit for The Party Boys was this one from that same album.
He’s Gonna Step On You Again / The Party Boys
That was The Party Boys with He’s Gonna Step On You Again, written in 1971 by John Kongos and Christos Demitriou. The Party Boys are amongst several artists who have covered the track. The list of members of The Party Boys, helpfully provided by Wikipedia, extends to 49 musicians. The founding member is generally agreed to have been Paul Christie, who was then the bassist with Mondo Rock - and one other of the listed members was Ross Wilson who, of course, was the lead singer of Mondo Rock. These rock-solid facts take us now off into the murky realm of personal indulgence (again - sorry) but I have a vivid recollection of seeing Mondo Rock at the Hotel Tasmania in Launceston in the early 80s and the unforgettable opening number to that show is now one of my firm favourites.
No Time / Mondo Rock
That was Mondo Rock with No Time, the opening track from their 1982 album, Nuovo Mondo. Now, in what is becoming a regular feature of The Music Labyrinth, its time to play the game You Make Up Your Own Mind. As much as I love the song we just heard (and I do - a lot!), I have always thought that the bass and rhythm section of the chorus were directly lifted from this international hit of 1977.
Isn’t It Time / The Babys
Hello. You are back again with The Music Labyrinth where, just prior to those messages, we heard Isn’t It Time by The Babys, from their 1977 album Broken Heart. The backing vocals on Isn’t It Time were performed by The Babettes - who were three members of the vocal ensemble Andrea Crouch & the Disciples. (And, please note Dear Listener, after copping a roast last week for my pronunciation of Mary J Blige, I have double-checked Andrea Crouch). Andrea Crouch has a lengthy career in contemporary and gospel music, and has contributed to many projects. In 1989 what was then called The Andrea Crouch Choir contributed the important backing vocals on this track.
Like A Prayer / Madonna
Of course, that was Madonna with her 1989 hit Like A Prayer. For her performance at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, Madonna was joined by CeeLo Green to perform Like A Prayer. Two years later CeeLo Green featured on an album we brushed past earlier in this show: Smokey & Friends, featuring the hits of Smokey Robinson in duet with other artists. At the risk of falling into one of those occasional labyrinthine feedback loops, lets listen to another Smokey Robinson hit. Here is The Way You Do The Things You Do by Smokey Robinson and CeeLo Green.
The Way You Do The Things You Do / Smokey Robinson and CeeLo Green
Someone else who appeared on the album Smokey & Friends with Smokey Robinson was Sheryl Crow. Now we all know Sheryl Crow for plenty of output, including All I Want To Do and her cover of Sweet Child Of Mine, but I’ve selected something a little less obvious to end the show this week, partly because its a fun track, and partly because it sets us off in style for next week. As always, thanks very much for listening. Don’t forget to find us and follow us on Twitter by searching for @MusicLabyrinth. How could you possibly not do so!? Here is Sheryl Crow with Halfway There.
Halfway There / Sheryl Crow
Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) / Doobie Brothers
Hello, and welcome to Episode 29 of The Music Labyrinth, where our progress from song to song is justified on some entirely subjective basis, the merit of which is entirely determined by me alone. Sweet deal for me! But, should you object or wish to make any other comment, there are pathways open to you. Recently, The Music Labyrinth got itself its own Twitter account, which most listeners with active accounts of their own (this, at the moment, excludes you, Mr Trump, sorry) will be able to access by searching Twitter for @MusicLabyrinth. There, you can find information about previous and upcoming shows, provide immediate feedback or suggestion, and even tweet live during the program. Just as an aside, I hope to get the opportunity to put the show live to air in coming weeks, and instant feedback and comment via Twitter could be fun on those occasions. Anyway - on with this week’s program. We started the show this week (and I hardly need to explain that we start this week where we ended last week) with Take Me In Your Arms by The Doobie Brothers. That song was written by the legendary Motown songwriting team of Holland/Dozier/Holland, and recorded by several artists before it was covered so splendidly by The Doobies in 1975. So, for now, let’s stay with the songwriting of Holland/Dozier/Holland as we progress onwards into the Labyrinth. This is Sam Brown with her version of Can I Get A Witness.
Can I Get A Witness / Sam Brown
Sam Brown is a singer of some renown, who has worked with some of music’s big names. For a while she was a consistent contributor to the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, appearing on several tracks on the album Jack O The Green: Small World, Big Band Friends 3. From that album, here is a lovely version of a Smokey Robinson and The Miracles tune.
You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me / Joel’s Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra
You’ve returned (bless you!) to The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me, written by Smokey Robinson, and performed for us by the man himself with the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. That song has been often covered, on one occasion by The Zombies, which gives me a perfect opportunity to take us to their classic hit from 1968: Time Of The Season.
Time Of The Season / The Zombies
From the 1968 album Odyssey and Oracle, that was Time Of The Season by The Zombies. The song was written by Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent. After the demise of The Zombies, Rod Argent formed a new outfit which he called - Argent. Wikipedia credits that band with three hits - which, at the risk of generating controversy, I think is generous. But The Listener might recognise this one, also written by Rod Argent.
Hold Your Head Up / Argent
We’re still here in The Music Labyrinth, and we most recently heard Argent with Hold Your Head Up. That song was later covered by the Australian 80s “supergroup” The Party Boys for their eponymous album of 1987. The lineup at that time included John “Swanee” Swan, Kevin Borich, John Brewster from The Angels, Alan Lancaster from Status Quo, Paul Christie from Mondo Rock, and Richard Harvey of The Divinyls. Arguably, the biggest commercial hit for The Party Boys was this one from that same album.
He’s Gonna Step On You Again / The Party Boys
That was The Party Boys with He’s Gonna Step On You Again, written in 1971 by John Kongos and Christos Demitriou. The Party Boys are amongst several artists who have covered the track. The list of members of The Party Boys, helpfully provided by Wikipedia, extends to 49 musicians. The founding member is generally agreed to have been Paul Christie, who was then the bassist with Mondo Rock - and one other of the listed members was Ross Wilson who, of course, was the lead singer of Mondo Rock. These rock-solid facts take us now off into the murky realm of personal indulgence (again - sorry) but I have a vivid recollection of seeing Mondo Rock at the Hotel Tasmania in Launceston in the early 80s and the unforgettable opening number to that show is now one of my firm favourites.
No Time / Mondo Rock
That was Mondo Rock with No Time, the opening track from their 1982 album, Nuovo Mondo. Now, in what is becoming a regular feature of The Music Labyrinth, its time to play the game You Make Up Your Own Mind. As much as I love the song we just heard (and I do - a lot!), I have always thought that the bass and rhythm section of the chorus were directly lifted from this international hit of 1977.
Isn’t It Time / The Babys
Hello. You are back again with The Music Labyrinth where, just prior to those messages, we heard Isn’t It Time by The Babys, from their 1977 album Broken Heart. The backing vocals on Isn’t It Time were performed by The Babettes - who were three members of the vocal ensemble Andrea Crouch & the Disciples. (And, please note Dear Listener, after copping a roast last week for my pronunciation of Mary J Blige, I have double-checked Andrea Crouch). Andrea Crouch has a lengthy career in contemporary and gospel music, and has contributed to many projects. In 1989 what was then called The Andrea Crouch Choir contributed the important backing vocals on this track.
Like A Prayer / Madonna
Of course, that was Madonna with her 1989 hit Like A Prayer. For her performance at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, Madonna was joined by CeeLo Green to perform Like A Prayer. Two years later CeeLo Green featured on an album we brushed past earlier in this show: Smokey & Friends, featuring the hits of Smokey Robinson in duet with other artists. At the risk of falling into one of those occasional labyrinthine feedback loops, lets listen to another Smokey Robinson hit. Here is The Way You Do The Things You Do by Smokey Robinson and CeeLo Green.
The Way You Do The Things You Do / Smokey Robinson and CeeLo Green
Someone else who appeared on the album Smokey & Friends with Smokey Robinson was Sheryl Crow. Now we all know Sheryl Crow for plenty of output, including All I Want To Do and her cover of Sweet Child Of Mine, but I’ve selected something a little less obvious to end the show this week, partly because its a fun track, and partly because it sets us off in style for next week. As always, thanks very much for listening. Don’t forget to find us and follow us on Twitter by searching for @MusicLabyrinth. How could you possibly not do so!? Here is Sheryl Crow with Halfway There.
Halfway There / Sheryl Crow