Music Labyrinth Episode 035
Stuck In The Middle With You / Stealers Wheel
Hello, and welcome along to Episode 35 of The Music Labyrinth. This week, can I offer a special welcome to that small and faithful group of listeners who have stepped through the labyrinth with us for most of those episodes. I really appreciate your support, encouragement, and even the occasional directness of your feedback! Thanks for being part of this little experiment in music programming. We kicked off this episode of The Music Labyrinth where we ended the last, with Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel, which remains one of the classic tunes, even after Tarantino filled it with the menace of non-medical surgical procedure. Stealers Wheel consisted primarily of Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty. Rafferty, of course, is well known to fans of modern music, mainly for his later output. However, he began his career with the Glasgow folk act The Humblebums. Here they are from their 1970 album Open Up The Door, with their song Harry. And keep a well-tuned ear on the vocalist, who also wrote this song. More about him shortly.
Harry / The Humblebums
From their 1970 album Open Up The Door, that was The Humblebums with Harry. Gerry Rafferty’s fellow band members in The Humblebums were Tam Harvey and Billy Connolly, of whom you may have heard. Billy Connelly also wrote and sang the vocals of that track. Connolly, of course, graduated from folk music to become one of the superstars of stand-up comedy. Which puts him in contrast with Steve Martin, who has graduated from being one of the superstars of stand-up comedy to folk music. Steve Martin is a highly competent musician and songwriter, primarily in the area of bluegrass music. He has formed a strong musical partnership with Edie Brickell, and together they have co-written a musical and several albums. From their 2012 album Love Has Come For You, this is When You Get To Asheville.
When You Get To Asheville / Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we last heard When You Get To Asheville by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Asheville is a city of about 95000 people in North Carolina in the USA. Since December 1988 the city has annually hosted the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, a charity music festival managed and named for the Grammy Award winning guitarist, songwriter and singer, Warren Haynes, who is a native son of Asheville. So, here is Warren Haynes, featuring Grace Potter, with a magnificent cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, Gold Dust Woman.
Gold Dust Woman / Warren Haynes (feat. Grace Potter)
That splendid cover version of Gold Dust Woman was performed by Warren Haynes and Grace Potter, and comes from Haynes’ 2015 album Ashes & Dust. The song was originally written by Stevie Nicks and first appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s monster album Rumours. I’ve only heard the Warren Haynes / Grace Potter version about three times, and its already a firm favourite. If I’d known about it three weeks ago, it may well have featured in our cover-versions episode. Why did none of you tell me?! Grace Potter is someone we have previously encountered in The Music Labyrinth, but that is no reason not to revisit her work now we are presented with an opportunity to do so. From her 2015 album Midnight, this is Look What We’ve Become.
Look What We’ve Become / Grace Potter
Channeling Janet Jackson for all her worth, that was Grace Potter with Look What We’ve Become. That song comes from Grace Potter’s 2015 album, Midnight, and amongst the contributors to that album was the vocalist Noelle Skaggs, who is most recently known for her work with the LA band Fitz And The Tantrums. That band first caught my attention a few years ago when I heard this song from their 2009 album Picking Up The Pieces. This is Winds Of Change.
Winds Of Change / Fitz And The Tantrums
We are still here, deep in the bowels of The Music Labyrinth, which still echoes with the crafted, soulful, R&B sounds of Fitz And The Tantrums and their song Winds Of Change. Almost two decades before that song, the German band The Scorpions became the pin-up band of the period of Glasnost and the end of the Cold War when they captured the spirit of the times in their song about the singular Wind Of Change.
Wind Of Change / The Scorpions
From 1990 that was The Scorpions with Wind Of Change. Such was the spirit of the times that Roger Waters, in his epic staging of The Wall in Berlin in July of that year, invited The Scorpions to join him on stage for that production. The Scorpions featured in the opening track from the show, In The Flesh?
In The Flesh? / Pink Floyd
That was In The Flesh?, the opening track of Pink Floyd’s double concept album of 1980, The Wall. The album tells the story of the abandonment and isolation of a rock star called Pink. Almost four decades later, a real rock star called Pink was at the top of her game and released an album with a title which would have resonated with Roger Waters’ fictional Pink. From her 2019 album Hurts 2B Human, this is real-life Pink with Hustle.
Hustle / Pink
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth, where we last listened to Pink with her 2019 song Hustle. Now, at this stage it is important for the listener to note and appreciate that I have NOT taken, and will not take you to the 1970s disco tune with a very similar name by Van McCoy. For any of you who have not heard it, just thank me anyway. Instead, lets note that a co-writer and co-producer of the track we just heard was Dan Reynolds of the American band Imagine Dragons. Here they are with their song Radioactive.
Radioactive / Imagine Dragons
From 2012, that was Imagine Dragons with Radioactive. The song first appeared on the EP Continued Silence, and then later in the same year on the debut studio album of the band, Night Vision. Now some of those playing along at home may expect me, at this point, to turn to Kendrick Lamar, or perhaps to the Kings Of Leon. Sorry. I’ve been looking for some time to feature one of the great rock vocalists on this program, and I now have that opportunity. By 1985, Paul Rogers had established himself in the capacity I just mentioned, and we’ll explore that further in a moment. However, in 1985 he teamed up with Jimmy Page, Chris Slade and Tony Franklin to form one of rock’s most credentialed supergroups, and they went on to release two albums as The Firm. From the first of those, this is The Firm with Radioactive.
Radioactive / The Firm
From their 1985 eponymous album, that was The Firm with Radioactive. As I mentioned earlier, the vocals on that track were performed by the highly credentialed Paul Rogers, who enjoyed an enduring career in music as a solo artist, and as an integral member of Free and Bad Company. Rogers also toured and recorded with Queen. Music folk lore also has it that Rogers was courted as a potential replacement for Jim Morrison in The Doors, and to sing with Deep Purple after the departure of Ian Gillan. I’ve chosen a personal memory of Paul Rogers’ music to end this episode of The Music Labyrinth. I remember as quite a young boy in the 1970s, briefly possessing a 45rpm single of this next song. I have no idea how it came into my possession, but I remain grateful that it did. So thanks very much for your company for this episode. We’ll be back next week with more. In the meantime, come with me back to the days when I had a cardboard spoke-rattler pegged to the forks of my dragster, and some 45rpm records of unknown origin. This is Free, with Wishing Well.
Wishing Well / Free
Hello, and welcome along to Episode 35 of The Music Labyrinth. This week, can I offer a special welcome to that small and faithful group of listeners who have stepped through the labyrinth with us for most of those episodes. I really appreciate your support, encouragement, and even the occasional directness of your feedback! Thanks for being part of this little experiment in music programming. We kicked off this episode of The Music Labyrinth where we ended the last, with Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel, which remains one of the classic tunes, even after Tarantino filled it with the menace of non-medical surgical procedure. Stealers Wheel consisted primarily of Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty. Rafferty, of course, is well known to fans of modern music, mainly for his later output. However, he began his career with the Glasgow folk act The Humblebums. Here they are from their 1970 album Open Up The Door, with their song Harry. And keep a well-tuned ear on the vocalist, who also wrote this song. More about him shortly.
Harry / The Humblebums
From their 1970 album Open Up The Door, that was The Humblebums with Harry. Gerry Rafferty’s fellow band members in The Humblebums were Tam Harvey and Billy Connolly, of whom you may have heard. Billy Connelly also wrote and sang the vocals of that track. Connolly, of course, graduated from folk music to become one of the superstars of stand-up comedy. Which puts him in contrast with Steve Martin, who has graduated from being one of the superstars of stand-up comedy to folk music. Steve Martin is a highly competent musician and songwriter, primarily in the area of bluegrass music. He has formed a strong musical partnership with Edie Brickell, and together they have co-written a musical and several albums. From their 2012 album Love Has Come For You, this is When You Get To Asheville.
When You Get To Asheville / Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we last heard When You Get To Asheville by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Asheville is a city of about 95000 people in North Carolina in the USA. Since December 1988 the city has annually hosted the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, a charity music festival managed and named for the Grammy Award winning guitarist, songwriter and singer, Warren Haynes, who is a native son of Asheville. So, here is Warren Haynes, featuring Grace Potter, with a magnificent cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, Gold Dust Woman.
Gold Dust Woman / Warren Haynes (feat. Grace Potter)
That splendid cover version of Gold Dust Woman was performed by Warren Haynes and Grace Potter, and comes from Haynes’ 2015 album Ashes & Dust. The song was originally written by Stevie Nicks and first appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s monster album Rumours. I’ve only heard the Warren Haynes / Grace Potter version about three times, and its already a firm favourite. If I’d known about it three weeks ago, it may well have featured in our cover-versions episode. Why did none of you tell me?! Grace Potter is someone we have previously encountered in The Music Labyrinth, but that is no reason not to revisit her work now we are presented with an opportunity to do so. From her 2015 album Midnight, this is Look What We’ve Become.
Look What We’ve Become / Grace Potter
Channeling Janet Jackson for all her worth, that was Grace Potter with Look What We’ve Become. That song comes from Grace Potter’s 2015 album, Midnight, and amongst the contributors to that album was the vocalist Noelle Skaggs, who is most recently known for her work with the LA band Fitz And The Tantrums. That band first caught my attention a few years ago when I heard this song from their 2009 album Picking Up The Pieces. This is Winds Of Change.
Winds Of Change / Fitz And The Tantrums
We are still here, deep in the bowels of The Music Labyrinth, which still echoes with the crafted, soulful, R&B sounds of Fitz And The Tantrums and their song Winds Of Change. Almost two decades before that song, the German band The Scorpions became the pin-up band of the period of Glasnost and the end of the Cold War when they captured the spirit of the times in their song about the singular Wind Of Change.
Wind Of Change / The Scorpions
From 1990 that was The Scorpions with Wind Of Change. Such was the spirit of the times that Roger Waters, in his epic staging of The Wall in Berlin in July of that year, invited The Scorpions to join him on stage for that production. The Scorpions featured in the opening track from the show, In The Flesh?
In The Flesh? / Pink Floyd
That was In The Flesh?, the opening track of Pink Floyd’s double concept album of 1980, The Wall. The album tells the story of the abandonment and isolation of a rock star called Pink. Almost four decades later, a real rock star called Pink was at the top of her game and released an album with a title which would have resonated with Roger Waters’ fictional Pink. From her 2019 album Hurts 2B Human, this is real-life Pink with Hustle.
Hustle / Pink
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth, where we last listened to Pink with her 2019 song Hustle. Now, at this stage it is important for the listener to note and appreciate that I have NOT taken, and will not take you to the 1970s disco tune with a very similar name by Van McCoy. For any of you who have not heard it, just thank me anyway. Instead, lets note that a co-writer and co-producer of the track we just heard was Dan Reynolds of the American band Imagine Dragons. Here they are with their song Radioactive.
Radioactive / Imagine Dragons
From 2012, that was Imagine Dragons with Radioactive. The song first appeared on the EP Continued Silence, and then later in the same year on the debut studio album of the band, Night Vision. Now some of those playing along at home may expect me, at this point, to turn to Kendrick Lamar, or perhaps to the Kings Of Leon. Sorry. I’ve been looking for some time to feature one of the great rock vocalists on this program, and I now have that opportunity. By 1985, Paul Rogers had established himself in the capacity I just mentioned, and we’ll explore that further in a moment. However, in 1985 he teamed up with Jimmy Page, Chris Slade and Tony Franklin to form one of rock’s most credentialed supergroups, and they went on to release two albums as The Firm. From the first of those, this is The Firm with Radioactive.
Radioactive / The Firm
From their 1985 eponymous album, that was The Firm with Radioactive. As I mentioned earlier, the vocals on that track were performed by the highly credentialed Paul Rogers, who enjoyed an enduring career in music as a solo artist, and as an integral member of Free and Bad Company. Rogers also toured and recorded with Queen. Music folk lore also has it that Rogers was courted as a potential replacement for Jim Morrison in The Doors, and to sing with Deep Purple after the departure of Ian Gillan. I’ve chosen a personal memory of Paul Rogers’ music to end this episode of The Music Labyrinth. I remember as quite a young boy in the 1970s, briefly possessing a 45rpm single of this next song. I have no idea how it came into my possession, but I remain grateful that it did. So thanks very much for your company for this episode. We’ll be back next week with more. In the meantime, come with me back to the days when I had a cardboard spoke-rattler pegged to the forks of my dragster, and some 45rpm records of unknown origin. This is Free, with Wishing Well.
Wishing Well / Free