Marti Jones' Jukebox

 

In my post last week I asked our readers, "Who you wish would make another record?"  One of my own answers was Cassandra Wilson.  Sadly, this immensely talented singer of jazz and blues (and more) died this week at age 70.  Several collections of Cassandra Wilson's music are still available at this blog.  One of the greatest voices I ever had the pleasure to hear in concert.

A reader who goes by JPB In DC mentioned Marti Jones as a singer who hasn't made a record in a long while.  That got me listening again to her albums.  

Marti started her recording career with the short-lived Akron band Color Me Gone, but she is best known in the music world as a solo artist and as the wife and collaborator of Don Dixon.

Dixon produced each of Marti's solo albums, and they got married after the third one (1988's Used Guitars).  They have written wonderful songs together, but I think Marti excels as an interpreter of other writers' compositions.  She has a fabulous voice, and an ear for a great tune.  Dixon creates brilliant arrangements to showcase Marti's vocals.  He is also a terrific duet partner, his gruff voice like the Beast to his wife's Beauty.

Angelo at Power Pop Criminals recently nominated Lisa Mychols as The Queen Of Power Pop. I wouldn't start an argument with an expert like Angelo, but I think Marti deserves a seat at that royal table.  

Fun factoid: Color Me Gone's 1984 EP was coproduced by fellow Akronite Liam Sternberg. Marti sang the demo for a song that Liam wrote called "Walk Like An Egyptian".  Marti later recorded another Liam Sternberg song called "Crusher".

Marti currently focuses on painting.  Her last album, You're Not The Bossa Me, was released in 2014.  Her frustration with the business of music might be summed up in a verse from "Put Me On Top" (an Aimee Mann song that Marti covered):  "I should be riding on a float in a hit parade, instead of standing on a curb behind a barricade."

Songs That PEARL HARBOUR Taught Us

Cowgirl Pearl

Do you love Pearl Harbour as much as we do?  It's not a contest -- but if it was, this blog would win!  Here's a deluxe edition custom combo compilation thingy of songs that Pearl has covered, as well as a couple cover versions of songs from Pearl's solo debut (Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too)!

If you don't know her story, Pearl is the daughter of a Filipina and an American serviceman, so "Filipino Baby" is almost autobiographical.  As a teenager, Pearl emigrated from Germany to San Francisco, where she became the singer for Pearl Harbor And The Explosions.  She left the band after a difference of opinion in musical direction.  "I wanted the show to be more wild rock & roll. They were more interested in jazz, funk, and rhythm & blues," she later recalled.  In concert, The Explosions covered the rockabilly classic "Black Slacks" as well as Ron Wood's "I Can Feel The Fire" and Nick Lowe's "Let's Eat".

Pearl traveled back across the Atlantic in search of that wild rock & roll sound, and cut her 1980 solo debut in London with Nigel Dixon, Steve New, and Wilko Johnson on guitar (all of whom have been featured here).  Geraint Watkins played keyboards, and his music has been compiled here by Koen.  

Ian Dury with Pearl

Mickey Gallagher produced the album, and Pearl covered Ian Dury's "Rough Kids", as well as "Losing To You" (from Nigel Dixon's band Whirlwind) and "Cowboys & Indians" from Geraint Watkins & The Dominators.   Another cover she recorded (which became a signature song of her career) was "Fujiyama Mama".  

Pearl married Paul Simonon (whose brother Nick briefly played drums for Pearl), and she toured Japan with The Clash.  Today's comp includes a live "Fujiyama" and "Hit The Road Jack" from that tour (with a descending bassline similar to "Stray Cat Strut").  Speaking of the Stray Cats, Pearl and Wilko joined them onstage at Montreux for a version of "Be Bop A Lula" (you can barely hear Wilko near the end).  Pearl also covered "Wrong Em Boyo" with The Mods, a Japanese punk band who played on her third solo album. She later sang "Brand New Cadillac" with The Colts, another Japanese band.

Pearl with The Mods

Pearl and Paul eventually divorced, and she returned to San Francisco.  Her last solo album (so far!) was recorded with East Bay Ray (whose guitar work with the DK's and other bands has also been featured here).  

Here Comes Trouble was recorded as a tribute to Phillip Bury, the beloved frontman of Buck Naked & The Bare Bottom Boys. Phillip was tragically killed in 1992.  Stinky LePew (aka Stinky Naked) joined Pearl on the album, and the title track was a Bare Bottom Boys original.  

The "jukebox" portion of today's share includes several other originals that Pearl recorded, and the "songbook" section features two covers of Pearl Harbour originals: "Do Your Homework" by Supersnazz and "Heaven Is Gonna Be Empty" by Hanoi Rocks.  There was a Swiss band called Satellits who covered "Alone In The Dark" (also from Don't Follow Me), but I can't afford their EP and I've never found an mp3 online.  Help me, internet!

Songs That REIGNING SOUND Taught Us - plus more PUNKS GOT SOUL

After the Memphis bands Compulsive Gamblers and Oblivians broke up, Greg Cartwright debuted a new group called Reigning Sound with a 2001 single featuring a Gene Clark cover ("Here Without You") on the A-side, and two Cartwright originals on the flip. This was followed by a full length album (Break Up... Break Down) which further defined the sound of Reigning Sound: garage punk energy with an appreciation for mid-sixties pop and soul, and a keen sense of Memphis musical history. 

Cartwright once stated in an interview that seeing Tav Falco's Panther Burns at the Antenna Club sparked a realization of what he wanted to accomplish as a songwriter and performer.

Between 2001 and 2021, Reigning Sound released seven studio albums, three live albums, and an odds & sods comp (Home For Orphans).  The band also backed Mary Weiss of The Shangri-Las on her Norton Records comeback album, Dangerous Game (2007).  All of these albums featured Cartwright's songwriting talent and soulful vocals.  Cartwright announced the end of Reigning Sound in 2022. 

There are cover songs scattered throughout the Reigning Sound discography, most of them "deep cuts" from the 1950's and 60's.  The most familiar song would likely be "Keep On Dancing", a soul cover that was a hit for Memphis garage rockers The Gentrys.  Today's set ends with a John Felice composition that first appeared on the Mary Weiss album. The Real Kids later recorded it for their 2014 comeback album).

While we're on the topic of garage rock, punk and soul, it seems like a good time to trot out Volume #7 in the blog series Punks Got Soul.  This one is packed with 28 great songs, with many moments of "why didn't I think of THAT one before?" while they were being compiled. One of those "aha!" moments happened when esteemed reader Guypinot recently mentioned Evie Sands (whose "I Can't Let Go" was covered by the Hollies and the Dickies).

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG: Songs The Dickes Taught Us, Songs The Panther Burns Taught Us, and many more!

Songs The Dickies Taught Us

 

In a comment on Stinky's new series Reupholstered Songs, Richard said, "Give me The Dickies any day."  That really struck a chord, so to speak.  

The Dickies are masters of the Sped-Up Cover, as well as the Ironic Cover (another of Stinky's five cover categories). They had hits in the UK with punk versions of Paranoid, Silent Night, the Banana Splits theme, and Nights In White Satin.

Dickies' guitarist Stan Lee has called the band's cover songs "affectionate piss-takes of hippies and the old culture." Stan and singer Leonard Graves Phillips were raised in the California suburbs on a diet of American pop music, TV cartoons, the British Invasion, psychedelia, and early heavy metal.  

When The Dickies finally made a collection of all cover songs (1998's Dogs From The Hare That Bit Us), the irony was gone. In place of the piss-takes was a sincere affection for psychedelic pop and hard rock.  The song choices are a bit more eclectic than, say, the Ramones' covers album Acid Eaters, and The Dickies gave props to their contemporaries with a few punk and power pop covers.  

The Dickies Jukebox includes 29 songs that The Dickies have covered over the past five decades, arranged chronologically. Dickies Covers has the same tracklist, so their Hollies cover from 1998 is adjacent to their Monkees cover from 1979.  

Of course, The Dickies play faster than most of the bands they cover. Even with a bonus track, they cram 30 songs into 76 minutes. The Dickies Jukebox is just slightly over 80 minutes.  It won't quite fit on a CD.

If you enjoy The Dickies Jukebox, you might also dig Songs Redd Kross Taught Us and my Naz Nomad post.

Robert Palmer's Jukebox

 

Here's a five part counterpart to Koen's Robert Palmer Songbook.  Robert had a great ear as well as a terrific voice, and he was known for broad ranging tastes and a deep knowledge of music.  His choices of songs to cover reflect that wealth of taste.

Four hours' worth of songs that Robert covered have been compiled into four "jukeboxes", each of them about an hour in length.  (The math checks out.)

Southern soul and funk (from the likes of Lee Dorsey, Allen Toussaint, and Don Covay) and the music of Little Feat were primary influences on Robert Palmer's earliest solo albums, and the originals can be heard on Robert Palmer's Soul Jukebox.  The Rockin' Jukebox includes more funk and soul, as well as rock (from Elvis and the British Invasion to Robert's hit covers of Moon Martin and T. Rex).  Koen clued me in that Robert sang Purple Haze on an album by violinist Hugh Marsh.

Robert's albums Don't Explain (1990) and Ridin' High (1992) include most of the jazz and pop songs on the Oldies Jukebox.  Billie, Bing, and Frank dominate the tracklist. (I tried to choose great versions of these standards, which weren't always the first recordings.) The Blues Jukebox is mostly sourced from Robert's final album, Drive (2003).  

But wait, there's one more!  Before starting his solo career, Robert was one of two singers in the band Vinegar Joe. Elkie Brooks was the other vocalist; she and Robert both went on to greater success as solo artists.  I've compiled the Vinegar Joe songs where Robert sang lead.  Many of them are his own compositions.  Little Feat fans will find something to enjoy here, and it's easy to understand why Robert wanted to work with Feat members (and cover Feat songs) on his first three solo albums.

As Koen demonstrated with his Songbook, Robert was an accomplished songwriter.  His versions of the songs on these "jukeboxes" also show his creativity as an arranger.  For example, Robert's funky take on "You Really Got Me" is closer to the version by the Buddy Miles Express than the Kinks' original.  

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG:  Stinky's Homemade Live Version of Clues, Koen's Deluxe Edition of Robert Palmer's 1999 Rhythm & Blues album, and Koen's debut on this blog -- an expanded edition of Woke Up Laughing (Robert Palmer's own compilation of his "adventures in tropical music").  There are many more Jukeboxes here as well (featuring Alex Chilton, Barrence Whitfield, Dr. Feelgood, Flamin' Groovies, Joan Jett, NRBQ, Tav Falco and more).

Songs The Flamin' Groovies Taught Us (part 2)

This second part of The Flamin' Groovies Jukebox features British Invasion bands as well as American bands inspired by the Beatles, Kinks, and Stones.  The Flamin' Groovies shared bills with their Bay Area contemporaries, but they were seen as out of step with the psychedelic scene (which was arguably just as Beatles-influenced and blues-influenced).

When I assembled Alex Chilton's Jukebox, it was divided pre- and post-British Invasion.  Same goes for The Flamin' Groovies Jukebox, and this second (and final) set reflects the changes in the band's sound after Roy Loney left and Cyril Jordan took the reins. 

Of course, British Invasion bands loved Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers and other American rock and R&B as much as The Flamin' Groovies did. 

The same can be said of Dave Edmunds.  Cyril and Chris Wilson admired Edmunds' production of the 1971 Rockpile album, so The Groovies went to Rockfield Studios in 1972 to record their classic original songs "Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down" with Edmunds.

The Groovies were around for the birth of the punk scene too. They played London's Roundhouse in 1976.  Ron "The Ripper" from Crime was The Groovies' bassist for awhile.  Danny Mihm (original Groovies drummer) played on 1978's Destry Hampton & The Wolves From Hell EP, a classic of San Francisco punk.

In 2017 (almost 50 years after Sneakers), Cyril, Chris Wilson, and George Alexander made a new Flamin' Groovies album called Fantastic Plastic.

Rest in peace Roy Loney and Tina Turner, whose "River Deep Mountain High" is a highlight of this Groovies Jukebox, and one of the last songs The Groovies recorded at Gold Star in 1981 (the year in The Flamin' Groovies' career when this series of cover songs ends).

Songs The Flamin' Groovies Taught Us

This set of songs covered by The Flamin' Groovies has some interesting connections to other "jukebox" collections on this blog.  The Groovies covered Frankie Lee Sims' "Married Woman". Barrence Whitfield and the Savages turned Sims' song "Walking With Frankie" into "Walking With Barrence" on the Savages' debut album. (See the post Savage Songs That Barrence Taught Us.)

The Groovies' cover of "32-20 Blues" is based on the 1965 recording by The Charlatans, who were pioneers of the SF psychedelic scene.  Mike Wilhelm of The Charlatans later formed the band Loose Gravel, whose song "Styrofoam" was covered by Dr. Feelgood (see Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox, Vol. 2).  Chris Wilson played with Mike Wilhelm in Loose Gravel, and Wilhelm served as The Flamin' Groovies' lead guitarist from 1978 to 1983.

Both NRBQ and The Flamin' Groovies were influenced by The Lovin' Spoonful.  The Groovies' version of "Wild About My Lovin" is based on The Spoonful's arrangement.  The Groovies, The Spoonful, and the Q were all signed to the Kama Sutra label. The Groovies covered NRBQ's "I Want You Bad".

And then there's Chuck Berry.  Half a dozen Berries have been covered by The Flamin' Groovies, and Chuck's arrangements of W.C Handy's "St. Louis Blues" and Tampa Red's "Don't You Lie To Me" are the basis of The Groovies' versions.

Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox, vol. 2

Mickey Jupp's band Legend opens the second volume of Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox with 1971's "Cheque Book", and the party continues through the 1980's and into the early 90's.  Lee's last recording was 1994's live Down At The Doctors, which kicks off with Mike Morgan's "If My Baby Quit Me" (released in 1990) and "Tanqueray" (from the 1991 solo album by Chuck Berry's pianist Johnnie Johnson).  

Even near the end of his life, Lee Brilleaux had an ear for new tunes that would fit the Feelgoods' style.  I don't know if Lee personally chose all of the 50+ songs on these two sets, but he certainly would have had input into the Feelgoods' versions.

This volume includes some of Dr. Feelgood's early 70's inspirations, such as Legend, Mungo Jerry, and Loose Gravel.  Other songs were written by the Feelgoods' contemporaries (including Will Birch from The Kursaal Flyers, Nick Lowe from Brinsley Schwarz, and Larry Wallis).

Will Birch penned this fine remembrance of Lee Brilleaux, as well as a history of pub rock called No Sleep Til Canvey Island and biographies of Ian Dury and Nick Lowe.  There is a biography of Lee Brilleaux by Zoë Howe (who also helped Wilko write his memoir, Looking Back At Me).

It's been said that Lee Brilleaux's cheque book funded the founding of Stiff Records. The veracity of this claim has been disputed, but in the words of Graham Parker, "It's a lovely legend."

Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox, vol. 1

The world lost Wilko Johnson in 2022.  A tribute to Wilko's musical career was recently assembled by art58koen. Get it at The Good Old Major's Hole. A couple years ago, Stinky and I talked about featuring Wilko in our Gnarly Guitarists series, but art58koen's tribute is far better than anything I could have put together. 

Dr. Feelgood is a musical ship of Theseus which sails on without any of its original members.  Lee Brilleaux died almost 30 years ago.  Robert Kane has fronted the Feelgoods for the past two decades.  Brilleaux was a dedicated showman, and he might be well pleased to know that Dr. Feelgood continues to entertain and inspire audiences.

The Feelgoods are known for many fine original songs, written by Wilko and other band members.  But they also specialized lean & mean covers of R&B, rock, soul and blues songs.  Perfect candidates for this blog's Jukebox series, aka "Songs Someone Taught Us". Here's the first set, compiling the original versions of songs covered during Lee's tenure as head Doctor.  

Volume 1 starts in 1954 with "Riot in Cell Block #9" by the Robins, and continues through 1969.  I left out some of the better known artists that Dr. Feelgood covered (you've heard the Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters songs).  But there are still some heavy hitters (Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker), and more tunes that you may already know and love.

NRBQ's Jazz Jukebox

Hope you all had a Terry Christmas, everybody! Can't let 2022 end without completing the NRBQ Jukebox series.

It seems a shame to separate these jazz tunes from the other NRBQ sets (since the Q is nothing if not eclectic), but some of the songs are quite lengthy.  

Terry's idols Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra are present, as well as the Carla Bley composition "Ida Lupino" (recorded by NRBQ on their debut album), and "Things Are Getting Better" by Cannonball Adderly (which NRBQ covered on Scraps).

"South" by Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra appeared on Froggy's Favorites; Sonny Rollins' "Valse Hot" was on The Scraps Companion. The Q took on Roland Kirk's "Here Comes The Whistleman" during the Ludlow Garage live set; and "Paris" (a composition from late in Moondog's career) was featured on NRBQ's live album You Gotta Be Loose.

Claude Thornhill's composition "Snowfall" falls outside the chronology of these compilations (as it was recorded by the reformed NRBQ on 2012's We Travel The Spaceways), but I invite you to listen to NRBQ's version here.  

I first heard "Snowfall" as a child, on the Ramsey Lewis Trio's More Sounds Of Christmas LP (1964).  That album (and its 1961 predecessor, Sounds Of Christmas) were in heavy rotation on the family stereo every December when I was growing up, and they are still the first records I put on when I'm ready to get into the spirit of the season.  It was a thrill to hear Terry and the guys do "Snowfall", back when Pete Donnelly of The Figgs was NRBQ's bassist.  Klem Klimek (a frequent NRBQ collaborator) sits in on harmonica.

Here's the Ramsey Lewis Trio's version of "Snowfall".  If you only think of Ramsey Lewis as a "smooth jazz" player, his acoustic recordings from the 60's on the Chess and Cadet labels are a revelation.  Ramsey passed away in September, 2022.  Ramsey was a pianist who could really swing, and I bet Terry was a fan.

Apples and Peaches for You: It's NRBQ Jukebox 2!

This set of songs that NRBQ taught us starts in 1958 with I Got A Rocket In My Pocket, a single that took Terry Adams over a decade to find after he heard it on the radio as a kid.  Scroll down past Terry's mugshot in this interview for the details.

It's loaded with Q fan favorites: C'mon If You're Coming, Hot Biscuits and Sweet Marie, Wild Weekend, 12 Bar Blues and more (31 songs in all!)

Thanks to blog reader Robert -- who identified Daddy-O as a private press single from a Massachusetts band called The Checkmates -- I finally got my hands on a copy to share with you. It took awhile to find, but nowhere near as long as Terry had to search for Jimmy Lloyd's single!

My Daddy-O 45 isn't in great shape, but Al Santos (seen on the cover of his LP Gaiety Polkas) was in fine form when he cut the tune. The b-side (I Love My Babciu And Dziadziu) is more sentimental. You can get a taste of it in this video of Richie Kendra performing his composition.

There's one more NRBQ Jukebox to come, and it's devoted to the jazz side of NRBQ's repertoire.  But this one's got country music, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, and a little bit of soul.

Songs That NRBQ Taught Us

The first NRBQ single was a statement of purpose: Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody" with Sun Ra's "Rocket Number 9" on the flipside. Call them eclectic or catholic: the Q have always believed that great grooves can be found in any genre or era. 

Their catalog of studio and live albums contains a wide range of cover songs that date all the way back to 1907.  NRBQ plays blues, country, doo-wop, jazz, R&B, rockabilly, children's music and song poems -- often in the same set. They are the CBGB-OMFUG of bands.

Terry Adams has kept the music going for over 50 years. Omnivore Recordings released a new NRBQ album (Dragnet) in 2021, as well as the 5 disc career overview High Noon and reissues of NRBQ's 1969 debut and 1977's All Hopped Up.

Today we have the first of three sets of NRBQ's Jukebox. This one includes many of the pianists who influenced Terry: Fats Waller, Fats Domino, Charles Brown, Floyd Dixon, Piano Red, Tiny Bradshaw, Little Richard, Big Joe Turner, and Sun Ra. 

Two more volumes of NRBQ's Jukebox will follow, once I find the polka song "Daddy-O".  Grooves In Orbit credits it to "Santos". Is it a norteño? A Daniel Santos composition with new lyrics?  If you can tell me where the Q got "Daddy-O", I've got apples and peaches for you!

Alex Chilton's Jukebox #3

In 1977, Alex moved from Memphis to NYC, where his backing band The Cossacks included Chris Stamey.  Alex brought The Cramps to Memphis and produced their first singles and LP.  

Jim Dickinson had worked with Alex on Sister Lovers, and Dickinson helped Alex make Like Flies On Sherbert in a raw and unrehearsed style that was a big change from Big Star.  A batch of songs that Alex recorded with Peter Holsapple (while making Sherbert) were recently released as The Death Of Rock.

Sherbert was released on Sid Selvidge's label, Peabody Records.  Alex and Tav Falco were inspired to form The Panther Burns by The Cramps and Mud Boy And The Neutrons (a Memphis group led by Selvidge and Dickinson).

In 1982, Alex left Memphis again and moved to New Orleans, where he met bassist René Coman. Alex began another phase in his musical career, less anarchic and more "cool" in his playing and singing (like Chet Baker). He performed and recorded New Orleans and Memphis soul and blues, backed by Coman and drummer Doug Garrison (who had played in a jazz band with Alex's father). Garrison backed Alex from 1985 (Feudalist Tarts) through 1995 (A Man Called Destruction).

Alex enjoyed bawdy songs like Take It Off, Thank You John, Tip On In and What's Your Sign, Girl? His laconic delivery of the lyrics made these songs popular with a college radio audience. He stimulated interest in artists like Slim Harpo and Cordell Jackson among young people who had just discovered Big Star.

The Replacements (another band that reveled in musical anarchy and unexpected cover songs) recorded 1987's Pleased To Meet Me in Memphis with Alex and Jim Dickinson, and the Mats album included their song Alex Chilton. Alex received a financial boost when The Bangles recorded September Gurls (1986), and got another in 1998 when Ben Vaughn arranged for In The Street to become a TV theme song.  

In 1993, Alex and Jody Stephens reformed Big Star as a touring band with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies. Alex also performed with The Box Tops on package tours. Alex, Ben Vaughn, and Alan Vega released the improvisational Cubist Blues album in 1996. Alex recorded Tear Off! with the Box Tops (1998), and Big Star's studio album In Space was released in 2005.

Alex Chilton's last solo album was 1999's Loose Shoes (aka Set). Alex "produced and directed" the LP, which was recorded in NYC and completed at Ardent Studio in Memphis.  His song choices spanned many of his influences (jazz, blues, soul, gospel, country and more), and his performances reflected both his serious side and his sense of humor.  You can also hear Alex's many interests in this final volume of Alex Chilton's Jukebox.

BREAKING NEWS: Tav Falco and the Panther Burns will embark upon a US tour next month! Dates and deets here!

Alex Chilton's Jukebox #2

This second set of Alex Chilton's Jukebox begins in 1964, the year of the Beatles' US tour and A Hard Day's Night. It's the first year of high school for Alex. He will join a band that will become the Box Tops, and they will have a hit with "The Letter" when Alex is 16. 

The Box Tops break up in 1970.  So do the Beatles.  Alex attempts a solo career, and turns down an offer to join Blood Sweat & Tears. Instead, he joins Big Star. These are the same years (1964-72) of the original songs in today's set.

Alex Chilton's Jukebox doesn't include every song he covered. Do we need to hear "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Sugar, Sugar" and "Boogie Shoes" again? They probably popped into your head as soon as you saw the titles.

Also excluded are the jazz standards that Alex recorded, and his classical guitar instrumentals.  Alex grew up hearing the "cool jazz" of Nina Simone and Chet Baker, as well as Count Basie's April In Paris LP.  Alex also recorded songs from the early 60's musicals Bye Bye Birdie and Silk Stockings. Some of his interpretations of standards were collected on the 2019 album Songs From Robin Hood Lane.

A number of the songs that are included appeared on live albums: Dusted In Memphis, Electricity By Candlelight, Live In Anvers, Live In London, Live On Beale Street, Ocean Club '77, and his 1996 show in Glasgow (which appears in part on Shoeshine Chartbusters.)

Alex participated in tribute albums for The Beach Boys, Tom Waits, and The Who. He also sang with Ray Davies on Ray's 2010 duets album See My Friends.  The reunited Big Star performed "Patty Girl" on Live In Memphis, and they recorded "Mine Exclusively" on the 2005 reunion album In Space.  The reunited Box Tops did some great covers on their 1998 album Tear Off!

Alex Chilton's Jukebox #1

Among the earliest posts on this blog was Tav Falco's Jukebox (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4), a collection of the songs covered by the Panther Burns.  Don't know why it never occurred back then to do a similar set of songs covered by Alex Chilton.  Alex and Tav met around the time that Alex was making Like Flies On Sherbert, and together they formed the Panther Burns. 

Many of Alex Chilton's records are time capsules: by the time we heard them, he had moved on to something else. The 1970 sessions weren't released until 1995. Big Star's Third was recorded in 1974 and released in 1978. Songs from the 1975 recording sessions with Jon Tiven came out on Ork Records in 1977, then as Bach's Bottom in 1980 -- the year of the first Panther Burns record.

I mention this because Alex Chilton's Jukebox isn't arranged in the order that the cover versions were released (unlike Songs Barrence Taught Us), and it isn't separated by genre, like the Tav Falco compilations. Instead, it follows the original songs' year of release (like Songs Redd Kross Taught Us). This makes for some interesting contrasts.

There are songs from Alex's solo career, as well as songs covered by Big Star and the Box Tops.  Today's set (the first of three) begins in the 1930's and ends at the dawn of the British Invasion. 

Joan Jett's Jukebox

Listening to Joan Jett's version of "Hide & Seek", several thoughts came to mind. First, the song is hilarious. Second, Joan's got a great voice, and terrific taste in covers. Why not compile her cover songs, plus the originals?

Some of the songs (especially the ones she recorded on The Hit List) are quite well known, and it seemed unnecessary to include all of them. I settled on a single set of Songs That Joan Jett Taught Us. 

There were more than enough cover songs for two CD-length volumes. A few covers appear as "bonus tracks" on Songs That Joan Jett Taught Us. 

It's a short leap from bubblegum to glam, from Kasenetz & Katz to Chinn & Chapman. It's not much farther from "Can The Can" and "Funny Funny" back to the simple pleasures of "Hanky Panky" and "Wooly Bully".  

Joan's producers Kenny Laguna and Ritchie Cordell had been staff songwriters who penned hits for the 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Lemon Pipers, The Ohio Express, and Tommy James & The Shondells. Laguna and Cordell helped Jett write new songs like "Bad Reputation" and "Fake Friends". In turn, she recorded Laguna's "Make Believe" and Cordell's "Indian Giver".

Maybe it was Laguna and Cordell who brought her The Belmonts, The Halos, The Zephyrs, Bunker Hill and Gary U.S. Bonds. Maybe Joan heard them as a child, or was influenced by the glam bands that drew inspiration from the 50's and early 60's (like The Rubettes, Wizzard, and Showaddywaddy). Regardless of who chose them, they're great songs (both the originals and Joan's versions). 

Joan Jett And The Blackhearts' newest release (which came out last month) is the acoustic Changeup. Joan remains popular with generations of listeners, from stadium rock audiences to riot grrrls. She's done everything from fronting Evil Stig and Nirvana to performing in Rocky Horror on Broadway.

Born Savage: Songs That Barrence Taught Us

Peter Greenberg (DMZ, Lyres, Customs) and Barry White formed Barrence Whitfield & The Savages in Boston. They released a self-titled album in 1984 on their own Mamou label, and signed to Rounder for the 1985 followup, Dig Yourself. These albums combined amped-up covers of songs from early rock and R&B records with new songs written in a similar spirit. 

After the original lineup disbanded, a new tribe of Savages formed around Barrence and guitarist Milton Reder. These new Savages played on through the mid-90's. Barrence also made two albums with Tom Russell.

In 2009, a new Barrence Whitfield album called Raw Raw Rough appeared, with Milt Reder and original Savages drummer Howard Ferguson.  Barrence soon reunited with Peter Greenberg and original bassist Phil Lenker.  Their 2011 comeback album was called Savage Kings. It was followed by three more albums: Dig Thy Savage Soul, Under The Savage Sky, and Soul Flowers Of Titan. 

In 2019, Barrence and Milt Reeder teamed up again in The Barrence Whitfield Soul Savage Arkestra, and released an album called Songs From The Sun Ra Cosmos. Barrence has also performed and recorded with Spanish groups The Bloodyhotsak and Los Mambo Jambo, and this year Peter Greenberg laid down some guitar for the next Woggles album.

"Savage Songs That Barrence Taught Us" is divided into three sets: 1) the original recordings of songs covered by the first lineup (including the bonus tracks on the reissue of the debut); 2) songs covered during the Milt Reder era (including Raw, Raw, Rough); and 3) cover songs recorded by the current incarnation of The Savages. You dig?

Songs That Redd Kross Taught Us

For my money, there's no better band than Redd Kross -- on stage or on record. They are tastemakers, pranksters, and fabulous performers and songwriters. Most of the Redd Kross catalog has been reissued on vinyl by Merge and Third Man, and their comeback albums Researching The Blues (2012) and Beyond The Door (2019) are every bit as satisfying as their records from the 80's and 90's.  

Their 1982 debut album Born Innocent is loaded with counter-cultural references, from Charles Manson to Linda Blair and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. Their next record, 1984's Teen Babes From Monsanto, was all covers: songs by Kiss, the Stones, the Stooges, Bowie, the Shangri-La's, and a tune from TV's "Bewitched". They were never ashamed to admit that they grew up on The Partridge Family, The Osmonds, "Good Times", "Land Of The Lost", and "Planet Of The Apes".

RK founders Jeff and Steven McDonald starred in three movies: Desperate Teenage Lovedolls (1984), Love Dolls Superstar (1986), and The Spirit of '76 (1990). It's odd that they didn't participate in The Decline Of Western Civilization or The Year Punk Broke, since they were pals with bands featured in both films (as well as filmmaker Dave Markey). A Redd Kross documentary started production in 2019.

Redd Kross has also performed and recorded under several aliases: Revolution 409, The Lovedolls, Ledd Kross, Purple Electricity, and as part of Bill Bartell's all-star collective, the Tater Totz. Steven is currently a Melvin, and a former member of Sparks and OFF! He and Dave Grohl were the rhythm section on the first Tenacious D album. 

"Songs That Redd Kross Taught Us" doesn't include every cover that the band has performed, but it is packed with two hours of girl groups, psychedelia, punk, glam, bubblegum, power pop, metal, and whatever else struck Jeff and Steve as a groovy tune or a good laugh. Hope you dig it!

Faux Deluxe: Naz Nomad & The Nightmares

After the departure of Brian James, The Damned made one of the most remarkable comebacks in modern music. 1979's classic Machine Gun Etiquette revealed Captain Sensible as a guitar hero, and the group as exceptional songwriters. It was quickly followed in 1980 by the double disc Black Album. 

By 1982's Strawberries, Captain Sensible apparently began to feel that he was casting pearls before swine, and he brought forth two novelty pop singles ("Happy Talk" and "Wot"), as if to prove that he could top the charts. He left the Damned in 1984.

What were the other members of The Damned to do?  Once again, they defied expectations by creating what was purported to be the previously unreleased soundtrack album for a lost Sixties film called Give Daddy The Knife, Cindy. This soundtrack was allegedly performed by a mysterious group called Naz Nomad and The Nightmares.

Dave Vanian led the group as Naz Nomad, Rat Scabies became Nick Detroit, bassist Bryn Merrick was rechristened Buddy Lee Junior, and Roman Jugg did double duty as guitarist Sphinx Svenson and keyboardist Ulla. 

Naz Nomad photographed by Pere-Ake Warn

The Damned's next two albums, 1985's Phantasmagoria and 1987's Anything, were written and performed by Scabies, Vanian, Jugg, and Merrick.  The latter three then started a new band called The Phantom Chords.

This post is recycled from a contribution I made to the late and lamented Willard's Wormholes blog. If you recall, Willard used to create "Faux Deluxe" expanded versions of his favorite albums. I was led by his example to pair Give Daddy The Knife, Cindy with the original songs covered by Naz & Co. Two live covers (of the Doors and the MC5) round out the set.

For more of Pere-Ake Warn's photography, visit his website. Sounds gave Roman Jugg the knife in the photo above. Thanks to the Aural Sculptors blog for sharing the live Naz tracks from 1987's Acid Daze festival. Surfadelic recently shared more music by Big Boy Pete, author of my favorite Naz Nomad track, "Cold Turkey".

Last Of The Songs the Panther Burns Taught Us

It's almost a shame to separate these songs by genre, because part of the appeal of Panther Burns records is that Tav Falco's aesthetic includes music from around the world and throughout the 20th Century.

The first album alone included samba, country and rockabilly songs, and blues ranging from W.C. Handy to R.L. Burnside.  I can't forget Leadbelly's Bourgeois Blues (which Tav Falco first performed on a Memphis stage while destroying a guitar with a chainsaw).  

On my favorite Panther Burns album, The World We Knew, Tav Falco applies his unique vocal stylings to the title track (made famous by Frank Sinatra). He sings off key and off the beat on Pass The Hatchet and She's A Bad Motorcycle.  The mercurial Alex Chilton sounds like the happiest man alive shouting along with Do The Robot.  It's impossible to listen and be unaffected by Tav Falco's enthusiasm and his eclectic musical vision.

This last batch is a potluck of songs that can't be pigeonholed as blues, rockabilly, or R & B. It is the collection most representative of the Panther Burns' wide range of influences, in that French garage rockers The Dum Dum Boys sit alongside the jazz of Jimmy Witherspoon and the Merseybeat of The Honeycombs. Tav is equally conversant with Texas swing, Hill Country fife and drum, and Argentinian tango.

Perhaps the most significant figures here are Ray Charles (who erased the artificial boundaries between country and blues music), and Memphis musicians Sid Selvidge and Jim Dickinson (who were instrumental in Alex Chilton's solo career, and whose group Mudboy And The Neutrons was a predecessor to the blues-based performance art of the Panther Burns).