https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/440005-dc-2240
This week Rockin' in the Days of Confusion crosses over to the dark side....of the moon. Specifically side two of the Pink Floyd classic, complete and uninterrupted. It takes a while to get there, however, starting in 1968 with a classic Jimi Hendrix studio track and working our way up one year at a time. A visit with a forgotten Queen classic from 1973 completes the hour.
Artist: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Title: House Burning Down
Source: LP: Electric Ladyland
Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix
Label: Reprise
Year: 1968
The third Jimi Hendrix Experience album, Electric Ladyland, was the first to be produced entirely by Hendrix himself, rather than with Chas Chandler (with more than a little help from engineer Eddie Kramer). It was also the first to use state-of-the-art eight-track recording technology (not to be confused with the later 8-track tape cartridge), as well as several new tech toys developed specifically for Hendrix to play with. The result was an album with production standards far beyond anything else being attempted at the time. One song that showcases Hendrix's prowess as a producer is House Burning Down. Using effects such as phasing, double-tracking and stereo panning, Hendrix manages to create music that sounds like it's actually swirling around the listener rather than coming from a specific location. It's also the only rock song I can think of that uses a genuine tango beat (in the verses).
Artist: David Bowie
Title: Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
Source: CD: David Bowie (originally US title: Man Of Words/Man Of Music)
Writer(s): David Bowie
Label: Parlophone (original label: Mercury)
Year: 1969
Written in response to the death of his father, David Bowie's Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed, from his self-titled 1969 LP, may have gone overlooked indefinitely if it were not for the fact that someone noticed that the song was Bowie's first collaboration with producer Tony Visconti, who would continue to work with Bowie for the remainder of his career. The song itself is classic early Bowie and, to my ears, is one of the best tracks on the album.
Artist: Mountain
Title: Never In My Life
Source: CD: The Best Of Mountain (originally released on LP: Mountain Climbing)
Writer(s): West/Pappalardi/Collins/Laing
Label: Windfall/Columbia
Year: 1970
Leslie West started his career as lead guitarist for the Vagrants, releasing a cover of Otis Redding's Respect nearly simultaneously with Aretha Franklin's version. His first solo LP, entitled Mountain, included former Cream producer Felix Pappalardi on bass and keyboards and led directly to the formation of the band Mountain, which gained instant popularity at the Woodstock festival in 1969. The first "official" Mountain album by the power trio of West, Pappalardi and drummer Corky Laing starts off with three outstanding songs, the third of which is Never In My Life.
Artist: Firesign Theatre
Title: Back From The Shadows Again
Source: LP: I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus
Writer(s): Proctor/Bergman/Austin/Ossman
Label: Columbia
Year: 1971
I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus is the fourth Firesign Theatre album, released in 1971. Like it's predecessor, Don't Touch That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers, Bozos is one continuous narrative covering both sides of an LP. It tells the story of a visit to a Future Fair that somewhat resembles Disney's Tomorrowland, with various interractive educational exhibits such as the Wall Of Science. The piece was actually made up of shorter bits that the Firesign Theatre had used previously on their weekly radio show, but reworked and re-recorded for the new album. One of these was Back From The Shadows Again, sung to the tune of Gene Autry's signature song Back In The Saddle Again.
Artist: Rory Gallagher
Title: Sinner Boy
Source: LP: Rory Gallagher
Writer(s): Rory Gallagher
Label: Atco
Year: 1971
After disbanding the group Taste following a final performance on Dec. 31, 1970, Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher immediately set out to find a new backup band. Among the various musicians Gallagher jammed with over the next month were former Jimi Hendrix Experience members Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, but he ultimately went with a pair of Belfast musicians, bassist Gerry McAvoy and drummer Wilgar Campbell, to support him on his debut LP. All of the songs on the album, including concert favorite Sinner Boy, were written and sung by Gallagher.
Artist: Jethro Tull
Title: Singing All Day
Source: CD: Benefit (bonus track)
Writer(s): Ian Anderson
Label: Capitol/Chrysalis
Year: 1970
Singing All Day is one of several tracks recorded during the sessions for the third Jethro Tull LP, Benefit, but not included on the album itself. The song finally got released in 1972 on the Living In The Past album and is now available as a bonus track on the CD version of Benefit.
Artist: Pink Floyd
Title: Dark Side Of The Moon-part two
Source: CD: Dark Side Of The Moon
Writer(s): Gilmour/Mason/Waters/Wright
Label: Capitol (original label: Harvest)
Year: 1973
Usually when you hear Pink Floyd's Money, from the album Dark Side Of The Moon, on the radio, that's pretty much it. As the song fades out, you maybe hear a jingle, or a DJ talking, or even another song from some other group. What you rarely, if ever, hear is the rest of the album side, even though the next song, Us And Them, actually overlaps the end of Money on the album itself. In fact, all the songs on side two run together as one piece, which is how it is being presented on Rockin' in the Days of Confusion. So if you want to hear Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage and Eclipse, don't touch your radio dial (except to turn up the volume, of course).
Artist: Queen
Title: Great King Rat
Source: LP: Queen
Writer(s): Freddie Mercury
Label: Elektra
Year: 1973
When Queen's debut album came out in 1973, one had to wonder if maybe someone in the band had a bit of a royalty fixation. After all, not only was there the name of the band itself, but there were also two songs on the album with the word King in the title (not to mention another song called Jesus, about a different kind of king). As it turns out, all three of the aforementioned tunes were penned by lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, who took his own stage name from a Roman god, so who knows?
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