https://exchange.prx.org/p/597799
Quite a few tracks making the Rockin' in the Days of Confusion debut this week, including a pair of singles from artists that have never appeared on the show before.
Artist: Genesis
Title: The Battle Of Epping Forest
Source: CD: Selling England By The Pound
Writer(s): Banks/Collins/Gabriel/Hackett/Rutherford
Label: Rhino/Atlantic (original label: Charisma)
Year: 1973
Although sometimes criticized for making their music overly complicated at times (such as on The Battle Of Epping Forest), there is no doubting the thought and effort (not to mention outstanding musicianship) put forth by Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett and Phil Collins on the album Selling England By The Pound. Released in 1973, the LP focuses on the loss of traditional English culture and the increasing "Americanization" of the United Kingdom in the last half of the 20th century. The Battle Of Epping Forest was actually inspired by a newspaper article about gang violence in London's East end that Gabriel had read several years earlier. When Gabriel was unable to locate a copy of the article he created new characters to populate the song (and of course the band's legendary stage show).
Artist: Gary Wright
Title: Love Is Alive
Source: 45 RPM single (reissue)
Writer(s): Gary Wright
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 1975
Gary Wright first came to prominence as lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the British band Spooky Tooth in the late 1960s. He left the band in early 1970 to begin a solo career, releasing the album Extraction. Bassist Klaus Voorman, who played on the Extraction album, introduced him to George Harrison, who invited him to play piano on his All Things Must Pass album. Wright would later refer to Harrison as his "spiritual mentor", and the two remained close friends until Harrison's death in 2001, with Wright playing on all of Harrison's solo albums in the 1970s. Wright's biggest success as a solo artist came with the release of The Dream Weaver in 1975. One of the first rock albums to built around synthesizer technology, The Dream Weaver got off to a slow start, but eventually ended up in the top 10 following the release of the title track as a single in early 1976. Wright's followup single, Love Is Alive, did almost as well, peaking at #2 on the Hot 100. Starting in the 1980s Wright concentrated on film soundtracks and world music, as well as reuniting with his Spooky Tooth bandmates from time to time for new albums. Wright died in 2023 at age 80 after having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease several years earlier.
Artist: Tommy Bolin
Title: Homeward Strut
Source: Japanese import CD: Teaser
Writer(s): Bolin/Cook/Sheldon/Tesar
Label: Sony (original US label: Nemperor)
Year: 1975
Although Tommy Bolin, as a new member of Deep Purple in 1975, did not have the opportunity to properly promote his new album, Teaser, the album itself contains many fine tracks such as the instrumental Homeward Strut. Unfortunately, my copy of Teaser is a Japanese import, with liner notes entirely in Japanese, which of course I don't read or speak. So, even though I'm sure there's some interesting stuff in there, I can't share it with you.
Artist: Mothers
Title: Montana
Source: CD: Over-Nite Sensation
Writer(s): Frank Zappa
Label: Zappa (original label: Discreet)
Year: 1973
Montana is quite possibly the most recognizable song Frank Zappa ever wrote. The track first appeared on the Mothers album Over-Nite Sensation and quickly became a concert staple. On the original album version Zappa's guitar solo is followed by a series of vocal gymnastics performed by none other than Tina Turner and the Ikettes, who were recording with Turner's husband Ike in an adjacent studio. According to Zappa it took the singers two days to master the complex melody and timing of the section. Reportedly Tina was so pleased with the result that she invited her husband into the control room to hear the finished section, only to have Ike say "What is this shit?" and walk back out.
Artist: Bloodrock
Title: Fatback
Source: CD: Bloodrock
Writer(s): Grundy/Rutledge
Label: One Way/Cema Special Markets (original label: Capitol)
Year: 1970
Bloodrock had the mixed blessing of putting out one of the most notorious songs of the year 1970 when they recorded D.O.A.. The song was a huge hit, making them a household name overnight, but soon became an albatross after the novelty wore off. Bloodrock was a discovery of Terry Knight, who took them under his wing, booking them as the opening act for another band he managed, Grand Funk Railroad, on their 1970 tour. The band's first two LPs both were released in 1970. Although Bloodrock 2 was the better seller of the two, thanks to the inclusion of D.O.A., the first LP was a solid debut for the Dallas band. Lead vocalist Jim Rutledge, who had decided to take center stage on Bloodrock 2, was still behind the drum kit on the first LP, singing and playing on songs like Fatback.
Artist: Black Sabbath
Title: Rat Salad
Source: CD: Paranoid
Writer(s): Iommi/Osborne/Butler/Ward
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 1970
Rat Salad, the only instrumental on Black Sabbath's second album, Paranoid, has to be, with one exception, the rock track with the shortest drum solo on record. Ironically, the song was written specifically for drummer Bill Ward to do a 45 minute long solo when the band was playing eight and three-quarter hour long gigs in Europe in their early days. Nobody knows for sure where the title Rat Salad came from, but it may have been in reference to the state of Ward's hair at the end of one of those solos.
Artist: Pearls Before Swine
Title: Rocket Man
Source: CD: Constructive Melancholy-30 Years Of Pearls Before Swine (originally released on LP: The Use Of Ashes)
Writer(s): Tom Rapp
Label: Birdman (original label: Reprise)
Year: 1970
Although officially still a band, Pearls Before Swine was, by 1970, a solo project by singer/songwriter Tom Rapp, aided by his wife Elizabeth and various studio musicians. Completing the 1969 album These Things Too had been a particularly difficult process, and the couple had moved to the Netherlands after its release to give Rapp the time to come up with new material without distractions. On their return they discovered that their producer had set up studio time in Nashville with several of the city's top studio musicians. Despite Rapp's misgivings the sessions went well, as several of those musicians had been playing together since working on Bob Dylan's 1966 album Blonde On Blonde and knew how to work with an independent minded singer/songwriter. Among the notable tunes recorded for the the album The Use Of Ashes was Rocket Man, a song based on Ray Bradbury's short story of the same name. Bernie Taupin would cite Rapp's song as the inspiration for his own Rocket Man a few years later.
And speaking of Bernie Taupin...
Artist: Elton John
Title: Have Mercy On The Criminal
Source: LP: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player
Writer(s): John/Taupin
Label: MCA
Year: 1973
Elton John kept it simple for his sixth studio LP, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, by using only his stage band consisting of Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums for most tracks. One of the exceptions was Have Mercy On The Criminal, which features orchestration by Paul Buckmaster. The song has long been part of John's live setlist, being performed most recently as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Artist: Supertramp
Title: Bloody Well Right
Source: 45 RPM single B side
Writer(s): Hodgeson/Davies
Label: A&M
Year: 1974
I have to admit I've never been able to warm up to Paul Hodgson's vocals, which is why I always preferred Bloody Well Right, which was sung by Rick Davies, to its A side, Dreamer. Apparently I'm not alone, as Bloody Well Right ended up being the more popular one in the US, although Dreamer was a bigger British hit. Both songs were featured on the 1974 album Crime Of The Century.
Artist: Firesign Theatre
Title: Squeeze The Wheeze
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 those bits, arbitrarily titled (by me) Squeeze The Wheeze, includes the album title itself.
Artist: Allman Brothers Band
Title: Statesboro Blues
Source: CD: Idlewild South
Writer(s): Willie McTell
Label: Mercury (original labels: Atco/Capricorn)
Year: Recorded 1970, released 2015
One of the first songs recorded for the second Allman Brothers Band album, Idlewild South, was a hard-driving version of Willie McTell's Statesboro Blues. The band worked on tune during their initial sessions at Capricorn Studios in Macon and continued to tweak the song when they moved down to Criterion Studios in Miami. For some reason, though, the song did not make the album's final cut. They made up for it, however, by making Statesboro Blues the opening track on their 1971 live album At Fillmore East.
Artist: War
Title: The Cisco Kid
Source: 45 RPM single
Writer(s): War
Label: United Artists
Year: 1973
The Cisco Kid, released as a single in 1973, was War's biggest hit. In fact, it only missed the top spot on the charts because of the immense popularity of Tony Orlando and Dawn's Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree. Guess which of the two songs is more fpopular 50 years later (and which one is best described as "cringeworthy")?
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