https://exchange.prx.org/p/562189
Once again we journey through the years, starting in 1968 and moving on up to 1973 before dropping back to 1972 for the last few tunes.
Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Title: Inside Looking Out
Source: CD: Grand Funk
Writer(s): Lomax/Lomax/Burdon/Chandler
Label: Capitol
Year: 1969
Grand Funk Railroad never had a whole lot of success in the UK. In fact, their only charted single was a cover of the Animals' 1966 hit Inside Looking Out. The song's running time of nine and a half minutes made it necessary for the single, which was also released in Ireland, the Netherlands and Japan, to be pressed at 33 1/3 RPM rather than the usual 45 RPM. In the rest of the world, however, you had to buy the 1969 album Grand Funk to hear the song, since most radio stations wouldn't touch it. The album itself was quite popular, especially among young men with 8-track tape players in their cars.
Artist: John Mayall
Title: 2401 (single version)
Source: European import CD: Blues From Laurel Canyon (bonus track)
Writer(s): John Mayall
Label: Decca (original US label: London)
Year: 1968
John Mayall's Blues From Laurel Canyon was a sort of musical travelogue, describing his first trip to California, where he hung out with various musicians, groupies and hippy types in Los Angeles's Laurel Canyon. Among those he met were Frank Zappa, who had several people either living with or frequently visiting him, including members of the GTOs and his own band, the Mothers. This became the subject of the song 2401, which was also released as a single in Germany and Spain and as a B side in the UK, Italy and New Zealand.
Artist: James Gang
Title: Funk # 48
Source: CD: Yer Album
Writer: Walsh/Fox/Kriss
Label: MCA (original label: Bluesway)
Year: 1969
Cleveland's James Gang was one of the original power trios of the seventies. Although generally known as the starting place of guitarist/vocalist Joe Walsh, the band was actually led by Jim Fox, one of the most underrated drummers in the history of rock. Fox, who was the only member to stay with the group through its many personnel changes over the years, shares lead vocals with Walsh on Funk # 48 from the band's debut album on ABC's Bluesway label (they moved over to the parent label for subsequent releases). Yer Album, incidentally, was the only rock LP ever issued on Bluesway .
Artist: Moody Blues
Title: Question
Source: 45 RPM single
Writer(s): Justin Hayward
Label: Threshold
Year: 1970
By 1970 the Moody Blues had developed their own unique brand of orchestral rock, and had even started their own label, Threshold (inspired by their 1969 LP On The Threshold Of A Dream). Due to the complexity of their songs, however, they were having difficulty making them sound right when performed live. In an effort to remedy the problem they tried a more stripped-down approach with their 1970 single, Question, and the subsequent LP A Question Of Balance. It worked, too, as Question became their second biggest hit single in the UK, going all the way to the #2 spot. In the long run, the band realized that their best approach was to perform with a full orchestra, which they have been doing regularly since the early 1970s.
Artist: Yes
Title: Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Praematuris)
Source: CD: Fragile
Writer(s): Anderson/Squire
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1971
The fourth Yes album, Fragile, introduced the "classic" Yes lineup of John Anderson (vocals), Bill Bruford (drums), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass) and Rick Wakemen (keyboards), and features some of the band's best known songs. Among the most popular is Long Distance Runaround, which was also released as the B side of the hit single Roundabout. Anderson's lyrics express his disillusionment with "the craziness of religion" and intolerance of other viewpoints in general, including opposition to the war in Vietnam. On the album, the song segues directly into The Fish (Schindleria Praematuris), a mostly instrumental piece written by Squire, with a vocal refrain by Anderson repeating the name of a species of prehistoric fish toward the end of the track.
Artist: Captain Beyond
Title: I Can't Feel Nothin'/As The Moon Speaks/Astral Lady
Source: LP: Captain Beyond
Writer(s): Caldwell/Evans
Label: Capricorn
Year: 1972
Occasionally someone will ask me a question along the lines of "Who was the best band you ever saw in concert?". My standard answer is Captain Beyond, which usually gets a blank stare in response. I then explain that Captain Beyond was the opening act (of three) at a concert I went to in El Paso in 1972. They so totally blew away the other bands that I can't even remember for sure who the headliner was. Essentially a power trio plus vocalist like the Who, Captain Beyond was made up of two former members of Iron Butterfly, guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt and bassist Lee Dorman, Deep Purple's original lead vocalist, Rod Evans, and drummer Bobby Caldwell, who was known at the time for his work with Johnny Winter and Rick Derringer, and eventually went on to have a moderately successful recording career. The band was so tight that I went out the very next day and bought a copy of their album, something I had never done before. Sure enough, the album was every bit as good as the band's live performance, which followed the exact same setlist as the album itself. I should mention here that, mostly to save space, I shortened the song titles a bit on the title line above. The actual full titles of the tracks heard on this week's show are as follows:
I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 1)
As the Moon Speaks (to the Waves of the Sea)
Astral Lady
As the Moon Speaks (Return)
I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part 2)
Due to contractual issues, neither Dorman nor Reinhardt (who were technically still members of Iron Butterfly) were able to receive songwriting credits on the original album label, although Caldwell has since said that Reinhardt actually co-wrote the songs with Caldwell and Evans, with considerable input from Dorman.
Artist: Traffic
Title: Shootout At The Fantasy Factory
Source: CD: Smiling Phases (originally released on LP: Shootout At The Fantasy Factory)
Writer(s): Winwood/Capaldi
Label: Island
Year: 1971
Traffic was formed in 1967 by guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Steve Winwood, drummer/vocalist Jim Capaldi, flautist/saxophonist Chris Wood and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Mason. Winwood, at 18 the youngest member of the band, was already an established star as lead vocalist of the Spencer Davis Group, and it was in part his desire for more creative freedom that led to Traffic's formation. From the beginning there was creative tension within the band, and less than two years later the group broke up when Winwood left to join Blind Faith. In early 1970, following the demise of Blind Faith, Winwood began working on a solo album that ended up being a new Traffic album, John Barleycorn Must Die, instead. This was followed by The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys in 1971 and Shootout At The Fantasy Factory two years later. Although Shootout actually charted one position higher than Low Spark, it is generally considered to be one of the band's weakest efforts. In fact, one well-known critic pointed out that the title of the album's last track, (Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired, pretty much describes the entire LP, including the title track heard here.
Artist: Graham Nash and David Crosby
Title: The Wall Song
Source: 45 RPM single B side
Writer(s): David Crosby
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1972
Such was the popularity of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in the early 70s that each of the members, both as solo artists and in various combinations of two or three members, released albums in addition to official group recordings, all of which sold well. One such effort was the 1972 album by Graham Nash and David Crosby. One of the more notable tracks on the album is The Wall Song, featuring (in addition to Crosby and Nash) Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann on guitar, bass and drums. The version heard here is the rare mono mix of The Wall Song, issued as a B side in 1972.
Artist: Big Star
Title: In The Street
Source: LP: #1 Record (also released as 45 RPM single B side)
Writer(s): Chilton/Bell
Label: Ardent
Year: 1972
Vocalist Alex Chilton was only sixteen years old when he and his band the Box Tops recorded the original version of The Letter in 1967. The song was an international hit and led to several subsequent singles such as Neon Rainbow and Cry Like A Baby. By the end of the decade, however, it was clear that the Box Tops, who had undergone several personnel changes, had reached the end of their shelf life, and Chilton decided to embark on a solo career, learning guitar and recording demos at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1972 he formed the band Big Star with Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). Although not commercially successful, the band developed a small by loyal following, and is now considered one of the more influential power pop bands of the early 1970s and an inspiration for the alternative rock groups that began surfacing in the following decades. In The Street, released as a B side from their debut LP, #1 Album, was later modified for use as the theme song of That 70's Show and recorded by Cheap Trick.
Artist: Steely Dan
Title: Fire In The Hole
Source: CD: Can't Buy A Thrill
Writer(s): Becker/Fagen
Label: MCA (original label: ABC)
Year: 1972
Donald Fagen's unique piano style is on display on Fire In The Hole, a track from the first Steely Dan album, Can't Buy A Thrill. The tune also appeared as the B side of Steely Dan's second single (and first hit), Do It Again.
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