My Seventies Music

Blog

  • John Denver – “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Sunshine On My Shoulders”, “Grandma’s Feather Bed” and “Rocky Mountain High”

    Driving down country roads in New Zealand in my late teens, often the melody of the John Denver song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” would come to mind, and I’d find myself singing it as I drove along.

    I say late teens because I sold my car to go on my first trip to Europe just before I turned twenty. In fact, I had my 20th birthday on the plane back home a couple of months later.

    Because of the time differences and the international dateline, I actually only had about an hour of birthday, at Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii.

    Anyway… I used to find the song particularly appropriate when I was driving home from university along State Highway 50, actually a series of practically empty back roads that run the length of Central Hawkes Bay parallel to the main road, State Highway 2.

    It follows a range of mountains and crosses numerous rivers…

    As you are perhaps aware, John Denver lost his life in a plane crash, flying solo, in 1997. Long before then, this had become one of his signature songs.

    Here is a live version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads”:

    And this is one of the many videos of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” with scenery from West Virginia (at least I think it is, that’s what the sign at the beginning says – another one turned out to be pictures of Canada!)

    Now you may or may not be familiar with another version of the song. It has “West Jamaica” instead of “West Virginia”, and a few other localisations from the Carribbean island:

    Toots And The Maytals sing their own West Jamaican “Take me Home, Country Roads” in this video:

    Back to John Denver, I found this video of his Number One hit “Sunshine On My Shoulders”, with a selection of shots from various specials – I just love the Muppets scenes, especially with Miss Piggy:

    Speaking of the Muppets, take a look at this Muppet version of “Grandma’s Feather Bed:

    There are a number of other songs linked with the name of John Denver, such as the hit he wrote for Peter, Paul and Mary, “Leaving On A Jet Plane” (I hadn’t realised he wrote it), “Annie’s Song” (penned in ten minutes on a skilift for his first wife), “Calypso” (about the research ship of marine scientist Jacques Cousteau) and “Thank God I’m A Country Boy.

    But it is probably safe to say that if John Denver has another signature song, it is “Rocky Mountain High”:

    “Rocky Mountain High” is meanwhile one of the two official state songs of Colorado. If being in or seeing awesome high mountains gets you high, you’ll probably enjoy this song too.

    See you in Colorado…

    Paul

  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show – “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, “Over At The Frankenstein Place”, “Time Warp” and “Sweet Transvestite”

    Rocky Horror Picture Show

    I first saw the lascivious lips of The Rocky Horror Picture Show singing “Science Fiction/Double Feature” in the cinema of a small town in New Zealand, which has since burnt down (the cinema that is, not the town!).

    The film came out in 1975, so it must have been some time after that (that I saw the film there, I mean, not when it burnt down – though that would be true too…).

    I remember being amazed to learn that creator Richard O’Brien was also from New Zealand (actually he was born in the UK but emigrated there with his family as a child).

    Another shock was seeing my father’s name in the special effects credits, but it was obviously a different person. I’ve never come across the same combination before or since, so it was a strange coincidence.

    Anyway, here is that song about the late night double feature picture show (“I wanna go…”), complete with those lasciviously moving lips:

    A couple of years later, in December 1978 (between Christmas and New Year) I happened to be in London and went along to the original stage production in Kings Road.

    This is what “Science Fiction/Double Feature” sounds like with the original London cast:

    Now if you know the story at all, you’ll remember that Brad and Janet have a break down late at night, and go looking for somewhere to make a phone call.

    As Janet (Susan Sarandon) sings, there’s a light “Over At The Frankenstein Place”:

    I always remember Riff Raff (Richard O’Brien) standing in the doorway looking at them, then making the “dry” comment: “You’re wet!”

    Brad and Janet, while looking for a way to discreetly remove themselves from the premises, look on in wonder as the “Time Warp” is presented to them.

    I had a version of “Time Warp” with Italian subtitles, because the quality was considerably better than some others, so you could practise your Italian as you watched, but the video was removed, now here’s one with English lyrics, even better…

    In the London stage show they dropped A4 leaflets during the song with the diagram of the feet and the arrows – I hung my copy on the wall of my student flat back in New Zealand.

    This is what “Time Warp” sounds like as performed in London:

    Immediately after this Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry) shows up and introduces himself with the song “Sweet Transvestite”:

    Finally I thought I’d close with this acoustic version of the opening and reprise, “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, sung by the creator Richard O’Brien himself:

    See you at the late night, double feature picture show!

    Paul

    P.S. In the dateline it looks like I missed a day, but it’s just because the clock struck midnight before I was finished – how fitting, distracted by the late night, double feature picture show!

    P.P.S. I recently took my family to see The Rocky Horror Show live in Glasgow – now the kids (teenagers actually) recognise all the obscure film allusions I keep coming out with since they were small!

  • Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive” and “Words”

    Last night in the car listening to someone talking on a CD I picked up the words “staying alive” and my mind immediately turned to the Bee Gees – born on the Isle of Man, they spent their childhood near Manchester, England and in Redcliffe on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia, before going on to become one of the top acts in the USA.

    Saturday Night Fever album cover

    The Bee Gees were really a Sixties band who reinvented themselves in the Seventies, beginning with “Jive Talkin’”, “Nights On Broadway” and “You Should Be Dancing”, and really taking off with songs like “Night Fever”, “Stayin’ Alive”, “How Deep Is Your Love” and “More Than A Woman” from the hit film “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta.

    Best of Bee Gees album cover

    The first album I ever bought was “Best of Bee Gees” (I thought it was in 1968, but apparently the record was only released in 1969), with classics like “Words”, “First of May”, “New York Mining Disaster 1941”, “Spicks and Specks”, “To Love Somebody”, “Massachussetts”, “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You”, “I started A Joke”, “I Can’t See Nobody”, “Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You”…

    And the first track, “Holiday”.

    I particularly remember this track because it had a scratch on it!

    Unfortunately “Best of Bee Gees” was one of the records that had disappeared from my collection by the time I retrieved them from New Zealand to Germany in January 1987.

    By that time the Bee Gees had moved on musically to become the personification of the disco sound, with their soundtrack to the movie “Saturday Night Fever”.

    Here’s the song I mentioned at the beginning, “Stayin’ Alive”, from 1977

    Unfortunately only two of the brothers, Barry and Robin Gibb, have stayed alive.

    Younger brother Andy, who had hits in his own right, died in 1988 only days after his 30th birthday and just before he was due to become part of the band.

    Maurice, the third Bee Gee, passed away in January 2003 while waiting for emergency surgery.

    Until today I never knew the Gibb brothers were not born in Manchester, but on the Isle of Man. When we first moved to Scotland, for nearly a year we could see the Isle of Man from the fishing village we lived in.

    I also learned today that it is a myth that the name Bee Gees stands for “Brothers Gibb”.

    Rather, by coincidence, “BG” were the initials of the two men in Australia who “discovered” them, DJ Bill Gates and racetrack promoter Bill Goode, who had seen them perform at Brisbane’s Speedway Circuit and then introduced them to the radio man.

    For me, despite their later development, the Bee Gees will always remain associated with that black, red and above all yellow album cover.

    And from that album, one song stands out for me as the quintessential Bee Gees track, the classic “Words”:

    I was reading that in this original version they got the stereo mix wrong, increasing the vocals so much the percussion can’t be heard.

    I think it’s fine the way it is – probably because that’s how I’ve always known it – but don’t take my word for it…

    Paul

  • Golden Earring – “Radar Love” And “Buddy Joe”

    Possibly the biggest hit from Dutch band Golden Earring was “Radar Love”, which came out in the early Seventies.

    The band itself was founded way back in 1961 by 13-year-old George Kooymans (vocals and guitar) and his 15-year-old neighbour Rinus Gerritsen (bass and keyboard), and close to 50 years later they are still going strong!

    And, despite a number of comings and goings, with the same lineup since 1970, when drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk joined the group (Barry Hay, on vocals, guitar, flute and saxophone became a member in 1968).

    You can count the number of acts that can say that on one hand!

    Another song I remember well is “Buddy Joe”. It’s on the Best of Golden Earring album I taped off a room mate’s vinyl back in 1974.

    Golden Earring never made it to Down Under, but they certainly toured with some big names in the United States and Europe, and continue to perform frequently in their native country, the Netherlands, espeially in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

    In 2009 they did gigs in the UK, and as I write this, they are due to perform at the Ahoy in Rotterdam on 20 February 2010 (and today in Zaandam!).

    While putting this post together I discovered versions of the two songs mentioned spanning decades, and it’s fascinating to see the people transforming while the songs remain pretty much as they were.

    First here’s a video production of “Radar Love” from around the time it first came out:

     

    Then there’s this concert clip of “Radar Love” live in 1973, with slightly washed out colours but definitely a colourful performance:

    A few years later, “Radar Love” live in 1977…

    and “Radar Love” in 1984, with an impressive drum solo:

    From 1992 Golden Earring performed and recorded a number of “unplugged” shows.

    Here is “Radar Love” unplugged from that year (acoustic guitar, double bass) at the Grand Café De Kroon on Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam, (you’ll notice the singing is not very well synched…):

    Still going strong a decade and a half later, looking a little older but still a lively performance of “Radar Love” live at the Ahoy in Rotterdam in 2006:

    And, like I said above, here’s “Buddy Joe”, first a live version from 1972…

    … and much more recent, with shorter and in most cases greyer hair, “Buddy Joe” live in 2008:

    The song “Radar Love” even has its own website at http://www.radar-love.net/, which includes information about 375+ cover versions of the song.

    The official website of the band Golden Earring can be found at http://www.goldenearring.nl/.

    Like I said, after 49 years they’re still going strong, and if everything is going to plan, I expect they are playing right now at the Zaantheater in Holland.

    Enjoy the show guys!

    Paul

  • Ram Jam – “Black Betty”

    I associate the hard hitting “Black Betty” from Ram Jam with the year 1977*, when I was in my second year at university, and my first year flatting after being on campus in 1976.

    This is actually the first time I have seen a video of it, I had no idea what Ram Jam looked like.

    In this fun video out on the lawn in front of the house they definitely look VERY 1970s:

    It turns out the song (and the expression)  “Black Betty” has quite a history, which you can read about here.

    Whatever, the Ram Jam song “Black Betty” is clean cut Seventies rock music with a sound that stays with you for years!

    Nuff said…

    Paul

    * No wonder – just found out here that the version of “Black Betty” we know, though recorded and released earlier by Bill Bartlett’s previous band Starstruck, was released by Ram Jam in 1977.

1764442911