Listen What are you listening to RIGHT NOW?

Welcome to our Community
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Feel free to Sign Up today.
Sign up

psychicdeath

Member
Jan 21, 2015
955
1,521
Dave's Song of the Day

Heat Lightnin’ – Tuscadero

Wednesday song of the day: Today’s song was recorded and released twice. As a matter of fact, the whole album was redone.




We end three straight days of “Lightning” songs with a more obscure one, Heat Lightnin’ by Tuscadero. Tuscadero was an indie pop band from Washington DC in the mid 1990s, led by singer/guitarists Melissa Farris and Margaret McCartney. (I’ve used them for song of the day before. In fact they were the second song of the day, back on July 17th, 2014: Mount Pleasant – Tuscadero ) They recorded their first album three times. They didn’t like the first attempt, recorded in 1994 for Teen-Beat, so they trashed it and started over. Bassist Phil Satloff later said about the first effort, “Then we mixed it and pressed it. And hated it. I know Mark pressed a few thousand CDs and a few hundred LPs, and we basically begged him to junk them, which he did.” They recorded it again, and this time felt it was good enough to release. The Pink Album was released in November 1994. Tuscadero was never a big hit, so neither the album nor singles ever charted.

They released an EP, Step Into My Wiggle Room, in 1995 for Teen-Beat, and shortly thereafter signed to a major label, Elektra. Since they had just released the EP and didn’t have enough new material for an album right away, it was decided to re-record The Pink Album as their first album on Elektra. Five of the songs – including Heat Lightnin’ – were entirely re-recorded, while the remaining seven were remixed, with new guitar parts or vocal takes added. The Elektra version was released in 1996. The new version of The Pink Album was slicker and smoother than the original. Personally, I prefer the rawer original Teen-Beat release.

Tuscadero released an entirely new album for Elektra, My Way or the Highway, in 1998. It didn’t sell well, and Elektra dropped the band. Not long afterward, they broke up, although they have reunited a few times for special occasions on 2005, 2013 and 2014.

Below are both versions of Heat Lightnin’.

Teen-Beat, 1994 (don’t pay attention to the graphic on the video. While whoever uploaded it apparently used a stock picture of the Elektra album cover, the audio is in fact from the Teen-Beat release.)


View: https://youtu.be/r2MFxP_7uuA


Elektra, 1996


View: https://youtu.be/5noXgveQtyk


Tomorrow: Her eyes don’t match
 

Papi Chingon

Domesticated Hombre
Oct 19, 2015
25,475
32,243
LoL @ Lil Rob with this shit

"I just kicked it at home, I polished up the chrome, called the Ruka on the phone let her know I'm home alone" lulz

Peak Lil Rob


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtusX8VDL3A



Fucking old school GOAT!
It's not really about the lyrics of the Lil Rob song. It's just a jam to sit back and chill to. If you want some real comedy, check out the music video of Summer Nights. There's a reason why I didn't post it.

I didn't know Lil Rob ever had a peak. I think the only song I've ever heard of his was Summer Nights.
 

psychicdeath

Member
Jan 21, 2015
955
1,521
Dave's Song of the Day

If You Wanna Be Happy – Jimmy Soul

Thursday song of the day: Today’s song was a hit despite being banned by many radio stations.




In 1962 singer Jimmy Soul (real name James McLeese) cashed in on the then-current Twist craze and had a #22 hit with Twistin’ Matilda. The next year he had an even bigger hit with If You Wanna Be Happy, which set out the prescription for happiness as marrying an ugly woman. The song reasoned that a pretty woman was likely to cheat on you or treat you badly, but that an ugly woman would be more appreciative and treat you well.

If You Wanna Be Happy was written by Jimmy Soul’s producer Frank Guida, his wife Carmela, and songwriter Joseph Royster. However, it was mostly based on an older calypso song that Guida had heard in Trinidad. The original song was Marry an Ugly Woman by Trinidadian calypso artist Roaring Lion. Roaring Lion’s real name is a subject of debate. It is usually given as Rafael de Leon, but Hubert Rafael Charles has also been used. The original 1934 recording of Marry an Ugly Woman was credited to Hubert Rafael Charles, but later in life Roaring Lion insisted that his correct name was Rafael Arias Cairi Llama de Leon. In 1941 he recorded another version called just Ugly Woman under the name The Lion. Whatever the name, it is obvious that the idea and most of the lyrics originated with Roaring Lion almost thirty years before the Jimmy Soul hit.

The musical arrangement on the Jimmy Soul record was more of an upbeat rhythm and blues than the original fast-paced calypso tune, in keeping with what was popular in 1963 America rather than 1930s Trinidad. If You Wanna Be Happy was released in December 1962. Because of the lyrics denigrating ugly women, many radio stations refused to play the song. Eventually, it caught on, though, and by May 18th, 1963 it had risen all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While it is highly doubtful that the song would be a hit in politically correct 2020, the pushback in 1963 was fairly minor, and the novelty factor helped make it a hit.

If You Wanna Be Happy, Jimmy Soul, 1962


View: https://youtu.be/fxUY-99TPRY


Marry an Ugly Woman, Hubert Rafael Charles, 1934


View: https://youtu.be/vyhMzlwbIrA


Tomorrow: Ain’t nobody crying
 

psychicdeath

Member
Jan 21, 2015
955
1,521
Dave's Song of the Day

I’ll Take You There - The Staple Singers

Friday song of the day: Today’s song is about Heaven, although the word is never mentioned in the lyrics.




The Staple Singers were a gospel and soul group created by Roebuck “Pops” Staples and featuring his children, generally daughters Cleotha, Mavis and Yvonne, although the lineup sometimes included his son Pervis. They recorded several albums in the late 1950s on through the 1960s, but their big commercial breakthrough came in 1971, when they had two Top 40 singles, including the #12 Respect Yourself. Then in 1972 they released an album to capitalize on Respect Yourself. The album, Be Attitude: Respect Yourself, included the recent hit single as well as new songs. One of these was I’ll Take You There.

The song was written by Stax Records co-owner and Vice President Al Bell (real name Alvertis Isbell) following the shooting death of his brother and imagined a more perfect existence in Heaven. As Bell explained it, he got the inspiration at the funeral. “I went out in the backyard in my father’s home. He had an old school bus there parked that was not running. I went back there and sat on the hood of that bus thinking about all that was happening. And all of a sudden, I hear this music in my head. And I heard these lyrics: ‘I know a place, ain’t nobody worried, ain’t nobody crying, and ain’t no smiling faces lying to the races, I’ll take you there.’ I heard it, and I heard the music. And it wouldn’t leave, it stayed there. kept trying to write other verses, but I couldn’t. Nothing worked – there was nothing left to say.”

Bell offered the song to The Staple Singers, and it was recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section instead of the usual Stax Records staff musicians. According to Al Bell, at first lead singer Mavis Staples didn’t care for the song, but after Bell sang it for her a few times she warmed up to it. “Mavis couldn’t get into it, she couldn’t feel it, so I stood there on the floor and tried to sing it to the guys, as they got the music and they got into it. After getting it down, later on, I came back and sat with Mavis and, after a while, she started feeling it and giving in to that rhythm. Of course, she took it to heights that only a Mavis Staples can take it. Nobody else could do it justice, and I guess it was supposed to be that way.”

I’ll Take You There was released as a single in February 1972. The album version was 4:43 in length, while the single was edited down to 3:16. The single rose to #1 on the R&B charts by May, and the following month placed at #1 on the overall Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has since become recognized as a classic, placing on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

The English band General Public recorded a cover version of the song in 1994 for the movie Threesome. Their version of I’ll Take You There was also a hit, reaching #22 on the Hot 100.

Single version


View: https://youtu.be/Qsl4A9hZEto


Album version


View: https://youtu.be/E7T1rN6nYeE


General Public, 1994


View: https://youtu.be/m0N_Q0JqH80


Tomorrow: Maybe I think too much but something’s wrong
 
Last edited:

Grateful Dude

TMMAC Addict
May 30, 2016
8,925
14,261
Dave's Song of the Day

I’ll Take You There

Friday song of the day: Today’s song is about Heaven, although the word is never mentioned in the lyrics.




The Staple Singers were a gospel and soul group created by Roebuck “Pops” Staples and featuring his children, generally daughters Cleotha, Mavis and Yvonne, although the lineup sometimes included his son Pervis. They recorded several albums in the late 1950s on through the 1960s, but their big commercial breakthrough came in 1971, when they had two Top 40 singles, including the #12 Respect Yourself. Then in 1972 they released an album to capitalize on Respect Yourself. The album, Be Attitude: Respect Yourself, included the recent hit single as well as new songs. One of these was I’ll Take You There.

The song was written by Stax Records co-owner and Vice President Al Bell (real name Alvertis Isbell) following the shooting death of his brother and imagined a more perfect existence in Heaven. As Bell explained it, he got the inspiration at the funeral. “I went out in the backyard in my father’s home. He had an old school bus there parked that was not running. I went back there and sat on the hood of that bus thinking about all that was happening. And all of a sudden, I hear this music in my head. And I heard these lyrics: ‘I know a place, ain’t nobody worried, ain’t nobody crying, and ain’t no smiling faces lying to the races, I’ll take you there.’ I heard it, and I heard the music. And it wouldn’t leave, it stayed there. kept trying to write other verses, but I couldn’t. Nothing worked – there was nothing left to say.”

Bell offered the song to The Staple Singers, and it was recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section instead of the usual Stax Records staff musicians. According to Al Bell, at first lead singer Mavis Staples didn’t care for the song, but after Bell sang it for her a few times she warmed up to it. “Mavis couldn’t get into it, she couldn’t feel it, so I stood there on the floor and tried to sing it to the guys, as they got the music and they got into it. After getting it down, later on, I came back and sat with Mavis and, after a while, she started feeling it and giving in to that rhythm. Of course, she took it to heights that only a Mavis Staples can take it. Nobody else could do it justice, and I guess it was supposed to be that way.”

I’ll Take You There was released as a single in February 1972. The album version was 4:43 in length, while the single was edited down to 3:16. The single rose to #1 on the R&B charts by May, and the following month placed at #1 on the overall Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has since become recognized as a classic, placing on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

The English band General Public recorded a cover version of the song in 1994 for the movie Threesome. Their version of I’ll Take You There was also a hit, reaching #22 on the Hot 100.

Single version


View: https://youtu.be/Qsl4A9hZEto


Album version


View: https://youtu.be/E7T1rN6nYeE


General Public, 1994


View: https://youtu.be/m0N_Q0JqH80


Tomorrow: Maybe I think too much but something’s wrong
awesome. Love the staples, and the muscle shoals guys.

Great stuff!
 

psychicdeath

Member
Jan 21, 2015
955
1,521
Dave's Song of the Day

Hello It’s Me – Nazz

Saturday song of the day: Today’s song was the much slower original version of a song that later became a hit.




Todd Rundgren began his musical career as part of a band that he had founded called Nazz. They released their first of three albums in 1968 and included on that album was the first song that Rundgren had ever written. It was Hello It’s Me, written about a high school breakup, although Rundgren had reversed the positions. In the song, the singer was breaking up with a girl, whereas in real life Rundgren was the one who got dumped.

As recorded by Nazz, Hello It’s Me was a slow mournful song, with the singing done by the group’s keyboardist and lead singer Robert “Stewkey” Antoni. The only single off the album was Open My Eyes, with Hello It’s Me used as the B-side of that single. The record was released in July 1968 and made it only to #71 on the Billboard Hot 100. A few months later, radio stations began playing the B-side, and the record re-entered the charts, this time performing slightly better and peaking at #66.

Rundgren left the band in 1969 after their second album and started a solo career. He recorded a new version of Hello It’s Me for his third solo album, Something/Anything? in late 1971. This version was more uptempo and less somber. The album was released in February 1972, and I Saw the Light was the first single. The record company expected I Saw the Light to be the big hit, and Hello It’s Me wasn’t released as a single until September 1973. By this time, Rundgren had released another album, A Wizard, A True Star, that took an entirely different musical direction. Still, Hello It’s Me took off, and rose to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his biggest hit.

The Nazz, 1968


View: https://youtu.be/iLH-9fiCTU0


Todd Rundgren, 1973


View: https://youtu.be/CU6ap2njSTY


Tomorrow: Wearin’ pearls and diamond rings
 

psychicdeath

Member
Jan 21, 2015
955
1,521
Dave's Song of the Day

Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly – Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels

Sunday song of the day: Like yesterday’s song, today’s is another example of a song that became a hit when speeded up.




In 1964, singer Shorty Long released his first single for Motown Records. It was a bluesy tune about a sexy woman called Devil with the Blue Dress. Long had written the song with William “Mickey” Stevenson and Motown released it on their smaller Soul label, which was used for blues rather than the usual Pop/R&B music for which Motown was known.

The record failed to chart, but it did achieve some radio airplay in Motown’s local Detroit area. One Detroit listener who heard the song was Mitch Ryder, and in 1966 his band Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels recorded a cover. The Ryder version was a much faster arrangement and was used as part of a medley with a cover of Little Richard’s Good Golly Miss Molly. This record changed the title slightly, so that Devil with the Blue Dress became Devil with a Blue Dress On. The Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly medley became a nationwide hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, 1966


View: https://youtu.be/y1PE_YsSNkQ


Shorty Long, 1964


View: https://youtu.be/2x379nWJAAM


Tomorrow: I’m gonna strut like a cock until I’m ninety-nine.