Wednesday, February 01, 2012

GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! Week -- Episode Three: I'm an Adult Now

You know, for reasons that I don't want to get into -- mostly because the subject deserves a thoughtful in-depth essay that I really haven't got the time to do at the moment -- the whole concept of "adult" rock kind of gets up my nose. And I don't just mean "adult" in the sense of seeing geezers who should otherwise be retired in a condo in Boca trying to rock out; I also mean in the whole "songs about grown-up concerns" sense.

But like I said, let's not get into that right now, when we could be considering "While I Look at You," a rather remarkable song from deservedly legendary '60s chick singer Evie ("Any Way That You Want Me," et al) Sands' 1999 comeback album Women in Prison instead.





I think we can all agree that what we're hearing there is clearly a grown-up singing about, er, grown-up concerns. And I don't know about you guys, but I get weak in the knees listening to that by about halfway into the first verse; no disrespect intended, but lordy -- as somebody said of Chrissie Hynde at the time of the first Pretenders album, that is one f**kable voice.

Okay, now that I've totally embarrassed myself, let me simply add, and for the record, that there is no pop performer who came up in the 60s that I would more enjoy getting to meet over an adult beverage than Ms. Sands.

I should also add that the cool guitar stuff on that track is played by legendary New York session musician Al Gorgoni. You may not have heard of him, but you've heard his work on countless occasions -- he's the guy who did the unforgettable 6-string riffage on Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," just for starters.

11 comments:

steves said...

I'm not nutz about the song, but I agree with you about the voice (and everything else, too, if memory serves me right with regard to a 60s video clip you posted a year or so ago).

As for Gorgoni, don't forget "Sounds of Silence," which I just mentioned the other day. That is, how Wilson's "electrified" version was so much better than the acoustic original.

Jonathan F. King said...

Evie was Jackie DeShannon with angst. I mean that in the nicest possible way.

FD13NYC said...

Song is kind of snoozy. But what the hell, it's later in her life. I liked her version of the Hollies song I Can't Let Go, early on.

Jonathan F. King said...

Actually, FD13NYC, it's the other way around ... the Hollies covered her!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_THiXwFp9X8

portly neighbor said...

Steve, if it's okay, I'd like to be the commenter who loves this.

pete said...

yes, indeed.

JZ said...

Evie is also a pretty good guitarist. There's a clip on YouTube of her on the Johnny Cash show circa 1969. It's one of the few times she got to play on TV; most of her other television appearances she is singing only (or lip synching).

Anonymous said...

She so sassy in those 60s YouTube clips, I'd just assumed she was a Pye girl. Wiki straightened me out.

Wiki's rendition of her life is five tragic endings, one after the other. Great that she's still doing it.

AP

Anonymous said...

This is more like it!

ROTP(lumber)

Maude Lange said...

She still plays around L.A.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XitSsaKrKxc

Anonymous said...

am reading Greil Marcus's book on "Like a Rolling Stone" and Gorgoni was on that too.