In any case, this time (courtesy of the most recent MOJO sampler) here's another tune that set the teenaged Keith's toes a tapping -- rockabilly demi-god Sanford Clark's 1959 surreal/sardonic "Son-of-a-Gun" (which may or have not been an influence on Steve Earle's "The Devil's Right Hand.")
Clark had another great song, "The Fool," which was memorably covered by Elvis Presley and later The Animals (on their unjustly neglected reunion album), but this one was heretofore unknown to me. Thanks, MOJO!
4 comments:
'The Fool' was also, inevitably, covered by Robert Gordon with Link Wray. I'm glad you mentioned the Animals' 'Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted,' which I would nominate as the greatest covers album of all time. By far. The follow-up, 'The Ark,' was reputedly from the same sessions but it falls flat IMHO.
I dig "The Fool." This one not so much. Kinda plodding and formulaic. Hard to believe this one beat out any number of Lefty Frizzell tunes to get on Keith's list.
Agree, that Animals album was very satisfying. Still remember buying a promo copy from the used bins at Rhino Records when Harold Bronson was working the register. Got a promo of Iggy's "Lust For Life" on the same trip. To give you an idea of where my head was at, I played the Animals record first when I got home .... Had me hooked with "Some people say it was cocaine. Some people say it was gin" ... I already knew the song, but not from the Red Bird single or T-Bone Walker. I knew it from one of my boyfriend's Cactus albums.
VR
Oh, and anytime Sanford Clark gets mentioned, the late Lee Hazlewood's name should also come up. He was the svengali of sorts.
VR
You're right. I thought this was reminiscent of Lee Hazlewood before I took a closer look at the label. He's one of those cats (like Bert Berns or Kim Fowley) who were major players but under the public radar.
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