That being the case, we continue our week-long celebration of all-things Monkees with one of my fave tracks from the CD, a Peter Tork-sung cover of Goffin and King's perennially gorgeous "Wasn't Born to Follow."
The track for the above was recorded in 1968 with a lot of Wrecking Crew stalwarts, including Earl Palmer on drums; Peter's lead vocal was added earlier this year, and I think he really sings it quite beautifully. BTW, Carole King herself (doing business with her band The City) also recorded the song in 1968; as you'll hear, the arrangement on her version...
...is more or the less the template for the one the Monkees' backing musicians cut.
The song itself, of course, is, deservedly best known in the more psychedelically pop-country version by The Byrds; getting incredibly meta, here's a less familiar, but fabulous, 1996 cover of the Byrds' cover by the wonderful Canadian band The Sadies.
Bottom line: Another great song, and yes, two of my old bands used to do great versions of it, but no, I won't make you listen to them until a more appropriate time.
Oh, by the way -- have I mentioned fuck Jann Wenner?
Tomorrow: Listen to the band live (yes, another Mike Nesmith song, but not the one you might think).
9 comments:
The Notorious/Easy Rider version, with Jimmy Gordon on drums, gets it for me. I'm a sucker for phasing/flanging. Nice to hear Peter sing on tune for a change (albeit still too white,) but this version, like the City's, is rather plodding.
Oh, and Fudley tells me that Now That Everything's Been Said is from January 1969.
If you'll excuse me, someone is quite ready to be led into the chasm where the rivers of our vision flow into one another.
VR - beneath the white cascading waters
Love The Sadies version. I have to agree with VR about the other two versions. What a great song.
Fuck Jann. (I've be cursing him out for so long, I feel like we're on a first name basis.)
Captain Al
The Sadies are a pretty great live band. Check ' em out if they come your way. Just so happens that they're playing three dates in SoCal beginning next Thursday. I haven't seen them in years. Last time was at the Echoplex with Mike Stax's band opening. Fun show.
As far as this Sadies version of WBTF is concerned, overuse of phasing/flanging. I prefer the onstage version to the studio. These guys are definitely worth checking out.
VR - wearing (and flaunting) the scar of a woman Rated X
Carole King's band The City was a new one on me. I've never paid all that much attention to her other than to know she's one hell of a singer-songwriter. Also new to me is that Danny Kortchmar played in that band. Helluva session guitar player. Dude wrote "All She Wants to Do is Dance" by Don Henley...
Hi kids.
In case you're wondering where today's Kinks part 4 post is, which was supposed to be a clue to tomorrow's Weekend Listomania, the answer is I'm trapped in Google Hell at the moment, and as a result cannot access Blogger.
Hopefully this will be resolved later today, but if not....see you next week.
Billy B: Prior to The City, Kootch was also a latter day member of Clear Light. This latter day version of the band, plus Leon Russell, provided the basic backing for the Monkees "Porpoise Song". Music always seems to tie together in its own incestuous way.
VR
think you man
thank you man
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