Reaon I bring this up is because Volk's 80th birthday was yesterday; he's a Facebook friend and I am delighted to report that he is still alive and well and making music.
I should add that the above pictured The Spirit of '67 is one of the great American rock albums of the second half of the '60s, and if you don't know it your life is the poorer.
FAVORITE OR LEAST FAVORITE POST-ELVIS POP/ROCK/FOLK/SOUL/WHATEVER SONG/RECORD BY A BAND (OR DUO) WITH ONLY TWO SINGERS HARMONIZING UP FRONT!!!
No arbitrary rules whatsoever, but to my surprise I'm not mostly talking about sibling harmony acts. Also, if you attempt to nominate anything by the Byrds or Beach Boys, i.e. groups that normally feature three or four singers -- The Association, anyone? -- I will come to your house and pummel you severely. That said, however, I haven't decided if The Beatles are eligible or not, so at your discretion. 😎
And now, without further ado, my totally Top of My Head Top Seven is:
7. Chad and Jeremy -- A Summer Song
God, that's gorgeous. Seriously -- some days I think those guys were the most underrated of the British Invasion.
6. The Everly Brothers -- Don't Run and Hide
That was written by the Hollies Clarke-Hicks-Nash triumvirate, but I actually prefer the Everlys' cover.
5. Zager and Evans -- In the Year 2525
One of my traditional candidates for Worst Record Ever Made.
4. The Indigo Girls -- Closer to Fine
You know -- because (in the immortal words of Mick Jagger) you like to have a couple of chicks in there occasionally.
3. Stealer's Wheel -- Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine
Early Gerry Rafferty, obviously. I literally wore out the grooves on my copy of that 45 when it was new.
2. Tom and Jerry -- Hey Schoolgirl
This was one of the first records I bought with my own lunch money. It was a huge hit in NYC for obvious reasons; I'm not sure exactly how it fared in the rest of the country, although I seem to recall seeing them lip-synch it on Bandstand. Whatever happened to those kids?
And the number one Two People Singin' Like Boids act of all time simply has to be...
1. The Lemon Twigs -- Look Out For Your Mind
That video is brand new, i.e. it just dropped (as today's hepsters say) this morning at 10am EST. Absolutely fantastic, and man -- these guys have a work ethic like nobody's business.
Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?
And have a great weekend, everybody!!!
Okay, my fondness for those kids is not exactly a state secret, but I'm absolutely over the moon about that one.
BTW, that's from their just released new album of 60s pop covers, which is otherwise pleasant enough but not life-changing. The above however...well, it's just freaking gorgeous, as you can plainly hear for yourselves. .
Why they aren't household words -- or at least been guests on Saturday Night Live -- is absolutely beyond me. 😎
You can (and should) watch the whole thing over HERE, but in the meantime, this brief excerpt (in Tik Tok format, unlike the show itself) is Must-See TV. Paul discussing contemporary pop music and improvising a new smash hit on the spot. This has gone viral BTW, and I for one couldn't be happier.
Enjoy!!!
Okay, I groaned at the McCartney one too. 😎😎😎
That just slays me, and it is with some regret that I confess I didn't play on it. But as I said, we've been doing music together off and on since 1965, when we made our first foray into a professional recording studio with another of Al's songs and came out with this (I think pretty damn good for kids) Beau Brummels-influenced number.
That's me doing the Hammond organ and meant-to-be Vince Guaraldi-ish piano solo. BTW, have I mentioned that Al is an absolutely brilliant singer/songwriter and bassist?
In any case, I bring all this up because Al has a birthday coming up on Tuesday, which makes him one day older than me, a fact that he never fails to remind me of around this time. And I just wanted to give him a big long overdue shout-out here, which this now officially is.
Hey Al -- it's been a gas!!! Here's to many more years of it, my friend!!! 😎
PS: Here's the true story of a song we kinda co-wrote (i.e., I came up with the lame riff) and first recorded in 1967 in Allan's basement in Teaneck, NJ (aka the Paris of Tri-State Metro Area). No audio, alas, but it's pretty funny all the same so enjoy!!! 😎😎
...and if you were somehow trapped in a sleazy karaoke bar and you were kinda drunk and wanted to sing along with a Rolling Stones song it would be...???
Discuss.
No arbitrary rules whatsoever, so just go for it. I should add, however, that today's post was inspired by accidentally discovering an instrumental-only track of one of -- IMHO -- the coolest Stones songs ever. Which I was planning, for the longest time, on going into the studio and overdubbing with a pathetic vocal by yours truly. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. 😎
And which song woould that have been? See below.
Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choice(s) be?
And have a great weekend, everybody!!!
The song, BTW, is off the Grape's 1971 attempted comeback album, which I found seriously disappointing when it was new, but I gave it a cursory re-listen while getting ready to post today and it seems to be better than I realized in my callow youth. I'll do the research and get back to you. 😎😎
And don't give me any shit about this -- it's supposed to be the records that influenced the young you the most, not a list of the All-Time Greatest Albums Ever, which is totally different.
BTW, the song above goes out for my friend Nelson Bragg, who knows why. 😎
I confess, I've been that dude-watching-your-band-play guy. 😎
