La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "Pound Those Pagan Skins, Daddy-O!" Edition

Secret Agent and The Prisoner star (and coolest man who ever lived) Patrick McGoohan -- on drums?

Say what?

I'd forgotten that clip until I posted about that Prisoner-themed song by The Times last Monday. It derives, in case you're wondering, from Brit director Basil Dearden's 1962 feature All Night Long, which is a fabulous jazz reimagining of Othello. McGoohan is the film's Iago, no surprise there, and apparently that's really him playing in the clip.

I should add that said film -- which also features musical performances by Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus -- is available in a budget DVD set with three other equally astounding Dearden flicks -- Sapphire, The League of Gentlemen, and Victim -- from Criterion subsidiary Eclipse. It makes a great gift for any cineaste of your acquaintance and you can -- and should -- order it over at Amazon HERE.

Which brings us to today's business. To wit:

...and your all-time favorite (or least favorite) drum solo/break on a post-Elvis pop/rock/country or soul record is...???

Arbitrary rule: No jazz records need apply, for obvious reasons. Although if it's one that actually got played on Top 40 radio, a la Cozy Cole's "Topsy Pt II," I'll allow it.

Also -- there are no time/length constraints, so you can endorse something as brief as my nominee, which is the couple-of-measures long drums-and-handclaps fill B.J. Wilson graces on Procol Harum's "The Devil Came From Kansas" (which you can hear below at approximately the 2:46 mark).

Discuss.

And have a great weekend, everybody!!!

I'm So Old I Remember Nick Lowe When He Was a Hippie

From 1970, and their insufficiently critically celebrated eponymous debut album, please enjoy the incomparable Brinsley Schwarz and their exquisite Nick Lowe-penned and sung "Mayfly."

I bring this up for two reasons. For starters, because Nick turned 75 over last weekend, and so just shoot me now.

And secondly, because it's always tickled me that Nick is usually name-checked with subsequent currently hipper musical trends -- pub rock and wise-guy New Wave -- even though, as you can hear from the above, he initially came to public attention with a characteristically counter-culturish blend of psychedelic-prog rock-and country-meets-CSNY.

I mean, the Brinsleys of "Mayfly" would have gone down an absolute storm at Woodstock. Seriously.

And just to prove the point, here's my favorite of several songs from their stylistically similar followup album, also from 1970.

How's this for inspirational verse?

Just like tomorrow/We were divided

You on your side/And me on mine

Lovely lady/Of the wildwind

May our branches/Still intertwine

Wow. The smell of incense and patchouli oil really is all over that one, n'est-ce pas?

In any case, I absolutely love both of those records -- have I mentioned that Brinsleys keyboardist Bob Andrews is right up there as an organ guy with his hero Garth Hudson? -- and have from the minute I first heard them. Which was, in case you were wondering, as a fledgling rock critic at my college (CW Post) newspaper, where I was fortunate enough to be on the mailing lists of all the major labels. Those were the days, BTW -- when I write my memoirs there's gonna be a big chapter about that shit.

In any case, you can -- and should -- get those two LPs in a terrific CD package also featuring all the Brinsleys other studio albums save, alas, for the last (the one with the original "Peace, Love and Understanding") over at Amazon HERE.

You're welcome.

These Kids Today, With Their Loud Music and Their Long Acronyms!!!

From 1965, please enjoy Paul Revere and the Raiders, featuring criminally underrated lead guitarist Drake Levin, and their killer instrumental "B.F.D.R.F. Blues."

That was the b-side to the Raiders epochal hit "Just Like Me," BTW. And if you've ever wondered what an a-list early '60's northwest proto-punk band sounded like live, listen no further.

More to the point -- a coveted PowerPop No-Prize© will be afforded to the first reader who can identify what B.F.D.R.F. stands for. Without looking it up, of course.

Songs I'd Forgotten Existed, Let Alone Loved (An Occasional Series): Special "I Am Not a Number!" Edition

From 1983, please enjoy Brit power pop/punksters The Times and their fab gear single "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape."

Mashups between The Beatles and The Spencer Davis Group ("Keep On Running") don't get any better, I think you'll agree.

BTW, as long-time readers are no doubt aware, that song looms large in my legend for extra-musical reasons. As in -- here I am, a few years ago, in London in front of the actual apartment McGoohan escaped to.

As for The Times, although I remember plugging the single in the pages of TMFKAS at the (er) time, I know little about them, although my research staff on crack informs me that an apparently well-regarded guy named Ed Ball (that's him on the single picture sleeve) was also the man behind several other period bands of note, including Television Personalities and Teenage Filmstars. Recommendations for future listening gratefully acceped.

Your Monday Moment of "Why Didn't I Get the Memo?"

From 1959, please enjoy Bob McFadden (and Dor, whoever that was) and his Rod McKuen-penned ode to "The Beat Generation."

Seriously -- am I the only sentient mammal on the planet who didn't know that the above was from where Richard Hell cribbed his 1977 comic/nihilist punk anthem?

I'm not kidding about this -- I had never heard the McFadden single until the other day and had no idea Hell was paying tribute to it.

That said, the original is a lot funnier, IMHO.

In case you were wondering, however, McFadden spent most of his career doing the voices for animated cartoon film/tv characters; that's he as the voice of Milton the Monster and Snarf the Thundercat.

He looms largest in my legend, however, as the frontman for this hilarious novelty record (also from 1959).

Again written by Rod McKuen (yeah, him) and featuring that Dor thingie. If anybody has the skinny on him/her/it, BTW, let us know and you'll be awarded a coveted PowerPop No-Prize©.

You're welcome.

Friday Album Plugola: Special "Thanks -- I Needed That!" Edition

Okay, this one really IS special.

From his just released debut CD (and my current nominee, however early, for Album of the Year), please enjoy Lance Cowan and the opening and closing tracks of his soul-solacing So Far, So Good.

Frankly, the record had me from the minute I heard the delicately chiming (mostly acoustic) guitars on the lead-off title track...

...and I remained enthralled all the way through its closing ode to "Mr. Ben McGhee." (An old guy I think you'll recognize/relate to; I certainly did.)

A little backstory: Lance's day job is as Nashville's savviest music publicist. I've known him in that capacity since the '90s, and over the years (both when I was a small bigshot at The Magazine Formerly Known as Stereo Review and, more recently, as a poor scribbler at this here blog) he's hipped me to a lot of great stuff I might otherwise not have heard (thanks, Lance!). Ironically enough, however, I only vaguely knew that he also had an out-of-the-office secret identity as a singer/songwriter.

Which leads us to his new album. It will surprise no one to learn that it is without question the quietest thing I've flipped over lately, which is to say it ain't a rock record. But however you categorize it-- folk/country/Americana/whatever -- it's still affected me on a gut level more than anything of its ilk I've heard in ages. The songs (which are all as wonderful as the two above) are literate, melodically memorable, poignant and often surprisingly funny, and they're sung by Lance in a deeply affecting Bruised Everyman voice that I'd kill to have. And the backing instrumentals -- by some of Music City's finest, including the legendary "Dangerous" Dan Dugmore on various guitars -- are so gorgeous you can float away on them, even when the subject matter gets a soupcon gritty. Not to mince words, but I've really really needed to hear something as honest, lovely, well crafted and touching as SFSG for far too long. And even without the loud backbeat I normally gravitate to, it's actually restored my faith in music generally (a feat I absolutely didn't expect).

Have I mentioned this is a freaking great album?

You can find out more about Lance over at his website HERE. And you can (and should) purchase (and stream) So Far, So Good over at Amazon HERE.

Oh, and BTW, if you happen to be in the vicinity of Nashville tonight, stop in at the album release party. It's at the Music Makers Stage at Delgado Guitars...

...and the festivities start at 7:30pm.

Needless to say -- tell Lance that PowerPop sent you!!!

Meanwhile, have a great weekend, everybody!!!

The Creative Process at Work

Paul Simon on the Stephen Colbert show last week.

In case you missed it, the funniest and most rewarding half-hour or so of teevee I've seen in ages. In particular, Simon's droll deadpan explication of what he was thinking as he wrote "Darling Lorraine."

Which is a song I must confess having been heretofore unfamiliar with, but am now quite enthusiastic about.

Keep Those Chompers Choogling!!!

Okay, I couldn't resist. From 1968, please enjoy "Toothy Ruthy," the b-side of that dental-themed Fire single I mentioned yesterday.

Your basic "Hang On Sloopy" rewrite, obviously, but I have a perhaps genetic predisposition to dig any record -- and especially one by Brits, for obvious reasons -- implying you should pay particular attention to your oral hygiene.

Coming tomorrow -- that retrospective on Spooky Tooth I've been threatening for years!!!

Your Tuesday Moment of Why Didn't I Get the Memo?

From 1968 (like you couldn't tell from the video) please enjoy brief-lived (and heretofore unknown to me) mod/freaakbeat Brit power trio Fire and their minor UK hit "Father's Name is Dad."

As I hinted above, I had never even heard of those guys till last Sunday (St. Paddy's Day), when another clip of "Dad" popped up on a couple of Facebook pages I follow; I figured maybe it was because they were Irish, but no -- they're Brits, and it was just a coincidence.

In any event, a fabulous record in that sort of eratz Who/Creation style that was all the rage back then. I should add that the band's leader/songwriter/guitarist Dave Lambert went on to join better known folk-rock hitmakers The Strawbs, with whom he played on a few records I actually HAVE heard of, including the great working class anthem "Part of the Union."

I should also add that Fire's other single that year was "Round the Gum Tree" backed with "Toothie Ruthie."

To my knowledge, the only two-sided dental-themed record in rock history.

Heh.

If It's Monday, It Must Be Musician Jokes

Q: What is something you never hear in the music business?

A: "There's the banjo player's Porsche."

Q: What do you call a trombonist with a pager?

A: An optimist

Q: What do you call a drummer in a three-piece suit?

A: The defendant.

Q: How do you get a bass player off your porch?

A: Pay for the pizza

Hey -- I'm laid-up with a cold. Regular posting, involving actual writing and real music, resumes tomorrow, Benadryl permitting.