Mighty Baby is a definitely one of the Best Bands You’ve Never Heard In Your Life. Or have you?! Mighty Baby was a short-lived band from the late-60’s, their sound sometimes described as sort of the Grateful Dead or Buffalo Springfield of England. Of course, they were never as well-known as either of those bands. The band was known earlier as The Action when they were signed to George Martin’s Parlophone label, but changed to Mighty Baby in 1969. They released two albums, one in 1969 and the other in 1971 and in that time, many of the bands members became Muslims of the Sufi order (soo-fee). There is definitely a substantial difference in sound from the first album to the second album, and fans are probably split on which sound they like better. I think I lean towards the overall sound of the second album. Let me know if you want me to post something from the 1971 Jug of Love album so you can hear the difference. This song one is called “Egyptian Tomb” and it is from Mighty Baby’s self-titled album from 1969. Dig it…
Maybe the Mother Hips are my Wilco. They have that similar laid back California classic rock sound, and I’m diggin’ it. They even come from about the same time as Wilco, the bands’ members having met at university in Chico in 1990. I honestly never heard them (or of them, even) until we got a copy of their 2007 album called Kiss The Crystal Flake (I don’t think they’re referring to our Crystal…or are they??).
I don’t have a whole lotta history for you since I don’t know it, and since the Wikipedia entry was a pretty boring read. That’s not to say the band hasn’t had a killer exciting life, because their Wikipedia entry is a lot better than mine.
Anyway, this song came up on my iPod a couple days ago and it was the highlight of my subway ride home from work. Okay, maybe that’s not sayin’ much, but what I’m trying to say is “I really like this song”. It’s got a bit of a Black Crowes thing going on, but the Black Crowes have a Faces thing going on, and the Faces have a Otis Redding thing going on, and so on….
Just take a listen and see what you think. What other things are goin’ on here…?
AAC audio: The Mother Hips – Let Somebody
Petra Haden, daughter of jazz bass legend Charlie Haden, has made a brilliant a capella facsimile of The Who’s Sell Out album and you need to hear it. Here’s what Pete Townshend had to say about the 2005 album…
”I was a little embarrassed to realize I was enjoying my own music so much, for in a way it was like hearing it for the first time,” Townshend said in a lengthy e-mail interview. ”What Petra does with her voice, which is not so easy to do, is challenge the entire rock framework: the traditions, the processes, the decor, the accessories, the entirety of the established dynamics of traditional pop-rock. ‘I Can See For Miles’ is powerful not for the restrained electric guitars and suppressed and distant thundering drums of Keith Moon but for the torturously sustained vocal harmonies that John Entwistle added over my fairly conventional four-part. Petra is the first analyst who heard the vocal harmonies as they were written and reproduced them properly. When she does depart from the original music she does it purely to bring a little piece of herself — and when she appears she is so very welcome. I felt like I’d received something better than a Grammy.”
Here it is. Dig it! And many thanks to Willard over at the fantastic ‘Never Get Out of the Boat‘ blog! Listen and then go buy some other Petra Haden stuff.
…for being yourself! Have a great T-day everyone, and rest of the weekend. I will return on Tuesday. Until then, let the James Gang thank you too… (and plan your strategy for how you’re going to catch up with Crystal on Rock Trivia!)
mp3 audio: James Gang- Thanks
I’ve got a serious little lo-fi goodie here for ya’s. This is a song that popular rock band ‘The Phish‘ made famous via their live shows, but was written in 1985 by a man named Nancy who is also known as Richard Wright. Says Nancy or Mr. Wright regarding his/her names, “Nancy is a name that’s been with me all my life. I used to feel that I was a woman (specifically a lesbian) trapped in a man’s body and that ‘Nancy’ was my real name.”
Trey and Nancy had met at Goddard College in ’86, both familiar with each other’s work, and Nancy was happy to give consent when Trey asked if his band, Phish could cover Nancy’s song ‘Halley’ Comet.’ A couple years later Phish started also covering ‘I Didn’t Know‘ at their live shows. And that’s what I have for you today. Nancy’s original version of ‘I Didn’t Know‘. Please diggle, then giggle…
AAC audio: Nancy Taube – I Didn’t Know
Wow. I can’t believe that last night was the first time I heard these cats. This is some jazzy-rocky ‘out’ music that is still quite rhythmic. If this is prog-rock, I’ve not heard any proggers do it like this before. While you listen, I’ll leave you with some words from the Curved Air blog who was actually quoting ProgArchives:
With a sound somewhere between the SOFT MACHINE and, say, AMON DuuL II, EXMAGMA provide us with a slightly psychedelic form of Jazzrock, including hints of Krautrock. Their experimental compositions, ranging from lengthy improvised pieces to short, quirky tracks, leave me with no doubt to conclude that this is indeed a progressive rock band, worthy of inclusion.
AAC audio: Exmagma – My Box
Get the album on Acorde Final
I was about to post this as a Case for Collins, but then I realized that it is no longer a guilty pleasure to like Hall & Oates for most people, and that this is some indisputably great stuff. Now if this was Oates solo material, then I would have to reconsider. But what I’ve got for you is the song ‘Babs and Babs’ from Daryl Hall’s first solo album, Sacred Songs, from 1977. The album was produced by King Crimson’s Robert Fripp, who also played guitar on the album. Hall and Fripp had met in 1974 and fast became mates, and decided to work together somewhere down the road. Down the road became 1977 and Hall and Fripp recorded Hall’s first solo album and Fripp’s only solo album, Exposure, on which Hall was to be the main vocalist. Well, RCA, Hall’s record company was not keen on either release because they thought that it would taint Hall’s pop image that they were still creating along with Senor Oates. So, Hall’s solo album was shelved till 1980 and Fripp had to replace Hall’s vocals on his solo album. Hall’s vocals were restored to a 1985 remix of the album, and all versions with Hall and Hall-impersonators were released on Fripp’s 2006 2-CD version of Exposure. Wow. Anyway, dig this fuckin’ track and listen for the Frippertronics in the middle!
mp3 audio: Daryl Hall – Babs and Babs
and here’s a couple more from the album…
mp3 audio: Daryl Hall – NYCNY
mp3 audio: Daryl Hall – You Burn Me Up I’m A Cigarette
So yesterday’s Atlantic Antic annual street fair in Brooklyn was a huge success, as usual. Mary Weiss had us dancing in the street outside of Magnetic Field. But I’ll have pics and more to come on that. But now… I scored some new records at a booth at the Antic and I’m here to share some of the music with you. I’ve chosen, for your listening pleasure, the first track off of each of the six albums that I picked up for the grand sum of $6. Dig…
Renaissance – Can You Understand
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from Best of Scorpions, Vol. 2
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Donovan – Local Boy Chops Wood
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All right now. I’ve got a seriously deep cut here from an equally deep band. I have recently over the past several months, fallen in love with the self-titled album by a short-lived band from the late-60′s called Mighty Baby. They are sometimes described as sort of the Grateful Dead or Buffalo Springfield of England, but of course no where near as well-known as either. Well before they were Mighty Baby, they were The Action, and 5 tracks by The Action are included at the end of this brilliant Mighty Baby album. And for a good hearty chuckle, look at what I found while doing some research (you should notice a certain name pop out a few paragraphs in, just above the ‘contents’ box). Dig this tune by The Action and then let me know if you wanna hear a Mighty Baby tune next…
The Action – Understanding Love
Well, I just found out that jazz keyboardist/composer/legend Joe Zawinul passed away at the age of 75 earlier today. Joe is best known for pioneering the use of electric pianos in jazz music, along with Herbie Hancock, and was instrumental in the creation of jazz fusion. He played on Miles Davis’ classic fusion album Bitches Brew and even wrote the side-long “Pharoah’s Dance” from that album. He also played on the equally-classic In A Silent Way, for which he wrote the title track! He gained his most commercial success with the 70s fusion band Weather Report and the song that everyone knows…”Birdland”. That’s not what I’m gonna give ya, though. You’re gonna get Zawinul’s “In A Silent Way” from not Miles’ album, but from 1971′s Zawinul album. It is equally beautiful, so dig…
AAC audio: Joe Zawinul – In A Silent Way
R.I.P. Mr. Zawinul
Here’s a band I’ve really been diggin’ lately. This song is originally from the 1972 debut album from the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Framed. But the version I’m sharing with you is an unknown live version. I really don’t know where this is from, so if you know, help us out. All I know is that it rocks hard and that I knew you had to hear it! This was a band that was theatrical, tight, intelligent, silly, and really could rock. Alex Harvey passed away in 1982 after suffering a fatal heart attack the day before his 47th birthday. Luckily, he left behind some great music for us.
mp3 audio: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Midnight Moses (Live)
Alright, today I’ve got my new favorite shit for you. It’s two songs (since it’s a double album) from prog/psych rock trio, Aphrodite’s Child’s 1972 (year I was born) album, 666. This concept-y album was the brainchild of keyboardist and other instrumentalist, Vangelis…yes, the ‘Chariots of Fire’ Vangelis! This album is so radical and textured and has been in my ears quite a bit the last couple days. It’s filled with stuff like the next two tracks, and other stuff completely different, so dig…
mp3 audio: Aphrodite’s Child – The Four Horsemen
mp3 audio: Aphrodite’s Child – The Lamb
Here’s a West Side Story song as done by Yes, which was actually stuck in my head for the second half of yesterday, after Franny and I left the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival at Tompkins Square Park. Yes never put this song on an album but it has appeared on many re-releases over the years, including Rhino’s reissue of Yes’ first self-titled album. Anyway, be sure to dig.
mp3 audio: Yes – Something’s Coming
Here’s a great track from the Kings of Leon’s latest studio album Because of the Times, which if you don’t have and you like rock and roll, you should get asap. I was just thinking, as much as I dig the White Stripes, I listen to Kings of Leon more often and skip them less on the iPod. We saw an excellent performance from these guys at Bonnaroo this summer and, although I haven’t purchased it yet, I’d guarantee you that this new iTunes presents Live from SoHo set, will knock off thine socks. Maybe even blow ‘em right through your shoes! This was recorded at the Apple Store in SoHo earlier this summer. Anyway, dig the song… it’s a nicey…
mp3 audio: Kings of Leon – On Call
Buy Because of the Times or Live from SoHo
I just learned that THE jazz drummer, Max Roach, passed away yesterday and I wanted to pay him a little tribute. Roach pioneered drums as an art form and helped create the rhythmic flow of bebop and helped move jazz into the direction that we all dig the most. Do yourself a favor and read more about quite possibly the greatest jazz drummer ever, in this Washington Post article. Then do your ears a favor and hear some of my earliest memories of Max Roach music through M’Boom, a group of 8 percussionist which he put together in 1979 and made this AMAZING album, which I checked out at the public library in high school, ten years later. “The Glorious Monster” awaits below. R.I.P. Max Roach. Dig…
AAC audio: Max Roach – The Glorious Monster
Yo, here’s a great instrumental song from a 70′s Afro-Rock band that consisted of 4 African and 3 Caribbean musicians. And look, their cover art was done by Yes cover artist, Roger Dean. These guys made some fantastic albums, so check ‘em out. Dig…
mp3 audio: Osibisa – Y Sharp
Check out this Hall & Oates cover by Nina Simone from her 1978 album Baltimore. This album also had another cover of a song that I love originally by Randy Newman, called “Baltimore”, which I originally knew through the Tamlins reggae version. Dig it…
mp3 audio: Nina Simone – Rich Girl
This one tracks back to the last Rock Trivia question (Question 25) as the group that Matt spilled the beans about. Whatever, right? We all love beans. And this here 10cc song is like one of your favorite beans. No, it’s not green… it’s succulent. And guess what album it was on! Are you all aware that 2 members of 10cc went on to be Godley and Creme after 10cc split? They also have some really great songs. And they did the Herbie Hancock ‘Rockit’ video! Anyway, do me a favor…dig.
mp3 audio: 10cc – I’m Mandy, Fly Me
I’ve got a seriously tasty treat for you Steely Fans out there…actually I’ve got a little aperitif while you link over to our pals at Hidden Track and download the whole damn meal. It’s a Steely set that was recorded for a radio program in ’74 and the quality is awesome…no static at all! So here’s my fave so far from the set to tide you over…
mp3 audio: Steely Dan – The Boston Rag (Live)
…and whilst you listen to that, head over to Hidden Track and download the rest…take me to Hidden Track. You’ll be happy you did.
Big thanks to our buddies at Hidden Track!
Tell you what, I gotta say I favor this live album over the highly-acclaimed Stop Making Sense. I’ve only heard it since it was re-released on CD for the first time in 2004 and the sound is spectacular, the additional tracks are in no way filler, and you get half the songs just as the core quartet and the other half with the larger 10-piece band. Perfect! The name of this album is The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads.
Here’s a track from the 4-piece half, since it is a good contrast from the stuff on Stop Making Sense. How cool would it have been to see these cats at CBGB back in the day?! This was recorded somewhere between ’77 and ’79. Dig please…
