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“Monster / Suicide / America” by Steppenwolf
From their fourth album, ‘Monster’, released November, 1969
Once the religious, the hunted and weary
Chasing the promise of freedom and hope
Came to this country to build a new vision
Far from the reaches of kingdom and pope
Like good Christians, some would burn the witches
Later some got slaves to gather riches
But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light
And once the ties with the crown had been broken
Westward in saddle and wagon it went
And 'til the railroad linked ocean to ocean
Many the lives which had come to an end
While we bullied, stole and bought our a homeland
We began the slaughter of the red man
But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding lightThe blue and grey they stomped it
They kicked it just like a dog
And when the war over
They stuffed it just like a hog
And though the past has it's share of injustice
Kind was the spirit in many a way
But it's protectors and friends have been sleeping
Now it's a monster and will not obey
The spirit was freedom and justice
And it's keepers seem generous and kind
It's leaders were supposed to serve the country
But now they won't pay it no mind
'Cause the people grew fat and got lazy
And now their vote is a meaningless joke
They babble about law and order
But it's all just an echo of what they've been told
Yeah, there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watchin'
Our cities have turned into jungles
And corruption is stranglin' the land
The police force is watching the people
And the people just can't understand
We don't know how to mind our own business
'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us
Now we are fighting a war over there
No matter who's the winner
We can't pay the cost
'Cause there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watching
AMERICA where are you now?
Don't you care about your sons and daughters?
Don't you know we need you now
We can't fight alone against the monster
It seems hard to believe that this song & album, ‘Monster’ was released 50 years ago next month!?! Most folks just remember Steppenwolf from their big hit & biker anthem, “Born to Be Wild”, but they had much more going on than that. Their records were consistently strong and their lyrics were well thought out, well worth considering. The above song does a good job of capturing the darker side of American history, much of it still rings true today. Who is the MONSTER that they are warning us about?!?! Check out some of the YouTube videos for this song. - BLG/DMG
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I been thinking about what makes a perfect song. The first records I bought as a kid were singles, 7” 45’s, one song per side. Between 1965 & 1969 I bought upwards of 100 singles, often playing them on a small portable turntable that I could take outside. Most singles were 3 minutes or less and they seemed to capture a fleeting feeling, a vibe, an instance that inspired and/or uplifted us, a soundtrack for period of time in life that was always evolving, watching our personal history and world history change from day to day. I stopped buying singles around 1970 when I was acquiring a large collection of albums. I started buying singles again after I graduated college (in 1976), when the New Wave/Punk/No Wave took off around 1977. While attending the Institute of Audio Research on University in Manhattan, I would stop in Bleecker Bob’s and buy 3 singles every week, reading about them in Melody Maker, NME or Trouser Press. This is how I discovered Pere Ubu, Thomas Dolby, Elvis Costello, Televison and loads of more obscure bands. In the eighties, I wrote for Jersey Beat Zine for nearly a decade and again discovered even more bands, hard core, psych, roots rock, noise, etc. Here’s a short list of my fave bands from that era: Gun Club, Dream Syndicate, American Music Club, Shockabilly, Young Turks, Tiny Lights, AOD, Dead Kennedys, Minutemen, REM, the Feelies, the Bongos, Dinosaur, DNA… I recently went through my entire singles collection of around 700 pieces. This brings back a good deal of good memories and I try to listen to 1 or 2 every couple of nights.
The above song, “Sylvio” was written by my longtime favorite songwriter/poet Bob Dylan but the lyrics are by Robert Hunter, who wrote the majority of lyrics for the Grateful Dead. Listening to that song now, it still sounds fresh, inspired, catchy, not just the words but the groove and perhaps the melodic hook. For me, there is nothing better than dancing to and singing along with a song that you love. You just get lost in the moment and forget the rest of the other BS that brings us down. Stop reading the bad news and put on those groovy dancing shoes and get down! - BLG
“Sylvio” written by Bob Dylan & Robert Hunter Found on Bob Dylan’s album, ‘Down in the Groove’ from 1988 Stake my future on a hell of a past
Looks like tomorrow is coming on fast
Ain't complaining 'bout what I got
Seen better times, but who has not?
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Honest as the next jade rolling that stone
When I come knocking don't throw me no bone
I'm an old boll weevil looking for a home
If you don't like it you can leave me alone
I can snap my fingers and require the rain
From a clear blue sky and turn it off again
I can stroke your body and relieve your pain
And charm the whistle off an evening train
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
I give what I got until I got no more
I take what I get until I even the score
You know I love you and furthermore
When it's time to go you got an open door
I can tell you fancy, I can tell you plain
You give something up for everything you gain
Since every pleasure's got an edge of pain
Pay for your ticket and don't complain
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go, go
Find out something only dead men know
One of these days and it won't be long
Going down in the valley and sing my song
I will sing it loud and sing it strong
Let the echo decide if I was right or wrong
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
Come on
Come on
“Cleaning Windows” by Van Morrison
Oh, the smell of the bakery from across the street
got in my nose
as we carried our ladders down the street
with the wrought-iron gate rows
i went home and listened to jimmie rodgers in my lunch-break
bought five woodbines at the shop on the corner
and went straight back to work.
Oh, sam was up on top
and i was on the bottom with the v
we went for lemonade and paris buns
at the shop and broke for tea
i collected from the lady
and i cleaned the fanlight inside-out
i was blowing saxophone on the weekend
in that down joint.
What's my line?
i'm happy cleaning windows
take my time
i'll see you when my love grows
baby don't let it slide
i'm a working man in my prime
cleaning windows (number a hundred and thirty-six)
I heard leadbelly and blind lemon
on the street where i was born
sonny terry, brownie mcghee,
muddy waters singin' "i'm a rolling stone"
i went home and read my christmas humphreys' book on zen
curiosity killed the cat
kerouac's "dharma bums" and "on the road"
What's my line?
i'm happy cleaning windows
take my time
i'll see you when my love grows
baby don't let it slide
i'm a working man in my prime
cleaning windows...
The above song, “Cleaning Windows” first appeared on a Van Morrison album called ‘Beautiful Vision’ from 1982. It is one of my favorite songs ever and it captures something special. I made a mix cassette in the early 1980’s that I used to listen to in my car over & over. The 90 minute cassette contained perhaps 30 roots rock songs that made me feel good due to the positive energy the generated. The music, the words, the feeling they got across. It also consisted of songs from Maria Muldaur (1st album), Tim Buckley, Richard Thompson, Lloyd Cole, Paul Butterfield’s Better Days, Dr. John, Little Feat, Roy Harper… That tape and the car (Subaru hatchback) that I played it in are long gone, but I still remember most of the songs in the sequence on that tape. I have been thinking about the way a song or album can transport us somewhere else, inspire us, make us smile, laugh, get angry or even cry. Sometimes the harsh reality of the daily grind is just too much so when I go home I play at least one album which will make me feel like a human being who is part of a larger family. I have been going out of my way to talk to my neighbors, strangers on the train or subway or streets, just to be friends. We need to reach out and realize that we are all connected and not alone. Say hello to someone you don’t know, flash them a smile, shake their hand or give them a hug. It will both of us feel better to be alive. Peace & Love from Brother Bruce
“Con el nombre de The Wild Flowers, en 1964, Robert Wyatt, Graham Flight, Richard Sinclair, Brian Hopper, Hugh Hopper y Kevin Ayers formaban uno de los grupos más importantes que circulaban por Inglaterra. Su principal radio de acción estaba en Canterbury y sus alrededores. Su música tenía algo de fantástica, algo de jazzística, y bastante de elaboración. En 1967, Wyatt y Ayers dejan el grupo para incorporarse a Soft Machine.
La marcha de estos dos importantes músicos hizo pasar una mala racha a The Wild Flowers, pero ninguno de los componentes que quedaban pensaron en la disolución del grupo. Remozaron la estructura de los Flowers con David Sinclair en los instrumentos de teclado, David Lawrence en el bajo, Richard Coughlan en la batería y Pye Hastings con la guitarra.
Con esta formación de cuatro miembros The Wild Flowers duró unos seis meses más. Pasado este tiempo cada uno se fue por su parte con vistas a clarificar ideas y buscar el tipo de música que querían tocar. En enero de 1968 nace CARAVAN. Sus cuatro miembros eran Pye Hastings, Richard Sinclair, David Sinclair y Richard Coughlan. Esta formación duró hasta julio de 1971. Durante este tiempo hicieron tres álbumes: “CARAVAN”, “If i could do it all over again, i’d do it all over you” y “In the land of Grey and Pink”. Este último álbum capituló a CARAVAN de forma definitiva. Su riqueza musical era cada vez más imaginativa y la banda supo sacar la rentabilidad suficiente a este primer éxito importante.
El siguiente álbum “Waterloo Lily”, se realizó sin la presencia de David Sinclair. En su lugar, haciéndose cargo de los instrumentos de teclado, se incorporó sólo para este disco Steve Miller. Miller era un viejo conocido de los tiempos de Wilde Flowers, y sabía más o menos las aspiraciones de CARAVAN como grupo. Su paso por la banda contribuyo de forma importante a crear alrededor de CARAVAN una imagen de grupo instrumentista que, actualmente, aún persiste. Al poco tiempo de editarse el disco Steve Miller abandonó el grupo para formar DELIVERY. Con él también desapareció Richard Sinclair, éste para formar HATFIELD and the NORTH.
Mientras Pye Richard y Coughlan volvieron a reestructurar CARAVAN. Parecía que siempre iban a estar con los mismos problemas. Tres nuevos miembros dejaron el grupo definitivamente constituido en la forma que hoy se les conoce.
Las vicisitudes por las que CARAVAN ha pasado solamente los miembros del grupo o los que han pasado por él las conocerán. Lo que es innegable son las ganas de hacer música y el instinto de supervivencia de Richard Coughlan y Pye Hastings.
Conscientes de la importancia de CARAVAN en el contexto de la música actual, presentamos ahora este álbum doble conteniendo dos de los discos más importantes de CARAVAN. La diferencia de tiempo entre una grabación y otra (“Waterloo Lily” en 1972 y “CARAVAN and the New Symphonia” en 1974) y la variación en el personal que realizó dichas grabaciones, demuestran que el espíritu de CARAVAN lo mantienen los dos únicos supervivientes a las diversas formaciones del grupo: Pye Hastings y Richard Coughlan.” ■
"En la primera edición del vinilo, la batería la tocó Ringo Starr, aunque en sucesivas ediciones, se utilizó la versión grabada con el baterista de sesión Andy White, pues a Martin no le gustaba la interpretación de Ringo, que en esa versión tocó el pandero. Para la posterior edición del elepé, se incluyó esa toma, con White. El single alcanzó el puesto número 17 en las listas británicas."
«Anonymous Fab Four of the Avant-Garde whose absurd musical deconstructions have alternated between experimentalism and accessibility.»
Singles Going Steady was the first Buzzcocks album to be released in North America and intended as an introduction to the band for the American public, coinciding with a tour of the US. Side one of the original release of the album featured their eight UK single releases on United Artists Records from 1977 up to the time of Singles Going Steady’s release in 1979 in chronological order, while side two featured their corresponding B-sides, also in chronological order. ■ ALL Music Guide
