How Good It Is

This week's episode takes a look at a bunch of songs that are covers of other artists' work. Some of them I guarantee you know, others I'm sure will come as a surprise.

This was the song that heralded the Dylan Goes Electric era, and when he first played it live at the 1965 Newport Music Festival, he was met with boos and charges that he'd sold out, or was somehow a "traitor" to his folk roots.

But Bob Dylan stuck to his guns, and "Like a Rolling Stone" became, and remains, his biggest single ever.

This is the picture sleeve of the 45.

If it hadn't been for a quartet from Liverpool and their obvious cry for Help!, it probably would have gone all the way to Number One on the Billboard chart.

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During the podcast I mentioned an interactive video that's connected to this song. Here's the teaser trailer:

But the real fun lies here: you can play with the original video on your own by clicking on this link. I will refund every dime of your money if you don't think this is cool.

This week, Dylan Goes Electric and changes the face of Rock and Roll.

This was the A side of the record, remember.

This week we're taking a look at a song that was never meant to be a hit. In fact, it wouldn't even have appeared on a record if some musicians hadn't been hanging around when someone realized that the record he'd been working on didn't have a B side.

So he rounded up whomever he could find and fortunately, the saxophone player had a tune he'd been fooling around with for a little while, plus he had a fondness for a certain beverage from South of the Border.

Erm...no. The one Down Mexico Way.

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This time around we're looking at the first band to hit the #1 spot on the chart with an instrumental as their debut song. ¡Es bueno!

This is the original sleeve that the record came in. I still have mine, though not quite in this condition.

In the mid 1970s, George Harrison was having a rough time of it. He was still embroiled in the lawsuit over "My Sweet Lord", he was tangled up in other legal issues caused by his breakup with his business manager, his album Extra Texture had taken a beating by the critics, and to top it all off, while recording Thirty Three and 1/3 he was struck with hepatitis and couldn't work for most of the summer of 1976.

 

A still from the promotional film (they weren't calling them "videos" yet) for This Song, from near the end. If you look closely you can see that George's playing hand is cuffed to the cop, played by Harry Nilsson.

But he managed to turn it around with the release of this, the first single off the album. It didn't exactly tear up the charts (it peaked at #25 on the Hot 100), but it did remind us all that George was still around and could still bring it when he wanted to.

This episode was inspired by a suggestion by a friend of mine, who originally asked me to write about a different song that appears on the same album. It turns out that the story behind that song is quite short, not long enough for a full podcast, so I'm saving it for a post you'll see in a couple of days.

As usual, if you haven't subscribed via iTunes or your favorite podcast catcher, you can download it or you can listen right here:

And of course, if you're so inclined, please leave a review on your favorite podcast software. Thanks so much for your support!

As promised, here's the video. So tell me: who can you identify? And is that vampiric-looking prosecutor really Michael Richards?

https://youtu.be/T0i9rjTxhpY

And just for the giggles, here's Billy Preston's version, which was recorded first. You can still hear the "He's So Fine" echoes in it, but I think that, compared to Harrison, Preston might have gotten away with it:

 

https://youtu.be/ih9r0yquoxw

This week we take a look at the lawsuit that plagued George Harrison for the better part of the 70s, and the hit single that resulted from all the turmoil.

Wait, Phil Collins did what?

He drowned a guy? Uh...no.

He humiliated a coward? No.

He shamed someone from his childhood? Also, no.

Many stories swirl around the meaning of Phil Collins' breakout hit from 1981, and so many of them aren't true. Collins was in a world of hurt following the breakup of his first marriage, and he channeled a lot of that energy into writing the Face Value album. This week I go into that a little bit (but only a little bit; it gets kind of tawdry), plus I talk about the sound that makes him instantly recognizable on so many records in the 1980s. And it's a sound that's making its way back into popular music these days.

Phil Collins during his appearance at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia during Live Aid. This particular still is from his performance of "Against All Odds".

With all the changes in the weather we've been having, it's been playing havoc with my voice. So if I don't sound quite right, there's a reason for it. Here's hoping I sound a little better next week.

Also: for those of you not in the know, that weird squeaky noise you hear during the Peter Gabriel clip isn't evidence that I use a cheap office chair, although it's true, I do. That sound is part of the Gabriel song.

As usual, if you haven't subscribed via iTunes or your favorite podcast catcher, you can download the file or listen right here:

And of course, I wouldn't be especially upset if you went to iTunes and gave me a positive review. Even if that's not your podcast catcher, every time someone says something nice about me in iTunes, an angel gets his wings. Right, Clarence?

Links Department:

This is a great video from Vox.com that explains the concept of gated reverb in greater detail.

In the podcast, I mention my suspicion that gated reverb is making a comeback. Also from the Vox article is this Spotify playlist which confirms my theory. (I do hope I linked that correctly; if not then go to the Vox link and listen from there.)

Article from the Miami Herald from last year about Phil Collins finally opening up to the story behind the song.

But naturally, his ex is going to speak her piece. See? Tawdry.

I wasn't kidding about Ozzy Osbourne.

Today we take a look at the real story behind Phil Collins' breakout hit and the secret to the way his drums sound.

One of several labels used for the 45 of this song. I think this was the retail version of the original release, based on what the promo label looks like.

Chester ("Chet") Powers was a musician who was well-known in the café scenes on both coasts, and certainly had his influence on other musicians. He's also known for being a member of the band Quicksilver Messenger Service. But for all that, he only wrote one song that was any kind of a commercial success, and that was after a virtual parade of artists had already recorded it.

This episode also features a 2-1/2 minute clip from a show called "The Life and Times of Dan Ingram", a special program that runs for about six hours (no kidding) about one of the greatest disc jockeys of the Rock and Roll Era. It originally aired on RewoundRadio.com a little over a year ago. Thanks so much to Allan Sniffen, the heart of that website and the guy who knows pretty much everything there is to know about WABC-AM's Musicradio days. And if you go over there, you'll immediately recognize that this show's title is absolutely an homage. (No, I didn't tell Allan that until after he'd agreed to provide me with the clip. Heh.)

Coincidentally (because I'm terrible at planning ahead), I'm typing this post on Thursday evening, September 7. Today happens to be Dan Ingram's 83rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Big Dan!

Dan Ingram at WCBS-FM.

I got to meet him back in the summer of 1984 when he was doing the Top 40 Satellite Survey for CBS Radio, and he couldn't have been a nicer, more giving fellow, especially considering the way my 21-year-old self was sputtering my way through the interview. He had a fabulous way of putting me at my ease. Unfortunately, I no longer have the tape of that interview. (Divorce can be a suck-fest, kids.)

Here's a link to one of Allan's other labors of love:

Musicradio77.com is a collection of stories, photos, airchecks and other goodies for anyone who was a fan of WABC in its Musicradio heyday. Click on the music note at left to visit that site.

As usual, if you haven't subscribed via iTunes or your favorite podcast catcher, you can download the file  or just listen right here:

And of course, I wouldn't complain too loudly if you went to iTunes and gave me a positive review. Even if that's not your podcast catcher, every little bit helps.