Eye of Tiger - 30 years later; Survivor and Jim Peterik

From the songwriter himself:  "30 years since "Eye Of The Tiger" was released as a single! I remember right after it was released Survivor was booked to play at Six Flags in Gurnee. At the time, we had no idea how the song was going to do. But we walked out and the place was packed and we thought, "This is good..." and then we played EOTT at the end and everyone went crazy! I looked over at Frankie and went, "What is this?"   I mean, there were people screaming, fists in the air -- just insanity! We said, "Holy mackerel! I think we've got something here!" But it seems like a snap of the finger ago - hard to believe it's been thirty years. That was the high point of my career at the time, and in terms of the impact the song had on people back then and even to this day... it truly was a band effort and couldn't have happened without all the pieces in place. Between me and Frankie writing it, Marc Droubay and Stephan Ellis laying down that beat, the way Dave Bickler sang it - it was just one of those magic moments in music.  The song is still everywhere. A recent survey showed that 45% of the people questioned considered it their favorite motivational song. That's huge, especially 30 years after it was written. It still amazes me. I never thought that far ahead - in rock'n'roll, you only think about the current charts or maybe the upcoming year. To think that it's still around is a mind-blower. And every generation seems to discover it and make it their own. The young kids now are playing it in Rock Band! There's something in the DNA of that song that just won't let go.  I think part of the appeal is the simplistic arrangement. There's nothing blatantly 80's-sounding. It's guitar and drums and vocals, with a little piano. It really comes from the "less is more" school, and it's worked!  Thank you!!!  Jimbo (Jim Peterik).  Copied from Jim's Facebook wall.

JUMP 'N THE SADDLE BAND - The Curley Shuffle; and a local connection

JUMP 'N THE SADDLE BAND - The Curley Shuffle. The Trinka family was down the street in the town where I grew up.  Tom is the saxophonist in the Jump 'N the Saddle Band.  They were more or less a country pop group.  They scored a regional hit with the (novelty) song "The Curly Shuffle" in 1983, a tribute to The Three Stooges.  As the tune picked up steam on radio, the group signed to the legendary label -  Atlantic Records and released a self-titled album, - photo above - composed mostly of covers, in 1984.  "The Curly Shuffle" became a major U.S. hit, peaking at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.  The band entered into negotiations with Atlantic for a follow-up album in 1984.  I read that the label wanted them to record a song called "Shaving Cream" for their next single, which the band did care to do; they recorded the song, but with added lyrics critical of the label, and were soon dropped.  Thus their success was short-lived, and the group never had nationwide exposure again, but they continued to play in the Chicago area, still doing shows into the 2000s.

Neil Young CD Review - Americana

First off, just because I don't like Neil Young "enough" - does not mean I don't like him at all.  I just sampled all of the songs from his new CD, Americana.  Most aging artists now are going back in time and unearthing and re-doing old standards and/or going out and playing live concerts of their best albums, in song order.  Peter Gabriel is doing So later this fall.  Van the Man recently did Astral Weeks live.  And Lionel Richie took his songbook to Nashville and re-did his smash hits from the 80's as duets with Shania and Brad et al. for a new hit album.  Don't get me wrong - I am Mr. Nostalgia.  So I like it old.  But Neil reached back way too far with these songs though.  Neil was born in 1945.  From that age group I prefer a Paul Simon.  You may disagree - but from a songwriting perspective, they are on equal footing.  I also would not buy buy Paul McCartney's new CD - Kisses on the Bottom.  The songs:

Get a Job - really?  First done by...the Silhouettes.  Yes, I know that Neil is not trying to give you spot-on cover versions.  He is remaking songs we know - but in his image and likeness.  This classic doo-wop song really should have been left in the fifties.  Sha Na Na does the spot on cover of that.  By the way - Sha Na Na played at Woodstock.  They "opened" for Jimi.  He really hacks up the work chant song Tom Dooley.  From 1929!  You may admit secretly, but not to me, and agree that this one starts out sucking, and does not get much better.  Of course the actual song we know is [Hang Down your Head] Tom Dooley, which was the first song I learned to play on the guitar.  But I give him credit for using the guy's real name - Tom Dula.  The chorus is not necessary.

This Land is My Land would be the purest version on the CD.  His treatment is correct and true to the song.  But he makes it his (theirs - with CH).  A classic - then, and now.  And Gallows Pole - would be Led Zeppelin.   Decent - but does not fit here.  Not sure why he has a beef with the Queen, either.  I won't be buying this CD.  But then again I no longer buy any CD's, so that means nothing.   What I do like is the original Crazy Horse era of Live Rust.  I also prefer C S and N, over Y.  But that's OK - right?

Book Review - The Wrecking Crew -

This is a scanned image of the jacket of the book I just finished, titled - The Wrecking Crew; the Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Bbest Kept Secret, by Kent Hartman.  As the jacket says - it is the story of "the unknown studio musicians who recorded the soundtrack of a generation."  I consider it - and highly recommend it - as a must-read if you want to know more about who played on almost all of the west coast hits starting from around 1965 with the Crystals, all the way to the Wrecking Crew’s last hurrah - 1975's Love will Keep us Together, by the Captain & Tennille.  We find out more about legendary songwriter - the genius Jimmy Webb and 10th annual Grammy Awards presentation.  Where in 1967, Glen Campbell releases a version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," that reaches No. 26.  Leading up to the 1967 Grammy Awards and Webb's "Up, Up and Away" (by The 5th Dimension - first called the Versatiles) was awarded Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  Along with "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" - those two received eight Grammy Awards between them for Webb.  From Phil Specter, to Sonny Bono.  With Leon Russell and the many others.  Best-known 'members' of this unofficial group are Carol Kaye, the great Hal Blaine, Don Peake, Tommy  Tedesco, et al.  Among Blaine's vast list of recordings, he is acknowledged for having played on at least 40 U.S. #1 hits, and more than 150 Top Ten recordings.

Nicolette Larson - In the Nick of Time

Nicolette Larson - In the Nick of Time.  This is her second album, it has much in common with Lauren Wood's eponymous album released the same year.  She does a nice duet with Michael McDonald, there are keyboard performances contributed from the great Bill Payne, some backing vocals from Bobby LaKind and Rosemary Butler, and even a Ronnie Montrose guitar solo!  Larson did have a minor hit with a Michael McDonald duet - called "Let Me Go, Love."  Nicolette does songs here that were written by some greats:  Like Leiber & Stoller (Dancin' Jones).  Lowell George (Trouble).  Holland, Dozier and Holland (Back in my Arms).   And Ted Templeman (Just in the Nick of Time.  But sadly - I just found out she passed away in 1997.   She is best known for her work in the late 1970s with Neil Young, as well as her 1978 cover of Young's "Lotta Love."  That is a great version of that song.  By 1985, she later shifted focus to country music, charting six times on the Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) charts.

Rick Nelson -Garden Party

Rick Nelson's Garden Party.  "Garden Party" is a 1972 hit song for Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band from the album Garden Party, shown above.  The song tells the story of Nelson being booed off the stage at Madison Square Garden, seemingly because he was playing his newer, country-tinged music instead of the 1950s-era rock that he had been successful with earlier, and his realization that "you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself."  The misunderstanding:  On October 15, 1971, a Rock 'n Roll Revival concert was given at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The playbill included many greats of the early rock era, including Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Bobby Rydell.  Nelson came on stage dressed in the then-current fashion, wearing bell-bottoms and a purple velvet shirt, with his hair hanging down to his shoulders. He started playing his older songs "Hello Mary Lou" and "She Belongs to Me", but then he played The Rolling Stones' "Country Honk" (a country version of their hit song "Honky Tonk Women") and the crowd began to boo. While some reports say that the booing was caused by police action in the back of the audience, Nelson took it personally and left the stage.  He watched the rest of the concert backstage and did not reappear on stage for the finale.

The Guess Who - with their SLA - LIVE at the Paramount

Live at the Paramount was the first live album released by Canadian rock group, The Guess Who.  It would be their only live album until their reunion in 1984.  It was recorded live on May 22, 1972 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.  The 2000 re-release included bonus tracks from the same show which were not included on the original pressing like "These Eyes" and "No Time."  There was a re-release of this with additional songs on it.  Burton Cummings: Lead Vocals, Piano, Flute, and Harmonica.  Kurt Winter: Lead Guitar, Vocals.  Don McDougall: Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals.  Jim Kale: Bass, Vocals.  Garry Peterson: Drums, Vocals.