Get three of the top 1970's Pop/Rock Superstars together, with over 150 years of musical experience between them, stick them in a studio and let the magic happen!
(Don, Suzi and Andy)
It's kind of how it went with the collective known as QSP that features Suzi Quatro - Bass and Vocals, Andy Scott (The Sweet) - Guitar and Vocals and Don Powell (Slade) - Drums.
All three were a huge part of my musical life back when I was a kid. There was always the debate as to who was better Slade or The Sweet (Slade won it hands down every time in my book!) and of course the Detroit Dynamite Suzi Quatro was probably one of the first posters on the wall for many a young boy back then! I had seen video of Suzi and Andy working together before back in the 1980's so it was a real surprise to see Don joining them and making a classic little Supergroup!
The album was released in Australia earlier this year when the band were touring and it's only recently been issued here in Europe as a Deluxe Edition. Whilst a number of Cover versions are included on the album the band actually wrote some songs specifically for the album.
I was actually very impressed with it.
QSP
Listen Here:
Tracklist
1 Slow Down 3:45 2 Long Way From Home 6:14 3 Tobacco Road 3:42 4 If Only 4:42 5 Bright Lights Big City 5:45 6 Pain (Band Version) 4:08* 7 Just Like A Woman 5:12 8 Mend A Broken Heart 3:24* 9 The Price Of Love 5:05 10 Broken Pieces Suite 5:54* 11 I Walk On Gilded Splinters 5:57* 12 Late Nights Early Flights 3:52 13 Little Sister 3:09 14 Fever (New Track) 5:38* 15 Tossin' & Turnin' (New Track) 3:17* 16 Pain (Orchestral) 4:03
* Not included on the playlist due to not being available on You Tube.
Here's a new video from Henry Priestman and Les Glover that's worth checking out. The song is taken from their latest album 'Six of One & Half a Dozen of the Other'.
You can get signed copies over on Henry Priestman's Website (Click Here) or over on Les Glover's Website (Click Here).
You'll also be able to find dates of future shows and news of their recent Radio performances on BBC Radio yesterday.
I'm quite excited to hear the new version of the Yachts song Love You Love You which features Mark Kermode (you know him, the guy who does the film review for the BBC).
Les & Henry (borrowed from Mr Glover's fb page!)
We did a wee interview a couple of years ago with Les Glover - check it out here (apologies for the lack of pictures on the page Photobucket for some reason made it impossible for me to get access to my own page and so I ended up losing loads of pictures in the process and had to start a new page altogether).
U2 Bono – vocals, guitar, synthesisers (Stuck In A Moment) The Edge – guitar, piano, vocals, synthesisers (Elevation), strings (Kite) Adam Clayton – bass guitar Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion
Additional musicians Brian Eno – synthesisers, programming, backing vocals, string arrangement Daniel Lanois – backing vocals, additional guitar Paul Barrett – brass (Stuck In A Moment)
Singles on All That You Can't Leave Behind Click On The Links To Listen
This was the album that got me back listening to U2 again. I had been disappointed for a number of years by Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop (though over the years there are songs on each of those albums that I have come to actually like). I had felt that their move into a more experimental "dance" and "electronica" infused sound was not really for me and so All That You Can't Leave Behind represented (at least to my mind) a bit of a return to form. Now, I know some of my friends who are fans of U2 might object to that, and some have tried to encourage me to delve into what they consider some of their finest work with the likes of Achtung Baby etc but where Rolling Stone had considered The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby as two of their "masterpieces" (All That You Can't Leave Behind was considered as their third!) my own thoughts were that The Joshua Tree and it's forerunner The Unforgettable Fire had that particular mantle!
The first hint to me of a bit of a new sound came in the form of the early October release of the first single Beautiful Day. The single became their 4th #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The album as I mentioned seemed to me like a bit of a return to the "old U2". The album cover - black and white, photographed by Anton Corbijn in the departure terminal at Charles de Gaulle in Paris gives an impression of the band "going home".
Even the inclusion of J33-3 on the Gate Departure notice was a little sign maybe of a clearer spiritual view than had been present on the former three albums (J33-3 referencing Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call unto me and I will answer thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."Bono would often refer to that particular verse as "God's phone number". Like it or not, Spirituality is a theme that runs throughout the album from the Biblical imagery of the Book of Genesis found in the opening track Beautiful Day to the closing track Grace ("Grace, it's the name for a girl/It's also a thought that changed the world")! The album contains some of my favourite lyrics of theirs, here's just a few of them:
"What you don't have you don't need it now What you don't know you can feel it somehow"
- Beautiful Day
"And if the night runs over And if the day won't last And if your way should falter Along the stony pass It's just a moment This time will pass"
- Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
"Love, lift me out of these blues Won't you tell me something true I believe in you" - Elevation
"Leave it behind You've got to leave it behind All that you fashion All that you make All that you build All that you break All that you measure All that you steal All this you can leave behind All that you reason All that you sense All that you speak All you dress up All that you scheme" - Walk On
"Did I waste it? Not so much I couldn't taste it Life should be fragrant Roof top to the basement" - Kite
"So I try to be like you Try to feel it like you do But without you it's no use I can't see what you see When I look at the world" - When I Look At The World
"In the stillness of the evening When the sun has had its day I heard your voice a-whispering Come away child" - New York
"What once was hurt What once was friction What left a mark No longer stings Because Grace makes beauty Out of ugly things" - Grace
If I was pressured into saying what my favourite song on the album is it would probably be a three-way tie between Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get OutOf, Walk On and Kite.
The album and all of the singles would win Grammy Awards and to date it has sold over 12 million copies.
There would be a deeper appreciation for some of the songs on the album after 9/11 when the band appeared as part of the 9/11 America: A Tribute To Heroes television benefit show where they performed a snippet of Peace On Earth followed by a rousing performance of Walk On.
A fresh helping of tunes and once again a very mixed bag offering everything from Hip-Hop to Funk, Electronica to Rhythm & Blues, Country to New Wave! A three song tribute to the late Fats Domino as well and boy what a way to spend your time!
It can only be the S4L Radio Show Playlist!
The Playlist
Listen Here:
On The Playlist
Can't Live Without My Radio - L.L. Cool J
Debut single release from L.L. Cool J on Def Jam that barely bullied it's way into the UK Top 100 Singles (stalling at #95) and was the title track to the Debut album 'Radio' released in November 1985. On the UK reissue version (it was originally released in October 1985 in the USA and January 1986 in the UK) of the single released in September 1986 Rock The Bells was the B-Side.
Worth My While - Bootsy Collins (featuring Kali Uchis)
Making a welcome return after an absence of 6 years is the great Bootsy Collins with his brand new album World Wide Funk on Mascot Records. Collins of course has a very colourful past playing with James Brown and George Clinton and Funkadelic, Parliament, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Hardware, Science Faxtion, various collaborations and of course Bootsy's New Rubber Band.
One Nation Under A Groove - Funkadelic
Having mentioned Funkadelic it would seem wrong to move on without playing One Nation Under A Groove (released November 1978 reaching #9 in the UK and #28 in the USA). Have to confess to not really being a great lover of a lot of dance/disco/funk music but I always had a fondness for this track.
State of the Nation - New Order
Released in September 1986 and only reached #30 on the charts and is a personal favourite of mine. The flip side was an alternate version entitled Shame of the Nation.
Land of Shame (Extended Remix) - Spear of Destiny
I have said many times that I'm not always keen on Remixes but there are a few exceptions, this being one of them. Originally on the B-Side of the 12" of Never Take Me Alive that was their biggest hit single reaching #14 way back in 1987 and the original version was also on the Outland album which reached #16 in the UK Charts.
Speaking of Shame (a very poor link indeed! 😀) that kind of leads me onto a wee tribute to the passing of a great Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll Legend Fats Domino. The news of his passing, aged 89, broke yesterday. 😢
So here's a few Fats classics in his honour.
Detroit City Blues - Fats Domino
His first ever release way back in 1949!
Ain't That A Shame - Fats Domino
Mis-titled on the original US label version as Ain't It A Shame. His first ever UK hit in 1955 reaching #23 and #10 in the USA.
Valley of Tears - Fats Domino
Here's another of my favourites from Fats. It was released as a single in 1957 reaching #25 in the UK and #8 in the USA.
Valley of Tears - Solomon Burke (featuring Gillian Welch)
Same song title as the Fats Domino track but a completely different song altogether. This one written by Gillian Welch and here she gets to accompany the big man. The song was featured on his magnificent Nashville album that was produced by Buddy Miller and also featured guest slots by Dolly Parton, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless. I absolutely love this album and would highly encourage you to track it down if you haven't heard it already.
Into The Valley - Skids
Another strange link this one, from Solomon Burke to the Skids! But hey it had to be done. The version on The Playlist is a live version from earlier this year at The Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh. The Skids have been out celebrating 40 years throughout this year.
Art School - The Jam Just out recently a new Box Set spotlighting The Jam's output from 40 years ago in 1977. Included are remastered versions of In The City and This Is The Modern World albums, Demos from 1977, a couple of Peel Sessions, and a previously unreleased live show from The Nashville in London. There's also a DVD that features a couple of Promos and various TV performances (Top of the Pops, Marc and So It Goes).
Do You Love Me - Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers Another album getting reissued as a 40th Anniversary Edition (again! It was only reissued in 2015 on Pink and Black coloured vinyl for Record Store Day!) is L.A.M.F. - The Lost '77 Mixes, it's on Jungle Records (they have certainly milked a lot of pennies on this one having put it out in (1984 - L.A.M.F. Revisited, 1994 - The Lost '77 Mixes, 2003 - The Lost '77 Mixes and Demos, Outtakes and Alternative Mixes, 2011 - The Lost '77 Mixes Clear Vinyl, 2012 and also L.A.M.F. - The Definitive Edition in 2012 on CD and Vinyl in 2013). Money grabbing swines!! 😲 Apprently there is also yet another reissue of So Alone by Johnny Thunders (which was actually only reissued last year!) and also a Picture Disc for a Compilation called Give Him A Great Big Kiss by Johnny Thunders. Both of these are to be released on the RemarquableRecords.
A Matter of Time - Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings Taken from the final album Soul of a Woman that is due for release a year after the passing of Sharon Jones. She died on 18th November 2016 having battled against cancer twice, first in 2013 and then again in 2015. She had a couple of strokes and jokingly had blamed Trump's victory in the Presidential Election for the first of them! Such a great voice that we should feel honoured to hear again if only for one more album!
Over Everything - Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile make for an interesting collaboration on their latest album Lotta Sea Lice (released 13th October 2017). Vile was the former lead vocalist for The War on Drugs and is based in Pennsylvania and wrote this song in particular with Courtney Barnett's voice in mind. As a resulting jam session between the pair took place an album was born.
What The Hell's Goin' On - Flamin' Groovies A live version filmed at a show in Paris last month of the song that opens the first Flamin' Groovies studio album since Rock Juice in 1992 is The Playlist. I'm dying to hear the album myself as from various reviews I've read it sounds like they are on fine form regaining that special sound they have that graced brilliant albums like Teenage Head, Shake Some Action and Supernazz.
Holy Mountain - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds I've not always been warm towards Noel and his High Flying Birds but for some strange reason this little foretaste of his up and coming up album Who Built The Moon? (released in November 2017) sounds mighty fine to my ears. I may have to investigate the album when it comes out. Let's just say that I think this song is better than his brother Liam's album which for an odd reason sounds to me like a Big Issue seller trying to get rid of his last copy! No offence to sellers of the Big Issue was meant there! 😁
Little Bit - Mavis Staples Jeff Tweedy once again has teamed up with Mavis Staples for her new album If All I Was Was Black (due out in November 2017). Following on from her 2016 album Living On A High Note, this new one which is maybe a bit more political is liable to further cement her legendary status. The Parting Shot
This Is How The World Will End - The Elms "When the dollar made with blood is spent, When an enemy can't become a friend. When the better man won't lend a hand, Baby, this is how the world will end. When a day of hope is a rarity, Or a diplomat hasn't time to see That a child lost is a true offense, Baby, this is how the world will end.
Bring a chair up to the table. Bring a message to the crowd. Where's a common trust to deliver us from the wretched and the proud? Sing a tune about the promise. Speak on that which we depend. And if a certain light don't shine again, Baby, this is how the world will end.
When the poorest kid is fending for himself, Or the widow cries, but she gets no help. When we know what's true, but we still pretend, Baby, this is how the world will end.
Bring a chair up to the table. Bring a message to the crowd. Where's a common trust to deliver us from the wretched and the proud? Sing a tune about the promise. Speak on that which we depend. Now let that certain light come shinin' then, Baby, we could change the world again."
Night Moves - Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
Capitol Records
Produced by Bob Seger and Punch Andrews
Released 22nd October 1976
US Chart #8
Listen To The Album Here:
Side 1
Side 2
Personnel All tracks Bob Seger – vocals, guitar
The Silver Bullet Band Drew Abbott – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9); background vocals on "Mary Lou" (track 9) Robyn Robbins – piano, organ (tracks 1, 3, 4, 9) Alto Reed – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 9) Chris Campbell – bass (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 9); background vocals on "Mary Lou" (track 9) Charlie Allen Martin – drums, tambourine, maracas (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 9); background vocals on "Mary Lou" (track 9) Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section Pete Carr – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8) Jimmy Johnson – rhythm guitar (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8) Barry Beckett – piano, organ, ARP synthesizer, clavinet, melodica (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8) David Hood – bass (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8) Roger Hawkins – drums, tambourine, maracas, congas, tympani drums (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8) Additional musicians Jerry Luck – accordion on "Ship of Fools" (track 8) Joe Miquelon – guitar on "Night Moves" (track 2) Doug Riley – piano, organ on "Night Moves" (track 2) Sharon Lee Williams – backing vocals on "Night Moves" (track 2) Rhonda Silver – backing vocals on "Night Moves" (track 2) Laurel Ward – backing vocals on "Night Moves" (track 2)
Recorded at Pampa Sound Studios, Detroit, Michigan (A1, A3, A4, B5) Recorded at Nimbus Nine Studios, Toronto, Canada (A2) Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Alabama (B1, B2, B3, B4)
Success in the music business these days seems to come a lot easier to artists/bands as the expectations of the sales bar have been somewhat lowered but for older artists the bar was quite high and even though they might have been making a great noise on the live front it didn't always guarantee great sales of albums and singles. I was thinking about this today for some reason and noted that today is the 41st anniversary of the release of Night Moves by Detroit rockers Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band. It's actually an album that I quite like (which might come as a surprise to some who know some of the things that I listen to!). So I thought I do a wee post looking at the years leading up to the album. There are lots of links to Bob Seger Albums/Songs etc. Click on them to enjoy the music.
Prior to Night Moves the highest chart placed album Bob Seger had enjoyed was Live Bullet which was released in April 1976 that reached #34 in the USA. He had released three albums and a number of singles under the banner The Bob Seger System between 1969-70 with only the Debut Album Ramblin' Gamblin' Man breaking into the Top 100 (it peaked at #62). A further five albums were released between 1970-75 with Beautiful Loser reaching the highest (if you can call it that) of #131!
Bob Seger had put together The Silver Bullet Band in 1973 and it would be three years and many live shows down the road before they actually begun to sell any records and getting themselves a much wider audience. What makes it more remarkable is that Bob Seger had been playing in bands since 1961 (his first band being The Decibels - they recorded an acetate and had it played on the radio only once, but it was an original song, and the first song ever written by Seger called The Lonely One).
The first official release that he appeared on was in 1965 with his third band Doug Brown and The Omens with a single called TGIF backed by First Girl (which was credited to the band whereas the A-Side is just credited to Doug Brown).
In 1966 he left Doug Brown's band but did retain him as Producer for his next stop with his band Bob Seger and The Last Heard (though East Side Story was the only one of five singles that the band were not credited on). East Side Story was actually written by Seger for another local Detroit band called The Underdogs but I actually can't find a record of that particular release even on Discogs! With the Seger recording more than 50,000 copies of it were sold (though that was mainly in the local market rather than nationwide). Another Detroit band called The Wanted would also release a Cover of the song in 1968. Just as Bob Seger and The Last Heard were getting more attention with their single Heavy Music (a Top 100 Single in Canada!) their label went bust!
In looking for a new label Bob Seger was courted by Motown Records but opted for Capitol Records as he thought they would fit better there despite the fact that Motown were offering more money. Bob Seger and The Last Heard became The Bob Seger System for three albums and a number of singles. Their Captiol Records debut single in 1968 was 2+2=? and was a protest song about America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Whilst not charting in the USA it did make it to #79 in Canada.
His first big Top Twenty single in the USA came courtesy of Ramblin' Gamblin' Man which peaked at #17 (#18 in Canada). It should be noted that Glenn Frey (future member of the Eagles) had his first studio gig playing guitar and laying down backing vocals on Ramblin' Gamblin' Man.
Other singles would pepper the charts between 1969 and early 1976 but most in the lower reaches - Get Out of Denver (1974 reached #80 and was given a new lease of life via Eddie and the Hot Rods in 1976), though Katmandu from the Beautiful Loser album did reach the dizzy heights of #45 in 1975!
As I mentioned above the albums didn't fare so well after the Ramblin' Gamblin' Man Debut album: Noah (September 1969 didn't chart); Mongrel (August 1970 #171); Brand New Morning (October 1971 did not chart); Smokin' O.P.'s (August 1972 #180); Back In '72 (January 1973 #188); Seven (March 1974 did not chart); and Beautiful Loser which I already mentioned above (April 1975 #131).
Night Moves would change everything as between 1976 and 1991 there would be six Top Ten albums including one #1 album in 1980 - Against The Wind.
Forward wind 41 years and Bob Seger is still out playing live and next month (17th November) will release his 18th Studio album entitled I Knew You When. It includes the Lou Reed song Busload of Faith and Glenn Song (a tribute to the departed EagleGlenn Frey). Also included on the album is a cover version of Democracy written by Leonard Cohen.
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