Date
January 2, 2017
Miracler
Toby Barlow
Location
Detroit
Liner Notes from TB
“Sadness lies in the shadow of the stars”
-
from the song “Sukiyaki”
This year. Fuck it.
Each of us has our stories
about these artists and our lives. We have introspective, loving, sexy and fun
tales of being children blossoming into adolescents and then maturing into a
group of people who vaguely resemble adults while all this music played. We
have tales of undressing lovers and dancing on hot, wild nights and driving in our
cars singing along so loud our voices grew hoarse with joy. We all have
stories.
I’m not going to disturb
your memories with mine.
Actually, I’m not going to
say much this year because there is way too much to say:
(1)
“Sorrow” Bramfitt
put this on a mix a few years back. Seems like the right place to start.
(2)
This album put Leonard
back near the center of things. In one interview about it he said, "On I'm Your Man,
my voice had settled and I didn't feel ambiguous about it. I could at last
deliver the songs with the authority and intensity required." Authoritative and intense, indeed.
(3)
George Michael. Were
any of you surprised at how much you felt when he left? I was.
(4)
Mystery Train. Elvis
has been gone a long time now, but his guitarist Scotty Moore only just left.
(5)
Sharon Jones. I spent
a big chunk of this past year reading Peter Guralnick’s
excellent book “Sweet Soul Music” because Bowie told me too. I highly recommend
it. The sound Guralnick writes about, one of the best sounds in the world, pretty
much disappeared for a while. It was just gone. Then Sharon Jones brought it
back.
(6)
Prince. Well, I don’t
have anything to say about this tune, because it’s perfect.
(7)
That sound I
mentioned a couple of tunes ago? Wayne Jackson was one half of the legendary
Memphis Horns. They made that sound. He played with everyone from Elvis to Otis
to Willie to U2 to Solomon Burke, you name ‘em and Wayne and his partner Andrew
Love were standing right behind ‘em, playing it tight. Aretha and Carla Thomas and
Al Green especially. And this particular tune, by the Mar-Kays, was the first
song that Wayne played the first day he ever walked into a recording studio, way
back in 1961. It went on to reach number two on the charts. Not a bad start.
(8)
Leon Russell was
everything you want music to be.
(9)
The bass player on
this Van tune is Rob Wasserman. An anchor of the Marin County scene, he played with
Branford Marsalis, Elvis Costello, Ricky Lee Jones, Lou Reed and more. He also did
a lot of his own stuff. He was a sweet guy, soft spoken and extremely talented.
He got me backstage at a Lou Reed show once, it was a perfect night.
(10)
Lonnie Mack was an
Indiana boy whose premier album “Wham!” is considered one of the cornerstone
records of rock n’ roll. One person who liked the album a lot was a nine-year-old
Stevie Ray Vaughn. According to his biography, “Mack’s 1963 instrumental did a number on Steve. He played
“Wham!” over and over and over until the grooves began to wear off the 45. He
slowed it down to 33 1/3 RPM to decipher the notes that blurred past at the
speed of sound and the tricky turnarounds. His single-minded determination not
only annoyed his elder brother, it drove his father nuts. After hearing the
song for what must have been the 726th time, Big Jim Vaughan burst into Steve’s
room, yanked the record off the turntable, and smashed it to bits. Undeterred,
Steve simply went out and bought another copy.” In the 80’s, Mack
was on the verge of drifting into obscurity. Then he signed with Alligator and
made a killer album “Strike Like Lightning.” When he opened that tour at New York’s
Lone Star Cafe, Dylan, Paul Simon, and Mick Jagger were in the audience. And Keith
Richards and Ron Wood were up on the stage, playing along with Lonnie. It went
on to be one of the best-selling independent albums of the year.
(11)
Of all the bands we hated,
it turned out the Eagles had the most integrity. This is one of their two great
songs.
(12)
Merle.
(13)
Chauffeur Blues.
Honestly, I’m not much of an Airplane/Starship fan either. But Kantner died
this year as did the band’s original singer, Signe Toly Anderson. Actually,
they died on the exact same day. Back in ’66 she announced she was leaving
Airplane after she married one of Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and had a baby. I like
this song. I wish she had stayed with the band.
(14)
Mott the Hoople’s longtime
drummer Dale Griffin passed away. Their biggest hit, All the Young Dudes, was written and produced by Bowie after the
band rejected his Suffragette City.
I’m always charmed at how, on songs that Bowie produced (a) he always found a
way to sing the background vocals and (b) he always turned those background
vocals up just a little bit louder than you usually hear background vocals.
(15)
This is a reminder
that we live in a democracy, that we need to keep fighting for the rights of
every person in this country, we have to fight for our environment, our clean
air and water, for the rich biological diversity that surrounds us, oh, and we need to try to respect and love
one another. Thank you Sharon Jones.
(16)
Can I Kick It? Recorded
by A Tribe Called Quest in ’89 when MC Phife Dawg was just 19 years old but not
released until ‘91. He was a 19 year-old kid rapping about how he wanted Dinkins
to be his black mayor. Enlightened stuff. In the end, Lou ended up getting most
of the money from this tune.
(17)
Turn it up and dance
(18)
Keep it turned up.
Dance some more.
(19)
Keep dancing.
(20)
Collapse on the
couch, exhausted, soak in this song, so much fun, so understanding, so sweet
and sexy. Let the tears slide down
your cheek.
(21)
Okay, sit up and take
a deep breath. We need to keep fighting. Do you have any idea what Sharon Jones
had to go through to get to the moment where she was recording this song?
Listen and learn.
(22)
Now have you got your
breath back? Good, because it’s time to dance again. I love this song for a lot
of reasons. But the MTV video was an insidious piece of marketing. The lyrics
are clearly about growing up, becoming a star and deciding it’s the right time
to come out of the closet and just be gay. But back in 1990 his record company
wasn’t quite ready for all that. So what did they do? They hired David Fincher
to shoot the absolute sexiest supermodel video ever, with Linda Evangelista, Naomi
Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford. I mean listen to the lyrics and think about that. But don’t
think too hard, because you really need to concentrate on your dancing.
(23)
Yep, sorry for all
that talking, keep dancing. By the way, now is the time to mention that Maurice
White, the lead singer of this amazing band, passed away this year.
(24) “There’s hell to pay
when the fiddler stops.” Look, what can I say.
(25)
George Martin.
(26)
Okay, close your eyes
and look up at the stars.
(27)
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
(28) Sukiyaki’s
lyricist Rokusuke Ei passed away. “I look
up as I walk, counting the stars with tearful eyes.” In years past, this
would be where I would stop.
(29)
But we’re just gonna
keep going, right?
(30)
We’re not gonna stop
yet.
(31) “I love you in a
place where there’s no space or time...and when my life is over, remember when
we were together. We were alone and I was singing this song for you…”
And that’s where
we stop.
If you want these mixes to continue, please comment on this and others, as the Prodge is thinking seriously about shutting down after this one, due to lack of participation.
If you want these mixes to continue, please comment on this and others, as the Prodge is thinking seriously about shutting down after this one, due to lack of participation.
Mix is UP. Check your email for password. To comment on this mix, click on the 'Comment' button below the post and write something. If you don't have/want to use your Google etc. accounts, just type your name in the "Name" box and you are done. See you back here or on our members-only Facebook page soon. XOK
23 comments:
Toby I always love your RIP mix and maybe it's the rainy day today while visiting my sick mom, maybe it's living in a country that voted in Voldemort, maybe it's because 'm about to get a lot older (60 just seems like ...old) but in reality it's the joy and melancholy of life as expressed in music that is really getting to me as I listen to Leon Russell's Song for You.
Thanks for giving us so many tunes from so many greats we lost this past year and my only quibble is "Where's Dan Hicks"?
Toby thank you again for another master mix. This one really did deem extra tracks by so many of these musical giants. Feels like a millennial mix. And closing it out with "A Song For You"...tears....
Miraculers, if you have not made a conclomerate mix of Toby's R.I.P. collections then I suggest you do. You will find yourself in the throws of 10 plust hours of Free Form!
It might cut the sadnees out of this years a little.
Now lets keep on keeping on...
Mr. Barlow,
Thanks for a thoughtful collection. Very enjoyable, considering...
Yes, nice to see the end of 2016. Trying to stay optimistic about 2017 - I think I'll listen again.
Thanks for this mix, Toby; you did the research & also made a musically cohesive segue-fest. Also thanks for the other years' mixes. And thanks for the Bowie book project. Some of my favorite books read last year were from it: Hitchens, Kidd, Barnes, & Friedrich. Some people do, and others teach, and others criticize and others would criticize if they got around to it.
Happy 2007!
Oh yeah, RIP Steve Young: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-m-a-r-r-s-pump-up-the-volume-became-dance-musics-first-pop-hit-20160714
And like Mark said, Dan Hicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBGeQ0zSifc
I saw him... Oh never mind. ;-)
Hey Toby....thanks for putting together another thoughtful RIP mix. Have to say this one had an extra heaping helping of bittersweet. I agree with Mark, the rainy day vibes today are somewhat appropriate as backdrop to my listening. I especially liked the "Can I Kick It?" transition to full-on dance party/celebration of all these amazing artists. Thanks Toby. This one is already on repeat.
After losing so many talented peeps this year, here's to hoping that the 2017 RIP mix really sucks. ;-)
While I'm thanking people, thanks Kelly for hosting 3mpmp all these years. Maybe we (you, haha) should try transmitting the music via spotify playlists, with a playlist discussion here on the blog. Less labor-intensive.
But Sam K if we had just done it on Spotify, no Prince.
That Lonnie Mack number is pretty f*ckin' amazing!
TJB, Toby, yes it's all tradeoffs but you could still find covers, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3VsypPCeO0
that'd be ok
Fantastic to bring them all the casualties together. It would be such a shame for the Prodge to exit on a dead note, what with all this Trump / BREXIT gloom to content with. Hope you feel the love hostess! Paul
Love Signe Toly. The guys never let her sing much, but she deserved to. Sharon Jones deserved to be here a lot longer. "A Song For You" can't have been written by a mere mortal. And how amazing is it that all the other original members of Mott The Hoople are still with us? Great, comprehensive comp. Curious - what's the other Eagles song?
I don’t know why I keep ending up walking in the rain while I listen to mixes, but it’s fitting again. It was a rough year. Right out of the gate, I was broken up. Bowie, Cohen and George Micheal. Those alone would have been enough to make it a bad year. Toby, I agree about the loss of George Michael causing more emotion than I’d expected. It was such a horrible surprise.
As an aside, I was in a band in Cincinnati in the early 90s that played a Leonard Cohen tribute show and I stomped around the rehearsal space for probably half an hour absolutely insisting that we had to play I’m Your Man. I was resolute. I was also the bass player so I was easily vetoed. I really should have taken up the guitar.
Mystery Train is a wonderful song. I love that guitar sound.
Sharon Jones did so much for soul music. There was so much emotion in her voice. I feel so fortunate to have seen her perform. It’ll be interesting to see what the Dap Kings do next.
I love the Mar-Keys. I honestly didn’t know that we’d lost Wayne Jackson this year. I need to dig through my record collection to spend some time with him in honor. Such a great sound.
I’ve said it before, and will again. Leon Russell was super groovy.
I didn’t know about Rob Wasserman either. I apparently had been walking around in a mist for the last half of the year.
I loved Lonnie Mack. That Flying V always looked so silly to me, but he played that thing like he was wrestling a snake and he just might lose.
Merle’s voice sounds like my childhood. Every time he starts to sing, my mind goes back to walking down red dirt roads in the wilds of Oklahoma. It took me years to get that red clay out of my belongings, but I let Merle’s voice stay in my head.
I agree completely about Signe Toly Anderson. It would have been so interesting to see the direction the band would have gone if she’d stayed with them. I’ll bet Starship wouldn’t have had to happen.
All The Young Dudes is now absolutely blasting out of my speakers now and I’m moved to don my slicker again, strap on my headphones and go back out into the rain to listen to the rest of the mix again.
Thank you, Toby. This mix is equally heartbreaking and hopeful. I appreciate you putting it together. We all need it.
Thank you, Sir.
I remember a National Lampoon parody of Rolling Stone in my youth. It was called Rolling Home and had a runaway tombstone on the cover. The joke was every article was an obituary for another dead blues musician as the papers were full of real ones.
I kind of think 2016 is the kickoff year for a major culling of our collection generations of pop people.
Bowie was the one that had me and so many people in a wounded daze. I guess him and Stevie Wonder were the singular Beatles for the 1970s and '80s...maybe Prince picked up the mantle for about a decade?? George Michael was the best singer of his generation -- strange, because within the industry he was known as a real Prince type -- could play and do everything but just try and find him solo at the piano or guitar. The entire Listen W/O Prejudice album also started the break-beats and acoustic guitar thing that is still around.
Sharon Jones -- what an amazing second act to her life. Maurice White could be in La La Land -- a jazz drummer who figured out how to keep jazz alive in pop music. Leonard Cohen was one of those artists I heard about years before I heard him and then didn't stop listening to. Leon Russel was one of the artists my generation was supposed to rebel against. "Song for You" was a big jazz standard in my childhood. You'd see people like Lena Horne or Jack Jones sing it on Merv or Carson as a kid. Great tune..my favorite version is by Shirley Horn.
Merle was also the first and maybe only country musician on the cover of Downbeat. There was a lot of swing in his tunes. He seemed like he could have died at any moment forever. Or that he would live forever.
Bowie still summed up the year for me with "This Is Not America." Oh, wrong -- it actually is.
Thanks all for the thoughtful thoughts. And thanks for Kelly for keeping this going for so long.
Interesting to think how we might evolve this. but I hope we don't abandon it. We're going to need to sing together and harmonize in new and beautiful ways to make it through these next four fucking years.
Love to you all, 3 minute brothers and sisters.
Toby
"What will they do in two thousand years?” For the past month, since Toby’s mix was delivered, this question from Leon Russel’s "Roll Away The Stone" has been on my mind. It’s existential conundrum stuff. But there’s also something soothing in that question. Times have been seeming increasingly weird since November 8. But if we think in thousand-year spans, like Russel does in this song, what we’re all doing now, both individually and in all our groupings, is really, really insignificant stuff. Let’s groove on the impermanence of everything. My go-to pacifying mantra that I repeat to myself whenever I'm frazzled by life’s ruinous expectations: We’re all just molecules. And those molecules are made of ever-dinkier stuff. Stuff that is even below being stuff. We’re just energy bouncing around in time, and at a gazillion different levels other than our own none of it matters. Yet it also does – but only on the terms that we invent in our minds.
Thanks as always for the great mix, Toby! Poetic serendipities abound. While first listening to “Roll Away The Stone” I was struck by how much its opening sounds like Mott The Hoople’s "All The Way From Memphis” and then, further along the mix’s sequence, comes Mott’s “All The Young Dudes.” Grapes come in bunches and artists do too.
Loads of love for this mix. Gratefulness to all who leave us vibrations that keep on vibrating.
Overend Watts on bass with thigh-high white leather platform boots, natch.
Can't help but notice how the song climaxes like Bowie's "Suffragette City."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPWCg-iuqqs
Oh yeah – forgot to dig on the cover photo! A young Carrie Fisher backstage watching her mom, Debbie Reynolds, show her how life is lived.
Thanks Toby! Another sad gem of a mix. Here's hoping 2017 will be less heartbreaking. My vote for the other great Eagles song is One of These Nights, but I do have a soft spot for Desperado... Btw, there is a great Fresh Air interview with Sharon Jones which is worth a listen. -Lauren
Happy Fucking New Year...
Thanks for the fine collection Toby; these RIP mixes are a potent reminder that all things must pass and we should be thankful for the moments that artists create that we can share on our brief run on the stage.
Sorrow indeed...
What a great mix, which means what a great deal of loss. I've been numb since Bowie. But realize now I need to dig into a few of these artists more...like Leon. I certainly appreciate the double (a few triple) dips too.
Love your commentary on the (14) Mott the Hoople (Dale Griffin) track. Bowie.
What a sad, lovely mix.
I'm getting major chills all the way through this.
Eagles. TWO songs? This causes much head scratching—what could the one *other* one be? Because I can think of MANY contenders, all great! (screw you, haters)
Merle. More chills.
Mott the Hoople always reminds me of the Queens Logic soundtrack. Which is probably an embarrassing admission (what else is new?). But man, I loved that soundtrack to death.
kiss. sigh.
more chills.
and again.
I don't think I've listened to Freedom since it came out. Not sure if I ever saw the video and glad for that. What a hook.
Ring the bells that still can ring. And I still have the Sukiyaki 7". Okay, maybe not this version.
and the cover photo.
Never stop.
Thanks Tony. These RIP mixes are always beautiful if sad.
Silly random thought -- I never noticed until the other day how "If I Was Your Girlfriend" invented Chris Rock. Genius.
Totally screwed up that joke with my ability to mix up names, didn't I? Of course I meant Chris Tucker.
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