Born to Be Wild
John Kay and his band Steppenwolf growling out lyrics about motorcycles. This song was an anthem in its time. It played on the sound track for Easy Rider, and functioned as a wet dream for every kid who could not afford a Harley Davidson pan head hog with an extended front end. Damn hard to steer those things. The outlaw hero as outlaw was the character in the movie made by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. It had a big impact in Europe and redefined motor car laws everywhere. Police and Highway Patrol finally had a simple profile they could arrest, if they dared. My band, Bethlehem Asylum, in Miami had Papa John as our Road Manager and former President of San Berdoo’s Comancheros, a One Percenter, which was third down MC club from the Hell’s Angels. This signifying what these guys really were; Combat Veterans. They were the guys who were in the shit in Nam and Korea, and survived. I don’t begrudge them too much but they were terrifying, Terry the Tramp, towering over me, knocking on my front door asking for his partner Papa John was enough to loosen my bowels. This song definitely has a parking space in my Jukebox brain.
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Wah-Watusi
Wah-Watusi Penned by Kai Mann and Dave Appell in 1962. My JukeBox brain is digging into my preteen memory and replaying this tune on repeat until I want to scream or maybe dance. Recorded by the Orlons. Was that a synthetic fabric? Dick Clark American Bandstand featured the…
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Gimme Shelter
Gimme ShelterRolling Stones nailed the zeitgeist of America back in the Seventies with this song just after the shocking violence at Altamont. The real high point of the song is Mary Clayton’s vocal performance. She put her whole heart and soul into her call and response blending the…
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Fame
Fame David Bowie and John Lennon cowrote this funky hit tune. The groove imitates an original R and B groove maybe from Otis Redding or James Brown. But it has a luster all its own. Lots of angst too. The posturing to avoid fame and glory is appreciated.…
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Chuck E’s In Love
Chuck E’s In Love Rickie Lee Jones penned this great song back in the Seventies and it still holds up. I met Chuck E. Weiss one night in Sherman Oaks at John Herron’s telling how he met Tom Waits at an open mic whereTom sang folk songs; “Five…
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Woodstock
Latest BloWoodstock Joni Mitchel wrote the song without even going to the first and only Real Woodstock festival. Most people who were alive then and still above ground now have a memory of the first time they heard Joni’s lilting yet haunting song. I was in Key West…
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Lookin For the Heart of Saturday Night
Lookin for the Heart of Saturday Night Tom Waits’ first album. It was a song I loved and should have covered it with Tim Buckley, they were on the same label. I was unsure of my producing chops. Don’t ever doubt yourself when it comes to being creative.…
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