Podcast appearances and mentions of Louie Louie

For those who haven't heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-one-minute bonus episode available, on Judy Collins’ version of this song. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Erratum For about an hour this was uploaded with the wrong Elton John clip in place of “Saturday Sun”. This has now been fixed. Resources Because of the increasing problems with Mixcloud’s restrictions, I have decided to start sharing streaming playlists of the songs used in episodes instead of Mixcloud ones. This Tunemymusic link will let you listen to the playlist I created on your streaming platform of choice — however please note that not all the songs excerpted are currently available on streaming. The songs missing from the Tidal version are “Shanten Bells” by the Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” by A.L. Lloyd, two by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, three by Elton John & Linda Peters, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow” by Sandy Denny and “You Never Know” by Charlie Drake, but the other fifty-nine are there. Other songs may be missing from other services. The main books I used on Fairport Convention as a whole were Patrick Humphries' Meet On The Ledge, Clinton Heylin's What We Did Instead of Holidays, and Kevan Furbank's Fairport Convention on Track. Rob Young's Electric Eden is the most important book on the British folk-rock movement. Information on Richard Thompson comes from Patrick Humphries' Richard Thompson: Strange Affair and Thompson's own autobiography Beeswing.  Information on Sandy Denny comes from Clinton Heylin's No More Sad Refrains and Mick Houghton's I've Always Kept a Unicorn. I also used Joe Boyd's autobiography White Bicycles and Chris Blackwell's The Islander.  And this three-CD set is the best introduction to Fairport's music currently in print. Transcript Before we begin, this episode contains reference to alcohol and cocaine abuse and medical neglect leading to death. It also starts with some discussion of the fatal car accident that ended last episode. There’s also some mention of child neglect and spousal violence. If that’s likely to upset you, you might want to skip this episode or read the transcript. One of the inspirations for this podcast when I started it back in 2018 was a project by Richard Thompson, which appears (like many things in Thompson’s life) to have started out of sheer bloody-mindedness. In 1999 Playboy magazine asked various people to list their “songs of the Millennium”, and most of them, understanding the brief, chose a handful of songs from the latter half of the twentieth century. But Thompson determined that he was going to list his favourite songs *of the millennium*. He didn’t quite manage that, but he did cover seven hundred and forty years, and when Playboy chose not to publish it, he decided to turn it into a touring show, in which he covered all his favourite songs from “Sumer Is Icumen In” from 1260: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Sumer is Icumen In”] Through numerous traditional folk songs, union songs like “Blackleg Miner”, pieces by early-modern composers, Victorian and Edwardian music hall songs, and songs by the Beatles, the Ink Spots, the Kinks, and the Who, all the way to “Oops! I Did It Again”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did it Again”] And to finish the show, and to show how all this music actually ties together, he would play what he described as a “medieval tune from Brittany”, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”] We have said many times in this podcast that there is no first anything, but there’s a reason that Liege and Lief, Fairport Convention’s third album of 1969, and the album other than Unhalfbricking on which their reputation largely rests, was advertised with the slogan “The first (literally) British folk rock album ever”. Folk-rock, as the term had come to be known, and as it is still usually used today, had very little to do with traditional folk music. Rather, the records of bands like The Byrds or Simon and Garfunkel were essentially taking the sounds of British beat groups of the early sixties, particularly the Searchers, and applying those sounds to material by contemporary singer-songwriters. People like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan had come up through folk clubs, and their songs were called folk music because of that, but they weren’t what folk music had meant up to that point — songs that had been collected after being handed down through the folk process, changed by each individual singer, with no single identifiable author. They were authored songs by very idiosyncratic writers. But over their last few albums, Fairport Convention had done one or two tracks per album that weren’t like that, that were instead recordings of traditional folk songs, but arranged with rock instrumentation. They were not necessarily the first band to try traditional folk music with electric instruments — around the same time that Fairport started experimenting with the idea, so did an Irish band named Sweeney’s Men, who brought in a young electric guitarist named Henry McCullough briefly. But they do seem to have been the first to have fully embraced the idea. They had done so to an extent with “A Sailor’s Life” on Unhalfbricking, but now they were going to go much further: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves” (from about 4:30)] There had been some doubt as to whether Fairport Convention would even continue to exist — by the time Unhalfbricking, their second album of the year, was released, they had been through the terrible car accident that had killed Martin Lamble, the band’s drummer, and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson’s girlfriend. Most of the rest of the band had been seriously injured, and they had made a conscious decision not to discuss the future of the band until they were all out of hospital. Ashley Hutchings was hospitalised the longest, and Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, and Sandy Denny, the other three surviving members of the band, flew over to LA with their producer and manager, Joe Boyd, to recuperate there and get to know the American music scene. When they came back, the group all met up in the flat belonging to Denny’s boyfriend Trevor Lucas, and decided that they were going to continue the band. They made a few decisions then — they needed a new drummer, and as well as a drummer they wanted to get in Dave Swarbrick. Swarbrick had played violin on several tracks on Unhalfbricking as a session player, and they had all been thrilled to work with him. Swarbrick was one of the most experienced musicians on the British folk circuit. He had started out in the fifties playing guitar with Beryl Marriott’s Ceilidh Band before switching to fiddle, and in 1963, long before Fairport had formed, he had already appeared on TV with the Ian Campbell Folk Group, led by Ian Campbell, the father of Ali and Robin Campbell, later of UB40: [Excerpt: The Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Shanten Bells (medley on Hullaballoo!)”] He’d sung with Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd: [Excerpt: A.L. Lloyd, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” ] And he’d formed his hugely successful duo with Martin Carthy, releasing records like “Byker Hill” which are often considered among the best British folk music of all time: [Excerpt: Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, “Byker Hill”] By the time Fairport had invited him to play on Unhalfbricking, Swarbrick had already performed on twenty albums as a core band member, plus dozens more EPs, singles, and odd tracks on compilations. They had no reason to think they could actually get him to join their band. But they had three advantages. The first was that Swarbrick was sick of the traditional folk scene at the time, saying later “I didn’t like seven-eighths of the people involved in it, and it was extremely opportune to leave. I was suddenly presented with the possibilities of exploring the dramatic content of the songs to the full.” The second was that he was hugely excited to be playing with Richard Thompson, who was one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, and Martin Carthy remembers him raving about Thompson after their initial sessions. (Carthy himself was and is no slouch on the guitar of course, and there was even talk of getting him to join the band at this point, though they decided against it — much to the relief of rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, who is a perfectly fine player himself but didn’t want to be outclassed by *two* of the best guitarists in Britain at the same time). And the third was that Joe Boyd told him that Fairport were doing so well — they had a single just about to hit the charts with “Si Tu Dois Partir” — that he would only have to play a dozen gigs with Fairport in order to retire. As it turned out, Swarbrick would play with the group for a decade, and would never retire — I saw him on his last tour in 2015, only eight months before he died. The drummer the group picked was also a far more experienced musician than any of the rest, though in a very different genre. Dave Mattacks had no knowledge at all of the kind of music they played, having previously been a player in dance bands. When asked by Hutchings if he wanted to join the band, Mattacks’ response was “I don’t know anything about the music. I don’t understand it… I can’t tell one tune from another, they all sound the same… but if you want me to join the group, fine, because I really like it. I’m enjoying myself musically.” Mattacks brought a new level of professionalism to the band, thanks to his different background. Nicol said of him later “He was dilligent, clean, used to taking three white shirts to a gig… The application he could bring to his playing was amazing. With us, you only played well when you were feeling well.” This distinction applied to his playing as well. Nicol would later describe the difference between Mattacks’ drumming and Lamble’s by saying “Martin’s strength was as an imaginative drummer. DM came in with a strongly developed sense of rhythm, through keeping a big band of drunken saxophone players in order. A great time-keeper.” With this new line-up and a new sense of purpose, the group did as many of their contemporaries were doing and “got their heads together in the country”. Joe Boyd rented the group a mansion, Farley House, in Farley Chamberlayne, Hampshire, and they stayed there together for three months. At the start, the group seem to have thought that they were going to make another record like Unhalfbricking, with some originals, some songs by American songwriters, and a few traditional songs. Even after their stay in Farley Chamberlayne, in fact, they recorded a few of the American songs they’d rehearsed at the start of the process, Richard Farina’s “Quiet Joys of Brotherhood” and Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn’s “Ballad of Easy Rider”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Ballad of Easy Rider”] Indeed, the whole idea of “getting our heads together in the country” (as the cliche quickly became in the late sixties as half of the bands in Britain went through much the same kind of process as Fairport were doing — but usually for reasons more to do with drug burnout or trend following than recovering from serious life-changing trauma) seems to have been inspired by Bob Dylan and the Band getting together in Big Pink. But very quickly they decided to follow the lead of Ashley Hutchings, who had had something of a Damascene conversion to the cause of traditional English folk music. They were listening mostly to Music From Big Pink by the Band, and to the first album by Sweeney’s Men: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “The Handsome Cabin Boy”] And they decided that they were going to make something that was as English as those records were North American and Irish (though in the event there were also a few Scottish songs included on the record). Hutchings in particular was becoming something of a scholar of traditional music, regularly visiting Cecil Sharp House and having long conversations with A.L. Lloyd, discovering versions of different traditional songs he’d never encountered before. This was both amusing and bemusing Sandy Denny, who had joined a rock group in part to get away from traditional music; but she was comfortable singing the material, and knew a lot of it and could make a lot of suggestions herself. Swarbrick obviously knew the repertoire intimately, and Nicol was amenable, while Mattacks was utterly clueless about the folk tradition at this point but knew this was the music he wanted to make. Thompson knew very little about traditional music, and of all the band members except Denny he was the one who has shown the least interest in the genre in his subsequent career — but as we heard at the beginning, showing the least interest in the genre is a relative thing, and while Thompson was not hugely familiar with the genre, he *was* able to work with it, and was also more than capable of writing songs that fit in with the genre. Of the eleven songs on the album, which was titled Liege and Lief (which means, roughly, Lord and Loyalty), there were no cover versions of singer-songwriters. Eight were traditional songs, and three were originals, all written in the style of traditional songs. The album opened with “Come All Ye”, an introduction written by Denny and Hutchings (the only time the two would ever write together): [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Come All Ye”] The other two originals were songs where Thompson had written new lyrics to traditional melodies. On “Crazy Man Michael”, Swarbrick had said to Thompson that the tune to which he had set his new words was weaker than the lyrics, to which Thompson had replied that if Swarbrick felt that way he should feel free to write a new melody. He did, and it became the first of the small number of Thompson/Swarbrick collaborations: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Crazy Man Michael”] Thompson and Swarbrick would become a brief songwriting team, but as much as anything else it was down to proximity — the two respected each other as musicians, but never got on very well. In 1981 Swarbrick would say “Richard and I never got on in the early days of FC… we thought we did, but we never did. We composed some bloody good songs together, but it was purely on a basis of “you write that and I’ll write this, and we’ll put it together.” But we never sat down and had real good chats.” The third original on the album, and by far the most affecting, is another song where Thompson put lyrics to a traditional tune. In this case he thought he was putting the lyrics to the tune of “Willie O'Winsbury”, but he was basing it on a recording by Sweeney’s Men. The problem was that Sweeney’s Men had accidentally sung the lyrics of “Willie O'Winsbury'” to the tune of a totally different song, “Fause Foodrage”: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “Willie O’Winsbury”] Thompson took that melody, and set to it lyrics about loss and separation. Thompson has never been one to discuss the meanings of his lyrics in any great detail, and in the case of this one has said “I really don't know what it means. This song came out of a dream, and I pretty much wrote it as I dreamt it (it was the sixties), and didn't spend very long analyzing it. So interpret as you wish – or replace with your own lines.” But in the context of the traffic accident that had killed his tailor girlfriend and a bandmate, and injured most of his other bandmates, the lyrics about lonely travellers, the winding road, bruised and beaten sons, saying goodbye, and never cutting cloth, seem fairly self-explanatory: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Farewell, Farewell”] The rest of the album, though, was taken up by traditional tunes. There was a long medley of four different fiddle reels; a version of “Reynardine” (a song about a seductive man — or is he a fox? Or perhaps both — which had been recorded by Swarbrick and Carthy on their most recent album); a 19th century song about a deserter saved from the firing squad by Prince Albert; and a long take on “Tam Lin”, one of the most famous pieces in the Scottish folk music canon, a song that has been adapted in different ways by everyone from the experimental noise band Current 93 to the dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah to the comics writer Grant Morrison: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin”] And “Matty Groves”, a song about a man killing his cheating wife and her lover, which actually has a surprisingly similar story to that of “1921” from another great concept album from that year, the Who’s Tommy. “Matty Groves” became an excuse for long solos and shows of instrumental virtuosity: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves”] The album was recorded in September 1969, after their return from their break in the country and a triumphal performance at the Royal Festival Hall, headlining over fellow Witchseason artists John and Beverly Martyn and Nick Drake. It became a classic of the traditional folk genre — arguably *the* classic of the traditional folk genre. In 2007 BBC Radio 2’s Folk Music Awards gave it an award for most influential folk album of all time, and while such things are hard to measure, I doubt there’s anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of British folk and folk-rock music who would not at least consider that a reasonable claim. But once again, by the time the album came out in November, the band had changed lineups yet again. There was a fundamental split in the band – on one side were Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, whose stance was, roughly, that Liege and Lief was a great experiment and a fun thing to do once, but really the band had two first-rate songwriters in themselves, and that they should be concentrating on their own new material, not doing these old songs, good as they were. They wanted to take the form of the traditional songs and use that form for new material — they wanted to make British folk-rock, but with the emphasis on the rock side of things. Hutchings, on the other hand, was equally sure that he wanted to make traditional music and go further down the rabbit hole of antiquity. With the zeal of the convert he had gone in a couple of years from being the leader of a band who were labelled “the British Jefferson Airplane” to becoming a serious scholar of traditional folk music. Denny was tired of touring, as well — she wanted to spend more time at home with Trevor Lucas, who was sleeping with other women when she was away and making her insecure. When the time came for the group to go on a tour of Denmark, Denny decided she couldn’t make it, and Hutchings was jubilant — he decided he was going to get A.L. Lloyd into the band in her place and become a *real* folk group. Then Denny reconsidered, and Hutchings was crushed. He realised that while he had always been the leader, he wasn’t going to be able to lead the band any further in the traditionalist direction, and quit the group — but not before he was delegated by the other band members to fire Denny. Until the publication of Richard Thompson’s autobiography in 2022, every book on the group or its members said that Denny quit the band again, which was presumably a polite fiction that the band agreed, but according to Thompson “Before we flew home, we decided to fire Sandy. I don't remember who asked her to leave – it was probably Ashley, who usually did the dirty work. She was reportedly shocked that we would take that step. She may have been fragile beneath the confident facade, but she still knew her worth.” Thompson goes on to explain that the reasons for kicking her out were that “I suppose we felt that in her mind she had already left” and that “We were probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, though there wasn't a name for it back then.” They had considered inviting Trevor Lucas to join the band to make Denny more comfortable, but came to the (probably correct) conclusion that while he was someone they got on well with personally, he would be another big ego in a band that already had several, and that being around Denny and Lucas’ volatile relationship would, in Thompson’s phrasing, “have not always given one a feeling of peace and stability.” Hutchings originally decided he was going to join Sweeney’s Men, but that group were falling apart, and their first rehearsal with Hutchings would also be their last as a group, with only Hutchings and guitarist and mandolin player Terry Woods left in the band. They added Woods’ wife Gay, and another couple, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and formed a group called Steeleye Span, a name given them by Martin Carthy. That group, like Fairport, went to “get their heads together in the country” for three months and recorded an album of electric versions of traditional songs, Hark the Village Wait, on which Mattacks and another drummer, Gerry Conway, guested as Steeleye Span didn’t at the time have their own drummer: [Excerpt: Steeleye Span, “Blackleg Miner”] Steeleye Span would go on to have a moderately successful chart career in the seventies, but by that time most of the original lineup, including Hutchings, had left — Hutchings stayed with them for a few albums, then went on to form the first of a series of bands, all called the Albion Band or variations on that name, which continue to this day. And this is something that needs to be pointed out at this point — it is impossible to follow every single individual in this narrative as they move between bands. There is enough material in the history of the British folk-rock scene that someone could do a 500 Songs-style podcast just on that, and every time someone left Fairport, or Steeleye Span, or the Albion Band, or Matthews’ Southern Comfort, or any of the other bands we have mentioned or will mention, they would go off and form another band which would then fission, and some of its members would often join one of those other bands. There was a point in the mid-1970s where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport Convention while Fairport Convention had none. So just in order to keep the narrative anything like wieldy, I’m going to keep the narrative concentrated on the two figures from Fairport — Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson — whose work outside the group has had the most influence on the wider world of rock music more broadly, and only deal with the other members when, as they often did, their careers intersected with those two. That doesn’t mean the other members are not themselves hugely important musicians, just that their importance has been primarily to the folk side of the folk-rock genre, and so somewhat outside the scope of this podcast. While Hutchings decided to form a band that would allow him to go deeper and deeper into traditional folk music, Sandy Denny’s next venture was rather different. For a long time she had been writing far more songs than she had ever played for her bandmates, like “Nothing More”, a song that many have suggested is about Thompson: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Nothing More”] When Joe Boyd heard that Denny was leaving Fairport Convention, he was at first elated. Fairport’s records were being distributed by A&M in the US at that point, but Island Records was in the process of opening up a new US subsidiary which would then release all future Fairport product — *but*, as far as A&M were concerned, Sandy Denny *was* Fairport Convention. They were only interested in her. Boyd, on the other hand, loved Denny’s work intensely, but from his point of view *Richard Thompson* was Fairport Convention. If he could get Denny signed directly to A&M as a solo artist before Island started its US operations, Witchseason could get a huge advance on her first solo record, while Fairport could continue making records for Island — he’d have two lucrative acts, on different labels. Boyd went over and spoke to A&M and got an agreement in principle that they would give Denny a forty-thousand-dollar advance on her first solo album — twice what they were paying for Fairport albums. The problem was that Denny didn’t want to be a solo act. She wanted to be the lead singer of a band. She gave many reasons for this — the one she gave to many journalists was that she had seen a Judy Collins show and been impressed, but noticed that Collins’ band were definitely a “backing group”, and as she put it “But that's all they were – a backing group. I suddenly thought, If you're playing together on a stage you might as well be TOGETHER.” Most other people in her life, though, say that the main reason for her wanting to be in a band was her desire to be with her boyfriend, Trevor Lucas. Partly this was due to a genuine desire to spend more time with someone with whom she was very much in love, partly it was a fear that he would cheat on her if she was away from him for long periods of time, and part of it seems to have been Lucas’ dislike of being *too* overshadowed by his talented girlfriend — he didn’t mind acknowledging that she was a major talent, but he wanted to be thought of as at least a minor one. So instead of going solo, Denny formed Fotheringay, named after the song she had written for Fairport. This new band consisted at first of Denny on vocals and occasional piano, Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Lucas’ old Eclection bandmate Gerry Conway on drums. For a lead guitarist, they asked Richard Thompson who the best guitarist in Britain was, and he told them Albert Lee. Lee in turn brought in bass player Pat Donaldson, but this lineup of the band barely survived a fortnight. Lee *was* arguably the best guitarist in Britain, certainly a reasonable candidate if you could ever have a singular best (as indeed was Thompson himself), but he was the best *country* guitarist in Britain, and his style simply didn’t fit with Fotheringay’s folk-influenced songs. He was replaced by American guitarist Jerry Donahue, who was not anything like as proficient as Lee, but who was still very good, and fit the band’s style much better. The new group rehearsed together for a few weeks, did a quick tour, and then went into the recording studio to record their debut, self-titled, album. Joe Boyd produced the album, but admitted himself that he only paid attention to those songs he considered worthwhile — the album contained one song by Lucas, “The Ballad of Ned Kelly”, and two cover versions of American singer-songwriter material with Lucas singing lead. But everyone knew that the songs that actually *mattered* were Sandy Denny’s, and Boyd was far more interested in them, particularly the songs “The Sea” and “The Pond and the Stream”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “The Pond and the Stream”] Fotheringay almost immediately hit financial problems, though. While other Witchseason acts were used to touring on the cheap, all packed together in the back of a Transit van with inexpensive equipment, Trevor Lucas had ambitions of being a rock star and wanted to put together a touring production to match, with expensive transport and equipment, including a speaker system that got nicknamed “Stonehenge” — but at the same time, Denny was unhappy being on the road, and didn’t play many gigs. As well as the band itself, the Fotheringay album also featured backing vocals from a couple of other people, including Denny’s friend Linda Peters. Peters was another singer from the folk clubs, and a good one, though less well-known than Denny — at this point she had only released a couple of singles, and those singles seemed to have been as much as anything else released as a novelty. The first of those, a version of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” had been released as by “Paul McNeill and Linda Peters”: [Excerpt: Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”] But their second single, a version of John D. Loudermilk’s “You’re Taking My Bag”, was released on the tiny Page One label, owned by Larry Page, and was released under the name “Paul and Linda”, clearly with the intent of confusing particularly gullible members of the record-buying public into thinking this was the McCartneys: [Excerpt: Paul and Linda, “You’re Taking My Bag”] Peters was though more financially successful than almost anyone else in this story, as she was making a great deal of money as a session singer. She actually did another session involving most of Fotheringay around this time. Witchseason had a number of excellent songwriters on its roster, and had had some success getting covers by people like Judy Collins, but Joe Boyd thought that they might possibly do better at getting cover versions if they were performed in less idiosyncratic arrangements. Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway went into the studio to record backing tracks, and vocals were added by Peters and another session singer, who according to some sources also provided piano. They cut songs by Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “You Get Brighter”] Ed Carter, formerly of The New Nadir but by this time firmly ensconced in the Beach Boys’ touring band where he would remain for the next quarter-century: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “I Don’t Mind”] John and Beverly Martyn, and Nick Drake: [Excerpt: Elton John, “Saturday Sun”] There are different lineups of musicians credited for those sessions in different sources, but I tend to believe that it’s mostly Fotheringay for the simple reason that Donahue says it was him, Donaldson and Conway who talked Lucas and Denny into the mistake that destroyed Fotheringay because of these sessions. Fotheringay were in financial trouble already, spending far more money than they were bringing in, but their album made the top twenty and they were getting respect both from critics and from the public — in September, Sandy Denny was voted best British female singer by the readers of Melody Maker in their annual poll, which led to shocked headlines in the tabloids about how this “unknown” could have beaten such big names as Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. Only a couple of weeks after that, they were due to headline at the Albert Hall. It should have been a triumph. But Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway had asked that singing pianist to be their support act. As Donahue said later “That was a terrible miscast. It was our fault. He asked if [he] could do it. Actually Pat, Gerry and I had to talk Sandy and Trevor into [it]… We'd done these demos and the way he was playing – he was a wonderful piano player – he was sensitive enough. We knew very little about his stage-show. We thought he'd be a really good opener for us.” Unfortunately, Elton John was rather *too* good. As Donahue continued “we had no idea what he had in mind, that he was going to do the most incredible rock & roll show ever. He pretty much blew us off the stage before we even got on the stage.” To make matters worse, Fotheringay’s set, which was mostly comprised of new material, was underrehearsed and sloppy, and from that point on no matter what they did people were counting the hours until the band split up. They struggled along for a while though, and started working on a second record, with Boyd again producing, though as Boyd later said “I probably shouldn't have been producing the record. My lack of respect for the group was clear, and couldn't have helped the atmosphere. We'd put out a record that had sold disappointingly, A&M was unhappy. Sandy's tracks on the first record are among the best things she ever did – the rest of it, who cares? And the artwork, Trevor's sister, was terrible. It would have been one thing if I'd been unhappy with it and it sold, and the group was working all the time, making money, but that wasn't the case … I knew what Sandy was capable of, and it was very upsetting to me.” The record would not be released for thirty-eight years: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Wild Mountain Thyme”] Witchseason was going badly into debt. Given all the fissioning of bands that we’ve already been talking about, Boyd had been stretched thin — he produced sixteen albums in 1970, and almost all of them lost money for the company. And he was getting more and more disillusioned with the people he was producing. He loved Beverly Martyn’s work, but had little time for her abusive husband John, who was dominating her recording and life more and more and would soon become a solo artist while making her stay at home (and stealing her ideas without giving her songwriting credit). The Incredible String Band were great, but they had recently converted to Scientology, which Boyd found annoying, and while he was working with all sorts of exciting artists like Vashti Bunyan and Nico, he was finding himself less and less important to the artists he mentored. Fairport Convention were a good example of this. After Denny and Hutchings had left the group, they’d decided to carry on as an electric folk group, performing an equal mix of originals by the Swarbrick and Thompson songwriting team and arrangements of traditional songs. The group were now far enough away from the “British Jefferson Airplane” label that they decided they didn’t need a female vocalist — and more realistically, while they’d been able to replace Judy Dyble, nobody was going to replace Sandy Denny. Though it’s rather surprising when one considers Thompson’s subsequent career that nobody seems to have thought of bringing in Denny’s friend Linda Peters, who was dating Joe Boyd at the time (as Denny had been before she met Lucas) as Denny’s replacement. Instead, they decided that Swarbrick and Thompson were going to share the vocals between them. They did, though, need a bass player to replace Hutchings. Swarbrick wanted to bring in Dave Pegg, with whom he had played in the Ian Campbell Folk Group, but the other band members initially thought the idea was a bad one. At the time, while they respected Swarbrick as a musician, they didn’t think he fully understood rock and roll yet, and they thought the idea of getting in a folkie who had played double bass rather than an electric rock bassist ridiculous. But they auditioned him to mollify Swarbrick, and found that he was exactly what they needed. As Joe Boyd later said “All those bass lines were great, Ashley invented them all, but he never could play them that well. He thought of them, but he was technically not a terrific bass player. He was a very inventive, melodic, bass player, but not a very powerful one technically. But having had the part explained to him once, Pegg was playing it better than Ashley had ever played it… In some rock bands, I think, ultimately, the bands that sound great, you can generally trace it to the bass player… it was at that point they became a great band, when they had Pegg.” The new lineup of Fairport decided to move in together, and found a former pub called the Angel, into which all the band members moved, along with their partners and children (Thompson was the only one who was single at this point) and their roadies. The group lived together quite happily, and one gets the impression that this was the period when they were most comfortable with each other, even though by this point they were a disparate group with disparate tastes, in music as in everything else. Several people have said that the only music all the band members could agree they liked at this point was the first two albums by The Band. With the departure of Hutchings from the band, Swarbrick and Thompson, as the strongest personalities and soloists, became in effect the joint leaders of the group, and they became collaborators as songwriters, trying to write new songs that were inspired by traditional music. Thompson described the process as “let’s take one line of this reel and slow it down and move it up a minor third and see what that does to it; let’s take one line of this ballad and make a whole song out of it. Chopping up the tradition to find new things to do… like a collage.” Generally speaking, Swarbrick and Thompson would sit by the fire and Swarbrick would play a melody he’d been working on, the two would work on it for a while, and Thompson would then go away and write the lyrics. This is how the two came up with songs like the nine-minute “Sloth”, a highlight of the next album, Full House, and one that would remain in Fairport’s live set for much of their career: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth”] “Sloth” was titled that way because Thompson and Swarbrick were working on two tunes, a slow one and a fast one, and they jokingly named them “Sloth” and “Fasth”, but the latter got renamed to “Walk Awhile”, while “Sloth” kept its working title. But by this point, Boyd and Thompson were having a lot of conflict in the studio. Boyd was never the most technical of producers — he was one of those producers whose job is to gently guide the artists in the studio and create a space for the music to flourish, rather than the Joe Meek type with an intimate technical knowledge of the studio — and as the artists he was working with gained confidence in their own work they felt they had less and less need of him. During the making of the Full House album, Thompson and Boyd, according to Boyd, clashed on everything — every time Boyd thought Thompson had done a good solo, Thompson would say to erase it and let him have another go, while every time Boyd thought Thompson could do better, Thompson would say that was the take to keep. One of their biggest clashes was over Thompson’s song “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”, which was originally intended for release on the album, and is included in current reissues of it: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”] Thompson had written that song inspired by what he thought was the unjust treatment of Alex Bramham, the driver in Fairport’s fatal car crash, by the courts — Bramham had been given a prison sentence of a few months for dangerous driving, while the group members thought he had not been at fault. Boyd thought it was one of the best things recorded for the album, but Thompson wasn’t happy with his vocal — there was one note at the top of the melody that he couldn’t quite hit — and insisted it be kept off the record, even though that meant it would be a shorter album than normal. He did this at such a late stage that early copies of the album actually had the title printed on the sleeve, but then blacked out. He now says in his autobiography “I could have persevered, double-tracked the voice, warmed up for longer – anything. It was a good track, and the record was lacking without it. When the album was re-released, the track was restored with a more confident vocal, and it has stayed there ever since.” During the sessions for Full House the group also recorded one non-album single, Thompson and Swarbrick’s “Now Be Thankful”: [Excerpt, Fairport Convention, “Now Be Thankful”] The B-side to that was a medley of two traditional tunes plus a Swarbrick original, but was given the deliberately ridiculous title “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”] The B. McKenzie in the title was a reference to the comic-strip character Barry McKenzie, a stereotype drunk Australian created for Private Eye magazine by the comedian Barry Humphries (later to become better known for his Dame Edna Everage character) but the title was chosen for one reason only — to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the song with the longest title. Which they did, though they were later displaced by the industrial band Test Dept, and their song “Long Live British Democracy Which Flourishes and Is Constantly Perfected Under the Immaculate Guidance of the Great, Honourable, Generous and Correct Margaret Hilda Thatcher. She Is the Blue Sky in the Hearts of All Nations. Our People Pay Homage and Bow in Deep Respect and Gratitude to Her. The Milk of Human Kindness”. Full House got excellent reviews in the music press, with Rolling Stone saying “The music shows that England has finally gotten her own equivalent to The Band… By calling Fairport an English equivalent of the Band, I meant that they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they maintain their roots in rock.” Off the back of this, the group went on their first US tour, culminating in a series of shows at the Troubadour in LA, on the same bill as Rick Nelson, which were recorded and later released as a live album: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth (live)”] The Troubadour was one of the hippest venues at the time, and over their residency there the group got seen by many celebrities, some of whom joined them on stage. The first was Linda Ronstadt, who initially demurred, saying she didn’t know any of their songs. On being told they knew all of hers, she joined in with a rendition of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”. Thompson was later asked to join Ronstadt’s backing band, who would go on to become the Eagles, but he said later of this offer “I would have hated it. I’d have hated being on the road with four or five miserable Americans — they always seem miserable. And if you see them now, they still look miserable on stage — like they don’t want to be there and they don’t like each other.” The group were also joined on stage at the Troubadour on one memorable night by some former bandmates of Pegg’s. Before joining the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Pegg had played around the Birmingham beat scene, and had been in bands with John Bonham and Robert Plant, who turned up to the Troubadour with their Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page (reports differ on whether the fourth member of Zeppelin, John Paul Jones, also came along). They all got up on stage together and jammed on songs like “Hey Joe”, “Louie Louie”, and various old Elvis tunes. The show was recorded, and the tapes are apparently still in the possession of Joe Boyd, who has said he refuses to release them in case he is murdered by the ghost of Peter Grant. According to Thompson, that night ended in a three-way drinking contest between Pegg, Bonham, and Janis Joplin, and it’s testament to how strong the drinking culture is around Fairport and the British folk scene in general that Pegg outdrank both of them. According to Thompson, Bonham was found naked by a swimming pool two days later, having missed two gigs. For all their hard rock image, Led Zeppelin were admirers of a lot of the British folk and folk-rock scene, and a few months later Sandy Denny would become the only outside vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin record when she duetted with Plant on “The Battle of Evermore” on the group’s fourth album: [Excerpt: Led Zeppelin, “The Battle of Evermore”] Denny would never actually get paid for her appearance on one of the best-selling albums of all time. That was, incidentally, not the only session that Denny was involved in around this time — she also sang on the soundtrack to a soft porn film titled Swedish Fly Girls, whose soundtrack was produced by Manfred Mann: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow?”] Shortly after Fairport’s trip to America, Joe Boyd decided he was giving up on Witchseason. The company was now losing money, and he was finding himself having to produce work for more and more acts as the various bands fissioned. The only ones he really cared about were Richard Thompson, who he was finding it more and more difficult to work with, Nick Drake, who wanted to do his next album with just an acoustic guitar anyway, Sandy Denny, who he felt was wasting her talents in Fotheringay, and Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, who was more distant since his conversion to Scientology. Boyd did make some attempts to keep the company going. On a trip to Sweden, he negotiated an agreement with the manager and publisher of a Swedish band whose songs he’d found intriguing, the Hep Stars. Boyd was going to publish their songs in the UK, and in return that publisher, Stig Anderson, would get the rights to Witchseason’s catalogue in Scandinavia — a straight swap, with no money changing hands. But before Boyd could get round to signing the paperwork, he got a better offer from Mo Ostin of Warners — Ostin wanted Boyd to come over to LA and head up Warners’ new film music department. Boyd sold Witchseason to Island Records and moved to LA with his fiancee Linda Peters, spending the next few years working on music for films like Deliverance and A Clockwork Orange, as well as making his own documentary about Jimi Hendrix, and thus missed out on getting the UK publishing rights for ABBA, and all the income that would have brought him, for no money. And it was that decision that led to the breakup of Fotheringay. Just before Christmas 1970, Fotheringay were having a difficult session, recording the track “John the Gun”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “John the Gun”] Boyd got frustrated and kicked everyone out of the session, and went for a meal and several drinks with Denny. He kept insisting that she should dump the band and just go solo, and then something happened that the two of them would always describe differently. She asked him if he would continue to produce her records if she went solo, and he said he would. According to Boyd’s recollection of the events, he meant that he would fly back from California at some point to produce her records. According to Denny, he told her that if she went solo he would stay in Britain and not take the job in LA. This miscommunication was only discovered after Denny told the rest of Fotheringay after the Christmas break that she was splitting the band. Jerry Donahue has described that as the worst moment of his life, and Denny felt very guilty about breaking up a band with some of her closest friends in — and then when Boyd went over to the US anyway she felt a profound betrayal. Two days before Fotheringay’s final concert, in January 1971, Sandy Denny signed a solo deal with Island records, but her first solo album would not end up produced by Joe Boyd. Instead, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens was co-produced by Denny, John Wood — the engineer who had worked with Boyd on pretty much everything he’d produced, and Richard Thompson, who had just quit Fairport Convention, though he continued living with them at the Angel, at least until a truck crashed into the building in February 1971, destroying its entire front wall and forcing them to relocate. The songs chosen for The North Star Grassman and the Ravens reflected the kind of choices Denny would make on her future albums, and her eclectic taste in music. There was, of course, the obligatory Dylan cover, and the traditional folk ballad “Blackwaterside”, but there was also a cover version of Brenda Lee’s “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”] Most of the album, though, was made up of originals about various people in Denny’s life, like “Next Time Around”, about her ex-boyfriend Jackson C Frank: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Next Time Around”] The album made the top forty in the UK — Denny’s only solo album to do so — and led to her once again winning the “best female singer” award in Melody Maker’s readers’ poll that year — the male singer award was won by Rod Stewart. Both Stewart and Denny appeared the next year on the London Symphony Orchestra’s all-star version of The Who’s Tommy, which had originally been intended as a vehicle for Stewart before Roger Daltrey got involved. Stewart’s role was reduced to a single song, “Pinball Wizard”, while Denny sang on “It’s a Boy”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “It’s a Boy”] While Fotheringay had split up, all the band members play on The North Star Grassman and the Ravens. Guitarists Donahue and Lucas only play on a couple of the tracks, with Richard Thompson playing most of the guitar on the record. But Fotheringay’s rhythm section of Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway play on almost every track. Another musician on the album, Ian Whiteman, would possibly have a profound effect on the future direction of Richard Thompson’s career and life. Whiteman was the former keyboard player for the mod band The Action, having joined them just before they became the blues-rock band Mighty Baby. But Mighty Baby had split up when all of the band except the lead singer had converted to Islam. Richard Thompson was on his own spiritual journey at this point, and became a Sufi – the same branch of Islam as Whiteman – soon after the session, though Thompson has said that his conversion was independent of Whiteman’s. The two did become very close and work together a lot in the mid-seventies though. Thompson had supposedly left Fairport because he was writing material that wasn’t suited to the band, but he spent more than a year after quitting the group working on sessions rather than doing anything with his own material, and these sessions tended to involve the same core group of musicians. One of the more unusual was a folk-rock supergroup called The Bunch, put together by Trevor Lucas. Richard Branson had recently bought a recording studio, and wanted a band to test it out before opening it up for commercial customers, so with this free studio time Lucas decided to record a set of fifties rock and roll covers. He gathered together Thompson, Denny, Whiteman, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Pat Donaldson, Gerry Conway, pianist Tony Cox, the horn section that would later form the core of the Average White Band, and Linda Peters, who had now split up with Joe Boyd and returned to the UK, and who had started dating Thompson. They recorded an album of covers of songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Otis and others: [Excerpt: The Bunch, “Willie and the Hand Jive”] The early seventies was a hugely productive time for this group of musicians, as they all continued playing on each other’s projects. One notable album was No Roses by Shirley Collins, which featured Thompson, Mattacks, Whiteman, Simon Nicol, Lal and Mike Waterson, and Ashley Hutchings, who was at that point married to Collins, as well as some more unusual musicians like the free jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill: [Excerpt: Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band, “Claudy Banks”] Collins was at the time the most respected female singer in British traditional music, and already had a substantial career including a series of important records made with her sister Dolly, work with guitarists like Davey Graham, and time spent in the 1950s collecting folk songs in the Southern US with her then partner Alan Lomax – according to Collins she did much of the actual work, but Lomax only mentioned her in a single sentence in his book on this work. Some of the same group of musicians went on to work on an album of traditional Morris dancing tunes, titled Morris On, credited to “Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield”, with Collins singing lead on two tracks: [Excerpt: Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield with Shirley Collins, “The Willow Tree”] Thompson thought that that album was the best of the various side projects he was involved in at the time, comparing it favourably to Rock On, which he thought was rather slight, saying later “Conceptually, Fairport, Ashley and myself and Sandy were developing a more fragile style of music that nobody else was particularly interested in, a British Folk Rock idea that had a logical development to it, although we all presented it our own way. Morris On was rather more true to what we were doing. Rock On was rather a retro step. I'm not sure it was lasting enough as a record but Sandy did sing really well on the Buddy Holly songs.” Hutchings used the musicians on No Roses and Morris On as the basis for his band the Albion Band, which continues to this day. Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks both quit Fairport to join the Albion Band, though Mattacks soon returned. Nicol would not return to Fairport for several years, though, and for a long period in the mid-seventies Fairport Convention had no original members. Unfortunately, while Collins was involved in the Albion Band early on, she and Hutchings ended up divorcing, and the stress from the divorce led to Collins developing spasmodic dysphonia, a stress-related illness which makes it impossible for the sufferer to sing. She did eventually regain her vocal ability, but between 1978 and 2016 she was unable to perform at all, and lost decades of her career. Richard Thompson occasionally performed with the Albion Band early on, but he was getting stretched a little thin with all these sessions. Linda Peters said later of him “When I came back from America, he was working in Sandy’s band, and doing sessions by the score. Always with Pat Donaldson and Dave Mattacks. Richard would turn up with his guitar, one day he went along to do a session with one of those folkie lady singers — and there were Pat and DM. They all cracked. Richard smashed his amp and said “Right! No more sessions!” In 1972 he got round to releasing his first solo album, Henry the Human Fly, which featured guest appearances by Linda Peters and Sandy Denny among others: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “The Angels Took My Racehorse Away”] Unfortunately, while that album has later become regarded as one of the classics of its genre, at the time it was absolutely slated by the music press. The review in Melody Maker, for example, read in part “Some of Richard Thompson’s ideas sound great – which is really the saving grace of this album, because most of the music doesn’t. The tragedy is that Thompson’s “British rock music” is such an unconvincing concoction… Even the songs that do integrate rock and traditional styles of electric guitar rhythms and accordion and fiddle decoration – and also include explicit, meaningful lyrics are marred by bottle-up vocals, uninspiring guitar phrases and a general lack of conviction in performance.” Henry the Human Fly was released in the US by Warners, who had a reciprocal licensing deal with Island (and for whom Joe Boyd was working at the time, which may have had something to do with that) but according to Thompson it became the lowest-selling record that Warners ever put out (though I’ve also seen that claim made about Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle, another album that has later been rediscovered). Thompson was hugely depressed by this reaction, and blamed his own singing. Happily, though, by this point he and Linda had become a couple — they would marry in 1972 — and they started playing folk clubs as a duo, or sometimes in a trio with Simon Nicol. Thompson was also playing with Sandy Denny’s backing band at this point, and played on every track on her second solo album, Sandy. This album was meant to be her big commercial breakthrough, with a glamorous cover photo by David Bailey, and with a more American sound, including steel guitar by Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers (whose overdubs were supervised in LA by Joe Boyd): [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Tomorrow is a Long Time”] The album was given a big marketing push by Island, and “Listen, Listen” was made single of the week on the Radio 1 Breakfast show: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Listen, Listen”] But it did even worse than the previous album, sending her into something of a depression. Linda Thompson (as the former Linda Peters now was) said of this period “After the Sandy album, it got her down that her popularity didn't suddenly increase in leaps and bounds, and that was the start of her really fretting about the way her career was going. Things only escalated after that. People like me or Martin Carthy or Norma Waterson would think, ‘What are you on about? This is folk music.'” After Sandy’s release, Denny realised she could no longer afford to tour with a band, and so went back to performing just acoustically or on piano. The only new music to be released by either of these ex-members of Fairport Convention in 1973 was, oddly, on an album by the band they were no longer members of. After Thompson had left Fairport, the group had managed to release two whole albums with the same lineup — Swarbrick, Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks. But then Nicol and Mattacks had both quit the band to join the Albion Band with their former bandmate Ashley Hutchings, leading to a situation where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport plus their longtime drummer while Fairport Convention itself had no original members and was down to just Swarbrick and Pegg. Needing to fulfil their contracts, they then recruited three former members of Fotheringay — Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, Donahue on lead guitar, and Conway on drums. Conway was only a session player at the time, and Mattacks soon returned to the band, but Lucas and Donahue became full-time members. This new lineup of Fairport Convention released two albums in 1973, widely regarded as the group’s most inconsistent records, and on the title track of the first, “Rosie”, Richard Thompson guested on guitar, with Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson on backing vocals: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Rosie”] Neither Sandy Denny nor Richard Thompson released a record themselves in 1973, but in neither case was this through the artists’ choice. The record industry was changing in the early 1970s, as we’ll see in later episodes, and was less inclined to throw good money after bad in the pursuit of art. Island Records prided itself on being a home for great artists, but it was still a business, and needed to make money. We’ll talk about the OPEC oil crisis and its effect on the music industry much more when the podcast gets to 1973, but in brief, the production of oil by the US peaked in 1970 and started to decrease, leading to them importing more and more oil from the Middle East. As a result of this, oil prices rose slowly between 1971 and 1973, then very quickly towards the end of 1973 as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict that year. As vinyl is made of oil, suddenly producing records became much more expensive, and in this period a lot of labels decided not to release already-completed albums, until what they hoped would be a brief period of shortages passed. Both Denny and Thompson recorded albums at this point that got put to one side by Island. In the case of Thompson, it was the first album by Richard and Linda as a duo, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Today, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and as one of the two masterpieces that bookended Richard and Linda’s career as a duo and their marriage. But when they recorded the album, full of Richard’s dark songs, it was the opposite of commercial. Even a song that’s more or less a boy-girl song, like “Has He Got a Friend for Me?” has lyrics like “He wouldn’t notice me passing by/I could be in the gutter, or dangling down from a tree” [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “Has He got a Friend For Me?”] While something like “The Calvary Cross” is oblique and haunted, and seems to cast a pall over the entire album: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “The Calvary Cross”] The album itself had been cheap to make — it had been recorded in only a week, with Thompson bringing in musicians he knew well and had worked with a lot previously to cut the tracks as-live in only a handful of takes — but Island didn’t think it was worth releasing. The record stayed on the shelf for nearly a year after recording, until Island got a new head of A&R, Richard Williams. Williams said of the album’s release “Muff Winwood had been doing A&R, but he was more interested in production… I had a conversation with Muff as soon as I got there, and he said there are a few hangovers, some outstanding problems. And one of them was Richard Thompson. He said there’s this album we gave him the money to make — which was I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight — and nobody’s very interested in it. Henry the Human Fly had been a bit of a commercial disappointment, and although Island was altruistic and independent and known for only recording good stuff, success was important… Either a record had to do well or somebody had to believe in it a lot. And it seemed as if neither of those things were true at that point of Richard.” Williams, though, was hugely impressed when he listened to the album. He compared Richard Thompson’s guitar playing to John Coltrane’s sax, and called Thompson “the folk poet of the rainy streets”, but also said “Linda brightened it, made it more commercial. and I thought that “Bright Lights” itself seemed a really commercial song.” The rest of the management at Island got caught up in Williams’ enthusiasm, and even decided to release the title track as a single: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Neither single nor album charted — indeed it would not be until 1991 that Richard Thompson would make a record that made the top forty in the UK — but the album got enough critical respect that Richard and Linda released two albums the year after. The first of these, Hokey Pokey, is a much more upbeat record than their previous one — Richard Thompson has called it “quite a music-hall influenced record” and cited the influence of George Formby and Harry Lauder. For once, the claim of music hall influence is audible in the music. Usually when a British musician is claimed to have a music ha

In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we're looking at the clash between music and The Man diving into times when the FBI investigated musicians. In 1956, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI created a covert and legally questionable program called COINTELPRO with the goal of disrupting groups that the Feds considered to be subversive – communists, black nationalists, feminists, anti Vietnam protestors, civil rights activists.  Considering the role that music played in the 60s and 70s, it was only a matter of time before the FBI started investigating rock and roll. Some of the stories are silly. Picture this, it's 1963 and a bunch of FBI agents are hunched over a record player listening to Louie Louie over and over – forwards and backwards – desperately searching for dirty lyrics that didn't exist.  And others are more serious. In 1972, the FBI put John Lenon under surveillance and wiretapped his phone because President Nixon was afraid that his stance on the Vietnam War would influence young voters. The government started proceedings to deport him.  Over the decades, the FBI has investigated or kept tabs on all sorts of musicians. Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison; folk singers Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie; Aretha Franklin, the Monkees, NWA, Charles Mingus, the Insane Clown Posse, and more. There's a lot of ground to cover in this one, but we're up for the challenge. Let's hit it. Episode Playlist Check out our episode playlist ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get In Touch Check us out ⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠show@prisonersofrockandroll.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at ⁠⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we're looking at the clash between music and The Man diving into times when the FBI investigated musicians. In 1956, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI created a covert and legally questionable program called COINTELPRO with the goal of disrupting groups that the Feds considered to be subversive – communists, black nationalists, feminists, anti Vietnam protestors, civil rights activists.  Considering the role that music played in the 60s and 70s, it was only a matter of time before the FBI started investigating rock and roll. Some of the stories are silly. Picture this, it's 1963 and a bunch of FBI agents are hunched over a record player listening to Louie Louie over and over – forwards and backwards – desperately searching for dirty lyrics that didn't exist.  And others are more serious. In 1972, the FBI put John Lenon under surveillance and wiretapped his phone because President Nixon was afraid that his stance on the Vietnam War would influence young voters. The government started proceedings to deport him.  Over the decades, the FBI has investigated or kept tabs on all sorts of musicians. Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison; folk singers Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie; Aretha Franklin, the Monkees, NWA, Charles Mingus, the Insane Clown Posse, and more. There's a lot of ground to cover in this one, but we're up for the challenge. Let's hit it. Episode Playlist Check out our episode playlist ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Get In Touch Check us out ⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠, on⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠⁠YouTube.⁠⁠⁠ or drops us an email at ⁠⁠⁠show@prisonersofrockandroll.com⁠⁠⁠. Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at ⁠⁠⁠McCusker's Tavern⁠⁠⁠. Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of ⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Media⁠⁠⁠. We're sponsored by⁠⁠⁠ Boldfoot Socks⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3pm: Guest - Father David Cregan - Resident Director of Villanova Theater // Thoughts on the New Pope & John’s Mom Seeing him Naked // How ‘Louie Louie’ returned to T-Mobile Park for 2025 Mariners season // ‘Louie, Louie’: How a misunderstood masterpiece sent the FBI on a two-year goose chase // Warren & Diane Ball delivered our new “Teeny” diorama! // Jillian Raftery Reports Live From T-Mobile Field

6pm: Guest - Father David Cregan - Resident Director of Villanova Theater // Thoughts on the New Pope & John’s Mom Seeing him Naked // How ‘Louie Louie’ returned to T-Mobile Park for 2025 Mariners season // ‘Louie, Louie’: How a misunderstood masterpiece sent the FBI on a two-year goose chase // Warren & Diane Ball delivered our new “Teeny” diorama! // Jillian Raftery Reports Live From T-Mobile Field

"First you need to know there are no swear words in this show. It was this week back in the 60s when the FBI released a letter stating that there were no curse words in the song Louie Louie. But people keep looking. This is a list of songs that were banned or otherwise maligned because someone was sure the singer was cursing. But there was no curse word. It is a long list."

Ce mardi 6 mai, Marjorie Hache ouvre Pop Rock Station avec le garage rock incendiaire de The Hives. Au programme : du grunge, du punk, du psyché et du rock à l'ancienne avec Led Zeppelin, L7, Dick Dale ou encore Jefferson Airplane. L'actualité musicale n'est pas en reste, Julian Baker et Torres dévoilent un extrait de leur album commun aux sonorités americana queer, tandis que Perfume Genius s'associe à Aldous Harding pour un duo envoûtant. L'album de la semaine est celui de Car Seat Headrest, "The Scholars", concept immersif dans l'univers d'une faculté fictive. On y découvre ce soir "True/False Lover". Côté reprises, Black Flag dynamite le classique "Louie Louie" dans une version punk radicale. La nouveauté Fresh Fresh Fresh vient de Marseille avec La Flemme, qui dégaine un garage rock fuzzy et sans concession. Et pour clore l'émission, le Mark Lanegan Band offre l'atmosphère sombre de "Bleeding Muddy Water". The Hives - Enough Is Enough Led Zeppelin - Black Dog Babyshambles - Nothing Comes To Nothing David Bowie - Rebel Rebel Julien Baker & Torres Mckenzie Scott - Tuesday Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant L7 - Pretend We're Dead Car Seat Headrest - True False Lover Depeche Mode - I Feel You Sleep Token - Emergence Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit Perfume Genius - No Front Teeth (Feat. Aldous Harding) Black Flag - Louie Louie The Subways - Rock & Roll Queen Foals - My Number Dinosaur Pile Up - My Way Sly And The Family Stone - Dance To The Music Melissa Auf Der Maur - Out Of Our Minds R.E.M. - Orange Crush (R.E.M. Live) AC/DC - Rock N Roll Aint Noise Pollution Rival Sons - Company Man La Flemme - Sans Fond Queens Of The Stone Age - The Way You Used To Do Dick Dale - Misirlou Marquis De Sade - Wanda's Loving Boy The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin Beats (Studio) Mark Lanegan Band - Bleeding Muddy Water Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Michelle Delp is the Regional GM for Fearless Restaurants, and she joined our host so we could SPRING into what's fashionable to eat in University City! Louie Louie offers a vibe that feels very European French Bistro, and with their sidewalk-based seating now open, and new spring menu available and Happy Hours extended...everyone who visits can enjoy the atmosphere and menu options no matter what they're looking for! Whether you're looking for a lighter, brighter meal or dining for a richly, decadent dinner...Louie Louie offers whatever you desire to indulge in. And stay tuned for all the new happenings for Louie Louie, including details about their Espresso Martini Tower, events that are coming up, and of course...what to dine on when you're there!https://louielouie.restaurantWhat you eat matters, which is something that Corie Coles, who is the 4th generation-owner of Triple C Angus, knows, works, and stands behind. Although Corie initially left the family farm to seek a different career path, she circled back to her family's business later on. Her parents still run the day-to-day operations related to farming, however Corie took on a different role at Triple C Angus. Today, everything that the farm produces has to pass through Corie's hands to ensure they're offering the best cuts of meat to offer each customer. And to her, the individuals who purchase either pieces or shares of her family's beef, pork, and chicken are not just customers--they are part of her community. So not only does it matter that the animals they raise are well-cared for, it matters to her that she gets to know the people who purchase their products. To the Coles, family and community matters--and so does what they take home to eat. To learn more about Corie and Triple C Angus, stay tuned to hear her story and then visit the family farm and website for more information on what they offer.https://triplecangus.comGet the latest scoop from Irv's Ice Cream when you tune in to hear from Chef and Owner Ilissa Shapiro! Chef Shapiro just opened her second location on East Passyunk Ave, where you can try out her newest ice cream flavor: Sweet Corn! Make every lick count as she creates her custard-based sweet treats from scratch. Chef Shapiro previously worked inside kitchens on both the West and East Coast, and has always enjoyed making ice cream while working for those restaurants. However, a collaboration created an opportunity that turned into owning her own business, and today Ilissa is scooping up her creative flavors for everyone to enjoy! To hear Ilissa's story and what she has in store, stay tuned to the end of the show and visit Irv's Ice Cream online and in-person at either of her locations!https://www.irvsicecream.com

This is a show about censorship…wait, wait!...don't run away…i know that can be a very touchy subject and once the arguments get started, all the grey areas fade away, everyone ends up in a big fight, and needless to say, the party breaks up.  Let try this from a different angle…there is an area of study i'm trying to promote called “stupid history”…learning about the past doesn't have to be about memorizing dates, who fought what wars, who was king or queen or emperor when.  Humans are dumb creatures, and that dumbness is always on display…and this can be really, really funny…if more of this stuff was taught in history classes, we'd have more historians and writers and people curious about the human condition.  Let me give you an idea…instead of going through the details of the war of the roses, include this in a history less…in Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was common knowledge that ground of bits of mummies stolen from tombs in Egypt was good for you…mix in a little chocolate and you have a nice little snack…so yes, cannibalism in powdered form use to be a thing…and this true: it's why there aren't many ancient Egyptian mummies around anymore. Here's another…Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States when he died in June 1845, his beloved parrot was thrown out of his funeral because the thing kept swearing. One more…Jack Daniels—yes, the bourbon guy—died of an infected toe…he stubbed it very badly when he kicked a safe to which he'd forgotten the combinations… See what i mean?...and here on “Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry,” talk about some seriously grisly and awful things…let's try something a little lighter for a change…  Yes, it is about censorship…but it's also stupid history…it's episode 39…and boy, this is one is dumb…it's the insane true story of The Kingsmen and “Louie Louie”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! Éxitos Originales de la Banda Sonora de American Graffiti es el álbum oficial de la película American Graffiti de 1973. Fue certificado triple platino en Estados Unidos, donde alcanzó el puesto número 10 en la lista Billboard 200 . Incluidas en la película, pero no en la banda sonora, están " Ge " de los Crows , " Louie Louie " de Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids y la interpretación a capela de Harrison Ford en el personaje de " Some Enchanted Evening " (aunque el motivo de la exclusión de las dos últimas es porque esas secuencias no se agregaron a la película hasta el relanzamiento de 1978, estaban ausentes en la versión original lanzada en 1973) Una segunda recopilación, titulada More American Graffiti (MCA 8007) (que no debe confundirse con la secuela cinematográfica de 1979 del mismo nombre ), fue publicada por MCA a principios de 1975 con la aprobación de George Lucas. incluye más éxitos de rock y doo-wop de finales de los 50 y principios de los 60 (solo uno de ellos, «Gee» de The Crows, apareció en la película), junto con diálogos adicionales de Wolfman Jack. Una tercera y última recopilación de clásicos, titulada American Graffiti Vol. III (MCA 8008), también fue publicada por MCA a principios de 1976. Los tres álbumes se lanzaron como conjuntos de dos discos o como cintas de doble duración y actualmente están totalmente agotados. 01. "Rock Around the Clock" - Bill Haley & the Comets 1954/1955 02. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers 1956 03. "Runaway" - Del Shannon 1961 04. "That'll Be the Day" - Buddy Holly & The Crickets 1957 05. "The Stroll" - The Diamonds 1957 06. "See You in September" - The Tempos 1959 07. "(He's) The Great Imposter" - The Fleetwoods 1961 08. "At the Hop" - Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids 1973 08. "She's So Fine" - Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids 1973 09. "16 Candles" - The Crests 1958 10. "Fannie Mae" - Buster Brown 1959 11. "Almost Grown" - Chuck Berry 1959 12. "Little Darlin" - The Diamonds 1957 13. "Barbara Ann" - The Regents 1961 14. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" - The Platters 1958 15. "Peppermint Twist – Part 1" Joey Dee and the Starlighters 1961 16. "The Book of Love" - The Monotones 1958 17. "Maybe Baby" - Buddy Holly 1957 18. "Ya Ya" - Lee Dorsey 1961 19. "The Great Pretender" - The Platters 1955 20. "Party Doll" - Buddy Knox 1957 21. "Ain't That a Shame" - Fats Domino 1955 22. "You're Sixteen" - Johnny Burnette 1960 23. "Love Potion No. 9" - The Clovers 1959 24. "Chantilly Lace" - The Big Bopper 1958 25. "Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry 1958 26. "Come Go with Me" - The Del-Vikings 1956 27. "Since I Don't Have You" - The Skyliners 1958 28. "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 1958 29. "Do You Want to Dance" - Bobby Freeman 1958 30. "To the Aisle" - The Five Satins 1957 31. "I Only Have Eyes for You" - The Flamingos 1959 32. "A Thousand Miles Away" - The Heartbeats 1957 33. "All Summer Long" - The Beach Boys 1964 34. "Teen Angel" - Mark Dinning 1959 35. "Crying in the Chapel" - Sonny Till & the Orioles 1953 36 ."Only You (And You Alone)" - The Platters 1955 37. "Goodnight, Well it's Time to Go" - The Spaniels 1954😎Escucha este episodio completo y accede a todo el contenido exclusivo de EDITORIAL GCO. Descubre antes que nadie los nuevos episodios, y participa en la comunidad exclusiva de oyentes en https://go.ivoox.com/sq/2313218

Andrew has some ear-witness reporting regarding the Mariners' use of Louie Louie at ball games. He and Luke also discuss Bill Belichick's bizarre CBS interview and a prank phone call to a high-profile football player. And they get a riveting update on the TBTL Junior Sluggers season!

Luke is happy to learn that the Mariners brought “Louie Louie” back to the ballpark, but all is not quite what it seems. He also wants to tell Andrew about a sign he saw in a hotel, but they just keep talking about new TV shows instead.   

National Submarine day.  International Louie Louie day.  Entertainment from 2013.  190 million dinosaur eggs found in China, NY Congressmen gets kicked out the re-elected to fill his seat, US Navy buys 1st modern submarine.  Todays birthdays - Joel Gray, Peter Riegert, Steve Azar, Joss Stone.  The Elephant Man died.Intro - God did good - Dianna Corcoran  https://www.diannacorcoran.com/ Yellow Submarine - The BeatlesLouie Louie - The KingsmenThrift shop - Macklemore  Ryan LewisWagon wheel - Darius Rucker Birthdays - In da club - 50 Cent    http://50cent.com/I don't have to be till Monday - Steve AzarYou had me - Joss StoneExit - My break-up anthem - Caitlyn Shadbolt     https://www.caitlynshadbolt.com/countryundergroundradio.comhttps://coolcasts.cooolmedia.com/

Surtido de novedades flotando en la marmita que comenzamos a presentar con la cantante neoyorquina Grace Bergere aliada con Thurston Moore para hacer juntos esta versión de todo un clásico del primer álbum de The Velvet Underground.Playlist;GRACE BERGERE feat THURSTON MOORE “All tomorrow parties”THE LIMIÑANAS “Louie Louie”CARROTS “The red telephone”MING CITY R*CKERS “Seven ate nine”TERI GENDER BENDER “Nicole speaks out”L.A. WITCH “The Lines”THE TWIST CONNECTION “Concentrate”ILEGALES “El fondo de la noche”THE BELLRAYS “Snakes”MURAT “Crumpled gold”EARLY JAMES “Steely knives”GARY LOURIS “Blow’em away”RAMIREZ EXPOSURE “For the love of things invisible”ZACK KEIM “Wash away the pain” Escuchar audio

Marjorie Hache nous embarque pour deux heures de pop et de rock sous toutes ses formes. Ce soir, on retrouve des légendes comme Oasis, The Stranglers et Dinosaur Jr. Du côté des découvertes, la talentueuse Blondshell dévoile un extrait de son prochain album, tandis que Girlpuppy, venue d'Atlanta, nous livre un titre folk à l'atmosphère envoûtante. L'album de la semaine est signé Lacuna Coil avec "Sleepless Empire", que le groupe défendra sur scène en France cet automne. Pour le live, Ben Harper nous offre une performance poignante de "Burn To Shine", enregistrée à Angers en 2000. La reprise du soir est un classique : "Louie Louie" des Kingsmen revisité par Motörhead, dans une version survitaminée. Enfin, la session longue nous transporte en 1969 avec The Stooges et leur proto-punk viscéral. Une soirée entre énergie brute et découvertes captivantes, à écouter sur RTL2. La playlist de l'émission : Franz Ferdinand - Hooked Electric Light Orchestra - Don't Bring Me Down The Stones Roses - I Wanna be Adored Linkin Park - Bleed It Out Heartworms - Warplane Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene Gary Glitter - Rock & Roll Part 2 Lacuna Ciol - The Siege Oasis - Supersonic Dexndre - I Don't Know Here The Stranglers - No More Heroes Sky Ferreira - Leash Motörhead - Louie Louie Arcade Fire - No Cars Go Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle Blondshell - T&A Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water Biffy Clyro - Black Chandelier Ben Harper - Burn To Shine (Live In Angers The Stooges - 1969 The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself Girlpuppy - I Just Do Stevie Ray Vaughan - Taxman Natalie Bergman - Shine Your Light On Me New Order - 60 Miles An Hour Patti Smith - Birdland

Former Black Flag singer/guitarist Dez Cadena traces his path from being the son of a jazz record producer to becoming a pivotal figure in the LA punk scene, discussing the records, rare recordings and eyewitness accounts in the formation of LA punk rock culture. Topics Include: Interview start, brief discussion of The Saints and Chris Bailey's passing Dez discovered Australian punk through Music Plus record store Early exposure to Ramones, The Damned, and The Saints Describes discovering Radio Birdman alongside The Saints Compares Radio Birdman's sound to Blue Öyster Cult Discusses early AC/DC fandom, specifically Bon Scott era Father Ozzie Cadena was record producer for jazz labels Family moved from New Jersey to California Father had connection to Lighthouse Cafe jazz venue Dez's childhood exposure to music through father's record store Father's recording techniques using minimal microphone setups Connection to Rudy Van Gelder's recording studio Father recorded blues artists like Lightnin' Hopkins Received first drum kit as child from father Influenced by TV show Hee Haw's multi-instrumental performers Father encouraged guitar learning over other instruments Father's reaction to Dez joining Black Flag Met Ron Reyes at garage sale playing punk records First encounter with Black Flag (then called Panic) Discusses early Black Flag recording sessions and demos Explains Louie Louie single release on Posh Boy Records Details Thirsty and Miserable Licorice Pizza promotional record Discusses relationship with Black Flag after leaving band Explains circumstances of Ron Reyes leaving Black Flag Describes chaotic Louie Louie performance after Reyes quit Discusses transition from singing to playing guitar Mentions potential singers considered before Henry Rollins Keith Morris briefly returning for one show Current Flag project and Punk Rock Bowling festival Discusses Punk Rock Museum and giving tours Mentions Johnny Thunders' guitar and other museum exhibits Recommends The Schizophonics band Promotes his current band Dondo Mentions producing 3rd Rate band's recent record See Dez at the Punk Rock Museum - Tickets here Commercial free, high resolution verion of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

We have the dynamic and always appreciated Owner and Director of Business of Fearless Restaurants Group, Sydney Grims joining us first.  With all the holiday festivities happening, Sydney and Amaris chatted about the recently opened Testa Rossa in Glen Mills, PA and the newest addition to the White Dog Cafe locations in Chester Springs, PA.  With newly added events across several of the Fearless Restaurants family of dining establishments, including chef-led classes where you take home what you make, their annual WDC PJ Brunch, and Galentine's celebrations - there was a lot to cover and even more exciting news to look forward to!  Tune in to find out how you can score tickets to one of their events, when they will happen, and even more locations in store for 2025!https://www.fearlessrestaurants.comIG/FB/TikTok/LI/YT: @fearlessrestaurantsWe almost had a round table discussion with our next guests, as one of our long-time friends of the show joined us with her new clients from Jalsa Indian Kitchen on the show. Chef, Culinary Instructor & Restaurant Consultant, and Food Host Chetna Macwan along with Jay & Kinjal Patel who are both Managers of Jalsa Indian Kitchen. Our very own FF&C's host recently attended Jalsa's Media Night to introduce the restaurant and event-spaces to those in attendance.  With a large variety of flavors and menu items to choose from, there was an abundance of dishes to sample from during the event--and when you visit too! The focus is to feel transported to India when you visit, immersed by way of the decor, friendly staff, and with every course of your family-style cuisine.  We were treated to a live dance demonstration when we were there, and you can too!  Listen till the end to find out more on what you can taste, experience, and see when you visit, including a new ticketed event where you can learn to belly dance!https://jalsaindiankitchen.comIG/FB/Yelp/Google: @Jalsa Indian Kitchen We ended our show with a little announcement: We're taking a much needed break in the new year until February 2025!  But don't fret - we'll still have shows for you, as we'll play some of your and our favorites!  So, until then....our team at Food Farms And Chefs is grateful to all of you and our guests, and we wish all of you a very happy holiday season!  

One of the first things that Luca turned up was this rarity, which features the father of Jamiroquai's Jay Kay….but which one of those masked men is he?The Businesses* 8mm Records itself is all over Instagram, but you can see their Discogs page HERE. * Fiasco Porto is a Tokyo Jazz Kissaten in the Heroismo quarter of Porto. HERE is an article from a Portuguese lifestyle magazine, which has some great photos.* HERE is the Discogs page for 8mm records, the label.* 8mm in Barcelona can be located through their instagram 8mm_bcn. * From Jan 1st the new website should be up. Link HEREThe MusicWe talked a lot of Music with Luca and it would be impractical to list everything, but there are some highlights to point out…* HERE is a long dissertation about New Music during the Estado Novo, which we touched upon during our conversation.* * Miles plays Cascais…* …then Charlie Haden plays Cascais with Ornette Coleman and runs in to a little problem with the PIDE…* We also mentioned Sonoscopia, which has done a lot for “Outsider” Music. Link HERE* A record from the Quarteto Smoog turned up in a crate……and this one is planned as a reissue.Other Record Shops in PortoAside from Luca's operation, the invincible city has much to offer the record collector. Here are some of Gav's favourites…* Porto Calling. A great city centre shop tucked into a 60's era arcade. Good selection of second hand and new vinyl, which changes regularly. Great website with a full mail order catalogue available HERE. * Discos do Bau. Not far from the Miquel Bombarda gallery quarter. Good selection of Rock, Pop, Jazz and even some Classical; all second hand. Full website available HERE.* Louie Louie, also city centre location. I have yet to go into this shop without coming out with something. Website HERE.* Away from Porto, we also mentioned this combination of Air bnb and Record shop in London, HERE.Subscribe to Gas GiantsRSS https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/311033.rss This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gasgiants.substack.com

What's your most loved and least favorite song on Shake It Up?! Sam picked The Cars' fourth album to rank, group-average style. He even (again!) held up his old copy for all of our podcast listeners to see. The boys had different experiences with the Cars but all were fans of varying degrees. Adam got his bandmate, Cars mega-fan, and Smash Mouth lead singer Zach Goode to weigh in with his favorite track as well. Listen at WeWillRankYouPod.com, Apple, Spotify and your favorite car. Follow us and weigh in with your favorites on Facebook, Instagram & Threads and Twitter @wewillrankyoupod.SPOILERS/FILE UNDER:1981, A Dream Away, All Is Forgiven, All Mixed Up, Roy Thomas Baker, The Beatles, Boston, Bow Wow Wow, Cars, Cruiser, Devo, Duran Duran, Elliot Easton, Emotion in Motion, The End, Girls On Film, Greg Hawkes, I'm not the one, Jellyfish, Let's Go, Louie Louie, Maybe Baby, Martin Mull, Gary Numan, Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Panorama, Queen, David Robinson, Shake It Off, Shake It Up, Shake Some Action, Since You're Gone, Sunfish, Taylor Swift, Tears For Fears, Think It Over, This Could Be Love, Touch And Go, Treacherous, Victim, Victim of Love

Rules do not apply when your leader is a criminal... a lot of people won't get supper or justice tonight. Which side are you on? Does it ache to know what you have done? Do you want to kill the poor or feed and help them? Frankly Mr Shankly, I am a sickening wreck, but I know that many will not miss Biden until he is gone. They sing Glory Glory and we head to the bar singing Louie Louie.

Twitter: @podgaverockInsta: @podgaverockSpecial Guest Hosts: Dave BinckThe Kingsmen “Louie Louie" from the 1963 album "The Kingsmen In Person" released on Jerden 712, Wand 143. Written by Richard Berry and produced by Ken Chase and Jerry Denton.Personel:Lynn Easton: vocals, saxophoneMike Mitchell: guitar (maybe not)Don Gallucci: keyboardsNorm Sundholm: bass (maybe not)Gary Abbott: drumsJack Ely: lead vocals, guitarBob Nordby: bassCover:Performed by Josh BondIntro Music:"Shithouse" 2010 release from "A Collection of Songs for the Kings". Written by Josh Bond. Produced by Frank Charlton.Other Artists Mentioned:Wilson Picket "Mustang Sally"The Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"

Twitter: @podgaverockInsta: @podgaverockSpecial Guest Hosts: Dave BinckThe Kingsmen “Louie Louie" from the 1963 album "The Kingsmen In Person" released on Jerden 712, Wand 143. Written by Richard Berry and produced by Ken Chase and Jerry Denton.Personel:Lynn Easton: vocals, saxophoneMike Mitchell: guitar (maybe not)Don Gallucci: keyboardsNorm Sundholm: bass (maybe not)Gary Abbott: drumsJack Ely: lead vocals, guitarBob Nordby: bassCover:Performed by Josh BondIntro Music:"Shithouse" 2010 release from "A Collection of Songs for the Kings". Written by Josh Bond. Produced by Frank Charlton.Other Artists Mentioned:OasisThe NationalWar on DrugsThe BeatlesThe Rolling StonesBob DylanJimi HendrixKings of LeonMy Morning JacketNirvanaCreedDave Matthews BandThe CureSmashing Pumpkins “Gish”The Allman Brothers Band “Whipping Post”Lynyrd Skynyrd “Freebird”The Allman Brothers Band “Midnight Rider”Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama”The Allman Brothers Band “Ramblin Man”Lynyrd Skynyrd “Simple Man”Lynyrd Skynyrd “Gimme Three Steps”Little Feat “Dixie Chicken”ZZ Top “La Grange”The Marshall Tucker Band “Can't You See”The Black Crowes “Remedy”Ziggy MarleyBlues TravelerThe Righteous Brothers “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'”Rockin' Robin Roberts and the WailersRocindo Ruiz CuavendoRene TouzetRickie Rolera and the Rythym RockerChuck Berry “Havana Moon”Paul Rever and the RaidersThe Kinks “You Really Got Me”The Kinks “All Day and All of the Night”Jack WhiteTame ImpalaBlack Keys “Have Love, Will Travel”Booker T and the MGs “Green Onions”Jerry Lee LewisLink Wray “Rumble”Richie Valens “La Bamba”The Troggs “Wild Thing”Iggy PopThe StoogesBarrett Strong “Money (That's What I Want)”Peggy Lee “Fever”The Isley Brothers “Shout”Otis ReddingToots and the Maytails “Funky Kingston”Joan JettIke and Tina TurnerPink FloydTom PettyMotorheadLemmySteven TylerAerosmithJefferson AirplaneGrateful DeadFrank ZappaRichard Berry “You Are My Sunshine”

Send us a textWE DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS OR ANYTHING RELATED TO THE SONG LOUIE LOUIE. This is for rock and roll education and nothing more.Thank you all. Bonamassa drops everything in guitar land this week... JESUSIf your into mixing check out that behringer wing stuff. OH MY!John Mayer sig strings. Yea we get into that too.This episode is brought to you by Mean Beard, Green Beard, Franklin Straps, and Analog Pedals!!!Check their respective sites and tell the pirates sent you!

Label: Flip 321 djYear: 1957Condition: M-Last Price: $70.00. Not currently available for sale.This is a beautiful white-label promotional copy of the single where all the 'Louie Louie' versions began... ya gotta hear this one! Check out the mp3 "snippet"! By the way, this 45 had a variant with 'You Are My Sunshine' on the flip. Credited to Richard Berry and The Pharaohs. Note: This promo 45 has Near Mint labels with the promotional language marked out (see scan). The vinyl looks Near Mint, and the audio grades very close to Mint.

This week we take it in turns to report on the history of a different One Hit Wonder. We cover Louie Louie by The Kingsman, The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats and Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men. Recorded live at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 04:37 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPodSupport the show on Apple podcasts and get bonus episodes in the app: http://apple.co/dogoon Live show tickets: https://dogoonpod.com/live-shows/ Watch Do Go On The Quiz Show: https://youtu.be/GgzcPMx1EdM?si=ir7iubozIzlzvWfKSubmit a topic idea directly to the hat: dogoonpod.com/suggest-a-topic/Check out our merch: https://do-go-on-podcast.creator-spring.com/ Twitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: dogoonpod@gmail.com Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/ Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasDo Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present. REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9617782/ https://www.vice.com/en/article/ppm93v/the-baha-men-will-outlive-us-all-000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fbi-investigated-the-song-louie-louie-for-two-years-78752777/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He may be nicknamed “The Beverage Whisperer,” but when Ken Sadowsky speaks he's heard loud and clear.  A longtime industry advisor and investor, Ken is one of the most respected and influential voices in the beverage business. Ken is currently the executive director of The Northeastern Independent Distributors Association, known as NIDA, a group of wholesalers that operate in states from Maine to Pennsylvania. He's also a senior advisor with Verlivest, the Belgium-based investment holding company founded by the owners of Anheuser-Busch InBev, which holds stakes in Oatly, Vita Coco and Hint Water. Ken is personally invested in and an advisor to several beverage companies including LifeAid, Icelandic Glacial, Recess and Dyla Brands.  This episode is the third of a trilogy with Ken, who also joined us for conversations in 2016 and 2019. Ken and Taste Radio editor Ray Latif sample drinks representing fast-growing, bleeding-edge and established categories, including better-for-you sodas, cannabis libations, nonalcoholic cocktails, and shots of the juice variety. As they sip their way through a mish-mash of beverages, Ken shares his perspective on trendy concepts, package design, formulation his investment thesis, and successful retail strategies. Show notes: 0:35: Ken Sadowsky, The Beverage Whisperer – Ken and Ray engage in some Sox talk before they dive into a mass of beverages, foreign and domestic. Ken talks about cutting his teeth back in 1983 and his ability to understand what brands have what it takes to go from “the core consumer to the more consumer” and why he's not bullish on non-nutritive sugar alternatives. They sip on some Chamberlain Coffee and chat about how the cold brew coffee category has morphed and whether non-alcoholic cocktails are – at this point – more sizzle than steak. Ken also explains why he's a fan of entrepreneurs with industry experience and why it's important to be nice to your distributors, before sipping on Olipop's limited-edition Barbie collaboration and sharing his take on the future of better-for-you sodas. He also admits to being an “illegal cannabis consumer” (not really), why you should sample beverages warm, getting retailers to merchandise your brand in two locations and the Catch-22 of fundraising. Brands in this episode: Mountain Dew, Chamberlain Coffee, Throne Sport Coffee, Vitaminwater, De Soi, Little Saints, Lapo's, Seedlip, Parch, Honest Tea, Prime, Alani Nu, Olipop, Slim Fast, Poppi, Evolution Fresh, Nantucket Nectars, Nixie, Late July, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Milonga, Recess, Magic Cactus, Alldae, Guayaki, Yerbae, Louie Louie, Fhirst, Wunderground's Brain Wash, Califia Farms, Starbucks, Loom, The Turmeric Co., Icelandic Glacial

On this episode BK has it their way with new TF figs, Newage has some Blaster repaints, and DNA Designs has more kits to make our figures better. All this and more, on this episode of TransMissions! Order our TransMissions Exclusive Cover Variant of Skybound’s Transformers #1! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by TeePublic! Like what we’re doing and want to help make our podcast even better? Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact Us Continue reading The post TransMissions 604 – Louie, Louie appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

On this episode BK has it their way with new TF figs, Newage has some Blaster repaints, and DNA Designs has more kits to make our figures better. All this and more, on this episode of TransMissions! Order our TransMissions Exclusive Cover Variant of Skybound’s Transformers #1! Want some TransMissions swag? Check out our online shop, powered by TeePublic! Like what we’re doing and want to help make our podcast even better? Show Notes: If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show. Contact Us Continue reading The post TransMissions 604 – Louie, Louie appeared first on TransMissions Podcast Network.

When the 2018 Federal Farm Bill was signed into law, repealing the nation's 82-year prohibition on hemp, Louisiana's legislature rapidly opened the door for a booming new industry here in our state. In just a few years, the hemp industry has grown to represent over $33 million in state commerce annually. On this week's show, we explore this fibrous cannabis plant and meet the people who are extracting it, infusing it, and serving it up at your favorite local bar. We begin with Paige Melancon, president of Louisiana Hemp Extractors. Since 2020, his facility in Arnaudville, Louisiana has processed over 2000 pounds of industrial hemp for local farmers, turning it into oils, lotions, gummies, and drinks for wholesale and retail markets. In 2022, Paige branched into manufacturing his own products under the BakPak label. He tells us about the hemp business today and looks at its future in the current political climate. Then, we meet Eric Becker and Ken Jackson – two founders of the cannabis-infused seltzer brand, Louie Louie. With each can including five milligrams of both the cannabinoids CBD and THC, the company offers what they call a "sessionable" product designed as an alcohol alternative. And Louisianans are drinking it up – even in old-line restaurants like the Napoleon House! Braithe Tidwell, corporate beverage director for the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group stops by to tell us how THC cocktails have made their way onto their restaurant menus. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

When the 2018 Federal Farm Bill was signed into law, repealing the nation's 82-year prohibition on hemp, Louisiana's legislature rapidly opened the door for a booming new industry here in our state. In just a few years, the hemp industry has grown to represent over $33 million in state commerce annually. On this week's show, we explore this fibrous cannabis plant and meet the people who are extracting it, infusing it, and serving it up at your favorite local bar. We begin with Paige Melancon, president of Louisiana Hemp Extractors. Since 2020, his facility in Arnaudville, Louisiana has processed over 2000 pounds of industrial hemp for local farmers, turning it into oils, lotions, gummies, and drinks for wholesale and retail markets. In 2022, Paige branched into manufacturing his own products under the BakPak label. He tells us about the hemp business today and looks at its future in the current political climate. Then, we meet Eric Becker and Ken Jackson – two founders of the cannabis-infused seltzer brand, Louie Louie. With each can including five milligrams of both the cannabinoids CBD and THC, the company offers what they call a "sessionable" product designed as an alcohol alternative. And Louisianans are drinking it up – even in old-line restaurants like the Napoleon House! Braithe Tidwell, corporate beverage director for the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group stops by to tell us how THC cocktails have made their way onto their restaurant menus. For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

It's the Season 3 Finale! The girls are a third of the way finished with Suits. My does time fly when you're recapping a show that's over a decade old! In this episode, they discover the grittiness of their podcast is similar to the garage recording of the famous song, Louie Louie. Amanda assures Maggie that the DnD feature on her new phone is in fact Do Not Disturb and not Dungeons and Dragons or Dinos Never Die. They both agree that sniffing food straight out of the oven is only necessary in tv and film. Maggie comes up with a new word: Nich Nill! And they decide they're now boat girls and are starting a new podcast: Only Sail Fans. Make sure to tune in next week for their Season 3 Predictions, Briefies, Boxers, and Bloopers!  About OSF: Whether you're ewatching it for the first time, or the third time, this podcast is made for SUITS fans and only SUITS fans. Join comedians and sisters-in-LAW Amanda Austin and Maggie Rieth Austin as they brief you on each and every episode of the beloved procedural law drama. They might now have a degree in law, but hey! neither did Mike Ross! 

Betrayal is not a fave theme of mine in any media. I really dislike it, but it's so popular! We've talked about this one before but no one really remembers Quackcast 427 so we're having another crack at it! We talk about all the different aspects: political, love, country, loyalty etc and really have fun with it! What I dislike most about the betrayal theme is when a character lies to get into a relationship with another character, or betrays the trust of someone they're in a relationship with. It's like nails on a blackboard to me, and yet it's done all the time so it must be entertaining and popular to other people? Another one I really dislike is when a character is betrayed by their team or their friends: people they trust all suddenly turn on them. I really hate that, it can feel very shocking and horrible. Betrayal by an organisation, a country, or superiors is also pretty popular but I don't think that approach is so bad because it usually reflects how people feel rather than a personal attack. Take Rambo for example: in that his country betrays him, but we all understand that it's a parable about how Vietnam war veterans were abandoned by their country and not given the support they needed. In my comic Pinky TA I use the “betrayed by superiors” theme, mainly because I was influenced by Ghost in the Shell when I wrote it and that was a popular theme in more serious anime at the time. It's also a good parable for growing into adulthood. Have you used a betrayal theme? Do you like it, or do you hate it like me? This week Gunwallace has given us a theme inspired by Oswald the Overman in the Lesser Planes of Hell - Starting off cutesy and friendly and pink this tune quickly spirals down into surreal, mind melting weirdness followed by a little bit of Louie Louie on the keyboards just to get us back to feeling in a party mood again! Topics and shownotes Links Featured comic: The Scourge of Ninepoint - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2024/jun/18/featured-comic-the-scourge-of-ninepoint/ Featured music: Oswald the Overman in the Lesser Planes of Hell - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Oswald_the_Overman_in_the_Lesser_Planes_of_Hell/ - by OswaldTheOverman, rated T. Special thanks to: Gunwallace - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Gunwallace/ Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/ Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/ VIDEO exclusive! Become a subscriber on the $5 level and up to see our weekly Patreon video and get our advertising perks! - https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck Even at $1 you get your name with a link on the front page and a mention in the weekend newsposts! Join us on Discord - https://discordapp.com/invite/7NpJ8GS

The very first Righteous Brothers release was "Little Latin Lupe Lu" in '62. It has a slight rockabilly/surf feel, with the great vocals we came to expect, plus the immortal love song line, "She's My Mash Potato Baby"! In 1964, our frat friends The Kingsmen trashed the song, a la "Louie Louie." It's clubfooted, stiffarmed, not soulful, and great. We follow that up with two versions by TWO Dimensions! The first one from Chicago, with some tetanus tambo, and the second a NC band who waxed the track in 65, and it's a hot-footin' verzh fer sher. We also feature a hearsecore rendition from 66 by The Morticians and Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels hit version, that you heard all about in "High Fidelity" - shake it shake it!!

It's May 16th. This day in 1964, the FBI drops its years-long investigation into the pop song "Louie Louie."Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why there was a moral and political panic over the song and its indecipherable lyrics -- and look into what the song is actually about.This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia

File this under ‘right place, right time'. Harold Bronson was a teenager in mid-60's Los Angeles and saw every act imaginable. Then wrote for the Daily Bruin and Rolling Stone and interviewed everyone that interested him. Then managed a music store and co-founded Rhino Records, pretty much inventing the idea of the top-end reissue – “Sooner or later everyone ends up in a box.” All of this is in his memoir, ‘Time Has Come Today: Rock and Roll Diaries 1967 – 2007', and many of its cast of thousands appear in this podcast, among them Johnny Horton and ‘the Battle of New Orleans', the Purple People Eaters, the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra, the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl, the Stones supported by Ike & Tina (for $12), Ozzy Osbourne (“I'd never meet anybody with a tattoo before”), Hilton Valentine working at a Henry The Eighth-themed restaurant, Groucho Marx at a Led Zeppelin launch, a ‘Best of Louie Louie' that sold 100,000 copies and a Ritchie Valens record made on a dictaphone.  You can order Harold's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Has-Come-Today-Diaries/dp/B0CGTX2YN8Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for early - and ad-free - access to all of our content, plus a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

File this under ‘right place, right time'. Harold Bronson was a teenager in mid-60's Los Angeles and saw every act imaginable. Then wrote for the Daily Bruin and Rolling Stone and interviewed everyone that interested him. Then managed a music store and co-founded Rhino Records, pretty much inventing the idea of the top-end reissue – “Sooner or later everyone ends up in a box.” All of this is in his memoir, ‘Time Has Come Today: Rock and Roll Diaries 1967 – 2007', and many of its cast of thousands appear in this podcast, among them Johnny Horton and ‘the Battle of New Orleans', the Purple People Eaters, the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra, the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl, the Stones supported by Ike & Tina (for $12), Ozzy Osbourne (“I'd never meet anybody with a tattoo before”), Hilton Valentine working at a Henry The Eighth-themed restaurant, Groucho Marx at a Led Zeppelin launch, a ‘Best of Louie Louie' that sold 100,000 copies and a Ritchie Valens record made on a dictaphone.  You can order Harold's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Has-Come-Today-Diaries/dp/B0CGTX2YN8Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for early - and ad-free - access to all of our content, plus a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

File this under ‘right place, right time'. Harold Bronson was a teenager in mid-60's Los Angeles and saw every act imaginable. Then wrote for the Daily Bruin and Rolling Stone and interviewed everyone that interested him. Then managed a music store and co-founded Rhino Records, pretty much inventing the idea of the top-end reissue – “Sooner or later everyone ends up in a box.” All of this is in his memoir, ‘Time Has Come Today: Rock and Roll Diaries 1967 – 2007', and many of its cast of thousands appear in this podcast, among them Johnny Horton and ‘the Battle of New Orleans', the Purple People Eaters, the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra, the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl, the Stones supported by Ike & Tina (for $12), Ozzy Osbourne (“I'd never meet anybody with a tattoo before”), Hilton Valentine working at a Henry The Eighth-themed restaurant, Groucho Marx at a Led Zeppelin launch, a ‘Best of Louie Louie' that sold 100,000 copies and a Ritchie Valens record made on a dictaphone.  You can order Harold's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Has-Come-Today-Diaries/dp/B0CGTX2YN8Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for early - and ad-free - access to all of our content, plus a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Sponsor: Zenni Opticalhttps://thisistheconversationproject.com/zenni  Today's Rundown:Man kills woman Uber driver in grisly shooting after scam caller triggered tragedyhttps://lawandcrime.com/crime/man-kills-woman-uber-driver-in-grisly-shooting-after-scam-caller-triggered-tragedy-police/ Second high-profile stabbing to rock Sydney in recent days is declared a terrorist attackhttps://apnews.com/article/australia-church-stabbing-bishop-emannuel-126a140f1a38aeb9d63b2c7b744f588f TikTok star Kyle Marisa Roth dies at 36https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tiktok-star-kyle-marisa-roth-dead-36-rcna147979  Prince William to resume royal duties after Princess Kate's cancer diagnosishttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/prince-william-resume-royal-duties-princess-kate-cancer-diagnosis-rcna147978 Red Lobster Considers Bankruptcy to Deal With Leases and Labor Costshttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/red-lobster-considers-bankruptcy-deal-194400918.html The University of Southern California cancels its Muslim valedictorian's commencement speech, citing safety concernshttps://www.cnn.com/2024/04/16/us/usc-valedictorian-commencement-speech-canceled/index.html 30-pound cat nicknamed ‘Thicken Nugget' is swimming his way to his goal weight after being surrenderedhttps://nypost.com/2024/04/12/lifestyle/30-pound-cat-nicknamed-thicken-nugget-is-swimming-his-way-to-his-goal-weight-after-being-surrendered/?utm_source=facebook&sr_share=facebook&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1IxfAT5oQKs9otLb97NPzgPb4-VG-GRbCf0dCcOMj2NyAQb2tEPhhtzQM Jelly Roll sued by Pennsylvania wedding band Jellyroll over trademarkhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/04/16/jelly-roll-pennsylvania-wedding-band-trademark-lawsuit/73339344007/?tbref=hp Website: http://thisistheconversationproject.com  Facebook: http://facebook.com/thisistheconversationproject  Twitter: http://twitter.com/th_conversation  TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@theconversationproject  YouTube: http://thisistheconversationproject.com/youtube  Podcast: http://thisistheconversationproject.com/podcasts  #yournewssidepiece #coffeechat #morningnews ONE DAY OLDER ON APRIL 17:Jennifer Garner (52)Victoria Beckham (50)Rooney Mara (39) WHAT HAPPENED TODAY:1964: The FBI lab reported that it could not determine the lyrics on the Kingmen's recording “Louie Louie.”1973: Federal Express delivered its first package.2014: NASA's Kepler space observatory confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.    WORD OF THE DAY: vestibule / [ ves-tuh-byool ]a passage, hall, or antechamber between the outer door and the interior parts of a house or buildinghttps://thebigwordsproject.morebettermediacompany.com/vestibule-4-17-2024/     PLUS, TODAY WE CELEBRATE: Kickball Dayhttps://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/kickball-day/ -------------5        Authorities are on the hunt for a pair of men who toppled several ancient rocks at Lake Mead National Park https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/15/travel/lake-mead-rock-formation-vandalism-suspects/index.html7        Fire engulfs Denmark's historic stock exchange building, iconic spire collapses  https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/16/fire-breaks-out-at-denmarks-historic-stock-exchange-building.html9        Kirsten Dunst says she ‘didn't even think to ask' about Hollywood's gender pay gap  https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/apr/03/kirsten-dunst-says-she-didnt-even-think-to-ask-about-hollywoods-gender-pay-gap#:~:text=Dunst%20previously%20commented%20on%20the,second%20Spider%2DMan%20poster%3F%20%E2%80%A612        NCAA sanctions Michigan with probation and recruiting penalties for football violations  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2024/04/16/michigan-ncaa-sanctions-recruiting-violations-jim-harbaugh/73342698007/13        HSBC lays off at least a dozen Asia dealmakers amid weaker activities, sources say http://reut.rs/4aTvnnR14        Flame is lit for Paris 2024 in choreographed event in the birthplace of the ancient Olympics  https://us.cnn.com/2024/04/16/sport/paris-2024-olympic-flame-lit-spt-intl/index.html15        Ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse had apparent electrical issues while still docked  https://apnews.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-fbi-investiagation-58188d524035c756872603055f309c78-----------  ONE DAY OLDER ON APRIL 15:Emma Thompson (65)Emma Watson (34)Maisie Williams (27)  WHAT HAPPENED TODAY:1865: Abraham Lincoln died after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth. Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the United States.1955: Ray Kroc opened his first franchise of McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.2010: Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland lead to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.  WORD OF THE DAY: scarce / [ skairs ]deficient in quantity or number compared with the demandhttps://thebigwordsproject.morebettermediacompany.com/scarce-4-15-2024/  PLUS, TODAY WE CELEBRATE: Income Tax Pay Dayhttps://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/when-to-fileONE DAY OLDER ON APRIL 16Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (77)Jon Cryer (60)Anya Taylor-Joy (28) WHAT HAPPENED TODAY:1947: Bernard Baruch coined the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.2003: Michael Jordan played his last NBA game with the Washington Wizards, who lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-87.2018: Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper and non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album Damn. WORD OF TEH DAY: belabour / [ bəˈlābər ] to explain something more than necessary https://thebigwordsproject.morebettermediacompany.com/?p=160It's important to provide clear instructions without belabouring every detail, to maintain the attention and interest of the audience. PLUS, TODAY WE CELEBRATE: Eggs Benedict Dayhttps://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-eggs-benedict-day-april-16   ONE DAY OLDER ON APRIL 17:Jennifer Garner (52)Victoria Beckham (50)Rooney Mara (39) WHAT HAPPENED TODAY:1964: The FBI lab reported that it could not determine the lyrics on the Kingmen's recording “Louie Louie.”1973: Federal Express delivered its first package.2014: NASA's Kepler space observatory confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.    WORD OF THE DAY: vestibule / [ ves-tuh-byool ]a passage, hall, or antechamber between the outer door and the interior parts of a house or buildinghttps://thebigwordsproject.morebettermediacompany.com/vestibule-4-17-2024/     PLUS, TODAY WE CELEBRATE: Kickball Dayhttps://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/kickball-day/ 

If you're of a certain age, you've probably heard The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," a '60s top 10 staple that got a later boost when it soundtracked a crucial scene in the 1978 frat comedy Animal House. But did you know it was also a target of the FBI? Marc and John dissect this 1963 hit and why it got kids dancing and adults griping, on this new episode of the Spindle.Call us anytime at 1-877-WASTOIDS. More podcasts and videos at WASTOIDS.com | Follow us on Instagram and YouTube.

It's time to revisit The Kinks Kanon and do "All Day & All of the Night." Have you ever noticed how weird the title is? Probably not, because of the Riff! It's dirty and has that "Louie Louie" fairy dust which produces misty brain fog where you can't remember how many duh duhs are in the riff. And Ray Davies savors syllables - apeman poet! The song travelled across the puddle and New York's Knickerbockers were one of the first to kover it. Their version adds sax and has a great sproing-y solo, but it's no slam dunk. The third kulprits are Kenny & the Kasuals from Dallas - they add a kool organ, a RAW vocal performance, & a loosy goosy guitar solo. The final Kountdown goes to The Remains, who leave us with a very rockin', snotty version. Oh kome on! (and send Weldon to Bulgaria!!)

Hillary and Tina cover the FBI investigation of the Louie, Louie song. The Kingsmen's rendition of "Louie, Louie" has been an iconic song since its debut in the 1960s. BUT when rumors surfaced about potentially obscene lyrics surfaced, the FBI was called in to investigate. Sources Hillary's Story FBI Louie Louie (The Song) (https://vault.fbi.gov/louie-louie-the-song/louie-louie-the-song/view) History The FBI Laboratory weighs in on the “dirty” lyrics of “Louie Louie” (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-fbi-laboratory-weighs-in-on-the-dirty-lyrics-of-louie-louie) Indy Star That time Indiana teens ratted out dirty ‘Louie Louie' lyrics, and the FBI got involved (https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2019/01/02/kingsmen-louie-louie-richard-berry-song-lyrics-dirty-version-fbi-investigation-indiana-teens/2240339002/)--Will Higgins The Legal Satyricon The Raunchy Version of Louie Louie — Lyrics Are Public Domain? (https://randazza.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/the-raunchy-version-of-louie-louie-lyrics-are-public-domain/) Loudersound What happened when the FBI tried to decipher The Kingsmen's Louie Louie (https://www.loudersound.com/features/what-happened-when-the-fbi-tried-to-decipher-the-kingsmens-louie-louie)--by Bill DeMain Medium About Those Banned “Louie Louie” Lyrics- (https://medium.com/tell-it-like-it-was/about-those-banned-louie-louie-lyrics-9ee362b53a92)-by Neal Umphred The New Yorker Is This the Dirtiest Song of the Sixties? (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/jack-ely-louie-louie-the-dirtiest-song-of-the-sixties)--by Anwen Crawford NPR How the universally recognized song "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen came to be (https://www.npr.org/2023/10/22/1207863810/how-a-universally-recognized-kingsmen-song-louie-louie-came-to-be)--by Deena Prichep on Weekend Edition Sunday 'Louie Louie': The story behind the song everyone knows but no one understands (https://www.npr.org/2023/10/31/1209181745/louie-louie-the-story-behind-the-song-everyone-knows-but-no-one-understands)--by Deena Prichep Wikipedia The Kingsman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingsmen) Louie Louie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Louie) Photos Richard Berry (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DbBBGghVMAASScQ?format=jpg&name=900x900)--from Richard Berry Estate via KCRW's X post The Kingsmen (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/The_Kingsmen_1966.jpg)--from Scandore/Shayne via Wikipedia (Public Domain) Louie Louie Lyrics (https://i0.wp.com/i.imgur.com/XOASMmw.png?w=460&ssl=1)--via Techdirt FBI Report (https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1362/format:webp/1*Y2FqetZtgxAphFMNTSbORQ.jpeg)--from Mental Floss via Medium

Bis 2040 soll der Kohlendioxid-Ausstoß in der EU im Vergleich zu 1990 um 90 Prozent sinken. Das hat die EU-Kommission gestern vorgeschlagen. Kathrin Wosch und Tom Böttcher fragen den Direktor des Potsdam-Instituts für Klimafolgenforschung, wie er diese Empfehlung bewertet. Außerdem ordnen wir mit unserem Warschau-Korrespondenten Berichte aus Polen ein, nach denen sich die polnische Regierung auf einen russischen Angriff vorbereitet. Und Wiebke Hollersen von der "Berliner Zeitung" kommentiert die Frage, ob Deutschland ein neues Streikrecht braucht.

LBJ holds his first televised news conference; MLK visits Milwaukee; another coup d'état in South Vietnam; Sen. Margaret Chase Smith announces a Presidential run; “Louie Louie” is called “pornographic”; Cassius Clay creates chaos. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

Welcome to the 8th episode of the Rebel-Ed Podcast. This week at South Gray, we interviewed Landon Garcia about playing the trap set in the pep band, Dyson Winfrey about hunting and trapping, and lastly Kaedynce Hixon to get a senior update and hear about her iconic Louie Louie trumpet solo. Enjoy!

Oh my how the turns have tabled!  Join us as Phillip sits down with award-winning host of internationally syndicated music interview program World Cafe - Raina Douris, over a cheese plate at Louie Louie in downtown Philly.We'll learn how her "loud voice that carries" and having strong opinions lead her to be selected for a unique opportunity in high school, and it was over from there.  The pride of Stouffville, Ontario went to to host radio shows broadcast across all of Canada, and then to become only the 3rd host of NPR's World Cafe.Raina has many admirable and inspiring moments in her career, and she's a great storyteller, so you won't want to miss this one.Raina Douris LinksWorld CafeInstagramFacebookOther Links DiscussedPretty Dim Wonder podcast – Raina plays the bartenderRain's World VideosAs always, our hope is to bring you "your next favorite band". If you tuned in today because you already knew this musician - thank you very much! We hope that you enjoyed it and would consider following us and subscribing so we can bring you your #nextfavband in the future. And check out nextfavband.com for our entire catalog of interviews!If you have a recommendation on who you think OUR next favorite band should be, hit us up on social media (@nextfavband everywhere) or send us an email at nextfavband@stereophiliastudio.com.Thank you to Carver Commodore, argonaut&wasp, and Blair Crimmins for allowing us to use their music in the show open and close. It makes everything sound so much better! Let's catch a live show together soon!#nextfavband #livemusic #music #musicinterview #musician #singer #guitar #song #newmusic #explorepage #instamusic #bestmusic #musicismylife #musicindustry #musiclife #songwriter #musiclover #musicfestival

With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, co-owner Kerri Marin joined us to discuss what Philly Yard Bar is, how they began their rentable bar-venue on wheels, and how both of their careers blended together to create the perfect option for a traveling celebration! Their elegant trailers can be rented for any kind of focus: Whether you're creating an experience to shop, celebrate a special occasion in your backyard, or companies renting the trailers to elevate their next appearance at an event--Philly Yard Bar is available to help make a statement while having fun!Friend of the show, Tamas Szene joined us on the show for several exciting announcements from Fearless Restaurants, including their long-running morning-after event that happens every year: The White Dog Cafe PJ Brunch that occurs on New Years Day. Other announcements covered holiday celebrations at Rosalie, Moshulu, Louie Louie, and their HUGE announcement, the opening of a brand-new restaurant and concept! Are you curious as to what they are? Then stay tuned to Food Farms and Chefs Radio Show to find out! Lastly, we spoke with Joseph Berendsohn, who is the Sales Manager for Mermaid Spirits. The company was founded by Dr. David Johnson in 2018, and he has over 45 years of experience working as a research scientist in biochemistry of food, and holds several patents in the industry. So, it makes sense that you will find every sip of their spirits an enjoyable experience! With Bourbons, Rums, Vodka, and more available to satiate whatever you desire--Mermaid Spirits has something for everyone. If you're tempted to try them out, or are curious to learn more--tune in to the show and hear more about Mermaid Spirits and what they have to offer!

Coach Vernon Dozier is interviewed about his days dancing door to door for food between coaching gigs and how how housewives made him dance to the “degrading” and “filthy” song “Louie Louie.” Sign up for a Backstage Pass and enjoy a 30,000 plus hour archive, Phil's new podcast, Classic podcasts, Bobbie Dooley's podcasts, special live streaming events and shows, and oh so very much more…

6pm - Washington Gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird claims he was disrespected by media titan and Washington GOP insider John Curley at a recent GOP fundraising event // Pilot charged with pulling gun on another pilot who was attempting to divert flight over unruly passenger // The REAL story behind Louie Louie // Mariah Carey has emerged from a frozen block of ice to officially anoint it the ‘holiday season’

Episode 169 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Piece of My Heart" and the short, tragic life of Janis Joplin. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a half-hour bonus episode available, on "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources There are two Mixcloud mixes this time. As there are so many songs by Big Brother and the Holding Company and Janis Joplin excerpted, and Mixcloud won't allow more than four songs by the same artist in any mix, I've had to post the songs not in quite the same order in which they appear in the podcast. But the mixes are here — one, two . For information on Janis Joplin I used three biographies -- Scars of Sweet Paradise by Alice Echols, Janis: Her Life and Music by Holly George-Warren, and Buried Alive by Myra Friedman. I also referred to the chapter '“Being Good Isn't Always Easy": Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, and the Color of Soul' in Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination by Jack Hamilton. Some information on Bessie Smith came from Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay, a book I can't really recommend given the lack of fact-checking, and Bessie by Chris Albertson. I also referred to Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday by Angela Y. Davis And the best place to start with Joplin's music is this five-CD box, which contains both Big Brother and the Holding Company albums she was involved in, plus her two studio albums and bonus tracks. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Before I start, this episode contains discussion of drug addiction and overdose, alcoholism, mental illness, domestic abuse, child abandonment, and racism. If those subjects are likely to cause you upset, you may want to check the transcript or skip this one rather than listen. Also, a subject I should probably say a little more about in this intro because I know I have inadvertently caused upset to at least one listener with this in the past. When it comes to Janis Joplin, it is *impossible* to talk about her without discussing her issues with her weight and self-image. The way I write often involves me paraphrasing the opinions of the people I'm writing about, in a mode known as close third person, and sometimes that means it can look like I am stating those opinions as my own, and sometimes things I say in that mode which *I* think are obviously meant in context to be critiques of those attitudes can appear to others to be replicating them. At least once, I have seriously upset a fat listener when talking about issues related to weight in this manner. I'm going to try to be more careful here, but just in case, I'm going to say before I begin that I think fatphobia is a pernicious form of bigotry, as bad as any other form of bigotry. I'm fat myself and well aware of how systemic discrimination affects fat people. I also think more generally that the pressure put on women to look a particular way is pernicious and disgusting in ways I can't even begin to verbalise, and causes untold harm. If *ANYTHING* I say in this episode comes across as sounding otherwise, that's because I haven't expressed myself clearly enough. Like all people, Janis Joplin had negative characteristics, and at times I'm going to say things that are critical of those. But when it comes to anything to do with her weight or her appearance, if *anything* I say sounds critical of her, rather than of a society that makes women feel awful for their appearance, it isn't meant to. Anyway, on with the show. On January the nineteenth, 1943, Seth Joplin typed up a letter to his wife Dorothy, which read “I wish to tender my congratulations on the anniversary of your successful completion of your production quota for the nine months ending January 19, 1943. I realize that you passed through a period of inflation such as you had never before known—yet, in spite of this, you met your goal by your supreme effort during the early hours of January 19, a good three weeks ahead of schedule.” As you can probably tell from that message, the Joplin family were a strange mixture of ultraconformism and eccentricity, and those two opposing forces would dominate the personality of their firstborn daughter for the whole of her life.  Seth Joplin was a respected engineer at Texaco, where he worked for forty years, but he had actually dropped out of engineering school before completing his degree. His favourite pastime when he wasn't at work was to read -- he was a voracious reader -- and to listen to classical music, which would often move him to tears, but he had also taught himself to make bathtub gin during prohibition, and smoked cannabis. Dorothy, meanwhile, had had the possibility of a singing career before deciding to settle down and become a housewife, and was known for having a particularly beautiful soprano voice. Both were, by all accounts, fiercely intelligent people, but they were also as committed as anyone to the ideals of the middle-class family even as they chafed against its restrictions. Like her mother, young Janis had a beautiful soprano voice, and she became a soloist in her church choir, but after the age of six, she was not encouraged to sing much. Dorothy had had a thyroid operation which destroyed her singing voice, and the family got rid of their piano soon after (different sources say that this was either because Dorothy found her daughter's singing painful now that she couldn't sing herself, or because Seth was upset that his wife could no longer sing. Either seems plausible.) Janis was pushed to be a high-achiever -- she was given a library card as soon as she could write her name, and encouraged to use it, and she was soon advanced in school, skipping a couple of grades. She was also by all accounts a fiercely talented painter, and her parents paid for art lessons. From everything one reads about her pre-teen years, she was a child prodigy who was loved by everyone and who was clearly going to be a success of some kind. Things started to change when she reached her teenage years. Partly, this was just her getting into rock and roll music, which her father thought a fad -- though even there, she differed from her peers. She loved Elvis, but when she heard "Hound Dog", she loved it so much that she tracked down a copy of Big Mama Thornton's original, and told her friends she preferred that: [Excerpt: Big Mama Thornton, "Hound Dog"] Despite this, she was still also an exemplary student and overachiever. But by the time she turned fourteen, things started to go very wrong for her. Partly this was just down to her relationship with her father changing -- she adored him, but he became more distant from his daughters as they grew into women. But also, puberty had an almost wholly negative effect on her, at least by the standards of that time and place. She put on weight (which, again, I do not think is a negative thing, but she did, and so did everyone around her), she got a bad case of acne which didn't ever really go away, and she also didn't develop breasts particularly quickly -- which, given that she was a couple of years younger than the other people in the same classes at school, meant she stood out even more. In the mid-sixties, a doctor apparently diagnosed her as having a "hormone imbalance" -- something that got to her as a possible explanation for why she was, to quote from a letter she wrote then, "not really a woman or enough of one or something." She wondered if "maybe something as simple as a pill could have helped out or even changed that part of me I call ME and has been so messed up.” I'm not a doctor and even if I were, diagnosing historical figures is an unethical thing to do, but certainly the acne, weight gain, and mental health problems she had are all consistent with PCOS, the most common endocrine disorder among women, and it seems likely given what the doctor told her that this was the cause. But at the time all she knew was that she was different, and that in the eyes of her fellow students she had gone from being pretty to being ugly. She seems to have been a very trusting, naive, person who was often the brunt of jokes but who desperately needed to be accepted, and it became clear that her appearance wasn't going to let her fit into the conformist society she was being brought up in, while her high intelligence, low impulse control, and curiosity meant she couldn't even fade into the background. This left her one other option, and she decided that she would deliberately try to look and act as different from everyone else as possible. That way, it would be a conscious choice on her part to reject the standards of her fellow pupils, rather than her being rejected by them. She started to admire rebels. She became a big fan of Jerry Lee Lewis, whose music combined the country music she'd grown up hearing in Texas, the R&B she liked now, and the rebellious nature she was trying to cultivate: [Excerpt: Jerry Lee Lewis, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"] When Lewis' career was derailed by his marriage to his teenage cousin, Joplin wrote an angry letter to Time magazine complaining that they had mistreated him in their coverage. But as with so many people of her generation, her love of rock and roll music led her first to the blues and then to folk, and she soon found herself listening to Odetta: [Excerpt: Odetta, "Muleskinner Blues"] One of her first experiences of realising she could gain acceptance from her peers by singing was when she was hanging out with the small group of Bohemian teenagers she was friendly with, and sang an Odetta song, mimicking her voice exactly. But young Janis Joplin was listening to an eclectic range of folk music, and could mimic more than just Odetta. For all that her later vocal style was hugely influenced by Odetta and by other Black singers like Big Mama Thornton and Etta James, her friends in her late teens and early twenties remember her as a vocal chameleon with an achingly pure soprano, who would more often than Odetta be imitating the great Appalachian traditional folk singer Jean Ritchie: [Excerpt: Jean Ritchie, "Lord Randall"] She was, in short, trying her best to become a Beatnik, despite not having any experience of that subculture other than what she read in books -- though she *did* read about them in books, devouring things like Kerouac's On The Road. She came into conflict with her mother, who didn't understand what was happening to her daughter, and who tried to get family counselling to understand what was going on. Her father, who seemed to relate more to Janis, but who was more quietly eccentric, put an end to that, but Janis would still for the rest of her life talk about how her mother had taken her to doctors who thought she was going to end up "either in jail or an insane asylum" to use her words. From this point on, and for the rest of her life, she was torn between a need for approval from her family and her peers, and a knowledge that no matter what she did she couldn't fit in with normal societal expectations. In high school she was a member of the Future Nurses of America, the Future Teachers of America, the Art Club, and Slide Rule Club, but she also had a reputation as a wild girl, and as sexually active (even though by all accounts at this point she was far less so than most of the so-called "good girls" – but her later activity was in part because she felt that if she was going to have that reputation anyway she might as well earn it). She also was known to express radical opinions, like that segregation was wrong, an opinion that the other students in her segregated Texan school didn't even think was wrong, but possibly some sort of sign of mental illness. Her final High School yearbook didn't contain a single other student's signature. And her initial choice of university, Lamar State College of Technology, was not much better. In the next town over, and attended by many of the same students, it had much the same attitudes as the school she'd left. Almost the only long-term effect her initial attendance at university had on her was a negative one -- she found there was another student at the college who was better at painting. Deciding that if she wasn't going to be the best at something she didn't want to do it at all, she more or less gave up on painting at that point. But there was one positive. One of the lecturers at Lamar was Francis Edward "Ab" Abernethy, who would in the early seventies go on to become the Secretary and Editor of the Texas Folklore Society, and was also a passionate folk musician, playing double bass in string bands. Abernethy had a great collection of blues 78s. and it was through this collection that Janis first discovered classic blues, and in particular Bessie Smith: [Excerpt: Bessie Smith, "Black Mountain Blues"] A couple of episodes ago, we had a long look at the history of the music that now gets called "the blues" -- the music that's based around guitars, and generally involves a solo male vocalist, usually Black during its classic period. At the time that music was being made though it wouldn't have been thought of as "the blues" with no modifiers by most people who were aware of it. At the start, even the songs they were playing weren't thought of as blues by the male vocalist/guitarists who played them -- they called the songs they played "reels". The music released by people like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House, Robert Johnson, Kokomo Arnold and so on was thought of as blues music, and people would understand and agree with a phrase like "Lonnie Johnson is a blues singer", but it wasn't the first thing people thought of when they talked about "the blues". Until relatively late -- probably some time in the 1960s -- if you wanted to talk about blues music made by Black men with guitars and only that music, you talked about "country blues". If you thought about "the blues", with no qualifiers, you thought about a rather different style of music, one that white record collectors started later to refer to as "classic blues" to differentiate it from what they were now calling "the blues". Nowadays of course if you say "classic blues", most people will think you mean Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker, people who were contemporary at the time those white record collectors were coming up with their labels, and so that style of music gets referred to as "vaudeville blues", or as "classic female blues": [Excerpt: Mamie Smith, "Crazy Blues"] What we just heard was the first big blues hit performed by a Black person, from 1920, and as we discussed in the episode on "Crossroads" that revolutionised the whole record industry when it came out. The song was performed by Mamie Smith, a vaudeville performer, and was originally titled "Harlem Blues" by its writer, Perry Bradford, before he changed the title to "Crazy Blues" to get it to a wider audience. Bradford was an important figure in the vaudeville scene, though other than being the credited writer of "Keep A-Knockin'" he's little known these days. He was a Black musician and grew up playing in minstrel shows (the history of minstrelsy is a topic for another day, but it's more complicated than the simple image of blackface that we are aware of today -- though as with many "more complicated than that" things it is, also the simple image of blackface we're aware of). He was the person who persuaded OKeh records that there would be a market for music made by Black people that sounded Black (though as we're going to see in this episode, what "sounding Black" means is a rather loaded question). "Crazy Blues" was the result, and it was a massive hit, even though it was marketed specifically towards Black listeners: [Excerpt: Mamie Smith, "Crazy Blues"] The big stars of the early years of recorded blues were all making records in the shadow of "Crazy Blues", and in the case of its very biggest stars, they were working very much in the same mould. The two most important blues stars of the twenties both got their start in vaudeville, and were both women. Ma Rainey, like Mamie Smith, first performed in minstrel shows, but where Mamie Smith's early records had her largely backed by white musicians, Rainey was largely backed by Black musicians, including on several tracks Louis Armstrong: [Excerpt: Ma Rainey, "See See Rider"] Rainey's band was initially led by Thomas Dorsey, one of the most important men in American music, who we've talked about before in several episodes, including the last one. He was possibly the single most important figure in two different genres -- hokum music, when he, under the name "Georgia Tom" recorded "It's Tight Like That" with Tampa Red: [Excerpt: Tampa Red and Georgia Tom, "It's Tight Like That"] And of course gospel music, which to all intents and purposes he invented, and much of whose repertoire he wrote: [Excerpt: Mahalia Jackson, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord"] When Dorsey left Rainey's band, as we discussed right back in episode five, he was replaced by a female pianist, Lil Henderson. The blues was a woman's genre. And Ma Rainey was, by preference, a woman's woman, though she was married to a man: [Excerpt: Ma Rainey, "Prove it on Me"] So was the biggest star of the classic blues era, who was originally mentored by Rainey. Bessie Smith, like Rainey, was a queer woman who had relationships with men but was far more interested in other women.  There were stories that Bessie Smith actually got her start in the business by being kidnapped by Ma Rainey, and forced into performing on the same bills as her in the vaudeville show she was touring in, and that Rainey taught Smith to sing blues in the process. In truth, Rainey mentored Smith more in stagecraft and the ways of the road than in singing, and neither woman was only a blues singer, though both had huge success with their blues records.  Indeed, since Rainey was already in the show, Smith was initially hired as a dancer rather than a singer, and she also worked as a male impersonator. But Smith soon branched out on her own -- from the beginning she was obviously a star. The great jazz clarinettist Sidney Bechet later said of her "She had this trouble in her, this thing that would not let her rest sometimes, a meanness that came and took her over. But what she had was alive … Bessie, she just wouldn't let herself be; it seemed she couldn't let herself be." Bessie Smith was signed by Columbia Records in 1923, as part of the rush to find and record as many Black women blues singers as possible. Her first recording session produced "Downhearted Blues", which became, depending on which sources you read, either the biggest-selling blues record since "Crazy Blues" or the biggest-selling blues record ever, full stop, selling three quarters of a million copies in the six months after its release: [Excerpt: Bessie Smith, "Downhearted Blues"] Smith didn't make royalties off record sales, only making a flat fee, but she became the most popular Black performer of the 1920s. Columbia signed her to an exclusive contract, and she became so rich that she would literally travel between gigs on her own private train. She lived an extravagant life in every way, giving lavishly to her friends and family, but also drinking extraordinary amounts of liquor, having regular affairs, and also often physically or verbally attacking those around her. By all accounts she was not a comfortable person to be around, and she seemed to be trying to fit an entire lifetime into every moment. From 1923 through 1929 she had a string of massive hits. She recorded material in a variety of styles, including the dirty blues: [Excerpt: Bessie Smith, "Empty Bed Blues] And with accompanists like Louis Armstrong: [Excerpt: Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong, "Cold in Hand Blues"] But the music for which she became best known, and which sold the best, was when she sang about being mistreated by men, as on one of her biggest hits, "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness if I Do" -- and a warning here, I'm going to play a clip of the song, which treats domestic violence in a way that may be upsetting: [Excerpt: Bessie Smith, "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness if I Do"] That kind of material can often seem horrifying to today's listeners -- and quite correctly so, as domestic violence is a horrifying thing -- and it sounds entirely too excusing of the man beating her up for anyone to find it comfortable listening. But the Black feminist scholar Angela Davis has made a convincing case that while these records, and others by Smith's contemporaries, can't reasonably be considered to be feminist, they *are* at the very least more progressive than they now seem, in that they were, even if excusing it, pointing to a real problem which was otherwise left unspoken. And that kind of domestic violence and abuse *was* a real problem, including in Smith's own life. By all accounts she was terrified of her husband, Jack Gee, who would frequently attack her because of her affairs with other people, mostly women. But she was still devastated when he left her for a younger woman, not only because he had left her, but also because he kidnapped their adopted son and had him put into a care home, falsely claiming she had abused him. Not only that, but before Jack left her closest friend had been Jack's niece Ruby and after the split she never saw Ruby again -- though after her death Ruby tried to have a blues career as "Ruby Smith", taking her aunt's surname and recording a few tracks with Sammy Price, the piano player who worked with Sister Rosetta Tharpe: [Excerpt: Ruby Smith with Sammy Price, "Make Me Love You"] The same month, May 1929, that Gee left her, Smith recorded what was to become her last big hit, and most well-known song, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out": [Excerpt: Bessie Smith, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"] And that could have been the theme for the rest of her life. A few months after that record came out, the Depression hit, pretty much killing the market for blues records. She carried on recording until 1931, but the records weren't selling any more. And at the same time, the talkies came in in the film industry, which along with the Depression ended up devastating the vaudeville audience. Her earnings were still higher than most, but only a quarter of what they had been a year or two earlier. She had one last recording session in 1933, produced by John Hammond for OKeh Records, where she showed that her style had developed over the years -- it was now incorporating the newer swing style, and featured future swing stars Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden in the backing band: [Excerpt: Bessie Smith, "Gimme a Pigfoot"] Hammond was not hugely impressed with the recordings, preferring her earlier records, and they would be the last she would ever make. She continued as a successful, though no longer record-breaking, live act until 1937, when she and her common-law husband, Lionel Hampton's uncle Richard Morgan, were in a car crash. Morgan escaped, but Smith died of her injuries and was buried on October the fourth 1937. Ten thousand people came to her funeral, but she was buried in an unmarked grave -- she was still legally married to Gee, even though they'd been separated for eight years, and while he supposedly later became rich from songwriting royalties from some of her songs (most of her songs were written by other people, but she wrote a few herself) he refused to pay for a headstone for her. Indeed on more than one occasion he embezzled money that had been raised by other people to provide a headstone. Bessie Smith soon became Joplin's favourite singer of all time, and she started trying to copy her vocals. But other than discovering Smith's music, Joplin seems to have had as terrible a time at university as at school, and soon dropped out and moved back in with her parents. She went to business school for a short while, where she learned some secretarial skills, and then she moved west, going to LA where two of her aunts lived, to see if she could thrive better in a big West Coast city than she did in small-town Texas. Soon she moved from LA to Venice Beach, and from there had a brief sojourn in San Francisco, where she tried to live out her beatnik fantasies at a time when the beatnik culture was starting to fall apart. She did, while she was there, start smoking cannabis, though she never got a taste for that drug, and took Benzedrine and started drinking much more heavily than she had before. She soon lost her job, moved back to Texas, and re-enrolled at the same college she'd been at before. But now she'd had a taste of real Bohemian life -- she'd been singing at coffee houses, and having affairs with both men and women -- and soon she decided to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin. At this point, Austin was very far from the cultural centre it has become in recent decades, and it was still a straitlaced Texan town, but it was far less so than Port Arthur, and she soon found herself in a folk group, the Waller Creek Boys. Janis would play autoharp and sing, sometimes Bessie Smith covers, but also the more commercial country and folk music that was popular at the time, like "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", a song that had originally been recorded by Wanda Jackson but at that time was a big hit for Dusty Springfield's group The Springfields: [Excerpt: The Waller Creek Boys, "Silver Threads and Golden Needles"] But even there, Joplin didn't fit in comfortably. The venue where the folk jams were taking place was a segregated venue, as everywhere around Austin was. And she was enough of a misfit that the campus newspaper did an article on her headlined "She Dares to Be Different!", which read in part "She goes barefooted when she feels like it, wears Levi's to class because they're more comfortable, and carries her Autoharp with her everywhere she goes so that in case she gets the urge to break out into song it will be handy." There was a small group of wannabe-Beatniks, including Chet Helms, who we've mentioned previously in the Grateful Dead episode, Gilbert Shelton, who went on to be a pioneer of alternative comics and create the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and Shelton's partner in Rip-Off Press, Dave Moriarty, but for the most part the atmosphere in Austin was only slightly better for Janis than it had been in Port Arthur. The final straw for her came when in an annual charity fundraiser joke competition to find the ugliest man on campus, someone nominated her for the "award". She'd had enough of Texas. She wanted to go back to California. She and Chet Helms, who had dropped out of the university earlier and who, like her, had already spent some time on the West Coast, decided to hitch-hike together to San Francisco. Before leaving, she made a recording for her ex-girlfriend Julie Paul, a country and western musician, of a song she'd written herself. It's recorded in what many say was Janis' natural voice -- a voice she deliberately altered in performance in later years because, she would tell people, she didn't think there was room for her singing like that in an industry that already had Joan Baez and Judy Collins. In her early years she would alternate between singing like this and doing her imitations of Black women, but the character of Janis Joplin who would become famous never sang like this. It may well be the most honest thing that she ever recorded, and the most revealing of who she really was: [Excerpt: Janis Joplin, "So Sad to Be Alone"] Joplin and Helms made it to San Francisco, and she started performing at open-mic nights and folk clubs around the Bay Area, singing in her Bessie Smith and Odetta imitation voice, and sometimes making a great deal of money by sounding different from the wispier-voiced women who were the norm at those venues. The two friends parted ways, and she started performing with two other folk musicians, Larry Hanks and Roger Perkins, and she insisted that they would play at least one Bessie Smith song at every performance: [Excerpt: Janis Joplin, Larry Hanks, and Roger Perkins, "Black Mountain Blues (live in San Francisco)"] Often the trio would be joined by Billy Roberts, who at that time had just started performing the song that would make his name, "Hey Joe", and Joplin was soon part of the folk scene in the Bay Area, and admired by Dino Valenti, David Crosby, and Jerry Garcia among others. She also sang a lot with Jorma Kaukonnen, and recordings of the two of them together have circulated for years: [Excerpt: Janis Joplin and Jorma Kaukonnen, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"] Through 1963, 1964, and early 1965 Joplin ping-ponged from coast to coast, spending time in the Bay Area, then Greenwich Village, dropping in on her parents then back to the Bay Area, and she started taking vast quantities of methamphetamine. Even before moving to San Francisco she had been an occasional user of amphetamines – at the time they were regularly prescribed to students as study aids during exam periods, and she had also been taking them to try to lose some of the weight she always hated. But while she was living in San Francisco she became dependent on the drug. At one point her father was worried enough about her health to visit her in San Francisco, where she managed to fool him that she was more or less OK. But she looked to him for reassurance that things would get better for her, and he couldn't give it to her. He told her about a concept that he called the "Saturday night swindle", the idea that you work all week so you can go out and have fun on Saturday in the hope that that will make up for everything else, but that it never does. She had occasional misses with what would have been lucky breaks -- at one point she was in a motorcycle accident just as record labels were interested in signing her, and by the time she got out of the hospital the chance had gone. She became engaged to another speed freak, one who claimed to be an engineer and from a well-off background, but she was becoming severely ill from what was by now a dangerous amphetamine habit, and in May 1965 she decided to move back in with her parents, get clean, and have a normal life. Her new fiance was going to do the same, and they were going to have the conformist life her parents had always wanted, and which she had always wanted to want. Surely with a husband who loved her she could find a way to fit in and just be normal. She kicked the addiction, and wrote her fiance long letters describing everything about her family and the new normal life they were going to have together, and they show her painfully trying to be optimistic about the future, like one where she described her family to him: "My mother—Dorothy—worries so and loves her children dearly. Republican and Methodist, very sincere, speaks in clichés which she really means and is very good to people. (She thinks you have a lovely voice and is terribly prepared to like you.) My father—richer than when I knew him and kind of embarrassed about it—very well read—history his passion—quiet and very excited to have me home because I'm bright and we can talk (about antimatter yet—that impressed him)! I keep telling him how smart you are and how proud I am of you.…" She went back to Lamar, her mother started sewing her a wedding dress, and for much of the year she believed her fiance was going to be her knight in shining armour. But as it happened, the fiance in question was described by everyone else who knew him as a compulsive liar and con man, who persuaded her father to give him money for supposed medical tests before the wedding, but in reality was apparently married to someone else and having a baby with a third woman. After the engagement was broken off, she started performing again around the coffeehouses in Austin and Houston, and she started to realise the possibilities of rock music for her kind of performance. The missing clue came from a group from Austin who she became very friendly with, the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, and the way their lead singer Roky Erickson would wail and yell: [Excerpt: The 13th Floor Elevators, "You're Gonna Miss Me (live)"] If, as now seemed inevitable, Janis was going to make a living as a performer, maybe she should start singing rock music, because it seemed like there was money in it. There was even some talk of her singing with the Elevators. But then an old friend came to Austin from San Francisco with word from Chet Helms. A blues band had formed, and were looking for a singer, and they remembered her from the coffee houses. Would she like to go back to San Francisco and sing with them? In the time she'd been away, Helms had become hugely prominent in the San Francisco music scene, which had changed radically. A band from the area called the Charlatans had been playing a fake-Victorian saloon called the Red Dog in nearby Nevada, and had become massive with the people who a few years earlier had been beatniks: [Excerpt: The Charlatans, "32-20"] When their residency at the Red Dog had finished, several of the crowd who had been regulars there had become a collective of sorts called the Family Dog, and Helms had become their unofficial leader. And there's actually a lot packed into that choice of name. As we'll see in a few future episodes, a lot of West Coast hippies eventually started calling their collectives and communes families. This started as a way to get round bureaucracy -- if a helpful welfare officer put down that the unrelated people living in a house together were a family, suddenly they could get food stamps. As with many things, of course, the label then affected how people thought about themselves, and one thing that's very notable about the San Francisco scene hippies in particular is that they are some of the first people to make a big deal about what we now  call "found family" or "family of choice". But it's also notable how often the hippie found families took their model from the only families these largely middle-class dropouts had ever known, and structured themselves around men going out and doing the work -- selling dope or panhandling or being rock musicians or shoplifting -- with the women staying at home doing the housework. The Family Dog started promoting shows, with the intention of turning San Francisco into "the American Liverpool", and soon Helms was rivalled only by Bill Graham as the major promoter of rock shows in the Bay Area. And now he wanted Janis to come back and join this new band. But Janis was worried. She was clean now. She drank far too much, but she wasn't doing any other drugs. She couldn't go back to San Francisco and risk getting back on methamphetamine. She needn't worry about that, she was told, nobody in San Francisco did speed any more, they were all on LSD -- a drug she hated and so wasn't in any danger from. Reassured, she made the trip back to San Francisco, to join Big Brother and the Holding Company. Big Brother and the Holding Company were the epitome of San Francisco acid rock at the time. They were the house band at the Avalon Ballroom, which Helms ran, and their first ever gig had been at the Trips Festival, which we talked about briefly in the Grateful Dead episode. They were known for being more imaginative than competent -- lead guitarist James Gurley was often described as playing parts that were influenced by John Cage, but was equally often, and equally accurately, described as not actually being able to keep his guitar in tune because he was too stoned. But they were drawing massive crowds with their instrumental freak-out rock music. Helms thought they needed a singer, and he had remembered Joplin, who a few of the group had seen playing the coffee houses. He decided she would be perfect for them, though Joplin wasn't so sure. She thought it was worth a shot, but as she wrote to her parents before meeting the group "Supposed to rehearse w/ the band this afternoon, after that I guess I'll know whether I want to stay & do that for awhile. Right now my position is ambivalent—I'm glad I came, nice to see the city, a few friends, but I'm not at all sold on the idea of becoming the poor man's Cher.” In that letter she also wrote "I'm awfully sorry to be such a disappointment to you. I understand your fears at my coming here & must admit I share them, but I really do think there's an awfully good chance I won't blow it this time." The band she met up with consisted of lead guitarist James Gurley, bass player Peter Albin, rhythm player Sam Andrew, and drummer David Getz.  To start with, Peter Albin sang lead on most songs, with Joplin adding yelps and screams modelled on those of Roky Erickson, but in her first gig with the band she bowled everyone over with her lead vocal on the traditional spiritual "Down on Me", which would remain a staple of their live act, as in this live recording from 1968: [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Down on Me (Live 1968)"] After that first gig in June 1966, it was obvious that Joplin was going to be a star, and was going to be the group's main lead vocalist. She had developed a whole new stage persona a million miles away from her folk performances. As Chet Helms said “Suddenly this person who would stand upright with her fists clenched was all over the stage. Roky Erickson had modeled himself after the screaming style of Little Richard, and Janis's initial stage presence came from Roky, and ultimately Little Richard. It was a very different Janis.” Joplin would always claim to journalists that her stage persona was just her being herself and natural, but she worked hard on every aspect of her performance, and far from the untrained emotional outpouring she always suggested, her vocal performances were carefully calculated pastiches of her influences -- mostly Bessie Smith, but also Big Mama Thornton, Odetta, Etta James, Tina Turner, and Otis Redding. That's not to say that those performances weren't an authentic expression of part of herself -- they absolutely were. But the ethos that dominated San Francisco in the mid-sixties prized self-expression over technical craft, and so Joplin had to portray herself as a freak of nature who just had to let all her emotions out, a wild woman, rather than someone who carefully worked out every nuance of her performances. Joplin actually got the chance to meet one of her idols when she discovered that Willie Mae Thornton was now living and regularly performing in the Bay Area. She and some of her bandmates saw Big Mama play a small jazz club, where she performed a song she wouldn't release on a record for another two years: [Excerpt: Big Mama Thornton, "Ball 'n' Chain"] Janis loved the song and scribbled down the lyrics, then went backstage to ask Big Mama if Big Brother could cover the song. She gave them her blessing, but told them "don't" -- and here she used a word I can't use with a clean rating -- "it up". The group all moved in together, communally, with their partners -- those who had them. Janis was currently single, having dumped her most recent boyfriend after discovering him shooting speed, as she was still determined to stay clean. But she was rapidly discovering that the claim that San Franciscans no longer used much speed had perhaps not been entirely true, as for example Sam Andrew's girlfriend went by the nickname Speedfreak Rita. For now, Janis was still largely clean, but she did start drinking more. Partly this was because of a brief fling with Pigpen from the Grateful Dead, who lived nearby. Janis liked Pigpen as someone else on the scene who didn't much like psychedelics or cannabis -- she didn't like drugs that made her think more, but only drugs that made her able to *stop* thinking (her love of amphetamines doesn't seem to fit this pattern, but a small percentage of people have a different reaction to amphetamine-type stimulants, perhaps she was one of those). Pigpen was a big drinker of Southern Comfort -- so much so that it would kill him within a few years -- and Janis started joining him. Her relationship with Pigpen didn't last long, but the two would remain close, and she would often join the Grateful Dead on stage over the years to duet with him on "Turn On Your Lovelight": [Excerpt: Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, "Turn on Your Lovelight"] But within two months of joining the band, Janis nearly left. Paul Rothchild of Elektra Records came to see the group live, and was impressed by their singer, but not by the rest of the band. This was something that would happen again and again over the group's career. The group were all imaginative and creative -- they worked together on their arrangements and their long instrumental jams and often brought in very good ideas -- but they were not the most disciplined or technically skilled of musicians, even when you factored in their heavy drug use, and often lacked the skill to pull off their better ideas. They were hugely popular among the crowds at the Avalon Ballroom, who were on the group's chemical wavelength, but Rothchild was not impressed -- as he was, in general, unimpressed with psychedelic freakouts. He was already of the belief in summer 1966 that the fashion for extended experimental freak-outs would soon come to an end and that there would be a pendulum swing back towards more structured and melodic music. As we saw in the episode on The Band, he would be proved right in a little over a year, but being ahead of the curve he wanted to put together a supergroup that would be able to ride that coming wave, a group that would play old-fashioned blues. He'd got together Stefan Grossman, Steve Mann, and Taj Mahal, and he wanted Joplin to be the female vocalist for the group, dueting with Mahal. She attended one rehearsal, and the new group sounded great. Elektra Records offered to sign them, pay their rent while they rehearsed, and have a major promotional campaign for their first release. Joplin was very, very, tempted, and brought the subject up to her bandmates in Big Brother. They were devastated. They were a family! You don't leave your family! She was meant to be with them forever! They eventually got her to agree to put off the decision at least until after a residency they'd been booked for in Chicago, and she decided to give them the chance, writing to her parents "I decided to stay w/the group but still like to think about the other thing. Trying to figure out which is musically more marketable because my being good isn't enough, I've got to be in a good vehicle.” The trip to Chicago was a disaster. They found that the people of Chicago weren't hugely interested in seeing a bunch of white Californians play the blues, and that the Midwest didn't have the same Bohemian crowds that the coastal cities they were used to had, and so their freak-outs didn't go down well either. After two weeks of their four-week residency, the club owner stopped paying them because they were so unpopular, and they had no money to get home. And then they were approached by Bob Shad. (For those who know the film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the Bob Shad in that film is named after this one -- Judd Apatow, the film's director, is Shad's grandson) This Shad was a record producer, who had worked with people like Big Bill Broonzy, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Billy Eckstine over an eighteen-year career, and had recently set up a new label, Mainstream Records. He wanted to sign Big Brother and the Holding Company. They needed money and... well, it was a record contract! It was a contract that took half their publishing, paid them a five percent royalty on sales, and gave them no advance, but it was still a contract, and they'd get union scale for the first session. In that first session in Chicago, they recorded four songs, and strangely only one, "Down on Me", had a solo Janis vocal. Of the other three songs, Sam Andrew and Janis dueted on Sam's song "Call on Me", Albin sang lead on the group composition "Blindman", and Gurley and Janis sang a cover of "All Is Loneliness", a song originally by the avant-garde street musician Moondog: [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "All is Loneliness"] The group weren't happy with the four songs they recorded -- they had to keep the songs to the length of a single, and the engineers made sure that the needles never went into the red, so their guitars sounded far more polite and less distorted than they were used to. Janis was fascinated by the overdubbing process, though, especially double-tracking, which she'd never tried before but which she turned out to be remarkably good at. And they were now signed to a contract, which meant that Janis wouldn't be leaving the group to go solo any time soon. The family were going to stay together. But on the group's return to San Francisco, Janis started doing speed again, encouraged by the people around the group, particularly Gurley's wife. By the time the group's first single, "Blindman" backed with "All is Loneliness", came out, she was an addict again. That initial single did nothing, but the group were fast becoming one of the most popular in the Bay Area, and almost entirely down to Janis' vocals and on-stage persona. Bob Shad had already decided in the initial session that while various band members had taken lead, Janis was the one who should be focused on as the star, and when they drove to LA for their second recording session it was songs with Janis leads that they focused on. At that second session, in which they recorded ten tracks in two days, the group recorded a mix of material including one of Janis' own songs, the blues track "Women is Losers", and a version of the old folk song "the Cuckoo Bird" rearranged by Albin. Again they had to keep the arrangements to two and a half minutes a track, with no extended soloing and a pop arrangement style, and the results sound a lot more like the other San Francisco bands, notably Jefferson Airplane, than like the version of the band that shows itself in their live performances: [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Coo Coo"] After returning to San Francisco after the sessions, Janis went to see Otis Redding at the Fillmore, turning up several hours before the show started on all three nights to make sure she could be right at the front. One of the other audience members later recalled “It was more fascinating for me, almost, to watch Janis watching Otis, because you could tell that she wasn't just listening to him, she was studying something. There was some kind of educational thing going on there. I was jumping around like the little hippie girl I was, thinking This is so great! and it just stopped me in my tracks—because all of a sudden Janis drew you very deeply into what the performance was all about. Watching her watch Otis Redding was an education in itself.” Joplin would, for the rest of her life, always say that Otis Redding was her all-time favourite singer, and would say “I started singing rhythmically, and now I'm learning from Otis Redding to push a song instead of just sliding over it.” [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "I Can't Turn You Loose (live)"] At the start of 1967, the group moved out of the rural house they'd been sharing and into separate apartments around Haight-Ashbury, and they brought the new year in by playing a free show organised by the Hell's Angels, the violent motorcycle gang who at the time were very close with the proto-hippies in the Bay Area. Janis in particular always got on well with the Angels, whose drugs of choice, like hers, were speed and alcohol more than cannabis and psychedelics. Janis also started what would be the longest on-again off-again relationship she would ever have, with a woman named Peggy Caserta. Caserta had a primary partner, but that if anything added to her appeal for Joplin -- Caserta's partner Kimmie had previously been in a relationship with Joan Baez, and Joplin, who had an intense insecurity that made her jealous of any other female singer who had any success, saw this as in some way a validation both of her sexuality and, transitively, of her talent. If she was dating Baez's ex's lover, that in some way put her on a par with Baez, and when she told friends about Peggy, Janis would always slip that fact in. Joplin and Caserta would see each other off and on for the rest of Joplin's life, but they were never in a monogamous relationship, and Joplin had many other lovers over the years. The next of these was Country Joe McDonald of Country Joe and the Fish, who were just in the process of recording their first album Electric Music for the Mind and Body, when McDonald and Joplin first got together: [Excerpt: Country Joe and the Fish, "Grace"] McDonald would later reminisce about lying with Joplin, listening to one of the first underground FM radio stations, KMPX, and them playing a Fish track and a Big Brother track back to back. Big Brother's second single, the other two songs recorded in the Chicago session, had been released in early 1967, and the B-side, "Down on Me", was getting a bit of airplay in San Francisco and made the local charts, though it did nothing outside the Bay Area: [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Down on Me"] Janis was unhappy with the record, though, writing to her parents and saying, “Our new record is out. We seem to be pretty dissatisfied w/it. I think we're going to try & get out of the record contract if we can. We don't feel that they know how to promote or engineer a record & every time we recorded for them, they get all our songs, which means we can't do them for another record company. But then if our new record does something, we'd change our mind. But somehow, I don't think it's going to." The band apparently saw a lawyer to see if they could get out of the contract with Mainstream, but they were told it was airtight. They were tied to Bob Shad no matter what for the next five years. Janis and McDonald didn't stay together for long -- they clashed about his politics and her greater fame -- but after they split, she asked him to write a song for her before they became too distant, and he obliged and recorded it on the Fish's next album: [Excerpt: Country Joe and the Fish, "Janis"] The group were becoming so popular by late spring 1967 that when Richard Lester, the director of the Beatles' films among many other classics, came to San Francisco to film Petulia, his follow-up to How I Won The War, he chose them, along with the Grateful Dead, to appear in performance segments in the film. But it would be another filmmaker that would change the course of the group's career irrevocably: [Excerpt: Scott McKenzie, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)"] When Big Brother and the Holding Company played the Monterey Pop Festival, nobody had any great expectations. They were second on the bill on the Saturday, the day that had been put aside for the San Francisco acts, and they were playing in the early afternoon, after a largely unimpressive night before. They had a reputation among the San Francisco crowd, of course, but they weren't even as big as the Grateful Dead, Moby Grape or Country Joe and the Fish, let alone Jefferson Airplane. Monterey launched four careers to new heights, but three of the superstars it made -- Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and the Who -- already had successful careers. Hendrix and the Who had had hits in the UK but not yet broken the US market, while Redding was massively popular with Black people but hadn't yet crossed over to a white audience. Big Brother and the Holding Company, on the other hand, were so unimportant that D.A. Pennebaker didn't even film their set -- their manager at the time had not wanted to sign over the rights to film their performance, something that several of the other acts had also refused -- and nobody had been bothered enough to make an issue of it. Pennebaker just took some crowd shots and didn't bother filming the band. The main thing he caught was Cass Elliot's open-mouthed astonishment at Big Brother's performance -- or rather at Janis Joplin's performance. The members of the group would later complain, not entirely inaccurately, that in the reviews of their performance at Monterey, Joplin's left nipple (the outline of which was apparently visible through her shirt, at least to the male reviewers who took an inordinate interest in such things) got more attention than her four bandmates combined. As Pennebaker later said “She came out and sang, and my hair stood on end. We were told we weren't allowed to shoot it, but I knew if we didn't have Janis in the film, the film would be a wash. Afterward, I said to Albert Grossman, ‘Talk to her manager or break his leg or whatever you have to do, because we've got to have her in this film. I can't imagine this film without this woman who I just saw perform.” Grossman had a talk with the organisers of the festival, Lou Adler and John Phillips, and they offered Big Brother a second spot, the next day, if they would allow their performance to be used in the film. The group agreed, after much discussion between Janis and Grossman, and against the wishes of their manager: [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Ball and Chain (live at Monterey)"] They were now on Albert Grossman's radar. Or at least, Janis Joplin was. Joplin had always been more of a careerist than the other members of the group. They were in music to have a good time and to avoid working a straight job, and while some of them were more accomplished musicians than their later reputations would suggest -- Sam Andrew, in particular, was a skilled player and serious student of music -- they were fundamentally content with playing the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore and making five hundred dollars or so a week between them. Very good money for 1967, but nothing else. Joplin, on the other hand, was someone who absolutely craved success. She wanted to prove to her family that she wasn't a failure and that her eccentricity shouldn't stop them being proud of her; she was always, even at the depths of her addictions, fiscally prudent and concerned about her finances; and she had a deep craving for love. Everyone who talks about her talks about how she had an aching need at all times for approval, connection, and validation, which she got on stage more than she got anywhere else. The bigger the audience, the more they must love her. She'd made all her decisions thus far based on how to balance making music that she loved with commercial success, and this would continue to be the pattern for her in future. And so when journalists started to want to talk to her, even though up to that point Albin, who did most of the on-stage announcements, and Gurley, the lead guitarist, had considered themselves joint leaders of the band, she was eager. And she was also eager to get rid of their manager, who continued the awkward streak that had prevented their first performance at the Monterey Pop Festival from being filmed. The group had the chance to play the Hollywood Bowl -- Bill Graham was putting on a "San Francisco Sound" showcase there, featuring Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, and got their verbal agreement to play, but after Graham had the posters printed up, their manager refused to sign the contracts unless they were given more time on stage. The next day after that, they played Monterey again -- this time the Monterey Jazz Festival. A very different crowd to the Pop Festival still fell for Janis' performance -- and once again, the film being made of the event didn't include Big Brother's set because of their manager. While all this was going on, the group's recordings from the previous year were rushed out by Mainstream Records as an album, to poor reviews which complained it was nothing like the group's set at Monterey: [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Bye Bye Baby"] They were going to need to get out of that contract and sign with somewhere better -- Clive Davis at Columbia Records was already encouraging them to sign with him -- but to do that, they needed a better manager. They needed Albert Grossman. Grossman was one of the best negotiators in the business at that point, but he was also someone who had a genuine love for the music his clients made.  And he had good taste -- he managed Odetta, who Janis idolised as a singer, and Bob Dylan, who she'd been a fan of since his first album came out. He was going to be the perfect manager for the group. But he had one condition though. His first wife had been a heroin addict, and he'd just been dealing with Mike Bloomfield's heroin habit. He had one absolutely ironclad rule, a dealbreaker that would stop him signing them -- they didn't use heroin, did they? Both Gurley and Joplin had used heroin on occasion -- Joplin had only just started, introduced to the drug by Gurley -- but they were only dabblers. They could give it up any time they wanted, right? Of course they could. They told him, in perfect sincerity, that the band didn't use heroin and it wouldn't be a problem. But other than that, Grossman was extremely flexible. He explained to the group at their first meeting that he took a higher percentage than other managers, but that he would also make them more money than other managers -- if money was what they wanted. He told them that they needed to figure out where they wanted their career to be, and what they were willing to do to get there -- would they be happy just playing the same kind of venues they were now, maybe for a little more money, or did they want to be as big as Dylan or Peter, Paul, and Mary? He could get them to whatever level they wanted, and he was happy with working with clients at every level, what did they actually want? The group were agreed -- they wanted to be rich. They decided to test him. They were making twenty-five thousand dollars a year between them at that time, so they got ridiculously ambitious. They told him they wanted to make a *lot* of money. Indeed, they wanted a clause in their contract saying the contract would be void if in the first year they didn't make... thinking of a ridiculous amount, they came up with seventy-five thousand dollars. Grossman's response was to shrug and say "Make it a hundred thousand." The group were now famous and mixing with superstars -- Peter Tork of the Monkees had become a close friend of Janis', and when they played a residency in LA they were invited to John and Michelle Phillips' house to see a rough cut of Monterey Pop. But the group, other than Janis, were horrified -- the film barely showed the other band members at all, just Janis. Dave Getz said later "We assumed we'd appear in the movie as a band, but seeing it was a shock. It was all Janis. They saw her as a superstar in the making. I realized that though we were finally going to be making money and go to another level, it also meant our little family was being separated—there was Janis, and there was the band.” [Excerpt: Big Brother and the Holding Company, "Bye Bye Baby"] If the group were going to make that hundred thousand dollars a year, they couldn't remain on Mainstream Records, but Bob Shad was not about to give up his rights to what could potentially be the biggest group in America without a fight. But luckily for the group, Clive Davis at Columbia had seen their Monterey performance, and he was also trying to pivot the label towards the new rock music. He was basically willing to do anything to get them. Eventually Columbia agreed to pay Shad two hundred thousand dollars for the group's contract -- Davis and Grossman negotiated so half that was an advance on the group's future earnings, but the other half was just an expense for the label. On top of that the group got an advance payment of fifty thousand dollars for their first album for Columbia, making a total investment by Columbia of a quarter of a million dollars -- in return for which they got to sign the band, and got the rights to the material they'd recorded for Mainstream, though Shad would get a two percent royalty on their first two albums for Columbia. Janis was intimidated by signing for Columbia, because that had been Aretha Franklin's label before she signed to Atlantic, and she regarded Franklin as the greatest performer in music at that time.  Which may have had something to do with the choice of a new song the group added to their setlist in early 1968 -- one which was a current hit for Aretha's sister Erma: [Excerpt: Erma Franklin, "Piece of My Heart"] We talked a little in the last episode about the song "Piece of My Heart" itself, though mostly from the perspective of its performer, Erma Franklin. But the song was, as we mentioned, co-written by Bert Berns. He's someone we've talked about a little bit in previous episodes, notably the ones on "Here Comes the Night" and "Twist and Shout", but those were a couple of years ago, and he's about to become a major figure in the next episode, so we might as well take a moment here to remind listeners (or tell those who haven't heard those episodes) of the basics and explain where "Piece of My Heart" comes in Berns' work as a whole. Bert Berns was a latecomer to the music industry, not getting properly started until he was thirty-one, after trying a variety of other occupations. But when he did get started, he wasted no time making his mark -- he knew he had no time to waste. He had a weak heart and knew the likelihood was he was going to die young. He started an association with Wand records as a songwriter and performer, writing songs for some of Phil Spector's pre-fame recordings, and he also started producing records for Atlantic, where for a long while he was almost the equal of Jerry Wexler or Leiber and Stoller in terms of number of massive hits created. His records with Solomon Burke were the records that first got the R&B genre renamed soul (previously the word "soul" mostly referred to a kind of R&Bish jazz, rather than a kind of gospel-ish R&B). He'd also been one of the few American music industry professionals to work with British bands before the Beatles made it big in the USA, after he became alerted to the Beatles' success with his song "Twist and Shout", which he'd co-written with Phil Medley, and which had been a hit in a version Berns produced for the Isley Brothers: [Excerpt: The Isley Brothers, "Twist and Shout"] That song shows the two elements that existed in nearly every single Bert Berns song or production. The first is the Afro-Caribbean rhythm, a feel he picked up during a stint in Cuba in his twenties. Other people in the Atlantic records team were also partial to those rhythms -- Leiber and Stoller loved what they called the baion rhythm -- but Berns more than anyone else made it his signature. He also very specifically loved the song "La Bamba", especially Ritchie Valens' version of it: [Excerpt: Ritchie Valens, "La Bamba"] He basically seemed to think that was the greatest record ever made, and he certainly loved that three-chord trick I-IV-V-IV chord sequence -- almost but not quite the same as the "Louie Louie" one.  He used it in nearly every song he wrote from that point on -- usually using a bassline that went something like this: [plays I-IV-V-IV bassline] He used it in "Twist and Shout" of course: [Excerpt: The Isley Brothers, "Twist and Shout"] He used it in "Hang on Sloopy": [Excerpt: The McCoys, "Hang on Sloopy"] He *could* get more harmonically sophisticated on occasion, but the vast majority of Berns' songs show the power of simplicity. They're usually based around three chords, and often they're actually only two chords, like "I Want Candy": [Excerpt: The Strangeloves, "I Want Candy"] Or the chorus to "Here Comes the Night" by Them, which is two chords for most of it and only introduces a third right at the end: [Excerpt: Them, "Here Comes the Night"] And even in that song you can hear the "Twist and Shout"/"La Bamba" feel, even if it's not exactly the same chords. Berns' whole career was essentially a way of wringing *every last possible drop* out of all the implications of Ritchie Valens' record. And so even when he did a more harmonically complex song, like "Piece of My Heart", which actually has some minor chords in the bridge, the "La Bamba" chord sequence is used in both the verse: [Excerpt: Erma Franklin, "Piece of My Heart"] And the chorus: [Excerpt: Erma Franklin, "Piece of My Heart"] Berns co-wrote “Piece of My Heart” with Jerry Ragavoy. Berns and Ragavoy had also written "Cry Baby" for Garnet Mimms, which was another Joplin favourite: [Excerpt: Garnet Mimms, "Cry Baby"] And Ragavoy, with other collaborators

Kenzie Elizabeth sits down for a masterlist of all of her Dallas and Fort Worth favorites. This is a guide of Dallas Fort Worth restaurants, hotels, workouts, cocktail lounges, bars, activities, etc. What to do in Dallas & Fort Worth! Enjoy!  SHOP MERCH OUT NOW: https://shop.dearmedia.com/collections/ilysm THE OH KIND: https://www.instagram.com/theohkind/ SECRET FACEBOOK PAGE: https://bit.ly/2zEx3BM JOIN OUR GENEVA GROUP CHAT: https://links.geneva.com/invite/ab361e92-0405-41ad-9e12-b17b592365bc JOIN THE MAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/2uumkus Kenzie's Channel: https://youtube.com/kenzieelizabeth Kenzie's IG: https://bit.ly/298RzRn Kenzie's Twitter: https://bit.ly/2RdtJsE ILYSM IG: https://bit.ly/2vlwxXy ILYSM YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/2UQ8DUj   MOVING TO DALLAS YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4WA7H4vzIQ&t=8s   This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode. Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% off at honeylove.com/ILOVEYOU.Use our exclusive link to get 20% off - honeylove.com/ILOVEYOU Visit www.primallypure.com/KENZIE to get 15% off your order Visit www.IdealImage.com/iloveyou to get your free personalized plan Nutrafol is offering our my listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and get free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code ILOVEYOU Produced by Dear Media   BEAUTY  HAIR- Madison piper hair  MASSAGE- the Thompson spa or the now … squeeze is coming soon  NAILS- castle nail, glosslab, adore  BROWS- benefit brow bar  TANS- dallas180, sugared and bronzed FACIALS/INJECTIONS/LASER/FILLER/ETC- dermani med spa. Best prices. Use my name for $$ off  LIP BLUSHING/MICROBLADING- brow project    RESTAURANTS  Honor Bar  R&D Mi Cocina  Taco Diner  The Rustic  HG Supply  Las Palmas  Bowen House  Hudson House The Henry  Beverlys  Fachini  Doce Mesas  TownHearth  Monarch  Sister  Terrilli's  Joe Leo's  Paradiso    MORE CASUAL RESTAURANTS  Mendocino farms  Velvet Taco Wabi House  Sweet Green Mayers Garden  Standard Service    BARS / TO GET A DRINK  HENDERSON..  Skellig  High Fives The Whippersnapper  GREENVILLE.. Leelas  HG Supply  Desert Racer  Toller Patio  DEEP ELLUM..  Louie Louie's  UPTOWN..  Quarter Bar  Katy Trail Ice House  The Mansion Bar  NORTH..  Inwood Tavern DOWNTOWN.. Rodeo Bar    WORK OUTS  Class Studios  Fit Social Club  Shine Hot Pilates  Soul Cycle Ding Ding Boxing    COFFEE SHOPS  Tribal  Wild detectives  White Rhino  The Merchant  Weekend Coffee  MErit  Funny Library Coffee Shop    THINGS TO DO  White Rock Lake  JFK Museum hear me out - holocaust myseum  Northpark  Arboretum  Rangers/Cowboys/Stars/Mavs Live music  Top Golf  Dallas Farmers Market- White Rock Farmers Market  Puttery  Four day weekend comedy show  Honestly theres so much - dallassites101 or dallaslovelist  Andretti White Rock boats sunset cruise    HOTELS The Thompson  The Adolphus  Turtlecreek rosewood   FORT WORTH  Hotel Drover  Second Rodeo  Basement Bar  Billy Bobs  Stockyards  Taco Heads    THINGS TO DO WITH PARENTS  Shop bishop arts area so cute so fun  Four day comedy show for sure  Texas live  HPV weekend  The Star