Border Song- Elton John
This Is Love- George Harrison
Don't Let A Good Thing Go- The Nightingales
I Love You So Much I'm Leaving- Ginger Wildheart
Kiss Them For Me- Siouxsie & The Banshees
Never Take Me Back- The Jay Vons
Take Me From This Garden Of Evil- Jimmy Wages
Border Song- Elton John
When Elton inducted Elvis Costello into the RNRHOF, he mentioned that Elvis's first album had so many good songs, but his own first album only had one good song. I'm feeling like Elton wasn't referring to "Empty Sky," his actual first album, which had no good songs, but the self-titled album with "Your Song," his pick for the one good song. I guess there is no way of knowing without asking Elton, but I listened to "Elton John" and there are many great songs, including this one.
This Is Love- George Harrison
I hadn't listened to "Cloud Nine" in some time and it has aged really well, though I still don't like "Got My Mind Set On You." I particularly enjoyed this Harrison/Lynne co-write.
Don't Let A Good Thing Go- The Nightingales
When I was in The Cool Jerks, a deep cut, soul cover band, we covered this Stax track and always referred to it as the Ollie & The Nightingales song. My original 45 credits only The Nightingales. What happened to Ollie? I loved playing this one and I still love the record now.
I Love You So Much I'm Leaving- Ginger Wildheart
Mr. Wildheart just released a new record on Little Steven's Wicked Cool label. I haven't yet given it a spin, but I did think of this track, which is one of my faves from Ginger.
Kiss Them For Me- Siouxsie & The Banshees
I have been in and out of a Siouxsie kick for years now. Played this one to death when it was released.
Never Take Me Back- The Jay Vons
Long forgotten soul band of the 60's? No sir. The Jay Vons recorded this track in 2010. It was the b side of their first single.
Take Me From The Garden Of Evil- Jimmy Wages
Anyone reading Bob Dylan's new book? I just started it. In it, Zimmy devotes each chapter to one song with his own special type of fact and fiction. Here's a bit of what he said about this Jimmy Wages track:
"This record presses the panic button. This is no peace in the valley. This is a garden of corporate lust, sexual greed, gratuitious cruelty and commonplace insanity. Hypnotized masses of people and dyed-in-the-wool assholes, and the singer wants to be delivered from it, who wouldn't." Okay, I'm in!
9 comments:
Earlier this year I plunged down a huge rabbit hole with mid-fifties to early sixties obscure rockabilly and the Jimmy Wages track really fits that glove. I would like to know what other similar tunes Bob enjoys.
I am not at all familiar with Ginger Wildheart, but after checking, she has quite an extensive catalog. What's the (short) story on her?
The Nightingales track was also new to me - wow!! So much of the Stax catalog is really hard to beat.
Great SOTW, thanks!!
Randy
Randy,
Ginger is a "he."
He started The Wildhearts in the early 90's, a kind of power pop/punk band, with killer melodies and harmonies underneath some very aggressive music.
He also made records with The Quireboys and the Silver Ginger 5 (which is a persona favorite.) It's overwhelming!
Kiss them for me is superb. That’s Bo Didley in steroids.
Ollie did the going solo thing - making the wonderful Sweet Surrender album in 1973. Tommy Tate took Ollie's place (but was not added to the group's name) and they recorded a bunch of excellent songs including Don't Let A Good Thing Go and the essential Just A Little Overcome.
Ginger has an *enormous* discography and is amazingly prolific -- and it's fairly varied and uniformly solid. The new album is no exception.
GW is one of those artists I don't think about a lot, but when his stuff comes up on rotation, I think "man, that's a good track".
"Kiss Them for Me" is one of the songs that are on par with other songs like "Dancing in the Streets" in that I could play it on an endless loop for eternity and never get tired of it.
What is Elton on about? There are at least 6 great songs on that album.
I've always felt Elton's Skyline Pigeon and the title track from Empty Sky are much underrated, having many fond memories of both. Glad you got Ginger Wildheart's gender sorted (thought I may have missed something there) and loved The Quireboys (as they became after a pc name change) back in their heyday. Thanks for the zip thing. Cheers!
The finds for me this week were "Don't Let A Good Thing Go" by The Nightingales and "Never Take Me Back" by The Jay Vons. Great R&B, decades apart. Never heard the former and the latter has escaped me on my countless Daptone forays.
I agree with "cmealha". The Nightingales" and "The Jay Vons" were the two best tracks form a very good week of tunes.
Captain Al
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