Happy Thanksgiving from Astoria, Queens, NYC!
If you are reading this, thanks for checking in.
I hope all of you wonderful people who have kept this place from going under for the last (almost) 17 years (!) have a stress-free, fun-filled, hyphenated word of your choice Thanksgiving holiday.
Safe travels.
When the song first came out, I thought it was a swing and a miss. It felt clumsy. Over the years, I've changed my tune. It was easier for me to mock what was wrong with it back then and even easier for me now to hear all that's right with it.
This version is pretty great.
There's a story going back to 1964 when Lennon & McCartney were writing hits for others, like "A World Without Love" for Peter & Gordon and "Bad To Me" for Billy J. Kramer, where critics were claiming these songs were only hits because of The Beatles' names attached to them. So, as a fake out, McCartney wrote "Woman" for Peter & Gordon under the alias Bernard Webb. When it only reached #28 in the U.K., the same critics said, "See?," while those more understanding blamed the song itself, saying it wasn't one of McCartney's bettter tunes. The U.S thought better of it and "Woman" peaked at #14.
I think "Woman" is an amazing record and I fell deeper in love with it when I heard Frankie Siragusa cover it 2020.
At the time, Frankie Siragusa played drums for The Posies, and he released a solo album in 2020 called "Goodbye My Love: Lost Songs Of Lennon & McCartney, Covered and Rediscovered" with a little help from Jellyfish's Roger Joseph Manning and Keith Sletterdahl from The 88. On the surface it looks like another attempt to record those great early sides that The Beatles gave away to the likes of Billy J. Kramer, Cilla Black, & Peter & Gordon, except this is unbelievably good! The whole record is worth your time.
A pretty solid pop track from Helen Shapiro made even better by The Fab Three.
This should put a smile on your face.
(h/t lilcheaplet)
Even If You Don't- Ween
Groove Holmes- Beastie Boys
You Make Me Feel Good- The Zombies
Peaches En Regalia- Frank Zappa
How Does The Grass Grow?- David Bowie
Time Song- The Kinks
The Drugs Don't Work- The Verve
Enjoy!
The first time I heard about half of these songs were as cover versions. Some were on Nick Lowe records. Many were on Robert Gordon records. One I heard on a Clash record. I even heard one on a k.d.lang record.
The other half rounding out the mix are faves of mine for one reason or another, like that froggy moan on Barbara Greene's "Long Tall Sally," or listening to Ronnie Dio before he discovered rainbows and devil horns.
I'm pretty sure you will have some fun listening to them all.
Enjoy!
TRACKLIST
Sweet Love On My Mind- Jimmy & Johnny
Jugue- The Downbeats feat. Johnny Amelio
All By Myself- Roy Hall
Long Tall Sally- Barbara Greene
Bo Bo Ska Diddle Daddle- Wayne Walker
Tryin' To Get To You- Johnny Carroll & His Hot Rocks
Playboy- Bob Denton
Action Packed- Ronnie Dee
You Don't Know My Mind- Roy Moss
Black Slacks- Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones
Go 'Way Hound Dog- Cliff Johnson
Flyin' Saucers Rock 'N' Roll- Ray Scott
The Worryin' Kind- Tommy Sands
Bad Boy- Robin Luke
Mercy- Collins Kids
Brand New Cadillac- Vince Taylor
Love Pains- Ronnie Dio
Hey Jibbo- Art Wood
Bop-A-Lena- Ronnie Self
Behave, Be Quiet Or Begone- Roy Duke
The Way I Walk- Jack Scott
Folding Money- Carl Belew
You Mostest Girl- Bobby Lee Trammell
You're Humbuggin' Me- Lefty Frizzell
Watching The 7:10 Roll By- Buck Griffin
I Wanta Be Free- Evelyn Harlene with Casey Clark's Band
Red Hot- Billy Riley
Sebbin Come Elebbin- Jimmy Heap & The Melody Masters
Mama Don't You Think I Know- Jackie Lee Cochran
Rock Billy Boogie- Johnny Burnette
