It's Time For "Time"

 

Taj Mahal has made a lot of music and worn many different hats in the last 60 years, and very little of that music is bad. From The Rising Sons with Ry Cooder through his classic Columbia releases, as well as his hula band and collaborations with renowned world artists, Taj has been pretty convincing through all of it. But for what may be obvious reasons, two of my favorite Taj records are the two he recorded with the Phantom Blues band in the late 90's. Both "Senor Blues" and "Phantom Blues" feature a New Orleans favorite of mine, Jon Cleary, as well as Johnny Lee Schell, Mick Weaver, Tony Braunagel, Darrell Leonard and Joe Sublett, and both albums have that good time New Orleans vibe.

Apparently, a third session took place in 2010 but was then shelved before completion. Since then, tapes have been sent around, and the Phantom Blues band, along with Jon Cleary put finishing touches on what has just been released as "Time." As much as I love the first two, it seems that third time's the charm. 

I'll let Jon Cleary take over for a minute. This was something Jon sent out to his Substack members.

 

 

 

The single. ‘Time’, is a tune that was mostly recorded by me here at my studio, Funk Headquarters, in New Orleans. I was sent a Bill Withers demo, something he’d written and made a rough recording of but that was unfinished. They asked if I could come up with a completed idea for Taj so I set about putting together an arrangement, playing and recording acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, drums, percussion, piano, keyboards and background vocals. I ran off a rough mix sent it back to my compadres in the Phantom Blues band in Los Angeles who then added some stuff, replaced some stuff and mixed it with Taj’s new vocal.

Also on the record, is a favourite of mine, a song written by a cat called Johnny ‘Snakehips’ Johnson who happens to be my Uncle. The song is called ‘Crazy about a Jukebox’ and is, in my opinion, a mini masterpiece. The lyric tells the story of an attempt to win a girl’s affection by getting her the one thing she craves, a Jukebox. Having got it, she just spends all her time listening to the records and completely ignores him! Cleverly, every line is a reference to an artist or song title of the era, and at the same time is a compendium of all of his favourite classic tunes from that time.

When I first played ‘Crazy about a Jukebox’ to Taj, he flipped. Every single reference meant something personally to him and he insisted that we record it.

 

 

 

 

Another song I'd like to point out is "You Put The Whammy On Me," which sounds a heck of a lot like Cleary's "Cheatin' On You," which was covered on "Phantom Blues." I wonder if the similarity is what kept "Whammy" on the shelf. In any event, it's here now, on "Time." 

Give this record a spin and if it moves you even a bit, check out both "Senor Blues" & "Phantom Blues." 

Songs Of The Week, 2026: 4/25-5/1

 

Baby Loves To Rock- Cheap Trick
Fabulous- Charlie Gracie
Oh Bondage! Up Yours!- X-Ray Spex
You Can't Take Love For Granted- Graham Parker
You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)- Marva Whitney
Come Go With Me- Gloria Jones
Break It Down Again- Tears For Fears

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Baby Loves To Rock- Cheap Trick
(George Martin produces The Beatles of Rockford, Illinois! What could go wrong? Well, at the time, I thought everything. I did not like this record, especially after "Dream Police." But I've warmed to it, at least Side One.)

Fabulous- Charlie Gracie
(I believe this was the first release on Philly's Cameo-Parkway records. Macca does a nice cover of it, too.)

Oh Bondage! Up Yours!- X-Ray Spex
(Two exclamation points in the title! For good reason!)

You Can't Take Love For Granted- Graham Parker
(I've got a few more GP albums in the listening queue today. "The Real Macaw" is an underrated favorite. I love the jump from minor to major on "I get so hungry and I...")

You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)- Marva Whitney
(True dat! This may too be funky for a Sunday.)

Come Go With Me- Gloria Jones
(Mrs. Marc Bolan revs up the Dell-Vikings doo wop classic. I highly recommend the whole album, which clocks in at a very cheap 21 minutes. Worth your time.)

Break It Down Again- Tears For Fears 
(This band has fans, of course. They're popular, of course. Yet, it still feels like not enough people know anything beyond "Shout." Playlist below. And it's a damn good one, if I do say so myself.)

Tears For Fears Playlist

OH...and BY THE WAY!

I put up about 30-35 really solid records for sale at my usual below wholesale prices! Please take a look, because as Marva and James say, if you don't work, you can't eat.

Go shopping HERE!

 

BW's Saturday #82

 

Wake Up, It's 1982

 

 

   

From 1982 2026, please enjoy the new Haircut 100 single, "Come Back To Me." 

I have no complaints...about this song.

 

The Dark Side Of A Magical Mystery Tour

 

Hot off the presses, please check out the new single from The Claypool-Lennon Delirium, which can be found on their new record, "The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy."

The band's 2019 release "South Of Reality" was a favorite of that year, pushing all of my Syd Barrett meets The Beatles on the moon buttons I didn't realize I had. I'm digging this new track and am looking forward to diving into the full length. Sean is sounding more like his dad the older he gets.

OKaye Lenny!

 

There is a lot to love about this new single from the legendary Lenny Kaye. First, it's Lenny Kaye! If you don't love him for being Patti Smith's right hand man for 50 years, then certainly you must have dug the "Nuggets." Or maybe, you bought some records from him when he worked at Village Oldies on Bleecker Street.

It's hard to believe this is Lenny's first proper solo album.  "Goin' Local" comes out on July 17th and the title track is incredibly infectious. I love the lyrics, though if I have to pick one nit, I wish it had a stronger chorus. Still, this one sounds great loud.

New York Times' 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters: Ready? GO!

Nile Rodgers
Lucinda Williams
Stevie Wonder
Jay-Z
Paul Simon
Taylor Swift
Brian & Eddie Holland
Missy Elliott
Lionel Richie
Dolly Parton
Young Thug
Diane Warren
Josh Osborne, Brandy Clark, Shane Mcanally
Fiona Apple
Babyface
Stephin Merritt
Romeo Santos
Carole King
OutKast
Mariah Carey
Willie Nelson
Kendrick Lamar
Valerie Simpson
Bob Dylan
Lana Del Rey
The-Dream
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Bad Bunny
Bruce Springsteen
Smokey Robinson