Groovy Situation - Gene Chandler
- Album: The Gene Chandler Situation
- Information: Though already notable and famous for being the "Duke of Earl", Chandler had an unexpected but massive hit many years after his first hit, selling a million, taking a gold record and even winning producer of the year in 1970 by the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers, where he beat Gamble & Huff and Norman Whitfield.
- Personal Thoughts: Let me just say this from the start: I love the production values of this song...and that's even before knowing this was by the man behind "Duke of Earl"...which just sounds so different compared to the former hit. From the introduction that sounds so much like childhood teasing leading to the very funky and soulful chorus with an impressive usage of trumpets is just so soulful that it is an instant toe-tapper for me. Sort of wish it had more respect but...they don't want people "groovin'" like this anymore without seeming passe.
I Want To Take You Higher - Ike & Tina Turner
- Album: Come Together
- Information: Though originally taking notice in the mainstream after Sly and the Family Stone made it part of their Woodstock track list, Ike and Tina made their own version of the song which actually scored better than the original in the pop chart...but was a rank below the original on the US Soul chart.
- Personal Thoughts: There is a major difference in listening to a song by Sly Stone and listening to it being interpreted by Tina. Unlike a lot of soul artists, Tina Turner always seems to bring a lot of rawness to her music, particularly during her era with Ike. While the guitar track is very pushing and there is some nice horns, the raspy and powerful voice of Tina just breaks through as the highlight of the song, showing off her power to the song.
Hand Me Down World - Guess Who
- Album: Share The Land
- Information: Though the Guess Who were riding high after being one of the major breakthrough Canadian artists of the late 60s and early 70s, the departure of guitarist Randy Bachman (unknown whether if it was by health matters or his current beliefs at that time as a Mormon) lead to the addition of two guitarists, Kurt Winter and Greg Liskew, for their next album, with this as one of the key released tracks.
- Personal Thoughts: Admittedly I do like the Guess Who but I never really sorted out the pre or post-Bachman works mostly due to the consistant usage of Burton Cummings as the lead singer and the similar guitar work that I never really kept track of before. Regardless, I really do like what feels a bit of a folky sound with a lot of topicality kept up from some of the band's other's songs, for the most part this time tackling the whole "legacy we leave our children" aspect and the growing environmental movement. The bass in this sound has just this weird progression here in it's movement downwards...and I always found it weird when they mentioned "fuzzy wuzzy" near the end of the song, even if it was in regards to...well, love. And the "la las"...get rather eerie.
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
- Album: Ladies of the Canyon
- Information: Though already a notable and well accalimed folk artist, Mitchell began to write more poignant, introspective songs including possibly one of her most famous songs: a direct attack on commercialism and the environmental movement written after a visit to Hawaii which included, among other things, a beautiful hotel view ruined by a parking lot and a museum filled with various endangered plants on direct display for a fee. (both of which are promenantly mentioned in the song) On the other hand, the "Big Yellow Taxi" in the title refers to the taxi service of Toronto, which used yellow taxis up until 1986.
- Personal Thoughts: It's almost funny that we go from one enviornmentally conscious song written by a Canadian band to...another environmentally conscious song by a Canadian artist back to back. (though...weirdly one entry said it never made the 40 by Joni's version...but since it was there, I decided to do it anyway; we'll get to the more notable commercial version in a later upcoming blog) Everyone knows this song though regardless of how it came about, made even stronger by almost how simple it was performed: Joni's sweet voice and her sole guitar (with a bit of a snare drum and a chorus in the background) taking on the world and pretty much pushing forwards a movement that was starting to build up and even has more implications now. I just sort of wish we knew what the "old man" she was talking about though...I mean if we can save the world and everything in it (or at least try and fail miserably only to get right back up and try again over and over)...why not tell us who that man was? And...deep voice Joni Mitchell...is creepy.
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