Wichita Lineman

Glenn Campbell passed away a couple of days ago at the age of 81.  I've written about Wichita Lineman before as part of my Songs I Didn't Like To Admit I Liked Series.  Originally released in 1968, this version is from a 1988 collaboration between Campbell and Jimmy Webb (the composer).  Lyric, melody, vocal and arrangement come together in an impeccable form.




Extra added bonus!

Here's Glenn doing an instrumental version of Ain't No Sunshine.  The whole thing is marvelous but the solo, beginning around 47 seconds in, is something else.

Eagles Of Death Metal

This was the band performing at the Bataclan Theater in Paris last Friday night when ISIS terrorists entered the venue and slaughtered 89 people.  Despite its name the band is not a metal band ala Metallica, Anthrax or Anvil.  It's a rock band with a humorous touch, self described as The Eagles meet Metal.  The only two permanent members are Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme with the rest of the band a rotating bunch of friends and loonies.  The band was on a European tour supporting their recently released CD, Zipper Down.  Here's a video for the single Complexity featuring Hughes and Homme.
Yesterday they posted a note on Facebook for their fans.  The four people mentioned by name below  were murdered last Friday.

While the band is now home safe, we are horrified and still trying to come to terms with what happened in France. Our thoughts and hearts are first and foremost with our brother Nick Alexander, our record company comrades Thomas Ayad, Marie Mosser, and Manu Perez, and all the friends and fans whose lives were taken in Paris, as well as their friends, families, and loved ones.

Although bonded in grief with the victims, the fans, the families, the citizens of Paris, and all those affected by terrorism, we are proud to stand together, with our new family, now united by a common goal of love and compassion.

We would like to thank the French police, the FBI, the U.S. and French State Departments, and especially all those at ground zero with us who helped each other as best they could during this unimaginable ordeal, proving once again that love overshadows evil.

All EODM shows are on hold until further notice.
Vive la musique, vive la liberté, vive la France, and vive EODM.

It's worth reading the entire post which also contains comments from several fans in attendance at Bataclan, at least one of whom was wounded in the massacre.

And here they are at a show this September in Cleveland performing a cover of Duran Duran's 1984 hit Save A Prayer.

And now to bring things full circle you can watch here the Eagles of Death Metal doing a terrific version of Save A Prayer with Duran Duran in London just a couple of weeks ago.  This is the original Duran Duran video which is worth watching for the beautiful shots of Sri Lanka scenery and monuments.  Save A Prayer is also one of those songs that THC Didn't Like To Admit He Liked.

UPDATE:  The Eagles of Death Metal played in Israel this past July despite an appeal to cancel their visit by the despicable Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd).  Water supports the destruction of Israel through his support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement so hats off to the Eagles for going on with this visit.  The Batalcan theater has Jewish ownership and had been the subject of demonstrations by the BDS movement and Muslim groups because it allowed Jewish and Israeli events at the venue.

Songs I Didn't Like To Admit I Liked Vol 4: Van Halen

For the three prior installments in this series go here.

Actually, THC is stretching things a bit in this post.  It's not about a song - it's about a band.  And it's about a band that THC has sometimes admitted to liking.  But the THC Son and Daughter have both informed their Dad several times over the years that they are embarrassed by his fandom and he has been asked to be quiet about it, especially in their presence.

Of course, I'm talking 'bout Van Halen.

There is something alluring about the loony lyrics and antics of David Lee Roth and the innovative guitar confections of Eddie Van Halen which culminated in their classic album 1984 which featured great songs like Jump, Panama and the subtle message tune, Hot For Teacher.
   (Roth)
Here's a highlight from the Roth era: Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love ( with the lovely sentiment "you know you're semi-good lookin'")

Now, for the really embarrassing part.  THC is also a fan of some of the music Van Halen made with Sammy Hagar on vocals who took over the departure of Diamond Dave.  THC was already familiar with Sammy from his work with the early metal band Montrose (listen to this live 1974 version of Bad Motor Scooter).
(Hagar)
THC is particularly enamored with two songs from the Hagar era.  First up is Finish What Ya Started with a very uncharacteristic and very cool guitar part from Eddie.
Second is Right Now which features a catchy and creative keyboard riff from Eddie, who did keyboards on all the Van Halen records (for instance, Jump) along with handling guitar duties.  

Songs I Didn't Like To Admit I Liked Vol. 3: The Carpenters

We revisited the 1960s and the 1980s in our first two installments.  Now it's the 1970s, 1971 to be precise.  This is even harder to 'fess up to than the others - it's Superstar by The Carpenters - there, THC has admitted it.

      Russell) (Bramlett)
Superstar was written in 1969 by Bonnie Bramlett (of Delaney & Bonnie) and Leon Russell.  One of the first recordings of the song was by a then-unknown Bette Midler.  Richard Carpenter heard Bette's record and decided it would make a perfect single for The Carpenters.  Karen Carpenter initially resisted doing the song but eventually gave in and it eventually became one of her favorites.  Karen's voice makes the song conveying longing and poignancy along with delusion.  It was always lush and beautiful but a lot of times it was employed on some pretty lame songs.  This was an exception.

THC picked this YouTube of the song because, though it is lip-synced, it features Karen on the drums.  She started as a drummer in a band with her brother but there are not many clips in her prime playing.

Songs I Didn't Like To Admit I Liked Vol. 2: Tears For Fears

The first installment of this intermittent series featured a Glen Campbell song from the 60s.  Now let's move to the 1980s.

Tears for Fears bugged me.  I don't know if it was the way the two guys who ran the group (Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith) looked.  Maybe it was their first hit single in the US, Shout, which I didn't like then or now.  Whatever it was I never warmed up to them.  Even though I liked the two followups to Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head Over Heels, - not that I ever purchased any of their records!

1985 was a good year for the band.  Their album, Songs from the Big Chair, unleashed three hit singles - Shout was one of the biggest records in the world that year, Everybody hit #1 in the U.S. and Head reached #3.

Their videos for all of these songs were pretty lousy and I didn't like their singing voices.  But they wrote great melodies and whoever did the arranging was pretty clever.  Everybody also has that sparkling lyric couplet:

I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision

I was surprised to find that Tears for Fears sold 25 million albums in their career.

Another 80s song was suggested to me by dedicated THC reader, LDC, and yes, it was a song I refused to admit I liked at the time - Harden My Heart by Quarterflash.  Released in late 1981 it hit #3 in early 1982 and spawned a truly awful music video which is embedded below.  I urge you to watch the whole thing - it even has a guy with a flamethrower!  Quarterflash was formed by Rindy and Marv Ross who met and married while at Western Oregon University in the 1970s.  Rindy sang and played saxophone and Marv wrote the songs and played guitar.

Harden My Heart was their only big hit but Rindy and Marv are still together and touring as Quarterflash.  Below the 1981 video you'll find a YouTube of them playing the same song in 2011.

The original video (complete with flamethrower guy and lead singer looking awkward in a leotard):

And this is Quarterflash 2011:

Songs I Didn't Like To Admit I Liked: Glen Campbell

We all have them.  Songs we thought were sappy or stupid so didn't want to tell anyone else how much we enjoyed them.  I'm talking about tunes you liked at the time they were released, not songs you disliked at the time but grew to appreciate years later.  What are yours?

Here's the first one I'll fess up to; Wichita Lineman, which reached #3 on the charts in 1968, which would have been very uncool for me to admit at the time.  Written by Jimmy Webb (of MacArthur Park fame) and sung by Glen Campbell.  Gorgeous melody and odd, but memorable, lyrics plus Burt Bacharach style horns in the solo (and a little Moody Blues orchestral touch at the end of each verse), unresolved melodic and lyrical tension at the end and a fine vocal by Campbell (who, earlier in his career, had been a touring member of The Beach Boys and done studio work with Elvis Presley, Jan & Dean, Merle Haggard and others).  THC was reminded of the song by this post at Sippican Cottage.

I hear you singin' in the wire
I can hear you through the whine
And the Wichita Lineman is still on the line

Of course, nowadays, the Wichita Lineman would be working for the NSA adding further meaning to the lyrics.