Category Archives: The Best Songs

The Beatles 40 best songs: at 39 “Because”

February 3, 2014 Hallgeir 2 Comments

abbey road above

“Because” is a ballad written by John Lennon and as usual credited to Lennon/McCartney. It features a 3-part harmony vocal performance between Lennon, McCartney and George Harrison, overdubbed three times to make nine voices in all. The results of this have been compared in sound to the Beach Boys. It appeared on the 1969 album Abbey Road, and is the song that precedes the extended medley that formed side two of the original LP record. George Martin plays the electronic harpsichord at the beginning of the song, and Ringo is nowhere to be heard. That said, Ringo kept the rhythm on a hi-hat, but only in the singers headphones, it was not recorded.

It was the last song recorded for Abbey Road.

Wikipedia:

“Because”
Song by the Beatles from the album Abbey Road
Released	26 September 1969
Recorded	1–5 August 1969, EMI Studios, London
Genre	Progressive rock, art rock
Length	2:45
Label	Apple Records
Writer	Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin

The Beatles – Because:

According to Lennon, the song’s close musical resemblance to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was no coincidence:

“Yoko was playing Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ on the piano … I said, ‘Can you play those chords backwards?’, and wrote ‘Because’ around them. The lyrics speak for themselves … No imagery, no obscure references.”

It do contain some similarities to Beethoven, but it isn’t obvious, but it’s a good story. It actually sounds a lot like the song “Stay in bed” included in the song “Amsterdam” from John Lennon/Yoko Ono’s Wedding Album. Listen to the acoustic guitar at about 22:16, it has a very similar melody to “Because”:

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Blues, The Best Songs, Video

Great versions of “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” (videos)

December 19, 2013 Egil

Along with “Matchbox”, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” is Blind Lemon Jefferson’s best known song. This is a day to remember & listen to BLJ, but also to his songs interpreted by others.

“See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”
Single by Blind Lemon Jefferson
B-side	“Where Shall I Be”
Released	1927
Format	10″ 78 rpm record
Recorded	October 1927
Genre	Blues
Length	2:54
Label	Paramount (Cat. no. 12585)
Writer(s)	Blind Lemon Jefferson

–

Here are BLJ & some fine versions of by other artists.

Blind Lemon Jefferson:

Bob Dylan – from his debut album:

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Bob Dylan, Country, folk, Sound, The Best Songs

The Roots of Wagon Wheel aka Rock Me Mama

September 12, 2013 Hallgeir 7 Comments

Bob Dylan In 'Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid'

Rock Me Mama/Wagon Wheel is a song originally sketched by Bob Dylan and later completed by Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show. Old Crow Medicine Show’s version was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 2013.

It is a big hit for Darius Rucker this year and nominated for a CMT award.

The chorus and melody for the song comes from a demo recorded by Bob Dylan during the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid sessions.It is part of the famous bootleg Peco’s Blues, the Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid Sessions.

Peco's Blues

He started work on the soundtrack for Pat Garret on January 20th, 1973 in Mexico City. The next month he moved over to Burbank, California and was joined by Roger McGuinn, drummer Jim Keltner and bassist Terry Paul. The sessions gave us Dylan’s big hit Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, after finishing that classic they ran through 2 versions of Rock Me Mama.

It was never finished, and they probably forgot all about Rock Me Mama . The sessions got out as bootlegs and that’s how Keith Secor got to hear it.

Peco's Blues (BACK)

Dylan had left the song as an unfinished sketch, Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show wrote verses for the song around Dylan’s original chorus. Secor’s additional lyrics transformed “Rock Me Mama” into “Wagon Wheel”. Secor has stated the song is partially autobiographical.

As Chris ‘Critter’ Fuqua of Old Crow told theislandpacket.com in May this year:
“ I’d gotten a Bob Dylan bootleg in like ninth grade and I let Ketch listen to it, and he wrote the verses because Bob kind of mumbles them and that was it. We’ve been playing that song since we were like 17, and it’s funny because we’ve never met Dylan, but the song is technically co-written by Bob Dylan. What’s great about “Wagon Wheel” is that it has grown organically. The popularity of it was all based on word of mouth. There was no radio airplay for it. We made a music video for it, but it wasn’t “November Rain” or anything. No one was like, “Oh my God, what’s this video about?” And 16 years later, it went gold, then Darius Rucker cut it.”

Keith Secor:
“It’d be my pleasure to dispel the myth and rumor about the song Wagon Wheel, or “Rock Me Mama” as Bob Dylan himself called the song when he recorded it down in Mexico in 1972 for the soundtrack of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. This song was not released, and it was not finished either, this is a demo of a practice session of him, Rob Stoner, and a couple of gals doing the chorus over and over again while the bass player learns the bass line. That’s what I heard on a German bootleg about nine years ago in high school. And I wrote the lyrics to the song because I loved the chorus so much and I sung it in my head for maybe a year straight, and then just penned what I penned, which is something of an autobiographical story about just wanting to get outta town, gettin outta school, and just wanting to go play music. It’s sort of autobiographical like that. But yeah, it’s sort of a Bob Dylan co-write with about 25 years inbetween.”

He works in the folk tradition that Dylan is definitely a part of, getting parts of melodies and lyrics and adding your own verses. He got the year wrong, it was in 1973.The version that he heard was probably the second version of the song, as he describes the chorus.
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Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan - The songs he didn't write, Bob Dylan video, The Best Songs

Bob Dylan – Across The Borderline (Cooder/Hiatt/Dickinson) – Audio & Video

August 17, 2013 Egil 16 Comments

There’s a place where I’ve been told
Every street is paved with gold
And it’s just across the borderline
And when it’s time to take your turn
Here’s one lesson that you must learn
You could lose more than you’ll ever hope to find

Other versions

Written by Ry Cooder, John Hiatt & Jim Dickinson, this beautiful song was released on Ry Cooder’s 1987 album “Get Rhythm”.

1. Ry Cooder his album “Get Rhythm” (1978):

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Bob Dylan played Ry Cooder & Freddy Fender’s version on show 44 (themed “Texas”) of his “Theme Time Radio Hour”.

2. Here is Freddy Fender:

A couple of more great versions before we move on to Dylan..

3. Willie Nelson’s version from his 1993 album.. “Across the Borderline”:

4. Jim Dickinson live – from the album “A thousand footprints in the sand” (1997 ):

Bruce Springsteen has covered this pearl many times… there is a couple of great videos on YouTube, BUT my Springsteen choice has to a “audio only YouTube”:

5. Bruce Springsteen (with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt) – 17 November 1990 – Shrine Auditorium, LA:

Bob Dylan versions:

When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hands
Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind
‘Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline

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Country, Singer Songwriter, The Best Songs

Great song – Son of a Rotten Gambler by Chip Taylor

May 21, 2013 Hallgeir

smio-12

This classic song is written by Chip Taylor (aka James Wesley Voight) and there are several very good recordings. The version above is from Chip Taylor’s fantastic album, Hit Man released in 1996. An album were Taylor revisits many of his best songs. When you have written as many great songs as Taylor has, there are bound to be oversights and omissions, but you owe it to yourself to seek out this great record. Hit Man indeed!

“Son Of A Rotten Gambler” was written for his son, Kristian and it went to the top of the country charts. The song is particularly poignant as it speaks of his other great talent, gambling, that he was doing professionally during a break from his recording career in the early 80’s.

As a gambler, he was one of the foremost thoroughbred horse race handicappers on the East Coast. When Chip Taylor turned his sights on the gaming tables, he quickly gained notoriety with his black jack prowess; finishing third in the World Black Jack Championship in Las Vegas. He became one of the most feared card counters in theU.S and was banned from every casino in Atlantic City. These stories are known throughout the gambling world and well documented by the I.R.S..

Anne Murray had a hit with the song in 1974, and it is probably the best known version.

Son Of A Rotten Gambler – Anne Murray:

One of my favorite recordings, “Son of a Rotten Gambler” was a huge, huge country record for Anne Murray. But it was the fifth single from her album release, and they quickly buried it because they wanted to release another album for Christmas. Even though they tried to bury it, it became a huge hit. I wrote it for my son. Emmylou Harris has recorded it as well, but Anne’s version gave me chills when I first heard it. It starts out with an organ that you hear in the distance, and it gets louder and louder and louder, and then she comes in and starts to sing. I think it’s one of the best recordings of any of my songs.

– Chip Taylor (to Engine 145)

The Hollies released their version in 1975. A nice interpretation but too much of a “sing-a-long” anthem for my taste. I think the song loses some of its poignancy.

Son of a Rotten Gambler – The Hollies:

My favourite take of the song, together with Chip Taylors own, is by Emmylou Harris. Released in 1981 on the wonderful album, Cimarron. This was her 9th album and is often rated lower than her previous records, don’t be fooled, it is better than most country albums.

Son of a Rotten Gambler – Emmylou Harris:

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