January 23, 2015

Livin’ On Tulsa Time!

The Analog Kid just scored some great tickets for the opening night of Rush’s R40 tour on May 8th in Tulsa. I was at the first show of Rush’s Time Machine tour in Albuquerque back in 2010, and it was an experience that I will never forget. Like the Time Machine tour, Rush have promised to dig deep into their back catalog for R40. Hopefully that means we might even hear something that’s never been played on stage by the band before, so with that in mind I’m re-blogging a post that I first featured back in December of 2013: “Five Rush Songs That Have Never Been Played Live.”

If any of these five Rush classics make an appearance in Tulsa, my head just might explode. And if they happen to bust out “Losing It,” I really might do just that…

 

Five Rush Songs That Have Never Been Played Live

I was in tenth grade when I went to my first Rush concert. The date was February 28, 1983, and it was the first of two Rush shows at Reunion Arena in Dallas on the Signals tour. The Analog Kid has seen Rush 17 more times since that amazing night, including the band’s first-ever show in Dublin on my honeymoon in 2011 (yes, I married a saint).

Honeymoon 305

You might think that I’ve seen Rush play just about everything that I would have liked to have heard during the course of 18 shows, and for the most part that is true. Rush always digs deep into their catalog during their live shows, and they have a rabid fan base that relishes the inclusion of deep album cuts in concert. Still, despite Rush’s impressive history of set list variation, there are a large number of Rush classics that have never been performed live in concert.

Here are five of my favorite Rush songs that I’ve never heard live– and neither has anyone else…

Permanent Waves

Rush: “Different Strings” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Permanent Waves

Mercury Records, 1980

Different Strings

Rush played “Entre Nous” for the very first time on 2007’s Snakes And Arrows tour, leaving “Different Strings” as the only song on Permanent Waves that has never been played in concert. I certainly never thought I’d get to hear “Entre Nous” live, so I am holding out hope that “Different Strings” will make an appearance someday.

 

Signals

Rush: “Losing It” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Signals

Mercury Records, 1982

Losing It

“Losing It” was the only song on Signals that Rush didn’t play that night at Reunion Arena in 1983, and I’ve been chasing it ever since. Rush’s last tour for Clockwork Angels featured a string section during the extended second set, and it raised fans’ hopes that “Losing It” and its beautiful electric violin might finally see the light of day. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen– but I still hope to live my fantasy someday…

 

Presto

Rush: “Hand Over Fist” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Presto

Atlantic Records, 1989

Hand Over Fist

I didn’t get to see a show on the Presto tour– Rush didn’t come to Austin, and I had an accounting exam at UT the afternoon they played in Dallas. It remains the only Rush tour I have missed since 1982. I actually left Austin for Dallas after the exam and drove by Reunion Arena about 11:00 PM, just as the show was ending. If you can’t tell, I am still pretty bitter about it. Rush didn’t play “Hand Over Fist” that night, and 24 years later they still haven’t played the song live. It’s a deep cut for sure and one likely never to see the stage, but it’s one of my favorites from a very underrated album.

 

Counterparts

Rush: “Cut To The Chase” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Counterparts

Atlantic Records, 1993

Cut To The Chase

One listen to “Cut To The Chase” and there’s no doubt that it came out in the early-to-mid ’90s. Grunge was everywhere in 1994, and even Rush toughened up their sound and left a lot of the keyboards in the closet for the Counterparts album. I saw the Counterparts tour in Dallas in January of 1994, and a lot of the kids sitting around me seemed lost when the band played “Limelight.” The same kids went absolutely nuts when they launched into the new song “Cold Fire,” so clearly Rush’s effort to reach a new audience was working.

“Cut To The Chase” didn’t make the cut that night, and it’s one of four songs on Counterparts that have never been played in concert.

 

Rush_VaporTrails_Remix

Rush: “Sweet Miracle” [2013 Remix] (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Vapor Trails

Rhino Records, 2013

Sweet Miracle

2002’s Vapor Trails is a challenging album. It was the first Rush album released after a long hiatus prompted by the tragic deaths of Neil Peart’s wife and daughter. The dark material was made even more abrasive by the noisy mix, and over the years there have been rumors that Rush might someday release a remixed version of Vapor Trails. It finally happened earlier this year, and the results were spectacular.

“Sweet Miracle” was one of my immediate favorites upon the release of Vapor Trails, but the band didn’t include it during the album’s tour. It has been sitting on the shelf ever since, and I’m hoping the release of the remixed Vapor Trails may have opened up the band’s eyes to this fantastic song.

Rush are currently taking a well-deserved break from the road, but fans are hopeful they will return to the stage in 2015. The inclusion of any of these five songs will make the Analog Kid happier than a Canuck locked in a Moosehead factory.

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Permanent Waves

Rush: “Entre Nous” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Permanent Waves

Mercury Records, 1979

Entre Nous

 

Moving Pictures

Rush: “Limelight” (Music By Lee & Lifesonn/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Moving Pictures

Mercury Records, 1981

Limelight

 

Counterparts

Rush: “Cold Fire” (Music By Lee & Lifeson/Lyrics By Peart)

From the album Counterparts

Atlantic Records, 1993

Cold Fire

 

Expressions

Don Williams: “Tulsa Time” (Danny Flowers)

From the album Expressions

ABC Records, 1978

Tulsa Time

Posted by on January 23, 2015 in Rock and tagged , , , , , , , .

2 Comments

January 20, 2015

Groovy Tuesday: 1975 (Part 2)

Every Tuesday, the Analog Kid blog goes back in time and features some of the best groovy R&B/soul songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Sometimes you’ll hear songs from individual artists or from a specific year, and other times you’ll get an entire full-length classic LP ripped directly from the Analog Kid’s vast vinyl vault. Warning: by R&B/soul, I also mean disco. I could go all Gloria Gaynor on your ass at any given moment, so just be ready!

 

Groovy Tuesday: 1975 (Part 2)

Inseparable

Natalie Cole: “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” (Chuck Jackson/Marvin Yancy)

From the album Inseparable

Capitol Records, 1975

This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)

Before it became best-known as a promotional tool for an on-line dating service, Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be” was a #1 smash on the Billboard R&B chart. It also reached #6 on the Hot 100– not bad for a debut single! Cole was awarded Best New Artist at the 1976 Grammy Awards.

 

Come And Get Yourself Some 1

Leon Haywood: “I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You” (Leon Haywood)

From the album Come And Get Yourself Some

20th Century Records, 1975

I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You

Leon Haywood’s recording career spanned almost 30 years (and seven different labels), but he only had one Top 40 hit on the Billboard pop charts. “I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You” reached #15 in 1975, no doubt propelled by its subtle sexual references.

Your love looks like a mountain/And I’d like to slide down into your canyon.

Subtlety at its finest, my friends!

 

Let's Do It Again 1

The Staple Singers: “Let’s Do It Again” (Curtis Mayfield)

From the album Let’s Do It Again

Curtom Records, 1975

Let’s Do It Again

“Let’s Do It Again” was the second #1 single for The Staple Singers (“I’ll Take You There” hit the top spot in 1972) and a true soul classic, but I still think of this guy every time I hear it:

JJ Walker

Jimmie Walker became an instant star when Good Times debuted in 1974, and “Let’s Do It Again” was the title song from his first motion picture. I must have watched Let’s Do It Again at least 50 times on our subscription TV service (anybody remember ONTV?) in 1977. Am I allowed to admit now that I had no idea who Sidney Poitier was at the time?

 

Special Delivery

Polly Brown: “Up In A Puff Of Smoke” (Gerry Shury/Phillip Swern)

From the album Special Delivery

GTO Records, 1975

Up In A Puff Of Smoke

Polly Brown was a British singer who had a string of hits in her homeland, but “Up In A Puff Of Smoke” wasn’t really one of them. The song peaked at #43 on the British charts, but it went all the way to #16 in the U.S. based primarily on its popularity in discos.

Strange but true: as a member of the duo Sweet Dreams, Polly often performed in black face. Holy Neil Diamond in “The Jazz Singer,” Batman!

Neil

 

City Of Angels

The Miracles: “Love Machine (Part 1)” (Warren Moore/William Griffin)

From the album City Of Angels

Tamla Records, 1975

Love Machine [Part 1]

Who needs Smokey, anyways? “Love Machine” only spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the week of March 6, 1976), but its long rise to the top slot meant that it was in the Hot 100 for 28 weeks. No other Miracles song– Smokey or otherwise– can make such a claim. Hoo-hoo-hoo yeah!

 

Want to hear more groovy tracks from 1975? Check out 1975, Part 1 here:

Groovy Tuesday: 1975

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

 

Be Altitude_ Respect Yourself

The Staple Singers: “I’ll Take You There” (Alvertis Isbell)

From the album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself

Stax Records, 1972

I’ll Take You There

 

The Jazz Singer

Neil Diamond: “You Baby” (Neil Diamond)

From the album The Jazz Singer

Capitol Records, 1980

You Baby

 

Posted by on January 20, 2015 in Rock and tagged , , , , , , , , .

1 Comment

January 15, 2015

EP-iphanies: Elvis Costello’s “Everyday I Write The Book” [U.S. 12″]

As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to 33⅓ or 45!

 

1983’s “Everyday I Write The Book” was Elvis Costello’s first Top 40 hit in the United States. It’s a brilliantly-written pop song, but even Elvis will admit that he needed a little help in order to finally break onto the American pop charts. That help came from producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who had previously produced big U.K. hits for Madness and Dexys Midnight Runners. Langer and Winstanley added a true pop sensibility to the Attractions’ signature sound, and together they helped mold “Everyday I Write The Book” into one of Costello’s best studio performances.

Take a listen to an early alternate version of “Everyday I Write The Book” that I have included below in the bonus tracks. It’s catchy and clever, but it would never have been a hit in that format. It is certainly possible to overproduce a song, but Langer and Winstanley got it just right with “Everyday I Write The Book.” The duo would go on to produce Costello’s 1984 album Goodbye Cruel World, of which Elvis had this to say in his liner notes for Rykodisc’s 1995 reissue:

Congratulations. You’ve just purchased our worst album.

You win some and you lose some, right?

The U.S. 12″ single for “Everyday I Write The Book” contains 2 unique mixes of the song: a “Special Club Version” from the legendary Jellybean Benitez, and a very cool instrumental version that really shows off the intricate production. Side 2 of the 12″ single contains “Heathen Town” and “Night Time,” two non-album cuts. “Heathen Town” would eventually appear on the 1987 b-sides compilation Out Of Our Idiot, but fans had to wait until Rykodisc’s 1994 reissue of Imperial Bedroom to get their hands on a digital version of “Night Time.”

Strange (and quite sad), but true: “Everyday I Write The Book” reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is one of only two Elvis Costello songs to reach the Top 40 in the United States. The other? The similarly brilliant “Veronica,” which peaked at #19 in 1989.

 

Everyday I Write The Book [U.S. 12_] [320 kbps]

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: Everyday I Write The Book [U.S. 12″]

Columbia Records, 1983

320 kbps vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. “Everyday I Write The Book” [Special Club Version] (Costello)

Everyday I Write The Book [Special Club Version]

2. “Everyday I Write The Book” [Instrumental] (Costello)

Everyday I Write The Book [Instrumental]

3. “Heathen Town” (Costello)

Heathen Town

4. “Night Time” (Chambers)

Night Time

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

One Step Beyond...

Madness: “One Step Beyond” (Campbell)

From the album One Step Beyond…

Stiff Records, 1979

One Step Beyond

 

Come On Eileen [U.S. 12_]

Dexys Midnight Runners: “Come On Eileen” (Adams/Paterson/Rowland)

From the U.K. 12″ single Come On Eileen

Mercury Records, 1982

Come On Eileen

 

Punch The Clock

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: “Everyday I Write The Book” (Costello)

From the album Punch The Clock

Columbia Records, 1983

Everyday I Write The Book

 

Punch The Clock

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: “Everyday I Write The Book” [Alternate Version] (Costello)

From the album Punch The Clock [Special Edition]

Rhino Records, 2003

Everyday I Write the Book [Alternate Version]

 

Goodbye Cruel World

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: “Home Truth” (Costello)

From the album Goodbye Cruel World

Columbia Records, 1984

Home Truth

 

Spike

Elvis Costello: “Veronica” (MacManus/McCartney)

From the album Spike

Warner Brothers Records, 1989

Veronica

 

 

 

Posted by on January 15, 2015 in Alternative, New Wave, Rock, Ska and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

1 Comment

January 14, 2015

The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (“Top Secret!” Soundtrack)

“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!

 

Souvenirs

I was flipping through the multiple movie channels on U-verse late last night, and there it was: Top Secret! Of course, I had to watch it. It doesn’t matter than I have seen the movie at least 200 times, or that I could have just as easily grabbed my DVD copy off of the shelf– if Top Secret! comes on, I’m watching it. I will now name 5 other movies that automatically lock me into instant viewership:

1. The Godfather (Duh, I’m a guy.)

2. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

3. Raising Arizona

4. Die Hard (Duh, I’m STILL a guy.)

5. Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Pretty good company, wouldn’t you say? Wait– you mean you’ve never seen Top Secret? How is this even possible? I’d describe the plot to you, but it’s just your average everyday beach movie/spy movie/Elvis movie movie. Here’s how teen pop sensation Nick Rivers explains things:

“I’m not the first guy who fell in love with a woman that he met at a restaurant who turned out to be the daughter of a kidnapped scientist, only to lose her to her childhood lover who she last saw on a deserted island, who then turned out fifteen years later to be the leader of the French underground. ”

If that all sounds like some bad movie, you’re wrong. I dare say that Top Secret! is even better than Airplane!, and that movie comes in at #10 on AFI’s list of the Top 100 comedies of all time. (Top Secret! isn’t on the list, but at least they had the good sense to put Raising Arizona at #31.)

Val Kimer…what can you say about this guy? He was in both Top Secret! and Real Genius, and the fact that he has not already been awarded an honorary Oscar for these roles alone simply blows my mind. And he can sing, too! Kilmer performed all of the songs on the Top Secret! soundtrack, and what a soundtrack it is! “Skeet Surfing” may just be the greatest parody song of all time, and the other five tracks would have made Elvis himself very proud. I actually featured “Skeet Surfing” back in the early days of the Analog Kid blog, and now I am happy to offer you the entire Top Secret! soundtrack in a beautiful brand-new 320 kbps vinyl rip. I consider it– how do you say– indispensable?

“Indispensable.”

kilmer

This is not Mel Torme!

 

Top Secret! [Songs From The Original Motion Picture Soundtr

Top Secret! [Songs From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Passport Records, 1984

320 kbps vinyl rip courtesy of the Analog Kid

 

1. Val Kilmer: “Skeet Surfing” (Wilson/Berry/Love)

Skeet Surfing

2. Val Kilmer: “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (Turk/Handman)

Are You Lonesome Tonight?

3. Val Kilmer: “How Silly Can You Get” (Pickett)

How Silly Can You Get

4. Val Kilmer: “Straighten Out The Rug” (Hudson)

Straighten Out The Rug

5. Val Kilmer: “Tutti Frutti” (Penniman/La Bostrie)

Tutti Frutti

6. Val Kilmer: “Spend This Night With Me” (Moran/Abrahams/Zucker/Zucker)

Spend This Night With Me

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Surfin' USA

The Beach Boys: “Surfin’ USA” (Brian Wilson/Chuck Berry)

From the album Surfin’ USA

Capitol Records, 1963

Surfin’ USA

 

Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

The Beach Boys: “California Girls” (Brian Wilson)

From the album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

Capitol Records, 1965

California Girls

 

Shut Down Volume 2

The Beach Boys: “Fun, Fun, Fun” (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)

From the album Shut Down Volume 2

Capitol Records, 1964

Fun, Fun, Fun

 

All Summer Long

The Beach Boys: “Little Honda” (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)

From the album All Summer Long

Capitol Records, 1964

Little Honda

 

Elvis Presley_ Singles & B-Sides

Elvis Presley: “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (Turk/Handman)

RCA Records, 1960

Are You Lonesome Tonight?

 

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley: “Tutti Frutti” (Penniman/La Bostrie)

From the album Elvis Presley

RCA Records, 1956

Tutti Frutti

 

Posted by on January 14, 2015 in Pop, Rock, Soundtrack and tagged , , , , , , , , .

4 Comments

January 9, 2015

45 RPM: Steve Perry’s “Oh Sherrie” [U.S. 7″]

Here’s your ticket to some of the best (or, perhaps, most infamous) 7″ singles ever released! No adapter is required, although in my opinion the device pictured below is right up there with the Sony Walkman as one of the best inventions of the 20th century.

45_adapter

If you were anywhere near a TV with cable in the summer of 1984, you’ll remember this lovely young lady:

Oh Sherrie - screenshot 4

Of course, that is Sherrie Swafford. THE Sherrie. Steve Perry’s girlfriend. Both the star (of the video) and subject of Perry’s solo smash “Oh Sherrie.” She still makes my knees weak.

Steve and Sherrie’s relationship didn’t last, but it did leave us with Perry’s biggest hit as a solo artist. “Oh Sherrie” reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1984, and helped propel Street Talk to sales of over two million copies.

Street Talk was produced by former Doors and Love producer Bruce Botnick, and its retro-pop/R&B sound was quite different from the music Journey had been making up to that point. The album spawned three other Top 40 hits: “She’s Mine,” Foolish Heart,” and “Strung Out.” A lot of my fellow Journey fans found the different sound of Street Talk a little hard to swallow, but I really admired Perry for doing something different on his first solo outing. Street Talk was one of the first ten discs that I purchased after I first acquired a CD player during Christmas of 1985, and it’s an album that I still listen to at least a few times every year.

The b-side of “Oh Sherrie” is a non-album track entitled “Don’t Tell Me Why You’re Leavin’,” and it would have fit beautifully on Street Talk. Like “Oh Sherrie,” “Don’t Tell Me Why You’re Leavin'” was co-written by Craig Krampf, a former bandmate of Perry’s from his pre-Journey days.

Sherrie and Steve

Sherrie and Steve…ain’t they cute?

 

Oh Sherrie [U.S. 7_]

Steve Perry: Oh Sherrie [U.S. 7″]

Columbia Records, 1984

 

A-side: “Oh Sherrie” (Steve Perry/Bill Cuomo/Randy Goodrum/Craig Krampf)

Oh Sherrie

B-side: “Don’t Tell Me Why You’re Leavin'” (Steve Perry/Danny Kortchmar/Craig Krampf)

Don’t Tell Me Why You’re Leavin’

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Street Talk

Steve Perry: “Foolish Heart” (Steve Perry/Randy Goodrum)

Foolish Heart

Steve Perry: “She’s Mine” (Steve Perry/Randy Goodrum)

She’s Mine

Steve Perry: “Strung Out” (Craig Krampf/Steve Perry/Billy Steele)

Strung Out

From the album Street Talk

Columbia Records, 1984

 

L.A. Woman

The Doors: “Riders On The Storm” (The Doors)

From the album L.A. Woman

Elektra Records, 1971

Riders On The Storm

 

Forever Changes

Love: “Alone Again Or” (Bryan MacLean)

From the album Forever Changes

Elektra Records, 1967

Alone Again Or

Posted by on January 9, 2015 in Pop, Rock and tagged , , , , , , , , .

4 Comments