by Robert Wilkinson
Today's dance lineup is so great we're launching early. March 7 was the birthday of three unique and special musical talents, all of them fantastic songwriters who were pioneers at what they did! We have psychedelic music, Texas outlaw country folk music, and British invasion music on the playlist.
Today features TWO of the iconic albums of 1967 which made a huge impact, one by Love and the other by the Zombies! We’ll begin with the great Arthur Lee. Arthur Lee (March 7, 1945 – August 3, 2006) was a pioneer of the LA progressive rock scene, and inspired much of what happened out there through his band Love. Producer and multi-instrumentalist, his was somewhat of a tragic story of flying too high and then crashing too hard.
A genius who wrote some very dark and brooding music, the album Forever Changes is generally considered a masterpiece to this day. It’s been one of my favorite albums of all time, but it does leave me in a strange emotional space each time. Released in late 1967, it was written and recorded during the legendary “Summer of Love,” but painted a darker picture of the counterculture than any of the other psychedelic offerings of the time.
To note, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Forever Changes 40th in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. NME puts it 6th, and many reviewers across the years feel it's one of the top three of all time. From AllMusic,
Forever Changes is also an album that heralds the last days of a golden age and anticipates the growing ugliness that would dominate the counterculture in 1968 and 1969; images of violence and war haunt "A House Is Not a Motel," the street scenes of "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hillsdale" reflects a jaded mindset that flower power could not ease, the twin specters of race and international strife rise to the surface of "The Red Telephone," romance becomes cynicism in "Bummer in the Summer," the promise of the psychedelic experience decays into hard drug abuse in "Live and Let Live," and even gentle numbers like "Andmoreagain" and "Old Man" sound elegiac, as if the ghosts of Chicago and Altamont were visible over the horizon as Love looked back to brief moments of warmth. Forever Changes is inarguably Love’s masterpiece and an album of enduring beauty, but it's also one of the few major works of its era that saw the dark clouds looming on the cultural horizon, and the result was music that was as prescient as it was compelling.
And from Wikipedia, a final note:
In an obituary of Lee in early 2007, Kandia Crazy Horse of Vibe Magazine wrote that "Forever Changes (was) his psychedelic masterpiece ... an exhilarating mash-up of West Side freak folk with East Side mariachi and blues. Lee out-jangles his heroes the Byrds on the immortal 'Alone Again Or' and aims his symphonic trigger dead at the Beatles on his greatest work, 'You Set the Scene.' In total, a glorious song cycle exploring the dark side of hippiedom."
For your consideration, the dark, brooding genius of Arthur Lee.
First, a very rare find! Here's Arthur and Love on what looks to be Where the Action Is with Dick Clark hosting. Yes, that's Bryan looking very young, and Johnny looking very guitar-y! Welcome to Love as they do a "live" performance of "Little Red Book"
Here's Arthur live in Glastonbury in 2003. performing two tunes from his masterpiece album Forever Changes, the haunting "A House Is Not A Motel" and “The Red Telephone”
We’ll close this 2003 Glastonbury show with a live performance of his very late 1967 Beatlesque closer from Forever Changes, "You Set The Scene." As trippy today as it was then.....
From 2004, his entire 50 minute set where Arthur cranks from the start! Arthur Lee Live at Glastonbury 2004
An audio-only hour and 10 of the third incarnation of Love! Arthur Lee and Love Live at the Fillmore West 1970
Awesome! An audio-only hour and 26 of Arthur Lee and Jimi Hendrix in London in 1970! Arthur Lee and Jimi Hendrix Live in London 1970 (Jimi CRANKS in this clip, making it one of the better recordings of his sonic electric guitar wizardry!)
We’ll finish the live performances with Arthur live and cranking it up in his biggest rave up rocker! “7 and 7 Is”
Now we go to the studio work. We’ll begin with Arthur Lee’s masterpiece. If you don’t listen to any other Arthur Lee compositions, this is the one to check out! Here’s the entire album Forever Changes in its magnificent uniqueness. From November 1967, it’s haunting to this day. Love – Forever Changes. From that album, the haunting "A House Is Not A Motel," "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale," and "You Set the Scene."
Counting back, from November 1966, the second Love album (featuring their hit “7 and 7 Is”): Love – Da Capo.
From March 1966, the very first Love album (featuring “My Little Red Book”): Love – the First Album
After his masterpiece Forever Changes Arthur dissolved the original lineup and replaced all of them with different musicians. This was his 4th album, released in September 1969. You can see his music is already going in a different direction. Love – Four Sail.
Back to live performances! Here’s a great clip of Arthur in 1970, live in Copenhagen, performing the opening tune from that album, “August”
Our close of this part of the dance features two greats from Forever Changes. With Jools Holland in 2003 on television, here’s Arthur live performing the haunting “Alone Again Or”
From the same gig and same album, here’s a great offering of the very jazzy “Maybe the People Would Be the Times, or Between Clark and Hilldale”
And for a magnificent encore, also from Forever Changes, performed in Hollywood in 2003, the very orchestral and psychedelic “You Set the Scene”
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We’ll now turn the spotlight to a legend of “outlaw country” music, Townes Van Zandt. Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was another tragic figure, and struggled with bipolar disorder, drug addiction, and alcoholism throughout his life. His music is so good that it’s been covered by such major talents as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Cowboy Junkies, Robert Plant, and Alison Krauss. While you may not have known he wrote some of what these talents made into hits, his music is unique!
First, his greatest and best known song! Here’s Saint Willie and Merle Haggard on PBS performing the number 1 hit, "Pancho and Lefty."
From 2000, here’s Willie and Emmylou Harris in a duet performing “Pancho and Lefty”
Here’s the great music video with Willie and Merle Haggard performing the song! “Pancho and Lefty”
From his 60th birthday celebration, here’s Willie and Lucky “Boo” Wilbury sending up “Pancho and Lefty”
They shot the historic Heartworn Highways DVD at Townes’ trailer in the eclectic neighborhood of Clarksville, Austin in 1975. I lived there 1973-74, and an enclave of musicians and artists lived in a 20 square block area. From that glorious pre-gentrification era, here’s a very young and healthy looking Townes giving us the way he wrote it. Amazing live solo acoustic performance. “Pancho and Lefty.” From the same documentary, Townes says this is the first song he ever wrote. "Waitin’ Around to Die." (This sounds like it could have been written by a very depressed Bob Dylan around 1961.)
Townes live performing "For the Sake of the Song"
From 1993 on TNN's "American Music Shop, here’s Townes and Nanci Griffith doing Townes’ “Tecumseh Valley"
From 2007, the great Guy Clark in a live performance of Townes’ "To Live is to Fly"
Here’s an audio-only performance by Nanci Griffith and Arlo Guthrie of “Tecumseh Valley”
Here’s Emmylou Harris, Stevie Earle, and Townes live performing the song she took to number 3 on the charts, Townes’ beautiful composition "If I Needed You”
From San Antonio in 1993, Townes performing “Marie”
From Live At The Old Quarter in 1973, an audio-only performance by Townes of “Lungs”
A legendary song from his first album way back when. Here’s Townes in a live performance of “Waitin’ Around to Die”
Here’s Townes performing an audio-only version of “Cowboy Junkie’s Lament”
Thanks to Alexei, here's Townes live giving us the Stones' classic "Dead Flowers."
Townes live doing “The Catfish Song”
Towns live doing “Brother Flower”
From Germany in 1994, Townes live doing “Blaze’s Blues”
For our closing two-fer, we have a couple of tune from 1984’s Austin Pickers. First, a duet by Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley
Also from Austin Pickers, here’s Townes telling some stories and doing his version of the Boss’ hit “Racing In the Streets”
For our encore, we have a clip from the Austin Music Network in January 1995! Here’s 53 minutes of the Townes Van Zandt Solo Sessions Jan 17, 1995
Here’s a website dedicated to all of Townes’ songs performed by others: The Townes Van Zandt Lonestar Webstation
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We close our birthday tributes today with a huge Happy Birthday to Chris White, bass player and songwriter for the British Invasion group the Zombies. While Rod Argent wrote most of their hits, such as “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season,” Chris White (7 March 1943) also contributed some breathtakingly beautiful tunes, as well as one that was banned [“Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)”] and an early Zombies obscurity that became a huge hit for “People!” called “I Love You.”
The Zombies were one of the most underrated groups ever to hit the scene, and in some respects were creative geniuses with a distinct sound that still holds up to this day. Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle has consistently ranked in the top 100 on the Rolling Stone list of the top 500 albums of all time.
After they broke up, Chris continued to work with Rod when the latter went on to form the group “Argent,” co-writing their biggest hit “Hold Your Head Up.” He was also instrumental in discovering Dire Straits and making sure we could enjoy the genius of Mark Knopfler. So here's a huge Happy Birthday to the work of the great Chris White!
We’ll lead off with the live clips I could find from back when the Zombies were hot. Though Chris didn’t write these, he is front and center on bass next to Colin as the band lip synchs to two of their biggest hits, “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.”
Here’s an interesting live video performance at the Hippodrome in 1966! “Got To Get Ahold of Myself”
Here's a rare find! It's the Zombies in 1967 in a performance in France! The Zombies obviously liked their R & B! This year I still have the clip of them cranking out the great Smokey Robinson song, “Going to A Go Go,” and from that same gig, here’s their cover of the Isley Brothers' hit ”This Old Heart of Mine."
From Live at the BBC, I found this version of ”This Old Heart of Mine"
Back to the beginning of the studio tunes written by our birthday boy! From the Zombies’ first US album, we have the audio-only studio version of a classic British invasion Chris White rave up with Rod’s organ front and center!!
“What More Can I Do” While the lip synched television performance is still gone, I found this gem! This is an awesome live extended version done for the BBC in 1965 of the rave up
This was the “B” side to “She’s Not There,” written by Chris in classic British Invasion style! “You Make Me Feel Good.”
Also from the first album, “I Don’t Want to Know”
From the UK first album, more British invasion Chris White tunes!
“I Can’t Make Up My Mind” and “I Know She Will”
(Often back in the mid-60s what was released in the UK had different tracks than albums released in the US. The Beatles’ first few albums are a prime example of this.)
A few more from the mid-60s!
Written by Colin, this gem was featured in the movie Bunny Lake Is Missing. This year I found the sequence in the movie with the Zombies on the television at the bar playing this tune. While they cut away from the tv after about 30 seconds, it’s still playing in the background. “Just Out of Reach.”
Here’s the studio version of the somewhat dark and brooding R&B “Just Out of Reach.”
Here’s a great performance from 2017, where Colin gives us the backstory to how they wound up in a movie by Preminger starring Olivier! This version is R&B at its best! “Just Out of Reach.”
Also from the movie Bunny Lake, two written by Chris! “Nothing’s Changed” and "Remember You"
From Nov 1964, an early single. "Leave Me Be"
From March 1965, the “B” side of the single “She’s Coming Home,” "I Must Move"
Here’s Chris White’s mega number one hit by the People! You'll remember this obscure gem! “I Love You”
Here’s the original 1965 studio version by the Zombies of “I Love You”
And now, the psychedelic masterpiece Odessey and Oracle, also written in the Summer of Love in 1967 and released in early 1968, complete with the tracks in order! This has been another of my favorite albums across the years. Chris White (CW) compositions and Rod Argent (RA) compositions are noted.
“Care of Cell 44” (RA)
“A Rose For Emily” (RA)
"Beechwood Park" (CW)
“Brief Candles” (CW)
“Hung Up On A Dream” (RA)
"Changes" (CW)
“I Want Her She Wants Me” (RA)
“Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)” (CW – sung by Chris White)
“Friends of Mine” (CW)
“Time of the Season” (RA)
Since I first posted this, I found the entire album at one link. For your listening pleasure, here's the entire masterpiece by the Zombies titled Odessey and Oracle.
Back to live performances! From The Midnight Special in 1973, here’s the band Argent in a live performance of the Argent-White composition from the album All Together Now, “Hold Your Head Up”
From the same album, here’s Argent live in 2010 doing the Argent-White tune “Keep On Rollin’”
Though many of the tunes weren’t written by Chris, the album In Deep has some of the best Argent tunes ever released. So for your enjoyment, here’s the entire album. It begins with track 1 and then proceeds through the entire album. Chris and Rod Argent wrote songs 4, 5, 6, and 7, so enjoy! Argent - In Deep
I found it again! Imagine the Swan In Floral Street. is the great lost Zombies album from 1969, long after the band broke up. For your enjoyment, Imagine the Swan In Floral Street. I noted the writer of the songs as I found them through research. The song list is (“Never My Love,” "I Know She Will," (CW) “Smokey Day,”(CW/RA) “Unhappy Girl,”(RA/CW) “I’ll Keep Trying,”(RA) “Conversation Off Floral Street,”(CW/RA) “Walking in the Sun,”(RA) “If It Don’t Work Out,”(RA) “Sometimes (Acid),” “ Telescope (Mr. Galileo),”(CW/RA) “Girl Help Me,”(CW/RA) “I Could spend the Day,”(CW/RA) “Imagine the Swan.”(CW/RA)). These tracks were also released in the album Zombies: RIP and the compilation Zombie Heaven.
In 1990 they finally released a new album! Last year I had the whole album, but this year it’s gone. But I did find the title track, co-written by Chris, so please enjoy “New World”
Chris co-wrote a couple for the 2011 album Breathe Out, Breathe In. Here are “Christmas For the Free” and “Shine on Sunshine”
We’ll close with a return to the early Zombies performing their biggest hits on television back in the mid-60s! Of course, Chris is the bass player.
First, though I gave you this earlier, it’s so iconic you get to listen again if you want! “She’s Not There”
Again, live on Shindig in 1965, their second huge hit, “Tell Her No”
For a second time, live from the Hippodrome in 1966, here are the Zombies live doing “Got To Get Ahold Of Myself”
From Shindig in 1965, the Zombies live doing a very exciting rave up rocker, “It’s Alright By Me”
For the finale to our dance, the modern version of the Zombies give us a music video of a tune written by Colin, the great “Any Other Way” (As Chris has been performing off and on with the modern Zombies since 2008, I figure it’s okay to celebrate their newest incarnation!)
Last year’s encore was a 90 minute live show in June 2013, The Zombies - 2013 SummerStage Concert Series. but this year only single clips are available. So instead, from March 2013, a 37 minute Zombies concert in Austin Texas! For your enjoyment, The Zombies – Stage on Sixth.
Our last encore is a ripping set from the BBC back when they were on top! For your listening enjoyment, the very live The Zombies Live on the BBC
So Happy RIP to the two greats who have already checked out and left the building, and a big Happy to Chris White who still rocks on! Thanks for the songs, gentlemen. You three are among the best of all!
PS. - I also found out Wednesday was the birthday of Ernie Isley (March 7, 1952) the youngest of the Isley Brothers. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, I can't do an adequate tribute this year, but I'll still give you his bass playing on this great live tv performance from 1969 of their smash hit "It's Your Thing."
Copyright © 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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