Clyde McPhatter ‘Songs of the Big City’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Shelter Of Your Arms” by Clyde McPhatter Singles and albums that came out of the Brill Building during the early 1960s have a distinct sound of their own. It’s not just down to the great songs that were written by the best songwriters New York City had to offer, or the now-legendary musicians who played on the sessions, but it also came down to the production sound, which was the key ingredient that made each record sound good coming out of a mono speaker on a car radio, transistor radio or record player. Without that production sound, there was no record. One of the great albums to come...
Nina Simone ‘Forbidden Fruit’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Work Song” by Nina Simone Here’s one that was released the year I was born, yet it sounds as hip and current as, well, I am. OK, it is hipper and more current than I am, but it goes to show just how timeless Nina Simone’s recordings really were. Simone’s interpretive talents as a singer and piano player earned her the nickname, “The High Priestess Of Soul,” and put her right up there with greats like Anita O’Day, Odetta, Sarah Vaughan and Judy Henske, who all possess a similar earthy style. She was a terrific songwriter, comfortable mingling soul, gospel, folk and blues into a stew that was uniquely her...
Marvin Gaye ‘M.P.G.’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Only A Lonely Man Would Know” by Marvin Gaye The Marvin Gaye albums What’s Going On, Let’s Get It On and Here, My Dear are considered to be his finest by fans and critics alike, and it would be hard to argue the contrary with what’s in the grooves. But it mystifies me that the critics fail to mention the album M.P.G. in the same breath as the others. M.P.G. came out in April of 1969, and was one of Marvin Gaye’s last records before he took the control of his career away from Motown, and began calling the shots himself. That said, M.P.G. (for Marvin Pentz Gaye, not miles...
Freddie and the Dreamers ‘I’m Telling You Now’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “I’m Telling You Now” by Freddie & The Dreamers I’m writing this on the 49th anniversary of The Beatles historic first performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and while I have a vague memory of The Beatles playing on Sullivan, I don’t think it was their very first performance. Well, heck, I must have only been four or five years old. But even then, I do remember there was a sense of importance about the event in my house because of my older sister, who made it that way. Some of my earliest memories of the British Invasion include hits and albums by the Herman’s Hermits including “Mrs. Brown You’ve...
Little Bob And The Lollipops ‘I Got Loaded’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “I Got Loaded” by Little Bob And The Lollipops For many years, I thought this song was a Los Lobos original. Their version was so in line with their sound and it fit so well on their Will The Wolf Survive album. So it was surprising to me, when I found out that the song wasn’t theirs, and had been around for over twenty years by the time they got around to recording it. The song was recorded by Little Bob and the Lollipops, and was never even originally released as the A-side to the single it appeared on. When originally released in 1965 on the La Louisianne record label...
Bent Fabric ‘The Alley Cat’
Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “The Alley Cat” by Bent Fabric Dance crazes come and go, but they are never forgotten. Today there’s Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” wreaking havoc across dance floors all over the world. In the 1990s, there was “The Macarena.” In the 1980s, country line dancing and “The Lambada” had their day in the sun, and the ‘70s gave us “The Electric Slide.” But in the early 1960s, there was only one communal synchronized dance that kids and adults alike shared in, making it a staple at weddings, proms and Bar Mitzvahs. That dance was “The Alley Cat.” In actuality, “The Alley Cat” began as a 1961 hit for Bent Fabricius-Bjerre in...
Cher ‘3614 Jackson Highway’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” by Cher When one thinks of interpreters of Bob Dylan, the name Cher doesn’t automatically come to mind. But she was, in fact, a huge champion of Dylan’s songs, and his songs fit her voice like a glove. Over the years, Cher has covered such Dylan copyrights as “All I Really Want To Do” (a #15 hit),“Lay Lady Lay” (titled “Lay Baby Lay” on her version), “I Threw It All Away,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Masters Of War,” “The Times, They Are A-Changin’” and today’s Song Of The Day, “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You.” Cher...
Arthur Alexander ‘Soldier of Love’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)” by Arthur Alexander He’s the only artist to be covered by the holy trinity of Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Others who rushed to his deep well of first-rate copyrights included The Hollies, Ry Cooder, Pearl Jam, Ike & Tina Turner, Marshall Crenshaw, George Jones, Otis Redding, The Bee Gees, Humble Pie, and Dusty Springfield, and that’s only a small sampling of those who have recorded his tunes. Yet, Arthur Alexander, the man who wrote such classics as “Anna (Go To Him),” “You Better Move On,” “Sally Sue Brown,” “Detroit City,” “A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues” and...
Jethro Tull ‘Stand Up’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Reasons For Waiting” by Jethro Tull By the time of their second album, Stand Up, original guitarist Mick Abrahams was out of the band over a dispute over the future direction Tull’s music would take. Abrahams wanted them to remain solidly a blues rock band as they were on their debut album, This Was, while Ian Anderson wanted to branch out, adding acoustic elements to their sound. Replacing Abrahams was new guitarist, Martin Barre, who has been in every other incarnation of Jethro Tull ever since. Stand Up saw the development of the classic Tull sound as we know it today. By adding the influences of classical music via the...
The Who ‘Magic Bus: The Who On Tour’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by The Who Psychedelic Ox from an album reviled by the band, but truly loved by fans. Today’s Song Of The Day was originally a 1968 B-side written by Who bassist John Entwistle. The song ended up on the album Magic Bus: The Who On Tour, which contrary to its title was not a live recording, but a compilation of studio off tracks from other releases. The 1968 album, which was compiled for American and Canadian markets only, included tracks from EPs (primarily the 1966 EP, Ready Steady Who) and stray singles, with a dash of a few already available cuts from the...
