Earthquake some more February 28, 2010
Posted by sebastianmusic in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Earthquake released their penultimate LP in June of 1977, also on the Beserkley label but now distributed by Columbia instead of Playboy. Leveled is even better than 8.5 had been a year earlier.
Lovin’ Cup: Co-written with Kenny Laguna, later of Joan Jett fame. Power pop of the first order. John Doukas sings to a girl he loves but who is with some other guy who treats her like a trophy, like a loving cup. The chorus says it all: “He’s got you where he wants you / He has you when he wants to / But I’m the one who wants you / I think that ain’t fair…” The harmony is very good, and the extended and repeated “It ain’t fair” line is so much fun to sing along with.
Emma: I happen to heart Earthquake’s version of this song. Hot Chocolate did the original, but Earthquake turns it into a moody rocker. It’s about suicide — the title woman “can’t go on living on dreams no more” after zero success in launching an acting career. A scorcher. John Doukas lets out a few rock screams that are chilling. Not a top-40 prospect because of subject matter.
Kicks: The Paul Revere & The Raiders classic, written by Barry Mann (“Who Put The Bomp…”) and his wife Cynthia Weil. Earthquake ups the energy, and Doukas’ vocal actually pays attention to the lyrics. It’s an anti-drug, anti-casual sex warning. “That road goes nowhere”. The band repeats the title in harmony while Doukas vamps on the ending. It is a superb performance that makes you realize the song is ten times better than you remembered.
Trainride: The obligatory extended jam song. Robbie Dunbar and Gary Phillips are no slouches on guitar, and they put together some worthwhile call-and-response guitar parts. It probably was a barnburner live, a great rock dance song. Alas, sometimes I skip past it on the CD I burned from the LP.
Nothing Personal: Mid-tempo rocker with a distinctive guitar line. Nice chorus with the band chanting the title in harmony in response to Doukas’ ad libs. The bridge is muscular and leads into a superb guitar solo over descending chords. Drummer Steve Nelson shines. A later guitar solo is very different, but still well executed. And I cannot figure out what the hell the song is about. Like it though.
Street Fever: Uptempo power pop. The bass is uncharacteristically loud and that ain’t bad. The singer bitches about radio (which never did Earthquake any favors) with a great line about “Radio is blasting out the same six songs”. The song is a bit wordy, but the chorus is about dancing in the street. And, as usual, the instrumental break shows a concise and satisfying solo — until it goes over the top into a Yardbirds-styled raveup.
Julie Anne: Also co-written with Kenny Laguna. Wonderful twin guitar riff to open the track. Very pop, with handclaps and acoustic-electric guitar. Julie Anne is quite the heartbreaker who shut down the singer. “How many more hearts will she abuse / How many more men will she misuse?” The band sings those lines while Doukas vamps in front. Good melody, strong rhythm, and an irresistible chorus. If that is electric organ on the final turnaround, who the hell is playing it?
Upstairs: Finger picked electric guitar opens what sounds like a rocked up folk song. It’s Earthquake’s original take on The Beach Boys’ “In My Room.” The band and Doukas alternate vocal lines about the refuge so many of us feel about our room. Not as memorable a melody as other songs on the LP, but it’s so well put together.
Earthquake fucking ROCKED.
I added a couple of tracks from the ‘best of’ CD when I burned this. The live version of an early 45, “Sittin’ In The Middle Of Madness” is a lot of warped fun. During a rhythmic break Doukas speaks a few lines like “Madness is just a form of escape.” Another line borrows the cliche “Insanity comes slowly to the well-constructed mind.” And how can you ignore a line like “I told him where to go / I said ‘fuck you, don’t you know’” The live version is more than 6 minutes and is a great extended rocker. Doukas could sound whiney sometimes, but he could belt out a rock-n-roll scream worthy of Roger Daltry.
Because I am a huge Velvet Underground fan I had to include their live take on “Head Held High.” Alas, there is none of Lou Reed’s humor. I hate to have to say, it is one of the few losers in the Earthquake catalog.
Whatever happened to these musicians? Dunbar and Phillips were lyric guitarists, Steve Nelson was a powerful drummer, and Stan Miller was no slouch on bass. Their harmony often was better than Doukas’ lead vocals. Every guy in the band should have gone on to rock stardom.
EARTHQUAKE! February 16, 2010
Posted by sebastianmusic in Uncategorized.Tags: Chairmen Of The Board, Easybeats, Hollies, Jackson 5, Jonathan King, Santana, The Who
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Earthquake was a San Francisco Bay area quintet through most of the 1970s. While never selling a whole lot of records, they made some brilliant metallic power pop. They could copy, like their 45 of The Easybeats’ “Friday On My Mind;” they could improve crap like “It’s A Tall Order (For A Short Guy);” and they could jam like Santana at the Fillmore. They were a very, very good second-tier band.
I base my affection for Earthquake from two albums from 1976 and 1977. I have never heard either of the first two records they put out on A&M (although I kind of like the red pen-squiggle cover art on one of them). In 1975 they signed with Beserkley Records and made another four long players. I know the middle two: 8.5 and Leveled, from 1976 and ’77.
These two Earthquake albums hit me at exactly the right moment. Earthquake gave me consistent rock with strong melodies. More ‘boy next door’ than Sammy Hagar, but that’s the territory we’re talking about. Lead singer John Doukas had a swagger and authority in his voice, and had a remarkable range from high to low notes. But he sounded strained at the top of his register, even though his pitch never faltered. He’s good, but he can be wearing.
8.5 came out in July 1976, when disco still reigned. The band was competing with Diana Ross, The Starland Ever-Lovin’ Vocal Band, The Bee Gees “You Should Be Dancing”, Wild Cherry, Walter Murphy, and the insane “Disco Duck” by Rick Dees. Not the most inviting climate for a rock pop band.
“Finders Keepers” – A cover of a song first done by the soul group Chairmen Of The Board. The original was a funk song with an annoying synthesiser theme. Earthquake transforms the song. Suddenly there is a melody. A five piece band with two lead guitarists, and I was surprised to learn the original was a soul song.
“Little Cindy” – riff rock and Doukas sounding good. “How many lovers / How many others / Are hidden inside your head?” Fun lead guitar break. Then it mutates into a Who raveup, with drummer Steve Nelson doing a credible homage to Keith Moon while one of the guitarists does a note-perfect Tommy-era Pete Townshend.
“And He Likes To Hurt You” – both the lead guitarists also play piano, so no telling exactly who is doing what on the track. It’s a power ballad that isn’t powerful. Good melody, a little “ooo” harmony, and an unfortunately whiney story. He tells his ex that the reason her new guy treats her so bad isn’t to hurt her; no, this self-centered pig thinks the new guy treats her bad so it will hurt HIM. If I didn’t understand English and therefore didn’t get pissed off at the lyrics, I’d think this was a very strong performance.
“Savin’ My Love” – Extended rock in a San Francisco style, and well done. I find Doukas’ voice a little scratchy on the choruses, but the guitar work is superb. There is a passage of twin lead guitars sounding just like Carlos Santana.
“Girl Named Jesse James” – “Pretty girl with an outlaw’s name.” Uptempo but light, some acoustic guitar. It almost sounds like a folk song.
“Motivate Me” – WOW. Power Pop with a lyric line to make your head spin 360 degrees. Lead singer declaims, band responds in harmony, lead singer takes over. Big, fat, chunky chords that sound so exciting. “I say Baby (Hey Baby) / Hey Baby (Whooo) / Mo-mo-mo-ti-vate me! / WOOOOOO!” Then the tempo drops, and Doukas mixes singing and chanting with “As a child / No one could reach me, so they’d say / Some of my elements were missing / He’s not like other kids / Just sits and stares all day / The doctors say ‘he keeps resisting’” A fast bunch of chord changes and the tempo is hot again. “So keep your head,/ Obey all the rules! / I’m sick and tired of what they tell me to do / Don’t mess with me / It ain’t your place / I just might go off in your face.” Short solo and back to the song.
“Hit The Floor” – Pure Power Pop. Huge guitar chords, trippy drums, evocative lyrics “Whiskey on my breath / Trouble on my mind.” The chorus is indelible: “Hit the floor one more time / Close that door, this boy’s on fire” Superb lead guitar right behind the vocals on the last couple of choruses. Just when you think the song is ending it comes back as an instrumental, a wall of fun rock with a comfortable screaming lead guitar.
“Same Old Story” – Sounds like a Hollies outtake. Drummer Steve Nelson shows creativity throughout this. The melody isn’t as wide or memorable as “Hit The Floor” so it suffers from following that song. Still, there is a fair amount of very nice harmony.
“Don’t Want To Go Back” – Who turned up the bass? Straight ahead rock with twin lead guitars. The song is about how great the band feels performing in your town, how the band doesn’t want to leave to go back home. The last verse is hilarious, with a lyric about the local groupies: “My pulse is weak / She wouldn’t let me sleep / The girl’s got expectations.” They sound as if they are having a good time, and it’s infectious. Creative double guitar instrumental break. A happier message than “Closing Time” by Semisonic, that’s for sure. A fine rocker!
There were two singles that I particularly liked and burned to the CD. Their debut release on Beserkley Records was a wonderful cover of The Easybeats’ “Friday On My Mind.” It rocks, it pops, it’s got that happy chorus. The band vocals are original, but still very very pop. Energetic execution of a fun song.
I suppose there is no excuse for “It’s A Tall Order (For A Short Guy),” except that I rather like Jonathan King, pretentious twit that he is. King’s original was just a throwaway as the flip side of a minor British hit, but he gave it a lot of attention. The result sounds like “A-B-C” era Jackson Five. The arrangement can send people into diabetic comas it’s so sweet, and King’s vocal is making fun of every word he sings. Very, very cynical record.
Earthquake turns the song inside out like it did with “Finders Keepers”. Their remake actually rocks, losing the original bubblegum beat and turning it into a contemporary rock song. Doukas gets positively histrionic when he stammers over a repeated “I’m a-gonna try,” and shows the band takes the lyrics more seriously than the writer did. But it’s a fun song with fun dumb sing-a-long lyrics. Sometimes I crank up the volume for this one (except that I already cranked it up for “Friday On My Mind” and for “Don’t Want To Go Back” and “Hit The Floor,” which explains why I’m nearly deaf…)
Grin (Nils Lofgren) February 11, 2010
Posted by sebastianmusic in Uncategorized.Tags: Beatles, Crazy Horse, David Briggs, Grin, Moody Blues, Neil Young, Nils Lofgren, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Richard Manual, Rick Danko, The Band, The Eagles, The Vogues, Velvet Underground
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When Todd Rundgren first went solo he disguised himself as “Runt.” With a comperable resume’ (Rundgren had been in Nazz, Lofgren had been in Neil Young’s touring band), Nils Lofgren hid behind the group name “Grin.” Yes, it was a group — there was a drummer and a bass player, and both helped with the singing. But Grin was Lofgren’s baby all along.
He didn’t need to hide.
I just digitalized the first Grin LP. It came out on a Columbia subsidiary called Spindizzy in the spring of 1971. According to Joel Whitburn, Grin had released at least a 45 about six months earlier on the mysterious Thunder label, and actually made it to #108 on the charts…
The eponymous first album is a bit schizophrenic. There is some of the noisy rhythmic rock that Lofgren concentrated on as a bona fide solo act (Think “Keith Don’t Go”). Better is the purely pop stuff. It is so simple it is childlike, but the melodies are great and often the lyrics are clever. By the by, the LP was produced by David Briggs, who had handled some of the Neil Young LPs that Nils played on; it was dedicated to the brilliant but lazy blues guitarist Roy Buchannan who had another 16 years to look bored on stage while playing amazing blues licks.
“Like Rain” — “I love you like rain, darling.” Uptempo, strong rhythm guitar, but a moving love song. It’s tilling some of the same field that The Velvet Underground did on “Who Loves The Sun,” although not as polished. I love the organ swell in the bridge, and how it resolves to the instrumental verse. It ends with the repeat of “I’ll meet the kind of friend that’s always in”, and I like the harmony he sings with himself. I keep thinking I should pick up my Guild guitar and work up an arrangement.
“See What A Love Can Do” — I don’t much care for the song, but I discover I am singing along on the chorus. Rhythm rock, a glimpse of Nils’ future. Considering it came out in 1971 it qualifies as guitar riff rock. What kind of song begins “He was already dead when she said ‘I love him more than ever”? “Son I think you’re lost boy, Son I think it’s true” is the repetitious part of the chorus. The title chorus is nice, with Nils singing the lyrics on the beat, and also vamping it front. The screams in the background during the last minute or so are just a bit weird though.
“Everybody’s Missing The Sun” — with love to The Band. Nils’ phrasing is so reminiscent of Richard Manual or Rick Danko, and the upright piano is so Manual. It’s a light, bouncy song with a sing-along melody. As the song progresses, there is unison and then harmony on the chorus. All in all, another tip of the hat to “Who Loves The Sun”? Or maybe “Here Comes The Sun”?
“18 Faced Lover” — Very hard rock, with a deliberately rough vocal. I don’t like the song, but the chorus has some nice harmony. The opening riff is used between verses. The guitar solo is excellent. The drum and guitar riff at the end is especially designed for concert performance.
“Outlaw” — I love the spoken intro. Lofgren is telling producer David Briggs that it’s up to him to say when a take is good enough because Nils is having so much fun in the studio he’ll just do the same song over and over for giggles. HOWEVER… I hate the song. It’s about waking up and finding an outlaw killing his sister — an outlaw whose response to the singer’s grief is “Well, that’s too bad.” I suppose it’s not impossible for a melody and arrangement to outweigh the lethal negativity, but this song is not such an example.
“We All Sung Together” — piano and unison. This is the song that made it to #108 in 1970. When Spindizzy issued it in July of 1971 it didn’t even bubble under. A loping rhythm guitar and bass drive the song. Definitely a catchy melody. The chorus features several voices in unison, repeating the title line eight times; Nils vamps a little at first, and by the end of the song he’s vamping a lot. There are a few places where Nils sneaks in some delightfully insane piano parts, but they are always background. The ending is a dissolve, the guys just quit playing and singing. And it takes maybe two seconds for everyone to be finished. There is a certain charm to a little amateurishness.
Then, the words of Tommy James and The Shondells, “Turn it over my friend”. I am so glad we no longer need to get up, walk over to the stereo, and turn the album over anymore.
“If I Were A Song” — My favorite song from the first time I listened to the vinyl in 1971. It’s another track that makes me think about picking up my own guitar. It opens with an extraneous guitar line, then the rhythm guitar hits and we’re off. “If I were a song / I’d be sung all night long.” Nice organ roll into the bridge, and a super lead guitar behind the lyrics, with producer David Briggs using the pan knobs on the guitar in way that went out of fashion about ten minutes after this LP was recorded. I like the instrumental break because I like the sound of the organ, and the separate lead guitars in each channel don’t hurt. That great guitar continues behind the vocals for most of the rest of the song, still getting panned rapidly from channel to channel. The last verses sounds so good, with the organ making it sound so full. Good melody and a great concept. Lofgren gets a little screechy on last verse, but not so much as to ruin anything.
“Take You To The Movies Tonight” — another keeper. Solo acoustic guitar opens, and Nils adds a living room vocal. It’s so comfortable. “Put your Saturday night dress on,” he sings; “Don’t call me at home ‘cos I’m gone / I’ll be right over, gonna take you to the movies tonight.” The theme and some of the lyrics put me in mind of The Beatles’ “Any Time At All,” particularly the line where he asks the girl to save her crying for his shoulder. It is especially childlike because the arrangement is so sparce. A great performance. 1:46 and it’s gone…
“Direction” — Let’s ROCK! A comfortable uptempo rhythm guitar intro, sounding like Heart and a million other bands. The lead slide guitar sounds like Don Felder on The Eagles “Is It True,” but since that didn’t come out until 1974, maybe it’s Felder who sounds like Grin! Lyrically it’s about the singer’s obsession for a woman. “Please do me now! I need DIRECTION / I need someone to love me DIRECTION You’re the one I’m thinking of…” Kind of reminds me of Earthquake and “Motivate Me” although it is not as streamlined a piece of power pop. And how can you resist the lyric “Say something clever or I’m gonna cry”? It’s a good synthesis of his rock and his pop elements.
“Pioneer Mary” — slow tinkly guitar, another song with a noticable Band influence. “Ran away from Georgia…” Nils swaps lyric lines with himself to exceptionally good effect, and the verse ends “She’s got me / And now I’m missing you”. The quiet lead guitars in the turnaround are sweet. Why did he leave his little home town? “Friendly people make me shy / I couldn’t cry”. The second time through the chorus ends “You’ve got me / And now I’m missing her.” In the words of The Lovin’ Spoonful, “You better go home, son, and make up your mind.” It ends with a nice “Doo doo wah” harmony over guitar. It’s 3:44, but that’s about 30 seconds too long. The ending is nice, sustained “dooo” harmony and softly in the left channel, a final guitar chord and flick of the tremelo bar.
“Open Wide” - A double entre love song. He loves the girl, he wants her to open wide — emotionally to the reality of his feelings, and physically. The band repeats the title lines with harmony on the chorus, and Nils vamps in front. A piano song. Comfortable, another track from his pop side. It ends with a sudden “Everything’s alright” and a cliched country guitar hammer-on chord.
“I Had Too Much (Miss Dazi)” – noisy rock drivel. What can I say, I like melody and harmony. As his later “Keith Don’t Go” demonstrates, Nils was a Rolling Stones fan. Not exactly “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” but lyrics worthy of “Live With Me”: “I’d hit you in the mouth but honey, you know I’m lazy.” There is a tempo shift when he goes to the chorus, and then when it turns around back into the verse. Nils adds a hard edged but lyric slide lead guitar between lyric lines of the last verse, then does a Dylan (think “Just Like A Woman”) and ends the song with an instrumental verse.
I also burned some Grin 45s from later LPs. He did two more albums for Spindizzy (1+1 and All Out) and one for A&M before he started using his own name. I no longer own the other LPs, but my memory is that he became less pop and more self conscious as time went by.
Of the 45s I digitalized, “White Lies” is the winner. Great power pop in the tradition of Paul Revere & The Raiders; I love the alternating notes on the last “White Li-i-i-i-es” of each chorus. The chorus ends with that “White Lies / Telling everybody that I love you” and it puts me in mind of Carolyne Mas “Everybody Knows (How Much I Love You).” Oops, I’m showing off. Back to Grin. The song pauses with a short rhythm guitar break borrowed from The Moody Blues “Never Comes The Day,” and then another one that channels The Vogues’ “Five O’Clock World” before returning to the song proper. If it sounds vaguely familiar it may be that radio played it where you lived; the song peaked at #75 in the winter of 1972. It was on the second Grin LP, 1+1. The ending is unfortunate, sounds as if he just couldn’t figure out how to get out of the song.
The B-side is non-LP, but “Just To Have You” is not particularly noteworthy. Hokey bouncy piano, again borrowed from Richard Manual and The Band. There is some nice harmony on the chorus.
At this point, Nils Lofgren’s work with Bruce Springsteen has made the 23 people who have ever heard of him forget that he originally was a backing musician for Neil Young. He is a very good guitarist, he’s got great rock and roll stage moves, and he’s solidly second tier. But so is much of my favorine music (says the guy who has done essays on Carolyne Mas, John Hammond, Slade, Flying Burrito Brothers, the Rush twins Tom and Merrilee, and Terry Reid)…
