Podcast
Now Hear This
Hosted by John Stix and Rock Stamberg · EN
Music to Love
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Christmas 2023
Dec 8, 202301:46:19Tap to summarizeMerry Christmas 2023! Tracklist: The Beatles: “1966” Ringo Starr: “Dear Santa” Augie Rios: “Donde Esta Santa Claus” Andy Partridge: “Let There Be Snow” Ed Sheeran & Elton John: “Merry Christmas” Nick Lowe: “Silent Night” Wizzard: “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” Debbie Dabney: “I Want to Spend Christmas With Elvis” Elvis Presley: “Blue Christmas” Phoenix: “Alone on Christmas Day (feat. Bill Murray)” Jethro Tull: “Another Christmas Song” The Four Seasons: “The Excelsis Deo Medley: Deck The Halls / Excelsis Deo / Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” Big Star: “Jesus Christ (Demo)” Bryan Adams: “Christmas Time (Classic Version)” The Everly Brothers: “The First Noel” Ry Cooder: “Christmas In Van Nuys” Joni Mitchell: “Face Lift” Stevie Wonder & Andra Day: “Someday at Christmas” Woody Goss Trio: “Wait for the Moment” Norah Jones: “Christmastime is Here” James Taylor: “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” José Feliciano & Van Halen: “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Feliz Navidad” Brian Slawson: “Concerto in D” Joscho Stephan Trio: “Jingle Bells” Warren Schatz: “Let it Snow” Steve Khan: “In A Silent Way” Justin Johnson: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” Rueben James: “A Festive Jam” Corey Henry: “Little Drummer Boy” Don Byron: “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies” Andy Timmons Band: “Ave Maria” Please Leave a Comment! The Beatles: “1966” Play this track Ringo Starr: “Dear Santa” Play this track Augie Rios: “Donde Esta Santa Claus” Play this track Andy Partridge: “Let There Be Snow” Play this track Ed Sheeran & Elton John: “Merry Christmas” Play this track Nick Lowe: “Silent Night” Play this track Wizzard: “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” Play this track Debbie Dabney: “I Want to Spend Christmas With Elvis” Play this track Elvis Presley: “Blue Christmas” Play this track Phoenix: “Alone on Christmas Day (feat. Bill Murray)” Play this track Jethro Tull: “Another Christmas Song” Play this track The Four Seasons: “The Excelsis Deo Medley: Deck The Halls / Excelsis Deo / Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” Play this track Big Star: “Jesus Christ (Demo)” Play this track Bryan Adams: “Christmas Time (Classic Version)” Play this track The Everly Brothers: “The First Noel” Play this track Ry Cooder: “Christmas In Van Nuys” Play this track Joni Mitchell: “Face Lift” Play this track Stevie Wonder & Andra Day: “Someday at Christmas” Play this track Woody Goss Trio: “Wait for the Moment” Play this track Norah Jones: “Christmastime is Here” Play this track James Taylor: “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” Play this track José Feliciano & Van Halen: “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Feliz Navidad” Play this track Brian Slawson: “Concerto in D” Play this track Joscho Stephan Trio: “Jingle Bells” Play this track Warren Schatz: “Let it Snow” Play this track Steve Khan: “In A Silent Way” Play this track Justin Johnson: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” Play this track Rueben James: “A Festive Jam” Play this track Corey Henry: “Little Drummer Boy” Play this track Don Byron: “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies” Play this track Andy Timmons Band: “Ave Maria” Play this track
Transcribe →Let’s Get It On
Oct 5, 202301:24:56Tap to summarizeLet’s Get It On Tracklist: Fleetwood Mac: “Teen Beat (Outtake) [2016 Remaster] ” The Who: “Tommy Can You Hear Me?” Richard Thompson: “A Legal Matter” Bruce Springsteen: “Born To Run (Isolated Vocals)” Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee Students : “Berklee Frank Zappa Tribute – Waka/Jawaka, Inca Roads, Peaches en Regalia, Zomby Woof” Edgar Winter’s White Trash: “Let’s Get It On” The Black Crowes: “ Thick N’ Thin” Jerry Lee Lewis & Friends: “Rock And Roll (Feat. Jimmy Page)’” Bruce Hornsby: “The Way It Is (Live on The Howard Stern Show in 2006)” Fearless Flyers: “Simon F15” Rolling Stones: “Factory Girl (Outtake)” Little Richard: “In The Middle Of The Night” Van Morrison: “Wonderful Remark” Joe Jackson / Cream / Jeff Beck Group / The Animals / Mountain / Jimi Hendrix Experience / Jethro Tull / Edgar Winter: “Five Guys Named Moe / I Feel Free / Rice Pudding / Hey Gyp / Mississippi Queen / Purple Haze / Aqualung / Entrance MASH-UP” Bob Dylan: “Cold Irons Bound (New Version)” Duke Ellington: “Caravan” The Clash: “Rudie Can’t Fail” Nick Lowe: “14 Days (Live)” Paul McCartney: “Singalong Junk” Paul McCartney: “Junk” Christian Sands: “If You’re Happy and You Know it” Let us know by LEAVING A COMMENT! Fleetwood Mac: “Teen Beat (Outtake) [2016 Remaster] ” Play this track This is an outtake from Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage album from 1982. Featuring a somewhat unhinged Lindsey Buckingham coaxing Mick Fleetwood and John McVie to follow and enhance his fun romp, this is a simply infectious jam (?) well worth enjoying. So, enjoy. -Rock Stamberg Sometimes music’s sole purpose is just the fun of playing it. To paraphrase The Beach Boys, “Catch a wave groove and you’re sitting on top of the world.” -John Stix The Who: “Tommy Can You Hear Me?” Play this track I heard this tune in the chord changes of “Teen Beat” and said of course this comes next. Same chords different song. -JS Richard Thompson: “A Legal Matter” Play this track Just phenomenal. This is the one. -RS I agree with Rock – this version, not The Who’s original, is the one. -JS Bruce Springsteen: ” Born To Run (Isolated Vocals)” Play this track Rock and I often say a great song can be stripped down to just one instrument and a voice. In this case it can be reduced to just a voice. Can you say commitment? -JS Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee Students: “Berklee Frank Zappa Tribute – Waka/Jawaka, Inca Roads, Peaches en Regalia, Zomby Woof” Play this track What a final exam performance. Bravo. I give them an A+ -JS Damn good. Zappa would’ve been proud, I think. -RS Edgar Winter’s White Trash: “Let’s Get It On” Play this track Ferocious playing, featuring distorted harmonica, distorted voice, thundering drums, and a message not to be denied. -JS Edgar Winter is a force to be reckoned with and always has been. -RS The Black Crowes: “Thick N’ Thin” Play this track This is rock & roll. Telecaster heaven, courtesy of Rich Robinson. Glorious. -RS Jerry Lee Lewis & Friends: “Rock And Roll (Feat. Jimmy Page)” Play this track THIS is rock & roll! Jerry Lee is in fine fettle and Jimmy Page is also in top form. Yes! -RS Great remake that takes a 70s radio classic and turns it into a 50s style hit .This is what a cover song can be and what a guest shot should be. -JS Bruce Hornsby: “The Way It Is (Live on The Howard Stern Show in 2006)” Play this track A great lyric matched with a great composition, matched with great playing. This music was almost too good to be a hit, and yet we made it one. Good for us. -JS “The Way It Is” is a great song. It always has been and will be. It is not lightweight by any means and this solo take proves its lasting power. Gorgeous. -RS Fearless Flyers: “Simon F15” Play this track What a groove, what a move. Guitar, bass, and a drum kit consisting of high hat, bass drum and snare. Everybody is playing lead; everybody is playing rhythm and there is no clutter. Wow! R&B soul jazz for the next generation. -JS Rolling Stones: “Factory Girl (Outtake)” Play this track A stripped-down Rolling Stones reminding us just how good they really were.-JS This is a great outtake from Beggars Banquet. By the way, they’re still a pretty good band, John. -RS Little Richard: “In The Middle Of The Night” Play this track This is a perfect song, performance, and recording. It truly gets to me every time I hear it. Manna from heaven. -RS Van Morrison: “Wonderful Remark” Play this track Well, this is something special, isn’t it? Written and produced by Robbie Robertson for Martin Scorcese’s audacious King of Comedy from 1983 (a great movie, btw), this is one of Van’s greatest. Really, it is. -RS My all-time favorite “song from a movie not on another disc.” It marries a Robbie Robertson tune with a Van Morrison vocal showcasing the best of what both had to offer. I got this one the first time I heard it and I still love it. -JS Joe Jackson / Cream / Jeff Beck Group / The Animals / Mountain / Jimi Hendrix Experience / Jethro Tull / Edgar Winter: “Five Guys Named Moe / I Feel Free / Rice Pudding / Hey Gyp / Mississippi Queen / Purple Haze / Aqualung / Entrance MASH-UP” Play this track Joe Jackson’s homage to the 1940’s jump blues swing era. It’s just fun. At the end I pulled out my Nakamichi cassette deck and added a bunch of classic rock riffs, finishing with the last section of “Fire and Ice” from Edgar Winter’s Entrance album. This was likely done in 1981. I mean what else are you going to do on a rainy day? -JS Bob Dylan: “Cold Irons Bound (New Version)” Play this track From Dylan’s soundtrack to his Masked & Anonymous film circa 2003, this hard-rocking update on an already special song is soulful and intense. I(t’s also just as forceful as the original but in a completely different way. -RS Never heard this one before Rock pulled it out, but it’s a keeper and truly an NHT song. -JS Duke Ellington: “Caravan” Play this track Who knew that Dylan would call out to Ellington (along with Max Roach on the drums and Charles Mingus on the bass) to follow him to the NHT stage? -JS The Clash: “Rudie Can’t Fail” Play this track From The Clash’s London Calling album, this funky number swings in a most unusual manner and I love it. -RS Nick Lowe: “14 Days (Live)” Play this track I’ve always loved the studio version, but this live take is absolutely killer. I can listen to it anytime and be amazed every time. Seriously great. -RS I heard this...
Transcribe →Ooh! My Soul
Aug 25, 202301:15:25Tap to summarizeOoh! My Soul Tracklist: Little Richard: “Ooh! My Soul” Blues Saraceno: “Cat’s Squirrel” Andrew Gold: “Lonely Boy” Orleans: “Half Moon” James Hetfield & The News: “Hip To Be The Sandman” George Harrison: “Any Road” The Black Crowes: “Hard To Handle” Glenn Tilbrook: “Voodoo Child’” Little Feat: “High Roller (Outtake)” B.B. King: “B. B. King Talks Vibrato and Phrasing” B.B. King: “Whole Lotta Love (Live)” Johnny Gale: “I’m Tore Down” Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Factory of Faith” Dave Edmunds: “Sweet Little Lisa” The Rolling Stones: “Slipping Away” Steve Morse: “Picture This” Mark Knopfler: “Why Worry” Let us know by LEAVING A COMMENT! Little Richard: “Ooh! My Soul” Play this track This Little Richard screamer is a killer and always will be. Can you imagine what teenagers’ parents must’ve thought if they heard their little ones grooving to this monstrous recording in the ‘50s? I’m so glad this record exists. —Rock Stamberg Blues Saraceno: “Cat’s Squirrel” Play this track When I was looking to sign my first artist at Guitar Recordings there was no check list at hand. But I knew when I heard the demo tape of 16-year-old Blues Saraceno, that he was the one. What he brought with him as a musician checked all the boxes. He is a master of phrasing, tone, dynamics, and melody. This song, recorded on Fresh Cream would be a harbinger of things to come, as the first “band” he ever played with included Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Side note, at 1:37 I overdub four notes to climax the solo. These are the only four notes I have on a professional recording. I had asked Blues to play a Jeff Beck technique of slide guitar past the neck and over the pickups. He rolled tape and asked me to show him what I had in mind. A moment later he said, “You’re on the record.” —John Stix Andrew Gold: “Lonely Boy” Play this track Remember this? I didn’t, either, until I heard it again recently via a CD compilation celebrating the hit records Peter Asher has produced through the years. A notable hit in the spring of 1976, it remains a damn catchy tune that isn’t hampered by the record production techniques of its day. A pleasant surprise. —RS Orleans: “Half Moon” Play this track I would have bet the house that Orleans would become a major band. Masterful songwriting, wonderful singing, and tight funky rockin’ live performances should have done the trick. They had hits instead. They were big but I thought they would get bigger. John and Johanna Hall wrote this song for Janis Joplin. It’s on her Pearl album. It’s also one of my favorite rhythm guitar parts. I was lucky enough to have John Hall show me how to play it correctly. —JS James Hetfield & The News: “Hip To Be The Sandman” Play this track Who knew that James Hetfield and Huey Lewis would be such compatible songwriting partners? —JS This is insane. —RS George Harrison: “Any Road” Play this track What a fabulous song. And George’s guitar leads throughout are marvelous and crisp. —RS I never heard this tune before Rock suggested it for NHT. Now it’s one of my go-to songs for any mixed tape. —JS The Black Crowes: “Hard To Handle” Play this track Like The Stones, Faces, and Delaney & Bonnie before them, The Black Crowes channel that funky dirty rock ‘n roll / blues swagger to a tee. And their records hold up nicely. Like this one. —RS They nailed it. This is rock and soul at its best. —JS Glenn Tilbrook: “Voodoo Child’” Play this track First, I love Squeeze and most of Difford & Tilbrook’s respective solo records. But this isn’t on any of those rather, it’s from a live video from YouTube. There are several performances of this amazing musical feat available there, but this is the one, we believe. Jimi Hendrix done acoustically. Hardcore. And it works. —RS Little Feat: “High Roller (Outtake)” Play this track As much as I love Little Feat’s proper albums, I also love their outtakes and alternate recordings. Like this one. —RS So different and so right. I would have been happy if they released this on Time Loves a Hero, and I love the original. —JS B.B. King: “B. B. King Talks Vibrato and Phrasing” Play this track Yes, I’m a lucky sonofabitch because I got to talk shop with B. B. King. —JS B.B. King: “Whole Lotta Love (Live)” Play this track He was the master of blues vocals and guitar. But have you ever noticed he doesn’t play chords or rhythm parts? Everything that defines B. B. King is here, the conviction of the vocal and the simple clarity and dynamics of the guitar. Check out that solo cadenza. —JS Johnny Gale: “I’m Tore Down” Play this track Here’s another one from my Guitar Recordings label. Tore Down is a blues classic and Clapton got an A for his version on From the Cradle. Johnny Gale gets an A+ for this swinging take on the Gale Force album. JG’s playing reminds me of EC’s energy from the Beano era. No gadgets, just a pair of hands, a guitar (in this case a Stratocaster) and an amp. No question about it, this guy deserves wider recognition. —JS Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Factory Of Faith” Play this track What funk? I find this RHCP track to be irresistible. From 2010’s underrated I’m With You album.—RS Dave Edmunds: “Sweet Little Lisa” Play this track Rockpile? Why, yes. -RS Nobody rolls rock like Dave Edmunds. And nobody plays chicken pickin’ guitar like Albert Lee. This is among my top favorite guitar bits and solos. —JS The Rolling Stones: “Slipping Away” Play this track This is the kind of song Mick and Keith used to write. It’s a real tune with real sections, not a riff with words. What’s more, it’s Keith’s song … although the other Stones – especially Charlie Watts – supply the heart. And there’s a lot of heart here. From 1989’s Steel Wheels album. A real treat. -RS Steve Morse: “Picture This” Play this track Steve agreed to play classical guitar for a party I threw for Guitar for the Practicing Musician Magazine. This song floored me. When it became obvious he was not going to record it for one of his records, I asked him if I could include it on Guitar’s Practicing Musicians Vol 2. He graciously recorded it for me. It is one of my proudest moments running the label that I was at least partially responsible for you hearing this song. Look up the word “beautiful’ in Websters and this is what you see (hear). —JS Mark Knopfler: “Why Worry” Play this track How is it Mark Knopfler can take one of his most beautiful Dire Straits songs and make it even more alluring by stripping it down instrumentally? I dunno but he’s done it right here. Dreamlike. -RS In the land of focused calm and beauty following Picture This, I can think of no other song that should follow it and continue with this mood. —JS
Transcribe →Getting Better
Jul 5, 202301:34:40Tap to summarizeGetting Better Tracklist: Beatles: “Getting Better – Vocals Only” Vulfpeck: “Lonely Town (Feat. Theo Katzman)” Vulfpeck: “Fugue State” The Doors & The Temptations: “Break on Through To The Funky Side” Mark Knopfler: “Romeo & Juliet” Raspberries: “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” Robben Ford: “Talk to Your Daughter” Traffic: “Gimme Some Lovin’” Phish: “Glide” Charles Bradley: “Changes (Black Sabbath cover)” Pete Townshend/ The Who: “Who Are You (Guitar Only)” Jeff Beck: “People Get Ready (Live)” Chuck Leavell: “Jessica (Solo Piano)” Dickey Betts & Great Southern: “Rave On” Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi: “Midnight in Harlem (Live)” Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood: “Glad” Grateful Dead: “Terrapin Part One” Let us know by LEAVING A COMMENT! Beatles: “Getting Better – Vocals Only” Play this track No matter how you slice ‘em up and whittle ‘em down, every aspect of The Beatles’ strengths always shone through. Such a great lyric, by the way. —Rock Stamberg This track sounds so good, so full, so complete and so acapella. Some songs on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band get a lot of attention and others don’t. When this one comes up it’s always a treat and this version is a surprise treat. I’ve never heard the whistle (at 00:47) before. Mostly I’m reminded The Beatles were an extraordinary vocal pop group. Oh, those harmonies. Are you smiling yet? —John Stix Vulfpeck: “Lonely Town (Feat. Theo Katzman)” Play this track This song is oh so Nilsson. And it contains one of my favorite opening lyrics: “I’m the Mayor of Lonely Town, population one.” -JS Vulfpeck: “Fugue State” Play this track I can’t explain why I find this instrumental so evocative and alluring, I just do. Maybe it’s the descending keyboard riff. —RS A modern version of Stuff meets Bach. In other words, a melodic groove that’s easy to follow. —JS The Doors & The Temptations: “Break on Through To The Funky Side” Play this track A surprise mashup that makes absolute sense. Yes, that’s Angus Young doing the guitar solo. Don’t think about it, just enjoy. —JS Mark Knopfler: “Romeo & Juliet” Play this track One of Dire Straits’ finest stripped down to bare bones and still saying it all. -JS First, what a great song. Mark Knopfler’s bare-bones approach confirms it. A beauty. —RS Raspberries: “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” Play this track I bought the 45 upon hearing it on WNEW-FM back in 1974. Just a great record, from performance to production and on down. —RS Heretofore I successfully ignored The Raspberries. My bad. This is a pop confection to be savored. Like say, any good 10CC tune. Say thank you to Rock. “Thank you, Rock.” Oh, and dig the Brian Wilson-like fake fade out. -JS Robben Ford: “Talk to Your Daughter” Play this track This is the title track from Robben’s debut album on a major label. I love a swinging shuffle with impeccable blues guitar. It’s shirt tails in playing a la any Steely Dan guitar solo. Robben’s tone is round and smooth, like Miles Davis’ trumpet. The vocabulary is familiar, but the phrasing is filled with surprises. I’ve put this tune on tons of mixed tapes, discs and now NHT. It’s part of my go-to for grooving in the car. -JS Traffic: “Gimme Some Lovin’” Play this track I know it’s only Winwood and Capaldi, but this percussion-heavy live version is hot. An obvious closing song. But I keep asking myself when is Carlos stepping in? -JS Phish: “Glide” Play this track From their major record company debut, A PICTURE OF NECTAR, this catchy ditty caught my ear on first listen. I find Trey Anastasio’s acoustic guitar parts on this to be irresistible ear candy. —RS Charles Bradley: “Changes (Black Sabbath cover)” Play this track This Black Sabbath ballad, originally found on their Vol. 4 album, is imbued with all heart and all soul by late singer Charles Bradley. While the gospel roots were written into the original, Bradley brings it to another level. But let’s give Black Sabbath credit; the sentiment and soul of the song came from these masters of metal. -JS Pete Townshend/ The Who: “Who Are You (Guitar Only)” Play this track This settles it once and for all: Pete Townshend is as masterful a guitarist as he is a composer. His playing is literally kaleidoscopic in nature. Slashing, raw and rhythmic, this is guitar as a weapon, a melodic device and a composer’s tool. In the end it’s just breathtaking. -JS Wow. Isolating Pete Townshend’s guitar is kinda illuminating. The power here is palpable. —RS Jeff Beck: “People Get Ready (Live)” Play this track There are so many wonderful versions of Jeff playing this tune. I selected this one from a 2004 concert he performed in Italy. Jeff’s relaxed approach and the extra piano time – not often afforded – are notable. -JS Jeff Beck playing “People Get Ready” is always a beautiful experience. —RS Chuck Leavell: “Jessica (Solo Piano)” Play this track Chuck Leavell’s piano solo in Dickey Bett’s Allman Brothers Band composition “Jessica” is as indelible and as permanent as Chuck Berry’s opening to “Johnny B. Goode’ or say, the guitar solo in “Hotel California.” If you are going to play “Jessica” you must play that piano solo as it was recorded, as in note-for-note. Chuck went on to be indispensable to the Allmans and later the Rolling Stones. -JS Chuck Leavell has contributed to so many great songs. This was the first one most of us ever heard. —RS Dickey Betts & Great Southern: “Rave On” Play this track If you wondered what a Dickey Betts instrumental would sound like as a solo artist, wonder no more. -JS Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi: “Midnight in Harlem (Live)” Play this track Channeling the spirit of Delaney and Bonnie and Mad Dogs and Englishmen, the Tedeschi/Trucks Band presents soulful vocals, ragged harmonies, and the jamming spirit of the Allman Brothers Band. This ballad, cinematic in its tone, turns a stadium into a small club. Derek Trucks whips out one of his patented whispers to a scream slide solo that will leave you breathless. It is for good reason that this tune rarely leaves their set list. -JS Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood: “Glad” Play this track I bet you thought “Glad” didn’t need a guitar solo. It didn’t, until now. I heard this tune as a natural segue from “Midnight in Harlem.” The Clapton/Winwood concert album recorded at Madison Square Garden is one of the finest collaborative recordings we have. It’s the sound of Blind Faith that never materialized with the original band. There’s a respect for each other and a willingness to go to the edge to find out what’s there. -JS The entire Clapton/Winwood LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN album is excellent and worth seeking out. Just do it! —RS Grateful Dead: “Terrapin Part One” Play this track Now hear this. —RS I’m not an organic fan of the GD, but this epic is worth your 17 minutes, or we wouldn’t have put it on. Be like me, be surprised and enjoy. -JS
Transcribe →Naked In The Jungle
May 31, 202301:18:17Tap to summarizeNaked in The Jungle Tracklist: Van Morrison: “Naked in the Jungle” Sting & Wynton Marsalis: “Roxanne” Leon & Mary Russell: “Say You Will” John Fogerty: “Bad Bad Boy” Chris Difford: “Battersea Boys” Little Feat: “Dixie Chicken” Nick Lowe: “Cruel to Be Kind (Acoustic)” Blood, Sweat & Tears: “Just One Smile” Wings: “Spin It On (2022 Remaster)” Johnny Winter: “I Hate Everybody” Steely Dan: “My Old School (Isolated Lead Vocal & Lead Guitar)” Edward Van Halen & Sammy Hagar: “Love Walks In” John Lennon: “Help! (Piano / Vocal) [Home Recording]” Paul McCartney: “Hey Hey We’re the Monkees” The Beatles / Shaggy: “Let It Be / It Wasn’t Me (Mashup)” Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir & Vince Welnick (of The Grateful Dead): “The Star-Spangled Banner” Elton John & Jack White: “Two Fingers of Whiskey” Alice Cooper: “Billion Dollar Babies” Genesis: “Behind the Lines” Let us know by LEAVING A COMMENT! Van Morrison: “Naked in the Jungle” Play this track I like Van Morrison’s rarely heard raucous side as evidenced on this beauty. He left it in the can for twenty-something years until he released his The Philosopher’s Stone collection of outtakes in 1998. If you like this track, check out Van’s “John Henry” from the same collection. You can listen to that one on NHT’s A Little is Enough podcast from 2018. Just head over to nhtmusic.com and stream or download it gratis. If you like Wild Man Van’s wild side, do yourself a favor. —Rock Stamberg Van has soul. Van has swing. Van has uncovered the mystery of love and longing. But Van does not rock and roll. Oh yes, he does. Right here. As is often the case, it’s the acoustic piano that sets the tone of rock that swings. But it’s Van’s bark that bites on this tune that make it a great undiscovered gem that Rock unearthed. — John Stix Sting & Wynton Marsalis: “Roxanne” Play this track A sturdy standard but the twist is the soprano sax that answers, echoes and adds its own lead voice. A true duet. And one of the best. Short and oh so sweet. —JS Leon & Mary Russell: “Say You Will” Play this track I’m a longtime Leon Russell fan and the two records he recorded with his former wife in 1976-77 are real favorites of mine. This song is a great example of what grabbed me about both records. Nothing sounds like this ridiculously catchy song. —RS It’s got that island vibe with a huge smile attached. Once discovered this has got to be a first call vacation love song. Gentle waves and piña coladas for everybody. —JS John Fogerty: “Bad Bad Boy” Play this track This song grabbed my ear the first time I heard it. A perfect vehicle for John Fogerty to stretch out on guitar and boy, does he play beautifully. He’s an unsung guitarist and a devoted musician. —RS Swampy and slashing guitar parts highlight this heartbeat tempo tune. It’s Fogerty writing a Dire Straits tune and playing like Mark Knopfler. The song is slinky and the guitar playing inspired and immaculate. A gem of a find. —JS Chris Difford: “Battersea Boys” Play this track Chris Difford (lyrics) and Glenn Tilbrook (music) are, of course, the brilliant songwriting team who have fronted Squeeze for 40-something years. While Tilbrook handles most lead vocals there, Difford has sung a few in his distinctively low vocal register. Anyway, when he put out his first solo album I Didn’t Get Where I Am in 2002, I was pleasantly surprised at how his voice easily carried the entire record and what a good frontman he was. What’s more, he employed co-writers whose last name wasn’t Tilbrook, and the songs were stellar. This beauty is from his 2008 sophomore effort The Last Temptation of Chris. An amazing song with amazing lyrics amazingly sung. The album was dedicated to his brother Les, who I presume the song is about and who died shortly before the album was released. -RS Sounds like an autobiographical song about his own days growing up. Enchanting melody and lyrics in ¾ time. I was thinking of doing a segment on story songs. I’m still inclined to suggest it, but I’ll have to find another winner to play. —JS Little Feat: “Dixie Chicken” Play this track This alternate take shows just how strong Little Feat was in the studio sans overdubs. —RS Insiders will spot the differences, and newbies will be introduced to a minor classic that really should be considered a bedrock song. —JS Nick Lowe: “Cruel to Be Kind (Acoustic)” Play this track Mr. Melody sings it alone with an acoustic guitar. Again, we have a happy melody with dark lyrics. It’s one of my favorite musical ironies: smiling on a sinking ship. —JS Blood, Sweat & Tears: “Just One Smile” Play this track They weren’t on the Woodstock records. They weren’t in the movie. Who knew they were there? I did because I was there. David Clayton Thomas kills it on this Al Kooper tune from Child is Father to the Man. Another NHT gem. —JS Wings: “Spin It On (2022 Remaster)” Play this track Taken from Wings’ 1979 swan song Back to the Egg, “Spin it On” rocks as hard as McCartney ever has. Evidence the album didn’t deserve the dismissive reviews it received at the time. Hot stuff. —RS I’ve heard him do “Lucille” and other rockers and I enjoyed them. I love this barnburner. This original tune goes in my “Use This” folder. You want to rock, you got it. —JS Johnny Winter: “I Hate Everybody” Play this track You know I love a swinging shuffle. So, the first chance I got to include this one, I did. Dig those lyrics. And that’s brother Edgar on organ and sax. The best of the Winter Brothers. —JS Steely Dan: “My Old School (Isolated Lead Vocal & Lead Guitar)” Play this track Oh, how I love this one. It’s a totally fresh take on a classic you know all too well. These two elements stand alone and tell the story completely. In case you didn’t know it already, you are listening to the best Jeff Baxter’s guitar playing on record. His playing is just fabulous. —JS Edward Van Halen & Sammy Hagar: “Love Walks In” Play this track Okay, I like Van Halen but have never really thought about Sammy Hagar’s talents one way or another … until I heard this. A rare duo performance with Edward Van Halen on piano and backing vocal and Hagar singing lead is simply stunning. Amazing. John found this and now it’s one of my favorite recordings by anybody. A+. —RS Here are EVH and Sammy Hagar naked in the jungle. It’s a story well worth listening to. —JS John Lennon: “Help! (Piano / Vocal) [Home Recording]” Play this track It was after the Beatles had broken up and Lennon was revisiting “Help.” It’s just his voice and piano as he plays this classic from memory. We hear him struggle to remember how it went, but the sentiment and the tempo still clearly represent his original vision for the song. —JS Paul McCartney: “Hey Hey We’re the Monkees” Play this track A bit of fun warming up for an all-acoustic show at the Colosseum in Rome. —JS The Beatles / Shaggy: “Let It Be / It Wasn’t Me (Mashup)” Play this track Fun in the sun combining two massive hits that work together beautifully. —JS Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir & Vince Welnick (of The Grateful D...
Transcribe →Easy Money
Apr 17, 202301:21:36Tap to summarizeWhen we put together the final version of NHT for podcasting I look over the tracks and make note of which ones are truly unique. Well, what do you know, this one is batting 1000%. It’s an NHT Hall of Famer. — John Stix Tracklist: Bruce Springsteen: “Stayin’ Alive” Lowell George: “Two Trains” Vulfpeck: “Rango !!” Eric Clapton: “She Rides” The Beach Boys: “Vegetables” Wings: “Love is Strange” The Meters: “Cissy Strut” Lowell George: “Easy Money” Marvin Gaye and James Jamerson: “What’s Goin’ On” Todd Rundgren: “Just One Victory” Queen: “Crazy Little Things Called Love/We Will Rock You/We are the Champions from Live Aid” The Who: “Cry if You Want” Buddy Miles: “Dreams” Eric Burdon & The Animals: “Monterey” Let us know by LEAVING A COMMENT! Note: The “Play this track” cues below may be off by several seconds on mobile devices. Bruce Springsteen: “Stayin’ Alive” Play this track Bruce Springsteen is among the finest cover song artists around. His attention to tempo is outstanding. This live take has strings and horns and passion. He totally reinvents and owns this Bee Gee’s classic. This is greatness. And this is why we do NHT. —JS Lowell George: “Two Trains” Play this track Little Feat, of course, have performed this song many ways in concert, but nothing, NOTHING sounds like this. The late, great Feat leader Lowell George cooked up this crazy/beautiful arrangement for his lone solo album, Thanks I’ll Eat It Here. Wonderful and weird … then it grabs you. —Rock Stamberg Salads. The best ones feature multiple ingredients where each element stands alone and mixes well with its buddies in the bowl. Kind of like this groovin’ take on a Little Feat classic where Lowell George ups the bump. Ooh la la. —JS Vulfpeck: “Rango !!” Play this track An instrumental take on the same idea as Two Trains. Salads. See above or what Webster’s says about how to move the groove. Ry Cooder isn’t the only guitarist who knows how to shake a lot using very little. How about that Cory Wong! —JS Vulfpeck never ceases to surprise me with their tuneful and juicy approach to both their original compositions as well as their cover versions of other artists’ tunes. What a masterful bunch of musicians they are. Funky and fun. —RS Eric Clapton: “She Rides” Play this track The NHT buzzer goes off with another classic song ,“Let It Rain,” with an alternate set of lyrics. Oh Yeah! —JS An early version with different lyrics and a different mix. The track still hops, bops, and swings regardless. A good song is always a good song. —RS The Beach Boys: “Vegetables” Play this track This is classic Beach Boys from Smiley Smile, the album they put out after Brian Wilson abandoned Smile. Accompanied by a steady, loping bass guitar, the song includes their blowing into bottles plus sounds of vegetables being crunched (Paul McCartney chews celery on this — really). Of course, the singing is impeccable. One of Brian’s weirder songs it nonetheless captures the ear and sticks with you. —RS Brian Wilson makes the ridiculous sound sublime. I still think it’s a joke, but a damn good one.—JS Wings: “Love is Strange” Play this track From Wings’ debut album, Wild Life, comes this unbelievably catchy pseudo-reggae and rock groove. Recorded quickly and spontaneously, Paul McCartney just shines on the loose rockin’ lilt that drives the track along. Originally a hit by Mickey and Sylvia in 1956, this revamped Wings version is stellar. —RS. I did some Wikipedia digging on this one. The original song was written by Bo Diddley and based on his guitar riff. McCartney was intrigued with reggae and cut this track just to groove on the rhythm. He then realized they could sing “Love is Strange” over the instrumental track. Wow, an early mashup. This track, which Rock picked, would go in my music folder labeled, “What are you doing here?” Aren’t you glad we found it? —JS The Meters: “Cissy Strut” Play this track Booker T and the MGs were the sound of soul and groove from Memphis. The Meters were the same for New Orleans. Booker T gave us the instrumental “Green Onions,” The Meters “Cissy Strut.” On this flight, while you may be hooked by the melody, please focus your attention on the drums and know that it’s okay to move around the cabin while listening. — JS Lowell George: “Easy Money” Play this track Another tune from Lowell George’s only solo record. I think his version of Rickie Lee Jones’ great tune is the best version out there. A stunner for sure. —RS Yeah, we do this a lot. We love an artist, head down a path, and low and behold somebody gets a double dip. You certainly don’t want to miss this Rickie Lee Jones classic as it bumps by getting the Louis Jordan treatment. —JS Marvin Gaye and James Jamerson: “What’s Goin’ On” Play this track Just the original voice and bass line from this all-time classic. Rock and I often discuss how a great song can be reduced to just voice and guitar, or piano, and now bass. — JS Todd Rundgren: “Just One Victory” Play this track First, what an amazing song this is. It was very difficult for John and me to find a live recording worthy of inclusion on an NHT playlist. Todd’s released a lot of live versions of this one, both solo and with Utopia and they’re all over the place in terms of performance and recording quality. Let’s face it, Todd the producer is a treble hog, but I love him anyway. We think we found a winner with this take. —RS Todd fans know this has been his concert closer for decades. So, there are all kinds of versions to be heard. This one from his live recording of A Wizard, A True Star is my favorite. Which is yours? Before I leave, I want to say that as a music first guy, Todd is my favorite lyricist. —JS Queen: “Crazy Little Things Called Love/We Will Rock You/We are the Champions from Live Aid” Play this track Of all the performances at Live Aid, including reunions by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and CSNY, Queen was hands down the finest. This live television performance made me a Queen fan for life. The best part is that I don’t have to write about it, all you’ve got to do is listen and you’ll agree. —JS I concur. This performance is what made me dig deeper into Queen’s amazing catalog. —RS The Who: “Cry if You Want” Play this track Pretty much forgotten, The Who’s 1982 album It’s Hard was meant to be their final record. Anyway, this song closed out the proceedings with a bang. Like, for real. Their power is palpable here. Kenney Jones’ military-style drum figure sets the tone and John Entwistle’s reliably thunderous bass revs the engine then throws the whole shebang into high gear. But just listen to Pete Townshend’s furious electric guitar jabs right into the fade out. A surprisingly mesmerizing jolt from a band some had already given up on. —RS A great Who song that you don’t know. Isn’t that why you’re here? —JS Buddy Miles: “Dreams” Play this track Molly Hatchet used this 4/4 arrangement for their cover of this ABB classic. Now the Allmans were thinking, modal Miles Davis, Kind of Blue when they recorded it in ¾ time. It’s also noted that Dickey Betts did not record on this ABB track. Buddy Miles adds horn and a rockin’ soul groove to this chooglin’ train from 1970. All aboard! —JS Eric Burdon & The Animals: “Monterey” Play this track To follow Buddy Miles, we wanted to stay in the late ‘60s musical era. The vinyl 45 rpm single version of “Monterey” does the trick. The song celebrates the classic 1967 music festival (at which The Animals played, by the way) and delivers some of the finest name-dropping l...
Transcribe →