Queen Jane Approximately – Demonstrating the value of the cover song in just one more way. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BobDylan #GratefulDead

For the second day in a row Ted Tocks Covers will feature a Bob Dylan song. Honest folks! Sometimes things just work out this way.

By process of elimination today’s post will also be the second day in a row that I go back to 1965’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ and the Dylan deep track, ‘Queen Jane Approximately’.

After yesterday’s rambling look back on ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’ this reflection will be quite a bit shorter and it will also allow for some more personal reflections.

Briefly stated, ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ comes from a period where Bob Dylan took inventory of his personal relationships, and if he didn’t feel comfortable with what he saw, the words came out in song. Often what his fans heard was a scathing rebuke. On a societal level, the wordplay became so eternally relatable that the condemnations were broadly interpreted anywhere from shattered friendships or failed romantic relationships to subversive efforts to bring down governments or topple political systems.

When it comes to Bob Dylan, everybody has a theory.

This was the gospel according to Dylan and the audience was in need of a voice that reflected their thoughts.

Much like ‘Positively 4^th Street’, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’, and on a wider level, ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ and ‘Rainy Day Women – #12 and 35’ Dylan’s wisdom is projected toward a particular subject.

In the case of ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ Bob Dylan is signifying to his muse that a catastrophic fall will take place if he/she does not heed his warning.

Now, when all of the bandits that you turn your other cheek to

All lay down their bandanas and complain

And you want somebody you don’t have to speak to

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane”

Bob Dylan

Through the years, writers were persistent in their effort to determine who Bob Dylan was writing about in his songs. In the case of ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ the names Lady Jane Grey and Jane Seymour were bantied about, and much closer to Bob Dylan’s immediate orbit scribes suggested that it was clearly a variation on Joan Baez. The closest Bob Dylan ever came to revealing the inspiration was in telling noted journalist, writer and filmmaker, Nora Ephron that;

Queen Jane is a man.”

Bob Dylan

Here is the set of lyrics that Bob Dylan wrote in the middle portion of 1965, before recording it in early August.

When your mother sends back all your invitations

And your father, to your sister he explains

That you’re tired of yourself and all of your creations

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Now, when all of the flower ladies want back what they have lent you

And the smell of their roses does not remain

And all of your children start to resent you

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Now, when all the clowns that you have commissioned

Have died in battle or in vain

And you’re sick of all this repetition

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

When all of your advisors heave their plastic

At your feet to convince you of your pain

Trying to prove that your conclusions should be more drastic

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Now, when all of the bandits that you turn your other cheek to

All lay down their bandanas and complain

And you want somebody you don’t have to speak to

Won’t you come see me, Queen Jane

Ah won’t you come see me, Queen Jane”

Bob Dylan

Here is a thought?

What if ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ was Dylan’s sideways glance at the life of Prince Charles and the fishbowl existence endured by his generation of the British monarchy. Famously, Bob Dylan toured England that spring and his travels took him in close proximity to Buckingham Palace. In between gigs and media interview obligations the astute observer of the scene would definitely have recognized the Fleet Street obsession with the Royal Family.

Like Robert Hunter said;

Well, I ain’t always right, but I’ve never been wrong
Seldom turns out the way it does in a song”

Robert Hunter

This segue was calculated because now we will fast forward to 1987 and the famous Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead tour that brought these two iconic acts together for the first time.

This video from July 4, 1987 represents the first time Bob Dylan ever played ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ live.

Two years later in 1989 the live album ‘Dylan and the Dead’ was released. Exactly 35 years ago, today. It is a short, seven song encapsulation of the time they spent together.

It almost didn’t happen.

When Bob Dylan got together with the Grateful Dead in their studio in San Rafael, he became a little overwhelmed by the perspective The Dead were bringing to the project. As a band they had been playing Bob Dylan cover songs for several years and in some ways, they knew the Dylan catalogue better than the man himself. The acts had spent some time together the previous summer. At the time Dylan was backed up by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Here is Bob Dylan’s reflection on the initial rehearsal meeting.

I thought it would be as easy as jumping rope. After an hour or so, it became clear to me that the band wanted to rehearse more and different songs than I had been used to doing with [Tom] Petty. They wanted to run over all the songs, the ones they liked, the seldom-seen ones. I found myself in a peculiar position, and I could hear the brakes screeching. If I had known this to begin with, I might not have taken the dates.”

Bob Dylan

Oddly, Bob Dylan was out of his comfort zone. He admits to feeling this way in the following quote from his book ‘Chronicles’.

I had no feelings for any of those songs and didn’t know how I could sing them with any intent. A lot of them might have been only sung once anyway, the time that they’d been recorded. There were so many that I couldn’t tell which was which — I might even get the words to some mixed up with others. I needed sets of lyrics to understand what they were talking about, and when I saw the lyrics, especially to the older, more obscure songs, I couldn’t see how I could get this stuff off emotionally.”

Bob Dylan

The remarkable thing is, embedded in this quote is a grudging respect for the Grateful Dead and the enthusiasm they brought to the process.

Soon after the studio rehearsal began, Bob Dylan excused himself in order to gather his thoughts. He actually considered fleeing entirely. He went for a walk and a short distance from the studio he came across a jazz bar. He could hear the music playing as he approached, and when he looked in, he noticed it was empty but for a few patrons. It was one of those situations where the numbers of the band and staff exceeded the patrons. Feeling safe, the mercurial Dylan sidled up to the bar a short distance from the stage and became enthralled by the experience. The band was laughing as they played. They were at ease as they enjoyed each other’s presence, and the music just flowed. Dylan’s recollection was that although the singer was not exceptional, he was just relaxed; perfect for the scene. This approach taught Bob Dylan to just relax and enjoy his collaboration with the Grateful Dead. He didn’t need to be Bob Dylan. He just needed to be one of seven guys in the studio or on the stage.

All of a sudden, I understood something faster than I ever did before. I could feel how he worked at getting his power, what he was doing to get at it. I knew where the power was coming from, and it wasn’t his voice, though the voice brought me sharply back to myself. ‘I used to do this thing,’ I’m thinking. It was a long time ago, and it had been automatic. No one had ever taught me. This technique was so elemental, so simple, and I’d forgotten it. It was like I’d forgotten how to button my own pants. I wondered if I could still do it. I wanted at least a chance to try. If I could in any way get close to handling this technique, I could get off this marathon stunt ride.”

Bob Dylan

He returned, and it all came together. All thanks to a jazz singer in an empty bar.

In the beginning, all I could get out was a blood-choked coughing grunt, and it blasted up from the bottom of my lower self, but it bypassed my brain. That had never happened before. It burned, but I was awake. The scheme wasn’t sewed up too tight, would need a lot of stitches, but I grasped the idea. I had to concentrate like mad because I was having to manoeuvre more than one stratagem at the same time, but now I knew I could perform any of these songs without them having to be restricted to the world of words. This was revelatory.”

Bob Dylan

Coming at this from an honest perspective, I have to say that ‘Dylan and the Dead’ kind of left me wanting. It could have been a lot better, and even if Bob Dylan says he felt transformed by the experience while listening it doesn’t feel as though he was comfortable sharing the stage with the Grateful Dead. This opinion is somewhat validated by the album sales which started out strong but then fizzled out.

In hindsight, Grateful Dead fans had been listening to the band cover countless Dylan songs for an extended period of time. They did this with clear reverence toward their industry peer. Whenever Bob Weir sang a Dylan song, he did it with a genuine approach. There was an urgency, and the love for Dylan’s style and lyrical prowess shone through. When Jerry Garcia took the guitar solo, He managed to transform the entire song into another dimension. Here is just one example.

It has to be said, that in a live setting the Dead did Dylan, better than Dylan.

This may come across as controversial, but I share this point out of complete admiration for both Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.

It is here, that I once again state that if it were not for my love of the Grateful Dead, I likely would not have explored the depth of the Bob Dylan library. The story does not end there.

While spending time following the Dead and immersing myself in their countless live recordings, the cover versions they offered in the live setting was like rocket fuel for my love of music. So many times, in the mid to late ‘80s I would gravitate to a song and my friend Steve would let me know that ‘_______’ was a ‘________’ cover.

And then I went down yet another music rabbit hole.

If you ever want to trace where my fascination of cover songs came from, you need look no further than the Grateful Dead.

Having said that, my appreciation for virtually every artist they covered grew as a result.

Now, when I see bands and singers I love, doing cover songs, I am like my teenage self in a record store; exploring every nuance of that original song. This, in a nutshell is why I write this post. So, my love for the Grateful Dead has always been clear and this comes with the knowledge that in so many cases they were paying homage to those who came before.

In that sense, they are no different than me.

To me, that is pretty cool because we are experiencing the music in very much the same way.

Any time I write about Bob Dylan, the cover versions are plentiful. Today is no exception. We get some familiar names, a couple of nice surprises and one cover that came seemingly out of nowhere that really was quite impressive.

First, we go all the way back to 1965 and the The 4 Seasons. This is from their album ‘The 4 Seasons Sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach… Hal David… Bob Dylan…’ It’s like they couldn’t decide. This cover seems a little chaotic.

Ted Tocks Covers was introduced to the work of Jimmy LaFave while working on a Jackson Browne post back in the early days of this blog (see ‘For Everyman’ and ‘Shelter from the Storm’). In 2015, LaFave released an album called ‘Night Tribe’ and it included ‘Queen Jane Approximately’. This album was the last recording released while he was still alive. Sadly, he died in May of 2017 from Myxofibrosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Here is the one I like the best. Listen to Emma Swift from her 2020 album cleverly entitled ‘Blonde on the Tracks’.

The serenity of Emma Swift is nicely balanced by the raw appeal of Lucinda Williams. Two days in a row, but whenever she pops up, I am all ears. She is so commanding.

Finally, here is Todd Snider, who entered my realm of music love as a result of his association with John Prine. He just makes me smile. One of the most genuine people in music. Do yourself a favour and listen to a Todd Snider interview. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and the humility makes him an endearing character. I am just doing my part to spread the word.

All of this leads to the main point.

The purpose of why I write, and the main thesis to Ted Tocks Covers.

Music unites.

#MusicisLIfe

So many times. this statement emanates from the value of a cover song. Today’s feature just happened to be one of many songs by Bob Dylan covered by the Grateful Dead. That speaks to my experience. Every music lover has their own.

Like I illustrated above, The Dead made me realize how essential cover songs were in defining their own musical journey from the stage. That realization took me away to some incredible places on the musical timeline. I became acutely aware of what my favourite bands were teaching me. When the Beatles were telling me to listen to Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry and Little Richard I understood. The Rolling Stones were all about Chuck Berry and obviously Muddy Waters, and that formed a whole new foundation. I was living in a whole new house. When Led Zeppelin talked about the Houses of the Holy, I understood that in part paid host to the rock and roll pioneers, blues and artists like Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker. Man, they went all the back to Memphis Minnie in 1927. The journey has continued in countless ways.

Getting back to Bob Dylan, consider the magnitude of the Jimi Hendrix cover of ‘All Along the Watchtower’.

Recognize what Joe Cocker accomplished when he delivered ‘All Along the Watchtower’ to half a million people at Woodstock.

Covers can become anthems.

When Johnny Cash covered ‘Hurt by ‘Nine Inch Nails’ he literally made the song his own.

Aretha Franklin literally told us to ‘Respect’ the cover song.

And ‘Disturbed’ just told us to listen to each other when they transformed ‘The Sound of Silence’ into a life lesson.

Even my all-time favourite band, Rush put out an album of covers called ‘Feedback’ in the early 2000s. It was their tribute to the bands that inspired them as young musicians. This gave me the opportunity to share the importance of cover versions to my sons, when they were just beginning their musical trip.

We listened together and learned the value. We understood the purpose. It opened doors for them, and it made me reflect on love of music.

Part of what every musician is doing when they take to the stage or hit record in the studio is taking an opportunity to pay their respects to the ghosts of the past. They are expressing an important element of communication that is often lost these days.

Hey man! I understand what you were saying. Let me take a moment and repeat it back to you. I just want to be sure I’ve got it right.

Imagine, if we all took the opportunity to do that as part of our day-to-day routine.

The value of music is demonstrated once again.

It Takes a Lot to Laugh It Takes a Train to Cry – Riding the train through sixty years of musical greatness. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BobDylan #AlKooper

Whenever Ted Tocks Covers features a Bob Dylan song it turns into a party where some of the greatest musicians to ever grace a stage or press their creative talents to vinyl share in the festivities. Today’s feature is no exception as we briefly reflect on ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’ from 1965’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited’. From there, we will explore several quality versions before celebrating one of the most important background musicians of the past 60 years.

Let’s hop on the train that will take us back through the years. Prepare for a fun conclusion that pays homage to a key figure in Bob Dylan’s long and storied career.

With the advantage of nearly sixty years of track to look back on ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’ offers a glimpse into Bob Dylan’s relationships. If Facebook was around back in August of 1965, his relationship status may have read ‘It’s complicated’. In this song Dylan takes the listener through a series of thoughts as he assesses his standing with a present romantic interest.

Right from the opening line Dylan appears to be frustrated, when from his rail car perch, he declares that he ‘can’t buy a thrill’. With that opening line, he captures the attention of the listener; a line so rife with meaning that Steely Dan borrowed it for their debut album title. As the verse moves on, he comes across as somewhat fatalistic. If he should succumb to his burden, his baby will survive; like he is some type of martyr in the eternal battle of the sexes.

As the song moves on, Bob Dylan takes some element of control as he directs the conversation in the form of a series of questions. This passage ends with him surmising that his baby recognizes the value he brings to her life. This appears to all be in his imagination. As the song concludes the lovelorn songwriter gazes out a frosty window; which symbolically speaking is never a positive image.

The parting shot is ‘don’t say I never warned you, when your train gets lost.’ She seems to have made her decision, and he is left alone trying in vain to claim the upper hand.

By Bob Dylan standards ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’ is a very brief exploration into his thoughts, but it reflects a timeless story in music and life. Just one of so many brilliant Bob Dylan compositions.

Ted Tocks Covers wish is to hear what could be perceived as the response from the romantic counterpart in this poem. If that presentation is out there, please point me in the right direction.

When contemplating the true satisfaction of exploring the work of Bob Dylan, right up there with the many positives is the fact that many times there are several alternate takes and live versions. I was especially taken by the rough and rowdy feel of this alternate take.

Where the version on ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ depicts a relatively smooth and uneventful journey, this one is a rollicking ride; like Casey Jones was the engineer, and he was definitely not concerned with his speed.

As you listen to any and all of the versions leading up to here and following, read along to these thought-provoking lyrics, and consider the depth that such a brief bit of prose can convey.

Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby
Can’t buy a thrill
Well, I’ve been up all night, baby
Leanin’ on the windowsill
Well, if I die
On top of the hill
And if I don’t make it
You know my baby will

Don’t the moon look good, mama
Shinin’ through the trees?
Don’t the brakeman look good, mama
Flagging down the “Double E?”
Don’t the sun look good
Goin’ down over the sea?
Don’t my gal look fine
When she’s comin’ after me?

Now the wintertime is coming
The windows are filled with frost
I went to tell everybody
But I could not get across
Well, I wanna be your lover, baby
I don’t wanna be your boss
Don’t say I never warned you
When your train gets lost”

Bob Dylan

As a hobbyist ‘writer’, I have no illusions of ever understanding the mind of someone as lyrically complex as Bob Dylan, so I will get off that train and retreat to my own space and just listen to several outstanding versions of ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’.

Come on in and join me.

Before moving on to what amounts to sixteen cover versions, lets join Bob Dylan on stage with his friend George Harrison on August 1, 1971 during the Concert for Bangladesh. Bob and George are joined by Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton in a junkie haze, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and Badfinger. Remember, this is before benefit concerts were really a thing. What a moment in music history.

Think about it.

The Concert for Bangladesh, USA for Africa, Live Aid and Farm Aid; Bob Dylan was there for it all.

…When it came time to let ‘We Are the World’ fade out with the chorus, it was Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan taking the lead.

There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me.”

Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie

Bob didn’t need to sing it. This is a statement and he delivers it like an orator.

Speaking of moments in music history that become somewhat obscured by the bigger story that was to follow let’s listen to this 1968 super session that featured former Bob Dylan bandmates Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. Bloomfield left the session before day 2.  This left Kooper scrambling and the cover of ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’ featured the guitar prowess of Stephen Stills who had left Buffalo Springfield and was entertaining options. This is a triangle of greatness which also features former Dylan bassist, Harvey Brooks and Eddie Hoh on drums. If you ever wondered what planted the seed of possibility for Stephen Stills in terms of the vision that created Crosby Stills Nash and Young, you need look no further than this precursor.

Now in rapid succession, let’s enjoy some more covers of ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’. Here is Blue Cheer from 1969. This appeared on their album ‘New! Improved! Blue Cheer’.

Here is the great Leon Russell from his 1971 album, ‘Leon Russell and the Shelter People’.

Two years later in 1973 a fascinating collective of musicians got together and presented ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’. This is Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn and Bill Vitt doing yet another quality rendition. This is so good. Each player brings their own distinct sound. In terms of contemplation, this version may offer the closest to what Dylan was going for. Jerry sounds defeated…until he plays his first solo.

Through the years the Grateful Dead displayed their love for Bob Dylan by offering a plethora of wonderful cover versions of Dylan tracks. Truth be told, my love for Bob Dylan and his ‘deep tracks’ can be attributed to the seeing the Grateful Dead live on many occasions and learning so many times that “Yep…that’s a Dylan cover.” I dug deeper and never came back. Here is the Dead in 1973.

Now let’s have a look at Bob Dylan while he is interpreted in a bluegrass style. This is the Earl Scruggs Revue from their 1973 self-titled album.

Jumping ahead over a decade to 1985, here is Marianne Faithful from her album ‘Rich Kid’. Every time I sit back and listen to Marianne, I come away more and more impressed. There is a ton of depth to her talent. For better or worse, she is forever linked to Mick Jagger, and ‘Wild Horses’… but that is another story.

Another intriguing story in music history is Iain Matthews. Iain is a talent who deserves a lot more attention in this writer’s humble opinion (See ‘Ol’ ‘55’, ‘Seven Bridges Road’ and ‘I Believe in You’). This Bob Dylan cover is from his essential 1991 album ‘Orphans and Outcasts’.

As the century came to a close Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., otherwise known as Taj Mahal recorded a quality version of ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’. This is a brilliant blues rendition of an essential Dylan track. It was featured on his album ‘Tangled Up in Blues’.

Still in 1999 we get this rare treat. Here is Bob Dylan with Susan Tedeschi, who at the time was a rising star in the music world. Enjoy this cover, and pay attention as Tedeschi’s work inspires a boatload of emotion from the usually very stoic, Dylan.

As we enter the 2000s, we get this incredible cover by Little Feat. This was part of their album ‘Chinese Work Songs’. Listening to Shaun Murphy deliver this version makes me want to get back on the train and ride the rails forever.

A couple of years later in 2002, Toto released an album called ‘Through the Looking Glass’ which consisted of eleven songs that inspired members of this band in their early days. Toto is absolutely loaded with talent. This cover includes Monet on backing vocals, and it turns into an emotional storm. When this song is over, I suspect you will want to hit replay.

Another intriguing cover is offered by the incredibly versatile and endlessly fascinating David Bromberg. This is live from 2007. Just David and his guitar. It comes across as contemplative, which is likely what Bob Dylan originally intended. Definitely a lament.

While sifting through many covers of ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’, I found this familiar family name.  Here are The Tuttles with A.J. Lee, live in 2010. Molly would have been about 17 years old here. If one traces the lineage of influence they would find Bob Dylan, obviously, but you can also look back on the Earl Scruggs Revue cover shared earlier. The ride between the folk and bluegrass train stops is relatively short and the view is breathtaking.

Yet another name that jumped out as I was exploring covers was Bun E. Carlos, the drummer for Cheap Trick. This 2016 cover is from his album ‘Greetings from Bunezuela’ featuring Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum on vocals.

We are almost done.

Here is Lucinda Williams in 2020. This version takes it all to another level. This all flowed out of a session known as ‘Bob’s Back Pages: A Night of Bob Dylan Songs’.

To conclude the cover portions of today’s feature, here is the ever present Nitty Gritty Dirt Band from their 2022 Bob Dylan tribute album, ‘Dirt Does Dylan’. These guys never disappoint.

Admittedly, I left several amazing covers in their record sleeves. I urge you to explore on your own because I wanted to save a good portion of this post for a special guest.

Al Kooper entered the Bob Dylan story back in 1965.

He is a story unto himself, and today he turns 80, so here is a very brief look at one of the most accomplished background players and producers in music history.

To begin, who knew that Al Kooper co-wrote ‘This Diamond Ring’ which was made famous by Gary Lewis and the Playboys’?

This song went to #1 in February of 1965. Al Kooper hated it. More on this point further down.

Al Kooper was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York. He used to hang out with producer Tom Wilson at the famous Brill Building. His most salient contribution to the sound of the ‘60s was the Hammond organ track on Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. Kooper was invited to the recording sessions by Wilson who was Dylan’s producer. Bob Dylan referred to ‘Like a Rolling Stone as “a piece of vomit 20 pages long” and in the studio it wasn’t really coming together until fate took over. Here is the story.

 Listen to ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ and Al Kooper’s fingerprints are all over this album. It was while recording with Bob Dylan that he met the legendary guitarist, Mike Bloomfield. Kooper admits that Bloomfield’s talents on the guitar over-shadowed his own. It was an ear for what Dylan was saying, and how his own vision could enhance Dylan’s message that propelled Kooper’s status. Al Kooper sat behind the Hammond B3 organ and played his accompanying track which was recorded on one of several takes. During the mixing, this exchange took place between Tom Wilson and Bob Dylan.

“That guys’s not an organ player?

I don’t care. Turn the organ up.”

Exchange between Tom Wilson and Bob Dylan

It was on this day that Al Kooper became an organ player, but he was capable of so much more.

The next time you listen to this iconic song, focus on Al Kooper’s contribution and understand that it was totally spontaneous.

A couple of years later, Al Kooper was handling the sound at the Monterey Pop Festival. He took a moment to introduce himself to Jimi Hendrix. He was very familiar with Hendrix’s work because they all resided in the same Greenwich Village orbit. Jimi Hendrix was intrigued because he was very familiar with Kooper’s contribution to ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. He invited Kooper to sit in on the iconic Dylan song during his set, but when Kooper asked permission from Monterey Pop organizer, Lou Adler, his request was declined.

It all ended well. Hendrix and Kooper became friends. Kooper plays piano on ‘Long Hot Summer Night’ on the ‘Electric Ladyland’ album.

The story goes on.

Kooper and Bloomfield were on stage with Bob Dylan during his controversial Newport Festival gig. Accounts of this transformative moment that helped folk enter the rock and roll realm are plentiful, but Al Kooper was there. Here you go.

In conversation Al Kooper has noted that accounts of that day may be somewhat skewed. He acknowledges that the Newport Folk crowd was agitated by the electric performance to some degree but much of the audience’s discontent stemmed for the poor mix from the Newport sound engineers. They were not at all prepared for this presentation and the crowd couldn’t hear properly. Secondly, Bob Dylan who was the headliner, only played for 25 minutes. This led to a barrage of booing and unrest until Peter Yarrow talked Dylan into going back out and playing some more.

Dylan responded by performing veiled statement.

Whatever you wish to keep you better grab it fast.”

Bob Dylan

Anyone who doesn’t understand the essence of Bob Dylan need look no further.

If you have read this far, understand that I realize I am likely preaching to the converted, but life goes on and so too, does this story.

Following Newport and his work with Bob Dylan through 1966, Al Kooper was instrumental in forming Blood, Sweat and Tears in 1967. This collaboration was short-lived due to creative differences, and it was soon after that experience that Kooper joined forces with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills on the ‘Super Sessions’ recording shared above. This significant recording also included ‘Season of the Witch’.

Al Kooper’s musical versatility placed him in high demand. The list of his remarkable contributions is seemingly endless. This feature will focus on just a handful.

In 1969, Kooper was invited by Glyn Johns to join The Rolling Stones while they recorded ‘Let it Bleed’. You can hear his work on ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ where he is credited with contributing piano, organ and French horn parts. Al Kooper’s subtle contributions are all over this timeless track.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Another classic from Let it Bleed. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TheRollingStones #DorisTroy #ArethaFranklin #DefLeppard #HothouseFlowers

Still in England and Glyn Johns, here is Al Kooper offering his talents on an alternate version of The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’. This track didn’t make the final cut, but Kooper’s Hammond organ part provides a unique take on a classic rock staple.

Behind Blue Eyes – No one knows what it’s like – #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TheWho #PeteTownshend #BryanAdams #LimpBizkit #SuzanneVega #BruceDickinson #WithinTemptation

Looking back on Al Kooper’s incredible journey, it is arguable, but perhaps, the most significant contribution to music over his sixty-year career may reside in his role in discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd; playing on, and producing their first three albums.

Kooper first heard of Lynyrd Skynyrd as word of their strong reputation came out of Jacksonville, Florida. Once they caught on there they headed north into Georgia and Al Kooper caught their act at a club called Funocchio’s in Atlanta. Kooper knew the owner. He was captured by the band’s energy and sound, but most of all he couldn’t get over how tight Lynyrd Skynyrd was as they belted out a series of original songs so flawlessly. He asked if he could sit in with the band and their leader Ronnie Van Zant agreed. They played ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ in C-sharp. An odd choice of songs and keys.

It was a test. The band was interviewing Al Kooper and Kooper was sizing up the band.

 It was only a matter of time before Al Kooper signed Lynyrd Skynyrd to his Sounds of the South label which was a division of MCA Records.

The story is told to some degree in ‘Working for MCA’.

Along come Mr. Yankee slicker, sayin’ “Maybe you’re what I want”

Want you to sign your contract
Want you to sign today
Gonna give you lots of money
Workin’ for MCA”

Ed King and Ronnie Van Zany

…I am getting ahead of myself…

The result of this early encounter was ‘Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd’.

If you look on the sleeve, the album credits list one ‘Roosevelt Gook’ on bass guitar, backing vocals and mellotron. “Roosevelt Gook’ was an alias for one Al Kooper.

Take a listen.

Here is Tuesday’s Gone. Listen to the mournful bass line that drops almost immediately. You can also hear Al Kooper on backing vocals and to top it all off, through his production genius, he added the dreamy mellotron. It was Al Koper that took ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ from a great song to an instant classic, and this is just the first example of his role in building the Lynyrd Skynyrd legend.

Tuesday’s Gone – When this train ends I will try again. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

As side one concludes Al Kooper lends his brilliance to ‘Simple Man’ with this subtle organ track. He turns this song into a gospel creation that has appeal through the generations. How many cool mothers have shared these words with their sons? I wonder…

Simple Man – Be something you love and understand. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #LynyrdSkynyrd #Shinedown #Deftones #KingsofLeon #ChrisStapleton

Remember, these are just two songs from the first side of a freakin’ debut album. Flip the album over and the Kooper effect continues.

What would ‘Mississippi Kid’ be without the mandolin? As Ronnie Van Zant delivers the narrative Al Kooper plays the mandolin that accents the words perfectly. Songs of the South indeed. But, that’s not all. One more added touch is the understated bass drum. It is nestled under the vocals and the guitar/mandolin combination. It becomes captivating. Play it once, and inevitably you will just want to play it again. Lynyrd Skynyrd had arrived.

Once again, Kooper added an organ track to Poison Whiskey. This band was never shy about portraying the dangers of the vices that faced society. Their status as a party band was also legendary, but this was tempered by a commitment to being the best  

As ‘Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd’ drew to a close the sound of ‘Freebird’ emanated from the grooves. Once again, it is the mood that drives the song. Before Gary Rossington plays his slide guitar tribute to Duane Allman, it is Al Kooper’s cathedral like organ that rings from the heavens. Just like in Tuesday’s Gone’ he adds a touch of mellotron. Some say the ‘Freebird’ jam goes on too long. I say it doesn’t go on long enough. The fact of the matter is, Al Kooper just gave the boys in the band the room to play.

This statement is not unique in any way, but it must be shared here. ‘Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd’ is one of the best debut albums ever and Al Kooper played a prominent role.

To say Lynyrd Skynyrd left an impression is an understatement. When it came time to do a North American tour to promote the album it was Al Kooper’s connection that got them an opening spot on The Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’ tour.

The promise of the first album led to people asking for more and this is where ‘Second Helping’ soon followed. It was every bit as good.

This time Al Kooper was a little bit more forthright with his contribution. Again, he produced the album, and he also lent his talent on bass and backing vocals to a couple of songs. This time his name was listed in the credits. Here is the defiant ‘Don’t Ask Me No Questions’

The opening track on side two is ‘The Ballad of Curtis Loew’ which offers a glimpse into the people that inspired the band. The old pickers that a racist society marginalized. From the perspective of a young boy not filled with any preconceived notions, a talented man like Curtis Loew held the key to a future in music. Once again, Al Kooper added a subtle piano track and backing vocals.  

One other interesting note that speaks to Al Kooper’s connections. Remembering the fact that he played a role on The Rolling Stones ‘Let it Bleed’? It was here that he spent some time with Bobby Keys. A few years later Keys added his horn talent on ‘Don’t Ask Me No Questions’.

Al Kooper’s time with Lynyrd Skynyrd ended after he produced ‘Nuthin’ Fancy’ in 1975. The band had lost their focus and by the time they entered the studio to record they were not prepared to lay down their material in the same way that they presented it in the early days. It was time to move on. 

Jumping back a little, remember ‘This Diamond Ring’ by Gary Lewis and the Playboys? Well, Al Kooper wasn’t happy with the pop style this band presented. While it became a hit, Al Kooper had written it with a more funky – soul oriented inspiration. In 1976, he recorded it on his album ‘Act Like Nothing’s Wrong’. Here you go.

Admittedly, I have left a lot out, and I urge you to explore more on your own.

 Half a decade later Al Kooper was asked to blend some keyboards and synthesizers to George Harrison’s ‘Somewhere in England’ album. Here is Al Kooper playing electric piano on ‘All those Years Ago’

Through the years Bob Dylan never forgot Al Kooper’s contribution to ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. He was also the music director for ‘Blonde on Blonde’ later in 1965 where he worked closely with the legendary Robbie Robertson. By 1970 he added his versatility to ‘Self Portrait’ and ‘New Morning’. Two decades later Dylan invited him back to play on ‘Empire Burlesque’ and ‘Knocked Out Loaded’ in 1985 and 1986 respectively. Here is ‘When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky’ from ‘Empire Burlesque. This features Al Kooper on rhythm guitar along with Sly Dunbar on drums and Robbie Shakespeare on bass.

Through it all, Al Kooper resisted the urge to record his own version of ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh It Takes a Train to Cry’, until 2008 when he added this track to his ‘White Chocolate’ album.

Much of this is captured in a series of interviews, articles, videos, podcasts and a couple of books including an original memoir called ‘Backstage Passes: Rock ‘n’ Roll Life in the Sixties’ in 1977 and an updated book called ‘Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor’ in 1998.

In 2023, Al Kooper was finally recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He received the Award for Musical Excellence which while a nice recognition does not fully recognize the part he played in the soundtrack of our lives.

As the train moves on down the line, all I can do is give a nod to Al Kooper. While the credits roll they conclude with a single statement.

That’s Al Folks!

Fire on the Mountain – If mercy’s a business I wish it for you. More than just ashes when your dreams come true. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

The Grateful Dead released ‘Fire on the Mountain’ on this day in 1978. True to the band’s legend they had been playing it in a live setting for a few years before it made its way onto ‘Shakedown Street’ 45 years ago today. It was like welcoming an old friend into your home.

In addition to Robert Hunter’s poetic wisdom, we have Mickey Hart to thank for his lyrical contribution. Elements of ‘Fire on the Mountain’ emerged from Mickey’s instrumental called ‘Happiness is Drumming’. Yep! That’s Jerry Garcia on guitar. This track appeared on Mickey’s 1976 album ‘Diga Rhythm Band’.

Astute students of Robert Hunter’s writing have noted a connection between his prose and ‘I Ching’, which is the ancient Chinese Book of Changes. The volume speaks through symbols and one of the passages speaks of a traveler who intersects both fire and mountain. In this case the tired traveler rests, and from his lofty vantage point he considers his next steps. The road is long, so he rarely stays in one place, for any extended period of time. Therefore, he leaves only ashes behind as he moves on in pursuit of his dreams.

It would be just like Robert Hunter to draw from this inspiration in order to work with Mickey Hart on this essential Grateful Dead track.

More on the music in a bit, because this interesting anecdote related to ‘Fire on the Mountain’ was one of my earliest indoctrinations to the Grateful Dead legend.

In June of 1980, Mount St. Helens was an ominous presence in Washington State. Following a 4.2 magnitude earthquake in late March, steam had begun to vent from the active volcano. In May, a second earthquake, this time 5.1 occurred causing the collapse of the geological marvel’s north face. The resulting pyroclastic flow flattened both vegetation and any man-made facilities in an area estimated to be 230 square miles. Over 1.5 metric tons of sufur dioxide was released into the atmosphere and ash from the angry mountain’s eruption was detected as far away as Edmonton, Alberta. In all, 57 people were killed and the environmental devastation was immense.

When the Grateful Dead arrived in Portland, Oregon for a June 12 show, they added ‘Fire on the Mountain’ to the set list. As the dead jammed away, Mount St. Helens began to stir yet again. Following the show, Deadheads returned to their vehicles, greeted by the ash of Mount St. Helens’. Nature’s answer to the Grateful Dead’s musical tribute.

Here is one Deadhead’s recollection of that evening.

I had a feeling there was something strange going on when they played only 1 encore, and that very reluctantly. I don’t suppose it would have been a good idea to announce there was an eruption from the volcano coming this way, though, less than a month after Mt. St. Helens big eruption caused massive destruction. Could have been panic city. I had gone with my sister’s boyfriend – he was a long-time Deadhead, she wasn’t interested in going. We had to drive 50 miles north to get home, headed up I-5 right into the thick of the ash fall. Visibility dropped to almost nothing from the big trucks kicking up the ash, so we pulled off at the Gee Creek rest area, just north of Vancouver. Off the freeway you could see fine, there were just big wet globs of ash coming down, but we weren’t going back out there – just covered up the vents with some papers and waited it out. Tried to kick back and get some sleep, but it turned into the most intense thunderstorm I’ve ever seen. Torrents of rain, lightning flashing, thunder crashing – it was amazing. May have dozed a little after things quieted down, but soon it started getting light and nothing was falling anymore, so we drove on. A few minutes of driving and we were clear of the ash fall area. As Dead concerts went, it was so-so, but nature put on a fantastic show afterward. A truly unforgettable night.”

‘Green Knight

Match this memory up with Robert Hunter’s eery second verse.

Almost ablaze still you don’t feel the heat
It takes all you got just to stay on the beat
You say it’s a livin’, we all gotta eat
But you’re here alone, there’s no one to compete
If mercy’s a business, I wish it for you
More than just ashes when your dreams come true”

Here is the full song. For Deadheads ‘Fire on the Mountain’ has always been a celebration; often feeding into a slower track to cool the set down…

You might even say the needed a whole pail of water…

“Long distance runner, what you standin’ there for?
Get up, get out, get out of the door
You’re playing cold music on the barroom floor
Drowned in your laughter and dead to the core
There’s a dragon with matches that’s loose on the town
Takes a whole pail of water just to cool him down

Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!

Almost ablaze still you don’t feel the heat
It takes all you got just to stay on the beat
You say it’s a livin’, we all gotta eat
But you’re here alone, there’s no one to compete
If mercy’s a business, I wish it for you
More than just ashes when your dreams come true

Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!

Long distance runner, what you holdin’ out for?
Caught in slow motion in a dash for the door
The flame from your stage has now spread to the floor
You gave all you had. Why you wanna give more?
The more that you give, the more it will take
To the thin line beyond which you really can’t fake

Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!
Fire! Fire on the mountain!”

Robert Hunter and Mickey Hart

‘Fire on the Mountain’ spent just shy of twenty years as a consideration within the Grateful Dead’s vast concert catalogue. The magical message contained within this track rose to stratospheric heights when it was paired with the infinitely optimistic ‘Scarlet Begonias’. There are many Grateful Dead pairings through the years, but Scarlet/Fire may only be rivalled by the equally mystical ‘Chinacat Sunflower/I Know You Rider’ (China/Rider) combination.

Having said that, if the vote came down to time spent getting lost in the music, Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain wins out.

It all began at Bill Graham’s Winterland Ballroom on March 18, 1976.  On that evening it was the set closer. Thanks to Deadhead’s determination to share the music and the Grateful Dead’s willingness to allow this ritual, this recording exists as a moment captured in time. Any of us can experience on demand.

Through the years, the original Jerry Garcia led incarnation of the Grateful Dead played Scarlet/Fire 253 times. Today’s feature will offer a handful of significant recordings.

On May 8, 1977 the Grateful Dead performed what is commonly referred to as ‘the best’ show of their thirty-year reign at the pinnacle of the jam band genre. Here is Scarlett/Fire from Barton Hall, Cornell University.

The following year the Grateful Dead were invited to play New Year’s Eve at Winterland Ballroom. This would be the final show at this magnificent San Francisco landmark. ‘Fire on the Mountain’ culminated a vaunted trio that included ‘Sugar Magnolia and of course ‘Scarlet Begonias’.

Through the years Grateful Dead fans became locked into the duration of the Scarlet/Fire jam. The longer the better. The distinction of longest version goes to the 1979 rendition at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. To the glee of Deadheads everywhere, this offering clocks in at over 34 minutes.

In October of 1980 the Grateful Dead descended on yet another iconic venue. This time it was Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Halloween where they famously mixed up the brew and served ‘Fire on the Mountain’ out of the cauldron. When it emerged out of ‘Space’ in the second set, the audience was driven to another dimension and the Dead fed off the euphoria. This is the version of ‘Fire on the Mountain’ that exists as my gateway to the Grateful Dead. It appears on the 1981 live album ‘Dead Set’.

Through six years of Ted Tocks Covers I have frequently mentioned my appreciation for the work of Brent Mydland. No doubt a large part of this adulation is due to the fact I was fortunate enough to see him perform a dozen times.

Here is my first show. This is from the Seva Benefit at Canada’s Wonderland on June 21, 1984. The theme park’s ‘Wonder Mountain’ was just over my shoulder. Fast forward to 56:00, or stay for the whole show. What a great concert memory.

The last time I saw Brent perform was in Hamilton, Ontario in March of 1990. Yet another cherished moment among many related to the Grateful Dead.

In 2004 the Grateful Dead went into their vault and released an outtake version of ‘Fire on the Mountain’ as part of their ‘Terrapin Station’ reissue. This is interesting to listen to. Lowell George of Little Feat fame was the producer.

It’s always enjoyable to listen to the subtle variations of a Dead song within each wondrous session. You can almost feel the mood flow through the music.

Naturally, through the years the Grateful Dead have inspired a host of cover versions of this popular track. This is an interesting list.

It all begins with Phish in 1983. From what I can tell this is their first show? A couple of years later they improvised a ‘Fire up the Ganja’ chorus. Obviously, over the years Phish gained a following of fans that had a direct lineage to the Grateful Dead and their style. Trey Anastasio is highly regarded for his role in the 2015 ‘Fare Thee Well’ tour.

For good measure, here is Trey with the Dead on July 3, 2016 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

This 1996 version of ‘Fire on the Mountain’ by the Neville Brothers is very special because it includes Bob Weir on guitar. More important is the message. Mitakuye Oyasin means ‘all are related’ in the Lakota Sioux language. It is a common refrain across all native traditions, all stemming from the belief that everything is connected.

Frequently, when writing about the Grateful Dead, live covers appear featuring Widespread Panic. In this performance Jimmy Herring lays down Jerry Garcia’s part much to the appreciation of Widespread Panic’s devoted audience.

For a quarter century the Dark Star Orchestra has been bringing their interpretation of the Grateful Dead experience to a legion of fans. Here is their mission as stated by keyboard player and vocalist Rob Barraco;

For us it’s a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years. We offer a sort of a historical perspective at what it might have been like to go to a show in 1985, 1978 or whenever. Even for Deadheads who can say they’ve been to a hundred shows in the 90s, we offer something they never got to see live.”

Rob Barraco

Here is the Dark Star Orchestra early in 2023.

Two of Jerry’s favourite collaborators with the Jerry Garcia Band were Merl Saunders and Melvin Seals. Listen to this version of ‘Fire on the Mountain’. This is the groove that makes this song so universally enjoyable. Just stop and listen.

Yet another special recording is offered here by 2015 Phil Lesh & Friends. When the friends include Warren Haynes and Carlos Santana you know the music is going to be taking us to some lofty heights.

Not to be outdone Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann are joined here by reggae master Jimmy Cliff We get a therapeutic reggae vibe. Sometimes the music tells you that everything is going to be alright. This is one of those times. On many occasions, reggae is just a hop skip and a jump to the Dead trip. This is from the 2016 album ‘Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia’.

Concluding the covers portion of today’s feature here is Mt. Joy in 2022 live from the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. There are definitely some ghosts on this stage and the spirits are dancing from the first note.

Much like a Grateful Dead jam session, this post could go o forever. This is part of the journey, or perhaps more appropriately phrased, ‘the trip’ I signed up for when the bus pulled up and I got on back in 1984. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for 13 shows in Southern Ontario and all over the United States.

Like Robert Hunter said in ‘Might as Well’.

“Never had such a good time in my life before
I’d like to have it one time more
One good ride from start to end
I’d like to take that ride again”

Robert Hunter

Life truly is a marathon. We are all long-distance runners that need to navigate the peaks and valleys of our day-to-day existence.

Long distance runner, what you holdin’ out for?
Caught in slow motion in a dash for the door
The flame from your stage has now spread to the floor
You gave all you had. Why you wanna give more?
The more that you give, the more it will take
To the thin line beyond which you really can’t fake”

Robert Hunter

Sometimes things seem to be insurmountable, but with every step we may be getting closer to better days.

The horizon represents hope. As the sun sets, we always know a new day will dawn.

Make of it what you will, but never stop, and ideally don’t look back. Lamenting the past is a fool’s errand.

Woodstock Day 2 – I Get the Music Gazing at You #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

Today is the anniversary of Day 2 of Woodstock. As stated yesterday, my initial plan was to share an old Ted Tocks feature discussing an artist and a Woodstock performance from 54 years ago.

But then…

I thought I would go all in and spend three days celebrating the festival that changed music history.

In taking you back over five decades I will do everything I can to keep the words to a minimum and the music to a maximum. I will walk you through today’s performing artists in order, while sharing their setlists for reference. From here I will link any Ted Tocks features that have offered a song performed at the festival.

If I have not featured the artist on Ted Tocks Covers, I will grab a set highlight and share that song in order to give you a taste.

Hopefully it will be a fun trip. No brown acid here. Just a ton of amazing music that will take us back to a time where ‘FREEDOM’ was not just another word co-opted by a bunch of people who don’t even know what it means.

Day two began as the Boston based band Quill took the stage. Admittedly, I don’t know much about this act, but a brief bit of research let me know that Woodstock creator Michael Lang brought Quill into the fold to perform a mini set, but they were also hired to do a short promotional tour in the area to generate local goodwill toward the festival. The band members lived with Lang and the crew that was hired to build the Woodstock infrastructure. One of their primary roles was to provide entertainment for the entourage, performing mini concerts. Quill also pitched in as part of the crew.

A little known fact…

Remember Cliff from Cheers? He was played by John Ratzenberger. Well as it turns out he was among the many who took time and lent his skill to build the Woodstock stage. Here is one of his thoughts on the way Woodstock should be remembered for bringing people together like never before, or since.

This isn’t the Democratic party of our fathers and grandfathers. This is the party of Woodstock hippies. I was at Woodstock–I built the stage. And when everything fell apart, and people were fighting for peanut butter sandwiches, it was the National Guard who came in and saved the same people who were protesting them. So when Hillary Clinton a few years ago wanted to build a Woodstock memorial, I said it should be a statue of a National Guardsman feeding a crying hippie.”

John Ratzenberger

Anyway, here is Quill’s Woodstock set.

1. They Live the Life
2. That’s How I Eat
3. Driftin’
4. Waiting for You

‘They Live the Life’ was the only song from the set list that made it onto their self-titled debut album. This would be their only album. The other three songs they performed on this day did not make the recording. Listen to ‘That’s How I Eat’. This is really good.

The role of the early acts at a festival is to get the crowd on their feet and pave the way for the progression of music that will follow. It can be a thankless task. Country Joe McDonald was slated to play day three with his band The Fish. He was well known on the west coast music scene, and making an impression nationally. As he was sitting side stage with Woodstock MC and producer, John Morris he saw an opportunity. While the stagehands were removing Quill’s equipment and setting up for Santana, McDonald asked if he could play. Morris reluctantly agreed. Country Joe played eight songs to a generally passive audience.

1. Janis
2. Donovan’s Reef
3. Heartaches by the Number
4. Ring of Fire
5. Tennessee Stud
6. Rockin’ Round the World
7. Flying High
8. I Seen a Rocket

McDonald was a little disheartened by the subdued response to these songs. It was here that the whole tone for the day shifted. He had an idea. Briefly he consulted his road manager to see if it would be okay to play his showstopper, The ‘Fish” Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag’.

The cynical response was;

Nobody’s listening to you, so what difference does it make?”

Tour Manager

Country Joe took centre stage and yelled;

Gimme an F! Gimme a U! Gimme a C! Gimme a K! What’s that spell? What’s that spell? What’s that spell? What’s that spell?”

Joe McDonald

Talk about taking command of your audience.

Yet another defining moment for Woodstock. It also came to define Country Joe and the Fish’s career, which is bittersweet because this song is not necessarily reflective of their music.

It still stuns me to say that Santana’s unveiling to the world occurred at Woodstock. It was upon Bill Graham’s insistence that Michael Lang gave them a spot, on Saturday’s bill. Fortified with a nice dose of mescaline Carlos Santana blew the minds of half a million music lovers. I can’t even imagine what this must have been like. Let’s call it a spiritual awakening.

Once again, due to traffic congestion issues, organizers were having trouble getting the bands in for their allotted time.

There’s been a change in the schedule. You have to go on now.”

Michael Lang

1. Waiting
2. Evil Ways
3. You Just Don’t Care
4. Savor
5. Jingo
6. Persuasion
7. Soul Sacrifice

Soul Sacrifice – A magical moment from day 2 of #Woodstock. #Santana blows everybody’s mind. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BillGraham #TedeschiTrucksBand

8. Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries

Drummer, Michael Shrieve later recounted what it was like for he and his bandmates;

But what I noticed, like getting up there and playing was, it was like standing at the ocean. As far as you could see, except for the horizon, was people. So in my mind it felt like, Wow, this is like being at the ocean, since I was an ex-surfer, I guess. And it was sort of, you know, this is just like the ocean, except it’s people.”

Michael Shrieve

One more act that was pressed into performing with little advanced notice was John Sebastian. Through his years as leader of the Lovin’ Spoonful’, Sebastian was prominent in the music scene. Woodstock promoter Chip Monck saw him standing around backstage, talking to his friends, and he said,

We need somebody to hold ’em with one acoustic guitar, and you’re elected,”

Chip Monck

Armed with a guitar borrowed from Tim Hardin; wearing a patented tie dye t-shirt and rolled up jeans, Sebastian addressed the audience with a heartfelt mini set of music and stage banter.

1. How Have You Been
2. Rainbows All Over Your Blues
3. I Had a Dream
4. Darlin’ Be Home Soon
5. Younger Generation

This is perfect.

Come and talk of all the things we did today
Hear and laugh about our funny little ways
While we have a few minutes to breathe
And I know that it’s time you must leave”

John Sebastian

This was special. Remember, he was just killing time.

You’re all beautiful. Good bye”

John Sebastian

And just like that, he was gone.

Another band that got caught up in the maelstrom of scheduling adjustments on this day was the Keef Hartley Band. They were standing side stage when Santana stepped up and drove the crowd into a frenzy. Momentarily they were freaked out with the possibility of trying to follow Santana’s act, but they were relieved when John Sebastian settled the euphoric audience down. Due to issues between management and the Woodstock promoters, the Keef Hartley Band was not filmed, and the recording of their set was not permitted to be used on the eventual soundtrack album. Consequently, their set has drifted into obscurity, which was an opportunity missed for this talented blues rock ensemble that had evolved out of the John Mayall music mill.

1. Spanish Fly
2. Think it Over
3. Too Much Thinking
4. Believe in You
5. Medley: Sinnin’ For You/Leavin’ Trunk/The Halfbreed/Just to Cry/Sinnin’ For You

Please enjoy ‘Believe in You’ from their album ‘The Battle of the North West Six’.

Moving into the late afternoon, the jigsaw puzzle of slotting the acts in continued.

The Incredible String Band were initially supposed to play on Friday night as part of the folk presentation. When the rain began to fall, the group notified the organizers that they would not play in the wet conditions. The band was concerned, seeing as they had recently begun to use electric pickups and they feared electrocution. Initially, this alternative slot may have appealed to this psychedelic folk act out of Scotland, but as the tone for the day had been set by Santana, the Incredible String Band’s set fell flat, but they tried.

This is all interesting because you begin to get a sense of the logistical nightmare it becomes for organizers to arrange the lineup of acts, and maximize the overall experience for both musicians and attendees.

Next up is Canned Heat. Let it be said that from my perspective, they picked up where Santana left off. On this day, they brought a new sense of energy to the massive crowd during a performance that took their name to greater heights. A fascinating note about this set is the fact that, guitarist Harvey ‘The Snake’ Mandel had only joined the band two weeks previous. He had replaced Henry Vestine.

After MC, Chip Monck introduced Canned Heat, singer Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite took the mic and stated;

We’re just going to play a little blues.”

Bob ‘The Bear’ Hite

And that is exactly what these blues disciples did.

1. I’m Her Man
2. Going Up the Country

Going Up the Country – Today’s classic song, its 90 year old evolution and a couple of great covers. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #CannedHeat #BobHite #HenryThomas #WingyManone #NittyGrittyDirtBand #KittyDaisyandLewis

3. A Change is Gonna Come/Leaving This Town

4. Rollin’ Blues

5. Woodstock Boogie

6. On the Road Again

On the Road Again – Today’s walk down the road of blues history. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #CannedHeat #TommyJohnson #FloydJones #JohnLeeHooker #Sloan.

Canned Heat played as the sun went down and essentially, they let the crowd know that the music would carry on until the dawn of the next day. Their John Lee Hooker boogie/blues style was just what the audience needed. Many who were there have stated emphatically that the Canned Heat set was definitely among the best of this three-day extravaganza.

Naturally, Going Up the Country’ became somewhat of a Woodstock anthem.

I’m going up the country
Baby, don’t you wanna go?
I’m going up the country
Baby, don’t you wanna go?
I’m going to some place
Where I’ve never been before”

Alan Wilson/

To this day, ‘Going Up the Country’ exists as a ‘Woodstock’ theme song, right up there with Joni Mitchell’s generational observation made famous by Crosby Stills Nash & Young. More on them later.

If Canned Heat was boogie-blues then Mountain represented high octane three-piece electric blues mayhem. The upstate New York venue was perfect for Mountain because on the East Coast scene they were projected to be the next big thing.

1. Blood of the Sun
2. Stormy Monday
3. Theme for An Imaginary Western
4. Long Red
5. Who Am I But You and the Sun (for Yasgur’s Farm)
6. Beside the Sea (written by Bert Sommer – See ‘Freedom’)

7. Waiting to Take You Away

8. Dreams of Milk and Honey

9. Guitar Solo

10. Southbound Train

Their set at Woodstock left the crowd screaming for more. Everyone in attendance knew they were on the verge of stardom. Unlike previous acts that were left out of the movie and off the soundtrack album, this omission had little effect on Mountain.  

40 years after performing at Woodstock, guitarist Leslie West returned to play a concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The show was briefly interrupted so he could take his wedding vows. He married his fiancée. Jenni Maurer. When the ceremony was over, he put a stamp on the moment by belting out ‘Mississippi Queen’.

For a taste of the evolution of Mountain, please enjoy this Ted Tocks post featuring ‘Mississippi Queen’.

Mississippi Queen – The greatest, biggest tone, and vibrato like somebody who plays violin in a hundred-piece orchestra. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #Mountain #LeslieWest #TheVagrants #TheWho #WestBruceandLaing #BachmanTurnerOverdrive #GovtMule #OzzyOsborne #ZakkWylde #BlackberrySmoke #FooFighters

If Santana, Canned Heat and Mountain offered career defining sets, the Grateful Dead may have unwittingly presented one of their worst.

This could be forgiven because over a thirty year span this band played over 2300 shows.

There was a combination of circumstances at play. The band’s innovative sound engineer Owsley ‘Bear’ Stanley was not at all happy with the sound system so he took it upon himself to make some adjustments. In retrospect, this was not a good plan. Jerry Garcia’s memories of Woodstock tend to focus on him playing notes on the guitar which created electrical parks from his fingertips. It may seem magical, but ‘Captain Trips’ was actually dealing with a multitude of mini electrocutions brought on by Owsley’s alterations. Fortunately, Stanley was a noted chemist, who brought enough of his celebrated LSD with him to supplement every band and crew member who set foot near the stage.

1. Saint Stephen
2. Mama Tried

Mama Tried – She seemed to know what lay in store. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

3. Dark Star

4. High Time

5. Turn on Your Lovelight

Turn on Your Love Light – Shining a light on a rhythm and blues classic followed by an epic group of covers. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BobbyBlueBland #VanMorrison #Them #LonnieMack #TheGratefulDead #JerryLeeLewis #EdgarWinter #BobSeger #TomJones #JeffBeck #VinnieColaiuta #BlackCrowes #BobWeir #TedeschiTrucksBand

As much as the Grateful Dead have denounced their Woodstock set, the version of this Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland classic has been recalled in a positive way. Keyboard player Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan rose to the occasion, and the 40 – minute jam really got the crowd moving before the Dead left the stage and opted not to play an encore.

Collectively, the band labeled the performance a disaster, and to a member agreed not to have their set included in the movie or on the album soundtrack.

Depending on who you talk to, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Woodstock set was either mediocre or really good. John Fogerty felt the performance suffered from the fact that the Grateful Dead had induced the half a million people into a coma, while his brother Tom and the other band members felt their set that offered hit after hit was really strong and appreciated by the crowd as the clock wound its way between 1 and 2 am into day three of the festival.

From a commercial point of view, CCR was likely the biggest attraction at Woodstock. They were riding a wave of popularity and their run of hit songs were receiving constant radio play.

Their set list spoke to their popularity.

1. Born on the Bayou
2. Green River

Green River – A classic song from #CreedenceClearwaterRevival about a favourite childhood hangout. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #Alabama #MaryWilson #BillWymansRhythmKings

3. Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)

4. Bootleg

5. Commotion

6. Bad Moon Rising

7. Proud Mary

Proud Mary – A #CCR classic and a brilliant cover by Ike and #TinaTurner. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers

8. I Put a Spell on You

I Put a Spell On You – The story behind a pioneer of shock rock. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #ScreaminJayHawkins #CreedenceClearwaterRevival #AnnieLennox

9. The Night Time is the Right Time

10. Keep On Chooglin’

11. Suzie Q

Suzie Q – Say that you’ll be true. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #DaleHawkins #CredenceClearwaterRevival

By the time Janis Joplin hit the stage at 2:30 she was deep into a day of partying. Partially because she was enjoying the camaraderie back stage and also because the half a million people who were anticipating her performance had evoked a deep anxiety within the unpredictable artist.

Joplin’s set was propelled by her new band which had been dubbed the Kozmic Blues Band. Fresh off recording the album ‘I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama’ in June, Janis unveiled some new material and worked hard at building a connection with the crowd. Her star power roused a positive  response despite the early/late hour.

1. Raise Your Hand
2. As Good as You’ve Been to This World
3. To Love Somebody
4. Summertime
5. Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)
6. Kozmic Blues
7. Can’t Turn You Loose
8. Work Me, Lord
9. Piece of My Heart

This hit from ‘Cheap Thrills’ would be her first encore, inspired by the enthusiastic audience response. Interestingly, Joplin offered a rearranged version for the Woodstock crowd. Bold!

Piece of My Heart – The story behind a classic song from an influential blues vocalist. Then a story of generosity that will tug at your heart. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BertBerns #ErmaFranklin #JanisJoplin #FaithHill #MelissaEtheridge #DoryPrevin

10. Ball and Chain

Ball and Chain – Lookin’ out the window at the rain. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BigMamaThornton #JanisJoplin #EttaJames #CrystalShawanda

Janis Joplin closed with this popular cover of a Big Mama Thornton classic. Because with Janis it was always about remembering the blues.

Imagine being on a bill and taking the stage at 4 am? This was the mission that awaited Sly and the Family Stone and they were up to the task.

They delivered a message of unity.

There is a long hair
That doesn’t like the short hair
For being such a rich one
That will not help the poor one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on, scooby-dooby-dooby
We got to live together

Sylvester Stewart

1. M’Lady
2. Sing a Simple Song
3. You Can Make It if You Try
4. Everyday People

Everyday People – Today’s classic song and a couple of provocative covers. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #SlyandtheFamilyStone #TheStaplesSingers #ArethaFranklin #JeffBuckley

5. Dance to the Music

6. I Want to Take You Higher

7. Love City

8. Stand!

Don’t ya wanna get higher?
I wanna take you higher”

Sylvester Stewart

Sly and the Family Stone were huge for about a year before they hit the Woodstock stage, but they were catapulted to another level for an extended period following this performance which some impartial festival attendees called the best of the three-day experience.

It took an all-night negotiation for Woodstock production manager John Morris to iron out an appearance deal for Pete Townshend and The Who to perform at Woodstock. It wasn’t about the money.

The Who received $6250 to play Woodstock. As much as Townshend is known for his cynical outlook, even he saw the opportunity to perform the band’s new rock opera ‘Tommy’ before an audience of significant size.

By the time The Who took the stage they were in a foul mood. Displaying their best English manners, they had arrived early Saturday afternoon in order to settle in backstage before their allotted 9:30 time slot. As we all know, they did not take the stage until Sunday at 5:30 am.

John Entwistle was philosophical

God was our lighting man.”

John Entwistle

Pete Townshend was frothing at the mouth. He set the tone immediately by kicking cameraman Michael Wadleigh as he was lying on the stage setting up for a shot.

Keith Moon was ready to let the thunder down as dawn greeted the awaiting throng.

And Roger Daltrey was the living embodiment of Tommy himself. The gorgeous, chiseled rock god stood before the adoring masses, waiting to take them away on amazing journey.

Sickness will surely take the mind
Where minds can’t usually go
Come on the amazing journey
And learn all you should know

His eyes are the eyes that
Transmit all they know
Sparkle warm crystalline glances to show
He is your leader
He is your guide
On the amazing journey
Together you’ll ride”

Pete Townshend

This was music and magic in its finest form.

1. Heaven and Hell
2. I Can’t Explain

I Can’t Explain – An important date in the history of #TheWho. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #KeithMoon #YvonneElliman

3. It’s a Boy

4. 1921

5. Amazing Journey

5. Sparks

6. Eyesight to the Blind

7. Christmas

8. The Acid Queen

9. Pinball Wizard

Pinball Wizard – Another classic from the rock opera #Tommy. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TheWho #EltonJohn

10. Do Yo Think It’s Alright?

11. Fiddle About

12. There’s a Doctor

13. Go to the Mirror

14. Smash the Mirror

15. I’m Free

16. Tommy’s Holiday Camp

17. We’re Not Gonna Take It/ See Me Feel Me

18. Summertime Blues

Summertime Blues – Five performances but it all began with one man. A salute to Eddie Cochran. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #EddieCochran #BlueCheer #TheWho #BrianSetzer #Rush

19. Shakin’ All Over

Shakin’ All Over – Move right up close and listen. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #JohnnyKiddandthePirates #TheGuessWho #RandyBachman

20. My Generation/Naked Eye

My Generation – A song that defines rock and roll rebellion and a reflection on the one and only #KeithMoon. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TheWho #GreenDay #IronMaiden #BillyJoel #TheHollywoodVampires

Jefferson Airplane was slated to end day two of Woodstock somewhere around midnight and as it turned out, they did not even hit the stage until 8 am. Through it all the band was completely unphased. By all reports, they tore through an inspired set as if they were playing a typical show at Bill Graham’s Filmore West in San Francisco.

Grace Slick took the stage with a carefully worded, yet appropriate message.

Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups. Now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn!”

Grace Slick

1. The Other Side of This Life
2. Somebody to Love

3. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds

4. Won’t You Try/Saturday Afternoon

5. Eskimo Blue Day

6. Plastic Fantastic Lover

7. Wooden Ships

Wooden Ships – Set a course and go…#MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #DavidCrosby #StephenStills #PaulKantner #CrosbyStillsandNash #JeffersonAirplane #HotTuna #DharmaforOne #JasonIsbellandthe400Unit

8. Uncle Sam Blues

9. Volunteers

Look what’s happenin’ on the streets
Got to revolution, got to revolution
Hey, I’m dancin’ down the street
Got to revolution, got to revolution
Ain’t it amazing all the people I meet
Got to revolution, got to revolution

One generation got old
One generation got sold
This generation got no destination to hold”

Marty Balin and Paul Kantner

Hey America! Wake up!

10. The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil

11. Come Back Baby

12. White Rabbit

White Rabbit – Today’s classic song along with a lesser known original and two great covers. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TheGreatSociety #JeffersonAirplane #MyMorningJacket #Pink

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head
Feed your head”

Grace Slick

13. The House at Pooneil Corners

And with that, the curtain fell on day two of Woodstock.

Day three would begin just five hours later…

Stay turned on and tuned in.

Definitely do not drop out.

Time of the Season – In praise of the Hammond organ and a salute to inventor Laurens Hammond, and all those who have blessed our ears with this instrument. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #LaurensHammond #TheZombies #RodArgent #TheGuessWho #DaveMatthewsBand #MonaLisaTwins #JimmySmith #BookerTandtheMGs #AlKooper #BillyPreston #SpencerDavisGroup #ProcolHarum #Steppenwolf #AllmanBrothersBand #JohnPaulJones #ItsaBeautifulDay #JonLord #DeepPurple #Santana #GeorgeHarrison #BobbyWhitlock #TheDoors #RayManzarek #KeithEmerson #PinkFloyd #RichardWright #CrosbyStillsandNash #MikeFinnigan #GratefulDead #BrentMydland

Prepare for an epic journey that will admittedly take us through a selective history of the Hammond organ in rock and roll. So often with these posts, I struggle with where to begin. Frequently, I have trouble deciding when to end. As always, I sandwich as much as possible in the middle, and then I serve it up.

My main ingredient will be the Hammond organ, but there will be subtle variations as to which model, as we meander our way through no less than 18 songs.

Because it’s summer, and music always sounds better when the weather is nice, we will lead off today’s feature with ‘Time of the Season’ by the Zombies.

Inspired by the summer of love in 1967, ‘Time of the Season’ was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, which at the time was known as EMI Studios, in September of 1967. It appeared on their 1968 album ‘Odyssey and Oracle’. The Zombies took several shots at what would serve as the album’s single before finally relenting to Columbia Records new A&R representative Al Kooper (yes, that Al Kooper, more on him later), and giving the nod to ‘Time of the Season’ in March of 1968.  It was a slow rise to the top of the charts, but it got there; making its way to #3 on the U.S. charts in March of 1969, and #1 in Canada a short time later.

Ironically, this chart success occurred after the original incarnation of the Zombies had broken up. A primary source of their frustration was the fact the band did not chart well in their native Great Britain. This prompted songwriter Rod Argent to later state that ‘Time of the Season’ is a classic in the U.K., but it has never been a hit.

It is Rod Argent we have to thank for ‘Time of the Season’ and the iconic Hammond L100 keyboard work. While Argent improvised this organ track Peter Vince and Geoff Emerick of EMI Studios (Abbey Road) worked with the band and created the distinctive ‘60s sound that still allows ‘Time of the Season’ to be considered part of the soundtrack to the era.

Here, Rod Argent speaks to the fact that he was breathing the same air as the Beatles. The fact the Zombies had the opportunity to work with the production team that created ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ left him in awe, but the result was a pure collaboration.

They virtually walked out and we walked in. We used Studio 3. It was immediately good. We also used the engineers that the Beatles had been using. We didn’t specify them but we got Peter Vince and Geoff Emerick and they were absolutely wonderful. We felt that we were getting the best sound that we’d had up to that time, and it all felt very natural. It felt to us as if what we recorded on the multitrack, when we mixed it down with the engineers, was exactly in the same ballpark as the tracks that we’d recorded. That really was very liberating for us.”

Rod Argent

The Zombies maximized the capabilities of linking four-track machines in sync. This was a technique recently employed by The Beatles in “A Day in the Life”. You can credit George Martin for the idea, and Abbey Road engineer Ken Townsend for the execution. Given the freedom of the extra track, Rod Argent overdubbed a second Hammond 100 organ solo, which next to the call and response vocals became the focal point of the song.

As we all know, Rod Argent would form his band Argent along with former Zombies bassist Chris White, in 1969. Argent’s best-known song would be another keyboard classic, ‘Hold Your Head Up’.

The better part of four decades later, two iconic bands produced exceptional cover versions of ‘Time of the Season’.

The first is offered by Canadian legends The Guess Who. This is from their 2005 album ‘Let’s Go’. This release was an homage to the band’s early days. Before the Guess Who gained notoriety with ‘Shakin’ All Over’ and a string of other hits they were the house band for a kid’s dance show called ‘Let’s Go’. The show aired after school on Canadian television. It featured an early incarnation of the Guess Who playing cover songs that would keep the youth demographic interested. Ironically, the show was hosted by Chad Allen, who the band had parted ways with just one year earlier. Here is ‘Time of the Season’, but the entire album is worth checking out, if for no other reason than getting a sense of this iconic band’s fascinating evolution.

This is a special cover. Enjoy the Dave Matthews Band at Red Rocks in 2005. Listen to the crowd. The keyboard work by Butch Taylor is so good. Just a magical scene all the way around.

For good measure, enjoy this version from 2018 featuring the Mona Lisa Twins. The signature organ sound is replaced by some quality guitar. It works for sure, but somehow it just isn’t the same.

All this being said, today is all about the Hammond Organ

One of the inventors of the Hammond organ, Laurens Hammond died 50 years ago today. The remainder of this post will be a commemoration of his immense contribution to music.

Briefly, the Hammond organ was the brainchild of Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert. Its history can be traced back to 1935, when it was first manufactured in Evanston, Illinois, near Chicago. In the depression era United States necessity was the mother of invention. Hammond and Hanert recognized that churches throughout the country could no longer afford the much larger and more expensive Telharmonium organ. The Hammond organ was patented in 1935 with technology derived from the larger model. Where the Telharmonium used revolving electric alternators, to transmit sound the Hammond modernized this conduit by using an amplifier.

The first Hammond organ was unveiled in April of 1935, and two months later the first unit was sold. Within three years, over 1750 Hammond organs had been sold and by the end of the decade the entrepreneurial inventers were estimated to be selling 200 per month. For about three decades, churches were the primary market. Initially, the popularity stemmed from African American churches, who preferred the stunning sound and its ability to emphasize the powerful gospel music the congregations revered. By 1966, it is estimated that 50,000 places of worship had a Hammond organ as the musical focal point.

Astute entertainers took note of the instrument’s allure. The earliest adaptation to the mainstream can be traced to composer George Gershwin. By the 1950s, Hammond organs became popular with jazz musicians, and from there it was only an eighth note away to the blues.

Traces to contemporary music all seem to point to Jimmy Smith, who was considered to be the ‘King of Jazz Organ’. Smith was discovered in a Philadelphia club, by Alfred Lyon of the Blue Notes, and in no time, he was labeled a rising star on the jazz scene.

One of Jimmy Smith’s signature compositions is ‘Midnight Special’. Enjoy this piece, but I guarantee you will not want to stop here. This music just envelopes the listener.

From the ‘King of Jazz, let’s move on the ‘Father of Soul’.

Booker T Jones did it all from his perch behind a Hammond organ. Perhaps no song exemplifies the Hammond sound as well as ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T and the M.G.s. Not only does Jones define the Hammond sound, he pretty much personifies the Stax label. Best of all, Booker T gravitated to this sound as a young boy attending church. How many musicians dreamed of the possibilities while the music of a Hammond organ wailed in the background and a choir sang?

Contemplate this question while listening to ‘Green Onions’.

During ‘Time of the Season’ I alluded to the great Al Kooper. From Blood Sweat & Tears to Lynyrd Skynyrd and across the pond to the Zombies, Al Kooper’s fingerprints are all over classic rock. Many words have been written about Bob Dylan going electric, but part of what made this evolution work so well was Kooper’s Hammond organ. What would ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ be without this swirling instrumental. Listen to the isolated drum and organ track.

How special is Billy Preston? Well, during the Beatles ‘Get Back’ sessions John Lennon proposed that the Fab Four add Billy as the fifth Beatle. The Beatles decided to ‘Let it Be’ but Preston’s importance to the band during this time cannot be overstated. He was with the Beatles during their famous rooftop concert, and the band’s ‘Get Back’ single offers Billy, joint credit. Billy Preston is the only non-Beatle to have received such recognition. A few years before his association with the Beatles, Billy Preston released an instrumental version of the George Gershwin classic Summertime. This live rendition from 1979 offers Billy’s impressions of Johann Sebastian Bach and Ray Charles. What more could you ask for?

In January of 1967, the Spencer Davis Group released ‘I’m a Man’. It was to be the last hit single by this group before Steve and Muff Winwood left the band to pursue new projects. This live version is raw, but it is pure energy. When combined with fantastic closeups of a 19-year-old Steve Winwood playing the Hammond B3 the live presentation was just too good to pass up.

In 1967, Procol Harum released their self-titled debut album, which opened with ‘Conquistador’. The song was composed by Gary Brooker before Procol Harum had even formed as a band. The lyrics were written by Keith Reid, only as a response to Brooker’s Spanish influenced presentation.

Upon hearing Brooker’s creation, he immediately envisioned a conquistador who had waged battle and consequently died a gruesome death. The corpse is embedded in the sand on a beach; his stallion long gone. The song begins as a mockery but this sentiment turns to regret, and pity. ‘Conquistador’ concludes with this short line.

You did not conquer, only die.”

Keith Reid

And in an effort to make sense of it all Reid offers this sad summation.

And though I hope for something to find. I could see no maze to unwind”

Keith Reid

What brings it all together is the trumpet solo by Ed Nixon, and the keyboard prowess of Gary Brooker. All of this talent was on full display in 1971 when Procol Harum joined forces with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This classic live album was released in 1972.

When it comes to classic rock keyboard greats, the name Goldy McJohn does not come up often enough. In short, he should. Steppenwolf’s distinct sound emanated from McJohn’s keyboard work. Look no further than ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ from their 1968 album ‘The Second’. 55 years later ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ is still a classic rock staple. Written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve, ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ was admittedly somewhat drug influenced. The songwriters imagined Aladdin’s lamp. Kay used this allegory to describe how lucky he was to have been ‘granted’ his wife, Jutta.

Goldy McJohn, whose real name was John Goadsby was a mainstay on the Toronto music scene in the mid ‘60s. He began as a member of The Mynah Birds with Rick James and Bruce Palmer. Following McJohn’s departure, the gap in the band was filled temporarily by Neil Young. Goldy moved on to The Sparrows, and played gigs all over Ontario. His distinct look and strong stage presence grabbed the attention of none other than Ronnie Hawkins.

They were just starting when they were at the Hawk’s Nest, but I remember them and the piano player had that afro or whatever you call that great big head of hair. [The crowd] loved them. That’s what got them started. They were so good at the Hawk’s Nest, they started getting jobs everywhere.”

Ronnie Hawkins

When The Sparrows dissolved, it was Steppenwolf that rose from the ashes, and hits like ‘The Pusher’, written by Hoyt Axton, and ‘Born to Be Wild’ soon followed.

Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away

John Kaye and Rushton Moreve

That sound is the Hammond organ.

Admittedly, of all the players mentioned today, Gregg Allman is among my favourites. His Hammond B3 sound blends so perfectly with his soulful voice. Combine that with the superlative talent of the Allman Brothers Band and you have a recipe for greatness at every turn. Here is ‘Dreams’ from the iconic 1970 Filmore East recordings. Gregg’s vocals do not come through properly until the end, but that doesn’t even matter, because everything else is so good. Listen to the interplay between Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Butch Trucks and Jaimoe provide the perfect balance to the rhythm section that includes Gregg’s Hammond B3 and Barrie Oakley’s stellar bass lines.

This is jam band perfection.

The road goes on forever, and so could this song…

No mention of the Hammond B3 would be complete without the great John Paul Jones. Ted Tocks Covers cannot say enough about his contribution to Led Zeppelin. Too often, in my opinion, his role is diminished as everyone raves about Bonham, Page and Plant being among the best at their respective disciplines. John Paul Jones is a composer of extraordinary proportions and this lead in to ‘Thank You’ live in Montreux in 1970 emphasizes this point. It borders on outer-worldly. Just imagine being one of the lucky few to have been there for this show.

When enterprising musicians sat in church considering the possibilities of the Hammond organ back in the early days of the instrument, these are the heights they were envisioning.

Oh Lord! Yes…Jon Lord of Deep Purple.

Jon’s baroque-tinted and gothic playing established a brand-new style, legitimizing Hammond Organ in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Drawing as much from Bach, Franck and Widor, as from the Blues, Jon Lord’s contribution to the Hammond legacy is considerable.”

Kyran de Keijzer – Nrgrecording.com

‘Child in Time’ by Deep Purple is an experience. The song was recorded at IBC Studios in London in December of 1969 and released on Deep Purple’s fourth album, ‘Deep Purple in Rock’. Once again, it borders on indescribable. Ian Gillan’s vocal performance blends perfectly with the haunting Hammond B3. Jon Lord was inspired by the band, It’s a Beautiful Day, and their song ‘Bombay Calling’.

Gillan took Lord’s instrumental interpretation and wrote lyrics that were somewhat inspired by the Cold War. Speaking to this performance, all he had to offer was;

(It) reflected the mood of the moment.”

Ian Gillan

The video offers occasional shots of a couple of young boys in the front row. I find myself wondering what they were thinking. Did seeing this performance change their lives, or did the apocalyptic crescendo of this musical display leave emotional scars?

Close your eyes and bow your head.

‘Oye Como Va’ by Santana goes all the way back to 1962 when Tito Puente released the song as a cha-cha-cha on his ‘El Ray Bravo’ album. Santana released their cover on the classic album ‘Abraxas’. Puente was initially outraged by the unprecedented blend of Latin rock, jazz, soul and psychedelia but when the royalty cheques came pouring in Tito was converted.

Everybody’s heard of Santana. Santana! Beautiful Santana! He put our music, Latin rock, around the world, man! And I’d like to thank him publicly ’cause he recorded a tune and he gave me credit as the composer of the tune. So, since that day… all we play… is Santana music!”

Tito Puente

Carlos Santana’s soaring guitar was on a level of its own, but when the percussion kicked in along with Gregg Rolie’s Hammond B3 organ, it was almost like Santana was summoning the Aztec Gods.

 Due to its multinational origins—Cuban, Puerto Rican and American—and its many versions by artists from all over the world, ‘Oye cómo va’ has come to represent “the interconnectedness, hybridity and trans-nationality” of Latin music in the United States.”

Deborah Pacini-Hernandez

Just one more in a long line of phenomenal musical pieces that have used a Hammond B3 as a foundation.

Now it’s time to ‘Let it Down’ a notch. Listen to this deep track from George Harrison’s epic ‘All Things Must Pass’ album.  

It explodes onto the scene before softening a little for George to deliver his prayerful salute to the object of his affection.

While I occupy my mind, I can feel you here
Love to us is so well timed, and I do, I do
Wasting away these moments so heavenly
Should someone be looking at me”

George Harrison

Harrison’s distinct guitar sound is heard throughout the track, but it is Bobby Whitlock’s Hammond B3 organ that launches this track into another dimension.

Aside from the obvious fact that this is classic George Harrison, and in my opinion the best album by any of the Beatles, post breakup, ‘All Things Must Pass’ is an early glimpse at what would become Derek and the Dominos. Each of Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon participated on this track.

Enjoy this video featuring Bobby Whitlock as he takes us on a tour of the music room at the Texas home he shares with his wife Coco Carmel.

Viewers are introduced to his 1966 Hammond B3. We learn that it is somewhat of a miracle that it survived the ‘60s. This instrument literally fell out of the back of a trailer at 70 mph and flew several feet through the air before shattering on impact. Whitlock reveals that this incident occurred on April 4, 1968, the same day that Martin Luther King was assassinated. All of the components were recovered and the Hammond B3 was completely rebuilt. According to Whitlock, it sounded better than ever. He would soon go on to play with Delaney and Bonnie, enjoy a crucial role on George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’ album, and then wrote with Eric Clapton for Derek & the Dominos.

This is a priceless look at the inner workings of a Hammond B3. To many music fans it is THE Hammond B3. At 12:15 Coco convinces him to play a piece from ‘All Things Must Pass’ and he summons the ghosts of ‘Let it Down’.

Now we move to the Hammond C3 and the great Ray Manzarek. When the Doors released L.A. Woman in April of 1971, they had a solid crop of songs to choose from to lead off the album. They opted for ‘The Changeling’ because as a group they felt it reflected the band’s sound all the way back to their 1967 debut. If the group had their way it would have been the lead single, but Producer Jac Holzman overruled them and went with ‘Love Her Madly’ instead. It ended up becoming the B-side of ‘Riders on the Storm. Consequently, to casual fans, ‘The Changeling’ is seen as a deep track. Fans of The Doors know it is a hidden gem.  

Here, Ray Manzarek summarizes the lyrical value and autobiographical nature of the lyrics that the group discovered in one of Jim Morrison’s notebooks.

The lyrics are prophetic. “I’ve lived uptown. I’ve lived downtown, but I’ve never been so broke that I couldn’t leave town.” He’d lived on the beach and in the hills. He’d had money and been broke. He’d had his L.A. adventure, and he was out.”

Ray Manzarek

But, let’s face it; it truly is the Hammond C3 that pushes Jim Morrison’s vocals to the next level.

For a little change of pace, here is some 1971 footage of Keith Emerson of Emerson Lake and Palmer literally stabbing his Hammond B3 in a memorable clip taken in Belgium.

Now, let’s give some love to Richard Wright of Pink Floyd. As noted, Laurens Hammond died 50 years ago today. One can only hope that Hammond had occasion to hear the masterful work Wright produced on ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. His Hammond B3 introduction to ‘Us and Them’ is a celebrated musical masterpiece a half century later.

Out of the way it’s a busy day
I’ve got things on my mind
For want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died”

Roger Waters

One rhyming couplet manages to capture the fact capitalism is a flawed concept. A common refrain in today’s society.

Sometimes music just hits you right between the eyes, and when the Hammond B3 is there to deliver the accents, you are stopped in your tracks.

Let’s fast forward a decade to a gentleman who resided very much in the background, but when he moved to the spotlight the crowd stood still.

I am talking about Mike Finnigan, who grabbed my attention while touring with Crosby Stills and Nash. Naturally, once I saw him play, I needed to learn more. This master of the Hammond B3 was multi-talented. He attended the University of Kansas on a basketball scholarship. It wasn’t long before Finnigan gravitated to his true love of music and in a short time he managed to carve out a lucrative career as a freelance studio musician and sensational touring player. The list of artists he performed with through the years is a veritable who’s who of pop, rock, blues and jazz.

He played with Jimi Hendrix on ‘Electric Ladyland’, Dave Mason, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, Sam Moore, Taj Mahal, Peter Frampton, Leonard Cohen, Rod Stewart and Cher, just to name a few.

Enjoy two clips of Michael Finnigan at work, where he fits like a glove into a couple of gripping Graham Nash tracks.

First, I give you ‘Cathedral’ where Graham Nash invites us into an acid trip he experienced inside the majestic Winchester Cathedral.

I’m flying in Winchester cathedral
Sunlight pouring through the break of day.
Stumbled through the door and into the chamber,
There’s a lady setting flowers on a table covered lace
And a cleaner in the distance finds a cobweb on a face
And a feeling deep inside of me tells me
This can’t be the place”

Graham Nash

Finnigan’s Hammond B3 creates a tension, and when the song bursts open during the chorus every listener feels as though they too are high upon the altar.

Words can’t describe. You just need to listen as the music sets the scene. Watch closely as the camera work captures David Crosby in the background weaving his harmony magic. He appears as almost ghostly. The first time I saw this performance, I was captivated. Nearly 40 years later, I am still enthralled. The power of the lyrics, the delivery, the song…Music at its finest.

One more example and this one comes with a clear message from Graham Nash; the environmentalist. ‘Barrel of Pain’ is a song condemning the government for their short-sighted solution of dumping barrels of nuclear waste in the Pacific Ocean off the shore of San Francisco. This infuriated Graham Nash when he discovered the activity, and witnessed the environmental impact. The result was ‘Barrel of Pain’. In the live version fans are treated with Michael Finnigan delivering his own message from the pulpit which for him is behind the Hammond B3.

Now I don’t want to hear it.

And you don’t want to hear it.

Nobody wants to hear it.

You know what I imagine?

You know if my grandmother was here today.

God rest her.

She’d have to say she didn’t want to hear it.

Don’t light that kind of candle.

I tell you why.

You see she know people…people…

People still know how to suffer.

Get over the flood

Get over the rain

Get over the fire

Great big hurricane.

I tell you what.

I don’t think they are ever gonna get on over

The barrel of pain

It’s about my daughter

It’s about my wife

It’s about my water

It’s about my life

It’s about my mother

It’s about my son

It’s about my father

Even though his life is done.

Please no water.

I don’t want to hear it now.

Never! Never!

Oh no, no, no. “

Mike Finnigan

I have often said that when music is delivered with a message there is no better way to make people stand up and pay attention.

Watch this and try to tell me I am wrong.

Admittedly, my biases and preferences are showing in this post. When it comes to Hammond B3 players, few will ever resonate with me on an emotional level like Brent Mydland of the Grateful Dead.

There are so many wonderful performances that feature Brent. The man personified soul and when he was on, you could see how he energized the entire band.  

I landed on this performance of the Harry Belafonte song ‘Man Smart, Woman Smarter’ because if you watch Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia, they will each share knowing glances and smiles with Brent as the song develops.

And not me but the people they say
That the man are leading the women astray
But I say, that the women of today
Smarter than the man in every way
That’s right the woman are smarter
That’s right the woman are smarter
That’s right the woman are smarter, that’s right, that’s right

Harry Belafonte

They just knew this was a performance for the vault, especially when for Jerry, that smile was accompanied with a little bit of movin’ and groovin’.

Like Robert Hunter said…

Nothin’ left to do but smile, smile, smile.”

Robert Hunter

To this day Dead and Company keyboard player Jeff Chimenti plays this Hammond B3. A gift from Brent to his musical brothers, and for Deadheads, a gift to last.

How is this for irony?

The last line Brent Mydland sang was from a cover of ‘The Weight’ by The Band.

I gotta go, but my friend can stick around.”

Robbie Robertson

As he sang these words, he was playing his beloved Hammond B3.

Speaking of sticking around, I hope you hung around long enough to get to the end of today’s celebration of the Hammond organ. Some may say it was a little bit self-indulgent, but I won’t make any apologies. There is just something about the feeling this instrument evokes.

It is truly spiritual, and while my perception of religion is skeptical at best, it says here that the church’s adaptation to the Hammond organ in the ‘30s may be the its best contribution to contemporary society.

And for that we have Laurens Hamond to thank.

Bless you Mr. Hammond.

Sometimes people ask what’s wrong with today’s music.

Ted Tocks Covers says there is not enough Hammond B3.

Amen!

To Lay Me Down – Words that seemed to flow like molten gold onto parchment paper. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #RobertHunter #JerryGarcia #GratefulDead #CowboyJunkies #WarrenHaynes #BillyStrings #MollyTuttle #BobWeir

There is a long list of beautiful songs written by Robert Hunter, but the idea that he wrote three of them on the same day borders on incomprehensible. Especially when you consider the emotional depth of each offering. This is well documented. The songs are, ‘Ripple’, ‘Brokedown Palace’ and today’s feature, ‘To Lay Me Down’.

While fans of the Grateful Dead hold Robert Hunter in eternal reverence for this feat, Hunter himself handled the acclaim with a degree of self-deprecation and modesty.  

And, I wrote reams of bad songs, bitching about everything under the sun, which I kept to myself: Cast not thy swines before pearls. And once in a while something would sort of pop out of nowhere. The sunny London afternoon I wrote ‘Brokedown Palace’, ‘To Lay Me Down’, and ‘Ripple,’ all keepers, was in no way typical, but it remains in my mind as the personal quintessence of the union between writer and Muse, a promising past and bright future prospects melding into one great glowing apocatastasis in South Kensington, writing words that seemed to flow like molten gold onto parchment paper.”

Robert Hunter

Robert Hunter was born on this day in 1941. His predilection for the written word came naturally. He was the great-great grandson of Scottish poet Robbie Burns. An unsettled early childhood forced Hunter to take refuge in books and channel his thoughts into prose. His biological father was an alcoholic who abandoned Robert, when he was 7. His mother was forced to give him up to foster care for a period of time. A sense of normalcy emerged by the time Hunter was 11. His mother remarried. Norman Hunter became Robert’s true father figure and this became the family name to which he would identify, through life. Norman was a publisher, and he recognized Robert’s ability and took him under his wing.

Robert Hunter grew up in Palo Alto, California before heading off to Connecticut where he attended University of Connecticut for a year. The university life didn’t appeal so he opted to head back to California when was 19. It was at this time that he was introduced to an accomplished local musician with a bohemian bent. His name was Jerry Garcia.

The pair played guitar together, calling themselves ‘Bob and Jerry’ but it soon became apparent that Jerry Garcia’s penchant for music far surpassed Hunter’s.

Their friendship remained, because they seemed to have an unspoken bond.

Jerry, my friend,
you’ve done it again,
even in your silence
the familiar pressure
comes to bear, demanding
I pull words from the air
with only this morning
and part of the afternoon
to compose an ode worthy
of one so particular
about every turn of phrase,
demanding it hit home
in a thousand ways
before making it his own,
and this I can’t do alone.
Now that the singer is gone,
where shall I go for the song?”

Robert Hunter

This connection would remain for over three decades. The words shared above were shared by Robert Hunter, as eulogy to his friend.

When the situation arose, Robert Hunter could indeed pull words from the air, and in time he found a source to deliver them to the masses.

A pivotal experience in Robert Hunter’s life occurred in around 1962, when he opted to take part in psychedelic drug experiments at Stanford University. The research being conducted was sponsored by the CIA, but the connection was discreet. Despite the protestations of some concerned friends, Hunter was paid a small stipend to ingest LSD, psilocybin and mescaline and then share his experiences. He rationalized his decision in this way.

It’ll be fun! I’ll take my typewriter and no telling what’ll come out.”

Robert Hunter

The altered states of consciousness that Robert Hunter experienced became transformative.

Sit back picture yourself swooping up a shell of purple with foam crests of crystal drops soft nigh they fall unto the sea of morning creep-very-softly mist … and then sort of cascade tinkley-bell like (must I take you by the hand, every so slowly type) and then conglomerate suddenly into a peal of silver vibrant uncomprehendingly, blood singingly, joyously resounding bells… By my faith if this be insanity, then for the love of God permit me to remain insane.”

Robert Hunter

It was this type of free expression which opened avenues in his mind and in just a few short years Hunter’s gift for the written word manifested itself in his role as the Grateful Dead’s primary lyricist. Jerry Garcia became the conduit for his multifarious prose whether it be for his Dead brethren or his solo products.

This is how ‘To Lay Me Down’ meandered from Robert Hunter’s fertile mind in a London flat, and before a series of musical adaptations made its way onto Jerry Garcia’s premier solo offering known simply as ‘Garcia’. Here are Robert Hunter’s liner notes from the Jerry Garcia box set, ‘All Good Things’.

‘To Lay me Down’ was written a while before the others [on the Garcia album], on the same day as the lyrics to ‘Brokedown Palace’ and ‘Ripple’—the second day of my first visit to England. I found myself left alone in Alan Trists’s flat on Devonshire Terrace in West Kensington, with a supply of very nice thick linen paper, sun shining brightly through the window, a bottle of Greek Retsina wine at my elbow. The songs flowed like molten gold onto the page and stand as written. The images for ‘To Lay Me Down’ were inspired at Hampstead Heath (the original title to the song) the day before—lying on the grass and clover on a day of swallowtailed clouds, across from Jack Straw’s Castle, reunited with the girlfriend of my youth, after a long separation.”

Here is the complete set of lyrics that as Robert Hunter states ‘stand as written’.

To lay me down
once more
To lay me down
with my head
in sparkling clover
Let the world go by
all lost in dreaming
To lay me down
one last time
To lay me down

To be with you
once more
To be with you
with our bodies
close together
Let the world go by
like clouds a-streaming
To lay me down
one last time
To lay me down

To lay me down
To lay me down
To lay me down
One last time
To lay me down

To lie with you
once more
to lie with you
with our dreams
entwined together
To lie beside you
my love still sleeping
to tell sweet lies
one last time
and say goodnight

to lay me down,
to lay me down
to lay me down
one last time
to lay me down
to lay me down
one last time
to lay me down”

Robert Hunter

In many ways ‘To Lay Me Down’ spoke to Jerry Garcia. It came during a very prolific period for not only the band’s creativity, but also for at least three of their members. In 1972 Bob Weir recorded his debut solo album, ‘Ace’ and Mickey Hart released ‘Rolling Thunder’. This run of solo offerings was a result of a celebrated continuation of the band’s record deal with Warner Brothers.

The fact that ‘To Lay Me Down’ missed the cut for ‘American Beauty’ is not a reflection of its quality, but more a testament of the incredible body of work the band had laid before them.

For example, listen to this live take of ‘To Lay Me Down’ from 1970, a short time after Robert Hunter wrote the piece and shared it with the Grateful Dead. This is special because it includes Pigpen on the organ as well as special appearances from David Grisman and David Nelson on mandolin. This may have offered a clue as to where Jerry Garcia saw the song’s virtues best being expressed.

By the time Jerry Garcia took to the studio and recorded ‘To Lay Me Down’ his approach pretty much defined the term solo. He is credited with playing acoustic, electric, pedal steel and bass guitars. After carefully observing Pigpen and Tom Constanten, he added piano and organ parts, and then weaved in the vocals that brought Robert Hunter’s words to life. His Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann exists as the only other contributing musician on the record.

To many Deadheads ‘Garcia’ is high on the list of best albums, even though it is technically not a Grateful Dead album. In addition to today’s feature, the list of set standards from this 1972 offering include:

Deal – Trivia night with the Rotary Club of Waterdown and a group of friends. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #JerryGarcia #RobertHunter #TheGratefulDead #DrJohn #WarrenHaynes

Bird Song – When two musical families came together. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #GratefulDead #RobertHunter #BranfordMarsalis #EllisMarsalisJr #WyntonMarsalis #DelfeayoMarsalis #JasonMarsalis

Sugaree

Loser – The last fair deal in the country. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #GratefulDead #RobertHunter #JerryGarcia #Cracker

The Wheel

One would be hard-pressed to share a better example of Jerry Garcia’s musical mastery. Even the order of the tracks is laid out like a mini-Dead set list, complete with the spacey interlude in the middle before slowing the tempo with ‘To Lay Me Down’ and then raising everything to a crescendo with ‘The Wheel’.

Over 50 years later, Grateful Dead offshoots like Dead and Company and Phil Lesh and Friends are still touring and barely a set will go by without at least one of these songs filling the air.

Songs that flowed from the pen of Robert Hunter like molten gold onto parchment paper.

Before heading off into the wonderful world of cover versions of ‘To Lay Me Down’, here are a couple of interesting versions of the song that feature the Grateful Dead.

This version is live from Providence in 1974. It’s hard not to drift away on the wings of the music. Listen to the appreciative audience as Jerry completes his solo from about 4:15 to 5:28. Raise a glass to some quality piano work from Keith Godchaux. Perhaps the song’s unsung hero is Bill Kreutzmann who received credits for not only his understated drumming, but also for the arrangement.

Here is an interesting version of ‘To Lay Me Down’. This 1981 studio recording of the song was released as part of the ‘Complete Studio Rarities Collection’. This package was a digital only release that compiled studio versions of songs that were originally released as bonus material on expanded versions of Grateful Dead albums, offered as box sets called ‘The Golden Road and Beyond’. For the true Dead enthusiast.

This offers a glimpse at how the band was beginning to come together following Keith Godchaux’s departure as they were embracing the splendour of Brent Mydland.

Frequently, the exploration of covers for any Grateful Dead song becomes a cool trip. Today’s post is no exception. Let’s begin with Cowboy Junkies in 1991. Margo Timmins’ voice is simply haunting. Listen to Kim Deschamps’ dobro and pedal steel solo. The world almost stops. As an added bonus Jeff Bird adds some quality mandolin and harmonica work, while Jaro Czerwinec blends in the accordion. This is one of the finest covers of a Grateful Dead song…ever. It was released as part of a tribute album known as ‘Deadicated’. Enjoy!

This version by Warren Haynes is important because Haynes is one of a handful of guitarists who have been given the honour of playing Jerry Garcia’s guitars. In August of 2016, Warren Haynes played Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony and together they paid tribute to the music of Jerry Garcia. One of the highlights of this gathering involved Haynes playing Jerry Garcia’s famous guitar known as ‘Tiger’. This marked the first time ‘Tiger’ had been seen publicly since Jerry left the stage on Soldier Field in Chicago, in July of 1995.

This cover version features Warren at the Bonnaroo Festival in 2004.

Now we move on to a trio of covers involving the prolific and seemingly ever-present, Billy Strings.

First, here he is at The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in 2018 with Molly Tuttle. Listen and watch as the pair play. While doing so, pay attention to Tuttle’s expressions as she appreciates Strings and his delivery.

Then we move on to a solo performance in 2021.

One year later Billy Strings is joined by ‘the Other One’, Bob Weir. This is a special performance from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Definitely, a fitting way to conclude this post.

Somewhere, along a peaceful waterside Robert Hunter is smiling. Listening to the river sing sweet songs.

They rock our soul.

Man, do we ever need this form of therapy.

Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – If pain was art. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #BobDylan #GordonLightfoot #JudyCollins #NinaSimone #TownesVanZandt #GratefulDead #NeilYoung #LindaRonstadt #BryanFerry #RamblinJackElliott

Back in 1965, Bob Dylan released ‘Highway 61 Revisited’. It remains as a musical marvel and an essential album for anyone who uses music as a measure of contemporary society.

Highway 61, the main thoroughfare of the country blues, begins about where I began. I always felt like I’d started on it, always had been on it and could go anywhere, even down in to the deep Delta country. It was the same road, full of the same contradictions, the same one-horse towns, the same spiritual ancestors … It was my place in the universe, always felt like it was in my blood.”

Bob Dylan

‘Highway 61 Revisited’ is quite literally a meandering tour of America. The songs travel the famous route, then lure us down into Mexico before taking us back to New York City.

Which brings me to today’s feature song, ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’.

Much of the material for ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ was written at Dylan’s new home in Woodstock, New York. By late July of 1965, he was ready to bring his band to upstate New York to record.

‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ resides as an example of Bob Dylan’s perfectionism at work. At the time, when it came to his poetry, it was crucial that his band capture the essence of his message. The song was recorded in 16 takes on August 2.

At this point, the band famously consisted of Mike Bloomfield on electric guitar, Al Kooper and Paul Griffin on piano and organ, Harvey Brooks on bass and Bobby Gregg drums.

An earlier take of the ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ exists with Sam Lay on drums and Frank Owens on piano, but it failed to capture the mood Dylan was trying to convey.

By 1966, the world around Bob Dylan had changed dramatically. It is well documented that the transition from a pure folksinger to a rock-based sound was not smooth. Here is Bob Dylan introducing ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ before a crowd in Paris. He offers a rare explanation here, which quite literally speaks volumes. There is way more to this story.

This is, this is called Tom Thumb. This story takes place outside of Mexico City. It begins in Mexico City and it ends really in Des Moines, Iowa, but it’s all about this painter, he’s a quite older fellow, he comes from Juarez, Juarez is down cross of Texas border, some few feets, and he’s a painter. He’s very, very well-known painter in the area there and we all call him Tom Thumb and when Tom Thumb was going through his blue period, this is one of the most important times of his whole life and he’s going to sell many, many paintings now taken from his blue period and this is all about Tom Thumb and his early days and so we name this ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’.”

Bob Dylan

Listen to the emphasis on the rhyme scheme. This is essential Bob Dylan.

Just a couple of weeks later, here he is in London, at Royal Albert Hall where the audience becomes disruptive despite Dylan’s willingness to engage.

He becomes combative. No wonder he detached.

Go out and read some books.”

Bob Dylan

The emphasis on his intelligent rhyme scheme remains, but it comes across as even more harsh.

Of course, the Paris and London shows featured the majority of The Band, however, Levon Helm hated the negativity surrounding their presence so he departed. For a period, he worked on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. During that time, he was replaced by Bobby Gregg.

For Bob Dylan, the creative process has always been a journey, and ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ is no exception. Early drafts of this song went under the title ‘Just Like Juarez’. The original lyrics still exist and are on display in the Bob Dylan collection in Oklahoma.

The trip to Juarez is definitely an adventure. The narration includes tales of darkness and despair. He is sick, drunk and stoned. Clearly afflicted by whatever a tryst with Sweet Melinda bequeathed. Corruption abounds, and not even the local authorities are of any assistance. This is a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah.

Dylan channels this grim scene in six carefully crafted verses and he eschews the typical song writing technique of summarizing a theme with a chorus.

When you’re lost in the rain in Juarez
And it’s Eastertime too
And your gravity fails
And negativity don’t pull you through
Don’t put on any airs
When you’re down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there
And they really make a mess outta you

Now if you see Saint Annie
Please tell her thanks a lot
I cannot move
My fingers are all in a knot
I don’t have the strength
To get up and take another shot
And my best friend, my doctor
Won’t even say what it is I’ve got

Sweet Melinda
The peasants call her the goddess of gloom
She speaks good English
And she invites you up into her room
And you’re so kind
And careful not to go to her too soon
And she takes your voice
And leaves you howling at the moon

Up on Housing Project Hill
It’s either fortune or fame
You must pick up one or the other
Though neither of them are to be what they claim
If you’re lookin’ to get silly
You better go back to from where you came
Because the cops don’t need you
And man they expect the same

Now all the authorities
They just stand around and boast
How they blackmailed the sergeant-at-arms
Into leaving his post
And picking up Angel who
Just arrived here from the coast
Who looked so fine at first
But left looking just like a ghost

I started out on burgundy
But soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they’d stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to call my bluff
I’m going back to New York City
I do believe I’ve had enough”

Bob Dylan

The experience leaves the narrator bedraggled, tattered and torn. He is humbled to the point of retreat…

He has had enough.

Within the lyrics Bob Dylan conjures allusions to Malcolm Lowry in ‘Under the Volcano’, Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Murder in the Rue Morgue’ and Jack Kerouac’s ‘Desolation Angels’. In his early days, Dylan was never shy to lay his influences right on the table. Nothing in this space was ever veiled. Over the years he became a little more subtle and the layers of depth within his prose became infinite.

Within ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’, perhaps the cleverest literary reference was offered in the title itself. Tom Thumb is an intriguing allegory. It is actually thought to be the first fairy tale published in English. The tale goes back over 400 years to 1621, according to British folklore. Not only was ‘Tom Thumb’, allegedly the name of the painter who is thought to have inspired Dylan’s narrative, the ancient parable also relates the existential journey of the diminutive son of a modest rural couple in middle-ages England.

https://www.grimmstories.com/en/grimm_fairy-tales/tom_thumb

This is a fascinating read, laced with morals, and messages that remain relevant to present day society. It concludes with the main character returning to his family home after a harrowing journey. His parents were relieved…

They gave him something to eat and drink, and a new suit of clothes, as his old ones were soiled with travel.”

Grimm Fairy Tale – Tom Thumb

It isn’t New York City, but Tom Thumb had definitely had enough.

Like so many Bob Dylan songs, the cover versions are plentiful. Even though, ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ is considered a deep track, its true measure becomes how the song captured the imagination of so many artists who followed. There are some interesting names here, and the timeline spans the decades.

Let’s go right back to the year the song was released, 1965. Here is Canadian music icon, Gordon Lightfoot. One good turn deserves another, because Bob Dylan recorded ‘Early Morning Rain’ by Gordon Lightfoot for his 1970 album ‘Self Portrait’.

In 1966, Judy Collins was in the upper echelon of female vocalists in the folk scene. Here is her version of ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ with a very pronounced flute accompaniment. You can feel a sense of regret.

Reading between the lines, one of Bob Dylan’s favourite covers of this song is offered by the great Nina Simone.

This is from her album ‘To Love Somebody’ which was recorded in 1969. This recording featured three Dylan tracks, and concluded with ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ and ‘The Times They Are-a-Changin’.

In his 2015 speech during the MusiCares Awards, Bob Dylan expressed his deep appreciation for the body of work offered by Nina Simone.

Nina Simone, I used to cross paths with her in New York City in the Village Gate nightclub. She was an artist I definitely looked up to. She recorded some of my songs that she learned directly from me, sitting in a dressing room. She was an overwhelming artist, piano player and singer.

Bob Dylan

The reflection on their early days together is priceless. Here, he continues with some more personal observations.

(Nina was a) very strong woman, very outspoken and dynamite to see perform. That she was recording my songs validated everything that I was about. Nina was the kind of artist that I loved and admired.”

Bob Dylan

Moving ahead to the ‘80s, here is 1985 – Townes Van Zandt

The way ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ flows seamlessly out of “Colorado Girl’ makes this essential.

The promise in her smile
Shames the mountains tall
The promise in her smile
Shames the mountains tall
She bring the sun to shining
Tell the rain to fall”

Townes Van Zandt

This is Townes Van Zandt at his finest. You just knew Juarez was going to be his next destination.

 Now, here is what exists as both a true confession and a stark revelation. The first time I heard ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ I was at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. It was a weekend of the Grateful Dead at the end of June, 1987. The crowd began chanting ‘Phil, Phil, Phil’ and much to their delight Phil Lesh stepped up to the microphone and belted out his version of this Dylan classic, accompanied by his Grateful Dead bandmates. Always a treat. Not perfect, but perfectly Phil.

To give you a sense of things, here is a cover from The Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts back in 1985.

I’m going back to San Anselmo. I do believe I’ve had enough.”

Phil Lesh

For the Dead, this became an ode to their busy touring schedule.

For me, the connection to the Grateful Dead is important because on several occasions I have alluded to the fact that the covers they so often played became a gateway for me to broadening my musical horizons. In this case, I opened up my Bob Dylan exploration and delved way into the deep tracks. This is an odyssey in itself, but the journey expanded to several other artists. Here is a short list:

• Chuck Berry
• Jimmy Reed
• George Jones
• Willie Dixon
• Johnny Cash
• Martha and the Vandellas
• Reverend Gary Davis
• Bill Browning
• Traffic
• Son House
• Mitch Ryder
• Marty Robbins
• Sonny Boy Williamson
• Sam Cooke
• Bo Diddley
• The Meters
• Wilson Pickett
• Bobby Womack
• Howlin’ Wolf
• Merle Haggard
• Bonnie Dobson

If you search through the archives of Ted Tocks Covers, you will see features related to this string of artists that number into the triple digits. In many ways Ted Tocks Covers and my fascination for cover songs can be traced to my love for the Grateful Dead.

Back in 1992 Bob Dylan and Friends gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York City to celebrate his 30^th Anniversary as a recording artist.  Here is Neil Young with a sneering version for his old friend. The final line is repeated for the appreciative Big Apple audience.

Here is the cover version that inspired today’s post. Enjoy Linda Ronstadt; wonderful as always. It was a quarter century ago that she released ‘We Ran’. It was produced by the prolific Glyn Johns. The songs on the album include Howie Epstein, Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of The Heartbreakers; a suitable choice seeing as the Heartbreakers toured with Bob Dylan for a couple of years in the late ‘80s. Listen to a cover that definitely stands among Ronstadt’s best recordings over an illustrious career.

On a few occasions I have featured Bryan Ferry in posts that focus on Bob Dylan songs. The primary destination becomes a 2007 album he released called ‘Dylanesque’. Ferry’s decision to lead off with ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ is telling. His presentation becomes conversational, but when he pulls out the harmonica…Wow! What a groove.

Also from 2007, here is Ramblin’ Jack Elliot who was chosen to contribute ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ to the soundtrack for the bio pic ‘I’m Not There’.

Perhaps the most fitting way to conclude the musical portion of today’s post is to offer a unique modern version of ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ by Bob Dylan himself. From a conceptual standpoint, this offering did a nice job encapsulating Bob Dylan’s early years. Israeli-American filmmaker Alma Har’el shot footage of Dylan and his backup band performing on a Santa Monica soundstage. The set featured Dylan and friends performing 13 songs over the course of seven days in 2021. It was shared on a live stream platform where viewers were treated to a stylized black and white film featuring the carefully crafted, pre-recorded tracks. Dylan’s band all wore masks, just to add to the intrigue.

The soundtrack for ‘Shadow Kingdom’ was released earlier this month, and the full-length film was released four days later.

The general consensus was, he has not sounded better in decades. In tandem with ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ it all served notice that Bob Dylan at 80 still had a whole lot to say.

All of this brings us back to Juarez, Mexico; the border town that connects Mexico to El Paso, Texas. Until 1888, Ciudad Juarez was known as El Paso del Norte, or The North Pass. Next to San Diego-Tijuana, Juarez -El Paso, is the most populous city along the Mexico U.S. border. This reality makes Juarez an industrial and cultural hub as well as a lighting rod of geo-political crisis. Whether this is reality or a political wedge created by fearing mongering, radical right wing, wealthy and racist white men and women becomes a point of contention, but the truth is when a border crossing allows between 25 and 30 million people traverse nations each year there are bound to be some issues.

Here is an interesting quote from Bob Dylan that was published in a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

That’s always been dangerous ground. It has a different kind of population than Austin or Dallas or other big cities. Texas is so big. It’s a republic; it’s its own country. The Texas borderlands are like a buffer zone for Mexico and the rest of the States. You get that leftover vibe from northern Mexico, central Mexico, where you have that legacy of Aztec brutality. That’s where they used to slash the hearts out of people, captives and thousands of slaves offered up on bloody altars. On the other hand, you have Cortez and all those conquistadors who were coming out of the Spanish Inquisition-type scene. So, I can imagine it got pretty brutal. And I think it’s got a lot of spillover from that time, in our times. I see the violence as some kind of epidemic that has lasted until this day, maybe.”

Bob Dylan

Everything in the present has a connection to the past and the history of Ciudad-Juarez is no different. The issue of migrant workers and economic disparity goes back generations and by extension so does the political tension.

In 1909, Mexican President Porfirio Diaz and United States President William Howard Taft were slated to have the first ever meeting between a U.S. and Mexican head of state. It would also be the first planned meeting where the leader of the U.S. would cross the border into Mexico. The luminaries gathered along the Chamizal strip that connected Ciudad-Juarez to El Paso. They were flanked by Texas Rangers, F.B.I agents, U.S. Marshals and Mexican troops.

One observant Texas Ranger named C.R. Moore noticed a suspicious character who he suspected was concealing a pistol. As Diaz and Taft approached, the would-be assassins’ vantage point, Moore reacted swiftly. He was able to take the assailant down, mere moments before the procession passed.

An assassination was narrowly averted.

Just over a century later a bad actor seeking only to divide nations and cultures crafted a campaign around building a wall between the two nations.

It says here, that history will not be kind to this charlatan.

We live in a flawed world but one thing is certain. We can only advance as a society if we build bridges to better communication, and avoid walls that will only serve to restrict understanding.

Somewhere within all of this, there is a lesson. I am not sure it has anything to do with Bob Dylan, Tom Thumb, or a struggling artist but if we scan through Bob Dylan’s lyrics long enough, we just may find some answers.

The Race is On – And the winners loses all. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #GeorgeJones #DonRollins #JimmieGray #WaylonJennings #JackJones #LorettaLynn #PeterandGordon #ConwayTwitty #GratefulDead #DaveEdmunds #StrayCats #GeorgiaSatellites #SawyerBrown #BlackberrySmoke

Ten years ago today, country music legend George Jones died.

Today’s feature takes us back 60 years to a song the man known as ‘the Possum’ recorded in June of 1963. ‘The Race is On’ became one of his signature songs. Here’s a quick look at how George Jones was introduced to the song and a walk through the years that shares an interesting range of artists who have covered this carefully crafted song.

In order to take it right back to its origin, the credit for ‘The Race is On’ has to go to Don Rollins. As the story goes, Rollins had spent a day at the races when the idea for the metaphorical lyrics came his way. Turf Paradise Race Course in Phoenix was the scene. The ebb and flow of gambling on a thoroughbred became the inspiration for an analysis of his own love life.

Here are the lyrics.

I feel tears wellin’ up cold and deep inside
Like my heart’s sprung a big break
And the stab of loneliness, sharp and painful
That I may never shake
Now you might say that I was taking it hard
Since you wrote me off with a call
But don’t you wager that I’ll hide the sorrow
When I may break right down and bawl

Now the race is on and here comes pride up the backstretch
Heartaches are going to the inside
My tears are holding back
They’re trying not to fall
My heart’s out of the running
True love’s scratched for another’s sake
The race is on and it looks like heartaches
And the winner loses all

One day I had ventured in love, never once suspecting
What the final results would be
How I lived in fear of waking up each morning
And finding that you’d gone from me
There’s aching and pain in my heart
For the day was the one that I hated to face
Somebody new came up to win her
And I came out in second place

Now the race is on and here comes pride up the backstretch
Heartaches are going to the inside
My tears are holding back
They’re trying not to fall
My heart’s out of the running
True love’s scratched for another’s sake
The race is on and it looks like heartaches
And the winner loses all”

Don Rollins

George Jones first heard ‘The Race is On’ in the office of the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas. The venue was owned by Dewey Groom. Groom was charged with seeking out demos that would be suitable for Jones to record. In the liner notes of his 1984 greatest hits album, Jones recalls, the session was not going well, and he was ready to leave when Groom pressed play on a demo of ‘The Race is On’ recorded by Jimmie Gray. After the first line, George Jones exclaimed “I’ll take it’.

I feel tears wellin’ up cold and deep inside
Like my heart’s sprung a big break

Don Rollins

Don Rollins wrote ‘The Race is On’ for Gray in 1961, but it didn’t go anywhere. Upon hearing the demo, Jones asked to meet with the relatively unknown singer. He was captured by the vocals. Gray sang a whole step higher. Jones’s intent was to get to know Jimmie Gray a little and get a sense of his musical direction. In no time, the pair became friends and Jimmie Gray became a touring member of George Jones’s backing band, playing bass and adding harmonies.

To get a sense of what Jimmie Gray added to ‘The Race is On’ watch this live version from 1965.

It should be noted that the studio version of ‘The Race is On’ features an iconic six string bass guitar solo. This was provided by Kelso Herston. Herston became a long time George Jones collaborator who wrote a handful of hit songs and even produced an album, before going on to become a prolific jingle writer for a host of major advertising campaigns including Budweiser, Pepsi, 7-Up, Oscar Mayer, Burger King and McDonald’s.

Getting back to the song itself, it was George Jones’s delivery that took everything to another level. He tells the story of a man who is on the edge of heartbreak. Here is a quote from Bob Allen in his George Jones biography ‘The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend’.

George imbued ‘The Race Is On’ with a masterfully frenetic, on-the-edge vocal reading, full of whining emotional ambivalence and mock sadness. By gleefully bending and stretching the notes and singing, at times, slightly ahead of or behind the song’s fast-clipped meter, he embellished it with a subtle sense of tension and release that perfectly complemented the rapid-fire cascading effect of the song’s lyrics.”

Bob Allen

Jones rode ‘The Race is On’ to a #3 position on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and it enjoyed a degree of success on the Billboard Hot 100. Through the years it became a set standard for the prolific country artist whose hit inspired countless other acts to take a shot at both emulating his style and telling the story originally related by Don Rollins.

One of the first covers of ‘The Race is On’ was recorded later in 1964 by rising star, Waylon Jennings. You can hear his distinct voice in this version that was released as a single in 1964, before being added as an album track on his 1970 album, ‘Don’t Think Twice’.

As much as George Jones is known for ‘The Race is On’ it was Jack Jones that had the most wide ranging early success. The ‘other Jones’ in this story took ‘The Race is On’ to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Billboard Middle-Road Singles.

The big names continue with this quality cover from Loretta Lynn who offers the women’s perspective. What a gem.

The story of Peter and Gordon is well documented in terms of their evolution as an act emerging out of the British Invasion. In time, Peter Asher gravitated to the American country rock style. He became extremely influential in the career of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt among others. This cover could demonstrate the beginning of that transformation. It is from their 1966 album ‘Peter and Gordon Sing and Play the Hits of Nashville Tennessee’.

A decade later another country music legend took a shot at ‘The Race is On’. This is Conway Twitty from his appropriately entitled album ‘This Time I Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me’.

Here is where everything changed for me, and what drew me to ‘The Race Is On’. Everyone has their own story and this is mine. In the early part of 1984 I was introduced to the Grateful Dead by my friend Steve. It all began with ‘The Grateful Dead Movie. Then he handed me an arm full of albums that included ‘American Beauty’, ‘Blues for Allah’, ‘Skeletons from the Closet’ as well as ‘Dead Set’ and its live companion piece, ‘Reckoning’. The ‘Reckoning’ album really intrigued me because it was an acoustic set that featured the Dead in a more intimate environment. This really drew me to their prowess as instrumentalists as well as unique look at their cohesiveness as a band. One of the songs that really grabbed me was ‘The Race is On’. As always, I needed to learn more. It was here that I learned that it was a classic George Jones song.

Ted Tocks Covers is on record as saying that my indoctrination as a music fan has many core influences, but there is no act I credit more for opening the door to a world of music than the Grateful Dead. Their original work resides on a pedestal unto itself, but their reverence for the artists that came before is noteworthy. From bluegrass to country, to blues, folk and even jazz, the Grateful Dead brought it all to the stage and from their earliest days as The Warlocks they made sure everyone knew who they were honouring. As a result, Grateful Dead fans; sorry ‘Deadheads’, exist as among the most educated in terms of the history of music and the lines of influence that take us from the early 1900s to the present day.

So, to bring a long chapter to a fitting conclusion here is the Grateful Dead performing their acoustic set with Bob Weir belting out a capable tribute to George Jones, working his way up and down the fretboard of his acoustic guitar, like only he can. The rest of the band jam away in a subtle homage to the great George Jones. This is from the Dead’s Radio City Music Hall stand in October of 1980.

Thanks Steve!

For me the Grateful Dead will always be the standard for ‘The Race is On’ but I absolutely love what Dave Edmunds and the Stray Cats brought to the table in this 1983 collaboration. It is defined by its energy and their distinct rock-a-billy style. We have Dave Edmunds to thank for the Stray Cats. Here you get a little bit of the back story to this partnership. Listen to the interplay between The Stray Cats and Edmunds. So good.

Another band that just gets it is the Georgia Satellites. Another from the long list of proclamations from the keyboard of Ted Tocks Covers is my belief that this band saved rock and roll in the mid ‘80s. Bold! I know, but I stand by this statement. I just love these guys. Check out this high-octane cover from a 1987 live show. The Georgia Satellites peel the paint off the walls, but they served notice, that rock and roll was here to stay. One other thing they wanted to emphasize was the influence came from several places. Listen as they take it all down in the middle. They go from blazing rock and roll to classic country and back again. Did I mention, how much I appreciate this band? Checks notes…Yep!

Okay. As I researched ‘The Race is On’ I noticed that a quarter century after its original release, a country music act from Florida called Sawyer Brown took the song to a top 5 position North America wide. I thought this must be good, so I checked it out. Sorry man! Not digging it. This 1989 release seems to signify the formulaic style that has destroyed the true country genre. I should have checked out when I saw the Florida connection. The piano saves this cover, but just barely.

I needed to get back to my safe place. Who better to take me there than good ol’ Blackberry Smoke. Lo and behold, look who joins them on stage to deliver the goods. Warner Hodges of Jason and the Scorchers and Dan Baird from the Georgia Satellites rock their way through the song, and an appreciative audience is swept up in the moment.

I wish it would never end.

The race goes on.

May your days be filled with positive energy and your heartaches be very few.

If things become challenging, just know that music will always be there to get you through.

I think I just wrote the chorus for a song.

Ted Tocks Covers – Top 3 Posts for October #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #PetShopBoys #GratefulDead #TomPetty #JohnPrine #PeterGabriel #TonyJoeWhite

For this month’s summary, I will not bury the lead.

In October, Ted Tocks Covers surpassed the 50,000 – page view milestone. This moment was celebrated by a fun little acknowledgement from my friends at WordPress who host my page and document all the stats.

That’s all I have to say about that. It is just nice to receive the validation as I continue to be amazed by how many people, literally the world over take time to read my thoughts on the music that has literally connected us over the decades.

When all else fails, I know I can turn to music as a guiding light, because through this blog I am assured that many people feel the same way I do about the healing power of music.

There are times that I can make no apology. I am often restored by this daily ritual. I aim to find joy in this hobby because it allows me to be in the moment, while reflecting on my past through music.

Music is an influence that has always encouraged me, and by all indications, it seems to offer solace for those around me. The appreciation allows people to tap into their artistic side while they make their own rules about how they want to interact with the world at large or with those closest to them. It can serve as a grounding influence. Music helps me lay out a road map for my life. Others are free to come along for the ride.

There are days where I sit and write in the early morning hours where I realize I am a little bit lost.  As the words flow from my mind to my fingertips, moving from keyboard to screen, the intention is to help me strike a more positive work/life balance and evaluate how much energy I need to spend on my well-being, and a quality of life for the people closet to me.

Through a lack of establishing a clear priority, I have failed those closest to me. I regret this wholly, but it is my issue to work through.

Fortunately, this therapeutic exercise has served a purpose. To some degree it boosts my confidence and opens up space for me to think about my goals, as my thoughts emerge.

What area of my life requires more harmony and balance?

What rituals do I have that allow me to surrender and let go?

What does fulfillment look and feel like in my everyday life?

We should all be asking ourselves these questions.

For over 40 years I have learned one thing for sure.

The answers are often contained within the music we share.

It all comes back to one line for me;

“If you get confused, listen to the music play.”

Robert Hunter

During October, Ted Tocks Covers readership went back to the pre-summer numbers, averaging well over 50 page views a day. In total, over 190 songs received attention on the Ted Tocks Covers blog site with page views being enjoyed in 50+ countries. The top five countries by page views remains; the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

A couple of Ted Tocks blogs hit significant milestones.

Biko – In October this plaintive piece by Peter Gabriel became the 58^th Ted Tocks Covers post to reach a minimum of 100 page views. This number has become a bit of a benchmark for this blog. ‘Biko’ goes back to the early days of Ted Tocks Covers. There is a certain degree of pride in knowing that once in a while the music I am sharing is resonating to an engaged audience. ‘Biko’ is an extremely important song because it brought a story of oppression to a worldwide audience, while the powers that be were hoping to sweep it under the carpet. This is a common practice. How long would Apartheid have been able to flourish in South Africa, if the artists had not stepped up to relate the atrocities? Oftentimes, it is the musicians that bring the stories to the people and force awareness and action. Let’s just say, we didn’t learn about this in school. Forces way beyond us aim to suppress, for their own self-serving interests. Greed is rampant, and many people we should be able to trust have proven to be contemptible. As always, I urge you to educate yourself. Dig deeper. But, please beware of the source. A stranger on Facebook who posts their opinion is not necessarily the one you want to base your life’s decisions around. There are a lot of charlatans out there, and they are targeting you.

You can blow out a candle

But you can’t blow out a fire

Once the flames begin to catch

The wind will blow it higher.”

Robert Hunter

Polk Salad Annie – This is a totally different approach that shares a southern U.S. folk song that has been heralded for over 50 years. In October, this Tony Joe White classic surpassed 300 page views. Its success as a feature is perfect because it truly is timeless. When artists like Elvis Presley and Tom Jones cover your song, you have hit the big time. Tons of fun and universally accessible. ‘Polk Salad Annie’ tells a story. Just one more purpose that music aims to serve. It brings characters to life.

Now, let’s move on to the top three posts for October.

#3. Always on My Mind – The research for Ted Tocks Covers looks far and wide for the inspiration that leads to these posts. I frequently refer to cover versions that I feel are among the best I have ever heard. The more I write, the more I realize the label ‘best cover of a song ever’, or ‘best cover artist’ is virtually impossible to declare. Musicians  have been covering each other for centuries. It is an evolution of inspiration. Having said that, I discovered that in a BBC poll earlier in the 2000s ‘Always on My Mind’ by Pet Shop Boys was voted the best cover ever by music lovers. I hadn’t initially planned to create this post, but based on that declaration, I felt compelled to do a feature on this classic song that goes back half a century. Naturally, it has been covered by a wide range of artists from several genres, which made it the perfect song to feature.

#3. Blow Away – Former Grateful Dead keyboard player Brent Mydland would have turned 70 years old this past month and Ted Tocks celebrated this occasion by sharing one of his many shining moments with this essential band. Anyone who needs evidence that music is a binding source in our lives, needs to look no further than this band. In featuring ‘Blow Away’ I offered a glimpse into my ten-year foray as a lightweight Deadhead, and how important Brent Mydland was in solidifying my love for the Grateful Dead. Brent brought the audience in with his live performance. He personified the soul of an artist. He held them in the palm of his hand, and when the song was over, he sent them on their way to spread the word.

#2. Wildflowers – It is hard to believe that it has been five years since we lost Tom Petty. I offered up a bouquet of ‘Wildflowers’ in order to celebrate my love for the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A short time after researching it, writing it and gathering some phenomenal cover versions, I posted it on the anniversary of his passing. Only then did I realize that I had already featured ‘Wildflowers’ three years previous. So, there you go. A song so good, it had to be featured twice. Tom Petty IS that good. He deserves every accolade. Yet another go-to artist for this music lover. Guaranteed to sing along and he always makes me think with his straightforward wisdom.

#1. Nine Pound Hammer – Speaking of song-writers who can relate with his accessible lyrics, the number one post for the month of October was by the immortal John Prine. Every time I feature John Prine, I share it on Facebook to John Prine fan pages, and his legion of fans come out to enjoy the memories. With this post, I tried something a little different. I imagined an interaction with him where we both just say back and listened to the music. It was pure fantasy, but it was fun as we explored an American work song/bluegrass classic that goes back at least a century and likely way more. While not even close to a John Prine original, it was John Prine who introduced me to this song. For this, I owe John a debt of gratitude. This post gave me an opportunity to say thank you. As a fan of John Prine, I often reflect on his music and offer my thanks. The many fans on social media who take a moment to share their love make me realize I am definitely not alone. I have said it before and I will say I again. The best people on social media are John Prine fans. They are closely followed by Jackson Browne fans. They just get it.

This is where I met (virtually) an on- line friend named ‘DB’. If I have it right, he reached out after  I posted ‘Rock Me on the Water’ by Jackson Browne on a Jackson Browne fan page. He has continued to follow me and read my posts every day since that time. He often takes the time to send me a note about his love for a song that I have featured.

‘DB’ also serves to validate why I write.

Your writings continue to be a first read in the morning, well…. first right after Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters From An American”

DB

This is the highest form of compliment.

And

Your histories serve both as reminders of well-worn tunes as well as intros to unfamiliar artists. The social commentary is a bonus.”

DB

He also shared a personal story about John Prine, which I value. That will remain between us.

It is here that I thank ‘DB’ and the many other people like him who carve time out of their day to read my reflections on the music that has shaped our lives.

If you missed these features the first time around, please, enjoy them now. If you think a friend might like to spend a few minutes with some good music, please share because…

#MusicisLife

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Thank you for continuing to read Ted Tocks Covers. I look forward to sharing more music with you as we move toward the end of 2022.  

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China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider – Musical memories of the #GratefulDead through the years. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #RobertHunter #GreenskyBluegrass #BlindLemonJefferson #LucilleBogan #TossiAaron #JoanBaez #TheKingstonTrio #TheBigThree #JudyRoderick #BigBrotherandtheHoldingCompany #TheByrds #HotTuna #BruceHornsby

So, what is ‘China Cat Sunflower’ about?

Many fans of the Grateful Dead have suggested their interpretation. I suspect the range of altered states of consciousness while Deadheads contemplated the meaning is as vast as the possible explanations.

Caution: LSD may be involved.

Frankly though, I must say, spending a little time listening to ‘China Cat Sunflower’ takes you to a better place, and in today’s world there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If the bus pulls up, please hop on, because the journey is about to begin.

We have the lyrical mastery of Robert Hunter to thank for ‘Chinacat Sunflower’. As noted above, it has been described as ‘acid drenched’ and so be it. Hunter stated that it was written…

 …in a state where contemplation of a cat served as a touchstone for an interplanetary journey.”

Robert Hunter

Having said this, merely suggesting that the song is a meandering thought processes jotted down in free form verse during an acid trip does not offer justice to the poetry laid before us. There are some songs where the lyrics are just as good on the page we read from, as the music that brings the words to life.

In other words, with ‘China Cat Sunflower’ one can close their eyes and picture the mystical movement of the cat as they read, or while listening. This is not an easy feat for a poet, but Robert Hunter stands above most poets in this realm. Fortunately, he enjoyed a partnership with the Grateful Dead which allowed him to bring these passages of prose to life.

His words became a kaleidoscope, and the songs remain as an eternal rainbow.

‘China Cat Sunflower was released on the 1969 Grateful Dead album, ‘Aoxomoxoa’.

Clearly, the song is enhanced by the guitar prowess of Jerry Garcia and his trippy finger work along the fretboard. Bob Weir adds his distinct rhythm stylings. This is four years into the Grateful Dead odyssey, but the development of this special tandem was clear to many. They were musical brothers, connected by melodious strings, and the lyrics of Robert Hunter often completed that cosmic bond.

Author Eric F. Wybenga described the guitar track as;

…that dodgy little Bobby intro that scratches your brain just behind your ears.”

Eric F. Wybenga

Kind of like the way one likes to rub a favourite four-legged friend as it purrs in their lap in a moment of acquiescence to your affection.

Fans of the Grateful Dead already know, but those of you who remain on the fence…this may exist as a tipping point. Give it a listen, and read along as you do. I defy you to come away from this listening experience without being drawn into the scene.

Twelve lines of lyrical brilliance. A sign of the greatness that was to come.

Look for a while at the china cat sunflower
Proud walking jingle in the midnight sun
Copper dome bodhi drip a silver kimono
Like a crazy quilt star gown through a dream night wind

Krazy Kat peeking through a lace bandanna
Like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eye jack
A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle
To a double-e waterfall over my back
Comic book colors on a violin river crying Leonardo
Words from out a silk trombone

I rang a silent bell, beneath a shower of pearls
In the eagle-winged palace of the Queen Chinee

Robert Hunter

Getting back to the opening of this post, Robert Hunter once mused that no one ever really asked him what ‘Chinacat Sunflower’ was about, because they just thought they knew. It gave him solace in knowing that everyone was on the same plane, at least for three minutes.

Nobody ever asked me the meaning of this song. People seem to know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s good that a few things in this world are clear to all of us.”

Robert Hunter

While spending some time in Lake Chapala in Mexico in 1967, Hunter was moved to write, based on the rhythmic movements of a cat. The bounciness of the lyrical structure was aided by the feline’s motion.

I think the germ of ‘China Cat Sunflower’ came in Mexico, on Lake Chapala. I don’t think any of the words came, exactly-the rhythms came. I had a cat sitting on my belly, and was in a rather hypersensitive state, and I followed this cat out to—I believe it was Nepture—and there were rainbows across Neptune, and cats marching across the rainbow. This cat took me in all these cat places; there’s some essence of that in the song.”

Robert Hunter

In other words, for this period of time, Robert Hunter became the cat. The selection of images in just a dozen lines recall several sources of inspiration, from Lewis Carroll to George Herriman, to Dame Edith Stillwell.

Once the poetic offering was complete, he mailed it to Jerry Garcia for his consideration. By the early part of 1968 the Grateful Dead had added it to their live repertoire, often performing it as part of a medley that included ‘The Eleven’ and ‘Dark Star’. The musical style that flowed from Hunter’s lyrics lent itself well to the band’s jams. Versions of this collection of songs often surpassed the twenty minute mark, much to their fans’ delight.

Here is Dark Star/China Cat Sunflower/The Eleven from January of 1968. This is the first known live version of ‘China Cat’. It is slightly frenzied but its place in the meat of a Grateful Dead sandwich offered Dead fans a glimpse of the great concert memories to come.

By 1969, ‘China Cat Sunflower’ was coupled with the old blues standard, ‘I Know You Rider’.

As you listen to the live version shared at the outset you can feel that the songs exist as the musical equivalent of a 4 x 400 relay, and the moment where ‘Chinacat’ moves into ‘I Know You Rider’ is like the figurative passing of the baton to the runner doing the final leg.

It is transformative. Like a metamorphosis. Here is a rapid-fire presentation of ‘Chinacat Sunflower’ through the years, featuring each of the Grateful Dead’s keyboard players.

To open this feature, I shared the acclaimed version from ‘Europe ’72’. It was recorded in May of that year and features a relatively rare combination of Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan on organ and Keith Godchaux on piano. Godchaux and his wife Donna Jean joined the band for this tour as a reinforcement, due to Pigpen’s failing health.

Now, we move ahead to 1974 and this version from Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco featuring Keith Godchaux on his own.

 Enjoy this ‘China/Rider’ featuring the magical presence of Brent Mydland. I just love this guy. The personification of soul and his interplay with Jerry was often jaw-dropping.

What a treat it was for Deadheads to see Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnyk share keyboard duties with the piano/organ combination that made the song a favourite from its earliest days. This version is a fan favourite. As great as the combination is, this version shines as a result of the outro jam that leads into the final harmonies. This is a gold standard for this era of the Grateful Dead.

From the introduction of ‘China Cat Sunflower’ to the final live performance of ‘China Cat Sunflower/’I Know You Rider’ which coincided with Jerry Garcia’s swan song at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995. One month later, the music world lost this icon.

The Grateful Dead performed this song 552 times. It resides as one of the most played selections in their vast catalogue. My research tells me it stands at #5. What I can tell you is there are few moments during a Dead show that compare to the energy on the stage when Jerry sings the line.

I wish I was a headlight on a northbound train”

Jerry Garcia

Whatever the venue, the place would erupt as Jerry belted out the line. He always managed to summon a little something extra.

In that moment we were all Jerry.

From this writer’s perspective the ‘China Cat Sunflower’/’I Know You Rider’ combo is the second-best coupling, next to ‘Scarlett Begonias’/’Fire on the Mountain’.

Before moving on to a brief look at the history of ‘I Know You Rider’, here is a cool bluegrass version of ‘China Cat Sunflower’/’I Know You Rider’ from Greensky Bluegrass. I featured this phenomenal ensemble a while back while presenting ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’.

Just like ‘‘Samson and Delilah’’ which I featured just over a month ago, ‘I Know You Rider’ has roots that take listeners back 95 years.

In keeping with that evolution, let’s shift into ‘I Know You Rider’.

It can be traced to Blind Lemon Jefferson and his song ‘Deceitful Brownskin Blues’ which was released in 1927.

The sun’s gonna shine on my back door someday.”

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Like many blues songs from that era, the release lay in obscurity for several years before being included in a 1934 book published by notable father and son folklore and music historians John and Alan Lomax, ‘American Ballads and Folk Songs’.

According to this pair, the origin of the song stems from an account by an eighteen year old black girl sentenced to prison for murder. We can credit the Lomaxes for adding the additional stanzas. They borrowed them from other blues sources, calling it ‘Woman Blue’ because they adapted the music and melody from Lucille Bogan’s ‘B.D. Woman Blues’. A fascinating evolution. The piano is as captivating as Bogan’s voice.

About twenty years later, a Philadelphia area musician named Bob Coltman found ‘Woman Blue’ in the Lomax book and played it frequently on stages in the northeastern United States.

The song intrigued a singer named Tossi Aaron who witnessed Coltman’s live show. He taught it to her and she recorded it for her 1960 album called ‘Tossi Sings Folk Songs and Ballads’. This is where the longingness of the song became markedly noticeable. Just a beautiful version. It had to be shared.

Hot on the heels of Tossi Aaron’s version of ‘I Know You Rider’ was the debut release from the great Joan Baez who was clearly influenced by Ms. Aaron. There is some nice guitar work here. It definitely compliments the angelic vocals.

How about the Kingston Trio from 1963? This is fun. It sounds like a sea shanty. The evolution of the lyrics continues.

This is cool. This is one of Cass Elliot’s first recordings as a member of the Big 3. ‘I Know My Rider’. Again, the lyrics are modified to bring a new perspective to the listener.

In 1965, folk singer Judy Roderick released ‘I Know You Rider’ on her second album appropriately called ‘Woman Blue’. This version harkens back to the woman in the prison cell all those years ago. It is like a letter. Again, the melancholy drips from this presentation.

The quality covers with major historical significance keep on coming. Check out Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company from 1966. This is a throwback to the early female blues singers that Janis Joplin emulated to perfection.

Even the influential band The Byrds recorded a version, calling it ‘I Know My Rider’ in 1966. The song was not released for two decades even though it made an appearance at the famous Monterey Pop Festival. The band finally released the song on their album called ‘Never Before’ in 1987, which consisted of unreleased songs and outtakes of classic Byrds material. I love the McGuinn/Crosby harmonies.

I absolutely love this. Enjoy Hot Tuna and the quality musical connection between Paul Kantner, Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen. This is music magic from the Fillmore Auditorium in 1988. These guys spent a lot of time at the Fillmore through the years. This is a mindbogglingly good version of this historic song.

Here is a fun way to end this run of cover versions. Enjoy ‘I Know You Rider’ by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. This is so good. Listen as he teases ‘Terrapin Station’ before launching into a fantastic cover of the old blues standard. He takes us on a trip.

All of this was shared to allow us to enjoy the lyrical brilliance of Robert Hunter on what would have been his 81^st birthday. It began with ‘China Cat Sunflower’, but the message extends well beyond with the vision employed by the Grateful Dead in adding ‘I Know You Rider’ to the musical blend.

This is where the Grateful Dead operated as the professors in a lecture that presented music history. They never pretended to be the first to play this song, nor did they claim to be the best, but through their introduction, I suspect many music enthusiasts opted to dig a little deeper into the song’s history.

The journey that unfolds speaks to their legend.

Have a grateful day.