Month: December 2006

Without looking, I’d guess there would be a number of songs called Gloria. It used to bug me that the songwriters were so unimaginative; now, I’ve reframed and can note how universal it is that certain themes come up.

How would I put together such a list of songs in my collection? Tosy compiled such a list by going to his iPod. But:
1) I don’t own an iPod and
2) I wouldn’t want to miss my LP cuts
Then I thought to use the Billboard book Album Cuts. It’s a pretty useful tool that lists the name of every cut of every album that charted on the Billboard charts from 1955 to 2001. However, for this task, it would have been maddening, for while it would list every song named Angel, it would not indicate which are different songs and which are cover versions. Besides which, it’s 750 pages of six-point type.

Ultimately, I used the index to Top Pop Singles. It’s only 150 pages of much larger type AND it distinguishes between cover versions and differently named songs. This list is hardly complete – undoubtedly, there are album cuts I’ve forgotten.

The / indicates a cover version, NOT that they performed it together.

America-Frank Sinatra; Simon & Garfunkel/Paul Simon/Yes; at least four different West Side Story versions
Angel-Aerosmith; Sarah McLaughlin; Madonna; Jon Secada; Aretha Franklin; Rod Stewart
Another Day-Paul McCartney; Sting
Breakaway- Art Garfunkel; Beach Boys
Call Me-Aretha Franklin; Blondie
Candy Man-Sammy Davis; Roy Orbison
Cherish-Association; Madonna
Chicago-Graham Nash; Frank Sinatra
Crazy-Seal; Patsy Cline [and others]; Aerosmith
Crossroads-Cream [and undoubtedly others]; Tracy Chapman
Dance, Dance, Dance-Beach Boys; Chic
Dance with Me-Orleans; Peter Brown; Drifters
Day by Day-Godspell; Hooters
Do It Again-Beach Boys; Steely Dan
Don’t Be Cruel-Elvis Presley; Bobby Brown
Dreams-Fleetwood Mac; Cranberries
Drive-Cars; R.E.M.
Everlasting Love-Carl Carlton/Gloria Estefan; Howard Jones
Fallen-Elvis Costello; k.d. lang
Fire-Ohio Players; Arthur Brown; Pointer Sisters/Bruce Springsteen; Jimi Hendrix
Friends-Elton John; Bette Midler; Beach Boys
A Girl Like You-Young Rascals; Edwyn Collins
Gloria-Them/Doors; Patti Smith; Laura Branigan; U2. And this doesn’t count classical pieces titled Gloria, of which, undoubtedly, I own a few.
Good Times-Chic; Edie Brickell
Hold On-En Vogue; Santana; Kansas; Rascals; Herman’s Hermits
Holiday-BeeGees; Madonna; Kool & the Gang
Home-Sheryl Crow; Roger Miller
Hot! Hot! Hot!-Buster Poindexter; Cure
How Long-Ace; Pointer Sisters [with parenthetical extra title]
I Love You-Frank Sinatra; Zombies; Sarah McLachlan
I Threw It All Away-Bob Dylan; Elvis Costello
I’m a Man-Spencer Davis Group/Chicago; Yardbirds
I want You-Marvin Gaye; Beatles [with parenthetical extra title]
Jump-Van Halen; Pointer Sisters
Love and Happiness-Al Green; Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
Lucille-Kenny Rogers; Little Richard/Everly Brothers/Beatles
Magic-Olivia Newton-John; Cars
Memphis-Chuck Berry/Johnny Rivers/Beatles; Joe Jackson
Money-Pink Floyd; Beatles/Barrett Strong
My Baby-Temptations; Pretenders
My Love-Petula Clark; Paul McCartney
One-Three Dog Night; U2/Johnny Cash
Rag Doll-Four Seasons; Aerosmith
Real Love-Doobie Brothers; Beatles
Runaway-Janet Jackson; Corrs; Bonnie Raitt/Del Shannon; Jefferson Starship
Shout-Tears for Fears; Beatles [and a number of others]
Sign Of The Times-Petula Clark; Prince [OK, the Minnesota guy used ‘O’ instead of Of]
Silver and Gold-Neil Young; U2
Stand-R.E.M.; Sly & the Family Stone [with !]
Surrender-Elvis Presley; U2
Temptation-Diana Krall; Elvis Costello
Thank You-Led Zeppelin; Boyz II Men; Sly & the Family Stone [parenthetical addition]
Time-Hootie & the Blowfish; Pozo-Seco Singers
Tunnel of Love-Dire Straits; Bruce Springsteen
Wait-White Lion; Beatles
Why-Annie Lennox; Beatles with Tony Sheridan; Tracy Chapman [with a ?]
Without You-Nilsson; Doobie Brothers; Dixie Chicks; David Bowie
Wild Horses-Rolling Stones; Garth Brooks
Woman-John Lennon; Peter & Gordon
Words-Monkees; BeeGees
You-George Harrison; Marvin Gaye; Bonnie Raitt

I did see the movie Contact, based one one of his books, which I mostly enjoyed. With all he had accomplished, I had forgotten how young he was when he died, 10 years ago today.
***
Frustrated “smart person” story, to which I can definitely relate: a librarian I know was picked for some trivia contest, touted as the “brain” and was then knocked out in the first round by a question about a TV event that took place five years before he or she was born: What cigarette brand did the Flintstones smoke in a series of commercials? Thing is, I somehow knew this, possibly because I saw it in the early 1960s and/or because it was my father’s cigarette brand. But more likely because I read about it here.
The ad below is different from the one I linked to above.

This year’s honorees, awarded on Sunday, December 3rd 2006, were as follows:

“Musical theater composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber“. If only for Jesus Christ, Superstar, I’d find Lloyd Webber to be a large part of my growing up. The raging theological debate that the musical generated among my friends and the religious folks I knew at the time was incredibly intense. Its revival was also the last musical I saw on Broadway, 3 or 4 years ago. I also own, also on vinyl, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, plus I have his Requiem Mass on cassette, and I saw the film version of the musical Evita.

“Conductor Zubin Mehta. Saw him on Live at Lincoln Center. I’m sure he shows up in my music collection, but it’s arranged by classical composer, not orchestra or conductor. But he’s in there somewhere.

“Country singer and songwriter Dolly Parton. She wrote “I Will Always Love You” about her long-time partner Porter Waggoner, but it became a huge hit for someone else. I have both Trio albums with Ronstadt and Harris, and saw her in the movie “Nine to Five”, but it is her many TV appearances for which I know her best. Dan Rather interviewed her in the past three years and was evidently smitten. I wonder if Jessica Simpson flub of “9 to 5” will appear on the air.

“Singer, songwriter and producer Smokey Robinson. The amazing thing about his writing for Motown is that he created for both the male and female artists’ points of view: My Guy for Mary Wells, My Girl for the Temptations. He wrote for and/or produced most of the classic Motown artists; his “Who’s Lovin’ You” appears on the debut albums of both the Supremes and the Jackson Five, e.g.
Possibly my favorite song he wrote was “No More Tear-Stained Makeup” for Martha and the Vandellas.
“No sponge has quite the power
To absorb the constant shower
Of the tears pancake and powder could never cover
Like a storm more tears have rained
Since your shirt was lipstick stained
And the stains that it contained
Were not my colour.”
And I haven’t even mentioned his hits with the Miracles, from the first big Motown hit (Shop Around) to a song covered by the Beatles (You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me) to the Tears songs (Tracks of My Tears, Tears of a Clown), plus his work as a solo artist.

“Film director and producer Steven Spielberg.”
I might have seen a few things he worked on:
Catch Me If You Can (2002) (producer, director)
Shrek (2001) (executive producer, uncredited)
Deep Impact (1998) (executive producer)
Amistad (1997) (producer, director)
Men in Black (1997) (executive producer)
Twister (1996) (executive producer)
Survivors of the Holocaust (1996) (TV) (executive producer)
“Pinky and the Brain” (1995) TV Series (executive producer)
“ER” (1994) TV Series (executive producer, some episodes)
Schindler’s List (1993) (producer, director)
Jurassic Park (1993) (director)
“Animaniacs” (1993) TV Series (executive producer)
Cape Fear (1991) (executive producer, uncredited)
Back to the Future Part III (1990) (executive producer)
Back to the Future Part II (1989) (executive producer)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) (director)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (executive producer)
Empire of the Sun (1987) (producer, director)
An American Tail (1986) (executive producer)
The Money Pit (1986) (executive producer)
The Color Purple (1985) (producer, director)
Back to the Future (1985) (executive producer)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (director)
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) (producer, director of segment 2)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (producer, director)
Continental Divide (1981) (executive producer)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (director)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (director, writer)
The Sugarland Express (1974) (director, story)
Plus a number of cartoons he wrote, TV shows he directed, and “The Making of” shows in which he has appeared.

Even at the time, I recognized Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass as a good choice as my first Rolling Stones album.
1. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
2. The Last Time
3. As Tears Go By
4. Time Is on My Side
5. It’s All over Now
6. Tell Me
7. 19th Nervous Breakdown
8. Heart of Stone
9. Get off of My Cloud
10. Not Fade Away
11. Good Times Bad Times
12. Play With Fire
However, I always thought Tell Me was out of tune, and that some of the songs sounded muddy. Unlike with the Beatles, I didn’t go out and buy every album. I’ve subsequently heard those early albums from which these songs were drawn, and they seem to hold a lot of filler, so I’ve never coveted them.

Conversely, I loved Through The Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) instantly, even though I had a larger percentage of albums from which the songs were culled. The U.S. version:
1. Paint It, Black
2. Ruby Tuesday
3. She’s a Rainbow
4. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
5. Mother’s Little Helper
6. Let’s Spend the Night Together
7. Honky Tonk Women
8. Dandelion
9. 2000 Light Years from Home
10. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby Standing in the Shadow?
11. Street Fighting Man
For a few cuts, such as Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Honky Tonk Women, and Dandelion, this was their initial appearance on album, making this purchase even more urgent at the time. The Stones’ catalog in the US was even more confusing than the Beatles’ in that certain songs appeared on more than one album from the same label (both Ruby Tuesday and Let’s Spend The Night Together on Between the Buttons AND Flowers, both London releases), so that the greatest hits collection was a better choice. Besides which, it had that octagonal cover!

Of course, these collections have been superseded by such albums as Hot Rocks (reviewed by Gordon this fall), but I’ve never purchased it, instead owning these two pieces of vinyl.

Edited to note: Beginner Guitar HQ has a new article How to Play Guitar Like Keith Richards. You may find it useful. Even as a person who can’t play a lick, it was interesting.