Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

Any Major Dude With Half A Heart turns 10 years old this week. The first post was a narrative effort about plastic surgery inspired by Smokey Robinson”s rigid smile. But within a couple of weeks it became a music blog, paying tribute to Swedish indie artists, female folk-rock and indie singers and the great Ben Folds. Soon I got a following, especially thanks to Totally Fuzzy, an aggregator site on which music blogs could advertise their latest posts (it still exists, though with a different focus). As the months progressed, I had regular features: pissing off the taste police by defending acts like Barry Manilow or Wet Wet Wet; paying tribute to newer acts from the independent side of things, such as Josh Rouse;  “Music for Bloggers”, wherein I punted blogs and dedicated a suitable song to them. Some of these bloggers have remained friends, most notably Whiteray of Echoes In The Wind (www.echoesinthewind.com). For a couple of years I even ran an annual “award show” for my favourite blogs. Later came the relatively short-lived “Great Moustaches in Pop“ series, a series on answer records (that I should turn into a CD-R Mix), and one of songs about murder (ditto).

The biggest project was The Originals, a series of pieces on lesser-known originals of famous songs. It was a mammoth project which I”d like to revise one day (as I did with the Elvis originals, Bacharach originals and Christmas originals), though the workload for it is immense. There are 700 such songs in my collection. For the first few years, I posted individual songs on various filehosting sites. The first of these was Z-Share; the most regular was Mediafire, until that service turned to crap. Around that time it seemed to me that concentrating on CD-R length themed mixes was the better way to go. Most of these mixes I make for my own pleasure, as a creative outlet. I take joy in sharing what I love. A few mixes were made as a means of documentary; most notably the History of Country series, which is still up, with an eBook that can be downloaded free. The mixes are usually accompanied by home-made covers. These are made especially for the readers. I have fun making them, though I have no idea whether anybody ever uses them.

In January 2010 I started the In Memoriam series, which I know many people are looking forward to every month. In the course of researching the monthly departed I”ve come across a number of sites and blogs that chronicle the latest celebrity deaths. I don”t think I”m overstating things when I describe my efforts as the most comprehensive monthly run-down of the latest music folks who have left us. Certainly none I”ve seen pay tribute to them by way of music (though some do so by posting YouTube links). These songs, I must add, aren”t always endorsed by me. Over time, this blog has received many plaudits, which is of course always very nice to hear. Comments are always the lifeblood of the blogger. When a post receives no comments, I am tempted to retire from running this show. It is frustrating when a few hundred people download a mix and have nothing to say. Usually the next post gets engagement, and all”s well again. A couple of times musicians from back when commented to thank me for keeping their music known, which was wonderful. And, of course, there was the time the notable songwriter Norman Gimbel e-mailed me to give me his version of how Killing Me Softly With His Song came about. The most impressive public plaudit was the inclusion of this blog in the Playboy 2013 Music Guide. Mine was the only music blog to feature, alongside artists like My Bloody Valentine, Kendrick Lamar, Caitlin Rose and Richard Thompson. “All blogs have strong opinions, but few have the expertise and imagination of Any Major Dude With Half a Heart,” editor Rob Tannenbaum wrote. ” A champion of the championless, the Dude puts together thematic MP3 playlists. The best posts at HalfheartedDude.com are the R&B compilations from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, which resurrect great songs that should never have been forgotten.” By way of acknowledgment I created a mix of seemingly random songs. The unmentioned punchline was that the covers of the albums from which these songs came featured nudity (because Playboy, y”see).

To celebrate these ten years, I”ll be posting compilations of some of the best songs from the various mixes that have appeared here. I”ll start off with two comps of tracks from my favourite 40 mixes over the years; mixes which I still play regularly (the second mix follows next month). The tracklisting is in random order (well, not random ““ I take care in sequencing them). If forced to choose, I”d rate the two Any Major Morning mixes as my all-favourites, maybe just ahead of the two Jimmy Webb compilations. This mix is, as always, timed to fit on a standard CD-R. I’ve not made covers for it. PW in comments.

1. Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning (1999)
Any Major TV Themes Vol. 1
2. Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time – Driving Somewhere (2007)
Any Major Roads Vol. 1
3. Marc Cohn – Listening To Levon (2007)
Any Major Radio Vol. 1
4. Little Feat – Willin’ (1972)
Any Major American Road Trip – Stage 3 (Amarillo to the California Coast)
5. Barbara Jean English – So Many Ways To Die (1972)
Any Major Soul 1972/73
6. Webster Lewis – Give Me Some Emotion (1979)
Any Major Funk Vol. 1
7. Bill LaBounty – Living It Up (1982)
Not Feeling Guilty Vol. 1
8. Big Sound Authority – This House (Is Where Your Love Stands) (1984)
Should Have Been A Top 10 Hit – Vol. 1
9. Aztec Camera – Walk Out To Winter (1983)
Any Major Winter
10. Brooklyn Bridge – Worst That Could Happen (1969)
Any Major Jimmy Webb Collection Vol. 1
11. Scott Walker – Joanna (1968)
Any Major Summer Vol. 3
12. Carpenters – Road One (1972)
Any Major Flute Vol. 1
13. Fleetwood Mac – Silver Springs (1977)
Any Major B-Sides
14. Townes Van Zandt – I’ll Be Here In The Morning (1968)
Any Major Morning Vol. 1
15. Dave Alvin – Rio Grande (2004)
Any Major Mexico
16. Lyle Lovett – Just The Morning (1994)
Any Major Coffee Vol. 1
17. Bap Kennedy – Please Return To Jesus (2012)
Saved Vol. 3
18. Justin Townes Earle – One More Night In Brooklyn (2010)
Any Major Night Vol. 1
19. Jeff Tweedy – Simple Twist Of Fate (2007)
Any Major Dylan Covers Vol. 1
20. Nick Drake – Saturday Sun (1970)
Any Major Week Vol. 1

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More Mixed CD-Rs

Man, 1975 was a fine vintage for soul. Any Major Soul 1975 Vol. 1 was great; the second mix is no less wonderful. There are so many songs that failed to make the cut. And if you want more 1975 vibes, Any Major Soul 1974/75 is still up.

The mix begins with a time-capsule novelty: The Soul Train Gang preaching colour-blindness, with the late, great Don Cornelius, the presenter of Soul Train, rapping over the backing vocals of the quintet he founded. Flute fans will get something out of the outro.

Most acts on these mixes are North Americans, with the occasional Brit showing up “” as Linda Lewis does in this edition with a song that is gospel-tinged soul but influenced, like all of Lewis” music, by folk-rock. But here we also have a South African, Richard Jon Smith, who had a brief period of international success. As his fellow South African Jonathan Butler, Smith emerged from Cape Town”s vibrant “mixed-race” music scene where the boundaries between jazz, funk and soul are virtually meaningless “” and it shows in their music.

By 1975, the heyday of JJ Barnes was over. He”d been an artist on Motown, though none of his songs were released by the label, and he enjoyed a 1967 hit with Baby Please Come Back Home. In the 1970s he moved to Britain, where his catalogue was popular on the Northern Soul scene. He released a few records in the UK, but had no chart success.

Founded in the wake of funk acts like Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang, Memphis band Chocolate Milk were also Allen Toussaint”s backing band. They were versatile, dabbling in funk, disco, soul, ballads and jazz.

In this mix, Clydene Jackson“s song recalls the southern soul of the late 1960s “” perhaps not surprising, since she was produced by Ray Charles. Jackson didn”t record much for herself, but did (and still does) a lot of session work for acts like Rick James, Randy Crawford, Teddy Pendergrass, Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, Anita Baker, Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson, Gil Scott-Heron, Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, Hugh Masekela, Rod Stewart, Richard “Dimples” Fields, Tom Scott, Idris Muhammad, Neil Young, Muse  and lots others.

Leon Haywood“s seriously sexy I Want”a Do Something Freaky To You was famously sampled by Dr Dre for Nuthin” But A “˜G” Thang “” and by many other hip hop acts, such as Redman on Rockafella. A word of warning, the female backing vocalist”s contribution to the song, especially towards the end, might be NSFW. Haywood died in April 2016.

As ever, CD-R-length, covers, PW the same as always (amdwhah)

1.  Soul Train Gang – Spectrum
2.  Chocolate Milk – Ain’t Nothing But A Thing
3.  Leon Haywood – I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You
4.  Merry Clayton – Room 205
5.  Linda Lewis – Love, Love, Love
6.  Minnie Riperton – Feelin’ That Your Feelin’s Right
7.  Clydene Jackson – If You Were Mine
8.  Johnny Bristol – Leave My World
9.  J.J. Barnes – I Think I’ve Got A Good Chance
10. Richard Jon Smith – Live For You
11. Smoked Sugar – My Eyes Search A Lonely Room For You
12. Loleatta Holloway – I Know Where You”re Coming From
13. Melba Moore – Get Into My Mind
14. Barbara Acklin – Give Me Some Your Sweet Love
15. Carl Graves – You”re Gonna Be All Alone
16. Curtis Mayfield – So In Love
17. Freddie North – Cuss The Wind
18. Roberta Flack – Mr. Magic
19. Bill Withers – I Wish You Well
20. Vernon Garrett – I Learned My Lesson
21. Impressions – Groove

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More Any Major Soul

The first two Any Major Road mixes (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) were so popular, here”s a third one. And this time we let in hitch-hikers, as the cover indicates. I have test-driven this mix for a couple of months now; I really like it.

As I did with the Beach Boys for the summer mixes, I include one Bruce Springsteen song per roads set. Of course, the Beach Boys could also contend having bossed the car song genre. And another one who could stake a claim is, surprisingly, Bob Dylan. But they get only one song, for there”s only one The Boss.

Still, Dylan appears here, on the third volume. And his song is followed by one of the rockabilly artists who had a great influence on the young Robert. Warren Smith never really hit the big time, but I think his Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache is one of the finest songs on any of these road mixes (Dylan recorded a version if it in 2001).

His career at Sun Records having stalled, Smith moved to California and had a couple of minor hits on Liberty records. His career was ruined by a car crash in 1965, in the aftermath of which Smith became addicted to painkillers and then to alcohol, culminating in a prison term for a robbery of a pharmacy. In the late 1970s Smith enjoyed something of a comeback in Britain and Europe, at a time of a rockabilly revival there. After a successful tour of Britain and Europe he was planning another one. He never went: a heart attack killed him on January 30, 1980, about a week before he would have turned 48.

Warren Smith and pal.

After Smith had left Sun, another act featured here signed for the label. You may recall The Jesters from the Any American Road Trip – Stage 5 mix. Not to be confused with the New York doo-wop band of the late 1950s, this lot was a mid-1960s Memphis garage rock band. And why were they signed for Sun Records? Because their bassist and producer were label boss Sam Philips” sons. Cadillac Man from 1966 was their only single. When it tanked, the band broke up.

The Jesters were unmistakably influenced by the rockabilly of their predecessors on Sun. Two more recent acts here draw from the same pool of influences:  Scotty Baker“s 2001 song “˜50 Buick could have been recorded by any number of rockabilly acts in 1958; even his CD cover looks like it was made then. The Little Willies are an Americana band: the title of their Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves sounds like a “50s country title; the sound is an updated version of that from those days.

Most of the acts here are Americans, but two acts here are from Britain. The Kinks are well-known; sadly, Scottish outfit Hipsway never became really big. They had a UK Top 20 in 1986 with the outstanding The Honeythief. Songs like Ask The Lord and The Broken Years should have been big hits too, as should have been the featured song, Long White Car, which reached #55 in the UK in September 1986. It”s a great shame they never made it big.

On the subject of the covers: I don”t know whether I”m wasting my time making them, but I hope they at least look good. For this mix, both images are from pixabay.com, a very useful royalty-free photo resource (the frontcover photo is by cocoparisienne; the back-cover by Lufina).

Some people made suggestions for future mixes in the comments of previous mixes. Feel free to add to them for a possible readers” mix.

As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R. Home-pimped covers are included. PW the same as always (amdwhah)

1. Willie Nelson – On The Road Again (1980)
2. Janis Joplin – Me And Bobby McGee (1971)
3. Bob Dylan – On The Road Again (1965)
4. Warren Smith – Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache (1957)
5. Chuck Berry – Nadine (Is That You?) (1964)
6. Jean DuShon – Hitch Hike (1964)
7. The Jesters – Cadillac Man (1966)
8. The Kinks – Drivin” (1969)
9. Sammy Johns – Chevy Van (1975)
10. Tom Waits – Diamonds On My Windshield (1974)
11. Tom Russell – Down The Rio Grande (2001)
12. Bruce Springsteen – Racing In The Street (1978)
13. Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)
14. Hipsway – Long White Car (1986)
15. Black Heat – Drive My Car (1975)
16. Eddie Rabbitt – Drivin” My Life Away (1980)
17. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Truck Drivin” Man (1987)
18. Roy Orbison – I Drove All Night (rel. 1992)
19. Scotty Baker – “˜50 Buick (2001)
20. The Little Willies – Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves (2012)
21. Jerry Reed – East Bound And Down (1977)
22. Robert Mitchum – Ballad Of Thunder Road (1960)

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More Mixed CD-Rs

The first month of January might have spared us the death of superstars, but the Grim Reaper wrought almost as great carnage in his domain as the Orange Horror Clown did in his.Perhaps the most famous name to be struck off the roll call of the living was that of Peter Sarstedt, the British folk-rock singer who suffered the double-edged sword of having an enduring mega-hit that came to define him. It didn”t help that this hit, Where Do You Go To My Lovely?, became one of those songs that gained a reputation, to the point of perceived wisdom, of being awful. While one can see how it might not be everybody”s cup of herbal tea, it didn”t merit this derision “” it is a fine song. And Sarstedt did not deserve to be defined by his big hit; he actually had better songs than that, including Where Do You”¦”s flip-side, I am A Cathedral.

One of the premier jazz labels in the 1950s and “˜60s was Verve, and arranger and conductor Buddy Bregman was there from the start in 1956, having been appointed head of A&R by the label”s great founder, Norman Granz, at only 25. As part of his A&R job, he brought Bing Cosby to the label. But it was as an arranger that he made his name “” so much so that it appeared on the title of Cosby”s first album for Verve, the platinum-seller Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings. Bregman also arranged the label”s first album, the classic Ella Fitzgerald Sings Cole Porter (he”d also arrange some of Ella”s subsequent songbook albums). Bregman arranged for the likes of Count Basie, Anita O”Day, Fed Astaire, Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Jerry Lewis, Ricky Nelson, Paul Anka, Buddy Rich, Gogi Grant, Eydie Gormé, Johnny Mercer, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie Fisher (on whose TV show he was musical director), Carmen McRae, and Ethel Merman. He also presented his own TV show in the late 1950s, and scored or orchestrated several films in the 1950s and “˜60s, including Bob Fosse”s The Pajama Game. In the 1960s he worked in Britain for a while, as head of light entertainment on the ITV television station.

It wasn”t a good month for Buddys who once lived in England.  Two days after Bregman, the jazz vocalist and pianist Buddy Greco died at 90. He was performing from seven years of age, including appearances on the radio. Greco”s professional music career began in 1942 when at the age of 16 he joined Benny Goodman”s touring band. By the time he left Goodman four years later, Greco was an experienced singer, pianist and arranger. In 1947 he scored his first US chart hit “” Ooh! Look-A There, Ain”t She Pretty “” which peaked at #15. Many more hits followed, including his greatest in 1960 with a version of The Lady Is A Tramp. Unusually for singers in his genre, he lived much of his time in England, where he had great success on stage (though none in the charts, other than a middling position with The Lady Is A Tramp). He was still performing on stage until a couple of years ago, marking his 80^th anniversary as a performer with a concert in 2013.

The lifestory of South African jazz singer Thandi Klaasen might make for a pretty good movie. Having reached adulthood just as the apartheid regime was putting its racist boot on the throats of South Africa”s black people, Klaasen became a young singing sensation in early 1950s Sophiatown, a township that was the capital of jazz in Johannesburg, by breaking the male monopoly with her all-female vocal quartet, the Quad Sisters. It paved the way for other female Sophiatown artists, such as Miriam Makeba and Dolly Rathebe. Klaasen, a woman of formidable character, also taught the pretty singers how to deal with the sexual advances of the assorted gangsters and thugs who formed a large part of their audiences. In 1961 Klaasen featured with Makeba in the  London run of the all-black jazz-musical King Kong, which served as a requiem for Sophiatown after it had been ethnically-cleansed and torn down by the apartheid regime.

Klaasen was prolific mostly as a stage performer, but that might have ended in 1977 when she was disfigured by an acid attack on her face, allegedly by “rivals”. After more than a year in hospital, she drew from that immense inner strength to reboot her career. She became an icon not only for her contralto and jazz-scatting, but also for her defiance of fate”s cruel tricks. Among the mourners at her funeral was South Africa”s former president, Thabo Mbeki. On February 3, 1959 a bunch of musicians on a tour tossed coins to see who could fly to the next venue, and who”d suffer the mid-winter journey on the beat-up bus. Guitarist Tommy Allsup lost the toss to Richie Valens — and lived for another almost 58 years. After rock music’s most famous plane crash, Read more…