Loggins & Messina – Your Mama Don’t Dance

Title: Your Mama Don’t Dance

Artist: Loggins & Messina

Album: Loggins & Messina (note: NOT their first album)

Year Released: 1972

What It Is: A fun song, suitable for oldsters, youngsters, and hipsters. Well, ok, maybe not the hipsters. Well, not the 1972 hipsters. Now, the ironic hipster doofuses will dig it. I think. Right?

Riffage / Hookage: That’s a mighty fine guitar lick there, Kenny.

Cowbell?: Not here, son.

Words Of Wisdom: “You pulled into a drive-in and found a place to park
You hop into the backseat where ya know it’s nice and dark
You’re just about to move in, you’re thinking it’s a breeze
There’s a light in my eye and a guy says
Out of the car long hair
Oowee – You’re coming with me – the local police”

Curses, foiled again. Of course, that wouldn’t be an issue with the kids on Footloose, right?

Mixology Report: People will either love this or want to punch you. But you know, mix it anyway. Your jaw can take it.

Top Five Genius Results: Kenny Loggins – Celebrate Me Home (der…)
Seals & Crofts – Diamond Girl
Dan Fogelberg – Heart Hotel (side note: remember when Opus’ girlfriend Lola Granola had a Dan Fogelberg tattoo? Anyone? No)
Orleans – Still The One
Little River Band – Lonesome Loser

Hey, welcome to light hits 97.3, the station you can play at full volume and not bother anyone!

For The Good Of The Order: I’ll admit, I loved this song when it came out. Of course, I was 6 1/2. My mom liked it too. I played it today for one of my kids on the way to the science museum. No reaction – so I doubt if it even registered. Actually, I doubt if she even pays attention.

Here they are at the Midnight Special. Someone in their tour band is a bit annoying on the backing vocals. Plus, the director misses the money shot of Kenny Loggins saying “OUT OF THE CAR LONGHAIR!” PS – Kenny really needed a shave and a haircut…

 

Bread – Mother Freedom

Title:Mother Freedom

Artist: Bread

Album: Baby I’m-A Want You

Year Released: 1972

What It Is: A surprisingly rockin’ tune from a band usually derided as being on the wimpier side of life. It’s full of post-60’s hippy dippy lyrics, but dang it’s got a strong riff.

Riffage / Hookage: Oh, yeah, the riff, man. But there’s some surprising lead guitar. The one unnecessary piece is backing the bass / rhythm guitar with a sax section. I think another guitar set on full blast would have carried it through.

Cowbell?: Not cowbell, but I hear some bongos in the background to add depth to the percussion. I think drummer Mike Botts went, “YES! I can let it all hang out!” (You know, when Bread did concerts, I hope they did songs like “Diary”, “Aubrey” and “If” all in a row so Botts could take a logical break instead of going back and forth between songs to his kit.)

Words Of Wisdom: “Freedom – keep tryin’
People stay alive and people keep dyin’ for
Freedom – so don’t lose it
Ya gotta understand ya just can’t abuse it
Freedom – get movin’
Never gonna stop till everybody’s groovin’ on
Love for – one another
Callin’ some friend and callin’ some brother”

So post-hippie there, right? But it’s a great message. Coming from Bread, though, it was odd, since 95% of their songs is about trying to score with some chick.

Mixology Report: Sure, crank it!

For The Good Of The Order: This was a single, of course (a song this strong shouldn’t have been) but it stiffed (hit #37) so thereafter Bread went with the wussy stuff for singles. (Yes, I said wussy, but if “If” isn’t a wussy song then I’m not Nathan Arizona…) A song like “Down On My Knees”, another up-tempo rocker (ok, semi-rocker) wasn’t a single but could have been a hit, at least in my universe!

Here be a fan’s video with stills. Rock out and enjoy the 70’s threads, especially the open collared unbuttoned shirt with a tie at the waist. How sexxxxy!

 

The Staple Singers – I’ll Take You There

Title: I’ll Take You There

Artist: The Staple Singers

Album: Be Atltitude : Respect Yourself

Year Released: 1972

What It Is: Early 1970’s soul / funk /gospel from Memphis. The Staple Singers were one of the great Stax empire’s final hitmakers. It’s heavenly, as you can hear below.

Riffage / Hookage: Pops Staples chicken scratchin’ guitar and the deep groove of the Muscle Shoals studio pros provide what riffs there is, and the hook sung by Mavis and her sisters is just heavenly! The song is mostly groove and hook, but that’s just dandy!

Cowbell?:No, but very nice cymbal and woodblock usage!

Words Of Wisdom: “I know a place
Ain’t nobody cryin’
Ain’t nobody worried
Ain’t no smilin’ faces
Mmm, no no
Lyin’ to the races
Help me, come on, come on
Somebody, help me now
(I’ll take you there)”

Now, not to be naive, because there’s a lot of work to do still, but electing Obama as president is ‘there’, or at least a lot of the way ‘there’!

Mixology Report:Yes, yes, yes, 1000 times yes!

For The Good Of The Order: Pops Staples (1915-2000) started his career playing gospel and spirituals and by 1941 was in Chicago. By 1951 he introduced Mavis, Cleotha and Pervis to a church audience and the Staple Singers were born. But they were pretty much straight old-time gospel until the early 60’s, when they turned to folk-type music. Then, in 1968, they went down to Muscle Shoals, and Pervis left (replaced by sister Yvonne) and the hit making Staples were born. Funky!

Here’s the Staples (minus either Cleotha or Yvette, not sure which) on the Flip Wilson show. Have mercy!

 

Daniel Boone – Beautiful Sunday

Title: Beautiful Sunday

Artist: Daniel Boone

Album:Beautiful Sunday

Year Released: 1972

What It Is: A breezy little pop song. It’s upbeat and cheerful and the kids and yer ma loved it. It was easy to play on a cross section of radio stations, and variety show programmers could easily put this guy on because he didn’t scare anyone, unlike some of those ugly rock-and-rollers. I had this on a K-Tel record back in the day and yes, I pretty much wore it out.

Riffage / Hookage:The whole freakin’ song is a hook. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s a beautiful day” and the whole (thump) chorus (thump) works (thump) like an earwig. And the modulation at the end was a genius move!

Cowbell?:No, just that thump of the drums during the chorus.

Words Of Wisdom: I don’t know if I can pick any one set of lyrics out. You listen to this once, and you know it.

Mixology Report:This works in a cheesy happy love-infused mix. Or to piss off the death metal crowd! Either one, it’s a winner.

For The Good Of The Order: Who was this guy? Where did he come from? Where did he go? Well, um, maybe one of my readers from the UK knows, because I got nothin’.

This, obviously, was shot later than 1972, but it’s the original song, and you know that even in 1972 the old ladies in the crowd would still clap along.

 

Beach Boys – He Come Down

Title: He Come Down

Artist: The Beach Boys

Album: Carl & The Passions “So Tough”

Year Released: 1972

What It Is: A bunch of hippy-dippy TM crap saved by one of the most righteous choruses the Beach Boys ever did!

Riffage / Hookage: The chorus’ hook (and production) is one of the best things the 70’s Boys’ ever did. It’s a shame the verses cluttered it up – THANKS MIKE LOVE!

Cowbell?: Nope, though the drummer for the Boys at this time (Rikki Fataar, since Dennis Wilson cut some tendons in his hand, semi-on purpose) was later in the Rutles! As the stand-in for George Harrison! Go figure.

Words of Wisdom: “Hey-yon-du-coma-nauga-ton
Means avoid the suffering before it comes
Krishna said a long time ago
To “Let the arrow fly first without the bow”

Um, see what I mean…

Mixology Report: This may take some tolerance by your listener until the chorus kicks in, and then that’s worth it right there!

For The Good Of The Order: Brian Wilson worked on this album for maybe 10 minutes, so Love and Al Jardine could get away with a lot. Somehow they got this chorus right. Now if we could put some verses to it! I mean verses that make sense!

(Sorry, no video goodness. Also, see the new feature, “Words of Wisdom”)