Thursday Throwdown ~ Canned Heat ~ A Change Is Gonna Come/Leaving This Town

Woodstock 1969

A Change is Gonna Come and Leaving This Town are the same song and not affiliated with Sam Cooke’s song or the latter one a Beach Boy’s.

It is a Canned Heat Jam created by band.

Bob “The Bear” Hite – vocals, harmonica
Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson – guitar, slide guitar, vocals
Harvey “The Snake” Mandel – guitar
Larry “The Mole” Taylor – bass
Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra – drums

The 2011 Detroit International Jazz Festival Is Here!

So Come Downtown And Enjoy It!

A Befitting Farewell to “Motown’s Matriarch” Esther Gordy Edwards.

On Wednesday August 24, 2011 91-year-old Esther Gordy Edwards may have been surrounded by family and some friends when she died but certainly not all the friends this lady of Motown had. For they would have had to have a museum a thousand times bigger then the one she created for the Detroit’s recording studio she founded.

When you hear our city’s legacy it makes you wonder how all that music, all those artists, all those musicians and all those hits got cranked out of a garage ( Studio A ) of a house that has sat at 2648 West Grand Boulevard from the start, but they did. And that house would be transformed into “Hitsville USA”.

A Solemn Motown Monday ~ ” What’s Going On” ~ Marvin Gaye

” I have never heard any song in my life that the words ring out so prevalent today in 2011 as the year they were written in 1971, 40 years ago “.

Heads Up East Coast !!! Like A Hurricane ~ Neil Young

And Be Safe.

Will be thinking about the masses trying to get out of Irene’s path.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ The Doors

Motown Monday ~ Mr. Excitement Jackie Wilson ~ Baby Workout!

You don’t need any details of why this Man was called this. The music says it all.

Jackie was one of the most dynamic performers to watch and listen to. If that man couldn’t make you dance you were DEAD!

Saturday at Sundown ~ “Feelin’ The Blues ” ~ Ry Cooder

Self Explanatory

Cooder’s guitar says it all without a word spoken.

When you can get an instrument to play what you’re feeling inside and others hear it, you have more than accomplished yourself a true musician.

Woodstock 1969 ~ I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die ~ Country Joe & The Fish

Generations

We were tougher, unspoiled ( unless you wanted your ass kicked by your parents ), more mature and willing to take to the streets and fight for what we believed in. Even if we got our heads kicked in.

Weren’t always right, weren’t always wrong.

In 1968 two of our hero’s were murdered before the nations eyes. Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King Jr.

The 68′ Tet offensive threw Nam into another realm as if it hadn’t been disastrous enough. No doubt in any body’s minds that RFK would have been our next President had he not been assassinated.

And Nam would have ended soon after. But as the words goes it just wasn’t meant to be. And I still say why the hell not.

Saturday’s ” Sweetwater ” ~ In A Rainbow

Written by Alex Del Zoppo
Released in 1968 off their self entitled album and the first.

Nancy ( Nansi ) Nevins – vocals
Alex Del Zoppo – piano, and harmonica and backing vocals
Fred Herrera – bass and backing vocals
August Burns – cello
Alan Malarowitz – drums
Elpidio “Pete” Cobian – congas, percussion and backing vocals
Albert Moore – flute, Tambourine, Cowbell, backing vocals

You can tell it’s getting closer to the original Woodstock Anniversary.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ So Hard To Share ~ John Mayall

Written by John Mayall
Recorded July 12, 1969 – Fillmore East
Album title – THE TURNING POINT

John Mayall – vocals, harmonica, slide guitar, telecaster 6 string guitar, tambourine, mouth percussion
Jon Mark – acoustic finger-style guitar
Steve Thompson – bass guitar
Johnny Almond – tenor and alto saxophones, flutes, mouth percussion

Monday Madness Stock Market Crash ~ Are You Happy Tea Party?

Sunday “Summertime” ~ Billy Stewart

Written by George Gershwin – Music
DuBose Heyward – Lyrics

There was no other like Billy Stewart. This man blew this 1935 written song completely apart with his rendition in 1966. Talk about explosive, man a total understatement.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Down By The River ~ Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Written By Neil Young
Album: Live at the Fillmore East recorded March 6-7, 1970.

Neil Young – guitar, vocals
Danny Whitten – guitar, vocals
Jack Nitzsche – electric piano
Billy Talbot – bass
Ralph Molina – drums, backing vocals

This was the first live release and last tour that featured Danny Whitten who died in 1972. The tour which included a stop in N.Y. for the Fillmore performances was to support their May 14, 1969 release of Young’s second album, ” Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere ” and was the first album being backed by Crazy Horse.

Although Whitten wrote songs, played and contributed on more of Young’s albums and recorded one album with Crazy Horse in 1971.

Addicted to heroin during the recording of 1970 album ” After The Gold Rush ” Young dismissed the whole band before the album was finished and in 1972 ultimately it was Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina who fired Whitten from Crazy Horse.

“The Needle and the Damage Done” was actually Young’s expression for Whitten’s destruction of talent caused by his drug use. In Oct. of 1972 Young contacted Whitten for the final time wanting him for rhythm guitar for the upcoming tour behind Young’s “Harvest” album but was so drugged out of it he couldn’t even cut it during rehearsals. Young fired him on Nov. 18th, gave him a plane ticket and $50 dollars to get him back to L.A.

Later that night Danny Whitten O’D on Valiums and Vodka. Another sad ending to such a talented individual.

“Down By The River” was just one of many standards that to today Young still plays at his concerts. As far as I’m concerned everything he wrote and every performance he played on, at or with whom is a standard.

In reality Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote the soundtrack of my adolescence. They never wrote or performed a bad song between the four of them.

Blues of the Century ~ ” Loan Me a Dime ” ~ Boz Scaggs – Duane Allman & Co. (via Longshot’s Blog)

Blues Worthy of a Reblog if ever I heard one.

Written by Fenton Robinson in 1967 Released in 1969 by Boz Scaggs Boz Scaggs- vocals and guitar Duane Allman – dobro and slide Eddie Hinton, Jimmy Johnson – guitars Barry Beckett – keyboards David Hood – bass Roger Hawkins – drums Gene "Bowlegs" Miller – trumpet and trombone Joe Arnold – tenor sax James Mitchell – baritone sax I have said for 40 years if there was a song I'd ever want to hear as my life concludes on this earth it is this one. For … Read More

via Longshot's Blog

Motown Monday ~ Take Me In Your Arms ~ Kim Weston

“Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)”
Written by Holland / Dozier / Holland
Released in 1965

Kim Weston – vocals
The Funk Brothers – music

Another powerful voice of Motown but you wouldn’t know it since this was another artist Berry Gordy just left on the shelf.

Kim Weston born Agatha Natalie Weston was signed by Motown in 1963.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Elton John ~ 60 Years On

Written by Elton John
Recorded at the Fillmore West Nov. 12, 1970

Elton John – piano, vocals
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums

Motown Monday ~ The Velvelettes ~ Stop Beating Around The Bush

Written by Harvey Fuqua
Recorded in 1964

Mildred Gill, Bertha Barbee, Carolyn Gill, Betty Kelley & Norma Barbee

A Hot Motown Monday ~ Martha & The Vandellas ~ Heat Wave

Just the beginning of one. ENJOY IT!

Written by Holland–Dozier–Holland
Released in 1963

Martha Reeves – vocals
Rosalind Ashford – vocal
Annette Beard – vocals

Music – The Funk Brothers

Richard “Pistol” Allen: drums
James Jamerson: double bass
Joe Hunter: electric piano
Robert White: guitar
Eddie Willis: guitar
Thomas “Beans” Bowles: saxophone solo

Sultry Saturday ~ Jr. Walker & the All Stars ~ Cleo’s Mood

Written By Junior Walker, Harvey Fuqua and Willie Woods.
Originally Released in Sept. 1962 on the Harvey Label.

Junior Walker – Saxophone
Willie Woods – Guitar
Victor Thomas – Organ
James Graves – Drums

Re-Released on Tamla 1966

James Jamerson – Bass

Born Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr., Walker Smoked on Sax.

Cleo’s Mood is my favorite song from this group.

It’s a raw, seductive, sultry bump and grind number. A combination of Blues & Jazz.

I only wished the song could of gone longer like 30 Minutes. But I’ll take what I can get.

Wednesday ~ Worried Dream ~ Fleetwood Mac

Written by BB King
Recorded June 8, 1968 Live at the Carousel Ballroom (San Francisco, CA).

Peter Green – vocals, guitar
Jeremy Spencer – vocals, guitar
John McVie – bass
Mick Fleetwood – drums

Metro Detroit Torrential Tuesday AGAIN!!!

Metro Detroit was pounded again Monday with a violent line of thunderstorms with 60-70 MPH winds. Wayne County – Canton, Garden City & Dearborn were the hardest hit.

Sunday Soul ~ At The Dark End Of The Street ~ James Carr

Written by Dan Penn and Chips Moman.
Released in 1966 from the “You Got My Mind Messed Up” album.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Joe Cocker ~ Mad Dogs and Englishmen ~ Cry Me A River

Written by Arthur Hamilton.
Recorded March 27–28, 1970 at Fillmore East, New York.

Thursday Thunder ~ Hard Working Man ~ Brooks & Dunn

Sunday’s Sermon ~ God Bless The Child ~ Blood, Sweat & Tears

Written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Hertzog Jr.

BS&T’s version was released off there second album in Dec. 1968.

In 1970 it won a Grammy Award for Album of the year.

David Clayton-Thomas – lead vocals Lew Soloff – trumpet, flugelhorn
Bobby Colomby – drums, percussion, vocals
Jim Fielder – bass
Dick Halligan – organ, piano, flute, trombone, vocals
Steve Katz – guitar, harmonica, Fred Lipsius – alto saxophone, piano
Chuck Winfield – trumpet, flugelhorn
Jerry Hyman – trombone, recorder

~

All I can say is ” Lady Day ” certainly knew what she was talking about when she wrote this song. Every single word contained in it rings the absolute truth.

Friday at the Fillmore ~ Band of Gypsys ~ Machine Gun

Written by Jimi Hendrix
Released off the Band of Gypsys Album in March of 1970.
This version was recorded at the Fillmore East 2nd show Jan. 1, 1970.

Jimi Hendrix – guitar, vocals
Buddy Miles – drums, backing vocals
Billy Cox – bass guitar, backing vocals

Tuesday’s Time Machine ~ 1965 ~ Ted Heath ~ Wives and Lovers

Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Motown Monday ~ The Miracles ~ I’ll Try Something New

Written by Smokey Robinson.
Released off the third self titled album in 1962.

My Sunday Feeling ~ Jethro Tull

Written by Ian Anderson.
From Tull’s debut album ” This Was ” released in 1968.

Ian Anderson: Vocals, flute, mouth organ, harmonica, “claghorn”, piano
Mick Abrahams: Vocals, guitar, nine-string guitar
Clive Bunker: drums
Glenn Cornick: Bass guitar