Program 6
August 15, 2009
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs do Neil Young – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Nazareth do Joni Mitchell – This Flight Tonight
Harry Manx & Kevin Breit do Bruce Springsteen – I’m On Fire
Holly Cole does Tom Waits – (Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night
The Dogmatics do Dion & The Belmonts – Teenage Lament / A Teenager In Love
Los Straitjackets do Larry Williams – Popotitos / Boney Maronie
Jully Black does Etta James – Seven Day Fool
Jacksoul does Curtis Mayfield – Superfly
Saturday nights at 7 on 97-7 WEXT
See Comments for my blog entry and your feedback about the show.
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Week 6. Time flies. No comments, no love.
Some wise Canadian scholar once put forward the notion that Canadian art, literature, and music connect with so many because it’s created from an outsider’s perspective. I don’t think Neil Young has given this much thought. Once again, from Under The Covers, Volume 1, the CD that inspired the name of the program, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs do their version of Neil Young’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.
I was 6 years old when my uncle Fred put Nazareth’s Greatest Hits on Dad’s old hi-fi. I remember it well because that machine was use to a steady diet of Elvis Presley, Charley Pride and Buck Owens. Scottish hard rock from the mid 1970s finally broke that piece of furniture in. Dan McCafferty doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being one of the great original hard rock voices. His sound sits comfortably between Bon Scott of AC/DC and Steve Perry of Journey. He more than likely influenced both. The band celebrates its 40 Anniversary with a new album. Here they are in 1974 doing Joni Mitchell’s This Flight Tonight.
Harry Manx and Kevin Breit are amazing musicians. Alone they are brilliant. Together, stunning. Their interplay is nothing short of mesmerizing. From their album In Good We Trust, here’s their eastern spin on Springsteen’s I’m On Fire.
With the exception of John Hammond Jr., I can do without most Tom Waits’ covers. Its like, don’t mess with perfection, you know? Out of the limelight for years now, the apex of Holly Cole’s rise to popularity in Canada in the 1990s came with her album of Tom Waits’ songs called Temptation. Her version of (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night is ok.
Star Records in Oshawa, Ontario is a monument to what indie record stores once were – seedy places where kids received a musical education in cool. The place is still around and hasn’t changed much in 30 years. I use to make a weekly Saturday pilgrimage to Star to buy a couple of planned purchases, and often a copy of whatever was playing on the in-store stereo. In 1986 not one radio station outside of Boston played The Dogmatics, but there, on a fateful Saturday afternoon at Star Records in Oshawa, Ontario, Mike, the less than happy looking owner, was giving their album Everybody Does It a spin. Here we have The Dogmatics doing a thugged-up version of Dion and The Belmont’s sugar sweet Teenager in Love.
From Rock en Espagnol, Volume 1, Los Straitjackets do the Larry Williams classic, Boney Maronie. Perfect for bowling or the beach.
Jully Black should be as popular as Beyonce Knowles or at least Jennifer Hudson, but isn’t. Her version of Etta James Seven Day Fool is pretty great, despite what Etta may or may not say to the contrary. As far as I know Etta has yet to weigh in on Jully.
Jacksoul does a pretty spot on Curtis, don’t ya think?
Only 2 more shows. Would it kill you to leave a comment? Like maybe, “Why did you create a series that plays the same song twice? Are you insane? You see. It’s easy.
Until next week,
W.