
Music (107)
Today's Song You Should Know: Alan Jackson - 'Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)'
While country music in 2021 might seem like it's more about tight shorts and drinking beer in the bed of your truck than real emotions, the genre has always been much more than that. The best country music not only tells a story but it provides an emotional connection between the music and the listener. And as we remember the events on 9/11, I wanted to highlight the one great song to come out of that event: Alan Jackson's haunting "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)."
In the days following 9/11, Jackson had struggled to process the events and according to an interview he later gave to Christianity Today, he wanted to find the right tone: "I didn't want to write a patriotic song," Jackson said. "And I didn't want it to be vengeful, either. But I didn't want to forget about how I felt and how I knew other people felt that day."
Jackson resisted recording the song because he worried it might seem as if he was somehow trying to capitalize on the tragedy. But everyone he played the song for encouraged him to record and release it. And when he played the song for track for a group of executives at his record label days after recording it, "We just kind of looked at one another," RCA Label Group chairman Joe Galante said later. "Nobody spoke for a full minute."
The song was introduced to the public live at the Country Music Association Awards, which aired on CBS in November, 2001. He had originally planned to perform his then-current #1 Country song "Where I Come From," but the decision was made at the last minute for Jackson to sing "Where Were You" instead. The audience simply knew Jackson was going to sing a new tune, but four CMA executives had previewed the track ahead of time and they were all crying by the end of the song.
The performance was one of those rare television musical moments that everyone was talking about the next day. Within weeks, the song was a #1 hit on the Country charts and it reached #28 on the Pop Top 100 chart. "Where Were You" is one of the few songs inspired by 9/11 that isn't overtly political or patriotic. It's about the struggle to make sense of tragedy and loss and that's why it's easily the song you should know today.
Here are the complete lyrics to the song, with the video below:
Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
That September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or workin' on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?
Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones
Pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out with pride for the red, white, and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you
The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
That September day?
Teachin' a class full of innocent children
Or drivin' down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor?
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset for the first time in ages
And speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on I Love Lucy reruns?
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Stand in line to give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you
The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
And the greatest is love
And the greatest is love
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
On that September day?
'Feel Flows' Is The Best Beach Boys Music You've Never Heard
For most people familiar with the music of the Beach Boys, their music falls into three general categories: the early, hit-driven surf-oriented songs, the Pet Sounds album and the later, post Brian Wilson stuff that includes Kokomo, which the band didn't write.
But there is another group of songs you should know about, and they are highlighted in the expansive new 5-CD set from the band entitled Feel Flows. The set highlights the criminally overlooked Sunflower and Surf's Up albums, along with a staggering number of previously unreleased live tracks and studio outtakes. The set will be a revelation to casual fans who see the post Pet Sounds period as a creative wasteland. I'd argue some of these tracks are as good as anything ever produced by the band, although few people are familiar with the music.
When the album Sunflower was released in 1970, the Beach Boys were at a financial and creative low point. It had been four years since the release of Pet Sounds and Brian Wilson was primarily curled up in a fetal position on most days. The band had released several poorly received low-fi albums (Friends, Wild Honey) and the only music fans were buying were the string of Greatest Hits packages being released the band's former label. The band was split into new camps: the Mike Love "let's give the fans the surf music they want" contingent and the Carl & Dennis Wilson-led members who believed they could create new music as a band that fans who learn to appreciate.
Even worse, the band was essentially broke. A 1968 tour had been a financial disaster and Capital Records essentially deleted all of the non-Greatest Hits albums from their catalog, further impacting the band's revenue. And in late 1969, Murray brothers manager and father Murray sold the entire Sea Of Tunes publishing catalog for what is the modern-day equivalent of less than $5 million.
The "new music" group briefly carried the day and the result was the group's best post-Pet Sounds album. Sunflower (and the follow-up album Surf's Up) were the closest to a group effort the Beach Boys ever managed to release. Sunflower contained a new song from Brian (This Whole World), several tunes from Brian Johnston as well as the best song Dennis Wilson ever contributed to the band (Forever). The band and its new label Reprise had high hopes for the album, but the lead single (Add Some Music To Your Day) topped out at #62 on the singles charts and the album became the band's worst-selling album to date. Which was ironic, given that the album received consistently rave reviews at the time and in the year's since, Rolling Stone listed it on the magazine's "Best 500 Albums Of All Time" list.
The 1971 album Surf's Up sold better, topping out at #29 on the album charts. While it didn't have a hit single, the album's strong environmental focus as well as the addition of the Brain Wilson title track was also very well received by critics. There were also two strong tracks co-written by Carl Wilson (Long Promised Road and Feel Flows), the Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks track 'Til I Die and the Brian Johnston original Disney Girls (1957), which has been covered by a number of musicians in the years since. On the downside, Surf's Up also included one of the band's worst tracks of the period, the Mike Love-led Student Demonstration Time, which was a lame reworking of the track Riot In Cell Block #9.
Unfortunately for the band, these two albums were their mid-career highwater mark. Love and Johnston brought in Jack Rieley was the band's controversial new manager and Brian Wilson retreated back into seclusion. And the music from these two albums has been overlooked by everyone except the die-hard fans in the interim. which is a shame.
Hopefully that neglect will change with the release of Feel Flows, a massive 5-CD release that features fully remastered versions of the original Sunflower (1970) and Surf’s Up (1971) albums – plus numerous outtakes, live recordings, alternate takes and mixes. Produced by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd, Feel Flows has a 48-page booklet featuring photos, memorabilia images, and a new essay by Howie Edelson incorporating new and archival interviews with the band members. There are also 2-LP, 2-CD, and 4-LP versions of the set.
The first CD includes the entire remastered Sunflower album, plus six live performances of song's from the album (ranging from 1971-1988), a radio spot and eight bonus tracks, including the 1969 Beach Boys single Breakaway, which was the band's final single on Capital.
Disc two includes the entire remastered Surf's Up album, plus five live performances from 1971-1973, a radio spot and eight bonus cuts, including performances of Seasons In The Sun and both sides of Dennis Wilson and Rumbo’s rare 1970 single Sound of Free b/w Lady (Fallin’ in Love).
Disc three is called The Sunflower Sessions and includes 29 cuts of outtakes, extended mixes and a capella tracks. Disc four includes 18 tracks from The Surf's Up Sessions, plus six other bonus tracks. Many of these tracks have never been heard before, including the previously unreleased tracks Awake and Baby, Baby.
Disc five includes 29 tracks, including the previously unreleased songs Before, Behold the Night, Hawaiian Dream, Old Movie (Cuddle Up), and Brian and David Sandler's It’s Natural.
Feel Flows is delight for devotees of The Beach Boys, but it's also going to be a revelation for casual listeners of the group's work, who may be more interested in the two CD version instead of the deep tracks also included in the full five CD set.
Here is the track rundown for each version of the release:
5 CD Version
CD 1:
Sunflower
- Slip On Through (2019 master) (2:19)
- This Whole World (2019 master) (1:58)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (2019 master) (3:36)
- Got To Know The Woman (2019 master) (2:43)
- Deirdre (2019 master) (3:30)
- It’s About Time (2019 master) (2:57)
- Tears In The Morning (2019 master) (4:07)
- All I Wanna Do (2019 master) (2:36)
- Forever (2019 master) (2:42)
- Our Sweet Love (2019 master) (2:41)
- At My Window (2019 master) (2:32)
- Cool, Cool Water (2019 master) (5:03)
- Sunflower Promo 1 (previously unreleased) (0:59)
Sunflower Live
- This Whole World (Live 1988) (2:10) [Sunflower Live]
- Add Some Music To Your Day (Live 1993) (3:23) [Sunflower Live]
- Susie Cincinnati (Live 1976) (2 :46) [Sunflower Live]
- Back Home (Live 1976) (3:15) [Sunflower Live]
- It’s About Time (Live 1971) (3:45) [Sunflower Live]
- Riot In Cell Block 9 (Live 1970) (3:34) [Sunflower Live]
Bonus Tracks
- Break Away (original 1969 single mix) (2:55)
- Celebrate The News (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:37)
- Loop De Loop (previously unreleased 1969 mix) (2:59)
- San Miguel (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:33)
- Susie Cincinnati (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (3:02)
- Good Time (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:56)
- Two Can Play (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:06)
- Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (2021 stereo mix – previously unreleased) (3:21)
CD 2:
Surf’s Up
- Don’t Go Near The Water (2019 master) (2:41)
- Long Promised Road (2019 master) (3:32)
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (2019 master) (2:32)
- Disney Girls (1957) (2019 master) (4:08)
- Student Demonstration Time (2019 master) (3:59)
- Feel Flows (2019 master) (4:44)
- Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (2019 master) (1:57)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (2019 master) (3:09)
- Til I Die (2019 master) (2:32)
- Surf’s Up (2019 master) (4:14)
- Surf’s Up Promo (previously unreleased) (1:02)
Surf’s Up Live
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (Live 1993) (2:35)
- Long Promised Road (Live 1972) (4:14)
- Disney Girls (Live 1982) (4:23)
- Surf’s Up (Live 1973) (4:58)
- Student Demonstration Time (Live 1971) (4:42)
Bonus Tracks
- Big Sur (previously unreleased) (2:35)
- HELP Is On The Way (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:31)
- Sweet And Bitter (previously unreleased) (2:33)
- My Solution (previously unreleased) (3:44)
- 4th of July (2019 mix – previously unreleased) (3:11)
- Sound of Free (1970 single mix, 2019 master) (2:22)
- Lady (Fallin’ In Love) (1970 stereo mix – previously unreleased) (2:21)
- Seasons In The Sun (previously unreleased) (3:27)
CD 3:
The Sunflower Sessions
- Sunflower Promo 2 (previously unreleased) (0:59)
- Slip On Through (track and backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:47)
- This Whole World (long version track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:10)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (track and backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:35)
- Deirdre (track – previously unreleased) (3:34)
- It’s About Time (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:53)
- Tears In The Morning (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:08)
- All I Wanna Do (session intro, track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:46)
- Forever (session highlights – previously unreleased) (3:36)
- Forever (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:01)
- Our Sweet Love (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:39)
- At My Window (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:50)
- Cool Cool Water (alternate 2019 mix – previously unreleased) (6:24)
- San Miguel (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:57)
- Loop De Loop (track – previously unreleased) (2:49)
- Good Time (session intro, track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:27)
- When Girls Get Together (track – previously unreleased) (1:47)
- Slip On Through (alternate 1969 mix with session intro – previously unreleased) (3:25)
- Our Sweet Love (string section – previously unreleased) (1:00)
- San Miguel (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (1:00)
- Break Away (Tag) (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:18)
- Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (2:44)
- Good Time (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:19)
- This Whole World (backing vocals section – previously unreleased) (1:05)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (a cappella – previously unreleased) (3:30)
- Got To Know The Woman (a cappella – previously unreleased) (2:52)
- It’s About Time (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:50)
- All I Wanna Do (a cappella – previously unreleased) (2:58)
- Forever (previously unreleased 2019 a cappella mix) (2:52)
CD 4:
The Surf’s Up Sessions
- Don’t Go Near The Water (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:45)
- Long Promised Road (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:38)
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (alternate vocal – previously unreleased) (2:28)
- Disney Girls (1957) (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (4:17)
- Student Demonstration Time (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:46)
- Feel Flows (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (5:02)
- Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (session intro and alternate mix – previously unreleased) (2:43)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (2:55)
- Til I Die (long version with alternate lyrics – previously unreleased) (4:47)
- Surf’s Up (2019 mix – previously unreleased) (4:08)
- (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (extended 2019 – previously unreleased) (6:50)
- Don’t Go Near The Water (previously unreleased 2020 a cappella mix) (2:36)
- Long Promised Road (a cappella – previously unreleased) (4:00)
- Feel Flows (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:33)
- Disney Girls (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:36)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:32)
- Til I Die (a cappella – previously unreleased) (2:36)
- Surf’s Up (a cappella – previously unreleased) (4:04)
Bonus Tracks
- I Just Got My Pay (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:43)
- Walkin’ (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:44)
- When Girls Get Together (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (3:45)
- Baby Baby (previously unreleased) (3:13)
- Awake (previously unreleased) (3:44)
- It’s A New Day (previously unreleased) (2:20)
CD 5:
Bonus Disc
- This Whole World (alternate ending – previously unreleased) (1:41)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (previously unreleased alternate version) (3:27)
- Don’t Go Near The Water (alternate version – previously unreleased) (2:42)
- Surf’s Up Part 1 (1971 remake track with 1966 Brian vocal – previously unreleased) (1:41)
- Soulful Old Man Sunshine (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (3:14)
- I’m Goin’ Your Way (previously unreleased alternate mix) (2:24)
- Where Is She (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:22)
- Carnival (Over The Waves/Sobra Las Olas) (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (1:34)
- It’s Natural (previously unreleased) (2:35)
- Medley: All Of My Love / Ecology (previously unreleased) (5:05)
- Before (previously unreleased) (2:25)
- Behold The Night (previously unreleased) (2:26)
- Old Movie (Cuddle Up) (previously unreleased) (3:37)
- Hawaiian Dream (previously unreleased) (4:33)
- Settle Down / Sound Of Free (basic session outtake – previously unreleased) (2:17)
- I’ve Got A Friend (previously unreleased) (2:26)
- Til I Die (piano demo – previously unreleased) (1:55)
- Back Home (previously unreleased demo) (2:20)
- Back Home (alternate version – previously unreleased) (2:34)
- Won’t You Tell Me (demo – previously unreleased) (2:01)
- Won’t You Tell Me (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:54)
- Barbara (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:59)
- Slip On Through (early version track) (2:48)
- Susie Cincinnati (basic session highlights – previously unreleased) (3:05)
- My Solution (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:04)
- You Never Give Me Your Money (previously unreleased) (0:40)
- Medley: Happy Birthday, Brian / God Only Knows (previously unreleased) (2:47)
- You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:32)
- Marcella (a cappella – previously unreleased) (3:27)
2 CD Version
CD 1: Sunflower
- Slip On Through (2019 master) (2:19)
- This Whole World (2019 master) (1:58)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (2019 master) (3:35)
- Got To Know The Woman (2019 master) (2:43)
- Deirdre (2019 master) (3:29)
- It’s About Time (2019 master) (2:56)
- Tears In The Morning (2019 master) (4:11)
- All I Wanna Do (2019 master) (2:36)
- Forever (2019 master) (2:42)
- Our Sweet Love (2019 master) (2:41)
- At My Window (2019 master) (2:32)
- Cool Cool Water (2019 master) (5:04)
Bonus Tracks
- Loop De Loop (previously unreleased 1969 mix) (2:58)
- San Miguel (previously unreleased 2020 mix) (2:19)
- Susie Cincinnati (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (3:01)
- Good Time (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:55)
- I Just Got My Pay (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:43)
- Two Can Play (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:06)
- I’m Goin’ Your Way (previously unreleased alternate mix) (2:10)
- Where Is She (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (2:21)
- Break Away (Tag) (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:17)
- Our Sweet Love (string section – previously unreleased) (1:00)
- This Whole World (alternate ending – previously unreleased) (1:41)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (previously unreleased alternate version) (3:27)
- Soulful Old Man Sunshine (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (3:00)
- All I Wanna Do (a Cappella – previously unreleased) (2:41)
- Back Home (alternate version – previously unreleased) (2:34)
- When Girls Get Together (previously unreleased 2019 mix) (3:45)
- This Whole World (Live 1988) (2:01)
CD 2: Surf’s Up
- Don’t Go Near The Water (2019 master) (2:41)
- Long Promised Road (2019 master) (3:32)
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (2019 master) (2:31)
- Disney Girls (1957) (2019 master) (4:11)
- Student Demonstration Time (2019 master) (3:59)
- Feel Flows (2019 master) (4:48)
- Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (2019 master) (1:58)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (2019 master) (3:09)
- Til I Die (2019 master) (2:32)
- Surf’s Up (2019 master) (4:14)
Bonus Tracks
- It’s A New Day (previously unreleased) (2:20)
- Big Sur (previously unreleased) (2:35)
- (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (extended 2019 – previously unreleased) (4:36)
- 4th of July (2019 mix – previously unreleased) (3:09)
- Lady (Fallin’ In Love) (1970 stereo mix – previously unreleased) (2:21)
- Behold The Night (previously unreleased) (2:23)
- Medley: All Of My Love / Ecology (previously unreleased) (4:16)
- Sweet And Bitter (previously unreleased) (2:20)
- My Solution (previously unreleased) (3:43)
- Awake (previously unreleased) (3:17)
- Disney Girls (Live 1982) (4:19)
- Surf’s Up (Live 1973) (4:55)
- You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (track & backing vocals – previously unreleased) (3:15)
- Feel Flows (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:32)
- Disney Girls (backing vocals excerpt – previously unreleased) (0:19)
2 LP Version
LP 1, Side A: Sunflower
- Slip On Through (2:19)
- This Whole World (1:58)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (3:36)
- Got To Know The Woman (2:43)
- Deirdre (3:30)
- It’s About Time (2:57)
Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- Cotton Fields (2020 stereo mix) (3:16)
- San Miguel (backing vocals excerpt) (0:35)
- It’s About Time (backing vocals excerpt) (0:50)
Side B (Sunflower continued)
- Tears In The Morning (4:11)
- All I Wanna Do (2:36)
- Forever (2:42)
- Our Sweet Love (2:41)
- At My Window (2:32)
- Cool, Cool Water (5:05)
Bonus Track (previously unreleased)
- This Whole World (live 1988) (2:01)
LP 2, Side C: Surf’s Up
- Don’t Go Near The Water (2:41)
- Long Promised Road (3:32)
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (2:32)
- Disney Girls (4:11)
- Student Demonstration Time (3:59) (based on “Riot In Cell Block 9”)
Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- Disney Girls (live 1982) (4:19)
- Feel Flows (backing vocals excerpt) (0:33)
Side D (Surf’s Up continued)
- Feel Flows (4:48)
- Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (1:59)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (3:09)
- ‘Til I Die (2:33)
- Surf’s Up (4:14)
Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (track & backing vocals) (2:54)
- Til I Die (a cappella) (2:11)
4 LP Version – Black Vinyl
4 LP Version – Translucent Blue & Translucent Gold (exclusive to The Beach Boys online store)
LP 1, Side A: Sunflower
- Slip On Through (2:19)
- This Whole World (1:58)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (3:36)
- Got To Know The Woman (2:43)
- Deirdre (3:30)
- It’s About Time (2:57)
Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- Cotton Fields (2020 stereo mix) (3:16)
- San Miguel (backing vocals excerpt) (0:35)
- It’s About Time (backing vocals excerpt) (0:50)
Side B
- Tears In The Morning (4:11)
- All I Wanna Do (2:36)
- Forever (2:42)
- Our Sweet Love (2:41)
- At My Window (2:32)
- Cool, Cool Water (5:04)
Bonus Track (previously unreleased)
- This Whole World (Live 1988) (2:01)
LP 2, Side C: Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- Loop De Loop (original 1969 mix) (2:59)
- San Miguel (2020 mix) (2:20)
- Susie Cincinnati (2020 mix) (3:02)
- Good Time (2019 mix) (2:56)
- I Just Got My Pay (2019 mix) (2:43)
- Two Can Play (2019 mix) (2:06)
- I’m Goin’ Your Way (alternate mix) (2:10)
- Where Is She (2019 mix) (2:22)
- Break Away Tag (backing vocals excerpt) (0:18)
- Our Sweet Love (string section) (1:00)
Side D (Bonus Tracks continued)
- This Whole World (alternate ending) (1:41)
- Add Some Music To Your Day (alternate version) (3:27)
- Soulful Old Man Sunshine (2019 mix) (3:00)
- All I Wanna Do (a cappella) (2:41)
- Back Home (alternate version) (2:34)
- When Girls Get Together (2019 mix) (3:45)
- It’s About Time (live 1971) (3:55)
- This Whole World (backing vocals section) (0:34)
LP 3, Side E: Surf’s Up
- Don’t Go Near The Water (2:41)
- Long Promised Road (3:32)
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (2:32)
- Disney Girls (4:11)
- Student Demonstration Time (3:59)
Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- Disney Girls (live 1982) (4:19)
- Feel Flows (backing vocals excerpt) (0:33)
Side F (Surf’s Up, continued)
- Feel Flows (4:48)
- Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (1:59)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (3:09)
- ‘Til I Die (2:33)
- Surf’s Up (4:14)
Bonus Tracks (previously unreleased)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (track & backing vocals) (2:54)
- ‘Til I Die (a cappella) (2:11)
LP 4 (Bonus Tracks)
Side G (previously unreleased)
- It’s A New Day (2:20)
- Big Sur (2:35)
- (Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again (2019 mix) (4:35)
- E.L.P. Is On The Way (2019 mix) (2:31)
- 4th Of July (2019 mix) (3:09)
- Lady (Fallin’ In Love) (1970 stereo mix) (2:21)
- Behold The Night (2:24)
- ‘Til I Die (piano demo) (1:55)
Side H
- Medley: All Of My Love / Ecology (4:15)
- Sweet And Bitter (2:21)
- My Solution (3:43)
- Awake (3:17)
- Take A Load Off Your Feet (Live 1993) (2:26)
- Surf’s Up (Live 1973) (4:56)
- A Day In The Life Of A Tree (backing vocals excerpt) (0:32)
- Disney Girls (backing vocals excerpt) (0:20)
Kiss Concert Canceled After Paul Stanley Tests Positive For COVID-19
KISS frontman Paul Stanley has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the band to scrap a show in The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA.
This statement was released via the band's social media accounts early Thursday evening:
Today's Song You Should Know: 'Summer Days' By The Wildroots
One the heartbreaking things about loving music is that at some point you realize that there are so many great musicians, so many incredible bands who will never get that big break. The history of rock & roll is filled with dreams, but also with even more stories of talented people who were unable to build a commercially successful career.
The same thing is also true for local music scenes. For every success like the Bay Area "Summer of Love" scene in the 60s or Seattle's 90s grunge scene, there are lots of vibrant music scenes that never make it past local fame. Maybe the timing is wrong or there's just too much going on in other hipper parts of the country. But the world of rock music is littered with amazing bands that should have been your next obsession.
Chicago in the late 1970s and 1980s was lousy with great pop rock and roots rock bands. Cheap Trick led the first wave of late 1970s groups to reach national success and while others like Off Broadway and Shoes managed only modest chart success, there was a sense that a real important music scene was building. By the early/mid 1980s, Chicago was lousy with great rock bands. Every club seemed to have another potential star band in the making and the consensus was that once one band broke big, Chicago would have its musical moment in the sun.
And that never quite happened. A lot of bands were signed to major labels, from the staggeringly great root rocks band Insiders (who had a modest hit with "Ghost On The Beach"), to The Elvis Brothers and The Bad Examples. There were at least a dozen bands that were signed to major labels and by the time the 90s rolled around, most of them had lost their deals and none of them had broken big.
But for all of that energy, there were also some great bands that never inexplicably got as far as a major label release. I was living in Chicago back then and The Wildroots were a band you'd always see playing around the local clubs. With incredible hook-filled original tunes and a charismatic lead singer, The Wildroots always felt like they were one break away from making it big.
They didn't. I left Chicago towards the end of the decade and I'm not sure what happened to the band. The only official recording they left is a single track on a local 1987 compilation album entitled "Live From Jay's Garage." Lead singer JD Dragus seems to have worked with local Chicago rocker Hugh Hart on a couple of projects after the Wildroots broke up. But I can't find out much more online. I seem to remember they had recorded some demos for Island Records at one point, but I could be mistaken.
"Summer Days" is a great rocker and when I ran it across it on YouTube while back I was thrilled. It reminded me how great The WildRoots were back then and hearing the song again is more than a little bittersweet. The Wildroots deserve to be remembered and for right now, this is just about all that's left of the band.
The Wildroots were:
JD Dragus: lead vocals & lead guitar
Tom Gerlach: vocals & guitar
Kerry Kelekovich: bass
Dan Massey: drums
Today's 70s Song You Should Know: 'Popcorn' By Hot Butter
In 1968, Wendy Carlos had a Top 40 hit with a synth-pop instrumental song called "Switched-On Bach" and that success inspired a bunch of other attempts from Moog synthesizer-based bands. But the most of the successful of the bunch was an anonymous band who called themselves Hot Butter.
"Popcorn" was first recorded by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 and he later re-recorded it with his First Moog Quartet in 1971. But the following year, Stan Free (who was a member of the FMQ) recorded it once again with his cover band Hot Butter and that version became a worldwide hit. It hit #1 in places ranging from Australia to the Netherlands and it hit #9 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 charts. The single sold more than two million copies worldwide and even though Hot Butter only released two albums and a handful of other singles, "Popcorn" is notable for being one of the most insane instrumentals to ever become a hit single.
Even by 1970s standards, "Popcorn" is simplistic and listening to it in 2019, it sounds like something a kid would create randomly pounding synth track buttons on a $5 keyboard. But it was an actual worldwide hit and as you can see in the video below, people really danced to it. Although whomever was the director of this TV segment was likely yelling "quick, another shot of breasts" to the camera crew during the performance.
Today's Song You Should Know: 'Blitzkreig Bop' By The Sweet
The Sweet have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. These British glam-rockers had a string of hook-filled hits in the 1970s, after teaming up with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. But they eventually began writing their own music and the band's last hit single was 1978's "Love Is Like Oxygen." Longtime vocalist Brian Connolly left the band following an increasingly drunken tour opening for Bob Seger the same year and the band has limped along ever since.
While often competing versions of the band have toured regularly over the ensuing years, The Sweet had only released a couple of albums with various lineups before 2012's "New York Connection." That album featured only one original member of the band and was essentially a collection of cover versions, with a few snippets of Sweet hits included for flavor. The album included covers of "You Spin Me Round" and "Join Together," along with this cover of The Ramones song "Blitzkreig Bop." It's a surprisingly lively version of the song and while I'm not sure I can recommend it, it doesn't suck. Which is pretty much the gold standard for any band's attempt to cover The Ramones.
Today's Song You Should Know: 'Call Me Anti-Social' By New Found Glory
When New Found Glory released their album Makes Me Sick in 2017, I immediately fell in love with the track "Call Me Anti-Social," which I spent a lot of time arguing was the hidden "song of the summer." Despite my one-man promotional campaign, the song (and album) never seemed to get the attention it deserved, so I'm glad for an excuse to highlight this song again.
The track is the perfect balance of pop and punk and it has a guitar break that just screams "throw your hands up and dance!" Did I mention I love this song? I do and if I couldn't make this ear candy the summer song for 2017, then maybe I'll be more successful in 2021.
There aren't many bands that have been around since the late 1990s who can still claim to be performing at the top of their game, but New Found Glory is one of them. Their brand of pop-flavored punk can often seem stale in 2021, but these guys are as vital and inventive as they've ever been. Their moist recent album is 2020's Forever + Ever x Infinity, but I would also recommend the 2019 album From The Screen To Your Stereo 3, where they tackle fun covers of songs ranging from "The Power Of Love" and "Eye Of The Tiger" to "Let It Go" and "Cups."
So why am I featuring this song on the July 4th weekend? Well, it goes out to all of the people out there who struggle to socialize on a day that's all about hanging out and having fun with friends and family.
Today's Song You Should Know: 'Riding With Private Malone' By David Ball
I've always had a soft spot for old-school country songs that tell a story and on the 4th Of July I'd like to highlight the really distinctive 2001 hit "Riding With Private Malone" by country singer David Ball. Written by Wood Newton and Thom Shepherd, the song tells the story of a man just out of the military who buys an old Corvette and discovers it was previously owned by a "Private Malone," who was killed in Vietnam. Of course there's a twist, but what makes the song special is that unlike a lot of songs about veterans, it's up-tempo with a memorable hook.
The song went to #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Ball's biggest hit since 1994's "Thinkin' Problem" and it was last big single. Ball continues to tour although his last album was 2010's "Sparkle City."
Today's 70s Song You Should Know: 'I Want You Back' By David Ruffin
There were a lot of impressive soul and R&B singers in the 1960s and 1970s, but few of them were as talented as the late David Ruffin. Known for his unique raspy and anguished tenor vocals, you're likely to recognize his singing from his 1964-1968 stint with The Temptations. That period was known as "Classic Five" period of the group and Ruffin sang lead vocals on unforgettable hits like "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "My Girl."
Ruffin had always been an impressive performer. As a teenager, he toured with several nationally known gospel groups like The Dixie Hummingbirds and the Soul Stirrers. At age 16 he moved to Detroit to pursue a secular singing career and soon meet Berry Gordy Jr., a local songwriter who wanted to become a music producer. Ruffin was soon working at Gordy's Anna Records and in 1964, he joined the Temptations after one of the original members was fired. While Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams were the group's lead singers, after the success of "My Girl," Ruffin sang lead on hits like "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and "I Wish It Would Rain."
By 1967, Ruffin had become addicted to cocaine and was eventually fired by the group. Motown kept on Ruffin as a solo act and his first single in 1969 - "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" - became a Top Ten hit. After the release of two solo albums, there was a three-year gap before Motown released the album "David Ruffin" in 1973. But in that period, the troubled singer recorded a number of songs, many of which remained unreleased until they came out on a 2004 compilation 14 years after Ruffin's death.
That 2004 album included a 1970 version of "Rainy Night In Georgia," which singer Brook Benton had a hit with later the same year. As well as a version of "I Want You Back, which was recorded before the Jackson 5 later made it a hit.
Both the Ruffin and Jackson 5 versions of the song were produced by Motown's in-house production group The Corporation and musically they are very similar. And as much I love the Jackson 5 version, Ruffin's has an adult longing and incessant pleading to it that is really special. Hearing Ruffin's version may ruin the Jackson 5 version for you forever.
As for Ruffin, he had a string of modest solo hits in the mid-1970s, most notably the Van McCoy-produced Top Ten hit "Gonna Walk Away From Love." But Ruffin's addiction problems continued. He changed labels in the late 1970s and at one point was hired and then refired by The Temptations after recording the 1982 album "Reunion." In 1985 Ruffin and fellow former Temptation singer Eddie Kendrick teamed up with Hall & Oates to perform and record an album at the re-opening of the Apollo Theatre. The album was successful, but Ruffin's severe addiction problems led to a falling out with Hall & Oates.
Ruffin died in 1991 due to "an adverse reaction to drugs." The death was officially ruled an accident, but some friends and family suspected foul play, since a money belt containing $300,000 from his recent tour was missing when he was dropped off at a Philadelphia hospital.
But what we're left with are some amazing performances, and of "I Want You Back" is one of my favorites.
Foreigner Announces 71 City U.S. Summer Tour
Now I don't blame you if you're skeptical about seeing any band live that had its first hits back in the 1970s. There are entirely too many classic rock bands cranking out lackluster tours with almost no original members and a live sound that can charitably be described as "workmanlike."
I've seen Foreigner live perhaps a half dozen times since 1976 and one thing I can say is that their live shows might be different now than they were in the original incarnation. But they are just as entertaining now as they were back then. It's just a different lineup and a different era.
Founder and original member Mick Jones is back for this massive 2021-2022 tour, along with Kelly Hansen, who has been the group's lead singer since 2005. That longtime lineup has kept the band's sound quite consistent and if you listen to their underrated 2009 album Can't Slow Down, you'd be hard-pressed to separate that release from those created during the group's commercial heyday.
Other band members for the upcoming tour include bass/vocalist Jeff Pilson (band member since 2004), keyboard/vocalist Michael Blunstein (band member since 2008), guitar/vocalist Bruce Watson (band member since 2011), guitar/vocalist Luis Carlos Maldonado and drummer Chris Frazier (band member 2ince 2011).
In other words, if you enjoy the hit music of Foreigner, you're likely to love them live and based on the just-announced first leg of their tour, they are going to be playing somewhere near you.
Foreigner was originally set to headline a tour called "Juke Box Heroes" last year, with supporting bands Kansas and Europe. As you might expect, the pandemic canceled that tour, and now Foreigner is set to tour by themselves in 2021 and 2022.
The U.S leg of Foreigner's world tour takes the band to 71 cities in 42 states and the remainder of the 121-date tour across 16 countries will be announced in November.
For tickets and more information, visit www.foreigneronline.com.
Thursday, June 24
More...
Song Of The Day: 'Little Dudes' By Pee Shy
If you're a fan of odd, catchy rock/pop, the 1990s era was a golden era. It's not there's not stuff that is just as perfect being released in 2021. But while today's budding bands are releasing their stuff on Bandcamp, the 1990s was the last gasp of music labels signing bands they didn't understand. They knew the public's tastes were changing but they didn't know why or how. So the big labels signed all of these quirky bands that either weren't quite ready or were probably too fringe to break big nationally.
Tampa's Pee Shy is the perfect illustration of that trend. The band began as a duo - local bookstore owner/poet Cindy Wheeler and community radio DJ Jenny Juristo. They began playing at Tampa-area poetry readings in late 1993 and within a year, they had added two more members, released two home-produced EPs and in December 1994, they were featured in Interview Magazine and that publicity sparked a bidding war between Sony & Polygram.
That would be a remarkably fast career path for anyone, but it was especially challenging for a band whose sound was an unpredictable mash-up of accordion, clarinet and quirky beat-poet voices. Their music was often great, but even in the best of circumstances it would be a tough sell to audiences who had no idea who they were. It didn't help that when "Who Let All The Monkey's Out?" finally came out in 1996, alternative rock was exploding, making it an even bigger challenge to get attention.
"Little Dudes" was the lead single off the album and despite some good reviews, the song and the album sank without a trace. Wheeler said in several later interviews that the album sold less than 1,000 copies during its first four months, despite the positive press and a solid job of production by Galaxie 500 frontman Dean Wareham. Written by Wheeler, "Little Dudes" was about the tendency of her and Juristo to date much younger men and the song is a great example of Pee Shy's sound at the time: catchy, odd snippets of seemingly random music that you can't get out of your head.
On the other hand, some of the lyrics of the song bordered on creepy in 1996 and seem downright unsettling in 2021, especially when you watch the video below:
"One drinks beer and one drinks gin/We like the little boys & not the men
We keep our eyes open for the little dudes/because they never try and tell us what to do"
"Where are you little dude?/Don't you know I'm in love with you
Well, I ain't old enough to be your mom/But you were six years old when I went to the prom"
"You hardly have to shave around that smile/Please don't think I'm a pedophile."
Despite the commercial failure of "Who Met All The Monkey's Out?," Mercury released a second album, "Don't Get Too Comfortable," in 1998. Produced by Brad Jones, the album's more guitar-driven pop sound garnered the band solid reviews and the song "Mr. Wheeler" received airplay on a number of college and alternative rock stations.
But by the end of the year, the band broke up for reasons that were never explained by either Wheeler or Juristo, other than some vague comment along the lines of "it was time." Eventually, Wheeler and Pee Shy bassist Mary Catherine Guidera founded the Brooklyn-based band The Caulfield Sisters. Jurristo continues to record and perform as a solo act under the name Go Jenny. Drummer Billy Orrico is a New York based television and film sound editor. He's received two Emmy nominations for sound editing, including for work on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.
Today's Song You Should Know: 'Make You Feel My Love' By Garth Brooks
Today is Bob Dylan's birthday and there are hundreds of cover versions of his music I could have chosen to highlight. But I chose Garth Brook's version of "Make You Feel My Love" because it means something to me personally.
The song was written by Dylan for his 1997 album "Time Out Of Mind." Billy Joel released a version of it as a single off of his "Greatest Hits II" album even before Dylan's version had been released.
The most commercially successful version of the song (which has been covered by everyone from Adele to Bryan Ferry) was the one from Brooks, which was originally included on the soundtrack for the 1998 movie "Hope Floats." That track became a #1 country hit and went to #8 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart. Brooks also received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Performance and Dylan also received a Grammy nod for Best Country Song.
Aside from the fact that this is a wonderfully sparse and emotional take of the song, it has a lot of meaning for me. The first weekend that I spent with the woman who I am still married to, the power briefly went off in her New Jersey high rise. So we cuddled on the couch, talking and listening to the "Hope Floats" soundtrack. It's impossible for me to hear the song without thinking about her and about all of the wonderful years we've spent together.
Review: 'From Cradle To Stage'
As much as I hate to admit it, I've been interviewing people for more than 25 years. I like to think that I have some level of skill when it comes to asking questions, but I don't think any journalist has a firm handle on the best way to interview a well-known performer. Whether it's an actor that is a household name or a musician with a couple of Grammys under their belt, stars are a tough interview. By the time that they've become a household name, celebrities have been interviewed a thousand times. They're locked into their personal "brand" and how they want to be perceived by the public. They only remember the terrible interviews, so they are wary about the interviewer and deathly afraid of saying something that will become tomorrow's social media hot take. So most of the time, celebrity interviews tend to be safe and dry and polite. You don't learn much - other than what the celebrities want you to know.
The music industry is slightly different in that there are rare occasions when an interview or a TV show can provide surprising results. For instance, the podcast and TV series Song Exploder does a magnificent job of convincing musicians to discuss their creative process. It's not that the interviews reveal some great secret. It's just that you get a glimpse of the music and the person behind the mask.
The new Paramount+ series From Cradle To Stage is a wonderful series that will give you insight into how some of your favorite musicians became the people they are today. Produced and semi-hosted by Dave Grohl, the six-episode series is based on a book written by his mother. From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars was written by Virginia Hanlon Grohl and it examined the special relationship that musicians have with their mothers. The series takes some of the same journey, with each hour-long episode featuring a well-known musician. Each episode has a similar format, with Dave Grohl interviewing/hanging out with the performer while his mother Virginia focuses on the parent. Interwoven into each episode are some snippets from Grohl's life, generally something that tracks the conversation in the episode. Those snippets will be gold for Grohl fans, who among other things will get to see footage of him playing his first live show in what looks to be someone's living room.
Because the artists know Grohl can relate to their stories, they open up a bit more than they would with normal interviewers and it's a similar story with Virginia Grohl, who is able to put the mothers at ease as she draws out the stories of how they struggled to understand the ambitions of their children. Teresa Carlile talks about the struggles she had when daughter Brandi came out and how seeing the reaction their small town had to her girlfriend helped make her understand that her daughter would be fine. Christene Reynolds - mother of Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds - talks honestly about raising a family of nine children and navigating the world between her Mormon religion and her son's rock and roll career. Miranda Lambert's mother Bev and her husband were private investigators and she ended up becoming Miranda's manager during her teen years. As you might imagine, that brought a great deal of conflict into their relationship and as they discussed it, you can see the emotion is still there bubbling just below the surface.
The segments with the musicians are just as enlightening, as they discuss their childhoods and revisit old haunts. Some interviews are more successful than others, but the stories of their parents and their childhoods always make it worthwhile. Fans of Rush won't discover much new about Geddy Lee's career in his episode. But he spends a lot of time talking about his parents, who were both Holocaust survivors and who met and fell in love at the work camps. They had extraordinary lives and watching Geddy taking his now very elderly mother around town for their regular Saturday morning breakfast and shopping tour provides viewers with a new perspective on his life and music.
Dave Grohl does a wonderful job with the show as he is able to bring just the right amount of levity to the conversations. He's a star and he's well aware of that. But he also has a fun sense of perspective that keeps the conversations from veering into the mock seriousness of an Oprah interview. At one point, he talks about his father calling to give him feedback on the lyrics of some Nirvana. "I told him, I hear you, Dad. But I'm just the drummer, " explained Grohl.
The final episode ends with a dinner Virginia Grohl held for some of the mothers featured in her book, including the mother of Amy Winehouse. At the end of the dinner, Dave Grohl's daughter Violet sings for the group, accompanied on guitar by her father. Aside from the fact that Violet is crazy talented, it's an appropriate way to end a series about musicians and the relationship they have with their parents.
From Cradle To Stage will be a treasure for any music fan and as Mother's Day approaches, it's a good reminder of how even the people with the strongest personalities and most confidence still have those moments when they need their mom.
The first episode of From Cradle To Stage premieres Thursday, May 6th, 2021 on Paramount+. A new episode will premiere each Thursday through June 10th.