What's the greatest double act in history? Sonny & Cher? Peters & Lee? Chaka Demus & Pliers?
Surely it must be Religion and War, that inseparable dynamic duo who enjoyed their greatest hits during The Crusades, religious wars that began in the 11th century... and are still going on in one form or another today.
Calling your band The Crusaders therefore comes with quite a bit of baggage. Not that this stopped any of these guys...
THE CRUSADERS #1
Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Nesbert "Stix" Hooper started playing together in 1954 as The Swingsters. In 1960, they moved from Texas to LA and became The Jazz Crusaders, though they dropped the J-word in the early 70s in order to reach a wider audience, which they did in 1979 with their crossover hit Street LIfe, featuring Randy Crawford on vocals. They stuck around in one form or another until 2010. Drummer Stix Hooper is the only surviving member of the original line-up.
I decided to go with the 11 minute version, 'specially for George...
THE CRUSADERS #2
Next up, an early 60s soul act from California. You'll be disappointed to learn, I'm sure, that this isn't a prototype for that famous Cher song.
THE CRUSADERS #3
Ohio surf band (Ohio is not on the coast, though it does border on Lake Eerie, so maybe they went surfing there) from 1964. The first band of Roger Troutman, who would go on to become a George Clinton protégé and a big name in the 80s funk scene, both solo and as part of the band Zapp. His work was often sampled by West Coast hip hop acts... probably not this track though.
THE CRUSADERS #4
Southern Californian God-Botherers (the first of many) from 1966. Also known as The Love Exchange. Which sounds a bit icky to me.
THE CRUSADERS #5
Another religious group from Illinois who released a number of albums in the 60s and 70s, and also collaborated with Lowell Mason, "The Singing Midget". And that is why I do this feature.
Garage rockers from Nebraska in 1967 with a song title that proved sadly prophetic for the rest of their career.
THE CRUSADERS #7
A lost gem of Philly soul from 1969...
THE CRUSADERS #8
From Church Hill, Tennessee in 1970 comes another religious group. I could only find a link to the full album, I'm afraid. Still...
"It is their hope that this recording will present many hours of listening pleasure, and that you will receive as great a blessing from listening as they receive from singing them."
There were probably about 150 other religious groups I could have included in this feature, but I'm not going to. Every US State had at least three, it seems. Just be satisfied in knowing that I listened to every one and chose the very best for your delectation.
THE CRUSADERS #9
A change of pace now with some Aussie punks from the 90s who liked to dress up as your actual Crusaders. What's not to love?
THE CRUSADERS #11
Spanish Oi! band from about 10 years ago...
CRUSADERS #12
And finally, some German Oi! from around the same time...
Twelve different Crusaders to choose from... but which will you worship? Choose well, or the soldiers will be round to speak to you.
I should have featured the former Mayor of Cincinnati on the Celebrity Jukebox following his untimely demise back in April... but it seemed like too big a task. The name Jerry Springer has become synonymous with a certain kind of lowest common denominator trash TV, so it's an easy shorthand for songwriters to drop in if they want to diss the worst elements of society, the ones happy to air their soiled undergarments and then have a big ruck in front of millions, thereby fulfilling Andy Warhol's 15 minutes prophecy. But I think there was more to Jerry than all that - he started out as an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy, before becoming a lawyer and then a major public figure... he even considered running for President. And let's face it, he couldn't have done a worse job than the Orange Manchild. As for his notorious TV show, Jerry clearly had a sense of humour about the whole thing (unlike his loathsome UK counterpart, Jeremy Kyle), happy to join in when others were poking fun at it (and him), most notably in Richard Thomas & Stewart Lee's hilarious Jerry Springer: The Opera.
Speaking of rappers, here's a guy who could easily have been a recurring guest on Jerry's show...
I strangle you to death then I choke you again And break your fucking legs till your bones poke through your skin You beef with me, I'mma even the score equally Take you on Jerry Springer and beat your ass legally
"Partner is the "mature" effort of two best friends named Josée Caron and Lucy Niles. Together, with Rock as their trusty guide, they explore a variety of themes in an attempt to understand the meaning of life." Which must be one of the worst artist biogs I've ever read. Shame really, because they make a spendid racket, and tell cool stories too...
When I was a kid I used to fake sick Luckily, my mom and dad were Pretty easy to trick
I was biding my time Until the house was all mine To do the one thing I really wanted to
Which was watching daytime TV While there's no one home to watch me I'm hanging out with Maury He's doing a paternity test Are you the father? Well, it's anybody's guess And give me Jerry Springer Judge Joe Brown, Judge Judy, and a TV dinner I guess the best things in life come free Like watching daytime TV
Bret Michaels was the lead singer of Poison. Despite that, this made me chuckle...
One day Jack came over to apologize He told me, my ex which is his new girlfriend was out every night Jack said I think she's been cheating with my new friend Jim Say you love her too bad cause now she loves him Pulled a Jerry Springer on me now your outta luck My new girlfriend thinks you all suck
When you find out things about yourself That you hadn't ought to know When your grandma calls and books you On the Jerry Springer show And you find out you and your wife of ten years Just might be related Brother, life's not over it's just Simply complicated
There were many, many, many more lyrical mentions of Jerry Springer... but I'm trying to be a little more selective and only link to the ones I like, or I figure one of you guys might dig. Like this little beauty...
Today's winning tune comes from a band I was very into around the turn of the Millennium. Hard to believe it's nearly 25 years since this was released. It's a song in which the lead singer professes his love for the actress Claire Danes, named after the TV show that made her famous (though it also mentions her star-making turn opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet).
I went on Jerry Springer To confess my love to you You said I didn't have a chance And there was nothing I could do You told me I was crazy And wished that I was dead. You threw a chair right upside my head
If you can't bear the suspense any longer... here are yesterday's bear-faced answers...
10. This drives one crazy!
"Drives one" is an anagram. The artist in question was also famous for his truck-driver-themed hits. Of which this, his only UK chart entry, is surely his worst. I mean, I like a mawkish talky CB-flavoured country tune as much as anyone, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.
#4 in 1981 though... those of you who were old enough to be buying records in that year, I blame you. I was only 9, so nobody can blame me.
(If you wonder why I call these lists A Top Ten... rather than THE Top Ten..., it's because there are some songs I have to leave out to avoid too much artist repetition. Like...
I didn't discover that Jerry Reed wrote Guitar Man until recently. Before I became a fan of his back catalogue, I only really knew Reed from his role as Cledus "Snowman" Snow in Smokey & The Bandit (for which he also wrote and sung the theme tune, East Bound & Down). As well as being an actor, Reed was a successful singer and guitarist, but he arguably found the most mainstream success as a songwriter, scoring hits for Elvis and Johnny Cash, among others. Let's face it, once Elvis has had hits with a couple of your tunes. life probably becomes a lot easier.
However, my favourite track on that compilation was the Jesus & Mary Chain doing Guitar Man. An unusual choice for the band in question, since it's such an upbeat song with a real pop tune... unlike most of their own material. They make it typically JAMC though - lots of feedback! - and while I'm not saying it's better than Elvis or Jerry... it's definitely a contender.
If you got All Shook Up by yesterday's quiz, don't go Crying In The Chapel this Sunday morning. Here's a little Peace In The Valley instead... the answers!
Rain led to a low turn-out yesterday morning, but Lynchie nabbed the early, easy ones. Maybe this quiz is getting too difficult. Maybe it's run its course. Not far from 100... perhaps I'll retire it with the century.
In the meantime... a quick trot through the answers this week with A Little Less Conversation than usual as I'm too tired to write loads.
10. Played by Dexys' error... so good they named him twice.
When Dexys appeared on Top of the Pops singing Jackie Wilson Said, they had a huge picture of Jocky Wilson behind them. Various stories about how this happened - a mistake on the part of the production team or (more likely) Kevin Rowland's wicked sense of humour.
Anyway, Jocky Wilson was a darts player.
New York, New York was so good they named it twice, according to Gerard Kenny.
One I discovered via The Vinyl Villain... though you have to know your comics characters to get the clues. (They changed their name to Eugenius after this release to avoid getting sued by Marvel.)
Steve Rogers is Captain America.
Johnny Storm is the Human Torch. His catch phrase is "Flame On!"
7. Tin Tin's useless investigators give away their identity.
C correctly identified that the gent in the centre of this pic wasn't actually Joe Leeway from The Thompson Twins, but Eddie Grant. My bad, with apologies to all concerned.
The Thompson Twins were named after bumbling detectives in the Tin Tin comics.
2. Sound like they're Riders on the Storm... on the best mixtape you ever made.
As I've written about previously, Dawes are a pretty good band... with a very silly name, considering that they sound exactly the far more famous group from the 60s led by Jim Morrison.
When you've been compiling Top Ten song lists as long as I have (7 years here, another 4 or 5 on the old blog), you often find yourself discovering new (or old) songs which you really should have included in Top Tens you wrote ages ago.
I thought I'd start an occasional series shining a spotlight on some of those... starting with this little gem from Jerry Reed, which would have been guaranteed the Number One position in My Top Ten Alligator Songs back in 2017... had I known of its existence back then.
I've been listening to Jerry Reed a lot lately and he's really put a smile on my face through the cold winter months. Hopefully this song will do the same for you on a dreary Monday morning...
My final countdown of songs I listened to in 2018... regular features will return next week. Here's a bunch of tracks and artists I only discovered last year, even though the recordings were (mostly) made much earlier.
One that Charity Chic turned me onto. They remind me of the Drive-By Truckers at times, although apparently they prefer to be labelled rock rather than country-rock. Further investigation required...
A John Grant side-project which was actually released this year so I should have included it elsewhere, but who's going to hold me account? Only very recently discovered this, but it's John Grant, so I'm digging it a lot.
A former member of Bonnie Raitt's band and a popular session musician, Freebo has released 5 solo albums over the last 20 years. This is from his most recent, 2015's If Not Now, When. Best way to describe this? Fun.
I'll admit this here and probably never mention it again, 2018 was the year I finally gave in to streaming. It won't stop me buying records (when I can afford them), but it seemed to be cutting my nose off to spite my face to deprive myself of all that music when 80% of the rest of the world were doing it. It also allowed me to check out some records by artists who have been on my list for donkey's years, but I've never had enough money to get to them. Jesse Colin Young was the lead singer of 60s band The Youngbloods, but his solo 70s output produced some real gems, including this delightfully misanthropic ode to getting out of the city, with shades of Steely Dan.
Contemporary Australian indie band who are making a name for themselves as Britpop-revivalists. Not 100% sure about their own material, which at times sounds like a more melodic, much-less annoying Oasis, but their live cover of Cher's Believe reinvents that track - minus the dodgy vocoder - to wonderful effect.
Former member of 60s folkies The Kingston Trio... and the man who wrote Daydream Believer, which surely grants him immortality... Stewart went on to enjoy a successful career as a singer songwriter (with a voice not a million miles from Johnny Cash at times) in the 70s. This is the title track from his 1969 solo album debut, which I listened to a lot this year. Much more to investigate though...
Canadian folk-country, slightly reminiscent of Mumford & Sons before they forgot how to write tunes. Their 2016 album Hope comes highly recommended if you like this track.
I didn't discover William Bell this year. I've had a collection of his 60s Stax soul songs for ages and it includes some classic tunes, including the timeless I Forgot To Be Your Lover, A Tribute To A King (about Otis Redding) and his duet with Judy Clay, Private Number.
What I didn't know was that Bell was still making music, and that in 2016 he'd returned to Stax to record a new album, This Is Where I Live. I'm glad I discovered it this year... because it's a belter.
Lucero describe themselves as "a country-punk rock band" from Memphis. They're also big Warren Zevon fans. What else do you need?
1. Jerry Reed - The Preacher & The Bear
Even though I was familiar with his theme tunes to the Smokey & The Bandit movies, I reckon I knew Jerry Reed better as an actor than a singer. I think it was Lynchie who recommended I dig a little deeper into his recording career, and I'm so glad I did. Beyond the fact that Reed wrote a couple of my favourite songs - Elvis's Guitar Man and Johnny Cash's A Thing Called Love - there's a rich seam of material to tap into in his back catalogue. Warm, witty country rock that presents Reed as a very likeable performer indeed. If you're not smiling by the end of The Preacher & The Bear, I recommend getting your zygomaticus major checked out.
Time-pressured this week due to the new college year chaos, but I did want to pay tribute to another hero of my childhood who passed last week. Here's ten tunes for Burt...
Oh, and if you see Burt Reynolds would you shake his hand for me And tell ol' Burt I've seen all his movies Well, I hope you make for big time, I hope your dreams come true But if Hollywood don't need you, honey, I still do
I might fall from a tall Building, so Burt Reynolds don't get hurt I might leap a mighty Canyon, so he can kiss and flirt While that smooth talker's kissing my girl - I'm just kissing dirt Yes, I'm the lonely stuntman, that made a lover out of Burt
James Dean in that mercury '49 Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Carolina Even Burt Reynolds in that black Trans Am All gonna meet down at the Cadillac ranch
I wonder if they threw old Burt's body in the back and drove him to the junkyard in his Cadillac?
.jpg)
