@mitchagain- yeah, I'd just looked at the same Wiki article that you did! 😀 I didn't know that John Bonham was on that session - I like learning things like that! From reading the article, I got the impression that it was Parker, not Holdsworth. In fact, I just looked at the Allen Holdsworth Wiki, and it says:
There has been an urban myth, propagated in part by the singer Donovan, that Holdsworth played the fuzztone solo on Donovan's 1968 hit "Hurdy Gurdy Man", but the solo was actually played by Alan Parker.[22][23]
@larsman- Per Wikipedia: There is dispute as to the musicians that played on this track The booklet from the 1992 double CD "Troubadour - Definitive Collection 64 - 76" lists Jimmy Page and Alan Holdsworth as the guitar players.
However, Wikipedia goes on to mention Alan Parker as well.
The backing musicians on that track are the core of Led Zeppelin (Page - Jones & Bonham), plus Alan Holdsworth. Not too shaby! Rumor has it that Page played the guitar riff to Season of The Witch at the soundcheck for every Zeppelin show.
The Kinks Waterloo Sunset. I have been into all kinds of music for 55 years and I have yet to hear it's equal. Honorable mention to Long Black Veil. The heaviest of dramas played out in under 4 minutes
@larsman: The Smithereens’ songs had some great hooky riffs, didn’t they?!
@mitchagain: Jellyfish were astounding, just as good live as on record.
The Wondermints were very well known around L.A. before they hooked up with Brian Wilson, and their CD’s are now somewhat hard to find. Their original bassist Brian Kassan became frustrated by the group not recording more of his songs (he was their George Harrison in that regard), and left the group shortly before the Wilson hookup. Oops! ;-)
Kassan then formed his own group, Chewy Marble, and switched to piano. Derrick Anderson---a fantastic musician who had his own group, The Andersons---was enlisted to play bass (he has more recently been playing bass with The Bangles on the road). Their 1997 s/t first album (on Permanent Press Records) contains lots of good Pop music, with one instant classic: "I Want You Only".
Drummer Tammy Glover left the group after that album, and my were services were engaged (Kassan and I met when we were both recruited to back Emitt Rhodes for his first live show in a quarter century, at the 1997 Poptopia Festival) for the recording of the second---Bowl Of Surreal, an over-all better album.
That Is Why - Jellyfish (Jeez, how could I have forgotten this one?)
I Wanted To Tell You - Matthew Sweet
Tell Your Sister - Lloyd Cole
In addition to appearing on each other's records in the early 90's, Lloyd and Matthew were also both using Fred Maher on drums and Richard Lloyd on guitar. No wonder they made some of their best records during this period!
@bdp24- I remember that Emmitt Rhodes album - that kind of singer/songwriter stuff was very popular when I was in college in the early 70's, and it did come out around the same time as Macca's first.
Also agree that 'Starry Eyes' is a classic. My fave power-pop band though was the Smithereens, out of Buffalo, NY....
Excellent recommendation @mitchagain! Poptopia includes "Starry Eyes" by The Records, a song written by drummer Will Birch and John Wicks, the latter of whom I had the pleasure of working with live. Also included is "Rock ’n’ Roll Girl" by The Beat, a great live band whose debut album is fantastic Power Pop! Leader/singer/songwriter/rhythm guitarist Paul Collins had earlier been in The Nerves, a group whose other members were Peter Case and Jack Lee (writer of Blondie's hit "Hangin’ On The Telephone"). Their 7" 4-song EP is now worth a coupla hundred bucks. My copy is not for sale ;-) . Rhino also put out Best Of The Girl Groups Volumes 1 & 2 (on CD), which are chock full of great Pop songs.
I’ve mentioned this one before, but it bears repeating: "I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)", as perfect a song as I have heard. Written by Ben Vaughn, recorded by Marshall Crenshaw (himself an excellent songwriter).
Speaking of Pop, there is the incredible "Fresh As A Daisy" by Emitt Rhodes, easily as good a song as anything McCartney has written. His first s/t record is a perfect album, imo better than McCartney’s solo debut. Both play and sing every part on those debut albums, but Emitt had the better songs, and was a much better drummer (his professional debut---while still in High School---was as the drummer in SoCal group The Palace Guard). Is it tacky of me to mention that I also worked with Emitt (live and in the studio)? ;-
Sadly, both John Wicks and Emitt Rhodes are now singing in the Heavenly choir. :-(
Fans of the "power pop" genre might want to seek out the 3 individual "Poptopia" (Power Pop Classics from the 70's - 80's - 90's) CD's that Rhino released in 1997, as there are many candidates have or still could make this list.
Oh yeah, a bid 3rd on Twilley’s "I’m On Fire"! His "Tryin’ To Find My Baby" is another Power Pop classic.
And how could I have not included "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid?
As I write I’m listening to Dave Edmund’s great recording of John Fogerty’s "Almost Saturday Night". And if you haven’t heard it, give a listen to Dave’s recording of Mickey Jupp’s "You’ll Never Get Me Up (In One Of Those)", a healthy dose of pure American Rock ’n’ Roll, written by an Englishman, played and sung by a Welshman. Both songs are included in Dave’s Twangin’ album.
Country & Western/Hillbilly music isn’t shown the respect it deserves ’round these here parts. Allow me to correct that situation.
- "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton.
- "Stand By Your Man" by Billy Sherrill & Tammy Wynette.
- "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" by Bobby Braddock & Curly Putman.
- "Long Black Veil" by Danny Dill & Marijohn Wilkin.
- "Ring Of Fire" by June Carter & Merle Kilgore.
- "She Thinks I Still Care" by Dickey Lee & Steve Duffy.
- "The Bottle Let Me Down" and "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard.
@larsman - Thanks, that is indeed a great song. Over the years I've been surprised by friends of mine who grew up in a different region(s) of the country who had never heard that song. Maybe that's why it wasn't a bigger hit, as it surely deserved to be bigger than it was.
I realize the choices made here are highly subjective. I purposely kept the suggestion vague go see what kind of responses I would get. Anyone have any thoughts on some of the “better” suggestions here?
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