Dannyís Jukebox

Well, itís time to change the records in the old make believe jukebox again. Actually, itís way past time. But itís not easy tracking down vinyl these days. Think how hard it is finding imaginary vinyl. I just hope my jukebox never breaks down. Can you imagine what itís gonna be like trying to order parts for a vintage pretend jukebox? I guess weíll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, the category for the jukebox is...

Singer-Songwriter Music of the 70ís

People had been writing and performing their own songs long before James Taylor strapped on a guitar and sang about seeing fire and rain. It just wasnít until the seventies that it became a genre. And what a maligned genre it was! For every talented new voice that deserved to be heard there were countless others that should have been muted. Many of them like Dan Fogelberg and that guy who sang "Feelings" moved into the Singer-Songwriter neighborhood and immediately decreased the property values. Then thereís all those talentless hacks who performed at coffee houses across America and thought they had a message that needed to be heard. Unfortunately, that message was, "I suck but I just donít know it."

At least there is enough good stuff to fill up this edition of the jukebox. Here are my favorite songs from the rebirth of the troubadour...

Fire and Rain - James Taylor
Okay, I sort of gave this one away in the introduction. James Taylor is probably the definitive example of the acoustic guitar playing singer-songwriter of the 1970ís and his second album Sweet Baby James became the prototype of what the genre was all about. In this particular number, we get the entire emotional gamut from sunny days that he thought would never end to some lonely times when he could not find a friend. This is the type of song that could very easily degenerate into a puddle of syrupy crud if not executed properly. But James Taylor wasnít John Denver and "Fire and Rain" gets to be A-1 on this jukebox.

Youíve Got A Friend - Carole King
If Sweet Baby James by James Taylor was the prototype for the singer-songwriter album of the 70ís, Carole Kingís Tapestry was the masterpiece. Not a bad cut on the entire record and half of the songs became mainstays on both AM and FM radio. As a songwriter, Carole had been around the block many times and co-wrote several hit songs for other artists in collaboration with her husband Gerry Goffin. But to perform her own songs?? Fortunately, she fared a lot better than other tune smiths who took their turn at the mike (i.e. Burt Bacharach) and delivered twelve tracks of pure magic. So much to choose from, including the amazing "So Far Away," but Iím going with the song that became a standard and was also turned into a hit by none other than James (see above) Taylor.

Sunshine - Jonathan Edwards
Since we started off with a one-two punch of rather serious, meaningful recordings, letís lighten things up with a really dopey song. "Give me a C! A bouncy C!!" Yeah, this little ditty has a catchy, sing-a-long quality to it. Yet the lyrics try in vain to suggest something deeper. "He canít even run his own life, Iíll be damned if heíll run mine!!" What a hoot! And I love it. Donít know much about the guy who sang it. Donít need to. He only had one hit and it made it on the jukebox.

Working Class Hero - John Lennon
Talk about switching gears. The next selection comes from a very pissed off ex-Beatle who decided it was time to tell the world exactly how he felt, even if it meant using the "F" word in the process. John Lennon began his flirtation with the singer-songwriter style back in the 60ís when he started writing more personal songs to squeeze in between the "I love you and donít you forget it" numbers he and the Fabs were putting down on wax. On John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, his first legit solo album, the man who helped make some of the greatest pop records in the history of music unleashed his inner demons and created one of the most stark and cathartic long players ever. "Working Class Hero" is as basic as it gets. Just John Lennon's voice and guitar. The Dream is Over. Genius is Pain. Give us a kiss.

Vincent - Don McLean
Don McLean will forever be linked to that one long ass record he made called "American Pie." And even though it is a classic, itís too bad that most people arenít familiar with a lot of the other songs he wrote and recorded. Myself included. The only other Don McLean song I know is "Vincent," a haunting tribute to the artist Vincent Van Gogh. It's a damn nice piece of work and maybe someday people will discover that Don McLean did more than just sing about the day the music died. Then again, perhaps they never will.

You're So Vain - Carly Simon
If all Carly Simon ever did was pose for the cover photo of her No Secrets album, she'd still deserve a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as far as I'm concerned. She was also the wife of James Taylor, which makes her a member of the rock community by way of marriage. To top it off, Carly was a recording artist herself and although her output was spotty, she did mange some worthwhile contributions to the radio airwaves. "You're So Vain" is the best of the bunch and it led to much speculation about the identity of its inspiration. Mick Jagger and Warren Beatty were the most popular guesses. Personally, I think it was a song about me.

Danny's Song - Loggins & Messina
Hey, it's got my name in the title! And it's a real pretty song, don't ya think? I must admit that the Anne Murray version is a bit on the yucky side though. And it's really too bad that Kenny Loggins recorded a lot of pathetic drivel after he and Jim Messina went their separate ways. But this version of this song is a keeper. (And I also dig that "Mama Don't Dance" toe tapper they made.)

Heart of Gold - Neil Young
You know what? Neil Young is good. And when I say good, I mean real good. And he's been real good for a long, long time. Back in 1972, he was also on the verge of becoming a superstar in the rock world. "Heart of Gold" was a humongous hit and it led Harvest to the top of the album charts. But instead of recording and releasing Son of Harvest, Neil put the brakes on his commercial momentum with a rough, ragged live album called Time Fades Away. It wouldn't be the last time the wacky Canadian serpentined his career, but he'd still become a rock and roll superstar. It would just take a little longer doing it on his own terms.

The Circle Game - Joni Mitchell
Of all the singer-songwriters from the 70's, Joni Mitchell was by far the cutest. She was also one of the best (and most influential). "The Circle Game" is one of the great "flower children" songs of all time, written by Joni in the sixties and recorded by Tom Rush before getting the definitive treatment by Miss Mitchell herself in 1970.

Moondance - Van Morrison
Putting a singer-songwriter label on Van Morrison is kinda like calling Fred Astaire a tap dancer. Yes, Astaire could tap dance like it was nobody's business, but he also excelled at other kinds of dancing. You know, the cheek-to-cheek stuff, the old soft shoe and that bit where he dances all over the ceiling. Van Morrison is the same way. No, he can't dance on the ceiling, but he's a blues singer, an R&B singer, an Irish folk singer, a pop singer... and he's a musician and songwriter. "Moondance" is one of Van's most popular songs and it fits nicely on this edition of the jukebox.

Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan
Yeah, to try and put Bob Dylan in a single category is also a risky endeavor. But let's face it, he's a big reason why this genre even exists. He came around in the sixties when pop music was a slave to the three minute single and he helped make rock and roll a more personal and thought provoking form of entertainment. Even the Beatles took notice. In the 70's when everyone with an acoustic guitar wanted to be the next Bob Dylan, the old Bob Dylan put out Blood on the Tracks and served notice that the position was already filled. "Tangled Up In Blue" is the classic opening song that starts the emotional bleeding and it stands right up there with Dylan's best sixties work.

Love The One You're With - Stephen Stills
You can call it free love, but to me it sounds like a song about cheating and sleeping around. Then again, the girl sitting next to you is looking for something to do. No harm, no foul, right? Ah, those were different times back then. Let's see Steve Stills try that crap now that's he's gained seventy pounds, his hair is thinning out big time and free love often comes with a fatal price tag.

The Pretender - Jackson Browne
As the crown prince of the sensitive side of 70's rock and roll, Jackson Browne is quite often and unfairly lumped together with the lightweight wussies that became the negative stereotype of the singer-songwriter. (Hey, there's a reason everybody cheers when John Belushi smashes Stephen Bishop's guitar in Animal House.) Browne may be a sensitive guy - although Darryl Hannah might dispute that - but he doesn't belong at the wimp table exchanging mellow thoughts with the likes of Dan Fogelberg. His song writing ability is above that, he worked with talented musicians who added a level of credibility to his music and he produced the first Warren Zevon album for crying out loud. "The Pretender" is one of the songs most associated with Jackson Browne and it's become an anthem of sorts for those who each day "get up and do it again, amen."

Sail Away - Randy Newman
His first album proclaimed "Randy Newman creates something new under the sun." They got that right. Even if it was meant tongue in cheek. Quite frankly, I don't think there's ever been anybody out there you can compare him to. He's a talented musician, composer and songwriter, as well as a brilliant satirist. "Sail Away" is the title song from the album that was supposed to make him a star in 1972. It didn't. He'd have to wait until 1979 for his first hit single when the anti-bigotry song "Short People" was mistaken for a novelty tune and went all the way to the number two position on the charts.

What Have They Done To My Song, Ma? - Melanie
On the cover of her second album, Melanie looks an awful lot like Linda Rondstadt. She sure doesn't sound like Linda Rondstadt. In fact, it's Melanie's unique voice that sets her apart from most of the female vocalists of the singer-songwriter era. Like Joni Mitchell, she also wrote her own songs and those were unique as well. The most well known is "Brand New Key," which was a big hit and may wind up on another edition of the jukebox. "What Have They Done, etc." is Melanie's commentary on the commercialization of an artist's work, but it's also fun to listen to.

Simple Man - Graham Nash
Another artist of extreme sensitivity is this guy, Graham Nash. Yeah, a lot of his stuff really is on the drippy side, but there's just enough hippie spirit in this former Hollie to make much of his work enjoyable. Songs like "Our House" and "Teach Your Children" provide a nice contrast to the styles of the other three members of the CSN&Y franchise and some of Graham's early solo material holds up well, especially in the context of the CSN box set. Songs for Beginners is Mr. Nash's first and most consistent album. "Simple Man" is the perfect example of the "I just wrote this especially for you" kind of song that was prevalent back in those days.

Never Going Back Again - Lindsey Buckingham (with Fleetwood Mac)
Fleetwood Mac had the luxury of having three resident singer-songwriters in their group, but the band's sound belied the essence of the genre. Thus they became close kin to other California rock bands like the Eagles and helped create the west coast sound that was a fixture on the airwaves during a good chunk of the 70's. Lindsey Buckingham was able to sneak the simple and straight forward "Never Going Back" on the mega-monsterous Rumours LP, thus giving me an excuse to include one of my favorite musicians on the j-box.

American Tune - Paul Simon
As the Simon half of the Simon & Garfunkel recording duo, Paul Simon wrote some songs in the sixties that would help lay the groundwork for the singer-songerwriter enriched seventies. (Sort of like Ram lineman Deacon Jones being a catalyst for the sack category in the NFL record book.) After his split with Artie, the rhyming one would drift away from his folk roots and explore many different styles of music during his Grammy filled solo years. "American Tune" is a song that remains true to the basic Simon sound.

Your Song - Elton John
A singer-songwriter with an interesting twist: He doesn't write his own lyrics! But it's the music that matters, right? I mean, nobody listens to the words of a song unless they're impressionable young teenagers who need a negative message to point them in the direction of suicide, murder or the misguided worship of Satan. Oh wait, sometimes people in love listen to song lyrics, too. This is another one of those songs that a guy could give to a girl and show how much he cared even though someone like Bernie Taupin had to say it for him.

Carmelita - Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon emerged from the same California rock scene that produced the likes of Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt. Browne, as mentioned earlier, produced Zevon's debut LP and Ronstandt gender switched a few of his songs for inclusion on her albums. The usual suspects of west coast studio musicians played on the Excitable Boy's records, as did Buckingham and Nicks of Fleetwood Mac and members of the Eagles. Zevon, however, had an edge to his songs that these sunshine session fillers could admire but never achieve. He would get famous with "Werewolves of London," the hit single from his second album that years later would become Tom Cruise's pool hustling theme in The Color of Money, but his self-titled first album is still his best. "Carmelita" is a good example of a strung out Zevon number. Not a bad choice to play on the juke box late at night when cigarette smoke fills the air and hope is the thing floating at the bottom of a whiskey glass.

The Heart of Saturday Night - Tom Waits
Of course, if you really need some appropriate music to filter through those smoke rings you're blowing at 3 a.m., there's always the raspy throated, bloodshot eyed song stylings of Mr. Tom Waits to set the proper mood. I would put "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You" in the last slot on this jukebox, but I don't want to bring things down that much. Besides, something tells me they'll be a Broken Hearted Lonely Guy's editon of the jukebox somewhere down the road. Cheers.

By the way... there's a good reason you don't see Cat Stevens or Gordon Lightfoot on this edition of the jukebox. They annoy me. Oh yeah, and I left off Jim Croce, too. He doesn't annoy me, but since I don't own any of his music on CD or any other format, he is ineligible. Now if there's someone else you think I overlooked, go ahead and make my day. Or you can even yell at me about leaving off Cat, Gordo or Jim. Or let me know what singer-songwriter song really makes your skin crawl. Yeah, "Feelings" and what else?

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