Soul much music....soul little time! Kal and I get up only to get down again! Kal waxes urban in his second Tune Tag foray, and FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE is down with it!šµ
Well well wellā¦ if this wasnāt just right up my musical street!
Where do I even begin?
The Stevie tag, via Aretha, was sublime. And seeing them perform on the same stage! I meanā¦ who could ask for anything more? I love that Aretha album (I have most of Stevieās and Arethaās records on vinyl, but still far from completing the collection).
And then, as if all of the above wasnāt enough, Donny Hathaway! š± You guys are going to kill meā¦ in the sweetest, most soulful kinda way!
āGiving Upā and āMy Songā are my two favourite tracks from Donnyās self-titled record. What an amazing talent. Gone way too soon.
I also loved how you chose to finish off with Chris Rainbow! Interestingly, not the obvious choice, but it works so wellā¦ thematically and musically!
Thanks, Andy! I knew this would hit hard witcha! The Rainbow was a kinda jarring add, there, at the end, but the 4-day serendipitous turn-around of Mark's and my collab on him with this Tune Tag entry, played several weeks before, was too delicious to ignore!
A ton of classic soul here. The Contours are one of the more underrated Motown groups; their one big hit, "Do You Love Me?", doesn't entirely reflect their range.
I think you're right, David! I'm embarrassed to admit my knowledge and enjoyment of The Contours isn't what it oughta be! That gets fixed forthwith (and soon, too)! Thanks!
It also just occurred to me that the crowded hit-field of the Motown roster made it easier, I reckon, to be somewhat buried within during that time!
Smokey, with fellow Miracle, Bobby Rogers, wrote it! I'm pretty sure it was the 1970 J. Geils Band cover that first exposed me to the song! That's a hard title to forget (and, I was 15)! The Contours, with the song (for readers to enjoy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHDmH8r5l7Y
Always a pleasure! Stevie lived near me in NJ never met him, but his music has made me a better person. So deep so vast the lyrics especially. So many... and Fingertips pt. 2 "Everybody Say Yeah!" physical ownership gives comfort. I scalped tickets outside MSG one night $10 and he brought MJ out for an extended encore. Underappreciated at his peak but Sesame Street Superstition will always show us what he was and will always be. Something special like Sly and Prince but longer lasting. Of course, Leon! He stole the show and paid the price but was undiminished and a champion of others as well. His work with Freddie King is unsurpassed. BTW I do a cover of Family Affair, and this is for today. I read Sly's wonderful autobiography. https://on.soundcloud.com/1H4uou2eisfWvEUU6 and the instrumental with your local Austin boy Topaz on sax https://on.soundcloud.com/886w2nxoSWtJViWp7 Thanks for the break! I needed it today with the world in disarray. We are still family no matter what! Great stuff.
Thanks, Steve, for your inspiring note! I always like to mention (for those who still think there was widespread this- or that-ism in the record biz!) that, in 1975 and '76, when I was a 20-year-old DJ at a couple of commercial FM-rockers (KLOL-Houston and WFMF-Baton Rouge), we would eagerly play Stevie's early-'70s output, and the "Songs" album when it came out in '76! For that matter, Sly was heavily represented, too! Had I been still behind the mic in '79, I'm sure I would've seen Prince positioned for heavy rotation in the control room!
I appreciate the links, Steve, and will get to them shortly! I took a peek at this Tuesday's Tune Tag, and it, too, looks like a banger! Cheers!-Bšššµ
I'm still working my way through the episode, but I just have to say I LOVE "Song For You"
(I tend to think of Donny Hathaway as the person who duets on the Roberta Flack songs I don't like, but I appreciate that Tune Tag has expanded my sense of him -- both this and episode 26).
Did you know this one's his? Donny co-wrote "This Christmas" with Nadine McKinnor in 1970. It's been covered by many, and jazz guitarist, Phil Upchurch once said the song was "absolutely the premiere holiday song written by an African American." Enjoy a deeper dive into his catalog, if you choose!š¶šhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhKVSZsRxQM
"I checked out the original version, and tried to find out who the bass player was. I assumed it was Hathawayās long-time guitarist and bassist Phil Upchurch, but surprisingly, I discovered that it was actually Hathaway himself playing a Rhodes keyboard bass. This instrument was owned by Upchurch, who played guitar on the session for the song, and had been given to him by Harold Rhodes himself. Itās a great testament to Hathawayās skills that he could create a bass line on a keyboard that sounded like a genuine bass part played by Upchurch or Jamerson."
So many great songs here! I've always loved "Until You Come Back to Me", "A Song For You" (although I love the Carpenters version even more!) and "Stand."
Thanks, Dan! Kal has some great selections here! That's Aretha, herself, playing the opening piano on her '74 arrangement! Would you believe Donny Hathaway played on her "Let Me In Your Life" album sessions?! In fact, he played electric piano on "Until You Come Back to Me," while veteran session player, Richard Tee, played organ.
When Stevie plays those instantly memorable opening notes as he's accompanying Aretha, man, that's an iconic riff.......chills!
No one will fault you for loving Karen's version more (arranged by bro, Richard...he always deserves props for providing the "sound dressing" to maximize Karen's fabulous voice and phrasing)!
You got it, bruh! I'm stunned by the serendipity of it all.....we pub the Rainbow mere days before a Tune Tag (played before Christmas, yet) features him! Gotta love it!
Thanks, Chris! I love how the array of musical artists Kal featured on his two Tune Tags was breath-taking! Speaking of Tune Tag-related playlists (and, what a great idea!), you might find it challenging to build a playlist incorporating several Tune Tags, as you mix'n'match songs'n'artists from one to the other!šµ
Well well wellā¦ if this wasnāt just right up my musical street!
Where do I even begin?
The Stevie tag, via Aretha, was sublime. And seeing them perform on the same stage! I meanā¦ who could ask for anything more? I love that Aretha album (I have most of Stevieās and Arethaās records on vinyl, but still far from completing the collection).
And then, as if all of the above wasnāt enough, Donny Hathaway! š± You guys are going to kill meā¦ in the sweetest, most soulful kinda way!
āGiving Upā and āMy Songā are my two favourite tracks from Donnyās self-titled record. What an amazing talent. Gone way too soon.
I also loved how you chose to finish off with Chris Rainbow! Interestingly, not the obvious choice, but it works so wellā¦ thematically and musically!
Long live Tune Tag!
Amazing work, fellas!
Thanks, Andy! I knew this would hit hard witcha! The Rainbow was a kinda jarring add, there, at the end, but the 4-day serendipitous turn-around of Mark's and my collab on him with this Tune Tag entry, played several weeks before, was too delicious to ignore!
A ton of classic soul here. The Contours are one of the more underrated Motown groups; their one big hit, "Do You Love Me?", doesn't entirely reflect their range.
I think you're right, David! I'm embarrassed to admit my knowledge and enjoyment of The Contours isn't what it oughta be! That gets fixed forthwith (and soon, too)! Thanks!
It also just occurred to me that the crowded hit-field of the Motown roster made it easier, I reckon, to be somewhat buried within during that time!
"First I Look At The Purse" is a very enjoyable Contours non-hit.
Smokey, with fellow Miracle, Bobby Rogers, wrote it! I'm pretty sure it was the 1970 J. Geils Band cover that first exposed me to the song! That's a hard title to forget (and, I was 15)! The Contours, with the song (for readers to enjoy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHDmH8r5l7Y
That title sounds familiar, David! I'm gonna check to see who may have done a more well-known cover (and who wrote it)!š
Smokey regularly worked with his bandmates Rogers, Warren Moore and Ronnie White on tunes.
Always a pleasure! Stevie lived near me in NJ never met him, but his music has made me a better person. So deep so vast the lyrics especially. So many... and Fingertips pt. 2 "Everybody Say Yeah!" physical ownership gives comfort. I scalped tickets outside MSG one night $10 and he brought MJ out for an extended encore. Underappreciated at his peak but Sesame Street Superstition will always show us what he was and will always be. Something special like Sly and Prince but longer lasting. Of course, Leon! He stole the show and paid the price but was undiminished and a champion of others as well. His work with Freddie King is unsurpassed. BTW I do a cover of Family Affair, and this is for today. I read Sly's wonderful autobiography. https://on.soundcloud.com/1H4uou2eisfWvEUU6 and the instrumental with your local Austin boy Topaz on sax https://on.soundcloud.com/886w2nxoSWtJViWp7 Thanks for the break! I needed it today with the world in disarray. We are still family no matter what! Great stuff.
Thanks, Steve, for your inspiring note! I always like to mention (for those who still think there was widespread this- or that-ism in the record biz!) that, in 1975 and '76, when I was a 20-year-old DJ at a couple of commercial FM-rockers (KLOL-Houston and WFMF-Baton Rouge), we would eagerly play Stevie's early-'70s output, and the "Songs" album when it came out in '76! For that matter, Sly was heavily represented, too! Had I been still behind the mic in '79, I'm sure I would've seen Prince positioned for heavy rotation in the control room!
I appreciate the links, Steve, and will get to them shortly! I took a peek at this Tuesday's Tune Tag, and it, too, looks like a banger! Cheers!-Bšššµ
Loved all these soul tunes, and the tracks with Stevie and Prince were a wonderful bonus.
Thanks, Ellen! Kal came up big on this one, and those, indeed, were fun extra vids of Prince'n'Stevie!
I'm still working my way through the episode, but I just have to say I LOVE "Song For You"
(I tend to think of Donny Hathaway as the person who duets on the Roberta Flack songs I don't like, but I appreciate that Tune Tag has expanded my sense of him -- both this and episode 26).
Did you know this one's his? Donny co-wrote "This Christmas" with Nadine McKinnor in 1970. It's been covered by many, and jazz guitarist, Phil Upchurch once said the song was "absolutely the premiere holiday song written by an African American." Enjoy a deeper dive into his catalog, if you choose!š¶šhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhKVSZsRxQM
I don't know that one, and it's good. Thank you.
Looking it up, this was an interesting article: https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2024/12/12/unpacking-the-bass-line-of-donny-hathaways-this-christmas-history-technique-and-full-transcription/
"I checked out the original version, and tried to find out who the bass player was. I assumed it was Hathawayās long-time guitarist and bassist Phil Upchurch, but surprisingly, I discovered that it was actually Hathaway himself playing a Rhodes keyboard bass. This instrument was owned by Upchurch, who played guitar on the session for the song, and had been given to him by Harold Rhodes himself. Itās a great testament to Hathawayās skills that he could create a bass line on a keyboard that sounded like a genuine bass part played by Upchurch or Jamerson."
I forgot to put the link there for you. I just added it to my reply! That's quite an article, and a cool reveal! Thanks, Nick!
So many great songs here! I've always loved "Until You Come Back to Me", "A Song For You" (although I love the Carpenters version even more!) and "Stand."
Thanks, Dan! Kal has some great selections here! That's Aretha, herself, playing the opening piano on her '74 arrangement! Would you believe Donny Hathaway played on her "Let Me In Your Life" album sessions?! In fact, he played electric piano on "Until You Come Back to Me," while veteran session player, Richard Tee, played organ.
When Stevie plays those instantly memorable opening notes as he's accompanying Aretha, man, that's an iconic riff.......chills!
No one will fault you for loving Karen's version more (arranged by bro, Richard...he always deserves props for providing the "sound dressing" to maximize Karen's fabulous voice and phrasing)!
Not much music beats out Prince live. Great tunes as usual!
I feel I lucked into that one, Paul....so, had to include it! Pretty impressive!
Wow! Lots of great soul music here. Thanks for the shout out!
You got it, bruh! I'm stunned by the serendipity of it all.....we pub the Rainbow mere days before a Tune Tag (played before Christmas, yet) features him! Gotta love it!
Just brilliant. Thank you. Iām going to have to make a playlist and start with these tune tag songs. This was very enjoyable
Thanks, Chris! I love how the array of musical artists Kal featured on his two Tune Tags was breath-taking! Speaking of Tune Tag-related playlists (and, what a great idea!), you might find it challenging to build a playlist incorporating several Tune Tags, as you mix'n'match songs'n'artists from one to the other!šµ
True. And one reason a playlist might be perfect
I like the sound of that!š¶
I made one when we were tagging! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ApFZPiAyoY7QJJ3XJezGK?si=xmaJK9rKTUW_in7ejFKsjQ
Well, that's impressive, Kal! Thanks!