Tune Tag #99 with NickS (WA), Pt. 4: Mott the Hoople, Carla Thomas, Barenaked Ladies, Shaun Cassidy, Brian Wilson, Janis Ian, Willie Nelson, Otis Redding, Andrew Gold

With the recent losses of Brian Wilson and Mick Ralphs, this Tune Tag happily and gratefully honors the musical legacies of these influential artists, as well as the others who share this space today!

Not the way I usually answer the door…..but,

Welcome back to Tune Tag,

NickS (WA)

of Earnestness is Underrated!

“Brad Kyle is the reason I started a Substack. His extensive musical knowledge and openness to sharing and encouraging others are both notable. I highly recommend subscribing and follow along with the weekly Tune Tag!”-Nick S.

This is Nick’s 4th time joining us for Tune Tag! Here’s his most recent, from May of 2024, Tune Tag #40:

Tune Tag #40 with Nick S (WA), Pt. 3: Dionne Warwick, Carole King, Nikki Jean, Gretchen Peters, John Williams, Neko Case

Nick describes himself as “a middle-aged geek [in NW Washington state]; I have interests in politics, and am enjoying reviving my interest in music. I have been interested in science fiction and role-playing games, but at this point I feel mostly nostalgia for them.”

Last week, we enjoyed the Tune Taggin’ company of

Nuno Babo

of Needle in a Substack:

Tune Tag #98 with Nuno Babo of Needle in a Substack: Ratt, Genesis, Crowded House, Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Dweezil Zappa

Next week, we celebrate the century mark with Tune Tag #100 with

Flipped Out Phil

of

Painted Dayglo Smiles

! It’ll be a week of Tune Tag celebration and surprises!

Meanwhile, thanks to David Paich and Toto, this Tune Tag #99 has an opening theme!

Nick’s song #1 sent to Brad: Janis Ian & Willie Nelson, “Memphis,” 2000

Nick’s rationale: Ah, the anxiety of the blank page! I want to have a good starting point. I’m fairly sure this was the song I have listened to more often than any other in the past year. There were a couple of months when I was listening to it over and over again. It just resets my sense of time. The opening is a little quiet and spare, but once Willie Nelson comes in, I am absorbed in the music and everything starts moving a little more slowly and I feel more patient.

Normally, I tend to be very lyrics-focused in my appreciation of songs, but in this case I just respond strongly to the music and the way their voices combine. In the video description, Janis Ian writes, “I wrote this song with Deana Carter for my album, God and the FBI [Windham Hill Records, 2000, produced by Ian, John Jennings, and Jim Cregan].

“Everyone said Willie would never record it with me, but we persisted and sure enough, one day the invitation came - come on down to Pedernales and record it in his studio! Chet Atkins played lead, we sang, and it was an unbelievably wonderful experience.” The performance feels happy, and it gives Brad a lot of options for his choice.

Janis Ian, at 16, on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Aug. 9, 1967, taped at NBC/30 Rock, NYC. She’s now 74. (Photo by Gilbert, courtesy of Janis Ian)

Brad’s song #1 sent to Nick: Mott the Hoople, “All the Way From Memphis,” 1973

Nick’s response: What a performance! It’s a completely different vibe than my opening selection, but so much fun. I assume Brad is matching the word “Memphis” in the title (and there are a lot of songs that mention Memphis)!

There are a couple of different ways I could go from here. I tried to find another song which tells a story about a musical instrument, but decided to stick with “Memphis” for my next song:

Nick’s song #2: Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, “Tramp,” 1968

Brad’s response: “All the way from Memphis,” indeed! Stax o’ wax! “Tramp”: a song written by Lowell Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin. Lowell Fulsom (as he was, at times, contractually known, with the “m”) was the first to record “Tramp,” as he did in 1966. The Redding/Thomas cover came the following year. Both charted.

Nick’s rationale: I highly recommend the documentary Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (shown above), which highlights the way that the label grew out of the Memphis music scene, and the ways in which the history of Stax is tied to the city.

This track pairs Otis Redding (the biggest star) with Carla Thomas, “queen of Memphis Soul.” Backed by the Stax house band, Booker T. & the MGs and The Memphis Horns, it was also the final album recorded by Otis Redding before his December 1967 death.

I’ve known this song for a long time. Listening to it now, thinking about someone hearing it for the first time, I can hear the ways in which the production shows its era (the vocal levels aren’t consistent) but the energy is great, and they sound like they’re really having fun!

Part of what makes it work so well is just how unwounded Otis Redding sounds as Carla Thomas teases him. From the opening in which he responds to being told that he dresses badly with, “Well, I tell you one dog-gone thing / It makes me feel good to know one thing / I know I’m a lover,” he is a man completely comfortable with himself.

From their 2003 Mescalero album, ZZ Top works out with the Texas “Tramp”:

Brad’s song #2: Shaun Cassidy, “Rebel Rebel,” 1980