How I Got Here - Michael Rachap (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)

This morning's entry is a two-fer: not only is it the latest "How I Got Here" entry featuring kindie musicians talking about albums that influenced them as musicians, but it's also a world premiere video.  That's right, Michael Rachap, the mastermind behind the wonderful Readeez series of videos (they're not just sing-alongs, they're read-alongs, too), offers up his thoughts on Elton John's classic double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and offers up his latest Readee, "Haircut" (perfect for the newly shorn or long-unshorn).  Check that new video out at the end of the essay.  And for the rest of his Readeez, check out the Readeez Digital 2.0 Bundle.

At this point, you're probably saying, "j-j-j-j-j-just get on with it," so without further ado...

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I was ten years old when Goodbye Yellow Brick Road came along and rocked my pre-pubescent world. Today, nearly four decades and countless spins later, it's still among my greatest sources of inspiration and musical pleasure.

Though this lavish, over-the-top double album is credited to Elton John, it is decidedly a team effort: musicians, lyricist, producer, engineers, art directors, illustrators and photographers, all at the top of their games.

The record is nothing if not ambitious. Side One opens with the maximalist "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding." (Honestly, who kicks off their album with a funeral?) But unlike other early-70s Big Important Rock Songs ("American Pie," "Roundabout," "Stairway to Heaven"), "Funeral" doesn't supply a clean, conflict-resolving ending. Instead, when genius producer Gus Dudgeon finally draws the curtain and fades out at the 11:08 mark, the band is rocking ever harder, approaching Maximum Warp, threatening to leave the galaxy. 

I like to think that in some alternate universe somewhere, Elton and the boys are still playing the coda to "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," thrilling an arena filled with lucky aliens and/or angels.

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My first crush on this album was most likely for "Bennie And The Jets," a big ol' hunk of ear candy if ever there was one. And of course the title track went on to become a soft-rock standard (and a staple of my college summer-job lounge act). The piano player in me also adored (and copied) Elton's technique on keyboard-driven songs like "Grey Seal" and "Harmony." 

In fact, this 17-track opus tramples all sorts of genre boundaries. There's glam. There's synth-heavy prog-rock. There's '70s singer-songwriter balladry, retro '50s 3-chord boogie—plus that "Other" category Elton and Bernie seemed to specialize in ("All The Girls Love Alice"—ehrm…okay).

Then there's the sublime "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," which rocks as hard as anything AC/DC ever did.  

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Beyond its many musical lessons, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road's biggest impact on my creative future may have been visual. The LP's tri-fold jacket delivered all the lyrics, decorated—you might even say "illuminated"—with stylish multicolor typography and superb illustrations. In retrospect, this "words-plus-music-plus-pictures" formula seems to be what I landed on as the foundation for Readeez.

Yes indeed, friends: This isn't just a double album—it's more like an album squared. To be fair, it does harbor a few clunkers. There's also some misogyny, and plentiful Adult Themes. Nearly all of which went right over my ten-year-old head. 

Four sides of Elton & Bernie, plus Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper, masterfully written, played and produced, wrapped up in a dazzling, lapidary package. 

I can't recall such a yummy aural/visual combo, before or since.

Not for nothing did Rolling Stone rank Goodbye Yellow Brick Road among its top 100 Albums of All Time.

Me personally, I'd say "Top Five."

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And here it is, the premiere of the latest Readee, "Haircut!"

[Photo credit: Courtesy of Readeez]

How I Got Here - Tito Uquillas (Buddy Holly's 20 Golden Greats)

Today's entry in "How I Got Here," featuring kindie musicians talking about albums influencing their musical decisions, is from Tito Uquillas, guitarist and chief songwriter for the Bay Area(-ish) power-pop band The Hipwaders.  The band's just released a sweet little 2-song EP featuring a couple covers, including one of Frances England's "The Books I Like to Read" (here's an Amazon link).  Here's Tito's tribute to a rushed-out greatest hits collection that's inspired him for more than 30 years.

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When I was asked if I’d a write a little something about an album that influenced me as a musician my first thought went to Gary Busey.  Yep, everybody’s favorite crazy uncle was probably the biggest influence on my musical future as he introduced me to the genius of Buddy Holly.

In 1978, I had been playing keyboards in a band for a few months with little progress.  My bandmates and I would just literally pound out three chords in a never ending cacophony of sound.

One afternoon I went with my sister to see The Buddy Holly Story at the local movie theater.  I knew and liked the few Buddy Holly songs I had heard on oldies radio stations but I didn’t own any of his albums.  To say the movie was a revelation is an understatement.  Gary Busey brought (whether accurately or not) a vibrant, exciting Buddy Holly to life.  Before the end of the movie I was determined to chuck the keyboard and learn to play guitar.  Who the heck wants to be trapped behind a keyboard when you can jump around the stage with a guitar!

My younger brother had been taking guitar lessons and I asked him to show me how the little box figures above the chords on sheet music corresponded with the guitar.  I bought a Buddy Holly songbook and the only record of Buddy’s I could find: Buddy Holly’s 20 Golden Greats.

Geez, that album art stunk.  Looking it up on Wikipedia reveals that the album was a rush release to take advantage of the movie.  Despite the bad graphics, it’s the music that inspired me and continues to inspire me to this day.

Buddy Holly assimilated rockabilly, country & western, blues and New Orleans music into his sound.  Just listening to the first three songs on the album reveal the diversity:  from the rockabilly rave up of “That’ll Be the Day,” to “Peggy Sue” (which I still don’t know how to classify), to the ballad, “Words of Love.”

I’ve learned a lot from Buddy Holly.  From production ideas - with credit to producer Norman Petty and under-rated drummer, Jerry Allison, who would use his lap or a cardboard box to lay down percussion - to his singing style and his guitar playing.  Since 1979 to this day I always followed the 3 person line-up of Buddy Holly’s Crickets for my bands.

Perhaps the biggest influence Buddy Holly had on me was as a songwriter.  Within a month of learning guitar I wrote my first song utilizing all five chords I could play.  I found it easier to sing melodies over chord changes on the guitar rather than the piano.  I also loved that Buddy Holly songs were mostly open chords as I had trouble playing barre chords with my weak hands.  His songs were simple, melodic, involved few chords and exuded positive vibes full of hope.  It took me many years of songwriting to realize how difficult it is to write a good, simple song and I’ve found very few people who do it well.

One of those people is Frances England.  My band The Hipwaders’ latest release is a single featuring Frances’ song, “The Books I Like to Read.” I don’t know if Frances has listened to Buddy Holly much but she’s got that Buddy Holly songwriting style. “The Books I Like to Read” is primarily three chords (A-D-E in the key we play it…just like “Peggy Sue”!).  You add Bm & F#m to the bridge and that’s the whole song.  Brilliant.  As the cover of 20 Golden Greats simply depicts, “Buddy Holly Lives.”

Photo by Joel Rosenbaum.

How I Got Here: Drew Holloway (Harry Nilsson's The Point!)

Continuing our "How I Got Here" series featuring kindie artsts talking about albums that influenced them as musicians, Recess Monkey's songwriter-savant Drew Holloway talks today about one of the kids music albums that can truly be called "classic" -- Harry Nilsson's animated special/soundtrack The Point!.  While Holloway doesn't cite Nilsson's work as an influence on the band's latest album, the excellent In Tents, his recognition of the importance of the story throughline in Nilsson's music definitely shows up in more than one RM disk.

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When I was in college in the mid-nineties a friend gave me the gift of Harry Nilsson. I received a three-disc greatest hits collection with a bushy-bearded, flat-cap-wearing fella on the cover. Though I wasn’t quite sure at first, I recognized some tunes like “Coconut” and “One.” Popping the first CD in, I was instantly mesmerized by the honeyed tones of Harry’s layered voice.  One song in particular, the super-earwormy “Me and My Arrow” seemed like the theme song for a cartoon I somehow missed growing up. Well it was.

The Point! is a made-for-TV animated tale from the early seventies that through song and narration tells the story of a young boy Oblio, and his best pal Arrow. Born with out a pointed head, Oblio is banished from the Land of Point. He and Arrow embark on a journey that eventually leads them back home with a lesson to share. Their trip is a little “trippy,” due in part to Nilsson’s acidic state of mind while conceiving the idea for the story. On the whole however, The Point! has a big heart, a nice smattering of humor and is chock-full of incredible pop songs, my favorite being “Think About Your Troubles.”

Fast-forward to 2007, Recess Monkey had released two CDs, Welcome to Monkey Town and Aminal House, and we were playing with ideas for our third release. I had recently gotten Morgan Taylor’s first Gustafer Yellowgold CD and loved his mix of storytelling and angular songwriting. It instantly reminded me of that Harry Nilsson record I had been meaning to digest. I began listening to The Point soundtrack over and over again. With each repetition of Harry’s record, the excitement for creating a sweeping story through song became stronger and stronger.

In the spring of that year, we sat down as a band to watch The Point!. It certainly had an impact as we began writing what would become Wonderstuff. All that was needed to complete our project was some time to learn the ukulele, leading a two-week summer camp for elementary school kids and spending many late summer evenings doing overdubs and writing and recording narrations.

That summer was highly creative and full twists and turns. Not unlike the story of the great Harry Nilsson, who, might I add, was one of the Beatles’ favorite artists. There’s all the proof you need, right? There is a recent documentary, Who is Harry Nilsson and Why is Everyone Talking About Him? that is available to stream on Netflix. I highly recommend it and of course, giving The Point! a spin and/or a viewing.

Photo Credit: Kevin Fry

How I Got Here: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (Midnight Marauders)

Many years ago, I started a series called "How I Got Here," which was my attempt to get kids musicians to talk in their own words about albums that influenced them as musicians.

Well, calling it a series was generous, because it consisted of exactly one entry.

But it's time to make it an actual series, with the next entry (and I promise you won't have to wait another 5 years for the third).  It's from the master of words and beats Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.  I think Skidoo's most recent album Make Believers is the best in his line of excellent albums for kids, and he's working on a live album for possible release this winter.

Here he writes about A Tribe Called Quest's 1993 album Midnight Marauders...

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The first time I heard hip hop was at a friend's house, somewhere in the late 80's. We'd spent all day skateboarding and riding his 4 wheeler, and then he busted out the boombox and slid in a tape of RUN DMC. When I left that day, it was with a blown mind and a cassette dub of Beastie Boys' License to Ill, which I would wear down till it broke. These first tastes of rap single handedly moved me beyond Metallica territory and solidly into the land of Public Enemy and N.W.A. in which I would stay for years afterwards, and fully infected my brain, laying the groundwork for who I am today. But above all, I think it was A Tribe Called Quest's 3rd album, Midnight Marauders, that might have taught me the most.

Although many intelligent and artistic rappers have laced many funk fried beats before and after that time, something about that tape and when it came into my life made it become the bedrock of my style. I had to go listen to it again to write this, to figure out why it's such a depth charge to my psyche, and it turns out it has everything I love about hip hop in one neat package. The beats are sharp and full of pocket, right in the 93-99 bpm zone that I love best, and they sample dirty funk and jazz, complete with the crackle and pop of old vinyl heard for the 500th time. Lyrically, the 2 rappers, Phife Dawg and Q-Tip aka The Abstract Poetic, encapsulate everything it means to be an M.C. or Master of Ceremonies.

From the first song, "Steve Biko," it's obvious that these cats love rapping, that the act itself is the most fun to them. You can see them rocking a house party with a crappy plastic mic, in the corner busting freestyles endlessly to the party people, with hilarious punchlines, witty wordplay and perfectly in-the-funk-pocket delivery. By the time they get to "Award Tour," they become the prototype for the Super Emcee, globetrotting the whole planet not based on hype or gimmick, but high level, sophisticated, intellectual lyrics over unpredictable, head knocking beats. Then they flesh out their skills further, using "8 Million Stories" and "Midnight" to show mastery of storytelling, some straight day-in-the-life stuff that pulls you right into their world like a 3 minute documentary with a dope soundtrack.

Later in the album, they get serious on social issues and the state of the culture. These guys tackle topics with skill and intelligence, actually thinking things through instead of going with cliches and easy outs. And even though this is one of the deepest and most complex and artistic rap albums at that time, it never stops being fun.

No matter wether I'm creating for kids or grown ups, Party Rocking, Storytelling and Topic Tracks - these are still the 3 basic categories of songwriting for me. The freestyle feel and pocket flow of Q Tip's delivery is like one of my first teachers, and lives on like a funky ghost in my head, and if any of my beats cause me to screw up my mug into a funk face anywhere near as extreme as I do for some of these tracks, I know I've done right.

That was in the golden age of hip hop, when the most popular groups were also the most intelligent, skilled and unique. I miss those days. But it's nice to see that by that description, this must be the golden age of family music!

Photo credit: Mike Belleme