Song ID Blog

“Ain’t Nothin’ But a House Party” (1967) – The Showstoppers * Written by Del Sharah and Joseph Thomas * 45: “Ain’t Nothin’ But a House Party” / “What Can a Man Do” * Produced by Bruce Charles * Label: Showtime

Soul single from Philadelphia featuring “what’s happenin’ Brother?” party patter in the intro. Became a #11 hit in Britain in 1968 and a “Northern soul” classic, but only made it to #118 in the US. As a rule, cover versions of the song (such as one by the J. Geils Band) treat the chord progression strictly as I – VIIb – IV – I all the way through, leaving out the more emotionally nuanced I – III/I – IV – I sequences one hears in the original. Although it first appeared on the Showtime label with production credited to Bruce Charles, a 1968 reissue on Jerry Ross’s Heritage label lists it as “D. Sharah in assoc. with Jerry Ross Prod.”

“Clones (We’re All)” (1980) – Alice Cooper * Written by David Carron * 45: “Clones (We’re All)” / “Model Citizen” * LP: Flush the Fashion * Produced by Roy Thomas Baker * Label: Warner Bros.

Alice Cooper’s Flush the Fashion LP revealed the seventies shock rocker losing his balance in a disorienting new decade. The single “Clones (We’re All),” though, which reminded no one of vintage Alice, sounded terrific at roller rinks alongside the likes of M’s “Pop Muzik,” Gary Numan’s “Cars,” and Blondie’s “Rapture,” and likely holds a place in the hearts of all preteens who experienced it that way. Although the song’s repeating space age synth riff and evil automaton lyrics pushed it up to number 40 on Billboard, Cooper wouldn’t make the US charts again until a 1989 career revival. The writer of “Clones (We’re All)” was a Massachusetts songwriter named David Carron, who was living in Los Angeles and was friends with Alice Cooper guitarist Davey Johnstone.

“Celebrate the News” (1969) – The Beach Boys * Written by Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobsen * 45: “Break Away” / “Celebrate the News” * Produced by Dennis Wilson * Label: Capitol

The Beach Boys’ “Break Away” 45 might have been subtitled “the uneasy relationships single.” Side A features a track written by Brian Wilson and abusive father Murry Wilson, while side B contains a co-write between Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobsen, who had earlier funded Charles Manson’s recording sessions and later testified at the Manson murder trial. So both sides get knowledgable Beach Boy listeners thinking about darker aspects of the band’s history. Jakobsen, though, would be a frequent co-writer with Dennis Wilson on most of his best work. With its moody veneer and odd flutes, “Celebrate the News” counters the peppier sound of the flipside, giving the 45 the ying-yang tension Beach Boys observers have grown accustomed to.

“Theme from Blow Up” (1969) – Bobby Hutcherson * Written by Herbie Hancock * Japan LP: Oblique (1979) * Produced by Alfred Lion (session) and Michael Cuscuna (release) * Label: Blue Note

The 1966 film soundtrack version of Herbie Hancock’s theme for Blow Up runs to 1:35. Jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, though, recorded a sublime version in 1967 that ought to be considered the definitive one. Featuring Hancock on piano, Albert Stinson on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums, it runs to 8:15 but doesn’t feel like it. Strangely enough, it never appeared on record until 1979—and only in Japan.

 

“My Sad Heart” (1962) – Willie Mays * Written by Deadric Malone * 45: “My Sad Heart” / “If You Love Me” * Label: Duke

Released the same year his San Francisco Giants lost a hard-fought seven-game World Series to the New York Yankees, this single by Willie Mays reveals a musical version of the Say Hey Kid as appealing as the famous baseball version. In spite of its lack of a strong title hook, it sounds like something Sonny Til and the Orioles could have done. Writer credits went to Deadric Malone, the pseudonym for Houstonian Don Robey, who owned the Duke-Peacock label empire. Before this, Mays had appeared on a 1954 single with the Treniers (“Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)”). Did any suspicion-prone baseball people notice in 1962 that the previous time the Giants had won a pennant Mays also recorded a single? (1954 was the year the New York Giants swept the Cleveland Indians and Willie made his celebrated catch.) He should have spent some more time in the studio.

 

 

“Up Above My Head” – The Rance Allen Group * Written by: Trad Arr. Rance Allen * Produced by Dave Clark and Toby Jackson * LP: The Rance Allen Group * Label: Gospel Truth Records

The choruses in the early versions of this traditional song, including the classic 1948 version by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, conclude that “I really do believe there’s a heaven somewhere.” In this version by the Rance Allen Group, from Monroe, Michigan, the conclusion is that “I really do believe there’s a God somewhere.” Although Allen’s delivery is conviction itself, there’s a loosey-goosey aspect in that word choice that could qualify this as a deist anthem. Yes, this God may take the form of who knows what and reside who knows where, but I know He/She must be there. The IIm chord they’ve adapted into the chorus reminds you of the “when Jesus walked” line in the Edwin Hawkins’s Singers “Oh Happy Day.” Rance Allen is currently a Bishop for the Church of God in Christ in Michigan. You can see this vintage version of the group in the 1972 Wattstax film.

In With Six You Get Egg Roll, Doris Day’s final film, the Grass Roots show up as the band for the psychedelic teen club sequence. Their song choice is a good teen-friendly one, because they usually sounded adult-friendly enough to encroach on Gary Puckett’s turf.  With its marimba lines, “Feelings” channels the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb,” and the band sounds more weirdly alluring than they ever would again. Curiously, Arthur Lee’s Love, who used to be called the Grass Roots before having to change the name thanks to these LA rivals, toyed with the melody line from the verses of “Feelings” for the verses in his band’s “A House Is Not a Motel.”