The big story leading up the the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief last night was the news that Paul McCartney was going to play with the surviving members of Nirvana — Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear. Although it might have first seemed like an odd pairing, remember that McCartney and the Beatles recorded songs like “Helter Skelter.” Anyway, if you missed the performance, here the group plays a new song, “Cut Me Some Slack.”
In addition to appearing on the concert’s soundtrack, “Cut Me Some Slack” will appear in Grohl’s upcoming film, Sound City Movie.
What do you think of the performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In honor of a big win by the San Francisco Giants, in this year’s edition of World Series Songs featuring songs related to the championship team’s name or locale, we get the opportunity to look at the timeless song “San Francisco Bay Blues.” Also, check out our past Super Bowl Songs.
“San Francisco Bay Blues” was written by Jesse Fuller in 1954. Fuller was a type of musician we do not see much of anymore, the one-person band. While it is true today one might find a one-person band using computers and electronics, there was a time before that when a musician would play multiple instruments all at once. I have been lucky a few times to find a one-person band playing at a street fair and found the performances very entertaining. It has been a long while since I have encountered such a performer, making me wonder if these musicians are a thing of the past. But I guess they are still around, and they also have taken on different forms with the advent of technology.
Jesse Fuller was born in Georgia in 1896 and passed away in 1976 in Oakland, California. After working for a railroad and in a shipyard, he turned to music, playing around the San Francisco bay area where he lived. His most-famous song, “San Francisco Bay Blues” immortalizes his stomping ground as the singer tells about his “best girl” who no longer loves him. In the video below, watch Fuller and his one-man band perform “San Francisco Bay Blues” in 1968.
“San Francisco Bay Blues” has been covered by a number of artists, ensuring its lasting fame. Eric Clapton performed the song on MTV Unplugged in 1992 during the taping in England. The live album earned six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
Another performer who helped make the song familiar to us is Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Below is one of his performances of the song.
Finally, one knows one wrote a great song when one of the greatest songwriters of the century decides to cover your song. Here is Paul McCartney singing “San Francisco Bay Blues.”
In the song, the singer wonders about the woman returning and creating a “brand new day.” For those whose teams did not make the playoffs, we will have to wait until spring for our brand new day. And that’s the story behind the song. What is your favorite song about San Francisco? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Although I rarely write about Russian punk bands on this blog, we cannot ignore the news about three members of the band Pussy Riot being sentenced to two years in prison in Russia. Below is a video taken during their actions that are at issue. On February 21, they staged a protest at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where they gave their “Punk Prayer” of “Mother Mary, please drive Putin away.”
Band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina appeared in their usual tights and face-covering balaclavas at the sacred place to protest President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox church’s close ties to the leader. The three women, who have already been behind bars for six months, were sentenced today to “two years deprivation of liberty in a penal colony” after they were found guilty of the crime of hooliganism.
As the feminist punk rockers were being taken from the courtroom, Tolokonnikova said, “We are happy because we brought the revolution closer.” A number of prominent people have voiced support for the women, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna, Bjork, Sting, chess champion Gary Kasparov, and Paul McCartney. Amnesty International plans to send a truckload of colorful balaclavas to Putin in protest, while there is a “Free Pussy Riot” webpage too. Others have argued that the issue is more complicated and that most Russians do not support the band. As people around the world protest, though, only time will reveal whether the band’s case has lasting impact.
What do you think of the sentence for the band members? Leave your two cents in the comments. If you are unfamiliar with the band, check out this interview with band members a few days before they were arrested.
Former Swiss fighter pilot Yves Rossy used a winged jetpack to fly over Rio de Janeiro today, reaching speeds up to 186 miles per hour. All I can say, is that it is about time! When I was a kid, I was under the impression we’d all be using jetpacks to travel by now.
Anyway, Rossy cheated a little because he had to launch from a helicopter and then use a parachute to land. But the video is still pretty cool.
The 11-minute-and-35-second flight was not Rossy’s first. Rossy, who began working on the project in 1993, flew over the English Channel in 2008 and has also flown over the Grand Canyon. Speaking of wings and jets, it seems the most appropriate music to salute Rossy’s flight is “Jet” by Wings.
“Jet” is from the excellent album Band on the Run (1974). What is it about? According to Wikipedia, McCartney explained in an interview that it is about a pony he once owned. Well, we have come a long way since the days of traveling by pony. Here’s to my future jetpack, “with the wind in your hair of a thousand laces / Climb on the back and we’ll / Go for a ride in the sky.”
What do you think of the jetpack flight? Leave your two cents in the comments.
At around 5 a.m. on April 19, 1775, approximately 700 British troops marched toward Lexington, Massachusetts. Their plan was to seize weapons and Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock.
As the soldiers approached Lexington, they encountered 77 minutemen with arms. During the encounter, “the shot heard ’round the world” was fired by an unidentified musket, and the Patriots were routed. Eight Colonists died from the battle. Ten more were wounded, with one British solder injured.
But that as not the end of the fight. Due to warnings by Patriots Paul Revere and William Dawes, the British encountered more Patriots on their journey through Lexington and Concord. The result was 300 British casualties by the time they returned to Boston. The American Revolution had begun, and the world would never be the same.
The Beatles’ “Revolution”
Another revolution with both American and British connections is the song, “Revolution,” written by John Lennon and performed by the Beatles. The song was a reaction to political protests occurring in early 1968.
The Beatles released the rock version of the song that you usually hear as a B-side to “Hey Jude” on August 26, 1968. That version, which Rolling Stone ranks as the thirteenth greatest Beatles song, appears at the end of this post.
The Beatles recorded another slower version of the song first. They called this slower version “Revolution 1.” That version appeared on the 1968 double album The Beatles (aka “The White Album“). The band recorded “Revolution 1” before “Revolution,” remaking the song for the single release. Below is the original slow “Revolution 1.”
The White Album also included the experimental “Revolution 9.” The Beatles created this song out of parts of what was originally in “Revolution 1.”
Although the rock “Revolution” did not have quite the same impact as the American Revolution, it did cause some controversy. Many focused on the line, “But when you talk about destruction / Don’t you know that you can count me out.” Some on the far left saw the “out” as a betrayal. And those on the other end questioned the ambiguity of the “Revolution 1” version which stated the line as “count me out . . . in.”
Most agree though that “Revolution” preached a different kind of revolution than the violent American Revolution. The song was still causing controversy in 1987. That year, many Beatles fans hated to see the music they loved being commercialized when “Revolution become the first Beatles song licensed for a commercial (for Nike).
But the legacy of the song is that it will come up anytime someone talks about a revolution. It is the first song you think of when you think about revolutionary changes.
The opening scream of “Revolution” is the revolution heard round the world.
BONUS TRIVIA: The live television performance above appears to be from The Smothers Brothers Show in 1968. Although you see Paul McCartney doing the scream at the beginning of the performance above, on the record Lennon’s voice does the scream. McCartney does the scream in the live video because Lennon could not do the scream and be ready to sing the first line. Finally, do you know how many times does the word “revolution” appear in “Revolution”? Answer will appear in the comments.
What do you think of “Revolution”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
“). The band recorded “Revolution 1” before “Revolution,” remaking the song for the single release. Below is the original slow “Revolution 1.”