Saturday Song - Tunes & Open Thread

Hey, it's songday. Today I pick a song that I believe warrants it and publish an assortment of the covers of that song by various persons and or groups. Pick a few that a new to you and have a listen. It is also, of course, an open thread to talk about anything you feel like.

Today's song is: Smokestack Lightning.

Howlin' Wolf 1956

Yardbirds

Grateful Dead (Betty Board)

George Thorogood

Quicksilver

Muddy Waters

Jimmy Rogers

Dylan

The Animals

Manfred Mann

Cadillac Records Soundtrack

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until the last days. I am pretty sure that's Sumlin on this famous recording. He had a long career and was very influential.

Thanks for the nice lineup of versions.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

enhydra lutris's picture

In Chicago in January 1956, Howlin' Wolf recorded "Smokestack Lightning". The song takes the form of "a propulsive, one-chord vamp, nominally in E major but with the flatted blue notes that make it sound like E minor", and lyrically it is "a pastiche of ancient blues lines and train references, timeless and evocative".[1] Longtime Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin is credited with the distinctive guitar line.[5] Howlin' Wolf sang and played harmonica, backed by pianist Hosea Lee Kennard, guitarists Willie Johnson[6] and Hubert Sumlin, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Earl Phillips.[5]

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

album on a label which I am sure did not pay royalties and one cut sounds like a 45 wolf would send to radio stations in towns where he was booked to play and he introduces the band and mentions Willie Johnson on guitar. Kind of an entertaining look back on a low budget publicity method.

Muddy Waters did several one-chord songs also. It was not uncommon among blues artists. Captain Beefheart added free jazz and changing tempos to create his one-of-a-kind one chord (or scalar)music.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

Lookout's picture

and a dead textile mill...a common southern story. This mill died when the union tried to come in, so TPTB just shut it down - written by organizer Si Kahn.

Aragon mill_0.jpg

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdEBhGHxIv4]

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

shaharazade's picture

for some music as it seem all hell has broken loose on the net. Last night after going out for provisions in the 28 degree, ice coated streets which were the aftermath of our mini blizzard, we listened to music. We went for the jazz station which for some reason was playing old time and new rhythm and blues along with some straight up blues and whatever else struck their fancy. After that we went to sleep with our soothing Pandora DooWop station on. Here's some from last night.

Here's tune we got up and danced to.

I saw George Throughgood at Perkins Palace a converted movie theater venue in 1985? and my ears rang for a week.

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shaharazade's picture

It's a good one

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that person is beyond musical hope. I think this Jesse Hill tune is the essence of New Orleans dance music - like this song!

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

enhydra lutris's picture

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

anything that Koko does. The phrase "soothing doo wop" makes me think of Paul Simon's "Renee & Georgette Magritte, with their dog, After the War." I suspect I'll have to set me up a doo wop station on Slacker (picked when they were new because they had great classic and other blues.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

some of the best of it. I really like doo wop, both pro groups like the Flamingos, and the many HS groups like the Kodaks.
Johnny Maestro, lead singer of the Crests, was 17 when he first recorded. The Lymons were several years younger.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

shaharazade's picture

transistor radio when I was about 10 years old and I found two pirate stations from Mexico that came in great. I would take it to bed at night and listen to a disc jokey out of Tijuana called Huggy Boy who played Doo Wops at night. Other disc jockeys on the station played rock and roll and rockabilly that was not played on the top forty stations. It's how I was introduced to a lot of black artists and bad boy hillbillies,

I liked this one

1957

cool daddy

Well that wiled away my evening. I'm so sick of both the bizzaro land of politics and my slowly fading body rash that I playing Doo Wop disc jockey chilled me on both levels.

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shaharazade's picture

This Doo Wop I liked so much I vowed to name my future daughter Deserie. Unfortunately or fortunately I had two boys.

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In the NE cities, many stations played doowop long after the genre was displaced. Collectors of doowop records pay crazy prices for original 45s and 78s. Into the 1980s, WCAU in Philly would have a doowop show on Sunday nights and on the Appalachian mountain ridgetop where I lived then, I could often get a clear signal.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"