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Song Of The Day – The Jukebox Series #64–The Beatles: “Slow Down” b/w “Matchbox” – Capitol 5255 (G7/H7)

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – The Jukebox Series #64–The Beatles: “Slow Down” b/w “Matchbox” – Capitol 5255 (G7/H7)

“The Jukebox Series” focuses on the 80 records that inhabit my 1963 Seeburg LPC1 jukebox. I’ve had my jukebox (or as I like to call it “the prehistoric iPod”) for a little over twelve years and in that time I’d like to think that I’ve perfected the mix of 45s within.

The Beatles not only had three of the greatest songwriters of all time in their band, but early on they were also great tastemakers, choosing unknown American R&B, Country, Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll tunes and repurposing them for the UK market. As a result of their world domination of the music charts, they pretty much reintroduced songs like “Please Mr. Postman,” “Rock And Roll Music,” “Anna,” “Act Naturally,” “Baby It’s You,” “You Really Got A Hold On Me,” “Money (That’s What I Want),” “Honey Don’t,” “Long Tall Sally,” “A Taste Of Honey,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Devil In Her Heart” and even a Broadway tune “Till There Was You” to the American market.

Today’s jukebox classic features two such cover records, although I have taken some liberties and flipped the single in the juke to make the B-side of the single, the A-side instead. Both of today’s songs originally appeared on the British Long Tall Sally EP released in 1964.

“Slow Down” is a cover of a Larry Williams tune from 1958. The Beatles probably first heard it as the flip side of Williams’ single “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” which they also covered. The Beatles would also return to Larry Williams’ cannon of material for a third time to record his song “Bad Boy.” Williams was a New Orleans R&B recording artist who was far more influential across the pond than here in the U.S., which is probably why The Beatles covered three of his songs.

The song has also seen covers by The Young Rascals, The Flamin’ Groovies, The Jam, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Tom Jones, Elvis Costello and many others. Today, The Beatles’ recording can be found on the compilation album Past Masters Vol. 1 and also on the first Live At The BBC album.

The other side of today’s single is one of three Carl Perkins songs that the Beatles recorded. (“Honey Don’t” and “Everybody’s Tryin’ To Be My Baby” were the other two.) The song was first recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1927, but The Beatles based their version of “Matchbox” on Carl Perkins’ 1956 single version released on the Sun record label.

The Beatles began performing the song as early as 1961 with Pete Best handling the vocal chores. The group continued to perform the song and live versions have turned up from The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany featuring Lennon on vocals. By the time the group got around to performing the song for BBC radio (as heard on the Live At The BBC album), Ringo was featured on vocals. The song later turned up on The Beatles’ Long Tall Sally EP in England, and on the Something New album in America also with Ringo on the vocals.

The Beatles’ recording of “Matchbox” was issued as the A-side of today’s single in a nice picture sleeve and climbed to number 17 on the pop charts. Today, it also can be found on The Beatles’ Past Masters Volume 1 album. For the studio recording, the group was augmented by George Martin who played piano on the track.

The song has also been covered by Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Hawkins, Johnny Rivers, Bob Dylan (unreleased), Derek and the Dominos, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Jeff Beck & The Big Town Playboys, Duane Eddy and “The Silver Wilburys” (featuring George Harrison, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Taj Mahal & Jesse Ed Davis).

Today in Rock History – October 6

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1964, The Beatles spent the afternoon recording “Eight Days A Week” at Abbey Road studios in London. Late evening was spent at The Ad Lib Club, London, partying with The Ronettes and Mick Jagger.

1965, The Who play at the Palais de Danse in Cowdenbeath, Scotland.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session for the UK BBC radio show Top Gear. Stevie Wonder who was also appearing on the show, jammed with Hendrix.

1967, The Doors appeared at the Cal State Gymnasium, Los Angeles, California. Also on the bill, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The Sunshine Company.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at the Miss Teenage Brighton Contest, Top Rank Suite, Brighton, England, playing the musical interlude during the contest. They played “Arnold Layne,” ” See Emily Play,” ” Matilda Mother,” and “Astronomy Domine.”

1967, The Who spent two days at spent in New York at Talentmasters Studio. Al Kooper joined The Who on organ to record two versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” One is released on the B-side of the U.S. release “I Can See For Miles,” while the other remained in the vaults until the 1995 edition of The Who Sell Out. Also recorded is a studio version of “Summertime Blues,” an organ overdub on “Relax” performed by Pete, and new vocals to replace the guide vocals on “I Can See For Miles.”

1968, Pink Floyd performed at The Country Club, Belsize Park, in London.

1969, George Harrison’s song “Something” was released as the “A” side of a Beatles’ 45, a first for Harrison. The track was released as a “double A-side, along with Lennon and McCartney’s “Come Together,” the single will reach the top of the charts in the next month.

1970, Genesis performs at British Legion Hall, Princes Risborough, England.

1970, The US Top 5 singles we at number 5, “All Right Now” by Free, number 4, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Diana Ross, number 3, “Candida,” Dawn,  At number two, “I’ll Be There,” Jackson Five, and the top spot belonged to “Cracklin’ Rose,” by Neil Diamond.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

1972, Led Zeppelin flew into Hong Kong  and were mobbed by fans asking for autographs. The  group was just passing through Hong Kong on its way home after concerts in Japan.

1973, Cher started a two week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Half-Breed,” the singer’s second chart topper.

1973, Slade scored their second UK number one album when Sladest started a three week-run at the top of the charts. In the US, Brothers and Sisters by The Allman Brothers entered the last of it’s five week run at number one.

Eric-Clapton_19751974, Eric Clapton performs at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1975, Roxy Music plays at Trentham Garden, Stoke, England.

1976, The Who appears at Veterans Memorial Complex, Phoenix, Arizona.

1977, Frank Zappa performed at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York.

1978, Abba members Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad married.

1979, Robert John went to number one on the US singles chart with “Sad Eyes.”

1979, The Buzzcocks, supported by Joy Division, appeared at the Odeon Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, tickets £2.50 ($4.)

1979, Led Zeppelin’s In Through The Out Door was at number one on the US album chart. Six versions of the cover were released, each depicting the same bar scene photographed from one of six different angles.

1979, “Gotta Serve Somebody” gave Bob Dylan his twelfth US top 40 hit when it entered the chart for the first time. It was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The song won Dylan the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in 1980.

1980, The Grateful Dead performed at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco.

1981, ZZ Top appeared at Hemmerleinhalle, Nuremberg, Germany.

1984, David Bowie scored his sixth UK number one album with Tonight, featuring the single “Blue Jean.”

1984, Stevie Ray Vaughn played at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, Massachusetts.

1991, Michael Jackson gave away the bride at Elizabeth Taylor’s seventh wedding, held at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. The Groom was construction worker Larry Fortensky, whom Taylor would divorce in 1997.

2005, A Rolling Stones concert at the University of Virginia, in the US, was halted eight songs into the show at the Scott Stadium after police received a bomb threat targeting the stage area. A 45-minute police sweep of the area found nothing unusual, and the band completed the show. The Stones were touring to promote their latest album, A Bigger Bang.

2010, A set of John Lennon’s fingerprints were seized by the FBI from a New York memorabilia dealer who intended to sell them for $100,000 (£62,621) minimum bid. The prints were taken at a New York police station in 1976 when Lennon applied for permanent US residence. The bureau believed the card was still government property and was investigating how it landed in private hands.

2011, Jefferson Starship’s “We Built This City” was named “The worst song of the 1980s” in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine. “The Final Countdown” by the Swedish band Europe came in second, and “Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh was third. Also making the top five were Wham!’s “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go”) and “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.

Born on October 6: Thomas McClary, guitar, The Commodores (1949); David Hidalgo, Los Lobos and Kevin Cronin, REO Speedwagon (1951);  Matthew Sweet (1964); and Tommy Stinson, bass, The Replacements (1966)

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Today in Rock History – September 28

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1968, The Beatles started a nine week run at number one on the singles chart with “Hey Jude.” The Paul McCartney penned tune was about Lennon’s son Julian, and gave the Fab Four their sixteenth chart topper, and the biggest selling single of 1968.

1968, The Rascals went to number one on the album chart with Time Peace / The Rascals’ Greatest Hits.

1968, Bruce Springsteen and a local folk rock group The Founders appeared at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, New Jersey.

1969, Pink Floyd played at Theater 140, Brussels, Belgium.

1970, Yes appeared at the University Of South Wales, Aberystwyth, England.

1970, Pete Townshend writes out the scenario for The Who’s next project, the film Lifehouse. “OVERTURE: The farmers — Life — Beauty — Celebration, LIFEHOUSE: The City — Rock — Youth against finance — Individuals working for the whole, GLORIFICATION: They disappear — they triumph, leaving everyone behind.” He sends a copy to co-manager Chris Stamp along with details on how the members of The Who would fit into the movie and how filming might be handled. That project never came to fruition, and the songs became the basis for Who’s Next, released in 1971.

1971, Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at the Festival Hall in Osaka, Japan.

1971, The Who open their fall U.K. tour at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.

1972, Hawkwind performed at the Paris Theatre, London.

1973, The Rolling Stones appear at Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany.

1974, Bad Company went to No.1 on the album chart with their self-titled debut album. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke had come out of Free, while Mick Ralphs had played guitar with Mott the Hoople, and Boz Burrell played bass for King Crimson before the group formed in 1973. They produced six albums together before disbanding in 1983.

1974, Canadian singer Andy Kim went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Rock Me Gently,” Kim was the co-writer of The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar.”

1976, The Grateful Dead performed at Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, New York.

1976, A&M Records sued George Harrison for $6 million over non-delivery of a new album after he missed the deadline by two months.

1977, Aerosmith performed at Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky.

1978, AC/DC appeared at War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York.

1979, Van Halen played at Don Barnett Arena, Rapid City, South Dakota.

1980, The Police were at No.1 on the singles chart with “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” the group’s third No.1. It appeared on their album Zenyatta Mondatta and was the best selling single of 1980.

1981, Van Halen performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona.

1985, Kate Bush scored her second UK No.1 album with Hounds Of Love. The singer’s second No.1 album featured the tracks “Running Up That Hill,” “‘Cloudbusting,” “Hounds of Love,” and “The Big Sky.”

1987, U2 played the first of two nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City during their Joshua Tree world tour.

1991, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis died of a stroke and pneumonia. His 1959 album Kind of Blue, was a major influence on jazz music.

1991, Guns N’ Roses released two albums, Use Your Illusion I and ‘Use Your Illusion II, which debut at number 1 and number 2 on the UK album chart. Both albums reached No.1 & No.2 in the US.

1991, On the week of their album Nevermind being released, Nirvana made an appearance at the Tower Records store in New York City and then played a show at The Marquee Club in New York. Their single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had also entered the US Top 20 this week.

2000, As part of their UK Under A Big Top tour, Radiohead played the first of two nights at Glasgow Green in Scotland.

2008, Kings of Leon started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Only by the Night, the band’s fourth studio album.

2009, Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM., American club DJ and musician, died of an accidental drug overdose at home in New York City aged 36. Had worked with Blink 182, Crazy Town, Madonna. Goldstein had survived a plane crash along with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker in September 2008.

Born on September 28: Ed Sullivan (1902); Ben E. King (1938); Nick Nicholas, Steppenwolf (1943); Paul Burgess, drums, 10cc (1950); and Melody Thornton, singer, The Pussycat Dolls (1984)

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Today in Rock History – September 6

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1966, The Who begin the week  at The Palais in Ilford, Essex, England. Earlier in the day they record performances of “I’m A Boy” and “Heatwave” for British television’s Ready, Steady, GO!

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recoded overdubs onto the new George Harrison song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Eric Clapton added the guitar solo and became the first outside musician to play on a Beatles recording and George recorded his lead vocal.

1969, James Brown announced he would retire from live performances in July the following year saying “I’m tired man.”

1969, The Allman Brothers Band played at Electric Zoo in St. Petersburg, Florida.

1970, Jimi Hendrix made his final live appearance when he appeared at the Isle Of Fehmarn in Germany. The guitarist died on Sept 18, 1970 after choking on his own vomit.

1970, The Rolling Stones performed at at Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Top Rank Suite, Sheffield, England.

1973, Jethro Tull played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, The 101 All Stars, featuring Joe Strummer, made their debut at The Telegraph, Brixton Hill, London.

1975, Glen Campbell started a two week run at number one the US singles chart with “Rhinestone Cowboy,” his first chart topper after thirteen Top 40 hits.

1975, Jefferson Starship went to number one on the album chart with Red Octopus.

1975, Rod Stewart was at number one on the UK singles chart with his version of the Sutherland Brothers song “Sailing.” The song had been featured in the BBC TV series about HMS Ark Royal.

1977, Rush appeared at Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Superior.

1978, Record producer Tom Wilson died. He worked with various acts including Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’, Another Side of Bob Dylan, and Bringing It All Back Home, Frank Zappa, Freak Out!, Simon and Garfunkel Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. and The Velvet Underground, White Light/White Heat.

1980, U2 kicked off the first leg of their 29 date UK Boy tour at the General Woolfe in Coventry, England.

1980, The Grateful Dead played at the State Fairgrounds, in Lewiston, Maine.

1980, The Jam were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Start!,” the group’s second UK chart topper and taken from the band’s fifth album Sound Affects.

1985, Desperately Seeking Susan went on general release in the UK. The movie featured Madonna and Rosanna Arquette. The filmmakers had initially wanted Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn to play the roles of Roberta and Susan. However, director Susan Seidelman decided to cast relative newcomers Rosanna Arquette, in her sixth film role, and Madonna, in her third film appearance, but first starring role.

1986, All girl group Bananarama went to number one on the US singles chart with “Venus.” The song had also been a chart topper for Dutch group Shocking Blue in 1970.

1990, Tom Fogerty, guitarist with Creedence Clearwater Revival, died aged 49, due to complications from AIDS acquired during a blood transfusion. During 1969, CCR scored three US Top Ten albums and four Top 5 singles.

1994, English keyboard player Nicky Hopkins died aged 50, in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from intestinal surgery. Hopkins was a highly respected session musician, worked with The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, George Harrison, and the Jerry Garcia Band. The Kinks song “Session Man” from Face to Face is dedicated to, and features Hopkins.

1997, Elton John recorded a new version of “Candle In The Wind” after performing the song live at Diana, Princess of Wales’ funeral. An estimated 2.5 billion people around the world watched Elton play the special tribute to Diana. The track went on to become the biggest selling single of all-time.

2008, US rock band Great White whose pyrotechnics sparked a fire that killed 100 people, agreed to pay $1 million (£564,000) to survivors and victims’ relatives. The blaze began at The Station nightclub in the Rhode Island in 2003, when the band’s tour manager shot off pyrotechnics at the start of the concert. More than 200 people were also injured in the blaze. One band member, guitarist Ty Longley, was killed in the fire. Tour manager Daniel Biechele pleaded guilty in 2006 to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was given parole in March after serving less than half of his four-year prison sentence.

2011, A California judge ruled that Madonna does not hold a trademark over the phrase “Material Girl” for her line of clothing just because she wrote a song by that name in 1985. A Los Angeles retailer called LA Triumph has been using the name “Material Girl” clothing and has registered it as a trademark.

Born on September 6: Jimmy Reed (1925); Dave Bargerdon, Blood Sweat & Tears (1942); Roger Waters (1943);  Claydes Smith, Kool & The Gang (1948); Pal Waaktaam, guitar, A-ha (1961); Scott Travis, drummer Judas Priest, Racer X (1961); Macy Gray (1969);

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Today in Rock History – September 2

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1965, The Doors recorded their first demo’s at World Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, California, where they cut six Jim Morrison songs.

1966, The Who played at Locarno Ballroom in Basildon, Essex, England.

1967, Pink Floyd, The Move, Soft Machine, Fairport Convention, The Nack, and Denny Lane performed at the UFO Festival held at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London.

1970, The Rolling Stones played at Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland.

1971, Grateful Dead’s former manager was arrested after disappearing with over $70,000 of the band’s money.

1972, Rod Stewart was at number one on the UK singles chart with “You Wear It Well,” the singers second chart topper. It was taken from his album Never A Dull Moment. In America, Gilbert O’Sullivan claimed the top spot with “Alone Againn (Naturally).

1972, The Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival was held over three days on Bull Island, near Griffin, Indiana. The Promoters expected over 50,000 music fans. More than 200,000 attended the festival. Many bands pulled out as the festival drifted steadily into anarchy. Bands that did appear included Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Black Oak Arkansas, Cheech and Chong, Foghat, Albert King, Brownsville Station, Canned heat, Flash, Ravi Shankar, Rory Gallagher, Lee Michaels and Frosty, The Eagles, The Amboy Dukes, and Gentle Giant. Three concert goers drowned in the Wabash River and as the festival ended, and the remnants of the crowd burned down the music stand.

1974, David Bowie played the first of seven sold-out nights on his Diamond Dogs Tour at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California.

1978, George Harrison married Olivia Arias at Henley-on-Thames register office.

1978, Teddy Pendergrass, the former lead singer of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, set out to promote his latest album Life Is A Song Worth Singing by performing a concert for women only.

1979, The Grateful Dead played at the  Civic Center in Augusta, Maine.

1984, U2 played the second of two nights at the Logan Cambell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand during their Unforgettable Fire world tour.

1988, The Human Rights Now! world tour kicked off at Wembley Stadium London with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssu n’Dour. Taking in five continents and claiming to be the most ambitious rock tour in history.

1995, Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with a song written by R. Kelly “You Are Not Alone.” It holds a Guinness World Record as the first song in the 37 year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at No.1.

2001, American saxophonist Jay Migliori died of cancer aged 70. As a session musician he recorded with The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa and was the founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker.

2006, Lead singer of the Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley was sentenced to three years in a US prison for multiple counts of tax fraud. The 64-year-old, was also ordered to pay more than $3.1m (£1.62m) to the Internal Revenue Service for “pathological” evasion. The court heard he cashed royalty checks belonging to his brother O’Kelly, who died in 1996, and also spent millions of dollars made from undeclared performances on a yacht and two homes.

Born on September 2: Hugo Montenegro, composer (1925); Rosalind Ashford, The Vandellas, Ashford and Simpson (1943); Billy Preston (1946) and Steve Porcaro, Toto (1957)

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Today in Rock History – August 31

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1965, During a North American tour The Beatles played two shows at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California to a total of 28,700 fans.

1968, The Move, The Pretty Things, The Crazy World Of Aurthur Brown, Orange Bicycle, Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention and Tyrannosaurus Rex all appeared at the first Isle Of Wight Festival held over two days. Tickets, 25 shillings, ($3.00).

1968, Howlin’ Wolf performed at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1969, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at the Texas International Pop Festival in Lewisville. Also on the bill, BB King, The Incredible String Band, Sam & Dave and Janis Joplin.

1970, Led Zeppelin played before 6,000 fans at the Milwaukee Arena, in a concert rescheduled from August 27th. One reviewer wrote, “The groups started slow, finished big, and the crowd unwound with them. By the end of the show the area in front of the stage was filled with hundreds of people who finally won out over the security guards.”

1971, The Rolling Stones, plus the father of Brian Jones, filed a high court writ against former managers Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. They claimed the duo made a secret deal with Decca Records in 1963 to deprive the group of royalties.

1972, David Bowie appeared at Starkers Royal Ballrooms, Boscombe, Australia.

1974, Rolling Stone Keith Richards was quoted as saying, “I gave up drugs when the doctor told me I had six months to live.”

1975, Rod Stewart and the Faces, Loggins & Messina, Fleetwood Mac and Lynyrd Skynyrd all appeared at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California.

1976, George Harrison was found guilty of “subconscious plagiarism” of the Ronnie Mack song “He’s So Fine” when writing “My Sweet Lord.” Earnings from the song were awarded to Mack’s estate. The Chiffons then recorded their own version of “My Sweet Lord.”

1977, Yes played at Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin.

1981, The Grateful Dead performed at the Aladdin Hotel Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1984, Purple Rain, the movie-starring Prince opened at cinemas across the UK with special late night previews.

1985, Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits started a nine-week run at number one on the US album charts. The album also topped the charts in 25 other countries and went on to sell over 20 million worldwide.

1997, Oasis went to number one on the UK album chart with their third album Be Here Now. The album had sold over a million copies on the first day of release.

2007, Hilly Kristal, founder of the New York punk club CBGB died from complications arising from lung cancer at the age of 75. Kristal was credited with discovering Patti Smith and The Ramones and his club became a breeding ground for punk rock. The New York City venue, whose full title CBGB OMFUG stood for “country, bluegrass, blues and other music for uplifting gourmandisers,” was originally launched to showcase country music.

Born on August 31: Roger Dean (1944) Van Morrison and Bob Welch (1945); Rudolf Schenker, The Scorpions (1948); and Glenn Tilbrook, guitar, vocals, Squeeze (1957)

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – The Jukebox Series #22 – Bob Dylan: “Lay Lady Lay” b/w “I Threw It All Away” – Columbia 45 RPM Single 13-33178 (C3/D3)

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – The Jukebox Series #22 – Bob Dylan: “Lay Lady Lay” b/w “I Threw It All Away” – Columbia 45 RPM Single 13-33178 (C3/D3)

“The Jukebox Series” focuses on the 80 records that inhabit my 1963 Seeburg LPC1 jukebox. I’ve had my jukebox (or as I like to call it “the prehistoric iPod”) for a little over twelve years and in that time I’d like to think that I’ve perfected the mix of 45s within.

The late 1960s introduced a new Bob Dylan to the world. With his motorcycle accident and requisite seclusion in Woodstock behind him, he emerged with John Wesley Harding, a rootsy, back-to-basics album in 1968 that flew in the face of the flamboyant psychedelic music that was currently all the rage at the time.

However, nothing could prepare Dylan fans for what followed in 1969: A content Dylan who was seemingly happy with his lot in life, complete with a new soulful, melodic croon of a voice that replaced the nasal monotone of the past.  Most crucially, the 1969 Dylan model marked another shift in musical direction away from the mainstream, with an album of country influenced tunes called Nashville Skyline that was quite simply, unlike anything else he had recorded up to that point.

The album was recorded with a who’s who of Nashville’s finest session musicians including Norman Blake on guitar and dobro, Kenny Buttrey on drums, Fred Carter, Jr. on guitar, Charlie Daniels on bass, Pete Drake on pedal steel guitar, Charlie McCoy on guitar and harmonica, Bob Wilson on piano and organ and several others including Johnny Cash who provided duet vocals on “Girl From The North Country.”

“Lay Lady Lay,” the A-side of today’s jukebox classic was originally intended for the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but it was submitted too late to make the film and Nilsson’s cover of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talking” was used in its place. Dylan then offered the song to the Everly Brothers backstage at a concert. When Dylan played “Lay Lady Lay” for them, they thought he was singing “lay across my big breasts, babe” instead of “lay across my big brass bed” and didn’t’ think that the song was appropriate for them to record. When they finally heard the correct lyrics in Dylan’s recording, they realized what a mistake they had made. They finally got around to recording the song for their EB 84 album in 1984.

“Lay Lady Lay” became one of Dylan’s biggest singles climbing all the way to #7 on the Billboard pop charts. According to Johnny Cash, Dylan introduced the song in a song circle of writers who congregated at Cash’s house that included Shel Silverstein who played “A Boy Named Sue,” Joni Mitchell who broke out “The Circle Game,” Graham Nash who performed “Marrakesh Express” and Kris Kristofferson who played “Me And Bobby McGee.”

Over the years, “Lay Lady Lay” has been covered by the likes of Cher, The Byrds, The Everly Brothers, Melanie, The Isley Brothers, Keith Jarrett, Neil Diamond, Isaac Hayes, Richie Havens, Steve Howe, Booker T. & The MGs, Buddy Guy, Duran Duran and Ministry.

The flip of today’s single was the first single release from Nashville Skyline, although it only charted at #85 on the Billboard pop charts. After writing the song, Dylan shared it with George Harrison who brought it to The Beatles’ Let It Be recording sessions. Session tapes reveal that George took the song out for a spin during The Beatles’ session and performed it solo. The song has also been covered by Cher, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Lambchop and Yo La Tengo.

Looking for classic Dylan recordings on YouTube is somewhat of a lost cause, so today’s audio clips feature Cher’s version of “Lay Lady Lay” under the title “Lay Baby Lay” recorded for her 1969 album 3614 Jackson Highway, and George Harrison’s bootleg take of “I Threw It All Away” from The Beatles’ Let It Be sessions in January of 1970.

Today in Rock History – August 3

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1966, The Rolling Stones spend nine days recording for their next album at Los Angeles, RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA. Tracks recorded included: “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?” “Let’s Spend The Night Together,” “My Obsession,” “Yesterday’s Papers,” and “Back Street Girl.”

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of five nights at the Salvation Club in New York City.

1967, To promote Ravi Shankar’s Hollywood Bowl concert on August 4, George Harrison joins the sitar player at his news conference.

1967, The Who appeared at Dane County Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.

1968, The Doors started a two-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Hello I Love You.” The song replaced “Grazing in the Grass”by Hugh Masakela at the top spot.  The Doors had eight top 40 hits from 1967-71.

1968, The two day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California with Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, Chambers Brothers, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Country Joe and the Fish, Electric Flag, James Cotton Blues Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, and Tiny Tim. Over 100,000 fans attended the festival.

1969, Janis Joplin sings with Little Richard at the Atlantic City Pop Festival.

1969, The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson is busted. He had agreed to serve civilian duty instead of being drafted into the Army, but when he arrived at Los Angeles County Hospital to do his bit, he taught music classes instead of acting as an institutional helper.

1971, Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings, with his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine.

1971, The Who play The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1973, Stevie Wonder released his sixteenth studio album Innervisions. Wonder played all or virtually all instruments on six of the album’s nine tracks.

1973, ABC’s In Concert, broadcast an Eagles show from UCLA.

1974, Anne Murray appeared at The Schaefer Festival in New York as the headlining act. The opening act was Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

1974, Bad Company went to number one on the US album chart with their self-titled debut album. The supergroup was formed in Westminster, London in 1973 by two former members of Free, singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirk, as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell.

1974, KISS performed at the Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1975, Black Sabbath appeared at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1976, Eric Clapton played at the ABC Theatre, Plymouth, England.

1977, The Steve Miller Band headlined at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1978, Aerosmith appeared at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

1979, The Knack album Get the Knack and the single “My Sharona” both go to number one.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Starlight Bowl, San Diego, California.

1985, Madonna scored her first UK number one single with “Into The Groove.” The track was taken from the movie Desperately Seeking Susan which featured Madonna and Rosanna Arquette.

1985, Tears For Fears started a three week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Shout,” the duo’s second US chart topper.

1987, Def Leppard released their fourth studio album Hysteria which became their best selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. The album is the follow-up to the band’s 1983 breakthrough Pyromania. Hysteria’s creation took over three years and was plagued by delays, including the aftermath of the December 1984 car accident that cost drummer Rick Allen his left arm.

1996, Los Del Rio started a fourteen-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Macarena.” The song which has sold 11 million copies world-wide was ranked the topGreatest One Hit Wonder of all Time by VH1 in 2002.

2001, Co-founder of the American group 5th Dimension, Ron Townson died of kidney failure aged 68.

2006, Arthur Lee, singer and guitarist of the influential 1960’s band Love died in Memphis at the age of 61 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He called himself the “first black hippie” and formed Love in Los Angeles in 1965.

2007, Queen guitarist Brian May handed in his astronomy PhD thesis, 36 years after abandoning it to join the band. May had recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of “zodiacal dust clouds.”

2008, Kid Rock was at number one on the UK singles chart with “All Summer Long.” The song is based on Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London,” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” It reached number 23 in the Billboard Hot 100.

Born on August 3: Tony Bennett (1926); Beverly Lee, The Shirelles (1941);  John York,  bass player, songwriter, and producer, The Byrds, Sir Douglas Quintet (1943); B. B. Dickerson,  bass, War (1949); John Graham, Earth Wind & Fire (1951); Ian Bairnson,  sax, keyboards, The Alan Parsons Project, Pilot (1953); James Hetfield, guitar, vocals, Metallica (1963); Ed Roland,  singer, guitarist, Collective Soul (1963)

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Today in Rock History – August 1

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beatles-hard-days-night-single1964, “A Hard Day’s Night” went to the top of the charts giving The Beatles their fifth US number one single in seven months.

1964, Billboard Magazine reported that the harmonica was making a comeback in a big way thanks to its use by Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

1965, During a UK tour, The Rolling Stones appeared at the London Palladium supported by The Walker Brothers, The Fourmost, Steampacket featuring Rod Stewart, and Sugar Pie Desanto with The Shevelles.

1967, The Who performed at the Mississippi State Coliseum, Jackson, Mississippi, opening for Herman’s Hermits. In honor of their location, they do a one-time-only cover of Nancy Sinatra’s hit song “Jackson.” After the show, Pete’s friend and now official band photographer, Tom Wright takes Pete to a local doctor who stitches up his finger that he had sliced to the bone doing windmills. The doctor says Pete won’t be able to play for a month. Pete replies that he’ll just glue his pick to the bandage.

1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1968, The Who perform  at The Electric Theater in Chicago. While there The Who stay at a Holiday Inn in Rolling Meadows, Illinois and during a breat, Pete pens a new song,”Go To The Mirror!” for the forthcoming rock opera.

1969, Led Zeppelin, supported by Jethro Tull and Family of Man appeared at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, California.

1969, The three day US Atlantic City Pop Festival took place at the Atlantic City race track with BB King, Janis Joplin, Santana, Three Dog Night, Dr John, Procol Harum, Arthur Brown, Iron Butterfly, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Richard, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, The Mothers Of Invention and Canned Heat. Joni Mitchell, started to cry and ran off stage in the middle of her third song because the crowd was not paying attention to her performance.

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the Van Dike Club, Plymouth, England.

1970, The film Performance featuring Mick Jagger in his acting debut, had its UK premiere in London. The British crime drama film directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg also featured James Fox.

1971, The Concert For Bangladesh, organized by George Harrison to aid victims of famine and war in Bangladesh took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Featuring Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar, and members from Badfinger. Harrison had to shell out his own money to maintain the fund after legal problems froze all proceeds. The triple album release, the second in a row by Harrison, hit number one in the UK and number two in the US and received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

1971, members of The Who attend the Bangladesh charity concert with George Harrison and friends at Madison Square Garden, and jam with them at the post-concert party held at Ungano’s.

1971, Black Sabbath release their album Master of Reality, which goes to number 8 on the UK charts and number 5 in the US.

1971, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour started on prime time American TV.

1971, Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye leaves the band to form Badger.

1972, A year after Tony Kaye jumped ship, drummer Bill Bruford leaves Yes to join King Crimson.

1973, The Grateful Dead celebrate Jerry Garcia’s birthday with a concert at Jersey City, N.J.’s Roosevelt Stadium. A nude woman pops out of a giant cake onstage.

1974, Pete Townshend decides to accompany Eric Clapton on his comeback concert tour of the United States to provide support for the still shaky musician. Keith Moon, also tags along. The two join Eric onstage at The Omni in Atlanta for performances of “Layla,” “Baby Don’t You Do It” and “Little Queenie.” After the show, Keith’s new girlfriend Annette Walter-Lax witnesses her first hotel room destruction as Keith remodels a room at the Omni Hotel.

1975, Hawkwind appeared at Town Hall, Torquay, England.

1976, The Who fly to Washington, DC, and check into the Watergate Hotel for the beginning of their four-date Whirlwind Tour.

1976, ZZ Top played at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado.

1977, Yes performed at the Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia.

1978, Jimmy Buffett appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1978, an exhibition of Who memorabilia assembled by fans Steve Margo, Peter Johns and “Irish” Jack Lyons opens at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on the Mall in London. Pete Townshend and Keith Moon mingle with the fans looking at the exhibits.

1980, Def Leppard made their US live debut when they appeared at the New York City concert opening for AC/DC. It was also Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott’s 21st birthday.

1980, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland, California

1980, George Harrison forms Handmade Films, his own movie studio. Among its productions are Withnail & I  and Shanghai Surprise.

1981, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles is the first music video played on the brand new MTV Network.

1987, Bob Seger scored his first US number one single with the Harold Faltermeyer penned “Shakedown,”which was taken from the film Beverly Hills Cop II. The song was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but it lost both awards to Dirty Dancing’s “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”

1987, Los Lobos were at number one on the UK singles chart with their version of the Ritchie Valens song “La Bamba,” which was also a number one hit in the US. The song was the title track from the film based on Ritchie Valens who died in the same plane crash the killed Buddy Holly.

2000, AC/DC kicked off their 140 date Stiff Upper World Lip Tour at the Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2001, the Who CD Quadrophenia 1996 is released in Japan featuring fourteen groups covering Who songs related to Quadrophenia.

2007, Prince kicked off a series of 21 sold out UK shows at London’s O2 arena. Tickets for the events cost £31.21 – the same figure used by the singer to name his album, website and perfume. After completing the 21 nights the Jehovah’s Witness was planning to take time out to study the Bible.

2007, The Police played the first of two sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, New York City on their Reunion Tour.

2015, English singer, actress and entertainer Cilla Black died at her holiday home near Marbella, Spain, aged 72. Along with a successful recording career in the 1960s and early 1970s, Black hosted her own eponymous variety show, Cilla, for the BBC between 1968 and 1976.

Born on August 1: Ramblin Jack Elliot (1931); Jerry Garcia (1943); Boz Burrell, Bad Company (1946);  Rick Coonce, American drummer, The Grass Roots (1946); Rick Anderson bass, The Tubes (1947); Tim Bachman, Canadian singer, guitarist, Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Brave Belt (1951); Tommy Bolin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, Deep Purple, Zephyr,  James Gang (1951); Robert Cray (1953);  Joe Elliott, vocals, Def Leppard (1959); Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, aka Chuck D, American rapper, producer, Public Enemy, The Bomb Squad, Confrontation Camp (1960); Richard Griffin, aka Professor Griff, American rapper, Public Enemy, Confrontation Camp (1960); Artis Leon Ivey Jr., aka Coolio, rapper (1963); Adam Duritz, American singer-songwriter, producer, Counting Crows and The Himalayans (1964);

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Long, Long, Long” by The Beatles

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Long, Long, Long” by The Beatles

One of George Harrison’s most underrated songs and a highlight of The White Album for sure. The song was actually recorded by “The Threetles” since John Lennon was not present for any of the sessions.

Lennon’s absence kind of illustrates the short shrift that Harrison’s songs were given during Beatle recording sessions, considering that songs like “Something,” “Not Guilty” and “Sour Milk Sea” were left off The White Album and “All Things Must Pass” “Isn’t It A Pity” and “Let It Down” were left off of Let It Be in favor of much weaker material like “Dig It,” “Maggie Mae” and “Good Night.”

The rattling heard during the psychedelic meltdown at the end of the track was from a bottle of wine that was left on top of a speaker during the recording. Happy “mistakes” like this were often left in making the recording more interesting and more psychedelic. “Long, Long, Long” is one in a long line of Harrison love songs that can be directed at either his wife or the Lord.