The Journey Back Entry 12: The Summer of ’65 Gets Progressively Better

The beginning of July 1965 saw the release of the appropriately named Summer Days (and Summer Nights!) by The Beach Boys. Apparently after the more progressive Today! , Capital Records asked Brian Wilson to tone it down a bit. The album features many of the traditional type songs from Summer Days but with a more layered production underneath. Once again, I’m drawn to the less surfy sound of the band and its the songs that have more instrumental experimentation that I was drawn towards while listening to this. Overall it isnt a bad album, its just not necessarily my cup of tea either. I think the fact that I’ve never lived in California also affects my  love for the band. They’re just too jolly. Take their most popular song on the album: “California Girls”. I recognize the importance but I cant say I enjoy listening to it.

1965 – Summer Days (and Summer Nights!) – Top Highlights

Then I Kissed Her – I love the guitar part on this song.

Girl Don’t Tell Me – I love the little vocal accents on this song. That “I’m the Guy-uy -uy!” part is so great. And the piano part in the background. And obviously minor key!

You’re So Good to Me – Ok so remember all that stuff I said about not liking how jolly the band is? Forget that this song always makes me smile! I think its the fact that they over sing it and it adds a sense of irony to the happiness that makes it infinitely more enjoyable. It helps that the backing music here is incredible. That addictive bass and drums accompanied by the “la la la” whiny vocals in the background. Reminds me of Muppet Babies. Actually most Beach Boys does. For better and worse.

Honorable mention for “I’m Bugged at My Old Man” as it gave me a great laugh.

 

So the theme of this article is progressively better album releases. The next to release was July 30th’s Out of our Heads by the Rolling Stones. Here the band continues its streak of releasing albums with a couple of really great songs and some other clear throw aways. Their sound hasn’t changed much mostly because once again we’re getting lots of covers. That being said, the standout single “Satisfaction” is on this album and it really does rock. Overall I would say this album is probably not “better” than Summer Days, just more down my alley.

1965 – Out of Our Heads – Top Highlights

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – What a riff!! So simple yet so addictive. What’s really interesting is that the distorted guitar was originally meant to later be replaced by a horn section. WHAT a different song it might have been! I’m glad it was kept with the guitar because it really is so immediately wonderful.

Cry To Me – I love Mick Jaggers wild vocals on this track. What really won me over was the line “Nothing could be sadder than a glass of wine alone!” Something about that image is just so wonderfully depressing.

Play with Fire – The Rolling Stones trying to be subtle?? Its so quiet. And that guitar part immediately following each line of “But dont play with me cause youre playing with fire.” is so mysterious. I think I just like the change of pace for the band and hope they pursue it further on future releases.

Not to be outdone by the Beach Boys or the Rolling Stones, the Beatles released their next album on August 6th 1965.  Help! accompanied a Beatles film which I have not seen. Still, no viewing of the movie is necessary to listen to the beautiful song writing and vocals on display here. If you remember I was disappointed in their last release of 1964 Beatles for Sale for being a quick cash in full of covers. Thankfully Help! is written by the band in full and is a much better album because of it. The Beatles are still a full on pop band but the songs are getting deeper. There’s more piano on the album and the instruments in general are taking more liberties from the traditional verse chorus structure. I’m nowhere near intelligent enough when in comes to recording techniques to comment on all the changes the Beatles are implementing but I can say that it sounds great. All that being said, its hard for me to review the Beatles albums in the comparison timeline because unlike most releases in 1965, I know how much potential the Beatles have yet to unleash.

1965 – Help! – Top 5 Highlights

Help! – The multiple layers in the first 10 seconds of this song alone are mind blowing. Lennon’s singing back against the harmonized cries for help and the bass and guitar underneath. I love the way the harmony part during the verses sings the same lines that Lennon is singing but at a different flow so that you hear them separately! It’s not a technique that always works but here it really succeeds. Plus the falsetto “Please please me” is such a great sing-a-long moment

I Need You – I promised I would keep following George Harrison’s songs. He gets 2 on Help! and my favorite is “I Need You”. One again a more mellow track. I love how sad that guitar sounds at the end of each line in the verse. It sounds like the guitar is dying. It’s a so bad its great kind of sound. The song reminds me of a sad puppy and to be honest I think that is what Harrison was going for.

She’s Got a Ticket To Ride – It’s hard for me to not like this song just based on the sheer amount of times I’ve heard it. I like how both Lennon and McCartney support each other vocally. Most important is the ending when the tempo changes and they sing “My baby dont care”. I love when songs break the verse/chorus mold for something special.

I’ve Just Seen a Face – What a beautiful song! I think this song continues to support the theory that I’m more of a McCartney fan than a Lennon fan. As I’ve mentioned before: while I’ve been listening to the Beatles for a long time, I’ve never payed attention to who wrote/sang what. Now that I’m exploring this aspect of the albums, Ive found that a lot of my favorites are McCartney songs. I like the twirling acoustic guitar in the song. Maybe its because a good acoustic guitar part is truly timeless to me, but I always find these stripped down songs to be my favorites on ’60’s albums so far (just like with Dylan).

Yesterday – OH boy. What can you say that hasn’t already been said? Its been voted the the best song of the 20th century and the greatest pop song of all time and for good reason. It’s only two minutes long but every second is well spent putting forth this perfect picture of heartbreak. What’s better than acoustic guitar alone? Strings of course.

I would end this entry here as its already overlong but the summer isnt over yet. August 30th 1965 saw the release of one more amazing album. Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited. At this point Dylan was stressed out by his fans for not liking his change in direction and this led to a song writing drought. Coming off of  Help! , there is an instant gravity about this album compared to everything else I’ve heard to this point. On my first listen, the second that “Like a Rolling Stone” began playing, I just had this… awakening? I dont know how to describe it. Just this overwhelming feeling that music can be better. That in 1965, we were just getting started with rock and roll. The biggest immediately  noticeable difference was in the lyrics. Flip through the songs on Help!; these two or three minute pop songs about love and loss. Then play “Like a Rolling Stone”. Just the sheer volume of lyrics, and the density. Just, wow. Now the album does feature a lot of the crazy wild rock Dylan present on Bringing It All Back Home that I wasnt such a big fan of but it’s definitely more developed and fleshed out here. I think one of the greatest additions is Bob Dylan’s wider use of piano and organ on this album. The longer, slower, piano laden tracks tend to draw me in more than the wild rock and roll ones. This led me to  songs like “Ballad of a Thin Man” and “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”. The album starts out with its strongest track but it ends on its second strongest. “Desolation Row” is an 11 and a half minute acoustic guitar epic and I’m just glad he’s continued to include songs in this style. Now up there for me with “It’s Alright Ma”. I mentioned the depth of the lyrics earlier and I will now preface this by saying that depth doesnt necessarily mean connections. A lot of times I have no idea what Dylan is singing about. I am certain that HE knew exactly what he was talking about. For me, its more similar to a blind food tasting. You may not know what it is youre eating but good tasting food is good tasting food. Just listening to Dylan’s solid imagery is a gift.

1965 – Highway 61 Revisited – Top 5 Highlights

Like a Rolling Stone – A perfect song and a perfect experience. Maybe Bob Dylan’s best song? Something about how it all comes together musically and lyrically and emotionally. There’s just a magic here. The way Dylan yells the chorus. The way the organ continually plays. The jangling of the guitars. The spare use of harmonica. Wow.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/5124986″>Like A Rolling Stone</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user1858627″>Lea Becker</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Ballad of a Thin Man – Haunting piano! Actually one of the first Dylan songs I ever heard and liked. Dylan’s talk singing works a lot better when he’s not yelling it in an extremely hoarse voice over jangling guitars. The cool factor of the piano adds a grounded feeling to Dylan’s talking. It works. It just works.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/52383325″>Bob Dylan – The Ballad of a Thin Man</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user1114172″>Vasco Cavalcante</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Queen Jane Approximately – The piano here is in complete contrast to that of “Ballad of a Thin Man”, here adding a feel good beauty both to Dylan’s vocals and the song itself.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/29149789″>Bob Dylan – “Queen Jane Approximately” MONO</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user5966392″>Curtis Mayfield</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Just Like Tom Thumb ‘s Blues – Once again its the beauty of the piano that won me over here. It’s hard to talk about a lot of Dylan’s songs because its so much better to just get them into your ears.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/29785190″>Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user1076768″>Vince Vercillo</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Desolation Row – I talked about this earlier but it really is all about the acoustic guitar here. It may be a bit repetitive but each note is played so beautifully that I have no problem listening to Dylan play it over the 11 minute length. This is a definitely a sit outside in the backyard and smoke a cigarette while staring at the night sky and contemplating life kind of experiences. Also if you stick around, you get one epic harmonica solo!

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/11222889″>Desolation Row</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3675027″>Paul Tattam</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

So overall, the summer of 65 was really a great time to be a fan of rock music. While the Beach Boys and Rolling Stones released decent albums, and the Beatles released another great one, it was Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited that captured my heart. I think I’ll be shocked if I find an album in 65 that I like more. Still I’m excited to try anyway and dive further into the 60’s less famous acts. I really am desiring to pick up the pace of this journey so that I can get to more and more music but I know that will come with sacrificing some of the writing so I haven’t decided exactly what Ill do just yet. Again thank you if you were able to read all the way to the end of this. Let me know if theres an album you think I missed or you definitely want me to check out in the future!

The Journey Back Entry 11: A Flock This Way Comes

Its the two year anniversary of this site being gifted to me by my [now wife] and I felt that was as good a reason as any to start the site running again! I really want to get things moving especially in my journey back series since theres so much music to get to. As the name suggests, this post will focus on debut albums of 2 bird based bands I constantly confuse in my head: The Byrds and The Yardbirds.

The Byrds, to my understanding, are the first true emergence of folk rock. They established this very easily by forming a rock band and then covering a bunch of Dylan songs. You cant go wrong covering Dylan songs for a folk rock band, especially since Dylan himself was beginning to experiment with rock and roll at this point. It should also be mentioned that band features David Crosby on guitars! Obviously I’ll be looking forward to more of him in the late 60’s. The album sounds about how you would expect it to: Like the Beatles doing multipart harmony covers of Dylan songs. I should point out that the sounding like the Beatles part was intentional with the band even purchasing instruments played by the Beatles. What’s really funny here is while most people seem to steer towards the Dylan covers as the best music on the album, I’m all in favor of the few compositions put forth by Gene Clark. I think it’s probably because I’ve heard all the Dylan originals first and to now hear them sung in such a poppy harmonized way seems to lessen the impact of Dylan’s raw versions. Still theres a lot to love here!

1965 – Mr. Tambourine Man – Top Five Highlights

I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better – This song definitely reminds of the Beatles in that fun jingle jangle guitar and 3 part harmonies sense but theres nothing wrong with that! I loved A Hard Day’s Night.

Here Without You – I love the opening of this song! That guitar gets me every time! I like the beginning of each verse, something about those deep sad harmonies is just so wonderful. You can feel the melancholy but for some reason you want to be part of it.

The Bells of Rhymney – This song is a Pete Seeger cover but since Ive never heard the original version, I really liked this version. I think I just like the sad ones.

I Knew I’d Want You – Thats right! Another minor key harmonies track. This song appeared as a B-side for the “Mr. Tambourine Man” single released before the debut album. These two tracks were actually recorded by session musicians and therefore have a crisper sound to them.

It’s No Use – Once again its the opening guitar part that gets me into the song. In general, a song that can grab my attention in the opening seconds will keep me waiting for more interesting things to happen. I like the faster pace of this one and its dancy up and down nature. Plus: GUITARS!

When I listen to these albums, I dont read up on the song writers and such until after I’ve given the albums a few spins so it was really great when I found that my four favorite songs on the album were originals by the band. Definitely excited for the sequel!

Now onto a different form of bird altogether: The Yardbirds!

Here is another wild Rhythm and Blues british bands in the vein of The Rolling Stones. The Yardbirds are famous for kickstarting the careers of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. On For Your Love both Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton can be heard playing some MEAN blues guitar and the constant riffing stops them from sounding like Rolling Stones clones. The best example appears on the non-stop rocking guitar fest that is “I’m Not Talking” and “I Ain’t Done Nothing” both featuring Jeff Beck. I also happen to really like vocalist Keith Relf!

1965 – For Your Love – Top Highlights

For Your Love – The intro to the song is really cool and once Keith started the verses in a kind of call and response with the repetitive “For Your Love” chorus, I was sold.

I’m Not Talking – Seriously the guitar riff and solo work here is just top notch stuff. The guitar just never lets you rest and that a very very good thing.

I Ain’t Done Nothing – The guitar and drums duo that constantly hammers into your brain (you can hear it at the 1:21 second mark) combined with the call and response guitar and harmonica is enough to make any blues rocker happy!

Overall I was very happy with both The Byrds and the Yardbirds. I’m excited to hear more original compositions from the Byrds and maybe a little bit of uniqueness while I’m hoping that the Yardbirds continue to rock out but dont forget the importance of melody since a lot of the songs lack the typical verse chorus structure in favor of a more free flowing vibe that can make it hard to differentiate some of the lesser liked tracks on the album. Theres still a lot of albums left in 1965 but I hope to move things a long at a bit of a brisker pace so that we can get to more music faster! Thanks again for reading/commenting/sharing/liking!

The Journey Back Entry 10: The Beach Boys Get High and Them Get Angry

I promised last time that I’d finally address the next Beach Boys album so here goes…

I think that the stories behind this album are a lot more interesting than the finished product but sometimes thats the nature of the beast. In this case, lead singer of the Beach Boys suffered a severe anxiety attack in December of 1964 leading to him swearing off of touring in the beginning of 1965. This actually may have turned out for the better though since the band simply replaced him on stage for the tour while providing him full time in the studio to write whatever he wanted. My struggle with the Beach Boys thus far is that my brain isnt trained to listen for anything deeper in surf rock so I end up hearing better produced versions of practically the same song from album to album(in my head). While surf rock still exists on Today!, Brian Wilson is seriously pushing it to its limits trying new things and shying away from the bands previous main stays. The first half of the album is still more traditional to their sound while the second half contains more ballads and experimentation. Its still tough for me to listen to. Its funny because I can hear that things are taking a turn but they all still sound so “beach boys-y”. Mainly, I think it comes down to the truly “west coast” attitude of the Beach Boys that keeps me disconnected. I need to go live in LA and have beautiful weather year round and go surfing. Maybe then I’ll be more geared towards this sound. Another interesting tidbit of knowledge? Brian Wilson’s anxiety led him to start smoking marijuana. All these changes to the band I think are beginning to show but the next couple albums will tell whether the band can completely step away from its surf rock roots and grab my interest for more than an instant.

1965 – Today! – Highlights

Help Me, Rhonda – I like that the song doesnt have the typical Surf Rock rhythm and while the chorus does get a bit repetitive, the verses are new and exciting with plenty of interesting harmonies and a really fun guitar part.

I’m So Young – The opening harmony hooks you and I just love the over the top confidence of the opening line “I have a girlfriend! She saaays I’m her only one…” and then the beat kicks in with that same high pitched single vocal track with deep bass backing vocals. It’s a classic 50’s doo-wop! No seriously its a cover of 1958 doo-wop song.

Kiss Me, Baby – I love Brian Wilson’s vocals on this track and the way he sings them with this echoing response without a call kind of feeling. It’s the most “not surf rock” sounding track so far and I hope they go further in this direction. Lots of cool percussion on this one too!

In the Back of My Mind – Another song with a slower tempo. I really love the sound of the vocals on this one and the vocal production.

And now… Time for a new band!! Introducing the irish answer to the Rolling Stones: Them!

Them is important because it introduces the world to someone who I’m very excited to follow in the future, the one and only Van Morrison! The album is half covers and half Van Morrison originals. Their sound is a lot more produced than the Rolling Stones and the wide presence of an organ reminds me of the Animals. Van Morrison’s voice has a striking similarity to that of Mick Jagger and I can even go so far as to say sometimes I have a hard time telling them apart. That being said, Van Morrison is definitely the better vocalist, though I personally enjoy the more raw and untamed voice of Mick. At first I thought he was attempting to imitate Mick Jagger but I found out that both are big fans of another artist Howlin’ Wolf. Im actually planning to go back and check out his debut album because I love both vocalists and their wild shouting style. The band also uses harmonica at a very sexy level. The music is still pretty straight forward so while I find the album an enjoyable listen, the tracks seem to blend mostly together with only a couple of real standouts. Im excited to see the progression of both the band and Van Morrison as they carve out a bigger piece of the Rhythm and Blues pie for themselves.

1965 – Angry Young Them – Top 5 Highlights

If You and I Could Be As Two – Tell me you cant hear the Rolling Stones when you listen to this?? This is one of the songs on the album penned by Morrison. The highlight for me is the amazing piano part! Feels like the fingers are just dancing along those keys

Gloria – Another Morrison tune, this one reminds me of “Louie Louie” by the Kingsman for some reason. My favorite part is at about 1:08 when this amazing guitar part comes in and then the song just kind of pulls back and theres this subtle organ part and Van Morrison just starts yelling while the drums float around his voice before everything crashes back in!

You Just Cant Win – This one takes it back a notch to create a slower groove while cranking up the sexy. I love when the drums start rumbling right as Van calls out the chorus. Once again theres some beautiful jangling guitars here.

I’m Gonna Dress in Black – This one isnt a Van Morrison original but once again, the wild organ is what pulled me in. It has this really good, southern flare to it that is just undeniably sexy.

Bright Lights Big City – This one is a cover of a the classic blues song by Jimmy Reed. They really nail the feel and theres some great blues guitar on showcase here.

So there you have it! I wanted to also write about The Byrds today but this entry ended up being longer than I expected and theres already enough great music here. I’ll leave you with one last image. The artwork for Angry Young Them which is one of the best album covers I’ve ever seen. Its like an awkward family photo. So many amazing things going on. Until next time!

The Journey Back Entry 9: Bob Dylan, But More Importantly, Bert Jansch

Last time, we left off with my love of the Kinks in 1965. I’m going to focus here on the next couple of albums released in 1965. I was going to start by writing about The Beach Boys Today! since it is chronologically next. However, I didn’t find much to love on my first few listens so I kind of skipped over it and now that I’m listening to it again, I dont think I’ve given it enough spins to truly get a good picture.

Instead I’d like to move right on to Bob Dylan’s next release! I’m not going to lie I’ve been very excited to get to this point in Dylan’s career. Bringing It All Back Home marks the first album in which a full band backs Bob’s music. The album also has a more rocking flavor to it and is Bob Dylan’s first real effort to distance himself from the folk scene of the early 60’s. After having met the Beatles, Bob Dylan began experimenting with a full rock band. The resulting album can be easily separated into two distinct sections. The first 7 tracks make up Side 1 which features Dylan in a rock and roll mood with a full band and a sound that I would describe as early Rolling Stones meets Bob Dylan’s stream of consciousness poetry.  Side 2 features only 4 songs and represents the culmination of all of Bob Dylan’s acoustic work. A swan song before his move into full on rock music. Side 1 is a struggle for me to review. I like it a lot.  I think that its very good, especially lyrically. What holds it back is a lack of variety for his band. I’m a firm believer of using any and every instrument possible, as long as there is purpose to those instruments. I just found that a lot of the time, the band was simply keeping the beat behind Dylan and that the songs would have sounded just as good in an acoustic fashion. The band just feels a bit like background noise. I’m not saying its bad, just that I could take it or leave it. Now that isnt always the case, with the most specific example being “She Belongs To Me” which I think is the best track on Side 1. Lyrically, Bob is in full on imagery mode and writing some really great stuff. The aforementioned “She Belongs to Me”, the wonderful “Love Minus Zero/ No Limit”, and especially Dylan’s goodbye to the folk movement “Maggie’s Farm”.

Side 2 is the actual bread and butter of Taking It All Back Home. Each (mostly)acoustic number is equally engaging and wonderful with amazing guitar work and beautiful lyrics. Side 2 solidifies my view that acoustic Dylan is my favorite Dylan. That being said, I haven’t heard much of electric Dylan yet so I’ll just have to see where Dylan takes his new found electric love. My hope is that Taking It All Back Home serves as some sort of test run before he dives head first into rock and roll. I’m definitely excited to see where Dylan takes his talents from here on out, I just hope he remembers his acoustic routes and writes more music like that as well.

1965 – Taking It All Back Home – Top 5 Highlights

She Belongs to Me – Dylan breaks out the band while maintaining his soft charms. Dylan’s voice has never sounded sexier, completely avoiding his nasal whine and the soft drums and oh so quiet electric finger picking guitar add real layers of beauty to an already great song. I hope this is the direction he continues on for his future electric releases. No instrument is taken for granted here and no sound wasted. The harmonica interludes just add to the overall wonder. A perfect Dylan tune.

Mr. Tambourine Man – Once again, Dylan’s voice is sounding beyond wonderful. The soft electric guitar part  reminds me of the best of Indie Rock Music. There is just something about this song that demands you shut up and listen to its beauty. We’ll get to the Byrds a bit later which I’ve been listening to a lot lately, but I think its pretty widely regarded that the Folk Rock scene began with this song.

Gates of Eden – Tragically I couldnt find a version of this from the album so I had to post a live version. Please please find the studio version! Don’t get me wrong, Bob Dylan can at times be better on his live work than his studio work but in this particular case, it is the production on the studio version that I adore. I think that Bob’s acoustic guitar is captured perfectly. I also love the way that Dylan sings the line “The gates of Eden”. It is the repetition of that line coupled with the acoustic guitar that lends a lot of power to this new epic about the loss of innocence in the generation of the 60’s. I definitely like this song MUCH MORE than the similar “Chimes of Freedom”

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – Bob’s voice is a bit harsher on this track but man is that guitar epically beautiful! One of the best goodbye heart break songs I can think of.

It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – Which brings us to quite possibly my favorite Bob Dylan song to date. Once again I could only find a live version but for this song, any version will do.  “It’s All Right Ma” is a masterpiece! This is Bob Dylan doing something no one else would dare do. The way that Bob Dylan sings this song is mindblowing! He has these little stream of consciousness rambling lines that go on far too long for a normal song to the point that the music is forced to fit in around them. His guitar just kind of hangs out waiting for him to finish and then has these beautiful strumming sections between each run on statement. Each individual statement is chock FULL of images. I’ve probably already listend to this song 20 or so times and I’m still hearing new images. There is just a general disregard for all things that define how a song should be written. Even now as I listen to the song again, I’m  enraptured by the lyrics and style and music. The song basically combines the musical style of “Masters of War”, the lyrical delivery of his “Talkin Blues” songs and the imagery laden lyrics of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”.  This is a genius at work. An artist who looks back on his catalogue of work and brings forth something that takes the best parts of all that came before to create a piece of music no one has ever heard or even dreamed they ever would here. I find it hard to believe that Dylan will ever write a song better than this. I really hope he proves me wrong!

In summary, I still like Bob Dylans first two albums best. I think that Bringing It All Back Home contains Bob Dylans best single work to date but overall, I want something more.

Now I want to move onto an artist that took me COMPLETELY by surprise: Bert Jansch! Bert is a scottish musician who moved to london in the early 60’s to join the folk scene there. In 1965 he released his self titled debut and I am so happy that I listened to it! Wow. I complained a little earlier about Bob’s movement into rock and roll and away from acoustic folk, but as long as artists like Bert Jansch step in to fill the holes left by Dylan, I will have no problem! Lets start with the obvious. Bert has a beautiful voice. I love Dylan’s vocals for what they are but pretty is never a way that I’d describe them. I already touched on this with Simon and Garfunkel but its never been more apparent than in hearing Jansch sing along while strumming a guitar. He still has a twangy kind of folk friendly voice but it is much more pleasing to the ears. Most importantly, this man is a wonderful acoustic guitar player. Every song is beautifully finger picked. This is especially noticeable in that he doesnt simpley strum the same three chords for four minutes. Each song is essentially a duet between Jansch’s wonderful voice and his guitars finger dancing. He even includes multiple instrumental tracks that focus directly on the beauty of his guitar playing. According to a friend, Neil Young once referred to Bert as the Jimi Hendrix of acoustic guitar. If you’re still not convinced, listen to these great examples from his album!

1965 Bert Jansch – Top 5 Highlights

Smokey River – This is a fine example of one of Jansch’s instrumentals. Unfortunately the original wasnt available so I had to pull this cover of it instead. Not to knock the play in this song but Jansch does play the song better. Still, it does give a great idea of the more technical nature of his guitar playing on the album. Very different from Dylan.

Oh How Your Love Is Strong – Once again I could only find a cover. This guy is pretty faithful to the original. I still think if your choices are this version, or never hear this song and never seek out the album, than this is better! I love the melancholy sound of the guitar on this song and Jansch’s voice has a bit of a haunted tone that I love(and that is captured here)

Needle of Death – Finally a video with Bert. Now you can get an idea for his actual beautiful voice. Tell me this song doesnt immediately mesmerize you!? The whole album has this same beauty!

Do You Here Me Now?  – My personal favorite on the album sees Jansch exploring the boundaries of his voice even letting it crack just so he can infuse some extra emotion into the song.

I Have No Time – This one reminds me of the best of Joan Baez! It just has this mind capturing nature about it where you are literally taken out of your brain and forget all other thought for the entirety of the song.

So basically, both the albums I just talked about are excellent and you should definitely pick them up. Some of the best music of the 60’s so far. I was planning to also write about The Byrds and Them but the wonder and excitement of these two albums has tired me out so they’ll have to wait till next time. Thanks for continuing to follow along with me on my journey!

The Journey Back Entry 8: Things get Kinda Kinky and the Siren Returns

The year is 1965! The first album I was interested in came around in February with the release of the Rolling Stones third album (creatively named as usual for the 60’s) The Rolling Stones, Now! I must point out here that I did also listen to The Rolling Stones No. 2 the UK release but seeing as it was mostly made up of a combination of the tracks on 12 x 5 and The Rolling Stones, Now! I decided to discuss this album instead. The album continues to produce their now classic rhythm and blues sound and this is probably their most consistent record to date. The production has definitely come a long way from their wild debut. While this album doesn’t excite me as much as their debut did, I think that it does a great job of showing of the Rolling Stones as musicians. I think Mick Jagger kind of stole the show on their debut album. 12 x 5 saw the focus turn more towards the rest of the band but the track were not as solid and put together as they are here. Strangely “Mona” appears again on this album. I’m not sure why this choice was made but seeing as its my favorite Rolling Stones song so far, I have no problem with it appearing again. Overall, while the album is good and shows off that the Rolling Stones can be civilized, I miss the frantic energy of the debut and I hope they bring some of that up in the future.

1965 – The Rolling Stones, Now! Highlights

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love – It’s a shame I couldnt find the version that appears on the album on youtube! This live performance still shows off the badns charisma but if you can find the version on the album definitely go for it! It starts of with Mick just talking to the audience while one of the other members sings some amazing back up falsetto over his talking. Then when Mick finally comes in, his vocals have just the right amount of grit. The song makes me very happy.

Heart of Stone – I love this song’s lyrics and the way those lyrics are delivered! It has this really relaxed pace while he sings about what a womanizer he is and how he has a “Heart of Stone” and this girl wont be able to break it. I love the “Never break, never break” call backs and the guitar and bass parts are phenomenal. The fact that this song isnt a cover but a Stones original gives me great hope for the future of the band.

Mona – I know I already mentioned my love for “Mona” on the debut but since they offered it up again, so will I. Still my favorite Stones song at this point.

Now lets talk about my favorite surprise of 65 till this point! The second release of the Kinks is wonderful! You may remember that I called their first album boring and that I only wanted to check out their next album because the original album was mostly covers and their original “You Really Got Me” was fun and exciting. Kinda Kinks takes everything I liked about “You Really Got Me” and extrapolates it to album length with wonderful results! Gone are the tedious boring covers and the copycat Rolling Stones sound. These guys have definitely come into their own on this second release. It’s funny because while I originally compared them to the Rolling Stones, I’m definitely feeling much more of a Beatles vibe on this second album in terms of song writing while still maintaining the more wild nature of the Stones. The best part is that the album was rushed and released in an unfinished form because the band was relentlessly touring at the time. If the band can release something this fun on that time frame, they’ve moved to the top of my anticipation list for future releases. If the latest Rolling Stones release felt a bit tame, Kinda Kinks is more than making up for it. If I could describe the album in one word it would be: FUN! The biggest highlight is their vocals that fall halfway between the Beatles cool harmonies and Mick Jagger’s rough and tumble vocals. The band isnt always wild though, my favorite track on the album is actually fairly quiet and yet rivals my favorite Dylan songs for top song of the 60’s. I just find myself listening to it over and over. So… lets get into the highlights!

1965 – Kinda Kinks – Top 5 Highlights

Look for Me Baby – The song is simple enough but I love the backing vocals. The best part is at 0:34 but appears at other times too where the drums kinda crap out and Ray Davies does this thing where he says way too many words for the amount of beats. It’s made even better at 1:45 when it is overdubbed slightly off so it sounds like there’s two of him one saying it again half a second behind the first. It makes me crack up every time and also shows off what I love about this album. The band is trying things that other bands of the time aren’t (weird things) and I find that daring.

Got My Feet on the Ground – I love Ray Davies voice on this track. Once again I find it to just be a very simple and fun little ditty. I love the “I dont neeeeed nobody else” part but the most important part of the song appears at the end. Ray Davies starts yelling “I dont need no one!” to this point where is voice is cracking in the most ridiculous way and they left it in the track! Once again, singing like this had to be daring. I love how he doesnt take himself too seriously.

Nothin’ in the World can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout that Girl – An emo song title 40 years before emo! I just complimented Ray Davies for not taking himself too seriously but it is his ability to take himself seriously on this song that elevated this album beyond simple and silly to amazing. This is the song I was referring to when I talked about liking it as much as my favorite Dylan songs in the sixties. The lyrics are deep and honest and the guitar work is perfect. Ray Davies beautiful and painful falsetto perfectly gets across his sadness about being cheated on. What a perfect song.

Naggin’ Woman – And then right afterwards we get this straight up hilarious blues marvel about a nagging woman. Seriously just go listen to this album. Here Davies goes full on whiney in the best of ways.

Tired of Waiting – More competition for the Beatles. Here’s another serious number with some great vocals. The “It’s your life and you can do what you want” gives me chills every time!

Basically this album is just wonderful. Go listen to it!

Finally, I’m going to take it back to 64 to play a little catch up on Joan Baez. I talked about how her second live album Joan Baez In Concert, Part 2 was a pretty big disappointment and I feared she may have run out of good songs to cover. I thought I might as well at least check out her next studio release to give her one more chance to change my mind. I’m glad I did because the siren is back! I mentioned that Joan Baez’s debut was so perfectly mesmerizing that I couldnt separate out the original elements. It was like 45 minutes would pass by and I’d wake up from a blissful dream. Thankfully that Joan is back here on Joan Baez/5! I put it on in the background while trying to write this and I had to turn it off again because it was so mentally mesmerizing that I couldnt think to write these words. At one point she even breaks out into full on classical belting. This album definitely sees her going in new directions while still conquering my brain with her voice. I still think her debut is a bit stronger as this album breaks the trance near the end with a couple songs that aren’t as good. Overall I highly recommend it. With the debut I didnt really share any of the music so I figured for this one, I’ll share a couple of the songs in case you want a listen. Just know that like the debut, I dont have much to say about them. I think they really just speak for themselves in their utter beauty and ability to take control of your brain.

1964 – Joan Baez/5 – Some Examples

There But for Fortune –

Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5 –

 Birmingham Sunday –

1965 promises to be an interesting year! The Rolling Stones are finessing their sound, the Kinks are revolutionizing theres and if Joan Baez’s 64 release is any indication, 1965 will be a good year for her as well! I for one cannot wait!