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This is a record of some of my favourite songs performed with some of my favourite musicians. The songs here date from between 1930 and 1970 so it really should be called "Kojak Variety -- Volume One."
I've tried not to cut songs that are too familiar. I found "Strange" on the b-side of a Screaming Jay Hawkins single on Roulette. It asks the musical questions: "How many wrinkles in a pickle? How many hairs in a head? How many waves in the ocean? How many crumbs in bread?... How many bubbles in soap? How many chewings in gum? How many rolls in wheel?" and most importantly... "Where did eyeballs come from?" Marc Ribot takes full advantage of the invitation to "go strange" during the solo and fade.
On "Hidden Charms" Larry Knechtel's wah-wah Hammond organ shadows Ribot as he delivers a long, swinging solo which tips a hat to Hubert Sumlin (The Guitar Player on the Howlin' Wolf original). Marc takes several choruses courtesy of some fine brushes work by Pete Thomas. "Hidden Charms" was written by the great Willie Dixon.
At different times in my life I have haunted such shops as Petter's Music in Richmond, where I also bought my first proper guitar and still get many of my favouite jazz and ballad recordings; Probe in Liverpool, where I stumbled through a teenage crisis brought on by trying to like psychedelic music; Rock On in Camden Town, where I bought the pile of Stax singles that helped shape the album Get Happy and, from the first time I travelled across America, the countless thrift stores and pawn shops which offered the chance of discovering an entire album by some group or singer that I had previously only known from singles or a scrappy compilation record.
Some of my best discoveries have been made in what may be the greatest record collecting store in the world: Village Music in Mill Valley, California. Any shop that confronts you with its own ever-changing "hall of fame" (Which might include a Lester Young, The Fairfield Four, some Bill Monroe and a great Otis Rush anthology) AND a rack called "sometimes the cover is enough" featuring such classics as Music For Sleepwalkers, Must be doing something right.
It was here that I bought The Supremes Sing Holland/Dozier/Holland. It included some of their own best-sellers and "covers" of other Motown artists' hits such as "Same old song" and "Heatwave". The odd song out was "Remove this doubt." There's a touch of film music about this one. The thing that sounds like a big zither in the solo is actually a plucked piano string.
One of the better known songs included here is Bob Dylan's "I Threw it All Away." It comes from his album Nashville Skyline. Such was the departure of that record's vocal and writing style that the simple beauty of this song seems to have been overlooked. I performed the song on my very first solo tour in 1984. Larry Knechtel leads the way in this arrangement with some mighty piano and organ.
One of the great albums in my parents' collection when i was very young was a ten-inch album by Peggy Lee called Black Coffee. I'm not sure wheter "Fever" was on that disc but I've listened to Peggy Lee all my life and somewhere along the way I got curious about the Little Willie John version. The only other time I had even seen his name was as writer of "Need your love so bad." Peter Green cut a superb rendition of this with the "original" Fleetwood Mac. If you don't already know Little Willie John's stuff I would suggest any anthology with such sides as "All around th world", "Big Blue Diamonds" and the "answer-songs" to "Fever": "Spasms," "My Nerves" and "I'm Shakin'." He also recorded "Leave my kitten alone," although I have heard it by the Beatles. I've played it with both The Attractions and The Rude Five. Our recorded account was cut with Pete Thomas and Jim Keltner sharing parts of a dismantled drum kit. Pete played snare, hi-hat and tom-tom while Jim played bass drum with a hand held beatuer -- telling Pete he would give him "The Best Right Foot He'd Ever Had". James Burton takes the solo.
I learned the name "Mose Allison" from Georgie Fame's records. His Fame at Last and Sound venture, introduced me to the music of Lambet, Hendricks and Ross, Goffin and King's "Point of No Return" and Neal Hefti's "Lil' Darlin'." Later I realised that the Georgie Fame record of Willie Dixon's "I love the life I live" was actually modelled on the Mose Allison version. Although Georgie did several Mose Allison tunes I don't think he ever cut "Everybody's Crying Mercy." I found it first on Bonnie Raitt's third album: Taking My Time. Marc Ribot leads this version which features a fine, funny coda from the whole band.
I don't know if many people will be familiar with Randy Newman's "I've Been Wrong Before." It was written before he started his own recording career and cut by both Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. I learned it from the Dusty Springfield version. In fact she recorded two of Randy Newman's pop masterpieces on her great album Dusty in Memphis: "Just one Smile" and "I don't want to hear it anymore" -- a song which I half-quote in my song "Accidents Will Happen." Larry and Marc combine well for the broken musical-box accompaniment in this new arrangement.
I first heard Little Richard's "Bama Lama Bama Loo" in 1964. It was released on a yellow "London: America Recordings" 45. I have the record in front of me now. It's an "A" label copy which means I got it from my father.
During my Dad's time singing with The Joe Loss Orchestra he used to bring home all kinds of "A" label advance copies and even acetates of songs he was to learn for that week's radio broadcast. The process of securing "Live" or radio covers was still crucial to both record companies and music publishers. As late as the release of The Beatles' Rubber Soul, when they hardly needed a helping hand, their publishers, Northern Songs, were still sending out acetates of non-single tracks such as "Girl" and "Michelle" so that the songs were covered by the radio dancebands. When my Dad had finished learning the song he gave me the record. This meant that I had far more singles than pocket money would have bought. It also meant that I used to keep my fingers crossed so that, out of the three band singers, my Father would be allotted my favourites of each batch of the new releases. It also certainly means that I am actually the second member of the MacManus Family to perform "Bama Lama Bama Loo."
I cannot attempt the famous Penniman "Whoooo!" so James Burton provides The Voice Of Lucinda. Once again Pete Thomas and Jim Keltner share parts of a drum kit. Ribot takes the first solo and James the second.
In some cases I've changed the style of the song quite a bit. Bill Anderson's "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face" was originally recorded by the Louvin Brothers but we did it as an R'n'B ballad.
When I was growing up most "Country" hits were novelty records. I didn't get curious about country until I heard The Byrds' Sweetheart Of The Rodeo and started seeking out the original versions by the artist they had covered. These included th louvin's "Christian Life" but I didn't get the bug for them until I heard their songs cut by Gram Parsons. There's still a record exchange in Wandsworth where I picked up a bargain-priced import copy of G.P., his first solo album. It was the first record that I actually owned featuring James Burton and here he is playing on this arrangement.
Having recorded an entire album in Nashville I wanted to do something different with this song and took a cue from the way Percy Sledge approaches country ballads. Anyway, I din't have anyone to harmonise with. Even though I have performed the Louvin's song "My Baby's Gone" with Nick Lowe, he does it much better on his own. I've also been known to reel off their very grim murder ballad: "Knoxville Girl." If you're a fan of The Everly Brothers or any of the great vocal duos who went before them then you probably know the Louvin Brothers' records. If you don't know their tunes then try to find Tragic Songs Of Life or one of the many re-issues now available.
Some years ago when I was in Japan I discovered "Pouring water on a drowning man" by James Carr on a brand new Goldwax Records issue. This was at a time when his records were shamefully absent from catalogues in the U.S. and Britain. For years I've take it to be another of the great Dan Penn songs. Perhaps this is because Carr shares the Moman/Penn classic "Dark end of the street" with Percy Sledge (Who also cut Penn and Oldham's "Out Of Left Field" and "It Tears me Up"). In fact "Pouring Water..." was wertten by the team of Baker and McCormick.
I included this song in my 1986 shows with the Confederates, a band which featured Jerry Scheff, Jim Keltner and James Burton. However in this performance the spotlight should really fall on Larry Knechtel's piano playing.
You can now find this song on the very fine James Carr compilation: At the Dark End of The Street. By the way, Dan Penn's first album for twenty years, "Do Right Man," was issued in 1994. It contains new versions of some of his greatest songs including, I promise you... "You Left the water Running."
"The Very Thought Of You" was written by English Band leader Ray Noble around 1930 and later popularised by Nat "King" Cole. I have performed this song before for a video special with The Chet Baker Trio. During the solo on this rendition I join Marc Ribot's spanish guitar and Eb horn with a bit of "mouth trumpet". In fact this arrangement is a band effort, Jerry, James and Larry suggesting the simplified accompaniment of the opening to which I added the transition into the final verse.
Jesse Winchester's "Payday" is the most recent song on this record. It comes from his 1970 debut album which contains many very beautiful ballads and one terrifying song called "Black Dog." I still cannot listen to it in the dark. That album was produced by Robbie Robetson and features other members of The Band. If you see it stap it up! There is a very fine Jesse Winchester anthology but it would only be perfect if it contained all the tracks from that first record.
I've always wanted tor ecord this song if only for the lines:
"I've got me this long legged girl to help me spend my
dough
Her heart as big as your mama's stove and her body like Brigitte
Bardot."
I asked Marc Ribot to play as if he was hearing lots of different music while walking past a row of nightclubs. Pete, Jerry and especially Larry really get going on this one.
When I first heard some of these songs there were only about three hours of "beat music" on the B.B.C. Light Programme per week. "Rock'N'Roll" was actually old people's music to anyone under thirteen --particularly as Elvis Presley was doing mock-operatic stuff like "It's Now Or Never." "Rhythm and Blues" was an exotic style that my favouite pop groups said they liked. For example the songs that The Beatles didin't write turned out to be by Arthur Alexander and Smokey Robinson.
Even if the original American version of a tune was issued it took up to six weeks to appear by which time a local facsimile by a familiar face was often already established. In some cases those "covers" were actually better. I love Smokey and the Miracles but I honestly prefer The Beatles take on "You Really Got A Hold On Me."
There were at least two other versions of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Please Stay" but I learned it from a record by Zoot Money and the Big Roll Band. Now we present a version starring Larry Knechtel on Hammond Organ.
To complete the story, "Running out of fools" was one of the last Columbia sides cut by Aretha Franklin before she moved to Atlantic Records. It was the first song that we recorded for this album. The last song recorded was Ray Davies' "Days." It is the only track on which I join Marc Ribot on electric guitar. I plugged into my rather dilapidated old Music man stage amplifier and found that I could only get some strange feedback effects out of it. this happened to sound exactly like the tree-frogs that could be heard after dark and were almost as loud...
This album was recorded by Kevin Killen at Blue Wave Studios, Barbados in two weeks. The vocal backgrounds were added at Eden Studios, London. The tracks were mixed at Blue Wave and Eden Studios.
If you enjoy these recordings and do not already know the original versions then I Wish you a lot of pleasure in seeking them out. I look forward to recording "Volume Two" sometime in the next millenium.
Elvis Costello, February 14, 1995
Strange How many wrinkles in a pickle How many hairs in a head How many waves in the ocean How many crumbs in bed But last but not least, but baby most of all Why do I mmmumble everytime you call Chorus Because you're strange to me baby Oh, you're good to me mama Well, I admit you are strange But baby please don't change I know I belong with you How many bubbles in soap How many chewings in gum How many rolls in a wheel Where did eyeballs come from But last but not least But baby most of all Why do I mmmumble everytime you call (Chorus) How many blanks in a blanket How many cuts in a knife How strong is a bedbug And how deep is his bite But last but not least But baby most of all Why do I mmmumble everytime you call (Chorus) Stange you got a big double head and one bloodshot eye Strange you got five double chins...??? Strange your knees look like the knees on a billy goat Strange you got two left legs ...??? Strange there's something wrong with you I don't know what it is Strange I'm gonna leave you alone, gonna leave you like this
Hidden Charms Her lips are sweet Her legs are big Her looks can make you Dance the jig Her touch is so soft Her heart is so warm What knocks me out Is your hidden charms Her voice is so soft Her love is so true I think about her That's all I do She's weak and wanton In my arms What moves me darling Is your hidden charms When I hold you In my arms Brings out all of your Hidden Charms Her kiss is so pure As the morning dew A real gone love Is exciting too Her eyes that talk They say "c'mon" What kills me baby Is your hidden charms When I hold you In my arms Brings out all of your Hidden Charms
Remove This Doubt It's hurting me It's hurting me This doubt is hurting me So remove this doubt From my heart little girl And let me live my life Knowing you care Remove this doubt From my mind little girl And let me breathe again Feeling my love is shared Each time we meet You make me feel so incomplete There's no joy in the air I just don't think you care Close the door On doubt forever And may it nevermore Make me unsure Turn the key And lock away this doubt in me Keep it in the dark Not in my heart Be more tender Completely surrender Your love to me Is sweet and not discrete Remove this doubt From my heart little girl And let me live my life Knowing you care Remove this doubt From my mind little girl And let me breathe again Knowing my love is shared Each time we meet You make me feel so incomplete There's no joy in the air I just don't think you care Remove this doubt from my heart (6X)
I Threw it All Away I once held her In my arms She said she would always stay But I was cruel And I treated her like a fool I threw it all away Once I had mountains In the palm of my hand And rivers to drink through everyday But I must have been mad I never knew what I had Until I threw it all away Love is all there is That makes the world go round Love as only love Can't be denied Not matter what you think about it Just won't be able to do without it Take a tip from one who's tried So when you find someone Who gives you all of her love Take it to your heart don't Let is stray Cause one thing for certain You will surely be hurting If you throw it all away If you throw it all away
Leave my Kitten Alone You better leave my kitten all alone You better leave my kitten all alone Well I tell you big bad bulldog Well, you better leave her alone Don't you know My kitten isn't dead Don't you know My kitten isn't dead So get your hands off of her Cause I'm her lovin' man Well mister dog I'm gonna hit you On the top of your head That girl's gonna miss you And you're gonna wish that you were dead You better leave my kitten all alone I love my little kitten Well, like you hounddogs love your bone Well mister dog I'm gonna hit you On the top of your head That girl's gonna miss you And you're gonna wish that you were dead You better leave my kitten all alone I tell you big bad bulldog Well, you better leave her I tell you big bad bulldog Well, you better leave her I tell you big bad bulldog Well, you better leave her alone You better leave You better leave You better leave My kitten all alone
Everybody's Crying Mercy I can't believe the things I've seen I wonder bout some things I've heard Everybody's crying mercy When they don't know the meaning of the word A bad enough situation Is sure enough getting worse Everybody's crying justice Just as long as there's business first Toe to toe Touch and go Give a cheer Get your souvenier People running round in circles Don't know what they're headed for Everybody's crying peace on Earth Just as soon as we win this war Straight ahead Knock em dead Pack your kid Choose your hypocrite Well you don't have to go to off broadway To see something played absurd Everybody's crying mercy When they don't know the meaning of the word Nobody knows the meaning of the word When they don't know the meaning of the word Nobody knows the meaning of the word Nobody knows the meaning of the word
I've Been Wrong Before The night we met The night that I won't forget You've seen what I've been waiting for But baby, I've been wrong before You held me tight And everything seemed just right I couldn't ask for more But baby, I've been wrong before She used to smile at me And hold my hand like you do Then she left me And broke my heart in two See her face And feel your warm embrace You're all that I adore But baby, I've been wrong before Oh baby, I've been wrong before
Bama Lama Bama Loo Bama Lama Bama Loo Gotta girl named Lucinda They call her the great pretender Gotta girl named Lucinda They call her the great pretender And when she talks She says a Bama Lama Loo Chorus Bama Lama Bama Loo Bama Lama Bama Loo Bama Lama Bama Loo Bama Lama Bama Loo Well I dig her style She's bout to drive me wild With Bama Lama Bama Loo Well I asked my little baby for a kiss She shook her head around like this Well I asked my little girl for a kiss She shook her head around like this She said .... (Chorus)
Must You Throw Dirt In My Face What is it that brings you to this part of town Curiosity, conscience or fate I know it's not love Cause I once gave you love And all you showed me was the gate I got a feeling you've come back To just rub it in And to really put me in my place You've already but big old tears in my eyes Must you throw dirt in my face Must you keep telling me that you've got a new love I don't need you to remind me Must you keep telling me how I look so lonely And my better days are behind me Must you keep showing me pictures of him Boasting of his warm embrace You've already put big old tears in my eyes Must you throw dirt in my face You've already left me And broken my heart Told me how much you don't want me Believe me I'm happier when we're apart Why must you come back now to haunt me Must you keep showing me pictures of him Boasting of his warm embrace You've already put big old tears in my eyes Must you throw dirt in my face You've already put big old tears in my eyes Must you throw dirt in my face Must you throw dirt in my face
Pouring Water On A Drowning Man You push me when I'm falling And then you put me down I guess I missed my calling I should have been a clown How much more How much more can I stand You're pouring water On a drowning man You put me on the right track And then you put me down You stab me in the back Everytime I turn around Criticize my lovin' When I'm doing the very best I can You're pouring water On a drowning man You're pouring water On a drowning man You treat me like The fool that I am You bet that I like everything you do Put salt in my wounds It's sad but it's true You warm me with your kisses Then you leave me in the cold How can I know your wishes When I've never been told Won't you please forgive me Just try and understand You're pouring water On a drowning man You're pouring water On a drowning man You treat me like The fool that I am You bet that I like everything you do Put salt in my wounds It's sad but it's true You warm me with your kisses Then you leave me in the cold How can I know your wishes When I've never been told Won't you please forgive me Just try and understand You're pouring water On a poor drowning man I got tears in my eyes Oh, I'm a drowning man I got tears in my eyes You're pouring water On a drowing man You're pouring water On a poor drowning man
The Very Thought of You The very thought of you And I forget to do The little ordinary things That everyone ought to do I'm living in a kind of daydream I'm happy as a king And foolish though it may seem to me That's everything The mere idea of you The longing year for you You'll never know how slow the moments go Till I'm near to you I see your face in every flower Your eye in stars above It's just the thought of you The very thought of you My love The mere idea of you The longing year for you You'll never know how slow the moments go Till I'm near to you I see your face in every flower Your eye in stars above It's just the thought of you The very thought of you My love
Payday Let's go out on the town tonight My pockets are heavy with loot And get drunk and blasted (And loud in your dress of blue) I've been living from hand to mouth It must be three or four weeks And I can tell you one thing Jack You listen when your stomach speaks I feel good just like I knew that I would And all on account of that wine that I bought today I'm smiling so sweet At every little girl that I meet Some fools will try to tell you it's a sin to feel this way It feels so funny having all of this money I think I feel like dancing the night away I think I feel like dancing the night away I got me this long legged girl To help me to spend my dough Her heart as big as your mama's stove And her body like Brigitte Bardot I'm all ready for some Rock and Roll With the guitar turned up loud And the fancy footwork And the (drunk) down, druged up crowd I feel good just like I knew that I would All on account of that wine that I bought today I'm smiling so sweet At every little girl that I meet Some fools will try to tell you it's a sin to feel this way It feels so funny having all of this money I think I feel like dancing the night away I think I feel like dancing the night away
Please Stay If I got on my knees and I pleaded with you Not to go but to stay in my arms Would you walk out the door Like you did once before This time be different Please stay don't go If I call out your name like a prayer Would you leave me alone with my tears Knowing I need you so Would you still turn and go This time be different in some way Don't go please stay You took me away from the rest of the world When you taught me to love you like this Now I hang my head when I think how you lied But I still can be saved by your kiss I loved you before I even knew your name I wanted to give you my heart But when you came back after leaving me one time Oh I knew, yes I knew that the heartaches would start If I told you my life was a song That was written for you, you alone Would you hurt all my pride Oh, till I cry this time be different Please stay Oh, this time be different in some way Don't go please stay
Running Out of Fools Sure you haven't got the wrong number Sure it's me you want to talk to tonight Everyone in town's got your number Everyone in town's got you pegged just right Is that why you got in touch with me I guess you must be running out of fools Even when you left me there crying Your goodbye was even colder than ice You didn't care that you left me there crying Now you wanna break my heart twice Is that why you got in touch with me I guess you must be running out of fools I guess you got back to my name in your little black book Hey guess what I bet you forgot how I even look So go ahead with all your sweet talking Go ahead for all the good it will do Have yourself a dime's worth of talking Then I'm gonna hang right up on you Cause this time you're not getting through to me I guess you must be running out of fools Even fools like me Even fools like me I guess you're running out of fools Even fools like me
Days Thank you for the days Those endless days those sacred days you gave me I'm thinking of the days I won't forget a single day believe me I bless the light I bless the light that shines on you believe me And though you're gone You're with me every single day believe me Days I remember all my life Days where you can't see wrong from right You took my life And then I knew that very soon you'd leave me But it's alright Now I'm not frightened of this world believe me I wish today could be tomorrow The night is dark It just brings sorrow let it wait Thank you for the days Those endless days those sacred days you gave me I'm thinking of the days I won't forget a single day believe me I bless the light I bless the light that shines on you believe me And though you're gone You're with me every single day believe me Days I remember all my life Days where you can't see wrong from right You took my life And then I knew that very soon you'd leave me But it's alright Now I'm not frightened of this world believe me...days Thank you for the days Those endless days those sacred days you gave me I'm thinking of the days I won't forget a single day believe me I bless the light I bless the light that shines on you believe me And though you're gone You're with me every single day believe me...days
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