Golden Nuggets #2: The Rolling Stones- Honky Tonk Women

In this edition of Golden Nuggets, a feature in which I spot light and critique the number one song the Billboard chart from fifty years ago, I will be taking a look at the Rolling Stones' deep dive into some low down southern rock on 'Honky Tonk Women'.

In the first episode, I covered Zager & Evans' one hit 'In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)', which led me into a lot of research to figure out who the band were, listen to the song for the first time,etc. That was not the case for our sophomore episode. Everybody knows the Rolling Stones, and 'Honky Tonk Women' is a pretty big song of theirs, at least in the parts I've called home (when they played the song in Heinz Stadium when I saw them, people were jumping and freaking out so much I could feel the concrete stadium risers physically shaking. A little scary to be honest. Good song though). Before venturing any further, if you somehow haven't heard this jam, let's get acquainted really quickly. So, what do I say about this song that hasn't been said before? Not much, but I can retread old ground.

For starters, this is the first song released by the band after the death of former guitarist and founder Brian Jones (it was released literally the day after he died, July 4th, 1969). Now, in days of digital releases, you'd probably push the release date back a bit, but the wheels were already turning too fast to stop the vinyl machine. Second, there's an alternate version that can be found on the album that followed the release of this single, Let it Bleed, aka one of the best Stones records they've ever released (I'm more of a Sticky Fingers #1 person so I won't go so far as to say it's their best, but it's up there), under the name 'Country Honk'. Allegedly, this much more country tinged version of the song was the version that was originally being worked on, and it sort of mutated into the cowbell laden, loose southern fried jam it became. Keith Richards attributed it to the arrival of Mick Taylor, though Taylor swears the song was pretty much already complete before he joined.

So, the song itself is a pretty loose, vaguely southern little ditty about a woman the narrator meets in a bar in Memphis (Jackson in 'Country Honk') who, most likely a prostitute, tries to get him upstairs for sex. The narrator seems to acquiesce to the demand, saying something along the lines of "maybe this will get this other woman out of my mind since the alcohol isn't working". I have already admitted to personally being a witness to people (especially women) freaking out when this song was played, 'Brown Eyed Girl' style, which when you pay attention to the lyrics is a little bizarre, but hey,the song bumps, whatever.

This song spent four weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard charts starting on August 23, 1969, and for additional week at number one in their native UK. However, the track has had a lot more lasting popularity than that, becoming a concert favorite and still making it into regular rotation in their setlists and various compilations. I enjoy the vibe of the song, and really enjoy the horn section near the middle of the track. The release of the song seems a little bit like the release of the 'Revolution' single by the Beatles a year earlier, with the more laid back version 'Revolution 1' landing on the album. Coincidence? Probably.

So, next time I'll be looking at 'Sugar, Sugar' by the Archies, which I've definitely heard, as well as seen the weird Archie comics animated video, but maybe with a little research, I can discover the band behind the cartoon.



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Golden Nuggets #1: Zager & Evans- In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)

In this inaugural edition of Golden Nuggets, a feature in which I spot light and critique the number one song the Billboard chart from fifty years ago, I will be taking a look at this glimpse into the future by the group Zager & Evans.

To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of this group or song before, and its presence on the Billboard chart at number one for six (!) weeks during the summer of 1969 was actually the whole reason I had the idea to start this new series. What was this song? Who are Zager & Evans? How was this song top of the charts for over a month and yet I've never heard anything about it? I intend to answer some of those questions here, as well as add my critique to the song. So first, let's take a listen to the song to acquaint ourselves.

So, in my research, I have been able to ascertain that Zager & Evans were a duo from Lincoln, Nebraska who hold the distinction of being a one hit wonder who managed to have their hit become #1 in both the US and the UK without ever having another chart success. They released a few albums in their run between 1969 and 1971.  So, onto their hit single. 'In the Year 2525' is a bit of warning about humanity's reliance on technology. As the verses pile up, time advances in 1010 year increments, describing the downfall of humanity leading to its eventual extinction. Some of the references are quite prophetic (test tube babies and the like), and it gave me some Harlan Ellison/ Aldous Huxley vibes, as well as the last portion of Wall-E (except played dead serious).

It's hard to put myself into the shoes of a pop listener during the 1960s, but with this and other apocalyptic ditties such as 'Eve of Destruction', it's conceivable that people thought the world could end during their lifetime, with mutually assured nuclear holocaust ever looming (It's good to know we don't have to worry about anything of that magnitude in 2019, right? Just kidding). It's interesting that while this tale about the evils of technology and its potential to rob humanity of thought, the body's utility and eventually its existence was dominating the chart for 6 weeks, the Moon landing was taking place, with steps advancing towards the song's narrative (also fun facts: Woodstock and the Manson murders also occurred while this was on the charts. This song was essentially the song of the summer during one of the most turbulent times in American history).

Overall, I thought the song was interesting. The music was a little drab, with some overblown strings and not a incredibly memorable melody, but I think it was more the message and the story that got people to listen. It was kind of that science fiction that started to blur the line between fiction and inevitability. With people addicted to pills, thought policed by mainstream media, glued to their screen (which I am looking at as I write and which you are looking at as you read), and using genomics to select for certain traits for their test tube babies, it's interesting to see what the duo got right (and those poor bastards, they thought it would take thousands of years. Try 50).

So, where are they now? Denny Zager owns a custom guitar company, and Rick Evans, after retreating from the public eye, unfortunately passed away last year. Sorry if my first post of Golden Nuggets came off like a One Hit Wonderland episode minus the production value, humor and thorough research (seriously you should give that a watch), but Zager & Evans are kind of a perfect group to cover for that show ( get on it, Todd). I don't think I'll have that problem for my next post, as I cover one of the most successful groups of all time, the Rolling Stones.

So, what did you think of 'In the Year 2525'? Had you ever heard of the song, or of Zager & Evans? What did you think of their vision of the future to come? Let's get a conversation going. Or, we can take a break from the screens and use our bodies while they still work. Your choice.

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Albums in My Life: 2013

In 2013, I was in grad school, and during the summer, I worked as a kitchen employee at Penn State. I drove my girlfriend into town for her job in the morning, but my job didn't start until lunch time, so I had a lot of free time to walk around town or listen to music. During school, I also lived alone; my girlfriend was finishing up her degree at my undergraduate college about a half hour away. I visited every weekend, but the days of solitude really got me used to myself, and I filled time with a lot of music and hobbies, along with studying of course.



Childish Gambino- Because the Internet
It's interesting to see how radically the critical consensus has changed on Childish Gambino. This and his earlier work were panned pretty much across the board, but as soon as Awaken, My Love! came out, people were clamoring to reevaluate his previous records and make it seem like they loved his records all along. I was there, no you didn't. However, I actually enjoyed this record, and I felt like it was a pretty smart critique of internet culture as well as containing good songs and is definitely Donald Glover's most ambitious musical project. The lyrics were a little corny, but what critics failed to see was that was kind of the point. Donald Glover is far too self aware to think that those punch lines were genuinely good bars. C'mon guys.



My Bloody Valentine- mbv
My Bloody Valentine went 22 years without dropping an album and didn't miss a beat. This record almost reaches the sublime highs of Loveless while not repeating it outright. It maintains that woozy, fuzzy and dreamy atmosphere, but is definitely still its own thing. I'm really looking forward to see what Kevin Shields and company do next. There's supposed to be an EP coming out sometime soon, but with My Bloody Valentine, I think release dates are more general guidelines. However, to go 22 years without an album and somehow have a project live up to that amount of hype is astonishing.


of Montreal- lousy with sylvianbriar
This album is one of my three favorite of Montreal records, the other two being Cherry Peel and Hissing Fauna, are You the Destroyer? I find it hard to pick a favorite since the records are so radically different, and shows how versatile an artist Kevin Barnes is. This record sounds almost nothing like anything they've ever done before or since, being influenced by a lot of old folk and psych rock records, and it puts Kevin Barnes' incredibly personal and cryptic lyrics into an almost Dylanesque perspective. I also think it's one of the bands most consistent albums, with no low points or skippable tracks to be had. Even my other two favorites have at least one track that overstays its welcome.



Earl Sweatshirt- Doris
Earl's debut album is quite a bridge between the two different halves of his career. This links the hyper violent early work with the more depressive later work in a way that maintains his trademark lyricism and dense rhyming abilities. I played the hell out of this album when it first came out, and I still listen to tracks like 'Hive' a decent amount. This also gave him an opportunity to really show who he was as an artist, whereas on his Earl mixtape or on an Odd Future project he always kind of seemed like Tyler's boy genius secret weapon. While I do long to see them collaborate in the future, especially since their sounds have diverged so far, it was good to see him step out from his mentor's shadow and embrace his own sound.


Tyler, the Creator- Wolf
Like Doris, this really was a transitional record that bridged the gap in Tyler, the Creator's radically different early and more recent albums. Wolf is a lot more tonal, jazzy and melodic than his previous work, relying on a lot more influences of neo soul and 90s R&B, while still retaining some of the story elements that appeared on those albums, minus the horrorcore framing (for the most part). There are still hype beast tracks and songs looking to offend like tracks off Goblin, but you can see how Tyler was trying to stray away from that sound and slowly transition to the more accessible and critically successful fare that appeared on Flower Boy and IGOR.



So, that was 2013 for me, as well as the conclusion to the Albums in My Life series. As I previously stated, if you were curious as to my favorite albums from subsequent years, check out my year end top 10 lists.

I also hinted at a new feature on this blog in previous posts and here it is: I'm calling it Golden Nuggets. In the feature, I will give a little bit of background and share my opinion on the #1 song on the Billboard chart from fifty years ago (hence golden) that week (or period of weeks). It'll be interesting to see what songs were popular fifty years ago, as well as chart the changing music tastes and discover some songs I hadn't even possibly heard of since they've been lost to time. I hope you enjoy it.


"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Albums in My Life: 2012

2012 was a pretty big transitional year for me. I graduated from college, started grad school, worked my final year of summer camp, met my girlfriend's family, finally got around to getting my driver's license; the list goes on.

Fiona Apple- The Idler Wheel.....
The Idler Wheel... was the first Fiona Apple album I bought when it dropped. I had heard Extraordinary Machine a few months previously, and by some random coincidence, her new album was just about to drop. It's been about 7 years now, so it's almost time for the next album. I bought the composition notebook edition of the CD and played the album constantly that summer. I still return to 'Every Single Night' and the crazy counterpoint on 'Hot Knife'.
What I like about a Fiona Apple album is that even though they come out very sporadically, they have enough density to stand on their own until the next album comes out.


Frank Ocean- Channel Orange
As popular as Channel Orange was, you've got to admit it's a weird album. It's kind a pastiche of ideas loosely assembled into a somehow cohesive product. It's held together by Frank's singing and a general theme of rich kids with nothing to do but get high and make mistakes. Some of the little soundbytes in between tracks remind me of channels changing (maybe by the title, that's the point). It took me a while to come around to Blonde, and I outright rejected Endless, based on the previous greatness Frank already reached on this record.



Odd Future- The OF Tape Volume 2
This was probably Odd Future at the peak of their popularity, and the album also ushered in the return of Earl Sweatshirt from his Somalian exile on the posse cut, 'Oldie'. I think this album was a pretty good introduction to all the sub groups and artists within the Odd Future collective, though some get a little more shine than others. It's been very interesting to see where everyone's career has gone since the release of this record.





Panopticon- Kentucky
This probably the best example I would go to when describing an album with polar opposite influences. With this album, Austin Lunn expertly mixed atmospheric black metal with American bluegrass and folk music for an intriguing sound and concept revolving around a Kentucky coal miners' union strike. It's kind of baffling how well this works, but I guess if other folk metals exist, why not Americana metal? I don't think Austin got the ratio quite right again until his latest monstrous opus, The Scars of Man Upon the Once Nameless Wilderness, which was my number one album of 2018.



Swans- The Seer
This was the first album I ever heard by Swans, and I definitely came in at a interesting place in their discography. I had recently starting Pitchfork regularly, and made a habit of giving 'difficult' records a shot. A noisey, dark, arty post rock double album sounded right down my alley, and it was. I had never really anything like the bands incremental progressions and explosive peaks. The closest I had ever come was Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but Swans was so much more explosive, dark and hypnotic. This album not only opened up the door to Swans for me, but to more bands in this vein.




So, that was my musical 2012. In the next and final edition of Albums in My Life, I'll take a look at the records that really influenced me in 2013. After 2013, I figured you could just check out my year end top 10s if you were interested in my favorite albums from those years, since this blog started in 2014. See you next time.



"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."