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Preface: This week we'll listen to a bunch of groovy, self-aware songs that talk about the magic of music itself.
Monday (6/09/08): Frijid Pink - Music For The People [released as a single, 1971]
Comments: Foremost fuzz rock band of the early '70s Frijid Pink released this song first as a single; later it was appended to their self-titled debut album as a bonus track. It's a nice ode to music, and the value of performing for people. "Music for the people that come from far and wide. Music for the people - the people in my life."
Tuesday (6/10/08): The Electric Flag - Sweet Soul Music [The Band Kept Playing, 1974]
Comments: From The Electric Flag's reunion album, here's a song that celebrates the feel good vibrations of hearing a good song on the radio. It also remarks on the comforts of old music, not unlike Bob Seger's Old Time Rock And Roll - another song that would have fit well into this week's theme. "I don't wanna hear anything new, just some rhythm and blues."
Wednesday (6/11/08): The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression [Are You Experienced?, 1967]
Comments: My appreciation for this song increased ever since I heard Jimi Hendrix introduce it as a song about a guy who wants to make love to music. I think that's a beautiful image. For many of us, music punctuates certain experiences and periods in our lives, oftentimes consoling us when we feel down, and energizing us when we feel good. It's a kind of relationship, don't you think? "Music, sweet music - wish I could caress, and kiss."
Thursday (6/12/08): Ten Years After - Rock & Roll Music To The World [Rock & Roll Music To The World, 1972]
Comments: Alvin Lee leads the band through a nice, old-style rocker that celebrates the merits of rock and roll music and playing it for the world. "Ain't no relation to the United Nations" - but imagine the healing power of music over a worldwide scale, instead of all of this war-mongering and ego trips. Wouldn't that be nice? "I tell the truth. I ain't no star. I only shout and leave the rest to my guitar."
Friday (6/13/08): AC/DC - Let There Be Rock [Let There Be Rock, 1977]
Comments: This is a great, hard rocker that also celebrates rock music, with a tip of the hat to the true king of rock & roll - Chuck Berry. The first time I heard this song was when my favorite local rock station was allegedly debuting a new programming scheme. We were all nervous, but this song put us at ease, and it turned out to be more of the same good old rock programming - until we later realized that it was all a ploy to distract us while they sold the station out to a no-good variety bot. But that's another story. "Let there be light, sound, drums, guitar. Let there be rock!"
Saturday (6/14/08): The Who - Pure And Easy [Who's Next, 1971 (outtake)]
Comments: Pete Townshend's Lifehouse project was an overambitious musical exploration of the transformative power of music itself, pieces of which formed the backbone of The Who's classic album, Who's Next. This track - originally left off of Who's Next and revisited later, I believe - does a good job, in my opinion, of summing up what the Lifehouse project was all about: "the simple secret of the note in us all."
Sunday (6/15/08): Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Money Becomes King [The Last DJ, 2002]
Comments: We'll end the week on a bit of a depressing note, with Tom Petty's scathing and unfortunately accurate portrayal of how business has killed the passion of music, from his similarly themed and brilliant concept album, The Last DJ. "Johnny rocked that golden circle and all those VIPs, and that music that had freed us became a tired routine."