Mod of the Day

Marshall Crenshaw | Someday, Someway

“Punk and New Wave was only one way of taking rock back to basics. Marshall Crenshaw took an altogether different approach, stripping back to three-chord songs about girls, delivered by a tight three piece and earning comparisons to Buddy Holly,” (Aphoristic Album Reviews). The Detroit native’s eponymous 1982 debut album “features his brother Robert on drums, while Crenshaw handles all the guitar parts. The simplified arrangements of these songs are invigorating; the songs are snappy and intelligent, and even though the production places the album in the early 1980s, these melodies could have easily come from an earlier era. Crenshaw’s persona is so likeable that he can get away with a song simply about cruising around checking out girls, and make it innocent and laudable rather than seedy and leering. In a just world, half of these songs would be radio staples, and that these accessible songs didn’t make Crenshaw a superstar is almost unfathomable.

The lack of success of this album is magnified by the strong triple punch at the beginning; ‘There She Goes Again’, the power-pop standard ‘Someday, Someway’ and the exuberant ‘Girls…’ … superlative examples of 1980s pop. Any fan of intelligent guitar pop will cherish songs like ‘Someday, Someway’ and ‘Mary Anne’, and play this refreshingly sincere album often.”

After a start in A major for the groove-driven, hook-free intro, two short verses and choruses follow. At 1:02, a bridge in D major follows, differentiated not only by its new key but also a shift into a simpler texture centered by the walking bass. At 1:11, we’re back to an interlude which mirrors the intro, another verse, and another chorus, all in the original key. 1:41 brings another D major bridge, followed by another pass through A major: an echo of the intro, then a final verse and an extended chorus/outro. The outro’s looping lyrics are so relentless it’s a wonder that Crenshaw didn’t keel right over.

The Brothers Johnson | All About the Heaven

“Light Up the Night was the album that Quincy Jones produced in late 1979 soon after helming Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall,” (BBC). “As a result, it is a sister sound, perfectly arranged by Jones and also partially written by UK songwriter Rod Temperton. It is a perfectly calculated piece of superior, smooth groove, with a zingy, upbeat message.

… So who were these Johnson brothers? Guitarist George and bassist Louis Johnson had been performing together since their teens with brother Tommy and cousin Alex Weir. After supporting various acts, they joined Billy Preston’s band and came to the attention of Quincy Jones when they played on his Mellow Madness album in 1975. From then on, Jones produced a run of their albums, including 1977’s Right On Time, which contained their sweetened, arguably superior version of Shuggie Otis’ ‘Strawberry Letter 23.’ Light Up the Night was a real UK soul radio favourite at the turn of the 80s, as it was another window into bright, shiny Californian sunshine amid the grimness of the early part of that decade.”

After a brief intro in Bb major, “All About the Heaven” shifts into its first G major verse at 0:21. At 1:00, the chorus enters with a return to Bb major. The pattern continues from there. The soft-spoken ballad is a perfect contrast to the album’s hit track, the uptempo dance track “Stomp.”

Jason Robert Brown | Sanctuary

“Coming From Inside the House (A Virtual SubCulture Concert), Jason Robert Brown’s first-ever album to be released on vinyl, was originally recorded for a one-night video streaming event on April 27, 2020. The concert was originally presented as a benefit for the SubCulture staff and musicians from the Jason Robert Brown Artist-in-Residence concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic,” (Concord.com). The musical theatre composer’s lyrics show the absolute depths of the worldwide crisis, at that time still in its opening stages.

From Brown’s website: “… And so began a feverish two weeks of singing, playing, recording, mixing, and editing, all of us learning how to turn our apartments into television studios and soundstages, moving lamps, hiding laundry, shooing the dogs out of the shot, getting our kids to hold the iPhone while we played, sweating through takes because the air conditioning was too loud, getting yelled at by neighbors for playing the drums all afternoon, frantically re-recording when we had to change one song’s key after everyone had already finished, apologizing to our wives and husbands and children for being lost in GarageBand and ProTools and Final Cut sessions, culminating in the broadcast on April 27th.”

“Sanctuary” features a first section that flips between E minor and its relative major, G — tied together by a constant, insistent G ostinato throughout all sections other than the choruses. 3:21 brings a feverish bridge in G. A new chorus, introduced at first by an a cappella choral section, this time in Bb major, enters at 4:04.

James Taylor | Sweet Potato Pie

“Since his debut album in 1968, James Taylor has created a casserole of countless combinations packed with tasteful hints and familiar flavors; sounds that are a satisfying, addictive, delicious, traditional, memory-inducing musical meal, inducing an emotional warmth and pleasing, happy tingle,” (Backstage Ravinia). “Taylor standards such as the tender, nostalgic lullaby ‘Sweet Baby James’; the loving, adoring ‘Something In The Way She Moves’; the wistful, promising ‘Shower the People’; the dreamy, longing ‘Carolina In My Mind’; the joyful, grinning ‘Your Smiling Face’; and so many other favorites enforce this metaphor.

… Yet, while his musical lineage maybe be founded on solid pop hooks and structures, his legacy is deceptively diverse. Taylor’s muse often expands and expounds into myriad influences of folk, blues, gospel, soul, Motown, and country. Taylor’s quiet, introspective songs seductively speak of pain, ease the heartbreak, and sprinkle spices of surprise into the mundane … His selfless sharing of all his struggles and triumphs through music and actions struck cohesive chords with individual listeners and made universal connections with a mass audience.”

Alongside the hits are Taylor’s album tracks; for many artists, these often constitute filler, but not for JT. “Sweet Potato Pie” is one of the lighter-weight tunes on Taylor’s 1988 Never Die Young, one of his three platinum-selling 1980s album releases. But this earworm of a song is driven by the infectious shuffle groove and sunny mood that pervade the entire track. Beginning in F major, the key climbs to F# major at 1:55 and G major at 2:02 during the interlude.

Sly + The Family Stone | Everybody Is a Star

“Sly + the Family Stone brought funk to the party during what many consider the most fertile period in music history: 1969-1971,” (Songfacts). “This was an eclectic time when hard rock, bubblegum pop, Motown soul, and singer-songwriter tunes were all on the charts, and it was also the heyday for Sly + the Family Stone. They landed three US #1 hits during this time: ‘Everyday People,’ ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),’ and ‘Family Affair.’ All three also topped the R&B chart.

With two white members (drummer Gregg Errico and sax player Jerry Martini) and a female trumpet player (Cynthia Robinson), the group broke from convention defied expectations. Robinson was particularly influential, encouraging girls to play the trumpet at a time when it was a very male-dominated instrument.

‘Everybody is a Star’ (1970) was released as a double-A-side single with ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).’ The single went to #1 in the US, so under Billboard methodology at the time, the chart position is attributed to both songs combined. Like many Sly & the Family Stone songs of this era – ‘Everyday People’ and ‘Stand!’ among them – ‘Everybody Is A Star’ has a message of togetherness and self-worth. These songs were set against joyful melodies that kept them from sounding preachy. They went over very well at live shows where a sense of community formed.”

The intro and verse is in Bb major; the chorus, featuring various wordless vocal solos and groups, (heard for the first time from 0:54 – 1:15), is in C major. Clocking in at just over three minutes, the tune features the second chorus as an extended fading outro as well.

The Communards | Don’t Leave Me This Way (feat. Sarah Jane Morris)

“Bronski Beat was originally Jimmy Somerville, Steve Bronski, and Larry Steinbachek, three flatmates who wanted to inject more political slants into the gay music scene at the time,” (The Bottom Five). “They achieved that right out of the gate; their heartbreaking debut 1984 single ‘Smalltown Boy’ went platinum in the UK, peaking at #3 there, and #1 on the US Dance chart. Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985 and formed The Communards with multi-instrumentalist Richard Coles … The Communards’ 1986 debut LP is a mix of hi-NRG dance tunes and piano-based ballads, and it’s interesting to look at Spotify and see that the dancey songs are more popular by about an order of magnitude.

‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ was originally a Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song, but Thelma Houston’s #1 cover from 1978 is the inspiration here. While not getting great critical reviews, the Communards’ version hit #1 on the US Dance charts and was the top-selling UK single for 1986. Somerville shares vocals with Sarah Jane Morris, a jazz/standards singer … The Communards disbanded in 1988. Richard Coles became an Anglican minister. Jimmy Somerville went solo; he stayed a presence in Euro/club scenes, and had a solo #1 US Dance single in 1995 with ‘Heartbeat.’”

Like Melvin’s and Houston’s versions, the Communards’ cover shifts from a minor verse to a parallel major chorus (Bb in this case for both), then back to the original key (first heard between 1:01 – 1:30). But this cover version takes the vocal glissando between the verse and chorus, prominently featured in Houston’s version, and supercharges it with both more range and longer duration (3:29 – 3:33), landing us in an energized C major for the balance of the tune.

Many thanks to regular contributor Rob P. for this submission!

Spiers + Boden | Bluey Brink

“Spiers + Boden have been at the forefront of the English traditional folk scene for 25 years both as a ground breaking duo and as founder members of folk phenomenon Bellowhead,” (Bristol Beacon). “After a seven-year hiatus to concentrate on their Universal Records-signed big band Bellowhead, Spiers + Boden returned in 2021 with the critically acclaimed album Fallow Ground and have been taking their brand of high octane, no nonsense acoustic folk song and music to packed UK venues ever since.

Spiers + Boden first rocketed onto the music scene in 2001, quickly winning a clutch of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and went on to become one of the best loved duos on the English folk scene and beyond.”

Starting in D major, “Bluey Brink” (2024) transitions to E minor at 0:25 before the first verse starts. 2:26 – 2:36 brings an interlude in G minor, where a return to E minor drops. 4:10 brings a return to D major, with the outro mostly mirroring the intro.

The Beatles | While My Guitar Gently Weeps

“In spring 1968, George Harrison found himself eager to play the guitar,” (Financial Times). “This may not sound like a particularly illuminating observation about the lead guitarist of the world’s biggest rock group, but the recording sessions for what became known as The Beatles’ White Album marked the first time in a while that he had approached his instrument with anything more than grudging professional obligation. For the past three years he had been fixated on mastering the sitar, but now he was finding joy in his six-string again … (it) was one of The Beatles’ best compositions — a perfectly balanced mixture of elegiac vocals and electrified solos; of West Coast dream-rock and eastern philosophy.

Prior to writing the track, Harrison had immersed himself in the teachings of the I-Ching, which posits that there is meaning inherent in ostensibly random events. Putting this idea into practice, he contrived to write a song based around two words plucked arbitrarily from a nearby book: ‘gently weeps.’ But perhaps there was nothing incidental about the choice of this emotive phrase; Harrison was, after all, in a fragile state, alienated from his own band … Things had become so fraught that Harrison asked his close friend Eric Clapton to help out. Not only would his presence cajole the other three into pulling their weight, but he was, handily, one of the best guitarists in the business; his uncredited playing on ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ became one of the greatest moments of individual virtuosity on any Beatles track.”

The tune was later covered by a broad array of artists: Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Prince (at Harrison’s posthumous 1988 induction into the Rock + Roll Hall of Fame); Peter Frampton; Jeff Healey; Carlos Santana, India Arie, and Yo-Yo Ma; and Regina Spektor. “For most, the song is unmistakably Harrison’s personal triumph; ‘Only a guitar player could write that,’ Mick Jagger noted.” There is probably not much need to time slate this tune; the verses (in A minor) and choruses (in A major) are about as clearly delineated as any tune we’ve featured!

Shelby Lynne | Bend

“Following her somewhat belated Best New Artist Grammy award (six albums and 13 years into her musical career), Shelby Lynne’s follow-up to the truly heartbreaking and spectacular I Am Shelby Lynne finds her reaching out to a more rock-oriented audience with mixed results,” (AllMusic). “After some last minute retooling from the record label, Love, Shelby proves Lynne can still write a hook, but much of what makes or breaks the finished results ultimately falls in the hands of her producer.

… In all honesty, this would actually be a more successful album if her previous work hadn’t been so strong. It seems as though the singer had such artistic success with her ‘rock-tinged’ record that she thought it would be a good idea to push the envelope further into an almost strictly rock environment … The few songs that embrace her rough, soulful edge are pretty terrific, and (hopefully) smarter choices in the future will bring about another strong album along the same lines as I Am…“

“Bend,” a non-single album track from Love, Shelby (2001), is built around a polished shuffle feel. This mid-tempo track provides an attractive showcase for Lynne, who covers both lead and backup vocal duties. Starting in C major, the chorus (first heard from 0:42 – 1:04) shift into Eb major.

Many thanks to Ari S. for yet another wonderful contribution!

Judy Collins | The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Judy Collins “has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism,” (JudyCollins.com). “In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.”

Collins is likely best known for her distinctive cover versions of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” and for inspiring artists including Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen (who highlighted her legacy with the 2008 album Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins). But her versatile musicality and flawless soprano have also supported memorable performances of scores of lesser-known songs.

One example of such a song is Jimmy Webb’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.” The legendary “Wichita Lineman” is likely the songwriter’s most prominent creation, but “Moon” features the same level of songcraft. Webb recalls ” … (it) became a standard without ever becoming a hit and was symbiotic of that decade of my life, my struggle, my failure, my angst, my pride and even scorn,” (Songfacts) ” … recorded by Judy Collins, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, Shawn Colvin, Pat Metheny, Glen Campbell. A list of people who got it.” Starting in Bb major, the 1975 track transitions upward to Db major via a tiny yet assiduous instrumental bridge (1:41 – 1:45). Once in the new key, the gorgeous melody and haunting lyrics are at center stage.