Mod of the Day

James Taylor | Letter in the Mail

An excerpt from TheGreatAlbums‘ review of 1988’s album Never Die Young: “Taylor’s final outing of the ‘80s doesn’t contain any surprises, although the absence of any cover song is a bit of a shock since most of his post-‘Fire and Rain’ hits had been covers and Taylor had seldom released an album without one. Never Die Young is almost equal parts comprised of Taylor’s trademark ballads and easygoing grooves tailor-made for adult-contemporary radio.”

So much for the singles. But “Letter in the Mail” is a gorgeous track buried in the middle of Never Die Young. Taylor’s tunesmithing was so refined by this point that the tune casually modulates between the intro and the first verse. But the subject matter couldn’t have been more serious: rock-ribbed rural America, hollowed out and depopulated, still proudly carrying on as best as possible even after the industrial or agricultural engine(s) of the community have long since departed.

When people used to talk about the country
That’s what they used to mean …

The intro starts in F major, followed by a verse in F# major. At 1:11, the pre-chorus shifts to A major; at 1:39, the chorus shifts back to F# major. At 2:14, another verse appears, this time in G major. 3:09’s pre-chorus is in Bb major. At 3:37, another chorus is back to G major — which is the key that finishes out the tune.

Lamont Dozier | Reach Out, I’ll Be There (feat. Jo Harman)

Lamont Dozier, who died earlier this month at the age of 81, “played his part in many of the songs that built the Motown legend and which now seem as impervious to the ravages of time as those of Rodgers and Hart or Lennon and McCartney,” (The Guardian). As Dozier worked with the songwriting team of brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, the “Holland-Dozier-Holland” catalog grew to include classics such as “‘Heat Wave’ and ‘Nowhere to Run’ (with Martha and the Vandellas), ‘Can I Get a Witness’ (Marvin Gaye), ‘Baby I Need Your Loving,’ ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ and ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ (Four Tops), ‘This Old Heart of Mine’ (Isley Brothers), ‘Take Me in Your Arms’ (Kim Weston) and a record-breaking string of #1 hits in the US charts for the Supremes, starting with ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ in 1964 and including ‘Baby Love,’ ‘Stop! In the Name of Love,’ ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ and ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On.'”

The Guardian continues: “Long after their original radio and chart success had faded away, many of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s million-sellers turned out to have embedded themselves so deeply in the public consciousness that they enjoyed second lives, reimagined for new audiences in cover versions by non-Motown artists. Rod Stewart’s ‘This Old Heart of Mine,’ Kim Wilde’s ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and Phil Collins’ ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ were among the many reinterpretations that kept a smile on the faces of Holland-Dozier-Holland’s song publishers as the years went by … In later years he provided songs for Alison Moyet, Debbie Gibson, Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, wrote with Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall … Phil Collins, and Kelly Rowland. Dozier and the Hollands were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.”

Dozier released the album Reimagination in 2018, “a collection of twelve tracks previously written for other artists while at Motown, but Dozier performs them in a way that will make you forget the original,” (BlackGrooves.org). For a rendition of the Four Tops’ uptempo 1967 hit, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” Dozier and British vocalist Jo Harman have transformed the up-tempo classic into a gospel-tinged ballad. After a start in E major, 1:59 brings a shift to C# major. At 2:40, we revert to the original key for a piano solo before the arrangement beautifully unfolds into a full gospel texture. The cover is so earnest and so self-assured that yes, the distinctive original is indeed forgotten, at least for a time!

For reference, here’s the original:

Dirty Loops + Cory Wong | Thriller

Swedish pop/funk/fusion phenoms Dirty Loops could have just done the bare minimum with its 2021 cover of Michael Jackson’s global smash hit “Thriller” (1982) They could have re-animated the original’s 16th-driven groove with an effortless fast 12/8, replete with off-kilter kicks and the frisson of their trademark re-harmonizations. They could have limited their scope to their usual keys/bass/drums trio sound. All of these options would have sounded amazing and garnered hundreds of thousands of views nearly overnight — a feat the band has accomplished consistently.

But Dirty Loops, who first gained a following by posting innovative pop covers on Youtube in the mid-2010s, have evolved over the past few years. The band now has the support of Quincy Jones, the producer of the original “Thriller.” Jones describes Jonah Nilsson, the band’s lead vocalist and keyboardist: “‘He’s got the perfect balance of right brain creativity and left brain music theory. It’s in his blood. He’s got soul, with one of the biggest ranges I’ve ever heard,'” (OrcaSound).

Not content to build incrementally on past accomplishments, the band adds a horn section and guitarist Cory Wong (perhaps best known for his work with the American band Vulfpeck) to its already wide-ranging gallery of textures. Starting at 3:20, there’s a quick turn into uncharted territory, leaving the original key of C# minor behind. After a transition, 4:04 brings a horn section feature in F# minor; 4:20 features a surprising summation in D# major; finally, an outro at 4:49 doesn’t go very far towards resolving much of anything — just have a listen. (In case you missed the band’s jump from DIY darlings to musical juggernauts, the tune is followed by a full 2.5 minutes of credits.)

Sally Mayes | Until Now (from “Camille”)

“Camille” is a little-known musical, with music by Rob Abel and lyrics by Chuck Steffan, that premiered in 2004 at the York Theatre Company’s Summer Developmental Reading Series. We are featuring Sally Mayes, a Broadway actress and noted cabaret singer, singing “Until Now” from the show. Key changes at 0:47 and 1:40.

ALDA | Fen-Fire Polska

From the website of Finnish traditional acoustic trio Alda: “The story of ALDA started in January 2018 on a late night at a folk music festival somewhere outside Helsinki, Finland. We had all met and heard each other play before, but never really had the opportunity to play tunes together – until now. It turned into a five-hour wild mayhem of energy, grooves, improvisations, crazy harmonies, and lots and lots of tunes …

ALDA was born in the aftermath of that session. – ‘We have to do this again!’ we thought to ourselves. So, we started composing and working on new music for the combination of saxophone, violin, and piano. The music that we have created is, just as its musicians, deeply rooted in the rich musical traditions of Finland and Sweden, based on traditional types of tunes such as polskas, polkas, schottisches, and waltzes … The energy of that first session is ever-present in what we do. Even as a band we regularly get together for sessions to remind ourselves why we fell in love with playing together in the first place.”

After a start in Bb major, the 2021 tune “Fen-Fire Polska” morphs into G major at 2:59, then reverts to the original key at 3:51, never losing its strong 3/4 drive.

please click on the image to hear the tune!

Holly Cole Trio | I Can See Clearly Now

“I Can See Clearly Now” was written and recorded by American singer Johnny Nash in 1972, and was a number-one hit in the US, the UK, Canada, and South Africa. Contrasting with Nash’s original reggae groove, the Holly Cole Trio recorded a jazz-driven cover as the lead track for their 1993 album Don’t Smoke In Bed. The tune begins in Db and, almost as if the sun is breaking through the clouds, emerges into Gb major coming out of the bridge at 3:02.

Frédéric Chopin | Prelude in C Minor, Opus 28 #20 (“Funeral March”)

“Chopin’s preludes are compositions of an order entirely apart. They are not only, as the title might make one think, pieces destined to be played in the guise of introductions to other pieces; they are poetic preludes, analogous to those of a great contemporary poet, who cradles the soul in golden dreams, and elevates it to the regions of the ideal,” (ChopinMusic.net). In 1841, this high praise was the assessment of Chopin’s contemporary, fellow pianist/composer and close colleague Franz Liszt.

The Prelude in C Minor (Op. 28 #20), published in 1839, moves through many key areas, but begins and ends at the same point. The dense accidentals throughout tell the tale. ChopinMusic.net continues: “It is known that Chopin studied thoroughly the works of Bach before writing his preludes. He admired a lot the perfection of form and harmony in Bach’s music. In spite of this example, however, Chopin created something completely new. Originally the French word prélude means nothing more than ‘introduction,’ but in this form Chopin let the 24 preludes develop into independent pieces of music.”

The Ramones | Bonzo Goes to Bitburg

“In 1986, the Reagan Administration entered into its second year of the second term in office,” (Consequence). “The Iran-Contra affair hadn’t fully been exposed at the time, and a group of leather jacketed punks from Queens, NY called The Ramones were entering their twelfth year together.” About a year before the release of The Ramones’ album Animal Boy in 1986, “President Reagan had made plans to observe the 40th anniversary of V-E Day. As a result of preplanned events, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl took the opportunity to show the strength between the U.S. and Germany and mend the differences between the nations that existed forty years prior. After all was said and done, President Reagan’s trip to Bitburg on May 5th, 1985 immediately caused outrage within the United States.” Much upset resulted — please look up the details. But the Jewish Virtual Library called it “one of the most acrimonious confrontations between any U.S. administration and the American Jewish Community.”

Consequence continues: “Joey Ramone (himself Jewish and sickened by Reagan’s visit), Dee Dee Ramone, and Plasmatics’ keyboardist/bassist Jean Beauvoir wrote the song in protest as well as a document of American history. “Bonzo” refers to the chimpanzee in the two movies that Reagan starred in during his acting career in the 1950’s, Bedtime For Bonzo (1951) and Bonzo Goes To College (1952).

At 2:39, the tune — an uncharacteristically polished and lengthy release for the band — shifts up a full step.

Gladys Knight | I Hope You Dance

“I Hope You Dance,” written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers, was originally recorded by American country singer Lee Ann Womack as the title track for her 2000 studio album. The song, which won the Grammy award (and many others) for Best Country song, became Womack’s signature hit and has sold over 2 million copies in the US.

American singer/songwriter Gladys Knight covered the tune for her 2013 album Another Journey. After beginning in G, Knight modulates up a whole step to A at 3:08.

Connie Stevens | Hey, Good Lookin’

In the early 1960s, Connie Stevens was a superstar, playing
photographer and nightclub singer Cricket Blake on the TV series
“Hawaiian Eye” and scoring on the pop charts with songs like “Sixteen
Reasons.” Later on, she worked as an actual nightclub singer in Las
Vegas, and continued to work in TV and film well into the 2000s. In
the early 1970s, she recorded some sides with famed producer Thom
Bell, making the first version of “Betcha By Golly Wow” (released
under the more sensible title “Keep Growing Strong”), and covering the
Delfonics hit “La La Means I Love You” (which Bell had co-produced).

The country classic “Hey, Good Lookin'”, was the lead track on her 1962 Warner Bros. album, The Hank Williams Songbook. The big band arrangement chugs along merrily in G major until a cute, unexpected, just under-the-wire modulation to Ab major at 1:44 during the end tag/turnaround.