JB – Page 18

Eric Clapton | Layla

British guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, “with a band of stellar musicians that included the late Duane Allman, went into Florida’s Criteria Studios to record what would become one of the great classic albums of all time, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” (American Songwriter). “With its standout track ‘Layla,’ the album became a timeless record that helped determine the direction of 1970s rock guitar, performed by a band called Derek and the Dominos, as Clapton didn’t want to use his name for the marquee value.

‘Layla’ was a song Clapton wrote, with Dominos drummer Jim Gordon, about his forbidden love for the wife of his close friend George Harrison (she eventually became Clapton’s wife) … The album might have done big business had Clapton been up front about being the big name in the group, but instead, it stalled on the charts. When the edited version of ‘Layla’ was released to radio as a single in 1972, it did fairly well, but by this time Allman was dead and the band had broken up.” But in 1992, “propelled by ‘Layla’ and ‘Tears in Heaven,’ Unplugged became Clapton’s biggest selling-album, as well as one of the biggest-selling live albums in history, with a purported 26 million copies sold. ‘Layla’ won a Grammy, more than two decades after it was originally recorded, for Best Rock Song …”

After the iconic intro states the guitar-driven hook, a surprising downward half-step key change hits as verse 1 begins (0:24). We’re thrown off-kilter by a bar of 2/4 among the track’s overall 4/4 meter at 0:22, immediately preceding the modulation. The key reverts up a half-step for the first chorus, and the pattern continues from there. At 3:11, an instrumental section featuring piano drops a full step as it morphs into a more peaceful major key, taking up the second 50% of the track.

Eddie Holman | This Can’t Be True

“Eddie Holman (born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1946), is an American singer who performs in several genres such as R&B, soul, pop and gospel, and best known for the now-oldies music classic hit ballad ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’ in 1970,” (MentalItch.com). He began his music career as a child, “performing at prestigious venues such as the Apollo Theater and even Carnegie Hall. Holman graduated with a degree in music at Cheyney State University (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania) in Philadelphia. Part of the vibrant Philly soul scene, Holman eventually developed his signature vocal style.

In 1965, he released his first hit with ‘This Can’t Be True’ which peaked at #17 on the US R&B chart … ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’ (1969) was his biggest hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1970. (The release was) actually a remake of the Ruby and the Romantics’ 1963 hit ‘Hey There Lonely Boy.’”

After a first half that’s a funhouse mirror of compound chords, the tune modulates at 1:51. But throughout, the main course is certainly Holman’s stratospheric yet seemingly effortless falsetto, kicking in each time he sings the title line. Contributor JB adds that the track “sits right in the liminal area between 1950s Doo-Wop and 1960s Soul.”

Antonin Dvorak | Symphony #9 in E minor (“New World”), Op. 95

Former Baltimore Symphony conductor Marin Alsop wrote for NPR of ” … Dvorak’s melodic gifts, as well as his ability to spin a seemingly infinite number of variations on a tune. This, combined with Dvorak’s Bohemian heritage, results in music unlike any other composer’s. Symphony No. 9 is nicknamed New World because Dvorak wrote it during the time he spent in the U.S. in the 1890s. His experiences in America (including his discovery of African-American and Native-American melodies) and his longing for home color his music with mixed emotions. There’s both a yearning that simmers and an air of innocence.”

The piece is often considered to be one of the most popular of all symphonies. Astronaut Neil Armstrong took a recording of the New World Symphony along during the Apollo 11 mission, the first Moon landing, in 1969. (WRTI.org).

Among the more prominent of the piece’s many modulations is a shift from E minor to G# minor at 7:12.

The Supremes | Up the Ladder to the Roof

“‘Up the Ladder to the Roof’ was the first Supremes single without Diana Ross, who left the group to start a solo career,” (Songfacts). “Her replacement was Jean Terrell, who sang lead on this track. In this new-look Supremes, Mary Wilson, the only original member, split lead vocal duties with Terrell, the sister of heavyweight boxer Ernie Terrell. Though Jean Terrell’s vocals sounded similar to Tammi Terrell’s, they weren’t related.

After Ross’ January 1970 departure from the group, “The Supremes were no longer a priority at the label, but ‘Up the Ladder to the Roof’ proved they could land a hit without Ross … The Supremes had just one more Top 10 hit (‘Stoned Love‘ at #7) before disbanding in 1977. The Supremes performed (“Ladder”) on Ed Sullivan Show on February 15, 1970, the last of their 16 appearances on the show and only one without Ross; the group appeared on the show more than any other Motown artist.” Al Green covered the tune in 1984 after Bette Midler recorded it in 1977.

1:58 brings a whole-step modulation after the initial key fades somewhat during a percussion-centric break.

Nickel Creek | Stumptown

“Mandolinist-singer Chris Thile, guitarist-singer Sean Watkins, and fiddler-singer Sara Watkins recorded their self-titled debut for Sugar Hill in 2000,” (AcousticMusic.com). “The band had a lot going for it. Its members were young, spunky, and nice to look at on CMT; they were good musicians and singers, and brought a youthful edge to a music that seldom reached a youthful market. Indeed, the most surprising thing about Nickel Creek was that three, young with-it teenagers would choose to play anything resembling bluegrass, and that they, as Alison Krauss had some years earlier, were able to make acoustic music seem kind of cool.

The band’s third album, Why Should the Fire Die? (2005), (is) an intense, innovative album … Detractors will argue that Nickel Creek has strayed far from the traditional bluegrass path, but even the group’s first and most conservative effort wasn’t traditional. The problem with traditional-progressive conflicts is that they don’t tell you much about the quality of the music itself. Quite possibly, Nickel Creek doesn’t even qualify—at this point—as traditional, progressive, or any other kind of bluegrass. They are, however, an exciting band because they’ve brought new elements into acoustic music, giving it a potent injection of youthful vigor.”

After a starting in E major, a shift to G major is in effect from 1:02 – 1:18, where the band hiccups back into the original key.

George Benson | Give Me the Night

“‘Quincy Jones was looking for artists for his new label, Qwest Records,” jazz/pop vocalist and guitarist George Benson remembered in a Guardian interview). ‘I’d started to cross over from jazz and Quincy asked: Do you want to make the world’s greatest jazz record – or go for the throat? I laughed and said: Go for the throat! … He said: George, put yourself in my hands. I know more about you than you do yourself. I was insulted at first, but calmed down, and things started happening.’

George was under pressure to have a crossover hit. Nobody yelled at each other but there was tension, because he wouldn’t always do what Quincy told him to. (The sessions for 1980’s ‘Give Me the Night’ were) a clash of the titans at first. ‘I asked for the same musicians he’d used on (Michael Jackson’s) Off the Wall. The sound they made inspired me. Quincy also brought in Rod Temperton, formerly of the band Heatwave … Rod was always in the background except for when something went wrong. He didn’t mind saying: George, you’re singing in the wrong key.” Patti Austin, now known for her own R+B, jazz, and pop material, was the accomplished background singer Jones hired. Austin remembers: “‘When I went into the studio, the tracks were already recorded. I used to be a jingle singer; you have to be able to walk in, sight-read, and make whatever product the jingle is plugging sound orgasmic. So I worked very quickly.'”

Built in F minor overall, the tune shifts to Ab minor for the chorus at 1:19 – 1:42, later repeating the pattern. The track crossed over with a vengeance; it wasn’t a smash hit, but managed to become a solid global presence (see below) while hitting top five on the US Pop, Soul, and Disco charts.

Miles Davis | So What

“For many, (Miles Davis’) crowning achievement was the album Kind of Blue, the best selling album in jazz history,” (JazzWise). In 1999 it topped The Independent’s ’50 Best Recordings of the 20th Century’ list, in 2006 it topped the Jazzwise ‘100 Albums that Shook the World’ listing, while more recently The Guardian’s ‘1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die’ gave Kind of Blue a half-page box-out, an honour accorded to just 20 or so albums on the whole list. It even featured at No. 66 on the pop station VH1’s ‘100 Greatest Albums of Rock ’n’ Roll.’

“No other recording in jazz has come remotely near acquiring the kind of cachet Kind of Blue has accumulated over the decades. It’s an album that has probably been responsible for more Damascene conversions of non-believers into the jazz faith than any other, it has been the base-station from where countless fans have begun their journey into jazz and it’s an album that crops-up in the record collections of classical, rock, pop and country & western devotees who would not otherwise give jazz house room.”

After an intro, Kind of Blue‘s “So What” (1959) starts in earnest at 0:34. Even though the melody repeats throughout, the half-step upward modulation on the third pass (1:02 – 1:17) lends the track a classic AABA form. At 1:17, the tune reverts to its original key.

Del Shannon | Runaway

“Runaway” by Del Shannon is an “eerie, aching, chart-topping 1961 single” according to the AV Club. “Few songs in popular music are so enduring yet ethereal. ‘Runaway’ is a moody song for a brooding scenario, one that seems to instantly sublimate into a glum, haunting fog. Written by Shannon and his keyboardist, Max Crook, it outlines in tear-streaked detail a guy who’s lost his girl. Guys losing girls is a primary preoccupation of pop songwriters, then and now, but ‘Runaway’ nudges that theme to a preternatural level. ‘As I walk along I wonder / what went wrong,’ he begins the song, not bothering to mention where he’s walking or why.

The not-so-secret weapon of ‘Runaway,’ though, is its keyboard. Crook joined Shannon’s band in 1959, and soon after he began toying with a riff on his Musitron, a self-built version of the clavioline that served as a precursor to the analog synthesizer. Modifying the instrument with spare parts from television sets and household appliances, Crook used his invention to turn his riff into the spooky, unsettling hook of ‘Runaway.'” The single went to #1 in the US and was a true international smash hit as well, hitting Top 5 in Australia, Canada, Chile, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the UK, among others.

The intro, verses, and iconic keyboard feature sections are in Bb minor; the choruses (first heard at 0:31) shift to Bb major.

Average White Band | You’re My Number One

Released in 1982, “You’re My Number One” was a track from the Average White Band’s album Cupid’s In Fashion. ” … the group decided to keep things a bit funkier on this release … ” (Soulfinger). ” … they brought in some cool cats like Dan Hartman to write ‘You’re My Number One’. Say what you will about Hartman, but that man can make a fun song … AWB could do LA pop without losing their soul … “

Hartman is perhaps best known for his own release “I Can Dream About You” (which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984 and #12 on the UK Singles chart in 1985). He wrote and/or produced many other successful tunes for other artists, including “Living in America” for James Brown (1986), as well as tracks for a wide-ranging list of artists including The Plasmatics, Steve Winwood, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Dusty Springfield, and Bonnie Tyler. Hartman passed away from HIV in 1994 at the age of only 43.

1980s LA pop could hardly have a better standard-bearer than this track. Its funk foundation, nimble horn section, glossy production, and an entire instrumental verse devoted to a sax solo all belie the fact that Average White Band is from … Scotland! The modulation kicks in at 1:46.

Mariana’s Trench | The Killing Kind

“Blending the energy and melodicism of pop-punk with theatrical pop ambitions and a progressive rock spirit, Canadian quartet Marianas Trench — named after the Pacific Ocean trench which is the deepest known spot in the world — rose to widespread popularity at the end of the 2000s thanks to platinum-selling concept albums like 2009’s Masterpiece Theatre and 2011’s Ever After,” (AllMusic). “With an increasing trend toward thematic grandeur and a growing worldwide audience, the Vancouver band continued to expand both their sound and commercial reach with the ’80s adventure film-themed Astoria in 2015 and the lush, haunted pop of 2019’s Phantoms.“

Reviewing Phantoms, MelodicMag adds: “Full of theatrical moments, textures, colors, and unconventional sounds … Reminiscent of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ (‘The Killing Kind’) sounds like multiple songs in one … Each section is like organized chaos. They build onto each other, while staying central to a certain theme or idea.”

Starting in B minor, the track ends in the relative major key of D major — but this seemingly straightforward shift is handled in an indirect fashion: a meandering path through a landscape constructed from equal parts 1970s Queen-style pomp and the gleaming grandeur of contemporary symphonic metal.