Category: JB

Have You Seen a Child (from “Amahl + the Night Visitors”)

Weekend bonus mod: thanks to frequent contributor JB! Written by Gian Carlo Menotti, an Italian-American composer and librettist, Amahl and the Night Visitors first aired on NBC on Christmas Eve, 1951; it was the first opera written specifically for television and was intended to be children’s programming.

According to Opera Magazine, Menotti was challenged by deadlines; he was assisted by his composition colleague Samuel Barber in completing the orchestrations, which were first performed under the baton of NBC Symphony Orchestra conductor Arturo Toscanini. The production, later staged by many opera companies, was aired on national TV for eleven years straight; sporadic performances have continued over the years.

The main theme is repeated in several keys; the first modulation is at 0:33.

Fitz + the Tantrums | L.O.V.

According to AllMusic, LA-based Fitz & The Tantrums plays a “hooky, danceable brand of pop infused with retro soul and ’80s new wave influences.” The band is probably best known for its 2013 single “Out of My League.”

“L.O.V.,” a track submitted by MotD frequent flyer JB, was released on the band’s 2010 debut album. After verses in D minor and choruses in C major, the groove drops out (at first) for a largely instrumental break which alternates between Ab major and Bb major (a bVII major -> I major vamp) from 2:00 to 2:31.

Stevie Wonder | Sunny

Here’s a wonderful cover submitted by regular guest poster JB:

“Stevie Wonder‘s a pretty sophisticated songwriter, but as a performer — especially in his early days — he was not above laying down a yeomanlike rendering of a pop standard. Part of Barry Gordy’s genius was in treating even his star vocalists as, in some ways, just glorified studio musicians, working their shifts in the Motown Hitsville Hit Factory.

Still, it’s kinda novel to hear Wonder cover Bobby Hebb‘s ‘Sunny,’ which features not one, not two, but three mods (1:40, 2:25, 3:06). While this kind of modulation ladder would sound cheesy nowadays, the tune comes from the era (early 60s) when cheesy lounge music was charting right alongside the early Beatles and Stones. I miss the biodiversity that pop music had back in those protean days…”

Bill Withers | Lovely Day

Another modulation from frequent guest poster JB: R&B singer, songwriter, bandleader, multi-Grammy winner, and 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honoree Bill Withers is probably best known for his hits “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” 1977’s “Lovely Day” peaked at #6 on the US Billboard R&B chart, #30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1978. and #7 on the UK Singles chart.

Starting in E major for the intro and the verse, there’s a switch to E minor for the pre-chorus (0:39), then reverting to E major for the chorus (0:59). The passing minor nature of the pre-chorus is blunted, however, by the use of bouyant hybrid chords:

||: Cmaj/D Dmaj/E Amin Bmin :||

Trial Before Pilate (from “Jesus Christ Superstar”)

From seasoned mod collector JB comes “Trial Before Pilate” from Jesus Christ Superstar. The show started as a rock opera concept album (1970), then debuted on Broadway in 1971.

“The UK’s Andrew Lloyd Webber has always been a sucker for hyperbole, but this has got to be the MotD version of ‘more cowbell’: I count at least two dozen mods, including at least 10 gratuitous half-steps in the ‘Crucify Him’ chorus. The only time the song stays in the same key for more than two bars is when Pilate is counting out 40 lashes.”

Steven Page | Wilted Rose

Here’s a submission from busy mod scout JB: The Vanity Project, a 2005 solo album by Barenaked Ladies‘ frontman Steven Page, featured the track “Wilted Rose.” Sputnikmusic describes Page’s solo material as compared to BNL’s: “more serious in its lyrical overtones and more experimental in approach. However, the catchy style of lyrical phrasing and light, head-bobbingly poppy choruses continue to carry to the light, honest voice of the other half of a generation.”

The verses are in minor, transitioning to major for the chorus (for the first time at 1:11) and then back to minor for the next verse (1:37).

George Benson | On Broadway

Another mod from frequent contributor JB: “On Broadway” was first a hit for The Drifters in 1963. In 1978, guitarist/vocalist George Benson covered the tune, which is part of his smash hit album Weekend in LA. Benson’s version became a sustained adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio mainstay and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

The several modulations couldn’t be clearer (there’s a mini-“intro” after each one before the lyrics of the next verse start!), so we won’t timeslate them.

The Kooks | Shine On

Our seasoned mod scout JB’s latest contribution: “Shine On,” by UK indie rock band The Kooks, was released in 2008. Deemed a “mid-tempo ’60s-tinged number” by AllMusic, the track reached only #63 in the UK Singles Chart but has nonetheless had plenty of staying power, receiving steady airplay over the years.

Starting in F# major, the tune transitions at the chorus (0:40) to G# major, then pivots back and forth throughout.

Elton John | (Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket

“(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket” is a track from Elton John‘s 1975 album Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

Contributor JB writes that the tune is “from the golden days when Elton John was still an unabashed rocker. If he’d never done anything beyond playing rock piano, he still would have been inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame. There are outright mods at the beginning and end of each chorus. But the most interesting part of the song is all the keys-of-the-moment, especially the fleeting shifts from D minor to D major (and back) during the chorus.”

In an interview with Cameron Crowe, Elton said “I’ve always thought that Captain Fantastic was probably my finest album because it wasn’t commercial in any way. (It) was written from start to finish in running order, as a kind of story about coming to terms with failure—or trying desperately not to be one. We lived that story.”

Kenny Loggins | Return to Pooh Corner

Here’s another modulation from frequent contributor JB: the live version of Kenny Loggins‘ “Return to Pooh Corner” from Outside: From the Redwoods, recorded in 1993 in Santa Cruz Shakespeare‘s Festival Glen.

“The track has a nifty modulation into the bridge at 2:09, and then another rather haunting mod at 3:10. The backing vox on this song are pretty sweet for a live performance, especially since they’re done by instrumentalists, and not dedicated singers.”