I've been listening to "Caravan" a lot lately, and its importance as a piece is becoming more clear to me with each spin. Written by the trombonist Juan Tizol, and brought to its current fame by Duke Ellington, the tune may be the one that started two major schools in jazz. First, with its Latin and Mideastern melodies and rhythms, it is very likely the one that made jazz international. Second, with its long sections built on unstable chords (dimished and dominant), it may have been the origin of modal jazz (although the blues were involved as well, of course). And to top it off, it's just a great piece of music. Here's a terrific version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4XKHkzDggk.

Since its inception, free jazz has been one of the most polarizing styles of music, and it's managed to remain so for over fifty years. Actually, it's an approach to music more than a style, because like certain schools of visual art, the process is meant to be out in the open and noted. It came into being, at least partially, because players were tired of being boxed in by the use of songs and chord changes as improvisational contexts. Theoretically, free jazz is meant to be played without chord changes and to be based on mutual composition in the moment. But what results can often alienate listeners, mostly because there isn't time for any kind of editing.

Ornette Coleman is the first name that comes to mind when the genre is mentioned, and deservedly, because he has dedicated more time to it than any other musician. And because free jazz as a concept is just as divisive among musicians as it is with fans, many of Coleman's peers have said negative things about his music. I think the fact that he's still at it, after over fifty years, speaks for itself. In any event, it's clear that controversy and the induction of thinking are necessary results of what he does, and he know it. As a listener, I find that his best recordings are the ones in which he's in the company of the great Charlie Haden on bass: The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959), Change of the Century (1959), This is Our Music (1960), and Song X (1986), which also features Pat Metheny. Here's the title track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d66Ytt2g7ns

I really enjoy hearing experienced vocalists doing versions of songs by younger artists. This happened a lot in the seventies, when singers, with Frank Sinatra leading the way, began to cover artists such as the Beatles and Stevie Wonder, having realized that some of the best songwriters of that time were the ones working in rock and r&b groups. I think the same thing is happening now to some degree, as serious jazz musicians and singers continue to look to the modern rock repertoire for inspiring material. One of my favourite examples of the phenomenon is the great jazz singer Mark Murphy's version of Coldplay's "What If", from his 2007 masterpiece, Love Is What Stays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVVSlcMjAJo. It's wonderfully arranged and played, and, of course, sung with his usual combination of head and heart.

The title track from the Bad Plus' most recent release, Never Stop (2010), is a blast. A composition by their bassist Reid Anderson, it was originally written for a fashion show that the band was commissioned to score, and you can hear how its rhythms might have been inspired by imagined parades of models. The tune is straightforward in one way, but it's kind of tricky in another, because the beat gets turned around several times via the use of asymmetrical figures. Of course, this device is one of the secret weapons of Radiohead, a band that the Bad Plus have covered several times during their fascinating career, and it's not impossible that they picked up the idea as a result. But maybe not, because they have done tunes by a few other artists as well. In fact, I wonder if there's ever been a band that have covered such an eclectic list of sources, which includes Black Sabbath, Queen, Yes, The Pixies, Neil Young, Nirvana, Roger Miller, Blondie, Led Zeppelin, Heart, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Ornette Coleman, Rush, David Bowie, Wilco, Pink Floyd, the Bee Gees, The Flaming Lips, and several others. It's quite amazing, really. Oh, and I didn't even mention the classical composers that they've covered - Stravinksy, Babbitt, Ligeti among them. But perhaps the most astonishing thing about the group is the fact that their most compelling music is found in their original compositions, which are contributed by all three members. We're talking about a great group here. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfSEVk8f2Co

The great pianist Wray Downes (http://www.myspace.com/381846361/music/songs/For-You-3209961) uses the term "deep time" to describe the effect achieved by the very strongest players, rhythmically speaking. A musician who achieves it has a sound that seems to expand with every note played. It allows the listener to hear into the very structure of the instrument, right into the grain of the wood in the case of the guitar and upright bass. Two musicians who provide an excellent example of the phenomenon are Jim Hall and Ron Carter, who have made three albums as a duo: Alone Together (1972), Telephone (1985) and Live at the Village West (1995). The track linked below is one of my very favourite versions of "Autumn Leaves", from Alone Together. It's everything jazz should be, played with deep time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjfN5NKnJ90

George Shearing, the great pianist, composer and band leader died a little less than two weeks ago, at the age of 91. His story is an amazing one, and this site tells it better than I could, so have a look: (http://www.georgeshearing.net/). Known as a musician's musician, he was a brilliant pianist who made major innovations both vertically and horizontally (i.e. melodically and harmonically). A great writer as well, his most famous piece "Lullaby of Birdland" has become a staple of the jazz repertoire. But my personal favourite is "Conception", a tune I first heard on Bill Evans' debut album, New Jazz Conceptions (1956). It's the sort of tune known as a "minefield" among jazz players because of the extremely challenging nature of its chord changes. And, on top of that, it's usually played at a high tempo, as it is in this version, which features glittering solos from the magnificent guitarist, Chuck Wayne and Shearing, and great ensemble work from the whole group: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KQCtE2t1kM.

Unusual guitar tunings can inspire some great songs. It was certainly the case with The English Beat's "Save it for Later" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bM0wVjU2-k) which was written as a result of the singer Dave Wakeling's experiments with the concept. Open tuning is a better name for it, actually, and it's been integral to the sound of artists as various as the Rolling Stones, Nick Drake and the Velvet Underground. One reason for it leading to creativity is that it can turn the guitar into a stranger, technically speaking, because the notes on some of the strings have changed places. Therefore the guitarist has almost no choice but to be creative, because all of his or her stock phrases, voicings, licks, and so forth are no longer accessible. (I remember hearing one guitarist say that a big danger for those who play the instrument is that by constantly going back to familiar places, "the guitar can end up playing you".) Another related idea is the fact that some writers compose using an instrument with which they're relatively unfamiliar to avoid the cliches that are the inevitable result of learning music. Perhaps cliches is too strong a term, maybe vocabulary is better, because I don't want to sound like I'm denigrating memorized patterns - serious playing is impossible without them, but for the purpose of writing, they can be, and usually are, counter-productive.

Back to the tune in question. I think it's safe to say that you'd know you'd written a good song when Pete Townshend wants to cover it, which was the case here, but apparently he had to phone Dave Wakeling to get help with the tuning first. (It's D-A-D-A-A-D, by the way.)

Further to yesterday's post on The King of Limbs: with a few more listens it's become apparent that not all of the tracks are as complex as "Bloom", "Little By Little", or "Lotus Flower". In fact, "Codex" and "Give Up the Ghost" are, by Radiohead's standards, fairly straightforward, with the former showing clearly some of the influence of Neil Young on both Yorke's singing and writing. So the point that I made yesterday, about how this will be a difficult album for those who cover Radiohead, may not apply to all of its songs equally. In any event, I always enjoy hearing people do the songs, mainly because they help me to hear even more deeply into the complexity of the original versions. So I hope that I'm wrong, and that there will be many more covers to come in every style we've heard in the past, from reggae to string quartet, solo piano to small jazz ensemble, and in some we haven't yet. Let The King of Limbs reign!

After some more listening to Radiohead's The King of Limbs, one thing that occurs to me is that the material on this record is going to be very difficult for other artists to cover. The group's song-writing has always been of such originality and excellence that it has led to musicians from all genres and backgrounds doing versions of their songs. First on the list of these, simply due to the sheer number of tracks he's recorded from the Radiohead repertoire, is the classical pianist Christopher O'Riley, who has made a very interesting career out of arranging and performing works from some of the more advanced rock composers such as Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Radiohead of course (two full albums worth, in fact), and others. But The King of Limbs strikes me as so complex, even by their standards, that I'll be amazed (and very impressed) if Mr. O'Riley (or Brad Mehldau, or any of the other jazz musicians who've tackled their music in the past) can do so with songs from this album. And it isn't only the rhythms that are demanding, the melodic material is also full of surprise with lines taking unexpected turns and sometimes suggesting two or more tunes being referred to at once. It's music that asks a lot of its listeners, to say the least, and of those who would like to play along. We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, here's O'Riley's version of "Talk Show Host": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj4zFWnaF7U&feature=related

I don't have many nice things to say about music videos for the most part, but in fairness, there are some good ones. And a big point in their favour is the fact that it was the Beatles who really started the idea with their "pop promotional films" for "Day Tripper", "Help!", "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" amongst others. At that point, they were quite simply too big to tour (particularly since the knowledge regarding how to do it properly on such a scale was still about ten years away), so basically they invented the music video instead. And these ones are still a lot of fun to watch, my favourite being this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPjDMZiuhbQ&feature=related.

I'll mention a few more of these in posts to come, but first I must admit that my favourite music video of all time is not by the Beatles. In fact, it's not even by a group that I've listened to very much (my loss, certainly, because when I do hear their music, I very much enjoy it): It's the Flying Pickets with the only number one a cappella pop hit ever (unless I'm mistaken), their cover of Yaz's "Only You": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgDKtLPp46s.

Quite the day for Radiohead fans. Checked into their Dead Air Space website this morning (http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/), found out that the album was available a day early, got the download done and have given it one listen in its entirety, found it phenomenal. Before hearing it, I was of the mind that they wouldn't be able to make the kind of progression that we've become used to hearing throughout their career; I didn't see how they would move past In Rainbows, in other words. But they have. This album has complexity and depth of a kind that I'm not sure I've heard on a rock album before. Many of the early reviews have pointed out that this is a record that will require a lot of listening, and therefore strong opinions of any kind should be avoided at this stage, and I don't disagree, but it's not going to stop me: The King of Limbs is a high-water mark in rock history. More on it in posts to come, but in the meantime, a few more listens needed.

Jim Hall and Bill Evans made two albums together as a duo, both with thought-provoking titles, Intermodulation (1966) and Undercurrent (1963), and both are now considered classics - among the very best recordings in jazz history, regardless of the size of the ensemble. Undercurrent opens with an up-tempo version of "My Funny Valentine" that may be the single track that best exemplifies the diversity of Jim Hall's guitar artistry. It features first one of his dazzling and one-of-a-kind solos and then, during Evans' solo, the ultra-swinging yet sensitive comping that led the great bassist Red Mitchell to say: "The best band I ever played with was Jim Hall". Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReOms_FY7EU.

The title song from Lou Reed's Coney Island Baby (1975) is an enigma, because it has an effect on listeners that is far beyond what a reading of the lyrics would suggest it should. Of course, the music plays a big part, as does Reed's close-to-the-vest singing style... Wait a minute, maybe that's it. Maybe the song is powerful simply because it portrays a character - someone who normally wouldn't reveal the emotional motivations behind his actions - realizing that he'd always possessed sensitivity and a need for human connection even before he could articulate the fact. Looked at this way, the ending, with its references to the glory of love, doesn't come out of nowhere.

Well, that's one theory, I guess. And whether it's right or wrong, the song's a masterpiece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPHbbvQEA1E.

Wow! Neil Young won his first Grammy for music yesterday! (He won for best packaging of a box-set or something the year before.) I guess he finally reached their high standards. OK, enough with the sarcasm - sorry about that - but it is utterly ridiculous that an artist of Young's caliber (and there would be an argument for his being the greatest recording artist in rock history) would win his first Grammy forty years into his career. And I'm sorry, but not one of the albums nominated this year will be remembered in forty years, let alone listened to. And if you don't believe me, listen to any or all of them, and then listen to After the Gold Rush.

I'm really glad to find out that Radiohead's new album is to be released (via digital download) this Saturday, because it gives me something positive to write about. You see, I was going to write about what a farce the Grammys are, and always have been (fun fact: Milli Vanilli won a Grammy before Bob Dylan did!), but now I don't have to. But before I leave the subject entirely, let me posit the following: the Grammys are about money, not music. They have about as much relevance, for someone serious about music, as does American Idol, which is to say, none.

OK, back to The King of Limbs (that's the title), because it's such a cool thing to have a great band at the height of their powers that can generate tremendous excitement with a forthcoming release. I was pretty young during the Beatles years, but I do remember how it seemed like their every move was an event. And then there were the many rock acts during the seventies who made me anticipate their new stuff. The Clash, Bowie, Queen, Neil Young, to name a few. Now, there are two: the chaps from Oxford mentioned above, and Wilco, who will be releasing their next album later this year. So, in celebration, here are "The Tourist" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAXRKPGKXWs) and "War on War" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-b37qFXvZw)

After hearing a not very good cover of a Dylan tune in a coffee shop earlier today, it made me want to hear something by the man himself. So I listened to the excellent live album called The Bootleg Series Volume 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue which was released in 2002. The opening track, his version of "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" recorded at the Montreal Forum, is one of the greatest concert openers I've ever heard on a live record. It's simultaneously ferocious and lyrical, just an amazing performance. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it on YouTube, but take my word for it, if you haven't heard it, you must. Anyway, here's a really good performance of a great song with a great title, "Tangled Up in Blue", from the same era: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSZvHqf9qM.

Speaking of great songs, as I have been on the last couple of posts, here's one of my all-time faves: "Blue Letter" from Fleetwood Mac (1975), which was the first album with the configuration that was to be their most famous: Mick Fleetwood, Christine and John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The song in question (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sniMg4mIUrU) seems to me an often overlooked classic from their repertoire, with all the elements that were to shortly make them into ultra-stars (i.e. bigger than superstars): glittering harmony singing, powerful and well-thought-out part-writing, strong rhythmic playing. In this case I didn't mention their greatest strength, their song-writing, because this one's a cover; it was written by the song-writing brothers Rick and Michael Curtis, past members of several bands including Crazy Horse. But they make it sound like one of their own. (By the way, I became a fan of Fleetwood Mac relatively late. Their fame got in the way of my appreciation of their music during their biggest years, I guess. My loss: they were, and are, great.)

I like those minimalist videos that can be found on YouTube that simply show a phonograph record being played. I think they're cool for a couple of reasons. One, they remind me of the way I listened to music as a teenager, when I would alternate between reading the lyrics and/or looking at the cover art and photos, and watching the platter spin. Two, they're less intrusive on the imaginative experience of listening to music than music videos, which, it must be said, have done a lot more harm than good to popular music. But, I'll save that tirade for another post, because today I want to provide a link to one of the videos described above (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjs1mm5vngc), this one for the Van Morrison classic "Wild Night". A couple of thoughts on it: Is there a better song with which a cover band could open a set? Both the music and words are filled with excitement and promise. And what a singer the guy is. As on most of his records, his vocal is easily the most rhythmically sophisticated of the instruments (which happens on most Dylan tracks as well). Lyrically, one of Morrison's great themes, appropriately enough, is the energy that can be received through listening to great records. You get the feeling that he spent many hours of his youth doing the same.

It's always intriguing when a seemingly impossible task is accomplished. Inspiring too. "Philadelphia Freedom", the 1975 single by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, written at the request of tennis star and friend Billie Jean King, has always struck me as a good example. The task at hand was to write a song for a tennis team (!) with an unsubtle name (to say the least), while incorporating the sound of the r&b for which the city was famous - all without being corny. And they did it. First of all, it's not about tennis, but so what, because it sounds like it could be. Second, its lyrics are ambiguous enough to be about whatever the listener wants (like freedom itself, I guess). Third, the music speaks for itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXbsNw1spWA.

Further to the last couple of posts on Miles Davis, here's "It Could Happen to You" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIDVoXfgA1g) from his 1956 album, Relaxin', one of a series of five masterpieces named for gerunds (Walkin', Cookin', Workin', Steamin' being the others) recorded for Prestige Records between 1954 and 1961. These were made with what has become known as his first great quintet (the second great one came about eight years later): John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, and they've become central as models for small group jazz among educators and musicians. (By the way, Davis made many other albums for Prestige as well, but with the exception of Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet from 1956, not with this particular group.) The track linked above is quite representative of their work, and for Miles' as a soloist in particular. His improvisation starts with many references to the melody, but then it slowly moves into the pure, oblique and spacious originality for which he's famous.

Having mentioned Miles Davis' Kind of Blue yesterday, I started thinking about the great blues tune that it contains called, "Freddie Freeloader", and its unusual, but beautiful chord progression that ends on a bVII7 chord. It also features great solos from all three horn players (Davis, Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly), over a brilliantly swinging groove from Jimmy Cobb and Paul Chambers, and above all a subtle but powerful performance from the pianist Wynton Kelly. It's the only track on the album on which he appears (it's Bill Evans on the rest), but I would guess that more people have heard his performance on this one than on all of his other recordings combined. Which is too bad, because he's made many excellent albums both as a leader and sideman. In fact, it was his abilities as a sideman, his comping skills, for which he was particularly renowned, and you can hear his expertise and taste on this track. Listen to the way he gradually joins in with Davis' solo at 2:15, for an example. And his own solo is perfect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPfFhfSuUZ4

"Miles Davis was never wrong about music." - Keith Jarrett

The Man with the Horn (1981) was Miles Davis' first album in six years, and it's a great one. The opening track, "Fat Time", has a title that I've always found thought-provoking. My interpretation is that it refers to all the possibilities that are available within a jazz groove, including rhythms that are only felt or implied rather than played. Ergo, the time is fat. Hear for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxDq65Wjua8&feature=fvsr

The latter part of Miles career contains many gems like this one, but they require a lot of background work to appreciate. Step one: listening to the recordings made in the early part of his career. Step two: realizing that an artist of his caliber is never going to be content to repeat himself. If we want to listen to Kind of Blue, there's nothing stopping us, but we shouldn't have expected him to record it more than once. Luckily for us, because so much interesting listening resulted (which will take us many years to appreciate and understand), he didn't.

Top fourteen songs of the Rolling Stones, according to me, continued: 7. "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZPA_AKsC1A): I think the title says it all, and what a great video. One question: Why is Charlie smiling so much? 6. "Ventilator Blues" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ozNANFiNA): This one provides the counter-argument to the song in spot #7. It's both great rock and roll and high art. 5. "Bitch" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtnxvpIEg8w): A ridiculous groove right off the top, a wonderful Arif Mardin horn arrangement, a great vocal, and Charlie and band locked in throughout. 4. "Memory Motel" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7so3BNXUE0I): Shows that the heart of the Stones is the song-writing. Just a beautiful tune, with a great second lead vocal from Keith. 3. "Moonlight Mile" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugYzDqQtdHU): Another beautiful ballad, wonderfully played. Listen for Mick Taylor's slide contributions, a great string arrangement and Jagger's excellent acoustic playing. 2. "Gimme Shelter" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhBpUJcpiCg): A once-in-a-lifetime recording of a perfect song. 1. "Let It Loose" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrCiKD-cBvo): It's just always been my favourite Stones song.

OK, in honour of the fact that the Rolling Stones have been around for the longest span of any rock and roll act (fifty years in April of 2012), I'm going to give them four extra spots on my list of favourites (and I also can't seem to whittle it down any further). So here are my top fourteen Rolling Stones songs (in reverse order this time): 14. "Play With Fire" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfM_zmlGkco): I've always thought that this was the track that is most representative of the tone of their early stuff. It's also the first Stones song that I remember hearing. 13. "Beast of Burden" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi90jHzFb3E): I never get tired of this one. Great performances all around, with Charlie Watts' particularly gigantic. 12. "Hide Your Love" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo94dLN_0ZA): There are some r&b grooves that are found only on Rolling Stones records. A great song on a seriously under-valued album. Excellent playing from Mick Taylor, as usual. His secret weapon? His intention is always clear. 11. "Satisfaction" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a7cHPy04s8): Without it, we may have not had the rest. Still a one-of-a-kind groove. 10. "Torn and Frayed" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHlD3hEHOqI): One of their most evocative songs lyrically, and for me, the center-piece of Exile. 9. "Dead Flowers" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1O69lY_tw4): Not many bands can play both the blues and country music, and be equally convincing. (Hmm, maybe that's their secret.) 8. "Monkey Man" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNY8eYmzdH4): Almost every element of what makes them great present on this one.

(The remaining seven tomorrow.)

Good news for rock fans in Montreal. It looks like Wilco's Jeff Tweedy has developed an affection for the place. At last year's Wilco show at the Olympia (February 27, it was), Tweedy told the crowd that they were "almost perfect". I don't know about that, but I was there and can vouch that the crowd definitely were lively and enthusiastic. (Maybe it's the venue: On the PiL website, John Lydon said that his May 8, 2010 gig at the Olympia was "one of the most uplifting experiences of my life", and that it was "bar none the best PiL concert ever": http://www.pilofficial.com/info2.html) In any event, Tweedy has included Montreal on a short list of dates for his upcoming solo tour; he'll be back at the Olympia on March 25. Maybe he'll get another near perfect audience; we'll see. But if he doesn't, he's not afraid to, um, voice his displeasure, as you can see for yourself in this clip from his 2006 solo DVD, Sunken Treasure. The second link is for the song that he plays right after the discussion/admonishment (which is very much worth listening to): 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew3AOlbJXos 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG9LZvKDEZ0&feature=related

You have to admire him, not only for how good he is, but for his honesty. How many musicians would've included an episode like this one on a DVD of their own choosing?

OK, as promised yesterday, my top five songs from Radiohead's Hail to the Thief (2003). I'll be using the original double titles: 1. "Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves)": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2uIQ2SoxhU) A great example of the contrapuntal quality of their music. As I've mentioned before, the biggest factor in determining how a piece sounds is the way that it's written. 2. "A Punchup at a Wedding. (No no no no no no no no)": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upJuupWjcx8&feature=related) I can never understand why this tune isn't mentioned with their best tunes more often: I think it's great. What a groove. 3. "A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg4q_ZUiTNA) A beginning like one of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words which leads into their first attempt at rap - and they pull it off. A remarkable (and scary) song. 4. "There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere)": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ZkWBjgnIY). Just a great rock song. Ed's backups are haunting, as usual. 5. "Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner)": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgeKRbmUBns) A rhythmic powerhouse of astonishing originality.

So there it is. As I said yesterday, this album is very under-rated. If you think you don't like it, give it another listen.

I've got to be more careful in doing my top ten lists, because when I did my Radiohead one this past Saturday and Sunday, I completely forgot to consider songs from Hail to the Thief, their under-estimated release from 2003. This happened because of my working procedure, which has been to check out artist websites, fan websites and Wikipedia to jog my memory, and work from there. Well, obviously there are still a few bugs in the system, because I forgot about the album entirely, which kind of makes the list that I posted not entirely accurate. So what I'll do is call that one my top ten Radiohead songs that are not from Hail to the Thief, and post my top five that are from Hail to the thief tomorrow. Not an ideal solution, but the best I can do at this point.

In yesterday's post about early Marvin Gaye classics, I mentioned that Martha and the Vandellas sang backups (really well, by the way) on "Stubborn Kind of Fellow". Well, they did so on quite a few of his other records as well, and on both these and their own masterpieces, they bring an astonishing intensity - what one writer (I can't remember who) called a political quality - to their vocals and music. I think you'll hear it right away in these two examples: "Nowhere to Run" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQRIOKvR2WM&NR=1) and "Dancing in the Streets" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdvITn5cAVc) (which became code for rioting in Watts and elsewhere during the sixties).

The singles from early in Marvin Gaye's career are some of my very favourite recordings. Along with Smokey Robinson, he bridged the gap between the fifties and sixties, and pointed the way forward for Motown. Unlike many of the singers that became stars at the label, Gaye came to Motown an accomplished musician, originally as a session drummer, and having sung with the doo-wop group, the Moonglows. His charisma, and the fact that he could translate his rhythmic abilities to singing, soon put him in front of the band, where he remained for the rest of his great recording career.

The first song co-written by him to make the charts was 1962's "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", which might contain my choice for all-time best opening of a pop single (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmuDfPBTGDg). The string of r&b masterpieces that followed in the next few years included "Hitchhike", "Pride and Joy", "Can I Get a Witness", "You're a Wonderful One", "Baby Don't You Do It", "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar". They can all be heard on YouTube, but here are links to the last two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umuSuOlX1xg / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfpzePp5y8s. By the way, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" (linked above) features Gaye on piano and drums, and Martha and the Vandellas on backups.