Song #30 On My MP3 Player - Back Of A Car by Big Star

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Song #30 on my MP3 player is 'Back Of A Car' by Big Star, which is the seventh track on the band's 1974 album Radio City.

Big Star was a band that formed circa 1971 with a lineup that featured Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, and Andy Hummel. Alex Chilton was the lead singer of The Box Tops, a band that had hits during the 1960's with 'The Letter' and 'Cry Like A Baby'. Big Star released three albums from 1971 to 1974: #1 Record, Radio City, and Third/Sister Lovers. The music was good, but their record labels were either poorly managed or just not interested in distributing their albums. The history of Big Star is very interesting, and take some time to read Need A Big Star Primer? by Mark Hinson for a more complete history.

The first time I heard Big Star was during the summer of '95 or '96 when my good friend Ryan Dellwood played 'September Gurls' when he was a guest DJ with me at a college radio station in Ohio. I really liked the song, but Dellwood informed me that their music was hard to find. A few weeks later I found #1 Record and Radio City on the same CD at a local music store. Dellwood was thrilled I found their music.

Big Star is loved by the hipsters, indie rockers, and this Lost Soul of Rock & Roll. They have some damn good songs, but they also have some songs that have me hitting the fast forward button on my cd player. When they're good, they are on fire. Big Star is classified as power pop, which means they are inspired by bands like The Beatles and The Kinks, but they also have a nice touch of early 70's rock. What's nice about Big Star is that they can produce and absolute rocker or make a beautiful ballad.

'Back Of A Car' is one of my favorite Big Star songs because there are great harmonies, cool lyrics, and a wonderful guitar sound. Big Star has some songs that really connect with young people, and the story of 'Back of A Car' is pure teen angst. This is one of those songs that should have been a hit, but wasn't. It did inspire a bunch of musicians to form their own bands and maybe that's better than having a hit. Enjoy.  



TonyDoug Wright is the Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. 

60's Live: Hold On, I'm Comin' - Sam and Dave

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I saved the best for last for 60's Live. Hendrix setting his guitar on fire at Monterey Pop was cool, The Who blowing up their drum kit (note: start that link from the 3:18 mark) while on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was wild, and Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock is pretty damn awesome. Today I'd like to share something that I feel is criminally overlooked and that was Sam and Dave's killer performance of 'Hold On, I'm Comin' during the 1967 Stax European Tour.It is important to note that the backing band was none other than Booker T and The M.G.'s.

The reason I picked this performance is simply due to the fact that it is absolutely amazing to watch. Sam and Dave end their set brilliantly by delivering a hot rendition of 'Hold On, I'm Comin' and add some audience participation which leaves the crowd in a frenzy. This is how it's done, so all of you wanna be rockers take a cue from Sam and Dave. Enjoy.




TonyDoug Wright is The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll and is also the head writer and owner of Champion City Comics. Follow him @TonyDougWright on Twitter.

Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston & Ike Turner

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You women have heard of jalopies

You heard the noise they make

Let me re-introduce my Rocket 88

The Lost Soul has decided to take a look at what I believe has become the forgotten decade of rock and roll. Why do I believe that the fifties is a forgotten decade? From my perspective, the music of the 1950s seems to get some disrespect from radio, television, and even music stores.

Radio stations that play 1950s music are strictly the oldies format, but in this day and age, they focus upon the hits from the 1960s and 1970s for their rotation. My local oldies station dedicates an hour every Sunday to the 1950s, but in my opinion that is blasphemy. I have noticed at record stores that the 1950s CDs are placed ina corner near the World music and the other dust collecting genres. Why the hate? The 1950s were incredible and I'm here to show some love.

My first 1950s selection is 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner and His Delta Kings. The song was credited to Jackie Bresnton and His Delta Cats, but Ike's group was the backing band when this song was recorded at Sam Phillips' recording studio sometime during March 1951. The song was released by Chess Records as a single b/w 'Come Back Where You Belong' and was a major R&B hit.

Some rock and roll fans and historians view this as the first rock and roll song. If you take a listen to the YouTube clip below, you'll hear that this song is really cookin' with all the right rock and roll ingredients. 'Rocket 88' has a raw R&B style courtesy of the twelve-bar blues. The boogie of the piano and the driving saxophone really make this song a gem.

What's interesting about Rocket 88 is that this song was recorded and released when rock and roll was known as R&B or race music. Additionally this kind of music was played on a few radio stations in the United States, especially WHBQ in Memphis, Tennessee. That's enough of my blogging, let's get rocking!





Want to purchase this MP3 from Amazon? Click here to purchase. 

Donald 'Duck' Dunn (1941 - 2012)

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May has been a tough month for rock and roll fans. We've lost Adam 'MCA' Yauch, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb, and Donald 'Duck' Dunn to name a few.

I grew up in a house where Stax and Motown were on heavy rotation. Every weekend, my mom would play the Best of Sam and Dave and she would have my sister and I be her back-up dancers while she would lip-sync. It was great. The music of Stax and Motown was - and still is - wonderful and I am a fan to this day.

Stax was record label based out of Memphis, Tennessee and the house band was Booker T. and the M.G.'s. Booker T. Jones (piano), Donald 'Duck' Dunn (bass), Steve Cropper (guitar), and Al Jackson, Jr. (drums) were the backbone of Stax and they are the musicians on hits for artists like Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. Those hits include 'Hold On, I'm Comin', 'Soul Man', and 'Try A Little Tenderness'. Booker T. and the M.G.'s had a major hit with the ultra cool instrumental, 'Green Onions'.

Donal 'Duck' Dunn not only performed as a member of Booker T. and the M.G.'s but he also worked with artists such as Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Diana Ross, and The Blues Brothers.

Enjoy some classic clips featuring Donald' Duck' Dunn, Otis Redding, and Sam and Dave.