Bobbie Gentry > Ode to Billie Joe
Composed by Bobbie Gentry
It’s hard to convey just how big this record was, other than to say it not only prompted Lou to cover it, but also the unlikely likes of King Curtis, Ike Turner, and Buddy Rich!
What Was That? Week #7
Legends of Country #2
Ballad #40
“Phil Alexander on guitar and vocals!”
“Fred Seibert on organ!”
“Ray Frisby on drums and vocals!”
“Brian North on bass!”
“I’m Rodney Johnson on vocals and tambourine!
And we’re the Neglekted Few!”
Thanks guys, you changed my life forever.
(Spencer Davis Group > Gimme Some Lovin’)
(Composed by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis & Muff Winwood)
Neglekted Few Week #11
Legends of Rock #17
The Rolling Stones > Under My Thumb
Composed by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
We were equal opportunity cover-ers. Though we tended towards the soul and the pop, rock tunes that made it into the Top 40 were fair game too. Early on, Ray and Rodney might have tended towards the more adventurous of us, but we were all on the lookout for the new (as were all our friends).
But, even though the Stones might have had that rebellious image, they made the charts pretty often too and we saw their hits as our territory. And they could always fill the dancefloor as often as the soul ravers.
Neglekted Few Week #8
Legends of Rock #11
Legends of the British Invasion #3
Sam & Dave > Hold On, I’m A-Comin’
Composed by Isaac Hayes & David Porter
I’m even sure I had heard of soul music, as separate from pop or rock or hits or whatever, before I joined this group. It didn’t occur to me where my bandmates found all these great records, but they kept showing up with them and we kept learning them. These guys turned me on to everything from Smokey Robinson to Pink Floyd, and everything in between; it was an incredibly vital moment for the world, and for me personally.
It seems like we gravitated towards the Southern soul of Stax a bit more than Motown (though we did play Shotgun), maybe because of our instrumentation. We existed at the peak of soul as pop, which was just OK.
Neglekted Few Week #7
Legends of Soul #40, #41, #42
Legends of Pop #12
Tribute to Isaac Hayes #6
Paul Revere & the Raiders> I’m Not Your Stepping Stone
Composed by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
The Neglekted Few played all kinds of gigs. Dances, concerts, battles of the bands, house parties; we’d even convince our friend Sally Baur (Wingo) to clear out her parents’ living room to make room for us if we didn’t have a paying job. The cops came calling the night we were playing this tune at an outdoor party in Halesite.
Neglekted Few Week #6
Legends of Pop #12
Jay & the Americans > She Cried
Composed by Greg Richards & Ted Daryll
Phil had a great pop voice, a sweet, romantic baritone he used to unbelievable effect to cover this early Jay and the Americans hit. (I think a lot of the action I got that year came after the girls heard this one.) There were a lot of other bands who could get the dancing going (we could too), but not too many that could slow it down as well as we could.
Neglekted Few Week #5
Legends of Pop #11
Ballad #39
Otis Redding > Respect
Composed by Otis Redding
In the haze of a 40 year look back, I think of us as a soul combo. Though we probably looked at ourselves as a rock group, or a covers band. I remember rehearsing Respect out on Ray portico overlooking the beach the summer of ‘67 after Aretha made it a pop smash. Our arrangement was from Otis (via The Vagrants of Long Island, Farfisa and all), and Rodney couldn’t avoid Ree’s “R.E.S.P.E.C.T! “
Wilson Pickett > In the Midnight Hour
Composed by Wilson Pickett & Steve Cropper
In 9th grade my great friend Rodney Johnson and I had a “band” because after the Beatles you had to be in a band. I taught myself guitar (you had to play guitar; accordian and flute, my other two instruments didn’t really work), Rodney sang and played tambourine (he was a drummer, but we had no drums), and our buddy Phil Couremanche played second guitar. Rodney named us “The Evil Lords” (hah!).
In the 10th grade we got together with Phil Alexander on guitar and vocals, Ray Frisby on drums and vocals, and Brian North on bass. Now we had a real band.
“In the Midnight Hour” was our closer at every gig (though it’s really a cheat playing Wilson’s here; we copped The Rascals ). Rodney was an unbelievable singer, and had some of Wilson’s moves to bring the house down.
The Jackson 5 > I Want You Back (Z-Trip Remix)
Composed by The Corporation
I suppose, in the end, this is what everyone is saying.
Michael Jackson Week #5
Legends of Soul #38
Legends of Pop #10
Michael Jackson > Billie Jean
Composed by Michael Jackson
It’s hard making MJ Week shorter than a month, but I couldn’t avoid Billie Jean, yes?
This was the track that made everyone take notice, since many thought MJ had just gone from being a Motown toy to a Q tool (not that Quincy wasn’t a force in his own right).
Michael Jackson Week #4
Legends of Soul #37
Legends of Pop #9
Legends of Singer/Songwriters #6
