Tuesday Tunes 255: Even More Work

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I don’t usually run one of my mini-series for more than three weeks but as work has been such a fun thing I thought I’d go round one more time and pick up a few of my favourites that I haven’t yet got to. As before, only one of these has work in its title, but two are about specific jobs, while the others offer more general comments on the theme.

So here we go. One of those general ones is up first, getting us off to a rousing start:

Bachman Turner Overdrive released Takin’ Care Of Business as the closing track on their second album, imaginatively titled Bachman Turner Overdrive II, which came out in December 1973 and reached #6 in their native Canada, and #4 in the US. The track became the second single from the album, in January 1974, peaking at #3 in Canada and #12 in the US. Neither made the UK charts: the band has only ever had one charting album here plus two singles taken from it, though one of those – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – did get to #2 here and was a guaranteed floor filler at uni discos in my final year.

Next up is one of the songs ostensibly about a profession. It has been recorded many times, but this is my favourite version:

If I Were A Carpenter was written and first recorded by Tim Hardin, whose version is my second favourite. Others, by the likes of Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, The Four Tops, Bob Seger, and John Holt (a nice reggae treatment) are good but I still prefer this one. Robert Plant released his version on Fate Of Nations, his sixth solo album, which came out in May 1993 and peaked at #6 in the UK and #34 in the US. At that time I had just started a new job which entailed a long car commute around London’s dreaded North Circular Road, and the album kept me company on many journeys around that racetrack. This one was also released as a single in December 1993, reaching #63 in the UK – I guess we all had the album by then. It still sounds great to me, and Robert’s plaintive vocals suit it well, I think.

The job link in that one was perhaps a little tenuous. And it may also be in this next one: is it really about being offered a post as a chauffeur? Make up your own mind, though this might not be the version you would have expected me to play:

That was, of course, The Beatles song Drive My Car given an energetic treatment by The MonaLisa Twins: they are twin sisters, Mona and Lisa Wagner, who were born in Vienna but moved with their family to Liverpool when they were 20, ten years ago. I think they do the sibling harmonies thing well. The twins admit to a strong influence from The Beatles, and have covered many of their songs, going back to the days before they moved to Liverpool. They have 261k YouTube subscribers and total views on the site of more than 117m, and had a two year residency at the Cavern Club, where this video was filmed. As they did here, they play live shows with a bass player and a drummer – not always the same ones. They have attracted praise from the likes of Tony Barrow, who was Press Officer for The Beatles, among others. This is very much a family business: their father, Rudolf, produces their records and occasionally plays with them, and their stepmother Michaela is their manager. As well as their covers they have released three albums of original material, which are equally pleasant. If you enjoyed this one there are loads more on YouTube – happy searching! And if you’re wondering which is which, Lisa is the redhead in the video. And for the sake of completeness, the original was on the Rubber Soul album, which I featured as the first in my occasional A Classic Album series – here, if you missed it.

One of last week’s tunes dealt with the way that business owners sometimes exploit their workers. This is in similar vein:

As the video shows, John Mellencamp included Country Gentleman on Big Daddy, his tenth album, which was released in May 1989 and reached #7 in the US and #25 in the UK, though it made #1 in Australia and #3 in Canada. This is a typical track, as the album has a folk music base with liberal amounts of fiddle and accordion accompanying the songs: maybe that is why, after all this time, it is still my favourite of his albums? I have them all, and don’t say that lightly! The song is a social commentary addressing Ronald Reagan’s presidency and policies. The lyrics continually state that it is not Reagan’s interest to help the poor, but rather only his “rich friends.” Some things never change, do they? The album was successful, earning him a Platinum Disc in the US for a million sales, and went 2x Platinum in Canada for 200,000.

I’m closing today – and, for now, this mini-series – with a song that should be a message for us all:

Let’s Work Together was written in 1962 by blues singer Wilbert Harrison, who titled it Let’s Stick Together. His version wasn’t a hit, but it was picked up by Canned Heat and retitled for their fifth album, Future Blues, which was released in August 1970, and peaked at #59 in the US, #14 in Australia, #24 in Canada and #27 in the UK. The track was released as a single ahead of the album, in January 1970, making #26 in the US and #15 in Canada, but it did best here in the UK, where it was a massive hit, peaking at #2. It had a fifteen week run in our chart, and was very much the sound of the early part of that year: it was on the radio every time you switched it on!

That message is, as I said, a good way for me to conclude this mini-series – if more people in positions of power took heed perhaps life would be better for all? But ‘divide and rule’ has always been the order of the day, hasn’t it, and seems to be the playbook of the orange moron and some of his adoring fans here too. We can but hope that sense and compassion win out in the end.

And on that note, maybe I should depart before this turns into a rant! I’ll see you again in a couple of days – I have something fun lined up for you (yes, more music!). Take care 😊

 

53 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 255: Even More Work”

  1. Pingback: Caught In June | Take It Easy

  3. Always liked “If I were a Carpenter.” Wasn’t familiar with Plant’s version, but I liked it. Great message with the last song! Wish those who needed to hear it would understand it and it and put it into practice!
    Poor Dolly missed out on her song, being selected. LOL!

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  4. some good choices here –

    TCB by BTO is a classic

    I’d never heard that Robert Plant version, but it is well done

    I’ll stick with the Beatles on this one…

    and does John Mellencamp have a little Nostradamus in him?

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    • I’m glad they generally went well with you, Jim. The BTO one didn’t do well here but I’ve always liked it.

      I think Robert Plant’s version of a classic song is superb, without his usual histrionics.

      The MonaLisa Twins bring an energy to that song that The Beatles didn’t. They’re fun!

      It’s frightening how prophetic that Mellencamp one is, isn’t it!

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  5. Each one of these is a winner and it was especially nice hearing the Twins doing their version of Drive My Car. There aren’t too many really great covers of Beatles songs (IMO) and it’s a treat for me to hear an excellent one. Always a pleasure to see and hear the amazing Robert Plant. I’ve long loved his version of that truly beautiful song. Nice choices all around!

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  6. I have a hard time picking a favorite this week. The Canned Heat song is the only one that doesn’t do it for me. I had never heard that cover of Drive My Car. I rarely say this, but I think I like it better than the original. I love their energy.

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    • Sorry about that one – it was the only record of theirs that I ever bought!

      I’m pleased you liked the Twins: they have those great sibling harmonies and throw themselves into their songs, having a lot of fun along the way. There are loads more of them on YouTube if you want to see more.

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      • I will check them out. Thanks for the tip, Clive. Some groups appear to be going through the motions on stage, but these women are obviously having fun, which is infectious and passed on to the audience. You mentioned that they’ve had several drummers. This guy is excellent.

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      • I think they went with the equivalent of session drummers for their Cavern residency, from what I’ve read. He is good, isn’t he. Those shows do look a lot of fun, and I think you’ll enjoy watching more of them.

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    • I think it went under the radar for most – it’s lovely, isn’t it.

      Snap on Canned Heat! I was beginning to buy more albums than singles at that time but made a few exceptions for the good ones 😊

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    • I don’t think Trump is leaving anyone with another choice! But the potential problem here is Farage and his bunch of racist incompetents, who want to recreate us in Trump’s image.

      This has been a good theme, hasn’t it 😊

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  17. I too have the Big Daddy album though I haven’t listened to it for quite some time, your blog is a reminder to change that. Mellencamp’s ‘Scarecrow’ album was one of my favourites of the 1980’s. I wasn’t aware of the Robert Plant version of ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ and I was concerned he may over-do the vocal and ‘Zep’ it a little but it is a sensitive interpretation of a wonderful song. And Canned Heat and BTO, definitive driving songs! I have seen clips of the Mona Lisa Twins and as I’m local to them (I was at The Cavern last week) I must check them out.

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    • I think it is well worth revisiting! But he hasn’t made a single album that I haven’t enjoyed. I’ve always liked RP’s version of that best, though it is a close run thing with Tim Hardin’s original.

      Always good to throw a couple of good driving songs into the mix! I’m glad you liked the MonaLisa Twins too. Their Cavern residency was several years ago so I’m not sure if they still play there. They look fun, don’t they.

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