Music Break

Once again I think it's time to put together a few tunes.  Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that I like to start my regular posts with a sentence ending in "things going on".  This phrase also just happens to be the title of a song from Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut album Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd, commonly referred to as "Pronounced".  The song was written by singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington, and features honky-tonk piano solos by keyboardist Billy Powell.  In the picture, from left to right, are bassist Leon Wilkeson, Powell, Van Zant, Rossington, drummer Bob Burns, guitarist Allen Collins, and guitarist Ed King.  Wilkeson was absent during the recording of this album, which resulted in King and producer Al Kooper (under the pseudonym Roosevelt Gook) sharing the bass duties.


I ran across the next song when it was used as background music for a YouTube video about an abandoned steam locomotive in Australia.  In 1972, the Australian group Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs released the non-album single Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy).  Thorpe, who was born in England, had a hit in 1979 with Children of the Sun and later joined Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.


In 1981, Rainbow released their fifth album Difficult to Cure, which included the single Can't Happen Here.  At this point, the band included Deep Purple alumni Ritchie Blackmore on guitar and Roger Glover on bass, along with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, Don Airey on keyboards, and Quiet Riot alumnus Rob Rondinelli on drums.  Turner would later appear on one Deep Purple album.  Airey would take over as Deep Purple's keyboardist after Jon Lord retired.  Whether Rainbow is a Deep Purple farm team or vice versa is probably a matter of opinion.


The all-female group Fanny performed Summer Song on the German TV show Beat Club in 1972.  The band include Jean Millington on bass, June Millington on guitar, Nickey Barclay on keyboards, and Alice de Buhr on drums.  The Millington sisters provide most of the vocals on this one, while Barclay punctuates the song with lots of Hammond organ licks.


To finish, the (at least alleged) antics of a certain former vice president reminded me of this one, Keep Your Hands To Yourself by the Georgia Satellites.