Welcome back to volume 2! For those that missed it the first time around…
Recently I was on the hunt for a rare song in my massive collection of fourteen 14
TB hard drives and as I was searching I thought what a shame it is that I have all this
cool stuff and only share bits and pieces here and there when needed. So I
thought I would start a new series here that doesn’t
just focus on one artist at a time… but various artists from my entire collection.
Thus was the birth of Rarity Row.
Volume 2 features more great (and less known) artists - folks you might be familiar with, like Prince, Talking Heads, Steely Dan, and the
Eagles, and those you might not be as familiar with (but should be!) like The
Carpenters and Suzanne Vega. And even a few you’ve never heard of (BUT
DEFINITELY SHOULD!) like Millard Powers, and his track is so strong, I chose it as my
leadoff for this volume.
Millard comes from a family tree that sprouts some of my favourite fun type of
music…Power Pop. In other volumes of The Row I’ll feature Owsley, The
Semantics and Ben Folds, three more from the Power Pop genre that I dig so much, and I
know you will too!
But for now, let’s just get on with the music.
It was a blast putting this volume together...and to know that there are so many
more to come.
Enjoy!
Michael
Track list and a bit more info:
01 She’s So Clean
Millard Powers - from 'Millard Powers' (Out Of Print)
Avery Millard Powers III (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician,
songwriter,
record producer, and
student at the
Grammy-nominated
recording engineer. While at University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the 1980's, he
collaborated with fellow student
Ben Folds and with Alabama-based singer
songwriter
Owsley, both of which he continued to work with as a musician and as a
producer for the next several decades. Since 2005, he has played bass guitar in
the band
Counting Crows. Powers released a self-titled solo album in 2001, playing all instruments
(bass, guitar, drums, keyboard), recording, producing, mixing, and engineering the
album himself in his apartment in Nashville,
Tennessee. No other artists were featured on the album.
02 Get Up Kate (Demo)
The Eagles 1972 - Rare and Unreleased (mostly Live) - recorded 1971, unreleased.
A rocker with a Frey lead vocal, 'Get Up Kate' was cut as a studio track for the debut LP but was never officially
released. A live version, featuring harmonies by Linda Ronstadt, appears on one
of her compilations, and the band’s studio version can be found online. The story
goes that after returning from their London sessions with Glyn Johns, the band
went back to the studio with producers Bill Halverson and Wally Heider to record
additional tracks, but 'Get Up Kate' (written by Frey), was shelved. High harmonies
give the choruses snap and the dual-guitar stuff has spunk.
The Eagles recorded a record of unreleased songs, covers and originals, at the
famous Wally Haider Studios before their debut album was released in 1972 . 'Get Up Kate' was a
song that Frey had occasionally sung with Linda Ronstadt's band, and The Eagles also
performed it a few times in 1972.
03 Dallas - Never on CD
Steely Dan 6-72 Single and Plus 4’s EP
'Dallas' is the first single by
Steely Dan, sung by drummer Jim Hodder. The
song was not on the band's debut album 'Can't Buy A Thrill' but was included on the
1978 Japan-only compilation 'Steely Dan'. It, and its b-side, 'Sail The Waterway', was also included on a 12-inch single version of 'Haitian Divorce' released in the
UK.
It was recorded by Poco in 1975 on their 'Head Over Heels' album. Personnel:
Donald Fagen – electric piano, piano, backing vocals
Walter Becker – bass guitar
Jeff Baxter – pedal steel guitar, guitars
Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, lead vocals
David Palmer – backing vocals
Tim Moore – backing vocals
04 Left Of Center (Live)
Suzanne Vega 1983 EP
'Left of Center' is a song written by
Suzanne Vega and
Steve Addabbo, which
was released as part of the
soundtrack to the 1986 film 'Pretty In Pink'. It features Joe Jackson on piano and was released as a single in May 1986, reaching No. 35
in
Australia, No. 28 in
Ireland, and No. 32 in the
United Kingdom.
05 Live To Tell (Demo)
Madonna 1986
'Live To Tell" is a song by American singer
Madonna from her third studio album, 'True Blue' (1986), and also featured in the crime drama 'At Close Range', starring
her then-husband
Sean Penn. In mid-1985, after completing the Virgin Tour, Madonna began working with
musician and producer Patrick Leonard, who had served as the tour's musical
director. The two first collaborated on 'Love Makes The World Go Round', which
Madonna performed at the Live Aid benefit concert in July. Around this time,
she married actor Sean Penn, whom she had met on the set of her 'Material Girl' music video. Leonard, meanwhile, was aiming to transition into film scoring, and
composed an instrumental piece intended for Paramount's 1986 film 'Fire With Fire'. However, the studio rejected the track, feeling it didn't fit the movie's tone. Madonna, intrigued by the composition, offered to write lyrics for it and proposed
using the song for 'At Close Range', a crime drama starring Penn. According to
author Rikky Rooksby, she wrote the lyrics "on the spot", crafting a melody and
bridge inspired by the film’s themes of family secrets and emotional trauma. "Sometimes when I'm writing songs, I'm just channeling", she later said, adding
that the lyrics reflected personal pain and yearning, whether autobiographical or
fictional. After recording a demo, she played it for director James Foley and
Penn, who responded positively. Penn called Leonard, who at the time was working with Michael Jackson on his 1987 album 'Bad', and invited him to meet. When asked who would sing the song, since the
lyrics had been written from a male perspective, Leonard insisted Madonna should
perform it. He chose to use the demo vocals, feeling they captured a sense of
naivety and emotional rawness that suited the piece. "It was so innocent and so
shy. It's as naive, as raw as can be, and that’s part of what gave 'Live To Tell' all
its charm", Leonard explained. Recording sessions for 'True Blue' took place at
Channel Recording Studios in Los Angeles, where the final version of 'Live to Tell' was completed.
06 Leave It (A Capella Version)
Yes - 1983 B-Side
'Leave It' is a song by English rock band
Yes. It appears on their 1983 album, '90125', and was released as its second single, following 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'.
The song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard
Hot 100
[6] and number 3 on the Top Album Rock Tracks chart. In the UK, the song rose to number 56 in late
March 1984, in a run of five weeks on the chart.
07 My Fair Share (The Love Them From 'One On One') (Out Of Print Soundtrack)
Seal And Crofts - 1977 'One On One' Soundtrack
'One On One' is the soundtrack album to the movie of the same title,
starring
Robby Benson. The music was written entirely by Charles Fox, with lyrics
by
Paul Williams, and Seals and Crofts provided the vocals. The single 'My Fair Share
(Love Theme from 'One On One')' reached #11 AC and #28 Pop in autumn 1977. It
was first released on CD in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records, and digitally by Rhino Records (another label of Warner Bros.) in 2008.
08 It's Probably Me (Alternate Version)
Sting w Eric Clapton
'It's Probably Me' is a song Sting rerecorded in 1993 for his 'Ten Summoner's
Tales' album, without any of the other musicians, and it was originally released in 1992
as a collaboration by
Sting featuring
Eric Clapton,
Michael Kamen, and David Sanborn. Released from the soundtrack to the
action comedy film 'Lethal
Weapon 3' in June 1992, the song reached number 20 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 12 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It was
more successful in Europe, peaking at number one in Italy, number four in France,
and number six in the Netherlands.
09 People On The Streets (Early Alternative Vocal Version of Under Pressure)
Queen and David Bowie -1981
A unique mix of 'Under Pressure', which features a very early vocal take from
Freddie Mercury, David Bowie (and Brian May!), likely when the song was under the working title 'People On The Streets'. Roger Taylor recalled in 2002: "David came in one night, and we were just playing
other people’s songs for fun and David said, ‘This is stupid. Why don’t we just
write one?’ It was originally called ‘People On The Streets’, and that was the basis of it,
and we took the multi track tapes to New York, and I spent all day there with David
and mixed it that night." Driven by Deacon’s incredible bassline, something which deserves all the praise it
receives, both Bowie and Mercury battled in the vocal booth fuelled, as
Blake suggests, by the two intoxicants of wine and cocaine.
Blake describes the scene, beginning with the recollections of Queen’s guitarist:
“‘We felt our way through a backing track all together as an ensemble,’ recalled May. ‘When the backing track was done, David said, ‘Okay, let’s each of us
go in the vocal booth and sing how we think the melody should go—just off the
top of our heads—and we’ll compile a vocal out of that’.”
He continues: “And that’s what we did. Some of these improvisations, including
Mercury’s memorable introductory scatting vocal, would endure on the finished
track. Bowie also insisted that he and Mercury shouldn’t hear what the other had
sung, swapping verses blind, which helped give the song its cut-and-paste feel.”
10 Chicago 1945 (demo)
Michael Jackson (leaked unreleased song intended for 'Victory' album 1983)
'Chicago 1945' is an unreleased song written by American singer
songwriter
Michael Jackson and Steve Pocarro, who also produced it. It was intended for the 'Victory' or 'Bad' albums, and on 27 January 2023, the track leaked online. Pocarro recalls: “Years ago, Michael and I wrote a song called 'Chicago 1945' – I did the music and
Michael the lyrics, he recorded the song twice, but never put it on an album… the
instruments were played in a constant rhythm in the 16th note, which was called
‘yada’. When I explained this to Michael, he liked it so much he gave me that
nickname!.”
It was recorded in 1983 during the 'Victory' sessions, and was intended for said
album. However, it wasn't in the final cut. 'Chicago 1945' was revisited again by Jackson in the Spring of 1986 during the 'Bad' sessions with new, live drums being added, and although it had a chance to make it on the
album, it again didn't make the cut.
11 Let It Rain (YouTube exclusive Video)
The Doobie Brothers w/ Peter Frampton 2020
The
Doobie Brothers and
Peter Frampton have partnered for a cover of
Eric
Clapton’s 1970 track, 'Let It Rain'. The song and its accompanying video were recorded virtually, with Frampton and
every member of the Doobie Brothers contributing their parts remotely. 'Let It
Rain' is a perfect choice for the Doobies and Frampton, who add a little extra
instrumental oomph — especially when Frampton and Tom Johnston start trading
guitar solos — but they otherwise remain faithful to the original’s cathartic pop-rock
charms.
Johnston tells Rolling Stone how the collaboration came together, saying: “A
couple of months ago, Peter and I were going over various tunes after deciding to
do a song or video together. I tossed out ‘Let It Rain’ by Eric Clapton and he loved
the idea. He’s a phenomenal guitarist and a fan of Clapton’s, as am I, so it seemed
a great idea to take to the rest of the guys. Peter, Pat, and I took verses and solos
and John played some cool pedal steel and helped us put that together with Bill
Payne on piano, John Cowan on bass, and Ed Toth on drums. Also Rob Arthur who
did all the video work played B3. It was a team effort! We really enjoyed working
together on this with Peter.”
Frampton added: “It was so much fun playing with my friends the Doobie Brothers
even virtually! I look forward to a time when we can, hopefully, play together in
person.”
The Doobie Brothers have dropped a handful of at-home performances this year
after they were forced to
postpone their 2020 touring plans because of Covid-19.
In April, they shared a socially distanced take on 'Black Water', and a few months
later they dropped a rendition of 'Listen To The Music'. In July, they got together
with Traffic’s Dave Mason to help him
re-record 'Feelin’ Alright'. with additional
help from Sammy Hagar, Mick Fleetwood, and Michael McDonald.
12 Carolina In My Mind (Solo Acoustic Demo)
James Taylor - James Taylor - Original expanded album
'Carolina In My Mind' is a song originally written and performed by the American
singer-songwriter
James Taylor, and it was his second single from his 1968
self
titled debut album. Taylor wrote 'Carolina In My Mind' while in England recording for
the Beatles' label
Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his
homesickness
at the time. Released as a single in 1969, the song earned critical praise but not
commercial success. It was re-recorded for Taylor's 1976 'Greatest Hits' album in
the version that is most familiar to listeners, but the original recording of the song was done at London's
Trident Studios during
the July to October 1968 period, and was produced by Peter Asher. The song's lyric
"holy host of others standing around me" makes reference to the Beatles, who
were recording 'The Beatles' in the same studio where Taylor was recording his
album. Indeed, the recording of 'Carolina In My Mind' includes a credited
appearance by
Paul McCartney on bass guitar and an uncredited one by George Harrison on backing vocals.
13 Tears Dry On Their Own (unofficial remix)
Amy Winehouse and Eric Clapton
This is a digital version which was originally released in 2007 and was part of an
unofficial Russian CDr (CD-ROM) from 2012: 'Amy Winehouse & Duffy - MP3
Collection'.
14 Oyster Bay (unreleased demo 1973)
Billy Joel - 'My Lives' box set
Billy Joel says in the liner notes to 'My Lives' that he can understand why some people don't like his music based off the countless hits he's had. This box set in theory was created to show off the multiple facets to Joel as an artist. One purpose definitely seems to have been a cleaning out of the vaults, so to speak. 23 of the songs here have never been released previously, and there are different versions of old standards. Throw in some B-Sides, live performances, and a live DVD, and I suppose you certainly get a glimpse of the versatility of Joel. One would think though more album cuts would have made the list, instead of demos, although 'Oyster Bay' shows us one of those classic Joel character studies while taking its sound from Elton John-era Elton.
15 Get Together (''Your Navy Presents'' Version)
The Carpenters live 1970
Unofficial release of the 1970 US Navy Radio Broadcast Show Presented by Sam
Riddle. This release has several interesting and unique performances that they
recorded live in the studio.
Firstly, there's 'Get Together' sung by Karen, but originally sung by Richard on their
debut album 'Offering' (later re-released as 'Ticket To Ride'.) This version was
also released on 'From The Top' in 1991 and on 'The Essential Collection (1965 -
1997)' in 2002. 'Love Is Surrender' sounds like an early edit with a few instruments missing that
were added before being released on the 'Close To You' album. 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing & All I Can Do' are
unique to this broadcast as they've never been released on any other format. The
same goes for 'Cinderella Rockerfella' and 'I Fell In Love', although these were also
performed in their early concerts up until 1973. 'Flat Baroque' also sounds like an earlier version that was revised and re-recorded
using different instruments for the 'A Song For You' album.
16 Purple Rain (Unedited 19-minute Movie Version)
Prince (Live In Syracuse, March 30, 1985)
In the semi-darkness of the Carrier Dome indoor stadium in Syracuse, New York, a
voice breaks through: "Hello Syracuse and the world. My name is Prince." That
was Prince's address to the city and the world on the evening of 30 March 1985,
before beginning his concert, which was filmed and transmitted live by satellite in
the United States and several other countries. A little later, TV stations in Europe
aired the show, including Antenne 2 (now France 2), on 25 May, in the program 'Les
Enfants du Rock'.
The venue had been decorated in Prince’s signature purple flowers, with a steady
stream of dramatic smoke pouring across the stage whilst lasers shone through
the mysterious built-up mist. Prince had just released the album that would
cement his place in rock’s rich tapestry, 'Purple Rain', though the ensuing tour
would make him one of the game’s legends.
Drummer Robert Rivkin noted the preshow ritual, saying: “We’d all gather in
Prince’s dressing room, in a circle, and either he would speak, or he would point to
one of us, and we would speak of the night. I can remember everybody seemed to
rise to the occasion and had very inspiring words against the backdrop of twenty
thousand screaming people waiting for us”.
“There was always that final moment of togetherness before we hit the stage,”
Rivkin added. “We didn’t ever just go out there without first connecting to each
other and looking in each other’s eyes and Prince checking us out and us checking
him out”.
As the curtain began to creep up slowly just before the show, a mysterious yet
small figure stood entranced in the fog and shadow. Then, out of nowhere, the
band got stuck into ‘Let’s Go Crazy‘, and the audience followed suit, some 38,000
of them. The concert had also been one of the first pay-per-view musical events.
Lisa Coleman said: “Prince was our conductor. We took our cues from him. He
spoke a lot with his face. You had to rely on that a lot. A lot of the time, he can’t
control it, so you learned what was pleasing to him and what frustrated him. And
then he did like the ugly funky face when you did something he liked. That was
always a good high”.
Serving as the first of two encores, 'I Would Die 4 U' and 'Baby I'm A Star' were drawn out into an extended jam session.
Sheila E. and her band,
Apollonia 6 and
Eric Leeds were also in this section of the show. The last encore was 'Purple
Rain', which Prince played this over 18 minutes, which included a longer intro, with Wendy
encouraging the audience to sing the song's post-chorus "ohh ohh" vocals, and
lengthy guitar solos on two of Prince's guitars (both seen in the movie and in
videos), including the white Cloud guitar.
