Here I need to know only names of unnamed background songs. In the very beginning, before Carole King's song, while talking about garage bands. Especially I need to know that one before Carole King's song.
17 Friends and Neighbors[unknown song is playing in the background]“The Lady in Red” (Ellen Barkin): It's night time in the Big City. A light drizzle starts to fall. An anxious lover waits by the phone.
“The Lady in Red” (Ellen Barkin): It’s Theme Time Radio Hour with your host Bob Dylan.
Bob Dylan: Howdy neighbors and hello friends! I’m so glad to see you; it’s time once again for Theme Time Radio Hour. And tonight we’re gonna expand our
calling(?) circle, and talk about those folks that we were made connected to. Neighbors are defined by distance, but no distance can keep friends apart. We’ll be learning all about that today, as we talk about friends and neighbors. Here on Theme Time Radio Hour.
Bob Dylan: They say that good fences make good neighbors, and good friends make good music. Here’s the spangled ex-butcher with the mile-high pompadour, it’s Porter Wagoner and his good friends The Wagonmasters, with “Howdy Neighbor, Howdy”
[Porter Wagoner and the Wagonmasters – “Howdy Neighbor” starts to play in the background]
Bob Dylan: They’re about to drive the wagon in the yard and turn the donkey loose, they even want to kick that hound out of the way and watch them fightin' goose. Porter Wagoner.
[Porter Wagoner and the Wagonmasters – “Howdy Neighbor”]
Bob Dylan: That was Porter Wagoner and the Wagonmasters, “Howdy Neighbor, Howdy,” Welcoming you in for another episode of Theme Time Radio Hour, and I want you all to be my friends. As Frederick Nietzsche once said: “Go up close to your friend, but do not go over to him. We should respect the enemy that is in our friend.” Oscar Wilde once said: “A true friend will stab you in the front.” Well said, Oscar.
Bob Dylan: Here’s an artist we’re played on our very first show, but I didn’t have a chance to talk about her, and I wanna correct that mistake right now. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a powerful force of nature, a guitar playing, singing evangelist. You know, she traveled to England with Muddy Waters and whole bunch of other blues performers, in the late 50’s and early 60’s, and I’m sure there a lot of young English guys who picked up an electric guitar after getting a look at her. If you want to get a look at her, go on to YouTube and type in: “Sister Rosetta Tharpe,” it’ll blow your mind. Here she is with some good advice, “Don't Take Everybody to Be Your Friend.” Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
[Sister Rosetta Tharpe – “Don't Take Everybody to Be Your Friend”]
Bob Dylan: That was Sister Rosetta Tharpe, anything but ordinary and plain. She was a big, good looking woman, and divine. Not to mention sublime and splendid, always dressed like she was on her way to church, with that electric guitar strung across her shoulder. Matter of fact I saw her a few times myself, at the National Guard Armory. You know, she got married at 19 and 51 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in front of 25 thousand paying customers. This is what it sounded like:
[“Ladies and gentlemen the big moment as you can well see is just about arrived, I’d like to take this opportunity to... welcome you to Griffith Stadium, where you’re about to be guests at the wedding of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, after which there will be a spiritual concert followed by fireworks.”]
Bob Dylan: I didn’t know you could charge admission to your wedding. I wish I’d known that.
Bob Dylan: You know you have no shortage of friends if you stay right here, on Theme Time Radio Hour, where the subject toujour is Friends and Neighbors.
Bob Dylan: Here’s a guy who long and tall and on the ball, T-Bone Burnett. Everybody thinks he’s a Texan, but he was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved out to Fort Worth, and opened up his own recording studio, and made records and played on records.
[T-Bone Burnett – “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: Here he is with his version of the Jule Styne and Leo Robin classic “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.”
[T-Bone Burnett – “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend”]
Bob Dylan: That was T-Bone Burnett, the guy who
’s no(known?) material girl, doing his version of “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.” And they are. This song is from 19 and 49 Broadway show “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds,” and it was originally sung by Carol Channing. Later on in 19 and 53 Howard Hawks directed the movie version, and picked the blond that gentlemen prefer, the
luscious curvaceous Miss Marilyn Monroe to play the Fortune Hunter Lorelei Lee.
[Marilyn Monroe - "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend” excerpt]
Bob Dylan: Right about now it’s time for wit bit of email. I like email, but I miss the postman, I used to like it when he would come by and tell me what my neighbors were doing. Oh well, times change. Today’s email is from Vernon Talbot from Tampa, Florida, he writes: “Dear Theme Time Radio Hour! Love the show. But I can’t help but notice that most of the artists you play are somewhat obscure. What’s up with that?” Well, Vernon, it’s a fair question. First of all, why should we play things you can hear anywhere else? On the other hand, the artists we play are interesting and deserve their moment in the sun. Besides, I would bet they are not obscure to their friends and neighbors. While we’re on the subject of obscurity, here’s a quote that can make it clear: “Brevis esse luboro (sic! - laboro), obscurus fio,” which means in plain English: “I strive to be brief, and I become obscure.” So, Vernon, I hope that answers your question. Here’s a Cajun song by Doc Guidry, hope this is obscure enough for you, it’s called “The Friendship Waltz.” You might know it as “La Valse D'Amie” (sic! - La valse d'amitié). Doc’s gonna sing it in his native language, but here’s what he’s saying.
[Doc Guidry – “La valse d'amitié” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: After everything is done and said, I’ll be here all alone, but life is in the past, I will not regret it. When our friendship was so strong, so gentle and all in white [inhales] all of them, and my big sorrow will be not to see you again. (
http://cajunlyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=494)
[Doc Guidry – “La valse d'amitié”]
Bob Dylan: It was Doc Guidry, “The Friendship Waltz." Doc joined the Happy Fats’ band who were also known the Rayne-Bo Ramblers, who started recording in Dallas, Texas in 19 and 34. Here’s another Texan, I guess, Texas is a friendly place. This is Moon Mullican, whose real name was Aubrey, who got the nickname Moon when he was 16 years old, and it did him good ever since. Moon's combination of pumping piano and country vocals were a huge influence on Jerry Lee Lewis. He was one of the grandfather’s of rock’n’roll, and a friendly fellow to boot. As you give a listen to this, “Make Friends” with Moon Mullican.
[Moon Mullican – “Make Friends”]
Bob Dylan: That was Moon Mullican with a philosophy of making friends. As one of the wisest men I’ve ever known - Muhammad Ali – once said: “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school, but if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship you really haven't learned anything at all.” Moon Mullican, Muhammad Ali, two ways of saying the same thing.
Bob Dylan: Let’s move from friends to neighbors for a moment. Thomas Jefferson had something to say about neighbors, he said: “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg,” Thomas Jefferson, reminding us about the separation of church and state.
Bob Dylan: Coming up next on Theme Time Radio Hour, a harmonica player by the name of Jerry McCain. He once heard Little Walter play, and it changed his life forever. Music used to do that. That same year under the name "Boogie McCain" he made his first record for “Trumpet” in Jackson, Mississippi. But his best known records were on the “Excello” record label, and that’s why we’ve got this one – “My Next Door Neighbor” by Jerry McCain.
[Jerry McCain – “My Next Door Neighbor”]
Bob Dylan: That was Jerry McCain talking about his next door neighbor, who wants to borrow the broom and the mop, and the clock, and a piece of meat and
loaf(?), and sugar, even borrow the television and came back to get the antenna. We all know neighbors like that. You know, my next door neighbor Harold he comes to me and he says: “Hey Bob! Are you gonna need your golf clubs on Sunday?” I told him: “Hey Harold, I’m playing golf that day.” And he said: “Good. Then you won’t need your lawnmower.” He’s a smart guy [some random sound in the background], one of kind of neighbors that Jerry McCain is talking about. On the other hand, a lot of people love their neighbors, sometimes a little too much, like in this next song. You know, we’ve talked a lot about George Jones, but on this song he’s got a lovely partner, her name is Melba Montgomery. She got her start at the age of ten, when she and her brother won an amateur talent contest. She had a handful of hits with George Jones before Tammy Wynette, and this one is one of the wildest. I played this record for some of the guys here in the Abernathy Building, and they couldn’t believe their ears.
[George Jones and Melba Montgomery – “Let's Invite Them Over” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: This is country music at its best, friends. Give a listen!
[George Jones and Melba Montgomery – “Let's Invite Them Over”]
Bob Dylan: That was George Jones with Melba Montgomery. The song from the swinging 60’s. I don’t mean the swinging 60’s like Carnaby Street; I mean the swinging 60’s like, we have a party, and the men put all their car keys in a hat, the wives pick out a car key, they put on a Trini Lopez record, and everybody just swings. Now, I’ve never been to a party like that myself, but I hear those kind of things happen.
Bob Dylan: Now, I love country music, but I say – what happened to it? You hear a song like this and it’s obvious, it’s about real people, and real emotions, and real problems. That’s all, that’s the country music we learned to love. Nowadays they want to sweep all the problems under the rug, and pretend they don’t exist. Well, guess what, folks? They do exist! And if you try and sweep them under the rug, they’re just gonna pop up somewhere else. So we might as well just face it and listen to the old style country music. The real country music. You know: about drinking, and sleeping around. That’s my kind of country music! And I hope yours. But I digress. On a more serious note, Aristotle once said, “In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds.” On the other hand, some people say their friends are God’s way of apologizing to us for our families. There’s lots of opinions about friends. The great Howlin’ Wolf has another one.
[Howlin' Wolf – “My Friends” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: This next song is entirely without flaw and meets all the supreme standards of excellence.
[Howlin' Wolf – “My Friends”]
Bob Dylan: That was the great Howlin’ Wolf talking about his kind of friends, talking about friends like we all must have. They don’t wanna see him with a thing. Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters were the biggest blues stars in Chicago in late 50’s, but according to many people they were never friends. They were very competitive, both wanted Willie Dixon’s newest hits, and supposedly the two of them never shook hands. People say that Muddy was graceful and generous, feeling good when many of his musicians went on to form their own bands. Wolf was jealous, a tight-fisted boss, who would fire them and never speak to them once they left his band. Muddy Waters love Fats Waller, Howlin’ Wolf called jazz "blee-blop" and he fined his guitarist for playing it. Big and bold, Howlin’ Wolf, not a man to cross.
Bob Dylan: You know, the blues records sound so good, let’s listen to another one. Here’s that man that changed Jerry McCain’s life. You remember Jerry McCain – he had problems with his next door neighbors; it’s also a good example of what we were talking about with Muddy Waters letting his sidemen go off and record records on their own. In 19 and 52 Little Walter went into Chess brothers recording studios – they probably gave him studio time because he painted their houses, or something. Anyway, he recorded a song [another random sound in the background], it was an instrumental that the Muddy Waters band used as their backtune, and came out under the name “Juke” by Little Walter, it was a top-10 rhythm-and-blues smash. Walter was a hard-living, hard-drinking, hard-fighting guy and died at an early age, the result of one too many bar fights.
[Little Walter – “Last Night” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: The song we’re gonna play tonight is bone-chillingly sad, and supposedly based on a true story about Walter losing one of his closest friends. “Last Night” by Little Walter.
[Little Walter – “Last Night”]
Bob Dylan: Little Walter, he died at an early age, 38 years old, but if you see pictures, he looks closed to 60. A hard-living man, but a great artist.
[unknown music starts playing in the background]Bob Dylan: If you need a friend, here are some things that make a good friend: Good friends listen to each other, good friends help each other solve problems, good friends are dependable, this one is very important – good friends never borrow money, good friends never change the channel on your radio, good friends always tell you when you have food in your teeth, good friends sometimes pay for dinner, and good friends sometimes let you have a last beer, – and if you’ll do one of those things, [unknown music in the background stops] maybe you’ll have a friend, like Carole King sings about. Carole began playing piano at the age of four, I’ve hear her play, and I believe she’s been playing that long, she’s quite good. In 19 and 59 Neil Sedaka wrote a song called “Oh Carole” (“Oh! Carol”?) in her honor. She teamed up with Gerry Goffin, and Carole and Jerry scored their first hit with The Shirelles, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." And it just kept going from there, you know all of her songs – "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," “Chains,” "I Feel the Earth Move," “Loco-Motion," “One Fine Day,” “Take a Giant Step,” – I could be here all day just saying songs Carole King wrote. I'd rather listen to her sing one.
[Carole King – “You've Got a Friend” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: Here’s Carole King, she’s gonna brighten up even you darkest night.
[Carole King – “You've Got a Friend”]
Bob Dylan: “You've Got a Friend.” From her 19 and 71 album “Tapestry,” which stayed on the charts for over six years, and was the best selling album of the era. Carole King singing about when you're down in trouble, and needing a helping hand, close your eyes and think of her – you’ve got a friend, just call her name: “Oh, Carole!”
Bob Dylan: You’re listening to Theme Time Radio Hour, and we’re talking about friends and neighbors. Next up we’ve got a band called Ronnie and the Delinquents, on the “Jaycee” record label, out of New Orleans, everybody down there would remember them – still herd on the jukeboxes of some sections of town. Ronnie and the Delinquents featured a couple of guys you might be familiar with, one of them I know you’re familiar with, his mane is Dr. John, but this is from way before he was Dr. John, he was "Mac" Rebennack, and he was a guitar player until a gun accident damaged his hand. He was no stranger to the kind of neighborhood he sings about in this song, “Bad Neighborhood.” His partner in crime in this song, Ronnie of Ronnie and the Delinquents was the guy named Ronnie Barron who knew “Mac” Rebennack since they were both 15. Ron created a character called Reverent Ether, who go on and on about voodoo and gumbo, and shake the tambourine, and say things like, “I'm gonna drop the truth on you now.” Time marches on, and their partnership became history, they both went their separate ways: “Mac” Rebennack became Dr. John, and Ronnie Barron played with The Prime Ministers in Los Angeles. And as Paul Harvey would say: “Now you know the rest of the story.” And here’s where the story began, in a bad neighborhood. I’m gonna drop the truth on you now. Ronnie and the Delinquents. Pete Townsend should’ve heard this before he wrote "Pinball Wizard."
[Ronnie and the Delinquents – “Bad Neighborhood”]
Bob Dylan: Another true zombie tale from the swamps of New Orleans. That was Ronnie and the Delinquents, “Bad Neighborhood.”
Bob Dylan: Here’s my old pals The Rolling Stones. And I guess you heard about Keith, and everybody’s glad he’s feeling better now. Here he is with Charlie, Mick, Woody, and the bass player, with the song from their album “Tattoo You.” Here’s Mick warning his neighbors: “Don't you mess with my baby, when I'm out working all night.” I’m glad my neighbor doesn’t shout like this.
[The Rolling Stones – “Neighbors”]
Bob Dylan: That was The Rolling Stones with “Neighbors.” Invite your friends over, get your neighbor to come by and give listen, ‘cause this is Theme Time Radio Hour, and this week is all about them. Themes, dreams and neighborly schemes.
Bob Dylan: One of the greatest songwriters who ever lived was Hank Williams, of course. Hank could be headstrong and willful, a backslider and a reprobate, no stranger to bad deeds. However, underneath all of that, he was compassionate and moralistic. He recorded a series of records under the name “Luke the Drifter,” these were moralistic and religious theme recordings. And each one of them is a beautiful jam. Here’s one as relevant today, as it was the day he recorded it.
[Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter – “Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: Are you someone who goes to too many parties and has too many pals? Maybe you’d better listen.
[Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter – “Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals”]
Bob Dylan: “Too Many Parties, Too Many Pals,” Luke the Drifter.
Bob Dylan: “He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, while he who has one enemy shall meet him everywhere,” – words to live by, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Bob Dylan: So we have more emails than we know what to do with. So this week we’re gonna double dip. This one comes from Guy Hornsby. He writes: “Bob, I'm afraid your crack research team has let you down. On your show devoted to the songs of summer, you told listeners that Billy Stewart died June 17, 19 and 70. I know he died in January of that year, because my high school senior class in Brookland-Cayce, South Carolina had booked him to perform at our prom. Remember when high school proms had live music instead of DJ’s?” Matter of fact, I do. That was better! Guy continues to write: “We had to scramble to come up with a local band. We were fortunate enough to get The Swinging Medallions. Their big hit was “Double-Shot of My Baby's Love.” To make a long story short...” Too late Guy, “I would like to suggest that Theme Time Radio Hour devoted to garage bands.” Garage bands?
[Some dead familiar tune starts to play]Bob Dylan: Well, first off, Guy, thank you for your note. I'd like to point out, there is already a program that focuses on garage music. I think that guy from The Sopranos does it. Not the Big Soprano, but one of the little Sopranos. But you know what, I enjoyed your letter so much, I think I got something for ya. By the way, Guy, what is a garage band? I've recorded songs in my garage. Am I a garage band?
[Some dead familiar tune stops playing]Bob Dylan: Anyway, Eric Burdon was in a band called The Animals, which a lot of people think is one of the first garage type bands. After he left The Animals Eric Burdon ended up in a night-club where he saw an R&B band called Nightshift, backing up Defencive end for the LA Rams, Deacon Jones, who was trying to launch a singing career [laughter]. No-one’s remember Deacon Jones singing, but we all remember a band that backed him up. Eric Burdon changed their name to War, and hired harmonica player Lee Oskar.
They worked at a hit with him “Spill the Wine.” And once he got out of there, War have had hits like “Slippin' into Darkness,” “The World Is a Ghetto,” and my personal favorite, “The Cisco Kid.” They also did this one.
[War – “Why Can't We Be Friends?” starts playing]
Bob Dylan: “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” We don't need any border patrols, or people trying to pigeon hole music. We just need more records like this. Here’s War.
[War – “Why Can't We Be Friends?”]
Bob Dylan: That was War, “Why Can't We Be Friends?” They gave question, but the answer – look inside yourself. I know I love my neighbor, but I’m not ready to pull down my hedges. Nicholas Berdyaev once said: “Bread for myself is a material question; bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.” If you’re worried about your neighbor’s behavior, stop looking so closely at him, and look at what you’re doing. You’re probably making him just as uneasy, as he makes you, ‘cause if you’re without sin, you can cast the first stone, and I don’t know anybody who should be going around throwing stones. So that’s about it for another week here on Theme Time Radio Hour. But you’re welcomed to stick around, maybe we will make some sandwiches, have ourselves a drink. After all, you’re my friends, and you’re always welcome. See ya next week.
[“Top Cat (underscore)”]
“Pierre Mancini”: You’ve been listening to Theme Time Radio Hour, with your host, Bob Dylan. Produced by Eddie Gorodetsky. Associate producer, Sonny Webster. Continuity by “Eeps” Martin. Edited by Damian Rodriguez. Supervising editor, Rob Macomber. The Theme Time research team: Diane Lapson and Bernie Bernstein, with additional research by Lynne Sheridan, Kimberly Williams, and Robert Bower. Production assistance by Jim McBean. Special thanks to Randy Ezratty, Debbie Sweeney, Coco Shinomiya, and Samson's Diner. For XM Radio, Lee Abrams. Special thanks to Carl’s Barbershop. Travel courtesy of Sabudio International Airport. Recorded in Studio B, The Abernathy Building. Studio engineer, Tax Carbone. This has been a Grey Water Park Production in Association with Big Red Tree.
“Pierre Mancini”: This is your announcer, Pierre Mancini, speaking.
“Pierre Mancini”: Join us again next week for Theme Time Radio Hour, when the subject is, “Radio.”
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