say hi to the friday five


James "Sugar Boy" Crawford said he never received royalties from Iko Iko, the song his Jock-A-Mo is based on. Crawford was inspired by chants he heard in Congo Square in New Orleans - when interviewed in the 80s, Crawford said: "I'd heard these chants and liked the sound of them, so I just put a little tune to them. I can't take credit for the words, obviously, but I guess the tune is mine. It came from two Indian chants that I put music to. 'Iko Iko' was like a victory chant that the Indians would shout. 'Jock-A-Mo' was a chant that was called when the Indians went into battle. I just put them together and made a song out of them. Really it was just like 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy.' That was a phrase everybody in New Orleans used. Lloyd Price just added music to it and it became a hit. I was just trying to write a catchy song...."

Sugar Boy Crawford: Jock-A-Mo - 2MB

I'm afraid Harry Nilsson is becoming one of those artists neglected by time. An incredible tunesmith that recorded some of the most emotion-filled Pop of the 70s, he died in January of 1994 of heart failure after slowly deteriorating from a massive heart attack in 1993. Today's featured tune comes from the soundtrack of Son Of Dracula, produced for Apple Films by Ringo Starr. It starred musicians John Bonham, Peter Frampton, Ricki Farr, Bobby Keyes and Keith Moon. In an understatement, Ringo Starr said "It is not the best film ever made, but I've seen worse." Of the nine songs in the soundtrack, only Daybreak, a tune from a vampire's POV, was written especially for the film.

Harry Nilsson: Daybreak - 4MB

This week, Alton Kelley, who with his creative partner Stanley Mouse, designed Grateful Dead album art and psychedelic concert posters for the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore West, passed on. Kelley was an visual alchemist whose work helped define 60s art, you can still see his influence today. In his honor, a cut from American Beauty, an album he designed the cover art for. American Beauty is a masterpiece, one of the finest complete albums ever - a perfectly conceived blending of American music genres. Not bad for a bunch of dirty, filthy hippies.

Grateful Dead: Ripple - 7MB

What is it about Denmark bands? I find myself posting an inordinate amount of Danish music, it must be in the water. Powersolo is a Danish punk trio founded by the guitar playing Jeppesen brothers, I think their press release describes them best: "Danish B-Movie punk-a-billy cats. It's Sick-o-billy roots, fucked up and hurt bad with tremolo-twisted echo and reverb dementia! Bullet-ridden Americana! Druggy angst and questionable mental health! Weirder and wilder… because it is from Denmark!"

PowerSolo: Kat Nazer - 5MB

Curtis Mayfield is one of the few members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who have been inducted more than once - first with the Impressions in 1991 and again as a solo artist in 1999. In 1990, a freak accident during a Brooklyn concert left Mayfield permanently paralyzed from the neck down. I saw Curtis in concert just a few months before the accident, the man exuded dignity, grace and soul. He died in 1999, his uplifting brand of R&B lives on through the artists he influenced and his recordings. Here's the extended version of his 1970 solo hit - don't disturb this groove.

Curtis Mayfield: Move On Up - 14MB

Enjoy the first weekend in June, which is just about already in progress...