| COMPILATIONS OF VARIOUS ARTISTS
Page 9
(* denotes that this track is not found on Michelle's official album releases)
INTIMATE PORTRAIT: WOMEN IN ROCK ........................ Compilation Sep 1999
CD Sep 1999 USA Rhino 75811
1. Bangles: Hazy Shade Of Winter 2:46
2. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts: French Song 3:34
3. Sam Phillips: Baby I Can't Please You 3:30
4. Cyndi Lauper: She Bop3:38
5. Eurythmics: Would I Lie To You? 4:02
6. Linda Ronstadt: It's So Easy 2:27
7. Michelle Shocked: When I Grow Up 3:29
8. Scandal: Goodbye To You 3:46
9. Laura Branigan: Gloria 3:49
10. Bananarama: Venus 3:46
11. Lita Ford: Kiss Me Deadly 3:57
12. The Pretenders: Middle Of The Road 4:14
13. Pat Benatar: Hit Me With Your Best Shot 2:50
14. Vonda Shepard: Maryland 3:51
15. Belly: Feed The Tree 3:34
16. Alannah Myles: Black Velvet 4:45
Track 7 Credits:
Written by Michelle Shocked
(P)1988 courtesy of Michelle Shocked
Album Credits:
Compilation Produced for Release by Holly George-Warren
Project Supervision: Julie D'Angelo & Andrea Kinloch
Project Assistance: Alexander Alvy, Ted Myers
Remastering: Bill Inglot
Additional Liner Notes:
"Lifetime Television, dedicated to providing entertaining and informative
programming for women, is the #1 cable network for women. Our critically
acclaimed Intimate Portrait series is the only one on television to
exclusively profile women, including such music legends as Bette Midler,
Tammy Wynette, and Patti LaBelle. In conjunction with Rhino Entertainment,
known for setting the standard for high-quality music compilations, we
honor the lives and contributions of some of music's most creative forces
and give you a glimpse of what it took for them to get to the top.
For the women featured on this collection, life has not been the
proverbial dress rehearsal but the real show. During every hour logged
practicing, on stages and on the road, they've given it their best shot,
and it shows -- in their music, on their faces, and in their stories.
Theirs are the songs we hum during more ordinary events like housework,
homework, driving, and just kicking back. We may feel like we know them,
but more accurately, they help us know more about ourselves. Listen
closely -- you may hear your story in their words.
-------------------
The '90s have indeed been a very good decade to women in rock -- on the
covers of magazines, at the top of the charts, in touring musical
festivals, and, finally, in positions of authority at record labels and in
the media, women are making their presence felt like never before. But
what led to the apparent groundswell of guitar-wielding gals on stages and
in studios in recent years? Where did they find the inspiration to bust
the boys club that is rock 'n' roll, when only a small percentage of women
before them were granted great success? All signs point backward -- to a
core group of female pioneers who laid the groundwork for the trailblazers
of the '70s and '80s. You are about to meet the women who helped make
possible the success stories of the '90s -- Alanis and Jewel, Sheryl Crow
and Lauryn Hill, Courtney Love, Missy Elliott, Brandy, Monica, Britney,
Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, Shirley Manson, Salt-N-Pepa, Paula
Cole, TLC, Tori Amos, and the Spice Girls (are you getting the picture?).
They were the ones who went where no woman had gone before... before
female artists ruled the airwaves, the awards shows, your record
shelves... before girl power was even a catchphrase.
These women had few role models themselves. Some took their cues from the
earliest women of blues -- Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, and "Big Mama"
Thornton (who sang "Hound Dog" before Elvis Presley did). They in turn
helped shape the soulful sounds of such artists as Aretha Franklin and
Etta James, who begat vocal powerhouses like Tina Turner and Janis Joplin
-- all singers and performers extraordinaire.
Then there were the girl groups -- The Ronettes, The Crystals, The
Shirelles, The Supremes, and Martha & The Vandellas, among so many others.
They would serve as an inspiration to the girl groups of the '80s like
Bananarama -- though bands like the Go-Go's and Bangles took it one step
further by writing their own material and playing their own instruments.
The names of female songwriters of rock's formative era may not be so
familiar -- Cynthia Weil, Ellie Greenwich, Carole King, et al wrote the
early girl-group hits (while bassist Carol Kaye played them). They gave
rise to the female singer/songwriters who flourished in the late '60s and
'70s, including Joni Mitchell, Janis Ian, Laura Nyro, and King herself.
Their influence is felt any time a girl sits at a piano or picks up a
guitar and writes her own song.
Guitarists and singers like Bonnie Raitt have a kinship with the soulful
singers from blues and rock's earliest era but were equally inspired by
their male counterparts when they learned to sling a bottleneck blues
guitar. At the same time, young women of the mid-'70s, weaned on the
swaggering music of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, put their own
strong stuff to the test when they picked up electric guitars and kicked
and screamed with the best of 'em. Suddenly there were rocker gals like
Suzi Quatro, the Wilson sisters of Heart, Joan Jett and Lita Ford of The
Runaways, and later Pat Benatar. By the time punk hit in the mid-to-late
'70s, most bands were made up of men and women and there were plenty of
role models from which future girls could choose: Would they be
androgynous like Patti Smith, or tough and beautiful like Debbie Harry?
Highly theatrical like Siouxsie Sioux of the Banshees or a dark poet like
Exene of X? The women of the '80s had choices, as evidenced in their array
of styles -- from Cyndi Lauper's fun-loving rock to Annie Lennox's
gender-bending brand to Chrissie Hynde's direct attack with her
Pretenders.
And so, this "new" idea of women in rock, which took hold in a big way
during the '90s, seems ludicrous within this historical context, doesn't
it? We were always here! Yet what's worth celebrating today are the
numbers in which we are at work and the seriousness with which our art is
considered. And like working women of every profession, women in rock are
juggling the business of career with family and relationships. But nobody
said it was going to be easy...
Linda Ronstadt was a '70s upstart who had to gain acceptance among the
boys before she could achieve success on her own terms. Born in Arizona,
Linda moved to L.A in her early twenties and formed the Stone Poneys with
a couple of male friends. When they scored a hit with "Different Drum" in
1967, it was evident that Linda would become a star. However, she got
mired in some unfortunate business entanglements (which still beset young
musicians today) and her success had to wait, but when it came, it came on
strong: Her 1974 album, Heart Like A Wheel, included what would become
huge hits -- "When Will I Be Loved" and the #1 single, "You're No Good."
Immediately, Ronstadt became recognized as one the few women in a gang of
new Southern California musicians who achieved success in the '70s
(including the Eagles, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and Neil Young).
Linda brought her girlfriends to the party when Maria Muldaur, Karla
Bonoff, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Nicolette Larson added their
voices and songs to her records. In the '80s she released some of the
biggest-selling albums of her career -- she recorded standards
orchestrated by the legendary Nelson Riddle, she sang in Spanish, recorded
children's music, and even acted in musical theater. Ronstadt also helped
popularize the work of rock legends like Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly in
her cover songs; her famous take on Holly's "It's So Easy," included here,
is taken from her 1977 album Simple Dreams.
By the end of the decade, a new brand of female rock star was born: the
hard rocker. Who better to exemplify the new attitude than two Americans
-- Pat Benatar and Chrissie Hynde? Though originally from two different
poles, in the end they have proven to be quite similar simply because they
rock!
Pat Benatar is one of the original girl-power rockers -- her hard-rocking
style and strong female perspective has colored her work for 20 years.
Born Patricia Andrzejewski in Brooklyn, New York, Pat trained as an opera
singer but decided rock was her world, though she'll occasionally sneak in
an extended high vocal solo. In 1979 she released her first album, In The
Heat Of The Night, which contained the unforgettable rock rant
"Heartbreaker." Married to her producer and guitarist, Neil Geraldo, since
1982, Benatar has found a partner -- in the truest sense -- for life and
work. With numerous hits to their credit and songs covering such diverse
subject matter as child abuse ("Hell Is For Children") to the truest of
loves ("We Belong"), the pair continue to work and tour together, family
in tow. In 1997 she addressed a sold-out concert audience at San
Francisco's historic Fillmore: "People ask me why after 20 years I still
pick up my family and take them on the road. This is why... you guys."
Included here is the song that's become synonymous with her name and an
anthem for anyone who's ever been down, but not out: "Hit Me With Your
Best Shot," from 1980's Crimes Of Passion.
The extraordinary singer, songwriter, guitarist, and front woman Chrissie
Hynde worked as a waitress and music journalist before ultimately finding
her place as a rock 'n' roll musician with The Pretenders. Hailing from
Akron, Ohio, Hynde was part of the new scene that spawned Devo, among
others. But she tired of the sleepy town and went to seek her fortune
overseas, landing in London. It was there in 1978 that she formed The
Pretenders. By 1980 Hynde had debuted with a full-length album with the
all-English band behind her. The result was a worldwide hit thanks to the
single "Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)." After many albums, some highs (the
birth of two daughters) as well as lows (two of her former bandmates died
tragically), Hynde survives. As a tireless animal rights activist, working
mother, and performer, she can still fill an arena with the realigned
Pretenders more than 20 years after their inception. Here she performs
their Top 20 hit "Middle Of The Road."
Fast forward into the '80s. Behind the big hair and outrageous clothes and
makeup was a new wave of female rocker who continued to take charge of
career and family; and when it came to hands-on production,
decision-making, and injecting a whole new lifeblood into rock by creating
new sounds, these women were at the fore.
As a kid, Cyndi Lauper felt a great kinship with the big-voiced singers of
show tunes from a bygone era -- is it any wonder she's such a terrific
show woman? Plagued with trauma at home and at school, after running away,
Cyndi's soul-searching years gave her the idea to channel her misfortune
into creative work. She came to rock music by singing other people's songs
in bar bands and then with her band, Blue Angel, in the punk clubs; a
vocal gymnast, Cyndi's voice has an emotional resonance that didn't go
unrecognized for long. In 1983 she gave voice to women of all ages,
shapes, and colors by proclaiming, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," and by
way of a celebratory video, she became a style icon and inspiration to
anyone with a carefree spirit and open heart. Cyndi is the gal-pal woman
of rock -- the one you just know would help you out in a jam or be there
to celebrate life's joys and triumphs. Her friend Yoko Ono says, "With all
that intelligence and strength... people want to come near her, to be
close to her." Having done her best to include women in the recording and
performing aspects of her career (on 1997's Sister's Of Avalon she used a
full cast of female characters), Lauper's most recent creative effort has
been raising her son (with her husband). Included here is "She Bop" from
the album which started it all, She's So Unusual.
Annie Lennox and her boyfriend at the time, Dave Stewart, started their
new wave band, The Tourists, in London at the end of the '70s -- but most
fans know the pair as the '80s duo Eurythmics. Inspired equally by Joni
Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, and The Beatles, Lennox has an incredibly
strong vocal instrument, but that's not her only calling card: She helped
make androgyny a hot topic in the '80s by turning up at concerts and
public events in mannish suits and even in drag. Not one to suffer fools
gladly, she's been known to take "affirmative action" at the first sign of
a sexist attack. Lennox told her biographer, Lucy O'Brien, in 1996, "I
want to set new limits on what women in the music industry are allowed to
do. Sometimes I think I'd like to make exquisitely beautiful, sublime
music that's almost rhythmless. At other times the most frenzied, angry
club music you've ever heard..." Now that Annie's a full-fledged diva with
a solo career and also a mother, who can guess which card she's going to
play next? Rest assured, she'll be right on time, whatever the particular
zeitgeist calls for -- that's Lennox's strong suit. From their heyday, the
raucous R&B number "Would I Lie To You?" is off their 1985 album, Be
Yourself Tonight.
The Bangles, of course, were another product of the '80s. The all-female
band of Angelenas started out as a group of underground, thrift
shop-clothed girls who ended up huge stars thanks to their 1986 album,
Different Light, and one of its singles, "Walk Like An Egyptian." Often
mistaken for a bubblegum band, the Bangles, much like their peers in the
Go-Go's, were one of the few all-female bands of the era who played their
instruments and wrote and performed their own material -- they were more
like a female Beatles than models with prop guitars, but some found all
that talent and beauty in one band was too good to be true. After numerous
awards and endless touring, the mounting tensions of stardom forced the
band to call it quits. The four singers and songwriters in the band --
sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, Susanna Hoffs, and Michael Steele -- all
remain active musicians. "Hazy Shade Of Winter," the old Simon & Garfunkel
tune, was one of a handful of influential oldies the band recorded. It is
taken from the soundtrack to Less Than Zero, an '80s movie if ever there
was one.
And who loves rock 'n' roll more than Joan Jett? That tough-walkin',
tough-talkin' leather-clad woman is rock 'n' roll personified. She joined
her first band in L.A. at the age of 12(!). At 15, she joined one of a
handful of early girl rock bands, The Runaways (former Bangle Michael
Steele was a Runaway too, as was Lita Ford, whose "Kiss Me Deadly" is also
included here). Ever since her teenage membership in the group, Jett has
rocked hard, bucking trends and trusting her instinct when it comes to
working up her own sharp material as well as her canny choice of cover
songs. With the help of her band The Blackhearts, Jett broke through in
'82 with "I Love Rock 'N Roll." In the '90s Jett has found herself in the
spotlight once again as a role model for a whole new generation of punk
and hard rockers. "French Song" is taken from her 1983 effort, Album.
Every one of the artists included here has her own great stories to tell.
Bananarama is one of the most successful all-girl Brit pop bands in music
history. Did you know that after Patty Smyth had her solo success she was
asked to replace David Lee Roth in Van Halen? Sam Phillips counts numerous
musicians among her cult following (R.E.M. are fans). Laura Branigan and
Alannah Myles have had the kind of crossover chart success that few
achieve, but of which men and women alike dream. Vonda Shepard started
life as a singer/songwriter before she ever landed that plum role on Ally
McBeal; Tanya Donnelly of Belly was only a teenager when she started her
first band, Throwing Muses, with her half-sister, Kristin Hersh. Michelle
Shocked inspired a new crop of traditional singers to take a look at the
songs of America's folk heritage and make some history of their own.
All this is to say that these women of the '70s, '80s, and '90s are not
only women in rock, they are also women with real lives -- ones that are
full, embraceable, authentic. For them, life has not been the proverbial
dress rehearsal but the real show. During every hour logged practicing, on
stages and on the road, they've given it their best shot, and it shows --
in their music, on their faces, and in their stories, which they've so
kindly shared with us. We call on them to express what we're thinking when
we can't quite express it ourselves, and they deliver compassion,
kindness, and even anger, helping us through our days and hours -- from
births and deaths to weddings and graduations. Theirs are the songs we hum
during more ordinary events like housework, homework, driving, and just
kicking back. We may feel like we know them, but more accurately, they
help us know more about ourselves. Listen closely -- you may hear your
story in their words. Thanks to these women, we have the songs for the
times of our lives.
-- Denise Sullivan"
*BLUE HAZE - SONGS OF JIMI HENDRIX ................... Compilation 12 Sep 2000
CD 12 Sep 2000 GER Ruf 1053
1. Eric Bibb: Angel
2. Walter Trout, Popa Chubby and Jimmy Thackery: Who Knows
3. Eric Burdon: I Don't Live Today
4. Buddy Miles and Double Trouble: The Wind Cries Mary
5. Friend 'n' Fellow: Purple Haze
6. Walter Trout & The Free Radicals: Star Spangled Banner
7. Walter Trout & The Free Radicals: Hey Joe
8. Taj Mahal & The Hula Blues Band: All Along The Watchtower
9. Michelle Shocked: House Burning Down 5:43 5:45
10. Eric Cales & Trudy Lynn: Voodoo Chile
11. Bernard Allison: Hear My Train Comin'
12. Vernon Reid & Michael Hill: Red House
13. Ana Popovic: Belly Button Window
14. Alvin "Youngblood" Hart: Remember
15. Aynsley Lister: Little Wing
16. Eric Burdon: Third Stone From The Sun / The Story Of Life
Track 9 Credits:
Written by Jimi Hendrix
Michelle Shocked - vocal, electric guitar
Fiachna O'Braonain - electric guitar
Rich Armstrong - bass, trumpet
Sean Dancy - keyboard
Peter Buck - drums
Recorded by Mooka Lennox at Prairie Sun studios, Cotati, CA - June '00
Produced by Bart Bull
Co-produced by Fiachna O'Braonain
Album Credits:
Executive Producer - Thamas Ruf
Mixed by Jim Gaines & John Hampton - May 29 '00 at Ardent Studios,
Memphis, TN except where otherwise noted
Mastered by Carsten Fuchs at Brühl Studios, Weimar, Germany
Cover illustration - Robin Elvin
Additional Liner Notes:
'Winter 1967 - I remember we were standing on the corner outside Chas'
apartment, a stones throw away from Marble Arch, which if I remember
correctly Chas had given me the keys for, after Ringo Starr had vacated
the place and moved to the country. It was drizzling rain. We stood in the
shelter of the doorway waiting for Chas and the taxi he had ordered to
transport us to the Rave Club of the moment... The Speakeasy on Margert
Street, London's West End.
Knowing even then that I was in the company of a musician of great talent
equal to that of someone like Tschaikovsky or Beethoven, probably never to
be recognized in his own time, Jimi Hendrix looked up curiously at the
blue and white plaque which announced that the composer Händel had once
resided here. "Whoa" exclaimed Jimi, "that's far out man. Wasn't Händel a
German or something?" "Austrian," I said, not really knowing if I was
correct or not. One thing I know I was correct in saying, "You know maybe
someday you may have yourself an honour in a similar way." It came to pass
thanks to friends and lovers who could never forget the young black
American who came to London Town and turned it upside down, it came to
pass.
We had just met then, and my ex-bass player Chas Chandler had just two
months earlier taken on the management position in Jimi's life. I was
fortunate to be around to see his mega rise to stardom and watch the
shooting star on its way across the heavens of success not stopping till
it hit the ground a few short years later. I knew that night in the cold
drizzling rain that this guy would be a part of my life for as long as I
lived. It took me years to figure out what made this man different.
Something in this genetic makeup that caused him to stand out amongst all
the other great players, writers, artists I would meet over the next few
years. An American Hybrid.
The night at the Bag O' Nails in London when the Beatles were present in
the audience, he played his version of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club
Band. I still recall the look of amazement on the faces of Paul McCartney
and John Lennon as they heard their as it was mixed and twisted through
the Hendrix machine. McCartney later commented, "Christ! You never really
know how great your songs are until some black American plays it."
A HOLE IN ALL OUR HEARTS
The last time he played anywhere with any band was a jam in Ronnie Scott's
Club on September 17, 1970 with WAR. He was dead a few hours later, The
last time I saw him he was smiling and seemed to be his old self, full of
humor. Then suddenly gone.
Recently I visited the home of Jimi's father Al Hendrix in Seattle, WA. We
talked about one hour. I could see and feel the son in the father, the
same warmth and humor I knew years ago. As I was taking my leave I said,
"Al, one thing, could I please see a photo of Jimi's grandmother?" "Ho!
You mean Nora, my mother - yes - come." He led me to a collection of
family photos. There she was. Nora, full blooded Cherokee. That's where
the power came from I thought, as I looked into her ancient Indian face,
high cheekbones, silver hair, in a golden frame. That's where the power
came from,
the electric storm,
the word LOVE.
- Eric Burdon New Orleans, May 2000'
Note:
A quote from Michelle on the rear of the CD booklet says "Hendrix is about
beauty."
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