Cool but useless music trivia

Cafe Society
1

I was looking for the bass tab for the bassline in Bust a Move by Young MC (I’m too lazy to figure basslines out by ear these days) and low and behold, Flea wrote it! I just thought that was pretty cool. There’s got to be a million “Did you know that <musican> played on <record>?!” or “You’d never guess who wrote <song>.” Not as obscure but just to get the ball rolling:

-Dolly Parton sang I Will Always Love You before Whitney Houston.

-Willie Nelson wrote Crazy, popularized by Patsy Cline.

Oh, and if anybody cares, here’s the bass tab for Bust a Move, courtesy Olga:



G---------r-----------------------r----------------------|--------r-----
D---------e-----------------------e----------------------|--------e-----
A---------s-----------------------s-----3--x--5--x--6h7--|--------s-----
E---0--0--t--0--3--x--2--3--5--5--t--5-------------------|--0--0--t-----
                                                                        

                                                                        
G------------------------r--------------------||------------------------
D------------------------e--------------------||------------------------
A------------------------s-----3--x--2--2-----||------------------------
E---0--3--x--2--3--5--5--t--5--------------5--||------------------------
2

The late Rick James played in a band with Neil Young in Canada before Neil moved to California and helped form Buffalo Springfield. James was AWOL from the U.S. Navy at the time, resulting in the first of his many prison sentences.

But can you imagine if James had made the trek to California with Neil and became part of the Springfield? Can’t you just see him in a suede fringe jacket and muttonchop sideburns plus gold chains and feathers? And then when that group broke up, he could have joined Crosby, Stills, James and Young replacing Graham Nash’s precious tunes with the likes of “Our House Is A Funky, Funky, Funky, Funky House” or collaborating with Stephen Stills on “Superfreak: Judy Blue Eyes.” And if he slept with Joni Mitchell like everyone else, maybe he would have changed her musical influences enough that she would have put out a tribute album to James Brown instead of Charles Mingus.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place?

3

Paul McCartney played banjo (his original instrument) and produced the Bonzo Dog Band’s British Single, “I’m the Urban Spaceman,” using the pseudonym “Apollo C. Vermouth.”

McCartney’s brother Mike changed his last name to McGear (to avoid looking like he was cashing in on his brother’s name) and had a British hit as part of the group Scaffold.

The Beatles’ faces could be found on the original cover art of the Rolling Stones’ “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” their faces in the flowers at the bottom. Reprints left out two of the Beatles (the original cover was one of those “moving picture” images), and you probably couldn’t pick them out on the CD.

Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” LP was originally released in blue plastic shrink wrap; you could not see the cover unless you bought it.

Frank Zappa’s band was actually named “The Mothers,” but the record company insisted on adding “of Invention.”

Blind Faith was the first group to have a #1 record on the Billboard charts without having a single that made the top 40.

“See You in September” was written by Sherman Edwards, who also wrote the hit musical “1776.” Roger “King of the Road” Miller also has a hit Broadway musical: “Big River.”

Joey Dee and the Starlighters were a starting point by two major stars: Jimi Hendrix and Joe Pesci.

4

Jimi Hendrix opened for the Monkees, back in '67. :eek:

5

Parton wrote the song.

6

Also, regarding “Bust a Move”: That track was left over from the Beastie Boys Pauls Boutique album. Mario Cataldo Jr., a fixture in the Beastie Boys universe was the engineer on Young MC’s Stone Cold Rhymin.

7

And speaking of Pink Floyd… Toni Tennille, of “Captain &” fame, performed on The Wall.

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8

Phil Collins played the drums on the Tears For Fears track “Woman In Chains”.

9

I love that song! And I happen to have that disc with me here at work. Guess what I’m listening to after my 2:00 meeting. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

10

We boomers probably only remember The Happenings’ 1966 top 40 version of “See You In September,” but it was first recorded by The Tokens in 1959. Shelley Faberes did a version too.

Sherman Edwards, author of 1776, the most literate Broadway play ever, is also the writer of the cave-woman idiocy of Joanie Sommers’ “Johnny Get Angry.”

Rupert Holmes wrote and sang the much-detested “Escape (The Pina Colada Song).” He also wrote every episode of the wonderful, wonderful* tv series Remember WENN and award-winning Broadway shows like The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

“Telstar” by The Tornadoes was the first number one U.S. hit by a British group.

Chevy Chase sat in on drums with Walter Becker and Donald Fagan in their pre-Steely Dan days at Bard College, although he never recorded with them. Becker and Fagan went to do backup for Jay and the Americans.

Little Bobby Zimmerman did the same for Bobby Vee.

Sheryl Crow was a backup singer on a Michael Jackson tour.

Paul McCartney is the guy singing “quite rightly” in the background of Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow.”
*“Wonderful, Wonderful,” the Johnny Mathis hit, was also written by Sherman Edwards

11

Speaking of Toni Tennille, her and the Captain (Darryl whats-his-name) were in the Beach Boys road band. Glenn Campbell toured with them too (Beach Boys) before going solo.

Alan Parsons was the engineer on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, and it was recorded in the Abbey Road Studios.

Willie Nelson wrote “You Were Always On My Mind”, but I can’t remember if it was for Elvis Presley to record or not.

Sonny Bono had a bigger hit as a co-writer for “Needles and Pins” than for any of the Sonny & Cher songs he wrote and sang on.

As mentioned, Hendrix opened for The Monkees, on their European tour.

Paul McCartney also wrote and performed on Badfinger’s “If You Want It” (is that the real title, because I’m freezing up on that one right this moment) the first non-Beatle release from Apple Records.

Lisa Loeb and the Nine Stories was the first band without a record contract to have a single debut on Billboard at the #1 position.

The playing time as for “Stairway To Heaven” is longer than it took Plant & Page to write it (they needed one more song for the album.) Yes folks, STH is FILLER!

Waylon Jennings was a Cricket, and gave up his seat on the plane to Richie Valens. The plane subsequently crashed, killing Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens.

David Bowie wrote “All The Young Dudes” for Mott The Hoople, because he didn’t want them to record and release “Suffragette City” before he (Bowie) could release it on Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

As far as I know, none of these are urban legends. But I could be mistaken. Or lying.

12

I think Flea was in the video, so it can’t be that obscure.

13

It was for 5 US dates. He was already finding success in Europe, and got on a tour that would allow him to play in front of large audiences in the States. This was post-Montreaux where he had an impact, and pre-Woodstock, where he “arrived” in the US. He apparently failed to consider that teenage girls who had crushes on Davey Jones were not his target audience.

14

Before he was famous on his own, Jimi also played in Little Richard’s band, but I believe he was fired for stealing the spotlight.

Bruce Springsteen played backup for Chuck Berry at least once, I don’t remember where I read that now though.

15

I bow to your greater wisdom. I guess I confused Mike Nesmith seeing him in London with him opening for the Monkees Euro tour.

16

:smack:
Uh, also in 1967, the Montreaux Jazz Festival was moved to Monterey, California and renamed the Monterey Pop Festival. The experiment failed, and the jazz festival moved back to it’s original venue. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the ticket. Just ask my wife…Morgan Fairchild…whom I’ve seen naked.

17

Greater wisdom, my ass. (see previous post) :smiley:

You were on the right track, though. Another reason Hendrix played on the tour was that the members of The Monkees were all great fans of Hendrix, and having him on tour provided them with an opportunity to see him close-up.

18

Hardcore rapper Tupac Shakur was a dancer for Digital Underground, the group that performed The Humpty Dance.

Regarding the Waylon Jennings/plane incident: He was Buddy Holly’s bass player. He lost a coin toss, and took the bus instead of the plane. According to Jennings before his death, Buddy Holly said something to the extent of “I hope you freeze on the bus,” and Jennings replied, “I hope your plane crashes.”

Michael Jackson, and the rest of the Jacksons, lived on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana.

Axl Rose’s real name is William Bailey. He and deceased Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon were from Lafeyette, Indiana.

Laura Lovelace, the waitress from Pulp Fiction ("‘Garcon’ means ‘boy’") is the film’s music consultant. She also appears in Jackie Brown as the steakhouse waitress.

19

Elvis Costello was backed on his first album by a group called Clover, whose lead singer — unheard on the album — was a pre-fame Huey Lewis.

While Roger Waters a member of Pink Floyd, roughly half of the bass playing credited to him was actually played by David Gilmour.

According to Paul McCartney, the “you” in “Got to Get You Into My Life” was marijuana.

Two songs were recorded by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Elvis: “That’s Alright, Mama” and “Yesterday”.

Jim Morrison refused to learn to play an instrument; the songs he “wrote” with the Doors consisted of a melody for which either Ray Manzarek or Robby Kreiger would create a chord sequence.

20

I didn’t have cable until I went to college :frowning:

[/backwoods 'neck]