Segment 100

If this is your first visit to the Way Back Studios, you’ve picked a fine time to start because this is the one-hundredth batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl. I know, they said it couldn’t be done but, thanks to you, we proved ‘em wrong. And to celebrate we invited some white punks on dope to come in and get all mixed up, you know, the way we do things around here. We’ll Mott some Hoople before Fee Waybill and his loony pals, The Thin White Duke and the Spiders from Mars drop by for some cake and ice cream. But that’s not all, so don’t answer yet. We’re also gonna to pop the cork on some bubbly and with the champagne we’ll be serving up some savory Ducks Deluxe, just the way you like ‘em, cooked in a roaring “Fireball.” Then we’ll open a box of Crunge that was sent in by Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones which kind of sounds like the name of a law firm, but you know better than that. And by the time the party’s over we’ll be “Doin’ it to Death” with the hardest working man who used to be in show business, soul brother number one. The late, great, Mr. James Brown. (“WE GOT A DISC JOCKEY OUT THERE?”)

Yes we do, that would be me, and that’s just part of the fun. Because remember, it’s not just what we play, it’s how we play it. That’s the secret of our longevity. So, anyway, I was going through my files and I found a note that said there was this one Ducks Deluxe track that sounded like something by Lou Reed or maybe David Bowie. And I was almost right. It turned out the song I was looking for was by Mott the Hoople. The two songs essentially rely on the same guitar riff, so be listening for that transition about a minute into the set. After that it’s a free-for-all mix of pub rock, glam rock, satirical theater rock, some heavy metal, and some serious funk. But to get us started, let’s head on down to the “Dirty Boulevard” and see what kind of fun they’re having watching that landlord wet his pants. You heard me. So go on, get the wax out of your hearing holes and enjoy the 100th batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl.

Have you ever wondered why Robert Plant starts looking for that confounded bridge at the end of “The Crunge”? Well, it’s because he and the band are doing a little send-up on James Brown who frequently recorded songs live in the studio without much rehearsal. The JBs would find a funky little groove and start vamping on it while James called out directions to the band as they played, like saying, “take it to the bridge.” (“WHERE’S THAT CONFOUNDED BRIDGE?”) Coming hot on the heels of the Zeppelin, we heard “Doing It to Death,” a single originally credited to Fred Wesley and the JBs, even though that’s James out front singing. Fred was an accomplished jazz trombonist and a frequent member of Brown’s backing band along with Maceo Parker and Bobby Byrd. At the top of the set we went to New York with Lou Reed to get a closer look at what goes on out on the “Dirty Boulevard.”

Then we heard about a minute of “Born Late ‘58” from Mott the Hoople, a band that took their name from the title of a comic novel . “Born Late ‘58” has virtually the same guitar riff as the one used in the Ducks Deluxe track “Fireball” which segued out of Mott the Hoople at one end and led us into the first part of “Suffragette City” at the other. After that we engaged in our usual transitional shenanigans mixing the Bowie with The Tubes’ satirical rocker, “White Punks On Dope.” That’s from their debut album in 1975. String all those together and you’ve got the one hundredth edition of our little show, produced here in my rickety little building on the dusty outskirts of Los Angeles. I’m Bill Fitzhugh. Thanks for listening. All the set lists and show commentaries are posted at billfitzhugh.com for your convenience and reading pleasure. I’ll be back with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl right after that mellow thighed chick puts my spine out of place here in the Way Back Studios and when that happens, I hope you’ll be here with me, in the Deep Tracks.