Segment 101

I was cruising along the Ventura Freeway the other day when a red Cadillac blew past me like I was standing still. I had to look quick, but I saw that old bumper sticker sayin’: get in, sit down, shut up, and hold on. Well, it was like an inspiration going ninety-five miles an hour and the first thing that came to mind was “Hot Rod Lincoln.” Not the original twelve-cylinder song but the one’s that got eight, and uses ‘em all. It’s got overdrive too, just won’t stall. By now you can probably guess where we’re going with today’s batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl. If not, here’s a hint: It’s got dyna-flow and power glide. It’s bored and stroked and it satisfies. That’s right, it’s all about fast cars, faster women, and going to jail if you’re not careful. In fact, you better “Slow down.” You’re moving way too fast. Next thing you know, there’s a red light in the rear view and you’re locked up in county where prisoner forty-eight says to number 1-0-3, you’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see. And who needs that?

Elvis Costello revs things up in the middle with the second shortest track from My Aim is True and then we’ve got Jake and Elwood rockin’ the cell block. Meanwhile, standing on the side of the road, wearing a pair of alligator shoes, that’s Rory Gallagher and his date’s whose got on her cat clothes, just waiting for Little Feat to pick ‘em up and get rolling on down Highway 95 with the cruise control in overdrive. This set is so tight it’s guaranteed to get your motor running right. In fact, we just might lose control tonight here in the Way Back Studios. But before we do, we’ll hear from Willie Nile, talking about this girl in his neighborhood. You know the type I’m talkin’ about. And then, the Glimmer Twins, gonna raise some hell down at the union hall, drive us all right over the wall. So dig these sounds on the radio. Flip, flop, fit to drop. Come on now, we’re gonna let it rock.

Dig that sound on the satellite radio. A set full of four barrel carburetors, duel exhausts, good brakes, and fair tires. Going so fast at the end, the telephone poles started looking like fence posts. That’s Bobby Keys wailing on the saxophone with the Stones doing “Rip This Joint.” Now, here’s an interesting bit of trivia. Something I didn’t plan at all. There’s a line in that song that goes, “Short Fat Fanny is on the loose.” Now it turns out “Short Fat Fanny” was the title of a top ten hit in the late 1950’s for New Orleans singer-songwriter, Larry Williams. The very same Larry Williams who wrote “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” and “Slow Down” which we heard earlier in the set covered by the Beatles. That was followed by another track originating in the fifties, “Hot Rod Lincoln,” redone in the seventies by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. And in keeping with the times, a third song from that decade, featuring Spider Murphy on the tenor saxophone and Little Joe blowing on the slide trombone or words to that effect. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd covering Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s “Jailhouse Rock” – a #1 hit for Elvis in the fall of 1957.

The other Elvis, Costello, dropped by in the middle of all that to show us the “Mystery Dance.” The rest of the set was full scale commotion and a pace that wouldn’t stop. As Rory Gallagher said, “You better leave town gracefully if you’re too pooped to pop.” Little Feat was in there too like a smooth stretch of highway and a cool summer breeze. And we started with Willie Nile. A song called “She’s So Cold.” Here’s another coincidence: the Stones recorded a different song with that same title in which Mick says, “I tried rewiring her and I tried refiring her. I think her engine is permanently stalled in the Way Back Studios. I’m Bill Fitzhugh, thanks for tuning in. And for those seeking a little something extra, extra read all about it, you can do just that at billfitzhugh.com. I’ll be back next time with a fresh batch of All Hand Mixed Vinyl, right here in the Deep Tracks.