Max Romeo & The Upsetters: “War Ina Babylon” (1976)
Jamaican Max Romeo was known for making rather lightweight, if at times racy, pop which performed well in both Jamaican and UK charts in the late 60’s.
But when he paired with Lee “Scratch” Perry’s studio band the Upsetters for the 1976 release War Ina Babylon he brought the goods. The religious and politically-themed album is widely acknowledged not only as Romeo’s best work but a classic of the reggae genre, and its title song, which describes the tense mood around the Jamaican election of 1972, is a highlight.
From Playin’ Favorites, his collection of folk and rock ‘n roll covers from 1973.
McLean’s gentle, affecting rendition of “Mountains O’Mourne” actually reached #2 on the Irish singles chart.
Its lyric is in the form of a letter from an emigrant laborer in fashionable late nineteenth-century London to his love back home in County Dublin.
Its tone is both whimsical and sad, as the narrator’s heart is clearly more in the natural beauties of his homeland than his stylish but artificial surroundings.
Nobody does melancholy like the Irish.
Oh, Mary, this London’s a wonderful sight With people here working by day and by night They don’t sow potatoes nor barley nor wheat But there’s gangs of them diggin’ for gold in the street At least when I asked them, that’s what I was told So I just took a hand at this diggin’ for gold But for all that I’ve found there, I might as well be In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea
I believe that when writin’ a wish you expressed As to how the fine ladies of London were dressed But if you’ll believe me, when asked to a ball They don’t wear no tops to their dresses at all Oh, I’ve seen them myself and you could not in truth Tell if they were bound for a ball or a bath Don’t be startin’ them fashions now, Mary McRee, In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea
There’s beautiful girls here, oh, never you mind Beautiful shapes Nature never designed Lovely complexions of roses and cream But let me remark with regard to the same That if at those roses you venture to sip The colors might all come away on your lip So I’ll wait for the wild rose that’s waitin’ for me In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea
You remember young Denny McClaren, of course Well, he’s over here with the rest of the force I saw him one day as he stood on the strand Stopped all the traffic with a wave of his hand As we were talking of days that are gone The whole town of London stood there to look on But for all his great powers, he’s wishful like me To be back where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea
Ironic and sad that in our previous post of a Walker Hayes song (the brilliant “You Broke Up with Me”) we singled out for praise an uncommon lyrical freshness that went counter to the prevailing trend in contemporary country of piling cliche on cliche to make the same song again and again, year after year.
Perusing Hayes’ website for news of a follow-up to 2017’s Boom, I came across a new song (“Country Stuff”) which is probably the tallest stinkin’ pile of…uh, cliche on record.
In other words, this guy went from being (in this writer’s opinion) the Great Hope for the genre finding its way out of its current (un)creative mire to authoring possibly the genre’s most monumental exercise in banal formula.
So we went back to 2017 and “Dollar Store” to show you how brilliant and witty Hayes can be.
But we include the link to “Country Stuff” for perspective’s sake. Compare it lyrically to both “Dollar Store” and “You Broke Up with Me” (also linked below) and you’ll see a stark contrast between county as it could be and country as it unfortunately too often is.
Dollar Store
Saw a penny picked it up Lady be a little luck Stuck it in my pocket, hey Wasn’t earned but it’s saved 50 cents in the console… cha ching 39 on the floor… bada bing 10 more till we got it made, babe, in the cash shade Shopping time there’s a dime in the ashtray
Uh, woohoo Mama let my money say I love you We takin’ you and this GW Down to the dollar store Buy you whatever you holla for Uh, woohoo Baby I’m a million bucks from rich But I can grant you a discount wish Down at the dollar store Buy you whatever you holla for
Baby, It’s your birthday I’mma be your sugar dad Don’t even think about checkin’ one price tag Whatch you want, flips flops? Toothbrush, Clorox Shasta, pop rocks EPT… hope not! Paper plates saying’ happy Halloween Candles smellin’ like cookies & cream St. Patrick’s day party hat with elastic strings Girl you look fine in green
Uh, woohoo Mama let my money say I love you We takin’ you and this GW Down to the dollar store Buy you whatever you holla for Uh, woohoo Baby I’m a million bucks from rich But I can grant you a discount wish Down at the dollar store Buy you whatever you holla for…
Girl, they got silly string, travel Scope Knock off cereal Ketchup, picture frames Flash light, key chains Paddle ball, Tylenol, Mardi Gras confetti Drop it in the cart, watch me roll it to regi’
Uh, woohoo I’mma let my money say I love you We takin’ you and this GW Down to the dollar store Buy you whatever you holla for Uh, woohoo Baby I’m a million bucks from rich But I can grant you a discount wish Down at the dollar store Buy you whatever you holla for
Chicago represents different things to different fans.
If you came to this band in the post-Terry Kath 1980’s you might think sappy ballads were their forte. And you wouldn’t be wrong.
But long before that time, boys and girls, there was a time when driving jazz rock, ass-kicking brass and a diversity of musical styles were more their calling card.
And from that time of their “beginnings”–from their second album, to be exact–comes thie classically-inspired 13-minute progressive-jazz-and-pop masterwork.
Trombonist James Pankow wrote the suite originally as an attempt to win back his ex-fiancee who was attending West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia (note the alternate spelling “Buchannon”, deliberate or not, in the song’s title).
I for one am glad he didn’t get the girl, ’cause as a result we got the song.
The 7-part epic song cycle includes two songs–“Make Me Smile” and “Colour My World”–that became top ten pop hits.
But those hits are framed wondrously by authentic jazz and jazz-rock sections sewn together to form a whole that calls to mind progressive rock suites such as Yes’ “Close to the Edge” or side two of Abbey Road.
This is rock from a time of remarkable ambition. And few bands exhibited more creative fertility than Chicago in their heyday.
“Make Me Smile” (Lead vocals by Terry Kath)
“So Much to Say, So Much to Give” (Lead vocals by Robert Lamm)
Every Moment Has A Song 