#10 (1973)
Ripe For Rediscovery
Surely, The Guess Who’s most underrated release is #10. It’s an historically unpopular GW LP and, its been pointed out, it isn’t really #10 at all. But putting all that aside (until comments), this set is a surprisingly organized album with sharp musical instincts and some pretty solid melodies which, somehow… simply missed its audience. There’s variety here, and it’s been suggested that both “Lie Down” & “Take It Off My Shoulders” are a result of Burton Cummings’ fascination with Elton John’s countrified Tumbleweed Connections. The band rocks hard on the densely packed “Musicione,” but what got all the attention was the radio-aimed “Glamour Boy,” a broad Cummings indulgence (like Ray Davies’ “Celluloid Heroes”), but with a killer melody nonetheless. GW kept #10‘s non-musical shenanigans to a minimum (kind of welcomed, actually) but the irreverence still seeps in everywhere. How many otherwise serious songs open with lines like ‘Have a disease free summer in Asia?’ “Just Let Me Sing” is clearly from the “So Long, Bannatyne” mold, but there’s really not a bad track on the album, just no knockouts. Still, #10 is a remarkably consistent Guess Who release and why it didn’t crack the American public’s consciousness is probably explained by their next big hit a year later, “Clap For The Wolfman.” With #10 The Guess Who tried to go straight, but US radio only wanted to play their goofball shit. Amazon.
Take It Off My Shoulders (4:01)
Musicione (3:55)
Miss Frizzy (4:22)
Glamour Boy (5:22)
Self Pity (4:20)
Lie Down (4:40)
Cardboard Empire (3:24)
Just Let Me Sing (6:11)
18 Comments
Willard:
Maybe you can help a huge fan.
If there's any way you can post a copy of this — which trust me, is crazed and brilliantly funny — I would be your best friend for life.
http://www.amazon.com/Take-Sad-Song-Godfrey-Daniel/dp/B0007QCLF4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1249667296&sr=1-1
Check the sound clips — it's the Big Daddy concept from a decade or so earlier.
A delight. The concept is that the anonymous group Godfrey Daniel (reportedly members of the Amboy Dukes) perform late-'60s/early-'70s rock & roll in styles from earlier eras of popular music, primarily the '50s. This is the foundation on which Big Daddy has built a career. That the material — from '60s mainstays such as Sly & the Family Stone, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles — sounds so fresh here is a tribute to the band's anachronistic arrangements and facility with early rock & roll styles. The take on "Proud Mary," for instance, pays tribute to both the original and the Ike & Tina cover, while sounding like something from an Alan Freed extravaganza. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is cast as a sax/organ instrumental. Doo wop is one of the group's greatest strengths, and they use it effectively on tracks like "Whole Lotta Love" and "Honky Tonk Women"; the vaudeville-influenced "Groovin'" and Rudy Vallée-styled "Them Changes" are relative weak points. Versions of "Hey Jude" bookend the album, and the closing take is a stirring, Righteous Brothers-like epic, a production gem that salutes masters Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and George Martin. Stunning and dramatic, it may be the finest Beatles cover version on record. If not the best concept album of the '70s, Take a Sad Song… is certainly the most fun.
Actually, it was the work of two staff engineers at Atlantic who played and sang every note themselves (check the cover photo of the original Atlantic studio).
I had it on vinyl, and there was briefly supposed to be a CD …
I second Simel's nomination of Godfrey Daniel.
After highlighting two of my favorite Guess Who albums you picked one of my least favorite albums. It just never connected with me. A good album, just not one i ever became attached too.
ROTP(lumber)
Steve… Sorry, don't know the first thing about it. Never even heard of it before today.
ROTP… #10 is not in my Top 5 either, but it's a well made disc, underrated and ripe for rediscovery.
Thanks for the comments.
Goofball Shit? American Radio? Who woulda thunk. I was a fan of these guys in their day, saw them in '69. I've never even seen this album, but I always liked the way they did their own thing and didn't sound like everybody else. Must be a canuck thing, dunno.
Thanks for the chance to hear this.
Muckinfuggy
Okay, Willard, I take it all back about Neil Young hiring the Guess Who as his backing band. The brown acid was kicking in especially hard last night. I'd forgotten about the Wolfman ditty (or "Crap for the Wolfman"), which is truly a wretched tune. But I seem to remember Mr. Neil singing a bad song or two in his time…anyone up for "Sample & Hold"?
YES!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Willard!!!
This is so cool!
Love the Guess Who. Any more?
Check the links on the right for tons more.
It is their 10th studio album, but overall the 11th if you count Live At The Paramount.
Shaking All Over
Hey Ho(What You Do To Me)
It's Time
Wheatfield Soul
Canned Wheat
American Woman
Share The Land
So Long Bannatyne
Rockin
Greatest hits albums don't count.
Yeah… in Canada it was #11. In the States, Shakin All Over and Hey Ho were bastardized and combined into one album. Which made the album in question, #10, actually #10 (counting Paramount). Since Burt wasn't on the first two albums, it's also curious that HE would use that number. For him it was only #9 (counting Paramount). Thanks for commenting.
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Thanks for posting these………I'm a huge Guess who fan…….
do you have any of The Wackers albums? mine are all worn out and I need to hear them again! Thanks for everything!
Wormhole #3
http://www.willardswormholes.com/?p=4059
I remember “Musicione” from the b-side of the “Star Baby” single, but it wasn’t enough to encourage me to go out and buy this album. Then, “Wolfman” was enough to keep me away from Road Food, so my Guess Who collection remained minimal…
Funny. “Star Baby?” You sure? Those are different albums. #10 was roundly ignored, even by myself. But, over the years (after they broke up) #10 became a place to go to for that Guess Who sound, since I hadn’t yet worn this LP out. So, it began to grow on me some. I’d never argue that it’s among their best, though. As stated in the review, it’s not bad, even though very few people were encouraged to buy it. I LOVE Road Food, however (despite “Clap For The Wolfman”). Over the years I’ve rarely recommended GW to my pals, but only because (except for the hits… and in Canada) they’re a bit of an acquired taste. Thanks for chiming in.
Well I saw Burton perform live in Calgary the other night, in support of his new live album. Recorded at Massey Hall, which is probably THE best concert hall I’ve ever been in. The set list he performed didnt vary much from the Live set on new album, except he didnt play anything newer than Break it to them Gently.
So, I thought I had to come back and pick up some more Guess Who. I havent heard #10 in years. So a good place to go back to…This was something that garnered a lot of play time in the record store where I worked, as not only was Glamor Boy a big hit in Canada (gee, can I think of a GW tune that wasnt?!?) but they played at McMaster U on the supporting tour. I also had a customer at the store who was a HUGE GW fan, and everytime they released a new album, he would come in, buy the album and than have me play it in it’s entirety so he didnt wait til he was home to hear it. Honest! Personally, I wouldnt play anything of my own on the piece of crap turntable we had in the store. Ah well, I digress…thanx as always Willard!!
Al
I’m jealous. Haven’t seen him live since the 70s. Like you, I was lazy about #10 for decades, but ended up warming up to it big time. Not like their classics, of course, but still a very musical album. Thanks for the retail tale.