‘Strum Sum Up’ turns 13

Posted on by dugtheship

dUg Pinnick’s ‘Strum Sum Up’ solo album turned 13 over the weekend. It’s one of those albums that everyone who participated in its creation looks back on fondly, a true testament to musical community. To mark the event, please enjoy this excerpt from ‘What You Make it: The Authorized Biography of Doug Pinnick.’

Rex Brown [Pantera] was excited to play bass on the record but had to pull out at the last minute. He felt terrible about it, having long wanted to work with Doug. With Brown unavailable, Doug’s former tech, Kolby McKinney suggested he check out Big Wreck’s Dave Henning. Doug had never seen Henning play, but had heard people raving about his 12-string prowess for a while. McKinney kept pushing and Doug finally picked up the phone and called Henning, who agreed to come to Blacksound Studio.

When Henning showed up, however, there was one thing missing…his bass!

“Hey man, did you bring your bass?” Doug asked, thinking maybe he’d just left it in the hallway. 

“No,” said Henning, “I just thought I’d come over and we could talk.”

“No man, we’re tracking!” laughed Doug incredulously.

Wally, Parnin, dUg, and Henning

Michael Parnin produced ‘Strum Sum Up’ and worked at a pace that made even the efficient processes established with Michael Wagener seem slow in comparison, aided by his ProTools mastery.

When Henning showed up without his bass Parnin pointed and said “there’s a bass right over there against the wall. It’s a piece of shit, but play it.”

Henning plugged into an old SVT amp and cranked it up as the rest of the guys, with Kellii Scott [Failure] on drums, broke into ‘Coming Over,’ including the jam. By the time they reached the end, there was no doubt: this was the band.

‘Faith Hope Love’ turns 30!

Posted on by dugtheship

‘Faith Hope Love,’ the album that arguably came closest to breaking King’s X to a mainstream audience, was released 30 years ago today. By early 1991 ‘It’s Love’ was in regular rotation on MTV and the band was booked to tour both the US and Europe as support for AC/DC. Megaforce’s work at radio also finally was starting to pay off, Atlantic taking the foundation they’d built and getting full rock airplay for the band.

Take time to listen to this now-classic record today and read about its creation in ‘What You Make It: The Authorized Biography of Doug Pinnick.’

You can also watch a full set of the band’s performance on the road with AC/DC at the end the post.

Excerpt from ‘What You Make It’ –
King’s X returned to Rampart Studios for ‘Faith Hope Love.’ ‘Moanjam’ was one of the first songs recorded. It was 10 years old and had no words to it. Doug would simply hum the melody. The bass line prompted Doug to refer to it as the band’s “Motorhead song,” while the drum beat lent a gospel tone. Doug’s vocal approach came from the church as well: moaning the melody to a crescendo the way he remembered the singers on Sunday doing when they really wanted to punch things up, then bringing it back down to hook the audience.

When the band decided it should go on the record, Doug felt compelled to add lyrics. Not sure what to write he started with “I want to sing this song for you.” He knew it could be about a person or people but, with the subsequent references to glory, just as easily about God, and ended up penning an unintentional praise chorus.

Protest 100: Buffalo Springfield – ‘For What It’s Worth’

Posted on by dugtheship

Artist:          Buffalo Springfield

Song:           For What It’s Worth

Album:        Buffalo Springfield (1967)

Producer:    Charles Greene, Brian Stone

Label:          Atco

Year:           1966

Notes:
It’s time for some classics. Though adopted as an anti-Vietnam War anthem and general protest song, ‘For What It’s Worth’ was inspired by police reaction to demonstrations against a curfew imposed on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in November 1966. Residents didn’t like young people gathering outside the strip’s clubs and venues. Young people liked doing so. Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda were among the demonstrators.

Stephen Still wrote this song that November. The band recorded it Dec. 5. Atco released it as a single (b/w ‘Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It?’) on Dec. 23. It was subsequently added to the second pressing of Buffalo Springfield’s self-titled debut, issued Mar. 6, 1967. Despite the narrow context of its creation, ‘For What It’s Worth’s lyrics sound like they could have been written for the current day.

Check the bottom of the post for a couple of high-quality live versions: one from back in the day, one a cover by some devoted fans.

Excerpt from ‘Unreality’  —
It seemed like impossibly hard work, and for what?

Lyrics:
There’s somethin’ happenin’ here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
A-tellin’ me I got to beware

I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

There’s battle lines being drawn
And nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speakin’ their minds
A-gettin’ so much resistance from behind

I think it’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

What a field day for the heat (ooh-ooh-ooh)
A thousand people in the street (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Singin’ songs and a-carryin’ signs (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Mostly say “Hooray for our side” (ooh-ooh-ooh)

It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line
The man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

Stop, hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down (we better)

Stop, now, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down (we better)

Stop, children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

 —

‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.

Protest 100: Marvin Gaye – ‘What’s Going On’

Posted on by dugtheship

Artist:          Marvin Gaye

Song:           What’s Going On

Album:        What’s Going On

Producer:    Marvin Gaye

Label:          Motown

Year:           1971

Notes:
Marvin Gaye, already 10 albums into his career, decided in the fall of 1970 to write a protest album. Urban struggle and socio-economic disparity were both rife, as was environmental destruction. When Gaye presented the idea to Motown boss Barry Gordy, the latter asked why he wanted to ruin his career. Gordy remained opposed to the single’s release even after its recording. But VP of sales Barney Ales went around Gordy and commissioned a 100,000-copy pressing. It sold out in four days.

Excerpt from ‘Unreality’  —
“If you don’t know what’s going on, it’s just because you don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Lyrics

Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today, eh eh

Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today, oh oh oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what’s going on
What’s going on
Yeah, what’s going on
Ah, what’s going on

In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on brother
Right on babe

Mother, mother, everybody thinks we’re wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply ’cause our hair is long
Oh, you know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh oh oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
C’mon talk to me
So you can see
What’s going on
Yeah, what’s going on
Tell me what’s going on
I’ll tell you what’s going on, ooh ooh ooh ooh
Right on baby
Right on baby

—

‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.