Harpswell Hootenanny '13, part 4: Chuck Prophet b/w the Records

It's part of our charter that the Good Ship Hootenanny sometimes ply corners unbeknownst to most mortals.  Maybe we don't go ocean-trench deep, but we do get at least county road obscure.  Record geeks that we are, here's some stuff that we prefer to think should be a part of everybody's daily routine....

"Whole Lot More" comes courtesy of the unsung Chuck Prophet: Guitar slinger, smooth singer, bobbleheaded and tousled and bemused and small-shoed and FONKY!  We're both huge CP fans, Paul B and I, and I'd a feeling this song would benefit from the Hoot treatment, since the time Dr. W and I were out west late in '12 for Paulie's surprise 40th.  A fine time was had by all, yonder in the Outer Richmond, where the city falls into the the Pacific by Land's End and the Cliff House and Sutro Heights Park and all that jazz.  The cocktail party was still rolling late into the evening at our buddy Leff's when, in the tiny downstairs kitchen, the acoustic gitboxes finally came out.   Paulie played  a version of this tune with his buddy "El Lefty Malo" and I made the mental note right there.  A few months later in Harpswell Paul B helmed it, playing the straight rhythm guitar and taking the Prophetic lead vocal.  Dillo and Roady bassed and drummed, and I played the tremolo guitar, etc .  I guess Roger wasn't on this one.  We kept missing out on his planned mandolin overdub, so I stepped up to that particular plate best I could.

"Starry Eyes" is a song that hung at my periphery for many years.  Turns out it's a semi-lost power pop classic, released in '78 by the Records, out of the UK-- A real one-hit wonder situation, only without the hit.  Anyways, my recollection is that about every time I heard the song, it seemed like the first time, and I'd wonder "Holy crap!--- Where has THIS song been all my life?!?  Then, like a moth at the porchlight or a floater in the eye, it would be gone and out of mind.  Fortunately, Dillo was sharp enough to bring this one to the table, and he played that great descending line and the bright Byrds-y parts on that fine Fender JazzMaster of his and sang most of it.  I took up a Rickenbacker 6-string and some acoustics for the rhythm part and sang some.  Bonanos shifted over to his typically clean and propulsive bass, getting up to his old tricks from the olden times-- One Way Dog for Roggie, that'd be, and Honcho for me and RK.

Hope you dig it.

jk



Whole Lot More:  https://app.box.com/s/4xux21vumzftakv1juzm

Starry Eyes:  https://app.box.com/s/2ngd8hpcqs53xx6fbmsj