Any Major Morning Vol. 1
[This is a repost from August 2013. This mix and its follow-up are among my all-time Any Major CD-R mixes, so after almost a decade, it’s good to recycle them.]
Here’s a mix I have played more often than perhaps any I have ever done on this site. I dreamed it up, almost literally, when I had to drop my son at the airport for a red-eye flight. Trying to cheer myself up, I sang the Good Morning song from Singin’ In The Rain, Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles, and “It’s Four In The Morning by Faron Young. Funny enough, none of these made it into this eclectic mix.
It kicks off with the full version of the song you’ll know as the theme to The Sopranos, by London band Alabama 3. I hope you’ll have better mornings than the subjects of the song. It’s based on the 1989 killing of English wife-beater Malcolm Thornton by his wife Sarah, who stabbed him 20 times. A trial in 1990 found her guilty of murder; a retrial in 1996 reduced the verdict to manslaughter and Sarah was set free for time served.
The version featured here of Kevin Ayer‘s infectious Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning), the psychedelic rocker”s first single in 1970, is the longer one which remained unreleased until 2003. It has Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett on guitar, while The Ladybirds, who are best known from The Benny Hill Show, perform the backing vocals.
Perhaps the most obscure track here is Joyce Williams‘ The First Thing I Do In The Morning. This gospel-funk number burns it up, with its hot flutes, sizzling wah-wah guitar and incendiary bass. The only other record Williams seems to have recorded was a single titled Dance The Wrangler Shake (take that, Harlem) six years earlier, in 1966 — for the jeans company.
A few songs here are covers of well-known songs. Harry Nilsson covers Louis Jordan’s 1947 hit Early In The Morning, Paul Weller does Paul Lightfoot’s Early Morning Rain.
And listen to Bernard Purdie’s great drums on the Tim Rose track.
As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes home-brewed covers. Volume 2 will follow next week.
1. Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning (1997)
2. Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning (1967)
3. Harry Nilsson – Early In The Morning (1971)
4. Tim Rose – Morning Dew (1967)
5. Kevin Ayers – Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning) (1970)
6. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Deep One Perfect Morning (1987)
7. The Lilac Time – This Morning (2001)
8. The Pogues – Tuesday Morning (1993)
9. Paul Weller – Early Morning Rain (2004)
10. Brandi Carlile – Late Morning Lullaby (2007)
11. Lyle Lovett – Just The Morning (1994)
12. Rusty Wier – Texas Morning (1974)
13. Dolly Parton – Early Morning Breeze (1971)
14. Isaac Hayes – Early Sunday Morning (1971)
15. Joyce Williams – The First Thing I Do In The Morning (1972)
16. David Ruffin – Morning Sun Looks Blue (1979)
17. Al Jarreau – Mornin’ (1983)
18. Major Harris – Each Morning I Wake Up (1974)
19. The Temptations – Love Woke Me Up This Morning (1972)
20. Tim Buckley – Morning Glory (1967)
21. Townes Van Zandt – I’ll Be Here In The Morning (1968)
22. Bobbie Gentry – Mornin’ Glory (1968)
23. Joan Baez & Bill Wood – So Soon In The Morning (1959)
PW = amdwhah
@halfhearteddude
No “Sunday Morning Coming Down?”
I have a Song Swarm planned for that, Andy.
So many great choices! Here are some other possibilities for another edition:
You Were On My Mind (“when I woke up this morning…”)
You’re Going to Love Yourself in the Morning – Bonnie Koloc
Good Morning Good Morning – Beatles
Good Morning, Starshine – Hair original cast
One Fine Morning – Lighthouse
Angel of the Morning – (many)
Happy Mornings – an outstanding Folger’s TV commercial jingle!
Morning Has Broken – Cat Stevens
The Morning after – Maureen McGovern
Come Saturday Morning – ?
Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl – Grateful Dead
It’s a Beautiful Morning – Rascals
The Morning: Another Morning – Moody Blues
Some Velvet Morning – Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
Touch Me in the Morning – Diana Ross
Six O’Clock – Loving Spoonful
Dawn is Breaking – New Colony Six
Great list – my favourite morning song would be Ian Dury’s funny, kinky, beautifully paced ‘Wake Up And Make Love To Me’. Looking forward to the afternoon playlist. For me the afternoons are usually a write-off as I’m an early riser and I’m knackered by 2, so lots of siesta-themed tunes, please.
Another great one, my only reservation would be your choice for the cover.
Could have done a lot better…
I think the cover is beautiful. Thank you for a great mix
Played this mix on Sundat Morning, what a way to wake up. Thnx!
Great compilation. How bout “Morning Glow” from Pippin or “I woke up in love this morning” by the Partridge Family
As a great fan of the Partridge Family song, I agree it’s a glaring mission. There’ll have to a Volume 2 now. Don’t know the other track, but I’ll check it out.
Once again a great selection, though it’s not difficult to imagine that Kevin Ayers track being the final straw for Syd Barrett. Nice additions from Kevin too… here’s my lot –
Draft morning – byrds
When the morning comes – hall & oates
Morning train (nine to five) – sheena easton
One too many mornings – baez
Meet me in the morning – dylan
Morning of my life – bee gees
From the morning – nick drake
In the wee small hours – sinatra
Morning morgan town – joni Mitchell
Morning yearning – ben harper
New world in the morning – roger whittaker
Sunday morning – maroon 5 (runs & hides)
Nice list. Much as I decry the existence of Maroon 5, “Sunday Morning” is actually not bad.
A very nice mix which brought back some good morning memories for me & any mix that includes the delightful Bobbie Gentry is fine with me. Thanks!
I’m encouraged to confess a slight fondness for Neil Diamond’s September Morn’ – especially after a few glasses of wine! Another one – As I Went Out One Morning by Tribe After Tribe (who else?)
Really enjoying your site and this mix (+ volume 2). I made some streaming playlists for these with almost all tracks found. A few other songs worth checking out:
Archie Roach – Love in the Morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM2amftre54
Charles Brown – Early in the Morning https://youtu.be/BRwu3yc328w
Fleetwood Mac – Monday Morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z2E37iNV0w
Death Cab For Cutie – Monday Morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuyY0gzrtqU
Oh, some good ideas for my long-planned Volume 3!