Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

If you were to put me on the spot and demand that I choose one all-time favourite song, I suppose my default answer would be Sunday Mornin Comin’ Down, the Kris Kristofferson version.

One may argue about whether it would feature in a shortlist of best song ever; still it resonates with me on many levels, including as a soundtrack in a particular time in my life. And it is, of course, a great song which ought to feature in a shortlist of best song ever.

Like many early Kristofferson songs, it was first recorded not by the composer but by others, because early in his career KK didn’t regard himself primarily as a singer. In fact, he thought he was a terrible singer. In the event, his limitations are also his strength, with that whisky-soaked, soulful voice giving his lyrics a sense of having been lived. But KK knew he had good tunes and that he wanted to write songs for a living.

It might have been different. The son of an army officer, Kristofferson was earmarked for a military career, and served a stint as a helicopter pilot for Uncle Sam. Before that he was a Rhodes scholar, graduating from Oxford with a degree in philosophy. He was offered a job lecturing at the military academy at West Point. Instead, he left the army, and, having been inspired by a meeting with Johnny Cash after a concert, Kristofferson moved with his family to Nashville to try his hand at the music business.

Things did not start promisingly: in 1966 he landed a job at Columbia Records — as a janitor. But in between sweeping floors and polishing door handles, he gave Cash some of his songs, thereby violating strict company policy. Cash was encouraging but didn’t use any of the songs — in fact, according to Kristofferson, Cash said that he threw them into a lake. Still, it was the genesis of a profound friendship.

A year later, Kristofferson flew helicopters again, for an oil company. He also began a tentative recording career with Epic Records, and finally his songs were started to be recorded by other artists. One day, Kristofferson decided to try and impress Cash again, so he flew a helicopter to Cash’s house to give him some tapes. Cash wasn’t home, though that didn’t stop him from telling a great tale about Kristofferson exiting the chopper with a demo in one hand and a beer in the other.

Still, Cash started to create a buzz around KK, referring to him repeatedly on his TV show. Cash’s introduction of Kristofferson at the Newport Folk Festival especially helped kickstart KK’s recording career.

Cash, of course, recorded Sunday Morning Coming Down (as he corrected the title) in 1970, and won a Grammy for it. Cash resisted pressure to change the line “wishing, Lord, that I was stoned” to “…I was home” in deference to the song’s writer; he however had the kid “playing with”, not “cussing at”, the can that he was kicking.

The song had already been first recorded the previous year by Ray Stevens, who had a minor hit with it. Following Cash’s hit and KK’s definitive version, several artists tried their hand at the song, with varying degrees of accomplishment. Some are featured here, and many tend to play loose with the lyrics.

So, here are 38 versions of Sunday Morning Comin’ Down, some of them live recordings.

Ray Stevens (1969) • Johnny Cash (live, 1970) • Johnny Cash (1970) • Kris Kristofferson (1970) • Roy Clark (1970) • Freddy Weller (1970) • Lynn Anderson (1970) • Mark Lindsay (1970) • Sammi Smith (1970) • Janis Joplin (1970) • Hank Ballard (1970) • Tom Jones • Glen Campbell & Nancy Sinatra (1970) • R. Dean Taylor (1971) • Waylon Jennings (1971) • Hank Snow (1971) • Margie Brandon (1971) • Ernie Smith (1971) • John Mogensen (as Sondag morgen, 1971) • Kristofferson & Friends (1973) • Pavel Bobek (1973) • Frankie Laine (1978) • Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson (live, 1980) • Johnny Paycheck (1980) • Louis Neefs (as Zondagmiddag, 1980) • David Allan Coe (1998) • Shawn Mullins (1998) • Alvin Youngblood Hart (2003) • Kris Kristofferson & Foo Fighters (2005) • Floyd Red Crow Westerman (2006) • Jeff Walker und Die Flffers (2006) • Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (2006) • Mark Chesnutt (2010) • Jerry Lee Lewis (2010) • Marissa Nadler (2010) • Willie Nelson (2011) • Brandi Carlile (live, 2012) • Gretchen Wilson (2012)

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(PW in comments)

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More Song Swarms

The first mix of tracks featuring the great drummer Bernard Purdie concentrated on his contributions to soul and jazz; this mix is more eclectic. There is still great soul (even today, I still adore Cheryl Lynn”s “You”re The One”) and jazz (Herbie Mann, Gene Ammons), but there is also material that comes from a rock and folk tradition, by the likes of Robert Palmer, Steely Dan and Cat Stevens. And then there is a fantastic slice of gospel from Marion Williams, and a long-unreleased masterpiece by Dusty Springfield.

It’s worth mentioning that Purdie is doing drumming duties here for another fne drummer, Grady Tate, a man with a voice so wonderful that it is good that he did not limit himself to beating the skins.

Some have commented that they cautious about believing any claim Purdie makes about tracks he has played on, referring to Purdies” reported boast about having played overdubs on early Beatles tracks. He certainly did overdub Pete Best in the sessions for the Tony Sheridan album on which the pre-Ringo Beatles played. His claim to have played on early Beatles records requires verification.

On almost all songs on the two mixes Purdie has received official credit. Where possible, I have verified these on Discogs.

As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, and includes home-skinned covers.

1. Cornell Dupree – Teasin’ (1974)
2. Joe Cocker – I Get Mad (1974)
3. Robert Palmer – How Much Fun (1974)
4. Steely Dan – Deacon Blues (1977)
5. Cat Stevens – 100 I Dream (1973)
6. Grady Tate – Sack Full Of Dreams (1969)
7. Dusty Springfield – In The Winter (1974)
8. Cheryl Lynn – You’re The One (1978)
9. Roy Ayers – Melody Maker (1978)
10. Herbie Mann – What’s Going On (1971)
11. Quincy Jones – Oh Happy Day (1969)
12. Letta Mbulu – Music Man (1976)
13. Joe Bataan – I’m No Stranger (1972)
14. Freddie McCoy – Funk Drops (1966)
15. Marion Williams – Wicked Messenger (1971)
16. Ronnie Foster – Sweet Revival (1973)
17. Hummingbird – Fire And Brimstone (1976)
18. Hall & Oates – I’m Just A Kid (Don’t Make Me Feel Like A Man) (1973)
19. Gene Ammons – Feeling Good (1969)
20. Mongo Santamaria – Baby What You Want Me To Do (1968)

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Previous Session Musicians:
The Roy Bittan Collection
The Larry Carlton Collection
The Hal Blaine Collection Vol. 1
The Hal Blaine Collection Vol. 2
The Steve Gadd Collection Vol. 1
The Steve Gadd Collection Vol. 2
The Steve Gadd Collection Vol. 3
The Jim Gordon Collection Vol. 1
The Jim Gordon Collection Vol. 2
The Bobby Graham Collection
The Louis Johnson Collection
The Jim Keltner Collection Vol. 1
The Jim Keltner Collection Vol. 2
The Bobby Keys Collection
The Ricky Lawson Collection Vol. 1
The Ricky Lawson Collection Vol. 2
The Joe Osborne Collection
The Bernard Purdie Collection Vol. 1
The Bernard Purdie Collection Vol. 2
The Ringo Starr Collection

More Mix CD-Rs

On this mix of 84 television themes, in their short form, most from the US and a few from the UK, I am giving you an overview of my television-watching habits over a lifetime. These themes were not chosen for quality (though many are very good), but because they announced the beginning of a new journey in a succession of one might call appointment TV shows — programmes which I have made it a point to watch, at least for some stages of their run.

Some I persevered with for the duration (such as Hill Street Blues, The Wonder Tears, Seinfeld, The West Wing, The Sopranos, Homicide, The Shield, The Wire, Justified etc), others I followed faithfully before becoming bored with them (such as Desperate Housewives, LA Law, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family). Some I followed when I didn’t know better, until I did (Dallas, Dynasty). Some I have rewatched more than once, such as The Sopranos, Justified, The Shield, The Wire, Friends, and, despite my dislike of the title’s person, Seinfeld. And Blackadder’s Seasons 2 & 3, which I must have seen at least a dozen times.

The most obscure inclusion here might be Kaz, in which Ron Leibman (Rachel’s dad, Friends fans) played an ex-con lawyer. I have no idea if it actually was any good — it lasted only one season — but I watched it faithfully every Friday night when I was in my mid-teens.

Towards the end are the themes of the international shows I loved as a child in Germany in the early ’70s, most of them being shown then as re-runs. My favourite at the time was Bonanza. I’ve included the themes of my favourite German-language as a bonus mix. I have omitted cartoon shows, hence the absence of The Simpsons.

For several volumes of full-length themes, see Any Major TV Themes.

The composers’ names, if I could find them, are in the ID3 Tags. The mix is timed to fit on a CD-R, so it might come in useful as an addition to a trivia night. It includes home-tuned covers. PW in comments.

L.A. Law (1986-94) • Magnum PI (1980-88) • Hill Street Blues (1981-87) • thirtysomething (1987-91) • Night Court (1984-92) • Cheers (1982-93) • Frasier (1993-2004) • Mad About You (1992-99) • Murphy Brown (1988-98) • Spin City (1996-2002) • Seinfeld (1989-99) • Quantum Leap (1989-93) • Law & Order (1990-2010) • NYPD Blue (1993-2005) • Homicide – Life On The Street (1993-99) •  The Practice (1997-2004) • The West Wing (1999-2006) • The Sopranos (1999-2007) • Six Feet Under (2001-05) • The Shield (2002-08) • The Wire (S4) (2002-08) • Freaks & Geeks (1999) • Veronica Mars (2004-07) • Entourage (2004-11) • Arrested Development (2003-9,13) • Flight Of The Conchords (2007-08) • Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-11) • Desperate Housewives (2004-12) • Prison Break (2005-09) • Justified (2010-2015) • True Blood (2008-2014) • Breaking Bad (2008-13) • Dexter (2006-13) • Mad Men (2007-2015) • The Walking Dead (2010-2022) • Lie To Me (2009-11) • Shameless (US) (2011-2021) • Louie (2010-2015) • Everybody Hates Chris (2006-09) • The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) • Modern Family (2009-2022) • Pushing Daisies (2007-09) • Downton Abbey (2010-2015) • The Office (UK) (2001-03) • The Inbetweeners (UK) (2008-10) • Father Ted (1995-98) • Bottom (1991-95) • Blackadder II (1986) • Blackadder The Third (1987) • Fawlty Towers (1975/79) • Three’s Company (1977-84) • Police Squad (1982) • Sledge Hammer (1986-88) • Just Shoot Me (1997-2003) • Friends (1994-2004) • Wings (1990-97) • The Wonder Years (1988-92) • Wiseguy (1987-90) • Matlock (1986-92) • Moonlighting (1985-89) • Family Ties (1982-89) • Taxi (1978-83) • Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-79) • Soap (1977-81) • Dallas (1978-91) • Dynasty (1981-89) • Family (1976-79) • Kaz (1978-79) • Petrocelli (1974-76) • Streets of San Francisco (1972-77) • The Waltons (1972-81) • The Partridge Family (1970-74) • The Brady Bunch (1969-74) • Riptide (Australia) (1969) • Star Trek (1966-69) • Gunsmoke (1955-75) • Bonanza (1959-73) • The Virginian (1962-71) • Get Smart (1965-70) • Daktari (1966-69) • Tarzan (1966-68) • Flipper (1964-67) • Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo (1966-68) • Lassie (1954-73)

German themes: Der Kommissar (1968-74) • Derrick (1974-97) • Tatort (1970- ) • Der Bastian (1973) • ZDF Hitparade (1969-2000) • Das aktuelle Sport-Studio (1964- ) • Sportschau (1962- ) • Der Grosse Preis (1974-93) • Dalli Dalli (1971-86) • Die Montagsmaler (1974-79) • Aktenzeichen XY…Ungelöst (1967- ) • Ein Herz und eine Seele (1973-76) • Pan Tau (1970-78) • Die Sendung mit der Maus (1971- ) • Dick und Doof (1970-73) • ÂPercy Stuart (1969-72) • Pippi Langstrumpf (1969-70) • Sesamstrasse (1973- ) • Sandmännchen (West-German version; 1970s-80s)

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More TV Themes

On 4 December  1956 a Tuesday, rockabilly star Carl Perkins came to the Sun Records studios in Memphis to record a new single ““ a song called “Matchbox” which a few years later the Beatles would cover. Sun Records owner Sam Phillips had arranged for a new signing of his to back up Perkins on the piano, a wild man called Jerry Lewis. In the afternoon, Sun Records alumn Elvis Presley, who had just signed for RCA, popped in for a visit. Seeing that his friend Carl Perkins was in the studio, he joined him and Jerry Lee for a jam session. The producer that day had the presence of mind to record the jam, even though he knew it couldn”t be released because of the contractual problems that would arise. That producer was Cowboy Jack Clement, who died on August 8 at the age of 82.

The recording was finally released in 1981 under the moniker The Million Dollar Quartet, though it probably was just a trio. The fourth member was Johnny Cash, who also visited, posed around the piano for a photo with the other three guys, and went on his merry way for Christmas shopping.

It was Clement who had discovered Jerry Lee Lewis and recorded his breakthrough hit, “A Whole Lotta Shakin” Goin” On”, a couple of months after that jam session. Clement went on to produce many other legends, ranging from Charley Pride to Townes Van Zandt to U2, and wrote for many more, especially for Johnny Cash.

One of the original country outlaws departed this month. Tompall Glaser never attained the stardom of the likes of Waylon Jennings or Willie Nelson, but he was among those who paved the way for the movement. With Jennings, Nelson and Jessi Colter, Glaser appeared on the iconic 1976 compilation album Wanted! The Outlaws.

The headline death of the month, however, is that of jazz-funk keyboardist George Duke. To define Duke by his primary genre or instrument is a bit unfair. He was also a session musician who played with the likes of Frank Zappa, and he was a skilled producer and arranger. An anti-apartheid activist, Duke was the musical director of the concert for Nelson Mandela”s 70^th birthday at London”s Wembley Stadium in 1988, an event that helped solidify the international resistance to the racist regime in South Africa.

The man who brought The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman”s Hermits, The Kinks and other British acts to the US, Sid Bernstein, has died at 95. Obviously he was the general of the British invasion; by booking The Beatles into sports arenas he also helped invent stadium rock. Before that, he was one of the first white promoters to introduce black artists such as Ray Charles and James Brown to white audiences. Two years ago, at the age of 93, Bernstein brought out his first album.

British folkie Louis Killen, it”s fair to say, had one of the more unconventional lives. He was big name in the Newcastle folk scene and collaborator with The Clancy Brothers and Ewan MacColl, the pope of British folk. In the 1990s he moved to the US to live as a transgendered person, and in 2010 had a sex-change operation, becoming Louisa Jo Killen. She still performed, but health problems cut these engagements short.

Jazz fans will have been saddened to learn of the death of the South African vocalist Sathima Bea Benjamin, Read more…