I just found out that Leon Redbone died today. He was a very enigmatic man who was usually seen with a Panama hat and dark shades. He was often aloof and never gave his real age or any background information. A humorous statement on his website claimed he was 127 years old. He didn’t really have many hits, but he had a cult following that included a number of other performers. He had a Canadian connection since he moved to Toronto in the 1960’s and played the nightclubs.
5 Frosty The Snowman (with Dr. John)
4 Diddy Wa Diddy
3 Ain’t Misbehaving
2 Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)
1 Seduced
Last but not least a video with Leon, Bryan Cranston, Ed McMahon and Alf.
Newsflash!!!!! Toronto Raptors have fired Drake partly for his stupid antics and mostly because his music sucks ass. The new team global ambassador is Maestro Fresh-Wes most famously known for this awesome song from 1989. Check out these lyrics and tell me why Maestro didn’t become a worldwide sensation.
Maestro Fresh Wes – Let Your Backbone Slide (power Mix) lyrics
Intro
This is a throw-down, a showdown
Hell no, i can’t slow down
It’s gonna go
“down”
“first offence,” “on the mix”
“down, go on and break”
“down”
“o.k. party people in the house”
“may i have your attention please”
“in a moment the beat will be played in many parts”
“come on and break”
“many parts, many”
“1”, “2”, “3”
“come on and break”
[maestro fresh wes]
This jam is amplified, so just glide (glide)
And let your backbone slide
You listen to every word i say
I every verb you heard i play snaps a vertabrae
You try to cover, a hover me, a roast, a fake,
A flag, then i run a post
Toast, i’m the most
D-e-f’s how it goes
No x’s or o’s or tic-tac-toes
Ltd knows, this ain’t a game, i’m on a mission
Call me a hip-hop, tip-tac-tition
I rap just like a slab of clay that’s shapeless
Jeff ain’t no shimmer, no glass is tasteless
A universe without light is lightless
That’s why i always take time to write this
I mold it in my hands before i start chiselin
Could be a rain, or brainstorm, or drizzlin
Sun could be shining, sun could be showerin
Practice make perfect, and i’m powerin, flowerin
My lyrics are awesome
Tunin’ from human, bloomin’ a blossom
Blowing away blockades and barracades
Make ya black and blue from the blast and the blaze
It’s a bloodsport, bloods builds up back
I make your vision go blurry
While your brain goes black into oblivion
Beats from box to box to bates
Rocks from blocks and blocks
Let your backbone slide
[maestro fresh wes]
Just let it slide y’all, i don’t give a (damn! damn)
If ya backbone quiver
Man oh man, watch ya swiver
Wind some twine your spine while your slither
It’s contagious, an epidemic
You try to lift, you’re cool, but it fell again
Rap scholar, soul like a dominican
But like i said before, i’m not american
[Lyrics from: https:/lyrics.az/maestro-fresh-wes/symphony-in-effect/let-your-backbone-slide-power-mix.html]
It’s who you are, not the way you went
We all originate from the same descent
I make alot of cents, sense, and pence
Gold (gold), myrrh and frakincense
When i’m in france they blow me francs
Frank, with your swiss account is the way i bank-pank
At home, i make bills are brown from my sound
In the states green like the grass in the ground
When i’m in england, they pass me pounds now
I clock cash in every town, so i slide (slide)
But nowadays, i’m trapped
(why’s that?)
So many suckers on my sacroiliac
It’s like a rap-sack, backpack
(wic-wic-whack)
Give me some slack jack
Rap is like a jungle
Where rhyme for rhyme is like a vine to vine
Swung line to line of mine
I’m collossal, you’se a mosquito
I’mma play tarzan, you play cheetah
Cheeta, biter, love to forge
Better yet, i’ll call you curious george
’cause curiosty cold killed the cat
Can’t hide so black to the side
Let your backbone slide
[maestro fresh wes]
The keyword is synchronism
Yo, check out my homeboy dance to the rythmn
And hey, this hey, oh, this ain’t forte
I’m coming double-f
Fortissamo, f-f for funky fresh
My dj is ltd, mellow-flex
You listen to the poetry, big jumbo jet
Vocabulary golden, beats from my rollin
Stone cold lyrics with the microphone i’m holdin
Words i rip, egos i strip
I make sucker crews kick, dick van dyke flips
I get busy, they’re dizzy, they start to collide
They should’ve stepped off (stepped off), i let it slide
But now they got brasen, dry like a raisin
I glaze like a vase, i smash you like days
Until they realize, they shouldn’t have ripped
It’s ’89, not beetoven’s fifth or sixth
It’s a throwdown, i’m conducting it
Because like a highrise, i’m constructing it
Was once thoughts, pen, and paper
Now it’s a tower, a soul, a skyscraper
It’s getting out of hand after i’ve created a monster
My musical monologue makes you wanna
Move with the maestro
You feel hot so you set the blend, the cresendo is nice yo
I’m the guy, the rhythm is a ride (the rhythm is a ride)
To the fresh side, and let your backbone slide
This is a throwdown
This 12″ has 5 versions of the same song. The power mix, bonus beat, and acapella version are on Slide A. Club mix and instrumental are on Slide B.
I just heard yesterday that Deane Cameron died of a heart attack while walking through the woods. Many people would not know who he was. He was only ever featured as a musician on 2 albums, Cochrane’s soundtrack album to the movie My Pleasure Is My Business, and the album I chose to review here. The reason I chose to mention Deane is that even though he may not have been on many recordings, he was an instrumental part of Canadian music for over 50 years. Deane worked his way up from a teenage job in the warehouse at EMI to the president of the company, a job he held for 25 years. Among the bands EMI signed under his direction were April Wine, Corey Hart, Tom Cochrane (his old friend from the Harvest and Cochrane days), Anne Murray, Buffy Sainte-Marie (he was a proponent of indigneous music in Canada before mostly anyone else), Glass Tiger, Stompin’ Tom Connors (Deane along with Rheostatics convinced Tom to come back to music after he retired), Rita MacNeil, The Moffatts, Helix, Econoline Crush, The Tea Party, Moist, Prism, Zappacosta, Luba, Nickelback, Serena Ryder and many others. In 2010 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2011 the Canadian Academy of Recorded Arts and Sciences awarded him the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award. More recently he had taken over as president and CEO of Massey Hall (of which he had been overseeing the massive renovation) and Roy Thomson Hall . He was great for Canadian music, and as it turns it, a pretty damn good drummer.
Hang On To Your Resistance – Jangly guitar sounds start this one off, then it morphs into a 70’s country rock feel good song. It has sort of a Jackson Browne feel. Deane has a breezy sort of jazz feel to his drumming. You can tell he was having fun while playing.
West Coast Saga – Great harmonies start this one off in the vein of a certain band The Dude hates. It almost pre-dates itself though as it has a certain late 70’s rock band feel. The guitar work is really great, the drumming airy and Tom Cochrane’s vocals are even higher pitched than we are used to.
Charlie Was A Dancer – Tom sings this one with a whispery softness that grips you. The vocal harmonies are wonderful and the quiet, but powerful guitar gets the point across.
Didn’t I Lorraine – This one seems like a timeless song that could fit into the 60’s (Byrds, Crosby Stills & Nash), the 80’s (REM), and the 90’s (Sloan, Blue Rodeo). It just shows that a really good song can fit into any era.
You’re Driving Me Crazy (Faith Healers) – This one has a Jackson Browne feel and the orchestral arrangement sets it apart from the normal 70’s songs. Tom Cochrane hits the high notes on this one very well.
I wish That I Could See You Now – Tom Cochrane’s voice sounds a little more like we are accustomed to here. Again the vocal harmonies are great and the instrumentation is really good too.
Revelations: Visions In A Dream – This one starts off like an early Yes song, then seems to turn into an early Red Rider song. I bet Tom used this song as a baseline years later for Don’t Fight It.
What’s In You – Dave Cooper (Ian Thomas Band) adds some sweet guitar licks. It has a southern rock feel and is a real toe tapper.
When I’m With You – A really nice number with guest Allan Booth contributing some amazing piano playing. As good as any Elton John or Billy Joel hit from back in the day.
Another Page – A quote from Youtube explains this song better than I can “WOW!! That was staggeringly fantastic. I’m blown away because i didn’t know anything existed from Tom before Red Rider’s debut in ’79. Tom was only 21 here in ’74. Wisdom, and maturity already. Very impressed with the entire album. Thank You!!!”
A really nice album. If you are a Tom Cochrane/Red Rider fan or a fan of great 70’s music, you owe it to yourself to seek this one out. R.I.P. Deane Cameron. We wish you well.
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