Early: The Late Edition

Unlike some of my fellow Star Makers, I do not have a collection of rarities to draw upon. So I have had to approach this theme differently. But just as rarities have their stories, so, sometimes, do first albums. Before we leave our early theme, let’s hear some of those stories.

Michelle Shocked: (Don‘t You Mess Around With) My Little Sister

[purchase]

Michelle Shocked made her recording debut, quite by accident, in 1987. She never knew she was making an album until she heard that, not only had it been released, but it was charting in England. The album was The Texas Campfire Tapes. Shocked attended the Kerrville folk festival in 1986. She brought her guitar, and was singing and playing for her own pleasure when she was overheard by a producer named Pete Lawrence. Lawrence asked Shocked if he could record her, and made a tape of 21 songs with Shocked’s comments. Given that the recording was made on a cheap cassette recorder, (with low batteries, it turned out!), Shocked had no reason to think the tape would ever be released.

But Lawrence chose a sampling of the songs, left out all of the comments, made up his own titles to songs he didn’t know the names of, and released the album without Shocked’s consent. Eventually, Shocked gained possession of the tapes. And in 2003, she released the full recording, with the sound adjusted to compensate for the low batteries, and with all of her comments restored, as The Texas Campfire Takes.

One song included in both versions was (Don’t You Mess Around With) My Little Sister. If you are familiar with Shocked’s career, you may know the full band version she recorded on the album Captain Swing.

Billy Joel: Falling of the Rain

[purchase]

Billy Joel made his debut as a solo artist with Cold Spring Harbor in 1971. He had previously been in two unsuccessful bands, The Hassles and Atilla. His bad luck would continue a little longer. There was a mistake in the mixing of Cold Spring Harbor. It was released at the wrong pitch, giving Joel’s voice a high whiny sound. The album was the first of a ten album contract with Family Records. Family owner Artie Ripp, (who I hasten to add is no relative of mine), owned the master tapes. Cold Spring Harbor, as originally released, went out of print fairly quickly, and remained that way for many years as Joel’s popularity grew. Finally, in 1983, Joel’s contract with family was running out. Ripp decided to capitalize by releasing a remastered version of Cold Spring Harbor. Ripp stripped out the original orchestration and added synthesizer and drum machine parts to “give the album a more up to date feel”. This was done without Joel’s consent, and is the version of Cold Spring Harbor that we have today. Despite this, the songs are worth hearing. The album features the original recording of She’s Got a Way, as well as Falling of the Rain and several others that are as good as anything Joel ever wrote.

Jane Siberry: The Mystery at Ogwen‘s Farm

[purchase]

Jane Siberry is a Canadian artist. Far too many worthy Canadian artists never have there work released here in the United States. Others have their work released here, but without real marketing support. Siberry was luckier than most. Her self titled debut, which includes The Mystery at Ogwen’s Farm, was originally released only in Canada. She debuted in the United States with her second album, which established her here as an artist with a “cult following”. And her third album cemented this status. Her American label decided that that was enough to justify releasing her Canadian debut here, and I for one snapped it up immediately.

The debut is different from anything else of hers that I have heard. It is mostly acoustic, and has an innocence and simplicity to it that I find quite refreshing. Where her later work would often make my jaw drop in amazement, this one always makes me smile. And sometimes, that is all that is needed.

Early: In Spite Of All The Danger

The Quarrymen: In Spite Of All The Danger

[purchase]

Sometime in 1957, either in July or sometime in October or November, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lowe and Colin Hanton walked into the small shop and home recording studio of one Percy Phillips at 38 Kensington, Liverpool. With one microphone in the middle of the room they recorded That‘ll Be The Day and a tune written by McCartney and Harrison titled In Spite Of All The Danger. Sung by Lennon this little doo-wop ballad was recorded directly to vinyl in order to save money, avoiding the fee to transfer a master tape to acetate. The original 78 was lost until in 1981 when it was rediscovered by Lowe. The plan to auction it off at Sotheby's changed when McCartney paid him an undisclosed amount of money. McCartney later had 50 copies pressed to give to friends as Christmas presents. Here then is one of the earliest recordings by the Beatles, before they even knew they'd be the Beatles. And in spite of all it's scratchiness, it still leave a great preview of what was yet to come by one of the all time greatest bands in recording history.

Actually posted by Bert, technical issues will hopefully be resolved soon.

Early: Anti-Procrastination Edition

Let's face it - I'm not only never early for anything... but I'm rarely even on time. I seem to go through life with a 15-minute Bermuda Triangle of "how did it get to be (insert _____ o'clock I was supposed to be somewhere) already?!?". To that end, I'm attempting to be Early in all definitions of the word (rather than my usual 11:59 Saturday night post) - I think Stephen Wright said it best: "The early bird gets the worm... but the second mouse gets the cheese." (ha!)...

James Taylor: Rainy Day Man

[purchase]

Rainy Day Man was originally released in 1971, on his James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine album (of the four vinyl covers, I have the one that's plain white with penciled titles) - however, I'm including a version of the song from a bootleg of his October 29, 1970 Paris Theatre show in London, England with Joni Mitchell...


Joni Mitchell: Eastern Rain

[purchase] (never officially released/not commercially available)

The Joni Mitchell website lists her Early Unreleased Songs, many of which have been compiled on a CD for list members (thanks, Bob!) - from AllMusicGuide:

"At the beginning of her career, Joni Mitchell wrote so many songs that she never got around to recording a few of the ones she regularly performed on stage in the late 1960s. One of those was "Eastern Rain," which was covered by Fairport Convention as a highlight of their second album, What We Did on Our Holidays." More here...


Todd Snider: Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues [plus intro]

[purchase]

Boyhowdy covered this one over a year ago but, since it's the first song of Todd's that turned me on to his music (as the hidden track on his 1994 debut CD Songs for the Daily Planet), I had to revisit - however, rather than the studio track, I'm posting a live version from his August 19, 2001 performance at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest in Lyons, Colorado, which includes an hysterical introduction, as well as a few extra verses admitting he "borrowed" the talkin' blues style from Bob Dylan... but Dylan got it from Woody Guthrie!


Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Opening Act

[purchase] (never officially released/not commercially available)

From Country Universe:

"In a rare coup for a new artist, Mary Chapin Carpenter earned a coveted performance slot on the 1990 Country Music Association Awards [a YouTube video can be found here], and she used it to establish her identity as one of country music’s left-of-center talents. She decided to perform the biting “You Don’t Know Me (I’m the Opening Act),” a cutting dismissal of country star power gone awry. It was a risky move, with the less-than-famous artist taking a stab at the music industry who would determine the fate of her career...

She received a standing ovation at the end of the semi-scandalous story of a rising musician’s struggle. But Carpenter didn’t struggle for long. Two years later, she won the first of back-to-back Female Vocalist of the Year trophies in a CMA career that included 12 nominations, among them, a nomination for Album of the Year and Single of the Year (for the similarly sharp “I Feel Lucky”) in 1992."


Dave Carter: You Must Slumber

[purchase]

From my friend Ron's wonderful website:

"This is a song that Dave wrote when he was 17 years old, and which Tracy indicates was recorded for – but eventually left off – the "Tanglewood Tree" CD. Although it was never released on an official Dave & Tracy album, a recording of it is now available on the Signature Sounds 10th Anniversary Collection disc."

Early: Six-Song Set Edition

One thing I miss about being a DJ is putting together a a good set of music. This week I had a lot of songs I wanted to post but didn't really have a lot to say about them, so I thought I'd put a bunch of them together in one post. So, these songs are meant to be listened to sequentially.


The Squires: Aurora

[purchase]

You may not have heard of the Squires, but you know their guitarist quite well: Neil Young. He was quite enamored with the Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin when he recorded this instrumental single in Winnipeg in 1963 at his first recording session.


Vashti: Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind

[purchase]

Before she recorded her seminal Just Another Diamond Day album, Vashti Bunyan released a few pop singles as "Vashti" under the tutelage of Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. This one, her first, was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released in 1965.


Lyme and Cybelle: Follow Me

[purchase]

Warren Zevon didn't hit his stride until the late '70s, but he started out his musical career in the sixties as one half of the duo Lyme and Cybelle, along with Violet Santangelo. "Follow Me" hit 65 on the pop charts in 1966. Zevon went on to release a little-heard solo album in 1969, then work as the Everly Brothers' musical director in the early '70s before he finally found his groove.


The Parliaments: (I Wanna) Testify

[purchase]

George Clinton's 1970s Parliament/Funkadelic empire started as a simple doo-wop quintet from New Jersey known as the Parliaments. "(I Wanna) Testify", from 1967, is probably the most well-known the the Parliaments' singles. It's already a long way from their doo-wop beginnings, possibly because Clinton was the only member of the group able to travel to Detroit for the recording. When the song became a hit, he assembled a new group of musicians to tour, and the P-Funk dynasty began.


Kaleidoscope: Egyptian Gardens

[purchase]

In the late '60s, there were two important bands named Kaleidoscope--one in the UK and one in California. This is from the California band, who are most well known for giving the world multi-instrumentalist David Lindley. Before he was sideman extraordinaire to the '70s California singer-songwriter movement (Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Crosby & Nash, etc.), he was part of this eclectic psychedelic group. The Middle Eastern-influenced "Egyptian Gardens" is the opening track on their 1967 debut album, Side Trips, an album that also takes in blues, psychedelic pop, old timey music, and vaudeville.


Red Onion: African Mask

[out of print]

Red Onion brings us back to that fertile New Brunswick music scene in the 1990s. Frontwoman Laurie Berkner went on to greater fame as a maker of music for kids, but I've always liked this psychedelic-influenced song from a cassette EP Red Onion released in 1995. Smokin' bass provided by All Gods' Children's Adam Bernstein.

Early: Inman Square

Bela Fleck: Inman Square

[purchase]

Béla Anton Leoš Fleck - named for three modern European composers - had already mastered a vast array of jazz, blues, folk and bluegrass styles at the tender age of 21, despite having only picked up the instrument at 15 while a student at the NYC High School of Art and Music. Two years later, he would join newgrass pioneers New Grass Revival; from there, it was a short journey to becoming perhaps the world's best-known fusion banjo player.

That his 1979 solo debut Crossing The Tracks aptly demonstrates his technical prowess even at that young age is undeniable: the music may be measured here, but from traditional bluegrass to more slippery jazztunes such as this one, the songs are exquisitely arranged, thoughtfully composed, and performed almost flawlessly. It's not Bela's best work, by a long shot, but there's more than a glimmer of his later genius, even if it would take a year or two more to truly loosen up.

As a total personal aside, this song is named after the small Cambridge, MA village where, at 21 myself, I had my first legal drink.

Early: Baltimore

Tori Amos: Baltimore

Tori Amos would probably be none too pleased that I was giving this song any air time at all considering she doesn't consider it one of her finest moments (she's been quoted as calling this song "fucking horrible" and "disgusting"), and it came from a time before she had found her own voice. In fact, it was written before she was even Tori Amos, it was back when she was still going by Ellen Amos (her given name being Myra Ellen Amos). "Baltimore" was written for a contest. She and her brother Mike wrote the song for a contest the Baltimore Orioles baseball team had commissioned for a theme song for the city back in 1980, when Tori was about 14 years old. Tori grew up in Maryland and was a sports fan, so it seemed natural, with her musical talents, to give it a go.

It was her first recording. There were 500 copies of the 7" printed, she won the contest, which included a citation from the mayor and a cash prize. The song is nothing of what we know of the long-standing, grammy-nominated songwriter now, other than her voice. She went on to perform in clubs and hotel bars throughout high school in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area before turning 18 and making her way out to Los Angeles.

EARLY: RYAN ADAMS

I’ve been absent here at SMM for quite some time now. At first, it was because I was having trouble keeping my own blog current. But I realized that back when I was consistently posting here my blog was seeing multiple posts per week. So I will make my return and hopefully inspire more activity overall.

One of my original goals here was to try to find a Ryan Adams song to fit every theme – with the piles of unreleased sets and nonsense recordings he’s unleashed, that’s not a farfetched idea. And this week’s theme is a perfect fit to resurrect that mission.

Blank Label: Non-Existence

[Out Of Print]

Ryan Adams began his musical career at age 14 at the place most overactive punk teens seem to gravitate to: the drums. In 1991 Adams, Shane Duhe (guitar/vox), Michelle Horn (bass), and Jere McIlwean (guitar) formed a garage band that, according to Ryan, “practiced like once a week.” The group was formed out of necessity after Ryan discovered a Black Flag record. They saved up a few bucks and recorded 3 tracks that were released on very limited 7-inch vinyl pressing by Fishbeat Records. I can’t quite say I endorse this music, but it is the earliest recording from Ryan Adams.





The Patty Duke Syndrome: Texas

[Out Of Print]

Ryan’s first turn at center-stage came two years later in the form of The Patty Duke Syndrome. Ryan provided fierce, Husker Du type guitar work, the aforementioned Jere McIlwean played bass (or as noted in the liner notes, ‘thunder broom’), and Brian Walsby took Ryan’s place on the drums. While still very punk-influenced, you can hear hints of what would become Whiskeytown in the provided track. ’Texas’ and ’History’ were originally released on a split 7-inch with the band GlamourPuss. Of course Ryan got his money’s worth in the studio and a full disc of demos from the session have since surfaced.

Early: Finest Lovin' Man

Bonnie Raitt: Finest Lovin' Man

[purchase]

I'm embarrassed to admit that for most of my adult life, I had no idea that Bonnie Raitt started her career with such a sweet, clear, authentic voice. At least I'm in good company: as Wikipedia confirms, though critics loved her work from the moment her first album hit the scene in '71, it wasn't until her sixth release that she finally began to hit the singles charts.

By then, of course, though she was still only 27, the years of heavy boozing had long taken their toll, leaving her vocals breathy by comparison, and her preference in production had turned much father towards pop-lite. The critics would never sound so strongly in her favor, but the public had spoken, and - given her string of hits ever since - we can only assume she prefers the limelight to the bottleneck blues.

Bonnie has built her career on the lyrics and melodies of others, so it's worth noting that Finest Lovin' Man is one of only two of Raitt's own compositions on her self-titled debut. But the album, which features straight-up blues renditions of well-selected tunes from Stephen Stills, Robert Johnson, Spider John Koerner and others, is redemptive, an effective antidote to all those years of cheesy late-night ballads.

Early: Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye

Leonard Cohen: Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye (Live in London, July 2008)

[purchase]

I'm late for this week's Early theme because I'm only just now recovering from a religious experience I had this past Saturday night - I admit to hyperbolic tendencies but... I swear it was the best concert I've seen in my entire life (all 55 years' worth!)...

Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye was released in December 1967 on The Songs of Leonard Cohen album... but I didn't become aware of him until a year and a half later when, as a high school sophomore, a friend played me Roberta Flack's version - I of course liked her voice... but I adored *his* songwriting, and went on a mission to find the original. I still love to tell the story of typing term papers to put myself through college... and one guy didn't have quite enough cash so he offered up his copy of New Skin for the Old Ceremony... and we called it even...

My husband reminded me I turned him on to Cohen's music when we started dating - Cohen Live retains a place of honor in the 5-disc CD changer in our bedroom, 33 years later...

We spent a ridiculous amount of money for 2 ninth-row floor seats last weekend but, for all my devotion, I'd never had the opportunity to see him live... and it was the proverbial no-brainer as he had recently returned to the stage after a 15-year absence (since his manager had embezzled all his money) - I swayed, I swooned, I swore (f*ck me - is this a dream?!?) as he preached to the choir, turning the many-thousand-seat arena into an intimate lounge, connecting with each of us on a generous and gracious level, grateful that we still cared enough for his music to be in attendance...

I could go on (and I probably will, over at my own blog later this evening)... but enough to say that sometimes coming face-to-face with one's icon (even in a crowded concert hall) can not only meet but exceed one's expectations - I'm even more of a fan than I was, if that's at all possible...

Early: The One Thing

INXS: The One Thing

[purchase]

It was 1982. It would be another year before MTV went on the air, another year and a half before we had it on our local cable system. I found new music in those days in a few ways. I listened to our local college radio station. I saw a band I had never heard of on Saturday Night Live. I read about them in Musician magazine, and bought an album on spec. Normally, I did not find new music by channel surfing.

But one night, I was up entirely too late. It must have been at least one in the morning. And channel surfing is just what I was doing. I kept coming across this concert by this band, and they looked different. And I kept passing it by, knowing that the show was Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert, and the music must therefore be crap. But finally, the look drew me in, and I stopped and put the sound on.

The background was entirely black, and the band was entirely in white, and their instruments were white. There was the usual drums, bass, and guitar, and there was one band member seated at a bank of keyboards. The sound of the band was echoey in the manner of a pipe organ in a huge cathedral. Indeed, the overall effect of the guitars, bass, and keyboard was not unlike the awe inspired by a pipe organ, and the baritone vocals only enhanced the effect. The drums pushed the whole thing along beautifully.

The band, of course, was INXS, and the first song I heard was The One Thing. As I recall, there was one more song, Don’t Change, and they were done. Remember, I came in late. After the commercials, another band came on, and they were as lame as I had expected. But the sound of INXS stayed with me, and I made sure I got the album. It was just as good as the two songs I knew.

Of course, INXS went on to be one of the biggest hit makers of the 80s, and I enjoyed their later work. But, after there first album, they never sounded like this again. Did I still like the band? Well, Rock Star: INXS is the only reality show I have ever watched. But the wrong person won, and the band and I parted ways at that point. Their work with original singer Michael Hutchence is still great though.

Early: Early Morning Rain

Grateful Dead: Early Morning Rain

[purchase]

It's kind of funny, isn't it? The theme this week in "Early", yet we're late in getting the theme started.

So let me start it off with a song that is an early recording, but coincidentally also has "Early" in the title. The Dead's take on this Gordon Lightfoot song was recorded in late 1965, while they were still known as the Warlocks, and more than a year before their debut album came out. The jangly pop presented here is a long way from "Dark Star", but it has its own innocent charm.

Postage Paid: P.S. Edition

John Wesley Harding: To Whom It May Concern

[purchase] (scroll down to New Deal)

In August 1997, I began an e-mail relationship with someone through the Dar Williams discussion list - by virtue of our shared love for Dar's music, our correspondence escalated to in-depth cyber-conversations about books, movies, parenting, marriage, and of course other musicians... which led to us sending each other mix tapes through the mail... and, in his first one to me, my new friend included John Wesley Harding's Infinite Combinations. I completely fell in love with the song, and of course had to buy the CD, by an artist I'd heard of but never listened to - I also discovered To Whom It May Concern, another tune that described our long-distance connection. Over 12 years later, we are still in each other's lives, albeit less frequently than before... and we've met up twice (once in 2000 and again six months ago) - never underestimate the power of the written word..

Dar Williams: If I Wrote You

[purchase]

Speaking of Dar, I would be remiss if I didn't include this song for our weekly theme - I've heard her say it was semi-inspired by the passing of Townes Van Zandt. In her words:

"I started writing this song in Austin, Texas, and to me the influence of the area is obvious. There's more open space than in many of my songs, and there is an insinuation that the narrator is clean and sober now, which would describe many Texan songwriters I know today. Larry Campbell's guitar parts and Richard Shindell's harmony made me very emotional for a while, but I'm getting over that."

We‘re About 9: Writing Again

[purchase]

We're About 9 is a twenty-something trio (Katie Graybeal, Pat Klink and Brian Gundersdorf), home-based in Maryland, with literate lyrics (who uses the word concatenate in a song?!?) and stunning harmonies - this tune, written by Brian, underscores the theory that one's best writing is done after experiencing great pain ("this is my letter to tell you the truth, I can't tell if I'm better, I've been thinking about the way most things are difficult to open and easier to close"). I especially love the way the tapping on the guitar simulates a beating heart - reminds me of the quote: "Writing is easy. Just sit at the keyboard and open a vein."...

Postage Paid: Care of Cell 44

The Zombies: Care of Cell 44

[purchase]

The title of this song stretches the theme just a little bit. But the lyrics are the contents of a letter a guy is writing to his significant other, who is locked up in jail. Although the gender of the jailbird is never mentioned, one assumes it's a woman, which makes this a fairly unique pop song, even for 1968. As a single, it bombed.

"Care of Cell 44" is the opening track on the Zombies' magnum opus, Odessey and Oracle. The band's two hits, "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" were several years old when the they recorded the album in 1967, and it was their final stab at making it big. Unfortunately, the album was pretty much ignored when it was released in the UK, and the band quickly broke up.

Then Al Kooper heard the album and convinced his label, Columbia, to release it stateside. "Time of the Season" was pulled from it as a single and became a huge hit in 1969.

The band (or 3/5 of it) cashed in on its surprise success by recording a follow-up album. In 1991.

Over the years, the rest of Odessey and Oracle has garnered a cult following, and now it's considered a masterpiece. With its sophisticated arrangements, beautiful melodies, and Beach Boys-like harmonies, I wholeheartedly agree.

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs: Care of Cell #44

[purchase]

A few years ago, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs recorded an album of covers of some of their favorite songs from the '60s. Their version adds a number sign to the title and changes the gender of the narrator, with Susanna taking the lead.

Postage Paid: Postcard Collection

Postcards are a way of sending a short message, just enough to check in. Their shortness would seem to make them perfect for songs. Here is what three artists do with them.

Wendy Wall: Postcard to the Stars

[purchase]

I have previously told my Wendy Wall story here, and reviewed her latest album here. So suffice it to say, she is a favorite of mine.

Wall’s postcard is not bound for Hollywood. She sends it off into space, to whoever might be listening. The song is a humble account by one example of what it feels like to be human and on earth.

Mark Knopfler: Postcards From Paraguay

[purchase]

Mark Knopfler presents a white collar criminal, on the run and in a hurry. He must leave the scene of the crime now, and has not even the time to send a postcard.

Bare Naked Ladies: Another Postcard

[purchase]

Finally, Bare Naked Ladies find themselves on the receiving end of some very unusual fan mail.

Postage Paid: Please Mr. Postman

The Marvelettes: Please, Mr. Postman

[Purchase]

Yet another definitive postal song that I couldn't let pass by. This song was The Marvelettes', one of the first girl groups of Motown, only #1 song, though they had a number of other top 40 hits. The song was well loved enough to be covered by other popular bands, including The Carpenters and The Beatles. The Carpenters even took it back to #1.

In the song, a girl pleads with the postman to look in his bag one more time to check for a letter for her because it's been so long since she's heard from her man.

Postage Paid: Letter Song

Seigobillies: Letter Song

[currently unavailable]

Hey folks, it's time once again to set the Wayback Machine for New Brunswick, N.J., in the early 1990s. One of my favorite bands from the era were Seigobillies. (The flyer in the photo is from the first time I ever saw them, when they were still called the Seigolillies.) They combined elements of reggae, ska, bluegrass, and what was then called "college rock" into an intoxicatingly danceable mix. On this track from their self-titled debut cassette, they slow the tempo down for a banjo-lead lament that leaves the narrator weighed down by unwritten letters.

Seigobillies went through several changes over the years, but they still exist as Billy. They put out a new album this year. Do check it out.

Postage Paid: Anchorage

Michelle Shocked: Anchorage

[purchase]

"I took time out to write to my old friend
I walked across that burning bridge
I mailed my letter off to Dallas
but her reply came from Anchorage, Alaska..."

I'm a sucker for anything presented in epistolary form: songs, books and even TV shows and blogs - Michelle Shocked does the form justice in her tune of two women, who obviously shared some wild times in Texas, catching up after an over-two-years' lull in communication...

As with most female friendships, you can tell they are close enough such that they pick up just where they left off... with warmth, humor and a genuine desire to find out about, and fill the other in on, what they've been doing - a note of wistfulness creeps in as Chel's friend decries the isolation of her current situation, even as she describes the life she's now sincerely embracing...

"Leroy got a better job so we moved
Kevin lost a tooth, he's started school
I've got a brand new eight-month-old baby girl
I sound like a housewife
Hey Chel, I think I'm a housewife..."

And, as with all good stories, I want to know what happened next - I hope they kept in touch... and I hope they kept on rocking, each in their own way...

Postage Paid: Love Letter

Bonnie Raitt: Love Letter

[purchase]

Bonnie Hayes, like so many others, started life as a musician. In the early 1980s, she fronted a pop-punk band called Wild Combo. But, by 1989, Hayes was looking for other ways to pay the bills. She became a studio musician and songwriter for hire.

In 1989, Bonnie Raitt was a blues musician who had enjoyed a minor hit with a cover of Runaway. Active since the early seventies, Raitt had built a devoted following, but never put up the kind of numbers that major labels like to see.

In 1989, the two Bonnies came together. Hayes was hired to write two songs for the album that would be called Nick of Time. One was Have a Heart. And the other was Love Letter. I find it ironic that the bluesiest song on the album that would finally take Bonnie Raitt up the charts was written by someone whose background was in punk and new wave. But there it is. Love Letter is a smoldering blues love song, and a great showcase for Raitt’s slide guitar playing.

In 1996, Bonnie Hayes went back to Love Letter and recorded her own version. I don’t have it, and I have no idea how good it may be, but if anyone else has it, please feel free to post it in the comments.

Postage Paid: Return to Sender

Elvis Presley: Return to Sender

[Purchase]

It might almost be cliche to post this song since it's such a quintessential mail song, but alas, there are a few oldies but goodies I feel somebody ought to post this week, so I am going to go ahead and post this one to get it out of the way.

This song was a number one single for Elvis. It's a catchy little song that was featured in his film "Girls! Girls! Girls!", about a guy trying to get his lady back by sending her a letter and the letter being returned over and over again with the "return to sender" stamp on it. He finally gets the point when he hand delivers the letter and it still comes back to him. The boy might be a bit dense, but it makes for sweet little tune.

Postage Paid: Please Read The Letter

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss: Please Read The Letter

[purchase]

We have a mail chute of sorts. It's a slot in the outside wall of the house that feeds the box which is inside the wall, that is accessed from a flip door that's inside a closet. The box is narrow and not very accommodating for anything larger than a standard business envelope, and as a result, sometimes our mail gets chewed up in removing it from the box (to say nothing about removing our-self from the closet). That said, it's sometimes better for us to have an empty box than a full one.

Actually posted by Bert, with technical assistance from Darius