Category Archives: Music

Remember the Song? – No. 3

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Little River Band – We Two. Formed in Melbourne in 1975 this is one of the great bands to come out of Australia. And this song is the band in 1983 running on the fumes of their commercial success. We Two was one of Little River Band’s final Top 40 singles, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard  Hot 100.

The band never broke up and still tours, but the original members left before the turn of the century, and with no Australians left in the group, it’s now an American band. Uh, what? Founding member Beeb Birtles derisively refers to them as a tribute band. So, what’s the deal? Trademarks. Stephen Housden joined the group as lead guitarist on The Net, the album from which this song comes. While he left in 2006, he remains the sole owner of the Little River Band name and trademark, and he works hard to keep founding members from profiting from the brand they built. Relations are acrimonious between him and the original members to put it mildly.

Enough about the legalities and ugliness of the music business. Let’s talk about We Two. I’ve been a fan of Little River Band for a long time and played their songs to death on the radio, but until a few years ago I’d never heard this one. I came across it on iTunes when looking at The Definitive Collection, which is an expanded greatest hits package released in the United States in 2005. I instantly liked it.

John Farnham replaces original lead vocalist Glenn Shorrock and holds his own on a midtempo song lamenting the loss of a romantic relationship. We Two  has the classic Little River Band vocal harmonies. I like the insistent bass and how tightly the rhythm section plays together, and the steady rhythm guitar gets my attention at the beginning of the song, too. While no solo, there is an instrumental break at the midway point featuring a repeating guitar riff that flows through the whole song. Atmospheric keyboards come in at the tail end of the composition and run through the fade. We Two doesn’t quite live up to the legacy of the band’s previous work, but on its own, the song is an enjoyable listen:

For the record, I saw Little River Band at a casino on the Oregon Coast in 1996. I think the only original member at that point was the drummer, Derek Pellicci. What was cool was seeing Peter Beckett on guitar and vocals. Beckett is the former lead singer and guitarist of Player, which had the big 1977 hit, Baby Come Back. He joined Little River Band in the late 1980s, and they performed his old group’s song that night. Would I recommend seeing Little River Band in concert today? No. It’s a bunch of guys operating under the name with a tenuous connection to the past. I wouldn’t recommend listening to the modern lineup’s rerecording of the classic songs either. Yeah, they actually did that.

What are your thoughts? Like the song? Hate it? Comment below. ↓

This is part of a series I’m doing on forgotten and obscure songs. Get caught up here.

Remember the Song? – No. 2

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Heart – How Can I Refuse. This band, from Seattle, Washington, was a force from 1975 to 1995. They had a long string of hits over two distinct eras. They began as a hard rock-folk rock band. Mid-career they left the folk roots behind and embraced an arena rock-glamour rock sound and image. The 1983 album, Passionworks, was the beginning of the transition. The record didn’t set the world on fire, but it did spawn a Billboard  Hot 100 hit, How Can I Refuse, which peaked at number 44 and was a number one hit on the Billboard  Mainstream Rock chart. This song pops up on SiriusXM from time-to-time, otherwise it’s largely forgotten by anyone not a Heart fan.

There are six writers credited with the composition, which is a bit surprising considering there is nothing particularly original about the lyrics or even the song structure. How Can I Refuse is about the lust and infatuation of a new relationship with a relentless rock beat that propels the song forward. It screams 1980s.

Rhythm is the star of the song, and it sounds angry. The hybrid electronic-acoustic drums and bass provide the driving beat with the rhythm guitar riding on top. Other guitar parts come in and out. The bridge features syncopated drum fills, which make an otherwise unremarkable part of the song interesting. Meanwhile, the lead guitar is restrained until the end with the only solo coming as the song begins to fade. While the lyrics reveal a bit of vulnerability, Ann Wilson’s bellowing vocals exude confidence and a touch of fury. It’s a vintage performance. Don’t mess with her!

Heart is still active and in the mid-1990s stripped down their sound, employing more acoustic instruments and dropping the electronics — a return to their roots with a modern sensibility.

What are your thoughts? Like it? Hate it? Even remember it? Comment below. ↓

This is part of a series I’m doing on forgotten and obscure songs. Get caught up here.

Tales of the Uke – Part 10

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Hey! It’s World Ukulele Day, a perfect time to add to the repertoire. It has been a while since the last Tale, as the Christmas songs kept me busy at the end of 2019, and I had a recital to prepare for as well. Back at it now!

We’re going from the King to the British Invasion. From the Revolver album came a song by the Beatles unlike what they had done before. Eleanor Rigby is about loneliness in old age. Written mainly by Paul McCartney, it details the bleak existence of fictional characters Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, a priest:

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Catchy melody. Stark sentiment.

The Beatles sang but did not play any instruments on this song. A string ensemble of session musicians was hired to perform the score written by producer George Martin. Eleanor Rigby incorporated four violins, two violas and two cellos. Released in the summer of 1966 the song made it to number 11 on the Billboard  Hot 100.

My teacher, Trevor found the music in a guitar book but suggested the arrangement would work for ukulele, especially with the low G string. This is the first recording using my new Audio-Technica 2021 microphone, specifically designed for instruments:

I’ll start working on something new shortly. When the song is done, I’ll add another tale to the saga.