Some Long And Winding Songs
If you have been reading my Substacks over the last year or so, you know on Fridays I throw out a very eclectic mix of musical ideas. From some of the greatest albums of all time to some of the greatest songs of all time. I hit the standards but also like giving the readers some new avenues to explore as well. Or maybe, just reopen a door you closed a long time ago. One thing that should be apparent however, is my love for long form music. While there are hundreds of great songs that clock in under four minutes, there are an equal number of great songs that clock in at over nine minutes and that is where we are going today.
These songs tended to be played late at night on FM stations that had progressive DJ’s. Some would play “Stairway To Heaven” or “Free Bird” and think they were pushing boundaries but as we know now, all they did was overplay great songs death. The songs on my list probably were played occasionally on Classic rock stations but I would say you had to be up at three in the morning and you might hear them.
The granddaddy of them all is “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly. To this day, it still resonates as a stoner song that was beyond cool. If any song exemplified the culture in the 60’s this was it. Lyrics that hardly made sense, a driving drumbeat with a great solo, an ebb and flow that only a 17:05 song could do. Many critics panned the song but musicians of that era loved it and some feel it was the actual beginning of the heavy metal era. Not sure about that but it ultimately is such a neat song, you can’t help but listen to it from beginning to end.
“Time Has Come Today” by The Chambers Brothers. I have mentioned this song before and this is another song that ebbs and flows in some psychedelic way. My connection to the song is an odd one but if my memory serves me right, The Chambers Brothers were a contestant on some talent show on NBC during the summer of 1966. They played a shortened version of the song on the show and I was mesmerized, at nine years old. I don’t recall if they won the show but at some point a few years later, I heard the long version of the song (which clocks in at 11:06) later on and I loved it. There are messages in the song along with funk, Psychedelic soul and a fuzzy guitar that turns into a clean guitar, again, on top of a driving drum beat. It is one of the few songs ever recorded where you can honestly feel exhausted from the wild ride you just listened to.
Stepping down in craziness, relisten to Traffics “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”. While I am no fan of Steve Winwood, I was a huge fan of Traffic and the musical talent that group possessed. This song starts out with a whimper (for lack of a better term ) and builds to a beautiful crescendo and stays solid throughout. Winwoods piano playing is the structure that holds the song together and he is at his best on this song.
While it was considered a great example of “Art Rock’ at the time “Child in Time” by Deep Purple, the band never thought of it as “artistic”. It had borrowed chords from other songs and as they were putting the music together, they threw some lyrics about the Cold War and the devastating effects of war on humanity. Lyrically, it was just too deep but it was a concert favorite and the Ian Gillians vocals are incredible.
As per my modus operandi Here is one out of left field, “Halleluhwah” by Can. To give a little background, Can is a German band that many consider the Godfathers of Krautrock. Krautrock, WTF is that? I don’t know, never heard of it until I heard this song and apparently it is some European genre of Rock that is very popular in the sub basement bars of Berlin. Obscure? You think. Anyway, I dig this one out because it is an awesome song. Can is a very popular experimental rock band from Germany that has been around since the late 60’s. This song tips the scales at ove eighteen minutes but as you listen to it, you wonder if these guys could have played it for an hour an eighteen minutes. It isn’t really a jam band type song, it’s just a band creating something as they go along. I hardly doubt there was an actual music sheet attached to this recording. The lead singer is Japanese who can speak several languages and I think he uses a couple on this record but I am not really sure. I have listened to this song countless times and I really have no clue what it actually is saying. Which is fine because it is rock improvisation at it’s very best. This is the type of song that you need to listen to several times, all the way through, to actually enjoy it. It will be an acquired taste for sure.
Coming back to Earth and something a little more approachable is Sly and The Family Stones “Sex Machine”. Funk be damned, this song is beyond anything Bootsy Collins could come up with. No lyrics to speak of but a freewheeling funky riff that stays strong through the whole song. Sly and The Family Stone may be the most underrated band of all time. Yes, I know they sold millions of records and truly were the highlight of Woodstock and most likely every other concert they played. Yet, they are rarely mentioned as one of the greatest rock bands of all time and I would put these guys up there with legendary bands like Buffalo Springfield, The Band and yes, Creedence Clearwater Revival. The genius and power of what they had to say is needed today and unfortunately, Sly Stones issues with drugs and mental illness has limited the appeal to old timers like me.
Back to obscure and you can push back on this one but Boz Scagg’s “Loan Me A Dime” is a twelve minute show of blues brilliance. Written by blues great Fenton Robinson, this song showcases Scaggs background in Delta Blues and he smartly has Duane Allman play lead guitar on the song. While there is heartache and pain throughout you never leave this song feeling sad or blue.
Keeping it in the sort of bluesy genre, Al Kooper and Steven Stills version of “Season of The Witch” from the Supersessions album is another example of playing a combination of blues and rock and roll. Stills guitar playing is flawless and the organ work is the bluesy element that the song explores continually. Donovan’s original version never went down that road.
The other gold standard for long playing classics is Neil Young’s “Cowgirl in The Sand”. Not much I can add that already hasn’t been said about this song but I include it because I probably have heard this song as many times as any “Classic” song and I still listen to this one and turn off the others. A side note; I saw Neil Young in Central Park at the Global Citizen concert. He played this song facing an amp and didn’t look at the audience. It was a bit of a disappointment but seeing Neil Young live is still something, even if he didn’t see us.
I do have about 25 or 30 more songs and you will notice that none of these songs are live versions, which to me is a whole different category. The other aspect I did not include were true jams. i.e. The Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead. I think they rate a category of their own.