It doesn’t get much more classic than this song by The Band. I’ve covered the “Playing for a Change” version with Robbie Robertson, Ringo Starr, and many musicians across the world. It’s been covered by many artists but The Bands version will always be the goto version for me. Robbie Robertson said he wrote this […]
via Band – The Weight — PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture
The firebird is a creature from Russian or Slavic folklore that has been the inspiration of many fairy and folktales, literary works and works of art.
Released towards the end of 1965 on Parlophone, just as the ‘swinging sixties‘ were reaching their apogee, I always preferred ‘Day Tripper‘, largely because of the catchy riff and driving rhythm. Nowadays I probably prefer the flip side, but there’s not a lot in it. They’re both great and sum up the period perfectly.
Although they are contrasting Lennon/McCartney songs – one upbeat and a little bit ‘sleazy’ lyrically for the time, the other more reflective and philosophical – they are both incredibly well constructed. ‘We Can Work It Out’ even drops to a 3/4 time signature during part of the middle eight – pretty radical for the time but a sign of what was to come as the crazy 1960s progressed.
Don’t forget to check the two videos. Although in black and white they’re still great to watch – and the lads were obviously having a great time too.
