Thursday, June 18, 2015

Let Me Tell Ya Bout My Linda

Back in 1964 and 65 the Torques got a lot of their songs from their heroes up in Durango, the Exotics. One of them was a song they'd never heard anywhere else called "My Linda" and its main charm was that it had a catchy three-chord riff running through it. E-D-A. We played the song at a few dances in 64 and early 65 and Wally Price, a fellow student from the class of 65, used to come up to the band and plead with us to let him sing the song because he knew a much better version with different words. Did we ever let him do it? I don't remember but we really should have because later in 1965 a song called "Gloria" came out by Them (and Shadows of Night), and it became the most popular dance song of the year. If we had only let Wally sing, we could have scooped the rest of the bands in the area by almost a year!


 In my high school yearbook Wally wrote a few paragraphs telling me how cool I am then ended with probably the most sincere words found in the book: "NOW can I sing Gloria???" That summer of 65 I have a vague memory of Wally coming up and singing "Gloria" at the etc Club on Animas St. close to El Cantaro. He did a great job. As I remember, the club only lasted a couple of weeks before the city fathers  shut it down for corrupting the youth of Farmington. Too late!

Monday, June 1, 2015

All Roads Lead to Tuba

This is a remake of a song Knees wrote in 1972, after a trip to the Grand Canyon with an old army buddy and his wife. We found that on the south rim no matter where you wanted to go, Tuba City was the first place you went. Knees' buddy suggested he write a song about all roads leading to Tuba City and this is what resulted. I recorded it in the early 90s and this recent version is pretty similar. Check 'em both out.





It’s a sad road I’m travelin
Sad because my baby
Tole me that our love is dead
“Go on an beat your head against the wall,” she said
“I don’t think that I can take it any more.”

A man tries to make a livin
Doin what he does the best
For as much as he can get
But tell that to a woman
Without lowerin your head
When the life she needs
Is just outside your door.

An the raincloud up ahead is flashin like a sign
Motorcycle nightmare on the Utah line
Do you blame me brothers for changin my mind?
I turn around an head back home.

All roads lead to Tuba
Just like all roads lead to hell
If you’re headin for the Canyon
You’ll get to know it well.

Well I tried to leave my woman
Somethin I’ve attempted so many times before
But every time I come on back
A-beggin at the door
I wonder just what I’m tryin to do?

As I ride into Tuba
I get a kinda feelin
That things just ain’t the same
Like mebbe someone’s changed
All the rules to the game
I wonder if it’s me or if it’s you.

Then I see the note that’s lyin on the bed
Says “Now do you believe that our love is dead?”
Then I start to thinkin
Bout all the things she said
An I go an beat my head against the wall.