You Know Who... Gives Blood

James Blood Ulmer
1940-2026
Photo by Franz Schellekens

Today Brett and I provided wonderful examples of the fallibility of human memory. I was forgetting songs from albums that I owned and for some reason I thought that The Posies’ “Open Every Window” was a cover of a Burt Bacharach and Hal David tune. Maybe I was thinking about “Look Out Any Window,” except that was a Bruce Hornsby song. Well, never mind. Brett had some impressive brain farts too, but appropriately I cannot recall them right now.
 
I know that I have been on a James Blood Ulmer kick lately, but that is only because I have stumbled onto a bunch of his recordings recently, and also that he fucking rules. That said, I had to recognize his passing on June 3^rd, news that strangely was not made public for almost a week.
 
Brett’s segment focused (if you can say that it was focused) on quirky pop forms: folk pop, sunshine pop, power pop, etc. We talked a bit about the phenomenon of Italian songs being rewritten as English language songs (e.g. Tom Jones’ “Help Yourself,”) and that it did, in fact, go in both directions. Frankly, I think that would be worthy of a segment of its own.
 
Great recordings from this day in history included the Rolling Stones from their first tour with Ronnie Wood on guitar, Elvis Costello and the Attractions at Rockpalast, and songs from the final night of Amnesty International’s “A Conspiracy of Hope” Tour. I should have played Peter Gabriel’s “Biko,” his tribute to the murdered anti-apartheid activist, but as we were running out of time, I ended up playing “Sledgehammer,” his enumeration of various sexual metaphors. Perhaps Amnesty International deserved better, but what can you do?
 
Lastly, we paid loving tribute to Harry Nilsson, who would have turned 85 today… You know, I just had a thought: At what point do you stop saying “so-and-so would have turned such-and-such and age today?” You wouldn’t say “Edvard Grieg, who would have turned 183 today.” So, what is the cut-off?
 
But enough of that shit. Harry Nilsson. Though I don’t think he ever told me so explicitly, I’m pretty sure that Harry is Brett’s favorite songwriter, and he ranks pretty high for me as well (my favorite is probably Harry’s friend, Randy Newman), so we could have gone on forever if it were not for my daily broadcast limit. Even the tune that Brett chose to play out with (Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality,” obviously chosen due to its prescience and all too relevant themes) got cut off abruptly. (Note: I was able to fix that in post.)
 
So it was another fun hang with Brett, and with such good music that others might actually like listening to it, too.
 
Click here to check it out:
LIC Radio 6/15/2026
 
 
James Blood Ulmer
“Stand Up to Yourself”
(James Blood Ulmer)
North Sea Jazz Festival, Den Haag, NL, 7/10/81
 
 
The Cyrkle
“Turn Down Day’
(Jerry Keller, David Blume)
From Red Rubber Ball  (Columbia, 1966)
 
 
Lesley Gore
“Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows”
(Marvin Hamlisch, Howard Liebling)
From Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts  (Mercury 1963)
 
 
The Posies
“Open Every Window”
(Jon Auer, Ken Stringfellow)
From This Is Not the Posies  (Elefant, 1993)

Don't You Want to Be Tom Jones?
Photo by Harry Langdon

Tom Jones

“Help Yourself”

(Carlo Donida, Jack Fishman)

From Help Yourself  (Decca, 1968)

 

"Help Yourself" is a reworked English-language version of the Italian song “Gli Occhi Miei” ("My Eyes"), which was composed by Carlo Donida with lyrics by Mogol (née Giulio Rapetti). It was released as a single by the Italian pop singer, Dino, in 1968). The English lyrics were written by the British author and songwriter Jack Fishman, which have absolutely nothing to do with the original text.

 

 

Talking Heads

“Life During Wartime”

(David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth)

From Fear of Music  (Sire, 1979)

 
 
Brothers Johnson
“Come Together”
(Lennon – McCartney)
From Look Out For #1  (A&M, 1976)
Originally recorded by The Beatles; released on Abbey Road  (Apple, 1969)
 

Guided by Voices
Photo by Stephen Appicella-Hitchcock

Guided by Voices
“Girls of Wild Strawberries”
(Robert Pollard)
From Half Smiles of the Decomposed  (Matador, 2004)
 
 
The Rolling Stones
“If You Can’t Rock Me” (includes “Get Off of My Cloud”)
(Jagger – Richards)
Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY, 6/15/75
Studio version released on It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll  (Rolling Stones/Virgin, 1974)
 
 
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
“Lipstick Vogue”
(Elvis Costello)
WDR Studio-L, Köln, DE, 6/15/78
Studio version released on This Year’s Model  (Radar/Columbia, 1978)
 
 
The Pogues
“USA”
(Shane McGowan)
Hot Point Festival, Lausanne, CH, 6/15/89
Studio version released on Peace and Love  (Island, 1989)
 
 
Prince
“Diamonds and Pearls”
(Prince)
Earls Court, London, UK, 6/15/92
Studio version released on Diamonds and Pearls  (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1991)
 
 
Paul McCartney
“Looking for Changes”
(Paul McCartney)
Blockbuster Pavilion, Charlotte, NC, 6/15/93
Studio version released on Off the Ground  (Parlophone/Capitol, 1993)
 

Peter Gabriel  6/15/85
"A Conspiracy of Hope"
Photo by Ron Galella

The Police
“Invisible Sun”
(Sting)
Amnesty International’s “A Conspiracy of Hope” Tour
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, 6/15/86
Studio version released on Ghost in the Machine  (A&M, 1981)

Peter Gabriel
“Sledgehammer”
(Peter Gabriel)
Amnesty International’s “A Conspiracy of Hope” Tour
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, 6/15,96
Studio version released on So  (Charisma/Virgin/Geffen, 1986)
 
 
Harry Nilsson
“Cuddly Toy”
(Harry Nilsson)
Demo session, 1967
First released by The Monkees on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.  (Colgems, 1967)
 
Nilsson would release his own version of “Cuddly Toy” on his album, Pandemonium Shadow Show, one month after the Monkees issued Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
 
 
Nilsson
“Think About Your Troubles”
(Harry Nilsson)
From The Point  (RCA Victor, 1970)
 

Harry Nilsson had more fun than we do.
Anne Murray meets "The "Hollywood Vampires"
John Lennon, Murray, Nilsson, Alice Cooper,
Mickey Dolenz
Photo by Richard Creamer

 
Harry Nilsson
“Blow Me Down”
(Harry Nilsson)
From Music from the Motion Picture Popeye – The Harry Nilsson Demos  (Varèse Sarabande, 2018 [recorded in 1980])
 
 
Living Colour
“Cult of Personality”
(Vernon Reid, Muzz Skillings, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun)
From Vivid  (Epic, 1988)