Scott Walker

Entitled, "Scott Walker 1969 with Razmus, his then 12 week old Saint Bernard."
Photo by Chris Walter courtesy of http://www.photofeatures.com/

Snoopy Rocks

Novelty records may be a thing of the past but I have fond memories of The Royal Guardsmen's pop classic, "Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron". The Ocala, FL band, influenced by the popular Charles Shultz Peanuts comic stip, loved its light-hearted and philosophical edge. The band created tunes featuring on Snoopy's World War I aerial dog fighting ace, Baron Von Richthofen, on top of his Sopwith Camel (doghouse) biplane. The title track sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and reached the number two spot on the Bill board charts.

The band revisited the flying ace with additional titles including: "The Return of the Red Baron", "Snoopy and His Friends", and "Snoopy's Christmas". The album's charted on the Billboard's Top 40 charts and the band celebrated their brief pop fame that spanned from 1966 to 1968.

Original band members, Chris Nunley (vocals), Barry Winslow (vocals, guitar), Tom Richards (guitar), Bill Balough (bass), and John Burdette (drums), tried to continue to cash in on Snoopy, with their final 1968 release, "Snoopy for President", whose original pressings included a spoken introduction by "The Red Baron", mentioning the 1968 presidential candidates. Days after the record's release, Bobby Kennedy assassination prompted an edited version with the spoken introduction removed. The band's novelty wore off, and they disbanded in 1969.

Cat Loves Dogs

Cat Stevens introduced himself to the pop world in 1966, with is first hit single, "I Love My Dog," with these fabulous words of wisdom.

I love my dog as much as I love you

But you may fade, my dog will always come through.

Reaching #27 on the British charts, the tune paved the way for Cat's early sound that was heavily influenced by pop bands, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, in combination with the folk influences of Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon. Introduced through Cat's brother David, The Springfields own Mike Hurst, encouraged Cat's original spare arrangement of the single to add a staccato, tympani-and viola arrangement to the basic guitar, piano and vocal tracks played by Cat. Not only revolutionizing a new type of Pop sound never heard before, but introducing England to a masterful singer-song-writer and performer.

The Reason to (Rescue) Yourself a Dog

I'm Gonna Buy Me a Dog

Music/Lyrics by Boyce & Hart

Now? You know my girl...now? You know my girl just called my up

And she woke my from my sleep. *Snores*

You should have heard the things she said

You know she hurt my feelings deep.

I'm gonna buy me a dog.

A dog? 

A dog. 

Why? 

Why?

'Cause I need a friend now.

Babe, you need all the friends you can get!

I'm gonna buy me a dog,

My girl, my girl, don't love me no how. 

Don't riun my song man. It's the only song I have. 

It was ruined when it was wrote. 

Uh, where's the verse?

She used to bring me my, my newspaper 

You don't even know where it's at!

'Cause she knew where it was at.

She used to keep me so contented,

But I can teach a dog to do that.

I'm gonna buy me a dog. 

You couldn't teach a dog to do that. You can only train elephants.

'Cause I need a friend now. 

I need a friend now! 

Now! 

Yeah!

I'm gonna buy me a dog. 

A dog. Here Rover, Fido, Spot! 

Here boy! *Whistle*

Last song, side 2, on the 1966 debut release of, "The Monkees."

Dog Eat Dog

"Well, 'Dog Eat Dog,' for instance, had a large canvas, 10-foot-by-5, all dogs, God dog, Jesus dog, you know, and racial dogs in conflict and so on. I sold that painting in Tokyo. Geffen told me that, "Okay, Joan, we know you're an artist, but stick your picture on the cover." So I did a kind of a collage being attacked by wild dogs, you know, and that was fun to do. So there were really two album covers for that. But he (David Geffen) wanted my kisser on the cover, so I had to give it to him (laughs). The patron, the great patron, spoke." - Joni Mitchell

(from an interview on KSCA by NA 1994)

Johnnie Ray

A beautiful photograph of Johnnie Ray with pooch, by Joy Hanni (photo courtesy of www.johnnieray.com).

Guess Who Wants to be Your Dog?

I Wanna Be Your Dog
by David Alexander, Ronald Asheton, James Osterberg (Iggy), Scott Asheton

So messed up I want you here
In my room I want you here
Now we're gonna be Face-to-face
And I'll lay right down In my favorite place
And now I wanna be your dog
Now I wanna be your dog
Now I wanna be your dog
Well c'mon
Now I'm ready to close my eyes
And now I'm ready to close my mind
And now I'm ready to feel your hand
And lose my heart on the burning sands
And now I wanna be your dog
And now I wenna be your dog
Now I wanna be your dog
Well c'mon

Neil Young's Elvis, Left the Tour Bus

During a 1992 live show at Los Angeles' Greek Theater, Neil Young, introduced his song about his favorite hound Elvis, "Old King" with a wonderful true tale about his hound.

..."And uh, so, I said, 'Okay Elvis, take a shot.'"

"Naw, really. . . he took off, I let him go. And uh, there's only one thing that can go wrong if you do that. That's if it rains, then, and then he can't find his way back, 'cause he can't smell over the little rains, you know. He just loses it.
"So, he lost it, he got lost. It's like three o'clock in the afternoon, we're still waiting for him to come back, and we gotta go to the gig pretty soon or we're gonna be late, you know, and I'm going, 'Shit, I lost my dog. What am I gonna tell everybody?' You know, I can't leave him behind, I can't, you know, what can I do? So I went out hunting for him.

..."So I went back to the bus, and uh, I got out my lucky shirt, which I don't have with me tonight, you may have noticed. I know, but it's too hot for my lucky shirt. So anyway, I, he, I took it out there and I put it down by the bowl, put his bowl out there, and left the shirt, he'd come back eventually, you know, find his way back to the shirt. And I'd figured after the gig I could come back.

"So, I get back on the bus to take off. So I'm leaving, and this guy in a pick up truck pulls up and says, 'Hey Neil, what're you doing?' Well, so, I told him, I'm not gonna tell it again here, I told him, and then, uh, then uh, he said 'Well that's okay, Neil, I'll, me and, I'll go get my wife, and we'll wait, we'll wait right here until he comes back, and then we'll bring him to you in Eureka.'

..."So, uh, so I, so I got there. Ah, hey, that's rock n' roll, you gotta do what you do. And ah, you know, just as I was going on he called me and said they found him.

This Lady Was No Tramp

Legendary singer, Peggy Lee, was not just one of jazz/pop music's most talented and swinging vocalist, but a legendary songwriter. She was a performer who crafted each performance from working with a select group of talented musicians down to her gown selection, hair do, and lighting. In 1952, she lent her vocal and song-writing talents to Walt Disney's production of, The Lady and the Tramp, as Peg the Lhasa Apso.

Peggy Lee co-wrote the films memorable songs, “The Siamese Cat Song,” He’s a Tramp” and, “Bella Notte," (the famous shared plate of spaghetti scene) with Sonny Burke. She also provided her vocal talents as Darcy, the mother who sings “La La Lu,” the two devious cats, Si and Am, who sing “The Siamese Cat Song,” and of course Peg, the sexy pooch who sings, “He’s a Tramp."

During production, Peggy was paid a $3,500 salary from Disney and she and Sonny Burke had split a royalty fee of $1,000 for the sheet music and phonograph record rights for the film’s musical score. Both were given no royalties for their contribution. But in 1992 when Disney marketed a videocassette without her consent, she sued the company and was awarded $2.3 million after a four-year court battle.

Peggy, who was 70 years old at the time of her court win, remarked of the experience, "You know, they always say, 'Don't mess with the Mouse...I'm glad that my rights were vindicated."

Pink Floyd's Howling Talent

Pink Floyd's film, "Live at Pompeii," captured the only live performance of the originally entitled song. "Seamus," (who provided howling accompaniment on the original studio version) from their legendary recording, Meddle. The title was re-named for the film version, "Mademoiselle Nobs," after the female Russian Wolfhound who lent her extraordinary canine vocal talents. Nobs, who belonged to Madonna Bouglione the daughter of circus director Joseph Bouglione, illustrated how talent obviously ran in the family (even with the family dog).

Keith Moon's K9 b-side

Keith Moon, aside from his legendary drumming and on-stage antics, often penned some of The Who's most clever songs. One example amid the extensive Who catalogue is lesser known b-Side from the band's legendary 1969 hit, "Pinball Wizard." Produced by Kit Lambert, the composition entitled, "Dogs Part Two," featured two lesser known Who vocalist's, Towser, Pete Townshend's Spaniel mix and John Entwistle's Irish Wolfhound, Jason. Both dog's provided their distinctive howls for the singles vocal track along-side Moon's legendary drumming talents.
Although Moon was a collector of Great Danes, none of his dogs lent their talents to the recording. The once rare b-Side has been re-released on the deluxe edition of The Who's, Tommy CD.

Arrow has a Point

In 1970, the talented song-writer and performer, Harry Nilsson, composed an acid influenced children’s story about a round-headed boy named Oblio and his dog, Arrow, who were outsiders in the land called Point. This land where everything, including its residents, had a point became a difficult place for Oblio and Arrow to be accepted. How did Harry come up with this concept? "I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, 'Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn't, then there's a point to it.'"
The original album inserts by artist, Gary Lund (above), showcase our blue colored pooch, Arrow, and all of his adventures. Harry’s musical concept was later adapted into an animated special and a musical play. The Point, narrated by Nilsson, reached #25 on the Billboard charts, and launched the successful hit song about Oblio’s favorite canine companion, "Me And My Arrow."

Hounded by Love

It wasn't until Kate Bush built a private studio near her home in 1985, that she claimed to finally have the ability to work at her own pace and have the freedom to experiment. The results was the beautifully realized self-produced effort highlighting her exceptional songwriting and performing talents entitled, Hounds of Love.

The album’s concept features a Side B of songs about a heroine lost at sea facing the threat of drowning and a Side A of pop masterpieces, including the title track, devoted to exploring the different aspects of love. Kate explains the meaning of these hounds in a 1992 interview with BBC Radio 1, stating that, "When I was writing the song I sorta started coming across this line about hounds and I thought "hounds of love" and the whole idea of being chased by this love that actually... when it gets you it’s just going to rip you to pieces, you know, and have your guts all over the floor! So this very sort of... being hunted by love, I liked the imagery, I thought it was really good."

Bowie's Controversial "Dog Genitalia"

Very few copies of the original cover art of David Bowie's, Diamond Dogs, painted by comic book artist Guy Peellaert depicting the half-dog, half-Bowie figure are currently in circulation. This controversial cover made its way into limited distribution during its 1974 release. Unfortunately, the record executives requested concealing the genitalia from the original design by airbrushing the area in question. Also rejected was a photograph featuring Bowie wearing a cordobes hat holding with a very large ravenous dog. According to the collectors publication, Goldmine Magazine, this original cover is considered to be one of the most expensive record collectibles of all time bringing in bids as high as $1000.00 for a single copy. Rykodisc/EMI decided it was time to reveal the original design proudly when they re-issued the album in 1991.

Wanna Learn a Dog Song?

Old Blue (trad.)

[D] Well I had an old dog and his name was Blue
Yes I had an old dog and his [A] name was [D] Blue
Well I had an old dog and his name was Blue
I bet you five dollars he’s a [A] good dog [D] too

Old Blue chased a possum up a holler limb
Blue chased a possum up a holler limb
Blue chased a possum up a holler limb
The possum growled, Blue whined at him

[D] Bye Bye [Bm] Blue, [G] you good dog [D] you
Bye Bye [Bm] Blue, you [G] good dog [D] you

When old Blue died he died so hard
He shook the ground in my back yard
We lowered him down with a golden chain
and every link we called his name

My old Blue was a good old hound
You’d hear him holler miles around
When I get to heaven first thing I’ll do
is grab my horn and call for Blue

The Byrds “Dr.Byrds And Mr.Hyde”
Columbia Records 1968

Roger McGuinn - McGuinn Music (BMI)
Lyrics and chords courtesy of Roger McGuinn's fabulous blog:
http://www.reveries.com/folkden/old_blue.html

What are "Good Vibrations"?

In a 2004 Rolling Stone interview, Brian Wilson tells the story of how the word 'vibrations,' scared him as a child. His mother, Audree, was explaining to him why dogs barked at some people and not others. Brian reiterates how, "A dog would pick up vibrations from these people that you can't see but you can feel. And the same thing happened with people." This bit of wisdom inspired what was to become one of Brian's song-writing and production masterful achievements, "Good Vibrations." Brian also says, "This is a very spiritual song, and I want it to give off good vibrations."

Paul McCartney and Martha

Paul McCartney’s, “Martha My Dear,” featured on the Beatle’s classic White Album is a song about his favorite pooch. McCartney, known for his pop song craftsmanship, admits that this tune wasn’t filled with any in-depth meaning. In a 1968 Radio Luxembourg interview about how this song was inspired McCartney stated that, “I just start singing some words with a tune, you know what I mean. I don't ever write a song thinking; 'Now I'll write a song about...' I do sometimes, but mainly I don't. Mainly I'm just doing a tune and then some words come into my head, you know. And these happened to be 'Martha My Dear, though I spend my days in conversation.' It doesn't mean anything, you know, but those just happened to come to my head. So that's what this song is about... it is about my dog. I don't mean it, you know. I don't ever try to make a serious social comment, you know. So you can read anything you like into it, but really it's just a song. It's me singing to my dog."