Everybody Likes My Rocket '88

This time I had a more in-depth look into the history of some of the more popular car songs, such Hot Rod Lincoln and Mercury Blues, which I only knew from Commander Cody and Steve Miller…

The first one was recorded originally by Charley Ryan in 1955 as an ‘answer song’ to Arkie Shibley’s Hot Rod Race hit from 1950! 

Besides these 2 classics I’ve included 2 more ‘related’ songs:  Hot Rod Nissan & Hot Rod Hybrid!

Mercury Blues also dates from the 1950s and was recorded by K.C. Douglas for his first album, which imho had one of the coolest album titles around: A Dead-Beat Guitar And The Mississippi Blues!

Finally, there’s at last a (relatively obscure) song from the master of car songs: Chuck Berry’s , My Mustang Ford, from 1965.

Other cars being celebrated here include the 4WD, Chevrolet, Trans Am, Buick, Jeep, Henry Ford's Model A, Coupe de Ville, Studebaker, and of course the Rocket ‘88.

And I found a Tesla song!

Granted it’s more about politics than the car itself, but I thought it deserved a place here!

Many thanks to our regular blog visitors who came up with great suggestions:

Crab Devil, Richard, Jonder, Berni, andreyud, Stinky, efredd, and more

 

Featuring: Sam McGee / Oscar Ford / Arkie Shibley And His Mountain Dew Boys / Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats / K.C. Douglas / Charley Ryan and The Livingston Bros. / The Delicates / Chuck Berry / C. W. McCall / Mickey Jupp ft Godley & Creme / Urban Disturbance / The Barracudas / The Skeletons / Radio Birdman / Dangerous Birds / Bill Carter / The Del Fuegos / Roy Rogers / Robert Earl Keen / The Rolling Stones / The Luxurious Panthers / Tom Heinl / Jordan Zevon / Fred Mollin and the Blue Sea Band feat Pat Buchanan / Vince Vanlandingham / Marc Almond / Arthur Olins, Chris Gordon

Richard Thompson's Wild Decade

Not to make light of the recent passing of way too many great artists and entertainers, but the reactions in the media and in the sales charts sometimes remind me of the song "Now That I Am Dead" by French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson:

Now that I am dead, my agent finally said he wanted to have lunch with me...

Now that I'm deceased, my record sales increased, I'm making lots of royalties...

And that song takes me back to the 1980's, the decade when Richard Thompson apparently said "YES!" to every opportunity he was offered.

Make albums with Pere Ubu frontman David Thomas? SURE!  Document the dissolution of your marriage and tour with your ex?  WHY NOT!  Become part of downtown NYC supergroup The Golden Palominos? YOU BET! Form "the world's most obscure supergroup" with Henry Kaiser, Fred Frith, and John "Drumbo" French on drums?  (You know the answer.)  

During this decade of "Daring Adventures", Richard Thompson released four solo albums and played on records by Vivian Stanshall, Martin Carthy, Loudon Wainwright III, JJ Cale, T-Bone Burnette, Dagmar Krause, Syd Straw, Any Trouble and Crowded House. He did soundtrack music for two BBC programs.  He guested on Fairport Convention's 1985 album and rejoined the group for their 1986 album.  He performed with Fairport Convention at annual festivals throughout the decade, whether he was a current member or a former one.

In 1988, Jo-El Sonnier had a top ten country hit with his version of Richard's "Tear Stained Letter". In 1991, Richard scored a hit of his own, "I Feel So Good". 

I've compiled songs from 1981-1991 of Richard's adventures with David Thomas, the Golden Palominos, Syd Straw's star-studded debut, and the two extraordinary albums that Thompson made with Kaiser, Frith, and Drumbo.  Let's all live, love, larf and loaf again!

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG: Pere Ubu's Waffle House At Walden Pond and Syd Straw's Guest Spots.

IN THE MIX The Beatles Edition Vol. 1 - All You Need Are Friends

IN THE MIX The Beatles Edition Vol. 1

Whether you’re a Beatle, or a former Beatle, friends are going to ask you to play on their records.  The Fab Four were generally amenable to doing so, as evidenced by this Beatles Edition IN THE MIX.

John Lennon famously sang backing vocals on David Bowie’s Fame, and on Elton John’s version of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.  Lennon agreed to join Elton onstage if his version topped the charts, and kept his word.  Elton says the biggest roar he’d ever heard from an audience occurred when John stepped onstage with him at Madison Square Garden.  Lennon was reportedly dope sick, by the way.  Elton John & Ringo Starr backed T. Rex on Children Of The Revolution.

I played with the format a bit to include some odd bedfellows that joined The Beatles on record, like Tommy Smothers playing acoustic guitar on Give Peace A Chance.  And what I believe is Rick Nielsen & Bun E. Carlos playing on an alternate version of I’m Losing You.  I also had a hard time determining if John & Paul are singing with The Dakotas on the wonderful version of I'll Be On My Way contained here.  Whether it is or not, Vol. 1 passed the test drive.

Eric Clapton definitely played guitar on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, & Mick Jagger sang the “Yeah, Yeah Yeah” during the fade on The Beatles All You Need Is Love.  Another Beatles/Stones hybrid was created when George Harrison & Mick Taylor helped out Nicky Hopkins with Speed On.  The most recent occurrence was when Paul McCartney joined The Rolling Stones for Bite My Head Off.

Only John & Paul didn’t appear on one another’s albums after what John referred to as their “divorce”. The other Beatles were quick to lend a hand to one another, like when McCartney provided backing vocals on Harrison’s All Those Years Ago.  George was especially generous with his talents, appearing here with Badfinger, Jim Capaldi, Belinda Carlisle, Gary Wright, & Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.  (George’s IN THE MIX is finished—so watch this space!)

Paul McCartney & George Harrison sang background on both Donovan’s Mellow Yellow and James Taylor’s Carolina In My Mind.

God drives a Volkswagen Thing

Our previous Cadillac Car compilation generated a lot of response and therefore it made sense to continue this theme.

However without realizing I had already planted myself a seed in the comments which would give this theme a different twist…

 

‘Do you think there ever will be a lot of songs about present day cars? Toyota Blues? Pink Suzuki??’

 

That send me down the digital rabbit hole tracking down ‘other’ type of car songs.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover heaps of songs about non American brands as well as present day cars in various languages by at times not particularly well known artists, but overall intriguing enough to be featured here.

Whether British (the ‘naughty’ Ballad of the Mini Cooper), French (2CV, my mom used to drive one, great car!), German (the hilarious Volkswagen Thing), Japanese (Police In Toyota reggae!) or general (You're Still Not Safe In A Japanese Car & Tiny European Cars), you’re bound to have a good time here!

Featuring the following artists: The Beggarmen / Gilberto Gil / The Sports / Jumpin' John Goldsmith / Lloyd Cole & The Commotions / Taj Mahal / Arthur Adams / Clem Snide / Hugo Matthysen / Joseph Arthur / Fountains of Wayne / Henry & The Bleeders / O Martim / Asylum Street Spankers / Russell Dickerson / Media Suela Rock / Neil Camm / Plastic Tones / Savoy Brown / Andrew D. Gordon / Us / Buccaneer / Mads Kinen

Four One & Only's: Four Is The Onliest Number

Richard writes: Four One & Only's were a band from Breda, The Netherlands. Founded in 1984 by Marthy with Marcel, Rob, Bart and Felix. From those only Rob had previously been in bands, namely The Mirandas and La Valse. The music of Four One & Only's originated from their love for Television Personalities, Jonathan Richman, Punk in General, D.I.Y. Optimism and Absurdism with a hint of Cynicism, and always lots of beer. 

In DIY tradition, the first single and lp were released on their own label, Noet Lachten. The name came from an incident during the Grand Prix of Dutch Pop/Rock, mid-eighties organised to stimulate new bands. The Four One & Only's appeared once and the jury's report was so badly written that one could only laugh at the rejection. (The Jury could Noet Lachten (not laugh) with this band). 

A second album was released on the national label Megadisc, and did not catch on. After We Love You, Bart and later Felix left, and Hans and Richie came. At the same time the five Four One & Only's became six with the arrival of Stephan, an accomplished musician who could make the accordion sound like the great keyboard it is. Transcending musical styles, the band made a third album (Fairy Tale) and a CD (Sticker). It wasn't called Sticker, but it had ten stickers with it so you could choose your own title. Halfway through the nineties Hans and Stephan left and were replaced by Andy and Peter, and not long after the 1996 release Holy the band split up.

After that, Marthy continued a while as Alexandra and The Princess of Orange but that did not take off. Marthy started a successful record store, and made/makes albums with his daughters as The Van Cooths. He also made a CD as The Oers.

DAVID JOHANSEN "I Can't Be Wastin' Time"

We don’t go in much for posthumous tributes, here at JOKONKY ENTERPRISES.  We prefer to send the artists we love flowers while they’re alive.  But David Johansen is an artist who deserves one.

Devo considered themselves pioneers who got scalped, and that was the case with Johansen & The New York Dolls.  They were progenitors of punk, and glam rock.  Their audacious approach, musically & visually, influenced thousands of bands who were successful worldwide--while falling short of that level of success themselves.  Joe Strummer often cited The New York Dolls as a major influence, as did many of the first wave of punks—& the hair-bands of the 80’s.

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler was closely watching Johansen when both bands were in their infancy.  Tyler lifted the androgyny, the scarves on the mic stand, and even married Johansen’s ex-wife Cyrinda Foxe.  And yet I never heard Johansen speak ill of him—which is only one of the reasons I admire him.

Johansen could do everything Tyler did—but Tyler couldn’t have pulled off a fraction of what Johansen accomplished if he'd lived four lifetimes.  And (as was said about Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers) Johansen did everything Tyler did backwards and in high heels.  

Whenever Tyler & his band presented a chance for a side-by-side comparison, they always fell short.  Compare the tracks on their blues album Honking On Bobo to David Johansen’s work with The Harry Smiths--or Aerosmith backing Jimmie Page & Robert Plant to Johansen playing with Hubert Sumlin (on today’s offering).

It might sound as if I don’t like Tyler’s music—just the opposite—but his success relies heavily on the cult of personality, whether he’s writing a book, cutting a contemporary country album at the height of the popularity of contemporary country, or criticizing other performers on a “reality” TV show.

Johansen seemed to be all about artistic expression &, rather than serving up what was popular, he challenged his audience to keep up.  He reinvented himself almost as many times as David Bowie, he acted as well as he sang, and he appeared in enough films for me to think of him as the American Tim Curry.  Along the way, David Jo co-starred in the Christmas classic SCROOGED, & acted in one of my favorite movies; LET IT RIDE holding his own with Richard Dreyfus, Terri Garr, Robbie Coltrane, Jennifer Tilly, & Mary Woronov.

In his Buster Poindexter personae, and as himself in the Scorsese-directed documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only, he showed he’s also a bon vivant and a storyteller.  “The film captured him performing at the Café Carlyle, blending his entire musical journey—from Dolls to Buster to blues—in a single night. Scorsese, known for his meticulous storytelling, saw Johansen as more than a musician; he saw him as an artist who embodied the evolution of American music.”

He also hosted a satellite radio show.  I think we love him here at Jokonky because Johansen’s “love of music wasn’t just about performance—it was about sharing, educating, and celebrating every note and lyric that ever moved him.”

The two quotes above, and some of the information in this blurb came from this wonderful blog post:

https://www.thatericalper.com/2025/03/01/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-david-johansen/

Before he passed last week, I made a donation to Johansen’s SWEET RELIEF fund to help pay for his substantial hospital bills—which are still burdening his family.  As a life-long used record buyer, it was probably the only money he ever made from me.  If you’d like to contribute: https://www.sweetrelief.org/davidjohansenfund.html

The tracks I selected from Johansen’s varied career are the ones that I felt showcased his many facets, from the “attitudinal” lead off track, to him doing an intimate version of Looking For A Kiss on NYC’s WFUV, to his theatrical reading of a Disney song from Stay Awake.  

There are a few cuts from Live It Up, that show what a raucous live performer he was. There's also the clever wordplay of Funky But Chic, and Frenchette.  It closes with a stripped-bare live version of his own Heart Of Gold recorded with just Budd Mishkin on guitar and David on harmonica.  That version and the live version of Is This What I Get For Loving You? always stir my sadness, and I suspect that they always will.

Cadillac 23 Tracks

 In the vast universe of sound, where rhythms interlace with heartbeats and lyrics dance like fireflies under the moonlight, the Cadillac stands as a shimmering emblem of aspiration, freedom, and the bittersweet tales of life. It is not just a vehicle; it is a vessel that carries dreams, a mythical chariot that traverses the highways of the soul. From the sultry echoes of rhythm and blues to the booming choruses of rock, the Cadillac glides through the corridors of music, embodying desire, rebellion, and the eternal search for meaning.

Classic ChatGPT style bollocks, but the fact remains that the Cadillac definitely has become iconic and appeared countless times in songs – varying from Blues to Rock to Hip Hop, and beyond – either literally or symbolic, take your pick!

From a massive amount of Cadillac songs I cherry-picked 23 tracks and made sure to cover a wide range of styles.

I skipped a few classics (e.g. Bo Diddley’s Cadillac) and in some cases selected a cover instead of the original track (e.g. Boz Scaggs doing Moon Martin’s Cadillac Walk, Nathalie Cole tackling Springsteen’s Pink classic)…

While searching for musical Cadillacs I encountered a few weirdo’s, e.g. Guy Drake’s Welfare song which actually is embarrassing, but I doubt many of you had heard it before...

Whereas similar styled compilations tend to focus on older songs I deliberatly added some more recent ‘Cadillacs’ for your musical education, all free of charge!