DANNY'S SONG

I'm reading Ian Hunter's tour diary from 1972 with the unfortunate title Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star. It's from a U.S. tour, right about the time that "All the Young Dudes" was released. It's entertaining in a behind-the-scenes way. One of the big takeaways is something that happens every once in a while that makes me stop and smile, realizing that whatever you know about music, and no matter how long you've been listening to it, you sometimes find surprises. For instance, in this book he mentions that Crazy Horse's Danny Whitten had OD'd, adding that Mott the Hoople recorded one of his songs, "Downtown" on an early 45. I knew Whitten had played with Neil Young and wondered if it was the same song as Young's "(C'mon Baby Let's Go) Downtown", which it indeed was. What the hell? That's one of my favorite Neil Young songs and I love Mott the Hoople as well. How the hell did I not know this? And Mott's version came out earlier. Where did they get it from? Duh. Of course. Crazy Horse.

"Revolution Blues" is down there as parting gift. Or chips and salsa. Whatever, it's a good song, I dig it. But, if you check only one thing, do check the crunch of Young's "Downtown". Yee haw, it's a racket.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Crazy Horse - Downtown (streaming) at YouTube
Mott The Hoople - Downtown (streaming) at YouTube
Neil Young - (C'mon on Baby Let's Go) Downtown (streaming) at YouTube
Neil Young - Revolution Blues mp3 at Essentially Eclectic