Following on from Canned Heat last week, this live version of Let’s Work Together but more especially Brian Ferry’s reworking of the song as Let’s Stick Together may be deliciously ironic – or not – depending on the outcome of yesterday’s vote. I scheduled this post to appear today before knowing the result.

Canned Heat: Let’s Work Together

Brian Ferry: Let’s Stick Together

*I had originally remembered this Canned Heat song as from the 60s but it came out in 1970.

Not had one from Sweet for a while.

This again is from their later phase.

Sweet: The Lies In Your Eyes

The Small Faces and The Faces were both talent filled bands whose members were not just adjuncts to lead singers Steve Marriott and Rod Stewart. Guitarist Ronnie Wood famously went on to join The Rolling Stones.

Bass guitarist Ronnie Lane also had a (relatively) successful post Faces existence making several albums with his band Slim Chance – curtailed somewhat by the diagnosis of his multiple sclerosis in the 1970s wich eventually led to his death in 1997. So it goes.

The Poacher was one of his hits.

Ronnie Lane (and Slim Chance): The Poacher

Al Stewart in his prime.

A live version here of one of his best.

Al Stewart: Year Of The Cat

I’ve not had one from The Sweet for a while.

This was the first of their hits that they’d written themselves.

Sweet: Fox on the Run

From the time when The Hollies were moving over from pure pop (He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother notwithstanding) to a more guitar based sound.

The Hollies: Gasoline Alley Bred

This is perhaps my favourite Stealers Wheel track.

It was never released as a single as far as I know and came from the third Stealers Wheel album Right or Wrong. By the time it appeared the group had long since ceased to exist and both its leading lights, Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan, were no longer working together.

From the outside I would say that the lyric maybe says a lot about a West of Scotland RC upbringing.

Stealers Wheel: Benediction

This would have been a good title for the category – except I went with Reelin’ in the Years instead.

It makes a good match with last week’s offering.

Steely Dan: Do It Again

The original of this is well-known, a 1973 song by Dolly Parton.
On Jarvis Cocker’s BBC Radio 6 Music show on Sunday (I listened to it later on iPlayer) he broadcast the slowed down version, supposedly played at 33 rpm instead of 45.*

First the original speed.

Dolly Parton: Jolene

The “33” rpm sound is astonishingly effective, turning what had been a reedy, needy song of desperation into something sombre and dignified.

Dolly Parton: Jolene at 33

*Wiki says it’s slowed by 25%. 33 is 26.6% of 45 so it’s close enough.

Hawkwind were said not so much to play as point their guitars and fly.

In the very early 70s Science Fiction author, sometime begetter of the New Wave in SF and New Worlds magazine editor Michael Moorcock became associated with the band.

This was their sole UK hit.

Hawkwind: Silver Machine