Come down from your fences, open the gate

"Desperado" is a song written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley and first recorded by their best-selling American group of all time, rock-country band The Eagles of Laurel Canyon, North Hollywood, CA 91605. The song first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums by the band.

On this beautiful song, lead vocalist Don Henley, accompanied by Glenn Frey on piano, begs the subject of the song, a "desperado", to return home, and tells him (probably from his/their own experience) that the things he enjoys doing will hurt him eventually.

While this is one of the Eagles' signature songs, it was never released as a single. Nevertheless, "Desperado" was voted #494 in the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and has since been recorded and performed by a variety of musicians including popular vocalist, entertainer and multiple Grammy Award-winner, The Eagles’ former employer, Linda Ronstadt, on her 1973 album Don't Cry Now, vocal and instrumental brother-sister duo The Carpenters on their 1975 album Horizon, as well as American pop country music singer-songwriter and American Idol #4, Carrie Underwood, at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

We ain’t gettin’ any younger. See you backstage at Tuck Shop this Wednesday from 9.00 pm. The Quiet Set with Jon is on Thursday from 9.00 pm.

Singin' and jinglin' a jangle

"Muskrat Love" is a 1972 song by Texan singer/songwriter and Americana and Texas country cult legend, Willis Alan Ramsey. It originally appeared on his album Willis Alan Ramsey under the title "Muskrat Candlelight." It was covered by English-American folk rock band America in 1973 and then by fellow 70s pop music recording artistes Captain & Tennille in 1976 where it reached #4 in the charts.

Contrary to common wisdom, muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are only called "rats" in a general sense because that they are medium-sized rodents with an adaptable lifestyle and an omnivorous diet (as do rats). They are not, however, so-called "true rats", that is members of the genus Rattus.

In any case, the 1976 recording by "Captain" Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille notably features sound effects created with a synthesizer to evoke the imagined sound of muskrats courting. The versatile synthesizer: so much like a piano, yet not quite.

See you backstage at Tuck Shop this Wednesday from 9.00 pm. *UPDATE: The Quiet Set with Jon is on this week, Thursday (21 Feb) from 9.00 pm.

And I'm getting old

"Heart of Gold" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter and the original American Idol, Neil Young, on his bestselling 1972 album Harvest, and is the only number one hit single in his long, astounding musical career.

The song is one of a series of soft, acoustic pieces – including the retrospective "Old Man" – which were written partly as a result of a back injury . Unable to stand for long periods of time, he could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting or lying down, or both.

Notably, it features the back-up vocals of singer-songwriter and guitarist James Taylor and popular vocalist, entertainer and multiple Grammy Award-winner, Linda Ronstadt, former employer of the best-selling American group of all time, The Eagles of Laurel Canyon, North Hollywood, CA 91605.

As it happens, the song was taped during the initial sessions for Harvest in early 1971 at Quadrafonic Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, while Ronstadt and Taylor were in town for an appearance on Johnny Cash's television program. Originally, this song was meant to segue with the song "A Man Needs a Maid", and was therefore played on piano. However, Young, with considerable foresight, soon abandoned this approach during his 1971 tour and began to play it on guitar as it is now known.

The song has been by an interesting variety of recording artistes including the beloved and notorious Country music icon Willie Nelson, legendary Country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1970s bubble-gum pop and disco group Boney M as well as 1980s Swedish pop-rock-music double act Roxette. Look sharp. Cross the ocean with us backstage at Tuck Shop on Wednesday from 9.00 pm. The Quiet (Valentine’s) Set with Jon on Thursday from 8.30 pm.

Happy New Year

No show this Wednesday (6 Feb) at Tuck Shop as The Bandits will be on reunion dinner duty.

We will return next week with The Hold Up on 13 Feb (Wed) and a Quiet Valentine's with Jon on 14 Feb (Thur).

Gong Xi Fa Cai!