The pompitous of love

"The Joker" is a song by the Steve Miller Band from their 1973 album The Joker, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974.

The song is sometimes misidentified by the title "Space Cowboy" because of the first line of the lyrics, which actually refer to an earlier song by that title from Miller's Brave New World album. The following lines refer to two other earlier songs, "Gangster of Love" from Sailor, and "Enter Maurice" from Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden.

Jamaican reggae deejay Shaggy aka “Mr Boombastic”, who is especially notable for his distinctive sub-baritone voice, later built his 2001 worldwide number-one hit single "Angel" around a sample of “The Joker”. Shaggy’s album Hot Shot, from which the cut came, would also hit number one on the Billboard 200, just like The Joker did in 1974, when Shaggy would have been just 6 years old.

Catch the Bandits in space tomorrow night at Tuck Shop, from 8.30 pm.

They say every distance is not near

“I Shall Be Released" is a song written in 1967 and first recorded by Bob Dylan.

Canadian-American rock group The Band played it on their 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink, to wide acclaim, and the song has since been covered many times by many different artistes, including singer, songwriter, pianist Nina Simone on her 1969 album, To Love Somebody.

See the light come shining backstage this Wednesday at Tuck Shop, from 8.30 pm.

Hustle’s the name of the game

Nothing in common?“Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written by Larry Weiss and first recorded and released on his 1974 album Black and Blue Suite on which a certain James Hendrix had earlier played dobro and acoustic guitars.

Subsequently, Glen Campbell recorded a version on his own 1974 album, Houston (I'm Coming To See You), that topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in September 1975, later becoming Campbell's signature song and winning numerous awards.

"I heard 'Rhinestone Cowboy' on the radio," Campbell said. "It was a track off Larry Weiss' album, and I immediately got a cassette of it. I actually learned the song while we were on a tour of Australia in November of '74. When I got back to the States, I went into Al Coury's office at Capitol and he said, 'I've got a great song,' and he played 'Rhinestone Cowboy' for me. Well, I was familiar with the song by that time. I could've whistled it backwards. But I related to the lyrics immediately. In the first verse he says, 'There's been a load of compromising on the road to my horizon.' Then later he says, 'There'll be a load of compromising on the road to my horizon." And the truth in that struck me; I think that's what sold me on the song, much more than even the hook itself, the 'rhinestone cowboy' stuff."

We’ll be on the road to our horizon tomorrow night, Wednesday, at Tuck Shop, from 8.00 pm. Our regular programme resumes.

Easy riding

It's all in the details.

See you backstage tomorrow night at Tuck Shop, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, from 8.00 pm.

Playing on our new stools

The Quiet Set*aka songs played at a lower volume
Thursdays, from 8.30 pm, Tuck Shop, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road

Join us tonight for a peaceful easy evening of suitably restrained music making. On our new stools.

Don't be fooled by the rocks...

If you're searching for a Heart Of Gold, see you backstage tomorrow, Wednesday at Tuck Shop, from 8.30 pm till late.