What it is ain't exactly clear

"For What It's Worth" is a song written by Stephen Stills, American guitarist, singer-songwriter and member of the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and first recorded by Buffalo Springfield – the short-lived but influential folk rock group that served as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young and Stills – and released as a single in January 1967, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2004, this song was voted #63 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

As the song's title appears nowhere in its lyrics, most casual listeners know it better by the first line of chorus: "Stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down."

While the song has come to symbolize worldwide turbulence and confrontational feelings arising from events during the 1960s, particularly the Vietnam War, Stills reportedly wrote the song in response to the escalating unrest in the Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the "hippie riots," which were a series of clashes that took place between police and young club-goers on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California, beginning in the mid-1960s and continuing through 1969.

"For What It's Worth" has been covered countless times, as well as sampled, referenced, and used in film and other media. One notable reference was in the1998 song "He Got Game" by Long Island, NY, hip hop music group Public Enemy which not only samples "For What It's Worth", but also features Stephen Stills re-performing the bridge especially for that track. Others contend that the most popular version was that which was performed on a 1978 episode of The Muppet Show, which re-writes the song with animals singing slightly altered anti-hunting lyrics and contains a musical interlude filled with hunters wildly shooting their guns while animals (from Emmett Otter’s Jug Band) hide and take-cover. Yeah, the symbolism is heavy, dig it.

See you backstage at Tuck Shop for the Quiet Set this Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00 pm.

Don't anyone wake me, if it's just a dream

Known for his unique guitar-on-lap playing style and blues-oriented vocals, blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist and vocalist, Jeff Healey (25 March 1966 – 2 March 2008) began as a teenage musical prodigy – though known primarily as a guitarist, Healey also played trumpet and clarinet during live performances – but later rightly rose to stardom as the leader of the Jeff Healey Band, a rock-oriented trio that gained international acclaim and platinum record sales with the 1988 album "See the Light” which included the hit single "Angel Eyes."

Refusing to be hampered by his blindness, a young Healey taught himself to play guitar by laying the instrument across his lap, and subsequently shared the stage regularly with guitar greats such as the late George Harrison and Stevie Ray Vaughan – who discovered him in the late 1980s –, as well as legendary bluesmen Mark Knopfler and B.B. King.

See you at The Quiet Set at Tuck Shop on Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00 pm.

It’s always been the same, same old story

"Father and Son" is a popular song written and originally performed by English musician, singer-songwriter, educator, philanthropist and prominent convert to Islam, Cat Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam) on his 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman.

The soft, understated song with a lilting dynamicism, frames an exchange between a father not understanding a son's desire to break away and shape a new life, and the son who cannot really explain himself but knows what he must do. To aptly echo this, Stevens sings in a deeper register for the ‘father’ parts, whilst using a higher, more emotive one for the ‘son’ parts.

Although not initially released as a single, "Father and Son" received substantial airplay on progressive rock and album-oriented rock radio formats, and played a key role in establishing Stevens as a new voice worthy of attention.

In 2003, Tea for the Tillerman was ranked number 206 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and in 2007, it was also included in the list of "The Definitive 200 Albums of All Time", released by The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Look at us, we are old. But we are happy. See you backstage at Tuck Shop this Wednesday from 9.00 pm. The Quiet Set with Jon is on Thursday from 9.00 pm.

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!