Weekend Playlist--In a Broken Dream
Apparently, the price of doing business with Rod Stewart back in the day was new car seat covers.
It’s freezing out there, at least where I live. If you’re in a warm climate right now, great for you. Keep it to yourself.
I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that, but it’s 17 degrees outside. I’m all clenched up.
And I think it comes across in the playlist I’ve assembled for you this week. It gets a little dark, a little heavy, and a little weird. But it’s also got one of my all-time favorite underappreciated nuggets—a song called “In a Broken Dream” by Python Lee Jackson.
Here’s a mini-history before we get to the tunes.
Python Lee and Rod the Mod
Python Lee Jackson formed in Sydney in 1965 and produced a few singles, including this amiable cover of Major Lance’s “Um Um Um Um Um”. (For some reason, they left off two “Ums”.)
They didn’t make a dent on the charts. So as they prepared to record their first full-length LP in 1970, they enlisted the help of a friend. They called in Rod Stewart, who was freshly departed from the Jeff Beck Group but not yet fronting the Faces.
His 1969 solo debut—An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down—was well-received by critics but topped out at just #139 on the Billboard album charts.
Rod was not yet a star, which explains why Python Lee Jackson got him to sing on 3 of their songs in exchange for new car seat covers. The results include a straight-ahead Chicago blues tune and a loose adaptation of The Temptations’ “Cloud 9”.
But it was this searing Zeppelinesque tune (produced by legendary British DJ John Peel) that was ultimately released as a single.
Like Python Lee’s prior singles, this one failed to make the charts. Then…
In 1970, the Faces assembled, released their first album, and toured the U.S.
In 1971, Rod Stewart released his solo masterpiece—Every Picture Tells a Story—and topped the charts with “Maggie May".
By 1972, Rod Stewart was a household name. Python Lee Jackson re-issued “In a Broken Dream” that year to coincide with the release of Rod’s next single—“You Wear It Well”.
This time, Python Lee finally made the charts, reaching #56 in the U.S. and scaling all the way up to #3 in the U.K. It was their one brief moment in the sun. The mighty Python disbanded the following year.
Rod Stewart went on to record a few more songs…
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Anyway, here’s that mix I promised you.
Some fantastic tracks on here, including a few of my favorites from some artists.
“Natural Blues” is possibly my favorite Moby track, particularly with the haunting “Trouble So Hard” by Vera Hall, recorded by Alan Lomax. If you’ve never heard any of the Lomax field recordings I’d highly recommend checking them out.
“Fell On Black Days” and “Tales of Brave Ulysses” are some of my favorite tracks by Soundgarden and Cream and I love “Almost Cut My Hair”.
“Gimme Shelter” is one of my top fives from the Stones. That vocal by Merry Clayton blows me away every time I hear it.