The Millsaps Hooks Project

"Parchman Farm" by Cactus, says Ted Ammon, because: "With noted exceptions in the jazz/blues world, the dominant instrument of the blues is the guitar. It is rare therefore to encounter a blues song that is driven by the bass and drums, with the electric guitar playing a secondary role. But such is the case with Cactus' version of the Mose Allison song 'Parchman Farm.' They heat it up and drive it home with a boogie bass line, overbearing drums and harmonica solo. The guitarist gets to do his thing, but his riffs are canned and clearly subordinate to the other instruments. The proper appellation for the Cactus version is 'SMOKIN'!! The other noteworthy aspect of the Cactus version is the sneer in the singer's voice. All he did was shoot his arm, pull his razor knife out; this is not the blues of a person resigned to the status quo; this is the blues of a person utterly contemptuous of the power structures. (P.S. Cactus frequently got into trouble back in the day [early 70s] and tended to whip crowds into frenzied denunciations of various laws. They were the hottest act on the road for about 8 months.)

Roy Orbison's "Running Scared," says Blake Couey, "as close to a perfect rock narrative as they come, particularly because of the combination of different instruments (especially the violins) and the use of volume to create a sense of drama."

Annie Blakeney-Glazer thinks 1960s girl-group music is a great genre "because it is extremely accessible. The simplicity of the lyrical themes (love) and the predictability of the melodies (pop) make the songs seem universal." The specimen she chooses is "That's How It Goes" by the Breakaways, "in many ways indicative of the style and sound of 1960s girl groups, but with a few exceptions. Here are some defining features of the genre: (1) composed of girl vocalists, (2) lyrics mainly addressing young love, (3) recorded in a style popularized by Phil Spector called 'Wall of Sound' that relies on the use of multiple instruments (drums, guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and often more exotic instruments like a xylophone) to create a rich and textured sound, (4) usually one lead singer and several back-up singers (not true of The Breakaways, though--all three singers sing lead), and (5) use of vocal harmony (again, not true of The Breakaways--they sing in unison.). Since The Breakaways spent most of their career as back-up singers, they became adept at using one microphone for all three of their voices. It is unclear whether 'That's How It Goes' was recorded with one vocal track, but certainly The Breakaways demonstrate an ability to blend their three voices into one strong vocal line."