Kicking off December with the Birthday Bakery for our fans born in the final month of the calendar! From there we jump into the last June and Nickey collaboration tune, “Feelings” from Mothers Pride, and then we kick it up a notch to talk about Alice’s first lead vocal on “Rock Bottom Blues” from Fanny Hill. Find out what was so F’n hard about “Rock Bottom Blues”!
Hosts Alice, Kristen, and Byron are joined by Jean and June Millington via pre-recorded interviews to chat about the lyrics and making of these two songs.
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NOTE: These podcasts will be produced once every two weeks at present. A lot of work goes into these and we’re looking for feedback from the fans to drive the direction of the podcast.
“Feelings” is the emotional centerpiece of Mother’s Pride especially the cascade of flutes. Who played the flutes on this cut?
I was wondering that myself. They didn’t credit Sneaky Pete on the “Fanny Hill” album, so I’m wondering why they didn’t credit the flute player(s) either. I shall ask!
Aaron,
I really couldn’t give you an answer to that question. It was probably someone Todd knew. I wasn’t the entire string “section” that Richard brought in to Apple for “Fanny Hill.”
Thanks so much for your comment!
Alice
It will have to remain one of life’s greatest mysteries. I won’t get strung out about it.
I know IT wasn’t the string……. sorry about that!
Alice
I’ve loved all the details of the Fanny songs and the sheer good spirits between all of you. And I love the combination of songs on this episode – and the “It’s so fucking hard” line which has always made me smile
Thanks, Richard! Yeah, that line has always made me smile too. 🙂
Hi Richard! Thank you so much! We have a blast making each episode, and this was no exception. It’s never “so fucking hard” making the “Get Behind Fanny” podcast. 😉
Good one, Kristen!
Richard,
I think I was just trying to show off, really…ya know, see if I could get a fast one by the censors! I, too, love the synergy know as KBA…..at least, to me!
Alice
Another wonderful podcast! I could hear how energised and “up” you all were: post election vibes!!! The dynamic between you makes every moment a joy to listen to! Good to analyse the “correct” cut of “Rock Bottom Blues”: Alice’s vocals sound more assured and “healthy”! (Can’t believe Richard Perry re-recorded the vocal line… whilst Alice had a cold?!).
I always get a buzz and a sharp intake of breath if you kindly mention me, and for that I’m always grateful… I try and chime in with something relevant! (It’s so fuckin’ haaarrrrrrd!)
Stay happy, safe and sweary; you’ve made 2020 immeasurably better! x
Hello, Nigel! Yes, indeed post election vibes were on display! And we loving mentioning you on the podcast whenever we can…you always contribute such wonderful thoughts, and we appreciate you so much. Here’s to more laughter and love in 2021! xx
Nigel,
You must know by now, that you’ve become “one of the family,” and that’s a special place in all of our hearts. Your comments are joyful, and that you’ve shared your family with us in such a sweet way is truly a gift…..and, as Kristen says, “It’s NEVER so fucking hard……..”
Best,
Alice
PS – We plan to keep 2021 just as “sweary” (my new favorite word) as 2020
Great show with opposites in the music spectrum.Rock Bottom is such a cool rocker and Feelings is sweet and mellow with the lovely flutes.Thanks for the podcasts.I dig Fanny!!!!!!!
Hi Guy! Thank you so very much for listening to the podcast and digging Fanny!!! I dig Fanny too. 🙂
Thank you, Guy,
As they say about opposites……sometimes they do attract!
Best,
Alice
Oh what a birthday present this podcast was! I’m 72 tomorrow, the 5th, (just remembered) and I don’t feel a day over 80… Thanks for the greetings to all us Saggies, gang, and my own reciprocal best wishes.
Nigel’s comment about a woodland glade with fireflies rang so true with me, and Jean’s lyrical passage at the end seems to rise on gossamer wings of love in an ecstatic spiral. I just noticed the underlying horn for the first time; very subtle as always with Fanny arrangements, but it’s there, and it definitely adds something. Lovely, lovely song.
I’ve also noticed in this podcast how much better you’re sounding, Jean, so fluent and confident. Wonderful to hear – keep it up, gal!
Alice, I find your Iowan accent charming, and that brings me to something I’ve noticed; in the Apple version featured here, you pronounce “card” in the usual American rhotic way, sounding the r, but the infamous three-word phrase comes out very London, almost Cockney: “saow fackin’ ‘ahd”! Were you deliberately introducing a London accent, had it rubbed off on you or was it just a coincidence? Please pardon this Fannyphile for asking.
Mother’s Pride bread had begun in the North of England, and in the early 60s had been advertised with a Lancashire accent, but as it spread throughout Great Britain in the late 60s, the ads featured music stars, notably Andy Stewart, Joe Brown and Dusty Springfield(!) as a knocker-up. Don’t laugh; it was an actual job in the terraced streets of industrial Britain. A bloke (usually) used to go around knocking on bedroom windows with a pole to wake factory workers and miners. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGVOQWHqTjk contains vintage ads for Mother’s Pride and other products. As Nickey has said, the bread was cheap and bland, but the album was far from being either. Lighten up, Nicole… Remember the waxed paper wrapping on bread back then? That may well return as plastic is phased out.
Roll on No.16!
All best,
Welsh Dave.
Happy birthday, man! I too have wondered why Alice’s “so fuckin’ hard” was a bit British as well. I shall ask her!
Thanks, mate. I wonder if it was picked up from all the British rockers Fanny had played to in LA and opened for in the UK and elsewhere.
Happy Birthday to you, Dave! So glad you enjoyed Ep. 15! We’re already working on Ep. 16 and can’t wait for all of you to hear it. Cheers!
Hi Dave,
And Happy Birthday – only ONE day late! In answer to your question, I certainly wasn’t trying to sound British/Cockney (I always find (and found) it so weird when Americans start speaking with a British accent after being there for a week or two) accent, but accept that it does have that flavor. I might just have been out of breath, who knows?
Have you ever heard of a comedienne named Rusty Warren? She’s very old school by now, and probably no longer living, but she put out a comedy album called, “Knockers Up,” and she wasn’t talking about people waking people up by tapping on their windows…..if you know what I mean. Ha!
I do remember Mother’s Pride bread, and Nickey was right. It was cheap AND bland!
Thanks for your comments, birthday boy….
Alice
Hi Alice,
Thanks so much for the birthday greetings. Another orbit completed.
The only time I can do a Scouse accent is when I go to Liverpool, and then it just falls into place, so you never know…
I must look out for Rusty Warren. Of course, “knockers” are something else again in British slang, so that caused some hilarity when Dusty sang about them. Bum-bum-titty-bum tsss!
The name of the bread came from the matriarchal women of the North; many a husband would call his wife “Mootheh” rather then by name, because she was the mother of his kids, and he looked up to her. Anything with the title Mother attached was automatically an assurance of quality – allegedly… The bread probably was much better when introduced in the 1930s than the tasteless mass-produced pap it had become by the 60s.
Welsh Dave
What a GREAT episode!
While I’ve always loved both of these tracks (obviously!), listening to them with 2020 ears is a true revelation….they really DO bookend the Fanny sound!!
Happy Birthday, Jef! Thanks for the stellar song suggestions on Ep. 15! Glad you’re pleased with how it turned out. 🙂
Thanks, Jef, and your choice of songs was a big part of making it work. Happy Birthday once again!
Alice
Jeanie and Vicky here—
We really enjoyed this episode, and we both want Alice’s “It’s so fuckin’ hard”as a ringtone.
I will ask Alice if I can post it for download. That is a cool idea. 🙂
Yes, Byron, you may!
Alice
“Make it so, Number One!” – Captain Picard. I’ll post it this week.
Hi Jeanie and Vicky! Yes, Alice’s “it’s so fucking hard” would be a killer ringtone. Hoping we can make this happen. xx!
It shall be so, Panama!
A
YES!! I can’t wait to be in the local Trader Joe’s when my phone rings and Alice says, “It’s so fucking hard”!!! (Insert endless giggling.)
and more endless giggles……
A
Hi Vicky and Jeannie!
I approve! Imagine the surprise of a telemarketer getting that message….Although, if they have any sense of humor, they’ll probably call back just to hear it again!
Ha – Hug Jean for me, okay, Vicky?
Alice
Another great show! I think it’s interesting that Rock Bottom Blues has the words DARN and FUCKING in the same song. Haha.
Hi Eric, Yes, good point! Haha. So glad you like the new episode. Cheers!
Eric,
I think the darn came from my Iowa roots, and the fucking was most definitely after I’d been in California for some time, but thanks for pointing it out. You gave me a chuckle!
Best,
Alice
Haha. Cool.
Two things: First…in my opinion as a huge Fanny fan (fanny fan…see what I did there) “feelings” would have been better served without the flute or horn. A mellotron set to strings, much like the prog bands of the 70s. From this listener, the song slipped down toward the bottom of my “Mother’s Pride” favorites. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a beautiful song and deserves praise. Second…” Rock Bottom Blues ” an incredible story a lot of bands could relate to back then. It rocks…and rocks…and rocks…Man does it ROCK. A perfect song. Now then, Nickey was one of my truly favorite keyboard players of all time. Put her up against contemporaries like Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Elton John, and me. Wait how did I get in there? Scratch me off. The point is Nickey never, ever got enough credit for her performance on all 4 albums. However, I can relate to to her, in a way. She is self taught, as am I but I suck and she is incredible!
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your feedback on “Feelings” and “Rock Bottom Blues.” I disagree that “Feelings” would have been better served without the flutes or horn, but I understand why you hear it that way. I too love “Rock Bottom Blues,” and, yes, it really does ROCK. As for Nickey, she was and is a musical genius, and we always hope to bring her talents to light on the “Get Behind Fanny” podcast. (And I doubt you suck as a keyboardist.) 🙂
Yes, I agree that Nickey is a musical genius. “Feelings” is a marvelous song any way that one hears it. Picking a part of a Fanny song is wrong. I should be flogged. LOL If I am to be flogged I want Alice to be do it. LOL She was so spot on with “Rock Bottom Blues”. She was so fucking good. Oooops there I go with “that word” again. More flogging. I am requesting “Regular Guy”. A very interesting Nickey song and sort of out of character for her. I love her ballads. “Regular Guy” could have been on THE BEATLES “Rubber Soul” album. The highest compliment I can give. You 3 have the funniest podcast. Are you all high? LOL
Haha! No, we’re not high (while making the podcast), but we do have tons of fun and the laughs and bloopers are endless! SO glad to hear you’re enjoying it and appreciate our senses of humor. No flogging allowed! As for your request of “Regular Guy,” we’re on it. I agree that the song could’ve been on “Rubber Soul.” It is indeed a high compliment, but also true (for me anyway). And please feel free to pick a part a Fanny song! I may not always agree, but it still sparks an interesting conversation. Have a great Sunday and cheers!
Hi Steve,
I’m with Kristen on this one, but that takes nothing away from your opinion. It’s almost a polar opposite from much of the rest of the album, but it needed to be there….because it fit.
I agree with you that Nickey’s talents were not spotlighted enough, and listening back with 2020 ears, it’s even more apparent.
I, too, doubt that you suck……
Ha,
Alice
THE GROOVE REPORT
Great episode gang and thanks for the birthday wishes! It’s always good to celebrate another orbit of that marvelous sun.
I liked the contrast is the musical selections this episode. I can definitely hear Todd Rundgren’s touch on Feelings. I’ve always been a fan, even exclaiming excitedly to a woman at a party that I “went through puberty with Todd!” I wish I could describe the weird look she gave me! Ha!
And Rock Bottom Blues is a straight up rocker that tells a tale as old as rock and roll itself. Nice pipes, Alice!
Looking forward to Episode 16, the end of this flaming dumpster of a year, and a tremendous renewal in the New Year!
May the Groove Be With You,
Jim
Hello, Jim! For some reason I didn’t seen you “Groove Report” until now. Sorry about that. As always, love your insights, writing, and sense of humor. I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Oh, yes, and Happy upcoming Birthday too! Cheers, Dr. K
Hi Jim,
I’ve been having insane internet issues, and haven’t been able to do much online, but wanted to thank you for the “nice pipes” comment, but I’m left wondering, “Which pipes did he mean? Has he seen my collection? Have I been hacked?” MUCH consternation on my end, you see……….
Here’s wishing you and your family a wonderful, peaceful and safe Christmas! I look forward to “The Groove Report, 2021”
Best,
Alice
Great song choice for this episode! Nice contrast.
‘feelings” has such a mellowness and those flutes really are “ethereal” (would be great on a movie soundtrack – it conjours alot of imagery. Have any fanny songs featured on any movie soundtracks?) And ‘Rock bottom blues’ just bounces off the walls, with so much going on. Classic stuff. It was interesting to hear Jean ruminate briefly about whether ‘feelings’ could be considered filler! I gotta chime in with Alice, Kristen & Byron – with fanny it’s a stone cold case of ‘no filler – all killer!’. Looking forward to the next one.
Cheers
Hi Brian! So happy to hear you enjoyed Ep. 15. I agree that the song choices (by Jef Fazekas) are perfect bookends to show Fanny’s spectrum of talent. And I love, “no filler – all killer.” Nice! Cheers, Kristen
Brian,
Thanks for your comments. I so appreciate it when people take the time to put their thoughts down on “paper.” I don’t believe any Fanny songs have been used for a film soundtrack, but we’re not dead yet, and the fat lady hasn’t stopped singing……
Alice
LOL!
Hi Guy! Thank you so very much for listening to the podcast and digging Fanny!!! I dig Fanny too. 🙂
Don’t know why this posted twice. Oops!
Well as it’s now officially my birthday …….!! Thank you so much for the mention, it means a lot to me. Yet another great podcast’ you »nail » it each time !
Happy official Birthday, Angie!! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating in the style you deserve. Cheers to you! xx
Hello, sweetheart!
You do supply the “nails” don’t you?
I know your birthday was excellent, and we were glad to acknowledge you….more surprises are in store!
Alice
I was just thinking….how about a “cat” themed podcast….”Cat Fever” and “Polecat Blues?”???
Nickey would approve as “Cat Fever” is one of her favs. 🙂 But this is an excellent idea!