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Get Behind Fanny Podcast

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Get Behind Fanny: Episode 33

Episode 33! In this episode, we take a different approach as we focus on bass player Jean Millington’s songs and vocals. Jean picked out “Cat Fever”, “Place In The Country”, and “Changing Horses” as the songs she’d like to talk about. We’re going to do another episode dedicated to Jean so use the hashtag #JeanJeanie to send in any questions via our social media pages, the comment section below, or the Fanny-Rocks website contact page.

We’ll be highlighting all four original members of Fanny in this fashion, so get your questions and song picks ready! 

Alice, Kristen, and Byron are joined by bassist Jean Millington and road manager Jim Segrave via prerecorded interviews. 

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46 comments

  1. A wonderful posco with hash browns.

    Thank you for the birthday wishes to Lauren Landgridge. I love when Nigel posts pictures of her. She has a million watt smile.

    I’m delighted for this the spotlight on Jean & her bass work. Alice got into the nuts & bolts of Jean coming in last on “Cat Fever”. One question though. If Jean is going downtown to shop & have lunch on “Cat Fever” & strutting around Fanny Hill on “A Place in The Country” then what is she doing on “Changing Horses”?

    I look forward to Part 2 of this spotlight on Jean when the focus shifts to the ballads. Hopefully “What’s Wrong With Me” will be one of them.

    A bass part I really like is on “One Step at a Time” from the Canadian release of the debut album or what I like to call Fanny’s secret Canadian album. I look forward to that song & other obscurities being bandied about on an upcoming episode.

    I’ve heard Alice’s interview. You can always count on Alice to give it to you straight. I look forward to hearing Kristen’s upcoming interview.

    Finally, I must say I am surprised there was no mention of Fanny’s forthcoming reunion next weekend in L.A. following the showing of “Fanny: The Right to Rock”. This isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence. I hope there will be some discussion about this if not in the next podcast then surely the one following it. I shall stay tuned. Until then take care.

    1. I would say Jean is driving down the highway with her bass lines on “Changing Horses” as the song is so driven. 🙂

      I’m sure Alice will have a full report at some point after the L.A. showing. With these ever changing times with the pandemic, one never knows what will happen tomorrow.

    2. HI Aaron…thanks for your comments. Since we’re focusing on #JeanJeanie again to discuss her ballads, do you have a #JeanJeanie question and/or thought about “What’s Wrong With Me?” Would love to hear why you love this song. I love it too.

      As for what Jeanie did on “Changing Horses, “clearly she couldn’t walk or strut in mid-stream, so she was probably rockin’ the waters with a fierce and powerful gait.

      Hope you enjoy the “Broken Buttons” podcast that I did!

      Cheers,
      Kristen

      1. “What’s Wrong With Me?” is my favorite Jean Millington song. It resonates because of its brevity & sparse arrangement which is only momentarily augmented with the harmonies in the chorus.

        The narrator knows she is in a state of stagnation & cannot put off her growth until tomorrow. But she doesn’t know where to start except to “start slower than I need to”. Unfortunately, this will keep her stuck right where she is.

  2. “You *will* jump up and dance again, Jean…”

    If Alice is the beating heart, June the head and Nickey the fire of Fanny, then Jean is the soul. The bass by it’s nature weaves between all other instruments and voices. It is the glue, the low end and vital to the organic nature of the rhythm (Alice AND Jean in the “engine room”? MIND BLOWN!).

    The trio of songs picked by Jean today are perfect showcases for her abilities on the P-bass! “Cat Fever” is walkin’ and struttin’ in perfect counterpoint to the vocals, “Changing Horses” has her driving harder than a classic MOPAR muscle car and “Place In The Country” is the perfect combo of locked in groove and lyrical lead lines. Her sound and tone is perfect (“buttery” has been used with precision to describe her tone!), not trebly like Entwistle or fuzzy and woolly like Jack Bruce, and she always sits sweetly in the mix. It will also come as no surprise that I hold her in the same esteem as those exalted bassists I mentioned.

    Shifting focus to each member for individual showcase Posco’s is a great idea; and I know plenty of us will forward our questions!

    Also, personal thanks to you guys for Lauren’s birthday bakery shout out! She was certainly amused hearing her name being mentioned “on the radio”!!!

    Love, light and peace to you all as always! ❤️?❤️

    1. I’m glad Lauren enjoyed our shout-out to her! Another bass player that comes to mind with the same smooth, buttery tone like Jean is John Lodge, the bassist for the Moody Blues. He could slide up and down the neck with ease much like Jean, but Jean got so much more out of her bass than John. I’m not comparing the two, just saying he had a similar tone.

      1. Jean is the funkier, more intuitive player, but I’d say another thing they have in common is creating really interesting, melodic parts, rather than just holding down the bottom end.

        1. Hi Roman, yes, Jeanie’s parts are indeed interesting, intuitive, and melodic, even when holding down the bottom end. We couldn’t agree more, and said so on the songs we discussed on Ep. 33. I love Segrave describing her playing as “imaginative.” Thanks for listening!

  3. Hi everyone! I generally save the new posco for my Saturday morning chores – which helps make them much less chore-like – however, with the real banger of a contest prize from a few episodes ago, I didn’t want to miss out on anything potentially as awesome so I thought that I would try to get to this day of – it’s now appointment listening!

    Since I discovered Fanny (March 5, 2021) Jean has skyrocketed to the top of my favourite bass players; I just love hearing the sounds she creates that complement the songs so very well. (Would love to make a ‘Jean Fucking Millington’ t-shirt though the missus may not approve.)

    Love the deep(er) dives into the songs and this was a tremendous episode; the first time I heard Cat Fever Jean’s bass-line reminded me of Shake Your Tailfeather by Ray Charles (and performed in The Blues Brothers.) It’s just got a great party vibe to it.

    Great episode and I can’t wait to learn more!

    P.S. Alice – In the performance clips where you all are playing, you can see that you gave it your all. You took no short cuts or time off. Like June said, Fanny’s not for wimps! You kick ass!!

    1. I always have to listen to the podcast twice, as I miss stuff the first time around. So you can still make your chores a tad better by listening again and rocking to the three songs Jean picked!

    2. I’d have one of those :Jean fucking Millingyon” t shirts in a heartbeat!!!!
      Love LOVE LOVE!
      Bring ON The Rainbow!!!!
      Ps
      Love her flying bass lines at the closing bits on Catfever…so Jean!!!!!

      1. Hi Roman, yes, Jeanie’s parts are indeed interesting, intuitive, and melodic, even when holding down the bottom end. We couldn’t agree more, and said so on the songs we discussed on Ep. 33. I love Segrave describing her playing as “imaginative.” Thanks for listening!

      2. Cherry – isn’t that a great shot? It was taken by Boyd Harris, a long-time Fanny fan, who saw them live in 1973. I love the bass line at the closing of “Cat Fever” too! #JeanJeanie <3

        1. Yes! I coloured a few of his a while ago and will send them. Never enough!!!!! Love love loving the shows! Hope you are gonna be at the reunion gig! Heartbroken I cant be!!! I also love “What’s wrong with me”, seems like Jean is just expressing the contents of her head at that point and the harmonies are gorgeous! “KNOCK ON MY DOOR” IS VOCALLY SUBLIME, AND AS ALWAYS HER BASS HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER, Have always loved how she never plays what the expected lines are!! Said it before …Jean is THE BOMB in that band!!!! Her playing on “Soul child” is funky sexy and driving, and the vocal perfect!!! LOOK OUT GIRL!!!! Cant wait for the next one! Big LOVE love love to you, Alice and Byron!!!!!!
          Bring on the Rainbow!!
          ??????

  4. Another great posco! Thrilled about Jean’s song picks. All rockers. Great bass and vocals. I had thought to myself before that the vocal on Place in the Country was very rap-like (and the piano solo is insane). What an awesome and inventive band. Love it.
    Peace,
    E

    1. Hi Eric,

      Thanks for listening! I loved Jean’s song picks too, as well as hearing her discuss them was a delight!

      Peace to you,
      Kristen

  5. good taste, Jean. did my final presentation on Fanny and got an A so thanks for that…kind of a drag tho, Professor wants me to do it again at some assembly. “not going to happen” I told her.LOL

    1. Alice about the merch, have you ever considered getting cardboard cutouts? if not, exactly how tall are you? so if I need to get one made, it’s accurate.

    2. Hi Colleen,

      Nice to hear you got an A on a Fanny project in school. However, I’m not sure why you’re reticent to do it again at an assembly. I was formerly a professor in History, and I would have asked only my most talented students to do a project publicly.

      Best,
      Kristen

  6. Alice, for the longest time, I also felt the first album was the weakest, but my 2021 ears tell me rgat’s Just NOT the case!
    (Actually, my new appreciation for the album started after the boxed set came out!).

    Kristen, for years I also heard the comment that the vocals were Fanny’s weakest spot, but 2021 ears don’t lie…..that’s Just NOT the case!

    Byron, I also had to think who might be singing over the years, but 2021 ears now make it seem very clear, both on the solo leads AND on the blended ones! VERY distinct in their own ways!

    And Jean’s vocal on “Changing Horses”…….DAAAAMN!!!!
    I’ve always LOVED the song, but I’ve loved it as a whole….tonight, I was able to listen to it and think “That vocal of Jean’s……DAAAAMN!!”

    Another GREAT episode!!

    1. I’ve always been a big fan of “Changing Horses” as it just a great rockin’ tune. And yes, it is even better to know that is Jean singing it! Power to us bass players, man!

    2. Hi Jef,

      I love everything you had to say, especially re. Jean’s vocals on “Changing Horses”…DAAAMN!!!! That’s exactly it! Well said!

      So happy you enjoyed the episode!

      Cheers,
      Kristen

  7. always wondered what that little bit of “words” were you can faintly hear during the outro of Place in the Country
    that song should have been played all over the radio, it is just as good or better than anything else being played then

    1. As we examine each of these songs in depth, there is SO much I’ve missed over the years. It’s great to be able to revisit them now that I can relax and listen intently.

    2. Hi Elizabeth,

      I agree with you. “Place in the Country” should have been played all over the radio. It’s an anthem of sorts, – especially re. the early ’70s. I absolutely think it’s a perfect song from beginning to end.

      Cheers,
      Kristen

  8. And thanks to the music gods for restoring the missing half of Nickey’s “Place in the Country” solo on the Real Gone Charity Ball CD. The doofus who snipped that out of the box set version deserves jail time for that crime.

      1. Thanks, Alice! I love that point in her solo when the organ comes in and the urgency gets kicked up a couple of notches more. Definitely a defining Fanny moment.

      2. Jean’s picks are some of my favorites as well. I didn’t realize that Jean was the lead vocal on Changing Horses. I love the original version of Place in the Country that was included in this episode and am disappointed that the streaming and download services that I have checked all have the “snipped” version.

      3. I Just Realized (pun intended) that the Fanny store has the original version of Place in the Country on the Charity Ball CD. Ordering now. Thank you Alice.

  9. Loved this posco!Jean is a real powerhouse and her vocals rock.Anybody who thinks Fanny was lacking in the vocal department is deaf and musically illiterate.Keep up the great work.The podcast really continues to get longer and more in depth and full of humor!See you on the radio…

  10. WILD!!!!! Jean is the BOMB!!!! Alice and Jean are such a tight duo, and I have always loved how she never plays the expected line, she plays bass like a guitar moving up and down, in and out and so mrlifically and rocking she us a total inspiration! Love her choices of songs, and the ballads Byron mentions, well it’s a whole other podcast! I always felt June and Nickey Got so much mention, but for me, JEAN!! SOLID , FUNKY, MELANCHOLIC ROCKING AND the real glue in FANNY!!! That she stayed for all five albums is to her fabulous credit!!! VOCALLY my absolute fave… “Young and dumb”…such a deadly vocal!!! Loving all the shows, but this tribute to Jean touches my heart! Devastated I cant be at the live reunion ..hisyory in the flesh!!! Hope you all have a fantastic time! My heart is with you all the way!!!! As always….LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
    BRING ON THE RAINBOW!!!!

      1. It’s all LOVE LOVE Byron!!!!!
        Long live Fanny!!!!!
        ???
        So hope that you do do another one and talk about Jeans ballads. Beside myself is just such a beautifully sung classic, and her vocal is so melancholic, soft, strong and emotional, it gets me every time!!!! It makes my soul sing to see The RISE OF FSNNY in 202fucking1!!! Never , ever too late!!! I hope you will be at the movie and reunion gig …be there for all of us who cant be!!!!
        History in living color!!!! Absolutley fantastic!!!!!
        Always LOVE LOVE love!!!
        Bring ON The Rainbow!!!!
        ????

        1. I cannot be in L.A. for the showing, but Alice will be and I’m sure she’ll have a report of some sort for us. And yes, the ballads are coming in the next episode!

    2. Ps
      So sorry for spelling mistakes, got lost in typing and listening!!! I meant yo say how amazingly melodically she ALWAYS weaves her way through the music. Total class!!!!!! Love LOVE LOVE
      BRING ON THE RAINBOW!!!!!
      ????

  11. For me, one of the unique things about Fanny’s sound is the tight unison lead vocals. Whether it’s Nickey and Jean, Nick Jean and June, it’s impressive how together they sound — in the studio, or live. Compared to say, the Band, whose three lead singers, great as they were, clearly couldn’t be bothered about being in sync.

  13. The Jean Jeanie three songs Jean chose, I now call them Cream! Because THEY area power trio of tunes no doubt!!!

  14. Hey there! Just catching up with some of these episodes. Love hearing “Jean Jeanie” and Alice talk about Fanny’s music – they are always so eloquent and right on point!! The little discussion about Fanny’s vocals being weak really resonates with me. I encountered this notion, ironically, in June’s book. She expressed in several places some self-consciousness and reservations about the band’s vocals. This totally surprises me! From the first time I heard their music, I thought the vocals were awesome and quite unique! Thanks for addressing this misperception and quashing it!

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