Return to Pooh Corner With Kenny Loggins

Years ago, I recall my dad presenting me with a CD containing the song House at Pooh Corner. I’d never heard the song before, and I loved the hard-rockin’ tune with the gentle lyrics as performed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. After all, I am a big fan of the Silly Old Bear. It was quite some time before it occurred to me that if I liked the song so much, I should have a look at the singer-songwriter who penned it one melancholy day as he was teetering on the edge of adulthood. That’s what brought me to Kenny Loggins’ Return to Pooh Corner. Like Art Garfunkel’s Songs From a Parent to a Child, it’s a wonderful collection of lullabies for children to absorb along with their parents.

All the Pretty Little Horses - I have to chuckle a little bit because the song that opens Garfunkel’s album is Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet? I guess “pretty little” things are pretty popular with little folks! This Celtic-flavored track includes some poignant-sounding harmonies on the chorus and a smattering of intriguing instrumentation. A sweet song encouraging a reluctant child to sleep. “Can you see the little ponies shinin’ before your eyes? All the pretty little ponies gonna be there when you arrive.”

Neverland Medley: Somewhere Out There / Never Never Land / Pure Imagination - This medley includes songs from three different whimsical musicals: Don Bluth’s An American Tail, the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. All three are great songs that have to do with far-off places, but my favorite is definitely Somewhere Out There, one of my all-time favorite duets, which in the context of the movie applies to a brother and sister who have lost each other but is general enough that it really can have to do with any two people who care about each other but are separated by a great distance. “Even though I know how very far apart we are, it helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star. And when the night wind starts to sing its lonesome lullaby, it helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky.”

Return to Pooh Corner - This is essentially House at Pooh Corner with an extra verse added to make it a little less melancholy, a little more about passing the wonder of childhood on to the next generation. Loggins is no longer that conflicted high school kid reluctant to put away childhood things; he’s the dad who knows what carefree joys await his own children and anticipates getting caught up in the magic with them. Instead of Peter, Paul and Mary’s forlorn Puff the Magic Dragon, it now reminds me of Dick Feller’s more optimistic Biff the Friendly Purple Bear. A loving tribute to the timeless Pooh and his plush pals, and Christopher Robin, too. “After all’s said and done, I was watching my son sleeping there with my bear by his side. So I tucked him in, I kissed him, and as I was goin’, I swear that old bear whispered, ‘Boy, welcome home.’”

Rainbow Connection - A lovely banjo-backed cover of the classic Kermit the Frog anthem about chasing your dreams. The second track on the album to mention wishing on stars, and a great one for those who dare to yearn for the seemingly impossible. “Have you been half-asleep, and have you heard voices? I’ve heard them calling my name. Are these the sweet sounds that called the young sailors? I think they’re one and the same. I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it; there’s something that I’m supposed to be…”

St. Judy’s Comet - Birdsong contributes to this tender Paul Simon cover, which Loggins sings with an interesting tone in a seeming effort to imitate Simon’s own delivery. Another song encouraging a sleepy child to embrace slumber, using plenty of imagery of the night sky to paint a magnificent picture of the backdrop to a dreamscape. “Won’t you run come see St. Judy’s Comet roll across the sky, leave a spray of diamonds in its wake? I long to see St. Judy’s Comet sparkle in your eyes.”

The Last Unicorn - Written by Jimmy Webb, who wrote several songs recorded by Garfunkel, this haunting song is backed by piano, and it has a very wistful edge to it. Originally performed by America, this was the theme song of the Rankin-Bass movie of the same name. As somebody who grew up with the Irish Rovers’ rendition of Shel Silverstein’s The Unicorn, which details how the unicorns were so preoccupied with their own frivolity that they never made it onto Noah’s Ark, I can’t help thinking that this seems like a response to that – that somehow, a unicorn survived and still lurks in some enchanted corner of the world. “In the shadow of the forest, though she may be old and worn, they will stare, disbelieving, at the last unicorn.”

Cody’s Song - The first song on the album that I had never heard before. I still have never encountered this in another context. It’s a nice song, and I love the extended harmonica solo, but it doesn’t quite grab me as much as most of the others. “I’ll be there to sing to you. I promise you, I promise to comfort you and sing to you.”

The Horses - This is the other song I haven’t encountered anywhere other than this album. I’m a little surprised he didn’t save this one for last, since it would make such a nice bookend with the first song, although it’s slightly more up-tempo than most of the songs on this disc, and I suppose he wanted to end on a strict lullaby. I really like the harmonica on this one, and there’s a nice dreamlike quality to it. “Can you see her moonlight in her eye? Coming from under my wing, you were born to fly.”

Love - A nice, simple song by John Lennon, who had a special talent for effective minimalism in his lyrics. Sometimes, you just don’t need a lot of complexity. Love can be complicated, but at its most basic, it’s really not. The ocarina adds a haunting quality to this gentle song that works very well as a lullaby, with the extended piano outro tenderly lulling the listener into sleep. “Love is you, you and me. Love is wanting to be free. Love is knowing we will be.”

To-Ra-Loo-Ra - As into Ireland as I am – my name, after all, almost requires it – I’m very much in favor of this track, which includes some gorgeous work on the Celtic harp. Lyrically, it’s little else than that classic Irish title phrase, but really, what else is needed? Delicate and perfectly lovely. “To-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, that’s an Irish lullaby…”

Return to Pooh Corner is a tender album for children and for children who never grew up, or who did but found themselves growing back down once, as C. S. Lewis said, they became old enough to start reading fairy tales again. Return to Pooh Corner with Kenny Loggins; it’s a good place to be.

They Can Be Good the Second (or Hundredth) Time Around - Cool Covers Write-Off

I’ve only participated in a handful of write-offs in my nearly four years with Epinions, but this is the third I’ve tackled this week. What can I say: they’re fun, and nice to happen upon when I’m stuck for figuring out what to review next! I have taken up kokladj’s challenge of coming up with a list of ten favorite cover songs. I’ll say just ten cover songs that I like; I know as soon as I’ve submitted the list I’ll think of a couple that should have made the list and displaced a couple others. I’m so bad at picking favorites! After you read mine, check out some of the other entries: kokladj, teamfreak16, sublimist03, shilmafone, pmills1210, insomniac1587, speeddemon531, plorentz, cryptosicko, lambchops, jeff_wilder78.

Well, since it’s one of only two Clay Aiken covers on a widely distributed album at this point, I’m going to have to mention Bridge Over Troubled Water, since I’ve gotta put Clay on here. It’s not my favorite cover of his, but I do think he does a really nice job with it. While Simon and Garfunkel’s version will always be my favorite, Clay’s approach to the song is very different, with much more of a Gospel feel to it (when he performed it on the Jerry Lewis Telethon Monday, he added a “my lord” to the second verse). It’s triumphant and showcases his voice and range marvelously, as well as being a great match to his personality. I really hoped he would perform this song, and I’m glad he did. Originally on Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water album, this is available as a single along with This is the Night.

I recently saw Maid in Manhattan and discovered a gorgeous cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Kathy’s Song by the late Eva Cassidy. This song is generally a Paul solo effort in the Simon and Garfunkel canon, though Art performs it in concert now. Eva’s vocals are haunting in what Art calls Paul’s most beautiful love song, and her acoustic guitar, like Paul’s in the original, suits her singing very well. The only bad thing about this track is that she only recorded an abbreviated version of the song, containing only three of the six verses. Still, very, very nice. You can find the original version on Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, and Eva’s on her album Time After Time.

Art Garfunkel is a toughie, since he has recorded so many brilliant covers throughout his solo career, but I don’t want to fill my list with just him. These include, among others, When a Man Loves a Woman, So In Love, Goodnight My Love, and pretty much all of the Songs From a Parent to a Child album. I’m going to go with I Only Have Eyes For You, not necessarily because it’s my favorite, but because it is the one I have heard the most versions of. It seems every time I turn around I hear another rendition of this song on the TV or a movie, and I still think Artie’s is the best. Very smooth and romantic. One album you can find it on is Garfunkel, while it’s the title song of the Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes For You. (I think this was the first version, but as I said, there have been many.)

Before I leave Artie altogether, I’m going to mention What a Wonderful World, which isn’t just him but also Paul Simon and James Taylor. Talk about a terrific trio! It was recorded in the mid-1970s, so it’s a reunion of sorts for Simon and Garfunkel, but Taylor adds even more rich layers to their harmonic sound. (He also collaborated with Garfunkel later for the Everly Brothers’ Cryin’ in the Rain.) It just seems like it’s three old buddies getting together and singing a song they enjoyed listening to when they were younger. It has a very different sound to it from the original, very mellow and slow as opposed to snappy and danceable, and they really milk the harmonies for all they’re worth. When I first got Watermark, the Art Garfunkel album containing the song, I thought it would be a cover of the Louis Armstrong song. But this is even better, and I like the irony that Art, an architecture and mathematics major in college, sings “don’t know much about algebra.” Sam Cooke’s original can be found on his compilation album Best Of.

The Irish Rovers have also done many great covers, but I’m going to mention Rhymes and Reasons because that is a song by one of my all-time favorite singers, John Denver, but I like their version better. In fact, I may have heard it first; I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard Denver’s version when I was very young, but the first time I remember encountering this song was on The Irish Rovers Greatest Hits. It’s a tender song of hope and peace in typical Denver fashion, with just a bit of a hippie-ish ring to it, as we are urged to follow the example of “the children and the flowers.” The Rovers supplement their version with natural sound effects such as singing birds, running water, and the laughter of children, and the ensemble of Irish voices doesn’t hurt at all either. Denver’s original version is available on his Country Roads Collection.

Speaking of John Denver, I’m partial to his cover of Fire and Rain on Poems, Prayers and Promises. I don’t know if I would say I like it better than James Taylor’s version; they are actually rather similar. Both have extraordinarily mellow voices, similar timbre, perfect pitch. It’s just nice to hear Denver’s take on this plaintive song about an adolescent dealing with the death through suicide of his close friend. Taylor’s version can be found on his Greatest Hits.

I just mentioned House at Pooh Corner in my Nitty Gritty Dirt Band review, but I’ll stick it in here as well. Their cover of this Kenny Loggins song, which is featured on his album of the same name, is my favorite track on Will the Circle Be Unbroken II. It’s a rowdy, electrified version of Loggins’ lullabye-like tune, written at a time when he was standing on the brink of adulthood and reluctant to leave childhood behind. Loggins’ version is wistful, but the Nitty Gritty folks pump it so full of energy that it seems getting back to the Hundred Acre Wood is entirely possible, and they’re going to make sure it happens!

Bob Dylan is a brilliant songwriter, but let’s face it, he doesn’t exactly have one of the most pleasing voices in recent music history. I think he has every right to sing the songs he wrote and it’s great that people appreciate hearing the tunes straight from the source, but I personally find his voice grating, very irritating to listen to. Blowin’ in the Wind, from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, is one of Dylan’s most famous songs – it’s always the first one I think of – but I think Peter, Paul & Mary do it far more justice than the artist himself does. Theirs is what I always have considered the definitive version, complete with its rich harmonies and simple accompaniment. They sing with true passion, and their voices blend beautifully for a truly resonant cover. You can find it on The Best of Peter, Paul & Mary.

The first time I heard John Lennon’s Merry Christmas / War Is Over, it was on Neil Diamond’s The Christmas Album. It’s very nice, complete with a tambourine and a chorus of children. For the most part, Neil sings the Christmas part, while the kids sing the “war is over” part as a counter-melody. It starts out very quiet and simple and builds to a grand and jubilant conclusion. Very nice, and one of my favorite tracks on the album. Lennon’s version is available on his Shaved Fish album.

The Muppets introduced me to Kokomo, one of my favorite Beach Boys songs. It’s featured on Muppet Beach Party and is just a really fun rendition of a song that’s pretty nifty to begin with. It’s even more fun with the video; lots more, in fact, because of all the crazy things the Muppets are doing in the background on the sunny beaches the song describes. I actually happened across this song as a promo for a Muppet sing-along on another video I had purchased. The Muppets do a bang-up job; I think I like this version better than the original, which is also great and can be found on the Beach Boys’ Greatest Hits.

Well, that does it for me. Ten covers that I especially like. Check out the other reviews in this Write-off for a wide variety of covers. It’s always fun to see another artist redo an already terrific song. Add your own entry and spill the beans on which song remakes especially impressed you!

Let the Dirt Band Be Unbroken

I read in the newspaper the other day that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had recently released its third Will the Circle Be Unbroken album. The article caught my eye because it isn’t often you see these guys mentioned in the media. Aside from a performance on Letterman earlier this year, I can’t recall the last time I saw something about the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Nonetheless, with their unique blend of folk, bluegrass, western, country and gospel sounds, the band carved a niche for itself and earned a loyal following. Count me in that crowd. Their Greatest Hits album features some of their most popular tunes and shows their versatility. A great album to pull out on a rainy day and sing along to.

Mr. Bojangles: A big hit for them. When I was little, my family used to go through a lot of Kool-Aid, and we always collected the points in a little container, then once in a while we would take them out and count them and measure them up against the latest Kool Points catalog. One time, one of the prizes was a Kool-Aid tape player which came with a tape featuring a mix of 5 songs, selected from a choice of a hundred or so. I got the tape player and the tape, and the first song on the cassette was Mr. Bojangles. I still have it floating around somewhere. At any rate, this is a great song about a lonely old man who spent his life traveling and dancing and still brings joy to those around him with his talents, though his own life is rather depressing. Sort of a Piano Man, but in this case the performer is as old and ragged and full of as many stories as the young piano player’s regular listeners are. Great guitar and banjo work, and an interesting mix of joy and melancholy. “I knew a man, Bojangles, and he’d dance for you in worn out shoes… I heard someone ask him please, please, Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles, dance.”

An American Dream: This one has a very tropical feel to it and is probably my favorite song on the album, along with track 4. Very laid back, with an introduction featuring tinkly chimes setting the dreamy quality of the song. The harmonica is also used to nice effect here. The speaker is daydreaming of a nice sunny vacation spot, and he encourages his wife to daydream along with him. The result is a stellar duet with Linda Ronstadt. Reminds me of the Beach Boys’ Kokomo. This is a great take-a-long-nap-in-the-sun song. Pass the lemonade! (Wait a minute, I don’t like lemonade… oh, well, it’s the thought that counts!) “I think Jamaicain in the moonlight, sandy beaches drinking rum every night. We got no money, mama, but we can go. We’ll split the difference, go to Coconut Grove.”

Will the Circle Be Unbroken: This is the band’s signature song. Awesome banjo on this track, and really nice harmony on the choruses. I prefer the vocals on the version in the second Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, which we also own, but this version is nice as well. Whenever I hear this song I am reminded of a time many years ago when the family was watching Quantum Leap, a favorite show at the time. In this particular episode, Sam had leaped into the body of Elvis Presley, and he was up next to go onstage. First, though, a nervous young woman was giving her rendition of Will the Circle Be Unbroken, but the song was too emotionally affecting for her to get through it. In a scene similar to Captain Von Trapp’s concert performance of Eidelweiss in The Sound of Music, Sam/Elvis came out and sang with her, giving her time to recover her composure and saving her much embarrassment. “Well,” my dad remarked, “that was magnanimous of him.” That was the first time I had ever heard that word, and I soon incorporated it into my lexicon. To this day, I enjoy using it. My, that was quite a deviation. Ah, well. This is a mournful but ultimately optimistic song in which the speaker laments the loss of his or her mother (depending on the singer) but expresses the hope and expectation that they will be reunited one day. A great gospel song. “Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by. There’s a better home awaitin’ in the sky, Lord, in the sky.”

House at Pooh Corner: If I recall correctly, this is actually the reason my dad got this album. We’d already had the other for quite some time, and Dad picked this one up just because he thought I’d get a kick out of this tune about my favorite bear. And the other tracks didn’t hurt, either. This is a great song, and its electric guitars make for a dramatic change from the original lullabye-like Kenny Loggins version, which I first heard many years later. They lend some urgency to the song’s lyrics: “Help me if you can, I’ve got to get back to the House at Pooh Corner by one. You’d be surprised, there’s so much to be done.” The lyrics are extremely true to the Hundred Acre Wood and its inhabitants, and I can definitely relate to Loggins’ mindset while writing this: standing on the brink of adulthood, wanting to lose himself again in the forests of childhood. The same mindset that birthed the Peter Paul and Mary classic Puff the Magic Dragon. One of these days I’ll pen the next song in this tradition! This is a rollicking version that doesn’t leave too much time for wistfulness. It seems that getting back to the Wood is entirely within the realm of possibility, if we only try hard enough. As one of Winnie-the-Pooh’s most dedicated fans, I can’t get enough of this track!

Make a Little Magic: This is kind of a pretty track, very heavy on the harmonica. It’s a duet featuring a couple trying to put some spark back into an icy relationship. Not a song I listen to a whole lot, but still very nice. “A little sleep is all we’re losing. It’s up to us to do the choosing. Let’s make a little magic before the night is through.”

All I Have to Do is Dream: This is a very countrified version of the exquisitely mellow Everly Brothers oldies standard. An extremely different take on the song. I think I prefer the Everlys, but this one is nice too. It’s yet another variation on the old I-love-you-but-I-can’t-have-you-so-I’ll-spend-my-life-daydreaming-about-you theme, and one I’ve always liked. “I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine, any time, night or day. Only trouble is, gee whiz, I’m dreaming my life away.”

Grand Ole Opry Song: A nice fiddle and banjo-filled tribute to some of the biggest names of the Grand Ole Opry. Another song I don’t listen to much, but it’s still good and provides a nice bit of history along with it. “There’ll be guitars and fiddles, Earl Scruggs and his banjo too, Bill Monroe singin’ ’em the ‘Honky Tonky Blues,’
Ernest Tubb’s number, ‘Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right,’ at the Grand Ole Opry ev’ry Saturday night.”

Jambalaya: A Cajun tune sung in a definite dialect. It’s a fun song, sounds like the boys are cooking up quite a party. I heard a Christmas-themed parody of this song once that was pretty funny. This one just sounds like they’re having a good time, and like they want as many people to join in the fun as possible. “Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh. Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou.”

Battle of New Orleans: This war song gets kinda rowdy. The guys sound rather overzealous, and there’s an awful lot of whooping and hollering going on. I’m with my dad; I prefer the parody featured on my recently reviewed Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection. But it’s nice to hear the original song every once in a while, and it sounds like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had an awful lot of fun recording their version. “We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin’. There wasn’t ‘bout as many as there was a while ago. We fired once more and they began to runnin’ on down the Mississippi to the Lake of Mexico.”

I Saw the Light: An inspirational tune with some great banjo licks. This song attests to the power of Jesus to change people’s lives as several folks step forward to say how they came to “see the light.” “I saw the light, no more darkness, no more night. Now I’m so happy, no sorrow in sight. Praise the Lord, I saw the light.”

Buy for the Rain: An interesting song, with lyrics following a simple pattern and a neat backing of guitars, violins, and deep-voiced harmonies. Basically a song in which a husband urges his wife to help him make the most of his life and he’ll return the favor as long as he can. Concludes on a rather morbid note, but a nice track. “Buy for me the rain, my darling, buy for me the rain. Buy for me the crystal pools that fall upon the plain. And I’ll buy for you a rainbow and a million pots of gold. Buy it for me now, babe, before I am too old.”

Some of Shelley’s Blues: An upbeat tune in which a young man tries to convince his ladylove to stick with him in spite of her proclaimed misery with him. I presume that Shelley is the girl to whom he is singing; I wonder if there is any significance to the name. Pretty fast-paced and with a definite country feel. “All this talk about leaving is strictly bad news so you settle down and stay with the boy that loves you.”

Fire in the Sky: This one opens with a nice sax solo (which reappears later) before switching over to electric guitars and harmonica. The song has a very pop feel to it with a woebegone fella wishing that his girl would return to him and forgive him for his mistake in dumping her. It’s okay, but it seems a little out of place on the album and doesn’t do a whole lot for me. “Turn back the clock awhile. Things will all work out. That’s what the dream is all about.”

All in all, a great album. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a great sound that’s carried them through more than 30 years in the music industry, and they’re still going strong.