Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Softcore #3 - The Rockford Files Mix


This mix reflects my growing interest in soft rock. In this case, the emphasis is on songs from the '70's that have a definite Los Angeles feel. Whether or not they weere recorded in Los Angeles - some were, some weren't - they all reflect the influence of the Los Angeles country rock community.
I called this mix the Rockford Files mix in honor of the television show that, to mind, has done a better job than any other television show (and most movies, for that matter) in bringing the city of Los Angeles and its environs to life.
The playlist:
1. Let Your Love Flow - The Bellamy Brothers
2. We're All Playin In the Same Band - Bert Sommer
3. Shannon - Henry Gross
4. Never Ending Song of Love - Delaney and Bonnie
5. Prove My Love - Ned Doheny
6. Dean - Terry Reid
7. My Flame - Bobby Caldwell
8. Her Town Too - James Taylor and JD Souther
9. Isn't It Always Love? - Karla Bonoff
10. Thank You for Being a Friend - Andrew Gold
11. Shake It - Ian Matthews
12. Geronimo's Cadillac - Michael Martin Murphey
13. Muscrat Love - Willis Alan Ramsey
14. Let It Flow - Jimmy Spheeris
15. Laughing - David Crosby
16. Albatross - Fleetwood Mac

Softcore #3 - The Rockford Files Mix

I love all the songs in this mix but a few stand out: the Delaney and Bonnie song, which was recorded in a hotel room and was a minor hit several years after the hype about their Eric Clapton/Leon Russell-led super group had died down; the Ned Doheny song, which sounds like a cross between the Eagles and Steely Dan. The doubleheader of Texas singer/songwriters, Michael Murphey and Willis Alan Ramsay. And finally, the sweet, soft "Let It Flow," by Jimmy Spheeris, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Santa Monica in 1984.