#the flying machine

[tomoleary]

Frank Ver Beck (1858-1933) “The Flying Machine”

Source

[the-riff-compels-me]

[retropopcult]

"Fire and Rain" is a folk rock song written and performed by American singer James Taylor.  It was released in 1970 as a single from his second album, Sweet Baby James.  The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Taylor said the song was about several incidents during his early recording career. The second line "Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you" refers to Suzanne Schnerr, a childhood friend of his who died by suicide while he was away in England recording his first album. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him and he didn’t find out until six months later.

Because of this event, as well as the failure of his new band The Flying Machine to coalesce (the lyric "Sweet dreams and Flying Machines in pieces on the ground"; the reference is to the name of the band rather than a fatal plane crash, as was long rumored), Taylor went into a deep depression and turned to drugs to cope, ending up confined in rehab.  It was there that he wrote the song with the themes of loss and depression.

[tockamybeloved]

You really should accept This time he's gone for good He'll never come back now Even though he said he would So darling dry your eyes So many other guys Would give the world I'm sure To wear the shoes he wore Oh, c'mon Smile a little smile for me, Rosemarie Where's the use in cryin'? In a little while you'll see, Rosemarie You must keep on tryin' I know that he hurt you bad I know darling don't be sad and Smile a little smile for me, Rosemarie, Rosemarie I guess you're lonely now Love's comin' to an end But darling only now Are you free to start again Lift up your pretty chin Don't let those tears begin You're a big girl now And you'll pull through somehow

[sillystrawvial]

first encounters

[rocknrollwillneverdie-blog1]

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Smile a Little Smile for Me - The Flying Machine (The Flying Machine, 1969)

[vgosts]

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High Above the Land (The Flying Machine) - Jake Kaufman Shovel Knight

[asidesandbsides]

Starts With F, Part 2

The Flying Machine - Smile a Little Smile for Me / Maybe We've Been Loving Too Long

Ah, that's a sweet one. I remember "Smile a Little Smile" from somewhere, and it's in good shape. I'll hold onto this for sure. The B-Side is very lively and fun, but a little unimaginative from a songwriting perspective. The vocal sounds significantly sped up.

Four Jacks and a Jill - Master Jack / I Looked Back

This is an interesting one, for sure. Once again I've had to do a little research here, and we seem to have a quintet of white South African folkies, possibly protesting their government's apartheid propaganda on the A-Side. If they are protesting apartheid, they're doing it rather gently, but it does sound lovely. A good song, you might say. The B-Side is cute, and definitely not about apartheid in the slightest.

Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne / Hearts and Crafts

Yeah, I thought I knew this one. This disc sounds like one of mom's old favorites for sure, it's pretty worn down and, sadly, skips around in spots. As for the song itself, I'm not sure if I'm all that into Fogelberg's sound or style, but I like the words and the story of "Same Old Lang Syne." I'm kind of a sucker for this sort of thing. Perhaps to no surprise, the B-Side sounds a lot cleaner and clearer. Is it a better song? Mom didn't think so.

Free - All Right Now / Mouthful of Grass

See, I thought "All Right Now" was a Bad Company song, which shows what I know about the illustrious career of Paul Rodgers. It is, naturally, a radio stalwart and I know it well, and it sounds pretty good on this disc. "Mouthful of Grass" has no words, presumably because Paul's mouth... well, you know. It is a pretty little tune, though.