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about

Upton Blues. When I first came up with the verse pattern I thought of Led Zeppelin. Okay, I screwed up somewhere along the way. The bootleg version, Upton Blues (High-wire Mix) says it all. But I don’t think I’d ever get the license to use the iconic riff. No use duplicating or replicating, it’s just not the same without Jimmy. Such an influence. I was also going for a Rare Earth/The Band/Five Man Electrical Band/Jo Jo Gunne type feel .. take your pick. And of course the backing vocals, those ooh hot chants we stumbled on really do take me back to that place in time. Whenever I add a song to the i-tunes playlist I’m always asked about the musical genre. Alright then, this is funk rock. And what do I know about funk rock? Not a damn thing. I’m a bannock bred half Indian guy. Yep. Indian. Half-breed. My father told me that when I was six or seven. I’m not native American, native, aboriginal or anything else. Indian. I wear that label with a tremendous amount of pride. I am owned by the land I live in. And humbled by its beauty. And apparently I’m not politically correct. So be it. I wrote a funk rock song. Not bad for an Indian. And sometimes poison is the best ailment. What starts off as a funky jam part and ended up being a tribute to 70's rock funk. Or that's how I think of it. And so a bit of a fix in the mix to ensure this song was world-wide friendly. The alternate mix? Not so much. My homage to fave bands like Lighthouse, Rare Earth and Five Man Electrical Band. And a whole lotta blood, sweat and tears … xoRJ

lyrics

Ooh .. hot .. ooh ooh ooh hot
Ooh .. hot .. ooh ooh ooh hot

A nasty case of the Upton blues could lay me up for a week
Morning shakes and midnight chills ..
Get no relief but you're fading in style .. yeah .. uh huh ..

Found me in an east end room like a match so ready to burn
High-wire acts are hard to find
You better hold on tight, my girl

I rock and roll all night - it's been my life
And nothing was ever free .. nothing was ever free
Well, you're in it for a whole lotta love
You wanna whole lotta love?
Or you're shaking my tree ..
Don't give me those Upton blues ..
Don't give me those Upton blues

Just this morning, half past nine, I made my way to the street
Sunlight surely hurt my eyes .. still not able to see
I won't try and chain you, honey .. I'm not made that way
Kick off your sandals if you think you might intend to stay ..

I rock and roll all night - it's been my life
And nothing was ever free .. nothing was ever free
So you're in it for a whole lotta love
You wanna whole lotta love?
Or you're shaking my .. tree
Don't give me those Upton blues
Give me those Upton blues

Upton blues .. the death of me .. I'm running out of time
Send a whirling dervish girl
To weave in and out of my mind

We're stuck here in this east end room
And I'm a matchstick ready to burn
Well, high-wire acts are hard to find
You'd better hold my hand, my girl ..

I rock and roll all night - it's been my life
Nothing was ever free .. nothing was ever free
So you're in it for a whole lotta love
You wanna whole lotta love?
Or you're shaking my ..
I rock and roll all night - it's been my life
And nothing was ever free .. nothing was ever free
So you're in it for a whole lotta love
You wanna whole lotta love?
Or you're shaking my tree

Give me those Upton blues

Lyrics & Music (c)2018 Robert James
Angry Lion Publishing SOCAN/ASCAP
A Division of Horace Media 2018

credits

from Satyr's Day Parade 2018, released June 15, 2018
RJ: Lead Vocals & Electric Guitars
Astrid Ash: Bass Guitar
Rhett Black: Drums & Percussion
Beaverdell Humes: Keyboards
Backing Vocals courtesy of CandyLand Glee:
(RJ, Astrid, Beaverdell & Rhett)

Cakes, cookies, sweets & treats: SugarMountain Confectionary
Rhett Black & Beaverdell Humes appear courtesy of
Meet The Blacks and HOH Records.
A division of Horace Media 2018
Special Thanks to Hollis Kinglan and HOH Records
Art Direction and Cover Design: Hirografix
Special Thanks to Mark, Don & Mel @Hirografix
Cover Photo: The Stavely Collection

Recorded & Mixed @CandyLand Recorders. Wetaskiwin, Canada
Produced by Robert James for The Kingsway Group
A division of Horace Media 2018
Lyrics reprinted by permission. Angry Lion Publishing.

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Robert James Wetaskiwin, Alberta

As 2024 rolls along we hope to leave you a few more single releases xoRJ

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