Peter Tork always had a special place in my heart. He was the first member of The Monkees that I got to know when he reemerged onto the music scene in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, playing small clubs, including the infamous CBGB’s in 1977. Peter was making appearances on local cable TV shows, including the local UHF New Jersey television Uncle Floyd Show where he made about 6-7 appearances in which he always had a great time.
I first got to see Peter perform at his old stomping grounds of Greenwich Village in New York City when he played dates at the very intimate Speakeasy Club whose capacity was nearly 200, one of the shows that I attended was a memorable New Year’s Eve show. At these shows Peter performed a variety of different styles of music, from his beloved Folk and Blues to 50’s-60’s Rock including some Monkees tunes, and hard core/Heavy Metal Rock. He at times performed alone or with a band of like-minded musicians who swung to his groove. Three songs from those memorable Speakeasy performances have finally been officially issued on the new 7a Records EP release ‘This Stuff Never Gets Old’.
The title song was written by Michael A. Levine, who wrote the EP’s liner notes, and was originally submitted for The Monkees 2016 album ‘Good Times!’ but was passed over by the late producer Adam Schlesinger. The demo is a rollicking Rock & Roll number which has a George Harrison-like groove to it with a very tasty guitar solo, fine instrumentation and nice vocal harmonies. It’s too bad it didn’t make ‘Good Times!’ or was a bonus track, it’s a fun number and you can hear Peter really enjoying himself on it.
The next three tracks were recorded live during Peter Tork’s residency at Speakeasy’s from November 25-27 1988, shows which I personally attended. Peter appeared with his band which consisted of members Michael A. Levine on electric violin, Mal Stein on drums, the late Jerry Renino on bass and Peter on piano, banjo, keyboards and electric guitar. The first Speakeasy track is ‘Sea Change’ that starts with a playful intro before launching straight into the song that has a great rolling, rhythmic beat with an excellent electric violin solo by by Michael Levine.
The next Speakeasy track ‘Vagabond John’ has always been a personal favorite of mine and for the fans who were fortunate enough to hear Peter perform it. Written by Derek Lord, it’s a cautionary tale of a friend who tries to be the life of the party and ends up a lonely loser. I’ve always felt that Peter referenced people he knew as the song’s protagonist like Keith Moon, John Bonham and Peter himself who at the time was a recovering alcoholic. ‘Vagabond John’ has an epic feel to it with excellent musicianship, harmonies and solos which elevates the song’s message, especially with Peter’s poignant, heartfelt vocals. For me this is the best song on the collection, hearing it again brings back memories of sitting in the darkness of the Speakeasy Club watching Peter Tork on stage performing it with great conviction and emotion. While it’s a pity this song was never released during Peter’s lifetime, I’m so grateful that it’s finally officially available for many fans to hear and enjoy.
The final live Speakeasy track is ‘Miracle’ with Peter on electric guitar and the band giving it a Hard Rock edge that really hits the sweet spot. Peter was an incredible lead guitar player and he really shines on this track with the band giving him great support. On all the songs Peter is in very good voice, he Rocks on the harder songs and is quite emotive on the slightly slower ones. The performances bring back great memories of magical evenings sitting with the fans in the intimacy of the Speakeasy Club in Greenwich Village where Peter earned his chops as a gifted musician.
The 7a Records EP is a limited edition of 500 CD’s and 800 in 10″ Blue vinyl. The EP will be available digitally as a download and on streaming services like Apple Music/iTunes, Amazon Music and Spotify on December 9th, 2022.
For fan’s of Peter Tork, ‘This Stuff Never Gets Old’ is a nice little sampler of Tork’s multi-instrumental talents as a musician and performer. For the fortunate fans like myself who had the rare pleasure of attending one of Peter’s legendary Speakeasy shows, I dare say fond memories will come flooding back. Hopefully, a complete Speakeasy performance will turn up in the near future. Many thanks to 7a Records for issuing this EP and bringing back to light a little piece of the musical legacy of Peter Tork.
Vinyl/CD Track Listing:
1. This Stuff Never Gets Old (Michael A Levine)
2. Sea Change (Peter Tork)
3. Vagabond John (Derek Lord)
4. Miracle (Peter Tork)
Deep Discount Order Link: https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?q=peter+tork+this+stuff&mod=AP
Amazon US Order Link: https://www.amazon.com/This-Stuff-Never-Gets-Old/dp/B0BDGGRXWC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WUHT43AC4W27&keywords=peter+tork+this+stuff&qid=1668888264&sprefix=peter+tork+this+stuf%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1
Amazon UK Order Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Stuff-Never-Gets-Old/dp/B0BDGKQWTN/ref=tmm_acd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1667165767&sr=8-1
Amazon Japan Order Link: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Peter-Tork/dp/B0BDGKQWTN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32T4XP8PELOL9&keywords=peter+tork&qid=1668905397&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjA4IiwicXNhIjoiMi40OCIsInFzcCI6IjIuMzIifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=peter+tork%2Caps%2C270&sr=8-1
iTunes Store/Apple Music Digital Order Link (Available December 9, 2022): https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-stuff-never-gets-old-ep/1652472599
Fred Velez, 2022
Fred Velez is the author of the books ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective’ and ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives’ and The Monkees themed CD ‘A Little Bit Christmas’.
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