Singers & Sidemen Songs

Sidemen are backing musicians who play for singers. They could be members of a singer’s band and/or session musicians. I decided to write an article collecting a set of songs of singers and a song one of their sidemen sing. I paired it so that the sideman played on the singer's song. These pairs are set where the first song is by the singer and the second song is by the sideman. There are even a few cases where the singer appears on the sideman’s song. We’ll start by going back 50 years.

Elton John - (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket (1975)

I chose this song as Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic” album is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I recently listened to the very good Dolby Atmos version of the album on Blu-ray audio. This is a powerful rocker opened by Davey Johnstone’s guitar. Davey plays great guitar throughout. Elton rocks out on his piano and also plays a clavinet which gives quirky keyboard parts. Elton’s vocals are aggressive. The backing vocals of Elton’s band support him well. Davey gives one of his signature sounding guitar solos. Nigel Olsson rocks very well with his powerful drumming. This song shows what a great rock artist Elton John is.

Nigel Olsson - Showdown (1980)

This is a solo song by Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson. Nigel and Elton’s roles are inverted here as Elton plays piano on this song. Elton’s original bassist Dee Murray is also on this song. Nigel sings soulfully in this rock song and his drumming is powerful. The castanets remind me of those instruments featured on Elton’s rock classic “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding”. There are good synth parts featured in the song. This song has a good early 80s soft rock feel. Elton plays great rock piano especially at the end of the song.

Eric Clapton - Somebody’s Knockin’ (2016)

This is Eric Clapton’s version of an unreleased J.J. Cale song. It has a blues rock feel. Eric rocks out with his guitar in the opening section. Keyboardist Chris Stainton supports the song with his piano. A few minutes into the song, Chris gives a good piano solo. I like how he makes the notes go up and down. Following that, we get a bluesy organ solo by Paul Carrack. Paul’s organ has a good presence in the song following this solo. The song ends with Eric giving a powerful solo. In it, Eric’s guitar matches well with Chris’ piano and Paul interjects good organ parts in.

Ace (Paul Carrack) - How Long (1974)

This is a hit song Paul Carrack had with the band Ace. Paul has worked with Eric in the studio and been a member of his band for some tours. Paul wrote, sang and played keyboards on this song. It’s opened solely by its bass guitar part and Paul’s electric piano part soon joins in. Paul sings in a warm and melodic way. His electric piano matches well with the guitar solo. This is a 70s soft rock classic.

Jackson Browne - For Everyman (1973)

Jackson Browne’s folk rock song features a mix of guitars, piano and organ. The guitar part is mainly acoustic. Jackson and David Lindley both play that instrument, with David also playing electric guitar. Jackson sings in an intimate way. Craig plays a good piano part. The organ played by Jimmy Buffett’s keyboardist Michael Utley adds a lot of colour to the song. David plays a gentle electric guitar part near the end. This is an epic six minute long song.

Craig Doerge - Reno (1973)

This is a song from Craig Doerge’s solo album. Craig did a lot of work with Jackson Browne in the studio and has toured with him. He was part of Jackson’s hit album “Running on Empty” of original songs recorded on the road. Craig plays good rock piano and sings in a deep way. The backing vocals are strong and effective. The guitar comes in and out of the song with its strong parts. The guitar part at the end of the song goes well with Craig’s piano. This is a good mid-tempo rock song.

Michael Stanley - Sound of a Train (2015)

Michael Stanley is an American rock singer from Cleveland. I wish more people around the world knew about his work. This is a song he wrote with his guitarist Marc Lee Shannon. I had previously featured Marc’s version of the song in my article “Ten Train Songs”. This song features acoustic guitar, piano and organ. Michael sings in a warm and powerful way. The piano gives off a relaxing, warm feel and the organ adds to the song. It has an americana rock ballad feel, which reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” album.

Marc Lee Shannon - I’m On It (2006)

Michael produced Marc Lee Shannon’s debut album, which sees them reverse roles. Michael played instruments on the album, and he wrote and provided backing vocals on this song. It opens with a powerful drum beat and gets into this great rock feel. The song features a good mix of guitar, piano and organ. Marc sings in a tough way with passion. His vocals are very effective. Michael’s backing vocals come in which are featured in sections of the song. They support Marc well. I like how Marc and Michael’s voices go together. There’s a creative country influenced guitar solo I’m assuming is by Marc. I like the ad-libbing Marc does towards the end of the song. This is a catchy, melodic country rock song.

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Little Drummer Boy (1987)

As we’re approaching Christmas, it’s fitting to feature a Christmas song. Bob sings this Christmas classic powerfully. Silver Bullet Band keyboardist Craig Frost provides a good piano part which gives a foundation to the song. Saxophonist Alto Reed provides nice sax parts. Alto mentioned that the Silver Bullet Band had recorded often with drummer Don Brewer, yet this is the only officially released studio track with him. Don was a touring drummer on most Silver Bullet Band tours from the 1980s to the 2010s. The guitar parts are played by Rick Vito and Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren. There is a great guitar part that comes throughout the song. It’s great to have a Christmas song given the Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band rock treatment.

Grand Funk Railroad (Don Brewer & Craig Frost) - We’re An American Band (1973) 

This #1 US hit is written and sung by Don Brewer who’s the drummer of Grand Funk Railroad. The song opens with a creative drumming part. Don sings loudly in a passionate way. He drums very well throughout this song, hitting the drums with intensity. The band’s keyboardist Craig Frost plays great electric piano. He does wonderful synth work in the choruses. Don and Craig would both end up working with Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band the following decade with Don as a touring musician and Craig an official member. Mark Farner gives a good guitar solo. This rock song is produced by Todd Rundgren.

These singers & sidemen songs feature a diverse range of rock songs. It’s interesting that the opening and closing pairs both feature a sideman song by a singing drummer. The singers in both pairs are my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in my previous article “Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen Vol. 2”.

Ten Fool Songs

I’ve been listening to some songs recently with the word “fool” in the title. That led me thinking it would be a good topic to write an article compiling fool songs. Most of these songs use the term “fool” in relation to relationships, such as someone seeing himself as the fool or viewed that way in the third person. I will only talk about the song’s meaning when they deviate from that trend. I featured two of the songs on this list in my recent article “Magical Music of 1978”. We’ll start by going back 50 years.

Fool’s Gold - Procol Harum (1975)

The song opens with Gary Brooker’s piano and his singing. Other instruments slowly come in and it becomes a full band song quickly. It has an incredible rock energy and features great guitar by Mick Grabham. Gary’s piano rocks well during this song including the way it backs the guitars. The song seems to be about someone who was determined to be successful and failed. Fool’s gold refers to a substance which resembles gold, but is worthless. It also means something incorrectly perceived as very successful. Gary sings about how fool’s gold fooled him. He seems to be singing figuratively. We get some horns close to the end of the song.

Ship of Fools - Bob Seger (1976)

This is a countryish sounding soft rock ballad. The piano isn’t dominant, but provides a good musical base. The creative guitar parts by Drew Abbott come in and out of the song. The accordion has a good presence. Ship of fools is a metaphor by Plato about a ship having an unfit crew which can refer to a dysfunctional democracy. The song is about someone who sailed on a ship with a crew and says what happened. It’s only at the end we find out that the ship sank and he’s the sole survivor. That’s when he refers to it as a “ship of fools”. Bob sings in an intimate manner.

Fool (If You Think It’s Over) - Chris Rea (1978)

The song opens with a light beat. It’s led by an electric piano. Chris Rea’s acoustic piano comes in a bit later which has a good presence in parts of the song. A vibraphone provides some good notes. There is a nice saxophone solo at the halfway point. An orchestra is featured. Producer Gus Dudgeon gives the song a very full production with so many instruments that don’t clash, but support each other. Chris sings this song in a warm way.

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald wrote this song with Kenny Loggins, sings it and plays piano & synths (with Bill Payne). The piano & synths combine to form a unique keyboard sound. Michael sings powerfully and soulfully. He also sings backing vocals which adds to the song. This is a very melodic song which has a fun, enjoyable feel.

Fool in the Rain - Led Zeppelin (1979)

This is a softer song by Led Zeppelin, though it’s good to have something rockier than the last three songs. John Paul Jones’ piano has a prominent part and opens the song with its riff. John Bonham's drumming is powerful. In the middle of the song, the melody changes with great drumming and percussion. This section brings in a samba sound. It goes back to the piano riff of the start of the song. Jimmy Page plays a creative guitar solo going over it. This solo isn’t intense, but it brings a rock vibe and has jazz influences. Near the end, we get what sounds like acoustic guitar parts. This is an epic six minute rock song.

I’ll Be the Fool Again - Robbie Dupree (1981)

This soft rock song opens with synths and is soon joined by guitar and piano. It’s similar to “What a Fool Believes” we heard earlier, but has more guitars and rock. Robbie sings soulfully. There is a relaxing guitar solo. This song balances synths, piano and guitars well. It’s a good example of yacht rock.

Rope Around a Fool - Elton John (1988)

This piano rock song opens with Elton’s piano and is soon joined by Davey Johnstone’s aggressive guitars. Elton sings powerfully and rocks great on his piano. His piano solo is rock & roll sounding and has good guitar interjections by Davey. This song was the B-Side to his hit “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” which has a similar piano rock sound.

Any Other Fool - Michael Stanley (2000)

It’s fitting that we follow Elton John as this sounds like an Elton song with its piano ballad style. The line “It never ceases to amaze me” brings to mind Elton’s song “Amazes Me”. Michael’s keyboardist Bob Pelander plays amazing piano and organ. Bob and Michael wrote this song together. Michael sings greatly with emotion. The female backing vocalist supports him well. There is a powerful bridge around the halfway mark followed by a melodic saxophone solo. This song shows what a great singer-songwriter Michael Stanley is. It’s a pity he wasn’t able to be a globally successful singer. He’s someone I recommend listening to.

Fool for Falling In Love - Benny Mardones (2002)

Benny Mardones wrote this song with Roy Orbison. It’s driven by piano and has a strong drum part. The two instruments go together well. There is a subtle organ throughout which adds to the song. Benny sings with passion. At the halfway mark, the piano part brings latin vibes that I like. There is good percussion near the end. Benny gave us a powerful rock ballad with this song.

I Was Fooled - Eric Clapton (2010)

This is a blues cover. The song was written by Jody Williams. Eric brings off blues rock vibes in this song. There is a harmonica throughout it including a good solo. I really like what the piano does during the chorus. Eric sings the blues with passion.

I’ve noticed that a lot of these songs tend to go towards soft rock and ballads with the levels of rock varying. There are some songs which rock harder. I find it interesting that there are only three hit songs which are the ones by The Doobie Brothers, Chris Rea and Led Zeppelin. If you enjoyed reading this, you might be interested in my previous article “Ten Train Songs”. It features many of the same artists.

Magical Music of 1978

As a music fan, I consider 1978 to be a fantastic year for music. There were many popular songs that resonated with me from that year. I decided to write an article talking about the magical music of 1978.

The first song I’m mentioning is “Hold the Line” by Toto. It opens with the rocking piano riff by David Paich who also wrote the song. Steve Lukather provides great guitar and lead singer Bobby Kimball sings intensely in this incredible rocker. Georgy Porgy by the same band has both a soft rock and a jazz rock feel. Steve Lukather sings the verses and the choruses are sung by guest singer Cheryl Lynn. Steve gives an enjoyable jazz influenced guitar solo in this relaxing song.

Hold the Line - Toto

I’m now moving on to Toto’s Columbia labelmates Journey. Wheel in the Sky is a hard rock song with an aggressive feel. Steve Perry sings powerfully, there’s a great guitar solo by Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie underpins the song well with his piano. The next song “Lights” is my favourite Journey song. Like with Toto, we go from a hard rock song to a soft rock song. Lights is incredible with its melody, piano, Steve’s singing, guitar solo, organ and rock feel.

Lights - Journey

I’m a big Bob Seger fan. He’s one of the topics I write about on this blog. These are four songs by him. His signature song “Old Time Rock & Roll” is a rock & roll tribute to that music of the 1950s. We’ve Got Tonight is a special melodic piano ballad with Bob showing his softer side. Hollywood Nights has a hard rock feel unlike the previous two. Bob’s guitars drive the song and he’s backed well by Bill Payne’s keyboards (piano & organ). David Teegarden’s double drums give a special sound. Still the Same is a catchy ballad that takes in some country influences. Bob does double duty on piano (including a solo) and acoustic guitars. All these great songs come from Bob’s album “Stranger in Town” which is the first album of his I listened to 15 years ago.

We’ve Got Tonight - Bob Seger

Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” is a funny satirical comedy rock song. Its simple piano notes are repeated on a consistent loop. This is done creatively as the song isn’t repetitive. Warren sings other melodies over his piano part. The Power of Gold by Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg is sung by Dan who also plays piano and guitars. He doubles the two instruments very well including playing a great guitar solo. Album collaborator Tim Weisberg plays flute. Eric Clapton had a warm soft rock US hit “Promises”. This ballad features Dick Sims’ relaxing keyboards (electric piano & organ) and good guitar parts.

The Power of Gold - Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg

The following songs all have acoustic piano, electric piano, saxophone, guitar and orchestra. Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty had the worldwide soft rock hit “Baker Street” that’s very musical. The sax part comes repeatedly in the song to great effect. The guitar solo contrasts well with the sax. We’ll move on to another singer born in Scotland Al Stewart. He grew up in England and is US based. His US hit “Time Passages” is another six minute soft rock song. There are two solos in a row which are Spanish influenced acoustic guitar and sax ones followed by electric guitar parts. English singer Chris Rea is a one-hit wonder in the US unlike in his country. His US hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” is driven by electric piano and an acoustic piano is featured in much of the song. Chris gave us a special melodic ballad.

Fool (If You Think It’s Over) - Chris Rea

We’re going from one fool song to another. The previous three songs all have a British sensibility (including US based Al Stewart). This time it’s to America with soul influenced soft rock by Michael McDonald’s version of The Doobie Brothers. In “What a Fool Believes”, Michael’s piano riff is brilliant and he sings greatly. Synths also form a major part of the song and they are played by Michael and Bill Payne (the keyboardist on Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights”). On “Minute by Minute”, Michael plays electric piano. The synth parts are different from the previous song. Michael sings expressively and is supported well by the backing vocals.

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers

Michael wrote the previous two songs with Kenny Loggins & Lester Abrams. He co-wrote “Dependin’ on You” with bandmate Patrick Simmons. This was a minor hit unlike the previous two. Patrick sings this song and brings more rock into this version of the band. Michael gives good rock & roll piano and backing vocals. There is rocking guitar including solos. Horns have a good presence. This rock song is fused with soul and a hint of jazz.

Dependin’ on You - The Doobie Brothers

Billy Joel gave us the powerful rock ballad “Honesty” with his rich piano. It’s a moving song that’s very melodic and rocks. I'm a big Elton John fan and he had two global hits that year. Part-Time Love was big when it came out except the US where it was a minor hit. This song has been forgotten now. It’s a pop rock song with a soul influence. Elton’s original guitarist Davey Johnstone plays great lead guitar backed on rhythm guitar by Tim Renwick who was the main guitarist on the “A Single Man” album. Elton’s other hit was “Song for Guy” which was popular globally except the US. This instrumental pop song features Elton on piano & keyboards accompanied by percussion and bass. Elton sings some words near the end.

Part-Time Love - Elton John

List of Articles Featuring these Songs

Below are articles where I featured these songs in a list with it described in a paragraph plus an article about the original demo of “Old Time Rock & Roll” which compares it with the released version. I provide links to these articles.

Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players

Old Time Rock & Roll - Bob Seger

We’ve Got Tonight - Bob Seger

Ten Great Universal Music Group Songs

Still the Same - Bob Seger

Promises - Eric Clapton

The Original Version of Old Time Rock & Roll

An article about the original demo of the song by George Jackson. Both George’s version and Bob’s version are embedded and compared.

Conclusion

I'm going to make comments and comparisons about these songs. The saxophone was popular during this period which included memorable sax parts in “Old Time Rock & Roll” and “Baker Street”. There are iconic piano riffs for songs in different types of rock which are hard rock (“Hold the Line”), rock & roll (“Old Time Rock & Roll”), comedy rock (“Werewolves of London”) and soft rock (“What a Fool Believes”). It was common to have piano ballads featuring orchestra as seen most prominently in “Honesty” and “We’ve Got Tonight”.

I love the fact that so many of these songs are by singing pianists. It includes the two biggest names in that field who are Elton John (“Part-Time Love”) and Billy Joel (“Honesty”). Michael McDonald did this with The Doobie Brothers’ hits “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute”. Warren Zevon’s piano part for his hit “Werevolves of London” is memorable. Chris Rea who’s known as a guitarist played acoustic piano on “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. This was an anomaly in his career where he didn’t play guitar on one of his songs. Bob Seger played piano and acoustic guitar on “Still the Same”. Dan Fogelberg played piano & guitar even more impressively on “The Power of Gold” with him playing rock piano, electric & acoustic guitars including a solo.

These songs are melodic and reflect great things music can do. They are reflective of the year 1978, but do so in a timeless way that transcends that year. They continue to resonate in 2025 and will continue doing so in the years going forward.

Ten Train Songs

This article is a collection of ten train songs I chose. I want to clarify that these are not songs by the band Train. They are songs involving trains. Trains are referred to literally, metaphorically or both. All but one of them have the word train in the song title. We’ll start with a song from 55 years ago.

Whisky Train - Procol Harum (1970)

This song is written by guitarist Robin Trower and lyricist Keith Reid. It’s led by the guitars. Lead singer and pianist Gary Brooker’s piano supports Robin’s guitars well. The piano notes going back and forth on a loop are so simple yet so effective. Gary sings aggressively. The lyrics are referring to alcoholism. B.J. Wilson gives great rock drumming. Near the end of the song, we get Robin’s powerful guitar solo. Whisky Train has amazing energy. I love its hard rock sound.

Long Twin Silver Line - Bob Seger (1980)

This rock song is about a train with the lyrics talking about where the train is going. Bob recorded it with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. He sings vigorously. Barry Beckett plays amazing rock and roll piano. Pete Carr has an aggressive guitar solo which Barry supports well. I like how Bob mentions American places in his song which are the cities Chicago, LA, Denver & Salt Lake City and the states Kansas, Nevada & California. This is a fun Bob Seger rocker from the peak of his career.

Keep This Train a-Rollin’ - The Doobie Brothers (1980)

A fun piece of soul influenced soft rock written and sung by Michael McDonald. It opens with organ, then it’s solely Bobby LaKind’s congas which is soon joined by Michael’s piano. Michael's vocals and piano playing are great and energetic. Horns have a good presence including a nice saxophone solo. I love how this song has multiple keyboard parts which include acoustic piano, electric piano, synth, organ and clavinet. Michael seems to be singing about life using a train as a metaphor.

Trains - Al Stewart (1993)

This is an epic eight minute song. Al sings about trains tying it into history and geography. He starts off referring to his experiences growing up in post World War 2 England, discusses 20th century European history and towards the end of the song talks of trains in 1990s America based on his experiences. We get an acoustic guitar solo.There is a great relaxing piano throughout the song. The accordion has a good presence. Al gives us with this song his creative ability to write a melodic ballad dealing with historical topics.

This Train Won’t Stop - Traffic (1994)

This is a melodic mid-tempo rock song from English rock band Traffic’s final album. The final version of Traffic was Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, who both wrote this song. Steve plays multiple instruments including piano, organ and guitar. The song is led well by the piano. Steve sings powerfully in his soulful voice and gives a creative guitar solo. It’s good to hear what seems to be a reference to Steve’s solo hit “Higher Love”. Jim provides a good beat with his drums. Steve is singing about life. In the chorus, he sings “this train won’t stop” repeatedly and ends it with “till we reach the end of the line”. The train seems to refer to our lives. I love this kind of piano driven rock.

This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore - Elton John (2001)

Here’s a powerful ballad by Elton John. The instruments are piano, bass, drums and an orchestra arranged by Paul Buckmaster. Elton is using the train metaphor to reflect and look back on his career. Matt Chamberlain drums intensely in a modern way. We get the feel of ballads pre-dating Elton’s music with this song. There is a powerful moment where one of the choruses goes to just Elton & his piano which is soon joined by the other instruments. I like how the backing vocalists sing “don’t stop”.

From a Train - Michael Stanley (2003)

This is a piano ballad somewhat similar to the previous song. The song seems to be about a man who watched a lady he was in love with go away on a train. The train setting is used to explore their relationship issues. Michael’s long-time keyboardist Bob Pelander’s piano gives a relaxing atmosphere. There is a subtle acoustic guitar and synth strings which comes in and out of the song. Michael sings warmly in an intimate way. I like the reference to “Spanish Nights” which must be referring to Michael’s previous song “Spanish Nights” from the Michael Stanley Band. Halfway through the song, gentle drums come in which add a new dimension to the song.

The Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore - Benny Mardones (2006)

I think that this song was influenced or is a response to Elton’s song on this list. Both songs are piano ballads looking back to the past of their careers. Benny sings “I used to be the man” and Elton sings “I used to be the main express”. Benny sings powerfully. This song is led by a mix of electric and acoustic pianos. We hear some other keyboards. Benny sings about his lover he’s no longer with who he misses. I wonder if “the train don’t stop here anymore” is his way of expressing his sadness that they’re no longer together. In the last quarter of the song, there is a train sound which is nice to hear.

Train To Nowhere - Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler & Don White (2014)

This song was written by J.J. Cale is from Eric Clapton & Friends’ tribute album to J.J. Cale. Mark sings the first two verses, Don sings the third and they sing the fourth one together. Eric sings the choruses. It’s creative how this song uses the voices of three very different singers. Both Eric and Mark play good guitar parts. The song is underpinned well by piano. J.J. seems to be writing about life with the train to nowhere metaphor. This song is a relaxing mid-tempo americana themed rock song.

Sound of a Train - Marc Lee Shannon (2018)

I get similar musical vibes from the previous song. Marc was the guitarist to Michael Stanley featured above. Marc and Michael wrote this song together with Michael’s version released first in 2015. The song opens with drums, Marc sings with guitar coming in and out of the song. Piano follows in a similar fashion to the guitar and it soon has a full band sound. Marc sings with passion. Marc is singing about his lover that he misses. The chorus mentions both the sound of a train and the sound of her voice. This song has a good mix of piano, acoustic and electric guitars.

That was my selection of train songs. There are some common lyrical themes among them. I like how these songs are musically diverse ranging from slow ballads to hard rock.