Stephen Stills said, "Neil and Bruce (Palmer) had gotten together a group called the Mynah Birds in Toronto and gone to Detroit playing with this guy named Ricky James Mathews who was into being a black Mick Jagger, right?" _The Rolling Stone Interviews, Vol. 2_
does anyone know if thats neil on BV's? I heard he never sang on the records but I reckon he's there and the official info is wrong. good song. both went on to do better but a really respectable tune
Here is something for you all to hear...The creators of The Tripp ,,,,Jimmy Livingston and Stanley Endersby ,,well lets just say they were an amazing band...If you ever get a chance to watch a video of The Tripp band back in the sixties well you will freak...The son of Jimmy Livingston..his name is Chris Temple...he reformed the band with his pal Jonny X. They are playing at The Rockpile in Toronto....On August 26 2011. You really should check them out...Great original songs.
YES this would have been THE hit! :D thanks for sharing it. What did you source it from? Tape? When I visited the Motown / studio museum in Detroit a few years ago, I mentioned the Rick James/ Neil young myna birds connection and the tour guide (a gordy family member, young dude) was blown away and took me asidea the end near the Marvin Gaye couch, to get the details. I just said " look on google" I was shocked he was unaware of this in the vaults. It seemsalmost a dirty little secret.
@oatstao wow, thx for sharing that info. I came across this from a friend of mine who is a radio broadcaster. He came across it somehow and I got it from him. I have the whole album.
@myfunkyway9 Yes, it is Rick on lead vocals. Back then, (I believe this was the very early 70's) everyone who knew him in the industry said he used to try to sound like Mick Jagger, hence, the name "Rick Jagger" in the video description... I think he's spot on in that regard! But yes, that is him singing... check out my other video of Rick when he sang with Great White Cane, it's in my vids "Make The Magic" what an awesome tune it is!
wow I thank my bar buddy Joe for showing me this stuff and now I'm hooked on this song!!...imagine how HUGE this would have been if it had seen release in its day!!
I just learned that Rick James and Neil Young were in this band together, and that has caused me to completely rethink everything I thought I knew about anything!
@kander63 Funny now that is happening to me too and everything I thought I knew is being "rethunk" and I'm on a parallel planet where Rick James is famous and Neil beats up women. Oh well Neil didn't beat Carrie (Jack Neiztche later did). The closest Shakey came to beating up a woman was during an epileptic fit on stage with the Buffalo Springfield.
First of all, this is a great tune, a big shame that it never got out.... Back in 1979, i think, the new constelation of the group, rerecorded this tune, and some others too, to release a new Myna Byrds album. The project was canceled because the group fall appart (Rick was in jail) etc.... Does anyone have any of these tunes, or know where to get them? THX.
@HCBAndersen I have 6 or 7 Mynah Birds songs, what a blessing these songs are, I also hane Ricks " Great white cain" album and about 6 single before 1979
@kitrik23 Sounds great if it's the Myna Byrds, from the last constelation, remark the spelling, Neil Lillie was on bass then. The cuts you have, do they have names? Maybe we could look a bit more on them? Thanks for answering :)
@kitrik23 Wow! Me Too! I have Both GWC album (have a video posted of "Make The Magic") and The Mynah Birds songs that were supposed to go on their album before it got cancelled. You seriously like the other Mynah Bird songs? I couldn't get into them, alot of them are instrumental, and they bored me a little :(
@HCBAndersen I have the entire album, or at least all the songs that were recorded with the intention of making an album. What is weird is, Motown made them all (the Band Members) come into the studio separately and record their parts one at a time. The rest of the songs intended for the album are mostly long drawn out instrumental pieces that you get tired of towards the middle... When I first heard this song, my immediate reaction was, Wow, I bet the rest of the songs rock!... Not True!
from his Wikipedia bio: "...Morgan was unhappy with the label's attitude towards the musicians and left, with Neil Young taking his place. With Young on board, the Mynah Birds returned to Motown to record an album, but their manager pocketed the advance money the label had given the band. The band fired their manager, who in turn told the label that James was AWOL. Motown told him to give himself up to the FBI, and the Mynah Birds' album was shelved."
@lamooremuse my parents knew ppl in the industry (& his daughter Ty) & back when Street Songs hit the scene they told me about the music he had done in the early 70's, w/ Neil Young & The Mynah Birds & also The Great White Cane. They used to always play it, but I wasn't tryna hear it back then, I later asked them about it & they helped me get ahold of it thru a friend who's in radio
@Khultan I know huh!! when I was growing up there was no internet, so there was no way of just finding this kind of stuff out... Now I can't even imagine life without the internet or youtube!! and yes, this song is quite catchy! I totally agree!
@kixxumass I wonder if the 60s style of music could have crossed over into the 70s if kids connected with teens from the previous decade, because, frankly, I always thought punk rock is a fraud and disco corny.
@Khultan First of all, this is a great tune, a big shame that it never got out.... Back in 1979, i think, the new constelation of the group, rerecorded this tune, and some others too, to release a new Myna Byrds album. The project was canceled because the group fall appart (Rick was in jail) etc.... Does anyone have any of these tunes, or know where to get them? THX.
@Khultan First of all, this is a great tune, a big shame that it never got out.... Back in 1979, i think, the new constelation of the group, rerecorded this tune, and some others too, to release a new Myna Byrds album. The project was canceled because the group fall appart (Rick was in jail) etc.... Does anyone have any of these tunes, or know where to get them? THX.
They are both rock legends, I learned about this in an interview Rick did with Cream or Creme magazine in 1980 or so. Glad to finally here it, thanks for posting this!!! Rick was a rocker to his core, but the music industry kept him out of bonafide hard rock music just like they did for countless other Black bands from Sound Barrier to Mother's Finest, Funkadelic (from AOR in the 1970s) and later Bus Boys.
@mjsmith777 Yep! You are absolutely right! Rick had intended on making Rock n' Roll, he was totally a Rock Musician but the industry wasn't havin' it... As Rick said in his own words, "People back then just weren't ready for a Black Rock Star"
Not really unlikely ... Rick James is from Buffalo on the Canadian border. He was a rocker. Toronto was a natural escape and he found fellow rockers there. The Motown thing is interesting because he was a cousin of one the Temptations founders, so that gave him a natural 'in' with Motown ... so it was not so strange that they signed with Motown. The Canadians did not seem to have any hangups with that ...
wow you really know your rick james..its interesting that rick james had a connection like that, no matter how talented an artist is , a connection goes a long way. i once read that slashs mom once dated david bowie...
@GeneralTrousers yep, that's right... that's what made Rick go AWOL, cause he had his Canadian hideaway right over the NY border! I tripped out when i first heard him singing rock, but he's so good at it, i almost like it as much as his funk
@gigsbrigs Ultra cool! I had a chance eons ago to ask Ric about these songs and he replied that he didn't have the recordings and wasn't sure that Neil did. This is very cool! I've always heard about this band and now I can finally hear their recordings. Cheers to you!
@dixgun Yeah just like Arthur and Love. Miss him and Forever Changes is one of my favorites of all time. I keep in my House in between Hillsboro and CLarksville By the time that Im through singing
The bells from the schools of walls will be ringing
@tvgator1 Yeah I think I listened to House is not a Motel more than any other song on Forever Changes. Great singing by Arthur , drumming and guitar. Between Clark and Hillsdale and Alone Again Or were next but most every songs is memorable on this perfect record. Neil Young was set to produce Forever Changes but he apologetically told Arthur (who worked with Buffalo Springfield) he had better things to do but he was a definite force.
@11xzxzxz There's one more that has Neil Young's credit on it. "I'll Wait Forever", and its just as good as this one. Talent is talent regardless of wether its in its infancy or at its peak. Young is one of the best, and James was a good sounding imitation of a Jagger/Hendrix hybrid. Those two cuts ('It's My Time' and 'I'll Wait Forever') are outstanding.
if you read about how it all conspired & how Neil ended up in this band, you'd make an exception to your opinion. The Mynah birds went thru band members almost on a monthly basis, it was a revolving door, Neil ended up with them before ever coming to the States, he was on a mission to get here & took the gig to make a little money so he could drive to Cali,so he wasn't being picky, "if it pays, I'll do it" was the basic mentality here...
he wasn't with them for long, he & rick clashed, rick was domineering & told Neil what to do & where he wanted him, & how he should do it, & Neil didn't like that, after he made enough money to leave Canada, he left them hangin' & got the fuck outta there, drove to Cali, & by the time Rick got outta the brig & went to Cali, Neil was already well on his way with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young...
I don't know what you're trying to say in your comment, but if you think for a second this isn't Neil Young, then you're an idiot, even Neil HIMSELF admits to being in the band & co writing this song, why don't you go look up the copyrights on the library of congress' website & see who's name besides Ricks is listed as a copyright owner. how lame, who the hell would pretend Neil Young was in a band or sang a song if he really didn't?
i didn't say this wasnt' Neil Young in person, physically, i meant this type of work is not in his class `cause he's originally in a different (better imo) kind of work and this work here, although fine, is way "below" Neil's style ...
now that you say he had to do it for money in hard times, i can understand that. thx for the info.
@kixxumass --Wrong. Young went to Cali, after Ricky Matthews (James) was busted for being AWOL. THAT was the straw that killed that lineup. Then Motown pulled their contract, and shelved the single (which already had a number assigned), and the subsequent album cuts were left for dead. Young then quit, and famously sold the equipment, bought a hearse and he and Bruce Palmer (also in the Minah Birds) went to L.A. Where history, and the Buffallo Springfield were formed. Way before CSN & Y
@tvgator1 what was I wrong about? That''s basically what I said happened, but I fucked up and said C,S,N & Y, i didn't mean to, I meant Buffalo Springfield, sorry my bad !
I totally agree, Mick Jagger all the way here, Rick even says he was imitating The Rolling Stones style here, and that he was trying to sound like Mick Jagger, that's why I called him "Rick Jagger"
This band would have never lasted. Neil Young was really young here, brought in just to play lead guitar, just as he got bored and wanted more creative freedom of Buffalo Springfield, the same thing would have happened here. I also read Rick James had his lead guitar mixed really low to, so that wouldn't have made him happy in the long run. Neil Young would have gotten bored within 2 years and left the band.
actually, during one gig in Canada, Neils guitar wasn't even plugged in! hahaha, he played for a couple of songs before he even realized it, he was pist!
@smoke117 --James didn't mess with his mix--the Mynahs knew he added alot to that lineup (afterall, he co-wrote 2 songs for the Motown sessions). After the sessions at Motown, a singe was set to be released ("It's My Time"/"Go On And Cry"). Then James got busted for being AWOL from the NAVY. THAT is what broke up that lineup. Motown cut the contract, Young and Palmer quit, and headed to L.A. to meet up Stephen Stills and form Buffallo Springfield.
In the '60s,Mick learned lots from James Brown's stage presence & kind of wanted to be a white J.B.But Rick wanted to be a brown Mick in the '60s,not a James (Brown)!
Later, fueled by Cocaine,Rick decided to become a Superfreak,and (deservedly) spent time in jail as a result of his weird & nasty proclivities-hey, just as James B. did,although even J.B. was perhaps a tad less mean & nasty!
-Superfreakiest person poor Neil ever got involved with:Charlie Manson! Lucky Neil wasn't on CM's "list"...
Nah, I quote 2,000 year old scripture and Plato at work. Now THAT shit is old! I only saw that Rick James thing from Chappelle's show last month via You Tube. Leaving that crap aside, will you be buying Volume 1 of the Archives in June, Dan?
Unfortunately, there will be no Mynah Birds material on the Archives. Universal Music (who ownall Motown recordings) must have gave Neil the finger. Either that or Neil didn't want to include the songs, which I doubt as he has tried to gain control of the material he played on for decades and he loved playing with Rick James.
Rick was his own man, as was Neil Young. Even today, Neil bosses life, as he knows that a million assholes are lining up to spend his millions. Rick James lived a GREAT life, he told every asshole to fuck off. That's the way to do it, frankly. The "fuck off" attitude gets you a long way when you have mad skills like Rick and Neil. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Errol Flynn, they all did their thing and manufactured great lives for themselves. Otherwise, the cunts would have walked all over them.
@GordonMorrice Young has recently purchased 7 songs from them. Don't know what he's going to do with them yet, but hopefully they (or at least 2 of them) will be on a subsequent box set. fingers crossed....or maybe he just wants to keep 'em for himself. Who knows, but he's got 7 of them...
i have every song they wrote for the album that never was released, I'm telling you, you're not missing much, most of the other songs are instrumental, I was surprised when I heard the rest of the songs, I couldn't believe it!
As for this song in particular Neil Young was going to include it on his box set, but instead it was released onThe Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966' box set. It has over 600 songs on it & costs $99.99 I don't know how many songs by the Mynah Birds Neil was able to obtain for use on his Box Set, but this song will not be on it. All the other songs recorded by the Mynah Birds sound completely different from this one & 3 of them are instrumental.
As for this song in particular Neil Young was going to include it on his box set, but instead it was released onThe Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966' box set. It has over 600 songs on it & costs $99.99 I don't know how many songs by the Mynah Birds Neil was able to obtain for use on his Box Set, but this song will not be on it. All the other songs recorded by the Mynah Birds sound completely different from this one & 3 of them are instrumental.
I know his daughter Ty, this wasnt easy to get, but it is now, I only have permission granted for use of this 1 song so I cant post the rest of the mynah birds recordings... but i have permission granted to use his Great White Cane album, which is equally as good, if not better.. check out my Great white cane video "You make the magic" its right here on my channel.
just curious, i have 6 mynah birds songs is there more that you know of?
When I listen to great white cane he finally sounds like the rick we all know but the music aint funky enough, where as with the mynah birds he sound s white but the music sounds black.
@kitrik23 he's so young, his voice is alot higher, but it does sound like a super young Rick James trying to sound like Jagger or even more closely like Jimi Hendrix. His voice is alot like Hendrix here as well....
Ya, what a life that man led... he was in like 4 different bands before he even turned 21 yrs old! I was exhausted just reading about all he has been through.. and his auto biography, Memoir; Confessions of a Super Freak is one hell of a good book!
Great song - an unlikely intersection in musical history! You can hear Neil on background vocals pretty well, too. Any other Mynah Birds songs out there?
i have the entire album that was never released, it eventually came out song by song on a mowtown collection of 600 songs, by various artists. it has a whole different sound all together, if you want i can send you my link on megaupload to check it out for yourself.
Stephen Stills said, "Neil and Bruce (Palmer) had gotten together a group called the Mynah Birds in Toronto and gone to Detroit playing with this guy named Ricky James Mathews who was into being a black Mick Jagger, right?" _The Rolling Stone Interviews, Vol. 2_
Digmymojo 2 days ago
Eh. The guitar player has promise. I don;t think that it sounds all that much like the Stones, either.
hiddenfire65 1 month ago
The manager who turned Rick in to the Feds is the one who clicked the dislike button.
darrinbaker00 2 months ago
does anyone know if thats neil on BV's? I heard he never sang on the records but I reckon he's there and the official info is wrong. good song. both went on to do better but a really respectable tune
geobruf123 5 months ago
I don't know where they found this, but it's wonderful. It mixes folk with Motown Soul. I don't know anyone else who could do that.
I don't see any Mick Jagger influence at all. This is highly original.
MondoBeno 5 months ago
Get this ...they are doing the show with the band called Toronto....what a great show this will be.....don't miss history.
junklemonkey333 6 months ago
Here is something for you all to hear...The creators of The Tripp ,,,,Jimmy Livingston and Stanley Endersby ,,well lets just say they were an amazing band...If you ever get a chance to watch a video of The Tripp band back in the sixties well you will freak...The son of Jimmy Livingston..his name is Chris Temple...he reformed the band with his pal Jonny X. They are playing at The Rockpile in Toronto....On August 26 2011. You really should check them out...Great original songs.
junklemonkey333 6 months ago
sounds so much like boys dont cry bu the cure
shnen2 7 months ago
Thanks for uploading. I linked to this from an article on my blog (addy in profile).
AcousticGuitarBuyer 7 months ago
@AcousticGuitarBuyer really? cool, thanks! so my video is on your blog now? right on :)
kixxumass 7 months ago
YES this would have been THE hit! :D thanks for sharing it. What did you source it from? Tape? When I visited the Motown / studio museum in Detroit a few years ago, I mentioned the Rick James/ Neil young myna birds connection and the tour guide (a gordy family member, young dude) was blown away and took me asidea the end near the Marvin Gaye couch, to get the details. I just said " look on google" I was shocked he was unaware of this in the vaults. It seemsalmost a dirty little secret.
oatstao 9 months ago
@oatstao wow, thx for sharing that info. I came across this from a friend of mine who is a radio broadcaster. He came across it somehow and I got it from him. I have the whole album.
kixxumass 7 months ago
I don't know, but is john taylor the same john taylor that played base for powerstation in the 80's with robert palmer?.
MrButchito 9 months ago
@MrButchito is which John Taylor the same Jon Taylor that played base for powerstation in the 80's with Robert Palmer?
kixxumass 7 months ago
This is absolutely fantastic !! ♥ Love at first hear ♥
allcanadianmusic 11 months ago
@allcanadianmusic Glad you like it! I just love this song :)
kixxumass 11 months ago
emmm ... i dont understand
he chorus sounds exactly like this, the cure's, friday im in love
does anybody see it
juanpolar 1 year ago
@juanpolar
no, actually
sassyreggae 1 year ago
@juanpolar TOTALLY! I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but you just nailed it! thx :)
kixxumass 11 months ago
Is this Rick leading?
myfunkyway9 1 year ago
@myfunkyway9 Yes, it is Rick on lead vocals. Back then, (I believe this was the very early 70's) everyone who knew him in the industry said he used to try to sound like Mick Jagger, hence, the name "Rick Jagger" in the video description... I think he's spot on in that regard! But yes, that is him singing... check out my other video of Rick when he sang with Great White Cane, it's in my vids "Make The Magic" what an awesome tune it is!
kixxumass 11 months ago
wow I thank my bar buddy Joe for showing me this stuff and now I'm hooked on this song!!...imagine how HUGE this would have been if it had seen release in its day!!
NeuralNetProcessor 1 year ago 2
I just learned that Rick James and Neil Young were in this band together, and that has caused me to completely rethink everything I thought I knew about anything!
kander63 1 year ago 17
@kander63 Funny now that is happening to me too and everything I thought I knew is being "rethunk" and I'm on a parallel planet where Rick James is famous and Neil beats up women. Oh well Neil didn't beat Carrie (Jack Neiztche later did). The closest Shakey came to beating up a woman was during an epileptic fit on stage with the Buffalo Springfield.
11xzxzxz 1 year ago 2
@kander63 hahaha! love the analogy!
kixxumass 11 months ago
Yo, this sounds real ggod. Damn, my man Rick was even more of a genius than we really even knew.
SteadiStick 1 year ago
First of all, this is a great tune, a big shame that it never got out.... Back in 1979, i think, the new constelation of the group, rerecorded this tune, and some others too, to release a new Myna Byrds album. The project was canceled because the group fall appart (Rick was in jail) etc.... Does anyone have any of these tunes, or know where to get them? THX.
HCBAndersen 1 year ago
@HCBAndersen I have 6 or 7 Mynah Birds songs, what a blessing these songs are, I also hane Ricks " Great white cain" album and about 6 single before 1979
kitrik23 1 year ago
@kitrik23 Sounds great if it's the Myna Byrds, from the last constelation, remark the spelling, Neil Lillie was on bass then. The cuts you have, do they have names? Maybe we could look a bit more on them? Thanks for answering :)
HCBAndersen 1 year ago
@kitrik23 Wow! Me Too! I have Both GWC album (have a video posted of "Make The Magic") and The Mynah Birds songs that were supposed to go on their album before it got cancelled. You seriously like the other Mynah Bird songs? I couldn't get into them, alot of them are instrumental, and they bored me a little :(
kixxumass 11 months ago
@HCBAndersen I have the entire album, or at least all the songs that were recorded with the intention of making an album. What is weird is, Motown made them all (the Band Members) come into the studio separately and record their parts one at a time. The rest of the songs intended for the album are mostly long drawn out instrumental pieces that you get tired of towards the middle... When I first heard this song, my immediate reaction was, Wow, I bet the rest of the songs rock!... Not True!
kixxumass 11 months ago
I love rick james. This just makes me love his voice and talent even more. RIP.
KissMyAssSellOut 1 year ago 2
from his Wikipedia bio: "...Morgan was unhappy with the label's attitude towards the musicians and left, with Neil Young taking his place. With Young on board, the Mynah Birds returned to Motown to record an album, but their manager pocketed the advance money the label had given the band. The band fired their manager, who in turn told the label that James was AWOL. Motown told him to give himself up to the FBI, and the Mynah Birds' album was shelved."
herbertkhaury 1 year ago
wow - Rick James and Neil Young!! ... and on Motown ... just love this - thank you! x
heatherflof 1 year ago
@heatherflof you're welcome!
kixxumass 11 months ago
supergroup!
adric137 1 year ago
This is rick james best shit.
gittahfiend 1 year ago
nice song, but that constant tambourine is annoying
Verboten1965 1 year ago
If this song was just an instrumental I will love it still.
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
this is great! how did you find it?
lamooremuse 1 year ago
@lamooremuse haha! funny you say that, because all the other Mynah Birds songs ARE instrumental (well, not ALL of them, but most of them!)
kixxumass 11 months ago
@lamooremuse my parents knew ppl in the industry (& his daughter Ty) & back when Street Songs hit the scene they told me about the music he had done in the early 70's, w/ Neil Young & The Mynah Birds & also The Great White Cane. They used to always play it, but I wasn't tryna hear it back then, I later asked them about it & they helped me get ahold of it thru a friend who's in radio
kixxumass 11 months ago
this is great! how did you find it?
lamooremuse 1 year ago
Seek out the Great White Cane album if you want to hear the best post Motown Rick James
cllamont 1 year ago
this is the best stuff rick ever did.
gittahfiend 1 year ago
The Mynah Birds featuring Neil Young and Bruce Palmer (before they formed Buffalo Springfield) with Rick James on lead vocals... Vintage stuff!
nedtaddei 1 year ago
Just discovered this. Again, I am truly amazed. Without Youtube, I believe I would never have known about this. And it is quite a catchy number. : )
Khultan 1 year ago 6
@Khultan I know huh!! when I was growing up there was no internet, so there was no way of just finding this kind of stuff out... Now I can't even imagine life without the internet or youtube!! and yes, this song is quite catchy! I totally agree!
kixxumass 1 year ago 2
@kixxumass I wonder if the 60s style of music could have crossed over into the 70s if kids connected with teens from the previous decade, because, frankly, I always thought punk rock is a fraud and disco corny.
Khultan 1 year ago
@Khultan Wow! I totally agree 100%!
kixxumass 11 months ago
@Khultan First of all, this is a great tune, a big shame that it never got out.... Back in 1979, i think, the new constelation of the group, rerecorded this tune, and some others too, to release a new Myna Byrds album. The project was canceled because the group fall appart (Rick was in jail) etc.... Does anyone have any of these tunes, or know where to get them? THX.
HCBAndersen 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Khultan First of all, this is a great tune, a big shame that it never got out.... Back in 1979, i think, the new constelation of the group, rerecorded this tune, and some others too, to release a new Myna Byrds album. The project was canceled because the group fall appart (Rick was in jail) etc.... Does anyone have any of these tunes, or know where to get them? THX.
HCBAndersen 1 year ago
Terrific sound of Rolling Stones meet Motown should have been a hit.
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
Rick James a legend? Maybe a legendary drug fiend and scum bag...
smoke117 1 year ago
Rick was busted but they let him out of the brig since he was in the military at 17 and he should have been 18 so he caught a break...
impal07 1 year ago
They are both rock legends, I learned about this in an interview Rick did with Cream or Creme magazine in 1980 or so. Glad to finally here it, thanks for posting this!!! Rick was a rocker to his core, but the music industry kept him out of bonafide hard rock music just like they did for countless other Black bands from Sound Barrier to Mother's Finest, Funkadelic (from AOR in the 1970s) and later Bus Boys.
mjsmith777 1 year ago 2
@mjsmith777 Yep! You are absolutely right! Rick had intended on making Rock n' Roll, he was totally a Rock Musician but the industry wasn't havin' it... As Rick said in his own words, "People back then just weren't ready for a Black Rock Star"
kixxumass 11 months ago
@kixxumass Jimi Hendrix might disagree...
stratman123 10 months ago
@kixxumass i dont get it though jimmy hendrix was black
mario6279 9 months ago
Love that 12 string Neil and Rick doing Jagger - so classic...
impal07 1 year ago
what an unlikey combination..
wizwow77 1 year ago
Not really unlikely ... Rick James is from Buffalo on the Canadian border. He was a rocker. Toronto was a natural escape and he found fellow rockers there. The Motown thing is interesting because he was a cousin of one the Temptations founders, so that gave him a natural 'in' with Motown ... so it was not so strange that they signed with Motown. The Canadians did not seem to have any hangups with that ...
x
GeneralTrousers 1 year ago 3
wow you really know your rick james..its interesting that rick james had a connection like that, no matter how talented an artist is , a connection goes a long way. i once read that slashs mom once dated david bowie...
wizwow77 1 year ago 2
@wizwow77 wow, really? I hung out with slash once, because GnR drummer Matt Soren is my friend so I met him, he's way fuggin' cool
kixxumass 1 year ago
@GeneralTrousers yep, that's right... that's what made Rick go AWOL, cause he had his Canadian hideaway right over the NY border! I tripped out when i first heard him singing rock, but he's so good at it, i almost like it as much as his funk
kixxumass 1 year ago
Does Rick James ever sound like Jagger. Ironically, while the Buffalo Springfield opened for the Stones a few months later, Rick James was in jail.
gigsbrigs 1 year ago
@gigsbrigs yep! a couple times! hahaha he was rowdy as hell!
kixxumass 1 year ago
@gigsbrigs yep! a couple times! hahaha he was rowdy as hell!
kixxumass 1 year ago
@gigsbrigs yep! a couple times! hahaha he was rowdy as hell!
kixxumass 1 year ago
@gigsbrigs Ultra cool! I had a chance eons ago to ask Ric about these songs and he replied that he didn't have the recordings and wasn't sure that Neil did. This is very cool! I've always heard about this band and now I can finally hear their recordings. Cheers to you!
cassadyshammer 1 year ago
They should have went ahead and released this!
Maybe it wouldn't have been a major hit, but it very well could have been a... "Mynah" hit!
I can just hear the songs if they would have stuck it out-
"I wanna live with a very kinky Cinnamon Girl.
I could be happy with the kind you don't take home to mother. My Cinnamon Bitch!"
stratman123 2 years ago
I like it.....
FunkInDaPocket47 2 years ago
This track BLOWS MY MIND!!! It's like Arthur Lee & Love! from various eras!
dixgun 2 years ago
@dixgun Yeah just like Arthur and Love. Miss him and Forever Changes is one of my favorites of all time. I keep in my House in between Hillsboro and CLarksville By the time that Im through singing
The bells from the schools of walls will be ringing
More confusions, blood transfusions
The news today will be the movies for tomorrow
And the waters turned to blood, and if
You dont think so
Go turn on your tub
... I hear you calling my name.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
@11xzxzxz A House Is Not A Motel---DAMN, that's an awesome song....
tvgator1 1 year ago
@tvgator1 Yeah I think I listened to House is not a Motel more than any other song on Forever Changes. Great singing by Arthur , drumming and guitar. Between Clark and Hillsdale and Alone Again Or were next but most every songs is memorable on this perfect record. Neil Young was set to produce Forever Changes but he apologetically told Arthur (who worked with Buffalo Springfield) he had better things to do but he was a definite force.
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
This is such a wonderful song. It perfectly fuses 60's folk and Motown Soul.
The backing sounds like the Byrds or Bob Dylan, while the singing is like Marvin Gaye.
I wish these guys had recorded more songs. This is better than most of Rick James', most of which were about sex.
MondoBeno 2 years ago
Mondo - agree with your analysis right down the line. I do think they did other songs but not as great as this.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
@11xzxzxz There's one more that has Neil Young's credit on it. "I'll Wait Forever", and its just as good as this one. Talent is talent regardless of wether its in its infancy or at its peak. Young is one of the best, and James was a good sounding imitation of a Jagger/Hendrix hybrid. Those two cuts ('It's My Time' and 'I'll Wait Forever') are outstanding.
tvgator1 1 year ago
@tvgator1 Is "I'll wait forever" on Youtube? Couldn't find it..
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
@tvgator1 OK I heard "I'll Wait forever" and it's good but not as good as It's my time, imo.
11xzxzxz 1 year ago
i find this rather too commercialized a work to be of Neil Young's original and quality works and style ...
dadautube 2 years ago
if you read about how it all conspired & how Neil ended up in this band, you'd make an exception to your opinion. The Mynah birds went thru band members almost on a monthly basis, it was a revolving door, Neil ended up with them before ever coming to the States, he was on a mission to get here & took the gig to make a little money so he could drive to Cali,so he wasn't being picky, "if it pays, I'll do it" was the basic mentality here...
kixxumass 2 years ago
he wasn't with them for long, he & rick clashed, rick was domineering & told Neil what to do & where he wanted him, & how he should do it, & Neil didn't like that, after he made enough money to leave Canada, he left them hangin' & got the fuck outta there, drove to Cali, & by the time Rick got outta the brig & went to Cali, Neil was already well on his way with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young...
kixxumass 2 years ago
I don't know what you're trying to say in your comment, but if you think for a second this isn't Neil Young, then you're an idiot, even Neil HIMSELF admits to being in the band & co writing this song, why don't you go look up the copyrights on the library of congress' website & see who's name besides Ricks is listed as a copyright owner. how lame, who the hell would pretend Neil Young was in a band or sang a song if he really didn't?
kixxumass 2 years ago
i didn't say this wasnt' Neil Young in person, physically, i meant this type of work is not in his class `cause he's originally in a different (better imo) kind of work and this work here, although fine, is way "below" Neil's style ...
now that you say he had to do it for money in hard times, i can understand that. thx for the info.
dadautube 2 years ago
@kixxumass --Wrong. Young went to Cali, after Ricky Matthews (James) was busted for being AWOL. THAT was the straw that killed that lineup. Then Motown pulled their contract, and shelved the single (which already had a number assigned), and the subsequent album cuts were left for dead. Young then quit, and famously sold the equipment, bought a hearse and he and Bruce Palmer (also in the Minah Birds) went to L.A. Where history, and the Buffallo Springfield were formed. Way before CSN & Y
tvgator1 1 year ago
@tvgator1 what was I wrong about? That''s basically what I said happened, but I fucked up and said C,S,N & Y, i didn't mean to, I meant Buffalo Springfield, sorry my bad !
kixxumass 11 months ago
Rick James's and Neil Young's times would come several years later.
jimlaregina 2 years ago
Comment removed
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
I totally agree, Mick Jagger all the way here, Rick even says he was imitating The Rolling Stones style here, and that he was trying to sound like Mick Jagger, that's why I called him "Rick Jagger"
kixxumass 2 years ago
Comment removed
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
Off the top of my head I recognize Cowgirl's Dm Em F G progression in the main part here. Otherwise what is there?
jackstpaul 2 years ago
Comment removed
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
This is great. Thanks for posting this one!
UncleOman 2 years ago
you're very welcome ;)
kixxumass 2 years ago
I still like Neil Young and that's the bottom line cause I said SO .
kc7wwy 2 years ago
What a jewel. Thanks for sharing...
jcarp413 2 years ago
you're welcome :o)
kixxumass 2 years ago
I just spent a weekend with a guy who used to jam with Rick James and some of the other guys who used to jam with him.
Miker2 2 years ago
cool, eveyone who's ever jammed with rick or worked with rick said he's a handful! hahaha, i somehow don't doubt that
kixxumass 2 years ago
thanks for this!
jankeefan 2 years ago
no problem ;)
kixxumass 2 years ago
This band would have never lasted. Neil Young was really young here, brought in just to play lead guitar, just as he got bored and wanted more creative freedom of Buffalo Springfield, the same thing would have happened here. I also read Rick James had his lead guitar mixed really low to, so that wouldn't have made him happy in the long run. Neil Young would have gotten bored within 2 years and left the band.
smoke117 2 years ago
Nevertheless, it's too bad the band broke up before the record ever got released.
matticka1 2 years ago
actually, during one gig in Canada, Neils guitar wasn't even plugged in! hahaha, he played for a couple of songs before he even realized it, he was pist!
kixxumass 2 years ago
@smoke117 --James didn't mess with his mix--the Mynahs knew he added alot to that lineup (afterall, he co-wrote 2 songs for the Motown sessions). After the sessions at Motown, a singe was set to be released ("It's My Time"/"Go On And Cry"). Then James got busted for being AWOL from the NAVY. THAT is what broke up that lineup. Motown cut the contract, Young and Palmer quit, and headed to L.A. to meet up Stephen Stills and form Buffallo Springfield.
tvgator1 1 year ago
Words fail me.
Takes me back to yorkville in toronto in the 60's.
BassBuffett 2 years ago
you were there back then? awesome!
kixxumass 2 years ago
The genius of rock (neil Young) and the bad boy .. nice song. Almost as good as Charles Mansons Get in you game girl.
11xzxzxz 2 years ago
Thanks for putting this up.
mgssol90 2 years ago
you're very welcome ;o)
kixxumass 2 years ago
I like it. This sound like a cross between 60's folk and Motown Soul.
MondoBeno 2 years ago
because it is.
JonB83 2 years ago
The chord progression in the verse, and especially the triplets on the way back down, remind me of "Boys Don't Cry" by The Cure.
jowabro 2 years ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
... maybe they stole it ;-)
mitchjam 2 years ago
@jowabro Totally! It is very similar. A really good technique, not too many do that nowadays....
tvgator1 1 year ago
Rick should have stayed on this path.that
disco,cocaine,hip hop bullshit helped kill him .
gittahfiend 2 years ago
In the '60s,Mick learned lots from James Brown's stage presence & kind of wanted to be a white J.B.But Rick wanted to be a brown Mick in the '60s,not a James (Brown)!
Later, fueled by Cocaine,Rick decided to become a Superfreak,and (deservedly) spent time in jail as a result of his weird & nasty proclivities-hey, just as James B. did,although even J.B. was perhaps a tad less mean & nasty!
-Superfreakiest person poor Neil ever got involved with:Charlie Manson! Lucky Neil wasn't on CM's "list"...
Bobjb999 2 years ago
cool song
lovely harmonies
Domwhat 2 years ago
CSNY and Rick JAMES, Bitch...
ugmodude 2 years ago 5
rip rick james
jeffcool78 2 years ago 7
"I'm Rick James, bitch!"
GordonMorrice 2 years ago 2
You really couldn't resist could you? I bet your the guy at your job that still goes around quoting Austin Powers, and Adam Sandler movies.
Sorry to come off harsh, but damn...that joke is old man.
danSARS 2 years ago
Nah, I quote 2,000 year old scripture and Plato at work. Now THAT shit is old! I only saw that Rick James thing from Chappelle's show last month via You Tube. Leaving that crap aside, will you be buying Volume 1 of the Archives in June, Dan?
GordonMorrice 2 years ago 3
HAHA! : )
And yeah...I'll get it if it has more stuff by the Myna Birds on it. I really want to know, and hear more about this band.
danSARS 2 years ago
Unfortunately, there will be no Mynah Birds material on the Archives. Universal Music (who ownall Motown recordings) must have gave Neil the finger. Either that or Neil didn't want to include the songs, which I doubt as he has tried to gain control of the material he played on for decades and he loved playing with Rick James.
GordonMorrice 2 years ago
he didn't like playing with Rick, he even says so himself, he thought rick was too bosy
kixxumass 2 years ago
Rick was his own man, as was Neil Young. Even today, Neil bosses life, as he knows that a million assholes are lining up to spend his millions. Rick James lived a GREAT life, he told every asshole to fuck off. That's the way to do it, frankly. The "fuck off" attitude gets you a long way when you have mad skills like Rick and Neil. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Errol Flynn, they all did their thing and manufactured great lives for themselves. Otherwise, the cunts would have walked all over them.
GordonMorrice 2 years ago
@GordonMorrice Young has recently purchased 7 songs from them. Don't know what he's going to do with them yet, but hopefully they (or at least 2 of them) will be on a subsequent box set. fingers crossed....or maybe he just wants to keep 'em for himself. Who knows, but he's got 7 of them...
tvgator1 1 year ago
i have every song they wrote for the album that never was released, I'm telling you, you're not missing much, most of the other songs are instrumental, I was surprised when I heard the rest of the songs, I couldn't believe it!
kixxumass 2 years ago
Wow!
Amazing song! Neil Young and Rick James together. Still can't believe it.
Thanks for posting.
RockMusicLover73 2 years ago
your welcome :o)
kixxumass 2 years ago
it's not really an album becuz it was never released,.what i meant was I have every song that the Mynah Birds recorded,
which is enough material to comprise of one album
kixxumass 2 years ago
As for this song in particular Neil Young was going to include it on his box set, but instead it was released onThe Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966' box set. It has over 600 songs on it & costs $99.99 I don't know how many songs by the Mynah Birds Neil was able to obtain for use on his Box Set, but this song will not be on it. All the other songs recorded by the Mynah Birds sound completely different from this one & 3 of them are instrumental.
kixxumass 2 years ago
So is there an actual album of work available or just this track?
Yellow586 2 years ago
lol yeah they're recording it right now from rick's subterranean studio
jimcrow6969 2 years ago
Hardy har har.
Seriously, I know that they had recorded a bunch of tracks at Motown before James was busted for going AWOL and the group split up.
What I was asking was that are there more tracks floating around out there or is it just the one released on that Motown compilation record?
Yellow586 2 years ago
As for this song in particular Neil Young was going to include it on his box set, but instead it was released onThe Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966' box set. It has over 600 songs on it & costs $99.99 I don't know how many songs by the Mynah Birds Neil was able to obtain for use on his Box Set, but this song will not be on it. All the other songs recorded by the Mynah Birds sound completely different from this one & 3 of them are instrumental.
kixxumass 2 years ago
it's not really an album becuz it was never released,.what i meant was I have every song that the Mynah Birds recorded,
which is enough material to comprise of one album.
kixxumass 2 years ago
What an unexpected teamup! I love both of the two artists and this is a very nice collaboration.
JazzyFunkyCool 3 years ago
I heard it, but I still don't believe it. The King of Punk Funk and the Godfather of Grunge IN THE SAME BAND??
darrinbaker00 3 years ago
how did u get this?
hitsville4ever 3 years ago
I know his daughter Ty, this wasnt easy to get, but it is now, I only have permission granted for use of this 1 song so I cant post the rest of the mynah birds recordings... but i have permission granted to use his Great White Cane album, which is equally as good, if not better.. check out my Great white cane video "You make the magic" its right here on my channel.
kixxumass 2 years ago
just curious, i have 6 mynah birds songs is there more that you know of?
When I listen to great white cane he finally sounds like the rick we all know but the music aint funky enough, where as with the mynah birds he sound s white but the music sounds black.
Or is it just me?
kitrik23 2 years ago
He was a huge Rolling Stones fan and was trying to sound like Mick Jagger...who consequently was trying to basically sound black...go figure lol.
smoke117 2 years ago 4
fo' real!
kixxumass 2 years ago
@smoke117
Mick Jagger was trying to sound like Don Covay.
loempiavreter 1 year ago
no, you're right... it's not just you :o)
kixxumass 2 years ago
@kitrik23 he's so young, his voice is alot higher, but it does sound like a super young Rick James trying to sound like Jagger or even more closely like Jimi Hendrix. His voice is alot like Hendrix here as well....
tvgator1 1 year ago
I'm Neil Young BITCH!....nah...dosen't really go does it?,..great posting!
custer1968 3 years ago
hahaha! I'm Neil Young Bitch! good one, but you're right, it doesn't flow too well :o) but that was funny!
kixxumass 2 years ago
the cure?
francisapple 3 years ago
No, The Mynah Birds... with Rick James and Neil Young...
kixxumass 3 years ago
hahah
goastbrane 3 years ago
you don't think the progression is similar?
francisapple 3 years ago
francisapple:
you don't think the progression issimilar?
kixxumass:
Similar To What?
kixxumass 2 years ago
respond
francisapple 3 years ago
hah sorry, i do agree yes. it is similar
goastbrane 2 years ago
i was joking
francisapple 2 years ago
i wasnt
goastbrane 2 years ago
Wow!!! Many thanks for this excellent post! Those early pictures of "Richie James" and the Mynah Birds are priceless.
transtremm 3 years ago
For Real Tho Huh? hahaha!
kixxumass 3 years ago
if it wasnt real, then neil wouldnt have been involved in it
gotta love the 60's
:)
stormbouy 3 years ago
Bruce Palmer was also in this band, and a later incarnation of the band included Bruce Cockburn.
VinnyLLL 3 years ago
rick james and neil young is such a weird combo haha
pooXpoo 3 years ago
if its real, its really important in the staire case of Neil Youngs beginnings.
regards
jimmy
julyarchives 3 years ago
yeah this real they were sign to motown
anthp007 3 years ago
Even back then Rick had stars in his eyes! RIP We love you brah!
Taino871 3 years ago
Can you believe that Rick was only 18 at this time? His life story is amazing. The MAN was amazing - a one of a kind, musical genius.
BerlinLynn 3 years ago
Ya, what a life that man led... he was in like 4 different bands before he even turned 21 yrs old! I was exhausted just reading about all he has been through.. and his auto biography, Memoir; Confessions of a Super Freak is one hell of a good book!
kixxumass 3 years ago
a very cool one. thanks
willthethrill129 3 years ago
"WOW!!!"
"Rick James and Neil Young in the 60's Same Band"!!!
Thanks for posting this :)
jimihazelisley 3 years ago
No Problem, You're very Welcome :)
kixxumass 3 years ago
man, Neil and Rick James
I'd heard they were together I just kept forgetting to loook them up
NegusOnTheWorld 3 years ago
I'm rick james, bitch
skateboardbassplayer 3 years ago
Great song - an unlikely intersection in musical history! You can hear Neil on background vocals pretty well, too. Any other Mynah Birds songs out there?
elliottchrist 3 years ago
i have the entire album that was never released, it eventually came out song by song on a mowtown collection of 600 songs, by various artists. it has a whole different sound all together, if you want i can send you my link on megaupload to check it out for yourself.
kixxumass 3 years ago