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Phoebe Snow — Shakey Ground
Album: It Looks Like Snow
Avg rating:
6.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 559








Released: 1976
Length: 4:09
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Lady Luck and Four Leaf Clovers
won't ease this hurt I feel all
over.
My life was one special occasion
'til your leavin' dampened the situation.
I'm Standing On Shakey Ground
ever since you put me down.
Standinf On Shakey Ground
ever since you put me down.
My car got reposessed this morning.
Harder times I haven't seen in years.
You'd better thorw me a life
preserver
'cause I'm about to drown
in my own tears.
I'm Standing On Shakey Ground
ever since you put me down.
Standing On Shakey Ground
ever since you put me down.
Comments (131)add comment
I love that growly bass.
Sorry, does not work for me. Try Delbert McClinton (for a cover). Otherwise, Temptation baby.
 SquiddlyDiddly wrote:

But. . . but. . but this is as funky as a very funky thing. 

Dispairs. . . 
 
The beginning reminded me of Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" . Phoebe should be hollerin', though, not enunciating. 
GODDESS!!!

SOOOO PHUNKIE 
 Misterfixit wrote:
She was a singer!  She and Val are together again, finally. 
 
Never knew anything about Phoebe's struggles. This, from Roger Friedman at Fox News in March, 2007:

"Valerie Rose Laub died on Sunday. She was an astonishing 31 years old. You don’t know who Valerie was, but I’ll tell you: she was Phoebe Snow’s daughter. Valerie was born with such a confluence of injuries in 1975 that no one knew what was wrong. Truthfully, I don’t think to this day anyone ever did figure it out. No matter how Phoebe Snow operated in the music business, it was never her priority. That was always Valerie. It’s hard to imagine someone giving up a career like that today, and sacrificing themselves for their child. That’s what Phoebe Snow did for her daughter. I don’t know what she will do now that Valerie is gone. Three decades of love and service are over. But I hope somewhere along the line, no matter what’s happened to her in the business (where her terrible reputation is never far away), Phoebe Snow gets to sing again. She’ll do it for Valerie, and for a whole generation that got cheated out of knowing Phoebe Snow as a star the way her daughter did."

Interesting.
 
She was a singer!  She and Val are together again, finally.
 
{#Dance}
Wow, that was wretched. Takes a lot to get a 1 from me, but that sure did it.
 Crash_Davis wrote:
to this day, every good bar band plays this song and It's Your Thing to the delight of the dancin' audience — you just have to enjoy dancing for 10-15 minutes solid, the sweat rolling off you, blending with the sweat of your partner — heaven
 

Now you're talkin'!  Love this tune.
The Isley's "It's Your Thing" followed by this.

Further proof that music was better in the 70s. 
The highlight here was the the very short Lead Guitar Bridge and the consistant base line. Brass is always a negative for me.

  Goodbye Phoebe, your creativity was amazing. I hope you and Valerie are together again. You are missed.
 MojoJojo wrote:
Phoebe  Snow
 
OK- Let me guess. The (unen)lightened letters stand for "Silly Wabbit"

 bronorb wrote:
Saw Phoebe with the New York Rock and Soul Revue (Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, etc.) a few years back. She blew my socks off. She has not lost a thing, her voice may even be better than ever. She sang this song.
Go Phoebe!

 
Saw that one, too, and this brings back fond memories. She has some pipes, as they say. The album is great and the"driftin blues" cut from Charles Brown is sublime.
RIP, Phoebe. 8^(

Sounds like Phoebe is sitting in on vocals for Stevie Wonder.


You can finally get some rest, Phoebe.  We'll miss you
Phoebe  Snow


 tipper wrote:
Dont know why this hasn't got more votes.
 
I can't figure why the rating is so low!
love. this.
 tipper wrote:
Dont know why this hasn't got more votes.

 

Me neither...I'll give it a 10 because Phoebe Snow is fabulous.
Dont know why this hasn't got more votes.

She's singing my song!
 ThePoose wrote:
Bill is putting the ''fun'' back into ''funky.''
 
he's standing on funky ground.

Black snow is beautiful.

I think I had forgotten completely about Phoebe...  not anymore.
{#Bananajam}

Bill is putting the ''fun'' back into ''funky.''
The funk is great, the vocals not so much... {#Silenced}
 Poacher wrote:

But. . . but. . but this is as funky as a very funky thing. 

Dispairs. . . 
 
Well i'd say its as funky as my armpits but its not funky as a skunk.
 Poacher wrote:
But. . . but. . but this is as funky as a very funky thing. 
 
This is indeed the case, now shake that rump!
An easy 8.

(insert the famous bill nodhead video)
 eprokopowicz wrote:
awful awful song. have to turn off the speakers.
 
But. . . but. . but this is as funky as a very funky thing. 

Dispairs. . . 

Old timey 70's goodness
 romeotuma wrote:


Love that funk...  we be dancing...




 
Oh yeaaaaa!  {#Bananajam}{#Bananasplit}  Funk-alicious!!

awful awful song. have to turn off the speakers.
annoying...really annoying.
Awesome, awesome, awesome! Love me some Snow.
Hope Phoebe Snow is doing better soon. Just read that she had a brain hemorrhage on Jan. 19, 2010.
Doesn't do anything for me.
 juliamak wrote:
this song is making me want to punch something.
 

You could punch yourself and save us all the effort!  {#Ass}
Saw Phoebe with the New York Rock and Soul Revue (Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, etc.) a few years back. She blew my socks off. She has not lost a thing, her voice may even be better than ever. She sang this song.
Go Phoebe!

There are several Phoebe cuts here on RP, but most of them have never been played.  That's a shame, and one that needs to be rectified.
This is a fabulous cut, but IMHO it doesn't even begin to do justice to her extraordinary voice.
Yess! Now give us some Betty Davis and we are steamin!
If Outta Space came after this it would make my monday morning.
crap.
 
this song is making me want to punch something.
Wish you would play more Phoebe.................this tune does not do her voice justice.............
Funky! Funky! Funky!  Phoebe Snow could definitely funk it up considering how mellow her song "Poetry Man" was.

Puh!
i used to sing this at the top of my lungs with my best friend from HS c1980, in my candy red '64 VW
we can all use a little funky Monday...! 
Very funky, very unique - I like it!

Phoebe was one of he first concerts I went to in the late 70s- Capitol theater in Passaic nj - awesome stuff!


Wow!! Great bass line! {#Dancingbanana}
 ugly wrote:
I went to see her in concert shortly after her baby was born. I went by myself because no one I knew was into her. Thanks for playing this... it makes me really feel like part of  the community here.
 
I'm an old Phoebe fan too. She was touring recently and came near here but I was unable to attend. Anyone catch her? She's back after her daughter Valerie, who was brain-injured, passed away two years ago at the age of 31.


Great song, but prefer original version better.BTW, who was that?
Her voice is marginal but the music is da bomb!
Good call on Phoebe! Desk dancing! {#Bananajam}
Whoa, between the bass and keyboards I thought this was the Commodores until she sang!
I also gotta know.  Who da bass player?  He a sick man.
I went to see her in concert shortly after her baby was born. I went by myself because no one I knew was into her. Thanks for playing this... it makes me really feel like part of  the community here.
Funky tune!
Phunk-o-licious. 
I dig the Snow-white soul!  Funk me upside the head!   (Or some pithy funky phrase like that.)
All Funk welcome ALL the time.  Kill it Bill!

Isley Bros - 10
Phoebe Snow - 9
{#Dancingbanana}{#Dancingbanana_2}{#Bananapiano}
dang - Bill is feelin' FUN-kay... ("It's your thing" and now this?)  Help me!  I can't stop movin'.... must be that shakey ground
 -relayer- wrote:
Nice groove to this one, but even amateur singers know not to sing the R at the end of a word. She's going out of her way to emphasize them. {#Stop}
 
{#Stupid}  So in your estimation Phoebe Snow is less than an amateur vocalist?    {#Roflol}


 Get a grip dude.

Nice groove to this one, but even amateur singers know not to sing the R at the end of a word. She's going out of her way to emphasize them. {#Stop}
More bottom! More bottom!
 kazuma wrote:

Yeah, me too, but I'll take all the funk I can get!
 
I'll take all I can stand.

That'd be, well, none. 

Yuck.

{#Bananasplit}
MORE FUNK!!
thats a damn funky baseline!
OK Phoebe! She be standing on shakey ground? Naw, naw naw .. I be on shakey ground just hearing her voice ... oh yeah baby gurl ... Uh Huh! Yeah! Fo-get dat repossed old clunkin' ride .. Her be da keys to a brand new spanink Bently Continental ... Yeah Baby ... Now come on over to my crib .. you know, you know .... Uh Huh! -- Oh, we do get carried away ... seems to be the first time I met Ms Snow was around 1976 in D.C. -- playing at the "One Step Down" in Georgetown ... Fine, mighty fine .. you know she sings opera?
Bumpin set this evening, Bill
raggamuffin wrote:
I think I like the Delbert McClinton version much better
Yeah, me too, but I'll take all the funk I can get!
Hells yeah!!!
GChevy410 wrote:
Agreed, more funk everywhere
----------We want the Funk ----------We gotta have the Funk Play than funky music white boy!
Alafia wrote:
MORE FUNK ON RP!!!
If we're gonna do funk, why don't we go to the source and play some George Clinton and the P Funk Allstars!?
where's the funky chiken emoticon?
Alafia wrote:
MORE FUNK ON RP!!!
Agreed, more funk everywhere
MORE FUNK ON RP!!!
Oh yeah, it's a funky set....It's Your Thing and Shakey Ground...I'm doin' the funky dance in my office chair. Who says office work is sedentary?
It so sounds like Sly and the Family Stone.
She does a great live version on the NY Rock N Soul Review CD. For my tastes I think the Delbert McClinton version is the best.
bokey wrote:
She did the commercials to pay the bills even though it must have torn a hole in her artistic heart. Quite the quality individual.Pure of heart and spirit. EDIT-- Sadly I just saw on Wiki that her daughter died last month.She was 31 and her name was Valerie. They both get my "agnostics prayer" tonight.If you can make the weary eyes of a hard ass bastard like me tear up you deserve it.
You're pretty incredible, Bokey.
Now here's one artist we definitely don't hear enough of on RP! Great song and great singer -- let's get more!
Boogie on baby! Who da bass player, he sure is cookin!
dixiedeb wrote:
What happened to her? Never hear her anymore.
I believe she had a handicapped child and dropped out of mainstream music to be a caretaker. She did the commercials to pay the bills even though it must have torn a hole in her artistic heart. EDIT-- Sadly I just saw on Wiki that her daughter died last month. She was 31 and her name was Valerie. They both get my "agnostics prayer" tonight. If you can make the weary eyes of a hard ass bastard like me tear up you deserve it.
After not hearing for years I heard her on the radio, then RP! On the radio she was doing Lover's Question with Lou Rawls - a great rendition. Must say I liked that better than this.
I think I like the Delbert McClinton version much better
I don't care for this as much as some of her stuff but I always loves me some Phoebe.
Phantastic
Thanks for reminding us what a great vocalist Phoebe Snow was before she sold out and started making jingles for commercials!
What happened to her? Never hear her anymore.
Love the music - the vocals are a bit annoying.
70's reflective set here. Someone feeling introspective?
What a funky bassline!
Okay - we DID have a 3.0 shaker over in the Lexington area today.. so I guess this set is RIGHT ON.
McGroovy wrote:
Love this song! I thought the Temptations did the original? Anyway, this one's good, Fishbone does a terrific version also.
As well as Delbert McClinton, Junior Wells, Etta James, etc. But you're right: The Temps, first and best.
Jacksonstat wrote:
I Feel The Earth Move, Shakey Ground... Bill, are you having an earthquake out there in California?
Just little stuff, 1s, 2, and 3s, at the moment.
I Feel The Earth Move, Shakey Ground... Bill, are you having an earthquake out there in California?
Wow, the similarities between this and The Commodores' I Feel Sanctified are insane! This is damn near plaigarism at times.
I've always loved Phoebe, why she wasn't a superstar I'll never know.
I like! I like very-very!
Leslie wrote:
Wow! I haven't heard this song for about 25 years. This song is off of Pheobe's first album. Still sounds great!
That's what I was thinkin'. Also, it seems to me that she paved the way for people like Tracy Chapman.
Mmmm............Shakey's
Phoebe Snow. Well I never. Hot damn.
jagdriver wrote:
I like some Phoebe but IMHO this tune does not fit in with everything else I hear on RP. Short of starting a flame war, there are other places on the 'Net to hear this style of music.
Where ? I love this stuff !!
McGroovy wrote:
Love this song! I thought the Temptations did the original? Anyway, this one's good, Fishbone does a terrific version also.
The Temptations did the original, with the Funk Brothers at their funkiest. A great tune to hear in the original.
Love this song! I thought the Temptations did the original? Anyway, this one's good, Fishbone does a terrific version also.
jagdriver wrote:
I like some Phoebe but IMHO this tune does not fit in with everything else I hear on RP. Short of starting a flame war, there are other places on the 'Net to hear this style of music.
Ditto
jeremyleo wrote:
Love this tune. The New York Rock and Soul Review album (a Donald Fagan project) has Phoebe doing this live. Equally good IMHO.
Definitely! And that entire disc is great fun;quite a line-up of musicians.
Wow! I haven't heard this song for about 25 years. This song is off of Pheobe's first album. Still sounds great!
yuck :-&
I like some Phoebe but IMHO this tune does not fit in with everything else I hear on RP. Short of starting a flame war, there are other places on the 'Net to hear this style of music.
Isn't this bass line a straight ripoff from a Commodores song? I am drawing a blank on which one though...