THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
856) The Stone Poneys — “2:10 Train”
The last song on the Stone Poneys’ (see #751) first album is a wondrous folk rock creation, a “particularly fine vehicle for the striking vocals of [Linda] Ronstadt . . . only 20” (Paul Sexton, https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/stone-poneys-stone-poneys-album/?amp), who “took the song into a torchy territory and to another level of blues mystique.” (Steve Gillette, https://aboutthesong.com/Blog/TwoTenTrain)
Richie Unterberger says about the song:
The Los Angeles ’60s folk-rock scene was crowded with burgeoning singer-songwriters, some of whom never became too well known or had too much of their work recorded. Two of them were Tom Campbell and Linda Albertano, who penned “2:10 Train,” recorded by the Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt on lead vocals on their debut album. A lot of young White singer-songwriters schooled in folk tried to write folk-blues songs in the 1960s, and often they sounded unduly derivative or immature, as if they were writing about heavy worldly-wise topics they had yet to fully experience. “2:10 Train” is an excellent exception, using the imagery of leaving on a train — common to so many folk and blues songs — as one that marks the end of a romantic relationship. Although Ronstadt was herself quite young when she sang it, she did so with reasonable conviction, though it was really the knowing world-weariness of the song itself that carried the day. As performed by the Stone Poneys, though, this wasn’t a folk song; it was folk-rock, albeit folk-rock of the milder sort, with curling, slightly questioning acoustic guitar riffs serving as the track’s engine.
https://www.allmusic.com/song/2-10-train-mt0012066072
Steve Gillette talks of the writing of the song:
Tom Campbell and Linda Albertano and I started showing our efforts to each other and collaborating in twos and threes very early in the game. This song is one that Tom and Linda wrote. I think I had something to do with its evolution musically, and I believe I filled out the copyright form, but the song has moved into its own incarnation of the folk process and has found many interpreters. The folk process refers to the natural give and take of traditional music sung and played in families and communities, and to some extent free of the influence of what was to become the corporate media. . . . Tom and Linda and I were swimming in the rich sea of collected folk music which was spilling out of our FM radios and record stores as the small labels began to navigate the market place. It was a burgeoning time, and exciting time. Some of the elements of the song are from traditional sources. The one that has most often come to mind is a very old song called “Shorty George.” It contains the line, “He’s taken all the women and left the men behind.” The idea that it referred to an engineer on a train was a connection that Tom and Linda made which got them started on their casting of the song. The train and prison connection could also be attributed to traditional songs like “The Midnight Special,” again a Lead Belly influence. For me the chords are the distinctive feature of the song. Again using ‘borrowed’ chords from related keys, the chords set the melody off in a context of unexpected notes that give it a strong bluesy character.
https://aboutthesong.com/Blog/TwoTenTrain
Paul Kerr notes that “[t]he story goes that Linda Ronstadt heard The Rising Sons [with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder] play Linda Albertino’s ‘2:10 Train’ in a club and asked them for permission to use their arrangement for her version of the song on the 1967 Stone Poneys’ album.” (https://americana-uk.com/auks-chain-gang-rising-sons-210-train)
As to the Stone Poneys, Nik opines that:
The Stone Poneys should be much more than a footnote. Forever eclipsed by Linda Ronstadt’s latter-day success, the band has found itself set down in history as little more than an early backing group for the singer – hardly a fair assessment, especially considering the strength of the material recorded by the band, of which Ronstadt was only one contributor. In fact, Poneys Ken Edwards and Bob Kimmel were remarkable singers in their own right . . . . The Poneys’ self-titled debut is perhaps their strongest statement as a band. . . . [T]he album typifies the slow and hazy L.A. sound . . . . [They were] recent Tucson immigrants with several other players on the local folk scene, most notably Tim Buckley, whose songs they would soon go on to record, and the band Hearts & Flowers, who Linda would sing with on their 1968 record Now Is the Time. . . .
https://blogcritics.org/music-review-the-stone-poneys-the/
Bowling gives us some more history:
Ronstadt met and performed with Bob Kimmel while in high school and after a semester of college moved to Los Angeles to form a band with him. Lead guitarist Kenny Edwards quickly joined and after playing the local club circuit, they adopted the name The Stone Poneys. They were quickly signed to the Capitol label and released their . . . debut album in January of 1967. At this point they were basically a folk group and their initial album reflected that style. While Ronstadt would quickly become the focal point of the band, this album is a group affair. Kimmel and Edwards wrote seven of the ten tracks and the vocals are shared with a great deal of harmonizing. The album was a commercial failure upon its release . . . .
https://blogcritics.org/music-review-the-stone-poneys-the/
Here are the Rising Sons:
Here is Steve Gillettte:
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (“relating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainment” — dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the “greatest songs of the 1960’s that no one has ever heard” that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations😊 