I had this wild hair earlier and just had to find a video of a concert that I attended. I first searched for David Bowie in '75 at LA Forum, no luck. Then I tried a few shows I'd seen at the LA Sports Arena, no luck. Finally I found one: and the video is not embeddable! But here is the link.
The quality is poor but you get the feel for it. I guess back then somebody had to sneak in a real camera.
As for me, I snuck in a bota bag full of cheap red wine and a few tabs of pink pegasus. It was historical.
What is one of the most memorable concerts you've been to?
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This is it! Eric Clapton's birthday. I can't believe he is 65 already. I know he is still playing like he is 30 and lovin every minute of it. The Rock and Roll Guru reminded me of this date today and he also reminded me that this summer in Chicago is the Crossroads tour. What a place to be. If you get a chance to check this event out in your locale, take it. Here is a peek at a previous concert.
So Happy Birthday Eric. May you live long and play blues hard. Maybe someday we will meet at the Crossroads. I am looking forward to it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Plant has a new album out and is going on tour this summer. I gained a new appreciation for his solo music last summer so am really looking forward to hearing it.
Led Zeppelin have been turning down festival reunion offers left and right, and now we know why: Robert Plant will hit the road with his resurrected Band of Joy project this summer — and he’s currently recording a new album slated for release in early summer or late fall. The first leg of the 12-date tour kicks off July 13th in Memphis before wrapping up July 31st in Miami; a second leg is scheduled for the fall. As Zep fans probably know, Plant and drummer John Bonham were members of Band of Joy prior to joining Led Zeppelin.
For his new record and tour, Plant has rounded up an ace group of roots musicians and session players: Patty Griffin on vocals, multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott, guitarist and co-producer Buddy Miller, drummer Marco Giovino and bassist Byron House. “It’s been a blast working on these new songs… and I’m enjoying such creativity and vitality,” Plant said in a statement. “It’s been a remarkable change of direction for all of us and as a group we all seem to have developed a new groove.”
I can't think of any other musician that is quite as flamboyant and flashy as Elton. In the last decade or so he's toned it down a bit but still has a unique style of his own. For anyone who's had the pleasure to see him perform live (I have!) you've seen his showmanship in action. I can't file him under the category of "classic rock", I think "pop rock" would fit better. But whatever you call it - his talent as a pianist and songwriter is exceptional. He's an icon.
1947, Born on this day, Elton John, singer, songwriter, pianist, (Reginald Dwight), 1971 UK No.7 single 'Your Song', 1973 US No.1 single 'Crocodile Rock' seven other US No.1's. Biggest selling single of all time with 1997 'Candle In The Wind 97', plus over 50 UK Top 40 hit singles. Sold over 150m records worldwide. He auditioned for prog-rock band King Crimson. Elton and Bernie Taupin wrote 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' under the pseudonyms Ann Orson and Carte Blanche. Some of the aliases Sir Elton has used checking into hotels include, Prince Fooboo, Sir Humphrey Handbag, Lillian Lollipop, Lord Choc Ice, Lord Elpus, Binky Poodleclip and Sir Henry Poodle. Elton John’s official nickname is Rocket Man - but Rod Stewart calls him Sharon.
A young man (12 yrs old) I know has been following my posts on this blog and asked me what my top 10 classic rock albums were. I gave it much thought and could not in good conscience limit it to 10 albums. The list that follows is strictly my list of albums that I grew up to love from my young teen years. They are in order of importance to how strongly they affected me in my life, not necessarily how any other person would rate them.
This young man plays a mean guitar and it is my hope that a bit of my love of this music will find a home in his life as well. I believe it already does, but maybe this list will inspire him to reach for other artists in his search for the next guitar solo.
I have also included a few of my favorite songs. Enjoy......
25. Neil Young: Harvest
24. Led Zeppelin: II
23. Black Sabbath: Paranoid
22. David Bowie: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
21. Pink Floyd: Animals
20. Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow
19. The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
18. Derek and the Dominoes: Layla and other Assorted Love Songs
17.Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced
16. Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy
15. The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album)
14. Savoy Brown: Street Corner Talking
13. The Who: Who's Next
12. John Mayall: The Turning Point
11. The Doors: The Doors
10. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
9. The Zombies: Odessey and Oracle
8. Spirit: Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
7. Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run
6. Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks
5. The Beatles: Revolver
4. The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East
3. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti
2. The Doors: Morrison Hotel
1. The Beatles: Rubber Soul
Hopefully you will create your own album list that is as important to you, as this one is to me. To me albums were the only way to listen to music. In this digital age, I can't just download one song. I always have to get the whole album. Thanks for reading and listening.
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One of my all time favorite's is Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption".
Quote about this solo from Rolling Stone magazine:
Eddie Van Halen's 102-second mission statement was a piece he invented onstage: a solo showcase for his mastery of tone and technique, notably the rush of notes he produced with his fretboard tapping. An army of teens would try to duplicate it, emerging years later in every metal band of the Eighties.
This video is ten minutes long...but worth it. Damn, I'm surprised his guitar didn't catch on fire. And I have to say - one of the things that sets Eddie apart to me is his smile. Not many guitarists appear to be having as much fun as Eddie when he's in front of an audience.
What are some of your faves? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alex Chilton's passing is very sad news indeed.
From the Box Tops, through his tenure with the criminally under appreciated (in their time) Big Star and beyond with his solo work, Chilton made music of very high quality. When an older friend passed #1 Record on to me in the early 80's, it was an amazing gift.
Since then, I have laid Big Star's work on people like it was a hot stock tip.
Here's a re-post of a review that I did a long time ago, in tribute to a great talent.
#1 Record
Dizzying styles and fads were thrown at the record buying public in 1972. Artists who had brought so much to the imaginations of listeners in the 1960's were either dead or releasing work that saw them going into decline. Some of the heroes of the previous decade were looked upon as spent forces, creatively.
The K-Tel generation was now ripe for brainwashing.
Along came Big Star, taking the best elements of British Invasion pop, the jangle of the Byrds and fusing it all with great playing, song writing and crystal clear production. The makings of a super successful group?
It really should have been.
Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel formed the core of the outfit (then called "Icewater") They were then joined by former Box Tops singer, Alex Chilton, with he and Bell doing the bulk of the writing. Renamed for a local supermarket chain, while recording, all of the pieces fell into place.
Released on Ardent Records, hampered by inept distribution from Stax, the album flopped commercially. Although music critics drooled over # 1 Record, many didn't even get to hear it. Shortly after, Chris Bell walked away from the band.
Everything here is meticulously thought out in terms of arrangements and how the instruments were recorded. It seems fitting that producer John Fry mentioned, at the time, "that if it came out of England it was alright by us."
Anyone watching reruns of That 70's Show would be familiar with the opening strains of "In the Street", little knowing (or caring) where it came from. Love the line about stealing a car to drive around and the "wish we had a joint so bad" turnaround. Clean, crisp Stratocaster produced guitar figures are everywhere. "When My Baby's Beside Me" and "Thirteen" also leap out and grab the ear.
Heavier material appears occasionally ("Don't Lie To Me", "Feel") but it is the exception and not the rule.
Signaling a downshift in the homestretch, "rock" exits the picture in favor of quiet fare. Melancholy permeates the remaining songs, which seem caught in the long shadow of a lonesome sunset. "Try Again" would not have sounded out of place on "All Things Must Pass." Acoustic strumming and slide guitar, surround the "Lord, I've been tryin' to be what I should" lyric. Mysteriously titled, "St 100/6" makes a stark, album closer.
"Love me again Be my friend I need you now I'll show you somehow."
Although they would (without Bell) produce another brilliant set (Radio City), it would suffer the same fate as # 1 Record. An aborted attempt at a third album signaled the end of the band. The legend grew up around them as time passed. Countless artists have paid tribute, citing them as a huge influences.
Alex Chilton: "Well, all in all I sort of look at the Big Star records as being a little bit innovative, you know? And by that I mean in a mostly musical sort of way, and not so much in a literary sense. I look at the tunes that we wrote, and I think that some of them – a few of them – are pretty good. I listen to the music, and I think that some of it shows a good musical mind at work. That’s what I think is good about those records. I see them as being the work of sort of young, fairly promising musical minds. I’m not as crazy about them as a lot of Big Star cultists seem to be."
Some film shot during these sessions. "Thank You Friends" is from "Sister Lovers" (third, incomplete Big Star album)
"#1 Record" isn't easy to find on vinyl, though it's readily available on a twofer CD (which includes "Radio City") released by Rykodisc in the early 90's. When listening, you'll be amazed with the production values, song craft and will likely be pissed that you hadn't found this disc a lot sooner.
~~ English rock band, Black Sabbath, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, was originally formed as a heavy blues-rock band named "Earth", the band began incorporating occult and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-down guitars, and changed their name to "Black Sabbath". The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members.
~~ Jimi Hendrix was thrown out of high school for holding the hand of a white girl in class.
~~ The famous long guitar intro to Led Zep's "Stairway To Heaven" is taken from the track "Taurus", which was composed and played by guitarist, the late Randy California when he was only 16 in 1967. The instrumental was dedicated to his Taurian girlfriend and recorded a year later by his band "Spirit". Led Zepplin heard it while on tour with Spirit in USA. (Randy Wolfe, was named "California" by his great friend of Jimi Hendrix, who tried to bring him to the UK, but Randy was too young at the time).
~~ At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life," an ultrasonic whistle, audible only to dogs, was recorded by Paul McCartney for his old English sheepdog "Martha".
My friend Malcolm challenged me to take the latest quiz on his blog, its about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I think I failed, it was tough! I know that many of you (myself included) are not to fond of the RRHOF because its just plain silly who they nominate each year, but those feelings aside, I challenge you to take the quiz over at "Pop Culture Dish". Its a good one!
The Chambers Brothers with the greatest use of a cowbell ever!
This 1966 song was in protest of the Vietnam War and was significant, as it used many special effects to simulate war sounds and of course the clock. These sounds were very much ahead of their time. This video is the long version which includes the effects. The "radio" version cut much of the psychedelic stuff as it rose to #11 on the top 100 charts that year.
The song has been used and abused by many different TV shows, movies and cover artists.
I hope you enjoy my entry into the twilight zone that we call "Daylight Saving Time". No s at the end of Saving I am told. Benny Franklin thought this up and the rest is history. Have a great day and go to bed an hour early so you dont lose your beauty sleep.
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These guys are one of my new favorites, If you like rock blues you need to check them out. I have to thank Racer and Pope from The Ripple Effect for introducing me to their music. Here's a bit of their review of Black Bone Child:
"In a nutshell, this is straight-on rust and whiskey, hard-core blues, kick-the-hay-outta-the-barn, bring-on-the-electric guitars-and-let's-have-a-party, rock and roll. It only takes a few seconds of the opening track "Time Pass Me By," to realize that we're tuned into something special. Kicking off with guitars and bass, the riff here positively percolates, rumbling out of the speakers in down-home, ass-kicking form."
and
"The men of Black Bone Child aren't reinventing rock and roll with this release. Rather, they're mining back deep into rock's roots and investing it with a freshly charged dose of modern energy. What the boys are creating is good-time rock and roll, deep and nuanced, dirty and nasty, funky and sultry. This is for when you want your backyard bar-B-Q to move beyond the gentile stage and get interesting. Dig in. Enjoy"
The BRAND-NEW COMPLETELY UNRELEASED Jimi HendrixStudio album
Available Tuesday March 9th!
12 previously unreleased studio recordings - over 60 minutes of unheard Jimi Hendrix!
10 recordings were made between February and May 1969 as the Jimi Hendrix Experience set out to create their sequel to the groundbreaking 1968 double album Electric Ladyland.Features "Valleys Of Neptune," one of the most sought after of all of Hendrix's commercially unavailable recordings.Includes exciting 1969 arrangements of classic signature songs "Red House," "Fire" and "Stone Free."Also includes unheard studio versions of Hendrix's inspired interpretations of "Bleeding Heart" by Elmore James and Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love."
I'll tell you what. The original band did not have enough time together before tragedy occurred. This album was their pinnacle in terms of not only their creativity in music, but also in their ability to play off of each other in concert. This recording is actually culled from 2 consecutive night shows. Some of the songs are actually from both nights spliced together.
No argument though that this Tom Dowd produced album set a new standard of live recording and if you get the Deluxe version you get more of the concerts remixed to produce an even better sound.
Duane Allman on lead/slide guitar, Gregg Allman on Keyboards and the most soulful blues voice ever, Dickey Betts on lead/slide guitar and vocals, Berry Oakley's long melodic "third guitar" base, Jai Johanney Johanson and Butch Trucks on dual drums and percussion.
The understated In Memory of Elizabeth Reed written by Dickey.
The Whipping Post by Gregg.
Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker. This song is my favorite on the album and typifys the awesome band interplay and their enormous talent.
This is another great recording in my top 10 of classic rock albums. If you havent tried it, do it soon. You won't regret it.
Concerto for what? Presenting five guys who made great noise together.
Arguably, the Mach II version of Deep Purple ranks with any band that emerged in the early 70s. Homer Simpson's character may have opined that rock attained perfection in 1974, though by that point this version of Purple was no more, having already made their classic LPs (they would regroup with this lneup in the early 80s).
Made In japan, culled from a series of shows that they did at the Budokan and in Osaka in August of 1972, caught the group at a live peak. Each member brought a very distinct style of playing to the table, with Ritchie Blackmore as the main instigator of long improvisational flights that the others would willingly follow. Hearing Jon Lord and Blackmore try to outdo each other while trading solos is just one of many elements that made this incarnation so thrilling as a live act. Ian Gillan topped it all with a set of the most distinctive and powerful vocal cords in the business.
"Highway Star" would be nothing without Ian Paice bouncing that high hat and Roger Glover locked in perfectly with him.
Three solid studio efforts (In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head) plus a final middling disc (Who Do We Think We Are?) were the product of three years work and all still hold up extremely well.
All apologies to anyone who expected "Slow Walkin' Walter".
I've spent a lot of time driving my son around lately, therefore we have "radio station wars". We are actually very polite about it, we will ask the other "did you want to hear this song?" and wait for a response before switching the station. The Sound vs. KROQ
You know what kind of music I like. I am not even sure how to categorize my son's genre of preference.
What I've noticed over and over is how many old classic rock songs have been re-recorded by today's new artists! It kind of blows my son's mind when i just happen to know all the lyrics to "his mucic" which gives me a chance to remind him "no, this is MY music, your people stole it because they couldn't come up with anything this good themselves" Of course I was joking - sort of :)
So I am going to compile a list of some of those songs, please add to it!
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd - Widespread Panic Patience by Guns & Roses - Six Finger Landslide by Fleetwood Mac - Smashing Pumpkins I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones - Offspring Maggie's Farm by Bob Dylan - Rage Against the Machine Simple Man by Lynryd Skynrd - Shinedown Tom Sawyer by Rush - Deadsy
For the uninitiated, today we discuss an offbeat band by the name of The Raconteurs. You may know one of the members, who is none other than Jack White, formerly of the White Stripes. In his prolific style he even formed yet another band called Dead Weather.
I really enjoy Jack's music as he enjoys creating an old style with new licks. He is a virtuoso with his guitars and the effects he makes are at once halting and sometimes even earsplitting. He is a true artists, artist and gives very few interviews. He says they are not relevant to his art.
He also created the soundtrack to the movie Cold Mountain and produced Loretta Lynns, Van Lear Rose album among many other projects. He is always re-inventing himself and holds true to those who came before him.
Uncut magazine calls Jack White, the musician of the decade 2000-2009.
In my opinion he is a true-blue, newer classic rock artist who doesn't let popular opinion sway his musical direction. He always seems true to the love of the genius of his craft.
