Prior to becoming a platinum selling, arena filling artist, Billy Joel spent a few years getting his act together, releasing albums that were greeted with the proverbial sound of one hand clapping. "Turnstiles" was his fourth and best collection of songs to date. It met with the same fate as his previous efforts, though this is unfair because of its relative excellence. Despite the fact that it was overshadowed by his breakout LP (The Stranger) the following year, this is a disc that is more than worthy of investigation. I first heard it through a friend, who taped it for me on one of these.
This quaint little artifact was once branded as a weapon that would single-handedly bring down the music business. Well, we all know how that one turned out.
Shitty music eventually turned that trick quite handily.
Back in 1976, all of the elements were coming into place for Joel. The core lineup of his backing band for the next decade was now present and he wrote a stylistically diverse set of songs for which he oversaw production. Most recognizable from this set are "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", which he had recently done for real in moving back to New York from LA, and "New York State of Mind" that celebrates said return. Personally, my absolute favorites on this record are "Miami 2017" , telling a tale of a future apocalypse and "Prelude/Angry Young Man", featuring dazzling playing from all involved, coupled with the most sarcastic lines that he ever wrote.
Anyone who tells you that Joel is merely a lightweight singer of ballads is extremely misguided.
I always wondered why this wasn't a huge success in its time, though there really isn't any measure of what will grab the attention of the masses. In addition to providing a mini-master class on the 88s, his sure touch with melody is married to extremely sharp and ambitious arrangements. While the next few outings would make him a star, "Turnstiles" is one of those esoteric pieces that covers ground he wouldn't visit again until he tackled the edgy songs that comprised the ultimate Beatles wet dream on "The Nylon Curtain".
Now, if you do want ballads, here's one of the finest that he ever did.
Many of you already know Daniel Elden, and if you don't this is the time to discover his unique art. Daniel is releasing a book of his work and is generously allowing us to download the e-book version for free.
I have his one of his pieces, I chose the image myself:
(this photo was taken by Daniel before it shipped, I framed it myself using his method with the "Born to Run" album cover behind the vinyl and put it in a black frame. It looks awesome.)
For the uninformed, this compilation album originally released in 1972 and reissued as a box set in 1998 with 91 additional songs is an exhaustive catalog of the early "garage rock" music scene. Rock historian Lenny Kaye and later lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group was instrumental in compiling this historic album. It was a significant influence on the early punk rock scene.
Here is a just a small sample of the songs included....
I highly recommend the Rhino box set. It truly is historical in its musical content and included is an exhaustive liner note book describing each band and how this album came to be.
Its a story of the transition period in American rock and roll, from the 3 minute song played on AM radio, to the more FM-oriented, progressive rock and roll. It was a time where it seemed every kid was involved in a garage band inventing new sounds and styles.
I'll close this post with a groovy story by The Hombres. Enjoy!!!
I can't think of a more "super" super group than The Traveling Wilburys. I love the story of how they got together and how they made up their fictional names pretending to be half brothers all with the same father. Sounds like they had a lot of fun with it:
"Starting at a meal among Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne, the group came together at Bob Dylan's home studio inMalibu, California, to record an additional track as a B-side for the single release of Harrison's "This Is Love". Tom Petty's involvement came by chance as Harrison had left his guitar at Petty's house.[3] The record label, however, decided that the song that resulted, "Handle with Care", was too good to be released as a "single filler".
The members enjoyed working together so much that they decided to create a full album together. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, written by all the members, was recorded over a ten-day period in May 1988, and released on October 18. The "Wilburys" joke was extended further, with the band members credited under various pseudonyms, all sons of a fictional Charles Truscott Wilbury, Sr. and half brothers. The album was a critical and commercial success, spawning several successful singles and eventually reaching triple-platinum sales status in the US. The album was nominated for several awards and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1989.
Roy Orbison's death on December 6, 1988, brought the end of the original lineup. In tribute to Orbison, during the music video for "End of the Line", when Orbison sings, his photo is shown followed by a shot of his guitar in a rocking chair."
JPT Scare Band - "Not My Fault" New Video Takes Aim at BP and Their Denial of Involvement in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster
Legendary rockers, JPT Scare Band, released some of the most collectible psychedelic/acid rock of all time, and now they're about to release their first ever music video. Banded together during the tumultuous years of the early 70’s, JPT Scare Band fused a sound equally heavy in hard rocking blues as it was tripped out in psychedelia, creating a sound so imposing that it perfectly reflected the emotions of the era.Hailed as one of the "lost pioneers of Heavy Metal” by Classic Rock Magazine, JPT Scare Band has seen a resurgence of interest by fans of 1970’s heavy fuzzed out rock.
Now, on the heels of the release of their new album, "Acid Blues is the White Man's Burden" on Ripple Music, JPT will unveil their first ever music video for the new JPT classic, "Not My Fault," a song written by JPT in the '70's but never recorded until the early 2000's. The video makes direct use of the song's title and biting sarcast edge as it assails BP for their denial of any blame for the Gulf Oil Spill disaster. The video is thought provoking and inflammatory, in addition to being a good 'ol rock video, with tons of never before seen footage of JPT Scare Band doing what they do best.
Released as a special event, "Not My Fault," will makes it's exclusive debut as a limited world-wide premiere on some of rock's finest websites.
If the video touches a nerve with you, including it's poignant ending, please pass it on. Let's create a ruckus in BP's world. The song "Not My Fault," and the album, Acid Blues is the White Man's Burden can be found at Ripple Music,www.ripple-music.com
Though few were quick to spot it at the time of release, Black Sabbath's first album was the template for an entirely new musical genre. I'm not referring to heavy metal, as there were plenty of bands that were capable of destroying the hearing of concert goers at that time. It was much more than volume that distinguished these guys from their contemporaries, whose stock in trade had been heavy blues. Sabbath was certainly in this category, though they quickly moved away from 12 bar fare, structuring original compositions around inventive riffs and shifting time signatures. This may have placed them closer to prog, although they did not stretch out in quite the same fashion as Yes, King Crimson and ELP. The multi-part essays that Tony Iommi indulged in were much more concise. Ponderous, ominous stoner rock might be the best descriptor of what they unleashed on an unsuspecting public.
Played entirely live, with very little time spent on overthinking or retakes (according to Iommi, most of what you hear was captured in one pass) there are few finer debuts. Inventing something quite unlike anything that came before, it is hard to believe that the whole thing was committed to tape and mixed in just two days.
One of my favorite 60's bands and in my opinion, one of the most influential to classic rock bands of their present and the heavy metal bands of the future.
Have a listen.
You have to admit they knew how to write a song. They were idolized by The Beatles and The Who to name a few. A long history and many creative songs and great albums followed. Ray Davies always had a way with words and decided early on to make their songs tell a story. Dave Davies even shredded his amp with a single edged Gillette razor to make his guitar sound different and not so boring.
The brothers Ray and Dave are said to be estranged now, but there has been talk of a reunion. Time has a way of healing past hurts, but it also has a way of making them older and not as motivated to perform.
Just so you know, The Kinks helped turn Rock and Roll into Rock.
Wow. My neighbor is blasting "U2" right now. Its the first time I ever even heard music coming from their house! Its because tonight was the night they were to perform here in So. Cal. at Anaheim Stadium.
Oh well....next year Bono will be better and I will get great seats and it will be worth the long wait!
One of the classic rock bands that I've come to thoroughly enjoy is Cold Chisel. They aren't well known outside of their native Australia. But in Australia they aren't only the definitive pub rock band. They are also an integral thread in the fabric of Australian culture.
They got their start as heavy metal band, Orange, before changing their name to Cold Chisel (which was actually the title of a song they used to perform as Orange).
While the band's line-up fluctuated somewhat in their early years (1974 until about 1978) with vocalist Jimmy Barnes quitting and rejoining repeatedly due to his personality clashes with drummer Stephen Prestwich. Barnes even briefly replaced Bon Scott in Fraternity when Scott left that band to join AC/DC. From their debut album on their line-up remained rather stable:
Jimmy Barnes - Vocals Ian Moss - Guitar & Vocals Don Walker - Keyboards, Piano, & Organ Phil Smalls - Bass Stephen Prestwich - Drums & Vocals
They did have a rather ill-fated attempt to find success in the United States in the late seventies/early eighties but were unable to match the success of other Australian exports like Little River Band and AC/DC. Their lack of success in the US spawned their Aussie hit, You Got Nothin' I Want, a musical middle finger of sorts to a listening public that never truly gave them a chance.
That turned out to be our loss as these guys put together quite a string of hit songs and solid albums between 1978 and 1983. They reunited in 1998 and released the studio album, The Last Wave of Summer and have toured off and on in the years since. The clips below are all from their 2003 reunion tour. These performances were also released on the 2CD live set (Ringside).
But enough background info from me... Give them a listen below and decide for yourselves:
"Can't Fight This Feeling".....REO Speedwagon
"The Heat Is On".....Glenn Frey
