Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti

For those who dont know Led Zeppelin, (and I cant imagine anyone who doesn't) their 6th album, would be a great place to start. From side 1, song 1, Custard Pie to side 4, song 5, Sick Again you will find a veritable musical history of this great band. Given the luxury of a double album format, Physical Graffiti mirrors every facet of the Zeppelin repertoire.

Although the album was released in February of 1975, many of the songs were recorded and written much earlier. Many of the songs that just missed the cut on earlier albums were gathered for a tour de force album.

Personally for me, it was released in my senior year of high school and while I listened to their earlier albums, this one hooked me and reeled me in and never let me go. It cut a smoke-filled swath through many a joy ride in the country. I still listen to the entire album on a regular basis.

I have seen too many cover bands to mention, aspiring to the bands greatness, but I am going to include a special video now of a cover band (don't know their name) who do a great version of Custard Pie.


From the hard-driving beat of the last song to this one harkening back to their Led Zeppelin III album.

It was also a unique album package with the cover of a building tenement in New York City. The insert slid in and spelled out the name of the album through the windows. The inner covers depict various objects and people including Robert Plant in drag. This was also their first album released on their own Swan Song Records.

The album soon reached number 1 on the Billboard charts and was the first album ever to go platinum on advance orders. After its release, all of their previous albums re-entered the top 2oo album chart. Arguably the most desired song from this album is the following, with its far eastern roots and its Bonham and Jones driven back-beat.

While I agree the earlier Zeppelin albums call to their roots and influence, this album rushes over you at their most creative and expressive ever! To close this post I can not go without including my favorite song. I believe this one represents all of what they were and how they played off of each other so well.

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Must Have Book for All Bruce Springsteen Fans!

The Light in Darkness

Lawrence Kirsch has done it again.  In his latest book he brings together photos, memorabilia and memories to recreate the feel for what is often considered an unparalleled  tour in Springsteen history.  Written by the fans, for the fans take a step back into 1978 and experience:

The Darkness on the Edge of Town tour!

For those lucky (and old!) enough to have been there, this book will be like re-living a great moment with friends.  For those of us who missed it, this could very well be the next best thing to being there.


Having been a fan for thirty plus years, I have read or perused countless books about Bruce and only three have made it onto the list of "Must Own", needless to say I highly recommend the new book!

Here are my three picks:

Songs, by Bruce Springsteen

For You, by Lawrence Kirsch

 

The Light in Darkness, by Lawrence Kirsch

Thank you, Lawrence, for your generosity! 

Abbey Road Studios

This past week the cash strapped EMI Group Ltd. who owns these studios were looking to sell this historic building. The idea has been shelved for now after the music industry and fans alike were in an uproar after finding the news out.

The building has been a music recording studio since the early 1900's and has produced many significant artists and albums over the years. It would be a shame if this building was sold and turned into something other than a music studio. I can see the future of the building as a working museum. I think it should be partially funded by the UK, the city of London, the music industry and whoever else has been made profitable by its use.

Mojo magazine recently featured a partial video list of musicians who recorded there over the years. Some of these musicians include classical composer, Elgar with the London Symphony Orchestra, Cliff Richard and the birth of rock and roll, of course, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things and Roy Harper.

Enjoy this video recording of one of the more important musical gatherings ever produced within those walls.


It is still being used as a recording studio and I believe should continue to offer that to the up and coming musician. It should be restored to last for many generations so they may visit and feel the musical energy that was created within those walls.

I toured the old Sun Records in Memphis a couple of years ago and they did it right. It is still being used for making music and they hold many tours a week and sell a ton of collectibles and other products in the store there. That is how I envision the future Abbey Road Studio. They should maybe even consider closing the road and preserving the famous crosswalk.

Let me know what your thoughts are.

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Johnny Cash: An American Legend

I know this does not fall neat and tidy under the classic rock theme and I'm not sure about all of you, but I have been a huge J.R. Cash fan for many years. I will try and give you all just a short bio of this hugely influential and popular man and follow up with the reasons for posting this now.

He was always a man who spoke his mind and lived his not-so-perfect life in a way that was quite appealing to a wide audience. He touched the lowest of the low person in a way that made him feel like he had been there and experienced it all himself. He was an American singer, songwriter, actor, author and biblical scholar. He was considered by many to be one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century weaving his stories of love, life and death into a musical 3 minutes at a time.


Although he was considered known for his country roots, his sound also spanned other genres of music including rockabilly, rock and roll, blues, folk and gospel. He was one of the original recording artists of Sam Phillip's new Sun Records in the mid 50's. He immediatley became an overnight sensation with some huge hits.


His style was a simple one that was led by his deep bass/baritone voice and the boom-chicka-boom of his back up musicians. Carl Perkins of Blue Suede Shoes fame was also a mainstay on many of Johnny's tours and concerts. He was one of the first major artists to put himself in harms way by giving a concert at 2 maximum security prisons with the prisoners not more than 6 feet from the stage. June Carter from the Carter Family also accompanied him to these concerts.


He married his long time love, June Carter in the mid 60's after a divorce from his first wife, Vivian. He had a daughter by the name of Roseanne with her and had a son, John Carter Cash with wife June. John Carter became very instrumental in the later years of Johnnys recording career and produced many of his later years records. In 1994 he was approached by Rick Rubin who wanted to sign him to a contract with his new American Recordings label. They created the first of what would eventually become 6 albums in Johnnys last years of his life.

The following song was from his American IV album. He was constanly looking deep within himself for the healing of long ago pain inflicted and if this Trent Reznor cover song does not touch you where it counts I will be very surprised.

The main reasons for me including this post today was to first encourage those of you who may never had an opportunity to listen to him to give him a chance. I guarantee he will touch your life where you are at right now.

Another reason was to share that his second posthumous album was released yesterday, American VI, 4 days before he would have turned 78 years old. American V and VI were recorded in the final year of his life. This second video is from that very album and is a haunting song of redemption and foretelling of Johnny Cash's final destiny.

I hope you can enjoy with me this slice of Americana at its best and maybe even come away with a new appreciation for The Man in Black. There is too much to share about him in a short post like this, but I highly recommend you explore all that he has to offer.


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Counting Crows

I can't sleep.  Its 1:22 am and I gave up, turned on the laptop.  Been lying there thinking about things, listening to Counting Crows on my iPod.  I don't consider them "classic rock" but wanted to share my thoughts about them.

Its one of those nights for me, when all areas of my life are swirled together and sort of mixed up into one deep, nameless emotion.  Thinking about my son, mental illness, my old boyfriend, my very young boyfriend, lost love, "them" by j.c. oates,  horrible acts of injustice, guitar music, lustful sex, running on the beach....

So I'm lost in my little world and some of the lyrics to Counting Crows songs blend in with my thoughts..."who is this guy?  how can he write like this?  he doesn't seem like his feet touch the floor when he sings.  he seems like a tortured soul that understands me...."

I really don't know that much about Counting Crows, so I had to look them up.  It wasn't a surprise to read that Adam Duritz:

"has been described as morose and tortured and...He's also suffered from depression and a dissociative disorder, which makes the world seem like it's not real," which contribute to the duration between albums and the inspiration of many of his song lyrics."

No wonder I can't sleep, I've found a new friend and he's talking to me inside my head and he makes sense to me, which scares me.  He sounds lonely.  Like love, for him, is elusive but its all he wants.  I think he feels so much when he sings...

Then he keeps singing the same song but using  different words.  So then I find out they are known for constantly changing up their music and lyrics, especially Adam.  He'll make up new lyrics or use someone else's.  So when I heard "Round Here" three times and they were all different...it wasn't all in my head. 

To me he sounds like a cross between Shannon Hoon and Eddie Vedder.

S'pose I should go back to bed now.  I'll wake up tomorrow, not remembering I got up and wrote this and think "did Dan write that?  He's gone a little nuts...."





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The Quiet Beatle

George Harrison would have been 67 this week February 25th, 2010. Lung cancer claimed his life too early in 2001. Most would agree he did not get enough space on the Beatles albums. When he did he made the most of his opportunities. Too many favorite songs to play, but my earliest recongnition of George in my younger life was the following:

I loved most all of the Beatles songs, but whenever George was the headliner he made me sit up and take notice. The flavors of the day were featured in the next one:

Then he went on to a solo career where he was finally able to be up front where he always belonged. The next song is just one small snippet in that success and shows where his heart would always be, with the broken and downtrodden:

I hope you have enjoyed this small tribute to a man who knew who he was and never let popular opinion shape who he was to become. He overcame many obstacles in his life, but could not beat the cancer that finally claimed it. Rest in Peace George!
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Bon Scott Died 30 Years Ago Today

Please check out

Seano's blog, Circle of Fits

Bring a tissue if you have fond memories of him (okay, maybe you won't need one, but I did)

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Montrose

Ok class.....who remembers, or has heard of, a band called Montrose? Seano talked about the birth of heavy metal on his blog recently. I would classify this band as early heavy metal with a California influence. The songs were fast, hard and sometimes spaced out, with a lead guitarist by the name of Ronnie Montrose and a lead singer by the name of Sammy Hagar. You probably would not recognize Sammy from this album cover and in fact the album credits a Sam Hagar. Bill Church on the bass guitar and Denny Carmassi on drums rounded out the band for this album.

The album got little airplay when released in 1973 mostly due to Warner Bros screwing up the handling of their marketing and not knowing what to do with them. It is said that Van Halen, (where Sammy ended up a little later in his career) considered Montrose a huge influence on their style of play. In fact they covered "Make It Last" from this album in their early concerts.

The most recognizable track on this album is "Bad Motor Scooter". This songs intro was a distorted electric slide guitar that closely resembles the sound of a revving motorcycle. I especially enjoy the song "Space Station #5" It starts ethereally and as you might think it sounds like you are in a space ship. Then after almost a minute, with a scream and wail, the guitar kicks ass and transports us into warp speed.

A great album that I would say belongs on the top 500 greatest albums. Listen for a bit and enjoy.

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Exclusive Interview with Charlie Watts

Jeff Gordinier of Details magazine did an excellent interview with Rolling Stones drummer, Charlie Watts.  I had to laugh at the part about Keith writing "the best faxes in the world" - fax?  I didn't know they still existed.  

 

Check out the interview here.

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ROY BUCHANAN

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ROY BUCHANAN

Found this album at a street sale years ago for a dollar. Seemed like stealing. The jacket was a bit worn, though the vinyl itself was in perfect condition as if it had only been played a few times and then tucked away like a secret.

Much like the man himself.

Awe inspiring notes were wrenched from his telecaster with the soul of someone who had seen a thousand lifetimes. All of the music you encounter here is extremely warm and real. Better yet, rough spots and miscues are not edited away. Country and blues are taken to some amazing places as strings are bent, pinched and played with a precision that won him the respect of his peers.

Hammond organ with a short spoken word intro brings you into the stunning "The Messiah Will Come Again", an instrumental that is the centerpiece of these tracks. It is indescribably moving and I listen to this whenever my spirits need a lift.

Curiously, he was largely unknown during his lifetime. Those that did have the pleasure of being acquainted with his considerable talents still treat him with reverence. He was an early mentor to Robbie Robertson, while Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and a host of other great musicians frequently sang his praises.

Buchanan checked out on my twentieth birthday and the circumstances of his passing have since been the subject of rumor.

That he was gifted remains without doubt.

Davey Knowles - tears down the walls at red rock!

Davey Knowles is phenomenal.  I've written about him many times before, here's a post from when I saw him this summer.

(This one's for you, Tom D.)





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John Mayall, The Turning Point

If you want to really groove out to some drummerless rippin blues music. Give this album a listen. Most of you have probably heard of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. The members of the Bluesbreakers over the early years were many and a virtual who's who of future classic rock stars.

Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Peter Green, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and many, many others cut their teeth in a band that was led by a man who was as gifted a talent scout as he was a musician. John Mayall attracted the best and early albums tell the tale of some great jams.

The Turning Point was a turn in a somewhat different direction from the Bluesbreakers. This album still contained the blues John was known for and loved, but what it did not have was any percussion instruments. Unless, of course, you consider the bass guitar and harmonicas percussion. This was recorded live, July 12 1969 in New York at Bill Graham's Fillmore East.

It featured Mayall on vocals, harmonicas, slide guitar, telecaster 6 string guitar, tambourine and mouth percussion. Jon Mark on acoustic finger-style guitar. Steve Thompson on bass guitar and Johnny Almond on tenor and alto sax, flutes and mouth percussion.

If you do give it a listen, do listen for the interplay and empathy. Sometimes, perhaps only one member is playing, then the others join in gently, building up to climaxes that sound all the more exciting for the restraint that went before it. All of this after only four weeks experience of each others playing.

This album was my first introduction into the blues scene. No better album to become a blues disciple. Again, thanks to Layla for giving me a chance to share my favorite albums. Please listen and enjoy!









My Beat Club - I`m Gonna Fight For You J.B. on MUZU

Just added this video I found. Pretty cool and definitive of the sound they were going for.
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Music's Greatest Generation, 1964 -1980

Guest Post by Charlie at Bloggerythms

Reflecting back on the history of popular music I have come to the conclusion that not only was much of the best pop music of the world produced during the period from 1964 to about 1980 but that is also the era in which pop music was most revered. I contend that never before in history has music meant so much to a single generation. It is a phenomenon that may never happen again. Even allowing for the fact that this is the era I grew up in, and came of age in, (and therefore I may look upon it with both prejudice and some fondness) I still believe my thoughts are accurate. This premise is strictly based on my observations. I have no hard data.

During that decade and a half poets and literary types embraced popular music. Folk music became mainstream. Could Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Peter Paul & Mary get played on rock radio today? Radio embraced them all in the 60s. Jazz made the pop charts. Could Miles Davis be played on rock music stations today? He was then. Progressive rock was heavily influenced by classical music. There were many social commentary and political songs. The British invasion was the first and only time music from another country would dominate the American airwaves and sales charts. I could go on and on. This eclecticism contributed to music’s popularity during this era. Motown, Stax-Volt, Southern California country-rock and folk-rock, British prog-rock, good ol’ boy southern rock, and more, were all played on popular music radio together and they could all be enjoyed by the same listener.

It all began when The Beatles stormed the world beginning with their Ed Sullivan appearance in February of 1964 and this love of music continued until most of the artists who came of age in the 60s began to peter out. The end of the 70s and the dawn of the 80s saw the break up of Led Zeppelin, The Band, and The Who. Jon Anderson left Yes. Elvis left the building for good. John Lennon was assasinated. Lowell George died. There are lots of other examples, too many to mention. Punk and disco were taking over.

Why will a love of music that went beyond the norm be unlikely to happen again in future generations? There are a multitude of reasons. Here are a few.

1 - Computers And Video Games. Do you remember going to a friends dorm room or house and sitting around listening to and discussing music? Today the kids born of my generation will go over to their friend's house and play video games instead. They may listen to music but they have other interests.

During the era I'm speaking about music often was the reason friends got together. The music was the event. Listening was often so intense that friends would gather around the stereo just as families gathered around the TV. While today's kids may be listening they are probably more focused on other activities such as computer games. During the era I am talking about there were no PCs, VCRs, or DVDs. No one had heard the name Atari.

I had friends who would invite me over just to hear a new album they purchased. That is how I was introduced to Terry Kath's extended solo on Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4." Before that day the single version of the song was all I knew. I'll never forget it. Today that kid extending me the invitation would probably be asking me to come preview his new X-Box video game.

2 – Radio. Radio is too fragmented today. There was a time a top 40 station could play The Rolling Stones, followed by Frank Sinatra, followed by The Temptations, Neil Diamond, The Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Cash, The Four Seasons, and James Brown all in a row. We were exposed to a lot of different genres of music. That won’t happen today. Demographics now dictate that ratings aren't enough. Radio stations aim for a target audience. Therefore a station that plays Norah Jones most likely isn’t playing Radiohead too. If a station plays Michael Bolton they won't be playing Eminem.

3 – The Beatles. There is no icon like the Beatles today. Love them or hate them no single artist has ever taken over our culture like the four young men from Liverpool, England did. They not only influenced our music but all youth culture in general. The main reason men and boys of the mid-60s to about 1980 wore their hair longer is because of the Beatles. They also caused a lot of kids to take up music as a hobby.

4 – The Political Atmosphere. The Civil Rights Movement, Viet Nam, and Watergate combined to force a lot of people with something to say to find an acceptable outlet for expressing how they felt. A lot of this spilled over into the music of the day. It isn't a coincidence that this musical era started to decline after America settled down beginning with the age of Ronald Reagan.

5 - MTV. It's birth twenty-five years ago may have had more influence on the decline of this era than many realize. The popularity of music videos frequently made it impossible for the viewer/listener to separate the video images from the music. MTV helped spawn the Ashley and Jessica Simpson types who are everywhere today. Image and appearance seem to be more important than the music. Way too many musical acts of today are pre-packaged with both visuals and image in mind.

I am not stuck in my era. I'm not a music fan who dislikes everything that was recorded after I graduated from college. There is still an abundance of outstanding new music everywhere, there always will be, but to have a culture in which music permeates so much of our American society as it did in 1964, and have it last almost a generation, is not likely to happen again anytime soon.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Savoy Brown

Finally my frickin computer is back online! While I was away I was looking at my office wall with this album in a frame and wondered if anybody remembers it? God I love this one. Just the right amount of rockin blues for me. Dont try and keep up with the changing band members as they were many. The only constant was Kim Simmonds. My understanding was he was a bitch to work with but when you listen to his music it really pays off.

Let me know your feeling on this band.




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Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

This is one of the first "psychedelic" albums I ever listened to. I really loved it right from the very first time I heard it back in the mid 70's. It was released in 1970. The group as it was then broke up shortly after its release. The band has been together in some form since the early days. The groups leader, Randy California, died in 1997 while surfing and Spirit essentially ceased to exist. He died while saving his son who was surfing with him.

Randy was the main creative force behind the band with Ed Cassidy on drums. Ed's signature bald head was the impetus for the song "Mr. Skin". Also in the early band was Jay Ferguson, who went onto a solo career after a 3 year stint with the band Jo Jo Gunne. Rounding out the band were John Locke on keyboards and Mark Andes (who followed Jay to Jo Jo) on base guitar.

Randy was heavily influenced by and earlier played with Jimi Hendrix before Hendrix was Hendrix in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in 1966. He also influenced none other than Jimmy Page early in his career as well. Ed Cassidy was nearly 20 years older than the rest of the band having earlier played with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. Jay Ferguson's later solo career brought him a huge hit in "Thunder Island".

Twelve Dreams was a monumental recording produced by David Briggs who was recommended by Neil Young. The concept was a sci-fi, psychedelic masterpiece. Spirit fused elements of jazz, folk and rock, but also introduced a new "space rock" element. This album also introduced the newly developed Moog synthesizer.

My personal favorite song could be the anthem for the current environmental movement. The whole album has a real cool sound that your trip was enriched by listening to. Give "Natures Way" a listen yourself right here. Enjoy!




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THE GUESS WHO

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LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT

Recorded in Seattle, during a two night tour stop (May 1972), the band is captured in excellent form and pristine fidelity. High in quality, this energetic performance is bolstered by fantastic interplay between the two guitarists, an atomic clock anchoring the rhythm section and the prodigiously talented Burton Cummings fronting the outfit on keys. He tickles the 88s masterfully throughout, adding a lot of color to the programmed "hits" as well as some deeper album tracks.

Big block harmonies in the bridge of "Running Back to Saskatoon" , the bounce in the rearranged "New Mother Nature" and variety in song choices will keep any serious listener interested in this album. Donnie McDougall and Kurt Winter get special mention for resisting volume contests that overpower the arrangements. When they do crank, it's always tasteful and in context.

Randy Bachman's exit from the band in 1970 left a huge void, though they made it past the momentary crisis and soldiered on with a revamped lineup.

Dynamics are the key to the sound that these road tested pros created. Cummings nails everything he touches here, undoubtedly the result of hours of work as de facto bandleader.

How about those "Glace Bay Blues"? (Let's here it for Gary and Blair MacLean!)

Originally, the disc appeared in truncated form, with only seven songs, though the full set was released in 2000.

In a time when homogenous, studio dependent bands that barely cut it are ubiquitous, it's fantastic to listen to a group that really had it together. Here's a TV spot that demonstrates what made these guys great, with zero fakery.



Kurt Winter, RIP.

The Roots of Rock and Roll

IMO, it really all started with Muddy Waters:

The revolution began inauspiciously enough in 1948 with the release of a 78-rpm single by a singer-guitarist called Muddy Waters. Coupled on Aristocrat 1305 were a pair of traditional Mississippi Delta-styled pieces "I Cant Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home," and on them Waters' dark, majestic singing. Waters' use of amplification gave his guitar playing a new, powerful, striking edge and sonority that introduced to traditional music a sound its listeners found very exciting, comfortably familiar yet strangely compelling and, above all, immensely powerful, urgent.

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Rock Gods Didn't Win

The Grammys were held last night and I felt compelled to announce one award they got wrong. Here is a video of a close facsimile of the nominated song/group, in concert. They were nominated for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group"




It is awful hard to get any of the awards right if the best are not nominated (some of the best were by the way), although I cant argue with what the buying public keeps shelling their hard earned dollars on. The most generic, most bland, most artistically challenged dregs of the music world. My son loved the Lil Wayne-Eminem-Drake performance. We couldnt listen to half the song due to its profanity laced, excised time on the stage. How much do you really have to grab your crotch anyway? Pants on the Ground....Pants on the Ground.....Pants on the Ground!

Well I hope you enjoyed the video. These guys are the epitome of what rock and roll is all about and I'm glad I know their music. They sure dont make em like they used to.

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