Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
VIDEO: Shiva's Headband - California Mountain Klopper
by christos christaras
Shiva's Headband, an early Texas psychedelic rock band, formed in Austin in 1967. The group was the house band at the Vulcan Gas Company, a late 1960s Austin nightclub.
The band is credited with a significant role in the founding of the Armadillo World Headquarters. The bands first royalty check opened the club and hired Eddie Wilson as manager. Shiva's Headband was also the first band to perform there.
Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the band played with touring acts such as Spirit, Steppenwolf, ZZ Top, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat and Steve Miller.
Austin psychedelic bands contemporary to Shiva's Headband included the 13th Floor Elevators and Conqueroo.
Shiva's Headband's Capitol Records album, Take Me To The Mountains, produced by bandleader Spencer Perskin with Fred Catero, became the first record released nationally by an Austin-based rock band. The album cover featured artwork by Jim Franklin.
In 1973, the band had an onscreen performance in the film, The Thief Who Came to Dinner, a Houston-based production that starred Ryan O'Neal and Jacqueline Bisset.
Shiva's Headband, an early Texas psychedelic rock band, formed in Austin in 1967. The group was the house band at the Vulcan Gas Company, a late 1960s Austin nightclub.
The band is credited with a significant role in the founding of the Armadillo World Headquarters. The bands first royalty check opened the club and hired Eddie Wilson as manager. Shiva's Headband was also the first band to perform there.
Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the band played with touring acts such as Spirit, Steppenwolf, ZZ Top, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat and Steve Miller.
Austin psychedelic bands contemporary to Shiva's Headband included the 13th Floor Elevators and Conqueroo.
Shiva's Headband's Capitol Records album, Take Me To The Mountains, produced by bandleader Spencer Perskin with Fred Catero, became the first record released nationally by an Austin-based rock band. The album cover featured artwork by Jim Franklin.
In 1973, the band had an onscreen performance in the film, The Thief Who Came to Dinner, a Houston-based production that starred Ryan O'Neal and Jacqueline Bisset.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Pink Floyd Channel Extends Reach
by
Pink Floyd’s great gig in the sky is getting even better.
Satellite radio service SiriusXM announced that the Pink Floyd Channel has won two regular slots on Deep Tracks, beginning now.
Meanwhile, owners of some new satellite radio units may join online subscribers in getting their Pink Floyd fix 24/7.
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters said this “great news as it means we’ll all be able to get (the channel) when we’re stuck in traffic.” The singer-bassist said the psychedelic grooves might even cut down on “road rage.”
The Pink Floyd Channel hasn’t been available to regular subscribers of satellite radio since its limited run last May.
While Floyd freaks were hoping the channel would find a full-time slot - as with the mainstream Grateful Dead, Elvis and Jimmy Buffett channels - it was not to be. But the Pink Floyd channel stayed alive on SiriusXM Internet Radio (channel 711) and now it’s expanding somewhat.
Deep Tracks channel 27 - the closest thing SiriusXM has to a psychedelic music channel - will simulcast the Pink Floyd Channel Sundays from 6 p.m. to midnight ET. And there’s a new daily fix on Deep Tracks: Monday through Friday from midnight to 1 a.m. ET.
Owners of the Lynx and Edge satellite radio receivers can access the
24/7 Floyd stream on channel 311. It’ll also be available “in select
vehicles” - meaning some new models with expanded channel lineups.
Meanwhile, the Pink Floyd Channel continues full-time broadcasting via the web. “We’ve been happy there online,” Waters said.
The expanded SiriusXM online service - whose goodies include archives of programs by Bob Dylan (Channel 710) and Tom Petty (Channel 712) - costs regular subscribers a couple of bucks. That streaming service also is available via the SiriusXM Radio App for mobile devices.
The Pink Floyd stream started as a limited-run special spanning the Memorial Day weekend of 2012. It was extended into midsummer due to “popular demand” and then found its slot online.
Longtime free-form radio personality Jim Ladd was instrumental in launching the Pink Floyd Channel and is its curator. Pink Floyd recently teamed with Spotify to stream its catalog. Surviving members of the band also took on Pandora over royalty payments.
"We’ve been happy there online. However, now the channel is being expanded, which is great news as it means we’ll all be able to get it when we’re stuck in traffic,” said Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. “Reaching out in drive time, love it! It could even conceivably have an impact on road rage.”
More Pink Floyd content:
Pink Floyd’s great gig in the sky is getting even better.Satellite radio service SiriusXM announced that the Pink Floyd Channel has won two regular slots on Deep Tracks, beginning now.
Meanwhile, owners of some new satellite radio units may join online subscribers in getting their Pink Floyd fix 24/7.
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters said this “great news as it means we’ll all be able to get (the channel) when we’re stuck in traffic.” The singer-bassist said the psychedelic grooves might even cut down on “road rage.”
The Pink Floyd Channel hasn’t been available to regular subscribers of satellite radio since its limited run last May.
While Floyd freaks were hoping the channel would find a full-time slot - as with the mainstream Grateful Dead, Elvis and Jimmy Buffett channels - it was not to be. But the Pink Floyd channel stayed alive on SiriusXM Internet Radio (channel 711) and now it’s expanding somewhat.
Deep Tracks channel 27 - the closest thing SiriusXM has to a psychedelic music channel - will simulcast the Pink Floyd Channel Sundays from 6 p.m. to midnight ET. And there’s a new daily fix on Deep Tracks: Monday through Friday from midnight to 1 a.m. ET.
Owners of the Lynx and Edge satellite radio receivers can access the
24/7 Floyd stream on channel 311. It’ll also be available “in select
vehicles” - meaning some new models with expanded channel lineups. Meanwhile, the Pink Floyd Channel continues full-time broadcasting via the web. “We’ve been happy there online,” Waters said.
The expanded SiriusXM online service - whose goodies include archives of programs by Bob Dylan (Channel 710) and Tom Petty (Channel 712) - costs regular subscribers a couple of bucks. That streaming service also is available via the SiriusXM Radio App for mobile devices.
The Pink Floyd stream started as a limited-run special spanning the Memorial Day weekend of 2012. It was extended into midsummer due to “popular demand” and then found its slot online.
Longtime free-form radio personality Jim Ladd was instrumental in launching the Pink Floyd Channel and is its curator. Pink Floyd recently teamed with Spotify to stream its catalog. Surviving members of the band also took on Pandora over royalty payments.
"We’ve been happy there online. However, now the channel is being expanded, which is great news as it means we’ll all be able to get it when we’re stuck in traffic,” said Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. “Reaching out in drive time, love it! It could even conceivably have an impact on road rage.”
More Pink Floyd content:
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
VIDEO: Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother (Live in Saint Tropez 1970)
by Daniela Aurora
David Gilmour: vocals, guitar
"Mick" Mason: drums, percussion
Roger Waters: vocals, bass
Richard Wright: organ, piano
Sunday, July 21, 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Moondance’ Rises Again: 5-Disc Set
by After years of neglect, Van Morrison’s “Moondance” album comes skipping back via a full-blown “deluxe edition.”
The five-disc box set, due Sept. 30, includes four CDs and a Blu-ray version of the album with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio.
Much of the Warner Music box set is dedicated to multiple studio takes of songs from the 1970 album.
To no one’s surprise, an angry Morrison immediately distanced himself from the release:
Yesterday Warner Brothers stated that “Van Morrison was reissuing Moondance.” It is important that people realize that this is factually incorrect. I did not endorse this, it is unauthorized and it has happened behind my back. My management company at that time gave this music away 42 years ago and now I feel as though it”s being stolen from me again.The notice was posted on Morrison’s web site.
For those not in need of six takes of “Caravan” or “Brand New Day,” Warner is offering an “expanded edition” with two CDs. Disc 1 has the original album while the second has highlights of discs 2-4 from the box set.
Amazon lists the deluxe edition at $75 while the expanded version goes for $25. There is also a single CD with just the album (no bonus tracks) at $14. The Blu-ray disc won’t be available separately. In addition to its 5.1 surround presentation, there is a 48K 24 bit PCM stereo track.
Warner owns the rights to what are essentially Morrison’s first three solo albums: “Astral Weeks,” “Moondance” and “His Band and the Street Choir.” The domestic CDs date back to the early days of the format - and are embarrassingly dated in terms of audio quality.
The three albums were remastered and rereleased on CD in Japan in 2008 as part of the Warner-Pioneer “Forever Young” series (with the Japanese “Moondance” coming out again this month).
Domestic 180-gram vinyl versions of the three albums date back about five years - mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at AcousTech Mastering. They remain available.
The Gray-Hoffman mastering is not being used for the new Warner release, according to Hoffman’s music forum (“We made a digital master just in case but I doubt WB ever will use it for anything”).
Britain’s Uncut magazine, which broke the “Moondance” story, said the deluxe edition “will be presented in a linen-wrapped folio and includes a booklet with liner notes from Alan Light (of Spin magazine) and original engineer Elliot Scheiner.”
The “Moondance” album was Morrison’s breakthrough as a solo artist. It found its audience via heavy play on the underground FM rock stations popping up around the nation.
“Unlike Van’s masterful ‘Astral Weeks,’ this one will be immensely popular,” Rolling Stone wisely predicted in its “Moondance” record review of March 1970. “His new music is getting more airplay on FM stations than anything in recent memory.”
The title track, a staple of weddings and easy listening radio, is perhaps Morrison’s best-known song. It was not released as a single until seven years after the album’s release. “Come Running,” the single from the “Moondance” album, cracked the top 40 in 1970.
No related plans have been revealed for “Astral Weeks,” considered one of the true masterworks of 1960s rock and a “holy grail” title for Morrison fans seeking improved audio quality.
“Astral Weeks” often is classified as a psychedelic folk record, but “Moondance” found the Irish singer tilting toward the R&B mode he favored for decades.
Still, the exotic “Moondance” tracks “Caravan,” “And it Stoned Me” and “Into the Mystic” easily qualify as underground music classics.
In addition to the various studio takes of “Moondance” songs there are a few other goodies in the box set:
“I Shall Sing,” a song Morrison recorded for the album but didn’t use, is included with multiple takes. There’s also an “outtake” of “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and four remixes of “Moondance” songs.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: The Candid Stories Behind Joni Mitchell's "Blue", Part 3
by Garrett Sawyer
Here as I conclude the journey through the hills and valleys of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" we visit an old collapsed marriage and a doomed current love affair.
This Flight Tonight
This is the other song that Mitchell wrote for James Taylor. Taylor was filming "Two Lane Blacktop" in Tecumcari, New Mexico and Mitchell flew to be with him.
We don't like to think of our heroes and idols as having faults and dark sides but, like it or not, they do. Taylor had his ... and I'm not referring to his heroin addiction.
I'm speaking of the fact that Joni confided to those close to her that he was always judging her harshly, that his Dr. Jekyll was matched by a Mr. Hyde full of criticism.
The mixed feelings of love and hurt came out in this song where she's just visited her lover but regrets leaving him almost the moment the plane takes off. (Sample lyric: "You got the touch so gentle and sweet but you've got that look so critical. Now I can't talk to you baby. I get so weak").
River
Mitchell knew her own faults as well and she lists them in candid detail here. Among other things she made her "baby" cry, hard to handle, selfish, sad.
Not only that but she lost the best "baby" she ever had by making him say goodbye. (Sample lyric: "I wish I had a river so long. I would teach my feet to fly. Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on.)
A Case Of You
This song is proof that Joni Mitchell read Shakespeare.
The line "I am as constant as a Northern star" is directly lifted from Julius Caeser, III, 1: "But I am constant as the northern star, of whose true-fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament" where Caeser arrogantly refuses to restore the citizenship of a banished citizen.
Again, the bittersweet nature of her relationship with her lover is in full view, this time inspired (in part) by Leonard Cohen.
The "case" of the title is a cute little pun referring simultaneously to the course of an illness and to a quantity of wine bottles, that she could drink a "case" of her lover and still be standing. (Sample lyric: "On the back of a cartoon coaster in the blue TV screen light I drew a map of Canada, Oh, Canada, with your face sketched on it twice).
The Last Time I Saw Richard
The closing song on "Blue" possibly refers to her short-lived marriage to her first husband Chuck Mitchell. She acknowledged later that they had married for all the wrong reasons. They were also virtually penniless.
Shortly after they married Chuck, who knew about the baby Joni had given up for adoption only a month earlier, strongly suggested he didn't want to raise another man's child, adding to the distance between them.
Then one night, after a particularly volatile fight that ended with Chuck acknowledging he turned the future star over his knee and spanked her, Joni decided she'd had enough and enlisted a perfect stranger she met at a poker game to help her move half of their possessions out of their apartment.
When he found out Chuck changed the locks. Next stop for Joni: New York. (Sample lyric: "Only a dark cocoon before I get my gorgeous wings and fly away, only a phase, these dark cafe days").
As I've lamented on many an occasion, it's regrettable that such unpleasant memories are often translated into such outstanding art. The good news was that Joni Mitchell's "Blue" was as exquisite as its subject matter was painful.
If you like Joni Mitchell's "Blue" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Candid-Stories-Behind-Joni-Mitchells-Blue,-Part-3&id=7867354
Here as I conclude the journey through the hills and valleys of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" we visit an old collapsed marriage and a doomed current love affair.
This Flight Tonight
This is the other song that Mitchell wrote for James Taylor. Taylor was filming "Two Lane Blacktop" in Tecumcari, New Mexico and Mitchell flew to be with him.
We don't like to think of our heroes and idols as having faults and dark sides but, like it or not, they do. Taylor had his ... and I'm not referring to his heroin addiction.
I'm speaking of the fact that Joni confided to those close to her that he was always judging her harshly, that his Dr. Jekyll was matched by a Mr. Hyde full of criticism.
The mixed feelings of love and hurt came out in this song where she's just visited her lover but regrets leaving him almost the moment the plane takes off. (Sample lyric: "You got the touch so gentle and sweet but you've got that look so critical. Now I can't talk to you baby. I get so weak").
River
Mitchell knew her own faults as well and she lists them in candid detail here. Among other things she made her "baby" cry, hard to handle, selfish, sad.
Not only that but she lost the best "baby" she ever had by making him say goodbye. (Sample lyric: "I wish I had a river so long. I would teach my feet to fly. Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on.)
A Case Of You
This song is proof that Joni Mitchell read Shakespeare.
The line "I am as constant as a Northern star" is directly lifted from Julius Caeser, III, 1: "But I am constant as the northern star, of whose true-fixed and resting quality there is no fellow in the firmament" where Caeser arrogantly refuses to restore the citizenship of a banished citizen.
Again, the bittersweet nature of her relationship with her lover is in full view, this time inspired (in part) by Leonard Cohen.
The "case" of the title is a cute little pun referring simultaneously to the course of an illness and to a quantity of wine bottles, that she could drink a "case" of her lover and still be standing. (Sample lyric: "On the back of a cartoon coaster in the blue TV screen light I drew a map of Canada, Oh, Canada, with your face sketched on it twice).
The Last Time I Saw Richard
The closing song on "Blue" possibly refers to her short-lived marriage to her first husband Chuck Mitchell. She acknowledged later that they had married for all the wrong reasons. They were also virtually penniless.
Shortly after they married Chuck, who knew about the baby Joni had given up for adoption only a month earlier, strongly suggested he didn't want to raise another man's child, adding to the distance between them.
Then one night, after a particularly volatile fight that ended with Chuck acknowledging he turned the future star over his knee and spanked her, Joni decided she'd had enough and enlisted a perfect stranger she met at a poker game to help her move half of their possessions out of their apartment.
When he found out Chuck changed the locks. Next stop for Joni: New York. (Sample lyric: "Only a dark cocoon before I get my gorgeous wings and fly away, only a phase, these dark cafe days").
As I've lamented on many an occasion, it's regrettable that such unpleasant memories are often translated into such outstanding art. The good news was that Joni Mitchell's "Blue" was as exquisite as its subject matter was painful.
If you like Joni Mitchell's "Blue" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Candid-Stories-Behind-Joni-Mitchells-Blue,-Part-3&id=7867354
Thursday, July 18, 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: The Candid Stories Behind Joni Mitchell's "Blue", Part 2
by Garrett Sawyer
In "Blue" Joni Mitchell captured with unusual candor the cul-de-sac that life had caught her in. She would describe this period herself as an emotional descent into depression where everything in her life was questioned.
Carey
In "All I Want" Mitchell sang incessantly about traveling. Here is one of her destinations.
On the Greek island of Crete in the cave-dwelling village of Matala she met a chef with bright red hair by the name of Cary Raditz. His restaurant, Kytama/Waves, is the Mermaid Cafe referred to in the second verse.
When Mitchell and a girlfriend met him he was working at a restaurant named Delphini and for an introduction the Indian-turbaned Raditz promptly lit a gas stove, which exploded, singeing half of the hair off of his beard and legs, melting his earring and scorching his turban. Guys, don't try this at home.
Joni actually moved into Cary's cave, staying for five weeks and gaining weight because of his cooking. And, yes, he really did use a cane to walk. The best that can be said for him is that he brightened her mood.
The worst is that he really was a "mean old daddy" who later recalled that he wouldn't have wanted to be with someone like himself. (Sample lyric: "My fingernails are filthy, I got beach tar on my feet, and I miss my clean white linen and my fancy French cologne").
Blue
Mitchell had broken up with Graham Nash and started a close relationship with James Taylor. She was convinced she had found her soul-mate; Taylor eventually left her heartbroken.
Though she never names him the song makes multiple allusions to him, such as "needles" and "underneath the skin". (Sample lyric: "Everybody's saying that hell's the hippest way to go. Well I don't think so but I'm gonna take a look around it though. Blue, I love you").
California
She missed the Golden State so she wrote this song. If you listened to "Carey" carefully you'll recognize Cary Raditz in the second verse as the redneck rogue on the Greek Isle who could cook omelets and stews, gave her back her smile, and took her camera and sold it.
But it's a song that's also filled with disillusionment where even in the idyllic Paris the news about the war (i.e. Vietnam) is bad.
She also can't get away from her fame, even in the most out-of-the-way corners of Spain. (Sample lyric: They won't give peace a chance. That was just a dream some of us had").
The only thing that matched the honesty that Joni Mitchell put into "Blue" was the beauty of the vividly detailed imagery she used to express it. Look at the sample lyrics above to see how it ought to be done.
If you like Joni Mitchell's "Blue" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Candid-Stories-Behind-Joni-Mitchells-Blue,-Part-2&id=7867301
In "Blue" Joni Mitchell captured with unusual candor the cul-de-sac that life had caught her in. She would describe this period herself as an emotional descent into depression where everything in her life was questioned.
Carey
In "All I Want" Mitchell sang incessantly about traveling. Here is one of her destinations.
On the Greek island of Crete in the cave-dwelling village of Matala she met a chef with bright red hair by the name of Cary Raditz. His restaurant, Kytama/Waves, is the Mermaid Cafe referred to in the second verse.
When Mitchell and a girlfriend met him he was working at a restaurant named Delphini and for an introduction the Indian-turbaned Raditz promptly lit a gas stove, which exploded, singeing half of the hair off of his beard and legs, melting his earring and scorching his turban. Guys, don't try this at home.
Joni actually moved into Cary's cave, staying for five weeks and gaining weight because of his cooking. And, yes, he really did use a cane to walk. The best that can be said for him is that he brightened her mood.
The worst is that he really was a "mean old daddy" who later recalled that he wouldn't have wanted to be with someone like himself. (Sample lyric: "My fingernails are filthy, I got beach tar on my feet, and I miss my clean white linen and my fancy French cologne").
Blue
Mitchell had broken up with Graham Nash and started a close relationship with James Taylor. She was convinced she had found her soul-mate; Taylor eventually left her heartbroken.
Though she never names him the song makes multiple allusions to him, such as "needles" and "underneath the skin". (Sample lyric: "Everybody's saying that hell's the hippest way to go. Well I don't think so but I'm gonna take a look around it though. Blue, I love you").
California
She missed the Golden State so she wrote this song. If you listened to "Carey" carefully you'll recognize Cary Raditz in the second verse as the redneck rogue on the Greek Isle who could cook omelets and stews, gave her back her smile, and took her camera and sold it.
But it's a song that's also filled with disillusionment where even in the idyllic Paris the news about the war (i.e. Vietnam) is bad.
She also can't get away from her fame, even in the most out-of-the-way corners of Spain. (Sample lyric: They won't give peace a chance. That was just a dream some of us had").
The only thing that matched the honesty that Joni Mitchell put into "Blue" was the beauty of the vividly detailed imagery she used to express it. Look at the sample lyrics above to see how it ought to be done.
If you like Joni Mitchell's "Blue" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Candid-Stories-Behind-Joni-Mitchells-Blue,-Part-2&id=7867301
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: The Candid Stories Behind Joni Mitchell's "Blue", Part 1
by Garrett Sawyer
Among songwriters who would win the prize for brutal honesty? Obviously, there's no way to quantify so it's impossible to rank them all but if you made a list of the most candid works Joni Mitchell would certainly earn a place for her painfully frank album "Blue".
Without a doubt Mitchell was at her most vulnerable, describing herself as having no personal defenses while comparing herself to a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes.
All I Want
On the one hand there's autonomy and on the other hand there's the dependency and partial loss of identity created by love. In this song she balances the two. She wants love to bring out the best in herself and in her lover but can't escape the fact that love is a package deal.
Once love was an adventure but now she knows it has its downside. And she's on a journey looking for the solution but doesn't know where to find it. (Sample lyric: "I love you when I forget about me").
My Old Man
You have to remember that while utterly commonplace now the very mention of "cohabitation" in the late 60's and early 70's was enough then to cause raised eyebrows, if not low-level scandal.
To legitimize the phenomenon Mitchell wrote this song about her housemate Graham Nash to put a gentle frame around it, tongue ever-so-slightly in cheek. (Sample lyric: "But when he's gone me and them lonesome blues collide. The bed's too big. The frying pan's too wide").
Little Green
This is the song Mitchell had held back releasing for so long. Keep in mind that she had given birth to a baby girl out-of-wedlock in 1965 when she was just a poor folk singer in Toronto. The baby's father was Brad MacMath, another first year art classmate.
She gave the baby up for adoption due to her own poverty. Years later when she became famous the existence of the child was unknown to the public and would remain that way until 1993 when the story of the pregnancy was sold to a tabloid.
The daughter, originally named Kelly Dale Anderson, was renamed Kilauren by her adoptive parents David and Ida Gibb. Mother and daughter were finally reunited in 1997. To say that the birth of this child had an effect on Mitchell and her musical career is an understatement.
This confessional song is the cornerstone of the album but was written so obliquely that listeners didn't really understand its true meaning, "Little Green" being Joni's nickname for her baby girl Kelly (as in the color green).
It alternates between explanation, farewell and grief to the daughter she felt she had no choice but to say goodbye to. (Sample lyric: Little green, be a gypsy dancer ... little green, have a happy ending").
If writing about the heartbreak of giving up a child for adoption isn't baring your soul I'm not sure what is. Joni Mitchell had no reason to assume she'd ever see or hear of this child again, channeling her anguish into her masterwork, "Blue" instead.
If you like Joni Mitchell's "Blue" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE. Download your free song at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Candid-Stories-Behind-Joni-Mitchells-Blue,-Part-1&id=7865534
Among songwriters who would win the prize for brutal honesty? Obviously, there's no way to quantify so it's impossible to rank them all but if you made a list of the most candid works Joni Mitchell would certainly earn a place for her painfully frank album "Blue".
Without a doubt Mitchell was at her most vulnerable, describing herself as having no personal defenses while comparing herself to a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes.
All I Want
On the one hand there's autonomy and on the other hand there's the dependency and partial loss of identity created by love. In this song she balances the two. She wants love to bring out the best in herself and in her lover but can't escape the fact that love is a package deal.
Once love was an adventure but now she knows it has its downside. And she's on a journey looking for the solution but doesn't know where to find it. (Sample lyric: "I love you when I forget about me").
My Old Man
You have to remember that while utterly commonplace now the very mention of "cohabitation" in the late 60's and early 70's was enough then to cause raised eyebrows, if not low-level scandal.
To legitimize the phenomenon Mitchell wrote this song about her housemate Graham Nash to put a gentle frame around it, tongue ever-so-slightly in cheek. (Sample lyric: "But when he's gone me and them lonesome blues collide. The bed's too big. The frying pan's too wide").
Little Green
This is the song Mitchell had held back releasing for so long. Keep in mind that she had given birth to a baby girl out-of-wedlock in 1965 when she was just a poor folk singer in Toronto. The baby's father was Brad MacMath, another first year art classmate.
She gave the baby up for adoption due to her own poverty. Years later when she became famous the existence of the child was unknown to the public and would remain that way until 1993 when the story of the pregnancy was sold to a tabloid.
The daughter, originally named Kelly Dale Anderson, was renamed Kilauren by her adoptive parents David and Ida Gibb. Mother and daughter were finally reunited in 1997. To say that the birth of this child had an effect on Mitchell and her musical career is an understatement.
This confessional song is the cornerstone of the album but was written so obliquely that listeners didn't really understand its true meaning, "Little Green" being Joni's nickname for her baby girl Kelly (as in the color green).
It alternates between explanation, farewell and grief to the daughter she felt she had no choice but to say goodbye to. (Sample lyric: Little green, be a gypsy dancer ... little green, have a happy ending").
If writing about the heartbreak of giving up a child for adoption isn't baring your soul I'm not sure what is. Joni Mitchell had no reason to assume she'd ever see or hear of this child again, channeling her anguish into her masterwork, "Blue" instead.
If you like Joni Mitchell's "Blue" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE. Download your free song at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Candid-Stories-Behind-Joni-Mitchells-Blue,-Part-1&id=7865534
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
It’s the Time of the Season for the Zombies
by The Music Court: http://musiccourtblog.com/2013/07/15/its-the-time-of-the-season-for-the-zombies/
It’s not everyday that you can see a couple of British music legends play a free concert at Ellsworth W. Allen Town Park in Farmingdale, New York, but, thanks to the generosity of the Town of Oyster Bay and sponsors, last Wednesday presented this rare opportunity as part of the Music Under the Stars concert series - a neat calendar of free summer concerts in Town of Oyster Bay parks.
I had seen Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, and the reformed Zombies once before at a Hippiefest several years ago, and I remember thinking just how cool it was that I was able to see the creators of the infectious, somewhat unsettling (in a good way), 60′s Summer of Love call-and-response classic “Time of the Season.”
In the years that have passed since that performance, the members of the Zombies, defiant of their band name, continue to perform jubilant shows that delicately mix a wide diversity of material and humorous, intelligible conversation with the crowd.
As my mother said during the show, you almost feel like you are in the living room of one of their homes listening to a private performance among friends.
Now on the heels of the Zombies’ 2011 album Breathe Out, Breathe In, the band continues to perform with a high level of passion and energy. It was not difficult to recognize the band’s sincere love, respect, and knowledge of music.
Played to a relaxed crowd of Long Islanders under a hazy blue sky, the concert featured a diverse trip through the Zombies’ brand of psychedelic pop/rock.
The band - which also consists of Tom Toomey, and Jim and Steve Rodford - was crisp all evening, and Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone demonstrated their overwhelming talent. As unique and strong Colin Blunstone’s voice is, Rod Argent’s keen keyboard stylings match it.
As the night drew to a close and the fireflies provided white sparkles that flashed like cameras painted against the masked, aphotic sky, the Zombies played an energized version of the Argent classic, “Hold Your Head Up,” and their classic “She’s Not There.”
For a finale, the band aptly played a pleasant cover of Gershwin’s “Summertime” to a well-deserved standing ovation. Great end to a great summertime evening.
It’s not everyday that you can see a couple of British music legends play a free concert at Ellsworth W. Allen Town Park in Farmingdale, New York, but, thanks to the generosity of the Town of Oyster Bay and sponsors, last Wednesday presented this rare opportunity as part of the Music Under the Stars concert series - a neat calendar of free summer concerts in Town of Oyster Bay parks.
I had seen Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, and the reformed Zombies once before at a Hippiefest several years ago, and I remember thinking just how cool it was that I was able to see the creators of the infectious, somewhat unsettling (in a good way), 60′s Summer of Love call-and-response classic “Time of the Season.”
In the years that have passed since that performance, the members of the Zombies, defiant of their band name, continue to perform jubilant shows that delicately mix a wide diversity of material and humorous, intelligible conversation with the crowd.
As my mother said during the show, you almost feel like you are in the living room of one of their homes listening to a private performance among friends.
Now on the heels of the Zombies’ 2011 album Breathe Out, Breathe In, the band continues to perform with a high level of passion and energy. It was not difficult to recognize the band’s sincere love, respect, and knowledge of music.
Played to a relaxed crowd of Long Islanders under a hazy blue sky, the concert featured a diverse trip through the Zombies’ brand of psychedelic pop/rock.
The band - which also consists of Tom Toomey, and Jim and Steve Rodford - was crisp all evening, and Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone demonstrated their overwhelming talent. As unique and strong Colin Blunstone’s voice is, Rod Argent’s keen keyboard stylings match it.
As the night drew to a close and the fireflies provided white sparkles that flashed like cameras painted against the masked, aphotic sky, the Zombies played an energized version of the Argent classic, “Hold Your Head Up,” and their classic “She’s Not There.”
For a finale, the band aptly played a pleasant cover of Gershwin’s “Summertime” to a well-deserved standing ovation. Great end to a great summertime evening.
Monday, July 15, 2013
VIDEO: Eric Burdon & War: Tobacco Road (Live, 1970)
by magusmagic13
Archive footage from German TV of Eric Burdon & War performing 'Tobacco Road' (1970).
Eric Burdon - vocals
Lonnie Jordan - organ/piano/percussion
Charles Miller - flute/sax/percussion
Howard Scott - guitar
Lee Oskar - harmonica
BB Dickerson - bass
(Papa) Dee Allen - bongos/congas/percussion
Harold Brown - drums/percussion
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
VIDEO: Santana - Soul Sacrifice 1969 "Woodstock"
by NEA ZIXNH
Santana - Soul Sacrifice (Album 1969) Woodstock Music Festival 1969, New York USA
Carlos Santana - Guitar
Gregg Rolie - Keyboards, Organ
David Brown - Bass
Michael Shrieve - Drums
Michael Carabello - Percussion, Congas
Jose Areas - Percussion, Congas
Santana - Soul Sacrifice (Album 1969) Woodstock Music Festival 1969, New York USA
Carlos Santana - Guitar
Gregg Rolie - Keyboards, Organ
David Brown - Bass
Michael Shrieve - Drums
Michael Carabello - Percussion, Congas
Jose Areas - Percussion, Congas
Friday, July 12, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The Best John Lennon Songs That Never Made The Charts, Part 3
by Garrett Sawyer
John Lennon's death at the tender age of 40 cut short what was easily one of the greatest careers of the rock era. Here are some of the best John Lennon songs that never made it to the Billboard top 40, from "Walls and Bridges" and "Double Fantasy"
1) "Steel and Glass"
If "How Do You Sleep?" was a musical dart thrown at McCartney "Steel and Glass" was the next one, this one thrown at Allen Klein. For years Klein had taken over the management responsibilities of the Beatles at Apple Corps until their 1970 breakup.
He had also helped George Harrison organize the Concert for Bangladesh. Unfortunately, Klein made the mistake of siding with Harrison, who believed that Yoko shouldn't perform and that Lennon should perform without her.
By 1974 their relationship had soured enough that Lennon believed Klein had turned against him and penned this song as a result.
When Lennon sang, "Your mother left you when you were small, but you're gonna wish you were never born at all." he was factually accurate (Klein's mother died before his first birthday) but a bit over the top, even if true.
2) "I'm Losing You"
We've all had it happen that we're trying to reach somebody on the phone but can't. It happened to Lennon when he was in Bermuda and tried to call Yoko. Just like the rest of us he got annoyed. Only Lennon, however, can turn it into a terrific song while the rest of us just stew in our juices.
But it's pertinent that the incident was also metaphorical for many of the troubles he'd had with Yoko previously, specifically his "lost weekend" separation from her that lasted eighteen months. It referred to other losses, too, such as the loss of his mother.
And when he belts out, "I remind you of all that bad stuff, So what the hell am I supposed to do? Just put a bandaid on it?" his delivery is absolutely perfect.
3) "Beautiful Boy"
You couldn't ask for a more exquisite lullaby than this, complete with a tropical arrangement. Yet even in this tribute to his son, Sean, Lennon has a pun or two up his sleeve.
When he sings "Every day, in every way, it's getting better and better" he's harkening back to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the song "Getting Better".
Lennon's contribution to the earlier song was a tart comical "it can't get no worse" but here he's sincere, not a trace of sarcasm in sight.
The line also refers to French psychologist Emile Coue, who instructed his patients to repeat this statement regularly as a mantra for therapeutic reasons. (Sample lyric: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.")
I hope you enjoyed this retrospective of John Lennon's solo work. If you're anything like me it must break your heart to think of what Lennon would have been able to create had he lived the normal, healthy life span he so richly deserved.
If you like John Lennon's songs then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-John-Lennon-Songs-That-Never-Made-The-Charts,-Part-3&id=7848232
John Lennon's death at the tender age of 40 cut short what was easily one of the greatest careers of the rock era. Here are some of the best John Lennon songs that never made it to the Billboard top 40, from "Walls and Bridges" and "Double Fantasy"
1) "Steel and Glass"
If "How Do You Sleep?" was a musical dart thrown at McCartney "Steel and Glass" was the next one, this one thrown at Allen Klein. For years Klein had taken over the management responsibilities of the Beatles at Apple Corps until their 1970 breakup.
He had also helped George Harrison organize the Concert for Bangladesh. Unfortunately, Klein made the mistake of siding with Harrison, who believed that Yoko shouldn't perform and that Lennon should perform without her.
By 1974 their relationship had soured enough that Lennon believed Klein had turned against him and penned this song as a result.
When Lennon sang, "Your mother left you when you were small, but you're gonna wish you were never born at all." he was factually accurate (Klein's mother died before his first birthday) but a bit over the top, even if true.
2) "I'm Losing You"
We've all had it happen that we're trying to reach somebody on the phone but can't. It happened to Lennon when he was in Bermuda and tried to call Yoko. Just like the rest of us he got annoyed. Only Lennon, however, can turn it into a terrific song while the rest of us just stew in our juices.
But it's pertinent that the incident was also metaphorical for many of the troubles he'd had with Yoko previously, specifically his "lost weekend" separation from her that lasted eighteen months. It referred to other losses, too, such as the loss of his mother.
And when he belts out, "I remind you of all that bad stuff, So what the hell am I supposed to do? Just put a bandaid on it?" his delivery is absolutely perfect.
3) "Beautiful Boy"
You couldn't ask for a more exquisite lullaby than this, complete with a tropical arrangement. Yet even in this tribute to his son, Sean, Lennon has a pun or two up his sleeve.
When he sings "Every day, in every way, it's getting better and better" he's harkening back to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the song "Getting Better".
Lennon's contribution to the earlier song was a tart comical "it can't get no worse" but here he's sincere, not a trace of sarcasm in sight.
The line also refers to French psychologist Emile Coue, who instructed his patients to repeat this statement regularly as a mantra for therapeutic reasons. (Sample lyric: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.")
I hope you enjoyed this retrospective of John Lennon's solo work. If you're anything like me it must break your heart to think of what Lennon would have been able to create had he lived the normal, healthy life span he so richly deserved.
If you like John Lennon's songs then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-John-Lennon-Songs-That-Never-Made-The-Charts,-Part-3&id=7848232
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Best John Lennon Songs That Never Made The Charts, Part 2
by Garrett Sawyer
John Lennon's first two solo albums were back-to-back masterpieces: "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine". Here are more of the best John Lennon songs that didn't make it to the Billboard top 40:
1) "God"
This song was a composite. Lennon told Rolling Stone how he put it together "from three songs, almost". Musically it was arranged like "Mother", except with Billy Preston added on piano.
He starts by expressing his view of God as a measurement of pain, explaining to Rolling Stone that when he wrote the line he felt like he had been crucified, "So, I know what they're talking about now."
The second part rolls into a litany of people and things that Lennon didn't believe in. When he wrote the song the first few just rolled out.
He later joked that it had become like a shopping list, even considering adding a line with a blank so that the listener could fill in whoever they didn't believe in.
He finally ended with "Beatles", as if we needed to be reminded of the finality with which the Beatles had broken up. (Sample Lyric: "The dream is over. What can I say?").
2) "Gimme Some Truth"
Here's John Lennon's catalogue of disasters. In verse after verse he lists all of the people he can't stand, slaps them all around a lot and ends each entry with "All I want is the truth. Just gimme some truth."
Among the targets of Lennon's acid pen were hypocrites, politicians, chauvinists, and primma donnas all lovingly blasted to bits. In the refrain he takes aim directly at Richard Nixon, whose "tricky dicky" nickname had been a standard for years.
Unnamed in the song (but one of its biggest inspirations) was Lennon's frustration with the cover-up of the My Lai massacre. Thus, when he demands the truth you know what he's talking about.
This was another quasi-Beatle effort, with George Harrison playing lead electric guitar. (Sample Lyric: "I'm sick to death of seeing things from tight-lipped, condescending, mamas little chauvinists").
3) "How Do You Sleep?"
The good news for Paul McCartney was that he wasn't featured in "Gimme Some Truth". The bad news is that he was featured in this one. When McCartney released "Ram" the leadoff song "Too Many People" took a couple of swipes at Lennon. Lennon promptly returned the favor.
The innumerable references and put downs are unmistakable. Lennon even started the song with a low cacophony of voices similar to those found at the beginning of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and begins singing the words "So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise ... ".
Again, George Harrison played lead slide guitar. We can only speculate how much pleasure he took in doing so. (Sample Lyric: "The sound you make is muzak to my ears. You must have learned something in all those years").
In my final segment I'll finish with more of the best John Lennon songs from the last part of his solo career that never made it to the charts.
If you like John Lennon's songs then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-John-Lennon-Songs-That-Never-Made-The-Charts,-Part-2&id=7848206
John Lennon's first two solo albums were back-to-back masterpieces: "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine". Here are more of the best John Lennon songs that didn't make it to the Billboard top 40:
1) "God"
This song was a composite. Lennon told Rolling Stone how he put it together "from three songs, almost". Musically it was arranged like "Mother", except with Billy Preston added on piano.
He starts by expressing his view of God as a measurement of pain, explaining to Rolling Stone that when he wrote the line he felt like he had been crucified, "So, I know what they're talking about now."
The second part rolls into a litany of people and things that Lennon didn't believe in. When he wrote the song the first few just rolled out.
He later joked that it had become like a shopping list, even considering adding a line with a blank so that the listener could fill in whoever they didn't believe in.
He finally ended with "Beatles", as if we needed to be reminded of the finality with which the Beatles had broken up. (Sample Lyric: "The dream is over. What can I say?").
2) "Gimme Some Truth"
Here's John Lennon's catalogue of disasters. In verse after verse he lists all of the people he can't stand, slaps them all around a lot and ends each entry with "All I want is the truth. Just gimme some truth."
Among the targets of Lennon's acid pen were hypocrites, politicians, chauvinists, and primma donnas all lovingly blasted to bits. In the refrain he takes aim directly at Richard Nixon, whose "tricky dicky" nickname had been a standard for years.
Unnamed in the song (but one of its biggest inspirations) was Lennon's frustration with the cover-up of the My Lai massacre. Thus, when he demands the truth you know what he's talking about.
This was another quasi-Beatle effort, with George Harrison playing lead electric guitar. (Sample Lyric: "I'm sick to death of seeing things from tight-lipped, condescending, mamas little chauvinists").
3) "How Do You Sleep?"
The good news for Paul McCartney was that he wasn't featured in "Gimme Some Truth". The bad news is that he was featured in this one. When McCartney released "Ram" the leadoff song "Too Many People" took a couple of swipes at Lennon. Lennon promptly returned the favor.
The innumerable references and put downs are unmistakable. Lennon even started the song with a low cacophony of voices similar to those found at the beginning of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and begins singing the words "So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise ... ".
Again, George Harrison played lead slide guitar. We can only speculate how much pleasure he took in doing so. (Sample Lyric: "The sound you make is muzak to my ears. You must have learned something in all those years").
In my final segment I'll finish with more of the best John Lennon songs from the last part of his solo career that never made it to the charts.
If you like John Lennon's songs then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free mp3 at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-John-Lennon-Songs-That-Never-Made-The-Charts,-Part-2&id=7848206
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Best John Lennon Songs That Never Made The Charts, Part 1
by Garrett Sawyer
John Lennon wasn't just a prominent figure in the world of rock and roll. He was rock and roll. Only Elvis could be said to be more dominant than the Beatles.
As a solo artist Lennon was unique, producing a string of chart hits. But even some of his lesser songs are powerful and memorable.
Here's my personal version of the best John Lennon songs from the early part of his solo career that never made it to Billboard's top 40.
1) "Mother"
This was the leadoff track from his first true solo album "Plastic Ono Band" and the song that he intended to be a single (it never made it).
He and Yoko were undergoing Primal Scream with Dr. Arthur Janov at the time; Lennon was dealing with the breakup of the Beatles and the death of his mother, who was run over by an off-duty police officer named Eric Clague when he was only 17.
Lennon started the song with a church bell which he had slowed down in order to make it sound more ominous. The instrumentation was simple and sparse: Lennon on piano, Klaus Voorman on Bass and Ringo on drums.
Lennon simply played the chords, letting the harmonics of the piano notes do the rest to fill the spaces in the measures.
The lyrics are raw: personal loss at full volume, his mother to death and his father to work (he was a seaman). In the end he repeats over and over again "Mama, don't go! Daddy, come home!" rising with each repetition to a childlike scream.
Lennon added the screams after the rest of the vocals were finished. He kept trying this night after night. The results were double-tracked, reverbed and echoed to achieve the final shattering result (Sample Lyric: "Children, don't do what I have done. I couldn't walk so I tried to run").
2) "Working Class Hero"
This song was a bit of a misnomer because Lennon, for whatever personal heartaches he suffered, was actually raised middle class. You'd never know that from listening to this song, however, because he nails it perfectly.
This just goes to show you how far you can go with just your voice, a single acoustic guitar and a truckload of real talent. Lennon strums and sings a vivid picture of growing up scared, abused and confused.
As Lennon himself told Rolling Stone "I think it's for the people like me who are working class - whatever, upper or lower - who are supposed to be processed into the middle classes, through the machinery, that's all. It's my experience, and I hope it's just a warning to people" (Sample lyric: "As soon as you're born they make you feel small by giving you no time instead of it all").
In my next segment I'll continue with more of the best John Lennon songs from the early part of his solo career. If you haven't heard these by now you've got a treat in store.
If you like John Lennon's songs then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE. Download your free song at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-John-Lennon-Songs-That-Never-Made-The-Charts,-Part-1&id=7841432
John Lennon wasn't just a prominent figure in the world of rock and roll. He was rock and roll. Only Elvis could be said to be more dominant than the Beatles.
As a solo artist Lennon was unique, producing a string of chart hits. But even some of his lesser songs are powerful and memorable.
Here's my personal version of the best John Lennon songs from the early part of his solo career that never made it to Billboard's top 40.
1) "Mother"
This was the leadoff track from his first true solo album "Plastic Ono Band" and the song that he intended to be a single (it never made it).
He and Yoko were undergoing Primal Scream with Dr. Arthur Janov at the time; Lennon was dealing with the breakup of the Beatles and the death of his mother, who was run over by an off-duty police officer named Eric Clague when he was only 17.
Lennon started the song with a church bell which he had slowed down in order to make it sound more ominous. The instrumentation was simple and sparse: Lennon on piano, Klaus Voorman on Bass and Ringo on drums.
Lennon simply played the chords, letting the harmonics of the piano notes do the rest to fill the spaces in the measures.
The lyrics are raw: personal loss at full volume, his mother to death and his father to work (he was a seaman). In the end he repeats over and over again "Mama, don't go! Daddy, come home!" rising with each repetition to a childlike scream.
Lennon added the screams after the rest of the vocals were finished. He kept trying this night after night. The results were double-tracked, reverbed and echoed to achieve the final shattering result (Sample Lyric: "Children, don't do what I have done. I couldn't walk so I tried to run").
2) "Working Class Hero"
This song was a bit of a misnomer because Lennon, for whatever personal heartaches he suffered, was actually raised middle class. You'd never know that from listening to this song, however, because he nails it perfectly.
This just goes to show you how far you can go with just your voice, a single acoustic guitar and a truckload of real talent. Lennon strums and sings a vivid picture of growing up scared, abused and confused.
As Lennon himself told Rolling Stone "I think it's for the people like me who are working class - whatever, upper or lower - who are supposed to be processed into the middle classes, through the machinery, that's all. It's my experience, and I hope it's just a warning to people" (Sample lyric: "As soon as you're born they make you feel small by giving you no time instead of it all").
In my next segment I'll continue with more of the best John Lennon songs from the early part of his solo career. If you haven't heard these by now you've got a treat in store.
If you like John Lennon's songs then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE. Download your free song at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-John-Lennon-Songs-That-Never-Made-The-Charts,-Part-1&id=7841432
Monday, July 8, 2013
Q3 on Record: Love, Hendrix, Blind Faith
by , Psychedelic Sight: http://psychedelicsight.com/record-roundup-q3-13/
Love, Jimi Hendrix, Blind Faith and Yes are among the psychedelic-era artists with albums ready for resurrection in the third quarter of 2013.
The vinyl revivalists will continue to pack the shelves of your favorite indie record store with psychedelic classics. Other formats in this record roundup include hybrid SACDs, CDs and MP3s.
Love’s “Da Capo” makes its debut on hybrid SACD on July 30, via Mobile Fidelity. It’s billed as direct from the original master tapes, as was Sundazed’s vinyl release. “Da Capo” has many fans, despite its split personality:
Side 1 is the run-up to the band’s classic “Forever Changes,” with six breathtaking psychedelic classics that incorporate rock, Latin rhythms, jazz and classical.
Side 2, notoriously, is surrendered to a 19-minute jam, one that has done a good bit of damage to the otherwise brilliant album’s rep (for many Love fans, “Da Capo” is more or less an EP).
The “hit” is the fast and furious “Seven & Seven Is,” quite possibly the most explosive 2 1/2 minutes in ’60s rock, its speed rush ended by an atomic blast. “Da Capo” ranks No. 37 on Psychedelic Sight’s list of the top 50 psychedelic albums.
The release raises hopes of an SACD release of “Forever Changes,” which has seen seemingly endless reissues on CD and vinyl. (Warner Music Japan has just rereleased the album on CD with “2013 digital remastering.”)
Love frontman Arthur Lee’s “Black Beauty” recently resurfaced on 180 gram vinyl, also in a numbered limited edition. The album, credited to a 1973 version of Love, was produced by Paul Rothchild, who also oversaw “Da Capo.”
The
“official bootleg” of Hendrix’s “Live in Cologne” debuts July 9 on CD.
It chronicles the Experience’s January 1969 performance at the
Sporthalle center in Germany.
“The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Cologne” was sourced from a mono audience recording, and long has been available as a bootleg.
“This recording is not without various technical flaws and sonic limitations,” warns Dagger Records, which is owned by the Hendrix family.
The vinyl version debuted in November via Dagger as the 12th in its series of live and bootlegged recordings.
The Experience featured Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, the classic lineup that would last only another six months.
In addition to the regular Experience set - “Fire,” “Foxey Lady,” “Hey Joe” and so on - the show included the New Orleans rocker “Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)” and a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.”
Blind
Faith’s debut album, in fact its only album, is back on vinyl in a
double-disc import edition released July 2.
The set features the original U.K. cover - the artsy-strange one with a naked pre-teen girl. In the U.S., the blah LP cover had Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood and the rest of the band posing.
The second Blind Faith disc offers five bonus tracks, including an electric take on “Can’t Find My Way Home” and two versions of the unreleased “Sleeping in the Ground.” There’s also an “acoustic jam.”
Most of those tracks can be found on Universal’s Deluxe Edition CD of 2001, but apparently this marks their debut on vinyl.
Steppenwolf’s debut album finally made it to market on 200 gram vinyl after numerous delays; the hybrid SACD version reportedly comes out Aug. 6 from Analogue Productions.
For all its ubiquity in the late 1960s, “Steppenwolf” has been scarce in recent years, with the last domestic CD version released 23 years ago.
Cohearent Audio did the new “Steppenwolf” mastering, always good news. The LP’s psychedelic classics include “Magic Carpet Ride” and “The Pusher.”
On the space jazz front, Weather Report’s “Mysterious Traveller” streaks back to Earth via 180 gram vinyl on July 24. It’s the closest thing to a psychedelic album made by the pioneering jazz fusion outfit, opening with Josef Zawinul’s stunning “Nubian Sundance.”
The long-awaited hybrid SACD of Vangelis’ “Blade Runner,” the electronic music soundtrack - simultaneously creepy and chill - comes out July 10 from Audio Fidelity.
An hour’s worth of music with classic dialog mixed in. Cohearent Audio did the remastering (a red vinyl version just came out).
Also from the astral plane comes “In a Silent Way,” the 1969 Miles Davis record with John McLaughlin that paved the way for “Bitches Brew.” It was Davis’ initial response to the electronic psychedelic music of the day.
“Silent Way” is due on 180 gram vinyl (numbered, limited) July 10 via Mobile Fidelity (if the new 180 gram “Milestones” is an indicator, expect stunning sonics).
Yes revisits “Yesterdays,” the compilation album mined from the prog rockers’ first two albums and led off by the band’s brilliant take on “America.” It’s set for July 30 as part of Friday Music’s 180 gram vinyl series of Yes albums.
Yes man Rick Wakefield went solo in 1973 with the ambitious “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” the concept album not surprisingly finding its biggest success in the U.K. Plastic Head brings the double-album set back to vinyl Aug. 6.
King Crimson’s “Red” is due July 16 on 200 gram vinyl, from Discipline Global Mobile. The 1974 album includes the 12-minute debut of “Starless.”
“Higher!” the Sly and the Family Stone box set from Sony Legacy, rolls in Aug. 27 in various formats, including 180 gram LPs.
“Nearly one-fourth of the contents will be previously unissued material,” Legacy says. Stone’s psych-funk classic “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” has shipped on hybrid SACD from ORG Music.
“Blood, Sweat & Tears” was the first - and by far best - BS&T album, with Al Kooper at the controls. The album, a longtime audiophile favorite, has another go with a “gold CD” just out from Impex.
The adventurous album is in stark contrast to the radio-friendly BS&T material to come. Kooper, meanwhile, has the two-fer “Black Coffee/White Chocolate” set for Sept. 17.
Other psychedelically tinged releases of note:
Dead Meadow’s first album returns remixed/remastered on vinyl (Xemu Records, Sterling Sound), Aug. 6; Todd Rundgren’s “Hermit of Mink Hollow” on 180 gram (Friday Music), Aug. 20; “Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1972″ box set on vinyl (Rhino), Aug. 20; Nick Drake’s psych-folker “Five Leaves Left” in a new single LP version, Aug. 27; and the Beach Boys’ box set “Made in California” (many unreleased tracks), Aug. 27.
And the new albums: The Arctic Monkeys “AM” on Sept. 10; MGMT’s “MGMT” on Sept. 17; Yoko Ono’s “Take Me to the Land of Hell,” Sept. 17 (check the trippy advance track); Moby’s “Innocents” with guests including Wayne Coyne, Oct. 1 (all in multiple formats including vinyl).
Just out: John Mayall’s concept album “Bare Wires” with Mick Taylor, on 180-gram LP from Music on Vinyl. The 1968 album includes the trippy tracks “Fire,” “Look in the Mirror” and “Bare Wires.”
From the mysterious land of TBA we have:
Love, Jimi Hendrix, Blind Faith and Yes are among the psychedelic-era artists with albums ready for resurrection in the third quarter of 2013.
The vinyl revivalists will continue to pack the shelves of your favorite indie record store with psychedelic classics. Other formats in this record roundup include hybrid SACDs, CDs and MP3s.
Love’s “Da Capo” makes its debut on hybrid SACD on July 30, via Mobile Fidelity. It’s billed as direct from the original master tapes, as was Sundazed’s vinyl release. “Da Capo” has many fans, despite its split personality:
Side 1 is the run-up to the band’s classic “Forever Changes,” with six breathtaking psychedelic classics that incorporate rock, Latin rhythms, jazz and classical.
Side 2, notoriously, is surrendered to a 19-minute jam, one that has done a good bit of damage to the otherwise brilliant album’s rep (for many Love fans, “Da Capo” is more or less an EP).
The “hit” is the fast and furious “Seven & Seven Is,” quite possibly the most explosive 2 1/2 minutes in ’60s rock, its speed rush ended by an atomic blast. “Da Capo” ranks No. 37 on Psychedelic Sight’s list of the top 50 psychedelic albums.
The release raises hopes of an SACD release of “Forever Changes,” which has seen seemingly endless reissues on CD and vinyl. (Warner Music Japan has just rereleased the album on CD with “2013 digital remastering.”)
Love frontman Arthur Lee’s “Black Beauty” recently resurfaced on 180 gram vinyl, also in a numbered limited edition. The album, credited to a 1973 version of Love, was produced by Paul Rothchild, who also oversaw “Da Capo.”
The
“official bootleg” of Hendrix’s “Live in Cologne” debuts July 9 on CD.
It chronicles the Experience’s January 1969 performance at the
Sporthalle center in Germany.“The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Cologne” was sourced from a mono audience recording, and long has been available as a bootleg.
“This recording is not without various technical flaws and sonic limitations,” warns Dagger Records, which is owned by the Hendrix family.
The vinyl version debuted in November via Dagger as the 12th in its series of live and bootlegged recordings.
The Experience featured Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, the classic lineup that would last only another six months.
In addition to the regular Experience set - “Fire,” “Foxey Lady,” “Hey Joe” and so on - the show included the New Orleans rocker “Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)” and a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.”
The set features the original U.K. cover - the artsy-strange one with a naked pre-teen girl. In the U.S., the blah LP cover had Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood and the rest of the band posing.
The second Blind Faith disc offers five bonus tracks, including an electric take on “Can’t Find My Way Home” and two versions of the unreleased “Sleeping in the Ground.” There’s also an “acoustic jam.”
Most of those tracks can be found on Universal’s Deluxe Edition CD of 2001, but apparently this marks their debut on vinyl.
Steppenwolf’s debut album finally made it to market on 200 gram vinyl after numerous delays; the hybrid SACD version reportedly comes out Aug. 6 from Analogue Productions.
For all its ubiquity in the late 1960s, “Steppenwolf” has been scarce in recent years, with the last domestic CD version released 23 years ago.
Cohearent Audio did the new “Steppenwolf” mastering, always good news. The LP’s psychedelic classics include “Magic Carpet Ride” and “The Pusher.”
On the space jazz front, Weather Report’s “Mysterious Traveller” streaks back to Earth via 180 gram vinyl on July 24. It’s the closest thing to a psychedelic album made by the pioneering jazz fusion outfit, opening with Josef Zawinul’s stunning “Nubian Sundance.”
The long-awaited hybrid SACD of Vangelis’ “Blade Runner,” the electronic music soundtrack - simultaneously creepy and chill - comes out July 10 from Audio Fidelity.
An hour’s worth of music with classic dialog mixed in. Cohearent Audio did the remastering (a red vinyl version just came out).
Also from the astral plane comes “In a Silent Way,” the 1969 Miles Davis record with John McLaughlin that paved the way for “Bitches Brew.” It was Davis’ initial response to the electronic psychedelic music of the day.
“Silent Way” is due on 180 gram vinyl (numbered, limited) July 10 via Mobile Fidelity (if the new 180 gram “Milestones” is an indicator, expect stunning sonics).
Yes revisits “Yesterdays,” the compilation album mined from the prog rockers’ first two albums and led off by the band’s brilliant take on “America.” It’s set for July 30 as part of Friday Music’s 180 gram vinyl series of Yes albums.
Yes man Rick Wakefield went solo in 1973 with the ambitious “The Six Wives of Henry VIII,” the concept album not surprisingly finding its biggest success in the U.K. Plastic Head brings the double-album set back to vinyl Aug. 6.
King Crimson’s “Red” is due July 16 on 200 gram vinyl, from Discipline Global Mobile. The 1974 album includes the 12-minute debut of “Starless.”
“Higher!” the Sly and the Family Stone box set from Sony Legacy, rolls in Aug. 27 in various formats, including 180 gram LPs.
“Nearly one-fourth of the contents will be previously unissued material,” Legacy says. Stone’s psych-funk classic “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” has shipped on hybrid SACD from ORG Music.
“Blood, Sweat & Tears” was the first - and by far best - BS&T album, with Al Kooper at the controls. The album, a longtime audiophile favorite, has another go with a “gold CD” just out from Impex.
The adventurous album is in stark contrast to the radio-friendly BS&T material to come. Kooper, meanwhile, has the two-fer “Black Coffee/White Chocolate” set for Sept. 17.
Other psychedelically tinged releases of note:
Dead Meadow’s first album returns remixed/remastered on vinyl (Xemu Records, Sterling Sound), Aug. 6; Todd Rundgren’s “Hermit of Mink Hollow” on 180 gram (Friday Music), Aug. 20; “Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1972″ box set on vinyl (Rhino), Aug. 20; Nick Drake’s psych-folker “Five Leaves Left” in a new single LP version, Aug. 27; and the Beach Boys’ box set “Made in California” (many unreleased tracks), Aug. 27.
And the new albums: The Arctic Monkeys “AM” on Sept. 10; MGMT’s “MGMT” on Sept. 17; Yoko Ono’s “Take Me to the Land of Hell,” Sept. 17 (check the trippy advance track); Moby’s “Innocents” with guests including Wayne Coyne, Oct. 1 (all in multiple formats including vinyl).
Just out: John Mayall’s concept album “Bare Wires” with Mick Taylor, on 180-gram LP from Music on Vinyl. The 1968 album includes the trippy tracks “Fire,” “Look in the Mirror” and “Bare Wires.”
From the mysterious land of TBA we have:
- Roger Waters’ “Amused to Death” on a hybrid stereo SACD and 200 gram vinyl record (apparently delayed again).
- The Grateful Dead’s “From the Mars Hotel” with a 180-gram vinyl release (Mobile Fidelity). Numbered, limited and half-speed mastered.
- “Santana III” on vinyl from Mobile Fidelity.
- The first two Chicago Transit Authority albums, numbered and limited on hybrid stereo SACD, from Mobile Fidelity.
- “Highway 61 Revisited” on audiophile 45rpm discs, from Mobile Fidelity.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Rocky Road to Paul Simon's "Graceland"
by Garrett Sawyer
Paul Simon's landmark album "Graceland" sold 14,000,000 copies and earned the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. But the road to Graceland was anything but smooth.
Let's backtrack a bit to 1980. Simon had just released "One Trick Pony", both the movie and the soundtrack. Although the latter yielded a top ten hit with "Late in the Evening" the former was a flop at the box office, garnering decidedly mixed reviews.
Then there was the long-awaited Simon and Garfunkel reunion ... except it never happened. The legendary duo had reunited in the studio for the album Simon was working on.
But the same old interpersonal squabbles got in the way with the end result being that one day Simon unilaterally announced to Art Garfunkel that he had erased Garfunkel's vocal tracks and that he was going to be releasing the album solo after all.
"Hearts and Bones" came out in 1983 but failed to land a single song on Billboard's Top 40 chart for the first time since he flopped with Garfunkel as a fledgling folk-rock duo on "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." almost twenty years earlier.
I saw "Hearts and Bones" on "Ten Best of the Year" lists but that was probably scant consolation.
And finally there was his marriage to actress Carrie Fisher. It was his second marriage and lasted a grand total of one year, from 1983 to 1984. The title song from "Hearts and Bones" was written about their marital collapse ("One and one-half wandering Jews ...").
It was right around that time that Simon was reading one of the radio trade journals. This particular issue had an article on future trends in radio programming. One of the radio personnel interviewed actually said something like, "Well, we're not going to be playing people like Paul Simon anymore."
And Simon read that! He later said that you try to de-personalize such a statement. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, you can't de-personalize something like that beyond a certain point when they say it about you!
At that point, with a failed movie, a failed album, a failed marriage and a failed reunion under his belt (do you detect a pattern here?) Simon was understandably feeling something to the effect of, "Well, I might as well do whatever I want because it doesn't seem like anyone's going to care anyway."
With a fellow as talented as Simon you could almost guess what was going to happen next: it freed him of all expectation. So one day he was listening to a cassette a friend had given him of the Boyoyo Boys instrumental "Gumboots."
Simon later wrote lyrics for the song, which later was included in a new album that revitalized his career and helped put World Music on the map.
Vince Lombardi once said, "The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it."
I seriously doubt if Paul Simon ever played football but he sure showed what he was made of, coming back from multiple adversities to deliver what Rolling Stone would rank as one of the 100 best albums of all time.
If you like Paul Simon's "Graceland" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free song at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Rocky-Road-to-Paul-Simons-Graceland&id=7614377
Paul Simon's landmark album "Graceland" sold 14,000,000 copies and earned the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. But the road to Graceland was anything but smooth.
Let's backtrack a bit to 1980. Simon had just released "One Trick Pony", both the movie and the soundtrack. Although the latter yielded a top ten hit with "Late in the Evening" the former was a flop at the box office, garnering decidedly mixed reviews.
Then there was the long-awaited Simon and Garfunkel reunion ... except it never happened. The legendary duo had reunited in the studio for the album Simon was working on.
But the same old interpersonal squabbles got in the way with the end result being that one day Simon unilaterally announced to Art Garfunkel that he had erased Garfunkel's vocal tracks and that he was going to be releasing the album solo after all.
"Hearts and Bones" came out in 1983 but failed to land a single song on Billboard's Top 40 chart for the first time since he flopped with Garfunkel as a fledgling folk-rock duo on "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M." almost twenty years earlier.
I saw "Hearts and Bones" on "Ten Best of the Year" lists but that was probably scant consolation.
And finally there was his marriage to actress Carrie Fisher. It was his second marriage and lasted a grand total of one year, from 1983 to 1984. The title song from "Hearts and Bones" was written about their marital collapse ("One and one-half wandering Jews ...").
It was right around that time that Simon was reading one of the radio trade journals. This particular issue had an article on future trends in radio programming. One of the radio personnel interviewed actually said something like, "Well, we're not going to be playing people like Paul Simon anymore."
And Simon read that! He later said that you try to de-personalize such a statement. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, you can't de-personalize something like that beyond a certain point when they say it about you!
At that point, with a failed movie, a failed album, a failed marriage and a failed reunion under his belt (do you detect a pattern here?) Simon was understandably feeling something to the effect of, "Well, I might as well do whatever I want because it doesn't seem like anyone's going to care anyway."
With a fellow as talented as Simon you could almost guess what was going to happen next: it freed him of all expectation. So one day he was listening to a cassette a friend had given him of the Boyoyo Boys instrumental "Gumboots."
Simon later wrote lyrics for the song, which later was included in a new album that revitalized his career and helped put World Music on the map.
Vince Lombardi once said, "The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it."
I seriously doubt if Paul Simon ever played football but he sure showed what he was made of, coming back from multiple adversities to deliver what Rolling Stone would rank as one of the 100 best albums of all time.
If you like Paul Simon's "Graceland" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free song at: http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Rocky-Road-to-Paul-Simons-Graceland&id=7614377
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Classic Rock: Drum Evolution Through the Ages
by Michael Pickett
There's a vast difference between the sounds that Ringo Starr and Neil Peart gave their respective bands from behind the drum kit over the decades.
Beyond that, the technology to record and shape percussion sounds has transformed into something artists in the 60s and even 70s probably never could have envisioned.
Power-drumming is nothing new. Drummers have always liked to be loud, and the elder generation of Keith Moon and certainly John Bonham kept that tradition intact. But capturing the sounds of these diverse sounds of drummers was somewhat limited in the 60s.
Classic performances from Ringo, The Doors' John Densmore or Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones were often grabbed in a single take with a solitary overhead microphone.
Stereo wasn't a mandatory element just yet, and with a limit of perhaps four tracks to get an entire song laid down, acts had to actually perform with some proficiency in the studio.
Computers were still a Star Trek novelty and the ones that did exist filled entire rooms and labored to power the Apollo spacecraft.
By the 70s, bands like Pink Floyd and The Who were experimenting with stereo and even quadraphonic sound. As more recording tracks became available in studios, drummers might even get two or - at the outside - a whopping four tracks to capture the sounds of their instruments and performances.
Led Zeppelin's guitarist/producer, Jimmy Page started to experiment with distant miking of John Bonham's drumkit, and with songs like 'When the Levee Breaks', we got some of the most potent, crushing drum performances ever laid to tape.
But technology wasn't the only thing that was evolving. Drummers like Carl Palmer and Styx' John Panozzo were crafting weighty, almost orchestral drum parts for their bands.
Probably one of the standout drummers of this era - and even today - was Rush's Neil Peart. Immediately grabbing the recording world by storm with complex, adventurous drum parts that still capture the imagination almost 40 years later.
In the 80s, electronic percussion started to become the norm.
And while this afforded drummers a greater range of sounds and syncopation, record producers often took the invention to an unfortunate end, to the point where many drummers were actually never even recorded, but had a Roland drum machine or a Synclavier subsituting in their place.
While certain pop songs benfited from this new, digital evolution; many drummers were incensed that the art and craft of their place in a band had simply been eliminated by suit-and-tie record executives.
The 90s saw a knee-jerk reaction in the other direction as grunge took hold, and while phenomenal drummers like Nirvana's Dave Grohl brought the uber-drummer back to his throne, some of the drum sounds of the grunge-era records came off dated and derivative, though drummers like Grohl and others continued to advance the state-of-the-art.
With decades of tape in its archives, classic rock now catalogs an incredible variety and evolution of drummers, recording techniques and whether you're a Stewart Copland (The Police) fan, a head-banging Niko McBrain (Iron Maiden) loyalist or someone who would love to hear that Keith Moon/John Bonham drum battle in heaven, you have an incredible variety of drum sounds, performances and recording evolution to choose from in the annals of classic rock.
Craving the sound of classic rock? ... check out Pickett's free music at: http://www.m-overdrive.com/pickett.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Pickett
http://EzineArticles.com/?Classic-Rock:-Drum-Evolution-Through-the-Ages&id=7622870
There's a vast difference between the sounds that Ringo Starr and Neil Peart gave their respective bands from behind the drum kit over the decades.
Beyond that, the technology to record and shape percussion sounds has transformed into something artists in the 60s and even 70s probably never could have envisioned.
Power-drumming is nothing new. Drummers have always liked to be loud, and the elder generation of Keith Moon and certainly John Bonham kept that tradition intact. But capturing the sounds of these diverse sounds of drummers was somewhat limited in the 60s.
Classic performances from Ringo, The Doors' John Densmore or Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones were often grabbed in a single take with a solitary overhead microphone.
Stereo wasn't a mandatory element just yet, and with a limit of perhaps four tracks to get an entire song laid down, acts had to actually perform with some proficiency in the studio.
Computers were still a Star Trek novelty and the ones that did exist filled entire rooms and labored to power the Apollo spacecraft.
By the 70s, bands like Pink Floyd and The Who were experimenting with stereo and even quadraphonic sound. As more recording tracks became available in studios, drummers might even get two or - at the outside - a whopping four tracks to capture the sounds of their instruments and performances.
Led Zeppelin's guitarist/producer, Jimmy Page started to experiment with distant miking of John Bonham's drumkit, and with songs like 'When the Levee Breaks', we got some of the most potent, crushing drum performances ever laid to tape.
But technology wasn't the only thing that was evolving. Drummers like Carl Palmer and Styx' John Panozzo were crafting weighty, almost orchestral drum parts for their bands.
Probably one of the standout drummers of this era - and even today - was Rush's Neil Peart. Immediately grabbing the recording world by storm with complex, adventurous drum parts that still capture the imagination almost 40 years later.
In the 80s, electronic percussion started to become the norm.
And while this afforded drummers a greater range of sounds and syncopation, record producers often took the invention to an unfortunate end, to the point where many drummers were actually never even recorded, but had a Roland drum machine or a Synclavier subsituting in their place.
While certain pop songs benfited from this new, digital evolution; many drummers were incensed that the art and craft of their place in a band had simply been eliminated by suit-and-tie record executives.
The 90s saw a knee-jerk reaction in the other direction as grunge took hold, and while phenomenal drummers like Nirvana's Dave Grohl brought the uber-drummer back to his throne, some of the drum sounds of the grunge-era records came off dated and derivative, though drummers like Grohl and others continued to advance the state-of-the-art.
With decades of tape in its archives, classic rock now catalogs an incredible variety and evolution of drummers, recording techniques and whether you're a Stewart Copland (The Police) fan, a head-banging Niko McBrain (Iron Maiden) loyalist or someone who would love to hear that Keith Moon/John Bonham drum battle in heaven, you have an incredible variety of drum sounds, performances and recording evolution to choose from in the annals of classic rock.
Craving the sound of classic rock? ... check out Pickett's free music at: http://www.m-overdrive.com/pickett.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Pickett
http://EzineArticles.com/?Classic-Rock:-Drum-Evolution-Through-the-Ages&id=7622870
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Classic Rock: The Lineage of the Bassist Extraordinaire
by Michael Pickett
Most bassists still cite Paul McCartney, John Entwhistle or Jack Bruce as influences on their particular instrument.
The early bass sounds and styles that anchored hits by The Beatles, The Who and Cream are the underpinnings of classic rock radio nearly as far back as it goes.
Some of the instruments of this era are absolutely collectible: the Fender Jazz Bass, the Thunderbird, the Rickenbacker and Paul McCartney's signature instrument.
The sounds these earlier instruments produced was comparatively bright and punchy compared to many of the basses that would follow, with active pickups and other onboard electronics allowing players to color and mellow their respective sounds.
Still, pioneers like Yes' Chris Squire, Rush's Geddy Lee and Iron Maiden's Steve Harris had wildly divergent styles ... many mirroring the thundering lines of seminal artists like Led Zep's John Paul Jones and the aforementioned Entwhistle (The Who).
Squire's incredibly busy lines were a solid fit for Yes' progressive rock leanings. This style would go on to influence Canada's virtuosic Geddy Lee, as he covered a staggering amount of territory and stylistic color in Rush's music.
From rock and metal to reggae and the slap-pop of funk, Geddy Lee still stands head and shoulders above most of the rest of classic rock royalty on his instrument.
Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler and Iron Maiden's Steve Harris would carve out a niche seemingly a world away from the simple, solid lines of Judas Priest's Ian Hill, and Harris would often go head-to-head with Geddy Lee in rock and metal bass polls conducted by magazines like Circus and Cream back in the day.
As the 80s opened up, pop started to have a hefty say in what would later become classic rock. Sting of The Police and John Taylor of Duran Duran became standout players on their instruments and still hold their own some 30 years later.
While rock and metal continued to create bass waves (Ozzy's Bob Daisley and Billy Sheehan from David Lee Roth's band absolutely advanced the state of the art), U2's Adam Clayton and the seminal John Deacon from Queen created some of the best and most instantly recognizable bass lines in classic rock during this time, with 'Another One Bites the Dust', 'Under Pressure' and 'With Or Without You' being standout examples of tone and composition.
As players like Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot), Mike Porcaro (Toto) and Richard Page (Mr. Mister) continued to anchor their bands in bass greatness, players from four decades literally helped lay an absolute foundation for classic rock as we know it today.
Love the sound of classic? ... check out Pickett's free music at: http://www.m-overdrive.com/pickett.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Pickett
http://EzineArticles.com/?Classic-Rock:-The-Lineage-of-the-Bassist-Extraordinaire&id=7622914
Most bassists still cite Paul McCartney, John Entwhistle or Jack Bruce as influences on their particular instrument.
The early bass sounds and styles that anchored hits by The Beatles, The Who and Cream are the underpinnings of classic rock radio nearly as far back as it goes.
Some of the instruments of this era are absolutely collectible: the Fender Jazz Bass, the Thunderbird, the Rickenbacker and Paul McCartney's signature instrument.
The sounds these earlier instruments produced was comparatively bright and punchy compared to many of the basses that would follow, with active pickups and other onboard electronics allowing players to color and mellow their respective sounds.
Still, pioneers like Yes' Chris Squire, Rush's Geddy Lee and Iron Maiden's Steve Harris had wildly divergent styles ... many mirroring the thundering lines of seminal artists like Led Zep's John Paul Jones and the aforementioned Entwhistle (The Who).
Squire's incredibly busy lines were a solid fit for Yes' progressive rock leanings. This style would go on to influence Canada's virtuosic Geddy Lee, as he covered a staggering amount of territory and stylistic color in Rush's music.
From rock and metal to reggae and the slap-pop of funk, Geddy Lee still stands head and shoulders above most of the rest of classic rock royalty on his instrument.
Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler and Iron Maiden's Steve Harris would carve out a niche seemingly a world away from the simple, solid lines of Judas Priest's Ian Hill, and Harris would often go head-to-head with Geddy Lee in rock and metal bass polls conducted by magazines like Circus and Cream back in the day.
As the 80s opened up, pop started to have a hefty say in what would later become classic rock. Sting of The Police and John Taylor of Duran Duran became standout players on their instruments and still hold their own some 30 years later.
While rock and metal continued to create bass waves (Ozzy's Bob Daisley and Billy Sheehan from David Lee Roth's band absolutely advanced the state of the art), U2's Adam Clayton and the seminal John Deacon from Queen created some of the best and most instantly recognizable bass lines in classic rock during this time, with 'Another One Bites the Dust', 'Under Pressure' and 'With Or Without You' being standout examples of tone and composition.
As players like Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot), Mike Porcaro (Toto) and Richard Page (Mr. Mister) continued to anchor their bands in bass greatness, players from four decades literally helped lay an absolute foundation for classic rock as we know it today.
Love the sound of classic? ... check out Pickett's free music at: http://www.m-overdrive.com/pickett.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Pickett
http://EzineArticles.com/?Classic-Rock:-The-Lineage-of-the-Bassist-Extraordinaire&id=7622914
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Willie Dixon: I Am The Blues
by The Blues Blogger: http://thebluesblogger.com/692/willie-dixon-i-am-the-blues
Today music legend Willie Dixon would have been 98 years old. The following is a piece I wrote in the spring of 2009.
I’ve decided to re-post it to commemorate the man and this day in music history. And also for those who missed the article the first couple times around.
In The Year 1970
My brother and several of his friends packed their bags and followed their dreams. Their brash youthful spirit drove them to bigger places as they made a serious attempt at a career in the music business.For me at the time, I was glum. I missed those magical moments when the boys would rehearse in the basement of our house … and so did The Big F who was my brother’s oldest friend.
The Big F was the roadie/bodyguard for the bands my brother was in. When my brother left town, he adopted me as a kid brother and often picked me up to hang out. One thing for sure, I never had a problem with bullies whenever I hung around with The Big F.
The man loved his music and would invite me over to his place where I marveled at his record collection. He would let me pick any album I wanted to listen to … I recall Willie Dixon’s I Am The Blues being a very intriguing choice back then…
The Big F had a drum kit in the basement of his house, and always played along to the tunes. And would often spring off his stool, grab some spoons and continue to tap along the walls, lamps, light switches and beverage glasses …
I Am the Blues
This is an album featuring some of Dixon’s classic material but this time with Willie showcasing his own creations. Willie Dixon was a force to be reckoned with and his presence continues to be felt in even today’s most modern blues and rock performers.Here are the tracks on this album and some of the popular artists that performed them:
"Back Door Man" - The Doors
"I Can’t Quit You" - Led Zeppelin
"The Seventh Son" - Sting
"Spoonful" - Cream
"I Ain’t Superstitious" - The Yardbirds
"You Shook Me" - Led Zeppelin
"I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man" - Muddy Waters
"The Little Red Rooster" - The Rolling Stones
"The Same Thing" - Muddy Waters
This album only represents a small portion of Willie Dixon’s contribution to the music world. Many people today are unaware that Dixon was the original composer of many of the classic songs we know and love …
His singing on I Am The Blues may not be as distinct as those who adopted these tunes, but it’s very humbling to hear the master voice his own work.
If you haven’t heard this album before, or just looking to rediscover a gem, you’ll love this terrific piece of music history … very cool and inspiring indeed.
Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon was born July 1, 1915 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Dixon was first introduced to blues as a teenager when he served time on prison farms in Mississippi. He wrote poetry and adapted them into songs.“The blues will always be, because the blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues.”In 1936 Dixon left Mississippi for Chicago. He stood tall and weighed in at over 250 pounds. Taking up boxing; he became successful enough that he won the Illinois State Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship (Novice Division) in 1937.
Dixon even turned professional and worked briefly as Joe Louis’ sparring partner. His brief boxing career ended after getting into a money dispute with his manager.
After composing and playing in many local groups, Dixon eventually signed to Chess Records as a recording artist. He began performing less and started getting more involved with the label.
Dixon became a full time employee with Chess in 1951, where he acted as producer, A&R talent scout, session musician and staff songwriter. His relationship with the label was nervy at times, but his output and influence was extraordinary.
He worked with all the greats such as Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II, just to name a few.
Later in his life, Willie Dixon became a diligent representative of the blues and a vocal supporter for his peers founding the Blues Heaven Foundation.
The organization works to preserve the genre’s legacy and protect copyrights and royalties for blues musicians who were exploited in the past. The foundations’ current vice president is Willie’s grandson Alex Dixon …
Willie Dixon was granted a Grammy Award in 1989 for his album Hidden Charms. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the “early influences” (pre-rock) category in 1994.
It’s impossible to cover the incredible legacy of Willie Dixon in just one post. So I won’t even attempt it … Dixon was undeniably the greatest blues songwriter of his era and is credited with writing more than 500 songs by the end of his life.
Now it’s time to turn this post over to the readers … So what are your feelings? How familiar are you with his 1970 release I Am The Blues? Any Dixon tunes covered by other bands or musicians that are your favorites? Your comments and birthday wishes are welcome below …
The Blues Blogger - See more at: http://thebluesblogger.com/692/willie-dixon-i-am-the-blues#sthash.c74Vnwyy.dpuf
Monday, July 1, 2013
The Story Behind Simon And Garfunkel's Greatest Hit Songs: "Scarborough Fair/Canticle"
by Garrett Sawyer
Simon and Garfunkel's exquisite "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" sounds so perfect, so meticulously arranged you'd never guess the song has multiple sources.
The song actually coalesced beginning with an old English folk ballad and ending with an obscure song Simon wrote which was thrown into the pot.
Let's start with Scarborough, a seaport town in North Yorkshire, England.
The good Lord only knows who wrote it first but some minstrel hundreds of years ago wrote a ballad which drawls on for numerous verse about a young man instructing the listener to go to the singer's former lover and direct her to perform a list of absurd tasks (such as make a shirt without seams and wash it in a dry well).
If she does these ridiculous feats he will take her back.
The herbs mentioned in each verse represented personal traits. Parsley stood for comfort. Sage meant strength. Rosemary represented love. Thyme symbolized courage.
This kind of symbolism was common in those days; the Shakespereans among you may remember Ophelia's words in "Hamlet" ("There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray you, love, remember").
The "fair" of the title refers to a popular gathering that would start each August 15th and last 45 days, attracting visitors from all over England.
Fast forward a few hundred years. Simon is living, traveling and performing in England in 1965. While in London he learns the song from English folk singer and guitarist Martin Carthy.
It was around this time that Simon recorded a solo album with no accompaniment except his guitar, vocals and a little foot tapping, released as "The Paul Simon Songbook".
On it you will find a song called "The Side of a Hill" by someone named "Paul Kane", one of Simon's pseudonyms. This quiet antiwar song went absolutely nowhere but the lyrics were to lay dormant, not dead.
Now it's a year or two later and Simon and Garfunkel are household words thanks to their number one hit "The Sound of Silence".
For their next trick Simon reworked the arrangement he learned from Carthy while Art Garfunkel worked out a counterpoint (the "Canticle" part). The lyrics to "The Side of a Hill' were reworked into the counterpoint and, presto!
Simon wasn't the only one to benefit from Carthy's work. Loyal Bob Dylan fans are right to observe that Dylan sang part of this first in 1963 in "Girl From the North Country", which contained the lyric, "Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine".
And I normally don't bother mentioning cover versions or other versions of songs because there are so many but I'm going to make an exception here.
In 1968 Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 recorded "Scarborough Fair" again but changed the time signature to standard 4/4 (instead of Simon and Garfunkel's 3/4 version) with Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel singing lead and a gorgeous, dreamy jazz arrangement complete with a fabulous Wurlitzer electric piano solo.
Of course, it's irrelevant whose version of "Scarborough Fair" you adore: Simon and Garfunkel's, Bob Dylan's or Sergio Mendes'.
The song hits home no matter who's singing it. But I must confess I'm partial to the S&G version. Now, alas, if I could only learn to play Simon's guitar part properly ...
If you like Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free song at:
http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Story-Behind-Simon-And-Garfunkels-Greatest-Hit-Songs:-Scarborough-Fair/Canticle&id=7636592
Simon and Garfunkel's exquisite "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" sounds so perfect, so meticulously arranged you'd never guess the song has multiple sources.
The song actually coalesced beginning with an old English folk ballad and ending with an obscure song Simon wrote which was thrown into the pot.
Let's start with Scarborough, a seaport town in North Yorkshire, England.
The good Lord only knows who wrote it first but some minstrel hundreds of years ago wrote a ballad which drawls on for numerous verse about a young man instructing the listener to go to the singer's former lover and direct her to perform a list of absurd tasks (such as make a shirt without seams and wash it in a dry well).
If she does these ridiculous feats he will take her back.
The herbs mentioned in each verse represented personal traits. Parsley stood for comfort. Sage meant strength. Rosemary represented love. Thyme symbolized courage.
This kind of symbolism was common in those days; the Shakespereans among you may remember Ophelia's words in "Hamlet" ("There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray you, love, remember").
The "fair" of the title refers to a popular gathering that would start each August 15th and last 45 days, attracting visitors from all over England.
Fast forward a few hundred years. Simon is living, traveling and performing in England in 1965. While in London he learns the song from English folk singer and guitarist Martin Carthy.
It was around this time that Simon recorded a solo album with no accompaniment except his guitar, vocals and a little foot tapping, released as "The Paul Simon Songbook".
On it you will find a song called "The Side of a Hill" by someone named "Paul Kane", one of Simon's pseudonyms. This quiet antiwar song went absolutely nowhere but the lyrics were to lay dormant, not dead.
Now it's a year or two later and Simon and Garfunkel are household words thanks to their number one hit "The Sound of Silence".
For their next trick Simon reworked the arrangement he learned from Carthy while Art Garfunkel worked out a counterpoint (the "Canticle" part). The lyrics to "The Side of a Hill' were reworked into the counterpoint and, presto!
Simon wasn't the only one to benefit from Carthy's work. Loyal Bob Dylan fans are right to observe that Dylan sang part of this first in 1963 in "Girl From the North Country", which contained the lyric, "Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine".
And I normally don't bother mentioning cover versions or other versions of songs because there are so many but I'm going to make an exception here.
In 1968 Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 recorded "Scarborough Fair" again but changed the time signature to standard 4/4 (instead of Simon and Garfunkel's 3/4 version) with Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel singing lead and a gorgeous, dreamy jazz arrangement complete with a fabulous Wurlitzer electric piano solo.
Of course, it's irrelevant whose version of "Scarborough Fair" you adore: Simon and Garfunkel's, Bob Dylan's or Sergio Mendes'.
The song hits home no matter who's singing it. But I must confess I'm partial to the S&G version. Now, alas, if I could only learn to play Simon's guitar part properly ...
If you like Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" then you'll like a song inspired by the story of a young soldier who returned from Iraq. For a limited time only you can download that song for FREE by clicking HERE.
Download your free song at:
http://www.garrettsawyer.net/am/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Sawyer
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Story-Behind-Simon-And-Garfunkels-Greatest-Hit-Songs:-Scarborough-Fair/Canticle&id=7636592
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