Comic Book Plus Forum
All And Everything => General Discussion => Topic started by: profh0011 on February 28, 2011, 10:36:40 PM
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Hey, my overpriced CD from Italy arrived today. In perfect shape-- a miracle,
the guy wrapped it in a thin plastic store bag with some tape, and only put some bubble-wrap on one side. Amazing the jewel case wasn't cracked. Cheapest mail-order packaging I've ever seen anybody do.
The Brotherhood Of Man was a "studio group" put together by a producer, and presumably its members were all unknown and anonymous to the public back in 1969-71 when this stuff was done. Someone online made the sarcastic (and somewhat funny) comment that "Nobody between the ages of 12 and 30 would be taken in by this". At the time, I was 13, my Dad was 53. HE bought the 45, not me!
I'm guessing at one of his weekend playing jobs, someone asked him about the
song, "California Sunday Morning", the next day he went out and bought the record, played it, learned it, and the next weekend, was able to play it on the job. He did that sometimes! It's just funny, considering he was so "out of it"
when it came to "popular" music, and as it turns out, this song was never on an
album, and the single NEVER charted in any country! Wow. Great song, though.
You'd never know it was by a group from England.
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Is this the same Brotherhod of Man who won the Eurovision Song Cotest with Save All Your Kisses For Me' mid 70's?
Surely not.
If you want British stuff with a bit of a kick to it, might I suggest:- The Small Faces; The Pirates; Dr. Feelgood; The Pretty Things.
You will find early Feelgoods here:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jmIYyskDM8
How cool is that? How good is Wilko? Tight as a duck's a*e.
And here are The Small Faces (with P.P.Arnold) :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcKZoFRpZCI&feature=related
How about some really early Pretty Things?:-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olHSpJlBpOI
Still going -catch them now, they can't keep this up.
The Pirates, with Mick Green, arguably the best axe man this country produced (Peter Green, no relation, excluded)
Sadly no longer with us.
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The Brotherhood Of Man-- SAME producer, entirely different line-up of singers. The singing group was the creation of Tony Hiller (much as The Archies was by Don Kirchner & Jeff Barry). Over some years, every one of the original singers was replaced, so the line-up that had the Eurovision hit (which I've not actually ever heard) was different. Strange but true!
This confused me when I first started reading up about them online, but eventually I realized the "two" groups were connected.
One of the songs on that 45 I have listed "Musical Director: Keith Mansfield". Mansfield was also one of the "KPM" composers, who did a lot of "production music" (like the stuff used on seasons 2-3 of the 60's SPIDER-MAN cartoons). Amazing how much good stuff there is out there is is almost anonymous...
B.O.M.'s big hit early-on was "United We Stand". Very late-60's peace-love-understanding-brotherhood sort of thing... the likes of which I personally wish had not so completely fallen out of favor. I grew up really believing (like Gene Roddenberry, I suppose) that mankind might be on the verge of becoming better than they were... but in the wake of Viet Nam and Watergate, cynicism, self-interest and monstrous, unbridled GREED have become the bywords for too much of the planet.
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The only BoM I've heard is the Eurovision song, I think and I was completely unaware of anything preceeding that. Have to admit that I find that track truly awful. Like you, I'm sort of sorry that the peace, love, understanding thingy went away but I suppose we were never going to change anything. Too many vested interests, too much greed and hunger for power out there. That's why I so enjoy the music that I posted those links to. Good time music with enthusiasm, skill, power (the good kind) and just a touch of danger and threat to the establishment that you can jump about to. There was a review of a Johnny Winter album years ago and the heading read simply, "Johnny Winter - Dirty Music". Sums it all up. A wee bit of excitement is good for you.
Sorry, seem to have gone of BoM subject rather a lot.
Found this on youtube:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bKAPVpA46o
You might want to take a look. And having looked at the playlist, I realise I have heard a couple of their other things.
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Paw, thanks for bringing back some great musical memories- loved the Small Faces video. I still have my copy of "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake"! Happiness Stan forever, Bowers
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Bowers, restores my faith reading that. My pal's favourite from Ogden's is, "Song of a Baker". What a great album. The whole thing is just so redolent of the period. Do you have the original vinyl in the tin box? I'm afraid I've now only got the c.d.version. I always enjoyed the Stanley Unwin nonsense talk and saw him in an old b&w film a few months ago - buggered if I can remember what it was, though. Thinking cap on!
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Yes, Paw, it's the (worn out) vinyl. A friend sent me a copy of an old black and white video showing an older gent with a strange hat telling the story to a bunch of kids- could this be the Stanley Unwin you referred to? Cheers, Bowers
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I've got so many different things in my collection, I sometimes have to make a point to dig out stuff I haven't played in awhile so I don't end up playing the same things too often.
The last few days, for example, I've been playing my CHER cd's. Some years back I got ahold of her early stuff from the 60's (with and without Sonny). Her solo albums are in "fake" stereo, but the S&C albums are in mono, which sounds much clearer. Sonny's style of production back then has often been compared to Phil Spector's, from who he took a lot of notes.
But 2 of my fave albums come later-- 3614 JACKSON HIGHWAY, recorded at the same studio often frequented by Aretha Franklin & Booker T & The MG's (and using the same session men!), and GYPSIES, TRAMPS & THIEVES, which really kicked off her "2nd" successful period, and was magnificently produced by Snuff Garrett. Hard to believe this was the guy who was supposed to produce The Monkees, but walked after only one day!
"3614" is mostly covers of other people's songs (which she did a ton of back in the 60's), but they include some of the best she ever did. Among them, "For What It's Worth", "Tonight I'll be Stayin' Here With You", "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", and my favorite, Dr. John's downright spooky "I Walk On Gilded Splinters".
After this, I've got all her later stuff, but mostly on LPs-- I haven't replaced them with CDs until 1979-up, beginning with her 2 "disco" albums, TAKE ME HOME and PRISONER. Fun stuff-- a shame the CD doesn't have the original LP covers, which were probably the SEXIEST albums covers she ever had!
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I had a copy of Gypsies, Tand T on cassette back in the day.
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Somehow, that was the very 1st song of hers I ever heard. It was on the radio at the end of summer '71. I got the 45 about the same time as I started watching THE SONNY & CHER COMEDY HOUR. I still remember thinking I'd never seen a girl like her before!
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"I still remember thinking I'd never seen a girl like her before!" profh0011
Oh Yes, Indeed.
Mind you, I have nothing by Cher in my collection. Is this a case of preferring looking to listening?
Been listening to Robert Earl Keen because I re-found a couple of his albums while raking through a cupboard. As I also found vinyl of Townes Van Zandt, that's next.
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Revisiting my Pirates c.d's. The power trio who backed Johhny Kidd, before he died, obviously. Loud, fast, and what a player Mick Green is.
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We have a documentary series called Coast over here and the last episode had an interview with Wilco from Dr. Feelgood about Canvey Island, where the band came from. And they showed some old footage of the band giving it big licks. Excellent.
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Big Daddy--
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE BAND OF '59? (1983)
MEANWHILE... BACK IN THE STATES (1985)
CUTTING THEIR OWN GROOVE (1991)
SGT. PEPPER'S (1992)
I've had the last 2 since 1992, but until this weekend, I never even knew the first 2 existed! Downloaded both LPs from a blog, spent an hour or so recutting & remastering them, then dumped them onto a CD as a twofer. WOW!!
Also got THE BEST OF BIG DADDY (2000) just because it had 3 rare or unreleased songs, including a version of "Sukiyaki" which is just sooooooo cool!
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I have two or three Big Daddy Cds too. Those later titles that you mentioned sound familiar so I imagine that they may be among them. Haven't listened to any of them in some time but always loved the way that they would blend the lyrics of a song from one era with the tune of a song from from another era. Really creative.
Thanks for mentioning them as now I wanna dig out those old CDs and give 'em another listen.
Best
Joe
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Let me know if you'd like the 2 LPs, I downloaded, cleaned up & ran off a twofer CD. Good stuff, starting with "I Write The Songs" in the style of Danny & The Juniors. (I actually SAW those guys in person once, while I was in art school-- a teacher took the class to the Channel 3 studios to see a daytime talk show whicxh had artist Leroy Neiman as the guest. He bored me, but when this band came on at the end, I was the only one in my class who thought they were cool.)
I'm reminded of one day at work when I played SGT. PEPPER'S, and my boss heard it and said, "That's the WORST thing I've ever heard!"
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Dug out my double c.d. of Chris Farlowe and I've been playing it non stop and despite thinking it couldn't get better, I then found this on youtube:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUcTKjOQWII
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Great clip, Paw. Thanks for the link. Takes me back to when I was little kid watching such performances on shows like Shindig and Hullabaloo over here in the states.
Best
Joe
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Great link, Paw. Although an avid blues fan in the late 60's (and still am!), I don't remember hearing much of Chris Farlowe. Undeservedly, he wasn't very big over here. It was nice to follow the links and be reintroduced to the work of a very fine bluesman. So nice that I spent all day Sunday following You Tube links and looking up some of my very favorite blues and R&B artists from roughly the same time period. Lots of talent- P.J. Proby, Frankie Miller, Love Sculpture (check out their version of "Summertime"), Allen Toussaint, Mitch Ryder, too many more to mention! Cheers, Bowers
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"blues and R&B artists from roughly the same time period"
I've got THE MAGNIFICENT MOODIES on right now. This is the nice mono CD that collects all 25 songs with Denny Laine from 1964-66. "Rough", but in some places, beautiful. I especially like "Steal Your Heart Away", "It's Easy Child", "From The Bottom Of My Heart", "Something You Got", "I've Got A Dream", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Everyday", and "Boulevard De La Madelaine".
I got this in the early 90's, and it was a shock hearing how good it sounded, compared to the awful, horrible "re-channeled stereo" on the earlier GO NOW lp.
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Yeah, Laine was great on that album. Wonder which direction the Moodies would have gone had he stayed? Cheers, Bowers
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Gosh, this all takes me back. Moody Blues changed so much and that is an interesting thought, Bowers. Joe, I've heard of Shindig and Hullaballoo and I may have seen bits from them on our t.v. I think we probably got the idea for "pop" shows from the States. We had Ready, Steady, Go; Oh Boy; Six Five Special and some more whose titles escape me. Here's a sample of RSG - does miming get much worse than this?(see Dusty) :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APKVwEPw8IQ
Found one of the other shows - Thank Your Lucky Stars:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49NRR4yDZh4
Recently, I've been searching for some 60's bands that I used to follow a bit but had forgotten. So I was chuffed to find this:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP-kCIp1gRk
Bowers, I was also a blues fan and still am. Also old R'n'B when it was real and exciting. I saw Muddy Waters in Glasgow at the Maryland Blues Club, just superb. I played there once when I was in a 4 pce. and we had delusions of grandeur. We supported NSU a hard, blues, rock trio from Coatbridge who had at least one album released.
One of the earliest British R'n'B harp players was Cyril Davies. Quality of the clip is poor but this guy was good:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QynodK3u0O8&feature=related
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Wow! Great stuff, Paw. I've never heard of Downliners Sect before, and they are awesome! Followed the links and heard some really good and gritty stuff. Glendora, Before You Accuse, great version of Hang On Sloopy. The Cyril Davies clip was incredible- didn't know Long John Baldrey was in his band. My favorite harp players are Norton Buffalo, Paul Butterfield and probably John Mayall. The Butterfield Blues Band used to play in town about once a year and it was packed! Got to see Mayall when he was touring with Duster Bennet, the one-man band. Cheers, Bowers
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"Yeah, Laine was great on that album. Wonder which direction the Moodies would have gone had he stayed?"
On the last 3 singles (the ones that came out after the LP) you can already hear the sound evolving. Inexplicably, a later reissue of the same CD comp was missing the last 6 songs. They form a "bridge" between the earlier material and the early Hayward-Lodge tracks heard on PRELUDE. (I usually play both CDs back-to-back.)
Just saw another CD compilation today with about 18 tracks compiled AT RANDOM (17 from what i have and 1 rare tracks only released in France). There's room on a CD for all 26 songs-- WHY would anyone not include all of them?
I put together my own "custom" version, were I rearranged the track order chronologically. The first 4 singles, the LP (minus "Go Now" which was the 2nd single) and the last 3 singles.
I also read online somewhere not long ago that "Go Now" somehow got seriously screwed up in the studio, and every version ever released of it sounds inferior to the other songs on the comp! Someone recently either found a better version of it or found a way to "remaster" it so it sounds like it was SUPPOSED to but never did. I always found it ironic that the only song of this version of the band that ever really sold, sounded SO BAD compared to everything else. (Of course, on the US "rechanneled stereo" LP, they ALL sounded bad...)
Another favorite Denny Laine song of mine is "Time To Hide", in my opinion the BEST track on the WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND album. The production on that album is AWFUL... fortunately, Denny's voice is so "rough", it didn't hurt the recording at all!
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Continuing my latest batch of restorations today with one that's got SO MUCH
dirt on it, it's taking me much longer than I like.
I got the idea, why not, just for fun, put on some music that came out the same
year as the comic?
As it turned out, since it's early-60's Marvel (1963), I don't have quite as much music I love to death... but I do have some. So far...
The Limeliters: OUR MEN IN SAN FRANCISCO
John Barry: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (w/Matt Munro)
Henry Mancini: THE PINK PANTHER (w/Fran Jeffries *)
* (you WON'T find her on the LP or CD, I had to create a special edition with her
version of "Meglio Stasera" taken straight from the film)
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cool idea
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I'm sure I have more 45s and various loose songs on different comps, plus a lot only on vinyl, but at the moment the actual number of 1963 CDs I have seem a bit small. Anyway, later that same day...
The Beatles -- PLEASE PLEASE ME
The Beatles -- WITH THE BEATLES
In-between, the songs on PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE that came out in between (haven't played them in that sequence in awhile now).
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Someone at MASTERWORKS posted a very long & in-depth review of The Moody Blues' DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED explaining why it deserves to be considered "progressive rock" (which it often isn't). I wrote the following in reply... enjoy!
Henry
I happen to be one of those who actually enjoys the group from their earliest recordings, despite the shocking change in style between the Denny Laine & Justin Hayward periods.
In fact, ever since I got ahold of their early recordings on CD, I often play the first 3 CDs back-to-back AS A SET, even though the majority of the songs were released as singles, not albums.
To do it properly, I had to create my own custom CD version of THE MAGNIFICENT MOODIES. When it was originally reissued, it was available either as 2 LPs or 1 CD (25 songs total), with the original LP on one disc and the singles on the other. The CD contained the LP followed by the singles. I preferred tracking them in relase order, which means, the first 4 singles, the LP, and the last 3 singles. Strangely enough, there is a a version of the CD that came out with the last 3 singles (6 songs) MISSING, which is terrible, as it removes an important part of the band's stylistic "evolution". On a song like "Everyday", you can hear how the band is already moving toward the style they became known for EVEN WITH Denny Laine still in the band!
Perhaps the most important part of that CD I bought, apart from having all 25 songs in one place, was the fact that it was in MONO. The US LP "GO NOW" was in horrible "re-channeled stereo" (just like all the early US Rolling Stones LPs-- wretch!!!). So the songs, while some of them are on the "crude" and "raw" side, sound terrific-- with the exception of "Go Now", which still sounds awful, even in mono. It's ironic that their ONE hit from that period was somehow mastered terribly back when. I've read that the song has been remastered properly-- decades after-the-fact-- but I'm not gonna buy an entire new CD just for one songs I don't even care for that much. (Incidentally, on my custom version, I included "Go Now" with the singles, NOT with the LP. I wasn't gonna put it on there twice.)
My favorite songs from the Denny Laine period are "Steal Your Heart Away" (their debut single! --I only recently heard the original version by Bobby Parker-- and I definitely prefer the MB version), "It's Easy Child" (the B-side to "Go Now"), "From The Bottom Of My Heart (I Love You)" (the opening always makes me think of a spaghetti western), "Something You Got", "I've Got A Dream", "It Ain't Necessarily So" (these 3 from the LP), "Everyday", and "Boulevarde De La Madelaine" (this one I followed the example of the CD by putting it as the LAST track on the CD, even though it was the 6th single and strictly chronologically would have 3 songs after it).
Next up is PRELUDE, the early "loose" songs with Justin Hayward & John Lodge. This makes a PERFECT "bridge" between the Denny Laine era and DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED. This is especially true as the vast majority of it was recorded before DAYS... was released. It's like "the album that never was but should have been". It's amazing how Justin Hayward's "Fly Me High" and Mike Pinder's "I Really Haven't Got The Time" exist side-by-side (and were in fact recorded the SAME DAY), despite the 2 songs each representing very different styles and directions of the group (Pinder's song sounding very much like it came from the later Denny Laine period). PRELUDE is a GREAT collection, with "Please Think About It" being the only real DUD on the thing. "Leave This Man Alone", "Cities", "Gimme A Little Somethin'", "King And Queen", "What Am I Doing Here"-- all magnificent songs and recordings. (I tend to skip "Late Lament" as it's almost identical to the version on DAYS...)
It's strange, I'm sure, but sometimes I play these 3 CDs and just stop at the end of DAYS..., whereas I'm sure most people probably start with DAYS... and keep going.
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Since I was actually working again, last week I put in my 1st mail-order since last March. And it arrived today!
THE FRIGGS: TODAY IS TOMORROW'S YESTERDAY
(singles and unrelased songs)
As it happens, I already had all but 1 of the 15 tracks on this thing, but decided to spring for it anyway, since some of the vinyl pressings I have were SO defective that my skills with the sound editor program could only clean them up so far.
Nice to finally hear some of these without incessant HISSSSSSSS and other things, and "Juiced Up" (one of the most powerful rock songs ever) actually goes al the way to the end (the 45 always cut off when the tone arm picked up before the fade-out).
However, now that I've listened, a strange thing... but not one I haven't encountered before. All the tracks seem to be in STEREO, while I'm pretty sure some of the vinyl tracks WEREN'T. An in particularly, "Juiced Up" sounds a bit LESS powerful in a few spots, because of the stereo mix. A rule of thumb I've figured out over the years, if you're doing a "hits" collection, you should have the "HIT" versions, NOT remixes, NOT live versions, NOT alternate takes, demos, etc.
This is why Pat Boone's "Speedy Gonzales" (his best-seller ever) doesn't sound half as good on CD as it does on the 45.
I was planning to take these tracks as-is and re-order them to create an "upgraded" version of my own comp (which I put together back in 2004), but now I may only use SOME tracks, and for one, I may try some fancy editing... (we'll see)
Mike Fergeson (alias "Mick Cancer") wrote the intellectually-bizarro liner notes.
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Henry, sort of on the same subject, being a huge fan of The Ventures, I bought a c.d. of their "greatest" hits as my vinyl copies are really old. But the sound of the c.d. isn't as dynamic or powerful as the 45's. Fiddling with the tone and filters gets it a bit better but the vinyl just sounds better, ticks and all.
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It really depends on who does the remastering, and how. I know at least one person who INSISTS that, on a technical level, CDs are incapable of sounding as good as vinyl, but to me, you'd need expensive, high-end equipment, and pristene vinyl to really make a difference. In the 80's too many CD reissues of old albums were done from multiple-generation tapes, each one removed in quality from the originals (in fact, many LP reissues were the same, each reissue sounding less good than the original). I think it took until the 90's before the trend started to go back to original master tapes and work from there.
A good example was BLUE OYSTER CULT's debut. My LP (bought in the late 70's) never sounded right in the first place. The 80's CD sounded even worse. Then MFSL licensed it from Columbia and did their usual hi-tech remastering job. WOW. It was like listening to an entirely different recording. I could hear every note and every word. They noted that they had left in the noticeable hiss, because earlier attempts to remove it had also removed much of the recording quality as well.
MFSL also remastered The Moody Blues 7 "classic" albums; I got DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, and the difference between that and the late-70's LP reissue was staggering. (Sadly, MFSL went out of business some time back, Sony, who bought out Columbia, then began finally doing their own remasterings.)
It does seem to me that when I copy a CD on my computer, there is a SMALL drop in quality, even though there isn't supposed to be. But it's usually small enough that I'll only notice a difference when I dig uot the original. With old vinyl, in a lot of cases I've been able to make CDs that definitely sound better than the originals, albeit, it's old, beat-up originals I'm talking about. Once I get it to a certain point and run off a disc, the quality should NEVER drop from there, which is the advantage over vinyl, which gets more worn with EACH play.
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Please excuse my returning to The Ventures. I dug out the 45 of Ram Bunk Shush, first one that came to hand, and it sounds much fuller and more dynamic ( best words I can come up with) than on the c.d version and they are not re-recordings on the c.d.
My equipment is a Pioneer deck and a Kenwood amp. CD player is a Denon - all of it old. So, it must be the way it's recorded onto the c.d.
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I was just watching the Utube video for Bear Records new 5 CD Duane Eddy compilation of his work for Jamie Records, primarily as a session man. Click the play button on this site:
http://www.bear-family.de/bear-family-vertrieb/bear-family-international/bcd-15778.html (http://www.bear-family.de/bear-family-vertrieb/bear-family-international/bcd-15778.html)
ps. I'll also take The Ventures any day. Great memories.
(|:{>
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Also been a long time since I listened to any Ventures. Bringing back memories Jim
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I won't go into the CD/vinyl debate. CD/iTunes are good enough for me.
Tonight was listening to Gogi Grant, Frankie Laine, Patsy Cline, Gene Vincent and Mary Chapin Carpenter (with a Dorsey Burnette and an Anne Murray tossed in for good measure). Who said I didn't have eclectic tastes in music, too?
Peace, Jim (|:{>
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Thanks for the link. One of the earliest "real" guitar records I heard was a Duane Eddy and I still rate Because They're Young as one of my all time favourites. Despite that, it was a revelation hearing for the first time The Ventures, Walk don't Run. It was so good, I preferred it even to The Shadows, Apache.
I was also a fan of Johnny and The Hurricanes. If you fancy some more nostalgia and great tunes, try this:-
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=johnny+and+the+hurricanes&oq=johnny+and+the+hurricanes&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=19435l26506l0l29691l25l24l0l14l14l1l255l1715l2.4.4l10l0
I saw on one of the J and The H pages a Spotniks entry. They were Swedish, I think, and dressed in astronauts kit. Going back to have a look. Other instrumental groups we had included, Nero and The Gladiators; Group X; Lord Rockinghams Eleven; John Barry 7; Sounds Incorporated.
Sort of frightened to ask this, but here goes. Does anyone enjoy Townes Van Zandt, or am I a lonely voice, singing his praises to an empty room?
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Since I had no idea who Townes Van Zandt was I went to grooveshark.com and listened to a song. Not my cup of tea. I do not like most country music. I am amazed that grooveshark has had every obscure song I have looked for. They even had the kitch song Dead Skunk which was a one hit wonder many years ago.
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Not counting big band, orchestras, or movie soundtracks, my introduction to "instrumental rock" (or, "surf music") was the night I saw LOS STRAITJACKETS. I went to see The Friggs, and Palmyra kept urging me to stay to see the headliner. I stood a few feet from the stage and found myself surrounded by the girls from the other band. I figured I'd at least hear what they sounded like. WOW. What a powerful sound. And unlike far too many rock guitarists, who use noise to cover their lack of playing ability, these guys KNEW what they were doing. A few songs in, they went into Elmer Bernstein's "The Magnificent Seven", and I found myself in music heaven. I stayed 'til the end of the night, enjoyed the hell out of myself, bought their CD (which became my #1 fave album of 1995), and Danny Amis even snapped a photo of me with the girls. What a night!
After that, I made it a point to see them every time they came to Philly. I also, thru a viariety of sources, wound up discovering HUNDREDS of other instrumental bands from all over the world, new and old. For awhile there, I couldn't get enough! A "short" list of my favorites would include...
The Space Cossacks
The Shadows
The Boss Martians (Tacoma, WA)
The Fathoms
Cadillac Hitmen
The Cybermen (Helsinki)
Laika and the Cosmonauts
The Hypnomen (Helsinki)
Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited (Zurich)
The Men From S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (Zurich)
The Ventures
Silver Surfer (Kasel, Germany)
New World Relampagos
Destination: Earth! (Indianapolis)
The Exotics
Dalek Beach Party
Kare and the Cavemen (Oslo)
Del Noah and the Mt. Ararat Finks
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Totally lost me, prof.
I spent the day listening to Etta James (with a few Janis Joplin covers and a little Bobby Darin thrown in). All of your list is what I laughingly call "after my time." Sorry, when they began to mix multi-track recordings in such a way that the instrumentation overwhelmed the vocals, I gave up. I think that was about 1968.
Peace, Jim (|:{>
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This weekend The Irish Rovers on Saturday morning and caught KJZZ's Blues show last night which highlighted Etta James.
This morning I've got a little Hank Ballard and the Midnighters lined up.
Best
Joe
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"Totally lost me, prof."
I'm not surprised. I love to jokingly refer to a lot of these as bands "nobody ever heard of". But that doesn't mean "not good"!
Someone at a yahoo group awhile back asked if I could compile a "surf comp" of my favorite songs, and I was able to do so rather quickly. There were a few by "classic" bands, but most were by some of the ones on my previous list.
There's some amazing stuff out there these days that never gets any publicity. Most people can't be bothered having to search it out.
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Right now...
The London Philharmonic Orchestra --
WDVR-FM presents MUSIC FOR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
..or, as I jokingly like to call it, "The world's greatest elevator music". Crazy thing, this collection introduced me to quite a few songs I later got to like the original versions of (like Neil Diamond's "Shilo").
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This past week I've been watching/listening to one of those Best of Soul Train DVDs that Time-Life put which I picked up at the library. Lots of great performers from the early 1970s- Billy Preston, War, The Stlystics, Wilson Pickett, George McCrae, Spinners and more.
All put together and hosted by Don Cornelius (and brought to you by Ultra-Sheen and Afro-Sheen!). I was surprised to learn when reading the liner notes that the show has lasted until 2006 (an incredible 35 year run) as I hadn't seen it in many years.
Anyway after winding up my watching of the disc yesterday morning I went to bed and was shocked when I woke up to see the evening news with the reports of the sad death of Don Cornelius. Weird!!!
Still shaking my head
Joe
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"an incredible 35 year run"
Yeah, that is amazing. Some of these "entertainment" (or "music") shows have had long life-spans. I guess as long as there's new music out there, they can keep going. I mean, look at THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW and HEE HAW, both of which became more profitable after being cancelled by the networks, when they went into FIRST-RUN SYNDICATION. And then there's AMERICAN BANDSTAND, which is no doubt the closest comparison to SOOOOOOOOOOOUL TRAIN.
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Well that's sad...
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/02/monkees-singer-davy-jones-dies-report/
The Monkees, of course, have long been my #1 favorite singing group, and one of the VERY FEW popular groups I actually got to see live in person, 3 TIMES.
Henry
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3 times. Wow. And yes, it's sad. We've just heard it on Radio 4 news. The Monkees was a must watch show.
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THE MONKEES is (so far) the ONLY tv series I actually BOUGHT every single episode of-- on videotape. (I got the Rhino box set!!) I only wish the episodes were in a more sensible order (you have tow swap tapes between EVERY episode in order to watch themn in the right sequence.)
When I read the news, I popped on "Looking For The Good Times", GREAT Boyce-Hart tune recorded for the 2nd album (but not released until the 8th), with Davy really ROCKING it out.
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I liked the music much more than the show. I could only take a few episoded then got tired of it. Still loved the music and still do. I also love the Partridge Family show and music.
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The Lil Missus and I saw them in concert at ASU during their 20th anniversary tour back in 1986. Great fun!!
R.I.P. Davey.
Joe
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Our news programmes did a nice job of celebrating his career including an appearance on Z Cars when he was a boy. He was also in Coronation Street as Elsie Sharples nephew?
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Just put together today a fun custom CD comp: "MOODY BLUES COVERS". This is for Denny Laine-era and R&B fans...
Bobby Parker -- Steal Your Heart Away
Bobby Parker -- Watch Your Step *
Bessie Banks -- Go Now
The Drifters -- I Don't Want To Go On Without You
Kai Winding -- Time Is On My Side
Irma Thomas -- Time Is On My Side
Rolling Stones -- Time Is On My Side (45 version)
Four Plus One -- Time Is On My Side
James Brown -- I'll Go Crazy
Solomon Burke -- Can't Nobody Love You
James Brown -- I Don't Mind
The In Crowd -- I Don't Mind
Sonny Boy Williamson II -- Bye Bye Bird
* This song was NOT done by the MB, but it's the only other Bobby Parker song I have (from the other side of the same single), so it just didn't make sense not to put both Parker songs together. The opening bars, however, WERE blatently SWIPED, note-for-note, by George Harrison for "I Feel Fine"!
Some of these are MUCH better than the Moody Blues versions! Although, I must say, I strongly prefer Denny Laine's cover of "Steal Your Heart Away" to the Bobby Parker original. MUCH more dynamic & powerful.
Either way, it was SO cool to finally hear so many of these originals for the first time, after so many years.
The only things I could not find were copies of "I've Got A Dream" and "It Ain't Necessarily So". Anybody got these songs handy?
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This week:
Steve Miller Band:
CHILDREN OF THE FUTURE
SAILOR
BRAVE NEW WORLD
YOUR SAVING GRACE
NUMBER 5
ROCK LOVE
Haven't played these in ages!
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Today I just finished watching the DVD set- The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons. Nine episodes from the years 1969-1974 plus a special filmed bit with the Rolling Stones in concert and backstage.
Some great episodes in this batch. They start off with the post Woodstock show which was taped the same day that the concert ended. Stephen Stills shows up with his pants still muddy from the rainy finish to the concert and Jimi Hendrix, who was scheduled for the show, does not make it at all because his closing appearance at the concert ran so late he couldn't get to the taping in time. Appearances by Stills, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell and Jefferson Airplane still make for a top-notch show. Listen closely and you'll hear Jefferson Airplane drop an F-Bomb in one of their songs! Something which somehow got by the censors at ABC back in the day.
Sly and the Family Stone do a fine job performing on another show but you end up feeling pretty sorry for Cavett when he tries to interview Sly only to realize that the musician is generally too stoned to be coherent.
Cavett has better luck with David Bowie who initially is very nervous and uncommunicative after he performs. Cavett eventually gets him more comfortable and he opens up as the show progresses.
George Harrison is very candid in his appearance (with Ravi Shankar) while Stevie Wonder seems to be having a bit of an off day on his show.
One of my favorite shows was the Paul Simon show where he not only performs some great numbers, but shows us a bit of the creative process when he plays a bit of a new song he is currently working on but having some trouble with. That song eventually became "Still Crazy After All These Years".
Janis Joplin gets top honors on the set with one disc in the set devoted to her and containing all three (of four) surviving appearances she made on the show. She's always great when she performs but her conversations with Cavett (and other guests such as Raquel Welch, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Margot Kidder and Gloria Swanson) are also quite enjoyable. Cavett obviously enjoyed having her on the show and her last show (shot two months before her death) seems very bittersweet in retrospect.
Best
Joe
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Yet another show I've never seen!
Linda and I like some music with our Sunday dinner and recently we've been listening to Tommy Dorsey and lots of Humphrey Lyttleton. Tonight we might have a bit of Benny Goodman.
Strange you should mention Jefferson Airplane because I was visiting some friends yesterday in my pals studio in Glasgow and some one started chatting about Grace Slick.
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I do not care for Janis Joplin and fine the Rolling Stones to be extremely over rated. If they had not come along at the right time I do not think they would have made much of a splash. Mick Jagger can not sing and is dog ugly. Not sure why he ever caught on
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Today:
The Hellbenders -- TODAY WE KILL... TOMORROW WE DIE
Steve Miller Band --
RECALL THE BEGINNING... A JOURNEY FROM EDEN
THE JOKER
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Just ran across a blog with the history of Sheep Records, the tiny Zurich label I managed to get a number of really fun items from some years back. Turns out they did go under, and I decided to post the following message.
http://stereocandies.blogspot.com
I was just thinking about Sheep Records earlier today, only to find they did in fact go under some years ago. I found them initially via a bar show at Philly's Silk City. The bands that night were The Omega Men (Lancaster PA) and The Space Cossacks (Washington DC). Also on hand was Art Borrasseau, owner of MuSick Recordings (who has since moved to California). He had a table set up where he was selling CDs and 45, and I made a point of buying one of everything he had! This included "PHANTOM RIDER" / "SPOOKY SHORE" by Zurich's own Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited. That was my intro to both one of my top favorite bands of the last 15 years, but also Sheep Records.
Later, I found Sheep's website (their first one) where I saw all sorts of fascinating, fun 45 jackets posted. The one that most grabbed my attention was "REVENGE OF THE BLIND MAN" by The Men From S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Took me quite some time to get ahold of that. While S.S.S.U. can regularly be found on Amazon.com (which means you can get it just about everywhere), Sheep Records were-- were the most part-- maddenningly-- ONLY available direct from Sheep Records. And let me tell you, their website was NOT set up in a fashion that I could figure out. For the life of me!!
While I got a couple of their releases thru Double Crown Records (thank God for Sean Berry), a few others I wound up having to get direct from the owner of Sheep, who I contacted via e-mail because the Sheep website was impenetrable (or just couldn't be worked from America, I'm not sure which).
I published a comic-book with a limited print run, STORMBOY, and managed to get it into Amazon's "Advantage" program-- which meant, I later learned, it wound up being listed at COUNTLESS websites who were all linked to Amazon all over the world. It utterly baffled me that if I could do this, if I could figure this out, all on my own, HOW was it possible that Sheep Records never got their stuff into Amazon's system? If only for promotional purposes. I can't help but feel this eventually led, DIRECTLY, to their going belly-up.
Anyway, I did manage to get the first 2 Men From SPECTRE CDs, but also, a set of 45s which are simply among the "gems" of my collection. 2 M.F.S. singles, 1 by Lou Hoffner Trio Minus One, 1 by The Treble Spankers (picked up at that same Silk City show), 1 by Charlotte's Bionic Blimp (who remind me a lot of 80's E.L.O.), 1 by Los Banditos, and 1 by Spookysounds For Beige (really, S.S.S.U. under another name).
I put together a CD comp of these which I titled "ZURICH INVASION", and slapped the poster art from ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE onto it (the painting showing the battle atop Piz Gloria).
I think the world can always use another small label like Sheep, and bands like they put out releases by. The big "corporate" labels have managed to just about run the entire music business INTO THE GROUND (in much the same way as Marvel & DC have done with American comic-books). I say, UP with the "little guys"!!!
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These days with so many people (and virtually all younger folks) getting their music via downloads its a wonder there are any small labels around at all.
Best
Joe
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I do not care for Janis Joplin and fine the Rolling Stones to be extremely over rated. If they had not come along at the right time I do not think they would have made much of a splash. Mick Jagger can not sing and is dog ugly. Not sure why he ever caught on
Of course one's feelings about music are very subjective but I've been a fan of Joplin's since I was teenager. I just think she's great blues singer.
With the Stones- some I like, some I don't like so much. As to Jagger- he does bring a certain power and presence to the stage and has a degree of charisma that has never left him wanting for female companionship despite his looks. As to his singing- well having a great voice has never been the top requirement for being a rock musician. Plenty of others out there with voices no better (or worse).
Best
Joe
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Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited -- (instrumental duo from Zurich)
PLAYS LOST TV THEMES
THE FLUID SOUNDBOX
THE SPACESOUND EFFECT
JET SOUND INC.
JO SIFFERT
THE SPOOKY SOUND SESSIONS
6 albums, not 1 bad song! Wow.
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The wife and I saw Hugh Laurie in concert last Saturday. Backed up by The Copper Canyon Band, we were treated to an evening of blues, ragtime, a little gospel, and some really great boogie-woogie. Witty, charming, and an excellent musician, Laurie entertained us with selections from his "Let Them Talk" album. "St. James Infirmary" and "Swanee River" brought down the house. Absolutely the best concert we've seen in the last four or five years. Cheers, Bowers
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He is good. Last night's Jubilee concert, which we didn't watch deliberately, seemed to go down well with the public, featuring lots of old guys who just don't sound good now. One high point and the bit we did see was Madness, on the roof of Buck House with an amazing lightshow on the front of the Palace. Now, they are still entertaining, with a bit of life about them - imo.
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by yalls taste in music im starting to get the impression im the youngster around here lol ;)