Showing posts with label music history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music history. Show all posts

Saturday, August 19, 2017

The Posies recent tribute to Big Star

by Jack Brummet

The Posies were recruited by Alex Chilton when he reformed his band Big Star.  They toured and recorded with Big Star until Alex Chilton's death a few years ago.



---o0o---

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Brent Mydland brings it home

By Jack Brummet, Music Ed.

Brent Mydland was The Grateful Dead keyboard player, singer and songwriter between 1979 and 1990. This is a clip of Brent doing what he does best.

---o0o---

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Videos and lyrics: At The Hop





AT THE HOP

-bah-bah-bah
Bah-bah-bah-bah
Bah-bah-bah-bah
Bah-bah-bah-bah, at the hop

Well, you can rock it you can roll it
You can stop and you can stroll it at the hop
When the record starts spinnin'
You dance when you chicken at the hop
Do the dance sensation that is sweepin' the nation at the hop

Let's go to the hop
Let's go to the hop (oh baby)
Let's go to the hop (oh baby)
Let's go to the hop
Come on, let's go to the hop

Well, you can swing it you can groove it
You can really start to move it at the hop
Where the jockey is the smoothest
And the music is the coolest at the hop
All the cats and chicks can get their kicks at the hop
Let's go!

Let's go to the hop
Let's go to the hop (oh baby)
Let's go to the hop (oh baby)
Let's go to the hop
Come on, let's go to the hop
Let's go!

Well, you can rock it you can roll it
You can stop and you can stroll it at the hop
When the record starts spinnin'
You go dancin' when you chicken at the hop
Do the dance sensation that is sweepin' the nation at the hop

You can swing it you can groove it
You can really start to move it at the hop
Where the jockey is the smoothest
And the music is the coolest at the hop
All the cats and chicks can get their kicks at the hop
Let's go!

Let's go to the hop
Let's go to the hop (oh baby)
Let's go to the hop (oh baby)
Let's go to the hop
Come on, let's go to the hop

Bah-bah-bah-bah
Bah-bah-bah-bah
Bah-bah-bah-bah
Bah-bah-bah-bah, at the hop!
---o0o---

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

David Bowie covers one of the great rock tunes of all time - Waterloo Sunset

By Jack Brummet, British Music Ed.



 David Bowie covers what I think is one of the 10 greatest rock songs of all time. Bowie recently wrote the notes for an upcoming Kinks compilation, and wrote "I've never heard a Kinks song that I didn't like".


 
---o0o---

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Monday, March 03, 2014

Billy Joel's heavy metal band, Attilla

By Jack Brummet, Music Ed.

Billy Joel had a heavy metal band--Attila--in 1969/70.  He was partners in the band with Jon Small. . .until Joel and Small's wife fell in love. 

“They released only one album, Attila, in 1970. Attila is often selected by critics and other music journalists as one of the worst rock albums of all time. Joel himself has gone on record as describing the album as “psychedelic bullshit”.  - Wikipedia 


---o0o---

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Beatles perform Please Please Me, warts and all

By Jack Brummet, 20th Century Sounds Ed. 

I am always fascinated by The Beatles live performances.  They were playing giant halls and stadiums using PAs and guitar amplifiers far less powerful than what we see in 100 person clubs now. They couldn't usually overmatch the screaming. When I saw them in '66 in Seattle (their second to last concert performance ever), it was a murky jumble of sound, and the girl's screams won.  It was all made up for by just being in their presence for 25 minutes (yes, that's how long they played, but still, we got our $5 worth).  It is amazing how good they actually sounded, with the deck totally stacked against them...





---o0o---

Monday, December 23, 2013

Joan Baez with Jimi Hendrix

By Jack Brummet, Rock Ed.


Joan Baez with Jimi Hendrix. I originally saw the bong version, which is probably someone's Photoshop. A version that Corbis licenses is smokeless, and seems to be the original. But who really knows these days?



---o0o---

Monday, August 26, 2013

Favorite all time album titles

By Jack Brummet, Music Ed.



  • The Difference Between Me And You Is That I'm Not On Fire - McLusky
  • The Smoker You Drink The Player You Get -  Joe Walsh
  • Seconds of Pleasure - Rockpile
  • Greatest Hits Vol. III - Umphrey's McGees' first album
  • Did I Shave My Legs For This? - Deana Carter
  • You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic - Ian Hunter
  • Vulgar Display of Power  -  Pantera
  • Ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch - Frank Zappa
  • Hairway To Steven - Butthole Surfers
  • A Momentary Lapse of Reason  -  Pink Floyd
  • Fear of a Black Planet  -  Public Enemy
  • Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - The Pogues
  • Weasels Ripped My Flesh  -  The Mothers of Invention
  • More Songs About Buildings and Food  -  Talking Heads
  • I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One - Yo La Tengo
  • Songs About F**king -  Big Black
  • Free your mind and your ass will follow - Funkadelic
  • Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan
  • You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish - REO Speedwagon
  • The Pope Smokes Dope - David Peel & the lower east side
  • In a Priest-Driven Ambulance by The Flaming Lips
  • Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death - Dead Kennedys
  • If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You - Caravan

---o0o---


Monday, May 27, 2013

Sasquatch Festival

By Jack Brummet 




I spent Sunday/Monday morning at the Sasquatch Fesitval at the Gorge Amphitheater.  I was especially knocked out by the performances of The Tallest Man On Earth, and particularly by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes.

I also saw The Dropkick Murphys, Elvis Costello (my fifth time) and The Imposters, Mumford & Sons, Danny Brown, and a bunch of other bands on the smaller stages.
 ---o0o---

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

44 years ago today, The Beatles performed their final concert (with concert video)

By Jack Brummet, Music Editor

Today is the anniversary of the last live public concert by The Beatles.  On Jan. 30, 1969, The Beatles played on the roof of the Apple Organization building in London. The performance was to be included in Michael Lindsey-Hogg's "Let It Be"[1] -- a documentary about the iconic band.  The word from insiders is that the film will not be released in Paul or Ringo's lifetimes.






[1] According to http://www.ultimate-guitar.com, the 1970 documentary reveals deep tensions among the band.  The film depicts "Paul, Ringo and the late John Lennon and George Harrison - shortly before their break-up, and insiders at the band's record company, Apple, claim the two surviving members do not want it re-released."


"A source said: 'There has been talk of 'Let It Be' finally being released but now there has been a change of heart. The Beatles are still a massive global brand and it's felt it won't be helped if the public sees the darker side of the story.'

"Neither Paul nor Ringo would feel comfortable publicising a film showing The Beatles getting on each other's nerves."


"George Harrison took exception to Paul criticising his guitar playing, while John Lennon appeared disinterested during the entire process - preferring to spend his time with his wife Yoko Ono.
Although the LP was their final release, the group were so disappointed with "Let It Be" they recorded masterpiece "Abbey Road" afterwards and released it before the much-maligned record.

The source added to Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "People like to imagine The Beatles were a happy ship but the reality towards the end was very different as this film shows. There's all sorts of extra footage showing more squabbles but it's unlikely it will ever see the light of day in Paul and Ringo's lifetime."
                                      ---o0o---

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Jim Morrison Explains The Miami Incident

By Jack Brummet, music editor


You may remember the "Miami Incident" if you were listening to music back in 1969 (which would also mean you're pushing 60 or >). If you weren't, you may have heard about it. My friend Frank Curran was at a Doors show in Seattle sometime later, when someone yelled "play Miami!", and Jim Morrison unloaded on Seattle (as I also heard Jimi Hendrix do in his last hometown show).

The "Miami Incident" landed Morrison in serious hot water with the FBI and the courts. On March 1, 1969, he gave a controversial performance at a Doors concert in Miami, Florida, and was later charged with public drunkenness, and various other crimes. He was specifically accused of exposing himself to the crowd, and was eventually convicted of "indecent exposure," a misdemeanor, and not the felonies he was initially charged with. He was sentenced to serve time. But he never served it; he moved to Paris and died at the age of 27.


One night later, Morrison was out with a bunch of people, and his friend Tom Baker started goading him (it was getting hostile):  "Tell us now, Mr. Jim Morrison, rock star. Tell us what happened in Miami."

Morrison glared at Baker, and drained his drink.

And, yes, he did bring a live sheep on lamb on stage.  Someone 
brought it to the show and handed it off to Morrison on stage. 

"Come on, Jim, tell us once and for all."

"Well," Morrison said in a quiet voice, "I wanted to see what it looked like in the spotlight."

The crowd burst out laughing, spraying the bar with their drinks and Jim grinned proudly.
---o0o---

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

The Beatles Unplugged

By Jack Brummet, British Invasion Editor





The Beatles: Unplugged is a bootleg CD thar is so interesting, and sounds so good that Capitol/EMI should release this right now.  

This disc, subtitled "The Kinfaun-Session," referring to George Harrison's home in Esher) contains 23 songs that George Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney recorded as demos/works-in-progress in May 1968. Most of the tracks would later appear on The White Album.   This is pretty cool stuff. 

---o0o---

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Beatles collaborative guitar solo in :The end:

By Jack Brummet, Music History Editor


Fifty-four seconds into The Beatles' The End are 18 bars of guitar solo: the first two bars are played by McCartney, the second two by Harrison, and the third two are Lennon, then they take one more round. I've listened to this song probably more than a hundred times and I've noticed the different voices in the solo, but I didn't know until tonight that it was a collaborative solo--Paul created it when he mixed the song. Their individual styles are so perfectly represented....
---o0o---

Monday, August 27, 2012

Music History: The Small Faces

By Jack Brummet, Music History Editor 

Small Faces were leaders of the Mod (and later psychedelic) movement '65-'69, and were heroes of the Britpop movement in the '90s.  There are a lot of interesting tendrils in and out of the band.  After they busted up, three of them joined Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart (both from the Jeff Beck band) to form Faces.   Lead singer Steve Marriott--an amazing vocalist--formed formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton (who, after Humble Pie, went solo and released one of the best selling rock albums of all time).  After Faces, Ronnie Wood joined the Rolling Stones, and Rod Stewart left serious rock behind to become, well, whatever you call what he does now.

 






---o0o---

Monday, July 09, 2012

Jon Anderson screencaps from a 2001 concert (with the entire 23 minute song)

Yes's Jon Anderson captured from a video of a performance of Close To The Edge in in 2001 (screen caps by Jack).  The 23 minute video is embedded below.  The action doesn't really get started until 6:50 in...at least if you're a vocals guy like me.

click to enlarge



---o0o---

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Alex Chadwick's amazing 100 riffs (a brief history of rock and roll)

By Jack Brummet, Music Editor

Alex Chadwick plays 100 famous guitar riffs in chronological order, or, as he calls it, a brief history of rock and roll.  He's playing a 1958 Stratocaster and a Fender '57 Reissue Tweed Deluxe amp.  He used these pedals:



 

The riffs:


1 Mr. Sandman - Chet Atkins
2 Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
3 Words of Love - Buddy Holly
4 Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
5 Rumble - Link Wray
6 Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran 
7 Pipeline - The Chantays 
8 Miserlou - Dick Dale 
9 Wipeout - Surfaris 
10 Daytripper - The Beatles 
11 Can't Explain - The Who 
12 Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones 
13 Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix 
14 Black Magic Woman - Santana 
15 Helter Skelter - The Beatles 
16 Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac 
17 Crossroads - Cream 
18 Communication Breakdown - Led Zeppelin 
19 Paranoid - Black Sabbath 
20 Fortunate Sun - Creedence Clearwater Revival 
21 Funk 49 - James Gang 
22 Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin 
23 Bitch - Rolling Stones 
24 Layla - Derek and the Dominos 
25 School's Out - Alice Cooper
26 Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple 
27 Money - Pink Floyd 
28 Jessica - Allman Brothers 
29 La Grange - ZZ Top 
30 20th Century Boy - T. Rex 
31 Scarlet Begonias - Grateful Dead 
32 Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd 
33 Walk This Way - Aerosmith
34 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
35 Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
36 Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy 
37 Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
38 Carry on My Wayward Son - Kansas 
39 Blitzkreig Bop - The Ramones 
40 Barracuda - Heart 
41 Runnin' with the Devil - Van Halen 
42 Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits 
43 Message in a Bottle - The Police
44 Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) - Neil Young
45 Back in Black - AC/DC 
46 Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne 
47 Spirit of Radio - Rush 
48 Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan 
49 Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
50 Holy Diver - Dio 
51 Beat It - Michael Jackson 
52 Hot For Teacher - Van Halen 
53 What Difference Does It Make - The Smiths
54 Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen 
55 Money For Nothing - Dire Straits 
56 You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi 
57 The One I Love - REM 
58 Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
59 Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
60 Sweet Child 'O Mine - Guns N' Roses 
61 Girls, Girls, Girls - Motley Crue 
62 Cult of Personality -Living Colour
63 Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue 
64 Running Down a Dream - Tom Petty 
65 Pictures of Matchstick Men - Camper Van Beethoven 
66 Thunderstruck - AC/DC 
67 Twice as Hard - Black Crowes 
68 Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson 
69 Enter Sandman - Metallica 
70 Man in the Box - Alice in Chains
71 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 
72 Give it Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers 
73 Even Flow - Pearl Jam 
74 Outshined - Soundgarden 
75 Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine 
76 Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots
77 Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz 
78 Welcome to Paradise - Green Day 
79 Possum Kingdom - Toadies 
80 Say it Ain't So - Weezer 
81 Zero - Smashing Pumpkins 
82 Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters 
83 Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground 
84 Smooth - Santana 
85 Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers 
86 Short Skirt, Long Jacket - Cake
87 Turn a Square - The Shins 
88 Seven Nation Army - White Stripes 
89 Hysteria - Muse 
90 I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness 
91 Blood and Thunder - Mastadon 
92 Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet 
93 Reptilia - The Strokes 
94 Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand 
95 Float On - Modest Mouse 
96 Blue Orchid - White Stripes 
97 Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day 
98 Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs 
99 I Got Mine - Black Keys 
100 Cruel - St. Vincent

---o0o---

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Etta James and The Grateful Dead ring in the New Year, 1982

By Jack Brummet, Music Editor

I am a fan of both Etta James and The Grateful Dead, but never knew they had performed together on New Year's Eve in 1982.  It's not something that fans on either side of the equation would expect.  And then for a horn section, throw in Tower of Power, well, now we're talking!

Sadly, Etta James is suffering from terminal leukemia right now, and I don't think I'll ever get to see her play again.


---o0o---