There is so much to be said about Sam Cooke and many of the other soul artists that emerged in the late 1950's and into the 60's and someday I want to write a book about them, but for now all I have is this blog and not enough time. Sam Cooke in my opinion is the greatest singer to ever live, and I have spent hours listening to his music, sometimes smiling, sometimes crying, but always in awe of his vocal ability and his versatility. To me Sam was the first singer to really use his voice as an instrument and as you listen to his catalog, you'll see that he helped make those long, drawn out vowel sounds a staple in soul music. The I-i-i-i-i-i-i, or the O-o-o-o-o-o-o, or the Yooooooouuuuuuuu in "You Send Me." He had a brilliant mind for pop music and he carried over what he had learned from years of singing in gospel quartets like the Q.C.s and the Soul Stirrers and brought it to the pop arena. But it wasn't just the call and response, and it wasn't just passion either. Lots of singers sang with passion, but Sam sang like he was auditioning for God. No one sang like that in pop music ever and really one of the only people who ever came close was Otis Redding. Sam grew up in Chicago and he was the son of a minister, who also sang. A common denominator between a lot of these poor, black soul singers is that from an early age they learned to be competitive and standout, and they also used the church as their footstool towards greatness. The gospel scene in Chicago was huge, so for Sam to be good he knew he was going to have to wow people. His first challenge became trying to sing "This Little Light of Mine" better than his father. His next challenge became trying to compete with the plethora of gospel quartets in Chicago as the main attraction, and he went on to try and conquer secular music and eventually issue a statement of hope with his song "A Change Is Gonna Come." Bob Dylan had released "Blowin' In The Wind" in 1963 and Sam covered it, not necessarily in tribute to Bob Dylan, but because he thought that the song was much to weighty for a white midwesterner to sing. The message was clearly aimed at the civil rights struggle, so someone within the struggle needed to claim it. But he and other black artists singing the song wasn't enough. They needed their own statement, and as one of the premeir black performers of the time, Sam took on the daunting responsibility of verbalizing their message. Dr. King did it with his moving and powerful speeches, but it was time for someone from the pop culture world to really give their stamp of approval. The result was "A Change Is Gonna Come" the most powerful, moving, sad, and beautiful song I have ever heard. Not only did it change the way people thought of Sam Cooke, but it changed the way black artists thought, wrote and performed. It also gave black people a sense of solidarity. It is the 2nd greatest song of all time next to "A Day In The Life" but if not for that song only you guys should give Sam Cooke a try. Some of his songs are dated sure, but they are all vocally brilliant, and if you care about soul music at all, he is where you start. Also, if you want to read about his transcendent talent and the social and musical precedents he set, please read Peter Guralnick's "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke." It is one of my favorite books and it's written by one of the best writers in the business. I don't think Peter Guralnick has written a bad book.
From Sam Cooke came the idea of the soul singer. The deeply passionate, emotional, and most of the time vulnerable singer who places their being and their voice on display for the world. Motown started banking on this idea with their A list artists, but not long after the South had an answer. It was Stax Records in Memphis. Founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart as Satellite Records, Stewart later changed the name to Stax in 1961. The name comes from the first two letters of Stewart and the first two letters of his sister Estelle Axton's name. She was also his business partner. The studio was an old movie theater, so the odd proportions gave the studio wonderful acoustics and a big, powerful sound which came to be associated with most of the records and the southern soul sound in general.
Among the first artists to record at Satellite/Stax were Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla. Their success attracted Atlantic records, and Stewart set up a distribution deal with Stax. They also recorded a band called the Mar-Keys. An 8 piece R&B outfit half way made up by Steve Cropper on guitar, Booker T. Jones on piano/organ, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, and Al Jackson Jr. on drums. These four would later record with Stax as Booker T. and the Memphis Group or Booker T. & the MGs. They recorded their own music and served as the Stax house band, much like The Funk Brothers for Motown. They are largely the reason why the southern soul sound was so distinguished because the rhythm section couldn't have been better and Steve Cropper and Booker T's minimalist sytles accented the rhythms perfectly.
Among artists to record for Stax were The Staple Singers made up of Pop Staples and his three daughters. Mavis Staples' voice rivaled Aretha Franklins. Also there was Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, blues legend Albert King, Booker T. & The MGs and Otis Redding. Other artists that were on Atlantic Records went to Stax to record, although they weren't on the label officially, like Wilson Pickett who became famous with "In The Midnight Hour" which he co-wrote with Steve Cropper and Save and Dave, who were loaned to Stax. Sam and Dave, like Wilson Pickett were famous for their raw, raspy, gospel like style. Sam and Dave used call and response in many of their songs. Hits of theirs include "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Coming." Their greatest hits record is fantastic.
Otis Redding was Stax's prized possession, and the second greatest soul singer of all time behind Sam Cooke. He is the all-time ballad soul singer and his songs "Pain In My Heart" "Try A Little Tenderness" "I've Been Loving You Too Long To Stop Now" and "These Arms Of Mine" are classics. He was also great at singing upbeat songs like "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" Sam Cooke's "Shake" "Respect" "Mr. Pitiful" and "Hard To Handle." He sang with a power, force and grace that was never heard again in soul music, and he was truly devoted to his music, almost constantly recording from 1963-1967 when he died. He is probably most famous for his song "Sittin'On The Dock Of The Bay" which was released posthumously. He was the only soul artist at the Monterey Pop Festival. He sadly died in a plane crash in 1967 at the height of his fame. The soul genre lost one of its giants when he died. I can't really find the words to talk about Otis right now and maybe there are none, you'll just have to listen to his music. That should speak to you enough. Otis Redding Live at The Whiskey A-Go-Go is great along with his "Best Of" along with the Anthology "Dreams to Remember" which is 50+ songs and contains his live material from the Monterey Pop Festival. And...if you haven't noticed already, this blog is named after the Otis song "You Left The Water Running" which he happened to record at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio which is is a perfect segueway...
The other flagship studio of the southern soul sound was Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, where mostly Atlantic artists were recorded. This is the studio where Aretha Franklin recorded her signature works and became known as the "Queen of Soul." Other artists to record there were Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, Clarence Carter, James Carr, Arthur Alexander and Solomon Burke. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was not as narrow in their scope of artists as Stax though, pretty much anyone who is anyone in the world of rock n' roll and country music has recorded there. The reason for the great studio and sound is probably because of the enormous amount of talented session players in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and the Quad Cities of Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. Also the quality of the sound of the studio was superb and comparable to the sound of Stax.
For more particulars on the studios themselves you can use Wikipedia, which will explain more of the business side of both the Atlantic and Stax labels and both studios. Also, you can use allmusic.com for a cursory knowledge of the songs these artists recorded in case you didn't write them down in class or I forgot them. I forgot to give you some recommended purchases for Sam Cooke. Here they are "Sam Cooke: Portrait of a Legend" is a great anthology, "Night Beat" stands alone as an album, "Sam Cooke Live At The Harlem Square Club" is the 2nd best live album ever, and "Sam Cooke Live At The Copa" is good but a bit more subdued because he is singing to a white audience. He does a lot of covers during that performance that are noteworthy, like "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Tennessee Waltz."
We could do an entire class on soul music and I really have so much more to say but I need to get this posted. If you ever want to talk about soul, let me know I am always up for it. Not a lot of people our age are passionate about this type of music, especially of the southern variety. You've been great...I'd have you anytime. DXL
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Guitar Gods...
Eric Clapton-one of the premier guitarists in rock n’ roll history and has been a successful artist in the blues, rock, and pop arena. He got his start like many other great guitarists in the Yardbirds, and blues and later pop group in the early and mid 60s. After the Yardbirds had a number one hit with “For Your Love” Eric Clapton felt the integrity of the band had been compromised so he quit. He was then invited to play with longtime English musician John Mayall, with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Clapton’s virtuous playing in this band gave him instant fame among hardcore blues fans in England. Underground fans hailed him as God. Clapton didn’t take well to this type of idolatry, but nonetheless he continued to rise to fame when he formed his next band Cream. Cream was a bit of a supergroup and included bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. Cream did not last long, but the songs they wrote were some of the most memorable of the era and in rock history. These include “Sunshine of Your Love” “White Room” and their adaptation of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads.” After Cream he went on to another supergroup called “Blind Faith” featuring Steve Winwood on piano, himself on guitar, Ginger Baker on drums and Rik Gretch on bass. Clapton really began to develop his writing skills with “In The Presence of The Lord.” Blind Faith did one album and split up during their first tour. After doing nothing for a little bit, he joined a tour with American musicians Delaney and Bonnie and Delaney encouraged Eric to begin singing which he would eventually do with his alias band Derek and the Dominos. He would have a smash hit with “Layla” and create some of his best original material ever. After struggling with massive addiction to heroine in the 70’s and then alcohol in the 80’s, he eventually rehabilitated himself and had a massively successful career as a crooner and pop artist. He moved into the soft rock arena in the 80s.
J
eff Beck was also a member of the Yardbirds after Eric Clapton left. Beck was more of a jazzy style guitarist, rather than being deeply rooted in blues like Eric Clapton. Beck has always been more experimental but a bit more subdued than Clapton. Beck is the guitar player’s guitar player. After the Yardbirds he formed the Jeff Beck group which featured Ron Wood and Rod Stewart.
Jimmy Page was the third and final guitarist for the Yardbirds. Page and Beck intersected for a brief period, but by the time Page got there, the Yardbirds were on the rocks. What was left of them eventually became Led Zepplin. Led Zepplin featured Robert Plant on vocals, Page on guitar, John Bonham on drums and John Paul Jones on bass. Zepplin would blend hardcore blues with jazz and psychedelic rock to become one of the most played and celebrated bands in rock n’ roll history, and maybe one of the biggest rip offs too. Dazed and Confused was a complete cover that Jimmy Page tried to pass off as his own, but I won’t hold that against him anymore.
Pete Townshend is pretty much solely responsible for establishing stage presence for a guitar player on stage. He would break guitars, do all sorts of crazy jumps and acrobatics and look really cool doing it. He also wrote much of The Who’s material and stretched the boundaries of rock music by using lots of power chords and later writing rock opera’s like Tommy. He led the Who which was Roger Daltry on vocals, John Entwistle on bass, and the legendary Keith Moon on drums. The Who became one of the biggest rock bands to come out of the British Invasion,
Jimi Hendrix-Although I’d like to, I don’t really know if I need to explain Jimi Hendrix on this blog. He was born in Seattle as James Marshall Hendrix in 1942 and died in London in 1970 of a drug overdose. He is the most influential, revolutionary, and copied guitarist of all-time. His most famous work is probably his performance of The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. He played mostly with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which was a trio with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Their albums “Are You Experienced?” “Axis: Bold As Love” and “Electric Ladyland” are essentials.
Duane Allman-One of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band and is one of the greatest guitarists ever and probably the best slide guitar player ever. The Allman Brothers band was Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Jai Johanny Johanssen, and Butch Trucks. They were the quintessential southern rock/jam band, and Allman is famous for his long, flawless solos. He is an extremely fluid player and his tone was typically bright, and crisp.
J
eff Beck was also a member of the Yardbirds after Eric Clapton left. Beck was more of a jazzy style guitarist, rather than being deeply rooted in blues like Eric Clapton. Beck has always been more experimental but a bit more subdued than Clapton. Beck is the guitar player’s guitar player. After the Yardbirds he formed the Jeff Beck group which featured Ron Wood and Rod Stewart.
Jimmy Page was the third and final guitarist for the Yardbirds. Page and Beck intersected for a brief period, but by the time Page got there, the Yardbirds were on the rocks. What was left of them eventually became Led Zepplin. Led Zepplin featured Robert Plant on vocals, Page on guitar, John Bonham on drums and John Paul Jones on bass. Zepplin would blend hardcore blues with jazz and psychedelic rock to become one of the most played and celebrated bands in rock n’ roll history, and maybe one of the biggest rip offs too. Dazed and Confused was a complete cover that Jimmy Page tried to pass off as his own, but I won’t hold that against him anymore.
Pete Townshend is pretty much solely responsible for establishing stage presence for a guitar player on stage. He would break guitars, do all sorts of crazy jumps and acrobatics and look really cool doing it. He also wrote much of The Who’s material and stretched the boundaries of rock music by using lots of power chords and later writing rock opera’s like Tommy. He led the Who which was Roger Daltry on vocals, John Entwistle on bass, and the legendary Keith Moon on drums. The Who became one of the biggest rock bands to come out of the British Invasion,
Jimi Hendrix-Although I’d like to, I don’t really know if I need to explain Jimi Hendrix on this blog. He was born in Seattle as James Marshall Hendrix in 1942 and died in London in 1970 of a drug overdose. He is the most influential, revolutionary, and copied guitarist of all-time. His most famous work is probably his performance of The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. He played mostly with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which was a trio with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Their albums “Are You Experienced?” “Axis: Bold As Love” and “Electric Ladyland” are essentials.
Duane Allman-One of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band and is one of the greatest guitarists ever and probably the best slide guitar player ever. The Allman Brothers band was Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Jai Johanny Johanssen, and Butch Trucks. They were the quintessential southern rock/jam band, and Allman is famous for his long, flawless solos. He is an extremely fluid player and his tone was typically bright, and crisp.
The Rolling Stones....
For over a 5 year period, from 1967 to about 1973, The Rolling Stones were the greatest rock n' roll band on Earth. Some say they still are and without a doubt they are the longest running rock n' roll band of all time and they are a paragon of consistency in the industry in regard to touring and album production and quality. The Rolling Stones very seldom make bad music and that is probably because unlike other bands that still exist today, i.e. The Four Tops, The Temptations, and the Beach Boys, the Stones have had the same nucleus all these years. Besides a bit of a revolving door when it comes to guitarists, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ron Wood have all been together for ages, and up until 1993 Bill Wyman was still around. The original Stones lineup started in 1962 (I'm leaving out Ian Stewart because he wasn't a consistent member at this point) with Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Keith Richards (vocals, guitar), Brian Jones (guitar, percussion), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums). This lineup remained intact until 1969 when Brian Jones, who was the founder of the Rolling Stones was essentially told to leave the band. This was because of escalating substance abuse probably because Mick and Keith had taken over the leadership of his band, and they had also stolen his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg. Brian felt under-appreciated, and like he'd been robbed, but addiction made him complacent so he just let all this happen. When it did, he was too incapacitated to stop it and Mick asked him to go because he wasn't worth a damn on stage anymore. So, they hired Mick Taylor, a straight-edged but very talented blues guitar player. A few days later Brian Jones was found dead. He had apparently committed suicide. Not to get ahead of myself here, but I just wanted to get the Brian Jones story out there, because he is in no way a side note. It was his organization and his vision and his passion of Blues and R&B that got this band started in the first place. Like other blues bands of the time, they LOVED American music, and would hang out in underground r&b clubs in London. Their name comes from a Muddy Waters song, "Rolling Stone." Like the Beatles, and the Yardbirds, and the Animals they covered lots of American material at their start. Examples are Chuck Berry's "Oh Carol". Irma Thomas' "Time Is On My Side", Rufus Thomas's "Walkin' The Dog" and Arthur Alexander's "You Better Move On."
So up until 1965 they were just one of those British Invasion bands playing American music and they kind of got lost in the wash, although they always gave the impression that they were a bit harder edged than some of their counterparts and especially the Beatles. But their big breakthrough as songwriters came when Keith Richards woke up with the riff for "Satisfaction" in his head in Clearwater, Florida. He was going to give it to Otis Redding to sing, which Otis eventually did, but he kept it and this eventually started a great partnership of Jagger-Richards songs. Notice the name, much like Lennon-McCartney, Goffen-King, Leiber-Stoller. They emerged as great songwriters with numbers like "Ruby Tuesday" "Under My Thumb" and "Paint It Black." They showed they weren't afraid to shock with songs like "Let's Spend The Night Together." This was certainly not commonplace in 1966, and even if songs were about sex, they were never expressed so bluntly. As the Beatles faded out at the end of the 60s, the Stones stepped in with a series of stellar albums that showed diversity, prowess, and most of all talent. This series of albums is just as good as any stretch by a rock and roll group ever. It started with "Beggar's Banquet" then "Let It Bleed" then "Sticky Fingers" and finally their masterpiece and ultimate tribute to American roots music "Exile On Main St." which is an album I think everyone should own. All of these are great purchases by the way. I would love to go into more detail about these albums but unfortunately there is little time and I want to get to the rest of the notes at this point. I also apologize for not posting this stuff earlier but it has been pretty hectic on my end catching up on work and dealing with my own responsibilities.
I would also elaborate on Altamont, but I think the excerpt we watched from "Gimme Shelter" told you guys all you needed to know, which is Free Concert+Hells Angels+Beer+Drugs=Death. The man apparently had a gun, which the video showed, but no one deserved to die at the Altamont Festival, and it was one of the great tragedies in the music world to that time. Rather than have me tell you which Stones albums to buy, go to allmusic,com and look up the Stones' discography they have great reviewers and it will give you an idea of some decent compilations besides 40 Licks. Also, read Keith Richards' autobiography when it comes out this summer.
So up until 1965 they were just one of those British Invasion bands playing American music and they kind of got lost in the wash, although they always gave the impression that they were a bit harder edged than some of their counterparts and especially the Beatles. But their big breakthrough as songwriters came when Keith Richards woke up with the riff for "Satisfaction" in his head in Clearwater, Florida. He was going to give it to Otis Redding to sing, which Otis eventually did, but he kept it and this eventually started a great partnership of Jagger-Richards songs. Notice the name, much like Lennon-McCartney, Goffen-King, Leiber-Stoller. They emerged as great songwriters with numbers like "Ruby Tuesday" "Under My Thumb" and "Paint It Black." They showed they weren't afraid to shock with songs like "Let's Spend The Night Together." This was certainly not commonplace in 1966, and even if songs were about sex, they were never expressed so bluntly. As the Beatles faded out at the end of the 60s, the Stones stepped in with a series of stellar albums that showed diversity, prowess, and most of all talent. This series of albums is just as good as any stretch by a rock and roll group ever. It started with "Beggar's Banquet" then "Let It Bleed" then "Sticky Fingers" and finally their masterpiece and ultimate tribute to American roots music "Exile On Main St." which is an album I think everyone should own. All of these are great purchases by the way. I would love to go into more detail about these albums but unfortunately there is little time and I want to get to the rest of the notes at this point. I also apologize for not posting this stuff earlier but it has been pretty hectic on my end catching up on work and dealing with my own responsibilities.
I would also elaborate on Altamont, but I think the excerpt we watched from "Gimme Shelter" told you guys all you needed to know, which is Free Concert+Hells Angels+Beer+Drugs=Death. The man apparently had a gun, which the video showed, but no one deserved to die at the Altamont Festival, and it was one of the great tragedies in the music world to that time. Rather than have me tell you which Stones albums to buy, go to allmusic,com and look up the Stones' discography they have great reviewers and it will give you an idea of some decent compilations besides 40 Licks. Also, read Keith Richards' autobiography when it comes out this summer.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Gram Parsons and My Return To The Blogosphere
Hey rock n' roll fans. I know it has been a while and I apologize for the sabbatical, but I unfortunately had to have minor surgery to remove a cyst from my lower back last week and was out of commission. But I want to say that I should be updating this blog several times this week and getting everyone caught up on what you may have missed. I also will take this time to say that most of my blogs from here on out are going to be monotheistic in that I want to concentrate on a few of my very favorite artists. I will splash in some of the logistics, but I feel like until now I really haven't gotten on my soapbox as much as I would've liked and so now I will. Man I changed a lot of verb tenses there.
Today I am going to talk about Gram Parsons. This might not excite some of you, especially since I noticed a lot of puzzled looks on your faces when we listened to his music in class. It's perfectly natural to feel that way, because Gram was always a bit out of his time. He was playing hardcore, Bakersfield-style country at a time when country music and rock n' roll, ideologically were on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. During the mid-60's country and the people who listened to it were seen as unsympathetic, racist, ultra-patriotic rednecks who had no idea where to find the pulse of the world. But that is why Gram was a magical figure for music, because he thought that none of this mattered. Music, to Gram, could not be manipulated or politicized. He often referred to his vision as "Cosmic American Music" a harmonious blend of rock n' roll, jazz, country, and blues. During his time he probably came closest to this vision with his work on "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" with the Byrds and "The Gilded Palace of Sin" with The Flying Burrito Brothers. Both albums I strongly recommend, not only because they are musically fantastic, but because if you care about rock n' roll at all, and its development, these albums are absolutely essential. They influenced bands like The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Poco, Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, and to a lesser extent, My Morning Jacket. Gram, though albeit slowly at first, showed the 60's counterculture that country music was not far from what they sought and what they listened to. More than any other country artist, he showed me and people like me who had always turned a cold shoulder to country, that there was beauty, poetry and most importantly, soul to the music. Often times people said Gram sang like a soul singer, only with a pedal steel guitar behind him. I think it was because he was such a great historian of country music. Keith Richards always said that Gram knew an endless amount of country songs, and Chris Hillman, his longtime bandmate said that Gram "just felt it." He learned from the styles of George Jones, who he called the king of broken hearts, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, The Louvin Brothers, and the Everly Brothers. Another great part of being addicted to Gram, he takes you as far backward as he did forward.
Unfortunately for us, Gram left too soon. He died of an overdose at the Joshua Tree Hotel in California at the age of 26. But he left his mark firmly within the world of music, especially the Southern California scene. I remember hearing Gram for the first time about two years ago. It was a duet between him and Emmylou Harris called "The Return of The Grievous Angel." At the time I could not free myself from the song. I listened to it over, and over, and over again. I was mesmerized by the beautiful imagery of America, by the angelic harmonies he sang with Emmylou, and most of all by the pedal steel guitar, which Gram always insisted should flood the song. You'll certainly hear this when you listen to the FFB, it's an album long solo for Sneaky Pete. Much like an Otis Redding, Gram came to perform most whole-heartedly on his ballads, and I feel in love with them. From then I moved on into the rest of his repertoire with The Byrds and The International Submarine Band. Hot Burrito No. 1 still gives me goosebumps, and I think that is why he is so special to so many people. Because he made them feel normal listening to his music. They didn't have to be in Nashville to feel it. They could identify whether they were in L.A. or New York. Gram's biggest downfall, aside from his musical deficiencies which are well documented, (he was an average guitar player at best, and an adequate piano player) was drugs. His privileged childhood as a member of one of the wealthiest families in the first half of the 20th century gave him an unlimited amount of money, an unquenchable thirst for extravagance, and an idea that he was special. Though he couldn't walk into Gold Star studios and ask to sit in with The Wrecking Crew, he knew he was going to be a star from day one, and he did everything to make it happen. Although living like a star drained his ambition and eventually killed him. So, unlike a Jimi Hendrix, or a Janis Joplin, or a Nick Drake or Kurt Kobain, I don't really long for Gram to be alive. He seemed comfortable the way he was, and he knew what he was in for. Musically I don't know if he could have given us much more, because he became increasingly lackadaisical near the end of his career. These other artists had plans, to change music, and they probably would have. Gram would have just said he wanted to and got stoned. Was Gram passionate?Yes, deeply. But was he driven? Fuck no. So maybe the world was fine the way Gram left it, early and unexpectedly. After all, that's what stars long for, unpredictability.
If any of you are interested in Gram, then I recommend you buy many things. For some reason there is a burst of Gram-related media on the market right now, and I have no idea why, but I suppose it's as good a time as any. I found a great book when I was last in New York called "Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad Of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music" by David Meyer. It is a fantastically detailed and entertaining biography. I don't normally call bios page turners but Gram's life was extraordinary. Also, the first two albums by the Flying Burrito Brothers, "The Gilded Palace of Sin" and "Burrito Deluxe" are being packaged together right now for like 14 bucks. It's certainly money well spent. Recently released in 2007 was a live double album of the Burrito Brothers live at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. While it's not a spectacular live album it does have some great Merle Haggard, George Jones, WIllie Nelson, Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison covers on it, among fantastic originals. Dr. McKeen also made me an anthology called "Sleepless Nights" which is a double disc chronicling his entire career. I'd be happy to lend any of these things to you, or burn you copies.
Below I've included some youtube links. The first one is a trailer for "Fallen Angel" the documentary. The second is the video for "Christine's Tune" and the third is a performance by Ryan Adams and Emmylou Harris of "The Return of The Grievous Angel" which does the original justice. Bernie Leadon plays guitar. Enjoy. I'll be in touch soon with more blogs, it's been lovely, and I'd have you anytime-DXL.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9cmUWNO_YSs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BITiY8M_oDo&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z_ie8BDBSZs
Today I am going to talk about Gram Parsons. This might not excite some of you, especially since I noticed a lot of puzzled looks on your faces when we listened to his music in class. It's perfectly natural to feel that way, because Gram was always a bit out of his time. He was playing hardcore, Bakersfield-style country at a time when country music and rock n' roll, ideologically were on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. During the mid-60's country and the people who listened to it were seen as unsympathetic, racist, ultra-patriotic rednecks who had no idea where to find the pulse of the world. But that is why Gram was a magical figure for music, because he thought that none of this mattered. Music, to Gram, could not be manipulated or politicized. He often referred to his vision as "Cosmic American Music" a harmonious blend of rock n' roll, jazz, country, and blues. During his time he probably came closest to this vision with his work on "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" with the Byrds and "The Gilded Palace of Sin" with The Flying Burrito Brothers. Both albums I strongly recommend, not only because they are musically fantastic, but because if you care about rock n' roll at all, and its development, these albums are absolutely essential. They influenced bands like The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Poco, Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, and to a lesser extent, My Morning Jacket. Gram, though albeit slowly at first, showed the 60's counterculture that country music was not far from what they sought and what they listened to. More than any other country artist, he showed me and people like me who had always turned a cold shoulder to country, that there was beauty, poetry and most importantly, soul to the music. Often times people said Gram sang like a soul singer, only with a pedal steel guitar behind him. I think it was because he was such a great historian of country music. Keith Richards always said that Gram knew an endless amount of country songs, and Chris Hillman, his longtime bandmate said that Gram "just felt it." He learned from the styles of George Jones, who he called the king of broken hearts, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, The Louvin Brothers, and the Everly Brothers. Another great part of being addicted to Gram, he takes you as far backward as he did forward.
Unfortunately for us, Gram left too soon. He died of an overdose at the Joshua Tree Hotel in California at the age of 26. But he left his mark firmly within the world of music, especially the Southern California scene. I remember hearing Gram for the first time about two years ago. It was a duet between him and Emmylou Harris called "The Return of The Grievous Angel." At the time I could not free myself from the song. I listened to it over, and over, and over again. I was mesmerized by the beautiful imagery of America, by the angelic harmonies he sang with Emmylou, and most of all by the pedal steel guitar, which Gram always insisted should flood the song. You'll certainly hear this when you listen to the FFB, it's an album long solo for Sneaky Pete. Much like an Otis Redding, Gram came to perform most whole-heartedly on his ballads, and I feel in love with them. From then I moved on into the rest of his repertoire with The Byrds and The International Submarine Band. Hot Burrito No. 1 still gives me goosebumps, and I think that is why he is so special to so many people. Because he made them feel normal listening to his music. They didn't have to be in Nashville to feel it. They could identify whether they were in L.A. or New York. Gram's biggest downfall, aside from his musical deficiencies which are well documented, (he was an average guitar player at best, and an adequate piano player) was drugs. His privileged childhood as a member of one of the wealthiest families in the first half of the 20th century gave him an unlimited amount of money, an unquenchable thirst for extravagance, and an idea that he was special. Though he couldn't walk into Gold Star studios and ask to sit in with The Wrecking Crew, he knew he was going to be a star from day one, and he did everything to make it happen. Although living like a star drained his ambition and eventually killed him. So, unlike a Jimi Hendrix, or a Janis Joplin, or a Nick Drake or Kurt Kobain, I don't really long for Gram to be alive. He seemed comfortable the way he was, and he knew what he was in for. Musically I don't know if he could have given us much more, because he became increasingly lackadaisical near the end of his career. These other artists had plans, to change music, and they probably would have. Gram would have just said he wanted to and got stoned. Was Gram passionate?Yes, deeply. But was he driven? Fuck no. So maybe the world was fine the way Gram left it, early and unexpectedly. After all, that's what stars long for, unpredictability.
If any of you are interested in Gram, then I recommend you buy many things. For some reason there is a burst of Gram-related media on the market right now, and I have no idea why, but I suppose it's as good a time as any. I found a great book when I was last in New York called "Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad Of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music" by David Meyer. It is a fantastically detailed and entertaining biography. I don't normally call bios page turners but Gram's life was extraordinary. Also, the first two albums by the Flying Burrito Brothers, "The Gilded Palace of Sin" and "Burrito Deluxe" are being packaged together right now for like 14 bucks. It's certainly money well spent. Recently released in 2007 was a live double album of the Burrito Brothers live at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. While it's not a spectacular live album it does have some great Merle Haggard, George Jones, WIllie Nelson, Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison covers on it, among fantastic originals. Dr. McKeen also made me an anthology called "Sleepless Nights" which is a double disc chronicling his entire career. I'd be happy to lend any of these things to you, or burn you copies.
Below I've included some youtube links. The first one is a trailer for "Fallen Angel" the documentary. The second is the video for "Christine's Tune" and the third is a performance by Ryan Adams and Emmylou Harris of "The Return of The Grievous Angel" which does the original justice. Bernie Leadon plays guitar. Enjoy. I'll be in touch soon with more blogs, it's been lovely, and I'd have you anytime-DXL.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9cmUWNO_YSs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BITiY8M_oDo&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z_ie8BDBSZs
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Song for Lonnie
This is a song that I'm writing about bluesman Lonnie Johnson. He was great in ballad style, especially on "Tomorrow Night." So I decided a tribute was needed. Let me know your thoughts.
Play me a song, Lonnie. Make my day turn blue. My weary bones, they ache and moan, for something pure and true.
I'll pluck these strings, with your touch, so they can finally ring...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinnati wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. While the moon is bathing me. I walk around, this same old town, the South won't set me free.
I'll drink a bowl, warm with your soul, so this voice can finally sing...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinnati wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. So you can tell me why. The ghosts who keep on callin' me, they never seem to die.
In your vain, I might explain, why love is a funny thing...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinnati wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. Make my day turn blue. My weary bones, they ache and moan, for something pure and true.
I'll pluck these strings, with your touch, so they can finally ring...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinatti wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. Make my day turn blue. My weary bones, they ache and moan, for something pure and true.
I'll pluck these strings, with your touch, so they can finally ring...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinnati wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. While the moon is bathing me. I walk around, this same old town, the South won't set me free.
I'll drink a bowl, warm with your soul, so this voice can finally sing...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinnati wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. So you can tell me why. The ghosts who keep on callin' me, they never seem to die.
In your vain, I might explain, why love is a funny thing...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinnati wind.
Play me a song, Lonnie. Make my day turn blue. My weary bones, they ache and moan, for something pure and true.
I'll pluck these strings, with your touch, so they can finally ring...and I'll fly with a bluebird, on the Cincinatti wind.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Folkie Bob Plugs In...
As I talked about before, 1965 was a turning point in rock n' roll because two figures tried to steal rock n' roll back from the Brits, one of them was James Brown and the other was the magnificent Bob Dylan. From March 1965 with the release of "Bringing It All Back Home" to May 1966 with the release of the double album "Blonde on Blonde" Bob Dylan was the undisputed king of rock n' roll. Vital to his success were his backing musicians, who included Al Kooper on organ, and Michael Bloomfield on guitar. "Bringing It All Back Home" is my favorite album of all time, and it is significant because the first side of the album was played entirely with electric instruments and a drummer which he had never used before. The second side of the album was acoustic to demonstrate that he still had his folk sensibility and that was still effective as the interpreter for a generation. The album also featured what some call the first rock music video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Newport was the place that he chose to unveil his new sound, his new band, to an extent his new musical mission statement. Newport had been Bob's coming out party in 1963, introducing him to the world as a fresh, unique, and extremely potent songwriter and performer. At Newport in 1965, he was booed, he was slandered, and probably in the eyes of some he was hated. People thought of his new sound as hypocritical, treasonous, and disingenuous, but nevertheless Bob pursued new projects to expand and morph the sound of rock n' roll of the day.
Later in 1965 he released "Highway 61 Revisited" which contained the single "Like A Rolling Stone" which is often considered among music critics to be the greatest song in rock n' roll history. Tom Wilson produced this record but stopped working halfway through. Instead Bruce Johnston produced the second half of the record and continued to work with him in the rest of the decade. Blonde on Blonde was the first double album in rock and was as Bob described it, the time he came closest to recording "the sound within his head, that thin, wild, mercury sound.
In 1965 and 1966 he set out on a world tour and he recruited a band called the Hawks to tour with him. The Hawks were Robbie Robertson on guitar, Garth Hudson on organ, Rick Danko on bass, Richard Manuel on piano, and Levon Helm on drums. Although each member of the Hawks was a multi-instrumentalist I only listed their primary instruments. They were a tight, very talented backing band and they served Dylan well helping cement their status as probably the greatest rock act of the time, and also later in the decade as collaborators for the "Basement Tapes." The world tour was not well received and Dylan was booed viciously during most stops, most famously at Manchester, England on May 17, 1966. If you are interested in seeing what these events looked like you should rent, but probably buy, D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" or Martin Scorcese's "No Direction Home." Shortly after the world tour Bob was in a motorcylce accident, and this caused him to become very reclusive and private, well at least more than he was already. After he recovered he decided to take a break from music and get a taste of rural family life, so he moved to Woodstock, NY with his wife Sara Lowndes.
The Hawks later followed him to Woodstock and bought a ho use there called "Big Pink." Since they would play around town and sometimes at big pink they were routinely referred to as The Band, so the name eventually stuck. The Band and Bob, eventually started playing together most days, mostly because Bob wanted to put out an album to try and make some money. They would rehearse and write from the basement of big pink and the recordings that came from these sessions were released as The Basement Tapes. They would later be heralded as some of Bob's greatest work and some of the most highly influential rock recordings.
Under the persuasion of Dylan, The Band began to record their own material under the tutelage and aid of Bob. What resulted was 1968's music from Big Pink. A raw, American, rural masterpiece that echoed from the mountains and plains of America. They used colorful retrospective narrative and created a sound that was a unique blend of traditional mountain and rural folk forms mixed with rhythm and blues. Their second self-titled album went even further thematically, featuring a cover photo of the band, dressed and groomed stylistically to look like they belonged in the 19th century. The songs spoke of an older, more genuine, but more difficult America to live in. Listen to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" "Whispering Pines" "King's Harvest (Has Surely Come)" and "Up On Cripple Creek" People often ask me what I think the perfect rock n' roll record and the answer is almost always this one. Please buy it.
Bob later made two country albums "John Wesley Harding" and "Nashville Skyline" while in Woodstock. He would later move back to rock n' roll and into some adventurous places like gospel before eventually turning back to his roots with "Love and Theft" and "Modern Times."
I would speak more about the frustrations and transformations of Dylan but I am trying to make this a strictly pragmatic post and I apologize for the lack of colorful insight or anecdotal evidence. But I feel like what is here is what you need to know. Listen to The Band, they will blow your mind, listen to the three monumental Dylan rock albums, they will also blow your mind. And if you can get your hands on "The Last Waltz" by Martin Scorcese. There are two books out on the Band and Bob if you are interested as well. One is called "Million Dollar Bash" and it is about the Basement Tapes sessions and the other is called "This Wheel's On Fire" and it the autobiography of Levon Helm the longtime drummer for The Hawks, and The Band. Thank you, I'd have you anytime...DXL
Later in 1965 he released "Highway 61 Revisited" which contained the single "Like A Rolling Stone" which is often considered among music critics to be the greatest song in rock n' roll history. Tom Wilson produced this record but stopped working halfway through. Instead Bruce Johnston produced the second half of the record and continued to work with him in the rest of the decade. Blonde on Blonde was the first double album in rock and was as Bob described it, the time he came closest to recording "the sound within his head, that thin, wild, mercury sound.
In 1965 and 1966 he set out on a world tour and he recruited a band called the Hawks to tour with him. The Hawks were Robbie Robertson on guitar, Garth Hudson on organ, Rick Danko on bass, Richard Manuel on piano, and Levon Helm on drums. Although each member of the Hawks was a multi-instrumentalist I only listed their primary instruments. They were a tight, very talented backing band and they served Dylan well helping cement their status as probably the greatest rock act of the time, and also later in the decade as collaborators for the "Basement Tapes." The world tour was not well received and Dylan was booed viciously during most stops, most famously at Manchester, England on May 17, 1966. If you are interested in seeing what these events looked like you should rent, but probably buy, D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" or Martin Scorcese's "No Direction Home." Shortly after the world tour Bob was in a motorcylce accident, and this caused him to become very reclusive and private, well at least more than he was already. After he recovered he decided to take a break from music and get a taste of rural family life, so he moved to Woodstock, NY with his wife Sara Lowndes.
The Hawks later followed him to Woodstock and bought a ho use there called "Big Pink." Since they would play around town and sometimes at big pink they were routinely referred to as The Band, so the name eventually stuck. The Band and Bob, eventually started playing together most days, mostly because Bob wanted to put out an album to try and make some money. They would rehearse and write from the basement of big pink and the recordings that came from these sessions were released as The Basement Tapes. They would later be heralded as some of Bob's greatest work and some of the most highly influential rock recordings.
Under the persuasion of Dylan, The Band began to record their own material under the tutelage and aid of Bob. What resulted was 1968's music from Big Pink. A raw, American, rural masterpiece that echoed from the mountains and plains of America. They used colorful retrospective narrative and created a sound that was a unique blend of traditional mountain and rural folk forms mixed with rhythm and blues. Their second self-titled album went even further thematically, featuring a cover photo of the band, dressed and groomed stylistically to look like they belonged in the 19th century. The songs spoke of an older, more genuine, but more difficult America to live in. Listen to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" "Whispering Pines" "King's Harvest (Has Surely Come)" and "Up On Cripple Creek" People often ask me what I think the perfect rock n' roll record and the answer is almost always this one. Please buy it.
Bob later made two country albums "John Wesley Harding" and "Nashville Skyline" while in Woodstock. He would later move back to rock n' roll and into some adventurous places like gospel before eventually turning back to his roots with "Love and Theft" and "Modern Times."
I would speak more about the frustrations and transformations of Dylan but I am trying to make this a strictly pragmatic post and I apologize for the lack of colorful insight or anecdotal evidence. But I feel like what is here is what you need to know. Listen to The Band, they will blow your mind, listen to the three monumental Dylan rock albums, they will also blow your mind. And if you can get your hands on "The Last Waltz" by Martin Scorcese. There are two books out on the Band and Bob if you are interested as well. One is called "Million Dollar Bash" and it is about the Basement Tapes sessions and the other is called "This Wheel's On Fire" and it the autobiography of Levon Helm the longtime drummer for The Hawks, and The Band. Thank you, I'd have you anytime...DXL
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Five Styles of Rock n' Roll
To excerpt from Charlie Gillett's "Sound of the City" I will start with this...
"In the years from 1954 to 1956, there were five distinct styles, developed almost completely independent of one another, that collectively became known as rock n' roll: northern band rock n' roll, whose most popular exemplar was Bill Haley; New Orleans dance blues; Memphis country rock (also known as rockabilly); Chicago rhythm and blues; and vocal group rock n' roll. All five styles, and the variants associated with each of them, depended for their dance beat on contemporary Negro dance rhythms."
I will only briefly discuss these styles and the artists that made them popular because you really should be reading this in the book, but I feel like I should give you access for more one-stop shopping.
Northern Band Rock n' Roll--As I said earlier, when you think of this style you should remember Bill Haley and His Comets. This type of rock exemplified high spirits and feelings of togetherness. The tempo was almost always fast and the music was meant to get people excited. Lyrics usually never centered around heartbreak or solitude but instead were typically about the music itself or partying. See "Rock Around The Clock" and "Let's All Rock Together" or Ritchie Valens' "Come On, Let's Go"
New Orleans Dance Blues--First type of rock n' roll that really put the singer in the forefront, and as a result the rhythms were looser and less mechanical than in northern band rock n' roll. There was rarely any backup vocals and the band played a supporting role. New Orleans dance blues was made popular by a number of figures but probably most famously by Fats Domino and Little Richard. Both played chords with both hands giving their records a driving-boogie influenced feel, and in many of their songs there is a tenor sax solo 2/3 of the way through. Fats was known for his effortless vocal control and cajun accent and Little Richard was known for his wild spirit and intensity that he brought to his records.
Rockabilly--Gillett refers to this as country rock, and he is probably right. But after last lecture let's try and separate the type of country rock that Gram Parsons started and bands of today have turned into alt country such as Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Ryan Adams and The Cardinals and My Morning Jacket, and this kind. Rockabilly is a blend of blues and country and western and the distinct sound was born in Memphis and is probably credited to the vision of Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Like I said earlier in this blog, you will never get away from Sam Phillips, EVER. The reason it sounded so much different than traditional country of the time is because the guitars were heavily electrified, some even with slight distortion and all rockabilly records featured drums, were completely forbidden in traditional country at the time. The reason this style of music encompasses blues and country is not only in the rhythms, typically faster blues rhythms but played with the brightness of country guitar, but also in the way each singer added his own touch. Elvis sang in a blues style, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash sang in a country style. Rockabilly never featured saxophones or any horns for that matter and the singers were much more personal. According to Gillett this was the most complete form of rock n' roll. REMEMBER THAT.
Chicago Style Rhythm and Blues--This is my favorite type of music besides classic and most specifically southern soul. This is almost exclusively a black equivalent to Memphis's rockabilly and the main figure for this style of music is Chuck Berry. Bo Diddley is also a large figure for the Chicago blues sound and there are many other giants as well. The focus was almost completely on rhythm, and there are basically two styles, what some people call a typical "chunka chunka" blues rhythm, (Think Muddy Waters) and the Bo Diddley beat, which probably came from African drum syncopations.
Vocal Groups-The general preoccupation with rhythm is least in this form. The focus was on vocal harmonies which were rarely present in the other five styles and the tone distinction between the lead singer and his/her backup singers. To get an idea of this distinction think of David Ruffin-era Temps. Topics and singers were often more sentimental and this style became a huge outlet for black vocal groups to reach white audiences because songs could be taken slow and themes were more universal and less particular to region unlike blues which is almost always lyrically focused on location and hardship.
Alright, I hope this helps and like I said, the gist of this is what you need and if you have trouble categorizing artists this should help you. Will get more to you soon. You've been lovely, I'd have you any time...DXL
"In the years from 1954 to 1956, there were five distinct styles, developed almost completely independent of one another, that collectively became known as rock n' roll: northern band rock n' roll, whose most popular exemplar was Bill Haley; New Orleans dance blues; Memphis country rock (also known as rockabilly); Chicago rhythm and blues; and vocal group rock n' roll. All five styles, and the variants associated with each of them, depended for their dance beat on contemporary Negro dance rhythms."
I will only briefly discuss these styles and the artists that made them popular because you really should be reading this in the book, but I feel like I should give you access for more one-stop shopping.
Northern Band Rock n' Roll--As I said earlier, when you think of this style you should remember Bill Haley and His Comets. This type of rock exemplified high spirits and feelings of togetherness. The tempo was almost always fast and the music was meant to get people excited. Lyrics usually never centered around heartbreak or solitude but instead were typically about the music itself or partying. See "Rock Around The Clock" and "Let's All Rock Together" or Ritchie Valens' "Come On, Let's Go"
New Orleans Dance Blues--First type of rock n' roll that really put the singer in the forefront, and as a result the rhythms were looser and less mechanical than in northern band rock n' roll. There was rarely any backup vocals and the band played a supporting role. New Orleans dance blues was made popular by a number of figures but probably most famously by Fats Domino and Little Richard. Both played chords with both hands giving their records a driving-boogie influenced feel, and in many of their songs there is a tenor sax solo 2/3 of the way through. Fats was known for his effortless vocal control and cajun accent and Little Richard was known for his wild spirit and intensity that he brought to his records.
Rockabilly--Gillett refers to this as country rock, and he is probably right. But after last lecture let's try and separate the type of country rock that Gram Parsons started and bands of today have turned into alt country such as Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Ryan Adams and The Cardinals and My Morning Jacket, and this kind. Rockabilly is a blend of blues and country and western and the distinct sound was born in Memphis and is probably credited to the vision of Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Like I said earlier in this blog, you will never get away from Sam Phillips, EVER. The reason it sounded so much different than traditional country of the time is because the guitars were heavily electrified, some even with slight distortion and all rockabilly records featured drums, were completely forbidden in traditional country at the time. The reason this style of music encompasses blues and country is not only in the rhythms, typically faster blues rhythms but played with the brightness of country guitar, but also in the way each singer added his own touch. Elvis sang in a blues style, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash sang in a country style. Rockabilly never featured saxophones or any horns for that matter and the singers were much more personal. According to Gillett this was the most complete form of rock n' roll. REMEMBER THAT.
Chicago Style Rhythm and Blues--This is my favorite type of music besides classic and most specifically southern soul. This is almost exclusively a black equivalent to Memphis's rockabilly and the main figure for this style of music is Chuck Berry. Bo Diddley is also a large figure for the Chicago blues sound and there are many other giants as well. The focus was almost completely on rhythm, and there are basically two styles, what some people call a typical "chunka chunka" blues rhythm, (Think Muddy Waters) and the Bo Diddley beat, which probably came from African drum syncopations.
Vocal Groups-The general preoccupation with rhythm is least in this form. The focus was on vocal harmonies which were rarely present in the other five styles and the tone distinction between the lead singer and his/her backup singers. To get an idea of this distinction think of David Ruffin-era Temps. Topics and singers were often more sentimental and this style became a huge outlet for black vocal groups to reach white audiences because songs could be taken slow and themes were more universal and less particular to region unlike blues which is almost always lyrically focused on location and hardship.
Alright, I hope this helps and like I said, the gist of this is what you need and if you have trouble categorizing artists this should help you. Will get more to you soon. You've been lovely, I'd have you any time...DXL
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Everything Sounds Better In A British Accent Right?
Well, probably, except for rock n' roll. I don't mean to slight Britain for the musical exploits it gave us, don't misunderstand me, I just think when it comes down to it we just did it better. But at least for the first part of this blog I will talk about the British Invasion. Let's remember what got this ball rolling, and that is American roots music. Pretty much every British band that came over to the U.S. in the mid-sixties was obsessed with rock n' roll, the most notable examples being The Beatles, The Animals, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, and to a lesser extent, the Zombies. Of course we all know that the Beatles made the biggest splash during that time period, and probably ever, but the lesser known acts are still important. Among these artists are Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, Freddie and the Dreamers, and The Dave Clark Five. What made these groups so popular? Well in the case of Herman's Hermits it was probably the undeniable teenage appeal, the cuteness, and the lovey dovey songs. For the others it was a great sense for pop rhythms, harmonized vocals, and a universal subject matter. This was before rock n' roll got weird and outlandish, these guys were still keeping it simple and writing sensible, formulaic pop. Although bands like Gerry and the Pacemakers topped charts and for a brief period rivaled the Beatles as Britain's most popular band, their main problem was they didn't perfect pop-rock and they didn't progress. As a whole this is really what initially separated The Beatles. After 1965 the first wave bands just kind of got left behind. So people are going nuts in the states about these British bands and frankly it rubbed a couple of people the wrong way. This was our music to begin with, we started this whole mess and now it was our job to fix it. Enter James Brown and Bob Dylan, the saviors of American rock n' roll.
Two Christmases ago I was home in Orlando for winter break and my dad walked into my room to wake me up. I was expecting something along the lines of, "hey we are going to open presents," but instead he said "James died." I immediately knew who he was talking about. I said "you're fucking joking right?" He said he wasn't. And he calmly walked out. I sat in my bed, on Christmas Day and cried for the Godfather of soul. It's only one of two deaths I have ever cried over in my life, and needless to say it ruined Christmas for me. It was horrible. To me, James Brown was always one of those guys who was bigger than music. He always did it his way and he was the baddest motherfucker alive. He was rock n' roll, he was soul, he was gospel, he was funk, and he was definitely punk rock. Without James Brown there would be no Parliment Funkadelic, there would be no Sly and the Family Stone, or the Ohio Players, or Michael Jackson, or maybe even hip-hop period. He was the greatest performer to ever live, and in 1965 he brought his unprecedented stage show into the limelight and reclaimed rock n' roll. The song that did it was "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." The song had an infectious horn line and an unforgettable funk stop in which James would give his trademark shriek. Though the world really found him in that year he had been a successful performer since 1958. He grew up in Augusta, Georgia and endured extreme poverty. Naturally, like most kids who feel they have little future down the practical road (school, workforce) he began dancing on street corners for pennies and getting into trouble with the law for small robberies and other disruptments. The Church was his starting place like many other soul greats like Sam Cooke. He joined the Swanees, a gospel quartet in the mid-fifties. Surprisingly, this was a pretty lucrative and popular movement in the late forties and into the fifties, especially in cities with large black populations like Chicago, St. Louis, and various cities throughout the south. Much like Sam Cooke outgrew the Q.C.'s and later the Soul Stirrers and found secular music, James became the figure in the Swanees that was clearly destined for better things. He formed the Famous Flames and became their lead singer. He, along with the likes of B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner played the Chitlin' Circuit, and that lead him to his coming out party which was staged at the Apollo Theater in New York City.
The first time I passed The Apollo when I lived in New York I totally geeked out because I knew the type of talent that had walked into that building, but none more potent than James Brown. It was there that he recorded the greatest live album of all-time, bar none. Stop your inner dialogue, this isn't a matter of discussion. I suggest if you have 14 dollars in your wallet you go and buy this record, it will be the best 14 dollars you ever spend. Sam Cooke live at the Harlem Square Club is a distant second, also another record I think everyone should own. He spent the early part of his career on King Records which was a label largely associated with black music, much like Specialty Records in New Orleans. Other artists on King Records include the Texas blues great Freddy King. So James pretty much busts the door open in 1965 and brings the rawness, the ferocity, the spectacle, and most importantly the rhythm back into rock n' roll. The Chicago blues scene was still holding down the rhythmic emphasis quite firmly, but it has slipped considerably from the mainstream charts. He went on to have an insanely successful career and is responsible for developing what would later be the funk genre. He is the most sampled artist of all time. Besides the live albums at The Apollo his twenty greatest hits collection will get you where you need to go. The "Sex Machine" album is also fantastic. I also recommend reading his autobiography "I Feel Good." I own it, so if anyone would like to borrow it let me know and I'd be glad to lend it to you. Well I will continue the post on Bob Dylan next because this one feels quite long. See you in a bit...DXL
Two Christmases ago I was home in Orlando for winter break and my dad walked into my room to wake me up. I was expecting something along the lines of, "hey we are going to open presents," but instead he said "James died." I immediately knew who he was talking about. I said "you're fucking joking right?" He said he wasn't. And he calmly walked out. I sat in my bed, on Christmas Day and cried for the Godfather of soul. It's only one of two deaths I have ever cried over in my life, and needless to say it ruined Christmas for me. It was horrible. To me, James Brown was always one of those guys who was bigger than music. He always did it his way and he was the baddest motherfucker alive. He was rock n' roll, he was soul, he was gospel, he was funk, and he was definitely punk rock. Without James Brown there would be no Parliment Funkadelic, there would be no Sly and the Family Stone, or the Ohio Players, or Michael Jackson, or maybe even hip-hop period. He was the greatest performer to ever live, and in 1965 he brought his unprecedented stage show into the limelight and reclaimed rock n' roll. The song that did it was "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." The song had an infectious horn line and an unforgettable funk stop in which James would give his trademark shriek. Though the world really found him in that year he had been a successful performer since 1958. He grew up in Augusta, Georgia and endured extreme poverty. Naturally, like most kids who feel they have little future down the practical road (school, workforce) he began dancing on street corners for pennies and getting into trouble with the law for small robberies and other disruptments. The Church was his starting place like many other soul greats like Sam Cooke. He joined the Swanees, a gospel quartet in the mid-fifties. Surprisingly, this was a pretty lucrative and popular movement in the late forties and into the fifties, especially in cities with large black populations like Chicago, St. Louis, and various cities throughout the south. Much like Sam Cooke outgrew the Q.C.'s and later the Soul Stirrers and found secular music, James became the figure in the Swanees that was clearly destined for better things. He formed the Famous Flames and became their lead singer. He, along with the likes of B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner played the Chitlin' Circuit, and that lead him to his coming out party which was staged at the Apollo Theater in New York City.
The first time I passed The Apollo when I lived in New York I totally geeked out because I knew the type of talent that had walked into that building, but none more potent than James Brown. It was there that he recorded the greatest live album of all-time, bar none. Stop your inner dialogue, this isn't a matter of discussion. I suggest if you have 14 dollars in your wallet you go and buy this record, it will be the best 14 dollars you ever spend. Sam Cooke live at the Harlem Square Club is a distant second, also another record I think everyone should own. He spent the early part of his career on King Records which was a label largely associated with black music, much like Specialty Records in New Orleans. Other artists on King Records include the Texas blues great Freddy King. So James pretty much busts the door open in 1965 and brings the rawness, the ferocity, the spectacle, and most importantly the rhythm back into rock n' roll. The Chicago blues scene was still holding down the rhythmic emphasis quite firmly, but it has slipped considerably from the mainstream charts. He went on to have an insanely successful career and is responsible for developing what would later be the funk genre. He is the most sampled artist of all time. Besides the live albums at The Apollo his twenty greatest hits collection will get you where you need to go. The "Sex Machine" album is also fantastic. I also recommend reading his autobiography "I Feel Good." I own it, so if anyone would like to borrow it let me know and I'd be glad to lend it to you. Well I will continue the post on Bob Dylan next because this one feels quite long. See you in a bit...DXL
Monday, February 25, 2008
Beatles Running Blog Cont...
Note: The 1960's concept album which most people like to think The Beatles started is not true. They started doing concept albums in response to "Pet Sounds" and then the Kinks started doing the same after the Beatles but probably took it too far in the early 70s. For my money "The Kinks are The Village Green Preservation Society" is the best concept album of the 1960's. Sorry Beatles. Other noted concept albums of the 1960's are "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" by The Byrds, (I've been listening to that for about a month straight now, I need help) and I'm going to go ahead and throw in "Odessey and Oracle" by The Zombies. Those last three albums were released in 1968, another big year for music.
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is probably the most recognizable Beatles song and probably it's most orchestral aside from "A Day In The Life."
"Magical Mystery Tour" drew upon the nostalgia of Liverpool, much like "Pet Sounds" drew upon the nostalgia of childhood, in a very William Blake like way. "Sgt. Pepper's" was supposed to kill The Beatles, hence the album cover. They wanted to be a new band and develop a new identity. We are going to listen to "Sgt. Pepper's" now. I will not write about it because I just feel like listening and more importantly I don't want to dictate how you should listen to this album because everyone hears it in a different way, so moment of silence...
George Martin says to this day he is haunted by the voice of John Lennon on "A Day In The Life." On the anthology dvds he is in the mixing room and he takes down all the music and just leaves John's voice on the track and it's pretty evident why. It sounds beautiful but it also sounds like you are listening to a ghost. However, despite the ghost-like sound I have listened to that song 33 times in a row on a flight from Orlando to NYC. It still does not beat my record of listening to "Do You Remember Walter?" by The Kinks 40+ times in a row on a trip from here to Tallahassee.
"Hey Jude" is the longest single to be played on the radio since "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan at over 7 minutes. Note: never sing "Hey Jude" at karaoke night at Common Grounds, the mc WILL make you sing all 4 minutes of na na nas.
"The White Album" was minimalistic from an artwork standpoint, but as an album it was chaotic, heavy, light-hearted, and spanned probably 50 years of musical territory. It wasn't a tribute to American roots music like "Exile On Main St." but I feel like it definitely covers a lot of influence and also breaks some musical rules at the same time. You weren't supposed to mix heavy psychedelic rock with tacky piano tunes and 1930s pop ballads, but they did. "The White Album" is hard for casual listeners to get into because it is so disjointed, and that can take away from the overall listening experience, but there certainly some gems on there. I suggest if you aren't capable of listening to an entire double album with so many different moods, to treat it as a singles collection.
John became obsessed with Yoko Ono shortly after that period. Some people credit this with the end of the Beatles. It's hard to tell. You can definitely tell in the song writing that they were all going different places, so maybe it was inevitable. You can definitely see a similarity in songs like "Something" and Here Comes the Sun" with George Harrison's solo efforts, so maybe he wanted to have more of a creative role in the band and felt like the only way to do it was to go solo. He always the most underrated Beatle. John's song writing near the end seemed a bit disinterested, and Paul being the world class musician he is, seemed like the only one who remained consistently focused on the total effort. These are just some of my speculations but the last two albums despite being made by a band knowing the end was near, were fantastic and mostly representative of a band who had been together for 8 years. It was new, fresh, and deeply emotional pop music. The messages of love were still lined in the music, they had just matured a bit.
So, it's been swell talking about The Beatles, mostly because I think it's one band we can ALL agree on. You may not like the blues, or the soul, or the weird pop or country, but you have to like The Beatles. You just have to. As always, I'd have you anytime.-DXL.
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is probably the most recognizable Beatles song and probably it's most orchestral aside from "A Day In The Life."
"Magical Mystery Tour" drew upon the nostalgia of Liverpool, much like "Pet Sounds" drew upon the nostalgia of childhood, in a very William Blake like way. "Sgt. Pepper's" was supposed to kill The Beatles, hence the album cover. They wanted to be a new band and develop a new identity. We are going to listen to "Sgt. Pepper's" now. I will not write about it because I just feel like listening and more importantly I don't want to dictate how you should listen to this album because everyone hears it in a different way, so moment of silence...
George Martin says to this day he is haunted by the voice of John Lennon on "A Day In The Life." On the anthology dvds he is in the mixing room and he takes down all the music and just leaves John's voice on the track and it's pretty evident why. It sounds beautiful but it also sounds like you are listening to a ghost. However, despite the ghost-like sound I have listened to that song 33 times in a row on a flight from Orlando to NYC. It still does not beat my record of listening to "Do You Remember Walter?" by The Kinks 40+ times in a row on a trip from here to Tallahassee.
"Hey Jude" is the longest single to be played on the radio since "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan at over 7 minutes. Note: never sing "Hey Jude" at karaoke night at Common Grounds, the mc WILL make you sing all 4 minutes of na na nas.
"The White Album" was minimalistic from an artwork standpoint, but as an album it was chaotic, heavy, light-hearted, and spanned probably 50 years of musical territory. It wasn't a tribute to American roots music like "Exile On Main St." but I feel like it definitely covers a lot of influence and also breaks some musical rules at the same time. You weren't supposed to mix heavy psychedelic rock with tacky piano tunes and 1930s pop ballads, but they did. "The White Album" is hard for casual listeners to get into because it is so disjointed, and that can take away from the overall listening experience, but there certainly some gems on there. I suggest if you aren't capable of listening to an entire double album with so many different moods, to treat it as a singles collection.
John became obsessed with Yoko Ono shortly after that period. Some people credit this with the end of the Beatles. It's hard to tell. You can definitely tell in the song writing that they were all going different places, so maybe it was inevitable. You can definitely see a similarity in songs like "Something" and Here Comes the Sun" with George Harrison's solo efforts, so maybe he wanted to have more of a creative role in the band and felt like the only way to do it was to go solo. He always the most underrated Beatle. John's song writing near the end seemed a bit disinterested, and Paul being the world class musician he is, seemed like the only one who remained consistently focused on the total effort. These are just some of my speculations but the last two albums despite being made by a band knowing the end was near, were fantastic and mostly representative of a band who had been together for 8 years. It was new, fresh, and deeply emotional pop music. The messages of love were still lined in the music, they had just matured a bit.
So, it's been swell talking about The Beatles, mostly because I think it's one band we can ALL agree on. You may not like the blues, or the soul, or the weird pop or country, but you have to like The Beatles. You just have to. As always, I'd have you anytime.-DXL.
Beatles Running Blog....
I'll start with the Hamburg tour, or I guess it was really a stay. Early Beatles in Hamburg were playing 8-hour shows, living behind a porn theater and drinking heavily and doing uppers. During their stay they met artists that helped them find their style, which would later become a trademark, the mop-top hair and the nice clean-cut suits, and took them away from the james Dean-looking leather jackets and slicked back hair. That look was getting tired anyway, and I don't think the Beatles were ever going to fool anyone trying to look like rebels. Their rebelliousness would come in the late 60's with their music.
The covers..."I Got A Woman" by Ray Charles, "Too Much Monkey Business" by Chuck Berry, "Long Tally Sally" by Little Richard, as you'll notice most of these covers are by American artists and they pull from the same pool of artists that we always talk about as the major influences of rock. I think all those recordings we just listened to were pulled from the Live BBC Sessions, not the Hamburg performances. The Live BBC Sessions is a great album to get if you like early Beatles and are interested in hearing most of their covers. There are some originals but for the most part, they really get heavy into the influences and the sound quality is pretty good. I recommend it to you Beatles geeks out there.
Brian Epstein was the Beatles new manager and he got them a record deal and also fired drummer Pete Best. Shortly after they hired Ringo Starr and the Beatles would be "The Beatles" for the rest of time. At this time they also met George Martin, who would be their longtime producer and collaborator, and at times a father figure to the band. They respected George and knew how much he meant to their careers. They even took the time to not do drugs in the studio when George was around, like so many other artists did. Instead, they went on the roof to smoke. That may not seem like a big deal but if you read about other artists they typically treated their producers like shit and acted like junkie-prima donnas.
The Beatles were accused of writing too many silly love songs early in their career, but let's always keep in mind that singles were written in that style at the time. The precedent for lofty topics and heavy writing had not been set in pop music at the time, that was still left for the folk arena. The breakthrough of "Pet Sounds" and Dylan going electric probably opened the door and allowed the Beatles to explore that space, and only once that door was open did they record their most memorable and artistically ambitious music.
"Please Please Me" was the Beatles first hit record, according to Dr. McKeen it's about oral sex, I've never heard that story but you can be the judge. Listening to it now the lyrics seem to speak for themselves.
The Early hits-"She Loves You"- Ringo's furious hi-hat drumming would be a staple of the early Beatles records and though most people don't give Ringo much credit as a drummer, I think that is one of his most recognizable traits. "I Want To Hold Your Hand."-is memorable for the almost out of key harmonies at the end of each verse. "All My Loving"-was the first song they ever played on American soil. I have a framed picture of that exact performance on my wall.
After they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show they did a small tour in different cities in the US like Miami and Washington D.C. and then they went back to London and recorded "A Hard Day's Night" and "Beatles For Sale."
1965-"the highwater mark" in rock n' roll, the British Invasion had started in 1964, James Brown one of my top-five favorite artists of all time broke through to the pop charts. Some of the artists on the charts were, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Same Cooke, James Brown, The Temps, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Stevie Wonder. The Beach Boys, so you can imagine what kind of year it was for music. These are the giants, doing their thing.
I like it when Dr. McKeen does his Bob Dylan voice, although he doesn't draw out the syllables long enough. So pretty much Bobby D calls them out for not taking their music serious enough. So Bob instills this sense of opportunity in these fun-loving guys, and then the world changed, Rubber Soul came out.
Norwegian Wood featured the sitar for the first time in the Beatles career, and gave the record an interesting and exotic sound especially for pop music. This song helped to cement the idea that the Beatles could be experimental as well as practical. "You Won't See Me" is an example on how they expanded their pop sensibilities, using familiar harmonies and sung melody lines but adding 3 seperate structures to the song. "Nowhere Man" features their best harmonies ever and when you listen to it it just seems effortless. Those harmonies are pretty mind-blowing. The entire album can be set apart from their earlier material because every song was distinct lyrically and musically. Although "Girl" and "My Michelle" have similar sounds. "I'm Looking Through You" was one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar, and that organ part is very "Booker T. & The MG's-esque."
Anyone ever heard the Ozzy Osbourne cover of "In My Life"? It's pretty miserable. In part I think no one should cover Beatles songs. I've covered a few in the past and I vowed never to do it again. Elliott Smith might be able to get away with it, or maybe Jeff Buckely. But there are certain artists you just don't touch, and mine are primarily the Bealtes and Otis Redding.
"I'm Only Sleeping" is the best song from the 1965-1966 Beatles era. Period. Stop your inner dialogue. It just is.
Hey! While I am thinking about it, if you are a huge Beatles geek like me, you should go to amazon.com and check out Beatles lullabies. They have CDs you can buy for your babies and they are lullaby instrumentals of classic albums and songs. Even if you aren't a baby or don't have a baby they still sound cool. The album is "Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles." Also, don't ask me how I found this.
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is probably the Beatles' only one-chord song. From what I recall John Lennon said he just plays a C chord throughout the entire song.
Break...time for a cigarette.
The covers..."I Got A Woman" by Ray Charles, "Too Much Monkey Business" by Chuck Berry, "Long Tally Sally" by Little Richard, as you'll notice most of these covers are by American artists and they pull from the same pool of artists that we always talk about as the major influences of rock. I think all those recordings we just listened to were pulled from the Live BBC Sessions, not the Hamburg performances. The Live BBC Sessions is a great album to get if you like early Beatles and are interested in hearing most of their covers. There are some originals but for the most part, they really get heavy into the influences and the sound quality is pretty good. I recommend it to you Beatles geeks out there.
Brian Epstein was the Beatles new manager and he got them a record deal and also fired drummer Pete Best. Shortly after they hired Ringo Starr and the Beatles would be "The Beatles" for the rest of time. At this time they also met George Martin, who would be their longtime producer and collaborator, and at times a father figure to the band. They respected George and knew how much he meant to their careers. They even took the time to not do drugs in the studio when George was around, like so many other artists did. Instead, they went on the roof to smoke. That may not seem like a big deal but if you read about other artists they typically treated their producers like shit and acted like junkie-prima donnas.
The Beatles were accused of writing too many silly love songs early in their career, but let's always keep in mind that singles were written in that style at the time. The precedent for lofty topics and heavy writing had not been set in pop music at the time, that was still left for the folk arena. The breakthrough of "Pet Sounds" and Dylan going electric probably opened the door and allowed the Beatles to explore that space, and only once that door was open did they record their most memorable and artistically ambitious music.
"Please Please Me" was the Beatles first hit record, according to Dr. McKeen it's about oral sex, I've never heard that story but you can be the judge. Listening to it now the lyrics seem to speak for themselves.
The Early hits-"She Loves You"- Ringo's furious hi-hat drumming would be a staple of the early Beatles records and though most people don't give Ringo much credit as a drummer, I think that is one of his most recognizable traits. "I Want To Hold Your Hand."-is memorable for the almost out of key harmonies at the end of each verse. "All My Loving"-was the first song they ever played on American soil. I have a framed picture of that exact performance on my wall.
After they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show they did a small tour in different cities in the US like Miami and Washington D.C. and then they went back to London and recorded "A Hard Day's Night" and "Beatles For Sale."
1965-"the highwater mark" in rock n' roll, the British Invasion had started in 1964, James Brown one of my top-five favorite artists of all time broke through to the pop charts. Some of the artists on the charts were, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Same Cooke, James Brown, The Temps, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Stevie Wonder. The Beach Boys, so you can imagine what kind of year it was for music. These are the giants, doing their thing.
I like it when Dr. McKeen does his Bob Dylan voice, although he doesn't draw out the syllables long enough. So pretty much Bobby D calls them out for not taking their music serious enough. So Bob instills this sense of opportunity in these fun-loving guys, and then the world changed, Rubber Soul came out.
Norwegian Wood featured the sitar for the first time in the Beatles career, and gave the record an interesting and exotic sound especially for pop music. This song helped to cement the idea that the Beatles could be experimental as well as practical. "You Won't See Me" is an example on how they expanded their pop sensibilities, using familiar harmonies and sung melody lines but adding 3 seperate structures to the song. "Nowhere Man" features their best harmonies ever and when you listen to it it just seems effortless. Those harmonies are pretty mind-blowing. The entire album can be set apart from their earlier material because every song was distinct lyrically and musically. Although "Girl" and "My Michelle" have similar sounds. "I'm Looking Through You" was one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar, and that organ part is very "Booker T. & The MG's-esque."
Anyone ever heard the Ozzy Osbourne cover of "In My Life"? It's pretty miserable. In part I think no one should cover Beatles songs. I've covered a few in the past and I vowed never to do it again. Elliott Smith might be able to get away with it, or maybe Jeff Buckely. But there are certain artists you just don't touch, and mine are primarily the Bealtes and Otis Redding.
"I'm Only Sleeping" is the best song from the 1965-1966 Beatles era. Period. Stop your inner dialogue. It just is.
Hey! While I am thinking about it, if you are a huge Beatles geek like me, you should go to amazon.com and check out Beatles lullabies. They have CDs you can buy for your babies and they are lullaby instrumentals of classic albums and songs. Even if you aren't a baby or don't have a baby they still sound cool. The album is "Rockabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles." Also, don't ask me how I found this.
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is probably the Beatles' only one-chord song. From what I recall John Lennon said he just plays a C chord throughout the entire song.
Break...time for a cigarette.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Back to Mono
Phil Spector is one of the most unique figures in rock n' roll history and in popular culture as well. More than anything Phil Spector changed the way the producer was viewed in pop music. He stole the show, almost literally because of his domineering and larger than life presence in the studio. Artists, to Phil, were as replaceable as instruments and they could be manipulated equally as such. Though Phil's trademark Wall of Sound was revolutionary, it also came with a price. Phil was difficult to work with and as a result became a polarizing figure in the music industry. Some musicians, like Brian Wilson, loved and adored Spector, others, like Johnny Ramone, clashed with him. Phil was a total weirdo, and we might be able to go as far to say that he was a douchebag. But despite what you may think about Phil, we have to agree that he was a genius and changed the way we listened to music.
He is famous for using the best session musicians in the industry, "The Wrecking Crew" who I talked about in the Sounds of the City post, but I'll talk more about them now. The Crew included rock hall of fame drummer Hal Blaine, hall of famer Carol Kaye on bass, Glen Campbell on guitar who was a famous country singer and a one time Beach Boy, sometimes I cover his song "Gentle on My Mind." Leon Russell played piano. Leon worked with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and other lesser known artists like the International Submarine Band (one of Gram Parsons' first bands) and The Flying Burrito Brothers, the best, but least ambitious country-rock band ever. Others in the wrecking crew were bass player Larry Knechtel and guitarist Billy Strange. What made Spectors sound so unique? It was the force, it was the aural assault that he created by taking all of these players and not only maximizing their utility, but multiplying them and creating thunderous drums, humming guitars, and taking an orchestral like approach to rock n' roll. If you want a good example other than Spector of what this might sound like, listen to "Wouldn' It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys. I would say it's a fantastic example of the Spector sound, even though it's Brian Wilson.
Spector used this sound most proficiently with girl groups. In fact, Spector is famous for coining the "girl group sound" with the quintet The Crystals and the Trio The Ronettes. If you listen to "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals you'll notice that the sound is much more full than let's say Motown acts like The Shirelles or The Vandellas. The vocals are a bit more piercing too. But Spector liked that. He always seemed to choose girl groups that could at times sound dissonant or nasal, but they were always powerful and operatic. The Ronettes exemplified this perfectly. Spector was obsessed with Veronica Bennett, the lead singer and later married her. Other than the fact that she sounds fantastic on "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You" you'll also notice that her voice and line from "Be My Baby" is the refrain from my favorite drunk song of a all time, Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight." "Just like Ronnie sang, just like Ronnie sang....BE MY LITTLE BABY!" It's unclear whether he truly loved her as a person or wanted to control her musically and emotionally, I wouldn't doubt either. The Crystals and The Ronettes earned Spector wide acclaim and praise and this only boosted his already king-sized ego. Spector was probably the first producer to receive credits on the front of an LP. Spector was the show, his acts were only the conduits for his vision of what rock n' roll should sound like. It should be insanely melodic, deceptively powerful, loud, and should straddle the line between high art and popular art. If you'll remember, we discussed that rock n' roll was the art of the masses. Any motherfucker with a guitar and some friends could make rock n' roll. Spector wanted to destroy that image. To him rock was high art. His records pretty much said, ONLY "I" CAN MAKE THIS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL QUIT NOW.
The particulars of Phil: He worked with the Righteous Brothers and produced their smash hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Worked with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue after he became obsessed yet again with a female voice, that of Tina Turner. First it was Darlene Love, then Ronnie, then Tina. He produced "Let It Be" for the Beatles and would later work on the solo projects of John Lennon and George Harrison. The best examples of the Spector sound from these artists I think are "Oh, Yoko" or "Instant Karma" by John Lennon or "My Sweet Lord." In "My Sweet Lord" listen especially to the part, I think around the 1:30 mark where the chorus and piano come in. It's vintage Spector. Also worked with the Ramones in the late 70's.
My recommended listenings are..."All Things Must Pass" by George Harrison, "Imagine" and "Plastic Ono Band" by John Lennon, "The Best of the Crystals" by The Crystals (their albums aren't worth much, you're better off with the singles). It's kind of funny but this is a pretty good juxtaposition of early and late Spector and pre and post British Invasion rock n' roll.
As a side note...I have thought about getting Back To Mono tattooed on my inner right bicep. Any thoughts? I don't have any money right now but if anyone would like to donate or contribute an idea that would be great. It's been swell, and I'd have you anytime...DXL
He is famous for using the best session musicians in the industry, "The Wrecking Crew" who I talked about in the Sounds of the City post, but I'll talk more about them now. The Crew included rock hall of fame drummer Hal Blaine, hall of famer Carol Kaye on bass, Glen Campbell on guitar who was a famous country singer and a one time Beach Boy, sometimes I cover his song "Gentle on My Mind." Leon Russell played piano. Leon worked with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and other lesser known artists like the International Submarine Band (one of Gram Parsons' first bands) and The Flying Burrito Brothers, the best, but least ambitious country-rock band ever. Others in the wrecking crew were bass player Larry Knechtel and guitarist Billy Strange. What made Spectors sound so unique? It was the force, it was the aural assault that he created by taking all of these players and not only maximizing their utility, but multiplying them and creating thunderous drums, humming guitars, and taking an orchestral like approach to rock n' roll. If you want a good example other than Spector of what this might sound like, listen to "Wouldn' It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys. I would say it's a fantastic example of the Spector sound, even though it's Brian Wilson.
Spector used this sound most proficiently with girl groups. In fact, Spector is famous for coining the "girl group sound" with the quintet The Crystals and the Trio The Ronettes. If you listen to "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals you'll notice that the sound is much more full than let's say Motown acts like The Shirelles or The Vandellas. The vocals are a bit more piercing too. But Spector liked that. He always seemed to choose girl groups that could at times sound dissonant or nasal, but they were always powerful and operatic. The Ronettes exemplified this perfectly. Spector was obsessed with Veronica Bennett, the lead singer and later married her. Other than the fact that she sounds fantastic on "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You" you'll also notice that her voice and line from "Be My Baby" is the refrain from my favorite drunk song of a all time, Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight." "Just like Ronnie sang, just like Ronnie sang....BE MY LITTLE BABY!" It's unclear whether he truly loved her as a person or wanted to control her musically and emotionally, I wouldn't doubt either. The Crystals and The Ronettes earned Spector wide acclaim and praise and this only boosted his already king-sized ego. Spector was probably the first producer to receive credits on the front of an LP. Spector was the show, his acts were only the conduits for his vision of what rock n' roll should sound like. It should be insanely melodic, deceptively powerful, loud, and should straddle the line between high art and popular art. If you'll remember, we discussed that rock n' roll was the art of the masses. Any motherfucker with a guitar and some friends could make rock n' roll. Spector wanted to destroy that image. To him rock was high art. His records pretty much said, ONLY "I" CAN MAKE THIS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL QUIT NOW.
The particulars of Phil: He worked with the Righteous Brothers and produced their smash hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Worked with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue after he became obsessed yet again with a female voice, that of Tina Turner. First it was Darlene Love, then Ronnie, then Tina. He produced "Let It Be" for the Beatles and would later work on the solo projects of John Lennon and George Harrison. The best examples of the Spector sound from these artists I think are "Oh, Yoko" or "Instant Karma" by John Lennon or "My Sweet Lord." In "My Sweet Lord" listen especially to the part, I think around the 1:30 mark where the chorus and piano come in. It's vintage Spector. Also worked with the Ramones in the late 70's.
My recommended listenings are..."All Things Must Pass" by George Harrison, "Imagine" and "Plastic Ono Band" by John Lennon, "The Best of the Crystals" by The Crystals (their albums aren't worth much, you're better off with the singles). It's kind of funny but this is a pretty good juxtaposition of early and late Spector and pre and post British Invasion rock n' roll.
As a side note...I have thought about getting Back To Mono tattooed on my inner right bicep. Any thoughts? I don't have any money right now but if anyone would like to donate or contribute an idea that would be great. It's been swell, and I'd have you anytime...DXL
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Brief Announcement
Hello students, I am sorry to inform you that I will be late in posting the rest of the notes for this week. They probably won't be up until the weekend. Unfortunately I have some family issues that I have to deal with so please bear with me. Just wanted to post this up here to prevent lots of e-mails from coming in asking when they will be posted. I assure you they will be up though! Alright everyone have a fantastic week and please keep reading and listening to rock n' roll.--DXL
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Talkin' Bob Dylan
"Oh, hear this Robert Zimmerman...I wrote a song for you...About a strange young man called Dylan...With a voice like sand and glue...His words of truthful vengeance...They could pin us to the floor...Brought a few more people on....And put the fear in a whole lot more."-David Bowie, "Song for Bob Dylan" from the album "Hunky Dory"
So, before I get into the particulars of Bobby D, I want to talk about how I fell in love with Bob because I feel like it may be similar for some of you. In high school I had a friend named Alby who I used to hang out with and play guitar and he would always be playing Bob Dylan records at his house. I used to always make fun of him because nobody in high school is listening to that type of shit. I thought his voice sounded awful, his guitar playing was frantic and wild and that fucking harmonica might as well have been an air horn it was so unpleasant. I thought that Bob Dylan would never interest me because I was too busy dying my hair jet black and listening to Smiths and Cure albums and being pseudo depressed. Note: I have nothing against The Smiths or The Cure, I love them but this was just one of those times. It wasn't until I began my first semester at NYU that I really began to "get" Dylan. My next door neighbor in my dorm freshman year had a poster of "The Times They Are A-Changin" LP cover on his wall and I would always hear him playing Dylan songs on guitar. I went over there to play with him and he was always trying to get me to play Dylan songs, but like a 5th grade boy picking on a girl I continued to make fun of Bob until Tom burned me a copy of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." I took it home and put it on my ipod and began listening to it from front to back. First listen...still nothing. Second listen...I became infatuated with "Don't Think Twice It's All-Right." Third listen..."Girl From the North Country" creeps in. Two weeks later I find myself only listening to that album and wondering, "What the fuck was I missing all this time?" "Why did I make fun of Bob? I feel blasphemous."
I went to Bleecker Bob's Records and bought all the Bob Dylan albums I could find. I couldn't wait to hear what Bob had to say next. I currently have over 200 Dylan songs on my Itunes. I began going to the village to listen to the folkie-types play songs and shout to the crowds like Bob would have done in his hay-day in New York with the Dave Van Ronks of the world. I started playing that way too. I played fast, rigid folk songs with whailing choruses and spit-fire verses. I started writing to tell. I bought a harmonica and taught myself how to play.
For a good 3 months, no other music mattered. Why should it have? No one I was listening to at that point had written like Bob. No one had a sense of melody like Bob. No one had a voice like Bob. And no one at that point in my life, except for maybe James Brown, was as cool as Bob. Bob is an acquired taste. He may seem pretentious, I always thought he was and maybe he still is. He may seem tone deaf. He may seem just a bit too old for your taste. But I encourage you to listen to what he has to say, because there is a lot there to soak in, whether it be his protest songs, his rock n' roll songs, his long ballads, or his country ditties. It's all worth at least one listen, and maybe after this class Bob will gain more disciples. He is difficult to understand because he has always leaned towards the side of mystery. But that is the best part. You can listen to Dylan for years, even obsessively as I have and do, and never really quite figure out his purpose. Really, I think Bob just wants to be Bob. He never wanted to be the poster child for change, or for rock n' roll, or for artistry. He just wanted to do what he wanted to do, and everyone else should just listen, not question. So I ask you to listen, because you'll find very few answers from me or his music.
Ok well I have class and the Dylan post will be long so I must finish this later tonight...Phil Spector post to come tomorrow. Until then listen to anything by Bob Dylan. But if you are going to get picky, "Freewheelin'" is a good intro to folk-Dylan, "Bringing It All Back Home" is a good intro to rock n' roll Dylan. It is also my favorite album of all time.
So, before I get into the particulars of Bobby D, I want to talk about how I fell in love with Bob because I feel like it may be similar for some of you. In high school I had a friend named Alby who I used to hang out with and play guitar and he would always be playing Bob Dylan records at his house. I used to always make fun of him because nobody in high school is listening to that type of shit. I thought his voice sounded awful, his guitar playing was frantic and wild and that fucking harmonica might as well have been an air horn it was so unpleasant. I thought that Bob Dylan would never interest me because I was too busy dying my hair jet black and listening to Smiths and Cure albums and being pseudo depressed. Note: I have nothing against The Smiths or The Cure, I love them but this was just one of those times. It wasn't until I began my first semester at NYU that I really began to "get" Dylan. My next door neighbor in my dorm freshman year had a poster of "The Times They Are A-Changin" LP cover on his wall and I would always hear him playing Dylan songs on guitar. I went over there to play with him and he was always trying to get me to play Dylan songs, but like a 5th grade boy picking on a girl I continued to make fun of Bob until Tom burned me a copy of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." I took it home and put it on my ipod and began listening to it from front to back. First listen...still nothing. Second listen...I became infatuated with "Don't Think Twice It's All-Right." Third listen..."Girl From the North Country" creeps in. Two weeks later I find myself only listening to that album and wondering, "What the fuck was I missing all this time?" "Why did I make fun of Bob? I feel blasphemous."
I went to Bleecker Bob's Records and bought all the Bob Dylan albums I could find. I couldn't wait to hear what Bob had to say next. I currently have over 200 Dylan songs on my Itunes. I began going to the village to listen to the folkie-types play songs and shout to the crowds like Bob would have done in his hay-day in New York with the Dave Van Ronks of the world. I started playing that way too. I played fast, rigid folk songs with whailing choruses and spit-fire verses. I started writing to tell. I bought a harmonica and taught myself how to play.
For a good 3 months, no other music mattered. Why should it have? No one I was listening to at that point had written like Bob. No one had a sense of melody like Bob. No one had a voice like Bob. And no one at that point in my life, except for maybe James Brown, was as cool as Bob. Bob is an acquired taste. He may seem pretentious, I always thought he was and maybe he still is. He may seem tone deaf. He may seem just a bit too old for your taste. But I encourage you to listen to what he has to say, because there is a lot there to soak in, whether it be his protest songs, his rock n' roll songs, his long ballads, or his country ditties. It's all worth at least one listen, and maybe after this class Bob will gain more disciples. He is difficult to understand because he has always leaned towards the side of mystery. But that is the best part. You can listen to Dylan for years, even obsessively as I have and do, and never really quite figure out his purpose. Really, I think Bob just wants to be Bob. He never wanted to be the poster child for change, or for rock n' roll, or for artistry. He just wanted to do what he wanted to do, and everyone else should just listen, not question. So I ask you to listen, because you'll find very few answers from me or his music.
Ok well I have class and the Dylan post will be long so I must finish this later tonight...Phil Spector post to come tomorrow. Until then listen to anything by Bob Dylan. But if you are going to get picky, "Freewheelin'" is a good intro to folk-Dylan, "Bringing It All Back Home" is a good intro to rock n' roll Dylan. It is also my favorite album of all time.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Ritchie Valens and J.P Richardson ID
For purposes of the test I will give you guys a quick ID of these two artists who were in the plane crash with Buddy Holly. I wasn't going to do it because I didn't feel it was necessary but I have gotten a couple of e-mails about them.
Ritchie Valens -HIs real name was Richard Valenzuela and he was born in California in 1941 and died near Clear Lake, Iowa in 1959. He recorded for the small Del-Fi label which was known primarily for surf rock. He was know for his hits "Donna" "Come On Let's Go" and "La Bamba." La Bamba was probably the first big foreign language hit in the US. It was recorded in Spanish even though Valens did not speak Spanish. His life is documented in the movie La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips. No joke La Bamba was my favorite movie when I was 12, I must have seen it like 45 times that year. It's a winner. Valens was an up and coming star and had a soft, gentle voice that was unique in rock at the time.
J.P. Richardson aka The Big Bopper-Although he was an older star than the other two, 27, he was still immensely successful with the hit "Chantilly Lace." He had a fun voice and demeanor and this probably came from his time as a rock n' roll radio host. That is where he got his nickname from, it was his DJ name.
Good Luck on the test!
Ritchie Valens -HIs real name was Richard Valenzuela and he was born in California in 1941 and died near Clear Lake, Iowa in 1959. He recorded for the small Del-Fi label which was known primarily for surf rock. He was know for his hits "Donna" "Come On Let's Go" and "La Bamba." La Bamba was probably the first big foreign language hit in the US. It was recorded in Spanish even though Valens did not speak Spanish. His life is documented in the movie La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips. No joke La Bamba was my favorite movie when I was 12, I must have seen it like 45 times that year. It's a winner. Valens was an up and coming star and had a soft, gentle voice that was unique in rock at the time.
J.P. Richardson aka The Big Bopper-Although he was an older star than the other two, 27, he was still immensely successful with the hit "Chantilly Lace." He had a fun voice and demeanor and this probably came from his time as a rock n' roll radio host. That is where he got his nickname from, it was his DJ name.
Good Luck on the test!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Exam Tips and The Day The Music Died
Hey guys, so I have been getting a lot of e-mails from you about what might be on the test or how to study for the test, etc. I am not going to give a study guide because I think that would just hand you guys an A, but I will give you some pointers on what to look over and what Dr. McKeen and I are going to be looking for on this test. Before I get into that I want to thank everyone who participated in the blog survey, your feedback was really helpful and for the remainder of the semester I am going to try and accommodate your suggestions.
Ok, so the test as we discussed in class will be 2/3 lecture questions and 1/3 reading questions. Dr. McKeen's email today gave the readings to study so I suggest you all read the articles twice. Most of his questions on the readings will be specific and just skimming them will do you no good. Answering the reading questions correctly will give you a good chance at a solid grade.
As for the lecture questions, if you have been to class and have been reading this blog then you should be fine, but if I were taking the test I would study the major figures from each lecture. Don't spend so much time on the artists on the periphery because it is unlikely we will test you on them. It is important to know what each figure contributed to music, and if necessary society. Also, know where they recorded and for what label. McKeen is big on associating artists with labels, producers, cities, and so forth. Linking all these things together will give you a good understanding of the artist and his/her environment. Know Sam Phillips! Know Sun Records!
You should also study factors that make rock n' roll. What constitutes rock? What factors have caused rock to evolve? How did rock differ from era to era?
When studying specific songs, look for the ones that either had great commercial impact or great societal impact.
That is really all I can tell you and I have probably already said too much. If you guys have any other questions contact me via e-mail, or and I shouldn't do this but I may get some panicky students, by phone at 407-222-2379. Try to make it before midnight if you call.
So, on Monday we talked about a very monumental moment in rock n' roll history, the day the music died. On Feb. 3rd 1959 after leaving their Winter Dance Party tour site in Iowa, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson aka "The Big Bopper" all died when their plane crashed. All you guys know what happened as we talked about in class, so instead we are going to talk about the importance of the artists on future generations, especially Buddy Holly.
YES, HE IS THE SUBJECT OF THE FAMED WEEZER SONG!
Buddy Holly's real name is Charles Hardin Holley, and like Chuck Berry he is probably one of the first real creative forces in rock n' roll music. He was a pretty complete musician learning guitar, banjo and mandolin proficiently by the age of 15. Paul McCartney and John Lennon said they were persuaded to begin writing and playing their own music when they found out that Buddy Holly was writing his own songs. It may sound a bit trite today, but in the 50's this was a big deal. As you'll remember many artists at the time were interpretive and had people at their respective labels writing songs for them. Even giants like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters reaped the success of songwriters like Willie Dixon. What set Holly apart from a songwriter like Chuck Berry is that he centered most of his songwriting around love. He was deeply emotional and sentimental without sacrificing sincerity. He also took the B.B. King blues approach of making the woman the object of the song, rather than himself, or he would personify like in "Heartbeat." He neglected the narrative style of Berry, but he was much more dynamic as a singer and as a songwriter. Buddy Holly records all sound different, he wasn't afraid to mix rock n' roll with 50's pop, so in that way, he wasn't as pure a rock n' roll figure as some might suggest. Songs like "Everyday" and "True Love Ways" are evidence of this mixing.
I have personally ripped a couple of Buddy Holly lines for some of my songs. In my song "Something to Say" I use a phrase from Buddy's "Words of Love"..."Give me something to say/To tell you that hearts can change/My words of love are all gone/So I'll pack my bags and move along/If you'll give me something to say." I also used his concept from "Midnight Shift" to highlight a cheating lover in my song "Songbook."
Buddy also formed the model rock n' roll band The Crickets. They were a four piece, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums set up. Many other bands would copy this model because it gets maximum productivity on stage with minimal members. Although it does require that one guitar player become proficient at singing and playing at the same time. Guitars can be layered and harmonized without sacrificing vocals.
If you want to see The Crickets in action check out these videos....http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ko0qw3nHwdU and http://youtube.com/watch?v=4PYXZEkAC4E&feature=related
Holly is remembered as one a true, unique figure in music. His look is unmistakable, his hiccupy, short-breathed singing style has been copied, his songwriting was simple, poetic, sincere, and also fun, and of course he had great success and influence in about 18 months or so. For a short, detailed biography of Holly I am going to give you guys a helpful website that I use to learn more about artists, it's called allmusic.com. Here is a link to Holly's site...http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifpxqe5ldae. I find this site much more reliable and comprehensive than wikipedia. As for listening recommendations for Holly I suggest "The Definitive Collection" or you can buy "The Chirping Crickets" or "Buddy Holly." Those albums serve well but like Chuck Berry, he anthologizes nicely.
Unfortunately I have to go to work, so I will post the rest of this later. In the meantime, listen to "Oh Boy", "Rave On" and "Midnight Shift."
Ok, so the test as we discussed in class will be 2/3 lecture questions and 1/3 reading questions. Dr. McKeen's email today gave the readings to study so I suggest you all read the articles twice. Most of his questions on the readings will be specific and just skimming them will do you no good. Answering the reading questions correctly will give you a good chance at a solid grade.
As for the lecture questions, if you have been to class and have been reading this blog then you should be fine, but if I were taking the test I would study the major figures from each lecture. Don't spend so much time on the artists on the periphery because it is unlikely we will test you on them. It is important to know what each figure contributed to music, and if necessary society. Also, know where they recorded and for what label. McKeen is big on associating artists with labels, producers, cities, and so forth. Linking all these things together will give you a good understanding of the artist and his/her environment. Know Sam Phillips! Know Sun Records!
You should also study factors that make rock n' roll. What constitutes rock? What factors have caused rock to evolve? How did rock differ from era to era?
When studying specific songs, look for the ones that either had great commercial impact or great societal impact.
That is really all I can tell you and I have probably already said too much. If you guys have any other questions contact me via e-mail, or and I shouldn't do this but I may get some panicky students, by phone at 407-222-2379. Try to make it before midnight if you call.
So, on Monday we talked about a very monumental moment in rock n' roll history, the day the music died. On Feb. 3rd 1959 after leaving their Winter Dance Party tour site in Iowa, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson aka "The Big Bopper" all died when their plane crashed. All you guys know what happened as we talked about in class, so instead we are going to talk about the importance of the artists on future generations, especially Buddy Holly.
YES, HE IS THE SUBJECT OF THE FAMED WEEZER SONG!
Buddy Holly's real name is Charles Hardin Holley, and like Chuck Berry he is probably one of the first real creative forces in rock n' roll music. He was a pretty complete musician learning guitar, banjo and mandolin proficiently by the age of 15. Paul McCartney and John Lennon said they were persuaded to begin writing and playing their own music when they found out that Buddy Holly was writing his own songs. It may sound a bit trite today, but in the 50's this was a big deal. As you'll remember many artists at the time were interpretive and had people at their respective labels writing songs for them. Even giants like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters reaped the success of songwriters like Willie Dixon. What set Holly apart from a songwriter like Chuck Berry is that he centered most of his songwriting around love. He was deeply emotional and sentimental without sacrificing sincerity. He also took the B.B. King blues approach of making the woman the object of the song, rather than himself, or he would personify like in "Heartbeat." He neglected the narrative style of Berry, but he was much more dynamic as a singer and as a songwriter. Buddy Holly records all sound different, he wasn't afraid to mix rock n' roll with 50's pop, so in that way, he wasn't as pure a rock n' roll figure as some might suggest. Songs like "Everyday" and "True Love Ways" are evidence of this mixing.
I have personally ripped a couple of Buddy Holly lines for some of my songs. In my song "Something to Say" I use a phrase from Buddy's "Words of Love"..."Give me something to say/To tell you that hearts can change/My words of love are all gone/So I'll pack my bags and move along/If you'll give me something to say." I also used his concept from "Midnight Shift" to highlight a cheating lover in my song "Songbook."
Buddy also formed the model rock n' roll band The Crickets. They were a four piece, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums set up. Many other bands would copy this model because it gets maximum productivity on stage with minimal members. Although it does require that one guitar player become proficient at singing and playing at the same time. Guitars can be layered and harmonized without sacrificing vocals.
If you want to see The Crickets in action check out these videos....http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ko0qw3nHwdU and http://youtube.com/watch?v=4PYXZEkAC4E&feature=related
Holly is remembered as one a true, unique figure in music. His look is unmistakable, his hiccupy, short-breathed singing style has been copied, his songwriting was simple, poetic, sincere, and also fun, and of course he had great success and influence in about 18 months or so. For a short, detailed biography of Holly I am going to give you guys a helpful website that I use to learn more about artists, it's called allmusic.com. Here is a link to Holly's site...http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fifpxqe5ldae. I find this site much more reliable and comprehensive than wikipedia. As for listening recommendations for Holly I suggest "The Definitive Collection" or you can buy "The Chirping Crickets" or "Buddy Holly." Those albums serve well but like Chuck Berry, he anthologizes nicely.
Unfortunately I have to go to work, so I will post the rest of this later. In the meantime, listen to "Oh Boy", "Rave On" and "Midnight Shift."
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Survey
Ok guys, this isn't for points, but Dr. McKeen and I would really appreciate it if you wrote this out and brought it to class on Monday. Please put your name on it.
1. Did you read the UF rock class blog before today?
2. Have you found the blog helpful, entertaining, or otherwise?
3. Do you have any recommendations on how to make the blog better?
4. If you could see a free concert from any artist alive or dead, who would it be?
1. Did you read the UF rock class blog before today?
2. Have you found the blog helpful, entertaining, or otherwise?
3. Do you have any recommendations on how to make the blog better?
4. If you could see a free concert from any artist alive or dead, who would it be?
Monday, January 28, 2008
Oh, Those Guys! The Rock Giants
Today I am going to do a running blog while class is going on, just to shake things up a bit. We are starting with the Chuckster, Chuck Berry, probably the best embodiment of rock n' roll that we have. Hey is a key player because he is the first creative force in rock n' roll aside from probably Buddy Holly. He was the first real singer songwriter. Chuck is famous for what Dr. McKeen calls verbal economy, or conveying lots of emotion and narrative in little space.
I see that lots of you are bringing computers now, hopefully this phenomenon doesn't make my blog obsolete.
Johnnie Johnson was Chuck Berry's piano player, and he deserves some of the credit for Chuck's music. Lots of his riffs were adapted to guitar by Chuck, but conceived by Johnson. Chuck set out on a quest for Chess records, sent by Muddy Waters, needless to say Muddy had some clout. After meeting Leonard Chess, he was instructed to "goose" up an old Bob Wills song Ida Red. He returned with Maybellene, which is one of rock n' roll's standards today. If you listen to it closely you can hear the country influence in the narrative lyrics, and the vocal delivery of old mountain songs like "Cumberland Gap," or Hank Williams' "Move it on Over," which you'll notice is the foundation for "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Hailey and his Comets.
Just listen to Maybellene, it fucking jumps. With some distortion it could even be a punk song, like an Elvis Costello Jam. Chuck disguised his social commentary with upbeat tempos and rhythmic, not abrasive guitar licks. Hard to believe he was trying to say so much through rock n' roll, that was a job for the pretentious folkie types. There is nothing cheesy or trite about the poetry of "Memphis"
Video...How sweaty is Chuck? Jesus Christ. It is impossible to see Bo Diddley's eyes. Chuck is a ladies man, gettin' action from the flight attendants. Bruce Springsteen is giddy when he talks about Chuck. That will give you an idea of the kind of figure he is.
The Three Founding Fathers...
Here's Little Richard! Had very sexual lyircs, there was not a lot of mystery to Little Richards songs. He recorded for Specialty Records which was lead by Art Rupe, who was also responsible for recording Sam Cooke in his early career with the Soul Stirrers, a Chicago-based gospel quartet. Rupe also saw Cooke into his pop career. Little Richard's music has the power of gospel and the ferocity of rock n' roll. When Little Richard stopped recording, I don't think we heard that gospel foundation until probably Otis Redding or Sam and Dave, but I could be wrong. Remember the struggle between the sacred and the profane with Little Richard.
"Long Tall Sally" gets me every time. Have you ever heard such a unique style? CCR pretty much stole the exact music and delivery for their song "Travelin' Band" John Fogerty pulls it off decently. Little Richard probably made the "stop" a staple in rock n roll with hits like "Ready Teddy." Now you hear it in all the time alt-rock and especially punk. Hard to believe Little Richard could influence punk but I'm sure it's true. Pat Boone sucks, that is all I have to say about him.
"Shout Bamalama" is a pretty evident copy by Otis of LR, but as we all know Otis developed his own style and became the embodiment of southern soul and maybe the best soul singer to ever live, at least his ballads were certainly the best.
Fats Domino, was another HUGE influence for the Beatles, at least John and Paul. They worship the ground he walks on. Fats was more of a low key presence, but he was an incredibly consistent artist. He is cajun drawl is certainly identifiable on his records, and much like Bo Diddley would do with guitar, he was a master of two-chord rhythms on piano. Many of his songs also followed the standard I-IV-V chord structure. I especially like "Fat Man" and his cover of "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
"I walked 47 miles on barded wire...I use a cobra snake for a necktie"...Bo Diddley is one of the fore fathers of rock n' roll guitar. He is most noted for his style. EVERYONE! I'm talking EVERYONE has ripped off Bo Diddley. It is called the Bo Diddley beat, but it is mostly a two-chord, ba...buh-ba-ba...buh-ba-ba. That is the best way I can describe it phonetically. Also this is probably the original starting point for slap bass. There is a bit of slapping in the Bo-Diddley beat. All of your favorite bass players owe him respect. Being a guitarist and bassist myself I know I do. My favorite Diddley tune is "Before You Accuse Me." You may have heard Clapton's cover of this song on Unplugged.
Back to Sun Records...just as a reminder we will probably always come back to Sun Records in this class. Elvis released 10 songs on Sun Records until Col. Tom Parker, or as Dr. McKeen calls him, Satan, stole Elvis away and made him into a huge pop figure, but definitely had Elvis by the balls artistically. Elvis was the first major rock act to go to a major label, RCA. Sam Phillips is kind of like the foster parent of rock n' roll. He took care of many important artists until they left to other, more permanent homes.
The Million Dollar Quartet...Elvis, Jerry Lee, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash...not as great as it may sound. This would be the blueprint for many disappointing supergroups to follow...Blind Faith, The Traveling Wilburys, and the mother of them all, Velvet Revolver (I just puked).
Carl Perkins is the first person to have a number one record on the R&B charts, Country charts, and Pop charts. This of course, was "Blue Suede Shoes." Carl, like Diddley is often overlooked and under appreciated by the majority of rock n' roll listeners.
Of course most people say they hate country music, but they love johnny Cash! This is what happens when people make movies. Johnny Cash...well I am sure you guys have all seen "Walk The Line" so I needn't say more. Haha. Just know he became famous at Sun Records, he did lots of concept albums, and he once gave Bob Dylan his guitar which is an old country tradition. He loved Dylan.
Jerry Lee Lewis-king of white trash. Furious piano player. Played until his fingers bled. Great rock n' roller. Read the story about him in the book. Also got his start at Sun. I kind of think of him as the white version of Little Richard. His traditional country material is pretty fantastic also, if you are interested "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Fool Out Of Me)" and "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)" and "To Make Love Sweeter For You" should get you started.
Roy Orbison is "The Voice." Bob Dylan said in "Chronicles" that hearing Roy Orbison on the radio on a lazy day in NYC changed his life, and made him re-think about what music was supposed to be. Roy was never as much of a rockabilly force as his Sun cousins, he was popular as a ballad singer. His voice was soft, yet operatic. I think that was his true calling anyway because he is one of the saddest motherfuckers alive. Him and Ian Curtis are in a battle for most troubled and depressing artists of all time. Maybe you can throw in Elliott Smith or Robert Smith too. He is probably most famous for "Pretty Woman" but his highlight songs are "Crying," "Only The Lonely," "Dream Baby" and "Blue Bayou." He had a resurgence in the late 80's when for a brief moment, there was a commercial want for rockabilly throwbacks. "You Got It" I believe was a #1 hit. He also was a member of The Traveling Wilburys.
Alright, this post is horribly long. I will post the survey and my listening recommendations for this week later tonight. Please, I hope you all are reading this, and if not the survey will help me decide if I need to keep devoting time to this thing. But I am doing it for you guys and because I naively believe you guys give a shit about what I have to say about music. If you want to listen to my band, I am going to post the links to some youtube videos of our show a couple weeks back. Missing is a song we wrote about the Jena 6 called "White Tree" and a cover of Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign," but what is there should give you an idea of what we do.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zMYhX6xbQXE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0t-6pUeVdY8&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NsEQxyGq9hA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QnnkJcGbD84
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NgwSTBWz-OY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zMYhX6xbQXE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QSVilAOVXkU
Also, here is a video from a gig I did at this coffee house in Orlando, it's a song by Ray Lamontagne called "Jolene."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iuJVOFfvdNE&watch_response
Rock n' roll is here to stay!
I see that lots of you are bringing computers now, hopefully this phenomenon doesn't make my blog obsolete.
Johnnie Johnson was Chuck Berry's piano player, and he deserves some of the credit for Chuck's music. Lots of his riffs were adapted to guitar by Chuck, but conceived by Johnson. Chuck set out on a quest for Chess records, sent by Muddy Waters, needless to say Muddy had some clout. After meeting Leonard Chess, he was instructed to "goose" up an old Bob Wills song Ida Red. He returned with Maybellene, which is one of rock n' roll's standards today. If you listen to it closely you can hear the country influence in the narrative lyrics, and the vocal delivery of old mountain songs like "Cumberland Gap," or Hank Williams' "Move it on Over," which you'll notice is the foundation for "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Hailey and his Comets.
Just listen to Maybellene, it fucking jumps. With some distortion it could even be a punk song, like an Elvis Costello Jam. Chuck disguised his social commentary with upbeat tempos and rhythmic, not abrasive guitar licks. Hard to believe he was trying to say so much through rock n' roll, that was a job for the pretentious folkie types. There is nothing cheesy or trite about the poetry of "Memphis"
Video...How sweaty is Chuck? Jesus Christ. It is impossible to see Bo Diddley's eyes. Chuck is a ladies man, gettin' action from the flight attendants. Bruce Springsteen is giddy when he talks about Chuck. That will give you an idea of the kind of figure he is.
The Three Founding Fathers...
Here's Little Richard! Had very sexual lyircs, there was not a lot of mystery to Little Richards songs. He recorded for Specialty Records which was lead by Art Rupe, who was also responsible for recording Sam Cooke in his early career with the Soul Stirrers, a Chicago-based gospel quartet. Rupe also saw Cooke into his pop career. Little Richard's music has the power of gospel and the ferocity of rock n' roll. When Little Richard stopped recording, I don't think we heard that gospel foundation until probably Otis Redding or Sam and Dave, but I could be wrong. Remember the struggle between the sacred and the profane with Little Richard.
"Long Tall Sally" gets me every time. Have you ever heard such a unique style? CCR pretty much stole the exact music and delivery for their song "Travelin' Band" John Fogerty pulls it off decently. Little Richard probably made the "stop" a staple in rock n roll with hits like "Ready Teddy." Now you hear it in all the time alt-rock and especially punk. Hard to believe Little Richard could influence punk but I'm sure it's true. Pat Boone sucks, that is all I have to say about him.
"Shout Bamalama" is a pretty evident copy by Otis of LR, but as we all know Otis developed his own style and became the embodiment of southern soul and maybe the best soul singer to ever live, at least his ballads were certainly the best.
Fats Domino, was another HUGE influence for the Beatles, at least John and Paul. They worship the ground he walks on. Fats was more of a low key presence, but he was an incredibly consistent artist. He is cajun drawl is certainly identifiable on his records, and much like Bo Diddley would do with guitar, he was a master of two-chord rhythms on piano. Many of his songs also followed the standard I-IV-V chord structure. I especially like "Fat Man" and his cover of "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
"I walked 47 miles on barded wire...I use a cobra snake for a necktie"...Bo Diddley is one of the fore fathers of rock n' roll guitar. He is most noted for his style. EVERYONE! I'm talking EVERYONE has ripped off Bo Diddley. It is called the Bo Diddley beat, but it is mostly a two-chord, ba...buh-ba-ba...buh-ba-ba. That is the best way I can describe it phonetically. Also this is probably the original starting point for slap bass. There is a bit of slapping in the Bo-Diddley beat. All of your favorite bass players owe him respect. Being a guitarist and bassist myself I know I do. My favorite Diddley tune is "Before You Accuse Me." You may have heard Clapton's cover of this song on Unplugged.
Back to Sun Records...just as a reminder we will probably always come back to Sun Records in this class. Elvis released 10 songs on Sun Records until Col. Tom Parker, or as Dr. McKeen calls him, Satan, stole Elvis away and made him into a huge pop figure, but definitely had Elvis by the balls artistically. Elvis was the first major rock act to go to a major label, RCA. Sam Phillips is kind of like the foster parent of rock n' roll. He took care of many important artists until they left to other, more permanent homes.
The Million Dollar Quartet...Elvis, Jerry Lee, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash...not as great as it may sound. This would be the blueprint for many disappointing supergroups to follow...Blind Faith, The Traveling Wilburys, and the mother of them all, Velvet Revolver (I just puked).
Carl Perkins is the first person to have a number one record on the R&B charts, Country charts, and Pop charts. This of course, was "Blue Suede Shoes." Carl, like Diddley is often overlooked and under appreciated by the majority of rock n' roll listeners.
Of course most people say they hate country music, but they love johnny Cash! This is what happens when people make movies. Johnny Cash...well I am sure you guys have all seen "Walk The Line" so I needn't say more. Haha. Just know he became famous at Sun Records, he did lots of concept albums, and he once gave Bob Dylan his guitar which is an old country tradition. He loved Dylan.
Jerry Lee Lewis-king of white trash. Furious piano player. Played until his fingers bled. Great rock n' roller. Read the story about him in the book. Also got his start at Sun. I kind of think of him as the white version of Little Richard. His traditional country material is pretty fantastic also, if you are interested "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Fool Out Of Me)" and "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)" and "To Make Love Sweeter For You" should get you started.
Roy Orbison is "The Voice." Bob Dylan said in "Chronicles" that hearing Roy Orbison on the radio on a lazy day in NYC changed his life, and made him re-think about what music was supposed to be. Roy was never as much of a rockabilly force as his Sun cousins, he was popular as a ballad singer. His voice was soft, yet operatic. I think that was his true calling anyway because he is one of the saddest motherfuckers alive. Him and Ian Curtis are in a battle for most troubled and depressing artists of all time. Maybe you can throw in Elliott Smith or Robert Smith too. He is probably most famous for "Pretty Woman" but his highlight songs are "Crying," "Only The Lonely," "Dream Baby" and "Blue Bayou." He had a resurgence in the late 80's when for a brief moment, there was a commercial want for rockabilly throwbacks. "You Got It" I believe was a #1 hit. He also was a member of The Traveling Wilburys.
Alright, this post is horribly long. I will post the survey and my listening recommendations for this week later tonight. Please, I hope you all are reading this, and if not the survey will help me decide if I need to keep devoting time to this thing. But I am doing it for you guys and because I naively believe you guys give a shit about what I have to say about music. If you want to listen to my band, I am going to post the links to some youtube videos of our show a couple weeks back. Missing is a song we wrote about the Jena 6 called "White Tree" and a cover of Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign," but what is there should give you an idea of what we do.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zMYhX6xbQXE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0t-6pUeVdY8&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NsEQxyGq9hA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QnnkJcGbD84
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NgwSTBWz-OY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zMYhX6xbQXE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QSVilAOVXkU
Also, here is a video from a gig I did at this coffee house in Orlando, it's a song by Ray Lamontagne called "Jolene."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iuJVOFfvdNE&watch_response
Rock n' roll is here to stay!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sounds of the City cont....
Ok, so last time we left off with the holy trinity of the electric blues. We'll start talking about Muddy Waters. He was born in Rolling Fork, MS in 1915 and died in Chicago in 1983. Muddy is known as really the first blues superstar, from a playing standpoint and a recording standpoint. He could really play, and he earned the respect of players around the country including Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards, who all pretty much worshiped the man. He put Chess records, one of blues' premier labels, on the map. One of his last performances is documented in the film, "The Last Waltz."
Next is a voice that is now synonomous with Chicago, Howlin' Wolf. In my opinion, he is the best that ever did it. He has the most recognizable and powerful voice in blues music, and if it wasn't for Howlin' Wolf, I probably would have never started playing blues. But aside from that, he and Muddy competed as Chess's prized possessions. Wolf's music was raw, unadultered, and extremely vulgar. He never enjoyed the commercial success that Muddy did, and this bothered Wolf. But in the musical realm he was always respected. It is important to remember that Howlin' Wolf was more a vocal force than a musical force, although he was an accomplished harmonica player. In the 50's he almost exclusively played Willie Dixon songs, which was probably the best move of his career, and in 1953 the legendary Hubert Sumlin began playing lead guitar on all his records. Howlin' Wolf was great because of his voice and his band.
Next is John Lee Hooker, the closest thing we had to a blues superstar in this generation. Late in his career he gained lots of exposure and praise for his lifetime of work. Like Muddy and Wolf, John Lee was born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago as the blues boom started there, namely because of Chess records ran by the Chess brothers Leonard and Phil. Hooker's blues was almost always fast paced and even dancable. He played a very rhythmic style as opposed to Wolf's sharp, angular style. You might have heard his song "Boom, Boom"
The mastermind behind Chess records and the Chicago sound was Willie Dixon. He was a session bass player and a phenomenal songwriter. Pretty much every important blues song ever recorded in Chicago is a Willie Dixon song. Artists in all sorts of genres have covered his songs, and he was smart enough to claim them legally. It made him a very rich man.
Chess records was Chicago's flagship recording studio, and they sported the likes of Wolf, Hooker, Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and many others. Like Sam Phillips in Memphis, they were successful because they weren't afraid to take chances on artists.
My listening recommendations for New Orleans and Chicago are as follows...Fats Domino-The Fats Domino Jukebox, Howlin' Wolf-Moanin in the Moonlight Two for One, Muddy Waters-The Anthology, John Lee Hooker-Real Folk Blues, anything by Little Richard, and Time Is On My Side: The Best of Irma Thomas.
I'll get to Memphis and Elvis tomorrow. There is a lot to post about so I am trying to break this up. Also, if you guys have any questions about any of these artists in greater detail, please feel free to e-mail or facebook. And if you want any of this music and don't want to pay for it, I'll be happy to burn you a cd.
I'm going to post a link I got from another blogger on a Chicago blues documentary, if you guys are interested at all in Chicago blues (which I hope you are) please, check it out. http://www.youtube.com/maxwellstreetdoc (for clips) www.electrifiedblues.com (blues blog, may be helpful for class).
Rock n' Roll is here to stay! Read your book!
Next is a voice that is now synonomous with Chicago, Howlin' Wolf. In my opinion, he is the best that ever did it. He has the most recognizable and powerful voice in blues music, and if it wasn't for Howlin' Wolf, I probably would have never started playing blues. But aside from that, he and Muddy competed as Chess's prized possessions. Wolf's music was raw, unadultered, and extremely vulgar. He never enjoyed the commercial success that Muddy did, and this bothered Wolf. But in the musical realm he was always respected. It is important to remember that Howlin' Wolf was more a vocal force than a musical force, although he was an accomplished harmonica player. In the 50's he almost exclusively played Willie Dixon songs, which was probably the best move of his career, and in 1953 the legendary Hubert Sumlin began playing lead guitar on all his records. Howlin' Wolf was great because of his voice and his band.
Next is John Lee Hooker, the closest thing we had to a blues superstar in this generation. Late in his career he gained lots of exposure and praise for his lifetime of work. Like Muddy and Wolf, John Lee was born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago as the blues boom started there, namely because of Chess records ran by the Chess brothers Leonard and Phil. Hooker's blues was almost always fast paced and even dancable. He played a very rhythmic style as opposed to Wolf's sharp, angular style. You might have heard his song "Boom, Boom"
The mastermind behind Chess records and the Chicago sound was Willie Dixon. He was a session bass player and a phenomenal songwriter. Pretty much every important blues song ever recorded in Chicago is a Willie Dixon song. Artists in all sorts of genres have covered his songs, and he was smart enough to claim them legally. It made him a very rich man.
Chess records was Chicago's flagship recording studio, and they sported the likes of Wolf, Hooker, Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and many others. Like Sam Phillips in Memphis, they were successful because they weren't afraid to take chances on artists.
My listening recommendations for New Orleans and Chicago are as follows...Fats Domino-The Fats Domino Jukebox, Howlin' Wolf-Moanin in the Moonlight Two for One, Muddy Waters-The Anthology, John Lee Hooker-Real Folk Blues, anything by Little Richard, and Time Is On My Side: The Best of Irma Thomas.
I'll get to Memphis and Elvis tomorrow. There is a lot to post about so I am trying to break this up. Also, if you guys have any questions about any of these artists in greater detail, please feel free to e-mail or facebook. And if you want any of this music and don't want to pay for it, I'll be happy to burn you a cd.
I'm going to post a link I got from another blogger on a Chicago blues documentary, if you guys are interested at all in Chicago blues (which I hope you are) please, check it out. http://www.youtube.com/maxwellstreetdoc (for clips) www.electrifiedblues.com (blues blog, may be helpful for class).
Rock n' Roll is here to stay! Read your book!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sounds of the City
Hey guys, it's me. I'm really sorry that this post is coming late but last week was very hectic for me with my band preparing for the show and work. If any of you came to the show I'd like to thank you because it was a great success. Anyway, down to business...
In last week's lecture we discussed some of the more important rock n' roll cities and the figures that embodied their sound and put them on the map. The three cities are New Orleans, Chicago, and Memphis. These cities all have distinct musical cultures and even subcultures, but the main things you should associate with each are as follows: New Orleans-Jazz, Chicago-Blues, Memphis-Rock n' Roll and Country. Of course each city is not as musically limited as I may be implying, but I am just trying to give you a way to remember each.
We will start in New Orleans. One of the more prominent figures of New Orleans jazz is the legendary cornet player Louis Armstrong, who is responsible for brining jazz to a mass audience in the 20's and 30's. He was the ambassador of jazz and his remarkable gritty, deep voice made him easily recognizable to even casual jazz fans. His song "Potato Head Blues" is a standard.
Moving from brass to piano we find Jelly Roll Morton, a man who claimed he invented jazz, which seems to be a ridiculous statement considering that jazz is a largely improvisational form of music, it could have come from many different sources. Nonetheless, Morton is important because he pioneered New Orleans' long list of piano men. His real name is Ferdinand La Menthe and he, like many other New Orleans piano players, grew up playing in bawdy houses. He was interviewed by the great Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress before his death.
Lomax was a folklorist who is responisble for preserving some of the most important American roots music known today. Without him, much of the history of American roots music would have died with the artists.
Professor Longhair might be the quintessential NO piano man. Known as the "Bach of Rock" he was a successful recording artist before he became reclusive and gave up music to take a job as a janitor. Paul McCartney resurrected his career in the 70's.
In any great music city, the recording industry is fueled by its phenomenal session players. Hal Blaine and Glen Campbell and "The Wrecking Crew" in L.A., Willie Dixon in Chicago, Earl Palmer in New Orleans, Jay Dee Maness in Nashville, are just some of the more famous session players. New Orleans is no different. Remember...Bumps Blackwell, Allen Touissant, Cosimo Mutassa, and Naomi Neville.
Fats Domino is one of rock n' roll's most influential and successful figures. His slow boogie-woogie style and warm cajun drawl made him consistent, yet still original. Only Elvis sold more records than Fats in the 50's.
Last for New Orleans is one of my favorite artists of all time, Little Richard. Often imitated, never duplicated, Richard played and sang with a fury unheard to that point in rock n' roll. His recording career in the 50's was cut short because he joined the ministry, but his showmanship and often primal approach to vocal delivery would later inspire the likes of James Brown and The Beatles. "Long Tall Sally" is often my choice for the greatest rock n' roll record ever.
Now we move to my favorite rock n' roll city, Chicago, probably because I worship the blues that was made there. Chicago blues represents the divide between rural and urban blues, and urban blues is very closely associated with the electrification of the guitar. Before the electric guitar, rural blues was extremely rhythmic but often less structured than electric blues which almost always follows the 12-bar format. Alternate tunings and finger-picking also played a large part in rural blues, especially Piedmont blues. Also, thematically the music changed, there was less talk about God, about field labor, about the lonliness of rurality, and was more focused on heartbreak, and tough, city living. Some topics remained the same, like drinking, gambling and womanizing.
Elmore James is one of the pioneers of electric blues and he sang in a higher more melodic tone than his forefathers. Think of Buddy Guy for a vocal match. James Brown would take the refrain from his song "Shake Your Money Maker" and make it a famous line in the hit "Sex Machine."
The Holy Trinity of the electric is Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett), and John Lee Hooker. And unfortunately I have a lot to say about these guys but this post is getting long and I have to eat lunch and go to class. More to come later...
In last week's lecture we discussed some of the more important rock n' roll cities and the figures that embodied their sound and put them on the map. The three cities are New Orleans, Chicago, and Memphis. These cities all have distinct musical cultures and even subcultures, but the main things you should associate with each are as follows: New Orleans-Jazz, Chicago-Blues, Memphis-Rock n' Roll and Country. Of course each city is not as musically limited as I may be implying, but I am just trying to give you a way to remember each.
We will start in New Orleans. One of the more prominent figures of New Orleans jazz is the legendary cornet player Louis Armstrong, who is responsible for brining jazz to a mass audience in the 20's and 30's. He was the ambassador of jazz and his remarkable gritty, deep voice made him easily recognizable to even casual jazz fans. His song "Potato Head Blues" is a standard.
Moving from brass to piano we find Jelly Roll Morton, a man who claimed he invented jazz, which seems to be a ridiculous statement considering that jazz is a largely improvisational form of music, it could have come from many different sources. Nonetheless, Morton is important because he pioneered New Orleans' long list of piano men. His real name is Ferdinand La Menthe and he, like many other New Orleans piano players, grew up playing in bawdy houses. He was interviewed by the great Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress before his death.
Lomax was a folklorist who is responisble for preserving some of the most important American roots music known today. Without him, much of the history of American roots music would have died with the artists.
Professor Longhair might be the quintessential NO piano man. Known as the "Bach of Rock" he was a successful recording artist before he became reclusive and gave up music to take a job as a janitor. Paul McCartney resurrected his career in the 70's.
In any great music city, the recording industry is fueled by its phenomenal session players. Hal Blaine and Glen Campbell and "The Wrecking Crew" in L.A., Willie Dixon in Chicago, Earl Palmer in New Orleans, Jay Dee Maness in Nashville, are just some of the more famous session players. New Orleans is no different. Remember...Bumps Blackwell, Allen Touissant, Cosimo Mutassa, and Naomi Neville.
Fats Domino is one of rock n' roll's most influential and successful figures. His slow boogie-woogie style and warm cajun drawl made him consistent, yet still original. Only Elvis sold more records than Fats in the 50's.
Last for New Orleans is one of my favorite artists of all time, Little Richard. Often imitated, never duplicated, Richard played and sang with a fury unheard to that point in rock n' roll. His recording career in the 50's was cut short because he joined the ministry, but his showmanship and often primal approach to vocal delivery would later inspire the likes of James Brown and The Beatles. "Long Tall Sally" is often my choice for the greatest rock n' roll record ever.
Now we move to my favorite rock n' roll city, Chicago, probably because I worship the blues that was made there. Chicago blues represents the divide between rural and urban blues, and urban blues is very closely associated with the electrification of the guitar. Before the electric guitar, rural blues was extremely rhythmic but often less structured than electric blues which almost always follows the 12-bar format. Alternate tunings and finger-picking also played a large part in rural blues, especially Piedmont blues. Also, thematically the music changed, there was less talk about God, about field labor, about the lonliness of rurality, and was more focused on heartbreak, and tough, city living. Some topics remained the same, like drinking, gambling and womanizing.
Elmore James is one of the pioneers of electric blues and he sang in a higher more melodic tone than his forefathers. Think of Buddy Guy for a vocal match. James Brown would take the refrain from his song "Shake Your Money Maker" and make it a famous line in the hit "Sex Machine."
The Holy Trinity of the electric is Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett), and John Lee Hooker. And unfortunately I have a lot to say about these guys but this post is getting long and I have to eat lunch and go to class. More to come later...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Labor Pains + Ghosts of Mississippi
Hello everyone, I hope that you enjoyed Dr. McKeen's first lecture. If you seem overwhelmed by the volume of information, or simply because a lot of this material seems foreign, relax. We aren't expecting you to be familiar with a lot of these artists and the early history, and if you were then lecture was probably pretty boring. In case you missed it here is what we covered:
We talked about the characteristics of rock n' roll, and how they apply to the way we studying it's history. Dr. McKeen described rock n' roll in his own words as any form of music aimed at a youthful audience. By this definition we will not be limiting rock n' roll to simply guitar, bass, and drums, and the range of artists we will incorporate into the realm of rock n' roll will be large. Also, he discussed the technologies and categories that both limited and expanded rock n' roll in it's inception. The technologies included recording tech, radio tech, and instrument tech. And the categories pertained to charts which also tied in with the recording industry, these were race records, hillbilly records, and mainstream records. An important thing to remember is that while records and charts were segregated, radio was not. Cultures that were divided geographically and socially were able to listen to the same music over the radio and immerse themselves in different genres. Examples that translate to rock are Chuck Berry listening to country and western radio, and Elvis listening to African American radio.
Keep in mind cultural mixing when we talk about our first subject of Labor Pains, Bob Wills. He was a country performer who was very into African sounds. In his music he combined traditional country instruments like banjo, fiddle, and guitar with woodwinds and brass instruments creating a widly subversive sound for the 1930's.
Hank Williams Sr., who is known today as the quintessential figure of country music, was reviled in his day. He was a drinker with marital problems and did not fit the classic country mold. He also played with an upswing beat uncharacteristic of classic country which focuses on the back beat. This gave a bluesy feel to his music. He also had a quick vocal delivery on many songs that weren't ballads.
Les Paul, is known by Dr. McKeen as the tinkerer. He is famous for the creation of one the greatest rock guitars that bears his name. He is also famous for discovering the technique of overdubbing while attempting to mix channels on a recording of he and his wife Mary Ford, who were a pop duo in the 50's. Les Paul was a pioneer of recording and sound.
Dr. McKeen points out that in rock n' roll, the risk takers often stumble upon the great music and fame. Such is the case with Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Studios in Memphis, who is responsible for recording "Rocket 88" by Jackie Breston and His Delta Cats with a broken amplifier. This produced a distorted sound we have grown accustomed to in rock, but in 1953 was unheard of. Some call this the first rock n' roll' record.
This brings us to our next point, who started rock n roll? When did rock n' roll start? Nobody knows really, but we can take guesses and form our own opinions, but without question the roots of rock n' roll are embedded deep in Mississippi, namely Clarksdale where Highway 61 and Highway 49 intersect. These are both storied rock highways referred to by the likes of Bob Dylan and Howlin' Wolf.
This intersection is where Robert Johnson is claimed to have sold his soul to the devil for supernatural guitar playing ability. Is it true? Who knows, but it makes for great rock legend. Johnson was born in 1911 and died in 1938. His recordings were done primarily in two sessions and now make up some of the most influential music to rock n' roll ever. His disciples include, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page, among countless others. Perhaps you've heard of those guys.
His predecessor was Charley Patton. Legend has it that Patton was seen at a train station in Mississippi playing slide guitar with a knife as a child. The first blues? Again, who knows. He is famous for singing about the flood of 1927 in the Delta in a song called "High Water." Memphis Minnie also sang about the flood in her song "When the Levees Break." You may have heard the Zepplin version.
It is important to understand that rock n' roll is a derivitave form of music. Patton and Johnson and WIlls and Paul may have been pioneers, but probably weren't the first. We are only trying to get a grasp of where our present rock music evolved from.
I will end the post by re-stating that rock n' roll first comes through imitation, then absorbtion, and then originality. Rarely do artists skip steps 1 and 2, and if you don't believe us then just check out the catalog of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.
Hopefully this helped a little bit and I know I left tons of stuff out, which means if you want the juicy details, COME TO LECTURE! I'll get better at this as time goes on.
My listening recommendations for class 1 are: 32-20 Blues, Little Queen of Spades, and Malted Milk by Robert Johnson, The Mercury Hits by Hank Williams, Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues: Son House, and Eric Clapton's album Me and Mr. Johnson.
My reading recommendations for this week are, of course our text book, and Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues by Elijah Wald. Fantastic history if you are a blues buff.
See you all next class, and rock n' roll is here to stay.
We talked about the characteristics of rock n' roll, and how they apply to the way we studying it's history. Dr. McKeen described rock n' roll in his own words as any form of music aimed at a youthful audience. By this definition we will not be limiting rock n' roll to simply guitar, bass, and drums, and the range of artists we will incorporate into the realm of rock n' roll will be large. Also, he discussed the technologies and categories that both limited and expanded rock n' roll in it's inception. The technologies included recording tech, radio tech, and instrument tech. And the categories pertained to charts which also tied in with the recording industry, these were race records, hillbilly records, and mainstream records. An important thing to remember is that while records and charts were segregated, radio was not. Cultures that were divided geographically and socially were able to listen to the same music over the radio and immerse themselves in different genres. Examples that translate to rock are Chuck Berry listening to country and western radio, and Elvis listening to African American radio.
Keep in mind cultural mixing when we talk about our first subject of Labor Pains, Bob Wills. He was a country performer who was very into African sounds. In his music he combined traditional country instruments like banjo, fiddle, and guitar with woodwinds and brass instruments creating a widly subversive sound for the 1930's.
Hank Williams Sr., who is known today as the quintessential figure of country music, was reviled in his day. He was a drinker with marital problems and did not fit the classic country mold. He also played with an upswing beat uncharacteristic of classic country which focuses on the back beat. This gave a bluesy feel to his music. He also had a quick vocal delivery on many songs that weren't ballads.
Les Paul, is known by Dr. McKeen as the tinkerer. He is famous for the creation of one the greatest rock guitars that bears his name. He is also famous for discovering the technique of overdubbing while attempting to mix channels on a recording of he and his wife Mary Ford, who were a pop duo in the 50's. Les Paul was a pioneer of recording and sound.
Dr. McKeen points out that in rock n' roll, the risk takers often stumble upon the great music and fame. Such is the case with Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Studios in Memphis, who is responsible for recording "Rocket 88" by Jackie Breston and His Delta Cats with a broken amplifier. This produced a distorted sound we have grown accustomed to in rock, but in 1953 was unheard of. Some call this the first rock n' roll' record.
This brings us to our next point, who started rock n roll? When did rock n' roll start? Nobody knows really, but we can take guesses and form our own opinions, but without question the roots of rock n' roll are embedded deep in Mississippi, namely Clarksdale where Highway 61 and Highway 49 intersect. These are both storied rock highways referred to by the likes of Bob Dylan and Howlin' Wolf.
This intersection is where Robert Johnson is claimed to have sold his soul to the devil for supernatural guitar playing ability. Is it true? Who knows, but it makes for great rock legend. Johnson was born in 1911 and died in 1938. His recordings were done primarily in two sessions and now make up some of the most influential music to rock n' roll ever. His disciples include, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page, among countless others. Perhaps you've heard of those guys.
His predecessor was Charley Patton. Legend has it that Patton was seen at a train station in Mississippi playing slide guitar with a knife as a child. The first blues? Again, who knows. He is famous for singing about the flood of 1927 in the Delta in a song called "High Water." Memphis Minnie also sang about the flood in her song "When the Levees Break." You may have heard the Zepplin version.
It is important to understand that rock n' roll is a derivitave form of music. Patton and Johnson and WIlls and Paul may have been pioneers, but probably weren't the first. We are only trying to get a grasp of where our present rock music evolved from.
I will end the post by re-stating that rock n' roll first comes through imitation, then absorbtion, and then originality. Rarely do artists skip steps 1 and 2, and if you don't believe us then just check out the catalog of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.
Hopefully this helped a little bit and I know I left tons of stuff out, which means if you want the juicy details, COME TO LECTURE! I'll get better at this as time goes on.
My listening recommendations for class 1 are: 32-20 Blues, Little Queen of Spades, and Malted Milk by Robert Johnson, The Mercury Hits by Hank Williams, Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues: Son House, and Eric Clapton's album Me and Mr. Johnson.
My reading recommendations for this week are, of course our text book, and Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues by Elijah Wald. Fantastic history if you are a blues buff.
See you all next class, and rock n' roll is here to stay.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Introduction
This is the first post of many for the class Rock N' Roll in American society. My name is Dante Lima and I will be posting class notes, side bars, links to helpful or interesting videos, and discussion topics for the class. If any of you have any questions about the blog, or the class, you can e-mail me at danticus@ufl.edu. Rock N' Roll is here to stay.
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