Happy New Year - Here's the Dead Guy List

Lorna Doom (The Germs)
Peter Tork
Kim Shattuck (The Pandoras/The Muffs)
Hal Blaine
Dick Dale
Ranking Roger  (The English Beat)
Roky Erikson
Paul Whaley (Blue Cheer)
Scott Walker
Dr. John
Gary Duncan  (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
Johnny Clegg
Art Neville
Larry Taylor (Canned Heat)
Robert Hunter
Ginger Baker
Paul Barrere (Little Feat)

and this just in...
Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Band/The Rutles)




Any omission of major rock star deaths in 2019 was intentional.  
Love doesn't always keep them together.
Cars and rock stars don't always mix.
Two tickets to paradise  - so long - longer the better.

One Hit Wonder with a Bubblegum Psych Hit - The Lemon Pipers

One thing to always keep in mind with one-hit wonders is that they never intended to start off this way.  There were always many attempts at getting a hit following the breakthrough.

The Lemon Pipers from Ohio scored a big hit with Green Tambourine in 1968.  An album was thrown together and really shines with the extended psych jams that close the record.  Unfortunately, with a bubblegum psych hit to their credit, they were ignored by the target audience.

Fast forward (well not so fast really) to their second (and final) album released a few months later

The Lemon Pipers - Jungle Marmalade (Buddah 1968)

I almost typed Green Marmalade without thinking.   

Anyway, A few tracks start the record that are obvious attempts to get another bubblegum psych hit.  

Side two is where it gets a little interesting.  Extended jams that must have been exciting  when performed in one of the psychedelic dungeons popping up on every street. 

A fan of dated psych lyrics, I'm particularly fond of 'You're on a dead end street without the sense to turn around!'

Might as Well....Jump

Never a big fan of Van Halen.   This band  - who never quite made it big time - threw a cover of on of their tunes on the B-Side to a single.....

I saw them open for Elvis Costello at one time.  It's post punk acoustic pop.    They took the Van Halen tune and did it in their own style.   A fun little curio.

Norman F_____ Rockwell

So this is the title of unaffected pop princess Lana Del Rey's latest whine fest.  I'm so edgy I titled my well promoted album with a title most newspapers will not publish in it's entirety.  Much like typing G_d, everyone knows what it means but are too afraid to write it.

Life it hard - we know sweetie - but would it hurt you to smile a bit while slowly walking to the bank. Do you think it would ruin your brand?

A recent spate of promo pictures has her posing in front of someone's very impressive vinyl collection.  Yes, we all agree that vinyl makes you hip these days. I'm more interested in the shelving.  It has more personality.

Those would go under 'F' Lana, not 'M,'

What album do you pick to hold?  Fleetwood Mac Rumours.  Gee, of all those records you pick this one?  You're so hip.  It's like she's pontificating about a record she assumes her audience has not heard.

So let's talk Norman Rockwell for a moment.  He was to the Saturday Evening Post as Mort Drucker was to Mad Magazine.  A populist illustrator whose work has been elevated to high art in some circles.  (Although I'm one of only a few who feel this way about Mort Drucker).   Both had a keen sense of humor and joy. Perhaps that's what Lana has a problem with.

The real Norman Rockwell did the cover of the Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper live album recorded at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco in 1968.   So there hipster Lana.  Rockwell did have some links to the counterculture.

I love this record. The show was hastily thrown together after Columbia released an album of studio jams by two of  Dylan's mid sixties sidemen.  It features John Kahn, the bass player in pretty much all of Jerry Garcia's non Grateful Dead projects.




Ace musicians doing loose jams. What's not to like.

Austin Adventure

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Austin, Texas - one of my favorite cities.  I was accompanying my wife on a business trip.  I had the days to myself.  I have an office there and worked a day or two, but was on my own during for a few days.   I did what I always to when having free time in another city  - hit the record stores.  Austin is one of the best placed in the world for this.

I usually skip Waterloo as I get too overwhelmed.  My preference is a smaller curated store..

First stop - End of an Ear

They moved further south and now occupy a nondescript location with an ordinary sign and facade.

Next up - Antone's

The record store arm of the famous live music venue.

After evenings spent on Rainey Street, I hit Breakaway a few days later...

They recently expanded to the next storefront where they sell refurbished vintage audio.   On hand, they had the Technics I used on sale....

So here's my haul.  Too many for just one photo.

Country Music - Elvis Costello and a Bonus Rant

I recently completed a viewing of Ken Burn's Country Music documentary on PBS.   It took me back to the shock of punk/new wave icon Elvis Costello releasing an album of country covers.

Elvis Costello - Almost Blue (Columbia 1981)

Elvis and the Attractions descended on Nashville and worked out of CBS studios.  Elvis' fondness for county music lyrics should come as no surprise.  His work to date contained many of the same sensibilities and stories.

The back cover states the recording has 'no spoiler signal.'  A spoiler signal was a tone placed on recordings that supposedly made them unable to be home recorded.  The record companies believed  home taping was killing music.  This was never true in my book.  Home taping was a way of getting to know an artist before making a commitment.   Greed was killing music. 

Witness CD's when they were released.  At the onset they were expensive.  A promise was made once they hit total acceptance, the economy of scale would bring the price down.  We all know that didn't happen.

If You Get Fired - Own the Moment.....

Keef Hartley was the drummer in John Mayall's band in the late 60's   He replaced Mick Fleetwood in the original Bluesbreakers lineup.  At some point he either was fired or quit.  He then formed his own band.

Keef Hartley Band  - Halfbreed (Deram 1969)

How did he won his sacking?  Well the first track, Sacked, features a phone call from Mayall to Hartley telling him he's fired.   Is it real?   It contradicts the title of the instrumental track on Mayall's Bare Wires entitled Hartley Quits. 

Keef's schtick was to dress like an American Indian behind the drum kit. 

The band lasted for a few more albums, all good examples of UK blues.   The Keef Hartley Band played Woodstock, but due to technical difficulties was neither filmed not recorded.

 

Pop Artist Doing an Album of Standards

I recently heard a trailer for the Linda Ronstadt documentary.  I think it was Stevie Nicks - that nasal voiced, coke addled, high priestess of rock - commenting how Linda was the first rock/pop artist to explore The Great American Songbook.   Not so fast witchy-poo. 

Harry Nilsson did it a good then years prior. 

Nilsson - A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (RCA 1973)

This was a somewhat bold move for someone primarily known as a songwriter.  Not what his audience expected after the top notch rockin Nilsson Schmilsson and Son of Schmilsson LP's.

Where Linda used Nelson Riddle for orchestration, Harry used Gordon Jenkins for arrangements.   Jenkins preceded Riddle in his work with Sinatra.

A Pretty Awesome Genesis B Side

Genesis was one of the best of the early 70's prog bands.   They brought a clever sense of humor to the proceedings - something sorely lacking in most classically trained musicians. 

Along the way  - the band issued a pretty awesome B-Side

Genesis  - I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) b/w Twilight Ale House (Charisma 1973)

With the A side pulled from Selling England By the Pound (get the pun?) Genesis had a shot at getting themselves a hit single.  They placed Twilight Ale House on the B-Side - complete with prog freakout coupled with references to LSD and paranoia.   IMHO it's a stunner...

The band lasted another year and change.   Peter Gabriel left the band to fend for themselves.  They still had the musicianship, but morphed into some sort of cross between prog, arena rock and catchy tunes.    Feh!

Gentle Giant - So You Want a Hit Single? Here!

1974.  Gentle Giant goes to a new label that desperately wants a hit single.   The band, being a pretty hard core prog unit was at a loss.  Their decision - let's write something catchy and stupid.  We'll see how it catches on.

The result was this.....

Gentle Giant  - The Power and the Glory b/w Playing the Game (WWA 1974)

It was not a hit and the band was then encouraged to do what they do best. As opposed to most other prog bands of the era, their stuff has aged well.

Things I Once Thought We True, But Later Found Out they Weren't - Woodstock Album

Taking a quick break from dead guys on this dia de los muertos.

We all knew this album backwards and forwards.  We all marveled at how side one was backed by side six.  Side two was backed by side five.  We played The Fish Cheer and giggled.  

Woodstock  - Music From the Original Soundtrack and More (Cotillion 1970)

I always thought the music came exclusively from the festival.   We'll I was wrong.

Arlo Guthrie's Coming Into Los Angeles was recorded at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's Sea of Madness was recorded at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, CA.

So there....

RIP Series - Ginger Baker

This one actually made the front page of the newspaper.   Ginger Baker was one of the greatest rock drummers ever - although he claimed he never played rock drums.   His background was jazz when he joined Cream.  His influences were Art Blakey and African music.  He incorporated this into his work with Cream which opened up their influential 'power trio' sound.

He had the demeanor of a crotchety old man since his '20's.

Following Cream he (as rumor has it) weaseled his way into Blind Faith against Eric Clapton's wishes.   He then pulled together his own Band - Ginger Baker's Airforce with a host of legendary players.

Ginger Baker's Air Force (Atco 1970)

In the early '70's he moved to Africa to pursue his drumming passion.  There he opened a recording studio (used by McCartney for Band on the Run) and championed local musician Fela Kuti - playing with him live and on record. 

Many projects followed.  The Baker-Gurvitz Army.  Appearances on PIL's fantastic Album release.  Joining Hawkwind for a spell.

A nice surprise for me was an instrumental album he made later in his career.

Ginger Baker - Middle Passage (Axiom 1990)

I picked it up because it looked interesting and was inexpensive.  Boy I was glad I did.

Required viewing is the documentary Beware Mr. Baker.  The opening sequence has him breaking the nose of his interviewer!

RIP - Kim Shattuck

Another footnote worth a mention.

Kim Shattuck was the bass player for a spell in the all girl retro garage band The Pandoras.  She wasn't there that long as the lineup was in constant flux.

The Pandoras - In an Out Of My Life (In a Day)/The Hump (Rhino 1986)

Kim split The Pandoras to front The Muffs.   Later she participated in the Pixies re-union appearing as Kim Deal.

RIP - Larry Taylor

Most people with say 'who?' on this one.   Larry Taylor was a founding member of Topanga Canyon boogie band Canned Heat.  He was the last surviving member of the original lineup (save for the drummer)..

Here's their first record.

Canned Heat (Liberty 1967)

The tracklist consists solely of blues covers.

My copy is in glorious mono.

Unlike most bands where the drummer goes first, Canned Heat's original drummer is still with us working as a therapist in Southern California.   Unlike most band members, Larry left a band to join John Mayall - the opposite of most career trajectories.

RIP Series - Peter Fonda

Peter Fonda.  Not a rock star, but a rock star icon nonetheless.

Easy Rider was not the first biker movie.  There was The Wild One with Marlon Brando in the '50's.  Roger Corman made Hells Angels on Wheels with Nancy Sinatra a few years earlier.   The biker movie could be made on the cheap.  There's not a whole lot that will enhance outdoor photography on open highways.  Easy Rider hit and for a fleeting moment, made the biker film acceptable.

The soundtrack to Easy Rider was released to coincide with the movie.  It was huge!

Steppenwolf is heavily featured  - which is probably why the LP ended up on Dunhill.   The Band did not give rights to Dunhill.  Their recording of The Weight used in the movie was replaced by that of Dunhill artists Smith. 

Cheap biker movies were all the rage for a few years.   Werewolves on Wheels is one of my favorites.

RIP Series - Robert Hunter

I've been putting off on writing this one because this one is a big deal.  A name not really known by the casual rock fan, but probably the most missed of all RIP's this year.

Robert Hunter was the chief lyricist for the Grateful Dead.  He worked primarily with Jerry Garcia and, on occasion, the other members of the band.  He's one of the few guys who could hold his own with Dylan  - cowriting all the lyrics on Dylan's (fairly) recent Together Through Life album.

It was with the Grateful Dead, however, that Hunter became an integral part of the band.  So much so that he was considered a band member and inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame as such.

Hunter's stories of outcasts and chance-takers struck a chord with the counter culture.  Story songs influenced by Irish ballads and country music fused with literary and biblical references.  Some just strings of random words that make perfect sense.  Losers who will strike it rich with one good hand. At the time he began contributing to the Dead's songbook, story songs were not part of rock.   His contributions were as much a part of building The Dead's rabid following as the band.

I saw him interviewed where someone asked him what Dark Star was about.  His answer was 'I don't know.'

He released a few solo records. The first was the first release on Round Records, a label set up for extracurricular activities of Grateful Dead members.

Robert Hunter - Tales of the Great Rum Runners (Round Records 1973)

Note the track It Must Have Been the Roses.   Often Hunter would bring Garcia completed songs which Garcia would rework to suit him.  Melodies changed, chords changed, words changed to fit Jerry's voice.  The version of the song here is quite different from the one that worked into the Dead's repertoire.

Rare is it that a line in rock song buried in the middle of a verse will illicit cheers from a crowd.  Hunter has written a ton of these lines for The Grateful Dead....

"Steal your face right off your head"

"Sittin' plush with a royal flush, Aces back to back."

"One man gathers what another man spills”

"Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own"

"Nothing left to do but smile smile smile"

"Every silver lining’s got a touch of grey”

"Just like Frankenstein.  Clank your chains, count your change and try to walk the line."

"Once in a while you can get shown the light in strangest of places if you look at it right"

Fare Thee Well.......

Another Day, Another Dead Rock Star

Greetings faithful readers.......

I've been away for a bit, but soon to return.   While I was away, there have been a slew of rock and roll deaths.

Upcoming posts will feature a bunch of them.

Spoiler alert - I never really cared for The Cars and Eddie Money always made me cringe.
They will not be featured because:

A.  Not a Fan
B.  Have no records by either of them
 and
C. Don't have any embarrassing (for them) anecdotes.  Never saw Eddie Money live so I don't have embarrassing anecdotes about my past either.

 Just because someone dies doesn't make them suddenly awesome.    Death to rock stars is now coming from age rather than misadventure.   Unfortunately, many of them have been out of the limelight for many years having never achieved mega stardom.  They deserve a mention in my book.

One Year When the Academy Awards Got It Wrong - 1979

The Grammy's historically 'got it wrong' so many times that it's not worth mentioning.   With the exception of Kevin Costner's  hideous 'Dances With Wolves' and the insipid 'racism bad' geographically incorrect epic 'Crash' winning Best Picture, the Academy Awards have fared better throughout the years.

But in 1979, this should have won Best Song.   

The Ramones - Rock 'N' Roll High School b/w Do You Wanna Dance (Live Version) (Sire 1979)

The theme song to the movie of the same name.  A song which integrates with the plot rather than something tacked on the ending credits as Oscar bait. 

What won that year you ask? 

"It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae – Music by David Shire; Lyrics by Norman Gimbel

• The nominees were:
• 
  
• "I'll Never Say Goodbye" from The Promise – Music by David Shire; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
• "It's Easy to Say" from 10 – Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Robert Wells
• "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie – Music and Lyrics by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher
• "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles – Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager

Remember any of these?  I don't.  

Daddy's Workshop

They don't fall too far from the tree.  My kids love vinyl.  I couldn't bear for them to get a Crossley or something equally hideous.  

I'm a fan of the Technics SL-D2.  I have two in service at the house.  They're easy to work on and repair if needed.  Great little workhorses.  Knowing they'd break down at some point (hasn't happened yet) I began buying beat up ones for parts.

Cut to the kids.  My oldest moved out on her own a few years ago and wanted to get into vinyl.  Rather than have her spend too much money on something not as good, I committed to build her an SL-D2 from spare parts.  Success.

Now the youngest is moving out and would like to do the same.  I succeeded in building another one for parts.   It's now spinning in Daddy's Test Kitchen as I type.

Below is a photo of Daddy's Workshop.

Upper left is one I have in service.  Top right is the one recently built for kid #2 going through some tests.  Scattered about on lower right are the doner turntables.  Thank you for your service.

If I could come back from the dead, I'd love to watch the kids fight over the vinyl collections.

What Happens When You Set Out to Cut An Entire Record While Blazing on LSD?

That was the plan of George Clinton and Funkadelic when they set out to make their second album in 1970.  Can we pull the whole thing off while tripping through recording and mixing?

Funkadelic  - Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow (1970)

The album is awesome, funky, danceable and incoherent all at the same time.   Bernie Worrell (keyboards) and Eddie Hazel (guitar) dominate the sound.  Lots of phasing, panning and background yelling.  Should be played LOUD.

We'd Better Hurry Up and Build That Stupid Wall!

The white lady may be calling 911 soon.  There's a freshly shaven Mexican with a freshly laundered blanket on the other side of the plywood.   Oh the horror!

I love Record Covers with Pictures of Records on Them - Magoo in Hi-Fi

A Very Belated RIP Series Post - Tony Kinman

Those artists outside the mainstream rarely get a mention in the mainstream press when they pass.  Often I find out about their deaths from the UK music magazines.   I totally missed this one from about a year ago.  

Tony Kinman founded LA Punk band The Dils along with his brother Chip.  They next pioneered the 'cow-punk' genre with their band Rank and File.   Not to rest on their laurels or stick to one type of sound, the brothers later teamed up with a drum machine and called themselves Blackbird.

So here is a faithful reproduction on The Dils second single.

The Dils - 198 Seconds of The Dills (Dangerhouse 1977)

Enjoy the video......

Arthur Lyman at the Port of Los Angeles

Arthur Lyman was most closely associated with Hawaii.  Many artists travel to exotic locations outside their comfort zone to make a live album with local flavor.

Arthur Lyman went to The Port of Los Angeles.

Yes that's right.  The Port of Los Angeles. Liner notes by Sam Yorty - the nasal former mayor of Los Angeles.

In reality it's a compilation album probably given to those who worked on  - or got kickbacks from - the building of the port.