White Denim – Influences on Their Sleeves
Oct 21, 2011 rock and blues
As you may have gathered White Denim are The Best Band in the World, at least I think so. One of the things I like about them is that they wear their influences on their sleeves. Especially their love of the mighty Captain.
Listen to this;
About 2.43 there is that great break, heard it before?
I have no problem with this as they freely admit the Captain’s influence on them. Also it gave me the excuse to post the Captain, again – not that I need much of an excuse.
Tags: classic rock music, love rock music, real rock and blues, rock and blues, rock music, the best band in the world, white denim
Wreckless Eric
Oct 9, 2010 rock and blues
There is no real reason for posting this, other than I love it and it is great to see Ian Dury again.
Remind me to tell you about the Wreckless Eric Appreciation Society some time……….
Tags: classic rock music, ian dury, real rock and blues, rock and blues, wreckless eric
Captain Beefheart
Oct 6, 2010 rock and blues
In 1968 Captain Beefheart was taken to Cannes to play as part of the record company’s publicity push. It would appear that they had visions of The Captain and the Magic Band rivaling The Rolling Stones….
Anyway, here is a video of The Captain playing on the beach.
I have been asked what is so great about The Captain anyway? I can not answer that objectively as I have loved him and his music for years. There was also a wonderful documentary about The Captain. here it is in 6 parts. It begins, just begins to tell the story………
Tags: captain beefheart, classic rock music, frank zappa, love rock music, real rock and blues, rock and blues, ry cooder
Nipper – The First Dog of Music
Sep 30, 2010 rock and blues
Ever wondered about the dog that graced RCA Victor records?
His name was Nipper and he was born in Bristol in 1884. He died 11 years later but his image is indelibly imprinted on our minds.
There have been suggestions that he was a fox terrier or an American Pit Bull (even a dalmatian) however, take it from me that he was a Jack Russell. Remember, in those days Jack’s had not been messed about with by the Kennel Club. He was called Nipper because he had a habit of biting people on the leg.
After his original owner died in 1887 Nipper went to live with his owner’s brothers in Kingston upon Thames which is where he was buried. 3 years after his death one of the brothers, Francis Barraud, painted a picture of Nipper listening to the horn of a Edison-Bell cylinder phonograph. He tried to sell it to the Edison- Bell company but they rejected it saying that dog’s do not listen to phonographs. 
On 31st May 1899 Francis went to the Maiden lane offices of The Gramophone Company, he wanted to rework the picture replacing the black horn with the brass one in the picture. William Owen, who was the manager of the office said that if he replaced the cylinder machine with a Berliner disc gramophone the company would buy the picture.
The painting was reworked and the deal done. Francis sold the picture and the “his master’s voice” slogan for the magnificent price of £100 (That is equivalent to more than £15,000 today).
The rest, as they say is history. Through various interpretations Nipper’s image and memory lives on.
Tags: emile berliner, nipper, rca, rca victor, rock and blues
Sweet Jane
Sep 15, 2010 rock and blues
No reason for this post other than it is the best version of a classic rock song. Lou encapsulates what rock meant to so many of us. It was not just Jane’s life that was saved…………
The classic Hunter/Wagner band that graced this world in ‘74. Not until he had the wonderful Robert Quine on guitar did he have a band that did him justice.
Tags: lou reed, sweet jane, velvet underground
On This Day – Zeppelin’s Debut, Probably.
Oct 25, 2009 On This Day, rock and blues
On this day in 1968 led Zeppelin played their first gig, probably. There is some confusion due to the short time that the band called themselves ‘The New Yardbirds’. Also, some internet sources quote the 15th October 1968 as being the first Zepp gig, but that appears to be an error. Jimmy himself presented a plaque to the University of Surrey to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the first gig – on 25th October.
Having completed a short Scandinavian tour as the New Yardbirds the band played a gig at The Marquee in London on 18th October and at Liverpool University on the 19th.
On the 25th the Jimmy’s band, now called Led Zeppelin made their live debut at Surrey University. The admission was an amazing 37.5p. Details of the set list are a bit shakey but given previous gigs it is likely that the set list included some Yardbird favourites such as Train Kept a Rollin’, Dazed and Confused, White Summer and likely For Your Love. New Led Zepp tunes were also played and would probably included Communication Breakdown, I Can’t Quit You Baby, You Shook Me, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, and How Many More Times.
dazed and confused from 1969 before they became the world devouring mega band that ruled the world………..
By the way, this is a rare recording of the Yardbirds (with Jimmy) playing the ’same’ song. I know which has my vote….
And finally, Zepp just a few months after the first clip. What a band! That voice, Jimmy doing his stuff perfectly complimented by that bass and drums. Perfect!
The first magnificent album.
And the ‘difficult’ second album….
Tags: jimmy page, led zepp, led zepplin, love rock music, On This Day, rock and blues, surrey university, zepplin
Michael Jackson, That ‘New’ song, A New ‘Duet’ With Janet, and His Kids…
Oct 20, 2009 rock and blues
The soap opera goes on.
Janet is to release an unheard duet with Michael on her forthcoming ‘Greatest Hits’ album. Little is known of the song other than it is called ‘Make me’ and was recorded in 2008. Call me cynical but how can an unreleased song be part of a greatest hits album? I suppose the answer is that if you haven’t sufficient real hits to complete an album and you can use the name of your late brother to boost your CD sales then……
Paul Anka is to get 50% royalties on MJ’s new record sales. He had co-written the song with Michael in 1983 when it was called “I Never Heard”. It was subsequently recorded by Sa-Fire in the 1990s. On that version MJ and Anka are credited as co-writers.
No one is suggesting that the Jackson machine were trying to get away with not paying Anka, just that they were a bit stupid. As Anka said “They did the right thing,” Anka said. “I don’t think that anybody tried to do the wrong thing. It was an honest mistake.”
From the Jackson machine side they said in a statement “The song was picked because the lyrics were appropriate because of the name Michael gave his tour,” the statement read. “We are thrilled to present this song in Michael’s voice for the first time, and that Michael’s fans have responded in unprecedented numbers.” – so sales are going well, then.
Apparently they forgot that Anka helped write the song and it was not until Anka heard it and was contacted by the media that he was aware of it. However, alls well that ends well. Anka will get the money he deserves, as well as the Jackson machine.
Finally, for now at least, will Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7 appear on reality TV? There seems to be some disagreement within the family. There are reports that they will appear in “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” which may be broadcast in December on cable network A&E. Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother, seems set to try to maintain their privacy, as Michael did. However, others of the family apparently can see why they should appear.
We shall see.
Tags: katherin jackson, michael Jackson, paris jackson, prince jackson, prince michael II jackson, rock and blues
Beatlemania to Sweep The World! (again)
Sep 9, 2009 About and things, rock and blues
There is going to be a worldwide growth in fabness. Mop tops will be back in fashion and lovable Liverpudlian accents everywhere. At least according to the media including a simpering Sunday Times this week, the reason?
The Beatles’ albums have been remastered and reissued together with a magnificent box set. The box set contains all the albums and costs a paltry (!) £169 while the albums cost about £11 each making the box set the most cost effective choice if you want to replace all your existing CDs and vinyl.
Now, most remastered CDs are less than impressive, more of a marketing opportunity than a valuable addition to your collection. From everything that I have read these reissues are different. From the fawning Sunday Times to an anonymous commenter on Yahoo Answers the verdict is that the reissues are like new records.
The original dynamics have been retained (original from the master tapes, not the bland CDs of the past). The trend has been to make the softer bits louder and the louder bits softer to make the overall sound more even. That may sound good on radio but does lose the original attack of the recording.
Overall, these reissues are well worth the money. I will be replacing Revolver (the only Beatles album that I own currently) as well as investing in Sgt. Peppers, Rubber Soul, and Past Masters. Past masters is an interesting album. It contains all those singles that never appeared in albums – seems strange these days that anyone would not issue all their singles on albums – but that is what happened way back when. As well as She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand (so innocent) etc. there are some rarities. Well worth the money even for those of use who are Beatles completists (and I am certainly not one of those). What CDs should you avoid? Yellow Submarine has to be at the top of this list, absolutley useless more Monkees than Beatles….. Also avoid Beatles For Sale. The 4th album in 2 years, whoever thought that would be a good idea?
I was never a huge Beatles fan, (my mother liked them, hated those dirty and loutish Rolling Stones so guess which band I favoured?) but it is true that they were a good band and did change a lot of things for those that came later. I do have some quibble (quite a lot of a quibble, in fact) with John’s statement that they were the best rock band in the world, at least when they were playing in Hamburg. As virtually no one saw them in Hamburg it is hard to argue with him though.
Tags: beatlemania, beatles, beatles remasters, george harrison, john lennon, love rock music, paul mccartney, ring, rock and blues, rongo starr
White Denim
Aug 4, 2009 About and things, Uncategorized, rock and blues
I often read reviews of bands that refer to influences and there seems to be a settled list of arty influences claimed by most new bands with pretensions. That list includes Lou Reed (Velvet Underground), Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, The Doors, The Beatles. I usually ignore that bit of the review. When I read an article about White Denim some time ago I saw that one of them said “Zappa? yeah, but I think Beefheart has stayed with us more.” Now, that I could understand. That they would engage in a discussion about influences rather than just name check people was interesting.
Later I saw a review of the first album “Workout Holiday” which compared it with “Trout Mask Replica” (which, if you do not know is simply just the best rock album ever made, bar none). That, of course was rubbish, besides the reviewer was someone who’s judgment I did not trust. Then, in Mojo, there was a review of the second album “Fits”. In that it said that the comparison with “Trout Mask Replica” made on behalf of “Workout Holiday” was entirely justified. Now, here is a magazine I rate saying the same as the Sunday Times. I had to listen to White Denim.
Guess what?
The comparison between “Workout Holiday” and “Trout mask Replica” is entirely justified. These are not some lads trying to be The Magic Band. These are guys that seem to ‘get’ it. They are not reincarnations of Zoot Horn Rollo, The Mascara Snake, and Drumbo. They are their own people.
If you like the Captain you really should listen to the first album, you will not regret it.
Tags: captain beefheart, classic rock music, real rock and blues, rock and blues, white denim
On This Day – Jagger and Richards Appeal
Aug 1, 2009 On This Day, rock and blues
On this day in 1967 Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appealed their convictions on drug charges following a raid the previous February.
This saga began when a private party was raided by the police on 12 February at Keith’s house Redlands his mansion outside a little seaside town called West Wittering Sussex in the UK. There are many suspicions and theories about what really happened. Was David Schneiderman (aka the Acid King) who was invited as he could supply good quality drugs really a paid police informant, or working for the News of the World? Or both?
For those of you who may not know The news of the Word, was and is a Sunday newspaper that specializes in tittle tattle and gossip. Many of us think that if a story is not salacious enough they will spice it up….
It does seem strange that Schneiderman was not arrested or his big bag full of illegal chemicals searched. It would seem that the police were going for just two people, Jagger and Richards.
Jagger was charged with possessing half a dozen pills. Richards for allowing his premises to be used for drug use. Jagger’s pills could be bought legally over the counter inmost of Europe, but not in the UK. It may well have been that they were purchased, legally, in Italy and brought back into the UK. They were also prescribed to him by his doctor in the UK.
Neither had any previous convictions for drug offenses but were given savage sentences. Jagger got 3 months in jail and Richards 12. These sentences were well beyond those that would normally be expected. The righteous, smutty end of the press (including The News of the Screws) gloated. However, help was at hand for the pair from a very unexpected quarter.
The most influential newspaper at that time was The Times. Regarded as the newspaper of record it was the organ that spoke for and to the elite. Its editor at the time was William Rees-Mogg. Rees-Mogg was educated at Charterhouse and Balliol College, Oxford. He was President of the Oxford Union in 1951. He was a lifelong Tory standing for the right wing party unsuccessfully. He was very influential in the corridors of power. His leader comment in The Times is credited in persuading Alec Douglas-Hume to stand down as Prime Minister to make way for Edward heath.
It was this very well connected establishment figure who saved Jagger and Richards. He wrote a leader for The Times with the title “Who Breaks a Butterfly on a Wheel?” (strangely, perhaps, miss quoting Alexander Pope). In the leader he did not call for drugs to be legalised, did not praise Jagger of Richards. What he did do was to remind the establishment that justice must be the same for all, and that the sentences were well outside the norm and morally wrong.
Richard’s sentence was quashed and Jagger’s reduced to a suspended sentence and both were released from goal. They then released “We Love You” about the episode.
It is the only time I have admired Rees-Mogg and his ilk. Good on him.
Tags: classic rock music, keith richards, love rock music, mick jagger, On This Day, real rock and blues, rolling stones
