The Stone Roses to Reform – You Heard it First Here!
Oct 16, 2011 Rants, Uncategorized
In fact, you probably did not hear it here first, it is all over the media. Even in the Daily Mail (that well known organ obviously has its finger on the pulse of Yooth Kulture). That being inspite of a press conference being set for Tuesday 18th October to make “an announcement”.
It now seems common knowledge that the reunion will start next year and 2 concerts in Manchester being widely touted.
While not a big fan myself it is good to see an iconic band coming together again. It seems that Ian Brown and John Squire have put those “musical differences” behind them. That was the big stumbling block to the band getting together again.
For younger readers The Stone Roses’ first self titled album in 1989 was hailed by may as the best debut album, ever. (Mainly, their PR team to start with and then music journos, and then the more gullible of the public. A good debut, even a great debut, but the best ever? I think not. Think of Zappa’s Freak Out, The eponymous Bob Dylan album, A Girl Called Dusty, Please Help Me by the Fab Four, I Wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges. AND obviously, The Velvet Underground with Nico debut.
Nothing wrong with hype, the music industry lives off it, but a bit of realism would be nice.
Anyway, expect huge competition for the tickets – and suitably large prices. I will be hovering my lap top when they go on sale, so perhaps I will see you there. I will be the old fart saying “yeah, not bad but not as good as Iggy, Frank, Don, Lou et al………….
Tags: beatles, bob dylan, captain beefheart, classic rock music, dusty springfield, iggy pop, john lennon, love rock music, real rock and blues, rock and blues, stone roses, the stooges
“There’s only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers”
May 27, 2011 About and things
Capt Beefheart, ‘Nuff said.
Tags: captain beefheart, rock and blues
The Don on Radio 4 Shock!
Nov 8, 2010 About and things
Imagine my surprise. There I was lisyening to Desert Island discs on BBC Radio 4 yesterday. The guest was the people’s poet Ian McMillan. He was playing discs that reminded him of his mother ansd father, typical romantic slush that normal working class adults listened to in the 40s. Then he said, almost hesitantly, that he wanted one song that he really liked, that his wife referred to as screaching cat music. It was Don Van Vliet himself. The wonderful Captain Beefheart! More than that it was the enourmously fantastic Moonlight on Vermont (although the Beeb did not broadcast the drum intro which is the best 7 seconds of music ever recorded – I know, I am biased)
Respect to Radio 4.
Here’s a bit more Van Vliet (can’t resist)
And a bit of Frank, for no real reason….
And more………….
And Finally, probably, my Fave Frank song.
Tags: beefheart, captain beefheart, classic rock music, desert island discs, don van vliet, ian mcmillan, love rock music, radio 4, real rock and blues, rock and blues, zappa
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
Great Mistakes……….. (1)
May 25, 2010 Uncategorized
I loved this girl (as much as any 17 year old ‘loves’). I took her to a bar with a DJ. I got the DJ to play this song for her. She was not my girl friend afterwards………..
What did I do wrong?
I still love this.
Tags: captain beefheart, real rock and blues, rock and blues
On This Day – A Squid Eats Down Into a Polyethelene Bag
Jan 15, 2010 On This Day, arrivals
Yes, that’s right the Maskara Snake, on this day in 1941 the world of music saw the birth of a stone cold genius.
The ZigZag Wanderer himself, Don Van Vliet, made his appearance in Glendale California. The old fart was playing and the mothership was flying when, 28, years later the best album ever made hit our shelves (and has rarely been off my turntable or out of my CD player ever since).
Trout Mask Replica is unconditionaly guaranteed to amaze and delight you in your blue jeans under the moonbeams while the doc at the radar station watches a black bird eating ice cream and a man in a hat picks up his easel says goodbye and then walks down his yellow brick road. Its the same ol’ blues, again. Ella Guru sheds a tin teardrop and says that he was the one red rose that she meant.
Just Throwing This One In a Captain Tribute Band – And they ain’t Bad!
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On This Day – Wanna Buy a Record Player?
Aug 23, 2009 Uncategorized
On this day, well nearly – actually on 22nd August 1906 – the Victor Talking Machine Company (New Jersey) started selling record players. The price was about $200 which must have been huge at the time. Records ranged from $1 to $7.
This was one of those pivotal moments in the history of popular music. There were some who said that it was the end of the world, culture available for the masses? A dreadful development. Having said that no Victrolar (that’s what it was called) and there would have been no James Blunt or Celine Dion and so the world would have been a better place. On the other hand, there would also be no Tim Fite, Nick Cave, Beefheart, Zappa, Patti, or Lou.
OK, on the whole it was a good thing.
J P Sousa (a renowned conductor) was off the mark when he said that recorded music would be the end of the amateur musician. About as right as the head of IBM predicting that there would only ever be 7 mainframe computers in the world, or the American politician (can’t remember his name) who said that the Japanese did not make things that the American public would want to buy…….
Tags: captain beefheart, classic rock music, On This Day, real rock and blues
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
