On This Day – The Byrds Play on Their Own Record!
Sep 10, 2010 On This Day
On this day in 1965 The Byrds began recording “Turn! Turn! Turn!”.
The main differenece between this recording and their first hit “Mr Tambourine Man” is that they all p[layed on the abysmal “Turn! Turn! Turn!”. On their first single only Jim Guinn had played all the other instruments being played by session men. At about this time I femember saying to my best friend that if we paid someone else to play and sing on it we too could have a hit single and solive the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. For some reason he thought that would be cheating.
Later in their career The Byrds would record the reasonable “Eight MIles High” and the satyrical “So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star” released on the “Younger Than Today” album. “So you Want to be….” was an attack on manufactured bands, principally, the Monkees. (Not just on bands that don’t play on their own records, then?)
At Least The Byrds gave Patti Smith material for one the best covers ever recorded. Actually Patti did not so much cover “So You Want to be…” at grab it, devour it and make totally her own.
Tags: classic rock music, eight miles high, On This Day, patti smith, real rock and blues, rock and blues, rock music, so you want to be a rock and roll star, the byrds, turn! turn! turn!
On this Day – Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Jun 8, 2010 On This Day
On this day in 1955 Faron Young reached number one in the US C & W (it was called American Country at the time I think) charts with his Live fast, Love Hard, Die Young. (Covered unsuccessfully, by Eddie Cochran)
To my ears there is something very odd and unsettling about this track. It might be the ‘country’ violins, the semi yodel delivery. It might be that all such calls to youth become more and more distasteful as the singers get older (My Generation performed by geriatric members of The Who, for example – ‘though Patti Smith still pulls it off with great aplomb and style). Two videos here, one as originally recorded and a live performance sometime later.
The artist as a young man, as they say
The artist as an older man….
Faron Young was 64 when he committed suicide in 1996. He had grown bitter, feeling that older performers were forgotten and ignored. There were also health problems including emphysema. After a divorce to his wife of 32 years he had alienated his family. A lonely, seemingly forgotten and bitter man he shot himself in the head on 9th December 1996.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.
Tags: eddie Cochran, faron young, live fast love hard die young, patti smith, rock and blues, the who
Review – Really a ‘Must Have’ Reissue – REALLY
Oct 29, 2009 Reviews
We have all read the publicity blurbs about this or that ‘must have ‘ reissue. Generally they are for second rate didn’t-make-it-first-time-may-make-it-this-time-anyway-it-was-gathering-dust-on-the-shelf albums. It is good, very good, to find one reissue of a real my-life-would-not-be-complete-without-it album.
The Feelies were great. They came from New jersey and were called the best underground band in New York by the Village Voice in 1976. The reissue is of their first album released on Stiff Records (always a good sign) in 1980 it is called ‘Crazy Rhythms’. With smart lyrics drawing comparisons with the Velvets and a real rock attitude and energy they were an amalgam of what went before but with their own stamp.
The influences are all there to see. The vocal delivery owes a lot to Lou and the Velvets,as does the uncomplicated drumming, there is something of Patti in there and Iggy. Comparisons to early REM – they were contemporaries after all. I am not saying that they were clones of The Velvet Underground (mind you I have included a great version of ‘What Goes on’ at the end of this review), The Stooges, or a poor man’s REM. They were 100% Feelies.
perhaps oddly REM have quoted The Feelies as a major influence. perhaps if the Feelies released more than one album every 6 years they would be better known…….
This album has been unavailable for over 10 years and so this is a real reissue, not a repackaged ‘remastered’ reissue. One of the essential albums for any collection.
1. Boy With Perpetual Nervousness, The
2. Fa Ce’-La
3. Loveless Love
4. Forces At Work
5. Original Love
6. Everybody’s Got Soemthing To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey)
7. Moscow Nights
8. Raised Eyebrows
9. Crazy Rhythms
Tags: classic rock music, lou reed, new wave, patti smith, rem, review, rock and blues, the feelies, velvet underground
On This Day – The High Numbers Turned Down By EMI!
Oct 21, 2009 On This Day
On this day in 1964 The High Numbers auditioned for EMI the UK record company, and were turned down. One of the reasons they were turned down was that the record company wanted them to write more of their own material.
Like many of the beat groups of the time the various members had been in other bands before coming together. A couple had played in a trad jazz band with the eventual bass player of the High Numbers playing French Horn… They also went through a few names before becoming The High Numbers released their only single “I’m the face/Zoot Suit” which failed to chart. One of the names that the band had before being The High Numbers was The Who. The new name did not suit and so they changed it, after the failure of the single and being turned down by EMI, back to The Who and signed to Orbit Music.
1965 saw the band moving forward, a number singles that all made the top 20 including ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’. They also appeared in a number of TV and radio spots including what must have been the highest accolade a radio appearance on ‘The Joe Loss Pop Show’ (those of you not of a certain age or not from the UK will not recognise the incongruity of Joe Loss presenting a pop show).
It is only speculation, but if you can not speculate about music what can you, what would have happened to The High Numbers if EMI had accepted them in 1964? With no pressure to write their own stuff and evolve would they have remained that gigging pub band? How many guitars would have been saved from what became their ritualistic destruction on stage? Would ‘I Can See For Miles’ and ‘My Generation’ (notably, and wondefully covered by the great and glorious Patti Smith) have seen the light of day?
No doubt some executive in EMI was roasted by his bosses for turning them down but perhaps we all owe him a great debt of gratitude.
The Great and Glorious Patti, the best version of this song, ever!
Tags: my generation, On This Day, patti smith, rock and blues, the high numbers, the who
