On This day – Be Bob a Lula
Jul 28, 2010 On This Day
On this day in 1956 Sweet Gene Vincent made his first TV appearance on the Perry Como Show. He performed Be-Bop-a-Lula which was still climbing the charts.
Be-Bop-A-Lula was written by Vincent, or his manager Sheriff Tex Davies, or Donald Graves (You pays yer money and takes yer choice) in 1955. He sang it on a radio show in Norfolk Virginia in 1956 and recorded a demo version, it came to the attention of Capitol Records who were looking for someone to rival Elvis. Rival Elvis ? Surpassed him I would have thought.
Tags: classic rock music, gene vincent, On This Day, rock and blues, rock and roll
I’d rather have a free bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy. – Tom Waits
Jun 22, 2010 Quotes
Always clever, always entertaining and thought provoking.
Two for the price of one! The version you may remember from an advert was the want to be opera singer Screaming Jay Hawkins…
Tags: music quotations, Quotes, rock and blues, tom waits
On This Day 1969 – Bowie’s Oddity
Jun 21, 2010 On This Day
Can you believe that it is 41 years, to the day that Space Oddity was released by Bowie?
Neither can I, the rest as they say is history.
Oh yes, this is the original version…………..
Tags: bowie, classic rock music, rock and blues, rock music, space oddity
Don’t you know there ain’t no devil, it’s just god when he’s drunk. – Tom Waits
Jun 15, 2010 Quotes
What a great song and performance, very Kurt Weill.
Tags: music quotations, Quotes, rock and blues, tom waits
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
Breaking News – Stuart Cable Found Dead
Jun 7, 2010 On This Day
It seems that Stuart cable, original drummer in the Stereophonics, has been found dead at home early this morning.
According to the police there are no suspicious circumstances. They were called to his house at 5am this morning.
Stuart left the Phonics in 2003 after growing tension between him and Kelly Jones. Since then he has fronted a rock radio station that closed after 6 months and has presented various radio and TV shows. His last show was, I believe, last Saturday night on BBC Radio Wales.
His death is being described as a tragic accident.
Tags: kelly jones, rock and blues, stereophonics, stuart cable
On This Day – The Stones’ TV Debut & First Single
Jun 7, 2010 On This Day
The Stones made their TV debut this day in 1963 on Thank Your Lucky Stars playing their first single C’mon.
It may come a surprise to some of the younger readers that The Stones were once a rock and blues band playing blues covers. Their first album, imaginatively titled The Rolling Stones featured songs by Bobby Troup (Route 66), Willie Dixon (I Just Want to Make Love to You), Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddly, Skip James, and Rufus Thomas.
It all goes to reinforce my view that without the Blues we would have no Rock or Jazz.
This is the magnificent Carol Barnes with Route 66….
The epitome of Blues The incredible Muddy.
Rufus walking his pet in the 60s
The Stones take their turn
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. I am not knocking the Stones, we all build on the shoulders of those that went before. I just think that we do not laud those that went before enough.
Tags: Blues, blues music, chuck berry, classic rock music, muddy waters, On This Day, real rock and blues, rock and blues, rolling stones, rufus thomas, skip james, willie dixon
Carly wants to be Spanked!
Jun 2, 2010 Rants
This is an old rumour but I have just found out that this is true, Carly Simon wants to be spanked before she goes on stage!
Stage fright is something I understand. I could not get up and play in front of people (maybe that is because of my profound lack of talent). I admire even the worse pub rock band that gets up and does it – and I have a seen them (no names etc. but they have been playing in my home town of Clitheroe, Lancs UK, for a number of years).
That CS needs to be spanked beggars belief. If she had a dispassionate view of the great songs that she has written and recorded like “He’s So Vain” and er, all the others (help me with this) then she should not have stage fright.
Tags: carly simon, rock and blues, spanking
Kate Nash – Plagiarism or Homage to The Only Ones?
May 30, 2010 Rants
Am I the only one? Kate Nash has a single out, or perhaps its some random tune from an album – I could not care less. However, bits of Do-Wah-Doo have an uncanny resemblance to ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ by the Only Ones (which is, obviously the best single ever released, ever). I just hope that Peter Perrett is getting a cut….
Compare the two. The similarity comes when La Nash runs out of lyrics……
Tags: another girl another planet, kate nash, peter perret, rock and blues, the only ones
Small Faces Reunion (well, some of them anyway).
May 28, 2010 Rants, Uncategorized
The Small Faces will reunite to play the Vintage Festival (Goodwood August 13th). There are likely to be more dates and a tour announced in the near future.
Trouble is, it isn’t really The faces. It’s Some of them. Rod Stewart will not be there (too busy) he is going to be replaced by Mick ‘I am the best singer in the world’ Hucknall. Obviously, Ronnie Lanes will not be there (dead) he will be replaced by Glenn Matlock (ex-Sex Pistols). However, 3 out of 5 ain’t bad and Matlock is a proper musician (just ‘cos he was in the Pistols and a punk does not mean he could not play, quite the opposite).
My problem with the line up is the inclusion of the Haddock hounded Hucknall ( see previous about Hucknall for explanation). Rod Stewart may have been a cocky, jumped up jack-the-lad, raspy voiced, tit, but he was a
-
good
cocky, jumped up jack-the-lad, raspy voiced, tit.
Hucknall, does not rock, he does not have the voice to front a really rocking band. Would I go and see them? You betcha, then I could write about how crap they (he) were (was).
One really good part of this story is that Ronnie Wood has stopped drinking, a prerequisite for this booking and proposed tour. There had been fears for his health, and the health of the Stones. Perhaps Jagger’s talk did Ronnie some good, (see here). Although, if Ronnie is now sober why has the Faces gig and tour come before the Stones’ ? What else is hampering them from getting onto stage? Mick wants it Ronnies was up for it Charlie loves to play, with anyone anytime. What is left that could be getting in the way?
What is Keef up to at the moment?
Tags: classic rock music, faces, glenn matlock, live music, mick hucknall, real rock and blues, rock and blues, rod stewart, ronnie laine, ronnie wood, small faces
