On this Day – Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Jun 8, 2010 On This Day
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
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
On This Day – Townshend Loses It
Nov 5, 2009 On This Day
The Who, good enough to support Herman's hermits?
His crime? He started a prerecorded tape 15 seconds late.
Townshend grabbed Pridden by the neck dragged him to wards the mixing desk before throwing him to the floor in the middle of the stage. There followed an attack on the mixing desk, amplifiers and equipment by Townshend and a stoppage of 25 minutes in the show.
Pridden picked himself up and walked out of the theatre only to be persuaded to return by Bill Curbishley (record producer) and others. Townshend apologised later but this was another example of The Who’s guitarists erratic behaviour. Not to be confused with the ritualistic destruction of guitars on stage it would seem that Townshend had ‘anger management issues’ (I mean substance abuse issues) that affected his emotions and actions both on and off stage.
Tags: bob pridden, On This Day, pete townshend, rock and blues, the who
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
On This day – Little Susie is Being Suggestive!
Oct 14, 2009 On This Day
On this day in 1957 The Everley Brothers reached the top of the charts in the USA with “Wake Up Little Susie”. That inspite of it being banned by some radio stations because of the suggestive lyrics.
I have always said that it is a dirty little song, a threat to the morals of our youth and quite capable of destroying society. (Sorry, I was having a irrational time warp back to the 50s moment). However, that is just what some people thought, otherwise sensible and responsible people. Mind you, most people thought that fighting a nuclear war, and surviving it, was entirely possible. Also remember that the FBI investigated a song (Louie, Louie) because of the filthy lyrics (the whole story here).
There have always been bans imposed on rock music. Given the origins I do not think that we should be surprised. Rock was born on the back of black ‘race’ music. Music made by and for black America. It was not heard or played by white people. When rock began it took the rhythms, feel and in some cases whole songs. That worried the white establishment. Sexual references was just one area that scared the hell out of them. Hence not showing Elvis’ hips when he was singing. That “Wake Up Little Susie” should fall foul of the censors is just a reflection of the paranoia of the time.
What the establishment wanted was more Rock Hudson and Doris Day films (sort of ironic of course).
One notable incident of banning music from being played that predates rock was the banning of Billie Holiday’s version of “Gloomy Sunday” by the BBC in 1941 (and that was the version with the rewritten happy ending!).
However, banning became far more common with the advent of rock. “such a Night” by Johnny Ray was banned by the BBC in 1954. The police in Memphis banned The Drifter’s “Honey Love”. Both banned because of the suggestive lyrics. There are many more examples in the late 50s and early 60s. But the practice went on, and on. In 1969 “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” was banned (again by the BBC) because of the sexual nature of the recording. Other, obvious examples are Hendrix “How Would You Feel”, Van Morrison’s “Gloria”, The Who’s “Pictures of Lily”. There are so many.
More worrying as far as I am concerned is the banning of songs because of political or social comment. The Byrds “8 Miles High” was banned by many US radio stations because of the drug reference, “Puff The Magic Dragon”, Janis Ian’s “Society’s Child” was banned because by many US radio stations because the interracial dating references. Sponsors of the Pet Clark Show got their nickers in a twist when she touched Harry Belafonte on the arm during a duet. etc etc.
Somehow I am not surprised that the Colonels in Argentina banned more than 200 songs because they threatened the regime. I am not worried that the Soviet state and its satellites banned hundreds and hundreds of rock music. I find it hard to see Elton John as being a threat to society but any society should be able to stand up to threats from the arts, and the arts should threaten society.
Luckily, the act of banning a record only helps to make it receive more attention than perhaps it otherwise would. Again there are many examples of that. Frankie goes to Hollywood’ “Relax”, The Pistol’s “God save The Queen”, “Je T’aime”. Just add your favourites to the list. The “explicit Lyrics” stickers were a joke, and a magnet to some record buyers. One Zappa album has an “explicit Lyrics” sticker, even though it is purely instrumental!
The censorship of album covers has also gone on as well. Here are a couple of examples;
There are other examples, of course, Blind Faith, Black Crows, Scorpions, the Beatles with the ‘Babies cover’ etc.
I think that censorship is rarely right (exceptions being child porn, coercion, exploitation). I also believe that it is largely ineffective.
Tags: censorhip, classic rock music, elvis presley, frank zappa, love rock music, On This Day, rock and blues, rock music, the who
On This day – Keith Moon
Sep 7, 2009 Departures, On This Day
On this day in 1978 Keith Moon died. He overdosed on a drug called Heminevrin. Ironically this had been prescribed to help him over alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
“Moon the Loon” joined The Who in 1964 after Doug Samden left and played on all their albums from “My Generation” (1865) to “Who Are You” released just 2 weeks before his death. His style was not conventional, eschewing the traditional focus on back beats in favour of dramatic fast rolls across tom toms and cymbals. He was never still behind the drum kit, always looking to add drama and urgency into the songs.
Although a rock drummer of distinction it is for his destructive tendencies that Keith Moon seems to be mainly remembered. he had a fascination with destroying toilets. He used to blow them up with explosives starting with penny bangers (cherry bombs) and graduating to dynamite. So obsessed was he with blowing up toilets that he and the band were banned from several hotel chains and named hotels.
His most famous escapade, however, involved a car, not explosives. On the occasion of his 21st birthday (he was actually 20 but wanted to be able to drink in all the states in the USA, so, naturally he said it was his 21st). Moon was drunk and decided that what he really needed to do was to drive a car into a swimming pool. Variously said to be either a Cadillac or a Lincoln Continental it was this act, as well as serial toilet destruction incidents, that led Moon to be banned from the Holiday Inn chain, for life.
Keith Moon died after spending an evening with Paul and Linda McCartney. They had been to a preview of the film The Buddy Holly Story and then to dinner. After returning to their flat Moon and his girlfriend went to bed. Before going to bed Moon took 32 tablets of Clomethiazole (Heminevrin). This was prescribed drug to help Moon with alcohol withdrawal symptoms. He had been told by his doctor never to take more than 3 tablets in any 24 hour period.
Tags: classic rock music, deaths, keith moon, love rock music, On This Day, rock and blues, the who
On This Day – The Who Take US By Storm (not really)
Jul 14, 2009 On This Day
The Who, good enough to support Herman's hermits?
1967 and The Who start their first US tour, supporting Herman’s Hermits!
It is hard to believe that Herman’s Hermits once rivaled the Beatles as the UK’s biggest band. Child actor Peter Noone (ex Coronation Street) was the lead singer and they had several large (and remarkably dreadful) hit singles.
In 1967 The Who had not morphed into the mega band that they became and so perhaps the pairing was not that strange at the time. In ‘65 they released I Can’t Explain and their album My generation had also been realeased released in 1965. It was only later in ‘67 that they began to become the band we all remember so fondly with the release of I Can See for Miles.
Tags: classic rock music, herman's hermits, love rock music, On This Day, the who
