Sometimes when I hear some of that delectable psychedelic rock from the UK in the 1960s, I get so excited. Seriously. I get excited when I think about the boundless efforts of all of those mid 60s UK groups. The drugs may have been part fuel, but imagination and creativity drove these bands to write some of the most interesting and captivating music in years. For near 3 years this music ruled the charts in the UK and made serious impressions on the USA and Canada, especially. To name just a few - The Moody Blues, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Amen Corner, The Who, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and of course, The Small Faces.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Small Faces in My Psychedelic Haze
Sometimes when I hear some of that delectable psychedelic rock from the UK in the 1960s, I get so excited. Seriously. I get excited when I think about the boundless efforts of all of those mid 60s UK groups. The drugs may have been part fuel, but imagination and creativity drove these bands to write some of the most interesting and captivating music in years. For near 3 years this music ruled the charts in the UK and made serious impressions on the USA and Canada, especially. To name just a few - The Moody Blues, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Amen Corner, The Who, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and of course, The Small Faces.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Can I Get You A Caw-fee?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Hats Off To Roy Harper!
Who? Roy Harper! One of the most talented and idiosyncratic musicians/songwriters ever. Roy Harper was also responsible for initiating and helping to set up the series of free concerts held in London's Hyde Park starting in 1968. In fact, today marks the day when the 1st Hyde Park Free Concert was held. Appearing on the bill that day 41 years ago - Roy Harper, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd (both of these bands had been around for less than a year as professional recording rock bands).
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Album Of The Week - "The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars"
So, after all that, how much detail and critical review do I need to convey when choosing The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie as my "Album Of The Week"?
Well, not a lot, but some interesting info about the album, might help spark some younger music fans' interest enough to want to check out this fantastic album.
Most of us are already aware that the album was introduced to the world this very same week back in 1972 (37 years ago). David Bowie had already began recording music in a somewhat similar fashion over the previous 2 years. 1971's Hunky Dory and 1970s The Man Who Sold The World differed from each other but both laid the blueprint for Ziggy.
Then there was everything else that was going on around Bowie at the time. For one thing, Marc Bolan and T.Rex were the #1 game in town and the leader of the Glam movement. It wasn't hard to see that Bowie borrowed from Bolan. Also, the world was also being gleaned on future shock ideals and fiction with movies like "2001:A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange" (it was also only 3 years since the Nasa Moonwalk). Bowie has always admitted that throughout his career, he "borrowed" from others, which enabled him to achieve the legendary notoriety of being Rock music's true "chameleon".
On Ziggy Stardust, songs such as "Starman", "Lady Stardust", "Soul Love", "Five Years" and "Rock N' Roll Suicide" reflected more of Bowie's love of American Folk and Soul music, with the songs revolving around the 12 string acoustic Bowie wrote most of the songs on and blasts of strings and horns that peppered each song and helped build on the emotional strings they easily tugged the listener with.
Mix all of that with Mick Ronson (may he rest in peace) and his distinct sounding Gibson guitar's illustrious power chords and the result was some pretty captivating and moving songs. Things heated up some more on the title track (the concept story unfolded in this song), "Suffragette City" (originally intended for fellow Glam band Mott The Hoople), "Star" (An ode to the life of a Rock N' Roll star) and "Hang Onto Yourself", which constitute the harder and raucous sounding songs on the album.
What always enthralled me and captivated me about the album was the immense influence and imprint that Mick Ronson left on the album. He was Bowie's right hand man, his lead guitarist and chief arranger of the string and horn sections. I always felt that without Ronson, Ziggy Stardust would never have been as good as it turned out to be.
Sometime, if you get the chance, the SACD Surround Sound version of Ziggy Stardust is wildly entertaining, for with the audio separation, Ronson's guitar just comes to life, as do the strings and horns. Some SACD enthusiasts has panned the SACD version of this album complaining that it too compressed sounding, but I heartily disagree. Sometime just check out the drums and harp evolve slowly in the intro of "Five Years". The lead guitar in is so totally electrifying. The background vocals and double tracked vocals on "Moonage Daydream""Soul Love" and "It Ain't Easy" are so much more upfront and in your face. I really like the SACD Surround Sound version.
The original production, by former producer Ken Scott (who went on to produce such other 1970s Rock classics such as Crime Of The Century and Crisis? What Crisis? by Supertramp), was (for me) the only weak link. Perhaps it was the original studio where Ziggy Stardust was recorded (Regent Studios now no longer in use and converted into a supermarket I think). For one thing, compare the sound of Ziggy Stardust to his followup Aladdin Sane. The difference is quite stark and Aladdin Sane always sounded better to my ears. The sound on Ziggy didn't even match up to the better sound Ken Scott achieved with Supertramp. Something about Ziggy Stardust album sounded thin to me. Maybe that is why I enjoy the SACD version so much more. The 1998 24 Bit Digital Remastering did help the album's sound considerably, but original LPs and early CD versions sounded "thin" for my liking. The only factor that made up for all of that was the incredibly strong songs that ere on the album. The album was, is and always will be one of my favorite and most personable albums I ever listened to and owned a copy of.
BTW - Plenty of cover versions exist out there of songs from the Ziggy Stardust album. One of the most popular and infamous is the Bauhaus version of the song "Ziggy Stardust". I did just hear for the first time, as well, a cover of the song "Ziggy Stardust" by the UK psychedelic surf band The Thurston Lava Tube. I believe you can hear it on youtube.com
Of course, nothing can compare to some of the original live performances in 1972 and 1973 when Bowie was at his full Glam regalia and fashion. Check this out from the D.A. Pennebaker film shot at Bowie's Hammersmith Odeon concert in 1973, performing "Moonage Daydream"...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Gemacht in Deutschland
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Iggy's NEW "Preliminaires"
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Album Of The Week - "For Your Pleasure"
And every step I take
Takes me further from heaven
Is there a heaven'
I`d like to think so
Standards of living
They're rising daily
But home oh sweet home
It's only a saying
From bell push to faucet
In smart town apartment
The cottage is pretty
The main house a palace
Penthouse perfection
But what goes on
What to do there
Better pray there
Open plan living
Bungalow ranch style
All of its comforts
Seem so essential
I bought you mail order
My plain wrapper baby
Your skin is like vinyl
The perfect companion
You float my new pool
De luxe and delightful
Inflatable doll
My role is to serve you
Disposable darling
Can't throw you away now
Immortal and life size
My breath is inside you
I'll dress you up daily
And keep you till death sighs
Inflatable doll
Lover ungrateful
I blew up your body
But you blew my mind
Oh Those Heartaches
Dreamhome Heartaches
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Cockney Rebel Rules!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Hey Star...Turn Me Black n' Blue
Baby, baby, I've been so sad since you've been gone
Way back to New York City
Where you do belong
Honey, I miss your two-tone kisses
Legs wrapped around me tight
If I ever get back to Fun City, girl
I'm gonna make you scream all night
Honey, honey, call me on the telephone
I know you're movin' out to Hollywood
With your can of tasty foam
All those beat up friends of mine
Got to get you in their books
Lead guitars and movie stars
Get their tongues beneath your hood
Yeah! You're a star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star
Yeah, a star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star
Yeah, I heard about you Polaroid's
Now that's what I call obscene
Your tricks with fruit was kind a cute
I bet it keep your pussy clean
Honey, I miss your two tone kisses
Legs wrapped around me tight
If I ever get back to New York, girl
Gonna make you scream all night
Yeah! You're a star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star
Yeah, a star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star.... yes you are, yes you are, yes you are
Yeah, Ali McGraw got mad with you
For givin' head to Steve McQueen
Yeah, you and me, we made a pretty pair
Ballin' through the Silver Screen
Honey, I'm open to anything
I don't know where to draw the line
Yeah, I'll make bets that you're gonna get
John Wayne before he dies
Yeah! You're a star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star
Yeah, a star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star
Yes you are
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star Yeah!
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star Oh yeah!
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star Woo!
A star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star (yes you are)...,
Starfucker starfucker, starfucker starfucker starfucker yes you are, yes you are!... Oh yeah! Woo....
Oh-Yeah - Oh! Give us a kiss
With a twist
Ball me girl
Monday, May 18, 2009
10ccs of My Love
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Fans at the alter of The Sensational Alex Harvey Bandcan only pray for the late Alex Harvey's eternal life after peace in the Rock n' Roll Heavenly skies. For they & the Lord only know how much blood, sweat, tears and life Alex Harvey gave to his craft as a professional musician, songwriter and entertainer. Since his untimely death of a heart attack just one day shy of his 48th birthday, in 1982, the legend of Alex Harvey has grown in a stealth like fashion. There have been and still are Sensational Alex Harvey Bandcover bands and then there was the short lived original SAHB lineup reunion in 2004 (sans Alex, of course and now guitarist Zal Cleminson who quit the reunion despite the apparent appeal and success). Even Canada's Paul Hyde & Bob Rock dedicated their 1982 album No Stranger To Danger to the memory of Alex. The web is abound with hits of Alex Harveydedicated websites and plenty from Youtube available (See Below)
I got turned on to the SAHB when I made a trip to Glasgow, Scotland with my Dad back in 1973. I hadn't yet turned 15 years old. I saw SAHB on the Old Grey Whistle Test doing a cover of Jacques Brel's classic "Next". The song itself was captivating, as I had never heard any Brel before, but watching Alex on the TV was equally as mesmerizing. All I remembered was this mop of hair, griselled face and theatrical flair. Then there was the guitarist, Zal Cleminson, with the evil clown makeup. The whole group was dead on the money for my entertainment value. Later that year, when I returned to Nova Scotia, I received for Christmas from my cousins in Glasgow, the newly released Vertigo UK LP of Next. The cover differed from N.A. latter versions, where the black stripes on the LP cover were actually reflective silver stripes on the UK version. I played that album faithfully for a year solid and couldn't wait for their next release, 1974's The Impossible Dream.
Released in September of '74, The Imposible Dream was SAHB at their creative best and at the top of their game for showmanship live. Unfortunately, after that album is when eveything started to unravel. While I still enjoy a great number of SAHB songs post Impossible Dream, like "$25 For A Massage", "Dance For Your Daddy", "Snakebite", "Soul In Chains" , "Who Murdered Sex?" or "Boston Tea Party", for me the pinaccle of SAHB enjoyment was 1973 and 1974. Which is the sole reason for devoting this blog to 2 SAHB albums - Next and The Impossible Dream.
Next. A brilliantly crafted and sounding album (their second LP as SAHB) and helped launch the band into the growing wave of Glam Rock in Great Britain during 1973. The albums' lead off track "Swampsnake" just sets the tone and attitude right away, with its' sexy guitar groove. That was just the precursor to "Gangbang" (Imagine today a song titled that being released w/out PRMC control). What a rollicking good song and only Alex could paint the imagery with his vocals especially on the opening line of the 2nd verse. "The Faith Healer" was another great song with an infectious hook off the top with Hugh McKenna's synthesizer. The UK/European TV performances of this song had a great effect of any number of the emerging musicians in the UK from the Clash to the Cult (who did their own version in the 1980s). "Giddy Up A Ding Dong" was another barrel rolling rock n' roll number followed by the introspective and passionate rock version of Jacques Brel's "Next" (I enjoy this version better than Scott Walker's or Gavin Friday's). The album's closer, "Vambo Marble Eye" was so high energy for a final song on an LP. No rest for the fans, the song blasts through the speaker with another great Zal Cleminson guitar hook, this one fashioned with a quasi- funky groove a la Shaft. The song begins the concept story of the anti-hero Vambo, Alex Harvey's alter ego in performance. The story was just beginning to infold.
The Impossible Dream. Released just 11 months after Next, this was the album that captured the band at their career peak. The gatefold sleeve of the LP had shots of the band live, in character for the Vambo story. The lyrics on the right side sleeve told the story. (After all, those were the years of the "concept" album").
The Vambo story picks up right away with "Hot City Symphony". First impression is the theatrical style of Harvey's vocals. He is truly playing the part of Vambo. With "The Man In The Jar", the mystery of Vambo picks up speed. This song rivalled anything by by Bowie, 10CC, Roxy Music, Mott The Hoople with its' dramatic flair and delivery. It evoked images of Pulp fictions and Humphrey Bogart movies mixed with its own apocolyptical storyline. Besides, any song with a bridge that includes the sing along vocals "Zaba zaba zaba da ba baba da za zaba da ba" is okay by me. "River Of Love" and "Long Hair Music" were a couple of great glam-ish rock songs that essentially filled the gap until Side one's closing ditty "Hey"...