The Band Guestbook, December 2014

Entered at Wed Dec 31 22:49:55 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Texas

Link to a stunning unadorned live performance from my personal "Best album of the year."

Entered at Wed Dec 31 22:40:21 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Wed Dec 31 22:08:41 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Joe Bonamassa........STOP!

I been trying to get this youtube video to work. I can't get it to come up here. Search on youtube the name I have put in subject. Not the video at Royal Albert Hall, the one where he is in studio.

He plays a Gibson 335. Some time ago we had a discussion about Fender/Strats vs Gibson/335 for playing blues. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, at about 3 minutes he plays a solo. A strat not even in the hands of EC compares to this for my money. His singing as well as his playing is right up there and maybe a head above Eric Clapton.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 21:30:15 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

In my limited experience of the USA, the warehouse location should either be Oxford, Mississippi or Sedona, Arizona! NYC not in the running.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 21:29:36 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Slow Hand....a good name for a boat

Watch one of the most beautiful women you'll ever see sing this song. Conway Witty did a pretty fair job of it to...but not like this. As I drove home from the store just now this song came on my favourite FM station.

Norbert! Lets hope that place you talked about and every place like it stays that way. Hope every one quits killin each other.

Mike! I got to come out to Saskatchewan in the spring. I'm thinkin'.....well I come this far I just should go all the way and dunk Kevin & Mike's heads in one of those puddles out there -:) Happy New year......goes away mumbling....bunch-a-punks........

Entered at Wed Dec 31 21:27:51 CET 2014 from (66.55.188.178)

IT

Subject: health and prosperity

And to all of you who keep it interesting, Happy New Year and health and prosperity to you all. And I don't mean intermittently.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 21:26:10 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Wed Dec 31 20:30:28 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Entered at Wed Dec 31 20:25:49 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Entered at Wed Dec 31 20:24:05 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Norbert. Ms. Rotolo sadly died in 2011.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 20:17:30 CET 2014 from (65.93.118.203)

Mike Nomad

Happy New Year to one and all, espy to some lost, lingering souls whose posts I have missed of late — Angie, the Cabbagetown girl and purveyor of some truly remarkable past links; Serenity from the land of K-W, and Joan; Steve and Rollie, of course, sadly missed; yes, even wiseguy Bumbles. Also, Bob W and David P, whose erudition enlightened me, and the Woodstock-New Paltz-N.J. sector guys, some of whom I call friends and who, I would hope, think of me the same way. Also to Jeff, from Brooklyn, Todd in Connecticut and Kevin J, who has brought some badly-needed freshness (that a woid?) to this scene. And to that occasional pain-in-the-ass Mr. Jones out there on his Rockin' Chair (the apostrophe will piss him off, no doubt), who makes me laugh. And to the intermittent JT. Thanks for making this an interesting site. Also, last but not least, the Karmann Ghia guy.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 20:14:59 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: Disney’s Woodstock World (NY)

Steve Earle, who use to live rural, moved to NY, Greenwich Village. He didn’t want to pine away in a nursing home in country side; “No, rather an old communist in a wheel chair annoying pedestrians on Bleecker Street”.

We live rural too and Steve made me think.

Maybe we should all move to NY and also settle down near Bleecker Street. On the spot where Dylan walked with Suze Rotolo (who still lives there), we could open a Woodstock theme ware house . Beneath bright vintage neon letters in the window we could put some living musical icons, of the 60th and 70th on chairs to attract customers. Think of a kind of wheel chair friendly Disney Wonder World for older people with elevators and the background music is played live (Pad B extra loud on organ). A restaurant where people are still pampered, no self-service, no computers the cash register is mechanic and Rotolo herself takes the orders here. Smoking is still healthy and the obligator joint encouraged. A kind of “Yes! This is where we fought for”, Coen brothers thing. A Vinyl section on the ground floor, a Hurricane poster section on the second next to Elvis’s Jungle room and the new Cash boots series.

I have made purchase requisitions in China (Alibaba.com) for 4500 plastic (enamel looking) Buddy Holly heads and 35.000 Lennon sun glasses. The possibilities are endless. We would all be together and nurse another and annual we’d drive our electric wheel chairs, motorcade, all the way up the Woodstock Mountain..... :-)

Greece wants out, Africa burns, the cold war starts again, but I can’t wait for 2015 to come!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL! may your wishes come true!

Entered at Wed Dec 31 19:53:26 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Norm, I looked Vimy Ridge up, near Arras next to the highway Lille-Paris. We drove that road often when we had our house in France. There is a whole city under the ground (tunnels) with a lot of graffiti to be seen still. When you pass that area it’s all quiet and lovely now, hard to imagine what all happened there.

Joan, thank for your nice words the other day.

Wallsend, thanks for your comment last.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 19:23:51 CET 2014 from (74.108.29.164)

Joan

Entered at Wed Dec 31 18:53:54 CET 2014 from (24.108.1.255)

BONK

Hey Peter. Just finished Glyn Johns book Sound Man. Pretty interesting read. But I think Glyn is far to polite when it comes to some of the characters. He has quite a bit to say about Levon, all good, and some of it thank god, is new to me. Never paid much attention to the Legend of Jesse James before but I think it's time I did. Cheers.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 17:52:29 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Ringing in the New Year

2014 was a good year for us and there was some pretty great music discussed and shared here. Hope that you all have a safe healthy and happy new year.

As I sit at my desk here, I'd like to share the scene before me. This condo isn't too bad. We can just lock up and take off to that big boat any time we want. The sun is just really brightening up right now. We have had about 3 days of beautiful sun shine here although -4 and pretty crisp.

Here on Vancouver Island, and particularly in Courtenay we have thousands of trumpeter swans that winter here. From my front windows to the river's edge is about 150 feet. The river is about 200 feet across. Two big swans have spent Christmas with us here. Today it seems like many of them play just like people do in the summer. The tide is out so the river is running pretty swiftly. The swans go up the river and just land and let the river take them down. Just now there is a steady stream of swans floating by sparkling in the sunshine.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 16:04:30 CET 2014 from (203.160.29.153)

Fred

Entered at Wed Dec 31 14:49:22 CET 2014 from (173.3.49.82)

Jeff A.

A Happy & Healthy New Year to all.

NYC people. Mark your calendars. Bob's daughter is playing The Bitter End on Feb 20th. Send your friends too. RoseAnn Fino & The Lovely Misfits

Entered at Wed Dec 31 12:29:53 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.183)

Bob F

Subject: Janis and Jim Morrison

Great new book by Janis Joplin's road manager John Cooke. Janis had the same negative opinion of Jim Morrison. She actually smashed a whiskey over his head during a drunken brawl.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 12:16:12 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.183)

Bob F.

Subject: Rick's 5 most under appreciated songs

Link on Expecting Rain today. Just a great read that will have you listening to The Band all day. You can't beat that.

Entered at Wed Dec 31 10:09:07 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

So how many have downloaded Southern Love (Live)? I think this is a major find. Only me and John D interested?

Entered at Wed Dec 31 02:55:14 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.128)

Bill M

A link to an article about BaRK's Tom Wilson, who is playing in a west-end bar this evening; Fred Eaglesmith, who turns up towards the end, is playing here this evening, though in a different west-end club.

Entered at Tue Dec 30 15:52:47 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

On The BTS, Record Collector (#436) has Patrick Humphries on The Basement Tapes. He quotes Robbie from his own interview years ago:

RR: "We were rebelling against the rebellion. I never felt, 'Mother I want to f*ck you, father I want to kill you. I felt the same way about silly psychedelic clothes. Sure, my wardrobe had its weak moments, but I never wanted to buy into something stupid like that."

So no Apple Boutique for Robbie. No prize for being the first one to mention the pink scarf in the context.

Entered at Tue Dec 30 15:42:13 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

What I find amazing after all this time, that we can find a previously-unknown archive Ronnie / Levon track! I wondered if Ronnie even knows of its existence … being pre-1962 in Britain it's out of copyright so they wouldn't have asked for permissions.

Entered at Tue Dec 30 15:20:37 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Entered at Tue Dec 30 15:08:03 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Tue Dec 30 14:48:49 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Entered at Tue Dec 30 14:44:17 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Just found a live version on Amazon.uk. It's from an album called Boy meets Girls TV shows. Would this be it?

Entered at Tue Dec 30 14:38:42 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

The only version of Ronnie's Southern Love, I can find; on the Internet is the original Roulette recording. The live version is not on the Canadian iTunes or YouTube. Is this just a British iTunes thing?

Entered at Tue Dec 30 14:11:27 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Ronnie & Cherry

Cherry Wainer was the Hammond organist in Jack Good’s house band for the “Oh, Boy!” TV show, one of the first British rock shows. I was talking to a guy I know in our local vinyl shop (an expert on early British rock), and we were mentioning those gone during 2014. He said he loved the Cherry Wainer / Ronnie Hawkins story, and it's one I had never heard. Cherry was known for having her poodle sit on the Hammond bench during the programme (SEE LINK for picture). Apparently Ronnie leaned back on it and he was bitten by the dog. This must have been the visit to play the show with Levon along, where he tried to recruit Joe Brown from the house band to become a Hawk.

I looked for a picture, and to my surprise found the "Oh, Boy!" version of Southern Love (live) with Cherry Wainer's organ and bass pedals at the start and the large house chorus. It's on iTunes! This is an early Levon Helm recording. And that will be Joe Brown's solo. It's a great version! Who knows, maybe Cherry Wainer inspired Ronnie to recruit Garth - organ was unusual then in rock, and I guess the large Oh, Boy! house band had one in lieu of a string section.

Entered at Tue Dec 30 09:21:26 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I'll have to check that, Bill. I guess if you change it from 7:8 time to 4:4, then transpose the balalaika and bouzouki to mandolin and guitar, and play it a bit faster, it's similar. The accordion ties them both together anyway.

Entered at Tue Dec 30 01:12:38 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.143)

Bill M

Entered at Mon Dec 29 23:56:04 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: John D: Carmen's and Barberian's

John D: I used to go there all the time in the old days. I went once maybe 15 years ago again and nothing had changed. The steak was still great and the aroma of garlic still permeated. Barbarian's is still like that. I haven't been there in a while either.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 22:40:20 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Gee JT for a moment when you talked about fresh air and Carmen, I thought you were talking about the wonderful Garlic aroma of Carmen's; which is now open again on Alexander Street. Remember Jerry; when you could smell the garlic blocks away; just walking up or down Yonge St.?

Entered at Mon Dec 29 20:01:48 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Interesting article. One of the Christmas TV specials in the UK was Victoria Wood's musical "The Day We Sang" (review linked) with Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball. Mention in the article of the "Judas!: Live 66 concert reminded me that I meant to post about the TV Show. it takes place in Manchester's Free Trade Hall, which was where Live 66 took place. The organ dominating the stage is huge - I hadn't seen interior pics of the hall before. Garth must have enjoyed playing in front of it. Pity they didn't do what Frank Zappa did with the Royal Albert Hall organ (Louie Louie from "Uncle Meat.")

Entered at Mon Dec 29 19:30:07 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Fresh air

Carmen: a breath of fresh air! Thank you.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 17:14:57 CET 2014 from (74.43.18.162)

carmen

Subject: Basement tapes article

Good article on Basement Tapes - thought most would rather read this then the rehashed feud posts.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 13:39:16 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

This is all complicated by the fact that unsalted butter, growing very rapidly in market share in recent years, is a light cream colour, while salted butter is yellow. As salt isn't yellow, it must be that we always added yellow colour to traditional British salted butters, but when we started importing Danish and French unsalted butters, we stayed with their preference for no colouring.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 13:05:16 CET 2014 from (96.30.173.135)

joe j

Manufacture and sale of 'yellow margarine' being illegal in Canada, an amendment had to be made to the British North America Act (our constitution) when Terms of Union were negotiated with Newfoundland. There was little dairy industry here prior to 1949. Butter was scarcely an option, yellow margarine (if you could afford it) the norm. Sensing a 'white vs. yellow' political football the unionists deftly stickhandled around the issue with the aforesaid amendment simultaneously preserving the local margarine industry and protecting Canadians from the substance.

Dairy butter is generally available today but there is little demand and its use a sign of elitism. This morning I had a little pat of yellow margarine on my whole wheat toast and raised my cup in a little nod to those savvy politicians of 1949.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 11:24:04 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

This die capsule with margarine. I'm fascinated. Is that Canada only? Or US and Canada? We never had that in Britain where margarine was sold with slogans like "You can't tell the difference between Stork and butter" and "You'd butter believe it" or "Utterly Butterly", and our marge always came as yellow. Margarine has had a renaissance as "Lo-fat spreads" in recent years, but brands like Flora and Vitalite never let the word "margarine" near their products. I suspect they prefer the "lo" spelling because they might not actually be "low."

Though now they're saying they were wrong, and butter and cheese saturated fats aren't as dangerous as they once said.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 06:19:14 CET 2014 from (162.217.234.191)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Dye Job

Now Hear This!!!..........Bill we all stood together on this. We all hated that stuff so much there is no way we were going to mash that packet of dry die into that bowl of grease-:)

By the way Bill I forgot to send warm Christmas greetings to you and Pat. I just realized I also for got my friend Lloyd in Cape Town......getting old and stupid I guess. You guys realize we can not be talking about margarine and turnips no more. We will urk the ire of Pat Brennan.....he will not stand for it.....I am not sure I spelt that right. Please excuse my ignorance. I am a dumb old sailor that runs a tug boat.

I hate margarine more than Elmer Fudd hates rabbits.

Entered at Mon Dec 29 02:47:21 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.143)

Bill M

Pat B: Thanks for the TLW link.

Rockin Chair: When your mother was too busy to knead the orange dye into the white margarine, didn't she give the job to one of the kids, like mine did? Maybe that's why I line up with Joan on this one: it's awful stuff. (I'd like to think they put real butter pats on the tables at TLW. Does John D recall?)

Peter V: All the effete English novels have the ladies retiring from the diningroom after dessert, leaving the gents to their cigars, port and flatulence.

JT: I again note Dylan's comment that "Traditional music ... revolves around vegetables and death."

Entered at Mon Dec 29 00:57:19 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.149)

Bill M

Entered at Sun Dec 28 23:01:32 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Low Millions -"Ex-Girlfriends"

Low Millions: Adam Cohen's first band. Still a great listen. His solos following a great. I think the best is yet to come.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 21:38:34 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sun Dec 28 20:54:05 CET 2014 from (70.80.237.104)

Landmark

Up until a couple of years ago, margarine was not allowed to yellow as the Quebec dairy lobby was afraid people would mistake it for butter and buy it in place of butter.

The Quebec dairy lobby has since relented but they keep prices so high that people flock across the border to buy cheeses and milks. A higher US dollar doesn't deter people as cheese bricks can be frozen. Even customs guards ask how much dairy was purchased, in the same manner they ask about alcohol and tobacco.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 20:31:36 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Not that I don't find turnips fascinating, but ROIO just posted The Complete Last Waltz.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 19:14:45 CET 2014 from (74.108.29.164)

Joan

Norm, I know what you're talking about my husband always talks about the little yellow capsule the margarine. I hate margarine. I do a lot of baking I insist on butter

Entered at Sun Dec 28 18:12:57 CET 2014 from (162.217.234.191)

Rockin Chair

Subject: gawd damn Al Edge

Pay attention Al! If you go back and look at my recipe you will see all the mention of carrots & turnips mashed together. For me that mix is essential. I love them.

Peter, probably your folks when you were young did the same as mine. Drippings from turkey,raost, baconfat was always kept in jars in the fridge when we finally got one and used for cooking.

I do not know if any of you experienced this. When I was about 6 and started going to school margarine was becoming popular and cheaper. There was a law here then that it was not to be coloured like butter as it was a substitute. So when it was sold there was a packet of colour you had to mix into it. This was so stupid. If mum was to busy she did not bother to put the colour in. So inour lunch sandwiches we had this white shit that looked like lard. I have refused to use that stuff all my life. I hate it.

As Peter has acknowledged, the recipe I have shown really is the most traditional bubble & squeak.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 16:35:21 CET 2014 from (77.102.201.158)

Al Edge

Er...

...just skipping back it looks like nobody's mentioned the leftover carrots and turnips and last but not least the dried Dinna peas - the ones that haven't come out of my ears that is. These constitute around 15-20% of our overall mush.

We also throw in the leftover sweet potatoes and roast parsnips which lends the sweetness required to ensure top of the range squabble and beak.

All's that's left once it's all been woofed down is the evening's farting contest which this year was a close run thing but won in the end by my son-in-law with a thirty second long rip-rap.

Roll on next chrimbo

Entered at Sun Dec 28 15:59:56 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Vegetables and mom

OK. So the video was ignored. "Call Any Vegetable". Mothers of Invention. Opens with this verse. (see previous entry here yesterday with link).

(This is a song about vegetables,

they keep ya regular

They're real good for you)

Call any vegetable

Call it by name

Call one today

When you get off the train

Call any vegetable

And the chances are good

Aw, The vegetable will respond to you

Entered at Sun Dec 28 15:53:17 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Loreena Mckennit

She is not to be overlooked. A major part of the Canadian landscape and a lovely person all in one creative package. Consistently high end creativity. She soars under the radar and with Ontario her home base, she continues to release diamonds.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 15:16:45 CET 2014 from (203.160.29.153)

Fred

Entered at Sun Dec 28 14:03:33 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sun Dec 28 12:25:33 CET 2014 from (94.197.121.236)

Roger

Subject: A Canadian Christmas

I'm going to look for that compilation Bill. We've been going through Canadian artists with our new Canadian family member and I'd overlooked Loreena Mckennit - a favourite too.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 11:13:15 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

That’s a rare track, Roger. Cut at the same session as The Last Waltz Theme. Of course! I now realize the name “Black Friday Bubble & squeak” comes from the TLW leftovers. But as ever, it’s subtle as balalaikas and bouzoukis feature prominently. And that would explain the smashing glass effect at the end (1 m 58s), For Greek authenticity, they would have played while dancing with glasses balanced on their head.

But back to reality. Bill M’s cabbage bubble & squeak misses the essential Brussels sprouts. It is not alone. Cabbage replaces it on all those year-round menus. As I mentioned, every Gastropub and “British” restaurant serves it nowadays, and it’s a travesty. In one famous theatre restaurant the waiter foolishly asked me if I liked the bubble and squeak. I said, ‘Well, actually this is colcannon … mashed potato with a few tiny streaks of cabbage – fried for 30 seconds, It’s NOT bubble and squeak.’ I’m sure I was right, because most British supermarkets sell pre-prepared microwaveable colcannon next to the microwaveable mashed potato. I reckon they take a spoonful, fry it fast and call it bubble and squeak. It’s a travesty. Jamie Oliver serves his version with Brussel sprouts and adds bacon bits, which is tasty enough, but not authentic.

I know my mum would have made it with lard, or more likely the roast dripping. If you get it in a Gastropub it would be made with oil. In fact, as I only ever fry with oil, that's how I made it until this year, when our discussion caused me to switch to turkey dripping. I reckon hard fat one day out of 365 is safe enough. And we have cut the 5:2 diet for two weeks over Christmas.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 02:10:55 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.155)

Bill M

Subject: B(&)S

I'm not sure about this 'official' recipe stuff when it comes to cooking from the Depression, a time when ingrediential fussiness went out the window. My mother's bubble and squeak was leftover potatoes and cabbage - fascinatingly noisy while cooking, hideous when eaten by a 10-year-old.

Too bad our guys chose not to use the B&S song on "Islands", which could've used some umph. Finally got the remastered CD for Christmas. More thoughts to come, but for now I'll pat Kevin J. on the back for his tireless advocacy of the Rick-sung version of "Must Be Xmas". I love all the Robbie re-dos and remixes, but none holds a candle to the original. The big thing for me is Rick's priceless bassing, joined eventually by Levon's perfect bass drum.

The other thing is at 1:31, when the sound shifts slightly during "It's the end of the beginning". It's evident on "Islands" but clearer on a comp album titled "A Canadian Christmas", where the line stands out like crystal - as if a double-tracked Rick came into phase ever so briefly. The next song on the comp is one that our old comrade Empty Now would have appreciated, the powerful "Abdali" mix of Loreena McKennit's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", in which LMcK is joined by the marvelous Berber musician who Empty and I discussed here with admiration a couple or three years ago.

Kevin J: Thanks also for giving Influence a chance. Their name was brought up recently in a car ride up to Barrie to attend a memorial gathering for departed bluesman Curley Bridges. I got a ride with a friend and an acquaintance. The latter, Curley's drummer, moved here from Montreal in the mid-'70s, but is old enough to have caught the tail end of the '60s scene there. We were talking about this group and that - and out of the blue he mentioned Influence. He didn't know any of them, but knew that EVERYBODY was afraid of Wally Rossi.

Entered at Sun Dec 28 01:41:37 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Entered at Sun Dec 28 00:43:36 CET 2014 from (121.44.70.136)

Roger

Subject: Bubble and squeak

John - Bubble and Squeak - the leftover veg from any roast dinner. Any veg can go in but it's not officially B&S without potato or sprouts - both must be present. Shallow fry till a crust forms on the spuds. The secret is to fry hot enough and long enough. Then dish out with the cold meat remaining from the roast - or it's perfect without meat. It was a good way to make leftovers appetising in WWII when food rationing militated agains wasting anything. In the Midlands we grew up with it as a Boxing Day tradition. I moved to the south coast and realised it's a national tradition. Now I realise it's international - at least to the west coast of Canada. (We're on hols with our son and his new girlfriend from British Columbia).

The Band connection - Richard and Levon wrote and recorded a lost classic at the end of the Big Pink era. It surfaced on a reel of tape in London in 1968. 'Black Friday's Bubble and Squeak' was only played live once, on the day after Thanksgiving 1976.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 23:59:26 CET 2014 from (162.217.234.191)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Travelin

Well we are now in Port Hardy on the Rockin Chair visiting her and Westcoaster. Do a little more maintenance. I bought a new TV satellite system for the yacht. Big dome directional antenna. It works even while you travel.

Gawd damn it I am trying to type on this little note book I got Susan. Almost impossible for me. Re the fuel Peter. What we are hearing over here you are partly right but it is also the middle east countries trying to run down the oil of Canada and the US as well, which does not make a lot of sense. The claim is one of the problems is Alberta dirty oil from the tar sands. You have or should I say I have your idea of the bubble and squeak right Peter. Me old mum got it from her mum who was born in London.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 21:01:14 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Foodie restaurants in the UK have latched onto "bubble & squeak" (the fat bubbles, the sprout squeaks) all year round as an authentically English dish.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 19:51:25 CET 2014 from (65.93.118.203)

Mike Nomad

I had an entirely different image in mind. Thanks.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 19:18:31 CET 2014 from (86.167.251.175)

Dunc

Subject: Neeps

Swede is 'neeps' from 'turnip'.

Haggis, neeps and potatoes are traditionally served at Burns Suppers. Either served as the main course or as a starter before steak pie.

'Clapshot' is 'neeps' and 'potatoes' cooked together with butter.

We normally always say 'turnips/neeps' to describe turnips or swedes.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 18:41:31 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

BTW, Norm, here diesel has dropped from say £1.35 a litre to £1.11 a litre. In Canadia dollars that’s $2.44 down to $2. It’s still cheap where you are, even at the higher price!

Entered at Sat Dec 27 18:38:32 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Brian Poole

It's called The Missing here too. Sorry, typo. Latest Toppermost is Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, though more interesting is the one before on Eagles. Take a look at both.

Yes, we're holding for Game of Thrones IV box set, then watch it all in one go. We don't have cable … but generally we watch more films. I can't stand either reality shows or talent contest shows.

The Price of Gas … there was a very good article last week (Sunday Times? Saturday Telegraph?) on why oil is dropping so fast in price. The article suggests it's the USA / Saudi Arabia acting in concert to screw up Putin AND the rest of the Middle East simultaneously. And it's working very well. With low oil prices, the Russian economy is fuck*d.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 17:50:42 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Big Ripoff!

I wonder if any one else is as pissed off as me with this fuel business. In about 3 weeks the price of fuel has dropped about 35 per cent. It has gone from about $1.35 per litre to 97.9 cents. All this tells me is we are continually being ripped off by the rich.

To look at it another way, years ago before we changed to metric system, a gallon is 4.4 litres so the price of gas.......ok peter....petrol has gone down $1.70 a gallon. This is absolute gawd damn bull shit. I suppose next May it will $1.70 a litre to make up for it. We should be able to do something about this some how........he goes away mumbling incoherently and shaking his head the way old men do........

Entered at Sat Dec 27 15:13:30 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.182)

Bob F

Kevin, why are you banning The Basement Tapes?

Entered at Sat Dec 27 15:10:12 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.182)

Bob F

Peter V, on this side of the pond it's called The Missing. It not only was harrowing but also heartbreaking. I'm sure Roger will agree that the performances by all the actors were brilliant. Also, I enjoyed your 2014 lists. I was surprised by your television dismissal. In America with HBO and Showtime we have so many great shows. To name a few Homeland, Shameless, Veep, Getting On, True Detective, Sonic Highway, Nurse Jackie and the greatest of them all Game of Thrones. In fact we very seldom go to the movies anymore. Compared to what's on cable, what's in the movie theatre now is usually disappointing to me. Of course I have the mentality of a 12 year old which probably helps.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 14:58:25 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.151)

Bill M

Entered at Sat Dec 27 14:53:17 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Food for thought

Like Mr. Dylan, the Mothers always had something to say that had meaning. Frank Zappa was yesterday's Rogen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnhgQsat0mo

Entered at Sat Dec 27 14:49:33 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John

OK Peter. What is Bubble and squeak. Can I assume Bubble is the word you use for Champagne? No idea what squeak is. I've got lots of relatives in England and have never heard the term. Let's hope Roger isn't eating mice? Ha Ha.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 12:26:20 CET 2014 from (121.44.70.136)

Roger

Subject: Swedes - the veggie

100% of our family would have swede at Xmas dinner - and we're altogether in Oz this year - and couldn't find any swede at all. We managed the turkey and the sprouts - good going in a nation of BbQers - but rutabaga had we none... Bubble and squeak on Boxing Day though.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 12:23:11 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sat Dec 27 11:42:05 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Terminology

Funny Peter, the different names, and slang. Over here rutabagas are usually just called turnips. However there are white turnips too, also kohlrabi. Kohlrabi is like a very mild turnip and is really great raw sliced or shredded in salad as well.

It seems that more and more people tend to not cook vegetables as much as when we were kids. Over cooking looses a lot of the flavour and goodness. Personally I much prefer that way to over cooked and pureed vegetables. To me that is like eating baby food ........yuk!

Entered at Sat Dec 27 10:16:19 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Rutabuga is only ever known as "swede" here. It's not like zucchini and courgette where both are known, but only "courgette" is used. The word "rutabaga" is unknown to 95% of British people. It wouldn't feature on a modern English Christmas dinner, though parsnips would. But this brought back memories … my mum always put swede on Christmas dinner in the 1950s. In those days, the "bird" was always chicken, not turkey. In fact chicken was still a luxury for Christmas and Easter before they invented factory farming. It was odd, because most people and nearly all kids vaguely dislike sprouts and swede, but they will eat them at Christmas. There's a penchant for rude sprout Xmas cards too, but it peaked 3 or 4 years ago when we had several. None this year. They tend to fart jokes.

Entered at Sat Dec 27 02:42:39 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Bubble & Squeak

I spelt it wrong, I missed the u last time.....fingers are wonky. You got to have a big frying pan. Cut the sprouts up and make sure you get them, the mashed potatos, carrots & rutabagas, and stuffing all in the pan and make sure they are getting nice and crispy when you turn them.

The turkey and gravy bubbling gently in another pan, and lots of cranberry sauce. Some times now I throw the yams in the deep fryer to crisp them up.....gawd damn.......I'm getting hungry!

Entered at Sat Dec 27 01:53:39 CET 2014 from (65.93.118.203)

Mike Nomad

Thanks for the best wishes, Kevin. I was indeed fortunate.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 22:19:07 CET 2014 from (70.80.237.104)

Landmark

Thanks for the clarification. Don't know about the rest of the Canuckistani contingent but we are enjoying a warm, green Christmas. Hope that everyone is having a great and happy holiday wherever you may be.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 21:35:22 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Use with care. It means "Greek" in Cockney rhyming slang, but usually refers to a person rather than food. It is said George Michael was known as "The Bubble" by his entire crew which made him somewhat angry.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 21:28:24 CET 2014 from (70.80.237.104)

Landmark

Bubble and squeak? Doesn't that mean eating Greek?

Entered at Fri Dec 26 21:10:01 CET 2014 from (70.53.45.80)

Kevin J

Bill M: Thank you for the Influence nod. Really enjoying it ! Quite different and interesting to hear some of Dylan influence – in the phrasing on some of the songs.

Best to all and Mike Nomad……that shirt sounds like a beauty.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 20:42:13 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Bubble & Sqeak

My favourite Peter. I've always made out traditional Christmas meal close to my mum's. Slightly different. I always like to put sausage meat in my stuffing. Mashed together carrots & rutabaga. Sprouts, (not over done). Yams with honey on. Mashed potatos with horse radish in (like Jamie Oliver does).

The children were all doing different things this year so Susan and I were alone. We enjoyed the quiet. As I was away at work on Thanks Giving we had it very late this year. Neither of us were craving more turkey. So we had a pork picnic ham with scalloped potatos (with mushroom, onions in and grated cheddar & jack cheese crisped up on top). Brocolli sprouts and corn. First time in our lives with out turkey at Christmas. It was a great meal with our red wine.

I too still have a lot of cassettes, and a lot of unused blanks. I just gave away to the thrift store my player, stereo tuner, turn table and speakers. Also the big home theater system we had in our house. I have 2 guitars, an amp, and a sound system to sell......no room any more. But I'm going to get another cassette player. a good one. They are still the best to use and store in every way as far as I am concerned.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 20:08:25 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Fri Dec 26 19:32:01 CET 2014 from (79.160.47.202)

jh

And tonight: Pinnekjøtt (link above for the ignorant) with home-made mashed Swede rutabaga, potatoes and steamed lamb sausages. Washed down with lager and aquavit, of course.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 18:23:58 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.167)

Jeff A.

Subject: RoseAnn Fino tonight Mercury Lounge

Any of you in NYC tonight with time on your hands. Bob F's daughter RoseAnn and her band are at The Mercury Lounge tonight, 8:30 ish. It's a high energy set of originals, and anyone who comes, will be glad that they did. Get yer asses out!

Entered at Fri Dec 26 18:17:23 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Cassettes. Yes, Rough Trade in Brooklyn has a cassettes section. What I like about cassettes for audiobooks is they stay where you last stopped them. OK, some car CD players remember, but it's very much "sometimes".

Entered at Fri Dec 26 15:20:25 CET 2014 from (124.169.130.205)

Roger

Subject: Among The Missing

Happy Christmas all. How strange Bob - tonight my wife and I watched the final episode of The Missing in Australia. (Hi David Lewis - we're in Avoca Beach this week, back to Sydney next week). We'd seen the first seven episodes in the UK and thought we'd have to wait till February when we return home to catch the denouement. I agree - good series.

Entered at Fri Dec 26 15:12:25 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: What? Frank Sinatra?

For our brunch yesterday, we had in the background by choice Frank Sinatra. We are getting ready for the Dylan cd and we listened to 40s-50s mainly. That boy could sing!

Entered at Fri Dec 26 13:15:58 CET 2014 from (68.198.160.198)

Bob F

Subject: Cassettes and The Missing

Peter V, supposedly cassettes are following vinyl and making a comeback. Saw an independent country singer the other night in NYC who said his next release is cassette only.

One of our cable channels, Starz, is showing a great English mini series called The Missing. Was it broadcast in England?

Entered at Fri Dec 26 13:04:18 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Garrison Keillor

My greatest regret about having no car cassette player left is our large stack of Garrison Keillor cassettes. I know I can transfer them to CD or MP3 but it's a task.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 22:07:10 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Lutefisk

Quote from Garrison Keillor's book, "Lake Wobegon Days" Every Advent we entered the purgatory of "Lutefisk". A repulsive gelatinous fish like dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honour of Norwegian Ancestory much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me with the words, "just have a little". Having a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad.

This is from your link Jan......sounds real tasty. I was laughing myself silly reading this.

For many years when I commercial fished I had a family of pals of mine, Norwegian. Stan Vestad one of my close pals very often had these big cans of fish balls from Norway. Many times when we were tied along side together he shared them........damn they were good.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 20:50:39 CET 2014 from (79.160.47.202)

jh

Enjoy the turkey, Mr V. Over here, we've just finished the lutefisk (see link above if you're unfamiliar with this Norwegian delicacy). With crispy bacon, mashed peas, potatoes, strong mustard, lager and aquavit.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 20:45:29 CET 2014 from (74.108.29.164)

Joan

Entered at Thu Dec 25 19:26:42 CET 2014 from (65.93.118.203)

Mike Nomad

I'll be spending a portion of this afternoon, untraditionally listening to some unheard Paul Butterfield music from 1985, with Levon sitting in, recorded on St. Patrick's Day at the Getaway Inn in West Saugerties, N.Y., compliments of Dennis, who just posted below. (Thanks again, Dennis.) A nice Christmas Eve gift, received in tandem with a handsome Levon and the Hawks T-shirt from my friend Ray, in N.J. It's good to have friends. I'll drink to them both today. (And, recalling Groundhog Day, to world peace.)

Entered at Thu Dec 25 18:41:55 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Hackers

Has any one here heard of Bureau 121? I've just been reading on line the story of a man who defected from North Korea. The story he tells of how they train hackers for years. The elite unit is Bureau 121.

They spend years learning how to dissect Microsoft programs. This article goes on and on too much to state here. The bottom line is, there is no such thing as a "Private Computer".

Entered at Thu Dec 25 18:38:40 CET 2014 from (24.161.13.51)

Dennis

And a Merry Christmas to all from the land of Big Pink!

Entered at Thu Dec 25 15:57:50 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Horrors of War

Merry Christmas Norbert....have missed you for a long time. Your recollections of WW1 put me in mind of my grand father who was at Vimy Ridge, and was fortunate enough to survive and come home.

I have a question for you. Recently I watched a documentary of excavation they have been doing at Vimy Ridge, showing the tunnels and finding bodies and the horror they died in. It is very educational as to the innovation they used there to accomplish their goal. Also very heart wrenching to see what they went thru.......god bless

Entered at Thu Dec 25 15:04:01 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: The opposite of poverty is justice

Christmas morning, before the guests arrive is a good time to be thankful of what we have and to think about others who are not so lucky.

I posted this last, it’s from Alfred Anderson the last survivor of WWI and his remembrance of Christmas 2014 in the trances exactly 100 years ago. It gives you the shivers how those men have suffered….

'I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence,' he said. 'Only the guards were on duty. We all went outside the farm buildings and just stood listening. And, of course, thinking of people back home. All I'd heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machinegun fire and distant German voices.

'But there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see. We shouted "Merry Christmas", even though nobody felt merry. The silence ended early in the afternoon and the killing started again. It was a short peace in a terrible war.'

Those men where happy with a few hours of silence between the killing, that was their Christmas in Belgium 100 years ago.

Bryan Stevenson was right: “The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.”

Anyway, just heart that Sony picks up Peters advice and has put The Interview on YouTube. Interesting to see how the issue shifts from commercial to political and good to know Sony still reads this GB.

Okay, it’s a wonderful sunny day here in Germany time to prepare the table now, turn the woodstove on, and practice some with the chopsticks as we will be eating Dutch Chinese food.

I hope no one gets gunned down today.

Love everyone, make them feel wanted and care for the uncared….. we can start today.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 12:45:43 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Thu Dec 25 12:15:03 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Another feud

Lately I have taken part in another feud: that of people from same gender getting maried in church. Archbishop of Lutheran Church seem to have sent an email to participiants on Christmas Night as a thank for being a part in discussion. A nice way to be waked up by an email from Archbishop, even if only standardized and neutralized.

My opinion? - If someone is temporarily mentally so disorganized that he/she wants to get married so go ahead and good luck.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 09:42:55 CET 2014 from (92.18.213.108)

Solomon

Entered at Thu Dec 25 05:57:46 CET 2014 from (174.1.247.160)

Lisa

Entered at Thu Dec 25 05:14:18 CET 2014 from (203.160.29.153)

Fred

Entered at Thu Dec 25 04:07:31 CET 2014 from (173.180.252.117)

BONK

Entered at Thu Dec 25 02:39:00 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan

That Leonard Cohen is performing with excellence at age 80 is a testament to what is possible if it be thy will. I saw and heard him in Victoria BC about 2 years ago and it was superb. The London and Dublin shows on DVD are a testament to his residence.

That Bob Dylan has found his voice again and has pleased us with his current shows is again proof that retirement is not necessary and one can continue to achieve. These are individuals who continue to hone their craft.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 01:37:10 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Coast to Coast

Merry Christmas from this rock Joe......hope there is lots of stuffing and gravy.

Entered at Thu Dec 25 01:27:13 CET 2014 from (96.30.173.135)

joe j

Peace on earth, goodwill to men. Women too for that matter.

Different kind of Christmas this year. The missus is gone back home for her first Christmas in the Philippines in thirty seven years. The lads are home, I'm doing the turkey and all is well.

Link is to one of my favourite Christmas songs these days, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by The Once. Thanks to BalconyTV.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 22:49:10 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.193)

Jeff A.

Far as Levon being a shrewd marketer, yes. But the kind of emotion that emanated from this man regarding this subject or the subject of RR was far beyond marketing. And reached a level reserved for ex spouses that cheated on you with your sibling or parent, or business partners that absolutely stole your money and left your family destitute. Could there have been some marketing involved? Yes. After the fact.

Now, may all of you who celebrate Christmas go have an alcohol laced egg nog and give yourselves a break? And invite s Yid over too! The mental masturbation needs a holiday break!

Entered at Wed Dec 24 21:38:17 CET 2014 from (58.104.16.113)

Wallsend

Entered at Wed Dec 24 21:08:33 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Wed Dec 24 20:47:10 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: I like you to meet a friend of mine ....

Hey Lee, cheer up, its Christmas time man! Here take a seat next to the fire, take a beer, share some stories, look up and laugh, or just listen to the music. Peter is a gentleman (you can always kill him later ;-).

Jerry T …. on the next 2015 GB Band gathering in Woodstock we drink a beer together with Norm and Dunc ;-).

Just walked the dog here in good old Germany, on Christmas Eve. Christmas is hugh in Germany, I got a “the streets are empty and the subway is closing down, Midnight in Harlem” (as only Susan Tedeschi can sings) feeling just.

All people are siting by the Christmas tree having a good time after church …. a glass of wine ….. putting gifts for the children under the tree for tomorrow. Jan should put that picture thing up again (like in the early days) so we all could share Christmas pics from all over the world.

We’re going to watch Fury with Brad Pitt tonight, maybe not such a good idea as it seems to be a rather heavy realistic war movie. Trains Planes and Automobiles with Steve Martin and John Candy would be a better choice I guess, anyway it got the best Christmas ending I think (but perhaps Christmas shouldn't come from a movie).

Brown Eyed Girl hope all is well with you, have a good Christmas girl!

To all posters and lurkers wherever you may be all over this world, from Germany:

MAY CHRISTMAS BE YOUR FRIEND THIS YEAR, CHEERS!

Entered at Wed Dec 24 20:39:56 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Just started digging into some of the Lennon interview material that Pat mentioned. Plenty of interesting stuff there, but will have to return to the subject after Christmas.

Al Edge, I didn't mean to suggest that Dylan wasn't good at melody. It's just that his lyrical skills are so strong, that it's hard not to notice.

By the way, Kevin J., I broke my self imposed boycott of the Dylan complete Basement Tapes Box, once the price dropped enoiugh to make it reasonable. Enjoying it, but still looking forward to some day hearing the rest of the Band material from the basement, as well as the Hawks stuff.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Entered at Wed Dec 24 19:44:09 CET 2014 from (94.7.228.110)

Lee

Entered at Wed Dec 24 19:13:38 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Wed Dec 24 19:10:37 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

I couldn't have said it better Jerry. Thank you for your words. Best of the Season to everyone. I hope I get a Dinky Toy. Don't think they've made them for a long time.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 18:33:41 CET 2014 from (94.7.228.110)

Lee

Apologies post from Dec 21.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 18:31:40 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: A child's logic

You can't argue with that logic Peter.....my grand father on my Dad's side was from Wales but I don't know what area. You must be fond of the movie "How Green Was My Valley"....Peter.

I guess I'm goin' to brave the masses and venture up town into a store.....get my child bride a gift for her stocking....a pencil......book of matches 'er sumpin. That woman has every gawd damn thing you could ever need.

Now tell me how a woman can play games on her note book, text her sister on her smart phone and watch Dr. Phil all at the same time......I can't stand to watch it any more.

About the fifth of next month I'm goin' to take her to Mexico for a week so I can lay in the sun and rest.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 18:27:33 CET 2014 from (94.7.228.110)

Lee

Peter, again just read your last (sorry to say bullshit post) as usual posting things you have no idea about. I won't post on here now let me know your email I've lost track

Entered at Wed Dec 24 18:20:20 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.137)

Bill M

Tying some threads together to make a Christmas bow:

Feud is over if you want it
Feud is over now

Entered at Wed Dec 24 18:07:50 CET 2014 from (82.25.178.222)

Ian W

I am most definitely NOT trying to score points here but it seems that Sid Griffin, who wrote some of the liner notes for THE BASEMENT TAPES COMPLETE, believes that Jan Haust bought the tapes.

I happened to receive my copy of the latest issue of THE BRIDGE, a Dylan fanzine, today. In it, Griffin is interviewed and part of the interview went as follows:

Q: Sid, who actually owns the BASEMENT TAPES reels nowadays, given that we hear they were sold by Garth Hudson several years ago?

A: A Canadian guy named Jan Haust bought them from Garth Hudson and got a deal. I told Maude Hudson, his missus, they should have asked thrice what they did!

This is not definitive, I know, but certainly indicative. There were, of course, a lot of original reels and it seems that there were also reels that were compilation dubs taken from various original reels. Even if Griffin is right, we don’t know how many reels Jan Haust bought nor exactly what was on them.

Incidentally, in respect of the 1975 double-LP release, griffin says that “Robertson was unsure they’d be accepted on a major label as such, so chose to sweeten them” and “He was trying to put his band in the best light possible when the public has started to turn away from them”. I have no idea how accurate or inaccurate Griffin’s assertions are on this subject.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:58:45 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: Leonard Cohen

It's very unfortunate that Cohen was ripped off by a close advisor. However, his story had a very happy ending, as he hit the road to replenish his bank account and found the largest audience of his career. It is remarkable that Cohen has become an arena performer. I suppose that the tremendous success of 'Hallelujah' has played a part in this.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:43:47 CET 2014 from (24.114.99.178)

Kevin J

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:34:59 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

in specie is "in kind" or "in coin" or "as specified in law."

My granddaughter just came up with a very Libra argument. She's 11 and was arguing against the existence of Santa Claus.

OK, so there are boxes in the supermarket for gifts for poor children?

Yes.

So if there's a Santa Claus, why does he give lots of gifts to rich kids who have already got lots, and not give much to poor kids?

My Socialist Welsh ancestors would be proud of her.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:32:38 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Seasonal interlude

You might guess that I'm off from work today and spending my time thinking about what I love the most. I'll listen to Dylan and The Band and Cohen and Zevon and Headstones and The National and The War On Drugs, not necessarily in that order. I suggest that you all do the same and include 'Christmas Must Be Tonight" and 'Fairy Tale of New York' in that mix to make it seasonal.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:28:08 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Workingman's Blues ( part 3)

Norm: Thanks. I remember that book and have read a number of books like it. Another good one with an overview on the business is Fred Goodman's "A Mansion On The Hill". As for the blues - I had never even heard of this seminal music until the Rolling Stones put out there first album. I liked Ricky Nelson and others like him but never really knew in those early days that their released songs were derived from artists who came before. In those days, no one really cared about the origins of music and its history and who wrote what. In 1963, I had never heard of Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters or any of those. Who might owe who a debt could be questioned though clearly, the source must be acknowledged and ideally the right thing should happen. But, that's another story.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:14:31 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Greed & Exploitation

Jerry, have you never read "The Day The Music Died"? A good example of the shame of how artists were treated was the days when black men's music could not be played on white radio stations.

Ricky Nelson made a ton of money from Fats Domino's compositions until finally the laws were changed and Fats received his just dues. Jokingly he said one day he needed to get Ricky to record more of his music 'cause he had nine kids.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:06:25 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Corrections

Corrections in earlier posts: Sad (not said) story. Maybe species' (not specie's) (Peter, help me here.)

Entered at Wed Dec 24 17:04:15 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Stolen millions

Ben: Yes, the underbelly of the music (and probably most) business. Greed; the flip side of the record. As for Leonard Cohen; I don't know what one can say about what happened there. I know I just said in a previous entry to let the past go. I can't let that one go. Why? Misplaced trust and a business associate who managed. Clearly, checks and balances must be in place and the artist must be consulted when even a penny is to be moved from one place to another. It is incredible that something like that could have happened. But, if we look carefully, as you correctly said, the business has often stolen or pilfered from the artist in the name of trust of those who are working in the artist's behalf. This is a very said story.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 16:56:44 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

There is nothing unique about the "feud" in pop music. From The Everly Brothers to Guns 'N Roses, there's a long history of this.

There's also a long history of artists getting screwed out of money by record labels, managers and lawyers. From Col. Parker taking taking a 50% cut of Elvis's earnings throughout his career to Leonard Cohen's business advisor stealing 5 million. There's no shortage of these stories in rock history.

None of this in any way diminishes the music. From 'Music from Big Pink' to 'Jubilation', the Band created a remarkable body of work as a group along with solo works from 'Rick Danko' to 'Electric Dirt', the music of the Band will continue to live on and enrich people's lives.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 16:47:27 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Times they are a Changin' ..Tracy Chapman

As another young black man is shot in Missouri, it starts to shake the faith of a country coming together over any thing any more.

This vid of Tracy at Bob's 30th anniversary has a warming effect. I think she does it well. This incident also puts me in mind of Adam Mitchell's song that Merle Haggard does so well...."Out Amoung The Stars"

Entered at Wed Dec 24 16:36:04 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Norbert and Levon- with respect again, NO! The Band will never be forgotten. Two reasons. 1) The Weight - it is an anthem with such human overtones in each verse that it will survive as a classic. Classics are not forgotten. Witness the classics of even the lesser known composers. They continue and so the composer lives on 2) Bob Dylan - he will never be forgotten. Like Shakespeare, he will always be 'in the alley;(s) of the lives of those who look for the best of this specie's creations. The Band will be forever linked to a time when Bob Dylan did some of his very good work and the concerts of 1965-66 and 1974 accompanied by the basement work (now widely disseminated) will keep the Band forever in aural existence.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 16:23:48 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Once upon a time...........

Norbert! You gotta spend the rest of your life writing children's books. That yarn is better than Dr. Souse.......I don't think I spelt that Dr.'s name right.

I'm with you Jerry!

Entered at Wed Dec 24 16:15:57 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Leaving the chaff behind

For me, there is no feud at Christmas or at any other time. There is only the music. I respect individual opinions on issues. That's what sites like these are all about. Keep writing or opining about what someone thought or someone else felt or who said what to whom or what someone contributed. I'll keep listening to the songs and will marvel in wonderment and awe at how 5 young men created and I won't let business get in the way. Yes, art has business attached to it but the receiver of the art will not know everything about what that business was. That area of the creative process is murky and we receivers cannot hope to know the truth despite what we might think and who we might know or what we have read. This will be discussed repeatedly and many of the players are unfortunately gone. My view for whatever it is worth is that we, the receivers, should let it rest and move forward from this discussion. Like the McCoys and the Hadfields, that happened a long time ago and whatever happened can't be fixed. Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson were there and they know what happened and what was decided. But you know how it is. If 10 people are in a room and see/hear/participate in an event, they will often describe it 10 (or near 10) different ways. That is what it is to be human. I am a big friend of loyalty and understand those here who knew the players and how they felt and what they perceived of what happened. Loyalty and commitment are human values that are cherished and so I understand how you who take sides based on what you have been told or have read can write what you write here. Unfortunately, business misunderstandings and concerns are a reality of all human interactions. They were, they are, and they will be. People will get hurt and the right thing will not always happen, sometimes even with good intentions. (I have seen this in those very close to me and I understand how basically good people can misconstrue or perceive the same agreement differently, even when it is written on paper and signed) The lines have been drawn and I suggest we stay loyal to what we love, the music of THE BAND. Best wishes to all.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 13:17:04 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: There is no Feud, long live the feud!

Jeff A. there is no (real) Feud;

The Feud, the myth, the truth: Today exactly 45 years ago Levon drove Robbie to the library and while Robbie wrote Dixie on the first floor inside the library, Levon had to wait in the car outside. In the car Levon used to turn on the vintage Philco radio and listen to Casey Kasem’s American top 40, leaning back and with his right hand fist hit the two big foam dice hanging down from the inside mirror (Robbie had put them there in memory of all players). Helm always hit them dice on the beat of the music, call it drumming practice, call it occupational disease (those dice are on sale on ebay now). The legend says while Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was playing out loud from the one car rear shelf speaker the Feud was born there in front of the library.

We all know Levon has always been a smart guy, street wise. Levon knew The Band wouldn’t live forever and that someday The Band would be totally forgotten …… he associated this image back and forward for a long time there in that car and then all of a sudden he knew the answer, a Feud! It struck him, it was tough but he also knew there was no other option and being the leader of the gang he had to pull this through. A Feud would keep the Band alive for ever. That's why they killed John Henry and so many other immortals he knew. What Levon didn’t realize, he later revealed, the existence of a time gap of two hundred years between the two friends at precisely that moment: Robbie was a hundred year back in time in the library, Levon was a hundred year ahead of time outside in the car on the street….

So this Feud wasn’t a real Feud it was just a set-up Feud. A Feud was to become THE Feud and the rest is history. Looking back on Levon’s foresight we can only conclude he was right. The Feud went viral, it’s all over the www, YouTube, Facebook, The New York Times, The Guardian, in China and even in Alaska they know about The Feud, it made The Band immortal. You can’t kill The Feud, the more you try the more it will live.

And let's thank God there is The Feud, without this Feud it would be every day Christmas on this GB, not a nice thought....

Anyway, Jeff every time you see The Feud somewhere on the WWW now smile, and think of Richard, Rick, Garth, Robbie, and Levon and know they are always way ahead of us ;-).

p.s. please let's all keep this info too ourselves (we don’t want this to go viral), thanks.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 10:54:41 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: In Memoriam Joe Cocker

A suitable one for this site.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 10:32:06 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Playboy Interview

Many thanks for that link, Pat. I bought the original and wonder if I have it stashed away somewhere, but it's years since I read it. One little bit on reunions and going back to recreate past bands, or Bands:

"When Rodgers worked with Hart and then worked with Hammerstein, do you think he should have stayed with one instead of working with the other? Should Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis have stayed together because I used to like them together? What is this game of doing things because other people want it?

Entered at Wed Dec 24 10:10:26 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Al, I entirely agree on Dylan's melodies. I was in my favorite vinyl store yesterday, and Blood on The Tracks was on … say no more! Is it Christmas euphoria but might the recent game (our only lost in 12 games) be a signal for more to come next year? I mean Bournemouth have scored 8, 5 and 6 goals in recent games meaning that if it comes to goal average, they're flying. The ground is too small to sustain them for more than a season though, I'd think.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 09:35:09 CET 2014 from (77.102.201.158)

Al Edge

Only time to read a few posts down but it looks like the main topic on here never really goes away. As Jeff in particular knows full well I've got very definite views on the subject but snatching at it is simply not the way to comment upon it.

As a little bit of devilment, I can't help but comment on the Dylan melody thing mentioned by Todd. My own take is that nobody but nobody has ever bettered Dylan's mastery of simple pop melody. How's that?

:-0)

All the best to everyone.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 08:19:18 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.122)

Jeff A.

I declare Christmas a feud free day. Or else.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 07:17:52 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Wed Dec 24 07:07:47 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: Two hands clapping

I think that some of the most successful (artistically as well as financially) writing partnerships have been ones based on complementary strengths rather than duplication or a redundancy of talents.

Obviously John and Paul can do all components of songwriting well, but I’ve always considered John to be more creative with words, and Paul more melodically gifted.
With Keith and Mick, it seems usually that Mick is the wordsmith and Keith is the music man.

Folks like Elton and Bernie are fairly obvious, as to the division of labor, as well as is the Garcia-Hunter efforts. In REM, as I understand it, the musicians would typically come up with some musical ideas, and then Stipe would go off and come up with the bulk of the lyrics.

While there are plenty of one-man machines out there, and I enjoy many of them……folks like James Taylor, Paul Simon etc., the ones that I personally seem to gravitate to, are the ones that have at least two people collaborating in the writing, with each using the best of their skill sets to complement the other.

As much as I enjoy Bob Dylan, I would place his skills to be strongest as a wordsmith, as opposed to a melody man (this is not meant as a slight to Dylan…he’s wonderful). Along with his lyrics, his gift for phrasing is immense, but for me, he will always be a poet/musician rather than a musician/poet.

I’ve often wondered why there weren’t more writing collaborations between Dylan and Robbie. There’s a bit in ‘Eat The Document’ that shows them working on ‘Rainy Afternoon’ or ‘Can’t Leave Her Behind’ or some version of that, but I’m not aware of many other efforts where they wrote together. I think the reason for that is due to a fair amount of duplication of talents. They are both very strong lyricists, each with many original ideas. They each have unique phrasing and the ability to evoke imagery in their lyrics.

I do find it interesting that Dylan did collaborate to some degree with Rick and Richard, and I suspect that in those cases, Dylan generated lyrical ideas, and Rick and Richard contributed musical ideas. In these cases, everyone is utilizing the best of their strengths. Another relationship that I’ve pondered is, that even though Dylan and Robbie spent a lot of time together, it seems that Richard Manual was the Band member who had the strongest personal connection with Dylan.

Pat, The John Lennon Playboy interview sounds interesting. I was not aware of that, but it sounds like a good resource. While I accidentally may have crossed paths that magazine in the past, I understand that there can be quite a few “distractions” between the covers.

At the end of the day, although I have opinions about the songwriting and other aspects of what The Band did, my opinion really doesn’t matter. I wasn’t there with them during their creative process and all of my information about that is second-hand. I think that the opinions that matter most are Rick, Garth, Robbie, Richard, and Levon’s. And even though there was some sort of conflict between Levon and Robbie, I place much more importance on their opinions….even when those opinions conflict and sometimes contradict each other. Whatever the contributions and collaborations may have been or may not have been, I’m sure happy with a huge amount of the results of their time together, and ultimately that’s what should be celebrated.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 05:06:20 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: What he said

You can call up on youtube so many interviews with these guys I've never counted them all. However out of his own mouth I watched Levon Helm say that many of the songs him, Richard and Rick all had a try at many of them to decide and agree on who would sing any particular song.

The amonu of speculation that takes place here doen't hold much water to watching a guy state his case from his own mouth.

Entered at Wed Dec 24 03:31:07 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.140)

Bill M

Entered at Wed Dec 24 01:00:37 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Tony Joe White

I don't know if any of you have ever seen this, just to change the subject for a minute.

You get to see probably the most worn out Strat you'll ever see. Look at the strap, it's a rattle snake hide with the head still on and the fangs barged on his shoulder!

Entered at Wed Dec 24 00:29:35 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Tue Dec 23 23:25:44 CET 2014 from (82.25.178.222)

Ian W

1. Garth and the Basement Tapes: Looking back, I think my translation of the Spanish was pretty much right but I cannot vouch for the translation from the original English into Spanish.

2. Dylan and the Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll: Dylan based the song on a newspaper report, as I recall, so, using similar logic to that described earlier, perhaps that reporter should claim a co-credit on the song. As for William Zantzinger, I don’t think he would even think about that if only because Dylan got a number of important elements of the case wrong. I do not intend here to undervalue or undermine the song as a song, merely to point out that it is not accurate reportage.

3. The songwriting Beatles falling out: I thought the real source of their falling out was to do with who should manage the group and the attitude of the other Beatles to the presence, involvement and influence of Yoko in, during and upon their studio work. Mark Lewishon will doubtless cover all that in Volume Three of his biographical endeavours. I seem to recall that these matters were covered in Peter Doggett’s book on The Beatles and, before that, in the book by Pete McCabe and someone else whose name eludes me at present.

4. Robbie and Levon: I have little to add to the foregoing exchange, so will limit myself to this. I seem to remember that Robbie once said that, when writing a song, he had in mind the particular voices of other members of The Band. If my memory of this is correct, then it is not surprising that the singer’s voice should make a significant contribution to the way the song comes across to listeners.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 22:37:17 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

The Lennon-McCartney partnership worked because both contributed roughly equally. On some songs one did more, or even everything, but both were producing lots of ideas and melodies. Such partnerships will founder when one partner finds themself doing most of the work. You notice that George was never brought in. Mick & Keef are another example.

People who’ve been in creative partnerships will know the difference. It works while the effort and contribution are approximately even. It even works up to about 60:40. But by the time it reaches 70:30 the one doing more work inevitably gets pissed off. With bands, there’s the added complication of whose ideas sell most, even with equal contributions.

But there was never a John / Paul or Mick / Keef or Elton / Bernie aspect to The Band.

Anyone going to suggest which songs might be based on Levon stories?

Entered at Tue Dec 23 21:12:30 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Bible......the gospel according to.......

Kinda like the bible here. The Band gospel according to.......who yuh gonna believe??.......and the beat goes on.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 21:02:56 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: The only thing you done was Yesterday

For all the glory and sage business acumen exhibited in the John Lennon and Paul McCartney partnership, it’s still a shame, but perhaps inevitable, that their relationship broke down to the point where John felt the need to write the slam on Paul entitled ‘How Do You Sleep?’ on an early solo album.
There’s even a studio outtake where John says "Tell me, how do you sleep, you c#nt?'.

So it seems that even in the most successful partnerships, there is still room for acrimony.

Pat, In spite of the Beatles songwriting agreement, there are now Lennon and McCartney songs that Paul McCartney has been trying to have changed to have his name listed before John’s name. I imagine that ‘Yesterday' would be one of the songs in question. So even where there seems to be agreement, there is still room for disagreement years after the fact.

The other interesting comparison of The Beatles and The Band, is that towards the end of The Beatles, their chemistry was not working as well as it used to. Some of this is on display in the film ‘Let It Be’. By this time, the Beatles were well aware of what The Band had done on 'Music From Big Pink', and it almost seems like the Beatles were striving to emulate the process and gumbo that The Band cooked up, in an attempt to reinvigorate their own process.

Coincidentally I saw a documentary about REM last night, and they were very clear that from an early point in their formation, that the number one reason that successful bands break up is due to arguments over songwriting credits, and that Peter Buck was insistent that they not let that happen to them.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 20:50:07 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: The Big Green Egg & The Bible

Bill, not to be faint here but we have such a Green Egg BBQ, well a cheaper clone that is. Anyway those BBQ’s are worth every cent. Easy to get started (chimney effect) and you can control the temp perfectly. Put a whole chicken on it (indirect fire) just let is stay in there at 150 C for one hour (at some wet Hickory) DELICIOUS! (check the link)

Todd and Peter are pointing at the holy grail of (song) writing, …. associations …. “it will connect every idea, memory or piece of information to hundreds of other ideas and concepts”. Anyway what’s been written has to make sense, it wants to trigger an emotion, but there are only a few basic emotions in a human....So to be short: at the end it comes down to the Bible, basically everything has been said there. All those great new movies hold, underneath, the same simple story as men would talk about around the campfire 1000 years ago and maybe every written book and song in the world and all the books and songs to come are already inside of us. …something like that ....

R.I.P. Udo Jurgens, thanks (I always sing along in the car), he was a talented man and a Band fan

Entered at Tue Dec 23 20:25:44 CET 2014 from (58.104.15.82)

Wallsend

Peter, I just went over to the library in question and while I was thumbing through the books on the civil war a piece of paper fell out. There in Robbie's handwriting is the original lyric that Levon objected to

'Back with my wife in Tennessee, when one day she called to me

Virgil, quick come see, Abe Lincoln's on TV.'

I think the revised lyric is an improvement.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 20:19:18 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Tue Dec 23 19:21:24 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: A Bumpy Ride

Pat, Yes, it is very simple.
If you recall, my original point was that Levon had more to do with ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’, than John Lennon had to do with the Beatles song ‘Yesterday’; but if one were to gauge it only by a quick perusal of the song credits printed on the record jacket, one could form the impression that John Lennon wrote half of the song.

That post was a follow-up to a previous post of mine where I opined that Levon had more to do collectively with The Band canon, that William Zantzinger had to do with Bob Dylan.

I’m reasonably confidant that the recollections in Levon’s book are edited from the conversations that Levon had with Stephen Davis as a matter of practicality, and not intended to be comprehensive. The book is about Levon’s experiences with The Band, over the course of his career, and not intended to be a complete dissertation on one song.

So you can continue to believe that Levon’s only role, was as some sort of hired driver (because the book doesn’t detail every single exchange that ever took place between Levon and Robbie). OR, you could be open to the possibility that the car ride was one small example of Levon and Robbie being actively engaged with each other in conducting the business of The Band, and that there were many opportunities when they spent time together and shared ideas.

I took a look at Levon’s book last night to refresh my memory about this topic, and one thing that jumped out at me, is that even though the book was co written with Stephen Davis, and there are none of Levon’s vocals or drums or mandolin accompanying the book, Levon’s “voice” in the text is unmistakable in its cadence and flow, and really jumps off the pages.

Similarly, in many of The Band songs, Levon’s “voice” in unmistakable in the cadence and flow, and it’s not just because he is doing the singing. And that’s one of the intangible things that’s baked into much of what The Band created together, and what is not always reflected by a casual read of the album credits.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 18:26:14 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.122)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 18:24:41 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

… I wonder if it was the Robert E. Lee verse, or whether it was a separate edited out one.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 18:18:18 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: I write the song.......

If I ever do get to writin a song, I'm sure as not gettin' any of youze to help...........I'll never hear the gawd damn end of it(:-

Entered at Tue Dec 23 18:08:39 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Tue Dec 23 18:00:36 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Tue Dec 23 17:48:10 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Hunh??

How do you "dive" a car Bill? Gawd damn it! You Teranta types is supposed to be far more literate than Elmer Fudd!

Entered at Tue Dec 23 17:33:53 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: News

Dunc; The graphic pictures of the accident was on our CBC news within hours of happening. Cbc has news people every where in the world. We miss nothing, (if you watch of course). As soon as I get up in the morning the TV goes on and the news is the first thing I watch. Sometimes at night before going to bed too. Although not as much going to bed with murders, slaughters and the like rolling around in your head is a little too hard to handle.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 16:35:49 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

And wasn't there some connection with Oswald assassin Jack Ruby with one of the clubs that the Hawks played?

Entered at Tue Dec 23 15:49:26 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

At some point Levon mentions having a Corvette.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 15:37:13 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.134)

Bill M

Entered at Tue Dec 23 15:11:22 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: Hot Rod Lincoln

Peter, There’s been so much discussion about the car ride to the library, that when you mentioned Lincoln, my first thought was the automobile model Lincoln, rather than President Lincoln. Easy to get off-track. Then I started thinking that Levon doesn’t seem like a Lincoln (car) guy. Corvettte seemed to be the car of choice for him back in those days. Although Pre-The Band album, there may not have been money for new Corvettes at that time. Levon mentions Rick maxing out a credit card for their airfare, getting pulled off a plane in Chicago, and then having to contact their banker in Arkansas to borrow some money to pay for the rest of the airfare. I don’t recall exactly, but this may have been for the trip West to do some recording.

Was the “trip to the library” before or after the trip to Hawaii? Would be interesting to know when the “finished” song fit into the timeline of Hawaii, trip to the library, and studio presentation, when lyrics and melody were ostensibly complete Some songs evolve over longer periods of time than others.

Speaking of the trip to Hawaii, I recall something from John Simon about the purpose being to work on lyrics for The Band album, but that they ended up working on John Simon’s album instead. Maybe there were no libraries in Hawaii.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 14:50:33 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

RR: "In one of the verses I mentioned something about Lincoln in there and Levon wised me up. He said, 'In the South that wouldn't necessarily go down well."'

So there's the role … editorial!

Entered at Tue Dec 23 14:27:42 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Tue Dec 23 14:23:48 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

But we do need to know the model and color of the car. If it was a Little Red Corvette for instance, Prince may have owed some points too.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 14:07:30 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Yes, Pat. Levon does indeed admit to taking Robbie to the library.
You're absolutely correct that Levon drove the car.

Was that done as a favor, or was it done as a hired car service?

The bigger, and more important question is what did they discuss in the car? What did they discuss at thre library? Whst did they discuss on the return trip from the library? Were there any opportunities for lyrical discussions between the two of them during this time together, or at any other time? If the song was in fact complete and finished, then why the need to go to the library at all? Was it merely a fact checking mission, or were any lyrical contributions made or added, at this time (or at any other time)? Were they bouncing ideas off of each other in the car?

Jeff, you asked why Robbie didn't drive himself. Maybe it's as simple as Levon liked to drive. Or, it could have been more convenient for Robbie to write some ideas down as they were talking, (or even simging) some lyrical ideas during the journey. Hard to write stuff down if you're also driving the car.
Since you generally have to be kind of quiet at most libraries, it may have been during the car ride, that some actual ideas and contributions to the lyrics were fleshed out. It may have been a collaborative car ride, as opposed to simple transportation.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 13:51:05 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.183)

Bob F.

Subject: Joe Cocker

I got to see Joe Cocker and The Mad Dogs and Englishmen at SUNY New Paltz outside on the lawn. To this day still one of my all time favorite concerts. The kind of show where the smile never leaves your face. RIP

Entered at Tue Dec 23 13:46:32 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.183)

Bob F.

Subject: Thanks

Jeff, thanks for the kind words. It was like we'd known each other forever. Thanks for making the trip in from Brooklyn for the show. Especially in the rain. It meant a lot to us. Next time we have to get a couple slices of that pizza your always talking about. And yes your right, I do have "Brooklyn In My Bones".

Entered at Tue Dec 23 12:45:14 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

That was awful news, Dunc. Still can't believe it. (Linked for North America who may not know the story).

Entered at Tue Dec 23 10:53:53 CET 2014 from (86.167.251.175)

Dunc

Subject: Out of the Blue

Still play Joe Cocker regularly.

Here is a great version of Joe singing Robbie's 'Out of the Blue'.

Glasgow is in shock because of tragic accident.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 10:24:00 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

One thing picked up from the very early reviews on is that the distancing of being Canadian was important. First, the South could be seen with fresh eyes, but unlike an observer from elsewhere in the USA, there was no weight of preconception based on the Civil War.

Outsiders notice stuff. Years ago we met a young Algerian trainee doctor who was working evenings as a waiter in Paris. He took us to meet his wife and kids in the Paris suburbs, and when he visited England for the first time, we took him round places. I was fascinated by what he saw as new and different. I used to notice Japanese tourists taking photos of British letter boxes and phone boxes, and went on to do the same in Japan myself. Then this summer in NYC, I was taking a couple of photos of fire hydrants. It's iconic. In Britain we don't have fire hydrants on view. They're below covers under the pavement (i.e. sidewalk). Why there should be such a strong difference in fire hydrants, I have no idea, but it's a visual impact … as are the number of overhead wires on American side streets. We put much more below ground. There is so much detail people don't notice about their own environment.

For example you could place me in any aisle in an American supermarket (except the Kellogs section) with soft focus glasses on and I'd know immediately by the packet and tin designs that I was in America. The visual style is instantly different to British packaging.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 09:30:03 CET 2014 from (58.104.23.82)

Wallsend

STUART GRAHAM STEVEN GORRELL (1901-1963) and HOAGY CARMICHAEL (1899-1981), wrote the song in 1930 almost as a lark, and with the help of some pretty good Scotch. The inspiration was theirs, the booze was borrowed.

Hoagy Carmichael went to Indiana University, and one of his best college chums was Stuart Gorrell. Hoagy Carmichael was going to be a lawyer and Stuart Gorrell, when not hanging around the local "jazz joint" (called The Book Nook!) had promised someone that he would eventually be a success in the world of business.

The two of them were together at a party in New York and Hoagy Carmichael played what he had of the "Georgia" music line for Stuart Gorrell and some friends. After the party broke up, the two of them went back to a friend's apartment and worked on the tune throughout the night. Stuart Gorrell wrote what he thought would be a good lyric line on the back of a post card (now displayed in the Carmichael Room at Indiana University) and showed it to Hoagy Carmichael. One can still plainly see the few, but important, changes that Hoagy Carmichael made on that small piece of cardboard to Stuart Gorrell's lyrical scratchings. The song was improved upon, and the lyrics written, in that boozy early morning, and recorded in September 1930 by a band that included Hoagy Carmichael's great friend, Bix Beiderbecke - a recording session that proved to be Bix's last.

Hoagy Carmichael went on to write many more songs, some of them hits, and Stuart Gorrell kept his promise and became a Vice President at Chase Bank. Stuart Gorrell never tried to write another song lyric, but 'Georgia on my Mind' became a hit after World War II and Hoagy Carmichael, true to his word - although Stuart Gorrell was not legally credited as the lyricist by the music publisher - always sent Stuart Gorrell a cheque for what would have been his share of royalty. The royalty income from that song is substantial and, after Stuart Gorrell died, the income put his daughter through college.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 08:06:55 CET 2014 from (173.3.50.156)

Jeff A.

On a much happier note, i went to see RoseAnn Fino and her band perform at Rockwood Music Hall tonight. Gotta tell you all, the kid has talent and moxie galore. RoseAnn's set was comprised mostly of new songs, and in my opinion, the new material far exceeds the material on her debut album. RoseAnn is a natural, charismatic, exciting , and engaging performer. She definitely is a young talent that has the potential to go places. In this musical economy it's next to impossible, but. ya never know. I'm rooting for her and those of you who have the opportunity to see her perform should, and you should also send people to her shows. Find her FB page, give it a like, and stay up to date.

For those of you who have read Bob F's ( Mr Fino, the father of the aforementioned performer) posts for years, and have noted his pleasant, mild mannered demeanor, well he's pleasant, affable and very well spoken in person. That said, you'd never know he was born and raised in The Hudson Valley. Bob looks and sounds like a Brooklyn longshoreman. And Mrs Fino is absolutely delightful, down to earth, energetic, bubbly and funny as can be. And, they know their music.

Entered at Tue Dec 23 01:40:22 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: 10 percenters!

Get yer shit together Jeff........you little fart! 25% of nuthin is nuthin . Get off yer ass and start pumpin out the albums. What are you gonna do? A Basement Tapes thing and release it all 40 years later? You'll be dead fer Chris sake -:)-:)

It's a bum day finding Joe is gone now too. I love to watch the video of him in Germany singing, "Into the Mystic" Another great light in our lives has gone out.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 21:49:24 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

So sad to hear the news. When I was at Hull University, Joe Cocker from Sheffield, started out as the standard bottom-of-the-bill band and gradually worked up to headliner. I saw him several times early on. A great soul voice.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 21:49:06 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.218)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 19:52:59 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker thanks, R.I.P.

Seems December takes a lot of the great ones.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 19:16:07 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Norm, those rifles are hugh! thanks for the info on the snipers, didn't know that, interesting.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 19:06:55 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

TWOF instead of Crazy Mama? Yes, I reckon it would have been opposed. Because Crazy Mama fits with the easy rolling blues Levon favoured. This Wheel’s on Fire is much more dynamic and requires more work. Also Crazy Mama is a J.J. Cale song, not a Rick song. I think through the years, Rick didn’t push himself forward. Why on Earth did they do the dull Further On Up The Road at TLW rather than Rick’s much more melodic song? As it turned out, the guitar duel and strap made it interesting, but they had planned which songs to film in advance, and none of Rick’s. I’d say BOTH Levon and Robbie ignored Rick’s talents as a songwriter. And yes, I’m sure Levon had final say on the 90s set list. This is partly being a natural “leader”, partly being a dominant personality, partly also having more commitment – watch Live at Lorelei for commitment. Levon is holding a ramshackle event together through sheer force of personality.

Blue River in Tokyo is announced as a try out, and without checking back, doesn’t Rick start it on his own and the others drift in?

I was just looking at the albums. Can you think of anything, with the possible exception of W.S. Walcott that sounds like a story Levon told? I would pick King Harvest as one where Robbie, as he often says, listened to Levon’s dad and his generation. But nothing else sounds like a story or tale. A lot is ambience, but that’s not a cut.

On the Lennon-McCartney analogy, no. They wrote together, they wrote separately. They found it convenient to put it under a “Lennon-McCartney” standard imprint, but you’re talking two strong songwriters, well, you can’t get stronger, who both proved their ability many times after The Beatles split up. With Levon and Robbie you're comparing someone who has written many songs post-TLW with someone who hasn't.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 18:31:37 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.218)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 17:46:23 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Mon Dec 22 17:45:29 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.218)

Jeff A.

Ben, your still shooting blanks at imaginary targets.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 15:14:46 CET 2014 from (86.167.251.175)

Dunc

Subject: JT

Thanks JT. I envy you seeing BARK and Stephen Fearing often. They did play Edinburgh, but I never knew about it. Their version of 'Down By The Henry Moore'is brilliant. And I've been to Kensington Market, Honest Eds and the Henry Moore. And Band connections.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 14:17:54 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: the feud

Peter, your post on the feud was interesting. I certainly respect your opinion, but I disagree with several of your points.

Regarding the break point. Well, I think there were several factors, the last waltz concert, the post-production and release of the movie, which Scorsese and RR had turned into the RR propaganda show. The reunion in '83 and RR's not showing up at Richard's funeral in '86. Levon talks about this in his book. RR gave a heartfelt eulogy for Albert Grossman and then was a no-show for Richard's funeral. I think this may have been one of the final straws that broke the came's back, as far as Levon was concerned.

I agree that Rick could have incorporated more of his solo album into the Band's set. 'Sip the wine', 'New Mexicoe', 'What a town', 'Shake it'. These would have been worthy additions to the Band's set list. The Band played 'Blue river' at least once, in Japan in '94. It's a tentative version and doesn't really fit well with he rest of their set.

I agree with you that Levon became the boss in the reformed Band. However, I don't understand your point about preventing Rick from receiving songwriting credits. Do you think if Rick wanted to sing 'This wheel's on fire' rather than 'Crazy mama' that Levon would have vetoed this. Do you think Levon had final say on their set list? I highly doubt that.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 13:48:47 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: Goin' down the road feeling bad

Pat, Is there any evidence that Levon was working in the capacity as Robbie's personal driver as a salaried car service? Some sort of "work for hire" livery service? If not, then he was either doing it out of the goodness of his heart, OR, he had a genuine interest in the song.

On the surface, It's easy to dismiss the gesture as just a ride to the library (and I've seen that done here before) but the real story, and more germane to the discussion, is what they actually did together at the library as part of the process. Not to mention any contributions that may have happened on days pre or post "library day".

Entered at Mon Dec 22 12:43:24 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: Dixie

Pat, if Levon wasn't in the Band, would there have been any reason for RR to "write" the song for the Band? Can you imagine Rick or Richard singing it. I can't. Maybe RR wrote it for Joan Baez all along and it was just an accident that Levon got his hands on it.....

Entered at Mon Dec 22 03:17:54 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Mon Dec 22 02:56:11 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.157)

Bill M

Peter V: Levon was initially going to stay with Hawkins when the five Canadians (including Jerry Penfound) went off on their own. The plan was for him to stay as drummer-manager of the new version of the Hawks (aka Robbie Lane and the Disciples) and help Ronnie out with the rest of his stable of artists. But in the end he surprised Hawkins by leaving with the others, seemingly because he'd get his name in lights and the leader's fee - and likely also because the guys had ambitions beyond playing somebody else's music. That's not necessarily the same thing as being a group's leading force or leader in an emotional sense - though it could have been.

In other news, I went downtownyesterday to catch a matinee show at the rex - harmonicist Jerome Godboo (who played with Garth at Jeff Healey's club ages ago), guitarist Eric Schenkman (whose old group, the Spin Doctors, had Levon playing on one of their records) and a drummer who turned out to be Gary Craig from BaRK. They're off to Memphis in February to represent the Toronto Blues Society at an international baattle of the blues bands.

By the way, when we got home, we turned on the TV, just in time to see Robbie, Arlie Manuel and Garth addressed the multitude (including Ronnie Hawkins, Duff Roman, Bob Ezrin) assembled for the Canadian Walk of Fame induction ceremony. Robbie spoke at length, noting his background and suggesting that the genre the Band is credited with inventing should be called North Americana. Arlie spoke briefly, noting the new news (for me) that Richard had been considering moving back to Canada. Garth spoke even more briefly, first thanking "Jan Haust for getting the Basement Tapes released, and my lovely wife Maud, and all of you".

Entered at Mon Dec 22 02:31:31 CET 2014 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

He's on NPR's Fresh Air tomorrow, Monday. It's an interview and likely some songs off his Christmas record. He's become a really top-notch storyteller -

Entered at Mon Dec 22 01:21:53 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: Random Thought #17

I'd wager that Levon had a heck of a lot more to do with 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' than John Lennon, for example, had to do with the Beatles song 'Yesterday'.
Of course you'd never know that based solely on the album credits.....you might think that John wrote 1/2 Paul's song.... or conversely that Robbie did everything on his own. Tricky thing those credits can be.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 00:39:01 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Good Friends & Good Wishes

Thank you very much Jerry. I have followed a lot of your career on this internet. You are very obviously one of those people who has committed his life to helping other people a calling that deserves a lot of respect. The very best to you and your family in your way of spending the season.

Norbert! I had meant to tell you. I have watched the movie "Shooter" many times. Levon's cameo role gives you a warm feeling. I doubt that you have seen the showing of that movie that has a closed caption attachment, that explains the making of the movie as it goes along. You may be surprised to know the things that Mark Walberg did. He took extensive training from service men, and particularly snipers. In a very short time he was making 3 shot groups on the bullseye from over 1000 yards. One of the things that impressed me, (both my brother and I are Dominion Marks men). The longest kill shot made by a sniper was in Afganistan. Made by an English sniper, I forget the exact distance, but just over a mile.

Entered at Mon Dec 22 00:02:28 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: Fairy Tale of Toronto

And to you, Norm and to Susan (who I don't know but she must be special), I wish you nothing both the best in these times and in all times. May the force be with you as you navigate the stormy waters. (Not bad for the Toronto gang. Must be my Victorian recent blood ) Live long and prosper.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 23:26:22 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Stevie Wonder

Peter, it occurred to me that if you hadn't seen the 30 th anniversary performance of "My Back Pages", perhaps you hadn't seen this.

I commented the other day about, in the Basement Tapes, the recording of "Blowin In The Wind" done in a bluesy shuffle style didn't appeal to me. However Stevie Wonders version of it at that concert, is something else. Watch it. He gives a very emotional presentation of how this song has affected him. It's worth watching.

Susan and I came home yesterday from Port Hardy. I had some maintenance work to do on my tug. We snuggled down in the "Rockin Chair" for 3 nights watching old movies and Susan worked her magic cleaning that old ship 'till she sparkled.

Merry Christmas to all you folks here...except that gawd damn Jeff because I don't know how to spell Happy....you know. Also to all those gawd damn Toronto Mafia type no good low down, double dealing, under handed, radio broad caster, musical historian, doctor rheumatologist.......

Lets hope the new year brings more common sense, not slaughtering innocent children, hostages, women. Please keep them safe. Give us more songs and happiness.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 22:51:43 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Entered at Sun Dec 21 22:49:17 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Interesting post. Would like to read. Any link to said interview? Thanks.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 22:20:35 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: Levon Helm

We just got this Aple TV thing, was testing it with a NETFLIX movie "Shooter" and all of a sudden there was Levon! "I still got the shovel!" Great (good movie b.t.w.).

Entered at Sun Dec 21 20:37:56 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Sun Dec 21 19:02:55 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I think the sound effect at the start of French Girls will be an issue. Too Soon Gone has been accepted as reference to the Dear Leader's dad, but "Move to Japan" is unlikely to get past them. High On the Hog is screwed though … Free Your Mind? No chance. Then Young Blood is taken to be a reference to the Dear Leader's penchant for army recruits. However, Forever Young will appeal.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 18:20:19 CET 2014 from (24.199.71.83)

Jon Lyness

Subject: Re: Banned Band

Well done, Peter. But I'm hoping the 90s Band stuff at least might survive the purge. (At press time, North Korean committees were still scrutinizing the lyrics of French Girls.)

Entered at Sun Dec 21 18:07:11 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.213)

PutEmUp(Friend0

Peter, your Feud post a couple posts down, could not be more misleading on numerous points even if we took a time capsule back to the time frame that you were the moderator of "The GB." Keep it up Tex, I'm gonna have to meet you at The OK Corral at high noon.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 17:28:58 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Norbert’s quite correct. North Korea has already officially banned a batch of Band songs.

I Shall Be Released … as so many hundreds of thousands of political prisoners wish.

Across The Great Divide – taken to refer to the 38th parallel, so suggesting reunification with South Korea.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – quite subtle this one, but Richmond is just a few miles from the 38th Parallel’s path across the USA, so taken to refer again to the “fall” of the 38th Parallel.

The Shape I’m In – taken to be a reference to the Dear Leader’s rotundity.

Stage Fright – taken to be a reference to the Dear Leader’s extensive use of doubles.

Shoot Out in Chinatown – seen as a reference to co-operation between USA and China against the Dear leader.

Thinkin’ Out Loud – an activity banned in North Korea.

We Can Talk About It Now – because obviously no one there can.

Time To Kill- no comment needed.

Rags and Bones – taken as a reference to how the masses are forced to live.

The hoped for eventual release of the Sony Album recedes further into the distance.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 16:29:23 CET 2014 from (32.216.226.156)

Todd

Subject: Stories in the press

The thing about infuences is a bit of a strawman argument. Yes, Levon's background influenced Robbie, but it was only one component of his overall contribution to the collaborative effort known as "The Band". But since it's the holiday season, I'll indulge.

It's true that a newspaper article about William Zantzinger was an influence on "one" of Dylan's songs, but Mr. Zantzinger, was not involved in a collaborative effort with Dylan, creating music together in a clubhouse environment.

To compare Levon's contributions to The Band as equivalent to Zantzinger's is a stretch, and ignores the true value of what these five fellas accomplished together.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 15:17:57 CET 2014 from (87.152.120.121)

Norbert

Subject: Why only Sony ?

I’m a little bit worried after this Sony hack thing. How safe is this very GB? Is the GB North Korea bullet proof? And what can we do to prevent the 1800 Guardians of Peace from their Cyberspace war office 121 to nuke this site? Or that on the 13th of month X in 2015 we will be greeted here by a neon red skeleton with the words, “#Hacked by #GOP, followed by lots of threats.

It’s better to anticipate, arm and act ourselves rather than to wait till we get laid. We all can help out here and be prepared. Know that each of us is responsible for not opening the door to hackers. Some action we can take a.s.a.p.:

1) Keep a close eye on North Korean IP addresses, Jan can put up a filter

2) Watch out and report immediately or any “suspicious” posts (all can help here)

3) No embarrassing emails and posts anymore!

4) We need to address a spin doctor for damage and image control, for shifting position etc. a person who can verbalize a Non-denial denial and non-apology apology without blinking. (we have one or two lawyers here).

5) Put some North Korean music on the What’s new page.

6) Prepare a scenario that holds: - Who calls President Obama - Who informs George Clooney & Al Sharpton - Who calls the NSA, CIA and FBI - Forming of the Cyber Emergency response team

7) Prepare a shadow website to go underground with the whole Band site in case needed.

8) Ensure that your mobile communication devices (smartphones, digital tablets) are secure at work and at home.

9) Be careful with translation sites and linked sites.

Good luck and a safe 2015!

Entered at Sun Dec 21 12:02:12 CET 2014 from (58.104.18.111)

Wallsend

Entered at Sun Dec 21 11:14:04 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

We might know a bit more when Robbie's book comes out. Perhaps not, as he's kept quiet about it so far. Libby Titus suggested there was a break point, and that it was 1983, not 1976. Sebastian has assured us here that they shared publishing equally, which is highly unusual, as the publisher often got 50% of the songwriting cut. Dylan's Dwarf Music published MFBP, so it would only operate from the Brown Album on.

My other recent point was that they have said Richard's "We Can Talk" was a collection of things they all used to say, but there's never been a suggestion that Richard should have cut the others in as source material.

Who knows? Everyone who's been in a room with Levon's charisma seems to take his viewpoint as gospel. To those who haven't there are all sorts of undercurrents.

If they so resented Robbie's songs, why did the 90s Band never do We Can Talk? We know from The Shape I'm In that Rick was perfectly capable of singing "normal Richard" vocal lines. Or why didn't they do any of Rick's stuff apart from Java Blues (not his best in my opinion)? No TWOF, no All Our Past Times, no other songs from the solo album or DFA. They could have done Jemima Surrender, a far more interesting song than The Same Thing or Caldonia. They could have added several "non-Robbie" Band songs to their set. They didn't.

Who knows? What I guess after years of repeating these discussions is a lot goes down to control. Levon saw himself as the leader until the Dylan tour. He's out for two years. He gets back and more obviously Robbie is now calling the shots. That simmers away. But when TLW is over, Levon's future with a stellar band, the RCO All Stars and film parts coming in looks rosy. Nothing in life to be pissed off about. Then Robbie declines to join the 1983 "Too many cooks" or "Too many Cates" tour. And the more I look at the 90s Band, we know they called Levon "The boss" and when I look at the set lists and albums, what I read is that if Levon isn't going to get songwriting credit, then sure as anything, Rick isn't going to.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 10:57:06 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Just got round to reading "Record Collector" which has an article on the three Canadian Beatles LPs, which are unique to Canada. It has a pleas for releasing them, as Capitol did with the US Albums box, and more recently with "The Japan Box" of five Japanese only albums. Apparently they were also pressed on heavier than normal vinyl initially - so early pressings are desired. Beatlemania, Long Tally Sally & Twist & Shout. Canadian Capitol released more Beatles singles and released them earlier than the USA, including Love Me Do on Capitol.

On The Beatles, the same issue has new material on the 1963 UK tour, interviewing Chris Montez and Tommy Roe. This is stuff I'd never read before, including a Lennon-Montez fight and racist taunts to Montez.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 03:35:16 CET 2014 from (82.132.216.190)

Lee

Entered at Sun Dec 21 02:10:49 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I was extrapolating about getting points for inspiring- it works for books as well as songs..

Can you imagine the conversation?

So you got 20% of the royalties from The Band's recordings?

Yes.

And you got 20% of the music publishing?

Yes

So the issue is a share of songwriting?

Yes.

Did you write the melody?

No.

Did you write the lyrics?

No.

As the 20% on the recording covers your musical contribution, what else did you do that might impact on composing the song?

I told him stories about the South.

Were you the only one to do so?

No, my dad told him stories. Ronnie Hawkins told him stories. He read a lot of Faulkner. And he was with me in the South.

So do you think that gives you a claim on the lyric?

Uh, yes.

What about your dad and Mr Hawkins? Or indeed Mr Faulkner …………

Entered at Sun Dec 21 01:51:18 CET 2014 from (90.195.189.211)

Lee

Peter, appreciate your response but surely you, me, we are talking about song royalties and not written prose or quotes.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 01:47:12 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Having worked on multi-media stuff … the whole concept of "points" has changed. Now everybody wants points, however tiny in addition to a fee, and because of computerized accounting systems it's possible to give lots of people 0.1% or 0.025% on projects. Micro-payments of this kind only happened in accountants' worst nightmares in the sixties. People thought in reasonable blocks. So no one conceived of assigning micro-payments for partial credits.

Entered at Sun Dec 21 01:38:31 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sun Dec 21 00:59:47 CET 2014 from (90.195.189.211)

Lee

Peter, I've just seen your post from Dec 12 I wonder if Ronnie Hawkins was given any points on the royalty for inspiring and featuring in some of the tales? Out of interest and as you are an expert on The Band which songs do you consider for consideration?

Entered at Sat Dec 20 23:37:08 CET 2014 from (82.132.246.244)

Lee

Hi Richard, Must say I'm very pleased Garth still has the ownership of those reels.. Cheers

Entered at Sat Dec 20 20:09:42 CET 2014 from (87.144.173.39)

Norbert

Subject: Soy Cuba, 'fucking' for the revolution

I found this article (link) in a Dutch newspaper (Volkskrant) and translated it. I think it is an interesting read for a Band fan (agree or disagree). It’s also about a time where The Band was in its glory days, it’s about us. …..

"Cuba: the most honored branch of the Marxist Leninism, also the only one with sunshine twelve months a year. Dirás que soy un soñador. You can say I'm a dreamer. It comes from John Lennon's Imagine. It stands at a bank in a tropical park in Havana. On that bank is a bronze Lennon that is consuming all the attention of a bronze Lenin just down the road. Dreamers from all over the world come for him. Passers-by sticking thumbs up, out of old Buicks and Cadillac’s sounding brass music. Imagine a country where people laugh, where life is accompanied by a swinging soundtrack and where John Lennon has an official statue. ' Lennon was daring, Che was daring, Fidel was daring ', Juan teaches, youthful linguist from Buenos Aires, to fellow travelers who are heavily sweating waiting for their turn to take a seat next the Lennon from Havana. ‘The Cuban revolution remains the most courageous experiment in modern history. "

Imagine: you can be faint and claim that the organizer of this experiment, Fidel Castro Ruz (1926), The Beatles and Lennon in his heydays marked as bourgeois and Lennon as late as 2000 placed there for tourists. You can also point to Lennon’s metal glasses: they are not fixed to the statue. Those glasses where so often stolen that they appointed a special man in a smeary uniform for it. Every time a tourist takes a seat next to Lennon, that man puts the glasses on the bronze nose. Note how bad that man’s teeth are: he survives with food stamps and non-convertible pesos. On t-shirts in tourist shops the word ' Imagine ' is placed above the heads of Lennon and Che Guevara. Lennon and Che: two fighters for a better world that both got the bullet. Only in Cuba they are officially honored. Unlike Lennon Che himself also used bullets to make that better world reality. Without removal of old counterrevolutionary people no Hombre Nuevo. ‘The revolution is not an Apple that falls when it is ripe, "said Che. Sartre saw him at work in Cuba and called him ' the most complete human being of our time '. Gianni from Genoa wears a t-shirt with a screen print of the famous Alberto Korda's Che-shot. He has tied a handkerchief around his head against the fierce Sun. From a distance he tries to capture the full statue of Che of the Che-mausoleum in Santa Clara in the lens that is not so simple: nearly 10 meters in the air it goes.

Mausoleum: Che possessed hundreds of statues and murals in Cuba when Fidel Castro in 1997-the Cuban people did it after the collapse of the Soviet Union with smaller food rations than ever-a large mausoleum erected to store the remains of the thirty years earlier in Bolivia executed revolutionary. You can also call that mausoleum a smart investment in tourism. Already more than five million foreign visitors traveled to Santa Clara. Che's guns and diaries are placed here in display cases. Sun hats are required to be taken off for the most complete human being who himself did not like respect. Che, that's the Jim Morrison of the Marxist Leninism: young, sexy and dead-forever. Hasta la victoria siempre! On to victory, always! Che's battle cry is 47 years after his death on walls of Cuban factories, above government buildings and half-way between the sugar cane fields. In 2014 the Cuban landscape possesses still slogans in huge quantities.

‘The revolution is eternal and irreversible. ' ' Revolution requires constant effort. ' ' A single party! An inviolable principle. ' "For a prosperous and sustainable socialism. '

Most of the three million tourists who Cuba annually, you won't hear claim that those slogans exactly match what you see around you. On the island where the revolution 55 years ago prevailed over capitalism and imperialism, one should wear blinders not to see poor inhabitants in windowless buses that are vomiting black smoke which makes you sick. But if you have a heart for Cuba, see you in there also the great thing about Cuba.

Marxist Leninism: Cuba, laboratory of Che's New Human, was the most honored branch of the Marxist Leninism of the 20th century, also the only one with sun twelve months a year. Many of the finest hymns were made by celebrities who were awaited at the airport. The Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez had until his death last April his own villa in Havana and was ridden by Castro's drivers. The Portuguese writer José Saramago, who died in 2010, dedicated his Nobel Prize of 1998 on to Castro. Harry Mulisch, who died in the same year, renamed, after a especially for him composed Cuba program with Cuban beauties, his Cuba-synonymous ' affiliate of heaven '. To this day, Argentine, Spanish and Italian friends of the revolution come here that also try to see that 'affiliate of heaven’-no easy task if you may travel free. Most visitors now go no longer burdened by ideological luggage. Still Cuba manage to win over many of them. For the heaven of 1968 they use adjectives like ' special ', ' unique ', ' authentic ', animated ' and-often-' sympathetic '. There are many reasons to sympathize with this place. For instance all those warm people who in spite of food stamps continue to laugh; listen to that delightful son with brass players that the Communists regarded as decadent, but that since the worldwide success of Ry Cooders Buena Vista Social Club (real club was closed in 1962 by revolutionaries) again may blare from the speakers; look at those great Cadillac’s from the days when Cuba was still a pleasure ground of the Americans and yearned for the liberation by Fidel and Che.

Comrades?: Without Che Guevara Fidel Castro could never have grabbed power in Cuba, with Che he could never have retained it is often said. The dead Che was for Castro what the living was not: a ' led ' projectile. Fidel and Che met in 1955 in Mexico. On Cuba Fidel, a 28-year-old Marxist politician, wanted by the police of the pro-American dictator Batista. The 27-year-old Che ('mate '), born Ernesto Guevara in an Argentine bourgeois family, is a doctor with guerrilla-expertise. During motorcycle travels through Latin America in him the belief has gained ground that only an armed struggle can release the continent of injustice. End 1956 Fidel and Che start their guerrilla in Cuba, resulting in the fleeing of Batista on January 1, 1959. In the early months of 1959 oversees Che the execution of hundreds of vassals of the old regime. In the following years it comes increasingly clear that Che can’t control his radical temperament in the Cuba of Castro. In October 1965 Fidel makes Che’s farewell Letter public. In 1967 Che is in Bolivia, where he runs into an ambush and, 39 years old, is executed under the eye of the CIA.

I shared a seat on the leather back seat of a Pontiac from 1957 without speedometer with Walter from Vienna and it slipped me that the Cuban fleet actually is a great advertising for the quality of those American diesels: they still drive after 60 years! So you should not see that. That Cuban fleet, says Walter, that is an implicit protest against our Western consumer culture where we discard things too fast. It is also a testament to the inventiveness of the Cubans, who have been exposed since their revolution of that embargo of those tedious Americans.

The Lada: in the years of the everlasting friendship between Cuba and the Soviet Union he came also to the Caribbean. He's still as sought after as a Pontiac from 1958. Scarcity makes raw cars sweet. In the observation of two Amsterdam men on a journey through Cuba: such a Lada Gets a very different allure if there is such a beautiful muscular bare-chested Negro in behind the wheel.

The famous Cuban fleet is an implicit protest against our Western consumer culture Such a nearly empty state store will receive a very different allure if a beautiful saleswoman in bikini is standing behind the very old wooden counter. Or not? At the tour of a collapsed Spanish Baroque building in the old city of Havana I wounded my knee, after which I went in search of patches. In the tourist shops they had t-shirts of Che, posters of Che, bags of Che, flags of Che, Che's berets, Che drinking cups and much more from Che-but no patches. In the first State shop they had kidney beans, soap in the second and in the third vinegar, displayed on wooden tables. In the pharmacy they had-fine if you need them-antacids. So you shopped before 1989 in Bucharest and Bratislava, but then without swinging soundtrack, palm trees and salesgirls with bare limbs with the same humor as Bulgarian post office women. The saying ' we are behaving as if we work, they pretend to pay us ' existed in all the languages of the Eastern bloc-in Cuba they have it in Spanish.

Who is trying to explain why so many great cultural personalities just on Cuba found an earthly paradise, could perhaps go to Freud. He noticed that tension between our Upper I and our Es. Our Above-I: our high ideals and principles. Our Es: our primary tendencies, the Carnival part of our personality. Between those poles is hovering us mere ' I ' back and forth, gasping for a situation where tension is released. On a swinging party in the tropical sun that helps the revolution and is a step forward to a better world coming, fall Above-I and Es together. Not without reason the Cuban adventures of Harry Mulisch were described as ' fucking’ for the revolution....."

© Olaf Tempelman De Volkskrant 18 December 2014, 11:03 (with thanks to Kees van Kortenhof).

I'll stop here, the whole thing is just too long perhaps another time part II, III, IV & V ;-) ... have a nice weekend all.

Entered at Sat Dec 20 19:29:32 CET 2014 from (65.93.118.203)

MN

Sorry, that should be Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). Mea culpa.

Entered at Sat Dec 20 18:02:58 CET 2014 from (65.93.118.203)

Mike Nomad

Anyone (in North America, at least) catch Darlene Love's annual rendition of Christmas (Won't You Please Come Home) on the David Letterman show last night? It was her final appearance on the show, as Letterman retires next spring. It was must-see, of course, but I can't help reminiscing about how much much better her pre-Christmas appearances on the show were in past years when Bruce Kapler, the saxaphonist with the show's house band, participated. Kapler left the show in 2012.

Here's an excerpt of a radio interview he had a few years back, in which he recalled playing at one of the Midnight Rambles:

Question: Playing on the Dave Letterman show, there have been so many great acts that I’ve seen perform on there. Was there one in particular that made you flip out when you found out they were going to be there?

Kapler: Oh, there are so many. There’s so many. Uh, you know, getting to play with, um, just you know, the icons of the industry. I mean, one of the ones that comes to mind – because I think I might have mentioned to you earlier that past weekend, uh, Levon Helm had invited me to go up and play with his band at one of his Midnight Rambles at his barn-studio home in Woodstock, and that was a fantastic experience. I’ve always been a huge fan from the time I was in high school of the band and of him. So I guess one of, one of the great times was the first time that they appeared on the show and I got to meet them and, and play with them and, uh, meet Garth Hudson and have Garth Hudson explain to me how he liked the horns to be. That was really great. It’s really impossible to sort of name one in particular. I mean, you could just go through the whole roster of people who have appeared on the show. It’s all been amazing.

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Peter V

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John D

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Mike Nomad

Thanks for the link. Yes, some of us (of a certain age) do indeed remember the "scandal" and followed with great interest the stories involving Rice-Davies and Christine Keeler. If only Rumpole of the Bailey had been involved in — say, acting for Mandy. That would have made it even more interesting, I think.

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Peter V

Subject: RIP Mandy Rice-Davies

This is someone North Americans may not know, but an iconic figure in 60s Britain. See Guardian obit linked. The TV and radio reports show that in the end everyone seemed to like her … she was a sassy 18 year old who stood up to the establishment.

On that other media matter. George Clooney says that Sony should just put the film online. I think they should broadcast it on terrestrial TV and allow the main TV station in every Western democracy to show it simultaneously.

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JT

Subject: Who owns the BTs

Richard: I for one would have been quite surprised if it was otherwise. Thanks for the confirmation.

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Richard Wall

I'll clear up a point of misinformation perhaps resulting from a translation of a translation: Jan Haust didn’t buy the Basement Tapes reels from Garth Hudson. Garth still owns them.

Entered at Fri Dec 19 19:43:22 CET 2014 from (67.84.76.41)

Jeff A.

Yes, the songwriting could not be worse. And the show, well, it will be superbly very unAmerican too. Although they don't realize it, the right wingers thoughts and behavior is contrary to what we've been taught the founders of this country fought for.

Buddy makes slipping & slidin sound like he wrote it.

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Norbert

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Norbert

'I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence,' he said. 'Only the guards were on duty. We all went outside the farm buildings and just stood listening. And, of course, thinking of people back home. All I'd heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machinegun fire and distant German voices.

'But there was a dead silence that morning, right across the land as far as you could see. We shouted "Merry Christmas", even though nobody felt merry. The silence ended early in the afternoon and the killing started again. It was a short peace in a terrible war.'

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sadavid

Subject: "the famous apartment tapes"

Buddy.

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Peter V

Where does that come from? When it came out as the B-side of Brown Eyed Handsome Man, the Fireballs had been added posthumously, and it remains my favorite version of the song.

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sadavid

Subject: red white & blew

Jeff A.: thanks for the warning. Happy חֲנֻכָּה.

With the dogs and the horses and the trucks and the guns
Who wouldn't want to be an American?

B. Holly covers R. Penniman at [My link].

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Peter V

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Jeff A.

Subject: Royalties Lawsuit

Young guitarist from my neighborhood is suing the manager of his former band. Separately, after he left, the band scored theme song placement for Sarah Palin's TV series coming out on The Sportsmans Channel next April.Amazing America. If you watch the video and listen to the song, you'll understand why I am very pleased this band is not from my borough or my neighborhood.

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Peter V

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Bill M

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Pat B

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Peter V

I agree with "priceless" but if you had to price them … see link. The Quarrymen acetate was rated as worth £200,000 and that was two years ago. And that only had the one unreleased track on it.

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JT

Subject: Artefoact

If that is so, owning the 'artefact' is big time in this case. Those tapes are priceless, I would think.

Entered at Thu Dec 18 09:53:37 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

When you buy an artefact, you do not buy the associated rights. For example, I have a few book illustrations, a couple from my own books, a few from book jackets. They’re original artwork. When you buy a piece of art like this, the accompanying rights are pasted on the back. You own the object. You have no rights to reproduce it in any way. Similarly, at recent local art shows, a lot of artists sell an original, and also sell prints from the original. The purchase of the original does not include reproduction rights which stay with the artist. So if you had the only acetate of The Quarrymen doing That’ll Be The Day, you would have no right to release it as a recording. You own the bit of plastic and you can play it. That's all.

My ignorant guess is that this would be the case with the existing tape spools of the BTs, an artefact of huge historical importance in music, but quite separate from rights in the content.

Entered at Thu Dec 18 07:25:20 CET 2014 from (24.114.75.251)

Kevin J

.......I had thought it reported - somewhere - that the recordings were sold for $30,000USD. Also thought JH was diplomatic in explaining to some reporter or other that he had an "arrangement" with Garth and that he would just leave it at that.

Just watched the 2nd and last appearance of Stevie Ray Vaughan on Austin City Limits........What a loss.....he was really just starting to go to much greater heights.

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Pat B

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JT

Subject: Stuck Inside of Toronto with the Victoria blues again

Face the music! If music be the food of love, play on. Without music, there is no life (from German) (Nietzsche). I'm just a song and dance man. Sing a Simple Song. Just some thoughts as I peruse what has transpired here over the month. This is your song. Happy holiday.

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Ian W

Subject: Garth Hudson interview in RUTA 66

I posted something on the above and it said it had been done but maybe not. Meanwhile, this is the link to the magazine.

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Ian W

A friend has sent me the December issue of the Spanish magazine RUTA 66 which has a short feature on the Basement Tapes release. There is an interview with Garth but I don’t know if it is original or taken from another source. The interview is entitled, “The Hands That Rock The Cradle” and starts as follows:

Q: The idea, you know, is to talk about the release of the complete Basement Tapes. I think you worked closely with Jan Haust. Tell me who he is and how this collaboration worked.

A: Mr. Jan Haust is, above all, a lover of music, a great collector and a splendid archivist. We are working together on a boxset of material by The Hawks, before The Band. He lives in Toronto and is a big fan of the group. About ten years ago he bought much of the Basement Tapes material I had. He also has deep knowledge of production methods, so he was the perfect person to do it.

My translation may be a bit rough in places but maybe sufficient to identify whether it is new to you or not. I haven’t translated the preamble but it appears to suggest that the interviewer was Eduardo Izquierdo (Edward Left???)

Entered at Tue Dec 16 22:04:08 CET 2014 from (70.53.45.80)

Kevin J

Subject: My Favourite Christmas Song

Sing it Rick! All the best to everyone here over the Christmas Season and for 2015. Have some fun.

"Cut Across Shorty" - rock n roll and fun . Perfect!

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Rockin Chair

Subject: RRHOF

I'm sure many of you have seen that amoung the inductees now Stevie Ray Vaughn has got the call......good to see.

Entered at Tue Dec 16 13:53:02 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart is now up on Toppermost - please comment over there if moved, but note it's moderated so not "instant". Or of course here.

Entered at Tue Dec 16 11:15:30 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

It was ever thus. At one time, ancient English law had "hunger" as a valid excuse for petty theft. The landowners changed all that, which is when they started transporting people for poaching a rabbit from their land.

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Rod

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Rockin Chair

Subject: The Spirit of giving

Hi! Y'all. The resent news that has seemed to prevail concerning the unfortunate clashes between black men and police in the USA was over shadowed today by a simple act of kindness and as some one put it common sense.

In Tarrant, Alabama a young white police officer was called to a Dollar Store for a shop lifting, (which he says happens often there). This was not the usual situation of young people shop lifting for items they don't even need. This was a 47 year old black lady stealing a dozen eggs to try to feed her two daughters and her grand children.

The young 23 year old officer paid for her dozen eggs. Another customer watching filmed this situation and put it on Face Book. It has had apparently 966,000 viewings, 13,000 likes. Immediately aid, (groceries etc) came pouring in for this lady and her family. The young officer laughed, when on his next shift he had to take 3 truck loads of food to her home. She was registered for Christmas donations, including a tree.

The picture of her giving the young officer a big hug is the way you would like to see the relation ship between these guys trying to do a real tough job, and their public particularly where race is involved. Good on that young man.

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JT

Subject: Destroying the language

Destruction of the English language persists. Sorry. 'each of them is -- not are'. Whoops

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JT

Subject: BARK

Dunc: Your love for BARK is not misplaced. These are superb musicians and each of them are hugely talented. I have seen Stephen Fearing on multiple occasions perform alone as well as with BARK and want to extol his wonderful ability to translate his songs. And his guitar is among the best! I look forward to their appearances whenever they come around.

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Dunc

Subject: Tom, Bill M

Tom:I think that One World is great too. I like the eighties albums too. Thanks

Bill M:My love of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings comes from you and the late departed Steve singing their praises. But what made me take a chance and buy was their reverence for John Martyn, which I read about when investigating them.

There was also an article mentioning John Martyn becoming the guitarist in the reformed Band. This I think would not have been successful.

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JT

Subject: Headstones (recent release)

Headstones (Canadian band from Kingston, Ont., home of Tragically Hip), have been releasing albums since the early 90s. They are a hard rock (I hate the term 'punk') outfit lead by the masterful Hugh Dillon (recently of Flashpoint and Durham County and The Killing and in the 90s Hard Core Logo acting fame). I bring this band to your attention because they have recently released an album 'One In the Chamber Music', an acoustic reworking of some of their previous songs (Including Traveling Wilbury's (Dylan) 'Tweeter and The Monkey Man"). This is a fine band with great presence and the recent project at least (if not the previous work which I have always loved) may interest you all.

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Bob F

Subject: The Waterboys - November Tale

Fist song from The Waterboys new record due in January.

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Bill M

"Stormbringer" was the first John (and Beverley) Martin song I heard - it was an FM 'hit' around here in the early '70s - and it's always been my favourite of his. So I was disappointed not to see it on Dunc's list. And I was even more disappointed, and surprised, not to see it on YouTube other than in a less-spooky John-only version. Odd that YouTube does have other songs from that first LP; I believe Levon's on drums on the big song, but Herb Lovelle's on the rest.

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Tom

Subject: John Martyn

I think my favourite John Martyn album is One World. I have to say I was never a fan of his smooth Jazz/Phil Collins phase in the 1980s.

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jh

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Peter V

Subject: John Martyn

Link to Dunc's Toppermost article

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Dunc

Subject: Ben

Thanks, Ben. A good album, but it's at the beginning of his career. John served his apprenticeship going around the folk clubs of Scotland with Hamish Imlach, a very charismatic folk singer, living and playing with one of the Incredible String Band, being influenced by people like Davey Graham and then moving to London.

But it's his subsequent developments with his wonderful, tuned, slurring voice, his song writing, his use of the echoplex and great guitar playing in general, which define him.

He knew the Band well and I love his duet on 'Rock, Salt and Nails' with Levon. Solid Air is a great favourite of mine.

I did a list on Toppermost for John Martyn, so please give it a look.

He didn't look after himself and I miss seeing him in Glasgow.

I hope you managed to get several albums from different eras. Thanks, Ben.

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john D

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Peter V

I'm firmly in Bob / Sony's court on this one.

Entered at Sat Dec 13 15:24:03 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: CDs

I have a dozen CDs on the floor. I have to look down and search even in poor lighting conditions. I have another dozen on the floor behind my back. I have to turn around and search and search once more behind the seat... sometimes in several minutes. The real problem is the lock in the player. I use to push it hard with my _both_ hands to open it. Many times without success. - Then I have to take off from the highway, park the car and kick the player. Most irritating.

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John D

Subject: Amazon. UK

Leave it to Amazon UK to have a single copy of the Dylan. Only a mere 285 pounds!

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John D

Subject: Copyright Extension In Today's Toronto Star

This was only touched on about a year ago on this site. This article is about the 50 year copyright law. What I didn't know was how Dylan, The Beach Boys and The Beatles have fought against this. The story of Dylan releasing only 100 copies of an album on CD-R bought him another 20 years. Incredible read. Wish I knew these recordings were available at the time.

Entered at Sat Dec 13 14:09:20 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: John Martyn

Dunc, that'a a great selection of albums. I've been listening to a lot of Fairport and Richard Thompson recently. I just picked up a stack of John Martyn used CD's yesterday for $5 each. So far I've listened to an early Island pressing of'London Conversation' yesterday. Very nice. Martyn's cover of 'Don't think twice' is really good. That's one Dylan cover that I hadn't heard before.

Entered at Sat Dec 13 11:21:26 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Thanks for that, Norbert. Further research shows that the 4K Interactive Virtual Reality “The Last Waltz” will be called “Last Waltz 40-4K” and released in November 2016 at a modest $299. Of course, most fans will opt for the “Collectors’ Edition” box set ($499) which adds Rick ‘n’ Robbie plectrums, Levon and Richard drumsticks and a hair from Garth’s beard encased in a glass phial. I’m sure many of us will don the enclosed pink scarf as we enter the virtual arena. Collectors will agonize over the freeze-dried Turkey dinner supplied in the box set. Do you eat it? Or do you preserve it to maintain the collectability of the box?

On the downside, you can’t take Richard’s role in the interactive edition, as they had insufficient original film footage to work from.

On the upside, it will be available 22 months early as a free download from northkorea.gov’s website.

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Bill M

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Peter V

Whenever a performer gets to "As long as there are stars above you …" and points upwards,you know its total crap. See the dire Paloma Faith with the dire Tom Jones.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 21:09:22 CET 2014 from (70.192.198.104)

Charlie Y.

Subject: Hornsby and Mavis Staples

I just read Bruce Hornsby is recording with Mavis Staples for his next album, one more connection for Bruce to The Band. Happy Holidays, and--to those of you on Facebook--see you there!

Entered at Fri Dec 12 21:06:23 CET 2014 from (131.137.35.74)

sadavid

It is seldom pointed out that the most cost-effective route to great sound -- perhaps the most effective, period -- is to modify the wet-ware: the processor that is at once the very end of the signal chain, and its target.

No longer, apparently, an option for Mr. Young, who is therefore forced to invest in firmware development. But those of us who can't afford the cluster of PS4s (or equivalent) always have access to meditation (or equivalent).

Entered at Fri Dec 12 19:51:17 CET 2014 from (81.155.242.56)

Dunc

Subject: Thanks, Norbert

We crossed in the ether, Norbert. Glad to see you posting again.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 19:47:08 CET 2014 from (81.155.242.56)

Dunc

Subject: Last five albums

Last five albums played:

Bob Dylan 'Blood on the Tracks', great songs, beautiful musicianship.

Fairport Convention 'Unhalfbricking', Band influenced, highlights 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' and 'Si Tu Dois Partir', my favourite version of this song.

John Martyn, 'Inside Out' a milestone album in the history of British popular music.

Rod Stewart and the Faces compilation, 'Changing Faces, The Very Best of Rod Stewart and the Faces' covering 1969 -1974.

'The Best of the Animals'.

Music reproduction recommendation. I would put in a shout for my 'Grado Labs 80' headphones, which come in at just over £100 and are made in Jeff's neck of the woods, Brooklyn. Great component. Hi Jeff.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 19:40:19 CET 2014 from (87.144.173.39)

Norbert

Subject: TLW moves 4k 3D interactive

I get some emails from GB’ers lately concerning the visit of Robbie and Martin to Sony headquarters in Culver City last November which might also interest other Band fans, so I’ll post this here.

Insiders say that Sony’s supercomputer lab (housing a cluster of 3264 PS4 computers) at the moment is rescaling The Last Waltz DVD from the old mp4 into the latest 4k 3D Blu-ray HDCP 2.2 format…..(there is one song added?).

They claim TLW will never be the same after watching it in 3D .... and the 4k Ultra HD will bring out details that the will rumble this GB for more than six month. The wings of the fly Robbie catches in the interview can be seen clearly (although there are some claims it wasn’t there and they digitally put there, along with some other items and alterations).

Anyway the best way to watch this super TLW would be a curved 4k UtraHD TV. Watch it from the Alfa position in the center of the curve so you get realy sucked into the movie.

Is it worth buying a new 4k UHD TV for it? Sure. But get one with the 10 bit chip that can handle H.264, HEVC (the 8 bit profile is obsolete already).

The next step for Sony, Robbie and Martin will be to interactive TLW. In combination with the Sony PS4 you will be able to digitally walk into TLW, either mingle with the crowd, join a jam session or replace e.g. Clapton. Musician swapping is potential. Later on a streaming version will be launched on NETFLIX.

Have a nice weekend all.

p.s. Rockin’ chair and Dunc thanks

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Kevin J

For a true pissing on the floor - do see Peter's link of that BBC Tom Jones God Only Knows......my oh my.....and to think that this would have been rehearsed with the arm-wavers and all and still approved for airing from the show's director is hard to believe............For one of the most legacy enhancing events in the history of rock n roll and without question the most legacy enhancing part of The Band's legacy - see The Last Waltz........and spare me all the MFBP and Brown album transcendence stuff ( I agree ) - we know all that here but the Biff's and Betty's and Claudette's and Natsuko's all over the world have been entertained and turned on in big, beautiful and lasting ways to The Band for 30 plus years now by TLW. Nothing else comes close.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 18:55:09 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Zavadka makes a good point about digital v analogue in that most people have never heard the top quality version of either. In fact we have a generation who accept MP3s. Our local audio shop does a monthly vinyl evening (as a sort of club) with three listening rooms, and one room has a state-of-the-art system … I mean £3500 turntable, £5000 worth of speakers and so on … though the amp in that system was surprisingly tiny with a D/A converter attached. Listening to an original CBS LP pressing of “Nefertiti” by Miles Davis on that a couple of months back was awe-inspiring. Another room has a “good system” – i.e. £250 turntable. That’s also way better than the current £69 USB vinyl decks. Anyone who attends can have one LP cleaned on their pro-cleaning system too which makes a difference – everyone brings albums fitted to the theme. They have themes each month … jazz, prog, reggae etc.

Similarly, the cheap CD player in a clock radio or a budget system will be blown away by a good CD player, even though some will say it’s all ones and zeros so how can you improve it? But the room in the audio store has carefully chosen curtains, baffles, carpeting etc too. And they have the £1500 CD players running, and yes, they sound incredible.

But there are little things too. I read a review about a little gel pot that you keep on the turntable, and touch the stylus in after every play. It takes off dust. After you play even carefully-cleaned vinyl, little dots of dust are left in the black gel.

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Pat B

Entered at Fri Dec 12 15:42:03 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.179)

Bob F

Subject: Pono Music File Prices

According to this Q&A article the Blood On The Tracks music files will cost about $18. Maybe if your a young pup starting out for the first time, this would be the way to go. Me personally, I'm not buying the same music for the 5th or more time. I don't care how good it sounds.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 13:42:17 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Peter, I really take exception to your comment about Levon "pissong" on the Band's legacy in his book. In my view, Levon is responsible for keeping the music of Band alive by performing and recording with his solo projects and the reformed Band for 35 years after the last waltz. If anyone "pissed" on the legacy of the Band, it would be Robbie and Martin Scorsese.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 09:16:01 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

The book is definitely a construct. Davis captures Levon’s voice, but switches to other sources like Rick and John Simon and the 1969 Hawkins Rolling Stone interview to stitch the story together. I would guess he taped hours, transcribed it very well, but Davis assembled the information and created the narrative flow … and did so expertly. It’s a brilliant read.

I wonder if Ronnie Hawkins was given any points on the royalty for inspiring and featuring in some of the tales?

Entered at Fri Dec 12 05:55:50 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.210)

Jeff A.

Lee, i have no need to go back to the thread. Yes, someone did express as you just wrote "Davis influencing Levon in that thread" but it wasn't me. You did however address that prior comment of yours about it directly to several people, including me. My point was, i wasn't one of em. That's all.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 02:30:06 CET 2014 from (2.220.50.197)

Lee

Belated raised glass to the great Rick Danko.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 01:28:08 CET 2014 from (2.220.50.197)

Lee

Hi Simon, I have that issue so I will dig it out but don't recall those quotes. I recall Garth asking the interviewer how he knew about his nickname of Honeyboy and he mentioned Levon's book. Sid Griffin I have met a few times and asked him which songs he put forward to Sony and one was Roll Columbia Roll. Cheers

Entered at Fri Dec 12 01:22:42 CET 2014 from (98.215.30.129)

Zavadka

Subject: speakers and amps

JBL S8R systems from the 60's are still the yardstick on loudspeakers, nothing better yet today. McIntosh tube amps are still pretty much the same now from the 60's Mc275 power tube amps with C22 tube preamps. Most audiophiles will agree that vinyl is bad, just too much noise from friction of the stylus riding in the groove; its physics. Most also agree that digital cd's are on the only way to go. Upper end Cd players pick more sound (highs and lows) with no static or turntable rumble. Most people have prolly never heard a great system and just don't even know what they are supposed to be hearing. And volume means nothing compared to presence and depth. A good system will take your breath away.

Entered at Fri Dec 12 01:20:25 CET 2014 from (31.53.255.135)

Simon

Entered at Fri Dec 12 01:06:45 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Fri Dec 12 01:00:20 CET 2014 from (2.220.50.197)

Lee

Apologies for delay in responding sooner. I never quoted anyone I was referring to the thread of songwriting. Someone mentioned Davis influencing Levon in that thread & I am not going to go back through it now. Feel free to... Peter i don't recall Levon ever stating that his book came out more bitter than he stated. Certainly not to me and have never read that. What I posted is true on my part and any other conjecture is fine. What I Do know to be true is that Levon was a fantastic musician, singer and actor and you, me and Robbie Robertson have no argument with that

Entered at Fri Dec 12 00:48:25 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: God Only Knows

They had the new BBC Music Awards tonight. I was saddened to see what they did to God Only Knows – based on the charity record (the orchestral instrumental version is excellent). They had Tom Jones sing it with Paloma Faith (SEE LINK). Not only did he get the words wrong for one line, but his phrasing was staccato, and it really is way too far from his style. Having seen how good he was this summer, it's just miscasting for the song. Then it turned into an arms waving audience singalong onYou’ll Never Walk alone lines. A travesty for such a beautiful song. Let us all hope they don’t get hold of The Weight next year!

Entered at Thu Dec 11 23:35:18 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Thu Dec 11 21:25:16 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

There's a hell of a lot up there if you google (as I did) PONO v SACD. Fascinating. The main issue seems to be that your computer doesn't support a download of this quality, and Apple won't have a lot of motivation to add capability to help distribute a format directly rivaling iTunes. We'll see.

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Jeff A.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 20:09:36 CET 2014 from (74.43.18.162)

carmen

Subject: thanks and 1 mor RR song

Thanks for the PONO info. Peter V- She's Not Mine IMHO is the best song from How to Become Clairvoyant. I also love Unbound. Both get my vote for top 10 RR songs. I would like to see RR make an album with some of the new Young Turks such as the fellas from My Morning Jacket, Johnathan Wilson, War on Drugs, Dawes to name a few. These are the Banks that are now carrying the torch and would make for some good music with RR as principal writer and Band Leader.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 20:03:37 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.182)

Bob F

Pat, any idea what the music will cost?

Entered at Thu Dec 11 19:42:09 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Thu Dec 11 19:35:57 CET 2014 from (204.138.59.92)

Bill M

Entered at Thu Dec 11 19:20:32 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

PONO … Oh, no. I'm a sucker for new formats. I had CD the moment it came out, then DAT too, then SACD and DVD-Audio. The only thing I reckon, is that nothing can reveal more than the speakers can produce. This seems to be a player rather than an amplifier and speaker system … so did they listen on headphones? Otherwise you're down to the frequency response of the car speakers however brilliant the front end is. And the car speakers are likely to be reasonably limited. So if you listen on headphones, how much? I use £60 phones and look at the £150 and £250 and wonder if they're better. Also, while "Storytone" is new, what can you do to "Bridge Over Troubled Water"? It's listed as a PONO release. I have the Gold Remastered CD. Whatever you do, you can't improve the analogue tape master … maybe you can get your digital format nearer to it. But can you get nearer than SACD? How? OK, there's SACD stuff like Lyle Lovett's Joshua Judges Ruth, or Music From Big Pink which utilize the surround sound to add a dimension. But Neil's machine is stereo, I assume. Does it really (as CD adverts said in 1982) "Lift a veil from the music"?

Incidentally, we did a lot of spoken voice recording with a guy who had engineered many live BBC digital sessions, and he had no time for the analogue argument. He maintained vinyl only apparently sounded better because people weren't used to the full sound of live music in a studio.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 19:00:52 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Thu Dec 11 18:47:30 CET 2014 from (83.160.180.22)

Ragtime

Subject: Peter's Toppermost

Peter, I looked twice to your fave RR list to be sure, but I missed A Good Day To Die. A song that should not be missed, in my not so humble opinion..

Entered at Thu Dec 11 18:14:14 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.47)

Jeff A.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 18:10:31 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Thu Dec 11 18:08:14 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

carmen, yup, 400 big ones.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 18:03:45 CET 2014 from (74.43.18.162)

carmen

Subject: neil

Neil News - I have a question - does this PONO thing require a special player?

Entered at Thu Dec 11 17:15:39 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Story inspiration

Oddly, today 8 people looked at an ancient piece on my blog, which is about the original inspiration behind some stories, involving Louis de Bernieres, Jeffrey Archer, Richmal Crompton and me. Linked.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 16:54:52 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Thu Dec 11 16:15:25 CET 2014 from (71.169.33.170)

Joe Enright

Hi all. I just joined up so this is a first statement.I wanna throw it out as a "Thank you" for all the joy.First, to Robbie for the incomparable lyrics, Garth for the technical color , character and decoration of music, and especially to Rich, Levon and Rick, the greatest singers in rock. No one inhabits a song like they do. Levon is the sorrowful rebel soldier Of DIXIE, Rick IS the tortured man in the SPOTLIGHT, and Richard IS the lovestruck, naïve soul waiting for KATIE to return.We love the songs, and we know the characters.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 15:57:31 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

On Big Pink, Levon arrived back late in the day on the Basement, hence just the one lead vocal on Big pink, though it was the key one. Caledonia Mission was based on something that happened to The Hawks according to Ronnie Hawkins, but was presumably thought of before Levon returned.

Long term? If Robbie bought out the others’ share of The Band, but not Levon’s, then Levon would have known the value. The thing is, if you write something you have the “right of paternity” (sorry, ladies, that’s what they call it) and you feel a different relation to it. I don’t know that Robbie had a crystal ball about the advent of CDs so much as the connection of having written the songs. He was also doing enough on those compiled film soundtracks to guess the potential of a song being used for a major movie. It’s the songwriter’s lottery ticket. It may never happen, but you never know when a film director or advertiser is going to choose a song … as “The Weight” was chosen for “Dawn of The Planet of The Apes.” But equally some pretty obscure album tracks have been used in movies, and Reg Presley said he’d just about forgotten Love Is All Around when it made him extremely rich. If you’re the writer, you live in hope.

Why do people reject Levon’s claims? I guess because they came way after the events, and when the money started to run out, there was no other shred of writing to back him up, and even more, I think a lot of old fans feel he pissed all over The Band’s legacy in the book.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 14:27:19 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Peter, I certainly understand your opinion on the songwriting issue. I just feel that Levon's contribution to 'Walcott' was great enough to warrant a co-writing credit. Whether Robbie had a long standing interest in carnivals or not. The song is not about a travelling Canadian carnival show with vocals by Rick. It's a song about a southern carnival that Levon experienced first hand. Do you think it's just a co-incidence that Robbie created this song without any input from Levon?

Again, I just don't understand why people are so reluctant to accept the possibility that Levon deserved some co-writing credits. Now people will respond that if Levon felt this way he should have made his case at that time. Well, I don't think the long term value of the songwriting credits was apparant at that time. Do you really think that in the late 60's, early 70's that anyone in the band would have thought that there catalog would have significant value for the next 45 years? Go back 45 prior to that period. How much of the "pop" music of the 1920's had any value in 1970? very, very little. So, I don't think Levon really had any inkling of the long term value of the songwriting credits until the cd reissues which I believe started in 1987.

Entered at Thu Dec 11 13:11:48 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.134)

Bill M

Entered at Thu Dec 11 11:39:32 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Damn! Having read all these ecstatic reviews of the War on Drugs, I got an e-mail about their February tour of England. Ah, Southampton! Great! 30 miles away … but we already have theatre booked in London. Never mind, Brighton's a good venue the next day … but we have theatre booked then too. We try and do two plays with a one night stay (evening … stay over … next afternoon … drive home). It keeps happening, probably because theatres have their programmes out 6 months to 12 months ahead, and "smaller" bands don't (though the superstars do).

Entered at Thu Dec 11 01:54:47 CET 2014 from (67.84.77.47)

Jeff A.

Subject: GB Offspring Performing in NYC

RoseAnn Fino & her band are performing Monday, Dec 22, at 6:30 at Rockwood Music Hall. RoseAnn is the daughter of Bob F. You might recall Roseann had an impressive debut release of originals produced by Aaron Professor Louie Hurwitz.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 23:44:56 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Parallels are a bit silly, but as I said Midsummer Night’s Dream, as far as we know, is Shakespeare’s only totally original storyline. Everything else had a source.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 23:14:13 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Robbie solo

The link goes to the Toppermost on Robbie solo. This was an early one when the articles were much shorter … when it started they were minimal. Anyway, it gives you a quick sampler of Robbie songs of high quality. His best solo stuff compares with The Band in writing quality.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 23:12:00 CET 2014 from (74.43.18.162)

carmen

Subject: Song writing

My opinion is not formed based on the technical aspects of a song as Pat B pointed out but more anecdotal. Once RR was no longer there - songs dried up. RR kept writing (not as much as I would have liked) but he does have 5 solo albums and a bunch of songs written for movies. This is in no way to disrespect the importance and value of the others because I really think that the non-native american releases would have benefited greatly from the others and sounded a lot like a BAND album.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 22:26:51 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Wed Dec 10 21:37:29 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: Rick

It's hard to believe that it's been 15 years since Rick passed. His solo album is still my favorite Band solo album. Sip the wine, Java blues, Small town talk. Great stuff. This album should have been a hit and launched Rick onto a big solo career

Peter, I respect your opinion, but I don't see how the question of what has been written after 1976 is relevant. I don't think anyone has aver claimed that Levon was ever much of a "songwriter". The issue as I see it is that he contributed/collaborated on some songs with Robbie that he received no songwriting credit for during the first few years of the Band's recording career, roughly (1968-71).

In my view, nothing that Robbie has written after 1976 comes close to what he wrote or co-wrote on the first 3 Band albums, or frankly seems to have even been written by the same person.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 20:35:35 CET 2014 from (216.121.189.31)

Sarah Mac Lean

Subject: Writing credits

I read somewhere that Levon said that Richard was the one who contributed " two bits a shot " to " Life is a Carnival" ,and that he (Levon ) thought that was a very significant part of the song .

So, as Levon was a co writer of that song , and if he was so concerned about writing credits , why did he not insist that Richard get writing credits ?

Entered at Wed Dec 10 20:09:01 CET 2014 from (74.108.29.164)

Joan

I just reread Carol Caffin's tribute to Rick it really special. RIP Rick

Entered at Wed Dec 10 20:00:11 CET 2014 from (108.30.208.110)

Jed

Missed.RIP.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 19:38:49 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Remembering Rick Danko Today. R.I.P.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 14:13:43 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

It will keep coming up because YouTube is so full of people parroting the old anti-Robbie stuff from Stephen Davis’s novel (I can’t resist repeating that one … again). Maybe the Robertsonian faction just has more stamina to keep on here. Or maybe our arguments were so good, Levonistas got converted. Or more likely, hell just froze over.

Entered at Wed Dec 10 13:50:36 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

At this point, most people reading this guestbook have made up their minds on the songwriting issue. I doubt that anything I (or anyone else) writes will change anyone's mind. That's fine.

I will say this, I feel that when this issue comes up or any aspect of the Levon vs. Robbie debate, the large majority of people who post here are now firmly in the Robbie camp. There used to be much more of an even split. So what has happened to the rest of the 'Levonistas'. Have they deserted this guestbook for facebook?

Entered at Wed Dec 10 01:23:06 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.142)

Bill M

Entered at Tue Dec 9 23:54:00 CET 2014 from (70.53.45.80)

Kevin J

Subject: It's been so long since I had a good time!

Peter V’s list………………I won’t jump the gun on your list……..but “Dixie Trot” is a beauty that I would have on mine.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 23:10:08 CET 2014 from (67.84.76.52)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 22:10:16 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Tue Dec 9 19:38:32 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.184)

Bob F

Subject: Rod

Peter, I'm looking forward to your Rod Stewart Toppermost. I hope your just using his solo records. The Faces deserve their own list. Every album he made up to and including Atlantic Crossing has moments of amazement, so you have a lot to choose from. He really was something special.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 19:02:43 CET 2014 from (24.114.57.178)

Kevin J

........so for those that still feel Robbie stole it all, let's review the songwriting credits after The Band reformed and the evil Robertson was gone........Garth, I believe, had only one songwriting credit on the 35 songs which were contained on Jericho, Jubilation and High on the Hog. On the first two albums – Jericho and Jubilation – which I own, Levon has ONE CO-WRITE and Rick NONE and Garth NONE. So the facts are that the “one for all and all for one” thing didn’t happen in the post RR Band era either.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 18:46:00 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Tue Dec 9 18:33:55 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Tue Dec 9 17:26:36 CET 2014 from (131.137.35.74)

sadavid

Subject: life is a carnival

There are obvious parallels between a rock 'n' roll tour and a travelling carnival (I always thought that was a sub-text of the _Carny_ film), and it's a theme that's all over rock culture: the Stones' Circus, Cocker's "Mad Dogs" tour (see [My link]), Leon Russell's _Carney_ (c/w "Tight Rope") Etc.
Then there's Sgt. Pepper's band and similar exercises in surrealised nostalgia.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 17:15:26 CET 2014 from (67.84.76.52)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 17:00:19 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I'm in the midst of the Rod Stewart Toppermost, listening to Storyteller and checking Rod's own sleeve notes.

ROD on the song Gasoline Alley:

"The title was suggested to me by a young girl at the Filmore West in San Francisco in 1968. Wherever you are, darling, thank you."

Entered at Tue Dec 9 15:43:58 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I knew the Joplin comment was ironic, Ben. I was just using an idea of yours (said in jest) to create a new sentence. It doesn’t mean you wrote the sentence.

OK, W.S. Walcott … Robbie showed his interest in travelling carnivals in the film Carny. As Robertson Davies’ novels showed us, just such travelling carnivals also operated extensively in Canada. Robbie was clearly fascinated by them. He’s talked about them in his own childhood.

There was an actual company called F.S. Wolcott’s Rabbit’s Foot Minstrels working out of South Carolina, then moving to work out of Port Gibson, Mississippi. They’re well known, as are their fliers and posters. Wiki says “The song "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show", on The Band's 1970 album Stage Fright, was written by Robbie Robertson based on stories Levon Helm told him about the Wolcott troupe, which had come through Arkansas regularly when Helm was a boy.” And the Wiki reference goes to Levon’s book … circularity.

John Lennon bought a poster for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal in 1967. See link. That also caused some dispute.

BUT I would suggest that W.S. Walcott Medicine Show is equally “inspired” by For The Benefit of Mr Kite. An Americanization.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 15:17:13 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: songwriting credits

Peter, I think you've completely misinterpreted my comment regarding Chelsea hotel. I certainly don't think Janis Joplin deserved any songwriting credit for her encounter with Leonard Cohen. I made that comment in response to your comment about Patty Boyd which I found ridiculous. I don't see how an intelligent person can find an analogy between Levon's contribution to 'Walcott' and Patty Boyd serving as the subject matter for 'Layla'.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 14:48:10 CET 2014 from (67.84.76.52)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 14:13:06 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I think we’re straying into crediting Janis Joplin, and possibly the limousine driver let alone the chambermaid for Chelsea Hotel No. 2 territory. Ah, that was your idea mentioned last week after I suggested Patti Boyd deserved credits for Layla and Something. So did you write that line? A song is a melody line plus a lyric. So what about “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll?” Bob Dylan didn’t create that story. He heard it, or if you like “found it” in the press but it’s a story until he put a lyric to it. Then it's a song. I doubt that the newspaper mentioned "a cane that he twirled round his diamond ring finger" but we know he carried a cane.

I reckon that All Along The Watchtower is partly inspired by The Lament of the Frontier Guard, as translated by Ezra Pound. With Dylan I could go on … Or moving away, why didn't JFK get a cut from the song PT Boat 109?

Or sticking to The Band, “We Can Talk” as written by Richard Manuel and credited to Richard Manuel, is allegedly based on odds and ends Band members used to say. That’s getting closer. So who talked about trying to milk a cow when all dressed up for Sunday? A rural lad, I’d guess so Rick or Levon. So why no call for a share of that one?

Entered at Tue Dec 9 13:19:08 CET 2014 from (71.168.223.163)

Ben

Subject: songwriting credits

Peter, why would Levon have expected to share credit on the songs written or co-written by Rick and Richard on the first two albums? Were any of those songs based on Levon's experiences? I don't think so.

I think Levon's issue with Robbie is clearly that he contributed ideas, stories, names, etc to songs in which Robbie took full credit. Obviously the biggest example of this was 'Walcott'. If you don't think that this was the real issue, please provide examples of songs that Robbie has full credit for based on Rick or Richard's childhood.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 11:26:42 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Did he ever mention Pat B's point - why didn't he resent the credits Rick and Richard had on the first two? That meant Rick and Richard both understood what difference royalties made when the first cheques arrived. Richard had four credits on Big Pink, and two on the Brown Album. Three of the Big Pink credits are sole credits. Rick had just the one (but the best one to have over the years). So if he thought they all deserved a cut on Robbie's songs, why didn't he feel they deserved a cut on Richard's?

Pat has mentioned that for years, just as I've mentioned "other versions are also the song" for years. But was that ever addressed?

Entered at Tue Dec 9 07:25:34 CET 2014 from (31.53.255.135)

Simon

Subject: Bob Dylan and The Band - The Basement Tapes - The Legendary Tales

Extended version of video from a couple of weeks ago.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 04:16:53 CET 2014 from (67.84.76.45)

Jeff A.

Lee, Gabites or whomever you are, i never wrote or implied that Davis swayed Levon. I do think you meant deposition, not disposition.

Entered at Tue Dec 9 02:14:07 CET 2014 from (2.220.50.197)

Lee

And also for the record through the years of speaking with Levon, Garth and John Simon there is a lot of ill feeling regarding songwriting, credits and royalties. I have a disposition tape with a lawyer regarding this so Say No More....

Entered at Tue Dec 9 01:31:15 CET 2014 from (2.220.50.197)

Lee

Ben, Jeff A & All....I've read those posts with great interest. I'm sorry but in my opinion Stephen Davis did not sway Levon to be upset about songwriting royalties from This Wheels On Fire publication in 1993 to....And for the record Barney Hoskyns book, in which he only interviewed Robbie Robertson from The Band, didn't really touch on this subject.

Entered at Mon Dec 8 23:50:14 CET 2014 from (76.98.218.136)

Carmen

Subject: Best of 2014

War on Drugs and Israel Nash's Rain Plans are my two favorites for 2014.

Entered at Sun Dec 7 10:30:00 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Best of 2014

I can't remember there being so much agreement on lists as there is this year on Beck and The War On Drugs. From the bits on sampler CDs, Beck sounds very promising. The War On Drugs sound a touch "stadium" but I'll certainly give them a go. My own list veers towards songs that quietly crawl under your skin … and with a major English "new folk" slant. But Natalie Merchant was so far the winner this year that I didn't think twice.

Entered at Sun Dec 7 06:27:38 CET 2014 from (184.66.134.56)

JT

Subject: Beck and The War on Drugs

Both albums (Beck, The War on Drugs) are excellent and deserve their standing.

Entered at Sun Dec 7 03:02:30 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.150)

Bill M

Entered at Sat Dec 6 22:02:07 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Best of 2014

Here at last. My best of 2014 … songs, albums, concerts, film, theatre (classical), theatre (modern) and TV. All is revealed!

Entered at Sat Dec 6 14:04:36 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

Mr. NorthWestCoaster and Mrs. NorthWestCoaster and the Spirit Of NorthWestCoaster's Dog (R.I.P.)

Subject: Thanks to gb community

On a serious side.- For fifteen years ago Mrs. NWC and me created the "30th Anniversary Site for The Band gbers". Many of you gb regulars signed our guestbook. It was a handmade Geocities gb. It meant a lot to us to see all your wishes. Many of you have left this forum and we miss you all: TIM(SUNDOG), David P., Norbert, Diamond Lil, Kalervo and many others. Now we understand that we should have invited people like Pat B and Bill M, but hey, we promise to create a new guestbook in 2019 for "50th Anniversary Site". HOLD ON, IT'S COMING!

Wanna hear a joke? I bet you will. - This is the day when Finland got the independence from Russia (6th Dec). This is also the day we met. NWC use to say: "Today Finland got its independence and I lost mine."

Entered at Sat Dec 6 12:10:33 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sat Dec 6 11:03:17 CET 2014 from (82.25.178.222)

Ian W

Subject: Subject: "Road trip to Big Pink" video was like this ....

It reminded me of the "London to Brighton in 4 minutes" train film they used to show on British TV in my youth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7GXWuTwkF8

Entered at Fri Dec 5 18:41:34 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Fri Dec 5 17:50:31 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Fri Dec 5 17:36:57 CET 2014 from (204.138.59.92)

Bill M

Didn't appreciate having to pay a toll to get to McDonalds either.

Entered at Fri Dec 5 16:42:58 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

A fun travelogue everyone here will enjoy.

Entered at Fri Dec 5 16:32:26 CET 2014 from (204.138.59.92)

Bill M

Entered at Fri Dec 5 16:27:33 CET 2014 from (98.115.129.14)

Peter M.

Subject: Where did these great posters go?

To quote Butthead (of "Beavis and"), "We're old, eh? Hehehe...".

Entered at Fri Dec 5 14:35:57 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: See below

Mr. Pehr Smith is the full name (my previous post). - Where did all these great posters go?

Entered at Fri Dec 5 14:33:27 CET 2014 from (131.137.35.74)

sadavid

Subject: "Robbie Robertson's Guitar Technique"

NWC: Voilà.

Entered at Fri Dec 5 12:45:39 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Robbie Robertson as a guitar player

For over twelve years ago we had a gb regular who wrote an analytic article on this subject, far beyond of my competence. He lived (lives?) in Austin, Texas. He was delighted because I could write his first name correctly. It was easy. It was a Swedish name from the North, near the Norwegian border: Pehr. (Let's take it again: _Pehr_. And see, correctly again!) I'm not sure if the article can be found in this site but there might be a link somewhere in the beginning of this millenium.

Entered at Fri Dec 5 06:13:32 CET 2014 from (98.115.129.14)

Peter M.

Subject: Jimmy Weider, Ian McLagan

Still reeling from the news of Mac's passing. Peter, as you mentioned in your post, his autobiography is a great read. And in person he was just as warm and affable, funny and generous. So NOT stuck on himself. Thanks for the link Kevin. I felt the same way Peter spoke of about Jimmy Weider, and I agree that it took the first couple of years for him to approach The Band's music in his own style. By '96 he fit in so well and brought the appropriate sound to the lineup and enriched it in his own way. And the sound he brings to Project Percolator or Blue Chicken is different from what he did with The Band or The Levon Helm Band, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Entered at Fri Dec 5 03:14:55 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.29)

Jeff A.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 23:38:13 CET 2014 from (108.30.208.110)

Jed

If it came across that I was in any way critical of Jim Weider,my sincere apologies.Jim is a terrific guy and a great guitar player.Ive seen him since he started playing in the local Woodstock area and my wife and I would seek out shows where Jim was playing.We were delighted as well when he joined Levon's band.Last time we saw him was a few months ago at the telecaster show he did at the Barn-as always an excellent night of music.But,(there's always a but(t) there is still a major difference between Jim and Robbie.Thats not Jim's fault or lack in anyway.I believe that Robbie is one of he greatest players in R&R and very very few payers can do what he does.He was never a "jam" player but a couple of years ago I saw him jam at the HOF show with Paul M. and other stellar musicians watching with jaws on the floor as they listened to the complexity and blistering attack of Robbie's guitar during his turn to "jam".I am EC's biggest fan,and I realize its all a matter of personal taste,but Robbie blew EC away at the Waltz on FOUTR.He played this way in 66 but more frenzied and less precise than later years.His playing on Planet Waves while barely noticed or mentioned by fans or journalists is original,cutting,soulful-brilliant.Jimi,Duane,EC,Garcia,Dickey,Carlos-Robbie is in this group of R&R guitarists and is a truly unique,one of a kind style player.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 22:58:53 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

And there are good guitarists, great guitarists, but I'd rather hear Robbie than anyone else.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 22:53:24 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.29)

Jeff A.

Peter, Weider is a great player. One hell of a guitar player. Great guy.

You weren't there the night Danko and Dion played unannounced at a Little Big Band show at The Lone Star Roadhouse. Weider was with Danko & played. Vivino played the leads. No one else ever came close. It's over 20 years ago now. Same with Steely Dan #s. Vivino was the man. Drew Zing got the gig back then, but it may have had to do with the impending conan show deal. But there were nights both Zing & Jimmy played with Fagen & Becker, in the warm up to the first time The Dan were going out again. Zing was okay. Vivino was mercurial. Zing got the gig. But Jimmy got Conan later. Maybe it was in the works & that had something to do with it.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 19:58:17 CET 2014 from (108.30.208.110)

Jed

Robbie's gift,like other guitar greats,is a combination of factors.Choice of notes,tone,the type of strings used,effects,and ultimately the main factor,imo,is how ones fingers hit the notes.The last item is what gives each great player their signature sound.I can play the same notes Robbie plays,use the same strings,settings,equipment,etc.But the way my fingers move and play the sound will never be Robbie's. While I wouldn't dare say I could play as well as Jim Weider,he too cannot bring his sound to equal Robbie--it's all in the fingers/touch.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 19:43:09 CET 2014 from (24.114.64.204)

Kevin J

LINKED: Ian McLagan - Never Say Never.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 19:06:54 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

peter V

Talking to some respected pro bass players, both McCartney and Danko had something you can't get by polishing and improving technique. It's an ear and feel for putting the bass notes in. Yes, those spate of "I can play Robbie's lines" posts … interestingly Jim Weider could better than anyone BUT you can still hear the difference as they play the intro to The weight.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 15:55:17 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Toronto has always been a wonderful city for having great Organ players. Garth of course. The late Dr. Music Doug Riley. Michael Fonfara. I remember someone once said to me about musicians and Rod's comment made me think of it. There are brilliant technical players. Each note flawless. Then there are brilliant players who play with a soulful style. Organists come to mind. That will always be my preference.

Entered at Thu Dec 4 10:08:44 CET 2014 from (219.89.221.26)

Rod

Entered at Thu Dec 4 00:39:20 CET 2014 from (31.53.221.51)

Simon

RIP Ian McLagan. Modest and a real gentleman by all accounts.

Entered at Wed Dec 3 23:49:00 CET 2014 from (79.160.47.202)

jh

Entered at Wed Dec 3 22:44:21 CET 2014 from (173.3.48.108)

Jeff A.

Subject: Joni Swift Boots Taylor

Joni Mitchell nixes Taylor Swift's hope to create & star in a biopic of her life. See the link.

Entered at Wed Dec 3 21:27:34 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

Entered at Wed Dec 3 16:26:11 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: My Heroes

Having just lost Pat Quinn, the learning of the loss of John Beliveau is very sad and leaves the lump in the throat.

Never have I been a Canadiens fan, but you could only respect their accomplishments. John was a man that was impossible to dislike and easy to love. His conduct on and off the ice always made you want to be a better man by his example. There are fewer and fewer like him. God rest his soul.

Entered at Wed Dec 3 13:18:52 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

Kevin, I will admit it. I teared up this morning; when I heard the news. There might be a state funeral, like they did for Rocket Richard. Fact; on the radio this morning about him. He still holds the record for amount of goals scored; in the shortest amount of time.

4 Goals in 44 seconds. No one has ever beaten that record in the history of the NHL.

Entered at Wed Dec 3 06:40:56 CET 2014 from (24.114.50.72)

Kevin J

RIP Jean Beliveau. Great hockey player, class man in every way.

Entered at Wed Dec 3 04:11:08 CET 2014 from (24.108.1.255)

BONK

I've always wondered what came first. Levons left hand or Buckys?

Entered at Tue Dec 2 22:13:45 CET 2014 from (99.244.8.134)

John D

R.I.P.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 21:21:02 CET 2014 from (174.118.11.165)

JT

Subject: Press the press to press for accuracy

Peter: Of course, on balance I agree/ We must have the press and we are lucky we have the press and the media to share information and inform us. My point - strive for accuracy and excellence and make sure 2/7 is what it is meant to be and reported correctly. I believe it is not too much to ask.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 21:00:02 CET 2014 from (204.138.59.92)

Bill M

Entered at Tue Dec 2 20:24:48 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

The press – if you’ve been interviewed, you’ve been misquoted. Mind you, usually it won't matter. You say you were born on July 2nd. They scribble 2/7 and write up the notes as 7th February. Much of it is trivial and unintentional.

But you have to weigh the phone-tapping scandals, bribery of the police and other press wrongdoings against the amount of stuff they have got right, and the amount of genuine venality and corruption the press has exposed. Every paper, even the “worst” can point to a successful campaign or three. You have the cases which are blown up about celebrities like Hugh Grant … who had in fact largely done what they said he had by his own admission. But then you have the campaigns against the murderers of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, child abuse, corrupt officials, overpaid bankers and so on. On balance a free (and nosey) press does more good than harm.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 19:54:39 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.182)

Bob F

Entered at Tue Dec 2 19:44:03 CET 2014 from (204.138.59.92)

Bill M

I was thinking last week that those of you who like the sound and mixture of styles (R&R, C&W, R&B, et al) of the BTs and are willing to take flyer on some else's suggestion might consider "Bob Geddins' Big Town Records Story" - see link, and then the second Additional Link. Heavier on the gospel and doo-wop that the BTs, and with a recorded sermon or too - plus much of it is even rawer that the BT. But capital-Q quality stuff.

Sadly, and coincidentally, my friend Curley Bridges, the guy whose appearance on the thing, as leading singer on several of the six or eight tracks by Frank Motley and the Motley Crew, passed away at 80 the next day. As I've said here several times before, it was Curley and the Motley Crew in 1955 - and not Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks in '58 - who should be credited with bringing live rock and roll from the US south to Toronto. Echoing JT's annoyance with the press, I'm disappointed but not surprised that the one obit that I've seen so far has the Motley Crew moving here in 1966 - a date that some lazy writer once plucked from the air and that almost every writer since has repeated.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 19:31:16 CET 2014 from (108.88.110.210)

Pat B

The great Bobby Keys passed. Man, I loved him.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 19:26:39 CET 2014 from (70.53.45.80)

Kevin J

“When I heard ‘Positively 4th Street’, I realized that this was a whole new ballgame; now you could make your songs literature. The potential for the song had never occurred to me – I loved ‘Tutti Frutti’, you know. But, it occurred to Dylan. I said ‘Oh God, look at this and began to write. So Dylan sparked me”

Bob F: Agree on The Wallflowers....funny though as I had thought it their first album....."6th Avenue Heartache", "One Headlight" - great songs

Entered at Tue Dec 2 19:02:46 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Bob seems more pleasant about Joni than vice versa. Last week, driving back from Stratford in heavy rain, we put Mrs V’s desert island CD on, which ranges from Lil Louis via Laurie Anderson and Magnetic Fields to Joni Mitchell. We listened to Dreamland twice then That Song About the Midway twice. Well, you have to. It reminded me of hearing musicians speak about others. Basically, while Joni could technically play anything just about that Bob could play, I really doubt that Bob could play everything that Joni plays. I think that might be the root of her comment. I mean even The Band couldn’t really manage Furry Sings The Blues. In saying that I don’t for a second think she’s “better”. I’m sure Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all, but he also doesn’t try to do stuff like “Mingus.” Wisely, and rightly too. I don’t much like that album.

Also “being able to play stuff” is not the point. A lot of bass players can get their fingers around Paul McCartney bass lines … it’s just that they would never have thought of playing those notes left to their own devices. We went through this here many years ago with a couple of people saying “I can play what Robbie plays.” It’s not the point at all. It’s thinking of it.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 18:53:38 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.184)

Bob F

Entered at Tue Dec 2 18:45:07 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.184)

Bob F

Entered at Tue Dec 2 18:35:23 CET 2014 from (70.53.45.80)

Kevin J

RS:A lot of fans would say that the Band, which was backing you up in the mid-Sixties, was the greatest group you ever had. Would you agree?

Bob Dylan: “Well, there were different things I liked about every band I had. I liked the Street Legal band a lot. I thought it was a real tight sound. Usually it's the drummer and the bass player that make the band.

The Band had their own sound, that's for sure. When they were playin' behind me, they weren't the Band; they were called Levon and the Hawks. What came out on record as the Band — it was like night and day. Robbie [Robertson] started playing that real pinched, squeezed guitar sound — he had never played like that before in his life. They could cover songs great. They used to do Motown songs, and that, to me, is when I think of them as being at their best. Even more so than "King Harvest" and "The Weight" and all of that. When I think of them, I think of them singin' somethin' like "Baby Don't You Do It," covering Marvin Gaye and that kind of thing. Those were the golden days of the Band, even more so than when they played behind me”.

......the interview then turned to women in music and Bob's dislike of most of the them.....

RS: Even someone like Joni Mitchell?

Bob Dylan: “Well, no. But, then, Joni Mitchell is almost like a man [laughs]. I mean, I love Joni, too. But Joni's got a strange sense of rhythm that's all her own, and she lives on that timetable. Joni Mitchell is in her own world all by herself, so she has a right to keep any rhythm she wants. She's allowed to tell you what time it is.”

Bob's comment on Joni above is actually part of what has caused her to turn on him……not sure why because I thought it a complement in the tangled way Bob was answering a question on “women in music” but this and his falling asleep at the listening party for “Court and Spark” are often cited as the root of her problems with him. I would guess the falling asleep really cut to the bone for her and has lingered.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 18:28:15 CET 2014 from (174.118.11.165)

JT

Subject: She is Joni Mitchell ... period!

It is an excellent body of work. I listen to her often. She is not the female anyone (male). She is Joni Mitchell. Period. That is the typical lazy medial approach to writing enough words (filler/provocation? who knows) or getting paid per word (I hope not/words are cheap) .

The comments however, if quoted correctly and in context, were in my view somewhat mean-spirited and unbecoming. However, sShe should be 'cut some slack'. One never knows what goes on the in the background and she is said to be ill.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 18:04:56 CET 2014 from (70.53.45.80)

Kevin J

Entered at Tue Dec 2 17:46:55 CET 2014 from (174.118.11.165)

JT

Subject: "They're planting stories in the press"

A sad comment and how true: " Fair portrayal, clear insight, being understood and portrayed accurately, will not be commonplace or the norm."

Yes, most press is good press when you are 'out there'. But why can't they get it right so often. I guess I expect too much.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 17:22:40 CET 2014 from (173.3.50.29)

Jeff A.

The old expression Don't Press Your Luck takes on new meaning in this conversation. Press is luck. No press, no luck. Dylan has been treated well. Bono probably too. Press, writing of any kind, is gonna be weird, more often than not. Fair portrayal, clear insight, being understood and portrayed accurately, will not be commonplace or the norm. But all in all, you gotta take the good with the bad. Put yourself in the public eye, you're in the public eye. The trade off been made. These guys have had the ability & the artistic freedom to do what they wish.You deal with it, take it like a man, like they have.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 17:02:53 CET 2014 from (129.42.208.179)

Bob F

I think everyone in the public eye would love the press Dylan and Bono have received all these years.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 16:07:53 CET 2014 from (24.114.57.187)

Kevin J

Entered at Tue Dec 2 15:23:54 CET 2014 from (174.118.11.165)

JT

Subject: Inaccuracy in portrayals

How we perceive people: All of you know by now that I hold media to a high standard and am sometimes disappointed at the relative lack of effort that goes into precision. Celebrity reputation is a case in point. Often, we receive a skewed or inaccurate view of an individual based upon what is written or said in the newspapers, magazines, or on the screen or radio. People like John D were very aware of this and when he spoke of someone or interviewed, an accurate portrayal was the rule. Unfortunately, that cannot be said for many others. (I use John D as an example of how it should be done). So, we get these skewed impressions of people like Bono or Dylan or others. I don't know these people. I am certainly NOT going to form any lasting opinions about them based upon what I read or hear usually. One says it or writes it and another apes it and copies and before you know it, the inaccuracy becomes a reality! That is a sad reality. I am naturally concerned and so I concentrate on the artistic output. The media must be held to a high standard and must be accountable to the truth.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 15:03:24 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: You ain't goin nowhere...........the ladies

Maybe you haven't seen this either guys......at the 30th anniversary party. The ladies do a good job.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 14:13:08 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Punk / Bono

I agree.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 12:52:21 CET 2014 from (68.171.246.137)

Bill M

One is that Harry Smith scrupulously avoided identifying the artists by race or skin tone. A commendable discipline.

The other is Dylan's statement, "Traditional music ... revolves around vegetables and death." There's more than a whiff of that thought in Talking Heads' (David Byrnes'?) "More songs about buildings and food".

Entered at Tue Dec 2 09:50:35 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

It depends what you define as punk. Apparently it embraces U2. From the latest (unintentionally hilarious) "Mojo" … Bono quoted:

"We believed in punk rock. We lived it. We're STILL living it."

He also believes that "30 million people have this album (the enforced download) how and have taken it into their lives."

They have also sold 29,000 actual hard copies.

He adds "Some of the strongest memories I have are the hidings I received and the hidings I gave out."

So Bono is obviously a tough guy and not the humourless holier than thou prat with sunglasses we all thought he was.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 08:35:41 CET 2014 from (83.249.132.27)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Punk - the best one to have missed. (Really?)

Now I know why I disagree with Peter V so often. The man has missed punk era altogether!

Entered at Tue Dec 2 05:21:20 CET 2014 from (108.30.208.110)

Jed

Saw Dylan @ the Beacon.A magnificent performance by Bob and his great band.

Entered at Tue Dec 2 00:52:45 CET 2014 from (76.69.46.244)

JT

Subject: The Notorious Byrd Brothers

I'm a big Byrds fan and particularly enjoyed and revere 'The Notorious Byrd Brothers'. I listened to that until the grooves disappeared. They hold up well and would have stood well with some of the current indie Bands.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 23:50:30 CET 2014 from (98.99.251.254)

Ignatius

Subject: Thao and Get Down Stay Down

Kevin - ditto. That woman kills me. Taking mandolin and banjo and bridging from her native Virginia to her roots in Southeast Asia. Remember how Levon talked about the "Chinese" string passage at the turnarounds and end of Rockin' Chair on Behind the Music? More than one tune of hers made me think of it.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 20:55:32 CET 2014 from (204.138.59.92)

Bill M

I think Roger McGuinn's is one of the key voices of the '60s, and am prepared to forgive every transgression I can think of, even bad TV shows and his cover of "Lost My Drivin' Wheel". I was going to post a link to the latter, but thought, no, I should instead post the Gold Standard - Tom Rush's earlier version of the same song. It'd been awhile since I'd listened to it, so I found myself downing tools and gazing out the window while I swam in the song's majesty. David Bromberg on dobro and Paul Griffin on organ, I believe. Rush's long-time guitarist, Trevor Veitch, brought the song to him. Great move Trev!

Entered at Mon Dec 1 19:18:34 CET 2014 from (70.50.64.204)

Kevin J

Subject: Get Down and Stay Down with Thao Nguyen

....anyone else see Thao Nguyen on Austin City Limits over the weekend ? She really has something special.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 18:40:08 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

It’s also true how kids influence you. Culture Club, somewhat ironically in retrospect, was the soundtrack of early 80s kids parties, and Kharma Chameleon was THE song for pre-schoolers. I think I was lucky in that we had the best run of Disney too … Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Lion King. Though my grandkids have come along after the crap era to the good stuff again with Tangled and Frozen.

Norm, I only went to Calgary once, for the Stampede, and I liked it. But that was 20 years ago!

Entered at Mon Dec 1 16:55:52 CET 2014 from (70.66.250.161)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Cup

I have never liked Calgary! not in hockey or football, not for any reason.

Last night with less than a minute left in the game, Brandon Banks ran a play .... I don't remember 55 or 60 yards in for a touch down. Hamilton had it done! But a foolish penalty negated that play and it was called back. I was distraught! Chewing up the remote Susan thought I had gone nuts.......I guess I did. Oh well it was a great game to watch.

The half time show with some Alternative rock band from Las Vegas called "Imagine Dragons"......what in hell is that? Didn't do it for me.........got to go and get my ship finished and back in the water.

You may know more about him than me even Dunc. I've never had any respect for David Crosby. Some of the knuckle headed comments he comes out with just makes you shake your head.

In that documentary, in the middle of a show he has to come out with some ridiculous story about how John F Kennedy was killed. In the middle of a concert? I'd have kicked his ass off the stage right there.

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Bob F

Peter, I think what we missed in the music world depends on when our children were born. I missed all the 90's and the start of this century. However, I was on line for every Harry Potter midnight book release and the opening of all The Lord of The Rings films! Best time period of my life.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 15:45:22 CET 2014 from (131.137.35.74)

sadavid

Subject: own your own Dylan lyrics MS

Act fast (auction at Christie's New York on Thursday) - $100K ought to do it.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 15:31:24 CET 2014 from (109.147.165.175)

Dunc

Subject: Various

Peter's review of Roger McGuinn is excellent and well worth a read. In my earlier years, I didn't know about the extent of the influence of Gene Clark. After Peter's review, I made an effort to become complete on the Byrds and wrote a Toppermost list. His article, because it is related to older artists performing in the UK, should have been published in the Observer or like.

Nice to hear from you, Norbert. Thanks for facilitating GB.

Rockin Chair: I agree about David Crosbie. When I've heard him speak and read his second book, I felt he was a selfish guy.

Playing 'Planet Waves' just now.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 14:03:00 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Mon Dec 1 13:32:33 CET 2014 from (68.198.160.198)

Bob F

Peter V, Roger McGuinn actually covered Tom Petty's American Girl on his Thunderbyrd record. He had a really good band back then. Also, in 1987 when Dylan, Petty and The Heartbreakers toured Europe, Roger McGuinn was the special guest. I saw them in Birmingham and at Wembley Arena.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 10:47:34 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Norm's right. Because McGuinn started it, the mood was set and that was how it continued. If Bob had started singing first, it might have turned out different. It is one I identify with The Byrds first. Mr Tambourine Man would be equal verging to Bob first, but My Back Pages definitely makes me think Byrds initially. To be honest, if You Ain't Goin' Nowhere or Nothing Was delivered start playing in my head, it's The Byrds I hear, not the BTs.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 10:34:24 CET 2014 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: McGuinn

(Link to 2011 review of Roger McGuinn). Tom Petty has collaborated with Roger McGuinn (King of the Hill) so it was unfair of me to say he was imitating, but rather "admiring" and "influenced by." I looked back at my 2011 review. You can see why McGuinn sticks to these solo shows with narrative, but it would be so good to hear him with a band again. Tom Petty's band would be ideal!

Leonard Cohen 3 CD / DVD set "Live in Dublin 2013" comes out today.

Entered at Mon Dec 1 10:19:05 CET 2014 from (81.107.236.227)

Roger

Subject: The Byrds, The Band and Americana

Norm - that documentary is excellent and appears fairly regularly on BBC 4 in the UK. (A miracle of modern broadcasting).

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