The Band Guestbook, February 2018

Entered at Wed Feb 28 23:47:10 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

New Age Norm, a line in that last post of yours earned you a new name. LOL :-)

Lee, you'll bounce back, though the older we get , bouncing is more bruising, less fun, & increasingly treacherous. Of course, ya never know what happens.. I'm sorry to hear of your son's predicament, & hope it gets favorably resolved soon. the hypocrisy of the laws is fucking abominable.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 21:35:40 CET 2018 from (74.103.167.178)

b.lee

Subject: Guns and such

Sorry to have gone dark. Let go (with 2 others) after 4.5 years as a recently hired contractor from my work. This is what happens when you take over a company you don't underdatnd and let your #1 salesman walk. Hurting.

To the point: My son is saddled with a felony conviction regarding gun ownership and armed confrontation in his own home. We apparently don't have the "right to defend" statute here in Delaware. The rescinding of this bs judgement has been many years overdue, but "still in progress". Yet felons are able to buy guns on the street with impunity, and walk after posting bail.

Twitler wants to arm teachers, thinking this will make schools safer. Having actually taught in a public school, I believe this is nonsense. Most likely, the minimally trained teacher would most likely kill more innocents than the perpetrator. How is this progress?

God bless the companies and organizations distancing themselves from the NRA. I have worked with and been freinds with many hunters and responsional gun owners, whom I respect. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons have no place in our society.

(Sorry, no music content.)

Entered at Wed Feb 28 21:18:50 CET 2018 from (187.237.93.178)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Tragedy

The students of the Florida school had a song they had composed. They sang it at the end of that "Town Hall Meeting". It was great, but who is to say that they may appreciate another one. I don't think there is anyone here who would think you were taking advantage of the guest book Bob. Everyone left here is pretty under standing.

Today I had a burger and fries for lunch. They are" t great here but OK. There was sliced up red onions which I like. They had little pieces of orange pepper in them I thought was just bell pepper'........no it wasn't. They even had the seeds on. I been whining like a little girl. Susan is still laughing.😂

Entered at Wed Feb 28 19:18:56 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Entered at Wed Feb 28 19:03:40 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

In the 60s that song woulda been getting sung in Washington Sq Park on a sunny day.

Today the place is down in Florida.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 18:50:14 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Jeff, thanks for your help. Wow! I hope no one on the GB thought we were trying to take advantage of this tragedy. RoseAnn's been playing this song for a couple of years now. It happens to be on the new EP and was always going to be the first song released. Ro's been screaming about gun control since she was knee high to a grasshopper.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 18:39:02 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Al, thanks for posting on your Red and White Kop Forum.

I've never heard of Ed Amoo or The Real Thing. I'm surprised You To Me Are Everything wasn't a hit in America. That sound was very popular on the east coast. Something like The Spinners.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 18:34:26 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

I did it once, and now I'm gonna post the song and the story behind it on a MSNBC page article again, and i suggest other people start doing similar things.Maybe it;s been done alot, i dunno.... But anything that can get the song some exposure to people in position.. It's not opportunistic- it's necessary and it;s one of the things that can help a movement....

Entered at Wed Feb 28 18:21:20 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Subject: Keef on the cover of The Wall Street Journal

Entered at Wed Feb 28 16:17:11 CET 2018 from (86.175.224.229)

Al Edge

Got to admit - beyond their huge hit and seeing him and his brother at the park I wasn't that familiar with his work myself but there has been a decent acknowledgement of him over here.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 16:14:14 CET 2018 from (86.175.224.229)

Al Edge

That's great news Bob. Let's hope it begins to get the attention it so richly merits primarily as Jeff says to focus attention on the plight of those so tragically affected and the burning hypocrisies involved in the issue but also to perhaps enable the huge talent of a little known artist to flourish that bit more.

Incidentally Bob I did try to put up a comment but it never registered.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 07:45:59 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 01:33:16 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Entered at Wed Feb 28 00:57:16 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Feb 27 21:51:33 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Subject: Review of RoseAnn's song Sorry(Thoughts and Prayers)

It's been a struggle getting folks to take a minute and listen to RoseAnn's new song on gun violence. You really can't get anywhere until you're somewhere. This week we've seen a little gain. Her song landed on a great activism playlist on Spotify. Now she got a great review from this music blog

"Sorry feels classic and timeless hinged on folk / country guitar supported by violin and subtle swelling organs and RoseAnn's blistering vocals. I could write about the all to relevant lyrics but it is just better that you listen and feel this emotional song and shout it from the rooftops."

Entered at Tue Feb 27 15:44:02 CET 2018 from (187.237.93.178)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Old

What is wrong with being that old All? You whipper snapper!

Entered at Tue Feb 27 15:19:09 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Entered at Tue Feb 27 15:16:34 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

While we're on vintage TV, when asked the question "Where were you when JFK was assassinated?" Mrs V always lets us down by saying "I remember the day very well. It was awful. They cancelled Dr Kildare!"

Entered at Tue Feb 27 15:12:16 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Entered at Tue Feb 27 14:50:45 CET 2018 from (86.175.224.229)

Al Edge

Fred - please tell me you're not that old!!

:-0)

Entered at Tue Feb 27 14:42:28 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Some sounds have a ring that keep ringing.......

Blame a WASP. A WASP musta called sauce gravy, some one liked the rhyme,and the rest was history.... I ain't letting the Jews ain't get blamed for this travesty.

Entered at Tue Feb 27 14:16:15 CET 2018 from (86.175.224.229)

Al Edge

Subject: RIP Eddy Amoo [The Chants and Real Thing]

Sad news. Saw him and his brother with their dogs stood by the sweet shop next to the Aigburth Vale corner of Sefton Park a few times when I used to take the kids to the caves and call back there for sweets and pop.

Real gents the two of them.

Who of us Brits could ever forget that incredible summer of '76? The hottest ever with clear blue skies every day from June to September - and the airwaves ruled by Eddy's delicious vocal in that absolutely perfect summer song. I know there's far far more to the fella and his music than that one song but when all is said and done what a wonderful legacy that is to have - the entire country beguiled for an entire summer as those perfect blue skies were filled with the beauty of Eddy Amoo's superb singing, soaring out through open car windows and transistor radios.

RIP

Entered at Tue Feb 27 14:14:06 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Jeff: no law school for me....just a benefit from watching numerous episodes of the original Perry Mason on late night TV instead of studying while in university. : )

That use of the term "gravy" might have been seen as one tool in trying to further Americanize the immigrant household; blend in with the locals. That sort of thing. Just a theory I have...with no concrete facts to back it up. More of an impression, I guess.

A Stingray bike with a banana seat....I had one (a 1969 model..3 speed), a hand me down from an older cousin. Fun times!

Entered at Tue Feb 27 13:52:34 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Subject: Guns, Gangs, & Gargiulos

Linked. Gargiuolos, a long established Coney Island very very heavily mobbed up & i guess fancy restaurant, announced a NRA fundraiser a few days after the Parkland school massacre. Some Brooklyn and NYC politicians are up in arms....

When i wa s a kid, the greatest Italian Restaurant in Coney Island was Carolina's restaurant. It closed in my teens, but the chef. Fiorentiono, opened up another place ( fiorentinos) on Ave U in Gravesend.... Also now gone... Gargiulos is the Italian restaurant that survived in Coney Island....

Entered at Tue Feb 27 13:42:55 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

I miss the old long lasting lineups and long lasting team rivalries. And real earth shattering never ever expected possible or never in your wildest dreams trades. Like the one that sent Earl Monroe from the Bullets to The Knicks. And then watching how real rivals with extremely different styles of play adjust and how that backcourt was brilliant... Teams used to stay teams, &evolve in a way that was gorgeous to see... The knicks did it a few time,s the Celtics, the Lakers..... it was something to watch......... and there still was a very real constancy and identity....

I actually miss it...

Entered at Tue Feb 27 13:20:49 CET 2018 from (81.159.125.3)

Dunc

That's true, Fred. Both teams have been to the semi finals of the European Cup, and Dundee United were harshly done by as Roma bribed the referee with 50000 Euros in the second leg. Scottish teams will never get so far again in this tournament because it is all about the money. Dundee is in the news for another reason just now. The V&A is opening a museum there and the building, designed by a Japanese architect, is incredible. I can't link.

JQ - the sequel to 'Trainspotting' got good reviews. I have still to see it because I missed the fist time when it came out and I want to see it at the cinema. So just waiting for it to come back to one of the art houses. When I saw Lou Reed, he said how much he enjoyed 'Trainspotting'.

If you ever get the chance (maybe you have) try to see Peter McDougal's TV plays from the seventies, which changed playwriting in the UK for their realism. The parts of Scotland the tourists don't see. I was often in those areas with football teams. Never Show Fear. Frankie Miller is brilliant in 'Just A Boy's Game' and there is a Band link in that Martin Scorsese compared it to 'Mean Streets'.

Bob F - I don't know how I missed 'Case Studies'. I was asking my daughter about it and she thought it was brilliant. The new series of 'Shetland' is great. I enjoyed 'Bosch'. Watch 'Strike' also, Bob.

Entered at Tue Feb 27 13:13:33 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Feb 27 11:29:53 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Al E: And to think he was offloaded by AS Roma for the modern football equivalent of a pittance.

Entered at Tue Feb 27 10:11:53 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Dunc: is it in Dundee where the two city teams stadia are seperated by a very short distance? Or have I mistaken one Scottish city for another?

Entered at Tue Feb 27 10:06:29 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

The Song Remains The Same - Led Zep....more specifically CD 2 ....I was filling out my taxes during the Dazed & Confused track.

Have No Fear Joe Turner Is Here - Big Joe Turner...on the walk to the tax office from the bus stop.

Days Like This - Van Morrison...on the way back home from the tax office, the song Days Like This was on a loop. ; )

Call of the Wildest - Louis Prima...at home, still feeling good from having filed my taxes.

Let The Good Times Roll: The Anthology 1938-1953 - Louis Jordan...as a pick-me-up after the Canadian curling debacle at the Olympics. Don't get me started on the hockey (men's and women's).

Vol. 2 High and Inside - The Baseball Project... 'cause spring training has started.

Entered at Tue Feb 27 09:54:25 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

That is grounds for instant excommunication from the Paesan-hood!

; )

Entered at Tue Feb 27 05:38:15 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Subject: Feud. Gravy or Sauce. Shoot Em Up.

The linked article included macaroni and gravy. And bullets in your bolognese.

Wanna start an argument in Brooklyn, Here ya go. More people than not grew up with their mothers making spaghetti sauce, or meatballs and spaghetti with sauce, pasta and sauce, etc, than not. But then, there's plenty that grew up with their mother making "macaronis and gravy" for dinner or lunch. Sure, in the Godfather they used "sauce", and it is more common. But plenty of Brookyln Italians say gravy, and Sunday gravy... It's a constant argument. But truth is, both are valid. My family said sauce.

But to me, "macaronis and gravy" is just a fun thing to say.

This restaurant is in Carrol Gardens or Cobble Hill, depending who you ask. It was an Italian stronghold, to some degree it still is. I wouldn't fuck around over there. Acouple of years ago i was talking with a business owner there and taking some photos ( you'll see em soon). A neighborhood guy with a lotta miles on him and a very pronounced limp came in to the joint and got very nervous when he saw the camera. I shut it right away. showed him he wasn't in any of the pictures...I did that one other time too, have some other camera stories too, that camera can get you in trouble.

Entered at Mon Feb 26 23:19:31 CET 2018 from (187.237.93.178)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Guns

I wonder if any of you have seen a video called Jeffries destroys gun ownership. A young Australian comedian on stage in Boston. You got to see him. It's on Facebook. Maybe some one knows how to link it.

Entered at Mon Feb 26 18:26:36 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.144)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Feb 26 15:47:04 CET 2018 from (187.237.93.178)

Rockin Chairing

Subject: Relaxing

I don't drink a lot even on the all inclusive scene. They have a drink around here and I also don't drink mixed up drinks. I'm sure everyone knows what a pina calauda is. Well they drizzle a little grenadine in there and call it a pink panther. Now laying in the hot sun sipping on one of them is gawd danm hard work!😂

Entered at Mon Feb 26 15:36:36 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Johnny Cash

Band fans may be interested in the very fine piece on Johnny Cash by Dave Stephens in "Toppermost." Linked.

Entered at Sun Feb 25 21:10:14 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sun Feb 25 20:46:33 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Land of 1000 Dances LP - Cannibal and The Headhunters. A Sire Records album before Sire became independent, so on CBS. Mr Seymour Stein of Sire apparently wrote "La Bamba." Well, according to the credits.

Up-Tight - original soundtrack, Booker T & The MGs. Great guest soul vocal from Judy Clay on "Children Don't Get Weary."

Soul Limbo LP - Booker T & The MGs, in which they have a go at Jimi Hendrix on Foxy Lady and also cover Born Under A Bad Sign and Eleanor Rigby. Best tracks are still Soul Limbo and Hang Em High.

Westbound No 9 Lp- The Flaming Ember. In which H-D-H write under pseudonyms. First Hot Wax LP, I found one in pristine condition.

The Time Has Come LP - The Chambers Brothers. One of those inevitable poor vinyl secondhand buys. Record looks gleamingly clean and glossy but sounds like a Rice Krispies advert … snap, crackle and pop. Possibly played only once but on a really shitty deck. It happens.

Entered at Sun Feb 25 12:50:20 CET 2018 from (83.250.90.242)

"NWC"

It should have been "Greater Copenhagen".

My fifteen years old LINUX computer is jumping over letters just like Englismen do ;-)

Entered at Sun Feb 25 12:46:18 CET 2018 from (83.250.90.242)

NortWestCoaster

Subject: English

Thanks PETER V on your post on English language. I will spent the rest of this sunny and crispy Sunday to go in the deep of your linguistic post which I love, in case I am not going to taste sunny and crispy Sauvignon Blanc instead... I understand that you have left a letter or two in your language. We Finns did this, too. We have quit this destructive behaviour for 500 years ago!

To whom it may concern. - I don't have any access to my Spray (just rubbish!!!!) account anymore. If someone has tried to reach me it is in vain.

Entered at Sun Feb 25 05:24:57 CET 2018 from (210.86.86.103)

Rod

Entered at Sat Feb 24 23:37:48 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Little Island from Sea To The North is on my "Relaxing" playlist and has been played at least once a week for years.

Entered at Sat Feb 24 23:15:01 CET 2018 from (47.20.223.113)

Jeff A.

Entered at Sat Feb 24 21:25:13 CET 2018 from (115.189.81.249)

Rod

Entered at Sat Feb 24 19:11:33 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Dunc, we've been watching a great 2 season crime show from Scotland called Case Histories. I'm really surprised it wasn't a huge show. Great soundtrack of mostly female artists including Lucinda, Mary Gauthier, Sarah McLachian, First Aid Kit. You familiar with this show?

Entered at Sat Feb 24 18:13:14 CET 2018 from (107.77.97.98)

JQ

Hi Dunc - I saw this a few days ago and thought it was great, a good #2. But I also missed some so I need to see it again straight through. Is it well regarded there? R Carlyle’s menace performance reminds me of Ben Kingsley’s in Sexy Beast. I believe they left some unfinished biz that could fuel #3. Am I late on this, like a year?

Entered at Sat Feb 24 15:02:42 CET 2018 from (86.135.142.255)

Dunc

Bob F:Yes, should have included Mike Scott and forgot about Danny Wilson. Not my era. Thanks, Mate.

JQ:I love all three films, but you're correct about what is the best film. I always wondered if Bill forsyth's talent should have led to a greater career.

Technology, Bill M. Not a clue about it.

Hope you can get past the wall to get home, Rockin' Chair.

My last 5 played. A salute to America.

Tracy Chapman 'Our Bright Future'

John Fogerty 'Revival'

The Byrds 'The Notorious Byrd Brothers'

Little Feat 'Little Feat'

Steely Dan 'Can't Buy A Thrill'

Just back from Tots' football....Away to real football now.

Entered at Sat Feb 24 13:43:53 CET 2018 from (47.20.223.113)

Jeff A.

Entered at Sat Feb 24 11:53:56 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

We are back to the monkish scribes of the 12th century who found that because of its multiple sources, the newly emerging English language only had 5 letters to represent up to twenty vowel sounds. They doubled letters to create more, and invented the final silent e. The function in English, if there is only one consonant before it, is to make the preceding vowel long, rather than short. So we have cut and cute, pet and Pete, bit and bite, not and note, rat and rate. So those accustomed to English will tend to think a final e is silent. Not in Italian, it isn't!

Entered at Sat Feb 24 11:45:04 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sat Feb 24 11:15:50 CET 2018 from (47.20.223.113)

Jeff A.

Apparently, at least four years ago, Signor Roberto still had associates in Calabria. See the link

Entered at Sat Feb 24 11:13:40 CET 2018 from (47.20.223.113)

Jeff A.

Pete, unfortunately, the trend is towards the Carphone pronounciation. I always naturally used the vowel sound. For me it would be normal to say Carconay, Scorsayzee or Calabraysee for calabrese. then one day ages ago I heard Calabrese pronounced Calabrays , & it made me question the situation...

Linked is the Correct way to say Calabrese, from Godfather II.

Entered at Sat Feb 24 10:24:25 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Never ask an Italian-North American how to properly say an Italian name....they get it wrong all the time. Unless they can speak Italian properly, that is. ; )

And never get an Italian to pronounce English names. The letter "r" gets rolled a wee bit too much. : )

Entered at Sat Feb 24 09:35:41 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Scorsese and Carbone

I had noticed that Robbie says Scor-sessie (to rhyme with Score Bessie). UK film critics sometimes do too, but most people say Score-Say-Zee which as Jeff's link shows is Italian. It has shifted … funny we expect "Martin" to have shifted, but not the surname. I got very worked up about a similar Italian-American change in the linked long review of the major London "A View From The Bridge."

The main point about "Eddie Carbone" is cut and pasted here:

Next one, Italian names surely end in vowel sounds. The name was Car-Bone here to rhyme with carphone. It’s always been Car-Bone-Ay in other productions. Like minestrone, and Ennio Morricone. OK, it shows Eddie has Americanized himself. I can justify it, but it jarred. I could see Eddie saying Car-Bone at a pinch, but the Italians and Mr Alfieri would be definitely saying Car-Bone-Ay. Maybe Mr Alfieri did earlier as I hadn’t noticed the jarring till later.

(ADDED: In my relentless pursuit of accuracy, I dined at Carbone, the magnificent Italian-American restaurant in Greenwich Village, New York, opened just over a year ago. I asked. They pronounce it Car-bone as in carphone. They explained that Car-bone-ay was “The Godfather I” while Car-bone was “The Godfather 2.” Second generation immigrants Americanized. Then to add to the synchronicity, we took a taxi back to our Brooklyn hotel, a few hundred yards away from Eddie’s Red Hook. I wonder if the production was influenced by the restaurant.)

Entered at Sat Feb 24 04:29:16 CET 2018 from (67.80.25.52)

Jeff A.

Subject: I knew it.I believe the old lady

This makes more sense. i knew Marty was full of himself. And full of shit too.

Entered at Sat Feb 24 04:26:36 CET 2018 from (67.80.25.52)

Jeff A.

Subject: How to pronounce...( I needed to know this).

See the link

I needed to know so googled how to pronounce Martin Scorsese. If that failed i was gonna ask Garth.

I say bullshit. His parents never woulda pronounced Scorsese that way. Rhyming with Calabrese makes the most sense. Scorsays, Scorsais, or the other way that would be less normal but very NYC Italian, Scorsayzee.

Entered at Fri Feb 23 14:33:15 CET 2018 from (24.114.64.155)

Bill M

Entered at Fri Feb 23 06:16:18 CET 2018 from (67.81.96.142)

Jeff A.

Entered at Fri Feb 23 05:47:51 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

I was thinking of setting up something per paypal but I havent.

Entered at Fri Feb 23 04:26:34 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: STOP! STOP!!!

4 in the morning.....I get waked up with John Fogerty roarin' thru' my head.

Sometimes I think life is just a rodeo,

The trick is to ride, and make it to the bell.

There is a place, sweet as you will ever know.

Time out od time, for you and no one else.....

Hey lets go, all over the world....rock and roll girl.....

I'm goin' to Mexico tomorrow.........don't bother me!

Entered at Fri Feb 23 02:21:38 CET 2018 from (67.81.96.142)

Jeff A.

Subject: the Governor of Missouri was just arrested & booked, indicted, in St Louis. No joke.

A Republican. Felony invasion of privacy. Too good . Ya gotta read it....

Johnny gave me the finger cause i forgot to enter my name.

If you can watch The chris hayes show on MSNBC soemhow, it will repeat again later, and is probably n you tube, Sam Zeiff, one of the PArkland kids who spoke to Trppm yeatsrday, and was on TV a lot last night, was just on again with his father. amazing kid, has got great answers, super composed, and his father is rather eloquent and has great thoughts as well...

Entered at Fri Feb 23 02:13:29 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Down South

I can't believe I haven't heard of Benji Shanks before. Playing slide on that SG2 is as good as it gets. Charlie Starr the lead singer sings this song as good as any body ever will.

Apparently that Blonde Les Paul is Duane Allman's guitar. Every year it is taken out of the museum and played. I'd of paid a lot of money to be at that show.

Entered at Fri Feb 23 02:11:26 CET 2018 from (67.81.96.142)

Jeff A.

Anyone from Jersey looking in? Bernard Purdie on drums, Rob PAparozzi, one of the Blues Brothers frontmen on vocals, harp, and anything else , guitar or keys, and one other player, known this Saturday as The Rob Paparozzi Trio, are playing Barnacle Bills in Rumson....Just a neighborhood bar...It;s kinda central Jersey, leaning towards the south.

Today's four:
Two from Jimmie Lee Robinson .
Guns, Gangs & Drugs
Remember Me.. Jimmie was one of the great known great unknowns, known amongst deep blues lovers, and musicians. One helluva player, & singer, had real swing & the earliest jazz, real delta in his blues. Born in chicago. Jimmie was a philosopher, a radical of sorts, did a over 80 day fast one time, just drank some liquids, i forget what he was protesting, i think the prison syatem.... or maybe he was trying to bring attention to the gun violence... this guy could talk all day..
Tommy Bankhead & the Blues Eldorados- Please Mr. Foreman
another master. Played on some of thee initial electric blues records, and with his cousin elmore James.. Was a deputy sheriff in Wellston, one of the worst parts of st louis. This is an amazing record... Making Love Is Good For You sounds like pure Mississippi grease. The last few years of his life tommy would perform a setm go back and sit hooked up to his oxygen tank, then do another set later...

Marshall Crenshaw - Life's Too Short - A GREAT FUCKING RECORD AND PLAYING AGAIN.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 19:57:12 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Black Flies!!!!

Peter just the thought of those dirty little bastards makes me cringe. Outside of Prince Rupert about 20 miles is Dundas Island an area where we gillnet salmon for years the island is about 20 miles long. There is nothing lives on that island. No animals NOTHING, but black flies. Up on the island is a VHF radio repeater. When the maintenance guys are heli lifted up there to do maintenance they have to wear complete suits to survive. We fish maybe a mile off the west shore. We use a repellent called "Musk oil" Without it you can't survive.

I have a question here, (I may be behind the times). Doing some youtube surfing and listening I came across the band, "Black Berry Smoke". A southern rock, country rock band from Atlanta , Georgia. HOLY SHIT! Have you guys heard them?

One guy's comment, "If Dwayne Allman and Derek Trucks had a band it would sound like this. The lead singer puts me in mind of Tom Petty. Anyway they are doing a concert and a couple of guys from Kentucky Head Hunters are jamming with them. They sing The Night they drove old Dixie down. You guys need to hear this. It is gawd damn unreal!!!

Entered at Thu Feb 22 19:56:38 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

Entered at Thu Feb 22 19:36:48 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Thu Feb 22 19:31:39 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Norm, 20 odd years ago we took one of the floatplane trip from Vancouver to a “secret lake” (each plane had their own). Twenty or thirty minute flight. The pilot had a large gun and a picnic basket and there were a lot of bear prints round the picnic table on the beach. For tourists? I don’t know. Anyway, he said he liked trips with two adults and three kids (our party) because the plane got over the trees easily (he made me sit in the front taking off to trim the plane). He said he’d had a couple of trips with five large adults and had had to leave two adults, ferry three back to Vancouver and return for the others.

“Do you leave them the gun?” I asked

“No. They’re usually Americans. They’d start shooting each other,” he told me. “Or they’re so dumb, they’ll shoot themselves. I leave the bear spray.”

“Is the bear spray any good?” I asked.

“Put it this way. If the bear isn’t interested, a little whiff will make it less interested. Trouble is, if it’s interested, a little whiff is going to make it really fucking angry.”

Entered at Thu Feb 22 19:25:43 CET 2018 from (67.81.96.142)

Jeff A.

It Makes No difference , cripple Creek, Chest Fever, Stage Fright, The Shape I'm In, Walcott, certianly were very common songs for them to play. - Solo or duo shows, other songs were common. Danko Manuel did plenty of Rr songs, Danko too.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 19:02:27 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

Entered at Thu Feb 22 18:04:03 CET 2018 from (67.81.96.142)

Jeff A.

btw, rusty seems to have the biggest ego of anyone ever in poco.....

Entered at Thu Feb 22 17:57:50 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Guns and Music... no not guns and roses

Calvin, we agree on more than one thing. What is the name of your book and where can I get it? I'm interested.

I guess this morning the head guy of the NRA was on CNN giving his redneck pitch about how necessary guns are. I came in just after I guess. Susan looked up wide eyed and said it's a good thing you weren't here a few minutes ago. You probably would have put your foot thru' the TV.

I have had these thoughts the last few days and particulary since remarks by Marco Rubio last night. One young student (who obviously knew his stuff) asked Rubio about his thoughts on multicartridge clips. He said he had never thought about it. This shows there are too many people making decisions on guns that they know nothing about.

Examples. I have hunted for over 25 years with a Parker Hale Super Safari 30:06 bolt action, (an English safari gun). These rifles have a clip that holds 4 rounds. Very few rifles for hunting hold more. A Model 94 Winchester 30:30,Saddle gun holds 7 in the breech. This was my deer gun I gave to my son. These assault guns have 30 round clips. I have shot a Garran with a 30 round clip of tracers just at drift logs on the beach. The devastation they cause is horrific. Some of these idiots who lobby and insist those guns are necessary need to be hiding in a closet like those children fearing for their lives and see how they feel about having all those guns around. For hunting you should be able to take down your game with a shot, using the right size gun and grain of shot. A second shot for a wounded animal ok. 30 round clips shouldn't even be played with.

The movies in the USA, examples, "Heat" with Robert Deniro and Al Pachino, "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis sensationalize these weapons with the amount of shoot outs in the movies and shots fired. Just barrages of shots. A lot of deranged young people are stimulated by this. Example, Patty Hearst. It is crazy.

I haven't hunted for a long time. I keep my rifle, and my 12 gage Winchester because we live pretty well in the wilds of BC. Many of the places we go with our boats and go ashore with our small boats we encounter grizzly bear. We avoid them, but they are unpredictable so you have to be very careful and prudent about protecting yourself.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 17:10:25 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

So totally within my Grandfather's life. We need to be armed to the teeth.

I'm appalled by so many people who seem to be openly saying their need to own an arsenal outweighs children's death. I mean their was more outrage over American Football players not standing for our national anthem.

Been listening to a lot of one offs of late. Searching out bands, many from the 60s and 70s, who released one fairly good album and then drifted into obscurity.

My new book on the Akron Music Scene of the 70s and 80s started appearing in some independent stores in the area yesterday even though it isnt officially released til March 5th. Have to say I've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of interest. It's really gratifying to write about music you love and it be so well received.

Also listening to some Blind Faith, have Winwood tickets in a few weeks. Excited although Ive heard his voice is shot.

I was a bit thrown when Rusty released that album as a solo project as the band was the current lineup of Poco. Two of the guys I get, but Jack has I think the 3rd longest tenure in the history of the band. Making him part of Rusty's backing band for ego's sake seemed shitty. Im surprised to hear Rusty is now trying to pitch it as a Poco album, as at first he was clearly making a distinction that it was his solo effort.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 09:42:37 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

The 2nd Amendment was written when the USA faced three potentially predatory colonial neighbours contesting its frontiers: Britain, France and Spain. Add the (exaggerated) threat of conflict with Native Americans as it expanded westwards. Put it in perspective. The USA is rare in having no foreign army on its territory since 1836. And at that point Texas wasn’t part of the USA. So 1812?

In contrast, most European countries have been threatened or invaded in the last 80 years.

The USA has no serious separatist region. No Catalan or Ulster issues. In comparing countries, the USA has the least need of a “well-regulated militia” (which I would take to mean the National Guard) of anywhere. Its main neighbours have no aggressive territorial disputes.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 08:58:41 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Important stuff

John Pine - Paradise & Spanish Pipe Dream

John Mayer & Keith Urban - Don't Bring Me Down & Gravity

The Allman Bros - Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad

Derek Trucks & Eric Clapton - Layla

Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian Rail Road Trilogy

Entered at Thu Feb 22 08:07:03 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The obvious

Some people just are not that bright. When Mueller gets done with Trump all the crazies that support him will want a war against the people who put down their "fair haired boy".

Any one who sees a "need" to own an AR 15 is not playing with a full deck anyway.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 06:18:40 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 06:08:14 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

One minute you got Bob Mueller taking down Twitler, the next day you got the US turning into The USSR.

You can still do splits? At your age?

You must be a Gemini.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 05:33:40 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: I'll be damn

A woman whose daughter was killed asked this woman who represented the NRA the exact question I posed. How is your right to bare arms more important than my daughter's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Her answer was just stupid our guns are trying to protect her right.

If you look on the internet here, the guy who invented the AR15 never intended it for commercial sale. It's purpose was for advantage in war. His family said, although he died some years ago he would be horrified to know how the "American Gun of choice" is being used.

Of course there is countries divided and at war all over this planet, but they are not the same government claiming to be united. Looks like the whole country is going to implode just like the USSR.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 04:50:45 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 04:09:29 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: A Country Divided

I've been reading an article from Crisis Magazine, "The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence" LIFE Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It seems the country is so divided, the second amendment (to some) supersedes this declaration. As history and politics interest me, to find the reasons behind the division of a country in this way is interesting.

Marco Rubio has got his nuts in a wringer. It was not surprising to find that this Florida high school has the top debating team in America. These young folks are impressive and give hope for a better world.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 02:30:27 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

Dunc: It happened again - Scotland in the news for something other than politics. Seems that the Bank of Scotland will be introducing AI-driven digital tellers - all named Cora, it seems. (Sounds like a Monty Python skit, "Cora, meet Cora, Cora Cora" - but we must get past thah.) I'd pay money to hear Cora assure me, preferably in an Aberdeen accent, that she can help me arrange a "wee mortgage". Ahh, to hear the special motor-boat sound of the rolling R.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 01:59:33 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: As the world turns

As children get gunned down in the gun crazy USA. In Syria 400 thousand people are under siege with no food and water. I think it was the last 24 hours 300 have died, 59 of them children. We have such great leaders in this world.

Trump plays golf, Putin goes fishing and people die. I am really proud to be of the human race......think I'll move to Mars.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 01:48:04 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

Entered at Thu Feb 22 01:30:24 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

Safety? Prevention?

end corporate contributions to political campaigns. Only voters can contribute to political campaigns- that would fix it. No Superpacs, no corporate contributions. that would make schools safe from gun violence..... No money- no NRA.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 01:16:32 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Same old, Same old

The NRA has just issued a statement. They will not consider lowering the age for buying firearms, or back ground checks. "It is infringing on second amendment rights".

This is obviously a shot across Trump's bow. The NRA will be represented at the meeting tonight. Therefore second amendment rights is more important than lives. It's hard to believe in this day and age the leaders of a country like this will tolerate this for money.

There is a church now (considered a cult) run by a guy who does guess what? Manufactures guns. Couples are supposed to bring their AR 15 rifles to have them blessed. This is in Philadelphia.

Entered at Thu Feb 22 01:09:43 CET 2018 from (107.77.97.108)

JQ

I wish they would have asked Trump about the NRA: Why would anybody send them money and why are these GOP phlegm taking it in by the millions. The great lie that Hillary, Obama and George Soros are “coming for your guns” is likely an inspiration. Or that they teach gun safety; which is bullshit too, every police dpt can and normally does handle that responsibility. In any event, god bless those brave and remarkably articulate kids!

Entered at Thu Feb 22 00:28:15 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

Subject: You can wtach this on the news

i watched this guy, Andrew Pollack, let trump have it on cable tv....You can read what he said in the link.... He was pissed. In the White House... Definite NY or New Jersey or Long Island accent. No doubt about it, most likely one of the boroughs. So he moved to Florida for his kids to be safer & his daughter gets massacred...... this guy an;t gonna shut up. He will haunt Trump, Trump gotta know it....This guy ain't goin away.

Entered at Wed Feb 21 22:37:28 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

Entered at Wed Feb 21 20:53:46 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

Calvin, Rusty got amazingly lucky, that new label Blue Elan (Bob, Roseann should contact them, request permission to submit) , the owner approached him to make that solo album that he is now promoting as a Poco album all over the place. The little i've heard of it, I'm not impressed and i'm just not a fan of Rusty's as a writer, a singer, or a frontman. With Paul i could handle him. With Richie or Tim i'm sure i could too. But, i truly have had itwith Furay, which is amazing, cause he was one of my complete and total favorite singers, writers, and frontmen.

Yes, about a decade ago his voice was almost as perfect as it was 40 years ago. In 05 he was off the chain, but his band really was not that good, still ain't, same band....And today, his voice is wearing out, but he sure don't sound like he is in his mid 70s..

Entered at Wed Feb 21 20:21:37 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Gregg Allman - Southern Blood

The Allman Brothers - 1971 Fillmore East Recordings

Sam Cooke - Live At The Harlam Square Club 1963

Amy Winehouse - Frank

John Lennon - Imagine - Gimme Some Truth

Entered at Wed Feb 21 19:44:39 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Common Sense & Reason

It boggles the mind that the politicians of what is supposed to be the most powerful country in the world are still so ignorant and narrow minded that it takes the fresh common sense and reason of young adults just entering adulthood to try to bring them to their senses.

There is no doubt that behind the mere 2+ million NRA members, the gun manufacture industry is behind this.

I was just looking at our beginning of gun registry, (I'll have to look again) I believe it was over 25 years ago now. There was a gun amnesty. People were not allowed to transport the guns themselves, you called the nearest RCMP Detachment and they come and pick up the guns, no questions asked. In one month they collected over 5000 guns.

There is over, what did they say yesterday, 16,000,000 ar15's in the USA. That is probably more than in the armed forces. No ones needs to take a gun safety course or be of any adult age, (but you got to be 21 to drink). The USA laws are a hundred years behind the times. Maybe when more of these politicians start dying off these young people will be able to enact sensible laws.

To buy guns in Canada, you have to first of all as I said, have a "firearms acquisition certificate" it's like a drivers licence with picture ID, and encoded ID that I believe is pretty impossible to forge. In this way a dealer doesn't have to do the checking or wonder about your right to own a gun. The checking that is done to award an acquisition licence is not done over night. It takes some time and there is a waiting period. This is only sensible.

This business of private selling of guns at flea markets etc can easily be handled. If you sell a gun to some one there should be a receipt that goes to the law. It shouldn't be that difficult to set up an agency to look after that. If a gun is used in a crime it needs to be traced to the source. It's only common sense.

Entered at Wed Feb 21 19:31:48 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

I was glad, but somewhat confused by the really positive reviews Young's new album got. Even with a ton of studio help I'm sure his voice was shot. Lately though Messina and Furay, and I guess Timothy have been showing up to shows and sitting in. So still worth a ticket.

As for Richie, yeah. Love thus music but today he posted on Facebook praising Sarah Sanders and making a crack about Obama golfing during tragedies. Seriously? But then a show with him and Chris Hillman about a decade ago was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.

Entered at Wed Feb 21 19:07:28 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.103)

Jeff A.

If you can watch this on any station, maybe find it on a CNN or MSNBC you tube, all i can say is that these kids are amazing. All kinds of kids. WASPS, Catholics, Jews, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans. A couple of them were rather brilliant, and behaved like intelligent, eloquent , accomplished, and experienced forty or fifty year olds, No joke. They were all poignant, powerful, unflinching, & determined yet still unavoidedly visibly effected by what happened.

These kids are powerful, and i sure as hell hope that there are tens of thousands more made of the same stuff they are.

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Peter V

So … Dear Miss Lonelyhearts … how can I escape to listen to anything else? And do I want to?

Entered at Wed Feb 21 06:30:08 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

The Russian bots are all over The PArkland shooting.... mutherfuckers -

Entered at Wed Feb 21 06:12:40 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

On the perpetual subject of bands holding on without longtime members: Poco was one band that lost original memebrs quickly but improved. Tim Schmidt replacing randy Meisner- for Poco it was an improvement. Tim became a leader later..... Paul cotton replaicng Jim Messina, yeah, for Poco. it was an improvement. that Richie Furay, Tim Schmidt, Paul Cotton, Rusty Young, George Grantham band was top of the heap, as good as any band ever.... When Richie split, and they stayed essentialy a 4 piece, even with Al Garth for a while you'd haver to consider them a 4 piece , they were fine band, made soem excellent records, but, it really wasnt; the same. Still great live, but not the same.. Still loved em, but the same band.....

them Tim left for the Eagles, and george took session and road work....

It was gonna be the Cotton Young band- the label said it gotta be Poco.

Poco remerged with the Legend Album, with a engish duo on bass and drums. A slightly different sound, well, a few slighlty idferent sounds, but amazingly, even with tim and Goerge, stillk Poco. Down to two original memebrs, and though i hated rusty's voice, and pretty much hated his songwriting, there was no denying it was Poco. Goerge's new songs, and the old soings, George's gutar, and rusty's steel, abd George's voice, kept it Pococ. It worked. There were brillinat shows.. And soem great, some fine records... With the Englishmen.

then The englishmen split, enter Jack Sundrud and back came Goerge Grantham. Onemore time, still Poco

n George had a storke, new drumme,r i wasnt crazy about, George LAwrence..

then Paul cotton left... _ no more Poco since... though Rusty has the band making records and touring, Rusty. Mike Webb, Sundrud, and the great Rick Lonow on drums now.... but Rusty's voice is shot, and i never liked it anyway. Even if Paul was in the band, his voice is shot now.... I night go see a show when Richie is in it, just for old times sake, but, i might not too.....it;s hard for me to support evangelical right wing nuts.... too much is at stake these days...

Entered at Wed Feb 21 00:24:18 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A

MSNBC is almsot alli watch for the last year and a half...it, or music, is background too....... there is so much new shit happening everyday, , all day all the time...and it all matters now....

Entered at Tue Feb 20 23:54:18 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

Jeff A - You mentioned this network and I agree that they’ve done a great job on analysis and investigative journalism, not unlike the Times and WAPO. Ari Melber comes on in 6 minutes and I think he’s their best on the analysis aspects.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 23:31:22 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

I haven't thought about it past just this instant having the thought, but- the team with no real team identity is possibly no different or worse than the band touring under a famous name with only one original member, or maybe no original members....

Maybe a poor analogy, maybe not.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 22:56:54 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

Sam Cooke - Night Beat

Richard Thompson- Acoustic Classics

Bobby Bland - Greatest, Vol 1 - Yield Not!

Aida Victoria - Beyond the Bloodhounds, young black woman’s take on the current South

Union Station Live - Dan Tyminski, Alison Krause, Jerry Douglas, etc. Our foremost Bluegrass outfit, easily, in my opinion.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 22:49:28 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Knicks Forever. For me that will never change. You root for the jersey.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 22:45:36 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Inmodern times, hte whole thing with sports is kind of hard for me to understand. Anywhere at this point. It's obviously tribalism of the highest order. But what if there is no tribe of players? Do players get moved around like cattle and go to the highest bidder whenever possible in Europe too? If it's boils down to money and players don;t necessarily stay with teams for long anymore, and teams don't have real cast in stone rosters, i don't see how there still is an actual team identity for people to swear allegiance to and go wacky over.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 22:13:09 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

Dunc - One of my top favorites of all time! Gregory’s Girl and Comfort and Joy were good too, to my taste. All Bill Forsythe as I recall -

Entered at Tue Feb 20 22:09:10 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Dunc, a really great list of artists but they have to include The Waterboys. Mike Scott is one of my all time favorite songwriters and he's still making great music.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 21:48:28 CET 2018 from (86.128.253.169)

Dunc

Subject: Scotland's Golden Era of Music

Thanks Bob F. You're welcome.

Roseann played Scotland, but I couldn't get because I was involved in a football training session at the time.

When we were looking at the leading songwriters, I think we selected from a certain era.

At Xmas, there were good radio documentaries on Scottish music. One mentioned how the London agents were making their way North to scout Scottish bands in the eighties. I also remember a couple of younger enthusiasts when I worked kidding that I was too soon for the best era in Scottish music. The bands that came out of Scotland at that time included Lloyd Cole, Hue and Cry, Simple Minds, Belle and Sebastian, The Blue Nile, Teenage Fan club, Orange Juice, Deacon Blue, Del Amitri etc. Maybe it was the Golden Era?

Entered at Tue Feb 20 21:22:46 CET 2018 from (86.128.253.169)

Dunc

The name I'm not sure where it comes from.

JQ - Rangers are traditionally Protestant and Celtic are traditionally Catholic. Rangers supporters are originally from the Native Scottish community, although buses come from Northern Ireland for every home game. Celtic supporters come from the Scottish Irish community and Northern and Southern Ireland.

The clubs dominate Scottish football. The clubs have supporter clubs in many Scottish towns as well as Glasgow. Glasgow is a huge conurbation. I would argue that they are the biggest clubs in Britain. The rivalry was and is linked to sectarianism, but things are improving. Catholics go to separate schools. Obviously most guys who go to games are decent, but there are still bigots.

I would love if one of the other clubs would win the league again, but it's all about the money.

But the old firm are struggling like the champions of Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal etc because the TV money goes to England, Italy, France and Spain.

When I look at the discussions on gun control, we have three big problems - knife crime, sectarianism and our relationship with alcohol, although drugs ruin some peoples' lives too.

To finish on a positive, there are many great things about living in Scotland. It's a beautiful country and I would hate to live anywhere else.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 20:46:03 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Thank you to everyone who took a minute to listen to RoseAnn's new song on gun violence. Thanks also for the kind words and wishing her well with the new music. We appreciate it.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 20:04:52 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

Hi Dunc / Was the original deliniation Catholic vs Prod?

Entered at Tue Feb 20 19:54:03 CET 2018 from (72.139.200.111)

Bill M

Entered at Tue Feb 20 19:32:41 CET 2018 from (86.128.253.169)

Dunc

Bill M:Thanks, the Old Firm are Scotland's two biggest football clubs - Celtic and Rangers

Lisa:Thanks. I didn't expect Burt Bacharach to sing more than a couple of numbers; he leads from the piano. But those great female British hits were covered, and of the three singers in the band, two were female. All songs were sung beautifully.

Last five played;

Rock of Ages - The Band

Right or Wrong - Stealers Wheel

Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen

No Little Boy - John Martyn

Down By The Jetty - Dr Feelgood

Entered at Tue Feb 20 18:08:59 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I said this a few months back … this highly under-rated author wove many tales on conspiracies, but The Manchurian Candidate used to be good speculation. Now it's starting to look like fact!

Sadly, I notice Richard Condon is most totally absent nowadays from even the biggest bookshops.l

Entered at Tue Feb 20 18:04:43 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

The Bar-Kays: Soul Finger

St. Paul & The Broken Bones: Sea of Noise

Mavis Staples: If All I Was Was Black

Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan: Blonde On Blonde (the old sides 1 & 2) \

Entered at Tue Feb 20 17:56:00 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Subject: A Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On

Mueller is shakin the bushes. I bet by the time this is over, around two dozen American citizens will have been charged with various crimes. That might be a low figure too.

I swear, i've never watched as much television or as much news before in my life... I've never been as concerned for my country as i have been for almost two years now.

Yes Norm, I for one have been very aware of Mueller's personal and work history since this began. Just one feather in his prosecutorial cap is that he's the guy who ran the operation that broke up and jailed quite a few mafia families and name mafioso. And he is well liked, respected and admired by everyone on govt except Twitler.the amount of cooperation he is getting form all branches of U.S intelligence seems to be almost or totally unprecednted, and he is getting cooperation from foreigh intelligence... Considering interagency rivalries and bickering is not unusual, and that alot of foreign intelligence might be afraid to trust US intelligence services right now, it's gotta all be because of who he is. And also cause everyone but Russia wants Twitler out too.They trust Mueller..

Entered at Tue Feb 20 04:40:54 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Subject: On Gun Licensing & Ownership

Written by a middle aged female Israeli presently civilian sharpshooter.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 04:24:38 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Robert Mueller

As Susan and I sat watching the CNN news and discussing events, a thought struck me. I came in our study here and googled Bob Mueller. Has any one bothered to look up the history of this man?

Bob Mueller in graduating high school received the award for top athlete of 1962. Hockey and Lacrosse. After university because one of his best friends was killed in Vietnam, him and friends felt it their duty to serve. He was enrolled in the Ranger Academy, officer training. He was a marine platoon leader. Amoung his many medals is the "Purple Heart."

There is too much to go through, but being appointed FBI director by George Bush, when his 10 year appointment was up, it was extended a further two years by President Obama. He is second only to J Edgar Hoover as the longest standing FBI director..........Jesus.....somebody tell Trump who he is fucking with!

Entered at Tue Feb 20 02:44:26 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Feb 20 01:12:36 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

And they're clean, have short hair, & don't even have great music.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 22:57:34 CET 2018 from (70.121.56.235)

glenn t

I know it's only Monday, but I'm home with our young son (no school; Presidents day) - and got to listen to 5 from Band members (solo efforts). Garth "Sea to the North", Richard "Whispering Pines", Robbie "Music for the Native Americans", Levon "American Son", Rick "Rick Danko". That was fun!

Entered at Mon Feb 19 22:11:44 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

Subject: little red pills to stay awake

JQ: Thanks for that insight based on personal experience. Causes me to share the attached - by BB Gabor and Instaband, who played one of the finest sets of music I've witnessed in the past 50 years. Hmm, just as I hit the period YouTube, unbid, started to playing the other side of the 45, "Soviet Jewellery". Jeez they were awesome.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 21:55:58 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

I hadn't seen it, but the EB3 was never competition for a Jazz Bass.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 20:07:56 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

I've always thought it would be the planet's undoing...

Entered at Mon Feb 19 20:05:50 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Guns

To say that people need assault weapons to protect their neighbourhoods in the USA is moronic and not surprising. It is not Afganistan. Right now on Facebook is a post by a man who has owned an mk15 for 30 years and he gave a common sense little speech and went over to his chop saw cutter and cut his gun up to make sure his gun would never be used for such a purpose, (rather than sell it and get $600.)

There is a post on Facebook many of us have shared in the last couple of days. A picture of Ronald Reagen and his position on assault weapons from 1989. If his advise had been followed, more than likely very few of these shootings would have happened.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 19:59:06 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Subject: Again, bots. Got Franklen.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 19:56:32 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 19:35:48 CET 2018 from (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Have any of you heard about this?

Entered at Mon Feb 19 19:29:42 CET 2018 from (68.116.44.170)

JQ

Bill M - I know personally that certain stimulants can make ordinary housework, like sweeping, a lot more fun and focused!

Entered at Mon Feb 19 18:43:11 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 18:22:20 CET 2018 from (67.80.27.81)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 16:35:10 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

I just read that a Russian curler was sent home from the Olympics for doping - presumably a stimulant to keep him awake during the game. I agree that it's a tad boring, but it's still shocking to see such behaviour move out of the stands and onto the ice.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 15:36:57 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Guns & Attitude

On the yahoo news on the internet. The "comments" after articles posted on these events are a very good example of why there is so many shootings in the USA. These comments from American citizens and how they view gun control and their rights make these shootings look like just "collateral damage".

Too many see this as no responsibility of their elected or their president. It is amazing to look at and they don't seem to see the difference in all other countries where none of this and next to none of this occurs.

They see it all as the fault of mentally unstable. Yet the president rescinds a law prohibiting people from buying guns. Well at least one man has started things. I forgot his name. He is in Florida, a contractor who was responsible for raising more than six hundred million in funding for the republicans. He is pulling his funding and tasking his peers to do the same until there is law in place prohibiting assault rifles. With the lobbying of these young people, it's a start.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 13:42:03 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

In the early American colonies the trainband was the most basic tactical unit. However, no standard company size ever existed and variations were wide. As population grew these companies were organized into regiments to allow better management. But trainbands were not combat units. Generally, upon reaching a certain age a man was required to join the local trainband in which he received periodic training for the next couple of decades.

It continues":

The exact derivation and usage is not clear. A nineteenth-century dictionary says, under "Train": "train-band, i.e. train'd band, a band of trained men. The issue is whether the men "received training" in the modern sense, or whether they were "in the train" or retinue.

Whichever, it clearly did not mean anyone having whatever weapons they wanted, but some kind of TRAINED group under a command structure.

As it has been ruled that Dr Johnson's definitions rule, a militia has to be organized and trained.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 13:37:12 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Entered at Mon Feb 19 12:57:22 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

From my perspective there is nothing "well regulated" about the anti-gun law crew and their use of weaponry.

Another pithy observation on my part: What hunter in his/her right mind would use an assault rifle? Knuckleheads who enjoy eating bullet-riddled meat is my guess.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 11:59:06 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Then you get onto technology, which exercises musicians and writers. In my early ESL contracts, “audio cassettes” were specifically mentioned (the standard way we sold audio in 1978). When they wanted to switch to CDs they needed a new contract. So then contracts added “media carriers not yet invented”. Well, that could have been argued to disallow streaming, so contracts changed to “or means of delivery of content not yet invented.” I was told that in the absence of a “not yet invented” clause, the contract could only apply to the technology available at the time of writing. i.e. in terms of “weapons of offence” a single shot gun, or a double-barrelled shotgun.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 03:59:48 CET 2018 from (71.234.142.242)

haso

Subject: rose ann & rifles

Bob: a belated thanks for that link to your daughter's new tune. Excellent and totally to the point.

Norm: I think I'd agree pretty much where you are coming from... I do think we'll have some hell to pay down the road, as a country and a society for allowing the sfg to escape his "reality" show confines. And for being, I don't know, that much of an illiterate or asleep or something, electorate that he could even get 17% of the vote or whatever it was we gave ol' Ross Perot back in the early '90's.

I'm reticent to do ask (prefer to stay under the radar), but I'd bet pretty good money that of the 50+ guys in the Monday candlepin bowling league I'll be at tomorrow (look it up, it's way more masochistic than 10-pin, probably why New Englanders play it), better than 1/2 are hunters. And some higher % likely own guns, yet I bet there'd only be 3 or 4 (I might call 'em nitwits) that defend any Tom, Dick and Harry needing to have access and rights to weapons of war; such as AR-15's. Maybe 1 or 2 more, afterall, I think the USA headquarters for the Swiss Sigarms Inc. is right here 15/20 miles away. It's just ridiculous. No where near the illusory numbers of advocates created by the gun companies (read:NRA).

Entered at Mon Feb 19 03:49:22 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Norm, Trump couldn't sell his way out of a paper bag. No joke.
He's not even at a high enough level of incapability to be a terrible salesman.
You're making me work, Norm. i had to think for a minute to figger out how to phrase that.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 03:05:53 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: A Dumb & Dumber Character

It's really hard to watch some fat oaf who smiles all the time, lies all the time, and acts like a used car salesman, and respect him as the president of such a great country.

Jim Carey does that and gets paid because he's acting. This moron does it for real.!!!

Entered at Mon Feb 19 02:32:53 CET 2018 from (24.222.133.112)

joe j

Entered at Mon Feb 19 02:23:30 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 02:04:45 CET 2018 from (64.229.12.89)

Bill M

JQ: As I understand it, the US electoral college was created by the elites of the day so there'd be a mechanism to prevent the great unwashed from choosing a dangerous oaf who'd work against the national interest. But when the great unwashed votes against such a dangerous oaf, the elits in the electoral college declares that he's just the ticket and overturns the public vote. Sad.

Entered at Mon Feb 19 01:46:05 CET 2018 from (107.77.97.28)

JQ

“I’ll drink to that”. PV - Thanks for all that!!

Entered at Mon Feb 19 00:39:36 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 23:18:49 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Subject: Billionaire to spend 30 million bucks on 2018 elections- aim is to impeach Trump

Yes Norm, there are some really wealthy people, and there are other less wealthy business people with consciences, and who do love this country for real & trsat employess and people well........this guy Tom Steyer has spent a fortune already- he has impeach Trump ads running on TV for couple of months already. I see em every day.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 20:22:15 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Children

JQ, I have not missed any of it. I have watched Emma Gonzales speech on youtube over and over, (thru tears). That girls like her don't get to be children any more is heart wrenching.

To be clear this NRA attitude is not unique to the USA. The rich in Russia are probably worse. Putin is a mass murderer for chris sake. What he did to apartment buildings full of those people is appalling. Any of his opposition in Politics just gets murdered.

It seems the USA is getting further away from democracy. I absolutely believe that Trump is in bed with Putin. The Moscow branch of that German bank guarantees, what is it over 400 million of Trump's loans. He is Putin's puppet.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 20:00:01 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

In making the very best of a terribly bad thing, I’ve listened to the kids that survived the Florida shooting.They’re passionate, articulate and fed up. It gives me some optimism for the time when they take over. My folks were the greatest generation, my generation, the boomers, the worst. I know that’s an opinion loaded with exceptions, but I stand by it, broadly at least. Take a watch at those 17/18 year olds and I think you’ll gain more hope too. That and that we’re getting closer to dumping Trump out on his fat fucking ass - when the dust settles I think a lot of us are going to feel pretty foolish about how long it’s taken to believe what’s been so dang obvious. The “bending towards justice” thing is slow as hell but righteous, I guess.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 19:46:01 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Bill Gates

As I type this, Susan is watching an interview with Bill Gates. Him and his wife have given away over 41 Billion Dollars. He has paid over 10 billion in tax.

He says of course people like me should be paying more tax. We have to get this structured to tax the wealthy more. That will never change until attitudes change.

A while back I mentioned the "Jones Act". It would seem no one has ever read it. It is on the internet here. It is common to the way the NRA use the second amendment. The monopolizing ship and shipping owners use the Jones Act for their own wealth. If John McCain had become president it would be rescinded. It cripples a lot of business for the USA. Just as the NRA, these ship builders, and ship companies only care about their own wealth.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 18:46:48 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

With all the intelligent people in this nation, and in positions of televised exposure too , we're still fucked. By money and power....

Greed, and power. That's the problem Pete. Not not being aware there are better ways or other ways. Greed & Power.

I'm leaving for a temporary antidote. Friends, pizza & a Manhattan Special. ( Norm, that's an espresso soda, not sex while parked on Broadway)

Entered at Sun Feb 18 17:53:32 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 17:24:06 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

BTW, in Manhattan, it's become almost impossible to find a great slice... an okay slice, there's okay slices....Sit down pies you can do much better ,

A great slice, really, ALMOST entirely gone in Da Bronx, queens, & Manhattan. there's a couple of places, and you gotta know which variety to order in em, and which pie maker should be on duty. No joke.....

Whole gawdamn world shot to hell.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 17:00:50 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Medicine, gun control, the environment, everything it's about big business and their profit.

Tthe state of things is not because of ignorance. It;s because of the unwillingness or inability to fight big business. Without a shift in the mindset and a shift to a different philosophy of life nothing 's gonna change.

I've felt this way since i'm about thirteen years old, the country was on this path.... It hadn't yet been very evident in close to home things, like restaurants and delis, but n the grand scale, this is how the world and country were going...

Entered at Sun Feb 18 15:20:11 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

JQ,I think you have nailed an American affliction, though it is shared by the British, hence the folly of Brexit. For much of the 20th century, the USA was the best place to live … OK, not if you were an Okie in the 1930s, or fighting segregation in 1962 … but for the average sort of person. The result is a failure to believe that other countries do things better. The UK sorts health care way better than the USA, and indeed France (where my niece lives) does it far better than the UK. If you’re in a strange town in Italy, the restaurant you choose at random will almost certainly be way better than the equivalent in the USA or UK. If you want to travel by train, then look first at Japan – they do it way better than the USA. For all its protectionism, the chances that your vegetables are not GM modified or picked by semi-slave labour would be higher in France. German cars handle way better than American ones. German washing machines are better too. Japan has way better gun control than the UK, which in turn has way better gun control than the USA. We could go on (and haven’t got to car safety and Volvo yet).

While Brexit has brought up the British tendency to the same ignorant attitude, Britain has close neighbours, and we can go there on holiday, and we can see that it is better to have banknotes with different sizes and strongly different colours and that the doctors in Spain are just as good as ours.

America could look to Canada, but doesn’t. We enjoyed one of the late episodes in the Final Season of “The Good Wife” where the US is trying to extradite a whistleblower from Canada. The Canadian judge points out several times that they do things differently to the US lawyers, and adds, ‘And we have a proper health care system.”

Entered at Sun Feb 18 14:21:58 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Toby Jones etc

For those Detectorists fans here, link to my review of "The Birthday Party" with Toby Jones (Detectorists). Stephen Mangan (Episodes), Zoe Wanamaker (Britannia). Brilliant production. Lots of pictures.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 07:07:44 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

While not all Dem politicians are clean of heavy moneyed interests, they generally hold the priciples of democracy close.....

The Republicans were behind all the assassinations years ago- it was Democrats and democratic social leaders that got offed.....IF a democratic Pres behaved like a democratic version of twitler, he;d have been assassinated quickly...

Twitler has ripped up the fabrics of our government- what;s goign on is that the peopel fighting him are attempting to do it by the book- in order to preserve as much of the roots and foundations of our political structure as possible- ...but i hope that if there was real need- some one in the government would put Twitler out of his misery, or lock him in deep cell where no one could find him, for as long as necessary.....

Of course thenthere is the possibility of internal struggles in the nation- civil unrest, riots, battles...I have believed Trump has always wanted that , from the minute he entered politics....

Entered at Sun Feb 18 03:23:41 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Back to protecting democracy . Greed, jealousy, abuse of power, are all human emotions, or conditions that exist in people. In a democracy, things can get out of hand- power and wealth can grow, and people, business people, other people, gain inordinate wealth and power. And then they get other ideas. The industrial revolution etc, created great wealth///other business things too, then there's modern times- like wrote, some people get ideas...... some people get nuts, power goes to thweir head.... The Founding Fathers saw as far ahead as they could and tried their best to protect us with Checks and Balances and there Branches of govt... they did great, the best they could. They could envision espionage, they could not envision technology & where the world would go....And what else coudl they have written...they covered all the bases...... on gun control- they never could have envisioned automatic weaponry.

Entered at Sun Feb 18 00:19:13 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Alot of the things Norm wrote about, violence in movies and video games for example, again greed, and democracy. freedom of speech. It's a too fine line to walk, when freedom of speech can be curtailed for the public good....Freedom of speech permits a lot. And then you get greedy bastard businessmen and creators who look for trends to expolit, regard;ess of whether or nto something actually is good. When i was a kid, i learned about universalizing your actions.... what happened to that? For me , it's a built in, it;s just there, i dont; think about it, i just would have a lot of trouble doing something bad for other people...but, the whole world dont; thnk that way and in a democracy people have the right to think any way they want, ALMOST to behave any way they want....

True Democracy has inherent problems. It's up to a vigilant engaged citizenry to protect it.

Education has gone downhill here in general.. The necessity of immigrants here to get a real damn good education and Americanize no longer really exists. And american born kids, kids who have 4 ,5 7 generations back here, dont have to get a good education.....but, i'm happy to report that i do meet great immigrants here almost every day. many really americanized and proud to be americans, and great kids of immigrants. I also meet a ton of shitty ones too. there's no perfection in this world, and the world is too gawdamn complicated to fathom.

If we make it through this period, i tihnk the U.S is going to be on a upswing. We still got a ways to go... there likely or possibly a year to two left for Mueller to nail everything down.... I've never thought this would complete without some real big surprise coming. Twitler is capable of anything... He is cornered, he knows it....there's no tellign what he throws form one second to the next....i dont; think Russia wants a nuclear war, or aarmed war. but this situation could lead to that...

Norm, ive known people like Trump. He never surpised me. I knew his behavior, i;ve seen it in people- just not people who got to ne President...ive seen it in peopel in their own small kngdom.... the amazing thing is how low a level he is on,and how far he has gotten- but again, ti si because of the money he started otu with- but his personal level of operation is so uncouth and unsophisticated.... even asshole wiseguys with their littel kingdom of neighborhood had more couth than he... trump is the fucking lowest........as PResident he has peoel around him protecting him,those mutherfuckers should burn in hell, Don mcGann shoudl have his nuts chewed off by squirrels, so should trumps personal lwayers

And Norm, there's no doubt that Russian money owns some or many American Congressmen, i bet Nunes is one of em...OF course, American big business owns many or all american Congresmen..... Cory booker- as well liked as he is, as engaging as he is, hell, big pharma owns him.

I'm just writing off the cuff, there's much more to this and it could be analyzed and discussed to death.

But make no mistakes about it. In the case of the U.S., the problems we have here arose out of being a true democracy....and they are getting turned around slowly. Judges have ruled against gerrymandering in several states recently, and democrats are winning many special elections etc...

Peopel are fianlly gettign the message we are at the edge of the cliff- it;s either fight our way off it or fall over...

The democratic party is at a crossroads- many are pushing it to be ultra liberal...i tihnk that's mistake now, and i think that one reason is that the ultra liberals do not have enough support, do not have enough experience and common sense..right now. I also dont; like all their positions.... Also, the Demiocrats seriosuly need the center votes. they need the kids, and the minorities, btu they need that center...

And yes Norm, this genwration of high school and college students could be the difference. By screaming bloody murder and forcing their parents to wake the fuck up

No one but police and military should have access to semi automatic and automatic weapons. I'm not against people woning guns and keeping them at home. I am against carrying - for the simple reason that i'd bet most peopel who do carry are not vigilant every second of every day. And if you carry a gun you sure as hell need to be fully vigilant of everything every second.

Ethics Norm.. i have a relative, i won;t say who. Went into the mortgage business with some millionairre friends. He was/is a street guy.... had no knowledge of the industry,a nd is a guy who doesn;t respect laws, will always find ways around em...In any event, before you knwo it, they were in over a dozen states..... Making money hand over fist, and of course, never stopped trygn to get me in it....Not a fucking chance, no way, not even to talk about it, it;s not a conversation i would have with them, whihc of course, pissed em off. well, my relatve and his partnners all came really close to goign to federal prison...Why, of course, they were breaking federal laws. they got lawyers, One f the partners paid the govt quite a few mil to keep em all out of the can. My relatve had a pretty good story he told me about how one of the partners ( the other gusy were educated guys, not street guys, very wealthy giys ) did somethign dumb that he had nothing to do with, and that is why they were all going down. Possibly true, possibly not. but again, thsi was all about money, iorregardless of the hurt that all those bad mortgages were puttin on people.......There's thousand s of thos e stories with what bastards in the n moprtgage industry did to people in that 15 or so year period. Steve Mnuchin is a multi miilionaire or billionaire because he fucked over tens of thousand of peopel with mortgages....

It's a problem of demcracy- how do you "police" everything and keep everything clean in adavnce. you can't. there must be a crime, then it must be discovered, proven, etc...and there are peopel who use power and money to bribe and intimidate peopel, witnesses. It'snot new, and it;s not unique to the US.

Violence has always existed, and violent films etc flourish in other cultures too .

Entered at Sat Feb 17 23:09:44 CET 2018 from (107.77.97.28)

JQ

I should throw these two factors in too, as things that’s mess up our democracy. Putin likely can’t stop laughing.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 23:03:40 CET 2018 from (107.77.97.28)

JQ

I think there’s a few definitions of treason depending on the circumstance. But there’s one I’ve heard that applies: Conspiring with an adversary to take over the government.

Between the Electoral College and Jerrymandeing democracy is shot to shit here. We may have been one of the first to discard a monarchy in favor of a republic but we’ve got one of the very worst forms of a technical democracy now. As with health care, environmental issues and gun control all we need to do to sort out our democracy is to look at others around the world that have figured out how to do it better and smarter than us.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 22:41:53 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sat Feb 17 22:14:36 CET 2018 from (72.139.197.43)

Bill M

Peter V: Good point, sloppy arithmetic by reckoning.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 22:06:34 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Clarification

To the point. Majority did not vote for the moron. That is why it is difficult to live down. Things happen that you can't control. It's like being slapped in the face with your hands tied. I know a reasonable amount about politics but I can never fathom that electoral college bullshit. It makes no sense that people even vote and has always seemed to be a deterent for people to vote. Many friends and relatives I've talked to down there feel that way.

As an observer all you can do is feel for people. I read on line today an article about the trauma of nurses who have to deal with all the victims. A trauma nurse who is tasked with helping these nurses who have been so affected was having a meeting to help the nurses of Las Vegas. They decided to have this meeting on Valentine's Day the day of love. So what happens on Valentine's Day there is another mass murder. Jesus! how much are these poor people to take before that idiot president and his government do something about assault rifles. These NRA people are just heartless bastards.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 21:07:52 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

There's things you have written in the last two days that are valid, and others invalid... I'll just refer to this one: "I think the people of the USA are going to have a hard time living down voting a moron for president of that country. " Well, people in the USA did vote for him. But, not a majority. Clinton won the popular vote by a nice margin. And dont forget the Russian interference int he elction..it did effect votes. ON Fb i knew that people that attacked me cause i supported CLinton and not Bernie were not legit.... It would happen on other peoples threads, and i also got Friend Requests form peopel that no way they were real. I coudl tell these people often by their syntax, and the avatars they used, and checkign otu their pages....I had this argument with friends of mine all since the late spring of the 2015...Still do, peopel i know in real life, a few accomplished peole that still think BErnie shoulda been PResident, and woulda beat trump ut Clinton stole the primary, and other friends that voted for Trump.....I've iven up a few real life friends, not many...anyway. I coudl tell there was bullshit goin on on FB, just wasnt sure what it was....... And people fell for it. I have a close freind, a black woman, who is middle aged, and i though not dumb....Just a little goofy... like we all can be different ways. Well, she declared and meant it- that she would never vote for hillary cause of the remark Hillary made that black peopel look better in chains...Well,CLinton never said that. It was oen of thos emnaufactred things, like Hillary runnign a child prosttituion ring otu of a pizza place....yet my friend, a educated, creative talented, middle aged black woman refuses to vote at all, and wouldnt vote for CLinton, cause of buying that bullshit..

the people of the US did nt vote for Twitler by majority- the scumbag bastards on the eelctoral college got influenced, again , likely by money and power, to vote him in. the actual job of the electors is to protect the citizenry form itslef, and presidents like Twitler.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 20:27:52 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Correction

You are right Peter but that's not quite what I said. I said "crime and gun use" and the average is 30 times greater in the USA. That is just a page I read. Can't even remember what it was called now. Have to find it again.

There is no doubt tho' in the USA, violence and crime is sensationalized and romanticized in movies and TV more than any where else. It's always the Americans who "save the world".

Right now there is a rally in Florida where the shooting occurred. I think the teen aged children all over America are going to take over as they can't rely on the president or their politicians to do anything. One young girl from that school who was so well spoken really ripped Trump for taking his 30 million dollars from the NRA.

It really seems these young folks will rise up and find ways to start getting things done. I think the people of the USA are going to have a hard time living down voting a moron for president of that country. I don't think I've ever seen such a self centered person in my life.

I really think he doesn't even understand what he has coming to him from Robert Mueller and Christopher Wray of the FBI. It really appears that he can be found treasonous. Last I heard the sentence for treason is death.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 19:31:22 CET 2018 from (85.133.27.98)

Peter V

Entered at Sat Feb 17 18:12:11 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Subject: Clare Torry Interview re The Great Gig In The Sky/ Pink Floyd /Dark Side

Entered at Sat Feb 17 03:57:28 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff A.

Entered at Sat Feb 17 01:46:16 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Subjectively

I think we are on the same page Calvin except in a different thought process. I guess it's hard to be delicate and not to insult the USA. Consider, I believe the USA more than any other country promotes the violence is so many ways.

Still bigoted movies, Cowboys and Indians, ethnic gang movies, Navy Seals, Criminal minds, many cop movies, Marvel Runaways the list is massive. These video games in the American society become real. They are a stimulant to young minds. In Afganistan, Iraq, and more middle east countries they are reality. We see young boys standing with automatic guns on their shoulder. It is surviving or dying to them.

In the USA it is romanticized. The electronic life to many of these young people now, they want to crawl right inside it. It is not only mass murder in schools, it is gangs as well. How many parents are now fighting to keep their children out of gangs?

AL EDGE!! Your image is shattered? You are one more example of the fickle internet. Too many people, (like reading a novel) create the image in their mind. That was the beauty of reading a book. You could make it personal.

Now if you get on Facebook and look at my time line you'll be able to see me and my boats.......then....reality sets in. So I'll warn you! A lot of people think I look like Ray Charles!........ or was it Anthony Quinn???? I forget now :-)

Entered at Fri Feb 16 22:00:32 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

Entered at Fri Feb 16 21:47:27 CET 2018 from (67.80.24.27)

Jeff

Last 5

steve Freund- Endless Flight
Dave Specter and Steve Freund - Is What It Is

Johnnie Johnson: Johnnie Be Eighty. and Still Bad!
Larry Thurston: School For Fools
Johnnie Johnson : Johnnie Be Back

Entered at Fri Feb 16 21:45:02 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

Perhaps the video games are a trigger for something that had become part of their behavior as Americans. But to blame it on the video games when it doesnt effect kids from other countries in even close to the same way, is in your words, Hogwash.

Entered at Fri Feb 16 21:39:29 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

What the fuck???? Surely not true!!!

My entire image of a gnarled Pacific seadog disintegrating before my very eyes.

Norm - Please tell me you're not on Twitter too and that you haven't ditched the checked shirt, clay pipe and sou’wester!!

NURSE!!! Help!

:-0)

Entered at Fri Feb 16 21:38:13 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

Entered at Fri Feb 16 21:27:23 CET 2018 from (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Entered at Fri Feb 16 20:50:34 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: The Point

That's hog wash Calvin. You certainly can! American teens playing video games, many find the need to test reality. There are many psychologists who have confirmed that fact.

The worst part on the news right now. The FBI was given a tip about this kid on January 5. That he was planning to do this and many of his terrifying social media rants. The person who took the call apparently didn't act on it.

Entered at Fri Feb 16 19:40:52 CET 2018 from (174.232.11.238)

Calvin

Entered at Fri Feb 16 18:51:38 CET 2018 from (70.121.56.235)

glenn t

I've got a 6 disc cd player in my car. Here's what I listened to this week: Fleetwood Mac "Tusk", 2 from Los Lobos "WIll The Wolf Survive" and "By the Light of the Moon", David Bowie "Reality", plus a couple of discs I made of Poco and Elvis Costello favorites.

Great song from Rosanne. There's a nice interview of her, followed by her playing "Sorry" for BK radio studio. We should call out and vote out of office any politician that accepts money from NRA. Gun fanatics would have us believe nothing we do would stop these massacres, but the NRA and too many politicians won't even let us try. They throw out their indefensible excuses while our children die. It is not acceptable to do nothing. If these fanatics were sincere they would work with those who want to protect the innocent. As Rosanne sings "If you think there’s really nothing we can do then how can we ever get closer to free?" Great question!

Entered at Fri Feb 16 18:27:55 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Japan vs USA

Calvin, culture wise it's not very good to compare Japan to the USA, regarding crime. If you like there is a page that is a comparison percentage wise by population. Crime in the USA and gun use is on an average 30 times more than Japan. Unfortunately you live in a very violent country with a lot of crime.

I don't know if anyone else noticed on the news, but this boy Nick Cruz who committed these murders live for a time with a family that was "white superemacist" and went on at least one training exercise with the guy.

Last night on CNN a psychologist confirmed how all the signs of a bomb going off he was for a long time and no one did anything. It was very preventable.

Entered at Fri Feb 16 18:03:52 CET 2018 from (5.148.89.130)

Peter V

Entered at Fri Feb 16 16:37:04 CET 2018 from (74.12.33.81)

Bill M

Dunc: What is the 'Old Firm'?

Entered at Fri Feb 16 15:58:58 CET 2018 from (87.100.174.239)

Markku (quos)

Subject: Ain't in It for My Health blu-ray region?

The blu-ray version of the film about Levon "Ain't in It for My Health", anyone know if that is region-free? Can I play it with blu-ray players here in Europe even if the region code says it is "region A", or should I try to find "region B" disc (and in that case where could I get such a version)? Cheers,

Entered at Fri Feb 16 12:47:14 CET 2018 from (86.128.253.169)

Dunc

Great song by Roseann, Bob. Can't access French Village or Berlin Babylon yet. But have been watching a lot of French films.

Lisa, I was lucky to see Burt Bacharach in concert about four or five years ago; he sings a couple of songs, but he has three young singers with his orchestra. We have a beautiful concert hall in Glasgow, which is great and not too big. I like going there.

Peter, we have only one team that can win the league. However, the Scottish Cup is still seen as important.

My Friday five:

'Odessey and Oracle' - The Zombies - beautifully produced. (new buy)

'Traces' - Karine Polwart (new buy) - playing this a lot.

'Let's Frolic Again' - Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

'Live in Europe' - Otis Redding. Only four pounds at Fopp now.(new buy)

The two above are because of recommendations on this site.

'The Apprentice' - John Martyn. Love this album. I have thirty-two John Martyn albums. Does anybody else have thirty-two John Martyn albums? John Martyn has a real strong following

I only have Bruce Springsteen's greatest hits. Missed him, but I'm ok. Honestly. My son is a Bruce fanatic and goes to every concert.

I'm not going to Paul Simon. Ridiculous prices. To sit in a glorified airport hangar. Van Morrison's prices are very fair for a relatively small, open air venue.

Entered at Fri Feb 16 05:20:25 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

The Beach Boys are far and away the biggest band with two distinct units out there at times.

You are a little wrong about America being armed to the teeth JQ. The percentage of people who owns guns have gone down, guns per person have gone up. Meaning it isnt more people have guns, but the people who do have more than they used to. At least that they will admit to.

Also video games-Japan has very violent video games, but not our gun problem.

The Thoughts and Prayer crowd make me sick as they are always the ones who seem to be all about rescinding or blocking and regulations on gun sales.

Entered at Fri Feb 16 05:08:29 CET 2018 from (67.80.25.249)

Jeff A.

Great show. Ricky Fataar who migrated to the U,.S from South africa with Blondie, was the drummer for the Beach Boys. the Beach Boys were great and they played alot of that Holland album...It was either fall 72, or 73. I'm leaning towards 72, the evidence leans that way,and a phone conversation with one of my friends who i attended the show with is pointing that way. Next time i saw Blondie play was with Danko's band, including Butterfield for part of the show, in 78 at UC davis. Chaplin has always been one of my favorite guitarists and singers. His band Skollie was great, he Anton Fig, Keith Lentin, all south Africans, played mostly Blondie's songs. Seem them dozens of times, at the Bitter end, Lone Star, and also times they backed Rick up.

For many years now, since heleft NYC again, when he's not with Brian wilson or the stones,the place to see chaplin cut loose is the Mint in Los Angeles.... usually with Waddy Wachtel's band including chaplin's Stones bandmate Bernard Fowler...

I gotta admit, i;m remiss for never having gone to see Wilson with Chaplin and Al Jardine in his band.....

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Bill M

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Al Edge

What a song this is.

The finest protest song since It's All Over Now Baby Blue??

You decide like but I think I already know the answer.

:-0)

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Jeff A.

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JQ

PV - You’re so right about our country - a real shithole in this regard. It’s gone on so long now that the whole place is armed to the teeth. We have to start with stiffer regs but the payoff will likely take years to deliver. The opposition is loaded with money grubbing faux patriots and faux Christians. Personally I’d prefer people to activate on this politically and forget or back-burner their praying - that never works anway.

Entered at Fri Feb 16 00:26:36 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Guns and "Assault Rifles"

Peter, we have been having the gun debate on Facebook. One particular American fellow, (who used to post here) posted his thoughts on gun purchasing and gun safety. His thoughts all made sense until he gets to "assault rifles".

I have been a gun owner for over 50 years. As this fellow suggested training in gun safety at a cost. We have had gun safety training in Canada for years. I took my course years ago at a cost of $75.

Buying firearms. We have to have a "Firearms Acquisition Certificate" and they don't come easy. Everything he said was sensible until he got to "assault rifles". Assault means one thing. No one in our society in this day and age needs to have an assault rifle to play with. Is the NSA planning on starting a war, or are they wanting to relive the battle of New Orleans.

Video Games and television action movies are not helping this situation in any way. This young mentally unbalanced boy was playing out his fantasy. He activated the fire alarm to get people moving, had smoke bombs and his gas mask. It was his way of getting recognition because he obviously had a lot of difficult emotion in his life. He got no help from the school or any one else. His problems were obvious because they were well known.

As one person put it. He had a lot of help. The NSA, congress, the president...

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Peter v

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Peter V

Great song from RoseAnne. Brilliant. I’m turning off the TV too.

BBC tonight, Over five years, one school shooting per week. It was the sixth this year, and of course far worse than most. $21 million bribe from the NRA to Donald Trump. $3 million per Florida senator who has commented from the NRA. When do the American people realize that this organization is an evil on a par with the worst evil organizations in the world? The rest of the world knows this. Tonight they were preventing the BBC from filming the outside of their building. From a perspective of the rest of the world, it makes no sense. Mental health? Start at the White House. They showed the NRA's "anti-Hilary" adverts on the BBC News just now. Don't they know that most countries don't conduct politics at this gutter level?

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Bob F

Subject: RoseAnn Fino's New Song Sorry

RoseAnn released her new song song on gun violence Sorry (Thoughts & Prayers) today. She plans to share proceeds with some very worth causes. If you like the song and agree something has to be done, please share on social media and with friends and family. Unfortunately we don't have money to hire PR firms and managers so we need some help. Thanks in advance.

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Lisa

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Rockin Chair

Subject: And Then

Bob Dylan wrote a few not-to-bad songs.....aaaawhaw! But then there was One Too Many a Morning..........

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Peter V

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Jeff A.

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Dunc

I have this dream, Al, that some exceptionally rich person will buy Dundee United or St Mirren and challenge the old firm. My wife and I have different loyalties, but the kids and grandkids are St Mirren supporters. We acted quickly as we didn't want Old Firm supporters. But as you'll know, this town is full of Rangers and Celtic supporters. The last challenge to the Old Firm was 1991, then money started to play a bigger and bigger part in football life.I remember Hearts, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen three times and Dundee United winning the league, but that is never going to happen again. Every club is a selling club, including the big two.

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Al Edge

Forgot Sly Stone.

:-0)

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Al Edge

Haso, there surely can't be many forums which can replicate the breadth and depth of musical insight this place has exuded over the years. It was like that when I first came on here 20 years or so ago and, as evidenced by some of the recent great posts, still is today despite the wealth of great posters who have sadly left us in one way or another.

But got to say the reason I bent everyone's ear about Brucie was because I see him not simply as a fave of mine but as a 'songwriting great' and not simply a 'great songwriter'. For me and I guess most everyone else on here there's a plethora of great songwriters but the list of what I'd term 'true songwriting greats' is for me a whole lot shorter.

It's very clearly - Dylan and Lennon/McCartney apart - a very subjective thing but just to relate it to Dunc's last post. I'd certainly have Brian Wilson as one of the 'true songwriting greats' but even though I guess I love John Fogerty and his stuff even more I'd only have him as a 'great songwriter'. Fucking nuts perhaps but that's how my busted brain computes all this.

And yet maybe as ever I am being far too pedantic, precious, picky and prickly about it all so I guess I should just throw in a few of my own faves even if only one of them makes it into the 'greats' category by my own pedantic rating system.

HDH, Boz Scaggs, Declan McManus, John Hiatt, Mick Head, Stipe/Buck/Berry/Mills

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Al Edge

:-0)

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Dunc

Outstanding goal.

There's been some serious press up here about Andy Robertson re-establishing that Scotland-Liverpool link. Gary Gillespie was explaining how hard it was to do. I thought he was outstanding against Manchester City.

That's some amount for Virgil, Al. Mmmm.

And you'll hate me for saying this, Al. At times I watch Manchester City and marvel. But you have beaten them...

Anyway we're top of the league...but looks like Barnsley are away to steal the manager.

Entered at Thu Feb 15 11:40:37 CET 2018 from (86.128.253.169)

Dunc

Welcome back, Todd. Really enjoyed the four clips you posted. Knew two well enough, but really enjoyed the 'Little Willies' and 'NRBQ' clips. Don't know them at all. The 'Little Willies' concert is the type of concert I like going to today - that intimate feel, but I'm not catered for here. Wish I was going to a Little Willies' concert tonight - loved the guitar playing.

Filling in John Fogerty + Creedence gaps may be my next retirement project, after I move on from The Zombies.

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Al Edge

Hey Dunc/Fred - did you see his goal against Porto!! Outrageous. He's like a morph of Bestie, Jinky Johnstone and Lionel Messi.

Entered at Thu Feb 15 11:29:36 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

:-0)

Now where's that darkened room?

Tomfoolery apart - what a superb snatch [of joyous music :-0)] that is!!

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Dunc

Subject: My Heart's In The Highlands

I missed Kris Kristofferson, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson and John Fogerty. Brilliant. I was lucky to see John Fogerty in the grounds of a museum in Zurich - brilliant guitar band.

'Wouldn't Be Nice' came on the radio yesterday - what great arrangements. Playing it just now.

Us Brits must have Burt Bacharach up there. Soundtrack to our lives starting off with 'The Story of My Life'. And he has a song on 'Please Please Me', which is revered by some of us here.

If you're Scottish and your a singer, you have to be able to sing a Burns song. Bob Dylan knows his Burns. Isn't it amazing that somebody from the 18th century's songs are still played regularly today. His songs have a huge presence in this country still today.

Fred. That's great. You must be very proud. Give them my congratulations.

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Todd

Subject: Larkin Poe - 'Mercedes Benz'

OK, Last one. The gals from Larkin Poe performing 'Mercedes Benz'.
So much talent and genuine feel.

Entered at Thu Feb 15 06:36:31 CET 2018 from (32.216.228.162)

Todd

Subject: NRBQ - Pretty Thing

NRBQ doing 'Pretty Thing' from 1993. Beautiful country song performed by the Q.
NRBQ may be a little rough around the edges, but they've got the feel down, and Terry Adams may be the finest piano player around this side of Jerry Lee Lewis, at least for this style of playing.

Entered at Thu Feb 15 06:19:29 CET 2018 from (32.216.228.162)

Todd

Subject: The Little Willies

I posted this link years ago, but worth posting again. Norah Jones and The Little Willies "Gotta Get Drunk' from a performance at The Living Room, when it used to be on Ludlow Street in Manhattan. Incidentally, that's the first place that I ever saw Ollabelle live in 2004, and it had a lasting impact on me.

JQ mentioned The Little Willie's recently. The guitarist is Jim Campilongo, and has quite the feel for classic country Tele playing...neck bends and all. Quite the player!

Entered at Thu Feb 15 06:07:12 CET 2018 from (32.216.228.162)

Todd

Subject: Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson's 'Loving Her Was Easier' linked above. Another great songwriter in the country genre. Willie Nelson also does a pretty well known cover of this song.

Jeff, Yes, many Lodi's...and I meant to mention the other week that we also have a Woodstock here in Connecticut.

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Jeff A.

Entered at Thu Feb 15 05:28:07 CET 2018 from (32.216.228.162)

Todd

Subject: Happy Valentine's Day Ladies & Gents

Well, I've been AWOL again...nose to the grindstone mostly and that sort of thing.

I won't pretend to be able to catch up, but wanted to chime in on the Country music and great songwriter threads, to give a thumbs up to John Fogerty.
The song 'Lodi' (linked above) may be one of the most perfect songs / arrangements / performances of all-time......it's certainly one of my favorites, and on of the great "B" sides of all time.

The song is written from the point of view of being stuck in Lodi as being a weary kind of a drag, but at the same time there is something almost romantic and nostalgic about it, and I'm not sure why. Plus it has that type of clockwork quality that The Band's 'Stagefright' has. Deceptively simple song, but a damn fine piece of work.

Entered at Thu Feb 15 04:30:25 CET 2018 from (69.203.125.109)

Jon Lyness

Subject: Brian Wilson

I've enjoyed the discussion of top-tier songwriters, and thought about suggesting Brian Wilson when it began. My one hesitation was that some of his best work was done more as an arranger than a writer, and much of his most famous work was done in collaboration with others who co-wrote or supplied lyrics. With all those qualifications noted, he is probably my favorite musician these days. The Band will always be my first love, but I've fallen for Brian's/The Beach Boys' music in a huge way these last five years.

A cool footnote--and direct link between The Band and the Beach Boys--is Blondie Chaplin, who was a Beach Boys member for a few years in the early 1970s and has reunited with Brian Wilson as part of his current touring band all these decades later. I first saw Blondie live as a guest musician for our own Rick Danko, circa 1996.

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Bob F

Entered at Thu Feb 15 01:52:10 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

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Fred

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Calvin

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Peter V

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Jeff A.

Having to jumpstart my memory, is not easy.

Entered at Wed Feb 14 21:21:36 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

I just recalled that Ticketmaster was originally titled Ticketron.... there used to be Ticketron stands in Alexander's dept. stores, and i think E.J. Korvettes, maybe eventually in Macy's

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Peter V

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Bob F

Subject: Ry Cooder

John D, those prices are very reasonable for a great artist like Ry Cooder and at a beautiful hall. I just wish the late great Tim Drummond was going to be playing bass on Down In Hollywood. Love that song.

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Peter V

Entered at Wed Feb 14 18:34:23 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

It's not necessarily a good policy or lifestyle, but, if i had the dough, and there was somethign i wanted to do or felt i need to, i always did it. Past tense. The way i was raised-" Need it, Get It, Got It, Good." In any event, the thinking always was- you can always make more money. Just go hustle. what good is it if you don't enjoy it.

I'm some one who never enjoyed large halls or auditoriums, large outdoor shows, crowds of morons, or poor sound. While deal with it. So, i never would go to large venues unless i could get great seats. When i was a kid, y'know teenager, early 20s, it was pretty easy to score great to good tickets. you just had to be prepared to get on line over night at some venues, say brooklyn college, or a box offcie in Manhattan, ot be ready online at a ticket master. venues from TRadio city, Lincoln center avery Fisher, The Academy of Music, ect etc to Capitotheater in Jersey... Fast forward to Jan 85, i just returned from St Louis......things changed, Dead Shows in Madison Sq Garden, great seats- well, i opened the village Voice, found a scalper who worked out of his apartment, and got in the nabit of paying 200 to 250 for a pair of great seats, ( within the first 6 or 7 rows every time) to see the Dead. It was always seriously worth it. the Dead's Rainforest show cost me 200 a ticket. 5th or 6th row, and the party after - very worth it, that mighta been box office, i don;t recall....... If you got the dough,and the show and experience will be great, within reason high prices are worth paying.... but today it's not high prices- it;s often robbery... When i was a young whippersnapper, money was easy to come by, but today, the kind of crazy money for great seats at shows, fuck no...

I also had a relation in the industry who could get me great tickets to anything anywhere in the country. In NYC i only used him as a backup, i didn;t ask unless i couldn;t get great seats through normal channels or a private and affordable scalper, other cities i just called him... but if i called this guy, there'd always be a pair of great tickets waiting for me at will call- i paid the face price for em, and they were always great seat- first section orchestra or once or twice, on the side of the first level up, close to the stage- as in one Neil Young and Crazy horse show at Madison Sq Garden. i used this connection for the atlantic Records anniversary show, and the Dylan 30th anniversary show..thsoe were floor level, forst section orchestra..Its quite some time since i used that connection,maybe 12 years... the guy has stage 4 cancer now, and i wouldn;t bother him...

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Bill M

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Calvin

For no apparent reason Van played a festival about 2 Hours east of me in September, I didnt find out about it till the week after. The first time he has played outside of LA and NYC in the US in it seems years and I missed it.

This morning I finally got around to listening to a Last Waltz Promo piece some friends got me for Christmas. It a 33 rpm LP, but with Out of the Blue on one side and the Last Waltz Theme on the other. Sounds great. Hadn't really seen it before. I have some 34 LPs Ive bought that I havent gotten around to listening to with my favorite local record festival coming up the 25th. Going to have to listen to a lot of music the new few weeks to justify adding to the stack.

Bruce was a God around here from Born to Run to Born In the USA. One of the local radio stations would brag they broke him in the Midwest, but then WMMS bragged about doing the same with Bowie and Rush, and with some reason. Me, I've always loved Nebraska.

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Peter V

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John D

Subject: Tickets Please

Ry Cooder makes a rare appearance with his band here in Toronto; in June. His tickets prices are $55-90 each. Quite reasonable I think compared to the greed fest going on with many other artists.

Entered at Wed Feb 14 13:55:15 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Wed Feb 14 13:52:43 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

I'm not defending ticket gouging, and though i cant; imagine how to stop it, professional ticket reselling should be non existent

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Bob F

Subject: Tickets Please

If you look at this link from Van's Official Website it will take you to the upcoming LA show where the standard ticket price for mezzanine seat is $184 dollars. Also, don't you think the artist is sharing in the verified resale ticket sales? As the Lester Bangs character said in Almost Famous "These people are not your friends".

Entered at Wed Feb 14 10:56:12 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Prices: Things have changed. Back in 1970, bands toured to get known and sell records. Even on the lucrative college circuit, the fee the band earned barely covered travel and accommodation (once you’d taken out 20% for agency and management). In fact, the band lived on a meagre wage paid by management, which had to be repaid if they made it big eventually.

Twenty years ago, major tours were sponsored commercially. Now records don’t sell, so the concert is now the main source of income. Major artists like Paul Simon can indeed fill halls, but the album out with the tour sells very little, and the audience are there for the hits, not the new stuff.

In Bournemouth the top price … Paul Simon, CSN, James Taylor is around £80 in the best seats. You might pay Ticketbastard another £10, but that’s nothing to do with the artist. In the UK, 20% VAT (value added tax) comes straight out. £16 to the government. Then the agency will be 20%. Another £16. The venue? Depends. It might be as low as 12.5%. Another £8. Already your £80 ticket is down to £40 … and that's percentage, so is taking half whatever the price. Paul Simon has a 12 piece band, often with the likes of Steve Gadd on board. They are all USA based. You think of flights, hotels and accommodation and wages for twelve musicians and the sound / lights crew and roadies. Bournemouth seats 3000, but half of those will be cheaper than £80. I would say the price was simply what it costs as a venture to live on.

Van Morrison? Until 5 years ago he refused to play large venues. I saw him in Salisbury City Hall for about £45. 600 seat capacity. Bournemouth Pavilion is 1200. He always has a good band.

Equivalents? Al mentions football at £44 (in a 50,000 seater plus huge TV money). I mentioned this before, but a physio I went to in Southampton says after years of supporting Southampton in the Premier League, he now supports non-league Eastleigh (a suburb of Southampton) because he can afford to go there with his two sons. So many have followed him, that they’re dong reasonably well too.

Theatre is really a bargain in the subsidized theatres, which is why we do more theatre than concerts now. Royal Shakespeare Theatre? Top price seats £64 in my recent booking, or £48 in the next door Swan Theatre (non-Shakespeare plays). You get 15 or 16 actors. A five or six piece live band. In London, I’ve seen Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw in the very small Almeida Theatre for £30. Also, the major London theatres like to have day tickets at £10 if you want to queue on the day … to encourage young people to get the habit.

This weekend we have Jeremy Irons and Lesley Manville (Oscar nominee) in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, followed by The Birthday Party with Toby Jones, Steven Mangan and Zoe Wanamaker.

Like the musicians, name actors do this because they want to. You can see Jennifer Saunders in Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan in London right now. Small theatre. I doubt the writer, producer and star of Ab Fab, syndicated around the world, needs the cash.

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Jeff A.

Entered at Wed Feb 14 06:37:02 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

Here's a question for ya.

Sir Mack Rice? Do we count him as one of the greats?

Mustang Sally and Respect Yourself were the only truy great songs. then there's a lew of stuff....but nuthin spectacular But Mustang Sally might get him special consideration

For example, Cadillac Assembly Line, a song i always dug, deep blues, bu the lyurics ain't really nothin , just very simple truth. The music makes em....

Cheaper TO Keep Her, he wrote a lot of stuff like that. Then you got guys like George Jackson- Down Home Blues, Last Two Dollars, both are amongst he repertoire of blues standards. specially soul blues, southern blues..... George also wrote One Bad Apple ( Jackson 5 !!!), and Old time Rock and Roll, plus many songs with Clarence Carter.

what about Clarence Forgman henry, Slim Harop, guys like that...

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Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

i actually do admire Springsteen's work a lot. And think almost all of his records are quite great. Yes Al, Tunnel of Love included. But, Neil Young, is a mothefucker on the highest level. I've seen a lot of amazing Neil young shows over the years.

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haso

Subject: tickets

Al: you may be right; every Tom, Dick & Harry gets some notice here. That said, maybe that helps keep the GB going. Plus, just like the discussion of where songwriter's slot in, after Peter, you and Jeff A., maybe the rest of us just fit in where we can on the experience & knowledge continuum.

I can see all sides on the pricing question. Just as you & your mates pay up for footballing, people in my house can't believe I'll spend $50 to 60/ game to sit out beyond the foul pole, about 400 feet form home plate for 6 home games a year (out of the 81 that Major League Baseball teams play). But I still do, and friends as well. Not to defend greed, but one wonders if the artists justify the prices by the fact that they don't make much on cd sales anymore; thanks Spotify, Amazon, You Tube, etc. But then I still watch You Tube and log onto Concert Vault.

Peter's comment on Keef, reminds one of Levon and Dr. John on the TLW commentary. Didn't Levon say something like, if he couldn't play music, he mineswell be thrown in jail. And Mac said something about you mineswell sell soap or shoes or something like that if they take the instruments away from you.

W/ Bruce, perhaps it's just fatigue. All those exhausting 4-hour live shows... yeah, you get good money'sworth, but it just gets to be big sound. Sometimes that's U2 also. Nuances from Nebraska or The River don't show up in what most of this country associates w/ Bruce. Maybe there were lessons to be learned from such as Live at the Academy... even live the OQ could modulate things, not have it all run together.

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Al Edge

Awrite mate.

If only eh Fred lad ....

Mind you Fred...

Mo Salah, Mo Salah, Mo Salah running down the wing
Salah, Salah, Salah, Salah, Salah ..Egyptian King [ Tune James Sit Down]

:-0)

Entered at Wed Feb 14 02:04:30 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

Pete - made up I triggered you to TOL. I recall you posting some years back how much Walk Like A Man and Valentines Day in particular moved you. Part of the reason I posted the last 4 album is for the first time ever this past few months I decided to start right at the beginning and work chronologically through every one of his releases including all the box sets. I'm about half way through and even though I know all of it backwards it is still amazed me the musical legacy he has bequeathed to anyone who cares to explore it. Simply staggering.

Jeff - good post but the Bruce ambivalence on here goes back way before your time mate. Which in itself is no problem for me whatsoever except it does piss me a bit when there's a specific thread eulogising about the very finest songwriters and, if I'm not mistaken, only dear Bob Fino [who ironically has fallen out big time with Bruce because of the apparent Broadway ticket price hypocrisy] put him forward as one of the true greats of the profession/art.

Bob. I'm sure nobody on here relishes forking out top dollar to see any of these artists. And it's inevitable the Bruce thing will stick in the craw of those who've followed him for years and aren't exactly brewstered.

As you know I dug my heels in like yourself with his last tour. It just felt like a piss take. Also the same old hackneyed locations which is a bummer for us round here as we have to travel so far.

We pay £840 quid a year for our season tickets at Anfield for 19 games a season. That works out at £44 quid per game [ours is pensioner price which is 22% cheaper than full price of £60] The cup/European games are extra at the same price.

In Germany I understand you'd pay about a third of that. Not sure how to equate all that to a corresponding music concert but £80 quid a ticket for that last Bruce tour plus the cost of travelling I just thought fuck it and fuck Bruce for that matter. I'm just not doing it no more.

The massive irony, of course, is that nobody gives value for money like Bruce and the E Street do. Every song is a fucking stonewall classic by any standard and every single one as a tour de force performance so you do get the most amazing value for money on any minute by minute or song by song basis. Compare that with say Van or Dylan or the Stones. No fucking comparison whatsoever.

Yet despite all that it still has now reached a level where I just refuse to even consider any such gig. As you say watching the likes of the artists you cite for reasonable prices such as mike McDermott or Simon Felice simply doesn't jar. You feel you're doing right by them and by music.

But the exhorbitant sheiksters? No way Jose. Not any more.

Then again - and here's yet another ridiculous hypocrisy - every season since the footy prices started to rise me and my mates have said never again and then as the renewal form comes through the post we always crumble to the thing which is our lifeblood even though none of us can really afford it. Fucking nuts.

:-0)

Entered at Wed Feb 14 01:40:53 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Dunc: Have no fear...only the 5 students who never attended class failed.

And here I was (still) thinking that the $20 I paid to see Genesis in 1986 at Exhibition Stadium was a rip-off! Crikey! ; )

My theory is that these sky-high prices are there so that the legends of rock can gouge the 1%ers of the world and, akin to Robin Hood, resdestribute the money amongst us, the down on our luck slobs. i.e. true believers in the cause. No?

Entered at Tue Feb 13 23:33:06 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Entered at Tue Feb 13 23:28:23 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

the necessity of making music is quite powerful. Nothing really can take it's place. Live music is different thna in the studio. a band can go in and nail a song in the studio, and will. Vocals, well, thers' not as much need for the voclaist to really deliver a spotless vocal in the studio. you can do3 or 134 takes and comp it together. Or come back another day..... Playing live really is what these guys & gals live for....

i don;t know what tickets should go for today. I'd say that regardless how famous the act is 200 should be the top dollar for a ticket in a large joint, like MSG, and maybe 150 - 200 the top dollar in place like the beacon. i dont care who the act is....

I will say this- peopel do nto realize how expensive it is to do this shit. There's armies of accoutnants, lawyers, managers, roadies, support office staff..... my guess at aoorioriate dollar #s might be a little low. but i can attest to the hordes of people needed for this s, and the tons of money it takes to do it. And at the top levels, of management, agents all that etc, lawyers, accoutnants,. no oen is working for small numbers, and the bast artists must be paying top dollar....

But i do think 100 bucks is nicer # for the best seats

Entered at Tue Feb 13 23:15:38 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter v

Entered at Tue Feb 13 20:49:03 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Subject: Money Money

Peter, take a listen to the Bruce song I linked Jack Of All Trades. You don't write a song like that unless you think some of your audience is going through this kind of turmoil. Does he think since he wrote this song his entire audience won the power ball? Look, I don't expect more from The Stones, Van, Paul Simon and so many other great artists because they were always about the money. Bruce was always different but now he's just like the rest of them. How about CSN&Y talking about getting back together because they hate Trump more then they hate each other. What they really mean is they love the big paycheck more then they hate each other. What a joke. There are so many great artists to see for a fraction of the money who really need our support. Simone Felice , Garland Jeffreys and Michael McDermott come to mind. Those are the type of artists I'm going to support the rest of the way.

Entered at Tue Feb 13 18:25:37 CET 2018 from (86.128.253.169)

Dunc

Subject: I'm worrying, Fred.

I hope that not the brightest student, who attends every lecture, contributes to every tutorial, hands everything in on time, is very hardworking and is respectful has passed, Fred.

If not, find a few more marks for them. What about it?

Entered at Tue Feb 13 16:39:49 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

By that I mean you do get pissed off after years of seeing other people profiting mightily from your labour (Does Paul Simon, personally after expenses and band and major support acts see £13 a head? I doubt it). The theatre has different pay structures, generally fairer ones.

I doubt Bruce has to decide between Tesco Value tomatoes and Tesco Finest tomatoes at the supermarket, but even so, all these guys must be thinking, how many more years can I do this? Don’t forget they’re probably paying taxes 2 or 3 years back continually so when they stop earning, a big big chunk is still owed.

Is it “last pay day”? “Pension”? I don’t know.

Anyway, when I listen to “Tunnel of Love” I believe that the emotion is all real. In that respect, I trust Bruce as real. And I think I'll have Tunnel of Love for the rest of the afternoon., Thanks, Al.

Entered at Tue Feb 13 15:42:51 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.6)

Jeff A.

Invalid as it may be, Bombs away, Damn the Torpedoes, any expressions i left out?

Al, certainly Springsteen is a powerfully great songwriter. I loved his work in the early years, saw him a bunch of times, but i think not after that first time back after the few years off cause of legal battles with Appel. It's impossible to deny just how great a writer he is.

How to describe the lack of enthusiasm for him here? Well, just a wild guess.. Maybe that speaking voice and manner he effected just wears people the fuck out? Idiosyncracy, oddity, is nothing new to rock and rollers. But there's something so unreal about that tryin to be an Okie voice Bruce from Freehold came up with, that i dunno, maybe as a person on a screen or a stage on a screen ( part of that public Okie from Jersey personality whenever he is on TV for anything), Bruce is just not believable to the point he inspires some people to kinda remove them from their consciousness.

Bruce is great. But i have to be confronted by him to remember that or want to listen to him. As real as he absolutely is, he just ain't real. If that feeling i have is shared by many, that would be a great tragedy ..And i just don't ever get the urge to listen to him. A shame, i know.... but i think he wears some people out.

Though my writing might be unforgiveable to you &Bob, you asked, and i;m just voicing some real feelings i've had over the years, and my general sorta ambivalence to the man and his work. Again, no denying how great he or his work is- absolutely no denying it...but unless it's playing on the radio or somewhere, it might as well be Kumbaya...

Entered at Tue Feb 13 14:59:19 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

Cheers Bob lad. And spot on too mate. It would be ridiculous for devotees like me and thee, who not only cherished so dearly his musical offerings but also the working class values he likewise seemed to cherish so dearly, to deny the discomfort it induces as we witness him wading in such murky waters when almost the entire tenet of his work and his art has railed against such stuff and on behalf of those on the receiving end of it. A real struggle, nay, perhaps even futile to try and reconcile, albeit I'm sure there's a really interesting debate to be had concerning how it all hangs.

As for the artist purely as an artist as distinct from a money maker supreme?

Well that's an entirely different thing and I do have to admit to being a mite pissed off scrolling down through all the recent stuff on here [is that now classed as stalking JQ? LOL] extolling the artistic virtues of every fucking Tom, Dick and Harry and seeing just your goodself pushing forward the incontrovertible rights of Bruce to be celebrated as being right at the very top of the tree behind the two surely undisputed leading lights.

Entered at Tue Feb 13 12:34:46 CET 2018 from (129.33.205.140)

Bob F

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Bob F

JQ, The Dodgers had a couple of decent pitchers back then. Don Drysdale and a Brooklyn kid out of Lafayette High School by the name of Sandy Koufax. All they needed was a couple of runs. No more then two. Why waste them?

Entered at Tue Feb 13 08:33:15 CET 2018 from (67.80.26.253)

Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Feb 13 04:55:59 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

Al Edge - WTF?? Have you been stalking us?

Joe Frey - I’m a big fan of Naturally too and go back to it often.

Wally Moon R.I.P.- I grew up In LA and he was my favorite Dodger while he was there, 1959-64.

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Jeff A.

Entered at Tue Feb 13 01:49:15 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

....And the wonderful Lisa and Joan of course!!

:-0)

Entered at Tue Feb 13 01:27:06 CET 2018 from (81.152.242.165)

Al Edge

Hi fellas - Scrolling back and trying to absorb all the different threads this past few months is a goddamm impossible way of life but regarding the truly great songwriters I will throw in someone who from what I've read I don't think has been mentioned but is surely right up there near the very top of the second tier after the two scousers and the lad from Hibbing -

Stevie Wonder

Also why is the lad from Freehold never given the love he so richly deserves on here - an underrated classic of his linked

Last 4 albums - all related to Freehold, Noo Joisee

Born to Run - the title says it all. Probably inspired by the desperate urge to escape he first latched onto when he heard the Animals 'We've gotta get outta this place'. Of course the album is about so much more than just downtrodden youngsters escaping their environment but, along with the prospect of something out there 'that's got to be better than this', escape is the central theme. The outstanding songs are Thunder Road, Backstreets, Born to Run, She's the One, Jungleland, Night, Meeting Across the River and Tenth Avenue Freeze Out. Er, that's all 8 tracks by the way.

Darkness on the Edge of Town - so the pair have now escaped their downtrodden environment but are discovering that the grass on the other side of the hill [or at the end of the road in Brucie's case] is not necessarily greener. They find that for everything you gain there's a price to pay. They still have their hopes, dreams and their faith but the harsh realities of life and the human experience are now colouring their visions and outlook. They still want to get somewhere and they know a place may still exist. They just know it's not where they are at the moment and are unsure if they'll ever pull through. Bruce, himself, had spent years in suspended animation trying [successfully] to shed a contract with his original manager that saw his own artistic creations as the property of that manager. He had developed a cynicism to temper his natural optimism and it certainly coloured his writing on this album. The outstanding songs for me are Promised Land, Badlands, Racing in the Streets, Something in the Night.

The River - he's starting to adress the practicalities of life a bit now. Coming to terms with them. No longer just an artist looking on. He's realising there's still something worthwhile to be derived from the everyday struggles. Maybe even getting hitched. Whatever, there's plenty of time for a laugh and a weekend jaunt but darkness does still loom. Outstanding tracks. The River, Independence Day, Price You Pay, Hungry Heart, Ramrod, Out in the Street, Stolen Car, Point Black, Sherry Darling.

Tunnel of Love - Bruce is married and struggling like fuck to make the marriage work but failing pretty badly by his own high standards. The album is arguably his best effort at combining his songwriting art within exquisite melody. He intends it to map out his struggles to save the marriage. In reality it's him baring his soul, giving us an open book on a relationship that was doomed from the off. He's a lost soul pining for a way out. For me, every track is an underrated gem and I return to it time and again and it just never lets you down. As an entity it's as good as rock/popular music can ever be if it seeks to be regarded as a mature art form as distinct from an art form in itself. Just exquisite.

:-0)

Entered at Tue Feb 13 00:50:24 CET 2018 from (67.246.38.157)

Joe Frey

Subject: Last 5

No logic here, it is what it is.

1. The Ballad of Easy Rider - the Byrds

2. Naturally, JJ Cale

3. The Beautiful Old (Garth et al.)

4. Road Dogs - John Mayall

5. Sweetheart of the Rodeo - you know

Entered at Mon Feb 12 13:59:02 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

a combination of alienation, frustration and resignation as I trudge on with the marking.

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Peter V

His website has "copyright 2013" so who knows? The Ace Producer series has the usual fascinating mix of the familiar and the obscure.

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Peter V

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JQ

Nick Lowe - The Impossible Bird

David Bromberg - How Late’ll Ya Play Til

Elvis Costello - The Kojak Variety

Lacy J Dalton - Last Wild Place

Geraint Watkins - Mosquito

Entered at Mon Feb 12 01:38:08 CET 2018 from (203.160.29.183)

Fred

Black Country Suite - Mose Allison (on the short-ish walk to work)

Quadrophenia - The Who (while correcting final exams and figuring out final grades)

Indianola Mississippi Seeds - BB King (on the return walk home)

Flight of the Conchords (at home having a coffee out on the balcony trying to shake off the just finished academic year)

The Cars debut album (feeling nostalgic for 1978. Why? I have no idea.)

Entered at Mon Feb 12 00:07:33 CET 2018 from (47.20.222.57)

Jeff A.

Pete, Shelly is 80 years old? Could he still be working? Or maybe this is 10 years old & no one bothered taking it down.

Entered at Sun Feb 11 23:09:28 CET 2018 from (47.20.222.57)

Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

Calvin, i'm with ya regarding Gene Clark. Brilliant. Hillma's not that kind of a writer, or singer. In his own way he's a great singer, but not in the way Gene was. And I'm also totally in agreement with ya on Michael Clarke. Excellent drummer.

About an hour to an hour and a half ago i was walking past the diner that is right opposite the corner i live on. and boom. I turned around, the street light pole in the island in the middle of the avenue must've jumped out and hit this car straight dead center in the fornt while it was turning. I had two one car collisions in three weeks near the end of 1996. But nothing so blase. I knocked down two or three small trees going backwards off a mountain, the next one and a rock stopped me. The next time, my in ground swimming pool hit the rental car that was taking my car's place. In Gardiner, when i was living there.Of course, this was all preparation for songwriting.

Entered at Sun Feb 11 21:20:46 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

I've seen Hillman twice. Once on a double bill with Furay and once on a bill with Poco

ew Riders of the Purple Sage\Pure Prairie League. Both times Herb I think was with him and they were wonderful.

I'd have to agree that Chris has been the most Consistent but his peaks were never that of Gene Clark.

That said I dont think Michael Clarke gets his due. I mean being the drummer for The Byrds/FBB/Firefall as well as backing Gene/Gram/Barry McGuire/Jerry Jeff Walker is a career anyway you want to look at it. The idea that he just looked like a rock star is how he had a career is nonsense.

And I would have liked to see how Clarence White's career would have played out.

Entered at Sun Feb 11 20:52:58 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Glencoe- vinyl, 1972. Two Blockheads meet two Forever More.

Ace Producer Series: Shel Talmy.

A Symphony of Amaranths - Neil Ardley

Live in Europe - Otis Redding (4th week)

Rarities - Natalie Merchant

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Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

I caught Hillman live with SOuther Hillman And Furay, in 1974, and i caught solo Hillman shows aroudn the same time, Rick Roberts, Skip Edwards,Merle Bergante, others were in his band, i was 16,17, took buses and trains out to Hofstra in lONG ISLAND AND fAirleigh Dickinson in JErsey...

. Seen alot of McGuinn, CLark, and Hillman, & alot of The desert Rose Band. A few Hillman /Herb Pedersen shows with Larry Sparks, just the three of en, really magnificent shows... and others

The first Desert Rose band show in NYC, my friend robbie and I sat at the table ext to Peter Knobler's table, the editor of Crawdaddy. ths was in The Bottom Line, the Deser Rose Band's home in NYC... When Furay left Poco, Knobler was as hurt as any Poco fan and he went out to Boulder, and L.A. and did a really in depth, lengthy peice on the Souther Hillman Furay Band. Was with em in rehearsals, at home, in the studio. Included Richie Podoler, the producer in the interview if i recall--- either Podoler was interviewed, or it was background, i want to remember him being interviewed.... Furay was interviewed alot, in his Boulder home, where the rehearsals were taking place, songs shaping up, Hillman was interviewed imn his L.A. apartment..... Knpbler and hillman hit it off, you coudl even tell in the interview, as a teenager even, it was obvious to me.... next thing ya know, Knobler and hillman are writing songs together, some were on hilllmna's mainstream solo albums right between SHF and Desert Rose, one or two were on Desert rose, and then also on that first self titled Desert rose Band.....

though i loved Gene Clark's work, and think he;s a genius , and i loved PArsons, and think the same of him, and normal has nothign to do with nothing- Hillman's been the most constant & SEEMINGLY normal (ha ha) of the three.

Crosby of course is great- but, he;s an ass, and ive never had any taste for him outside fo the great work he did in groups...... Hillman has been in it for the long haul, versatile as could be, yet stuck deep to his roots too , always a pros pro..... killer singer, killer player all around guitar, bass, mandolin. Alos, though i dont agree with his political or religious views, & i think he;s still married to his 4th wife, , he's the most normal of the byrds...... McGuinn did some nice, eve excellent solo work, but, i've no taste for him solo really.... and he's sorta insufferable......another dickhead,,, also a religious fanatic

Entered at Sun Feb 11 17:20:10 CET 2018 from (174.104.129.230)

Calvin

Last 5

Booker Little 4 with Max Roach

Jack Bruce Jet Set Jewel

Chris Farlowe and Roy Herrington Live in Berlin

Dire Straits Demos 1977-1980

Byrds at the Whiskey

Funny you mentioned the Chris Hillman solo work Jeff. There is a thread on the Byrds FB Page concerning the best solo work by a Byrd. Overall Id say only the Beatles match then for the amount of quality work by former members. Gene Clark is leading the "voting", but Hillman's stuff is holding it's own. Clearly ahead of Crosby, McGuinn and Gram Parsons.

Entered at Sun Feb 11 04:41:55 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.54)

Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

Chris Hillman - Desert Rose. The mid 80s knockout Hillman solo straight country album. He wrote the killer title track with a co-writer, then named his next band Desert Rose. Hillman had a couple of originals on this, but it was a great true country covers album, the Louvin Bros " I Can't Keep You In Love With Me". Mickey Newbury's "Why you Been Gone So Long", some George Jones, etc .. A magnificent record. then he and Herb Pedersen put together their next band , & t named it The Desert Rose Band. Along that line of thought, those six months i was in Arizona, I met a woman who called herself The Desert Fox. funny thing, now i can't remember her real name. when it comes to real country music, and also The Bakersfield sound, no one does it better than Hillman.... As good as, maybe some, better than, nobody does.

Desert Rose Band- The Desert Rose Band

Electric Flag - An American Band ( Compilation)

Van Morrison - Poetic Champions Compose

Magic Sam- West side Soul One of the great records of all time.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 23:53:38 CET 2018 from (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Entered at Sat Feb 10 23:31:48 CET 2018 from (24.114.37.133)

Bill M

Entered at Sat Feb 10 22:37:31 CET 2018 from (24.114.37.133)

Bill M

Lisa: Who could forget the "Mr Ed" theme song - and wasn't Ed's co-star a biped from Vancouver?

Entered at Sat Feb 10 20:43:48 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

I’ve been stuck in this for a week. It’s Netflix, in German, set in 1929 Berlin - what a fucking place and time there. From what I’ve read it’s very accurate in its historical aspects and the details of the day.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 20:18:00 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Entered at Sat Feb 10 19:28:05 CET 2018 from (86.135.140.147)

Dunc

Thanks, Jeff. I'll check it out.

Bob F:We've just finished latest serial of 'Spiral' - brilliant. New series of 'Shetland' coming up.

Notice Darryl Hannah mentioned. We watched 'Grumpy Old Men' last night. Walter Mathau and Jack Lemmon would be in my greatest things to come out of America list.

Bought Otis Redding 'Live In Europe' at Fopp this afternoon for only four pounds - a Japanese import. I play his greatest hits regularly.

Lisa. Any horse list has got to have 'On White Horses' by Jackie Lee. I noticed in a newspaper article, can't remember when, it was voted the most popular TV theme of all time. I like it, but I know nothing about it.

Last Five played and I bet I'm the only one who has played them.

Karine Polwart 'Traces'

Capercaillie 'Delirium'

Dick Gaughan 'Prentice Piece'

Rod Paterson sings 'Burns' 'Songs from the Bottom Drawer'

Bert Jansch 'The Ornament Tree' - very Scottish album and my favourite Jansch album,

Entered at Sat Feb 10 18:44:52 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Listening to:

Bob Marley - Eddy Raven - Eddy is a Cajun from Louisiana. He is two weeks older than me. A great singer songwriter, (even wrote some for Merle Haggard).

The "Playing for Change" cover songs.

Los Lobos - Derek Trucks - John Prine, Steve Goodman.

Gene Watson - (Most here probably don't know him. As a singer he's right up there with George Jones.)

Ed Bruce (there is a series of videos on youtube, (I forget what they are called). All the country stars are gathered sitting around chairs singing their hits. If you search "Ed Bruce - My First Taste of Texas" and watch some of these videos you get an education.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 18:28:09 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Bette Midler -The Divine Miss M

Patti Smith Group - Horses

Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like A Wheel

Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real

Josh Ritter - Gathering

Entered at Sat Feb 10 15:04:11 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Subject: New Music

Check out new John Prine on NY Times Playlist link. Also Bettye La Vette doing Things Have Changed.

Glenn T, you have great taste in music.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 12:56:06 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Wild wild horses

Wild Horses isn’t about horses but it is maybe the best song with horse in the title.

Chestnut Mare must be the best horse song, if we ignore Cliff Nobles & Co’s instrumental dance hit The Horse.

Peter, Paul & Mary’s Stewball is one I actually learned. Garage band days. As told in a short story (linked), our payment for rehearsing in the church hall was having to play Go Tell It On The Mountain in the church one Sunday, so we had a little pile of Peter, Paul & Mary records … everyone did Where Have All The Flowers Gone in those days. Odd. Every R&B local band did it as a kind of interval. Maybe it was a local thing. One of the group thought Stewball might fit in between Bye Bye Johnny and Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover. It manifestly didn’t and we only tried it once. But we even had the sheet music, I remember.

Roger W did the Toppermost piece on Peter, Paul & Mary. I still have fond memories. We covered "Leaving' On A Jet Plane" (in their version, not John Denver's) on an ELT course book series. We FaceTime our eight month old American grandson most days, and I always start with the first verse of "Puff The Magic Dragon" so he knows it's me. Anyway the link is to the short story version, "Very Last Day." I have linked it before, but it might be a mild chuckle on UK garage band days.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 05:56:20 CET 2018 from (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Entered at Sat Feb 10 05:07:32 CET 2018 from (63.142.158.9)

JQ

Lisa - Try Norah Jones’ country outfit The Little Willies for a good version. With some red hot guitar licks; I’m not sure who her guitar player is though.

Westcoaster - I like Strawberry Roan too. Jim Ringer and Mary McCaslin have a nice take too in duet.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 04:33:19 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Horsin Around!

Lisa there is a song you may like to hear. You may have noticed Bill and I both mentioned over the last while, Wilf Carter. There is an old song of his you would probably like. It's called "Strawberry Roan". You can search it on youtube. It's there a few different takes on it. You would probably like Marty Robbins. he does a great job of it.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 03:34:04 CET 2018 from (1.43.212.33)

Wallsend

Lisa, I wonder if you have heard Aussie singer Daryl Braithwaite's version of the Rikie-Lee Jones song 'The Horses'. He did it in the early 90s and the original video has taken on iconic status in Australia. Now when he sings it everybody joins in the chorus and people go crazy. The 'unplugged version' is also worth checking out. I agree with you about Doc Watson, he was an amazing player. He made playing guitar and singing look so easy.

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Bill M

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Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

BTW, i never watched any episodes of homeland till less than two weeks ago. I caught almost all of Season one, which pulled me in immediately, and all of season two on a weekend, then season three and four the following weekend, which was this past one. Then i watched seasons 5 and 6 on showtime on demand. I essentilaly watched six 10 - 12 episode seasons in a matter of 7 or 8 days over a ten day period-- i never did anythign like that before. but, literally being hobbled up, and the way the show just sucked me in, well....

the writers and actors were almost all superb. Of course, soemtimes you gotta suspend a little reality- in one episode they're installing alarm systems in a house, int he next some one walks right into that house like there's nothing stopping em... of course, there's more important examples...

The fatc that the subject matter is so importan,t and also so current, is a pull too....

Peter, Rupert Friend, a Brit, is probably the best main actor in this show. Mandy Patinkin is great too, Clare Danes. yes, .. If you haven;t seen the series, i;d reccomend watching it from the beginning... I've never really watched Mandy PAtinkin before. i dont; recal what saw him in,maybe chicago Hope?, but he was in soemthign many years ago , where i really disliked him... SO, i never watched anythign else... Gotta tell ya, he;s excellent in this.. Love his character too- the character is supposed to be a Jew who grew up in Indiana, but Mandy plays him like the typical NYC Jew, expressions, accents, the way he says Go Fuck Yourself, every damn thing......but he's from chicago, which might be the closest thing...

Dunc, you'd enjoy this series....

Anyway, three acupuncture / cupping treatments and enough of the pain is gone, i'm a little looser, so, should be able to sit long enough, a hour or so, at a time, break, another hour, etc ,to get work done at the computer rather than ten - fofteen minutes tops at a time- which is no way to get anything accomplished.....the TV is off, and back to working n the initial offering and videos for my project.... Something to come in the next three to 6 weeks, if not, Somebody anybody, just shoot me. Norm, you might have an alibi now, if i don;t come in under 5 weeks, i asked for it.

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glenn t

it worked for me....

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Lisa

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Lisa

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glenn t

little steven: soulfire; springsteen: born to run; southside johnny & the asbury jukes: hearts of stone; beatles: mono masters; warren zevon: warren zevon & excitable boy; david bowie: scary monsters. have a great weekend everybody! "we've got time to kill, what a thrill!"

Entered at Sat Feb 10 01:34:39 CET 2018 from (24.44.153.18)

Bob F

Every year it seems like Kevin disappears around the holiday season and is gone for these months. Do all secret agents go on vacation during the winter or is he on a special assignment?

Entered at Sat Feb 10 01:34:24 CET 2018 from (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Thanks Jeff. So you have to go back to the original email to post. Try again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5c1k949Zn4

Entered at Sat Feb 10 01:21:00 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.54)

Jeff A.

Agreed that Human owner /animal relationship proportions are interesting things.. Of course, the modern world tosses em into a state of disarray.

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Jeff A.

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Ignatius

Subject: Beatles Country

Thanks for everyone's thoughts on the Beatles' flirtations with country style markers.

Rubber Soul (as I mentioned) really plays in this: I've Just Seen a Face, I'm Looking Through You and Run for Your Life have elements and suggestions. The nature of the back beats, the way the guitars are used, and the harmonies all resonate with country-related style, in my estimation. The remarkable part - they do this with their usual genuineness. Nothing corny or phony about it. (Rock Racoon later was a burlesque, and surely does not count.)

They were all Buck Owens fans, and George was enamoured with Rockabilly heroes: Carl Perkins, above all, but the Everlys mentioned by Peter and others come to mind.

My personal prejudice - all these various style approaches succeed and fail according to their proximation to the Blues. It's got to swing. Strings must be pulled. The angst must be real.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 01:02:34 CET 2018 from (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

I was trying to post a link to Doc Watson and Tennessee Stud and I have a password, but I've only done it once and I can't remember where the password is supposed to go - I've tried all the possible places, but still get Johnny ...

Anyway, Doc Watson is great. I saw a great show with him and Merle at the Commodore way, way back ... 1979ish? One of my favorite show memories, not that I've been to nearly as many as you guys. But that one was memorable.

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Bob F

Subject: Act Naturally - Ed Sullivan Show

The Beatles performed Act Naturally on their last Ed Sullivan appearance in '65. Today is the anniversary of their first appearance. What a happy memory that is for many of us.

Entered at Sat Feb 10 00:36:09 CET 2018 from (67.80.28.54)

Jeff A.

Sounds like a great and rewarding five years you had helping people and working with horses. I've mentioned em a few times in past years, and Bob mentioned buying hay for his a couple days back. Bob's wife has a couple of fine steeds. Bob gets to feed em.

Riding was one of my great pleasures in life Lisa.

Next subject could be sea horses and mermaids. ( Band connection through Neil Young to Darryl Hannah).

there's some great horse songs- just back from acupuncture and errands so my brain's a little foggy and frozen- all that comes to mind immediately is Chestnut Mare., and Wildfire. We had the horse song discussion a while back, maybe a year ago?

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Peter V

I was very fond of Ringo’s country album. To me authentic country rather than country rock.

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Lisa

Never thought anyone here would ever talk about horses, the great love of my life. I was never lucky enough to have one, but for five years in the 80s I worked extensively with a disabled riding program as a volunteer and instructor. It really was the happiest five years of my life. I had a fantastic teacher and learned so much. Later I exercised my sister's young horse who trained at a big hunter-jumper stable - a huge difference from riding the older, quieter horses from the program ... nothing like a frisky four-year-old to keep you on your toes. I got away with only one broken rib during my time with him, but he sure taught me a lot!

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Jeff A.

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Beatles? Country???

Ringo singing Buck Owens, "Act Naturally"......remember. There is more, but I got no time. Got to cut wood. It's a nice day and I'm going to have more than enough wood for next winter......in case I live another year :-)

Bill! Ken Lundgren kinda rings a bell, but I don't really remember so I looked him up. On Wikipedia, it's interesting. It tells me he was part of a recording Band in London in the 60's called "The Outlaws" amoung other names it seemed they had several. There had been several members, including at one time, "Lorne Greene".......go figure.

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Calvin

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John D

Subject: Quincy Jones Interview

Interesting take on Michael Jackson & The Beatles

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John D

I posted this over on Facebook; but I interviewed Mickey for two hours; back in the 70's. Told me about sharing a room with Garth on that tour; among other stories. A very talented man. Musician & actor.

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Jeff A.

Wyatt?
Come Wyatt, your holster is hanging a bissell too low. Do you want to shoot some one in China? And so loose, Wait, i'll sew a cord to it, you'll tie it round your leg. The way it is now, the gun ken catch the holster, you could shoot yourself in the schmeckel.

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Peter V

Ignatius, I would have expected more discussion on Mickey Jones too. After all, he was a member of The Hawks in that crucial life-changing 1966 tour, and as he always reminded people, the best-paid one in The Hawks too. Dylan really sought him out from Johnny Rivers' band … Mickey's drum sound was what Bob had in his mind for 1966.

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Peter V

You've got me thinking. Did it ever sound country before The Dillards covered it on Wheatstraw Suite? Ringo's drumming sounds country sure enough. I never thought of it as country, but Paul McCartney has often championed The Everly Brothers. I just played it and realized I know The Dillards version better! A rare example of a Beatles song improved.

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Jeff A.

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Bill M

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Jeff A.

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Ignatius

Subject: A Couple of Songwriters

I came back here after a long absence looking for conversation about Mickey Jones. Enjoying the songwriter discussion. I want to throw in a couple of more names: Louis Jordan and Roger Miller. Mr. Jordan was an inspiration to many, but especially Chuck Berry. Mr. Miller’s Country songs reached across categories. In addition, Peter what did you make of the heavily Country-inflected Beatles tunes on Rubber Soul when they came out? Thinking of I’ve Just Seen a Face, but there were others. Always disliked the category name of “Country,” and would prefer Rural, to embrace some of the religious catalogue that my lamented late favorites Ollabelle accessed so beautifully. Glad to see this remains a lively forum.

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Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

Subject: Jefro, not Geoff

Pete, you sent me looking for two stores in Manhattan. Kaufman's and Millers. both sold western clothes, the best, high quality. Specialty shops, Jewish owned, Miler's has a great story, linked.... i can't recall now, i tihnk one was more Western, and one more english, but both had a great selection of western gear.. My turn going into those stores was in the 78 or 79 - 80 period i guess. western clothes was all the rage here from my early teen years, maybe prior.... I don;t remember not seeing guys in western style plaid and work shirts, and my uncle eddie had a bunch of em worn out..... He gave me a good pair of already broken in boots in my teens that i wore for ages, kept getting em reheeled... No joke- loads of stores had western shirt sections & boot cut jeans, , but those two stores were right in Manhattan that specialized in western clothing, the most renowned of which was Millers, in Manhattan. But western shirts & of course boot cut jeans, were all over the place. Boots too. Hats also.

Like i mentioned before, and several times years ago, i grew up riding. My stepfather's father came from Russia a horseman, and started selling fruit and vegetables from a horsedrawn wagon, in Brooklyn. So, my stepfather grew up with horses, and worked in a stable in Bergen Beach for a while as a teen... Riding was second nature to me, Western, then , ( my father bought me a young appaloosa mare when i was ten, he was living in virginia for a short while, the horse migrated back north with his family half a year later) in my very late teens when my stepfather lost his mind and thought he was gonna be a tycoon, he got into english riding for many years for a while. He and two of his more or less "respectable" wiseguy friends ( Tony Gi....and Tony Ma...) started going for english riding lessons and bought quarter horses ( no joke, bent noses in jodphurs.. they(not he) were also opening lumber yards & finance companies etc etc) My stepfather stuck with English riding till age prevented him from riding, had 80 acres with horses all over the place, a couple of barns, corrals, da works, out in Maple Plain, Minnesota. Inevitably he fucked that up though, and started selling off the land,and squandered the dough.

No joke, western clothes were big here in NYC,and you still see some real old men in their 80s and 90s , galivanting around in their 40 , 50, or 60 year old western shirts..... , though i'm younger , along with flannel shirts, we all wore em as our everyday shirts in the high school years, for me, 72-75 .

Got our share of black cowboys here too.. used to be everyday..... there's a spot in brooklyn, on the border of queens, i think a few black cowboys still got their little enclave where the Conduit runs into queens, and a couple enclaves in the Pelham Parkway to City Island part of the Bronx with some small black cowboy strongholds.. private stables, land... Used to be common to see em riding... You used to see black guys in western clothing in the city all the time.... of course, it was normal in many parts of the country, and i'm sure that mostly with the exception of younger guys that fell to gangsta clothes, etc, still happens.

But yeah, alot regular people were heavy into western clothes in NYC.

Apparently Kaufman's is long gone, and Millers has become a section of Manhattan Saddlery....Back in 78 or 79, when u was learning English ridin for a bit, i got a pair of custome made French baby calf leather english riding boots, made at Jose Der's ( the store was Der's) , on McDonald ave in brooklyn. Jose was Cuban... Bought my jodphurs at Millers. but it was the western shrts and boots that i loved...... Rnglish was okay riding, and a real physical workout.but i never loved it. My stepfather's quarter horse, already named Calzone when he got him, could throw me at will. Calzone had moves... we'd be turning right, though already into the turn, he'd go left...i'd keep going right... the only horse that ever threw me, but he made up for one that tried for several minutes when i was young. I don;t recall the circumstances, but the horse was pissed when I mounted up. And just started bucking right there in the corral at the stable...I stayed on, and eventually the horse got the idea to bash my right leg into the stable wall. I jumped off as soon as i could.. Guess i was 12 or so .... i think i stayed off horses for about half a year till i got the nerve to get back on...... when i was 19 or 20, Tony G kinda set me up one time... told a stable hand to give me Atticus.... something about the casual way Tony said it, i knew i wasn't getting no philosphical horse . Biggest horse i ever saw, midnight black, and though i was riding regularly,my body ached for a few days....

It looks like Miller's Harness was was sold to Dover Saddlery, but they were allowed to keep part of ther business, maybe the retail ,and that was sold and is now Manhattan Saddlery. Her's another link - that is in camouflage.... manhattansaddleryDOTcom/pages/about-us

Camouflaged links, you guys gotta replace the DOT with a dot.

Der's, Jose Der's store, is now DerDau... Jose is in his 90s...Here's a camoflaged link to the store: derdauDOTcom/

Here's an article on Der's in Equestrian Living eqlivingDOTcom/inside-joseph-ders-brooklyn-workshop/

And another brooklyndailyDOTcom/stories/2017/47/bn-jose-der-2017-09-29-bkDOThtml

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Peter V

Brooklyn country: Ah, Jeff that explains a lot. I wondered why there were so many men with plaid shirts and long beards standing around in Brooklyn. They’re country fans! I’m not sure where the small dogs come into it. Then there are all those guys in long black coats and tall black hats with ringlets. Obviously trying to look like Wyatt Earp.

BM might have something on Canada and C&W in Britain … Hank Snow is second only to Jim Reeves in country LPs that turn up.

There always was a C&W scene, just restricted. There was a huge C&W event in London every year, but in Britain this really meant dressing up as Roy Rogers and wearing holsters with toy guns. A friend was in a TV sitcom in the 80s about a C&W club in Yorkshire. There was a C&W shop locally … again with dressing up clothes. I bought some fine belt buckles there in the 80s and a great John Wayne cross-over shirt. I guess I should go and get new belts to fit the buckles so I could wear them.

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JQ

Bill M - Have you heard of him? I saw his group in the late 90’s at the Viper Room in Hollywood (where River Phoenix was when he died) and he and they were terrific. As I recall he looked a bit like Hank Williams. But I’ve never heard anything since. I believe he was from Canada and was fairly renowned up there?

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Bill M

Peter V: There must've been a dearth of C&W musicians in the UK in the late '50s, as there seems to be have been a bit of a transatlantic circuit that saw Canadian bands and musicians plying their trade in the UK (where as British Subjects they could work legally). Ken Lundgren went over with his band from Vancouver Island (Campbell River, I believe, Norm), and he ended up staying a good while, but switching genres to play rhythm to Ritchie Blackmore's lead in (Mike Berry and) the Outlaws.

As for C&W, it seems always to have been big across Canada, though much of it was old-timey / bluegrass music, especially from the Maritimes that was lumped in with C&W because it involved banjos and fiddles. Anyone back in the days of the five-channel universe (or worse) couldn't have avoided country on TV - "Country Hoedown" (where Lightfoot got his start), "Don Messer's Jubilee", Cousin Bill Bessie, Stu Phillips, Stu Davis ... The biggest early solo stars - Hank Snow and Wilf Carter (Montana Slim) were Nova Scotians, and somewhat later Stompin' Tom Conners was from PEI. But there were many successful bands in western Canada too, and because of the dispersed population, they performed and even recorded rockabilly as well as C&W in order to keep the teenagers happy.

All in all, what was big, when, was a complicated picture. Maybe not soul, but the radio market for R&B in general had it legs cut out from under it by the British invasion. In '63, two local R&B records ("Big Town Boy" by Shirley Matthews and "Charlena" by Richie Knight and the Midknights) went to #1 in Toronto, and a third to #2 ("Any Other Way" by Jackie Shane), but after that, pretty much nothing.

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Jeff A.

Subject: haggard

Norm ,here's a link to some you mentioned... you're right, Mere's boys are excellent. Each of em look like him, funny thing, the oldest might the most, then Noel, then Ben... & yeah, he's a string singer & Picker, i dig Noel's voice a ton too. Ha, johnny gave me da finga, i put the link in the required slot, & the password slot too. That link been a comfort & a laugh. Jarring the first few times back when, but quickly became like a friend saying "Go fuck yourself" or " Your mother's ass." (Or there's a few far worse ones too, funny as hell, but i wouldn't write em in am open forum) . You just laugh.

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Jeff A.

Hank's Saloon been around a long time, got displaced by The Barclay's Center and imminent domain, reopened, may have gotten displaced again, not sure. a place called Branded, and Freddy's Backroom, also displaced and moved... there's plenty others now too. Southpaw, a multi genred place that closed, had a regular country thing- there was aband that seemed pretty hot named the Defilibrators that played there a lot. Them id go see, but i doubt they are around anymore......

Forgive the return of the typos guys & gal ( Lisa) ...my spinal aches and pains are the worst they been since 2001, and that means the nerve damage is effecting my hands like crazy. sitting at the computer for more than a few minutes at a time just ain;t happenin either.. I'm fixin a pile of typos all the time, but there's anther pile i just don't get to......

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Jeff A.

Subject: Enterprising Girl Scout

A must read.

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Jeff A.

No big deal Calvin, but you surprised me. I figured you were aware of my fondness for country music...i was aware of it even as a kid, and it always had a big AM radio audience and dedicated listeners here. I was born in 58. So i couldn't tell ya nothin about the live country music scene here till the early or mid 70s ( it's not like reading about or knowing musical performers and audience participants in the live music scene of the 60s here) but i can tell ya that by the mid 70s i was aware of and sometimes party to a live country music scene here.... It was all over Manhattan.. different degrees, some of the real popular stuff ( Urban Cowboy etc etc), soem other, and then the younger generation.... OF course then there were the national acts...... In any event, i went to see the country rockers..... Nitty Gritty, Lost Gonzos,. Jerry jeff, Poco , Emmylou, Burritos ( starting when they regrouped in 75 with Joel Scott hill, Gene Parsons, Sneaky Pete, chris ethridge.... Gib Guilbeau came in, then a host of others in and out...)............Chris Hillman, , McGuinn, Mcguinn, Clark and Hillman, SHF.... don;t recall seeing any straighter live country shows then.......... I do rememebr Neil young's straight country International Harvester band in Wollman Rink in Central PArk at some point, that was stright country... But aside from the country rockers, i always went backwards to the sources...

Will The Circle Be Unbroken Volume 1 ....Two of My Friends and I went to Alexander's Department Stores Record Store in Kings Palza and all bought it when it first came out in 1972 By the late 70s the Lone Star Opened, & i often saw local country acts that palyed a lot of traditional country music open for other acts at the Lone Star. Mindy J & the Cyclone Rangers was one. Of course, Mindy Jostyn has been talked abotu in ths GB frequntly over the years....She was the fiddler and lead vocalist front person for the band... another band waa PEach Fish Pie. ....

There's always been dedicated COuntry bars all over the 5 boroughs-- Diamonds and dirt or somethign liek that was one big one in Manhattan..... there wqas or is Hogs and Heiffers in Manhattan, others... City Limits was on in the south village, alot of name players were in countrybands that played there in the 890s, Larry Campbell was onr of em.... Iw alked into City Limits once and walked out- it was just too mobbed ...Far as the real straight country places , the crowd was nt; my kinda crowd, i wasn;t goin,

Very separately, there's still is a on again off again band called The Brooklyn Cowboys. I dont; knwo when they started, or when they were popular, - Fred Perry is the drummer, leader , guy who keeps it running... Fred lives in the Woodstock area, owns & runs a music store there, and is from my neighborhood, less than a mile directly up east 24ths treet from my house back then. He's got some years on me, i didn;t knwo him or of him growing up.... his brother is the big macher very heavy record producer exec Richard Perry.... Walter Egan, who wrote the Fleetwood Mac hit Magnet & Steel, & Hearts On Fire, that you guys must knwo from Grievous ANgel, the Gram PArsons/ emmylou record.. ( from Queens) is in it for a while , Buddy CAGE JOINED AT SOMe point AND STAYED TIL HE DIED, Stick Davis from The aMAZING rHyThM aCES was one bassist, Supe Granda from the Ozark Daredevils was another, Michael Webb, a name session/tourng multiinstrumentalist was the keyboardist, he;s in Poco these days but i'm sure likely 4 or 5 other bands and likely still tours with heavies like John Fogerty, etc etc i tihnk PRof Louie did some work with them too...

the original Lone Star and City Limite liely were the two places that most people in this GB woulda enjoyed....Acts like Jim Lauderdale, buddy & JulieMiller, were local regulars, Johnny Paychjeck, Billy Swan, Kinky Friedman, Burritos, maybe the Nitty Gritty guys once, not sure, it was too small for them........ of curse they had a country rock, and a blues, and a real rock and roll side too.... im thinking back- i remember a gorgeous trio show - Chirss Haillman, Al Perkins, and some oen else, i can;t say who- just unfuckin believable, 85 or 86.... abd a few Black Tie shows, Billy Swan Randy Meisner and James Griffin ( Bread)... Blondie chaplin on geetar, the drummer i tihnk was Scott Kempner, later with Dylan.. i may have angled the name a little, Steve maybe

the link is to a article about larry campbell and teresa williams that has some stuff about their LEvon period that you guys might enjoy reading

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Mo Pitney

Thank you for that Peter. It is some video isn't it. That young boy Mo Pitney I've watched for quite a while now. He is good, and doing quite well. For some reason for me, it just doesn't quite ring true with that boy. I have thought about it for quite some time now. I think the way it comes across for me, he tries really hard to copy people and sing deeper than he normally would and I guess it just doesn't have the right feel.

You really should bring up on youtube these boys I have spoken of "North Country". They are exceptionally good musicians and as in the song of Merle Haggard's I mention, (Sing Me Back Home) they have a real true sound and feel.

The boy who sings that song, if you search, "I'm a free born man", an old blue grass song, the way that boy flat picks his licks in that song is impressive. I've always loved to see young folks who work at doing justice to this music. It reminds me of me when I was 18 and started being invited more and more to sing at town hall dances. I just tried to do the songs right and how they felt. So far that has never let me down.

There is some music you may like to see. Merle Haggard has 4 sons. The younger two Noel and Ben are on a youtube video where it is a show to honour their Dad shortly after his passing. They play with their Dad's old band. They are so good it is gut wrenching. They are each playing one of their Dad's Telecasters. Ben, the younger is the picker. He has his Dad's oldest Teley that is beat up and got his Dad's name scratched into it. The way that boy makes it sound, you'd swear it was his Dad. Noel starts out singing, "The Runnin' Kind". Ben harmonizes with him. Then Ben sings "Branded Man". It is really worth watching.

Young Ben Haggard is spreading his wings now. I believe that boy is going to be a real heavy weight in country music.

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Peter V

Subject: Mo Pitney

Now we have Mo Pitney singing Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes at the Grand Old Opry.

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Peter V

Subject: Who's GonnaFill Their Shoes

I've linked it, Norm.

Weird … Mo Pitney covered it at the Grand Old Opry … that is the Mo Pitney I mentioned earlier today!

Entered at Thu Feb 8 22:53:31 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Bill M, George Jones, John Prine....gawd damn music!!

Hi Bill! I saw your post, then my head got into other things here..y'know. Glad you got that book. I want to get it to. Then maybe some day we can discuss it.

JQ, "She Thinks I Still Care" is probably the best song George ever did. I mentioned some time back how I got to sing it with his band. He was to be at the "Cave" supper club in Vancouver. This was about 1985, those "no show" years. The promoter gave a bunch of us musicians free tickets. They were worried no one would show up. A lot of us who were gigging then made arrangements. About 20 of us got together and went. The place was pretty empty and........no George. A couple guys from his band,(and they were playing great). They took a break and they came over to us some what let down and they thanked us for staying. One of my buddies says,"Well this is Norm Jones, he can sing for you." The guitar player says do you know any of his songs, I said sure. So I got to do a set. One of the highlights of my life!

Peter,one of the songs of George in later years you may enjoy. On youtube, the "official video" of "Who's gonna fill their shoes" is pretty damn wonderful. A bus pulls off into an old filling station. A "Silver Eagle" of course. Has "George Jones writ all down the side. The old guy at the filling station, (he's an actor and I can't recall his name." He comes out, the driver gets out and the old guy says you must just have the band huh? Driver says, no just George we're goin' home. Old guy says you think he'd sign my guitar. Driver says he's awake in there holler at 'im.

George comes out and they go in the station. This old guy has memrobillia , (I don't think I spelt that right) like you can't believe. Pictures of Johnny Horton, Hank Williams, Elvis, Waylon, Merle, album covers and all kinds of stuff. This is where George starts singing, "Who's gonna fill their Shoes." Y'all give it a look and a listen.

As far as John Prine goes. Search up on youtube, John Prine and Steve Goodman singing "Souveniers" with those two acoustic guitars. Steve picks just beautiful. He died so young and he was so good. John got really beat up by cancer. In that video they look so fit and full of life and they are so good together it always makes me tear up.

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Calvin

Shame on me

I do enjoy some old school country, Tex Ritter, Carter Family and such. Where would Johnny Horton fall in this discussion as listenable country?

It's amazing how different musical cultures live side by side without paying attention to each other. In my next book coming out March 5th (Insert Shameless plug) The Akron Sound: The Heyday of the Midwest's Punk Capital I mention along side the bands breaking out of the DIY Bars of Akron at the same time one of the biggest Gospel labels in the country was churning out albums a mile down the road with the Humbard Family.

Guessing a lot of people weren't following both. But then the Humbard Family Singers never jammned with Devo. Although I'd pay good money to hear that tape if they did.

I heard an interview with Alexis Korner from around 1969 the other day where he talked about how all the English musicians had picked and chose what they wanted to play out of American music. He felt that was more or less a pity and hoped it would be corrected as he saw all the English bands essentially deciding that the Blues were "A 5 year period of the Chicago Style" and have ignored all other blues.

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Bob F

Peter, I have it on my Mac Itunes library and playlists on my phone. Write them on their website. They are the best people. I'm sure they will help or send you a download.

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Peter v

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Peter V

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JQ

PV - Frank Sinatra made the point that George was the second best singer in America. Unfortunately, George was saddled with a lot of lousy material and then Billy Sherrill would produce the song with swelling strings and some cheese sauce and then it would sell millions! I think that’s the story with a lot of older school country pop. But George Jones had a tremendous voice - move over Roy Orbison - and was a great singer. Try some of his 1950/60’s stuff that is more spare, production-wise, and I think you might be impressed. I think there’s some live stuff, with a small band, where you can hear his perfect pitch and the emotive qualities of his singing. “The window up above” and “She thinks I still care” are 2 of my favorites that I still play all the time; they didn’t escape those later production styles but his singing prevails for me.

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Peter V

Entered at Thu Feb 8 18:18:33 CET 2018 from (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Country

Norm, I do listen to some now. Van Morrison was in those Irish Show Bands doing country next to R&B. I saw him with Linda Gail Lewis (mind you, that must have been the worst show he ever did with an awful British pick up band she had employed).But I'm still at the Byrds / Burritos / Poco / Nitty Gritty area mainly, with a fair sprinkling of Johnny Cash. I just don't get Webb Pierce, George Jones or Willie Nelson at all. I'm OK with the girls … Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee. I'm a major Bobbie Gentry fan, and maybe her albums were a first step into country for me. Jeannie C. Riley too. But again, I guess "Americana" fits their stuff better.

Link to Harper Valley PTA with the video of the film.

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Jeff A.

Norm, maybe you didn't notice that real early in this conversation about great writers i mentioned H. Russell Smith as one of the great songwriters. He was the main writer in the Amazing Rhythm Aces. Probably wrote 98% of their original material, and still leads the band. It's only he and one or two other original members now, Billy Earhart being one of em. H Russell Smith has been a "staff writer" so to speak, for Fame Studios (or whatever their publishing arm has been titled these days.) for a long time now, since the popularity of the Aces dropped....

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Post Script :-)

Peter, I had meant to say to you in that last post. If you want a real good taste of 1950's country, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and the like listen to Van Morrison's "Pay The Devil" album. Van has his musicians play all that music pretty authentically to original and he sings most of it really well.

One last thing no one for a long time has mentioned a band who is a power house of music and infused it all. Blue Grass, Country, Country Rock and Rock and Roll. "The Amazing Rythmn Aces" did it all and were superb musicians.

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Country....What it was???

It was a good post Calvin. I mentioned this here before but at this time it deserves repeating.

When the Byrds went to Nashville to record "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" this is what happened, (according to Roger McQuinn). I have an old video of the making of Circle Two. When they are all about to record, "You Ain't Goin Nowhere" There is Roger, Chris Hillman, Jerry Butler on dobro and a few others as well as the Dirt Band. Roger tells it like this.

We went down to Nashville to record this album. We figured we could gain a country audience. We found out very quickly that the country people didn't like us. Also our r&r audience turned on us because country was seen as "political". Our audience thought we were turn coats and had gone over to the other side. So we lost them all there for an instant. Then the country audience started to warm up to us and we got 'em all back.

Some would not realize how bigoted country music was, (and still is in some ways). If anyone who watched the "Buddy Holly Story" may remember when the Crickets were invite down to Nashville to record and came in the studio with their drums. That was all "Taboo". When they had confrontation as to their music style, the director said, "Get outta here with your N----r music.

Waylon Jennings and a few others were not allowed to record in Nashville for some time and recorded in Austin Texas, so became "The Outlaws". I mentioned a long ways back of a book I have written by "Nock Tosches" called, "Country The Biggest Music in America". published in 1977, that is when my sister gave it to me.

I will just write the names of some of the chapters to give some ideas. Long back there I told some of the stories in this book.

2.Orpheus, Gypsies, and Redneck Rock & Roll

6. Yodeling Cowboys and Such

8. Stained Panties and Coarse Metaphors

9. West Virginia Hills are in the Bronx

10. Your going to watch me Kill Her

11. Cowboys and N-----s

Some of the factual stories in this book are pretty startling.

There are still a lot of places in the south with the chicken wire around the stage. Even in this day and age there are guys that go to gig in a bar where they know their music is going to get them in trouble. The movie "Road House" is a good example.

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Jeff A.

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Peter V

And as has been discussed, Southern Rock was much, much less successful here. We discussed this with David P … after one visit to London a few years ago, both “megastores” had every Band CD, but no more than one or two Allman Brothers CDs.

Indeed look at early Beatles covers … Arthur Alexander, The Cookies, The Shirelles, The Isley Brothers, The Marvelettes, The Miracles, Chuck Berry, The Donays, Barrett Strong. Not to mention The Rolling Stones and The Animals

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Bill M

Rockin C: Thought of you when I went to Munro Books to find something to read on the flight home (it was that Acadian Driftwood book by Antonine Maillet on the way out - excellent) and left with "Shindig" magazine - not for the Doors cover story but for the very detailed 6-page history of the Poppy Family. Let's Go!!

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Calvin

Living on my side of the Atlantic, and it should be made clear that a midwesterner like myself had a very different experience than a New Yorker like Jeff, country music was a bit more involved in our everyday lives.

I'm in my 50s, and came of age in the 70s instead of the 60s like many of you, and country music was everywhere growing up. It was my dad's music so everywhere we went as a kid I listened to WSLR and Jaybird Drennan on the car radio.

In an odd way country music fans were more accepting of Rock n Roll than the other way around, The first Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands Circle album made in in to the top 5 on the country charts and didnt even come close to the top 50 on the rock charts. Taking a quick look at the Music Charts bands like Poco, Marshall Tucker Band, Pure Prairie, Linda Ronstadst, Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers dont seem to show up on UK Charts but did quite well here. Some of the acts, the Flying Burrito Brothers being a great example, had hits on the country charts bigger than they every did on the Rock charts. And some artists like Linda Ronstadt went back and forth with ease. Although the Eagles warmed over country sound did well over there.

I think here the weekend Ralph Peer signed both the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers during tryouts he held in Bristol, Tennessee is a huge moment in music. I'm guessing its a meaningless weekend in the UK?

And was Southern Rock, Lynard Skynard\38 Special\Molly Hatchet\Allman Brothers basically ignored over there?

And not meaning to criticize, the Band sold fairly well here, especially early on with their first 3 albums, and up to Islands. But they didnt in the UK? Correct?

As for R&B and Soul? I hate to say it but even though Motown, Stax and Atlantic did well here sales wise I do believe a lot of the country saw it as black music. I mean there are trivia questions about the first acts Motown signed or released. Seems a lot of white acts did soul/R&B over there, Not here. Even in Jazz the fact The Brubeck Quartet was a mixed race band was talked about as a thing when the Beatles where first charting. And we had this whole weird genre of white musicians covering black artists with really awful watered down versions of the black artists hits. That how we wound up with Pat Boone.

Its really amazing with our somewhat shared culture how different our tastes can be.

Then again I was completely thrown to see Joke/novelty act Rick Astley was playing around me soon. And then finding up he had a No 1 album in the UK in 2016? Really?

Anyway, done with my prattling on about our different tastes over country rock and R&B/Soul.

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Wallsend

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Dunc

Subject: Too much to commentate on

Over the years, I've noticed us Brits value soul a bit more or am I wrong. I like country now, but it was not hip in the past. But I really enjoy the Ray Price Willie Nelson album, which somebody recommended on the GB.

Can't really disagree with Lennon/McCartney and Bob being up there. But, I think there is a special place above the following pack for Paul Simon.

Bob F. About 20 years ago there was an influential radio programme on Radio BBC Scotland. Neil Young was voted the most important artist. Springsteen was a miss for me - just too much music in the world. I listen to a lot of music, which I don't discuss on here because it's not known to others. Karine Polwart reminded me of Roseann because of the hard work to get there, meaningful songs and has a social conscience like Roseann. Now has a British following and won Radio Two awards. But the hook that got me interested was her playing Michael Marra songs. I think Roseann could record a Michael Marra song. A hook for Roseann is that Pattie Smith worked with him. Check out Like Another Rolling Stone.

Calvin. Got you. No I like my Zombies As and Bs. There was a recent programme on BBC where two of the Zombies said that they could have done with a better manager as some of the posed photos they did were naff and hindered their career. The As and Bs album illustrates this clearly. I thought you were referring to a Who written track, which had been recorded by Graham Bond, which I couldn't find.

Thanks everybody. Playing a Rory Gallagher collection. Taste were a great band.

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Rod

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Peter V

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Peter V

Country … when I started posting here more than 20 years ago, I couldn’t stand Hank Williams, and had never knowingly heard a record by George Jones. I educated myself a bit. For my British generation, it started with The Byrds, then The Dillards and Flying Burrito Brothers. The Band doing Long Black Veil was part of that. And yes, I’ve been to the Grand Ol’ Opry now and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I still don’t know why Mo Pitney, star of that show, doesn’t have an album out.

Country was always huge in Ireland, and the Irish Show Bands did R&B, country and pop. In London, when I was working in it, Irish pubs meant country music playing non-stop, fights outside and serious danger if you had long hair as I did. The sound of Jim Reeves wafting through the door meant “DO NOT ENTER.”

You could say that country developed in Appalachia out of Irish folk and music and returned home.

Radio was the huge difference. We had one reliable radio station. Then we had Radio Luxembourg at night … and actually I did get some country 45s early on from the CBS sponsored show … Marty Robbins El Paso, Claude King’s Wolverton Mountain, Big Bad John, Johnny Cash Ring of Fire, but in a way the first three veered to pastiche, as did a great favourite, Elvis doing Old Shep. As was knowingly Long Black Veil, when written for Lefty Frizell and when done by The Band.

As teens, given exposure to Otis Redding and Lee Dorsey heavily on radio, as we were, what would induce you to listen to George Jones?

Put it like this. The soul singer finds his woman’s been cheatin’ on him. He gets a rhythm section behind him, sings the song and dances the hurt out.

The country singer finds his woman’s been cheatin’ on him, goes out to his old truck so as to go and buy ammunition for his shotgun, eventually gets the truck to start and in his blind fury drives over his beloved old dog. He has to bludgeon the horribly injured dog to death with his shotgun and falls and weeps on the ground. "I loved that dawggie."

Not a lot of choice for a teen.

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Jeff A.

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Kingfish............AND

Hi Haso, I think you are talking about Kingfish? black boy playing guitar like Hendriks, (he's big enough to burn diesel). Good sounding stuff. There is also Kingfisha, and Kingfisher, particularly awful.

Now years back here I brought the attention to a band from Anchorage, Alaska. Great name. "The Council of Smokers and Drinkers". :-) Search them on youtube, a song called Tupelo Road. GREAT! They used to also have "Into the Mystic" on here it is really good, but I guess Van caught up to them......it's gone.

Anyway check out the other ones I spoke of, the band North Country, and Bryan & Brian.

Entered at Thu Feb 8 05:20:41 CET 2018 from (71.234.142.242)

haso

Subject: kingfish and country

Good grief, Jeff, the breadth of experience you've got can be almost intimidating. Of course Peter's pretty much in his own class and I'm glad we get to study w/ him. I'm impressed that you saw Kingfish. Yeah, I've got the live & kickin' lp. Especially enjoy their cover of Jimmie Rodger's "Muleskinner Blues". A buddy in college had another lp, I believe there was a tune or a lyric about "a big iron on his hip". And perhaps a cover of Marty Robbins' Streets of Laredo. I'll check out Wake up Call.

Norm: you ever hear these Kingfish guys? I'm guessing you might know of this "big iron" tune as well.

On the country effect in the Isles, Peter, the history makes good sense to me. Just doesn't seem like it travels quite as well as other North American genres. Would most here agree, that after exposure to r 'n' r, 60's soul, the Beatles etc. that country, is a little bit of an acquired taste (one I can assure you that Mrs haso never got). It certainly was for me, as early 70's bluegrass in the midwestern U.S. lead on to Nashville. That said, I wonder Levon or Rick would say to that opinion.

On opinions, I really don't have much authority on songwriter hierarchies. But Norm or Jeff A: would you put J. Prine somewhere up there in the country/folk category? Also, you-tube the Dustbowl Revival, let me know what you think of them. Whoever was onto Marley earlier, I would think he'd be right up there if you look at the influence internationally.

Anyway, thanks, everybody; good conversations.

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Bob F

Subject: Karine Polwart Trio

Dunc, thanks for the tip on Karine Polwart Trio. I really like this version of the Billy Bragg song A New England. I past it on to RoseAnn. So much talent out there. That's the kind of show I like to go to now. Small gatherings, beautiful place and great talent. Leave the big box shows for the rich.

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Peter V

Country was filtered in the UK … there was always a country fan area, but it was restricted. Jim Reeves dominated jukeboxes here which is why circa 1965, I, and every musician I knew (a lot) really loathed country music. Then the awful Englebert Humperdink did Release Me. And Tom Jones did some country covers too. Actually, in retrospect,the Tom Jones ones were fine, but we loathed them deeply at the time.

Except for the filter … The Everly Brothers. As both Paul McCartney and Paul Simon have said, they were nearly as important as Elvis.

It really was different here. America had pop, soul and country charts. We had just the one chart with very little country and a great deal of soul.

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Peter V

RIP indeed. Mickey corresponded with me in the early days here. Sent me a signed solo CD. Always open and happy to chat about the 1966 tour. From my limited contact, a truly lovely guy. So Mickey, get in there and as Bob said to you that night, PLAY FUCKING LOUD! And you really, really did on that magnificent performance of Like A Rolling Stone. My grandkids favourite record to run around in circles too (the little ones) is always the infectious "Trini Lopez Live At PJs." That rhythm is Mickey.

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jh

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Jeff A.

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Bryan & Brian

Bryan Adams, and Brian Setzer, (of Stray Cats) do a concert together, many I suppose. Brian Stezer's Orchestra is gawd damn unreal. Anyway, Bryan Adams wrote a song called "Hey Elvis!". You guys really want to see this on youtube. Hey Elvis Bryan Adams & Brian Setzer.

Entered at Wed Feb 7 22:33:08 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Comes from the heart

Thank you for that Bob. I know it well and have played that beautiful video many times. So good to see Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Gene Autrey.

You are right Merle and Willie have done many beautiful things. At the time they did that video you put up, they did that great video of Townes Van Zant's "Ballad of Poncho and Lefty". If you watch it, I believe they are wearing the same gear as in your vid.

I would like to turn you guys on to a country , blue grass group of young guys, called "North Country". They are from the Seattle area. If you will search on youtube for Merle Haggard's old song, "Sing Me Back Home" North Country, just two of them do this song on the video. The young boy playing dobro, (I forget his name) but he is from up here in BC. The little town of Squamish, (just below Whistler Ski Village). Squamish is an old logging town we lived there for a while when I was about 3. This young boy plays a multitude of instruments. My older brother Howie used to play with his Dad at blue grass fesivals. (Howie plays acordian, guitar, and mandolin). These kids show a true love and respect for this music.

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JQ

Was that Dylan? As I recall he was talking about the pop music after WW2, before Elvis. And that stuff can be pretty dreadful; I think “how much is that doggy in the window” was number 1 for awhile. Doris Day’s Que Sera, Perry Como, Jo Stafford, etc were mostly insipid and silly, good singing voices though. They likely typified the whole stereotype of the 50’s as white bread bland. Not that there wasn’t great music then, it was just below the surface and Elvis brought some of it out for the kids then. Try Elvis Presley Blues by Gillian Welch (and Tom Jones!), she tells his story in song so well and even mixes in the legend of John Henry - “rang like silver/shined like gold”.

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Bob F

Subject: A Horse Called Music

Norm, speaking of Merle, are you familiar with this great Willie Nelson song that featured Merle? They did some great things together.

Entered at Wed Feb 7 21:53:44 CET 2018 from (208.181.205.134)

Rockin Chair

Subject: Exposure & Time As well as Preference

I suspect that it is the element of exposure Peter. It would seem to me that many of you folks across the pond just didn't get the exposure to a lot of music in our earlier times. With the advent of television and now internet there is saturation where there was nothing.

Bob with respect, to say before there was Elvis there was nothing is really stupid. The women were screaming over "Old Blue Eyes" long before Elvis. Hank Williams as well. There is just way too much good music from back when I was a kid to even remember it all. Elvis did, example "Blue Moon of Kentucky" for example. Norah Jones and other girls do hits such as the Tennessee Waltz. I could go on forever.

The Times They are a Changing. I started singing when I was 5, so over the last 68 years I've gone thru multitudes of changes in music and love most of it. (I don't consider rap music.)

I think I told this story quite a ways back. My son Craig, (now 37, and craig builds helicopters). He has his own band and is pretty damn good on sax, started when he was 8 and harps and guitar. When Craig was 2 or 3 he would sit in front of my turntable in the morning in his pj's and keep playing records over and over. Then he got into cassettes. What reminds me of this is the mention of "Born in the USA".

I played Whistler ski village one weekend then. Doing a single in the lounge of the Keg restraint. I played one night until 3 in the morning. There was a gang in there that just wouldn't quit. The owner was a friend of mine. Some of these people at about 1 when I was going to quit said, "We'll pay yuh $200 to play another half hour. Well my friend "Rookie" the owner said, just keep playing I'll pay whatever. He paid me $600 for that night. Anyway when I get home I'm dead tired and in bed trying to sleep. I had just got the "Born in the USA" cassette a few days before. Craig is sitting on the floor in his pj's him and "Bruce" are both screaming "BORN IN THE USA!!!" I get out of bed and yell at him "SHUT UP!" He just looks at me like, what's your problem?

When he was nine or ten, I'm playing for a guy's birthday barbecue outside. I'm set up in the back of my truck. Craig is sitting on the tail gate singing. This lady comes over to me and wide eyed she says to me, "He knows all the words of all your songs!" I told her he's been singing them his whole life.

Craig does a lot of his own up to date music with his band, but he still plays lots of Van the Man, John Fogerty, Bob Seger, Bob Dyland and other stuff of our time.

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Bill M

Speaking of one of the greats, I noticed the it was front-page news in Vancouver yesterday that Paul Simon would be starting his final tour there. The headline said "Here's to you, Mr Simon", which reflects well on the aged hipness of the headline-writer.

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Jeff A.

Bob, i strongly suspect that had you been a teen or older in t he 30s and 40s you'd have been listening to a lot of great music. Including, amongst many many others, these are all that came to mind, Benny Goodman, Albert Ammons, Duke ellington, Louis Jordan, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Woody Guthrie, Ledbelly bill Monroe,Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, lesser known but still "popular" so to speak, Lonnie Johnson, Leroy carr, ...Dock Boggs, less so, & all the great "race records" made on those times... i suspect you'da found that music then.

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Bob F

Personally if I had to choose between music from the 30's and 40's and hip hop/rap, I'm all in with the modern sound. I hate those old songs. A great man once said, "Before Elvis there was nothing".

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b.lee

Subject: Do you like good music? (yeah, yeah)

Well, Jeff, maybe we'll hear some good music in the Twitler's military parade. A little Sousa, perhaps?

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Jeff A.

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JQ

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Jeff A.

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Peter V

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Peter V

But the greatest of the genre? Don & Phil for me.

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Song Writers?? what Kind??

Guys like Peter have tunnel vision. Of course in the vein they travel in, it's to be expected I guess.

Merle Haggard, (just for one):

AWARDS..... Academy of Country Music.

National Academy of Recording Artists and Song Writers

Country Music Hall of Fame

Oklahoma Hall of Fame

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

Classed as BMI Icon

48 BMI Country Awards

9 BMI Pop Awards

1 BMI R & B Award

16 BMI Million - Air Awards

Catalog spans over 25 million performances

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Jeff A.

I gotta go think about more important subjects...

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Peter V

People do cover Neil Young … Simone Felice springs to mind who usually does at least one, but let's say in 2050 you'll be more likely to hear a cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water than one of Out of The Blue (Into The Black).

Entered at Wed Feb 7 16:18:16 CET 2018 from (67.81.97.93)

Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

If you want to start investigating the most impacting prolific rock and roll writers, ddo wop writers, blues, soulw riters, the list fills out pretty fast..

On great song dont et you there, but a few outrageous ones and then a few very fucking good ones that just won;t go away from socnsiousness sure as hell should.

Hank williams belongs on that list too.

Entered at Wed Feb 7 15:30:00 CET 2018 from (173.239.240.28)

Calvin

Mitchell reputation does live on a short peak, with other songs here and there for decades.

If any women belongs on the list its Dolly Parton.

Dunc, you mentioned the Singles A & B series, and almost giving up on them? Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant. I was saying I enjoyed the Who's Singles A & B release because out of nowhere a B Side with Graham Bond Organization was on the release. Not that I'm a huge fan, I just found it funny.

Anyone know a young blues artist named Samantha Fish? My girlfriend is a huge fan so I took her to see Fish for her Birthday last night, and the lady was very, very, very good. Amazing pipes, great band, and she can play the guitar.

Anyone see Winwood lately? He's coming through my neck of the woods in a month. Have heard the voice is shot at this point...

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b.lee

Subject: Songwriters

Maybe the yardstick should be "whose songs will still being sung/played and re-envisioned 30+ hears hence?", ergo "standards". Hands down, Lennon-McCartney. Bob has largely given up re-inventing his songs in favor of re-interpreting others. Neil Young is prolific and high profile, but most of his songs are personal, often (IMO) idiosyncratic and when removed from his performance, somewhat disposable. Not that they are not enjoyable. Mr. Cohen and Ms. Mitchell follow suit at least in the idiosyncrasy.

Not to mention the country contingent of fine writers: Willie Nelson, Townes, Guy Clark, Butch Hancock, Jim Lauderdale, Lucinda Williams...the list goes on. Will these stand the test of time? Probably not, but they are all damn good. And then there is Mr. Costello.

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Bob F

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Peter V

But however you cut it, Dylan and Lennon-McCartney remain in a different sphere. The rest (including Simon and Cohen) is endlessly debatable but "the top two" isn't.

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Bob F

Always surprised at how little respect and how under appreciated Neil Young is on The Band Guestbook. As songwriters I'd take Neil and Springsteen over Cohen and Simon any day of the week. As performers it's a joke to even discuss. I don't care how great the sound at the show was. Cohen and Simon are one dimensional. Springsteen and Neil Young will plug their guitars in and burn your house DOWN. I have to mention Bowie and Bob Marley also.

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Peter V

There’s no argument that the greatest songwriters of the 20th century were Dylan and Lennon-McCartney.

A lot of the others have odd career paths. Leonard Cohen was already old for a singer when he started, and his initial 60s impact wasn’t huge. Then he became a specialist taste until he emerged from the monastery. In the work produced in the 21st century (rather than 20th), he’s head and shoulders above Dylan and Simon … but not until “Ten New Songs” then those tours.

Paul Simon would be the most consistent. Both Simon and Cohen in the last few decades were far better live performers than Dylan with far better bands too. I’d say of the trinity (Dylan, Simon, Cohen) of them, the Simon & Garfunkel albums + Graceland must be easily the biggest sellers.

Then it’s how well your songs have been interpreted by others rather than yourself … and then still Lennon-McCartney and Dylan are well ahead.

Robbie Robertson, James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell … none of them are far off those top few, yet none are quite there. In some ways, I might choose Carole King before Joni … Joni rests on that sublime run from Clouds to Hejira, but then dips significantly. While Cariole King never wrote anything like Dreamland (but who did?) she consistently produced great songs through the 60s and 70s. And who’s to say The Locomotion isn’t as good as any of the greats?

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Jeff A.

On the songwriting list thing--- though i won;t go to the trouble of putting in the time to itemize and quantify songs etc...my feeling is there are quite a few dozen extraordianry songwriters on simiilar levels of greatness...... Willie Dixon, Gene Clark, H Russell Smith, Townes Van Zandt, Phil Ochs,... AImon Cohen and Zimmerman can stand apart without nay real argument from me..... but neither Simon or Cohen get near Dylan if you ask me,,,,,

Entered at Wed Feb 7 06:12:05 CET 2018 from (71.234.142.242)

haso

Subject: last 5, click & clack

Been gone for a coupla weeks, just now catching up.

Glenn, I like that idea: last 5 on Friday, but since I missed a bunch I'll put in "2 cents", today.

Allman Bros. - Fillmore East, Closing Show from a 2014 box set

Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'

Hubert Sumlin - About Them Shoes

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Made Up Mind

Norah Jones - Day Breaks

Jeff A: wow, Dickey's Highway Call... that's a deep cut deal, but lots of the GB-recommended works are pretty deep cut, especially yours and Peter's. I'm interested to see if I can find that 3 part live stuff you found, Peter. Got the Carter Barron one on cd a few years ago, thought Garth really sounds good on some of those cuts; but the Mountain Stage one interests me. Years ago, a friend of mine ran a short-term coffee house w/ the host of that show, Larry Groce. Jeff, have you ever come across any Kingfish? Kind of a Dead, New Riders off-shoot.

Peter: glad the driver pointed out the sign, although I haven't seen it or been in Harvard Sq. for a while. Some public radio stations in New England still re-run Car Talk shows on weekends. Tom & Ray Maliottzi made more fun of themselves than of the callers (although my spouse thought that not true and never acquired a taste for them). Tom passed away from Alzheimer's about 4 or 5 years ago, it seems like. If memory serves, he actually had advanced degrees from M.I.T. and was as much into philosophy and psychology as engineering. They both had all-time, top-5 infectious laughs. "Stump the Chumps" was one of their key segments, to see if their advice was of any use.

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Peter V

In soccer terms, fighting among the lower 14, not one of the elite.

I saw Graham Bond several times. Incredible early on with Bruce and Baker. But later, Graham Bond's Magik was one of the very worst bands I ever saw. Total nonsense.

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JQ

Dunc mentioned him, is there any room for him at the top, like Father, Son and Holy Ghost, then Tom? I haven't listened to his trilogy - Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Frank's Wild Years for some time but I'd rate those and some others of his, very highly.

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Dunc

Subject: Graham Bond

You've lost me, Calvin. But I did see Graham Bond in 'Ginger Baker's Airforce' almost forty-eight years ago. A big band, but really new music to me at the time. In the same year, I saw 'The Who' in the same venue.

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Calvin

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Jeff A.

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Peter V

Thanks for this. It's on an upper window in gold lettering, looking most authentic. Very easy to miss. We had a great Uber driver to Cambridge who was American, and researching Uber. We had a long discussion on the War of Independence and he was erudite. He pointed the sign out to me.

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b.lee

Subject: Dewey, et. al.

Peter, "Dewey, Cheetham & Howe" ("known to a group of people in Harvard Square as Huey Louie Dewey.)" was the law firm cited at the pun-filled ending credits of the late and lamented National Public Radio show "Car Talk" with "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers", in which an actual pair of mechanic brothers answered callers' questions on automotive dilemmas, sometimes correctly, but always humorously in their Boston accents. Their Russian chauffeur was "Pikup Andropov", customer care representative Haywood Jabuzoff, etc. Being that the show was based in Cambridge, Mass ("our fair city") such a sign in Harvard Square would be a tribute.

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Dunc

Subject: What's in a name?

Enjoyed previous posts.

I bought and am enjoying the Zombies 'The Singles As and Bs'. I was going to stop buying, but...

It's a nice package, but some of the photographs of the band... Is the photographer taking the piss? There is even one where the band are sitting on a builder's cart. Guess the name on the cart? You couldn't make this up -'Pratt and Son'.

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Peter V

I took a photo of the window on the corner of Harvard Square. It looks like a lawyer's office sign: Dewey, Cheetham & Howe. In Greenwich, UK, there's an antique dealer whose shop name is "Robin B'stard."

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Jeff A.

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Jeff A.

Zimmerman, Simon, & Cohen.

I'd call em if a needed a lawyer.

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Dunc

Peter, never knew that and I don't think I've heard the Glencoe album.

Roger, I never put in Joni because she was female and the Beatles were a band. The Band and the Beatles are special to me.

I just have three Joni albums because in 1971 and 1972, the female artist I was into was Sandy Denny. (still play Blue all the time) It was in 1971, I started buying albums. If I remember correctly Sandy Denny was named female act of the year in 1971 and 1972.

Over the years, I've read that Sandy's success was limited because of the British public taking up with the North American invasion of Joni, Carole King, Carly Simon, Linda Rondstadt, Emmylou Harris etc.

PS Roger. You would have thought the Marra tribute concert I was at last week was great.

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Peter V

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Peter V

Dunc, Stewart Francis went to Glencoe from Forever More. The others formed the AWB with the Mogul Thrash horn section. The Glencoe sleeve thanks Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre from Forever More, so they all link back to the same flats in Ladbroke Grove in 1970. I have to say, even though I have a copy, a pristine copy of "Words in Black Plastic" was tempting. But it was £40. Mogul Thrash was £80. I'm glad I bought my copy in 1971.

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Roger

Subject: The greatest

Spot on Dunc and Peter about Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. The greatest of these is Bob Dylan. But I'd have to have The Beatles and Joni Mitchell up there. She'd be there for Blue on its own.

I share your frustration Peter about Paul Simon possibly touring to Bournemouth. He hasn't booked Birmingham and usually does, so maybe it's very limited tour.

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Dunc

Subject: Bob F

Don't get uptight about it, Bob. In the UK the top 1% have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 50%. So for some people high prices are nothing. Just don't pay the prices.

I think it's the release of the great American song book that lines pockets. Artists producing really mediocre albums for their care home plans.

Enjoyed your post about horses. I wish I had done something with horses - I have spent a lot of time on walking,hockey, running and especially football. Never done an exotic sport in my life. But I love a day at the races. Going to get my final grandchild into horses.

Bob, look up Karine Polwart Trio. I thought of Roseann at the concert the other night. Karine Polwart has worked hard to build up a British following. Different genres, but both really good. Look at her singing a Michael Marra song. I actually thought of Roseann singing a Michael Marra song. He is much loved by many Scots.

Incidentally, my ticket cost £20 and took place in a beautiful Victorian theatre.

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Dunc

Subject: Who is the greatest?

I remember, Peter posting at the death of Leonard Cohen that the great trio were Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Something like that.

I think that there is an element of truth in that - in that they were seen as solo artists, male, wrote on their own and their longevity. I know that they had bands behind them, but I can see the difference between them and Lennon, McCartney, Robbie Robertson and Jagger Richards etc who were in bands and sometimes wrote with a partner.

I thought long and hard about this and came up with Tom Waits. But he has not reached the wider audience in world wide terms or had that massive success of the others.

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Dunc

Yes, Peter. But is there a link to Glencoe? I saw Glencoe 1972 - a good band. I never realised Norman Watt Roy was in Glencoe. Those early seventy concert going days were good. There was real diversity and you just went to see a band - there was no categorisation (other that what happened at the folk club). It didn't say progressive, blues, folk rock etc. You just went to see a band.

I never knew about Mogul Thrash or Forever More, until Peter. The Dundee myth is that AWB grew up around the art college, academic institutions in Scotland. Molly Duncan's brother was in a geography class with me at school. I saw AWB in relatively small venues and had a friend, who played with them.

So what your post means is that another AWB fan has hit the dust.

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Peter V

Record Fairs and record shops often show the connections to what they’ve bought in. On Sunday at Reading, I was browsing about 10 boxes of “Rock” – a large stall, all in good condition. First I found the first Glencoe LP, then Forever More “Words in Black Plastic” then Mogul Thrash. (I have them all already). I said to the guy “I bet these three came in from the same collection.” “Yes, last week … but how did you know that?”

Anyway, Dunc will also know why I guessed!

The other thing is, I've been vaguely looking for Glencoe for two decades. I found one just a week ago … then I saw another on Sunday. Records always appear like that.

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Jeff A.

On the serious side, i'll check em out.

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Rockin Chair

Subject: Sheep Dogs

I'm wondering if anyone here has heard the "Sheep Dogs"? From Saskatoon. I've just been listening on CBC on the drive home. They have just released a new album, "Future Nostalgia".

They were doing their interview on radio. They played a couple of cuts. I think they are really good. One song, "I'm not cool." some how reminds me a little of the Band. The use of horns and the style is kind of reminiscent.

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Peter V

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Peter V

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Bob F

The ticket prices for all these old timers is just sickening. If you want good seats for the Paul Simon show you are going to pay a kings ransom. The Elton John is going to be the same way. I saw Springsteen in a club in 1975 for $5. In 1995 I saw his acoustic tour at the beautiful Oakdale Theatre, 2nd row for $35, Now another 20 or so years later he's on Broadway playing basically the same songs since he hasn't written anything good in years for $750 orchestra seats. So if my wife and I go that would be $1500 dollars for a 2 hour show, 15 songs and the same old story's from his book. For $1500 dollars I can fill my home heating oil tank a few times or keep my horses in hay all winter. At this point I get so much more enjoyment watching these old horses eating hay then I do going to see these old rich phonies. Good bye and good riddance. Of course that's just me. You know how Pete Seeger spent his old age? Playing free children shows at places like the Howland Center in Beacon or standing on Rt 9 in Wappinger Falls on a Saturday afternoon protesting the Iraq War. But he was a folk singer not a rock star. A million miles from these money hungry do gooders.

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Dunc

Subject: Roger

Thanks, Roger. I've filled in all the details for the pre-order of tickets. Still not released up here. So I'm in the lottery. Fingers crossed.

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Jeff A.

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Peter V

It is labelled "The Farewell Performance" on the Homeward Bound tour. I'll be really pissed off if he adds Bournemouth as well … he usually does! The sitting / standing issue is one I worried about. Actually, if you go further back, you can sit on the grass and see through pretty much most of it, as we did for Carole King. You are mainly watching the screens and a couple of tiny figures on stage.

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Jeff A.

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Roger

Subject: Simon Says - farewell

Dunc - Paul Simon has just added a Glasgow concert to his summer retirement visit. I see Peter's off to Hyde Park - where the atmosphere and line-up will be special. However, I considered it and decided against standing in Hyde Park for between 9 - 10 hours! So there's now a Manchester Concert and a Glasgow concert. These will also be special, I'm sure. School caps - god yes Peter. Ours were awful. The cool thing to do was to slice the peak open and take the piece of cardboard or whatever the peak was made from, out. Well we thought it was cool because it really peed off the authorities.

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Peter V

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Joe Frey

Subject: Last 5

1. The Band - The Last Moving Shadows (2 cds)

2. Fleetwood Mac - Madison Blues (disc 1) (Post Peter Green and pre Bob Welch)

3. Johnny Winter True to the Blues (Disc 4)

4. John Simon - Journey

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Bob F

Bob Dylan - Trouble No More

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black: B Sides

The Bee Gees - Idea

Sonny & Cher - Look At Us

David Rawling Machine - Nashville Obsolete

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Bob F

Peter, have you read the biography of Otis called An Unfinished Life? The author is Jonathan Gould. It's a really well written book.

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Peter V

The Band: Mountain Stage 1994

Jake Xerxes Fussell: What In The Natural World (driving back)

Michael McDermott: Willow Springs (driving there)

Jon Savage’s 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited, 2 CD compilation on Ace. Disc 2

Otis Blue: Otis Redding

King & Queen: Otis Redding & Carla Thomas

So two I heard about on the GB. The Jon Savage 1965 compilation has The Barbarian’s Are You A Boy Or A Girl, which The Hawks didn’t play on, though they did play on “Moulty.”

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Peter V

Just back from a Record Fair. I got The Band "Three Decades Live On Air" 3 CD box set (Soundstage), which has three radio broadcasts: Carter Barron 1976, Mandel Hall Chicago 1983 and Mountain Stage 1994. Nicely packaged too. £10 for the lot. Good sleeve notes with original newspaper reviews of the concerts. Listened to Mountain Stage first. Sound is very good. Lovely tone on Rick's bass in particular.

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Peter V

Subject: Bus Stop

We'd better have a link to the song …

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Peter V

This morning has been "Listen People: The Graham Gouldman Songbook 1964-2005" in the Ace Songwriter series. He has quite a range from Yardbirds to Herman's Hermits. I was especially taken with The Hollies "Bus Stop" narrative. It has a very telling line that they happen to catch the same bus every day, and "sometimes she would shop and she would show me what she bought". That's a very neat observation … it's what girls do with each other, showing clothes they've just bought, but he gets invited into that moment. I also suspect that he was thinking back to the famous winter of 1963, because it goes from icy winter to August. That resonates … I used to cycle to school, but when that "worst winter in a century" hit and we had snow on the ground for four months, I had to go by bus … and so did the girls school. It's where we made the friends of our next two or three teen years. Brilliantly done by The Hollies too.

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Dunc

Last Five

Steely Dan 'Katy Lied'

Colin Blunstone 'Sings His Greatest Hits'

Karine Polwart 'Traces'

Danny Wilson 'Sweet Danny Wilson'

Rolling Stones 'Grrr compilation'

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Jeff A.

Blood Sweat And Tears -Child Is Father To The Man . Bob F put it in my mind
Poco - Deliverin
Dicky Betts Highway Call
Otis Spann 9 with RObert Jr Lockwood) - Otis Spann Is the Blues
Otis Spann, (with St Louis Jimmy Oden, and Robert Jr Lockwood Jr)- Walkin the Blues

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glenn t

otis redding: live in europe -- thanks for reminding us about this peter v

mavis staples: oh what a feeling! -- oh what a voice..."beautiful"

david bowie: black tie white noise-- been on a bowie kick of late

beatles: love (from the cirque de soleil show -- catch it in vegas if you can!)

dhani harrison: in parallel

buffalo springfield: retrospective

sly & the family stone: greatest hits

wonderful to see what others are listening to; let's keep this going!

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Jeff A.

It's worth noting that with the increasing popularity & availability of automobiles,, woodstock, N.Y. and the surrounding area, have always been a part time haven and also a permanent relocation spot for people from NYC. Even for those who have to be fairly or somewhat frequent commuters, it's the perfect escape. ( Beautiful, peaceful, and has a lot of NYC people who understand you) And not terribly far from NYC

By 99 friends were telling me how a lot of big macher movie and music execs were moving up fromn the city, buying houses and now payin top dollar for em, and that prces were moving up. It was worth noting then, because people had always been moving up form the city. But now they were talkign about money moving up from the city, and prices of real estate jumping. At the LAbor Day show in Opus 40, the last time i saw Rick, and the last time i heard him sing, quite a few times moneyed older big macher types were nearby, and talkign bout how much they loved the move, what they paid, their cousins or friends were moving up, their kids, etc etc,

the theme never left, noticeable in 2009 - 2010 when i was workign in LAbany, talkign with friends over the years, it was continuing..... but the last five years since i;m back from st louis full time, having spent time up there , all my friends bitch about how property up there is no longer affordable. People from the city, not just native city peopel now, but also a lto of peopel who were part of the gentrifiers of the city and Brooklyn, are moving up, with big bucks, buying homes, opening businesses etc. Putting in big bucks , fABCY PLACES.... the prices in restarants and stores are b nuts, i;ve seen it.... IN kingston breakfast can set ya back 15 t0 25 bucks a head in these new fangled fnCY PLACES... C... It;s the whole area...... Catskill (the town), Hudson, Tannersvile, moneyed people are buying old hotels, redoing em but high end real high end, and putting in expensive trendy restaurant...the mountains are becoming gentrified too, regular peopel aren;t goign to be able to afford the lower portion of upstate NY soon, really can;t already

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Bill M

Yeesh. Illinois has a Woodstock too? We have one in Ontario, and there's one in New Brunswick, and there's the shrinking one in New York (down from half a million strong in the late '60s) ... Come to think of it, Ken Pearson of Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie band hails from the Ontario one and resided for a couple years in the NY one.

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Jeff A.

Pete, it'll be interesting to see if the promoters of that Simon show are lying bastards or not. As you know, most likely they are. If Simon ever intends to give a final Paul Simon headlining performance, i'd think that for him, being from forest Hills , queens, it would have to be in NYC, either in Manhattan or the Forest Hills stadium. If he could plan it in good weather, my money would be on the sheepmeadow in Central PArk.

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Peter V

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Peter V

Got my tickets for Hyde Park in July. It's billed as Paul Simon's "Final Performance." (not "tour.") Support is James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt. The General Admission tickets were sold out by last night and we had to pay an extra £13 each for "one hour earlier admission." Which I guess is a case of "Lay your blanket on the ground." Other support acts to be announced. I'd guess that Paul Simon & James Taylor may appear together at some point.

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Dunc

Great stuff, Jan.

I went to a concert at Celtic Connections commemorating the life of Michael Marra, who died a couple of years ago.

There is a book out just now related to Michael Marra by the Scottish writer, James Robertson.He was the master of ceremonies. Great job.

The musicians taking part were Karine Polwart Trio(harmonium,accordion and percussionist, now well established in UK; Michael's daughter, Alice, the lead singer with the Hazy Janes; his brother, Chris, a well established Scottish guitarist; the great Rab Noakes and a dancer who worked with Michael on a best selling theatre production, Frank McConnell. All songs were performed well. I liked the harmonium and accordion,

The writer read from his book, interviewed each of the people taking part and was master of ceremonies.

Technology was used well. There was a background of a large screen with changing stills of Michael Marra at various points in his career. In his career, as well as his solo concerts, he would open for Van Morrison, Louden Wainwright, Average White Band etc.

Extracts from live recordings were used effectively so that the voice of Michael was introducing his songs, then sung by other people.

At the end, there was prolonged applause, but instead of the usual practice of artists returning for an encore, a film of Michael appeared where he sang the iconic 'General Grant's Visit To Dundee'.

The audience finished applauding a screen...strange, but effective.

I can't link, but if you look at Toppermost - at the bottom of the Michael Marra section there is a link to the Karine Polwart Trio playing two Michael Marra songs.

Finished the evening in the pub with other music enthusiasts.

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jh

Subject: Full Circle

This is lovely. Soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers, a major inspiration for The Band’s sound and a life-long friend and musical soul-mate of Levon Helm, is on this "Top 10" list (from Chicago Mag., linked above) of things going on in Chicago this weeek. At the top of the same list is none other than Cashmere Cat. And they’re at the same venue — CC played a sold-out show there yesterday, Mavis is on tomorrow! Full circle...

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Bill M

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Dunc

Subject: The Zombies

Enjoying the last five albums played. Some bands I haven't heard of.

I noticed Jonathan chose the Zombies. I bought the singles 'She's Not There and 'Tell Her No' back in the day and I knew 'Time of the Season'. But really a lack of chart success. Why not?

I now play a collection 'Colin Blunstone sings his greatest hits'

Over the years I've noticed how many musicians from that era say that their favourite band was The Zombies.

Their lack of success was so bad that Colin Blunstone was almost destitute in the 80s. Because of renewed interest in them in their seventies, they are now doing ok.

BBC 4 is running a series related to the music business. I don't think I have learnt much new, but Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone were interviewed. The need for a decent manager was made. The series showed examples of the Zombies publicity photos. Hellish. A bunch of bank clerks on a night out.

So it is imperative that an artist needs a GOOD manager.

Sadly Jim Rodford, the bass player with the Zombies died in January, after a fall. R.I.P.

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Jeff A.

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