The Band Guestbook, March 2019

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Bill M

Peter V: I suspect that word 'irony' was invented for circumstances such was Hepworth describes, his stylus gets stuck in a groove, unable to make it across the Great Divide.

By way of contrast, the album with a skip that I hung onto the longest was Lightfoot's first, specifically the song that goes "Where the long river flows [tick] Where the long river flows [tick]..." No irony there - just an earworm that persists to this day.

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John D

It was a great read with interesting anecdotes I had not heard before.

Entered at Sun Mar 31 21:49:47 CEST 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Entered at Sun Mar 31 21:28:42 CEST 2019 from pool-71-175-88-22.phlapa.fios.verizon.net (71.175.88.22)

b.lee (again)

Subject: The Great White Hunter

Still keeping the radar up for used CDs. Recent finds include Leftover Salmon, Stevie's Song In The Key, Pete Townsend's Empty Glass, some jazz that might be too "Smooth" once I get to hear it, some Classical odds and ends. The last seems to be fast disappearing. I may be on the trail behind a fellow scavenger who leaves behind the same things I pass on...opera singers and the myriad recordings of The Four Seasons. But when the church jumble sale is at fifty cents a pop, bag of 16 or 20 for $5, we take take chances we wouldn't at $5 a disk.

Vinyl, on the other hand, seems to be crawling out from the woodwork, or at least the back of closets. Dealers are frustrating. Many are just general junk dealers who have heard that "vinyl is making a comeback" and consequently are jacking up their prices for what is mostly dreck. Who's paying "$10 and up" for the 101 Strings and Andy Williams? Hard to muster the patience to find the wheat amongst the chaff. A few sightings (not purchased) Roy Wood's Wizard, "Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid", The first Leon Russell/Marc Benno with semi-gatefold cover. Seldom seen and never heard. In the same box was an excellent copy of Stage Fright. Event the more knowledgeable sellers seem to have a two-tier agenda. Rarities (colored vinyl, picture disks, some truly obscure titles) and good condition classic rock warhorses (Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Eagles). Apparently they get good margins on both. Since our criteria is interest, not resale value, we concentrate primarily on CDs while they're still around.

Entered at Sun Mar 31 21:26:50 CEST 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Just read David Hepworth's "A Fabulous Creation" on the era of the LP. His three pages on The Band are the best short summary I've read, plus his John Simon references on The Band and Janis Joplin are from John Simon's (excellent) autobiography. Simon was on 40% on "Cheap Thrills" but wouldn't have his name on the cover because the musicians were so poor. Hepworth's book is brilliant. 5 stars from me. He later says he loves his original vinyl copy of The Band in spite of a stylus skip on Across The Great Divide. He's learned to live with it. He also points out that Elvis Costello taught himself to play every song on the Brown Album … just get it! A great book.

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BONK

Only book I've ever read where you can actually hear the authors voice and the way he speaks in the flesh. It was an OK read.

Entered at Sun Mar 31 21:06:54 CEST 2019 from pool-71-175-88-22.phlapa.fios.verizon.net (71.175.88.22)

b.lee

Subject: John Simon Book

From the little file I keep to remind my swiss cheese brain what I've read:

"Apparently self-published on demand? Light reading, short declarative sentences and muddy black and white photos throughout. Nothing earth shattering but amusing incidents from a career cobbled out of going with the the flow and being in the right (or wrong) place at the proper time. Covers his work with the Band, Big Brother, etc."

Not real informative, other than to say I as not bowled over. The first statement is pure speculation on my part. I know it can and is being done, but don't really know the tell-tale signs.

Entered at Sun Mar 31 20:25:48 CEST 2019 from cm-84.209.156.52.getinternet.no (84.209.156.52)

jh

Has anyone read Band-producer Simon's book, that he released in September '18? Opinions?

Btw, we visited John Simon during one of our pilgrimages to upstate NY way-back-when -- a lovely, smart, funny, generous and kind guy he is (even if he got us to hauls rocks in his garden after he fed us :-)

Entered at Sun Mar 31 16:18:11 CEST 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Albert Collins

Odd albums turn up. I found “Love Can Be Found Anywhere (even in a guitar)” by Albert Collins from 1968. I was attracted by the 1968 psychedelic cover style (see link) and a sleeve note from Canned Heat’s Bob Hite on discovering the “king of the Telecaster” in Texas. The thing about it, is it’s not really blues, more a soul band backing without the vocalist or top melody, and it’s certainly not psychedelia. Albert only sings on one track, and it’s a great bar band with organ and horns behind a particularly fluid guitarist. On the other hand, much of it sounds like a great band jamming to warm up, and most tracks simply end by turning the fader abruptly down. They couldn’t get as far as naming the tracks … we have Collins Mix, Left Overs, Doin’ My Thing, Turnin’ On, Pushin’. Do The Sissy can only be described as minimalist funk. I’ve linked it because it’s the only track on YouTube in decent quality. But it’s somehow effective.

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Solomon

Wishing all Mother's the cheeriest, the merriest, and funniest, the brightest, best and sunniest of all days ever made!

Last Five

The Band - Hobo Jungle (Remastered 2001)

Aly Bain & Jay Ungar - Ashokan farewell

Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush - Don't Give Up

Tom Waits - San Diego Serenade

KIN : Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell- Sister Oh Sister ! Love this version Rosanne Cash does

Entered at Sun Mar 31 03:17:16 CEST 2019 from toroon0812w-lp130-03-65-92-194-236.dsl.bell.ca (65.92.194.236)

Bill M

Stan L: Good to see you posting again, and thanks for the report. I didn't hear about the show until I saw it in the listings yesterday - in Now I believe. I find I miss lots of shows nowadays since I'm not on Facebook. Even the old rockers ten years older than me to all their publicity that way, it seems.

I did just purchase a ticket for the Tribute to Levon Helm show at Hugh's Room on April 14 though - thanks to musicians still relying on email.

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JQ

This and the required pipeline are and have been a big deal here. To my Canadian pals here - I’ve always thought you guys are better at environmental matters than we are. So my question is: why are you sending us this shit?

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Stan L.

Subject: Last Waltz in Toronto - Classic Albums

BEG I don’t have any idea who the musicians were. It wasn’t announced, there were no programs and nothing on line that I could see. The vibe was great! It wasn’t sold out but almost, and the crowd was really into it. Everyone on their feet for Ophelia, Caravan and I Shall be Released to end the show.

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brown eyed girl

Peter V...Sorry! In anywise when the time arrives; take Arnica day before, every two hours day of and next day. Or you can borrow my dental pain killers that are quite valued on the street. Btw, Mr. Maximus is 69. He chose not to have knee surgery so walks with a knee brace and cane. He is adamant that he does not want to be a bionic man....Maybe I should suggest he watch Lee Majors on The Six Million Dollar Man....maybe not?

Mural depicts living legends of Toronto's music scene including The Hawks! Many thanks to BILL M for alerting me to look on the other side of the east side Yonge/College wall !

Hello to Stanley L. Who were the musicians? What was the vibe like at the show?

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Stan L.

Subject: Last Waltz performed at Roy Thompson Hall

Excellent performance. It’s such a pleasure to see and hear this music performed live.

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Peter V

Subject: Dreamland (Joni 75)

Try again …

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Peter V

Here's Dreamland. I'd say a Smart Phone audience recording. Very thin sound compared to the CD.

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NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Last 5

1.) marn-mong-kol 2.) lao seang-tiean 3.) lao-chareon-sri 4.) ra-tri-pra-dub-dao 5.) asar-noo
(After my gallstones-attack I am into non-fat Asian cooking with Asian music again.)

Entered at Sat Mar 30 15:14:10 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Last Five:

Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees

Dr Hook - Completely Hooked

Joni 75 - 75th Birthday Tribute to Joni Mitchell = check out Los Lobos doing Dreamland!

Change Is Gonna Come - The Voice of Black America 1963-73, Ace compilation

Across The Universe OST

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brown eyed girl

"In the 1960's Yorkville was the music scene in Canada. It was the Canadian equivalent of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury or New York's Greenwich Village. There were experimental art galleries, coffeehouses, clubs and bohemian boutiques. It was an artistic community known internationally all contained within several city blocks."

Entered at Sat Mar 30 15:01:28 CET 2019 from toroon0240w-lp130-02-174-89-93-25.dsl.bell.ca (174.89.93.25)

brown eyed girl

For JT...Historical plaque of Conord Tavern...as well as others such as The Riverboat Coffee House.

Pat B... I'm so glad, I'm glad, I'm glad that your daughter is ok....still very traumatic. :-((

Jed...Take good care of your foot...just give someone the boot. ;-D

Peter V...So you are a bionic man now with two new knees, huh? :-D

Last 5
Diana King...Stir It Up...Soundtrack Cool Runnings...Canadian actor John Candy
Dionne Warwick...I Say A Little Prayer
Dixie Chicks...Not Ready To Make Nice
Dolly Parton with Kenny Rogers...Islands In The Stream
Donna The Buffalo...Sailing...We try to visit Rochester, NY just for this band.

Entered at Sat Mar 30 14:05:28 CET 2019 from c83-250-64-43.bredband.comhem.se (83.250.64.43)

NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Peter's Big Pink review

I shall never, NEVER, read Peter's review on Big Pink. My ol' ticker won't manage it... not sober, that is. (This problem - like all other healthy related problems - can always be solved with Finnish vodka.)

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Jon Lyness

Subject: Re: 8mm film from TLW

I love that early take on Evangeline. Some alternate lyrics... "why do you cause her such pain?" etc. Great listen, thanks guys.

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Pat B

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Pat B

Dag B posted 17 minutes of fan footage from TLW with good sound. Amazing.

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jh

Subject: 8mm film from TLW

Courtesy of Dag B.

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Dunc

Subject: Caledonia Mission

Thanks. Maybe I was getting a little historical there, Bill M. But you're correct in that Robbie may have been stuck and returned to the song. The amount of times that I've read how an artist has had to return to a song to finish it or a writing partner has helped them out. I had forgotten about rhyme. Definitely Arkansas and law. But in California, Native Americans were enslaved by missions, but I'm no expert on American history. But I did have a romantic notion of a young free male Native American trying to help a young female escape, then it doesn't happen. I have an image of the magistrate wearing a black suit and cap with boots and a ribbon(?) tie as in the Western films of my youth.

In the early seventies when I first heard the album, I wonder if I neglected the song because it is followed by The Weight.

But the musicianship in Caledonia Mission is absolutely brilliant and really great in that last verse. I sometimes see the voice acting as an instrument and interacting with quiet rhythmic drumming, a gentle, underpinning bass, then the organ, two great guitar bits with no showboating, the piano, the crescendo, then the finish. A really complex piece of music. A really great song in every way.

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Bill M

Thanks Dunc (and Peter V for the article). I'd say it's two stories scrunched together, with the hexagram line being the tie that binds. Up to and including 'hexagram', the verses add up to a coherent story, likely fictional, along the lines proposed by Dunc. But then Robbie got stuck for a bit, but got himself out of the mud by finishing the verse with material from a different, and true, story. The principal character switches from a third-person 'she' to a first-person 'me', but we don't really notice that because the mood and the quizzical voice doesn't change. I think 'Arkansas' is there only because it rhymes (with 'law', and also with 'wall' if it's sung right) and Levon - newly back in the fold - was top of mind. It's not really part of the story at all. I also think Peter V's right in bringing in Caledonia, Ontario. Also, note that 'mission' can mean a religious building (as it does in the early going), but 'mission' can also mean a military or police action. So a bit of wordplay.

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Dunc

Subject: Caledonia Mission

The song has always interested me because of 'Caledonia' hooking me and the lyrics. I reread Peter's analysis of Caledonia Mission.

I think it might be a song related to a young male native American trying to get a girl away from a Christian mission, who were trying to convert Native Americans to Christianity. Native Americans were moved from their original settlements to make way for settlers in Arkansas. A mission in the form of a settlement called Dwight (sp?) Mission was established to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

The young male wants with the help of the Spirits (the references in the song) wants to rescue the young girl from this settlement and rule by Mission law to return to the original Native American lands and a Native American way of life.

The name Caledonia might allude to the Presbyterian nature of the mission, or indeed a settlement originally settled by Scots.

But who knows? Still, a great song.

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Dunc

Subject: Peter's Review of Music From Big Pink 50th Anniversary

While recovering from two days baby sitting, I read Peter's review of Music From Big Pink 50th anniversary on his website. It really is a brilliant piece of writing and will have to return to it. Great effort, Peter.

Make sure you read Peter's review.

Peter quotes this Greil Marcus quote, which I have thought about before:

'When the music (on Big Pink) is most exciting – when the guitar is fighting for space in the clatter while voices yelp and wail as one man finishes another man’s line or spins it off in a new direction – the lyrics are blind baggage and they emerge only in snatches. This is the finest rock ‘n’ roll tradition'. Mystery Train.

I think some of Greil's writing is challenging. But I think the emerging of lyrics only in snatches is important. At the start of my retirement, having some time, I thought I would listen to every track I owned and focus on the lyrics. But I was wrong, turning the music into an academic, sterile exercise. If I only listen for lyrics, I miss the music. Robbie states how he didn't want the lyrics printed on album sleeves because they need the music. I am still enjoying trying to listen to every track I own, but I just listen now.

This late afternoon, I have listened to Music From Big Pink and the Basement Tapes. I seemed to focus on the three great singers and got something new from Katies Been Gone, Caledonia Mission and We Can Talk - the latter perhaps due to Peter's review, but this would be unintentional. The Band is my favourite band. (But I love the Beatles too.)

Thanks, Peter.

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JQ

Subject: Scott Walker - The New Yorker

I think this is a pretty fair summary and obit for him -

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JQ

Subject: Scott Walker

This is a relevant one currently - a warning about the rising tide of fascism all over the goddam world.

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Bill M

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Lisa

The second piece is quite lovely, I thought - a very talented guy, Scott Walker.

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Bill M

Bandish link: The Night Shift, Scott Cushnie's (and Jack Douglas's) '60s group, recorded a Walker Brothers song for their second 45, but I don't know that it was ever released. It wasn't "The Sun …", but even in the late '70s Scott couldn't remember the title, and I couldn't be of any help, not knowing any other of their songs. And I didn't think to ask Jack at the Tribute to Scott in January.

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Lisa

Subject: Scott Walker

Bill, you might be interested in this (never mind the snotty remark below).

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Bill M

Can't help myself. Here's a humorous Joe Hall song with first-rate lyrics - and a sophisticated movie-within-a-movie story line.

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Bill M

Subject: Joe Hall, RIP

Joe Hall?, you say. Understandable but unfortunate. Brilliant songwriter, great performer. Remember locally (by those on the scene in the '70s and early '80s) for his many, many humorous social commentary in songs like "Punk Lunch" and "Vampire Beavers", what we really wanted to get out there was his beautiful ballads like "Moveable Feast". The favourite lines that spring to my mind come from both sides of that great divide:

"Here comes the Third World / Making a mess of the lawn" (which struck the same chord in the young urban planner in me the Bonzo Dog Band's' "My pick half of the drainpipe keeps me safe from you"); and …

"The man who lives in room 54 enjoys giving freedom to flies / He just points them towards the hole in the screen …"

I believe there's a fair amount of material on YouTube, but mainly the manic stuff.

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Norm

Subject: Moving.......The Feeling moves me!

Three times in the last 14 years Lisa.......I don't want to talk about it! Any way this is number last time. Yeah, yeah go ahead and laugh. I mean it. It's pretty cool tho'. We don't get the ocean view like our house in Port Alice but you can see Hardy Bay slightly. You could almost throw a rock from our house to the beach there in Hardy.

It takes Susie about 4 minutes to get to the mall where she works out and the pool is about half that distance. It's about 5 minutes for me to the wharf where our big boat is and about a 15 minute drive to Coal Harbour on the west side of the island where my other boat is. A nice area in the townsite that we built for the mine when it started up in 1972. The main street around Port Hardy that sort of encompasses the town is Park Drive. All our avenues that branch off it are less than a block long. On our side of Park Drive all dead end avenues about 6 houses long. Quiet place.

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Bill M

Today, shortly after I saw Peter V's post about Scott Walker's passing, I read the following opening sentence of a brief review of Passionate Friend", a song by A Teardrop Explodes (whose music I don't know at all):

"Long before he was openly championing the lost majesty of Scott Walker, Julian [Cope] was doing a fair impression of the man."

Entered at Mon Mar 25 21:47:15 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Across The Universe

I've at last out up a review of one of my favourite films, Across The Universe (2007 release). Britain & The USA in 1968. 31 Beatles songs driving the narrative. I love it.

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Lisa

Norm, you guys sure have moved a lot. How many times in the past years? You must be old hands at packing by now, done the whole Marie Condo thing a few times?

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Pat B

Weird weekend.

American politics has descended into a hellish furnace. I may move.

Linked is a semi-live Scott Walker. Pre-recorded backing track a full step down from the original. Live vocals. A fab period of orchestrated Brit-pop which I love. That voice.

My daughter lives in Chicago. She went to Iowa for the weekend. In Iowa City, a bullet crashed through a kitchen window and caromed around the apartment. Had she been standing in a different location, she would be wounded or worse.

American society is descending into a hellish furnace.

Entered at Mon Mar 25 16:14:11 CET 2019 from (208.181.205.134)

Norm

Subject: Guitar Gods

Hi Jed. Glad you enjoyed the little guy. I wonder if EC or any of the rest were playing like that at age 9 was my thought.

Hope your health is better and you are feeling a little more chipper.

Going to be off line for some time. Suz and I sold our big house in Port Alice and bought a little smaller one in Port Hardy. Susan has to drive over to Port Hardy 5 days a week to be able to work out at a facility there and use the pool to keep her arthritis at bay. Also I can't keep my boats here. The marina is too small and there is no hydro to the wharf so I'm always going over there too. There is so many logging trucks on the road I don't like Susan on that road so much. Not long ago a guy put a truck over a bank and there was logs every where. So one day Susan said why don't we move over there so, you know I just do what I'm told.:-) Save a lot on gas too.

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Dunc

Subject: Last 5 listened to

Playing with my new toy. Here are five great tracks featuring Hamish Stuart. What I like about Hamish Stuart is that he is still out there, looking and singing great and seemingly able to play effortlessly with other musicians.The following tracks are worth a google on You Tube and required viewing for Peter.

Black Cow Celebrating 40 years of Aja, Reuben Fowler Big Band with Hamish Stuart. I think Pat B would be able to arrange like this. Brilliant.

Hamish Stuart and ACM Student Band What 'Cha Gonna Do For Me.

Hamish Stuart and ACM Student Band Pick Up The Pieces Great musicianship from the stuent musicians on both tracks.

PHEE with Hamish Stuart and Jim Mullen Would You Stay. The great Jim Mullen doing what he can do.

Ringo Starr - Live at the Greek Theatre 17. Work To Do (Hamish Stuart). Great lead by Billy Squier.

Really enjoyed the Dr Hook links and sorry to hear about Scott Walker.

Entered at Mon Mar 25 14:07:05 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Scott Walker

Link to "No Regrets." What a voice!

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Peter V

A message from my old friend Ed Bicknell who managed him in the 80s:

Of all the people I managed (1982-1990) he was definitely “special”. A sweet, kind, lovely man with a great sense of humour and no “side” to him. An extraordinary voice and an underrated songwriter who was never concerned with commercial success. Truly an original. The four albums he made for Philips - Scott 1/2/3/4 are classics. It was an absolute privilege to have worked with him.

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brown eyed girl

Under Pressure...Queen and David Bowie

I was not a huge Queen fan but I always really appreciated Freddie Mercury's (Farrokh Bulgaria's) musical chops thanks to his four extra incisors? Film Bohemian Rhapsody was excellent!

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brown eyed girl

Should I Stay Or Should I Go...The Clash

Last 5
Carly Simon...You're So Vain
Celine Dion and Zachary Richard...Acadian Driftwood
Christina Grimme...How To Love
Cowboy Junkies...Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning Live
Crash Vegas...Smoke

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Jed

Listened to Taj. Thanks so much Norm for the recommendation. While he isn’t EC or Skydog the kid has a tone,feel and sophisticated understanding of the music well beyond his years.Unlike a lot of these young guitar prodigies I’ve heard he isn’t just shredding away-he gets it.His solos are purposeful and mature in a similar intent to some of the modern day greats like Derek Trucks and Jimmy Herring.A most thoughtful and soulful player.WOW!

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NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Brexit music

Edwin Hawkins Singers: 'Oh Happy Day!'

Entered at Mon Mar 25 08:45:30 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Storms Never Last

The link failed. Try again.

Entered at Mon Mar 25 08:44:15 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Subject: Dr Hook

Link to "The Millionaire." It is my 3rd favourite Dr Hook song after Cover of The Rolling Stone and Sylvia's Mother. We used to do a Christmas pantomime every year for students and the host families - an elaborate three day production for us. As ever, the principle actors sing contemporary songs as well as old ones. We introduced "The Millionaire" in "Robin Hood" for the scene where The Sheriff of Nottingham tries to seduce Maid Marion … sung by The Sheriff and his guards. It went down so well, that it stayed in our weekly shows for years - though any one song would only appear every few weeks. It stood out because the other songs were well known (Streets of London, Rave On, Bridge Over troubled Water, The Boxer, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Let It Be etc) and this certainly wasn't, but we usually put it in the context of a sketch and it always went down well.

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Peter V

There you go.

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Norm

Subject: Ray Sawyer

Well I'm disgusted with all-a-yuz. Gawd damn bunch a city slicker ner-do-wells (what ever in the hell that means).

I didn't notice this right away but not long after. I waited for some time for some comment but..............nothing. On December 31/2018 Ray Sawyer passed. He was 81. Who is Ray Sawyer??? you bunch a bozozs! Ray was one of the biggest pieces of "Dr Hook". That band was so great! versatile did so many great cover songs as well as their own.

Peter! put up here "Storms Never Last" by Dr Hook, right now! I have been listening to so much of their music for a long time now.

I wonder if any of you have had the chance to listen to "Taj Farrent" a 9 year old from Australia. This kid will blow Eric Clapton right out of his trousers. It is like Duane Allman has come back in another body. On youtube just search "Taj Farrent - Tennessee Whiskey" and get your mind blown!!

By the way Bill M add to your crazy hurtin' songs, "You've got sawdust on the floor of your heart" Sneezy Waters... remember?

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Wallsend

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Bill M

"Nothing Compares To EU"

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Peter V

I have to, Solomon! My twelve Brexit tracks:

Al Green – Let’s Stay Together

The Smiths – I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish

Everly Brothers – Walk Right Back

The Everly Brothers - Don’t Blame Me

Bob Dylan – Mixed Up Confusion

Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On?

Madness – Madness

Love - Alone Again. OR …

Leonard Cohen – Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye

Mary Hopkin – Think About Your Children

Michael Buble - End of May

Leon Russell - Mad Dogs & Englishmen

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Bill M

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Solomon

Ian Dury - What A Waste

Ian Hunter - Irene Wilde

The Stranglers - Something Better Change

David Bowie - Sound and Vision

Average White Band- Pick up the Pieces

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Peter V

Recent listening … I’ve been playing a 2CD compilation a lot, “California Dreaming: The Cream of LA’s 70s rock.”. The first three tracks (Byrds, Mamas & Papas and Buffalo Springfield) are “60s” in the first place. I bought the compilation ten years ago, and happened to pull it out. A lot is the obvious stuff, but outside that I was particularly taken with:

Border Town – Souther, Hillman, Furay Band. Love it. So much so that I spent twenty minutes looking for the LP. I have LPs in four locations. Found it! So that’s today’s choice.

When The Ship Comes In – Arlo Guthrie, prominent organ part

Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon. I just never think of it as “LA Rock” but it’s on there.

Take It Easy- Jackson Browne. Think I still prefer Eagles version

Jesus Was A Cross Maker- Judee Sill.

PLUS I was telling a friend about my daily 20 minutes “relax, elevate and ice” to music, and he told me to download “Cantus Arcticus” by Finnish composer Rautavaara and “Largo Ostinato” by Lou Harrison from his 3rd Symphony. Very good choices at 79p each.

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Rod

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Rod

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Bill M

For you Moby Grape fans, Don Stevenson, Omar Spence (son of Skip) and two locals will be playing Grape music at Hugh's Room here on Sunday evening. Let it be noted that one of the locals, Fergus Hambleton, was half of Goody Two Shoes, whose 1969 album included an early cover of "Rag Mama Rag".

Skip's "Oar" was the third-last album I listened to. Then came a Rhino blues comp called "Soul Shots" and now the only album recorded by Toronto blues-psyche band Nucleus, released on Mainstream in '69. Think Mandala on acid.

(Pat B: Nucleus guitarist John Richardson left soon after, recruited by Neil Merryweather to join Neil's new group in LA. After two and a half albums (plus one backing BB King), John left and was replaced by Kal David; both are on the wonderful "Vacuum Cleaner" album.)

Before "Oar", I listened to Zappa's "Overnight Sensation" (Band link: "Moving to Montana") and before that Sly and the Family Stone's "Greatest Hits" (Band Link: "Que Sera Sera").

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Glenn

I've been too busy of late to post, but here are recent listens: Very Best of Velvet Underground (had never paid any attention to their stuff, but BEG's affection for Louuuu made me give 'em a try - borrowed disc from local library); Monkees Headquarters (in honor of Peter Tork's passing); Los Lobos The Ride; Moody Blues Question of Balance; Joni Mitchell Shadows and Light; The Beatles Esher demos; Bob Dylan Trouble No More (disc 1).

I really appreciate when GBers share what artists and albums they've listened to; makes me want to check out unfamiliar stuff. Have a wonderful weekend!

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Pat B

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Bill M

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Bill M

Subject: new Alan Gerber video

This is mainly for Pat B. For the rest of you, Alan Gerber is a Chicago native (from Pat's highschool, I believe) who was one of the two lead vocalists on the first two Rhinoceros albums (1968-69). Played on an early David Ackles LP or two, did his own LP in LA, moved to Montreal in the early '70s and never left.

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brown eyed girl

Many thanks to NOMADIC MIKE for latest news on Louuu.

The New York Public Library is issuing 6,000 limited-edition library cards to celebrate the opening of the Lou Reed Archive.
Credit Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library
By Sara Aridi
March 15, 2019

Thanks DUNC. I did not know Emeli Sandi was from Aberdeen. She joins Annie Lennox and my former housemate Rob K! First time I saw Emeli Sandi was on the Brit Awards and was given Best New Artist award by...Bryan Ferry!

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Dunc

Subject: Last Five Or So Played

Supertramp Breakfast In America. I got enthusiastic about some British bands again because of the Anglicana discussions. I think this is a great album.

The Who Who’s Next. I was at the first public performance of this album back in the day.

Aretha Franklyn The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967 -1970.

Steely Dan Everything Must Go great album, now complete on Studio albums, hadn’t heard of this album before your contribution to Toppermost, Peter. I love this band - a big retirement project.

The Stills Young Band Long May You Run. Always had this album. Brilliant. Graham Nash last month talked about how underrated a guitarist Steven Stills is. I’m enjoying collecting the Neil Young concert releases from back in the day.

John and Beverley Martyn Stormbringer. This album is ahead of its time.Those of us in the world of John Martyn think John the Baptist is a great track. I think a big contribution to this track is Levon’s drumming. Brilliant. Also plays on Sweet Honesty. John Simon plays harpsichord on Tomorrow Time.

Blue Rose Code The Ballads of Peckham Rye. Really good album. Getting recognition and awards up here.

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Dunc

Subject: Better late than never

I bought a Sony verticallly standing CD player, with radio, Bluetooth, USB player for the bedroom, thinking that I would use it only for the cds. I bought the cheapest model in the series of three at just over £100, deciding that I would not need the bigger models. I think the sound is great for the price. Not as good as the B and W speakers downstairs, but good.

This week I used the wife’s I pad to stream the albums I had bought from Amazon Prime through it and am now streaming the Amazon Prime albums through the I pad. I think the sound is really good for the price and I’m trying new to me music.

Because of autocorrect this nearly came out as ‘I bought a Sony erotically standing CD player for the bedroom’. Aagh!

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Jed

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Peter v

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Peter V

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John D

PETER are we talking “Wild Tales” here.

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John D

Thanks for the Graham Nash tip. I’m going to order it now. Best of luck on the knee. I’m not that far off.

Entered at Wed Mar 20 21:03:53 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Jon, add it's a 12-15 minute walk to get to a road where traffic is allowed (they close the ones next to the park) and that's a major crush of moving people all the way. Then last summer was about the hottest day of the year and you can't take liquids in - you have to buy them there. BUT toilets were adequate veering towards good, a first for such an event.

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Jon Lyness

Peter, I wouldn't go either. Still love Dylan in concert, but my standing limit is a couple hours maximum (and I'm only mid-40s, ouch). I guess I've been spoiled as his last few NYC shows were all seated. What you describe honestly sounds like a nightmare.

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Peter V

John D: Hyde Park, London. 12th July. Bob Dylan & Neil Young. Funny, it's not listed on the main "British Summer Time" site, but an agency has it at bottom price £169, but to get early entry by 30 minutes it's £218. I suspect base price is sold out so these are scalper prices.

I'm not going. I'm having my other knee (worse one) done soonish, and even by then I can't face 10 or 11 hours standing - and as soon as the headliners come on, everyone squeezes forward, thus you lose the advantage of your expensive 30 minute early entry. VIP seats are way more.

I also think that musically there's no chance of either being in the same league as Paul Simon, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt last year. The bands will be way smaller. To me, Bob's voice is shot and while I like Neil Young, Mrs V can't stand his singing. I don't want to see Dylan murdering the Sinatra songbook either.

On Neil Young, read Graham Nash's book. It's him he's referring to about being hugely rock star over coffee two degrees cold, or firing crew for a scuff on his expensive Vuitton luggage!

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Peter V

A pleasant little film from 2014, shot in Scotland. We watched it on Netflix last night and were charmed. It was only chosen because I was about to put the DVD of Mike Leigh's "Peterloo" on, and we looked at the time and said, "don't fancy 2 hours 25 minutes." We chose it because it was 90 minutes basically- stars David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Billy Connoly, Celia Imrie, Ben Miller and three brilliant kids. A good. light relaxing film.

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John D

It's interesting that this will be the third Woodstock (69, 94 and now 2019) festival and once again no Bob Dylan. I guess he has his reasons.

I would have hoped that Neil Young would be on the roster; but then again it's easy to be an armchair quarterback; in these matters.

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Lisa

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Dave H

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Peter V

Entered at Tue Mar 19 23:39:30 CET 2019 from 82-69-47-175.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk (82.69.47.175)

Peter V

Our local government is spending a fortune on cycle lanes. It's very hilly. At my age, bicycle is not an option.

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Lisa

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Lisa

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Dunc

Subject: Baptiste and the Band

I’m watching the Sunday evening serial on BBC, Baptiste, which is the follow up to Missing. I’m enjoying it. Baptiste is a retired detective - an intelligent guy. I like the character. He’s driving along in a car with a detective, who is his son, but doesn’t know it. It’s a story. His son picks up a cd in the car and asks what it is. Baptiste replies ‘The Band...Music From Big Pink.’ He then begins to explain how the album was made in a big, pink house. You know the story. Then they laugh because the son is kidding him on that he doesn’t know what a cd is. Good choice in music.

Final episode of the latest series of Shetland tonight, Bob F. Great as usual.

BEG. Emily Sande is from Aberdeen also.

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JQ

We’re $2.75 a gallon here - Costco Oregon - because I’m an American retard I can’t do conversions to your commie metric system. I’m not exactly joking, at the time we considered converting, in the early 70’s, a socialist plot was suspected. At that price it’s little wonder we can’t get much going for public transport, rail infrastructure, etc. See the USA in your Chevrolet is still the operating ethos here.

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Peter v

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JQ

The US has never given much thought to planning for the future. I was reading recently about flood control efforts in New Orleans and the adjacent deltas and watershed and they proudly announced that new initiatives will last 50 years. The dike system, etc in the Low Countries estimate their efforts will last 500 years. We suck, again.

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Lisa

However, I must say they are very conscientious about repairing roads and underground pipes, closing down major streets for months at a time, usually in summer, causing interminable traffic problems. I suppose there isn't an ideal time to do this, but sometimes it almost seems like they take a perverse glee in making driving as inconvenient and irritating as possible. Actually, I'm not sure that isn't the idea ...

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Bill M

All off the points made re infrastructure seem valid to me, but I expect that none represents "the whole story", which is going to vary place to place anyway. In almost all of Canada, and in much of the US, I imagine that the freezing (and thawing of the ground has been a factor. Lots of extra effort required to find and fix an underground problem when the surrounding soil is uncooperative. And the heaving that accompanies thawing (and increasing numbers of freeze-thaw cycles thanks to climate change) can also do a number on underground infrastructure.

Nevertheless, I'd say that the reluctance of governments to see infrastructure renewal as an investment (and a smart one at that) has been the major factor.

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Peter V

B.Lee- I suspect we started out with services underground and just stayed with it. The industrial cities suffered bombing, as we did on the South Coast because so many American and Canadian troops were billeted in hotels here, but many other places didn’t and they’re the same.

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b.lee

Subject: It's electric

A few thoughts, Peter. One, we have, or at least had, a lot of trees, making for cheaper poles. Newer, Suburban developments have their utilities underground. Two, our cities did not get bombed, so no forced infrastructure rebuild in the 50's and 60's.

Our distribution system is 480V and higher, so the voltage difference is probably not an issue. Many distributions lines are around 2300 and rough multiples thereof. Pole-mounted "can" transformers step voltages down to 480 to enter a typical residence. I have one in my back yard.

Eminent domain here is OK for highways and urban renewal, and now border walls, but don't put that damn train in my backyard. (Too late for me. In summer we hear the trains on the NE corridor. Acela (as close as we get to high speed train) is LOUD.)

Last 5 (sort of):
- Putumayo presents Arabic Groove. Manic programming music.
- Jan Akkerman, The Noise of Art. More manic programming music from the Focus axeman.
- Auger Rhythms, Brian Auger's Musical Journey (best of/compilation)
- Don Byron, Do The Boomerang. Arty jazzbo gets down and dirty on the Booker T. catalogue.
- George Benson, Body Talk. Classic 1973 Creed Taylor produced jazz workout. No singing, thank goodness.
I left out the classical ones.

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Peter V

Thinking more, as far as I know, electric cables have always been underground here. I wonder if it originates with the UK being on 240 volts, rather than 110 volts? Europe opted for systems in the 200 to 250 volt range, which may mean they were underground for safety.

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brown eyed girl

Ottawa's busy music scene lacks infrastructure, report says (with video LYNN SAXBERG
Updated: February 3, 2015

Last 5
Adele...Someone Like You
Ani DiFranco...In Or Out
Annie Lennox...Why
Alison Moyet...Invisible
Anouk...Nobody's Wife

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Peter V

Infrastructure … overhead cables are one of the major differences Europeans see in the USA. We watched the Florida December 2017 hurricane on TV over breakfast and in hotel lobbies when we were in Brooklyn and Boston, and couldn’t believe the showers of sparks as cables came down. Here only large cross country power lines are over-ground. In urban areas all electric wires, gas pipes, water are below ground. When I was a kid, we had electric trolley buses with overhead cables, but they went in the late 60s. Though environmentally friendly, they kept getting unhooked from the wires, thus holding up traffic. The only overhead wires left are telephone, and nowadays that tends to be a short run across a garden from a telephone pole rather than along the street. As fibre takes over there are fewer and fewer telephone lines overhead.

Why? I guess much of the period after 1947 was nationalised industry thus removing the profit motive of cheap overhead runs. We also have far stricter planning laws. The US streetscape has much more advertising in assorted and garish forms. I was on planning committees here and shop signs and hoardings are regulated in size and style. It’s illegal to advertise along motorways as it distracts drivers for instance. As a result, mainly streets here look neater and less cluttered.

On heavy infrastructure – railways and roads, you have to look to Japan’s high speed trains and France’s high speed trains as the best. France has a simple system where the government can purchase land and buildings. You can’t refuse to sell, but you get (I think) double the market value of the property. In Britain instead we have years of legal cases and objections. Apparently the French system is far cheaper to operate and at double value, people are OK with it. In Britain, instead, lawyers get the money and major projects are delayed for years or decades.

We took photos of the amazing tangles of above ground cabling in Brooklyn, and of alleys between buildings in Evanston festooned with overhead wires. We noticed that in contrast, the new smarter bits of Nashville, probably the brightest and shiniest US city I’ve been in, appeared to be free of overground clutter.

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JQ

Here in the US we made great strides in developing our infrastructure between the end of WW2 and 1980 (Reagan). Since then we haven’t done much at all and now we’ve got real problems that way. A couple questions for our non US pals here: Did that happen in your countries too? And (specifically since right here it’s been very windy and our power lines have been down & out for hours now) did you all get your power lines underground for the most part?

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Peter V

Subject: Lord of The Manor

I bought two Ace compilations last month … Jon Savage's "1968" and Bob Stanley's "State of The Union." Both have The Everly Brothers on Lord of The Manor, an obscure B-side to "Milk Train." It's on YouTube (linked) but otherwise very hard to find, except on these compilations. It's a terrific song and a very unusual arrangement. Try it!

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Bill M

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brown eyed girl

COLIN LINDEN CONNECTS WITH “UNJADED” HERO RICK DANKO ON STELLAR WHEN THE SPIRIT COMES

CSNY...I remember their concert....too much testosterone with three guitarists....and many rows of fans lighting up....enjoyed more when Neil Young performed his own songs. I would have liked to have seen CSN on their own. However, I did enjoy my brother's copy of Deja Vu when it first came out on VHS.

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brown eyed girl

Last night really enjoyed and appreciated Sting's musical "The Last Ship" which will end this weekend. For those of us whose own parents worked in various factories and then one day no job....We feel it 'cause we know it....
Sting and crew also treated the Oshawa, Ontario GM workers to a performance as well as the company will be closing at the end of this month.

"Sting's musical The Last Ship is playing in Toronto, and he's starring in it. He opened up to our senior correspondent Susan Ormiston about the arc of his life and how his own working class origins inform this labour of love."

Last 5
Mavis Staples...Have A Little Faith
Emmylouuu Harris...Where Will I Be
Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley...Turn Your Lights Down Low
Adele...Someone Like You
Emeli Sande...Next To Me

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Bill M

Wallsend: Too true. I feel like that about much by the Beatles. It's not that I dislike the material so much as I know it so well and never turn to it for that reason. I can call the songs and they'll play in my head if I want them to, but I often find there's little to chew on.

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Wallsend

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Peter V

My local store bought in three large boxes of pristine blues albums. I bought a dozen. I’m working through them …

David Fanshawe – Arabian Fantasy. Not one of the blues albums. A very odd album, often listed as “modern classical” not that it is. Track one is like Bob Crewe goes disco, then you get traditional instruments, percussion and various organs. Bought 30 years ago. Haven’t played it in twenty. Intoxicating.

Albert King: New Orleans Heat. I often found all the Kings (BB, Freddie, Albert) monotonous but this was recorded in New Orleans in 1973 with Allen Toussaint. The backing is superb allowing his fluid guitar to shine.

Howlin’ Wolf: London Sessions. Recorded with the UK’s finest. One track, It Ain’t Superstitious has a rhythm section of “Ritchie” and Klaus Voorman. Ritchie is Ringo Starr (see earlier note on uncredited sessions!)

Alex Bradford & Chris Barber: In London. Authentic Gospel backed by British trad jazzers. 1963. Mono.

Taj Mahal: Ooh, So good and blues. 1973. I especially like Buck Dancer’s Choice (reminding me of the Grateful Dead, “It’s a buck dancer’s choice, my friends …” from Uncle John’s Band, and Built for Comfort, very different to Howlin’ Wolf.

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Dunc

Thanks BEG. I noticed over the years your enthusiasm for Mink De Ville. I have now enjoyed several Mink De Ville tracks on Youtube.

I fell into forgetting about The Eagles, but have returned to them and am really enjoying those albums. Just don't know the last album.

I also never knew about the last two Steely Dan albums until Peter championed them on Toppermost. I got Two Against Nature at the time, but only got Everything Must Go yesterday as prices were extortionate before. Both are really good albums.

As I said in January, I really enjoyed Graham Nash in concert when he sang 'Our House' and was very complementary about John Lennon, Joni Mitchell's songwriting and Stephen Stills' guitar playing.

I streamed Ainsley Dunbar Retaliation's To Mum From Ainsley and the Boys on Friday. I remember my mates and I used to look at this cover in the record shop back in the late sixties and one of the mates bought it and we all passed it around.

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Peter V

Subject: Our House

I've linked it. He is clearly so full of emotion at the end. He describes writing it in detail in the book.

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Lisa

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Peter V

The Graham Nash books continues to fascinate. He points out that Stills and Crosby were desperate to tour, having spent the lot, whereas he was financially secure (but loved performing). Equal earnings (and in their case, all songwriters) but two blew the lot and one didn’t. Remind you of anyone? Mind, CSN’s “the lot” would have been a lot bigger.

Also, on “Daylight Again” an album I love – it was cobbled together from a Stills-Nash album, when Atlantic demanded it become a CSN album in order to sell. They added tracks from a Crosby solo project that had been previously rejected by the label. Crosby was in terrible shape, and unable to sing properly, so Nash reveals that the hit track, Wasted On The Way is actually “Stills, Nash & Timothy B. Schmidt” (of Eagles) and that the title track, “Daylight Again” is actually “Stills, Nash & Art Garfunkel.” Nash describes Ahmet Ertegun visiting the studio and declaring “That’s fantastic. CSN never sounded so good” when he was actually listening to Schmidt and Garfunkel, and they never told him. No credits to them on the sleeve.

That doesn’t surprise me, but it makes me think again of all the Dylanologists (and others) scrutinising session records and assuming that’s what’s noted is what happened. Not always. All sorts of other things happened on sessions thar were never noted, especially back then.

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Norm

Subject: With Thanks

Thanks so much Peter. I hope it is worth while. If any one researches Micki Free, as well as being a great picker he is a producer of many projects and is an award winner. In particular for his work on the sound track of "Beverly Hills Cop".

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Peter V

Subject: Seminole Wind

There you go, Norm.

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Norm

Subject: Shea Keck

I wonder if any one here has heard or is familiar with Shea Keck? Shea is a Cherokee Native. A very beautiful lady and amazing singer. She has a youtube video of "Seminole Wind". Far better than the job John Anderson did even tho' it was a big hit for him.

In this video is many pictures of the devastation of the Florida ever glades done by strip mining among other things. In this video she has Micki Free playing guitar for her. If you don't know who he is watch him play a Gibson Dove, his licks are great.

Shea was invited to London, England in 2008 and shared the stage with Clapton, the Police, Sheryl Crow and John Meyer. She was back again in 2009 and shared the stage with Springsteen, Neil Young, Dave Mathews Band and others.

Put up the Seminole Wind video Peter, you'll like it.

Not ignoring the most resent tragic event, just so saddened and horrified by it, besides a heavy heart I have no words.

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brown eyed girl

Longer interview with Frank Meeink on why a former hate group member started to think differently.

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brown eyed girl

Empathy plus humility brings about humanity.

Former hate group member Frank Meeink reveals what made him start to think differently, as he reflects on the New Zealand shooting.

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Dunc

Subject: Christchurch

My thoughts are with Christchurch and New Zealand too. I never thought it would happen there. But then, we have experienced Dunblane, Lockerbie and the foiled attack because of bravery at Glasgow Airport.

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Rod

Absolutely aweful. We thought this sort of thing would never happen here. Certainly a loss of innocence for us and a terrible loss of life from an already vulnerable community. Hats off to the Police though. Sounds like the bravery of the two officers who rammed the terrorist's car off the road saved further murders from occurring. There are also reports of someone at the 2nd mosque over-powering the arsehole causing him to flee and ultimately get caught.

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Glenn

I lived in Christchurch back in 1979; beautiful city. The earthquakes and now this...unimaginable heartache. Love must conquer hate and fear. We share this planet. We must find ways to encourage and nurture only kindness, consideration, respect and love. What are the words to Youngblood’s song? “Come on people now; everybody get together, try to love one another right now.”. Amen

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Peter V

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Bill M

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Wallsend

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JQ

On that last note - I know things like spotify are out there but I prefer hearing an elequent, knowledgeable and passionate DJ host provide bits of interesting info, etc. l’ts more of a radio show than continual songs. Is that whole hosted show thing dying now? Although I recall a time when radio stations made a commercial advantage out of more music, less talk.

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JQ

I don’t know if this works internationally, but these 2 apps are great for listening to some fine stations and programming all over. It’s like it’s 1962 again and I’m carrying a transistor radio in my top pocket. Except the sound quality, volume and availability of (commercial free) programming is infinitely improved. I use it all the time.

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Peter V

JQ, while I'll agree that "What Do I Do With My Heart" is the sort of song that gave LIonel Richie a bad name, I rate (at least) How Long (written by J.D. Souther in 1971, not by an Eagle) and Busy Being Fabulous. I dismissed the album too fast in 2007. It repays a revisit.

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JQ

The line from that song: “rock yourself to sleep” reminds me of the Eagles’ entire catalog - zzzzzz

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brown eyed girl

Thank you very much for the wishes DUNC! :-D I've posted many times about Mink DeVille (Willy DeVille aka William Borsay) and especially have posted video of Spanish Stroll as it's one of my faves. When his Band split up he toured greatly in Europe.

Here is another one with Freddy Koella playing guitar beautifully. He has played with Dylan. As Toronto's Paul James has played with Dylan and Mink DeVille. I have no idea how I discovered this band. I'm drawn to their edgy street wise music infused with Spanish vibes and of course Willy's sense of romanticism. Mark Knophler produced one of his recordings and Dob Pomus approved of him as a songwriter.

Unfortunately Willy passed at 59....When I saw him at The Edge or was it named Egerton's at the time? I was sitting behind his first partner Toots. She looked like Amy Winehouse before Amy transformed herself. Apparently you didn't mess with her...lol. Some photos I took from the two nights I saw his band were in one of his fanzines. Willy was wearing his faux snake skinned boots. I wear my leopard patterned rain boots in his honour. lol When I saw them on the same bill as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe....Uhhh...His band definitely stood apart. I remember reading in the paper at the time during New Wave era that Willy didn't like the way the other bands dressed. Yikes. Something my older brother who was also a huge fan of Mink DeVille would say. I asked him why he liked this band and his answer was the use of the accordion in this band. I think I also have always be drawn to musicians who can portray a toughness but when you read or listen to their lyrics their sensitivity as people and as writers come through as a ray of light.

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Peter V

Subject: Later Eagles …

In case you've forgotten that album too, link goes to "How Long."

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Peter V

Subject: Heart on the Sleeve

Branding and the Brown Album? I’m convinced they knew what their image was perceived as, and played to it.

Yes, sleeves are a major factor. I always wanted that Bessie Smith 1970 compilation by John Hammond because of the cover design. I got it today too. Linked.

And the record shop was playing Eagles "Long Road Out of Eden". I bought it when it came out, played it a few times and forgot all about it, to the point where I said "What's this? Sounds like Eagles …" It's playing now.

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Dunc

Subject: Thanks

Happy International Women’s Day Lisa and BEG.

Thanks Dag B, enjoyed Smoke Signal.

Some really good links. I enjoyed Helpless, the blog about Robbie Robertson, and the kids playing in the wolves video. I enjoyed Mink De Ville. I always thought Willy De Ville was a Belgian because I noticed posters of him everywhere when I holidayed there and of his success in Europe. You’re always learning.

The Brown Album - a branding exercise. Not sure about this. May have worked subconsciously on me. I got it a few years after its release. Definitely album covers could help sell records. It was cool to walk around with the King Crimson record and the Ainsley Dunbar Retaliation was popular when the band were photographed as rockers. Then there was the shocking and anti women Electric Ladyland and the truly shocking Blind Faith, which would definitely not be allowed today. I really liked John Byrne album covers on the Humblebums, Stealers Wheel and Gerry Rafferty albums. He’s an international artist now.

Last 6 played - the first 6 Eagles albums. Really like the Eagles up to this point.

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Bill M

Here's a great song from a Lou Reed PoV, "A Thrill's A Thrill". Some of you may know Long John Baldry's version, and I was going to post a really good cover by Mitch Ryder + Marianne Faithful, but then I decided that nothing tops this, the original.

Come to think of it, the first time I saw former Hawk Scott Cushnie play live it was in Bill Amesbury's backing band at the launch gig (at the Colonial Tavern on Yonge Street) in the mid '70's for the album this one's on.

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Bill M

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Peter V

Subject: Spanish Stroll

I hadn't heard Mink DeVille's Spanish Stroll for years (I bought the original 45 way back then), then it was on that Sainsburys "Hi Fidelity" compilation and I've been playing it non-stop. It is really good in that Lou Reed vibe.

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Peter V

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Ann Marie Collins

Subject: The Weight Band - featuring members of The Band & The Levon Helm Band, Kerri Powers - 3/23/19

The Weight Band - featuring members of The Band & The Levon Helm Band will be performing their New album World Gone Mad and Classic songs of The Band at City Winery DC on Saturday, March 23rd. Doors at 6PM, show at 8PM. Venue is located at 1350 Okie St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tickets can be found on City Winery's website.

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Ann Marie Collins

Subject: Luther Dickinson, Amy Helm & Birds of Chicago - 3/20/19

Luther Dickinson, Amy Helm & Birds of Chicago present Sisters of The Strawberry Moon on Wednesday, March 20th at City Winery DC! Doors open at 6PM, show starts at 8PM. Venue is located at 1350 Okie St. NE Washington DC 20002. Tickets can be found at City Winery DC's website.

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brown eyed girl

Peter V... Queen Bitch...is Louuu...according to Bowie.

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Peter V

BEG, OK, there were 5 songs of a certain style. If I tell you #6 on the list you should get it. Number 6 was Queen Bitch by David Bowie.

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brown eyed girl

Testimony of A Musical Poet

Dag B... Sorry for the delayed appreciation. :-D

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Bill M

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brown eyed girl

Garth Hudson and NAMM Oral History Program.

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brown eyed girl

Toronto Through The Eyes Of Women Artists

Peter V... ?? Only connection I see is that all the musicians are American singer-songwriters.

Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin' now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
You really got me
You really got me
You really got me
Oh no

Last 5
Dionne Warwick (Whitney Houston's cousin)...Walk On By
Natalie Merchant with 10,000 Maniacs...Did not enjoy their concert. I appreciated her solo work much more. Many classes have performed this song....Trouble Me
Tracy Chapman...Fast Car...Saw her at Concert for Amnesty International in 1988 with many other artists such as Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Youssou N'Dour. Guyanese friend at the time fell asleep. lol
TLC...Creep...It was this song at the time that some kidzzz joined my Music Appreciaton Club.
Jackie DeShannon...Put A Little Love In Your Heart...Some of you had American Bandstand. Well some of us had Canadian Bandstand. This song was always played. Annie Lennox and Al Green's cover was taught to the kids who performed this song as well.

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Peter V

Snippets from Graham Nash's "Wild Tales." He describes recording the first CSN album at Wally Heider studios, and says they avoided the usual West Coast scene of people dropping in to watch. "only people we loved and trusted who wouldn't interfere with the vibe." The examples he gives are Peter Fonda, John Sebastian and Garth Hudson.

A couple of pages later he says, "Another night Ahmet (Ertegun) came in with Garth Hudson, who loved what we were doing. He definitely picked up the vibe in that place."

Given the early 1969 date of the sessions, this must have been while The Band were doing The Brown Album. What is intriguing is Ahmet Ertegun, head of Atlantic, with Garth. I wonder what that was about!

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Bill M

Subject: Wolves don't live by the rules

Just bumped onto this great song by a young woman named Elisapie. There's more at YouTube, I see.

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Bill M

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Peter V

Jack & Diane - John Cougar Mellencamp

Spanish Stroll - Mink De Ville

Roadrunner (Twice) - Jonathan Richman

Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins - Chuck Prophet

Enter Maurice - Steve Miller Band

I'll leave it to BEG to point out the connecting theme that was on my mind.

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brown eyed girl

"A private gift from Joni Mitchell will arrive in bookstores this fall. “Morning Glory On the Vine: Early Songs and Drawings” will be published Oct. 22, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced Monday. The book collects materials the singer-songwriter assembled in the early 1970s and sent to friends — just 100 copies, all signed. The release this year will include a new introduction by Mitchell and additional paintings not included in the original edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will also publish a signed, limited edition of “Morning Glory On the Vine.”

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brown eyed girl

Lisa... :-D

Garth Hudson and Credits

Last 5
Michelle Shocked...Come A Long Way
Aretha Franklin...Respect
Amy Winehouse...Back To Black
Marianne Faithfull...Why'd Ya Do It...with Garth Hudson, Marc Ribot and Lew Soloff
Julie Miller and Buddy Miller...Keep Your Distance...Great show at Bottom Line NYC. When they were on same gig as Neil Young and Crazy Horse in Toronto...Venue too large for their sound and groove.

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Peter V

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Peter V

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Pat B

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Pat B

Garth started using the H25-3 for Planet Waves, the major update being the addition of a simplified Freeman String Symphonizer to the organ. Think of those string sounds on BtF. Recall for Wembley Garth also brought two Leslie speaker cabinets and a clavinette (The wah wah on Cripple Creek).

I suppose it's possible that the Isle of Wight Lowrey and the Wembley Lowrey are the same, pulled out of mothballs after a five year hiatus.

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Solomon

That man Garth Hudson sounds electrifying ! Thanks Dag.

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Jon Lyness

Subject: Wembly '74

Wow, thanks so much for this, Dag. Great stuff! Richard looks and sounds unusually focused for the 73-76 live era.

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Peter V

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Dag B.

Subject: Wembley 1974 (mp4)

Here's the full London 1974 video, download by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner (2,3 gigabytes)

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Pat B

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Peter V

Subject: song royalties

See link. After a ruling that royalties on streaming should rise by 44% over 5 years, amazon and spotify are going to court to try to stop it. Apparently, Apple have accepted it. So you know where to buy your music!

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Bill M

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Peter V

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City Winery DC

Performing their new album, World Gone Mad, and Classic songs of The Band, The Weight Band is coming to City Winery DC! Get tickets to their show on March 23 on our website!

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Peter V

Subject: Not as hopeless a Helpless as I remember

Link is CSNY at Wembley 74. Helpless with Joni Mitchell. It's better than I remember it on the day - well it's an incredibly long time ago! 45 years. Maybe my critical faculties have diminished.

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Peter V

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Peter V

It sent me to A Musical History DVD (disc 6) to look at The Slop, Just Another Whistle Stop, Genetic Method and Chest fever. It has exactly the same soft video look, but doesn’t jump like Smoke Signal. The camera lens can’t cope with any distance either. You can see one camera guy on a high platform to the rear. There must be one on stage too, and you glimpse one at the front. Genetic Method probably has the best ever view of Garth at the keys, and it’s the Lowery (well, it isn’t a Hammond and it has coloured stops). Richard has a grand piano and an electric piano. He’s very clear in Hard Times / The Slop when Garth is on sax. Otherwise as usual his piano is too low in the mix, but we get close-ups of him singing. Lots. It’s as if Robbie reacted to TLW criticism, and deliberately featured Richard more on A Musical History DVD.

You can’t see me in the audience unfortunately.

I would suspect that the softness of the video picture rules it out for a DVD release nowadays. Judging by the number of cameras, I’d guess the whole day was filmed, probably as a CSNY project. There were rumours a few years ago of a Wembley 74 box set. A stumbling block, I suspect, is that Messrs Young, Stills and Crosby were out of it and on poor form in my memory. Graham Nash’s set stood out on the day as easily the best - they did CSNY, then solo spots, then back to CSNY. Tom Scott & The LA Express, who backed Joni Mitchell, were outstandingly good on the day. I remember Neil Young’s solo spot as dire.

Still reading Graham Nash’s book. He mentions that he and Crosby and Stills all agreed that they loved Hard Day’s Night film. Neil Young didn’t like it and watched Don’t Look Back twice instead. Graham says that Neil always saw himself as Bob Dylan, not as a member of a band.

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Bill M

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Wallsend

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Pat B

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Bill M

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Peter V

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Bill M

More worthy of discussion, I would say, is the trend towards minimalism in packaging post-Basement Tape - the Beatles respond by going from Pepper to White, the Stones respond by going from Satanic to Beggars, etc. Our guys didn't go white, but they went stark with the cover of Big Brown, and with the very simple group name.

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Peter V

Astonishing. The sound is superb - which makes me think a live album is possible from Wembley 74. The online video has all sorts of pulsing - off video tape and probably way down the line, transferred betwen formats. I would guess either two or three cameras onstage, plus one out there for the ambient blurred wide shot. One camera has to be front of stage looking up at Robbie and Rick. A second camera could probably walk between the Levon close ups and Garth close ups, as they're at opposite ends of the song and there's a route around behind the amps. They could have had three on stage, but then maybe they'd have intercut Levon tight closeup later.

The first portable Sony UMatics were 1974 which changed news broadcasting. Looking online, these were colour, though I was using UMatic at the time, 1974, (non-portable), and I was using a black and white one. I'd guess this originated on video, not 16 mm film, but who knows? Was it intended for broadcast or more? Is the whole show on video?

BTW, for the conspiracy theorists on TLW and the absence of Richard from more than a couple of brief glances, like "Festival Express" this is exactly the same and for the same reasons … which are not "conspiracy."

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Peter V

Today’s Sunday Times reviews “A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Changed Our Lives” by David Hepworth. Quote from the review:

“(it) explores the album as a branding exercise, exemplified by The Band, whose second album of self-consciously “artisanal” songs was flagged by a sepia-tinted cover shot of the musicians looking like staff officers in Matthew Brady’s famous photographs from the Civil War. Similar guile attended the sale of live albums dressed up as bootlegs (such as The Who Live At Leeds) to gullible fans convinced that the best music was being kept from them by the capitalist overlord known as “The Man.”

Phew … branding exercise? Similar guile? What do you think?

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NorthWestCoaster

Subject: The reason I won't give my money to Dylan (and go to Roskilde Festival to see him).

The late IZZY YOUNG wanted to meet BOB DYLAN for the last time during Dylan's many visits in Stockholm. Izzy arrangaded his first concert in New York, you remember? Izzy wanted to say: "Look, we have not achieved anything here in the world in fifty years. I still run Folklore center and you still strum your guitar and sing out of the key." Great wisdom and humor! Dylan never answered. (He could have answered: "No Izzy, I sing SINATRA covered with butter and syrup!")

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jh

Subject: "Smoke Signal" (London, 1974)

Wow

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Bill M

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Bonk

Happy INTERNATIONAL WOMANS DAY! I think it's quiet because of the weekend. Yeah. I feel like that too sometimes when I post and nobody comments. Not sure if things are better today.

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Mike Nomad

There, Lisa, you can rest easy for now. :)

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Lisa

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Lisa

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Peter V

Taxman – I guess it’s right of centre in its intent, but then The Beatles were paying 94% tax, which then went to 98%, and no one is going to feel that fair. There is a point where tax revenues increase as tax rates are lowered. The ones who suffer are accountants, because once tax gets to an acceptable level, rich people stop bothering with elaborate tax avoidance schemes. It's deciding on where that point is that's the issue.

Hermless – I’ve been listening to the album, On Stolen Stationery this week. It’s the song with the strongest accent on there, and I was enjoying the amusing cooing female chorus. But I’d missed the words before.

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brown eyed girl

Oops! Here is ANNIE LENNOX!!!!

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Dunc

Just enjoyed reading the Anti Protest songs article, Peter. Okie is the classic example. A couple of related thoughts. I remember Mick Jagger being taken to task for not following up Street Fighting Man with more songs of this genre. He replied along the lines of sometimes couples just like to chill. Hard to be a revolutionary when you are a multi millionaire.

Maybe George Harrison's Taxman is an anti protest song. I'm pretty sure it's my least favourite Beatles' song - music, musicianship and lyrics.

Music to dance to - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' Night is a northern soul classic.

Frank Sinatra - I detest 'My Way'. I bought 'Shadows In The Night' and 'Fallen Angels. Thank God I never bought the triple album - three albums of it. FFS is the new term I think. A company maximising its revenue is the phrase which comes to mind, which is fair enough. Buy my whisky and sip it while you play Blowin'In The Wind.

My favourite anti protest song or is it a protest song is Michael Marra's 'Hermless' (Harmless) which might be protesting about songs where us Scots are battering people or might be protesting about Scots battering people. Many of us (sorry a few) of us would like this as our national anthem.

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brown eyed girl

In praise of ANNIE LENNOX on INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!!!

I saw Annie and The Eurythmics at Canada's Wonderland of all places with a couple of friends from the Grand River.

In praise of the few female posters in this GB as well!

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brown eyed girl

My favourite feminist (recognizing that women as a social group are oppressed..btw many kinds such as conservative, liberal, marxist, ) musician from Aberdeen, Scotland...and who my brother even catered a meal for her band!!

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brown eyed girl

...and my other fave drummer!

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brown eyed girl

Happy Healthy INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S Day via of my fave drummer!

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Peter V

Haso – we listened to all the main Dan Brown on unabridged audio CDs, rather than read them. They’re perfect in-car material because the plots are so absorbing. I wrote The Shakespeare Cod Piece in Stratford-upon-Avon (and so took the photos) – we’d been listening on the way there. It was becoming fast apparent that the actor reading was getting irritated with Dan Brown’s obsession with repeatedly saying “Bell 750 XI helicopter” rather than just “helicopter.” He does this with all forms of transport. I’ve been reading “Nabokov’s Favorite Word is Mauve” which analyses literary works (and yes, Nabokov used “mauve” more than any other writer). We noticed how often vehicles, people, whatever “hovered” in Dan Brown’s books because the pronunciation is different in British English. Then he must have been told by some early English teacher to describe sunlight at every opportunity -it streams, dapples, reflects. It becomes easy to pastiche. All the Stratford stuff about Psalm 46 is true. That’s where the bible is open in the church and they explain the story to visitors.

He researches minute details … but then has to type them out. Actually, he's not always right. In an earlier book, he had someone acting at the current Shakespeare's Globe in London some 10 or 15 years before it was built.

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NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Growing old

I can't understand you old people here in gb! You seem to be so dynamic and young. My, myself. I am satisfied with some old LPs or some old classic gem on c-cassettes. I eat food from the 70s: shrimps, meatloaf, sausages. Made by me. Cheap. Lidl. - Sometimes I pick up my ol' banjo and play 'Wild Mountain Thyme' or something... or Irish seamen's songs on my harmonica which I have boild in whisky for the rough sound.

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Rod

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haso

Subject: Mr. Brown

Peter: nicely done on your homage to our local best-selling novelist (we live in his hometown). I'm about 1/2 through yours, good mimicking on style. Must admit I've not read Inferno. Read his 1st 4 (2 of which are Robert Langdon tomes) one long weekend, in Seattle I think. He's done a lot of good works hereabouts, although I find the writing having too little depth. That said, he no doubt does voluminous, careful research.

On a personal note, I don't know him. Know his dad a little, very nice man; was a long-time math instructor at our local "prep school". Dan name-checks a number of friends of mine as characters in various books. And I just finished remodeling a bathroom for the people who've owned the house for about 15 years, that he grew up in. (My customer has a dvd copy of TLW, so at least there's that, for sure.) Also, a couple of my subcontractors did a great deal of work when the Browns put together their own compound, not too far away.

Norm: there wasn't any fresh snow but riding was pretty good.

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brown eyed girl

Band Photos...9 pages

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brown eyed girl

Allen Toussaint and Levon Helm
2010
Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Photo 38

Last 5
Joseph Arthur...In The Sun
Robbie Robertson...When The Night Was Young
The Eagles...Learn To Be Still
Steve Forbert...Cellophane City
Johnny Rivers...The Tracks Of My Tears

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City Winery DC

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Bill M

JQ: I was thinking it was Calvin with whom I'd exchanged posts about Rooke's book here years ago, but maybe it was you. Wonderful, I thought, but the only thing that's stuck with me is the word 'ort'.

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Peter V

On the Dutoit Pines of Rome. It was a 1982 very early all-digital recording. … A few days ago my high-end Myrad CD player died. The company has been sold for its name to China. So no repairs or spare parts. I’ve been listening to the Dutoit Pines of Rome on the Myrad a lot for relaxation. The Myrad pre- and power amp system also has a Philips CD recorder linked in, which will play CDs too, which is what I have to use now. On the Philips, the CD definitely sounded dryer and thinner than before. So today I found my SACD of the Fritz Reiner / Chicago classic 1960 recording. Interestingly, they’ve re- mastered it for 5.1 on “3 track” – left, centre, right, as that’s how the mics were set when it was recorded. It’s hard to compare because it’s different speakers (MK 5.1 system), Sony AV amp etc and a Sony 4K HD blu-ray player which can play SACDs. It sounds WAY better.

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JQ

PV - I’ll check out Dan Brown; is he the pop writer with the movies? Canadian writer (originally from the US) Leon Rooke wrote Shakespeare’s Dog in the 80’s. It was clever and funny with what I thought was the correct lingo and some biographical details - I’d love to see Wes Anderson take a swing at it, in his animation style. A few months back I dug up my copy of Doug Kenny’s Bored of the Rings; it hasn’t aged too well but I was a big fan of it in 1970. And I’m in your debt for the Flashhman series.

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Bill M

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Peter V

Subject: Dan Brown & Randy Newman

JQ: Have you been reading Dan Brown’s Inferno? The villain there aims to reduce humanity’s numbers. I think what Randy Newman was skewering so well in “don’t want hurt no kangaroo” is that (e.g.) Hitler was devoted to his Alsatian dog, Blondie who died with him. LBJ had five dogs in the White House. On the other hand, Donald Trump is averse to pets so it’s not universal.

I had a friend who had the “Inferno” view that plague, famine and war was the planet’s means of reducing our numbers so should not be curtailed. He kept three dogs and two rattlesnakes. We used to argue – my line being that is it justified to feed first class protein to dogs (and beef cattle are destroying the rain forest) while humans are going hungry.

Anyway, on Dan Brown, I’ll re-link my Dan Brown spoof, “The Shakespeare Cod Piece”. You have to have read Dan Brown.

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JQ

Really Peter, scat humor is one thing but graphic personal details are OTT. I mean, I’m old too and my filters are worn thin, but still.

I think Randy N has always had a misanthropic thing and although the kangaroo note was obviously sarcastic, I’m not sure he would think humanity is the only important life here. Rather, I’d bet he’d agree that we’re the most destructive species around and a reduction in our numbers could benefit every other form of life.

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John D

Subject: Natalie Merchant

Peter thank you for that version of Political Science. I had never heard her version before.

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Bill M

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Peter V

Subject: Political Science

Political Science (aka "Let's drop the big one …") is an apposite Randy Newman song for 2019. As ever his lyrics have genius … the singer decides to save Australia because "we don't want to hurt no kangaroo". Sentimentality about animals while killing millions.

I commend the Natalie Merchant cover version linked. Natalie does few covers, but when she does them (Village Green Preservation Society, LearningThe Game, Political Science) she always brings something to the table.

I can never rid myself of a connotation. I travelled much with a very funny American publishers rep who knew a lot about music. When you're on the road, you tend to have hotel breakfast, then return to your room to clean your teeth and use the bathroom before a day when you'll be out all the time. You almost train yourself to want to use the facility right after breakfast. He always used to stand up after breakfast and say "Political Science Time." (i.e. let's drop the big one now).

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Bill M

JQ: Yes, I think of the brilliant "Sail Away" as the Trump album - you've got The Big One, you've got casual racism, you've got nostalgia for what never was. Et cetera.

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brown eyed girl

...and Louuu would have been 77 two days ago.
March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013
Coney Island Baby...Louuu Reed

And all your two-bit friends have gone and ripped you off
They're talking behind your back saying "man, you are never going to be no human being"
And you start thinking again about all those things that you've done
And who it was and what it was
And all the different things that made every different scene

Ah, but remember that the city is a funny place
Something like a circus or a sewer

And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes
And the

Glory of love
The glory of love
The glory of love, might see you through

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brown eyed girl

April 3, 1943 - March 4, 1986...Richard Manuel.
I still cannot believe that JB is more popular and known than THE RICHARD MANUEL.

Last 5
Al Green...Livin' For You...Saw him at a Reggae Fest at Lamport Stadium!!!!
The Replacements...I'll Be You

Lonely, I guess that's where I'm from If I was from Canada
Then I'd best be called lonesome
And if it's just a game
Then I'll break down just in case
Oh yeah, we're runnin' in our last race

Robbie Robertson...The Right Mistake
Bob Seger...Night Moves...Great song that makes me increase pace of walking around indoor track at gym.
Willy DeVille of Mink DeVille...I Call Your Name...One of Crab's friends another friend who came with me to one of Garland Jeffreys' parties in NYC. Very interesting person as she works for a music company and has a Big Pink bag!!...Also....How cool and kind is this? She remembered I was a huge fan of Mink/Willy so when a friend of hers passed and everyone was allowed to take some things...She took video of one of their concerts for moi!

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Dunc

Try Posted Sober, which was written in small town America, about a character from Hurricane, Utah, J Q.

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Dunc

Thanks JQ. It is a great album. I saw Randy Newman a few years ago. We have a beautiful concert hall in Glasgow and it was just Randy and a beautiful piano. His diction was great in that rich, strong voice and he introduced every song with a story. One of my favourite concerts.

He was funny. He said he had three children a girl and two boys with the boys being born first. He said that if it had been the other way around, ‘he would have thought the other two were retards.’

Make sure you check out Michael Marra on YouTube, sometimes described as Scotland’s Randy Newman. I describe Randy Newman as America’s Michael Marra. The late Michel is that good. Peter and Roger will vouch for my recommendation. Thanks.

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JQ

Hi Dunc - I listen to that one all the time, Sail Away too. They’ve both aged brilliantly and remain astonishingly relevant today.

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b.lee

Subject: The serendipity of the GB

PETER! I have in front of me an American pressing of Charles Detoit and Orchestre symphonique de Montreal made from the same digital source, copyright 1983 (I can't find a recording date), Decca Record Company Limited, London, Mfg. by PolyGram, with the London logo on sleeve and disk. Found recently at what I think you call a Charity Shop. At first listen, admittedly in the car, I was disappointed at the sound, which I felt was a bit flat. Giving it another go this pm on headphones.

Been listening to a lot more classical lately, motivated by headphones at work being my primary listening time, since it is easier for me to work with music sans words. And there are still good and interesting disks to be found in said shops, usually a dollar a go. I skew to chamber music and concertos rather than symphonic pieces, but got this one because I remember having an LP of Resphighi with The Birds and I think the Fountains. At the time I lived in a large house full of plaster and wood. We put the LP on the turntable and a tape of a different performance in a good quality boombox. By playing them slightly out of sync we could ride gains on both, which, combined with the echo from the staircase produced the first and only performance of "Dub Respighi".

Taking an hour or two on Saturday mornings to sort and compile the vinyl piles in the back room, discovering things I forgot I had and many obtained in box lots that I never listened to. These will combine for my "last five":

Fandangoes In Space by Carmen. Largely pretentious prog-cum-classical rock, echos of King Crimson, Yes, etc. Probably not a keeper.

Chi Coltrane. Forget the album name. Vintage 1972, not sure if they thought she was going to be the next Janis or the next Carol King. Good players, mediocre record.

Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Vol. I, After You've Gone. Part of a Bluebird reissue series on RCA. Great stuff and impressive fidelity for 1935-36.

A Little Touch of Schmilsson In the Night by Harry Nilsson. A before-it-got-trendy batch of standards arranged by Gordon Jenkins and sung by Harry. A bit same-ish and flat. But not without charm.

Gilberto Gil & Milton Nascimento. I can now say I have a CD "Heche En Chile". C. 2000, pleasant, not earth-shattering. A bit of a homemade feel.

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Dunc

Subject: Last five played

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams

Rab Noakes Red Pump Special

John James and Pete Berryman Sky In My Pie

Kevin Coyne with our own Pat B and some others One Day In Chicago

Randy Newman Good Old Boys

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Peter V

Timeless: A Tribute to Hank Williams

Ronnie Hawkins Sings The Songs of Hank Williams

Oneness by Devadip (aka Carlos Santana)

Candy Philosophy - Michael Marra

Vagabond - Spiers & Boden

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Bill M

Peter V: Thanks for pointing out the Hank on Toppermost. Very nice to see dlew's name, though I wish it was on one his typically top-notch posts here at the GB.

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Dag B.

Subject: The Band in 1975

The Band in 1975: The Basement Tapes, Northern Lights-Southern Cross, SNACK, Rolling Thunder Revue, Muddy Waters, Hirth Martinez.

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brown eyed girl

I did not see the film "I Saw The Light", but I did see the musical "Hank Williams: Lost Highway" in NYC which I really enjoyed. I was never a huge fan but appreciated very much his vulnerability and the courage to share it...or did he have no choice? Whenever I'm in NYC I try to check out any musicals about musicians such as Patsy Cline, Tommy by The Who, Love, Janis, etc. The Life of Hank just happened to be performing in 2003. I took a chance and bought a ticket and was pleasantly surprised.....Many articles emphatically state that after World War 2 when especially men were going through a lot emotionally but not "allowed" to show emotion; that it was Hank who stood up and sang for all of them...I'm so lonesome I could cry.

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JQ

PV - Thanks for that!

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Peter V

Subject: Hank Williams

You might be interested in the latest Toppermost on Hank Williams, by "Dlew" aka David Lewis, Andrew Shields and Dave Stephens. A very thorough and thought-provoking analysis and choice. You can comment there.

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JQ

Norm - Just so you don’t get punched out never refer to Ireland as the U.K. Although that glorious empire does still include the 5 counties of Northern Ireland. And the mighty Falklands. The sun never sits, or where the sun don’t shine, etc.

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JQ

David Wilcox - Chet Baker’s Unsung Swan Song (My Old Addiction)

Donovan - Sunny Googe Street. My my..

Nick Lowe - 12 Step Program. In the title only

Evan Dando - My Drug Buddy

Country Joe - Bass Strings

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Norm

Subject: Just had to ad

"Sonny's Dream" Ron Hynes was such a fine singer and writer and we lost him years ago and when I sit here looking out my window at the still water of the inlet on a beautiful sunny morning it is hard to keep back tears. (I'm a sailor you see.)

So many people have recorded this beautiful song and as I understand it is very popular in the UK, particularly in Ireland.

There is a particular recording of Ron singing this song on youtube that is just a wonderful sound with beautiful guitar work. Always makes me want to go to Newfoundland.

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Norm

Subject: The Songs That warm the heart

Song for the Life - from - Rodney Crowle

45 Years from Now - Stan Rogers song to his wife

I want to see your smilin' face 45 years from now....

Waylo - Ain't livin' long like this

Out among the stars - Adam Mitchell

Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger

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NorthWestCoaster

Subject: Needle Of Death

Peter V mentioned 'Needle Of Death'. This reminds me of DONOVAN's visit in Finland in 1966.

He played and sung in Midsummer fiesta, somewhere. Finnish public service TV wanted to make a program of him singing anti-war songs. The scene would have been WW2 Tank Museum. What a good idea! A bit dramatic with a tension. Donovan's manager said: "no, Donovan is against the war!" (How stupid a manager can be?) The scene his manager accepted was Finnish sauna - or actually in front of the sauna. Donovan wanted to sing 'Needle Of Death' but someone in the broadcasting company got panic: "he cannot sing about drugs in TV even if it is AGAINST drugs!"

Of course I have a pic of Donovan singing in Finnish sauna show but it is not possible to post links in this forum. (He had clothes on.)

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brown eyed girl

Bob Dylan's Backing Bands

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brown eyed girl

The Last Waltz and Heartworn Highways: two 40-year-old films at the birth of Americana
The Band’s Scorsese-helmed farewell couldn’t be more to different to the long-overlooked ‘outlaw country’
doc, but both are touchstones for today’s roots musicians

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brown eyed girl

10 classic songs about small-town Canada
By Stacey McLeod
Fogerty's Cove...Stan Rogers for Lisa.

Last 5
I'll Take You There...The Staple Singers
This Is Where I Get Off...Robbie Robertson
I'm Sticking With You...The Velvet Underground
Bryan Adams and Sporty Spice...?
Your Song...Elton John

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Peter V

It'd be a long list, and Blaxploitation soundtracks would add some. Freddie's Dead by Curtis Mayfield from Superfly is the one I thought of immediately.

Totally different topic, There are tales of CD decay over the years. I realized that the Charles Dutoit "Pines of Rome" I mentioned in "Last Five" is one of the first CDs I bought- 1983. Recorded digitally in 1982. Released on Decca, "Manufactured by Polygram, Hanover, Germany." Listened again today. It's still perfect.

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Bill M

I think David P (RIP) would have appreciated this recent interview with Don Stevenson from Moby Grape. Apparently Don's been in Toronto since 2019, selling walk-in showers. The interviewer-writer really should know that Skip Spence's great solo album was "Oar", not "Aura".

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Bill M

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Peter V

I mentioned Sam Stone and Bert Jansch's Needle of Death … I thought they were anti-drugs songs from the point of view of tragic knowledge rather than the Frank Sinatra attitude which was merely preference for his own poison rather than someone else's. There's a whole other, related, genre there (led by those two songs)

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Norm

Subject: The Monicer

Hey Haso, how you doing old son? I don't think we can match that Atlantic Sea board for cold. You New Englanders a damn tough folks. Handling those nails in that weather trying not to hit your fingers. The work we did when we were young. Now a day it's all staple and nail guns. Since I was a kid my brothers and friends called me "Stormin' Norman".

Many years ago when I was a fisherman in the off season it wasn't easy to get a job. People knew you were going to leave every summer. A lot of us had to create our own work. I was in the shake block business for quite a few years. You could find an area that had been logged or had a lot of wind fallen cedars and dead standing snags and apply for a salvage permit from the forest service. I had claims for quite some time. We would buck the logs into 24" blocks, trim them, sling them up with ropes fly them out to a road with helicopter, or if close enough right onto a barge and sell them to the cedar mills who produced the shakes and shingles. Made good money at it but hard work.

One very cold winter, right up to late April, early May some of the snags I fell when you split them were still ice inside. That is cold. There were a few times in the last few years my tug and barge iced up from freezing spray. I'll shoot you a picture of my barge. I came back from 10 days in Mexico a few years ago. Got on my tug and headed right up to Rivers Inlet where my brother was. We had to load out old logging equipment to take to the scrap recycling outfit My barge iced up it was so cold and coming where I just came from I near cried. The stay wires for the towers that lift my loading ramp, those wires are inch and a half cable. By the time I got to Campbell River they were about 4 inch and the whole bow was solid ice.

About an hour and a half down Island is Mount Cain where there is a ski village. One of my best friends here has a cabin up there and he is a snow board guy.

If you haven't before I'd like you and JQ to search out on youtube, "Mary Ellen Carter" Stan Rogers. The video is great. At the beginning an old seaman from down your way, with a wonderful accent that gives me a chuckle gives his account of a coal ship he was on going down and how he is convinced Stan Rogers song Mary Ellen Carter saved him. It is pretty touching.

Stan was such a wonderful word - smith. This song is a great example.

"She went down last October in a pouring driving rain,

The skipper he'd been drinkin' and the mate he felt no pain,

Too close to Three Mile rock and she was dealt her fateful blow.

And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low.

There was just us five aboard her when she finely was awash,

We worked like hell to save, all heedless of the cost,

And the groan she gave when she went down it caused us to proclaim,

We'll make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again..........

Entered at Fri Mar 1 11:57:13 CET 2019 from (107.77.97.33)

JQ

Hi Haso - I was a fan too. In addition to the year, 1961, he hit .361 (that’s strictly from memory so the stat and year might be wrong) NC was also the last guy in MLB to have never worn a batting helmet.

Entered at Fri Mar 1 04:35:02 CET 2019 from (2601:188:c300:cbc6:882c:41b2:a44e:1e41)

haso

Subject: snow

Norm, or more appropriately to remember my favorite 1st baseman from my high school years, "Stormin' Norman" (Cash... Detroit Tigers): good on your friends. Yeah, I understand the reluctance... although working outside, as I do also, the wind is worse than the powder. Coldest day of my life probably... shingling a cheek-roof on Moody Beach, ME one January. -5 w/ the wind distinctly on-shore from the North Atlantic. And of course roofing nails are 1 1/4" so heavy gloves, leather or other are totally effin' useless. That said, no doubt life on a tug in your lands/seas be way worse.

Anyway, been riding about 25+ years. Rest of the family does all that 2 board/ 2 pole deal(too much moving stuff, from my pt. of view). Kind of a bucket list thing that I want to experience the Canadian Rockies in winter. My spouse (skiing since 13 yrs old) used to be the more aggressive one but not now-a-days; I may have to draft one of my kids to ever get to Fernie or Revelstoke. She just about gave it up completely last winter... terrible conditions (if you've never skied New England, you don't know from ice), a Saturday and way too many folks from states south of here. Anyway, she is actually the impetus behind tomorrow's trip to a little area roundabouts, overlooking a pretty lake. Have to admit that that's also due to going to western Vermont on Monday after a lot of rain and the mountain ultimately closing before even starting up when they recorded their highest windspeed ever at the peak: 102 mph. Norm, at your place in life, taking up a new sport is probably easily outweighed by a warm wood stove and the like. Like Lisa, I'll leave the rest of educatin' ye laddie to Susan.

Entered at Fri Mar 1 02:18:21 CET 2019 from s0106a84e3f63c293.vf.shawcable.net (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Entered at Fri Mar 1 01:24:07 CET 2019 from (208.181.205.134)

Norm

Subject: Fernie

Hey Haso! damn good to hear from you boy. Fernie, what a gorgeous little town. I was thru there about a year and a half ago. Heading for the Crow's Nest Pass heading out to Saskatchewan.

Now I got to tell you Haso, when it comes to snow you are talking to the wrong guy. I hate that stuff so much I don't even like to look at it on a post card! As a young guy working in the bush logging I slogged my ass thru that on days when we had to keep working. I have friends who LOVE snow boarding. Now listen to me carefully. I have skied a lot. Miles and miles, and parasailed. When I ski, it is on water! on very sunny days, on one ski with a rope handle in one hand and a beer in the other...........OR in a parasail.....with binoculars in one hand to look at all the naked ladies sun bathing..........just joking Lisa....don't slap me!

Entered at Fri Mar 1 00:27:48 CET 2019 from (2601:188:c300:cbc6:882c:41b2:a44e:1e41)

haso

Subject: cascadia

Having lived in So-Cal as a lad, w/ family in both So-Cal and Bay area now, I'd bet CA would likely prefer to go all on their own than get lumped in w/ the Cascades or the Rockies. Hey, Norm: if you guys went off, would it be any easier for me to get go "riding" (one board, not two) in the back country around Fernie? Other than it being a long way from seacoast NH.

Peter: perhaps more 'n' more of us might want to move north (either side of the Manitoba line) if'n we can't rid ourselves of Agent Orange pretty damn soon. On the other hand, well hooray for government by Tony Soprano.

Entered at Fri Mar 1 00:21:16 CET 2019 from s0106a84e3f63c293.vf.shawcable.net (96.49.94.173)

Lisa

Entered at Fri Mar 1 00:11:30 CET 2019 from (2601:188:c300:cbc6:882c:41b2:a44e:1e41)

haso

Subject: Peter V's anti

Peter: haven't read Norm yet, other than to see the Hag there. My question, do they have to be anti-counter culture? Admittedly so much of r 'n' r is its own anti- deal, but right away on seeing your post I just went right away to John Prine's self-titled 1st lp. "Illegal Smile", "Donald & Lydia", "Paradise", "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore", "Sam Stone", etc.; you can read much of Prine either way I think... counterculture or definitely not cc.

At least I've got more chance of making a (relatively) intelligent contribution than the Anglocana and Canaocana discussion. Thanks for keeping us going w/ interesting topics.

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