Okay, you knew we were going to finish this little series with this one, right?
This is, of course, as perfect a rock 'n' roll record as has ever been heard by sentient mammalian ears.
There is a story -- perhaps apocryphal, but I suspect not -- that no less a worthy than Sir Paul McCartney, upon hearing this come over his car radio at the time of its original release, was so moved by it that he pulled his car to the side of the road till the tune's finale and then called the radio station demanding that it be played again.
Other fun facts: That's the great Steve Marriott assisting with the chorus vocals. Also, despite its awesomeness, the song has never really been a hit. That hasn't stopped it from being covered countless times -- top of my head, there are pretty good versions by The Move, Shocking Blue and INXS.
And with that, we bid a fond adieu to our Baby That is Rock n' Roll series. Regular whatever occurs to me at the time posting will resume on Monday.
30 comments:
Baby, that is Rock & Roll!!!!!!!
Allan Rosenberg
Sooooooo Goooooooood! Ooooooooh! Baaaaaaaby!!!
Now that's some serious tongue rape suffocation there! Serious tongue rape suffocation! Paul might have pulled over, but I just hip rolled, belly danced and thrust myself totally into the multi-layered gooooooodness.
How many orgasms can I have in 3 minutes 22 seconds? Put another quarter in! I want moooore!
I wanna dance while the juice runs down my legs. Fill me with the Pentecost!
Vickie Rock
Holy crap! This is damn good, but I'm afraid I knew where Mike Myers copped a few riffs for "BBC"!
I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I am glad that self-expression is not one of Vickie's problems.
:-)
Vickie Rock better be real, she's too good to not be.
ROTP(lumber)
Peter -- I am pretty sure that McCartney/Easybeats story is for real, although right at the moment I can't find an attribution.
In any case, it SHOULD be true, no?
:-)
It's not about me, it's about how liberating rock 'n' roll can be. It's about how it enables delicious glimpses of ecstasy and lion roars of rapture.
It's about riding the billows of sound on your quest for the indescribable wow.
It's about climbing the "Rope Ladder to the Moon" and setting sail on the "Sea of Joy."
It's like a bitchen day at the "Bu" when you're in the tube and the waves and your body become one and eternal.
It's the skyclad and blissful spirit dance of sorcery. It's the ghost of Terpsichore exalting and transforming you into the finest Isadorable. And then merging you sensually with the propulsive elasticity of Lada Edmund, Jr.
It's about surrendering your hips, belly and backbone to "Little Egypt." It's about wrecking your wanton vessel while the Sirens sweetly sing. It's about putting on the wings and unleashing the coiled splendor within.
It's Bonham's drums reverberating from the stairwell at Headley Grange, summoning the Gods from both Mount Olympus and the Mississippi.
It's the backwards-echoing, swirling harmonica merging with the flanged slide guitar, propelling the sludgy, primal ooze of the swollen and mournful river.
It's bathing and splashing under that Memphis bridge in the dirtiest of water. It's a torrential blues harp warning like Gabriel's trumpet as Old Man River overflows his banks and floods our senses.
It's like letting a snakelike guitar slide through your loins and take a sensual, psychedelic trip up that sultry, saturated delta.
It's like slipping him the tongue in a soft-filtered, slow motion blur.
It's like letting God and the Devil share and possess our supple spines, so that we can drown ourselves in their omniscience.
It's Fleetwood Mac's "Dragonfly" segueing into "Pretty Ballerina," while making shimmering love in the candlelit shower.
"Just close your eyes, yeah. Just close your eyes and she'll be there."
Vickie Rock
Is it just me or is it hot in here?
:-)
I wrote that on a laptop, sitting sideways and blowin' free in the back seat of a top-down convertible. I was Santa Barbara bound, simmering in the embers of afterglow and soaking up the sun in my tankini.
I was joyously riffing on metaphors as the radio began playing "When the Levee Breaks." It was perfectly inspiring. And further proof that nothing ever happens by accident.
Hope it was as good for you as it was for me....If that's even possible.
In the meantime, I'll be showering....
Like a meteor.
Vickie Rock
Vickie Rock has hijacked your post with poetry in motion. She lives up to her name.
Vickie:
I love your work, but if you could dial it back a notch I'd be profoundly grateful.
Thanks, kiddo.
I get the message. But I was never aiming to hijack you. Just wanted to contribute and spice things up. I thought you and I complimented each other quite well.
I'm glad I stumbled onto this site. It's good stuff and educational for many.
But I'm not so sure I know how to dial it back when it comes to rock 'n' roll. Seems antithetical to me. It's in my blood. So...
Adios, kiddo.
Vickie Rock-
As long as you remain true to yourself and have fun doing it.
Steve's not used to being upstaged.
Well, that's a shame.
Truly.
I hope she changes her mind.
"It's All or Nothing for me. All or Nothing."
I share my lust for life in totality or not at all. I love music like sex. And sex like music. They are one and the same for me. They are the life force. And together they are Jesus showing us how to heal ourselves.
Sex, music and writing are all lovemaking. I give myself totally when I make love. I burst with enthusiasm. I ardently possess while bringing on the sweetest release. I deliriously take the rapturous plunge and immerse myself in the divinity of revelation. I live for the overwhelming power of total surrender. My passion is infinite. How can I dial that back?
This has been a sympathetic forum for me to express that love with the highest probability of being understood. I appreciate the privilege of the platform you have provided. You’ve been more than gracious.
I’m not trying to hijack or upstage anyone. I’m not trying to usurp control or step on egos. I just wanna let you know how much I love what you’re doing. I love being part of this little séance.
I’m flattering you with my feedback. I’m reacting to what you’re laying on me. You are the scribe, the sage, our guide, our mystic. You play the perfect sets of music. I am putty in your hands. You melt me like butter.
I wasn't kidding around with my initial comment on "Good Times". At its best, music really does “that” for me. I let it get inside me and surrender to the vibrations' permeation of pleasure. My hips roll. The honey drips. The Da Doo Ron Ron.
For me, it's not a great concert unless I cum. Music has that big of an effect on me. I always pack extra underwear in my purse. Don't you know that it's different for "Certain Girls?"
We are holy sexual beings. We live to be filled with rapture - To be brimmed with ecstasy - To overflow with passion. It is our hallowed purpose. It makes us whole. And it makes us feel more heavenly than your imagination is capable of grasping.
“Everybody shake. Everybody groove. Everybody shake.”
For me, music and dance are a big part of that. Like sex, it’s about letting the spirits enter you to light the inner mounting tongues of flame - Allowing them to lap and merge you one into the other – Surrendering to them and letting them glaze and use you as the vessel of divine communion. It is nothing short of ecstatic.
I live to ride that overwhelming ocean of senses. I long for the colossal libidinous tides of each feral wave and revelatory crest to saturate me to the very drowning edge of my earthly body’s limitations and my mind’s elasticity. I surrender as the primal percussion rolls over me to bring about a transcendent state of duality. Its percolation merges the carnal and the holy as one. I yield control of my body to the irresistible throbbing pulse of the universe which brings forth the sensual balm of the soul.
“I’m gonna have a good time tonight. Rock ‘n’ roll music gonna play all night. Come on baby, it won’t take long. Only take a minute to sing my song.”
I know it’s probably just a matter of semantics, but you referred to my comments as “work.” I don’t take my writing very seriously. How could I? But sometimes it’s nice to attempt to capture a transcendent moment, no matter how far mere words fall short. For me it’s pure pleasure and fun.
I’m too big of a hedonist to make it a chore. It’s just an outlet. When it happens, it happens. Like the other day. I used it as stress relief.
Our threesome went deliciously long the other afternoon. We were going to be rather late for the Robert Plant concert in Santa Barbara. I didn’t care about missing Grace Potter, who was the opener. But we got so late I thought we might miss the beginning of Robert’s set.
I hate being late for the headliner. I’m a taper, remember. I need time to go in the bathroom and become a human microphone. Rather than worry, I just lap-topped away with mixed results.
You should read the dirty stuff I write. I know there is a proliferation of any kind of visual pornography imaginable these days. So the competition is tough. But I haven’t met a guy yet, that hasn’t gotten a full leaking hardon from reading a few paragraphs of my erotic stuff.
Also, the term “kiddo” might be a term of endearment to some. Maybe even you. But to me, whether I'm right or wrong, it came off as a little condescending. That’s why I repeated it in my response.
Do you still allow girls in your club? I’d like to put this micro-tiff behind us. After all, I want to meet you in the flesh come January. I promise not to introduce you to Mike Hunt. Unless you’re really looking for danger. :-)
Vickie Rock
Vickie,
Yes, Steve allows "girls" in his club. I am one of them. I am also his girlfriend. I can't speak for the other women who hang out here, but to be honest, your writing put me off posting for several days.
To my way of thinking, this is primarily a MUSIC blog. Yes, music is exciting and great music should turn you on. The first time I heard The Yardbirds' "The Train Kept A-Rollin'", I didn't know where I was when it was over. But, personally, I really don't want to hear about your orgasms, or your drug use, or your threesomes. Been there, done that. You want to write about sex and drugs and rock & roll? Great! Blogger is free. Start your own. I'm sure you will attract a following.
Regarding "kiddo", Steve calls everyone that. But since you don't know him, and I do, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Oh, and I will be with him LA, so your friend "Mike Hunt" will have to find other playmates. Sorry.
Wow! Ka-Blammm!
Thanks. I needed that. It was a real eye-opener. I think I like you a lot. Sometimes I need to be put in my place. I'm so ashamed.
I wasn't even remotely serious about the "Mike Hunt" thing, but my playfulness was in very poor taste. Now I want to meet you guys even more than before. Maybe you more than Steve.
My door is always open and I love extending my generosity and hospitality. Please forgive me.
And with regards to Train Kept a Rollin', I'll go you one further and say the entire Side One of Having a Rave-Up is ... well, I don't want to get too carried away, but I think you know where I'm headed.
Likewise, Aerosmith's cover segueing into "Seasons of Wither" works for me. Kinda think "Get Your Wings" is their best album.
Please visit with me when you come to California. I'm a lot more multi-dimensional than you may think. I love conversation.
And I'm quite harmless.
Vickie Rock (my real name, by the way)
Vickie,
Apology accepted, and appreciated.
Yes, the entire first side of "Rave Up" changed my life --- one incredible cut after another. I first heard "Heart Full of Soul" when I was in England in the summer of 1965; not long after, I read a column by Clay Cole in "16" magazine that said that Jeff Beck was the best guitarist out there, which made me run out and buy the album. It raised the bar to a level I didn't know existed, and still blows my mind all these years later.
When I flipped the record over, I knew right away that it wasn't Beck. Of course, I found out later that it was The Other, Earlier Guy. Simels and I were both at their concert at the Anderson Theater in 1968 (we didn't know each other then) when The Other, Later Guy was playing lead. Not my cuppa, frankly --- I prefer Beck's sharper style. Unfortunately, I didn't save my ticket stub. Too bad, since over the years every person on the east coast over a certain age has said they were there.
Don't go to too many shows these days --- I'm not that enamored of crowds. But we're certainly looking forward to spending a night at The Joint. I'm sure Simles will keep you posted. I assume you know there's a (long overdue) documentary about Waddy in the works, called "King of the Sidemen."
Later ---
Thanks for being so gracious. I love a woman who gets her claws out for her man.
What were you doing in England in the summer of 1965? Are you originally from there or just travelling?
I heard “Heart Full of Soul” around the same time. I was quite young. Just a precocious ten. I was a tomboy with early knockers. I experienced the pros and cons of that. Unfortunately, mostly cons. Guys at that age are such immature squirrels. And only the wrong older guys were interested for the wrong reasons.
The whole British Invasion thing had a big impact on me. I lived in the Inland Empire at the time. The radio was alive with great stuff. There was a proliferation of Top 40 stations in southern California at this time. Every one of them had to have a British DJ to gain credibility.
KFWB had Lord Tim. KHJ had Tommy Vance, but the Berdoo station had John Ravenscroft. And the Berdoo station (KMEN) was heavily into Anglo R&B stuff. I didn’t realize it till a few years later, but Ravenscroft became John Peel when he moved back to his home country.
The local favorites were the Misunderstood and the Bush. But there were tons of other local bands in wake of the Beatles and Stones. The biggest influence on the garage bands in my area was not the Beatles. It was the Stones, the Yardbirds, and Them (who had a double sided #1 earlier in the year with Baby Please Don’t Go/Gloria). I cannot even begin to tell you how huge that single was in Southern California. To a lesser extent, the Pretty Things were also an influence.
I used to hang out at my uncle’s a lot. He was a really good guitar player and he taught me a bunch. He was totally into music. The local music store stocked Beat Instrumental and Rave magazines which really put the teeny bop stuff to shame. He had them at his house and I poured through them. Nevertheless, I still had my 16’s and Teen Screen’s and later, Hullabaloo’s. Oh yes, and Hit Parader, which was actually pretty good. KRLA Beat started up around the same time. It was heaven.
I was the updated feminine version of Larry Williams’ “Bad Boy” especially verse two: “Buys every rock-n-roll book on the magazine stand. Every dime that he gets, oh he’s off to the juke box man.”
I’m with you, Jeff Beck was the true trailblazing guitarist of the Yardbirds. He was and is fucking god. And he was kinda cute but threatening looking. Always a plus.
When the Yardbirds did Shindig they floored me. They were actually 100% live. And Beck kicked ass. I wanted to see them when they first came to the US, but their work visas got messed up. Years later, I ran into a photographer who shot them playing at Bob Markley’s house in Hollywood Hills. I had a couple of prints made.
I also have the Catalina shoot they did with Chuck Boyd in the summer of 1966. That was with with Beck and Page. I love the photos of Beck with Mary Hughes. Got one of them framed on my wall.
I saw them that year at the Santa Monica Civic. Sandy and I were dropped off at the beach in the afternoon by her parents. We wandered over to the concert at night. But Beck wasn’t with them. It was Page and some other guy from a local band. The sound was pretty shitty.
Like you, I also saw them in 1968. I was thirteen. My uncle took me. It was at a tiny and short lived club called the Purple Haze in Riverside. It was very near where I lived at the time. In fact, it was in walking distance from my best friend Sandy’s house.
At one time it was a community youth center run by the city. You know, ping pong and billiard tables etc. - A place for kids to hang out. I’m not certain of the circumstances of how it got turned into a concert venue, or whether the city still owned the building or not. But very amateur productions of some pretty major bands took place there for about 6 months. The place was on its last legs when the Yardbirds came. Of course, that was the Pagey lineup.
By this time, the Purple Haze had a makeshift light show which belonged to one of the local area bands, probably the Caretakers or The Light.
I thought the Yardbirds were very good that night. Maybe it was a “magic” show, because Page was really tight. I never heard him play that clean again.
Like most venues at the time, drug use became prevalent and they were therefore targeted by law enforcement as a menace to the community.
It wasn't long after this show that the club closed down.
They opened with “Train,” and closed with “Over Under.” “Dazed” was in there too, as well as an encore “Heart Full of Soul.” Some parts were better than others but overall I really dug it.
About a month later Jeff Beck came through town and played the Shrine Expo Hall. Wish I had a way-back machine. I’d tape all that stuff to DAT.
As far as ticket stubs go, I know what you mean. My problem is that most of the gigs I went to just had generic “Admit One,” tickets. I found myself writing on the back of them with ballpoint pen.
Since I lived in the San Bernardino area during a good portion of my teen years, I never missed a show at the Swing Auditorium, or the Kaiser Dome. I never bought tickets in advance. I’d just come early on the day of show and buy a ticket.
There was seating, but it wasn’t reserved. First come first serve. So we always got there early. Tickets were usually three bucks.
Do you still follow Beck? Or are you locked into a specific sound?
Also, to the best of your recollection, was the Anderson Theater show longer than the album? I know that the one I saw was pretty extended. Especially for the times.
The I'm a Man/Still I'm Sad single was a double sided Number One in Berdoo at the same time that the import of "Evil Hearted You," was in local rotation. KMEN also was playing the import EP with "Ain't Done Wrong" and "I'm Not Talking."
In my area "Shapes was Number Three, Over Under was Number 4 and Happenings/Nazz Are Blue was a double sided Number One. San Bernardino loved the gritty anglo stuff.
You mentioned that you don't go to too many shows because you're not enamored of crowds.
I know, nothing is more annoying than a bunch of assholes trying to have a good time. I tape shows so I'm very aware of how few people actually know how to shut up and listen.
The bigger the show the bigger the assholes. They seem to think they're at a sporting event. Intimate shows are always the best.
Hopefully your issue isn't a phobia. That can be problematic.
With regards to the threesomes I mentioned in passing. I am married to my husband but we also share our home with my best friend Sandy. We have an understanding and love each other very much.
I have three kids. Two by my ex-Drug Lord, who are both around 30. We were never married. He wanted to, I didn't. And another with my new guy, husband and love of my life.
So don't think I want to get any cheap kicks with Steve. I'm very comfy and satisfied where I am.
Despite having some similar interests in music, and possibly film. I think we're all very different people.
I'm gregarious and flirtatious to a fault, but it's only in fun. Shoot, I can call the phone company about my bill and end up talking to the operator for two and a half hours, as if we're old friends who haven't seen each other in years. Sometimes they really open up to me.
I own a couple of small businesses which pretty much run themselves. For me, free time is the name of the game. That has always been my goal in life.
One of my businesses is a small pharmacy. Imagine me, ex-Drug Queenpin, owning a pharmacy. It's sorta funny. But things do change.
The stories I could tell. But not now.
Yes, I heard about the Waddy documentary. Looking forward to it. Also looking forward to giving you a warm welcome when you get closer to Babylon.
Also do you have a name? Is it Wendy?
Vickie Rock
Thanks for being so gracious. I love a woman who gets her claws out for her man.
I was also being self-serving, frankly.
I have seen Beck several times over the past few years, but the fusion started to sound tired after a while. The last show I saw during that phase was at Irving Plaza, a smallish space with no tables. Of course, most of the crowd was guys, and I had a 6'6" drunk directly in front of me. Not fun. Steve and I saw him with Imelda May a couple of years ago, and we also went to the show he did with Clapton where he was experimenting with playing with an orchestra. He obviously can do pretty much everything, but my personal preference is still for the earlier style. It's tighter, more spontaneous and more exciting.
i don't remember if the show at the Anderson was longer than the recording. My guess is that it was. I remember being fairly bored.
I have a poster from the Fillmore West from October 1966 of the Beck-Page Yardbirds. Country Joe & The Fish were also on the bill. Wolfgang's Vault supposedly has recordings of every show every played there, but nobody I've asked seems to know if that one ever came off, since it was around the time that Beck split. So as far as I know, "Blow Up" is the only live bit from that era.
i'm not phobic of crowds per se, other than the logistics of getting in and out of a large place are a pain. But basically it's because I just don't like assholes. We went to see Elvis Costello and The Who do a charity event at an 1,800 seat room recently. Our seats weren't great, and I wasn't feeling great, but of course as soon as the show started, everyone in front of me stood up and the guy behind me began singing at the top of his lungs. I'm all for exuberance and people having fun, but I went to see and hear Roger and Pete, not have them drowned out by some jerk who thinks he "coulda been a contendah." We left.
Regarding my name, I don't divulge personal information over here.
I have that same Yardbirds Fillmore Auditorium poster. I got it as a gift from a photographer friend. I think it's an original. But he never went to the show, if there even was one. They did play the Carousel Ballroom though a few months earlier, which later became the Fillmore West.
Off the top of my head, I can't help you with whether it came off or not. Beck was technically still in the band. But he was in and out for various "excuses."
Like I said, for the Santa Monica Civic show, he wasn't there. It was the guy from the Sons of Adam filling in.
I met a guy who claimed the Yardbirds played his high school with the Beck/Page lineup. Whether he was telling the truth or not, I don’t know.
Regarding the Anderson Theater show, that’s a great privilege to be able to say you were bored with it.
To the best of my memory, which is pretty damned accurate, they did not play “My Baby” when I saw them. “Think About It” was getting airplay on KMEN and KFXM at the time. Between songs, I requested it from the audience. They never played it. I really liked that song.
With regard to crowds, I know exactly what you’re talking about. You get the sing-along-ers, and the constant Whoo-Whoo Whistler fucks blowing your eardrums out. I hate people who want to clap along and have no sense of rhythm. And the high-five guys spilling beer all over you. Assholes seem to be universal.
I attended an intimate show with table seating once where the crowd was 99.99% respectful and attentive. Except for the ass sitting next to me with his wife. When he wasn’t talking about carburetors and other car parts, he was giving his wife a lengthy play-by-play about each song. I tape shows and this guy was gonna fuck it all up.
About midway through the third song I pulled out my pen and wrote a note on a napkin which read, “We have the rest of our lives to talk about this show but we only have the next 90 minutes to listen to it.” I handed it to him. He read it. Then he turned around and said “Fuck You,” three times at the top of his lungs. After that he shut up for the rest of the show.
When I played the tape back, thankfully none of his initial talking was picked up by the mics. They were up in my hair attached to my sunglasses. So my ears were hearing different stuff than the mics. But the three inexplicable “Fuck You’s” in the middle of the third song are hilarious.
Have seen and enjoyed Beck through the years. I’m very partial to 60’s music. But I have a very wide range of what I like. I just went to the Playboy Jazz Festival a couple of weeks ago. One of my all time fave shows was McCoy Tyner. But my heart and soul belong to the latter half of the Sixties.
As far as exuberance, well, I like to silently dance, if you could call it that. That is, if the venue permits. But I don’t even clap when the songs are over. Two reasons: Everybody looks like a bunch of chimps when they do it. And, claps near a mic on an audience tape are super annoying.
Is it true that Jeff will be playing with Brian Wilson in the fall? That would be different.
Cheers Brooklyn Girl,
Vickie Rock
OMG! Yes, it is true:
Beach Boys creative leader Brian Wilson will be joined at his Oct. 20 concert at the Greek Theatre by English guitar hero Jeff Beck, who also has been recording with Wilson for a new album that will return Wilson to the Beach Boys’ longtime label, Capitol Records.
“Jeff is one of the most amazing guitarists I’ve ever worked with and his vibe is inspiring, in fact I think we should do an album together!” Wilson said in a statement with the announcement about the show that also features original Beach boys guitarists Al Jardine and David Marks.
Beck is slated to perform with Wilson after doing a set of his own at the Greek.
Did you like the way I teed that up?
I heard about it a while back when it was in the rumor stages.
A long while back it was rumored that Beck and George Martin were going to work together at the Greek.
It never materialized, though Beck did do some of the orchestrated numbers from Blow By Blow and others with a string section. A gorgeous string section I might add.
Glad I made your day, nameless Brooklyn Girl
Vickie Rock
Also with regards to 1966 Beck with Page stuff, there is more than the "Blow Up" stuff. Here's three more songs.
You'll wanna kill the cameraman and strangle the sound guy but Here 'Tis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgM8ItdS-Go
Vickie Rock
You'll wanna kill the cameraman and strangle the sound guy but Here 'Tis.
Thanks! Never saw that one before. And you are correct on both counts. But a great artifact, nonetheless. And I do prefer the suits to the satin shirts they felt the need to wear later (like pretty much every other band, I guess).
At least it points out what a terrific front man Relf was. Not a great voice, but unbelievable phrasing and harp playing. I'm sure you've heard Robert Plant's/Zep's version of Train Kept A-Rollin' --- a train wreck is more like it. He has no idea what to do with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5E8XdtVY8w
After thinking about it, I'm not sure that the Beck/Wilson collaboration is going to work. I'm not crazy about Beck's treatment of Surf's Up/Surfin' USA ---
I'm with you on the music of the second half of the '60's --- we really did live through the Golden Age, imho.
Page is on bass for this show, so obviously it's right after he joined. What kind of bass is that? A Framus Star Bass?
You're right about Relf's phrasing and harmonica being superior to Robert Plant's with regards to "Train." The first couple of times I saw Led Zepp, they opened with it.
I first saw them at the Rose Palace where you could bring your own pillow to the show. Those were the days. They opened with "Train," and to be honest, the band was on fire. But Plant was dragging it all down. Page and Jones were incredible on that occasion.
The next few times I saw them open with that song weren't so good. The band was wildly off-kilter and threatening to spin completely out of control. That can be exciting, but in these cases, it wasn't. Probably because of Plant. It seemed like a throwaway.
Opening numbers were often rough in those days because the audio systems and sound guys usually needed a couple of numbers to get their shit together.
Hell, I still go to shows and often want to strangle the sound guys. But in those days, it was more problematic and less professional than now. In addition, I can't count the number of times that amps blew on stage and there was a delay in the show. Once, when the Who played Santa Monica, someone stole Roger's mic during the show and it was a major ordeal.
Plant, like a lot of lead singers, had a tendency to get hysterical and ad lib unnecessarily in a live setting. Over the years he's become more tasteful. But only a little.
With regards to Relf, yeah, he was perfectly low key and cool to the point of intensity. If that makes sense to you.
This particular performance was the during days before stage monitors, obviously. Yikes.
With regards to Beck//Wilson collaboration: Jeff Beck is not the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of Brian Wilson, Surf Music, Pet Sounds, etc.
Jeff usually leaves his indelible stamp on whatever he does. Don't know if that is welcome on BW's work. I think it's a very strange combination.
It ain't gonna stop me from going to the show. My husband's birthday is that day too! I bet Jeff only plays a few songs with Brian. I can't see them doing a whole set together.
Vickie Rock (sans orgasms)
With regards to Relf, yeah, he was perfectly low key and cool to the point of intensity. If that makes sense to you.
Yes, it absolutely does. Always in control. He and Beck were in synch, too, pushing the rest of the band --- "I'm A Man" sounds like it's going to go completely off the rails near the end but doesn't.
Some rooms just sound shitty. We avoid the Beacon Theater because, unless you are in the first ten rows, the acoustics SUCK no matter where you are sitting. It's like listening to mud. We're making an exception for John Fogerty because neither of us has seen him live. Fortunately, we have fairly decent seats. Now I just hope I don't have some asshole sitting behind me who feels the need to sing along --- or do that annoying finger whistle that attracts dogs from miles around ---
Maybe Brian is going through another "Smile" phase.
Simels might be able to tell you what kind of bass it is --- he played for years. I can recognize a few of the most iconic guitars (Strat and Telly, Gold Top, Harrison's Gretsch, Danelectro Flying V) but that's about it.
Wow! I'm surprised that the Beacon sucks sound-wise. I've never been there, but the impression created was that it was a great place. You know, all the prestigious shows and recordings done there.
I haven't seen Fogerty since he played the Bowl in 2009. I hate that place. I really shouldn't have gone. I've seen him a lot since his 1997 re-emergence. I really didn't need that show. He did some songs with an orchestra. Why?
They have a proliferation of Indian Casinos around here and Fogerty has made the rounds. He's still quite energetic for a guy that's close to seventy. His voice isn't as powerful as it used to be, but he does OK. At least, four years ago he did.
Fogerty played several nights in a row at the Hollywood House of Blues when Blue Moon Swamp was released in 1997. I went to every one of the shows and took someone different with me each time. The sets were a bit different each night. Great shows.
Do you have any idea which Creedence album he will be playing in its entirety when you see him? Have you guys ever seen Creedence?
The first time I saw them they were opening for the Iron Butterfly with Albert King. Also saw them with the Sir Douglas Quintet in Santa Monica(great show).
In 1969, they were in SoCal frequently. I think I went to every one of their area shows that year. Probably saw them at least six or seven times in 1969 alone. They played with Canned Heat on one occasion. And I think I saw them more than once with Lee Michaels. Had great seats for their 1970 Forum show. Lost interest in them after Pendulum.
This was the time I was also way into Steppenwolf and Three Dog Night. In fact, me and a couple of friends are in the crowd photos for the latter's Captured Live at the Forum LP.
I always wanted to get a print of that photo. The photographer who shot it became a chef at some Hollywood eatery. I asked him if he had any clue about those photos. He said a lot of that stuff belonged to the record company who probably destroyed it over the years. He wasn't very motivated to talk about his years as a photographer, but he was one of the best.
Happy 4th. May all of your fireworks be wet.
Vickie Rock
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