Apr 012011
You know the drill: please provide your gut answers to the following questions. To celebrate the start of the Phillies’—America’s team’s—season, today’s Dugout Chatter centers around baseball-related perspectives on music. Let your gut be your guide!
What’s the greatest double-play combination in rock?
What guitarist most needs to learn how to work the count while soloing?
What veteran musician needs to move into a front-office position for his or her band?
If you managed the Motown stable in its heyday, who’s your opening-day starter among the label’s singers?
Likewise, if you managed the Stax stable of artists, who’s toeing the rubber against Motown’s ace?
What bassist is most adept at advancing the runner?
Play ball!
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What’s the greatest double-play combination in rock? Lennon-McCartney, Harrison is the steady 3rd sacker with a quip now and then who kept John from having to go to his right too much, Paulie is that on-bass machine ready to steal a riff if the girl isn’t careful. Ringo at first catching whatever they throw his way, scooping up possible errors with timely fills.
What guitarist most needs to learn how to work the count while soloing? Dave Davies sometimes gets himself out relying on those old aggressive techinque, he needs to let the solo come to him and wait for his pitch. But we know he’s a free swinger for sure.
What veteran musician needs to move into a front-office position for his or her band? Hasn’t John Paul Jones been forced into a front office job? Maybe he needs to play independent ball.
If you managed the Motown stable in its heyday, who’s your opening-day starter among the label’s singers? Maybe he’s not the best singer, but Smokey Robinson has the name and goods to deliver.
Likewise, if you managed the Stax stable of artists, who’s toeing the rubber against Motown’s ace? Otis Redding. Now there’s a contrast in styles that I would like to see.
What bassist is most adept at advancing the runner? Mike Mills makes a lot of REM songs more interesting, he does the little counterpoint things to make a song work. A complementary player rather than a flashy runner.
Wow, mockcarr, you’ve earned the right to be OUR opening-day starter! Excellent answers.
My answers later, but music/baseball fans will enjoy this:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/03/post-8.html
“Musician Fans of All 30 MLB Teams Talk Baseball”
This looks good. Of course, I skipped right to Steve Berlin’s thoughts on our Phillies. Good stuff! That 1980 World Series championship is still my deepest sports moment too.
I do need to take issue with the subhead misspelling of Scott McCaughey’s name (ie, “McCoy”). Come on, brother (or sister, whatever the editor might be), a pince nez is coming your way!
I think the Who franchise itself needs to be retired, Pete can stay in on in some capacity in the Commissioner’s office, like Joe Torre, and remain available for quotation as “the most confused man in rock and roll”.
Just reading the first fan’s part about Baltimore reminds me of the best baseball moment I got to see – the game where that slacker Cal Ripken, jr. finally took a game off. I had a friend with season tickets for the O’s who, like many who are not from the greater NYC area, dislikes the Yankees with barely concealed intensity, so she would let me have the tickets for the NY/BAL games. Being a nerd, I was scoring the game, and naturally, I noticed he wasn’t in the lineup, but there was NO buzz whatsover from the crowd. I’m sitting there thinking, hmm Cal’s not in the lineup. CAL’S NOT IN THE LINEUP. Don’t ever tell me that Orioles fans are among the best, it took Jeter coming out on the top step of the dugout after Knoblauch made an out for those clowns to notice, as Cal made that famous victory lap etc.
What a great un-event to have witnessed, mockcarr!
What’s the greatest double-play combination in rock?
What’s the rock equivalent of a middle infielder? Not being the stars on the team, but capable of getting the team out of a bases-loaded jam. I’ll say Ian Stewart and Nicky Hopkins.
What guitarist most needs to learn how to work the count while soloing?
Bob Stinson.
What veteran musician needs to move into a front-office position for his or her band?
It’s clear that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are laying the groundwork for Kiss to go on without them appearing onstage. They’ve already proved that someone else can wear the make-up and play the guitarist or drummer in Kiss. The band could even go on after they’re dead.
If you managed the Motown stable in its heyday, who’s your opening-day starter among the label’s singers?
Berry Gordy would start Diana Ross, but I’m not sleeping with her, so I don’t have to pretend she’s my ace. If I manage Motown, I’m starting Martha Reeves.
Likewise, if you managed the Stax stable of artists, who’s toeing the rubber against Motown’s ace?
Isaac Hayes.
What bassist is most adept at advancing the runner?
Master of the sacrifice bunt, Bill Wyman.
Wasn’t the Hyde Park concert after Brian Jones’ death the first appearance by Mick Taylor with the Stones? That’s kind of like mockcarr’s experience with Ripken. I may have seen the first Stones concert with Ron Wood. It was definitely the first date of the first US Stones tour with him in the band.
I was thinking about Kenney Jones’ first gig with the Who too, but these are all kind of high profile events, unlike the day Ripken sat out a game. How about the Beatles tour of Australia where Ringo was sick and had to be replaced by Jimmie Nicol?
Good ones!
I’m sure 2K will be able to confirm whether you actually saw Ron Wood’s first concert with the Stones.
Double Play Combo: I immediately thought of the airtight bass/drum combo of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood
Guitarist working the count: Stevie Ray Vaughn never let up, he needed to pull it back a bit sometimes to give the good stuff a chance to work.
Vet musician who should move to the Front Office: Steven Tyler seems pretty well received on American Idol, maybe Rod Stewart should follow his example.
Motown Starter: Smokey
Stax Starter: Otis
Bassist who can move the runner: John Paul Jones filled lots of necessary support roles in Zep.
Oh, and I was at the Townshend acoustic guitar in a glass box concert. Memorably odd.
I can probably help out. Ronnie’s first performance with The Stones was NYC 1975 on a flat bed truck. His first full show was Baton Rouge 75, but there were two shows that day. So if BigSteve was at the first show, I’d be inclined to give it to him.
I was at the Baton Rouge show. I find the idea that there were two shows that day very dubious, because the Stones played a very looooong set, but it was ages ago. And um there were mushrooms involved. The Meters opened.
The important point is that Mick Taylor did not come out of any Baton Rouge dugout.
I like the concept of the un-event,but I think the first shows for Woodie or Mick Taylor are events, and not un-events. Maybe they only seem like events because we know how much both guys brought subsequently to the event. You couldn’t have known that beforehand, but you probably still thought you were watching something important.
I think the first gig for (Pino?) after Entwistle died of natural rock causes is a better non-event. Everyone probably knew this was not a replacement, but a fill-in. I would have been hoping for a refund on my ticket if I held one to that show. Talk about the demi-Who.
I also saw the ‘Fleetwood Mac’ tour where their managed replaced the entire band with ringers. That was a serious non-event.
Funny, my first take at “greatest double play combo” made me think of Get Happy and Taking Liberties. Smooth hand off in one sweet motion (both in 1980.)