Alexmagic, you asked for it, we’ve got it! Let’s revisit the world premiere of Ja-Bru, also featuring an attempted infiltraton by Mike Love and Paul Schaffer on keytar!
I’ve got to give it up for Jagger. The man’s surrounded by possibly the largest and most powerful collection of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers for this All-Star Jam, and he only shares lead vocals for a line or two with The Boss. Who’s the woman with a free mic, Tina Turner? How badly does she want to get the nod to do her thang, yet Jagger remains in charge. Who’s The Boss now, Bruce?
Some of you may be aware of my Overlooked Gems of My Lifetime blog, which has been inactive since – not coincidentally – the launch of this blog version of Rock Town Hall. It’s time I put a little work into that concept again – and make sure to celebrate some things I love wholeheartedly, with no intent to confuse and educate readers.
Recently I pulled out my lone album by The Prisoners, A Taste of Pink. It sounded as rockin’ and fun as ever, and the vinyl was still pink. It’s hard to find the space between songs when placing the needle on a particular song on a pink-vinyl album, but the tracks on this album make the effort worthwhile.
I never bothered to find out much about this ’80s garage-mod band from somewhere in England. A friend owned another album by them, but it was not as good as the one I happened to take a chance on. I never bothered hearing another note by these guys. One great album by any ’80s garage-mod band is enough. (God, as I type that sentence I sense myself looking in the mirror, holding an unopened box of my band’s second record!) Honestly, though, I can only take so much garage and mod rock, especially when the lyrics and fuzz-guitar solos are nothing special. This album, however, is together! Simply put, it works. The guitars are chunky. The organ player cooks up that Deep Purple “Hush”/Steppenwolf stew. The singers pull no punches. I have FUN while listening to it. It’s a good time to get my lab coat pressed.
Since this is a rare album I’ve never spent much time thinking about, I’m going to do nothing more but share some tracks with you. Send your lab coat to the cleaner and check out The Prisoners!
Following is a transcript of Eddie Money’s induction speech for Steve Miller.
In three simple, self-referential steps, Steve Miller‘s early promise as a riff-heavy, Chuck Berry-quoting, San Francisco hippie cum Chicago blues-rocker would descend into pleasant, critical irrelevance.
The promise and partial lifetime achievement of Steve Miller that we celebrate with his entry into the Rock Town Hall Rock and Roll Foyer of Fame were established by “Living in the U.S.A.”, that bluesy, groovy tune with the danceable rebel charm of early Sly and the Family Stone hits. Other early recordings of note would include “Gangster of Love”; “Space Cowboy”, which refers back to his first single and tipped his hand as an incurable craftsman of no particular point of view; and “My Dark Hour”, which the studio-savvy Miller (whose godfather was Les Paul) cut on the fly one night with only Paul McCartney on drums, bass, backing vocals! Miller’s start was the stuff of cult worship and overpaying for used copies of hard-to-find albums! Continue reading »
A recent search on Google confirms our suspicions at Rock Town Hall that this partial honor is long overdue for both Bob Seger and Steve Miller. Click on the link at each artist’s name for full context.
“Sadly Recall The Beginning…Journey From Eden was not the huge hit it deserved to be and has been all but forgotten over the years. This is a fucking tragedy man!!!”
Paul Rodgers wraps up his stirring Seger tribute at the Foyer of Fame induction ceremonies
Editor’s note: While we normally print transcripts of our Rock and Roll Foyer of Fame induction ceremony speeches after they’ve been delivered, this year, Paul Rodgers‘ management gave us a copy of Paul’s Seger induction speech before it was taped. Our intention in printing these notes is not to reveal any secrets or cast Mr. Rodgers in a negative light; rather, we do so to show you a side of the typical rock and roll honorific not often seen in public. We thank Paul Rodgers and his management for allowing us this glimpse “behind the scenes.”
WIPE NOSE!
RUN TONGUE OVER TEETH — TWICE!
REMOVE SUNGLASSES!
WAIT FOR APPLAUSE
GOO…I CAN’T BELIEVE…
HELLO, MY NAME IS PAUL RODGERS, AND I USED TO BE IN A LITTLE BAND CALLED BAD COMPANY. (WAIT FOR LAUGH!)
NOW I’M IN A LITTLE BAND CALLED QUEEN. (WAIT FOR LAUGH)
AND I’M HERE TO TELL YOU WHY BOB SEGER IS THE FIRST ROCK STAR TO BE INDUCTED IN TO THE RTH FOYER OF FAME. Continue reading »
March 9, 2008, Frankfort, KY – Popular music discussion blog Rock Town Hall announced today that its “Foyer of Fame” – a virtual counterpart to the more famous (though arguably no more relevant) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum – was now “open for business.” In addition, Rock Town Hall revealed that on Monday, March 10, beginning at 8:30 PM EST, the Foyer will induct Bob Seger and Steve Miller as its first two members.
The two thoroughly average rockers will be inducted in special ceremonies befitting their status. Bob Seger’s name will be permanently etched into the tin-plated walls as the Foyer’s charter member, and subsequently, Steve Miller will become the first winner of Seger’s namesake Annual Partial Lifetime Achievement Award and Chili Cookoff.
