The Big Man is no longer with us.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/e-street-bands-clarence-clemons-dies-at-69-20110618
Jun 182011
Jun 132011
Carl Gardner, original lead singer of The Coasters, has died at 83. They just came up the other day. Well, it’s hard to argue with 83 years, having retained ownership of the band’s name through multiple lineup changes, all those excellent songs, all the excellent covers of those songs…
Too bad that, for a band that was so animated on record, that there seems to be few live performances captured on film. How ’bout you close your eyes and let “Shopping for Clothes” paint its own pictures.
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/06-Shopping-for-Clothes.mp3|titles=The Coasters, “Shopping for Clothes”]For all the great covers of Coasters’ songs, here’s one we can bury in a potters’ field…after the jump!
May 112011
In honor of classical music trumpeteer David Mason, who overdubbed the legendary piccolo trumpet solo on The Beatles’ “Penny Lane” and who died today at 85 years of age, let us honor non-rock musicians known to rock music lovers primarily for their essential overdub on a rock ‘n roll song. I stress the importance of these musicians being known primarily to rock fans for their overdub to exclude an already legendary and likely known to rock fans non-rocker’s appearance on a rock recording, such as reknowned jazzman Sonny Rollins‘ solo on The Rolling Stones’ “Waiting on a Friend.” Got me?
Perhaps these musicians might say something similar to what Mason said about his unexpected claim to fame:
I’ve spent a lifetime playing with top orchestras, yet I’m most famous for playing on “Penny Lane”!
You may know these musicians’ names off the top of your head or you may look them up and list them here. But remember, this is a Last Man Standing competition, so don’t bogart that Comments box! You may enter as many entries as you like but only one entry per Comment, please.
UPDATED: Ever hear Mr. Mason’s famous “Penny Lane” solo in German True Stereo?
Apr 262011
We’d hoped this rumor would prove to be untrue, but alas… X-Ray Spex’ teenage dynamo Poly Styrene has lost her battle with breast cancer. May we celebrate the rip-roaring beauty of “Oh Bondage, Up Yours.”
Apr 012011
Sometimes it’s fun to see what we ran exactly a year or more ago, especially when the Friday Flashback piece you’d intended to run from not exactly any particular interval of time ago now contains a bunch of terrible videos that have been pulled for copyright reasons. If you’re interested in reheating an old discussion on Sparks, be my guest. It’s in the archives somewhere. Meanwhile, it’s now been 27 years since Marvin Gaye was shot by his father. I still wish it was an April Fool’s prank. Ah, Marvin was a mess and probably wouldn’t have lived until today anyhow, but still, it’s as good a time as any to appreciate what he gave.
This post initially appeared 4/2/09.
I’m glad I read something that wasn’t an attempt at an April Fool’s joke before this day ends: it was 25 years ago today, on April 1, 1984, that Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father. I was living at home at that time, in a total dream/funk, sloshing my way half-heartedly through school and whole-heartedly through the effort to be a real musician and somewhat adjusted young man (I was far off from either of those goals at that time in my life).
My Mom woke me up to the news before she left for work. “Jimmy,” as she still calls me, “there’s something terrible you should know.” She could empathize with me, a few years earlier, when John Lennon was shot, but Lennon was an artist she only partially grasped. Marvin Gaye was a musician we listened to together while growing up. He spoke to us even during our worst times as mother and son.
Continue reading »
Mar 232011
I just saw that Elizabeth Taylor is dead. Being that she was a great…woman, this can only mean one thing: Elton John or some other close, personal friend in the music business is going to need to quickly retro-fit a forgotten deep cut to play at her international day of mourning and rebranding. Townspeople, act fast and help an appropriate artist identify the appropriate song for this occasion. Saccharine montages and a sudden turn in a sagging artist’s fortunes depend on your input. Thank you.
NEXT: Rock Town Hall’s Official Eulogy… Continue reading »
Mar 162011
"I'm seeing trails! Can you see the trails?"
Until yesterday, when I belatedly read the news that the Godfather of Acid, Owsley Stanley, was dead I had no idea the guy had a last name, or should I say that Owsley was his first name! I also had no idea he was the man behind the high-tech stage soundsystem of the Grateful Dead. If you ask me it might have helped the band if he wasn’t so handy with electronics and their music came out inaudible. Here’s the New York Times obituary on Owsley. I wonder if all that acid he ate and handled had anything to do with his overall dietary philosophies.
Acid intake had a profound impact on rock ‘n roll, in many cases for the good of the genre. However, the drug—or at least music recorded to sound as if it had been recorded under the influence of the drug—led to some regrettable moments. What “acid” albums would you like to see packed off with Owsley’s corporeal remains…once and for all?
