Townspeople, I just came across this abbreviated, super-charged version of The Move‘s “Hello Susie,” by a band I’d long heard of but never heard, Amen Corner, led by a musician I’d long heard of and knew of as a sort of Oliver, I believe, for big British bands in the ’70s but never heard play on his own, Andy Fairweather Low.
Hearing this version of “Hello Susie” for the first time was pretty exciting, primarily for the fact that Bev Bevan is not paradiddling all over the tune. As loyal as I am to The Move (and as tolerant as I am of their excesses), Bevan’s sloppy, sludgey style sometimes aggravates me. Amen Corner’s arrangement gets to the chugging, cascading heart of the song and doesn’t overdo it. Ultimately it makes for a “lighter” approach in scope as well as the song’s inherent ability to celebrate The Power and Glory of Rock, but tonight I was intrigued and wanted to hear more.Continue reading »
Our ongoing poll to determine the Sexiest Man in Prog-Rock has garnered interest across the globe. Out of the gates it looked to be a showdown between the the Zelig of the Prog/Art Rock world, stylishly tressed bassist John Wetton, and former model and Pink Floyd hunk David Gilmour. Then, without warning, cape-wearing Yes bassist Chris Squire and ELP’s boyishly macho drummer Carl Palmer jumped ahead of Gilmour and put some heat on Wetton. With a record number of votes pouring in, Wetton and Squire are neck and neck! Before more votes are posted, let’s consider the leaders in this heretofore-inconceivable showdown.
I know this discussion will make some of you manly men uncomfortable, but these prog-rock legends aren’t as smooth as Ken dollsdown there, nor are their fans a collection of plastic Ken and Barbie dolls. For the rock ‘n roll record, I suggest you man up and give these gents the once-over they deserve. It’s clear that only Rock Town Hall is fit to determine, once and for all, the Sexiest Man in Prog-Rock. In-depth analyses of our leading vote-getters appear on page 2!
Linda, Paul, and David Gilmour, supposedly from 1975.
If, like me, you’ve spent enough of your youth geeking out over photos of your favorite musicians you may find yourself, 30 years later, with jaw dropping over an image you’ve never seen before. I spent countless hours of my youth looking over photos of The Beatles in whatever rock book or magazine I could get my hands on. Although I was never a giant Wings fan, I probably saw my share of solo McCartney shots in the process. I’d never seen this shot…until now.
What does it mean? Not a thing, most likely, but I never knew Linda smoked – cigarettes. Where did David Gilmour get that wholly inauthentic Dallas Cowboys shirt, in Central Europe? And I either didn’t know or forgot that Paul brought back his Sgt. Pepper’s moustache. Nice.
Did you ever spend hours gazing at photos of a favorite artist? What’s the most recent previously unseen photo of a favorite musician that you’ve stumbled across? What did you learn from it?
Years ago, when my wife and I were first dating, we ran into one of my old musician friends on a street corner. His long hair and slacker Shaggy Rogers facade hid the fact that he was a gentle, thoughtful guy whose only vice was sweets. After continuing on our way, she said something like, “Band members have this reputation for being tough and cool, but whenever I meet them they’re usually the nicest people in the club.” From 1978 through the 1980s, Penny Rush-Valladares interacted with rock stars galore while running Backstage Cafe, a concert catering company in Kansas City, Missouri. In the process, Penny became a member of the Kansas City rock scene herself. From both the tales on her website, Rock and Roll Stories, and our conversations about her her experiences, it quickly became clear that Penny was among the many nice ones in the rock scene, super nice.
But this hard-working, rock ‘n roll-loving hippie (in the best sense of the term) isn’t beyond dishing more than her patented turkey dinners. In the course of our talk we gain some shocking insights about the likes of Roger Waters, Neil Diamond, and Bob Dylan – not to mention a story about Van Halen that’s more disgusting than I would have thought possible. A key detail about a diminutive purple presence in the ’80s rock scene explains so much, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In the true spirit of the Halls of Rock, Penny brings a cheerful attitude, a bruised-but-not-beaten sense of idealism, and the willingness to let it all hang out. You won’t run into a Penny on any old street corner.
Penny’s website chronicles some of her earliest rock ‘n roll stories, including her night with The Beatles; we start with her entry into rock ‘n roll catering.
RTH: Can you summarize your work as a rock ‘n roll caterer? How did you get started as a caterer for touring musicians? You were initially based out of a certain venue, right?
Penny: Well, yes and no. I worked out of the Uptown Theatre in the beginning, helping another woman and learning the ropes. But it soon extended out into other venues. It was in its infant stages and we made it up as we went along. Basically we had to come up with a little dressing room food for the artists and some crew dinner for 20 or so guys. The reason I got involved was because I loved going to concerts and wanted to be backstage, so I soon realized there was a need for food and I knew that was something I could do.
It just kept evolving and demands from the artists kept getting more involved and official. A contract “rider” came along, which listed all the particular needs of each act and their food requirements were included. So it didn’t take long for me to start specializing in concert catering. I never wanted to do other kinds of catering, because I was only doing it to be backstage.
Last night I attended one of those silent-auction-school-fundraiser things. You know, one of those things where you can bid on a basket of scented shit while eating a Costco cookie all the while bemoaning the fact that you’re missing Ramon Troncoso pitch four shutout innings in what is the first glimpse of light this season in the Dodger’s bullpen.
In the past we’ve come home with some decent deals on summer camps for the boys, baskets of scented shit and “principal for a day” certificates. But last night I hit the relative jackpot. I was the only bidder on a “digital library” called Rolling Stone: Cover to Cover. It comes with a proprietary browsing/reading program and three discs of content that feature every page of every issue of Rolling Stone magazine from launch thru May 2007. I picked this beauty up for $20.
Recently we pondered the musical foundation of Classic Pink Floyd. I learned some useful information, such as the influence of Miles Davis‘ Kind of Blue on Rick Wright‘s keyboard stylings and the fact that “Run Like Hell” was a pisstake on disco. All that I learned helped strengthen my confidence in my recent realization that Classic Pink Floyd, beginning at the time the band found its true voice on Dark Side of the Moon, had more in common with The Who and U2 than I’d ever considered, something I will hereby term Popeye Rock.
“I am what I am.”
I believe the case can be made that most rock bands that connect with the public to some degree develop their sound from an established musical foundation, or traditions. In some cases the influences run deep and are easy to spot. In other cases, as is especially true in the playlists and sales charts of any given genre, the traditions may run as deep as last week’s playlists and charts. In short, rock ‘n roll musicians usually structure their individual talents around an identifiable sound. The craftwork rock musicians typically put into their music involves applying the “fabric” of their instruments to an existing “frame”: stylistic conventions dictating beat, melody, verse-chorus-middle eighth structure, etc. The Beatles are credited with blowing open the vault of rock’s available frames, but it was always the frame that dictated the course of the music.
This was the uninterrupted history of early rock ‘n roll until The Who came along. They may have introduced the Popeye Rock approach that, while still not the norm, has become a viable path toward making rock ‘n roll, especially following the massive popularity and influence of both Pink Floyd and U2. Continue reading »
What is the musical foundation of Classic (ie, Roger Waters-led) Pink Floyd?
Last week I heard “Run Like Hell” on the radio for the first time in years. I always liked that song a little bit, at least parts of it. At the same time, it’s always been one of many Pink Floyd songs that make me nauseous. I think the nausea I’ve experienced in songs like this one and “Have a Cigar” have something to do with the heavy use of delay and Waters’ knack for coming up with the least-pleasant melodies in rock. But the nausea-inducing qualities of Pink Floyd were not at the front of my mind while this song played. Continue reading »
