American Boys

Ted Nugent was one rock star that says he never did drugs. This song (The Dukes biggest hit) is about hallucinogens. Hmmmm…..

Amboy Dukes – Journey To The Center Of Your Mind – this video was made at a time where the more dancers you had, the better the band.

Album credit 

I Got the Bluuues for Christmas

The Thrill is Growing.

Growing up, (I think I did), I didn’t pay too much attention to the blues, maybe a little Alvin Lee and Paul Butterfield but certainly not the real blues. In fact, I hated the blues. And there is no way that you could tell me that most Led Zeppelin stuff was ripped off from old blues artists. The Animals, the Stones, Yardbirds, Canned Heat, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix – a whole bunch of sixties bands had their origins or were heavily influenced by the Blues.

Things changed for me one day several years ago in Minot, North Dakota. Yeah, Minot – international hotbed of intrigue, romance and…..the Blues.

My son and I had our noses pressed up against a store window and were drooling uncontrollably at a couple of Gibsons. An older black man wandered over and, in a deep southern drawl, asked “You play them things?”  then he pointed to a cheaper Washburn acoustic and said “That’s all you need to play the blues”.

We started what turned out to be a great, long conversation – as his wife rolled her eyes and sat down to rest on a nearby bench. He told us he came from the deep south and used to play with a fella named B.B. King in Chicago. “You heard of B.B.”? he asked. Oh yeah, I’d heard of the man.

During the 50s King was a Memohis DJ (where else?) who played a lot of the country or rural juke joint type blues that was so popular on Beale Street.   Later he began touring with his own band and (mainly in Chicago – with musicians such as my Minot friend) developed that polished blues style which he is so famous for.

Since then I have been exploring the Blues, learning a few licks, and I have to admit – I’m hooked. The thrill has just begun! 

ps – Some old timers are giving B.B. a hard time ‘cause he sits in a chair and plays. What is he, 81 years old? Let him sit - because with him you listen to the blues, you don’t watch them.  If you want to give Blues a chance, try B.B. because although he does a lot of standards, he also arranges them in a more “popular” way making the transition into the genre easier.

Watch this “home” video if BB at his bar in Times Square made last year.

The Thrill is Gone – B.B. King

The Life in a Day

I clearly remember this cover of Time from September 1967. It must have stirred some ‘profound’ interest in me – yeah…either that or there were pictures of women in miniskirts in it.

A Day in the Life – Beatles

Audience

Audience was another band from England that did not quite get the respect they deserved in North America. House on the Hill was a grreat listen.

There is a video taken a few years ago in Toronto of Howard Werth and Audience playing The House on the Hill.  This one has to be viewed through Youtube  so here is the URL.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00kYsCyOXfg

(It is only a partial and the sound quality is not there but it’s nice to see them again – haven’t aged a bit.)

Album image from here

Wizard

One of my old favourites to play on guitar: The Wizard – Uriah Heep. This is a great 1972 video, baby!

To me, these German girls look just like the girls I went to high school with.

Face the Music

‘Round about 1971, Santana released this self titled album. The art work was eye catching. The more you look at the lion’s face, the more faces you can pick out. Small ones, large ones, evil ones, short ones, fat ones.

It was great to sit around, eat munchies and pick out faces.

Carlos Santana – Samba Pa Ti

Stones vs Tull

About 1972, I approached a guy at school who’s musical taste seemed far advanced for his years. You know the guy, 18 years old and in his 3^rdyear of metal shops.
I asked him who is the best band in the world? “Well, there is a difference between the ‘best band’ and the ‘greatest band’ “, the 18 year old philosophised as he stroked his Rip Van Winkle beard. He then answered flatly, “The greatest band is the Rolling Stones. The best is Jethro Tull.” Cool.

Here they are live in 1975 at the home of the mighty Rangers of New York – Madison Square Garden (I think that’s where it is – they probably didn’t know either).

The caption reads “Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull performing “Aqualung” live in concert”.

I know who Ian is but which one is Jethro?

Aqualung – Live – Jethro Tull

Of Hippies and Pop Culture

A good old hippie friend of mine told me a story from around the summer of ‘69:

He and his friends had sat down, cross-legged on his neighbour’s lawn, to enjoy some conversation and catch a few rays.

Suddenly, the neighbour came running out, armed with his garden hose. “Get off my lawn you pot smoking hippies” he screamed. “Damn Pepsi generation” he added, as he showered them with a spray of cold water.

Of course, they just sat there, flipped him the peace sign and soaked it all in….man.

Pepsi Generation 1970

How ‘Bout Them

I just watched Van Morrison on Austin City Limits. I think the show was recorded last November (06).

They closed with a good ole rendition of Gloria. Here is the original from over 40 years ago.

Gloria – Them

Monkee See Monkee Do

When Michael Nesmith’s time with The Monkees expired, he went into business maaking music videos – something unheard of at the time. This is one of his longer works. Elephant Parts (1981)