25 Dec '06 -17:31
Jaaaames Brown
The Godfather of Soul, the Prime Minister of Funk, the Man Who Unmasked Micheal Jackson's Moonwalk As Nothin' But The Camel Walk In Reverse is dead. (more)
21 Dec '06 -09:03
The Dead List 2006
John Lomax III sent me a piece written by his young'un, John Nova Lomax, in the Houston Press. In the spirit of all the RIPs posted here over the last couple years, the article is pasted below. John the Elder noted that the article was done before Ahmet Ertegun's death, otherwise, he'd of topped the list due to how he died, slipping on stairs at a Stones concert and going into a coma. Which brings to mind this Ahmet anecdote by Craig Zeller, passed along to me by Andy Schwartz,:"I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mr.Ertegun at a Ramones show at CBGB in the spring of 1975. He was dressed to the nines, bouncing a young Asian girl on his knee, and having quite a time for himself. However, I suspect it was the company rather than the music that put such a wide smile on his face. When the set ended I leaned over and asked him: 'Mr.Ertegun, will you be signing the Ramones to your label?'
"He looked at me, laughed, and said: 'Man, you must be out of your mind.'" (more)
19 Dec '06 -20:43
Winter of Hate
OK, OK, maybe the hed is too harsh. But nine years after the Summer of Love in San Francisco, the long winter of people in black inhabiting the last dregs of urban decay in New York came to the fore. Heroin replaced acid as the drug of choice. Bands reverted to minimalism and seeking the edge, discarding rhythm and technological state of the art in favor of stripping it all down to the basics. Which sorta explains the Radical NY! The Downtown Show: the New York Art Scene 1974-1984 that is currently running at the Austin Museum of Art. As part of the exhibition, a November panel I WAS THERE: NEW YORK pondered the meaning of the music scene that was attached at the hip to the art scene in New York; on January 25, I'll be sitting on a panel I WAS HERE: AUSTIN, dissecting the music scene that was evolving in Austin bringing along the rest of the arts with it. Jesse Sublett, Eddie Wilson, and Bill Narum will explain it all. I'll be there nodding in agreement, spinning my own take. All's I can say now is, as interesting as what was going down in New York may have been, it was a hell of a lot more interesting here, with a whole lot less heroin and a whole lot more beer and pot.
20:21
Summer of Love
A very cool three CD project about the San Francisco Summer of Love and all it begat caught my ear, courtesy of my friend Tom Ordon, with an interesting discourse about Bill Graham that followed.Here's the package, according to Tom:
COOL 4 CD BOX SET...Coming in June of 2007 on Rhino Records
SUMMER OF LOVE-THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSIC SCENE, 1966-1970
DISC ONE SEISMIC RUMBLES
01 Dino Valenti Lets Get Together
02 Country Joe & The Fish I Feel Like Im Fixin To Die (EP version)
03 We Five You Were On My Mind
04 Charlatans Number One
05 Warlocks Cant Come Down
06 Beau Brummels Dont Talk To Strangers
07 Vejtables Anything
08 Jefferson Airplane Its No Secret
09 Mystery Trend Johnny Was A Good Boy
10 Great! Society Free Advice
11 Grass Roots Mr Jones
12 Blackburn & Snow Stranger In A Strange Land
13 Quicksilver Messenger Service Who Do You Love (demo)
14 Big Brother & The Holding Company Light Is Faster Than Sound
15 Mojo Men Shes My Baby
16 Wildflower Coffee Cup
17 Family Tree Live Your Own Life
18 Sons Of Champlin - Fat City
19 Frantics Human Monkey
20 Tikis Bye Bye Bye (WB 45 version)
21 Country Joe & The Fish Section 43 (EP version)
22 Sopwith Camel Hello Hello
DISC TWO - SUBURBIA
01 Count Five Psychotic Reaction
02 Front Line Got Love
03 Mourning Reign Satisfaction Guaranteed
04 Golliwogs Walking On The Water
05 Oxford Circle Foolish Woman
06 Stained Glass My Buddy Sin
07 Otherside Streetcar
08 Teddy His Patches Suzy Creamcheese
09 Immediate Family Rubiyat
10 Syndicate Of Sound Rumors
11 Harbinger Complex Sometimes I Wonder
12 New Breed Want Ad Reader
13 Generation Im A Good Woman
14 Chocolate Watchband No Way Out
15 Butch Engle & The Styx Hey Im Lost
16 People I Love You
17 Public Nuisance America
18 Country Weather Fly To New York
19 Savage Resurrection Thing In E
20 Frumious Bandersnatch Hearts To Cry
DISC THREE SUMMER OF LOVE
01 Charlatans Alabama Bound (Golden State Recorders version)
02 Mystery Trend Carl Street
03 Great! Society Somebody To Love (LP version)
04 Country Joe & The Fish Super Bird
05 Beau Brummels Two Days Til Tomorrow
06 Moby Grape Omaha
07 Serpent Power Up & Down
08 Grateful Dead The Golden Road
09 Quicksilver Messenger Service Codine
10 Electric Flag Groovin Is Easy
11 Big Brother & The Holding Company Down On Me (live)
12 Salvation Think Twice (45 version)
13 Jefferson Airplane White Rabbit
14 Steve Miller Band Roll With It
15 Notes From The Underground Why Did You Put Me On
16 Sly & The Family Stone Underdog (45 version)
17 Blue Cheer Summertime Blues
18 Creedence Clearwater Revival Suzie Q (Part One)
10 Santana Soul Sacrifice
20 Ace Of Cups - Glue
21 Loading Zone The Bells
DISC FOUR - THE MAN CANT BUST OUR MUSIC
01 Big Brother & The Holding Company Piece Of My Heart
02 Santana Evil Ways
03 Fifty Foot Hose Red The Sign Post
04 Kak Lemonaide Kid
05 Sons Of Champlin 1982-A
06 Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks How Can I Miss You When You Wont Go Away
07 Mad River Amphetamine Gazelle
08 Sly & The Family Stone I Want To Take You Higher
09 Steve Miller Band Quicksilver Girl
10 Mother Earth Revolution
11 Moby Grape Murder In My Heart For The Judge
12 Quicksilver Messenger Service Light Your Windows
13 Flamin Groovies Im Drowning
14 Seatrain Portrait Of the Artist As A Young Lady
15 Its A Beautiful Day White Bird
16 Creedence Clearwater Revival Born On The Bayou
17 Grateful Dead Dark Star (45 version)
18 Blue Cheer Fool (45 version)
19 Jefferson Airplane Mexico
20 Janis Joplin Mercedes Benz
21 Youngbloods Get Together (more)