Pete is an amazing composer, a brilliant musician, AND an amazing interview. He always has something intelligent to say and I always feel like I learn something when listening to him. He never hesitates to speak his mind which is quite refreshing these days but be aware that his stated position almost always change over time. Bottom line…..he is always entertaining.
I have two interview offerings for you today. Up first a very young Pete talks about Tommy…….
(Pete Talks About Tommy)
Next up is an interview of an older Pete by Murray Lerner who captured the Who live at the Isle of Wright festival in 1970. The interview is intermixed with Who footage which makes for an interesting viewing and listening experience.
Part 1 of 5
Part 2 of 5
Part 3 of 5
Part 4 of 5
Part 5 of 5
Stay tuned on Sunday when I will bring you the Who live at the Isle of Wright festival. Really good stuff!
Last week Eric found his way to this blog and left a comment about his new song (I’m Going Down) and his upcoming album (also named I’m Going Down). Since he was nice enough to visit the blog I HAD to listen to his song and………it (and the video that went with it) were both great. I was intrigued, I was charmed, and most importantly I was thoroughly entertained both musically and visually which is not something that I can say about most music that I hear today. Maybe more importantly I wanted to hang out with Eric, his band, the people in the video (I would like to think they were his friends), and party. Really good stuff. Let’s listen…..
Eric Howl and the Way Down Lows – I’m Going Down
I wanted more (no….I needed more) so I took to the internet on a quest. Bingo, another song from his upcoming album, You Already Know The Way To Brahma’s House. Weird title for another “alt-country” song but what the heck.
Eric Howl – You Already Know The Way To Brahma’s House
OK, once the song started it was not what the heck,it was what the Hell! Bhangra, rap, Bollywood dancing, who is this guy and why haven’t I heard of him before! Now let me be honest….I am not a rap fan, I have never heard bhangra (had to look it up), but damnit it worked and I was entertained. I have no idea what to expect from Eric’s album when it is released but I personally can’t wait. I suggest we all pick it once it is released and gather back here to talk.
If I had to word to describe Eric in one word it would be eclectic, faced with the same challenge for the Savages the word would be intense. These girls rock, not that’s not quite right, they rock hard and with an amazing focus. I love their guitarist (she has an amazing ringing tone), the rhythm section is rock solid (together they are great and they individually have the capability to drive songs forward), and I don’t even know how to describe the singer. Maybe the thing I like most about them is they are better live than they are on record and that says a lot. As soon as they manage to capture their live sound on a record there will be no stopping them but until then you won’t go wrong by picking up their debut album, Silence Yourself. Enough babbling on my part…..you need to hear this for yourself……
As promised yesterday, today we have some great footage of the original Santana from 1970/1971. These performances are taken from appearances on Beat Club, a German music show. Here is the original Santana lineup from that time……
Carlos Santana – guitar, vocals
Gregg Rolie – organ, piano, vocals
David Brown – bass
Michael Shrieve – drums
Michael Carabello – congas, percussion
José “Chepito” Areas – timbales, congas, percussion, background vocals
I hope you enjoy these videos. They truly capture the magic of the original band. As always, let me know what you think.
I have a real treat for you today, a “one off” 20th anniversary reunion of the original Santana lineup. The reunion took place at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. Shoreline is an amazing venue (I was lucky enough to catch a couple of shows there in the 90s) and having the original lineup back together was a dream come true for Santana fans like myself. Here is the setlist…..
Bill Graham Intro
In a Silent Way
Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen
Oye Como Va
Evil Ways
Jingo
Soul Sacrifice
Toussaint L’Overture
If you’re like me, this reunion serves to whet you appetite for seeing the original Santana lineup in their youth. If that is the case be sure to check back for tomorrow’s Monday Matinee post.
Albums released in April and May of 1973 were a mixed bag. Some solid releases from existing bands, some excellent debut albums by new bands, and one release that came out of the blue and took the charts by storm based on the success of the movie that featured it as a soundtrack. Let’s dive right in to some of the highlights.
April
Eagles – Desperado
I posted about the early days of the Eagles, including their second album Desperado, in a post from last year named The Southern California Sound #14. It is worth checking out if you didn’t catch the first time around. Here is the title song from the album which is probably my favorite Eagles album of all time……
Manassas – Down The Road
Down The Road was the second, and unfortunately the final, studio album by Manassas. I have already written about the reasons for this being their last album in my The Southern California Sound #13 post from last year….check it out if you are interested. In the meantime, here is a great Chris Hillman song from the album.
Marshall Tucker Band – Marshall Tucker Band
I did a detailed post, Album of the Week #9, about this album so I won’t bore you with all of the details again but I highly suggest you read it if you are not familiar with the band. Here is my favorite song from the album……
I can’t tell you how much I wish that someone still made music this good!
There is a great story that goes along with this one. After Randy Bachman left/was forced to leave the Guess Who he created a new band, Brave Belt, that never really caught on. They lost their recording contract and were about to give up when fate intervened. Here is the story as captured on Wikipedia…..
In April 1973, Charlie Fach of Mercury Records returned to his office after a trip to France to find a stack of unplayed demo tapes waiting on his desk. Wanting to start completely fresh, he took a trash can and slid all the tapes into it except one which missed the can and fell onto the floor. Fach then picked up the tape and noticed Bachman’s name on it. He remembered talking to him the previous year and had told Bachman that if he ever put a demo together to send it to him. While playing the first song on the 7½ inch reel, “Gimme Your Money Please”, Fach called Bachman to tell him that he wanted to sign the band.
Charlie convinced them to change their name to Bachman Turner Overdrive and the rest is history. Let’s listen to the song that saved them.
Michael Oldfield – Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells came out of no where back in May of 1973. It was recorded by Michael Oldfield when he was only 19 years old and garnered significant radio plan later that year when it was featured as part of the sound track of the hit movie The Exorcist. Let’s listen to Tubular Bells part one which took up the whole first side of the album when it was released.
Just like I long for music as good as Can’t You See…..I also long for the days when a single song could span the entire side of an album.!
Carlos is one of my favorite guitarist of all time. In this interview he talks from his heart about the roots of music. There’s a great line where he talks about …notes that sound like a ghost that wants to get back to god….never whining but crying. That is the best description I have ever heard of his music! Very deep stuff.
If you enjoy Santana be sure to check back on Sunday for an amazing Sunday Sessions post featuring a reunion of most of the original Santana lineup on the 20th anniversary of the start of the band.
In rock and pop music the phrase “rhythm section” normally refers to the drummer and bass player of a band. The rhythm section is the foundation of every band’s sound but it seldom gets the attention of the singer and/or the guitar player. If you think of the Who my guess is that you either think of Pete Townshend and/or Roger Daltrey but I don’t think there would have been a Who without their amazing rhythm section of Keith Moon and John Entwistle.
In today’s Two’Fer Tuesday post we celebrate one of the best rhythm sections in rock history, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice. They provided the rhythm section for three major bands in the 60s and 70s, which to best of my knowledge is an accomplishment that has not been equaled by any other bass player/drummer combination.
Bogert and Appice initially got together in Vanilla Fudge, a late 1960s psychedelic group. Let’s listen to their biggest hit, a psychedelic remake of You Keep Me Hanging On.
Vanilla Fudge – You Keep Me Hanging On
As Vanilla Fudge started to break up a an idea for a new supergroup started to take shape. The new super group was going to consist of Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice from Vanilla Fudge along with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart from the Jeff Beck Group. Unfortunately, this group never came together due to a car accident which forced Jeff out of the music scene for a year. With the collapse of the planned super group, Rod ended up joining forces with Ronnie Wood to create The Faces while Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice combined with Jim McCarthy and Rusty Day to form Cactus. Let’s listen to a song from Cactus’ debut album……..
Cactus – Let Me Swim
In 1972 Cactus was starting to breakup as was Jeff’s latest incarnation of the Jeff Beck Group. The end result, leaving out a lot of boring details, was that Beck, Bogert and Appice finally managed to join forces and form a real super group/power trio with the simple name of Beck, Bogert, and Appice or BBA for short. We have talked about BBA in earlier posts but just to refresh your memory here is one of the cuts from their one and only studio album.
Beck, Bogert, & Appice – Sweet Surrender
One rhythm section, three great bands, and a little know piece of rock history. You just never know what you will learn from this blog!
I found this Bruce documentary online this week. I had never seen it before so I was pretty excited. Here is how it was described…..
Bruce Springsteen documentary from 2011 – How different the career and music of Bruce Springsteen could have turned out had it not been for his legally enforced recording hiatus, witnessed between the release of his celebrated ‘Born To Run’ album and the delayed but extraordinary follow-up, ‘Darkness On The Edge Of Town’ – almost three years later. Despite the undeniable strength of his ’75 opus, during this break from the studio, many wondered if ‘the future of rock n’ roll’ was a one trick pony who had somehow managed to capture the imagination of the media for a brief moment, but in reality was just yet another ‘new Bob Dylan’ who got lucky. This film examines the period between the start of the lull and the threat of the storm, when Bruce Springsteen recorded and released, arguably, the finest music he was ever going to make. Featuring rare and classic performance footage, archive interviews with the Boss himself, contributions from those who know the man best and who were around him during the 1975-1985 period, plus seldom seen photographs, news reports, newly discovered film material and some of the finest music ever made!
I think the Bruce fans will love it for sure (I’m talking to you Gerard 🙂 ). Everyone else let me know what you think.
Today’s Sunday Session is an amazing performance by The Faces at the height of their power in 1971. This performance was captured on BBC as part of their Sounds For Saturday series. This particular video is from a rebroadcast of the concert on VH1 Classic and features an introduction by Glenn Tilbrook. This is a particularly tight set by a group that was always entertaining but not necessarily always tight. The set list is provided below…..I think you will really enjoy the performance!
Three Button Hand Me Down
Maybe I’m Amazed
Too Much Woman
Street Fighting Man
Too Much Woman
Miss Judy’s Farm
Love In Vain
Stay With Me
I am starting a new blog, justsouthofhell, to provide me with an outlet for political topics. This will allow me to focus thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard blog exclusively on music. If you interested in politics check out the new blog at:
thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard 