So…..as a general rule, I do not go in for the classic rock reunions but I am making an exception for Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, and the rest of the Guess Who when they were running across Canada once again back in 2000. I saw the Guess Who back in the early 70s (unfortunately without Randy) and they were amazing. I am happy to say the band has not lost a step in the intervening years. Really good stuff from my favorite Canadian band, I think you will enjoy this.
One of the things that I liked best about this concert was seeing the respect that Burton and Randy have for each other. Never thought I would ever see Burton singing a Bachman Turner Overdrive song….miracles never cease!
Gordon Lightfoot is easily one of my top three favorite musicians of all time (the others are Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen….and yes the Canadians outnumber the American on this list). Let me elaborate how strong my feelings for Gordon’s music are……
If I had to give up all of my music except my Gordon Lightfoot library I could still lead a happy life.
I have planned Gordon Lightfoot themed vacations…a train trip through the Canadian Rockies inspired of course by Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
My pick for the most moving song ever written…..The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Did I mention he’s Canadian!
So it is with great pride that I bring you this great Gordon Lightfoot acoustic concert performance on BBC. If you aren’t a fan after listening to this concert…..I seriously have to question your musical taste. The set list includes:
Our Sunday session for today is a great 1975 set from America that was broadcast on a West German TV program called Musikladen. This concert captures America at the height of the career and is well worth a listen.
Watching this brought back a lot of memories for me. I can remember hearing A Horse With No Name driving to school in 1972 and being totally captivated. At the end of the song, the DJ indicated that it was “America A Horse With No Name.” which I thought was the coolest name ever for a song. It wasn’t until later, in a record shop, that I discovered that the song was named “A Horse With No Name” and the group was named America. Life before internet was a bitch 🙂
As always, let me know what you think…….
Setlist
1. Ventura Highway
2. I Need You
3. Don’t Cross the River
4. A Horse with No Name
5. Moon Song
6. Lonely People
7. Wind Wave
8. Rainbow Song
9. Tin Man
10. California Revisited
11. Green Monkey
I have never been a huge Black Sabbath fan but they were a force to be reckoned with early in their career. I feel sorry for young people today that only know Ozzy as the addled, burned out, old man that he is today. This post is for those folks so they can see and appreciate Ozzy in his prime.
This concert was recorded in 1970 between the release of their first, self titled, album and the US release of Paranoid, their killer second album. This is Black Sabbath at the height of their power and it is something that everyone should watch, fan or not. Here is the setlist…..
LIVE in Paris (December 20, 1970)
1- Paranoid
2- Hand Of Doom
3- Rat Salad
4- Iron Man
5- Black Sabbath
6- N.I.B.
7- Behind The Wall Of Sleep
8- War Pigs
9- Fairies Wear Boots
If you don’t trust my opinion about this footage, maybe you will trust what Andy Greene had to say about the this 1970 concert and video in Rolling Stone last October….
Nobody knows exactly where and when this incredible 1970 Black Sabbath TV broadcast was taped. For many years bootlegs have claimed it was recorded on December 20th, 1970 at the Olympia in Paris, but knowledgable fans have pointed out the venue is way too small to be that theater. Some think it might be from Belgium in October of that year, but it’s very hard to say for sure.
It hardly matters. The pro-shot video captures Black Sabbath at the absolute peak of their powers. Paranoid presumably had only been on shelves for a matter of months (or even weeks), and the material is still fresh and shocking. Within a few years drugs, infighting and ego would start tearing the band apart, and the work suffered immeasurably.
“We’ve got a number now called ‘War Pigs,'” Ozzy says midway through the show. “It’s a number off our new LP. Hope you like it, thank you.” They proceed to tear though a nearly eight-minute version of the song that is absolutely explosive. Interestingly, the second and third stanzas of the song differs from the recorded version, perhaps providing evidence this show was cut before they finished the song in the studio in June of 1970.
As promised last weekend, today’s Sunday Sessions offering is Led Zeppelin in all of it’s 1973 glory. Filmed (mostly) at Madison Square Gardens on 27, 28, and 29 July 1973, it is the best documentation of Led Zeppelin at the height of their power. I could do without the fantasy sequences that were inserted to highlight the individual personalities of the members of Led Zeppelin (including their manager Peter Grant and their tour manager Richard Cole) but some of you may enjoy them. In case you are interested, here is a summary of the fantasy sequences that I borrowed from the Wikipedia page about the movie……
Grant and Cole were filmed as hitmen driving towards Hammerwood Park estate in Sussex in a 1928 Pierce-Arrow car. Roy Harper also makes an uncredited guest appearance as one of the ‘greedy millionaires’ portrayed at a business meeting of multi-national corporations. Massot envisioned Grant and Cole in the hitman roles, as it symbolised the tough business decisions they made on behalf of the band. The female passenger wearing a scarf with Peter Grant driving on a country road is his wife, Gloria. Massot had originally shot Grant walking a cameraman around a collection of antique cars, but this footage was quickly abandoned.
John Paul Jones was filmed first at home with his wife Mo, and reading Jack and the Beanstalk to his two daughters, Tamara and Jacinda, before receiving a call to join the band on their American concert. For his fantasy sequence, Jones initially wished to use footage from the original Doctor Syn film, but was prevented from doing so as this film was owned by Disney. Instead, his fantasy sequence involved a reinterpretation of the film. Jones portrays a masked gentleman known as “The Scarecrow,” who travels at night on horseback with three others and returns home to Sussex, an ordinary family man. The three other horsemen with him are a reference to the other band members. Jimmy Page’s girlfriend, Charlotte Martin, and baby daughter Scarlet Page can be briefly seen during the closing moments of this sequence, which was filmed in October 1973. The thematic music is “No Quarter.”
Robert Plant was captured relaxing on his Welsh country farm with his wife Maureen, and children Karac and Carmen. His fantasy sequence involves him being a knight rescuing a fair maiden (played by Virginia Parker), who is a symbolic representation for his vision of the ideal – his personal search for the Holy Grail. Scenes from the sword fight were filmed at Raglan Castle in Wales while the sailing, horseback riding and beach scenes were shot at Aberdovey thenMerionethshire and now Gwynedd, in October 1973. The thematic music consists of both “The Song Remains the Same” and “The Rain Song.”
Jimmy Page is filmed sitting by a lake next to his 18th century manor at Plumpton, East Sussex, playing a hurdy gurdy. The tune played is called “Autumn Lake” and the scene was filmed in October 1973. Page’s fantasy role involved climbing up the face of a snow capped mountain near Boleskine House, Loch Ness during the nights of a full moon on December 10 and 11, 1973.The act was meant to show Page on a quest of self enlightenment, and deep understanding, by seeking out the Hermit, a character featured in many Tarot packs. The mythological Hermit is seen on the summit of the mountain; Staff of Wisdom in one hand, and in the other, the Lantern of Knowledge held out abreast over the world below. Being a Threshold Guardian, he represents an obstacle the seeker must overcome to achieve true enlightenment. At the culmination of Page’s quest, he reaches out to touch The Hermit, only to discover paradoxically that the Hermit is himself. The Hermit features on the artwork of the untitled fourth album. The thematic music is “Dazed and Confused.”
John Bonham was shot with his wife Pat and son Jason Bonham on their country estate, Old Hyde Farm in Worcestershire. It is interesting to note that part of his fantasy includes him spending time at home with his family. Bonham was known for falling into deep depressions while on tour away from his family. His heavy drinking, which ultimately resulted in his death, is partly attributed to his homesickness. The game of snooker was shot at The Old Hyde Hotel and the Harley-Davidson riding near Blackpool. His fantasy sequence is the most straightforward of all the members, with Bonham drag racing an AA Fueler at 260 mph at Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, Northants, UK, in October 1973, and its thematic music is the instrumental “Moby Dick.”
If you just want to see the concert footage, here is a listing of the songs and the times that they appear in the movie
1. 0:12:58 – Rock And Roll
2. 0:16:56 – Black Dog
3. 0:21:45 – Since I’ve been Loving You
4. 0:30:50 – No Quarter
5. 0:43:24 – The Song Remains The Same
6. 0:49:04 – The Raing Song
7. 0:58:22 – Dazed and Confuzed
8. 1:28:16 – Stairway to Heaven
9. 1:39:35 – Moby Dick
10. 1:51:14 – Heartbreaker
11. 1:54:48 – Whole Lotta Love
For our second Sunday Sessions post I have this little gem from Genesis that was recorded almost forty years ago at Shepperton Studios. It captures their greatness as a prog band (under the leadership of Peter Gabriel), before they turned into a pop band (under the leadership of Phil Collins). This performance spans their best albums and is truly worth your time. Enjoy……
Watcher of the Skies (0:00)
Dancing with the Moonlit Knight (8:36)
I Know What I Like (17:40)
The Musical Box (24:00)
Supper’s Ready (37:10)
Welcome to Sunday Sessions, the first in a new series of Sunday posts that will feature live concerts. How better to kick off such a series than a concert that catches the Bangles at the height of their power. Think you will really like this one…..let me know what you think.
Here is the set list….I think my favorite is their great cover version of Big Star’s, September Gurls!
thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard 