SideThree

Brad Delp

2007-03-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this blog in quite a while, but feel the need to do so now. I am pretty bummed over the suicide of Brad Delp. Those first two Boston albums were in heavy rotation on my turntable when I was in high school. The main attraction for me was the great vocals of Brad Delp.

The third album was good as well, though didn't match the first two in my mind. Brad did a lot of things over the years, including singing with the band RTZ and singing on Barry Goudreau's solo album (which when you couple Barry's guitar with Brad's vocals and the drumming of Boston's Sib Hashian, made parts of it sound a lot like Boston).

Clip #1 is poor quality, but it is "Dreams" from that Barry Goudreau album. If you have never heard it, and love Boston, you will really dig it.

Clip #2 is a live take of "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" from 2004.

Clip #3 features the original lineup of Boston...the promo for "More Than A Feeling".

Rest In Peace, Brad.

John Entwistle

2006-12-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

Why not another solo Who clip? John Entwistle was probably the most active solo Who member in the 1970's. With The Who, Townshend wrote the bulk of the songs, and Daltrey sang. John Entwistle did both, but not as much as he might have liked with The Who. This first clip is a solo rendition of "My Wife" from Entwistle's album "Riger Mortis Sets In".

The second clip is from the same performance. The song is "Peg Leg Peggy".

Clip three is a 1975 Who performance of "Boris the Spider".

RIP Ox.

Roger Daltrey

2006-12-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

A clip from my favorite Daltrey solo album, "One of the Boys". The song is called "Say It Ain't So". Roger is obviously lip syncing here, but check out the 'back up band'....Keith Moon on drums, John Enwistle on bass and Jimmy McCulloch (of Wings!) on guitar!

At one time, the guys in The Who were actually worried that Rog would leave the band for a solo career. His 1970's solo albums are very good, but he has always been at his best singing Pete Townshend songs.

The Who

2006-12-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

I love this video. It features my favorite song from "Quadrophenia", "Bell Boy" featuring a great vocal from Keith Moon! I love the line "spend my day licking boots for my perks"...I feel that way a lot of days. I love the way that Roger just hands him the mic...and when he's done he hands it back!

Clip number two is The Who on "Beat Club" in 1969 doing "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (with Keith on lead), "We're Not Gonna Take It / See Me Feel Me". They are miming but still, it's a cool clip.

The Small Faces

2006-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

While I was looking through the videos that make up my last two posts on The Faces and Ronnie Lane, I stumbled across these two videos. Steve Marriott had left The Small Faces in 1969 to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. The remaining Small Faces carried on with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood first as The Small Faces...then just The Faces.

Well, after The Faces and Humble Pie both went belly up circa 1975-1976, The Small Faces reunited for two albums. However, Ronnie Lane left early in the recording of the first reunion album (co-writing one song), replaced by Rick Wills (formerly of Frampton's Camel).

Apparently what sparked the reunion was the boys getting together to mime to a couple of old Small Faces hits...and that's what you have here. A mid-70's Small Faces with lane) miming to "Lazy Sunday" and "Itchycoo Park".

For good measure, I'm throwing up a promo clip of "All or Nothing". Check out that hair...now you know where Paul Weller got his Jam era hairstyle!

Ronnie Lane

2006-12-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

A couple clips of Ronnie post-Faces, singing Faces songs.

Clip one is "Debris", a song Ronnie wrote and sang that was found on the "A Nod is As Good As a Wink" album.

Clip two is Ronnie singing "Ooh La La". This song was written by Ronnie with Ronnie Wood. Wood sings The Faces version.

For good measure....clip three is one I think I may posted before! It is The Small Faces on "Colour Me Pop". Ronnie sings the first song, "Song of a Baker".

The Faces

2006-12-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

VH1 Classic has recently been running a show called "BBC Family Jewels" that features many live shows played on the BBC in the 1970's. My fav by far is the live show from The Faces. I love that band. The show reminds me of how good Rod Stewart once was...the whole band is great. Ronnie Wood's guitar prowess and songwriting ability, so poorly utilized with The Rolling Stones really shines here. And let's not forget the remaining members of The Small Faces....Ronnie Lane, Ian MacLagen and Kenney Jones...a great trio. Kenney Jones was ripped to shreds when he replaced Keith Moon in The Who...but who could really replace Moon? Kenney was great with both The Small Faces and The Faces.

For me, some of the best things The Faces did came from Ronnie Lane. I used to be upset with Rod as Lane had said he co-wrote "Mandolin Wind" but got no credit...but later read that when Ronnie was so sick with ALS at the end of his life, Rod took care of his bills....a classy move.

Clip one is from the 1971 BBC show..."Stay With Me".

Clip two is from 1974. Ronnie Lane had already left the band by this time. Joining the band is Keith Richards. The song is "I'd Rather Go Blind".

Clip three is from the same show as clip one. The Faces do a fantastic version of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", which features some lead vocals from Ronnie Lane. Ronnie had a charming stage presence, and was a great writer and bassist.

The Ronettes

2006-12-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

I think Phil Spector's best records were the ones he recorded with The Ronettes. Ronnie Spector had (or has) a very unique voice. "Be My Baby" is supposedly Brian Wilson's favorite song.

Clip number one is "Be My Baby".

Clip two is "Born to Be Together".

Clip three is from 2000. Ronnie sings "I Can Hear Music" with backup from Brian Wilson.

Golden Earring

2006-11-28T16:41:00.000-08:00

This band is best known in the US for two big hits, "Radar Love" and "Twilight Zone". Both are songs that I really like. However, this group has been big in Europe since the mid-1960's when they were known as The Golden Earrings.

Clip number one is "Radar Love".

Clip number two, from 1966, is "Daddy Buy Me a Girl".

Paul McCartney

2006-11-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

I can hardly wait for the next Macca solo pop album. He certainly has a lot of heartache to draw on this time. It seems like whenever Paul is having a bad time, he spits out a great album. The Beatles are breaking up? "Abbey Road". 2/5 of Wings quits just as they are to leave for Africa to record? "Band on The Run". His old pal John is killed? "Tug of War".

I was expecting something great after Linda died, but by the time he put out an album of original tunes, he had already remarried. I guess it would be bad form to pine away for your dead wife when you have a new wife. Anyway, now is the time to let it all out Paul! His last album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" was great. His new producer, Nigel Godrich, seems to be able to get great stuff out of him. Hopefully Nigel will be back. I think it's his best album since "Venus and Mars" in 1975.

Clip one is from "Chaos", a promo for the single "Fine Line".

Clip two, also from "Chaos" is the very beautiful "Jenny Wren".

Clip three is an interesting Wings in-studio performance of "Maybe I'm Amazed" circa 1974. This was recorded by a short lived version of the band that recorded "Junior's Farm" and included Paul, Linda, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Geoff Britton. Britton would leave shortly to be replaced by Joe English. This version would remain together until 1977-1978 when Jimmy and Joe would leave during the recording of "London Town".

Larry Williams

2006-11-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

"Larry Williams?" some might say...but Larry is amongst the few to have songs covered by both The Beatles (including solo recordings from both Lennon and McCartney) and The Rolling Stones as he wrote and recorded "Dizzy Miss Lizzie", "Bad Boy", "Slow Down" and "She Said Yeah" among other great songs. I have Larry's version of "She Said Yeah" on a 45, and it cuts both the Stones and Paul McCartney's fine versions to shreds!

Clip one is Larry performing "Short Fat Fannie".

Clip two is The Beatles performing "Dizzy Miss Lizzie".

Clip three is The Rolling Stones doing "She said Yeah" in 1965. Notice an animated Bill Wyman at a time when he still sang backing vocals.

The Beau Brummels

2006-11-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

San Francisco's answer to The Beatles! These guys came out of the box with two great singles, performances clips of which you will find below. They didn't have much success after that, though I do remember them appearing on Bandstand in the mid-1970's after releasing a reunion album.

Once upon a time I was on AOL, and lead singer Sal Valention was known to converse with fans on the Beau Brummels message board. he seemed like a nice guy.

Clip one is "Just a Little". Clip two is "Laugh Laugh"

Simon and Garfunkel

2006-11-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it, I prefer Garfunkel to Simon (I have way more Garfunkel solo albums than I do Simon solos), but mostly I love to hear Artie sing Paul Simon's songs. Harry Nilsson once did a record called "Nilsson Sings Newman"...an album of nothing but Randy Newman songs. My fervent wish is for an album called "Garfunkel Sings Simon", where Artie covers some of Paul's post-S&G tunes. Before you scoff, remember the beautiful job Art did sing "American Tune". That song was perfect for him.

Clip number one appears to be from 1968 or 1969. Paul plays the guitar while Art sings "For Emily Wherever I May Find Her". I waited to post anything by S&G until a pre-1971 clip of "For Emily" appeared...and it is here!

Clip two is a nice live performance of "Overs".

Clip three is a video for the 1975 reunion single "My Little Town". They look so uncomfortable together that it makes my cringe!

One more...Artie appears on a Paul Simon TV special and they sing "Old Friends". A lovely performance. They actually look they like each other!

Badfinger

2006-11-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

Badfinger is one of my top five favorites (the others being The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Byrds and Raspberries). The story of Badfinger is probably the saddest in Rock history. The short version is that a manager screwed them and cheated them out of the money and royalties they had earned. This crime lead to the suicides of both Pete Ham and Tom Evans.

Ironically, Ham and Evans wrote the classic ballad "Without You". Now, writing one song like that should set you up for life. You may not live like a king, but you can live comfortably. I once read a story on MOJO about The Village People. The original lead singer of the song "YMCA" was one of three co-writers of that song. Thanks to that one song, he made about $50,000 a year in royalties...$50,000.00!

Tom and Pete would have probably made more, given the number of cover versions this song generated (including massive hit versions by Nilsson and Mariah Carey). It really is a crime.

To read about this tragic story, you have to get get "The Tragic Story of Badfinger" by Dan Matovina. Even if you are not a fan, it will break your heart.

The moral story for young bands- hire a competent attorney before signing any contracts.

Clip number one is low quality, but it is Badfinger lip syncing to "Without You".

Clip number two is a live performance of "No Matter What" on British TV from 1972. This was an amazing band.

Drummer Mike Gibbins died last year. Only Joey Molland survives from the classic version of the band (unless you count Ron Griffiths of the Iveys, who did record their first single as Badfinger, "Come and Get It").

RIP Pete, Tommy and Mike.

The Doors

2006-11-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

This is the post-Morrison Doors, from their first album after Jim died. It really is not too bad. Ray Manzarek is really a pretty good singer. The song itself, "Tightrope Ride", is pretty repetitive though. Given that most of the earlier songs, though credited to "The Doors" were actually written by Jim Morrison and/or Robby Kreiger (who was the main writer on songs like "Light My Fire", "Love Her Madly", and "Touch Me"), you think that they could have come up with something better since one of their main writers was still with them.

Still, an interesting clip.

The Carpenters

2006-11-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

When you look and hear at the female singers in current pop, Karen Carpenter's vocal prowess becomes even more amazing. Current singers ape Mariah Carey...hand waving, trilling, octave jumping...a mess. Karen Carpenter just sang the song, and sang it well. Her brother was a brilliant arranger, and those harmonies they built were amazing.

Clip number one is from 1971. Live on the BBC doing "Close To You" and "We've Only Just Begun".

Clip number two is a live "Yesterday Once More". Karen looks particularly lovely in this video.

Bread

2006-11-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

Some think Bread was lame, but I always thought they were great. Soft in spots, but the tunes were there. David Gates was a great writer, but the team of Jimmy Griffin and Robb Royer were almost as good. They didn't write the hits, but their songs are what made the albums great. Just a little rougher than Gates' stuff. Griffin and Royer also won a Academy Award for the song "For All We Know", which they wrote under pseudonyms.

There aren't a lot of good Bread clips. I couldn't find any featuring the original trio of Gates, Griffin and Royer, but did come across this first clip of the most popular lineup of the band. Gates and Griffin were joined by drummer Mike Botts and multi-instrumentalist Larry Knechtel. Knechtel had been a very in-demand session musician (and continues to be to this day). He played bass on the Byrds debut single "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Roger McGuinn was the only Byrd to actually play on that track), and played the piano on Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

This first clip features the more popular lineup on the "Captain and Tennille" TV Show, doing their reunion hit "Lost Without Your Love" in 1977.

Clip number two is a live "Guitar Man". I assume this is the post "Lost Without Your Love" tour. I believe Gates and Griffin had a falling out and Gates, Knechtel and Botts toured as "David Gates and Bread" minus Griffin, so Griffin sued them.

Bread reunited (with Griffin back on board) and played quite a few shows in the late 1990's...mostly outside of the USA. There is a picture or two of the reunited Bread here, amongst many others. I happened to see David Gates with the musicians that supported Bread in 1998. The concert was great. Gates looked like an old guy, but he sounded just like he did in 1970. His voice was unchanged.

Unfortunately, there will be no more Bread reunions as both Mike Botts and James Griffin died in 2005.

Cotton Mather

2006-11-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

I bought my first Cotton Mather release after reading that leader Robert Harrison sounded a lot like a 1965-era John Lennon. Turns out he does!

Cotton Mather released a local CD which is now very hard to find, as well as three other CD's that had a wider release (and I think one EP). If you are interested, I suggest you start with their CD, "Kon Tiki". It is fab. They are all out of print, but well worth the $25-$30 it would cost you to pick one up.

Clip number one is from their album "Cotton is King". It is a nice promo video for the song "April's Fool".

Clip number is a video put together by a YouTube user using footage from the TV show "Veronica Mars". I hear the show is good, though I have not really watched it. I don't usually post YouTube created clips, but the song is so good I had to in this case. The video itself is pretty good. The song used is "Lily Dreams On" from "Kon Tiki".

As with most bands I really dig, Cotton Mather broke up without ever really making it big.

Gene Vincent

2006-11-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

Q- How can you beat Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps doing "Be Bop a Lula" live in their prime?

A- You can't.

Rock On Gene!

The Beatles

2006-11-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

If you had to pick the best single ever, what would it be? My choice would be "Paperback Writer" b/w "Rain". Was "Papercack Writer" the Fab's best song? No, but it is great. Was "Rain" the best b-side ever? In my opinion, yes. What other band could record two songs so good, and not even put them on their latest album?

Clip number one is the the a-side, clip two is a performance version (though still lip sync) of the b-side.

The Posies

2006-11-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

In my last post I talked about my two favorite bands of the early 1990's. One was Jellyfish, the other was The Posies. I bought my first Posies album after reading a review that described them as the Hollies of the new Power Pop bands. I think that description, at least at the time of "Dear 23", was pretty spot on.

I really loved their next album, "Frosting on the Beater", but every album after that one disappointed me. Still, two great albums (three if you count their first album "Failure") is not a bad run.

Clip number one is "Golden Blunders" from "Dear 23". This song was later covered by Ringo Starr!

Clip number two is "Dream All Day" from "Frosting on the Beater".

Jellyfish

2006-11-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

1990 was a good year for Power Pop. In my opinion, one of the two greatest Power Pop albums were released that year, "Dear 23" by The Posies and "Bellybutton" by Jellyfish. I played those CD's constantly for months. I would say that overall, though I loved "Dear 23", Jellyfish was my fav of the two groups.

They only did two albums, but they were both amazing. On the other hand...The Posies released quite a few albums, with only one coming close to being as good as "Dear 23" (in my opinion, "Frosting on the beater").

I was shocked and saddened when Jellyfish disbanded. Andy Strumer and Roger Manning were a great team. Manning recently released a solo album and was a member of the band Imperial Drag. Sturmer has produced, but released no work under his own name...distressing given what a talented vocalist he is.

Clip number one is a live clip (recorded by an audience member) of "Joining a Fanclub" from Spilt Milk".

Clip number two is a live take of "The King is Half Undressed". I am really faascinated by Andy's "standing up" drumming style. Take that Ringo! The harmonies are fantastic.

Clip number three is an instore appearance....a live accoutic version of "That Is Why". Listen for the phone ringing in the background!

Clip number FOUR...a promo clip from Andy and Roger's pre-Jellyfish band Beatnik Beach. Not great, but interesting....the sound and image don't sync up though...

Formula V

2006-11-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

Not much to write about this band. This video popped up while I was searching for Easybeats stuff. Formula V is a band from Spain. Apparently they still exist today, but with only one remaining original member (maybe they are Spain's Beach Boys!). They may (or not) have been big in the 1960's and 1970's.

All I know is that, even though I speak very little Spanish, I dig this tune. The song is called "Cuentame".

Stevie Wright/ Vanda and Young

2006-11-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

As promised, I am posting a few clips from the post-Easybeats careers of lead singer Stevie Wright and guitarists Harry Vanda and George Young.

I have read that Wright was offered a gig as the singer of AC/DC before Bon Scott. This clip of the song "Black Eyed Bruiser" from 1975 sure shows that he may have been a big influence on Bon, and may have fit well in AC/DC. The track was from an album produced by Vanda and Young, who produced the early AC/DC albums (George Young's little brothers, Angus and Malcolm are the guitarists for AC/DC). Stevie has had many problems, mostly with drugs. You can read a bio here.

Clips two and three are from Vanda and Young's late 70's, early 80's band, Flash and the Pan. To my ears, their sound was very much like The Motors (though Flash and the Pan predated them) or 10cc. First up is "Hey St Peter" from 1976. Look for George dressed up like his brother Angus. Clip three is "Down Among the Dead Men" from 1978.

The Easybeats

2006-11-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

This Aussie band only had one US/UK hit, "Friday on My Mind", but was considered Australia's Beatles...and they were fantastic. They deserved to have more that just that one hit.

They were blessed with a charismatic front man in Stevie Wright, and the great songs of guitarists Harry Vanda and George Young.

Go here to read more about them.

Clip one is a live take of "Friday on My Mind". I hate to go for the obvious, but when the obvious is this good, why not?

Clip two is lip sync of "Good Time" from German TV. A great song later covered by INXS and Jimmy Barnes. This track apparently had Paul McCartney calling the radio station to hear it again after one play.

Clip three is a great ballad called "Hello How Are You". The audio isn't that great, but the song is so good I had to include it...how did this not become a hit?

Tomorrow....some post-Easybeats clips from Wright, Vanda and Young.

Flying Burritos Brothers

2006-11-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

The Burritos were a great offshoot of The Byrds. The original lineup featured two former Byrds, Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons. They were never all that popular, but were one of the first country-rock bands. More ex-Byrds would pass through the ranks over the years.

Clip number one is the band live at Altamont. Unfortunaely, you don't see much of the band...and at the end of the song ("Six Days on the Road") is the infamous murder of a concert-goer by the Hells Angels. The band sounds great though. At this point their lineup, in addition to Hillman and Parsons, included ex-Byrd Michael Clarke on drums, future Eagle Bernie Leadon on guitar, and Sneaky Pete on steel guitar.

Correction/Update: the melee at the end of this clip was not the infamous murder (which happened during the Rolling Stones set), but the Angels beating the crap out of some other hapless concertgoer. Thanks to the reader who pointed that out.

Clip number two is "Christine's Tune". This clip features the original lineup of the band with Hillman, Parsons, Sneaky Pete and bassist Chris Etheridge. Michael Clarke is show on drums, though I don't believe he actually played on the first album.

Gram Parsons would die in 1973. His headstone is marked "God's Own Singer", which is ironic given that Bernie Leadon had written the song of the same name. You can see pictures of Gram's grave here. One of Bernie Leadon's finest songs with The Eagles was his Parsons tribute, "My Man". Hillman, besides being an original Byrd, would go on to country stardom with the Desert Rose Band, and continues touring to this day.

Michael Clarke would later find success with Firefall (with another former Burrito, Rick Roberts) , but would die in 1993 of alcoholism. Prior to his death, he expressed a wish that others would not follow his path. He wanted to get the message out to kids not to drink, so his friends wrote a "letter from Michael". This site includes that letter as well as a heartbreaking picture of Clarke just hours before his death. Keep in mind, he was only 47 when he died, and when the Byrds originally asked him to join, it was mainly due to his good looks.

Poco

2006-11-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

The band Poco rose from the ashes of the Buffalo Springfield. While Stephen Stills headed to CSN, and Neil Young started a solo career and later joined CSNY, Richie Furay and Jim Messina formed Poco with Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner.

Meisner fell out with Messina and Furay before the first album was released, and though his bass parts and harmonies remained, he was not listed as a member when "Pickin' Up the Pieces" was released.

By the time Poco's second album was released, Timothy B. Schmit had joined in place of Meisner. Meisner, of course, became a founding member of The Eagles.

Clip number one is a clip from a John Byner TV show. the band mimes to Messina's "You Better Think Twice", while on a boat. As a funny note, The Flying Burritos Brothers were on the same show and had a similarly cheesy clip.

Clip number two is the band live on German TV. By this time, Paul Cotton had replaced Jim Messina on guitar. Messina formed Loggins & Messina with Kenny Loggins.

By the time Poco had any Top 10 hits, Furay was long gone, having left the band to form the 'supergroup' Souther, Hillman, Furay. Tim Schmit would once again replace randy Meisner, this time in The Eagles.

The original lineup reunited in 1989 and record an album which yielded the hit, "Call It Love", which is clip number three. Furay and Grantham contributed minimally, though Furay's "Where It All Began" was a sweet Poco history lesson and one of the highlights of the reunion album.

Poco still plays the occasional live show with Cotton and Young. Furay occasionally appears, but is now a minister.

The Bee Gees

2006-11-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

I hated disco in the 1970's, and to me The Bee Gees disco. Big hair, sparkly cloths...falsettos! Well, I have had to reevaluate my loathing of the Brothers Gibb. First I discovered their great 1960's pop recordings. Then I realized that minus the beat, those 1970's Bee Gees were first and foremost great songs!

I love it when Barry and Robin trade parts, and though Maurice rarely sang lead, I think he may be their secret weapon. The man played bass beautifully, and others instruments as well. And you could really tell when he sang his harmony part...it filled out the sound very nicely.

If you do not own the first three Bee Gees album go here. Rhino Handmade is re-releasing them in expanded form. They are great...unbelievable really. 1960's pop was rarely better.

Clip number one is a live performance of "Run to Me". Check out Barry's hair! Just an FYI...at the top of this clip is an unrelated 'comedy' bit with Wilson Pickett!

Clip number two is the original five man line up doing "Words" on the "Ed Sullivan Show".

Clip three is a very cool promo of "I've Gotta get a Message to You", again with the original five man lineup.

And because I am Bee Gee crazy today, a fourth clip...a killer performance of "Nights on Broadway" from "The Helen Reddy Show" in 1975. Maurice was still playing bass live at this point. He was very good. I never could figure out why he stopped playing bass live...he really kicks it here...RIP Mo.

Mott the Hoople

2006-11-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

I am not quite sure where I first heard Mott. Maybe I heard "All the Young Dudes" on the radio at some point. It is possible (even probable) that I bought my first Mott LP ("Greatest Hits") simply because I liked Bad Company and wanted to hear Mick Ralphs' old band. But from the first listen I was hooked. I soon owned all the Ian Hunter-era Mott albums. I wondered why Ralph's would leave such a great band. I kept my "Greatest Hits" LP even after buying all the rest because it had a few tracks that were singles only like "Saturday Gigs" (a taste of what Mott might have become had Hunter and new guitarist Mick Ronson stayed with the band) as well as the single version of "Roll Away the Stone" which had the far superior lead guitar work of Mick Ralphs rather than Ariel Bender's album version.

I picked this clip of "All the Young Dudes", even though it is a lip sync, because it features the original lineup of Hunter, Ralphs, Overend Watts (bass), Verden Allen (organ)and Buffin (drums).

The second clip is from a 2004 solo show by Ian Hunter. he does "Rest in Peace", which was the b-side of one of the later Mott singles..."The Golden Age of Rock and Roll" I think. "Rest in Peace" is a fantastic song. The song was written by Hunter with Overend Watts and Dale Griffin (aka Buffin). The guitarist standing to Hunter's left is his old bandmate Mick Ralphs.

The Rubinoos

2006-10-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

I was really stoked to find this first clip. The original lineup of The Rubinoos performing "Rock and Roll is Dead" on British TV circa 1977. Tommy Dunbar on lead guitar and lead vocal, Jon Rubin (who usually did most of the lead vocals) on rhythm guitar, Royse Ader on bass and Donn Spindt on drums. Their second album, "Back to the Drawing Board" is one of my top power pop albums of all time. It is a crime that this album has never been available on CD.

I had the pleasure of seeing the 'Noos live in 1980. By that time, Al Chan had replaced the departed Ader on bass. They were as good a live band as I have ever seen.

The second clip was from their stab at MTV stardom around 1983. By that time, only Tommy and Jon remained. A nice song, produced by Todd Rundgren.

Free

2006-10-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

For the most part, I am not a huge fan of blues-rock. The band Free is an exception. Paul Rodgers is a big reason. No British singer has his pipes. He must have been about 20 in these clips, but sounds much older.

But Free's ace-in-the-hole was guitarist Paul Kossoff. That guy could make a guitar cry and wail. Throw in bassist Andy Fraser (who co-wrote most of Free's songs with Paul Rodgers) and drummer Simon Kirke, and there you have it.

Clip number one is from the German TV show "Beat Club". "Fire and Water" was the title song to what many believe was their best album.

Clip number two is a live take of "All Right Now" from the 1970 Isle of Wight concert.

Rodgers and Kirke would go on to considerable fame with Bad Company. Fraser had a solo career that was a non-starter, but did write the hit "Every Kind of People" for Robert Palmer. Paul Kossoff died in 1976.

Update....

2006-10-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Apparently the Beach Boys clips I posted over the past few days have been removed by YouTube. A sign of the new Google-ownered YouTube? Probably.

2006-10-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Beach Boys

Obviously, I love the Beach Boys. The following two clips are pretty amazing.

First up is performance by Brian, Mike, Carl, Al and Bruce in 1985 at Ronald Reagan's second inaugural. They do a really nice live version of "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring". I love it when I come across a latter day clip where the guys prove they can still pull off something like this. There are some parts that are harder to watch...like the dedication by Mike Love to Nancy and Ron...but it is great to see Brian looking thin (though uncomfortable), putting his arm around his brother's shoulder, and sporting a nice falsetto.

The second clip is from American Bandstand circa 1978. It is Mike Love's side project Celebration, doing their hit single "Almost Summer". The surprise is that a chunky Brian (who co-wrote the song), wearing a cool Adidas track suit, is along for the ride. Brian's 'marching' is pretty funny. The video clip quality is not that great, but it is a nice song.

2006-10-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Chicago / The Beach Boys

The following clip is from 1974 on Dutch TV. "Wishing You Were Here" was a huge hit single, featuring a Terry Kath lead vocal and backing vocals from Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson and Alan Jardine of The Beach Boys. The track appears to be canned, though Kath's lead appears to be live (as does Peter Cetera's vocal on the bridge). Carl and Alan do their part to appear that they are singing backing vocs, with Mike Love standing in for Dennis. Terry Kath looks very uncomfortable in his tuxedo!

Watch the whole thing...at the conclusion of the Chicago song, the Beach Boys do a live version of "Surfer Girl", with Alan Jardine taking Brian Wilson's lead on the bridge. They sound great.

2006-10-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Runaways

I've grown tired of the decade thing....

Sandy West of the Runaways died of lung cancer this week. She was 47.

The first post is the post- Cherie Currie The Runaways live on British telly.

The second clip is also live..."Cherry Bomb"!

RIP Sandy.

2006-10-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

The dB's

Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple were at one time neck and neck with Difford/Tilbrook to be the new Lennon/McCartney. Unfortunately, Chris Stamey left The dB's after their amazing second album "Repercussion". The group carried on without Stamey for quite a while, and though Holsapples songs continued to be great, the band was never the same without Stamey in my opinion.

The original lineup reunited for some shows in 2005. There are some recent recordings available on their website...click here.

This is a 1981 live clip of the original lineup doing "Big Brown Eyes" from their first album.

2006-10-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Shakin' Stevens

I have one of those books where they compare the charts between the US and UK. For every decade they given the Top 20 singles artists. It should be no surprise that the top artist in the US in the 80's was Michael Jackson, and Madonna was tops in the UK.

Most of the UK list is of artists who also had hits in the US, even if they weren't in the US Top 20...artists like UB40, Spandau Ballet and Wham!

However, the Number 2 singles artist of the 80's in the UK was Shakin' Stevens...who had zero hits in the US. frankly, I had heard of him, but never heard him. He has around 15 Top 20 hits from 1981-1987. His music seemed to be a sort of Elvis-lite.

This song is pretty interesting as it features an accordion. It's from 1982 and called "Give Me Your Heart Tonight".

2006-10-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Adam and the Ants

Here's a quicky...Adam and the Ants on Tom Snyder doing "Antmusic" live. The second is a video of a really nice pop song sounding nothing like his earlier music...."Wonderful".

2006-10-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

U2

I have lost touch with Bono and the guys over the years. I see them on TV, but I never buy their albums. I admire that they change and try new things, but little of it really gets to me.

But in the beginning, I loved them. I try to shy away from videos that got played over and over on MTV over the years (at least when they played videos), but this is one I have to post. I love "New Years Day". It made me want to run out and buy the album, "War". I still love the video and that album. They were filled with passion back then...and still hungry. Now they are too rich to be that hungry, which I suppose will happen with any act that gets big. Bono does get bonus points for actually doing something constructive with his fame.

After the well known clip is a live take of the same song performed by a more mature U2 in 2005. Bono doesn't seem to 'bring it' quite like he did back circa 1983...still they sound pretty good.

2006-10-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

The Jam

I was upset with Paul Weller for a couple of decades after he broke up The Jam. I don't think he has done anything post-Jam that he couldn't have done with Bruce and Rick. Recently though, I have reconsidered. How many bands quit while they are still great? The Beatles and....anyone else? The Jam were great from their first album...they progressed and didn't often repeat themselves, and their final album was great too. The last two singles were as good as they ever got.

These are videos for their last two singles. First up, is a semi live performance on "Top of the Pops" of their very last single "Beat Surrender". Following that is the vid for my favorite Jam song, "The Bitterest Pill". Following those is a live take on "The Eton Rifles". Kudos to Bruce Foxton for his great bass playing!

...and one more...solo Bruce Foxton performing "Smithers-Jones" in 1983!

2006-10-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Clash

As we are beginning a week of posts on the 1980's, I am going to hit a band that straddled the 70's and 80's. The Clash released "the album "London Calling" in December of 1979, but the album is generally considered one the the best (if not the best) album of the 1980's.

Below are two clips of The Clash performing songs from "London Calling". The clips are "Clampdown" and "London Calling". The third clip is Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros doing "London Calling" live in 1999.

RIP Joe.

2006-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Beat (aka Paul Collins' Beat)

The Beat released their first album around the time that The Knack first got big. Now, I don't want to slam The Knack, because I like them....but nothing they did ever approached that first Beat album. Paul Collins was a former member of The Nerves (with Peter Case and Jack Lee). The album was shot through with pure adrenaline from beginning to end.

Below are a couple of live clips from The Beat in their prime . "Rock and Roll Girl" and "Walking Out on Love". The third video is "Will You Be A Woman" from the brand new Paul Collins' Beat CD, "Flying High". The style is quite different from the classic Beat sound, but Paul still sounds great.

2006-10-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Elvis Costello

EC was an acquired taste for me. I was watching SNL the night Elvis pulled out "Radio Radio", and it did nothing for me. Eventually, my buddy Tito's passion for him won me over....about the time that "Trust" came out. I loved that album and worked my way back from there to discover his earlier albums. Elvis is a particular fav of mine now (particularly his 1976-1984 output).

The first clip is a cool vid for "Pump It Up", followed by a live "Watching the Detectives" from the "Top of the Pops" and the famous "Radio Radio" clip (which now does appeal to me!).

2006-10-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Pilot

David Paton and Billy Lyall were in the Bay City Rollers circa 1969-1971 (see pic below), though neither were in the band by the time that their first Top 10 hit "Keep On Dancin" " hit the charts towards the end of 1971. Not to worry though, because Paton and Lyall would go on to form Pilot (with drummer Stuart Tosh), which released it's first album in 1974. This album features two classic singles, "Magic" and "Just a Smile". Ian Bairnson joined the band on guitar for their second album.

Pilot recorded four albums from 1974-1977, but each featured a different lineup, with only Paton as a member of the group for all four (though if memory serves me, Bairnson played on the first album, he just was not yet a member). Paton, Lyall and Tosh recorded album one, joined by Bairnson on album two. By the time their third album, the underrated classic "Morin Heights", was released Lyall was gone...and only Paton and Bairnson remained for album four. Paton and Bairnson released a Pilot album in the last couple of years...which I guess would make it five...

These guys deserved better, but at least they had a single that continues to be played. Tosh was a member of 10cc for a while. Paton and Bairnson played with the Alan Parsons Project for many years. Lyall dies of AIDS in 1989.

The first clip is "Magic", of course. The two following are "Just A Smile" and "Penny in My Pocket".

2006-10-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Beach Boys....again

When I started this 'decade a week' series, I said I would not repeat bands. I lied. I came across these two Beach Boys videos and couldn't wait to get them up.

Dennis Wilson was second only to Brian Wilson as a creative force. The first clip features a rare performance of Dennis' "Sunflower" track "Forever". It is a really beautiful song. "Sunflower" is one of my favorite Beach Boys albums. I think it really proved that the guys could put out a classic album with little involvement from Brian....not that Brian was totally absent.

The second clip is an early 1970's rendition of "Wild Honey", with Blondie Chaplin taking the lead vocal (sung by Carl Wilson on record).

The third clip is Adam Marsland's Chaos Band version of Dennis' solo song "River Song" (written by Dennis and Carl Wilson). It is a really great rendition, performed live. Adam has a husky pop voice that is really suited to Dennis's songs. The legendary Evie Sands is on guitar and vocals.

2006-10-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Dwight Twilley Band

I mentioned in my Cheap Trick post that gradually I began to buy albums by artists other than The Beatles (or a Beatle). "Sincerely" by the Dwight Twilley Band was one of the first. I really don't remember why I bought it...either I heard "I'm On Fire" on the radio, or I read a great review in Rolling Stone.

One of the things I loved about DTB was that there were just three guys making big sounding records. Dwight Twilley wrote, sang and played guitar and piano. Phil Seymour sang and played drums AND bass, and Bill Pitcock IV fired off jolts of great lead guitar. Dwight and Phil were rock star pretty...Bill..not so much. That may be why only Dwight and Phil were pictured on the albums.

The sound of those two albums were different. Where most power pop bands mixed The Beatles with The Who, or The Hollies...DTB seemed to mix The Beatles and Elvis. It was really an original sound.

The guys only made two albums before Phil left the group. Dwight and Phil both hit the Top 20 with solo singles (Dwight with "Girls", Phil with "Precious to Me"), and they must have stayed friends as Phil sang on a couple of cuts on future DT solo albums...and Twilley gave Phil two great songs for his first solo album. Bill continued to appear with both Dwight and Phil.

Dwight continues to make solo albums, frequently with Bill on guitar. Phil died of cancer in the early 1990's. I started a Dwight Twilley band chat board on AOL in the late 1990's. I got a few emails from Dwight and his wife. They were always very cool with me, which I appreciated. I went to a DT live show in a small club supporting "Tulsa", and even though I practically walked right into Dwight when I entered...I was too chicken to introduce myself. I am still kicking myself for that!

Clip number 1 is Dwight, Phil and Bill (with Tom Petty on bass) lip syncing to "Looking For the Magic". Clip #2 is an early 1980's live performance of "I'm On Fire". Bill is on guitar, Susan Cowsill sings harmony.

RIP Phil Seymour.

2006-10-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

John Lennon

John would have been 66 years old today. Much missed...Happy Birthday JOL.

Clip one is "Instant Karma" from "Top of the Pops"...definitely a live lead vocal...with a tad too much reverb. Circa 1970.

Clip two- a promo for "Mind Games" from 1973.

Clip number three is a promo for the "Anthology" version of "I'm Losing You". The clip features the backing musicians for that version...Rick Nielsen and Bun E Carlos of Cheap Trick on guitar and drums, Tony Levin on bass. Apparently Yoko didn't like this version, so it was re-recorded for "Double Fantasy"...hard to believe...this track was as low down and nasty as John had been since "Cold Turkey" in 1969.

2006-10-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Cheap Trick

I love The Beatles, and most of the first records I bought were either Beatles albums, or Beatle solo albums. Only around 1976-1977 did I really consider that any other artist existed (well...at least existed to the point where I would buy a current, newly released album). For me, the first of these bands was Cheap Trick. Other than The Beatles (or Wings), Cheap Trick was my group of that era.

I had seen reviews for Cheap Trick albums in Rolling Stone (RS was once cool), but it was the review for "Heaven Tonight" that first spurred me to action. I convinced my buddy Gary to buy it...while I bought "Powerage" by AC/DC. Though I still like Bon Scott era AC/DC, Gary got the best end of the deal. We listened to that album for what seemed like months. We liked it so much that we went to the local record store to try to get the first two albums ("Cheap Trick" and "In Color")...they didn't have it...in fact we had to hit record stores in a 50 mile radius before we finally found it. "In Color" remains my fav CT album...great from beginning to end.

I ended up getting "Cheap Trick at Budokan" on import about 6 months before they finally released it in the US. It cost $15.00...no small sum in 1978.

Cheap Trick carries on. They never put together an album as solid as any of the first three, but each album since then has had a worthy track.

The first video is a promo for CT's first single, "Oh Candy". Video number 2 is from the Budokan shows, "Look Out". The bottom vid is from 1983...CT doing "I Can't Take It" live on the Alan Thicke Show...Jon Brant had replaced the departed Tom Petersson on bass (Petersson would return in 1987).

2006-10-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Kinks

This will be the final post of 60's week as we move into the 1970's...but really...The Kinks could have fit into one of three decades as they were making fine music right up through the 1980's.

This first clip is a raucous live performance of their first hit, "You Really Got Me". Clip number two is the guys 'performing' "Days" in 1969. The third clip is a bonus of Ray Davies promoting his first solo album, 40 years after that "You Really Got Me" clip. It is a great album and shows he still has it.

2006-10-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

The Yardbirds

This is a great clip from French TV. It is the final lineup of The Yardbirds....Keith Relf, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty. The song is very well known, but a track that was only released on a quickly withdrawn live album that was released to cash in on Page's Led Zeppelin success. The song is "Dazed and Confused". It is very similar to the version released on Zep's first album.

The song itself was....ahem...'borrowed' from Jake Holmes and credited solely to Jimmy Page.

For the sake of comparison, a clip of Zep doing it is right below ....

2006-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

The Small Faces

Another UK band which was essentially a one-hit wonder in the US, but had numerous UK hits was The Small Faces. Powered by the songwriting team of Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, The Small Faces began as an R&B band but shifted to what could be described as a power pop band by the time they broke up.

The Small Faces broke up in 1969 when Steve Marriott left the group to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. The remaining members brought Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart on board and continued as The Faces.

The first clip "All Or Nothing" is taken from the German show, "Beat Club".

The second clip is "Song of a Baker" from "Colour Me Pop"...the great Ronnie Lane sings lead!

The third clip is a bonus from 1974...Ronnie Lane solo after leaving The Faces. The song is "How Come". The audio fades in spots, but you get the idea.

Fab!

2006-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Peter and Gordon

This clip awful in almost every way. The picture is grainy, the sound is not stellar, but what it does have it this- a great song. "Wrong From the Start" is a a song that should have been a hit. P&G had six Top 20 songs (between charting hits in the US and UK), none as good as this one.

My Mom had a 45 from Capitol Records that had the Frito-Lay logo on the label. My guess was that it was some kind of promo. It had this song on one side, and The Lettermen's version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " on the other. It must be kind of rare, because I posted that I had it (my Mom had given to me) on a P&G website, and I got an email from none other than Gordon Waller asking about it. I told him I would scan the label and send an image to him...like an idiot, I never did.

Great song...check it out.

2006-10-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Move

The Move had about nine UK Top 20 singles from 1967 through 1972...in the US? Zilch. The best they could do in the US was a Top 90 showing with "Do ya", one of their final singles. I still cannot fathom why. Like a lot of US Move fans, I found about them through the Electric Light Orchestra. The final version of the Move and the first version of ELO were one in the same...they were actually recording under the both names for a time 1971-1972.

They were a great live band. The first clip is the original lineup, Roy Wood, Carl Wayne, Ace Kefford, Trevor Burton and Bev Bevan. The song is "I Can Hear the Grass Grow". They were a great vocal band...though Carl sang the bulk of the tune, Roy and Ace grab a couple of lines as well.

The second clip is a live take of "Blackberry Way" (a #1 in the UK) on the TV show "Colour Me Pop". By this time, Kefford had left the band, with Burton sliding over to take the bass.

They were a fantastic live band.

The third video is a bonus promo vid...."10538 Overture" was originally recorded to be a B-Side for The Move, but with the addition of masses of cellos by Roy Wood, it became the first ELO song....by this time the group was down to Roy, Bev and Jeff Lynne. Roy left early in the recording of the second ELO album, and ELO (led by Jeff) went on to be huge...even in the US.

2006-10-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Rolling Stones

I have to admit I have a real love/hate relationship with the Stones. I love most of what they did through "Black and Blue" in 1976, and hate (well...more tolerate) everything since. Yes, they have done a few great things since 1976...but precious little that can touch their golden years.

When The Beatles split, they were all under 30. They are forever young. The Stones kept plugging away and are diminished because of it. Does that mean that I think that just because all of the original Stones (except Brian Jones of course) are over 60 that they can no longer rock if they want to? No...I guess what puts me off the most is a 60ish Mick prancing around like it's still 1969.

Well...here are two clips from their prime....the first is the 'make up' version of the "Jumping Jack Flash" promo.

The second is the promo for "We Love You"...which featured backing vocals from John Lennon (probably) and Paul McCartney (for sure). When you see Brian Jones, you'll wonder how he lived until 1969....

For good measure, I have added a third video...this one proving you can age gracefully...Muddy Waters in 1978. He was about the age that The Glimmer Twins are now...if the Stones wanted to...they could do something like this...straight blues and rock it...instead, they shoot for a mass market that has passed them by (in my opinion).

2006-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

On with the 60's....

Chicago Transit Authority

I'm afraid the Chicago of the 1980's and 1990's has blunted out the memory of how fantastic they were in their original lineup. This live clip from Chicago playing "I'm A Man" live on the German TV show "Beat Club" in 1969 is a reminder of how great they were...vocals traded from Terry Kath to Peter Cetera to Robert Lamm, not to mention Kath's furious guitar playing. The death of Kath in 1978 ended the golden era of the rocking Chicago.

The second clip is Chicago from a 1971 concert in Japan. The video quality isn't that great, but the sound is pretty nice. It certainly beats a claen version of "Stay the Night"!

2006-09-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Carl Perkins

I couldn't hit the 50's without throwing some Carl Perkins up.

The first video may be a little obvious, but seeing and hearing Carl sing "Blue Suede Shoes" always hits the spot.

The second video comes from the early 1970's...interesting as it pairs Carl with Derek and the Dominos (aka Eric Clapton) and Johnny Cash. Eric shows some pretty obvious admiration for Carl in the looks he gives him during the performance....as he should.

Tomorrow I'll start on a week of videos from the 1960's...all while trying to not post from any band I have already covered(though some members of those bands may sneak in here or there).

2006-09-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Everly Brothers

Those fantastic harmonies. Obviously an influence on many groups, not the least the Beatles. This clip is live...listen to the cheesy horns!

There was another clip I wanted to add...but it would not allow me to do it. It features a very nervous Don and Phil...nervous until they start belting out "Bye Bye Love" that is! You can see it here.

2006-09-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Chuck Berry

I mentioned Chuck yesterday, so here are couple from Chuck. From 1956, Chuck mimes to "You Can't Catch Me". John Lennon was sued for stealing some lines from this song for "Come Together". I'm still not too clear why Paul McCartney wasn't sued, since the song was credited to Lennon/McCartney, but that is besides the point.

Below that is a clip that isn't from the 1950's....but it is John Lennon singing "Memphis" with Chuck on the "Mike Douglas Show" in 1972. Watch for the face Chuck makes when Yoko "does her thing". For a guy known to lose it (say by punching Keith Richards out), his reaction is remarkably restrained!

2006-09-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

Buddy Holly and the Crickets

I had meant to spend the week focusing on the music of the 1950's, but the week is now half gone. Still, I'm going to hit a few anyway...starting with my favorite of the 50's, Buddy Holly. I really think Buddy and Chuck Berry were the proto-type rockers. They played an instrument, sang and wrote their own songs. Pretty revolutionary. Elvis may have been bigger, but he was not a writer. You listen to The Beatles, and I think you hear more Chuck and Buddy (and Little Richard) than you do Elvis.

About 20 years ago, I visited Buddy's grave in Lubbock, TX. It has a small marker...too small for someone who had such a lasting impact. You can see some pictures of it here. It has changed a little since I was there. I believe both of Buddy's parents died since then, so there are more markers.

This is Buddy and the Crickets doing "Peggy Sue" on the Ed Sullivan Show.

2006-09-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Boz Burrell

I've just learned from my buddy Bob that Boz Burrell has died. Boz was a singer who was drafted into a early-1970's version of King Crimson. He learned to play bass while in that band, and later became a founding member of Bad Company.

Below there is a live clip of Bad Company in their prime. ..and under that is Boz playing bass with Tam White in 2000...he was really good.

RIP Boz.

2006-09-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

The Beatles

Not much time to hunt today...so let's go with something easy and sure to please. This is the Beatles performing "This Boy" on British TV in 1963.

Fab indeed!

2006-09-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Pretty Things

I was checking out various music blogs this morning and came across one very good (and frequently checked by me) blog called Kwaya Na Kisser. Now...I have a gripe that is concerning something I found posted there. This is nothing about the quality of that excellent blog, but the name of a band described in one of the posts...."Dirty Pretty Things"....Dirty Pretty Things! I guess Dirty Yardbirds and Dirty Manfred Mann was taken?

You'd think when a band picked a name, they might do a Google search to see if a band has a similar name...or in this case if you have taken a band's entire name as part of yours.

The Pretty Things were (and maybe still are in some form) a great English band. They had a couple of hit singles in the 1960's, and were recording worthwhile LPs up through the 1970's. The band even included former Rolling Stone Dick Taylor (he preceded Bill Wyman on bass) amongst it's members.

Here's a live clip from The Pretty Things...Dirty Pretty Things, hang your heads in shame....

2006-09-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

The Lovin' Spoonful

The Spoonful is a band that didn't last long, but put out lots of great music...largely thanks to John Sebastian. This is a clip of the band on the Ed Sullivan Show. John's vocal is live, and Zal mugs for the camera as if his life depends on it...

2006-09-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sex Pistols / Glen Matlock

I mentioned the Pistols in my post yesterday, so decided to try to find something to post. This is a live 1976 TV performace of "Anarchy in the UK". I purposely picked a clip that featured Glen Matlock on bass. Though Sid Vicious get the punk glory, and Matlock still seems to receive scorn, in my book without Matlock the Pistols would be all pose with no tunes. All that I read seems to indicate that Matlock was the main composer of their best known songs, while Johnny Rotten provided the lyrics.

The second clip is Matlock's post- Pistols band Rich Kids in a 1978 clip, playing the song "Rich Kids" by Glen Matlock. That's Midge Ure fronting the band.

Cheers to you Glen!

2006-09-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

Alice Cooper

I'm talking about the Alice Cooper group, not Alice Cooper the guy. This was a great band, that just happened to feature a lead singer named Alice Cooper. The guitarist Michael Bruce wrote, I believe, more of the tunes than AC did. However, if you want to read a great Rock and Roll book, read AC's autobiography "Me, Alice"...it is really great.

Last night I was watching "The Filth and the Fury" on VH1 Classic, and was surprised to find out Johnny Rotten loved ACG, and so did his Mom!

Below you'll find a clip of the Alice Cooper Group doing "I'm Eighteen" live on the Beat Club in 1972...and below that is a clip of a 1998 reunion show with four of the five original members (Glen Buxton had passed away a couple of years prior). They sound pretty good. Bassist Dennis Dunaway doesn't look like he had aged at all. They should be in the Rock Hall...I mean...Billy Joel is in....c'mom!!

2006-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Brian Wilson / The Beach Boys

This clip knocked me out when I saw it. The Beach Boys, crammed on a small stage, perform "I Get Around" and "When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)" live on the UK program "Ready Steady Go" in December of 1964. Those five guys fill out the sound very well, in a way that would take many sidemen later in the career.

Watch the whole thing...you will not be disappointed.

That clip is followed by a 1988 clip of Brian Wilson performing "God Only Knows" live on TV. Though Brian's voice is a shadow of it's former self now at this point (though he handles some songs very well), it was still pretty much intact at the time of this clip. A miracle given what he sounded like circa the Beach Boys 1976/1977 albums "15 Big Ones" and "Love You" (though the latter contains many great tunes and is a fav of mine). The clip shows a slim , clean cut Brian...wearing a huge pair of glasses!

2006-09-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Raspberries

The Raspberries are one of those "should've" bands...as in "should've been huge", and probably would have been huge if they had come along five or six years later when New Wave hit. But they will have to settle for being one of the primo practioners of the power pop genre. They did manage three Top 20 hits.

This clip features live in the studio versions of two of their Top 40 hits, "Go All The Way" and "I Wanna be With You". Watch and listen for their secret weapon, guitarist Wally Bryson. He is awesome.

Eric Carmen would go on to have a few solo hits...mostly ballads like "All By Myself".

2006-09-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Byrds

I don't want anyone to think that I only care about CSNY and it's 'seed' bands...but I do love those bands. Today, we have The Byrds. I once had the opportunity to ask David Crosby where his voice fit in the harmony stack in The Byrds vs CSN. He said (paraphrasing here) that with The Byrds, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark (or later Chris Hillman) would sing the melody in unison, and he would sing a higher harmony. With CSN, he filled the middle between Stills and Nash.

I promise my next post will have nothing to do with any member of CSNY!

2006-09-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Hollies

I think the Hollies are one of the most underrated bands of the 1960's. A while back when CSNY released their album "Looking Forward", the UK magazine MOJO did a story on them (CSNY). One interesting question that was asked of each member, was of the three bands the four of them had been in..Crosby (The Byrds), Nash (The Hollies) or Stills and Young (both from Buffalo Springfield), which was the best. CS and Y all answered that their own band had been the best...only Nash did not pick his own group (I believe he chose The Byrds).

All three bands were great...but there is something about The Hollies exuberance that really appeals to me. The clip I have selected today is The Hollies playing live on Beat Club circa 1966. Listen to this...it is "I Can't Let Go" LIVE and they sound great! Listen to Graham hit those high notes...and don't overlook the great guitarist Tony Hicks, as well as what may have been the greatest drummer of his day next to Keith Moon, Bobby Elliott.

The live clips I have seen of The Byrds and the Springfield cannot touch this...

2006-09-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Graham Nash

And another day comes...I have been on a big CSNY kick lately. I made myself a CD to listen to in the car from the CSN box set. Some of the stuff that grabbed me that hadn't grabbed me before was the Graham Nash solo stuff. So today, here is a clip from what appears to be a UK telly appearance from David Crosby and Graham Nash. The first song up is a great little ballad from the first Nash solo album called "Simple Man", followed by a CSN song (minus S, of course).

Tomorrow...Graham with The Hollies....

2006-09-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

Alright...well...the idea of this blog is that every day or two I will link to a cool pop video from YouTube...I search for cool stuff so you won't have to...first up is a very cool live performance from The Rascals....this is my first try, so let's see what happens....