You call yourself a music lover, music consumer or better yet, a true aficionado? Are you in London or planning a trip there sometime soon? Jaded Londoners need not continue reading but those who have not been to Abbey Road and the famous “zebra crossing” should add it to their itinerary.

You see, the famed Abbey Road studios are reportedly up for sale by it’s cash-strapped and over-leveraged owner, EMI records. This old Georgian house in north London ranks up there with Graceland, The Whisky A Go Go, Motown’s old HQ and Memphis’ Sun Studios as ‘hallowed ground’.

The Beatles recorded 95% of their recorded output here, including the classic Abbey Road album which features the band casually crossing the road in front of the studio during a mid afternoon tea break.

Legend has it that the album was set to be titled Everest but the lads couldn’t be bothered to travel to the Himalayas for a photo shoot. The iconic album cover was the first not to feature the name of the album or the name of the band. In hindsight, those 7 or 8 photos taken that day seem quaint given today’s PR machine world of choreographed photo opps and behind the scenes DVD extras.

Let’s not forget that Pink Floyd laid down Dark Side of the Moon here also, which begs the question, why is this place not already a protected heritage site in the UK?

Walking across that street is a surreal experience and is something that every music lover should do. Steps away is Abbey Road Studios and the graffiti festooned walls surrounding the garden out front.

Make your plans now.  Take the tube to St. John’s Wood and walk north about 10 minutes, you’ll be glad you did.

And remember, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey soldier on with help from a brother, the son of a Beatle and others sharing the common cause of continuing to breathe life into a band called The Who.  This  Super Bowl performance proved there is still life and vitality in the now age-less songs that Townshend originally penned decades ago.    Hard to believe it but these guys were also at Woodstock over 40 years ago.

Have they aged?  Yes, certainly;  Townshend no longer bounces up and down and smashes his guitar and Daltrey’s voice now shows distress on higher registers but these guys can still manage to bring it and deliver a quality performance.

Cynics may say this isn’t really The Who anymore now that Moon and Entwistle are no longer on the stage and with us.  Others say no, Townshend and Daltrey have every right to  perpetuate the legacy of the band and can still deliver in a young man’s game.  One couldn’t help the irony last night though as Townshend, all of 64 years old, belted out Teen Age Wasteland on cue during BabaO’Riley .

Townshend can do what he likes these days; being the genius that lived and breathed virtually every iconic song in their canon and set them to flight through his windmilling right arm.    Daltrey, the golden voice no longer what it was still manages to deliver justice to Townshend’s songs like no one else could.

And they do seem intent on staying the course, Daltrey is currently on a solo tour to keep the rust away from his wind pipes while Townshend has reportedly hit another creative spark that could possibly result in a new Who album later this year.

I’m sure there may have been some casual observers in the crowd and at home who recognized two of the set’s songs as current themes to two different CSI crime shows on CBS and probably had no idea who these blokes were.

Looking to dig deeper into The Who? Check out the following:

1. The Kids Are Alright (Special Edition)

2. Who’s Next (Deluxe Edition)

3. Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who 3-DVD Exclusive Edition

Yes, it’s true that Taylor Swift was off key and out of tune during  the Grammys Rhiannon duet with Stevie Nicks.  What’s surprising is the  growing backlash against Miss Swift.  Barbs are being thrown in the main stream press citing Swift’s weak voice and poor choice of material during last week’s performance.  Some are now questioning if  she deserves all of the praise and awards over the past 12 months.  Many are missing the real story behind this flap and fail to recognize a true talent when they see one.

Her management have weighed in and are calling Swift the voice of her generation, stressing the unfortunate fact that her live performance at the Grammys was indeed flawed but shouldn’t really matter.  Basically, shit happens, especially during live events like the Grammys despite best intentions and many rehearsal hours.

The official story from Swift’s camp is that the volume levels in her in ear monitors were off which caused her to not hear Nicks and the band,  causing her to harmonize off key and off pitch.  Sounds logical to me.   The funny thing though is that everyone seems to be ignoring other performances from the same night from other artists which appeared to include pre-recorded vocals – Gasp!  This is nothing new, artists, especially those involved in big dance numbers or elaborate productions often rely on partly pre-recorded vocals for live performances.   Give credit to Swift for being game and true to the audience at least.

This brings to mind another minor controversy & cries of heresy towards Bob Dylan when he closed out the 1985 Live Aid concert in Philadelphia.  Famously, Dylan had perhaps made a misjudgement and decided to include Keith Richards and Ron Wood as his accompanists during his closing slot.  This is now all documented (finally) on the Live Aid DVD Box Set.

Dylan was introduced by Jack Nicholson (as the transcendent voice of his generation) and appeared uncharacteristically nervous as he came out to great applause.  Slowly strumming his acoustic guitar, he mentioned that he had brought a couple of friends along and proceeded to introduce Richards and Woods.  After some delay, both of the Stone’s guitar slingers sheepishly appeared on stage, fumbling with their own acoustic guitars and generally appearing to be somewhat worse for wear and likely drunk.

Dylan broke into Blowin’ in the Wind and struggled to keep his two sidemen in tune and in time.  Dylan appeared perplexed and began to sweat profusely.  It got worse later when Dylan broke a string on his guitar and Wood gave him his guitar mid song.

It turned out to be an unsteady and  shambolic performance and probably not what Dylan had in mind or Bill Graham and the Live Aid organizers.  They had wanted Dylan to appear with Peter, Paul and Mary but Dylan had rejected that idea.   Dylan made the best of the situation and also managed to cause more controversy by suggesting some of the money being raised for African famine  should be redirected towards America’s struggling farmers.  His off the cuff remark struck home with many people and led to the creation of Farm Aid later that year.

Dylan later explained that his monitors were not turned up or functioning and that he couldn’t hear Wood or Richards due to the loud stage clearing that was taking place just behind the curtain as the stage was being prepared for the closing group rendition of We are the world.

Live music should be just that.  It’s not always perfect and shouldn’t be artificially enhanced by stealth pre-recorded vocals or hidden back stage back up singers.

Taylor Swift should be applauded for keeping it real.  Just as we applaud Kris Kristofferson, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and many more whose voices aren’t always  embellished, pre-packaged and safe for consumption by the masses.

Blowin’ in the Wind (Dylan at Live Aid)

Those are the three primary reasons why you need to rent It Might Get Loud featuring the interwoven stories of all three and how they came to be uniquely linked forever to the electric guitar and rock and roll.

And, there are more reasons which I’ll outline below.

4. Headley Grange – This is a mythical place in Led Zeppelin lore and history.  It was here that the band recorded much of Led Zeppelin IV and parts of posthumous albums.

Set in the East Hampshire countryside, the film features several scenes in which Jimmy Page returns to the stately home and points to the exact location at the bottom of the entrance stairwell where Bonzo’s drum kit was set up for maximum sonic effect.   Page, his white hair in a stylish pony tail,  also strolls the gardens of the estate; the very place where Robert Plant famously remarked that he wrote most of the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven there in one afternoon.

5. Mount Temple Comprehensive School – This is the Dublin high school where Larry Mullin Jr. posted an item on the school bulletin board, seeking band mates to start a rock band.  Hopefully, you know the rest of the story and what happened next.

In the film, we follow The Edge as he revisits the school and points out the location of the bulletin board as well as a music room in which U2 first rehearsed and slowly began to learn their instruments after school had finished for the day and only after they had cleared the desks to one side of the room.

Listening to The Edge recount the early days of U2 and watching him effortlessly add layer upon layer of ringing effects on his vintage Explorer was a rare pleasure.  Often overshadowed and out talked by Mr. Hewson, this film allows The Edge space to tell U2’s story and one gradually comes to the realization that this band will likely never again reach the creative heights they enjoyed with Achtung Baby, Zooropa & Passengers.

6. A farm in Franklin, Tennessee – This is Jack White’s current residence after retreating from Detroit.

The film opens with White fastidiously crafting a rudimentary electric guitar out of a block of wood, some wire strung over a coke bottle and live electricity.  The results are good and LOUD.

Another scene shows White inside the main house of the farm banging on an upright piano; causing the camera to shake as his right foot hits the floor in rhythm to the primal tune he pounds out of the piano.

7.  A Burbank, California sound stage – White, Page and The Edge have gathered here to tell their stories, share some secrets and chord structures and riff on each others various songs.  There are smiles and nervous side glances all around as each listen to the other demonstrate their unique styles and signature riffs.   The Edge and White stand slack jawed as Page launches into the the legendary monster riffs of Whole Lotta Love.  Page also explains how the double necked Gibson came to being and why it was necessary on tour.

It didn’t get too loud in the end – but it did get really really good.

Trailer

A relentless, selfless performer, Young appeared last night just a day after the death of his long time collaborator and close friend, L.A. Johnson.

Alone & Forsaken (Hope for Haiti Now)

We saw Neil again later that night (although taped earlier) joining Conan on his final Tonight Show, delivering a stellar version of an apropos song, Long May You Run, which originally appeared on 1976’s eponymously named Stills-Young Band album. 

We’ll see more of Neil soon on the upcoming Grammy’s and in the Jonathan Demme directed Trunk Show concert film.

Neil can always be counted on to show up for friends and important causes, check out his contributions to The Last Waltz–The grand send-off for The Band, his searing version of All Along the Watch Tower for Dylan’s Columbia 30th anniversary concert, the 9/11 Imagine rendition on the grand piano and not to be overlooked his yearly contributions to Farm Aid. 

Long May You Run, January 22, 2010

It’s true that good  music can take you back to a certain time and place.  Nick Lowe’s album, The Convincer, brings back the autumn of 2001 in Munich for me; an unsettling time that became slightly more settled whenever I put this CD on.

Released in Europe in the first week of September 2001, the album snuck up on me and was purchased on a whim one evening after work in a music shop somewhere near the Marienplatz.  I often departed the S-Bahn at the Marienplatz  to stroll through the Viktualienmarkt before making the short walk home to Kanalstrasse for the evening.  It was on one of those jaunts that I found myself purchasing this album.

I was faintly familiar with Nick Lowe’s back story, kind of an uncle to the angry young men of England’s New Wave scenesters – Elvis and Graham particularly.  A songwriter extroadinaire, Lowe had also found success with Rockpile, the rockabilly pub band formed with Dave Edmunds and several classic and sardonic songs incuding What’s so funny about Peace, Love and Understanding, I knew the Bride when she used to Rock and Roll and Cruel to be Kind.

On this album, Lowe delivers a low key masterpiece, subtly sung and not overly crowded with too much instrumentation or technology.  It’s the kind of album that reaps rewards and illuminates hooks with multiple listenings.

Sonically, the album feels ‘lived in’ and exudes warmth and organic musicianship.  One can hear hollow body guitars, Wurlitzer organ,  stand up bass and feather light snare and bass drum accents throughout.  The songs are finely crafted and feature some choice phrases, puns and put ons.

Particularly satisfying is the track Lately I’ve let things slide, in which Lowe professes and confesses his daily failings like picking out the least dirty shirt in the bin and failing again to kick the cigarette habit.  His reworked Johnny Rivers classic, Poor side of Town, is heavy on the Wurlitzer with Lowe’s heartfelt lyric upfront.

All in all, an elegant album that deserves to be appreciated.

It was the summer of 2001 in Munich and a strange obsession had overtaken me.  I had recently picked up a used copy of Bob Dylan’s Unplugged DVD in a favorite Schwabing haunt and took notice of the acoustic guitar that Dylan played throughout the concert.  I had recalled seeing the  guitar on numerous occasions, most notably the same acoustic guitar seemed to always be in Neil Young’s hands on other concert films such as Silver and Gold and The Last Waltz.

Some quick research led me to the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum which is where the obsession really began to take hold.

This web forum features endless threads and posts from prospective Martin Guitar purchasers and existing owners obsessing over every known detail concerning the “Cadillac of acoustic guitars”.

After all, this guitar is synonymous with some of Rock and Roll’s most acclaimed songs and collected works including Jimmy Page’s acoustic intro to Stairway to Heaven and Neil Young’s standout Harvest album.

After a month or so of reading the forum, I really began to get “Martin fever” and started to think about buying my own Martin D-28.  It didn’t matter that I had never played an acoustic guitar before, I simply  had to have one regardless.

After some web shopping and recommendations of good dealers via some correspondence on the forum, I settled on Edlerly Instruments, based in Lansing, Michigan.  After a quick phone call, I placed my order and was told the guitar would be with me in approximately 2 weeks.

Two weeks came and went and I began to worry about the EU/German post office regulations and envisioned my guitar being locked away in some customs storage container never to be recovered.  Another week passed and  I finally received the Post Office pick-up package notice in my mail box and set off for my local Isartor post office the next day after work.

The guitar was packaged in a very long and large cardboard box with an endless amount of Styrofoam pellets.  I eventually was able to lift out the thermoplastic Martin case and proceeded to snap open the case.   Inside was my beautiful new gleaming Martin D-28; nestled in the case against a luminous green felt bed.  I slowly lifted the guitar and  strummed the strings.   A resonance filled my living room and the guitar felt substantial in my hands.

I quickly followed up this purchase with my Idiot’s Guide to Learning Acoustic Guitar and a few high quality picks.  One of this year’s resolutions will be to bear down and finally learn how to play this beauty!

Bob Dylan Unplugged 1994 (note the D-28)

It was a Friday afternoon in April of 1993 on Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills, California.  The busy mid-week breakfast rush had given way to a languid early afternoon with the occasional order being taken on the phone and placed in the work window.

The Room Service phone rang again and a new order was quickly placed in the work window.  Thinking it may have been an order for the pool and an opportunity for a brief respite from the tedium of the shift, I grabbed the slip out of the window and put it down on a pre-prepped roller table.

It seemed like a pretty non-descript order and unfortunately wasn’t bound for the pool.

Cheeseburger (swiss), medium rare, order of fries and a chocolate milk shake.   Room 1404.

I immediately noticed the floor that the order had come in from and wondered who was on the other end of the phone.  The print-out stated the guest name as B. Holland but previous experience had proven that guest names were often intentionally incorrect.   The 14th floor was typically reserved for high profile guests; in fact, sometimes an order received from the 14th floor would also prompt the elevator door to open shortly thereafter with private security guards or even Secret Service personnel to observe the routine assembly of a room service order.

Today, however, there was no security staff in sight.

I noted the order time stamp and set out assembling the required items, the mini bottles of ketchup and grey poupon, mini salt & pepper shakers, flower vase and the rolled up linen napkin.  I lit a sterno and placed it in the bottom of the hot box  and wandered across the vast kitchen area to the dessert kitchen to call for the chocolate shake.  On the way I checked with the main service line on the status of the burger; it was about to be taken off the broiler and plated.

After picking up the milk shake I made my way back to the main line and picked up the covered cheeseburger and fries and headed back to the Room Service department.   The burger went into the hotbox and I wheeled the cart to the elevator and hit the up button.  After the doors opened I checked my watch; we were only 16 minutes into the 30 minute time frame following the initial order phone call.  I pressed number 14 and chatted with a co-worker as the elevator made it’s ascent up to the 14th service landing.

Reaching 1404 I customarily knocked and waited at the door.  I heard a voice on the other side of the door saying come in so I inserted my room pass key and let myself in.   Our hotel guest was seated on one of the sofas in the main living area of the suite with the TV on mute and a cigarette in his left hand.  The couch and his back was to me and  I proceeded to wheel in the cart and placed it next to the dining room table just across from couch and television according to the standard protocol.

At that point, our guest stood up and I acknowledged him with a ‘good afternoon’.  It was none other than Jerry Garcia, the counter culture icon and leader of the Grateful Dead.  I had grown accustomed to seeing and greeting scores of celebrities in this celebrity preferred hotel but this was really something else.  I told him it was a pleasure to meet him and said I hoped he enjoyed his lunch and left it at that.  Garcia, wearing jeans and a button down blue shirt smiled and simply said, “Hey thanks a lot.”

After leaving the room and closing the door I smiled as I remembered reading a recent interview in which Jerry had professed to be on a diet and had quit smoking after a major health crisis relapse in late 1992.

Turns out Jerry was in town for two nights appearing with his other band at UCLA.

Stepping off the elevator and upon my return back to Room Service,  I noticed that four more order slips had stacked up in the window, it looked like a late lunch rush was upon us.

Here’s vintage Jerry with the Grateful Dead, Sugaree, 1981

On the occasion of Dylan’s recently released new “Must be Santa” video I thought it would be worthwhile to assess some of the key moments on film and video featuring none other than Robert Zimmerman.  I’ve assembled these in no particular order or ranking and I’m limiting my number to what you see below.

I’m sure there will be arguments and observations made on other video moments that perhaps should have made the Subrosacafe cut.  Feel free to let me know your thoughts and enjoy the show!  Do you have kids who are in need of a Dylan primer course?  Sit ‘em down in front of the family PC and show ‘em this. 

Dylan management, when will we get a career retrospective live performance DVD set?

(Click on each Video below for full-screen views)

The Last Waltz Concert, final curtain call for the original line-up of the Band, Winterland, San Francisco, 1976

My favorite Dylan celluloid moment; sublimely filmed by Marty Scorcese and his crew, this ground breaking concert took place  in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, 1976.  We see Dylan giving a commanding performance here, in stellar voice and iconic form with the penultimate rendition of “Forever Young”.  Some fine lead guitar work courtesy of Robbie Robertson included. 

If you only have time to watch one of these videos, make this the one you watch.

Forever Young, The Last Waltz, 1976

Like a Rolling Stone, Newport Folk Festival, 1965 – Dylan goes electric for the 1st time

Hot on the heels of the release of this classic song as a single, Dylan appeared at the Newport Folk Festival and famously plugged in along with Mike Bloomfield on lead guitar, Al Cooper on organand other members of Paul Butterfield’s touring band.  The crowd loves the new song and sound in equal measure with those that can’t seem to wrap their head around Bobby Dylan going electric.  Check out the hailstorm of boos at the end of this video.

Girl from the North Country – with Johnny Cash, 1969

A ragged duet that somehow works.  Dylan’s late 60’s Nashville Skyline honey hued voice is on full display here to great effect.

Don’t start me Talkin’ – Late Night with David Letterman, 1983

Dylan had agreed to appear and perform 3 songs on David Letterman’s popular late night talk show, originally on NBC. The new album, Infidels had recently been released and Dylan and his management had agreed to make a rare television appearance. As usual, Letterman introduced Dylan and held up the latest LP for the camera. Rather than kick off the mini set with a song from the very strong new album, Dylan decided at the last minute to perform an obscure 1950’s R&B jump blues song by Sonny Boy Williamson instead.

Think about it. Rock and roll’s penultimate songsmith chose to do a throwaway cover as his first song for this national TV appearance. But..that’s how Dylan is, inscrutable and will refuse to bow to expectations. And…even better yet, Dyaln had brought along a young and rough backing band, known as the Plugz to appear with him on the show. Nearly live television didn’t get any better than this!

Love Sick, 1998 Grammy Awards (the Soy Bomb incident)

Dylan’s 1997 Time out of Mind album was a grammy winner and Dylan was at the Grammy’s in ‘98 as a performer. Displaying phrasing finesse and a strong late career growl, Dylan simply shrugs off the Soy Bomb freak who jumps into the mini stage mid song. Watch bass player, Tony Garnier crack up as Dylan simply stays the course, ignores the fool onstage at about 3:00 and delivers an epic version of this song. Seek out the HD version on Youtube which has the soybomb boy edited out for best quality.

Blowin’ in the Wind, 1971, the Concert for Bangladesh

George Harrison’s benefit concert that birthed a hundred other benefit concerts to follow.  This was Dylan’s first live appearance in the United States since his self-imposed late ’60s exile and motor cycle accident.  The memorable cover art for the Greatest Hits 2 album was taken at this concert.

In the Garden, 1980, Toronto

Just a taste of Born-again period Dylan featuring some of his most impassioned performances.  Powerful & rightgeous stuff here.  Aficiondos would be well served to seek out the 1980 Warfield show bootleg with Jerry Garcia sitting in on guitar.

I pity the poor Immigrant, 1976, from the Hard Rain TV special

Filmed at the tail end of Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue spring ‘76 tour, here’s a duet with Joan Baez on this reworked John Wesley Harding track.  Dylan and Baez share the mic and have fun on this song which didn’t appear on the forthcoming live album.

Must be Santa, 2009 (Video)

Ok, time to lighten it up, here’s a bewigged Bob presenting a surreal take on a holdiay party gone bad. Hilarious. All proceeds from this album are being donated to feed the poor.

The rain had just subsided after a very soggy Saturday in Boston.  Bob Dylan was in town for a three night stand at the beautifully restored Citi Performing Arts Wang Theatre, formerly known simply as the Music Hall.  Dylan has been here before of course, it was the host of two memorable  nights of the Rolling Thunder Revue back in the autumn of 1975.

From my Orchestra Row G seat I marveled at the range of ages that were there to see another performance of the Never Ending Tour; for some their first show ever and for others the second show in a row here in Boston.

As usual, the fanfare began at approximately 7:45 with the now familiar piped in introduction coupled with wafts of incense emanating from stage left.  Suddenly, the lights went up and there was Dylan and the band striking up the  opening riffs of Cat’s in the Well and we were off.  I won’t go into a full dissertation on each song tonight but I am pleased to say this was my most satisfying Dylan concert to date.

I had last seen Bob and crew back in July 2008 on consecutive nights in southern Spain, Lorca and Jaen to be exact.   The Jaen show had been the better of the two with a very lively crowd throwing roses on the stage with Bob acknowledging them with a rare wide smile.

Tonight, Dylan seemed re-engaged and re-energized; singing in full voice and giving extra care to the lyrics; more so than I had ever seen in the previous 10 shows I’ve attended over the years since 1988.  I had also missed not seeing Dylan front and center over the past few years, staying somewhat sheltered behind the keyboards on stage left and never stepping up front to fully engage the audience.

What a difference tonight and on this current leg of the tour!  Not only was Dylan playing guitar again on a couple of songs, he even traded ‘tuneful’ solos with the exuberant Charlie Sexton.  Sexton had full reign to prowl center stage between Stu and Dylan and often crouched down on his haunches,  getting closer to his vintage Vox Amp and showing respect to Dylan.  Sexton has definitely sparked up the band and was absolutely on fire for most of Highway 61 and the show closing Watchtower, whipping his guitar wire out of the way and off to the side before each extended solo and stage jaunt.

The real revelation came in the few powerful numbers that brought Dylan to center stage, alone front and center with his harp and microphone in his right hand.  The crowd loved it and sensed that they were witnessing a night in which Dylan was truly “on”.  Seeing Dylan deliver ‘Ballad of a Thin Man’ at the front of the stage with the atmospheric muted lights was a standout moment.  Dylan was fully engaged; a true song and dance man, stabbing the air with his left hand and bumping and weaving with his legs.

Dylan also delivered a stellar version of Every Grain of Sand, seemingly turning back the clock and singing this song with long stretches in his upper register, with careful phrasing and a fantastic harp solo as a bonus, simply outstanding.

The crowd had been somewhat restrained throughout the evening but Dylan provided another highlight by accentuating the “You think I’m over the hill, think I’m past my prime” line in Spirit on the Water .   The crowd erupted with shouts of NO! to the sly delight of Bob.  Dylan also had spotted a very enthusiastic and swaying blond in the third row providing loud encouragement throughout the concert.

Another highlight was watching young and old attendees move into the aisle and start dancing during Thunder on the Mountain, a full grin coming across the face of a wide-eyed Tony Garnier.

The night was capped off as usual with Bob announcing the band, interrupted tonight by a corny joke provided by Stu Kimball which managed to bring a snicker and laughter from Bob.

And, with the final bow, Dylan stepped forward, acknowledged the crowd and raised his right hand, looking out across the theatre before walking off with his band.

As I walked by the two buses parked on Stuart Street across from Jacob Wirth’s I saw Stu Kimball getting on the bus with Peter Wolf in tow; sadly no sign of Bob, he must have already been on the first bus.  Charlie Sexton then emerged from the back stage door and hopped on the bus, first taking a minute to wave to the throng of well wishers gathered on the sidewalk.

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll – Live Boston, November 14, 2009 (Decent Audio)

Bob Dylan – Boston, Massachusetts – set list – 11/14/09