Interesting news just in on this subject seems worthy of a re-post.

With the recent success of Cadillac Records, Ray and Dreamgirls, it’s not surprising that news has broke of an upcoming Jerry Garcia biopic now in development for the big screen.   Let’s hope the upcoming film does justice to the larger than life rock and bluegrass American icon and care is taken in telling the story of his early days before he transformed The Grateful Dead into one of rock and roll’s legendary bands.

Having seen Jerry and the Dead twice and meeting Jerry personally back in 1993, I can say with conviction that the man was probably one of the most “human” rock gods we’ll ever see. This is what Bob Dylan had to say upon learning of his death in August 1995:

“There’s no way to measure his greatness as a player or a person. I don’t think eulogizing him will do him justice. He was that great–much more than a superb musician with an uncanny ear and dexterity. He is the very spirit personified of whatever is muddy river country at its core and screams up in the spheres. He really had no equal…There are a lot of spaces between the Carter family, Buddy Holly, and, say, Ornette Coleman– a lot of universes–but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, hypnotic and subtle.  There’s no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep.”

If the film is done well it will be refreshing to see the story of Jerry Garcia in San Francisco before the Warlocks and the dizzy days of the Grateful Dead.  And — if these music related biopic films succeed in accomplishing anything other than box office recipts and DVD units moved, hopefully they serve to document the music and the creative personalities that brought the music to the world.  As more and more of our musical icons disappear, whether they be jazz, country, bluegrass or rock and roll, it’s important to tell the stories so that future generations of music lovers will discover them.

Here’s Jerry and the Grateful Dead at Winterland San Francisco in 1974

Overcast skies gave way to an illuminating night of music at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre just west of Denver.  Red Rocks amphitheatre is about 20 minutes due west of downtown Denver and is nestled in a natural park amid the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  Without a doubt, this is the best outdoor venue I’ve ever encountered in my 28 years of concerts.    The sight lines were incredible, the natural bowl of this amphitheatre literally carved out of the mountain and hills.  Ample leg and seat room with no confining ‘airline’ seats were a welcome surprise.

Having seen Petty and the Heartbreakers during one of their residency sojourns at the Fillmore in San Francisco back in 1997, I wasn’t sure I needed to see the band again.  But, the chance to catch them on the cusp of releasing a new album coupled with the fact that this Red Rocks gig would be the opening night of their new tour, I decided to bite and picked up two tickets in the 10th row with surprising ease on the Ticket Master website.  I had also seen Petty on the Full Moon Fever tour in the cavernous old Chicago Stadium, a muffled and somewhat hazy memory from 1989.

This time, Petty and band opened with a cavalcade of rock and roll legendary hits including Kings Highway, Free Fallin’,  Breakdown, I Won’t Back Down and You Don’t Know How it Feels.  Petty introduced Breakdown as the band’s first real hit back in 1976 off their debut album and reminded the crowd that living and working in Los Angeles in the mid 1970’s was a surreal experience – from what he could remember. 

Mid-set, Petty calmed the crowd and informed everyone to be patient while they debuted several new tracks off the upcoming Mojo.  The band, particularly Mike Campbell, settled into several incendiary blues jams with Campbell channeling Jimmy Page on two of the new excellent songs.  

Petty, the ultimate ‘reserved’ front man, sporting a shag haircut and cropped beard,  expressed sincere thanks after almost every song and promised ‘wall to wall’ hits soon to come after the Mojo mini-set.  As promised, more hits followed including a strobe laden Don’ Come Around Here No More and Refugee.  Runnin’ Down A Dream closed out the three song encore with American Girl reserved for night two in Denver, June 3rd.

The Opening act was none other than Joe Cocker.  I wasn’t sure what to think after seeing him just the week before wheezing through his trademark Beatles cover song on American Idol.  What a difference a week makes I guess.  Cocker produced goosebumps as he summoned the guttural growl and scream of Woodstock-past with an excellent set including standouts Feelin’ Alright, You Are So Beautiful and With a Little Help from my Friends.  

As Cocker thanked the crowd, the sun began to set over the back of the stands with the moon obscured by the night clouds.

(Photo below courtesy of tompetty.com)

Mystery to Me.

Fleetwood Mac Live in 1973

McVie, sorely missed on the two most recent Fleetwood Mac reunion tours, is now retired in the English countryside but her legacy looms large over the long and storied career of the band.  She has, to date, appeared on all but two albums, either as a member or as a session musician.  Any questions about the soul and depth of McVie’s compositions and writing skills should be answered with a listen to Mystery To Me’s final track, Why.  Hmmm, I’m getting carried away about McVie and I set off to shine some light on Welch and Bob Weston.

Here’s a 1976 version of Why with Lindsey Buckingham adding some tasteful guitar stylings.

Bob Welch was a pure bred Californian who helped to convince Mick Fleetwood and John McVie to move the band from England to California back in 1971.  Welch, who later had big success as a solo artist after bowing out of Fleetwood Mac in late 1974, is best known for his nimble guitar work, fine songwriting and a somewhat geeky persona with large oversized glasses and a tendency to wear a  fedora.

It can be argued that Welch’s contributions to Fleetwood Mac were pretty profound, he was instrumental in moving the band toward a more pop-based California sound, laying the groundwork for Buckingham and Nicks who would essentially replace him in 1975.

Welch was mysteriously snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Fleetwood Mac when the band was inducted in 1998.  Welch had this to say about the affair:

“I’m really disappointed about being overlooked by Fleetwood Mac. It basically comes down to the fact that they don’t like me anymore.  “I guess they can do what they want. I could understand it if I had been a sideman for a year. But I was an integral part of that band for five years. I put more of myself into that band than anything else I’ve ever done.”

Full props to Bob Welch who wrote several standout tracks for the band including Sentimental Lady, Hypnotized and Bermuda Triangle.

Bob Weston had a short lived stint with the band but helped stabilize the band’s sound after the departure of previous guitar god Danny Kirwin.  He would famously be fired for having an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s first wife during the band’s 1973 tour.

Fleetwood Mac – circa 1973 (With Bob Welch & Bob Weston)

Never a dull moment for Fleetwood Mac, whatever the incarnation of the band may be..

Bob Mould’s first solo album, was composed during the year following the dissolution of Hüsker Dü back in 1988. Released in the spring of 1989, Workbook presented a clear departure for Bob Mould after severing ties with Grant Hart.

The album picked up immediate airplay on Modern Rock stations across the country fueled by an infectious bit of jangly Byrd-esque power pop on the single, See A Little Light .  But that song belies the overall mood of the album; closer listening of songs like Wishing Well and Poison Yearswould provide the true spirit Mould set out to document – disgust, despair and catharsis.

Poison Yearsslowly builds to a climax as Mould recounts ‘poison years that are now just a memory’, seemingly clearly referencing the rancorous final year or two that Husker Du trudged through.   Later in the song, Mould states that ‘treason is the reason for his poison years’ as he slowly adds layers of acoustic and churning electric guitar to the track.

Buoyed by an excellent backing band featuring Golden Palominos drummer Anton Fier, Pere Ubu bassist Tony Maimone and cellist Jane Scarpantoni, Mould delivers a career best solo effort out of the gate.

For all the doom and gloom present in the lyrics, the music and melodies on most of these tracks transcend the emotional scrapheap and oddly offer glimpses of brilliant sunshine and the feeling of fresh air.  The opening track, Sunspots, is a jazz inflected instrumental that seems more likely to be found on a Pat Methany album.  Scarpantoni’s cello is featured on several tracks while Mould does bring out his Strat to great dyanamic effect on many of the songs.

Three short years later, Mould would form Sugar, the power pop combo that burned fast and bright for a few years before Mould moved back to solo efforts.  The July 1992 Cabaret Metro gig still ranks as one of the loudest musical events I have ever witnessed; the subtleties of the Workbook album were long gone and Mould’s candy blue Strat was put into overdrive as the band burned through Copper Blue two months before its release in its entirety.

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.