More sad news from the music world. Neil Peart, the hugely talented drummer for the rock band Rush, has passed. He had been battling with brain cancer for the last three years. Rush was the first rock show I went to back in the dark, remote past. They were touring their long player, “A Farewell to Kings.” Lovely experience, lovely dope, lovely playing, lovely man. I chose the music video they released for “Xanadu”, the second track on “Farewell”. We bid farewell to this drummer king, Mr. Neal Peart.
Category Archives: music video
HALLOWEEN THEME – ISN’T IT TIME YOU TRIED?
It is that time of year again. Want to get into the spirit? Why not pick up your guitar and learn the “Halloween” (1978) theme? I am referring to the music and movie created by John Carpenter that has become very ingrained in our culture. Very remarkable, that!
Here is some guitar tablature that will allow you to easily follow along and learn the tune. Let the celebration begin!
Paul Raymond R.I.P.
Multi-instrumentalist and revolving UFO member MVP, Paul Raymond, passed away recently. Raymond played keyboards and guitar in many different iterations of UFO and had a memorable participation in The Michael Schenker Band. A very reliable addition to any band, his energy and enthusiasm will be missed in the music world.
Peter Tork Passes
Sadly, multi instrumentalist Peter Tork of The Monkees fame has passed at 77. Pete contributed bass, guitar, banjo, keyboards and vocals to The Monkees’ recordings and live shows. Depicted in the show as the simple minded one, in actuality Tork was quite the opinionated “thinker”. Pete passed an audition to become one of the four members of a prefabricated band to appear in a weekly television show copying the Beatles massive cultural appeal in the late 1960’s. Tork did have the ability to play an actual musical instrument which is more then can be said of half of the other members. It didn’t matter much as The Monkees, as they would be christened, had a big record company and weekly television exposure in support of crafting radio friendly music to an audience that could be easily be reached and shown promotional films of the new tunes. Marketing genius! But more than a bit artistically crass. That being said, the creative forces behind the whole Monkees machine produced some timeless pop song classics and the group was a worldwide sensation for a year or two. Tork was the first member to leave the band and went on to continue performing and recording his own music and then rejoined The Monkees in the late 1980’s after MTV played the old TV series to a younger audience. Monkeemania was reborn and their popularity ramped up again for awhile. The Monkees have continued to tour over the years.
Peaceful journey, Mr. Pete!
Keith Moon Departs – 40 Years On
Wunderkind drummer for The Who, Keith Moon, left this mortal coil 40 years ago. What a loss. The legendary madman lead an alcohol and drug fueled existence that bolstered his outgoing personality and flashy, unorthodox, drum style. Alas, this very fast lifestyle also accelerated an early end to his explosive drumming style and life. As the years wore on and the intoxicants flowed, so to did his strength and lifeforce get tapped. Moon died at the age of 32 on September 7, 1978. Please examine YouTube videos of his earlier days when he was in his prime. You will be amazed.
The Monkees – Listen to the Band (1969)
One of the swan song performances of the Monkees. This is from a TV special called “33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee” that no one really watched when it first came on. This is a great Mike Nesmith penned tune. The four Monkees converge on to the set after Peter Tork’s noodling electric piano play and kick in to the tune. There then commences a musical “freak out” of the assembled TV special guests. Peter Tork left the band shortly after this show.
GOODBYE, DEAR FRIEND: JOHN WETTON
Another bass playing giant has left us. John Wetton enters the ranks of those beloved bass players who have recently passed away. Chris Squire, Lemmy, and Greg Lake preceded Wetton into the afterlife and all were unique and irreplaceable.
John Wetton always impressed me with his passionate, powerful vocals and his strong, at times, brutal bass chops. He ripped it up with King Crimson for years and had stints in Roxy Music, Family, UK and Asia. An utterly immense talent.
I saw this tour of the three piece dynamo known as UK. They opened for Jethro Tull in Oakland, CA. Their star shone brightly for a brief few years but they were brilliant in their moment and it is certainly represented here.
John Wetton was a truly memorable performer.
GARY NUMAN – “CARS” – LIVE
A more muscular, 4 and 6 string driven rendition of this early 1980’s gem from Gary Numan: “Cars”.
Numan these days has ventured from his Bowie like posturing and has taken on more of a resemblance to actor Robert Carradine with a bit of Klaus Kinski thrown in. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (I have no shame), age will have its rage. With us all. Like this fresh take on the song, though.
EASY RIDER (1969)
I recently caught this movie again and I came away more impressed than I have in the past. The print I saw had been digitally restored and the imagery benefits greatly from the treatment. I include this clip because it shows a lot of the road trip that these two anti heroes (dope dealers, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, travelling cross country on motorcycle “choppers” and taking it easy on the open road, while taking in the sights) initially debark upon. It also is accompanied by The Bryds’ “I Wasn’t Born To Follow”, a nice country rock style tune which I like a lot. The grandeur of the old highways, their quaintness and the splendor of the American landscapes are represented magnificently here. But times and transportation have changed in the nearly 50 years since this picture was made. Unless you specifically seek out what may be left of these old roads, they are mostly gone. That being said, film and video also provide a valuable method of preservation of moments and places in time. This is what the country once looked like and how these stars once appeared. Credit Director of Photography Laslo Kovacs for the beautiful visuals.
THE KINKS – “FATHER CHRISTMAS” – SOMETIME IN THE 1970’s
“Father Christmas” is the great rock band, The Kinks, hamming it up and clowning in their Christmas getups in this satirical music video. The Kinks’ main songwriter, Ray Davies, wrote this Christmas song in 1977 and its theme and attitude fits the times. Punk rock had basically broken out over the airwaves and this song talks about angry, annoyed kids demanding cash money and no toys for Christmas and beating up and mugging department store Santas and generally behaving very badly. Punk rock was antiestablishment and Christmas is based on long standing traditions, and, you get the idea. The music is very spirited and aggressive and chugs along at a good pace.
It is a shame that the video posted here is a bit damaged and indistinct. There is a lot of color shifting and video breakups and the focus is a little soft. Oh, well. What you can make out reflects a fine, humorous romp and “Father Christmas” has become a holiday standard on classic rock stations. It has become part of the tradition of Christmas.
Well done Kinks!!!
GREG LAKE – PROG ROCK GREAT PASSES AWAY
Greg Lake was a legend in the annuls of progressive rock. He was a co-founder of King Crimson with Robert Fripp. With the band, Lake was a youthful, energetic lad with a sonorous voice and a powerful bass player.
Although he remained for only one Crimson album, he did the vocals for this particular song on Crimson’s second recorded venture, “In The Wake Of Poseidon”, which I always found very appealing.
Lake would go on to join Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer in ELP (Emerson, Lake and Palmer). This outfit allowed him to play guitar as well as handle bass and vocal duties.
Greg Lake had a very distinct voice and playing style. Witness his songs “Lucky Man’, “From The Beginning”, “Still, You Turn Me On”.
Talent like this doesn’t come along everyday. A true original who can’t be replaced.
2/14/17 – Sad update: The Grammy Awards ran their “In Memoriam” segment to pay respects to the music industry folks who passed away in the previous year. Greg Lake’s picture was not included or mention made of his name. Emerson and Wetton were there but not Lake. Very sloppy and stupid treatment.
HALLOWEEN AUDIO ATMOSPHERE – “CTHULHU” BY CRYO CHAMBER
Here’s some good background chatter to play during your groovy Halloween party or in your haunted playhouse. A veritable assemblage of white and pink noise layers and ambient pads build to a cacophony of dread induced drones. Lovely! Inspired by themes and nightmares explored by H.P. Lovecraft and his multifarious ghastly denizens of the very Deep and Dark.
Suicide Live at Hurrah – “Ghost Rider”
Alan Vega was the vocal half of the synth duo, Suicide. Vega is no longer with us. Rev’s scary, repetitively sequenced synthesizer drives their songs accompanied by Vega’s frenzied, reverb-drenched rockabilly delivery. A very influential band whose work would impact many future musicians. Their early stuff is rawer and more intense.
Led Zeppelin Live at Knebworth Festival 8/11/79
Superb live document of this legendary rock band. Led Zeppelin seemed to be performing near their peak. They had by 1979 been recording and performing together for over a decade. The band sounds strong and tight. But, alas, things don’t always work out for the best, and this would be their last tour. A great sounding set from this great rock band.