First, a reminder to teel free to head over to the SoundCloud. Once there, you can stream and possibly enjoy some originals-only RKBS material:
https://soundcloud.com/johnk-rkbs/
Now, as to the business at hand, the time's flown yet again-- everything accelerating in the wrong places and evaporating in the other wrong places. But to hell with it, after all: Here are some modernized, if still rough sounds for your ears. Both songs date back to the just-after-Honcho-band days in Baltimore, as I recall.
"Mary Mary" was definitely a '90s tune, the "Mary" in question actually being Mary Bono, widow of ol' Cher'in', furry-vest-sportin', Phil Spector-hangin', Palm Springs-mayorin' and terminally-skiin' Sonny. She looked like a little lost lamb during those House Clinton impeachment hearings, Mary did, and thought I'd encourage her to lose that crowd she was hanging with. Anyway, it was and is a pop song, to my understanding, and always a bit rootsy. This go-round it happily took on a little bit of a street party feel, once the overdriven Wurlitzer hit, and the congos, guiro and all that. Best version to date, so this one goes into the "win" column.
"Wrung Out" clearly lands a more on the "alterna-" side of things, but it was the '90s, after all. It's definitely a B-side, but it's fun to revisit and re-work things: hard-pan the drums right and left, take up some bass guitar, add those long-needed harmonies, work out the guitar parts and all that... Of course I had to leave Nicholas J. Pootle's guest vocals at around 2:12. Gettin' lazy about all the mixing and editing, I am, but also it warms my heart to here a little "woof" here, some squeaky toy over there, or a collar jangle when you least expect it.
Mary Mary: https://app.box.com/s/cw75d5eb4wpxxe3ythmr
Wrung Out: https://app.box.com/s/vxn1zbpiv249x6ph7nnu
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Stackpole-Dillo '13: Small Faces/ Faces/ Humble Pie
Hey alls, and how time does fly! Summer's 2/3 over and I have not been to this here site in a long time. In part that's on account of some major renovations to the Designated Rock Zone at the Harpswell Estate. In part it's account of summer being here. In part it's on account of some travels hither and yon. It's hard to focus on the music/ site when your gear's all stowed, when the weather's fine and there's work and play to do outside, and when you're faraways on the road. In any event, we hopefully should be back on track...
To break the fast, here's a "3-fer" of holdovers from the 2013 Harpswell sessions with Johnny Stackpole and Paulie Cardillo. We've already lapped ourselves, having just played and recorded some stuff last month down in the NY metro area, so this is all long overdue, but it's good stuff and also thematically related, pulling on the strands of some of my recent-years faves: the extended (Small Faces) fambly.
"Song of a Baker" comes off the Small Faces psychedelic classic "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" from '68. Though I prefer their amped-up R&B offerings, the Small Faces rarely let you down, and it's impossibly fun to try and recreate the vibes of so many giants, especially the ever-underrated Ronnie Lane (bass)/ Kenny Jones (drums) rhythm section. Add on some of those vintage Ian MacLagan keys and try your best Stever Marriott yelp and what more could you ask for?
After Marriott split, Ronnie, Jonesy and Mac persevered, picked up Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood from the Jeff Beck group, dropped the "Small", and proceeded to put out some of the best live and studio music of the mid-70's as (the) Faces. This here is one of Ronnie Lane's cuts, Rod the Mod only singing a bit on the bridge section. Ronnie was a master of both the good-timey and the bittersweet, and "Debris" is one of the latter, from 1971's "A Nod is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse". Man, they could've released that LP with nothing but this song and their big hit "Stay With Me", and I'd still pay full fare.
The other former Small Face, Steve Marriott, ended up throwing in with some other gents and forming the quasi-supergroup Humble Pie in 1969 (Peter Frampton being the most famous of the other members). Especially after Frampton decamped in 1971, the Pie dealt in much harder arena-style boogie rock than the Faces' slop/ blooz/ rock/ heart-on-sleeve raveups. "30 Days in the Hole", released in '72, was maybe their biggest hit, and it gets to a lot of the overconsumption that would largely do Marriott in. Lordy, but it's a shouter! I had several runs at it, but it's just out of my range, and after each I just ended up woozy and frustrated. The vocal tracks on it are my closest approximation, so please accept my apologies, but I do hope you like the version.
More fine listeneables shortly!
jk out!
Song of a Baker (Small Faces): https://app.box.com/s/jtp1q4zx4dlnm2u3sm8b
Debris (Faces): https://app.box.com/s/xau1boyx20zo6np2iz1z
30 Days in the Hole (Humble Pie): https://app.box.com/s/0ych5k0qsa885mqffgph
To break the fast, here's a "3-fer" of holdovers from the 2013 Harpswell sessions with Johnny Stackpole and Paulie Cardillo. We've already lapped ourselves, having just played and recorded some stuff last month down in the NY metro area, so this is all long overdue, but it's good stuff and also thematically related, pulling on the strands of some of my recent-years faves: the extended (Small Faces) fambly.
"Song of a Baker" comes off the Small Faces psychedelic classic "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" from '68. Though I prefer their amped-up R&B offerings, the Small Faces rarely let you down, and it's impossibly fun to try and recreate the vibes of so many giants, especially the ever-underrated Ronnie Lane (bass)/ Kenny Jones (drums) rhythm section. Add on some of those vintage Ian MacLagan keys and try your best Stever Marriott yelp and what more could you ask for?
After Marriott split, Ronnie, Jonesy and Mac persevered, picked up Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood from the Jeff Beck group, dropped the "Small", and proceeded to put out some of the best live and studio music of the mid-70's as (the) Faces. This here is one of Ronnie Lane's cuts, Rod the Mod only singing a bit on the bridge section. Ronnie was a master of both the good-timey and the bittersweet, and "Debris" is one of the latter, from 1971's "A Nod is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse". Man, they could've released that LP with nothing but this song and their big hit "Stay With Me", and I'd still pay full fare.
The other former Small Face, Steve Marriott, ended up throwing in with some other gents and forming the quasi-supergroup Humble Pie in 1969 (Peter Frampton being the most famous of the other members). Especially after Frampton decamped in 1971, the Pie dealt in much harder arena-style boogie rock than the Faces' slop/ blooz/ rock/ heart-on-sleeve raveups. "30 Days in the Hole", released in '72, was maybe their biggest hit, and it gets to a lot of the overconsumption that would largely do Marriott in. Lordy, but it's a shouter! I had several runs at it, but it's just out of my range, and after each I just ended up woozy and frustrated. The vocal tracks on it are my closest approximation, so please accept my apologies, but I do hope you like the version.
More fine listeneables shortly!
jk out!
Song of a Baker (Small Faces): https://app.box.com/s/jtp1q4zx4dlnm2u3sm8b
Debris (Faces): https://app.box.com/s/xau1boyx20zo6np2iz1z
30 Days in the Hole (Humble Pie): https://app.box.com/s/0ych5k0qsa885mqffgph
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Stackpole-Dillo '13: Neil Young/ the Who
Continuing the windfall from last year's Stackpole-Cardillo-Keating quasi-Iona Prep Class-of-'85 reunion, here's a couple straight-up classic rock medium-deep album cuts for you:
First off, we heed the great unwritten Commandment: "Honor thy Neil Young", with a Crazy Horse-style take on "The Loner", originally off his first solo record and rocked up a bit more on "Live Rust": a solid end-of-the-'60s four-on-the-floor stomper and a good excuse to break out a double dropped D tuning and the tremolo pedal. Say no more!
Second off is "Naked Eye", a favorite Who song of mine since way back; specifically the "Who's Last" "farewell tour" era of '82. Having been raised in the post-Keith Moon era, we had to dig back through the "Hooligans" and "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy" compilations as jumping-off points to the rock operas and the classic LPs, and eventually the woolier "Odds and Sods" type scraps, one of which contained the original "Naked Eye" demo (with, I presume, Pete playing the drums). Despite the lack of a definitive release, though, the Who kept going back to this one, and in very consistent fashion. The '70 Isle of Wight version with Moonie on drums is not too different from the demo, nor is the '82 version with Kenny Jones and a generally much less chaotic (i.e., stiffer) band. I thought it was on the "Who's Last" release but having checked the internets, perhaps I had my high school version taped off a radio broadcast. Seems likely. But the song wouldn't have had much competition in being the standout track on a basically posthumous live album cash-in. Still, even in '82 the Who were totally bringing this song. Us three fellows? Probably less so. Still, it's closest you'll get to actually sitting with me and Stag and Dillo in that basement, working out the song, trying to stay on the same page and step out a bit without totally falling apart. So it's a loose version, and I'd say "in progress" but ain't nothing progressing. But why not document and beam it out there anyways? Root for the home team in their moment of need (2:45)! Wonder how their parents put up with all the same length and dynamics and noodling, only performed with less musical and editing ability!
jk
The Loner (Neil Young +/- Crazy Horse): https://app.box.com/s/p5kgbs5nntwsn8znkamx
Naked Eye (the Who): https://app.box.com/s/mu1i7u7lh2qlf4fg7e9z
First off, we heed the great unwritten Commandment: "Honor thy Neil Young", with a Crazy Horse-style take on "The Loner", originally off his first solo record and rocked up a bit more on "Live Rust": a solid end-of-the-'60s four-on-the-floor stomper and a good excuse to break out a double dropped D tuning and the tremolo pedal. Say no more!
Second off is "Naked Eye", a favorite Who song of mine since way back; specifically the "Who's Last" "farewell tour" era of '82. Having been raised in the post-Keith Moon era, we had to dig back through the "Hooligans" and "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy" compilations as jumping-off points to the rock operas and the classic LPs, and eventually the woolier "Odds and Sods" type scraps, one of which contained the original "Naked Eye" demo (with, I presume, Pete playing the drums). Despite the lack of a definitive release, though, the Who kept going back to this one, and in very consistent fashion. The '70 Isle of Wight version with Moonie on drums is not too different from the demo, nor is the '82 version with Kenny Jones and a generally much less chaotic (i.e., stiffer) band. I thought it was on the "Who's Last" release but having checked the internets, perhaps I had my high school version taped off a radio broadcast. Seems likely. But the song wouldn't have had much competition in being the standout track on a basically posthumous live album cash-in. Still, even in '82 the Who were totally bringing this song. Us three fellows? Probably less so. Still, it's closest you'll get to actually sitting with me and Stag and Dillo in that basement, working out the song, trying to stay on the same page and step out a bit without totally falling apart. So it's a loose version, and I'd say "in progress" but ain't nothing progressing. But why not document and beam it out there anyways? Root for the home team in their moment of need (2:45)! Wonder how their parents put up with all the same length and dynamics and noodling, only performed with less musical and editing ability!
jk
The Loner (Neil Young +/- Crazy Horse): https://app.box.com/s/p5kgbs5nntwsn8znkamx
Naked Eye (the Who): https://app.box.com/s/mu1i7u7lh2qlf4fg7e9z
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Stackpole-Dillo '13: Pink Floyd/ Mott the Hoople
Hey all-- I was hoping to get back to some original tunes, but we've got some Rock Zone renovations going on up at the Compound, so it's most expeditious to post this here batch of covers. Similar to the most recent back of Hoot tunes, these are LONG overdue anyway. They hold a warm and fuzzy place in my black heart, and it's an unbelievable pleasure to get 'em up for broader consumption.
Having gotten together with my old Iona Prep buddy John Stackpole each summer the past few years to do some playing and recording, and intermittently doing the same with our old buddy Dillo, and eventually getting Dillo to overdub bass on some Stackpole-Keating cuts, it was only a matter of time before we managed to get the three of us in a room to kick around the classic rock like it was 1985. That finally happened at the beginning of August 2013, and it was basically just like picking up where we left off, except we're all better players now, and able to work things out on a tad higher level. Needless to say, I could go on...
"Fearless" is a Pink Floyd cover from 1971's "Meddle" LP. For all the press and sales of "Dark Side..." through "The Wall", the afterlife of the Waters-less Floyd and the Floyd-less Roger Waters, and the rediscovery of the band's original, Syd Barret-driven lineup, this is the Floyd era for me: The feeling of collaboration instead of auteurship; the more open production; the stretch; the electric/ acoustic contrasts; the predominance of warmer, non-synth keyboards (piano, Hammond), and all that. Plus, the song itself is a certified Gilmour-driven classic.
Released at about the same moment in time was Mott the Hoople's "Brain Capers" album, from which comes the other cover here "Darkness, Darkness" (most recently also swampily covered by Robert Plant). Mott was a funny band, and has barely persisted in American popular knowledge. They came out of Birmingham in '69 and were hard rocking kings of the road in the UK for the next few years: huge concert draws, but their albums never quite got there. They basically broke up after their 4th LP (from which this cut comes) in 1971 but subsequently got a fresh lease on life from newly famous David Bowie, who convinced them to reunite, gave them "All the Young Dudes", and jumpstarted them on a hugely successful glam-rock run from '72-'74. Good lordy Mott are all-time faves of mine, and I'll swear to this day that half of their problem was that shitty, shitty name they picked.
Here's an internets-fueled wormhole for you: The song was written by Jesse Colin Young, years before his flower-power-fueled Youngbloods fame (by which I mean "Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now" fame). Funnily, "Get Together" was itself a cover, written by Dino Valenti (under his even cooler real name, Chet Powers) who was in and out and in (ah yes!: drugs, incarceration) San Francisco's psych-rock fixtures Quicksilver Messenger Service. Quicksilver's only real hit was (another HIT of) "Fresh Air", written by "Jesse Oris Farrow" (hint: same guy as Chet/ "Dino"!), but they did also manage to turn a Bo Diddley cover into an entire LP side: "Who Do You Love", "When...?", "Where...?" and so on. "Bo Diddley" of course was a stage name, for Otha Ellas Bates (later McDaniel), and on and on....
jk
Fearless: https://app.box.com/s/iciank7gxb36f9j9nfxn
Darkness, Darkness: https://app.box.com/s/vd6no0s9m38rk20vtzvl
Having gotten together with my old Iona Prep buddy John Stackpole each summer the past few years to do some playing and recording, and intermittently doing the same with our old buddy Dillo, and eventually getting Dillo to overdub bass on some Stackpole-Keating cuts, it was only a matter of time before we managed to get the three of us in a room to kick around the classic rock like it was 1985. That finally happened at the beginning of August 2013, and it was basically just like picking up where we left off, except we're all better players now, and able to work things out on a tad higher level. Needless to say, I could go on...
"Fearless" is a Pink Floyd cover from 1971's "Meddle" LP. For all the press and sales of "Dark Side..." through "The Wall", the afterlife of the Waters-less Floyd and the Floyd-less Roger Waters, and the rediscovery of the band's original, Syd Barret-driven lineup, this is the Floyd era for me: The feeling of collaboration instead of auteurship; the more open production; the stretch; the electric/ acoustic contrasts; the predominance of warmer, non-synth keyboards (piano, Hammond), and all that. Plus, the song itself is a certified Gilmour-driven classic.
Released at about the same moment in time was Mott the Hoople's "Brain Capers" album, from which comes the other cover here "Darkness, Darkness" (most recently also swampily covered by Robert Plant). Mott was a funny band, and has barely persisted in American popular knowledge. They came out of Birmingham in '69 and were hard rocking kings of the road in the UK for the next few years: huge concert draws, but their albums never quite got there. They basically broke up after their 4th LP (from which this cut comes) in 1971 but subsequently got a fresh lease on life from newly famous David Bowie, who convinced them to reunite, gave them "All the Young Dudes", and jumpstarted them on a hugely successful glam-rock run from '72-'74. Good lordy Mott are all-time faves of mine, and I'll swear to this day that half of their problem was that shitty, shitty name they picked.
Here's an internets-fueled wormhole for you: The song was written by Jesse Colin Young, years before his flower-power-fueled Youngbloods fame (by which I mean "Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now" fame). Funnily, "Get Together" was itself a cover, written by Dino Valenti (under his even cooler real name, Chet Powers) who was in and out and in (ah yes!: drugs, incarceration) San Francisco's psych-rock fixtures Quicksilver Messenger Service. Quicksilver's only real hit was (another HIT of) "Fresh Air", written by "Jesse Oris Farrow" (hint: same guy as Chet/ "Dino"!), but they did also manage to turn a Bo Diddley cover into an entire LP side: "Who Do You Love", "When...?", "Where...?" and so on. "Bo Diddley" of course was a stage name, for Otha Ellas Bates (later McDaniel), and on and on....
jk
Fearless: https://app.box.com/s/iciank7gxb36f9j9nfxn
Darkness, Darkness: https://app.box.com/s/vd6no0s9m38rk20vtzvl
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Harpswell Hootenanny '13, part 5: Neil Young b/w Freddy Fender
Wrapping up the electric-rock bounty from last spring's get-together, we've got two very different sounds for you. Both saw release in 1974 but they couldn't be more different: one jittery, foreboding and minor-key, the other swaying and sweet and major.
The dark side is represented both lyrically and musically by Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" off "On the Beach". It was a bleak time for Neil, still by all accounts reeling from the overdose deaths of bandmate Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, and an ugly time in America as a whole, what with the long southeast Asian wars winding down, Nixon falling, the long post-WWII economic boom grinding to a halt and the brief bloom of 60's optimism on its deathbed. "Revolution Blues" is a wide-eyed plunge into paranoia, drugs, guns and cultism, straight out of the Manson-deranged corner of SoCal in which Neil was living at the time. Poisonous stuff... On this version, Paul B played the percussive guitar and took the lead, I played the rhythm guitar and overdubbed Wurlitzer, Dillo positively nailed the jumpy Rick Danko bassline and Roadkill drove the whole thing home.
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye", on the other hand, is a warm throwback to 1962 (when the song was first released). It's one of those chestnuts that's been covered by many artists and, depending on when and where, various tones can dominate: country, soul, R&B, lounge jazz, and so on. My favorite version, on which our take is based, is off Freddy Fender's record "Before the Next Teardrop Falls". He has a nice soft, slow go at it, with a romantic Tejano croon. Our version is still positively calling out for a horn section but as it is, Paul B played the Wurlitzer, Roger played lead guitar, I played rhythm and some organ, and Dillo and Roadkill supplied their steady bass and drums.
jk
Revolution Blues: https://app.box.com/s/ttomoe18xi30e3py0l6r
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye: https://app.box.com/s/brwgssk3mu8swu9cn2cv
The dark side is represented both lyrically and musically by Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" off "On the Beach". It was a bleak time for Neil, still by all accounts reeling from the overdose deaths of bandmate Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, and an ugly time in America as a whole, what with the long southeast Asian wars winding down, Nixon falling, the long post-WWII economic boom grinding to a halt and the brief bloom of 60's optimism on its deathbed. "Revolution Blues" is a wide-eyed plunge into paranoia, drugs, guns and cultism, straight out of the Manson-deranged corner of SoCal in which Neil was living at the time. Poisonous stuff... On this version, Paul B played the percussive guitar and took the lead, I played the rhythm guitar and overdubbed Wurlitzer, Dillo positively nailed the jumpy Rick Danko bassline and Roadkill drove the whole thing home.
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye", on the other hand, is a warm throwback to 1962 (when the song was first released). It's one of those chestnuts that's been covered by many artists and, depending on when and where, various tones can dominate: country, soul, R&B, lounge jazz, and so on. My favorite version, on which our take is based, is off Freddy Fender's record "Before the Next Teardrop Falls". He has a nice soft, slow go at it, with a romantic Tejano croon. Our version is still positively calling out for a horn section but as it is, Paul B played the Wurlitzer, Roger played lead guitar, I played rhythm and some organ, and Dillo and Roadkill supplied their steady bass and drums.
jk
Revolution Blues: https://app.box.com/s/ttomoe18xi30e3py0l6r
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye: https://app.box.com/s/brwgssk3mu8swu9cn2cv
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Harpswell Hootenanny '13, part 4: Chuck Prophet b/w the Records
It's part of our charter that the Good Ship Hootenanny sometimes ply corners unbeknownst to most mortals. Maybe we don't go ocean-trench deep, but we do get at least county road obscure. Record geeks that we are, here's some stuff that we prefer to think should be a part of everybody's daily routine....
"Whole Lot More" comes courtesy of the unsung Chuck Prophet: Guitar slinger, smooth singer, bobbleheaded and tousled and bemused and small-shoed and FONKY! We're both huge CP fans, Paul B and I, and I'd a feeling this song would benefit from the Hoot treatment, since the time Dr. W and I were out west late in '12 for Paulie's surprise 40th. A fine time was had by all, yonder in the Outer Richmond, where the city falls into the the Pacific by Land's End and the Cliff House and Sutro Heights Park and all that jazz. The cocktail party was still rolling late into the evening at our buddy Leff's when, in the tiny downstairs kitchen, the acoustic gitboxes finally came out. Paulie played a version of this tune with his buddy "El Lefty Malo" and I made the mental note right there. A few months later in Harpswell Paul B helmed it, playing the straight rhythm guitar and taking the Prophetic lead vocal. Dillo and Roady bassed and drummed, and I played the tremolo guitar, etc . I guess Roger wasn't on this one. We kept missing out on his planned mandolin overdub, so I stepped up to that particular plate best I could.
"Starry Eyes" is a song that hung at my periphery for many years. Turns out it's a semi-lost power pop classic, released in '78 by the Records, out of the UK-- A real one-hit wonder situation, only without the hit. Anyways, my recollection is that about every time I heard the song, it seemed like the first time, and I'd wonder "Holy crap!--- Where has THIS song been all my life?!? Then, like a moth at the porchlight or a floater in the eye, it would be gone and out of mind. Fortunately, Dillo was sharp enough to bring this one to the table, and he played that great descending line and the bright Byrds-y parts on that fine Fender JazzMaster of his and sang most of it. I took up a Rickenbacker 6-string and some acoustics for the rhythm part and sang some. Bonanos shifted over to his typically clean and propulsive bass, getting up to his old tricks from the olden times-- One Way Dog for Roggie, that'd be, and Honcho for me and RK.
Hope you dig it.
jk
Whole Lot More: https://app.box.com/s/4xux21vumzftakv1juzm
Starry Eyes: https://app.box.com/s/2ngd8hpcqs53xx6fbmsj
"Whole Lot More" comes courtesy of the unsung Chuck Prophet: Guitar slinger, smooth singer, bobbleheaded and tousled and bemused and small-shoed and FONKY! We're both huge CP fans, Paul B and I, and I'd a feeling this song would benefit from the Hoot treatment, since the time Dr. W and I were out west late in '12 for Paulie's surprise 40th. A fine time was had by all, yonder in the Outer Richmond, where the city falls into the the Pacific by Land's End and the Cliff House and Sutro Heights Park and all that jazz. The cocktail party was still rolling late into the evening at our buddy Leff's when, in the tiny downstairs kitchen, the acoustic gitboxes finally came out. Paulie played a version of this tune with his buddy "El Lefty Malo" and I made the mental note right there. A few months later in Harpswell Paul B helmed it, playing the straight rhythm guitar and taking the Prophetic lead vocal. Dillo and Roady bassed and drummed, and I played the tremolo guitar, etc . I guess Roger wasn't on this one. We kept missing out on his planned mandolin overdub, so I stepped up to that particular plate best I could.
"Starry Eyes" is a song that hung at my periphery for many years. Turns out it's a semi-lost power pop classic, released in '78 by the Records, out of the UK-- A real one-hit wonder situation, only without the hit. Anyways, my recollection is that about every time I heard the song, it seemed like the first time, and I'd wonder "Holy crap!--- Where has THIS song been all my life?!? Then, like a moth at the porchlight or a floater in the eye, it would be gone and out of mind. Fortunately, Dillo was sharp enough to bring this one to the table, and he played that great descending line and the bright Byrds-y parts on that fine Fender JazzMaster of his and sang most of it. I took up a Rickenbacker 6-string and some acoustics for the rhythm part and sang some. Bonanos shifted over to his typically clean and propulsive bass, getting up to his old tricks from the olden times-- One Way Dog for Roggie, that'd be, and Honcho for me and RK.
Hope you dig it.
jk
Whole Lot More: https://app.box.com/s/4xux21vumzftakv1juzm
Starry Eyes: https://app.box.com/s/2ngd8hpcqs53xx6fbmsj
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Harpswell Hootenanny '13, part 3: Led Zeppelin b/w the Who
Continuing the bounty of Harpswell Hootenanny '13 with some classic rock from classic rockers:
A side is "Down By the Seaside" from Led Zeppelin's grand, (somehow) obscure and (to my ear) finest release, "Physical Graffitti" from 1975. (I think that rock criticism demands one use the term "sprawling" here, so insert here as need be). Who could say no to this particular deep cut? Paul B brought it to the Hoot-ers and locked the whole thing down with bubbly Wurlitzer 200a electronic piano. Roger and I played guitars (mine often tremoloed, plus the crappy solo, and his bright and fancy), and Roady and Dillo set the languid pace.
B side is "The Kids Are Alright" which came from the mod phase of the Who, ten long years prior to the Zep tune. This was another one where I got to sit back and watch the magic happen, particularly Roady and Dillo as the Moon/ Entwistle rhythm section. Paulie B appropriately took up a 6-string Rickenbacker while Roger played the other guitar (the Epiphone Sheraton semi-hollow, I believe) and sang. I added some harmonies and tambourine and acoustic guitar during production, as Pete Townsend and Kit Lambert would've wanted, and left it at that. We used to play this back in high school, me and Dillo and Stag and Maff and Andy, and it feels comfortable and ever so good to do it fair justice....
jk
Down by the Seaside: https://app.box.com/s/3ea2px10v4potv27ea6v
The Kids Are Alright: https://app.box.com/s/q049tlwyh2sj8aj2tb78
A side is "Down By the Seaside" from Led Zeppelin's grand, (somehow) obscure and (to my ear) finest release, "Physical Graffitti" from 1975. (I think that rock criticism demands one use the term "sprawling" here, so insert here as need be). Who could say no to this particular deep cut? Paul B brought it to the Hoot-ers and locked the whole thing down with bubbly Wurlitzer 200a electronic piano. Roger and I played guitars (mine often tremoloed, plus the crappy solo, and his bright and fancy), and Roady and Dillo set the languid pace.
B side is "The Kids Are Alright" which came from the mod phase of the Who, ten long years prior to the Zep tune. This was another one where I got to sit back and watch the magic happen, particularly Roady and Dillo as the Moon/ Entwistle rhythm section. Paulie B appropriately took up a 6-string Rickenbacker while Roger played the other guitar (the Epiphone Sheraton semi-hollow, I believe) and sang. I added some harmonies and tambourine and acoustic guitar during production, as Pete Townsend and Kit Lambert would've wanted, and left it at that. We used to play this back in high school, me and Dillo and Stag and Maff and Andy, and it feels comfortable and ever so good to do it fair justice....
jk
Down by the Seaside: https://app.box.com/s/3ea2px10v4potv27ea6v
The Kids Are Alright: https://app.box.com/s/q049tlwyh2sj8aj2tb78
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