I'm not sure what "smexy" means, but I'm sure it applies to the first-ever video from Electric Light Orchestra.
The year is 1972. Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, and Bev Bevan from the British pop group The Move have spent the last couple of years working on an album that will take the "classic pop" experimentation of The Beatles a step further. They call their new band Electric Light Orchestra.
Of course, they didn't actually have an orchestra, so they hired their roadies to wear masks and pretend to play cellos! Lynne wears an eyepatch, and Wood plays a white-haired, cello-playing wizard (whose see-sawing movements remind me of someone doing laundry, for some reason). But what really gets me is the French horn player, Bill Hunt (who would subsequently follow Wood into his next band, Wizzard). One doesn't think of the French horn as an instrument suitable to rock 'n' roll, but its mournful sound provides the highlight of the song, in my opinon.
This video is a rare find. Shortly afterwards, Wood would abandon the group he started to form Wizzard, and ELO would become Jeff Lynne's brainchild, with drummer Bevan and keyboard player Richard Tandy (who plays bass in this video) along for the long haul. More importantly, this video is pure '70s silliness and seriousness.
Enjoy!
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
Great find, He Who. I'm so out of touch with music these days that I'm reverting to my childhood and this is part of the soundtrack, it seems. Some groups are great, some achieve greatness, some become something more, and deservedly so. This is one of the later.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I'm also out of touch with music these days, Rick.
It's ironic that I used to think ill of older folks for getting stuck in the past, yet now I find myself doing the same. Yet its comforting to revisit these old songs and videos and perhaps see them in a different light. Besides, in many cases, these are songs or videos I've never heard or seen before. The ELO of 1972, for example, is a very different band from the one known for "Telephone Line" and "Turn to Stone" a few years later. Watching their evolution from the perspective of thirty years later is quite interesting.
If anyone has any other '60s/'70s videos they'd like to share, please do so.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
In the '70s, Soft Machine was known for instrumental jazz-rock fusion, a style of music that doesn't interest me. However, this song, "We Know What You Mean," is pure psychedlic rock, albeit somewhat more interesting than the usual acid-dripped fare. This is due to the inventive musicianship of Kevin Ayers (guitar), Robert Wyatt (drums) and Mike Ratledge (keyboards), as well as the haunting harmonies of Ayers and Wyatt (both of whom would go onto successful solo careers after leaving the group).
As for the video, it's pure psychedelia: a liquid light show, makeup, and long hair--and in black and white! The clip was originally broadcast on a Dutch TV show, Hoepla, and is available to us thanks to the miracle that is YouTube.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
No Soft Machine fans? Maybe this one is more to your liking.
In Britain, folk rock took a decidedly interesting twist: bands would find songs written centuries ago and "update" them with electric instruments. Such was the case of Steeleye Span, who had a Top Five hit with this 19th century ditty in 1976.
It makes me sad that in the U.S., we have such a limited pop music radio palette, as this song and the above two should have been hits on this side of the pond. Steeleye's Maddy Prior was an incredible singer--and still is, judging by more recent videos I've seen. She still fronts a version of the band which includes fiddler Peter Knight and bassist Rick Kemp, both also in this video.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Jeepers! So much great music in this thread!
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
So far, we've explored "classical" rock, jazz rock, and folk rock. What's left? How about some early country rock?
The Flying Burrito Brothers were an offshoot of the Byrds ("Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn Turn Turn"). Bassist Chris Hillman and singer/guitarist Gram Parsons split from that band to form their own in '68. The result was one of the first honest-to-Gosh country rock bands, predating Poco and the Eagles.
Unfortunately, the Burritos left it to other bands to capitalize on their innovations. Parsons was ejected from the band not long after this TV clip was made in 1970; he died three years later of a drug overdose. The Burritos continued on with constantly shifting personnel, often featuring lineups with no original members.
The guitarist in this video, by the way, is Bernie Leadon, who went on the co-found the aforementioned Eagles.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Not exactly a '60s/'70s video--except by association of the song and the musicians--but it's just so rare I couldn't resist.
This is the Byrds performing "Mr. Tambourine Man" and joined onstage by the song's writer, Bob Dylan.
The video is probably from 1989, when three ex-Byrds--Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman--reunited to protect their claim to the Byrds' name, which had been challenged by the other two ex-originals, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke. Even though the circumstances behind the reunion were dubious, great concert footage resulted from it. Where else are you going to see Crosby and Dylan performing together?
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
For my money, John Wetton pretty much defines "smexy" in this classic video from Family, a band I might never have gotten around to listening to, if it weren't for the magic of Youtube!
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
I don't know if this is smexy, but it kinda falls into the Southern California Three's Company Boz Skaggs style I remember from then.
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: For my money, John Wetton pretty much defines "smexy" in this classic video from Family, a band I might never have gotten around to listening to, if it weren't for the magic of Youtube!
Quite a find, Eryk! I'd never heard Wetton's work with Family before. (Loved the xylophone!)
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by rickshaw1: I don't know if this is smexy, but it kinda falls into the Southern California Three's Company Boz Skaggs style I remember from then.
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: For my money, John Wetton pretty much defines "smexy" in this classic video from Family, a band I might never have gotten around to listening to, if it weren't for the magic of Youtube!
Quite a find, Eryk! I'd never heard Wetton's work with Family before. (Loved the xylophone!)
I also found where someone had uploaded Mogul Thrash's album, featuring Wetton and what would eventually become the brass section of the Average White Band.
Anyway, here's Wetton's future Asia-bandmate Steve Howe at only seventeen!
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were from my home state, Missouri. In 1985, I actually took a class with the ex-wife of one of the later band members.
This song always puts me in the mind of a particular girl I knew when I was growing up. Her name wasn't Jackie, but it was close.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Speaking of Ozark Mountain Daredevils, I hadn't heard this song in 35 years, but it's as funny as I remembered it!
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Wow, great thread! I've never seen it before. I need to give this thread the listening to it deserves when I get the chance (aka: when I'm not at work and people will look into my office funny).
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
Glad you like it Cobie. I've found some great new stuff here and been reminded of some great old stuff as well.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
One of my favorite songs of the '70s is this catchy ditty from 1974.
Redbone was a band of Native Americans led by brothers Pat and Lolly Vasquez (a.k.a. Vegas). Pat plays the bass, and Lolly is the guitarist and lead singer on this song.
I was saddened to learn of Lolly's recent passing on March 4, 2010.
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
Thats a great one, He Who.
I still love this one. Abc even used it as their promo music.
I loved Orleans, Rick! I was going to post one of their later hits, "Love Takes Time," but I couldn't find a video I liked.
Instead, here's an altogether different band. Bachman Turner Overdrive was led by former Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman and featured bassist C. Fred Turner on vocals. Though this concert was filmed in 1988, it captures the early '70s glory of the band. I love the guitar in this song.
[ March 22, 2010, 11:47 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
Posted by cleome on :
Alice Stuart in 1971, singing and playing electric:
Stuart is still actively playing, just one state up from me. The last time she was scheduled to come to town, the roads were closed from a flood. But I vow to see her live-- someday!
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by rickshaw1: This was a dirty little sexy thang from the seventies that I loved as a kid.
I loved this song, too! It took me years to figure out the lyrics. I finally found them on the Internet about 15 years ago ("Just a 5'9", beautiful, tall . . .").
True story: The Hollies were formed by lead singer Alan Clarke and rhythm guitarist Graham Nash, although the latter had departed in '68 to form Crosby Stills & Nash. Clarke left the group around '71 and was replaced by Swedish singer Michael Rickfors, but when "Long Cool Woman" became an unexpected hit, Clarke rejoined the group and Rickfors was dispatched from whence he came.
Posted by Exnihil on :
What a cool thread. I haven't heard some of these songs since I was a little kid... thanks for remedying that.
Let me make my own contribution from 1970, with former Animals front-man, Eric Burdon, leading the funk band, War in the coolest version of Spill the Wine ever.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
That's fantastic! I Eric Burdon!
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Continuing on my "early appearances by members of Asia" theme, here's a very young Carl Palmer playing with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Re: Arthur Brown
During the '70s, Ozzy Osbourne was asked in an interview if he liked KISS. He said he did not, as KISS's stage show had been done years before by Arthur Brown.
One of the few times Ozzy has made sense.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Here's some very early Fairport Convention, from when they were known as "the British Jefferson Airplane", before they developed the folk rock style that they are most known for.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Thanks for posting the link, Eryk. I'd seen an early Fairport video before, but it wasn't quite as long as this.
Fairport Convention has a fascinating history. The female vocalist in this video, Judy Dyble, was replaced later the same year by Sandy Denny, who became something of a legend in British folk rock. Drummer Martin Lamble was killed when the band's van tumbled off the highway a year later.
Iain Matthews, the male lead singer, left the band in '69 and went on to a successful solo career. In the U.S., he is best known for the 1978 hit "Shake It, Baby."
Lead guitarist Richard Thompson also became successful as a soloist, while bassist Ashley Hutchings co-founded Steeleye Span (see Page 1 of this thread, though he had left before "All Around My Hat") and the Albion Country Band.
A version of Fairport Convention exists today, but only guitarist Simon Nicol remains from the lineup in this video.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
As I recall FC holds an annual folk rock festival in Britain.
Judy Dyble is also significant for her involvement with Giles, Giles, and Fripp, the band which morphed into King Crimson.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
This isn't a 60s/70s video, but it's interesting, because had you gone to see the Plastic People of the Universe in the 60s/70s, you would've risked ending up in prison! Most of the members of the band spent time in prison themselves, and they were one of the main inspirations for the anti-communist movement in Czechoslovakia. And now we can watch them on Youtube!
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: As I recall FC holds an annual folk rock festival in Britain.
quote:[QBJudy Dyble is also significant for her involvement with Giles, Giles, and Fripp, the band which morphed into King Crimson. [/QB]
Another connection is that Dyble used to date Ian MacDonald, who was an original member of King Crimson and Foreigner.
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: This isn't a 60s/70s video, but it's interesting, because had you gone to see the Plastic People of the Universe in the 60s/70s, you would've risked ending up in prison! Most of the members of the band spent time in prison themselves, and they were one of the main inspirations for the anti-communist movement in Czechoslovakia. And now we can watch them on Youtube!
I've got some clips of them on iTunes!
Joy of Cooking: featuring Terri Garthwaite and Toni Brown "going electric" long before modern audiences would think (thanks to idiot critics with no sense of history), singing, "Don't the Moon Look Fat and Lonesome" (1972).
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Wonderful song, cleome, from a wonderful group.
Makes one realize how bland Top 40 radio has always seemed by comparison.
Posted by cleome on :
Yeah. And yet... it's very accessible music, very danceable and so on. (Same with Stuart's stuff.)
You can never overestimate the caveman mentality of marketers, though. A couple of years down the line, IIRC, the Wilson sisters would be pitching their band to a major label and be told, "Well, we already HAVE a woman artist. So..."
[beats own head against the wall for three hours]
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
The first popular band I was ever aware of was the biggest U.S. band of the early '70s, Three Dog Night. Although all of their videos are available on youtube, I really like this one-- a wonderful song made even better by Danny Hutton's clowning around at the end.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: another connection is that Dyble used to date Ian MacDonald, who was an original member of King Crimson and Foreigner.
McDonald is also a guest on Dyble's late-2009 record Talking With Strangers, as is Robert Fripp.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Interestingly enough, I was just listening to this performance of a track off that album earlier tonight.
Posted by Jerry on :
As a kid in the 70s, I was lucky to get to go to summer camp each year at Camp Clover Point on the Lake of the Ozarks. There was swimming, canoeing, archery, crafts, softball, and a dance every night. I remember dancing myself silly to this number in the sweltering Missouri heat.
LOL - Man, I wish I could go back to that feeling.
[ May 16, 2010, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: Jerry ]
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I watched the same video not an hour ago! "Little Willy" is one of my favorite songs. I have the sheet music and used to be able to play that riff.
Posted by Jerry on :
It's an awesome riff!
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Indeed it is. Here's another Sweet classic.
Posted by Jerry on :
And another Three Dog Night classic. This performance gives me chills.
Been watching the early Soft Machine vids (thanks, HWW!) and they got to thinking about another underrated Canterbury band.
They never made it big in the progressive era, probably because they were poppier and jazzier than most of the bands to hit. The band is Caravan, and this is Golf Girl
Note: You may have to crank this one. Volume's a little low.
Posted by Jerry on :
Does Marainne Faithfull qualify as smexy? She definitely qualifies as classy.
It gives me chills, too, Jerry. Of 3DN's three vocalists (Cory Wells, Chuck Negron, and Danny Hutton), I think Wells is my favorite. Check out his version of "Try a Little Tenderness."
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner: Been watching the early Soft Machine vids (thanks, HWW!)
You're welcome, OM. I'm glad somebody else appreciates the early Softs. This song has a more accessible pop hook than most of their material, thanks to Kevin Ayers. His solo material is also worth checking out.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by rickshaw1: Don't know if I'd call this "smexy"...but I love this old song...
The problem I'm having with this thread is the fact that almost ever song here is pretty damn fantastic...and I know them but have forgotten them over the years. My grandfather's little juke box joint played all these great songs before he closed it up.
I never realized what a great audience appreciation and eductation I had as a kid, but it was there. I heard most of these songs after ten oclock at night over pool tables and pin ball machines before the age of ten. There is some seriously good stuff here.
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
I like Brooks and Dunn's version, but this is the eternal way I will here this song, no matter what.
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner: Been watching the early Soft Machine vids (thanks, HWW!)
You're welcome, OM. I'm glad somebody else appreciates the early Softs. This song has a more accessible pop hook than most of their material, thanks to Kevin Ayers. His solo material is also worth checking out.
I recall Softs drummer Robert Wyatt basically saying that they "ruined" Ayers by sticking him in a psychedelic/weird outfit when he should have been a pop singer.
I've been a Softs fan since high school, when I found a repackaging of their first two LPs at a used record store.
Posted by Fanfic Lass on :
Kevin Ayers disciple Julian Cope is extremely smexy and extremely talented, but he didn't start making recordings until 1980, so I guess he doesn't have a place in this thread. Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
There's no reason one couldn't start an '80s/'90s "smexy" thread.
Posted by Fanfic Lass on :
True. If only my computer wasn't so slow, I could watch videos to put in the thread.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
I have similar issues. The first time I run a vid, it takes forever to totally load. Might be boundary issues. After the first time through, though, it's fine.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Another band that should have made it big. They started out kind of glam, then moved into art-rock before streamlining their sound slightly ahead of the oncoming New Wave. This vid is from their later days.
Nice! BBD had a '50s vibe going. (Though it's hard to get used to rock stars who look like accountants. )
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
You know... I've only listened to a little bit of BBD before!
I always think of them as being in the same category as 10cc, however, so here's one of their tunes!
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I could care less about Nirvana's music in the 90s, but they sounded pretty good in the 60s. Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Steely Dan as you've probably not heard them before - playing like they have a plane to catch.
Speaking of "smexy" - don't forget to check out the guy doing the introductions.
Posted by Fanfic Lass on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I could care less about Nirvana's music in the 90s
I'm so glad to find out that I'm not the only one on Legion World who doesn't like them. I wonder who will be the next one to come forward? Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Ok, yet another group who should have been bigger than they were, and who certainly had the respect of a lot of other musicians as you'll see from the clip.
Nirvanc, that other band with the guy that shotgunned himself...all of them...I feel pretty much..."eh"...about them. Any "rocker" that does the "I'm such a tortured soul..." thing is pretty much a poser and a douche.
That said, Little Feet, Blackfoot, Rainbow...all had some good stuff.
sorry, double posted for some reason.
Posted by Jerry on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner: Steely Dan as you've probably not heard them before - playing like they have a plane to catch.
Speaking of "smexy" - don't forget to check out the guy doing the introductions.
What is going on in that performance? Did they have a plane to catch? Was it the drugs? Were they just experimenting?
[ May 22, 2010, 09:02 PM: Message edited by: Jerry ]
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Fanfic Lass:
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I could care less about Nirvana's music in the 90s
I'm so glad to find out that I'm not the only one on Legion World who doesn't like them. I wonder who will be the next one to come forward?
I'd pretty much disappeared into full-blown jazz snobbery by the 1990s. (I spent my last two years of college listening mostly to Wayne Shorter, Billie Holiday, and Count Basie. Ironically, the mini swing-craze didn't hit until almost a decade after that.) If not for the fact that I lived in the Pacific NW, and started dating a guy who did some backstage work for NXNW, I'm not sure I would have noticed the grunge craze at all.
Music press always seems to create an inch-deep view of whatever eras they're writing about anyway. There was plenty of great "pure pop" making the rounds in the 1990s, but now we're not supposed to remember it.
I still like digging out a lot of the local recordings from that era and hearing the kind of flourishes and markings that grunge left on them without changing their fundamental nature. The Black Watch, for instance, is one of those "arty," post-Eighties California bands whose best work (to me) is the stuff that had its surface "roughed up" with grunge.
Locally, it was a great time to follow woman artists, too. Man, I STILL miss Carminha Pirahna.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I actually can remember the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit". I was watching 120 minutes one night in high school, and I can remember the song really standing out. A few weeks later they were huge. I do think Nirvana did a good job of capturing the mood of a certain subset of my generation very nicely. I suppose I at least respect them for that. But it's not anything I would consider to be "my" music.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by Jerry:
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner: Steely Dan as you've probably not heard them before - playing like they have a plane to catch.
Speaking of "smexy" - don't forget to check out the guy doing the introductions.
What is going on in that performance? Did they have a plane to catch? Was it the drugs? Were they they just experimenting?
I have no idea, really. It's possible they picked up the pace as a way of making the song fit into the alloted time slot. Or this is just how the original band sounded when they were free of studio constraints. based on this, it's no surprise "Skunk" Baxter ended up in the Doobie Brothers.
That wouldn't explain, however, why at the same performance original singer David Palmer takes the lead vocal on "Do It Again" instead of Donald Fagen. (You can see that on YouTube as well, btw.)
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: You know... I've only listened to a little bit of BBD before!
I always think of them as being in the same category as 10cc, however, so here's one of their tunes!
Hope the BBD clip encouraged you to check out more.
I have to give artists like Gerry Rafferty and 10cc a lot of credit for trying to make it on the strengths of their records alone in the image-conscious UK.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
With the best band he ever had the privilege of working with.
Posted by cleome on :
Somebody was on Marian McPartland's show a couple of week's back, talking about what an amazing/underappreciated song "What A Fool Believes," is, because of its obscured Latin groove and its pairing of a peppy melody with what's really a mind-blowing amount of lyrical sadness. You hear that in classic Bossa Nova a lot, too.
I wish I'd caught the artist's name, because their cover was great.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I think this song is actually better known for Kiss's version these days, but the original by Argent is much better.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: Somebody was on Marian McPartland's show a couple of week's back, talking about what an amazing/underappreciated song "What A Fool Believes," is, because of its obscured Latin groove and its pairing of a peppy melody with what's really a mind-blowing amount of lyrical sadness. You hear that in classic Bossa Nova a lot, too.
I wish I'd caught the artist's name, because their cover was great.
Google suggests the artist is one Carol Welsman
Posted by cleome on :
Thanks, OM! I'll have to look her up. Only... I'm pretty sure the artist I heard was a guy. Well, OTOH, my hearing ain't what it used to be.
[ May 24, 2010, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by Kent on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: Somebody was on Marian McPartland's show a couple of week's back, talking about what an amazing/underappreciated song "What A Fool Believes," is, because of its obscured Latin groove and its pairing of a peppy melody with what's really a mind-blowing amount of lyrical sadness. You hear that in classic Bossa Nova a lot, too.
I wish I'd caught the artist's name, because their cover was great.
the song may well be under-appreciated for one reason: Michael MacDonald. snooze.
Posted by cleome on :
While you were dozing off, I gave away all the pound cake to people with taste.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: Thanks, OM! I'll have to look her up. Only... I'm pretty sure the artist I heard was a guy. Well, OTOH, my hearing ain't what it used to be.
According to the NPR website, McPartland's guest host for the show was some guy named Joe. That's who you may be remembering.
Posted by Jerry on :
Not to be shallow - the music is great - but that Georgie Fame was one handsome devil. Nice.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I think this song is actually better known for Kiss's version these days, but the original by Argent is much better.
Indeed, it is.
For me, Argent will always be known for this song. The clip is from "The Midnight Special," complete with a John Denver introduction.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Speaking of Kiss, which future, short-term member of that group is in this video for Dan Hartman's pop hit from 1978?
[ May 22, 2010, 09:14 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: Speaking of Kiss, which future, short-term member of that group is in video for this Dan Hartman pop hit from 1978?
Vinnie Vincent.
Speaking of Argent, it appears the original lineup has reunited and is playing gigs.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner:
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: Speaking of Kiss, which future, short-term member of that group is in video for this Dan Hartman pop hit from 1978?
Vinnie Vincent.
Yep, though he was Vinnie Cusano then.
Nice to hear about Argent. I saw Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone reunite as the Zombies on a PBS special a few years ago. They sounded great.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: Nice to hear about Argent. I saw Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone reunite as the Zombies on a PBS special a few years ago. They sounded great.
I saw them in person twice. The bassist both times was Jim Rodford of Argent/Kinks fame. Both shows were great, though the second time they were someone upstaged by openers Arthur Lee & Love.
An interview with the Argent guys in this month's Classic Rock suggests they had always stayed friends, so a reunion wasn't difficult to arrange.
Posted by Jerry on :
One of the greatest singer/songwriters of that (or any) era.
quote:Originally posted by cleome: Thanks, OM! I'll have to look her up. Only... I'm pretty sure the artist I heard was a guy. Well, OTOH, my hearing ain't what it used to be.
According to the NPR website, McPartland's guest host for the show was some guy named Joe. That's who you may be remembering.
OM, where was Joe going with that gun in his hand?
Oh, wait. Wrong thread. Never mind. Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Jerry: Not to be shallow - the music is great - but that Georgie Fame was one handsome devil. Nice.
Emmy Lou and Juice Newton....always got mah mojo up and runnin...
Posted by cleome on :
[clip]
quote:Originally posted by rickshaw1: Nirvana, that other band with the guy that shotgunned himself...all of them...I feel pretty much..."eh"...about them. Any "rocker" that does the "I'm such a tortured soul..." thing is pretty much a poser and a douche...
Actually, I think Cobain probably had clinical depression. Regardless of his other flaws, CD is a disease, and unfortunately it's very difficult to treat. I lost a good friend to it about five years after Cobain's death. Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: OM, where was Joe going with that gun in his hand?
I dunno. Ask this guy. Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Speaking of female vocalists, check out Bev Bivens in this 1965 folk rock classic, complete with Fred Astaire introduction.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I always get a kick out of the name Flaming Youth. It's long way from there to "In the Air Tonight".
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
I have to admit that I like Palmer's version with Power Company better, but I though this fit here...
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I always get a kick out of the name Flaming Youth. It's long way from there to "In the Air Tonight".
Wow. You really can find just about anything on YouTube!
The song is slow and ponderous, a lot like some of Collins' solo work ("Another Day in Paradise," et al.). Hard to believe this is the same guy who collaborated on such upbeat songs as "No Reply at All," "Abacab" and even "Follow You, Follow Me."
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by rickshaw1: I have to admit that I like Palmer's version with Power Company better, but I though this fit here...
Ah, T. Rex! Love this song, although the two female vocalists on this version are overwhelming and distracting. (One of the female vocalists--I'm not sure which--is Gloria Jones, whom Marc Bolan married and who was driving the car when he was killed in an accident on Sept. 16, 1977.)
There's another video of this song floating around which features Elton John on piano.
Posted by Fanfic Lass on :
I love T. Rex!
I think "The Slider" is one of the smexiest albums ever recorded!
Yes, I like it better than "Electric Warrior"!
I'm funny that way.
Posted by cleome on :
Can we get some Soul/R&B up in this joint, as the kids like to say?
OM dude, are you me? I was listening to a whole bunch of Bobby Blue Bland just a couple of evenings ago.
[ May 27, 2010, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by cleome on :
The "smexy" in this one is on the trite side, but still... you can't go wrong with Z.Z. Hill (1935-1984) singing "Second Chance."
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: OM dude, are you me?
I may be cool.
But I'm not that cool.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Though it's less well known than the other parts of the El Paso trilogy, this one is my favorite part.
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner:
quote:Originally posted by cleome: OM dude, are you me?
I may be cool.
But I'm not that cool.
Awww...
Hey, the key to all coolness in the known universe is contained here.
It has Percy Mayfield singing "I Don't Want To Be President," and Ted Taylor singing the best-ever version of Mayfield's "River's Invitation." I was hoping to find that track on YouTube, but I came up empty.
[ May 30, 2010, 02:28 PM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome:
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner:
quote:Originally posted by cleome: OM dude, are you me?
I may be cool.
But I'm not that cool.
Awww...
Hey, the key to all coolness in the known universe is contained here.
It has Percy Mayfield singing "I Don't Want To Be President," and Ted Taylor singing the best-ever version of Mayfield's "River's Invitation." I was hoping to find that track on YouTube, but I came up empty.
Groovy stuff! That's actually right up my alley!
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Oh, I love this thread!! It took me days to get through it! In 1978 or so, I bought a 12" single called "What A Difference A Day Makes" by a R&B singer named Esther Phillips. I was only 12 years old, so I had no idea it was a cover of a classic Dinah Washington hit, nor did I know that Esther had been around since the early 60s. What I did know was that this lady's voice cut right through me and that she was possibly even more miserable than I was. Her cover of Gil Scott-Heron's Misery still wrecks me.
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Oh, joy!! I found her version of What A Diff"rence A Day Makes too! It was actually a disco hit here in the NYC area and got loads of airplay!! Her voice is raw & ragged from years of heroin abuse, but I remember clearly how it spoke to me as a lonely child, and let me know that one day I'd be a lot happier.
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
I'm not sure, but I think love may be unpleasant at times according to these fellows.
Yep, and here's another classic rocker from the same Scottish lads . . . one that makes you want to pick up a guitar (or a voice synthesizer).
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
One of my all-time favorite bands. See if you can spot evidence of chemically-induced bliss.
LOL!! I got a contact high just watching that clip!! Steve Winwood's eyes are like big, black marbles!!
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
So I'm a lot more familiar with his son's work, but I always feel like I ought to listen to more Tim Buckley. Posted by Fanfic Lass on :
Goodbye and Hello is the Tim Buckley album to get IMO. A lot of people would say Happy Sad is the one, but it's not my cup of tea.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I've never been a big Kiss fan, but I really like this song from 1979, not to mention Ace Frehley's flashing guitar.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Some fine advice from the late, utterly great Otis Redding Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner: Some fine advice from the late, utterly great Otis Redding
Excellent version, though I think the announcer's introductions ruin the mood.
Check out Three Dog Night's version, featuring Cory Wells as vocalist.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
The Shulman Brothers have quite an interesting musical history, forming the core of one of the proggiest of 70s progressive rock bands, Gentle Giant. Derek Shulman would later go on to become a major record executive, signing, among others, Bon Jovi. Ray Shulman became a successful engineer and producer. Phil Shulman became a music teacher.
Oh, and note the french horn.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: I've never been a big Kiss fan, but I really like this song from 1979, not to mention Ace Frehley's flashing guitar.
I'm not a fan either, but they could come up with a decent tune every so often when Gene wasn't busy counting his money.
Funny enough, their record label (Casablanca) was *the* disco label at the time.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: The Shulman Brothers have quite an interesting musical history, forming the core of one of the proggiest of 70s progressive rock bands, Gentle Giant. Derek Shulman would later go on to become a major record executive, signing, among others, Bon Jovi. Ray Shulman became a successful engineer and producer. Phil Shulman became a music teacher.
French horns are cool (see the first video in this thread).
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner:
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: I've never been a big Kiss fan, but I really like this song from 1979, not to mention Ace Frehley's flashing guitar.
I'm not a fan either, but they could come up with a decent tune every so often when Gene wasn't busy counting his money.
Funny enough, their record label (Casablanca) was *the* disco label at the time.
Yes, and "I Was Made for Lovin' You" has the disco beat. (I say "the" because there was only one.) This only proves, I suppose, that disco wasn't so bad, after all.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
What? No Muppets join in? Where's Dr. Teeth and Animal?
Seriously, Stevie's a reminder of why '70s music was sooooo good.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I don't know if Brenton Woods qualifies as soul or pop, or both, but once you get this song in your head, you'll never get it out (and that's a good thing).
Posted by cleome on :
According to legend, for most of their career they got it cut that way every week and never went out in public without the robes.
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Even as a child, this 1975 tune by Roxy Music made me feel tingly "down there".
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by lil'rhino: Even as a child, this 1975 tune by Roxy Music made me feel tingly "down there".
What is it with rock stars and eye patches (see the first video in this thread)?
"Love Is a Drug" is a good song, but I never heard it until years later. My first exposure to Roxy Music was this tune from 1979.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
I actually got into Roxy with the American version of their first album, which added this 1972 single.
Look for Brian Eno on synths and tapes.
Posted by lil'rhino on :
quote:Originally posted by Outdoor Miner: I actually got into Roxy with the American version of their first album, which added this 1972 single.
Look for Brian Eno on synths and tapes.
So ahead of their time!!
Posted by cleome on :
The "Sweet Soul Queen of New Orleans," Irma Thomas (b. 1941), with some "Mod" footage of a 1960s model:
And totally rocking "Please Send Me Someone To Love"-- yet another Percy Mayfield classic. (I love the album graphics, too!)
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Not as smexy as the Roxy boys, but every bit as innovative.
I'm pretty sure that they're still mad, drugs or no, but I'd still totally buy them a round if I could.*
I had that weird version of the Black Sea LP with the shiny black plastic bag exterior, and one of my dopey siblings threw the bag away! Grrr...
*Because I wouldn't even have made it out of the Eighties alive without this.
[ June 28, 2010, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by Jerry on :
Nice picks, OM.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Thanks, Jerry!
XTC and Can have long been faves of mine, and I'm glad for the opportunity to showcase them here.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
When I think of XTC, I think first of "Senses Working Overtime" and second of this odd video from 1979. (I always thought Andy was doing a Joker impersonation.)
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Appropriate for the July holiday. From a group that was incredibly popular in the States in the '70s but largely forgotten now:
Whoa! That was a smexy explosion.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Love that song! Grand Funk (as they were known by then) was one of the most popular bands of my childhood, and this song went straight to Number One in 1973.
quote:Originally posted by Jerry: Whoa! That was a smexy explosion.
I don't believe guitarist Mark Farner ever wore a shirt during the '70s. He was just that smexy.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Dig the classic Farfisa organ on this hit from Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.
Interestingly, the "Sham" part of his name apparently came from the fact that he couldn't actually play the organ beyond a few basic chords when he started. Ironically, he would have a massive influence on the sound of mid to late 60s rock and roll.
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: When I think of XTC, I think first of "Senses Working Overtime" and second of this odd video from 1979. (I always thought Andy was doing a Joker impersonation.)
Speaking of "barking mad." I remember seeing that video once on MTV, and going nearly out of my mind waiting in vain for them to ever play it again.
And, yeah, Partridge knows his comics, so it's entirely possible that he did have The Joker in mind, actually.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
With the current vampire craze, I'm surprised this classic hasn't made a comeback.
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: With the current vampire craze, I'm surprised this classic hasn't made a comeback.
It's too subtle.
Modern vampire music must be screamy or whiny or screamy and whiny.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Hmm... what about this version? Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Hmm... what about this version?
Both weirder and much, much smexier. Still not much in the way of screamy and whiny.
Bonus points for the singer miming a non-existent piano part.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I love the mid-section of that video with the old guys drinking wine and discussing the band!
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
I don't care how many weddings you've heard this played at, this is still one of the greatest pop songs ever written.
though I couldn't find a video for it other than live footage from about the ninties, I think it is.
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
Both these songs were used by ABC for the season theme song in the early/mid seventies, and I think its where I first heard both of them. I've loved them both ever since. Don't know if they are "smexy", but they are damn fine songs.
The Rolling Stones in Navy uniforms and taking a bubble bath--how can you get smexier than that?
Posted by rickshaw1 on :
Wish I could find a better video of the original version, I like Lindsey Buckingham, but this ain't his song with Fleetwood. I have loved this song from the first time I heard it.
Seeing rick's mention of Nina Simone on the "Power Chicks" thread reminded me of this fantastic performance, more appropriately located in this thread. If this isn't "smexy" I don't know what is (actually I'm not entirely sure I do know what "smexy" is).
As a side note, although I love that video, I can never help but wonder... where exactly is the organist?
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I don't advocate drugs, but if you're going to do a drug song, at least make it entertaining, quasi-mystical, and irresistible. The Small Faces showed how it's done.
Lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott later left the band to form Humble Pie. The remaining Faces (sans Small) picked up guitarist Ron Wood and a little known singer named Rod Stewart and enjoyed a successful career through the early '70s. Stewart's solo career and Wood's graduation into the Rolling Stones then derailed their career.
Keyboard player Ian McLagan was later a support musician for the Stones. Drummer Kenney Jones replaced Keith Moon in The Who. Bassist Ronnie Lane formed his own group (Slim Chance) before multiple sclerosis incapacitated him and pneumonia took his life in 1997. Marriott died in a house fire in 1991.
A very talented and underrated group.
Posted by Jerry on :
We were pretty smexy at the roller rink when this one came on:
I think not. In fact, I'm pretty sure my realization that bald guys could be hot pretty much jibes with the first time that I heard a Cleanhead LP. (Actually, it was a Pablo records duet he sang with the great Sarah Vaughn [who was the session leader], but why get technical?)
*(1917-1988)
[ August 18, 2010, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by Jerry on :
Teddy Pendergrass. He'd sing three lines and all the women's clothes fell off.
Posted by Fanfic Lass on :
Despite (or because of) his receding hairline, few people were smexier than Brian Eno during his glam phase. His first solo album, "Here Come the Warm Jets", is one of my favorite albums of all time.
This is pretty amazing. Very early line-up of Supertramp (with Roger Hodgson on bass, and Richard Palmer-James, best known as lyricist for mid-seventies King Crimson, on guitar) performing a version of "All Along the Watchtower" in 1970. What's really amazing is how much it sounds like Yes of the same period.
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But I vow to see her live-- someday!
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Eric Burdon!
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