…So you get this: Rick Wakeman talks about being a Christian
And….now he talks about….just kidding! He don’t talk at all. Spoiler: It gets crazy starting at 2:37
Finally…this is hilarious
I have written a post or two about some of my favorite (rock) guitarists. Now here is a guitarist I am familiar with who is most closely identified with 1970’s country music. His guitar prowess is often overshadowed by his association with the comedy series “Hee-Haw” which he starred in. Here he plays spanish style in a clip from the 1970’s TV comedy “The Odd Couple”, an episode of which he apparently appeared in.
That’s just crazy. And definitely not country
I hear you saying “Oh please! Not some more prog rock mumbo jumbo”. Don’t worry, today will be different. Just let me lay a little foundation first. On my cable television lineup I have found a couple music channels that are mostly devoted to live rock music performances. One is an MTV channel (I believe) called Palladia and the other is AXS.tv. Some programs are videos of mega-concerts, or documentaries. There seems to be a good mix of archival or classic rock and new stuff. Also there are a few interview type shows that will feature an artist doing small, inimate performances of their songs intermixed with an interview session. A couple of the best ones are “Live at Darryl’s House” and “The Guitar Center Sessions”. “…Darryl’s House” is hosted by Darryl Hall of Hall & Oates. Search your cable guide for either of these and tune in if you see someone you like – you won’t regret it. OK, foundation LAID.
So a few weeks ago I DVR’d an episode of “Live at Darryl’s House” featuring Smokey Robinson and i just watched it. It was a very good program, so I searched YouTube and it turns out many of the songs (from this episode and others) are posted there. Here are a couple songs from that show:
I like the casual atmosphere and the performers always look like thye’re just having a good time. Side note: If you like Hall & Oates tunes you’ll like this program because they always do a couple Hall & Oates numbers along with the guest’s music.
I write about anything that happens to be of interest to me, and the subject matter is varied. If you like what I write about some subjects but don’t care for others, look on the sidebar to the right. You will see “categories”. All my posts fit into one or more of these categories. Click on the category you are most intersted in, and you will see only posts in that category. Simple. Within my posts I often link to additional information and/or another blog or article that inspired the post. When you see a word in red text, that is a link to additional information. Click on it and the link will open in a new tab. Any pictures within a post can usually be viewed in a larger version by simply clicking on the picture.
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Please comment! To the left of the title you will see a box with the date and below it a box that says comments. Click there and a dialogue box will open where you will be able to write comments on the article. This is how I know you’re reading and I welcome all feedback on my writing. You will be asked for your name and e-mail adress but don’t worry! You can use an alias if you don’t want to disclose your name and your e-mail adress will not be displayed, nor will I spam you. I moderate all the comments so I will see your comment.
Thanks! and Enjoy!
Everyone knows the story of Pete Best, the “5th Beatle” and how he was bounced from the band just before they hit it big. Turns out there was also a “5th Who”..err.. earlier drummer for “The Who” who (that?) was dismissed from the band just before their big break.
Of all the larger than life personalities in Rock’n Roll few are larger than Keith Moon, drummer for The Who. Today I find out from UltimateClassicRock.com that he was not their original drummer, that honor belongs to a bloke named Doug Sandom. The short story: in 1962 London there was a group called the Detours. They were detoured by another group called The Detours and so they changed their name to The Who. Who? Yes, that’s right. No, not Yes. The Who. Their drummer was named Doug Sandom. There were also three other guys, Roger, John and Pete. The group got an audition for Fontana Records which they failed. In the fallout, Doug Sandom was fired and eventually Keith Moon was hired. The rest is history (said in the voice of Howard Cosell). For a better written and more detailed account, see the article at UltimateClassicRock.com. If that’s enough info for you then watch this:
And another for good measure:
As you know I think that Steve Howe is one of the best rock guitarists of all time. Seems I never shut up about it. Notice I sad ONE OF. There are other greats as well and don’t pretend there aren’t. Anyhoo… if you are a fan of Jimmy Page (who isn’t?), The Edge (of course) and Jack White (who?) you will want to watch this video which I came across at Ace of Spades HQ. It’s a documentary featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White and it’s called It Might Get Loud. You have to settle for a link because embedding is disabled for this video. So you get an introduction to Jack White instead:
Pretty Crazy. Also – Go Read Ace.
…write another music post with the sublject this time being Yes. The English rock band YES, that is. Founded in the 1970’s, they have undergone several incarnations and are still active today with most of the original members. When I first heard of them they were regarded somewhat as a “stoners” band since in those days top 40 am radio still ruled and their music was definitely not top 40. It was a little on the psychedelic side, maybe and so it was assumed you had to be stoned to appreciate it. I will admit that I did appreciate it a time or two in that condition (including one out-of-body experience), but I love it just as much today and I haven’t been stoned in decades. They did have a song make the charts in 1972, which was “Roundabout”. For many of you that may be the only YES song you have ever heard. Anyway…this music is, as they say, an acquired taste; which I guess means not everyone likes it at first but if you give it a chance you will. I liked it right from the first time I heard it, but at that time, I was already a big fan of the Moody Blues and Pink Floyd so it wasn’t much of a leap for me. YES’ music had the same kind of almost mystical lyrical qualities but with a little more edge. Below is the YouTube video of a live performance of the song “And You And I”. The song was released in 1972 on their album “Close to the Edge” and did reach #42 on the Billboard Top 100 in that same year. This particular liver performance was recorded in 2001.
Interesting intro by Jon Anderson who obviously has a poets heart. One other side note: Steve Howe – awesome guitarist. I have seen him play that same yellow Fender Sho Bud pedal steel guitar on several videos as early as 1976 (!). I wonder how many miles that thing has logged?
In 1978 Steely Dan released their album Aja. Since the band’s founders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were influenced by jazz fron their very beginnings, this album was somewhat of a milestone in that (to me anyway) it marked their transition from a jazz influenced rock band into a rock influenced jazz band. This live performance of the title track Aja was uploaded to youtube in 2011. I don’t know when it was performed but I assume it was somewhere around that time.
Serious jazz chops all around. Dude.
I am a big Peanuts fan and I have mixed feelings about this. It will probably be very good or very bad. I guess I will hope for the best, the trailer looks pretty cute.
I seem to associate Peanuts with good memories from my childhood, One of my friends had a few paperback anthologies which were just collections of Peanuts comic strips and we would spend hours reading those. Of course Snoopy was a favorite. There were life lessons in those comics, very subtle, not preachy. They could be absorbed effortlessly, almost unknowingly. Subliminally, as it were. I remember when the Peanuts TV specials came out and honestly at the time they seemed a little lame. The only one I really care for today is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, though “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” is not bad if just for the World War I Flying Ace sequence. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was the first of the specials made and done on a shoestring budget. The story of how it was made is interesting in that it nearly wasn’t made at all. TV executives wanted to cut the classic scene of Linus telling the true meaning of Christmas and Schulz was adamant about it being kept in. Then there is the iconic theme music, the title song which is “Linus and Lucy” by jazz musician Vince Guaraldi who is coincidentally also a northern California native, hailing from San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. This little song has withstood the test of time and I belive it will still be heard long after I am gone.
There is a Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California that I have visited. It is surprisingly large and as an adult you can easily spend an afternoon there. The kids may be bored after an hour, but most kids today probably don’t even know what Peanuts is (yet). Definitely worth a visit if you are in or going to be in northern California. Well, here’s hoping that Peanuts in 3D! will be a classic and keep the Peanuts legacy going for a few more generations.
“However, it said unarmed”. That is the google translation of this title which you may recognize as “gibberish” text that sometimes randomly fills text boxes when you are viewing theme examples in various publishing applications. It is a real language, Latin, the language of the Romans and it is often termed a “dead language”. Yet it persists in many areas of our modern lives – science, law and medicine to name a few. Some of our modern languages are derived from it. Since wordpress autofilled it into a sample text box I thought it fitting to retain the title and use it for a blog post. Inspiration is where you find it, am I right?
Guess I’ll play it by ear…
The title of this blog is also in Latin. Ego Vero translates roughly to “I Seek Truth”.
Ideas and language go hand in hand. Without language, ideas exist. But without ideas, language serves no purpose.
I intend to use this platform to practice the expression of my thoughts and ideas regarding various topics of interest to me through the use of the written word. I believe that Ideas are the puzzle pieces that make up our lives and make up the human experience. As each idea is expressed another piece of the puzzle falls into place – another pixel is illuminated. Eventually the truth emerges and God’s idea comes into focus. If you should choose to look into my little world I hope you may be entertained, informed or perhaps stimulated toward an idea or thought of your own. And since you may be walking around inside my head, please wipe your feet first.
So… off I go. Please join me if you will. However, it said unarmed.