re: Kenny(s):
We all hear things differently ... as evidenced by two emails we received after our review of Tuesday Night's Kenny Loggins Concert in Elk Grove Village ...
Kent -
I have to disagree with you completely on your review of Kenny Loggins' concert. I thought it was the best I've seen there in the last few years they've had this series going, and was not the least bit bored. I thought Kenny was in great vocal form and put a lot of energy into the show, and I thought his band was excellent. He didn't need a huge band behind him - the lead guitarist, keyboard player and drums were enough to accompany his voice - in fact the guitarist, I thought, was excellent. Artists are always taking a chance when they introduce a new band, or style of music they're working on, because everyone wants to hear the hits. But I personally loved Blue Sky Riders and their music, especially when Georgia came out with the dulcimer, an instrument I played a little bit myself. I bought their cd and really enjoyed it. I agree about the kickstarter thing. And I definitely agree with your comments about the mess in the crowd. I was in the second row, and since I've worked concert security for so long, my first thought was 'If there's an emergency, people would be trapped and trampled for sure.' Our first job is always to keep the aisles open and passable, in case of emergency. (That's why concert goers get ticked off at us when they want to beat the crowd out, so they come to the top of the stairs during the last song to watch it there, and we either make them go back to their seats or leave - man, they hate that! But it's a fire hazard, and we have to do it!) but I didn't see that happening the other night, and it should have. And with the barricades in the front hitched together, you couldn't have gotten out that way either. And while I understand the police putting chairs for their families in the front row, once everyone else got in they were still putting chairs BETWEEN the rows so the folks that were in the rows behind them had no foot room, which added to the aggravation and further blocked up the aisles! I think maybe they're just not used to crowd control at these type of events. I have plenty of respect for the police, but I just thought it could have been handled a little more safely. But I think Elk Grove did a fine job overall, and we really should thank them for allowing us to invade their town to enjoy some great music every year, for free, and hope they'll continue and maybe take some of our comments to heart. Thank you Elk Grove!
Marlene O'Malley
They need to organize SOME kind of a system to better control the spectators. I don't think they ever expected these kinds of crowds this year ... clearly this series has really taken off. (But it's also gotten out of hand with people bringing HUGE Ravinia-type set-ups to house their own little private parties. All this does is deny other fans a place to sit and cause tempers to rise.) With that thought in mind, I think they need to seriously re-think some method of organization for next year. And, as mentioned by Jim last week, I'd love to see them extend the series with more shows in 2015 ... this clearly brings big bucks into the community and the nearby merchants had to be thriving these past five Tuesday nights. But they, too, need to beef up their operations in order to accommodate this huge influx of business. Restaurants were literally running out of product and having to shut down early ... and NOBODY should have to wait in line for nearly an hour to pick up a cold sub sandwich. Kinda defeats the whole concept of "fast food"!!!!
We all hear things differently ... as evidenced by two emails we received after our review of Tuesday Night's Kenny Loggins Concert in Elk Grove Village ...
Kent -
I have to disagree with you completely on your review of Kenny Loggins' concert. I thought it was the best I've seen there in the last few years they've had this series going, and was not the least bit bored. I thought Kenny was in great vocal form and put a lot of energy into the show, and I thought his band was excellent. He didn't need a huge band behind him - the lead guitarist, keyboard player and drums were enough to accompany his voice - in fact the guitarist, I thought, was excellent. Artists are always taking a chance when they introduce a new band, or style of music they're working on, because everyone wants to hear the hits. But I personally loved Blue Sky Riders and their music, especially when Georgia came out with the dulcimer, an instrument I played a little bit myself. I bought their cd and really enjoyed it. I agree about the kickstarter thing. And I definitely agree with your comments about the mess in the crowd. I was in the second row, and since I've worked concert security for so long, my first thought was 'If there's an emergency, people would be trapped and trampled for sure.' Our first job is always to keep the aisles open and passable, in case of emergency. (That's why concert goers get ticked off at us when they want to beat the crowd out, so they come to the top of the stairs during the last song to watch it there, and we either make them go back to their seats or leave - man, they hate that! But it's a fire hazard, and we have to do it!) but I didn't see that happening the other night, and it should have. And with the barricades in the front hitched together, you couldn't have gotten out that way either. And while I understand the police putting chairs for their families in the front row, once everyone else got in they were still putting chairs BETWEEN the rows so the folks that were in the rows behind them had no foot room, which added to the aggravation and further blocked up the aisles! I think maybe they're just not used to crowd control at these type of events. I have plenty of respect for the police, but I just thought it could have been handled a little more safely. But I think Elk Grove did a fine job overall, and we really should thank them for allowing us to invade their town to enjoy some great music every year, for free, and hope they'll continue and maybe take some of our comments to heart. Thank you Elk Grove!
Marlene O'Malley
They need to organize SOME kind of a system to better control the spectators. I don't think they ever expected these kinds of crowds this year ... clearly this series has really taken off. (But it's also gotten out of hand with people bringing HUGE Ravinia-type set-ups to house their own little private parties. All this does is deny other fans a place to sit and cause tempers to rise.) With that thought in mind, I think they need to seriously re-think some method of organization for next year. And, as mentioned by Jim last week, I'd love to see them extend the series with more shows in 2015 ... this clearly brings big bucks into the community and the nearby merchants had to be thriving these past five Tuesday nights. But they, too, need to beef up their operations in order to accommodate this huge influx of business. Restaurants were literally running out of product and having to shut down early ... and NOBODY should have to wait in line for nearly an hour to pick up a cold sub sandwich. Kinda defeats the whole concept of "fast food"!!!!
I had no problem with Kenny introducing new material ... or even his new band ... and I found nothing at all objectionable about the music they performed. You chose to buy a copy of their first CD, I didn't, as I didn't hear anything that night that compelled me to want to hear more. It just didn't click with me ... but I think for brand new material, it generated a pretty good response from the crowd (which rarely happens) so I'm content to say it was more MY problem than the band's. It was just the overall pacing and vibe of the whole show that turned me off. It came off as monotone and calculated (OK, I'm only going to play for an hour so I'm going to take these six or seven songs and stretch them out for as LONG as I can to fill that time ... throw in a bunch of new shit that nobody knows ... and that hour'll be over before you even know it. THEN I'll come back and play the hits that they REALLY want to hear ... and we'll call that "the encore".) Honestly, I would have preferred to see the encore ONLY and have skipped the first hour of the show ... especially all the bits where he had the audience sing his songs for him.
In fine voice? Yes. Kenny Loggins is a music legend and I couldn't wait to go see him. He's amassed a HUGE collection of hits over the years and I've bought nearly every single one of them. I saw him in 1978 when he was the opening act for Fleetwood Mac and his duet with Stevie Nicks ("Whenever I Call You Friend") was out ... and that was a GREAT show and a GREAT vibe. Tuesday Night? Not so much. Disappointed? Definitely. Bored? Sorry to say, yes. (kk)
By the way, another thing that REALLY annoys me ... and has for 36 years now ... is the fact that Kenny Loggins NEVER acknowledges the fact that he wrote "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Melissa Manchester ... and the original intent was for the two of them to record it together as a duet. Instead, Loggins jumped on the incredibly hot Fleetwood Mac bandwagon and cut the song with Stevie Nicks instead, leaving Melissa to do a solo version on her album. (She ultimately ended up recording a duet with Arnold McCuller instead.) But worse than that is the fact that he ALWAYS plays up the Stevie Nicks connection ... and NEVER mentions Manchester at all when he performs the song ... and that's just wrong. (kk)
By the way, another thing that REALLY annoys me ... and has for 36 years now ... is the fact that Kenny Loggins NEVER acknowledges the fact that he wrote "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Melissa Manchester ... and the original intent was for the two of them to record it together as a duet. Instead, Loggins jumped on the incredibly hot Fleetwood Mac bandwagon and cut the song with Stevie Nicks instead, leaving Melissa to do a solo version on her album. (She ultimately ended up recording a duet with Arnold McCuller instead.) But worse than that is the fact that he ALWAYS plays up the Stevie Nicks connection ... and NEVER mentions Manchester at all when he performs the song ... and that's just wrong. (kk)
Regarding the Kenny Loggins Elk Grove Village concert, I have to say I agree with you Kent, on many issues, including the fact that the show didn't live up to the hype. Kenny seemed so out of touch with the audience. And I have to say, when he came out, I didn't even recognize him! Maybe it's just me, but hair dye and botox maybe??? Anyway, I also agree with the sing-along. Hate that part. Funny thing was, a few times the crowd didn't even know the lyrics. Embarrassing. I also felt he milked a lot of the songs to the point to where I couldn't wait for the song to end.
Regarding the crowd, our experience was a little different than yours. We got there at 2 and put our chairs down in the front left section, about ten rows back on the aisle. This could be a bad spot because people tend to run down the aisle to take pictures, etc. Didn't happen because the police were on top of it and made everyone go back to their seats. Many of these fans had the nerve to argue with the police and of course they felt it was their right to stand in front of everyone and dance and take pictures. I thought the police and the security people did a great job of keeping that at bay. This concert, we had the good fortune to be surrounded by very nice people, who were there to hear the music, not to eat, drink, and scream out the words to the song. That has been our experiences in the past. We got lucky I guess.
All in all, a great night for music. And you can't beat the price! I think Elk Grove does a good job and I commend the police force and the security team. Without them, it could be a different story.
Thanks for all you do for our music.
Janet
Yeah, several times during the show the audience of "loyal Kenny Loggins fans" didn't even know the songs well enough to recognize the endings ... and clapped before Kenny was finished ... or, on a couple occasions not at all until the realized the song was over! This was especially discouraging because it pretty much was a hit-filled set from start to finish, other than the new material ... VERY familiar to anyone who had followed Loggins' career (or simply listened to the radio between 1973 and 1985.) There was one young woman near us (18 - 20 years old maybe), however, who sang along with virtually every word ... so clearly Kenny Loggins' music was played a lot around her house while she was growing up! (kk)
Regarding the crowd, our experience was a little different than yours. We got there at 2 and put our chairs down in the front left section, about ten rows back on the aisle. This could be a bad spot because people tend to run down the aisle to take pictures, etc. Didn't happen because the police were on top of it and made everyone go back to their seats. Many of these fans had the nerve to argue with the police and of course they felt it was their right to stand in front of everyone and dance and take pictures. I thought the police and the security people did a great job of keeping that at bay. This concert, we had the good fortune to be surrounded by very nice people, who were there to hear the music, not to eat, drink, and scream out the words to the song. That has been our experiences in the past. We got lucky I guess.
All in all, a great night for music. And you can't beat the price! I think Elk Grove does a good job and I commend the police force and the security team. Without them, it could be a different story.
Thanks for all you do for our music.
Janet
Yeah, several times during the show the audience of "loyal Kenny Loggins fans" didn't even know the songs well enough to recognize the endings ... and clapped before Kenny was finished ... or, on a couple occasions not at all until the realized the song was over! This was especially discouraging because it pretty much was a hit-filled set from start to finish, other than the new material ... VERY familiar to anyone who had followed Loggins' career (or simply listened to the radio between 1973 and 1985.) There was one young woman near us (18 - 20 years old maybe), however, who sang along with virtually every word ... so clearly Kenny Loggins' music was played a lot around her house while she was growing up! (kk)
Hey Kent,
I'm with you on your review of Kenny Loggins at Elk Grove Village. No, I wasn't there, but so much of what you said happens across the land. I rarely go to concerts anymore. Ticket prices are through the roof. There are so many distractions from "me" generation individuals, who are there because it's an event; not really to hear a particular artist. Some of the headliners DO have apathetic attitudes, and often show up late. Several years ago, I attended a concert of one major star, whom everybody knows. As we entered the arena, there were "assistants", handing out pamphlets that dealt with environmental issues. About twenty minutes into the show, the audience got a "dissertation" from the artist, going on and on about Earth's terrible condition. Wait a minute. Did I pay mucho bucks to be lectured? Needless to say, I have not been back, even though the artist has been here since. Others take up time at concerts, by shoving "their" politics down your throat. It's too bad about your experience with the Loggins show. You felt short-changed. He knew what he could get away with. He was recently here with the "Night of the Proms" production, that has been shown on PBS every week, this Summer. Unfortunately, the arena was less that half-full. Maybe today's concert goers don't like the idea of pop stars being backed by an orchestra. Who knows? I do like Kenny Loggins and his songs, but if it was me, having the same experience you did, I'd throw in the towel. Artists need to know these things, if they really care.
- John LaPuzza
Well, it's hard to feel like you didn't get your money's worth at a free show!!! (lol) But I will admit that there were moments when I felt like I was wasting my time ... not the ideal concert experience. But, as I said, I think the MAJORITY of the crowd was into the show ... he just didn't click for ME. The worst are all the surrounding assholes who feel that they lay claim to a particular piece of real estate in what is SUPPOSED to be a shared concert experience ... it ruins it for anyone else anywhere near the vicinity. (kk)
I totally agree on your comments on how some artists will just "phone it in" at live performances.I have always said you have two types of musical performers: "Prostitutes" and "Significant Others" ...
The "Prostitutes" won't start playing until they have their money in hand, they fake the enthusiasm, they don't personalize their performance (i.e. they don't know or care what city they are in) and when the time is up, so is their performance.The "Significant Others" are the ones who do their best to know who and where they are playing, they will talk to the audience in between songs, and if everyone is having fun, the 90 minute concert may go 2+ hours because of the interaction between songs, the encores, or the extra tunes they play during the show. Fortunately, there are more "Significant Others" than "Prostitutes" in the concert world ... especially from our age of the rock era. Some of the Significant Others I have seen over the years include Sir Paul, Huey Lewis and Peter Noone. One of the most noted "Prostitutes" I saw was back in the mid 80s. It was at the old Cleveland Stadium after a Cleveland Indians game. When the Beach Boys came out, they ran through their Greatest Hits library -- many as medleys -- in about 60 minutes. The part that really made me lose respect for the musical "Boys of Summer" was when during the concert, Mike Love said "Hey, how 'bout a hand for the home team ... The home team won today!!!" Despite the Cleveland Indians name and logo plastered around the stadium, they didn't / wouldn't / couldn't acknowledge that they were in Cleveland. BTW, I usually give a pass to performers who are part of a multi-bill concert show who only get a 20 minute set in which to have their moment in the spotlight, although there are / were some that probably would fall into the prostitute category if they were given a solo show.
Tim Kubat
Kent,
After reading your Kenny Loggins concert review and some of the feedback that has come since, I am rethinking my decision regarding writing about my three state, three day concert trip the beginning of July. My initial reason was that it was the same artist at all three, but I was well aware during the concerts of the change in AUDIENCE style and how that affected my experience. Maybe a review (and I HAVE mentioned it before in print) of how to be an audience is in order. I won't even say 'good audience' because a correct audience should always be 'good'. I teach proper etiquette and socialization to children, but there are adults who never learned it OR decided it does not matter.
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
Sadly these experiences ruin it for the real fans who genuinely care about these artists. To a degree, some of this may be the fact that it's a free show ... ANYBODY can get in ... whereas if those same fans had to pay upwards of $100 per ticket they may have chosen instead to drink and be obnoxious at home. Then again I've lost count of the times I've been at shows where I HAVE paid upwards of $100 per ticket, only to find myself telling the person in front of me or next to me that I didn't pay a hundred bucks to hear YOU sing their songs ... or block my view for the entire performance. At a recent Eagles concert I swear we had to get up 28 times during the show to let our "neighbors" get by to head back out to the bar and/or bathroom ... it was virtually non-stop throughout the entire concert. They EASILY had to spend $500-$600 on booze that night! (I guess if you can afford an Eagles concert ticket you've got extra money to burn ... but it made OUR night miserable. What should have been the ultimate concert experience was ruined by these inconsiderate assholes.) kk
One hit Kenny Loggins DIDN'T perform during his Elk Grove Village concert was "Welcome To Heartlight", a #24 Hit in 1983 (and one I really enjoyed at the time.) When's the last time you heard THIS one on the radio??? (Probably 1983!!! lol) kk
And a quick word on the OTHER Kenny ...
Don'tcha just love the new Geico commercial where Kenny Rogers sings "The Gambler" to a group of annoyed card players??? Cracks me up every time. Like many of you who have written in, I'm sick and tired of most of these Geico commercials ... they seem to be the ONLY company advertising these days ... and they're literally everywhere you turn ... tv, radio, movie theaters, billboards ... there's no escape. But every once in a while they come up with a pretty clever one. I love the one where the cowboy rides off into the sunset and gets "de-horsed" when he crashes into "The End" sign, too ... clever stuff! (kk)
re: The Saturday Surveys:
The Saturday surveys are the best. Just today there are at least a dozen songs that you never ever hear on the radio anymore. Good stuff!
Santiago in Miami
Kent,
Regarding the KACY Kontenders shown in your recent Saturday Surveys segment, I also noticed that Heroes & Villains by the Beach Boys was listed. This one almost made the national Top Ten (#12) but should have been a huge hit ... brilliant Beach Boys sound ... a dash of psychedelia and Brian Wilson humor ... Westward-ho! This was the beginning of a string of excellent-creative-even relevant but ignored singles (Wild Honey, I Can Hear Music, Darlin', Friends, Bluebirds Over the Mountain (OK, not Bluebirds ...), Break Away, Add Some Music to Your Day). 50 years later, Heroes & Villains is just as beautiful and evocative.
Phil
PrayForSurfBlog.blogspot.com
Phil
PrayForSurfBlog.blogspot.com
I have ALWAYS maintained that "Heroes And Villains" should have been MUCH bigger than it was. To MY ears, I've always preferred it to "Good Vibrations", which got all the attention and accolades. For me, "Heroes And Villains" will always be a creative highlight in The Beach Boys' career. (kk)
Many thanks to Clark Besch for sending along the video of Petula doing "Downtown." Doesn't she just look fantastic? And how has she kept such a wonderful voice into her eighties? There's always some great stuff in a FH "This and That" - so we always read every entry!
David
Including YOURS! Thanks, David! (kk)
With Weird Al hot again, it was neat to come across this batch of videos paying homage to The Beatles ... rarely seen (or heard) Al-ism's! (kk)
Click here: Five times when Weird Al Yankovic hilariously met the Beatles - National Beatles | Examiner.com
With Weird Al hot again, it was neat to come across this batch of videos paying homage to The Beatles ... rarely seen (or heard) Al-ism's! (kk)
Click here: Five times when Weird Al Yankovic hilariously met the Beatles - National Beatles | Examiner.com
Hi Kent -
Enjoyed the information on Jim Peterik's new book coming out in September! Can't wait to read it,
along with Carl Giamarese's book when it comes out.
You mentioned the Beach Boys' "Shut Down" album celebrating fifty years, but didn't "All Summer Long" come out in 1964? Wasnt that the last album where Brian concentrated on surf, beach music and then went on to other things?
One more thing regarding the "MYSTERIOUS" song "Night Theme" by the Mark II. I forgot to mention that it was recorded on the WYE label and the BMI music was listed as "LAURA MUSIC". Would that be another connection to Ray Petersen and his song "Tell Laura I Love Her"???
Keep up the GREAT WORK!!!
Carolyn
The Beach Boys released an incredible FOUR albums in 1964 ... and Endless Summer Quarterly has been paying tribute to each and every one of them as they reach their 50-Year Anniversary.
New in '64 were (in order) "Shut Down, Volume 2", "All Summer Long", "Beach Boys Concert" and "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album". In addition, three LP's carried over from the year before ... "Surfin' USA" (which stayed on the charts for a year and a half), "Surfer Girl" (just over a year) and "Little Deuce Coupe" (just under a year)! Hard to believe ... but that's how things were done back then!
As for Ray Peterson, I went searching for a more definitive answer ... and put your query to Fred Vail, a close associate of Ray's, booking him for numerous performances back in the day. (We haven't heard back from Fred yet ... but if ANYBODY would know for sure, Fred would be the guy!) Although I found SEVERAL online websites claiming that Ray Peterson of Mark II was the same Ray Peterson of "Tell Laura I Love Her" fame, I think I've got the definitive answer here.
Believe it or not, Mark II is being inducted into The Rhode Island Music Hall Of Fame this year for their 1960 Hit "Night Theme" ... and THAT Ray Peterson is quoted in the article covering this event shown below.
Click here: The Mark II among 2014 RI Music Hall of Fame inductees - Cranston Herald
The Ray Peterson who recorded "Tell Laura I Love Her" (and my personal favorite, "Corinna, Corinna" ... as well as the original hit version of the Elvis tune "The Wonder Of You") passed away from cancer in 2005 ... so I don't think he's still talking to the press nine years later!
Click here: The Mark II - Night Theme (1960) - YouTube
New in '64 were (in order) "Shut Down, Volume 2", "All Summer Long", "Beach Boys Concert" and "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album". In addition, three LP's carried over from the year before ... "Surfin' USA" (which stayed on the charts for a year and a half), "Surfer Girl" (just over a year) and "Little Deuce Coupe" (just under a year)! Hard to believe ... but that's how things were done back then!
As for Ray Peterson, I went searching for a more definitive answer ... and put your query to Fred Vail, a close associate of Ray's, booking him for numerous performances back in the day. (We haven't heard back from Fred yet ... but if ANYBODY would know for sure, Fred would be the guy!) Although I found SEVERAL online websites claiming that Ray Peterson of Mark II was the same Ray Peterson of "Tell Laura I Love Her" fame, I think I've got the definitive answer here.
Believe it or not, Mark II is being inducted into The Rhode Island Music Hall Of Fame this year for their 1960 Hit "Night Theme" ... and THAT Ray Peterson is quoted in the article covering this event shown below.
Click here: The Mark II among 2014 RI Music Hall of Fame inductees - Cranston Herald
The Ray Peterson who recorded "Tell Laura I Love Her" (and my personal favorite, "Corinna, Corinna" ... as well as the original hit version of the Elvis tune "The Wonder Of You") passed away from cancer in 2005 ... so I don't think he's still talking to the press nine years later!
Click here: The Mark II - Night Theme (1960) - YouTube
By the way, ironically, while working on another project, I found this entry in Ron Smith's "Date Book", "Eight Days A Week: Births, Deaths And Events Each Day In Oldies History":
On August 8, 1960, England's Decca Records destroyed 25,000 copies of Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Love Her" for being in bad taste. (The times, they REALLY have changed!!!) kk
>>>The guy that was singing "Mac Arthur Park" left out "I will drink the wine while it is warm and never let you catch me looking at the sun and after all the loves of my life, after all the loves of my life, you'll still be the one. I will take my life into my hands and I will use it, I will win the worship your eyes and I will lose it, AND THEN "I will have the things that I desire and let my passions flow like rivers through the sky", etc. He left out most of what I always felt was the redeeming part of the song. I have this song by Richard Harris on my ipod. I think I appreciate much more now that I am older. (Stacee)
Interesting comment from Stacee. When the great Tony Bennett did MacArthur Park, this was the only portion he sang!
Mister Hil
>>>The guy that was singing "Mac Arthur Park" left out "I will drink the wine while it is warm and never let you catch me looking at the sun and after all the loves of my life, after all the loves of my life, you'll still be the one. I will take my life into my hands and I will use it, I will win the worship your eyes and I will lose it, AND THEN "I will have the things that I desire and let my passions flow like rivers through the sky", etc. He left out most of what I always felt was the redeeming part of the song. I have this song by Richard Harris on my ipod. I think I appreciate much more now that I am older. (Stacee)
Interesting comment from Stacee. When the great Tony Bennett did MacArthur Park, this was the only portion he sang!
Mister Hil
Lots of celebrating this past week as Scott Shannon hosted his 101st show and WCBS-FM 101 (actually it was his 103rd ... but the celebration was tied in nicely to a live appearance at The City Winery, right near the WCBS studios.) Micky Dolenz of The Monkees (and former morning host of WCBS-FM a few years back ... he was on the air and had just wrapped up his 100th show when Jack-FM came in and ruined everything!) along with Gene Cornish of The Rascals were on hand to help Scott celebrate ... as was Constantine Maroulis of American Idol fame and Mark Rivera.
All the details, tons of great pictures and audio snippets can be found here:
http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/guide/scott-shannons-101st-show-celebration-at-city-winery-nyc-recap/
(By the way, Gene Cornish says the guys are trying to get together again next year to celebrate The Rascals' 50th Anniversary ... maybe even for some type of television special! I'll have to ask Felix Cavaliere about that next month when he appears at The Arcada Theatre!) kk
All the details, tons of great pictures and audio snippets can be found here:
http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/guide/scott-shannons-101st-show-celebration-at-city-winery-nyc-recap/
(By the way, Gene Cornish says the guys are trying to get together again next year to celebrate The Rascals' 50th Anniversary ... maybe even for some type of television special! I'll have to ask Felix Cavaliere about that next month when he appears at The Arcada Theatre!) kk
I was only familiar with the original version of the song "All's Quiet On West 23rd" by The Jet Stream on Smash Records. I much prefer their version. It was written and produced by Joey Levine and Artie Resnick, who are apparently the vocalists on the song (I suspect Artie's wife Kris Resnick is there, too - the trio of them were The Third Rail on Epic Records). It just barely missed the Hot 100 Billboard chart.
Tom Diehl
Yep ... it peaked at #101! I remember discussing this song some time back ... definitely not the kind of track you'd expect to hear sung by one of the kings of bubblegum music! (kk)
From FH Reader Dave Barry, this assessment of the brand new Led Zeppelin remastered albums series, featuring bonus tracks ...
Dood!! Stairway To Heaven!!!
Your first sip of beer. Your first drag on a cigarette. Maybe even that first kiss. Led Zeppelin was the soundtrack for the Seventies and now, you may want to file away those cherished but worn LP copies and replace them with the much ballyhooed reissues from Rhino.
Recently, I received a promo set of the deluxe edition vinyl LPs for the first three Zep records and I must say, they are fairly special. The rest of the catalog will follow. And yes, you guessed it, Zoso, or Led Zeppelin IV if you prefer, will be out just in time for Christmas. Yes, buying more plastic from the record labels gets galling. They prey upon our weakness and weak spiders that we are, we willingly roll into the web. We have paid for this intellectual property over and over again, so no worries — the artists are getting paid. But the reissue juggernaut, no matter what the format, can be very problematic, and very expensive, particularly for collectors.
Having said all that, Page, Plant and Jones have not been overly greedy. There has only ever been one remastering of these records in 1994 and the band has been smart about not flooding the market with inferior “collectors” repackagings. Or dodgy, sonically compromised live sets. And to be honest at $115.00 - $118.00 depending on the outlet, the super deluxe editions which are the most expensive of all these formats, do not feel like gouging.
Happily, these new remasters, supervised by Page of course, come in seven different formats (super deluxe edition box, deluxe edition 2 CD, deluxe edition vinyl, single CD, original album vinyl, digital download, HD Tracks 96/24 download) has reignited the Zep wars. In the past couple days, I’ve fielded a number of calls and emails from friends and Stereophile readers who I didn’t know, tussling yet again with the question of which Zep album is the best. The newly released July issue of Mojo has poured oil on the fire by listing the top 50 Led Zeppelin songs. Stereophile Contributing Editor and world class record collector David Sokol went through the Mojo piece and did some figuring. Surprisingly, the two albums with the most songs on list are Physical Graffiti and Zep II (i.e. the Brown Bomber) with nine songs each. Zep I has seven on the list while Zep III has eight. Most controversially, “Kashmir” (from Physical Graffiti) gets the nod as the best song. And the always underrated Presence, my personal favorite, only places two tunes on the list.
The results of these remastering jobs, including that of the much–praised Beatles set, have become a bit predictable — a brighter, fresher sound that’s slightly more expansive and has slightly improved dynamics. These Zep LP pressings from Pallas in Germany are beautiful, heavy and very, very quiet.
Recorded in less than two days, for less than two thousand pounds, Zep I, with the Hindenburg gloriously aflame on the cover ranks as one of the best debut albums ever and one of the first records in a genre soon to be known as metal. It’s arrival signaled that strummy folk rock was being replaced by something harder-edged. Even the blues cover, “You Shook Me” featured a tortured vocal from Plant and a blinding solo from Jimmy Page. The unforgettable riff rock of “Communication Breakdown” set many a teenage boys heart aflutter. The album’s heart, “Dazed and Confused,” may begin as a psychedelic anthem but it soon takes flight and becomes a basher with Bonham’s thunderous drumming and crashing cymbals leading the way. Upon release, the album was viciously slagged by critics, especially in the States. My favorite bit is the album’s notorious Rolling Stone review which inveighed that Robert Plant was “foppish as Rod Stewart, but nowhere near as exciting.” In the case of all three records, the biggest draw for fans who know the original records by heart are the “companion” discs of rough mixes and alternate takes. In the case of Zep I, this means two discs of live material from a concert in October 1969 at the Olympia in Paris, which was recorded by French radio, and has here been remastered and spread across two LPs. Sonically better than most Zep bootlegs of this era, it shows how fully formed the band was from the very start. An overlong “You Shook Me” meanders endlessly while a version of “Heartbreaker,” which was on the then just released Led Zeppelin II, rocks the house.
Written on the road and recorded piecemeal in Los Angeles, London, New York, Memphis and a primitive studio in Vancouver that the band called “the hut,” Zep II, which was released nine months after the debut, has always sounded remarkably good, thanks no doubt to the good ears of Page and engineer Eddie Kramer who performed miracles with its many sources. With a cover that used a photo from WWI of the Red Baron’s crew (with the band’s faces superimposed) and Page’s first crack at the Theremin (on “Whole Lotta Love”), this may be the Zep masterpiece. Remastered once in 1994 for the CD boxed set, II’s 2014 Page remix is its best sound yet. The extra LP of 8 tracks contains a more relaxed rough mix of “What Is And What Should Never Be,” a stripped down “Ramble On” with a killer vocal performance by Plant, and a previously unknown/unreleased instrumental track “La La” that shows how much creativity was coursing through this band at this time when even their rave ups were better than most band’s best stuff. Finally, the backing track on the companion disc for “Moby Dick” is comically short considering that when the band played it live, Bonzo’s drum solo could run half an hour by itself!
Finally there’s Led Zeppelin III which unlike it’s predecessor was written in mid–1970 at a remote cottage in Wales, the legendary Bron-Yr-Aur. Back then, very much like Led Zeppelin I, this album was also disliked by critics and was not initially a huge seller. Written in a cottage with no electricity, not to mention the fact that Plant and Page seem to have reacted against the Marshall stacks of Zep II, Zep III is a much more acoustic and introverted recording. My record guru, the aforementioned David Sokol calls this a “more mature record,” which I have to say rings right. Recorded at Headley Grange, a rundown mansion, as well as Olympic and Basing Street studios in London, it was mixed at Ardent Studios in Memphis. As for the companion tracks, III actually has three worthy, if less than earth–shattering extras; the first being “Bathroom Sound,” which is a very bass heavy, odd sounding rough mix of eventual III track “Out on the Tiles.” “Jennings Farm Blues” is the instrumental version of “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp.” The last, which Page has mentioned over and over again in interviews about these remasters, is “Key To The Highway,” a blues standard previously recorded first by Charlie Segar and then every other blues musician on the planet, most memorably by Big Bill Broonzy, Little Walter and Eric Clapton. Here it’s Page on slide and acoustic guitar and Plant on blues harp and vocals, the latter of which are run through a vibrato amp and so quaver with a tremolo effect. Best of all, the LP cover reproduces the spinning wheel or more properly, the volvelle, which was included with in the original. Designed by artist Zacron, this was considered “multi–media" in 1970! Speaking only for the LPs, this is Zep done right both in terms of improved sound and high quality pressings.
Bring it on man. What’s next? Oh yeah I know!
“Hey, Hey mama said the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!
Your first sip of beer. Your first drag on a cigarette. Maybe even that first kiss. Led Zeppelin was the soundtrack for the Seventies and now, you may want to file away those cherished but worn LP copies and replace them with the much ballyhooed reissues from Rhino.
Recently, I received a promo set of the deluxe edition vinyl LPs for the first three Zep records and I must say, they are fairly special. The rest of the catalog will follow. And yes, you guessed it, Zoso, or Led Zeppelin IV if you prefer, will be out just in time for Christmas. Yes, buying more plastic from the record labels gets galling. They prey upon our weakness and weak spiders that we are, we willingly roll into the web. We have paid for this intellectual property over and over again, so no worries — the artists are getting paid. But the reissue juggernaut, no matter what the format, can be very problematic, and very expensive, particularly for collectors.
Having said all that, Page, Plant and Jones have not been overly greedy. There has only ever been one remastering of these records in 1994 and the band has been smart about not flooding the market with inferior “collectors” repackagings. Or dodgy, sonically compromised live sets. And to be honest at $115.00 - $118.00 depending on the outlet, the super deluxe editions which are the most expensive of all these formats, do not feel like gouging.
Happily, these new remasters, supervised by Page of course, come in seven different formats (super deluxe edition box, deluxe edition 2 CD, deluxe edition vinyl, single CD, original album vinyl, digital download, HD Tracks 96/24 download) has reignited the Zep wars. In the past couple days, I’ve fielded a number of calls and emails from friends and Stereophile readers who I didn’t know, tussling yet again with the question of which Zep album is the best. The newly released July issue of Mojo has poured oil on the fire by listing the top 50 Led Zeppelin songs. Stereophile Contributing Editor and world class record collector David Sokol went through the Mojo piece and did some figuring. Surprisingly, the two albums with the most songs on list are Physical Graffiti and Zep II (i.e. the Brown Bomber) with nine songs each. Zep I has seven on the list while Zep III has eight. Most controversially, “Kashmir” (from Physical Graffiti) gets the nod as the best song. And the always underrated Presence, my personal favorite, only places two tunes on the list.
The results of these remastering jobs, including that of the much–praised Beatles set, have become a bit predictable — a brighter, fresher sound that’s slightly more expansive and has slightly improved dynamics. These Zep LP pressings from Pallas in Germany are beautiful, heavy and very, very quiet.
Recorded in less than two days, for less than two thousand pounds, Zep I, with the Hindenburg gloriously aflame on the cover ranks as one of the best debut albums ever and one of the first records in a genre soon to be known as metal. It’s arrival signaled that strummy folk rock was being replaced by something harder-edged. Even the blues cover, “You Shook Me” featured a tortured vocal from Plant and a blinding solo from Jimmy Page. The unforgettable riff rock of “Communication Breakdown” set many a teenage boys heart aflutter. The album’s heart, “Dazed and Confused,” may begin as a psychedelic anthem but it soon takes flight and becomes a basher with Bonham’s thunderous drumming and crashing cymbals leading the way. Upon release, the album was viciously slagged by critics, especially in the States. My favorite bit is the album’s notorious Rolling Stone review which inveighed that Robert Plant was “foppish as Rod Stewart, but nowhere near as exciting.” In the case of all three records, the biggest draw for fans who know the original records by heart are the “companion” discs of rough mixes and alternate takes. In the case of Zep I, this means two discs of live material from a concert in October 1969 at the Olympia in Paris, which was recorded by French radio, and has here been remastered and spread across two LPs. Sonically better than most Zep bootlegs of this era, it shows how fully formed the band was from the very start. An overlong “You Shook Me” meanders endlessly while a version of “Heartbreaker,” which was on the then just released Led Zeppelin II, rocks the house.
Written on the road and recorded piecemeal in Los Angeles, London, New York, Memphis and a primitive studio in Vancouver that the band called “the hut,” Zep II, which was released nine months after the debut, has always sounded remarkably good, thanks no doubt to the good ears of Page and engineer Eddie Kramer who performed miracles with its many sources. With a cover that used a photo from WWI of the Red Baron’s crew (with the band’s faces superimposed) and Page’s first crack at the Theremin (on “Whole Lotta Love”), this may be the Zep masterpiece. Remastered once in 1994 for the CD boxed set, II’s 2014 Page remix is its best sound yet. The extra LP of 8 tracks contains a more relaxed rough mix of “What Is And What Should Never Be,” a stripped down “Ramble On” with a killer vocal performance by Plant, and a previously unknown/unreleased instrumental track “La La” that shows how much creativity was coursing through this band at this time when even their rave ups were better than most band’s best stuff. Finally, the backing track on the companion disc for “Moby Dick” is comically short considering that when the band played it live, Bonzo’s drum solo could run half an hour by itself!
Finally there’s Led Zeppelin III which unlike it’s predecessor was written in mid–1970 at a remote cottage in Wales, the legendary Bron-Yr-Aur. Back then, very much like Led Zeppelin I, this album was also disliked by critics and was not initially a huge seller. Written in a cottage with no electricity, not to mention the fact that Plant and Page seem to have reacted against the Marshall stacks of Zep II, Zep III is a much more acoustic and introverted recording. My record guru, the aforementioned David Sokol calls this a “more mature record,” which I have to say rings right. Recorded at Headley Grange, a rundown mansion, as well as Olympic and Basing Street studios in London, it was mixed at Ardent Studios in Memphis. As for the companion tracks, III actually has three worthy, if less than earth–shattering extras; the first being “Bathroom Sound,” which is a very bass heavy, odd sounding rough mix of eventual III track “Out on the Tiles.” “Jennings Farm Blues” is the instrumental version of “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp.” The last, which Page has mentioned over and over again in interviews about these remasters, is “Key To The Highway,” a blues standard previously recorded first by Charlie Segar and then every other blues musician on the planet, most memorably by Big Bill Broonzy, Little Walter and Eric Clapton. Here it’s Page on slide and acoustic guitar and Plant on blues harp and vocals, the latter of which are run through a vibrato amp and so quaver with a tremolo effect. Best of all, the LP cover reproduces the spinning wheel or more properly, the volvelle, which was included with in the original. Designed by artist Zacron, this was considered “multi–media" in 1970! Speaking only for the LPs, this is Zep done right both in terms of improved sound and high quality pressings.
Bring it on man. What’s next? Oh yeah I know!
“Hey, Hey mama said the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!
Chase Revisited (featuring a couple of the original members of the early '70's Chicago horn band Chase, several of whom were killed in a plane crash in 1974) is making a special "reunion" appearance later this month at Reggie's downtown. Also on hand will be our buddies Blue Road and, just added, M13. Full details are below.
The band CHASE was created in 1970 by Bill Chase, Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, all veteran jazz trumpeters. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, Dennis Keith Johnson on bass, and Jay Burrid on drums. Rounding out the group was Terry Richards, who was featured as lead vocalist on the first album. In April 1971, the band released their debut album CHASE which contains Chase’s best-known song, “Get It On,” released as a single that spent thirteen weeks on the charts beginning in May 1971. The band received a Best New Artist Grammy nomination and the album went Gold. On August 9, 1974 while en route to a scheduled performance at the Jackson County Fair in Minnesota, Bill Chase died in a plane crash at the age of 39. Also killed, along with the pilot and a female companion, were Wally Yohn, Walter Clark, and John Emma.
In 2007 Joe Morrissey contacted surviving original group members with a reunion proposition, and Chase Revisited was then born. Since then, the group has been selectively performing with members from all released albums, augmented with some of the best world-class jazz-rock musicians available, bringing this uniquely exciting music back to life.
Pop a video tape into your VCR, cue up Pulp Fiction or hit the play button on your 8 track cassette for a ride in your Pontiac Trans Am with opening band BLUE ROAD. Featuring Gary Gand on guitar and Joan Gand on keys, sax player TK the Tequila Kid, and drummer Tony Dale; the quartet will be performing a special set of vintage 1970s tunes including your favorite instrumentals from the Average White Band, Billy Preston, Edgar Winter, Sly Stone, and Booker T and the MG’s. Order up a Strawberry Daiquiri for your lady, but careful not to spill on your polyester suit! Make mine Jack and Coke please.
M13 is a Chicago-based, 13-piece ensemble, whose original compositions and arrangements by saxophonist/bandleader Aaron McEvers has just been added to the show, following BLUE ROAD. This will be an incredible night of music! Pop a video tape into your VCR, cue up Pulp Fiction or hit the play button on your 8 track cassette for a ride in your Pontiac Trans Am with opening band BLUE ROAD. Featuring Gary Gand on guitar and Joan Gand on keys, sax player TK the Tequila Kid, and drummer Tony Dale; the quartet will be performing a special set of vintage 1970s tunes including your favorite instrumentals from the Average White Band, Billy Preston, Edgar Winter, Sly Stone, and Booker T and the MG’s. Order up a Strawberry Daiquiri for your lady, but careful not to spill on your polyester suit! Make mine Jack and Coke please.
And speaking of cool concerts, FH Reader just sent us this clip from a recent Chicago / REO Speedwagon Concert ...
Kent -
Chicago kicked off their annual summer tour this week in California. Their touring partner for the month of August will be another band from your home of Chicago, REO Speedwagon.
Chicago kicked off their annual summer tour this week in California. Their touring partner for the month of August will be another band from your home of Chicago, REO Speedwagon.
Both bands will be do their own one hour solo set and then Chicago and REO share the stage for an encore singing multiple songs together.
Here’s a video link from opening night where both bands jammed on “Keep on Loving You.”
Below are the August tour dates.
-Tom Cuddy
Monday, August 4th - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CA
Thursday, August 7th - Starlight Theatre - Kansas City, MO
Friday, August 8th - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Maryland Heights, MO
Saturday, August 9th - FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island - Chicago, IL
Sunday, August 10th - Klipsch Music Center - Noblesville, IN
Tuesday, August 12th - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI
Wednesday, August 13th - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
Friday, August 15th - Xfinity Theatre - Hartford, CT
Saturday, August 16th - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Sunday, August 17th - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
Tuesday, August 19th - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
Wednesday, August 20th - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion - Boston, MA
Friday, August 22nd - Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa Event Center - Atlantic City, NJ
Saturday, August 23rd - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre - Raleigh, NC
Sunday, August 24th - Chastain Park Amphitheatre - Atlanta, GA
Tuesday, August 26th - Choctaw Event Center - Durant, OK
Wednesday, August 27th - Cedar Park Center - Cedar Park, TX
Saturday, August 30th - OKC Downtown Airpark - Oklahoma City, OK
Sunday, August 31st - Gexa Energy Pavilion - Dallas, TX
Yep, they've been giving away concert tickets to this one for awhile now on the radio stations here in town ... should be a GREAT double bill! Thanks, Tom! (kk)
Tom also sent us this link to an interview with Jim Yester, Founding member of The Association, talking about their brand new line-up ...
Kent:
For All the Forgotten Hits readers who are fans of the Association, here’s a link to a recent interview with original member Jim Yester. The band has gone through some line-up changes recently.
