Kent:
They have revealed the line-up for next year’s
Happy Together Tour, and if my memory is correct, this is the first time Little
Anthony has joined the Summer fun!
Tom Cuddy
This definitely
WOULD be the first time Little Anthony’s been onboard. Interesting!
(For years now I have been suggesting Lou Christie – but I
think one MAJOR consideration here is that you have to be signed to Paradise
Artists to get a crack at it.) But can
you imagine how cool it would be to hear Lou Christie take the stage and sing
half a dozen of his biggest hits!!! (kk)
The world is still reeling from the sudden and unexpected
death of Christine McVie last week. In
addition to the expected comments from her former bandmates, it was nice to see
former President Bill Clinton chime in with:
In June of 1991, when I was still Governor of Arkansas, I flew
to Los Angeles for an event. The young man who was driving me to my speech,
Shawn Landres, asked me if I was going to run for President the next year. I
told him I hadn’t made a decision yet. He told me, “Well, I think you should
run, and when you do, this should be your campaign song.” Then he popped a
Fleetwood Mac tape into the tape deck and played “Don’t Stop.” I’d loved that
song and Fleetwood Mac for years, and as soon as Shawn suggested it, I knew it
was a brilliant idea. Once I got in the race, some of my staff tried to get me
to go with a more current song, but I held out and hoped I’d get permission to
use it.
“Don’t Stop” was the perfect choice because politics at its
best is about people and making the future better for them. Life requires all
of us to live in the present and for the future. We can’t unlive or completely
forget the past. And the memories of our victories and defeats, our mistakes
and moments of pride, can make us wiser for what happens next. But if every day
is consumed by the past, it’s another day lost in a quickly passing life.
When I was a student at Georgetown, my professor of Western
Civilization, Carroll Quigley, taught me about the idea of “future preference.”
He said that America became the greatest nation in history because our people
had always embraced two important ideas: that tomorrow can be better than
today, and that every one of us has a personal, moral obligation to make it so.
I quoted him often throughout my 1992 campaign and both my terms in office, and
“Don’t Stop” captured the sentiment perfectly, with both its lyrics and its
upbeat, simple melody.
Everyone
knows Christine McVie was a great songwriter, but it turns out she was a pretty
good political philosopher, too. I’ll always be grateful to her – and to Mick,
Stevie, John, and Lindsey – for being so generous in letting me use the song,
for reuniting to play at my Inaugural, for giving me a lifetime of great music
and memories, and, of course, for that roadmap to the future.
Bill Clinton
(Then he muttered something under his breath about “not having sex with that
woman” … but the overall sentiment was very sweet.)
Clinton built his 1992 presidential campaign around the
Fleetwood Mac hit “Don’t Stop.” In fact,
the band even reunited to perform it at his inaugural ball!
From the band’s official statement:
“She was
truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best
musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have
in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and
together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing
memories we have. She will be so very missed.”
“A
few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first
day of 1975, had passed away. I didn’t even know she was ill until late
Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London – but we
were told to wait. So, since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my
head, over and over and over. I thought I might possibly get to sing it to her,
and so, I’m singing it to her now. “I
always knew I would need these words one day.
It’s all I can do now …”
[The song
that Nicks is referring to is Ladies Haim’s 2019 composition, “Hallelujah”
She quoted
the following lyrics:
I had a best
friend
But she has come to pass
One I wish I could see now
You always remind me
That memories will last
These arms reach out
You were there to protect me like a shield
Long hair running with me
Through the field … Everywhere
You’ve been with me all along
Why me?
How’d I get this hallelujah
Why me?
How’d I get this hallelujah
Why me?
How’d I get this hallelujah]
“See
you on the other side.
“My
love. Don’t forget me.
Always,
Stevie”
And this from Mick Fleetwood …
“This is a day where my dear sweet Friend Christine
McVie has taken to flight ... and left us earthbound folks to listen with bated
breath to the sounds of that “song bird”… reminding one and all that love is
all around us to reach for and touch in this precious life that is gifted to
us.
Part of my heart has flown away today ... I will miss everything about you, Christine
McVie. Memories abound ... they fly to
me.”
Mick Fleetwood
Lindsay Buckingham published a
hand-written note that read:
“Christine
McVie’s sudden passing is profoundly heartbreaking. Not only were she and I part of the magical
family of Fleetwood Mac, to me Christine was a musical comrade, a friend, a
soul mate, a sister. For over four decades, we helped each other create a
beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today. I
feel very lucky to have known her. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit
will live on through that body of work and that legacy.”
Lindsay
Buckingham
I have to say that I was a bit surprised
to never see a comment from her former husband John McVie, who brought
Christine into the band in 1970. Seems
kinda odd to me. (kk)
More on The Mac from Harvey The K …
In the June 12, 1976, issue of the now
defunct Melody Maker, the UK music weekly, I
interviewed Fleetwood Mac co-founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie for a
feature story. I also attended several recording sessions when the band was cutting
Rumours in West Hollywood at Larrabee studios.
Since their inception, Fleetwood Mac in
several incarnations was always popular in the Southern California market on
influential FM radio stations. They played at the Whisky A Go Go in 1970 and
‘71, and served as a support act for headliners on arena and stadium shows the
first half of the seventies.
Fleetwood
Mac: Bounces Back, June 12, 1976 Melody Maker
THE LAST YEAR has brought Fleetwood Mac a
platinum LP – Fleetwood Mac – their eighth album for Reprise Records,
from which two top ten singles, “Over My Head” and “Rhiannon,” have been
culled.
Last week, months after its release, Fleetwood
Mac was still lodged at number five in the American chart. Fleetwood
Mac exemplify the notion that if you stick around and work hard enough, success
is bound to happen.
Initially a by-product of the John Mayall School
of Blues, circa '67, personnel changes, coupled with the growing sophistication
of seventies audiences, has shifted the emphasis of their music from a British
Rock pose to a "soft" song style reflecting the languid life of
Southern California, where they now reside.
Enter tall and lanky drummer Mick Fleetwood.
Sixteen months ago, when Bob Welch, after a four-year stint with the Mac, was
leaving to form another group (later to be called Paris) Fleetwood ran into a
guy at a supermarket.
"He told me about a studio, Sound City in
Van Nuys,” recalls Fleetwood in an interview. “I went out there, since I was
looking for a studio to do our next album, and they played me a tape of Stevie
Nicks (female vocalist) and Lindsey Buckingham (guitars, vocals) which they had
done a couple of years ago.
"At the time, I made a mental note about
them, and soon after made a phone call to them asking if they wanted to
join."
The two recruits brought new influences and
stylistic direction, Buckingham contributing a harder rock sound, and Nicks
providing a second female voice which allowed greater scope for harmonies.
"They called up and said, 'Do you want to
do an album together?" remembers Stevie Nicks, then working as a waitress
at Clementine's, a Beverly Hills singles joint. "Lindsey and I said, 'Are
you kidding?' and joined." Buckingham was then punching the clock in the
advertising world after the flop of their joint debut Polydor album, Buckingham-Nicks.
One of the reasons for Fleetwood Mac's current
success is that they've always been a working group, but they had to make huge
efforts to re-establish themselves after the “fake” Fleetwood Mac episode.
The band's former manager Clifford Davis, put
an ersatz Fleetwood Mac band on the road and lined up a series of appearances.
But, after much dispute, the real Fleetwood Mac, i.e. the one containing
original members, won an injunction prohibiting the ex-manager from using the
group's name. The suits and countersuits are still pending.
"We had to keep working and touring to establish
our credibility. Musically, the band on record and live has always been fairly
effective," says bassist John McVie.
"There's more room to stretch out, and
it's more fun to play now. There's only so many ways you can play 12-bar blues,
but I never felt restricted, and there's never been a conscious change in
musical direction. The last album was more melodic, though, and we were able to
bounce off harmony structures and ideas."
“Over My Head” was a monster hit in America.
"We would never have picked 'Over My Head' as a single," Christine
McVie said recently. But the radio stations did, and “Rhiannon,” the next 45,
cemented a relationship with the important AM audience that Fleetwood Mac has
been seeking in the States for years.
"People come up to me every place we play
and tell me what an effect “Rhiannon” has had on their lives; as if it has some
spiritual power over them," offers Nicks, whose tune about a Welsh witch,
written two years earlier, is never off United States radio. Onstage, she is a
focal point, and enlivens Mac's past low-profile performances.
"The success of the last album went
beyond my wildest expectations," admits Fleetwood. "I mean, we were
confident that we had made a dynamite recording … and felt a hell of a lot of
new energy and dimension from Stevie and Lindsey.
"We concentrated on the US. In the States,
our albums pretty much sold in the 200-250,000 range. We were always
appreciated and we never lost anyone. The cult kept growing. Wide scale
acceptance has always been around the corner. We started here at the club level
and worked all the way up through small halls, second and third billings,
headline status, and some outdoor things."
"We've always kept a low profile and away
from hype," explains McVie. "That's the way we are as people. That
was the only conscious thought about the band. We never wanted to be viewed or
reported as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
"Me, Chris (McVie) and Mick have been
working for a long time. We've eaten every day and had money for smokes. I'm
proud we pushed ahead. The success now makes some justification for the effort
of the past."
But there's an incredible dichotomy between
their status in America and in England.
"What happened," suggests Fleetwood
"is that the band was really a big band in England when Peter (Green) was
in the band. We had hits, and everybody in the group was nurtured, and the
people became possessive over the players.
"We started working less over there and
more over here, even when Peter was in the group. People lost a grip on
something that had been very intense. We started getting a following over here,
and the band has been evolving since. Hopefully, towards the end of the year,
if we do a European/English tour, they'll get a taste of the band, and I think
they'll really like it."
McVie: "We moved here two and a half
years ago. We moved after spending nine months in a lawyer's office, going
through all the legal trips, Obviously, Los Angeles was the place to go. The
record company was here, and communication is easier in America. We had to get
out of England 'cause we were going crazy. We were driving up to London every
day and spending all our time in an office."
"I think one day John and I will write a
book on what's gone down," grins Fleetwood. "The only problem is that
no one will believe us," shrugs McVie.
"John and I have been through some
unbelievable moral/mental decisions," says Fleetwood. "But we never
wanted to kick it. Perseverance and work kept Fleetwood Mac together and a lot
of people before us gave up, sayin' this isn't worth it."
"We did interviews with Newsweek and People magazine
recently," smiles McVie. "It's funny being on the same page next to a
big article on Jimmy Carter. We're reaching audiences that never heard of
Fleetwood Mac, and it's good to have finally gotten away from questions like, 'Whatever
happened to Peter Green or Jeremy Spencer?' If Mick and I write the book, most
people would think it was a science fiction story."
"People tell me all the time they hear
our songs and old LPs on the radio. It's a buzz and a beautiful feeling to be
discovered and rediscovered," says the likeable Fleetwood.
Indeed, the very tentative title for the next
album is Yesterday's Gone, also the title of one of the songs.
"This album reflects every trip and breakup,"
says Fleetwood. "It isn't a concept thing, but when we sat down listening
to what we had, we realized every track was written about someone in the band.
Introspective and interesting, kind of like a soap opera. The album will show
sides of people in this group that were never exposed before."
"What I'd like to do with Fleetwood
Mac," McVie
interjects, "is to work out a three-hour history of the
group with an intermission which will cover material
from all of our
career."
Harvey Kubernik
Hi Kent,
Just thought you and your readers would enjoy a
couple of my favorite photos of Joel and Fran Whitburn.
Paul Haney
Record Research
Kent,
I just can't stop listening to this perfectly performed
track. I recognize some of my friends' fathers playing on it - and the
production is just right - but Brenda's voice is just so powerful on this. It
might be the best vocal performance from her I've ever heard. It kinda reminds
me of Lesley Gore's underappreciated "You've Come Back."
David Lewis
This was a new discovery for me, too … so
thanks again, Brad, for introducing all of us to this great track. (And I think you already know how highly I
rank Lesley’s track “You’ve Come Back!!!”)
Sharing it again for anyone out there who
may not be familiar. (I never really noticed
how much she sounds like Lulu on this track … or rather how much Lulu came to
sound like Lesley Gore!) kk
We lost another great and inspiring
athlete this past week when Gaylord Perry passed away at the age of 84.
There are few major league teams that
Perry DIDN’T play for … but he made his mark in every city he graced during his
22 year career. (He actually only played
for eight, including spending his first ten major league seasons with The San
Francisco Giants.)
One of my favorite photos of Perry was of
him in his multi-team jersey, listing all of the major league teams he played
for.
When it came to pitching style, Perry was
always good for “putting a little something extra” on the ball … and wound up
with five 20-game winning seasons. He
was inducted into The Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1991.
He was also the first pitcher in history
to win the Cy Young Award in BOTH leagues, first for the Cleveland Indians in
1972 and then again for the San Diego Padres in 1978.
Despite his notoriety as being one of the
game’s best spitball pitchers … he even titled his autobiography “Me And The
Spitter”!!! … he was actually only ejected from a game one time – and that
wasn’t until 1982! (He clearly had his
art down to a science!) (kk)
Kent,
In the mid to late sixties for about some 2-3
years, 1966-1968, DJ Ronnie Kaye who worked for WKY-AM 930 had a weekly dance
show on Channel 4 called THE SCENE. It was an hour long with the kids dancing
to the hits of the day, similar to American Bandstand. His theme song for the
show was the DC Five's AT THE SCENE.
Larry
Definitely a Forgotten Hit … but I always loved it. (A bit reminiscent of Paul Revere and the
Raiders’ hit “Just Like Me,” I thought … and perhaps a bit inspired by their
earlier hit remake of “I Like It Like That.”
Still, it’s NOT one you’re likely to hear anywhere anymore these days ...
and that’s a shame because it totally exemplifies the Dave Clark Five sound. (It also has one of my very favorite DC5
B-Sides, “I Miss You,” which I’ve always felt could have been a hit single on
its own. “At The Scene” peaked at #12 in
Record World (and #18 in Billboard) – and we’ve got BOTH sides of this record
to share with you today! (kk)
A couple of interesting pieces from Tom Cuddy …
Anne Murray Interview: The Legendary Singer Reflects On Her Life And Career
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/anne-murray-interview/
Now this is something I will DEFINITELY want to check out! (Heck, we watched the Helen Reddy biopic ... FOR SURE we're going to want to see this documentary when it comes out here Stateside!) kk
What’s
Your Name/Who’s Your Daddy? A Chat With The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2022/12/02/whats-your-namewhos-your-daddy-a-chat-with-the-zombies-colin-blunstone/
Hmm ... maybe for my half-birthday (!!!)
A brand new 3-CD /BluRay box set of The Alan Parsons Project's "A Turn Of A Friendly Card!"
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/the-alan-parsons-project-the-turn-of-a-friendly-card-3cd-blu-ray-limited-edition-box-set/?mc_cid=930987a5eb&mc_eid=81c62cced3
ROLLING STONES ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THE DEFINITIVE LIVE BEST
OF, ‘GRRR LIVE!’
ALBUM TO FEATURE THE BAND’S HITS FROM THEIR 60 YEAR CAREER,
REMIXED AND RE-EDITED
RECORDED LIVE ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
FEATURES GUESTS INCLUDING THE BLACK KEYS, GARY CLARK JR, LADY
GAGA, JOHN MAYER, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & MICK TAYLOR
www.rollingstones.com
TRAILER LINK HERE
|
|
The Rolling Stones have announced
the release of GRRR
Live!, THE definitive live hits album from the band’s career.
Released on February 10 via Mercury Studios, the album will be available in
various formats; 3LP black, 3LP coloured white (Indies exclusive) 3LP red
(d2c exclusive), 2CD, DVD + 2CD, BluRay+ 2CD. The Blu-ray and digital versions
will include Dolby Atmos.
The best live band
in the world deserve the ultimate live greatest hits album and GRRR Live! is it, The Stones at their
best! The album is available to pre-order here and features some of the greatest
songs of all time including It’s
Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It), Honky Tonk Women, Start Me Up, Gimme
Shelter, Sympathy For The Devil and (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
The Rolling Stones celebrated their
golden anniversary in 2012 & 2013 by embarking on the 50 & Counting
Tour, a 30-show itinerary for North America and Europe. On December 15, 2012,
the band took the stage at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center for the
final of four shows in the New York area. Featuring guest appearances by The
Black Keys (Who Do You
Love?), Gary Clark Jr & John Mayer (Going Down), Lady Gaga (Gimme Shelter), Mick
Taylor (Midnight Rambler)
and hometown hero Bruce Springsteen (Tumbling
Dice), the concert proved to be one of the most memorable shows
in the band’s history.
Since its original
airing on pay-per-view in 2012, this show has not been available to fans
until now. The concert has been re-edited and the audio has been remixed.
Three songs from the December 13 show (also in Newark) will be available as
bonus features on the DVD and Blu-ray: Respectable
(with John Mayer),
Around And Around, and
Gimme Shelter.
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GRR Live! Track
Listing:
CD1
1. Get Off Of My Cloud
2. The Last Time
3. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)
4. Paint It Black
5. Gimme Shelter (with Lady Gaga)
6. Wild Horses
7. Going Down (with John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr)
8. Dead Flowers
9. Who Do You Love? (with The Black Keys)
10. Doom And Gloom
11. One More Shot
12. Miss You
13. Honky Tonk Women
14. Band Introductions
CD2
1. Before They Make Me Run
2. Happy
3. Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)
4. Start Me Up
5. Tumbling Dice (with Bruce Springsteen)
6. Brown Sugar
7. Sympathy For the Devil
8. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
9. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
10. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
THE ROLLING STONES’ GRRR LIVE! WILL BE RELEASED ON MULTIPLE
PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL FORMATS BY MERCURY STUDIOS ON FEBRUARY 10, 2023.
PRE-ORDER HERE
|
CB ( which stands
for "Comfort-station Boy!" )
And one from Mike
Wolstein …
Ozzy Osbourne turned 74 yesterday! (b. 12-3-48)
