Blues

Review: Bob Dylan, ‘Shadow Kingdom’ – A Surprising, Great Listen! What’s Old Is New Again

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Bob Dylan, like every other artist in the world, wasn’t able to tour for a few years because of the COVID epidemic. I’m sure this hit Dylan extra hard since he’s been on what they call the “Never Ending Tour” for years now. The guy is a road warrior. Anyway, he had to hit pause on that in 2020-2021. In lieu of touring, many artists took to the inter-web and did streaming stuff. Dylan was no exception and July 18th of 2021 he premiered what I thought was a concert event, Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs Of Bob Dylan. Contrary to what the Rock Chick thinks, we’re not made of money so I did not pay the fee to watch the thing and I remained under the impression it was a live event until only recently. Apparently, it was a film. Dylan brought in a director and actors to pretend to play the songs and filmed it. It was set in a basement bar, or so I hear. I heard good things about the film and still look forward to actually seeing it sometime… Now, two years down the road, Dylan has released “the soundtrack” featuring the tracks from the movie and it’s simply entitled, Shadow Kingdom.

The crux of the movie, and the recording that now accompanies it, was Dylan revisiting tracks from early in his career. While this isn’t a live recording, the album does feature new re-recorded versions of songs from through out Dylan’s career. Sadly, he didn’t include anything from his sensational latest LP, Rough And Rowdy Ways… I guess it would have been hard to include the almost 17 minute “Murder Most Foul,” but a man can wish, can’t he? He did have a great backing band on these tracks: legend T-Bone Burnett, much sought after session guys Greg Leisz and Tim Pierce, Steve Bartek and Ira Ingber all on guitar. Jeff Taylor and Doug lacy play the accordion which is quite prominent on these recordings. I heard a joke once, that the definition of a gentleman is a man who knows how to play the accordion but chooses not to… Have no fear the accordion works here… Producer Don Was plays upright bass and John Avila plays the electric bass. Surprisingly, Dylan does not use a drummer on these tracks. It’s not unheard of, Lou Reed didn’t use a drummer on his life LP Animal Serenade, but it was a surprise.

I have to admit, I didn’t have the highest expectations around these recordings. When I first approached this album I still thought it might be live. The last time I saw Dylan it was terrible. I couldn’t hear the vocal, it was way down in the mix. I couldn’t recognize many of the songs he played and I consider myself a Dylan-ophile. Frankly, opener Merle Haggard blew him off the stage. Dylan’s set list that night could best be described as “obscure.” That’s not the case with the song selection here. There are some of his most iconic songs: “Tombstone Blues,” “Queen Jane Approximately,” “Forever Young,” and “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” to name but a few. I was immediately drawn in. But what I didn’t expect was some of his better known, deeper tracks. I was thrilled to see “When I Paint My Masterpiece” as the opener. He also does the track “Watching The River Flown,” which originally could only be found on his first Greatest Hits LP. I was delighted to see “What Was It You Wanted” from 1989’s Oh Mercy!, the youngest track here. Suffice it to say, this is a great group of songs.

Once I started listening to these recordings, I was frankly, blown away. Perhaps it was the blessing of having low expectations. Dylan’s voice sounds better than it has in years. He sings with great emotion and nuance, on every song. Yes, his voice is weathered and fried from too many KOOL menthols, but he sounds great here. And lets be honest, if you’re complaining about Dylan’s voice you’re probably on the wrong train. The vibe of the music is that of a bluesy late night, after-hours bar where you’d have to have a password or know somebody to get in. The band sounds so great I don’t miss a drummer. As I mentioned the accordion is prevalent and it gives the songs, to my ear, a bit of a Southwest, Tex-Mex, down by the border flavor.

There are so many highlights. I love the opener, “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” It’s a great tune and it’s done very well here. “Mostly Likely You’ll Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine” feels propulsive to the point you don’t miss the drums… almost, anyway. “Queen Jane Approximately” is dripping with longing. “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” almost sounds rockabilly. These are great re-imaginings of these songs. I will admit, I always thought in “Tombstone Blues,” the lyric was “daddy’s in the alley looking for food,” and apparently Dylan has changed it to “looking for the fuse,” which makes it more menacing.

I love that he pulls out “What Was It You Wanted,” a great meditation on fame. The version of “Forever Young” here is one of the most beautiful I’ve heard. “Pledging My Time” is the bluesiest tune here and it’s wonderful. I was also delighted to see Dylan do “Wicked Messenger” which has been covered by both the Faces and Black Keys. This rendition of “Watching The River Flow” delivers the original’s rollicking fun in all it’s glory. There’s a new song, an instrumental, that I actually really enjoyed, “Sierra’s Theme.” It’s a hypnotic little number.

This album was just such a treat to listen to. I went in with low expectations and the band and Dylan’s singing just swept me away. Naturally, I’m a huge Dylan fan so I love all of the original versions of these songs but these re-imaginings are well worth your time. Dylan continues to excite and amaze some 60 years into the gig. This album is more than just a COVID-era artifact.

“Someday everything is gonna sound like a rhapsody, when I paint my masterpiece…” Cheers!

 

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John Mellencamp’s Startling New Protest Songs From His Upcoming LP, ‘Orpheus Descending’

~ kcorsini ~ 5 Comments
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I was surprised recently to find out that John Mellencamp is putting out a new album on June 16th, Orpheus Descending. It was merely a year and a half ago that Mellencamp released Strictly One-Eyed Jacks, an album that had three collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, including the sensational “Wasted Days.” While I did describe Strictly One-Eyed Jacks as “curmudgeon rock,” I thought it was a good album and I still don’t know why “Wasted Days” wasn’t a huge song.

While I’m very pleased Mellencamp is putting out a new album, it’s very surprising. In the early days, aka the 70s and 80s, Mellencamp put out an album every two years which was pretty standard. Actually in the beginning of his career he put out an album almost every year which sounds like a recipe for burnout. As time went on record companies backed off the album-tour-album-rinse-repeat cycle they used to force artists into and the time between albums started to get longer – and that’s just in general – but certainly applies to Mellencamp. Some artists can take six, seven or even eight years between records these days. I recently reviewed albums from Metallica (72 Seaons) and Dave Matthews Band (Walk Around The Moon) that were seven and five years in the making respectively.

While Mellencamp hasn’t taken that leisurely of a pace, his albums tend to take longer than they used to and come out every three to five years. There have been a couple of times that, like this new record, he’s recorded in back to back years. The first time was Dance Naked, which came out only a year after Human Wheels because the record company pissed Mellencamp off by saying his music “no longer fit the format.” While Rough Harvest came out only a year after John Mellencamp, I’m not including it here as it was a “contract fulfillment” record of old acoustic recordings… The other time in Mellencamp’s career that he did LPs in back to back years was when he put out the oft overlooked gem Freedom’s Road and then the next year turned around with the stark Life, Death, Love, Freedom. Mellencamp has described that latter album as a collection of “electric-folk songs.” Clearly he had something to say.

If we discern anything from these two exceptions from Mellencamp’s past deviation of his recording schedule, it’s that he only quickly records an album when he’s pissed or when he has something to say. Based on these two stunning new songs that have dropped to tease Orpheus Descending, in this case, it’s a little of both – he’s pissed and has something to say about it. There has always been a political element in Mellencamp’s music – and his public commentary – but it’s typically been less overt. It’s more effective to sing a song like “Jackie Brown” to bemoan the plight of poor minorities than to just sing, “Black, poor people are suffering.” It humanizes things to do the former vs sounding like a political speech in the latter.

This is not a political blog, but you’d have to be living in a cave not know what troubled times we live in. There are so many issues that are within our grasp to fix but our government is paralyzed with inaction. The Extreme Right are more concerned with tax cuts for hedge fund billionaires than feeding the poor or fixing our gun problem. Our nation is more divided now than at any time since the late 60s. I have been sitting here wondering why more artists aren’t doing Protest Songs, like in the 60s. Where is our “Eve of Destruction,” “Revolution,” or “Fortunate Son”? I don’t hear young bands addressing the issues of today like bands did in the old days. At least Stevie Nicks re-did the Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” recently.

I guess with no new bands addressing this, it’s up to the older artists to raise their voice in protest. And make no mistake, these two new songs from Mellencamp are full on, overt, Protest Songs. I know Mellencamp is a very “plain spoken” guy but even I was startled at the naked frankness of these two songs. The first track, “Hey God” tackles the issue of gun violence in America. It feels torn from the headlines since, well, mass shootings keep happening over and over again. There 17 mass shooting events over Memorial Day weekend this year alone.

When you start a song with the lyric, “Weapons and guns, are they really my rights? Laws written a long time ago, No one could imagine the sight of so many dead on the floor…” it grabs your attention. The lyrics are a direct encapsulation of every normal Americans thinking on the issue. It’s not only a plea for change but literally a prayer to God for help. While the lyrics are great it’s the music that grabbed me on this superb song. It’s very Lonesome Jubilee-ish instrumentation with a mean slide guitar and violin solo. It reminds me of an even more serious, mellower “Paper In Fire.” This is a song that should be played at every gun protest from now on. I highly recommend this track. Here it is:

The second new track from what will likely prove to be a controversial album is “The Eyes Of Portland.” This song tackles the pressing issue of homelessness. In the past generation over a trillion dollars of wealth has been transferred from the bottom 80% to the top 1%. We’re heading for a new, terrible Gilded Age. So many of our fellow citizens are struggling to eat and find a place they can afford to live. This song doesn’t grab me as hard as “Hey God,” but it’s a good midtempo thing. It’s got the usual Mellencamp big chorus like “Our Country.” It’s an earnest track that once again, doesn’t mince words about the issue of homelessness. It speaks of mental illness, drug casualties and the need for help. It’s got a pretty stunning chorus, “All of these homeless, where do they come from? In this land of plenty where nothing gets done, To help those who are empty and unable to run, Your tears and prayers won’t help the homeless…” Here’s the second new Mellencamp song:

Like most new stuff from older bands, you’re probably not going to hear these wonderful songs on your local radio. But I recommend each of you seek these songs out. Again, this is not a political blog, but when rock n roll strays toward the political, we tend to comment on it. 70% of Americans support rational gun reform yet here are. We’ve got to push the bullshit aside and start coming back together in this country.

It’s a long, dark ride. Take care of each other out there… and blast these two new songs to get you through it.

Cheers!

RIP Tina Turner, Gone at 83 – Singer, Dancer, Actress, Author, Rock N Roll Icon, Legend

~ kcorsini ~ 1 Comment
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*Image of Tina Turner taken from the internet and likely copyrighted….

I was in the midst of finishing my post on the new Dave Matthews Band album, Walk Around The Moon, when the sad news came in that we’d lost a legend, Tina Turner. She was 83 and she was had been in ill health for a while now, but it still hit me. Another rock n roll giant gone.

I’m going to admit right off the bat, I wasn’t a huge fan of Tina’s solo music. I was never a Private Dancer guy. I did however, love her work with Ike which, since he’s an evil abuser of the lowest order, is probably not a cool thing to say. They had so many great, great songs. “Nutbush City Limits” was always a favorite – later covered by Bob Seger. “Mountain High, River Deep,” was another favorite. She did so many great cover songs from the Beatles “Come Together” and “Let It Be” to the famous CCR cover “Proud Mary.” I know Dylan encouraged Fogerty to start singing Creedence songs again by telling him, “Everybody is going to think “Proud Mary” is a Tina Turner song if you don’t start singing it again…” I’ve got bad news for John Fogerty… “Proud Mary” is owned by Tina. If you want a great album from Tina’s early work – sadly with Ike – I’d recommend Workin’ Together. It’s the disc with “Proud Mary” on it.

Tina was such a huge influence on all of my favorite rockers. When she and Ike toured the U.K. with the Stones Tina taught Mick Jagger how to dance. Many of his early moves were taught to him directly by Tina after she saw him trying to emulate her on stage, quite a generous thing. In the early 70s after leaving Ike – thank God – she starred as the “Acid Queen” in the movie version of the Who’s rock opera (an early concept LP) Tommy. Even in the 70s and early 80s when she was “in the wilderness” creatively, she was always around. I can remember watching a live broadcast of a Rod Stewart concert from 1982 where Tina sang a duet with Rod on “Stay With Me” the old Faces song. They were joined by Kim Carnes of “Bette Davis Eyes” fame. That version ended up on Rod’s LP Absolutely Live.

This is one of my favorite pics of Tina and a few friends:

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You can’t get any more rock n roll than that.

In the 80s before and after her comeback she did duets with so many of my favorite rock stars. She did a version of the Bowie/Iggy Pop penned “Tonight” that I really thought was great. She also did a duet with Clapton on a song called “Tearing Us Apart” which ended up being a great song on a so-so album. Riding high on the success of Private Dancer she and Jagger, her former dance pupil, lit up the U.S. concert at Live Aid with a scintillating performance. Tina was always money on stage. What a charismatic performer. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of her 80s music, I can still appreciate the impact she had on rock n roll.

Her re-booted career in the 80s led to a number of acting roles like the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The soundtrack from that film brought another hit, “We Don’t Need Another Hero.” I remember I worked with a guy I’ll call Rex (name changed to protect the guilty). Rex won a big award at the place we both worked. They gave him a check for some sum of money and hung a medal around his neck. Later, whenever we’d had too much wine, we’d tee up the CD player and start with live applause from the end of some live LP and Rex would stand on his ottoman in his living room and wave to the imaginary crowd and I’d place the medal around his neck like he was an Olympian. Then he’d switch the CDs to Tina’s “Simply The Best” as that was the song our company played when he was on stage winning the actual award. He would bow in his living room to me and our other friend. I have fond memories of that time and that song.

More than even her impact on rock n roll, Tina’s cultural impact was immense. Her autobiography (and later a movie) about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike impacted so many women. Her courage in the face of that horror show is a standard we all should be inspired by. She gave so many women the strength to walk away from a bad situation. Her story of survival, resilience and courage. She truly transcended rock n roll and music and movies to become not only an icon, but truly a legend.

The world is a little less bright today as we awake on a planet without Tina Turner.

RIP Tina.

 

Playlist: Our Favorite Songs About… Flying

~ kcorsini ~ 13 Comments

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“I like pleasure spiked with pain, and music is my aeroplane…” – Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Aeroplane”

I took a little time away from B&V to recharge the musical batteries. As it turns out I’ve also spent a little time in airports and airplanes recently as well… I am on record as admitting I chose the career of the itinerant sales guy. I have to admit, due to the pandemic, I hadn’t flown in quite a while. What a shitty experience flying is now. I’m old enough that I can remember when I was a real little kid, people used to dress up to fly. I remember the first time I flew, I was probably 3, my mom put me in a sporty red blazer and clip-on tie and shellacked my cowlick hair down with, well, mom spit. I don’t remember most of it, but I’ve seen the pictures. In those pics my grandparents, who only drove to the airport to pick us up, were also dressed to the nines. I can’t imagine seeing my Grandmother in yoga pants or my grandfather in a Budweiser t-shirt standing at the gate. We’re not even making the bare minimum effort folks. The last time I flew, I was sitting across from a guy who farted and pretended nothing happened. Thanks pal.

Ah, flying. It all seemed so glamorous when I was a kid. I remember it as being a lot easier. The Wright Brothers, who were the first to fly in 1903 probably never imagined having to take your shoes off to board the Wright Flyer outside of Kitty Hawk. I’ve spent my whole career hanging around airports waiting on a delayed flight or having made the mad dash to the airport and missed that elusive earlier flight. I can’t even begin to tally up all the time I’ve wasted sitting in the gate of some crowded, sweaty airport. I think the airlines only hire sadists these days. I had a flight cancelled recently and I’m certain the gate agent was a former prison camp commandant…There’s something inherently lonely about flying. I was always surrounded by people but had my head buried in my work laptop or a book and most always had my trusty headphones on to be transported out of that situation by rock n roll. What’s that old cliche about being “alone in a crowd?”

That’s the thing about flying somewhere. You are, by definition, leaving somewhere or some place. And flight allows us to travel great, great distances so you’re again, by definition, going a long, long way from home. While travel and traveling are exciting there is an underlying sorrow that always seemed to nag me. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy soaring above the clouds, looking down and trying to recognize landmarks, headed off to explore the world. I’ve been from San Francisco to New York to Barcelona and Rome. There is a freedom in being able to “fly away.” But that freedom also can breed isolation. Sometimes the person you’re flying away from deserves to be left behind. But, then again, now I do most of my fun travel with the Rock Chick and I find that immensely better than the old days.

I will admit, when anybody asked me – and strangely people seemed to ask me this a lot – what “Super Power” I would want if I could have one, I always said flying. Naturally most of my friends wanted to be invisible… something about sneaking into the girl’s shower and “observing?” I have always been surrounded by degenerates…thankfully. I always thought being able to fly – without a plane – was the Super Power to pick. I always said, “I want to fly like Superman,” as the Kinks famously sang. You could go anywhere and be there quickly. You didn’t have to check bags or sit in the middle seat. And who amongst us hasn’t admired the majestic flight of birds. I was standing by a pond once when a flock of ducks floated in and landed on the water in unison. I remember thinking, “Man, I wish I could do that…”

Of course, for me, the easiest way for me to get “airborne” is to slip those head phones on, much as Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers described above, and turn up the music. All of these thoughts about flying – whether in a plane or like superman or birds in flight – got me to thinking about all the great rock n roll songs about flying. I figured it all be “pedal to the metal,” hard driving rock songs. But like I was describing above, there seems to be an undercurrent of sorrow in some of these tracks. As with all of our playlists, we’re all over the board stylistically. It’s the theme that’s important. B&V playlists are best played on “shuffle.”

Without further adieu, here are our favorite songs about Flying. You can find our playlist on Spotify if you’re interested. As always, if there’s a favorite of yours we didn’t include, drop it in the comments. I like to think of B&V playlists as “our” playlists, not “my” playlist. I have left my thoughts on each track below…

  1. Pink Floyd, “Learning To Fly” – I know Pink Floyd purists don’t like the David Gilmour-led version of the band. I love this song. The way he describes flying, it doesn’t sound like he’s piloting a plane… Not every record is Dark Side of The Moon.
  2. The Byrds, “Eight Miles High” – Supposedly planes fly eight miles above the ground but I think the Byrds were likely thinking more about drugs here. Who can blame them, it was the 60s.
  3. The Beatles, “Back In The USSR” – McCartney seems very happy about getting back to the USSR. From The Beatles (aka The White Album).
  4. Eagles, “Earlybird” – From the Eagles debut LP. “He’s got no time for flying in the breeze…”
  5. The Box Tops, “The Letter” – From a young Alex Chilton who went on to form Big Star and record the legendary LP, #1 Record. “Gimme a ticket on an aeroplane, ain’t got time to take a fast train…”
  6. New York Dolls, “Jet Boy” – I just saw a great documentary about David Johansen, the lead singer of the Dolls. Great stuff!
  7. Lou Reed, “Fly Into The Sun” – From one of my favorite Lou LPs, New Sensations. Perhaps his happiest LP? I also love New York, of course.
  8. The Cult, “In The Clouds” – Great track only found on a greatest hits disc. If you’re in the clouds, I have to assume you’re flying.
  9. Jimi Hendrix, “Night Flying Bird” – Great posthumous tune from Jimi.
  10. The Black Keys, “Aeroplane Blues” – The Black Keys are so consistently kick ass. I loved their last LP, Dropout Boogie…
  11. Billy Joel, “Scandinavian Skies” – Billy Joel singing about a tour of Scandinavia where they flew from country to country? I had heard somewhere along the line that this song was about heroin?
  12. Slash (featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators), “Bent To Fly” – My friend Stormin’ turned me onto Slash’s solo work with Myles. A soaring power ballad from World On Fire.
  13. Frank Sinatra, “Come Fly With Me” – I had to include a couple of tracks from the Chairman of the Board.
  14. Johnny Cash, “I’ll Fly Away” – Johnny singing from his mama’s hymn book. I’m at best a pagan and I whispered a little prayer the first time I heard this one.
  15. Elton John, “High Flying Bird” – Beautiful sad track from one of my favorite Elton albums, Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only The Piano Player.
  16. David Bowie, “Space Oddity” – You can’t fly much higher than outerspace.
  17. Chuck Berry, “Promised Land” – I wish I could time travel just so I could take this trip with Chuck. I should have found a cover of this track for my Chuck Berry Covers playlist…
  18. Howlin’ Wolf, “Mr. Airplane Man” – Howlin’ Wolf singing the blues, asking Mr. Airplane Man to help him find his baby who has taken off… Another mule is kickin’ in his stall.
  19. Sammy Hagar, “Eagles Fly” – Sammy giving us a somewhat patriotic vibe here.
  20. Peter, Paul and Mary, “Leaving On A Jet Plane” – This song, and this version of it, probably surprises some long time readers. My parents loved Peter, Paul and Mary. I grew up hearing this song. Not that my parents played much music.
  21. Frank Sinatra, “Fly Me To The Moon” – My favorite of the two Sinatra songs here.
  22. Marvin Gaye, “Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky)” – A track from Marvin’s landmark album from 1971, What’s Going On?
  23. Foo Fighters, “Learn To Fly” – I’m not a huge Fighter of Foo fan but I dig this one. Perfect for this playlist.
  24. Ozzy Osbourne, “Flying High Again” – From Ozzy’s second LP with Randy Rhoads on lead guitar… this song turned me into an Ozzy fan for life.
  25. Talking Heads, “And She Was” – I had originally heard that this song was about a woman who died and the “she” who is floating in the air was her soul. Turns out it’s a story of a chick who took acid and had an out of body, Sharky’s Machine experience.
  26. Steve Miller Band, “Fly Like An Eagle” – A 70s classic.
  27. Elton John, “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be a Long, Long Time)” – The first time I heard this track, from Honky Chateau, I was in the Smithsonian… Weird story.
  28. Buffalo Springfield, “Expecting To Fly” – Great Neil Young, trippy track from the Springfield.
  29. Paul McCartney, “Feet In The Clouds” – Again, maybe not exactly a flying song, but he’s in the clouds… how’d he get there?
  30. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Travelin’ Band” – First line says it all, “Seven thirty seven comin’ out of the sky, Won’t you take me down to Memphis on a midnight ride…” I just included this in my playlist about the Music/Show Biz.
  31. Faces, “Flying” – I think this was the Faces first single? We do love the Faces here at B&V.
  32. REO Speedwagon, “Time For Me To Fly” – Another track about being time to go. So many times I stayed too long at the “party.”
  33. Iron Maiden, “Flight Of Icarus” – Only a metal band would take a story from Greek Mythology and turn it into a great rock n roll song.
  34. Mudcrutch, “Dreams of Flying” – I loved Mudcrutch. It was the perfect side project for Petty, Mike Campbell and Ben Tench. This is from the second album, creatively titled 2.
  35. Buffalo Springfield, “Flying On The Ground Is Wrong” – Great, great song written by Neil Young and sung by Richie Furay. I’d like to hear a version of this song sung by Neil… I’m sure it’s out there.
  36. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Little Wing” – One of my all time Hendrix favorites. “Fly on, little wing…”
  37. John Mellencamp, “My Aeroplane” – Great deep track from Mellencmap.
  38. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “My Zephyr” – “Fly away on my zephyr…” Does anybody know what Anthony is talking about?
  39. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Jet” – One of my favorite rockers from McCartney.
  40. David Bowie, “I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship” – Bowie was always singing about space.
  41. Linda Ronstadt, “Birds” – Neil Young isn’t on Spotify, but Linda Ronstadt does a fine cover here. I loved her third album.
  42. David Crosby, “Sky Trails” – Brilliant title track from a brilliant album. Sung beautifully by David and Becca Stevens. So sad to have lost Croz this year.
  43. Stephen Stills, “Jet Set (Sigh)” – I loved Manassas.
  44. Queen, “Spread Your Wings” – “Spread your wings and fly away…” From my first Queen LP purchase, News Of The World.
  45. INXS, “Johnson’s Aeroplane” – Obscure early INXS but I dig it.
  46. R.E.M., “Alligator Aviator Autopilot Anitmatter” – R.E.M.’s last few lps were awesome. This fun track is from Collapse Into Now.
  47. Elton John, “Take Me To The Pilot” – I think if you asked to be taken to the pilot these days, the plane would land and an international incident would ensue. A great, great Elton track.
  48. David Bowie, “Like A Rocket Man” – Late period, fabulous Bowie. Bowie and Elton seem obsessed with flying. “I’m speeding like a rocket man…”
  49. Bad Company, “Movin’ On” – Sometimes you just gotta pack up, head to the boarding gate, and get outta there. I had to do this in Jamaica once. Luckily the embassy didn’t get involved.
  50. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Aeroplane” – The true theme song of this playlist. Let the music help you soar, baby.
  51. Led Zeppelin, “Night Flight” – One of my all time favorite deep tracks from the mighty Zeppelin.
  52. Joni Mitchell, “Amelia” – Joni, like Neil is boycotting Spotify – rightly so – so I sub’d in David Crosby’s cover. But I had to list her name here as her version is definitive.
  53. Bad Company, “Seagull” – “Now you fly, through the sky, never asking why, And you fly all around ’til somebody, Shoots you down.” Heavy stuff.
  54. Elton John, “Daniel” – A lamentation about seeing his brother return to Spain on an airplane.
  55. Steve Miller Band, “Jet Airliner” – Another great 70s classic from Steve Miller Band. I’ve always loved this song.
  56. Lenny Kravitz, “Fly Away” – From Lenny’s great LP, 5.
  57. The Kinks, “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” – I think I included this track on my list of rock bands with a disco song? I was more of a Batman guy, but I did used to wish I could fly like Superman.
  58. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Police Helicopter” – This is the only song I’ve ever known about helicopters so I included it. Not many people like early RHCP’s, but I do.
  59. Pearl Jam, “Given To Fly” – I consider this one of their greatest tracks.
  60. The Beatles, “Flying” – A spacey instrumental that I felt had to be included. There are some wordless vocals toward the end, but I consider it an instrumental.
  61. The Rolling Stones, “Flight 505” – You know how I love the Stones and it took me this long to include one of their songs? “Well yes I’ll have a drink.” A sorry tale about a man who decides to leave home and seek adventures, but the plane lands… in the sea.
  62. Crosby, Stills, Nash, “Just A Song Before I Go” – Sad track where the singer just wants to hear a song with his woman before he takes off for the “friendly skies.”
  63. The Beatles, “Blackbird” – “Take these broken wings and learn to fly, all your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free…”
  64. Mudcrutch, “Bootleg Flyer” – Mudcrutch having fun imagining flying a plane full of smuggled hooch really low, just above the trees.
  65. ZZ Top, “Flyin’ High” – Soaring arena rock from ZZ Top. Always a winner…
  66. Rush, “Fly By Night” – Another of my absolute favorite tracks… Can’t believe it took me this long to get it on the list.
  67. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Free Bird” – If you have to have a good ending song, this is it. “Won’t you fly high free bird?” My wife hates this song.

There you go friends. A little playlist to help you as you soar above the clouds whether you’re in an airplane or in your backyard on the patio. Again, if you have a favorite I might have missed, drop it in the comments and I’ll add it on Spotify.

Cheers! And lets remember – Birds of prey know they’re cool (according to the Far Side anyway).

New Release From the Vaults: Stephen Stills, ‘Live At Berkeley 1971’ – Peak Live Stills From His Heyday

~ kcorsini ~ 4 Comments

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Let me start by wishing everyone out there a belated Happy May Day! If you celebrated in the spirit of the United States’ similar holiday, Labor Day, I salute all of you International Workers out there. If you’re into that whole select a May Queen like Robert Plant, and dance around the Maypole, remember all Pagans are welcome here at B&V. It would appear that Spring has indeed finally sprung. It appears this year that not only Spring is in the air but live music. On the heels of the great new live disc from the Who, The Who With Orchestra – Live At Wembley, and Pink Floyd’s archival live release in celebration of Dark Side of The Moon turning 50, Stephen Stills has dug into his vault and put out a recording made during the early days of his solo career, Live At Berkeley 1971. At the very least you’d think this was an important historical document. 1971 was a critical time in Stills’ solo career.

I’ve always dug Stephen Stills but it seems he’s always been slightly overshadowed by his friend and erstwhile bandmate Neil Young. Stills has written some great songs and the guy can play anything. He’s been in some landmark bands: The Buffalo Springfield (with Neil Young and Richie Furay), he was a part of the Al Kooper/Michael Bloomfield’s landmark album Super Sessions (Stills played with Kooper on side 2 after Bloomfield split), and was a founding member of Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes Young). The man was a pioneer in the realm of country rock. The critics have always despised Stills and I’m not sure why? Robert Christgau, the famous critic, wrote of Stephen, “Stills is of course detestable, the ultimate rich hippie–arrogant, self-pitying, sexist, shallow.” Jeez dude, why not go ahead and call his mom ugly? It has always seemed to me that Stills has had a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Maybe all that critical bile has made him defensive. He was famously kicked out of Keith Richards’ hotel room when he refused to share his coke. While the man has been inconsistent in his career, so has Neil Young? I’ll admit he can come across condescending and preachy sometimes, but hey man, it was the 70s.

Stills tour in 1971 was in support of his second solo album creatively named Stephen Stills 2. At least he didn’t use Roman numerals… It was his first solo tour and was confined to the U.S. He actually played at venerable Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City on the tour in July of ’71. And no, I wasn’t there. I was barely in grade school. Social services would have seized me if my parents took me to the show. By 1971 I think it’s safe to guess Stills was thinking, what a difference a year makes. In 1970, after the triumph of Deja Vu, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young finally imploded amongst band bickering and infighting. He lost his girl, Rita Coolidge, to Graham Nash which accelerated the band split. I heard he didn’t handle that well and had accidentally OD’d on pills and later got busted for possession but I’m not sure about either of those things. Further, 1970 saw each member of CSNY put out a solo LP: If I Could Only Remember My Name (Crosby), Stephen Stills, After The Gold Rush (Neil Young), and finally Songs For Beginners (Graham Nash) which were each a hit and probably further spelled the end of CSNY. I’ve chronicled our favorite solo/duo LPs from CSN before and all of those LPs made the cut. Stills’ eponymous solo debut reached number 2 on the album charts (Behind George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass) and boasted the big hit “Love The One You’re With.” That song was huge – Aretha Franklin, The Supremes and the Isley Brothers all did versions of that song. It may be derided for slightly sexist sentiment but it’s interesting how many woman have recorded that song… Stills’ debut is the only album to boast appearances from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

Then came 1971 and Stills recorded his second solo album, the aforementioned Stephen Stills 2. It got mixed reviews. It still peaked at number 8 on the charts. But the two singles, “Change Partners,” clearly about Rita Coolidge, and “Marianne” both peaked in the low 40s. Critics were lukewarm, at best, about the album but I think it’s got some great songs. When Stills launched his first solo tour in support of 2 – he’d been promising a big show when he finally toured solo – he brought along the Memphis Horns (Wayne Jackson, Roger Hopps, Jack Hale, Andrew Love, Sidney George, Floyd Newman). Stills had become enamored with bands like Chicago (Hendrix liked original guitarist Terry Kath) and Blood Sweat And Tears who utilized a big horn sound. Blood Sweat And Tears was founded by Al Kooper, his album mate from the Kooper/Bloomfield/Stills Super Session. Maybe that influenced him. I’m not a huge fan of a big horn section but I’ll admit sometimes it just works. Springsteen’s latest tour in 2023 boasted a big horn section and I loved the show I saw in February. The tour was dubbed “The Memphis Horns Tour” and alternately the “Drunken Horns Tour” as Stills was drinking heavily due to the Rita Coolidge thing. He was not in a good place. I’ve been there… haven’t we all?

For the 1971 tour, from which Live At Berkeley 1971 is the first released music, Stills brought along Steven Fromholtz (guitar), Paul Harris (keyboards), CSNY’s rhythm section Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels (bass) and Dallas Taylor (drums), and percussionist Joe Lala. The first half of the album, like the tour it came from, is an acoustic set from Stills. The band joins later. These 50+ year old recordings sound fantastic. The live LP opens with “Love The One You’re With,” with just Stills on vocals/acoustic guitar with percussionist Joe Lala joining in to bring that Latin soul flavor. It’s a great start. From there it’s another track from his solo debut, “Do For The Others” written for David Crosby’s late girlfriend who had died in a car wreck. The third track was at the time unreleased, “Jesus Gave Love Away For Free” which ended up on the first Manassas record. Steven Fromholz joins Stills on guitar and vocals on that one… Stills met former Byrd Chris Hillman on the tour and they formed Manassas… but I digress. Stills had written enough material for a double LP but Ahmet Ertegun talked him into a single disc. A lot of what was leftover ended up on the critically lauded first Manassas album.

At that point, to surprise the crowd, David Crosby joins Stills on stage. Stills and Crosby were closer friends than people realize. The two songs they performed together carry a bit more poignancy for me as Croz sadly just passed away this year. They do a great versions of “You Don’t Have To Cry” and Crosby’s “The Lee Shore.” Stills has said Crosby was the first of his ex bandmates to show up for one of his solo shows. Stills does quite a few CSN songs but only touches on his Buffalo Springfield career which is baffling to me. He finally then launches into two tracks from Stills 2, the great track “Word Game” inspired by Dylan’s “It’s Alright Ma” and the bluesy “Sugar Babe” where Stills switches to the piano. I really like both of these performances, perhaps better than their studio versions.

From there Stills, still at the piano, does a mash up of CSN’s “49 Bye Byes” with the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth” (the greatest protest song, ever). It’s very similar to the version of the song on CSNY’s live album, Four Way Street. I don’t know why Stills always played these songs together on piano versus doing a straight version of “For What It’s Worth” on it’s own. It’s one of his best tunes and he just kind of tosses it off. Stevie Nicks recently did a very nice version of “For What It’s Worth.” From there he plays the wicked acoustic blues tune “Black Queen” from his debut. I do so love rockers playing blues. “You Know You’ve Got To Run” which was written for Deja Vu, is the final of track of the acoustic part of the show. I have to tell you, I love the entire acoustic set.

The Memphis Horns come out for a rousing version of “Bluebird Revisited.” It’s a continuation of a tune written and performed for the Springfield, “Bluebird.” I have to admit it’s baffling to me that Stills would play the “Revisited” version instead of just “Bluebird” which is another of his greatest tracks. He left “Change Partners” and “Marianne” off this set of songs which I find equally confusing. I’m sure he had to have played those songs on the tour, why not include them? All of that said, I don’t find the horns cheesy. The Memphis Horns are pros. They’re equally jazzy on the cover song “Lean On Me,” which is not the Bill Withers song. I will say Stills sounds particularly unhinged in his singing on this track. And the horns get all kinds of playing time. To me the best use of the horns is on “Cherokee” another highlight from Stills’ debut album. After the band intro’s, the band launches into Stills’ “Ecology Song.” I think his heart was in the right place, but this song was reviled by critics and fans alike at the time. It’s just so over the top which I guess makes it a good concert ender.

I really like this concert document. As you can tell from my earlier comments I am a little confused by Stills’ choice of songs to include here. I would have liked to hear even more of his electric guitar playing – the guy is exceptional on electric – but it’s like he doesn’t want to be seen as a guitar hero. However, from what I’ve read about Stills’ first solo tour this live album captures the spirit and intent of that tour pretty well. I think it’s a great live album, certainly better than Stephen Stills Live from 1974’s tour (which I like) but like the man himself it’s very flawed. For a man reeling from the loss of his band, the loss of his girl, it’s a pretty kick ass live document. And let’s remember, Stills may not get the respect of some of his peers, but he is an excellent and important rock n roll artist.

Enjoy this one loud! Get back to that early 70s ethos of loving the one you’re with and cherishing the ecology… maybe hang out with Rita Coolidge… Cheers!

B&V Playlist: For The Love Of… Money

~ kcorsini ~ 12 Comments

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“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life. Now that I am old, I know that it is.” – Oscar Wilde

Before I met my wife I was always fond of saying, “Money and sane women have eluded me my whole life.” But since the Rock Chick never laughed at that line, I stopped saying it. It got a little awkward. And let’s be honest I wasn’t the most solid citizen in the old days – I’m happy to own my part in the craziness…bygones. Anyway, having been happily wed for a long time, I guess I would now amend my original statement to “money has eluded me my whole life.” I mean, I’ve been lucky professionally, but big money has always seemed just out of my grasp. I guess it’s like Springsteen once sang, “Poor man wants to be rich, rich man wants to be king, and the king ain’t satisfied until he rules everything.” The more you get the more you seem to want. The reach always seems to exceed the grasp.

I read recently that to be in the top “1%” you would need to earn on average, $823k a year. That’s some big bucks. To be in the top 5% in terms of earnings, you’d need to average $283k a year, again big bucks. I know income distribution currently is as out of wack as it was during the “Gilded Age” in the late 1800s. Back in the Gilded Age, like five families controlled 80 percent of the wealth and the rest of us, based on pictures I’ve seen, all lived in the same tenement house battling over what was left. I realize there was real wage growth in those days but there was a lot of terrible poverty especially for immigrants and minorities. It was overall a pretty awful time. It would appear that certain elements in this country are trying to push us back to those days. What they forget, as they siphon off more money for the super rich, is that without a stable middle class, democracy almost always fails. As someone said to me recently, “It used to be you could work in a factory your whole life and if you didn’t join a country club, you’d have a nice retirement.” Do we even have factories any more?

It’s no coincidence that I’ve got money currently on my mind and today is Tax Day in the U.S. It’s typically April 15th, but since that fell on a weekend, U.S. taxpayers were given until today to pay their federal and state taxes. I’ve posted about Tax Day Blues and even included a playlist but today I’m thinking more about money in general. There’s a high likelihood as a member of the middle class I’m paying more tax than Elon Musk which seems a little backward to me. I guess I’m like that song by the Stereophonics, “Every Day I Think About Money.” When I was young, I didn’t have any money so I worried about it a lot. Then I had some money and I constantly thought about how to get more money. And that’s sort of been the mindset I’ve been stuck in since I was 30.

There was a time when I was happy just to have enough money for beer and vinyl albums. Maybe some extra cash to take a date to the movies. I’d work summer jobs – mowing lawns or building tennis courts which afforded me a fabulous tan – which was the goal in the summer – or I’d work as a bus boy or a dishwasher which afforded me a legendary case of acne. As a friend once said to me, “It’s summer, you drink beer with your friends.” I’ve already chronicled my old days as a working stiff when I posted a playlist in honor of Labor Day last year so I won’t beat that drum again. In many ways I was a much happier guy in those days. Of course I was living at my parents house. My friend Arkansas Joel always said he was happier when he was flipping burgers in high school. As life went on, there were bills, mortgages or rents to be paid and car payments to be made. Responsibility costs money. No wonder there are so many t-shirts that say “Not Adulting Today” out there.

While Oscar Wilde is right, money is important, I hated starting with such a cynical quote. I did find it funny. I wonder if we’re measuring success incorrectly in the world. We’re all so focused on money and materialism we don’t think about the other ways to measure success. Money really isn’t everything – although it certainly seems like it in today’s society. I’ve never been one of those “he who dies with the most toys wins” kind of guys. Having a great, strongly bonded family or great relationships with friends and colleagues is just as big a sign of success as a McMansion. Doing good in your community or doing good unto others has to be a measure? When I was in college I considered becoming a history professor. I was passionate about researching and writing and let’s face it I look good in a tweed sport coat with those leather elbows. But I talked to one of the history professors and he said, “There are probably more history majors driving cabs than teaching history.” I didn’t want to starve so I joined the large rank of traveling sales people. It worked out okay but I can’t describe it as a passion. The best parts of the job were the relationships I formed with the people I worked with and the mentoring I’ve done over the years in management. When I think about it through that prism – the relationships and impact I had on people’s lives – I actually think I might be more successful than I allow myself to think I am.

As I sat around thinking about money and my decision all those years ago to be a “happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender,” I started to think about all the great rock n roll songs about money – dough, cashish, coin, cabbage and my favorite scratch – and suddenly to snap out of it I started to build this playlist. As always tempo-wise it’s all over the place. We aim to put a song you haven’t heard in a while back in your ear or better yet, turn you on to something you haven’t heard. I usually recommend hitting “random” when you play these tracks. It works in order, but hey, variety is the spice of life… and apparently money is the honey. Here’s the playlist and you can find my comments on each tune below. And no, I didn’t include any versions of “Shake Your Money Maker,” because let’s face it… that song ain’t about money.

  1. Warren Zevon, “Lawyers, Guns and Money” – Always a go-to tune for me when there was trouble… or when “the shit has hit the fan.” Zevon needs to be in the Rock Hall this year…
  2. Prince, “Money Don’t Grow On Trees” – Prince had so many great tunes. This was in the vaults for a long time. Originally recorded for 1999. And apparently he stole the title from a phrase my father was fond of repeating when I was growing up.
  3. AC/DC, “Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Around To Be A Millionaire)” – I’m stunned by how many songs AC/DC have about money. They truly have their “mind on my money and my money on my mind.” This song makes me smile.
  4. Ozzy Osbourne, “The Almighty Dollar” – Ozzy from the sadly overlooked gem Black Rain.
  5. Motley Crue, “Keep Your Eye On The Money” – Good advice from the Crue.
  6. Montrose, “Paper Money” – Montrose, Sammy Hagar’s first band, long before Van Hagar and Chickenfoot. With Ronnie Montrose on guitar.
  7. The Black Keys, “For The Love Of Money” – I like this song so much I stole the title for this post… from last year’s Dropout Boogie.
  8. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Millionaires Against Hunger” – I wish there were more millionaires against hunger… or better yet a lot less hunger. I think this started as a charity single… Hillel Slovak on the lead guitar.
  9. Dire Straits, “Money For Nothing” – Iconic track from 1985. I can remember being in the car when I heard this for the first time and Sting came over the speakers and sang, “I want my MTV…” Mind blown. The next thing I knew I was going 80… but that might just be how I drove back then.
  10. Tom Waits, “’til The Money Runs Out” – Things are always bad when the money runs out, as Mr. Waits reminds us here.
  11. Randy Newman, “It’s Money That Matters” – Sadly, if you deign to look at any social media these days this adage seems to be true.
  12. The Firm, “Money Can’t Buy” – I’ve always felt that the Firm were slightly under-achievers considering the pedigree of Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company) and Jimmy Page (the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin) but that didn’t keep me from buying both their LPs.
  13. The Black Keys, “Money Maker” – The Keys are just so solid. Do they have a bad tune?
  14. Queen, “The Millionaire Waltz” – Only Freddie Mercury could get away with a song like this. Brian May’s guitar work is, as always, spectacular.
  15. AC/DC, “What You Do For Money Honey” – The most hateful track on here. Used to remind me of someone in the 90s but those thoughts have long disappeared into the ether.
  16. Alice Cooper, “Billion Dollar Babies” – I’d put Alice Cooper in their prime up against any band from the 70s.
  17. Van Morrison, “Blue Money” – I doubt when Van wrote this song that “blue money” was slang for $100 bills.
  18. Robert Plant, “All The Money In The World” – Plant’s late work is all fantastic and should be played at maximum volume whether it’s with Alison Krauss or just by himself.
  19. The Who, “Put The Money Down” – Great deep cut from Odds And Sods.
  20. Bruce Springsteen, “Easy Money” – I know Billy Joel has a song with the same title from An Innocent Man, but I despise that album.
  21. The Beatles, “Money (That’s What I Want)” – So many versions of this song out there, I had to go with the Beatles.
  22. Crosby & Nash, “Take The Money And Run” – Love these guys as a duo and a lot of their solo work.
  23. Bruce Springsteen, “The Price You Pay” – Often the price we pay isn’t in dollars.
  24. Bob Dylan & The Band, “Million Dollar Bash” – Dylan with his best backing group, The Band… recorded in the basement of the iconic house known as Big Pink.
  25. Bob Seger, “Ain’t Got No Money” – “but I sure gotta whole lotta love.” That pretty much describes me from ages 16 to 35.
  26. Aretha Franklin, “Money Won’t Change You” – The Queen spreading truth. They say money won’t change a man but it only amplifies what was there before. Food for thought.
  27. The Who, “Did You Steal My Money?” – From one of those albums that perhaps only I love.
  28. Don Henley, “If Dirt Were Dollars” – Great Henley deeper album cut.
  29. AC/DC, “Moneytalks” – “Money talks and bullshit walks…” I wonder if they were inspired by Spinal Tap.
  30. AC/DC, “Money Made” – AC/DC have so many tracks on this playlist, I just gave up and put 2 in a row. There is nothing more satisfying than getting that paycheck when you’ve earned it through some good ol’ fashion labor.
  31. Annie Lennox, “Money Can’t Buy It” – One of music’s greatest voices.
  32. Peter Frampton, “(I’ll Give You) Money” – Frampton’s heaviest riff? Great guitar work here.
  33. Beady Eye, “Millionaire” – One of the Rock Chick’s favs.
  34. AC/DC, “Down Payment Blues” – Bon Scott giving us a little darkness on one of my favorite AC/DC LPs, Powerage.
  35. B.B. King, “Paying The Cost To Be The Boss” – I love the original but I almost went with B.B.’s version on Deuces Wild performed with the Stones. Mick and B.B. singing, with Keef and Ronnie Wood riffing… yummy. I do so love the blues.
  36. Scorpions, “Money And Fame” – What everybody wants but few work for…
  37. Bulletboys, “For The Love Of Money” – The Rock Chick turned me onto this 80s rocker.
  38. Black Crowes, “Downtown Money Waster” – Every thing about this tune is cool. And since I lived downtown most of my life, I can identify with the title character.
  39. The Beatles, “You Never Give Me Your Money” – From the second side medley on Abbey Road.
  40. Ray Charles, “Greenbacks” – Ray Charles singing about money is actually money!
  41. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “30 Dollar Fine” – From the expanded/deluxe 50th anniversary edition of Deja Vu. Some times the Man makes you pay the fine.
  42. U2, “Silver And Gold (Live)” – This song is about so much more than money… I took any excuse I could to slip it onto a playlist.
  43. Dave Matthews Band, “Pay For What You Get” – DMB with some early career truth. If the price is too good to be true, turn and walk away.
  44. Van Halen, “Big Fat Money” – I’ve never had big or fat money but it sounds like fun.
  45. Spoon, “Rent I Pay” – The bill is always due, the wolf is always at the door.
  46. Randy Newman, “It’s Money That I Love” – This is true for quite a few people I know… sadly.
  47. Steve Miller Band, “Take The Money And Run” – Two thieves out on the road, running from the law. Ah, the 70s.
  48. Pink Floyd, “Money” – This iconic track is likely their most famous song. I’ve been listening to this a lot in the last few weeks as the band celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dark Side Of The Moon.
  49. Rickie Lee Jones, “Easy Money” – Also covered by Lowell George of Little Feat on his sole solo album.
  50. Rush, “The Big Money” – I knew a woman whose nickname was Big Money…
  51. Patti Smith, “Free Money” – Well I think we could all get on board for a little free money…
  52. The White Stripes, “Honey, We Can’t Afford To Look This Cheap” – Great little B-side from our friends the White Stripes. This track is from Icky Thump, but I’ve been listening to that new 20th anniversary edition of Elephant of late.

There you have it folks. If I missed a favorite song about money of yours, please leave it in the comments section and I’ll see that it gets added to our playlist.

For those of you bummed out about your tax bill today, I suggest turning this playlist up and pouring something brown and murky. For those of you getting a refund, my advice is well, turn this playlist up and pour something dark and murky. Isn’t that always my advice?

Cheers!

Review: The White Stripes Celebrate The 20th Anniversary of ‘Elephant’ With A Deluxe Version – And Meg White Is Indeed An Awesome Drummer

~ kcorsini ~ 4 Comments

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It’s no secret that we love the White Stripes around here at B&V. I was delighted to see the band release a deluxe version of their landmark 2003 album Elephant in celebration of it’s 20th anniversary. Included in Elephant – Deluxe is the original album and a concert recording from that tour recorded in Chicago. In the words of fellow Detroit native Bob Seger, I can only say, “20 years now, where’d they go, 20 years, I don’t know…” It seems like this record came out yesterday.

This deluxe set comes amidst some White Stripes controversy of late. I don’t feel I can post about the White Stripes without addressing the Elephant in the room. Apparently some idiot journalist wrote an article and made the audacious claim that White Stripes’ drummer Meg White was a terrible drummer. This of course caused a bunch of blow back on Twitter for the idiot. Leader of the White Stripes Jack White and Tom Morello, amongst others, immediately came to the defense of Meg. Let me state for the record that we here at B&V love Meg White’s drumming. She’s not going to get fancy like Neil Peart. She’s not all over the drum kit like Keith Moon. But her bedrock drumming was the foundation that allowed guitarist/singer Jack White to soar. Without Meg White’s drumming, there is no White Stripes. Her drumming is fierce, primal and visceral. Having listened to the White Stripes’ catalog thousands of times over the years and having seen them live I can testify (in my not so humble opinion) she’s one of the best drummers I’ve seen. You won’t see her floating in the air like Tommy Lee but she lifted me out of my seat more than once. Compare Jack’s solo work with his work in the White Stripes and you’ll hear the difference. And we dig most of Jack’s solo work, most recently Entering Heaven Alive.

I think I’m like most people, I discovered the White Stripes when their third album White Blood Cells broke big on the strength of the singles “Fell In Love With A Girl” and “Dead Leaves On The Dirty Ground.” Like many bands, it was the magical third album that broke them big. The Stripes were riding the then current wave of “garage rock” that was supposed to have been to the 2000s what Grunge was to the 90s. I totally hear the “garage rock” part of the Stripes sound. With only the amazing Meg White on drums and Jack White on guitar/keyboards/vocals they were minimalists (to a degree). What I loved about the White Stripes is they have an old school, blues based sound. Most of what they did was rooted in the blues and we’re on record as loving the blues and blues rock here at B&V. Jack White plays the guitar with the grit and dexterity of Bluesmen from a generation (or two) before him. He made no secret of the fact that one of his biggest influences was legendary Bluesman Son House, who has influenced so many who came after him.

I purchased White Blood Cells shortly after I saw the White Stripes on an MTV Awards show, which is embarrassing but I wasn’t listening to the radio that much in those days. The Rock Chick had heard these guys on the alternative rock station in town and was all in. I knew White Blood Cells was the White Stripes’ third album but for some reason I didn’t do my usual “buy the back catalog” thing. I didn’t go out and purchase either The White Stripes (their debut) or De Stijl (their second and perhaps my favorite album). It would appear I was only putting my toe in the water on the Stripes. But then Elephant came out and all of that changed. The first track I heard was “Seven Nation Army” and that’s all it took. I was at the record (er, CD) store the day the album came out with my dollars in my hand.

After hearing Elephant those 20 years ago, I was blown away. It’s a blues rock bonanza. Jack’s musical vision finally came to full fruition. There were so many great songs on the record. “Ball And A Biscuit,” “The Hardest Button To Button” and the aforementioned “Seven Nation Army” are rock n roll standards in my book. “The Air Near My Fingers” and “Hypnotize” are epic guitar freakouts. “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart” was a piano driven, almost country rock thing that was great. Meg took a turn on vocals for the torch song, “In The Cold, Cold Night” and I loved it. Elephant, in a word, is the perfect White Stripes album. It’s what catapulted them in my mind from a curiosity to a great rock n roll band.

But beyond that, it was on that tour that I saw them in concert for the first time. OMG, as the kids say. They played venerable Memorial Hall over in Kansas City, KS. It seats only 3500 people and as I recall there wasn’t an empty chair. Memorial Hall has seen great acts over the years: Pink Floyd played Dark Side Of The Moon in it’s entirety there, 5 months before the album had come out… Led Zeppelin played two shows there in one day, and no they weren’t booed off stage. Memorial is a small venue but it’s a great place to see a show…not a bad seat in the house. I saw the Rossington Collins Band there but I’m off topic. The Stripes walked on stage with what appeared to be a body guard – a giant man in a three piece, pinstripe suit and a fedora. The stage was simple, just Meg’s drum kit and the amps and Jack’s guitars. They proceeded to bring down the sky. What a concert. I remember hearing their Dolly Parton cover “Jolene” for the first time that night. Apparently they played the Bob Dylan song “Isis” and for the life of me I don’t recall that. Jack strapped on a beat up, gray, wide-body guitar and played a blues riff that sounded eternal and then launched into a song I didn’t recognize. It turns out it was “Death Letter,” a Son House cover. Jack hopped around the stage, always close to Meg’s drum kit and they rocked the house that night. The energy on that stage was contagious… I was convinced Jack White was an unhinged genius that night. I walked out of that concert knowing that the White Stripes were one of the greatest bands of all time. And, yes, the next day I went out and bought their first and second albums to complete my collection (at the time).

With the deluxe version of Elephant the White Stripes have included a full concert, from Chicago, from that very same tour that I saw them on for the first time. I really liked the Stripes “official” live album, Under Great Northern Lights. It’s great, but it didn’t make my list of the greatest live albums ever.  This live concert from Elephant – Deluxe would qualify to enter the discussion amongst the greatest live albums. The energy I experienced in Memorial Hall 20 years ago translate right through the speakers. From hard rocking songs “When I Hear My Name” and “Seven Nation Army” to the quiet moments like Meg’s turn on vocals “In The Cold, Cold Night” or “We’re Going To Friends” (that Jack says was written in the bedroom of a girl named Susie Lee who didn’t care about him at all) they just kill these performances. The setlist is similar but different from when I saw them on this tour. I was knocked out by the Dylan cover on this set, “Lovesick” from Dylan’s Time Out of Mind. They include “Stop Breaking Down” written by Robert Johnson (and covered by the Stones) that they’d included on their debut album. And then threw in another Robert Johnson cover “Stones In My Passway.”

There is so much rock n roll, blues and good times on this live disc it makes this Elephant – Deluxe set absolutely worth the price of admission. I’ve owned the album for 20 years and I’m buying this again just for the live show. This is a must hear, must have. The White Stripes were such a great band and their performances were legendary. I only saw them twice but it was enough to still make me long for Meg White to return from the wilderness, grab Jack by the hand and rock.

Cheers! And Jack, I knew plenty of women like Susie Lee…

Review: Bob Dylan, ‘The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996–1997)’

~ kcorsini ~ 2 Comments

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“I’ve been all around the world, boys, And I’m tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door.” – Bob Dylan, “Trying To Get To Heaven” From Time Out Of Mind

Anybody whose hung around B&V long enough probably knows I love a good box set. I love when an artist opens up the vaults and shares some of the unreleased music he’s got stashed away in there. Sometimes there are hidden gems packed away deep in the vaults – like Neil Young always seems to have – sometimes it’s just a great glimpse into the creative process behind an album or a certain era in a band’s history – like the Beatles Revolver or the Stones Tattoo You. One of my favorite artists who has released a treasure trove of vault stuff is Bob Dylan. His Bootleg Series is exceptional. I was looking through the complete list of the Bootleg releases the other day and realized I have only not purchased two in the series: The Bootleg Series No 9: The Witmark Demos 1962- 1964 (because I felt it was redundant and had too much overlap with The Bootleg Series 1 – 3 (Rare And Unreleased) and also The Bootleg Series No 15: Travelin’ Through, 1967 – 1969 because I didn’t feel there was enough meat on the bones on that one.

A few Fridays ago Dylan released the 17th in the series – which is a lot – focused on the sessions that produced one of his most acclaimed albums, Time Out of Mind. Coincidentally, last summer a friend of mine texted me the following: “Just listened to Time Out of Mind for the first time, needless to say, mind blown.” As the album was originally released in 1997 I was a little staggered to hear that my good friend, who has broad musical tastes, had never heard this album. I knew at the time that Dylan was working on his next box, focused on the time around Time Out of Mind but I held off on saying anything to my friend. I needed to hear the set first before I ran around recommending it. I just wasn’t sure that The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996–1997) was going to blow me away. And with an $140 price tag, it needs to blow me away.

I had a weird path into my Dylan “fandom.” When you’re a teenager and you’ve just started listening to music you tend to listen to what’s on the radio, what’s “popular.” You buy the albums that are then current by an artist and slowly (or quickly depending on your financial situation) work your way through the artist’s back catalog. I started listening to rock music in the late 70s so my first Dylan “then-current” album was Slow Train Coming. I didn’t know it was a religious album until I heard it the first time all the way through. “Gotta Serve Somebody” was huge on the radio and I think it won a Grammy so it wasn’t that crazy of entry point into Dylan. But after that LP it was hard to stay a Dylan fan. I bought his first, single vinyl LP “best of,” Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits but that’s as far as I got before heading to college. After Slow Train things were a bit of a bumpy ride for a Dylan fan. He released a few more religious albums before the strong Infidels was released in ’83. I loved his next album, Empire Burlesque although I don’t think it was the hit Dylan wanted. And yes, the production on that album was very “of it’s time.”

It just kept getting worse for Dylan in the 80s. Like McCartney it was a real lull in his career. He put two terrible records in a row: Knocked Out Loaded (which actually had a few songs I liked) and Down In The Groove, which outside of “Silvio” with the Grateful Dead, was abysmal. I didn’t connect with the Daniel Lanois Oh Mercy but it was hailed as one of the few strong records of the era for Dylan. After that one, he reached his creative nadir with Under The Red Sky. “Wiggle Wiggle” was cited as proof that Dylan just didn’t care anymore. Dylan then retreated to his past and recorded two solo, acoustic guitar only, folk albums (Good As I Been To You and World Gone Wrong) that I absolutely loved when I discovered them 20 years after they were released. But in the early 90s you didn’t hear a lot of folk music on the radio… or anywhere else frankly, so it took me a long time to discover that music.

By ’97 it had been 4 years since we’d heard from Dylan and 7 years since he’d released an album of new material. I had all but given up on Dylan and considered him more of a back catalog artist for me – meaning I was only buying his records from the 60s and the 70s and nothing new. And then I heard “Not Dark Yet.” Dylan had reunited with Daniel Lanois to produce Time Out Of Mind and he had mic’d Dylan’s voice so it sounded like the voice of eternity calling from the grave. These songs, bluesy in nature, were all concerned with mortality and the end of relationships. It was a devastatingly good record. Dylan got sick after the record was done, he had an infection that went to his heart. Despite the fact the album was finished prior to the illness, everyone said this was Dylan’s rumination on his own death. Spoiler alert: he didn’t die. Time Out of Mind was the first Dylan record I purchased in decade. When I heard “Love Sick” I was blown away. “I’m sick of love… and I’m in the thick of it.” “Trying To Get To Heaven” was indeed a rumination about death but it was a staggeringly good song. It was obvious that Dylan had spent a lot of time writing the record. There isn’t a bad song on the record. The album ends with the 16 minute epic “Highlands” that rank amongst Dylan’s longest and most epic songs. If you’re like my friend and you’ve never heard this album, at the very least, put it on the stereo.

Now, over 25 years down the road Dylan is revisiting those sessions in ’96-97 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996–1997). There were, somewhat famously, a handful of outtakes and leftovers from the recording session. “Mississippi” which ended up being recorded/released by Sheryl Crow prior to Dylan releasing a version was one of the outtakes. Coincidentally Billy Joel released his version of “Make You Feel My Love” prior to Dylan’s version. It was considered an outlier on Dylan’s record but I love that song. Whenever my daughter hears someone singing that, she Shazams it and send it to me. It’s like it’s become a standard. Other outtakes were: “Dreamin’ of You,” “Red River Shore” and “Marchin’ To The City.” My issue with this box set is that many of those outtakes were on The Bootleg Series Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare And Unreleased 1989 – 2006. While I only bought the 2 disc version of that box, we’ve covered this ground before.

The new Fragments first disc is Time Out of Mind remixed. The story is that Dylan was always unhappy with Lanois’ mix. It was murky and ominous. Dylan had to be happy that he got the comeback he so desperately needed so how mad could he have been? Although, he’s famously produced himself ever since. The remix on this first disc doesn’t get me jumping up and down. I’m happy with the original version of the album. Unless you’re Giles Martin working on The Beatles or Let It Be, I’m not moved much by remixes. Martin is doing amazing work producing new stereo mixes of those albums.

The second and third discs are outtakes from the Time Out of Mind sessions. We get a lot of early versions of the songs that made it on to Time Out of Mind. And yes, they’re an interesting view into the creative process. They sound less murky and mysterious. There are some additional versions of the outtakes I mentioned above. It’s interesting stuff but I’ve heard a lot of versions of those songs before on Tell Tale Signs. You’d have to be a real Dylan super-fan to get into this. I am a Dylan super-fan but these versions just didn’t scratch that “I have to own this” itch I have. He hasn’t really released any of these early versions of Time Out of Mind songs before so there is some interesting stuff here.

The fourth disc is live versions of the songs from the original album. I’m a huge fan of live stuff from a tour from a certain album. I loved Rush’s anniversary box for Moving Pictures from last year because for the first time they released a full concert from that tour, the first one I saw Rush on. But these live tracks are all taken from different shows during the time period which makes it a disjointed listen. The sound on some of these is so rough I thought it might be an audience recording or an actual bootleg. I don’t see myself ever putting those live versions back on. Although the version of “Til I Fell In Love With You” from Buenos Aires might find it’s way onto a playlist or two… it’s punchy.

Finally the fifth disc is a “bonus disc” and contains songs already released on the aforementioned Tell Tale Signs. Again, I own all of that already as do many Dylan fans. Tell Tale Signs is one of the strongest of the Bootleg Series which renders this album if not superfluous, maybe indulgent.

Certainly, if you don’t have Time Out of Mind, this would be a nice way to pick it up. There are outtakes on here worth hearing and playing loudly. But I can’t in good conscious recommend anybody purchase this. 2/3 of it most of us own already. The live stuff is frankly, sub-par. The outtakes are as interesting as most of the stuff you find in the Bootleg Series, but just not compelling enough to make this one of the stronger entries in the series. I don’t dislike this box, I just found it, well, for lack of a better term, “meh.” This box certainly doesn’t diminish the original album but it didn’t add a lot for me…

Cheers!

The Very Old, Very False Myth That The Devil Isn’t In The Details, He’s In The Rock N Roll Music

~ kcorsini ~ 6 Comments

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I was reading something the other day. It was a discussion of all the preposterous rock n roll rumors that have propagated over the years. Naturally my first thought was that myth that Zeppelin was booed off stage in Kansas City. That of course led me to the old rumor that Van Halen were actually Kiss without their make up. Gene Simmons financed their demo tape and on the debut album, Van Halen, they thank him which started the whole story. This was way before Kiss took their make up off on MTV. I know my friend Brewster was incensed by that rumor. He knew Ace Frehley couldn’t play guitar like Eddie. The only preposterous story I ever heard that seemed like it might be true was the story about a woman being murdered and recorded in the background during the recording of “Love Rollercoaster” by the Ohio Players. That primal scream a couple of minutes into the song used to scare the crap out of me.

The preposterous rumor that didn’t scare me when I was a teenager was the oldest story in the book. The myth that Satan was lurking behind all this rock n roll I loved. If anything those kind of rumors might have fueled my desire to hear more rock n roll. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not Satanist but neither is rock n roll in any real sense. Of course I have to admit the cover art on the Dio fronted Black Sabbath album Mob Rules did give my mother pause…”What the Hell is this you’re listening to?” I read one time that there was a spike in teen smoking after the they put the “The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health” warning on the packs. We are collectively drawn toward danger and darkness. We thrive on risk. If they outlaw cigarettes only outlaws will smoke… or something like that? I will say, I think the professor in Animal House played by Donald Sutherland is right… The Devil is the most interesting character in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Who doesn’t love a well written villain? Paging Hannibal Lecter… Again, I’m not decrying religion of any nature… but “God makes me nervous when you get him indoors.”

The whole “Satan” thing really reached preposterous levels when I was in junior high. Supposedly, Rush, who had a pentagram in their logo actually stood for Ruled Under Satan’s Hand. It was said they held Satanic rituals in the arenas after concerts. The more I’ve learned about the guys in Rush over the years, they’re the nicest people in music this side of Dave Grohl. The most Satanic thing Rush ever did was brew their own micro beer. They said the same thing about Kiss. It supposedly stood for Knights In Satan’s Service. I mean, come on? The only thing that Kiss was in service of was commerce. Those guys had Kiss Koffins for sale. I’m willing to say that Ace might been a little dark but Gene Simmons was all about the benjamins. When I finally stopped listening to these rumors were when someone told me the exact same story – Satanic rituals after concerts – about… Journey. I was like, Steve Perry? The man has the voice of an angel? Maybe Satan was who he was singing to in “Don’t Stop Believin’?” Sorry folks this is where I get off the Satan bus.

Perhaps the first time the Satan myth popped up was about legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, pictured above. The story goes that he was an average to weak guitar player. He supposedly went down to the crossroads where he met the Devil, who tuned his guitar. After that his playing was amazing. It’s kind of a take on the whole Faustian legend if you ask me. Faust sold his soul to the Devil for ultimate knowledge and pleasure. After this alleged meeting with Satan or possibly Papa Legba, Johnson became quite the legend. I’m guessing the truth is a little different. Likely preachers, upset by the effect Johnson’s music and guitar playing was having on people – especially women – decided there must be demonic forces here. If the pretty woman in town won’t sleep with the preacher but will with the guy singing “Sweet Home Chicago,” the Devil must be at work here. And believe me, Robert was popular with the ladies… The preachers finally began to decry Johnson and blues music as the work of the Devil. And like that cigarette warning label, it probably helped his career.

It was a similar case in the 50s. When what we now call rock n roll sprung up it terrified the conservative establishment. Those folks thrive on fear in the masses. Fear divides us and keeps us docile to the powers that be. Preachers and elder statesmen in the 50s were decrying this new music as the work of the Devil to scare parents. It worked, to a degree. Frightened parents tried to keep their kids away from that primal music. Again I think they were particularly frightened of how women were reacting. Most of our history revolves around keeping women down, if you think about it. Why else would they insist that the Ed Sullivan Show only film the King from the waist up? Elvis the Pelvis as he was known. Anything that sexual has to be bad… at least it did in 50s, Eisenhower America where the female orgasm was still a myth. I’m beginning to think the Devil is the tool of the establishment. If anything parents trying to keep rock n roll away from their kids, making it seem more illicit, made the rebellious music take off like they couldn’t imagine. I know Frank Sinatra was dismayed. By the time the 60s hit, rock n roll helped lead a youth rebellion.

I remember Zeppelin was supposedly Satanic. Anybody that big had to be “in league with Lucifer.” I knew a girl in Arkansas who took my friend Doug and I out to a spot outside of town that she claimed was frequented by Devil worshipers. She said they all sat around listening to Zeppelin. I couldn’t help but think, why not Sabbath? Anyway, these “Devil worshipers” had written “Serve Satin” on the rock wall. I was like, “Satin? Like the sheets?” The young lady said they misspelled Satan’s name as “Satin” because it furthered their blasphemy. Sigh. Maybe they should have furthered their education to work on their spelling? Zeppelin’s lead guitar player Jimmy Page was into the occult and owned the former house of occultist Aleister Crowley. They had songs like “Black Dog” and “In My Time Of Dying” that scared people. This was the 70s where films like The Exorcist and Omen were current hits. There was always scary black dogs running around chewing up the good guys, Rottweilers if I’m not mistaken. Doug’s mother was fond of the movie Devil Dog, Hound of Hell. It was Zeppelin’s iconic track “Stairway To Heaven” that got the attention of everybody. Supposedly if you spun the record backwards you could hear them say “Here’s to Sweet Satan.” I will admit, when we did this when I was in high school I thought I could hear the word Satan but I think it was a coincidence. I don’t think it was planned. I remember jumping up on the couch in fear but I’m a lover not a religious crusader… yeah, I was scared. ELO made fun of it by doing a backward masking thing on “Fire On High.” When played backwards it said, “The music is reversible but time is not.” I don’t think, despite Page’s dark bent, that Zeppelin had anything to do with Satan.

It was Black Sabbath who realized the value of adopting that whole Evil thing. Instead of running away from it they realized that calling themselves Black Sabbath and having scary album artwork could actually work in their favor. Embrace the scary evil and it draws people in. So many heavy metal bands have adopted the same stance. It puts them outside the norms of society and makes them seem like outlaws and/or outcasts which is a vibe all teenagers can gravitate toward it. Let’s face it folks, Satan Sells. That’s why you’ve got Motley Crue singing “Shout At The Devil,” and people like Rob Zombie out there doing whatever you call what he does. We used to laugh at Iron Maiden and their mascot Eddie. We called them, amongst others, “Scary Monster Rock.” But you know what, they were the ones laughing all the way to the bank. The Devil is actually an accountant in a three-piece suit.

The next time you hear your grandmother or some preacher telling you that rock music – if anybody even remembers rock music anymore – is the tool of the Devil, please laugh that off. It’s the most preposterous thing in the world. Anytime the establishment wants to scare you away from something, run toward it. I’m going to spend my weekend cranking Iggy Pop’s new album Every Loser and anything by Jeff Beck, who just passed, that I can get my hands off. Because Jeff Beck played that Devil’s guitar better than almost anybody out there.

Be safe out there but break some rules this weekend. Be naughty because it feels so nice.

Cheers!

Jeff Beck, Guitar Legend, Has Passed Away At 78 – RIP Jeff Beck – Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group, ‘Blow By Blow’ – Such A Tremendous Loss

~ kcorsini ~ 3 Comments

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*Image of Jeff Beck in 2014 above taken from the internet and likely copyrighted

I was in my home office trying to knock out a laborious task for my corporate masters when I took a break to look on-line to see if anything of note had happened today. To be honest, I wanted to check the news and to look at some rock n roll stuff. It was then that I saw the sad news that guitar legend Jeff Beck had passed away from meningitis. Then I read it was a hoax, then I read it was the truth, Beck had passed. Damn internet. It was then that my friend, drummer Blake, reached out with the news. It is with a heavy heart I type these words: Jeff Beck has passed at the young age of 78 years old from a sudden bought of meningitis. He was simply one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Rolling Stone magazine had him in the top 5 all time if that means anything to you. He ranks up there with Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix for me. He could bend the strings…

Obviously, I am a huge fan of Jeff Beck. He had a guitar tone that was instantly recognizable. As most people know, he was one of the “Big 3” guitarist who played in the seminal English, blues rock band The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds started with Clapton on lead guitar but he quit because of his “blues purism.” He thought the band was moving too far into “pop.” Jeff Beck then came in to replace him. Eventually Jimmy Page joined the band. Imagine that dual lead guitar line up – Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck! Eventually they fired Beck and kept Page. Jeff could be, uh, mercurial. After the blues purism of Clapton, Jeff Beck really opened up what the Yardbirds’ sound. If you listen to “Heart Full of Soul” you can hear the psychedelia entering the picture. I think that was the song they’d hired a sitar player to play on, but they didn’t like the sound so Jeff just played the riff it on guitar. There was little he couldn’t do with the instrument. Coincidentally Ozzy Osbourne was able to recruit both Jeff Beck and Clapton to play on his album Patient Number 9 and had actually reached out to Page to play on the record, but he declined. As Meatloaf sang, “Two out of three (Yardbirds’ guitarists) ain’t bad.” Beck plays on the title track (Review: Ozzy Osbourne’s New Song Patient Number 9 With Jeff Beck! On Guitar) of the album and one other song.

After leaving the Yardbirds Jeff formed his own band, The Jeff Beck Group. Guitarists were a huge draw and Beck was to be the focus of the band so they used his name to cash in on his Yardbirds fame. He recruited Ronnie Wood (later of the Faces and Rolling Stones) to play bass guitar and Rod Stewart as his lead vocalist. The theory was Jeff’s guitar would pull the guys into shows and good looking Rod Stewart would draw the women. Jimmy Page, who took Beck’s job in the Yardbirds stole that very blueprint for Led Zepplin with Robert Plant. I loved the Jeff Beck Group and posted on them years ago: Artist Lookback: The (Original) Jeff Beck Group: Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart & Ronnie Wood. They only hung together for 2 albums, Truth and Beckola before constant touring and treating Wood & Stewart like sidemen broke the band up. Ronnie Wood joined the Faces on his chosen instrument, guitar. Rod went solo but soon joined Woody in the Faces. The album Truth is one of the most influential albums in blues rock. It’s a stunning record. I could listen to their version of Howlin Wolf’s “I Ain’t Superstitious” and “Blues De Luxe” all day long. “Blues De Luxe” is on my “Rockers Playing the Blues” playlist. The Jeff Beck Group was supposed to play Woodstock but Jeff, who was fond of fast cars, was in a car accident and they couldn’t play. I still wonder to this day what would have happened if they’d made that iconic gig.

After the Yardbirds and the original Jeff Beck Group a lot of people may have lost track of Beck. He formed a couple of different bands and put out records. He carried on as the Jeff Beck Group with an all new line up he put together that included Cozy Powell on drums and Bobby Tench on vocals. Then in 1973 he formed Beck, Bogert, Appice with Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums. Carmine’s little brother Vinny played with the Dio fronted Black Sabbath on Mob Rules. Beck, Bogart, Appice did a version of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” on that record that inspired Stevie Ray Vaughn to cover it years later.

While that was already an incredible resume, in the middle 70s Beck decided to eschew working with a vocalist and put out two of the greatest guitar instrumental records ever. In 1975 he put out Blow By Blow which is another personal favorite. He covered the Beatles song “She’s A Woman.” He has a guitar solo titled “Constipated Duck” which may win the most preposterous song title award. He also covers Stevie Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” to wonderful effect. He worked with keyboardist Max Middleton who had been in the second incarnation of the Jeff Beck Group and it’s just a great LP. It almost feels like Jazz. He came back in 1976 with Wired, which I believe may be drummer Blake’s favorite. It was also produced by George Martin. They do a cover of Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Porkpie Hat” which is worth the price of admission.

After those highlights I have to admit my knowledge of Jeff’s work is spotty. I remember hearing his version of “People Get Ready” with Rod Stewart and it’s a sublime track:

I know he also guested on Stewart’s LP Camouflage and joined the tour but quit only a few shows in. I know Rod and Jeff Beck talked about trying to record together again for years after that – up until just recently – but they couldn’t get it together. Rod wanted to do blues stuff and Jeff’s musical tastes couldn’t be confined to the blues. It was a missed opportunity if you ask me. Their relationship was a rocky one. As Jeff said when he inducted Rod into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, “Rod and I have a love-hate relationship. He loves me and I hate him.”

While I lost touch a bit with Jeff’s work over the years I know he did quite a few critically acclaimed records over the years like Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop and Who Else!. Drummer Blake turned me onto the video – that I recommend highly – Live At Ronnie Scott’s. If you watch the audience on that DVD you’ll spot all kinds of rock royalty there to listen to Jeff’s guitar wizardry. While I didn’t keep up as much with his solo work, he was a guest guitarist on so many other artist’s records: Mick Jagger, Ozzy, Paul Rodgers and Roger Waters just to name a few. His amazing guitar skills were much sought after.

Rock and roll in the 60s was built on the backs of guitar giants like Jeff Beck. Of the three Yardbirds guitarists, Jeff probably gets the least attention. His records – from the Yardbirds to the Jeff Beck Group to his solo stuff – should be on everyone’s turntable.

It may be a Wednesday night – and I avoid drinking on weeknights – but tonight I see a tumbler of the good stuff with Truth, Blow By Blow, Wired and Beckola on the stereo. “I’ve been drinkin’ again, thinkin of when you left me.” We’ve lost a true legend today, and way too soon. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, “The guy could play.”

RIP Jeff Beck, guitar legend, 24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023. It’s a sad day indeed. You will be missed.

Time is short folks. Cherish every day.

Cheers!