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Song Of The Day – “The Uncle Meat Variations” by The Mothers Of Invention

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Uncle Meat Variations” by The Mothers Of Invention

Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak…the alphabet of classical composers goes on and on…and then you come to “Z.”

May I offer “Zappa?” Yup, Frank Zappa…an artist whose music will be studied by serious composers for generations to come.

You don’t believe me? Then check out today’s Song of the Day by Eric Berman, “The Uncle Meat Variations” from Uncle Meat.

The Uncle Meat album was released in 1969 and was conceived as a soundtrack to a science fiction film that was never finished. The front cover sported the following subtitle: “Most of the music from the Mother’s movie of the same name which we haven’t got enough money to finish yet.”

A finished version of the film was released in the late 1980s bearing many of the scenes filmed for the movie and was rather incoherent. The double album was also planned as part of a suite of albums called No Commercial Potential that included the Mothers’ records Lumpy Gravy, We’re Only In It For The Money and Cruising with Reuben & the Jets.

Frank Zappa: “It’s all one album. All the material in the albums is organically related and if I had all the master tapes and I could take a razor blade and cut them apart and put it together again in a different order it still would make one piece of music you can listen to. Then I could take that razor blade and cut it apart and reassemble it a different way, and it still would make sense. I could do this twenty ways. The material is definitely related.” (Zappa: A Biography – Barry Miles)

The Mothers consisted of Frank Zappa, Ray Collins on vocals, Jimmy Carl Black on drums, Roy Estrada on bass, Don Preston on keyboards, Billy Mundi on drums, Bunk Gardner on woodwinds, Ian Underwood on keyboards, Artie Tripp on percussion and Euclid James “Motorhead” Sherwood on saxophone.

The album is one of The Mothers’ and Zappa’s finest, and I opine that it will be studied by serious musicians for years to come.

So, “Roll over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news.”

“Fuzzy dice and bongos”…indeed!

Today in Rock History – May 28

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1966, Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass went to number one on the album chart with What Now My Love, setting a new American record with four albums in the Top Ten. The other three were; South of the Border, Going Places and Whipped Cream and Other Delights.

1966, The Who appear at South Pier in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

1966, Percy Sledge started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “When A Man Loves A Woman.”

1966, Love appeared at the Whisky A Go-Go West Hollywood, California, supported by The Doors.

1966, Ike & Tina Turner release their epic “River Deep, Mountain High,” but it climbs only to number 88 on the American chart.

1966, All four Beatles spent the day with Bob Dylan in his room at the Mayfair hotel in London, England.

1967, The Who go to CBS Studios, London and record backing tracks for “I Can See For Miles,” “Armenia City In The Sky” and “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” However, further recording is cancelled after Keith ruptures his stomach wall and has to be carted off by ambulance.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were arrested at their London home and charged with possession of cannabis, they were released on £50 ($85) bail.

1971, Pink Floyd completes four days of recording sessions for Meddle at EMI Studios in London.

1971, King Crimson performed at Greens Playhouse, Glasgow, Scotland.

1971, Studio engineer Glyn Johns gives The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” its final mix before mastering.

1972, Dave Mason, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Linda Ronstadt played at the YMCA downtown center lawn in Peoria, Illinois.

1973, Bassist and songwriter Ronnie Lane leaves the Faces.

1974, Ten Years After played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1975, AC/DC appeared at the Sundowner, Geelong, Australia.

1976, Yes headlined at the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia.

1976, Aerosmith performed at Colt Park, Hartford, Connecticut.

1976, The Allman Brothers Band break up in disgust for the first time after Gregg Allman testifies against a road manager accused of drug trafficking.

1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howlett’s band, Strontium 90 in Paris France.

1977, Heart, Steve Miller, The Eagles and Foreigner all appeared at the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium in California.

1977, The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

1977, Bruce Springsteen is free to enter a studio again after settling out of court with his former manager, Mike Appel. Their legal entanglements had prevented Springsteen from recording.

1978, Rush played at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

1979, Rush appeared at Stadhalle, Offenbach, Germany.

1982, Frank Zappa performed at the Palais des Sports, St Etienne, France.

1982, Promoter Bill Graham staged a special Vietnam Veterans benefit concert at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco starring The Jefferson Starship, The Grateful Dead, and Country Joe.

1983, The four day US Festival ’83 took place in California, featuring The Clash, U2, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson. INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival.

1988, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler married his second wife clothing designer Teresa Barrick. The couple announced they were separating due to personal problems in February 2005.

1995, Hootie & the Blowfish started a four-week run at number one on the US album charts with Cracked Rear View. The album went on to sell over 15 million copies.

1996, Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles after an apparent drug overdose. The singer was later arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin.

2000, Britney Spears was at number one on the US album chart with Oops!… I Did It Again. The singer’s second album also reached the top spot in thirteen other countries and has now sold over twenty million copies.

2007, The Police kicked off their 152-show Reunion Tour at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada in front of 22,000 fans.

Born on May 28:  T-Bone Walker, blues guitarist (1910); Papa John Creech, violinist, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna (1917); Gladys Knight (1944); John Fogerty (1945); Ray Laidlan, Lindisfarne (1948); Wendy O. Williams, The Plasmatics (1949); Roland Gift, vocals, Fine Young Cannibals (1962); Kylie Minogue, Australian singer, actress (1968); Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter (1985)

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Today in Rock History – May 23

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1964, Marvin Gaye appears on American Bandstand singing “You’re a Wonderful One.”

1967, Pink Floyd performed at Town Hall in High Wycombe, England.

1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at Klub Bongo in Malmö, Sweden.

1968, Johnny Lee Hooker, supported by The Hallucinations performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.

1968, Pink Floyd played two late shows at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.

1969, Bob Seger performed at the Hullabaloo Club in Oregon, Ohio.

1969, Sly and the Family Stone, Clarence Carter, and Rotary Connection performed the first of a two night stand at the Fillmore East in New York.

1969, Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. Admission was $5 (£3.12).

1970, Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, McCartney, started a three-week run at number one on the US album chart.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Columbia High School Auditorium, Decatur, Georgia.

1970, The Beatles album Let It Be started a three week run at number one on the UK charts.

1970, The Grateful Dead played their first gig outside the US at The Hollywood Rock Music Festival, in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffs, England.

1971, It’s the end of an era as Iron Butterfly split up.

1971, Frank Zappa appears at the Ohio Theater, Columbus, Ohio.

1973, Jefferson Airplane were prevented from giving a free concert in Golden Gate Park when San Francisco authorities passed a resolution banning electronic instruments. The group later wrote “We Built this City” about the ban.

1973, David Bowie performs at the Brighton Dome, Brighton, England.

1974, George Harrison announced the launch of his own record label, Dark Horse.

1975, Alice Cooper played at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1976, NBC tapes Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue at Colorado State University. The concert later airs under the title Hard Rain.

1977, Linda Ronstadt begins work on her Simple Dreams album at Sound Factory One in Los Angeles.

1978, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their 117-show Darkness on the Edge of Town Tour at Shea’s Buffalo in Buffalo, New York.  Several of the shows are broadcast on radio and become instant classics.

1978, Bob Seger performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1979, Due to a record company dispute, Tom Petty was forced to file for bankruptcy owing $575,000. A long-running battle with his record company followed.

1980, Black Sabbath performed at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England.

1981, Rush played at the Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.

1983, Eric Clapton appeared at Civic Hall, Surrey, England.

1987, Twelve former members of the Doobie Brothers reunited for a charity concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The show raised $350,000 (£220,000) for Vietnam veterans, about two-thousand of whom attended the show for free.

1991, Photographer Michael Lavine took what would be the publicity shots for Nirvana’s Nevermind album at Jay Aaron Studios in Los Angeles. The idea for the front cover shot of the baby swimming was taken after Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl saw a TV documentary on water babies and was taken by Kirk Weddle. Several babies were used. five-month old Spencer Eldon’s photo came out best.

1992, Iron Maiden went to number one on the UK album chart with Fear Of The Dark, their third chart topping album.

2006, The king of Sweden presented the surviving members of Led Zeppelin with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm recognizing them as “great pioneers” of rock music. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by the daughter of drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group Abba, who named it after his record label, Polar Records.

2010, The Rolling Stones scored their first UK number one album in 16 years with the re-release of their classic 1972 double LP Exile On Main Street. The album, which was first released in 1972, had been reissued with previously unheard tracks. Their last chart topping album was 1994’s Voodoo Lounge

Born on May 23: Mac Wiesman, Foggy Mountain Boys (1925); Robert Moog, inventor (1934); Norman Johnson, Chairman of the Board (1943); Raymond Fulwood, Parliament, Funkadelic (1944); Bill Hunt, ELO (1947); Rick Fenn, 10cc (1953);  Philip James Selway, drummer, Radiohead (1967); Matt Flynn, Drummer, Maroon 5 (1970); Richard Jones, bass, Stereophonics (1974)

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Today in Rock History – May 15

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1966, Pink Floyd played at The Marquee Club, Wardour Street, London.  They were billed as the Pink Floyd Sound, as part of their “Spontaneous Underground” period.

1967, Paul McCartney is hanging out with Keith Moon and Eric Burdon at Georgie Fame concert at the Bag O’Nails club in London. The young American photographer of The Who’s March visit to New York, Linda Eastman, is there and Paul meets her for the first time.  They married on March 12, 1969.

1968, George Harrison and Ringo Starr attended the premiere of ‘Wonderwall’ at the Cannes Film Festival.

1968, At a press conference, Paul McCartney and John Lennon say they’ve ended their association with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

1969, John Lennon’s Life With The Lions was released on Apple’s avant-garde imprint Zapple. One side of the album was recorded on a cassette player at London’s Queen Charlotte Hospital during Yoko Ono’s pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage.

1970, A Pink Floyd concert at London’s Crystal Palace is so loud it kills fish in a nearby lake.

1970, In the new releases section of the local record store is the self-titled debut from the mighty Black Sabbath.

1970, The Grateful Dead played at the Fillmore East in New York. This show has been commercially released as Road Trips: Vol 3, Number 3.

1971, Crosby Stills Nash & Young scored their second number one album with 4 Way Street.

1971, Paul McCartney releases his album Ram.

1973, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four sold-out nights at the Speakeasy in London, England as part of their Catch A Fire Tour.

1974, Bill Wyman releases the first solo album by a Rolling Stone, Monkey Grip.

1974, Frank Zappa and his wife announced the birth of their third child, a boy named Ahmet Rodan, after the Japanese movie monster that lived of a steady diet of 707 planes.

1975, Fleetwood Mac debut their new lineup in El Paso, Texas. It’s the first incarnation of the band that includes Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, and John and Christine McVie.

1976, The Rolling Stones went to number one on the album chart with Black And Blue, the group’s sixth No.1 album.

1977, The Grateful Dead performed at the St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.

1981, Former Sex Pistol John Lydon’s band Public Image Ltd performed a show at New York’s Ritz Club posing behind a video screen while the music was played from tapes. They were showered with missiles and eventually booed off stage.

1982, Asia went to number one on the US album chart with their self-titled album. It spent a total of nine weeks at number one and became the best-selling album in the US for 1982. The supergroup included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely bassist/vocalist John Wetton (formerly King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, U.K., Wishbone Ash), guitarist Steve Howe (Yes), keyboardist Geoff Downes (Yes, The Buggles) and drummer Carl Palmer ( The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster, Emerson, Lake & Palmer).

1994, Blur scored their first UK number one album with Parklife, which went on to spend over two years on the chart. The album featured four UK hit singles, “Girls & Boys,” “End of a Century,” “Parklife,” and “To the End.”

Born on this day: Graham Goble, Little River Band (1946); Brian Eno (1948); and Mike Oldfield (1953)

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Today in Rock History – April 12

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1968, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention play the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences dinner in New York. Zappa tells the audience, “All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you’re gonna have to listen to it!”

1969, The 5th Dimension started a six week run at No.1 on the singles chart with ‘Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In’.

1969, A million hearts are broken when Paul McCartney marries Linda Eastman.

1969, Led Zeppelin enter the English albums chart with their self-titled debut in its third week of release.

1971, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s live album Four Way Street is certified gold before it even appears on the LP chart.

1972, The Rolling Stones release Exile on Main Street.

1973, “That’ll Be the Day,” starring Ringo Starr and David Essex, has its London premiere.

1975, David Bowie announced his second career retirement, saying, ‘I’ve rocked my roll. It’s a boring dead end, there will be no more rock ‘n’ roll records from me.’

1975, Elton John started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Philadelphia Freedom,” his fourth chart topper.

1975, During a North American tour, Pink Floyd played the first of two nights at The Cow Palace, Daly City, San Francisco, California.

1979, Mickey Thomas joins Jefferson Starship, replacing founding member Marty Balin. He quickly falls in with the San Francisco band’s AOR direction, and appears on hits like “We Built This City” and “Sara.”

1989, Garth Brooks released his self-titled debut album which was both a critical and chart success, peaking at  number 13 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top Country Albums. This album contains Brooks earliest hits, including his first ever single, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old,)” and his first chart topper, “If Tomorrow Never Comes” as well as the Academy of Country Music’s 1990 Song of the Year and Video of the Year, “The Dance.”

2007, The Beatles company, Apple Corps, settled a £30 million ($59.2 million) royalties dispute with the band’s label, EMI. The suit alleged unpaid royalties on Beatles albums based on an audit of sales between 1994 and 1999, a period which included the release of three Anthology compilations. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.

Born on April 12: Tiny Tim (1933); Herbie Hancock (1940); John Kay, Steppenwolf (1944); David Cassidy (1950); Will Sergeant, Echo & the Bunnymen (1958)

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Song Of The Day– “Lumpy Gravy” by The Persuasions

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persuasionsFrom Gospel to The Grateful Dead, The Persuasions are an a capella group whose musical tastes know no boundaries.

The group’s five original members, Jerry Lawson, Jesse “Sweet Joe” Russell, Jayotis Washington, Herbert “Toubo” Rhoad, and bass vocalist Jimmy “Bro” Hayes began singing on the street corners of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn during the early 1960s. Jerry Lawson was their arranger, lead singer and producer for most of their career until his departure in 2003.

Their big break came in 1968, when Stan Krause, who owned Stan’s Square Record Store in New Jersey, played a concert recording of theirs over the telephone to his friend, Frank Zappa. Zappa, being a doo wop aficionado, was intrigued enough to fly them out to LA where he produced their 1969 debut album A Capella for his Bizarre/Straight record label.

Over the years, the group recorded 26 albums for numerous labels including Zappa’s Bizarre/Straight, Capitol, MCA, A&M, Elektra, Flying Fish, Rounder, Earthbeat, Chesky and Grateful Dead Records. Their background vocals grace albums by artists as far flung as Joni Mitchell, The Grateful Dead, Stevie Wonder, Don McLean, Phoebe Snow, Ray Charles, Liza Minnelli and a whole host of others.

By way of thanks for producing their debut record, The Persuasions recorded the album Frankly A Capella in 2000. On the album, Zappa classics from early and late in his career get the Persuasions treatment including a capella versions of “Electric Aunt Jemimah,” “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing,” “Cheap Thrills,” “Love Of My Life,” “You Are What You Is,” “Hotplate Heaven At The Green Hotel,” and “Anyway The Wind Blows.” The album also includes cameos by Zappa sidemen Bruce Fowler, Bobby Martin and Mike Keneally. Today’s Song Of The Day is a cover of “Lumpy Gravy” which originally appeared as the title track for Frank Zappa’s 1968 album Lumpy Gravy.

The group followed their Zappa tribute album with one for The Grateful Dead called Might As Well: The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead where they took on the Dead classics “Bertha,” “Here Comes Sunshine,” “Must Have Been The Roses,” “Ship Of Fools,” “Greatest Story Ever Told” and several others.

They’ve also recorded tribute albums to The Beatles featuring versions of “Eight Days A Week,” “Love Me Do,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Come Together,” and U2 including “Even Better Than The Real Thing,” “One,” “Angel Of Harlem,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Pride (In The Name Of Love).”

The group’s baritone, Herbert “Toubo” Rhoad died in 1988 while on tour, and Jerry Lawson left their ranks in 2004; however the band still continues to perform today. The Persuasions were a huge influence on the modern vocal groups, Take 6, The Nylons and Boyz II Men, and if ever a group deserves to be in heavily flawed Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, it’s The Persuasions.

 

Today in Rock History – March 6

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rolling-stones-number-21965, The Rolling Stones Number 2 album went back to number one on the UK charts for six weeks.

1965, The Temptations went to number one on the singles chart with the Smokey Robinson penned song “My Girl,” making the group the first male act to have a chart topper for Motown.

1966, The Rolling Stones started recording sessions for their tenth single “Paint It Black” at RCA studios in Hollywood.

1967, The Beatles recorded sound effects onto the song “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” at Abbey Road studios in London. The beginning audience murmurs and sounds of a band preparing for a performance are added, along with screams from a tape of the Beatles in concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

1970, Charles Manson released an album called Lie to help raise money for his defense in the Tate-LeBianca murder trial. The album jacket was made to look like a cover of Life magazine with the letter f removed from the word Life. In the mid sixties, Manson had been a wanna-be musician who befriended Beach Boys’ drummer Dennis Wilson, eventually talking the group into recording one of his songs, “Cease To Exist.” The title was changed to “Never Learn Not To Love” and was released as the B-side of the single “Bluebirds Over The Mountain,” which eventually climbed to number 61 in the US in early 1969.

1970, Canned Heat and Bloodrock appeared at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1971, Led Zeppelin appeared at the National Boxing Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, the group’s first show in Dublin, where they played “Stairway To Heaven” live for only the second time.

1971, The Rolling Stones performed at the Coventry Theatre in Coventry, West Midlands, England.

1972, Pink Floyd played the first night on a 7-date tour of Japan at the Tokyo-To Taiikukan, in Tokyo, Japan.

1973, an attempt to bring Elvis Presley to the UK for shows at London’s Earl’s Court failed. Promoters had hoped that Elvis would be available during the summer but were told that Elvis now had US tour and filming commitments

1973, Slade had the number one single with “Cum On don't shoot-elton johnFeel The Noize,” the first single to enter the charts at number one since The Beatles “Get Back” in 1969. Elton John had the top album with Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player.

1974, Yes played at the International Amphitheater in Chicago.

1975 Genesis performed at the Pavilhao dos Desportos, Cascais. Portugal.

fleetwood-mac-fleetwoodmac1976, Fleetwood Mac release the Stevie Nicks-penned single “Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win).” It’s becomes their biggest hit so far, peaking at number 11.

1977, Rush appeared at The Palladium, New York.

1979, Roxy Music performed at the Congresgebouw, The Hague, Netherlands.

1982, King Crimson played at Alexander Hall, Princeton University, Princeton.

1988, Frank Zappa appeared at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio.

2004, David Crosby was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana after leaving his bag in a New York hotel. The luggage was found by a hotel employee looking for identification, finding instead a handgun and marijuana. The employee called authorities, and Crosby, discovering the missing luggage himself, telephoned to say he would return for it. He was met by New York police, who arrested him

Born on March 6: Jerry Naylor, Buddy Holly & the Crickets (1939); Mary Wilson, vocals, The Supremes (1944); Hugh Grundy, The Zombies (1945); David Gilmour (1946); Kiki Dee (1947); and Chris Tomson,  Vampire Weekend (1984)

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Today in Rock History – February 19

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beatles-studio-19651965, Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded the rhythm track “You’re Going To Lose That Girl” in two takes. On his new song, John Lennon sang, and accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, backed by Paul and George.  The band lip-synched to the recording for the movie Help!  The final album mix was made four days later.

1965, The Who learn by letter that J.E. Grant has given them the go-ahead to appear on the BBC Light Programme after they pass their audition of the 12th with four votes out of seven. The same day is more good news as “I Can’t Explain” makes its first appearance on a British chart, popping up at #45 in Record Mirror.

1966, Lou Christie went to number one on the US singles chart with “Lightnin’ Strikes.”

1966, The Who performed at Memorial Hall in Norwich, England.

1966, Bob Dylan appeared at Ottawa Auditorium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at Brady’s Club in London.

1967, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane performed at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

1969, Yes appeared at the Marquee Club, London.

1970, Neil Young played an acoustic show at KQED-TV Studios, San Francisco.  Back in the day, KQED was responsible for spotting the best new music via their live sessions. The song selection was from the Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere era. The setlist reportedly was:  Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Everybody’s Alone, Dance Dance Dance, On The Way Home, Wonderin #1, Wonderin #2, Instrumental Noodling (including – Out On The Weekend I – Don’t Want To Talk About It – Helpless – Country Girl – Do I Have To Come Right Out And Say It,) Sugar Mountain.

1971, REO Speedwagon  and Mountain played Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse at Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois.

1972, Harry Nilsson started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with his version of the Badfinger song “Without You.” It won a Grammy in 1973 for Best Male Pop Vocal.

1972, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Memorial Drive, Adelaide in Australia. A local paper who reviewed the show printed: Singer Robin Plant (sic) overcame an “Australian bug” in his throat and broke into his own in “Black Dog” and “Stairway To The Stars” (sic.)

1973, The Grateful Dead performed at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois.

1974,  At the first American Music Awards, Al Green’s Livin’ for You wins the Favorite Album, Soul/R&B award. The hosts were Roger Miller, Helen Reddy, and Smokey Robinson.

1974, KISS make their television debut on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.

1974, Black Sabbath appeared at the Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1976, Former lead singer with Tower Of Power, Rich Stevens was arrested in connection with the drug related murders of three men in San Jose, California. Stevens was found guilty of the charges in November 1976.

1976, Cat Stevens performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1977, Leo Sayer had his only number one single with the Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager song “When I Need You.”

manfred-mann-blinded1977, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band scored a number one single in the with their version of the Bruce Springsteen song “Blinded By The Light.” The track was the first single from Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. The Earth Band’s version features several changed lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen’s “cut loose like a deuce” is replaced with “revved up like a deuce.” Springsteen himself has said that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a “feminine hygiene product” that it became popular.

1977, ZZ Top played at Chicago Stadium in  Chicago.

1979, Frank Zappa performed at the Hammersmith Odeon, London.

1982, Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in San Antonio, Texas for urinating on the Alamo. Osbourne was wearing a dress at the time of his arrest, (due to his wife Sharon hiding all his clothes so he couldn’t go outside). Osbourne who apparently thought he was relieving himself on a pile of rubble was banned from ever playing in San Antonio, Texas again, (a ban which was lifted in 1992).

1982, Alice Cooper appeared at The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland.

1992, During their Use Your Illusion Tour, Guns n’ Roses played the first of three nights at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The 55,000-seat baseball stadium (The Big Egg) is the largest concert hall in Japan.

1994, Mariah Carey had her first UK number one with her version of the Peter Ham – Tom Evans song “Without You.” This was 22 years after Harry Nilsson made it a US chart topper. Carey’s version was released on January 24, 1994, just over a week after Nilsson had died following a heart attack. the tragic connection with this song is that both Ham and Evans committed suicide, Ham in 1975, and Evans in 1983, after an ongoing battle to receive royalties from the song.

1995, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson on a Cancun beach, Mexico, the bride wore a white bikini. Anderson and Lee who married only four days after meeting, had videotaped their sexual activities while on vacation. The tape was later stolen and released on the Internet. After suing the video company who released the tape, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement. The couple divorced in 1998.

1996, Winners at this year’s Brit Awards included Paul Weller who won British Male Solo Artist, British Female Solo Artist went to Annie Lennox, Oasis won British Group, Best Album for (What’s The Story) Morning Glory and Best British Video for “Wonderwall.” British Breakthrough Act went to Supergrass, International Group was Bon Jovi, International Breakthrough Act went to Alanis Morissette and David Bowie was awarded Outstanding Contribution to music. Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker was arrested after a stage invasion during Michael Jackson’s appearance, (who won Artist of a Generation). Cocker was accused of attacking children who were performing with Jackson. All charges against Cocker were later dropped.

2014, David Bowie was named best British male at the Brit Awards in London, although he was not there in person to collect his award. Arctic Monkeys won both best group and best album for the third time – the first act to achieve that milestone. Ellie Goulding won best British female, while pop act One Direction were honored for their global success for the second year running. Bowie’s prize came at the expense of four much younger hopefuls – Jake Bugg, Tom Odell, John Newman and Mercury Prize winner James Blake.

Born on this day: Smokey Robinson (1940); Lou Christie (1943); Paul Dean, Canadian guitarist, Loverboy, Streetheart (1946); Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath (1948); Mark Andes, Spirit (1948); Andy Powell, Wishbone Ash (1950); Francis Buchholz,  bass, Scorpions, Michael Schenker Group (1954); Peter Holsapple, American singer-songwriter, a guitars, The dB’s (1956); Dave Wakeling, The English Beat (1957); Hans Holzl, aka Falco (1957); Henry Samuel, aka Seal, singer (1963); Jon Fishman, American drummer, Phish (1965); Daniel Adair, drums,  3 Doors Down (1975);

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Today in Rock History – February 15

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beatles-meet-the-beatles1964, The Beatles scored their first number one album with Meet The Beatles! The album stayed at the top of the charts for eleven weeks.

1964, The Dave Clark Five appeared on the UK TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars.

1965, American singer and pianist Nat King Cole died of lung cancer. His first hit was the 1943 “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” Cole also had the 1955 US number two single “A Blossom Fell,” the 1957 UK number two single “When I Fall In Love,” plus over 20 other US and UK Top 40 singles. He was the father of singer Natalie Cole, and in 1956 became the first black American to host a television variety show.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played at the Dorothy Ballroom in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

1968, US blues harmonica player Little Walter died from injuries incurred in a fight while taking a break from a performance at a nightclub in Chicago. First harmonica player to amplify his harp giving it a distorted echoing sound. He joined Muddy Waters’ band in 1948.

1968, The Lennons and Harrisons arrived in India to study meditation with the Maharishi, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr arrived four days later. Ringo returned before the others comparing the experience to be “like a Butlins holiday camp.”

1969, The Who performed at Dreamland Fun Park in Margate, Kent, England.

1969, Led Zeppelin played the second of two nights at Thee Image Club in Miami, Florida. Thee Image was a converted bowling alley, with all of the lanes stripped out and standing room only. The stages were on the center back wall.

1969, Singer Vickie Jones was arrested on fraud charges for impersonating Aretha Franklin in concert at Fort Myers, Florida. No-one in the audience had asked for their money back.

1969, Sly and the Family Stone started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Everyday People,” their first chart topper.

1970, Grand Funk, Mountain, Chicago, Rare Earth, Cold Blood, Rotary Connection appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.

1970, The Daughters of the American Revolution announce that there will be no more rock concerts at their Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Seems the organization was miffed that Sly & the Family Stone sparked a riot after turning up five hours late for a gig there.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

1973, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.

1974, Yes performed at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut.

Linda Ronstadt

1975, Linda Ronstadt went to number one on the singles chart with “You’re No Good,”a classic song written by Clint Ballard, Jr. which first charted for Betty Everett in 1963. It was Ronstadt’s only solo chart topper out of 12 other top 40 hits. Also Ronstadt went to number one on the album chart with Heart Like A Wheel.

1975, Gino Vannelli becomes the first white man to perform on Soul Train. His current hit song was “People Gotta Move.”

1976, Roxy Music appeared at the Kent State University Memorial Gymnasium, Kent, Ohio.

1977, SwangSong, Led Zeppelin’s label released the following:  “For the fourth consecutive year, Led Zeppelin swept the top honors in the major U.S. and U.K. music polls. Zeppelin took five first places in Creem and Circus and six in Britain’s New Musical Express.  Over 40,000 ballots were cast in the Circus readers poll determining that Led Zeppelin were 1976’s best group. Jimmy Page topped Jeff Beck and Queen’s Brian May to maintain his position as best guitarist. Robert Plant was voted number one male vocalist. The best songwriting award went to Page and Plant. Elton John and Bernie Taupin placing second. Jimmy Page won the top spot as producer of the year.”

1977, Glen Matlock was fired as bass player from The Sex Pistols, being replaced by Sid Vicious. Matlock rejoined in the ’90s when the Pistols reformed.

1978, Frank Zappa played at Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany.

1979, At the 21st Grammy Awards, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack won Album of the Year and The Bee Gees were named Best Pop Group and Best Arrangement for Voices for “Staying Alive.” Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” won Record and Song of the Year. Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” won two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song.

1980, Rush appeared at Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville, Indiana.

1981, American guitarist Mike Bloomfield was found dead in his car in San Francisco from an accidental heroin overdose. He was a member of the Paul Butterfield Band and Electric Flag. Bloomfield played on Bob Dylan’s album Highway 61 Revisited.

1984, Van Halen played at the Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia.

1997, U2 went to number one on the UK singles chart with “Discotheque,” the band’s third UK chart topping single. The entire track was leaked onto the Internet in December 1996, forcing U2 to move up the release date.

2000, BBC Sessions, the collection of live and studio Who tracks recorded for the BBC from 1965 to 1970, was finally released in the US and Europe. European purchasers get the extra tracks “Man With Money” and the complete “Shakin’ All Over/Spoonful” unavailable on the US disc. However, American purchasers have the option of getting a seven-track bonus disc unavailable in Europe if they buy BBC Sessions at Best Buy department stores. The CD peaks at #101 in the U.S., #24 in the UK and #50 in Japan.

2006, Winners at the Brit Awards included, James Blunt who won British male solo artist, British female solo artist went to KT Tunstall. Coldplay won Best British album for X&Y and Best British single for “Speed of Sound.” Kaiser Chiefs won Best British group and Best British Live Act, British urban act went to Lemar, British breakthrough act was Arctic Monkeys, International breakthrough act was won by Jack Johnson. International male solo artist was Kanye West with Madonna winning International female solo artist. Green Day won International group and Best International album with American Idiot and Outstanding contribution to music went to Paul Weller.

2008, A flat once rented by The Beatles in London went up for sale for £1.75 ($2.8) million. The band shared the three-bedroom top floor property in Green Street, Mayfair in the autumn of 1963. A publicity photo of the Fab Four peering over a banister, used as the cover for the December 1963 edition of The Beatles Book, was taken at the top of the property’s communal stairwell.

Born on February: Brian Holland, songwriter, producer (1941); Glyn John, producer (1942); Denny Zager, Zager & Evans, Mick Avory, drummer, The Kinks (1944); John Helliwell,  sax, keyboards, Supertramp (1946); David Brown, bass, Santana (1950); Melissa Manchester (1952); John Goodsall,  guitaris, Brand X, Atomic Rooster (1953); Ali Campbell,  English, singer-songwriter,  guitar, UB40 (1959); Brandon Boyd, Incubus (1976); Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., American,  drummer, songwriter, The Killers, Big Talk (1976); Brooks Wackerman, American, drummer, Bad Religion, Infectious Grooves, Fear and the Nervous System, Bad4Good (1977)

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Outside Now” by Frank Zappa

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Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Outside Now” by Frank Zappa

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage record. As usual, Zappa’s heart was in the right place when it came to issues like government control, censorship and organized religion, and he certainly could play guitar. But I never really got off on Zappa’s scatological and somewhat immature lyrical side.

Joe’s Garage highlights the best and worst of what Zappa had to offer. For amazing guitar work and musically challenging material, you didn’t have to look much further than tracks like “Watermelon And Easter Hay,” “Packard Goose” and today’s Song Of The Day “Outside Now.” Even though some of the lyrics are a little wanting, they work because the music is so good. Listen to this track and it’s hard to deny that Zappa was one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

However, the Joe’s Garage albums are littered with songs that are perverted and immature like “Crew Slut,” “Keep It Greasy” “Wet T Shirt Night” and “Catholic Girls” that offer little in the realm of enlightenment. Now, I do have a sense of humor and I get Zappa’s brand of satire, but unfortunately many who listen to this stuff take it seriously and that’s where things get a little sticky for me.

That said, I do believe they will be studying the music of Frank Zappa many years into the future…