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Today in Rock History – June 25

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The Byrds

1966, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Love, Captain Beefheart, The Lovin Spoonful and Percy Sledge all appeared at The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California.

1966, Jackie Wilson was arrested for inciting a riot and refusing to obey a police order at a nightclub in Port Arthur, Texas. Wilson had a crowd of 400 whipped into a frenzy and refused to stop singing when requested to do so by police. He was later convicted of drunkenness and fined $30.

1966, Neil Diamond makes his first appearance on American Bandstand, serenading Dick Clark with “Solitary Man.”

1967, During a north American tour The Jimi Hendrix Experience gave a free afternoon concert in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. They then played another two shows that evening at the Fillmore West.

1967, 200 million people saw The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love,”  broadcast live via satellite as part of the TV global link- up, Our World. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Keith Moon and Gary Leeds provided backing vocals.

1969, The Hollies recorded “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” Elton John played piano on the session.

1969,  Sly & the Family Stone record “Hot Fun in the Summertime.”

1970, Hall & Oates record together for the first time as Whole Oats.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at Fillmore East in New York City.

1972, David Bowie performed at Greyhound in London England.

1972, Led Zeppelin’s North American tour stops at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

1977, Marvin Gaye went to number one on the US singles chart with “Got To Give It Up,” his third US chart topper.

1978, The Grateful Dead performed at Autzen Stadium on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

1983, The Police scored their fourth UK number one album with Synchronicity, also a chart topper in the US and featuring the singles “Every Breath You Take” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger.”

Born on June 25: Eddie Floyd, soul singer (1935); Clint Warwick, The Moody Blues (1940);  Carly Simon (1945); Allen Lanier, Blue Oyster Cult (1946); Tim Finn, Split Endz, Crowded House (1952); David Paich, Toto (1954), George Michael (1963)

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Today in Rock History – June 20

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beatles-butcher-baby1966, The Beatles release their album Yesterday & Today, featuring the band wearing butcher’s aprons on the front cover surrounded by decapitated baby dolls. At the time, some of the Beatles defended the use of the Butcher photograph. John Lennon said that it was “as relevant as Vietnam” and McCartney said that their critics were “soft.” However, this opinion was not shared by all band members. George Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology that he thought the whole idea “was gross, and I also thought it was stupid. Sometimes we all did stupid things thinking it was cool and hip when it was naive and dumb; and that was one of them.” After advance copies were sent to disc jockeys and record reviewers, negative reaction to the cover photo was so strong Capitol recalled 750,000 copies from distributors to replace the cover. They have become a valued collectors item.

1967, At San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & the Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service all perform for the summer solstice celebrations.

1967, Pink Floyd, John Bassett, Georgie Fame, Herbie Goins, and comedian Frankie Howerd played at the Commemoration Ball, Main Marquee, Magdalen College, Oxford England. Floyd performed two twenty-minute sets, at 11pm, and again at 3;15 am.

1969, Yes appeared at Kent University, Canterbury, England.

1969, David Bowie recorded “Space Oddity” at Trident Studios London. Rick Wakeman was an in house session player on mellotron on the song. It reached number five in the UK, but upon it’s US re-release in 1973 and UK in 1975, it became a chart topper.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Boston Tea Party, Boston, Massachusetts.

1969, The first of a three day Festival in Newport, California, featuring: Ike And Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, The Rascals, Steppenwolf, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Eric Burdon and Love. A three day ticket cost $15 (£10.) Hendrix received $125,000 for his appearance, at the time it was the highest fee ever paid to a rock act for a single appearance.

1970, The FBI begins a search of Memphis International Airport after a bystander hears Who guitarist Pete Townshend talking about “the bomb.” It turns out he was only referring to his new album Tommy, and in the nicest possible way.

1971, Pink Floyd played the last night of a European tour at the Pallazo Dello Sport in Rome Italy.

1973, Neil Diamond appeared on the 20th anniversary show of American Bandstand. The US TV show also featured Little Richard, Cheech and Chong, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Three Dog Night.

1973, Bread play their last show in Salt Lake City. The band decides to quit after its equipment truck flipped over earlier in the day, destroying $30,000 worth of gear.

Van Morrison

1974, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tim Buckley, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and The Doobie Brothers all appeared at Knebworth Park, Stevenage, England. A special PA system was used for the event, claiming to be the best ever for an outside show, weighing 12 tons and needing five technicians.

1975, At England’s Wembley Stadium, Elton John headlines the killer bill of the Eagles, the Beach Boys, Rufus, and future Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh

1979, Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor releases his self titled solo debut.

1980, During a UK tour Fleetwood Mac played the first of six sold-out nights at Wembley Arena, London, England.

1986, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Tina Turner and Elton John all appeared at the fourth annual ‘Prince’s Trust Rock Gala’ held in London.

1995, Jeff Buckley played the first night of a UK tour at The Queens Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1998, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, Korn, Pantera, Soulfly, Slayer, Fear Factory, Coal Chamber, Life of Agony, Limp Bizkit, Entombed, Human Waste Project, Neurosis, and Pitchshifter all performed at Ozzfest, Milton Keynes Bowl, England.

2000, The Ronettes were awarded $2.6 million (£1.6 million) in back earnings from Phil Spector. New York judge Paula Omansky ruled that the legendary producer had cheated them out of royalties.

2006, Claydes Charles Smith, co-founder and lead guitarist of Kool & the Gang died aged 57 after a long illness. Smith stopped touring with the band in January 2006.

2009, Dave Matthews Band went to number one on the US album chart with Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, the band’s seventh studio album.

Born on June 20: Chet Atkins (1924); Mickie Most, producer (1936); Brian Wilson (1942); Ray Davies (1944); Dolores “LaLa” Brooks, American-English singer-songwriter, The Crystals (1947); Lionel Ritchie (1949); Alan Longmuir, Scottish bass player, songwriter, actor, Bay City Rollers (1949);  Michael Anthony, American bass player, Van Halen, Chickenfoot (1954); John Taylor, English singer-songwriter, bass player, producer, Duran Duran, The Power Station (1960); Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam (1966); Jeordie White, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass player, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, Goon Moon (1971);

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Today in Rock History – June 7

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The Grateful Dead

1968, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane all appeared for the first of a three night run at the Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, California.

1968, Cream played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan

1969, Supergroup Blind Faith, featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Steve Winwood made their live debut at a free concert in London’s Hyde Park.

1969, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at The Hangar in Columbia, South Carolina.

1969, Keith Richards and his partner Anita Pallenburg were involved in a car crash near their home in Sussex. Richards escaped serious injury but Pallenburg was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone and the car was a write-off.

1969, The Who’s Tommy album entered the album chart peaking at No.2. It was the first of two full-scale rock operas from The Who, the other being the 1973’s Quadrophenia.

1969, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell both appeared on the first ABC TV Johnny Cash Show from Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Dylan sang “I Threw It All Away” and “Living The Blues,” and duetted with Johnny Cash on “Girl From The North Country.”

1970, The Who play Tommy at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.

1972, Led Zeppelin performed at the Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec.

1973, David Bowie played at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1974, Audiences watching ABC saw highlights from the massive California Jam concert, including performances by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Black Oak Arkansas.

1974, On The Midnight Special, the Kinks pay host to ELO.

1975, Elton John’s album Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, went to No.1 on the album chart, the first album ever to enter the chart at No.1.

1975, Pink Floyd begins its North American tour at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.  The band had arranged for the construction of an large inflatable pyramid to be launched at the climax of Dark Side of the Moon, but it failed to operate that evening. The next several shows were scheduled for indoor venues, so the crew used that time to fix the problem, and it worked successfully in Pittsburgh on June 20th.

1975, John Denver went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” the singers third No.1.

1976, The Rolling Stones played at the Pavillon De Paris in Paris.

1977, Led Zeppelin played the first of six sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, in New York City.

1978, Black Sabbath performed at St. Georges Hall, Bradford, England.

1979, Van Halen appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee.

1979, Blondie performed ‘”Sunday Girl” on UK music television show Top Of The Pops.

1980, Bob Marley And The Wailers, Average White Band, Joe Jackson and The Q-Tips all appeared at The Summer Of ’80 Garden Party, Crystal Palace, London, England. Tickets £7.50 on the day.

1981, Rush performed at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1984, Bob Dylan appeared at Stade de Schaerbeek, Schaarbeek, Belgium

1987,  David Bowie played a concert in West Berlin in front of the Reichstag with the speakers pointing towards the nearby Berlin Wall where thousands of young East Berliners stood and listened.

1990, The Black Crowes played their debut UK gig at the Marquee in London.

1997, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher played a five-song set at the Tibet Freedom Concert, Downing Stadium in New York City. U2, Patti Smith and Radiohead also appeared at the concert.

1998, Songwriter Wally Gold died in a New Jersey hospital aged 70. Wrote “It’s My Party, “a hit for Lesley Gore and “It’s Now or Never,” a hit for Elvis Presley. Also a member of late 50’s group The Four Esquires, produced Kansas & Gene Pitney.

2001, During their The Tour of Brotherly Love tour, Oasis, The Black Crowes and Spacehog played the first of three nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

2012, Bob Welch, an early member of Fleetwood Mac who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as “Ebony Eyes,” was found dead after an apparent suicide at home in Nashville. He was 66. Police said Welch’s body was found by his wife Wendy with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he had left a suicide note. Welch was part of Fleetwood Mac in their early years from 1971 to 1974 and worked on such albums as Future Games and Bare Trees.

Born on this day: Dean Martin (1917);  Tom Jones (1940); Prince (1958); and Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction (1967)

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Song of the Day – “Midnight Moonlight” by Old & In the Way

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45-adapter-logo2oldanintheway

Song of the Day by Eric Berman – “Midnight Moonlight” by Old & In the Way

This happened 41 years ago the other day…

When not playing with The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia liked to dabble in side projects including stints with his own Jerry Garcia Band, The New Riders Of The Purple Sage, gigging with Merle Saunders, recording with John Wales and guesting on albums by the likes of Ornette Coleman, David Bromberg, Brewer And Shipley, Bob Dylan, CSN&Y, Jefferson Airplane and many others.

But Garcia was also a member of a bona-fide “supergroup.” When most people hear the term “supergroup,” bands like Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, CSN&Y and The Traveling Wilbury’s come to mind.

Garcia’s supergroup was Old & In The Way, a bluegrass collective of great pedigree featuring Jerry Garcia on banjo and vocals, David Grisman on mandolin, Peter Rowan on guitar, Vassar Clements on fiddle and John Kahn on bass. (John Hartford sat in with the band before Clements came on board.)

Rowan and Grisman played together with ex-Byrd Clarence White in the bluegrass group Muleskinner, and also in the Elektra Records recording group, Earth Opera. Grisman also played with The Even Dozen Jug Band and guested on The Grateful Dead’s American Beauty album. Rowan and Clements were members of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, and John Kahn played with Muleskinner, Howard Wales and Garcia.

Garcia formed Old & In The Way in 1973 as a vehicle to play bluegrass banjo. The group grew out of living room jams between Garcia, Grisman and Rowan who all lived near each other in Marin County, California. Together they would gig around locally with John Kahn in tow and John Hartford on fiddle. After Hartford could not commit to a tour, the group called on Vassar Clements to take his place.

They were together for a total of nine months, and the Old & in the Way album was recorded on October 1st and 8th 1973 in front of an audience at The Boarding House in San Francisco.

Their one-off eponymously titled album was subsequently released on The Grateful Dead’s Round record label in 1975 featuring today’s Song of the Day by Eric Berman, which was penned by Peter Rowan. The album also included their bluegrass cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses,” a version of the Peter Rowan-penned New Riders’ tune “Panama Red,” and traditional tunes like the Delmore Brothers’ “Pig In A Pen” and Carter Stanley’s “White Dove.”

With great harmonies and instrumental interplay, Old & In The Way’s old timey, good-feeling vibe struck a chord with Grateful Dead heads, making it one of the best selling bluegrass albums of all time. And indeed, several songs from the album have gone on to become standards of the Bluegrass repertoire including “Midnight Moonlight, “Wild Horses” and the album’s title track. Even more so, today’s Song of the Day by Eric Berman became a standard of the Grateful Dead repertoire as well.

Garcia continued to record numerous records with David Grisman, including Not For Kids Only, one of the greatest children’s albums of all time, and two Old & In The Way albums were subsequently released featuring live recordings from the same gigs after Jerry Garcia’s death.

Last year, Grisman’s label finally got around to releasing all of the group’s recordings which consisted of two nights encompassing four sets of music in the order in which it happened, and it was all recorded 41 years ago this week.

Today in Rock History – May 24

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1966, Captain Beefheart appeared at the Whisky a Go Go. West Hollywood, California. Supported by Buffalo Springfield and The Doors.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played at Gröna Lund in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1968, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull are arrested on charges of marijuana possession. The same day the Stones release “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” generally seen as a comeback record following the flop of Their Satanic Majesties Request. It goes to number three in the US, and the top spot in the UK.  Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards’ country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded, “Oh, that’s Jack – that’s jumpin’ Jack.” The rest of the lyrics evolved from there.

1968, Pink Floyd appeared at The Punchbowl Hotel, Lapworth, England.

1969, Led Zeppelin performed at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago.

1969, Bob Dylan’s album Nashville Skyline peaked at number three in the US charts. The singer’s ninth album, it also scored Dylan his fourth UK chart topper. The album featured “Lay Lady Lay,” which became one of Dylan’s biggest pop hits, reaching the seventh position in the US, his biggest single in three years.

1969, The Beatles started a five week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Get Back,” the group’s 17th chart topper.  The song was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston,”  the Beatles’ only single that credited another artist.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Shady Grove Music Fair, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

1970, Peter Green played his last gig with Fleetwood Mac when they appeared at the Bath Festival, Somerset, England.

1971, Bob Dylan’s 30th birthday is commemorated with a Peanuts cartoon commenting on the event. Dylan himself spends the day visiting the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

1973, David Bowie played at the Odeon Theatre (Lewisham), in London.

1972, Grateful Dead Europe ’72 tour plays at the Lyceum in London, England.

1974, American composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington, died of lung cancer and pneumonia aged 75. He worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday.  He was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. In 2009 the United States Mint launched a new coin featuring Duke Ellington on the reverse side of the coin.

1974, David Bowie released his eighth studio album Diamond Dogs. Thematically, it was a marriage of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, and Bowie’s own glam-tinged vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Bowie had wanted to make a theatrical production of Orwell’s book and began writing material after completing sessions for his 1973 album Pin Ups, but the author’s estate denied the rights. The cover art features Bowie as a striking half-man, half-dog grotesque painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. It was controversial as the full painting clearly showed the hybrid’s genitalia

1975, Earth Wind and Fire went to number one on the singles chart with”Shining Star,” the group’s first and only chart topper.

1976, AC/DC performed at The Nashville, London.

1978, Neil Young appeared at The Boarding House in San Francisco.

1979, Yes played at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1980, Genesis fans turning up at the Roxy Club box office in Los Angeles to buy tickets for a forthcoming gig were surprised to find the band members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford selling the tickets themselves.

1981, Van Halen played at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1991, Founding member of The Byrds, Gene Clark, died of a heart attack aged 49. He penned group’s hits “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” and “Eight Miles High.” He was also a member of McGuinn, Clark and Hillman.

1991, Guns n’ Roses played the first show on their 192-date Use Your Illusion world Tour at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin.

2003, Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia when he appeared in-front of 20,000 fans in Red Square

2007, Amy Winehouse, Madonna and Arctic Monkeys were among the winners at the Ivor Novello Awards. Winehouse won best contemporary song for her hit “Rehab,” while Madonna collected the international hit of the year for “Sorry.” Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys collected the best album award for Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not.

2010, Paul Gray, the bassist with US metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the 38-year-old musician was found by an employee at the hotel in a suburb of the city. Police said foul play was not suspected, but an autopsy would be carried out. The nine members of Slipknot wore masks in public and referred to other bandmates by numbers; Gray was number two.

Born on May 24: Bob Dylan (1941); Derek Quinn, Freddie and the Dreamers (1942); Patti Labelle, singer (1944); Steve Upton, Wishbone Ash (1946); Albert Bouchard, drums, Blue Oyster Cult (1947); Guy Fletcher, English keyboard player, guitarist, producer, Dire Straits, The Notting Hillbillies (1960); Dwight Errington Myers, aka Heavy D, rapper (1967); Rich Robinson, The Black Crowes (1969); Alessandro Cortini, keyboards, Nine Inch Nails (1976)

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Song Of The Day – “Easy To Slip” by Bob Weir

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bobweirI love the Grateful Dead, but I’ve never been a huge fan of Bob Weir. That might seem strange to say, since Weir was responsible for some of The Dead’s best-loved classics including “Estimated Prophet,” “Black Throated Wind,” “Jack Straw,” “Playing In The Band,” “Greatest Story Ever Told,” “Cassidy,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “The Music Never Stopped” and even a late-period entry like “Hell In A Bucket.”  More than that, Weir brought balance to the sound of the band, supplying the necessary ying to Jerry Garcia’s far superior yang.

While I truly like the above list of Weir songs, he was also responsible for some of The Grateful Dead’s lamest material, like the dreadful “Throwing Stones,” “Victim Or The Crime,” “Lazy Lightning,” “Looks Like Rain,” “Weather Report Suite,” “Lost Sailor/Saint Of Circumstance,” “I Need A Miracle” and “Picasso Moon.” On top of that, it is also hard to forgive his many years of over-singing, especially at the ending of songs in concert.

As far as his choices of covers go, Weir mostly got it right by introducing songs like “El Paso,” “Me & My Uncle,” “Me And Bobby McGee,” “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” “Mama Tried” and “Dark Hollow” into the Dead’s arsenal, however, you can also hold him accountable for many years’ worth of uniformly horrible version of “Little Red Rooster,” “Desolation Row,”  “Good Lovin’,” and “Wang Dang Doodle” as well.

Weir’s first solo album Ace from 1972 was basically a full-blown Grateful Dead record and introduced many of his finest tunes into the Dead’s repertoire. His second solo record, Heaven Help The Fool was released in 1978 during a break in Grateful Dead activity while drummer Mickey Hart recovered from a car accident. The record was produced by Keith Olsen, who also produced Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station album the previous year, and many of the same flaws appear on both records: slick and soulless production and song arrangements that ultimately hamper much of the top material within.

A bevy of top-shelf session musicians participated in the recording of the album, including Waddy Wachtel on guitar, David Foster on keyboards, Bill Champlin (from Sons Of Champlin) on keyboards, Mike Porcaro on bass and David Paich on keyboards (both from the band Toto), Tom Scott from The L.A. Express on woodwinds and former Elton John sidemen Nigel Olsson on drums and Dee Murray on bass, however their performances come off somewhat flawed by the many questionable production choices made by Weir and Olsen.

It’s a shame too, because if you can get past the bad disco of “Wrong Way Feelin’,” the synth-laden faux reggae of Smokey Robinson’s “I’ll Be Doggone,” and the generic background vocals on almost everything else, you’ll find a clutch of worthy tunes written by Weir and his longtime writing partner John Barlow that are well worth your consideration, especially the album’s sturdy title track, “Bombs Away” and “Salt Lake City” (which subsequently made it into the Dead’s repertoire).

Today’s Song Of The Day was written by Lowell George and originally appeared on Little Feat’s 1972 album Sailin’ Shoes. Lowell George would hop aboard the Grateful Dead bandwagon to produce their next studio album Shakedown Street in 1979.

Ever since Jerry Garcia left this mortal coil, Weir has become the de facto leader of The Dead leaving his excruciatingly awful imprint all over their doings.  It just goes to show that sometimes it’s better for bands to pack it in and rest on their laurels rather than tarnishing their good reputation by staying on the road long after their mojo has left the building.

Today in Rock History – April 10

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1967, Marvin Gaye recorded his version of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” The song was first recorded by The Miracles and had also been a million seller in 1967 for Gladys Knight and the Pips.

1967, Paul McCartney visits a Beach Boys recording session and is said to have loaned his production assistant to the track “Vegetables” for the Smile album.

1968, The Mothers of Invention appeared at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1968, Drummer Mickey Hart accepts an invitation from Bill Kreuztmann to join the Grateful Dead.

1968, Janis Joplin performed at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

1970, Doors singer Jim Morrison was dragged off stage by keyboardist Ray Manzarek during a concert in Boston, after Morrison asked the audience, “Would you like to see my genitals?” Theater management quickly switched off the power. Morrison had been arrested in Miami a year earlier for “lewd and lascivious behavior” during a performance.

1970, 27 year-old Paul McCartney issued a press statement, announcing that The Beatles had split, one week before the release of his solo album. McCartney said, “I have no future plans to record or appear with The Beatles again, or to write any music with John”. John Lennon, who had kept his much-earlier decision to leave The Beatles quiet for the sake of the others, was furious. When a reporter called Lennon to comment upon McCartney’s resignation, Lennon said, “Paul hasn’t left. I sacked him.”

1971, The Grateful Dead played at East Hall, Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

1971,  John Denver makes his first appearance on the pop charts with “Take Me Home Country Roads.”

1975, Pink Floyd performed at the Seattle Center Coliseum, the first US date of their North American tour.

1976, Peter Frampton went to number one on the album chart with Frampton Comes Alive, the biggest selling live album in rock history.

1976, UK music weekly The Melody Maker reviewed a Sex Pistols gig with the words, “I hope we shall hear no more of them.”

1982, Iron Maiden scored their first UK number one album with The Number Of The Beast.

1985, Madonna kicked off her very first North American tour by playing the first of three nights at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. The Beastie Boys opened for Madonna on this 40-date Virgin Tour.

1993, Depeche Mode entered the US album chart at number one with Songs Of Faith And Devotion.

1994, Over 5,000 fans attended a US public memorial service for Kurt Cobain at Seattle Flag Pavilion.

2003, American singer Little Eva died in Kinston, North Carolina, aged 59. She had the 1962 US number one and UK number two single “The Loco-Motion.” Eva was working as a babysitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin who asked her to record the song they’d just written. “The Loco-Motion” was also a UK number one hit for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974, and for Kylie Minogue in 1988.

2013, Kate Bush received her CBE for services to music from the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, England. The singer-songwriter, who was catapulted to fame in 1978 when Wuthering Heights topped the charts, said she was “incredibly thrilled”.

Born on April 10: Nate Nelson, The Flamingos (1932); Bunny Livingston, The Wailers (1947); Fred Smith, bass, Television (1948); Dave Pevertt, Savoy Brown, Forghat (1950); Brian Setzer (1959); Katrina Leskanich, Katrina And The Waves (1959); Mark Everett, eels (1963);  Andrew Dost, Fun (1983).

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Today in Rock History – April 7

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1966,The Beatles were at Abbey Road studios in London, recording overdubs on the new John Lennon song “Tomorrow Never Knows” and the new Paul McCartney song “Got to Get You Into My Life” for the forthcoming Revolver album.

1967, Pink Floyd played at the Floral Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1967, Jimi Hendrix performed at the ABC Theatre in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.

1968, At the end of a North American tour, The Who played at the CNE Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario.

1969, John Lennon records “Give Peace a Chance” in his Toronto hotel room. It becomes his first solo single.

1970, On this week’s Top 5 singles chart; No.5, “Bridge Over Trouble Water” by Simon and Garfunkel, No.4, “Spirit In The Sky,” Norman Greenbaum, No.3, “Instant Karma” by John Lennon, No.2, “ABC” The Jackson Five, and at No.1, “Let It Be,” The Beatles.

1970, Genesis appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at The Place, a small club in Miami, Florida.

1972, The Grateful Dead appeared at The Empire Pool, London, England, tickets cost £1 ($1.50.)

1973, Yes performed at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

1973, Diana Ross started a two-week run at number one on the US album chart with the soundtrack to Lady Sings The Blues, a Billie Holliday biopic.

1974, Aerosmith played at Michigan Palace in Detroit.

1975, Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple to form his own band Rainbow. Tommy Bolin replaced Blackmore.

1975, Deep Purple performed at the Palais Des Sports, Paris.

1976, Rush appeared at the Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

1977, Black Sabbath played at Stadthalle, Offenbach am Main, Germany.

1979, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, The Boomtown Rats and Ted Nugent all appeared at the California Music Festival.

1979, The Doobie Brothers went to number one on the US album chart with Minute By Minute, the group’s only US chart topper.

1981, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their first full-scale tour in Hamburg, Germany. This was Springsteen’s first tour outside North America, which would take in ten countries.

1985, Grateful Dead appeared at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

1994, US soul singer Percy Sledge pleaded guilty to tax evasion after he failed to report $260,000 in income earned between 1987 and 1989. He was sentenced to serve six months in a halfway house.

2000, Heinz, bass player and singer with The Tornadoes died aged 57. The group had the Joe Meek produced 1962 UK and US number one single “Telstar,” making them the first UK group to score a US number one single. Heinz had the 1963 solo hit “Just Like Eddie,” a tribute to Eddie Cochran, which featured future Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

2013, Andy Johns, the veteran producer and engineer who worked on classic albums by Led Zeppelin, (Led Zeppelin II  through  Physical Graffiti), the Rolling Stones, (Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street), Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen and many others, died at the age of 61.

2015, The original manuscript of Don McLean’s American Pie sold for $1.2m (£806,000) at a New York auction. The 16-page draft had been expected to fetch as much as $1.5 million (£1 million) at the Christie’s sale. McLean said writing the song was “a mystical trip into his past”.

Born on April 7: Billie Holiday (1915); Spencer Dryden, Jefferson Airplane (1938);  Mick Abrahams,  Jethro Tull (1943); Patricia Bennett, The Chiffons (1947); John Oates, Hall and Oates (1949);  Janis Ian (1951); Bruce Gary, The Knack (1952)

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Eleven of the Best Rock Concerts I Have Attended

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I have been fortunate to go to a lot of rock concerts in my lifetime. Considering what tickets cost today, those old ducats from the seventies and eighties turned out to be pretty good deals. Most of those ticket prices were under twenty bucks. The late seventies concerts were all under ten dollars. Compared to today’s prices, those old shows were an absolute bargain. I’ve seen a lot of artists that are no longer with us, such as Jerry Garcia, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gregg Allman, Lou Reed, Keith Emerson, Freddie Mercury, BB King, and Jaco Pastorius, the great bass player for Weather Report. Other than completing artists or bands on my bucket list, I’m not too keen anymore to shell out big bucks being charged today.  In many cases I’d rather see up and coming artists in small venues, or good cover bands in clubs.

This is compilation of some of the most outstanding performances I’ve personally witnessed to date.  The Fleetwood Mac concert in March 1977 would have been included, but I’ve written about that show already.  That story is linked here, so it was omitted from this list.

James Taylor – Carmichael Auditorium – Chapel Hill –  March 3, 1982

This was JT’s triumphant return to his hometown. Taylor’s father was a professor at the UNC School of Medicine, ultimately becoming the school’s dean,  Rumors had been circulating for years that Taylor had no desire to perform in the Chapel Hill. Supposedly, the author of “Carolina In Mind” had too many bad memories from his adolescence here, that fueled his depression and subsequent drug addiction. Thus, he avoiding performing in the area. However, he received a hero’s welcome, the audience went nuts, and Taylor fed off the vibe.  Carmichael was not particularly known for its acoustics, but never sounded better. JT even improvised the lyrics to “You’ve Got a Friend” to include a reference to local Highway 15-501 that connects Durham and Chapel Hill.

 

Queen – Greensboro Coliseum – North Carolina – August 14, 1980

At the time, Queen was one of the hottest bands in the world. They were touring in support of their ninth studio album, “The Game” which would top the album charts in both the US and UK. If you’ve ever seen video from a Queen concert of that period, you see what an incredible performer Freddie Mercury was. He pranced. He danced, he played and sang. We had no idea that he would be gone eleven years later.  But that night, he owned the place with an 27-song epic set.

Setlist: Jailhouse Rock, We Will Rock You, Let Me Entertain You, Need Your Loving Tonight, Play the Game, Mustapha, Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…), Killer Queen, I’m in Love With My Car, Somebody to Love, Get Down Make Love, You’re My Best Friend, Save Me, Now I’m Here, Fat Bottomed Girls, Love of My Life, Keep Yourself Alive, Drum & Guitar Solos, Brighton Rock, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, Tie Your Mother Down; Encore: Sheer Heart Attack, We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions, God Save The Queen

 

R.E.M. – NC Benefit for Africa – Meredith College – May 27, 1985

In the wake of Live Aid, a lot of Africa relief concerts took place. One was organized at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater at Meredith College in Raleigh. The show featured seven or eight popular bands local with R.E.M. as the headliner.  They were gracious enough to allow the fledgling UNC Student Television to film their performance, which featured songs from the soon-to-be-released third album “Fables of the Reconstruction.” Don Dixon, whose band Arrogance also graced the stage that day, and was a producer on their first two albums, joined the band for “Don’t Go Back To Rockville” and a cover of “Wild Thing.”

Complete show:

https://youtu.be/y0VrM-qYnkw

 

Paul Simon – Civic Opera House – Chicago – March 13, 1987

Simon brought his Graceland tour to Chicago’s historic, art deco Opera House.  Simon, and his band, along with Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo played songs from the Grammy award winning album. It was a perfect setting for the acapella music, rhythmic dancing, and solo music by the South African artists. The 3500-seat auditorium may not be small compared to the club scene, but it’s far more intimate than the ten thousand plus seat amphitheaters and concert halls favored by rock stars.

U2 – Rosemont Horizon – Rosemont, IL – April 29, 1987

This was my first U2 concert, having missed another epic show which took place at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill four years earlier. The Rosemont show more than made up for it. The band had graced the cover of Time magazine two days earlier with the headline, “Rock’s Hottest Ticket,” and the show has become synonymous with that epithet. It remains a very popular U2 fan bootleg, which is surprising since the arena is not known for its acoustics. But the band and the audience connected, and the rest is history.

Frank Zappa – Auditorium Theatre – Chicago – March 4, 1988

One of the most underrated musical geniuses of all time brought his satirical Broadway the Hard Way tour to Chicago’s palatial Auditorium Theatre. Zappa loved to skewer anything and everything musically. His target this time was the disgraced  preacher Jimmy Swaggert. Using a medley of  Beatles songs and his lyrics, Zappa proceeded to eviscerate the televangelist in song. In addition, he brought Sting onstage, and they played “Murder by Numbers,” a Police song. Even better, he tossed some Zeppelin and Allman Brothers into the mix that magical evening.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/frank-zappa/1988/auditorium-theatre-chicago-il-5bd0ef74.html

Neville Brothers – Skyline Stage,  Navy Pier – Chicago – May 27, 1989

One of  New Orleans’ best known musical families kicked off a series of “twilight concerts” at the recently renovated Skyline Ballroom in the summer of 1989.  They were on tour to promote their fourth studio album “Yellow Moon.” Even though the show was broadcast live on radio station WXRT, it was still a hot ticket. Anyone who was there can attest as to what a great vibe there was in the room. The band dug it also and played beyond their allotted time as the crowd urged them on.

 

Stevie Ray Vaughn / Jeff Beck – UIC Pavilion – Chicago – October 28, 1989

This was the first of two times I was fortunate enough to see SRV in concert. The second show was his final performance, the night he perished in a tragic helicopter accident. The tour was dubbed “The Fire Meets The Fury.” Beck and Vaughn traded opening slots on a 29-date tour. For me this show is as noteworthy for what happened afterwards. On the chance that Vaughn might make a post concert appearance at one of the local blues clubs, something he was known for, my buddy Otis and I went to Kingston Mines. SRV did go to a blues club, but not the Mines. He was spotted at Buddy Guy’s southside establishment. However, we did meet Buddy Miles, and and we hung out all night with the former member of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and Carlos Santana collaborator.

Here’s a video of Beck and Vaughn from the Chicago show

https://youtu.be/84_UvByGDkM

The Grateful Dead – Pine Knob Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI – June 20, 1991

I was lucky enough to see the Dead fifty times between 1985 and Jerry Garcia’s last show in July, 1995. As any Deadhead will tell you, no two Grateful Dead shows are alike.  The venue, the tour, the year, the people, and the vibe made every performance a unique event. City arena shows were very different than outdoor amphitheaters in remote locations like Alpine Valley, or Pine Knob, forty miles outside of Detroit.  What made this particular show memorable for me (and many others) was the song order of the second set, which seemed to go in reverse of a typical second set with “Throwing Stones” as the opening salvo. “All Along the Watchtower” and “Iko-Iko are presented outside of their normal settings, before the lengthy set closes with a reprise of “Throwing Stones” and Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” followed by an encore of the fan favorite “Brokedown Palace.”

Set 1: Touch of Grey, Greatest Story Ever Told, El Paso, Mexicali Blues > Maggie’s Farm, Bird Song

Set 2: Throwing Stones, Iko Iko, All Along The Watchtower, Standing On the Moon, He’s Gone > Drums > Space > The Wheel > I Need A Miracle > Walkin’ Blues > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away, E: Brokedown Palace

 

Phish – Biddy Mulligan’s – Chicago – April 13, 1991

When the discussion turns to talk about the best band I saw in a small venue, this is my show to brag about. One of my Deadhead friends from New England kept raving about this band from Vermont, so I promised to see their next show in Chicago. Little did I know they’d be packing arenas and amphitheaters for years to come. Biddys was relatively small club on the far north side of town, almost at the Evanston border. From the early seventies until its demise in 2003, the club featured a lot of the local blues greats like Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy, along with national talent like Wishbone Ash, Eric Burdon, and Blues Traveler. I remember seeing Leon Russell there. The posted capacity was 400, and I’m sure there were at least 500 folks that chilly April evening. The place was jam packed, and I was lucky to get a spot near the soundboard. The set was a mix of songs from 1990’s “Lawn Boy” and the yet to be released “A Picture of Nectar.” Most memorable for me was the inclusion of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” as the show closer. I haven’t attended a Phish concert since, because I’m not sure it could ever surpass that experience.

 

Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens – Oriental Theatre – Chicago – September 30, 2016

After a near death experience in 1976, this musical treasure of the late sixties and early seventies converted to Islam, and stopped performing for nearly thirty years. Songs like “Moonshadow,” “Peace Train,” and “Wild World” were soft rock and FM radio staples. When he finally returned to touring, I put him at the top of my concert bucket list.  The time off has kept his remarkable voice nearly intact, and he not only played his hits, but told the stories behind the songs, and delved into his musical catalog for some deep gems. The whole show was his life story, complete with a stage set recreating the small room above his parents restaurant in the London of his youth.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yusuf-islam/2016/oriental-theatre-chicago-il-3bfdcc5c.html

 

Honorable mentions:

David Byrne – Arie Crown Theatre – Chicago – September 1992
Tom Tom Club – Paradiso – Amsterdam – April 2001
Prince – Super Bowl Halftime Show – Miami – February 2007
Steve Miller Band – Ravinia Festival – July 2009
Brian Wilson – Ravinia Festival – July 2013
Allman Brothers Band – Chicago Theatre – August 2013

Today in Rock History – March 20

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1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono at the British Consulate Office in Gibraltar. They spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam campaigning for an international “Bed-In” for peace. They planned another “Bed-in” in the United States, but were denied entry. The couple then went to Montréal, and during a “Bed-in” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel recorded ‘Give Peace a Chance’. Lennon also detailed this period in The Beatles’ ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’, recorded by Lennon and McCartney on April 14, 1969.

1970, David and Angela Bowie were married at Beckenham Registry Office, London. They were divorced in 1980.

1970, The Grateful Dead performed at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York.

1971,  The Rolling Stones placed full page advertisements at their own expensein all the UK’s music papers disclaiming any connection with the release of the Decca album Stone Age saying “in our opinion the content is below the standard we try to keep.”

1971, Janis Joplin started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with the Kris Kristofferson’s “Me And Bobby McGee.”  The song is the second posthumous number one song of the rock era, reaching the top of the charts almost six months after Joplin’s death on October 4th, 1970.

1973, Slade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with “Cum On Feel The Noize,” the group’s fourth UK number one.

1976, Status Quo started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with their third No.1 album Blue For You. The bands record label set up a deal with Levi Jeans, advertising in over 6,000 clothes shops to help promote the album.

Lou Reed

1976, Alice Cooper married 19 year old Sheryl Goddard.

1977, Lou Reed was banned from appearing The London Palladium in England because of his punk image.

1977, T Rex played their final ever gig when they appeared at The Locarno in Portsmouth, England.

1980, 28 year- old Joseph Riviera held up the Asylum Records office in New York and demanded to see either Jackson Browne or The Eagles. Riviera wanted to talk to them to see if they would finance his trucking operation. He gave himself up when told that neither act was in the office at the time.

1982, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a No.4 hit in the UK. The song had been a B-side from 60’s band The Arrows.

1991, Eric Clapton’s four year old son, Conor, fell to his death from the 53rd story of a New York City apartment after a housekeeper who was cleaning the room left a window open. The boy was in the custody of his mother, Italian actress, Lori Del Santo and the pair were visiting a friend’s apartment. Clapton was staying in a nearby hotel after taking his son to the circus the previous evening. The tragedy inspired his song “Tears in Heaven.”

Born on March 20: Lee “Scratch” Perry, reggae producer (1936); Jerry Reed (1937); Jimmy Vaughn (1949); Carl Palmer, ELP (1951); Fonso Martin, Steel Pulse (1956); and Chester Bennington, vocals, Linkin Park (1976)

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