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Today in Rock History – July 7

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Alpha TV Studio – Birmingham UK July 1963 – Philip Townsend

1963, The Rolling Stones made their UK TV debut when they appeared on Thank Your Lucky Stars. Also seen on the show were Mickie Most, The Cadets, Helen Shapiro and Gordon Mills. The Stones made a total of 13 appearances on the show between 1963 and 1966

1965, The Who played at a gala opening of The Manor House club in London.

1966, The Kinks were at number one on the singles chart with “Sunny Afternoon,” the group’s third and last chart topper.

1966, The Who played at the Locarno Ballroom in London, England.

1967, The Monkees begin a nationwide tour, with Jimi Hendrix supporting.

1967, Dusty Springfield begins a three-week residency at New York’s Copacabana nightclub.

1968, The Yardbirds played their last gig before splitting up when they appeared in Luton, England.

1969, Arlo Guthrie and Joni Mitchell appeared in Edwardsville, Illinois.

1969, George Harrison recorded his new song “Here Comes the Sun” with just two other Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at Abbey Road in London. John Lennon was absent, recovering from a car crash in Scotland.

1970, The Who headline at the Tanglewood Music Amphitheater in Lenox, Massachusetts with Jethro Tull and It’s a Beautiful Day opening. It is one of The Who’s very best performances and is projected on a 15′ X 21′ television screen on the lawn outside the venue. The show is videotaped and intended for use on a Fillmore at Tanglewood television special that never airs. “Heaven and Hell”, “I Can’t Explain” and “Water” are later released on the first video edition of 30 Years Of Maximum R&B and the surviving section of the concert on YouTube in 2014.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

1971, Yes appeared at the Orlando Sports Stadium, also known as the Eddie Graham Sports Complex, an indoor venue which opened in 1967, and closed in 1995.

1971, 26-year-old pop star Bjorn Ulvaeus and 21-year-old Agnetha Faltskog married in Verum, Sweden. 3000 fans arrived and in the chaos a police horse stepped on the brides foot, causing her a slight injury.

1972, Chicago performed at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1973, Led Zeppelin appeared at Chicago Stadium, Chicago.

1973, Hawkwind played at the Sports Centre, Bletchley, England.

1973, Billy Preston started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Will It Go Round In Circles,” his first of two chart toppers.

1974, David Bowie performed at the Scope in Norfolk, Virginia.

1975, Paul McCartney & Wings release “Live and Let Die.”

1975, Keith Moon has “Happy Birthday Ringo” written in the sky above Los Angeles in honor of his fellow drummer’s 35th birthday. He then sends the bill to Ringo.

1976, Neil Young appeared at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1978, The Grateful Dead played the first of four nights at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado.

The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats

1979, The Boomtown Rats made a personal appearance at the opening of the new Virgin Megastore in London.

1980, Led Zeppelin played their last-ever concert when they appeared in West Berlin at the end of a European tour. They finished the show with a 17-minute version of “Whole Lotta Love.”

1980, The Who perform at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

1984, Bruce Springsteen went to number one on the US album chart with Born In The USA. The album went on to spend a total of 139 weeks on the US chart. Its also one of three albums (Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814) to produce seven Top-ten US singles.

1984, Prince started a five week run at number one on the US singles chart with “When Doves Cry,” his first US chart topper, which went on to sell over two million copies. It reached the fourth spot in the UK.

1989, It was announced that for the first time compact discs were out selling vinyl albums.

2001, Stereophonics, David Gray, The Dandy Warhols, The Proclaimers, Paul Weller, Texas, Coldplay, Beck, Toploader, Ash, Starsailor, Nelly Furtado, James, and Muse all appeared at  T In The Park festival, Scotland, weekend tickets, £64 ($109.)

2006, Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett died from complications arising from diabetes aged 60. The official cause of death was listed as pancreatic cancer.  He joined Pink Floyd in 1965, and crafted most of the material from their first album, but only contributed one song for the second offering.  Barrett’s behavior became increasingly erratic and unpredictable, partly as a consequence of his reported heavy use of psychedelic drugs, most prominently LSD. By April 1968, he was kicked out of the band. Barrett released two solo albums before going into self-imposed seclusion lasting more than thirty years, with his mental deterioration blamed on drugs.

2007, The Live Earth concerts took place around the world with The Police closing the days events in New Jersey. The concerts were organized by former US Vice-President Al Gore, as part of his campaign to “heal the planet.” Rock stars from around the world performed to hundreds of thousands of fans to highlight climate change. Concerts were held in Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney. Madonna brought London’s Live Earth concert to a close, playing a song she had written for the event. Other major acts who appeared included; Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, The Beastie Boys, James Blunt, The Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, UB40, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Crowded House & Joss Stone.

2009, Michael Jackson’s family and fans said farewell to the pop superstar at an emotional memorial service. The singer’s coffin was placed in front of the stage during the public event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, after an earlier private funeral.

2010, Paul McCartney joined Ringo Starr onstage at a concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall to help celebrate the former Beatle drummer’s 70th birthday.  Ringo’s All-Starr Band were joined by Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Angus Young and Steven Van Zandt, as Paul belted out “Birthday” and Ringo delivered “With A Little Help From My Friends.”

Born on July 7: Mary Ford, American singer (1928); Joe Zawinul, pianist, Miles Davis band, Weather Report (1932); Ringo Starr (1940);  Peter Banks, Yes, Flash (1947); Rob Townsend, drummer, Family (1947); Lynval Golding, guitar, The Specials (1952); Mark White, bass, The Spin Doctors (1962)

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Today in Rock History – June 26

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1965, The Byrds went to number one on the US singles chart with their version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr Tambourine Man.” Only Roger McGuinn from the band played on the song, Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine played on the track.

1965, The Strangeloves,  three Australian aborigines who were really three New Yorkers, enter Billboard’s Hot 100 with “I Want Candy.”

1966, In the midst of a German tour, the Beatles make a long-awaited return to Hamburg, the city where they got their start performing in local clubs. This time they come back in an eight-car motorcade and play to 7,000 people at Ernst Mercky Halle.

1966, During a North American tour, The Rolling Stones played two shows, a matinee show at The Coliseum in Washington DC, and an evening show at The Baltimore Civic Centre in Maryland. The McCoys and The Standells were the support acts.

1969, Joni Mitchell appeared on the ABC TV Mama Cass Television Program from Los Angeles, California.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at North Georgia Fairgrounds in Marietta, Ohio.

1970, Mountain played at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1971, Emerson Lake and Palmer went to number one on the UK chart with their second album Tarkus.

1971, Pink Floyd play at Hatfield Polytechnic, in Hatfield, England. Tickets were 60 pence (about 90 cents.)

1972, During sessions at Olympic Studios, London, England, David Bowie recorded “John, I’m Only Dancing,” with Mick Ronson on lead guitar and Lou Reed on rhythm guitar. The track which was released and became a hit single in the UK in September of this year was not released in America, being judged too risqué by RCA Records. The original video directed by Mick Rock, featuring androgynous dancers from Lindsay Kemp’s mime troupe, was banned by British music show Top Of The Pops.

1973, Rolling Stone Keith Richards and his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg were arrested at their home in Chelsea, London on drugs and gun charges.

1974, Cher divorced Sonny Bono after 10 years of marriage. Four days later, Cher married guitarist Gregg Allman, the couple split 10 days after that, got back together and split again. They did stay married for three years, producing Elijah Blue Allman.

1975, Bob Dylan officially releases the long-bootlegged Basement Tapes.

1976, The Grateful Dead played the first of four nights at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

1976, Legendary ’70s group Roxy Music announce they will undergo a “trial separation.”

1977, Elvis Presley made his last ever live stage appearance when he appeared at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Presley would die less than two months later. The last two songs he performed were  “Hurt”  and  “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”  Before the show Elvis was presented with a plaque commemorating the 2 billionth record to come out of RCA s pressing plant.

1982, American singer and One Hit Wonder Charlene was at number one on the UK singles chart with “I’ve Never Been To Me.” The song was recorded in 1976 and was reissued by Motown records in 1982 by which time Charlene had moved to England and was working in a sweet shop in Ilford, east London.

1999, Elton John was reported to be in talks with a City finance house to secure a £25 million ($42.5 million) loan, using his back catalogue of hits as security. It had been reported that Elton had been spending £250,000 ($425,000) a week on credit cards.

2008, Total Guitar magazine voted Celine Dion’s rendition of the AC/DC track “You Shook Me All Night Long” as the world’s worst cover version ever. In the best cover versions list, Jimi Hendrix was voted into first place with his version of the Bob Dylan song “All Along the Watchtower,” The Beatles rendition of “Twist and Shout,” (first recorded by the Top Notes), was in second place, followed by the Guns N’ Roses version of the Wings song “Live and Let Die.”

Born on Jun 26: Col. Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager (1910); Billy Davis, Jr., The Fifth Dimension (1940); Larry Taylor, Canned Heat (1942) Mick Jones, The Clash (1955); Chris Isaak (1956) ; Colin Greenwood,  Radiohead (1969)

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Today in Rock History – June 1

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Rock History for June 1

1966, The Beatles returned Abbey Road studios to complete recording on “Yellow Submarine. ” The band, plus friends and members of the staff helped search for a “weird instrument” to create the desired sound effects.  John Lennon ended up blowing bubbles in a bucket of water.  Paul and John imitated different voices.  Roadie Mal Evans played on a bass drum strapped to his chest, marching around the studio with The Beatles following behind singing “We all live in a yellow submarine.”

1966, The Who fly into Arlanda Airport, Stockholm. Pete Townshend is interviewed for a Swedish magazine at the airport. He tells them he is currently working on a musical called “Summer City”.

1967, The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Sgt. Pepper became the first Beatles album to be issued simultaneously around the world. It was also the first Beatles album where the track listings were exactly the same for the UK and US versions. The band’s eighth LP, it debuted in the UK at number one, where it stayed for 22 consecutive weeks. The album sold 250,000 copies during the first seven days.

1967, David Bowie released his self titled debut studio album. Two singles were released from the album, “Rubber Band” and “The Laughing Gnome.”

1967, Tommy James & the Shondells performed at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.

1968, Simon and Garfunkel went to number one on the singles chart with “Mrs Robinson.” The song was featured in the Dustin Hoffman and Ann Bancroft film The Graduate. A cover version by the Lemonheads was a hit in 1992.

1968, Cream appeared at the Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

1968, Pink Floyd played three shows in the Netherlands on this date. First a 2 o’clock in the afternoon show at Lijn 3 in Amsterdam, as a replacement for Captain Beefheart, who cancelled. Secondly at 8 PM, the band played at ‘t Smurf, De Engh, Bussum. Lastly, a late show at Eurobeurs, Apeldoorn. The band arrived so tardy, that they played past their allotted time. When the promoter turned on the house lights to make the band quit playing and start the “disco,” an argument started between Roger Waters and the promoter. It got so heated that the local police had to be called in to break it up.

1969, Neil Young & Crazy Horse appeared at La Cave in Cleveland, Ohio

1969, The Who performed at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri.

1969, The Plastic Ono Band recorded “Give Peace A Chance” during a “bed-in” at the Hotel La Reine in Montreal, Canada. Producer Phil Spector, poet Allan Ginsberg and writer Timothy Leary all sang on the song.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Athens State Teachers College, Athens, Georgia.

1971, Chicago appeared at the London’s Royal Albert Hall, London.

1971, Harry Nilsson begins recording his album Nilsson Schmilsson in London.

1971, Joni Mitchell releases her album Blue.

1971, The two-room shack in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 was opened to the public as a tourist attraction.

Pink Floyd at Abbey Road studios

1972, Pink Floyd were working at Abbey Road studios, London on Dark Side Of The Moon.

1973, Former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt broke his spine after attempting to leave a party by climbing down a drainpipe and falling three stories. It left Wyatt permanently crippled and confined to a wheelchair.

1973, Paul Simon releases There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.

1974, UK weekly music paper The NME published its 100 Great Albums: at number three: The Beach Boys Pet Sounds; number two: Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde; and The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper was voted to the top spot.

1974, John Cale, Brian Eno, Kevin Ayers, and Nico perform the concert commemorated in the live LP June 1, 1974.

1974, Linda Ronstadt begins recording “Heart Like a Wheel” in Los Angeles. Her last project for Capitol Records. Some of the studio musicians and singers included, Andrew Gold, Glen Frey, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Russ Kunkel, Maria Muldaur, Timothy B. Schmdt, and J.D. Souther.

1975, The Rolling Stones kicked off their biggest ever US tour at Assembly Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The tour would take in 45 shows in 26 cities. Guitarist Ron Wood joined The Stones on tour for the first time, replacing Mick Taylor.

1975, Aerosmith played at Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville, Indiana.

1976, Yes performed at Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee.

1977, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four nights at the Rainbow Theatre in London. There were six nights booked at the Rainbow, but the last two shows were cancelled due to a serious toe injury Marley received, in a friendly football game with French journalists, just before the tour’s start in Paris. Subsequently, the tour’s second leg in the United States was postponed and then cancelled.

1977, Emerson, Lake & Palmer played at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1978, U2 appeared at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland.

1978, David Bowie performed at the Falkoner Theater, Copenhagen, Denmark.

1980, Rush played at the Gaumont Theatre, Southampton, England.

1981, The first issue of the Heavy Metal magazine Kerrang! was published as a special pull-out by UK weekly music paper Sounds. AC/DC appeared on the front cover, and there were features on Motorhead, Girlschool and Saxon.

1984, David Gilmour appeared at Constitution Hall, Washington D.C.

1985, Prince & The Revolution started a three-week run at number one on the US album chart with Around The World In A Day.

1986, ZZ Top performed at the Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island.

1991, American soul singer David Ruffin died of a drug overdose. After taking a large amount of cocaine Ruffin passed out, a friend drove him to a hospital in Philadelphia, where he later died. He was one of the lead singers of The Temptations (1964–68) during the group’s “Classic Five” period as it was later known. He was the lead voice on such famous songs as “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”.

2006, The 1994 debut album by Oasis, Definitely Maybe, was voted the greatest album of all time in a survey to mark 50 years of the Official UK Albums Chart. The Beatles came in second and third place with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver, OK Computer by Radiohead was fourth and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory by Oasis was voted fifth.

2013, Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend went to number one on the US album charts. Their second album Contra’ also debuted at the top spot in 2010, making this the first time an independent rock band had entered at number one with two consecutive releases. Modern Vampires of the City also shattered the previous record for first week vinyl sales, moving nearly 10,000 units.

Born on June 1: Pat Boone (1934); James William McCarty, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, Buddy Miles, Cactus,  Bob Seger (1945) Ron Wood, Jeff Beck Group, The Faces, The Rolling Stones (1947); Tom Robinson, singer-songwriter (1950); Graham Russell, Air Supply (1950); Alan Wilder, keyboards, vocals, Depeche Mode (1959); Simon Gallup, The Cure (1960); Mike Joyce, drums, The Smiths (1963); Alanis Morissette (1974)

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Today in Rock History – May 17

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1967, Pete Townshend records an interview for the BBC overseas radio program Dateline London then The Who pre-tape a Top Of The Pops insert miming to “Pictures Of Lily.” From there they travel to Stevenage to play the Locarno Ballroom. Backstage, John lashed out at a “well-known pop singer” by punching his picture on the wall. He breaks his finger.

1969, Chicago release their double debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The real C.T.A. sued.

1969, It was reported that for the first time ever album sales had overtaken single sales in the UK. 49,184,000 albums were produced during 1968 compared with 49,161,000 singles.

1969, Joni Mitchell was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, on sale for 35 Cents,

1971, Dawn was at No.1 on the singles chart with ‘Knock Three Times’, the group’s first of two No.1’s. Singer Tony Orlando had retired from singing when he was persuaded to front Dawn for studio recordings.

1974, ABC broadcasts the Elton John special Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things, during which the singer plays “Candle in the Wind” and “Rocket Man.”.

1974, The Grateful Dead performed at the P.N.E. Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada.

1975, Earth Wind and Fire started a three-week run at No.1 on the album chart with the soundtrack to ‘That’s The Way Of The World.’

1975, Mick Jagger needs 20 stitches in his hand after putting it through the window of a restaurant in Montauk, N.Y.

1975, Elton John was awarded a Platinum Record for sales of a million copies of the LP ‘Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy’, the first album ever to be certified Platinum on the day of its release.

1975, Led Zeppelin played the first of five sold-out nights at Earls Court Arena, London, England.

1978, Lou Reed begins a week-long stand at New York’s Bottom Line club. The concerts are taped for his live album Take No Prisoners.

1979, The Police appeared at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California.

Born on this day: Taj Mahal (1946); Bill Bruford, King Crimson, Yes (1948); George Johnson, the Brothers Johnson (1953); Paul Dianno,  Iron Maiden (1959); and Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails (1965)

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Today in Rock History – April 6

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Syd Barrett

1968, Pink Floyd announced founder Syd Barrett had officially left the group. Barrett was suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use.

1968, Simon and Garfunkel went to number one on the US album chart with the soundtrack of Mike Nichols’ movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. The film boosted the profile of the folk-rock duo and on the strength of the hit single “Mrs. Robinson,” the soundtrack album rose to the top of the charts. In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

1968, The Troggs played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1968, The Beatles Apple Corps Ltd. record company, management and publishing firm, opened their offices in London.

1969, Bassist Pete Quaife announces that he’s quitting the Kinks.

1969, Led Zeppelin played at the Boat Club in Nottingham, Leicestershire, England.

1970, Hawkwind appeared at Speakeasy Club, London

1971, Carly Simon was introduced to James Taylor after her show at the Troubadour, Los Angeles. The couple married on 3rd November 1972.

1971, Yes performed at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England.

1971, The Rolling Stones launched their own record label, Rolling Stones Records, with Atlantic Records.

1972, Genesis appeared at the Palasport, Belluno, Italy.

1973, Roxy Music @ Green’s Playhouse, Glasgow, Scotland.

1974, Swedish act Blue Swede went to No.1 on the singles chart with “Hooked On A Feeling.”

1974, Billy Joel cracks the top 40 for the first time with “Piano Man.”

The Eagles, circa 1974

1974, The Rolling Stones premiere their concert film Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones at New York’s Ziegfeld Theatre. The band’s famed tongue logo hangs above the venue’s marquee, and the occasion is celebrated with the release of 2,000 white doves into the air. The film is the first-ever to feature a quadraphonic soundtrack.

1974, The California Jam 1 festival took place in Ontario, California, featuring The Eagles, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Earth Wind and Fire, ELP, Black Oak Arkansas and Seals & Crofts. Over 200,000 fans attended.

1975, Rush played at Lisner Auditorium, at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

1977, Led Zeppelin played the first of four nights at the Chicago Stadium. Tickets were $9 and $10

1979, Rod Stewart married actor George Hamilton’s ex-wife Alana Hamilton in Beverly Hills, California.

1979, Van Halen appeared at the Center For the Performing Arts, San José, California.

1980, Rush played at the International Amphitheater in Chicago.

1984, Guitarist Steve Van Zandt announces that he’s amicably leaving the E Street Band to pursue solo projects.

1987, Roger Waters’ lawyers issued a statement that Roger believed himself to be the creative driving force behind Pink Floyd and therefore he would contest the use of the name by anyone else and any former members of Pink Floyd.

1998, Wendy O. Williams former singer of The Plasmatics died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Williams was known for her wild stage theatrics which included blowing up equipment, near nudity and chain-sawing guitars. In January 1981 police in Milwaukee arrested her for simulating sex on stage, later that same year in Cleveland, Ohio Williams was acquitted of an obscenity charge for simulating sex on stage wearing only shaving cream.

1998, American country singer Tammy Wynette died aged 55. She scored 12 hit singles including “Stand By Your Man,” and sold over 30 million records world-wide, married five times and once filed for bankruptcy. Known as the first lady of country music.

2000, An all-star tribute to Joni Mitchell was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City featuring performances by Elton John, Bryan Adams, Shawn Colvin, James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Richard Thompson, k.d. Lang, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

2004, Guitarist and singer Niki Sullivan, died suddenly of a heart attack, at his home in Independence, Missouri aged 66. Sullivan was one of the three original members of Buddy Holly’s backing group, The Crickets. He co-wrote a number of his hit songs and sang back-up vocals on 27 of the 32 songs Buddy recorded over his brief career.

Born on April 6: Merle Haggard (1937); Christopher Franke,  Tangerine Dream (1942); Tony Conner, Hot Chocolate (1947); and Frank Black, The Pixies (1965)

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Song Of The Day – “Harry’s House/Centerpiece” by Joni Mitchell

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jonimitchellhissingJoni Mitchell was coming off of Court And Spark, her most commercially successful studio recording to date, sporting several hit singles including “Free Man In Paris,” “Raised On Robbery” and “Help Me.” So by 1975 interest was very high as critics and fans alike awaited her next record which was believed to be the one that would take her to the next level of super stardom.

Would she rock out like she did with the L.A. Express on the tour that resulted in the live double album Miles Of Aisles? Would it be a return to the voice-and-guitar folk roots of Ladies Of The Canyon? Would she open up her soul by delivering a set of confessional songs a la Blue?

She did nothing of the sort, and fans were mostly confounded by The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, while many critics flat-out hated it. This was not the confessional folkie or the cocaine-fueled ‘70s rocker at all. This was something completely new and different. This was a modal jazz Joni who turned the commerciality of Court And Spark upside down and left it in the gutter to die like road kill.

The ringer was the album’s first single and opening cut. “In France They Kiss On The Main Street” could have fit very comfortably on Court And Spark, and the song reassured fans that this was the same Joni Mitchell they’ve always loved.

But then the album takes a sharp left turn. First we hear tribal drums, like nothing we’ve ever heard on a Joni Mitchell album before. No problem, we’re comfortable with the fact that soon the guitar and the band will kick in and Joni will lay some kind of vibrant melodic hook on top of it all, giving us another indelible hit song for the radio to play. It never happens…

A decade before Paul Simon’s Graceland, Joni Mitchell spreads her multi-cultural wings on “The Jungle Line” by recording vocals, wiggy synthesizer and angular guitar parts on top of a recording by the African Drummers Of Burundi. The song pays homage to the jungle themed paintings of French Post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau by marrying his imaginary jungle worlds with the all too real world of drugs, sex and crime.

Lots of surprises follow, but the one constant is Mitchell’s sharp eye for detail in creating very real and well developed characters on a set of songs with arrangements that steer far away from the radio-ready confines of her soft-rock peers.

“Beauty parlor blondes with credit card eyes…”

The poetry of the “Harry’s House” part of today’s Song Of The Day is some of the greatest to ever come from a Joni Mitchell record…and that’s saying a lot! Where does that inspiration come from? And how can she weave so many stereotypes into a song without sounding, well, stereotypical?  Check out these lyrics for yourself:

“Heatwaves on the runway / as the wheels set down

He takes his baggage off the carousel / He takes a taxi into town

Yellow schools of taxi fishes / Jonah in a ticking whale

Caught up at the light in the fishnet windows / of Bloomingdale’s”

 

“Watching those high fashion girls / Skinny black models with raven curls

Beauty parlor blondes with credit card eyes / Looking for the chic and the fancy to buy”

 

“He opens up his suitcase / in the continental suite

And people twenty stories down / Look like colored currents in the street

A helicopter lands on the Pan Am roof / like a dragonfly on a tomb

And business men in button downs / press into conference rooms

Battalions of paper-minded males / talking commodities and sales

While at home their paper wives and paper kids / paper the walls to keep their gut reactions hid”

 

“Yellow checkers for the kitchen / climbing ivy for the bath

She is lost in House and Gardens / he’s caught up in Chief of Staff

He drifts off into the memory / of the way she looked in school

With her body oiled and shining / at the public swimming pool …”

 

The “Centerpiece” part of the song is based on the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross jazz standard of the same name. It was not Mitchell’s first foray into the catalog of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, as “Twisted” from Court And Spark is also one of their songs.

Other highlights abound like “Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow” which hearkens back to her older acoustic sound, “Shadows And Light,” a hymnal that provides another musical left turn at the end the album, the light and jazzy “Edith And The Kingpin” and “The Boho Dance” which comments on the disparity between art and commerce.

Mitchell chose a great set of musicians from her rolodex to make her adventurous music a reality, including old friends James Taylor, Graham Nash and David Crosby on background vocals, Robben Ford, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Larry Carlton on guitar, Joe Sample and Victor Feldman on keyboards, Max Bennett and Wilton Felder on bass, Chuck Findley and Bud Shank on brass and reeds respectively, and John Guerin on drums.

While not the commercial blockbuster I’m sure David Geffen wanted for Asylum Records, The Hissing Of Summer Lawns did climb all the way to the number four position on the album charts. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Pop Performance, but lost out to Linda Ronstadt’s Hasten Down The Wind. After all was said and done, Mitchell did not tour in support of the album, but rather went out on the road as a member of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue.

Recently, I discovered the mostly acoustic demos Mitchell made for this album under the title The Seeding Of Summer Lawns. One of the many surprises in the collection is that the song “Dreamland,” which was later released on the album Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, had its genesis in this album.

The artist currently known as Prince has said on numerous occasions that The Hissing Of Summer Lawns is his favorite album…and it’s certainly one of mine too.

Today in Rock History – September 22

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great-society
The Great Society

1965, San Francisco band The Great Society, featuring Grace Slick, make their live debut at The Coffee Gallery, North Beach, California. The lineup featured Grace, her then-husband Jerry Slick on drums, his brother Darby Slick on guitar, David Miner on vocals and guitar, Bard DuPont on bass, and Peter van Gelder on flute, bass, and saxophone.

1967, The Doors appeared on the Murray the K show on WPIX-TV in New York City performing “People Are Strange” and “Light My Fire.”

1968  Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum gives its Beatles statues their fifth hair and clothes makeover in four years, in keeping with the lads’ taste for hippie fashions.

1968, The Amboy Dukes played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, A new weekly TV show,  The Music Scene aired on ABC for the first time. Stevie Wonder Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Tom Jones, Cass Elliot, James Brown, Janis Joplin, and Sly and the Family Stone were all booked to appear on the show.

1969, The Band released their self-titled album, which peaked at number nine on the US chart, and included “Rag Mama Rag,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” In 2009, the album was preserved into the National Recording Registry because the album was “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and reflects life in the United States.”

1970, The Rolling Stones performed at the Palais des Sport in Paris.

1971, David Crosby and Graham Nash appear at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.

Bowie-ziggy-stardust1972, David Bowie kicked of the North American leg of his Ziggy Stardust world tour at the Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio.

1973, The Rolling Stones scored their eighth No.1 album when “Goats Head Soup” started a two-week run at the top of the charts.

1974, The Sonny Bono Comedy Revue was shown for the first time on ABC-TV.

1976, Rush perform at The Dome Arena, Rochester, New York.

1977, Yes appear at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California.

1978, Jethro Tull released the live album Bursting Out. It was recorded at various locations during the European Heavy Horses tour in May and June 1978

1978, Black Sabbath plays at Selland Arena, Fresno, California.

1979, Gary Numan had his second and final UK number one single with “Cars.” Also on this day Gary Numan went to number one on the UK album chart with The Pleasure Principle.

1979, Jackson Browne, Chaka Khan, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Tom Petty, appeared at Madison Square Garden, New York for two anti-nuclear benefit shows.

1979, Def Leppard had their first major live review when UK music weekly Melody Maker reviewed a gig the band had played in Wolverhampton.  The band had just released their debut 3-track single, and featured a 15 year-old drummer

1981, Composer Harry Warren died aged 88. He wrote over 800 songs including “I Only Have Eyes For You,” a hit for The Flamingos and Art Garfunkel, “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “That’s Amore,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” Warren’s songs were featured in over 300 films.

1983, During a UK comeback tour The Everly Brothers appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In the audience, Paul and Linda McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and Mickey Dolenz.

1984, Echo And The Bunnymen, Spear Of Destiny, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Redskins, and The Chameleons all appeared at the first York Rock Festival, York, England.

1985, The first Farm Aid benefit concert was held before a crowd of 80,000 people at the Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, the event had been spurred on by Bob Dylan’s comments at Live Aid earlier in that year that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers. The star studded line-up of country stars included Alabama, Hoyt Axton, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels Band, John Denver, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Rogers.

1987, The Grateful Dead play at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1990, Nirvana played their biggest gig to date when they appeared at the Motor Sports International Garage in Seattle. Drummer Dave Grohl who would audition for the band in a few days time, was in the audience of 15,000 people.

1990, Garth Brooks album No Fences entered the US album chart. It went on to become the biggest selling country album of all time and sold over 13 million copies in the first five years of release.

1991, The Grateful Dead appeared at the Boston Garden in Boston.

2001, A Tribute to Heroes was aired commercial-free on most of the major US TV networks. The live program was organized to raise money following the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and New York’s World Trade Center. Neil Young, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, U2, Limp Bizkit, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam all performed. Manning the telephones to take pledges were celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Robin Williams, Meg Ryan, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kurt Russell, Adam Sandler and many more.

2004, Cat Stevens, who now goes by the name of Yusuf Islam, was escorted from a diverted transatlantic flight and refused entry into America by FBI agents. His name showed up on a US watch list after his United Airlines  had taken off from London. The flight landed in Maine where Islam, who was traveling with his 21-year-old daughter, was detained and questioned.

Born on September 22: David Coverdale, vocals, Whitesnake (1949); Richard Fairbrass, singer, Right Said Fred (1953); Debby Boone (1956); Nick Cave (1957); and Joan Jett (1960); Will Farquarson, guitar, Bastille (1983)

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Today in Rock History – September 8

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The-Who-1966-B1966, The Who appeared at the Locarno Ballroon in Stevenage, England. This UK tour was notable for the addition of the single, “I’m A Boy” to the band’s repertoire.

1968, Pink Floyd were forced to cancel a performance at the Chatelet Teenage Festival in Belgium due to work permit problems.  There were some violent reactions from the fans, but the several other bands, including The Kinks were able to play at the event.

1968, The Beatles performed “Hey Jude” on the UK television show Frost On Sunday in front of an invited audience.

1968, Led Zeppelin played three shows in Denmark on this day, first appearing at the Fjordvilla club in Roskilde with The Ladybirds, who were an all girl topless go-go dancing outfit. Next, the played at Raventlowparken in Lolland, supported by The Beatnicks and to cap it off, they finished the evening at Teaterbygningen in Køge.

1968, Jimi Hendrix played at the Spokane Coliseum in Spokane, Washington.

1972, Pink Floyd appeared at the Municipal Auditorium, Austin, Texas.

1973, During a UK tour The Rolling Stones appeared at Empire Pool, Wembley, London.

1973, Marvin Gaye started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “Let’s Get It On,” his second chart topper.

1973, The Allman Brothers started a five week run at number one on the album chart with Brothers And Sisters, the group’s only US chart topping album.

1974, David Bowie appeared at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

1974, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Beach Boys all performed at Summersault ’74 at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York.

1976, Aerosmith appeared at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

1977, Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch left Wings to help re-form The Small Faces. McCulloch had played with Paul McCartney’s band on the Venus and Mars and Wings At the Speed of Sound albums, as well as on the Wings Over America tour. He died two years later at the age of 26. Drummer Joe English also left Wings at this time, joining Sea Level.

1978, Dave Edmunds realeased Trax on Wax 4, his fourth solo album. It was released on Zeppelin’s Swansong label and featured the excellent “Trouble Boys,” which Thin Lizzy would cover in 1981.

1978, David Bowie released Stage, his second (official) live album recorded during his “Berlin” period. Backed by some talented players of note. Carlos Alomar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals, George Murray, bass, backing vocals, Dennis Davis, drums, percussion, Adrian Belew, lead guitar, backing vocals, Simon House, violin, Sean Mayes , piano, string ensemble, backing vocals, and Roger Powell, keyboards.

1978, Yes appeared at Madison Square Garden in New York.

1979, Led Zeppelin scored their eighth UK number one album when In Through The Out Door went to the top of the charts for two weeks.

1979, Dire Straits performed at The Orpheum, Boston, Massachusetts.

1981, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band appeared at the Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois.

1983, The Grateful Dead played at Red Rocks Amphitheatre at Morrison, Colorado.

1984, Stevie Wonder had his first UK chart topper with “I Just Called To Say I Love You.” The song was taken from the film Lady In Red. This was was 18 years after Wonder’s chart debut in 1966. The song stayed at number one for six weeks.

1990, Jon Bon Jovi went to number one on the US singles chart with “Blaze Of Glory,” a top two song in the UK. The track appeared in the motion picture Young Guns II, for which it was originally recorded.

1993, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love appeared on stage together at a show in Hollywood. They performed a song they wrote together “Penny Royal Tea.”

1997, 29 years after the band first formed, Led Zeppelin release”d Whole Lotta Love,” their first ever single in the UK. The track recorded in 1969, and featured on the bands second album was issued to promote their re-issued back catalogue.

1997, Derek Taylor, the publicist for The Beatles, died aged 67. Taylor had been responsible for many of the legends surrounding their career and had also worked with The Beach Boys and The Byrds. In 1967 he helped organize the Monterrey Pop Festival together with Lou Adler and John Philips. He helped launch the Beatles Anthology trilogy in the 90’s.

2003, David Bowie performed the first interactive concert when his performance was beamed live into 21 cinemas from Warsaw to Edinburgh. Members of the audience talked to Bowie via microphones linked to ISDN lines and he took requests for songs from fans.

2005, A charity album featuring some of the biggest bands in the UK was thought to be the fastest ever produced. Coldplay, Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs, Antony and the Johnsons, The Magic Numbers, The Coral, Bloc Party and Gorillaz were among those who recorded tracks for Help: A Day in the Life. The whole 22-track album was made available for download from the War Child website the following day.

2007, A commemorative plaque dedicated to Don Arden and the Small Faces was unveiled at 52–55 Carnaby Street, London, Arden’s former offices. Arden achieved notoriety in Britain for his aggressive, sometimes illegal business tactics and looked after the career’s of Small Faces, The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Black Sabbath. He was the father of Sharon Osbourne.

2015, Cuban-born Jamaican ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez died aged 80. He recorded with many artists including Karl Pitterson, Prince Buster, and Lloyd “Matador” Daley. He was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace in July 2007, for services to music. In October 2012, he was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music

Born on September 8: Jimmie Rodgers (1897); Peter Sellers (1925); Patsy Cline (1932); Brian Cole, bass, vocals, The Association (1942); Kelly Groucutt,  Electric Light Orchestra (1945); Ron “Pigpen” Mckernan, Grateful Dead (1945); Benjamin Orr, The Cars (1955); Michael Lardie, keyboards Great White, Night Ranger (1958); David Steele, Fine Young Cannibals (1960); Jay Ziskrout, drummer Bad Religion (1962);  Neko Case,  singer-songwriter, guitarist The New Pornographers (1970); Alicia Moore, aka Pink, (1979);  Cameron Jibril Thomaz, aka Wiz Khalifa, American rapper, singer-songwriter (1987)

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Today in Rock History – August 26

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1965, The Byrds appeared at the Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, California.

1965, Sonny & Cher were at number one on the UK singles chart with “I Got You Babe,” the duo’s only British chart topper. Sonny Bono was inspired to write the song to capitalize on the popularity of the term “babe,” as heard in Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.”

1967, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull joined up with The Beatles in Bangor North Wales to seek guidance from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

1967, Small Faces, Move, The Gass, Tomorrow, Denny Laine, Jeff Beck, Eric Burdon and Marmalade all appeared on the first day of the 3-day non-stop happening ‘Festival of the Flower Children’ at Woburn Abbey, England.

1967, The Beatles held a press conference at University College in Bangor, North Wales with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Beatles announced that they had become disciples of the guru and that they renounced the use of drugs. The four had become members of the Maharishi’s ‘Spiritual Regeneration Movement’, which obligated them to donate one week’s earnings each month to the organization.

1969, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young play the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles.

1970, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, (his last ever UK appearance), Donovan, Jethro Tull, Miles Davis, Arrival, Cactus, Family, Taste, Mungo Jerry, ELP, The Doors, The Who, Spirit, The Moody Blues, Chicago, Procol Harum, Sly and the Family Stone and Free all appeared over three days at the third Isle Of Wight Festival.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band perform at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida.

1971, The Grateful Dead appear at Gaelic Park in the Bronx, New York.

1973, Genesis headlines the closing day of the Reading Jazz, Blues, and Rock Festival. Tickets cost £2.20

1973, 10cc made their live debut at the Palace Lido Isle of Man at the start of an UK tour. Comprising of Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who had written and recorded together for some three years before assuming the 10cc name.

1974, Rush plays at The Agora in Cleveland, Ohio.

1976, AC/DC appear at the Marquee Club, London.

1977, Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Golden Earing, Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind, Racing Cars, John Miles, Graham Parker, The Enid, No Dice and Frankie Miller’s Full House all appeared at the 17th three day Reading Festival, England.

1978, Frankie Valli went to No.1 on the singles chart with the Barry Gibb song ‘Grease’. It went on to sell over 2 million in the US.

1978, Fleetwood Mac, The Cars, Todd Rundgren, Bob Welsh and Eddie Money all appeared at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio.

1988, The first day at this years three day Reading Festival featuring Iggy Pop, Starship, Squeeze, Ramones, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Hothouse Flowers, Deacon Blue, Quireboys, Broken English, three day ticket £24, an increase of nearly £20 from the 1973 festival.

Born on August 26: Nik Turner, Hawkwind (1940); Valerie Simpson,  Ashford and Simpson (1948); Bill and Dick Cowsill (1950); Shirley Manson, vocals, Garbage (1966); and Jeff Tweedy, Wilco (1967)

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Today in Rock History – August 19

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The Who, 1964 - from THE MARK AND COLLEEN HAYWARD COLLECTION (http://rockmusicprints.com/)
The Who, 1964 – from THE MARK AND COLLEEN HAYWARD COLLECTION (http://rockmusicprints.com/)

1964, The High Numbers, (The Who) played at The Scene in Soho London, England.

1964, The Beatles kicked off a North American tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, to a crowd of 17,130. Playing 12 songs which made up their repertoire for the entire tour: Twist and Shout, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, She Loves You, Things We Said Today, Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Buy Me Love, If I Fell, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Boys, A Hard Day’s Night, and Long Tall Sally. Supporting acts were The Righteous Brothers, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, and Jackie DeShannon.

1966, During a US tour The Beatles appeared at the Sam Houston Coliseum, playing two shows to over 25,000 fans. Tickets cost $5.00.

1967, The Beatles scored their 14th No.1 single with “All You Need Is Love.” Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Graham Nash, Marianne Faithfull and Walker Brother Gary Leeds all sang backing vocals on the track.

1968, Pink Floyd release “Let There Be More Light”/ “Remember A Day” in the US.

1968, After 58 episodes, the final Monkees TV show airs on NBC. Since the its initial run, almost every major cable network has aired re-runs of the show, including a popular stint on CBS from 1969-1972.

1969, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Jefferson Airplane all appeared on the ABC TV Dick Cavett Show from Television Center in New York City.

1970, The Allman Brothers Band played at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1971, Led Zeppelin kicked off a North American tour at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. The band played to a sold out crowd of over 17,000 fans, another 3,000 fans outside the venue who didn’t have tickets started a battle with local police.

the-who-19711971, The Who played at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

1972, Chicago started a nine-week run at No.1 on the album chart with Chicago V.

1972, David Bowie played the first of two nights at the Rainbow Theatre in England on his current 182-date Ziggy Stardust world tour.

1973, Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson were married in Malibu, California. Kristofferson had just enjoyed a number 1 country hit with “Why Me,” which included Coolidge on backing vocals. The couple divorced near the end of 1979.

1974, AC/DC appear at Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia.

1976, Yes perform at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1977, The Sex Pistols started an undercover UK tour as The Spots, (an acronym for Sex Pistols on tour secretly).

1978, Bruce Springsteen plays at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Actor Gary Busey joins the band for the Buddy Holly song “Rave On.”

1979, American Rockabilly singer Dorsey Burnette died from a heart attack at his home in Canoga Park, California. He wrote ‘It’s Late’, a hit for Ricky Nelson and Shakin’ Stevens. After his death, singer and friend Delaney Bramlett organized a benefit concert for Dorsey’s widow at the Forum in Inglewood, California, in which Kris Kristofferson, Hoyt Axton. Tanya Tucker, Glen Campbell, Duane Eddy, Delaney and Bonnie, Gary Busey and Roger Miller appeared. Dorsey Burnette’s pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

1980, The Grateful Dead perform at Chicago’s Uptown Theater.

1981, ZZ Top played at the Kansas Coliseum, Wichita, Kansas.

1982, During a North American tour, Queen appeared at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi.

1983, Black Sabbath appeared at Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden.

1996, James Brown appeared in Montauk, New York, as part of his Back at the Ranch tour. Brown who had a history of beating his wife, offered money that was raised at the event to an anti-violence organization called The Retreat, but was turned down.

2001, American soul singer Betty Everett died aged 61. She had the 1964 US No.6 single “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss,”) later covered by Cher.

2005, A life-size bronze statue designed by Paul Daly of Phil Lynott was unveiled on Harry Street in Dublin. The ceremony was attended by his former Thin Lizzy band members Gary Moore, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. Lynott died in 1986.

Born on this day: Ginger Baker,  Cream,  Ginger Baker’s Airforce; and Johnny Nash, singer (1940); Ian Gillan, Deep Purple (1945); and John Deacon,  Queen (1951)

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