Father and Son

 My father was into sports. He had very little interest in music. In fact, I'm not sure he ever owned an album or a CD in his life. I remember trying to introduce him to the music I liked back in the late 60's. Once I played him all four sides of Blonde on Blonde in one sitting. That didn't go over that well. "That guy can't sing" was his take on Bob Dylan. His reaction to the picture of Jimi and the band on the cover of Are You Experienced was the 1968 equivalent of WTF? That was the beginning of the realization that my music was not going to be our music.

Fast forward 40 years and I am now the father trying to get the kids interested in my music. This hasn't been easy. They are developing a taste in music from YouTube videos, the Disney channel and their mother. Nothing good there. I am trying to have an impact, but it has been hard so far.

With mom out of town, I saw an opportunity for the kids to have a live concert experience. This past Saturday we went to the J. W. Marriott Hill Country. Robert Earl Keen was playing a show as part of the Texas Open festivities. After a day at the pool, it was show time.

 It was a beautiful night to be outdoors in the Hill Country. Robert and the band seemed fired up and I think the kids had a great time. When my son wasn't begging to go out into the crowd, he did sit in front of the stage and seemed to enjoy the music. My daughter wanted to hear Ready For Confetti and "that song about Toby Keith." Robert played both of those as well as Man Behind The Drums, which is his tribute to Levon Helm. It was very moving under the circumstances.

It was a great night. Hopefully I got my two students on the right track. I'm thinking of starting them on the Basement Tapes next.

LEVON HELM 1940-2012

Levon Helm at the Electric Factory 1969

It is very sad that Levon Helm died today. I was lucky to see The Band twice early on in their history. The first show was at the old Electric Factory in Philadelphia in the spring of 1969. The second was at Tufts University in the fall of 1970. Both times the music was excellent and I was lucky to see them in very intimate venues.

 My love affair with The Band began after a trip to Roberts Records in New London, CT with Guitar Johnny Nicholas in the summer of 1968. I was already a committed Dylan fan at the time, so an album by his former backing band was a natural fit for me. Johnny had seen Dylan play in Hartford in 1965 and had met Robbie and some of the other band members after the show, so he knew the album had a good chance to be great. He was right. On his recommendation, I bought the record.

I took home Music From Big Pink with a lot of anticipation and immediately fell in love. From the opening notes of Tears of Rage, I was drawn into The Band's slice of musical Americana. Although at the time I didn't know or understand the background and relationship between the music on Music From Big Pink, John Wesley Harding and the Basement Tapes, I knew I liked what I heard on that record.

 The first Band records took a lot of listening. Although the music was simple, it was also dense and complex at the same time. There were layers of instruments with multiple voices that needed to be sorted out over time. Rick and Richard often sounded alike, but from the beginning there was no mistaking Levon's vocals. He was the voice that made The Band unique. Although he only sang lead on The Weight on the first album, he left his vocal mark with that classic song.

Later, his vocal contributions on Rag Mama Rag, Up On Cripple Creek, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, King Harvest (Has Surely Come) and Strawberry Wine defined the sound and the soul of the group. Levon was the heart of the rhythm section, but he was more than that. He was a symbol of the connection of the group to America and the rural values and events that they sang about so well. No song captures this better than King Harvest:

Recently I had a chance to go to the Ramble when Robert Earl Keen and his band played there. I didn't do it. I am really kicking myself now. Let's all have a drink tonight for the Man Behind the Drums and remember all the great music he left us. Thank you, Levon.

The Isle of Wight: Bootlegs & My Life Part 6

It was August of 1969 at the Isle of Wight. Bob Dylan was in his white suit. With The Band at his back, he took the stage and opened with She Belongs to Me. After the first song, he uttered the famous words of his comeback: "Thank you very much. Great to be here. Sure is."

 Except for a short appearance at the tribute to Woody Guthrie, three songs on the Johnny Cash show and a cameo with The Band in 1969, Bob had been off the stage since the Tour 66 ended in April of 1966. Three years is a very long time in the Rock and Roll business.

His performance at the Isle of Wight was greatly anticipated and was covered widely by the English press. The audience of 150,000 included the cream of English rock and roll royalty: all of the Beatles except for Paul, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, and Eric Clapton. It was even front page news in the New York papers. I can remember reading all about it. It was very exciting time for a Dylan fan who was starved for live music or news from Bob.

Bob played a 17 song set that mixed his old songs with two covers: Wild Mountain Thyme and Minstrel Boy and five songs from John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline: I Threw Is All Away, I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Lay Lady Lay and I Pity the Poor Immigrant. Although the entire show lasted less than 60 minutes, it was well received by the crowd and sounds very good today.

My first taste of the concert came when Self Portrait was released in June of 1970. That controversial Dylan record included four songs from the show.  The complete set was not available in the United States until this bootleg was released on the TMQ label in 1972. The sound quality of the record reflected the improvement of the bootleg industry. Bootlegs had come a long way since the Great White Wonder.

I can remember listening to this record at Floyd's hotel. Being a big fan of The Band at the time, I loved the playing between Bob, Robbie and the rest of the group. There is some great energy on the Mighty Quinn. I love when Bob calls out for Robbie's guitar part after the third verse and Robbie blisters it.

 When I listen today and compared these tracks to the frightened, speed freak versions of many of the same songs that were delivered on the 1974 tour, the Isle of Wight tracks sound like gold to my ears. Bob might have been rusty that night, but he delivered a great show.

If you don't own this record or have a turntable to play it on, the concert can be found on several different bootleg CDs. There is a copy called the JTT Master Reel Copy that has very good sound. That's the version that I have on my ipod.

 Here is some audience video from that night. It starts with The Band playing The Weight, but stay tuned the Bob tunes come next:

If my last name was King, maybe I could play this damn guitar

Albert King in Boston at Nightstage in November 1986

It is a strange coincidence that three of the best blues guitarists of all time share the same last name. B.B., Freddie and Albert King have recorded albums that are the gold standard for modern blues guitar. If you are not a big fan of the blues, you may be a little confused about who is who between the three. Let me see if I can help in a short post.

B.B. King is probably the most well known of the trio. Born Riley B. King in 1925 on a cotton plantation in Berclair, Mississippi, King began recording in 1949 and is still active today. His break out moment came when he opened for the Rolling Stones on their 1969 tour. After that exposure to a younger audience, he began to get the recognition he deserved.

 His best known songs include The Thrill is Gone, which won a Grammy in 1970, Every Day I Have the Blues, and Sweet Little Angel. One essential  B.B. King album is Live at the Regal.

Albert King was born Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi in 1923. Standing at least 6'4" and weighing 250 pounds, he was a imposing figure, particularly with his trademark Flying V guitar.  After some early records, his breakout album was recorded in Memphis on the Stax label in 1967.

Backed by Booker T and the MGs, Albert's Born Under a Bad Sign is one of the best blues albums ever recorded. Containing the title song as well as Crosscut Saw, Oh, Pretty Woman, and Personal Manager, the record is one of my favorites. Albert played many of these songs for the rest of his career. I was lucky to see Albert in 1986 at a club in Boston. He died of a heart attack in 1992.

The third member of the King trio is Freddie, who is the lesser known of the bunch. Born in 1934 in Gilmer, Texas, Freddie was the youngest of the three and the first to die when he passed away at age 42 in 1976. Although born in Texas, Freddy's family moved to Chicago in 1949. At an early age he was exposed to the music of Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin' Wolf who were all playing on Chicago's South Side at the time.

King's instrumental Hide Away reached #5 on the R&B charts and #29 on the pop charts in 1961, which was quite a feat for a blues instrumental. It is very recognizable to all blues fans and was even covered by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers on the "Beano album" in 1966. Freddy's other big hits were Have You Ever Loved a Woman, You've Got To Love Her with a Feeling and Country Boy. All of these songs came be found on Hide Away: The Best of Freddy King. It is one of my favorite blues albums.

That's it in a nutshell. You now have three albums to download:
1. B.B. King Live at the Regal
2. Born Under a Bad Sign
3. Hide Away: The Best of Freddy King

OLD SCHOOL OR JUST OLD?

Today is my 60th birthday. I am not sure how I feel about that yet. It will probably take a few days or a few weeks to sink in. I do know one thing, I am a product of everything I have experienced over these 60 years. I think the Dead said it well: "What a long strange trip it's been."
 
I was born at a great moment in history. My formative years were in the mid 60's to early 70's. Much has been written about this era and most of it is true. There was a great change in the culture of this country. Ideas about art, music and life changed rapidly and many of the old standards fell fast and hard. There was a lot of pushing and pulling between the generations. Although constrained by school and many of my teachers and other adults, I formed my taste in friends, music, photography and literature during these exciting and turbulent years. These friends and interests have served me well ever since.

Someone told me recently that you are the most influenced by the music you love when you are 14 years old. That may explain a lot of things, because I became obsessed with Bob Dylan and the blues when I was exactly that age. I not only listened to the records, I was very fortunate to see many of the bands that defined the times: Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Blind Faith, Muddy Waters and The Band, just to name a few.

 With very few exceptions, I am still listening to the same music. This morning I heard Subterranean Homesick Blues on the radio driving to the office and it sounded just as good as it did in 1967.

 My son calls me old and says I'm a senior citizen. I told him I'm not old, I'm just old school.  He's not buying it. Funny thing is I can remember saying the same thing to my father. Does history repeat? You betcha. Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

Jeff Beck, Neil Ayer and Bill Vogt

As the days are winding down to my big birthday, I have been thinking a lot about my past and some of my old friends I haven’t seen for many years. I even made a list of a few names that I needed to catch up with. High on that list was good friend Neil Ayer. What a surprise when I found out he was in Delray Beach (thank you Facebook) and we were able to connect for a long overdue visit on Saturday night.

Neil and I became friends in the mid-60’s while inmates at the Pottstown School for Wayward Boys. We shared many epic experiences including Greek 2 with Doctor Groton (Achtung, Baby) and a few others that were not certified by management.

Part of my early music development included hanging out with Neil and Andre Salz, the legendary Hill blues cat. Saltz had a remarkable collection of blues albums and was miles ahead of everyone at that time. Neil and I also made two remarkable field trips with the great Crawford Blagden.

 In November of 1968, Crawford took us to see Cream at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Despite the revolving stage, which created some pretty hideous sound, it was a historic night of music. I did not take any photos of that show, but here is one of mine from the Blind Faith show in May of 1969 at the same venue.

In April of 1969, Crawford took us back to the Spectrum to see the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was my second time to see Hendrix. Fortunately, the stage was now at one end of the arena and the sound was much better. This is one of the photos that I took that night:

Neil and I covered a lot of topics the other night, which is to be expected for two old friends that have only seen each other twice in 40 years. We talked a lot about music. Neil expressed his continued admiration for the playing of Jeff Beck. I have always been a fan and have even posted about his talent and the great record Truth (see my post from Dec 2, 2009).

Now Neil knows more about guitar than I ever will, so I was paying attention when he went into some detail about Beck’s genius and technique. I’m not sure I can accurately repeat anything he said, but here are two clips that will let you judge for your self.

 

As you can see in this clip from 2011, Beck still looks young and fit and much better than a lot of his peers. He obviously hasn’t been hanging around with Keith Richards. He does great work on this Jimi Hendrix classic Little Wing.


Here's what the band with Rod Stewart, Nicky Hopkins and Ron Wood looked like 1968:

The Boss at SXSW

I have always been conflicted about the music of Bruce Springsteen. Some of it I love. Some of it I don't. Although I recognize his genius, I have never gotten quite caught up in the cult of BBBBBRUCE.

Something I am positive about is Bruce's ability to verbalize  his debt to the rock and roll and roots music that came before him. Whether introducing Bob Dylan at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 or speaking from the stage at one of his own great live shows, Springsteen is always quick to acknowledge the artists that he listened to growing up. He understands that all modern music is a product of what came before.

Below is an excerpt from his keynote speech at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas:


Declaring that "every important musician in this town is asleep -- or they will be by the time I finished this thing," Bruce Springsteen spent nearly 50 minutes early Thursday afternoon encouraging his musical colleagues and offering insights into his own career -- some surprisingly -- during his keynote speech at the South By Southwest Music + Media Conference.

Running on "Boss time," Springsteen started a bit later than expected and apparently went missing when SXSW co-founder Roland Swenson was ready to introduce him, but once on stage the New Jersey rock icon kept a packed ballroom at the Austin Convention Center spellbound with an often funny, frequently poignant, carefully constructed and passionate address that stressed hard work and humility. "No one really agrees on anything in pop anymore," he explained. "You go Kiss, early theater rock proponents expressing the true raging hormones of youth, or -- they suck!...You go Bruce Springsteen, natural-born poetic genius off the streets of Monmouth County, hardest-working musician in show business, voice of the common man, future of rock 'n' roll, or -- he sucks! Get the f--k outta here!"

The tone, however, was overwhelmingly positive. "So rumble, young musicians, rumble," Springsteen told the crowd. "Open your ears and open your hearts. Don't take yourself too seriously, and take yourself as seriously as death itself. Don't worry. Worry your ass off. Have unclad confidence, but doubt. It keeps you awake and alert. Believe you are the baddest ass in town -- and you suck! It keeps you honest. Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideals alive and well inside of your heart and head at all times. If it doesn't drive you crazy, it will make you strong.

"And," he added, "stay hard, stay hungry and stay alive. And when you walk on stage tonight to bring the noise, treat it like it's all we have -- and then remember it's only rock 'n' roll."

With E Street Band members - including Little Steven Van Zandt, Garry Tallent and Roy Bittan - looking on, Springsteen poked fun at the hyper genre-fication of music, reeling off more than three dozen classifications and noting that an event such as SXSW, with its 2,000 performing bands, "would have been numerically impossible" when he began playing music as a teenager. "There just weren't that many guitars around! We would all have to have been sharing," Springsteen said before offering a lengthy remembrance through his own musical journey, beginning with seeing Elvis Presley on "The Ed Sullivan Show" ("It was the evening I realized a white man could make magic for the first time") and sending the then six-year-old Springsteen scrambling for a guitar even though his fingers wouldn't fit around the neck.

Springsteen grabbed an acoustic guitar at points, to illustrate how he translated doo-wop's influences into his own "Backstreets" and the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" into "Badlands." "It's the same f***ing riff!" he confessed to general laughter. "Listen up, youngsters -- this is how successful theft is accomplished." He also spoke about the great impact the Animals had on him in general.

"They were a revelation…the first records of full-blown class consciousness I ever heard," he explained, playing a bit of "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." After reaching the line "there's a better life for me and you" he added, "That's every song I've ever written. That's all of them. I'm not kidding, either. 'Born to Run.' "Born in the USA,' Everything I've done for the past 40 years, including all the new ones…That was the first time I felt I heard something cross the radio that mirrored my home life, my childhood." He also noted that "there were no good-looking members" in the Animals, a bold comment to make with Animals frontman Eric Burdon also in Austin for SXSW this week.

Springsteen also tracked, in detail, the impact of the rest of the British Invasion and of the soul music of James Brown Stax, Curtis Mayfield and Motown had on him as a young man. Bob Dylan, he recalled, gave him "the first version of the place I lived that felt unvarnished and real to me. If you were young in the 50s and 60s, everything felt false…but you didn't know how to say it. There was no language for it at the time. Bob came along and gave us those words…to understand our hearts. He didn't treat you like a child. He treated you like an adult…Bob is the father of my musical country now and forever, and I thank him."

As for once being tagged "the new Dylan" when he was first signed to Columbia Records, Springsteen cracked that "the old Dylan was only 30. I don't know why they needed a new f***ing Dylan." He called himself "a wolf in sheep's clothing back then…I had nights and nights of bar bands playing behind me to bring my songs home…Those skills gave me a huge ace up my sleeve, and when we finally went on the road we scorched the earth because that's what I was taught to do by Sam Moore and James Brown."

Springsteen added that he gravitated to country and folk, specifically Hank Williams Sr. and Woody Guthrie, as an adult, looking for yet another musical language to express himself. He spoke about this year's Woody Guthrie centennial celebration and played the third verse of "This Land is Your Land," recalling that Pete Seeger insisted they perform the entire song even in the chill temperatures at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration in Washington, D.C. "Woody's world was a world where fatalism was tempered by a practical idealism. It was a world where speaking truth to power wasn't futile, whatever its outcome. Why do we continue to talk about Woody so many years on? He never had a hit, never went platinum, never played in an arena… But he's a big ghost in the machine. I believe it's because Woody's songs… tried to answer Hank Williams' question (about) why your bucket has a hole in it. That's a question that's eaten at me for a long time."

The speech, of course, came after Springsteen made a surprise appearance at Wednesday night's Austin Music Awards and before Thursday night's performance at ACL Live at the Moody Theater (a guest spot with good pal Tom Morello at the New West Records day party on Thursday was a hot rumor as well). He came to SXSW to play as much as talk, so it wasn't surprising that he advised the "young musicians" in front of him to "learn how to bring it live, and then bring it night after night after night after night. Your audience will remember you. Your ticket is your handshake."