tonygoodson

Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

I just saw a mid 60s clip of the Rolling Stones, on TV, and I was wondering about Brian Jones and the Rolling Stones, when did he join, when did he die.  And his last formal appearance was in the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, a film the Stones wouldn’t release for 28 years until ‘96.

It’s an amazing film, really well shot with modern camera angles and production, you wouldn’t believe it’s 60s which usually has too many and too long close-ups.  And it has John Lennon with Mick, The Who, Jethro Tull, Eric Clapton, all doing excellent performances, including The Stones, who I’m not a big fan of, but they’re really good in this, even though they didn’t think so.

And as for Brian Jones, well, I don’t see the rest of the group acknowledging him on stage, but wouldn’t you be pissed off if another band member had run off with your girlfriend of 2 years!!

And does Mick Jagger have tattoos because he certainly does in part 6 of the YouTube clips.  Are they temporary for the film, because if not, that would be quite a shocking thing for the 60s, but very David Beckham nowadays!

I take it all back.  I thought the filming looked familiar. The Beatles did it first with All You Need is Love, and look, there’s Mick Jagger in the audience in ‘67.

The Song remains the Same?

Another one of those engaging song lists by a famous music person. In this case David Crosby (Crosby Stills Nash and Young), Playlist: David Crosby.

One of the chosen songs is by Graham Nash (Hollies and from Salford/Manchester), Cold Rain

Wait a second, don't I know you?
Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
You seem to be like someone I knew
Yes, he lived here but he left
When he thought that there was more

The tone of the song is uncannily like Oasis’s Masterplan.  So is there a link between the songs?  Manchester/Graham Nash/Salford/Lowry/Noel Gallagher.  Is there some kind of Manchester Lowry sound that I’ve never come across?

Definitive Cover Versions of songs

Wanna burn a few hours?  Then read this What are your definitive cover versions? by Alan McGee (founder of Creation Records (Oasis etc)), and then in a separate Tab on your browser, check out some of the recommended songs from the 300+ comments, on YouTube.  Hours of fun and nostalgia.

My favourite one from the comments, bizarrely is Candi Staton singing Stand By Your Man, with an amazing bass hook.

The thing about cover versions is you may know the original song, so it gives you a chance to compare with the original and hear how the song is constructed (or deconstructed!).

So what are my favourite covers?  Mmmm, need to think.  Off the top of my head….

La Vie en Rose – Grace Jones

Perfect Day – Various (with Lou Reed)

Over the Rainbow – Eva Cassidy

My Way – Sid  Vicious

Stand by Me – John Lennon

Hi Ho Silver Lining - Slade

Ting Tings for Pop Connoisseurs

Being old, there's very little music I take to nowadays and being old, I'm a bit slow on anything new, but I tell you, just read about the Ting Tings in the Guardian, and watched them on YouTube.  Excellent.

It's like the first time you saw Debbie Harry and Blondie (or Wendy James and Transvision Vamp).  The music is incredibly derived from every other song you've ever heard.  Very Very catchy.  I haven't bought or downloaded an album for years, but I could listen to this trash time and time again.

And this one as well, Shut Up and Let Me Go

Glad to be Gay!

I had a Gay Day today!  Playing my favorite Robbie Williams tracks earlier, and I still reckon he's the best singer, entertainer, songs, of this generation.  It's my Gay side as I often say.  But to me it's just very good music.

And this set me thinking about the gay icon of the late 70s in the UK, Tom Robinson, and The Tom Robinson Band, you had to be there at the time and at the mid-teen age, to understand the power of 2-4-6-8 Motorway, but I think it started with someone at a youth club in London, we were visiting from Manchester, singing a song "Sing if You're Glad to be Gay" in '76.  We all started singing it. That was our introduction to what "Gay" was.  Before that, it was Larry Grayson saying "Oh What a Gay Day"!!

So Tom Robinson as the openly gay spokesperson, gave us hetros our first introduction to "Gay" and the music was pretty good as well.  Just one problem....he then got married and had kids!!

Now to cut a long story short, his music is freely downloadable as live recordings on his website.  Go check some live versions of 2-4-6-8 Motorway and Sing if You're Glad To Be Gay, which includes some great lyric updates, and the inclusion of his song The Last Word, set to Glad to be Gay, which is his reply to the "outrage" of some of the gay community, that he can be whatever sexual orientation he chooses.

Good on yer TRB!

Anger at Prince free CD giveaway

This is funny, listening to the squealing of the old music industry grab on for every penny to an old model that doesn't serve the consumers anymore.

 Anger at Prince free CD giveaway

It is yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music

They seem to be saying that if they make music a difficult rare commodity they can make money!!  A bit like the diamond trade dealing with gem quality synthetic diamonds!!

Funny, but the first album I ever bought was Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, which was a recent giveaway at The Mail on Sunday, as well.  Under what circumstances does the record industry think I will pay full whack for yet another copy of a long lost album I bought over 30 years ago?  Or are they relying on a new generation of Tubular Bells listeners, and stuff me.  Either way, the message is Stuff Me!

I feel sorry for the record store holders, if their industry is dying, but isn't that because consumer demand is changing?  Shouldn't record stores and recording companies be offering something to me that I want!!

Crying - It's in the edit

I've been crying for most of the day.  I picked up this link via Shawn at Anecdote.  They're right.  The editing tells a great story.  It gets me every time!

Now of course, Nessun Dorma sits deep deep deep in the English consciousness, reminding us of the magic of World Cup '90.  A bit difficult to explain unless you were there watching at the time.

And then there is this one....

Another one that has me in tears.  Why?  I've got a 5 year old daughter.  And Somewhere Over the Rainbow was our wedding song.  More great story telling with unbelievable editing.  Of course, being a connoisseur and historian of pop music and trivia, check this out.  Which as usual led me to more trivia with this great site, Everyhit, which makes you realise that there's gold in that Connie Talbot voice.

I have a dream - Snookeroo

I woke up this morning humming a tune.  Snookeroo by Ringo Starr, off his Goodnight Vienna album, and the song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.  Why that song?  I haven't heard it in over 15 years!

But it did take me on one of those deep YouTube Magical Mystery tours, which in this case had Ringo Starr and George Harrison as the main attractions.  Check out the cast list on this 1987 Prince's Trust With a Little Help from My Friends

And then on to George Harrison with this version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, looks like the same 1987 concert, check out the 80s jackets and the all star cast.

But what I found after this, is the George Harrison Tribute Concert in 2002, 1 year after he died.  Some amazing clips and if you want to be spooked out, check out the young George Harrison playing in their midst!      That song had me in tears.  You know, Joe Brown is a deeper connection to my childhood than the Beatles because I think there was limited access to The Beatles on TV than say Joe Brown, who is like your older Bruvva, even then when you're a kid!  Go have a look at the other songs from the concert. 

I love this Billy Preston, My Sweet Lord.

And a few people crop up in these clips. Ray Cooper for followers of Elton John, the weird percussionist with the tambourine!  Mark King from Level 42 and his slap base style, from the '87 clip, and Jeff Lynne (ELO) seems to cut across a lot of musicians, he seems such a nice, modest and talented guy, who George Harrison asked to produce his posthumous album.

You want funny, and touching, and irreverent, then check out Jeff Lynne and George Harrison's son Dhani, who produced George Harrison's album after he died.

Music Reality Check

And having just done a business reality check, it's nice to do a music reality check.  There's a difference between what music is "Cool" and what actually sells!  You'd think the record companies would try selling more of what sells, and encouraging those artists (if still alive!) to make more good music!!

Go check it out. List of Best Selling Music Artists.  Who do you think has sold the most records?   You can probably get most of the Top 5.  But what about the next 13 artists?  Mind you, I wonder how accurate the list is if Chubby Checker is in it!!

And add in the Best Selling Album and Best Selling Singles (which is amazingly UK centric)

One thing I have noticed is that nearly all of the artists record melodic simple music.  You'd think we could have more of that please!

What prompted me to have a look, was a YouTube surf today.  My first vinyl albums were Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Trouble Water.  And then I progressed(!) to two artists who definitely weren't cool at the time.....Cat Stevens, and Linda Ronstadt.  But if you look at where they sit on the all time selling list, they're well up there.  And both Cat Stevens' and Linda Ronstadt's performances are mostly stunning on the YouTube clips.  We've been badly let down by mainstream media who didn't show much of their performances at the time.

And an underrated album to add to the collection.

Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down the Wind. 

Eurovision - Evolution of the Song

So I started having a look at a few Eurovision songs, present and past, and I think I've spotted the defining moment when Eurovision went Poo Poo Pee Pee and then Boom Banga Ding Dong.  It's Luxembourg's 1965 entry. Listen and watch the first time, and you wonder what the hell it is. 

Play it a second time and you're hooked!  It's fun, it's trivial, it's throw-away, and I think it took Eurovision out of the serious 50s, because for some reason Eurovision has never followed the trends of the day.  I mean mid-60s had had lots of Elvis and Beatles by then, but not in Europe it seems!!  Go check the previous winners before '65.

So there's your Poo Poo Pee Pee, which 2 years later became Puppet on a String with Sandie Shaw.  It's uncanny that they're both singing about puppets, and the orchestral arrangement is similar and has the same hooks. And Poo Poo Pee Pee Puppet becomes Boom Bang-a-Bang.  And then the Puppet becomes a Jack-in-the-Box!

And if you let evolution take it's course, this is what you end up with 20 years later.  If your jaw doesn't drop at this one, and you don't laugh out loud, then you must be Swedish!!

Oh and a bonus thought, it's only after time that you realise some songs sound rather similar.  Save All Your Kisses For Me.  And this one.  Remarkable. I never noticed it.

And then allow another 30 years and this is where we are now, Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV!

Enjoy!