Today’s the day we stand up, applaud, and thank thebackoffice for his tireless dedication to this RTH thing we know and love so much. Thebackoffice, we salute you!
Mar 012009
Feb 282009
As Townsman bobbybittman mentioned in our ways in which the Beatles suck thread, The Beatles could have followed the lead of Paul McCartney’s pseudonym during early tours, Paul Ramone, and called themselves The Ramones. I would think this is a rare piece of knowledge that we could run with that we won’t have on most bands, but I’ve been surprised by the depth of our collective wisdom before. However, we often know the original name of famous bands, and in some cases we might argue that that abandoned name might have been better than the name the band actually ended up using. For instance, I would argue that I’d have had a lot more interest as a young rock nerd checking out a band named The Warlocks than The Grateful Dead. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but combing through original, abandoned band names and other missed opportunities for band names, such as the observation regarding The Coulda-Been-the-Ramones, have you ever felt that a band missed the boat with the name it eventually chose?
Feb 282009
Here’s a Last Man Standing suggested by Townsman Mwall for those of you uncomfortable with The Beatles’ as-yet-unparalelled achievements in music. Here’s your chance to air out all the ways in which The Beatles suck. I look forward to what this short list will say about us!
Feb 282009
Thanks to all of you who contributed to Rock Town Hall’s month of features bemoaning exploitive black rock history. Through our work, I believe we made important steps toward halting the cynical practice of pop musicians employing an African American Robed Choir at nationally broadcast performances. Was it a coincidence that last week’s Academy Awards ceremony was the first nationally broadcast event featuring musical performances that sidestepped this cheap ploy?
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Feb 272009
Tinted Windows is the new supergroup featuring Taylor Hansen, James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne, and Bun E. Carlos.
Based purely on the concept of this group and the history of its members, and not on any actual music you may have heard by them, what do think of this group?
What do you think each band member is contributing aside from playing their instruments?
Where do they will rank in the hierarchy of supergroups (ie, above GTR but below the Continental Drifters)?
Who would you say is the greatest supergroup on paper?
Who would you say is the greatest supergroup in reality?
Feb 272009
Burnt!
John Coltrane‘s ’60s records were my entry into any appreciation I have to this day for jazz. I love most of the dozen or so albums I own from this period, but Coltrane is responsible for one of the great toxic waste bins in the jazz section of any store or online retailer. I’ve got nothing against dashikis or psychedelic fonts, in fact, I love them. But put them together on an Impulse! release and I’m not buying. I’ve been burnt one too many time – twice, in fact – by Coltrane albums packaged in this manner, and I won’t be burnt again.
Sorry, Pharoah. I’m sure you’ll understand.
After buying a few “pyschedelic” Coltrane albums I steered clear of possibly Pharoah Sanders’ best works, but I probably saved myself the money and effort of trying to get into countless other “psychedelic jazz” wankfests. If for no other reason, I’m confident my bias against attempts by Impulse! to tap into the psychedelic rock era were justified by the line I swore I would never cross:
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Feb 262009
UPDATED AFTER THE JUMP!
Who is rock’s most powerful third banana? This question may remind you of an old Battle Royale to determine the best song written by a third-string songwriter, but we’re looking for something less specific and broader. We should consider the overall influence any #3 band member, regardless of songwriting or singing skills. Take Brian Jones, for instance, a non-writing, non-singing member of The Rolling Stones whose presence alone nearly eclipsed that of the band’s two obvious leaders. George Harrison is an obvious favorite in this battle for his mix of songwriting and singing, lead guitar chops, comedic timing, and diplomacy. Other contenders might include Jerry Harrison, who recently lost out to Tina Weymouth for the title of second-most crucial member of Talking Heads; Graham Nash (within CSN); Rick Wakeman; and Rick Danko.
Two other possible contenders require a ruling by the judges. While he was in Roxy Music, did Eno rank as second or third banana? (Has history elevated his banana rank?) And what about Colin Moulding, who somehow managed to be third banana in a band with only one other member worthy of bananahood?
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