Few bands have a third singer-songwriter who gets to contribute a song to a band’s record. Fewer yet make strong contributions. At this risk of setting the stage for a quick 2-person battle between Ron Wood‘s fantastic contribution to The Faces, “Ooh La La” (see cool, live Ronnie Lane version above) and any of a handful of George Harrison‘s contributions to The Beatles, I am calling on your vast knowledge of obscure rock ephemera to identify The Greatest Performance by a Band’s Third-String Songwriter.
For starters, there’s only one rule I can think of: XTC contributions by Colin Moulding, who somehow occupied the Harrison role in 2-songwriter band, will not be accepted.
Here’s what could be a good thread – with your input – as suggested by Townsman Andyr. Let’s begin setting up the thread and see what we can do with it over the course of the coming week. Check it out…
If you could play GM of a Fantasy League Rock Band, who would you target for your band? Don’t answer yet! How ’bout we actually start our own Fantasy League Rock Bands and draft talent? What we do with these efforts following that is another matter, but see if these parameters work, and start thinking about how you want to approach this in today’s thread: Continue reading »
I would never claim (or want) to be the General Manager of this formidable RTH team, but I do feel it’s within my rights to call out our real talent when the bases are loaded and we need a team player with what it takes to bring us on home. Right now, that man is Townsman Rick Massimo, and we desperately need him to give us the straight dope on this year’s American Idol contestants.
I’m hoping that Rick can specifically comment on the spine-tingling performances that Lakisha Jones and Amanda Doolittle are bringing, week in and week out. Let me tell you, both of these girls are *amazing*.
So howzaboutit, Potato? You gonna tell us what’s what? Help de-stuff the shirts ’round these parts. Help the naysayers understand that there’s a little bit of real, serious talent worth watching this season. Get in that batter’s box, son, and show us what you got!
I’ve got a soft spot for “shout-out songs,” you know, about half of Van Morrison‘s songs and much of the first Dexy’s Midnight Runners album, in which the singer starts giving shout-outs to his or her heroes. Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music” is one of my personal favorites (in part because of it’s driving beat) and perhaps the most dedicated of all shout-out songs. This morning I was listening to that great, late-90s Cornershop song “Brimful of Asha” (I think that’s the song’s title). The singer gets into a shout-out section, presumabely shouting out names of Indian pop singers. The first one, I believe, is Townsman Fritz’s buddy, Mohammad Rafi! It’s a wonder how timing works. (I do hope, Townspeople, you are making time for your first batch of Thrifty Music.)
So, at least 3 questions developed during my morning drive:
What’s your favorite shout-out song?
Whats the most absurd, unexpected, or underserving shout-out in a song?
If you were to write a shout-out song, to whom would you shout?
One of my favorite rock biographies that I’ve ever read is a dog-eared copy of a book penned by former road manager Johnny Green & Garry Barker called, A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with the Clash. I’ve passed this one on to friends and gotten it back by mail with compliments more than a few times in the past from touring bands, giving it out with the promise of a (hopeful) return. Each time someone spots it, I have the urge to give it away just so that it can be read and enjoyed by someone else.
It’s made it into my all-time favorite rock biographies because of its ability to grab hold of my imagination no matter what part of the book I open a page to – The Clash in the late 1970s. Watching Rude Boy always kind of gave me that feeling too and I think that’s where this book got me as well – it sucked me right in through the eyes of Someone Who Was There, possibly getting spit on, sweat on and kicked, but there – sleeping in the tour bus, and knee-deep in the chaos. It made me feel like I was part of the crew, along for the ride. No BS, and a really strong narrative!
Another cool collection that I highly recommend, not necessarily all “rock biography” per se, but still worth a mention, are the books from the 33 1/3 series. I’ve only read The Replacements’ Let It Be, by Colin Meloy (lead singer for The Decemberists), but thoroughly enjoyed it, and I plan to pick up others. Meloy’s touching and personal essay detailed how hearing The Replacements album Let It Be impacted his life and that of his best friend in his early teens. Continue reading »
I thought I’d share with you some fine pieces our Townsfolk have dropped on other parts of the InterWeb lately and then share a few thoughts especially directed at newcomers and other visitors to the site.
Let’s start with a few pieces from our Townsfolk that I found of interest on other sites.
From The Great 48, an outright friendly attack on your good Mr. Moderator’s reputation and objectives! How dare he – and don’t think we’re not flattered and thankful!
Townsman Matt shows more love for Joe Jackson’s vast output than the man’s mother could muster! What a nice surprise. I’m a fan of jefitoblog and a fan of Matt.
So, Mad Props to the voices of Rock Town Hall members, wherever they may be heard. And here I’ll put out a brief plug for what we’re trying to cook up here at Rock Town Hall – with your all-important help! (For those of you fearing moments of introspection and optimism, do not click the following link!) Continue reading »
