I saw the future and its name was…BOB

 Posted by
May 232012
 

Further to the thread the other day about losing, borrowing, stealing, and doing all sorts of other things to favourite records, I found myself humming this as I was stuck at the traffic lights on way to work the other day, as I’ve been wont to do for the last 23 years, and musing that I’ve never been able to buy it as I’ve never even seen a copy. I even collared their drummer at a gig once and asked if he knew where I might be able to find a copy and he had no idea either.

Apart from John Peel playing their records at every opportunity, Bob made about as little impression on the pop world as it was possible to get away with but still keep going for a few years, and they were my favourite band. I went to see them whenever they played anywhere within about a 30-mile radius (I’m talking about British roads here), we booked them to play at our local community centre, and I own all of their records except this one. And they are almost all as good as this one, which made number 31 in John Peel’s Festive Fifty (as nominated and voted for by his listeners)—which was about the closest they ever got to recognition.

One of my greatest fanboy experiences was bumping into them at the bar at the Town and Country Club (as it was called then) at a Julian Cope gig and missing the first 2 songs of the second half of the show through being engrossed in conversation with them. I practically had to go and lie down when Dean, their drummer, recognised me and stopped for a chat in the Cabaret tent at Glastonbury a couple of years later.

So, in an attempt to feel less alone, I have two questions for the Hall:

  1. Is there a record you would like to own that you have just never managed to find? (I’m talking about one that you’d actually play and listen to, not just for being ridiculously valuable.)
  2. Have you ever followed a band whose talent it feels/felt that no-one but you and about 3 other people have been able to recognise? (Getting above number 30 in any chart of any description counts as success, particularly if it involves record sales).
Share

Mystery Date Revealed: Wolf People

 Posted by
May 222012
 

Will Your Mystery Date Be a Dream or a Dud?

For our latest Mystery Date, Townspeople were in agreement on the track’s general late-’60s blooz-rock vibe, possibly involving druids, yet actually having recorded in more recent times. A few of you cited this song, entitled “Sibury Sands,” as a ’90s recording, but it’s actually from a more recent band called Wolf People. I’ve played a song or two by them from another album on a recent episode of Saturday Night Shut-In. I know nothing about this band, and their Web site tells me little beyond a probable UK origin. Their record label’s artist page may give you a little more background.

I’ve always had a soft spot for late-’60s “Sylvan Rock,” going so far as to ponder how good Jethro Tull may have been had they not, ultimately, kind of sucked. I mean, what if Family had been the missing link in my record collection?

When I first heard Wolf People a couple of months ago I first heard the sound of Sylvan Rock, perhaps as it was meant to sound. They’ve got their share of Tull, Traffic, and oddly, Zombies and Moody Blues in their sound. The band also has some bite, bringing a little Yardbirds firepower and occasionally Beefheart wobble to the table. I guess a number of you have no taste for Sylvan Rock, because I consider Wolf People to be the Dukes of Stratosphear of the genre. For those of you with a thirst for more—and for those of you willing to sit cross-legged in the moss and give the band another try, here’s “Castle Keep,” also from the Steeple album.

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Wolf-People_07_Castle-Keep.mp3|titles=Wolf People, “Castle Keep”]
Share

Last Man Standing (Perhaps Our Most Exclusive Challenge Ever): Songs That Clearly Reference the Signature Harmony Guitar Solos in Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town”

 Posted by
May 212012
 

There’s a lot to be said for throwing down a Last Man Standing challenge that results in more than 400 comments. Ask hrrundivbakshi and cdm how it feels to grab so much attention and respect in the Halls of Rock. Short of attempting to break the 400-comment mark, it’s sometimes fun to see if one can craft the most specific Last Man Standing topic, one that even the finest minds in rock discourse have trouble topping after 3 or 4 entries. In that spirit, I’m pretty sure I’ve come up with our most-exclusive challenge ever: Songs That Clearly Reference the Signature Harmony Guitar Solos in Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town.”

Songs that simply happen to have harmony solos will not be accepted. The harmony solos must be intentionally modeled after the harmony solos in “The Boys Are Back in Town.” Other Thin Lizzy songs that followed that hit may be acceptable; I’m willing to believe a band with so little to offer would have attempted to copy its most successful recording. However, these entries would have to follow “The Boys Are Back in Town,” and they would have to include instrumental passages that clearly ape the signature harmony solo in their signature song.

I can think of only 2 entries that satisfy these criteria. By the powers of the Hall, I cannot tell you what they are unless you first post them—one entry at a time. Now more than ever, don’t bogart this thread! If we come up with more than 2 entries that satisfy these criteria, I am willing to bet $5.00 that we do not come up with more than 5 entries, which may make this the most exclusive Last Man Standing ever. I know you people are smart, but I doubt even you are that smart.

Townspeople, put your brains to work!

Share

Sophomore Slump?

 Posted by
May 212012
 

Second helping!

A musician friend of mine recently got some Facebook conversation going about a band’s “second recordings that I listened to even more than their first.” Here are some of the albums listed:

  • Hypnotised
  • Before Hollywood
  • Heaven Up Here
  • Chairs Missing
  • Reckoning
  • This Modern World
  • Bandwagonesque
  • Solid Gold
  • Teenage Symphonies to God
  • If You’re Feeling Sinister

To this list, I would add:

  • II & III
  • Surfer Rosa
  • Power, Corruption & Lies

At this time of year, when graduations are upon us, can you provide some guidance and examples for the Class of 2016 that a band’s sophomore year may be even better, if not more memorable, than their first?

Share

Robin Gibb Is Now Dead

 Posted by
May 212012
 

Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died yesterday, 5 weeks following reports of his impending death. I’ve got a horrible knack for occasionally posting inappropriate-if-deeply-personal obituaries, but Robin Gibb’s death saddens me to an appropriate level. The Bee Gees, in my book, were among the Good Guys of Music. I know nothing about who they really were, how they treated the Little People, etc, but their love for music seemed to guide all their weird turns as artists. It’s all about the music, man, and the Bee Gees exemplified that. I mean, what other group of white artists—Australians cum the British Invasion, no less—got through the disco era without charges of “Sell Out?” It was preposterous that this whitest of white, toothy trio would be the Kings of Disco. And they meant it, man.

It’s sad that 3 out of 4 Brothers Gibb died young. Momma Gibb, who I’ve seen in Bee Gees documentaries, is still alive. No mom should have to live through the death of 3 of her sons. That’s really sad, even if I didn’t like the music of the Bee Gees. But like their music I do!

My Mom was so into the Bee Gees’ disco records—and then their astounding contributions to Saturday Night Fever! The Disco Era marked the period in her early 30s when she “found herself,” as we used to say. She grew into her own skin during those really tough years following my parents’ divorce. The girl who used to dance on American Bandstand, as she reminded me she did following Dick Clark’s recent death, was spending her precious free time on the weekends out on the disco floor, looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Goodbar, as it might have turned out. Getting out for a night of dancing was pure joy for her, something that never made sense to me, but it was cool to hear her talk about her exploits, the guy she met who had “so much rhythm.” As I always feel, it was cool to hear her express her love for dancing to the Bee Gees. At first I’d cringe when she’d put on one of their disco-era records and begin dancing, but eventually her love for the music—and the brothers’ love for making that music—won me over. Thanks for reminding us how to care during the Me Generation, Robin, Maurice, Barry, and now and then even Andy.

A few oddities follow…

Continue reading »

Share

Mystery Date

 Posted by
May 182012
 

Let’s review the ground rules here. The Mystery Date song is not necessarily something I believe to be good. So feel free to rip it or praise it. Rather the song is something of interest due to the artist, influences, time period… Your job is to decipher as much as you can about the artist without research. Who do you think it is? Or, Who do you think it sounds like? When do you think it was recorded? Etc…

If you know who it is, don’t spoil it for the rest. Anyone who knows it can play the “mockcarr option.” (And I’ve got a hunch at least one of you know this one.) This option is for those of you who just can’t hold your tongue and must let everyone know just how in-the-know you are by calling it. So if you know who it is and want everyone else to know that you know, email Mr. Moderator at mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com. If correct we will post how brilliant you are in the Comments section.

The real test of strength though is to guess as close as possible without knowing. Ready, steady, go!

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Mystery-Date-051812.mp3|titles=Mystery Date 051812]
Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries

Lost Password?

 
twitter facebook youtube