Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

Spotify Could Be the Game Changer?

Jul 192011

I got my Spotify account notice this afternoon and set it up about an hour ago (free version). Every song I tried to play was available (including our friends Thin Lizzy) and I have yet to hear a commercial. Sound quality is fantastic. It also went through my iTunes and added all of my music for use in playlists. This blows Pandora out of the water (and I am a big Pandora Fan, my Badfinger Station logs many hours at work).

Dylan was the only artist that had restrictions that I ran into. I could play songs that I had on my computer, but there was very little available outside of these records.

…and no Beatles. George Harrison has just Cloud Nine and Brainwashed…OK, I am finding SOME holes in their collection.

Anyone else have this?

SHOWDOWN (Choose One): Who Made Better Use of Easy Rider for Their Video?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 182011

I like both The Fiery Furnaces and The Dead Milkmen, and I recently learned that the former made a video based around the most-influential movie of my childhood (and, possibly, entire life), Easy Rider. Each video follows for your review. Leaving the music out of it if you must—because if you’re like me you might find that the song in one of these two videos is not anywhere near a favorite in the band’s catalog—which band made better use of its source material? Choose one…after the jump!

Rock Town Hall’s Saturday Night Shut-In: The Good in Everyone, Even Humble Pie

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 162011

Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!

In this week’s edition of Saturday Night Shut-In Mr. Moderator attempts to more fully explain the, uh, humble delights of Humble Pie to the questioning Townsman misterioso by playing the band’s 1969 Town and Country album in its entirety, with accompanying commentary. If this doesn’t help mistorioso value the good in Humble Pie, perhaps no effort will.

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-37.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 37]

[Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]

I’m Redy to Rock

Posted by machinery

Jul 162011

I was never a huge Thin Lizzy fan apart from their mighty fine singles — but these guys put on a pretty good show. I’m impressed how well they fair in a big setting. Any recos for stuff? Should I just make my own playlist via iTunes, song by song?

RIP Rob Grill of The Grass Roots

Posted by misterioso

Jul 152011

Rob Grill: He was a Great Man...

Earlier this week I saw the obit for the main singer for perhaps my favorite B-level ’60s-early ’70s band, Rob Grill of The Grass Roots. I don’t think The Grass Roots get a lot of respect in rock snob circles: they were a semi-manufactured outfit (Sloan and Barri), they were a little too conspicuously handsome, they didn’t write their big hits, in short, they were not Serious Rock. All true enough. They are, for my money, a great argument for the Greatest Hits collection, and the only Grass Roots albums I own are a greatest hits lp (Golden Grass) and the better still Best of the Grass Roots CD. Not a box set; not a double cd. Just 12 songs, all top 40 hits between 1966 and 1971. That is sufficient. As Top 40 pop of the era, for my money it’s hard to beat “Let’s Live for Today,” “Midnight Confessions,” “Wait a Million Years,” “Temptation Eyes,” etc. Rob Grill, we salute you!

And from Playboy After Dark.

Last Man Standing: Rock ‘n Roll’s Dog Eats Homework Tales

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 152011

It was mentioned by a Townsperson earlier today that Jimi Hendrix supposedly left the master mixes for side 1 of Axis: Bold of Love in a cab, making it necessary to quickly remix that side in time for the album’s release. Similarly there’s the story about the master tapes for Graham Parker & The Rumour‘s master tapes for Stick to Me being left somewhere, necessitating a quick re-recording of the entire album and the need to bring up that story whenever someone remarks on that album’s clearly subpar quality among Parker and the band’s first 4 albums. Finally, at the risk of using up rock’s only 3 examples of “the dog ate my homework” tales, there’s the story of Bono‘s stolen briefcase of lyrics that he’d intened to sing on the U2‘s sophomore album, October. What I didn’t know until researching this subject was that the briefcase was returned to him in 2004. Do any U2 fans know if the band has or plans to re-record the vocal tracks using the original lyrics?

There must be other dog eats homework tales in rock ‘n roll that we could add to the record. As always, limit yourself to one entry per post, to avoid “bogarting” the topic. Thanks!

All-Star Jam: Happy Birthday Hrrundivbakshi Edition!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 152011

Another day, another year older. Happy birthday, hrrundivbakshi! My gift to you is this inspirational performance by Hutch, who with the encouragement of some close friends took a chance, took the stage, and hit his stride as…David Soul, natural blond icon and international singing star! Don’t give up on us, baby. It’s time you hop up on stage, Townspeople, and show us what you’ve got.

Hell, HVB means so much to the Hall that I’m giving him a second present…after the jump! Continue reading »

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