As suggested by Townsman trigmogigmo in the comments to a recent thread, what’s the Most Blatant Lie Ever Told in a Rock Lyric? trigmo suggested the following to get us started: Continue reading »
Mar 242011
Mar 242011
I recently caught a set by the new band of a fellow Townperson, during which they played “My Maria.” I’ve always loved this song but I only had the version by the Gear Daddys.
So I went to buy the original version by BW Stevenson on iTunes and was interested to see that he also did the original version of “Shambala,” the only song by Three Dog Night that I can stomach. Thinking that I may have stumbled onto an as-yet-untapped source of hidden pop gems, I clicked on compilation entitled BW Stevenson: His Very Best. It consisted in its entirety of “My Maria,” “Shambala,” and a remake of “Sunny.” Three songs, that’s it.
This may be one of the first instances of honest marketing that I’ve come across, and it made me wonder, if the record labels were really being candid, which other artist are most deserving of a “Best Of” EP or even a “Best Of” single?
One-hit wonders are excluded from consideration, obviously. But what about bands like the Mamas & the Papas (one of my all-time least favorites)? Surely, their “Best Of” could be distilled down to “California Dreaming” and one other song that I’ve never heard, couldn’t it?
Please keep in mind we’re talking about paring down a “Best Of” compilation, not an original album. I don’t want the Mod to seize this as an opportunity to reiterate his misguided notion that Exile on Main Street would somehow be better as an EP.
Mar 242011
It had been awhile since I watched this. I think it’s even better than The Who‘s legendary “live” performance of “Join Together.” Also, is there any better example of why Dick Clark may be Rock’s Consumate Pro? As a control freak and generally protocol-obsessed tight ass I can’t imagine how poorly I would have reacted to this scene had I been in Dick’s shoes.
Mar 232011
Will Your Mystery Date Be a Dream or a Dud?
All righty…looks like there’s no need for the Big Reveal (but you’ll get one anyhow). BigSteve and tonyola correctly played their “mockcarr option,” while hrrundivbakshi enthusiastically and sincerely stepped into a heaping pile of Mystery Date identification! Our Mystery Date was indeed Patto, featuring Mike Patto. The Mystery Songs were “Hold Your Fire” and “Hold Me Back.” Now that you know who this band is, I offer you “The Man,” another song that may be too long for some of you, but those of you lacking patience may miss out on some choice insights into the song’s subject matter.
Patto, “The Man”
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Patto_01_The-Man.mp3|titles=Patto, “The Man”]The band released 3 albums, from 1970 to 1973, before disbanding, leaving an unreleased (until 1995) album in the can. Now, get your pad and pen ready, because I’m about to blow your Rock Town Hall mind and waste a lot of your time!
Mar 232011
I just saw that Elizabeth Taylor is dead. Being that she was a great…woman, this can only mean one thing: Elton John or some other close, personal friend in the music business is going to need to quickly retro-fit a forgotten deep cut to play at her international day of mourning and rebranding. Townspeople, act fast and help an appropriate artist identify the appropriate song for this occasion. Saccharine montages and a sudden turn in a sagging artist’s fortunes depend on your input. Thank you.
NEXT: Rock Town Hall’s Official Eulogy… Continue reading »
Mar 222011
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 that some 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/2011/03/Mystery-Date-032211.mp3|titles=Mystery Date 032211] [audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Mystery-Date-032211b.mp3|titles=Mystery Date 032211b]Mar 222011
What more can a rock nerd hope for than to be set on a quest for a new holy grail? A few new quests are beginning to line up for me, including one that’s been right under my nose since childhood!
In a recent Saturday Night Shut-In I played a Moody Blues track from the band’s first, Denny Laine-led album (the one with the also Laine-sung hit “Go Now”). It was pretty cool, and you can find it at about the 31:15 mark here, if you don’t believe me. Laine was also featured in a recent Who Is It? thread. I believe it took longer for anyone to guess who the modern-day Laine was than any of the other matured rockers. Poor Denny Laine, unfairly ranked #3 in the command chain of Wings because he wasn’t sleeping with the boss, coulda been a contender, or at least a second-level British Invasion force in his own right.
What happened to Laine between his leaving The Moody Blues and landing with Paul McCartney & Wings? Did he ever release a proper solo album, as this promo clip for a solo single might lead me to believe? Can anyone save me the effort of looking up all this stuff and just tell me what the deal was/in with that guy? I need the real deal, not a bunch of Wikipedia links. I’m sure at least one of you can fill me in on some cool Denny Laine arcana. Thanks!
By the way, did Laine get the Wings gig for combining Paul’s Sgt. Pepper’s ‘stache with John’s specs?
And check this out: The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone had a 1972 hit with his version of this song. Continue reading »
