Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

Last Man Standing: Last Chance in 2010 to Air Ongoing Beefs With Mr. Moderator

Dec 242010

Recently, in a completely unrelated thread, a Townsman thought he could “get me” regarding my longstanding dismissal of that the music on Love‘s supposed masterpiece Forever Changes as “bullfighting music.” I guess some wounds take longer than others to heal.

As 2010 winds down, feel free to use this space to air any ongoing, unhealed beefs you may have with me that you feel may still need to be addressed, be it my dismissal of Forever Changes, why we moved Rock Town Hall from our private Yahoo Groups list to this blog format, how I can possibly prefer George Thorogood to ZZ Top, or some other burning question that refuses to cool off no matter how much wisdom and reasoned arguments I have applied to your blistered sense of perspective. I will do my best to answer your questions—once and for all—and, more importantly, to apply a healing balm before we enter the New Year.

The airing of your ongoing, unhealed beefs may even benefit me. Every 5 or 6 years I come to the realization that an opinon I was certain of requires an adjustment. I’m probably due for one of these moments.

Comments for this thread will be closed at the strike of midnight, January 1, 2011.

Rock Town Hall Presents A Rock Town Hall Christmas

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Dec 232010

For those of you jonesing for Christmas tunes, enjoy the return of this team effort!

UPDATED WITH THE ORIGINAL CHARLES BROWN VERSION (thanks to BigSteve)!

This post initially appeared 12/22/08.

You may recall the recent work led by Townsman Northvancoveman in compiling The Rock Town Hall Christmas Record. Today we share with you the selections, as sequenced by The Great 48. These tracks will be posted through the holiday season. Enjoy!

1. Elvis Presley, “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”

2. Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”

3. The Beach Boys, “Little Saint Nick”

4. Martin Newell, “Christmas in Suburbia”

5. The Kinks, “Father Christmas”

6. The Waitresses, “Christmas Wrapping”

7. The Ventures, “Sleigh Ride”

8. Elvis Presley, “Blue Christmas”

9. The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl, “Fairytale of New York”

UPDATED WITH THE ORIGINAL CHARLES BROWN VERSION (thanks to BigSteve)!

10. Charles Brown, “Please Come Home for Christmas”

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/C05.-Charles-Brown-Please-Come-Home-For-Christmas.mp3|titles=C05. Charles Brown – Please Come Home For Christmas]

10a. Originally posted version – yet Pince Nez’ed for not being the original!

10. Charles Brown, “Please Come Home For Christmas”

11. The Pretenders, “2000 Miles”

12. The Plastic Ono Band, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”

13. Big Star, “Jesus Christ”

14. Darlene Love, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

15. Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Christmas Time Is Here”

[Vinyl types: the side break is between tracks 7 and 8.]

Opening Track

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Dec 222010

Townsman andyr proposed the following topic for discussion on The Main Stage. So it is written, so let it be done!

What is the best (or your favorite) opening track on an album/CD? I have wondered what the reaction was like in ’64 (’63 in England), when buyers of Meet/With The Beatles” plopped down the needle and listened to “It Won’t Be Long” for the first time?

A Rock ‘n Roll Timeline in Song Titles

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Dec 212010

Here’s an obsessive task we might be suited to complete for the rock nerd community at large: Can we complete a rock ‘n roll timeline in song titles, beginning from 1954 (ie, the release of Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right” b/w “Blue Moon of Kentucky”)? In other words, how many song titles including a specific year from 1954 to now can we list?

We’re talking songs with a year from 1954 to the present right in the title, not buried in the lyrics. There’s no credit for song titles with years already cited, but you can feel good about yourself for providing an additional option for whatever use future rock nerds might have.

Partial credit will be given to song titles specifying a particular decade from the 1950s to our present decade.

Townspeople will be welcome to revisit this thread in the year 2525 to gain credit for a song title that is not eligible today.

Filling in rock ‘n roll songs with titles involving dates from 1954 to even 2000 is likely an impossible task, but how many times have you heard that before?

This Is Your Rock Town Hall!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Dec 212010

Townspeople,

This is your Rock Town Hall!

As we enter the home stretch of 2010, I’d like to thank you for making yourself at home. But I ask you, how much have you allowed yourself to feel at home? Have you walked around barefoot? Have you made yourself a sandwich? Have you posted a comment? Have you chided a fellow Townsperson for not turning off the basement light? Have you used the shower? Have you crafted a Main Stage thread for discussion? Take it from Uriah Heep: there’s no need to tiptoe through these hallowed halls.

If you’ve already got Back Office privileges and can initiate threads, by all means use your privileges! If you’d like to acquire such privileges, let us know. If you’ve got a comment that needs to be made, what are you waiting for? If you’re just dropping in and find yourself feeling the need to scat, don’t hesitate to register and post your thoughts. The world of intelligent rock discussion benefits from your participation. If nothing else, your own Mr. Moderator gets a day off from himself. It’s a good thing for you as well as me! Continue reading »

…but can he produce Shania Twain’s next album?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Dec 202010

Here’s a touching story of…wife swapping. (Click image for further information.)

Practice Makes Perfect: Elvis Christmas Edition

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Dec 202010

One of my long-unfulfilled rock performance dreams is to have a gig in which my band sets up and “performs” in rehearsal mode: that is, facing each other, playing for each other, having the right to stop songs in midstream, adjust part of an arrangement, and criticize each other. We would completely block out the crowd and just do our thing, the way our thing is meant to be done.

Every once in a while I stumble across a video of an artist rehearsing for a gig or studio recording. I LOVE THIS STUFF! As a music lover, I’m as interested in experiencing what goes on behind closed doors as I am listening to or making music myself, also behind closed doors. Don’t get me wrong, the thrill of playing out or seeing a band out in the wild can be tremendous, but there are less opportunities for catching knowing glances, intimate gestures, and tossed-off asides and fills.

Today I kick off what I hope will be an occasional series on just such rehearsal tapes. Come with me, to a 1970 Elvis Presley and band rehearsal of “Santa Claus Is Back in Town” as part of his Las Vegas International Hotel stint. Dig the wide-collared, printed and striped shirts that have me salavating each time I watch this! Dig Elvis working “blue” around the 37-second mark! Dig the rhythm guitarist’s supreme concentration following that ad lib! Dig the knowing glance of the guy playing the Telecaster following a little guitar slide, at the 1:01 mark! Just dig it in ways no concert film will allow you to dig musicians in action!

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