Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

Dugout Chatter: JAMuary Edition

Posted by cdm

Jan 162009

Please consider the following in terms of rock music only, not jazz/classical/etc:

What is the longest song that you are willing to sit through?

What is the shortest recording that you are willing to admit constitutes an actual song?

What is the shortest song that contains an actual bona fide jam?

What is the longest song that does not contain a jam?

Please rank from most preferable to least:
a) ’60s psychedelic jams
b) ’70s southern rock jams
c) ’90s jam-band jams

What do you suppose led to the a dearth of jamming in the ’80s?

Does the MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams” really count as kicking out the jams or is the song structure and performance too tight for the jams to have been actually kicked out?

Name your favorite rock jam.

Name your least favorite rock jam (please be specific, ie, don’t just say Phish).

Do you think that the Hear Factor, Season 2 discs contained any jams? Do you think we’ll ever know for sure?

Thank God for Greatest Hits Albums: Hall & Oates

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jan 162009

The comments in a recent thread on unlikely jam in rock mentioned a nearly 20-minute version of some Hall & Oates song, which reminded me of a live clip I’d seen of the band performing some long, proggy song. I had to go back and find the clip, which kicks off today’s Friday Flashback, and when I did I thanked God once more. I bet you will too.

This post initially appeared 2/27/07.
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Please Define: Jamming

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jan 152009

OK, now you guys tell me there’s a lack of clarity on the term jamming. Some of you feel that the more it’s planned out the less it’s jamming. I’m not so sure that I agree. I think, in part, the term refers to a communal activity among musicians that involves the stance of jamming. As a group, let’s define what we mean when we talk about jamming.

JAMuary, Day 7: If a Jam Is in Session but No Musicians Are in the Room, Is it Still a Jam?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jan 152009

Today’s jam is from Sonic Youth‘s Silver Session (For Jason Knuth), an entire jam supposedly recorded with no musicians actually playing the instruments put to tape. It’s short, pretty, and painless. Check it out.

Sonic Youth, “Silver Flower”

Legend has it that Sonic Youth was frustrated by the attempt to record some song. To relieve the tension, the band members turned all their amps up to 11 and rested their axes in front of them, for, like, maximum feedback. They recorded the random feedback tones and then edited them down to an album’s worth of concise, fairly tuneful pieces. I like this album better than anything Sonic Youth has done while actually handling their instruments.

Battle Royale: Unlikeliest Band to Have Jammed

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jan 152009

What’s the unlikeliest band to have ever jammed on record? The first that comes to mind for me is The Kinks, on the relatively long solo that closes one of my favorite songs from Arthur, “Australia.” I’m sure there are more unlikely bands that have jammed. Does the expanded Odessa, for instance, contain free jazz scat singing by the Brothers Gibb?

Note: The 1971 featured above, in which The Beach Boys joined The Grateful Dead on stage for a cover of “Okie From Muskogee,” may not count because it’s only from some Deadhead archival release. However, it’s a most unlikely jam!

All-Star Jam

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jan 142009

Let’s take a walk, shall we? Tell David whatever’s on your mind.

JAMuary, Day 6: The Mother of All Jams

Posted by geo

Jan 142009

What would JAMuary be without at least one visit from the “Mother of All Jam Bands,” the Grateful Dead? The legendary “Dark Star” was the opening cut on Live/Dead, the 1969 record of the band at the height of its JAM Powers. And JAM it is, a long, modal, free-form expansion of a 3-minute single into a 23-minute exploration into the outer limits of rock. It is not the most rockin’ of JAMS, but rather a contemplation of subtle interplay, tone, and feedback that you will concede rises far above any charges of mere noodling.

The Grateful Dead, “Dark Star”

Don’t miss Phil’s resonant melodic inventions, Bobby’s light touch on rhythm, and most of all, Jerry’s repeated reinvention of his guitar tone for each of the flowing sections. In fact, anyone with an open mind should agree that it sounds as if “it’s planned out” and not mind it at all.

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