Check out this live 1970 Fairport Convention performance. It’s a perfectly captured moment in time, if not necessarily a moment we need to relive that often. The colors, the outdoor lighting, the band members getting smothered by the anti-popping mic covers, the light breeze blowing through Richard Thompson’s perfect curls, the music! This makes The Youngbloods‘ color performance of “Get Together” and more seem like gagsta rap. You don’t believe me? Check it out!
In commenting on a comment in the recent Name That Tune! thread, Townsman Al said of Leon Russell:
I think his string of early ’70s albums were phenomenal. Then he had to go get married and start putting out duet albums with his wife. There’s a Last Man Standing thread there.
Indeed, there is. Thanks, Al! And let’s make sure we’re not being sexist about this. A great woman artist whose career was dragged down by making duet albums with her new husband is just as relevant.
Note: To avoid a likely week-long debate over which spouse dragged down the other’s career, we’ll rule out the Gregg Allman–Cher collaboration that was knocked out during their historic 9-day marriage, Two the Hard Way.
UPDATED — TWICE!
Time’s up! There are officially *no* No-Prizes to be awarded this time. However, everyone’s a winner, as I share a few choice tunes that I still suspect some of you will know.
First up, Dennis Coffey’s 1970s funk opus “Scorpio.” Even if you don’t know anything about Dennis (the man who introduced the wah-wah pedal to Norman Whitfield), you’ve surely heard Bob Babbitt, the guy who plays the bass solo in the middle there. I always loved this tune — enough to give the bass solo a pass!
Next, Curtis Mayfield’s greatest love poem, “The Makings Of You.” If I ever get married again, I plan to feature this song in the ceremony *somewhere*.
Here’s the one that BigSteve *almost* got right: “Willie the Pimp,” off of Zappa’s “Hot Rats,” and featuring Cap’n Beefheart on vocals. Now *here’s* a song that could use some judicious editing.
Lastly, “He’s a Doll,” by The Honeys — the vocal group that featured Brian Wilson’s first wife (whose name I forget). This track was produced by Brian, who, as Mod pointed out, was in full Spector soundalike mode.
There you go, guys! Better luck next time — the coveted No-Prize goes BACK IN THE HOPPER!
HVB
Some of you are aware of the profound influence issue #46 of Trouser Press had on my young rock nerd’s development. It was the first issue of the new decade, and my favorite underground rock magazine kicked it off with a snazzy, double-length issue that looked back at the decade that had just passed and looked ahead to the promise of the 1980s!
As some of you are also aware, the promise of the 1980s soon turned ugly for this once-young man’s dreams of a return to energetic, concise rock ‘n roll on the radio. Instead of The Clash, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Buzzcocks, The Jam, and The Undertones ruling the airwaves, the underground pop song movement would emerge victorious, Yamaha DX-7 synths in tow, as the synth-pop of mildly entertaining types like Thomas Dolby and Thompson Twins and finally the massively successful dance-pop of Madonna and Rock Town Hall flashpoint Prince. Despite the success of a few more commercial contenders from that scene, like The Police, The Cars, and Blondie (and Costello and The Clash, to some extent), the closing credits were rolling on the dream.
Trouser Press #46, “Some 1970s Albums You Might Have Missed” (~40 mb)
That didn’t mean I couldn’t spend the ’80s seeking out cool, underground albums from the ’70s that were mostly alien to me before I’d reached my late teens and became a loyal Trouser Press reader. I scanned what’s still my touchstone article from that issue, “Some 1970s Albums You Might Have Missed” (~40 mb; click to download). It’s a large file, but if you download it and print it out, you’ll have some choice bathroom reading! Then – after you’ve washed your hands – I’m sure you’ll want to log back into the Halls of Rock and share your thoughts on these albums, those times, your own significant moment that helped launch your personal rock nerd journey.
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Let’s get deep today. I’ll tell you what, Dugout Chatter usually requires your gut responses, but for today and today only we’ll accept more considered replies.
Who’s the rightful heir to John Lennon, artistically – I’m not talking about his sons?
Who’s your favorite songwriter who’s words are of little interest to you?
Has the backstory of a song or album ever hurt your enjoyment of said song or album?
At what point in the action of the new Stones-Scorcese flick, Shine a Light, do you imagine Marty will cue the intro to “Gimme Shelter”?
Is there any “neo-” version of an older style of music that you prefer to the original (eg, punk-era Two-Tone ska over the original ’60s ska)?
Is there any hope for k.d. lang ever being relevant again? Does it matter?
Do you ever feel like you might “recognize” a favorite artist by the way he or she projects in song, you know, the way so many fans of Lennon or Joe Strummer felt like they “knew” or could “identify” with him? Well, is there an artist whose music you love yet on whom you get no handle, cannot imagine what it might be like to hang out with over a beer, or whatever?
Have you ever liked an artist’s significant change of direction album, whether temporary or not, better than the previously established body of work (eg, Neil Young’s Trans was the first album by him that you embraced)?
As a listener and/or a player, of late, what aspect of music have you been trying to pay more attention to (eg, “I’ve been trying to pay more attention to the kick drum.”)?
I look forward to your responses.
Yesterday marked the birthday of one of our younger friends of the Halls of Rock. Word is, he spent the day at Magic Mountain! Let’s hope his day was as memorable as some of the following rockin’ days spent at this Southern California landmark.
Eric Burdon and War, “Magic Mountain”
By the power of this favorite B-side from my own early childhood, Magic Mountain became a magical place in my imagination. My slowly developing goal of becoming a California Man will not be complete until I get high, high, high at Magic Mountain.
Chickenfrank, hold the sceptre!
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Pylon was that other band from Athens, GA – you know, the one that wasn’t the B-52’s or R.E.M. The ones that made a couple of singles and albums, got some love from hipsters, made no money, then disappeared into the mists of rock history. Now the ultra-cool DFA Records (of LCD Soundsystem fame) has re-released their first album, which has long been unavailable on CD. This is a perfect opportunity for a Critical Upgrade.
This isn’t a case where the band has had their critical stock price fall over the years. It’s more like they just kind of fell off of everybody’s radar. Though they came out of the same scene as their more famous Athens contemporaries, they don’t sound much like either one. They have a much more hard-edged post-punk sound, one that at the time was most often compared to the Gang of Four.
The Athens scene was very dance-centered, and this music definitely works on the body, but it’s doesn’t have the party atmosphere of the B-52’s. One reason is the lyrics. Vocalist Vanessa Briscoe wrote cryptic songs that remind me a lot of the early Talking Heads lyrics – topics like reading, driving, gravity, volume, work, all approached elliptically and sung about in a detached but intense style that’s hard to get a fix on. I find the approach mysterious and oddly alluring, but it was not one that drew in large numbers of listeners. The fact that they were on DB Records, not a major label like their peers, did not help their commercial prospects.
Instrumentally they were more direct. When I met them on their first tour, they said soundmen loved them because their set-up was so easy to mix – one trebly guitar, one deep bass, no background vocals, and drummer that hit hard enough that he hardly needed the PA. Neither of the gigs I saw back then was well-attended, and I believe that was sadly typical for them. After a couple of albums they were gone, and a so-so reunion album in 1990 (Chain) did nothing to revive their fortunes. I understand they’ve been playing a few gigs around this re-release but that they’re no longer a going concern.
So as not to compete with DFA, these tracks are vinyl transfers from my collection. You might want to boost the bass on them a bit. The mastering on the new CD is very nice, and the tracks sound even better on Gyrate Plus (so called because it includes their early single “Cool”). Here are a couple of album tracks (“Volume” and “Stop It”), the B-side of that single (the awesome “Dub” with its chant “we eat dub for breakfast”), and a follow-up single not included on the DFA re-issue (“Beep”). Enjoy.
Pylon, “Volume”
Pylon, “Stop It”
Pylon, “Dub”
Pylon, “Beep”
