Boy! Give me the real thing any day. With tuned-in photographers as opposed to scripted “music videos.” Look at the faces in the 1st 40 seconds here. This was in Hyde Park in London in 1969, just after Brian Jones’ death. It’s Mick Taylor’s first appearance with the band.
BTW, just ran across this lovely ballad, “Crazy,” by Linda Rondstadt, in a full throated rich version that Patsy would approve of:
I found this DVD video online after hearing Muddy and Mick doing Mannish Boy together. Man-o-man is this great! It goes up there on the top shelf of my music videos along with “The Last Waltz,” and “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” It took place 31 years ago at Buddy Guy’s club, The Checkerboard Lounge, in Chicago. It’s just spectacular, it’s like you’re in the club. Mick sings great. Muddy is just awesome. Regal. Dignified. Every note is right. Plus he does a killer bottleneck guitar solo.
There is brilliant guitar gun slinging throughout. A great Buddy Guy/Keith Richards section. Also, seeing Keith and Ronnie without Mick (and his sometimes a bit weird dancing), just the two of them, is revealing. Keith is a minimalist; it’s as much in what he doesn’t play, as what he does. Simple, rock bottom. Ronnie does some flaming work. They are totally tuned into each other. Guitar players speak a language to each other, and when it flows, it can be stunning.
Also Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Lefty Dizz, two other great guitar players in the opening band.
Good little local (Las Osos) reggae band, Oso Sol, was playing outdoors Saturday night in San Luis Obispo. They were at a large restaurant/bar that had a patio alongside a creek. Nice harmony. Good vibes. https://shltr.net/ososolslo
The Beach Boys actually meant Southern California girls. After all, these are SoCal boys singing. Also, listen to the different harmony in this early practice session, such as the harmonic triplets on the words “wear” and “right.”
Last night I called my son Will. Turns out he was in the van with members of his band, Sambadá, en route to three gigs in the Pacific Northwest. Sambadá bills itself as an “Afro Samba Funk Dance” band. They have infectious energy and get everyone dancing. They are playing:
– Tonight, Thursday, June 28 at the Someday Lounge in Portland, Oregon
– Friday, the 29th at Barboza in Seattle, 10:30 PM
– Saturday, the 30th at the Salem Worldbeat Festival, Riverfront Park Amphitheater in Salem, Oregon, 1 PM
If you happen to attend, go up and say hello to Will; tell him his dad sent you.
Just saw this last night. There a bunch of the reasons to watch this show:
1. Graham Nash’s lovely version of Raining in My Heart, including a deft harmonica solo:
(audio only)
2. Stevie Nicks, still rock n roll queen, doing Not Fade Away
3. Keith Richards short quote. The guy is authentic! Like his autobiography.
4. What a band! Directed by Waddy Wachtel. Jerry Wexler-like musical direction. Strings and tuned-in backup singing.
5. To get an idea of Buddy’s body of work; I never put it all together before. The English were so far ahead of us Americans on great American music of the 50s and ’60s (and earlier).
Not everything is great, but the preponderance is pretty darn good. Hail rock and roll!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbndfXPU6AU
Just ran across a 2-part video of a Buddy Holly tribute in the ’80s:
Several years ago I ran across a Dixieland-style band playing in Union Square. They were really good. The bass player’s bass got my attention (I used to play a “gut bucket,” or washtub bass, in a high school quartet). It really sounded good. I introduced myself to Peter Ford and he said maybe he could make me one. I pestered him for a couple of years until he finally sent me the pre-cut parts, which I assembled and I’ve been happily playing it a little almost every day along with Sirius radio or CDs (hey, I’m a member of the band!). I take a break from the computer when the music moves me. The bass is fascinating, little-understood. Now I hear the bass notes. It’s like learning a new language.
After pizza as good as it gets with my friends Ed and JC (Franny’s on Flatbush in Park Slope/Brooklyn) last night, I caught a cab to the Radegast Bierhall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where Baby Soda was playing. The music and dancing were great and I caught up with Peter.
