Friday, March 30, 2018

The Birth of God

Today we wish a very happy birthday to Eric Patrick Clapton, English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter.  He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.

 In 2011, The Guardian attributed the creation of the cult of the guitar hero to Clapton, ranking it number seven on their list of the 50 key events in rock music history;

Nothing is more central to rock mythology than the cult of the lead guitarist. And no one did more to create that cult than Eric Clapton. He had already been a member of the Yardbirds before joining John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, the clearing house for guitarists, in April 1965. His two stints with Mayall saw his reputation grow to the extent that a famous graffito captured the popular appraisal of him among rock fans: "Clapton is God".

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Keepin' The Beat


Time to pay tribute to those unsung heroes of Blues, Jazz and Rock 'N Roll.  That's right... I'm talkin' about drummers.

While thinking about this thread, I considered several drummers to start things off.  Gene Krupa would've been an obvious choice.  Ditto for Charlie Watts, Jaki Leibezeit, Bill Bruford or Tony Allen.  And then I remembered the King Of The Backbeat, aka The Human Timekeeper, Mr. Al Jackson, Jr., who laid down some wicked beats as the house drummer for Stax Records. 

Might not know the name, but I'll bet you know the songs.

Think I'll spin a few...



















Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Snow Day!


I will be sealed in my house all day due to the fourth nor'easter in three weeks. We're going to get about a foot of snow in two hours and experience another tide that's too high, so I'm just going to sit here and play whatever. I've been doing anime and game music lately. Can't seem to shake it. I seem to have gotten an ear for dubstep, too, so prepare yourselves.



Monday, March 19, 2018

One More Monday


Things are going to start getting busy around here.  I have new ducklings, there are goose eggs in the incubator, the goats will start kidding and milking in a few weeks, repairs need to be done and the gardens need to be prepared, so I'm going to stop the Monday threads until things start slowing down in the fall.  Besides, it tends to be a slow day for posting songs.

No theme today.  Just music.  Since I'm in the mood for a little Jazz, I'm going to start things off with some Charles Mingus.




                                    Oh Lord, Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me







Sunday, March 18, 2018

Soulful Sunday



There's something about this time of year that makes me want to ride around in an old ragtop convertible with the top down, some Motown cranking on the car stereo.  Add a little Funk and Blues to the mix and we're gold.









Friday, March 16, 2018

Always After Me Lucky Charms

Nothin' on my mind tonight but some rolled Mob Boss. Consider this the St. Pat's thread.


Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Know your history!

On this day in 1972 California Governor Ronald Reagan granted a pardon to Merle Haggard, absolving him of the 1957 burglary that sent him to prison for three years. I never cared for either Haggard or Reagan.

 In 2013, the California State University- Bakersfield, awarded Haggard the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts. In response to the honor, Haggard stepped to the podium and said, “Thank you. It’s nice to be noticed.”

On June 5th, 2004, President Ronald Reagan died. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd wish he was the President right now. 



My landlord is showing the building to different prospective buyers all day and clean up from the storm is going to complicate things, so I will be here off and on. Play what you will.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Spring Fever


There might be some place where March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb but I don't live in such a place.  In Michigan, March tends to come in like a mud god and goes out like an ice god.  And April showers?  Yeah, right.  We can usually count on getting at least one more blizzard in April.  Still, I can feel spring coming on.  There's been a change in the air and some of the migratory birds have returned.  Still haven't seen a robin yet, but the Sandhill cranes that nest in the swamp behind my house were grazing in the muck today.  Won't be long before the crocuses appear, followed by the daffodils and tulips, the irises, peonies and roses.










Sunday, March 11, 2018

Mammon


mam·mon
noun

~ wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion. It was taken by medieval writers as the name of the devil of covetousness, and revived in this sense by Milton.
~ a Chaldee or Syriac word meaning "wealth" or "riches" ( Luke 16:9-11 ); also, by personification, the god of riches
~ material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence

Synonomous with avarice, consumerism, gluttony, greed, materialism, mercenary, money-grubbing







Friday, March 9, 2018

Mother's Milk

In 1969, guitarist Barry Goudreau introduced Brad Delp to Tom Scholz, who was looking for a singer to complete some demo recordings. Eventually Scholz formed the short-lived band Mother's Milk (1973–74), including Delp and Goudreau. After producing a demo, Epic Records eventually signed the act. Mother's Milk was renamed Boston, and the self-titled debut album (recorded in 1975, although many tracks had been written years before) was released in August 1976. Delp performed all of the lead and all backing harmony vocals, including all layered vocal overdubs.

 Brad Delp committed suicide March 9, 2007 (aged 55).

 "We can share a life together. It's now or never...and tomorrow may be too late."

~Brad Delp of Boston.

RIP


But I ain't dead. Ain't nuthin' but a party, and this is a "Free-for-All".

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

❤LOVE❤

My first love was an Italian girl who lived not far from my grandparents in a rural farming town outside of Buffalo.We were both six years old. Her family was loaded and she didn't just have a swing set - she had an incredible carousel pony swing set and you sat on them while you were swinging. A jungle gym back before anybody else had them. A little play-house. Talk about fun!

It was an arranged marriage. Our parents would get together to grill food and sit in the garage with a massive garage sized screen door to keep the mosquitoes out, as was the custom in Buffalo at that time. They'd play their Kingston Trio and Sock Hop stuff and get hammered while we kids would find ways to entertain ourselves. They said we were boyfriend and girlfriend, joked around about the cuteness of it, and we were six. If they said we were a couple, then that's what we were.

Early on her old man pulled me aside and gravely told me that it was my duty to protect Tammy from everything. I couldn't let anyone hurt her. He made me swear to it and I was deeply alarmed. This was my first taste of responsibility and I was determined to guard that little girl with my life, but I knew that I was barely taller than a grownup's thigh and not likely to do much if one of them malfunctioned. I looked over at the part of his garage that had tools and saw a carpenter's claw hammer about as long as my little arm. I remember a feeling of grim resignation when I picked it up, wondering how I'd handle a rampaging adult. I shouldered it like a rifle and suggested to Tammy that we go outside. Her Mom saw us and asked me what I was doing with the hammer. I explained that I was using it to protect Tammy and Tammy's father laughed and laughed, and told me what a fine young man I was. That was all swell and good, but I was still worrying about the sort of shit that could go wrong out there. Naturally, Tammy asked me what the deal was with the hammer and I told her about the onus laid on me by her father and my total unpreparedness for all of it. There were Bad Guys, and drunk, crazy guys. And dogs. A big dog would be trouble. She brought up bears and my eyes widened. Pfft - nothing much to do there except get eaten, but I didn't think we had to worry about them. There are bears, sure, but the grownups don't carry guns, so bears probably weren't much of a problem. Regardless, this was crazy, letting us run around out here where anything could pick us off! We were just kids! But we also knew it was what it was and we had to find a way to deal with the threats while we played.

We only saw each other on weekends, and on the last one we were playing like usual when all of a sudden my Mom, obviously pissed off, grabbed me and threw me in the car where Dad was already waiting. They were arguing nonstop and one side of Dad's face was puffy and red. By the time we got home Dad's eye was becoming yellow and purple. Later that week I asked Mom if we were going over to Tammy's on Saturday and I was told that we were never going over there again. Years later Mom explained that Dad had gotten a bit too fresh with Tammy's Mom and her Dad blacked his eye.

Only six, yet star crossed lovers!

Let's hear those love songs. The special songs that were "our" songs. Songs that remind you of a pet, or a grandmother, or anything else you loved.





Monday, March 5, 2018

Boy Howdy!




Hard to believe it's been forty-nine years since Creem published their first issue.  Back when I was doing time in high school, I looked forward to each new issue of Creem, preferring its Rust Belt grittiness to the more polished Rolling Stone.

Some of the best Rock 'N Roll writers worked for Creem in those days, including Lester Bangs and Dave Marsh.  In fact, it was Dave Marsh who first used the phrase "punk rock" when writing about a show with this Michigan band...








Sunday, March 4, 2018

The Truth Shall Set You Free


Or so I've been told.  And if that doesn't do the trick,  just put on some P-Funk and free your ass.









Friday, March 2, 2018

Accept (or don't)

Accept are a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s. The band played an important role in the development of speed[1] and thrash metal,[2] being part of the German heavy metal scene, which emerged in the early to mid-1980s. Accept achieved commercial success with their fifth studio album Balls to the Wall (1983), which is the band's only album to be certified gold in the United States and Canada,[3][4] and spawned their well-known hit "Balls to the Wall".

Following their disbandment in 1997 and short-lived reunion in 2005, Accept reunited again in 2009 with former T.T. Quick frontman Mark Tornillo[5] replacing Dirkschneider, and released their three highest charting albums to date, Blood of the Nations (2010), Stalingrad (2012) and Blind Rage (2014), the latter of which was Accept's first album to reach number one on the charts in their home country. The band's most recent album, The Rise of Chaos, was released on August 4, 2017.[6]