Two years ago I wrote about the similarity between Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' and the instrumental 'Taurus' which featured on the first album by US west coast band, Spirit.
Here is my original post from May 2014.
I now see that recent reports state that a US judge has decreed that a jury must decide and a trial has been scheduled for 10th May. Here is what The Guardian had to say on the subject.
As I said two years ago, Led Zeppelin may lose money and the estate of the late Randy California may gain, but at the end of the day, the only real winners in this whole sad affair are the lawyers. I mean they have been raking it in for at least two years now and I have a feeling the matter will not be resolved any time soon.
Meanwhile, sitting quietly on the sidelines is Michael Chapman, who also claims that Zeppelin ripped off his song 'Kodak Ghosts'.
Personally I think he is wise to stay out of it.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
A Dearth of Good New Music
Yesterday I met up with friends for a spot of lunch followed by a visit to a fairly recently opened vinyl cafe. Unfortunately while my flat white coffee was very good indeed, the venue was unable to entertain us with a selection of music played on vinyl. Something to do with waiting for a new stylus I understand.
Oh well!
Despite that minor setback, a good time was had by all I believe, but during our chat it struck me that here we are in April already and usually at this time of the year I have started to develop quite a list of favourite albums of the year. However that is certainly not the case this year and I confessed to owning only one album that was actually issued in 2016. The album in question is of course 'Blackstar' by David Bowie.
So where the hell is all the good stuff this year, or am I missing something? I admit to having been tempted by 'The Ghosts of Highway 20' by Lucinda Williams but when I tried streaming the record, I found myself unable to sustain the melancholia of the album for anything close to the full 84 minute duration. It was just all so terribly depressing.
I have also flirted with the possibility of buying 'You Can't Go Back if There's Nothing to Go Back To' by old favourites Richmond Fontaine, a band I have seen live on a couple of occasions and whose complete back catalogue I own. One of my lunch friends encouraged me to go for it and I am not entirely sure why I have been reluctant. Perhaps it is because we know it is to be the swan song of Richmond Fontaine as Willy Vlautin looks set to concentrate on his writing career and possibly his other band The Delines. Maybe my thoughts are that Vlautin has already turned his attention to other matters so we may have already heard the best from Richmond Fontaine. I'm certainly not ruling the album out and may defer my decision until I hopefully see them at a venue near here later this month.
Other records that have been on my radar this year are 'Where Have You Been All My Life' by Villagers and the self titled 'Jesu & Sun Kil Moon', but so far I have not been tempted. Even worse is that when I look at a list of forthcoming releases, I am hardly filled with eager anticipation.
It's a good job that I have a very healthy music library to delve into.
Oh well!
Despite that minor setback, a good time was had by all I believe, but during our chat it struck me that here we are in April already and usually at this time of the year I have started to develop quite a list of favourite albums of the year. However that is certainly not the case this year and I confessed to owning only one album that was actually issued in 2016. The album in question is of course 'Blackstar' by David Bowie.
So where the hell is all the good stuff this year, or am I missing something? I admit to having been tempted by 'The Ghosts of Highway 20' by Lucinda Williams but when I tried streaming the record, I found myself unable to sustain the melancholia of the album for anything close to the full 84 minute duration. It was just all so terribly depressing.
I have also flirted with the possibility of buying 'You Can't Go Back if There's Nothing to Go Back To' by old favourites Richmond Fontaine, a band I have seen live on a couple of occasions and whose complete back catalogue I own. One of my lunch friends encouraged me to go for it and I am not entirely sure why I have been reluctant. Perhaps it is because we know it is to be the swan song of Richmond Fontaine as Willy Vlautin looks set to concentrate on his writing career and possibly his other band The Delines. Maybe my thoughts are that Vlautin has already turned his attention to other matters so we may have already heard the best from Richmond Fontaine. I'm certainly not ruling the album out and may defer my decision until I hopefully see them at a venue near here later this month.
Other records that have been on my radar this year are 'Where Have You Been All My Life' by Villagers and the self titled 'Jesu & Sun Kil Moon', but so far I have not been tempted. Even worse is that when I look at a list of forthcoming releases, I am hardly filled with eager anticipation.
It's a good job that I have a very healthy music library to delve into.
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
The Scourge of the Mobile
I had a really nice Easter weekend thanks for asking.
It might have been marred on Saturday however - nay my whole life could have been changed forever - when I narrowly avoided my first road accident in over 30 years. Only thanks to the fact that I still have decent reactions, I was not going at an excessive speed and my car did not skid, was a catastrophe averted.
And what was the cause? A young woman stepped off the pavement in front of me while staring at the small screen of her mobile phone. Making things potentially even worse was the fact that with her free hand she was manoeuvring a push chair containing her young child. So, as you can no doubt imagine, it would have been the innocent child who would have taken the main force of any collision.
I'm astounded that any parent would put their child in such danger but I am sad to say that this was not an isolated incident. There is scarcely a day that passes without me seeing such things occurring, though thankfully they don't usually require me to stamp on the brake peddle.
During a conversation with friends the other evening someone asked the question whether we would be happy to get into a computer driven car, something that appears to be on the very near horizon. I replied that personally I would feel happier to climb into such a car than one driven by one of the numerous idiots I see driving while clearly texting on their phones. At least the computer would, I assume, not be distracted by such things and would be fully focused on the task in hand.
The above incident made me wonder how children can survive the scourge of the mobile phone. Assuming that they do survive the early years of being pushed around by distracted parents, they then attend schools where all of their friends are permanently glued to their mobile phones and where, according to one article I read recently, every playground row is shared with friends via social media invariably resulting in "savagely cruel verbal attacks." The article concluded "we should weep at the damage being done to young minds and the gutlessness of grown-ups to do much about it." In my view, it is not just the gutlessness of adults; it is the fact that they are themselves setting such a terrible example. Every day without fail I see young children having to amuse themselves while their parents gaze blankly at the screens of their smartphones. Of course from about the age of eight the children will have their own mobile phones and then everything will be alright. Won't it?
It might have been marred on Saturday however - nay my whole life could have been changed forever - when I narrowly avoided my first road accident in over 30 years. Only thanks to the fact that I still have decent reactions, I was not going at an excessive speed and my car did not skid, was a catastrophe averted.
And what was the cause? A young woman stepped off the pavement in front of me while staring at the small screen of her mobile phone. Making things potentially even worse was the fact that with her free hand she was manoeuvring a push chair containing her young child. So, as you can no doubt imagine, it would have been the innocent child who would have taken the main force of any collision.
I'm astounded that any parent would put their child in such danger but I am sad to say that this was not an isolated incident. There is scarcely a day that passes without me seeing such things occurring, though thankfully they don't usually require me to stamp on the brake peddle.
During a conversation with friends the other evening someone asked the question whether we would be happy to get into a computer driven car, something that appears to be on the very near horizon. I replied that personally I would feel happier to climb into such a car than one driven by one of the numerous idiots I see driving while clearly texting on their phones. At least the computer would, I assume, not be distracted by such things and would be fully focused on the task in hand.
The above incident made me wonder how children can survive the scourge of the mobile phone. Assuming that they do survive the early years of being pushed around by distracted parents, they then attend schools where all of their friends are permanently glued to their mobile phones and where, according to one article I read recently, every playground row is shared with friends via social media invariably resulting in "savagely cruel verbal attacks." The article concluded "we should weep at the damage being done to young minds and the gutlessness of grown-ups to do much about it." In my view, it is not just the gutlessness of adults; it is the fact that they are themselves setting such a terrible example. Every day without fail I see young children having to amuse themselves while their parents gaze blankly at the screens of their smartphones. Of course from about the age of eight the children will have their own mobile phones and then everything will be alright. Won't it?
Thursday, 24 March 2016
From Past Archives #2:- Family - Music in a Doll's House
On this occasion I'm revisiting an album I have been familiar with since soon after it was released in July 1968 when a few of us 6th formers would hang out in the school music room at lunch times and those who could afford to purchase LP records would bring in their current favourites for our enjoyment. That was how I first heard Music in a Doll's House' the debut album by Family.
Since then I have owned the album on LP, CD and in 1999 I purchased the double See For Miles CD package which coupled the album with it's follow-up, 'Family Entertainment'. The main motivation for buying it on that occasion was the inclusion of both sides of the very hard to find first Family single, 'Scene Through The Eye of a Lens' / 'Gypsy Woman'. That record was released in the autumn of 1967 on the Liberty label and despite being hailed since as something of a classic, it failed to dent the charts. Incidentally, if you stumble across an original copy, you will probably have to fork out something like £200 for it.
At around that time, drummer Harry Overnall was replaced by Rob Townsend and in December 1967, the band commenced work at Olympic Studios, London on the tracks for what would become 'Music in a Doll's House'. The intention had been to use New Yorker Jimmy Miller as producer (he had been at the controls for the single) but although he continued to have an input, he was becoming heavily involved with the Rolling Stones who were recording 'Beggars Banquet' also at Olympic Studios. Consequently much of the production was handed to Dave Mason who was flitting in and out of the band Traffic.
Although it is often referred to as a classic of it's time, I feel that that the album has never really gained the recognition it deserves. I've lived with and loved this album for close to 50 years now and I never tire of hearing it. If I ever do get round to actually compiling a list of my top 20 albums of all time, I feel certain that it will be in there. Consequently despite owning CD copies, it was a record that I simply had to own once more on vinyl. And now I do. And if ever a record has convinced me that vinyl is the way to listen to music - then this is it. (Anyone want to buy a CD copy?) There is an awful lot going on in the tracks of this record and instead of straining to hear some of my favourite parts, I find that they now leap out of the speakers and fill the room. It is quite astonishing and the quality belies the age of this recording.
The eagle-eyed among you will however note from these photos that while the record I have is catalogue number K44057, the cover is for the far rarer original mono version (RLP 6312). I have to confess that my heart skipped a beat when I saw the cover, as the mono copy is extremely rare as well as being somewhat different to the stereo version. Oh well, perhaps one of these days I will stumble across one of those.
It is of course now a well known fact that the Beatles had intended calling what would become the double white album, 'A Doll's House' but Family scuppered that plan. Musically the album is very different from what Family would eventually become best known for though, to be fair, Family were a very eclectic band musically and were very difficult to categorise. I mean, can you imagine four more different singles than 'Today', 'The Weaver's Answer', 'No Mule's Fool' or 'Burlesque'? 'Music in a Doll's House' was far more psychedelic than later releases with tracks seamlessly running into each other and in some cases being connected by short, instrumental "variations on a theme" of some of the main tracks. The songwriting was mainly credited to Roger Chapman and John 'Charlie' Whitney though producer Dave Mason chipped in with one song 'Never Like This' which contained surrealistic lyrics somewhat akin to Traffic's 'Hole in My Shoe'. Stylistically it fitted onto the album perfectly.
The track 'Old Songs, New Songs' has on many CD issues of the album, been erroneously titled 'Old Songs For New Songs'. Thankfully, my LP gets it right. It is a great track which features jazz saxophonist Tubby Hayes and his band playing out a rip-roaring finale. The arrangement had been done by an 18 year old Mike Batt who inadvertently wrote the parts in the wrong key. The ever professional Hayes realised the error and simply transposed the parts by ear as he played along to the backing track. Unfortunately soon after the sessions, Hayes had to undergo major heart surgery and in 1973 he died while having further surgery at the age of 38.
'Music in a Doll's House' is a great album and a welcome addition to my vinyl collection.
For your enjoyment, here is the track referred to above, 'Old Songs New Songs'
Old Songs New Songs
Since then I have owned the album on LP, CD and in 1999 I purchased the double See For Miles CD package which coupled the album with it's follow-up, 'Family Entertainment'. The main motivation for buying it on that occasion was the inclusion of both sides of the very hard to find first Family single, 'Scene Through The Eye of a Lens' / 'Gypsy Woman'. That record was released in the autumn of 1967 on the Liberty label and despite being hailed since as something of a classic, it failed to dent the charts. Incidentally, if you stumble across an original copy, you will probably have to fork out something like £200 for it.At around that time, drummer Harry Overnall was replaced by Rob Townsend and in December 1967, the band commenced work at Olympic Studios, London on the tracks for what would become 'Music in a Doll's House'. The intention had been to use New Yorker Jimmy Miller as producer (he had been at the controls for the single) but although he continued to have an input, he was becoming heavily involved with the Rolling Stones who were recording 'Beggars Banquet' also at Olympic Studios. Consequently much of the production was handed to Dave Mason who was flitting in and out of the band Traffic.
Although it is often referred to as a classic of it's time, I feel that that the album has never really gained the recognition it deserves. I've lived with and loved this album for close to 50 years now and I never tire of hearing it. If I ever do get round to actually compiling a list of my top 20 albums of all time, I feel certain that it will be in there. Consequently despite owning CD copies, it was a record that I simply had to own once more on vinyl. And now I do. And if ever a record has convinced me that vinyl is the way to listen to music - then this is it. (Anyone want to buy a CD copy?) There is an awful lot going on in the tracks of this record and instead of straining to hear some of my favourite parts, I find that they now leap out of the speakers and fill the room. It is quite astonishing and the quality belies the age of this recording.
The eagle-eyed among you will however note from these photos that while the record I have is catalogue number K44057, the cover is for the far rarer original mono version (RLP 6312). I have to confess that my heart skipped a beat when I saw the cover, as the mono copy is extremely rare as well as being somewhat different to the stereo version. Oh well, perhaps one of these days I will stumble across one of those.
The track 'Old Songs, New Songs' has on many CD issues of the album, been erroneously titled 'Old Songs For New Songs'. Thankfully, my LP gets it right. It is a great track which features jazz saxophonist Tubby Hayes and his band playing out a rip-roaring finale. The arrangement had been done by an 18 year old Mike Batt who inadvertently wrote the parts in the wrong key. The ever professional Hayes realised the error and simply transposed the parts by ear as he played along to the backing track. Unfortunately soon after the sessions, Hayes had to undergo major heart surgery and in 1973 he died while having further surgery at the age of 38.
'Music in a Doll's House' is a great album and a welcome addition to my vinyl collection.
For your enjoyment, here is the track referred to above, 'Old Songs New Songs'
Old Songs New Songs
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
From Past Archives #1:- Fleetwood Mac - Kiln House
My fairly recent return to the joys of collecting vinyl records has enabled me to listen to albums that I have either long since lost or that simply passed me by when they were originally released. Falling into that latter category is, the 1970 Fleetwood Mac album, 'Kiln House'.
I was a fan of the Peter Green incarnation of Fleetwood Mac and when he left the band after the wonderful 'Then Play On', I must have made the decision to stop buying and listening to their albums. Of course all that changed with the 1975 release of 'Fleetwood Mac' the precursor to the earth shatteringly successful 'Rumours'. I then revisited some of those so-called "wilderness years" Fleetwood Mac albums but somehow 'Kiln House' always evaded my attention.
Perhaps it was the reviews at the time which were not terribly complimentary about the album. With 'Then Play On'. Jeremy Spencer had been in competition with the songwriting skills of Peter Green and Danny Kirwan. He lost the battle and consequently played only a minor role on that album. The departure of Green enabled Spencer to take more of a leading role and for 'Kiln House'; the writing credits are divided fairly evenly between him and Kirwan (aided by the other band members). Once he had overcome his Elmore James obsession, Spencer turned his attention to 1950's rock and roll and a popular part of the Fleetwood Mac live act involved him doing a very passable imitation of Elvis Presley. This is carried onto 'Kiln House' from the opening number 'This is a Rock' which recreates the sound of the young Elvis during his Sun Records period. The country ballad, 'Blood on the Floor' could also be Elvis and the Side 2 opener 'Buddy's Song' is little more than a list of Buddy Holly quotes set to the melody of 'Peggy Sue Got Married'. Despite being written by Spencer, it gets credited on the album cover to Ella Holley, the mother of Buddy.
The Jeremy Spencer compositions are all pleasant enough but it is the writing of Danny Kirwan that really give this album a lift. 'Station Man' fades in very gradually and is a gentle rocker featuring nice slide guitar and some fine drumming from Mick Fleetwood. It was a song that Fleetwood Mac would return to and perform live during the early Buckingham/Nicks years.
Side One of the album ends with 'Jewel Eyed Judy' which is credited to Kirwan, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie though Fleetwood later claimed that the words were actually written by his wife Jenny and Christine McVie about a close friend of the band, Judy Wong who later married Jethro Tull bassist Glenn Cornick.. It is one of the most beautiful pieces on the album with a gorgeous melody and a catchy refrain. The track was issued as a single backed by 'Station Man' but incredibly failed to chart. Incidentally, Jenny Fleetwood was the former Jenny Boyd, a sister of Patti Boyd who famously married George Harrison and Eric Clapton and inspired songs by both. Patti clearly wasn't the only muse in the Boyd family as the Donovan song 'Jennifer Juniper' was written for Jenny.
Kirwan also demonstrates with 'Lady Gray' (sic) that he can write an instrumental to rival the beautiful Peter Green number one hit, 'Albatross'. Another highlight of the album is the final Danny Kirwan track 'Tell Me All The Things You Do' which allows the band to really rock out and features some great guitar work but also demonstrates what a fantastic rhythm section Fleetwood and McVie were. Try listening to this without your feet tapping and if they don't, check that they aren't nailed to the floor.
Although uncredited on the album, Christine McVie (formerly Christine Perfect) was recruited on piano and she would subsequently become a full member of the band, being of course the wife of John McVie. She also created the striking artwork that adorns the cover of the album. It would appear that someone bought her felt pens and crayons for Christmas that year.
This album was the first release by the band on which they totally abandoned the blues that had dominated their earlier recordings. Neither Spencer nor Kirwan would last that much longer in the line-up but with 'Kiln House' they had clearly pointed the direction in which the band would move en route to the massive commercial success they would ultimately enjoy with 'Rumours'.
I have been listening to the album a lot over the past few weeks and have been thoroughly enjoying the experience. I now wonder how it took me 45 years.
I was a fan of the Peter Green incarnation of Fleetwood Mac and when he left the band after the wonderful 'Then Play On', I must have made the decision to stop buying and listening to their albums. Of course all that changed with the 1975 release of 'Fleetwood Mac' the precursor to the earth shatteringly successful 'Rumours'. I then revisited some of those so-called "wilderness years" Fleetwood Mac albums but somehow 'Kiln House' always evaded my attention.
Perhaps it was the reviews at the time which were not terribly complimentary about the album. With 'Then Play On'. Jeremy Spencer had been in competition with the songwriting skills of Peter Green and Danny Kirwan. He lost the battle and consequently played only a minor role on that album. The departure of Green enabled Spencer to take more of a leading role and for 'Kiln House'; the writing credits are divided fairly evenly between him and Kirwan (aided by the other band members). Once he had overcome his Elmore James obsession, Spencer turned his attention to 1950's rock and roll and a popular part of the Fleetwood Mac live act involved him doing a very passable imitation of Elvis Presley. This is carried onto 'Kiln House' from the opening number 'This is a Rock' which recreates the sound of the young Elvis during his Sun Records period. The country ballad, 'Blood on the Floor' could also be Elvis and the Side 2 opener 'Buddy's Song' is little more than a list of Buddy Holly quotes set to the melody of 'Peggy Sue Got Married'. Despite being written by Spencer, it gets credited on the album cover to Ella Holley, the mother of Buddy.
Side One of the album ends with 'Jewel Eyed Judy' which is credited to Kirwan, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie though Fleetwood later claimed that the words were actually written by his wife Jenny and Christine McVie about a close friend of the band, Judy Wong who later married Jethro Tull bassist Glenn Cornick.. It is one of the most beautiful pieces on the album with a gorgeous melody and a catchy refrain. The track was issued as a single backed by 'Station Man' but incredibly failed to chart. Incidentally, Jenny Fleetwood was the former Jenny Boyd, a sister of Patti Boyd who famously married George Harrison and Eric Clapton and inspired songs by both. Patti clearly wasn't the only muse in the Boyd family as the Donovan song 'Jennifer Juniper' was written for Jenny.
Kirwan also demonstrates with 'Lady Gray' (sic) that he can write an instrumental to rival the beautiful Peter Green number one hit, 'Albatross'. Another highlight of the album is the final Danny Kirwan track 'Tell Me All The Things You Do' which allows the band to really rock out and features some great guitar work but also demonstrates what a fantastic rhythm section Fleetwood and McVie were. Try listening to this without your feet tapping and if they don't, check that they aren't nailed to the floor.
Although uncredited on the album, Christine McVie (formerly Christine Perfect) was recruited on piano and she would subsequently become a full member of the band, being of course the wife of John McVie. She also created the striking artwork that adorns the cover of the album. It would appear that someone bought her felt pens and crayons for Christmas that year.
This album was the first release by the band on which they totally abandoned the blues that had dominated their earlier recordings. Neither Spencer nor Kirwan would last that much longer in the line-up but with 'Kiln House' they had clearly pointed the direction in which the band would move en route to the massive commercial success they would ultimately enjoy with 'Rumours'.
I have been listening to the album a lot over the past few weeks and have been thoroughly enjoying the experience. I now wonder how it took me 45 years.
Monday, 14 March 2016
Every Weekend Should Be Like This
Spring arrived and best of all, the family were reunited.
This is just the male side - three generations of us.
Brilliant!
This is just the male side - three generations of us.
Brilliant!
Saturday, 12 March 2016
RIP Keith Emerson
I discovered last night that Keith Emerson had died and have awoken this morning to the even more tragic news that he may have committed suicide. I understand that he was suffering from a condition that made it impossible for him to play his beloved keyboards and consequently chose to end his own life. If true, this is very sad indeed.
I confess that apart from the first album, I was never much of a fan of Emerson, Lake & Palmer but I certainly appreciate what an immense talent, Emerson was. I did quite like his earlier band, The Nice and was fortunate to see them live in the late 1960's performing at The Plaza Ballroom in Tynemouth. To say that he was a showman is a massive understatement.
Emerson is just the latest in an ever growing list of fine musicians who have been taken from us this year. Another signal to us all that we should hang onto life and enjoy every moment while we can.
I confess that apart from the first album, I was never much of a fan of Emerson, Lake & Palmer but I certainly appreciate what an immense talent, Emerson was. I did quite like his earlier band, The Nice and was fortunate to see them live in the late 1960's performing at The Plaza Ballroom in Tynemouth. To say that he was a showman is a massive understatement.
Emerson is just the latest in an ever growing list of fine musicians who have been taken from us this year. Another signal to us all that we should hang onto life and enjoy every moment while we can.
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