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Albums you never listened to back in the day and now you find out they were s**** after all

by 233 Comments

Ladies and gentlemen I give you –

Caravanserai by Santana

I had the first three albums. I LOVED them at Woodstock. Caravanserai came out when I was penniless and couldn’t afford to buy anything. I was tempted though, loved the cover, the idea. But I never bought it and never heard it on the radio.

Then I picked up a copy of the CD as the community radio station where I do a weekly radio show is getting rid of piles of CDs .

I picked it up. I brought it home. Tonight I played it.

It’s crap. Not a patch on the first ones.

Anyone else?

Tintin

by 56 Comments

The death as been reported of Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper, aged 97.

No I hadn’t heard of her either.

She was the co-translator, with one Michael Turner, of Belgian writer/illustrator/genius Hergé.

The author of the Tintin books.

Read the obit. She was the person who translated Captain Haddock’s expostulations into English – ie she is responsible for “Blistering Barnacles”, “Thundering Typhoons” – etc etc

My question is – did you grow up with Tintin?

In New Zealand, we all did.

But when I moved to Australia in the early 80s, I discovered two essential differences between the Australian and New Zealand cultures (apart from all the indigenous cultural things that are now deservedly more prominent)

1. Australians did not grow up with Tintin 2. Australians did not grow up with Little Feat

Let us address No 1.

Did Afterworders grow up with Tintin?

https://www.smh.com.au/national/co-translator-brought-tintin-books-to-global-audience-20220309-p5a31p.html?btis&fbclid=IwAR3cdMSttofrlgFOkx06xx57T9Mee8cwtUjAya-85AqrhwjLVXFIEXCu6vc

Cricket podcasts

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As something of a sideline to the Ashes I’ve been listening to a few cricket podcasts, usually in the middle of the night when I often wake up for a couple of hours. Here’s three that I’ve been listening to… 
 Test Match Special

Ah yes dear old TMS. Aggers seems to have been replaced as the host by some other guy, who asks the questions and then JA and Steve Finn rabbit on as usual and interview a player or two. Aggers seems to have got a bit bitter and twisted, after the 1st test he was complaining about Joe Root’s excuses and putting them down as “captain’s talk” and definitely unimpressed. It’s still a good knowledgeable summary. I expect he’ll be chuffed about the England team’s excellent performance today in Melbourne …

Cricket Etcetera

Two of the best Australian writers/journalists Peter Lalor and Gideon Haigh. GH especially is one of my favourite writers (followed closely by Greg Baum) but unfortunately he writes for the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper, which I rarely buy and certainly will not subscribe to. The podcast is again knowledgable, but amateurish. They need a producer to tell them to get on with it » Continue Reading.

The Doors : Live At The Bowl ’68 Special Edition

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This film has been kicking around for almost a decade now but last night was given a “world premiere” in cinemas, preceded by a short film of Robbie Krieger and John Densmore in the studio with a couple of session musicians playing Riders On The Storm and LA Woman and doing the inevitable interview. It’s good, Densmore especially is still a fine drummer and they have Jason Scheff on bass and excellent vocals, he’s the son of Jerry Scheff who played bass on the original LA Woman album (having previously played in Elvis Presley’s band).

Then we are treated to the remastered version of The Doors at the Hollywood Bowl. I realised I’d never seen live footage of them before. Densmore is high up on a riser, Manzarek stage right at 90° facing Robbie Krieger on the other side, and in the middle Jim Morrison, all tight brown leather clutching the mike like he needs something to hang on to. Is he out of it? I have no idea. Probably. There are basically only two cameras, one front-on which zooms in and out of the band, and one side-on close up of Morrison. You see guys with hand held cameras » Continue Reading.

What do you do with your box set “extras”?

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I’ve been doing a studio tidy up/clean out while we’re in lockdown here in Sydney. I don’t have many box sets, but I opened up the two most recent ones – the Small Faces “Here Come The Nice” and The Kinks “…Village Green…” and here are all these photos, singles etc and in the case of The Kinks, sheet music (for “Days”). I’d forgotten about them. What do people do with these things? If I was 16 years old I’d put the photos on my bedroom wall like I used to do with Sounds posters, or The Beatles White Album photographs. Nowadays they just sit in the box, until I take out the album (once a year) and flick through the bits and pieces like they’re an album cover.

Oh, maybe I’ve answered my own question…

But what do youse do? I’m curious

Let’s have an old fashioned AW thread – great drum fills!

by 47 Comments

OK so let’s make it ONE drum fill per post. And let us know the location in your YT clip

My one is this from 1979 – Rickie Lee Jones and “Chuck E’s In Love”

The drummer is Steve Gadd. See also Paul Simon, James Taylor and a million other people who want him in their band.

The drum fill is at 1.56. So unexpected, subtle, and so musical.

There are YT clips about how he does it for drum people…

I just think it’s so appropriate for the song

Let’s have your besties…

The Aqualung Chopping Board

by 17 Comments

Yes folks it’s come to this

Much as I respect Burning Shed, this seems ridiculous.

A chopping board!

You can chop your onions or whatever looking at an image of – well, this (see link)

I mean, is anyone here buying one of these?

I know there are serious fans of Ver Tull here but really…

Let’s have your thoughts…

https://burningshed.com/store/jethrotull/jethro-tull_aqualung_chopping%20board

PSA : Martha Marlow

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Over the last few years I’ve posted the odd clip of my niece Martha Marlow and now finally her first album “Medicine Man” is out. Despite the family connection (she’s actually Mrs M’s niece if we’re being truly accurate) I think she is an extraordinary talent, a highly original songwriter with an amazing voice and I have a feeling her music is quite “AW friendly”

Judge for yourselves folks! I’ll post a Spotify link in the comments and another video or two

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/she-made-us-cry-with-that-qantas-song-now-she-reveals-her-own-pain-20210429-p57ndz.html

Sharing plates at restaurants

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Mrs M and I went out for dinner the other night, with an old friend and her new chap and another friend of hers who we like very much. So nice company.

The restaurant was a local Japanese, where you’re expected to share plates. Which we did, and it was excellent food, beautifully presented, but tiny servings. Mrs M and I walked home afterwards both feeling that we hadn’t had enough to eat, and that we’d have to fill up with a piece of toast (with our cup of tea while we watched Unforgotten).

Personally I’d rather choose something from a menu and have my own plate of food in front of me, and share if someone wanted to try it (I usually do this anyway) and have the option of sampling someone else’s if they offer.

One problem with the place we went to was that there were 5 of us but everything came in plates of 4 things – dumplings, sushi etc. So unless there was some awkward conversation about “who wants just half” and even more awkward slicing, someone had to miss out.

Also, say you have one super delicious prawn gyoza, you’re probably going to want » Continue Reading.

When people don’t reply

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So, I have noticed over the last few years that people don’t reply to emails.

Some do. Best mates do, maybe a day or two late. Also people you are working with, when both your lives depend on sorting stuff out.

The ones that don’t – well, I send reminders, and if they’re “cold calls” I usually send something along the lines of “hi, just resending by this in case it went to your junk mail or spam”

But then there’s always texts. Instant replies. Except no – not now. People don’t even bother to reply to texts.

Oh OK then I’ll call you, like we did in the old days. Except I then get that most ancient of responses – voicemail

Is this just me?

Amanda Palmer

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Amanda Palmer is quite amazing. At the very least she’s interesting. Bear with me here…

I first heard of her maybe ten years ago when she was despised and hated on Twitter and FB because she seemed to be asking for musicians to play with her for the glory of just that – playing with her, a Famous Person, but she wouldn’t pay them a guaranteed fee.

As a musician I was not impressed and joined the chorus of indignant musos who expressed the opinion that someone in her position should cough up the $$ to pay her sidemen/sidewomen.

Since then…skip a few years…here’s what I think…

First of all she got stranded in New Zealand in March 2020 halfway through a planned world tour. She’s still there.

Secondly, the place she was stranded in, Havelock North, is close to where a good friend of mine lives, and he’s connected with her. And connection is her whole thing.

On my friend’s recommendation I read her book “The Art Of Asking”. It’s an extraordinary account of her life as a performer, from starting out as one of those performance art statues you see in public places, to being one half of » Continue Reading.

Fish and chips

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I love fish and chips. This New Yorker article is mouth-watering.

My current favourite place in Sydney is just down the road from where I do my weekly radio show (www.eastsidefm.org/onesizefitsall seeing you asked).

It’s called Fish Butchery and is run by a chef whose schtick is that he uses every part of the fish. But apart from that Blumenthal-like high end gastronomy, they do great battered f&c. If you’re ever in Sydney go there.

When I was a kid my family would regularly go to a suburb of Wellington NZ called Island Bay and get fish and chips for lunch. We’d drive round the bay and park in a little off road spot and solemnly eat our f&c, which at the time were wrapped in newspaper. My Mum always remarked how she always found interesting things to read she’d missed. I used to like reading the classified ads. Mum and Dad would have a can of beer. afterwards we’d drive home via the Art Gallery, which at the time my sister and I hated, but I now remember fondly.

So let’s have you fish and chips submissions. Two things

1. The best fish and chips in your part of » Continue Reading.

I was there, but I don’t remember much about it

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I was talking with an old friend the other day and we recalled the time Talking Heads came to Wellington, New Zealand, in 1979. My ONLY memories of that show are firstly that the band seemed really nervous, and secondly that someone in the audience yelled out “TINAAAA!!!” and Tina Weymouth looked slightly embarrassed. However my friend also recalled that she broke a string on her bass, and continued playing her bass parts on a guitar. I would have thought I’d remember that, being a musician myself. And thinking about it now – what band would do an international tour without either spare instruments or at least bass strings? (Mind you, bass strings rarely break).

Anyway it made me think about what I remember from concerts/gigs/shows I’ve seen in the past, and – I’ve noticed this before – often I remember very little, if anything, about them.

For example, Little Feat came to Wellington NZ in 1976. The only 2 things I remember are the giant cactuses on the stage, and the roadie who gave them all a towel as they walked off stage, and Kenny Gradney threw his back at him. I have no memory of the songs they » Continue Reading.

Mental As Anything – “Live It Up” is apparently the Christmas No 1

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So it seems an Australian classic pop hit has reached the – er, “coveted Christmas No 1” spot.

Sadly, IMHO it’s not the best song by this great Australian band, who had several hits – I’ll post my favourite in the comments…

But also, tragically, this has happened almost a year to the day since the song’s composer and singer Andrew “Greedy” Smith passed away suddenly after a heart attack.

RIP Greedy, and please, if you love good songwriting, check out Reg Mombassa and Peter O’Doherty’s project Dog Trumpet.

Again, see comments

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/mental-as-anythings-live-it-up-tops-british-itunes-charts/news-story/519e503162eea6a928b8f643973a0dde

Remain In Love

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Author:Chris Frantz

I really wanted to like this book. And Chris Frantz. I pre-ordered it, because I read promo interviews with CF who sounded like such a nice guy and hey – he’s a successful musician in a band I love, he’s stayed married to the bass player and if he’s got a few gripes with the lead singer – well what’s new?

As the subtitle to Remain In Love says it’s a rock ’n roll love story – Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina (Weymouth, in case you’ve got this far and don’t know who I’m talking about)

And it’s all beautiful. He’s a kid from Kentucky, Dad’s in the army, he discovers Marvin Gaye and black music, finds his way into a band, but also he’s an art student, and ends up at the Rhode Island School Of Design, where he meets the aforementioned Tina W and the devil in the detail, David Byrne.

It turns out (according to CF) that he and Tina wrote Psycho Killer. And a few other early hits. It took a while for DB to credit them (heard this story before?) And don’t mention Brian Eno, who doesn’t get a good rap here.

» Continue Reading.

The Bonk Ban

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This is a very Australian thing.

It even made the New York Times – see the link.

What happened was, an Australian cabinet minister had an affair with a staffer, the relationship was outed on (surprisingly) the Murdoch media (surprisingly because the Murdoch media supports the ruling Coalition parties here in Australia ie the conservative “Liberal” and “National” parties) – this all happened a couple of years ago.

The then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull instituted what became known as the “Bonk Ban” – ie minsters and staffers were forbidden from having relationships (this is all true).

Then in recent days a TV show revealed more indiscretions between cabinet minsters and staffers.

Blah blah blah.

So there has been discussion here in Australia about what have become colloquially known as “bonk bans” between people who work together.

Speaking as someone who met his wife of 32 years in the workplace I am just gobsmacked at this as a ridiculous proposition, although I take the point that in the higher echelons of the political world, and actually in lots of workplaces, women get the rough end of the pineapple (as we say in Australia) – ie men take advantage of them and » Continue Reading.

RIP Bones Hillman

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Who?

Bones Hillman, born Wayne Stevens, was a New Zealand bass player who is famous for his involvement in two bands from down under – The Swingers and Midnight Oil.

The Swingers, the brainchild of Split Enz founder Phil Judd, had a huge hit with Counting The Beat in 1981, and a couple of other hits before dissolving a few years later. Bones lasted slightly longer with Midnight Oil, joining them in 1987 (great story about how that happened in the Audio Culture article) for 15 years, and then again – he’s on their latest record.

I actually shared a house with Phil Judd in Auckland when The Swingers were forming – his bedroom was full of tape recorders and he never spoke to anyone – and he is still making absolutely brilliant pop records. I never met Bones, who was by all accounts the classic Kiwi top bloke.

I’ll put some more clips and links in the comments. He was a great musician.

https://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/bones-hillman?fbclid=IwAR0M8r6BqXWvHwyR2IahZHuCl6bgKVDgC2F6V-zlaYyojyOSke7MbWMzKuc

Beatles cars

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This was posted on FaceBook. Thanks to Steve Bradley, wherever/whoever you are. It’s a great read. 1,2,3,4 ………

Who’s gold cigarette lighter was worth more than a car? Who climbed back into his car after crashing it? What was left in a car after John died? Beatles historian Steve Bradley takes the road that stretches out ahead…

Ringo was the first of the Beatles to buy a car – although he wasn’t actually a Beatle yet. In 1959 he bought his first wheels from Liverpool drummer Johnny Hutchinson, a Standard Vanguard Estate (station wagon), hand-painted (not sprayed) in red and white. He needed an Estate for the same reason Johnny had – big enough to carry a drum kit. The days of carrying drums on a bus and carrying from bus stop to venue were over. Ringo didn’t let the fact he had neither driving licence nor insurance deter him from enjoying the freedom the car gave him.

By 1962 he was earning more and upgraded to a two-year-old Ford Zodiac in cream and eau-de-nil, which is pale green to you and me (registration number NWM466). Later in the year he would load his drums into this car in » Continue Reading.

The “Pomp and Circumstance” genre – overblown singing, orchestral hits, heavenly choirs, tempo changes. And the kitchen sink…

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Exhibit No 1 – “Eloise”

I heard this on a Classic Hits radio station I have on the car radio for when the news stations get too grim, which is increasingly happening these days. And I haven’t heard it for ages. Bloody hell it’s such a HUGE production.

According to Wikipedia the song was written by Barry Ryan’s brother Paul Ryan, who locked himself away for 3 days to write it, and it was influenced by MacArthur Park, another utterly “Pomp and Circumstance” overblown classic. And JP and JPJ from Led Zep possibly played on it, not that you’d know. I’d love to know who did the orchestration. It’s OTT and very well done – JPJ?

Anyway, what are our favourite (or notable) “Pomp and Circumstance” hits?

R.I.P. Helen Reddy, and was “I Am Woman” a hit in your world?

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So the big news in Australia this week has been the passing of Helen Reddy, who had the huge hit “I Am Woman” in 1971. And a few other hits as well. She was a local girl made good – went to the US with a 3 year old and $200 in her pocket and became a star. Aussies love those kind of stories. And it is a great story.

In 1971 I was a frustrated 17 year old in my first year at university (yeah, way too young), more interested in Neil Young, Led Zeppelin and ELP than the pop singles of the day. However, I remember my mother talking about “I Am Woman”. She loved it. Mum was a frustrated feminist. She was a gentle soul, actually very happy to be the Good Wife while recognising that the feminist movement happening at the time was a Good Thing. I remember her saying to me that she thought the song was WONDERFUL, and singing the lines “yes I am wise but it’s wisdom born of pain”. I guess it was water off a duck’s back for me at the time, being a testosterone filled idiot, but it’s a very » Continue Reading.

Hammock albums

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In a recent Word Podcast, David and Mark discuss that recent Rolling Stone best 500 Albums list, in which Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is Number One. DH refers to it as a “hammock album” – one great track to start (the title track), one to end (Inner City Blues), but a bit saggy in the middle. I must say I kind of agree, although I do love those two tracks.

But I can’t off the top of my head think of another hammock album…over to youse…

http://wordpodcast.co.uk/2020/09/29/podcast-350-do-we-still-need-these-greatest-album-lists/

Wot you just never got – a friendly discussion

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So for me the bands/music I just never understood, or was interested in, included…

The Velvet Underground Van Morrison Bruce Springsteen

and a whole lot of others…

And the ones I DID get, which a whole lot of other people didn’t…

Frank Zappa Steely Dan The Beatles

So I’m wondering if it’s possible to discuss these things in some kind of amenable manner.

How do we do this? I think it’s important to sort this in the current world climate – which is way too divided at the moment. The whole political discourse is too confronting in an absolute manner that is unproductive. Republicans vs Democrats in the US is the obvious international example. I’m not sure if anyone follows Australian politics here but it’s pretty confrontational. And I’m completely confused by UK politics.

Us And Them, to quote one of those bands for which I have mixed feelings.

So is there a way we can express our differences and continue dialogue? We can be quite good at this here, we can also have stupid unproductive opinionated brain farts.

So here’s a start – just at random for me, let’s take Van Morrison (just cos he’s been in the news)

» Continue Reading.