The Dirty Soul Revival - Can't Hurt Me Anymore

 #The Dirty Soul Revival #blues rock #hard rock #Southern rock #heavy blues rock #funk rock

Abraham Anderson, a.k.a. “Abraham Drinkin’,” tried writing songs since he was 20 years old and first picked up an acoustic guitar, but he could never seem to force the words out the way he wanted. Almost three years ago, they came tumbling out on their own, the frontman for The Dirty Soul Revival told The Daily Times this week. “I think I was trying too hard to write in this vein or that vein, but I was driving home from work one day about 2 and a half years ago, and this song just popped in my head, and it just kind of wrote itself,” he said. “It was about my wife, and ever since then, I don’t really try. Sometimes I’ll come up with an idea for a phrase I like if I’m listening to Charlie Patton or really old blues, and because I played banjo up until a few years ago and listened to a lot of old bluegrass, sometimes some ideas come out of that. I love old country, too — Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash — and the Allman Brothers, which is one of my favorite bands ever, so there’s a lot of variety. A lot of it is raunchy blues-rock, but there’s some funk, some country and some straight-up rock ‘n’ roll in there, too.”
Born and raised in Cushing, Oklahoma, Anderson started out playing banjo. He didn’t set out to pursue a career in music, but he wanted to play more bluegrass, and he wanted to get out of Oklahoma, which he describes as “ungodly hot in the summer,” and some friends suggested North Carolina. He headed east, destined for Raleigh, but when he stopped in Asheville, the temperature was a comfortable 70 degrees. “I just kind of fell in love with it; it’s beautiful, and I said, ‘I’m moving here,’” he said. “I’d never been east of Nashville, but I’ve always been fascinated by music from the South in general.”
That was in 2009; his wife, Jennifer “Trixie Laroux” Anderson, came with him, and with her on drums and him on guitar and growling and howling into the microphone, they began to shape what would become The Dirty Soul Revival into a musical force of nature. Imagine if one member of The Black Keys grew up out back of a rough-hewn juke joint back in the Mississippi pines and the other learned to play stomping barefoot on Smoky Mountain barn floors, and you’ll get an idea of what the band sounds like. It’s a successful romantic and musical partnership, Anderson said, that’s helped the two out-of-towners survive and thrive in the bustling Asheville scene.
“We first started dating about 15 years ago, and when I first met her, she was 14 and absolutely infatuated with the Beatles and Zeppelin and all this great rock from the ’60s and ’70s, and I wasn’t listening to anything like that,” he said. “She’s been into good music her whole life, and that really helps me a lot. It’s hard for me to say what kind of music I like, but I think the common denominator I find in everything I love is, for lack of a better term, soul. Not necessarily soul music, even though I love Otis Redding, but people singing something they believe in — something that’s more than just a song or a radio hit. It’s a part of them, and I just try to do the same thing. I sing and play what I feel, and hopefully some of that gets through. It’s just dirty and honest, and even though I may not technically be the best singer, if you get out there and belt it hard enough like you mean it, people will respond to it.”  From: https://www.thedailytimes.com/entertainment/up-and-coming-asheville-rockers-dirty-soul-revival-set-to-open-for-shooter-jennings/article_a91b755d-bab0-5e4d-b4bf-7282a8ba2213.html

The Tea Party - The Bazaar

 #The Tea Party #hard rock #progressive rock #experimental rock #blues rock #industrial #Middle Eastern #Moroccan roll #Canadian

The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band from Windsor, Ontario, with blues, progressive rock and Middle Eastern influences who formed in 1990 and disbanded in October 2005. They reformed in 2011 to play some shows in Canada. They have released seven albums commercially during their time together. Guitarist and vocalist Jeff Martin, who has perfect pitch, was also producer for almost all of their albums. All three members played a range of instruments and they took up to 37 on tour with them at times in their career.  From: https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/the-tea-party

The Tea Party is a versatile and long-running Canadian rock band with a towering stage presence and a dynamic sound that combines blues, industrial rock, and psych-blasted progressive rock with Middle Eastern influences. Emerging in 1990 and led by charismatic frontman and guitarist Jeff Martin, the group released seven albums before they ceased operations in 2005. After reuniting for a series of shows in 2011, the Tea Party announced that they were officially re-forming, resulting in the release of 2014's acclaimed The Ocean at the End. The band continued to ply their esoteric wares into the next decade, releasing Blood Moon Rising in 2021.
The band formed in 1990 around the talents of Jeff Martin (guitars, vocals), Stuart Chatwood (bass, vocals), and Jeff Burrows (drums, percussion), all of whom had played in various groups together during their teenage years in Windsor. Adopting their moniker from the legendary hash sessions of Beat generation poets Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs, the Tea Party released their eponymous debut album in 1991. Steeped in the dark, psych-blasted blues-rock of the Doors and Led Zeppelin and produced by Martin, who would go on to helm all of the group's future albums, the self-released record caught the attention of EMI, which quickly added the trio to their roster. 1993's Splendor Solis marked their debut for the major label, and the LP found favor both at home and in Australia. The group further honed their unique blend of hard rock, mystical open-tunings, sitar, and Middle Eastern rhythms on 1995's Edges of Twilight. Continuing to absorb influences, the trio adopted a darker, more industrial tone on 1997's Transmission, which maintained the dervish-like esthetic of prior outings while introducing sequencers, samples, and loops. The Tea Party continued to straddle the nexus of alternative hard rock and orchestral worldbeat on 1999's Triptych.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-tea-party-mn0000565815/biography

Jorma Kaukonen - Genesis

 #Jorma Kaukonen #ex-Jefferson Airplane #ex-Hot Tuna #folk rock #blues rock #acoustic blues #singer-songwriter #1970s

Genesis, the opening song on Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen’s first solo album from 1974, has always been a favorite of mine. It details his plea toward a new beginning that was needed in his relationship with his wife, due to some typical thoughtless indulgence that frequents the lives of traveling musicians. In the liner notes of the re-release we read the following:
Although a wistful romantic ode on its surface. what many apparently don’t realize is that the song is a confessional. Says Jorma, “It’s about a guy who cheated on his wife and got caught. I was living the rock and roll life and one thing led to another and I was forced to fess up. The good news is I got a good song out of it. The bad news is I don’t even remember who it was that caused the song to be written. “At the time,” he continues, “my wife Margareta and I realized we were really miserable and we were trying to be happier together. I was writing a lot of true love songs—true love almost always gone wrong but saved at the last moment. Some people have suggested that wouldn’t it be nice if you could write songs like ‘Genesis’ all the time, and I always say, “Yeah, it would be, but it would be great not to have to be in the place I was when I wrote it.’ Many of the best songs get written in a state of abject misery. I prefer to write fewer songs and have less cataclysmic events in my life.”
Thus, “Genesis” is one of those songs that is ultimately both sad yet beautiful. Sad in it’s potentially cataclysmic origination yet beautiful in its expression of a new beginning. The “flying angel” cover art used for the album called “Quah” was created by his wife. Jorma dedicated the re-issue of the album to the memory of Margareta.  From: https://manifestpropensity.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/genesis-by-jorma-kaukonen-a-song-born-from-the-cataclysmic/

Jorma Kaukonen's 50 plus year career began in his hometown of Washington DC when he and friend Jack Casady formed their first band, the Triumphs. Later, attending Antioch college, Kaukonen learned the fingerpicking style of guitar playing and got his introduction to the music of the Reverend Gary Davis which became an integral part of his performances. Moving on to northern California, Kaukonen enrolled at Santa Clara University where he played in coffee houses and accompanied Janis Joplin on some acoustic demos. From there Kaukonen helped form Jefferson Airplane, followed by Hot Tuna and when that band broke up, he continued a solo career he began when Hot Tuna was still active. Jorma Kaukonen has continued his solo career and work with Hot Tuna over the decades. His career has also been marked by numerous collaborations, from working with Jaco Pastorius to collaborating with former members of the Grateful Dead.  From: https://wnrn.org/decade-of-difference-jorma-kaukonen-2/

The Who - Rael

 #The Who #Pete Townshend #Roger Daltrey #hard rock #heavy blues rock #psychedelic rock #art pop #classic rock #1960s #1970s

Rael was Pete Townshend’s first rock opera. A lot of the themes in it were apparently recycled into Tommy and Lifehouse based on musical evidence. The story was set in 1999, where China was the world power. They were conquering lands and destroying the religious cultures in their conquest. China was overthrowing Israel and an Israeli hero travels back to his homeland on a mission against all odds to save his people. There isn't much more information than that as Pete hasn't release many notes or demos from the opera.
According to the book “Who Are You: The life of Pete Townshend” it was intended to be done with a full orchestra written as a genuine opera starring Arthur Brown in the lead. There were to be 20 scenes. We have a prelude song that's easily found on the internet called Motherland Feeling. Rael part 1 has the scene of him leaving on the boat, a storm scene (which is the sparks part) and the scene of him arriving. We also know there was an organ Fugue which may be the organ part of the demo. There is also a lyric floating around for a song called Party Piece from Rael where we learn that the hero’s wife had died years earlier and was buried in the homeland.
Following a visit to Caesarea, Israel in 1966 with his first wife, Karen Astley, and the subsequent outbreak of the Six-Day War, Townshend began work on Rael, a song cycle loosely based on Israel’s struggle to survive despite being massively outnumbered by its enemies. Rael — short for Israel — got sidetracked, partly due to the demands of the Who’s record company for faster delivery of more hit singles, and Rael was consigned to the shelf. The only song that has surfaced from that project is called Rael and appears on the late 1967 album, The Who Sell Out.
In recent years, Townshend’s thoughts have once again turned back toward the concerns he expressed in Rael. As he told an interviewer for Rolling Stone in 2006: Last week, I was reading about this book that’s just come out. It’s about the Polish Jews who got out of concentration camps and went back to their homes, which had been taken over by Christians who assumed the Jews weren’t coming back. What happened was another wave of anti-Semitism in which dozens were slaughtered by Christians in Warsaw. The premise for it was that there was witchcraft going on. The Jews, of course, drank the blood of children. Been there, done that. Fucking hell. And I asked myself, ‘Why am I so heated up about this fucking story?’ But it’s because, as a kid, my best friend, Mick Leiber, was a Jew. We grew up in a community that was about a third Polish. We lived in a house that divided in two, and in the top part lived a Jewish family who were quite devout. Polish Jews were the kids I played with. They were my people. I remember saying to my mother, ‘Aren’t Polish people from Poland?’ And she said, ‘Yes, they were Britain’s first ally in the war.’ I’d say, ‘But they’re not like foreigners. They’re just like we are.’ And she said, “Yes, they’re just like we are.”
From: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheWho/comments/slb4mo/can_somebody_explain_rael/ 

Led Zeppelin - Poor Tom

 #Led Zeppelin #Jimmy Page #Robert Plant #hard rock #blues rock #folk rock #heavy metal #folk metal #heavy blues rock #1970s #music video

Led Zeppelin’s Poor Tom was composed in 1970 by vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page when they were staying at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales, and was recorded at Olympic Studios on 6 May 1970. The song was left off the album Led Zeppelin III but was eventually included on the band's album Coda, released in 1982 two years after the death of drummer John Bonham, having been produced by Page at his newly-acquired Sol Studios. Although the lyrics can be difficult to decipher, the song appears to be about a hard working labourer on the Mississippi River named Tom who does away with his unfaithful wife Ellie May. Tom may also be psychic, as the lines 'Poor Tom, seventh son/Always knew what was goin' on' can be interpreted as a reference to the folk belief that seventh sons of seventh sons were clairvoyant. The title may have come from Charles Kingsley's The Water Babies. In the story, a poor chimneysweep called Tom falls into a bedroom owned by Miss Ellie, who is dying. Tom is accused of being a thief and subsequently drowns in a river after being pursued. This song seems to be a variation on the theme of Robert Wilkins' That's No Way To Get Along, recorded in 1929, which was covered by The Rolling Stones for their 1968 Beggar's Banquet album, under the title Prodigal Son. The music for Zep's Poor Tom also bears resemblance to a track recorded in the 1960's called She Likes It, by Owen Hand, who was allegedly a friend of Bert Jansch's.  From: https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Poor_Tom

Here's a tale of Tom
Who worked the railroads long
His wife would cook his meal
As he would change the wheel

Poor Tom, seventh son,
Always knew what's goin' on
Ain't a thing that you can hide from Tom
There ain't nothing that you can hide from Tom

Worked for thirty years
Sharing hopes and fears
Dreamin' of the day
He could turn and say

Poor Tom, work's done,
Been lazin' out in the noonday sun
Ain't a thing that you can hide from Tom
Ain't a thing that you can hide from Tom

His wife was Annie Mae
With any man a game she'd play
When Tom was out of town
She couldn't keep her dress down

Poor Tom, seventh son,
Always knew what's goin' on
Ain't a thing that you can hide from Tom
Ain't a thing that you can hide from Tom

And so it was one day
People got to Annie Mae
Tom stood, a gun in his hand
And stopped her runnin' around

Poor Tom, seventh son,
Gotta die for what you've done
All those years of work are thrown away
To ease your mind is that all you can say?
But what about that grandson on your knee?
Them railroad songs, Tom would sing to me

Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - One Sunny Day

 #Fleetwood Mac #Peter Green #Mick Fleetwood #John McVie #blues rock #British blues revival #heavy blues rock #psychedelic blues rock #1960s

Their third LP, 1969's Then Play On, was Fleetwood Mac's first masterpiece, building on their beloved blues with edgier guitar tones, expanded arrangements and elements of folk, art-rock and psychedelia. There was plenty of space to get heavy, and a prime example is "One Sunny Day": Over Fleetwood's steadily thudding toms, Green and Danny Kirwan intertwine distorted, descending riffs and high, piercing melodies — even, at times, dipping their collective toe into the proto-metal pool.  From: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/heaviest-fleetwood-mac-songs/

I don’t want to rock the boat, but to me Fleetwood Mac never meant Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham or the tedious media fascinations with the band members’ relationship conflicts. To me, Fleetwood Mac meant one thing: Then Play On – one of the greatest blues-rock records ever made. Then Play On was the group’s third album, released on the Reprise label in 1969. This gatefold record is hard evidence of Fleetwood Mac’s growth from an excellent blues band to a blues-based act that defied description. The group at this point featured Peter Green and Danny Kirwan, each on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Spencer (whose only contribution here is piano on “Oh Well”), and the world-class rhythm section of bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood.
I’m impressed by how Then Play On prioritizes what I assume Fleetwood Mac wanted to show of themselves: their ability to create both taut, vocal-led tracks and stunning instrumental workouts. Sure, Fleetwood Mac and Rumours are great albums that served up anthems for an era, but I can usually hear select cuts from those records while waiting at my bank machine, or at the grocery store. On the other hand, when I want to hear brilliant blues rock that never compromises and demands to be heard, I put Then Play On on my turntable and play it loud.  From: https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/why-fleetwood-macs-then-play-on-is-one-of-the-greatest-blues-rock-albums-ever-made

The Youngbloods - Darkness, Darkness

 #The Youngbloods #Jesse Colin Young #folk rock #psychedelic rock #roots rock #blues rock #West coast psychedelia #1960s

Before the ’60s wrapped up, it saw brilliant and epic releases left and right. Thus, it’s no wonder why a plethora of LPs which were just as stellar as the more popular ones, were overlooked and largely ignored. Unfortunately for The Youngbloods, their third studio effort “Elephant Mountain” is one of the underrated records of 1969. Then again, the band never actually broke into mainstream. And so even though “Elephant Mountain” only peaked at #118 on the US Billboard 200, it was their highest charting album. What started as a quartet became a trio on this LP. They started working on it following the departure of co-founder Jerry Corbitt. With the need for new material, Jesse Colin Young rose up to the challenge and penned 7 out of the 13 songs on “Elephant Mountain.” The Youngbloods were still a tight unit and this LP helped showcase their musicianship especially with the variety of tunes – from acoustic ballads to country to hard rock and even bluesy numbers. It offers an enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. Sure, it’s not without fillers but even those are fun to listen to as well. At a time when most rock acts gravitated towards dark, political, and ominous themes, “Elephant Mountain” was a breath of fresh air. The opener “Darkness, Darkness” is the clear highlight of the LP but that’s not to say the rest of the tracks aren’t just as good. Other standouts include “On Sir Francis Drake”, “Trillium”, “Sham”, and “Ride the Wind.” “Elephant Mountain” is both consistent and solid. It may have a few weak moments but overall, it’s The Youngbloods’ greatest record.  From: https://societyofrock.com/album-review-elephant-mountain-by-the-youngbloods/

Elephant Mountain, the magnetic third album by the Youngbloods, is commonly looked upon as the pinnacle of the legendary Bay Area combo's abundant eight-year career. From its spine chilling opening track--the strains of a somber Appalachian fiddle permeating "Darkness, Darkness"--the listener is inexorably sucked into psychedelic quicksand by the haunting vocals of Jesse Colin Young, whose plaintive cry to "hide the constant yearning for things that cannot be" proves mournfully irresistible. In addition to Young's songwriting masterpiece, the 1969 album also spotlights a sharp, country-rocking vocal duet ("Smug") by Young and recently-departed singer Jerry Corbitt, as well as the jazzy interplay between electric keyboard whiz Banana and the locked-in groove of drummer Joe Bauer during magical instrumental "On Sir Francis Drake." More songwriting gems loom like sacred totems on this landmark longplayer, including Young's signature ballads "Sunlight," "Quicksand" and "Ride the Wind." It's the Youngbloods at the top of their game, indelibly writing their names in the ledger of consummate San Francisco rock 'n' roll.  From: https://sundazed.com/p/1189-Youngbloods-Elephant-Mountain-CD.aspx

Alabama Shakes - Gimme All Your Love

 #Alabama Shakes #blues rock #roots rock #soul #R&B #Southern rock #punk blues #psychedelic soul

Alabama Shakes were an American roots rock quartet that achieved commercial and critical success with a genre-defying sound and electrifying live performances. The group’s principal members were lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, bass player Zac Cockrell, drummer Steve Johnson, and guitarist Heath Fogg). Frontwoman Howard began writing songs as a young teen and taught herself how to play guitar. She was soon joined by Cockrell, a high-school classmate, and the pair experimented with a variety of styles that ranged from American roots to the music of David Bowie. Johnson, a drummer who worked at a music store in the duo’s hometown of Athens, Alabama, brought a punk beat to Howard and Cockrell’s evolving sound. The trio began circulating a rough demo tape, and it caught the attention of Fogg, another Athens-based musician, who was already established in his own band, Tuco’s Pistol. Fogg asked Howard, Cockrell, and Johnson to open for his band, and the trio agreed, on the condition that Fogg perform with them. He consented, and the success of that performance eventually led to Fogg’s joining the band full-time. In 2009 the group christened themselves the Shakes, and in May of that year they began a relentless touring schedule. While playing as much of their own material as time would allow, they punctuated their live shows with crowd-pleasing cover songs. Independent music tastemaker Justin Gage posted their song “You Ain’t Alone” on his Aquarium Drunkard music blog, and the band’s profile skyrocketed virtually overnight. They soon found themselves opening for fellow Alabama natives the Drive-By Truckers and performing in Nashville at the Third Man Records store belonging to Jack White. Renaming themselves Alabama Shakes, the group released a self-titled EP in September 2011 and continued to draw critical praise for their live shows, which were anchored by Howard’s arresting stage presence.  From: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alabama-Shakes

Humble Pie - Black Coffee

 #Humble Pie #Steve Marriott #blues rock #hard rock #British blues rock #boogie rock #1970s #The Old Grey Whistle Test #music video

In 1973, Humble Pie performed “Black Coffee” during a broadcast on the British TV program, The Old Grey Whistle Test. The cover was off the band’s double album, Eat It (released the same year). Frontman Steve Marriott, a vocal power-house, switched up the lyrics a bit, but the feeling of the song remained. It was alive, it was allegorical, and it was as hot as a fresh cup of morning brew. Guitarist Clem Clempson, was at Marriott’s side and kept spot-on rhythm.
Humble Pie was joined by another group that nearly out-shined the intense vocals of Marriott - and that’s almost impossible. Marriott had introduced the dynamic of adding a group within the group to provide a counter-weight to his spearheading vocals. The British singer had formed Humble Pie in the late 1960s, after fronting the Small Faces where he helped make mainstream the approach to rock singing that still resonates today. Marriott wanted to deepen the connection between rock and blues and often included soul singers instead of pop back up singers. For the “Black Coffee” performance he invited the extraordinarily talented Blackberries. The trio consisted of Venetta Fields (former Ikette), Clydie King (Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street), and Shirlie Matthews. The Blackberries were an almost permanent fixture in Humble Pie at that point and encapsulated the entire sound of the band’s vision.
The original “Black Coffee” song is about overcoming oppression. Marriott’s version is about his devotion to musical inspirations in the black community. He acknowledges his foreignness to the original Ike & Tina track but also delivers a vocal performance that establishes his understanding of the soul and blues genres. The Blackberries add to the blues testimony most certainly, and Marriott’s  version of “Black Coffee” was perfectly framed for the rock/blues crossover.
From: https://societyofrock.com/humble-pies-black-coffee-is-served-hot-in-this-1973-performance/

 
Humble Pie was a British rock music band from 1969-82, best known for it’s hard-rocking recordings and concert performances during their peak period on A&M records from 1970-1975. The band initially consisted in 1969 of Steve Marriott (formerly of Small Faces; lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Peter Frampton (from The Herd; lead guitar), Greg Ridley (from Spooky Tooth; bass) and Jerry Shirley (from The Apostolic Intervention; drums). The joining of all these fairly known players resulted in Humble Pie being considered a bit of a “supergroup”. Worried about great expectations, the group began working together in secret at Marriott's cottage in Moreton, Essex. Signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records, their debut single "Natural Born Boogie" was rushed out in 1969 and was a UK hit; it was quickly followed by the album As Safe As Yesterday Is, praised as a progressive album in the vein of Small Faces. Their second album Town and Country was also released in 1969 and featured a more acoustic sound. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set followed by an electric set, an approach that would become popular decades later. 1970 saw the financial collapse of Immediate, a switch to A&M Records, and a change in band management. The albums Humble Pie and Rock On, both released that year, alternated between progressive rock and boogie rock excess. A concert at the Fillmore East in NYC was captured on Perfomance: Rockin' The Fillmore (1971); it is considered one of the best live rock albums of its era, with Marriott, Frampton, and the rest of the group in fine form. The loud-quiet-loud epic "I Don't Need No Doctor" was an FM radio hit in the United States, propelling the album to the group's biggest commercial success yet.  From: https://www.last.fm/music/Humble+Pie/+wiki

Foghat - Terraplane Blues

 #Foghat #blues rock #hard rock #boogie rock #ex-Savoy Brown #1970s

Originally from England, Foghat certainly made an impression in the U.S. Known for incorporating the sound of slide guitar into their rock music, Foghat formed in 1971 in London after founding members Dave Peverett, Tony Stevens and Roger Earl left their previous English blues rock band, Savoy Brown. Rod Price brought in the group’s signature slide guitar after he left Black Cat Bones.
The band’s name originated from a word that Peverett and his brother John made up during a Scrabble-like game they were playing as children. Though legend has it that “Foghat” is a riff off the curse word, “fuck,” Peverett put those rumors to rest when he shared that it was actually a “nonsense word” he and his brother created. When playing with Chris Youlden when he joined Savoy Brown, Peverett said Youlden wanted to change his name to Luther Foghat. But just after recording their self-titled debut album, which was released in 1972, the band needed a name. That’s when Peverett went into the memory bank and pitched ‘Foghat.’
“When we did the first album, we had it all ready to go, the artwork was done. We didn’t like the name we had at that time, which was Brandywine, which sounded like a Kingston trio kind of band,” Peverett said, noting that the name reminded him of a folk band. “I came up with the little drawing of the guy with this hat and everybody said ‘at least we’ve got a logo, we’ll go with the Foghat.’ And that was it.” The back cover of Foghat features Peverett’s sketch drawing of a cartoon man’s face with his tongue sticking out with fog pouring out of his hat. “Peverett used this new word to create Junior Foghat, an imaginary childhood playmate who became an alter ego and therefore the genesis of the ‘Lonesome Dave’ persona that he was to employ as a performer.”
From: https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-band-name-foghat/

"Terraplane Blues" is a blues song recorded in 1936 in San Antonio, Texas, by bluesman Robert Johnson. Vocalion issued it as Johnson's first 78 rpm record, backed with "Kind Hearted Woman Blues", in March 1937. The song became a moderate regional hit, selling up to 10,000 copies. Johnson used the car model Terraplane as a metaphor for sex. In the lyrical narrative, the car will not start and Johnson suspects that his girlfriend let another man drive it when he was gone. In describing the various mechanical problems with his Terraplane, Johnson creates a setting of thinly veiled sexual innuendo.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraplane_Blues

Jethro Tull - Kissing Willie

 #Jethro Tull #Ian Anderson #progressive rock #folk rock #hard rock #blues rock #English folk rock #art rock #classic rock #progressive folk #music video

"Willie" is British slang for the penis, and this song is about oral sex. There are other sexual references throughout the song, something that is not typical of Jethro Tull. In spite of the apparent bawdy nature of the lyrics, Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson is no lecher. As he told us: "I'm usually rather put off by naked ladies unless the time is right. Well, indeed, unless the money's right." In fact, he turned down performing at Woodstock based on the likelihood of it being a scene involving naked women and hippies! (Check out the full Ian Anderson interview)

Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson isn't your typical Rock Star. He's never done drugs and has no use for the trappings of fame. So what does he have in common with the boys from Led Zeppelin? More than you might think.

Carl Wiser (Songfacts): Ian, I have four different statements about you that appeared in pretty notable publications. I was wondering if you could tell me if these are true or false. The first one is: you kept a urinal you used to clean as a souvenir.

Anderson: I wish I had. I don't have it anymore. It was one of the spare and probably cracked or slightly broken urinals that was in the store room of the Ritz Cinema in Luton in late 1967. My job was to clean the theatre, including the toilets, in the mornings, which took me half the day. And I thought, well, this old urinal is probably not going to get used, because it had a chip out of the side. So I managed to take it home. And I did keep it for a while with some idea of turning into perhaps a drinking fountain. But along the way it got abandoned, and the nearest I came to reliving the urinal moment was when we used to have a urinal bolted to the side of John Evan's Hammond organ onstage, and at some point during the performance around 1972 he would pretend to relieve himself into said urinal to the amusement – and horror, indeed – of some of the audience. But it was, in fact, just playacting. Because he did in fact relieve himself into a beer can backstage, but hopefully no one was looking during the drum solo. So, yes, partly true.

Songfacts: Okay, next one. You refused to play Woodstock because you thought it wasn't a big deal.

Anderson: No, I knew it was going to be a big deal. The reason I didn't want to play Woodstock is because I asked our manager, Terry Ellis, "Well, who else is going to be there?" And he listed a large number of groups who were reputedly going to play, and that it was going to be a hippie festival, and I said, "Will there be lots of naked ladies? And will there be taking drugs and drinking lots of beer, and fooling around in the mud?" Because rain was forecast. And he said, "Oh, yeah." So I said, "Right. I don't want to go.” Because I don't like hippies, and I'm usually rather put off by naked ladies unless the time is right. Well, indeed, unless the money's right.

Songfacts: Okay. Yet you toured with Led Zeppelin.

Anderson: We did, but happily, outside the orbit of their nightly shenanigans, although Jimmy Page used to show us Polaroids involving close-up blurred parts of young ladies' anatomy, often featuring soft fruit - that seemed to be in quite a lot of these photographs. Yeah, that's about it. We kind of heard the tales, but we were on the periphery of all that, didn't really experience it.

Songfacts: Was that the way it was for many of the bands that you toured with?

Anderson: That they stayed on the periphery? No. My impression was that the majority of bands were really enjoying and living up those moments when they were temporarily famous and about to have the good fortunes of young ladies' attentions thrust upon them on a nightly basis, which I could never have possibly kept up with the pressure to fulfill. So, yeah, that's my impression, everybody was at it. I mean, out of all the bands, and all the people I've known, really, I'm probably the only person I know for sure never did what we popularly called "drugs" during all of that period. It was just something everybody did. And I didn't really enjoy being around people who were doing drugs, so I just took myself often to read a book somewhere, and waited for it all to kind of evaporate from the rock and roll lifestyle. But of course it hasn't. These days people drop as often as they did back then, like flies, sadly, before their time. One or two get lucky and manage to control it or survive it, like Keith Richards, but he's one of the small number of people who seem to have emerged – not entirely unscathed – from the heady and demanding experiences of rock and roll.

Songfacts: I read where you said that Led Zeppelin "showed you the way." So you must have learned something from them.

Anderson: I think what they showed to all their peer group as musicians, was that there was, first of all, a very powerful and dramatic way to perform simple, direct rock music and also to introduce elements of more eclectic music. Because Zeppelin, near the beginning, there were a lot of elements of folk music, and Asian music, and African music that crept into their stuff. And if Zeppelin had carried on, I imagine we would have had at least one or two Led Zeppelin "unplugged" albums, and probably some rather more esoteric offerings along the way, where they did explore more thoroughly those more eclectic musical moments that they hinted at early on. Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin did share that same interest, even passion, for music that was not the normal stuff of rock and roll. And perhaps they, too, were influenced in some ways by what influenced me: Indian music, Mediterranean music, and British folk music. And we shared a chum, a fellow by the name of Roy Harper, who's one of the British folk musicians of the late '60s. And he was chummy with members of Pink Floyd and Zeppelin and with me. Not with the other members of Jethro Tull, who thought he was a bit weird and they didn't really like his music, I don't think. But he was someone who influenced me greatly right at the beginning, around '68 when I first came across him. And I think that rubbed off a little bit on Jimmy Page, too, as did some of the other British folkies, like Bert Jansch and Davey Graham, and I think that music must have infected the early Jimmy Page style with some of its innovative guitar work.

From: https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/ian-anderson-of-jethro-tull

Fanny - Ain't That Peculiar

 #Fanny #hard rock #blues rock #classic rock #Marvin Gaye cover #1970s #Beat-Club

Fanny - four young women who were accomplished rock instrumentalists and singers; who never depended only on their sexuality to sell the music; who were self-described as being musicians first and women second. But the fact that they WERE women, and that they reached a level of success previously unheard of for a rock band composed solely of women, was a remarkable achievement. Fanny was the first all-female rock act to record an entire album for a major record label, and in fact recorded and released five albums for major labels. Fanny was the first all-female rock act to rise to real prominence in the US and Europe. Acknowledged by both the press and their many fans as an awesome live act - in the words of Steve Peacock, a top UK music journalist of the era, “if you close your eyes, it’s like listening to the Stones” - Fanny toured tirelessly for up to nine months of every year. In a career that stretched from 1970 to 1975, they had a string of hit singles and also played on the studio recordings of some legendary artists. In addition to their many live gigs, they performed on top music and variety television shows of the time, including The Old Grey Whistle Test, the Sonny and Cher Show, American Bandstand and Beat-Club, Germany’s most famous rock music program. The four original members of Fanny were June Millington (guitar, vocals), Jean Millington (bass, vocals), Alice de Buhr (drums, vocals), and Nickey Barclay (keyboards, vocals). June and Nickey were the primary songwriters for the band, but Jean and Alice made significant contributions to Fanny’s repertoire and all four participated in arranging the songs and crafting their stage performances. Some of the biggest music stars of the time, from David Bowie to Deep Purple to George Harrison to the Kinks, were so blown away by these four teenaged rockers that they went out of their way to promote the band and to book them as an opening act. Despite their success, Fanny were never quite superstars, but they prepared the way for women in rock. When they started out, the idea of young women as rock players was as unthinkable as the idea of women having the vote had been to earlier generations.  From: https://fannyrocks.com/about-2/

They were extraordinary: they wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody's ever mentioned them. They're as important as anybody else who's ever been, ever; it just wasn't their time.
— David Bowie

Deep Purple - No No No

 #Deep Purple #Ritchie Blackmore #Ian Gillan #hard rock #heavy metal #prog metal #blues rock #classic rock #1970s #Beat-Club

After their breakthrough "In rock" album, Deep Purple consolidated their new found popularity with a remarkably confident and competent follow up. "Fireball" has all the consistency which was lacking in the brash rawness of "In rock", making for a much more satisfying album as a whole. The title track opens the album in blistering fashion, a phonetic representation of the track name indeed. A sort of cross between their own "Black night" Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant song", and Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin", it packs more into three minutes than most albums manage in forty. Classic stuff indeed! The following two tracks sit well together. "No no no" is a powerful, more structured song, with aggressive lyrics and a fine guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore, while "Demon's eye" is a rather funky mid-paced number with an infectious melody. Ian Gillan is in fine vocal form throughout the album, but he clearly enjoys himself on "Anyone's daughter". This is quite the quirkiest song Deep Purple have ever recorded. It has a country flavor supporting comedic lyrics which tell the tale of Gillan's various conquests. A superbly outrageous piece, to which Blackmore adds some subtly lilting slide guitar, and Jon Lord contributes some wonderfully dirty piano.  From: https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=9121

Love - She Comes in Colors

 #Love #Arthur Lee #Bryan MacLean #psychedelic rock #garage rock #folk rock #acid rock #psychedelic pop #psychedelic folk #1960s

Love broadened their scope into psychedelia on their sophomore effort Da Capo, Arthur Lee's achingly melodic songwriting gifts reaching full flower. The six songs that comprised the first side of this album when it was first issued are a truly classic body of work, highlighted by the atomic blast of pre-punk rock "Seven & Seven Is" (their only hit single), the manic jazz tempos of "Stephanie Knows Who," and the enchanting "She Comes in Colors," perhaps Lee's best composition and reportedly the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow”.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/da-capo-mw0000195829

Seconds into the opening track, “Stephanie Knows Who,” it’s clear that “Da Capo” represented new directions for Love and for rock. A harpsichord dances with guitar in the lovely prelude. A deep-throated sax breaks in. In the break, all of the song’s instruments collide and veer off in different directions. The resulting passage is more in tune with free jazz than psychedelic music - although this is unmistakably a hard rock song. “Da Capo” was Arthur Lee and Love’s second album, out of three made with his core group of L.A. musicians. The album was followed and overshadowed by the rock masterpiece “Forever Changes,” but the songs here are streaked with brilliance and innovation. Many musicians’ minds were blown by its collage of sounds and crazy quilt of influences, the material clearly ahead of its time. “Da Capo” is, in a sense, a more adventurous album than “Forever Changes.” In any case, these tracks are among the finest recordings of Love as musicians. (Key parts of “Forever Changes” were played by hired hands.) The band had expanded to seven players, upgraded its drummer, added woodwinds and, of all things, integrated a harpsichord. The first side of “Da Capo” is a lovely experiment in fusing sounds from rock, Latin rhythms, jazz and classical. Lee and company succeed at this without pandering, producing some of their best songs.  From: https://psychedelicsight.com/no-37-loves-da-capo/

Bad Keys of the Mountain - As It Is

 #Bad Keys of the Mountain #country rock #alt-country #Southern rock #blues rock #Americana #animated music video

The shuffling boogie and Southern-fried licks in the opening title track of “Together and Alone” are an indicator that there’s plenty of good old-fashioned American, down-home rock in the new album from Bad Keys of the Mountain. But it’s not long before it becomes apparent how deep the influences of this West Virginia trio get, as Beatlesque melodies wind their way into the song. “I am you, and you are me / All in all is all we’ll be forever,” vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter David McGuire sings. “Laughing as we pass the time / ‘til we can be together and alone.” True to the album’s title, Together and Alone was recorded in quarantine during the summer of 2020. The band, which also feature bassist Joey Lafferty and drummer Joey Reese, holed up in a studio in their hometown of Charleston, West Virginia. “As the Covid pandemic hit early in the year and brought all things music to a halt, we decided to put all of our creative energies into making a record that we feel is both timeless and of the times, and that both looks inward and outward,” says McGuire in the album’s press materials. “Capturing the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll ranging from the 1960s to the indie wave of the early 2000s, this record is the best example yet of who we are as a collection of musicians.”  From: https://www.popmatters.com/bad-keys-mountain-together-alone

Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company - I Need a Man to Love

 #Janis Joplin #Big Brother & The Holding Company #blues rock #acid rock #psychedelic rock #West coast sound #1960s

Janis Joplin has the ain't-got-no-man blues in this psychedelic rock tune she co-wrote with Big Brother & The Holding Company's lead guitarist, Sam Andrew. He recalled to Goldmine in 1998: "'I Need A Man To Love' we wrote in about five minutes, backstage on a tuning amplifier. And that was a real sort of 'mission statement' from Janis, lyrically. And for me, it just popped out - it was a real kind of common riff, except for the bridge. We played it in A minor, and then it goes to the bridge, which is in F sharp minor. And there's a lot of chromaticism in there, so for me it was a departure that way. In a 1998 Gadfly interview, Andrew said the intro was based on Albert King's guitar riff from the blues song "Born Under A Bad Sign."
Joplin found it difficult to put her pain on display for an indifferent crowd, especially in her early days. She explained: "I had a couple of shows where I played the whole show really into it, completely giving all I had, and I was doing a freeform thing, talking, bring it all out, let it all go. Just talked about Janis and all the men that hurt her, and all the men that maybe she let down, and everything that you got to say; all of a sudden it starts coming out of your mouth, and you didn't even intend it to, and all of a sudden I heard them speak, I heard them talkin' in the middle of my fuckin' shit, man, and I stopped and I waited to see if they'd quit. They didn't quit, and I grabbed the microphone and said, I ain't cryin' my ass off for you! I put the microphone down and walked off the stage. I blew my contract and all that shit, but fuck that, man, I ain't gonna get out there and cry my soul out for people that are talking about 'How's your brother, did you get laid on Thursday, that's a cute dress.' I'm up there talking about my pain, fuck you!” (source: International Times, 1972)
This was possibly inspired by Joplin's breakup with singer Country Joe McDonald, her live-in boyfriend who left her the year before to marry another woman. McDonald wrote the song "Janis" for her. Joplin found love with both men and women. Aside from McDonald, she was romantically linked to Kris Kristofferson, and Peggy Caserta (author of the 1975 book Going Down With Janis, which she has since disowned), among others. At the time of her death in 1970, she was engaged to novelist Seth Morgan.  From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/big-brother-the-holding-company/i-need-a-man-to-love

Tenebra - Moon Maiden

#Tenebra #stoner rock #psychedelic rock #blues rock #hard rock #hard psych #heavy metal #punk metal #occult rock #doom metal #noise rock #Italian

Tenebra are an Italian quartet offering Stoner and Psychedelic Blues sounds with retro references and a modern twist. Formed in October 2017, Claudio (bass), Emilio (guitar) and Mesca (drums) come from the hardcore and post-hardcore scene in Bologna, whereas vocalist Silvia is steeped in the underground rock of the ’60s and’ 70s. Together they create music that is not only the sum of their influences but pushes those influences outwards, adding odd tempo changes and nods towards Misfits, June of 44 and Love Battery into their strange brew.  From: https://maximumvolumemusic.com/band-of-the-day-tenebra/

The city of Bologna in Italy has around 400,000 inhabitants with 150 different nationalities. In 2019, out of this melting pot rose Tenebra, who are now releasing their new album Moongazer. Their music is an instant throwback, while being securely rooted in the here and now. Mesca’s accomplished drumming is garnished by Claudio Troise’s booming bass and Emilio Toreggiani’s filthy, smoky guitar. And then, on top of this deadly but sexy sonic concoction, come raspy incantations from Silvia Fennino. Sylvia Fennino’s voice is something to behold. It’s almost an event all by itself. She sounds as if she has just finished a pack of cigarettes while drinking straight scotch and gargling gravel. All while being able to sing VERY well. I could just imagine the 3 guys having a totally different sound – until they heard Sylvia sing. Then the lightbulb went on above their heads - “Stoner Rock. Definitely Bluesy Stoner Rock!” Her singing sounds effortless, while at the same time sounding like it takes all the power she possesses to wail her siren song.
I couldn’t imagine watching this band in the modern age. Their brand of melodious noise invokes a bygone era of smoke-filled bars filled with people whose wardrobe primarily consists of leather, and have a penchant for vehicles with two wheels rather than four. You could imagine them playing a set and then hanging out backstage with the likes of Jim Morrison or Marc Bolan.
From: https://www.metalepidemic.com/tenebra-moongazer/

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression

 #The Jimi Hendrix Experience #hard rock #psychedelic rock #blues rock #R&B #heavy metal #British psychedelia #acid rock #1960s Mitch Mitchell #Noel Redding

There has been a lot of speculation that Hendrix had bipolar disorder based on some erratic behavior and mood swings he had. A big part of this, I think, is because he wrote a song called “manic depression” (an older term for bipolar disorder) with some assuming it was based on personal experience. My answer to this is that so far as I know Hendrix was never diagnosed with that disorder during his lifetime. I’ve never heard of him having either characteristic manic or depressive episodes, either. There are potentially other explanations for his behavior (including more mundane substance abuse). The description of “Manic depression” in his song of the same name doesn’t really correlate well with current understanding of that disorder. So my answer is that absent a contemporary psychiatric evaluation, I don’t think anyone can say for sure that he did or didn’t have bipolar disorder, but I think evidence for it is pretty thin.

I believe he did in fact suffer from Bipolar Disorder Through his lyrics, his drug/alcohol addiction, his mannerisms, the depression that he suffered from and from his clothing. Mental illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder gives away physical symptoms, such as the sufferers wearing bright colors and strange patterns. On top of that, there’s a significant loss in his weight from the time he entered the military and the time that he was discovered. This disorder makes them unable to even get out of bed to eat. Then again, this could have been caused by the lack of money he had at the time, when he was traveling in the chitlin circuit. But, his weight got even lower and according to his close friends, not the hanger-ons, they stated that he hardly ate. Another concern would be his sleeping pattern. He often said that he had trouble sleeping and that he either slept too little or slept too much. Sometimes he would go days without sleeping. There was even an incident where he was scheduled to appear on the Dick Cavett show the day after Woodstock, I believe. But, he ended up missing. It probably had something to do with exhaustion because he had to be carried back to his dressing room. Dick asked about Jimi about twice during the interview, it was poignant and kind of creepy.

From: https://www.quora.com/Did-Jimi-Hendrix-have-bipolar-disorder

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an English-American rock band that came together in London, in 1966. Composed of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until 1969. During this time they released three successful studio albums. After Redding left the band in mid-1969, Hendrix and Mitchell continued to work together on other projects. The Experience reunited in 1970, with Billy Cox on bass, until Hendrix's death in September. Widely recognized as hugely influential in the development of the hard rock and heavy metal music genres during the late-1960s and beyond, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was best known for the skill, style and charisma of their frontman, Hendrix, who has since been called one of the greatest guitarists of all time by various music publications and writers. In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his instrument, often with innovative amplification experiments that produced astral-quality feedback and roaring distortion. His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship - he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire - has sometimes obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter, singer, and master of a gamut of blues, R&B, and rock styles.  From: https://rock.fandom.com/wiki/The_Jimi_Hendrix_Experience and https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jimi-hendrix-experience-mn0000088906/biography

The Move - Brontosaurus

 #The Move #Roy Wood #Jeff Lynne #psychedelic rock #blues rock #hard rock #British psychedelia #pop rock #art rock #proto-prog #1960s

The Move’s "Brontosaurus" is some Heaaavy blues sludge with ridiculously on point lyrics in regards to what rock once was (a dance music) to what was coming (slow, loud and drugged up music). The riff is a fucking monster; you can practically smoke the fucking thing. Halfway through, the song double times into a rock & roll rave up (Roy Wood really liked to juxtapose 50's rock with acid sludge - see also Wizzard) with a slop fuzz slide solo that melts your speakers. Both proto-metal AND proto-glam rock.  From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/the-move/brontosaurus-lightning-never-strikes-twice/

An exceptionally dynamic and controversial stage act, The Move’s live performances have been remembered for stunning musicianship and frenzied demolitions of televisions, instruments and stages with an axe, chopping a Cadillac to pieces at London’s Roundhouse and inciting a riot which alarmed headline act The Who (the stage had to be rebuilt…). Even the famous Marquee Club was not safe. During a performance of ‘Fire Brigade’, the stage was set alight, resulting in the Soho district being jammed with fire engines. So shocking and fiery were The Move live, that for a while, the group were banned from every theatre in the UK and Europe, a decade before the Sex Pistols’ similar punk rock antics. They even threatened Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s government with the furore surrounding the promotional campaign for ‘Flowers In The Rain’. The single reached no. 2 in the UK charts but Wilson sued manager Tony Secunda and The Move in the High Court and all royalties were paid to charities of Wilson’s choice, a ruling still in place today. As songwriter Roy Wood says, it’s less for murder.  From: http://bettyloumusic.com/themovebiography.htm

Buckingham Nicks - Don't Let Me Down Again

 #Buckingham Nicks #Lindsey Buckingham #Stevie Nicks  #blues rock #folk rock #melodic hard rock #pop rock #singer-songwriter #pre-Fleetwood Mac #1970s

There was a lot of competition in the singer-songwriter field in 1973, and Buckingham Nicks wasn’t the best of the lot, but it’s excellent, and it’s still puzzling how swiftly it vanished. It’s packed with top-flight session musicians—Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Jim Keltner on drums—and was recorded by Keith Olsen, a producer with dozens of gold and platinum records ahead of him, but it was a complete failure. Promotion was light, the few reviews were mostly bad, and Polydor dropped the duo a few months after the album came out. After a five-year build-up, the moment was over as quickly as it started. But Stevie and Lindsey were writing for their next album even before this one was finished. Lindsey had penned “Monday Morning,” and Nicks, inspired by a passage in a book about a Welsh witch, had a stunning new song called “Rhiannon.” There was another ballad called “Landslide.” They weren’t ready to give up on Buckingham Nicks, which made the next decision difficult. In December 1974, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac received news that his guitarist, Bob Welch, was quitting the band. Line-up changes were nothing new - in their seven-year history, they’d already been through several - but Fleetwood’s band was due back in the studio soon. He’d heard Lindsey play once, and Keith Olsen, with whom he was friendly, mentioned his name. It didn’t take long before he offered Buckingham the job. Lindsey was reticent, afraid of giving up what he and Stevie had built together. He said that Nicks would have to be part of the deal. After having dinner with the members of Fleetwood Mac in January 1975, they both agreed to join.  From: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/buckingham-nicks-buckingham-nicks/