Sweet Home Chicago

besides "sweet home chicago", "long tall woman blues" There is no other blues!

Mark,

Bet he can still still barrelhouse, baby, on the riverside.

We owe these old guys so much. Hats off to them.

Whenever the blues/rock greats (Stones, Clapton) from the UK came to Chicago, they would go to the South Side and visit Willy Dixon, others, with a little under the counter royalty payment. They knew what they owed them.

It's sad that the Blues and Jazz lack a substantial following in America, in part because they are the only uniquely American artforms, but also because they are among the supreme achievements of human culture.

Thank you for sharing this, Mark.

...and if Chicago can be proud of anything, it is it's role in the the development of the Blues.

I love it -- it is so very in the Spirit of America -- that a couple of Jewish guys running Chess Records in a northern rustbelt city, were significant players in the evolution of music that originated among Blacks in the Mississippi delta.

Now this I like after the bears game set back with some blues ya baby now your talking.

Thanks Mark.

Willie Dixon, also from Mississippi, was born the same year as Honeyboy.

These great artists have/had been ripped off for years, by the British blues invaders (or more likely their lawyers and accountants) , not to mention the likes of Elvis Presley, whose first hit, "That's Alright Mama" was written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. "Hound Dog" was written by Big Mama Thornton. But none of these people died rich.

After his own legal actions, Dixon started the Blues Heaven Foundation in 1984 (www.bluesheaven.com), with its HQ in the former Chess Records building at 2120 Michigan Avenue, in order to help blues musicians enforce copyrights and collect royalties.

Dixon recognized other forms of music as the fruits and the blues as the roots. Keep the roots strong, and the fruit will be sweeter.

The Blues had a baby,and they named it Rock n Roll.

Without the blues there would be no Stones.

Information on the 2002 documentary, "Honeyboy", can be found at the following link:

http://www.honeyboyfilm.com/film.htm

John E,

You got it Bro. Blues/Rock has power and emotion and beauty.
It can move the world.

The world needs moved.

About the White British and American Blues/Rockers,

"White boys now, they don't hardly make no blues. Mostly they copy after us. I don't know of any blues they made. They just can't do it. They can play it pretty good, but they can't sing it at all. They just ain't got the voice for that."

-- Frank Edwards

http://www.ibiblio.org/musicmakers/mm4000b/mm4002.html

There's something perverse about being grateful to these old Blues artists for giving us the Rolling Stones.

We should be instead be grateful to the Stones (plus The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix and others) for introducing us to the artform, so that we could go back to the source and hear the real thing.

As much as I like the Rolling Stones when they were good -- and they often weren't -- I have to say that the greatest thing about them is that if not for them I would have never heard Muddy Waters.

I like em all, Juanito.
They all have given us a lot of great music.

You are right; as a wet behind the ears teenager I never heard of any of them until Clapton, the Stones, Hendrix talked about them.
Eric Burdon, too.

Eric Burden, yes!

C.Morris,
I'm with you.

I'm a huge music fan,and I try to appreciate all different forms of music,my kids have done the same thing.

The Stones have never shied away from giving the Blues all the credit in the world for their success.

Isn't is sad that Hendrix, a black guitar slinger from Seattle, USA, had to travel to England, break in there, then travel back to the States as an import UK band. I remember being somewhat surprised at that one.

"I'm a huge music fan,and I try to appreciate all different forms of music,my kids have done the same thing."

John E,

When we put our son down to nap we would play loud music; everything from Jethro Tull to Mozart. Named him after Eric Clapton.

You won't believe the name of his first girl friend.

I swear with a hand on my Grandmother's grave, her name was Layla, a willowy skinny blonde girl. And yes, she destroyed his tender young heart.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

"You won't believe the name of his first girl friend." Layla??

Got me on my knees!

C. M.

Buy him a guitar to sing his blues away.

Start him out with "have you ever loved a woman"

So much it's a shame and a sin!

C.Morris,

Sad indeed about Hendrix. All the Blues greats (and Jazz too) fare better in Europe than the US. It's embarrassing.

A piece o' Rock trivia; I heard that "Layla" was about Patty Boyd, Geo Harrison's Ex who who left Harrison to marry Clapton.

Juanito, Yeah, it was.

One of my top ten all time favorite songs is Badge, by Clapton and Harrison, though for legal reasons Harrison is not credited.
After hearing it for 40 years now, it is still compelling and exciting to hear. The first half builds slowly to an urgent guitar bridge by Harrison, then the rest of the song is essentially one long sweet Clapton solo that what can only be described as humming at the end of each phrase. The song itself is a warning to young girl, dealing with the Swans, a London heroin gang that worked the parks. It was named 'Badge' because Harrison sribbled 'Bridge' on the middle solo and the copywriter misread it.

JD,
He's now 30, and married. Well, life goes on.
Clapton's/Allman's version of 'Have You Ever Loved a Woman' is indescribably delicious.

(by Billy Myles)

Have you ever loved a woman so much you tremble in pain?
Have you ever loved a woman so much you tremble in pain?
And all the time you know she bears another mans name.

But you just love that woman so much its a shame and a sin.
You just love that woman so much its a shame and a sin.
But all the time you know she belongs to your very best friend.

Have you ever loved a woman and you know you cant leave her alone?
Have you ever loved a woman and you know you cant leave her alone?
Something deep inside of you wont let you wreck your best friends home.

C.Morris,

That's a funny story about your son.

My youngest son,and I used to dance to Zepplin tunes together.

He turned out OK anyway.

One of my biggest regrets is never having learned how to play the guitar,I played the trumpet in high school band,and I loved it,we had an excellent band.

I got alot of harrassment about band because I was a jock also,but I liked it anyway.

JE,
Yeah, I played trumpet too.
Man did I suc.
You shoulda seen me in my stupid, too large marching uniform. The crap we have to go through.

* * *

Perhaps my favorite duel guitar masterpiece is the Allman/Clapton duet in a long, slow, powerful, gorgeous version of 'Little Wing', a beautiful homage' and salute to then recently departed Hendrix.

Death just follows Clapton around.
Duane was dead shortly after this also, maybe even before the album was completed.

Jaunito,

George Harrison, the underrated and forgotten Beatle. (RIP)

Lennon and McCartny only allowed him one or two compositions per album. This was too bad. He added tremendously to their sound, particularly their late period sound. His guitar talents were very good. I'd put him in my top twenty for sure. His 12 string talents added a lush, full, darkness to their sound.

Also, he mastered the sitar very quickly. The eeriness of the thing added interest to many late period songs. I think the first time I heard him play the sitar was on Revolver, Tomorrow Never Knows. Anyone know better?

I never rate,place or talk (well, rarely I do) about John Lennon, as I regard him as the Jesus Christ of modern rock and roll and a great artist period. One of the saddest days I can remember is the day he was murdered. I did a parody of 'Imagine' a while back, an I still feel wrong about it. Shouldn't have used it for base political purposes.

C.Morris,

You nailed it.

C. M.

If you like the Derek and the Dominoe jams, you should get the 25th anniversary CD box Set.

One CD dedicated to all the jams done. One is all the Allman's including Greg and Dickey B. w/Clapton. Good stuff.

Each one is about 20 minutes or so.

Not sure I agree with you about Lennon. My cynical side says he was just a depressed idealist (and not a very good one at that) I thought McCartney was a better all around musician.

Although, now that I'm older, I'm convinced that Jim Morrison was just a drunk Irishman no more special than guys you can find in just about every Irish bar in the city (or in Ireland)

So maybe I'm just too cynical these days.

C Morris,

Norwegian Wood, on Rubber Soul, came out a year earlier than Revolver and featured sitar.

Kudos to George Martin's talents in the studio.

If Harrison's roots were blues inspired rather than rockabilly, that would have been interesting.

Kenny B,
Right you are! I forgot. Of course, N.Wood.

JD,
Thanks for the recommend on the D and D 25th.

Thanks to Mark for opening up this subject for discussion.
It's obviously something Swamp Rats, of all political persuasions love, and generally speaking, agree on!!

Well, Juanito, JE, JD, BillR, everyone, we will now have to go back to the political blogs and start to scream at each other again.

JD,

Yes, McCartney has better feeling for melody, but Lennon was edgier and more willing to experiment, plus he was definitely a better wordsmith. Much (certainly not all) of McCartney's output is so syrupy I want to brush my teeth after listening -- plus it's often just too formulaic. All that aside, he managed to pen some great tunes.

I always thought McCartney was best when he was doing simple, old fashioned R&B -- covering little Richard songs and such. In that vein, a must listen is his 80's quick n' dirty album "Back in the USSR"

Also, I was pleasantly surprised with the rerelease of "Get Back". McCartney reworked it, got rid of Phil Spectre's overproduction, and the result is great in my opinion. Hats off to Sir Paul on that one!

Kenny Bunkport,

Correct, "Norwegian Wood" was the first sitar piece. And yes many, MANY kudos to George Martin, the one who should rightly be called the 5th Beatle. The Beatles could never have been the Beatles without him.

Correction:
"Let it Be" (not "Get Back") was rereleased as "Let it Be...Naked". It was originally intended as a back-to-basics album, but that idea just got screwed up in 1969. The rerelease is faithful to the original intention.

JD,

Yep, when I was young I thought Morrison was a brilliant poet. Now that I'm... um, not so young I have my doubts. But he had a great voice!

And I second that, C.Morris: Thank you Mark!

The Doors, however, were one of the few US bands that could stand up to the great UK bands, in my opinion. And 'The End' was a monumental achievement.

Here are some other favorite US bands of that era;

CCR
BB&HC with Janis Joplin
Jefferson Airplane
Velvet Underground
Mothers of Invention
Moby Grape
Guess Who (Can)
S & G
Canned Heat
Crosby Stills Nash
Buffalo Springfield
Neil Young (Can)

You may ask, where is the beach sand in the room?!?!
Although the Beach Boys were talented, and I enjoyed some of their songs, it was just hard to take them seriously. They always seemed to be just behind the curve.

The Doors were indeed great. One of my very favorite Jazz ballads is "Riders on the Storm" (even tho it was ALMOST ruined by the dopey rain sound effects).

And Morrison had one of the best Blues voices ever -- the result of overindulging in whisky and cigarettes -- on the LA Woman album.

Manzarek and Morrison were the magic of The Doors. Manzarek was a classically trained musician and it shows. His keybord riffs were elegant and assured. His playing in the long version of "Light My Fire", for example, turned what would have been a standard "I Love You" Pop fluff piece into a classic. Even though the song is overplayed I don't get tired of it.

C.Morris, you probably already know that their name was inspired by Huxley's "The Doors of Perception".

Oh, and I think Bob Dylan belongs on any short list.

Huge overlook!

BB KING!

Juanito,

Yeah, a weird wonderful little book.

Why did I leave off Dylan!!

Agree with your Doors synopsis.

Kreiger was a very good Guitar player too, by the way. Subtle and accomplished.

But you got Manzarek right; The Dave Clark Five on acid. He gave them that 'Hell's anteroom' atmosphere.

Juanito, JD, all,

Re the Lennon or McCartney debate:
It could be argued that by being strong counterbalances to eachother, they made eachother better.

Sometimes a big talent will be even better if a good, strong editor is present to criticize. I think Paul, on his own, did sometimes get too,,, syrupy was it, J.?

Regardless, I don't take away from him designation of HUGE talent.

At risk of harshing all this agreement, I want to apply the same critique to E. Clapton, my personal all time favorite.

Look at his best work;

With Cream he had two powerful talents and egos to reign him in. They being Ginger Baker (best rock drummer ever) and Jack Bruce, bass and song writer supreme, and leader of Cream, arguably in the top 3 all time best rock bands ever. I really credit Jack Bruce with channeling or focusing Clapton's play.

Then, the same can be said of Blind Faith, a short lived super group.

But without a doubt Mr. Duane Allman (D & t D) may have been the best, greatest influence on Clapton.

Factoid that you probably knew; BB King gave Clapton his Slowhand nickname, which is a huge complement on his seemingly effortless technique.

C.M.

I'm glad this thread is still going,it's nice to get away from the slime of the pre-election stuff a bit,it's all a part of the deal tho.

Hey,you should pick up Nirvana's "Nevermind" and "In Utero" albums.

Kurt Cobain was a tragically flawed man,but he was also an unbelievably gifted guitar player.

Nirvana saved Rock from the depths of extinction in the early 90's.

C.M.,

I have a Stones tongue tattoo that I got while I was stationed at Ft.Gordon,Ga.

My wife hates it,she's a Zepplin girl.

John E,

Nirvana is one of those, dare I say it, 'newer' bands that I liked.
Ditto, Radio Head, Super Grass, Green day, Beck. My son kept me up on these bands.

Not all is lost.

OK Gang,

This blog is OFF the front page.
Let's have some fun.

JD, John E, Billy, Bill R, Juan, Old Dale (if interested), anybody else;

Let's post our top ten in the following catagories:

Top Ten:
1. Favorite Blues/Rock/Jazz groups or solo acts
2. Favorite albums
3. Favorite songs

Let's keep it alive. Look for mine in the not too distant future.
Feel free to explain your entries!

Hey! Why was this thread pulled?!

Hey all,

I propose we interested parties continue to have some fun here;

In the next few days everyone that cares post here your;

Ten Favorite Blues/Rock/ jazz groups or solo act
Ten Favorite albums
Ten Favorite songs.

C. Morris,

That's going to take me awhile,but I'll try to in the coming days.

Maybe the Swamp can put this back on the front page for us political music nuts???

Welcome to the Ultimate Top Ten;

Groups;

10. CCR (John Fogerty one of THE best rockers, period)
9. The Doors (of perception, The End justifies all their means)
8. The Yardbirds (Relf Bros. and CLapton, then J. Beck hard to
beat)
7. Steely Dan (Particularly like their first half efforts)
6. Pink Floyd
5. Bob Dylan
4. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3. The Rolling Stones
2. Cream (Almost no.1, but for smaller body of work)
1. The Beatles

Albums;

10. Yellow Brick Road, Elton John (To me the 60's ended in 1973 with this album.)
9. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
8. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
7. Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones (Every track is fine fine fine)
6. Eat a Peach, Allman Bros (Duane's swan song)
5. Wheels of Fire, Cream (Everything was ecstacy, what, were they on drugs?)
4. Layla and Other Love Songs, Derek and the Dominos
3. Revolver, The Beatles (Third stage has ignition!)
2. Let it Bleed, The Rolling Stones
1. Beatles White Album, The Beatles (Monumental nexus of
talent)

Single songs:

10. The Thrill is Gone, BB King
9. Smokestack Lightning, Yardbirds version (J.Beck KILLS on
this)
8. Badge, Cream
7. Dear Prudence, The Beatles (Beautiful tribute to the beauty of
childhood)
6. White Room, Cream (J. Bruce's dark contemplation of loss and
death)
5. Little Wing , Derek and the Dominos version (Farewell Jimi,RIP)
4. All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix version
3. Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
2. Heartbreaker (Doo Doo Doo), The Rolling Stones (Just,,well,
wonderfully heartbreaking)
1. Welcome to the Machine, Pink FLoyd (Every boy needs to pay
attention here)

Ya know, top ten lists aren't really fair. How do you place the choices, and how can you leave so and so off the list entirely?

Here's some talents that were actually on one of the 3 lists at one time or another;

RL Burnside, It's Bad You Know
Grace Slick
Janis Joplin
Emerson Lake Palmer
CSN & Young
The Kinks
Bluesbreakers (John Mayall)
Areatha F.
Ray Charles
Billie Holiday
Buddy Guy

C. Morris,

My youngest son is always giving me CD's of current bands to listen to,and this is what I have discovered.

Audioslave,Queens of the Stone Age,and Green Day are carrying the rocking tourch these days.

These are all fine current day bands,have you ever listened to any of them???

CCR's - "Fortunate Son" - the greatest protest song ever written - and it is relavent in these current times again thanks to our draftdodgers in the Whitehouse.

Alright, I'm back. Management training seminars for the past week. Mostly redundant but, since I work for a green company, I garnered some wonderful, indisputable factual statistics on global warming and c02 emmissions. It would probably make poor little Paulobert's tiny little brain smoke.
So anyway, last I crawled from the Swamp, I believe we were discussing some upcoming elections or something. John Kerry pulls a Merkel boner and gets 300+ responses?? WTF??
Anyhoot CM, I happen to play guitar but am yet to get the stones to play an open mic at the Knotty or elsewhere. Maybe much practice and a bottle o' Jack. If I do, you will definately hear some Lennon. I haven't compiled a list but a few names have come to mind as I am also into good music of many genres. Pixies, Bruce Cockburn, Billy Bragg, Wilco, Van Morrison....
Howard and the White Boys? Have you heard Margot Valiante? Jackson girl, voice from heaven and easy on the eyes.http://www.margovaliante.com/ You can play a couple of her songs on her myspace page but she doesn't have a cd out yet.
More music as I think of it.

Johnny Cash-old and new
Steve Goodman-left us way too early
John Prine-check out "Souvenirs"
Willie, Waylon, Hank-please keep pop country crap off this post

And since I grew up in western MI, a cultural punk rock mecca in the early 80's......
Ramones, Dead Kennedy's, Fear, Circle Jerks, TSOL, Butthole Surfers, Black Flag, DOA, MIA, Sex Pistols.....

And, Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, White Stripes, Jane's Addiction, REM, Sonic Youth, Jonathon Richman, Ryan Adams, did I mention Margot Valiante?

John E,
I like Green Day a lot, and I like Beck.

Bubba, Van Morrison is it. Ya see, 'top ten' just doesn't get it! As soon as you commit to a list, somebody reminds you of another huge huge talent.
Billy Bragg, definite A team.

But, come on boys! (and gals), I want to see committed lists of ten!
It's hard. Forces you to drop people or songs you love! ha ha.

I gotta say, I want to put Van Morrison on my list. He is ultra terrific and talented. Is there an instrument he can't play?

You guys are knockin em out!

Roy Orbison anyone??

Rock-a-billy is good too.

C. M.

Have you checked out Robert Randolph?

OK, Here's my new list;

Addendum;

11. Van Morrison

CM,
A few oldies and goodies.
Etta
Ella
Elvis
Frank
Coltrane

Elvis C
Pearl Jam
Greatful Dead (can't believe I forgot this one)

And you want only 10???? Tall order. I'll work on it.

Saw Van Morrison at the Chicago Theater 3 years ago and he is definately in my top 10.
Yo Yo Ma?

Did I mention Margot Valiante? Her songs on her myspace page don't do her justice. Saw her live this past summer and was inspired to stay young forever.

Bubba,

Howard and the White Boys are from my home town of DeKalb.......excellent band,I'm glad they are still doing well.

I also see that you mentioned The Pixies,one of the most underrated,influential bands of all time in my humble opinion.

C.M.,

I don't think I can do just a top ten list.

Maybe a top 50 - 75 hahahaha!!!

Bubba,

Howard and the White Boys are from my home town of DeKalb.
I'm glad they are still doing well.

The Pixies were one of the most underrated,influential bands ever.

I'm a Punker too,I still remember when the Police where considered cutting edge Punk,now Sting runs around wearing skirts,and singing love ballads,oh well.

The whole Seattle grunge movement,one of my favorites by the way,arose from the Punk seen in the Pacific Northwest.

Have you ever heard of a band from the late 70's called Split Enz??
They were excellent,I listened to them alot in high school.

John E.
Yep, I remember Split Enz. Also, the Buzzcocks were one of my favs back then. There is a great documentary out on the Pixies but I can't recall the name. It contains interviews from Bono, David Bowie and many others about how influential and cutting edge they were. Saw them in Chicago and Milwaukee late 80's.
Soul Asylum, Foo fighters.....
And, of course, Margo Valiante.

JD,

Haven't heard of Robert Randolph.
I need to print your lists, then go sample this stuff.

Bubba,
Coltrane,
I am not real conversant with him, but have heard him work with Miles Davis on some of his albums.
I do like Etta James and Etta Jones
Nina Simone is just terrific, and I think just passed away. Ditto Etta James.
Never heard Split Enz.
I envy you seeing Van Morrison.

I saw Jeff Beck playing live with the Yardbirds a long time ago. Think I mentioned this before. As we all know, a great guitar player is not just great to hear, but great to watch as well.
He could only have been about 22 in 1966?? Whatever, he was just a kid, but COMPLETELY accomplished and confident.
Dark and brooding, he would glare at his amplifier and threaten it as though he could hear some offense that we mere mortals were unaware of.
Saw Leon Russell live at the Uptown Theater in 1975(I think). One of the best live shows I have ever seen.
Saw the Beatles at old Comiskey Park in, get ready, August 1965.
Couldn't hear a thing, and nearly got trampled in a crush.

John E,
I tell you, the ten list is HARD. I keep thinking of more;

DAVID BOWIE!
The Who
U2
THE CLASH FOR GOD SAKE!!!

CM,
Seeing the Beatles takes the cake. Glad you survived it. The Pixies documentary is called "Gouge" and can be found on KISU usually well past most sane folks bedtime.
I also happened to attend a concert recently where I saw Lyle Lovett. I would put him on my list, but not top 10. The following day Greg Brown played and I would have to say I have a great appreciation for anyone who can stun a crowd with nothing but his voice and an acoustic guitar.
Not sure about you, but I get tired of the endless monotany of bluegrass that is prevalent in our neck of the woods.

PS;
Re the Jeff Beck worship above;

Go rent the movie Blow Up (Michealangelo Antonioni,1965).
Not only is it a great film, but in one scene when the protagonist is out in the city at night following some lovely, he goes to a underground club and guess who is playing? The Yardbirds with Jeff Beck! He beats heck out of his amp.

I think The Who stole the whole aggression thing from Beck.

Anybody know better, or more?

Bub,
I can only listen to NPR jazz and classical here. No great blues rock stations like Chicago. Most local intermountain stations are 'clear channel' or something horrible like that. I liked WXRT, Chicago for a long time. Don't know if they exist anymore. Liked Braymer and the crowd.

Also, NPR in Minneapolis is now a blues/rock station. They get way down into the LP's of the era. Sweet.

Lovett is great. I would call him country/blues, or something. Kinda like Bonnie Rait??

I'm gonna post 'Top Ten Worst'. Get ready!

C.M.

This is hard but I'll give it a go.

My favorite bands by the decades:

60's - Rolling Stones

70's - Van Halen - w/Diamond Dave

80's - Guns N Roses

90's - Nirvana

00's - Queens of the Stone Age

I bought a used electric guitar over the weekend,but I think I'm to old for the rock star thing...oh well....

C.Morris and all,

Just haven't gotten around to compiling lists. A few brief thoughts:

The Jeff Beck Group -- with Rod Stewart fronting, Ron Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins keyboards. They blew the Yardbirds out of the water! (this was before Rod "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" Stewart sucked.)

The Faces -- Also with R. Stewart and R. Wood (now on lead guitar) also before Rod sucked.

Roy Buchanan -- The best guitarist you probably never heard of. He died in the late 80s (hung himself in jail) He was almost the Stones' guitarist but was so strungout on smack that he missed the audition and they gave the job to Mick Taylor. A very sad life but a very great musician. A MUST HAVE for any music collection.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:m9m8b5t4tsqe~T1

"96 Tears", by ? and the Mysterians

Juanito,

Yeah, now rod stewart dresses up like Tony Bennett!

Nothin' against Tony, but, come on.

John E,

tuff list, but;

60s - Beatles (this is really hard, but gotta go this way)
70s- Pink Floyd
80s - Clash (just London Calling does it)
90s- Smashing Pumpkins
00s- Green Day

Ten WORST ACTS EVER;
10. Captain and Tennille
9. Cowsills
8. Monkees (I feel bad, they were likable and some stuff sounded ok, but too contrived, and not talented musicians)
7. Disco Tex and the Sexolets
6. Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66!
5. Whoever sang 'I'm Not in Love'
4. The Partridge Family
3. Chad and Jeremy
2. Sonny and Cher
1. The Carpenters!!

CM,
Just a few to consider:
David Hasselhoff
Celine Dion
William Shatner
Vanilla Ice
Meat Loaf
Yoko Ono
Any boy band ever created
Didn't Larry Holmes try a music career on Letterman years ago?

CM and Bubba

I think "I'm Not In Love" was done by 10CC.

How about "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band???.....also don't forget that David Soul of Starsky and Hutch fame,had a "somewhat" successful singing "career" in the late 70's before he droped off the face of the earth.

How can anyone forget those always happy,"fabulous" guys from the Village People in the 70's.

Bubba,

Shame on you! You are making me want to throw up!! ha ha!

I will say the the Bill Shatner stuff was absolutely hi hi hilarious!
His rendition (torture?) of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is perhaps the greatest knee slapper of all time.

Thanks for a great, funny post!

John E,

Afternoon Delight! The record jacket was literally the same color of dog vomit. Good one.

My list of the ten worst pale. I need to remove the Monkee's at least and mayby Disco Tex.

How about Mini Ripperton's 'Midnight at the Oasis'? Crikey, mate!

You know, efforts like the Village People and Bill Shatner are so funny and bad, ya almost gotta like it.

I have to say, you and Bubba's posts gave me a big laugh.

'You want Bad?? You can't take Bad!!"

I think the thing that did it for me on the 10CC non-effort was the softly whispered; 'big boys don't cry, big boys don't cry' with the awful syrupy backup music wafting through the arrangement like some awful cloud of sick green flatulence.

I submitted this flow chart once for JD's approval, but will risk it again;

If Elvis was Moses then;
Dylan was John the Baptist,
And Lennon was Jesus,
so Jagger was Lucifer (Who Else!)

C M

Have you ever heard the song
"Saint Of Me" by the Stones???

One of the better Stones tunes that they wrote in the mid 90's from the Bridges To Babylon cd.

I have to go,some wingnut is busting my chops about my poor spelling...like I don't know that.

I tried this yesterday, but my computer crashed and the post was lost.

I would not include the Monkees on a ten worst list. They were OK for what they were -- ACTORS playing a Pop band -- and their music was pleasant fluffy Pop... and just OK.

Others to consider:
The Archies
Barry Manilow
Englebert Humperdink
The 1910 Fruitgum Company
Capt and Tenielle
Leo Sayer
Sean Cassidy
The Turtles

How about a list of One Hit Wonders? Not necessarily bad ones though

Ya know, I learned about it the hard way; Surf Girl posted it a while back, and I didn't recognize it! Any way she and a couple others straightened me out.

It's beautiful poetry.
Jagger/Richard, as good as Lennon McCartney with the writing.

1.Little Bit O'Soul-Music Explosion
2.Louie Louie-Kingsmen
3.Nobody But Me-The Human Beinz
4.Hey Baby-Bruce Channel
5.Hang on Sloopy-McCoys
6.Let's Dance-Chris Montez
7.Duke Of Earl-Gene Chandler
8.Time Has Come Today-Chambers Brothers
9.Sugar Shack-Jimmy Gilmour
10.My Sharona-The Knack

Loon,

Back in the day,there was an FBI investigation into the actual lyrics of Louie,Louie from what I've heard...I guess Mulder and Scully didn't find anything....

Raver,

Nice alternative list! These are great little tunes, and a real important part of the whole picture. Not all the great music had to be a major technical or virtuoso achievement. Thanks for checking this out.

There was, also, a huge Chigago invasion in the 60s. The Buckinhams, New Colony Six, Ides of March. More.

Juanito,

Thanks for the word up. I agree, I may have been cruel on the Monkees, but when we compare to the greats,,,,it's hard, you know.
Ok, off my worst list, but never on my top 20.

Like I say, they were likable.

Juanito,

One hit wonders; Not a bad idea;(Some of these had two, maybe)

1. Whiter Shade of Pale; Procol Harum (Just beautiful)
2. Match Stick Men; Status Quo (The lead guitar KILLED on this, like repeated jabs in the gut)
3. Talk Talk; The Music Machine(Like-ee the fuz box)
4. I Confess; New Colony Six
5. Love that Dirty Water; The Standells
6. Sea of Joy; BLind Faith (This is a stretch for 'One Hit' I guess)
7. For What It's Worth; Buffalo Sringfield (Another stretch,lots of super stars involved)
8. Wooly Bully; Sam the Sham
9. Blue Bird; Buffalo Springfield (What did I say? ha ha)
10. Jackie Blue; Ozark Mtn. Daredevils

Significant groups we haven't mentioned much;
Fleetwood Mac
The Eagles
The Beach Boys
Traffic
Queen
Bruce Springsteen
Johnny Cougar Mellencamp
The Guess Who
Beastie Boys
Gotta be a lot more

Callin'n out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancin' in the streets
They're dancin' in Chicago
Down in New Orleans
Up in New York City

All we need is music, sweet music
Threr'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playin'
And dancin' in the streets

Focus -- Hocus Pocus

Golden Earing -- Radar Love

Steam -- Na Na, Hey Hey (Kiss him Goodbye) (OK, I'm A White Sox Fan)

Vanilla Fudge -- You Keep Me Hangin' On (cover of the Supremes tune)

? and the Mysterians -- 96 Tears (mentioned earlier)

Bubba brings up Motown!

There's a whole world we haven't really touched on.....

Juanito,
In my attempt to make yesterday "Dance Party Tuesday", I came across the ultimate one hit wonder:

Party All The Time Eddie Murphy

1.Laugh Laugh-Beau Brummels
2.On The Road Again-Canned Heat
3.Tequila-Champs
4.Keep On Dancing-Gentrys
5.Peppermint Twist-Joey Dee
6.Bread & Butter-Newbeats
7.Gloria-Shadows Of Night
8.Born To Be Wild-Steppenwolf
9.The Lion Sleeps tonight-The Tokens
10.Soul Man-Sam & Dave

Also,Manfred Mann,Kinks,Herman's Hermits,Freddie & The Dreamers,Dave Clark Five,Donovan,ELO,And The Fat Man,Fat's Domino.

There are also alot of future "has been,never were's" in this day,and time:

Paris Hilton
Ashley Simpson
Linsay Lohan
Hillary Duff
K-Fed
All Boy Bands-(past and future)
That guy from Entertainment Tonight

And Don't Forget:

YANNI ROCKS ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Hey,..what's everyones take on this whole Rap/Hip Hop thing that is currently dieing a slow death these days??

I just couldn't reach down in my pocket,and pull out 150$-200$ to see a Rapper/Hip Hopper.

If I'm paying money,I want to see someone singing,someone playing a kickbutt lead/rhythm guitar,someone playing a watery bass guitar,and someone beating the crap out of the drums.
Anotherwords....ACTUAL MUSICIANS

With Rap/Hip Hop you're are getting a guy who rhymes,and a guy scratching a record,while a pre-recorded beat is playing in the background.

I try to touch on all music forms,but this just sucks to bad for my taste.

Motown... Love the 4 Tops, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas. And Stevie Wonder, but more when he was mature and out on his own (Songs in the Key of Life)

But then there's Memphis Soul brought to us by Stax Records. The beauty of Motown is that it was polished, but the beauty of Memphis Soul is that it wasn't polished. It was always raw and edgy music... James Brown, Arteha Franklin, Otis Redding... and there Stax' great studio band, Booker T and the MGs...

John E,

Re. Rap, I have to agree that it is not great music, but I have enjoyed Watching some rap acts, on TV of course! They are visual and rhythmic spectaculars. And the choreography can be spectacular. Good dancin', fool! ha ha

But, you are right, the only 'music' you hear are 'samples' of other peoples great accomplishments. I even heard the playout to Layla once in a rap act!

At best it's poetry to great beats and dance.

Juanito,

You name some great talents. I like Stevie too, but he faded fast it seems to me. I could be wrong, but....

Need to remember a terrific lady, who now lives in Idaho!

I met her. Her name is Carol King. A nice white Jewish girl.

She wrote many of the greatest Motown hits of the 60's before going out on her own. She is one likable talented lady. She sang by herself for a group of us in a Boise park in 04. Talk about intimate surroundings!

So just to be sure everybody hears it:

CAROL KING!!!

You know, people our age are very lucky, in a way. We were probably around to appr. the greatest assemblage of raw talent in the world of music for a long long time. Our parents were lucky too; jazz, blues, the whole Sinatra show.

But we really had something special; pop music that actually meant something.

I pity the kids today. A few alternative rock groups carry the banner, but otherwise, a pop desert?

I may be wrong. Let me know if I am. I am speaking generally, remember.

Raving Loon,

Canned Heat was a terrifically talented blues rock band. One of my favorites.

I'm surprised and disappointed that no one on a Chicago-based blog mentioned the late, great Mike Bloomfield -- arguably the best blues guitarist of all time. Check him out with the Butterfield Blues Band, Electric Flag, and on classics like Super Session when he teams up with Al Kooper, or on Fathers and Sons where he backs Muddy Waters -- probably the best blues album of all time and a product of Chicago.

RIP, Mike Bloomfield.

Kenny b,

Nice heads up! That's what this blog is about; reminding all of the greats of the past, and present.

Add the Butterfield Blues Band to the roll!

C Mor

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who used to play guitar in a local band,and I asked him why he thought that Nirvana was not in the R n R Hall of Fame yet.

He said that he thinks they are avoiding having to deal with Courtney Love,who would probably try to steal the show.

I never thought about that,but he is probably right,they were burned by the Sex Pistols last year,(no big surprise if they had followed their career at all).

John E,

Well, Nirvana deserves it as a band, and Kurt C. as a huge talent. One of the best post 60's/70's era bands for sure. And then he wasted himself. It's still sad to think about. Lennon's murder made me angry, but Cobain's suicide; robbed, sad.

In the 80's I really enjoyed 'Tears for Fears'. 'Shout' almost made my top ten favorite single songs list. It's a masterpiece of passive aggression. And POWER up the yin-yang. Just adding them to the roll call.

Hey, let's keep this up and we can break 100 posts!

John E.,

John Tesh

I think you win.

aahhhhhh yes John Tesh,that's the name I was looking for Bubba!!

That guy looks like Lerch from the Addams family.

I ripped Mini Ripperton a few posts back, but she is a talented gal.
Just had the awful misfortune to release Midnight at the Oasis.

John Tesh 'stylings' = multicolored dog vomit

Ya know, looking back on my ten worst, well, maybe a complete revision is in order.

How about Gillbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again?
I kept hoping he WOULD throw himself off.

Here is a new catagory;
Big mistakes by the greats?

1. Pressed Rat and Warthog; Cream
2. Long and Winding Road; Beatles (too much syrup)

Continue, guys and gals

* * * *
Additional thought re. The Who;
I liked them much better when Keith Moon was still alive. Talk about the drummer that makes a difference.

Favorite Drummers;
(I'm not that conversant here, so please add to it:)
1. Ginger Baker
2. Keith Moon
3. John Paul Jones
(Outta gas)
.....
11. Charley Watts
12. Mick Fleetwood
13. Ringo

Oh hey,

one of the great underrated, unsung guitar greats is Becker, of Steely Dan. The guy is just great.

He really rips it on 'Don't Take Me Alive';

Agents of the law
Luckless pedestrian
I know you're out there
With rage in your eyes and your megaphones
Saying all is forgiven
Mad Dog surrender
How can I answer
A man of my mind can do anything

I'm a bookkeeper's son
I don't want to shoot no one
Well I crossed my old man back in Oregon
Don't take me alive
Got a case of dynamite
I could hold out here all night
Yes I crossed my old man back in Oregon
Don't take me alive

Can you hear the evil crowd
The lies and the laughter
I hear my inside
The mechanized hum of another world
Where no sun is shining
No red light flashing
Here in this darkness
I know what I've done
I know all at once who I am

Repeat Chorus

JohnE,

Re Courtney Love;

A potentially beautiful and talented actress and singer is/has destroyed herself with heroin and alcohol.

I can't imagine a day in the life of C.L.

C.Mo,

Courtney Love is so tragic that it's not even funny anymore,I feel bad for their daughter.

Did you see her appearance on Letterman a few years back??

I have to admit,I was laughing my butt off.

John E,

Yes, strung out. I don't think she knew where she was.

Time's list of top 100 albums (not my endorsement):

http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/index.html?cnn=yes

C Mo - wasn't it Maria Muldaur who sang Midnight at the Oasis? She used to sing back-up for Bette Midler. The late M Rippington was the mother of Maya Rudolph of the SNL cast. At the end of Loving You is Easy (case you're beautiful) you can hear her sing Maya, Maya....

Drummers? Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, Steve Gadd, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Louie Bellson, Ed Blackwell. As for rock, Ginger excells, but I'd take Charlie Watts and maybe even Ringo (who knows who actually played drums on alot of Beatles tracks anyway?) off your list.

Gilbert O'Sullivan should jump, but behold, the worst song (that we were supposed to take seriously, otherwise some bubblegum tune would've made it) of all time, MacArthur Park, sung by Richard Harris. The lyrics are laughable. And don't forget they had a full orchestra to drive this monster. Writers and players must've been stoned.

http://www.geocities.com/bjaes.geo/lyrics/mcarthur.htm

I don't think that I can take it....

Kenny B,

MacArthur Park! BOOOM_SHAKALAKAAAA!
Maybe the worst. Thanks buddy.

Re; Midnight at the Oasis; Apologies to Mini Rip. It was Muldaur.

Nice factoid on Maya Rudolph.

Note I put Ringo and Charlie out of the top ten. They are/were adequate, that's all.

I might submit 'Wildfire' by M M Murphy as a real bady.

Kenny B.

Wow!!
You really know your drummers!!

I always thought that the Stones would have been a heavier rocking band if they had had a harder hitting drummer....Jon Bonham,..maybe Dave Grohl,Trey Kool.

Mya Rudolph's mom was famous during the disco era.

K C and the Sunshine Band....underated...

Apology to Led Zeppelin ;

I MEANT Jon Bonham in my drummer list; not the bass player.

Memory is a terrible thing to lose!

+++

Kenny Bunk;

All I can say about the MacPark link;

Oh, no!
Oh, no
No, no
Oh no!!

C Mor and others,got a book for Xmas last year you guys might be interested in.Put together by Ron Smith,called Chicago top 40 charts.The one I received was for period from 1960-69.

List all songs from that era by group and how they did on the charts.Brings back some great memories.Some great and bad songs.Book wasn't that expensive from Amazon.Also have period's from 70-79 and 80-90.As info.

http://www.oldiesmusic.com/links.htm

Raver,

I see 'Blue Cheer' on the list.
I saw them at the Kinetic Playground in '68!!

Didn't think anyone would remember.

You folks might recall that Bill Graham was, without a doubt, the most influential concert promoter of the 60s and early 70s -- mostly through his Fillmore East and Fillmore West. Those were meccas which produced some great music and albums - Hendrix to Allman Brothers to Miles Davis.

It turns out the late Graham (real first name Wolfgang) was a pack rat who kept EVERYTHING from those concerts -- tickets, posters (fabulous graphics), and most importanly, HE RECORDED ALMOST EVERYTHING. The promotional materials are available for sale, and the concerts are available FREE via streaming audio:

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com

Sit back and crank it up.

C.Morris, Kenny Bunkport,

I didn't know this thread was still going.

I think Ringo is unjustly maligned. Yes he was simply a competant drummer, but he was perfect for the Beatles. A Keith Moon or Mitch Mitchell (w/ Jimi Hendrix) would have ruined the paradigm. All of the Beatles were just so-so instrumentalists but the whole was far, far greater than the sum of the parts. So lay off of Ringo. Of course as a solist he's forgettable...

I think Ginger Baker is overrated, sorry. He's like Gene kruppa (40s Swing guy) He isn't so much good as he is just LOUD. But if you want dazzling pyrotechnics -- Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Asia.

My fave Rock drummers: Moon, Bonham, Mitchell, Watts and Starr in that order.

Juanito,

Paul McCartney is a terrific bassist -- one of the best. I don't dig the kewpie doll personality, but crank up the bass while listening to any Beatles work. Even the most simple tune will reveal incredibly inventive bass lines.

Don't know why you support Ringo but agree that he did an adequate job (if indeed he did the job -- they toured without him and worked in the studio without him and at one point he quit the group).

But I've got to stand my ground on Charlie Watts, No finesse. His best effort may have been on Get Off My Cloud in which he merely plays the same cloddish drum fill over and over. Watch him closely. Unlike every other drummer, he doe