Sonny Landreth

In keeping with my original intent for this blog, I would like to recommend a great CD - From The Reach by Louisiana's own Sonny Landreth. Sonny is one of the best guitar players I've ever seen - and I've seen a lot. Like Jeff Beck, he employs techniques that are very original and unique. And on this recording he has the added performances of luminaries such as Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, Eric Johnson, and many more. It's a great blend of blues/country/soul and has been in my player for years.

Crosby and Nash

Two great YouTube videos of David Crosby and Graham Nash, circa 1970. (These links will redirect you to YouTube, you will need to use your browser's Back button to return to this blog)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdNO9Qa5rzI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPvOTVVbMko&feature=related

To quote a friend, YouTube is like crack for music junkies!!

R.I.P.

The great Les Paul died today at the age of 94. Les' contributions to modern music are many; rock and roll as we know it would not exist without him. Aside from the considerable accomplishment of inventing his eponymous electric guitar, Les also pioneered the use of tape delay and other production techniques that were huge influences on Jimmy Page, among others. Les was also an absolutely incredible player; unfortunately his heyday was the 40's and 50's and there is not a ton of footage available of him in his prime, but there are some enticing tidbits available on YouTube, including his classic '90's beer commercial.

For my part, my home photo here shows me playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom - here is another shot of it.

Les Paul - gone but certainly not forgotten. R.I.P., my friend.

The next 10

OK - the first ten essential Classic Rock albums were arbitrary, and there was room for debate. But it did represent a solid foundation for anyone interested in delving into what I consider to be the best contemporary music available. Here are the next 10 - many of which could easily have made the top 10 - by 10 different bands. If you get these 10 along with the Top 10, and then explore different albums by the bands you like, you will have a great collection.

The next 10:

Humble Pie – Smokin
Grand Funk Railroad – Closer to Home
Traffic – The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
Rush – 2112
Jethro Tull – Aqualung
The Who – Who’s Next
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?
Cream – Disraeli Gears
The Allman Brothers – Beginnings
The Doors

Honorable Mention: Montrose; Van Morrison’s Moondance

The Last Top 10 Essential Classic Album

Although I said that these were in no particular order, I did save the best for last. Here it is:

Led Zeppelin IV – Although not my personal favorite (to pop into the CD player), probably due to overexposure, this is without a doubt the greatest classic rock album ever made. As if Stairway To Heaven wasn’t enough, this album shows the full range of Zep’s songwriting and musical prowess. The band displayed their lighter side on the great ballad Going To California and the Mideastern-influenced folk song Battle Of Evermore (featuring Fairport Convention vocalist Sandy Denny); rocked out on the eponymous Rock And Roll (featuring longtime Rolling Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart on piano) as well as Black Dog, Four Sticks, and Misty Mountain Hop; and set a new standard for production with the thunderous drum sound on the great blues sendup and closing song When The Levee Breaks. Six of the eight songs on this album became staples of Zep’s live set over the ensuing years. This was the greatest rock band ever at the absolute height of their considerable musical powers.

The next (to last) Top 10 Classic

OK. here we are at the top. Shouldn't have been too hard to figure these two out. Here is Number 2:

2) Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon – Not my personal favorite Pink Floyd release (or some members of the band’s, based on interviews) to listen to, definitely due in my case to overexposure. However, an unprecedented 736 weeks in the Billboard Top 100 is a confirmation from the fans of how staggeringly brilliant this album is. It produced two anthems (Time and Money); two of the most beautiful pieces of rock music ever recorded (Great Gig In The Sky and Us And Them); was daring and pioneering in it’s production and use of sound effects and synthesizers; and was the most successful “concept album” ever made. Roger Waters emerged as a great lyracist with his scathing social commentary. Even the album artwork was striking and memorable. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and was also a breakout for studio engineer Alan Parsons.

The Next Top 10 Classic

A while back I set out to describe what I consider to be the Top 10 Must-Have classic rock albums, with the stipulation that all 10 are from different artists. Now I am down to the last three - here is the first of those heavyweights:

3) The Yes Album – I am not sure that this is the best lineup that Yes fielded - some would prefer Rick Wakeman on keyboards over Tony Kaye, who plays on this album. Personally, I like the keys on this album; they have not yet gotten into the synthesizers that made much of their later stuff torturous to listen to. Maybe because of that I find this to be by far the most solid and listenable album that they made. Side 1 is as good as it gets – Yours Is No Disgrace, The Clap, Starship Trooper. The Clap is a solo accoustic piece that demonstrates Steve Howe’s virtuosity on guitar, sandwiched between two anthems that showcase the musicianship of the band while remaining highly listenable. Your Move/All Good People is a radio staple that was one of the band’s great commercial successes. On any other album the last two songs, A Venture and Perpetual Change, would stand out, but here it is hard for them to live up to the standard that has been set. This album is flawed, but is the best product of the "art rock" genre of the '70's and is definitely a must-have.

Top 10 Classics

I will start with the next Top 10 Classic - since I am a week behind I will also post one tomorrow. This one is the album that made me start pondering this topic in the first place; I was listening to it one day and thought to myself, What a great album - this should be essential to any good Classic Rock collection.

4) Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run – Bruce had had limited commercial success to this point, and needed to produce a big seller. In his words, he “set out to make the greatest rock and roll record ever”. Well, he set the bar high, and he produced a phenomenal album that changed the musical landscape. The opening song, Thunder Road, is a masterpiece, and the album never lets up. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out is one of my personal favorites (and features David Sanborn on saxophone); the title track is one of Bruce’s best. Bruce had more time (due to a protracted contractural dispute) to work on the subsequent Darkness On The Edge Of Town lp, and it is also a great album, but Born To Run was the breakout album and is Bruce at his best.

Top 10 Classics

Since I am on the topic of music tonight, here is the next on the Top 10 list:

5) The Beatles, Abbey Road – A tough choice but gets the nod over Sgt. Pepper because of the songwriting – particularly George Harrison’s contributions, Something and Here Comes The Sun – as well as the phenominal production and the band’s devotion to crafting a great album despite the fact that they were obviously going in opposite directions. This ability to create despite (or because of?) extreme personal and musical differences illustrates what consummate professionals the Beatles were. (And no I didn’t forget the White album, which I find flawed).

Black Sabbath redux

I listened to this last night for the first time in a while and with fresh ears - it certainly reaffirmed my endorsement. Ozzie's vocals are downright malevolent; every metal singer since has tried to duplicate the intensity. I don't know if the lyrics of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" were copied in N.I.B. on purpose or by accident, but either way it is brilliant. I think that future Valimar reunions might need to revisit this album.

The next Top 10 Classic

OK, now that I've vented, here is my next Top 10 Essential Classic Album:

6) Black Sabbath – I really love the first four albums by these guys, but the self-titled debut is the one you need to have if you want to get to the essence of the music. This album is also important because it basically launched a new genre – this is truly the birth of heavy metal. The material presented had been performed live and the band was tight going into the studio, and it shows. Ozzie’s (billed as Ossie at the time) vocals are raw and powerful; the lyrical content is dark; the bass and drums of Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – who I always thought were underrated as a rhythm section – are powerful, and Tony Iommi displays the beginning of his mastery of the hard rock riff. N.I.B. and The Wizard are standards; the entire album is strong and will leave you catching your breath and wanting more. Also the cover art is very cool.

The Telecaster that put the Tele in Tele_Man

It was brought to my attention that it was ironic for the Tele_Man to be pictured in his profile holding a Les Paul, so here is a pic of the Tele getting a workout at Oscar & The Blues Cat's Open Mike Blues Jam last October.

Another Top 10 Classic

I have been slacking on my postings, as anyone tracking me is well aware. I will endeavor to do better this week and weekend, starting with the next in my series of Top 10 Essential Classic Rock Albums:

7) Deep Purple, Machine Head – I really love this album. Any rock fan who has never put on stereo headphones and cranked up “Lazy” is definitely missing out on one of the greatest experiences hard rock has to offer. Obviously, Smoke On The Water is one of the biggest hard rock hits of all time and to me helped define the summer of ’72, when it was all over the radio; Highway Star and Space Truckin’ were also huge hits. But I really like the rest of the disc; songs like Pictures of Home and Maybe I’m a Leo are well crafted and highly listenable. The fact that this album was made in a short period of time and under pressure (Smoke On The Water is a recounting of the circumstances and was written on the spot) is amazing but undoubtedly contributed to the urgency of the music.

Another Top 10 Classic

And now, the third posting of my Top 10 Essential Classic Rock Albums - the foundation of any good collection.

8) Derek and the Dominos, Layla (and other assorted love songs) – This album represented a major turning point in the career of Eric Clapton. It is hard to ignore the influence of the drugs that were obviously fueling the musicians, but nonetheless this remains one of the greatest and most influential rock albums. The presence of Duane Allman inspired Clapton’s playing, and his as-yet unrequited love for Patti Boyd (Harrison) inspired his songwriting. Along with powerful covers of songs like Freddie King’s Have You Ever Loved A Woman and Hendrix’ Little Wing are superb Clapton efforts like the title song and the wonderful Bell Bottom Blues. When I saw Clapton perform some of this material live in ’07 it sounded as fresh as ever; the opening riff of Tell The Truth sent chills down my spine.

More Top 10 Classics

OK, time to post Number 9 on my list of Top 10 Essential Classic Rock Albums:

9) Ten Years After, A Space In Time – This is probably the one in my Top 10 Essentials that would have the most people scratching their heads, but as far as my personal collection is concerned this is, always was, and always will be a must-have. This is, in fact, one of the only albums that I have owned and/or listened to on LP, 8-track tape, cassete tape, and CD. This was one of the few albums released in Quadrophonic sound, and I will never forget hearing the music chase around the room. But the gimmickry isn’t what makes this a great album; I have a soft spot for a) accoustic guitar playing, which this album is full of, and b) blues covers and improvisations, which this is also full of. I love songs like Over The Hill and Let The Sky Fall. I’d Love To Change The World was the band’s biggest hit and still gets radio play; Baby Won’t You Let Me Rock & Roll You is a great old-school sendup. Alvin Lee isn’t as recognized as many of the British blues rockers but in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s he was well known and respected in rock music circles and his (and the band’s) performance of I’m Going Home at Woodstock is legendary.

Top 10 classics

Recently, I wrote an appreciation of what I consider to be the top 10 essential albums for any classic rock collection. The only real rule was that only one lp per band could be included, lest the entire Top 10 be Led Zeppelin albums. I herewith submit number 10; I will post more of these from time to time. If you like classic rock, take my advice and get these 10.

10) The Eagles, Hotel California – In a time when some of the greatest and best selling albums ever were being released – Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors, Peter Frampton’s Comes Alive, Jefferson Starship’s Red Octopus – the Eagles produced this gem. After the departure of longtime guitarist Bernie Leadon, the great Joe Walsh was brought in to help produce the guitars and to share the lead guitar duties with Don Felder, who (along with Lindsey Buckingham) is one of the most underrated guitarists out there. Although the guitar playing on this album is nothing short of brilliant, it is the songwriting that puts it over the top. Don Henley does the heavy lifting with killers like Wasted Time and The Last Resort, but Walsh, Randy Meisner, and cofounder Glen Frey all contribute strong efforts, and this album shines from the first chiming notes to the last fade-out.