Sister Sage's Musings

Archive for the ‘Saturday Nite Nostalgia’ Category

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an edition of nostalgia. Not really sure why, perhaps I’m getting lazy. Summer does that to one.

After what happened to Brunaud Moise earlier this week, getting banned at Laronde, a ‘family values’ Six Flags owned amusement park in Montreal, for sporting a Bob Marley t-shirt emblazoned with green marijuana leaves, I thought I would put on some Bob Marley videos, as well as Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It”. The latter for Joey Elias having the idea of perhaps sporting such a t-shirt and attempting to get into Laronde with the tech producer, Mike Babins. I hope they do take the trip over to Laronde and provide feedback on how it went. It would be more telling if what happened to Mr Moise was really racially motivated.

Also, summer is drawing to a close. Reggae for some seems to keep summer in the minds of folks.

I’m too lazy to come up with trivia stories about them or find quotes this fine evening. They deserve better, I know.  If you want to know more about Bob Marley and/or Peter Tosh, click those links.

Enjoy!

I thought the first video would be appropriate for us in this day and age, not only for Brunaud Moise, but also for us.

“Exodus” from Santa Barbara, 1979

Bob with no dreadlocks; “Stir It Up”

Now, of course, “Legalize It” from Peter Tosh; An accoustic version.

Happy Saturday Nite!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Saturday Nite Nostalgia edition, hasn’t it? And I’m a doin’ it on Wednesday to boot!

After that terrible week and even much worse week-end in Toronto for Steve’s expensive photo op to push world leaders to yet another Great Depression (because, misery does love company), I think we can all use some comforting music. Ok, I can use it!  Besides, I have a feeling most won’t even know who Woody Guthrie even was.  Here is a bio of this legendary folk singer if you’re interested.

I chose Woody Guthrie to comfort me this fine evening because folk music can be soothing. An added bonus is that his ‘machine kills fascists’; a phrase that was printed on his guitars, as you will notice in all three videos I will post.

The first one, to warm us up is spiritual in nature. I know, this blog is supposed to be secular and it still is, but I have played “Jesus Christ” before; the Merle Haggard version, as it was played during end credits of Michael Moore’s last effort, “Capitalism, A Love Story” (If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for to rent the dvd??). Anyhoo, this is the original “Jesus Christ”. Here, you will notice the prominence of “This Machine Kills Fascists”.

If you want to hear the Merle Haggard version click here. I may repost that video at a later time.  I haven’t decided which version I like better; you be the judge.

Words used like “Austerity”,  “Deficits” , “Police State” and of course, “Fascism”.  Our worries: jobs, the future, freedoms, etc.  The following video is a vignette of what the hardships of 1941 looked like, roughly when Guthrie sang “Do Re Mi” (not sure if I have song title right; correct me in comments if I’m wrong, please).

Now, something we all need; a motivational tune. And Woody Guthrie has a fitting one for what happened and what we must fight.Pale, I think you’re especially going to appreciate this one.

Enjoy!

I really didn’t know of any other way to show respect to the great late actor of such great films like “Easy Rider”, “Apocalypse Now” and “Blue Velvet” except to to a Saturday Nite Nostalgia playing music from the soundtracks of these three films.

Willy Loman beat me to it, but selected only tunes from “Easy Rider”.  So I will only play one “Easy Rider” tune and the rest from Apocalypse Now. I don’t much fancy the music to “Blue Velvet” and I don’t really want to play the Bobby Vinton song.

“It’s All Right Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” –Roger McGuinn — one Easy Rider song that is not on Willy Loman’s page. Click the above link to view the other videos and hear some other great tracks from that great movie.

“The End” from their first album, arguably the best effort from The Doors. It was also the intro song to “Apocalypse Now”

“Satisfaction” –The Rolling Stones. The song isn’t that loud but it was meant more as background to an obviously lighter hearted scene in “Apocalypse Now”

Happy Saturday Nite All!

It’s a hot and humid holiday. This of course, would make for a slow blogging day.

Robert Allen Zimmerman was born on this day in 1941.

He would later call himself Bob Dylan after the poet Dylan Thomas, who along with Woody Guthrie, was a great influence on him. More here about his life and career.

“The Hurricane”,  a song about the story of Reuben “Hurricane” Carter.  Performance in 1975

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhfWU335aGA

Like a Rolling Stone” is another favourite.   I like the lyrics; they remind us how bad luck can happen to anyone and thus, how  arrogance toward the unfortunate and the marginalized is a bad idea.  This video is of  Dylan’s performance at the Newport Folk Festival of 1965.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl2a6Bbyads

Oh what the hell, a party song sure to make the Socons of the Blogging Romper roomies and outside like Pacheco and Suzy ALLCAPS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmpv7BcAo4U

Happy Birthday Bob Dylan! Happy Victoria Day to those outside of Quebec! Pour les Quebecois, Joyeuses Fetes des Patriotes!

Something I usually do on Saturday Nights, but here goes.

Ronnie James Dio (real name Padavona)  wasn’t a favourite of mine. I don’t like heavy metal as much as I used to during my youth.  However, since he died this week and he does have a place in rock ‘n’ roll history. I thought I would devote this week-end’s edition to him.

He played in bands like Elf, Rainbow, his own band, Dio and he was probably best known as Ozzy Osbourne’s replacement in Black Sabbath. Read more about his life and career here.

“Rainbow In the Dark”

“Holy Diver” is a song that brings back memories of my bartending days in the Lower St-Lawrence in the 90s when I left Montreal for a few years.

At one place my boss insisted on country & western, particularly Paul and Julie Daraiche, Home grown country mixed with Lord knows what, really, being played endlessly. The boss had no idea of her clientele who would invariably walk out everytime she would take over the juke box.

She hated the rocker types who walked into her bar. Anyway, “Holy Diver” was a favourite amongst the patrons when we knew the boss lady was gone for the evening or gone to bed.

“Sitting in a Dream” performed with Deep Purple and the London Symphony Orchestra

“Paranoid” Later Version of Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio. The sound kinda sucks, but couldn’t find a better video.

Happy Sunday Afternoon, All!

The Allman Brothers band formed in 1969, in Jacksonville, Florida but based out of Macon, Georgia featuring brothers Duane and Greg Allman along with Dickey Betts on lead guitar and song writing, Barry Oakley on Bass guitar, Butch Truck on drums. They are considered to be pioneers of a sub-genre known as Southern Rock which is generally a mix of blues, country and rock and roll.

The band would begin to achieve commercial success in 1971 with the release of the album, ” At Fillmore East” which featured hits like “Whipping Post” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.

A few months after “At Fillmore East” went gold,  Duane Allman would be killed in  a motorcycle accident and that would start the troubles for the band that would lead to break ups and reforming with other players. More here.

“Whipping Post”

“Ramblin’ Man” from the 1973 album, “Brothers and Sisters”.  That single and album would be the peak of their commerical success. Shortly afterward, things would go downhill due to internal issues and first break up.

“Melissa” 1972 hit redone 20 years later

Happy Saturday Nite, all!

Following this rather interesting debacle of an election result in Britain last Thursday night, I thought it fitting to do tonight’s edition of Saturday Nite Nostalgia with the British Invasion; a rock n’ roll movement that exclusively belonged to the Americans until the mid-1960s.

Officially, The Beatles kicked it off on February 7, 1964 when they first landed on American soil. However, it seems that the British Invasion was actually started by an instrumental,  “Telstar” by The Tornadoes when it hit number one on the American charts in 1962.

Then,  Dusty Springfield in 1963 when her hit, “I Only Want to Be With You” was released. She would sing it on the Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964.

Even the Beatles had their first hit aired on American radio (“I want to Hold Your Hand”) in 1963.

In Britain, the initial attempts to replicate American rock n’ roll failed commercially as it lacked two popular genres found in American music at the time: Country and Rhythm Blues. Skiffle bands and  craze of the 50s.   A young  Jimmy Page is shown, playing guitar for a Skiffle band on British TV in 1957. British teen-agers loved the rock n roll and Blues music of  the U.S. and attempted a “Do-it-yourself” approach to replicate the likes of such artists like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley (naturally), Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, James Brown and Muddy Waters.

Below is  Dusty Springfield singing “You Don’t Have to Say You Love  in 1967.

Liverpool was the original capital of the so-called “beat-boom” movement, otherwise known as the Merseybeat . It was an Atlantic port town so, Liverpool merchant sea-men came back with American Rock n roll hits; even before they were widely available in the rest of Britain.  This movement started with such groups like  Jerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers. Below, is The Searchers’ “Love Potion #9″

Within the next few years, groups and artists such as Manfred Mann, The Rolling Stones (of course), the Animals, Peter and Gordon, the Spencer Davis Group featuring a young Stevie Winwood, John Mayall and the Blues’ Breakers, The Zombies, The Moody Blues, The Yardbirds,  Petula Clark and so many more emerged from Greater Britain. Later such artists like The Who and Donovan would follow.

Below,   John Mayall’s Blues Breakers’ “I’m Your Witch Doctor”, one of many bands Eric Clapton played with throughout his career.

The last one is  Donovan’s “Atlantis”, released in 1968; the only song I like by Donovan.  Well, that and “Catch the Wind.”  There have been some who for some strange reason, felt he was Britain’s answer to Bob Dylan. Don’t ask me why.

Happy Saturday Nite All!

Only fitting I would cover Led Zeppelin after last week-end’s spotlight on Jimmy Page’s early years.

Following the departure of Keith Relf and Jim Carty from The Yardbirds in 1968, Page wanted to continue with them, ostensibly to continue unfulfilled touring dates. He had recruited (you guessed it!) Robert Plant on vocals and the late John Bonham on drums.  John Paul Jones, with whom Page had worked with in the past asked to join and Page agreed.  With that, this group became known as The New Yardbirds. That is, until The Who drummer, Keith Moon made a comment about this new line up “going over like a lead zeppelin”.  At which time, Page decided to change the band’s name just that, Lead Zeppelin.  The spelling would change to “Led” to avoid a mispronunciation of “Leed”

The first video is a rare version of “Dazed and Confused” – a song that most of us know from Led Zeppelin’s first album, but the video below is an earlier version–circa 1967-1968 by The “old” Yardbirds, obviously before the departures of Relf and Carty, appearing on a French TV show.  Yeah, I know, it’s kinda weird listening to Keith Relf singing it, rather than Robert Plant. In fact, personally, I don’t think Keith Relf’s voice was suited for the song. However, those who follow my Saturday Nite Nostalgia series, I always try as much as possible to find more obscure songs or obscure versions of them. The Yardbirds doing “Dazed and Confused” is no exception, even with Relf on vocals. Anyhooo, watch, listen and you be the judge.

The following is “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”  from their first album, live on TV in Copenhagen circa 1969.

There are varying stories as to who originally wrote and / or inspired this song.

The following is another favourite that didn’t seem to go commercial. “The Battle of Evermore” was from an untitled album simply known as  their fourth album. If anyone heard it on vinyl, if memory serves me correctly, this played before “Stairway to Heaven”.

In my opinion, Led Zeppelin’s only decent albums were the first, second and fourth.

This is one band that kept the same line up for the entire 12 years they were together.  They broke up shortly after the death of John Bonham, their drummer. Their last album prior to Bonham’s death and Led Zeppelin’s subsequent break up was “In Through the Outdoor”. However, in 1982, Led-Zeppelin’s last album, “Coda” came out.

Like Robert Plant, Page would go on to more successes that would span through decades. I believe he toured not long ago.

Happy Saturday Nite!

Jimmy Page is considered to be one of the  most influential guitarists of all time. He’s right up there with greats like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

He is best known for his work as lead guitarist for Led Zeppelin, and The Yardbirds in the 60s where both Clapton and Beck played as well.

His earlier influences were more of the rockabilly types like Scotty Moore and James Burton. We see this rockabilly influence below in a rare video of a very young Page (age 14, approx)  in 1957, being interviewed and playing a few songs on the BBC’s Huw Wheldon Show. I’m not sure whether the band was called Skiffle Band or the Talismen; depends what you read.

Here is another video of them performing “Cast  my Spell on You”

Page had refused an invitation to replace Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds in 1965, but recommended his friend and guitar great, Jeff Beck to join. He would eventually be invited yet again (he accepted this time) in 1966, to join The Yardbirds to ostensibly replace the base player, but eventually moved to play twin lead guitars with Beck. Below is probably one of their more upbeat songs; yeah, I know, I rarely do upbeat here, but I always felt it was a cool party song with rhythm and uncomplicated lyrics.

Eventually,  lead singer, Keith Relf & Jim McCarty would leave  The Yardbirds in 1968. Jimmy Page would go on with The New Yardbirds who would become Led Zeppelin. I will feature Led Zeppelin at a later time.

The next video is the Yardbirds with Page after the departure of Jeff Beck. More on the biography of Jimmy Page here.

Some Jimmy Page quotes (after joining  Led Zeppelin):

I don’t think the critics could understand what we were doing.

I may not believe in myself, but I believe in what I’m doing.

I think it was that we were really seasoned musicians. We had serious roots that spanned different cultures, obviously the blues.

I’m just looking for an angel with a broken wing.

“My vocation is more in composition really than anything else – building up harmonies using the guitar, orchestrating the guitar like an army, a guitar army.”

“Nowadays, we’re more into staying in our rooms and reading Nietzsche.”

Happy Saturday Nite!

I didn’t feel like blogging today and still don’t feel like it tonight. In fact, I don’t even feel like doing any light research for comedy clips, or funny stories in politics or bios and anecdotes about my favourite musicians.

I did hint that I would do another Saturday Nite Nostalgia edition on Janis Joplin. She was the greatest and obviously, so many good videos on Youtube to choose from and can’t put them all on one post, so here are more songs from the Pearl, herself.  Go here for  quotes and short bio as well as some rare tunes from her, including one from her early days.

The first song is from a performance she gave in 1969 on the Dick Cavett Show.

Who knew Tom Jones had a TV show? Even more surprising is that Janis would even perform on a show hosted by Tom Jones

Question: Was Tom Jones a guilty pleasure for anyone?

Kozmic Blues–Another emotional and passionate performance. One of her last performances before her death.

Happy Saturday Nite All!