Another Brick in the Wall #4

In honour of the recent anniversary of "The Wall": Part 4 of The Wall series. To refresh your memory, read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

We left Pink while he was on tour, attempting to collect call his wife and finding out that she was cheating on him. So how does Pink react? "One of My Turns" shows Pink's twisting emotions after the revelation. 

Enter The Bimbo, a groupie who is Pink's company for the night. She keeps trying to make conversation with him while he stares at the TV (Fun Fact: He's watching The Dam Busters). She's got some lovely lines like "Wanna take a bath?" to try and get his attention but eventually she goes over to Pink to figure out what's wrong. Pink feels "cold as a razor blade, tight as a tourniquet, tight as a funeral drum" after he finds out his wife has cheated on him.

The Groupie from the film version of The Wall

And now, he goes and gets his "favourite axe" and starts on a highly violent rampage, destroying the room, frightening The Bimbo, throwing this at her, and eventually beating her up. In the film version, Bob Geldof (who played Pink) actually cut himself on a shard of glass as he threw a TV set out the window, but the producer to keep it in the film.

At this point, Pink feels remorse and self-pity and asks the groupie "Why are you running away?" We move into "Don't Leave Me Now," a song that Roger Waters says is about two people who have hurt each other very badly but are upset at the prospect at their marriage dissolving. The song is purposefully non-harmonic to show the emotion of the moment. I have an unanswered question about this song: in the background you can hear a respirator, so are we to assume that he's either a) beat up the groupie or b) is having thoughts of hurting his wife after her adultery?

All the major players from The Wall

"Another Brick in the Wall Part 3" is the loudest of all the parts and also the shortest. It really emphasizes Pink's rage and he has now decided to finish constructing his wall after his wife's adultery. He decides he doesn't need anyone at all since they're all "just bricks in the wall." The song then cross fades into "Goodbye Cruel World," the end of Disc 1 of The Wall.

Pink has now acknowledged his mental completion of his wall and his isolation from society. At a live performance, there is one brick gap left and Waters can be seen singing through it. On the word "goodbye" at the end of the song, the last brick is put into place and the music cuts immediately, as Pink has now cut all ties with the outside world.

And that ends Disc 1 of The Wall. Now that I'm on winter holidays, I'll be posting Part 5 soon and we'll start looking at Disc 2. 

The Tragically Hip

Most of the places I've spent time have always had a number of big name bands come out of them. For example, Jacksonville is home to Lynyrd Skynyrd, though I'm sure most people who've heard "Sweet Home Alabama" would want to disagree. 

Right now, I'm living in Kingston, Ontario - Canada's first capital, home to Canada's first Prime Minister (Sir John A MacDonald) and the first maximum security penitentiary. It's not exactly cultivating an exciting music culture like Chicago or LA. But, Kingston is home of a great Canadian band: The Tragically Hip, or The Hip if you're into that whole brevity thing. 

The Hip playing in Aspen, Colorado in 2007

The Hip were formed in 1983 and at the time consisted of Gordon Downie (vox and guitar), Rob "Bobby" Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass), Johnny Fay (drums), and Davis Manning (sax). The members had all been friends since high school in Kingston together and started their musical career playing in Baker's living room. The name, which is fairly unique, was taken from a skit in Michael Nesmith's movie Elephant Parts (1981). The Hip played a lot of local venues in the Ontario area until they were discovered by MCA in 1986. In 1986, Manning left and John Langlios filled Manning's place playing guitar. 

I have yet to find a Hip song that I don't like in some, way, shape, or form. Their music changes as the band grows up, their first albums having bluesy hints to them and their later albums more rocky. One of my personal favourites is "Bobcageyon" from 1998's Phantom Power. "Bobcageyon" won a Juno award in 2000 for Best Single of the Year. To critics, the Hip really hit their stride and artistry in the albums Fully Completely (1992) and Day for Night (1994), the latter of which helped them secure a spot as the musical artist for an SNL epsiode with the help of Dan Aykroyd, a fellow Canadian who also lives in the Kingston area.

The Hip's newest album Now For Plan A (2012)

Since their formation, The Hip boast 12 studio albums, two live albums, 9 No. 1 albums, and 14 Juno awards. In 2002, The Hip were inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto and in 2005 they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Their most recent album, Now For Plan A, was released in September 2012 and debuted at #3 on the Canadian charts.

For those of you in Kingston, think about buying tickets to go to their show in February at the K-Rock Centre. And for those of you who can't make it to a show near you, just listen and appreciate the fantastic music that is made by The Tragically Hip.

Website: www.thehip.com

Twitter: @thehipdotcom

OBTWWOIP Status

Sincere apologies for the long hiatus. Moving into uni, getting settled, and starting classes totally threw me off my game. As of yesterday, OBTWWOIP is back up and will be running intermittently (i.e. when I somehow manage to find free time in my Engineering schedule).

To those of you who are actually reading this blog, muchas gracias! Hopefully you learn something new every time you come. Got a request? Feel free to leave it in a comment or tweet at me.

- Megan

A Memory of Richard Wright

Today in 2008, we lost Richard Wright, the keyboardist for Pink Floyd, at the age of 65. To be fair, Wright was more than a keyboardist, he also played synth, organ, bass, harpsicord, harmonium, and performed backing vocals. He was also a songwriter, though not as prolific as David Gilmour or Roger Waters, and produced a significant amount of lyrics for Division Bell, Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon, and Meddle.

At 12, Wright taught himself how to play guitar. In 1962, he enrolled in the Regent Street Polytechnic where he met future bandmates Waters and Gilmour. The three formed The Pink Floyd Sound in 1965. In 1967-68, Wright wrote and sang many of his own songs. He is not credited with lead vocals on several Syd Barrett penned tunes from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Wright performing in Munich in 2006.

Typically, Wright contributed to the long, epic songs such as "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Atom Heart Mother," and "Echoes." He also extensively contributed to "Time" and "Breathe," and sang alternating lead vocals with Gilmour on "Breathe." But as the sound and goals of Pink Floyd changed, Wright focused more on his keyboard style for the extended instrumental breaks in songs like "Dogs," "One of These Days," and "Interstellar Overdrive."

Wright was forced to resign from Pink Floyd by Waters during the The Wall sessions. Waters threatened to axe the tapes if Wright didn't leave. However, he was kept on as a salaried session musician. He was the only member to not attend the film premiere of Pink Floyd-The Wall (1982) and Pink Floyd's Final Cut (1983) is the only album Wright does not appear on. He continued to appear alongside Pink Floyd as a salaried musician following Waters's departure.

One of the last times Pink Floyd played together (L to R): Gilmour, Waters, Mason, Wright

In November 2005, Pink Floyd was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame. Wright was unable attend due to cataracts surgery. In 2006, Wright joined Gilmour and Nick Mason for the recording of the PULSE DVD. In 2008, Wright died of cancer while he had been working on a new solo album. His contributions to the music world have been and will continue to be missed.

Woodstock Day 15: Blood, Sweat, & Tears

Formed in 1967, Blood, Sweat, & Tears played at Woodstock on August 18th at 1:30 am. At the time, their line-up consisted of David Clayton-Thomas on vocals, Bobby Colomby on drums, Jim Fielder on bass, Dick Halligan on keyboard and flute, Jerry Hyman on trombone, Steve Katz on guitar and harmonica, Fred Lipsius on alto sax and piano, Lew Soloff on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Chuck Winfield on trumpet and flugel horn as well. Their belend of jazz, psychedelic, soul, and R&B was a perfect addition to the musical diversity of Woodstock.

Clayton-Thomas singing at Woodstock.

In 1969, BS&T already produced two hit albums: Child Is Father to the Man and Blood, Sweat & Years both released in 1968. This allowed the band to choose from a bevy of popular and well-known songs and their set was well received. Most of their songs from the set were not taped and their performance wasn't included in the 1970 film Woodstock. However, their set was played flawlessly and with a lot of feeling. But sax player Lipsius felt that Woodstock was the worst gig that the band had played, claiming that Clayton-Thomas sang off key that night, which would have been the only time in the band's history that it had ever happened.

The band continued to be highly successful until their disbandment in 1981. However between Woodstock and the break-up, the band had so many incarnations that only one original member remained at the end. In 1983, the band restarted with Clayton-Thomas at the wheel until 2004. The band had an ever changing roster and still continues to change very often. Though active today, the band is very different than they were in the 60s and 70s, most likely due to lack of the influence of the original members.

The eponymous Blood, Sweat, & Tears album (1968).

BS&T put out some great hits: "Spinning Wheel," "More and More," "Fire and Rain," and "And When I Die." 1968's Blood, Sweat, & Tears was featured in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Website: http://www.bloodsweatandtears.com/

Woodstock Day 14: Bert Sommer

Bert Sommer played on Friday, August 15th as the third act for Woodstock at about 7:15 pm. Sommer was a folk singer and fit in quite well with the Friday line-up. He wrote a song called "We're All Playing For The Same Band" at and about the Woodstock Festival. The song peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sommer was active from 1967-1978.

Sommer performing the song "Jennifer" at Woodstock.

Sommer's performance was not included in the 1970 film Woodstock nor in the Woodstock album that was issued in the same year. If his performance had been included in either instance, his stardom could have been sealed as it was with other acts at the Festival.

Bert at Woodstock.

After Woodstock, he was a member of the baroque-pop group Left Banke. He co-wrote and sang on their hit "Ivy Ivy/Suddenly." He also played Woof in the original Broadway production of Hair and his hair is featured on the original playbill.

Sommer died in 1990 in Troy, New York at the age of 41 from a respiratory illness.

Woodstock Day 13: John Sebastian

John Sebastian, ex-member of The Lovin' Spoonful, played on Saturday, August 16th at 3:30 pm at Woodstock. Sebastian wasn't originally scheduled to play at Woodstock, but he took the best filler spot available. Sebastian was also high during his set so it very spontaneous and casually played. At the end of his set he had a funny comment: "Just love everybody all around ya and clean up a little garbage on your way out and everything gonna be alright." Clearly a mellow guy at an apropos venue and his set was highly memorable - I mean it's hard to forget a fully tie-dyed man.

Sebastian at Woodstock

Sebastian left The Lovin' Spoonful in 1968 and in the same year he composed the music and lyrics for the musical Jimmy Shine which premiered on Broadway. In 1970, Sebastian released his LP John B. Sebastian which featured him accompanied by various Los Angeles artists. In 1976, he had a #1 single, "Welcome Back," the theme song for the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. He is cited to be a major influence to many rock and blues rock artists.

Sebastian returned for Woodstock '94 and played harmonica for Crosby, Nash, Stills, and Young. (don't worry, I'll get to them too!) In 2008, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He's still fairly active today, mostly in the songwriting department.

To see what Sebastian is up to these days, visit his website: http://www.johnbsebastian.com/

Woodstock Day 12: Janis

At 2 am on Sunday, August 17th, Janis Joplin and the Kozmic Blues took the stage. Having made her name at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967 with her previous band Big Brother & The Holding Company, Joplin went solo in 1968. So obviously Joplin was up onstage at Woodstock with a full ensemble at her disposal. With the performance being so late, the set lacked Joplin's usual power and improv from her back-up band. Even with this, Joplin's performance was still a highlight of Woodstock.

Joplin's psychedelic Porsche.

The set consisted mostly of material from Joplin's first album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! (1969), the most popular of which is "Kosmic Blues." Of the set, her last two songs were the highlights: "Piece of My Heart" and "Ball and Chain." "Piece of My Heart" was a regular of Big Brother and The Holding Company and "Ball and Chain" was a Big Mama Thorton cover. "Can't Turn You Loose" was the only song that Joplin's ensemble sang.

Her set was included on At Woodstock (1993) and in the film Woodstock (1970) as they were recorded straight from the soundboard. Due to Joplin's insistence, her friend and ensemble member Peggy Caserta's vocals were not included in either recording due to an argument (Joplin blamed Caserta for allowing Joplin to shoot heroin before her set).

Joplin at Woodstock.

On October 4, 1970, Joplin died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. Another member of the "27 Club"? We may never know. But Joplin made a huge impact on the music scene in the late 60s and her possible contributions could have continued to change the music world.

Woodstock Day 11: Quill - Not Just for Hedgehogs

As the first band on the 2nd day of Woodstock, Quill played from 12:15 to 12:45, though drummer Roger North maintained that they played 40 minutes - an extreme exaggeration given that Quill only played 4 songs with a total running time of 18 minutes. In their song "Waitin' for You," Quill handed out some percussive instruments to the crowd so they could participate. This kind of idea works well in clubs, not so much in a crowd of 500,000 people.

Quill at Woodstock

Ever heard of Quill? If you have, you probably went to Woodstock or you've got extensive musical knowledge. They were a Boston, MA psychedelic rock band that was active from 1967 to 1970. They produced one album entitled The Quill in 1970. Quill was hardly known before and after Woodstock. Due to technical recording issues, Quill's performance was excluded from the 1970 Woodstock film and their label, Cotillion Records (Atlantic), refused to promote the band.

Quill's line-up consisted of Jon Cole on vocals and bass, Dan Cole on vocals and percussion, Roger North on drums and percussion, Norman Rogers on vocals and guitar, and Phil Thayer on keyboard, sax, and flute. The week before Woodstock, Quill spent time entertaining stage crew, hog farmers, and festival workers at the local motel. They also played some local goodwill concerts at prisons, mental institutions, and halfway houses to help promote the festival and soothe community members.

Quill's audio performance of "Driftin'" at Woodstock.

It's not to say that Quill wasn't successful, though they did have one of the strangest tours in music history. Quill opened for The Who, The Jeff Beck Group, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, Deep Purple, and Janis Joplin. They even got to jam with Jimi Hendrix backstage one night at Woodstock. If their performance had been included in Woodstock, it would have sealed Quill's success in the same way the movie had for other bands that performed, especially since Quill was so well received by the mad-clad teens. So go listen to The Quill and listen to their sweet sound.

Woodstock Day 10: Mountain

Mountain, a blues-rock band heavily influenced by Cream, played on August 16th at 9 pm. Their set at Woodstock was their fourth gig EVER! How cool is that?! Their line-up consisted of Leslie West on vocals and guitar, Felix Pappalardi on bass and back-up vocals, Norman D. Smart II on drums, and Steve Knight on keyboard. However, almost immediately after Woodstock, Smart was replaced by their roadie Corky Laing who ended up being a lot better than Smart (Fun fact: Laing is Canadian).

Though the band was well-recieved, Mountain's performance was excluded from 1970's film Woodstock. However, the recordings of "Blood of the Sun" and "Theme for an Imaginary Western" were included on the second volume of Woodstock performances (Woodstock II [1970]). In 1970, Mountain released Climbing! which contained "Mississippi Queen" (featured in the cult film Vanishing Point in 1971), one of the band's greatest hits which peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mountain at Woodstock

After Woodstock, Mountain was established as a premiere 60s rock band. But the quintessential Mountain era called it quits in 1972. Laing and West have been performing since with a rotating door of additional members. The band is still active today and has quite a number of reunions. Check out "Mississippi Queen" - it's important to expand your musical palette.

For news and tour dates and history: www.mountainrockband.com
Twitter: @lwestmountain

Woodstock Day 9: Sweetwater

Originally, Sweetwater was supposed to the be the first act of Woodstock, but because they got stuck in the traffic jam they arrived late, and Richie Havens played in their slot instead. However, Sweetwater was still the first band to play at Woodstock.

Sweetwater, formed in 1968, was a psychedelic rock band hailing from Los Angeles. From 1968 to 1969, they toured with The Doors and opened for Eric Burdon & The Animals in 1968. At the time of Woodstock, the line-up consisted of Nansi Nevins for lead vocals and guitar, August Burns on cello, Albert Moore on flute and backing vocals, Alan Malarowitz on drums, Elpidio Cobian on conga drums, Alex Del Zoppo on piano, and Fred Herrera on bass.

Sweetwater at Woodstock.

For those who attended Woodstock, Sweetwater's set was found to be just so-so. Their jams weren't too special, the multi-vocal parts were chaotic sounding, and there were some strange solo parts (as heard in "My Crystal Spider"). However, the group was asked to come back for Woodstock '94.

In general, Sweetwater was a short-lived band. They produced only 3 albums (Sweetwater [1968], Just For You [1970], Melons [1971] ) and were only active from 1968 to 1971. In 1969, Sweetwater slowed when Nevins was severely injured in a car accident. Nevins experienced brain damage in the years following the collision and one of her vocal chords was permanently damaged. By 1994, half of the band had died of either natural causes or car accidents and only Nevins, Herrera, and Del Zoppo performed at Woodstock '94.

The view of Sweetwater from the crowd at Woodstock.

People only remember headliners at big festivals like this, so it's important to learn about the lesser known bands that were there too. It's Music History for a reason, not The Highlights of Music History - every artist and band had something to contribute and Sweetwater's contribution was supporting and working on the archetype psychedelic '60s sound.

Woodstock Day 8: Canned Heat

Canned Heat played on August 16th at about 7:30 pm and they barely made it to the gig. Two days before the Festival, their guitarist Henry Vestine left the band after he had an argument with bassist Larry Taylor at Fillmore East. Vestine was then replaced by Harry Mandel. Also, drummer Adolpho de la Parra complained about how they had no time to practice before the gig and left the band the same day, but not for long. Manager Skip Taylor gained access to de la Parra's locked room and helicoptered the band to Woodstock just in time.

Canned Heat while playing "A Change is Gonna Come/Leave This Town" at Woodstock

At the time of their gig, the line up consisted of Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson on guitar and harmonica, Bob "The Bear" Hite on vocals, Harvey "The Snake" Mandel (his third performance with the band) on guitar, Larry "The Mole" Taylor on bass, and Adolpho "Fito" de la Parra on drums. During jams Hite often refers to his bandmates by their nicknames (as heard in the song "Woodstock Boogie," a 30 minute jam from the Festival that was extended from a 6 and a half minute song called "Fried Hockey Boogie" off their album Boogie with Canned Heat [1968]).

They played their big hits at the time: "Going Up The Country" (which became the title track of the movie Woodstock, even though their performance was not shown) and "On the Road Again." While they were playing "A Change is Gonna Come," a man climbed up on stage. Instead of kicking him off, Hite shared a cigarette with him.

Canned Heat's line-up today: The Mole, Fito, The Snake, and Dale Spalding

By 1969, Canned Heat had already added a psychedelic element to their blues-rock band and their Boogie rock kept everyone dancing. But in 1970, Mandel and Taylor parted ways for a new band and started to the tear the group apart. In 1972, Canned Heat became shattered when Wilson committed suicide at age 27, just weeks before the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin (we'll investigate the "27 Club" later). Since then, Canned Heat has had a rotating door of members and yet is still active since their inception in 1965. Be sure to listen to their music, it's an excellent mix of blues-rock and psychedelic. They have so many excellent songs despite the nearly constant changes to the line-up.

For news and tour dates: www.cannedheatmusic.com

Woodstock Day 7: Melanie

Melanie Safka, professionally known as simply Melanie, performed at 11 pm on August 15th when The Incredible String Band refused to play during the rain. Melanie was included in the festival because she worked in the same office building as the Woodstock organizers and asked to be part of it.

Melanie Safka at Woodstock

Melanie had a short and extremely sweet set. During her set, the crowd lit candles to accompany her music and she ended up writing about this experience in the form of her hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)." It's a great tune and you can watch her perform it in 1970 below. Her song became a huge hit in the US, Canada, and Europe and was what really launched her singing career.

Mel had many hits including "Brand New Key" (featured in 1997's Boogie Nights and is colloquially known as "The Roller Skate Song"), "Beautiful People" (which ended up being a huge hit in the Netherlands), "Bitter Bad," and "What Have They Done To My Song Ma." She's an American folk rocker from Astoria, NY and became very musically active in 1967. Below is her playing "Birthday of the Sun" at Woodstock.

Melanie performing "Birthday of the Sun" at Woodstock.

In 1972, Melanie was awarded Billboard's #1 Top Female Vocal Artist award and became an official UNICEF ambassador. In 1973, Melanie started to pull back from the spotlight to start her family, but she still wrote and sang. She is still making music today and has recorded 34 albums to date.

Melanie's website: www.melaniesafka.com
Melanie's twitter: @melaniesafka

Woodstock Day 6: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Formed in 1967 by John Fogerty (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar, vocals), Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (drums), and Stu Cook (bass and keyboard), Creedence Clearwater Revival took the Woodstock stage at 12:30 am on August 17th. They were the first headliner to sign up for the music festival.

CCR in 1968: (L to R) Tom Fogerty, Clifford, Cook, and John Fogerty

The name is certainly a unique one and it took a while for everyone to agree on it. The name has three major elements to it: "Creedence" was tip to their friend Credence Newball, "Clearwater" came from an Olympia Beer commercial, and "Revival" for the members' renewed committment to the band. A close second was "Muddy Rabbit" and I feel like music history could have been a lot different solely because of the name.

Their set was definitely a highlight of the festival, though John Fogerty wouldn't allow their set to be included in the film Woodstock or in the original soundtrack because he felt their performance was subpar. CCR'smusic is a radio staple even today and the music is primarily American folk-rock, country rock, and R&B (sometimes their music was called swamp rock).

Stu Cook playing on stage at Woodstock.

Their hits include "Proud Mary," "Born on the Bayou," "The Night Time is the Right Time," "Bad  Moon Rising," "Keep on Chooglin'," and many, many more including some covers like "Suzie Q," and "I Put A Spell On You." CCR knew how to write and play awesome tunes during their short run together. The band broke up in 1972 when John Fogerty decided to go solo and their last album Mardi Gras wasn't well received.

In 1993, CCR was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They are ranked #82 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Woodstock Day 5: Ten Years After

An English blues-rock band, Ten Years After performed on August 17th at 8:15. Ten Years After was extremely popular during the mid 60s and early 70s and was known for their long guitar and drum solos. In 1969, the line-up consisted of Alvin Lee on guitar and vocals, Leo Lyons on bass, Chick Churchill on the organ, and Ric Lee on drums.

Leo Lyons on bass at Woodstock

Their set could have been world shaking, but due to humidity and sound issues, Ten Years After's performance went extremely awry with a lot of pause re-tuning guitars. Visual and sound recording went in and out during the performance and the only song recorded in full was their finale "I'm Going Home."

The band's name was chosen in November 1966, what was 10 years after Elvis Presley's enormous year of success in 1956 (Presley was an idol of Ric Lee). In 1967, their self-titled album debuted and in 1968, after touring the US and Scandinavia, Undead was released and brought with it their great song "I'm Going Home," the start of their stardom. Their performance of this song at Woodstock, though plagued with issues, catapulted them to celebrity status.

Alvin Lee with a watermelon at Woodstock. Why? Because he's a rock star.

In 1974, the band broke up after their release of Positive Vibrations. Ten Years After got back together in 1988 and still plays today (though Alvin Lee was replaced by Joe Gooch in 2003). Their hits include "Love Like A Man," "Hear Me Calling" (covered by British band Slade in 1972), and "I'd Love To Change The World," their biggest hit by far.

Website: www.tenyearsafternow.com

Woodstock Day 4: Joan Baez

Okay, I know it's not August 4th, but I fell a few days behind. My best friend from home is here and I should not have signed myself up for a project this big while on "vacation." So I'm gonna try to catch up quickly and sort of ignore that the days won't match up for a bit.

But back to Woodstock and today's hot topic: Joan Baez. She was 6 months pregnant during her 1 a.m. performance on August 16th. During her set, she talked about how her husband, David Harris, was arrested and imprisoned for 3 years because of draft-dodging (he also founded an organization that encouraged this behaviour). She was the last to perform on the first day of Woodstock.

Baez in 1963 performing at the March On Washington

Baez was considered the female counterpart of Bob Dylan and was an avid anti-war protester, especially through folk song. Though she does write her own songs, she's considered more of an interpreter of other musicians' works, both of past and present. She really started writing her own songs in the late '60s when her husband Harris turned her on to a more complex country rock style.

Her performance at Woodstock allowed her both a musical and political platform internationally and Baez was able to use her popularity for social protest. She is considered one of the most accomplished interpretive folksinger/songwriter of the 1960s.

Baez is still heavily involved in civil and human rights, gay rights, environmental causes, anti-war protests, and anti-poverty protests. In 2011, she was honored by Amnesty International by having the Joan Baez Award named after her for outstanding inspirational service in the global fight for human rights.

Woodstock Day 3: The Band

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, The Band played on August 17th at 10 pm for just under an hour. At the time, The Band had only one album out, the cult favorite Music from Big Pink (1968). The album was named as such since they wrote music in a house that they had rented that they had affectionately named "Big Pink" in Woodstock, NY. They're a folk-rock band that was mentored and employed by Bob Dylan from 1965 to 1966.

"Big Pink" - The house that started it all!

In 1969, The Band consisted of Robbie Robertson on vocals and guitar, Rick Danko on bass and back-up vocals, Levon Helm on drums and mandolin and back-up vocals, Garth Hudson on sax and synth, and Richard Manuel on piano and organ.

They played seven of their eleven album songs, did a little bit of Dylan (for homage purposes), and closed with their hit "The Weight" which had been recently made popular in the film Easy Rider. They were not, however, included in the film Woodstock due to legal complications.

The Band on the way to the set to play at Woodstock

They've got some lovely tunes and a long discography (too long for this snippet in time, but perhaps another post). Though overlooked in music history, The Band, along with The Byrds, set the template for country and folk rock. Both Eric Clapton and George Harrison cite the band as a major musical influence. After taking a break from 1977 to 1983, The Band remained active until 1999 (the year that Rick Danko died).  They also played in Woodstock '94.

In 1989, The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Band also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Twitter: @bobdylantheband

Woodstock Day 2: "It's A Bird!" "No, It's Jefferson Airplane!"

Grace Slick introduced the band with the words: "Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you'll see morning maniac music, believe me..."

The first of the San Francisco psychedelic bands to achieve mainstream and commercial success, Jefferson Airplane played at Woodstock on August 17th about 8 am, though they were originally scheduled as the headliner for Saturday August 16th. Their music is a mixture of folk, acid rock, and blues rock and it's definitely got a unique sound since they usually have two or three vocals at the same time. One of their great hits is "White Rabbit" which takes a lot of references from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass while also referring to the hallucinogenic feelings derived from LSD and 'shrooms. Most artists in the psych rock genre used drugs as a mind-expanding social experiment, not just because they could.

In 1969, Jefferson Airplane consisted of Grace Slick for vocals, Spencer Dryden on drums, Paul Kanter and Jorma Kaukonen on guitar, Marty Balin on back-up vocals and guitar, and Jack Casady on bass. Slick was instrumental to their commercial breakthrough because of how well her voice worked in psychedelic songs and how well it complemented Balin's voice.

Jefferson Airplane, 1966 (Top Left to Bottom Right): Casady, Slick, Balin, Kaukonen, Kanter, and Dryden.

Airplane had some great hits like "Somebody to Love" (also off Surrealistic Pillow - the key album to The Summer of Love [yet another story to discuss at another time]), "Volunteers," "She Has Funny Cars," and "Today." A lot of their songs are quite good and all their albums are easy front-to-back listens.

The Airplane set at Woodstock

Around 1970, Jefferson Airplane started to lose steam and Paul Kanter formed the prototype for Jefferson Starship which, at the time, included Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (all from The Grateful Dead), David Crosby, Graham Nash (from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Grace Slick, and Jack Casady (from Airplane). However, the Airplane members were still playing in Jefferson Starship simultaneously until Airplane's official break-up in 1974.

So what's on today's to-do list? Go listen to Surrealistic Pillow and understand the beauty of Jefferson Airplane. You'll thank me later.

Woodstock Day 1: "What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been"

The lyrics are from The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" off American Beauty, which was actually recorded in 1970 so it probably didn't show up at Woodstock. But The Dead were there and I think they're a great band to start off with. At Woodstock, The Dead played on Saturday August 16th at 10pm, but their set was cut short when an amp overloaded during "Turn Your Love Light On."

Fronted by lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, the line-up in 1969 consisted of Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann on drums, Bob Weir on rhythm guitar, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan on keyboard and harmonica, and Phil Lesh on bass guitar. Both Lesh and McKernan shared vocalist duties.

The Grateful Dead Bears - inspired by their manager Owsley Stanley whose nickname was, oddly enough, "Bear."

The Dead is known for their mix of blues, psychedelic (clearly a band influenced by LSD), folk, and long instrumental improvisation which earned them the label of "jam band." The Grateful Dead and Deadheads (those who followed The Dead from concert to concert) prefer their live albums to their studio albums since so much of the performance and improv was lost in studio. Their first show was at Ken Kesey's Acid Tests (with a tagline of "Can You Pass The Acid Test?"), which were parties that Kesey threw to promote the use of LSD (that's the abridged version at least). The phrase became famous after the publication of Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test in 1968. Anyway, the Dead soon became a mainstay of the Acid Tests which helped them earn their popularity.

1976's Steal Your Face art is practically a logo for The Dead.

The Dead had some great songs like "Shade of Grey," "St. Stephen" (from the highly acclaimed Aoxomoxoa), "Dark Star," and "Sugar Magnolia." One of my personal favourites is "Alligator." It's a great 12 minute song about a sleepy alligator and it's best to listen to a live version since the jam is just so awesome.

There's just so much to The Grateful Dead it just cannot be covered in one post - I wrote a fairly long term paper in high school solely on the influence of LSD and drug culture on their music. They helped shape music and continued to popularize jam bands and the psychedelic genre. They're a household name when it comes to Classic Rock - you literally have to have lived under a rock to have never heard the words "Grateful Dead."

In 1994, The Grateful Dead was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They are ranked #57 in Rolling Stone Magazine's Greatest Artist of All Time.

For everything Dead related: www.dead.net
Bob Weir's Twitter: @BobWeir
Mickey Hart's Twitter: @mickeyhart

Prepare Yourself For...Woodstock!

In celebration of yet another anniversary of Woodstock, Oh By The Way Which One Is Pink? will be Woodstock central for the month of August. But before we begin, a little history about the event.

Woodstock (the original one) was held from August 15-18, 1969, in Bethel, NY on a 600-acre farm. It was originally scheduled until the 17th but the concert ended up spilling over into the 18th due to rain. Over 100,000 tickets were sold prior to the event but they became unnecessary when 500,000 people swarmed the farm to listen to both popular and upcoming acts of the day. It is one of the most pivotal points in music history. 32 acts performed for the half a million people that showed up. It was truly 3 days of peace and music...and a lot of rain.

A few fun facts:
-Originally, only 50,000 people were expected to attend. After the sale of 186,000 pre-sale tickets, only 200,000 people were expected and the venue had to be moved to the 600-acre farm. The event eventually became free for those who hadn't purchased tickets yet due to numbers and organizers deciding to cut the fence the night before the concert due to last minute venue changes.

-Creedence Clearwater Revival was the first famous band to sign on and after they did, more of the big name acts signed on. However, CCR is a little bitter about their experience since they were given a 3:30 am slot and excluded from the Woodstock movie.

-Joan Baez was 6 months pregnant during her performance.

-The Jeff Beck Group was purposely disbanded before Woodstock so the band wouldn't be preserved.

-The Doors cancelled at the last moment because they thought it would be a second rate version of the Monterey Pop Festival, but later regretted the decision.

-On August 17, Sullivan County declared a state of emergency due to the influx of people for the concert. 10,000 National Guard Troops were almost called in to patrol the event.

So prepare yourself for a remembrance of Woodstock for the whole month of August!

In Rainbows

In Rainbows was released in 2007 by the English band Radiohead. It was self-released and the band did something pretty surprising with the album - they let the fans pay whatever they wanted for the album, whether it be 1 cent or 100 dollars. Rainbows ranks #336 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It also happens to be my favourite album produced by Radiohead to date. Also, Radiohead is pretty rad to begin with in case you haven't heard.

The album took two years to record (2005-2007) since the band went on tour in 2006, and many of the songs from In Rainbows debuted on this tour. But don't be fooled by how long it took to put it together: In Rainbows is a pretty intricate and complex album. As a whole, a lot of emphasis is placed on the music and less so on the actual lyrics. If you listen to any of the songs, Thom Yorke (vocalist) makes sure his harmony blends and melds with every song. It's certainly a unique style and it works quite well on this album and fits in with Radiohead's overall style.

In Rainbows artwork, designed by Stanley Donwood

"Nude" was originally written in 1997 and represents the band's merging of minimalist, electronic, and dub influenced musical style with a quiet ballad. "Bodysnatchers" was recorded during what Yorke calls a period of hyperactive mania and was inspired by the book The Stepford Wives and Victorian ghost stories. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" is very caustic and is about the oblivion one feels before passing out say after a night of drinking. Though there is no official concept to the album, Yorke says the album's lyrics are based on "that anonymous fear thing."

Radiohead: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway.

Any and every song on this album is amazing. The best way to experience it, in my opinion, is to sit down and just listen to it front to back since it's only about 45 minutes long. Then, once you've embraced it, take it on long drives with you, or even short ones - "15 Step" is a sweet song to jam/drive along to. And then go listen to some of their other albums: Kid A, OK Computer, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, and King of Limbs (their most recent). Every album is different and hasn't disappointed me yet.

For tours and band news: www.radiohead.com
Twitters:
Radiohead - @radiohead
Thom Yorke - @thomyorke
Philip Selway - @philipselway

Another Brick In The Wall #3

Click here if you haven't read Part 1 or Part 2.

And now, we continue on our journey with Mr. Pink Floyd. We last him while he was at school, and now he has declared that he doesn't "need [any] arms around me." Though we hears smashing at the beginning of "Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 3", he continues to build his wall.

Pink's Mum

Next, we find Pink conversing with his mother. In "Mother," Pink expresses his fears and asks many questions to his mum and instead of comforting him, she says that "Mama's gonna make all your nightmares come true." In this song, we find that his mother is very controlling and overbearing and she wants him to stay by her side even when he grows up and gets married. Mother encourages Pink to build his wall and says "Of course Mother's gonna help build the wall." In the end, Pink asks "Mother, did it need to be so high?" So is Pink questioning the necessity of the Wall or does he just feel overprotected?  [Fun Fact #1: Nick Mason had a tough time with the time signatures that he turned the drumming duties over to a studio drummer.]

We hear a skylark singing and a child takes our attention away from Pink and his mother by saying "Look, Mummy, there's an aeroplane in the sky." The lyrics describe a memory of the Blitz, the bombing of the UK during World War II. However, in Roger Waters' recent tour, he uses the song as a metaphorical cultural bombing and plays animated videos of corporate logos and religious symbols being dropped from planes.

Pink's wife, portrayed as a Praying Mantis since she seems to feed off of him, a trait of female Mantises.

But Pink is on the move (we can infer this from the airport announcement we hear at the beginning of "Empty Spaces") to America for his big Rock 'n' Roll Tour. This tune has Pink wondering how he should finish building his wall while his marriage is suffering due to his physical distance while on tour and the incomplete wall. But the Wall isn't completed until "Young Lust." Technically, the word "wall" doesn't finish until the bluesy, raunchy song "Young Lust" starts. 


Thus, Pink has found the way to work on the wall: cheating on his wife while on tour. He asks if a "dirty woman" would help "make [him] feel like a real man" since his wife is so cold. The real twist to this song is the ending when Pink calls home collect via telephone operator and a man at his residence picks up the phone and hangs up twice, implying that Pink's wife is cheating on him too. [Fun Fact #2: The collect call recording was done by co-producer James Guthrie while working on the album in LA. He phoned his neighbor in London, pretended that he had caught his wife cheating, and the studio recorded the surprised operator's reaction.]

To hear about how Pink deals with this revelation, look for Part 4, coming soon!

Piece of Cake

Cake was formed in California in 1991, currently consisting of vocalist John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson, and drummer Paulo Baldi. They're known for their sarcastic lyrics, deadpan vocals, and wide range of musical influences from mariachi to funk. My favourite Cake song? "Short Skirt, Long Jacket." I just love all the instruments involved - there's like 12 different ones in the first 20 seconds of the song. And the lyrics are pretty fun and unique. I mean I've never heard a song describe a girl with "fingernails that shine like justice" or "smooth liquidations." They're fairly creative and always fun.

The Cover of the "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" Single

Another popular song of theirs is "The Distance" from 2001's Fashion Nugget. It was pretty big on the radio a few years ago. And all of their albums have the same format: CAKE in big letters in almost always the same font, a single coloured background, and an animation of some sort in the middle with the name of the album nearby.

They also have done a number well-made covers, one of which is of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." You can listen to a sample of it here from their website. You can listen to other bits and pieces of their songs on their website too.

Anyway, these guys are pretty fun and always a good time to listen to. They've got a wide styling of music that's unique and almost always surprising.

For more Cake news go to: www.cakemusic.com

T. Rex: Not Just A Dinosaur

Although T. Rex was only active for 10 years (1969 to 1979), they produced some sweet hits. One of their most famous is "Bang A Gong [Get It On]" which is an awesome song to dance around to.

Originally called Tyrannosaurus Rex, the band was primarily formed by Marc Bolan and Steve Took and started out as a folk band. Around the time the band went electric (1970) and started producing hits, the group shortened to just T. Rex. They started the trend of glam rock, a style in which bands would wear outrageous clothing, makeup and hairstyles and often appeared androgynous (if you're having a hard time thinking of examples, think David Bowie, especially in his Ziggy Stardust days). 

In 1970, T. Rex released "Ride a White Swan," their first pop hit and by 1971, they were Top 20 in the UK.   In the same year, Electric Warrior was released with even more hits on it. A new fever was sweeping the nation, "T. Rex-tasy," the fad that paralleled Beatlemania. The line-up of the band changed a lot through the '70s with Bolan its only constant member.

The classic T. Rex line-up: Bill Legend, Mickey Finn, Marc Bolan, and Steve Currie.

The Slider was released in 1972 and was much more successful in the US than the UK. "Metal Guru" is a great song off the album. In 1973, the release of Tanx marked the end of the classic T. Rex line-up. Bill Legend quit during recording because of Bolan's growing egotism that was fueled by money, success, and alcohol.

In 1974, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was released and was reminiscent of the old Tyrannosaurus Rex days when the band was folkier. Soon after, drummer Mickey Finn left T. Rex. 1975 marked Bolan's attempt at going solo with his futuristic album Bolan's Zip Gun. It was gunned down by media since it copied Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, though Bolan maintained that he had been thinking of producing under the pseudonym Zinc Alloy through the '60s.

Electric Warrior - my favourite T. Rex album

T. Rex's penultimate album Futuristic Dragon was released in 1976 and did okay. The band went on TV shows and toured a lot to promote it. Bolan dropped his egomaniac ways and talked about getting back with Took and Finn. Those plans were bashed quickly after the band released their final album in early 1977, Dandy in the Underworld, what was to be their comeback album. Later that year, Bolan died in a car crash, Took died in 1980 from an overdose of morphine and shrooms, and Steve Currie died in 1981 in a car crash as well. Only Finn died from natural causes in 2003.

Though T. Rex had a short life span and an even shorter period of popularity, they still put out some great boogie music and pioneered glam rock. They're often glossed over, but T. Rex definitely stands with the greats of Rock in my books.

RIP Jon Lord

Yesterday, the world lost the co-writer of "Smoke On The Water," Jon Lord. Lord is best known as the keyboardist for mega-band Deep Purple. While in the band, he fused classical and blues music together seen in their tunes "Concerto for Group and Orchestra," "Space Truckin'," "Highway Star," and "Child in Time." Lord said that Deep Purple was "as valid as Beethoven" in an interview with NME in 1973. In their heyday (1970ish), Deep Purple was as popular as Led Zep, The Stones, and Black Sabbath, and sold over 100 million records.  

Lord performing in 2004 in Berlin at a gala.

Lord retired from Deep Purple in 2002 and continued to work on solo projects and collaborations. One of his recent collaborations included working on a single with WhoCares, a supergroup consisting of Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, Black Sabbath guitarist Tommy Iommi, Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, and Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. Last August, he revealed that he had pancreatic cancer and would be taking a break from touring, but not from writing music as it would be part of his therapy.


Here's to Jon Lord and the hits he wrote for Deep Purple. His music will always live on.

The Story of Syd Barrett

In 1975, Pink Floyd released the album Wish You Were Here. A conceptual album written all by Roger Waters, its about feelings of alienation, remembering former member Syd Barrett, as well as a critique of the music business. The album is definitely one of their more interesting ones to me at least. Fun fact: The cover was shot at the Warner Bros studio complex in California.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is just one big tribute, split into two halves (Waters' idea), to Barrett. It's a song that shows how fond Waters (and most possibly the rest of the band) felt about him. He is recalled in many lines like "Remember when you were young? You shone like the sun." During the recording of "Crazy Diamond" a fat and bald man entered the studio, presumed to be an EMI staff member. Eventually, the band recognized him as Barrett, their former member. Some of the former band mates were reduced to tears as he sat in on the recording and did not understand its relevance to him. Supposedly, Barrett's conversation was not entirely sensible. He left later without saying good bye and never saw any of the band members again before his death in 2006.

Wish You Were Here album cover

 "Diamond" moves seamlessly into "Welcome To The Machine" which starts with a door opening, the symbol of the musical discovery and progress, and ends with a party, symbolizing the greed of the industry and lack of real contact with people. "Have A Cigar," the song from which this blog is named, further breaks down the music business filled with fatcats with such lines of "we call it riding the gravy train," and "the band is just fantastic, that is really what I think/oh by the way, which one is Pink?" which the band was asked on more than one occasion. The song ends with a radio being tuned to various stations and eventually settles on a station that starts playing "Wish You Were Here."


The title track was recording and produced to sound like it was coming from a radio (the radio part was recorded from the one in David Gilmour's car). It contains lyrics both referring to Barrett's condition as well as the dichotomy that Waters felt within him - an idealist and yet also a domineering personality. To me, it's a song about missing someone whether there is a physical or emotional distance. Also, I think that the line of the "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" is certainly a unique line. I can listen to this song on repeat for hours. The title track is then followed by the reprise of "Crazy Diamond," and it's just as spectacular as the first half.


If you haven't listened to this album yet, listen to it in its entirety. It's beautiful. It's not the most coherent of concept albums as it hits many points, but it's a beautiful album. Waters knows how to write a good set of lyrics and the band does an excellent job making the music work and make sense.

Why Def Leppard (and Rick Allen) Is So Awesome

Def Lep has put out a ton of great tunes to sing along to, like "Pour Some Sugar On Me." But you know what's my favourite song to jam out to? "Photograph." I was driving into work yesterday (the dreaded weekend work) and this song came on and oh my goodness, if you were travelling on 95 at the same time as me all you heard was a lot of "WOAH"s and "PHOTOGRAAAAAPH" coming out of my little car.

The beauty of "Photograph" is just that it is so much fun to sing along to. I still don't know half the words, but it's a good time anyway. In case you would like to sing along yourself, the song (with lyrics) is included right here:

"Photograph" is from Def's 1983 album Pyromania.

But you know what is the coolest part of Def Leppard? They have a one-armed drummer. In 1984, Rick Allen, aka "Thunder God," lost his left arm in an accident and thought he could no longer play with Def Lep. His band mates in conjunction with Simmons helped build an electric kit for him to play on and in 1986, Allen made his one-armed debut with the band. Originally, the band had a drummer play alongside Allen, but when the extra drummer missed a gig, the band realized that Allen could drum all on his own. Allen is considered one of the Top 10 greatest drummers. Def Leppard went on to releasing Hysteria in 1987, and the rest is history.

For more touring dates and news, visit their website: www.defleppard.com
Twitters:
Def Leppard: @def_leppard
Rick Allen: @rickallenlive
Phil Collen: @philkcollen

The Brown Bomber

Nicknamed after the airship that looms in the brown background over the band, Led Zeppelin II was released in 1969. For many, it was the album that brought them to love Led Zep. To some critics, this is the album that invented heavy metal, thus the double meaning to Brown Bomber since that was heavyweight boxer Joe Louis's nickname and this album packs a pretty big punch. But it's pretty amazing that the album even got made at all.

II was written and recorded while the band was doing a huge tour in the US in 1969. They used random studios located in London, New York, and even Vancouver whenever they had to time to record. Lyrics were written and songs built in hotel hallways after hours. Jimmy Page was flying all over the country during the tour to produce the album when he had time. This album should have been an absolute disaster, but somehow, Led Zep managed to bring the energy of a live performance into an awesome album.

The Brown Bomber

The album had 400,000 pre-orders and became a #1 album in the US. The album starts off with "Whole Lotta Love," a song that would become Led Zep's anthem. The brass and raunchiness of the song can still take you by surprise. This tune also set the structure for future dance songs with a relentless riff, a breakdown, a build, and then a final drop. And this song is a hard to one to follow. One of my personal favorites off the album is "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)." It's got a sweet riff throughout and its a great song to just listen to.


The album ended up outselling Abbey Road (Beatles) and Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones) but was the subject of many lawsuits. "The Lemon Song" started as an honest cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," but Led Zep ended up getting sued for forgetting to give credit where it was due. They were also sued by Willie Dixon when they borrowed some lyrics from Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It on Home" for their own song of the same name (which the band maintains was supposed to be a small tribute to him). Despite these lawsuits, the success of Led Zeppelin II showed that Led Zep could pay any price and were a force to be reckoned with in the world of rock.

A Band With a Lot of Beards

Ah, ZZ Top. Formed in 1969 in Houston, TX, the band has kept the same three members, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard, for over 40 years! They were originally rooted in blues, but also added in contemporary influences. Lyrically, they have a superb sense of humor and a love of sexual innuendo.

Their name comes from looking at posters on Gibbons' apartment wall. There were two posters in particular: Z.Z. Hill and B.B. King. The Name "ZZ King" was suggested, but was changed to ZZ Top since the King poster was on the top.

One of their most famous songs, "La Grange," came off their Tres Hombres (1973) album was written about a brothel in La Grange, TX. The tune has a great driving riff, Texan slang, growling guitar, and is all over the blues rock genre. It is considered one of the greatest guitar tracks by Rolling Stone.  It was about in this point in time when Hill and Gibbons grew their chest length beards.

Gibbons and Hill with their trademark beards.

"Sharp Dressed Man" is a personal favorite. It's off of their 1983 album Eliminator, which spawned hits like "Legs," and "Gimme All Your Lovin'." Eventually, "Legs" lead the band to their first MTV award for Best Group Video.

In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where they played "La Grange" and "Tush." Recently, the band announced an upcoming album, their first since 2003's Mescalero, and a single off of it, "I Gotsta Get Paid," appeared on the Battleship film soundtrack.

Keep track of their upcoming album and tour dates: zztop.com
Follow the band on Twitter: @ZZTop

Why I Love "The Ocean"

"The Ocean" is off Led Zep's Houses of the Holy (1973). It's definitely in my Top 10 of favourite tunes. It starts out with a chant by drummer John Bonham and I'm glad they kept the chant and the squeak of his bass pedal in the final recording. "The Ocean" does this really awesome switch between 4/4 time and 7/8 time. Plus I love all how the song has so many pieces to it: the rock verses, the short lull before a huge storm of rock, and the doo-wop at the end. It's a really great example of Led Zeppelin's contributions to the world of rock.

But my connection to "The Ocean" isn't just relegated to its sweet jams. In 2008, my family and I went to Aruba, the place where my mother spent her childhood. We were standing atop a dune looking out at the ocean and my mum told me about how "The Ocean" always reminded her of her life in Aruba and how she and her friends would sing along when it came on the radio.

Houses of the Holy

Now that I live in a place where it's a short trip to the beach, I understand how awesome "The Ocean" is. Sure, the lyrics aren't about how sweet it is to live near the beach, but it talks about the power of the ocean, how it washed away the mountains, and how he can sing to it. And now, my love of "The Ocean" is a connection I have with my mother.

"The Ocean" has its own familial piece to it. Robert Plant wrote in a sweet little love ballad to his daughter Carmen. "Now I'm singing all my songs/to the girl who stole my heart./She is only three years old/and that's a real good way to start." Whenever Led Zep performed the song live, Plant would update the lyrics with her current age.


Just a hint, but there'll be a piece on Led Zeppelin II very soon :)

A Short History of The Who

Formed in 1964 by Pete Townshend, Keith Moon (one of my favourite drummers), Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle, The Who is yet another well-known British rock band. Their popularity was quickly boosted by pirate radio stations that played their first hit single "I Can't Explain," which was inspired by The Kinks. In 1965, My Generation was released with favourites "The Kids Are Alright" and "My Generation," which was one of the first songs that contained a bass solo.

In 1966, A Quick One was released, but Townshend wanted to make it more cohesive than just a collection of songs. The last track, "A Quick One While He's Away" is their mini rock opera tune. 1967 brought The Who Sell Out, a concept album of an offshore radio station, complete with commercial jingles. This album too had a mini rock-opera called "Rael." From the same album, "I Can See For Miles" became a huge single in the US.

Tommy, their full rock opera album, was released in 1968 and it became a huge landmark in the modern music scene. Tommy tells the tale of a deaf, mute, and blind boy who ends up becoming a leader of a messianic movement. "Pinball Wizard" is a sweet jam off this album. In 1970, The Who became the first rock band to perform in the New York Metropolitan Opera House to perform Tommy in its entirety.

In 1971, The Who put out Who's Next featuring the most excellent "Baba O'Reilly," which is also a great example of early synthesizer use in rock music. Following this was Quadrophenia, the band's second rock opera about a boy named Jimmy who struggles to find his identity.

The Who performing in 1975

In 1975, The Who By Numbers was released and it's fairly dark and a little creepy in contrast with other Who albums. Who Are You was released in 1978 and it was the band's biggest and best selling album. Unfortunately, less than a month after its release, Keith Moon, who is probably most famous for setting his drums on fire, died of a drug overdose. Kenney Jones from Faces replaced Moon. Two albums were produced after the change: Face Dances (1981) and It's Hard (1982) but many fans were not as receptive due to a change in sound. The Who broke up in 1982.

They received a Lifetime Achievement award in 1988 from the British Phonographic Industry and in 2001 from the Grammy Foundation. In 1990, The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Follow the band on twitter: @TheWho
For more news about the band: www.thewho.com

Let's Bungle in the Jungle

Formed in 1967, Jethro Tull is a British rock band with its own flair led mainly by Ian Anderson. They started with experimental blues rock, added jazz, classical, rock, and a flute and came up with a really interesting and unique sound. I mean, their music regularly features a FLUTE, how awesome is that?!

While finding their unique sound, the group released Stand Up (1969), their only #1 album in the UK. "Nothing is Easy" is one of the best tunes on it, in my personal opinion. In 1971, their best known work, Aqualung, was released. "Aqualung" is one of my favorite songs and rock along to - it's a got a sweet opening riff. Also, a lot of the songs on the album refer to "the Aqualung" somewhere in the lyrics and I'm a fan of the interconnection. "Locomotive Breath" is also a popular song off the Aqualung album.

Aqualung is considered  a concept album about the difference between religion and God, despite the band's denial. 

In 1972, Thick as a Brick was released and it's a rather unusual album - it has only one track, of the same name as the album, and is 44 minutes long. It was the first dive into the progressive rock category for the band (probably why they're listed in the same category as Pink Floyd and Yes). Then, in 1974, War Child produced fan favorite "Bungle in the Jungle," now a mainstay on some radio stations. 1975's Minstrel in the Gallery is claimed to be the band's best album by die-hard Jethro Tull fans.

The next phase of the band was more folky rock. Three albums were produced in this phase: Songs from the Wood (1977), Heavy Horses (1978), and Stormwatch (1979). At this point, the classic Tull period ended when John Glascock died and Barrie Barlow left because of Glascock's death, leaving Anderson as the sole original member.

Personally, I'm a fan of their music from the original members period of 1967 to 1979. They're still putting out music today (and haven't stopped since formation) and are currently on their Thick As A Brick 2 Tour.

To check out tour dates, go to their website: www.j-tull.com
Follow them on Twitter: @jethrotull

The Most Famous Telephone Number In History (Probably)

On my way to work this morning, I heard this song and realized it's been a while since I've sung along to "867-5309/Jenny." This set of numbers is probably one of the most famous and easily remembered telephone numbers today. Written by Tommy Tutone, 867-5309 is Jenny's telephone number and he's got it.

Now, young me thought that Jenny was a girl that Tommy had a crush on and finally got her phone number from her and he's going to call her soon to ask her out. Alas, grown-up me now knows that he's just looking for a good time and got Jenny's number on the wall of the men's bathroom. So is she a hooker, call girl, escort? Or did one of her friends/ex-boyfriend get pissed off with her and write the number down so she gets calls at all hours of the nights?

You too can help spread the word about Jenny!

My heart goes out to those who have been cursed with those digits as their telephone number. Did the band realize that 555-5309 indicates a fake number and that he would have saved dozens of people the trouble of answering the phone only to hear someone on the end answer "JENNY?! Is that you?"

Unfortunately, the band isn't really known for any other song, so maybe I'll give them a break on that front...

Led Zep: The Beginning

Led Zeppelin, one of the most beloved bands of all time, was really just created to keep some Scandinavian gig commitments in 1968. The Yardbirds, which at the time consisted of Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja, and, of course, Jimmy Page, suddenly broke up while on tour (Fun fact: Page was brought in when Eric Clapton left). Page became the sole remaining member and he and manager Paul Grant had to get a band together to finish up the tour. With some help, he found singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham.

The band played old Yardbirds tunes as well as new songs like "Killing Floor/The Lemon Song" which wouldn't be recorded until Led Zeppelin II. In just weeks, the band learned to play together and threw superb and fluid shows, unusual for a band who had been together for so short a time. But this smashed together group had a lot of chemistry and decided to keep going together, but in a new direction. With all the old links broken from The Yardbirds, in November of 1968 the band revealed their new name: Led Zeppelin.

The members of Led Zeppelin

You may wonder where the name comes from. Keith Moon (the drummer from The Who) quipped that the last Yardbirds line-up would "go down like a lead zeppelin." Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones decided that they could use the line for an identity change and removed the "a" from "lead" as to avoid pronunciation confusion of the band's name. Thus, Led Zeppelin was born.

In January of 1969, Led Zeppelin was released after a short 36 hours of recording. Every track rated 4 stars or higher on their debut album, which included hits like "Dazed and Confused" (an old Yardbirds tune), "Good Times, Bad Times," and "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You." It's clear that some of their songs had roots in old Yardbirds songs, but it can be seen that Led Zep had their own sound - and they were transforming and rocking the blues genre. The band had incredible power, riffs, and swing, and these qualities would be brought in greater quantities to each successive album in the next 10 years.

Visit their website for even more info: www.ledzeppelin.com
Jimmy Page's Twitter: @jimmypagecom

AMERICA!

Happy Independence Day! There's so many great songs about America in the world, but I think I'll let John Candy show case Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and "Oklahoma" from the musical of the same name. The clip is from 1995's Canadian Bacon where John Candy and company try to declare war on Canada.

In all seriousness, enjoy your 4th of July. Crack a few Buds, light up some illegal fireworks, and sing songs about how you're proud to be American.

Today in Music History: July 3rd

Today, Jim Morrison was found dead in his bath tub in Paris, France in 1971 at age 27. He had a severe drug and alcohol problem, which was most likely cause of death, though no autopsy was performed and the cause on record was heart attack.

Morrison performing with The Doors in 1967

Born in 1943, Morrison was the lead singer and lyricist for The Doors and was also a poet. In 1965, after graduating from UCLA with a degree in film, Morrison helped in the formation of The Doors. The name was taken after Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, a reference to unlocking doors of perception through psychedelic drug use.

Morrison co-wrote some great Doors' hits like "Touch Me," "Light My Fire," "Break On Through (To The Other Side)," and "Love Her Madly." He didn't write his lyrics alongside an instrument, but he made up vocal melodies to go with his lyrics and the band would provide chords to complete the song. Morrison rarely played an instrument at shows or in studio.

There has been and will continue to be speculation with Morrison's death since there was no autopsy. And is the 27 Club a real thing since Morrison is a "member"? Regardless, Morrison was a lyrical genius and participated in the process of creating beautiful music for the masses.

"Hotel California"

"Hotel California" is the quintessential summer song for me. When I hear it on my way home from work, I turn up my bass to full blast, put down the windows, and turn up the volume. It's a great tune to belt out the lyrics to and it's my first day of Summer song. My personal favourite version is the live recording from their 1994 Hell Freezes Over Tour. The dual guitar solo at the end is probably one of my favourite jams.

The Eagles used The Beverly Hills Hotel for the cover of Hotel California (February 1977)

The tune was written by The Eagles, a ridiculously awesome band, and released in 1977. At face value, the story is about a weary traveller who finds himself at an initially inviting and tempting hotel to stay at, but later he finds out that "you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave." But of course, a song like "Hotel California" should not be taken at face value.

"Hotel California" is an allegory about greed, self-destruction, and hedonism in the music industry of the '70s.  It's a song about the underbelly of success and excess in America. Don Henley calls it their interpretation of the high life in LA. Apparently, when the band first drove in to LA, it looked so inviting and like a place where dreams could come true. After years in the industry though, they found the bad part of fame and success.

As far as the debate about the nomenclature of alcoholic beverages is concerned when it comes to the line "So I called to the captain / Please bring me my wine / He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since 1969,'" don't take that at face value either. Clearly, wine is not a spirit since spirits are distilled and wines are fermented, so it's clearly not a mistake on The Eagles's part. I've always interpreted it to mean that the captain hadn't seen someone with that much life and spirit in a long time, not that he was out of that particular wine. I mean, if you're at a luxury hotel, even a nightmarish one, $10 says they've got a ton of awesome vintages of wine.

It's summer time. Celebrate by listening to "Hotel California" on full blast and enjoy the sweet guitar at the end.