A lot of Dylan fans reacted negatively to his 1980's "Christian period". I wasn't one of them, loving those albums. |
I completely agree about that string of Dylan albums, ghosthouse, except my favorite is probably "Love and Theft". Dylan Rockabilly? That's a new one on me! There is one song on "LAT" approaching RAB, with a real nice jump blues/shuffle feel....."Summer Days". Very cool. For anyone wanting some Rockabilly that absolutely kills everyone else (even Elvis on Sun), get a best of The Rock n' Roll Trio (aka The Johnny Burnette Trio). Johnny's guitarist was (Telecaster player) Paul Burlinson, who is highly revered by other guitarists, even the great Jeff Beck. They did the first white version of "Train Kept a Rollin" (the original by Bluesman Tiny Bradshaw in '51), and it absolutely smokes. The Yardbirds (during the Jeff Beck era) pretty much copied it, but it's nowhere near as good. Then Aerosmith copied The Yardbirds' version, and not very well. You really, REALLY want to hear The Rock n' Roll Trio version! |
Regarding Johnny Burnette, it's the music of the Trio ya'll want to hear, not Johnny solo. After R & R died off in the late 50's (Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran died, Carl Perkins joined Johnny Cash's band, Johnny himself got addicted to speed and then went Country, Jerry Lee Lewis got himself black-balled for marrying his 13-year old cousin, Chuck Berry got himself convicted of transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes and sent to prison, Gene Vincent's career just died on it's own, Roy Orbison moved from Sun Records to Monument and started producing his grandiose Operatic spectaculars, and Elvis returned from military service minus his long greasy hair, sideburns, and original band---the infamous trio of Scotty, Bill & D.J., and started recording the mostly God-awful music needed for those lame movies he did throughout the 60's), record companies started signing and promoting clean-cut Pop singers---Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, etc.) Seeing the writing on the wall, Johnny Burnette went Pop, having a hit with "You're Sixteen" (covered by Ringo Starr in the early 70's on his "Photographs" album). But Johnny's slick Pop sound is a far cry from the tough, rural sound of his Rockabilly. |
Yeah Slaw, that first album of Andrew's is a good one. I used to see Andrew around Sherman Oaks (in the valley on the other side of the Hollywood Hills), and once attempted to ask him about a project I heard he was doing with Graham Gouldman, member of 10CC and writer of such 60's songs as "For Your Love" by The Yardbirds. Andrew was most unpleasant. The album he and Graham did together, however, is really, really amazing---"Greetings From Planet Love" by, get this: The Fraternal Order of The All. It is a tongue-in-cheek send-up of the psychedelic era, and the best parody I've ever heard, even better than The Rutles and Spinal Tap, which themselves are mighty good. |
Ah, the great Louis Jordan---good one Marty! He and Big Joe Turner were playing Rock 'n' Roll in the late 40's, and is what Elvis and the rest of them Southern white boys were listening to alongside their Hillbilly 78's. I played in a Jump Blues/Swing Band in '74-5, and we did Louis' "Choo Choo Cha Boogie" and "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens", and they never failed to get the dance floor filled. |
"the who---their bombast and operatic and operatic seriousness can get fatiguing". Ain’t it the truth! That trait spoiled The Who for me when it appeared in the "Won’t Get Fooled Again" era, though "Tommy" hinted at it. Townshend’s writing became more deliberate and contrived (though Tommy really started it, his pre-Tommy writing being very different), and he started relying on that damn synthesizer, something I found glaringly out-of-place in The Who. And Daltry started holding his notes far too long, to the point of his voice becoming hoary (it had merely been the group’s weak point, but was now actually a disqualifier for top-tier Rock Band status imo). And that "Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!" in "WGFA" is just so corny. And, as LJ said, bombastic. To me The Who’s forte was the 2-1/2---3 minute Power Pop song, crisp teenage anthems. Moon’s drumming also took a turn for the worse after Tommy---sluggish, with his snare 2/4 backbeat at the back end of the pocket rather than at the front where it had been, following the band’s pulse rather than leading it, as it had been up to Tommy (in Tommy it is right about in the pocket’s center, creating a deep groove they hadn’t before had). And his fills, rather than the brief mostly-snare drum flourishes of his earlier playing, became overly-long, pointless tom-tom plod-fests. I saw them live on the ’68 "A Quick One" tour, and he and they were bursting with kinetic energy. Then the ’69 "Tommy" tour, where it was still in evidence, but starting to slip away. By the time of "WGFA" it was gone. It sounded like they were swinging for the bleachers, trying too hard. But of course I was in the minority with that opinion, as they were gaining in popularity, not declining. As with most artists/groups/bands, I find their early work far superior to their later. |
Right LJ, on Sell Out they still were playing in their "hold back until the last possible moment" style, which they did better than just about anyone else. They create an incredible amount of tension, letting it build up inside until it just can’t be held back anymore, whereupon it is finally released. Very sexual! "I Can See For Miles" is their masterpiece song, the ultimate distillation of their style. As time went on, it was all about the release, without the holding back that is necessary to create tension. An ironic illustration of the Who’s tension-and-release style can be heard by comparing their version of "Shakin’ All Over" on the Live At Leeds album with the Guess Who’s (there’s the irony!) earlier studio recording of same. Both are modeled on the Johnnie Kidd & The Pirates (a very influential late-50’s/early-60’s British Rock n’ Roll combo) recording, but it is in the Guess Who’s version that an almost unbearable amount of tension is first created..........and then released---to great effect. Unfortunately, by the time of Live At Leeds, The Who were passed their prime, and no such tension is created---it’s all release. Which is, therefore, rather ineffectual. The recording also documents the bombast you noted, as well as the hoariness and heavy-handedness of Daltry’s singing. Add to that Townshend’s gratuitous attempt at playing a guitar solo---not his strong suit---and you have a real mess. And it was a hit! There is another example of a song in which I hear the great tension-and-release effect: "I’m On Fire" by The Dwight Twilley Band. Absolutely explosive! |
Ah, "Loan Me a Dime", also my favorite bit of Duane's playing. The highlight of Scagg's first album. The first time I saw Boz on stage was when he was rhythm guitarist in The Steve Miller Blues Band, before the blues was dropped. |
