This is the continuation of the page before with the Crabby Appleton album that was wildly popular enough for a Top 40 Hit which is hard as hell to achieve.
Crabby Appleton - 1970
Side 1
1  Go Back
2  The Other Side
3  Catherine
4  Peace by Peace
5  To All My Friends

This is the thing!!! To me, in my most humble opinion, I can not find fault in either album. Both are good and can be enjoyably listened to equally well. This kind of stuff used to drive me and my friends bonkers as to what is it that people like or don't like. The albums themselves were the results of the music of the Times they lived in. Country Rock was becoming more and more popular at the time as a reaction to the Nashville Mobsters trying to force everyone to listen to their Holiest version of Country Music.
No wonder people use drugs.
Side 2
1  Try
2  Can't Live My Life
3  Some Madness
4  Hunger for Love
5  How Long Will It Take

Country Rock is kind of a misnomer or a name that means nothing, so it's a Marketing term. What was actually going on in this time were British rockers playing in American bands to get a feel for the music here before they went back to Jolly Ol' England.

Eric Clapton payed with Delaney and Bonnie, for example. Oh and in the Story of how Crabby Appleton formed was the reformation of a band called Stonehenge with Michael Fennelly replaces the guitarist whose name escapes me at the time, but he was the guitarist for The Animals. Old Age strikes again!!!! We'll use Sir Nigel Pitterpatter for now.

Anyway, I digress because now we come to the movie where Delaney and Bonnie are featured not only in the soundtrack, but in a filmed live performance. That got me thinking about Crabby Appleton, and here we are:
Click To View SpoilerNow, there are two kinds of people on this planet. Those that "get" the above movie (whether they can articulate or not is immaterial), and those that refuse to "get" the movie.

Now for those people that refuse, but for some reason you've accepted them into your lives, perhaps this will help:
Click To View SpoilerFor rest of us in the Literati, here's a deleted scene that I wish they had kept in. Because they are people who don't get the movie, I understand why they removed it on the one hand. But, on the other hand, it would've added a lot to the movie if they had kept it in.
Click To View SpoilerWhen we next meet, we'll have another great female voice to listen to.

That's right, zoinks! Thanks for that great segue...

That's right Gentlemen, we're going to listen to a woman sing!!! Not just any woman, but one who you've heard her voice but had no idea what her name was. But first, why her and not one of the well over 100 other female singers who were far more well known that our special guest? Women like Janis Ian, Lita Ford, Grace Slick, Carly Simon, Carole King including her self-righteous moral superiority, Suzi Quatro, that one chick from Heart (the hungry one), Jennifer Warnes, Melissa Manchester, Crystal Gayle, Anne Murray, Buffy Marie Saint, Linda Ronstadt - wait, that may happen, Alannah Myles is possible, Emmylou Harris (problematic and her best work was done in collaborations with others and her management team sucked balls), Jessi Coulter, (Debra Harri is happening), and this one is going to hurt as I type it, must, be, strong, Cher. And, still there's more and far more famous, but I don't like them, and this is my list.

The first time I heard this voice, there was nothing comparable for me as a, I think I was 5, as a 5 year old to say, "fuck bro, I've heard better."
Plus, there was the album over:
Attached File

The TWO on the right look like most of my female cousins!! Those foreign type women, FTW!!!! Holy Shit! I just realized that if Sergio was wearing a yachtsman's Cap, he looked like my Great Uncle Carlos, and the guy to the far left looks like my cousin, Guillermo. Never really looked at the side of the album cover before.

Anyway, long story short now that i've I am digressing like an idiot, Lani Hall was the voice of Sergio Mendez and Brazil '66. On the recordings, they doubled her vocals. For performances, they had a couple of second singers until Sergio decided he was rich and famous enough to do Brazil '77. Or it could've been that since his wife took over for Lani Hall when she left, Sergio's wife said this is how it's going to be now: no more hot chick singers.

Lani Hall recorded 3 albums during the '70s. No huge hits from her, but some of her originals became hits for others, and some of her covers popularized the songs within the Industry. She became a singer's "singer." We're doing some songs from the first two albums. Please to enjoy:
Sun Down Lady - 1972

Love Song
You
Ocean Song
Come Down in Time
Sun Down

Her most famous recordings are done in Spanish and Portuguese. She's won Grammys for those recordings. She sounds like a native even though she was born and raised in Chicago. Very impressive. The one thing that has always puzzled me is that for Brazil '66 songs, she sang a little bit pitched down giving her a very "earthy" and sultry quality to her voice. For these solo albums, that had her pitched up so she sounds younger. I prefer earthy sultry over younger.
Hello It's Me - 1975

Wheelers and Dealers
Happy Woman, Happy Man
Save The Sunlight
SWeet Jams and Jellies
Corrida De Jangada

National Lampoon, the magazine and the Radio Hour Half-Hour. Some of us were lucky to grow up with it. Then there's those people that use the metric system.

Here's some fine music from them. First Up is Bill Murry and Gilda Radner on leads singing "Kung Fu Christmas" It's an excellent performance:


Next up, the "Well-Intentioned Blues." It's a song about the hypocrisy of white leftists. Keep in mind, the National Lampoon staff were not Republicans. They just skewered hypocrites over and over and over and over and over and over again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mr3BdadVac&list=RD5OHBo_j6mWU&index=5


Then we have two songs from "The California Show" broadcast. I'm sure you all will enjoy it!!!!!


For the "piece de resistance" there is a couple of songs from the musical Lemmings. Many pages back, we talked about how The Who's "Baba O'Reilly" and CCR's "Who'll Stop the Rain?" weren't about either Viet Name or Northern Ireland, but about the hypocrisy all those young leftists who spout this and that and then trash every where they go. In the case of these songs, it was Woodstock for both of them and then again the 1970 Isle of Mann for just The Who. Lemmings skewers the hypocrisy of Woodstock as well. The only video recording of it is a privately done one of the off-broadway show. It is on youtube. However, as I wrote last year, there's one problematic song, so I'm not posting the link to the video. But, it's easy enough to find, and when you get to the song (a Joan Baez parody) just remember that at this time, many of the leftists in San Francisco were cheering on the Black revolutionaries as long as they stayed in Oakland. Keep that in mind as you listen to the song, and it'll make sense.

Whilst looking for some high quality audio for our next mystery guest, I stumbled onto some high quality audio Of the Original Sound Track for Vanishing Point. (The other great movie of the '70s was Rollerball with James Caan just in case you losers were wondering. However, you really need to be in a "mood" to listen to that sound track, so we'll somehow manage to skip it here.)

Enough talk!!!! Time for you to practice your "deep listening skills!"

Vanishing Point - OST - 1971
Produced/Scored/Arranged by Jimmy Bowen

1  Super Soul Theme - Jimmy Bowen
2  The Girld Done Got It Together - Bobby Doyle
3  Where Do We Go From Here? - Jimmy Walker
4  Welcome To Nevada - Jerry Reed
5  Dear Jesus God - Bishop
6  Runaway Country - Doug Dillard
7  You Got To Believe - Delaney and Bonnie


(mmmm, thinking I screwed up again. Thank God & Subnet for Edit)

(Man, I really got to learn how to count)
Oh! Almost forgot, who's Jimmy Bowen, nobody asked? American musical genius, that's who. I put him up there with Norman Whitfield. If you're a Reba McEntire fan (and who did not want to fuck her brains out, amiright!), Thank Mr. Bowen. If you like digital processing, Thank Mr. Bowen. Now, on with the Show.....

8   Love Theme - Jimmy Bowen
9    So Tired - Eva Capomagi
10 Freedom of Expression
11 Mississippi Queen - Mountain
12 Sing Out For Jesus - The Harlem Stars
13 Over Me - Segarini & Bishop
14 Nobody Knows - Kim & Dave

Remember way back when at the beginning of Subnet's thread, and we were talking about Jazz Fusion, Jazz Rock and Progressive Rock/Jazz/Fusion/Jazz and all the rest of them? Return to Forever?? Not a problem!

I had mentioned that one guy started all that by doing it first: John McLaughlin.

Now, some of you may be thinking, "Hey, zoinks, if that's your real name, I've seen the documentary on this very subject. I'm less than impressed."
Was it this documentary?

If so, here's a shocker for you!!!
Click To View SpoilerSo, instead of rehashing what the Jazz guys thought, and what the Rock guys thought, let's try and define Jazz.

Many of the Women in your Life call it "that music where everybody plays a different song."
Well, Butter my backside and call me a biscuit:
Click To View SpoilerSo, then, What is Jazz? I'm so happy you've asked. I've been thinking of the smallest answer I can give for a few weeks, and here it is:
Jazz is the food processor of Musicality. This is why some of it is melodic, or rhythmic, or discordant. It's all a test to see if anything comes out of it. The other ingredients are you need really good musicians that can play their part and interact with others when you feel it's the right thing to do. It's Team Work at a high level. A Walking Bass line at 180 beats per minute will literally kill lesser men, but Ray Brown could do it easily!

So, here's a link to the John McLaughlin album that started it all in 1969.

But, today we focus on an album he did with Carlos Santana called Love Devotion Surrender. Here's the album cover:
Attached File

(Back in 1973, it didn't look to us like they were getting married. It doesn't look normal! But, we didn't think they were getting married.)

At this time, they were both devotees of the same Indian Guru, Name unimportant, and you may have heard the joke about Santana sounding like McLaughlin if you're old enough. Not really! They used different string gauges and different amps!! I'm so glad to lay that one at rest:
Next post the actual music!

Here's the original track list of the album:
Love Devotion and Surrender - 1973

Side 1
1  A Love Supreme
2  Naima
3  The Life Divine

Side 2
1  Let Us Go into the House of the Lord
2  Meditation

This is a different interface I'm trying out. If it doesn't work, I'll Edit and go back to the original way.
Well, that was short and sweet! The original way it is:

Forgot to mention that the Album was meant as a Tribute to John Coltrane, and that's why you see a couple of Coltrane's songs listed.

If you're old enough to remember this..lol

Double tap

Many interesting musical choices here. I like.

I'm going to do something different, and I hope it works out as intended, so bear with me.

First some background. In the '50s and '60s, singles would be recorded by studio musicians and artists, and if the singles became popular enough, a group would be formed to go out on tour to perform not only the hit single, but other songs by the same studio as well with other "groups" from that same studio.
Second thing to consider is that from Texas to Chicago-Detroit, essentially the Mid-West, the Blues has always been done different from the South. For one, it's not as depressing to listen to. Two, lyrical subjects vary across the spectrum of Life and experience. Three, it was electrified. To be sure, all the big cities and especially the damn near everywhere in Texas, added a twist to it, but it is what most people like to listen to when they listen to the Blues. Sure, there are some purists out there!!! But, they are lonely people. And, it still retained its I-VI-V chord progression.

Now that we got some background in, we'll start with a song that was a hit single in 1963 by The Jaynetts, move to it's psychedelic version with The Great Society in circa 1966, Donna Summer's very first hit single in 1971, Fanny's version in 1974, Tim Buckley's version circa 1976, and finish off with an over produced Yvonne Elliman single in 1978. I always found it interesting, that no one changed the chords of the song, but they changed a lot of the structure of the song. Here we go:


You can hear how popular music was changed in one song over a 15 year span. The other interesting part is that the music industry doesn't care about music/art, but it does care about what sells. So, sometimes when you find a group that you like, and then they break up, it's because it didn't sell units of records. It doesn't matter how good they were. On the other hand, you wonder why some people out there are still out there??? It's because they can sell.

I know I've been neglecting my duties here. By way of apology, please accept this simple token:

Todd Rundgren is one of those innovative musicians that America, luckily enough, has in spades. Ry Cooder, T-bone Burnett, Jimmy Bowen (whom we just covered) and Norman Whitfield to name just a few. There's a lot of them out there that will not get the credit or recognition that they deserve, but on the other hand, it doesn't appear to bother them all that much publicly. Plus, it means the story of the 1970s is not over, not be  a long shot. Plus, I'm old. Nothing better to do!! MUah ha ha ha ha ha ha

Rundgren released Back to the Bars in 1978. It covers his music with Utopia. There's 20 songs. I decided not to break it down by track as maybe they'll be a number of number of tracks that you've never heard and just playing the music in the background will expose you to the music and the music to you!!!
After the album's release, Rundgren changed direction a bit getting into the "digital" version of music!! His project was to allow you, or me, the listeners to take clips of his recorded music and reorganize them in an order that we the listeners would choose adding a lot more variability in the songs. Unfortunately, most of his fans were weed smokers, and that's just too much work and therefore a real buzz killer.

Back to the Bars - 1978
Side 1
1  Real Man
2  Love of the Common Man
3  The Verb "To Love"
4  Love in Action
5  A Dream Goes on Forever

Side 2
1  Sometimes I don't Know What to Feel
2  The Range War
3  Black and White
4  Cliche
5  Don't You Ever Learn?

Side 3
1  Never Never Land
2  Black Maria
3  Zen Archer
4  Medley: I'm So Proud; Ooh Baby Baby; La La Means I Love You; I Saw The Light

Side 4
1  It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference
2  Eastern Intrigue
3  Initiaton
4  Couldn't I Just Tell You
5  Hello, It's Me


So, just hit the "play" arrow and enjoy!

Thank you for signing up for Today's Seminar. The Topic: Elvin Bishop.
(I'm heading out to the VA for another MRI, so I'll finish later today and maybe tomorrow.)

Elvin Bishop!!! Another in a long line of talented Guitarists that have been able to record and perform. He was born in SoCal!!! I know. And he lives in Marin!!!! Which is the SoCal of the North!!!! I know, but my Cousin lives there, and her very long time Boyfriend is from LA, like so many others there. They're okay.

He also studied Physics at the University of Chicago!! Bet you didn't know that!! He's a Brainiac!!!!!
I originally started out just trying to post two songs per album, but I'm weak. So, let's start with his biggest all-time hit to remind those of Elvin Bishop!!!

The song is originally from 1974's Struttin' My Stuff, a fine album.

But, we're going to start with his second solo album and his third; then, I'll come back and do some more this afternoon.
Feel It - 1970
So Good
So Fine
Party Till the Cows Come Home Hogbottom
Stealin' Watermelons

Rock My Soul - 1972

Rock My Soul
Holler and Shout
Rockbottom
Old Man Trouble

The female lead that you hear is Jo Baker. (Elvin Bishop had a lot of very very excellent singer perform with him including most of the Pointer Sisters. Listening to Elvin Bishop was my introduction to the Pointer Sisters.)
Elvin and Jo had a relationship that would end and change many things for Elvin. Those albums are coming up.

Off to the VA!

Of all the excellent Fine Tuneage you've posted, this gets my vote for Best Yet!!

I was hoping to do this earlier, but 12 years of doing high-contrast media CTs or MRIs are starting to wear on me. Looks like I'll be finishing it all in another day.


So, when we last left our Hero, he was having an affair of some type with the lead vocalist, Jo Baker.

Welp, none of us are going to be surprised that it went South, and so did Elvin all the way to, i think it was to Macon, Georgia a couple of years before they made the movie, Macon County Line. That's got nothing to do with Elvin Bishop, but it's not a bad film.

He did the Southern thing! Had some help from many great musicians, but on the other hand, less of his songs were getting into the Top 100.
Let It Flow - 1974
Sunshine Special
Ground Hog
Honey Babe
Travelin' Shoes

On the other hand, the music speaks for itself, and Disco was changing everything!!!

Juke Joint Jump - 1975
Juke Joint Jump
Calling All Cows
Sure Feels Good
Crawling Kingsnake
Do Nobody Wrong

This album was also recorded and produced in the South, but he went for less Country influence in it returning towhat he and Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloom called the "Chicago Electrified Blues." Again, Mid-West Blues is very different than Southern Blues.

Grew up in the 70s and 80s. 80s ruled for me, but 70s were killer too. Boston and Van Halen's debuted are proof of that.

What was the Charlie Daniels line, "he ain't good looking but he sure can play."


Another group to study would be Chicago. Started with a rocker first LP then went the rock/jazz/fusion route for two or three then attempted a Top 40 sound and eventually into ballad hell.

Here's the other 1975 release. It featured the biggest hit Elvin would ever have. We started with that song in Post number 22 this page, "Fooled Around Fell in Love." Annie Sampson did the female lead. She replaced Jo Baker. Oddly enough Jo Baker went to Stoneground, whom we've previously covered while Annie Sampson went with Elvin, but they actually switched back and forth for recordings.

Struttin' My Stuff - also 1975
Struttin' My Stuff
Holler And Shout
Slick Titty Boom



Now, we're getting into some territory where I'm afraid the nose candy started curtailing the music writing ability. By that I mean, he's not really covering too much new ground. Not that the music is bad, it's more we heard these things before. Especially with Joe Walsh out there Solo and with the Eagles just tearing it up...lean times for our Hero here.


Hometown Boy Makes Good - 1976
Yes Sir
Spend Some Time
Give It Up
Graveyard Blues

Raisin' Hell Live - 1977

Recorded at the Roxy in case you want to hear how much better the live recordings are compared to some of the Studio recordings by Capricorn and Island Def Jam Records. I don't remember if this recording has some of his jokes, he told many a funny story, but he's got the joke about the Dangers of Doing Drugs! And he listed them out, faithfully, until he got to cocaine where he said, "when you do cocaine, you're in danger of...running out." Comedy Gold!!



The Last album of the '70s:

Hog Heaven  - 1978
Southern Dreams
Oh Babe
Midnight Creeper

It's a return to Southern themed music.



By now Elvin had a wife and a Daughter, and he wasn't as prolific at recording as before. He still did a lot of touring bringing along some top talent. I credit Elvin Bishop with helping revive one Carlos Santana's career as an example.

In 2000, his now ex-Wife and Daughter were murdered. They caught the killers and justice was done etc. Elvin dealt with it through music. His music this Century is may even be better than when he was younger. Almost every album he's recorded has been grammy nominated. It's some phenomenal stuff, if you get the chance to listen to it.

We did Chicago pages back as well as Sons of Champlin. After the death of Terry Kath, Bill Champlin was contracted to work with Chicago starting about '81 into the '90s when they had all their monster hits.

Went to a Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66 Concert back in the 60s...my dad took us to it...he loved their music.

(Posting before I check everyone else's offerings.)

Today, it's the Staple Singers.
One of us posted some of their music before pages ago. But, here's some more.

Be Altitude: Respect Yourself

You read that correctly as "Altitude," not Attitude. Aim for a higher plane of existence in this Life to achieve it in the next Life is the central message of this Album.

Their stage name is "The Staple Singers" although they did experiment with a different name at one point as a take off on the Swinger Stapler: The Staple Swingers. But, their family name is "Staples" just to clear up any confusion that might exist.

They were a religious family and very political, but not partisan. That wasn't their thing. Their message, besides basic Christian values, was that you ought to be a better person whoever you are.

This is their second best selling album. (Best selling was their sound track from the movie, Let's Do It Again.)

Be Altitude: Respect Yourself - 1972
Side 1
1  This World
2  Respect Yourself
3  Name the Missing Word
4  I'll Take You There
5  This Old Town (People in This Town)


(Let's see if I need to edit today???)


 

Their career was primarily gospel music with their Brother. When he went into the Army, the youngest sister joined the group, and they were convinced to go for a more mainstream sound. Back in those days, that meant working with Steve Cropper, Al Bell, the people at "Muscle Shoals" (Alabama) and Terry Manning.

Then there's that voice of Mavis Staples. Words fail me, or I fail to be able to describe the qualities, but I'll listen to her whatever it is she's singing.
Side 2
1  We the People
2  Are You Sure
3  Who Do You Think You Are (Jesus Christ the Superstart)?
4  I'm Just Another Soldier
5  Who

Wow.
Montgomery Ward ad right off the bat!!

Outside of a few cities like LA, I don't know how you could show up to school looking like "Keith Partridge" and not get your ass kicked.

There was something that group had up until Lani Hall left that Mendez couldn't replicate. A big part of it was her voice doubled on the recordings, but even live, they had that something.

The French call it "je ne sais quoi." Brazil '66 had a lot of that. Brazil '77 and '88 have very little of it together.

I normally don't read the comments below, but I did this time.



GHELM-wp5yj
3 years ago
Guy wrote songs about knives, tomatoes and all were thoughtfully composed and beautiful. What a artist.

Those are two really interesting choices in the same post; similar in a lot of respects.


Just had to add, after thinking for 30 more seconds, almost an actual dichotomy.

My original intention for the last post I make in this thread was going to be links to The Last Waltz. I figured it was the best way to close out the decade, but Robbie Roberts dying cleverly thwarted that plan!!!

I remember hearing about the concert from Saturday Night Live when Buck Henry hosted. The Band was the musical guest, and they mentioned they were retiring from being on the road. (That's back when SNL was not just good, but great!) Winterland didn't let kids in, and my older cousins and my beloved Uncle had better things to do, so...I didn't go. Missing this one and Led Zeppelin's "Presence" tour are definitely two regrets (besides getting married.)

Let me answer the musical question "what's the meaning of the Last Waltz" first. Here's a quote I found from Robbie Robertson:
Here are some links to the movie which is worth watching, listening and signing to:
On Tubi
On Pluto.tv
I just stumbled on to these versions. I haven't seen them; they're listed as "alternative filming." No idea what that means!!!
Might be good, might be crap!!

Today is probably one of the best known American "progressive rock" bands that crossed over into the main stream, and all of their '70s album were either Gold or Platinum.

Hint: they named themselves after the State they lived in.

If you said, "Marillion," you're a very much mistaken. It's "Kansas." This is the correct answer.

First, I must confess, not my favortie band. "Dust in the Wind" ended them for me. Yes, that same MONSTER hit. Otherwise, they had really great musicianship, productions values, live shows, song and lyric writing abilities that were among the best of them out there. Still didn't like them. These things happen.

But, now, on with the Show!!
We're going to highlight their 2nd album today for this reason: normally a first album is super strong because it's songs the band has been playing for years; when they start touring to support that first album, they're normally pushed back into studios to do a second album which will be released at the Tour's end. These songs are newer, normally haven't gone through a million small changes to make it somewhat perfect etc. Their second effort is pretty good which, again, speaks that these guys were very talented and very skilled. Still not my cup of tea!

Song for America - 1975

Side 1
1  Down the Road
2  Song For America
3  Lamplight Symphony

Side 2
1  Lonely Street
2  The Devil Game
3  Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman

Do you have any info on a band called Cold Blood out of the Bay area I think? Think of a funkier Tower of Power with a Janis Joplin-type lead singer.

One of my favorite bands. I have embarassing stories about myself over them!!! (we'll have to wait for my memoirs to come out!)

Check back on pages 12 to 14. They're in there somewhere.

Lydia Pense could belt out of song for being like 5'2". Man, it was impressive beyond anything I can think of at the moment.


ETA: I should've added - feel free to post more or even the same. It's all about the music!