ROCK’S IN MY HEAD:CHAPTER 32-Senior Year (Part 2)

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD:CHAPTER 32-Senior Year (Part 2)

The KinKs was one of my favorite bands from the early British Invasion days. They had not played live in the USA in quite some time so this show scheduled for October 18,1969 at FILLMORE EAST was a “must see” for me. From the very first time I heard YOU REALLY GOT ME on my small transistor radio I knew these guys were different. We even played that tune with THE TRIANGLE my doomed band of yesteryear. So when the opportunity to see The KinKs live became a reality I jumped at the chance. But this night was not my usual fare of two or a large group as my girlfriend requested another couple attend with us, so two tickets became four, balcony seats left side of stage, not too shabby a view.

The Bonzo Dog Band opened the show. While the crowd waited for their “hit” URBAN SPACEMAN, we were treated to some of the best comedy, music, and visuals I had ever seen (in my limited experience). Just sheer joy, I laughed hysterically throughout their entire set. The singer pretending he was urinating on the light show, the silly hats they wore, the large eyeglasses, and hundreds of props. They were GREAT. Needless to say I purchased two Bonzo albums the next week.Then the amazing KinKs were introduced. Even though it was a short set and one without their pianist who as Ray Davies said, “cracked his skull” so Ray played piano for a few tunes. Overall, it was a fabulous set. Upon leaving the show I remember thinking, ahhh The KinKs and The Who, two of my favorite bands, all I need is The Stones and The Beatles. BTW SPIRIT, the headliners, hit the stage after The Kinks and were decent but Randy California is NOT Raymond Douglas Davies by any stretch of the imagination. So tonight it was The KinKs.

It was about this time when my homeroom teacher questioned me about some teachers(guidance) opening my locker before school that morning. Puzzled I said I did not know. As I retrieved my books for morning classes a Guidance Counselor, not mine, arrived and asked me to come with her. In her office she asked me if I was selling “pot”(her word). I was taken aback. She followed up with a question regarding me smoking “pot”. At first I did not answer and requested she call my father to come to school. She appeared confused by my request, hesitated for a second and said that calling my father would not be necessary as she was trying “to help” me. Knowing there was nothing in my locker or on my person I said “NO, I was not selling pot” to her first question. She asked why kids would meet me at my locker some mornings, to which I said “cassettes”. She was bewildered it seemed, so I took her to my locker and showed her a stack of about 10 cassettes I had placed there that morning. She had no idea what cassettes were so I explained their function. She led me to class. I never heard another word about the incident until a follow-up question, by a different teacher, a few months later.

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:August 1,1995- THE KINKS @ WESTBURY

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:August 1,1995:THE KINKS @ WESTBURY

The Kinks Return–All Day and All of The Night 

Thousands Rock at Music Fair 

By Anthony Bosco

An eclectic group of more than 2,000 came out Monday night to see the Kinks perform the first of two shows at the Westbury Music fair. The band added another performance following a quick sellout of their opening night in the metropolitan area.

The band, led by brother Ray and Dave Davies in full force, reunited with former keyboardist Ian Gibbons for a quick tour of the eastern United States that stopped at Long Island this week. It was the first time in two years that the band from England has visited the New York City area.

“The Kinks have just arrived,” said band leader and songwriter Ray, 51, after playing several solo acoustic numbers to kick off the show. “A Well Respected Man,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” and “Stop Your Sobbing” were among the acoustic tunes Davies played before the other four band members joined him on stage. The house lights dimmed and the Kinks ripped through a raucous version of “Do It Again” from the band’s 1984 album Word of Mouth.

Several hard rocking Kinks singles followed, including “Low Budget,” “A Gallon of Gas” and “Sleepwalker.” But this was not a night of hard rock. At their most poignant, the Kinks easily slipped in and out of some of their most touching tunes.

Reading an impromptu set list from paper plates that littered the stage, Davies led the Kinks in moving versions of “Dead End Street,” “Rock-N-Roll Fantasy” and “Waterloo Sunset.”

With fans ranging in age from pre-teen to post-middle age, Davies and his cohorts reached all with their trademark hits, including “Come Dancing,” “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night” and “Lola.”

Dressed in a Union Jack suit, Davies said, “Who knows, this might be the last time?” before leading the band in the English anthem “Victoria.” The set was short, lasting no more than an hour and 45 minutes, but the Kinks, as always, didn’t let their core group of fans down, nearly spanning a career of more than 30 years in just one night.

The Kinks, formed in 1964 by the brothers Davies, were part of the first British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Five. A series of commercial failures and disappointing record sales has not forced the band into retirement but into another phase of its musical history.

A new acoustic CD called To the Bone has already been released in Europe and is slated for release here in the states in December or January. Davies has also recently released his first book, an autobiographical yarn called X-Ray, available in Europe and slated to be released on this side of the Atlantic in the fall.

The Kinks are scheduled to be back in New York City next month for a one-night show in Manhattan.

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD: Chapter 17-BIGGER THAN JESUS

Tags

CarnabyStreet, JohnSebastian, Lovin'Spoonful, REVOLVER, TaylorLaw, WOR-FM

John Lennon’s statement that The Beatles were “bigger than Jesus” caused quite an uproar with some radio stations refusing to play Beatles records. Living in liberal New York the noise of Anti-Beatledom was minimal, basically non-existent. As liberal as the politics of my home state might be, the radio stations were quite conservative, only playing the “hits” that had been tested in the minor markets. NY Radio would wait until others lesser known band’s song became a hit across the country before giving it a shot on the air. But not with The Fab 4 who seemed bigger than ever. The Beatles still had the instant hits.

REVOLVER was my most played album of 1966, and TAXMAN was a favorite song of mine from that collection, what a great opening tune. Years later I found that that song written as such still needed a hook during the recording process. Someone suggested, after watching an episode of the TV program BATMAN, that THE BEATLES replicate the BATMAN theme chant into TAX MAN. Hence, BATMAN became TAXMAN.

While the political innuendo of TAXMAN was not missed by me, ELENOR RIGBY did nothing for me. I later learned that not one Beatle played an instrument on that tune so that reason alone might subconsciously be why I didn’t care for it one bit. REVOLVER was the last album issued by Capitol with an altered playing order, that is one different from it’s UK counter part. In January of 1967 THE BEATLES had a new contract, one which specified Capitol records could no longer alter the tracks or the running order or remove tracks from Beatle approved albums. Just in time too, as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band could have been quite different if Capitol Records USA had still had control over songs, sequence, etc.

The fashion of 1966 was basically CARNABY STREET and with that style came the introduction of the “mini skirt”. Imagine being a 14 year old boy in high school at a time where girls were required to wear skirts in school. Then the mini skirt arrives. “Thank you, Lord” our prayers were answered. Keeping ’66 in mind, that same year Pampers were introduced and the Dow Jones year end average was 785. And of course October of 66, THE MONKEES debuted on TV, an ersatz Beatle-esk band, which caught on with the teeny boppers, as we were then referred as.

 

To recap the year, January 1, 1966 started off with the New York City Transit Strike, a 12 day event pairing a fiery Mike Quill the NYTA union leader against the newly installed Mayor John Lindsey. Lindsey was no match for the tough Irish union leader. The Transit workers received a 15% raise and The TAYLOR LAW was enacted the next year.

In July, MUHAMMED ALI once known as CASSIUS CLAY declares himself a CO, a “Conscientious Objector”. This brought more attention to the VIETNAM War and to the opposition to this “undeclared” war. I started to pay more attention to radio news reports. According to FCC regulations at the time, each radio station MUST present the news “on the hour” with updates “on the half hour”. The 6 PM and 11PM television evening news were quite visual in its coverage of the carnage in Vietnam, actually upsettingly so. In September the long running whitbread television program THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET ended.

NEWSWEEK had a featured article in its December edition about BE-INS, as in Human “Be-ings”,  that were  called “happenings” in major cities, San Francisco being one such city. The author referenced the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE as “the most popular of groups”. This was duly noted in my brain.

The USA had 500,000 troops in Vietnam, NASA’s Gemini 10 left “Earth for 3 days in space”, cigarettes were required to carry a health warning on the side package, and Richard Speck killed 8 nurses in Chicago which the news of this scared the bejesus out of me. Speck was outdone a few months later by Charles Wittman who killed 14 and injured 31 by shooting from a tower at the University of Texas to the crowd below. Mass murders, Vietnam, all too much bloodshed on the news and in print.

We had sit-ins, be-ins, teach-ins and the popular films were THUNDERBOLT, DR. ZHIVAGO, and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. I was 14 closing in on 15 and my world was changing around me, rapidly.

For me in 1966 The LOVIN’ SPOONFUL was a band I most desired to see, I even bought a vest and a yellow shirt because I saw John Sebastian wearing one on an album cover. At one point I almost wished my eye sight would fade a bit so if I needed glasses I could get a pair like Sebastian’s.

Those big band albums from Columbia record club that my dad had, and the little kid 45’ records that my brother and I had soon met their shelf mates including: 96 Tears, Summer In The City, Good Lovin’, Paperback Writer, 19th Nervous Breakdown and Gloria (Shadows of Night). The album collection expanded as well adding Revolver, Pet Sounds, Blonde on Blonde, High Tides and Green Grass: Big Hits, Fresh Cream, Love, Animalism, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Buffalo Springfield and of course the debut by The Monkees. That Monkees  phenomena was a story unto itself.

And then there was the beginning of rock music on FM radio in NY, WOR-FM, August of 66. I needed, I wanted an AM/FM radio.

See you next time….Chapter18: AND THE JUKEBOX KEPT ON PLAYING… . Comments? jazzbus@gmail.com

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD: Chapter 16-LEGENDARY PSYCHEDELIC GARAGE BANDS

Tags

13th Floor Elevators, acid rock, Chocolate Watch Band, fuzz box, Garage Bands, Indie record companies, Lenny Kaye, LOVE

The title alone should grab the attention of those likeminded musicologists who lived through the late 1960s. Your collection of independent labeled vinyl probably includes music by the 13th Floor Elevator, Love, The Chocolate Watchband, The Seeds, and other legendary psychedelic garage bands. Usually armed with a Farfisa organ, a guitar utilizing plenty of feedback, throw in a tambourine and harmonica and most garage bands were ready to roll. Better yet, if you dump the old verse/chorus/verse format, chuck in a few minutes of feedback and  now your garage band becomes a psychedelic rock band. Bring on the strobe lights. Later the genre is renamed “acid rock”, still amateuristically (a new word) raw, fluid, primitive, exotic as well as hypnotic, with maybe an eastern Raga flavor,all churned together.

My first experience with garage band music was a 1963 when at a house party with my fellow sixth graders we heard the KINGSMEN’s “Louie Louie”. Today, most of my brethren of the same age bracket will probably agree that that particular tune says it all. Primitive, raw, indecipherable words,so much so the radio network censors not knowing exactly what is being sung ban the record. In doing so the ban moved the record to the MUST HAVE category, thereby jettison the regional tune to a national number 1 chart topper.

Through my early record buying career I didn’t think much about genres, let alone putting a garage band label on a band until the early 1970s when I copped a copy of NUGGETS, a double LP put together by archivist Lenny Kaye. I sensed, before listening to NUGGETS, that the (garage) music included in the research was quite different from popular music, but I never categories it. After NUGGETS I went back through my collection of obscure 45s mostly on independent labels and found my own nuggets. Recently, I started to look for things I might have missed.

Researching as such one finds there are many different theories regarding the origin of garage bands; who or what was the first, etc, etc. But one does know that with the invention of the fuzz box utilized by any guitar players, as well as the introduction of hallucinogenics, psychedelic music moves to the forefront. Here are some of the heroes and villains of the era.

THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS-what a great name, the 13th Floor Elevators. Funny how even today as I step into an elevator in a high-rise I immediately search to see if there is a 13 floor button. So without further ado one needs to give the nod to this band for coming up with a great name. The ELEVATORS originated in 1965 at Austin ,Texas and featured the legendary ROKY ERICKSON on vocals and guitar. Also included in the ensemble was one band member playing what is labeled an “electric jug”, yeah a jug. I don’t think I’d get much argument that Mr. Erickson could be considered a true acid casualty in the same mention as say Syd Barrett and/or Skip Spence, However, their hit “YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME” remains a true rock classic. To date Mr.Erickson is still alive and still performing.Legend has it that ROXY asked a young JANIS JOPLIN to join the band but she had decided to head to San Francisco instead.Oh well, we missed out there, didn’t we.

LOVE-  This band was one of the first interracial rock’n roll bands to break out on the national scene. Out of San Francisco and originally called GRASS ROOTS (not THEE GRASS ROOTS of later day hit parade success) they rechristened themselves as LOVE  and became the first rock band signed to ELEKTRA RECORDS. The first LP “LOVE” was not a smashing success but the cut “SIGNED D.C.” must have been an inspiration for THE MOODY BLUES “Nights In White Satin”, listen for the similarities. ARTHUR LEE the lead singer refused to tour to promote the album which in hindsight was not a great idea. The second LP “DA CAPO” was an FM radio staple and the third “FOREVER CHANGES” was their so called masterpiece. One of the best stories I had heard regarding a band receiving a signing bonus has to be when Arthur Lee took the entire bonus and purchased with cash a brand new sports car because as he said the “lead singer needs a flashy Sports car”. The rest of the band was giving pennies.

CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND-I know very little about the Chocolate Watchband, just that they had another strange name. What caught my attention was the fact that the band’s name appears many, many times on the psychedelic posters advertising musical performances in and around San Francisco during the mid sixties. I also give them a nod for their remake of The KinKs tune “I’m Not Like Everybody Else”.

STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK-The Strawberry Alarm Clock  is another great name and one of my age bracket cannot forget their hit record “Incense and Peppermints”. To have fun one needs to research the history of this band, with its members and their various lawsuits regarding rights to songs and its royalties. By doing said research you’ll find the band or members in Russ Myers movie “Beyond the Valley of The Dolls”, or as members of Oingo Boingo ,or assisting the legendary Danny Elfman with his movie scores, or becoming a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

ELECTRIC PRUNES- I must admit I had a few singles by The Electric Prunes and purchased their classic album Mass in F Minor, what a mess. However the single,” I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night “ remains a classic. (Note: Kenny Loggins played guitar in the 1969 version of The Prunes.)

THE SEEDS- The first time I saw The Seeds was on ABC’s Dick Clark produced WHERE THE ACTION IS. Here were these four guys with extremely long hair lip-synching to their songs, “ Mr. Farmer” and “Pushing Too Hard”. I bought both Crescendo issued singles, and later on bought two are their albums,FUTURE and my  favorite being the “LIVE” one.

MUSIC MACHINE- Their single TALK TALK on ORIGINAL RECORDS had a black label with white writing and was in line with their ominous look of band members clad all in black, dyed black hair, and one singular black glove worn by each.

BLUES MAGOOS-Signed by a major label MERCURY RECORDS, The BLUES MAGOOS first album actually used the word psychedelic in their title: PSYCHEDELIC LOLLIPOP, but what I remember most is their single I got the single “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet”. Issued a few years with PEPPY CASTRO as the only original member the “Never Goin’ Back to Georgia” LP found its way in to my collection.

Some of the other hits and heavies include:THE REMAINS, THE PRETTY THINGS, THE BARBARIANS (check the TAMI SHOW video),? AND THE MYSTERIANS, THE LEAVES, BLUE CHEER (once claimed to be the loudest band on the planet), THE CASTAWAYS and the wonderful SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET.

See you next time…. Chapter 17- BIGGER THAN JESUS…Comments? jazzbus@gmail.com

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD: CHAPTER 13: A CHANGE IS GONNA COME (1965)

It’s now 1965 and A CHANGE IS GONNA COME not only as a song but as a way of life in America, but first the song. Sam Cooke’s hit from that year inspired Bob Dylan to begin writing a more personal selection of tunes. Bob Dylan recorded BRING IT ALL BACK HOME over a two day period with one 8 hour session recording side one (the electric side), followed by the second day recording side 2 the acoustic side. When released this landmark album set the bar higher for all other artists. This his fifth LP was his first Top Ten (#6 BILLBOARD) album. The sheer audacity of Dylan to release an album without “fillers” was unique. Dylan challenged his past (folk) while confronting his future (electric). Other artists upon hearing this album were inspired and challenged at the very least to experiment more with their music.

NOTE: Sam Cooke’s debuted the song A CHANGE IS GONNA COME on THE TONIGHT SHOW, February 7, 1964. Received well that performance’s review was unfortunately lost in the press as The Beatles debuted on Ed Sullivan two nights later.

For me the memorable songs of 1965 including the entire Motown mega-roster of hits, the Rolling Stones HEART OF STONE (a “re-make of Otis Redding’s PAIN MY HEART) and of course the “most played single of all time” The Righteous Brothers YOU’VE LOST THAT  LOVING FEELING, a Phil Spector WALL OF SOUND song written by Brill Building’s team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Rumor has it that this tune(YLTLF) is a response to the heartaches expressed in The Four Tops BABY I NEED YOUR LOVIN. This Spector (label) record capitalized on a phrase “something beautiful is dying”. The actual recording clocks in at a whopping 3:45 but is falsely listed on the label as 3:05 in hopes of capturing the program directors attention of being only a “3 minute” song, the standard for the day.

My philosophy about listening to music has been to “listen eagerly, to sit in the stillness, the quietness of the space, so that you can hear only the music; that is the melody and the words. Simply rest in the presence of the music”. From the time of the white AM radio in the kitchen to the transistor I received for Christmas that is what I attempted to do.

In the beginning of the year prior to his inaugural address LBJ delivered the “State of the Union” thus declaring our time as” the great Society” . A few months later Grace Slick, her husband, and her brother-in-law would form a rock band in San Francisco using that same name. But were we truly a Great Society?

Our neighbors to the north, Canada, had recently changed their flag losing the Union Jack and adopting the Maple Leaf, a smack at the imperialistic past associated with Great Britain.

Promised as it was, the USA was running neck and neck with the USSR in the”space race”, the ultimate prize being to successfully land a man on the moon. To this end the USA purposely”crashed” Ranger B on the moon’s surface while it was photographing possible lunar landing sites.

In the far east the U.S. started bombing North Vietnam (Rolling Thunder), a deed that will continue for 3+ years. 3500 additional ground troops were sent, followed by doubling the draft quota from 17,000 to 35,000 soldiers per month. At home men started to burn their draft cards, later an act which would be classified as illegal. Civil rights activists clashed in Selma, Alabama leading LBJ to announce the basis for the Voting Rights Act of 65. The SDS (Students For A Democratic Society) marched  on Washington as “teach-ins” were being held at major universities.

The movie HELP is released featuring the song of the same name which  authored by John Lennon was meant as a true cry out for help. SATISFACTION by The Rolling Stones is Number One on the charts as Bob Dylan stuns the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival by plugging it. His 1965 release HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED yields the hit LIKE A ROLLING STONE.

The War on Poverty, another LBJ initiative a.k.a. the Social Security Act of 1965, offers Medicare and Medicaid, meanwhile the streets of Watts are burning.  The Beatles play SHEA STADIUM, the very first stadium show, to 55,600 screaming fans as TV audiences are preparing to view one of the worst programs ever made, MY MOTHER THE CAR. Not to be outdone by the Beatles, Pope Paul VI holds mass at Yankee Stadium. A few weeks later, a 25-year-old Catholic Worker Movement  member sets himself on fire at the United Nations.

RUBBER SOUL is released in December, for a total of four BEATLE albums in 1965.

November brought the GREAT BLACKOUT to the Northeast and Canada. We, The Great Society as proclaimed only a few months before by LBJ, yet I’m not too sure.

See you next time….Chapter14: SWEET SOUL MUSIC .Comments? jazzbus@gmail.com

ON THE SHELF: My British Invasion: The Inside Story on The Yardbirds, et.al. by Harold Bronson

ON THE SHELF: My British Invasion: The Inside Story on The Yardbirds, et.al. by Harold Bronson

“My British Invasion: The Inside Story on The Yardbirds,The Dave Clark 5, Manfred Mann, Herman’s Hermits, The Hollies, The Troggs, The Kinks, The Zombies and More”, now that is certainly a mouthful. With too much time on my hands I find it necessary to read so I read a lot. This book is written by Harold Bronson and he being a cofounder of Rhino Records. As the title states it does give the inside story on all those bands and so much more. And again as the title states it’s Mr. Bronson’s experiences with these British artists.Overall, it’s a pretty good read if you are fond of the 60’s artists. Also, there is a great section on his favorite songs by these artists.

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD: Chapter 10-The British Are Coming, The British Are Coming (1964-1966)

Today, we experience “musicians” (notice the quotations) who write their own songs, play their own instruments and produce their own material. Some have total control over the entire process, some just “sample” , but I digress again. However, writing, playing and producing your own stuff was not always the case. So in the early 1960’s when a group of four LIVERPOOL lads made records where they actually played their own instruments, wrote most of their own songs,….Hey,that was unique.

When THE BEATLES hit our shores we started to hear about The MERSEY BEAT.  The Mersey is the river running through LIVERPOOL which is a port city in Western England. From that quaint little city a group of four lads became highly famous after charting their first UK single in late 62.Soon the “talent scouts” hovered.

These 4 lads as well as other Brits were influenced by American music, specifically the stylings of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Richard, Eddie Cochrane, Buddy Holly,John Lee Hooker, Smokey Robinson, and a host of others. Emulating their American heroes they formed groups named THE ROLLING STONES,THE YARDBIRDS, THE ANIMALS,THE KINKS, THE WHO, THE PRETTY THINGS, THE DAVE CLARK FIVE.

THE ROLLING STONES formed in 1962 and according to legend BRIAN JONES named the band after seeing the song title ROLLING STONE on a MUDDY WATERS album. Originally this band played Chicago styled blues influenced by Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Howlin’ Wolf (check out The Rocking Chair lp to see where the Stones earliest guitar licks came from) and Bo Diddley. Through their incarnations, today THE ROLLING STONES have taken the moniker of THE WORLD’S GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND. I venture to say they are correct.

Formerly known as THE BLUES SOUND this band changed their name in 1963 to a reference of Charlie “YARDBIRD” Parker. The YARDBIRDS followed THE ROLLING STONES residency at CRAWDADDY CLUB, a prestigious London gig where their repertoire drew from the Chicago blues of HOWLIN’ WOLF, MUDDY WATERS, SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON, ELMORE JAMES AND BO DIDDLEY. Their sets included: GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL, GOT LOVE IF YOU WANT IT, I’M A MAN. and SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING. Their first album, a must to have (FIVE LIVE YARDBIRDS) was recorded LIVE after touring and backing up SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON (II).

THE ANIMALS began in 1962  as THE ALAN PRICE RHYTHM AND BLUES COMBO covering songs by JIMMY REED, JOHN LEE HOOKER (Boom Boom) and NINA SIMONE(Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood).

THE DAVE CLARK 5 formed in 1957,had the privilege and  the pressure of being the second  BRITISH INVASION group to appear on Ed Sullivan after the Beatles. Their single GLAD ALL OVER  was #6 (US) in April 64. Funny how this ensemble was more popular in the US than their homeland. Their distinction for me was they prominently displayed a saxophone.

GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS, another Liverpudlian group, became the second act signed by Beatles manager BRIAN EPSTEIN. These lads were produced by George Martin which is probably a reason they had 3 consecutive #1 records with their first 3 UK outings (late 62)…”How Do You Do It?“, “I Like It” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone  (in UK 1963/ US 64) and finally with FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY (US early  65).

Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, Billy the lead singer was a handsome dude also managed by Brian Epstein and with George Martin they produced DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET (Beatles tune) to # 2 in UK. They followed that success up with additional LENNON/McCARTNEY tunes gaining gold records (UK) and  appearances on US TV.

The Searchers were a skiffle band primarily doing  remakes of American music: THE DRIFTERS (61) “Sweets For My Sweet”, JACKIE DeSHANNON’S “Needles and Pins” (charted US March 64), a fav of mine “When You Walk In The Room” and THE CLOVERS’ “Love Potion #9”.

The KinKs formed in 64 were very briefly part of  THE BRITISH Invasion. Their exposure on our shores was curtailed by an American touring ban issued in 1965. Yet, their early material as well as their subsequent recordings are amazing. ….I could write for days on this band so I’ll save it for a later date. GOD BLESS THE KINKS.

The ZOMBIES like many other British invasion groups, were sent to The United States to tour behind their new hit single “She’s Not There”. Among their early US gigs was the Murray the K’s Christmas Shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theater, where the band played seven performances a day. On January 12, 1965 the band made its first in- person appearance on US television on the very first episode of NBC’s HULLABALOO. They played “She’s Not There” and their latest single “Tell Her No”. Recently, I had  the pleasure of seeing The Zombies during the 50th anniversary “Odessey and Oracle” tour. Trust me folks this is no oldies band as these guys are for real. After performing O and O as promised the band played some new stuff. One song in particular entitled “New York”  touch on their experience at the Brooklyn Fox as well naming the American heroes that influenced their sound.

New York

I walked into the Brooklyn Fox

That snowy Christmas Day

And Patty and the Blue Bells

Simply stole my heart away

She took me to Aretha Franklin

Showed me so much soul

And helped us join the party

With our English Rock and Roll

And I came to love you New York

Your energy your honesty every time

City of a million dreams

You gave one up to me

New York

Now I played so many times

Since nineteen sixty four

In cities all across the land

From shore to distant shore

And I loved the way the people

Always opened up their hearts

But I never will forget the things

The magic world I still embrace

The place I never could replace

That gave us such a start

And I’ve come to love you New York

Your energy your honesty every time

City of a million dreams

You gave one up to me

New York

FYI:

RECORDING: DECCA STUDIOS, LONDON, JANUARY 1, 1962

The Beatles’ Decca audition saw them run through some 15 songs, all of which were recorded on tape for the benefit of A&R man, Dick Rowe. The audition set is worth looking at, since it reveals the type of material the group were performing, as well as their reticence when it came to pushing their own original songs:

• Like Dreamers Do (Lennon-McCartney)

•Money (That’s What I Want)

•Till There Was You

•The Sheik Of Araby

•To Know Her Is To Love Her

•Take Good Care Of My Baby

•Memphis Tennessee

•Sure To Fall (In Love With You)

• Hello Little Girl (Lennon-McCartney)

•Three Cool Cats

•Crying, Waiting, Hoping

• Love Of The Loved (Lennon-McCartney)

•September In The Rain

•Besame Mucho

•Searchin’

See you next time….Chapter11-The Blues In Britain 1960-1966 . Comments? jazzbus@gmail.com

TICKET STUB MAN

Ticket Stub Man:

According to my friends and family my obsession with music extends to an extreme level. It is not just the music that I love but LIVE music especially that I enjoy the most.Sitting at home listening to a recording or traveling in a car with the radio on will do once in awhile. But it is the excitement of a live show that hits the spot for me.Over the years and in the process of attending literally hundreds of shows I have accumulated many items of  minor importance but tokens of remembrance of a time well spent…ticket stubs, programs, badges, bumper stickers, and the like. A few years back I decided that a few blokes on e-bay may enjoy one or two of my items more than the old mayonnaise jar which I used for storage of stubs found in my closet or records in my basement. So I experimented. And within a few weeks surprisingly I had more than $1000.00 (US) in my e-bay account. Flamin’ Groovies records, a poster, a flexi-disc and magazine went for about $75.00. A Grateful Dead 45 Compilation sold, A Cramps Picture Disc gone, DEVO 45,Johnny Thunders 45, a few CDs,Elvis Costello, Stiff Little Fingers,Raunch Hands, Raybeats, all gone. Easy money for the taking. With things going this smoothly on recorded things I ventured out with a few ticket stubs and concert programs and for sheer joy of my new endeavor I watched the final bidding develop on my screen. Fillmore East ticket stubs sold: THE WHO (6/6/69) $10.60; LED ZEPPELIN( 5/30/69)$ 61.77; DELANEY BONNIE AND FRIENDS w/ ERIC CLAPTON (2/7/70) $10.70 CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL $15.50. To a collector this may be cheap prices but to me, I didn’t pay more than $5.50 for any of those shows and I only sold a TICKET STUB for a nice profit. Hence, my buddy Joe dubbed me THE TICKET STUB MAN.

One morning I arrived at my desk to see my name plate removed and this one taking it’s place.

Then in another short burst of e-Bay activity I sold a few more items mostly ticket stubs and programs, etc…. and…Whew, my rent is paid. A Cat Stevens ticket, Blind Faith, Twisted Sister, The Clash, Led Zep, Springsteen, all sold in the next few weeks and sometimes the bidding was fierce. But then one morning I get an e-mail from a certain gentle men who owned a memorabilia shop in NYC across from Electric Lady Studios. The cat knows I have a certain item he needs for “his ” collection. A full size ticket, not  a stub, for The Randall’s Island Pop Festival, Sunday Night , a festival in which Jimi Hendrix performed. He started the bidding at “a hundred” and when I said,  “let’s see where it goes”,  he determinedly stated “$250.00 Cash delivered to your office in the morning Fed Ex”. BINGO, SOLD.

The next morning my secretary told me a Fed Ex guy was here and he entered my office with a FED EX envelop in which I found five brand new $50.00 bills and a return FED EX envelop insured and addressed to him. The exchange was made and again THE TICKET STUB man made some quick cash. jazzbus@gmail.com

The Doors 1/24/69 MSG                                         $122.50

Led Zep May 1969                                                  $61.77

THE WHO June 1969                                             $10

Blind Faith July 1969                                              $51.75

Creedence Clearwater Revival July 69                   $15.50

Led Zep 8/30/69 originally at Singer(on LZwebsite)  $15.00

Delaney Bonnie Friends w/ Clapton Feb 1970       $10.50

Grateful Dead Program 5/15/70                              $31.00

CSNY 6/6/70                                                           $15.50

Ten Years After 6/25/70                                         $8.90

Byrds Sept 12, 1970                                                $6.00

Derek and Dominoes October 24, 1970                 $15.00(program)/$44.00(stub)

Fillmore Auction                                                    $21.00 Stub

Fillmore Auction                                                    $24.00 Program

TYA MSG 11/13/70 Buddy Miles Express           $5.00

Jefferson Airplane Nov 1970                                 $12.05

Derek and Dominoes Suffolk CC                          $20.00

Grand Funk RR/Humble Pie  MSG 12/18/70        $8.25

Hot Tuna Jan 71                                                     $5.00

Faces/Black Sabbath Feb 1971                              $29.99Program/$19.99Stub

Allman Brothers March 13/71                               $29.99

Elton John 4/8/71                                                   $100.00(package4 Elton tixs)

Last Show (Allmans)                                             $175.00

THE WHO at Forest Hills  Who’s Next                 $15.50

Led Zep MSG    Sept                                              $28.50

Dr John/ Weather Report October 1971 Beacon    $5.00

Led Zep 6/15/72 Nassau Coliseum                          $74.00

Cat Stevens 11/6/72 Philharmonic Hall NYC        $18.50

Dylan and The Band 1/30/74 MSG                         $37.00

Rolling Stones MSG 6/25/75                                  $15.00

Kingfish (Program) Capitol Jersey 12/5/75            $14.00

Linda Ronstadt Capitol Jersey               12/6/75     $6.60

Fleetwood Mac MSG 6/30/77                                 $8.27

Frank Zappa Palladium Tix Stb 10/29/77               $7.00

Patti Smith Richard Hell CBGB Theatre                $6.00

Ramones Runaways 3/24/78 Calderone                 $5.50

THE WHO MSG 9/13/79                                      $15.00

The Clash BONDS INTN’L 5/29/81                     $41.00

John Entwistle 1/30/96 at TRAMPS NYC           $5.00

Randalls Island Festival                                          $250.00