The Mischievously Ingenious ‘Who Sell Out’ by @officialthewho

Thanks to a song called “Odorono,” which told the story about a girl whose aspirations of stardom are felled by her body odor, Townshend and band manager/producer Kit Lambert latched onto a concept: What if the song were actually just a big setup for an advertisement? And what if the entire album was little more than a kind of delivery system for ads?

Since the album would then be songs followed by ads, the men also realized that it played like a radio station. The Who were fans of pirate radio, the stations that were run clandestinely without oversight by the British government. Thus, they added that concept to the pot, and “The Who Sell Out” took shape.

The pirate radio station ID tags and the quasi-commercials (Who bassist John Entwistle wrote a pair of clever ones in “Heinz Baked Beans” and “Medac”) were surrounded by a host of mostly shortish (except for the closing tracks on each side) Townshend originals that found him tossing off winning melodies with aplomb.

These songs were relaxed and punchy all at once, a style of writing you wouldn’t normally associate with the writer of so many epic rock tracks.

Lyrically, Townshend also took turns delivering offbeat and charming character sketches (“Odorono,” “Tattoo,” “Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand”) and touchingly personal takes on the ups and downs of romance (“Sunrise,” “Our Love Was.”)

He also took more lead vocals than on any other Who album, perhaps because, as he speculated in later interviews, Roger Daltrey was preoccupied during the making of the record with his then-girlfriend’s dalliances with Jimi Hendrix.

Side One closer “I Can See for Miles” is a beast, the music tensing up and uncoiling into thrilling climaxes over and over again. And the album-closing “Rael” is a mini-rock opera. It’s a test run of sorts, especially when you consider their next studio album was “Tommy.”

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@davidgilmour Announces First U.S. Concerts In Eight Years.

David Gilmour today announced his first live shows in eight years in Los Angeles, California and New York City in support of his new album, “Luck And Strange,” to be released on September 6 via Sony Music.

The live shows in New York and Los Angeles will be Gilmour’s only concert appearances in North America and will take place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 29 and October 30 and at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 4 and November 5.

Fans will need to sign up at davidgilmour.com to get first access to tickets on Wednesday, May 15 at 10 a.m. local time. The general on-sale for all shows will take place on Friday, May 17 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

The touring band includes Gilmour on guitar and vocals; Guy Pratt on bass and background vocals; Greg Phillinganes on keyboards; Rob Gentry on keyboards; Adam Betts on drums; Ben Worsley on guitar; Louise Marshall on background vocals; Hattie Webb on background vocals and Charlie Webb on background vocals.

Be sure to join Sacramento’s K-ZAP every Tuesday night at 8pm for Floydian Slip. A full hour of rarities, favorites, and all things Pink Floyd with host, Craig Bailey.

Craig works classic Floyd songs, deep album cuts, and Floyd’s unique brand of ambient segues into a seamless blend of music and sound best described as a “listening experience.”

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On this day May 12, 1974 @skynyrd fresh off the release of their latest album “Second Helping” played Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium along with the Marshall Tucker Band and Elvin Bishop.

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@ericclapton At 79, the voice is thinning but he’s still playing like an immortal.

“I’m going deaf, I’ve got tinnitus, my hands just about work,” Eric Clapton admitted in 2018. “It’s amazing to me I’m still here.”

Yet, indeed, here he was, at 79, strolling onstage at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle. “I have to get on the bottom of the ladder every time I play guitar, just to tune it,” he admitted in that interview, discussing the effects of peripheral nerve damage in his fingers.

Then as his seven-piece band eased into the rhythm, Clapton began to tentatively pick out a silvery motif, before his fingers slid down the neck of his guitar to unleash a flutter of sweet, long high notes full of tone, melody and nimble touch.

The piece was “Blue Rainbow,” an unrecorded and unreleased instrumental, but the roar of the crowd might have made you think you were hearing some long lost classic. God was back in the house. Hallelujah.

His personal reputation suffered during years of alcoholism, drug abuse and egotistic ranting in the 1970s for which some have never forgiven him, but through remorseful apologies and dedicated philanthropy Clapton is surely a living personification of a person’s capacity to change for the better. As for his musical status - he’s still playing like an immortal.

Clapton he let his fingers do the talking on a satisfying set that included Cream heavy rock classics (“White Room,” “Cross Road Blues, “Sunshine of Your Love),” a warm blast of gospely Blind Faith (“Presence of the Lord”), a thrillingly funky charge through Derek and the Dominos’ “Got to Get Better in a Little While,” and solo favourites including a sincere and touching acoustic rendition of “Tears in Heaven” and a crowd-pleasing romp through “Cocaine.”

His voice – never his strongest asset – has thinned, but as a bluesman who has revered the qualities of old players and singers since his youth, he seems content to express himself with whatever he has at his disposal.

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Hear @foofighters pull a prank pretending to play a pair of Van Halen classics… only to reveal @mammothwvh was actually performing in the wings.

The gag occurred during the headlining set’s usual mid-show medley featuring the music of drummer Josh Freese, but midway through, Dave Grohl complained that while all his band mates got their time in the spotlight, “I never get to solo.”

Grohl then said he would show off his own guitar skills and, with his back to the audience, launched into Van Halen’s classic, oft-attempted-but-never-replicated “Eruption.”

However, the cameras then revealed that the nearly note-perfect rendition was actually being played by Wolfgang Van Halen, who was shredding at the side of the stage after his band played earlier in the night.

“Dude, I told you to keep that cool Wolfie, what the heck you doing right now?” Grohl joked. “Everybody, give it up for Wolfgang Van Halen.”

Wolfgang then launched into the “Hot for Teacher” solo before Foo Fighters returned to their regular scheduling programming with “My Hero.”

“Since Wolfie took all that time to pull off that joke with us, I’m gonna dedicate this one to him,” Grohl said before playing the track. “Let’s sing this one for him, and let’s sing this one for his dad too.”

Check out the performance below:

bit.ly/3yoQYq2

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The Night @bobmarley Met ‘Ras Beatle’ @johnlennon

Reggae legend Bob Marley and John Lennon had an unexpected meeting in California, Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin revealed in his new book, ‘Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me.’

Taupin recalled the night he and Lennon were at the ‘On The Rox,’ a bar above The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, when Marley and a large entourage joined them at their table. 

The Roxy Theatre was a familiar haunt for Bob Marley & The Wailers, with the group having played there on multiple tours, including their first run in July 1975, the ‘Rastaman Vibration’ tour in 1976, and the ‘Survival’ tour in 1979.

He said Marley and his friends were awed by Lennon, but Taupin was also impressed with the Jamaican singer, describing him as the undeniable center of attention.

“Marley is diminutive by comparison to his compatriots, but by no means a lesser individual,” Taupin wrote in his book.  “It’s obvious he’s the engine, the focal point, the very eye of this mystical hurricane … It’s a surreal scene kicked up a notch when Marley reaches into his shoulder bag and produces a spliff the size of a baby’s arm.”

Taupin said he and Lennon soon reached a point where they were so high they couldn’t even move. “I’ve been pretty stoned at several points in my life,” he recounted. “In fact I once ingested half a block of opium on a night flight from New York to Barbados and spent two days in the airport because I had no idea where I was. This wasn’t like that. This was like when you hear about those people who are pronounced dead but they’re really still alive and inside they’re screaming and praying for a tear to appear in order to save them from a premature burial.”

It’s widely known that Marley met at least one other Beatle.

Lead guitarist George Harrison reportedly met Marley backstage during one of the 1975 dates at The Roxy. 

Though details are scarce, it’s said that when Marley was told Harrison was coming backstage, he lit up a joint and exclaimed, “Ras Beatle!” 

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On this day May 12, 1967 Procol Harum released their debut single “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

With its Bach-derived instrumental melody, soulful vocals, melancholic tone, and unusual lyrics, the music of “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was composed by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher, while the lyrics were written by Keith Reid.

Originally, the writing credits only listed Brooker and Reid. In 2009, Fisher won co-writing credit for the music in a unanimous ruling.

One of the anthems of 1967’s Summer of Love the song is one of the most commercially successful singles in history, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

In the years since, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” has become an enduring classic, with more than 1,000 known cover versions by other artists.

In 2004, the performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited recognized it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years and Rolling Stone placed it 57th on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

The song has been included in many music compilations over the decades and has also been used in the soundtracks of numerous films and television shows.

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Happy birthday to Traffic and Blind Faith cofounder @stevewinwood born on this day May 12, 1948.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player and vocalist, is prominent for his distinctive soulful high tenor voice, Winwood plays other instruments proficiently, including drums, mandolin, bass and saxophone.

Winwood achieved fame during the 1960s and 1970s as an integral member of three major bands: the Spencer Davis Group (1964–1967), Traffic (1967–1969 and 1970–1974) and Blind Faith (1969).

Winwood sang and played keyboards for the Spencer Davis Group as a teenager and co-wrote the band’s breakthrough hits in America, “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m a Man.”

Winwood formed Traffic with drummer Jim Capaldi, guitarist Dave Mason, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood

Early in Traffic’s formation, Winwood and Capaldi formed a songwriting partnership, with Winwood writing music to match Capaldi’s lyrics. This partnership was the source of most of Traffic’s material.

Following Traffic’s split, Winwood formed the supergroup Blind Faith, along with former Cream members Eric Clapton (guitar) and Ginger Baker (drums), and former Family member Ric Grech (bass). The band produced only one album, and included “Can’t Find My Way Home”.

During the 1980s, his solo career flourished and he had a number of hit albums and singles.

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Three @eltonjohn Albums That Stood The Test of Time

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – 1973

When most people think of Elton John, they think of this 1973 album. It’s packed with most of John’s greatest hits, including “Bennie And The Jets,” “Candle In The Wind,” “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

It’s peak Elton John when he was at his most popular and had become a household name. It’s a very commercial album, but that didn’t stop John from inserting the controversial track “All The Girls Love Alice” which follows the story of a dead teenage lesbian prostitute. Top-tier stuff.

“Madman Across The Water” – 1971

We can’t talk about Elton John’s greatest albums without mentioning that his partner in crime Bernie Taupin wrote the vast majority of his songs. A great example of Taupin’s songwriting prowess is the 1971 hit album “Madman Across The Water.”

To put it simply, it’s a very strange (but good) album. The opener has some progressive rock leanings and is narrated by a psychopath in an insane asylum. The hit single “Levon” is almost impossible to decipher lyrically. “Tiny Dancer” shines as the major hit from the album.

“Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy” – 1975

Elton John was already riding the waves at the peak of his career when he released “Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy.” However, he wanted to create a concept album. And he wanted the concept to be the early days of his career. 

This 1975 album was a fantastic journey for fans of John, even if it wasn’t the most radio-friendly album of his career. He made no effort to write songs that would become hits, though “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” did climb the charts. 

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On this day May 12, 1972 @therollingstones released “Exile on Main Street.”

Exile exhibited a wider range of influences in blues, rock and roll, swing, country and gospel, while the lyrics explored themes related to hedonism, sex and time.

The album contains frequently-performed concert staples and topped the charts worldwide. The album included the singles “Happy,” which featured lead vocals from Keith Richards, country music ballad “Sweet Virginia,” and worldwide top-ten hit “Tumbling Dice.”

The album’s artwork, a collage of various images, reflected the Rolling Stones’ prideful rebellion.

“Exile on Main St.” was originally met with mixed reviews before receiving strong reassessments by the end of the 1970s. It has since been recognized as a pivotal hard rock album, viewed by many critics as the Rolling Stones’ best work and as one of the greatest albums of all time.

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50 Years Ago @ledzeppelin Had a “Dream Come True” Meeting @elvis.

Fifty years ago, on May 11, 1974, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll came face to face with three members of one of the great hard-rock bands of all time.

That night, Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Bonham went to see Elvis Presley play a show at the Los Angeles Forum, then met the rock ‘n’ roll icon.

As Plant explained in a 2005 interview with music journalist Bill Flanagan, he idolized Presley and was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet him. At the same time, Presley was curious about this band that was “selling out tickets quicker than him.”

During the concert, Presley stopped his backing band when they flubbed the intro to his rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away.”

As heard in a recording of the show, Elvis said, “Wait a minute. If we could start together, fellows, because we’ve got Led Zeppelin out there. Let’s try to look like we know what we’re doing, whether we do or not.”

Plant recalled getting emotional to hear Presley acknowledge his band.
“[After] I mopped the tears away … we got the nod that we were going to meet him afterwards,” Plant told Flanagan. “And we went to the hotel. They had the entire top floor.”

The singer remembered being brought into a suite and waiting for Presley to enter the room, and how excited he was when Elvis finally did.

“The door opened and this guy came through the door and my heart jumped,” Plant said. “It was like, ‘Whoa, look at the way he moves!’ … He was so, so, so cool.”

During his conversation with Elvis, Plant shared, he told Presley that when Led Zeppelin would do a soundcheck in an arena, he’s sometimes sing Elvis’ hit ballad “Love Me.”

Later, as Plant was leaving for the elevator at the end of the night, Presley called to him and starting singing “Love Me,” and Robert began singing the tune back to him.

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Happy birthday to @officialericburdon lead vocalist of The Animals and War born on this day May 11, 1941.

Burdon is regarded as one of the British Invasion’s most distinctive singers with his deep, powerful blues-rock voice and his intense stage performances.

The Animals combined electric blues with rock; in the US they were considered one of the leading bands of the British Invasion.

Burdon’s powerful voice can be heard on the Animals’ singles “The House of the Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “It’s My Life”, “Don’t Bring Me Down”, “See See Rider”, “Help Me Girl,”“Monterey,” “Sky Pilot” and many others.

In 1969, while living in San Francisco, Burdon joined forces with California funk rock band War.

In April 1970, the resulting studio album was titled Eric Burdon Declares “War” which produced the singles “Spill the Wine” and “Tobacco Road.”

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Happy birthday to Donovan Leitch born on this day May 10, 1946. The Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965, and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles and albums during the late 1960s.

His work became emblematic of the flower power era with its blend of folk, pop, psychedelic rock, and jazz stylings.

In September 1966 Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” topped the charts worldwide followed by the hits “Mellow Yellow,” “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and Wear Your Love Like Heaven.”

Donovan became friends with many prominent musicians including @thebeatles.

In 1968 Donovan was part of the group that traveled to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh. The visit gained worldwide attention thanks to the presence of all four Beatles as well as Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love, as well as actress Mia Farrow and her sister Prudence (who inspired Lennon to write “Dear Prudence”).

According to a 1968 Paul McCartney interview with Radio Luxembourg, it was during this time that Donovan taught Lennon and McCartney finger-picking guitar styles including the clawhammer, which he had learned from Mac MacLeod.

Lennon used this technique on songs including “Dear Prudence,” “Julia,”“Happiness is a Warm Gun” and McCartney with “Blackbird” and “Mother Nature’s Son.”

Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.

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Carmine Appice announces new Cactus album with massive all-star lineup.

“Temple of Blues” - Influences & Friends” features contributions from Joe Bonamassa, Pat Travers, Warren Haynes, Vernon Reid and many more.

Original Cactus guitarist Jim McCarty also appears on the album, as does Appice’s Vanilla Fudge bandmate Mark Stein, who sings on a cover of Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.”

“The music of Cactus has always been steeped in blues tradition,” says Appice. “We kept hearing from so many of our music celebrity friends how much Cactus influenced them and how they would love to be a guest on a Cactus album.“

Cactus: “Temple of Blues - Influences & Friends” tracklist
1. Parchman Farm feat. Joe Bonamassa & Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big / David Lee Roth)
2. Bro. Bill feat. Randy Jackson (Zebra), Randy Pratt (Cactus) & Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osbourne)
3. Guiltless Glider feat. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses) & Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne)
4. Evil feat. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) & Dug Pinnick (King’s X)
5. One Way...Or Another feat. Dug Pinnick (King’s X) & Ted Nugent
6. Alaska feat. Johnny A. & Tony Franklin (The Firm)
7. No Need To Worry feat. Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule) & Jorgen Carlsson (Gov’t Mule)
8. Oleo feat. Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) & Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big / David Lee Roth)
9. Big Mama Boogie feat. Pat Travers & James Caputo (Cactus)
10. You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover|
11. Rock N’ Roll Children feat. Britt Lightning (Vixen), Vernon Reid (Living Colour) & Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot)
12. Let Me Swim feat. Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake) & Marco Mendoza (Blue Murder)
13. Restrictions feat. Ty Tabor (King’s X) & Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne)
14. Long Tall Sally feat. Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) & Fernando Perdomo 
Bonus Track
15. Guiltless Glider feat. Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest)

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Who sang lead vocals on the most songs by The Beatles?

@thebeatles did not start out with an undisputed leader. As Paul McCartney and George Harrison have both attested to, John Lennon was the one the others looked to as their main man.

As such, Lennon was also arguably The Beatles’ first lead singer, a role he soon found himself sharing with songwriting partner Paul McCartney.

Nonetheless, McCartney’s songwriting and vocal abilities made him the perfect complement for Lennon, and it was actually a McCartney-led composition that became the band’s first single.

‘Love Me Do’ was released in 1962, with McCartney singing the lead vocals of the middle eight, while sharing the lead harmonies of the verses with Lennon.

It was a McCartney lead vocal that first appeared on American television as well, as The Beatles opened their historic first 1964 set on The Ed Sullivan Show with ‘All My Loving.’

Just over a month later, McCartney became the first Beatle to feature as the sole lead vocalist on a single release, with his composition ‘Can’t Buy Me Love.’

The Beatles no longer had a band leader per se. If anything, in the band’s later years, McCartney would be taking charge of things from album concepts to business decisions.

So was McCartney more of a lead singer in The Beatles than Lennon?

For argument’s sake, any song which features one of The Beatles on lead vocals, even just for a short section, will count towards their total, as will joint-lead vocals.

So ‘Love Me Do’ goes to both McCartney and Lennon, for example.

Unsurprisingly, the Beatle with the lowest total number of lead vocals is drummer Ringo Starr, with 13. George Harrison is one up on the list with lead vocal parts on 36 different songs.

Between Lennon and McCartney, the totals are much closer. Paul McCartney has 106 songs on which he sings lead or joint-lead vocals.

But it’s John Lennon who comes out on top, with a whopping 115 lead vocal parts. Not bad, for a recording period spanning just seven years.

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