#28 Special Recport on Music Magazines #27 May 12, 2009

SPECIAL REPORT ON MUSIC MAGAZINES

Written by Joe Viglione

Wednesday, 08 April 2009 15:59

Mojo Magazine I CAN SEE FOR MILES cd MUSIC MAGAZINES FLOURISHING IN TOUGH ECONOMY In what has to be a long-overdue move, someone has come up with a little mainstream competition for NUGGETS, the iconic collection of eclectic 60's psychedelic/punk/pop, and it is part of the suddenly in-vogue trend that Mojo has been involved with for years and years - putting a bonus CD on the front of the magazine. Gemmzine.com will be reviewing lots of these new magazines, and it should be noted that all four members of THE WHO are featured on variations of the Mojo cover...but few can collect them all at 9.99 in the U.S. of A. Well, maybe the hardcore WHO fanatics will do just that, but it is so interesting with both Ice Magazine and Discoveries Magazine gone and Goldmine Magazine, having absorbed Discoveries, getting thinner and thinner, that the British magz - and the fanzine are absolutely picking up the slack. Buy Mojo Magazine on GEMM MOJO's own hype for this issue states: FREE CD! I CAN SEE FOR MILES: 15 lost gems from America’s psychedelic underground! Including: The 13th Floor Elevators, The Red Crayola, The Music Machine, The Bubble Puppy, Lost & Found, The Chocolate Watchband and many more! THE WHO SELL OUT: Ready. Steady. Go! Join us for an in-depth journey into The Who’s maddest album ever! Pete Townshend rescues the pop song! Roger Daltrey becomes a bona-fide rock god! MOJO’s Dave Marsh presents the complete story – beans and all! PLUS! Exclusive unseen pictures from the sleeve shoot! What really happened to that can of Heinz? All is revealed in our double cover extravaganza! NICK LOWE: Pub rocker. Pop trickster. Jesus Of Cool. The last 30 years have seen Nick Lowe turn his hand to many-a-musical mission. In this month’s MOJO interview, Mat Snow joins the suave English new-waver for a look back at a career of songwriting genius. JOHN MARTYN: When John Martyn passed away on January 29, the world of music suffered a tragic loss that prompted an overwhelming outpouring of tributes from fellow musicians and fans alike. MOJO’s Mat Snow fondly remembers his time with the shape-shifting folk magician, while Martyn’s friend Phil Collins remembers a true “one of a kind”. BAT FOR LASHES: Back with her second album, Natasha Kahn talks alter egos, cosmic dancing, Scott Walker duets and nervous breakdowns. MOJO’s Tom Doyle listens in. RAY CHARLES: Beware! Genius At Work! In a MOJO exclusive Charles’ personal manager Joe Adams guides us through his intimate photo memoir celebrating the life and times of a modern musical wonder. Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson and Quincy Jones join the ride. PLUS! MOJO’s guide to Brother Ray’s essential recordings. A-Z OF US PSYCH: Enter if you dare the freak-a-zoid parade of the American psychedelic underworld! In celebration of the forthcoming 13th Floor Elevators box set, MOJO delves into the dustiest corners of ‘60s acid-propelled weirdness. From Autosalvage to the Zachary Thaks – something strange is afoot…

Last Updated on Sunday, 12 April 2009 03:55

---

Editorial May 12, 2009

Written by Joe Viglione

Tuesday, 12 May 2009 10:10

Articles in GemmZine.com are designed to help readers explore the rich variety of items of interest for sale on Gemm.com. If you read Nancy Foster's excellent review of Barry & The Remains biopic you can click on the highlighted names - or album photos / book covers - and discover tons of items related to those names/pictures at extraordinarily good prices. We are making it very easy for fans of certain genres and specific artists to chat about our articles. Tinyurl.com/americaslostband will get you directly to Nancy Foster's article on the Remains. http://www.tinyurl.com/americaslostband OR if you like Science Fiction movies, go to my tinyurl.com/startrek2009movie to read about the brand new Star Trek! Thanks to the good people at Imax I got to the May 6 preview, two days prior to opening, and the experience in Imax is unparalleled - except, of course, for the fun you have checking out Gemm items when you click on the links galore that our Links Editor Rembrandt Madera hooks up for our readers. MISSION STATEMENT and STAFF Our staff is growing and our writers have street cred as well as lengthy resumes! Some of us have worked on magazines together dating back to the 1970s and 1980s. Jakob Anser's article on Miles Davis gives Gemmzine a look at an iconic jazz figure. Jakob has sold on GEMM and has a unique perspective on what both Gemm buyers and Gemm retailers need from our content. Joseph Tortelli is well respected in literary circles for his liner notes on Delaney & Bonnie and 60s treasure The Fifth Estate as well as countless record reviews and interviews in the pages of Record Collector Magazine, Discoveries and Goldmine. Mr. Tortelli is currently writing the biography of R & B legend Bobby Hebb as well as the liner notes to the Fifth Estate's boxed set. Luciano Corelli handles classical music articles - opera and symphony. His interview with Ilona Massey from the film The Wolfman was published in my magazine Varulven in the early 1970s. Both the DVD of Abbott & Costello Meets Frankenstein and the classic book "It's Alive!" have referenced that interview which, we are proud to say, will come alive again in edited form on Gemmzine.com Nancy Foster edited New Age and Fizz Pop fanzines before leaving us in the dust to edit national magazines like Fifteen Fever, Super Rock and the prestigious OUI. Her article on NICO from Oui might get published on Gemmzine as we are going to explore Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground on Gemmzine sooner than later. Robert Barry Francos edited many of the above for his legendary Ffanzeen publication. In fact, my interviews with Robbie Krieger of The Doors and Tommy James of The Shondells will probably come back to life here when I ship them out to Owen Scott who is the man who makes Gemmzine a reality. If I'm the director than Owen is the cameraman and Roger Raffee the producer. Our Mission Statement is unique and exciting. We are developing a new magazine which will bring a variety of content to the web that you can't find anywhere else. "Track By Track" TM is our interviews with artists on their new releases as well as old! Spanky McFarlane and the members of her new "Our Gang" will help us better understand what went into the making of "Back Home Americana, Vol. 1", her first release in decades. David Kubinec has agreed to talk about his re-release of the legendary RATS second album. Kubinec was produced by John Cale on A & M records, so that gives us an opportunity to discuss his work with Cale and cross reference it with our pages on The Velvet Underground, to be posting soon. Ian Lloyd from STORIES is going to go "Track By Track" on his new release, O-de-PO, which features a remake of Brother Louie, and all the connections that Ian has, from singing back-ups on many of the Foreigner hits to his involvement in the days prior to Foreigner being formed gives our readers something you won't find on Rolling Stone, Spin or Amazon or eBay. Gemm.com is first and foremost a portal to over 20,000 web retailers. We ask that you consider purchasing your books, DVDs, music and other collectibles on http://www.gemm.com/ because that is how this magazine exists, through the efforts of Roger, Owen, myself and the staff named above along with many others who may be profiled in future issues. Please chat up our magazine. When you see our directory of TinyURLS tell your friends about the articles here. Our writers have the contacts and the experience to give you specific information and content that is available, perhaps, only in this forum. Support Gemm.com by supporting our retailers. Check out the items because you will probably find the best prices by searching our ever improving site. Joe Viglione 2:21 PM EST Tuesday May 12 Editor, GemmZine.com

Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 May 2009 03:43

---

#26 Welcome to the terrordome

Welcome To The Terrordome

Written by Joe Viglione

Friday, 15 May 2009 21:54

Expert review by Joe Viglione "X on the flex hit me now" is not rap as much as it is the return of The Last Poets and their classic "Wake Up Niggers" from the Mick Jagger film "Performance". This immortal slice of sound from Public Enemy's seminal Fear Of A Black Planet album has a solitary beat you don't even hear because the words, the variety of aural sensations and the groove explode out of the speakers in the same fashion that the progressive group Yes reinvented themselves with "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Regarding the Yes classic Wikipedia notes "Trevor Horn's innovative use of jarring, heavily synchopated orchestra hits and other high-tech sound effects; Rabin's disorienting, schizophrenic guitar solo, which was played through an MXR Pitch Transposer, which mixed the original note with one a perfect fifth higher." Producers The Bomb Squad (Hank Shocklee (James Henry Boxley III), Chuck D (Carl Ryder), Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, Gary G-Wiz and Keith Shocklee (Keith Boxley) create a parallel world to "Owner of A Lonely Heart" here with this amazing post apocalypse landscape that can fit into any dark Sci-Fi flick that chooses this epic for its soundtrack The pit and the pendulum Check the rhythm and rhymes The five minutes and twenty-six seconds of this masterpiece actually continues with the forty-six second "Meet The G that Killed Me" which follows, a harrowing piece about AIDS that is quick and somewhat homophobic: "he don't believe he has it either...Yo, terminator man", the tone only changing when the next title "Pollywannakraka" takes hold.

Last Updated on Saturday, 16 May 2009 16:11

---

#25 Owner of a Lonely Heart

Owner of a Lonely Heart by YES

Written by Joe Viglione

Friday, 15 May 2009 22:09

Last Updated on Saturday, 16 May 2009 20:36

---

#24

SONGS SPEAK TO US "Tumblin' Dice" The Rolling Stones

Written by Joe Viglione

Friday, 15 May 2009 22:14

Producer Jimmy Miller's staggering endless party is best exemplified by this enormous hit single that propelled the Exile On Main Street album. Though it is the same old Keith Richards chord changes it is an amazing amalgam of sound that explodes with guitars, bass and backing vocals enveloping Mick Jagger's swagger as solidly as any song this mighty band ever recorded. Jagger talks of the game of life, he's the "lone crap shooter", he's the tumbling dice...shedding the Jumpin' Jack Flash persona to actually be that man of wealth and taste. At the casino of life, YOU'VE GOT TO ROLL ME...and as Charlie was away with his pregnant wife it is drummer/producer Miller who takes over the drums as the chirping backing vocalists are screaming "You got to roll me...you've got to roll me...got to roll me..." Miller's rhythm was one of the strengths of his intangible production technique and when he left the Stones (and the Stones left him) both entities were adrift at sea and never fully recovered, musically or otherwise. JV, 7/31/09 6 PM

Last Updated on Friday, 31 July 2009 15:07

---

#23

WORK ME LORD - Janis Joplin (Song Review)

Written by Joe Viglione

Sunday, 17 May 2009 19:08

Quicklink to this site: http://tinyurl.com/workmelord Work Me Lord Words & Lyrics: Nick Gravenites Performed by Janis Joplin The great Gabriel Mekler was one of the most underrated producers despite having crafted Three Dog Night's "Eli's Coming", "Easy To Be Hard" and the magnificent "Celebrate" from their Suitable For Framing album (and need I add he produced their hit "One" and their first album as well) Steppenwolf's transcendant "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Born To Be Wild", playing keyboards for Donovan and Etta James...it is amazing that AllMusic.com has so little information on him..including no link to a major component of his genius, Joplin's 1969 solo debut. The song KOZMIC BLUES is a superb composition and production, the title track a true effort of genius between Joplin and her producer, so "Work Me Lord" is no accident when it pours out of the speakers in a majestic blend of instruments and the voice of Janis over suddenly sparse instrumentation, a bass and a percussive echo. It is a Gospel blues song that has poise, elegance and subtlety. When I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! was released on CD for the first time someone at CBS (was it Sony at that point?) pulled a tape that was dramatically different from this tour-de-force final mix. Now the beauty of this YouTube age is that I have a Nick Gravenites version in one window, Joplin singing the completed mix in another YouTube window as well as Janis at Woodstock performing a live version while my computer plays the rough mix extra guitar version. This is the same vocal because on the second verse Janis overwhelms the mic but that is ducked down in the final version from the original vinyl lp. You get to hear the song in an earlier stage, slide and regular guitar - most likely from Sam Andrew - following Janis throughout. The final mix is superior, but for fans of Janis - and Gabriel Mekler - this look inside the studio is a God-send and a must have. The guitar starts trilling before the main solo, and the solo is either completely different! or so buried in the final mix as to not be heard to its fullest. Allmusic.com credits this song to Nick Gravenites and "traditional", but I can't find much information on it anywhere and will have to track down Gravenites himself for an interview. Read about more rarities here on GEMMZINE.com http://tinyurl.com/gemmzinerarities Hear Nick Gravenites sing "Work Me Lord" on YouTube Hear Janis Joplin at Woodstock singing Work Me Lord Live! August 1969 Hear Janis Joplin/Gabriel Mekler's final mix

Last Updated on Monday, 18 May 2009 13:35

---

#22

Songs Speak To Us: STAND - SLY & THE FAMILY STONE

Written by Joe Viglione

Friday, 31 July 2009 14:25

Gemmzine enjoys the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock S T A N D "Things to go through if you're going anywhere..." Sylvester "Sly" Stewart Sly Stone's Stand is a brilliant tune, for the graduating class of those who made a study of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" . Both songs have a military drum-roll opening them, telling you to stand at attention, Hebb being a horn player in the Pine Island Pirates when he was in the navy (performing for Chiang Kai Shek and Madame Chiang Kai Shek)... "Stand, they will try to make you crawl, and they know what you're saying makes sense at all..." Sly Stewart

---

#21

Investigating "Brother Louie"

Written by Joe Viglione

Saturday, 01 August 2009 06:37

In Boston long-time disc jockey Barry Scott has a show called "The Lost 45s". We'll be talking to Barry on Gemmzine.com about his show, his CDs and his books. He talks to artists who have pertinent 45s which he considers now "lost". "Brother Louie", of course, is a mainstream song that gets tons of airplay to this day, but Stories and, more specifically, lead singer Ian Lloyd, is an artist with multiple "lost 45s". At AllMusic.com I did a lengthy review of "Brother Louie" with information graciously given to me from Ian Lloyd's label-mate Buzzy Linhart. The out-takes that AMG didn't publish along with more information from Ian Lloyd himself and others will appear on this site as we investigate "Brother Louie", its creation, its promotion, its legend. JV 10:40 AM 8-1-09 Compilation album with Brother Louie

Last Updated on Saturday, 01 August 2009 06:49

---

#20

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson

Written by Joe Viglione

Wednesday, 26 August 2009 20:21

"Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" is an amazing record, and it isn't one of my favorites by a long shot, but one must tip their hat to brilliance, even if it isn't their cup of tea. And that's as honest an opinion/statement as I can make about a melody that has been forced on the populace by the unbridled popularity of Michael Jackson's pre-THRILLER episode. This platinum single, which hit #1 on the Billboard charts on September 1, 1979 is probably getting more airplay today than any time since its heyday, the 30th anniversary of the record's ascent to the top of the pops now establishing it as a monster download due to the passing of its singer. "Keep on with the force/don't stop till you get enough" is a true Lady Mondegreen, misheard lyric. Many or some thought he was singing "Keep up, with the fun stuff, don't stop till you get enough" but that's less important than the style employed by Jackson and the stunning production by Quincy Jones. The bubbling bass that opens the song, the trepidation...and then Quincy's overwhelming collage of sound, strings, rhythms, percussion, and a video that mirrors the feeling of the song. Super dance moves by Michael in his pre-moonwalk era. He actually looks happy and maybe this should have been the frozen moment in time...maybe it is. Thriller brought him to new heights, and too much temptation with so much money and power. This is sterling stuff, the video is exquisite and the production top notch. The song is also extraordinary in that it is a complete departure from "I'll Be There" and "Ben", a complete jump into a new and exciting world. I was immersed in the underground rock scene when this song was saturating the airwaves, and it was an annoyance. It is appreciated now as an incredible juncture between the frosty pop of the Jackson Five and the dance dominance that Michael and his sister Janet would explore, enjoy and conquer with. The song is worthy of study, it was a door opener to a new world for Michael Jackson, and this is a tribute to it on the cusp of its 30th anniversary joe v. 12:39 AM Thursday August 27, 2009. Watch the video of DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH You can find copies of Michael Jackson's OFF THE WALL album on GEMM.com - just click on the photo to find 'em:

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 20:39

---

#19

Sail On Sailor - The Beach Boys

Written by Joe Viglione

Monday, 31 August 2009 19:02

always remember to click on the CD covers at any time to find copies of this song in Gemm.com SAIL ON SAILOR Written by Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Tandyn Almer, Ray Kennedy and Jack Rieley Time: 3:19 Engineer: Rob Fraboni Produced by: The Beach Boys If Holland was approximately the 22nd album by The Beach Boys then this 45 RPM which has shown up on at least 27 Beach Boys compilations, is certainly a most exquisite example of their trademark sound. Blondie Chaplin's vocal is sublime...and can you tell the difference between the tonal quality of his voice and that which is on "Darlin'" or some of the earlier classics? His voice magically fits and the Beach Boys perfect harmonies are kept in check here, they don't drown out the instrumentation. Engineer Rob Fraboni certainly knows how to keep things in perspective, so there is none of Brian Wilson's quasi-Wall of Sound at play, this is straightforward Beach Boys with voices that imitate the feel of how a boat rides the waves of life. "Sail On Sailor" leads off the 4th of 5 CDs in the big boxed set, 1993's The Beach Boys Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys , just as it led off 1973's Holland album. And where "Kokomo" had the benefit of songwriters Mike Love and Terry Melcher teaming up with sometime Papa Scott McKenzie of The Mamas & the Papas, and that quartet's founder, John Phillips, so too "Sail On Sailor" includes an amalgam of talent contributing to it: Tandyn Almer of The Association's "Along Comes Mary" fame, Jack Rieley, who wrote songs with Wilson (they co-wrote "Marcella") and actually did backing vocals on 1971's Surf's Up; Van Dyke Parks and Ray Kennedy, who did his own version and, of course, Brian Wilson. It is the Beach Boys with a mature sound, taking "Darlin'" one step further into a fusion of adult contemporary and pop that should have been a monster, monster hit. IT has not peaked and despite all the covers by so many name artists, this song is ripe to conquer on a movie soundtrack as "Kokomo" helped make the album that accompanied the film Cocktail. The original version has Daryl Dragon of The Captain & Tenille on keyboards (piano and synth), Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine and Mike Love with Rikki Fataar on drums and Blondie Chaplin, of course, on the historic vocals. Cover versions - Believe it or not Jimmy Buffet does an excellent job singing this song, and has a a tremendous production behind it on his 2003 double-disc 38 song Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection - containing his own "Son of a Son of a Sailor", and Lou Reed/Alice Cooper guitarist Steve Hunter has a stinging instrumental version with superb backing vocalists. Lulu does a dynamite rendition, real angst in her voice and an absolutely driving. The aforementioned co-songwriter on the tune, Ray Kennedy, puts some blues on it (his self-titled Ray Kennedy disc) while the New Symphonic Orchestra splashes techno keyboards and techno horns on a cool "Space Age Bachelor Pad" run through. Even the great Madeline Bell, backing singer on many a hit and lead voice of Blue Mink adds a spicey jazz flavor to the song. There are many, many covers- and they do the song justice - most notably a re-working by Fraboni himself with the group KGB putting a Gospel spin on "Sail On Sailor"...it's brilliant. The 1976 album on MCA features Rick Grech, Carmine Appice, Michael Bloomfield and Barry Thomas Goldberg. NOTES: Tandyn Almer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandyn_Almer Kokomo http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=505 Sail On Sailor on Songfacts http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3492 Donald A. Guarisco on AllMusic.com http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:jjfqxcqrldfe Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail_on_Sailor Appropriately, this review was written on the last day of August, 2009, 11:40 PM Also on: http://sailonsailorgemmzine.blogspot.com/

Last Updated on Monday, 31 August 2009 20:04

---

#18

Please Please Me - Gemmzine Song Reviews

Written by Joe Viglione

Friday, 04 September 2009 19:00

Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Beatles products and rarities in Gemm.com itself. Title: Please Please me Time: 2:03 Composers: Lennon, John/McCartney, Paul Expert review by Joe Viglione, Sept. 4, 2009 11:38 PM As I'm driving through Reading, Massachusetts towards Route 93 on Thursday,September 3, 2009, Oldies 103.3 is playing the newly re-mastered "Please Please Me" on the radio. A perfect summer's day, the sun shining and the Beatles big hit on the radio again...uplifiting...those guitars sound so great, and the remastering on this early vintage Beatles is most exciting. And what came to mind is that it is both the "sound" created by the Beatles and George Martin, and our memories of first hearing this great music that combine to make our experience in "the present" even more fun. The past memories, the great sound, and the sun shining as I'm driving on a summer's day. A new memory of "Please Please Me" as radio stations around the world start blasting The Beatles again...and again...and again... It also proves that the music of today, despite the technology, despite the encyclopedia of past great artists, just can't compare to what The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Ronettes, The Shirelles, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Joplin, Hendrix and The Doors brought to the world. (Listen to the song as you read this by clicking here) and the brevity of the tune...just over two minutes and under three minutes - like The Box Tops "The Letter" (which was actually UNDER two minutes)...the tiny intro, the reverb on the harmonica, the impeccable harmony vocals with George Harrison's distinctive guitar underneath it all...the entire "sound" package along with the energy, and the placement of all the magic, the placement makes for a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, because your memories of the song then...and now...are the all essential extra element. Without it this great music by The Beatles would be nothing. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear a Beatles tune, does the Beatles tune exist? We are as important a component of the experience as those who crafted the sounds...always keep that in mind. And now for the remastering. It works on this song, however I feel disappointed when hearing "Hey Jude" and "Hard Day's Night" as those later tracks seem drum and cymbal heavy on the car radio. Didn't anyone at the mastering lab go out to an old car and listen to it? That's the way Jimmy Miller told me he and The Rolling Stones would experiment with mixes of "Tumblin' Dice", Jagger et. al in a limousine cruising around L.A. or Hollywood while a radio station was playing a tape of The Rolling Stones next single. "Please Please Me" escapes the new remastering unscathed and maybe the better for it. But I need to give another listen to some of these other Beatles albums because something can definitely get lost in the translation. 11:48 PM Friday night Hear the song here on YouTube Here's George Martin talking about the making of the song: Some fascinating SONGFACTS about Please Please Me Wikipedia.org Paul McCartney on You Tube The Beatles on YouTube The Beatles on You Tube Please Please Me AllMusic.com album review Stephen Thomas Erlewine Allmusic.com Song review by Richie Unterberger Bruce Eder on The Early Beatles, AllMusic.com The Beatles live on YouTube Please Please me American release from 1965 Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Beatles products and rarities in Gemm.com itself. 4 song EP Ready Steady GO VHS video Anthology Vol. 1 The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 Mono version of Please Please me The Beatles 16 Super Hits Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Beatles products and Beatles rarities in Gemm.com itself. The First US Visit DVD (Apple) The Beatles Boxed Set Produced by George Martin

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 09:26

---

#17

Beatles Song Review: I Saw Her Standing There

Written by Gary Pig Gold

Saturday, 05 September 2009 09:33

Beatles Song Review: I Saw Her Standing There by Gary Pig Gold Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Beatles products and Beatles rarities in Gemm.com itself. It is the frigid winter of 1963/64. Extra cold, in fact, 'way up there in the Toronto suburbs for an eight year old who has a long holiday weekend all set to spend: With The Beatles. My best pal Paul Davis' house is conveniently located just one block over. His mother is a piano teacher, and so music – yes, even rock 'n' roll music – is allowed, if sometimes in the case of "the louder stuff" only tolerated, on the family hi-fi system. So it was then that, until the following year when I was offered the choice of one 45-RPM record of my very own in lieu of fifty cents' allowance each week, I had to visit the Davis place in order to fully avail myself of his older sister's record collection. And what a collection it was! Remarkably hip in retrospect especially, because alongside all the usual '63-vintage pin-up pop (as in Elvis on down), the elder Davis sister had a slew of beautifully battered seven-inch singles I was allowed to run hog – or should I say "Pig" wild with whenever over there ostensibly visiting Paul. That is how, within a week or so of the initial Kennedy assassination, I came across my very first Beatle disc: an authentic orange-and-yellow-swirling Capitol Records of Canada pressing of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." So! Onto the Davis console stereo it immediately went. "Hey, you know what? That's the same band that's been in the newspaper lately," Paul's sister informed me as "I can't hide, I can't hide" Mersey-beat ‘round the room. Yes, our hometown "Toronto Daily Star" had indeed been picking up on some of the latest socio-entertainment headlines and images from England showing four guys with, as far as I could describe at the time, Moe Howard haircuts. Consequently, I didn't have to wait an additional month and a half like my fellow music buffs watching Ed Sullivan in America to connect THAT SOUND with, yes, those four British Stooges. By Christmas time 1963, you see, I had already been infected in the Davis’ living room with what was later to be identified as a lifelong, terminal strain of Beatlemania. But truth to tell, it was actually the flipside of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" that really shook me that long-ago winter aft. Maybe it was because its echo-laden production values brought to ear Paul's sister's Elvis records; or perhaps it was the comparatively hopped-up tempo that got my tiny Canadian legs bouncing like never before. No. Because I can still clearly hear what it really was that hooked me on "I Saw Her Standing There," The Beatles, and yes, r 'n' r in general: It was George Harrison's guitar solo. Sharp, biting, twanging; as economical yet razor-pointedly effective as anything he or most any six-string shooter this side of Carl Perkins could, or would EVER, lay straight down. Suffice to say then, I simply had no choice but to run right home, commandeer one of my Dad's old tennis racquets, connect it with some spare kite string to the nearest empty box in the basement, and become my very own Beatle George, "standing there," strumming my imaginary Gretsch Duo Jet through my cardboard Vox "amp." All thanks to that one little seven-inch recording. And now here I am, nearly a half century later (!), still standing, and strumming, my way through life – although the guitar and amp, I’m quite pleased to report, has upgraded somewhat. Yet to this very day, whenever I get one-minute-thirty-five into “I Saw Her Standing There,” I’m right back there in Paul Davis’ living room, ears wide open to the amphetamined Star Club bite of George Harrison’s guitar. And all the world is about to start joyfully spinning off its axis at 45 RPM. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Gary Pig Gold's home page is here: http://www.garypiggold.com

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 21:10

---

#16

Beatles Song Review: Misery

Written by Joe Viglione

Saturday, 05 September 2009 09:37

Artist: Song Title: Composer: Time:

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 21:39

---

#1

"I'm The Light" Blue Cheer from Oh! Pleasant Hope

Written by Joe Viglione

Wednesday, 21 October 2009 14:28

Direct link to this article here: http://tinyurl.com/imthelight Listen to "I'm The Light" on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8lBTU23fwU Like Grand Funk Railroad's "Closer To Home (I'm Your Captain)" this song is a brilliant anomaly from a group known for hard power trio rock-turned-blues. This is a spacey, early Pink Floyd-ish bending of exotic instruments to come up with a complex texture that should've been a huge hit for this venerable group. 6:27 PM 10-21-09 It's one foot in the astral world Other one in the breeze "I'm the Light" (Houseman, Mayell) - 5:39 Nice to see my AMG review of this track popping up when you do a Google search on it: But it is the sixth track on their sixth album that is the finest moment ever for Blue Cheer. The harp, exotic instrumentation, and Pink Floyd overtones make "I'm the Light" an extraordinary piece of music. "I'm the Light" is to Blue Cheer what "Stairway to Heaven" is to Led Zeppelin, what "Closer to Home" is to Mark Farner and Grand Funk -- a moment of inspiration and production that stands the test of time and that is hard to match. This is a band famous for hard rock sounds creating a pop masterpiece of psychedelic cosmic consciousness. The song seems almost out of place on this collection, but it is truly one of those songs that demands attention and is worth seeking out. Read more here: http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Oh!%20Pleasant%20Hope:1921001779: R.I.P. Dickie Peterson Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh!_Pleasant_Hope Wikipedia links to my AMG review "I'm the Light" (Houseman, Mayell) - 5:39 Direct link to this article here: http://tinyurl.com/imthelight Listen to "I'm The Light" on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8lBTU23fwU Here's what the YouTube poster has to say: I'm the light is the sixth track from Blue Cheer's sixth, and last album until 1983, Oh! Pleasant Hope. It was released in 1971 and features less psychadelia and more blues-rock & hard rock. This is an unusual Blue Cheer album in that Dickie Peterson only sings lead on three songs. Another unusual aspect is that the song "I'm the Light" features extensive use of the sitar and synthesizer, although on the previous album The Original Human Being the song "Babaji (Twilight Raga)" also featured extensive use of the aforementioned instruments. This song is also included on their compilation Good Times Are So Hard To Find, released in 1990. The above written by Findusam on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/Findusam

Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 14:43

---

#2

Hush from Shades of Deep Purple

Written by Joe Viglione

Monday, 05 October 2009 18:52

Song "Hush" Author: Joe South Hit Artist: Deep Purple Hush - version by Joe South, songwriter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPKxVUA0JR0 Hush - version by Deep Purple http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-x7RqRF8Pk&NR=1 Hush - Live version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klZoCZxb0Rg&NR=1 The Book Of Taliesyn review by Joe V A year after the innovative remake of "You Keep Me Hanging On," England's answer to Vanilla Fudge, was this early version of Deep Purple, which featured vocalist Rod Evans, and bassist Nick Simper, along with mainstays Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice. This, their second album, followed on the heels of "Hush," a dynamic arrangement of a Joe South tune, far removed from the flavor of one of his own hits, "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." Read more here: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifwxqr5ldke

Last Updated on Monday, 05 October 2009 19:02

---

#3

GYPSY Stevie Knicks

Written by Joe Viglione

Wednesday, 16 September 2009 09:31

Early Take http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwUTx0A5guY

Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 September 2009 09:32

---

#4

Big Man Kathy Kirby meets Uptown by The Crystals

Written by Joe Viglione

Monday, 14 September 2009 23:27

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zODSlRPCBw4 Kathy Kirby Real Name: Kathleen O'Rourke Birth Date: 20th October 1940 Birth Place: Ilford, Essex http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/dirk/kathyk.htm

---

#5

The Way Of Love

Written by Joe Viglione

Monday, 14 September 2009 23:09

Remember to click on album covers to go into GEMM.com itself and find these recordings. Direct link to this site: http://tinyurl.com/thewayoflove Please send this link around if you like this review: http://tinyurl.com/thewayoflove Remember to click on album covers to go into GEMM.com itself and find these recordings. Direct link to this site: http://tinyurl.com/thewayoflove The Way of Love, Al Stillman, Jack Dieval, Cher, (2:31) Studio version by Cher Released on Cher's Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves CD/album, the song was a smash for Kathy Kirby (Big Hits From Britain, Vol. 2 on London Records, a compilation way back when in the 1960s) with terrific covers by both Francois Hardy and Shirley Bassey. Released originally as Cher (Kapp KS-3649), featuring a light grey cover with strands of hair over the face of the chanteuse, this LP was re-released (as Kapp KS-5549) with the title Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves in bold white letters with song titles "The Way of Love," "Fire and Rain," and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" above the cropped cover photo. The original has the word "Cher" in black fading into the grey; the re-release has her name in bold white. Cover issues aside, this is a good album with some great moments, among them a career highlight in the two-and-a-half-minute opening track, "The Way of Love." The Stillman/Dieval tune was originally a British hit for Kathy Kirby, and both Cher and Kirby drove the song right by the censors. The song is either about a woman expressing her love for another woman, or a woman saying au revoir to a gay male she loved — in either case this is not a mother to daughter heart-to-heart: "What will you do/When he sets you free/Just the way that you/Said good-bye to me." Kirby hit with a similar production in the '60s; Cher's Snuff Garrett production, arranged by Al Capps, broke the Top Ten in 1972 a few months after "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" became her first number one solo hit toward the end of 1971. Read more here: Brilliant Shirley Bassey rendition Studio version by Cher Another studio version with animation Live version on TV Cher/The Way Of Love Terrific version live in concert- magnifico indeed! A fantástica e única Cher, canta este magnífico e triste clássico em seu último show 'The Farewell Tour''. ''...Se a chama se acender Enquanto você o abraça Mantenha seu coração Longe do perigo, querido...'' Kathy Kirby youtube.com Françoise Hardy Comment Te Dire Adieu Featuring a French version of The Way Of Love AMG Review Françoise Hardy Released on the 1968 album, "En Anglais". This song became a hit for Cher during the 1970's. English version of "Parlez-moi de lui". youtube.com AMG Review "Parlez-moi de lui" 2 37 Titre original : The Way of Love Paroles : Al Stillman Musique : Jack Diéval 1e Interprète : Kathy Kirby, 1965 Adaptation en français : Michel Rivgauche 1res Interprètes : Michèle Arnaud et Dalida, 1966 Orchestre : Arthur Greenslade The Great Francois Hardy en francais "Parlez Moi de Lui" youtube.com sweetfrancoise.blogspot.com Please send this link around if you like this review: http://tinyurl.com/thewayoflove Remember to click on album covers to go into GEMM.com itself and find these recordings. Francois Hardy Maid In Paris answers.com Recorded in France, Maid in Paris contains six songs by Francoise Hardy sung in English, and six songs in French. "Only You Can Do It" is a subdued Dusty Springfield. Her delightful voice is backed by strings and very '60s pop guitar, bass, and drums. You can hear flavors of the production from Marianne Faithfull's version of "As Tears Go By," but Hardy's voice is not as fragile as Faithfull's. This material would fit nicely in a Bikini Beach movie with Annette & Frankie. The cover has Hardy with psychedelic pillows in a crate, dressed in black like some renegade version of the Velvet Underground's Nico. She doesn't have the homogenization or the range of a Celine Dion, but she should have dominated the U.S. charts during the era of Lulu and Petula Clark. Read more here: Remember to click on album covers to go into GEMM.com itself and find these recordings. Direct link to this site: http://tinyurl.com/thewayoflove Cool Francois Hardy site

Last Updated on Thursday, 17 September 2009 19:10

---

#6

team: Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

Written by Joe Viglione

Monday, 14 September 2009 14:31

STEAM NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE b/w "It's The Magic In You Girl" Listening to this on the Doyle & Devereaux Show on WROR, Monday afternoon, September 14, 2009, another bright sunny day with a nice drive and some radio enjoyment, it is amazing how this song - Fontana 45 RPM #1667 - keeps finding new life in new arenas...quite literally...as the Sports world has absconded with it!...outpacing Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll Part II". Joel Whitburn's The Billboard book of Top 40 Hits has it at #1 on November 8, 1969. Whitburn actually gives the group 5 sentences in his Top 40 book, which is rather extraordinary, and says they are from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Repertoire has released a 17 track version of the CD http://www.bluebeat.com/albums/38399 1 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye 4:11 2 I've Gotta Make You Love Me 3:22 3 It's The Magic In You Girl 2:30 4 Come On Home Girl 3:01 5 Love And Affection 6 Come On Back And Love Me 2:12 7 I've Cried A Million Tears 3:44 8 I'm The One Who Loves You 2:32 9 One Good Woman 3:33 10 New Breed, Now Generation 3:27 11 Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (Single Version) 3:44 12 It's The Magic In You Girl (Mono Single Mix) 2:33 13 Love And Affection (Mono Single Mix) 3:26 14 Come On Back And Love Me (Mono Single Mix) 2:11 15 I've Gotta Make You Love Me (Single Version) 3:23 16 Don't Stop Lovin' Me 3:24 17 Do Unto Others 3:08 From Ashley W's website: Artist: STEAM Album: Jock Rock, Vol. 1 Song: Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Release Date: 1969 Genre: Rock/Soul Synopsis: There is a lot of percussion that is used in modern music that have origins to African percussion. In this song they use various instruments two of which that are very apparent throughout the song are the xylophone and the drums. The "Akadinda" is a "instrument that is played throughout Central Africa in many different traditions." It is very similar to the xylophone in both use and appearance. Excellent interview with Chris Robison credited to "Everyone Involved" http://www.queermusicheritage.us/jun2005s.html What was the first rock act you were involved with that had some success? It depends on what you mean by success, but I think that Steam was a pretty successful group. They had a big hit song called "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" that sold about 4 ½ million records around the world. That was written by a guy named Paul Leka, L-E-K-A, and this guy, Paul Leka, would just record songs and put them out there with different names, and if it hit and took off then he would go out and get a bunch of people who were already in a band, and say "okay, you guys are going to be…the Lemon Pipers." The Lemon Pipers was his name for a song called "Green Tambourine," which was a big hit. So although there never was really a band originally Steam, we were Steam in as much as we went out on the road and played, you know, three weeks at a time, one-night-stands Original STEAM version on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsaTElBljOE&feature=fvw Bananarama Version Doesn't sound like they changed the gender, so they are either singing to a gay guy or to another girl...how very 80s! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE0mIe2Svvg&feature=related Crazy Frog techno version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlzPFm44Wac&feature=related Elminino Remix of Steam's original classic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi5n_EbxhO4&NR=1 Canoise performing the song on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbgz9SON_XM&NR=1 Can't see who is singing, but it's a nice soulful voice with excellent keyboards, adhering to the original but adding a little extra splash Here's a college football game utilizing the song: SJSU beats Utah St. in homecoming game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys3JMQXI8II&feature=related How to play the song on piano or organ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9maSSGdPOSo&feature=related Very strange techno song that seems loosely based on Steam Na Na Na Hey Ho Really annoying techno version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xXNRSqySNg Found this clean audio version of the song with Lyrics...don't know what the significance of this picture is...did the band reform and we don't know about it? http://blog.empas.com/iskim41/read.html?a=13125289

Last Updated on Monday, 14 September 2009 15:26

---

I'll Be There

Written by Joe Viglione

Sunday, 13 September 2009 16:09

"I'll Be There" is a soul song written by Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch, which resulted in two U.S. number 1 hit singles: the original 1970 recording by American vocal quintet The Jackson and a 1992 live version by American pop singer Mariah Carey and American R&B singer Trey Lorenz. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Be_There_%28The_Jackson_5_song%29

Last Updated on Sunday, 13 September 2009 20:37

---

#8
Loyd London

Who is Lloyd London??? Let's Build A World Of Our Own / Alone In Love

Written by Joe Viglione

Sunday, 13 September 2009 14:52

London,Lloyd Alone In Love (45RPM) Info... Label: UA Made In: ? Media: 45RPM Condition: VG++ Release: 50036 Description: DJ copy Lets Build A World Of Our Own (45RPM) Info... Label: UNITED ARTISTS Made In: USA Media: 45RPM Condition: VG Release: ? http://www1.gemm.com/c/search.pl?field=GEMM+SEARCH&wild=lloyd+london&Go!.x=0&Go!.y=0&Go!=Search&picklang=%2Findex.cgi%3Flang%3DEN%26clickflag%3D1%26

---

#9

And I Love Her - The Beatles

Written by Joe Viglione

Thursday, 10 September 2009 18:54

Listen to the song in Mono http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxfK7O5ve24

---

#10

He's A Rebel - The Crystals

Written by Joe Viglione

Saturday, 05 September 2009 21:16

Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Crystals/Darlene Love products and Phil Spector rarities in Gemm.com itself. If you like this review, fly the tiny url around! http://tinyurl.com/lkc7et Gene Pitney's classic composition was immortalized with Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and Darlene Love lead singing on this Crystals' record...and it is the perfect storm of melody/attitude/vocal prowess and record production that makes this song one for the ages. In 2009 the failure of mainstream oldies stations to play "He's A Rebel" is astounding, and why radio is in such rough shape. No "Leader of the Pack" here, this rebel with a cause has his story told through the eyes of infatuation...it's the perfect teen song of idealism but it is drenched in adult rock. Driving home from a band performance and fireworks on Salisbury Beach, September 5, 2009, actually as midnight hit on September 6th, Northshore 104 - the oldies station on the North Shore of Boston played "He's A Rebel" and it hit me that this song has not been on the airwaves in these parts in some time. What a shame, because a timeless classic like "He's A Rebel" - or "The Loco-Motion" or "The Twist" for that matter, should have a home on any rock radio station. What is it with fragmenting radio, "He's A Rebel" can brighten up any pop radio format from Country to Classic Rock. But the programmers just don't get it...and that is why the kids of this generation find radio so irrelevant. Video didn't kill the radio star, the Corporations used radio to kill the radio star. He's A Rebel: The Gene Pitney Story Gene Pitney - with all his fortitude and insight - never came up with anything as spectacular in his own repertoire, letting another singer enunciate his genius for the world to hear: Just because of that they say - hey, He's a rebel and he'll never be any good Phil Spector sentenced to 19 years to life My, he holds his head up high/When he goes walking by / He's my guy Try singing those lines the way Darlene Love slurs and slides them, majestically over Spector's masterpiece of production: My Baby Oh He's the one/ To Try The Things They've Never Done

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 23:28

---

#11

Beatles Song Review: Love Me Do

Written by Joe Viglione

Saturday, 05 September 2009 09:50

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 22:15

---

#12

Beatles Song Review: Ask Me Why

Written by Joe Viglione

Saturday, 05 September 2009 09:48

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 22:12

---

Boys, Anna, Chains, Misery

Beatles Song Review: Anna (Go To Him)

Written by Joe Viglione

Saturday, 05 September 2009 09:40