Classic Rock Musings, Rants & Raves

Oftentimes, I get so caught up in the expanded reissues, compilations and documentary DVDs coming out from a slew of Classic Rock artists that I forget there’s a cache overflowing with new groups. Yeah, a good majority of them are pretty pathetic, but there’s a select few who are stirring up the pot in an attempt to keep the rock and roll flame burning. The Raconteurs are heading up the charge.

Led by Jack White, the male half of the quirky boutique garage band the White Stripes, the Raconteurs aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but they’re doing a damn good job keeping it greased up. The first night of their two-day stand at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles comprised a 75-minute, no-frills set without pretense or bullshit. White knows he’s the main draw, but on this night he often came across as just another member of the band, which also includes vocalist/guitarist Brendan Benson, bassist Jack Lawrence, drummer Patrick Keeler and keyboardist Mark Watrous.

With all due respect to drummer Meg White, the other half of the White Stripes, Jack needs a full band to get his explosive, quirky ideas across. Having a clutch rhythm section like Lawrence and Keeler makes it easy. The groove that morphed into “Consolers Of The Lonely” wouldn’t have been nearly as dynamic coming from a two-piece. And White’s whining yelp of a rock and roll voice didn’t even come into the song until halfway through. Benson, a solo artist in his own right, played the less abrasive counterpoint, providing that sort of Lennon-McCartney, Ying-Yang thing that sets the foundation and extends the possibilities.

After White wrapped his guitar around a couple of numbers, he jumped over on a Fender Rhoads and went into a bluesy, gospel mode on “Blue Veins.” This song is pure old school, but White made it soulful and fresh. From there, he strapped on an acoustic and fell into a Delta blues number called “Top Yourself.” Here, Benson got a chance to slip and slide up and down his bottleneck like a possessed Jimmy Page from 1971.

“Intimate Secretary” was a churning bucket of commotion with White’s piercing, staccato leads popping holes in the ozone, while the frenetic blues-based romp of “Keep It Clean” tapped into the root of White’s chakra. By this time, the spelling game was tumbling across the sea of faces like lost luggage, never to be found again. “You Don’t Understand Me” put White back behind the keys, where he could have just as easily confessed to a shopping list of indiscretions, but instead pored his heart into a simple case of miscommunication. “Old Enough,” with keyboardist Mark Watrous handling the fiddle, stuck out as a spunky reflection of the group’s adopted home-base of Nashville (White and Benson are from Michigan).

Then it was another trip through the murkiness of the blues with “Rich Kid’s Blues” before finishing the main set with the group’s first single from 2006, “Steady, As She Goes.” White joked that the song was “a hit for us back in 1974,” but there was no doubt in my mind the driving riff would have fit right in back then.

The encore of “Many Shades Of Black” and “Salute Your Solution/Broken Boy Soldier” confirmed what I already figured out: the Raconteurs are a hot rod unit that meander and whittle away with the best of the Bonnaroo jam bands. That alone gives them a lot of credibility in my book. And my book doesn’t necessarily follow the dictum of Classic Rock.

In the world of Classic Rock, you hear a lot of old guys whining how the good old days are forever gone and that new music just out and out sucks. These are the same guys who won’t give Radiohead and Beck any credit for creating new and wondrous music, then claim the last Lynyrd Skynyrd album was their best. Go figure. So where does that leave a group like the Raconteurs? Perched at the crossroads of what was and what can be could very well mean they are the future of rock and roll. I’ll be keeping my eye out on this one to see if it’s true.

From 1976 onward, live albums became more varied and widespread, but they never lost their potency to reel in fans. Here then, is the Top 10 Live Albums: 1976 - poresent.

1. Pink Floyd - Is There Anybody Out There? (2000)
This live version of “The Wall,” performed in its entirety, is the last sanctioned recording from members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. “Is There Anybody Out There?” was culled from various shows performed on the 1980-81 tour, but wasn’t released until almost 20 years later. Included are two tracks not on the original, “What Shall We Do Now?” & “The Last Few Bricks.”

2. Bob Dylan - Live 1966 - The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert (1998)
Live 1966 is another example of a legendary concert not being released until many years after-the-fact. Perhaps the most famous bootleg of all time, “Royal Albert Hall,” in quotes because of its incorrect location — it was actually recorded at the Free Trade Hall in England — marked the first time Dylan plugged in and pissed off his Folkie following. It is truly history in the making!

3. Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive (1976)
Not a teenager in the 70s didn’t own a copy of “Frampton Comes Alive,” the best-selling live album of all time. It was recently re-released for its 25th anniversary, and features three live bonus tracks, “Just the Time of Year,” “Nowhere’s Too Far for My Baby,” and “White Sugar,” a radio performance of “Day’s Dawning” and extensive liner notes. No other album quite represents the 70s like this!

4. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Live Rust (1979)
“Live Rust” blended the best of Neil’s acoustic sentimentality with ear-shattering electric rock, as he took listeners on a journey from older classics to then-new material. The soundtrack to the concert film of the same name, it was recorded in the fall of 1978 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Other live Neil Young albums have since been released, but “Live Rust” is a standout among them.

5. Cheap Trick - At Budokan (1979)
“At Budokan” captures live, 70s power pop in all its glory like no other! Cheap Trick had a few minor radio hits, but it wasn’t until this blistering performance for screaming Japanese fans that the band realized the stardom that had eluded them. The platinum album remains a timeless favorite among Classic Rock fans, and “Surrender” sounds as fresh and powerful now as it did in ‘79.

6. Queen - Live Killers (1979)
“Live Killers” is a great representation of 70s Queen, showcasing the band at the height of their glitz and glamour. Most of the hits are present, plus forgotten gems such as “Brighton Rock,” and a medley that included “Killer Queen,” “Bicycle Race” and “I’m In Love With My Car.” Recorded on their 1979 European tour, “Live Killers” captures loud, triumphant, arena rock at its foot-stomping finest.

7. Paul McCartney & Wings - Wings Over America (1976)
McCartney pissed off a lot of people when he covered several fab four songs on Wings’ 1976 tour, but fans were itching to hear the old tunes again. “Wings Over America” silenced critics who charged that Paul couldn’t rock out with the best of ‘em, and became one of most spectacular, high-energy shows ever recorded. Includes the version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” that became a Top-10 hit.

8. Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From the Road (1976)
This 25th anniversary deluxe edition of the classic Skynyrd album, which was recorded during the July 7-9, 1976 shows at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, features ten additional songs from the same show. Recorded just a mere three years after the group’s debut, it captures raw, southern-fried rock and roll at its finest, and demonstrates why Skynyrd has become the premiere southern rock band.

9. The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over (1994)
Aside from the fact that the “Hell Freezes Over” tour can be indirectly blamed for skyrocketing concert ticket prices — they exceeded $100 a seat — the tour was the event of the decade. For the first time in years Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmidt and Joe Walsh took the stage together, and the historic event was captured for posterity. Also features four new studio tracks.

10. David Gilmour - Live In Gdansk(2008)
The newest and possibly the strongest entry on the list for a number of reasons, namely that David Gilmour not only plays his album “On An Island,” with a full orchestra; he also explores the nether regions of the Pink Floyd cataloging with subtle aplomb and astonishing results. This show is the final performance of Gilmour’s wildly successfully 2006 tour, and, sadly, the last show on record that Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright would ever play. “Echoes” and “Comfortably Numb” has never sounded so poetic.

You’re either a fan of live music or you’re not; there doesn’t seem to be any in-between. But if you count yourself among the millions who prefer their music served up in a raw, energetic concert environment, then you’ll find something to satisfy your craving from the list below. Also be sure to check out our list of the Top 10 Live Albums: 1976-Present.

1. Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out (1970)
After a three-year absence from the American concert scene, the Rolling Stones triumphantly returned to Madison Square Garden in New York City in November, 1969, and the powerful, tight performance was recorded for posterity. The concert featured new guitarist Mick Taylor, and in addition to the usual Rolling Stones fare, two outstanding Chuck Berry covers, “Carol” and “Little Queenie.”

2. The Who - Live At Leeds (1970)
Recorded at Leeds University in England on Valentine’s Day, 1970, this digitally remastered deluxe edition features the historic concert in its entirety for the first time, including several recordings not available on the original. Also notable is the splicing of songs from “Tommy,” originally spread throughout the show, on Disc-2 of the set. This is the Who at their absolute, live best!

3. Allman Brothers Band - Live At The Fillmore East (1971)
Recorded live at the Fillmore East in New York City on March 12-13, this remastered version of the landmark 1971 features the original line-up of the premiere southern rock band, before the untimely deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. Live At The Fillmore East set the standard for all blues/jam rock bands to follow, and remains unparalleled to this day.

4. Cream - Wheels Of Fire (1968)
While not completely a live album (Disc 1 was recorded in the studio, and includes two outstanding covers of Howlin’ Wolf and Albert King), “Wheels of Fire” captures the power-trio of Clapton, Bruce and Baker at their explosive peak! Disc 2 was recorded live over four days at San Francisco’s Winterland and Fillmore West, and features a version of “Crossroads” that will blow you away.

5. Deep Purple - Made In Japan (1972)
Once referred to by Rolling Stone as “simply the best live album ever made,” “Made In Japan” featured the “classic” line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice, and was recorded over two days in August, 1972, in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan. The remastered CD not only offers superior sound quality, but also a bonus disc of encores and a book of extensive liner notes.

6. Grateful Dead - Europe ‘72 (1972)
Culled from various shows on their 1972 European tour, this is basically a live album on steroids, as several songs were overdubbed in the studio after the tour. Yet the richer-than-usual, multi-layered sound doesn’t distract from the live feel of the music. Europe ‘72 marked the last formal recording of Ron “Pigpen” McKernan before his death, and the introduction of Keith and Donna Godchaux

7. Grand Funk Railroad - Caught In The Act (1975)
The general consensus among GFR fans is that although a sloppy editing job was done on this remastered CD (it leaves out part of drum solo on “T.N.U.C.,” and “Closer to Home” doesn’t segue into “Heartbreaker” as originally performed), it’s still a kick-ass album. Just the live versions of “Footstomping Music” and a cover of the Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” make this a stand-out among live recordings.

8. Yes - Yessongs (1973)
Some speculate that Yessongs was released to silence critics who accused Yes of being merely a studio band, unable to recreate their songs live. But performances of material from “The Yes Album,” “Close to the Edge” and “Fragile” removed all doubt, and established Yes as a dominant force in Prog. Although sound quality on the original was inferior, the remaster is nothing short of spectacular.

9. Uriah Heep Live (1973)
Recorded over several dates in Northern England at the height of their career, “Live ‘73″ represents early Heep in all their thunderous, riveting glory. Now available as a remastered set, with all 12 original tracks including the fun, 7-song closer, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Medley,” additional photos and new liner notes.

10. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 4 Way Street (1971)
A true snapshot of the 70s, “4 Way Street” is often criticized as lacking the luscious harmonies for which the foursome is most well-known. Yet many consider this recording a “must-have,” if only for the standout, acoustic-only Disc 1. The remaster contains bonus tracks “King Midas In Reverse,” “Laughing” and “Black Queen,” plus the Neil Young medley “The Loner/Cinnamon Girl/Down by the River.”

In honor of Richard Wright, the founding member and keyboardist of Pink Floyd who passed away on September 15, I wanted to share the following videos:

Like all Pink Floyd fans, news of keyboardist Richard Wright’s passing made my Monday even more unbearable than usual. After all, Pink Floyd has been one of my favorite bands since the early 70s. While the group’s frontliners Roger Waters and David Gilmour seem to get most of the attention, I’ve always been curious about Wright, whose contributions to the Floyd canon cannot be discounted. He actively wrote a huge chunk of the band’s early songs, and his latter-day contributions, especially on The Dark Side Of The Moon, were particularly poignant.

His songwriting declined substantially after Wish You Were Here, but Wright’s keyboards were integral to the Pink Floyd sound. Without Wright, Pink Floyd would have been just another three-piece rock band. He enabled the music to take flight. He wasn’t like Emerson, Lord or Wakeman; rather, he added layers and textures that shaped that unmistakable Floydian resonance.

Floyd fans know Wright had his ups and downs. He apparently got fat and lazy enough in the late 70s to provoke Waters into dismissing him (although he stayed on during The Wall tour as a paid employee). Gilmour recognized Wright’s strengths, and was eager to bring him back into the fold when he and drummer Nick Mason reformed Pink Floyd in 1986 and recorded A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. It wasn’t until 1994’s The Division Bell that Wright was reinstated as a full fledge member, even writing and singing “Wearing The Inside Out,” his first (and last) song for a Pink Floyd album in almost 20 years.

Wright led a fairly obscure existence. The most I’d read about him in recent years was when he went to a Roger Waters concert, and confronted the man who had canned him from the group he co-found. Waters thought he was drunk, but for Wright the meeting was more about closure. I’m not sure Wright ever forgave Waters for that, but in the end, he may have had the last laugh.

After Live 8, Gilmour made his solo album On An Island, and invited Wright to play on it. And when the guitarist hit the road, he brought Pink Floyd’s keyboardist along for the ride. This presented a special opportunity for the two to indulge themselves and the audience with some rare Pink Floyd songs without calling themselves Pink Floyd. The pressure of that pesky Pink Floyd brand name put to the side, they were free to let loose and explore.

In 2006 at the Gibson Theatre in Los Angeles, I saw David Gilmour and Richard Wright perform “Echoes,” my favorite Pink Floyd song. Gilmour had that same, intense game face on whenever he plays, but Wright was relaxed and on the mark. He was playing music he had a big hand in, with musicians who were more like friends than band mates. And when Gilmour introduced him, the place erupted. We were there to see David Gilmour, but we were just as anxious to see Richard Wright — knowing the possibilities were endless with these two sharing the same stage.

I’ve seen comments on the Web how Wright’s passing has now dashed all hopes of a proper Pink Floyd reunion. But that dream came and went with Live 8, which remains a watershed moment in the history of rock and roll. Richard Wright transcended Pink Floyd the night I saw him with Gilmour — earning the respect he so richly deserved. Aside from a short-term bout with cancer, little has come to light about Wright’s last days before heading on up to that great gig in the sky. I think I’d prefer to remember him for how he lived.

By the end of the 70s, AC/DC were on the verge of superstardom. But with all the debauchery and boozing surrounding the band, the fast lane caught up with a vengeance. Lead singer Bon Scott drank himself to death, leaving the Australian outfit between a Highway to Hell and a hard place. They considered breaking up, but chose to move forward. By some miraculous streak of luck, Brian Johnson, an up-and-coming Scot who’d been paying his dues with the obscure Geordie band, became their new singer. Within five months, AC/DC produced their biggest blast of high voltage to date. It pitched a tent and settled down for almost six months in Billboard’s Top Ten. A year after its release, Back In Black was and remains to this day, the best selling hard rock album of all time.

With producer Robert “Mutt” Lange — the man who would continue to hit the charts with Def Leppard and Shania Twain — on board, AC/DC sucked it up, headed to Compass Studios in the Bahamas, and braced for a new beginning. Their vivacious manner was quicker on a dime, but still as balls-to-the-wall as ever. Perhaps taking Scott’s passing to heart, Angus and Malcolm Young mightily dish out some of their biggest and baddest riffs. The erratic yelp from Johnson is a little more soulful, and a little less reckless than his predecessor. From the get-go, it’s nonstop, fist-pumping, foot stomping shredders like “Hells Bells,” “Shoot To Thrill” and, of course, the lilting title track. The leadoff single, “You Shook Me All Night Long” is still one of the most distinctive, thunderous shakedowns in modern history.

If you’re looking for romance in something like “What Do You Do For Money Honey” or “Let Me Put My Love Into You,” you’ve bought the wrong disc. Nothing about AC/DC evokes the slightest hint of tenderness. Even when the band pays tribute to their fallen front man, they feverishly toast him with the intoxicating “Have A Drink On Me.” Just to prove they’re not going anywhere, the CD ends with “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution,” a prophetic declaration. Over 25 years later, we’re still getting this wild man in a parochial school uniform armed with a Gibson SG and stalking the stage. And when the lights come down, we flick our Bics, shudder at the camaraderie, and prepare for maximum overdrive. Let there be rock!

On Monday, I had the pleasure of seeing a small, ambitious play at the Cat Club in Hollywood called Be Bop A Lula, a tale that revolves around 1950s rock legends Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. Not exactly the Kodak Theatre, the Cat Club is narrow, dingy and owned by Slim Jim Phantom, the drummer for the Stray Cats. It’s situated along the row of shops between the Whisky A Go Go and the Roxy Theatre. Yeah, the place is pure rock and roll — a rather appropriate locale when you consider the storyline of the play.

If you’re unfamiliar with the life and times of Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, I’ll give you the abridged version. Both had major, influential rock hits in the mid 1950s — Cochran with “Summertime Blues” and Vincent with “Be Bop A Lula.” By 1960, both had peaked in America, so they toured together in England, where their style of rock and roll was embraced by the likes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

On the night of April 17, 1960, Cochran, his girlfriend Sharon Sheeley and Vincent were riding in a taxi cab, en route to London’s Heathrow Airport, when it crashed into a lamp post. Vincent and Sheeley were injured, but survived. Cochran wasn’t so lucky — he died at the age of 21. This is where the plot thickens, so to speak. Three weeks prior, Cochran and Vincent were on tour and had spent the night at a hotel in a small English village. That evening’s full turn of events is up for speculation, but the manager of the hotel claims he was rustled from his bed in the middle of the night by a frantic knocking on his door. When he rushed to see who it was, he found Eddie Cochran crying and claiming he was going to die.

On the small stage of the Cat Club, two beds function as the essential makings of the room Vincent and Cochran shared that night (if, in fact, they shared a room at all). A guitarist and keyboardist hide in the shadows, awaiting their cues, which are subtle, but necessary to the pace. The lights dim, and the 50 or so patrons squeezed into the tiny room fall mute. Rex Weiner, the play’s author, breaks the silence by introducing himself and setting up the story. Then he brings up a very special guest — John Densmore, the drummer for the Doors.

It turns out Densmore has a past relationship with the Be Bop A Lula play which he, along with other luminaries including Adam Ant, produced at another Hollywood venue back in the 90s. He speaks softly and mentions that the Cat Club was where the Doors played many of their early gigs. It was the London Fog back then, according to Densmore. Although I’d read the coffee shop next door was where the London Fog was, I wasn’t about to argue with a guy who was there. It makes more sense anyway.

Densmore talks about a time in L.A. when Jerry Lee Lewis opened for the Doors. It’s great to hear guys from the 60s speak with such reverence about guys from the 50s — back when rock and roll was actually invented. There’s no doubt in my mind that Lewis, along with Cochran, Vincent, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and a couple of others, are the true architects of early rock.

The play begins in the midst of the darkened club as Chancellor Dean as Eddie Cochran and Aaron Dupree as Gene Vincent snake their way to the stage, immediately engaged in dialogue. At the story’s heart are two complex characters, young, in their early twenties, yet already past their prime. Dupree convincingly lives up to Vincent’s image as a rough, reckless, self-deprecating prankster in chronic pain with a bad limp and resigned to his status as a has-been. Dean’s Cochran is the more likeable of the two, playing a talented, homesick musician who wants to quit the road, marry his girlfriend and raise a family.

The two trade barbs, laugh and cuss up a storm until a couple of English girls — Alice and Martha played by Zoe Simpson and Nicole Nelson, respectively — knock on the door. Cochran lets his guard down at one point, making a play for Alice before things get dark and introspective. That’s when Buddy Holly, played by Ron Geren, emerges and spoils the party.

I don’t want to spoil the party, so I’ll leave it at that. But I will say that this is a fascinating play, and anyone who digs the twisted, demented history of rock and roll should go and see it. The current production of Be Bop A Lula — with subsequent performances scheduled at the Cat Club on September 15, 22, and 29 — is directed by Weiner and Polly Shannon, and produced by Lincoln Phipps and Chris Kobin. For tickets and additional information, head over to the Be Bop A Lula My Space page.

Someone on the message board I frequent posed a rather curious question this week: How many CDs do you have in your collection? Well, if I was young and dumb and cared about such things, I could probably tell you. As it is, I’m old and dumb and can’t balance my checkbook, let alone my CD collection. The truth is, I don’t know. I get four or five CDs a week to review. I burn another four or five a week. I’ve been doing this for a good 10 years. I routinely bought one or two a week, be it records, CDs, cassettes, for a solid 25 years previous. You do the math.

If I had to guess, I’d say I have at least 5,000 CDs and I wouldn’t know where to begin. It’s mostly what everyone else has, as far as the garden variety classic rock collection. There’s dozens of CDs by newer artists and of different styles — world music, jazz, classical, soundtracks, avant-garde, comedy.

Then there’s the bootleg CDs. Of those, I have at least 10 or more by each of the following artists in no particular order: Jethro Tull, Yes, Grateful Dead, Beatles, CCR, Humble Pie, Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Genesis, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Queen, Black Crowes, Allman Brothers, ELP, Radiohead, Beck, Paul McCartney, CSNY, Deep Purple, Van Halen, King Crimson, Roger Waters, The Who, Phish, Govt. Mule, Robert Plant, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, U2, Tom Waits, Robin Trower, Grand Funk Railroad, Tool, Frank Zappa, Rush and Miles Davis.

I have all the official albums by the artists above, so I don’t feel bad about having the boots. I apologize to anyone I may have forgotten.

I have a lot of music. I need a lot of music. It fills up the space in my life when silence and noise compete for my attention. Silence is golden, but I need to filter the noise out. Music comes in handy for that. If you ever listen to the soundtrack for The Dark Knight while driving to the supermarket, imagine you’re a covert spy for the CIA, running for your life and forgetting to pay for the tooth paste. Now, that’s good stuff.

Booker T. Jones stole the show Sunday night (August 31) at the Long Beach Blues Festival in Long Beach, California. Jones and his band touched on some of the legendary keyboardist’s greatest hits — “Green Onions,” “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Time Is Tight.”

Listen to a sizzling version of “Time Is Tight” from 1969 below.