Man, what a long week... too bad I need a regular job to pay things like... bills! Anyways, I finally have a day off & can update the blog with some hopefully tasty tidbits & other artifacts.
I recently found an old (oops... better be careful how I use the term "old") issue of Melody Maker magazine from 1974 at a flea market. If my memory serves me correctly, it was a magazine that was published in England that was started way back in the 20's and somehow survived until around the year 2000.
Anyways, contained in that issue was an interview with Karen Carpenter (which I almost blew past on my first thumb-through), but found some interesting comments she made about the "new rock music" that was emerging at that time. She may have been popular at that time in the pop music genre, but she was clueless about rock music. Some of her comments included; "Music covers so many different areas. It's fine David Bowie is something different & original. I think "Space Oddity" is a good song, but I wouldn't go out and buy any of his albums. But as for Lou Reed, The New York Dolls, and other "new music" acts, they're all just a bunch of amateurs... awful... horrible singing, can't play instruments and screaming at the top of their lungs."
While on the subject of magazines & with the recent film about The Runaways in the press, here's a copy of a magazine I would love to find. Also around the same time back in 1974, Kim Fowley and Who Put The Bomp magazine are sponsoring a contest to put together "the female Beatles, Stones, Who, Shangri-Las of the 70's!" The magazine features a full page ad highlighting the contest. The search is on... the ultimate goal? The band will become The Runaways.
Fast forward three years; The Police borrow 150 pounds in 1977 and rent Pathway Studios in Islington (over in England) to record their 1st single... before they've ever played a single gig. Some say the band is "putting the cart before the horse". History shows it didn't matter... much like the attitude of punk and alternative music.
Hit the fast forward button again for another three years. We find ourselves in 1980 and the Clash have made a movie! Yes, the Clash! The film is called "Rude Boy" and was filmed between 1977 and 1979 and attempts to show the "real world" backstage with the Clash. The film tanks, no doubt because of it's 'X' rating (rated that way because of a sex scene & the use of the "f" word 96 times!) However, the movie does contain some fantastic live recordings and is the most compelling punk film to date and perhaps since then.
Punk and alternative rock bands & performers have always struggled with corporations as well as other aspects that comes with the industry and the Black Crows are no exception. This week back in 1991, they are kicked off a tour with ZZ Top , for repeatedly criticizing Miller Beer who was sponsoring the tour. The Black Crows immediately start their own tour. Ironically, 14 years later, they headlined a Miller sponsored event at Indianapolis Speedway.
Lastly, in 2008, a poll of 11,000 people in Britain named the 1994 album Definitely Maybe by Oasis as the greatest album ever made by a British artist. The group's 1995 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory was ranked second; OK Computer by Radiohead came third. In fourth place: the Beatles' Revolver. Seriously, I didn't make that up either.
Birthdays the station is celebrating this week;
- 1968, Sarah McLachlan. Her high-school yearbook predicted that she was destined to become a rock star, and when four of her albums hit the American Top 10 between 1997 and 2006 (Surfacing, Mirror Ball, Afterglow, and Wintersong), the prediction turned out to be correct.
- 1970, future Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante was born in Queens, New York. Frusciante lived out every rock fan's dream when he was invited to join the band in 1988 after being a longtime fan.
Hope you also enjoy the Beastie Boys video clip which cam out this week 22 years ago.
That's it for now,
Peace out,
Dave
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