(a tentative part one to a projected series from a personal selection of life meaning cuts... by Astro Le Mocker) :
Some of the music we listen to are evidently meaningful to our existence; I'm not talking only about the lyrics, but sometimes just the notes, a melody has meaning, an instrumental can underscore some pieces, moments of our lives... One such musical score is "the Fly" from David Axelrod's second album, I believe his best : "Songs Of Experience" released in 1969 on Capitol (SKAO-338).
Following a personal hurting, heartbreaking experience I just had, I find myself listening to this particular track out of the album, again and again, like it was expressing my private feeling better than words : a miserable Fly buzzing around from one shit to another bum experience. It is the soundtrack to how I feel now. The notes are so intense, the melody keeps resounding in my head, it's poignant and hearfelt.
Now, I know how easy it is to cite a number by an artist as hyped as David Axelrod among mixing DJs, Breakbeat fanatics, Trip-Hop/ Drums 'n'Bass music programmers and in various hip Rare Groove circles, from the late century's 1990's onwards. I don't need to talk about the artist, how great a Jazz arranger, producer and musical score writer David Axelrod is. Lord knows how I hate fake Fashionistas, being an underdog myself for years but... WTF, it's the Music that counts! And here, the notes are expressive enough to transcend mere hype. Just listen : It should speak for itself.
Starting with this choice, I think I will continue pointing out tracks and particular scores that have meaning enough to be part of the soundtrack of my life... Have a nice Sunday!
Nancy & Billy Strange do their amazing arrangement of the Sonny Bono composition "Bang Bang" (or did Lee Hazlewood arrange it?). This is the only video I've ever seen of the great Billy Strange.
"Billy Strange was a much-respected guitarist, songwriter, and arranger who made an indelible mark on pop music as one of the top session players in Los Angeles during the 1960s. And as a songwriter, he was no slouch either. Born in Long Beach, California, Strange was just 5 years old when he performed on a local radio station – reportedly winning a yodel contest. Roughly ten years later, he was given his first guitar, and within two years, he was on the road. During the mid ’60s, Strange found himself as part of a collective of L.A. studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, who would go down in history as the players on some of the most important pop, rock, and country records of the era. Most famously, Strange played on landmark recordings by the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), Nat King Cole, Nancy Sinatra, Willie Nelson, and Elvis Presley (whose “A Little Less Conversation” was co-written by Strange. Others who recorded Strange-penned songs include Chubby Checker, the Champs, Hank Snow, and Glen Campbell. In the early ’70s, Strange moved to Nashville where he co-owned and ran the Sinatra’s publishing company. Billy Strange was 81 when he passed away on February 22, 2012." via The Music's Over
It's Day 20 of Joe Tex Month over at the WFMU Rock 'n Soul Ichiban so I thought I would bust this out, I don't think this has been on the internets before. "Papa Was Too" & "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" (Gala De Clôture 3.14.69)
Some very cool footage of 60's teens dancing and general "Hard Day's Night" style romping. Uploaded by XenonExplosion who notes:
"Bought a box of empty 16mm and 8mm reels, with a few of them full of leader... and THIS footage!"
"If anyone knows what it is or who the band is, or even the date, please share... It looks like a student film or "music video." (yeah, I know, it's on Film so it's not a video...)"
"It has no soundtrack, and the sprocket side is very dark so I could barely make out --DACHRO-- on the edge, which leads me to believe this was shot on Kodachrome. The video doesn't do the colors or the sharpness justice, they're incredible!"
"I left the sound intact so you could hear the splices go through the projector. Some of the footage is continuous stock even though the angle/scene changes, but most of it is cement-spliced together. Fascinating stuff!"
from left: Jay Huling, Colin Scot, Kevin Shipman and Carl Berg
The What's New have always fascinated record collectors: mistakenly listed as a Florida band, they released two EPs in France but nothing in the U.S.
Their story starts with the Yachtsmen, a folk group founded by students at Long Beach City College in 1959. They became regulars at Disneyland in Anaheim, releasing an LP on Disney's Buena Vista label (BV-3310), "High and Dry with The Yachtsmen" in 1961.
On the LP the group were Carl Berg (vocals, guitar), Ray Jordan (vocals, banjo, string bass), Jay Huling (aka Jay Hulingpart, vocals, guitar, bongos), and Bill Reed (vocals, bass). Other members included Kevin Shipman and Mickey Elley.
The Yachtsmen continued performing at Disneyland for the next several years, adding Scot Thistlewaite (stage name Colin Scot).
Scot had been playing banjo and guitar with a ragtime duo called Bud and Scotty at Coke Corner in Disneyland, with Bud Hedrick on piano.
Bud Hedrick and Colin Scot at Coke Corner, photo courtesy Bud Hedrick.
Scot was born in the UK, moved to Canada in the late '50s where he went to Sir Adam Beck Collegiate High School in London, Ontario, then moved to California where he attended Cal State University at Long Beach.
In October, 1965, French chanteuse Line Renaud and her husband Louis "Loulou" Gasté saw the Yatchsmen at Disneyland and brought the group over to Paris in January, 1966.
The band changed their name to the What's New though they still look very collegiate performing "Des mots d'amor" with Line Renaud on French TV. They performed at the Casino de Paris, and opened for the Beach Boys and Michel Polnareff at the Olympia on October 25, 1966.
They recorded their first EP in July, '66 at Gasté's own studio in Paris, scoring a French hit with a single version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain". Their first EP also has their version of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" and two songs by Randy Sparks of the New Christy Minstrels, "Huckleberry Finn" and "Driving Wheels".
Their second EP showcases four original songs by Colin Scot, putting a sharp folk-rock sound behind Scot's plaintive lead vocal and the group's harmonies. It includes the now-famous "Up So High" ("Got no use for LSD, every time you look at me I'm up so high") and the excellent "Get Away" which moves from dreamy verse to tough chorus.
The What's New disbanded in early 1967. Colin Scot became part owner of a nightclub called Kahuna's Cave in Cala Mayor, Palma de Majorca, and toured the folk circuit in the UK in the late '60s. In the 1970s he released LPs on United Artists and Warner Bros, with a final single "Mandolin Man" / "Boris" on RCA in 1977. He died in Amsterdam in 1996 (though I've also seen it listed as 1999).
I'm very excited to announce our newest guest blogger, Chas Kit of the awesome Garage Hangover blog. I contacted Chas about some videos I found by a group called The What's New, I couldn't find much info on them, and what I did find turned out to be incorrect. But, of course, Chas has the scoop on them. Check out his post (with videos uploaded by Bedazzled.tv) coming up in a few minutes.
"A short video by Martin Kinch featuring paintings of Roy Wood by the artist Debra Dee, The paintings are featured in an exhibition at St Pauls Gallery in Birmingham untill the 23rd Feb - I also had a short chat with Roy about the paintings" via britrockaholic.tumblr.com
"Joe Tex and James Brown were bitter rivals. The beef started over a controversy about stage moves. JT thought JB swiped his trademark microphone kicking tricks. JB claimed JT stole them from him. This led to an escalating series of thefts and public jabs that stands up to any modern day hip-hop feud. After all, Joe Tex was the original rapper." via wfmuichiban.blogspot.com
"First aired August 15th, 2011 "Come To The Sunshine" show 72 Moves to the sound of Roy Wood, Carl Wayne, Trevor Burton, Bev Bevan, Ace Kefford, Rick Price and Jeff Lynne. Yes, its THE MOVE!"
"This spectacular spotlight features two hours of rare radio recordings, vintage vinyl and astounding covers from Birmingham's finest, The Move. Host Andrew Sandoval also spins Move related recordings and covers from Idle Race, Lemon Tree, Sheridan/Rick Price, Acid Gallery, The Casuals, Equipe 84 & Tom Northcott." via cometothesunshine.podomatic.com
All of the CDs , DVDs, Books and Movie Posters lining the sidebars of Bedazzled! are actually links to buy stuff on Amazon. So if you're doing some online shopping, think about starting your search for cool stuff here.
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