So, what have you been listening to lately?

[uwe]

Musikladen (the successor to Beat Club) was a German music show that came in two formats: Musikladen (canned music) and Musikladen Extra (live music). This performance is curiously in between and attempts a live vibe (and Finn's percussion is louder than it ever was on studio recordings), but certainly Bolan's vocals are not live, just look at 02:14 where he is away from the mic while the flawless vocals go on. The music playing is not the studio track (no strings), but must be something pre-recorded specifically for the show or an initial live studio track doctored heavily in the aftermath.

Real Bolan live was a lot more ramshackle than this, he had a Hendrix'esque/Neil Young'ish abandon to playing guitar (if none of the technical skills of the aforementioned two).

Still a gem to watch though the beginnings of Bolan's bloated phase are already becoming slightly visible.


EDIT: This is actually from the rehearsals to that particular TV show and much more like it, Marc Bolan live in all his wild and imperfect glory.



I've said it before, I'll say it again: There is an undeniable Marc Bolan influence in how Prince approached guitar and vocals.

[uwe]

An English (from Shropshire, very close to Wales) national treasure domicexiled in Connecticut for the last 40 years or so, three-and-half years older (!) than Joe Biden, singing about a legendary Hamburg music club that spawned a few noteworthy careers. The drummer on the track is incidentally from Liverpool (once with "The Silver Bugs 'n' Sheridan" as the 'Unter sings), the guitarist from Tom Petty, the album (Defiance Part 1) released on, yes, Sun Records.

You need any more boxes ticked? What the hell is not to like?!

[Dave W]

Billy (The Kid) Emerson passed yesterday at age 97. He was apparently the oldest surviving Sun artist.



Later covered (and slightly modified) by Billy Lee Riley in the 50s and Sam the Sham in the 60s.

[uwe]

Finally a good live version of it with the classic line-up, Thain's bass could just be louder in the mix:

[uwe]

Minimalist art no one here gives a friggin' damn about ...

[Ken]

Finally a good live version of it with the classic line-up, Thain's bass could just be louder in the mix:

If I could only have a camera fixed on Gary, that would be great.  One of my absolute favorite bass players.  Fortunately his bass is high in the mix on the live album.

[uwe]

How come we never talk about these guys here?

[uwe]

If I could only have a camera fixed on Gary, that would be great.  One of my absolute favorite bass players.  Fortunately his bass is high in the mix on the live album.

Both Hensley and Gerry Bron (Heep's producer for ages) were such fans of Thain's overt musicality, they always wanted him high up in the mix. And both have said that only Trevor Bolder came close as a bassist within Heep.

[Dave W]

The Turtles were a very good pop band. Kaylan and Volman are multi-talented guys. Most of their stuff is still very listenable today. What else can you say about them? I can't recall anyone putting them in the same league with the most influential bands.

[uwe]

If you get asked to sing on Frank Zappa, Marc Bolan and Bruce Springsteen records, you must be doing something right.

[westen44]

Before I was even old enough to drive, my parents took my sister and me to a concert that had several acts, including Tom Jones and the Turtles.  After it was over, my sister and I went outside to our parents.  They had been standing out there talking to several members of the Turtles.  My sister and I were both like, what the hell?  I've mentioned some of this before in other posts, but I don't think I've ever told the whole story.  It isn't surprising, though.  Through the years, my mother especially has encountered several famous singers, mostly country artists.  I think most of it was coincidental. 

[Alanko]

I've been listening to the British band 'Broadcast'.



They are regarded as a 'hauntological' band, in that they used a lot of retro motifs and timbres in their music, but it was made using modern equipment and often had off-kilter harmonies and structures. Sadly singer Trish Keenan died suddenly of swine flu a few years ago.

Many bands try and dress like 1960s groups or use vintage equipment to get the right tones, but few capture this eerie, unsettling vibe. This track wouldn't have worked as a single in the '60s, yet it sounds like one. The lush Burt Bacharach soundscape, distorted backing vocals and clattering drums all sound familiar, but the song's structure is fairly unconventional.

[uwe]

Never heard or seen this version, different drummer - Jimmie who?! - and George singing second lead in the second verse. Lennon's triplets are incredibly precise, he's almost like a mandolin player.

[uwe]

Some...what ener...get...ic....

Did that poor SG consent to being whipped at the end?

[Alanko]

Paunchy coke-addled Bolan is not the best Bolan. There is only so many times you can drop an SG on the ground like that! I'm surprised the headstock didn't fly away.