So, what have you been listening to lately?

[uwe]

Interesting, ain't it? In a radically different setting from Purple, his voice became all of the sudden funkier and grittier, he found a way to reinvent himself. He had nothing to do with the instrumental music - that was all the do of the bunch of Weather Report fans that made up IGB -, but the vocal melodies and phrasing above the funk-jazz melee were all his.

I never associated his performance on the three IGB albums with Glenn Hughes, but come to think of it, you're right! Gillan and Hughes have never sung together, but Gillan rates Hughes as one of the strongest British singers, albeit with the predicament of always sounding like someone else, namely Stevie Wonder!

Mind you, IGB was one of the most divisive post-Purple split-off projects. Purple fans were flabbergasted by all the syncopation going on and fusion (a genre quite popular at the time) fans passed at the thought of that ex-DP screamer from Made In Japan - of all people! - fronting a jazz rock outfit, you weren't really allowed to do that if you weren't immediately identified with a black voice. And when Punk came, that sounded the death knell.

To me the IGB and especially their jazziest second album "Clear Air Turbulence" were one of the best things Ian did outside of his day job. Six lengthy tracks, yet everyone of them amazing.





Mark Nauseef's drumming and especially how he employed the bass drum was and remains incredible.

And I'm not alone in my assessment, this guy here



is a fan of that particular album too.

[Basvarken]

Mark Nauseef's drumming and especially how he employed the bass drum was and remains incredible.

Mr Super Thighs as Philip Lynott used to call him (from 2:34)




(don't pay too much attention to the super obnoxious Gary Moore in this performance. I wonder what drugs he was on... )

[uwe]

The disconcerting thing was: Gary didn't need any drugs to be always clamoring for maximum attention, it was his natural state. 

No doubt a single child.


Speaking of Mark, let's just say he has developed into more demanding realms of music over the decades.






I wouldn't dare comment any further.

[Basvarken]

Haha, that first video is over an hour!
I skipped through it to see if anything happens. But it's really exactly the same all the time.
Now that is what I call challenging the audience 

I'm quite sure his thighs aren't as super anymore these days 

[gearHed289]

He plays like Wolfgang Schmid (once the bass player of German fusioneers Passport) - probably the way you develop as a pick player if you lean towards that type of music.

That's some great playing from Mr. Schmid. Definitely has some funk for pick-style playing. I haven't heard the name Passport in years. I'll have to do some digging...

[uwe]

Schmid and (Hellmut) Hattler (once of Kraan) are generally regarded as the German pick playing bassist "emperors":

[Dave W]

Pre-toupee, when Carl had his own hair.

[Basvarken]

Bad cover. Funny video.
A German with a sense of humor?

[uwe]

I never even liked that song when Queen did it, I thought it silly and a soccer chant. Queen did a fast version of it as their opener for a while, that sounded better to my ears:



That's not knocking Queen, they did great stuff, but We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You were always too obvious for me.

I do like UDO's work in general though, he's an original and a character.





Both his music and Accept's have a "clean German engineering" aspect to them that appeals to my innermost demons.

And UDO's successor in Accept isn't doing a half-bad job either.



And German humor is of course no laughing matter, but serious work.

[Dave W]

A #1 hit on the R&B charts in 1949.

[uwe]

Back when "all she wants to do is rock & roll" had (not so) subliminal meanings. 

That original meaning got somewhat lost over time as rock'n'roll was made presentable to white audiences. But there were luckily resurgences!



That guitar still sounds so Nile Rodgers to me, but it isn't. Jerome Smith of KC & The Sunshine Band played it.



Killed in a freak bulldozer (he was operating) accident in 2000. 

[Dave W]

More Wynonie

[Basvarken]

Graham Bonnet singing about the ageing rocker he is

[uwe]

Very nice, bedankt! I know it's OTT, but I like it. Re age, he always has that cute bassist to console him. They met in a totally un-rock'n'roll way, in a parent group for Asperger's kids, they bonded over that and when he learned that she played bass he asked her to join him on tour, the rest is road history.

Meanwhile, Alcatrazz continue with another Rainbow alumni, a Scottish one ...



They can reproduce it live too. Though Joe Stump plays lead guitar like all heavy metal lead guitarists must sound to you IF YOU HATE HEAVY METAL !!! 



Doogie can sing, no doubt, but he's no Graham Bonnet (he always admitted himself that Bonnet is the hardest Rainbow singer to replicate in tone). Alcatrazz without him is a bit like Dio (the band) with Joe Lynn Turner fronting.

[uwe]

Well, it rocks!



Man, I'd really like to see them live, they scrapped their European tour. It's unusual to see Glenn playing with two guitarists (something he has never done in his chequered career, guitar and organ, yes, but never two guitars) - he's so upfront and pushy as a bass player, I had some concerns it might not work, but it sounds great here.

Hope he sticks around for a while with those guys.