1960s Psychedelic Hippie Culture and Music

Jimi Hendrix - What Was His Contribution to Music?

2009-11-07T13:18:00.000+10:30

By James Mckenna

Technique is often mistaken for musicality. Flying fingers connected to a gigantic stage presence can be blown out of the water in one magical moment when a musician brings that mysterious something, the strange essence that moves our soul and makes us laugh and cry and dance and peek though a new door.

We may not even get it at first, or even really like it, but we are enticed by that wild promise of adventure, a suspicion that the view from the summit will be worth the scramble from the valley.

There have been countless guitarists since the death of Jimi Hendrix who have dazzled us with their style and speed; in some cases possessing seeming complete mastery of the instrument. And while we love what they are doing, when comparisons start being made (he is faster, she has better technique) the point is lost.

What Jimi brought to the table was far more than his innovative approach or flashy swash buckling manner. He invited us on a journey. He opened up our ear to new possibilities, what was once dissonant became a larger palette. Like a crazy jazz player he introduced the whole scale to our ear and even the possibility of micro-tones. He drew us out of the bland and the beige and gave us a taste of new possibilities and lands to conquer.

Of course the foundation was built on after he was gone. But Jimi opened a gate that the next generation of guitar players ran through. Pioneers make the cities of the next generation possible. We are well aware he was not alone, Page, Van Halen, Vai have all been door openers in their own way but I would wager JimI Hendrix has a lot of musicians standing on his shoulders.

What Jimi Hendrix accomplished (apart from those licks that send shivers down your spine) was the inspiration of thousands of the next generation of guitarist. A huge and thunderous army. It must be said we may or may not be grateful for all of those ambassadors of rock who came after; some shine and some make us search for the mute button.

After Jimi was dead there where many who wanted to continue his sound and keep his dream alive. But in many respects they missed the point. He lit up the way to new sounds, opened the door to new possibilities. No one will ever sound just like Jimi Hendrix, who would really want to?

Jimi Hendrix was a wonderful musician, an inspiration and a pioneer. What he left us apart from his amazing songs, was a bigger canvas to paint on and larger wings to soar on ... fly on.

G'day, There would not be many guitarists I know who don't have a soft spot for the music of Jimi Hendrix. Check out my blog for some more guitar inspiration http://muzoflight.blogspot.com or source some great stuff at http://muzoflighta.info. Thanks for reading ... James.

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ALBUM REVIEWS: The Rolling Stones - Black and Blue (1976), Emotional Rescue (1980)

2009-11-07T13:16:00.000+10:30

By Nathan Stallings

The Rolling Stones' quintessential jam album, Black and Blue is a departure from It's Only Rock n' Roll and Goats Head Soup in the sense that its does not revel in the decadence but merely showcases the band just, well, playing.

One could call Black and Blue the hangover from those two albums. Part of the reason for this was the departure of guitarist Mick Taylor after It's Only Rock n' Roll as the band was auditioning guitarists and because of this, there were numerous guitarists on this album. The band did eventually settle on former Jeff Back Group and faces guitarist Ron Wood, but he would be more extensively featured on the next album, Some Girls.

The album incorporates disco ("Hot Stuff"), reggae ("Cherry Oh Baby"), ballads ("Fool To Cry" and the beautiful "Memory Motel," one of their finest), hard rock ("Hand Of Fate" and "Crazy Mama"), latin music ("Hey Negrita") and tin-pan alley ("Melody"). Like Exile On Main Street, Black and Blue does not feature any massive hits ("Fool To Cry" barely cracked the Top 10) but as a whole it's a rewarding listen. The musical landscape was changing with the emergence of disco and punk, however, and the band would need to revitalize itself (not to mention that Keith Richards would need to sober up) to remain relevant. Never count out the Stones.

Emotional Rescue followed the extremely successful Some Girls and it basically follows the same formula, especially since the album consists of leftovers from the Some Girls sessions. Given this fact it is easy to assume that this album consists of filler, and while this might hold true, it is filler that is very well written and performed. The reggae-tinged mail order bride anthem "Send It To Me," the silly rockers "Summer Romance" and "Where The Boys Go," the Buck Owens-ish "Indian Girl," and the disco rock of "Dance (Pt 1)" are solid songs if not guilty pleasures.

The punky "Let Me Go" and the blues-rock of "Down In The Hole" are winners. The cold but sexy title track track and the Chuck Berry-like "She's So Cold" could be considered classics that hold their own with the rest of the band's catalog, while "All About You" is another brilliant vocal contribution by Keith Richards. Overall, Emotional Rescue is a very solid outing with barely a dull moment, not to mention a terrific way to open up a new decade for the band.

My name is Nathan Stallings and my interests are both popular music and music history. Some of my favorite artists are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Smiths, David Bowie, The Kinks, Depeche Mode, Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Chuck Berry, Bob Marley, R.E.M., Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Muddy Waters, The Cars, Miles Davis, Smashing Pumpkins, Merle Haggard and The Cure too name a few. You can visit my Rolling Stones website at: http://www.rollingstonesuniverse.com.

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ALBUM REVIEW: The Rolling Stones, Aftermath (1966)

2009-11-07T13:14:00.000+10:30

By Nathan Stallings

After five studio albums (three in the U.K.), with Aftermath the Rolling Stones finally delivered a set of all original material, with every track written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The album opens with the ominous classic "Paint It, Black" with its signature sitar riff courtesy of Brian Jones.

What is quite noticeable about this album is the level of blatant sexism in several tracks: "Stupid Girl," which paints the perfect portrait of the golddigger; "Under My Thumb" with its catch melody which is further enhanced by the use of Marimbas courtesy of, once again, Brian Jones; "Doncha Bother Me" which sounds like an old blues track with a few modernistic touches; and "Think," the ultimate in your face, who's lying now pop song. "Lady Jane" is a beautiful Elizabethian track with a killer Dulcimer courtesy of ... Brian Jones, and is one their best tracks, while "I Am Waiting" is a beautiful hidden gem with its brooding atmosphere and mildly ominous tone.

"High And Dry" is a solid blues track while "Flight 505" and "It's Not Easy" are a good pieces of blues-rock. The problem with this album is one track, the eleven minute long "Going Home," which took up over a quarter of album. Were the band to have removed or shortened "Going Home", this album would have been even easier to admire as it appeared as if Jagger, Richards and the rest of the band didn't exactly now where they were "going." Ample credit must be given to Brian Jones for this album as his stylistic touches helped the group build upon their rock 'n' roll meets blues foundation. That said, Aftermath is one of the best albums of the 1960s.

The British version of Aftermath, which was actually released earlier than the American version, trades in "Paint It Black" for the prescription drug ode (and American Top Ten hit) "Mother's Little Helper." It was common place in Britain before Sgt. Pepper's to not include major singles on an album.

In addition to the swap, the album adds three tracks to the mix: another blatantly sexist, sneering number "Out Of Time," with an excellent intro courtesy of Brian Jones and his Marimbas; the beautiful and soulful "Take It Or Leave It"; and the country-ish "What To Do." All three are worthy additions and the absence of "Paint It Black" does not diminish the quality of the album.

My name is Nathan Stallings and my interests are both popular music and music history. Some of my favorite artists are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Smiths, David Bowie, The Kinks, Depeche Mode, Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Chuck Berry, Bob Marley, R.E.M., Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Muddy Waters, The Cars, Miles Davis, Smashing Pumpkins, Merle Haggard and The Cure too name a few. You can visit my Rolling Stones website at: http://www.rollingstonesuniverse.com

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Beatles record label EMI suing BlueBeat.com for offering unauthorized downloads of the Fab Four's tracks for sale

2009-11-06T23:11:00.000+10:30

from u-spaces@yahoogroups.com on behalf of Robert

According to Reuters, BEATLES record label EMI is suing U.S. music website BlueBeat.com, which it said was offering unauthorized downloads of the Fab Four's tracks for sale. "EMI has not authorized content to be sold on BlueBeat.com," a spokeswoman said.

EMI confirmed it had filed a copyright infringement suit against BlueBeat.com in a US court earlier this week.

BlueBeat.com offers songs for 25 US cents each, around one quarter of what a song would typically cost on the dominant online music retail site iTunes, owned by Apple Inc.

On offer is an extensive list of Beatles albums, both original and recently remastered versions, despite the fact that the band has yet to agree with music providers to the release of its cherished catalog online.

A year ago, former Beatle Paul McCartney said the band was keen to make its music available on Apple's iTunes music store, but that negotiations had stalled.

The settlement of a trademark dispute between Apple and The Beatles' company Apple Corps Ltd had raised hopes among fans and record company executives that the way was finally clear for the catalog to make it online.

McCartney said the dispute holding back online sales of Beatles music now lay between the band and EMI.

He said EMI wanted "something we're not prepared to give 'em."

Music industry sources said they suspected EMI's action against BlueBeat could be followed by other major labels whose content features on the site.

ALBUM REVIEW: The Rolling Stones, Goats Head Soup (1973)

2009-11-06T23:01:00.000+10:30

By Nathan Stallings

Coming on the heels of the Rolling Stones' most acclaimed album Exile On Main Street and a four album winning streak, Goats Head Soup had the deck stacked against it from the beginning as the reviews were less than enthusiastic with some critics proclaiming it the band's worst album since 1967's Their Satanic Majesties Request.

First off, Their Satanic Majesties Request was not a bad album, and neither is Goats Head Soup. As a matter fact, it is very good - and on top of this it shows Mick Jagger and Keith Richards going in different directions, as Jagger is ascending up the celebrity A-list while Richards is slipping deeper into drug addiction.

There are moments that border on the rock n' roll decadence parody that the subsequent It's Only Rock 'n Roll would bring to the surface as the opening track, "Dancing With Mr D." "Dancing" would take the band's (namely Jagger's) satanic image to comic extremes while the closing track "Star Star" (originally titled "Starf___er") celebrated their (and many other celebrities') decadent lifestyle in an over-the-top sexually explicit manner.

Aside from those two tracks there are beautiful songs: such as the haunting "100 Years Ago"; the smash hit ballad "Angie" which Jagger wrote for Anita Pallenberg (who was married to Keith Richards at the time!); the majestic and drugged out tracks "Winter" (which recalls "Moonlight Mile" on Sticky Fingers) and Keith's vocal contribution "Coming Down Again"; and the murky psychedelia of "Can You Hear The Music." Of course there is always good blues rock as "Silver Train" and "Hide Your Love" best demonstrate.

The highpoint along with maybe "Angie" is the socially conscious funky hard-rocker "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" which deals with the grit and filth of 1970s New York City, namely the accidental shooting of a young boy by the police.

While Goats Head Soup might be a notch below Exile, it is much more accessible, not to mention, a great album.

My name is Nathan Stallings and my interests are both popular music and music history. Some of my favorite artists are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Smiths, David Bowie, The Kinks, Depeche Mode, Bob Dylan, Morrissey, Chuck Berry, Bob Marley, R.E.M., Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Muddy Waters, The Cars, Miles Davis, Smashing Pumpkins, Merle Haggard and The Cure too name a few. You can visit my Rolling Stones website at: http://www.rollingstonesuniverse.com

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50 Years of Music Label Island Records - Could You Not Be Loved?

2009-11-06T22:58:00.000+10:30

By Beert Paters

After Motown blew out its 50 candles earlier this year (January 12), it's now time for another legendary record label to celebrate its semicentennial anniversary: Chris Blackwell's Island Records. Although never achieving the same mythical status as Berry Gordy Jr's soul label, the label-with-the-palm certainly isn't inferior to it.

The past half century Sun Island has put several genres firmly on the world music map. Jamaica's reggae of course (yep, all the classics, all the big names), but also the British folk rock of Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson and Nick Drake. And who can forget Bryan and Brian's art rock (Roxy Music) or Cat Stevens' singalong gems?

The list of quality, talent-in-abundance players goes on and on. How about Steve Gimme Some Lovin' Winwood, the androgynous disco of Grace Jones, U2's impressive back catalogue (they literally got Blackwell out of some difficult mid 1980s years), or enfants terrible Tom Waits and PJ Harvey? And oh yes, even Sugababes' hot nightclub-lick Push the Button got the blessing. Unlike Motown, Island also plays a role anno 2009, albeit now as part of big daddy Universal - with Mika, Amy Winehouse, Keane, The Killers and The Fratellis among others.

The celebrations are taking on many forms: gala evenings, live shows, documentaries, a fist-sized biography, a website, reissues and compilations. Such as the compilation boxes (each with three CDs) War ina Babylon: An Island Reggae Anthology 1959-2005 (no trace of Islands biggest star Bob Marley though, presumably a matter of rights), Meet on the Ledge: An Island Folk-Rock Anthology 1967-1977 (a good cross section), Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology 1967-1972 (bad 7 years for the Shrooms with millennium-party plans) and Island Life: 50 Years of Island Records (the greatest hits of the past fifty years, plus covers by contemporary artists - Winehouse, Sugababes, The Feeling , Paul Weller, and others).

Maybe Island Records' achievements can best be accoladed by the success of some of Robert Palmer's works. Where soul, rock and pop, blues and jazz blend in to become one joyous cocktail. Back and forth, Fast and slow. South and north. I'd like to now propose a toast. To the best of both worlds. Cheers, Islanders. Happy 50.

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Beatles Remastered - Rubber Soul Recorded in 1965 Sounds Like a 2009 Performance!

2009-11-06T22:50:00.000+10:30

By John R Powell

Is the Rubber Soul the soul that bounces back? You cannot tell that this music was made in 1965. The remastered version that were just acoustically upgraded in 2009 are so superior in every way to the original recordings that you'll want to throw the original versions away.

If you close your eyes and listen to the remastered version of Rubber Soul you might think you're sitting in the recording studio while this is being made. The distinctiveness of the individual tracks is simply amazing. Even though you might have heard these songs hundreds of times, listening to the remastered version is like hearing them for the first time. Indeed, all the sounds were on the original recordings, but the quality and the separation have to be experienced to be appreciated.

The name "Rubber Soul" was conceived by Paul McCartney after overhearing a black musician's description of Mick Jagger's singing style as "plastic soul". Lennon confirmed this in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, stating, "That was Paul's title ... meaning English soul. Just a pun."

John Lennon has also stated "Rubber Soul" as being The Beatles' first album where they had complete creative control during the recording sessions. This is obvious when you listen to the lyrics of the songs on "Rubber Soul" compared to previous albums. The relationships between the sexes moved from simpler boy-girl love songs on the previous albums to more subtle , even negative characterization on "Rubber Soul".

As with every Beatles' album, the genre and style change when compared to previous releases. "Rubber Soul" has a definite folk rock feel to the album. All four of the Beatles were fans of Bob Dylan; John Lennon notes Dylan as a prominent influence on his music during this point in his lifetime and career. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" is often cited as The Beatles' first conscious recognition of the lyrical innovations of Bob Dylan.

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" is also acknowledged as one of the cornerstones of what is now usually called "world music" and is a major landmark in the trend towards incorporating non-Western musical influences into Western popular music. The reason for this is because George Harrison incorporated the Indian stringed instrument, the sitar, into the song. The use of the sitar was just one of the innovations the Beatles' were using.

They had just started to begin with recording innovations that would forever change the face of their music. For instance, on the song "In My Life" the keyboard solo sounds like a harpsichord but it is a piano. They recorded at half speed, so when they played it back it sounded like a harpsichord.

Other production innovations included the use of electronic sound processing on many instruments, notably the heavily compressed and equalized piano sound on John Lennon's "The Word"; this distinctive effect soon became extremely popular in the genre of psychedelic music. One more innovation that the Beatles used was just plain creativity.

On the song "I'm Looking Through You", Ringo Starr tapped a pack of matches with his finger to get the percussion effect that they wanted for that particular song.

"Rubber Soul" was the very beginning of the psychedelic phase that the Beatles went through from 1965-1970. One can hear the beginnings of what would become "All You Need Is Love" when you listen to "The Word". This album also marked the end of the Beatles' "mop top" days.

"Rubber Soul" was a major artistic achievement, a beginning of a transformation towards sophisticated rock 'n' roll that would define their later career. Critics and fans believed that "Rubber Soul" was the first album to not just fill up an album with single tracks, but have a full and complete album without the use of "filler" tracks. To this day, "Rubber Soul" is still seen as a major artistic achievement; and it's still great music to listen to.

John Powell is an educator turned internet marketing educator. His website offers simple yet effective techniques and strategies for educating yourself and then taking the necessary steps to walk into a profitable internet marketing future.

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Beatles Remastered - Abbey Road Recorded in 1969 Sounds Like a 2009 Performance!

2009-11-06T22:47:00.000+10:30

By John R Powell

With the exception of the 2000 compilation and Let It Be Naked in 2003, fans have been listening to the Beatles as they were put on CD in 1987. That is now 22 years ago. Sound technology has improved leaps and bounds since then.

If you're thinking you've heard the Beatles songs hundreds and hundreds of times, I'm telling you that the remastered CD's are the closest thing to new Beatle music as we're ever going to experience. The first song "Come Together" has so many "new" sounds that are actually sounds that were on the original recordings but they weren't separate and distinct as they are now on the remastered CD's.

For these new remastered tracks, engineers went back to the original tapes that George Martin mastered. They dug for all of the audio details of the individual sounds. The quality of the Beatles recordings were mostly very meticulous. George Martin in my estimation is the fifth Beatle. Four Beatles in the recording studio and the fifth (George Martin) was in the control booth. His contribution to their sound, their creative efforts and their overall success is undeniable. His recording techniques were brilliant to say the least. New life has truly been breathed into music that has proven itself timeless. Is this worth the investment of replacing older versions? Absolutely!

Abbey Road is the 17th U.S. album and the 11th U.K. album released. Even though Let It Be was the last album released before the dissolution of the Beatles in 1970, Abbey Road was the last album that was properly started by the band before they disbanded. Let It Be was nearly finished when Abbey Road started, and after releasing Abbey Road, the Beatles went back and completed various overdubs and a couple of recordings before finally releasing Let It Be. Basically, even though Let It Be is technically the last album ever released by the Beatles, Abbey Road is their true swan song. It is their true final goodbye.

Abbey Road has two sides that are completely different in style. The first side is full of single songs. The second side is a suite of compositions that Lennon and McCartney wrote that are combined together into a complex melody. I believe side two of Abbey Road is what makes this album one of the greatest of all time.

Side two has songs that if you look at the individual songs, they are just incomplete and fragmented songs. The suite starts with the McCartney composition "You Never Give Me Your Money", which is the only song that I would consider complete by itself. It continues on with "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", and "Polythene Pam". All three of these songs were composed by John Lennon.

The suite continues on with the McCartney penned songs "She Came in through the Bathroom Window", "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight", and "The End". The song "Carry That Weight" has part of the song "You Never Give Me Your Money" in it. They use that song as the bridge for "Carry That Weight" and then it goes back to the original song and continues on to "The End".

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces of music the Beatles have ever done is the very end of the song "The End". It has the lyrics, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". These are the last lyrics in the last song on the last album the Beatles have ever produced. It is a fitting ending for the greatest group I've ever listened to. The way that Producer George Martin and Paul McCartney compile these together proves that the Beatles (plus George Martin), when together, are bigger than any of them could ever be individually.

Abbey Road was named the 14th best album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. I personally think that it is better than some of the Beatles other albums that rank higher in Rolling Stones list. Particularly Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which ranks at #1 on the list. I think Abbey Road is better in so many ways. Abbey Road has more three part harmonies in it than any other Beatle album recorded.

The biggest aspect that sets it apart from other Beatle albums is the Abbey Road medley, the suite of songs that take up side 2 of the album. Nobody in the world has ever been able to reproduce anything like it. Nobody ever will. If you followed the fab four after the split, you know that with just a few exceptions the magic that was so special about most of the Beatle music was for the most part not present in the music of John, Paul, George or Ringo in their individual careers after the Beatles. They obviously had a magic as the Beatles that was greater than their individual talents. Collectively their was a creative synergy that transformed their individual gifts into something that had a large part in transforming the culture of their day.

My name is John Powell. I'm an educator turned internet marketer. I was hesitant to start writing articles because I didn't think that I had a lot to give to people. But shortly after I began, I found my voice. I discovered that I had a lot to say. I enjoy writing articles. I enjoy sharing information with others. I get a lot of satisfaction by helping others get connected with success.

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rrelas@comcast.net

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The Isley Brothers - Success at Its Best

2009-11-06T22:38:00.000+10:30

By Robert D Hill

The original members of the Isley Brothers were O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley. They were the elder sons of O'Kelly, Sr. and Sally Bell Isley, and were raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. The group was originally formed in 1957 as an African-American R&B band but also branched into soul music and funk. As a group, they had several lineups aside from the original trio - a quartet, a sextet and a duo over the years of their career.

The Isleys started their recording career with small labels, doing doo-wop and rock n' roll music, but in 1969 their brand of gritty sound and funk single titled "It's Your Thing" earned them their first Grammy Award. Before this, they had their taste of modest success with their singles such as "Shout", "Twist and Shout", and "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)". They also had a short time collaborating with Jimi Hendrix as background guitar player.

Going back to the beginning, the Isley Brothers' were first exposed to the public at church performances. Kelly, Rudy, and Ron were taught by their parents to perform in front of audiences, and they later convinced the trio to form a new singing group in 1957. The group left Ohio for New York and started recording doo-wop music.

RCA Records noticed their performance at a Jackie Wilson concert, where they sang an opening number for the main act. RCA were impressed and signed them up. They started recording for RCA and "Shout" was the group's first single to hit the charts, reaching no.47 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group was released from their contract when it was not able to chart another hit after "Shout".

Their first top 40 single was "Twist and Shout", originally recorded by the Top Notes and later covered by The Beatles. This was recorded just after they signed with Wand Records in 1962. The group released other follow-ups but finally left Wand Records in 1964, moving to New Jersey and forming T-Neck Records. The anticipated level of success did not come with T-Neck so they signed with Motown under Tamla in 1965.

Their biggest Motown success came with "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", which Ron was later to record with Rod Stewart. It reached number 12 in the Hot 100 and no. 6 at R&B. However, history was repeated when they were unable to produce a successful follow-up, so in 1968 requested that Motown release them from their contract.

After discovering that they had a good fan-base in Britain, the Isley Brothers tried to break into Europe. They did tours in the UK, pushing their three Motown singles "This Old Heart", "Put Yourself in My Place", and "Behind a Painted Smile", the latter reaching the top 40. They returned to the United States with a new image and moved and signed in with Buddha Records.

They also revived the T-Neck label, and with Ernie on lead guitar the group recorded the gritty soul single "It's Your Thing". It became the group's biggest charting success, rising to no. 2 on the Billboard hot 100 and winning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performances by a Duo or Group.

Motown CEO Berry Gordy claimed that "It's Your thing" was recorded while they were still with his record label, and after several years of wrangling they reached an out-of-court settlement. The group's tenure with Buddha Records produced several albums, including "The Brothers: Isley", "Givin' It Back" and "Brother, Brother, Brother". Chris Davis, then CBS Records president offered the Isley Brothers a long term deal with Epic so they left Buddha in 1973.

In 1973, they reformed with six members, including younger brothers Ernie Isley and Marvin Isley and brother-in-law Chris Jasper. They called the band "3+3" for obvious reasons. The albums that earned them gold and platinum were titled "3+3", "The Heat Is On", "Go For Your Guns" and "Between The Sheets". Their hit singles include "That Lady", "Fight The Power", "For The Love Of You", "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love)" and "Between The Sheets", recorded from 1973 to 1983.

Their days as 3+3 were considered by many as the most successful of the different group reformations. Chris Jasper, Ernie and Marvin left in 1983 and formed the Isley-Jasper-Isley group, leaving Kelly, Rudy and Ron as the original line-up. They left Epic as a trio and joined Warner Bros. Records.

The three of them released "Masterpiece" in 1985, but Kelly died of a heart attack the following year, leaving Rudy and Ron. In 1987, they collaborated with producer Angela Winbush and dedicated their album "Smooth Sailin" which included the song "Sending a Message", as a tribute to Kelly's memory. Rudy left the group to become a minister, while Ron married Winbush. Carrying on a solo career, Ron worked with Rod Stewart on the remake of "This Old Heart of Mine".

In 1991, Ron reformed a trio with younger brothers Ernie and Marvin. They recorded the album "Tracks of Life" in 1992 and in that same year, the Isley Brothers, as a group, was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group's popularity was significantly boosted by Ron Isley's music video character as lead singer in the hit album "Mission to Peace" in 1996. They reached the top of the charts with "Contagious", with its heavily rotated video. They held the record of being the only group to have a single and album in the charts over five decades, longer than any other group in the history of the charts, and all because of "Contagious" and "Eternal".

Marvin's battle with diabetes was a big blow to the group's career when he retired in 1997, and he had both legs amputated because of it. Rudy still lives with his wife Elaine in California, and little is heard about Chris Jasper and Ernie Isley. In 2006, Ron Isley was convicted of tax evasion and was imprisoned for taxes unpaid for the five years from 1997 to 2002, and during that period he was also diagnosed with kidney cancer. In 2003, The Isley Brothers were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall Of fame.

The Isley Brothers were a fabulous band and had many fans. They probably reformed in different guises more times than any other band, but their fans remained with them and they remain an iconic group. Age caught up with them, but it cannot be disputed that they rank up there with the other Tamla greats of the era, and are one of these bands that will never be forgotten.

To learn more about the Isley Brothers or for the opportunity to shop for books, music, videos, and or apparel, check out http://motown.ws. You can also watch YouTube videos, view the latest Motown news and comment on our blog.

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The Marvelettes - Marvelous and Successful

2009-11-06T22:34:00.000+10:30

By Robert D Hill

The Marvelettes are Motown's first successful female group. The group's name started as the Casinyets, with the original founder Gladys Horton who worked with Georgia Dobbins in their hometown, Inkster, Michigan. The two were supported by Georgeanna Tillman, Wyanetta (Juanita) Cowart and Katherine Anderson as backing vocalists.

In the early part of 1961, the group's name was changed to "The Marvels" when they joined the Inkster High School Talent Show. This was a significant event for the members because, although they finished fourth, they were allowed to audition for the new Motown record company. The policy was that only the top three winners should win the prize, which was the audition with Motown.

However, they were invited to be included and their audition was held in the April of 1961, in front of Motown's Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. They were so impressed that a second audition was scheduled with Motown founder Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson, this time the group being asked to to perform original material.

Georgia Dobbins asked pianist William Garrett if he had some original material they could use, and he showed her a song titled "Please Mr. Postman" that had no music, and only a few lyrics. Georgia suggested that she rewrite it to render it more suitable for the band and Garrett agreed, but requested that his name remained as writer of the song. The inexperienced Georgia rewrote the song overnight, and when it was performed in front of the Motown executives they decided that the Marvels were star material.

Gordy changed the group's name to "The Marvelettes", rewrote "Please Mr. Postman" and released it as their first single. The song was released under the Tamla label in the summer of 1961, with Gladys Horton as lead singer. The other lead singer was Wanda Rogers who replaced Dobbins due to the objections of the latter's church-going father about her singing in nightclubs.

With the star treatment given to them by Motown, "Please Mr. Postman" entered the Billboard charts in the December of that year. It was a rather show ascent because it took fourteen weeks for it to hit number 1, although it was a record for its time.

Trying to take the maximum advantage and ride the popularity of the first hit, Motown released the second quickly afterwards entitled "Twistin' Postman". However, as the twist dance craze was dying out by that time, the single only reached 34 on the pop chart and 13 in the R&B charts. However, this did not deter them and the band's popularity soared, particularly during their road tours. The company capitalized on this and was booked for several ensemble tours and a few solo bookings.

The following year of 1962 was a tough one, with Wyanetta Cowart suffering depression, and finally leaving the group. With the band's popularity at its height, Motown forged their third album "The Marvelous Marvelettes". However, this third issue did not do well despite the successes of their previous albums. The four singles released from it in 1963 did not become top hits, and it was only the second single "Looking Up My Heart" that did well with Gladys as the main lead and Wanda singing falsetto. Even then it only reached number 25 in the R&B charts, and number 44 in Pop. The other singles did not do as well and it was obvious that the group's popularity was slowly dying away.

One of the factors working against the group at this time was the increasing competition from top Motown groups such as The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas, and also a rising tide of British and surf-pop bands. At one time the group refused to record a Holland-Dozier-Holland track titled "Where Did Our Love Go?" which The Supremes took on and made it to Number 1 both in the pop and R&B charts. Missing that opportunity was a low point in their career.

To make the situation even worse, Georgeanna Tillman was battling lupus by 1965 which forced her to stop touring. Eventually, she left the group but remained at Motown for a while working as a secretary. She married Billy Gordon of the Contours, but died in 1980, after which the Marvelettes continued as a trio.

The two years after the release of "The Marvelous Marvelettes" were not really marvelous. Their album, "Recorded Live on Stage" , was hastily put together and the singles sold poorly. They also compiled their "Greatest Hits" in an attempt to retain their popularity with the fans, but the writing seemed to be on the wall. However, there was a long way to go for the band yet.

In 1964, The Marvelettes' recording of "Too Many Fish in the Sea" (the one they preferred over "Where Did Our Love Go?") did relatively well, making it a Motown classic. It reached no.15 at R&B, no.25 at pop on the Billboard charts and no.5 on the Cash Box R&B chart. Two more songs were released from the same compilation LP titled "I'll Keep Holding On", and "Danger! Heartbreak Dead Ahead", both written by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter with Wanda singing lead. These two tracks brought them back to the R&B scene, both achieving the no.11 shot at R&B.

With the release of "Don't Mess With Bill", the group started their long partnership with its writer Smokey Robinson. It brought the group its major success, earning them a Gold Record award 30 years later.

In 1967, the group's fifth album "The Marvelettes" was released still in partnership with Smokey Robinson. One of the most successful singles from the album was "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game", peaking at no.2 in R&B and no.13 in the pop charts.

Later in the same year, Gladys Horton left the group to get married. Anne Bogan replaced her and the group cut their next album, "Sophisticated Soul". With this, the group reformed their image and adopted a new style with Wanda in the lead. Some of the songs included in this album are "You're the One", "My Baby Must Be a Magician", "Destination Anywhere" and "Here I Am Baby", which did fairly well in the R&B and pop charts.

With the popularity of other Motown groups (Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles and the Four Tops) and the emergence of the new groups like the Jackson 5 and soloists like Marvin Gaye, Motown gradually reduced its support to The Marvelettes. The group's 1969 album "In Full Bloom" received pretty mediocre publicity and a very small budget. None of the album's singles did well and some even failed to enter the charts.

The band made the decision to disband in 1970, when Motown moved from Detroit to Los Angeles. Critics would say that had group been properly exposed and managed, it might have achieved its full potential. Nevertheless, The Marvelettes still remain Motown's first successful female group, giving the firm its first number 1 Billboard Pop Hit in history.

To learn more about the Marvelletes or for the opportunity to shop for books, music, videos, and or apparel, check out http://motown.ws

You can also watch YouTube videos, view the latest Motown news and comment on our blog.

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100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time - Carlos Santana

2009-11-01T11:45:00.000+10:30

By Jeff Bachmeier

When we think of all the great guitarists throughout time, many names come to mind - Carlos Santana is one of them. In August 2003, Santana was named fifteenth on Rolling Stone magazine's "List of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". And rightly so. This Mexican-born American guitarist has toured and recorded successfully since the late '60s. In the 90s he was rediscovered by a new generation with his album Supernatural, which involved well-known artists such as Rob Thomas and Eric Clapton.

Carlos Santana had his roots in Mexico where he grew up. He spent a great amount of time around music as his father was a mariachi violinist. Santana took up the violin at five, but at eight switched to the guitar. Later when the family moved to Tijuana, he began playing in clubs and bars. By the early '60s, the family moved to San Francisco and Santana followed.

In 1966 Santana created the Santana Blues Band. Despite the name, the group was at first a collective; it was required to name a nominal leader due to a provision of the musicians union. The name was eventually shortened to Santana and the band debuted at the Fillmore West Theater in San Francisco on June 16, 1968. Soon after, Santana recorded the album Super Session that had featured himself with Mike Bloomfield and Steve Stills. The result was The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which marked Santana's recording debut.

Santana's career evolved from here. He toured the U.S. prior to the release of the album, including a notable appearance at the celebrated Woodstock festival in August 1969 that was filmed and recorded. Santana was released the same month, and it became a massive hit, as did its follow-ups Abraxas (1970) and Santana III (1971). After completing recording and touring activities in connection with Santana III, the original Santana band broke up.

Carlos retained rights to the group's name Santana that consisted of himself and a constantly changing collection of hired musicians. His first recording after the breakup of the original group was a live show performed in Hawaii with singer and drummer Buddy Miles. The album reached the Top Ten and eventually went platinum.

Following the release of the Santana band album Caravanserai (1972), Carlos formed a duo with John McLaughlin, guitarist for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The two shared a spiritual leader in guru Sri Chinmoy, who bestowed upon Carlos the name Devadip, meaning "the eye, the lamp, and the light of God." Devadip Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's duo album Love Devotion Surrender was released in June 1973. It reached the Top 20 and eventually went gold.

After releasing another Santana band project, Welcome, Carlos next teamed up with another religious disciple, Turiya Alice Coltrane, widow of John Coltrane, for a third duo album. Their collaboration, Illuminations, was released in September 1974; it spent two months in the charts, peaking in the bottom quarter of the Top 100.

During the 1970s, Carlos Santana released a series of gold or platinum albums: Borboletta (1974), Amigos (1975), Festival (1976), Moonflower (1977), and Inner Secrets (1978). In February 1979, he finally released his first real solo album, the half-live, half-studio Oneness/Silver Dreams - Golden Reality, actually credited to Devadip.

During the 80s, songs that got more radio time began making their appearances included "Winning" in 1981 and "Hold On" (a remake of Canadian artist Ian Thomas' song) in 1982 both reached the top twenty. Santana again paid tribute to his early rock roots by doing the film score to La Bamba, which was based on the tragically short life of rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens and starred Lou Diamond Philips.

Carlos spent almost five years away from recording, not returning until June 1999 when he issued Supernatural on Arista Records. The Santana band album featured many tracks co-written by guest stars such as Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, and others. Paced by the number one singles "Smooth" and "Maria Maria," the album became the biggest hit of Santana's career, selling upwards of ten million copies. It also won Santana eight Grammy Awards.

In 2002, Santana released Shaman, revisiting the Supernatural format of guest artists including P.O.D. and Seal. Although the album was not the runaway success its predecessor had been, it produced two radio-friendly hits. "The Game of Love" featuring Michelle Branch, rose to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent many weeks at the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Other albums followed including Possibilities and All That I Am. In 2008, Santana started working with his long-time friend, Marcelo Vieira, on his solo album Marcelo Vieira's Acoustic Sounds, which is due to be released at the end of the year. It features tracks such as "For Flavia" and "Across the Grave", the later featuring heavy melodic riffs by Santana.

In addition to his music notoriety, Santana also oversees several business ventures including the Milagro Foundation, which has donated nearly $3 million to help disadvantaged youth; his women's shoe line, Carlos by Carlos Santana, which has racked up $100 million in sales; his signature brand of sparkling white wine; his partnership in Maria Maria, a chain of high-end Mexican cantinas; and his upcoming documentary called Architects of a New Dawn, which advocates global change through the power of positive thinking.

What will this 100 greatest guitarists do next? One can only imagine.

Jeff Bachmeier is owner of 977music.com, an online music and online radio station network providing live streaming Internet Radio channels with music from the 50's thru Today. Users can also choose to create their own customized on demand play list through their own social media profile. For more information please visit http://www.977music.com

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Beatles Songs That Are Better in Mono - "Day Tripper" and "Eleanor Rigby"

2009-11-01T11:41:00.000+10:30

By Jackson Weinheimer

When The Beatles got their start in the early 1960's, mono was considered to be the standard for music. The music that The Beatles listened to was in mono and almost all of their fans listened to their music in mono. At that time stereo was considered to be something for "high end audiophiles" who were usually more interested in classical or jazz music.

Because of this, The Beatles and their production team didn't spend much time on their stereo mixes. They really spent the majority of their time mixing the mono versions of their songs. In contrast the stereo versions were sort of "thrown together" in a rather "experimental" fashion.

Many of their stereo mixes (especially from the earlier songs) sound quite disconcerting by today's standards. Many of them have all of the vocals on one side and all of the drums on the other for example! This is particularly an issue when listening on headphones (another important point is that nearly as many people listened to music on headphones in the 1960s as they do today).

With the release of The Beatles in Mono Box Set many Beatles fans are able to hear their songs in mono for the very first time (up until now only the stereo mixes for many of their songs have been available on CD).

Two examples of songs that I think sound far better in mono than they do in stereo are 1965's "Day Tripper" (which can be heard in mono on the Mono Masters compilation included in the Mono Box Set) and 1966's "Eleanor Rigby" (which can be heard in mono on the mono version of Revolver included in The Beatles in Mono Box Set).

In the stereo version of "Day Tripper" the vocals are panned hard right and the drums are panned hard left. This is extremely annoying when listening on headphones. Obviously with the mono version, everything is mixed right up the middle. This gives it a much "powerful" sound.

In the stereo version of "Eleanor Rigby" the vocals on the verse are hard right while the strings are in the center (and basically nothing is on the left.) This is a very lopsided mix which is why I think it sounds better in mono.

"Eleanor Rigby" in Mono.

"Day Tripper" in Mono.

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Jimi Hendrix 40 Years Later

2009-11-01T11:37:00.000+10:30

By Chris JW Adams

Forty years ago the flower power movement was in full swing and nearing its end as we entered the 1970's. Pink Floyd were entertaining crowds with their new breed of LSD inspired rock music with their incredible (even in the early days) light show Britannia Row. Eric Clapton was God and Jimi Hendrix was wowing audiences with his incredible fret board acrobatics.

So what were the ingredients of Hendrix's success. Before becoming an overnight sensation in London, Hendrix played guitar in backing bands where he was hardly allowed to play his axe at all compared to what was about to happen.

Chas Chandler recognized his talent and offered to take him to London where he was teamed up with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix revolutionised the way guitar was played and perceived. His 'turn everything up, full-on' blazing technique was his trademark.

Hendrix played left-handed using mostly Fender Stratocaster guitars upside down because he never had a left-handed one made. His techniques involved a big sound and lots of feedback. Many people who have seen Hendrix live more than once will tell you that one night he would be just amazing, that they had never seen anything like it and another night he would be terrible. Like his track Manic Depression, he was very unpredictable. On a good night he was an incredible performer, his guitar could be totally out of tune but he would bend the strings into tune. In doing this, it was like he was totally connected to the music.

Hendrix's favourite make of amplifier was Sun but these had a tendency to burn out when played at full blast for any length of time. So Hendrix used the more robust Marshall's.

Hendrix's father was a brass player. It has been said that much of the swells and turns in Hendrix's technique are mimicking the sounds of brass instruments. So it can be said that a chance meeting, when the time was right by a man with the right connections and an untapped raw talent changed the course of music history.

Chris Adams studied Hendrix every day for many years as a teenager. Now Chris has been playing guitar for over thirty years and you can still hear the Hendrix in his playing. Chris is signed to Tree records. http://chrisadams.tv and http://myspace.com/chrisadams7.

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VIDEOS: Jimi Hendrix and John McLaughlin - Together!

2009-10-27T22:45:00.000+10:30

Hey readers!

I've just discovered some really rare soundbites on YouTube of Hendrix playing with John McLaughlin! Get a load of this:

Video #1: From the McLaughlin Sessions - thanks to dizwaltney:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yGd2Rf5688

Video #2: A Jam Between Jimi Hendrix and John McLaughlin; Intro and comment by John Mclaughlin. Recorded 25th March, 1969 at the Record Plant, NYC. Thanks to ferrymuskitta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THpkTLLu4FQ

Video #3: Jimi Hendrix and John McLaughlin performing "Drivin South" jam; (in studio 1968). Thanks to MaitreShintod:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0q4hg88xPs

This stuff just blew me away! Enjoy!

OPINION: The 5 Best 1970s Rock Bands

2009-10-24T14:28:00.002+10:30

By Patricia Fields

This is a really tough list to narrow down. The 1970s were my favorite era of rock and roll, and some truly great bands emerged and thrived during this decade. 1970s rock bands were wild, glamourous, and all about the music. There were also plenty of long songs with great guitar solos, and you'd be hard pressed to find many mainstream songs these days that follow a similar structure. Anyway, here are my top 5.

5. Pink Floyd. Their trippy sound was unique and it paved the way for many bands who followed in their footsteps. Dark Side of the Moon was a truly great album, as were many of their others.

4. Lynyrd Skynyrd. The quintessential Southern rock band, this was a classic rock band in the purest form. Aside from their well known songs Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird, they produced many other great pieces of music.

3. Electric Light Orchestra. Known as ELO, Jeff Lynne and company produced so many great songs and albums. The 1970s were a prolific decade for this band and their space rock meets symphony orchestra sound was very unique.

2. The Band. They formed in the 1960s, but went strong all through the 1970s before finally splitting up in the early 1980s. This was a great band and possibly one of the most underrated out there.

1. Led Zeppelin. Perhaps the greatest rock and roll band of all time, depending on who you ask. The epic hits are too long to list.

If you have a kid between the ages of 2 and 5, you might want to look into the Little Tikes country kitchen, a great toy for all young children and one of the most popular forms of Little Tikes kitchen.

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Songs on the Beatle's Revolver That Are Better in Mono - "Taxman" & "Eleanor Rigby"

2009-10-24T14:23:00.000+10:30

By Jackson Weinheimer

There are some mono lovers who will say that every song on Revolver sounds better in mono! And of course there are some who can't stand listening to music in mono and will prefer the stereo mixes even when they are mixed in a very strange way (which is the case with the songs I am highlighting in this article).

Personally I take it on a song by song basis. Some Beatles songs sound better in stereo and some of them sound better in mono. I believe these songs on The Beatles 1966 classic album Revolver do, indeed, sound better in mono (of course the original mono mix of Revolver has been made available on CD for the very first time as a part the Beatles In Mono Box Set).

"Taxman" - The panning on this song is totally off the mark. I wonder what they were thinking? They put almost everything in the left (the guitar, the bass, and the drums!) and the vocals are in the center which leaves the right channel almost totally empty. This sounds really unsettling when listening to the song on headphones.

Usually the one good thing about such extreme panning is how clear each individual part is, but because they put everything over on the left, that's not really the case with this track. Sure we can hear the percussion (which is about the only thing on the right for most of the song!) really clearly, but that doesn't make up for everything else being smushed together on the left! Not by a long shot.

In mono everything is up the center which works pretty well for a heavy rocker like this. The mono mix is much "punchier" than the stereo mix.

"Eleanor Rigby" - The stereo mix on Revolver of this song is nuts. On the verses the strings are in the center and the vocals are completely to the right and there's nothing over on the left at all. This is not good. The mono mix works very nicely on this song because there aren't very many elements (just vocals and the strings) so there's not much to get buried (which is my biggest complaint with mono mixes, usually).

Click Here for a complete track by track look at Revolver (mono vs. stereo).

Remastered Box Sets Price Comparison. A look at where's the best place to buy The Beatles remastered box sets (stereo and mono).

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Ska: An Unusual Genre

2009-10-24T14:21:00.000+10:30

By Trisha Regan

A music genre which originated from Jamaica during the late 1950s is called ska. It is a predecessor to reggae and rocksteady. This genre is a combination of the constituents of Caribbean calypso and mento with American jazz and tempo. Ska is identified by a rhythmic bass line.

During the 1960s, ska became an official music genre and became really popular with the British mod. It then became very popular among skinheads. The history of ska can be divided into three periods: the original Jamaican scene of the 1960s (First Wave), the English 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s (Second Wave) and the third wave ska movement, which started in the 1980s.

There are many theories regarding the origin of the word ska. It was said by Ernest Ranglin that it was coined by musicians according to the sound of a guitar strum. Another theory is that during a recording session in 1959 by Coxsone Dodd, double bassist Cluett Johnson told Ranglin "play like ska, ska, ska." The other theory is that ska originated from Johnson's "skavoovie", this was his greeting for his friends. It was insisted by Jackie Mittoo to call the rhythm Staya Staya. Then finally Byron Lee presented the word ska.

There is another story about the origin of ska, it is about Prince Buster made it during the inaugural recording for his latest label Wild Bells. The guitarist started to accentuate the second and fourth beats in the bar. The drum beat was inspired from the traditional drumming and marching styles of Jamaica.

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The Fall Out After the Murder of Lord Lucan's Nanny

2009-10-24T14:13:00.001+10:30

By William Coles

When Lord Lucan planned the murder of his wife Veronica, he could have had no idea of the immense amount of fall-out. At the time in 1974, Lucan presumably thought that the only loser in the whole affair was going to be his estranged wife Veronica, whose dead body was going to end up being dumped in the Channel.

But as it turned out, the events of that night were to have a quite catastrophic effect on a number of people. For a start, Lucan killed the wrong woman: it was his children's nanny, 29-year-old Sandra Rivett, who was mistakenly bludgeoned to death.

This blunder has come to cast such an extraordinary shadow over the lives of Lucan's family and his friends. For his poor wife Veronica, she is now estranged from all three of her children. His son George could, if he wanted, take the title and become the 8th Earl of Lucan. But the truth is that Lord Lucan has turned his title into a standing joke and George is unlikely ever to use it. Can you imagine how it would be go down if George were to book a restaurant table under the name Lord Lucan? It would be even worse if he were pulled over by the police.

But outside his family, Lucan's murder was also the direct cause of the suicide of one of his friends, Dominic Elwes. It sparked one of the longest libel actions in British history. And, incredibly, it also prompted the arrest of Britain's one-time Postmaster General. It is this last arrest which is so utterly bizarre as to be almost farcical.

In the autumn of 1974, a Labour MP, John Stonehouse, had drowned in the sea off Miami. It was to be Stonehouse's misfortune that a few weeks later, Lucan was to murder Sandra Rivett. The whole world was on the look-out for this British aristocrat on the run. Soon afterward in Australia, a bank teller spots a rather diffident Englishman. The Englishman looks rich and is very nervous; he wants to take out a large sum of money.

The police are immediately called in. Minutes later the tall Englishman is under arrest - only for the detectives to discover that they've caught not Lord Lucan, but the hapless British MP John Stonehouse, who'd faked his own death to set up home in Australia with his secretary. How very irksome for Stonehouse: arrested and dragged back to jail in Britain merely because he bore a passing resemblance to Lord Lucan.

William Coles is the talented English editor of Lord Lucan My Story. He is also the author of a moving novel, Prelude, which was published in the UK under the title The Well Tempered Clavier.

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Lord Lucan Failed As a Cool Hand in His First Real Crisis

2009-10-24T14:12:00.001+10:30

By William Coles

For a man who fancied himself as a cool hand, Lord Lucan did turn out to be the most abject failure when he faced his first genuine crisis. Although, no-one can be sure about the exact turn of events, it seems likely that the 39-year-old Lucan had been planning Veronica's murder for about a year. Deep in debt and with his wife obtaining sole custody of their three children, murder must have seemed like the ultimate solution to Lucan's problems.

He must have felt like Alexander slashing at the Gordian knot: rather than continuing to lead his mind-numbingly pedestrian life in London, Lucan would have done with it all by killing his wife. With one bound he would be free. A few week's before the night of the planned murder, Lucan borrowed a friend's Ford Corsair. It was in this car that he planned to transport Veronica's body to Newhaven, before dumping it in the Solent.

He had also prepared not one, but two bludgeons - two 18-inch pieces of lead piping, with white taping wrapped round the end for a better grip. He'd planned the murder for a bleak night in November when the children's nanny, 29-year-old Sandra Rivett, had her day off. Veronica would be home alone with the children. But as it turned out, Sandra changed her night off - and Lucan ended up killing the wrong woman. A few minutes later, he fought with Veronica on the stairs of the one-time marital home in Belgravia - and this was another disaster.

Veronica bested Lucan, kneeing him in the groin before fleeing the house. She ran screaming down the street to the nearby Plumber's Arms. But Lucan's final blunder was the one that would inextricably link him to the murder. Lucan drove through the night to Newhaven, where he dumped the Ford Corsair.

There was no point trying to clean the car up: it was covered with his finger-prints and splashes of blood. But as Lucan raced away from the car, he forgot one crucial piece of evidence. He left the spare bludgeon in the boot. This piece of lead piping was near identical to the actual murder weapon that had been left at the scene of the crime. And it was this, more than anything else, which would prove beyond doubt that Lucan was up to his neck in the murder.

William Coles is the talented English editor of Lord Lucan My Story. He is also the author of a moving novel, Prelude, which was published in the UK under the title The Well Tempered Clavier.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Songs From the Road by Jeff Healey

2009-10-24T14:09:00.000+10:30

By E. F Nesta

The posthumous release Jeff Healey - Songs from the Road is an eclectic set of covers that captures the energy and musicianship that became synonymous with a Jeff Healey performance.

Songs from the Road: I Think I Love You Too Much; I'm Ready; Stop Breaking Down; Angel Eyes; Come Together; Hoochie Coochie Man; White Room; While My Guitar Gently Weeps; Whipping Post; Teach Your Children Well; Santa, Bring My Baby Back [To Me].

Personnel: Jeff Healey: Guitar, Vocals; Dan Noordermeer: Guitar, Vocals; Dave Murphy: Keyboards, Vocals, Lead Vocals on Whipping Post; Alec Fraser: Bass, Vocals, Lead Vocals on White Room; Al Webster: Drums; Randy Bachman: Guitar on Hoochie Coochie Man

Jeff Healey - Songs from the Road, produced by Alec Fraser and released on the Ruf Records label, is a posthumous release of Jeff Healey's live performances. Jeff Healey was a multi-talented musician whose life was taken all too young, but through the dedication of long time friend, producer, and band mate, Alec Fraser, the release Songs from the Road was born. Songs from the Road is a collection of covers that Jeff and his band performed during live performances in London, at the Notodden Festival in Norway, and in his hometown of Toronto.

Songs from the Road opens with the Mark Knopfler song I Think I Love You Too Much, which shows Jeff's ability to retain the original song's fluid arrangement while laying down his own "version" with scintillating guitar work and emotional vocals against a backdrop of an exhilarating audience. The track I'm Ready is one of two covers from the legendary Willie Dixon and this blues rendition brings out elements of Jeff that only a live performance provides. He digs deep into his blues background emphasizing every note as though it was his last while the band performs a blazing complement to Jeff's guitar and vocals.

Stop Breaking Down (Robert Leroy Johnson) is down and dirty and the band gets funky as Jeff drives his guitar and vocals through this rousing cover. Angel Eyes, though not a Jeff Healey original, has been identified with Jeff Healey and each time I hear this track it takes on a new meaning and feeling. Sliced in the middle of an eclectic set of music, Angel Eyes holds its own as a tribute to a remarkable musician.

Jeff was a lover of all things musical with an extensive collection of jazz and other genres, so when he turns his attention to the psychedelic era with the Beatles tracks Come Together and While My Guitar Gently Weeps he knows how to emphasize the raw elements that cut through each chord, which was an important component of psychedelic music. The band's blues roots project new layers onto these classics creating refreshing and stimulating renditions.

Jeff, with the help of fellow Canadian and guitarist Randy Bachman, deliver a blistering track for Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon) and the band cuts a deep groove as they ride the Jeff and Randy wave.

Looking at his rock-n-roll roots he covers the classic White Room (Jack Bruce/Pete Brown) with a vigor and fervor that conjures up the members of Cream and the electrifying guitar work of Eric Clapton. Whipping Post (Greg Allman) leans in a different direction with a mix of blues, rock-n-roll, and Jeff Healey, as the band casts a new light on this classic while staying true to the original arrangement's swagger. The track Teach Your Children Well is carried by Jeff's slide guitar work, while the harmonies, though not of the legendary work of CS&N, are pure and hold to the pacing of the original song.

The last track on the release is the rockabilly track Santa, Bring My Baby Back [To Me] with the band having some fun and showing that life on the road is where they are in their element, but it is family that keeps them moving forward. The release closes with an all too apropos phrase from Jeff "That was fun, and that's what it's all about."

Websites where you can procure Jeff Healey - Songs from the Road are Amazon, CD Warehouse, Ruf Records, and CD Universe.

E.F Nesta is the owner, contributing writer, and Publisher of Luxury Experience Magazine (http://www.LuxuryExperience.com).

Luxury Experience Magazine is a monthly on-line publication, which is read in over 80 countries with a reach of over 100,000.

Luxury Experience Magazine features experiential articles on luxury products and services; we do not book reservations or sell products on-line.

Luxury Experience Magazine's mission is to provide experiential editorial exposure on luxury products and services, and introduce brands and products to an audience across 80+ countries.

Luxury Experience Magazine is a team of high-energy professionals who bring a broad and extensive international background to their writing.

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The Isle of Wight Festival 1969

2009-10-24T13:46:00.000+10:30

By Tom Sangers

The 1969 opening of the Isle of Wight Festival was held at Wootton on August 30^th and 31. It was extremely popular, having attracted approximately 150,000 people. They flocked to the festival in order to see Bob Dylan, The Who and Free. This was the second of three legendary festivals held on this island and they were all held between the years of 1968 and 1970.

The 1969 festival was considered to be well managed and comparatively trouble free, the 1970 event was anything but. Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, The Doors, The Who, Joan Baez and Free played to a crowd of up to 800,000 people that year. In 1970, the opposition to the festival was much better organized than they had been in previous years.

The Isle of Wight has always been a favorite retirement destination for those that were well to do. It has been a paradise for the yachting set. These well heeled, more traditional minded residents resented the invasion of the hippies and freaks. Renting a few acres in order to hold the music festival had been easy in the earlier years, however in 1970, the festival location was subject to a council/committee approval and the residents lobbied hard against it. This resulted in the festival not gaining entry to their preferred location and setting for East Afton Farm, Afton Down. It seemed that this location was deliberately selected for its inadequacy for the purpose.

One thing that happened was that the location made it possible for a large number of people to camp out on a hill that overlooked the festival, they got to view the whole thing for free. The Isle of Wight Festivals had already amassed a strong reputation in 1968 and 1969, greats such as Jefferson Airplane, T. Rex, The Move, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan and Pretty Things had already performed there. The Who was in their foundation phase when they took the stage at the festival.

The organizers of the festival, Fiery Creations, were determined that the 1970 event would be legendary and even under adversity, the festival definitely reached epic proportions. If you consider the fact that the island resident population is approximately 100,000, it's quite a feat to pull in over a 150,000 in 1969 and then up to 800,000 in 1970. The 1970 festival marked the end of the life span of the festival on the Isle of Wight for thirty-two years.

The artists that performed at this festival were astounding, they were very popular, very 'in demand' artists and they drew crowds strongly. With Bob Dylan at the microphone for the 1969 festival, there were members of the audience that were as notable as the performers on the stage. Among the 150,000 people were John Lennon with Yoko Ono. Ringo Star, and George Harrison were also present. The Rolling Stones were in the audience along with Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Jane Fonda. With the legends of music on stage and off, who wouldn't want to have attended such an event?

This article was written by Tom Sangers for Garden Isle, a provider of Isle of Wight Holidays and accommodation in the Isle of Wight.

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The Magic of Nick Drake

2009-10-24T13:42:00.000+10:30

By Robert Kirby

"I never felt magic crazy as this." - Northern Sky, Nick Drake (1970)

There aren't many artists in the world who can successfully create perfect art with every attempt. And there are even fewer who's art becomes new again each and every time you hear or see it. Nick Drake was one of those artists. Not only has his music transcended over forty years of change, but with each of those years it becomes more and more prevalent.

Five Leaves Left (1969): With his first album in 1969, Five Leaves Left, Drake creates an atmosphere of sadness and hope, combining his deep vocals with an acoustic guitar and string accompaniment. It was ranked number 283 on Rolling Stones' 250 greatest albums of all time. Songs such as "Cello Song" show his mature grasp of sensitivity at such a young age (he was only 20 at the time of it's release).

Bryter Layter (1970): Nick's second album, Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970, is said by many to be not only his greatest work, but his most accessible album as a majority of the songs are heavily accompanied by bass and drums. It was ranked number 245 on Rolling Stones' 250 greatest albums of all time. Songs like "Northern Sky" have a more mainstream sound to them compared with those on Five Leaves Left and could be attributed to his leaving Cambridge and moving to London after recording his first album.

Pink Moon (1971): Drake's third and final album, Pink Moon, is his greatest departure from his previous two albums. It was recorded in two 2-hour night-time sessions in 1971. It was ranked number 320 on Rolling Stones' 250 greatest albums of all time. All of the tracks are solo, just Nick and his guitar, except for one, the title track "Pink Moon," to where Nick lends a piano riff.

His Death: On the night of November 24th, 1974, Nick died of an overdose of a prescribed antidepressant. When asked to speculate on whether or not he did it purposely, his sister Gabrielle said she would prefer that he committed suicide, "in the sense that I'd rather he died because he wanted to end it than it to be the result of some tragic mistake. That would seem to me to be terrible..."

Popularity: In early 1999, BBC2 aired a 40-minute documentary called A Stranger Among Us - In Search of Nick Drake. The next year, a live documentary was made entitled A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake. In, 2000, "Pink Moon" was used in a car commercial for Volkswagen, and within 30 days, Nick Drake had sold more records than he had in the previous 30 years.

Robert Kirby has been writing articles about musicians like Nick Drake for years. He currently writes for online entertainment site Altered Eagle.

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Two Underrated Classic Rock Bands

2009-10-24T13:24:00.002+10:30

By Patricia Fields

There have been many great rock bands over the course of the last 50 years. What started out as a music revolution in the 1950s has turned into a staple in the music world, and rock music is enjoyed the world over, with many different styles having emerged over the years.

One of my favorite styles of rock is the classic rock movement that permeated the 1960s and the 1970s. I think that some of the best music has resulted from this era, and I've always loved the epic anthems particularly. While bands like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and others all get their due, here are two bands that I feel deserve a little more respect than they get.

1. ELO. Standing for Electric Light Orchestra, this band, led by brilliant songwriter Jeff Lynne, churned out hits through the course of the 1970s. Some of these are songs that you already know and hear frequently, though you might not realize that the songs were by them. Their unique brand of space rock combined with symphonic orchestral elements was one of a kind.

2. The Band. This was a great band, and that was actually their name. Originally performing as Bob Dylan's backup band, they eventually found their way, emerging on their own. This Canadian band was one of the most talented collections of musicians we've ever seen, and their Americana is some of the best to ever hit the music world.

Listen to these two bands if you're in need of some good new music, I think you'll enjoy them.

Patricia Fields also writes about Truvia at http://truvia.org.

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A Tribute to Bob Dylan

2009-10-17T15:51:00.000+10:30

By James W Morley

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, artist, bard and, more recently, disc jockey, who has been a foremost character in fashionable music for five decades. Much of his largely celebrated handiwork dates from the 1960s when he was, at first, an informal chronicler and then an apparently reluctant figurehead of social instability. A quantity of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'," became anthems for both the civil rights and the anti-war movements.

If Bob Dylan is the very definition of a composition legend, you have to allot his fans acclaim for being pretty legendary themselves.

From the very start, Dylan fans have been a breed apart. They analyze his lyrics line by line, dig through his garbage to unearth them, and sign up for fully accredited college courses to understand them. On the Internet, the conversation - and dissection - of Dylan is no less intense, as his devotees pour over every trace of his life and music .

Dylan has always been, and will probably for eternity be, an enigma. He has produced as many impudent flops (Self Portrait, Knocked Out Loaded, and the majority of his work in the Eighties and Nineties spring at once to mind) as he has masterpieces like Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde, and Blood On The Tracks. He's written American classics like "Blowin' In The Wind," "Like A Rolling Stone," and "Just Like A Woman," as well as average fair like "Man Gave Names To All The Animals."

But the single thing Dylan has forever done is reinvent himself. The voice of remonstration for a generation in the Sixties and the born again believer of the Seventies, most recently Dylan has once again stunned the globe with a brilliant series of albums including Time Out Of Mind, Love and Theft, and Modern Times.

'He has received numerous awards over the years including Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Awards; he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2008 a Bob Dylan Pathway was opened in the singer's honor in his origin of Duluth, Minnesota. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation for what they called his profound impression on popular music and American culture, "marked by poetic compositions of extraordinary poetic power".

Beyond all else, Dylan is arguably America's supreme songwriter and a national treasure.

Check out http://www.bobdylanshirts.info. Its well worth a look.

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The Formation of the Beatles

2009-10-17T15:40:00.000+10:30

By Bobby A. Spider

The Beatles were a musical band that became a worldwide phenomenon during the 1960's. The hysteria they generated became known as "Beatlemania". Formed in Liverpool, the group included John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney on bass guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar, and Ringo Starr on drums. Depending on the song, each member sang in the group.

In March 1957 John Lennon formed a "skiffle group" that he called "The Quarrymen." Paul McCartney saw him perform at a church function, and when John realized that he could tune his own guitar, he asked him to join the group. Paul joined in July, 1957. In March of the next year, Paul's friend George was invited to see the group perform, and he soon joined as the group's lead guitarist. Finding a drummer for the group was to become quite the challenge. After much turmoil, Ringo Starr joined the group in the early 60s.

In the early years the group perfected their craft in the clubs that dominated the nightlife of Hamburg, Germany. Long hours of performing were the norm, and this lead to the development of some very talented musicians. When back in Liverpool, they perfected their chops at the Cavern Club, and their popularity continued to grow.

If there was ever a "Fifth Beatle", as Paul McCartney was to later say, "It was Brian Epstein". Brian started watching the Beatles when they performed at the Cavern Club, and by January 1962, the Beatles signed him as their manager. Brian opened the door to see George Martin, a producer at EMI, and the rest "as they say" is history.

The Beatles first entry into the UK record charts was their song "Love Me Do". Their single, "Please, Please Me" was more popular still. By the time "From Me To You" came along, they were well on their way to dominating the record charts for years to come.

Dominating the United States market was not immediate or a certainty. Entrance into this race was delayed for various reasons, but in December 1963, Capitol Records released "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and the Beatles domination of the US market was on it's way as well.

After dominating the UK and the US, the next stop was the world. In the years to come the Beatles either toured or did concerts in Hong Kong, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the list goes on ...

As time went on, cracks started to appear in the group. They recorded their final album, "Abbey Road", in the summer of 1969. Recording the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" was the last time all four Beatles were together in the recording studio.

On September 20, 1969 John announced his departure to the group, but this was not made public until legal
matters were resolved. Paul filed for a dissolution of the band on December 31 1971, and this finally took effect in 1975. The final "nail in the coffin", as they say, had been set.

Bobby A. Spider writes for the blog: http://www.BeatlesLetItBeNow.com

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