Concert Stories

Never heard of her but watching the video made me feel I was listening to Billy Ellish only she did that song when Billy was like 11.....
 
I once saw Grace Slick point out where LEO was hiding so people could throw stuff at them
OK man, just put me out of my misery. Who are or were LEO ?

Abba is STILL a phenomenon here. It's kind of compulsory to say you don't know any but be able to sing along with them all.
I remember my first exposure to them ~ I was 11 and it was the 1974 Eurovision song contest which they won with "Waterloo." It was a great song, so exciting, melodically magnificent and I loved it. In those days my sisters and I were very competitive when it came to the ESC. We were always manic for the UK to win and up until 1976 always had what felt like worthy songs in the contest {my faves being in '72 and '73}. I think "Long live love" by Olivia Newton~John was the entry that year. I thought it could win. We always used to laugh at Norway getting 0 points each year and we'd think, "why do they even bother ?" and I could never work out why Israel were in it. But the winning songs weren't usually much cop. I always thought the UK entries were better ~ but not in '74. ABBA were different class.
But not at the time. We were such bad losers ! I thought "who are these Swedes ?" I did appreciate Sweden later that year in the world cup but I pretended to hate ABBA for many years while secretly liking their songs. I was a bit miffed that they knocked "Bohemian Rhapsody" from no.1 in the charts in early '76 but not too miffed because I had a complete recording of the song from the radio without the DJ yakking over it.
Now, I don't care. Some of the greatest slices of pop came from ABBA. I have a 550 page biography of them that's been on my bookshelf since about 2001 or 2002. I keep telling myself I must get down to reading it !

SLADE. They never made it in the US. Holder and Lea wrote albums worth of magnificent songs
Didn't they just ! Slade to me are just one of those great bands that loads of people have either missed out on or never taken seriously. I can understand the latter ~ in England they were huge in the early 70s and because they racked up 6 consecutive no.1s, had loads of hits, did "Merry Christmas, everybody" and played with a smile and wore daft glam clothes, they were not perceived as a band that did albums and that had a serious and deep side to them which is a shame because they were such a heavy rocking and versatile band. They got that wonderful balance between heavy rock and pop sensibility that the Sweet always strove for and rarely achieved {although they also were a great and underrated band}.
Slade's melodic gift could be breathtaking, I think of a song like "Take me bak ome" which has a riff to kill for, a melody to die for and a bass part to come back from the dead for ! But they were versatile enough to come up with imaginative pieces like "The shape of things to come," "In for a penny," "How does it feel ?" and "Everyday." They were part of the air I breathed as a child but their music has aged so well the older I've got.
 
Abba - Slade.

To this day, if I hear Abba, I try to turn off my ears. I put them in the disco music category. After having some musician friends explain the great productions and arrangements I can understand why they were so popular. But, I can't get past that I just don't like disco music. The really strange part with Abba, I enjoyed the hell out of the film Mama Mia. Which I shouldn't. I should hate it. I don't.

I love hearing people who love Slade. IMO such an underrated band. I think my CD collection is fairly complete on their repertoire. I can put any one on and enjoy it from beginning to end.

Never heard of her but watching the video made me feel I was listening to Billy Ellish only she did that song when Billy was like 11.....

I know she's a sensation. But, I have never heard Billy Ellish. I'll have to go look her up. The guy who has distributorship of Us Sinners lived next door to her in California. Supposedly they were friends.
 
Yo Snowman.... LOL Yeah I could never get into ABBA but totally dug Mama Mia....albeit I never saw it until I was in my early 60's @ 4 years ago....

On Billy my wife hates her but I dig what she did on the first stuff that went out...AND the "we" ( she and her brother) recorded it in our bedroom on a Mac story...She has big shoes to fill, expectations to live up to...guess we'll see...
 
Yo Snowman.... LOL Yeah I could never get into ABBA but totally dug Mama Mia....albeit I never saw it until I was in my early 60's @ 4 years ago....

On Billy my wife hates her but I dig what she did on the first stuff that went out...AND the "we" ( she and her brother) recorded it in our bedroom on a Mac story...She has big shoes to fill, expectations to live up to...guess we'll see...

Because I'm slow sometime to understand, the "recorded it in our bedroom" is that TAE's bedroom? If it is, do you know Hart Fisher?
 
Because I'm slow sometime to understand, the "recorded it in our bedroom" is that TAE's bedroom? If it is, do you know Hart Fisher?

Sadly no...I could only dream that I was so lucky as to record a maiden album in my bedroom that sweeps the Gramys ...Nah that's Billy Elish's story...she and her brother recorded all that first album in his bedroom on a Imac...damn! Didn't have a clue who Hart Fisher was until you mentioned him......creepy :eek:

 
Sadly no...I could only dream that I was so lucky as to record a maiden album in my bedroom that sweeps the Gramys ...Nah that's Billy Elish's story...she and her brother recorded all that first album in his bedroom on a Imac...damn! Didn't have a clue who Hart Fisher was until you mentioned him......creepy :eek:



I remember there being a big thing about it being recorded in a bedroom. For a minute I thought it was yours. I need to hear this on real speakers. The little I heard musically doesn't peak my interest. But, her voice definitely has a quality that would make you want to listen. Very nice vocal arrangements. I'll find and listen to it for real.

I remember Mazzy Star. That guitar part and her vocal melody come close to a hit I can't figure out. I hate when I hear a song and think "Well that's stolen from???" and can't fill in the blank.

This is one of my favorite "new" artists. Though she's not really new. She's been around over ten years. Her 5th album is being released next month. She's a major sensation in her native Australia, and can barely get arrested in the US. She had a baby 3 or 4 years ago, and hasn't been to the US since. She's great. Kate Miller Heidke.

This video was on comcast music and it was years before "bullying" became a major issue. It's just a really good song from a unique voice. She's an opera singer doing pop music.



This is her and her magnificent guitarist husband on an Austin street during SXSW (I still don't know how they recorded this so clean and quiet)



She is an acquired taste.
 
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I remember Mazzy Star. That guitar part and her vocal melody come close to a hit I can't figure out. I hate when I hear a song and think "Well that's stolen from???" and can't fill in the blank....

Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door..?

 
Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door..?



THAT'S IT! Thank you.

Sometimes songs get too close for comfort. By doing that, you put your song in the awkward position of trying to be more memorable than the original. Which is an almost impossible task. The only thing worse than copying someone's song (intentional or not) is plagiarizing yourself. I hate hearing a band I love copy their own songs. Modern country does that all the time. "That was a hit. Let's change it a little and..."
 
THAT'S IT! Thank you.

Sometimes songs get too close for comfort. By doing that, you put your song in the awkward position of trying to be more memorable than the original. Which is an almost impossible task. The only thing worse than copying someone's song (intentional or not) is plagiarizing yourself. I hate hearing a band I love copy their own songs. Modern country does that all the time. "That was a hit. Let's change it a little and..."

Holy heavy reverb batman! Love this song.....yeah definitely in the same vein ...her chorus is different but yeah totally the same in the main verses...with a slightly different melody line and phrasing..
 
Speaking of obscure ...@ 15 years ago while hanging out in Czech in my companies little town of hradec kralove...I went for a walk in the town center and this little national treasure was doing her thing in this little open air amphitheater there...I was blown away...

Iva Bittova

 
Speaking of obscure ...@ 15 years ago while hanging out in Czech in my companies little town of hradec kralove...I went for a walk in the town center and this little national treasure was doing her thing in this little open air amphitheater there...I was blown away...

Iva Bittova

She was interesting. But, music that hits me hard has a "pop" edge that makes you want to hum and rehear the song. She's a good violinist and singing at the same time is INCREDIBLE.

I don't know if you've ever heard of Emilie Autumn. A strange person I worked with turned me on to her, and I fell in love. She had already played her east coast FLAG tour, and was ending on the west coast. So, I called her management and asked "Is this really the end of the tour? I live on the east coast." They said yes. So, I bought a ticket for her San Francisco show, took a flight out the night before. Had a great day in the area, then went to the show which was FABULOUS.


About a month later they announced new dates and she played at Irving Plaza in NYC. I went to that show also. But, what the fuck? If someone says I have to fly across the country and you say yes, you better be sure. I'm happy I went. But, it's just wrong on every level of PR.

Emilie is an excellent violinist. This is one of my favorite violin pieces. A Cure.



Then there's the one and only Diamanda Galas. She and John Paul Jones put out a magnificent album The Sporting Life. I went to see them at Irving Plaza, and I was against the stage in front of Jones. He was playing complicated bass lines with his feet while playing the keyboards. Amazing show. Unfortunately, the following morning I took my mother to have eye surgery and she died at the Dr's office. On the way over she was commenting on how wonderful Sinead O'Connor's voice was on her Universal Mother CD. I wasn't close close with my mom. But, I still don't really listen to these CDs anymore. Bittova's vocals kind of reminded me of Irish music and Galas.

 
Since violinists seem to be the theme of the day, I've got a buddy who is seriously into Lindsey Sterling, especially when she works with Evanescence. I had to admit they do some pretty darn good stuff.

 
My favorite female fiddle player is Kendel Carson. I've heard her sing backup vocals while playing. Plays guitar too in the following video, but there's a string or 2 out of tune.



Here she is with John Prine:
 
Since violinists seem to be the theme of the day, I've got a buddy who is seriously into Lindsey Sterling, especially when she works with Evanescence. I had to admit they do some pretty darn good stuff.



I saw Evanescence at the Ritz on tour for their first album. I didn't really know them, and I remember nothing about the show. The place was packed. I've never given them a fair listen. I should. Her voice and the violinist are excellent on this.

But, when she opened her mouth, this is what came to mind -



I thank the Pretenders for this. I love O'Connor's version of "All Apologizes". Nirvana, Radiohead and Coldplay are three bands I absolutely despise. The original Radiohead Creep version has over 425 million views on youtube. I didn't make it through the first minute. The only credit I'll give Radiohead and Coldplay, I go to flea markets and thrift stores a lot, and I never see their CDs for sale. They have loyal fan bases that keep their music. Nirvana I could get for a quarter. I wouldn't give them a penny.
 
I saw Evanescence at the Ritz on tour for their first album. I didn't really know them, and I remember nothing about the show. The place was packed. I've never given them a fair listen. I should. Her voice and the violinist are excellent on this.

But, when she opened her mouth, this is what came to mind -



I thank the Pretenders for this. I love O'Connor's version of "All Apologizes". Nirvana, Radiohead and Coldplay are three bands I absolutely despise. The original Radiohead Creep version has over 425 million views on youtube. I didn't make it through the first minute. The only credit I'll give Radiohead and Coldplay, I go to flea markets and thrift stores a lot, and I never see their CDs for sale. They have loyal fan bases that keep their music. Nirvana I could get for a quarter. I wouldn't give them a penny.


Wow I gotta say I like all 3 of those bands...especially Nirvana...Just some really cool rock IMO but "like" is subjective...I like a very wide range of music.....

Since you posted The Pretenders version of Creep..I have to shamelessly post the version I did about 8 years back with the guitarist from my late 70's prog rock band...unrehearsed..I'd never played the song in my life..also never had jammed with the drummer or bass before but they had played in a cover band with Dave ( guitarist) years earlier and came out to do this charity gig for a brother of ours that was on his way to the great gig in the sky...Anyway for unrehearsed I think we did a fine, much more rock version of the song.... If you REALLY hate the song just jump to 3 minutes and hear a guitar solo guaranteed to make you smile....

 
I wasn't a big fan of Nirvana, a couple of songs were ok, but a steady diet wasn't for me. Coldplay has never been on any of my playlists. A fellow I worked with years ago was a HUGE fan. He gave me a CD for a listen. I gave it back.

Evanescence does some pretty progressive stuff. I was always into Yes, Kansas, Crimson, etc, so I can appreciate their music. While I haven't bought any of their albums, I have listened to a few things via Youtube. Amy Lee can really sing. Unfortunately, she'll never beat out Beyonce, Cardi-B or Lizzo. That's a shame!
 
I wasn't a big fan of Nirvana, a couple of songs were ok, but a steady diet wasn't for me. Coldplay has never been on any of my playlists. A fellow I worked with years ago was a HUGE fan. He gave me a CD for a listen. I gave it back.

Evanescence does some pretty progressive stuff. I was always into Yes, Kansas, Crimson, etc, so I can appreciate their music. While I haven't bought any of their albums, I have listened to a few things via Youtube. Amy Lee can really sing. Unfortunately, she'll never beat out Beyonce, Cardi-B or Lizzo. That's a shame!

I really dig Evanescence..got to see King Crimson @1972...awesome and @ 20 years later with Adrian Belew...Yes several times ...never seen Kansas but they are bad ass.... Back in the day we did a original called Can't you see who I am?...where we broke into that jamming part of 21st century Schizoid man ...It's a long ass song but jump to @ 7:30 thru 9 minutes and check it out pretty fun little jam for the local prog rock band....Me on the Roland synth and Hammond...

 
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