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R.I.P.
Jan 21, 2024 15:17:52 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Jan 21, 2024 15:17:52 GMT
Morton then 'rolled the dice' and recorded a demo of his song at Long Island's Ultrasonic Recording Studios with an unknown local girl-group that he admired, The Shangri-Las (according to Morton, with the then-unknown Billy Joel on piano in the demo recording), and offered the demo recording to Jerry Leiber, who was then setting up Red Bird Records.
Because it said "according to Morton," I wondered if this was a suspicious claim. After all, Joel would have been quite young, about 15. But Joel seems to have a similar claim, as found in his wiki page: "Joel played piano on several records released through Kama Sutra Productions and on recordings produced by Shadow Morton. Joel played on a demo version of "Leader of the Pack", which became a major hit for the Shangri-Las.[38] Joel states that in 1964 he played on a recording of the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" but he is unaware of whether he played on the demo or master version."
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 21, 2024 15:25:28 GMT
Morton then 'rolled the dice' and recorded a demo of his song at Long Island's Ultrasonic Recording Studios with an unknown local girl-group that he admired, The Shangri-Las (according to Morton, with the then-unknown Billy Joel on piano in the demo recording), and offered the demo recording to Jerry Leiber, who was then setting up Red Bird Records.
Because it said "according to Morton," I wondered if this was a suspicious claim. After all, Joel would have been quite young, about 15. But Joel seems to have a similar claim, as found in his wiki page: "Joel played piano on several records released through Kama Sutra Productions and on recordings produced by Shadow Morton. Joel played on a demo version of "Leader of the Pack", which became a major hit for the Shangri-Las.[38] Joel states that in 1964 he played on a recording of the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" but he is unaware of whether he played on the demo or master version." I did exactly what you did! I went over to Billy Joel's Wikipedia page to see if there was any more info on this. The story has a kind of Bruce Johnston feel to it.
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R.I.P.
Jan 24, 2024 13:33:15 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Jan 24, 2024 13:33:15 GMT
Frank Farian (nee Franz Reuther) died yesterday at age 82. The name might not be familiar, but one chapter of his life story certainly will be: he was the producer/mastermind behind the late 80s and early 90s fraud Milli Vanilli. Farian had recorded music for "Girl You Know Its True," but didn't think the singers were sufficiently telegenic for the MTV era. He also had auditioned Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, a pop duo that had been struggling in the European club scene, but found their singing "very bad." But, like the chocolate and peanut butter of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup...
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2024 19:40:01 GMT
Melanie Safka, known by her stage name Melanie, died Tuesday at age 76. She was one of just three women solo performers at Woodstock, but was best known for her cheeky 1971 hit "Brand New Key." (The song was featured in P.T. Anderson's hit Boogie Nights, giving it new life.) That song's album, Gather Me, is a very good one that I recommend to anyone who enjoys singer-songwriter music and hasn't heard it.
RIP to a great one.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 25, 2024 20:19:07 GMT
I'm only familiar with two Melanie songs, "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)" and "Brand New Key", but they're great ones. I remember listening to those songs on my transistor radio, and was just a little too young to get the meanings behind both songs. R.I.P. Melanie.
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R.I.P.
Jan 25, 2024 20:31:30 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2024 20:31:30 GMT
This is another one I love. I don't tend to use the word "powerful," but that's exactly what I'd say about this one, "Some Say (I Got Devil)."
I also really like the sillier "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma." It reminds me of some Kurt Weill/Bertold Brecht thing.
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Post by jk on Jan 25, 2024 20:38:10 GMT
Melanie Safka, known by her stage name Melanie, died Tuesday at age 76. She was one of just three women solo performers at Woodstock, but was best known for her cheeky 1971 hit "Brand New Key." (The song was featured in P.T. Anderson's hit Boogie Nights, giving it new life.) That song's album, Gather Me, is a very good one that I recommend to anyone who enjoys singer-songwriter music and hasn't heard it. RIP to a great one. That's the Melanie song for me. I'd just left home on a permanent basis in early 1972 and was beginning to enjoy my new-found freedom! This was part of my soundtrack to those first weeks. "Brand New Key" makes a mockery of the notion that one always has to be in tune for a song to be relevant. R.I.P., Ms Safka.
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R.I.P.
Feb 2, 2024 23:24:29 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Feb 2, 2024 23:24:29 GMT
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R.I.P.
Feb 3, 2024 12:58:38 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 3, 2024 12:58:38 GMT
Back in the mid/late 1970s, I used to read about the MC5 in Creem magazine and thought, "I gotta give this band a listen." It wasn't easy finding their albums; they were all out of print. But I tracked them down and enjoyed them immensely. And, it was then I realized that what I read - about how influential the MC5 was - was true. I heard a lot of the MC5 in KISS, Iggy & The Stooges, Alice Cooper, The New York Dolls, The Ramones, The Clash, The Dictators, and others. I always felt the MC5 was one of those rare bands whose influence and impact might've been greater than their actual musical talent - and that in no way demeans the music they created. They were indeed talented, but hey, attitude rules!
The MC5 were also one of those bands whose members weren't destined to go quietly into old age. Sadly, Rob Tyner, Fred "Sonic" Smith, and Michael Davis died way too young. Drummer Dennis Thompson is the last surviving original member. Wayne Kramer was a young 75. He had a tough life after The MC5 but he never quit. As mentioned in the above linked article, Wayne was still recording and touring. So, another one is gone, but not their impact. That will live on. R.I.P. Wayne Kramer.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 3, 2024 13:07:30 GMT
I always felt the MC5 was one of those rare bands whose influence and impact might've been greater than their actual musical talent - and that in no way demeans the music they created. ... Wayne Kramer was a young 75. He had a tough life after The MC5 but he never quit. On the first point, I agree completely. They remind me of the Velvet Underground (another godfather of punk, in a way) in that. They were often name-checked as an influence, but nobody bought the records at the time! As for Kramer's life, yes, quite a journey. I know after he was in prison, he did a lot of work to help prisoners find purpose and reform their lives. That's very admirable: we often treat prisoners as lost causes, and it too often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 6, 2024 13:16:02 GMT
R.I.P. Toby Keith, who passed away at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. Toby will always have a place in Beach Boys' history with his appearance on the group's 1996 album, Stars and Stripes - Vol. 1.
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Post by kds on Feb 8, 2024 2:14:31 GMT
I can't say I'm overly familiar with Keith's catalog, but I like what I've heard.
I always thought I Love This Bar and Red Solo Cup were fun drinking songs. He did Too Drunk to Karaoke with Jimmy Buffett in 2013. I heard more of his music through the Buffett Pandora channel, and I have a small sample of his music on my summer playlists.
One that caught my attention last year was another Buffett duet called Sailboat for Sale, off a Keith album from 2015. It was probably my most played song last summer. Now, they're both gone.
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R.I.P.
Feb 18, 2024 20:48:09 GMT
jk likes this
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 18, 2024 20:48:09 GMT
R.I.P. Randy Sparks, founder of The New Christy Minstrels, who recently passed away at the age of 90. The New Christy Minstrels, founded by Sparks in 1961, were a popular folk group, recording over twenty albums and a few hit singles. Some of their past members included Barry McGuire, Gene Clark, Kim Carnes, Kenny Rogers, and Mike Settle. Randy Sparks had a registered trademark for the group which continues to perform today.
Kenny Rogers on the right:
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R.I.P.
Mar 7, 2024 19:12:50 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 7, 2024 19:12:50 GMT
R.I.P. David Libert, ex-tour manager/manager for Alice Cooper, George Clinton, Prince, The Runaways, Living Colour, and others:
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 8, 2024 13:31:05 GMT
Steve Lawrence passed away at the age of 88 from complications from Alzheimer's disease. Steve had several hits as a solo performer including "Go Away Little Girl" (#1 in 1962) and "Party Doll", but it was with his wife, Eydie Gorme, that Steve attained his biggest stardom. Steve & Eydie were popular performers on record, on TV, and in live performances for several decades starting in the late 1950s. Growing up, I remember seeing Steve & Eydie numerous times on TV including the Ed Sullivan Show, the Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, several telethons, and many variety shows. Admittedly, their style of music did not appeal to me. At that time, the Great American Songbook, the standards, and jazz music was way over my head. They seemed old and I was young and didn't...get...their talent.
As I got older and explored different artists and different styles of music, I came across some Steve & Eydie videos on YouTube. Simply, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were great - great! - singers and performers. They could sing it all, and they did. Yes, it was another era, a simpler time, but there was still something special about their talent(s). I enjoy going back to those times and appreciating what they were doing. Also as I got older, I started to appreciate Christmas music. Steve & Eydie released a great Christmas album in 1964 - That Holiday Feeling! Before Eydie Gorme passed away in 2013, I was fortunate to get an autographed CD of That Holiday Feeling! by Steve & Eydie. I proudly display it each holiday season. After Eydie passed away, Steve Lawrence continued to record and perform, but his career started to wind down. In 2019, Steve announced that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Recently, in cooperation with Steve's son, David Lawrence, Real Gone Music began a series of Steve & Eydie reissues.
To display Steve's tremendous voice, I'm posting a short YouTube video below. If you have a couple of minutes, give it a view/listen. I'm sure you will be impressed, and I'm confident you will enjoy it. R.I.P. Steve Lawrence...
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