SHORT RAILED

 

 The egos involved in keeping one of the world’s first supergroups powered was astronomical. One guy was a cantankerous madman, another continuously tried to wrestle control of the group and another was called “God” by his fans. Did anyone really expect the band to last more than a couple of years?

From the start, those egos clashed. Eric Clapton came to the group as its main attraction. Star-making gigs with the Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers sealed his reputation as one of his generation’s premier guitarists. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the problem. Bassist Jack Bruce (a member of, among others, British blues-rockers Blues Incorporated, Manfred Mann, and the Bluesbreakers) and drummer Ginger Baker (who played with the Graham Bond Organisation) were constantly fighting.

Recording of Cream’s first two albums – 1966’s Fresh Cream and the following year’s Disraeli Gears – went relatively smoothly, yielding hits like “I Feel Free” and “Sunshine of Your Love.” But by the time they got around to recording 1968’s Wheels of Fire, which was released in July, things had taken a more abusive turn, with each member trying to overpower the others by sheer instrumental volume.

The studio half of Wheels of Fire – a double LP that includes a live disc – was recorded during three separate sessions. The concert songs were culled from two performances in San Francisco in March. Relationships had deteriorated so much by that point that Bruce and Baker would frequently argue, on- and off-stage. At one show, Clapton was so fed up with their battles that he walked off. Rumor has it that neither of his bandmates noticed.

So finally, on July 10, 1968, after mulling the idea for almost a year, Clapton announced that Cream were breaking up. But the band actually stuck around for most of the rest of the year, playing a farewell tour (which culminated in a final gig at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Nov. 26) and recording three songs for one last album, Goodbye, which was released in 1969 and filled out with a handful of live cuts from the farewell tour.

The band’s final show was aired on the BBC in January 1969. But by then, they were pretty much just going through the motions to fulfill whatever contractual obligations were left. At their peak, which is scattered among their first three great albums, Cream laid the foundations for bands to go harder, faster and louder. It turned into a bit of a mess during the last months, with egos colliding and amps cranked. But it really couldn’t have ended any other way.

 

 The Last Goodbye [Mid Valley, 1CD]
Live at the Sports Arena, San Diego, CA; October 20, 1968. Excellent soundboard.

 Track 01. White Room 6:40
Track 02. Politician 6:52

Track 03. I’m So Glad 7:23  

Track 04. Sitting On Top Of The World 5:46

Track 05. Sunshine of Your Love 5:21

Track 06. Crossroads 4:06
Track 07. Train Time -  9:43
Track 08. Toad - 13:53

                                                     Track 09. Spoonful - 14:54


                                                                      Lineup:
                                                       Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
                                                       Jack Bruce - bass, vocals
                                                           Ginger Baker - drums

CHEER 1990

 

Hard-rock and heavy-metal were born in 1968 thanks to the efforts of a trio who relocated to San Francisco. In that year Blue Cheer released two albums with a terrifying sound that staked it all on deafening amplification of the guitar riffs of Leigh Stephens and the bass riffs Dickie Peterson. The group belonged to the psychedelic platoon ("blue cheer" was a name for LSD) and played out its acid trip with a vengeance. Their atomic version of Summertime Blues (1968) by Eddie Cochran, followed by the anthem Out Of Focus (1968), made them famous. 

ZAPPADILLO

 

Howdy! Austin 1973 [Kaktus Records 10K06R02, 1CD]
Live at Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin, TX; October 26, 1973. Very good to excellent soundboard; with a bit of hiss.

It’s just tragic that Frank Zappa died at the relatively young age of 52 in 1993. And it’s one of rock’s could-have-beens had Zappa lived on - who knows what types of music he would create. As it is, it’s already impossible to pigeonhole Zappa’s show - there’s a bit of everything; everything sort of gels and the only thing anyone can say is that the man’s a true national treasure.

The Real Frank Zappa Book has many memorable quotes and here’s one:

I want to know three things when I go on stage: i) that my equipment is working, ii) that the band members absolutely know the material, so I don’t have to worry about them, and iii) that the rhythm section can hear what I’m playing and that it has some “concept” of it so it can help build the improvisation.

And this is what Arthur Barrow, who was Zappa’s bassist in the late ’70s and early ’80s, wrote:

Rehearsals were grueling and wonderful. We rehearsed at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for about 6 weeks or so before a tour. Rehearsals usually got started around mid-afternoon, with the Clonemeister leading for the first half of the day, then Frank would arrive and take over for the remainder of the day…

On the first day of rehearsals for the last tour I did, Frank brought in a list of about 200 songs that he wanted us to learn. I knew right away that it would be impossible for us to learn that many songs in the amount of time we had. I also knew from past experience that when Frank called for us to play a tune from the list and it sounded bad, he would often remove it from the list. If the tune in question happened to be one that the band liked and wanted to continue to work on, the band would be begging him to please give a little more time to work on it some more and get it right. I think he used it as a threat to try to motivate the band.

And now… on with the show.



Track 01. Cosmik Debris (11.1MB)
Track 02. Inca Roads (18.2MB)
Track 03. Pygmy Twylyte (6.0MB)
Track 04. Idiot Bastard Son (3.9MB)
Track 05. Cheepnis (7.6MB)
Track 06. Big Swifty (15.4MB)
Track 07. Dickie’s Such An Asshole (14.3MB)
Track 08. Farther O’blivion (12.6MB)
Track 09. The Muddshark Dance Be Bop (13.4MB)
Track 10. Son Of Mr Green Genes/King Kong/Chunga’s Revenge (24.5MB)

Lineup:
Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals
Napoleon Murphy Brock - tenor saxophone, vocals
Tom Fowler - bass
George Duke - keyboards
Ruth Underwood - percussion
Bruce Fowler - trombone
Ralph Humphrey - drums
Chester Thompson - drums

TRIPPIN" THRU PEPPERLAND

 

A  batch of tunes that were played by the Dead or fanily related bands

 

 DayTripper - GD

Blossom Music Center,
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
1985-06-25

Come Together - GD
Red Rocks Amphitheater,
Morrison, CO
2003-07-07

Eleanor Rigby Jam - JGB
Lisner Auditorium, G.W.U.,
Washington, DC 1980-02-12 *

Tomorrow Never Knows - GD
McNichols Sports Arena,
Denver, CO
1994-11-29

Blackbird - Ratdog
The Dome, Rochester, NY
1999-11-09

Get Back - PLQ
Beacon Theatre,
New York, NY
2000-10-16

Why Don't We Do It In The Road - GD
The Spectrum,
Philadelphia, PA
1985-04-07

Hey Jude - GD
Copps Coliseum,
Hamilton, ON **
1990-03-22

Strawberry Fields Forever - PLQ
Alpine Valley Music Theatre,
East Troy, WI
2002-08-03


Rain - GD
USAir Arena,
Landover, MD
1994-10-09

* Late Show
** Complete version

Revolution - GD
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
1985-07-02

She Said She Said -GD
Red Rocks Amphitheater,
Morrison, CO
2003-07-07

Dear Prudence - Reconstruction
Keystone, Berkeley, CA
1979-07-08

I Am The Walrus - PLQ
Red Rocks Amphitheater,
Morrison, Co
2002-09-01

I Want To Tell You - JGB
The Stone, San Francisco, CA
1987-03-08 *

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - GD
The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1995-03-17

All Too Much - GD
The Omni,
Atlanta, GA
1995-03-26

While My Guitar Gently Weeps - PLQ
Beacon Theater,
New York, NY
2001-11-30**

* 1 of 2 JGB times played; other in 1976

** Only time played

GD - Grateful Dead
JGB - Jerry Garcia Band
PLQ -  Phil Lesh & Friends

NEVERODDOREVEN

                               A revisit to set of the Dead;s most psychedelic time 
                                   and a reboot of a post from December 2- 2013


Here's a twist from the rotation of shows (somewhat) I have put together a composite of "live" tracks from various other shows to give us an AOXOMOXOA show. From the bands most psychedelic time frame when experimentation in the their music and their life style was at it's zenith. It is no wonder that many of the songs on this LP were really not played a lot over the years as only St Stephen and China Cat became staples in the bands rotation. Enjoy the Grateful Dead at their psychedelic best! This was one of my favorite GD LP's . A really fun listen!

Tracks

• St. Stephen (Garcia/Lesh/Hunter) 1-23-70 Honolulu



• Dupree's Diamond Blues (Garcia/Hunter) 1-24-69 San Francisco



• Rosemary (Garcia/Hunter) 12-7-68 Louisville



• Doin' That Rag (Garcia/Hunter) 1-24-69 San Francisco



• Mountains Of The Moon (Garcia/Hunter) 4-26-69 Chicago



• China Cat Sunflower (Garcia/Hunter) 2-13-68 San Francisco



• What's Become Of The Baby (Garcia/Hunter) 4-26-69 Chicago



• Cosmic Charlie (Garcia/Hunter) 1-16-70 Portland

Aoxomoxoa is the third studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was originally titled Earthquake Country. Many Deadheads consider this era of the Dead to be the experimental apex of the band's history. It is also the first album with Tom Constanten as an official member of the band.

The title of the album is a palindrome created by cover artist Rick Griffin and lyricist Robert Hunter. According to the audio version of the Rock Scully memoir, Living with the Dead (read by the author and former Dead co-manager himself), the title is pronounced "ox-oh-mox-oh-ah". The words "Grateful Dead" on the front of the album, written in large, flowing capital letters, are an ambigram that can also be read "we ate the acid". The artwork around the bottom edge of the album cover depicts several phallic representations.


The word "AOXOMOXOA," is a double palindrome, meaning not only does it read the same forward and backward, but also each letter in the word is also reversible, and when flipped horizontally also reads the same either way. As the story goes, "AOXOMOXOA," was an idea given to Rick Griffin by Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, when Griffin phoned him up and asked him for a possible title for the new Grateful Dead album cover Griffin was working on. Hunter suggested that he put a lot of the palindromes that Griffin had been playing with (words like 'mom,' etc.,) together to form a larger word.

Dead Heads have speculated as to the possible meaning of the word, with thoughts like the "AO" means "Alpha and Omega," the sacred seed syllable "OM" is in the center, "X" is a mysterious number to be solved for, and so on. Others have speculated that this is an Aztec or Mayan word. Beyond the word is the actual imagery created by Rick Griffin.

Griffin's incredible sun (an egg surrounded by sperm wriggling to get in), burning in a clear blue sky, endlessly radiating light and warmth above, warming the earth below, where the most dark womb of the earth receives that light and (also endlessly) brings forth life. Here is the mystery of life and death drawn out in psychedelic imagery worthy of Carlos Castaneda and the mysterious world of Don Juan. This poster has an immediate and a lasting impact on our consciousness. For me, it is unique in the world of psychedelic posters and is the single most important graphic from that era.

And if these incredible graphics don't speak for themselves, Griffin thought to literally spell it out for us in the very type on the poster itself, the name: Grateful Dead. If you cover the lower two-thirds portion of the name "Grateful Dead," the very top third spells out for all of us the very truth of that time, the very essence of the psychedelic experience. It clearly says "We Ate The Acid," and that says it all. We ate the acid and it changed our life and set the tone for a generation.

In 1991 Rolling Stone selected Aoxomoxoa as having the eighth best album cover of all time. A five-year-old Courtney Love appears on the album's back cover.

The group had already initiated recording sessions for the album when Ampex manufactured and released the first Multitrack recording machine offering 16 tracks of recording and playback (model number MM-1000). This doubled the number of tracks the band had available when they recorded Anthem of the Sun the previous year. As a direct consequence, the band spent eight months off-and-on in the studio not only recording the album but getting used to—and experimenting with—the new technology. Garcia commented that "it was our first adventure with sixteen-track and we tended to put too much on everything...A lot of the music was just lost in the mix, a lot of what was really there."As a result, Garcia and Lesh went back in the studio in 1971 to remix the album, removing whole sections of songs. The result, with the same catalog number, WS1790, but with much of the original's experimental character removed, can be identified by the legend on the back cover that reads, "Remixed September, 1971". The original mix was later planned for CD release, but the original master tapes could not be located. The master tapes were finally located for The Warner Bros. Studio Albums vinyl box set, marking the first time the 1969 mix has been available since the 1971 remix replaced it.

In Grateful Dead history, Aoxomoxoa had a number of firsts connected with it. It is the first album the band recorded in or near their hometown of San Francisco (at Pacific Recording Studio in nearby San Mateo, and at the similarly named Pacific High Recording Studio in San Francisco proper). It is the first studio release to include pianist Tom Constanten as a permanent member. It was also the first to have lyricist Robert Hunter as a full-time contributor to the band, thus initiating the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter songwriting partnership that endured for the rest of the band's existence. It was also the first time the band would put emphasis on acoustic songs, such as "Mountains of the Moon" and "Dupree's Diamond Blues." Lesh played acoustic bass for the first time, commenting that "the fun part of that was trying to play in tune with no frets to guide my fingers, just like a violin."

The lengthy sessions for the album would put the band deeper into debt with Warner Bros. Records—specifically, a total cost of $180,000 for Aoxomoxoa, it was their most ambitious and costly venture to that date. It would be the last time the band would ever run up such high studio bills.

Musicians

• Tom Constanten - keyboards



• Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals



• Mickey Hart - percussion



• Bill Kreutzmann - percussion



• Phil Lesh - basses, vocals



• Ron McKernan - Pig Pen



• Bob Weir - guitars, vocals



• 
  



•        



• 
  



•          

AQUARIUM AND LIFE

 An aquarium shows life as it is passing bubbles upward , Each of the bubbles can reflect a person and their time in existence. The cycle is started  and begins it's journey upward. As I sit back and listen to the music that has come to I think of my time here and realize that we will all rise to the top and burst marking the passing of life, Sometimrs the bursting of the bubble comes esrlier than expected You're own air bubble is in there and it will eventually reach the top letting your soul begin to take the next phase of your existence

In the next couple of months I will have to put this blog on hiatus as I try to work on the move to     St Louis. It may bigger task then I expected . Monetary levels  prevent hiring or hsve s moving company   So I will have help mostly from fsmily. I will also have to balance medicsl issues during this time but I know I will get support from the Almighty in the whole event.

So I will maintain the blog during the next couple months but will obviously be somewhat lighter than usual,. I will be back in a stronger mode later. I will not have a lot of time so posts may be sporadic but not gone. Links will be up and will be monitored every so often. AND if anyone has an extra ten grand  I can certainly put it to good use ! Keep on Truck'in guys

?????

? and the Mysterians (also rendered Question Mark and the Mysterians) are an American garage rock band from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan, who were initially active between 1962 and 1969. Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven instrumentals, and an enigmatic image inspired by the science fiction film The Mysterians In addition, the band's sound was also marked by raw-resonating lead vocals of "?" (Question Mark), making Question Mark and the Mysterians one of the earliest groups whose musical style is described as punk rock. Through their music, the group was recognized as a template for similar musical acts to follow

The band was signed to Pa-Go-Go Records in 1966, and released its first, and most acclaimed single, "96 Tears", in the early part of the year. "96 Tears" became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and propelled the group to a 15-month period of national prominence. Their debut album, 96 Tears followed. Though Question Mark and the Mysterians were unable to replicate their success with their later recordings, and are mistakenly deemed a "one-hit wonder", they did manage to reach the singles charts on five different occasions. In 1968, their label, Cameo-Parkway, was shut down for stock manipulation by the Securities Exchange Commission, taking the band's money and contract with them. After their disbandment in 1969, the band has regrouped and released additional material over the years.

                                                                       

WARNER'S ARTIFACTS

 

            There is no download for this one I have this one on vinyl but currently the turntable is packed away for our";sometime" soon move back to St.Louis  If your an avid cut and paste person you can track the tunes and  make your own. Hopefully I will get s chance to run the vinyl  to complete this one 

One of the crowning achievements in classic oldies compilations was Warner Special Products' Wild Thing, a double album (don't think it ever came out on CD) concocted for the the TV marketing company LakeShore Music.

The collection compiled the crude recordings of America's favorite garage bands (or protopunks), primitive groups who, 15 years before the English and New York punk explosions, nurtured a raw sound built upon only three chords.  (And what chords they were!)

These bands were not concerned with nihilism. Their revolution was a simple one--turn the amps up loud and blow mom and dad away!

The greatest example of this, of course, is the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," which is punk incarnate, a drunken brawl with bodies and cymbals crashing. The record is so sloppy that, after the guitar break, the vocalist interrupts too early, nearly throwing everybody off the beat into a tumbling heap. This instant of brash carelessness defined American garage-punk rock.

The punk of the '60s is the most impudent style in rock history. As the Standells' "Dirty Water" fades out, the lead singer proclaims that he's the Boston Strangler. Or, consider the vehemence of the fuzztone on rabid classics such as the Leaves' "Hey Joe," Music Machine's "Talk Talk," and Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction."

Wild Thing contained 30 of these chaotic tunes--from frat-house romps like the Swingin' Medallions' "Double Shot" to psycho stomps like Balloon Farm's "A Question of Temperature. The only collection that can compete with this one in establishing the positive energy of the much-maligned punk genre was 1972's Nuggets--Original Artifacts from the First Psychedelic Era.

Track listing

    A1 The Troggs - Wild Thing
    A2 Love - My Little Red Book
    A3 The Knickerbockers - Lies
    A4 The Guess Who - Shakin' All Over
    A5 The Castaways - Liar, Liar
    A6 The Leaves - Hey Joe
    A7 Paul Revere & The Raiders - Kicks
    B1 The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
    B2 The Swingin' Medallions - Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)
    B3 Sir Douglas Quintet - She's About a Mover
    B4 The Fireballs - Bottle of Wine
    B5 The Strangeloves - I Want Candy
    B6 The Music Explosion - Little Bit of Soul
    B7 Syndicate of Sound - Little Girl
    C1 The Music Machine - Talk Talk
    C2 The Gentrys - Keep on Dancing
    C3 The Swinging Blue Jeans - Hippy Hippy Shake
    C4 Los Bravos - Black is Black
    C5 The Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought the Law
    C6 Dino, Desi and Billy - I'm a Fool
    C7 The Rascals - Come On Up
    C8 The Human Beinz - Nobody But Me
    D1 Question Mark and The Mysterians - 96 Tears
    D2 The Five Americans - I See the Light
    D3 The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard
    D4 The Balloon Farm - A Question of Temperature
    D5 Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride
    D6 The Standells - Dirty Water
    D7 The Shadows of Knight - Gloria
    D8 Count Five - Psychotic Reaction


 Various Artists– Wild Thing
Label:
Warner Special Products ?– OP 2521, Lakeshore Music ?– OP 2521
Format:
2 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country:
US
Released:
1980
Genre:
Rock, Pop
Style:
Beat, Garage Rock, Pop Rock

IT'S A NUGGET IF YOU DUG IT

 

Lenny Kaye, who compiled the original Nuggets double LP set, also compiled a second volume that was never released. Many of the cuts appeared on the later Nuggets releases, but some did not. Below is the tentative track listing for Lenny Kaye's unreleased second Nuggets volume

    The Lovin' Spoonful – "Do You Believe in Magic" (Kama Sutra)

    The Outsiders – "Time Won’t Let Me" (Capitol)

    The Left Banke – "Walk Away Renée" (Smash)

    Syndicate of Sound – "Little Girl" (Bell)

    The Balloon Farm – "A Question of Temperature" (Laurie)

    Swingin' Medallions – "Double Shot of My Baby’s Love" (Smash)

    The Gentrys – "Keep On Dancing" (MGM)

    The Music Machine – "Talk Talk" (Original Sound)

    The Five Americans – "I See the Light" (Abnak/HBR)

    ? & the Mysterians – "96 Tears" (Cameo)

    Richard & The Young Lions – "Open Up Your Door" (Phillips)

    The Beau Brummels – "Laugh, Laugh"  (Autumn)

    Clefs of Lavender Hill – "Stop-Get a Ticket" (Date)

    The Rainy Daze – "That Acapulco Gold" (Uni)

    The Elastik Band – "Spazz" (Atco)

    The Mystery Trend – "Johnny Was a Good Boy" (Verve)

    The Good Rats – "The Hobo" (Kapp)

    The Yellow Balloon – "Yellow Balloon" (Canterbury)

    The Gestures – "Run Run Run" (Soma)

    The Choir – "It’s Cold Outside" (Roulette)

    Bobby Fuller Four – "I Fought the Law" (Mustang)

    The Myddle Class – "Free As the Wind" (Tomorrow)

    The Evil – "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?" (Capitol)

    The Gants – "Road Runner" (Liberty)

    The Music Explosion – "A Little Bit of Soul" (Laurie)

    The North Atlantic Invasion Force – "Black on White" (Mr. G)

    The Monocles – "Spider and the Fly" (Chicory)

    The Lollipop Shoppe – "You Must Be a Witch" (Uni)

    The Kaleidoscope – "Just a Taste" (Epic)

    Gonn – "Blackout of Gretely" (Emir)

    The Squires – "Goin’ All the Way" (Atco)

    Link Cromwell – "Crazy Like a Fox" (Hollywood)

Lenny Kaye is perhaps best known as Patti Smith’s long-time guitarist and collaborator, but his contributions to rock history and rock ‘n’ roll culture go much deeper than that. In 1972, he collected then forgotten garage and psychedelic singles to create the Nuggets compilation album, which proved to be one of the most influential records of all-time, leading to countless 60s garage rock comps and inspiring generations of new rock ‘n’ roll bands. He was also part of the first generation of rock critics, his writing appearing in publications like Fusion, Crawdaddy, Rolling Stone, Creem, Disc, Melody Maker, Hit Parader, and Rock Scene.

HOW COULD I BE SUCH A FOOL?

 

I can think of no one better to serve up  for the "No Commercial Potential" holiday of Valentine's Day. Frank gives us some of his doo wop roots and influence here with the Mother's. Enjoy your Holiday Guys and Girls! Put this one on to candlelight as you woo your ladies(or gents) after spending exuberant amounts of cash to get to that point

Revisiting Zappa and the Mothers for a shot at Valentines Day. I added a few extra songs to reach my usual standard of 24  I tryed  to stay in the doo wop mode but when your dealing with Zappa anything

go's This is a repost from a couple of years back

01 cheap thrills

02   wowie zowie

03   how could i be such a fool

04   go cry on somebody else's shoulder

05   i'm not satisfied

06   wplj

07   anything

08   love of my life

09   valarie

10   fountain of love

11   oh no

12   electric aunt jemima

13   stuff up the cracks

14   you didn't try to call me

15   any way the wind blows

16   how could i be such a fool

17   hey nelda

18   deseri

19   dog breath

20   cruising for burgers

21   later that nite

22   another cheap aroma

23   jellyroll gumdrop 

24   directly from my heart to you