Taking The Speakers For A Test Drive

A couple of months ago I went to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for a talk on Springsteen with my good buddy Matt from addictedtovinyl.com. Sitting in the hall for the couple of hours I was there, what stuck with me most wasn’t the great history of Springsteen’s career, but “man I need to upgrade my sound system”


Now I’ve been wanting to change up my audio system for awhile but just been putting it off, because simply it is a pain in the ass.


The problem is 1. When you try out speakers in an audio store, nothing ever sounds as good as it does at the store. 2. Most speakers can sound great with certain types of music but get lost with others. 3. The biggest hassle, the salesman who thinks he knows what you like more than you do. So how do you get around these problems?

First I make them move the speakers from their acoustically perfect sound room and move them in the general show room. This way the acoustics are closer to what I would hear when I bring them home. Second I bring my own CD (or vinyl at a really, really good store!) to test drive the speakers. This also eliminates problem #3 as the salesman is virtually eliminated and I can listen to the speakers in peace.


I don’t want to hear just any song or album to test drive the speakers. I want to hear certain parts of songs. The parts that are real genius, the parts that make your hair stand up on your arm. It’s that parts that make you love the music as a whole.


So what are the song parts needed to test drive the speakers.


First I want to try out a couple of my favorite songs just to get a feel of the speakers.
There’s No Way Out Of Here (David Gilmour) – Tough song for a speaker to reproduce without sounding muddled in spots where it should sound rich and full.

Dirty Work (Steely Dan) – Again another song that should be rich and full while the chorus, horns and keyboards should be clean and sharp.

Baby Blue (Badfinger) - The first 1 minute has enough changes to give the speakers a start and just a fun rock song that's one of my favorites.


Now lets test out the vocals.
Fly Me To The Moon (Live) (Frank Sinatra) – Live At The Sands is Sinatra at his best. Clear, crisp. A great sound recording. I’ll listen to the first 25-30 seconds where he transitions from talking to the first couple bars of the song. You’ll know if the speaker can handle it very quickly.

I Can’t Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt) – Bonnie’s voice is like butter on this song and that’s the way it should sound, like it’s being poured out of the speakers.

Into The Mystic (Van Morrison) – The speakers better make it sound like Van’s in the room with me. They’ll be playing a lot of him!

Death On Two Legs (Queen) – skip to about a minute in to hear if Freddy’s vocal range. Should be driven hard.

How about the other parts.
Starman (David Bowie) – First the acoustic guitars, then the great transition from the drum roll to Bowies voice in the first 20 seconds. Three distinct sounds.

Save Room (John Legend) – The bass in the opening of this song is so over produced that most speakers distort. Terrible production on a great song.

Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd) – I want to hear if the speakers can reproduce the mistakes in the beginning. The cough, the sniffling on the song then Gilmour’s acoustic should just punch out of the speaker right after.

We Belong Together (Rickie Lee Jones) – This song has so many delicate hidden sounds in the first 30 seconds of it, it has to be tested out. Then around the 2:30 mark is one of the best drum parts I ever heard in a song that changes the dynamic of the song.

Couldn’t Stand The Weather (Stevie Ray Vaughn) – Close your eyes and listen to the first minute of the song. You should be able to actually visualize his fingers moving so smooth and effortlessly.

The E Street Shuffle (Bruce Springsteen) – right after the carnival horns, the guitar riff here is amazing then right into Bruce’s voice in his gravely best.

Badge (Cream) – Jack Bruce’s bass line in the first 15 seconds is all I need to hear.

Money (Pink Floyd) – Roger’s bass line in the beginning, same as Jack’s above, need to hear it.

Dance On A Volcano (Genesis) – The first 25 seconds of the song is a plethora of different sounds.

So Very Hard To Go (Tower Of Power) – It’s all about the horns!

I’m Your Captain (Grand Funk Railroad) – Love the first minute of the song. Farners guitar, Brewers drums coming in and not to be outdone, Schacher’s great bass riff all classics in the first 30 seconds of the song plus I want to hear all the mistakes including the engineers talking in the background. Listen closely!

Journey Of The Sorcerer (Eagles) – Just need a straight instrumental using a lot of different instruments to see if I can pick each one out.

You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC) – The speakers need to be able to just rock out and LOUD!

Let’s Stay Together (Al Green) – and they need to be soft and soulful at other times.

Okay I test drove um all and finally picked out a pair of vintage Voice Of The Theatres. Got them in the truck, got them home and now the hard part. Sneaking the new speakers past Mrs. Bear! She’ll never notice, they are only the size of a small car……


But hunny I need them for my job….Do you think that will work?


Nuff said…..least till next time.
Peace Out
Bear

Musical Footprints Parts 1 and 2

Sorry for not getting a new story up on the site this week but I have been recovering from surgery and simply put, it's kicking my butt!
So I decided to re-post two (actually Parts 1 and 2) of my favorite stories from the archives for some of my new readers that may have missed it and for my old readers, maybe you want to read it again.
Nuff said...least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

Musical Footprints or The Mix Tape Of Life - Originally Posted March 9, 2009

The other day when it was pouring outside I did as I usually do when bored, I put on a movie that I have watched so many times. I watched the great John Cusack movie "High Fidelity" and it rang true to me how music is a footprint of our lives.

Most of us listen to music daily. We listen to music when we wake up on our alarm clocks, while were getting ready for work, in our cars on the way to work, sometimes while at work, on the way home, when we get home and are cooking dinner, sitting in front of a roaring fireplace, on a plane with our ipods, working out, etc, etc, etc.



Music is always around us and for good times and bad we connect songs and bands to moments in our lives.
Musical footprints are everywhere in our lives. We might not even know we have them stored in our minds until a single moment when they are triggered when a song comes out of the blue on the radio, when a good feeling comes over us and we relate it to a song that we heard the last time we felt it or on the opposite when a song is related to a bad time in our lives. This is why music is so important to us and why we surround ourselves with it.

Every time I hear "Born To Run" it throws me back to Friday afternoons with Kid Leo's kicking off the weekends on WMMS as well as "Good Morning" by The Beatles as the wakeup call with Jeff and Flash in the mornings. When I'm out of town and Colbie Calliat comes on the radio I think of my wife because she plays the cd all the time and it makes me happy. "We Belong Together" by Rickie Lee Jones bring back memories of listening to it in the first house we lived in. "I Believe" by Stevie Wonder is pictures of my kids when they were little. "Just One Victory" by Todd Rundgren and "Magicians Birthday" by Uriah Heep take me back to the college dorms. "Captain Fantastic" takes me back to an old girl friend who stole my copy of the album back in 1975 that I would love to forget but can't (hey, can I at least have it back!). Marvin Gayes "Let's Get It On"..... well we'll leave that one alone.

These footprints can also change as new memories happen as a song is playing. "Comfortably Numb" use to have a totally different meaning to me but now when I hear it, it reminds me of seeing David Gilmour on his last tour with my son. We made the trip to Chicago and after the show, the first thing he did was call his college room mate and tell him "I just heard Comfortably Numb live!". This footprint changed because the importance of the footprint changed. I now relate it to the excitement and feeling my son had hearing the song live for the first time.

Our musical footprints can change like we used to do with our old cassette tapes. We record over them and over them, but some are so strong in our psyche that no matter what, for good or bad, they are there in back of our minds waiting to be released. They are our mix tape of life.

Enough writing, I think it's time to go put on "Let's Get It On"

Nuff said, at least till next week

Peace Out

Bear

Musical Footprints Part 2, Your Stories - Originally Posted March 16, 2009

I have to thank the readers here. When I hit on a subject you respond and respond you did. I had over 400 emails this week on this subject alone. The story (Musical Footnotes or The Mix Tape Of Life) was just a little thing about how when I hear a certain song it triggers memories for me and it registered with you also. That is why I am posting Part 2, using your stories.



Just a note here on the stories below. I emailed everyone back and asked their permission first before publishing their stories. Most said "sure go ahead" others were not sure about the statue of limitations!

Most of the ones sent in were funny but some were sad. I did not post the stories where the songs reminded the reader of a loss of a loved one as It seemed personal and I didn't want to bring that back to them in print.

So go ahead and enjoy, maybe some will trigger a new musical footnote of your own. If it does send it to me. There might be a Musical Footprints 3. I definitely have enough material!

"Rockin Down The Highway by The Doobie Brothers" Every time I hear it, it reminds me of going cross country with 2 of my high school buddies and the tape got eaten by the tape deck in Oklahoma. 400 more miles to go and no tunes. (Frank from Bay Village)

"I Love You More Today Than Yesterday by Spiral Staircase" My husband played in a band in the early 70s and that is how I met him. He sang it to me then and on our 30th wedding anniversary he surprised me by having the band to play it and he got up and sang it to me there. (Sue from Mayfield Village)

"Reflections Of My Life by Marmalade" My first girlfriend, if you could call it that in the 5th grade broke up with me and I remember playing that 45 over and over until my older brother broke it in half. God I hate that song! (Mark from Columbus)

"Boogie Shoes by KC and the Sunshine Band" Going out with my girlfriends to the Cosmopolitan and dancing every Saturday night (Nancy from Mentor)

"Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac" It reminds me of a summer vacation boyfriend in Myrtle Beach. It was only 2 weeks, but a great 2 weeks (Gina from Cleveland)

"Dancing In The Moonlight by King Harvest" Bonfires, drinking wine and dancing in the moonlight, It was great being young (Susan from Avon Lake)

"Melissa by The Allman Brothers" It used to be my favorite song by them but now every time I hear it I'm reminded of that stupid phone commercial! I’ll never buy one of their phones after ruining that song. (Chuck from Toledo)

"Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana" Brings back memories of high school and wanting to get out of there. Seeing the video on MTV for the first time, I related to the people in it. Now I see it and think, I really should have washed my hair and showered more (Mike from Canton)

"Give Me Just A Little More Time by Chairman Of The Board" A girl named Theresa who played it on the jukebox all the time. Every time I hear it her face still pops into my head. (Michael from University Hts)

"Rockin Into The Night by 38 Special" Cruising from bar to bar on the weekends with my friends. This song was always on the tape we played. (Alan from Kent)

"Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meatloaf" My ex wife. That song could have been the story of our whole life. (Kurt from Cleveland)

You can tell a lot of my readers are from Cleveland as a lot of Cleveland bands and their songs were mentioned, here is a few:

"Tonight by The Raspberries" Anna Marie P_________., what a girl! (Dom from Little Italy) Note: I took out Anna Maries last name, just in case she's reading this

Waste A Little Time On Me by Michael Stanley Band" Stage Pass. I remember being at the Agora when they recorded it and when the album came out. I love that album. Do you think Jonah still has those suspenders he wore on the album? (Marcy from Westlake)

"Skinny Little Boy by Alex Bevan" Seeing him play at the Agora for the Christmas Coffee Break Concerts. It was such a great time in my life. (Alice from Tremont)

"Grand River Lullaby by Alex Bevan" Having Alex play it twice one night at my old bar Cafe Rock because it is my wife's favorite song (Bear - I had to put my own Alex moment in)

"Go All The Way by The Raspberries" The Friday night dances at Marymount High School. Catholic school girls and the Raspberries were always a hit for a 15yr old guy. (Tom from Garfield Hts)

"Stop Wait And Listen by Circus" This song takes me back to the school dances every time I hear it. (Mary from Bedford)

"Funky Poodle by Wild Horses" I put on the Pride Of Cleveland album a few months ago and when Funky Poodle came on it took me right back seeing Billy and the boys playing around the Cleveland bars (Dennis from Cleveland Hts)

Weddings were a big theme for a lot of readers, some very cool choices also:

"Come And Get Your Love by Redbone" It was our first dance at our wedding. (Brenda from Wooster)

"Into The Mystic by Van Morrison" Our wedding song. A little different but so are we. (Erin from Cleveland)

"Always And Forever by Heatwave" It was our wedding song. (Pam from Painesville)
"Get Ready by Rare Earth" It was our wedding dance song. a very cool wedding! (Angela from Mayfield)

"In A Little While by Uncle Kracker" Our first dance at our wedding. (Mark from Lakewood)
"Sweet Child Of Mine by Guns And Roses" She picked it for our first dance at our wedding. (Bob from Cleveland)

"You're My Best Friend by Queen" Our first song we danced to at our wedding. She was right in picking it, she is still my best friend. (Ryan from Chagrin Falls)

"White Wedding Day by Billy Idol" He picked it for our wedding dance. Might be why it didn't last! (Sally from Twinsburg)

There were some other themes that are not hard to figure out:

"The Wanderer by Donna Summer" The first stripper I ever saw, this was playing at the Crazy Horse. (Don from Cleveland)

"Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard" The Crazy Horse. They played this all the time in the late 80's. (Sam from Parma)

"Cherry Pie by Warrant" Reminds me of Tiffanys downtown whenever I hear it. (Tony from Berea)

"One Toke Over The Line by Brewer And Shipley" What else do you think it reminds me of. (Tommy from South Euclid)

"Up On Cripple Creek by The Band" Me and my buddies used to get together on Saturdays. We used to put the album on, roll a couple and the next thing I remember it would be Monday. (Jim from Cincinnati)

"Brain Damage by Pink Floyd" It reminds me of listening to Dark Side Of The Moon at the Pink Floyd light show they used to have at Geauga Lake and just being toasted and sitting in the stands and staring into space with the lights and music all around us. (Bruce from Hudson)

"Panama Red by New Riders Of The Purple Sage" Being able to actually buy Panama Red. The good old days. (Mort from Cleveland)

"Maggot Brain by Funkadelics" They used to play it every Friday at midnight on WMMS, Driving around with by buddies. It would come on and it was time to roll another one. (Phil from Parma)

"Fins by Jimmy Buffett" Summers at Blossom. (Paula from Bath Twp)

"Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett" Blossom in the summer. What a party. (Mike from Medina)

"Cheeseburger In Paradise by Jimmy Buffett" Blossom every summer. (Mark from Akron)

"Let's Get Drunk And Screw by Jimmy Buffett" The parties at Blossom. (Allison from Cleveland)

And one song that became legendary in Cleveland history:

"Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen"

.....Kid Leo and Fridays (Dave from Long Island, NY, formally Cleveland)

.....Kid Leo and WMMS. You knew the weekend started when you heard it. (Owen from Parma)

.....The weekend started when you heard Murray Saul and The Boss (Billy from Cleveland)

.....WMMS. The buzzard was the place to tune to on Friday afternoons (Ralph from Geneva)

.....Kid Leo and MMS. I still get that great feeling. I miss Cleveland (Susan from Nashville, TN)

.....The Get Downs from Murray. I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say. (Rick from North Royalton)

.....The right way to start the weekend. The Boss. (Frank from Slavic Village)

.....The Kid and The Boss. What else would you think of. (Dave from Strongsville

Nuff said, At least til next week
Peace Out
Bear

An Open Letter To The Rock Hall Induction Committee

To: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Committee
Fr: Rock And Roll Fans everywhere

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It’s just a month away before the 30 or so of you get together and throw out your picks on who gets into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2010 so I am asking, no begging you, please look to our past and get some of the greats you have overlooked into the hall. I can’t figure out your reasoning on your past nominations but now is the time to right the wrongs and honor the greats that have been passed over year after year. So please, pull your heads out of your …..., no I won’t go that far. How about just think about us when placing your vote, the true rock fans.

Sincerely
Rock Fans Across The World

Next month the secretive society (well not really anymore. Click Here to see the list of voters courtesy of futurerocklegends.com) we call the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee will meet and argue, wheel and deal, and whatever else they do to get who they put up for nomination into the hallowed halls of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

How all this all goes about, we don’t know.

Who nominates Chic every year, we don’t know.

Who the hell votes for Chic every year to get them to the final list the past couple of years, we sure as hell don’t know.

This I do know, the fact that they continue to overlook bands such as Genesis, Rush, Yes, Deep Purple, Electric Light Orchestra, Alice Cooper, Kiss, The Doobie Brothers, Todd Rundgren, Steve Miller Band, Emerson Lake And Palmer, Faces, Gram Parsons, The Hollies, J. Geils Band, Lou Reed, The Moody Blues, Peter Gabriel (with or without Genesis), Heart, Three Dog Night, Blood Sweat And Tears, Steve Winwood, Tom Waits, etc, etc, etc…. makes you wonder, what the hell do they talk about in their secret meetings. It can’t be rock and roll.

Before the Induction Ceremony this year I put a poll on the website and the music fans that visit http://www.clevelandrockandroll.com/ responded in surprisingly huge numbers. They voted and they want to see inducted into the Hall Of Fame in order:

1. Rush
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. Kiss
4. Genesis
5. Alice Cooper
6. Doobie Brothers
7. Heart
8. Electric Light Orchestra
9. Jethro Tull
10. Cheap Trick
Now, personally I am not a big fan of some on the list but I can’t argue with anyone of the Top Ten getting the nod but will they?

I don’t know, probably not!

Artists such as Chic, Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Earth Wind And Fire, Madonna and others keep getting nominated and even inducted over those older “classic rock” artists. It seems a trend with this committee is emerging. They are going away from rock, punk, and metal of the past and toward “popular music” artists representing disco, dance, and rap. There also seems to be a trend of “newer is better”. How does John Mellencamp get in before Steve Winwood, Leon Russell or Todd Rundgren or how does Metallica get in before Deep Purple? Now don’t get me wrong, I think Metallica should be in the Hall, but come on, before Deep Purple? Even James Hetfield in his induction speech went on a rant about the innovators of the past that should have been in the Hall already like Deep Purple, Rush, Judas Priest, Kiss, Motorhead, and Thin Lizzy.

You know who is up for nomination this year? Whitney Houston….

Do I think she will get nominated? Yes.

Do I think she will get inducted? Absolutely

Do I think she belongs in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? Hell no but she seems to be exactly the type of artist the committee loves and wants in the hall. She was a money making machine for the record industry right along the lines of Madonna, how could they not vote her in with the logic they have used in the past.

I am starting to think Madison Avenue should be represented on the committee. Why? Have you listened to commercials lately on television? They are like listening to a classic rock station at times. ELO, ELP, Moody Blues, George Thorogood, Grand Funk Railroad, The Cars, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Canned Heat, Donovan, Edgar Winter, Faces, Jethro Tull, Rare Earth, and Styx to name just a few are the soundtracks for the commercials Madison Avenue throws at us daily. Why do they do this? Because even they know these are classic songs from classic bands that we love and guess what, none of these bands are in the Hall Of Fame. Is Madison Avenue smarter than the so called music experts on the committee? I am starting to think so.

Scott Rowley, the editor of the U.K.-based magazine Classic Rock suggests the Hall is creating its own misconceptions about what rock evolved into. Rowley said in a recent interview “Rush and Yes and ELO are as good and as loved and as worthy as most of the acts in the Hall,” noted Rowley “I think it’s very damaging to the Hall of Fame’s credibility to continually ignore bands that they perceive to be on ‘the fringes,’ whether they’re prog, punk or metal acts. It makes you wonder if the selection committee is actually run by music fans.”

Well maybe this year (and in future years) the committee, will open their ears and eyes and put some deserving bands into the hall and maybe I won’t have to write this column in the future.

PS: Remember committee, if you put Whitney in this year, next year Bobby Brown is eligible! Oh boy…I would put in a whole new wing just to run episodes of their reality show!

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

The Underappreciated And Overlooked Of Rock

A little while ago WNCX had a poll of the Greatest Voices of Rock. Their list included in order rock legends Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Paul Rogers, Roger Daltry, Ann Wilson, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks, Jim Morrison, Steve Perry and Steven Tyler. I love all of them (well not really Morrison but that will be another story in another time) and but are they really the Greatest Voices Of Rock ever?

This past weekend working around the house and listening to a lot of music (and drinking a lot of beer) and as songs kept coming on and different bands played, I got to thinking, if the above singers are the Greatest Voices Of Rock, which singers are really overlooked and underappreciated in the world of rock?

I don’t mean those artists who were left off the list by WNCX. You know the ones you can roll off your tongue, artists like Phil Collins, David Gilmour, Rod Stewart, Van Morrison, Elton John, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney (really WNCX listeners, Paul McCartney didn’t get your votes!!! What were you too busy watching Biggest Loser or the Bachelorette to vote for Sir Paul, c’mon Cleveland)

I mean artists that if you were sitting around a fire, drinking beers with 9 of your buddy’s and each guy or girl picked 5 of the best voices in rock, none of the one’s below would have would have even crossed your mind and afterwards if someone mentioned one of them you would have said “how did I forget him (or her) I love him! The sad thing is over time you forget about them and the work they did and they are as good or in some cases better than the so-called Greatest Voices Of Rock on the list.

So in no particular order, here is my list of the Greatest Underappreciated Voices Of Rock.

Steven Georgiou (Cat Stevens) – Cat Stevens was one of the biggest stars of the late 60’s thru the 70’s but is basically a forgotten footnote in rock history since giving up music in 1979 for his religious views. His voice was so unique and for a lack a better word “pure”. I don’t know of anyone in the 70’s that didn’t have a copy of either Tea For The Tillerman, Catch Bull At Four, or Teaser And The Firecat and when you went to their house for a party, it seemed Cat was always on the speakers. I recently saw him perform on Jay Leno and I have to tell you, he still sounds amazing. I hope he tours again so I can hear him live one more time.

Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) – She is in my opinion one of the best female voices of rock ever. How the listeners of WNCX voted Stevie Nicks onto their list and overlooked Christine is sad. Even on Stevie’s best work, it was Christine’s fullness in the background that enriched the song for me. Most of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs were not sung by Stevie but by Christine. Sit back and listen to Songbird or Over My Head and listen to richness of her voice. When Mick Fleetwood and John McVie say every time they would hear her sing Songbird live, they would cry, that’s good enough for me.

Pete Ham (Badfinger) – First off most people would never even know who Pete Ham is let alone call out his name as one of the best vocalist of rock but every time I hear Baby Blue or Day After Day on the radio, it hits me in the gut, how good he really was. How this band did not become bigger than they did is one of the mysteries of rock.

Leon Russell (solo) – Okay time to get up on my soapbox. Listen up Rock Hall committee. Put Leon Russell into the Hall Of Fame already!!! He was instrumental in the careers of many inducted into the Rock Hall and one of our greatest American songwriters ever! Okay time to step off the soapbox. Obviously I love Leon Russell as an artist but I can put on his debut album Leon Russell and just be swept away by his vocals. He created the Tulsa Sound and it amazes me how overlooked he is as a singer. His vocals on “This Songs For You” is unique and one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. He put everything he had inside him into that song. Just powerful.

Toy Caldwell (Marshall Tucker Band) – This is the man that got me into Country Rock plain and simple. He blended the country rock sound with a blues twang that just grabbed me and didn’t let go and I have been a fan ever since. His voice was powerful and again one of those unique voices that can’t be replaced. The right voice for the right band for the right type of music, that’s how simple it was. Listening to “This Ol’ Cowboy” and how Toy sings “this ain’t gonna be the first time this ol cowboy spent the night alone” reinforced me thru many nights in bars during my college days!

John Lyon (Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes) – I know this is going to hurt most of you Bruce fans(especially my good buddy Matt from addictedtovinyl.com) but when I want to hear someone from Jersey, I turn on Southside Johnny. I’ve seen and worked security for most of Bruce’s shows in the early days here in Cleveland and love Bruce but from the first time I heard Johnny I was blown away and still am. The bluesy, bourbon soaked voice makes him one of my favorites singers. He does an acoustic version of “Walk Away Renee” with Little Steven that can bring tears to ya.

Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra) – You know you can listen to a band for years or even decades and it doesn’t hit you how much a voice really identifies the band but this one really came to light for me as I went to see ELO in Detroit last Friday and seriously seeing them live without him reinforced to me what a great singer he is and how important he was to ELO.

Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, Cory Wells (Three Dog Night) – I know, I know this is three singers not one but all three were fantastic singers in their own right and together, made a powerful lineup. Three Dog Night was a hit making machine because of the talent of their 3 lead singers and we never seem to remember how good they were individually. To remember, put on their greatest hits album and you can hear all three of them take the lead.

Greg Lake (King Crimson and Emerson Lake And Palmer) – This is one that usually after the discussion about singers someone says those famous words “How could I forget him?” How could you forget him especially with the vocals he produced on Lucky Man and From The Beginning. An amazing voice that somehow we seem to forget about.

James Hetfield (Metallica) – Okay, I know your now looking at your computer screen with your eyes crossed saying “James Hetfield?” Yea, James Hetfield! Rock music to me encompasses everyone from Cat Stevens and his laid back storytelling to Metallica and beyond. Look Metallica didn’t become the goliath of heavy metal just by pounding out ear shattering riffs. There had to be a voice that could match the dynamic of the band and James does just that plus he can tone it down when needed and render as great a vocal as anyone. Listen to him on Hero Of The Day and tell me I’m wrong. Definitely overlooked.

Joe Elliott (Def Leppard) – I was never a fan of the so-called hair bands of the 80’s but with Def Leppard something about them was different and it was the voice. Joe Elliott brought something to the table the other bands of the era couldn’t plus they have produced some of the best music ever heard in a strip club. Seriously what would strippers dance to without “Pour Some Sugar On Me” or “Bringing On The Heartache” or “Armageddon It” or "Rocket" or ohhhh I could go on and on but seriously Joe Elliott has a great rock voice that doesn’t usually jump to the front of your mind when thinking about great rock voices.

There are others I didn’t mention. Here’s a few more you can think about. Artists like Ian Gillian (Deep Purple), Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Tim Buckley (solo), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Joe Jackson (solo), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) and Graham Parsons (The Byrds).

Well go ahead and discuss among yourselves. Agree with me or not, at least you don’t have to be corralled into such a narrow funnel of musical taste that we call radio.

Nuff said, least till next week
Peace Out
Bear

Tripping Thru The Memories!

I was going thru a stack of old Scene Magazines from the early seventies yesterday that I picked up for reference material for clevelandrockandroll.com and man that started my trip down memory lane.

It got harder and harder to do the job I had in front of me as I kept reminiscing with each page I turned. The concerts, the stories, the old photos, the old bars, basically the old times and they were all sitting in front of me in the withered, yellowed pages.

Thinking about it, Scene Magazine has really been a part of my life for most of it. Weekly for the past 40 years the paper has been around, I have picked it up in bars, record stores, clothing stores, head shops (okay that was in the 70’s, not now……….well……..) to see what was happening around town and looking back, it really has been a great snapshot of the times.

Looking back, do you remember trying to figure out where to go out too? Let’s take a Thursday night when at the Harbor Inn down in the Flats (before it really was the Flats), Eli Radish (with David Allen Coe and Danny Sheridan) ruled the stage or Fully Assembled did the same at the Longhorn in Maple Hts or Sweetleaf was playing at The Utopia, Circus at The Agora or you asked your buddy, where was Tiny Alice playing tonight, how about Glass Harp? Grab a Scene and find out.

Remember buying albums? Do you remember buying them at Clarkens? Or Woolworths? Or Disc Records? Or Recordland? Or Music Grotto? Do you remember paying $2.49 for the new releases?

Going thru the ads themselves. Do you need a waterbed, then go to The Water Works on Noble Rd and get one for only $24.50. There’s a bikini contest at the Eastown Motor Hotel on Euclid Ave Saturday night. (Eastown Motor Hotel! Where in the hell was the Eastown?) How about the sale at Fox’s Audio Center in Kamms Corner, 8-tracks are on sale for only $2.95 including The Carpenters and Led Zeppelin III. It’s like a matched set! Want to go to a movie? “Dagmar’s Hot Pants Inc.” is playing at The LaSalle, Mapletown, Canal Road Drive-In and at the Mentor Drive-In. Ohhh, Budweiser just came out with a Malt Liquor as they say in the ad “finally a Malt Liquor good enough to be called Budweiser”. (boy that lasted a long time) The TV cops of Adam 12 will be at the Auto-Rama along with James Brolin. Don’t want to miss that! Over at Audio Hall you can get a complete Pioneer AM/FM receiver with turntable and speakers for $399 and you get a free Blood Sweat and Tears poster. Go to Bob’s Sohio on Detroit Rd and get your gas pumped by Bob’s Girls in hot pants! This one I really don’t get but love. At Air Con in Willowick buy a tape get a free turtle! Don’t buy a tape get 2 free turtles!!!! and of course the full page ad’s that ran each week for Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill wine. Wow now that brings back memories, no what that probably did for me was kill more brain cells than anything I could have drank at the time but at least we were all a little preserved with the formaldehyde in each bottle. Ahhhh the good times…….

Then there are the concerts. The Scene was the best source of information on who was coming to the Cleveland area and everyone came to Cleveland. Until going thru these old papers, I didn’t really know there were other promoters in the area other than Belkin Productions at the time. A Friend Productions, American Concerts and Stone Head Productions were all here in the early 70’s and the music fans of Cleveland were the benefactors. Can you imagine now in 2009 seeing bands such as Pink Floyd at Case Western Reserve University, Jethro Tull at Admiral King High School, or Edgar Winter at Normandy High School? How about all of the concerts at the gymnasiums of Kent State, the College of Wooster, John Carroll University? I’m not talking about teen dances at these gyms but bands such as Emerson, Lake And Palmer, Frank Zappa, Uriah Heep, Yes, The James Gang, The Beach Boys, Deep Purple, The Eagles, The Kinks to name just a few. Pick up The Scene back then to figure out where you were going to spend your hard earned $5.00. Do I go see Dave Mason and Jo Jo Gunne at the Allen Theatre on Sunday or wait until Tuesday to see Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac at the Akron Civic Theatre. Hold on, Humble Pie and J. Geils Band are at Public Hall on Friday and on Saturday Deep Purple and Buddy Miles are playing in Akron and Pink Floyd is there next Wednesday. What do I do? I only have $5.00…..

It is a been a real trip to go thru these old Scenes. I have sent Danny some of the old Eli Radish photos I found and my good friend Alex Bevan write-ups I found of him, they are great to read and reminisce. Seeing Peanuts in the old issues and still seeing him around town now when I go to shows, some things haven’t changed. (Okay Peanuts maybe we are both a little older!). Reading about Jim Bonfanti and David Smalley leaving the Raspberries back in 1973 and here in 2009 they are re-united and performing again. It’s like we have come full circle.

Well it’s time to get back to work and stop looking thru the time machine. Wait what’s in that box in the corner? 1974-1976 Scene’s! Oh boy, another day lost to the seventies and my memories………..

Nuff said, least till next week
Peace Out
Bear

Michael Jackson, My Thoughts...

Unless you have been hiding in a cave in Afghanistan with Bin Laden this past weekend (and I’m sure he’s even heard by now), you heard the shocking news that Michael Jackson died on Thursday. Seriously this was shocking for me because he was only 50 years old, young at least in my mind.

I was shocked like most people of his death but I did not run out and place teddy bears and flowers in a make shift shrine at the Rock Hall like so many did (I still don’t understand this phenomenon) or get on a plane and fly to stand outside Neverland Ranch (again people actually did this?). I simply turned on the TV and for the next 96+ hours have been deluged with every angle of this story by NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN and of course the grim reaper of all “News Shows” Entertainment Tonight who actually paid for a photo of Michael in the ambulance receiving CPR with a breathing tube down his throat. I always feel like I am losing brain cells whenever “ET” is on but after they pimped out this photo, I feel sad. You can’t even die in peace when “Entertainment Tonight” is close by, but what do you expect, this is the same show that every night for a year after her death had a story on Anna Nicole Smith. That’s rating folks! No that’s pimpin folks!

Enough about the vultures of television. The reason for this story is I also read a lot about Michael from people I respect and like and how he really was a sound track to their lives. (even Heavy Metal reviewer and good friend Brian from www.brokenheadphones.com I thought his comments were poignant) but the person that got me really thinking about MJ and his music was Mrs. Bear who was really sadden by the news. She unlike me is really a fan of his music and was waiting for his tour to come to the US and planned on seeing it. She was sad because she always felt he had his childhood taken away by his parents and his “strangeness” as I call it was caused by this.

Mrs. Bear really brought home a point as when you think about it, who was or is really in the same league as a musical performer as Michael was worldwide for so long? The Beatles? Sinatra? Elvis? Yes, yes, and yes. These three along with Michael were really the big four when you think about it. Even though Michael really has not had a major hit in what 10-15years it seems, wherever he went, crowds followed and I mean large crowds. He was a cultural icon.

For me with Michael’s music there are two periods. I grew up with the Jackson 5 playing on every record player in the neighborhood by every teenage girl that lived there. The Jackson 5 was Motown and Motown seemed to rule our neighborhood back then. “ABC”, “I Want You Back”, “I’ll Be There”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” always seemed in the air as you rode your bike around the block. After all these years, I still like the Jackson 5 and their music and have them in my music library.

The second period for me was the “Off The Wall/Thriller” era. These were two good albums and I listened to them a lot at the old Audio Warehouse and you always heard the tracks played at Dixie Electric Company or the Cosmopolitan or wherever there were ladies and dancing. I liked these albums then but unlike the Jackson 5 music, these have been pushed back into my music archives and have not been brought out in 20+ years for me.

Why, because I had a hard time separating Michael Jackson the artist from Michael Jackson the man. The stranger he became in his personal life, the more I pushed the music away from me. Every interview he gave as an adult, every plastic surgery, every accusation damaged his talent and in turn his music for me. It’s weird because I never felt that way about the Jackson 5 tracks thru all that. They always represented the amazing 10 year old with the dynamic pipes, the big felt hat, the fringed vest spinning around on stage and belting out the songs.

When it is all said and done, and it will not be for years because of legal battles that are brewing over his estate and kids and we will get to hear each and every one courtesy of Entertainment Tonight. I will remember Michael Jackson as that little kid who seemed happy at the time, smiling, spinning around and singing “Never Can Say Goodbye”.

Nuff said, least till next week
Peace Out
Bear

Is It Live Or Is It Memorex?

Last Monday I went to see the Eric Clapton-Steve Winwood show in Columbus and on the way down threw in the live CD from their Madison Square Garden reunion to pump me up for the concert. John Gorman had sent me a message that he thought this was one of the best Live CD’s he has ever heard and coming from a guy like John (or Dusty Street or Bill Lewis. When these people talk about music I listen to what they say), I went out and got it immediately. On the drive there and again on the way home I listened and especially after just hearing them live in concert, I had to agree with John, it is a great live album.

Then yesterday I was driving in the Jeep with the top down on one of our rare sunny Cleveland days when Peter Frampton’s “Show Me The Way” came on the radio and unlike the 1000 times since 1976 when it was released, I actually turned up the radio, instead of turning the station and listened closely to the song which came off what became a monster live album in 1976. I got to thinking what are the best live albums I have ever heard?

Now I think I need to clarify something for my readers. If I have a choice of a song in either the studio version or the live version, 99 out of 100 times I take the studio version. I love the feel and vibe of being at a live concert but the energy of the show and band rarely ever comes across for me on a CD or an album. I don’t usually sit there, close my eyes and imagine being at the concert but these albums for me do the best job of it.

Feel free to disagree but here is my list of the best Live Albums Of All Time and because I am the Bear my opinion counts (okay we really know it doesn't but I can dream!)

#10 Cheap Trick – At Budokan (1979) When this album came out I was like most people saying “who are these guys?” (c’mon admit it) I didn’t pay attention too much to Cheap Tricks first three album but when I heard “At Budokan” a switch went on. A very rare occurrence for me that a live album opened my eyes to a band I didn’t care about at all. “Hello There” kicks off the album and it rocks but “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Surrender” are a knockout one, two punch on the album.


#9 Stevie Ray Vaughan – Live At Carnegie Hall (1997) Recorded in 1984 and not released until after his death Live At Carnegie Hall shows Stevie at the top of his game. His guitar work especially on the opening song Scuttle Buttin’ grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let up. Add Jimmie Vaughan and Dr John to the mix for this concert and you have a special treat. This album really captures the talent and feel of Stevie.

#8 Van Morrison – It’s To Late To Stop Now (1973) Van is the original Blue Eyed Soul man and this album shows him at the peak of his career and he sounds great on it. “Into The Mystic”, “Caravan”, “These Dreams Of You”, “Domino”, I could go on and on of the songs that just jump off the album. Listen to “I Believe To My Soul” and tell me this is not as soulful as anything coming out of Staxx or Motown at the time.


#7 Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band – Live Bullet (1976) If you ever saw Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band in concert at their peak, you know this album caught it live. This is one that you not only hear the music come thru your speakers, you feel the energy especially on “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” and “Get Out Of Denver” but the show stoppers for me are the beautiful “Travelin’ Man” and “Turn The Page”. This album was Bob and the boys at their best.


#6 Led Zeppelin – How The West Was Won (2003) One thing I can say about most of the early Led Zeppelin albums, thank god for re-masters but the one thing there was missing and that was a great live album that captured them best, on stage live and raw. How The West Was Won does just that. Originally recorded in 1972, this album showcases how strong Plant’s voice really was (listen to “Over The Hills And Far Away”) and Page guitar blasts (“Heartbreaker”) and as I’ve said before no one plays a heavier drum than Bonham (“Whole Lotta Love” all 23 minutes of it!). A great ballsy, bluesy, rock album and as close as you can get to hearing them live.


#5 The Allman Brothers – Live At The Filmore East (1971) This album is a Tom Dowd masterpiece. This seven song double album is a lesson in interplay between musicians on stage and how to do it right. Duane Allman (who I believe is the greatest guitarist ever, sorry folks) and Gregg Allman shine in the live setting especially Duane’s amazing work on “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” and “Stormy Monday”. This album shows if southern rock and blues had a baby, they would have named it The Allman Brothers.


#4 J. Geils Band – Live: Blow Your Face Out (1976) The quintessential live band is truly captured here. This album shows the energy of their live shows and again captures them at the peak of the career. The ultimate bar band of the 70’s put out a powerful album that you can actually feel the energy coming out of your speakers. Peter Wolf’s riffing on “Must Have Got Lost” brings the fun of their live show to you and just blows away the studio version. One of the most overlooked bands of the seventies shows why they were one of the best live bands of the time.


#3 Cream - Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (2005) To me, this is the Clapton live album everyone should own. After not playing together for forty years it is amazing how tight sounding the three of them were for these shows especially considering how reckless they were when they played originally. It’s also hard to believe but to me they sound better in their sixties than they did in their twenties. I think the reason I like this album so much is it forced Eric to step back into the spotlight and have to play more than he had in years and he is great on it. The power of this trio is still there and it comes thru on this album.


#2 Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison (1968) This album seemed to really galvanize the image of Johnny Cash in the sixties. There is rawness in this album that you can’t fake. Johnny playing to the prisoners of Folsom Prison (talk about a hard ticket to get!) and it seems the energy of Johnny and the band grew the longer they played and they fed off the audience and you can feel it in the recording. This album is rough, raw and fun just like you would imagine a Johnny Cash concert to be in the old days (especially if you were locked up!)


#1 Pink Floyd – Delicate Sound Of Thunder (1988) This album is overlooked by everyone it seems and was definitely bashed by the critics (especially those who sided with Roger when he left) and when you talk about a live Pink Floyd album the first one on everyone’s mind is Pulse but DSOT is a much better album in my opinion. The sound is richer and fuller, the band just seems tighter than they did on Pulse and the song selection is fantastic, it was like a greatest hits live album. This is not just one of my favorite live albums but one of my favorite albums period. “Learning To Fly” on this album played live is actually better than the studio version and I don’t say that often. The three remaining members of Pink Floyd were on a mission then to prove things and lucky for us they recorded it live.

Some honorable mentions:
Metallica – Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993) A lot of people don’t but I like this album but the problem is no one is going to be able to capture the power of them live on a recording.

David Gilmour – Live in Gdansk (2008) I love this album. It shows David on what I believe to be his last tour ever and believe me, he was great on this tour (I saw him in Chicago) and this album shows why he’s one of the best.

Bob Marley And The Wailers – Live (1975) You feel the passion of Marley and really start to realize what musicians The Wailers were starting to become. This album’s version of No Woman, No Cry is reason enough to go out and get it. Listen to the audience sing along with Bob and try not to feel a part of it.

The Band – The Last Waltz (1978) This album would have made my Top Ten except I really live the video better but you can’t knock the album. It really shows how good they were.

Okay folks, that’s my list. Now let the calls, emails, and arguments start!

Nuff said, least till next week
Peace Out
Bear

Don’t forget to come out to the Beachland Ballroom Saturday June 27th for the Rock And Roll Flea Market. I’ll be there so stop by the booth and say hi.