Today marks two months since I have been writing this blog and my enthusiasm for the form and the subject matter remain undimmed. The whole purpose of starting this blog was naively simple, to reclaim rock and roll from those who insist on dividing it into a never ending list of niches and sub-genres. In my mind, garage is rock and roll, punk is rock and roll and pop is rock and roll along with country rock, alternative rock, modern rock (what the hell is that?), schlock rock, rolling rock and whatever other type of (insert description here)rock you can name. U2 is rock and roll along with the Ramones, the Buzzcocks, The Woggles, The Tragically Hip, Wilco White Stripes, 13th Floor Elevators and Midnight Oil to give just a varied example. All of this music is simply rock and roll interpreted in a multitude of ways based on a multitude of inspirations. No band is sacred, no style lords down over all the others (metal rules dude!). Rock and roll is, and will always be a vast melting pot of styles and influences played with attitude, emotion and conviction with enough of an amplified beat to get your hips shaking and gyrating in time. And for heaven’s sake it has to be fun!
In the next few months, The Rock and Roll Report will also be changing and evolving. While I like to concentrate on publicizing record labels, radio stations, magazines and web sites, I have not had the chance to really highlight specific bands that float my rock and roll boat as much as I would like to but hopefully that will change as both time and money allow.
Thanks for all the encouragement to everyone who has e-mailed me with suggestions, links, hints and tips, your generosity does not go unappreciated. And a special thanks to my wife and son for putting up with this crazy venture. Remember to book mark www.rockandrollreport.com for plenty more rock and roll fun and adventure in the future and let me know what you like and hate about this crazy music called rock and roll. Have a great long weekend for anybody lucky enough to celebrate it. I’ll be back September 2nd.
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Subtitled “Rock and Roll Can Change Your Life” Glorious Noise is a really cool web ‘zine that is a lot of fun to read with tons of original content and a cool name to boot. Excellent stuff so check it out ASAP.
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I just got back from Chapters (the Canadian version of Barnes and Nobles for you Yanks) and I picked up “Rolling with the Stones” by Bill Wyman for 20 bucks! Since it will take me approximately 3 years to read the behemoth, let me just say this: IF YOU ARE A STONES FAN GET THIS BOOK! It is incredible. Tons and tons of pictures that I have never seen before (and I have a lot of books on the Stones). Tour dates, snippets of cool facts and did I say amazing pictures makes this a must. And no Bill Wyman book would be complete without the requisite copies of financial records, receipts and bills. Really quite amazing and if you compare it to the current NME special issue on the Stones, this is an absolute steal. Buy it.
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I just got back from Chapters (the Canadian version of Barnes and Nobles for you Yanks) and I picked up “Rolling with the Stones” by Bill Wyman for 20 bucks! Since it will take me approximately 3 years to read the behemoth, let me just say this: IF YOU ARE A STONES FAN GET THIS BOOK! It is incredible. Tons and tons of pictures that I have never seen before (and I have a lot of books on the Stones). Tour dates, snippets of cool facts and did I say amazing pictures makes this a must. And no Bill Wyman book would be complete without the requisite copies of financial records, receipts and bills. Really quite amazing and if you compare it to the current NME special issue on the Stones, this is an absolute steal. Buy it.
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So you read my post on the Chess brothers and thought to yourself, I want to make a record but how do I do it? Check out the site How to Record a Band and start that masterpiece now. Tape is rolling. 1, 2, 3, 4……
A quick correction: Cool Edit is now owned by Adobe and is called Audition.
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All right all you file traders out there, get ready for one hell of a September. According to “Music Pirates, You’re Sunk” from Business Week Online, the RIAA have you in their sites and they are ready to pull the trigger. Look, if you really need the music, in my humble opinion buy it legit and support the major label bands you like with your wallet. Then contact those very same bands and express your outrage/disgust/mild displeasure at the tactics of the RIAA while perhaps suggesting some fan friendly alternatives that they might want to consider. I don’t think file trading should be the issue that you have with the RIAA when there are so many other anti-music fan initiatives they and their members are currently engaged in (like their attack on small webcasters, control of record distribution, yadda yadda yadda). I would also be more concerned with the restrictions being placed on our rights to fair use of the CDs and movies that we buy. Just my 2 cents, which is about all I’ve got on me!
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My sister lives in Chicago and when I got my first chance to visit her I made sure that I dragged her down to 2120 South Michigan Avenue so I could check out the headquarters for one of the most influential record labels in the history of Rock and Roll: Chess Records. Started by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, Chess Records was home to, let’s see Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Bo Didley, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James and the list goes on. Bands like The Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones recorded in the fabled Chess Studios trying to capture a bit of the Chess magic. The Stones actually recruited Leonard Chess’ son Marshall to head Rolling Stones Records in the early seventies (an experience that almost killed him!). A good background on the history of Chess Records can be found here with an extensive discography here. This is a good article on the restoration of the Chess archives. MCA records put out a pile of excellent Chess reissues in the ‘90s like “The Chess Box” but sadly, the excellent website that they use to have up is gone, along with MCA which seems to be owned by one of the BIG 5 (3). (Rant held in check). Even if your tastes run to modern rock and roll and you could never understand the appeal of the blues, pick up a Chess Records compilation and have a listen. It never hurts to check out the music on which rock and roll was built and you might actually find out that you like the stuff. Then you will have another record habit to feed!
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Some of you might be thinking that I am out of my tree in recommending the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s radio service. The Canadians probably think I’m nuts, the Americans a left leaning, Liberal socialist and the Europeans probably don’t even know that the CBC exists but you would all be wrong. The CBC produces 2 shows that I recommend in particular: Brave New Waves and Radio Sonic (oops. Radio Sonic is being eliminated as of September 3rd to be replaced by CBC Radio 3. Let’s see if they manage to screw up a good thing!). In addition, they have a great concert guide called Just Concerts. Anybody anywhere can listen since they stream on the ‘Net. Unlike the lame programming that CBC Television produces (aside from Hockey Night in Canada and even that is starting to get tiresome. I mean can we not get rid of Harry Neal already!), CBC radio is really very good. Check out what our Canadian tax money is being spent on. The quality is great, just like the country it originates from (I had to slip that in!).
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This article on Canoe “New name & Devotion” is an interesting example of what happens when another band has the same name as you. Beware!
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When it comes to radio, I really think that despite the continuing “Clear Channelization” of radio, there are still a lot of stations that put out weird and wonderful stuff that, with the magic of the Internet, more and more people can listen to. There are Internet only stations, non-commercial listener supported terrestrial broadcasters (some of which also stream their programming on the ‘Net), Public Radio (CBC, NPR, BBC, etc.), shortwave stations and even commercial radio (not all of it is necessarily crap). Already, The Rock and Roll Report has highlighted a good cross-selection of some of these types of stations featuring not only great rock and roll but other programming that is worthy of your time and support. If you have a favourite station that you would like to recommend, let me know! I will continue to highlight what I consider to be some of the best radio out there and I could use all the help I can get. Thanks in advance.
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With all this talk about record industry bullshit (of which there has always existed) I think that it is time to “lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void” as John Lennon intoned in “Tomorrow Never Knows” and there is no better place to do so than Psychedelic-Music based out of Germany. Ahh, that does the trick.. “Listen to the colour of your dreams, It is not leaving, it is not leaving….”
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According to this article in Macworld UK “Analyst calls RIAA strategy ‘flawed’” maybe treating your customers like criminals isn’t such a great “strategy” after all. And the hits just keep on coming!
Don’t worry, I have some fun stuff related to, well rock and roll coming up, I promise!
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Here we go again. The RIAA are going after Jane Doe with both barrels blazing (RIAA turns up heat on subpoena fighter | CNET News.com) and I must admit that the issue of file sharing, especially massive file sharing by certain persons is a bit of a thornier issue but again, the RIAA are becoming so villainous, so odious in the eyes of music fans that you have to wonder why they are surprised that people are swapping music for free. Treat all your customers like criminals and see what happens? I think that we have had enough bad news for today don’t you?
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According to this article “Small Webcasters sue RIAA” on CNET news, the Webcaster Alliance is going to take on the RIAA in the only place that you can solve problems in the U.S., they’re taking them to court. I really, really have a hard time agreeing with anything the RIAA says and does these days and that is unfortunate since legitimate debate has all but disappeared when it comes to major label control of music distribution. They just don’t seem to give a shit about music which is after all the only reason that they exist. God help us if Americans should have any form of musical diversity on the airwaves and in the record racks. Listen to what we say to listen to shouts the RIAA and if you don’t like it, tough. What the hell are they afraid of?
More details and a good summary can be found here.
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If you are looking for discographies of “Oldies CDs” (defined as music on CD from the 1940s to the mid ’80s) then check out the “Both Sides Now Publications’ Home Page.” Pretty extensive stuff.
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It is unbelievable how many musicians played with or were influenced by Alexis Korner. Keith Richards himself maintains that the Rolling Stones would not have existed without him. Steve Marriot, Robert Plant, B.B. King and Brian Jones are just some of the musicians that Alexis Korner played with at one time or another. Like the other great unsung heroes of Rock and Roll (John Mayall, the Chess brothers, Brian Epstein and Kim Foley to name just a few), it seemed that Alexis Korner was destined to live in the shadows. But after reading this book, you will realize that he was a bigger, and better man than that. Passionate about the blues, in love with radio, “Alexis Korner, The Biography” brings the man to life in a vivid yet touching way, letting those that were closest to him speak of his talent, his warmth and his unwavering support for friends and family. An excellent book that will make you want to seek out some of his works just so you can pay tribute. I know I did.
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Nothing to do this October? Then how about heading out to the world famous Cavern Club (replica) in Liverpool and participate in the International Pop Overthrow October 13th to the 19th! What is this you ask? Some kind of nefarious communist coup attempt? Power to the people and all that stuff? Well actually no. It’s a pop music festival with a truly global outlook featuring tons of great pop bands in a festival atmosphere. A real blast if you can make it. You will go and you will like it….. comrade.
Update! I just received the press release with more details of the IPO in Liverpool (thanks David!). It will feature over 80 bands from the UK, Sweden, Spain, France and the U.S. According to the release “IPO celebrates the music made famous by such pop heroes as The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Badfinger while also focusing on the vast amount of music being made today by those artists who rely on melodic songcraft to express their musical tastes.” Sounds cool to me.
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Hoo boy! Double Crown Records is a cool label. They’ve got your Garage. They’ve got your Surf. They’ve got your Rockabilly. They even got your Tiki mugs! What a fantastic and fun label. They have all kinds of great bands plus a great magazine called “The Continental Magazine” that looks like a blast and has a free CD to boot. You know, we are living at a time when, at first blush, there appears to be a lack of selection to feed your rock and roll habit but then you discover labels like Double Crown and your heart goes boom! Wow. Good stuff.
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Just a heads up to everybody that 2 of my favourite bands, R.E.M. and Wilco will be doing a live webcast this weekend. Details can be found at R.E.M. HQ.
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When I was in High School, my father took me to see “Apocalypse Now” one of my all time favourite films. When I walked out of the cinema, I thought that the Vietnam War was a psychedelic, rock and roll acid trip that was both exotic and cool. Well, a few years later I saw “Platoon” and that put the kibosh on that image forever but I always held a fascination with the effect that rock and roll had on the people that fought that war (especially after seeing “Good Morning Vietnam”). Now, war is a brutal, ugly and destructive thing, let’s get that out front right now and I have zero experience with it but I often thought that the power of rock and roll (and music in general) then as now somehow helped a lot of scared kids through that horrifying experience. This was confirmed after reading a story in a recent edition of Mojo of James Brown’s tour of Vietnam in 1968 and the effect his trip had on the troops. After a quick Google search, I came across this article “Vietnam and Rock and Roll” by Michael W. Rodriguez that I think is an excellent read. If you think so, let him know.
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This article “CDs and the Scarcity Principal” just adds another log on the fire!
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According to this article on MacMinute “Rock-n-Roll photographer to teach at PhotoshopWorld”, legendary Rock-n-Roll photographer Lynn Goldsmith will be at Photoshop World teaching some tricks of the trade. Grab your cameras and check it out. You could be paparazzi!
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Oh behave! Check out Shindig magazine all the way from the UK for some real fab bands and great writing. What, rock and roll can be fun? What a concept! Check out their site then subscribe to the magazine. Yah baby yah!
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I gotta admit that I’m not the biggest fan of THE BIG 5 (3) record labels. Apparently neither are the people behind Downhill Battle, a new website preparing to launch in September. Their take on iTunes is very well done. More food for thought.
Update. The first of what I am sure will be many rebuttals can be found here.
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According to this article “BBC archives head for the web” the BBC will be making their archives available over the Internet. Now, while they mention TV, I would have to assume (hope) that the radio archives would be available as well. Even if they are not, there is a treasure trove of cool and historical BBC produced rock and roll stuff that could be soon available to all. This is a “good thing.” Get your browsers ready!
Update! Radio programmes will be included according to this article. This has now hit “very cool” status.
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