Bideodromage
Mr. Harry Nilsson was unquestionably one of the premier songwriters of his generation. Witty, trenchant lyrics, frequently concerning isolation, accompanied wonderful melodies. When asked who his favourite American band was, John Lennon unhesitatingly replied “Nilsson”. As did Paul McCartney, for that matter.
Eric was simply otherworldly in his approach, especially on bass clarinet and alto saxophone. A number of jazz titans held him near and dear, including Charles Mingus and John Coltrane, with whom some of his most stunning work was achieved. No one sounds remotely like Eric Dolphy. In his improvisations, he could be intensely intimate and tender, or utterly explosive and groundbreaking, or both, often in rapid succession.
Upon hearing of Eric’s death, at 36, Mingus said:
” Usually, when a man dies, you remember—or you say you remember—only the good things about him. With Eric, that’s all you could remember. I don’t remember any drags he did to anybody. The man was absolutely without a need to hurt.”
Dolphy’s shocking death came shortly before the release of his masterpiece, Out to Lunch. He was very interested in playing in Albert Ayler’s group, and was even preparing to play with Cecil Taylor.
Iconic singer-songwriter Emitt Rhodes died today. He left behind some of the most memorable music of his era, and on the recorded versions, he oft-times played every instrument. He will be missed.
Gifted with one of the most magnificent voices ever to be heard, Linda Ronstadt knew how to use it, as well. A vibrant performer with great presence, as is well-documented in the above vids. Can’t fault her material, either; she covered the likes of Emitt Rhodes, Warren Zevon, and Buddy Holly, to name just a few. A remarkable vocalist.
Noteworthy practitioners of drumming who also have pipes. Paper Lace with Philip Wright, Ozark Mountain Daredevils with Larry Lee, Jigsaw with Des Dyer, and of course Karen Carpenter, though she’s away from the set in this performance.
The era of guitar great Terry Kath was tragically short-lived. Chicago was never quite the same after Kath’s accidental death. Even Jimi Hendrix lauded the guitarist. Check out his extraordinary solo on 25 or 6 to 4.
After Terry Kath’s death, Donnie Dacus assumed lead guitar duties, and performed admirably. He can be seen in action on I’ve Been Searching For So Long, a memorable Peter Cetera showpiece. The song was written by trombonist James Pankow.
The band encompasses many styles, and pieces from their body of work are often sublime. Cetera and keyboardist/vocalist Robert Lamm, along with Kath and drummer Danny Seraphine, were the core elements. In addition, their horn section is legendarily renowned. In short, they can get the job done for ya.
This work-in-progress focuses on the oft humourous interactions between dogs and humans, dogs and other dogs, and sometimes just between dog and his/her…art. We begin with Olive and Mabel, the two stalwarts of BBC sportscaster Andrew Cotter. Also included are Runty the pianist/vocalist, Winston the French bulldog, and a singing husky.
The hugely influential, and, if anything, also hugely underrated Kinks, featuring the brothers Ray and Dave Davies, on lead vocals and guitar, respectively. Ray Davies was the primary composer for this essential, and truly great, band.
A primer that is {somewhat} epic in its brevity. Some very powerful music from The Love Dimension, Spiritualized, The Zombies, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Lemon Drops,The Paupers, The Charlatans, Weird Herald, Vamp, andBongwater, featuring Ann Magnuson.
Addendum: now includes the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, and Neo Maya.
And: Toy, Ten Years After, and Baby Grandmothers. And Wooden Shjips. And Carlton Melton. Yo. Plus The Seeds.
And! Rain Parade!
Bideodromage 