More sad news for the guitar players of the world: Tom Verlaine is gone. He passed away on Saturday in Manhattan after a short illness.
Here's another brilliant track from Television's debut album, Marquee Moon (1977).
Tom Verlaine : guitar and vocal
Richard Lloyd : guitar
Fred Smith : bass
Billy Ficca : drums
Left to right: Fred, Tom, Richard, Billy.
The docks
The clocks
A whisper woke him up
The smell of water
Would resume
The cave
The waves
Of light the unreal night
That flat curving
Of a room
Prove it, just the facts, the confidential
This case, this case, this case that I
I've been workin' on so long
First you creep
Then you leap
Up about a hundred feet
Yet you're in so deep
You could write the Book.
Chirpchirp
The birds
They're giving you the words
The world is just a feeling, you undertook
Prove it, just the facts, the confidential
This case, this case, this case that I
I've been workin' on so long, so long
Now the rose
How it slows
You in such colorless clothes
Fantastic! You lose your sense of humour
Project
Protect
It's warm and it's calm and it's perfect
It's too "too too"
To put a finger on
Prove it, just the facts, the confidential
This case, this case, this case that I
I've been workin' on so long, so long
Along with every other guitar player on the planet, I was saddened to learn that Jeff Back had passed away. He's been described as "your favorite guitar player's favorite guitar player", and that's probably not much of an exaggeration.
Here's an instrumental track from "Blow By Blow", with
Max Middleton: keyboards
Phil Chen: bass
Richard Bailey: drums and percussion
We have a couple of concert versions, too. This is from 2012:
"Doc" watson was a genius who taught himself to play guitar as well as (if not better than) any bluegrass musician of his generation, without being able to see it -- or anything else.
He was higly regarded and hugely influential, not least because his spectacular technique never got in the way of the music. He wasn't just playing the guitar; he was always playing the song.
There will never be another like him, and those who miss him feel his loss profoundly. But we console ourselves with the thought that his music always belonged in Heaven. We were lucky to have some of it here for a while.
And it's my theory that one of his most beloved tunes might make this cold blog feel just a little bit warmer.
Here's Doc with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" (1972). We'll hear:
Doc Watson: Lead Vocal and Guitar
John McEuen: Banjo
Les Thompson: Mandolin
Jim Ibbotson: Guitar
Jimmie Fadden: Harmonica
Vassar Clements: Fiddle
Roy "Junior" Huskey: Bass
Jeff Hanna: Background Vocal
The whole album was recorded live to stereo, and every song was done in one or two takes. That may explain why it sounds so fresh and crisp. But to explain why it sounds so perfect, we need to talk about musicianship. They had so much of it in one room at the same time!
Way downtown foolin' around
Took me to the jail
Oh me and it's oh my
Ain't no one to go my bail
It was late last night when Willie came home
I heard him a-rappin' on the door
He's a-slippin' and a-slidin' with his new shoes on
Papa said Willie don't you rap no more
Way downtown foolin' around
They took me to the jail
Oh me and it's oh my
Ain't no one to go my bail
I wish I was over at my sweet Sally's house
A-sittin' in that big armchair
One arm around my old guitar
And the other one around my dear
Way downtown foolin' around
They took me to the jail
Oh me and it's oh my
Ain't no one to go my bail
Well this one old shirt is about all I've got
And a dollar is all that I crave
'Cause I brought nothin' with me into this old world
And ain't a-gonna take nothing to my grave
Way downtown foolin' around
Took me to the jail
Oh me and it's oh my
Ain't no one to go my bail
Way downtown foolin' around
Took me to the jail
Oh me and it's oh my
Ain't no one to go my bail
Here's a 50-year-old classic from Ten Years After.
We'll hear:
Alvin Lee: guitar and vocals
Chick Churchill: keyboards
Leo Lyons: bass
Ric Lee: drums
This is so typical of Alvin: rockin' blues with the energy turned up to "Full". We heard it first on "Rock & Roll Music to the World" (1972).
The live recording from Frankfurt in 1973 is fantastic in my opinion.
And we have some live video as well! This is from Winterland (San Francisco), in 1975.
Choo choo mama, won't you ride the train?
My life without you is just misery and pain, come back to me
I'll treat you best I can
Choo choo mama, you should have a choo choo man
Choo choo mama, won't you ride a rail?
I need your loving, can't you hear me wail, come back to me
You know I love you so
Choo choo mama, won't you get a choo choo home?
Choo choo mama, won't you ride the track?
I need your loving, won't you bring some back on home to me
I need your loving, babe
Choo choo mama, don't you know you drive me mad?
Choo choo mama, you're a cheery thing
I love you, baby, can't you help me sing, come back to me
I want you back again
Choo choo mama, won't you get a choo choo train?
Listen to Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer, from their first album (1970):
Here's a live clip from Switzerland (1970)
Just a step cried the sad man
Take a look down at the madman
Theatre kings on
Silver wings fly beyond reason
From the flight of the seagull
Come the spread claws of the eagle
Only fear breaks the silence
As we all kneel pray for guidance
Tread the road cross the abyss
Take a look down at the madness
On the streets of the city
Only spectres still have pity
Patient queues for the gallows
Sing the praises of the hallowed
Our machines feed the furnace
If they take us they will burn us
Will you still know who you are
When you come to who you are?
When the flames have their season
Will you hold to your reason?
Loaded down with your talents
Can you still keep your balance?
Can you live on a knife-edge?
