Showing posts with label rolling stones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rolling stones. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2011

81 - An Overdue Catchup

We may have been out of touch with you here for a while but we are far from idle. Various travels about the UK and the US, both solo and en famille, while Underground Garaging ultra-remotely made blogging difficult. We continue to concentrate on maintaining and improving our health aided by some excellent physicians in New York.

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BREAKING NEWS: The Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra is back! You will recall "The Andrew Oldham Orchestra & Friends Play the Rolling Stones Songbook Volume 1," after many years out of print was finally reissued on CD in 1996. Our arrangement of "The Last Time" found its way into the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" and the global soundtrack of our lives. Its success whetted my appetite to make music under my own moniker for the first time in a long while.

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So...a couple of years ago I got together with old mate and wunderbar guitarist Gary Lucas in Bogota to lay down tracks for "She's a Rainbow," "Play with Fire," and a versions of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" I'm more than chuffed with. "The Andrew Oldham Orchestra & Friends Play the Rolling Stones Songbook Volume 2" was born ! Gary and I go back to the days I lived in Connecticut and he and Jon Tiven were the young upstart sprouts around town. His work since then with the avant garde and experimental , with Captain Beefheart and Jeff Buckley has placed him on a solo road that only he drives upon.

Having cast our bread upon the waters, so to speak, a cast of talented friends came along to lend a hand: Elliot Easton, Christine Ohlman, Vashti, Rafael Atijas, Wyckham Porteous, Johnny Marr, Juan Galeano, Pablo Memi, Brett Smiley, The Chesterfield Kings, and Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals have made this a delightful excursion back to musicland. Oh, and Jerry Shirley took time out from his turn as Humble Pie memoirist to beat it out for me once again as he has so many times before.

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MORE NEWS: I have edited the first two volumes of my autobiography, "Stoned" and "2Stoned," into one volume that is currently available in South America via Spanish translation. For those of you who read Spanish here are some links to the rather flattering coverage "Rolling Stoned" is getting in the Southern Hemisphere.

http://is.gd/3uRWTa

http://is.gd/CrgLsJ

http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/9-7111-2011-06-12.html

EVEN MORE NEWS:

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For English readers I have completed an updated Rolling Stoned and it is available from the following sites:

Gegensatz Press

Amazon

Mobi Pocket

Smash Words

I am more than pleased with this edition. It is an updated version of my first two books, Stoned and 2Stoned - ten years is a long time and so much has happened to the participants of those books.

Wellness,
ALO

Monday, January 3, 2011

Monday, December 6, 2010

74 - Tweet Song of the Week: Wild Horses

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Tweet Song of the Week is the Rolling Stones doing Wild Horses. This was recorded during a soundcheck at the Tokyo Dome on March 22, 2006 on the Smaller Bang Tour.

RS-Wild Horses(Tokyo SoundCheck) by industryofhumanhappiness

Here's a version of the same song recorded for "Stripped", their 1995 unplugged album.

Monday, November 15, 2010

71 - Tweet Song of the Week

the andrew oldham orchestra featuring gary lucas - the rolling stones songbook volume 2 - " you can't get no (satisfaction)"

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Andrew Oldham Orchestra-(You Can't Get No) Satisfaction by industryofhumanhappiness

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

44-paul mcguinness and the stones on red skelton

manager of the last 20 years (along with jon landau and danny goldberg...) U2's paul mcguinness...of course the model's remain albert grossman and shep gordon. enjoy, o

CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE

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and thanks to ron "somerset" ross for this one on the stones...


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

34 - harvey kubernik's "canyon of dreams"

Harvey Kubernik appears on pgs 140-44 and 250-51 of the second part of my autobiographies, 2STONED. He does so because in 2000 i was sitting with mr. and mrs. Lou Adler (Page my dear) in the Hollywood Bowl. we were awaiting the only (as opposed to lonely) Beach Boy, Brian Wilson to waltz us through the very first performance of "Pet Sounds." this performance was with the Wondermints, baton waver Van Dyke Parks and a 60 piece orchestra.

brian wilson,wondermints

it was a night to remember, as well as the night Harvey Kubernik came up and introduced himself to Lou and I.

I am so glad he did. I was almost past the age where one makes friends easily, and with Harvey thatz what happened, and my life (at least)and perhaps his, has been the better for knowing him.

His knowledge of our game makes him one of the rare birds left one can have an unedited conversation with. He knows that Russ Titleman played guitar on the Phil Spector, Paris Sisters cut, "I Love How You Love Me", that Mo Ostin called Jack Nitzsche in to arrange a Soupy Sales record date( R.I.P and thanks for the body of fun ). Also which wall, in which cafe, in Venice my favorite actor Laurence Harvey sat and scribed his name on the wall.

It is more than his knowledge - it is his love, and with his new book, "Canyon of Dreams" love has come back in spades and given us what surely must be, the Music Book of the Year.

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Plz get it and decide for yourself. This is our time, our John Adams, our Thomas Paine. The love has finally come together with the skill and the times portrayed. This book is a must.

In addition I have to thank Harvey for introducing me to Steven Van Zandt . For that I am forever grateful as a few years after we met at the late Mayflower Hotel overlooking NY's Central Park. Steven invited me to find my voice on his Underground Garage where I have been privileged to serve for nigh on five years.

Harvey has served the game for 40 years, with the power and glory of " Canyon of Dreams " the game looks as if it's finally serving Harvey.

BUY "CANYON OF DREAMS" BY CLICKING HERE

here are some photos, harvey was kind enough to allow us to share from his book:

Buffalo Springfield @ Hollywood Bowl-April 29, 1967

Buffalo Springfield,Neil Young,Hollywood Bowl,Canyon of Dreams,Harvey Kubernik
photo by: Henry Diltz

Donovan KHJ @ Hollywood Bowl-April 1966

Donovan,Hollywood Bowl,Harvey Kubernik,Canyon of Dreams
photo by: Henry Diltz

Doors @ Hollywood Bowl-July 5, 1968

The Doors,Jim Morrison,Harvey Kubernik,Hollywood Bowl,Canyon of Dreams
photo by: Henry Diltz

Sky Saxon (Seeds) @ Hollywood Bowl-April 29, 1967-1

Sky Saxon,Hollywood Bowl,Canyon of Dreams,Harvey Kubernik
photo by: Henry Diltz

Michelle Phillips & Mama Cass (Mamas & Papas) @ KHJ Hollywood Bowl-April 2, 1966

Michelle Phillips,Mama Cass,Mamas and Papas,Hollywood Bowl,Harvey Kubernik,Canyon of Dreams
photo by: Henry Diltz

Lou Adler w- dog in Laurel Canyon-May 1967-Nurit Wilde

Lou Adler,Laurel Canyon,Canyon of Dreams,Harvey Kubernik
photo by: Nurit Wild

REVIEWS FOR "CANYON OF DREAMS: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon appearing in September and October, include:"

Glass House Presents.com (October 2009). Review by George DeLoro
http://glasshouse\presents.com
“A must-have for fans of the L.A. music scene. From Sterling Publishing.”

Friday Morning Quarterback. Review by Ken Sharp.
http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=115421

Goldmine. Review and interview by Peter Lindblad
http://blog.goldminemag.com/forgottenboy/2009/10/07/Uncovered+A+History+Lesson+On+Laurel+Canyon.aspx

Los Angeles Weekly (September 23, 2009). Review by Randall Roberts.
http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/off-the-record/canyon-dreams-book-kubernik-la/

Huffington Post. Review by Holly Cara Price. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-cara-price/icanyon-of-dreams-the-mag_b_316865.html

Child of the Moon blog (October 16, 2009). Review by Love Luna.
http://iamthechildofthemoon.blogspot.com/2009/10/canyon-of-dreams.html

Canadian Christianity (October 2009). Review by John Cody (coupled with L.A. Nuggets box).
http://www.canadianchristianity.com/bc/bccn/1009/20looking.html

MusicAngle.com (October 22, 2009). Review by Michael Fremer.
http://www.musicangle.com/feat.php?id=171

Monday, October 5, 2009

33 - sex on tv

the two events of last week as regards the ludicrous end of show biz have to be the roman polanski arrest in switzerland and the mackenzie phillips "consensual incest" with papa john phillips (revelations just in time to promote her book.)

she did OPRAH



she did everything and did her father in. geraldo rivera this past weekend showed clips of some of his earlier interviews with miss phillips; in one, she held a 3 year old kiddie and said the kiddie (hers) had straightened her up.

in the next clip she admitted she'd lied to get on television.

now we were not there but papa john was a heroin addict (and god knows what else) and my experience of heroin is that, heroin is sex itself and actual sex is not really necessary.

we were not there, and i know and papa john danced with many devils. however, given what books do not sell, was it worth it?

all the leaves are no longer brown.... they are shit....

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as for roman polanski...yes he had sex with a 13 year old girl (according to some published sources). this was at the time california was already undressed.

ok...he broke the law and skipped the US before sentencing, however the "13 year old girl" already had sex with her boyfriend that morning (and the girl's mother was the next best thing to a pimp and would have fucked anybody to get on the right side of the hills.)

CLICK HERE FOR LA TIMES ARTICLE

the LA times has it right and has it wrong. if a crime is a crime how come they didn't arrest ted kennedy before he passed? the lady in that dunking died, did she not?

anyway the swiss are throwing the US a polish bone, hoping to get some leniency on the UBS bank scams.....

and then there is the other side of the polanski story, and perhaps this is it....

CLICK HERE

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

32 - mick taylor

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we had been wondering how mick taylor is (we often do), but more so after he canceled a recent stream of US dates "due to illness."

so here's an update mostly from the lad himself from the UK DAILY MAIL.

must say the house looks okay, i once saw a railway station for sale near where mick lives and they wanted 200K for that. hope he's healthy.

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it might be a little late to get wealthy unless he's stronger than methinks. the law is a strange mistress and the stones may be a whore. and why not? whatz not in the article is that mick signed off when he left for 30K or 3K, but, according to all the villains and likely lads, he signed off.....

Saturday, September 5, 2009

31 - 2000 light years from home

here's a labor day goodie from those lads of labour, fun and strife, the rolling stones. enjoy and huge thanks to otto von ruggins for flying it in. a wunderbar, family filled labor day best to you all. - ALO

this text was taken from http://www.dangerousminds.net/

"Call me disputatious—or not, it’s entirely up to you—my favorite Stones album is Their Satanic Majesties Request. It’s the only one I play all the way through anymore. It sounds great as one great big, trippy chunk. It’s a great headphones album, too. Most Stones fans hate it and see it was a weak attempt to out weird the Beatles after they’d unleashed Sgt Pepper on the world, but to me, it’s just a thing of beauty, with the normal Blues-based Stones sound thrown out the door, and replaced with a colorful sonic palette the likes of which they would never return to. I’m not saying that it IS the best Stones album, I’m just saying it’s MY favorite. (My favorite Stones song, is Monkey Man, followed by Stray Cat Blues, then (Doo Doo Doo Doo) Heartbreaker, dark horses, all, I grant you. I’m also partial to Don’t Know Why I Love You, but the Glimmer Twins didn’t write that one, so it doesn’t count).

If you ask me, the Stones “demonic” phase, inaugurated, if you will, by their association with the Magus of Cinema, Kenneth Anger, was when the Stones were truly on fire. Mick was still quite into his Satan/Lucifer thing well into the Let It Bleed/Gimme Shelter era, but after Altamont, Jagger was often seen wearing a crucifix around his neck, perhaps seeking to put down all the hoodoo Age of Horus energy he’d raised? Have sympathy for the poor devil. Jagger had a current running through his body during the Sixties that killed quite a few of his contemporaries. Today, like a rock and roll Dorian Gray, he hardly looks any worse for the wear.

Here is a seldom seem pop video—so heavily influenced by Kenneth Anger that I always assumed that he’d directed it, but it seems more likely to be the work of photographer Michael Cooper, who not only shot the cover for the Satanic Majesties album jacket (which was originally issued with a fantastic 3-D lenticular cover (I have one!), but Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising film as well. I had a copy of this on a Japanese laser disc, comically followed by a clip of Pete Townsend in full Mod drag sternly criticizing the Stones for their then recent marijuana busts. (It’s always the bluenoses who have the really outrageous vices, isn’ it?). Other than that, I’d never seen it anywhere, but here in the YouTube era (we’re living in the YouTube era, didn’t anyone tell you this?) some kind soul has liberated it for our viewing pleasure. Take a look, it’s great"


"

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

29 - stoned hbo

i am just so pleased to share this one with you. it's something i've been working on all my life, and most recently with lou adler, my pal. lou brought you (amongst others) johnny rivers, carole king, spirit, the mamas & papas, jan & dean, cheech & chong, "the rocky horror show" and the monterey pop festival.

no, mick will not be playing me, though i might ask him to play my mum .....

"HBO rolling with 'Stoned'
Network options rights to Oldham biography
By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

HBO is developing a comedy loosely inspired by the memoirs of former Rolling Stones producer and manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

The pay cabler has optioned the rights to two volumes of Oldham's biography, "Stoned" and "2Stoned."

Feature scribe Wesley Strick is penning the script. Oldham and Lou Adler, another music impresario, will exec produce along with Strick.

Project is described as a fictional account of a young man living the high life with artists and hipsters in London's vibrant Soho scene in the early 1960s.

Oldham worked as a pop music press agent in London before he befriended the up-and-coming Stones in 1963. He produced the band's early recordings, including signature hits "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Get Off of My Cloud" and "Ruby Tuesday," and he served as the group's co-manager until 1967.

In 1965, Oldham founded the indie record label Immediate, which was home to early recordings of the Small Faces, Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac and Humble Pie.

Strick's credits include the upcoming reboot of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise for New Line Cinema."


CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Thursday, July 23, 2009

23 - get back, johnny burnette and head to body size ratio

my dear pal and magno performer Al Kooper (fellow Aquarian, born just five days after moi) sent this writing and video. it's from a very special moment in our shared (that's all of us) of our shared musical pleasure and history. the beatles and billy preston and "get back", plus a few guests.... enjoy and thanks al. best, o

from al:

"Hope you all enjoy this as much as I did. The history of the song
made it even more interesting.

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Here's a clip you likely have never seen. The recording of 'Get Back'
for the 'Let It Be' album.
In their early days, The Beatles played in clubs for hours most
nights, but by 1967, they stopped touring. This single was advertised
as "The Beatles as nature intended."

McCartney: "We were sitting in the studio and we made it up out of
thin air... we started to write words there and then... when we
finished it, we recorded it at Apple Studios and made it into a song
to roller coast by."

The character "JoJo" was based on Joseph Melville See Jr., Linda
McCartney's first husband. He was from Tucson, Arizona, and killed
himself there in 2000.

The missing verse from Get Back: "Meanwhile back at home there's
nineteen Pakistanis, Living in a council flat/Candidate for Labour
tells them what the plan is/Then he tells them where its at".
("Council flat" is the British equivalent for "housing project").
Early versions include the line "I dig no Pakistanis." The song began
as a commentary about immigration, telling people to "Get Back" to
their own countries. It was meant to mock Britain's anti-immigrant
proponents. Paul McCartney thought better of it and made the lyrics
more obscure.

Paul looked at Yoko in the studio when he sang the line "get back to
where you once belong." John thought he was disrespecting her. There
was a rare quote by Paul that said "I don't take any notice of her.
She's John's wife so I have to respect her for that, but I don't think
she's the brightest of buttons. She's said some particularly daft
things in her time. Her life is dedicated to putting me down but I
attempt very strongly not to put her down." They eventually became
friends even if it did have to be after John was murdered. Ringo was
the only one who would accept Yoko in the beginning when she first
came in picture, during and after The Beatles.

Billy Preston played piano and became the only guest artist to get a
credit on a Beatles single - "The Beatles with Billy Preston." George
Harrison had left the recording session one day and saw Preston in
concert with Ray Charles. The Beatles had met Preston back in 1962
when they were both playing in Germany, but they hadn't seen each
other since. Harrison asked Preston to come by the studio the next
day. Having him in the studio eased the tension and made it easier for
The Beatles to put personal conflicts aside and record the album.

On the clip you can briefly see a young Mick Jagger & Charlie Watts
from the Rolling Stones in the booth. Phil Spector was the guy with
the glasses."



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and thanks to jason mcphail, the trainspotting bestest sammy glick of a manager from glasgow this side of wee alan mcgee, for reminding us how great the johnny burnette rock and roll trio, rip into " honey hush".



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and here's another hip tip from jason.....

"Her head to body size ratio will have Gered doing cartwheels. As Kenny pointed out 'We're talking Bruce Springsteen ratios here'"

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

21-blogs, bruce, lefsetz, ratones paranoicos

a couple of weeks ago the champion blogger bob lefsetz drew his fans, of which i am one, to a bruce springsteen blog about getting ready for his and the e street band's recent half-time performance at the super bowl.

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i clicked onto bruce's blog and i was very impressed for many reasons; here was the john garfield of american music sharing with his fans the difficult choices he had to make about wearing new-ish boots or old faithful round toe'd boots, describing his dilemma with relish and detail that for sure would have elton john curling up on a las vegas couch calling out, "david, see, bruce has the same problem i have," or perhaps have sharon osbourne yelling lovingly to ozzy across the mansion, “see i told you to stuff the boots, to stop you falling over, you daft c___," or some other midland english term of endearment.

i was also impressed with the fact that bruce wrote this blog and that he continues to do so consistently. mr. lefsetz pointed out that the duty of the blogger is to write continually. this is something i have not been doing, and i apologize to both you and my work ethic.

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Ratones Paranoicos-Rolling Stone Magazine Medium

i could tell you that i have been traveling to buenos aires and recording the ratones paranoicos. here are some pictures from those sessions:

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also here are a couple pictures that were on the wall of the studio i was recording at with the ratones. they are of the rolling stones having a night off being silly the last time they were in south america:

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i have also been to los angeles to see if my two books, stoned and 2stoned, might make it to a screen in your cabled home.

i’ve been wrapping up the umpteenth edit on my third book; walking my dogs and spending a whole lot of time in my new internet-less jungle abode; recording a fine young colombian writer named juan galeano here in bogota; being with you daily on my shows for little steven's underground garage sirius xm; reading every book written by gay talese ; reading "the women" by t.c. boyle and danny goldberg's terrific book on his life in our biz called "bumping into geniuses" ; and finally, working on the rough sketches of a latin-influenced rolling stones songbook with master guitarist gary lucas.

but even all that will not set the record straight. i think bruce works harder, yet he still manages to bring his sleigh to blogsville on a regular basis.

i'm thus inclined to resign, because if you ain't hacking it you should have the decency to fess up and let thy people go.

perhaps it's because of the growing level of communication this recent sirius/xm merger has brought to everybody who works at the underground garage; perhaps my blogging was just a one night stand. we'll see....

in the meanwhile, candles lit and prayers said for the souls of two great dames of music who passed in recent weeks: estelle bennett of the ronettes, and the jazz diva blossom dearie.

hopefully this little spurt will get me hooked again. if not, over to the boss......

Monday, January 21, 2008

07-bill wyman and eric clapton

Bill Wyman UK Telegraph

the finest article i've read in a while is the bill wyman interview in the UK daily telegraph conducted by robert sandall. i have attached the article here for your enjoyment.

mr. sandall is not your usual journo.

he is a former punk and post punk musician and a member of bands that "have never gone down in history". he's a former ski-bum, he’s worked at Q magazine and the UK sunday times…and was a good choice for bill wyman.

whilst at the UK times he wrote what must have been the last, or almost last, piece on the revered champ of brit DJ's, the late john peel. (you can read here)

peel spoke with robert just before he left for his last holiday in peru, which is where he died. sandall was actually editing the piece when the news broke that peel had died. tiz a moving piece, it was as much a friendly, concerned diagnosis as anything else the article contained.

i may have met sandall in the mid-90's. it was the oddest of occasions. i was in london and to have dinner with my barrister. (a barrister is the legal person who stands up for you in court and wears a white wig and black robes and
addresses the judge as "m' lud"). my barrister was a very accomplished
lady named margaret puxon. in the UK high court system they are known as QC's. you may be familiar with them from a myriad of tele and/or filmed efforts. these efforts range range from "witness for the prosecution" to TV's "rumpole of the bailey". anyway it was an odd place to meet robert but my QC liked to "keep in touch with what youth was up to".

i like the bill wyman article because mr. sandall has allowed bill to skate over the sensitive area of his relationship, both personal and professional (with the rolling stones), without having bill fall through the ice (the hole determined by sandall's pen). in addition the sub-editors (those who determine the headline) have gone gentle on both the subject and topic which is a rarity in the UK and almost anywhere.

we live in an era where pro-tools have both improved and debased our music
and it's potential to affect our daily lives. at the same time the computer has both improved communication and debased the meaning and standard of
journalism, via the "everybody is a star" blog-ville in which we all reside.

of course it's more than computer, it's a whole social discourse ranging
from rupert murdoch to the decaying of the family unit by economical and
egoic wants and needs. also its our affection for schadenfreuden and the
belittling of others seemingly more fortunate than we may be. this article
is from the old school about the old school and it works. it's a rarity.....but so is bill.

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Eric and George

a couple of months ago i raved both on my shows and on this page about the
eric clapton biography. i had read an extract that was published in VANITY FAIR. a few days ago i popped into my english book
carrying shop here in bogota and picked up a copy of the actual book.

i was concerned about it from the moment of purchase. it was thinner in pages than i'd thought it might be, it was lacking in photographic amities to the written
proceedings and the cover was brasher than i'd imagined. the cover was more Rosanne barr or farrah fawcett than gore vidal or gay talese. i sorta ignored this as i cancelled my nightly meet with " law & order" and set into eric. i was
disappointed.

vanity fair had done a superb job of presenting the best aspects of the book. the rest did not stand up to that standard. i have written two volumes of biography and am hard at work on a third. it is a very thin line, like the one tightroped by bill wyman, chez robert sandall in the above telling the truth without going tabloid. with ronnie wood there is no danger, he does not even notice it. regarding eric, had my life been changed and futured by seeing God in it's forms as cream and/or blind faith and had that treasured moment trampled on by eric talking about the gig or tour that had improved my lot as something he was " not there for"…i'd feel like whacking him. honesty has to be respectful to another fellow's recall.

another vomit moment is eric's naff betrayal of his "best friend" , the late beatle george harrison. by betrayal, i do not mean it was back in the day. i refer to the way it is written up now. eric has given both God and musos a bad name with his self-serving agenda of dismissal and moving on.

sorry eric, but this God can move to the judus section of the table.

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staying in the realm of the musical holy we have some great VATICAN PICKS
coming up on the UNDERGROUND GARAGE. our "vat-man" has come up with a slew of goodies for the upcoming weeks.

this week it's the stones and "get yourself together", recorded in november of '66 at olympic studios in london. i do not actually remember this session. the times they were a-straining and some six months later i would be leaving the band. this track is hitherto unreleased. glyn johns was the engineer. ian stewart is tentatively playing piano holding back whilst wondering whether
his little three chord wonders are going to pull it off. they don't, otherwise it would have been finished, mixed and released. the human riff (keith)
has the figure down, the bottom end is starting to swing and mick is gamely
trying to secure a song. tiz a gem.

we have quite a few more gems coming up from VAT-MAN in the coming weeks so please listen in.

Monday, October 22, 2007

3-buenos aires

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

i'm just back from buenos aires , in argentina. it remains one of the most beautiful, musically inviting cities in the world. i had been invited to participate in a DVD about the effect of the rolling stones on argentina and the extra special relationship that exists between the group and the nation. special it is…

when the stones are in buenos aires the city is their's. i've seen the raves, the excitement in many parts of the world , but in buenos aires there is something more - an extention that has the whole city belonging to the stones. when they are in town they could run for office and get voted in. mind you, this is a country where the current president has put his wife up to replace him..... (sound familiar?)

as i said it's a musical town and it’s #1 of the latin american countries that "get" our music; they have the ability to be successful with it in a form that is not embarrassing. i've been privilaged to work with two of the most popular argentinean acts ; los ratones paranoicos (translates to “the paranoid mice”) and charly garcia. i had a tremendous time, and many hits, with the ratones from 1990 to 1996. after that, the economic crash got in the way of future work. i'm happy to say i'll be producing the band next year in march.

when i was in B.A. in 1994, the stones came to town for five nights; 88,000 people per night in the plata football stadium. to see the full moon just sit above the stadium, to see the stones in the third world is a different trip. the band were amazing, as they nearly always are, but there was a special amazing aspect to this meeting of the first rock n’ roll band and the third world. an event such as five stones nights in argentina brings the addition of hope. if you are up for seeing the band again may I suggest you pick a foreign venue and have a totally different experience. i realize that this thought is totally devoid of economic reasoning, but in an optimistic world the local cost of the tickets may help with the fare.

anyway to walk through a city that belonged to the stones was amazing. Like "blade runner" re-done with more a parting-of-the-waters than the taking of lives. the director francis ford coppola has set up shop in B.A. and is prepping a film, also to be recorded in march, with matt dillon. alas, somebody read the press announcement and decided to rob the director's house. so, if you get there look for an italian eatery called guido's, write to me for other tips and remember they have only been driving on the "right" side of the road since 1945.

when i was there to see the stones in '94; so were alan parker, madonna and everyone involved in filming " evita". outside the hyatt hotell scrawled on a wall (in spanish alas) was the statement "madonna go home - we have our own whores".

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program note ; interesting bill if you are east, and another op to catch mr. al
kooper..... speaking about al kooper has me thinking of the scorsese "no direction home" and noting that tom petty has issued his equivalent, " running down a dream" , a film by peter bogdanovich, a 4 disc set including 2 DVD's... five hours of never seen before etc.... and elsewhere ... a book. is this a trend, the only way to work for the senior crooners? i hope it's great, but the mind boggles at what could be next.....

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I'm Not There: In Concert
November 07, 2007 at Beacon Theatre
A Celebration of Todd Haynes' Dylan Film
In Todd Haynes' biographical Bob Dylan film, "I'm Not There," Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whitshaw all portray the legendary singer-songwriter.

The talent lineup for I'm Not There: In Concert, a live celebration of Haynes' Bob Dylan film, consists of:
Calexico
Cat Power
The Roots
My Morning Jacket
J Mascis
Yo La Tengo with Buckwheat Zydeco
Mason Jennings
Joe Henry
John Doe
Michelle Shocked & Jimmy LaFave
Mark Lanegan
Terry Adams Rock & Roll Quartet
Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
Al Kooper & Funky Faculty
Ian Ball & Olly Peacock (Of Gomez)
Lee Ranaldo & the Million Dollar Bashers

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johnny marr, guitarist extraordinaire; writer and co-founder of the smiths (the group that defined and rescued british musical art and statement in the 80's) and more recently co-writer, co-producer and guitarist in the wonderful modest mouse. johnny has a new gig.

he's now a professor at the university of salford in manchester, england. johnny is a gent and a mate. when i had returned from my "out to lunch" period and published my first volume of biography he wrote me an e-note welcoming me back into the world and asking me to call him next time i was in the UK. i did, we lunched, we mated and still do. i've seen modest mouse recently in mexico city and vancouver. they are an amazing live band. the two drummers would make dennis wilson wanna come back to life. in fact the band evokes everything the beach boys might have become had they followed the path of " holland"; " sail on sailor"; 20/20 as opposed to the unzen vegas whims and wishes of mike love.

read about johnny in the guardian.