bmusic - Newsletter No. 122

bmusic
Newsletter No.122
May 30th - June 5th 2004

Thought I'd raise a topic about music this week on which I've had some very interesting conversations of late with both musicians and non- musicians and one which, at least to me, seemed unusual in that both musicians and non-musicians had the same thoughts. It's with regard to music on a generational level, which style or movement of music had the most profound impact of change for popular music for each teenage generation. Sticking with the teenage years as I guess this is where the most change is occurring in one's life in which they can be influenced either way by something they relate to. For example, a good friend and musician I once had this discussion with who is about 7 or 8 years my senior suggested that the punk movement had the most impact on music throughout his teenage years. Not necessarily to him personally as he was a metal nut. But he was able to see past his own love of KISS and co. that punk was impacting most on his peers and the popular music that was appealing to the majority of those peers.

Then I was once having the same conversation with a younger local musician in the store one day, I guess he's around 20. To him personally it was silverchair, and to the majority of his age group it was music of that genre, namely the music of Nirvana, that was being released well after the death of Kurt Cobain. The story of Kurt Cobain's demise likely being a contributing factor to that teenage generation relating to the music. Now to me silverchair were simply copping licks and riffs of the stuff I'd listened to a few years earlier. Anyway, we were having this discussion and it turned to what was having an influence like that in the present day. All the Blink 182's and bands of their ilk were thrown around but we couldn't see any particular one of those having as big an impact as the punk or post-grunge movements previously mentioned. I mean a few years ago there were the Green Day like bands and so on but they too didn't seem to qualify as quite as influential. We couldn't come up with an artist or genre. In hindsight this was due to two things, the fact that we were musicians passionate about our instruments, and that we weren't young enough any more to see music of today impacting us like the music of our respective "golden eras" had done. So there was a 13-year old girl awaiting her saxophone lesson sitting in the store and we turned to her and posed the question that had so engaged us. Her answer was simple and immediate, "Eminem", she said. Of course! Now turns out she's not a big fan of the guy's music, and nor am I, but that's the fella who has almost single-handedly provided that certain something that teenagers of the present day (not all, that's not my point, but the majority) relate to and are therefore impacted by.

As I said, I'm not a fan of Eminem, nor am I a fan in any way of his genre, but I do respect the way in which he sometimes speaks, pretty frankly I might add, about the industry he is a part of and about modern society. One lyric he has which sticks in my mind is that in which he refers to parenting and those who listen to his music. I don't know the lyric (to be honest I don't believe I've ever heard an Eminem song and concentrated on it the whole way through) but it goes along the lines that he is not supposed to be bringing up the kids, that's the parents job. Don't put a set of headphones on them or throw them in front of the TV and expect that those sounds and images the kids take in will be edited to educate them in a savoury and morally acceptable fashion. I wish I knew the lyric, but I hope you see what I mean.

So Eminem and co. are the scourge in modern music those trying to battle their teenagers today are against. Every generation has to have them, and most of each generation can't understand what it is that appeals to most of each generation that directly follows them, let alone two, three and four generations down the line. It's like me not being able to see what the big deal about Elvis wiggling his hips was, big deal. But I'm sure it was a big deal in it's day, a very big deal, just as Eminem is today. And The Beatles had long hair? Man, didn't look that long to me, you'd get away with that length at many private schools these days. How were "Can't Buy Me Love" and pretty tunes like that turning parents against their kids and vice versa?! There's that generational thing I don't get you see.

So now I'll have to give away my age I suppose. What was it for me that galvanised the teenagers of my time? I guess I personally was heading toward the one band that sticks in my mind as the biggest of my teenage years before most as I was a young metal head and the harder edged stuff appealed to me. The genre now seen as pretty cheesy of "hair metal" was my cup of tea but it wasn't changing the face of popular music as much as one band that was soon to emerge. Guns 'N' Roses released "Appetite For Destruction" around 1987 and that was it. EVERYONE knew who they were, and they were not nice guys in the eyes of most parents. That's half the thing, the physical appearance of an artist, their story, their "live hard, die young" attitude, all these have an effect. Now for all I know these stories could have been manufactured and there's a far greater power at work that any of my conspiracy theories can imagine, but either way G 'N' R shook things up for a few years. (By the way, G 'N' R around 1990 or so at Melbourne's Calder Park was THE biggest show I've ever been a part of and probably the most significant concert I think I've seen). But that only relates to me and my peers, it certainly pales into insignificance against someone's story from Woodstock, or those who saw The Beatles at Shea Stadium, or those Aussies who attended Sunbury. But it's all relative.

It didn't take long for grunge to emerge soon after all that and, even though I had very little of my teenage years left, I was in amongst it enough to realise that it was something rather big. Probably would be strange to others to hear me say I never really liked Nirvana even though I lived through their emergence. That's not the part that may seem odd. The odd part is that my favourite all-time band, if I had to name one, is Pearl Jam. Due in no small part to the fact that they throw the best concerts I have ever been to and the three shows I've seen of them would be in my Top Five concerts I've ever attended. Actually, for the music they are probably 1, 2 and 3.

Now the musician part of me probably had influenced how I embraced the "grunge" movement, but most of my peers were certainly affected by Nirvana, whereas I was the Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam guy. But they were all eventually thrown in the mix when record execs descended on Seattle en masse at the time. I should make note of Metallica. Of course, as a metal head they had a profound impact on me personally, but even the massive Black album of 1990 I don't think impacted as much on popular music for the majority of my generation as those aforementioned artists.

So my story has two great movements, the G 'N' R inspired stuff (which early Aerosmith fans were likely talking about in the same way I spoke of silverchair earlier) and the "grunge" phenomenon. A movement as big as grunge hasn't hit since I don't believe, but that generational thing is only making things less and less recognisable.

Now I'd love to have some feedback from our subscribers. We have such a large audience and such a wide variety of ages what it would be fascinating to read about what hit you, what was your "grunge"? We could share the feedback we get with all subscribers over the coming weeks if we get enough. So drop me a line personally HERE and let me know the bands or artists you now look back on fondly as I do Guns 'N' Roses. I very much look forward to your replies.
Phew! I "think" that rant makes sense :)

We had a great e-mail this week from a former member of a band we featured in our Where Are They Now? back in January of 2003. He gave us "horses mouth" updates on what most of his fellow former band mates had been up to more recently and let us know about his new group. So this week's Where Are They Now? revisits the band and includes the new information, and a tie-in is this week's Feature Artist. The least we could do to thank the guy was to feature his band. For the record, he thought our original feature was great! Now he's not the only former member to drop us a line. Back in May, 2003 the band's bassist also contacted us and filled us in on his movements. The information he gave us is also included in this week's recap.
Regulars including Feature Article, The Week Ahead in Music History, Featured Product and more are all inside Issue 122 of the bmusic Newsletter.

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Thanks to everyone for reading, we'll see you next week!

TABLE OF CONTENTS (You will need to be on-line to use the Table of Contents to jump through sections)

Where Are They Now? - Ugly Kid Joe

This week's Music Quote

Featured Product - New MXR Pedals for 2004

Vintage and Items of Interest Available

This week's Specials

This week's Feature Article

This week's Feature Artist - Moxie

Musicians Wanted

Gear Wanted

Band Links

The Week Ahead In Music History
           Events
           Births
           Deaths

Give us your suggestions

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In 1896, in England, Guglielmo Marconi was awarded the first radio patent. He had succeeded the previous year in sending longwave radio signals over a distance of about two kilometres. And in 1897, Marconi formed a wirless telegraphy company to develop its commercial applications. In 1901, Marconi succeeded in sending the letter "S" across the Atlantic from Cornwall, England to a receiving station in St. John's, Newfoundland. (Where it was met by a MMM Black Thunder!)

In 1956, Gene Vincent's recording of "Be Bop A Lula" was released. The song was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, selling a million copies. Vincent never was able to match the success of his initial hit. He died in 1971 of a seizure brought on by a bleeding ulcer.

In 1961, Chuck Berry opened his Berry Park, an outdoor amusement complex in Wentzville, Missouri, near St. Louis. It included a miniature golf course, rides and a children's zoo.

In 1964, David Bowie, under his real surname Jones, released his first record, "Liza Jane." It was not a hit.

In 1967, "The Monkees" TV show won an Emmy award for outstanding comedy series.

In 1967, the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album was released in Britain. At the time the album was one of the most ambitious and technically advanced undertaken. With producer George Martin the band spent 700 hours recording on a then state-of-the-art four track recorder, layering tracks atop one another. The recording cost around AUD$140,000 at the time. The album is estimated to have sold more than 20-million copies worldwide.

In 1970, Kinks' lead singer Ray Davies made an 11,000km round trip from New York to London to change one word on the recording of "Lola." The reference to "Coca Cola" became cherry cola because the BBC bans commercial references in songs.

In 1971, more than 30 Grateful Dead fans at a San Francisco show by the group were treated for hallucinations after consuming an apple drink spiked with LSD without their knowledge.

In 1975, the Rolling Stones became the first artists to receive record royalties from the Soviet Union when copyright laws there were changed. Until then, the Soviets had made no payment to any artist for work released or used in that country.

In 1976, the Who played a concert at the Charlton Athletic Grounds in England that went into the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the loudest show ever - 120 db. The record has since been broken - many times!

In 1977, London police arrested 11 people after breaking up a floating Sex Pistols concert on the Thames River. The concert, held on a boat named the "Queen Elizabeth," came at the height of the Queen's Silver Jubilee festivities.

In 1979, bluesman Muddy Waters, who was 64, married 25 year old Marva Jean Brooks. Eric Clapton was a guest at the wedding.

In 1982, after leaving the political rock group the Clash, drummer Topper Headon was arraigned in London for stealing a bus stop sign and receiving stolen stereo equipment.

In 1982, the Rolling Stones played an unannounced show at the 100 Club in London. It was at the 100 Club that the Sex Pistols started the punk rock movement about six years earlier.

In 1986, charges were filed in Los Angeles against the lead singer of the punk rock band The Dead Kennedys and four others in connection with a sexually explicit poster packaged with the group's album, "Frankenchrist." Eric Boucher, who used the stage name Jello Biafra, and the others were charged with distributing harmful material to minors. They were acquitted.

In 1987, George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" was banned by the BBC and numerous US radio stations. Michael said the song was about love, not lust.

In 1987, Michael Jackson broke all ties with the Jehovah's Witnesses.

In 1988, former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin was sentenced in Detroit to two years probation and 50 days of community service after being convicted of using cocaine. Ruffin died of a drug overdose in Philadelphia on June 1st, 1990.

In 1989, Rolling Stones bass guitarist Bill Wyman, age 52, married 19 year old Mandy Smith in a secret ceremony in the eastern English town of Bury St. Edmonds. Wyman's son and the bride's sister were the only guests. The couple divorced in 1991 after Wyman said they had spent only five days together as man and wife. Wyman agreed to an $1,000,000 divorce settlement.

In 1989, Atlantic Records' New York studio, where artists such as Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin made some of their classic albums, closed because of problems with a new landlord. The new owner of the building said other tenants were complaining about the noise.

In 1990, Michael Jackson was taken to hospital in Santa Monica, California after complaining of chest pains. Tests showed he suffered bruised ribs after a vigorous dance practice in his bedroom.

In 1990, a judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, declared "As Nasty as They Wanna Be" by 2 Live Crew to be obscene. A record store owner was charged two days later for selling the hit rap album. An appeals court overturned the judge's decision two years later.

In 1990, Midnight Oil closed down a New York City street whilst performing at a protest concert in front of the Exxon oil company offices on 6th Avenue. The protest was in response to the Exxon Valdez oil disaster.

In 1991, British police seized 23,000 copies of an album (Efil4zaggin) by American rappers NWA from Polygram Records. The raid took place after a warrant was issued under the Obscene Publications Act. A judge cleared the album for release five months later.

In 1993, Mariah Carey married her boss, Sony Music president Tommy Mottola. Among the celebrities in attendance were Robert DeNiro, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel and his then wife Christie Brinkley. Carey and Mottola separated in 1997.

In 1996, Neil Finn, leader of Crowded House, announced the group was breaking up after 10 years. He made the announcement in London during the band's final British show.

In 1996, a show by Metallica in the parking lot of Tower Records in San Jose, California drew 10,000 fans. The resulting traffic jam and overworked police officers left the record store, the promoter and the band's record company facing charges of disturbing the peace, obstructing traffic and failure to get a permit.

In 1997, the body of singer Jeff Buckley was pulled from the Mississippi River in Memphis, six days after he jumped into the city's harbor. Buckley, who was 30, was in Memphis to record an album for Columbia. He was the son of folk singer Tim Buckley, who died of a drug overdose in 1975 at age 28.

In 1997, Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher married girlfriend Meg Matthews in a private ceremony in Las Vegas. The couple had previously called off wedding plans in London after being besieged by the media. Gallagher's brother Liam, who had married actress Patsy Kensit in secret earlier in the year, did not attend the Las Vegas ceremony.

In 1997, Iggy Pop suffered a separated shoulder when he dived from the stage of the Polaris Amphitheatre in Columbus, Ohio. He hit the ground after the audience failed to catch him.

In 2002, American R&B star Robert "R." Kelly was arrested at his Florida residence after being indicted on 21 felony counts of child pornography.

In 2002, fifteen years after his death, master classical guitarist Andres Segovia was taken back to his hometown as he wished. Segovia's remains were exhumed from the Madrid cemetery where he originally was buried and taken to Linares in Jaen province, the heart of Spain's olive-growing region.

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Births In 1857, English composer Sir Edward Elgar was born. Music composed in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee brought him public recognition. Elgar's most popular works are his five "Pomp and Circumstance" marches, composed between 1901 and 1930. Elgar died in 1934.

In 1926, singer Bill Hayes was born in Harvey, Illinois. He had a number one hit in 1955 with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," outselling a version by Fess Parker, star of the Disney movie. Coonskin hats were big that year.

In 1934, pop singer Pat Boone was born in Jacksonville, Florida. At his peak in the late 1950's, Boone was considered a clean cut, parent approved alternative to Elvis Presley.

In 1940, singer Tom Jones was born in Pontypridd, Wales. After building a reputation in London clubs, Jones was offered a recording contract in 1964. His first records weren't successful, but in 1965 he achieved international success with "It's Not Unusual," a song written by his manager, Gordon Mills.

In 1941, Rolling Stones' drummer Charlie Watts was born in London. Watts joined the Rolling Stones in January 1963, about six months after the group was formed. He was working in an advertising agency at the time, but had earlier played with Alexis Korner's Blues Incoporated, as had other members of the Stones.

In 1942, Curtis Mayfield, a driving force in black music as singer, writer, producer and record company owner, was born in Chicago. Mayfield formed the Impressions in the late 1950's with singer Jerry Butler.

In 1944, guitarist Clarence White of the Byrds was born in Lewiston, Maine. After appearing as a session musician on recordings by such artists as Rick Nelson, the Everly Brothers and the Byrds, he became a permanent member of the Byrds in 1968. In July of 1973, White was killed by a drunken driver in Lancaster, California, while he was loading equipment on to a van following a concert.

In 1946, John Paul Jones, bass player with heavy metal pioneers Led Zeppelin, was born in Sidcup, England. Jones had met Zeppelin lead guitarist Jimmy Page in 1968 when they played with folk singer Donovan on his album "Hurdy Gurdy Man."

In 1946, Ian Hunter, former lead vocalist and guitarist with Mott the Hoople.

In 1946, Fred Stone, guitarist with Sly and the Family Stone.

In 1947, Mick Box, lead guitarist with Uriah Heep.

In 1947, guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones was born in London. A veteran of the Jeff Beck Group and Faces, Wood was chosen by the Stones to replace Mick Taylor in 1974.

In 1948, John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin, was born in Redditch, England. By 1975, their album and concert ticket sales had made Led Zeppelin the most popular rock band in the world. Their final album was in 1979. A year later, John Bonham died at Jimmy Page's home in Windsor, England. After drinking and falling asleep, he choked to death.

In 1950, Antone (Chubby) Tavares of the Tavares family group.

In 1950, rock singer Suzi Quatro.

In 1950, Graham Russell, co-founding member of Australian group Air Supply.

In 1954, Michael Steele, bass guitarist with the Bangles.

In 1954, Nicko McBain, drummer with the heavy-metal band Iron Maiden.

In 1955, pop singer Joey Scarbury, whose recording of "Theme from "Greatest American Hero" (Believe It or Not)" went to number two in 1981.

In 1959, Tony Hadley, singer with Spandau Ballet.

In 1959, Alan Wilder, keyboardist with Depeche Mode.

In 1960, rock guitarist Steve Vai.

In 1968, Australian singer Merril Bainbridge.

In 1970, B-Real, real name Louis Freese, of the Latino rap trio Cypress Hill.

In 1971, rapper, singer and actor Marky Mark, whose real name is Mark Wahlberg.

In 1974, the Avril Lavigne of the 1990's, Alanis Morissette. i.e. Female solo artist who releases almost every song on an album as a single, thereby ensuring she's on commercial radio every friggin' time you turn it on for more than a year.

In 1993, Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea saw the birth of their daughter, Stephanie Ross.

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Deaths In 1948, blues singer Sonny Boy Williamson was killed during a robbery in Chicago. He was 34 years old. He was the first of two singers to perform under the name. Williamson was a major influence on later blues harp players, such as Little Walter and Junior Wells.

In 1973, Murray Wilson, father of three of the Beach Boys, died of a heart attack at age 55. He had a good deal to say about their early careers, managing the band and negotiating their first contract with Capitol Records in 1962.

In 1977, Alice Cooper's pet boa constrictor was fatally bitten by a rat it was being fed for breakfast. Cooper held a public audition in Century City, California a week later to find a replacement for the snake, which was featured in his act.

In 1980, Carl Radle, bass player with Derek and the Dominoes died at the age of 37 from a chronic kidney ailment.

In 1984, Nate Nelson, lead singer of the doo-wop group the Flamingos, died at age 52. In 1962, three years after leaving the Flamingos Nelson joined the Platters.

In 1987, Andres Segovia, the world's foremost classical guitarist, died at his home in Madrid at the age of 94. Segovia is credited with establishing the guitar as a concert instrument. He was one of the few classical guitarists to earn a gold record for sales of an album.

In 1987, bandleader Sammy Kaye, whose trademark in the 1940's and '50s was "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye," died of cancer at the age of 77. His band scored major hits with "Daddy" in 1941, "There Will Never Be Another You" in 1942 and "Harbor Lights" in 1950.

In 1990, Stiv Bators, former lead singer of the Dead Boys punk band, died in Paris after being struck by a car. He was 40. Bators founded the group in Cleveland in 1976, and they soon moved to New York to become part of the scene at the legendary punk club CBGB.

In 1991, jazz tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, who helped popularize bossa nova music in North America, died of cancer at his home in Malibu, California. He was 64. His showcase was the song "Early Autumn."

In 1991, a birthday party for Damian Hall of the R'n'B group Guy was marred by the killing of Hall's bodyguard. A gunman pumped four bullets into 26 year-old Larry Glover before walking through the crowd and out the door of the New York nightclub where the celebration was being held. The shooting occurred about three metres from Eddie Murphy, who was one of the guests.

In 1991, former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin died in Philadelphia of a cocaine overdose at age 50.

In 1993, country superstar Conway Twitty died in a Springfield, Missouri, hospital at age 59. He was on his way home to Hendersonville, Tennessee, from a concert in Branson, Missouri, when he collapsed on his tour bus. A blood vessel had ruptured in his stomach, and he died of complications after surgery.

In 1997, jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham died in Washington, DC following a stroke. He was 91. Among the many jazz greats Cheatham performed or recorded with over his seven decade career were Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Count Basie.

In 1997, Ronnie Lane, bass guitarist and co-founder of the Small Faces, died of multiple sclerosis at his home in Trinidad, Colorado. He was 51. Lane helped put together the Small Faces in London in 1965.

In 1998, former WWF wrestler Junkyard Dog (real name Sylvester Ritter) died in a car accident. Born in 1952 Ritter performed the rock song "Grab Them Cakes" for the WWF release The Wrestling Album.

In 1999, former Bob Marley and the Wailers member Junior Braithwaite was shot and killed.

In 1999, Mel Torme (Melvin Howard Torme) The Velvet Fog, died of complications from a stroke he suffered in 1996.

In 2002, Dee Dee Ramone, a founding member of the pioneer punk band the Ramones, was found dead of a drug overdose at the age of 49. He was discovered by his wife, Barbara Zampini, on the couch of their Hollywood home.

In 2002, former RATT guitarist Robbin Crosby (Robbinson Lance Crosby) died of a heart attack due to AIDS. Crosby was 42 years old.

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