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The Trip Continues . . . Expand Your Mind |
Issue 12 |
This Month in Ever Heard
Of . . . Golden
Nugget Check
out the line-up
The Pre-Show Buzz Kim
Fowley-Festival Emcee The
Post-Show Wrap Up New Classic Rock
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Ever Heard Of . . .
Freedom  |
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January 1968 saw the group's first single, "Where Will You Be Tonight" b/w "Trying To Get A Glimpse Of You", released on the Mercury label. Managing to successfully capture and transfer the excitement of their live act to vinyl, the quartet's debut single was a competent and confident outing. While the A side is a hearty serving of heavy rock complete with fuzz drenched guitar work courtesy of Royer, his contribution to the B side is of great interest to collectors. Royer's self-penned flipside is a fantastic slice of happy, psychedelic pop complete with an infectious chorus and ambitious use of the mellotron. Sadly, the single went largely unnoticed as their popularity on the live circuit failed to translate into sufficient enough record sales to please their label. The group continued to work steadily during the summer before being signed by the short-lived micro-label Plexium in the autumn of 1968. A weak and disappointing follow-up single, "Escape While You Can" b/w "Kandy Kay" was released in early 1969. Shortly thereafter the band was once again in search of a record deal. The Probe label signed the group in 1970, allowing them the luxury of recording a full-length album for their first release. Its US-only distribution continues to make "Through The Years", a rare and much sought after item for psych record collectors. The band used favorites from its live show repertoire which led to a much more pronounced rhythm section while Royer's handy work is on display with some rather impressive soloing scattered throughout the album's eight tracks. Though a solid effort, the album suffered the same commercial fate as the group's previous singles, resulting in yet another record label change. In 1971, Vertigo Records saw unfulfilled promise in the group and agreed to distribute globally a slightly altered and somewhat weaker version of their first album while at the same time giving them the go ahead to record another album. Their follow-up release was a distracted collection of sub-par material that lacked the energy and flow of their first effort. Inexplicable musical experimentations, including disastrous attempts at C&W, did nothing to confirm the record label's faith in the group. Vertigo was said to be so unimpressed with what the band delivered that they refused to make any promotional efforts on their behalf including the financing of any singles in support of the album. |
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The Pre-Show Buzz. . .
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At a pre-show press conference held shortly before the debut performance of The Plastic Ono Band yesterday evening, a jet-lagged and bleary eyed Eric Clapton, former guitarist with Cream, sat next to newlyweds John Lennon and Yoko Ono and revealed the frenzied whirlwind of activity that began with the guitarist being rustled from bed by a pre-dawn phone call from George Harrison, who was recruited by Lennon to assist in locating some of England's top musicians. |
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Kim
Fowley and The Rock and Roll Revival Festival
As Lennon, Clapton and Ono exited the conference room, the two young promoters responsible for bringing about this ambitious show entered along with the show's emcee Kim
Fowley for a last minute round of promotion. With the addition of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band announced just hours earlier, John Brower and Ken Walker were immediately asked about the last minute, big name supplement to the bill. Making no allusions to the rumors of weak ticket sales, Brower replied, "We wanted to put on a show that had a broader appeal and would be relevant to what's happening in music today, especially since the roots of rock 'n roll were represented so well. You don't get any more
current than The Doors and John Lennon's new project." "Why did they pick me, you ask?" he inquires, although no one actually poses the question. "Because I'm the best promoter in the world" comes his self-assured response. "As long as I get paid, I don't care if the kids know who I am. The idea that the emcee might just be prettier than the artists performing would never occur to them. Tonight's going to be a good show. It's an incredible undertaking and in my opinion the best line-up since Monterey. These two guys deserve a big pat on the back." While he may not have proved to be the best promoter last night, his prediction that the show was going to be "good", was his sole understatement. |
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Well, it's June 1977 (I realize it's a couple of years outside the classicrockpage.com time frame, but oh well). Life was really good for me back then. Or, so I thought. I didn't know it at the time, but I was well on my way to adding years of undue wear and tear on my scrawny little body. But back in the summer of 1977, I was happy as could be. Well, as happy as a 20-year-old college student could be. I had moved from Albany, New York to California, searching out beautiful beaches, pretty ladies and the party atmosphere I longed for. I was attending UCLA, well, um, enrolled at UCLA anyway. I shared a lovely two-bedroom apartment off campus with a guy who, shall we say, came from some very old money and had a family surname many would recognize but will be restricted for the purposes of this writing, to the imaginations and deductions of those reading this. My roomie, hmm, let's call him something original. "John", I think will do. Anyway, "John", was quite an industrious and enterprising young man. In many ways, a lot like his fine, upstanding ancestry. Oh, if he had only put his talents to legitimate use! For me, during those two years we were roomies, his talents suited me just fine. John was interested in the e-z life. Like many promising entrepreneurs, he diversified his businesses. Distributing fine Moroccan imports to both students and professors alike made him popular and quite wealthy when compared to the meager existence most students have to endure. Having the 'substance' around all the time and in plentiful amounts was really not healthy. At the time, did either of us care? A great, big 'no' would be the answer to that question. He liked to party, which suited me just fine too. His other business, that of 'scalping' tickets, came in really handy too. See what I mean? Tell me that's not a recipe for disaster. No need to work, 'cause rent is taken care of. A bevy of nefarious substances and the best concert tickets to boot! Picture yourself at 20. You'd think you died and went to heaven. Oh, yeah, and with all of the above, an assortment of beauties was never far off. So, when the news came 'round about Led Zeppelin's 6-night stand at the LA Forum, you can bet we were going to be there, front and center. Another bet? That we would be as thoroughly out of it as humanly possible (something I was doing a lot of back then). Oh the joys and fringe benefits of having a ticket-scalper as your buddy and roomie. Now, Zeppelin always loved LA and the feeling was certainly mutual. They even wrote a song about the city's bountiful array of quick 'n easy groupies, the 'LA queens', in their song Sick Again. When the mighty blimp rolled into town, LA buzzed in anticipation. There were sightings of the Zep everywhere. Even though most of them were erroneous, the locations of these sightings, usually bars and hotels, were immediately swarmed by hundreds of Zep-crazed fans. Of course, the odd story of hotel mayhem popped up in more than a few
newspapers. In short, when the mighty Zeppelin touring machine came to LA, things got crazy. For everyone. Especially for two kids with a lot of time between their fingers, I mean, on their hands. I wanted to be there on the opening night but plans fell through. As fate would have it, we picked the best night to go. I have to admit some of the solos were a little long, even though the lights and smoke surrounding John Paul Jones during No Quarter added a very cool aura to his piano work. John Bonham's musicianship was the most precise of all the members, and his drum solo on Moby Dick was unreal, lasting about thirty minutes from what I remember. Being a novice drummer myself, I could really appreciate the beating he was laying out on his kit that night. The drum mikes were picking up his grunts and groans as he pounded away. I remember his drum set rising for the solo, and please remember my state of mind here, and me thinking, wow, they're going to hover him over the audience! Of course they didn't, but things were hazy by this time, and only getting hazier. They played for three hours when all of a sudden, to me anyway, there appears this hefty, little bearded guy. He walks straight up to the mike and rambles something along the lines of, "I'm only a f #@$g drummer" and that "very few people can tell you what rock and roll is all about". Who is this guy? Robert Plant takes the mic and announces 'Keith Moon!'. The crowd loved him and it showed. He played a couple of numbers (not sure which, remember, hazy and getting hazier) but most of his time was spent hammering away on a big floor tom or on a tambourine while Bonham drummed. Now there's a guy who looked really different. He really was unrecognizable. I had seen The Who in 1973 and he looked nothing like I remembered. I found out much later that he had been living in California for some time and that California really wasn't the healthiest place for him at the time. It was a fantastic surprise and it was great to see rock and roll's official lunatic in action. After the show, we stumbled towards the exit, elated that we had seen, what was for me anyway, one of the best live acts ever. That tour was the last time Led Zeppelin played North America. Just over a year later, Moon died, and two years after that, Bonham was gone too. As for me, I was pretty much in a perpetual state of haziness for the next couple of years. And you know, that concert in June 1977 was really the last of the big shows for me, but it remains one of my favorites. |
The Rock and Roll Revival
- continued Ono's contributions to the band's set thus far had consisted of holding papers with handwritten words to songs in front of Lennon while he sang and mysteriously crawling in and out of a large, white burlap sack. Shortly into her first of two numbers, both chiefly comprised of high-pitched, angst-ridden yelping (the only words yelled repeatedly in slow motion, "Don't worry, don't worry, John. Let's hope for peace") scattered boos could be heard coming from various sections throughout the stadium. More than a few startled and confused glances were exchanged between concertgoers. As Yoko sang, the musicians laid down a wall of feedback and musical twaddle that complimented perfectly this most unusual lyrical and vocal display. More interesting than Yoko's singing was watching Lennon provide an amusing, and much more entertaining, distraction. Like a happy child running through an open field pretending to fly, he fluttered about the stage with outstretched arms, lost in his own musical world. He picked up his guitar momentarily and then set it down. He wandered around, hands behind his back, stopping occasionally to smooth his moustache and beard, before continuing his leisurely saunter. As Yoko's cacophonous singing attempt came to its long awaited conclusion, Lennon scampered over to Yoko, spreading his arms out and dancing beside her before kissing her on the cheek. The supporting harmony of distortion continued to drone on at an ever-increasing volume, and before anyone knew what was happening, Lennon and Ono were gone and the unveiling of The Plastic Ono Band was over.
The
Post-Show Wrap Up
While opinions varied on Yoko Ono's appearance, two young females offered their own interpretation of Ono's performance while exiting the stadium. "It sounded as if she was crying, like a child in fear", said one, her colorful scarves flowing wildly in the cool, evening breeze. A more tolerant observation was made by her friend, "It was better listening to her than going to war. War kills the heart. I liked her."
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New Classic Rock |
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Smokin'
Gun
True
Texas Blues with a |
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Following their acrimonious and legally resolved departures from the original Procol Harum line-up in the latter end of 1967, drummer Bobby Harrison and guitarist Ray Royer set out in East London with a clear vision for their new musical undertaking. They would attempt to fuse the classical, B-3 loaded style of their former group with a heavier rhythm section and a more prominent lead guitar. After recruiting local musicians Roger Saunders and Peter Dennis, the quartet quickly earned a reputation on the London club circuit as a spirited and well-oiled act with an enthusiastic and loyal following that virtually guaranteed a capacity crowd at clubs throughout the southern U.K. Even before the group had been signed to a record label, the growing buzz surrounding the band traveled throughout the arts community resulting in their involvement in Italian film director Dino Delaurentis' "The Attraction", the group contributing three songs to the film's soundtrack. While at first it seemed that the focus and direction were in place for something unique, factors such as lack of commercial success, limited radio airplay and a merry-go-round of record companies caused that sharp image to blur and the band's output to be very much a hit and miss routine.
An abundance of glorious, late-summer sunshine and crisp, fresh air greeted the concertgoers as they filed into the stadium and settled in for the daylong musical smorgasbord that started promptly at 1 PM. After nine straight hours of devouring the delights of this musical buffet, the crowd still seemed unsatisfied. As 10 PM drew near, the evening's most eagerly awaited act slowly made their way through the backstage area in a black limousine that was escorted by no fewer than ten police officers. As a curtain of exploding flashbulbs descended upon the darkened arena, a handful of over excited fans jumped barriers and pushed past security guards in a vain attempt to catch a glimpse of John Lennon and his hastily cobbled band of musicians. A wild scurry then followed as Lennon, Ono and Clapton bolted from the quiet calm of their limousine into the super-charged atmosphere of the stadium and were immediately rushed down a long, canopy-covered hallway that lead to the performers' dressing room, located below the stands.
