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set small_rant on
>>Where are the songs > 360s today ? Remember in the 70's Uriah Heep out"YES"sing everybody else with Salisbury and July Morning? Or Thick as a Brick and Passion Play... >>
>>You know something, I really know very little Uriah Heep - sounds like I need to spend some time on Napster tonight.
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>A band with one of the best first release albums ever - and they topped it easily with their second, which perhaps was their best. But then they kinda tapered off - tried their hand at theme albums as well, experimented but without ever regaining that first flame, although there were some nice tunes. Not sub-standard or abhorrend later on, but after the first 5 or six albums the songs from the newer discs created no memories like most of the later Tull disks did - I grin on tunes from catfish rising also, whlie not as broad as to those for me "immortal" ones of Aqualung... But Tull *is* special for me.
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>If you haven't immersed yourself by now, in U.H. just go for the first 2 Albums after a week of late 60-early 79 disks. Some Deep Purple, Black Sabath on the Rock front, ELP and Yes for "state of the keyboard art" back then And then those 2 U.H...
>In a way they missed the boat in a similar way Deep Purple (and some other groups) did after gaining large success - no consistency in the group and not enough new ideas in the music.
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>>I love the story of Cask of Amontillado - I know of two people in particular (no one actively involved on the forum here) I'd love to lure in with a bottle of sherry wine. :)
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>"One Bourbon, one Scotch, one Beer" was a long time my motto (exchanging the bourbon for another beer). Champagne grew on me in the nineties, wine this century - sherry not yet...
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That is one of my favorites, written by the late, great John Lee Hooker. I first knew it from the George Thorogood cover version. I worked at a cool Italian restaurant in Madison and one of the waitresses told me JLH propositioned her at a concert she attended. I believed her. She was the smartest waitress there and also the steamiest, even though she was not the hottest in terms of traditionally alluring body parts. (Lord, that place was a gold mine). I guess JLH had a talent for identifying the steamy women. She was married, unhappily, and not a thing ever happened between us. We had lots of great conversations and to this day I think about her occasionally. I heard later that she dumped the guy but by then I was long gone from Mad Town. The one who got away? That was her.
The first place I saw George play was a former funeral home (Sam DeFilippo's?) that was converted into a music venue called the Church Key. They had an eclectic and talented list of artists, everything from recorded artists to local country rock bands like Broken Bow and County Trunk A. Every Sunday night was blues night, featuring a lot of Chicago based artists like Son Seals. It was practically impossible to have a bad evening at the Church Key. I had been listening to George's first two CDs nonstop so of course I went. (With a sorority girl I had just met, whose ears were blown out by the volume and never talked to me again, lol). It was a power trio and they carried in and set up their own equipment. No roadies. I thought that was pretty cool. A man of the people.
The second time I saw him was in about 1982 at the L.A. Coliseum at one of those multi act bills that were so popular at the time. (Yes headlined one at Soldier Field in Chicago). It was quite a lineup -- the then little known Prince as the opening act, then George, then the Stones. Prince went down in flames. He was not to the taste of the rough and ready Stones crowd. He played about five songs, dressed in a backless jacket he kept lifting to show his butt to the crowd, and walked off the stage. Bill Graham, who promoted the show, came out and chastised the crowd for its rude behavior. Prince and his band came back out, played one of his songs called "Jack U Off," and were pelted with the same projectiles. The bassist was using his guitar as a shield. They walked off again and did not come back.
George was next, played some straight ahead rock and roll, and had the crowd eating out of his hand in about a minute. He has always been a consummate showman.
George left and there was the usual interval before the Stones came on stage. They took the stage exactly at sunset. Unlike George, they have always had a sense of drama and self promotion. As they should -- they're the Stones. My college buddy and I had muscled our way to 50 feet or so from the stage, "festival seating" (meaning no seating on the field), and there were Mick and Keef right in front of us. Mick is the guy everyone associates with the Stones, and not a thing wrong with him, but in person it's Keef you can't take your eyes off. He shambled around the back of the stage, one cigarette after another Bogarting from his lips, pumping out the power chords we all grew up with. Watching him play "Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar" up close, that was something else.
UPDATE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOVS14X3dfAI am sure there are better versions but this one is not bad. He can still play the guitar and comes out and puts on a show. Funny thing, George doesn't look as young as he did in 1979 ;-)
