Tag Archives: Classic Rock

What we’re listening to today – Bad Night at the Whiskey by The Byrds

If you only know the Byrds from their famous early singles like “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Feel a Whole Lot Better”, this late model track from 1969’s Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde might just hit you like a ton of bricks.

In a band that existed from 1964-1973, the Byrds’ only constant wound up being Roger McGuinn, as they became as famous for line up changes and stylistic shifts as for their musical output. But what remains now after all that history is put away is the glorious music throughout their many iterations. Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde inaugurates the Clarence White-era of the band and follows directly after Gram Parsons‘ departure. So while the album still resonates with the influence of Parsons’ innovative country-rock synthesis on such tracks as the all-time great “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man” and the traditional ode to a deceased hound dog “Old Blue”, the other tracks border on heavy metal, with White’s heavily distorted and piercing guitar solos soaring over McGuinn’s ominous doom & gloom vocals, all surrounded by John York’s thundering bass and multi-instrmentalist Gene Parsons thumping out a brutal rhythm on the skins. Tracks like “Whiskey” and the scorching cover of Dylan & Danko’s “This Wheel’s On Fire” come fascinatingly close to Led Zeppelin-esque heaviness almost simultaneous to the release of Led Zep I. But then the Byrds in all their incarnations were always trailblazers and at the sharp end of musical trends. From adapting Dylan into 3-minute chiming folk rock pop songs to the raga-inspired psychedelia of “Eight Miles High” to the amazingly unlikely and artistically significant Gram Parsons-Roger McGuinn country rock of Sweethearts of the Rodeo, the Byrds always seemed to be one step ahead of the pack even if they didn’t always reap the commercial rewards of such foresight. Reflecting the prevailing mood of pessimism at the end of the 60s, the late-era gem “Bad Night at the Whiskey” shows the Byrds still had plenty to offer the world of Rock ‘n Roll even if they couldn’t quite make up their mind which way they wanted to fly off to next.

What we’re listening to today–Mambo Sun by T. Rex

Let’s kick Friday off with this slinky ditty from T. Rex:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koFM5paYEmM

Now, one can carp that T. Rex really only made one song throughout their long career. “(Bang a Gong) Get It On”, “Children of the Revolution”, “Jeepster”, etc are all variations on a theme with a little instrumental variety here, a little tempo change there. But there is something surely sweet sounding about the Marc Bolan groove and his childishly simple lyrics. Nobody else sounds like T. Rex, glam or otherwise (although this Grant Lee Phillips song, “Johnny Guitar“, is a pretty good homage). But when you hear them, they always tickle the ear and the tunes never sound stale 40+ years on.

Mambo Sun is primo Rex, all attitude, fuzzy guitars, low key reverbed vocals and female worship, not to mention a great first track for 1971’s seminal Electric Warrior. Plus, Bolan helped make it cool for rock guys to look a little like chicks–he arguably inspired Bowie to go glam–so there’s another lasting contribution. On second thought, that kind of led to Poison so maybe that wasn’t such a great thing. Whatever we think about that, put on your top hat and feather boa and get ready to rock out this weekend!

I personally think Electric Warrior belongs in every rock fan’s collection and you can get it at Amazon and iTunes, of course.

What we’re listening to today– Riders on the Storm by The Doors

Somehow long car trips make me think of this morose tune from the last gasp of the genius that was Jim Morrison and the Doors. Plus it’s been raining and thundering all day, so it fits the mood…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYE1S6r3bkg

It’s also interesting that what used to be a time-honored mode of transport on the cheap since the advent of he car, which arguably reached its romantic apotheosis with the hitchhiking-friendly On the Road by Kerouac, quickly morphed into No fucking way am I picking up some straggly looking kid in the space of about 15 years or so.

Here are some cool articles on why that happened, with the gist of it being that horror stories and a general hostility to drifting free spirits by local and federal law enforcement conspired to give hitching a bad and dangerous name:

What Killed Hitchhiking? from NBC News

Hitchhiking’s Time Has Come Again from the New York Times

But the final nails in hitchhiking’s coffin might really have been the fallout from the Manson Family murders and the creepy but awesome (and almost certainly related) “Riders on the Storm” here. Rutger Hauer didn’t help with any potential revival in the 80s either:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKV2a9Le0Sc

And with that: Drive safe, kids!

You can find “Riders On the Storm” on The Doors last studio album, L.A. Woman, available for download at Amazon.com.

What we’re listening to today–All the Way From Memphis by Mott the Hoople

Here’s a little bon Mott to spice up the afternoon, straight from live video back in the 70s:

Sometimes you just gotta go glam, man. So put on that velvet blazer and pick up your six-string razor.

And BTW, I wonder who taught who how to sing like that: did Bowie teach Mott or did Mott teach Bowie? Hmmm… the eternal riddles of Rock ‘n Roll.

Download the classic studio version at iTunes or Amazon.