The Current Music Blog  

The Current Music Blog: August 14, 2009 Archive

< August 13, 2009 | Main | August 15, 2009 >

Today In Music History: Thumpin' and Pluckin'

Posted at 6:06 AM on August 14, 2009 by Steve Seel
Filed under: Music History

Birthdays:

David Crosby is 68.
Slim Dunlap is 58.
Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Breeders) is 43.


1962 - Unhappy with drummer Pete Best's role in The Beatles, Brian Epstein and the other three members decide to fire him. Best played his last gig the following night at The Cavern, Liverpool.
1965 - Sonny & Cher started a three week run at No.1 on the Billboard singles chart with "I Got You Babe".
1970 - Stephen Stills was arrested on suspected drugs charges while staying at a San Diego Hotel after being found crawling along a corridor in an incoherent state. Still's was later freed on bail.
1971 - Rod Stewart released "Maggie May."
1974 - "(You're) Having My Baby" by Paul Anka was awarded a gold record. Some feminists objected to the word "my," saying it should have been "our."
1985 - Michael Jackson outbid both Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono for the ATV music publishing catalog, which included many Beatles songs. Jackson paid $47.5 million dollars.
1989 - Bon Jovi's New Jersey was the first American album to be released legally in what was then the Soviet Union.

Bassist Larry Graham is 63 today. Graham has played with Sly and the Family Stone and later Prince, as well as his own band Graham Central Station. He is credited with the invention of the so called "slapping" technique, which opened up the sonic possibilities of the bass considerably (although Graham himself refers to the technique as "Thumpin' and Pluckin'"). A great example of his slapping technique in it's early state: Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin."


New Radiohead Tune? "These Are My Twisted Words"

Posted at 8:08 AM on August 14, 2009 by Steve Seel (4 Comments)

After getting a bunch of fans sweating that they might be heading for a breakup, it appears that Radiohead are indeed still a hard-working cohesive unit - and now with new material. Via Stereogum, here's what seems to be a new Radiohead track, which was leaked the other day on the registration-required fansite ateaseweb.

Comment on this post

Random Vinyl 8/10-8/14

Posted at 12:32 PM on August 14, 2009 by Jill Riley
Filed under: Random Vinyl


Monday: Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Green River" (1969)
Filling in for Steve on Monday, my 30-hour delay (and re-routing via to Minneapolis from Albany via Atlanta!) was on my mind, so we played a Creedence Clearwater Revival classic off Green River, about the musician who came in to town for a one night stand, but it looks like those plans fell thru, cause Oh! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again...
-Jim McGuinn

Tuesday: Woodstock, Music From the Original Soundtrack
We played a great Woodstock 69' moment with Joan Baez featuring Jeffrey Shurtleff performing, "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man." It was a song written by Roger McGuinn and Graham Parsons when they were in The Byrds together. The opening commentary to the live Baez version is priceless. The 40th anniversary of Woodstock is this weekend.

Wednesday: Katie Lee, "Songs of Couch and Consultation" (1957)
Katie Lee was a folk singer back in the 50's, so it's funny that she wound up on a goofy project like this. The record is fun poke at psychology. We played the fun ditty,"The Will To Fail."

Thursday: Cyndi Lauper, "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" (1985)
Side A: "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" (3:27)
Side B: "What A Thrill" (3:00)
Label: Portrait (CBS)
Catalog#: 34-04918
Format: Vinyl, 7"
cyndi-lauper-the-goonies-r-goo-48300.jpg

Friday: The Beatles, "White Album" (1968)
Eric Clapton plays the red 1957 Les Paul guitar that he gave to George Harrison as a gift on "As My Guitar Gently Weeps." George's name for the infamous guitar was "Lucy." We had Les Paul on our minds, since he just passed away at the age of 94.

Friday Coffee Break: A Les Paul Custom

Posted at 2:16 PM on August 14, 2009 by Steve Seel (1 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break

The music world has been continuing to mourn the passing of a true legend and innovator with the death of Les Paul on Thursday at the age of 94. Paul's invention of the solid-body electric guitar - in essence, an innovation that made the sound of rock n' roll possible - can not in any way be underestimated.

Barb Abney began our tributes yesterday afternoon after we first got the news of Paul's death by playing a set featuring guitarists who have been visible players of the iconic Gibson guitar that bears Les Paul's name. This morning for the 9:30 Coffe Break, Jill and I continued that salute with your input. We also began by playing a little Les Paul himself, along with his wife Mary Ford.

1) Les Paul and Mary Ford, "How High The Moon"
2) Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page - '58 and '59 Standard Sunburst), "Dancing Days"
3) Green Day (Billy Joe Armstrong - Les Paul "Junior"), "Know Your Enemy"
4) Guns N' Roses (Slash - Standard Sunburst), "Sweet Child O' Mine"
5) KISS, (Ace Frehley, Les Paul Custom) "Shout It Out Loud"
6) Neil Young ('56 Goldtop painted black), "Hey Hey My My"

Comment on this post

August 2009
S M T W T F S
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31          


Master Archive
Recent Entries
Tools
Categories
Services
Become a Sponsor