| Author | Message | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 875 Registered: 11-2005 |
Alright guys and gals, as one being born in the early '70's I did not get to experience all the great music that was a tidal wave through the '60's and '70's. So, I'm looking for the reflections of those of you that can remember those times and to share them here. Please leave out politics (though it may be hard) as I'm looking for the "good vibrations" of what changed your lives and what made you pick up an axe and play. Again, please leave out the politics as it has been a heated subject around here and as of lately has been calm. Thank you gentlemen and I look forward to your stories. Adam | ||
| gregduboc
Senior Member Username: gregduboc Post Number: 512 Registered: 11-2008 |
"Alright guys and gals, as one being born in the early '70's I did not get to experience all the great music that was a tidal wave through the '60's and '70's." And you think that's bad?? I was born in the late '80's...  Greg | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 1150 Registered: 11-2004 |
For me the thing that started the ball rolling was when Ed Sullivan introduced the Beatles. I was about 8, I guess, and glued to the TV like the whole country was. I didn't know what to call what I was seeing but I knew I wanted to do it. It sounds cliche, but it was life changing. Looking back, it was like when Dorothy opened up the door and saw Oz. I lived in a black-n-white world and saw color for the first time. Rich | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 877 Registered: 11-2005 |
Greg, you can call me......Dad. Now, get you some fine Scotch whiskey, some Tom Waits and mellow.... (Message edited by 2400wattman on April 10, 2011) | ||
| ajdover
Senior Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 941 Registered: 11-2003 |
For me, it was the fact that my brother and a friend played guitar and drums respectively. If I wanted to play, I had to play something, so I chose bass. Then, I saw Kiss on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. That did it. Rush came along and I was totally hooked. Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Genesis, Blue Oyster Cult, Yes ... all these bands maded me want to play. It got worse when I discovered Frank Zappa. | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 878 Registered: 11-2005 |
Hey Al, Tom Fowler or Patrick O'Hearn? | ||
| gregduboc
Senior Member Username: gregduboc Post Number: 513 Registered: 11-2008 |
Hey Dad, that's exactly how I spent my Sunday! After all Tom Waits is the one who said "Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Greg | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 879 Registered: 11-2005 |
Touche' son...Touche' | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 2396 Registered: 6-2002 |
A number of guitarists got me into playing guitar in the beginning such as, Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Carlos Santana, Rory Gallagher, Nils Lofgren, Al Anderson (Wailers), Thin Lizzy, Status Quo, EWF, George Benson. Listening to Aston Barrett from the Wailers and later Stanley Banks, Stanley Clarke got me interested in playing bass. Jazzyvee | ||
| ajdover
Senior Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 942 Registered: 11-2003 |
Adam - both! And Arthur Barrow too ... | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1543 Registered: 11-2004 |
Jimi Hendrix...1970...Voodoo Chile(Slight Return) Still sends a shiver down my back when I hear it. I was 13 years old....where has all that time gone?? | ||
| slawie
Advanced Member Username: slawie Post Number: 335 Registered: 8-2002 |
I am a baby boomer. The year was 1964 and I was 5 years old. I remember my sister taking me to the Adelaide town hall and together with several thousand other people we waited for the Beatles to appear on the balcony. When they did it was absolute unadulterated and complete hysteria. That amount of adulation by people drove me to desire to play music. Flash forward to 1975 (maybe it was 1976) in Adelaide again at the Wings concert and I am standing at the stage door of the Apollo stadium with some friends of mine sharing some herbal remedy. The door opens and Paul McCartney steps out and joins us in our little circle. After everything goes up in smoke he steps back inside and a minute later reappears with tickets for the concert and says "Thanks and enjoy the show" What struck me about that encounter was he was just a regular bloke loved by millions of people. My first ever stereo experience was Whole Lotta Love by Zep - That freaked me out. While in High School Pink Floyd changed the way I look at and listen to music and the emotions that are tweaked by listening. slawie | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 800 Registered: 1-2008 |
It was the early 1970's: I was at my cousins house in Gadsden Alabama. I found a "Bachman Turner Overdrive" and a "White Witch" album... I wore 'em out!!! I daydreamed about playing in a band for several years then started playing drums. I switched to bass because there were no bass players in town. I've never really had any "bass heros", but (back in my Heavy Metal days) I used to play like Steve Harris (even before I was really aware of Iron Maiden) and I always admired Bob Daisley's ability to stay "in the pocket" yet pull-off some pretty tasty riffs. John Paul Jones is a ongoing source of inspiration ("Them Crooked Vultures" are GREAT). | ||
| hydrargyrum
Senior Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 958 Registered: 3-2004 |
I was born in 1978, and Hunter S. Thompson is the only person who's ever convinced me that I should have been born earlier. "There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda .... You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning .... And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave .... So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark —that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back." | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 841 Registered: 6-2004 |
I was born in 1955, I can still remember hearing the theme for "Bonanza" on tv in 1959. Radio back then was not the same as it is today. AM radio played everything from Johnny Cash, The Beatles,Elvis,James Brown, all on one station. Every kid on the block had an electric guitar.It was a great time to live through. | ||
| lidon2001
Senior Member Username: lidon2001 Post Number: 457 Registered: 4-2005 |
Some of the concerts I went to in Milwaukee in 1977 - it was a very good year: 7/7/77 Doobie Bros 7/13/77 Bad Company 8/10/77 Peter Frampton 8/25/77 Alice Cooper 9/1/77 Yes 9/11/77 Fleetwood Mac 9/16/77 Aerosmith 9/27/77 & 9/26/78 Zappa (I believe the '77 show was the one with the laundry line of panties and bras from the previous night's show in Madison - '78 he asked that none be thrown at stage) 10/10/77 Robin Trower 11/14/77 Jethro Tull 12/30/77 Styx | ||
| pauldo
Senior Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 600 Registered: 6-2006 |
Born in 63' - The 70's saw me through the ages of 6 - 16 VERY formative years. First kiss, first drunk, first high - I remember being in my Mom's kitchen and hearing Back in the USSR being played on an AM station. Menomonee Falls, Wi - 98.3 WZMF - the 3rd progressive rock station in the whole USA. That radio station and our nextdoor neighbors the Tristani's influenced me. I remember going over to their house and they played Quadrophenia for me - after the first 2 songs my life was never the same again. I finally knew what bass was. | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 842 Registered: 6-2004 |
My first concerts in the 60s were The Seeds(pushin to hard) Sweetwater, Iron Butterfly, Santana Blues Band, Blues Image, Jefferson Airplane, Flying Burrito Brothers, Steve Miller, Blind Faith, Free, Crosby, Stills, Nash...Those were some fun times for a kid.... | ||
| terrace
Junior Username: terrace Post Number: 33 Registered: 3-2008 |
The first "Rock" concert I ever saw was The Beatles in Vancouver in 1964 when I was 9.My Dad and uncle were running the follow spots on the roof of the Empire Stadium. | ||
| artswork99
Moderator Username: artswork99 Post Number: 1468 Registered: 7-2007 |
Weather Report in 1977, great show!  A good many shows in the late 70's musically did it for me ;) | ||
| poor_nigel
Intermediate Member Username: poor_nigel Post Number: 151 Registered: 11-2009 |
I saw Country Joe and the Fish, Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane and some other bands in Golden Gate Park and playing an anti-war demonstration in Sacramento, but those were not 'buy a ticket and see a show' concerts. Being an under-aged kid from Modesto, it was hard to get to San Francisco and spend the night so I could see a real show. I used to either hitch hike or take the bus to San Francisco and then sleep on the Berkeley campus in a sleeping bag, under a street lamp. No one ever hassled us there. No one ever bothered us riding the city buses or walking the sidewalks at 3:00 AM, either. Where have those days gone? First real concert I every attended was Led Zeppelin at Winterland, with Brian Auger and the Trinity. I found a link to it when curiousity sent me a lookin. I was totally blown away that four guys on a stage could make that much music, and was was just a singer. But then, what do high school punks know? BTW - Brian Auger kicked big booty at that show, too! Does one over embellish when thinking about their first time? Maybe. Out in line to get into Winterland, some guy I gave a joint to KEPT insisting I let him pay me for it, so much so that I knew he must be a narc looking for more than a possession bust. Those was weird times back then. I can only imagine what would have happened if I got busted in SF when my parents did not even know I left Modesto that day/night. Fun! http://www.ledzeppelin.com/show/april-25-1969 I saw them four years later when I was in the Army stationed in Germany. They sucked bad, with Robert Plant playing air guitar most of the time. I could not believe they were the same band that was so tight and unbelieveably good I saw before. Then the hash I ate kicked in, and I did not care and barely made it back to the bus before it left to go back to the worst post in Germany, Bomholder. http://www.ledzeppelin.com/show/march-17-1973 I think it is great that they post these old concerts on the Web so people can see em and remember 'the old days.' | ||
| 3rd_ray
Advanced Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 235 Registered: 2-2008 |
Born in '62, grew up in Syracuse-NY, but my mother was from the Detroit area so we spent a few weeks there every summer. I listened to a lot of AM radio and got "hooked" on Motown ;) I've loved that sound ever since. I also got hooked on muscle cars and few other things. Led Zeppelin II blew me away when I was around 10, a few years later (when I had some money) my first concert was Uriah Heep opening for Kiss in 1976. Kiss was cool but Uriah Heep blew me away. One of the first albums I ever bought was The Brothers Johnson - Look Out for #1. I tried to learn the bass to that but it was mostly over my head (and probably still is ;). | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 927 Registered: 10-2006 |
The great thing about those days (and here I'm talking about high school - the first half of the 70s) was that you could be part of it anywhere! Even the small college (1200 students) in my small hometown (pop. 800) had concerts. A 5 minute walk & a $3 ticket got me Circus, Mike Quattro, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Rascals, Muddy Waters, Argent, Focus, etc. Alas, the one I remember most is the one I didn't go see, the band being unknown. A few months later, they released Live At The Filmore East. Yep, I passed on putting out 5 min. & $3 to see the original lineup of ABB at their peak. Haven't kicked myself in the ass over that one hardly ever. Well, except when I think about it. Peter | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1546 Registered: 11-2004 |
I miss the 70's real bad.. in the UK there was a lot of political turmoil but I didn't give a damn as I was having such a good time. Music was changing rapidly in the UK..there was a massive divide between album music and pop music, one was regarded as cheap and cheesy(pop) whilst the other was regarded as intellectual(albums). So on the pop front we had glam, middle of the road and humourous whilst on the album side we had progressive rock, conceptual rock and fusion. Then along came UK punk and all hell let loose... (Message edited by TerryC on April 12, 2011) | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 843 Registered: 6-2004 |
Hey Mike, I saw HumblePie, Edgar Winter, Head,Hands,and Feet in Syracuse at a theater downtown in 1972. Great show .50 beers.. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1658 Registered: 9-2002 |
I was born in '55 and saw JPG+R on the Ed Sullivan show. The Beatles changed everything. Even at my age then, it was magical and mesmerizing, and I was never the same afterwards. I grew up in Beaumont, Tx, an oil-industry backwater east of Houston. In a world with three black and white TV channels, no internet, no FM radio, my teenage girlfriend's mother went out and bought her 'Sgt. Pepper's' on the day it was released at the local record store (those are flat, vinyl, analog music storage media for our younger readers) and had it waiting on her bed. We all knew the day it was coming out. We listened to it straight thru and were dumbstruck. They had mustaches and no suits ! And against the backdrop of that was Motown, the rest of the 'British Invasion', the West Caost stuff. AM radio was king, and the charts ruled. Then FM came along, and you could hear all those OTHER tunes that weren't 'chart singles'. I saw Elton touring behind 'Yellow Brick Road', ELP touring 'Brain Salad Surgery', Wishbone Ash, Foghat, Sly, and lots more in Houston. Even remember this little boogie band playing in some of my old beer joints on their way up: ZZ Top. And yes I would not dare wade into the polititcs of those days. But I will propose a backdrop to all this: When I started first grade in 1960, Kennedy had just replaced Eisenhower as president and the whole world was like an episode of 'Leave It to Beaver'. Ten years later, two Kennedys dead, ML King dead, Woodstock, Kent State, dope, The Pill, and on and on and Nixon was president as Viet Nam was already gone dreadfully wrong. The music was a great escape, but it's hard for me to separate the music and the time period. Though actually, 30 years later, it's actually nice to separate them. J o e y | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 1151 Registered: 11-2004 |
Joey, that is exactly how I remember it. From about '72 until '77 in central Texas, some of the more memorable ones were: Asleep at the Wheel Several Willie Nelson 4th of July picnics with many acts at each. The strangest one was at the speedway in College Station, TX (home of Texas A&M). If anyone else here was at that one, I'd like to hear what happened to you there. Deep Purple / Tuckey Buzzard / Savoy Brown (not on the bill - surprise) Jethro Tull Doobie Brothers Eagles / Allman Bros. / Commander Cody Stones / Eagles / Montrose AND, last but certainly not least, a club band in a club in Austin whose bass player had an ALEMBIC. I had heard of if by way of Stanley, but had never seen one in the wood. I guess you never forget your first time. Rich P.S. This is a really cool thread. To me those were great times and I really enjoy revisiting them. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1662 Registered: 9-2002 |
Rich, I tend to not mention country music round here, but there's nothing better and more fun than Asleep at the Wheel. The two Bob Wills tribute records they did are some of my very favorite CD's. I was friends with a fabulous fretless player who got a call in the late 70's to play with this guy that was doing lots of dance halls around Texas, nice money. But he was a serious Jaco guy and figured country might be a little off the reservation for him so he passed. The second choice guy got the gig . . . . and is still playing with George Strait to this day, who's not doing dance halls any more . . . . A part of me still misses those Texas gigs, watching a full dance floor big enough to park a bus on full of people two-stepping to Johnny Bush tunes. Still got my Wrangler 13MWZ's and my Tony Llama's though ! Cowboy Up ! J o e y | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1663 Registered: 9-2002 |
Oh yeah, and Adam, do NOT skip my favorite "Four Minute Lesson for Fabulous Bass Playing", straight from the 60's: Carol Kaye's amazing work under the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations". Played by a little woman with big chops and taste for days. Everything you need and nothing you don't. All meat and no filler. Herself, Joe Osborne, David Hood, and so many more, playing under all those great singles, are what led me into all this. I was powerless to resist ! J o e y | ||
| 2400wattman
Senior Member Username: 2400wattman Post Number: 880 Registered: 11-2005 |
Joey, I'd never detract that beautiful lady's gorgeous bass lines. These are all great stories guys. Thank you i'm enjoying them very much. | ||
| kenbass4
Advanced Member Username: kenbass4 Post Number: 390 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ok, I'm 46 now, so I guess I'm about mid-point age wise. My first concert was this pop band made of 4 of progressive rock's greatist musicians: ASIA. That was in 1982. The following month, I saw this other band that had a drummer that was the lead singer, and this guy that played bass with this really cool detachable double neck, and also played an Alembic: Genesis. Then at the end of the year I saw that band's former lead singer: Peter Gabriel. 1982 was a good music year for me. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 4825 Registered: 7-2004 |
With older brothers, rock was around. My earliest memory of liking music was the Four Seasons. "Sherry" was my favorite song - that is until the Beatles arrived. I remember watching them on Ed Sullivan. My father said that in six months no one would even remember them. My dad was a very wise man, but he sure got that one wrong! We had a baritone ukelele that I strung backwards and learned a few chords left-handed (though I'm a righty), because Paul was my favorite at the time. First concert was when I was around 11 (1966). My summer camp took a trip to Cooperstown and our counselors took us to see a group I'd never heard of called The Children of Paradise. I only found out last year that they actually were a known band with Happy Traum as a member. First concerts I went to on my own were around 1969-71. I vaguely remember seeing the Dead for free in '69 in Central Park, but I wasn't really into the music, just the scene. I also remember seeing Judy Collins in White Plains, N.Y. in maybe '71. Also in '71, I saw the Dead in Gailec Park, NY. Some others around that time include Edgar Winter's White Trash at the Academy of Music, Delaney and Bonnie somewhere in Massachusetts, Don McLean at Columbia U. Once I got into the Dead, I saw them again in March '73 at Nassau Coliseum. I saw the Band open for the Dead on Jerry's 31st B-day, 8/1/73, at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. 12 days later I moved to California. Saw lots of shows: the Dead most times they played in the Bay Area or Southern Cal., The Band, John Stewart, John Hartford, Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, Neil Young, Tom Waits, The Kinks, Jethro Tull, New Riders, Kingfish, Spirit, Arthur Lee, Roy Buchanan, Dylan, Marshall Tucker Band, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express, Charlie Daniels Band, Van Morrison, Santana, the Stones, Pink Floyd, etc., etc. And, of course, over 200 Dead and Dead family shows. And then there's the next 25 years I haven't covered! OMG, I'm getting old! (But not too old to rock 'n roll ) Bill, tgo | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 436 Registered: 5-2007 |
Got started with rock music in the early '60s with the AM radio hits, bands like Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, etc., etc., on W.A.B"eatle".C. in New York. Then saw some of them on Ed Sullivan's show. First rock concert was New Riders of the Purple Sage in 1973 at Queens College, CUNY. I noticed a funny smell in the air and a green haze, too... know what I mean, Bill? Since then I've been to at least 1000 shows, about 1/4 of which were Dead, Riders, and Tuna... Led Zep in MSG (1975) was the LOUDEST, with Hot Tuna (1977) at C.W. Post College the next loudest. Why, oh why, did I not use hearing protection back then??!? | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 1152 Registered: 11-2004 |
Right after I moved to Colorado in the 70s I finally got to see RTF and Stanley. The lineup was with Gail Moran on keys, Jerry Goodman (I think) on drums and the Joe Farrell horn section, no guitar in the band. They were great. My older son and I saw them with Lenny and Al a couple of years ago. He still has the ticket with Chick's autograph on it. Also in Colo: Queensryche Poco Type O Negative Commander Cody Firefall Blue Oyster Cult Asleep at the Wheel again (my band opened this time) In the next 18 months I hope to get to take my sons to see Metallica. In the later part of the last 40 years these shows seemed to be about seeing and hearing the bands. In the first part of that time period concerts were, for me, about hanging out, enjoying the vibe, better living through chemistry and, oh yeah, seeing and hearing the bands. Rich | ||
| 3rd_ray
Advanced Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 236 Registered: 2-2008 |
Hey Craig, I had to google Head, Hands and Feet... sad to say I never heard of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXBqF6KZSQg I have heard of Albert Lee, but I don't know much about him except that he can play some killer guitar. I also googled the Humble Pie show from 1972... July 13th at the Syracuse War Memorial. I saw a few good shows there like Rush and Blue Oyster Cult in 1977. Then my family moved to Kentucky. I saw Yes in the Round in 1979 I think and Rush's Moving Pictures Tour around the same time. There were more, I'm trying to remember... my memory from back then is a little foggy for some reason ;) | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 846 Registered: 6-2004 |
Mike, when I saw Heads, Hands, and Feet, I had never heard of them either. They were the opening act for Humble Pie, and Edgar Winter. Here is the song that stuck in my head for years after seeing them. Albert Lee sure can pick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i2XTXf4opM&feature=related | ||
| 3rd_ray
Advanced Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 237 Registered: 2-2008 |
Very cool! I agree with what it says on that video... "should have been bigger than what they were." | ||
| tncaveman
Junior Username: tncaveman Post Number: 19 Registered: 2-2011 |
My biggest first influences were Thick as a Brick and Songs from the Wood (J Tull), Inagaddadavida (Iron Butterfly), Close to the Edge (Yes), ..... 1964 baby - with an older brother. Those were the days. The best came around when I was 18 and discovered jazz-fusion and the heavier side of prog rock - King Crimson. Wow - this could take all night to write. Stephen | ||
| rustyg61
Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 89 Registered: 2-2011 |
It was not always my dream to become a bass player, but I guess it was my fate. The year was 1972, I was spending the night with a friend who lived down the street & we were looking through a magazine. We came across an ad for a place that sold patches. One of them was a round patch that was half black & half white. There was a lone tree growing out of the black area into the white area, & it simply said "Survival" on the patch. One of us commented that it looked like a bass drum head & that Survival would be a cool name for a band. My friend played guitar, so he suggested that I learn to play bass & we would form a band & call it Survival. So I did! My 1st bass was a borrowed Epiphone 335 guitar copy with bass strings on it! I later bought a Fender Musicmaster & taught myself how to play. My first influences were Dennis Dunaway with Alice Cooper, & Geddy Lee of Rush. While my friends were playing Johnnie B. Goode, I was working up 2112! My first concert was Ten Years After, King Crimson, & Robin Trower all on the same bill. I've always been drawn to Prog Rock mainly because the bass lines were more than just a straight 4 or walking bass line. They were melodic & creative & inspired me to become a better player. Then a friend in high school turned me onto Stanley & Al DiMeola. I was blown away!! Thank God for Jazz Fusion, it helped me to survive the Disco era of the 70's! I finally got to see Stanley in The Music Hall in Houston, TX in 1979. The Dixie Dreggs opened for him...what a show!!! A year later I had the good fortune to play The Music Hall with my band opening for a Christian band called Daniel Amos. The whole time I was playing all I could think of was that I was playing on the same stage as Stanley Clarke! As far as concerts, I've seen TYA, Crimson, Trower, KISS, Brownsville Station, Mott The Hoople, Black Sabbath, Yes, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, The Moody Blues, Eric Johnson, Humble Pie, Paul McCartney, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Return To Forever, The Rite Of Strings, Dream Theater, Ted Nugent, Styx, Peter Frampton, Steve Morse Band, Stanley, Deep Purple, Heart, Cheap Trick, Journey, Tull, Aerosmith, Ozzy, Pink Floyd, & a bunch of nameless opening acts I can't remember! I always wished I was a teenager during the 60's, but I was born in '61, so I was too young to be involved in the psychodelic hippie culture. I had uncles who were though & I always thought they were so cool! | ||
| hifiguy
Advanced Member Username: hifiguy Post Number: 275 Registered: 10-2006 |
I am in the middle generation here, I suspect. I saw the Beatles on Sullivan when I was only seven, but even then I knew that they would change the world. I'd taken organ lessons from the ages of about 11 to 14 but rediscovered rock in the early 1970s and got a thorough education in the best of 1960s music from my best friend's older brother, who was truly music-mad. I think I got into prog initially because the massive rigs that Wakeman and Emerson played reminded me of the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organs I had admired. What I remember most about my teenage/early 20s years in the 1970s was the incredible sense of freedom, especially in music. There was such a broad variety of music to be readily heard, even on FM radio in those days and how I miss that  . Early Elton John (!), Genesis, Tull, ELP, Deep Purple, Traffic,Zeppelin, Renaissance - those were my meat in those days but Yes, Floyd, Crimson ruled above all. My tastes quickly expanded into the experimental German and British stuff like Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Gong, Hatfield & the North/National Health and especially Can. I was also a fan of quite a lot of fusion, especially Stanley's solo stuff and the original Mahavishnu Orchestra (which was my first live concert - talk about setting the bar high!). I also remember being a huge Robin Trower freak. Thanks to Zep inviting the late, great Sandy Denny to duet with Plant on "The Battle of Evermore" I discovered Fairport Convention and English folk rock. I think Fairport and Floyd commandeer the largest chunks of my record shelves (and yes, I _still_ listen to my 5000+ LPs). I picked up my first bass guitar at 15 in July, 1972. It was a '71 Fender Precision, sunburst. I took to it like a duck to water and by 1/73 had talked my parents into buying me a Rickenbacker 4001. My bass playing was overwhelmingly influenced by Chris Squire - I played that Rick 4001 (a Fireglo 1972, with checkerboard binding and a "toaster" neck PU) pickstyle with RotoSounds and the brightest speakers I could find for years, whether it was appropriate or not. I had a VERY heavy Jack Bruce influence as well. The first song I ever learned on that P-Bass was "Tales of Brave Ulysses" from Best of Cream. I also remember being inordinately pleased with myself when I finally could play all of "Close to the Edge" note for note. My biggest rig in those days - around '75-77 was the Rick, a Maestro Full Range Booster and a Morley "Leslie Wah" feeding a Hiwatt 100 and TWO Orange 6x12 cabinets! I could have gone into the demolition business. The explosion of the punk/new wave stuff was exhilerating, and back in the day if you showed up at the hip club in Minneapolis just _being there_ proved you were cool. I (with hair well past my shoulders or ponytailed, probably wearing a Howard the Duck tee and bells) rubbed elbows with the pogoers and punkers there with no problems. Got the chance to see Magazine (a GREAT band), the Stranglers, Blondie, The Only Ones, The Ramones, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, The Great Patti Smith and countless more cool acts of the day in clubs and small theatres. I still listened to prog, too. My real musical evolution didn't come until I was in law school, where I discovered Joni Mitchell (by way of Jaco), the Dead and the Airplane not to mention a ton of other music I had neglected. The Rick was now sitting in the corner and I switched to playing fingerstyle on a Vintage Series Jazz. But that's another story. When I bought my Alembic, MY universe changed as a player. The sense of endless possibilities, musical and otherwise, is what I remember most vividly and it's what I miss the most from that era. Apart from the herbal entertainment, that is. Hmm, I gotta look into that again, cos hangovers last too long at my age... maybe dig out those old Fabulous Furry Freak Bros comix from my storage locker....... My tastes have become far more small-c catholic over the years. Everything from Bach to J-Pop makes its way into my stereo these days. Much of the journey remains yet to be traveled. And this was a killer thread idea! Cheers to all my Alembic brothers and sisters. Play on, Paul (Message edited by hifiguy on April 15, 2011) | ||
| jon_jackson
Member Username: jon_jackson Post Number: 72 Registered: 12-2008 |
With the loss of brain cells over the years, I no longer remember the "first" concert I ever attended, but if I had to guess, I'd say Ray Charles in the very early Sixties. Went with my parents. Also in those early years was a show at the Greene County Fair in Springfield, Missouri which featured (you can't make this stuff up) Ronny and The Daytonas, Jerry Lee Lewis and ... Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy. Probably 1965-6. Jerry Lee was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Kind of like walking in the woods and coming across a rattlesnake. What a show! | ||
| precarius
Advanced Member Username: precarius Post Number: 347 Registered: 11-2005 |
Guess. I saw them in Charlotte, NC. Better show than KISS. "Make my funk some P-funk I wants to get Funked-up" | ||
| 3rd_ray
Advanced Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 239 Registered: 2-2008 |
Yeah, jazz-fusion... Once I discovered that, I couldn't get enough! Brand-X, Unorthodox Behavior is what got me started, sometime in the late 70's. Percy Jones on Nuclear Burn had a lot to do with why I still play fretless. Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers... Man, I haven't even thought of that in decades! Awesome ;) | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1670 Registered: 9-2002 |
Mike, how is it that Brand X and Percy are SO overlooked? Seriously fine player. It's been so long, but didn't Phil Collins play drums on some of the Brand X sides? J o e y | ||
| hankster
Advanced Member Username: hankster Post Number: 256 Registered: 6-2004 |
My first concert was Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen (Buffalo Bruce Barlow on bass, and Andy Stein on fiddle and sax, and of course Bill Kirchen on his tele). R. | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 849 Registered: 6-2004 |
Cool, I went high school with Bruce Barlows younger brother.......this shot is from the Hollywood Bowl with The Dead 1974...  | ||
| 3rd_ray
Advanced Member Username: 3rd_ray Post Number: 240 Registered: 2-2008 |
Joey, I guess when you're a true genius some people just don't get you ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmlEISVfwg Phil Collins played on all the 70's Brand-X, but not in the 90's. I've always considered the 70's Brand-X to be a supergroup up there with Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. You can't beat Collins and Jones together. (Message edited by 3rd_ray on April 19, 2011) | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 111 Registered: 2-2011 |
I saw Commander Cody 3 years ago at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, TX. Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas.  | ||
| dlbydgtl
Intermediate Member Username: dlbydgtl Post Number: 104 Registered: 7-2008 |
Just got back from The Grateful Dead Movie event. That brought back some memories! | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 114 Registered: 2-2011 |
I haven't heard about The Grateful Dead Movie, is it out in theaters, or was this a special event? | ||
| dlbydgtl
Intermediate Member Username: dlbydgtl Post Number: 105 Registered: 7-2008 |
It was a Fathom event. One night only in theaters across the country. A fun night indeed. | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 115 Registered: 2-2011 |
I just found this writeup - "The expanded version of "The Grateful Dead Movie" showing Wednesday includes previously unreleased interview footage with Garcia. Advance tickets for Wednesday's screenings of "The Grateful Dead Movie" are available online by clicking here. Rumors that a farmer's market will be set up near each theater showing the movie, so that film-goers can buy freshly picked mushrooms before each screenings begins, are completely unfounded." Were they selling mushrooms at your theater???! LOL! | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 440 Registered: 5-2007 |
Bill Kirchen is still around and putting on really fun shows! His expand-o version of Hot Rod Lincoln is a hoot. | ||
| gleech
Junior Username: gleech Post Number: 14 Registered: 1-2011 |
Born 1950, easy to remember how old I am with that date, a math thing. Had to play the bass 'cause that's the only instrument left to play in musician heavy small town. 2 5 piece bands playing full time in '67 in a town of 4,500 in Missouri. Saw the Beatles on Sullivan and said "I want to do that!" First concerts in Kansas City: Beach Boys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Casinos, Westbanque Bridge and Bob Kuban and the In Men at a custom car show; think Mitch Ryder but from St. Louis. Started playing seriously in '69. Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, Bluesbreakers, Cream, Hendrix, Doors all across the midwest. Played Fillmore East in January of '70 on new group night. Still have my backstage pass! Fast forward to '73. Same group from KC with new personell. Finally got that recording contract with Columbia, played with everyone who came through town as an opening act and some on the road: Styx, 10 Years After, Foreigner, Mahogany Rush, REO, Black Oak and others I don't remember right now. Wonder why? Just had to play the music, get folks on the dance floor or whatever, and hear that energy coming from anywhere from 100 to 21,000 people in the crowd. Truly an experience that was unforgettable. Trying to get back into it on a smaller scale. Moved to Seattle area and will be looking for old hippies to play with. Cheers all, Great conversation. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1683 Registered: 9-2002 |
OK. a variation on this theme: Personal Playlists: -Beatles (both suits and 'after suits' albums, pick any) -Stones (Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet, but MOST certainly Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St.) -Rod and the Faces (Long Player, A Nod's as Good as a Wink, Gasoline Alley, and Every Picture) and the Jeff Beck Group records with Woody on bass -lots of British Invasion: DC5, Hollies, Them, Yardbirds, et al, which morphed into Zeppelin, Wishbone Ash, Yes, ELP, Cream/Blind Faith/Winwood -Vanilla Fudge -Buddy Miles -the Rascals (who have a huge fan in Donald Fagen!) -Most any Motown, but especially Marvin's masterwork, What's Going On -Ike Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul (if you had HBS and Led Zep 2 that summer they both came out, you had the world by the short-hairs) and any BarKays, Booker T, or Stax (Staples!) -Savoy Brown's Street Corner Talking (I have a DERAM reissue !) and their Foghat offspirng -Marriott-era Humble Pie, especially Rockin' the Fillmore, leading into Pete Frampton's solo work -The Allman's Live at Fillmore East, the musical Washington Monument of my youth, and its companion in my mind, Layla. Eric's first solo record with Leon and essentially the Mad Dogs + Englishmen band, and of course . . . -Mad Dogs and Englishmen -Elton's Madman Across the Water and Yellow Brick Road) -Traffic's Low Spark of High Heeled Boys -ANY Mitch Ryder -the live set, Edgar Winter's White Trash (their unabashed and unconscious tribute to the mighty Boogie Kings) and of course, Johnny Winter Live. As my last name ends in 'W', I used to get all their school books ! -Sly, Stand ! and Greatest Hits -what I call the West Coast AM Stuff: Three Dog Night, Mamas and Papas, the Raiders, Monkees,and certainly the Beach Boys (with surfboards, then with Pet Sounds, the American Sgt. Pepper's) -and black music only played (then) on black stations: ZZ Hill, Johnny Guitar Watson, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Johmmy Copeland, etc. And of course, Ray Charles and James Brown. My true guilty pleasure was pre-'Centerfold' J. Geils Band, ESPECIALLY 'Full House' and the double live from Detroit 'Blow Your Fce Out'. I NEVER saw a band that could walk out and in 30 seconds have a crowd on fire like Peter Wolf and the pile-driving JGB. Tight rhythm section with Danny Klein and StephenJo Bladd, J on tasty guitar, Magic Dick on the Lickin'Stick, and Seth Justman on piano and Hammond, just like God intended. Saw them four or five times, was steamrolled every time: My face DID blow out ! Not sophisticated or session-player chops, but for me more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Strong Blues roots. There was nothing like their set closer, a runaway-train version of Bobby Womack's 'Looking for a Love' that was guaranteed to test the structural integrity of the venue they were in that night. So there, its all THEIR fault. Of course, I know I'll think of lots more . . . . J o e y | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 444 Registered: 5-2007 |
Joey, Glad you mentioned The Faces! They were big for me. BEFORE they became (ROD STEWART AND) The Faces. Because that's when the crap started that caused Ronnie Lane to leave the band, and it was downhill after that, IMHO. I saw them 4 times; they were FUN. Ben | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 130 Registered: 2-2011 |
OK Joey, I'll play! Here's my favorites & influences - Alice Cooper - Love It To Death; School's Out; Killer; Billion Dollar Babies; Muscle Of Love; Welcome To My Nightmare Deep Purple - Fireball; Machine Head; Made In Japan; Perfect Strangers Rainbow - 1st LP; Rising Robin Trower - Bridge Of Sighs King Crimson - Court Of The Crimson King; Discipline KISS- 1st LP, Hotter Than Hell; Dressed To Kill; Alive 1; Destroyer Ted Nugent - 1st LP; Free For All Stanley Clarke - School Days; I Wanna Play For You Al DiMeola - Elegant Gypsy; Land Of The Midnight Sun Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior Dixie Dreggs - What If?; Freefall; Night Of The Living Dreggs; Unsung Heros; Industry Standard Steve Morse - The Introduction; Stand Up Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway; A Trick Of The Tail; Duke Peter Gabriel - 1-4 LP's; So Rush - 2112; A Farewell To Kings; Hemispheres; Permanent Waves; Moving Pictures; Power Windows; Roll The Bones Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon; Animals; Wish You Were Here; The Division Bell Alan Parsons Project - I Robot; Eve Iron Butterfly - InnaGaddaDavida Lou Reed - Rock & Roll Animal Yes - Drama Mannheim Steamroller - Fresh Aire 4 Dream Theater - EVERYTHING!! (Scenes From A Memory & Systematic Chaos are favorites) Aerosmith - Get Your Wings; Toys In The Attic; Rocks Edgar Winter - They Only Come Out At Night Montrose - 1st LP; Paper Money Focus - Moving Waves The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed; In Search of the Lost Chord; On the Threshold of a Dream; A Question of Balance; Every Good Boy Deserves Favour; Seventh Sojourn Queen - Killer Queen; A Night At The Opera Black Sabbath - Paranoid; Sabbath Bloody Sabbath; Sabotage Led Zepplin - II; IV; Houses Of The Holy; Physical Graffitti Grand Funk Railroad - Paranoid; We're An American Band Van Halen - 1 These were all my early influences with the exception of Dream Theater which is my current favorite band. | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 813 Registered: 1-2008 |
Yea Baby... MONTROSE!!! They were Van Halen before there was a Van Halen. I'm guessing that Ronnie had to be an influence on Eddie. | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 133 Registered: 2-2011 |
Mike, I never thought about it, but that is a perfect analogy of Montrose! I'm sure Eddie was influenced by Ronnie! | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1688 Registered: 9-2002 |
I knew everybody else's faves would jog my memory. -Isn't that Ronnie Montrose on Edgar Winter's run of hits? -Nothing is better for that huge, trippy, orchestral English stuff than the Moody Blues. -Certainly Queen. Nothing more fun than 'Stone Cold Crazy' and 'Tie Your Mother Down', and God Rest Freddie Mercury. -How could I forget Chris Squire and Yes ? ? -the live Pat Travers and that smokin' 'BoomBoom, Out Go the Lights'. -I thought I was something when I finally mastered Mel Schacher's work on the long version of 'I'm Your Captain'. -Of course, a large sign in the road for me will always be SD's 'Pretzel Logic', which along with 'Chain Lightning' will always be my favorite shuffles. -But after everything, if I had one album to live with for the rest of my life, the Allman's 'Live at Fillmore East' would be it. I've listened to it continuously since I bought the original double LP (the first Capricorn issue with the horrible pink label). I may not play it for months, then it's time. I can only imagine what might have been . . . . J o e y | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 814 Registered: 1-2008 |
Yea Joey, that was Ronnie Montrose. That first Montrose album was just a monster... one of my all-time favorites. They were another of those bands that were just a little too far ahead of their time (the first album was released in '73, but played well side-by-side with all of the 80's Metal/Hard Rock). | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 135 Registered: 2-2011 |
Not only was Ronnie Montrose Edgar's guitar player on the classic "They Only Come Out At Night", but the original Montrose band featured a young previously unknown singer by the name of Sammy Hagar! My current band plays Tie Your Mother Down! Still a crowd pleaser after all these years! | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 937 Registered: 10-2006 |
I guess I'd need a tighter definition for "run of hits". Montrose was, indeed, on TOCOAN, but shared guitar duties with big brother Johnny & Rick Derringer. Entrance had Randal Dononan & Johnny on guitars; White Trash & Roadwork were Johnny & Rick; Shock Treatment was Rick & Dan Hartman; Jasmine Nightdreams was Rick & Johnny again, & Together: EW & JW Live was Johnny (duh), Rick, & Floyd Radford. Peter | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 137 Registered: 2-2011 |
Johnny & Rick may have been on the LP as hired session players, but Ronnie was the lead player in the band as evidenced by this Midnight Special performance from that period. Ronnie was the only guitar player who was a member of the band for TOCOAN. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pnSSHwmu8I | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 940 Registered: 10-2006 |
Allow to correct myself; Johnny wasn't on TOCOAN - it was Derringer, Montrose, & Hartman. I remember watching that Midnight Special; thanks for the link (the Mrs. is already in bed, so I can't check it out tonight). But thus my comment about definition; to my mind, "hits" means radio, which means the recordings. I can't speak to the differences between album & touring personnel. But whatever, Edgar did not seem to be inclined toward using shabby pickers at any time! Peter | ||
| rustyg61
Intermediate Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 141 Registered: 2-2011 |
I think TOCOAN helped launch Rick's career too with the release of All American Boy which had his biggest hit with his version of Rock & Roll Hoochie Coo. 1973 was a good year for them! | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1692 Registered: 9-2002 |
'Scusa, Peter. I meant the TOCOAN / Arp on a strap Edgar Winter period with 'Free Ride'. etc. I'm obviously lacking in my info on past Winters. . . . BTW, is there anyone putting out a Roadwork on CD? It really reminds me of those Boogie Kings days. J o e y |
