Yes, my proclivity to make horrendous musical puns is lousy, but you will need to bear with me. This post is not about my diction. I’d prefer to preview the concert I will be attending later at B.B. King’s Bar and Grill where one of rock n’ roll’s best guitarists will be gracing the stage with his custom-built Fender Strat. I want to stress some words in that last sentence. One of rock’s BEST guitarists. You can see I am slightly disgruntled with Trower’s treatment in the world of top guitarist lists.
Here is my issue. Trower does not find his way onto the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists List. I know it is only one list, but it is the damn Rolling Stone’s list and most people use Rolling Stone’s selections as a “best” guitarist indicator. You may not use the list as an indicator, but for those who are not knowledgeable enough to make an independent decision on the subject, the Rolling Stone list is an organized and concise reference. And this lack of recognition derides Trower’s skill and passion. I think it is time we start recognizing one of the rock’s most unappreciated guitarists a little more. If you have any question about his talent, watch this:
Trower is not only a guitarist, but also a solid lyricist who began his songwriting with Procul Harum (even though he is overshadowed because the band was stacked with great songwriters). He had previously been in a band with high-school friend Gary Brooker called the Paramounts, but after they disbanded Brooker founded Procul Harum and Trower ended up on deck in 1967. If you are familiar with Harum’s maritime baroque rock, the last sentence features an awful pun.
Even though Procul Harum featured a lot of dominant piano-rock, Trower shines through on some pieces like on “Something Following Me” where his fuzzy guitar solo is unique and executed well.
Trower’s guitar success did not fully evolve until he left Procul Harum and started his own Robin Trower Band. This band focused on guitar-based rock and spacey soloing. Trower focuses a lot of attention to music released in 1973-1977, where he gathered five certified gold releases and truly cemented his status among some of rock’s finest guitarists. A review of the concert will be up tomorrow. Enjoy the day!
Adam Wade? Isn’t he that guy who hosted that game show Musical Chairs back in 1975? Yes, indeed, but did you know that Wade also released several singles on both Coed and Epic records in the 1960s? Well, that’s why I am here.
Adam Wade can definitely fit into the expansive category of singer, who is also quite proficient in other creative fields. He actually started his odd career as a lab assistant to Dr. Jonas Salk. For those of you who have completely forgotten 9th grade biology, Salk invented the vaccine for polio. Wade’s passion for singing outlasted his scientific endeavors and he followed in the vocal tradition of Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole. Wade moved to New York in 1960, played the Copacabana, and was consequently snatched up quickly by the eastern doo-wop inspired Coed records (the record label of the Duprees and The Crests).
Wade, like Mathis, took on good-looking male performer status like many vocalists were doing at the time, but he did not use this as a crutch. He was a prolific performer and his large collection of releases were rich in quality and quantity. Throughout the 1960s, beginning with his single Ruby/Too Far in 1960, Wade released several singles each year of the decade and this included full-length LPs. Here are a few highlights:
“Ruby”/ “Too Far” was Wade’s first major success in 1960
“Take Good Care of Her” hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961
“As If I Didn’t Know” hit #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961
“The Writing on the Wall” hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961
After switching from Coed Records to Epic Records in 1962, Wade experienced a steep decline in singles popularity and after several years of unsuccessful recordings, Wade dropped the music studio for the movie studio and thus started a long career in acting, highlighted by his hosting of “Musical Chairs.” Wade became the first African American to host an American game show. The show, which had contestants fill in lyrics, allowed Wade to sing and act. After the show he went back into music in 1978 with funkier recordings and then back into acting, switching off between music and acting and usually combining the two in theater.
Suggested Listening
I am going to embed “The Writing on the Wall” because I think it best demonstrates his textured croon.
Barry Melton may not be easily recognizable in the sea of 1960’s psychedelic guitarists, but his influence on the genre should not be understated. Melton co-founded and played lead guitar for the late 60’s psychedelic juggernaut Country Joe and the Fish, best known for the famous perversion of their own “f-i-s-h” chant at Woodstock. Melton celebrates his 64th birthday today.
Like stated above, most people know of Country Joe and The Fish because of their iconic Woodstock performance. This was the pinnacle of the band’s success and lifted them on a pedestal for the anti-Vietnam campaign. But in the popularity of The Fish’s chant followed by “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-To-Die Rag, many listeners do not get the full range of the band’s talent. The Fish played an eclectic form of moving psychedelic folk and blues that was both efficient and enjoyable. Barry “The Fish” Melton contributed to the band’s underrated sound and for that we thank him.
Sad news in the wide world of music today. Clarence Clemons, long-time saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, has reportedly suffered a massive stroke. At 69, he has since had two brain surgeries at a Florida hospital and is currently in responsive and stable condition. It was earlier reported that Clemons sustained full paralysis of the left side of his body, but latest news suggests that he has been moving his left hand. This is excellent news and the next few days will be vital to the healing process. We send our best wishes to this rock saxophone pioneer and wish him a speedy recovery.
The news about Clemons got me thinking about the other members of the E Street band. Clemons has performed with Springsteen for 40 years now and his body of work is extraordinary. But what about some other long-time E Street band members? All of the original 1972 members of the E Street Band can mark the Springsteen-led band as their first major musical appearance. So we need to dig a little later to find a candidate for the new Music Court category Same Artist, Different Place.
Guitarist and vocalist Nils Lofgren has performed with the E-Street Band since ’84, but Springsteen was not his first major gig. At 17 years old Lofgren was recruited by Neil Young to play piano and guitar for After The Gold Rushdespite his inexperience. Youthfulness did not prevent him from performing capably during the production of the album. He earned himself a brief role with Crazy Horse and played on their self-titled premiere album. Here is a Lofgren original entitled “Beggar’s Day” which is track four on the album.
No fancy introduction today… instead we dive straight into the music! I will be reviewing an album in an interesting fashion. I will only talk about the first and the last songs and see how they relate to the album as a whole. Hopefully it shows how much those two songs mean to an album.
Arm’s way is the title of the album. The Arm is the title of this song and as the first song on the album, I find it to be highly appropriate for some reason. The name of the Canadian band is Islands and Arm’s Way is their second studio album.
The first thing you should notice about this song is the amazing intro. Soft humming flows into a pretty violin trill. A bass drop and a heavier beat make room and a shriek queues in the song. If I was to make a top 10 intro’s list, this one would most definitely be up there.
The song in my opinion is one of the most idyllic takes on classic rock. First and foremost, the violins are such a nice touch. They are used sparingly to create a quasi-classical atmosphere. And it isn’t only violins. There is a piano and several different guitars all taking turns to make for a very interesting song.
Secondly, and most importantly to me, you can understand the lyrics! (Most of them anyway) This is so important to me because all too often good lyrics are wasted simply because the singer is unintelligible. But no, not this band. The man’s voice is clear and his lyrics about “arm’s way” have you yearning for him to slip and actually include the h in that first word. After all he is alluding to something, right?
In my opinion this is an all-around good song. At around four minutes a short down beat with screeching violins is expertly executed and foreshadows future songs. At five minutes, just as you think the song is ending, a march styled beat is employed, definitely not something you hear everyday.
Just the right mix of everything epic.
Excuse the two part video, this next one’s a long one.
Compare that first one to this last song on the album, Vertigo (If it’s a crime). The intro instantly fills you in on the mood at that point in the album. I like to think it’s a concept album even though I don’t think it is. Vertigo would be the direct final result of arm’s way, if that makes any sense. Also, this song makes even more sense if you compare it to the first song on their next alphabetically ordered album. But I digress, you will have to explore that on your own.
The song is really slow and moody. The lyrics are soft and particularly melancholic, while the guitar has some really cool wah-wah action going on and what seems like panning. It a very relaxing song, but it fills you with this sort of mysterious loathing mixed with anxiety for what is coming next.
At around four minutes a shaker signifies an epic transition. The vocal ooh’s and the violin’s create a bittersweet atmosphere. Everything slowly fades away and the stage is set for one of the most breathtaking instrumentals ever.
Do you know when something is so sad and moody, but with just the right mix of an up-beat it actually results in something that is astoundingly beautiful? Yeah, sit back and enjoy it, because words cannot describe it.
Seriously, because before you know it you will be listening to the outro, and in which case you might feel a slight rising sensation. And yes, I believe that alludes to something as well. If you find that crazy, simply find the name of that first song off the next alphabetical album which I mentioned earlier and your mind will be blown, especially considering that that album that would be their first album.
The only thing I find funny about that scenario if it was intentional is that now they can’t use any album name starting with the letters A-R. But again, I do digress.
If you are lost, don’t worry about it. I have presented to you the first and last song of this amazing album and hopefully it paints a pretty accurate description of the scope of everything in between. This band successfully manages to keep an album interesting without having to change up their sound too much from song to song which is quite a feat in today’s day and age.
I definitely recommend it as it is probably one of Islands’ best. Although their first and alphabetically second is up there as well…
-Oko
&)
P.S. If you haven’t researched yet, I’ll help you out! haha Their first album is named Return to the Sea. Maybe that may be able to clear some things up and maybe uncover even more cool connections between the two album’s which I may have missed. Here is the single from Harm’s… errr Arm’s Way for being a good sport.
Yes, my proclivity to make horrendous musical puns is lousy, but you will need to bear with me. This post is not about my diction. I’d prefer to preview the concert I will be attending later at B.B. King’s Bar and Grill where one of rock n’ roll’s best guitarists will be gracing the stage with his custom-built Fender Strat. I want to stress some words in that last sentence. One of rock’s BEST guitarists. You can see I am slightly disgruntled with Trower’s treatment in the world of top guitarist lists.
The Music Court 