The
Amazing Rhythm Aces were one of the finest country rock bands of the Seventies.
The band played its country rock with a large dose of the blues and under the
leadership of singer/guitarist Russell Smith scored a hit with “Third Rate
Romance” in 1975. That song can be found on the band’s excellent debut album, “Stacked
Deck” (1975).
The band’s
sophomore album, “Too Stuffed to Jump” (1976), was another fine effort with the
track, “The End is not in Sight” as the album’s highlight.
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From the
freezing cold prairie town of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the Guess Who burst
upon the music scene in the late Sixties. When original lead singer, Chad Allen,
left the band to return to school, his replacement, the teenaged Burton
Cummings, would spearhead the band to international fame.
Cummings
and the rest of the band, guitarist Randy Bachman, bassist Jim Kale; and
drummer Gary Peterson would soon score a big hit with “These Eyes.” That song
would be included in the album, “Wheatfield Soul” (1968), the first Guess Who
album to make an impact outside of Canada.
With
keyboardist and lead singer Cummings as front man, the Guess Who would record a
string of hit singles which included “Undun” and “Laughing” from “Canned Wheat”
(1969) and “American Woman” and “No Time” from the “American Woman” (1970)
album. The track, “American Woman,” would become the band’s one and only No. 1
hit.
Randy
Bachman, a Mormon, would leave the band during the height of its success, fed
up with the excessive lifestyles of his band mates. He was replaced by
guitarist Kurt Winter, and the Guess Who kept on churning out hits. The album,“Share The Land” (1970), saw the title track,
“Share the Land,” “Hand Me Down World,” and “Hang On to Your Life” all become
hits. Despite earning a reputation as a “singles” band, the Guess Who produced
solid and consistent albums throughout this period.
The Guess
Who would continue to tour and record until 1975, occasionally scoring hit
singles and releasing decent albums, the best of which is “Live at theParamount
Buffalo Springfield formed as a result of a
famous chance meeting on the Sunset Strip between Neil Young and Steven Stills.
After driving his 53’Pontiac hearse from Toronto to Los
Angeles with his friend, bassist Bruce Palmer, Neil
Young encountered Stills on that famous street. Stills was with his friend,
singer and guitarist Ritchie Furay, at the time. Stills and Young had
previously met in Toronto
and instantly recognized each other. The four musicians stopped, chatted, and
decided to form a band. Americans Stills and Furay and Canadians Young, Palmer,
and drummer Dewey Martin would become famous as “Buffalo Springfield” in 1966.
Buffalo Springfield released their debut
album, “Buffalo Springfield” in 1966 and found instant critical acclaim and
popularity. Their music could best be described as folk-rock, but this talented
assemblage of musicians played a variety of styles including folk, country,
rock, and pop. “For what it’s Worth,” “Go and Say Goodbye,” Flying on The
Ground Is Wrong,” and “Nowadays Clancy Can Even Sing” are all classic tracks
from the debut album.
With their next effort, “Buffalo
Springfield Again” (1967), the band would produce their masterpiece. This album
was more consistent than the debut and featured more studio polish courtesy of
producer Jack Nitzche. “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow,” two songs by Neil Young, are
the albums’ highlights.
The band would produce one more solid
album, “Last Time Around” (1968), featuring outstanding tracks in “Kind Woman,”
“One the Way Home,” and “I Am a Child” before disbanding.
Despite their brief run of just two years,
Buffalo Springfield was a hugely influential band that spawned the solo careers
of Young and Stills and future country-rock bands Poco, Manassas
and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.
The Byrds are among the greatest bands in
the history of American pop music. The band is the original folk-rock outfit
and was the first band to play country-rock. Pioneered by folk singer turned
rocker, Roger McGuinn, the Byrds saw many lineup changes throughout the years,
but despite the turnover of musicians, the band always produced original and
inspired music. Originally called the “Beefeaters,” the Byrds formed in early
1964 with members, McGuinn on guitar; David Crosby on guitar; Gene Clark on
guitar; Michael Clarke on drums; and Chris Hillman on bass.
The Byrds “jangly” sound was derived from
McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker guitar. This trademark sound was in full
evidence on their first album, “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965). The album opens
with the title track, a rocking hit version of the Bob Dylan classic. Dylan
songs would be covered often by the Byrds and be infused with that unmistakable
Byrds sound.
The Byrds next recorded the very solid,
“Turn, “Turn, “Turn” album in 1965. The title track of this album also became a
big hit.
Two excellent albums came next: “Fifth
Dimension” (1966) and “Younger than Yesterday” (1967) spawning hits with “Eight
Miles High” and “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star,” respectively.
It was at this point, seemingly at the peak
of the band’s commercial and critical success, when Gene Clark and David Crosby
departed to pursue solo careers. For their next project, “The Notorious Byrd
Brothers” (1968), the band was reduced to a trio. No matter it seems when the
listening to the result-a brilliant album of stunning experimental music. The
album is inspired from start to finish, especially on numbers like, “Draft
Morning,” “Wasn’t Born To Follow,” “Natural Harmony,” and “Get to You.”
Now a trio, the Byrds added new members,
country-hippie Gram Parsons from the International Submarine Band and the
superb country guitarist Clarence White. With the overt country influence of
its new members, the Byrds produced the first true country-rock album, the
excellent “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” (1968). Parsons soon left the band to form
the Flying Burrito Brothers.
The Byrds had reached the peak of their
creative powers and would continue to record until 1973, but only the
“Untitled” album released in 1970 would approach the heights they achieved in the
Sixties.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, often
referred to as simply, “CCR,” is among the ranks of the greatest-ever American pop/rock
bands. The tremendous commercial success and critical acclaim that the band
attracted during their relatively short career places the band among the elite
of American rockers.
Emerging from the working-class town of El Cerrito, California,
in the mid-Sixties as the “Blue Velvets” and then later, the “Golliwogs,” CCR
evolved into the quintessential American band with a sound that rejected the
psychedelic fashion of the day in favor of a rootsy, traditional sound heavily
influenced by country and blues music. Their sound would be dubbed, “swamp
rock” as it was reminiscent of Southern performers such as Dale Hawkins and
Lightnin’ Slim and evoked images of the American South.
CCR was comprised of Stu Cook on bass, Doug
Clifford on drums, and the Fogerty brothers, Tom and John, on guitar. John
Fogerty was lead singer, lead guitarist, sole songwriter and the creative force
of the band. It was his creative domination of the band that would eventually
lead to resentment by the other members and eventual dissolution of the band.
John Fogerty wrote some of the greatest
songs in rock history during CCR’s run and many were released as singles that
reached high positions on the pop charts. “Proud Mary,” “Born on the Bayou,”
“Fortunate Son”, “Down on the Corner,” “Lodi”, “Green River,” Who’ll Stop the
Rain,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” and others cemented John Fogerty’s place in
rock history.
CCR’s hit singles are scattered fairly
evenly through their studio albums. All CCR’s albums, “Creedence Clearwater
Revival”, (1968) “Bayou Country” (1969), “Green River” (1969), “Willie and the
Poor Boys” (1969), “Cosmo’s Factory” (1970) and “Pendulum” (1970), are
classics, save the last one, “Mardi Gras” (1972), which was an extremely spotty
effort..
It was on Mardi Gras that John Fogerty encouraged
his band mates, Clifford and Cook, to contribute songs. The result: several
good songs by John such as “Sweet Hitchhiker” and “Someday Never Comes” and mediocre
ones by the others. This album proved once and for all that CCR was really a
one-man show, after all.
John Prine was one of the best of the folk-flavoured
singer/songwriters that emerged alongside Neil Young and others in the early
Seventies. Prine, who is still active today, is one of the wittiest songwriters
of the singer/songwriter clan. When he appeared on the scene in the early Seventies,
he was designated by some writers as a “New Dylan,” an up and coming singer/songwriter
with talent and integrity reminiscent of the young Dylan.
Prine was born in Maywood,
Illinois, in 1946, and following a stint in
the US Postal Service, became involved in the Chicago folk scene of the late Sixties. A
chance meeting with pop singer Paul Anka led to a chance to record, and his
brilliant debut album, “John Prine” was released in 1971. Prine's debut was a
superb collection of topical songs that included, “Sam Stone,” a tale of a drug-addicted
Vietnam veteran, “Hello in
There,” a song about the neglect of the elderly, and “Paradise,”
a plea for the conservation of nature.
Prine's sophomore effort, “Diamonds in the
Rough” (1972) was another fine work with solid songs such as the title track
and “They Ought to Name a Drink after You,” all delivered with spare accompaniment.
“Sweet Revenge,” an album that rivals Prine's terrific debut album as his best
release, followed in 1973. Sweet Revenge was another superb collection of folk
and country-inflected songs, this time with the support of a larger studio
band. Highlights from this one include, “Christmas in Prison,” “Please Don’t
Bury Me,” “Dear Abby,” and “Mexican Home.”
Prine's next few albums saw him exploring a
more rock-oriented sound fleshed out by a backing band that included electric
guitar, bass, and heavy drums. The effect was partially-successful on solid
releases such as “Common Sense” (1975) and “Pink Cadillac” (1979). “Bruised Orange,” an excellent
release from 1978, was a return to his simpler folk sound.
The Eighties was a quiet period for Prine
from a recording standpoint. He recorded a few studio albums, but nothing of
note.
In 1991, however, Prine was back with a
vengeance. With the help of fellow musicians and admirers such as Bruce
Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Tom Petty, he recorded another classic, “The
Missing Years,” a brilliant folk-rock album brimming with top notch songs such
as “Picture Show,” “Great Rain,” “The Sins of Memphisto,” and the title track.
Despite being recently sidelined with
throat cancer, Prine continues to tour and record often brilliant albums. His most
recent classics are “In Spite of Ourselves” (1995) and “Fair and Square”
(2006).
Little Feat was formed in Los Angeles, California,
in 1969, by guitarist/songwriter Lowell George and bassist Roy Estrada. Both
men were former members of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. The original
lineup was completed with the addition of Richard Hayward on drums and Bill Payne on keyboards.
Their first two albums were “Little Feat”
(1971) and “Sailin’ Shoes” (1972). The albums were critical successes but
failed by commercial standards.
The band broke up during 1971-72, but reformed with new members, Paul Barrere
on guitar and Sam Clayton on percussion. Roy Estrada was replaced on bass by
Kenny Gradney. The first album featuring the new lineup is the classic, “Dixie
Chicken” (1973). The album is widely-hailed as their best ever and its tighter,
funkier sound is thanks in large part to its new members.
The band produced two more excellent
efforts with “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” (1974) and “The Last Record Album” (1975).
Apparently Barrere and Payne needed to relieve Lowell George of much of his
songwriting duties due to George’s escalating drug use.
Despite their increased popularity, Little Feat would never enjoy broad
mainstream success. The concert tours that Little Feat embarked upon in the
late Seventies rendered the material for the double live album “Waiting for Columbus” (1978).
Lowell George disbanded Little Feat in 1979
and embarked on a solo career. He died shortly thereafter of a heart attack the
same year. Little Feat’s final album with George, “Down on the Farm,” was
released after his death, in 1979.
Carl Perkins, born in Tipton, Tennessee,
in 1932, is one of the fathers of rock and roll music. Perkins started his
career playing country music and then became a rockabilly performer when that style
gained prominence on the strength of Elvis Presley’s first recordings with Sun
Records. Perkins also recorded for Sun Records with Presley, Johnny Cash and
Jerry Lee Lewis as label mates.
Perkins recorded his first single in 1955,
and in 1956, he recorded his classics, “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Honey Don’t.”
The former tune would become a rock standard and be recorded by a plethora of
artists including Elvis Presley. The latter song would be covered by The
Beatles in the early Sixties. By the Sixties, Perkins had returned to country
music.
Among Perkin’s classics recordings are the
following albums and compilations: “Dance Album of Carl Perkins” (1958), “Whole
Lotta Shakin’,” (1958), “Original Golden Hits” (1970), and “Original Sun
Greatest Hits” (1986).
Perkins, one of the true gentlemen of rock
and roll and country music, died in 1998.
Little Richard was probably the most
flamboyant of the early fathers of rock and roll. Richard’s flamboyance, which
usually manifested itself in colorful clothing and animated behavior, also
found expression through Richard’s claims that he had invented rock and roll
music. Nevertheless, he was a singer, pianist, and songwriter of the highest
order, and one of the most influential figures in rock and roll history
Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia,
in 1932. He started his career as an R&B singer/pianist, making his first
recording in 1951 with the single, “Taxi Blues,” for RCA. Richard recorded
several more singles before he scored his first big hit with “Tutti Fruitti” in
1955. The next year, 1956, would see Richard record a slew of hits including
the classic songs, “Long Tall Sally,” “Slippin’ and Slidin’,” “Ready Teddy,”
and “Rip it Up.”
In 1957, a full-length album of Richard’s
songs would appear, “Here’s Little Richard,” one of the first rock album
masterpieces. The album contained all of Richard’s hit singles up to that point
and other fine tracks. Another classic album would follow in 1958, with “Little
Richard,” featuring the classic songs, “Keep-A-Knockin,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,”
“Lucille,” and “The Girl Can’t Help It.” Richard’s popularity and fine piano chops
helped to position the piano as an important instrument in early rock and roll.
In the Fifties, Richard disappeared from
the pop music scene as quickly as he had appeared, turning to bible studies at
a theological college. He would record only gospel music for the next four
years. Little Richard eventually returned to rock and roll and is still active
today.
David Allen Coe, born in Akron, Ohio,
in 1939, along with Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, helped to pave the way
for a country subgenre of music called “outlaw country.” The subgenre featured
longhaired, denim-wearing heroes like Coe who embraced and expressed a
rule-breaking philosophy of life.
Coe, like Merle Haggard, came by his outlaw
image honestly. Both Coe and Haggard did lengthy stretches in prison prior to
the start of their music careers. Coe’s debut album, released shortly after his
release from prison, is a bluesy masterpiece. The album was titled,
“Penitentiary Blues.” With songs like “Cell 33,” Dear Warden,” and “Death Row,”
the album is musically and lyrically riveting.
Coe released many fine country albums
during the Seventies including, “The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy” (1974),
“Longhaired Redneck” (1976), “Texas Moon” (1977), and “Tattoo” (1978). In 1975,
Coe scored a major country hit with a cover version of Steve Goodman’s, “You
Never Even Call Me by My Name.”
Southern rock and blues rock legends The
Allman Brothers were formed in Jacksonville,
Florida, in 1969. The band was
named after brothers Greg and Duane Allman, the band’s lead singer and lead
guitarist, respectively. The Allman Brothers are perhaps the quintessential
example of “Southern Rock.”
Southern rock bands such as the Allman
Brothers, Lynyrd Skynard, and the Marshall Tucker Band all hailed from below
the Mason-Dixon Line and infused their hard
rock with elements of the blues and country music and often expressed the
conservative or “redneck” outlooks.
The Allman Brothers were perhaps the most
blues-influenced of southern rock bands. Their first two albums, “The Allman
Brothers Band” (1968) and “Idlewild South” (1970) contained several blues cover
tunes each. The ragged, soulful voice of Greg Allman and bluesy slide guitar of
Duane Allman and Dickie Betts enabled the band to produce some of the best
blues rock of the era.
The Allman Brothers Band was a tremendous
live act, and live performances allowed the band’s instrumental highlight,
Duane Allman to display his prodigious slide guitar technique. Two of the
band’s finest albums, “Live at the Fillmore East” (1971) and “Eat a Peach”
(1972) are live albums which feature long tracks which serve as vehicles for
Duane Allman’s and Dickie Betts’ impressive chops.
Duane Allman died tragically in a
motorcycle accident in 1971 at the age of 23.
Following the death of Duane Allman, Dickie
Betts became the instrumental centerpiece of the band, and the Allman Brothers
Band continued to record and tour. The band reached the height of their
commercial success with the classic album, “Brothers and Sisters” which
featured two of their best known tunes, “Ramblin’ Man” and the instrumental,
“Jessica.”
Bob Seger was
one of the most popular and mainstream of the rock singers of the Seventies.
Seger, born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1944, had, in his initial
incarnation, been a blues-rock/soul singer in a band called “The Bob Seger
System.” This band came together in 1968 and played gritty blues rock and R&B.
The band’s debut album, “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” (1969), was a fine effort that
had the title track become a minor hit. The band would record two more albums
before folding in 1970.
Seger would
reemerge as a solo artist, and several early Seventies albums were released
under his name that garnered little commercial or critical attention. That
would all change with Seger’s next supporting outfit, “The Silver Bullet Band.”
Seger and his new backing band came together in 1974, and Seger would finally
find the commercial and critical success that he had long been striving for.
The first release of Seger and The Silver Bullet Band was a superb live album,
“Live Bullet,” from 1976. The album features the new band playing a number of
Seger’s older songs in inspired performances.
The band’s next
release, “Night Moves,” (1976) would be the breakthrough that would turn Seger
into an overnight success more than a decade after his career had begun. The
album consisted of hard rock gems such as “Rock and Roll Never Forgets,” “Come
to Poppa,” and “The Fire Down Below,” but it was the folk-flavoured title
track, “Night Moves,” that would become a massive hit. Another fine track,
“Mainstreet” would become a minor hit.
Seger would
follow-up one classic album with another with the release of “Stranger in Town”
(1978). Like its predecessor, this album was a huge commercial and critical
success thanks to outstanding tracks such as, “Hollywood Nights,” “Still the
Same,” “Feel Like a Number,” and the hit ballad, “We’ve Got Tonight.”
Seger would
record several more solid albums such as “Against the Wind” (1980) and “Nine
Tonight” (1981) before drifting from the spotlight.
Johnny
Cash, originally from the cotton country of Kingsland, Arkansas, began his
career in music in Memphis, Tennessee as a rockabilly performer with Sam
Phillip’s legendary Sun Records label which had among the musicians on its
roster, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Cash recorded
his first single, “Cry, Cry, Cry,” in 1955, His first major hit, “I Walk the
Line,” followed in 1956. These early singles would be collected with others on
his debut album, “Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!” (1956). In the
late Fifties, Cash would switch to country music and record a number of classic
songs including, “Big River,” “Ring of Fire,” “Give My Love to Rose,” “A Boy
Named Sue,” “Long Black Veil,” and “I Still Miss Someone.”
In the
late Sixties, Cash recorded two live albums in prisons, “At Folsom Prison”
(1968) and “At San Quentin” (1969). The tremendous popularity of these albums
led to a successful TV variety show which was canceled after only two seasons.
Both albums have been described as two of the best live albums of music recorded
in the 20th century.
In 1971,
Cash recorded the album, “Man in Black.” The title track would later be
attached to Cash as a title of sorts. Cash’s career was in decline, however,
and the rest of the Seventies would be lean in terms of hit recordings. The
mid-Eighties saw Cash return to prominence with the outlaw country group, “The
Highwaymen,” but solo success continued to escape him. In 1986, Cash entered
The Betty Ford Clinic for addiction to painkillers.
In 1994, Cash teamed up with producer Rick Rubin, and recorded an album of
mostly cover songs, “American Recordings.” The album introduced Cash’s music to
a whole new generation of fans. Three more critically acclaimed volumes of American
Recordings would follow.
Cash had been sick with diabetes for several years, but he still managed to
record the fourth American Recordings album which was released in 2002.Cash
succumbed to diabetes the following year.
In 1968,
Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman were members of the Byrds and with their band
had recorded the classic album, “Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” the first official
“country-rock” album. Parsons and Hillman left the Byrds shortly after and with
Chris Ethridge, a bassist, and “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow, a steel guitar player,
formed the Flying Burrito Brothers, the band that would spread the gospel of
this new genre.
The band
would produce a brilliant debut album, a decent sophomore album and then
Parsons would be gone to pursue a solo career leaving Hillman to continue the
band without him.
In 1969,
that brilliant debut, “The Gilded Palace of Sin,” was released. The album was a
soulful synthesis of rock and country featuring aching vocal harmonies and
atmospheric pedal steel work by Pete Kleinow. The album contained the
unforgettable tracks “Christine’s Tune,” “Sin City,” “My Uncle,” and an utterly
original take on the soul classic, “Dark End of The Street.”
The next
year, 1970, saw the release of the follow-up, “Burrito Deluxe,” a solid
offering with standout tracks, “Wild Horses,” “God’s Own Singer,” and “Older
Guys.” In 1971, the Burrito Brothers, minus Parsons, released a fine album,
“The Flying Burrito Brothers” featuring a fine version of “White Line Fever”.
The band
continued to release albums throughout the Seventies with Hillman as the sole
original member, but nothing they did even came close to their great debut.
The Rolling Stones are, save the Beatles,
the most famous rock band of all time. The Stones emerged from London around
the same time that the Beatles were breaking out from their hometown,
Liverpool. While the Beatles have long ago parted, The Rolling Stones are still a
functioning rock band, although with its members now in their seventies, the
band is now only occasionally productive.
The Stones current lineup consists of Mick
Jagger on lead vocals; Keith Richards on guitar; Charlie Watts on drums; and
Ron Wood on guitar. All the current members except Wood have been with the band
from the beginning, and the band has seen limited personnel changes despite its
long run of 50 years.
The Stones started out in the early Sixties
as one of the finest white blues bands of the day, led at that time, by the
late blues guitarist, Brian Jones. In the band’s earliest incarnation, they
were a blues and R&B band, and Jones was the driving force and resident
blues expert. The band’s name came from the Muddy Waters song, “Rollin’ Stone.”
The band played their first gig at London’s Marquee Club before landing a
regular gig at the Crawdaddy Club. Former Beatles publicist, Andrew Loog Oldham
became the Stones manager around this time.
Oldham’s first act was to secure a
lucrative recording deal for his new band. Decca Records, which was still
reeling from their failure to sign the Beatles, offered Oldham a sweet deal for
the Stones. Oldham, then began to publicize the Stones as the anti-Beatles, a
band of louts who were the polar opposite of the clean and decent Beatles. In
spring 1963, Decca released the first Stones’ single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s,
“Come On.”
The Stones recorded their debut album, “The
Rolling Stones,” in 1964. The album only contained one song written by Jagger
and Richards, with the rest of the songs being blues cover songs. Oldham
encouraged Jagger and Richards to work on their songwriting, as he believed
that the band would have limited appeal if it continued to just perform songs
by “middle-aged blacks.” Two more albums relying heavily on covers of R&B
and blues, “The Rolling Stones Number 2” and “The Rolling Stones Now,” were
released in 1965. The songwriting team of Jagger and Richards were beginning to
produce results with their first self-written hit, “Heart of Stone,” appearing
in 1964.
The Stones first album with a significant
amount of original material, “Out of Our Heads,” was released in 1965. This
album contained the Stones first big international hit single, “Satisfaction,” and
the single turned the band into bona-fide pop stars. The album contained
several other excellent tracks such as, “Play with Fire” and “The Last Time.”
The Stones would continue to improve on
their next release, “Aftermath” (1966), an album of mostly original songs that
includes the early classic songs, “Mother’s Little Helper,” “Lady Jane,” and
“Under My Thumb.” The latter track riled feminists and helped to solidify the
band’s “bad boy” image.
In early 1967, the band’s next album,
“Between the Buttons,” was released. This album saw the band moving away from
the blues and R&B they had long focused on, and further into the realm of
rock and the psychedelia that was so pervasive at the time. Later in 1967, the
band would dive headlong into psychedelia with “Their Satanic Majesties Request,”
a full-blown psychedelic freak out which was panned by many critics, but is
still an interesting offering with the excellent tracks, “She’s A Rainbow” and
“2000 Light Years from Home.”
Between 1968 and 1972, the band would enjoy
a golden period that would see the band record an outstanding string of albums
which are all now considered among the very best albums of 20th
century popular music.
The first, “Beggar’s Banquet,” appeared in
1968, and featured some of the best rock and blues tracks ever recorded by a
rock band. “Sympathy for the Devil” is the most famous track on the album,
followed closely by ”Street Fighting Man.” The blues chops of the band,
especially in the case of Brian Jones, are on full display on tracks such as
“No Expectations” which features fine slide blues guitar by Jones. “Prodigal
Son” is a fine country blues cover. Brian Jones would die tragically from
drowning in his swimming pool shortly after the release of the album.
In 1969, “Let it Bleed” appeared, and like
its predecessor, it contained excellent tracks of rock and blues. Several of
the band’s most famous songs are found here such as, “You Can’t Always Get What
You Want,” “Gimme Shelter,” and the title track. The cover of Robert Johnson’s
“Love in Vain” is one of the highlights of the band’s recording career.
After a two-year hiatus from the studio,
during which time the excellent live album, “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out” (1970)
appeared, another classic album, “Sticky Fingers” (1971), was released. The
album was the hardest rocking Stones album yet, and featured new guitarist,
Mick Taylor, who was brought in to replace the deceased Brian Jones. Taylor’s
presence on the album gave the band a fuller rock sound that was exploited on
the numbers, “Bitch,” “Can’t You Hear Me knocking,” and “Brown Sugar.” A fine
country-rock moment can be heard with “Wild Horses,” a song that Keith Richards
wrote with Gram Parsons of the Flying Burrito Brothers.
In 1972, the comprehensive and outstanding
double album, “Exile on Main Street,” was released, and it is considered by
many as the band’s definitive work. A slew of blues, R&B, and even gospel
tunes populate the album along side rock songs such as the hits, “Happy” and
“Tumbling Dice.”
The Stones’ work started to slide in the mid-Seventies,
with the band recording several albums which were several notches below the
superb work of the past. Keith Richard’s drug use would become an issue,
especially following his arrest at a Toronto hotel. It was not until 1978 that
the band would finally make an album worthy of their reputation. That album was
“Some Girls” (1978), featuring the stellar tracks, “Shattered” and “Beast of
Burdon.”
The band’s work from the Eighties to
present has been spotty, but there have always been fine moments such as the
album releases, “Tattoo You” (1981), “Stripped” (1995), “The Rolling Stones
Rock and Roll Circus” (1996), and “Shine a Light” (2008).
The band is still a touring unit and they
have ventured into new territory, playing concerts in Shanghai, China, in 2009.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist
Joe Walsh embarked on his solo career following the release of The James Gang’s
“Thirds” album. Walsh had led the James Gang through the initial phase of the
band’s career in which they recorded three brilliant albums with Walsh as
frontman. Clearly, Walsh had a stellar history to live up to. He came out of
the gate under the guise of “Barnstormer”, a death-defying, stunt-performing
pilot of early 20th century America. Walsh’s barnstormer persona would
be featured on the album covers of his first three solo albums.
His debut
album, “Barnstorm,” (1972) was a mix of the hard rock that Walsh had become
famous for with the James Gang, with ballads and more progressive-rockish
selections with an emphasis on keyboards. The album was a solid effort that
included the semi-hit rocker, “Turn to Stone.” Walsh’s sophomore solo effort,
“The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get” (1973) was a stronger showing that
featured more of Walsh’s signature hard rock, including the big hit, “Rocky
Mountain Way,” and another fine rock gem, “Meadows.” Walsh’s third solo outing,
“So What,” was another solid hard rock collection.
In 1976,
the live album, “You Can’t Argue with a Sick Mind” was released featuring live
renditions of material from his previous three solo albums including an epic
18-minute version of Rocky Mountain Way.
By this
time, Walsh had joined the Eagles and been included on their mega-successful
“Hotel California” album. Following the release of the Hotel California album,
Walsh went back to record perhaps his best solo effort, the often comedic, “But
Seriously, Folks,” a fine collection of songs which includes some impressive
instrumentals and perhaps his best solo recording, the satirical “Life’s Been
Good.”
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