Classic concert: Bob Dylan Hard Rain TV Broadcast Video (May 23rd, 1976)

BobDylan_hardrain76

In pouring rain, Dylan plays the open air Hughes Stadium at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He has elected to film this show to replace the aborted TV special from Clearwater. In the longest set of the tour, there are several highlights, not all appearing in the TV special. … Included in the TV special, although in a most peculiar order, are second encore “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” the entire Dylan/Baez set (“Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Railroad Boy,” “Deportees,” and “I Pity the Poor Immigrant”); three songs from the first set (“Maggie’s Farm,” “One Too Many Mornings,” and “Mozambique”); and three from the last set (two tremendously powerful readings of songs from Blood on the Tracks, “Idiot Wind” and “Shelter from the Storm” and a faded “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”). Despite the storm clouds raging, the crowd appears to be very enthusiastic, even singing “Happy Birthday” for Dylan before the second encore.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

Dylan appeared on the September 11-17, 1976 issue of TV Guide and consented to a rare interview with the magazine to promote his first network television special.

Four of the eleven (ten in the video below) performances heard in the television broadcast (“Maggie’s Farm”, “One Too Many Mornings”, “Shelter from the Storm”, and “Idiot Wind”) were included on the nine track album of the same name released by Columbia records ten days before the special aired.

This is a fantastic historical TV-concert and a glimpse into one of the days of The Rolling Thunder Revue. Continue reading “Classic concert: Bob Dylan Hard Rain TV Broadcast Video (May 23rd, 1976)”

December 6: The Beatles released The Beatles’ Christmas Record 1963

From 1963 to 1969, the Beatles recorded and released seven special Christmas singles through their fan club. These were closer to “Monty Pythonesque”-comedy than their normal releases. The first ones are whimsical, cheery and thankful for their success, but later records are more esoteric. They reflect their development as a unit, the 1969 recording is four separate pieces.

Each recording was pressed onto a 7″ flexi disc and mailed free to the British members of the Fan Club.

beatles yule copy

The results are interesting curiosities for all  Beatles fans. A compilation album (with all the 7 singles) was released in 1971 and available from the fan club between 1970 and 1972. It was never released commercially, and most  copies are bootlegs.

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December 6: Rolling Stones released Beggars Banquet in 1968

Beggars Banquet is the seventh British and ninth American studio album The Rolling Stones. It was released 6th December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. The album was a return to a more rootsy rock for the band after the psychedelic “experiment”, Their Satanic Majesties Request.

The Rolling Stones – No Expectations (live Hyde Park, 1969):

In 2003, the album was ranked number 57 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In the same year the TV network VH1 named Beggars Banquet the 67th greatest album of all time.

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Documentary: Alone with Chrissie Hynde 2017 (Arena, BBC)

Being in a band is the one time in my life that I’m a real team player.’
– Chrissie Hynde

Chrissie Hynde offer us a glimpse into her backstage life through this fine documentary, Arena: Alone with Chrissie Hynde (aired February 2017). Not so much a history lesson as a glimpse into the everyday life of one of the most interesting woman in rock/music the last decades. Intersped with some great performances by Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde.

Director: Nicola Roberts

“Arena spent the summer with supercool self-confessed rock chick Chrissie Hynde – shopping for clothes in Paris, hanging out with Sandra Bernhard in New York, life in London and a special trip back to her home town of Akron, Ohio.

A thoughtful and intimate portrait of a ‘lone, hungry, irritable wolf’, featuring a glorious live performance at one of London’s newest venues.

In this expanded version, Chrissie also takes us on a walking tour of Nashville and meets up with Dan Auerbach – the lead singer of the Black Keys who produced her latest album.”
– BBC

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Classic concert: Patti Smith live at Montreux 2005 (video)

Patti Smith was one of the key artists in the breakthrough of New York City punk rock with her 1975 debut album Horses being hugely influential on the whole New Wave genre. Her distinctive blend of rock, punk and poetry combined with her uncompromising style has ensured that she has remained a credible artist throughout her career. This concert at Montreux from 2005 was part of the tour in support of her 2004 album Trampin and the setlist features tracks from her first album right through to that release. Patti Smith remains a vibrant live performer and this first ever live concert Blu-ray is a long overdue treat for all her fans.

We love Patti Smith and it’s nice to see an official release of one of her shows on film, we’ve seen her two times live and both were fantastic. Energetic, intense and she had such a firm grip on the audience. Continue reading “Classic concert: Patti Smith live at Montreux 2005 (video)”

Dec 4: Rolling Stones released December’s Children (And Everybody’s) in the US 1965

December’s Children (And Everybody’s) is the fifth American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in late 1965. Drawn largely from two days of sessions recorded in September to finish the British edition of Out of Our Heads and to record their new single—”Get Off of My Cloud”—December’s Children (And Everybody’s) also included tracks recorded as early as 1963.

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