Music Calendar

December 18: The Beatles released Another Beatles Christmas Record in 1964

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

The song Jingle Bells is sung, followed by individual messages to the fans. John mocks the prepared statement, doing an imitation of Paul Harvey and includes his own pseudo-words and ad-libbing. When Paul asks him if he wrote this himself, he says, “No it’s somebody’s bad hand-wroter. It’s been a busy year Beople peadles, one way and another, but it’s been a great year too. You fans have seen to that. Page two … Thanks a lot folks and a happy-er Christmas and a Merry Grew Year. Crimble maybe.”  The statement is apparently handwritten as at various points in the recording, Paul reads “making them” as “melting them” before correcting himself and George reads “quite a time” as “quiet time” before correcting himself with “great time” as well. Finishing up the record is a brief rendition of the traditional song “Oh Can You Wash Your Father’s Shirt?”

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December 11: John Lennon’s John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was released in 1970

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

… Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles — “Mother,” “I Found Out,” “Working Class Hero,” “Isolation,” “God,” “My Mummy’s Dead” — illustrate what each song is about, and charts his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. It’s an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennon’s catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine (allmusic.com)

I don’t believe in Beatles
~John Lennon (“God”)

Mother:

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Remembering John Lennon with 5 fantastic covers

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

 

Photo – Iain Macmillian

 

John Lennon died on this day in 1980. We miss him.

At approximately 5:00 p.m. on 8 December 1980, Lennon autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for fan Mark David Chapman before leaving The Dakota with Ono for a recording session at the Record Plant. After the session, Lennon and Ono returned to their Manhattan apartment in a limousine at around 10:50 p.m. EST. They exited the vehicle and walked through the archway of the building when Chapman shot Lennon twice in the back and twice in the shoulder at close range. Lennon was rushed in a police cruiser to the emergency room of Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:00 p.m. (EST)

Let us honor him with some songs done by artists that sees him as an inspiration and who are capable of covering his songs with respect. When we listen to these cover versions the tremendous impact of John Lennon shines through. Continue reading “Remembering John Lennon with 5 fantastic covers” →

December 5: Johnny Cash played MSG, New York City in 1969

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden is an album by Johnny Cash that was recorded in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but which was not released until 2002 (making it his 86th album overall).

The album was recorded just 4 months after Cash’s seminal At San Quentin was released, which is probably why it was not released soon after its recording. As with all Cash live shows of this period, he was backed up by the Tennessee Three, which consisted of W.S. Holland, Marshall Grant and Bob Wooton. After the first 11 songs, Johnny Cash took a short break and the guests stepped up to the plate with their current hits. As if Johnny wasn’t enough, we get Carl Perkins and The Statler Brothers in tremendous form. The Carter Family was a standard part of the Johnny Cash Show, and it is a real treat hearing Mother Maybelle with her daughters. They also performs back up vocals on many of the songs.

As with most Cash shows, the genres covered ran the gamut from country music to rockabilly to even some folk rock. Similarly to “Johnny Cash At San Quentin”, Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden includes numbers performed by Perkins, the Statlers and the Carters while Johnny was offstage.

It is an absolute must have for any Johnny Cash fan! I still wonder why Sony took 33 years to release this gem.

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Album Documentary: Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings (video, ITV Special)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Paul McCartney and Wings: Band On The Run – ITV Special with Dermot O’Leary

 

From YouTube:
Paul McCartney and Wings: Band on the Run In this one hour documentary Dermot O’Leary meets Sir Paul McCartney to hear about the making of the 1973 classic Wings album Band on the Run. Dermot hears how McCartney flew out to Lagos in Nigeria to make the record — even though two members of his band resigned before the flight Arriving there, the former Beatle found the recording studio half finished. McCartney was mugged, lost his demo tapes – and could have lost his life.. Continue reading “Album Documentary: Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings (video, ITV Special)” →

December 3: Watch Bob Dylan’s Press Conference @ KQED-TV Studios, San Francisco, 1965

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]Oh, I think of myself more as a song and dance man, y’know[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Legendary press conference.

The San Francisco Press Conference was set up by Ralph Gleason at KQED-TV, an educational station, in the bay area of San Francisco and took place on December 3rd 1965. It was broadcast on KQED later that day, just before Dylan and The Hawks played their first night at the Berkeley Community Theater.
Source: The Fiddler Now Upspoke, pp. 359-374.

KQED-TV Studios
San Francisco, California
3 December 1965
San Francisco Press Conference

Released on the DVD Dylan Speaks, Eagle Media MDV622, 30 October 2006.
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