So You Think You Can't Rock Out On An Acoustic Guitar????

The rise of rock and roll seems to be married to the amplification of the guitar. With the Fender Telecaster in 1951, Stratocaster in 1954, and Gibson Les Paul in 1952, this hybrid of country and blues music dubbed "Rock and Roll" had found the fuel to drive it's popularity. As the popularity of the music grew, the guitar players became stars in their own right. As the electric guitar became synonomous with the style, the acoustic guitar faded from prominence. Often it was only a prop for the singer. I mean, how much did Elvis actually strum those guitars in all those movies. A verse or two into the song, he got busy singing to the girl and a side man in the production number had taken the guitar away to the background. Well, I'm here to tell you...the acoustic guitar can rock just as hard as it's electrified brother!

Obviously, examples are needed. Let's start with the The Rolling Stones...yes, the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band knew how to rock the acoustic. Early in their career, they covered the great Buddy Holly song "Not Fade Away". In 1964, the Bo Diddly beat that drives the song was played on an acoustic guitar to great effect. The Stones released Beggars Banquet in 1968. One of the highlights of this album is the hard driving "Street Fighting Man." While the meaning was somewhat ambiguous, the strength and power of the song is undeniable. It opens with an open tuned acoustic guitar ringing out the opening riff and continues with multi-layered acoustics through the end of the song. You think acoustics can't rock? Well on this tune, the only electric instrument on the song is a bass guitar.

Let's check out another band capable of rocking the acoustic. Yes, off to the left is Jimmy Page playing an acoustic guitar. Led Zeppelin, those iconic hard rockers produced more than a couple of great rock songs driven by acoustic guitars. For Led Zeppelin III Page and Plant adapted a traditional song about that tells the story of a condemned man pleading for someone to buy his freedom in the song "Gallows Pole". Once again, the song features acoustic instruments providing a bulk of the music for this tune and , like Street Fighting Man, the only electric instrument used on the song is a bass guitar. You can also look to Zep for other acoustic rockers like "Ramble On" from Zep II, "The Battle of Evermore" from IV (ok, lots of mandolin on this one), and "Over the Hills and Far Away" from Houses of the Holy.







Who else can we look at as truly acoustic rockers..."Who" indeed.....
The Who and more specifically, Pete Townshend know that the acoustic guitar is as essential to rock and roll as the electric guitar. It started early in their career with the song "Substitute". Pete tended to play with a fury during live performances. This shows in the way he played his trusty Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar. "Magic Bus" is another song featuring a Bo Diddley beat with the guitar. It may be one of the best examples of using the the acoustic to drive the beat of a song. Perhaps the signature song for a rocking out on an acoustic guitar is Pinball Wizard. Townshend impossibly sychopatic strumming throughout the song is as distictive and any electric guitar riff you could name. As a hopeful guitar player, my aspiration is that someday I may be able to duplicate that strum pattern...not likely though. Townshend has performed many of these songs solo with only an acoustic over the years including "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again".

How did these guys learn to make the acoustic guitar really rock? It actually goes back to before the rock and roll explosion. Let's give credit where credit is due. At the beginning of this piece, I called this rock and roll music we love a hybrid of country and the blues. Just listen to the playing of some of often forgotten and overlooked artists such as Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, and blues artists that followed such as Elmore James, Bo Diddly, and John Lee Hooker.

These are the people that really are the pioneers of what eventually became rock and roll. And...they did it by playing acoustic guitars.

Rod Stewart At His Peak

Rod Stewart’s career has been lengthy, sometimes controversial, and always interesting. In my opinion, he was never better than he was in 1971 when Every Picture Tells a Story was released. Rod’s early career through the early to late 60s had him working with a who’s-who of the British rock scene. Being involved with people like Mick Fleetwood, Brian Auger, Long John Baldry (a great overlooked singer), Peter Green, and Jeff Beck, can prepare you pretty well for the rock stardom that was to come. His first two solo albums, The Rod Stewart Album and Gasoline Alley though uneven, had enough solid material to show the promise of things to come.

I still remember hearing Maggie May everywhere I went during the fall of my freshman year of college. Stewart’s raspy whiskey tinged voice retold the story of a young man learning about “love” through the guidance of an older woman. The record buying public was hooked on Rod Stewart. It was initially intended to be the “B”side of a single with another song off the album, Reason To Believe, the “A” side.

Do you kids know what 45 rpm singles were back in the day???

The success of Maggie May tends to overshadow the greatness of the rest of the album. Side one starts off with the title track which gives us a glimpse of things to come in Rod‘s career. Co-written by Ronnie Wood, this rocker also employs other members of the Faces to kick off the album on a proper tone. Also on side one is a reworking the Arthur Crudup tune, That’s All Right which helped launch Elvis’ career as the King’s first single. Rod covers a wonderful Bob Dylan tune, Tomorrow is Such a Long Time to close out side one. In my world, of all the great cover versions there are of Bob Dylan compositions, it would be hard to find one better. I think of the love of my life in the lyrics of the final verse every time I listen to this song.

Side 2 leads off with Maggie May but certainly doesn’t stop there. Mandolin Wind is a beautiful ode to the power and endurance of love through difficult times. Written by Stewart, it is as great a performance as any of Rod’s more successful commercial tunes. Rod’s cover of the Motown song, I Know I’m Losing You, is a better version than the hit single by Rare Earth. Stewart then ends the album with the hopeful Reason To Believe.

The album cover itself is not extremely remarkable. The front cover features a picture of Rod captured on stage with microphone and stand in hand while performing. As one of the best live performers of the era while sharing the stage with Faces, this is a apt visual to introduce you to Stewart. The back of the cover simply features the song titles presented as you might purchase them on sheet music from an era that has passed us by. This presentation however is also quite apt. This album of music features one of rock’s greatest and most unique voices performing great songs. After all, isn’t that where it starts…great songs. Whether penned by Dylan, Tim Hardin, Arthur Crudup, or Rod Stewart, the music doesn’t endure without great songs.

I Don't Hate Digital Music

You know, while I love the experience of setting that 12" LP on the turntable, sitting back and listening to a record in it's analog brilliance, I do appreciate aspects of digital music...specifically that little mp3 player that fits in your pocket, is capable of holding hundreds if not thousands of songs, and makes it possible to throw together your own variety of song mixes with literally touches of the fingertips. I admit, the majority of my music listening time is spent with the little headphones jammed into my ears. You may have noticed that I described that digital device as an mp3. I'm in the minority in that I actually don't have an I-pod. I have a little more than 800 songs on my Sony mp3 player and will regularly add or eliminate songs from the player as suits my moods.

I appreciate it when I rediscover a song long forgotten and by downloading I can avoid the purchase of the entire Time-Life 10 disc set that is one of the few places to get it anymore. Those one-hit wonders...great songs that brought the songwriter or performer brief fame can now be obtained much easier than ever before.

I get enjoyment from the fact that the mp3 is like my own radio station. I can just let the player roll through the list and I'll have everything from AC/DC to T-Bone Burnett in the course of a listening session. I love the ability to have about 6 versions of Sweet Jane all in a row...done by the Cowboy Junkies, Mott the Hoople, along with multiple versions by Lou Reed including the original Velvet Underground version. I like that I have Pinball Wizard in it's original version, demo version, solo acoustic by Pete Townshend, and by Pete with his band Deep End. Then (as I sit here unable to sleep) there are the "midnight" songs: Midnight Confessions by the Grass Roots, Midnight Man by the James Gang, Midnight Rambler by the Stones, Midnight Rider by the Allman Bros, and Midnight Train by Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang.

Yeah, I appreciate the convenience, variety, programming ability, and portablity of the little black retangular wonder. But still...watching the black disc turning at 331/3 rpms, gently setting the needle on to the spinning disc, hearing the brief pop and hiss just before the music starts, then hearing the music flow from the speakers in the room...that's still the best way to listen in my world.

Let's Talk About Great Music

You know, I like to think that the music I love as I came of age in the late 60's and early 70's can't be topped by what has come since. Those of us of that generation (aka "geezers") sometimes act as though there wasn't much other than Elvis, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly prior to the whirlwind that was the Beatles and certainly very little since that time that can measure up to that golden age of "classic rock" (more about that in future blogs). Well, while flipping stations the other night, I came upon a Time-Life Music informercial hosted by....

BOBBY GOLDSBORO!

This poor guy has been botoxed and lasered (with bad rug added) until he is nearly unrecognizable from the 60's pop singer who performed such hits as Honey (an uplifting song about his dead love), See the Funny Little Clown, and Watching Scotty Grow. The royalties must be running out or he has another laser/botox treatment coming up cause why else would he do something like this.

Bobby then

Anyhow, it got me thinking that while I will extoll the greatness of such bands, artists, and songwriters like The Beatles, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, etc. ...We had our share of stinkers as well. I mean really, can my generation be proud of allowing a band called the 1910 Fruitgum Company have hits with songs like Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (I Got Love In My Tummy) and Goody, Goody, Gumdrops?

Yeah, no doubt the 80's and the 90's and the 21st century doesn't have the monopoly of shitty music. Heck, let's talk about those manufactured groups that recording companies and talent agents pasted together as machines to sell pre-packaged pop slop to the upcoming and impressionable pre-teens
and teen sheep with money in their pockets. Sure, we've seen the New Kids on the Block, and the Spice Girls and groups of their ilk over the last couple of decades. And yes their music was highly forgettable. Well everyone, let's not forget that back in the day, my generation had

The Archies! The Archies were quite the little enigma. These cartoon characters had the biggest hit of 1969 with the mega hit Sugar, Sugar! We never really had any human faces to associate with this bunch. Let's also throw the Partridge family into this waste basket of a catagory. Keith actually sang and Shirley had starred on both Broadway and in Hollywood musicals but did anyone believe that the rest of the fam could read a note of music? We also gotta put the Monkees into this catagory since they were put together to star in a TV series. The thing with the Monkees is that they either were or became musicians during the course of the show and they also had the privlege of performing songs written by people like Neil Diamond, and Boyce and Hart.

For heaven's sake, even the great Johnny Cash had to go through the embarrassment of singing

...A Boy Named Sue. For the love of God! the Man In Black! The badass of Ring of Fire and Folsom Prison Blues recorded this silly song?

So let me be clear, no matter what musical generation you have hitched yourself to. No matter where your musical loyalties lie, you can be sure that there was plenty of crappy music available during that time as well. If you want further proof, spend some time watching Bobby Goldboro host Time/Life's infomercial, Pop Memories of the 60's. Once you get past Bobby's very odd helmet like hair, you'll see that the beloved 60's produced a decent number of lousy artists doing bad music and even some great artists producing lousy music.

Le

Lou Reed the Rock and Roll Animal

Imagine...the lights of the theater are dim...the rustle and mumble of the audience is all that can be heard...the lights go out. Then, from the darkness of the stage the unmistakeable searing tone of a Gibson Les Paul overwhelms the crowd noise. The rest of the band quickly jumps in for a few minutes that let you know that this will be no ordinary show. The intro winds down...a series of power chords ring out then transitions into a familiar riff. A spotlight focuses on the microphone at center stage. the singer steps up..."Standin' on the corner, Suitcase in my hand..."

In 1974, Lou Reed assembled a killer band, unveiled a different look, a gave us incredible new reworkings of some of his best work as a member of the legendary Velvet Underground. Rock and Roll Animal is simply one of the best live albums of the Rock Era.

There are only five tracks on this LP and with over 40 minutes of music, the tracks are long. Side 1 consists of 2 songs. The already mentioned Sweet Jane and Heroin. Side 2's cuts are White Light/White Heat, Lady Day, and Rock and Roll. All the songs were penned by Reed. For me, the highlight is Sweet Jane. This is one of Rock's great songs and this version jumps off the vinyl with the power of it's performance. Heroin is 13+ minutes describing the lure, exstacy, and torture that are all part of the addiction to the drug. Reed's voice may be an acquired taste but somehow suits the songs perfectly.

The band! simply. SMOKES! Led by the dual guitars of Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter the musicians nearly steals the show. This group had their roots in the great Detroit rock scene of the late 60s. They also provided a lot of the muscle behind some of Alice Cooper's work during that time. The great songs don't stand alone, the band completes the performance.



The album itself features shaky focus pictures of an androgynous looking Reed with black being the color that dominates. Inside the book style album cover is a black and white photo of the band with the sparse credits above them.

Live albums are, for the most part, lesser versions of music that was much better served with the benefit of studio production. Most of those albums should be titled "We don't have any good new material so let's put out these live versions of our best known songs to fulfill our contract obligations". Rock and Roll Animal is one of the very notable exceptions. As with all the records I talk about on this blog, this one should be listened to in it's entirety...don't miss anything on this album.

Doppleganger Faceoff-The Who vs. Led Zeppelin

Well, I've had this theory for a while about these two great bands who made lasting impacts on the world of rock music. Led Zepplin is The Who's doppleganger. What that you say? Well do any of you remember the Sienfeld episode were the characters all meet up with another similar group that look and act just like Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer? Well, that's kind of what we have here. Let'a examine the evidence shall we.

Just a little history here. Members of the Who are basically known as members of the Who. As a band, they were formed originally in the early 60's and their original name was the High Numbers. Zep was put together later in the 60's. At that time, Jimmy Page was a sessions musician showing up on records by such people as Brenda Lee, the Rolling Stones (Heart of Stone), The Kinks debut album, and interestingly enough, The Who's first single "I Can't Explain". When Zep was being put together, Page and Plant actually recruited the Who's Entwistle and Moon as bassist and drummer. While he didn't join the band, Moon did contribute the name the name of the band when he said a band featuring Page and guitarist Jeff Beck would go over like a lead zeppelin.

Each piece of the machines that were Led Zeppelin and The Who bear striking similarities to each other in appearance, performance, and contributions to their respective bands.

Guitarists: Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page were the creative geniuses of the bands. Both were the primary songwriters and contributed heavily to the studio process thus the eventual sound of the records. On stage, they were major focal points for the live shows. Pete's windmill strums, jumps, slides, and famous guitar smashing set a standard for what the rebellious tone of rock was meant to be. Page was no less flamboyant with the feedback and famous violin bow effect used on stage.



Lead Singers: Ok, just look at the pictures. These pictures should be in the dictionary along side the word doppleganger. Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant on stage at the peak of their band's popularity were the essence of what a front man on stage is supposed to be. The long flowing locks, the open shirt bare chest. (the stuffed tight pants?). While I don't lean that way, these guys were the sexual focal point of the band. They both provided fuel to the runaway train that was a live performance for these bands. Plant surely provided more to the creative process as a partner to Page in the song writing process.


Drummers: Keith Moon and John Bonham are probably rock music's most iconic time keepers (next to Ringo Starr of course). Moon's frenetic but musical style did more than just keep the beat. On stage, his manic performances matched the chaos of Townshends whirling, physical playing. I'm not sure anyone hit the skins harder than Bonham. The shear power of his playing was so essential to the sound of the Zep that upon his death, the dissolution of the band was announced. Sadly, the similarities they shared as members of their bands also carried over into their personal lives where the excesses of those life styles led to early deaths.

Bassists: These guys were the stability on stage among the nearly out of control frenzy that marked the rest of the band during live shows. While chaos was happening all around them, John Entwistle and John Paul Jones supplied the solid basis for the music and the performance on stage. Within the band, both were probably also the best overall musicians in the band playing multiple instruments.

Other similarities? Both bands did "sell out" Zep allowed their song "Rock and Roll" to be used in a Cadillac commercial (how 'bout that for rock rebellion?). The Who? Jeez, many of you young kids out there just know them from the opening credits of whatever CSI TV show you choose to watch....YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! They also titled an album "The Who Sell Out".

What does this all have to do with the Album Listening Experience? Not that much other than it is a fun comparison. I will at some point share an actual Listening Experience of one or more of these band's albums...but that's for another day.