NUCLEUS - Song For The Bearded Lady (1971)

R.I.P. Ian Carr (Apr. 21, 1933 - Feb. 25, 2009)

Obit (from The Guardian):

The trumpeter, composer, bandleader and author Ian Carr, who has died aged 75, was a champion of British jazz independence at a time when few believed that a creative offshoot of the music could grow in any soil but America's. He was a freethinker, a self-taught trumpeter who became an accomplished soloist, biographer, campaigner, journalist and dedicated teacher - and one of a handful...who changed the course of jazz in the UK.

Carr's sound, on both trumpet and flugelhorn, seemed like a strikingly elegant and unhurried adaptation of the legacies of early Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, but with his own slightly melancholy fire, applied in the late 1960s to the pianist/composer Garrick's subtle and engaging home-grown repertoire.

In perhaps the biggest decision of his career, he founded the pioneering jazz-rock band Nucleus in 1969 (to the consternation of some conservative acoustic jazz fans). Carr (and his co-writer Karl Jenkins, later to become a classical composer) had managed to make their repertoire a balance of shapely, long-lined, and rather English romantic lyricism with the new rock-driven electric sounds beginning to be adopted by Davis.

Carr could not help making jazz news. He took Nucleus to the Montreux jazz festival (where it won the European Broadcasting Union prize) and then to the Newport jazz festival in the US in 1970, where it became one of the few British bands to make a big impact. But he also found time to research and write a book, Music Outside (1973, republished last year) about the playing and the politics of the contemporary British scene. He also played in fusion bands, big bands and occasionally even free-improv groups, though he was never convinced by the latter idiom.
In 1982 Carr wrote the much-acclaimed Miles Davis: A Critical Biography, and became an associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. In 1991 he published Keith Jarrett: The Man and his Music, a rich profile of the pianist, and collaborated with Digby Fairweather and Brian Priestley on the reference book Jazz: The Rough Guide.

He had to fight much adversity for his life was dogged by ill-health and his first wife died in childbirth. He defeated cancer in the mid-Seventies but was afterwards subject to chronic fits of depression and in the last decade he suffered a series of strokes that led to the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, forcing him to spend his last years in a succession of care homes.

This track is a great representation of the UK jazz-rock scene in the early '70s. Still rough, and still rooted in the blues. It starts with a great syncopated horn line, and launches into a timeless groove; so much so that this riff has been repeated numerous times by other groups (most notably by Soft Machine on their "Bundles" album, which has many of these musicians on it). Horn solos abound, John Marshall's drums are punchy as usual, and Chris Spedding's guitar is nice and dirty.

Song : "Song For The Bearded Lady" by Nucleus

From the LP "We'll Talk About It Later" (Vertigo) 1971

LINEUP :
Ian Carr : trumpet, flugelhorn

Karl Jenkins : electric piano, oboe, piano, baritone saxophone

Brian Smith : tenor & soprano saxes, flute

Chris Spedding : guitars

Jeff Clyne : bass, electric bass

John Marshall : drums, percussion

Get it here : Song For The Bearded Lady

THE WILD MAGNOLIAS : Meet The Boys (On The Battlefront) (1974)

R.I.P. Fird 'Snooks' Eaglin (Jan. 21, 1936 - Feb. 18, 2009)

Obit:
R&B singer/guitarist SNOOKS EAGLIN has died, aged 72. Eaglin, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, was hospitalised in New Orleans, Louisiana last week (Feb.09, 2009). He passed away on Wednesday (Feb. 18, 2009) after suffering a heart attack.

Losing his sight not long after his first birthday, Eaglin was a self-taught musician who learned to play the guitar by listening to the radio. He became a fixture in the New Orleans jazz and R&B music scenes over the last 50 years, counting platinum-selling musicians Eric Clapton, Sir Paul McCartney and Robert Plant - and local artists including pianist Allen Toussaint - among his fans. Paying tribute to Eaglin, Toussaint tells the New York Times, "He played with a certain finger style that was highly unusual. He was unlimited on the guitar. Folks would assume, "I can do this or I can do that", but Snooks wouldn't. There was nothing he couldn't do. It was extraordinary." Eaglin was scheduled to perform at April's (09) New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. His survivors include his wife of more than 30 years, Dorothea Eaglin, and a daughter.

A mainstay of the New Orleans jazz and blues scene, Snooks was considered a guitar hero by many. One of his many sessions included working on the first Wild Magnolias album, with the late keyboardist WILLIE TEE and his group THE GATURS. The Wild Magnolias themselves were a group of Mardi Gras Indians led by Bo Dollis, and they handle the vocals and percussion. This track is a funky version of a traditional New Orleans song, with a reggae feel. Note the excellent guitar licks of Snooks, and bass playing by Julius Farmer.

Song : "Meet The Boys (On The Battlefront)" by The Wild Magnolias
From the CD "THE WILD MAGNOLIAS" (Barclay) (recorded 1973, released 1974) ; track was not on original LP, but on CD reissue

LINEUP :
The Wild Magnolias (Bo Dollis, Monk Boudreaux, 'Gator June' Johnson, 'Crip' Adams, 'Quarter Moon' Tobias, 'Gate' Johnson, 'Bubba' Scott, James Smothers) : vocals, percussion

The New Orleans Project : rhythm section (basically The Gaturs with Snooks Eaglin)
Willie Tee : keyboards, percussion, background vocals
Julius Farmer : bass
Fird 'Snooks' Eaglin : guitar
Larry Panna : drums
Alfred 'Uganda' Robers : congas

LILY ALLEN : The Fear (2008/9)

Yes yes, Lily Allen. In the current state of pop music, this song surprisingly stands out for me. With a catchy hook, add some '80s synthpop and a Mockney accent, and boom : instant hit. But very crisp production, and fun lyrics, make it a decent chartclimber.

Song : "The Fear" by Lily Allen
Single A-side (Dec. 9, 2008) ;

also from the LP "IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU" (Parlophone/Capitol) Feb. 9, 2009

Get it here : The Fear

TURNQUIST REMEDY : Reno, Nevada (1970)

This one-shot group from LA was kicking around for a few years playing country-blues-psych-rock, and they finally made an album before splitting up. Mike Woods went on to play in the group, America (yikes!). This track has a nice rural groove to it, with sweet guitar playing, and Mike Woods has a nice rasp.

Song : "Reno, Nevada" (written by Richard Farina)

From the LP "IOWA BY THE SEA" (Pentagram) 1970

LINEUP :

Mike Woods : guitar, vocals

John Maggi : drums, percussion

Scott Harder : bass, vocals

Murphy Scaarecchia : guitar, vocal

Get it here : Reno, Nevada

DJ SHADOW : Midnight In A Perfect World (1996)

This is one of the main tracks off his classic debut album, using a multitude of samples. In particular, his use of a David Axelrod sample turned a lot of other DJs onto the producer. In fact, this album is in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the first record to be created entirely out of sampled music!

Song : "Midnight In A Perfect World" by DJ Shadow
From the LP "ENDTRODUCING....." (Mo'Wax) Nov. 19, 1996

LINEUP:
DJ Shadow : samples
Gift Of Gab : vocals

List of samples:
"Soul" by S.O.U.L.
"Outta State" by Akinyele
"Sower of Seeds" by Baraka
"Life Could" by Rotary Connection
"California Soul" by Marlena Shaw
"The Human Abstract" by David Axelrod
"The Madness Subsides" by Pekka Pohjola
"Dolmen Music" & "Gotham Lullaby" by Meredith Monk
"Releasing Hypnotical Gases" by Organized Konfusion
"Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers

Get it here : Midnight In A Perfect World

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE : Everyday People (1968/9)

Why not give 2009 a boost with some Sly? Here is a multi-racial group singing one of the most positive messages ever put in a pop song; all in 2.5 minutes!

Here's allmusic:
Perhaps Sly & the Family Stone's most universal message, "Everyday People" is sort of Sly Stone's own "All You Need Is Love." A simple, direct comment on discrimination, the literate and concise words come through to any listener, whatever their creed or color. Musically, the song is built around an almost nursery rhyme melody and rhythm, and this suggests that perhaps Sly had the lyric idea at the outset of the creation and attempted (successfully) to make the overall song as accessible as possible.

And from the wiki blurb:
The song is one of Sly Stone's pleas for peace and equality between differing races and social groups, a major theme and focus for the band. The Family Stone featured Caucasians Greg Errico and Jerry Martini in its lineup, as well as females Rose Stone and Cynthia Robinson; making it the first major integrated band in rock history. Sly & the Family Stone's message was about peace and equality through music, and this song reflects the same.

Unlike the band's more typically funky and psychedelic records, "Everyday People" is a mid-tempo number with a more mainstream pop feel. Sly, singing the main verses for the song, explains that he is "no better/and neither are you/we are the same/whatever we do."
Sly's sister Rose Stone sings bridging sections that mock the futility of people hating each other for being tall, short, fat, skinny, white, black, or anything else. The bridges of the song contain the line "different strokes for different folks," which became a popular catchphrase in 1969.

For the chorus, all of the singing members of the band (Sly, Rosie, Larry Graham, and Sly's brother Freddie Stone) proclaim that "I am everyday people," meaning that each of them (and each listener as well) should consider himself or herself as parts of one whole, not of smaller, specialized factions.

Song : "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone

Single A-side (Nov. 1968); also from the LP "STAND!" (Epic) May 3, 1969

LINEUP:

Sly Stone : vocals

Rose Stone : vocals, backing vocals, piano

Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) : backing vocals

Freddie Stone : guitar, backing vocals

Larry Graham : bass, backing vocals

Greg Errico : drums

Jerry Martini : tenor sax

Cynthia Robinson : trumpet

Get it here : Everyday People

THE STOOGES : No Fun (1969)

R.I.P. Ron Asheton (Jul. 17, 1948 - Jan. 6, 2009)

From The Ann Arbour News :
Famed rock-and-roll guitarist and longtime Ann Arbor resident Ronald "Ron" Asheton was found dead in his home on the city's west side, police said.
Asheton, 60, was an original member of The Stooges, a garage-rock band headlined by Iggy Pop and formed in Ann Arbor in 1967.
Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead early today in his Ann Arbor home.His personal assistant contacted police late Monday night after being unable to reach Asheton for days, Detective Bill Stanford said.
Officers went to the home on Highlake Avenue at around midnight and discovered Asheton's body on a living-room couch. He appeared to have been dead for at least several days, Stanford said.
Detective Sgt. Jim Stephenson said the cause of death is undetermined but investigators do not suspect foul play. Autopsy and toxicology results are pending.
Asheton was born in Washington, D.C. His brother, Scott, who lives in Florida, is the band's drummer.
In 2007, The Stooges reunited and released "The Weirdness," their first album in three decades.

Asked how it felt to be back with The Stooges, Asheton told The News in an interview that year that it was "great to be back on the road."
The Stooges were part of a 1960s music scene in Ann Arbor that included such bands as the MC5, Bob Seger, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and The Rationals.
And time moves on. Here's their great song, "No Fun", with Iggy Pop in full 'f-you' glory. This was later covered many times by The Sex Pistols, which proves punk's lineage to this group.

Song : "No Fun" by The Stooges
From the LP "THE STOOGES" (Elektra) Aug. 5, 1969

LINEUP :
Iggy Stooge (Iggy Pop) : vocals
Dave Alexander : bass
Ron Asheton : guitar
Scott Asheton : drums
John Cale (from The Velvet Underground) : producer

Get it here : No Fun

Other R.I.P.s of 2008

Here is a small list of other musicians I didn't get a chance to post in 2008; perhaps in the future!

Slamowir Kulpowicz (Feb. 8, 2008) - Polish keyboard player, was a member of Zbigniew Namyslowski's band

Niel Aspinall (Mar. 24, 2008) - road manager of The Beatles (considered the fifth Beatle). Appeared on "Yellow Submarine" (vocals), and "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" (harmonica)

Mel Galley (Jul. 1, 2008) -guitar player for '70s band Trapeze, and later in Whitesnake!

Phil White (Sep. 6, 2008) - bass, keyboard player of the '70s prog band Space Opera

Richard "Popcorn" Wylie (Sep. 7, 2008) - piano player, worked with The Funk Brothers. Also had some funky solo releases

Marc Moulin (Sep. 26, 2008) - jazz musician

Miriam Makeba (Nov. 9, 2008) - S.African singer

Kenny MacLean (Nov. 24, 2008) - bass player for Platinum Blonde

Pekka Pohjola (Nov. 27, 2008) - Finnish bass player/musician, had some great fusion releases in the '70s. Worked with Made In Sweden, Mike Oldfield, Jukka Tolonen, Wigwam

Odetta (Dec. 2, 2008) - American folk, blues, jazz singer

HERBIE HANCOCK : Cantaloupe Island (1964)

R.I.P. Freddie Hubbard (Apr. 7, 1938 - Dec. 29, 2008)

Freddie Hubbard, who died (complications of a heart attack) aged 70, was one of the finest and most influential jazz trumpeters of his age during a career that spanned half a century.

Although most at home in the genre of hard bop, in which he made his name in the 1960s, Hubbard was never afraid to experiment – he collaborated with, among others, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins – and in the 1970s he moved into rock-influenced fusion and later funk before finally returning to his roots. His playing was notable for its quicksilver exuberance and its fine range of tone and pace.

This guy was one of the greatest jazz trumpet players, on par with Miles, and he's appeared on too many albums to mention. One notable session, however, is his performance on Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island". This track was funky before 'funk' was invented; it also boasted an all-star lineup with greats Ron Carter and Tony Williams. The rest of the band soon joined Miles Davis as his second quintet in 1965. The song was revived by Us3 in the '90s (called "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)", and their album became Blue Note records best-selling disc of all time.

Song : "Cantaloupe Island" by Herbie Hancock
From the LP "EMPYREAN ISLES" (Blue Note) 1964

LINEUP :
Herbie Hancock : piano
Freddie Hubbard : cornet
Ron Carter : bass
Tony Williams : drums

Get it here : Cantaloupe Island

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - Fire (1967)

R.I.P. Mitch Mitchell (Jul. 9, 1946 - Nov. 12, 2008)

From Oregon-live:
Mitch Mitchell, the iconic drummer who provided the explosive heartbeat of the Jimi Hendrix Experience on rock classics including "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and "Purple Haze," was found dead in a Portland hotel room.
Mitchell, 61, who pioneered a fusion style that allowed him and one of history's greatest guitar players to feed off each other, died of natural causes, the Multnomah County medical examiner said. He was found about 3 a.m. in his room at the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland.
Considered one of rock's greatest drummers, Mitchell was behind the kit at Hendrix's legendary sets at Woodstock, Monterey and the Isle of Wight.
This means now that ALL the members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience have died, the first time an entire '60s rock group has passed away. This is an obvious track to post, as it showcases just how intense a drummer Mitchell was. The song is short enough, but Mitchell filled every second with blistering percussion!

Here's the wiki blurb:
Despite its sexual overtones, the song had an innocuous origin, stemming from a cold New Years Eve in England after a gig, Noel Redding, bass player for The Jimi Hendrix Experience came up with the idea to have Jimi and Cathy as guests at his mother's house. Jimi asked her if he could stand next to her fireplace to warm himself, she agreed, but her Great Dane was in the way, hence the line, "Aw, move over, Rover, and let Jimi take over..." ("Electric Gypsy")

Originally, the album version of the song contained a very short and simple solo, but through several live performances, Hendrix expanded it to become one of his best. The song also features dextrous drumset work by drummer Mitch Mitchell. "Fire" was later covered by many artists, ranging from Alice Cooper to...The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Song : "Fire" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
From the LP "Are You Experienced" (MCA) May 12, 1967 (UK)

LINEUP :
Jimi Hendrix : vocals, guitar (RIP 1970)
Noel Redding : bass, backing vocals (RIP 2003)
Mitch Mitchell : drums, backing vocals (RIP 2008)

Get it here : Fire

JOE BECK : Red Eye (1975)

R.I.P. Joe Beck (Jul. 29, 1945 - Jul. 22, 2008)

From the NY Times:
Joe Beck, a jazz guitarist who collaborated with artists like Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis and James Brown, died on July 22. He was 62. His death was confirmed by the Munson-Lovetere funeral home. He died at a hospice after battling lung cancer.
Mr. Beck was a prolific studio and session performer, arranger and producer, with an identifiable harmonic and rhythmic sound.
Mr. Beck was born in Philadelphia and grew up in New Jersey and the San Francisco area. He got his start as a musician as a teenager in the 1960s, playing in a jazz trio in New York. By 1968, he was recording with Davis and other top jazz stars.
After taking a three-year break from music to run a dairy farm, Mr. Beck returned to music in the 1970s. He worked with artists like Gloria Gaynor and Esther Phillips, including playing on Ms. Phillips’s hit single “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes.”
In 1975, his collaboration with the saxophonist David Sanborn, “Beck & Sanborn,” became a popular fusion hit.
He also composed and arranged for film and television, and played with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

This is a track off his collaboration album with sax player David Sanborn. It's a groovy little number, with alternating guitar and sax solos. You can hear how the sound of fusion was changing at this point in the 70s; from the grittier, groovier early '70s, to the more slick NY sound of the late '70s. The majority of this group became The Brecker Brothers backing band.

Song : "Red Eye" by Joe Beck

From the LP "BECK" (Kudu) 1975; also released as "BECK & SANBORN" (CTI)

LINEUP:

Joe Beck : guitar

Dave Sanborn : alto saxophone

Steve Khan : guitar

Don Grolnick : keys

Will Lee : bass

Chris Parker : drums

Ray Mantilla : percussion

Get it here : Red Eye

GERONIMO BLACK : Low Ridin' Man (1972)

R.I.P. Jimmy Carl Black (Feb. 1, 1938 - Nov. 1, 2008)

From Rolling Stone:
Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, passed away after a bout with lung cancer. He was 70. Black, the self-proclaimed “Indian of the group,” served with the Mothers from their acclaimed 1966 debut Freak Out! until Zappa’s 1970 album Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Black is also known for donning a dress on the cover of We’re Only In It For the Money. Black’s drumming also formed the heartbeat during the band’s chaotic live performances captured on albums like Uncle Meat and Burnt Weeny Sandwich. Black also played a noticeable role in the Zappa film 200 Motels, where he sang “Lonesome Cowboy Burt.” In his post-Mothers career, Black played in several bands, including a stint with Captain Beefheart, Geronimo Black (which Black fronted) and the Zappa tribute bands like the Grandmothers and the Muffin Men.

This track is from Black's first 'solo' album in the '70s. He's actually not playing drums on this, but singing in that deep voice of his. This is a slow funky rock track with a nice horn section and good backing vocals.

Song : "Low Ridin' Man" by Geronimo Black
From the LP "GERONIMO BLACK" (MCA) 1972

LINEUP:
Jimmy Carl Black : vocals
Danny Walley : guitar, backing vocals
Tom Leavey : bass, backing vocals
Andy Cahan : drums, piano
Bunk Gardner : tenor sax
Tjay Contrelli : tenor sax, baritone sax

Get it here : Low Ridin' Man

JACKIE ORSZACZKY : Friends Of Mrs. S (1976)

R.I.P. Jackie Orszaczky (Jun. 8, 1948 - Feb. 3, 2008)

From the Sydney Herald:
JACKIE ORSZACZKY, a renowned bass guitarist and one of the nation's most influential band leaders of the past 25 years, has died after a long illness.
Orszaczky, 60, died in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Sunday from complications in his treatment for lymphoma. He had been admitted after collapsing at home.

Born in Hungary, Orszaczky moved [to Australia] in 1974 and soon became an in-demand session bass player and band leader, fronting Marcia Hines's band in the late 1970s. As a muso, arranger and producer he contributed to albums from artists including the Whitlams, Tim Finn, Savage Garden, You Am I, Hoodoo Gurus, Grinspoon and Leonardo's Bride. Orszaczky remained popular in Hungary and attracted 30,000 people at his annual Budapest concerts.

Orszaczky got his start in the Hungarian progressive rock group, SYRIUS, before heading to Australia to live and record. This track is from his first solo album in the '70s. The song is ultra-funky, and has a sloppy laid-back groove. His bass playing is spot-on, with a great tone. He may have recorded this in Sydney, but it would sound quite at home with much of the Eastern European jazz-fusion of the time period.

Song : "Friends Of Mrs. S"
From the LP "Beramiada" (Real) 1976

LINEUP :
Jackie Orszaczky : bass
John Robinson : guitar
Peter Jones : keyboards
Graham Morgan : drums

Get it here : Friends Of Mrs. S

YMA SUMAC : Taki Rari (1954)

R.I.P. Yma Sumac (Sep. 13, 1922 - Nov. 1, 2008)

From LA Times:
Yma Sumac, the Peruvian-born singer whose spectacular multi-octave vocal range and exotic persona made her an international sensation in the 1950s, has died. She was 86.Sumac, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, died Saturday in an assisted-living facility in Silver Lake, said Damon Devine, her personal assistant and close friend.

Bursting onto the U.S. music scene after signing with Capitol Records in 1950, the raven-haired Sumac was known as the "Nightingale of the Andes," the "Peruvian Songbird" and a "singing marvel" with a 4 1/2 -octave (she said five-octave) voice."She is five singers in one," boasted her then-husband Moises Vivanco, a composer-arranger, in a 1951 interview with the Associated Press. "Never in 2,000 years has there been another voice like hers."

Sumac had one of the most unique voices I have ever heard, you have to listen to believe it. This is rich Latin music, short n sweet.

Song : "Taki Rari"
From the LP "MAMBO!" (Capitol) 1954

Get it here : Taki Rari

TED NUGENT : Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard (1977)

R.I.P. Clifford Davies (1948 - Apr. 13, 2008)

Police are investigating the apparent suicide of a former drummer for Michigan rocker Ted Nugent. Corporal Brandon Gurley with the Paulding County Sheriff's department says 59-year-old Clifford Davies was found dead from a gunshot wound in his suburban Atlanta home Sunday.
Reed Beaver, who owns Equametric Studio in Marietta where Davies was a chief engineer, confirmed Davies was a drummer for Nugent and played on his trademark recording "Cat Scratch Fever."
Beaver says Davies called him Saturday "extremely distraught" over medical bills.

: Ted Nugent's band circa 1977, Cliff is 2nd from right :

So Clifford Davies was best-known as the drummer for Ted Nugent during the '70s. But he also did stints in the underrated jazz-rock group, IF, as well as playing on Grand Funk Railroad's last album. This track is typical Nugent rock, with lowbrow double entendres. But musically, it has a driving rhythm, solid guitar work, and good singing!

Song : "Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard" by Ted Nugent
From the LP "CAT SCRATCH FEVER" (Epic) May 1977

LINEUP:
Ted Nugent : lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitars
Derek St. Holmes : rhythm guitar, lead & backing vocals
Cliff (Clifford) Davies : drums, backing vocals
Rob Grange : bass

Get it here : Workin' Hard, Playin' Hard

GRUNTRUCK : Shot (1996)

R.I.P. Ben McMillan (April 1, 1961 - Jan. 26, 2008)

From the Seattlest:
Before there was Soundgarden or Mudhoney or Alice in Chains, there was Skin Yard and Gruntruck, two late-80s-spawned bands that foretold and influenced Seattle's grunge phenomenon. Ben McMillan, who died of complications stemming from diabetes, fronted both bands.

Also:

After an eight-year battle with diabetes, Ben Scott McMillan, legendary vocalist for GrunTruck and Skinyard died in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. at age 46. Complications from a related blood-clotting disease are said to have worsened his diabetic condition, which was severe. The survivng members of Gruntruck, as well as other Seattle rock luminaries are planning an assortment of tributes and memorial projects in his name.

Although not the most popular of the grunge bands, Gruntruck did get some success and airplay in the early-90s. This song was off their last recording in 1996, and showcases McMillan's great rock vocals, and heavy guitar work.

Song : "Shot"
From the EP "SHOT" (Betty Records) 1996

LINEUP:
Ben McMillan : vocals, guitar
Tom Niemeyer : Lead Guitar
Alex Sibbald : Bass
Josh Sinder : Drums

Get it here : Shot

JEFF BECK : Shapes Of Things (1968)

R.I.P. Micky Waller (Sep. 6, 1941 - Apr. 29, 2008)

L to R : Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Micky Waller, Jeff Beck

Obit:
Mickey Waller, who has died of liver failure aged 66, was a ubiquitous face on the 1960s music scene in London, a superb drummer who played with a merry-go-round of bands, was much in demand as a session musician, and eventually became Rod Stewart's sticksman of choice. He also worked with the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Jeff Beck Group, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, and, in 1968, was involved in staging the rock musical Hair in London.

Reserved and unassuming but quietly tough and always his own man, Waller was sought after for his individualist heavy drumming style, known as the "Waller wallop". Always willing to try something different, he would often simply stop in the middle of a song - a legacy of his jazz training - and would also play melodies on the tom-toms. A highly intelligent man, he later took a law degree in his spare time and used his knowledge to win claims for various unpaid royalties. But he was pleased to say that he always made his living through music.

The rest : http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/may/28/obituaries.mainsection

: This is your brain on drugs, kids :

Micky Waller was best known for his work with Rod Stewart, but was also the first drummer for the Jeff Beck Group in 1968. This is the first track from Beck's first solo album, and it's a cover of The Yardbirds' "Shapes Of Things" (the group that Beck had recently left). A typical choice, but the song is almost completely re-imagined for a hard rock audience. The entire album was instrumental in launching the hard-rock/heavy metal genre, and also catapaulted Rod Stewart's career. Interestingly, future Rolling-Stones member Ron Wood is here, but on BASS...

Song : "Shapes Of Things" by Jeff Beck
LP "TRUTH" (Epic) Aug. 1968

LINEUP:
Jeff Beck : guitar
Rod Stewart : vocals
Ron Wood : bass
Mick Waller : drums

Get it here : Shapes Of Things

BILLY JOEL : Get It Right The First Time (1977)

R.I.P. Hiram Bullock (Sep. 11, 1955 - Jul. 25, 2008)

From the NY times obit:

Hiram Bullock, a soulful and adaptable jazz and rock guitarist who wasa member of the original band for “Late Night with David Letterman,”died last Friday in Manhattan. He was 52. The cause is pending, said Jennifer Armstrong, his partner of 16years. Mr. Bullock was found to have cancer of the tongue last fall, she said.

Mr. Bullock played on some blockbuster pop albums, including “TheStranger” by Billy Joel, Steely Dan’s “Gaucho” and the soundtrack to“A Star is Born” by Barbra Streisand. His best-known solo was on the 1987 Sting album “Nothing Like the Sun,” in a version of JimiHendrix’s “Little Wing. But Mr. Bullock was always more than a session ace. He made his biggest impact in the realm of jazz-rock, funk and fusion, and his own albums, which often featured his singing and songwriting, never strayed far from that base. His last one, released on BHM in 2005, was“Too Funky 2 Ignore.”

He had substantial and productive relationships with other jazzmusicians, including the composer and arranger Gil Evans, who served as a kind of mentor, and the bassist Jaco Pastorius, who taught him and employed him in multiple bands.

Mr. Bullock was largely open about his struggle with substance abuse. “It’s not hard to spiral down,” he sang on a song called “After the Fall,” released in 2003.

More : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/arts/music/31bullock.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries

Here is a track from one of his first sessions, on Billy Joel's massively successful album "The Stranger". Surprisingly funky at times, with that juicy dated late-'70s feel to it, Bullock was on electric guitar on this one.

Song : "Get It Right The First Time" by Billy Joel
From the LP "THE STRANGER" (Columbia) Sep. 1977

LINEUP:
Billy Joel : piano, vocals
Doug Stegmeyer : bass
Liberty DeVitto : drums
Richie Cannata : flute
Hiram Bullock : electric guitar
Hugh McCracken : acoustic guitar
Ralph MacDonald : percussion

Get it here : Get It Right The First Time

THE FOUR TOPS : Bernadette (1967)

R.I.P. Levi Stubbs (Jun. 6, 1936 - Oct. 17, 2008)
R.I.P. Earl Palmer (Oct. 25, 1924 - Sep. 19, 2008)

On Levi Stubbs:
Levi Stubbs, the lead singer with Motown band the Four Tops, has died at his home in Detroit. He was 72.
Stubbs died Friday after a battle with cancer and a stroke.
Stubbs was the powerful voice who drove Four Tops' hits such as Baby, I Need Your Loving, I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) and Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got.)
"He had one of the most prolific and identifiable voices in American history," Billy J. Wilson of the Motown Alumni Association said in an interview with Billboard. "It's a deep loss, to the entire Motown family and to the world."
On Earl Palmer:
Earl Palmer, the session drummer who provided the drums for such classics as Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” Smiley Lewis’s “I Hear You Knockin’,” Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin,”‘ Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ the Night Away,” The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” and so many more, has died. He was 84. Palmer died Friday (Sept. 19) at his Los Angeles home after fighting a lengthy illness, his spokesman Kevin Sasaki said. Born in New Orleans in 1924 and later moving to Los Angeles, Palmer worked extensively in both cities, recording with some of the music world’s all-time greats on thousands of tracks.
Palmer left New Orleans for Hollywood in 1957. For more than 30 years, he was to play drums on the scores and soundtracks of many movies and television shows. His drum work was featured as well on a number of movie themes…like 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg, Hud, and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World…and popular television themes…including “I Dream of Jeannie,” “The Odd Couple,” “77 Sunset Strip,” and “The Brady Bunch.”
His career as a session drummer included work with Frank Sinatra, Phil Spector, Rick Nelson, Ray Charles, Eddie Cochran, Ritchie Valens, Bobby Day, Don and Dewey, Jan and Dean, Larry Williams, Gene McDaniels, Bobby Darin as well as jazz sessions with Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, and appearing on blues recordings with B. B. King. Earl Palmer Trio pianist Ed Vodika said he met Palmer about 10 years ago and was asked to join the trio. The pianist said he spent the next five years playing weekly gigs in Los Angeles that attracted a host of big-name musicians, from Bonnie Raitt to Ringo Starr.

Two big losses here. Levi Stubbs was the lead vocalist to one of the greatest R&B groups, The Four Tops, who surprisingly had NO lineup changes while all the members were alive.
Earl Palmer was one of the most prolific session drummers of all time. So much so that it is almost impossible to tally all the songs he actually played on.
This track is a classic Four Tops tune, and I THINK the Palmer is playing on it. Motown rarely credited the musicians on their recordings at the time.

"Bernadette" is a 1967 hit song recorded by The Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, the song is one of the most well-known Motown tunes of the 1960s. Depicting a man's excessive desire for and jealousy over his girlfriend, the song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was The Four Tops's final Top 10 hit of the 1960s. The song was also a request from one of the group members, who wanted it to be written for a young lady named Bernadette, whom he had met during his visits to the UK.

Song : "Bernadette" by The Four Tops
Single A-side (Motown), Feb. 16, 1967
Also on the LP "REACH OUT" (Motown) Jul. 1967

LINEUP:
Levi Stubbs : lead vocals
Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Lawrence Payton, and The Andantes : background vocals
The Funk Brothers : instrumentation

Get it here : Bernadette