RUDY RAY MOORE "DOLEMITE" - Flatland (1975)

R.I.P. Rudy Ray Moore (Mar. 17, 1927 - Oct. 19, 2008)

Rudy Ray Moore, whose standup comedy, records and movies related earthy rhyming tales of a vivid gaggle of characters as they lurched from sexual escapade to sexual escapade in a boisterous tradition, born in Africa, that helped shape today’s hip-hop, died Sunday in Akron, Ohio. He was 81. The cause was complications of diabetes, his Web site said.

Mr. Moore called himself the Godfather of Rap because of the number of hip-hop artists who used snippets of his recordings in theirs, performed with him or imitated him. These included Dr. Dre, Big Daddy Kane and 2 Live Crew. Snoop Dogg thanked Mr. Moore in liner notes to the 2006 release of the soundtrack to Mr. Moore’s 1975 film, "Dolemite", saying, “Without Rudy Ray Moore, there would be no Snoop Dogg, and that’s for real.”
Most critics refrained from overpraising “Dolemite,” with the possible exception of John Leland, who wrote in The New York Times in 2002 that it “remains the ‘Citizen Kane’ of kung fu pimping movies.” The film, made for $100,000, nonetheless became a cult classic among aficionados of so-called blaxploitation movies — films that so exaggerate black stereotypes that they might plausibly be said to transcend those stereotypes.

DOLEMITE! One of unsung foul-mouthed funky poets of our time! This track is from the soundtrack to Moore's best-known film, and everything about it is dripping with sleaze and groove.

Song : "Flatland" by Rudy Ray Moore (with Ben Taylor)
From the LP "DOLOMITE : The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" 1975

Get it here : Flatland
Also get a classic Rudy rant : Dolomite rant

JERRY REED : When You're Hot, You're Hot (1971)

R.I.P. 1937 - 2008

Jerry Reed, whose roles in three "Smokey and the Bandit" Southern comedy films opposite Burt Reynolds often overshadowed his gifts as a prolific country singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, died Monday Aug. 31 at his home outside Nashville of complications from emphysema. He was 71."He was still recording right up until he couldn't any more," his booking agent, Carrie Moore-Reed, who is not related, said Tuesday. "He had been ill for some time."

Reed gained widespread fame as Reynolds' wisecracking foil starting with "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" in 1975, followed the next year by "Gator" and then, in 1977, the first of three "Smokey and the Bandit" movies in which he played Cledus "Snowman" Snow. In his last major film role, he played a harsh football coach in the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy "The Waterboy."

But before he made the jump to Hollywood he had established himself as one of the most sought-after guitarists in Nashville, a songwriter who wrote hits for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee and many others. He became a regular presence on the pop and country charts in the '70s and '80s with humorous hits including "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "Amos Moses," "East Bound and Down" and "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)."

This novelty country song was quite a hit for Reed. Mainly because of how goofy and catchy it is! But he DID win a Grammy for it that year for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

Song : "When You're Hot, You're Hot"
From the LP "When You're Hot, You're Hot" (RCA Victor) 1971

Get it here : When You're Hot, You're Hot

BRIAN DAVISON'S EVERY WHICH WAY : All In Time (1970)

R.I.P. Brian Davison (May 25, 1942 - Apr. 15, 2008)
R.I.P. Graham Bell (Apr. 24, 1948 - May 2, 2008)

Brian Davison obit:
Brian Davison was in at the birth of “prog rock” as the drummer with the Nice, a group that in many ways summed up the progressive genre and its philosophy of fusing rock music with elements of jazz and symphonic composition.
The classical influence was supplied by the keyboard virtuoso Keith Emerson. The jazz leanings came from Davison, whose style was influenced by drummers such as Max Roach and Art Blakey. He added a driving beat to Emerson’s arrangements of material by composers such as Sibelius, Bach and Tchaikovsky, as well as the group’s party piece, a melodramatic and political onslaught on Leonard Bernstein’s America from West Side Story.
After the Nice broke up in 1970 Davison’s career was dogged by bad luck and for a time he drifted out of music altogether, returning to the spotlight only when the Nice briefly but successfully reunited in 2002.
Brian Davison was a drummer active in the late-60s/early-70s, most popular in The Nice. After the split, he released this 'solo' album with some mates, including singer Graham Bell. This track uses the common rock chord progression (a la "White Room" by Cream), with some good jamming, albeit a bit long. At least a decent showcase for Bell's vocals, and Davison is willing to play for the band, and not for his own sake.

Davison went on to join Jackson Heights, prog-rock group Refugee, and later Gong. He died of a brain tumour.
Bell had previously played with UK psych group Skip Bifferty, and would later play in bands such as Bell + Arc, Carol Grimes, and release a solo album. He died of throat cancer.

Song : "All In Time"
LP "BRIAN DAVISON'S EVERY WHICH WAY" (Charisma) 1970

LINEUP:
Brian Davison : drums and percussion
Graham Bell : vocals, acoustic guitar
Geoffrey Peach : reeds, backing vocals
Alan Cartwright : bass guitar
John Hedley : lead guitar

Get it here : All In Time

THE TRAMMPS : Disco Inferno (1976)

R.I.P. Jack Hart (1941 - 2008)

John "Jack" Hart Jr., 67, of West Philadelphia, an organist and one of the original members of the Grammy-winning soul group the Trammps, died of heart failure Apr. 11 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Their biggest hit was "Disco Inferno," which was featured in the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever. The movie soundtrack won a Grammy in 1978.
To bring in more money to support his family, Mr. Hart became a welding instructor in the mid-1970s at the former Airco Technical Institute at 46th and Chestnut Streets.
Mr. Hart stopped touring with the Trammps in 1978, when he and his family moved to New Orleans, where he worked as a welder for NASA until he returned to West Philadelphia in 1986. Mr. Hart continued working as a welding instructor and played as many gigs as he could until he had to have a leg amputated because of diabetes in 2007.
Here's a blurb about the track:
The song was originally performed by the Trammps in 1976 and released as a single. Although it topped the U.S. Disco chart, it was not a significant success at pop radio, peaking at number fifty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. According to famed mixer Tom Moulton (who mixed the record), the levels had been set wrong during the mixdown of the tracks, resulting in a much wider dynamic than was commonly accepted at the time. Due to this the record seems to "jump out" at the listener.
"Disco Inferno" gained much greater recognition once it was included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. Re-released by Atlantic Records, the track peaked at number eleven in the U.S. during the spring of 1978, becoming the Trammps' biggest and most-recognized single. Later, it was included in the Saturday Night Fever musical, interpreted by the 'DJ Monty' in the "Odissey 2001" discotheque.

OK this is a no-brainer, a classic disco track from a classic soundtrack with a classic backbeat from Mr. Hart.

Song : "Disco Inferno"
From the LP "DISCO INFERNO" (Atlantic) Dec. 29, 1976

Get it here : Disco Inferno

THE TEMPTATIONS : Papa Was A Rolling Stone (1972)

R.I.P. Norman Whitfield (1940 - 2008)

The producer for the Temptations and the writer of such hits as 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' had long struggled with diabetes and other ailments.

Norman Whitfield, the Grammy-winning songwriter and forward-thinking producer who helped shape the direction of R&B and soul music at Motown Records in the 1960s and '70s, died Tuesday, September 16. He was 67. Whitfield, the co-writer of dozens of Motown hits, including Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and producer of most of the Temptations' recordings, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, reportedly of complications from his long struggle with diabetes. He also had a history of heart and kidney ailments.

"Norman Whitfield was one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers of our time," fellow Motown veteran Smokey Robinson said in a statement Wednesday. "He will live forever through his great music."Whitfield wrote, usually with Barrett Strong, and produced such era-defining hits as "Grapevine," “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” The latter earned Whitfield one of his two Grammy Awards as a songwriter and composer.His ambitious production work helped move Motown from the catchy love songs that typified the label's output in the early and mid-'60s into social commentary reflecting volatile issues that were at the heart of the civil rights movement.
"Of all the brilliant writer-producers that Motown has given to the world, I believe none was more brilliant than Norman Whitfield," the Temptations' longtime manager, Shelly Berger, said in a statement Wednesday.
Here's the Wiki blurb about the song:

Beginning with an extended instrumental introduction, each of the song's three verses is separated by extended musical passages, in which Whitfield brings various instrumental textures in and out of the mix. A solo plucked bass guitar part, backed by hi-hat, establishes the musical theme, a simple three-note figure; the bass is gradually joined by other instruments, including a blues guitar, wah-wah guitar, Wurlitzer Electric Piano notes, handclaps, horns, and strings; all are tied together by the ever-present bass guitar line and repeating hi-hat rhythm. A very unusual thing about this song is that it uses only one chord throughout the entire song -- B-flat minor.

Vocal duties are performed in a true ensemble style: Temptations singers Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Richard Street, and Damon Harris alternate vocal lines, taking the role of siblings questioning their mother about their now-deceased father; their increasingly-pointed questions, and the mother's repeated response ("Papa was a rollin' stone/wherever he laid his hat was his home/and when he died, all he left us was alone") paint a somber picture for the children who have never seen their father and have "heard nothing but bad things about him."

Friction arose during the recording of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" for a number of reasons. The Temptations didn't like the fact that Whitfield's instrumentation had been getting more emphasis than their vocals on their songs at the time, and that they had to press Whitfield to get him to produce ballads for the group. In addition, Dennis Edwards was angered by the song's first verse: "It was the 3rd of September/That day I'll always remember/'cause that was the day/that my daddy died". Edwards' father had died on that date, and although the song wasn't originally written for the Temptations, Edwards was convinced that Whitfield assigning him the line was intentional. Although Whitfield denied the accusation, he used it to his advantage: he made Edwards record the disputed line over and over again until Whitfield finally got the angered, bitter grumble he desired out of the usually fiery-toned Edwards (it was, however, one of the reasons Whitfield was eventually fired as the group's producer).

Here are both versions of the hit song "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations; the single version and the full-length version. I don't know how much it helps, because the single alone is 7 minutes long! A great example of funky music that builds with each passing verse, allows plenty of breathing room for the groove, has a serious message, and even a well-placed string section!

Song : "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" (written by Norman Whitfield)
From the LP "ALL DIRECTIONS" (Motown) Jul. 27, 1972
Single version released Sep. 28, 1972 (36 years ago today!)

LINEUP:
Dennis Edwards : vocals
Melvin Franklin : vocals
Richard Street : vocals
Damon Harris : vocals
Otis Williams : vocals

Get it here : Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (single edit)
Get it here : Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (full-length version)

RICHARD WRIGHT : Holiday (1978)

R.I.P. 1943 - 2008

Pink Floyd founding member and keyboardist Richard Wright died on Monday (Sep. 15) following "a short struggle with cancer" at the age of 65, according to a note posted on the official Pink Floyd website.
"I really don't know what to say other than that he was such a lovely, gentle, genuine man and will be missed terribly by so many who loved him," read a note posted on the blog of bandmate David Gilmour, who joined Pink Floyd in 1968. "And that's a lot of people. Did he not get the loudest, longest round of applause at the end of every show (during his tour with Gilmour) in 2006?"
The self-taught pianist and keyboardist will be missed. Listen below to four Pink Floyd songs featuring his work: "Astronomy Domine," with lead vocals by Wright; "Us and Them" and "The Great Gig in the Sky," both written by Wright; and "Fearless" from the album Meddle, believed to feature his compositional skills.

This track is from his first solo album, recorded when Pink Floyd was on hiatus (and of course Roger Waters was busy writing "The Wall", basically by himself). The song exemplifies the textures that Wright had brought to the band, and showcases his mellow voice (which sounds surprisingly like bandmate David Gilmour's).

Song : "Holiday"

From the LP "WET DREAM" (Harvest) Sep. 15, 1978

LINEUP:

Richard Wright : Piano, keyboards, electric piano, Hammond organ, Oberheim Synthesizer, vocals

Snowy White : Guitars

Larry Steele : Bass guitar

Reg Isadore : Drums, percussion

Mel Collins : Saxophone, horns, flute

Hipgnosis : Album cover design and photography

Get it here : Holiday

NEU! : Isi (1975)

R.I.P. Klaus Dinger (1946 - 2008)

One of the founders of the Kraut-rock band Neu! died of heart failure on Mar. 21, 2008.

Here's some of the obit:

In the Seventies heyday of German experimental rock – a once-maligned genre dubbed "Krautrock" – the musician Klaus Dinger pioneered a hypnotic, robotic style of drumming which became known as the "motorik" beat.
Dinger drummed on Kraftwerk's eponymous début album in 1970 before co-founding the group Neu! with the guitarist Michael Rother, who had briefly been a member of Kraftwerk. Dinger also played guitar and keyboards and formed La Düsseldorf in the mid-Seventies. The recordings of Neu! and La Düsseldorf inspired the soundscapes of Low, Heroes and Lodger, the trilogy of albums recorded by David Bowie in the late Seventies with Brian Eno, who said: "There were three great beats in the 1970s: Fela Kuti's Afrobeat, James Brown's funk and Klaus Dinger's Neu! beat."

This track shows the pulsing 'motorik' beat that Dinger was known for. The song is more 'easy-on-the-ears' compared to some of the group's other sonic experiments, but the sound seems almost modern even by today's standards.

Song : "Isi"

From the LP "NEU! '75" (Brain) Feb. 1975

LINEUP:
Klaus Dinger : Japanese banjo, drums, guitar, voice

Michael Rother : guitar, deh-guitar, bass, double bass

Get it here : Isi

JOHN'S CHILDREN : Desdemona (1967)

R.I.P. Chris Townson (1947 - 2008)

Chris Townson was the drummer for Marc Bolan's (T.Rex) first band, John's Children. He later did stints in glam-rock/proto-punk groups Jook, Jet, and Radio Stars (in that order). He died on Feb. 10 2008 from cancer.

Here's a snippet of the Times Online obit:
Drummer, artist, illustrator and social worker Chris Townson’s musical career began in the 1960s with so-called “sonic terrorists” John’s Children, who also featured a nascent Marc Bolan on guitar. Townson’s subsequent career included replacing Keith Moon on a Who tour, jamming with Jimi Hendrix, becoming a sought- after illustrator and, later in life, a highly thought-of and much-loved social worker.
“A ghastly racket” was how Townson later referred to John’s Children, but they made their mark thanks to their outrageous stage performances which involved chains, fake blood and feathers. Their provocative recordings — their single Desdemona was banned in 1967 by the BBC for its risqué lyric — and their ambiguous image, often being photographed naked with their fundamental parts covered by garlands of flowers, also contributed to the band’s status. Their manager at that time, Simon Napier-Bell, honing his skills for his later protégés Wham and George Michael, procured them a support slot on The Who’s 1967 German tour, but they were ejected mid-tour for being “too loud and violent”, in Townshend’s words (presumably he was being ironic). He nonetheless requested Townson as a replacement for Keith Moon on a UK tour later that year when Moon proved “unavailable”. Signed to Who manager Kit Lambert’s label Track Records, Townson had inevitable encounters with label-mate Jimi Hendrix, with whom he performed at the notorious London rock hangout the Speakeasy.
Following the departure of Marc Bolan to calmer pastures in 1968, John’s Children called it a day. Townson’s aggressive drumming led him to join faux-skinhead band Jook in 1972; they were demobilised in 1974 when half of them were seconded to oddball Californian teen-combo Sparks. Townson joined forces with Martin Gordon in the glam super-group Jet, which featured a variety of rock luminaries of the day.
He returned to drumming for pleasure in the 1990s — a reformed John’s Children performed in the US and Europe and Townson would make an annual trip to Berlin to perform on former bandmate Gordon’s albums.

This track was the A-side of Marc Bolan's only single with the group. You can hear his warbly vocals quite clearly. This is also a good showcase of Townson's creative drumming, instilling dynamics in an otherwise simply-arranged song. This was an underground psychedelic classic of the times. Bolan left the group within months to start Tyrannosaurus Rex...

Here's the wiki blurb:
"Desdemona" is a song by the British cult band John's Children. It was released in 1967 and failed to chart in Britain, possibly due to the fact it was banned by the BBC for a "controversial" lyric (lift up your skirt and fly). However, the song was a minor hit in Europe. The song was composed by Marc Bolan, at the time a member of John's Children, and is considered to be one of the greatest songs the group recorded, or indeed, one of the greatest early Bolan songs.

Song: "Desdemona"

Single A-side (Track records) May 1967

LINEUP:

Andy Ellison : vocals

John Hewlett : bass

Marc Bolan : guitar, vocals

Chris Townson : drums

Get it here : Desdemona

THE DAVE CLARK FIVE : Glad All Over (1963)

Mike Smith 1943-2008

Mike Smith, the singer and keyboard player for '60s British rockers the Dave Clark Five, died of pneumonia this morning (Feb. 28) outside of London. According to a statement from his manager, the infection was "a complication from a spinal cord injury he sustained in September, 2003 that left him a tetraplegic (paralyzed below the ribcage with limited use of his upper body)." Sadly, Smith will now have to be posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the rest of the Five in less than two weeks, an event he was still planning to attend despite a four year hospitalization and ongoing medical problems stemming from his injury. The Dave Clark Five shook their mops through a memorable 18 month run on the American Top 10 between the spring of 1964 and December of 1965, scoring at least six smashes during the high moment of the British Invasion and enjoying success on both sides of the Atlantic through the late '60s before breaking up in 1970. Smith was 64.

Mike Smith is on the right:

Here is one of the tracks that made the group famous, a hard-hitting rocking number. For a time were competing with with The Beatles for the top UK act.

Song : "Glad All Over"
From the LP "GLAD ALL OVER" (Epic) Mar. 1964

LINEUP:
Mike Smith : keyboards, vocals (R.I.P. 2008)
Dave Clark : drums, vocals
Lenny Davidson : guitar, vocals
Rick Huxley : bass, vocas
Denis Payton : sax, harmonica, guitar, vocals (R.I.P. 2006)

Get it here : Glad All Over

HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES : If You Don't Know Me By Now (1972)

Larry Brown R.I.P. 1944-2008

An original member of the rhythm-and-blues group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes is dead.
Lawrence Lloyd Brown Sr. died Apr. 6 of a respiratory condition. He was 63. Word of his death comes from the Mitchum-Wilson Funeral Home.
Brown was still performing with the Blue Notes until January, when he became ill while singing at a show in Chester.
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes are known for songs including "I Miss You," "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck" and "Wake up Everybody."
Many people have forgotten that Simply Red's career-defining song is actually a cover version! Here is the original in all its true soul glory. This was the group's biggest hit, and made singer Teddy Pendergrass a star. Heartache, baby!

Song : "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
From the LP "HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES" a.k.a. "I MISS YOU" (PIR) Sep. 12, 1972

LINEUP:
Harold Melvin : vocals
Teddy Pendergrass : lead vocals
Larry Brown : bass vocals
Bernard Wilson : baritone vocals
Lloyd Parks : tenor vocals
Gamble & Huff : production

Get it here : If You Don't Know Me By Now

ISAAC HAYES : Theme From Shaft (1971)

R.I.P. 1942 - 2008

Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died yesterday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
A family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.
In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show South Park.
The album Hot Buttered Soul made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
It was his 1971 album 'Shaft' that shot Hayes to stardom. As the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, the album was the first record by a solo black artist to reach the top of both the R&B and Pop charts, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song and landing three Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe. The album stayed in the charts for 16 months.

"Theme from Shaft", written and recorded by Isaac Hayes in 1971, is the soul- and funk-styled theme song to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film "Shaft". The theme was released as a single (shortened and edited from the longer album version) two months after the movie's soundtrack by Stax Records' Enterprise label. "Theme from Shaft" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in November 1971. The song was also well-received by adult audiences, reaching number six on Billboard's Easy Listening (later Adult Contemporary) chart.
The following year, "Theme from Shaft" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, with Hayes becoming the first African American to win that honor (or any Academy Award in a non-acting category). Since then, the song has appeared in numerous television shows, commercials, and other movies, including the 2000 remake of Shaft, for which Hayes re-recorded the song without making any changes to it. "Theme from Shaft" is sometimes considered more iconic than the movie for which it was written.

Song: "Theme From Shaft"
From the LP "Shaft" (Music from the Original Soundtrack) (MGM) July 1971

LINEUP:
Isaac Hayes - vocals, keyboards, lyrics
Lester Snell - electric piano
James Alexander - bass
Charles Pitts - guitar
Michael Toles - guitar
Willie Hall - drums
Gary Jones - conga drugs
Pat Lewis, Rose Williams, Telma Hopkins
Richard "Johnny" Davis - Lead trumpet
John Fonville - flute
Johnny Allen, J.Alan Johnson - horn/string arrangements

Get it here : Theme From Shaft

RUFUS THOMAS : Funky Hot Grits (1973)

There is no other reason for posting this track than to show how funky AND funny Rufus Thomas can be. Truly the Crown Prince, he recorded this with the Stax rhythm section, and Thomas just ad-libbed most of the vocals; sounds like he's losing his mind!

Song : "Funky Hot Grits"

Recorded 1973
From the compilation LP "STAX OF FUNK. THE FUNKY TRUTH" (Stax) 2000

Also released as a single A-side (BGP records) Jul. 8, 2002:

Get it here : Funky Hot Grits

LED ZEPPELIN : Fool In The Rain (1979)

R.I.P. William F. Ludwig II (1916 - 2008)

The name of Ludwig is synonymous with the manufacture of drums, and Ludwig instruments have been played by generations of drummers. William F. Ludwig II's father was the founder of the drum-making dynasty, but it was William junior's marketing expertise that established the company as a world leader.

One key sponsorship was of Joe Morello from the Dave Brubeck Quartet. By sheer good fortune, Ringo Starr started playing Ludwig drums and in 1964, when the Beatles played Chicago, Ludwig presented Starr with a gold-plated snare-drum by way of thanks. Many rock drummers played and endorsed Ludwig drums, including John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Alan White of Yes and Ginger Baker from Cream. See obituary .
Ludwig drums are well-known in rock history, and this track has John Bonham playing the drums on the Zep classic "Fool In The Rain". As a bonus, I've included two drum-only tracks of the song; these were made during the sessions for the song in 1978. The beat is deceptive, more complicated than you would initially assume.
Here is the wiki blurb:
The song exhibits a Latin feel. Drummer John Bonham plays a New Orleans-style shuffle beat, along with a samba-style breakdown. A master drum track shows that the samba breakdown (2:25) was recorded separately. It was their final song ever to make the pop singles charts during the band's tenure, reaching #21 in 1980.
Bass player John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant got the idea for the samba beat from watching the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina. Guitarist Jimmy Page used an MXR Blue Box effect pedal during the solo to produce the octave sound.
Lyrically, the song is about a man who is supposed to meet a woman on a certain corner. When the woman doesn't appear, he is filled with grief at being stood up. By the final verse, he wonders whether he'd been waiting for her on the wrong corner, making him the eponymous "Fool in the Rain."
This song was never performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts because the group didn't think the sound came off well. The piano was quite necessary in the song, but with John Paul Jones on piano there could be no bass. There is also a twelve-string guitar line at one point in the song and the guitar solo that has to be pulled off. However, on October 5, 2005, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant performed the song with Pearl Jam at a Hurricane Katrina benefit show.

Song : "Fool In The Rain" (written by John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant)
From the LP "IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR" (Swan Song) Aug. 15, 1979

LINEUP:
John Bonham : drums
John Paul Jones : bass, keyboards
Jimmy Page : guitars
Robert Plant : vocals

Get it here:
Fool In The Rain
Drum track 01
Drum track 02

ELEVEN - You Will Know (1995)

R.I.P. 1956? - 2008

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Singer/songwriter Natasha Shneider, who collaborated with former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and rock band Queens of the Stone Age, died Tuesday of cancer.
The age of the Moscow native was unknown (although some sources say she was 52, which is a bit unlikely; more like 42).

Shneider, her husband Alain Johannes and Jack Irons formed the rock band Eleven in 1990 following the latter's departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It released five albums, the best known of which was a 1993 self-titled affair for Disney's Hollywood Records.
"Reach Out," the single from the set, became Eleven's only track to dent the Billboard charts, reaching No. 40 on the airplay-based Mainstream Rock tally.

As the band's recorded output became more sporadic, Shneider and Johannes lent their songwriting and production talents to other projects, such as Cornell's 1999 solo debut "Euphoria Morning." Of late, the pair had recorded and toured in Queens Of The Stone Age.

"She was a brilliant, beautiful, and ballsy woman who will be missed deeply by all those who knew her. Send your loving thoughts her way in the universe," wrote frequent collaborator Troy Van Leeuwen.

Shneider's colorful career also included playing a cosmonaut in 2010: The Year We Make Contact and recording a song for the Catwoman soundtrack.

A PayPal fund (http://www.natashashneider.org/) has been set up to defray costs associated with Shneider's medical care.

This has to be one of the hardest R.I.P.s to post, as she was such a great talent in one of my favourite bands from the 90s, Eleven. Singer, songwriter, keyboard and bass player, she always added a touch of darkness and eccentricity to even the simplest of songs. It was great to hear that her and Alain Johannes joined up with Queens Of The Stone Age, as they received greater recognition than ever for their work. Queens are hosting a tribute concert to Shneider on August 16 in LA to help raise funds to pay for her outstanding medical bills (as outrageous as that sounds). This track is from their third album, which was grossly overlooked by the critics of the time. There is some classic elements to the band's sound on this: the slightly Beatlesque keyboards, the heavy guitar riff, the excellent melodies, the unique harmonies, and of course Shneider's fantastic voice.

Song : "You Will Know"
From the LP "THUNK" (Hollywood) 1995

LINEUP :
Alain Johannes : guitar
Natasha Shneider : vocals, Hammond Organ, Left-hand bass
Jack Irons : drums

Get it here : You Will Know

MIKEY DREAD : Step By Step (1979)

R.I.P. 1954 - 2008

"Mikey Dread—the Jamaican producer and DJ renown for his decades-long devotion to spreading reggae, dub, and dancehall—passed away in Connecticut on Mar. 15 following a year-long battle with a brain tumor.

"Yet another Jamaican engineering student drawn to the country's pop scene, Michael Campbell's "Dread At The Controls" show on JBC radio quickly became essential listening during reggae's '70s heyday, so much so that word of Dread's reputation soon reached reggae fans who had never even stepped onto the island; the show's grass-roots appeal at home and abroad helped launch his own influential career as an artist and producer after unsuccessfully wrangling with JBC higher-ups over his dub-focused playlists.

"Upon leaving the JBC, Mikey Dread ventured into recording and scored with a number of releases such as Weatherman Skanking in combination with Ray I, Barber Saloon, Love the Dread, as well as albums such as Dread at the Control, Evolutionary Rockers and World War III. Over time he attracted the attention of British punk rockers, The Clash, who invited him to produce some of their music, the most famous of which is their single Bankrobber, and contributed to several songs on their 1980 album, Sandinista. Mikey Dread also toured with The Clash across Britain, wider Europe and the US.

"Always a draw on the international reggae touring circuit during the rise of dancehall, Dread spent much of last decade performing and repackaging his out-of-print material on Dread At The Controls, the label he formed following a move to the U.S.; he was diagnosed with a tumor in the summer of 2007, shortly before the birth of his son, as this Jamaica Observer article notes. Dread was 54. "

Here is a track from Dread's first album, most notable for the groovy instrumental break in the second half. Here's the allmusic blurb:

A classic rhythm is reinvented rockers-style with a steppers edge on the irrepressible "Step by Step." It's a rich tapestry of sound and style that resonates across the grooves, abetted by Mikey Dread's own phenomenal arrangement and production and a stunning mix provided by Prince Jammy and King Tubby.
The number is driven by a tattoo-ed drum line and counterpointed by the sinuous high-stepping bass line, a militant roots rockers rhythm whose razor sharp edges are emphasized by the generous use of reverb and phasing. Yet its lighter rocksteady roots sweep into view on a sparkling melody line traded off between the piano and keyboards, while the synths swoop across the grooves.
And above this scintillating sound Dread takes up the theme of the little old lady that lived in a shoe, moves the action to the Jamaican neighborhood of Harbourview, and turns it into a Rastafarian parable. With the song spinning out into a sizzling instrumental/dub, there's no wonder that "Step" was a smash at the sound systems 1978 and then stepped right onto the DJ's debut album, "Dread at the Controls", the following year.

Song : "Step By Step"
From the LP "Dread At The Controls" (Trojan) 1979

Get it here : Step By Step

Skin - Faithfulness video

Here is the entertaining video to the song. Enjoy!

SKIN : Faithfulness (2003)

"Faithfulness" is the second single from ex-Skunk Anansie front woman Skin. She went solo after the band split in 2001. The song is highly regarded as one of Skin's best solo singles and is commonly featured on the setlist of her gigs. The single is taken from Skin's debut album "Fleshwounds". Good vocal talent, good lyrics, and a good image give her a loyal fanbase in the UK and Europe.

Song: "Faithfulness"
From the LP "FLESHWOUNDS" (EMI) Sep. 9, 2003

Get it here : Skin - Faithfulness

ABBA meets ABLUTION (1973/1974)

R.I.P. Ola Brunkert (1946-2008)

Ola Brunkert, the former drummer with the Swedish pop group ABBA, has been found dead with his throat cut at his home in Majorca. He is believed to have fallen through a glass door in his kitchen.
The body was found in his garden at Arta, on the holiday island's north-east coast, at about 8pm last night (Mar. 16) by a friend and neighbour.
Officers from the Civil Guard are investigating. A spokeswoman at the paramilitary police force's headquaters in Madrid said today: "All the indications are that this was a tragic accident.
"A glass door in the kitchen of the house was shattered and it appears that this man fell through the door. He then managed to get out into the garden where he died."
She added that Brunkert, 62, had been alone at the time and that there were no signs to indicate that there had been any intruders.
But she added: "The investigation is still continuing and the results of an autopsy will be required to confirm that the victim died as a result of the cut he received."
Ola Brunkert had been a jazz drummer and also a member of the blues band Slim's Blues Gang, before joining the pop group Science Poption in the mid-1960s. Then, through working with guitarist Janne Schaffer in the jazz-pop group Opus III later in the decade, he became a session musician from the 1970s onwards.
Ola's first known session with ABBA was also the group's first single, People Need Love.
According to an internet profile Ola, together with bass player Rutger Gunnarsson, is probably the only musician to appear on all ABBA's albums.
He was one of the most frequently used Swedish sessions musicians during the 1970s and also toured with ABBA in 1977, 1979, and 1980.
He had lived in Majorca for many years.
So here are two groups that Brunkert played in. The first, ABBA, was his best known, and "Ring Ring" was an early hit for the group. Straightforward pop with a rock beat.

Here's the allmusic blurb:
This early Ulvaeus, Andersson hit is notable because it gave ABBA their first massive success in Europe outside Sweden. Although "Ring Ring" is a much simpler affair than later ABBA songs like "Mamma Mia" or "The Name of the Game," it displays the melodic inventiveness and the knack for insidiously catchy pop hooks that Ulvaeus and Andersson have shown throughout their careers. Utilizing a simple but well-crafted story line lyric penned by pop songsmith Neil Sedaka with his partner Phil Cody, "Ring Ring" takes its tale of a lonely girl waiting for a phone call from a suitor and pumps it up into an operatic slice of pop that builds from soft but emotional verses into a full-throttle chorus full of frustrated yearning. Ulvaeus and Andersson also throw in a surprising minor-key break in the middle of the chorus that gives the song an added emotional kick before its final line. The latter element adds an unusual richness to "Ring Ring" and thus makes it a good example of the densely layered but easily accessible pop craftsmanship that made ABBA international favorites.

Song: "Ring Ring" by Bjorn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid (a.k.a ABBA)
From the LP "RING RING" (Polar) Mar. 26, 1973

LINEUP:
Benny Andersson : piano, vocals
Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad : vocals
Bjorn Ulvaeus : acoustic guitar, vocals
Ola Brunkert : drums
Rutger Gunnarsson : bass
Roger Palm : drums
Janne Schaffer : guitar
Mike Watson : bass

In complete opposition to this is Brunkert's jazz side. In 1974, he was in a one-shot group called Ablution that played groovy jazz-rock. Half the musicians were Swedish, the other half British or elsewhere. The group also included two favs of mine: jazz guitarist Janne Schaffer (also with ABBA) , as well as the great John Gustafson on bass (in between Roxy Music albums, it seems). There are plenty of drum fills to sink your teeth into!

Song : "The Nard Finished Third" by Ablution (composed by Pete Robinson)
From the LP "ABLUTION" (CBS) 1974

LINEUP:
Ola Brunkert : drums, percussion
Malando Gassama : percussion
John Gustafson : bass
Jayson Lindh : flute, Fender piano
Pete Robinson : keys
Jan Schaffer : guitar
Barry de Souza : drums, trumpet

Get it here : ABBA - Ring Ring
Get it here : Ablution - The Nard Finished Third