Classic Rock The Trip Tent -

2007-04-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

AC/DC

Debuted New Year�s Eve, 1973, at the Chequers Club in Sydney, Australia. Founding brothers Angus and Malcolm Young led the band through a number of personnel shifts in the early stages, but hit the jackpot with the addition of lead singer, Bon Scott. The addition of drummer Phillip Rudd and bassist Mark Evans in 1974 rounded out a group that quickly established a solid reputation in their native Australia, but it took several years before they became a presence on the American charts.

The band released two albums � High Voltage and TNT � in Australia in 1974 and 1975. Material from the two albums was used to create the version of High Voltage that was released in the U.S. and U.K. With the release of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in 1976, the band was gathering a following, and the 1977 release of Let There Be Rock became the first album to chart in the U.S.

The band was as well-known for their live performances as for their albums. Lead singer Bon Scott, originally the group�s chauffeur, will probably never be described as one of the era�s great singers. His vocals were almost painfully rough, but his stage persona was provocative and swaggering. Angus Young was fond of mooning the audience, which led to the group being banned from several British venues. Combined with Scott�s convictions for minor criminal offenses and his rejection by the Australian Army as being �socially maladjusted,� the band�s reputation as crude brutes flourished.

If their behavior wasn�t enough to establish a sufficiently �bad boy� image, their lyrics certainly were. They veered from violent images to crude sexual references, and the double entendre became their forte. Some of the most notorious lyrics came from the Dirty Deeds album. The title song is basically a hit man�s advertisement:

If you got a lady and you want her gone
But you ain't got the guts
She keeps naggin' at you night and day
Enough to drive you nuts -
Pick up the phone
Leave her alone
It's time you made a stand
For a fee
I'm happy to be
Your back door man

And of course, the manically cheerful �Big Balls:�

I'm upper, upper class high society
God's gift to ballroom notoriety
And I always fill my ballroom
The event is never small
All the social papers say I've got the biggest balls of all

Brutes or not, by the time Highway to Hell came along in 1979, the band had become a force to be reckoned with, although it was a toss-up what was better known � Angus Young�s gritty, blues-based guitar riffs, or his bizarre school-uniform stage apparel. Highway became the group�s first million-seller in the U.S., and went to number 17 on the U.S. charts.

It seemed as though AC/DC�s relentless march would be sidelined in 1980. Bon Scott died on February 20, 1980, after what was described as a �routine� night of partying. The coroner�s report stated that he had �drunk himself to death.� To this day, the most common story told is that Scott died from choking on his own vomit after an all-night drinking binge, although the official cause of death was eventually ruled hypothermia.

Although they briefly considered breaking up, the group found a suitable replacement with Brian Johnson, and returned to the studio to record Back in Black. Despite worries that Scott�s shoes were too big to fill, the album proved to be the group�s biggest album. It peaked at number four on the U.S. charts, and went platinum in October 1980, and continues to sell over 20 years after its release, being certified double diamond in July 2004.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was re-issued for the U.S. market in 1981 and went to number 3. The band followed-up Black in late 1981 with For Those About to Rock We Salute You, which became the group�s only number one U.S. album. While albums through the late 80�s and early 90�s couldn�t live up to the band�s commercial success of the earlier years, their albums regularly go platinum, although oddly, the band has never had a top 20 single in the U.S. Their live shows also continue to be a huge success. In 2002, Q magazine put AC/DC at the top of their list of the �50 Bands to See Before You Die�.

In March 2003, AC/DC became members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith inducted the group into the Hall, and spoke for legions of their fans:

"AC/DC became the litmus test of what rock does. Does it make you clench your fist when you sing along? Does it scare your parents to hell, and piss off the neighbours? Does it make you dance so close to the fire that you burn your feet--and still don't give a rat's ass? Does it make you want to stand up and scream for something that you're not even sure of yet? Does it make you want to boil your sneakers, and make soup outta your girlfriend's panties? If it doesn't, then it ain't AC/DC".

Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall 1971 Review

2007-04-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Neil Young: Live At Massey Hall 1971

Singer/songwriter, guitarist, and filmmaker.

AKA: Bernard Shaky, Joe Yankee, Phil Perspective, Clyde Coil, Shaky, and Shaky Deal.

Mr. Young is a multi-talented, multi-faceted, versatile, ever changing, ever evolving, innovative, and provocative, artist and musician. As a human being and a man, he consists of many layers. His achievements are many, and his endurance is certainly commendable. As he once said, He is lucky just to have made it through the turbulence of the revolutionary 1960's and 1970's. He managed to do just that, and he has landed on solid ground. So many of his fellow musicians and friends were lost, to drugs and so much great music, that should have been created, never was.
Due to drugs, in particular, Heroin. It is just too sad to think about. Neil young has never let the adversities that he has faced in his lifetime hold him back, or slow him down.

Live At Massy Hall is an awesome, trip down memory lane and a rare experience of Neil Young’s raw talent.

The show, from January 19, 1971, contains a set list that has been widely bootlegged over the years
A collection of 17 songs recorded at a solo concert but never before released.

“I’m gonna sing mostly new songs tonight “I’ve written so many new ones that I can’t think of anything else to do with them other than sing ‘em.” Says the 26 year old singer/songwriter, in his opening line.

Every song in this collection is a catapulting transportation in time, if you are old enough to remember the era, sorry to say, like me. Not sorry for the era just sorry for how old that makes me. Songs like “Tell Me Why,” “Down By the River,” “Ohio,” and “The Needle and the Damage Done”—a eulogy for Crazy Horse band mate Danny Whitten. A heroin casualty, felt very deeply by Neil Young.—

When one thinks of Neil Young many things come to mind, and when I say many, I mean many. Sincerely folks, this man is in every stretch of the term, an over achiever. His creativity abounds. When I think of Neil Young, I think of, "Blue blue windows, behind the stars. Yellow moon on the rise." We all know the musician, the songwriter, and the political activist for human rights, and environmental issues. We remember the "Four Dead in Ohio" and Woodstock, and we have imagined what that "Cinnamon Girl" looks like;

When we look at the body of work that Mr. Young has amassed in the years since this performance, and his many achievements in the last 30 years, we can see the raw talent through this latest release.

For those of you who may not be aware of Neil Young’s many Achievements, here are a few.

Young was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1982.
He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first in 1995 for his solo work, with an induction speech given by Eddie Vedder, and again in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.
One of the founders of Farm Aid, he remains on their board of directors.
For one weekend each October, in Mountain View, Ca, he and his wife host The Bridge School Concerts,
The concerts are a benefit for the Bridge School, which develops and uses advanced technologies to aid in the instruction of children with disabilities. Young's involvement stems at least partially from the fact that both of his sons have cerebral palsy and his daughter, like Young himself, has epilepsy.
Young owns Vapor Records. .
Since 1995 he has been part owner of Lionel LLC, a company that makes toy trains and railroads.
Young has twice received honorary doctorates. First in 1992, an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Lake head University in ThunderBay, Ontario, and secondly in 2006, an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from San Francisco State University. The latter honor was shared with his wife Pegi for their creation of the Bridge School.
In a "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list in the June 1996 issue of Mojo Magazine, Young was ranked number 9.
In 2004, Rolling tone Magazine ranked Neil Young #34 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
In a "Greatest Living Songwriters" list in 2006 by Paste Magazine Young was ranked number 2 behind Bob Dylan.
Perhaps the Greatest achievement Neil has made is that of a Father. He has been a Loving and kind, Father, under extraordinary circumstances.

Discography Live at Massey Hall

All songs written by Neil Young.

1) "On the Way Home" – 3:42
2) "Tell Me Why" – 2:29
3) "Old Man" – 4:57
4) "Journey Through the Past" – 4:15
5) "Helpless" 4:16
6) "Love In Mind" – 2:47
7) "A Man Needs a Maid / Heart of Gold Suite" – 6:39
8) "Cowgirl In The Sand" – 3:45
9) "Don‘t Let It Bring You Down" – 2:46
10) "There's a World" – 3:33
11) "Bad Fog of Loneliness" – 3:27
12) "The Needle And The Damage Done" – 3:55
13) "Ohio" – 3:40
14) "See the Sky About to Rain" – 4:05
15) "Down By The River" – 4:08
16) "Dance Dance Dance" – 5:48
17) "I Am a Child" – 3:19

Performers
Neil Young - vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica

The Origins of Classic Rock

2007-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

So, what exactly is Classic Rock... really? Well, you just might be surprised by the answer to this question. If you thought it was a genre of music, you would be wrong. In fact, Classic rock includes several genres of rock music.

Classic Rock was conceived originally as a radio station-programming format that led to the rise of FM Radio, at a time when AM Radio was dying. The origin of classic rock can be traced back to the release of The Beatles album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The first loosely termed, "concept album" ever produced. Concept albums are song based but thematic in approach, as a result no singles were produced. Since singles were, the basic programming format for AM Radio stations this excluded them from being able to play the album. FM Radio disc jockeys were prompted to play selected tracks from the Beatles album in order to retain listeners. This in turn created what was called "Progressive Rock Radio" or "Free Form Radio" in which disc jockeys controlled more of the music that was aired, in the late 1960's and 1970's. This evolved into a more commercially oriented variant, which was called "Album Rock", on most FM radio stations this then evolved finally into "Classic Rock Radio. Based mostly on music from the past similar to "oldies" but concentrating on music from the "Classic Rock Era" from which play lists are developed.

The first radio station to call itself "Classic Rock" on the air was a radio station in, Philadelphia WYSP in Jan of 1981, by disc jockey Dick Hungate. The classic rock format includes several Genres of rock music, and refers to an era in time rather than a type of musical style or genre.

Breaking it on down, the genres included are:

"Hard Rock: British, American and Progressive bands. The pillar artists for British hard rock bands are; The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Cream, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and Deep Purple.

The pillar artists in American hard rock bands are; Jimmi Hendrix, The Doors, The Steve Miller band, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, The Eagles, and Credence Clear Water revival.

"Heavy Metal": Ac/Dc, Guns and Roses, Rush and Van Halen.

"Arena Rock": Styx, Boston, Journey, Supertramp, REO Speed wagon, and Peter Frampton.

"Southern Rock" : Lynard Skynard and the Allman Brothers

Counter Culture
"Folk Rock": Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Arlo Guthrie.

"Psychedelic": Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, the Doors, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones

One of the largest influences on many of the artists during this musical revolution, this "Classic Rock Era" the late 1960's through the 1970's was the Vietnam War. Although some of the music was directed right towards politics, much of the resultant music was based on the need of the younger generation in America for freedom of expression. Whether expressed through the lyrics or through a screaming guitar. Rock and roll is here to stay!

The Bridge To Ben - Neil Young

2007-04-15T02:22:00.001-07:00

The Bridge to Ben

This is a story of desire, a story of love and determination, and a story of inspiration, the desire is that of a Father, and his longing to communicate with his Son.

There once was a boy named, Ben. Whose Father was a Rock and Roll Icon. A very busy man and a very important man. Ben a very special boy, born with a severely debilitating form of Cerebral Palsy, that renders him speechless, with severe motor dysfunction, and a quadriplegic. His Father is, Neil Young.

When one thinks of Neil Young many things come to mind, and when I say many, I mean many. Sincerely folks, this man is in every stretch of the term, an over achiever. His creativity abounds. When I think of Neil Young, I think of, "Blue blue windows, behind the stars. Yellow moon on the rise." We all know the musician, the songwriter, and the political activist for human rights, and environmental issues. We remember the "Four Dead in Ohio" and Woodstock, and we have imagined what that "Cinnamon Girl" looks like; he even carries the title of, the "Father of Grunge."

Among Neil’s many accomplishments, and honors, two are very dear to his heart. The first one is one He and his wife Pegi have done together, and that was the, formation of the Bridge School. Neil would tell you it really belongs to Pegi, that he is just the "front man," or the "P.R." guy.
Which is, of course, an understatement?

THE BRIDGE SCHOOL:
The Bridge School is an educational program, designed to help children with severe speech and physical impairments, to communicate, using augmentative and alternative means of communication, (AAC) and assistive technology (AT) applications.

Every year since the Bridge School was formed; Neil has held a fundraiser for the school. A three-day music festival, held outdoors, in the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Ca.
Over the years, many members of the musical community have donated their time to this annual festival. The three-day event provides a major source of funding for the Bridge School, and has been the highlight of the bay areas fall schedule.

Entertainers who have performed at the festival over the past 21 years include: CSNY, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Robin Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Ethridge, the late Warren Zevon, Bonnie Raitt, Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John, James Taylor, Willie Nelson, the late Nicolette Larson, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Los Lobos, EmmyLou Harris, John Mellencamp, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennet, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Billy Idol, Cheryl Crow, Greenday, and the list goes on.

THE TRAINS:
Miniature Trains, A passion of Neil Young’s since boyhood. Things have changed a lot for that boy who used to play with his toy trains on the floor of a flooded out basement. He carried his love for model trains throughout his teens and into his adulthood. Collecting rare and vintage, pre and post -war models. When Ben was an infant, during the many sleepless nights, while Neil comforted Ben, patting his back on the living room floor. He began envisioning the track layout, and putting his plans together in his mind. A few years later, the plans went from his mind to paper. The results are in a building on Neil Young’s land called the Train Building. Which is an elaborate, miniature train world. This world belongs to Neil and Ben.

In 1995 Neil became a shareholder in the company that manufactures toy trains, Lionel LLC. He also developed a device called Trainmaster Command Control. This is a wireless control, and through its use, Ben is able to control various functions by leaning into the control or away from the control. Which allowed Ben to do something he had never done before and that was to interact with his environment and also control it. For Neil it is a precious gift the interaction between Father and Son, that allowed them to form the bond he had so hoped for.

http://astore.amazon.com/classica-1-20

THE LAST WALTZ

2007-04-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

THE LAST WALTZ

The Band Members: Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, and Garth Hudson.

On one magical Thanksgiving day in 1976, on one magical San Francisco stage, at the Winterland Ballroom. Legendary performers came together to bid farewell to one of Rock and Rolls groundbreaking bands of their generation. The Band comprised of five multi talented musicians, that each brought their own unique mixtures of musical backgrounds and original styles together into one sound. They emerged onto the music scene, during a historical period of Rock music,
destined to change the face of Rock and Roll forever. Responsible for diversifying rock music, through the electrification of Bob Dylan’s folk music, creating what is now known as folk/rock, and with the release of their first album, Music From The Big Pink, out of which country/rock was created. Their final contribution came with the release of the motion picture, The Last Waltz. Hailed as the best Rockumentary in the history of Rock and Roll to date.

Growing weary of life on the road, The Band, decided after sixteen years of touring together to quit performing live. The idea was to become a studio band, eliminating live performances all together. They started planning the details. of their final stage appearance together. A concert to be held on, Thanksgiving November 25, 1976, at the famed Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. They first invited Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, to join them. Soon the list began to snowball. By the time the last name had been added to the list, it had grown to an impressive fifteen guest appearances, which included some of the top recording artist in the industry at the time. The list included; Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Dr John, Neil Young, Emmy Lou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Paul Butterfield, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Ron Wood, Stephen Stills, Ringo Star, The Staples, and Bob Dylan.
The event was promoted and organized by Bill Graham. The evening began at five PM. The audience of 5,000 were served "turkey dinner" followed by Ballroom dancing with music performed by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. The concert to follow began at 9 PM, and was filmed by Martin Scorsese. Scorsese, who had meticulously choreographed camera placements and angels, down to the last detail, using sheet music and lyrics of the songs to be performed that evening
Thus bringing the music at its purist form to the big screen.

The movie shows live concert footage, interviews with The Band members as they look back & share stories of their sixteen years on the road, studio segments of The Band with Emmy Lou Harris, performing Evangeline, and with the Staples, performing The Weight.

If you are a Classic Rocker and you have never seen this movie, then you are truly in for an experience, which will transport you through time. You cannot help but feel as though you were back in the 70's, when music was more than just something we listened to, it was something we experienced on a deeper level.