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Posts tagged music
Narita Drum Festival 2012
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Only in Japan could you find such an amount of talent in one place and at one time. 150 percussion groups and bands from all over Japan. Pure heaven for those who appreciate culture or music.
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© 2011 Steve Taite. All rights reserved. If you enjoyed this post please leave a comment and pass on to your friends. If not feel free to pass on to your enemies. Don't want to miss a post? What are you waiting for, subscribe now or follow me on twitter.affiliate program More >
Thick as a Brick 2 Review- The Return of the Classic Rock Concept Album
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A few weeks ago I wrote about the sequel to Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull’s masterpiece Thick as a Brick (see The Return of Gerald Bostock). This to be released for the 40th anniversary of the classic album followed by a world tour is scheduled wherein Ian Anderson will play both versions in their entirety. Well the album is finally here and I wasn’t disappointed. Anyone who is looking for a rebirth of the era of classic rock should look no further. In fact I am not afraid to say that in many ways the sequel is even better than More >
Thick as a Brick 2 – The return of Gerald Bostock
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Forty years ago an unknown schoolboy named Gerald Bostock from the village of St. Cleve achieved instant worldwide fame when he wrote a poem he named Thick as a Brick which he entered in the local poetry contest. In an edition of the local newspaper, The St Cleve. Chronicle, an article claimed that although Bostock initially won the contest with “Thick as a Brick”, the judges’ decision was repealed after a multitude of protests and threats concerning the offensive nature of the poem, furthered by allegations of the boy’s psychological instability. The poem was put to music by a group named More >
Abbey Road Crossing : everyone wants to be in the act
Since the Beatles made their historic crossing of the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing, all those years ago, and eternalized it on their greatest album, every body has been getting in the act. You would think they had discovered America, not taken a breather from hard work in the Abbey Road recording studio.
Here are some interesting parodies:
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Baby Road
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Maiden Road
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The Lego Road
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The real beetle version
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Why did the chicken cross Abbey Road?
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VW Beetle's Abbey Road
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The Penguin Version
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More beetles
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Oops!
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Hubbie Road
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More more interesting and often hilarious Beatles posts, including the Japanese Beatles, the rewrite of Sgt Pepper album, I am a Walrus and Imagine and much more, More >
Tom Petty – Live Anthology
Straight to the point – why didn’t anyone think of this before.
There have been thousands of live rock albums over the years. Every group/ artist who mattered, disbanded before it’s time, died or needed some money and was too high to get back into the studio released one. Some of them were really great. It can be argued, and probably is, that the first great live rock album was Live at Leeds by The Who. Over the years Other live rock milestones would have to include Deep Purple’s Live in Japan, Woodstock and recently Leonard Cohen’s Live in London. All these More >
Times are Changing
The year was 1964. The Beatles top the charts in America and appear on the Ed Sullivan show, Muhammad Ali beats Sonny Liston and becomes the heavyweight champion of the world, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got hitched for the first time, Radio Caroline became England’s first pirate radio station, a TV game show called Jeopardy! and a sitcom named Bewitched premiere, Sean Connery starred in From Russia with Love, a new car called the Ford Mustang was marketed, the first major student protest march against the Vietnam war was held in New York and San Francisco, the last Loony Tune cartoon is released, The Who‘s Pete Townsend destroys his first guitar, Roald Dahl writes Charlie More >
Kai Kurosawa – master of the tap guitar
In a music world where originality is often a dirty world, I was happy to meet Kai Kurosawa, at an Indian restaurant of all places. Kai has created his own musical instrument, simply called a tap guitar, hopefully he will go far.
From the artists homepage: Born in Japan, Kai Kurosawa picked up the electric bass guitar at the age of fifteen. Eventually he discovered the Warr Guitar and not only self-taught but also self-created fresh new cutting edge musical techniques for this unique instrument. Today his primary axe is the Beartrax; a custom 24-string tap-style instrument which he designed. Widely More >
The Song Behind the Meaning
An ageing rock star, whom I shall call Rick, was having a hard time finding subjects to write about for his new album. When he was a poor artist struggling for recognition, the whole pale world around him was his palette. Now fame riches and far too much booze had left him lacking. Sitting on the bank of the stream at the edge of his garden estate he tried to find something to write about. A frog jumped out from behind him, giving him a stir. The frog seemed equally shocked and jumped away in a hurry, disappearing into the More >
In My Room – In My Loo
When the Beach Boys wrote and recorded their song In My Room, times were different and they didn’t necessary say what they meant. Since then song lyrics have become much bolder and in the face.
Here is how I think the song should have gone.
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IN MY LOOThere’s a place
Where I can go
Whenever I must do!
In my loo
For as long as I like
And perhaps a comic or two
In my loo
In my loo
Do my dreaming and my scheming
And play my favorite app.
Always make sure that my mobiles secure
And won’t fall through the gap.
And More >
The Philosophy of Bob Dylan
For an era of lost boys who didn’t want to grow up and fight for causes they didn’t understand, Bob Dylan was their Plato, Socrates and Machiavelli and rolled into one and set to music.
Vain is the musician or poet, writing in the last five decades, who will claim he was not in any way influenced by Dylan. He is more than just another artist – he is the voice of a general. As he celebrates his seventieth birthday here are some of the more profound philosophical lyrics that he created.
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I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I’ve walked More >
Adele 21 – album review
For those of you who are loyal followers of my blog, the fact that I am reviewing the new Adele album should come as no surprise. When I first got my hands on 19, Adele’s first album, I was overwhelmed and my post reflected my enthusiasm.
After two years of strained anticipation, waiting to see if success and the second album syndrome would take it’s toll, Adele’s follow-up is finally here. Cutely named 21 (I wonder how long she will continue that idea), the question is does it fulfill my expectations. The answer is yes and no. Is the album good? After a couple More >
Brackbird – the Japanese sing the Beatles
The Japanese are basically unable to hear the difference between the letter L and the letter R. No matter how they try L and R are the same for them. This can be a bit confusing to first time visitors who take the Metro to Ropponji (as it is listed in all the tourist brochures and signs) only to hear the train announcer tell them that they are now approaching Lopponji. In the land of Karaoke this can result in some interesting moments, to say the least. So my recent visit to a Japanese Beatles club was preceded with quite a bit More >
Burka Band
The Burka Band was an all-female indie rock band from Kabul, Afghanistan, now disbanded. They performed anonymously, all of the members wearing burqas in an apparent protest against the Taliban’s rules regarding Islamic dress. They released a single, “Burka Blue” and a self-titled album in 2002. They have been called the “Spice Girls of Afghanistan” and played Western rock instruments – electric guitar, drum kit while wearing traditional head-to-toe burkas. Their hit single features them singing about burkas, in English: “…My mother wears blue jeans now, and I am so surprised, the things are changing faster, I don’t know if it’s right…”
© 2010 Steve Taite. All rights reserved.
If you More > 
Guitar Heaven: Carlos Santana Covers Classic Rock
Carlos Santana and guests cover the greatest guitar classics of all time
Once upon a time there was a group who named themselves ELP after their surnames Emerson Lake and Palmer. At one time they considered on changing the groups name to HELP after another guitarist joined forces with them. The fourth member was to be Jim Hendrix and there were plans for a jam session at the Guildhall hall in Plymouth, on 23 August 1970. Unfortunately Hendrix died before the concert took place and we are left to conjecture what such a supergroup would have evolved.
Carlos Santana is truly one More >
Expressway to Heaven
Sometimes a Stairway isn’t quick enough!
There’s a lady who’s sure Every clam holds an oyster And she’s driving the expressway to heaven. While she’d powdered her nose And kept texting on Twitter how’d she miss on the semi from Devon?
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She was known to be bright An I.Q. of a million That went AWOL when she drove her Camaro. If she once looked at the road ‘Stead of the face in the mirror She’d have known that it was far, far too narrow.
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Why did she overtake?
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There’s a sign on the door But she wants to be sure ‘Cause you know sometimes words More >
Leonard Cohen: Songs From The Road – can there be too much of a good thing
In an earlier post, Hey That’s Some Way to Say Goodbye , I wrote:
Leonard Cohen Live in London boasts 26 tracks and I truly wish there were more. Gone is the rebel poet of the early sixties. The Cohen of today is warmer, more forgiving and it shines in his voice. Though 73 when the album was recorded, in my mind this is truly his greatest work.
So someone obviously read my post and stopped counting the dollars for a moment. The result is Cohen’s new album Songs for the Road. Songs is basically twelve takes from different venues during the tour and More >
Soundtrack of My Life
Two recent albums made me reassess my relationship with music. As a part-time musician and composer (mostly lyrics), I used to believe that I made music, but after the reassessment I began to realise that music made me. Both albums were rerecordings of pop classics, Love by the Beatles made me look at the songs that I’ve known by heart for decades in a new light, Live in London by Leonard Cohen showed me that old singers can improve on their glorious past by returning a new, fresh, adult rendition of their songs. Music has been a part of my life ever More >
Clapton, Dire Straits and Juliet -great moments in rock
Rock music is often about fusion. Eric Clapton is one of the more popular guest musicians to be heard in classic rock concerts. Here, at a Wembley concert from 1988, he adds his classic touch to Dire Straits. What did we do before YouTube?
© 2010 Steve Taite. All rights reserved. If you enjoyed this post please leave a comment and pass on to your friends. If not feel free to pass on to your enemies. Don't want to miss a post? What are you waiting for, subscribe now or follow me on twitter.
Bossa N’ Everything
A while ago I wrote a post about a couple of albums named Bossa N’ Stones a brilliant (in my opinion) set of Rolling Stone covers done in sexy bossa nova style. A couple of weeks ago I was enjoying a meal in an Italian restaurant that plays soft jazz music in the background when I had a Deja Vu. The song was Michael Jackson’s Beat It but the mood definitely suggested Boss N’. I called over the waitress to prove how clever I was and impress my wife (who wasn’t at all impressed). Be that as it may, I went home and More >
Valleys of Neptune – The NEW Jimi Hendrix Album and The Time Traveller’s Wife
In the era of Avatar, Ipad and Obama a slightly less publicized phenomenon is taking place right before our ears. If the during the last few decades we witnessed mind blowing amounts of repackaging, out-takes, rarities, live concert footage and legal bootlegs by the ton (you need a whole room just to house all the Dylan and Neil Young efforts), now we get to join the time traveller’s wife as new albums appear from 40 year old music. Perhaps the biggest breakthrough was the release of Love by the Beatles (really more of a Spector than Lennon release). Then the ageing Leonard Cohen More >
