Today: Marc Bolan is 66 Happy Birthday

I feel there is a curse on rock stars.
– Marc Bolan

Marc Bolan, born in East London, England, started playing music at the age of 9, while embracing the MOD scene. Bolan and the drummer from his first band, John's Children, went on to create T.Rex. While the band had many hits in Britain, "Bang a Gong(Get It On)" was the only major hit in the United States. Bolan died in a car crash at the age of 29.

Singer, musician. Marc Bolan was born Mark Feld on September 30, 1947 in East London. As a child, he discovered the rock and roll of artists such as Chuck Berry and became a Mod. When he was 9, he received a guitar and immediately began playing and performing. At 14, he was kicked out of school. He worked for a time as a model and, when he was 17, decided to give music a real go.
Bolan started by playing the music of Bob Dylan and Donovan. He renamed himself Toby Tyler and played wherever he could. 1967 found him changing his name back to Marc Bolan and joining the protopunk band John's Children. This band was somewhat successful at live shows, but never sold very many records. When John's Children disbanded, Bolan and John's Children drummer Steve Peregrin Took formed Tyrannosaurs Rex, a psychedelic folk-rock acoustic band, which played Bolan's songs. Tyrannosaurs Rex met with some success, releasing three albums and four singles. Their highlight was playing at the first Hyde Park free concert in 1968. Eventually, Bolan dismissed Took and replaced him with Mickey Finn.
Bolan married June Child, shortened the band's name to T. Rex, and recorded "Ride a White Swan," which rose to Number 2 on the British charts. The success of this single changed Bolan's life; giving him the freedom to experiment with the glam rock style that would become his trademark. He started wearing top hats and feather boas on stage, along with glitter on his cheeks. Bolan's friend, David Bowie, also caught the glam rock fever; along with singers such as Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, and Grand Funk Railroad.
After "Ride a White Swan," Bolan expanded T. Rex to a quartet by adding bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend. This new configuration hit the charts with "Hot Love" and "Get It On," which was renamed "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" for its U.S. release. This would prove to be T. Tex's only U.S. hit.
By 1975, Bolan's marriage was disintegrating and T. Rex was disbanding. Bolan entered into a relationship with Gloria Jones, a back-up singer. His health began to fail as he became addicted to cocaine, but he continued to work, producing at least one chart hit every year, in the United Kingdom, until his death in 1977. Bolan and Gloria Jones welcomed son Rolan Bolan in September of 1975.
Marc Bolan died in London on September 16, 1977, just before his 30^th birthday. He and Gloria were returning from dinner at a nearby restaurant when their car, with Gloria at the wheel, struck a tree. Bolan was killed instantly, while Gloria sustained some injuries. The site of the crash is now the Bolan Rock Shrine memorial. At the 25^th anniversary of his death, in 2002, a bronze bust of the rock star was placed at the site.

Eric Clapton 1974/1975 Box Set Due out in November

 

One of the most essential periods in Eric Clapton’s career was in the mid-70s. Following the release of the Derek and the Dominos’ LP, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs in 1970, the iconic guitarist went

on hiatus, returning in 1974 refreshed and better than ever.

It was at that time that Clapton released the studio albums 461 Ocean Boulevard and There’s One in Every Crowd, and the live album E.C. Was Here, all of which received high acclaim from fans and critics alike and launched the rocker into superstar status.
Now, that essential time in Clapton’s career has been captured on a six-disc box set entitled Eric Clapton – Give Me Strength: The 1974/1975 Recordings, slated for release this fall.
Made up of 5-CDs and 1-Blu-ray, the set consists of expanded versions of the aforementioned trio of Clapton LPs, as well as The Freddie King Criteria Studio Sessions, and remixed versions of 461 Ocean Boulevard and E.C. Was Here.
According to the official press release, Give Me Strength also includes previously unreleased material, such as alternative versions of hits like “Crossroads,” “I Shot the Sherriff,” “Layla” and “Little Wing,” outtakes and expanded versions of other Clapton hits, and a 60-page hardbound book with rare photos and extensive liner notes by John Lynskey.
Additionally 461 Ocean Boulevard, There’s One in Every Crowd and E.C. Was Here will all be reissued separately as a 3-LP set.
Eric Clapton – Give Me Strength: The 1974/1975 Recordings will be available on November 26 via UME.
Check out the entire tracklisting below, and head to Eric Clapton’s official website for more info!


Eric Clapton – Give Me Strength: The 1974/1975 Recordings Official Tracklisting:
DISC ONE - 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD expanded version

1. MOTHERLESS CHILDREN  
2. GIVE ME STRENGTH  
3. WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE  
4. GET READY 
5. I SHOT THE SHERIFF  
6. I CAN’T HOLD OUT  
7. PLEASE BE WITH ME  
8. LET IT GROW  
9. STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN  
10. MAINLINE FLORIDA  

      Session out-takes:

1. AIN’T THAT LOVIN’ YOU  
2. MEET ME (DOWN AT THE BOTTOM)  
3. LONESOME ROAD BLUES (WALKIN’ DOWN THE ROAD) 
4. GETTING ACQUAINTED (previously unreleased)
5. GETTING ACQUAINTED 2 (TOO LATE) (previously unreleased)
6. ERIC AFTER HOURS BLUES 
7. PLEASE BE WITH ME (ACOUSTIC) (previously unreleased)
8. GIVE ME STRENGTH (DOBRO 1) (previously unreleased)

 DISC TWO - THERE’S ONE IN EVERY CROWD expanded version 

1. WE'VE BEEN TOLD (JESUS IS COMING SOON)  
2. SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT  
3. LITTLE RACHEL  
4. DON'T BLAME ME  
5. THE SKY IS CRYING  
6. SINGIN' THE BLUES  
7. BETTER MAKE IT THROUGH TODAY  
8. PRETTY BLUE EYES  
9. HIGH  
10. OPPOSITES  

      Session out-takes:

1. BURIAL (previously unreleased)
2. WHATCHA GONNA DO  
3. I FOUND A LOVE 
4. (WHEN THINGS GO WRONG) IT HURTS ME TOO 
5. FOOLS LIKE ME  5:09  (previously unreleased)

      Non-album single release:

1. KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR 
2. SOMEONE LIKE YOU

DISC THREE - E.C. WAS HERE remixed and expanded version

1. SMILE 
2. HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN 
3. PRESENCE OF THE LORD 
4. CROSSROADS  (previously unreleased)
5. I SHOT THE SHERIFF  (previously unreleased)
6. LAYLA   (previously unreleased)
7. LITTLE WING  (previously unreleased) 
8. CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME 
9. DRIFTIN’ BLUES / RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND 

DISC FOUR - E.C. WAS HERE remixed and expanded version

1. RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND / HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN  
2. WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE / GET READY  
3. THE SKY IS CRYING / HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN / RAMBLIN’ ON MY MIND
4. BADGE  
5. DRIFTIN’ BLUES
6. EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND / WHY DOES LOVE GOT TO BE SO SAD
7. FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD

DISC FIVE - THE FREDDIE KING CRITERIA STUDIOS SESSIONS

1. SUGAR SWEET  
2. TV MAMA  
3. BOOGIE FUNK (previously unreleased)  
4. GAMBLING WOMAN BLUES (previously unreleased full length version)  

DISC SIX (BLU-RAY) 
461 OCEAN BOULEVARD 5.1 Surround Sound mix (previously unreleased Elliot Scheiner mix)

1. MOTHERLESS CHILDREN  
2. GIVE ME STRENGTH  
3. WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE  
4. GET READY  
5. I SHOT THE SHERIFF  
6. I CAN’T HOLD OUT  
7. PLEASE BE WITH ME        
8. LET IT GROW  
9. STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN 
10. MAINLINE FLORIDA  

      Session out-takes:

1. AIN’T THAT LOVIN’ YOU  
2. MEET ME (DOWN AT THE BOTTOM)  
3. LONESOME ROAD BLUES (WALKIN’ DOWN THE ROAD)

461 OCEAN BOULEVARD original 4.0 quadraphonic mix

1. MOTHERLESS CHILDREN 
2. GIVE ME STRENGTH  
3. WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE  
4. GET READY  
5. I SHOT THE SHERIFF  
6. I CAN’T HOLD OUT  
7. PLEASE BE WITH ME        
8. LET IT GROW  
9. STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN  
10. MAINLINE FLORIDA  

THERE’S ONE IN EVERY CROWD original 4.0 quadraphonic mix

1. WE'VE BEEN TOLD (JESUS IS COMING SOON)  
2. SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT  
3. LITTLE RACHEL  
4. DON'T BLAME ME  
5. THE SKY IS CRYING  
6. SINGIN' THE BLUES  
7. BETTER MAKE IT THROUGH TODAY  
8. PRETTY BLUE EYES  
9. HIGH  
10. OPPOSITES 

28 SEPT 2013 FORUM MUSICAL DE MR Q

With Sun Seeking Andy...

Today: Abbey Road was released 44 years ago

Released	26 September 1969
Recorded	22 February – 20 August 1969,EMI, Olympic and Trident Studios,London
Genre	Rock
Length	47:23
Label	Apple
Producer	George Martin

Abbey Road is the 11th studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It is their last recorded album, although Let It Be was the last album released before the band’s dissolution in 1970. Work on Abbey Roadbegan in April 1969, and the album was released on 26 September 1969 in the United Kingdom, and 1 October 1969 in the United States.
Abbey Road is widely regarded as one of The Beatles’ most tightly constructed albums, although the band was barely operating as a functioning unit at the time. Despite the tensions within the band, Abbey Road was released to near universal acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2012, Abbey Road was voted 14th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2009, readers of the magazine also named Abbey Road the greatest Beatles album.

After the near-disastrous sessions for the proposed Get Back album (later released as Let It Be), Paul McCartney suggested to music producer George Martin that the group get together and make an album “the way we used to”, free of the conflict that began after the death of Brian Epstein and carrying over to the sessions for the “White Album”. Martin agreed, stipulating that he must be allowed to do the album his way. This would be the last time the band would record with Martin.



In their interviews for The Beatles Anthology, the surviving band members stated that, although none of them ever made the distinction of calling it the “last album”, they all felt when this would very likely be the last Beatles product and therefore agreed to set aside their differences and “go out on a high note”.
With the Let It Be album partly finished, the sessions for Abbey Road began in April, as the single “The Ballad of John and Yoko” / “Old Brown Shoe” was completed. In fact, recording sessions of John Lennon’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” had already started in February 1969 in Trident studios, with Billy Preston on the organ—only three weeks after the Get Back sessions. Photos from these sessions are included in the book Get Back, which came along with the Let It Be album but not in the Let It Be film. McCartney is clean-shaven and Lennon has started to let his beard grow.

Most of the album was recorded between 2 July and 1 August 1969. After the album was finished and released, the Get Back / Let It Be project was re-examined. More work was done on the album, including the recording of more music (see Let It Be). Thus, though the bulk of Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road, the latter was released first, and Abbey Road was the last album properly started by The Beatles before they disbanded. Lennon was on hiatus from the group and working with the Plastic Ono Band during the September 1969 lead-up to Abbey Road’s release, which was effectively the first official sign of The Beatles’ impending dissolution.

The two album sides are quite different in character. Side one is a collection of unconnected tracks, while most of side two consists of a long suite of compositions, many of them being relatively short and segued together.

Melody Maker 1971:
Did you think when you were making “Abbey Road” that it was going to be the last album?
MARTIN: No, I really didn’t. They’d got back, they were much happier with themselves. It was very much more of a produced album … we used a Moog for the first time, on George’s “Here Comes The Sun.” Everybody seemed to be working hard, and we’d got things nicely organised. It wasn’t until after that that things started happening badly.

 



Track Listing

1) Come Together (Lennon/McCartney)
2) Something (Harrison)
3) Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Lennon/McCartney)
4) Oh! Darling (Lennon/McCartney)
5) Octopus’s Garden(Starkey)
6) I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (Lennon/McCartney)
7) Here Comes the Sun (Harrison)
8) Because (Lennon/McCartney)
9) You Never Give Me Your Money (Lennon/McCartney)
10) Sun King (Lennon/McCartney)
11) Mean Mr. Mustard (Lennon/McCartney)
12) Polythene Pam (Lennon/McCartney)
13) She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (Lennon/McCartney)
14) Golden Slumbers (Lennon/McCartney)
15) Carry That Weight (Lennon/McCartney)
16) The End (Lennon/McCartney)
17) Her Majesty (Lennon/McCartney)


Critical reception:
Richie Unterberg (allmusic):

“…The group was still pushing forward in all facets of its art, whether devising some of the greatest harmonies to be heard on any rock record (especially on “Because”), constructing a medley of songs/vignettes that covered much of side two, adding subtle touches of Moog synthesizer, or crafting furious guitar-heavy rock (“The End,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Come Together”). George Harrison also blossomed into a major songwriter, contributing the buoyant “Here Comes the Sun” and the supremely melodic ballad “Something,” the latter of which became the first Harrison-penned Beatles hit…”
Read more at allmusic.com

John Mendelsohn (Rolling Stone Magazine):
November 15, 1969

“Simply, side two does more for me than the whole of Sgt. Pepper, and I’ll trade you The Beatles and Magical Mystery Tour and a Keith Moon drumstick for side one. “

Read more: Rolling Stone Magazine 
Mark Richardson (10 out of 10 at Pitchfork):
September 10, 2009

“Abbey Road shows a band still clearly in its prime, capable of songwriting and recording feats other groups could only envy. Working for the first time exclusively on an eight-track tape machine, their mastery of the studio was undeniable, and Abbey Road still sounds fresh and exciting 40 years on (indeed, of the 2009 remasters, the improvements and sonic detail here are the most striking). Even if it’s ultimately the Paul McCartney and George Martin show, as demonstrated on the famous second-side medley, everyone brought his A-game.”
Read more at Pitchfork.com

Wrote a song for everyone - Aurora García Cover

enjoy it...

Paul McCartney Releases Album Art

After debuting some brand “New” material in Las Vegas over the weekend, Sir Paul McCartney has revealed the album artwork.
Dubbed New, the LP will be McCartney’s first release of all-original material since 2007’s Memory Almost Full. The Standard Edition of the album will feature twelve tracks, including “Save Us,” “New,” and “Everybody Out There,” all of which McCartney performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on Saturday.
An additional two tracks will be available on the Deluxe Edition: “Turned Out” and “Get Me Out.”
“It's funny, when I play people the album they're surprised it's me,” McCartney said in an official press release. “A lot of the tracks are quite varied and not necessarily in a style you'd recognise as mine. I didn't want it to all sound the same. I really enjoyed making this album.”
New was produced by Paul Epworth, Mark Ronson, Giles Martin, Ethan Johns and Paul McCartney, and will be released on October 15.
Meanwhile, Sir Paul continues to perform in support of the album, and played a free show on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, which resulted in roughly 10,000 fans lining the streets of Los Angeles to catch a glimpse of the Rock and Roll icon on the roof of the El Capitan Theatre.
According to Entertainment Weekly, McCartney rocked Beatles classics such as “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Birthday,” “Lady Madonna,” “Let it Be,” “Day Tripper,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and “Hey Jude,” as well as Wings tunes like “Band on the Run,” “Jet” and “Junior’s Farm” and tracks from his new album.

New John Lennon Album App Due out in November

More than thirty years ago, John Lennon famously traveled to Bermuda, where he began work on what would become his last album ever: Double Fantasy. Now, fans will be able to trace the late singer’s musical and physical journey through their smart phones.
Billboard reports that the album app, entitled “John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes,” will be available this fall, and will outline the events that took place in the year leading up to Lennon’s tragic death in 1980.
Users will be able to follow Lennon and Yoko Ono’s progress as they worked long-distance to collaborate on early versions of songs such as “Woman,” “(Just Like) Starting Over,” “I’m Losing You,” “Nobody Told Me” and “Dear Yoko.” Additionally, fans can have fun attending a Bermuda disco via the app, as well as cruising the high seas as they emulate Lennon’s route to the islands.
All proceeds from “The Bermuda Tapes” app will go towards WhyHunger’s “Imagine There’s No Hunger” campaign; an initiative which is run as a partnership between Yoko Ono and Hard Rock International.
“Writing Double Fantasy was a very exciting time creatively for both John and me," stated Ono (via Billboard). “I think the album app captures the sense of discovery and the artistic dialogue that John and I shared at that time and provides a new way to help us imagine a world without hunger.”
“John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes,” which was directed by Michael Epstein, co-directed by Mark Thompson and produced by Andrew Banks, will be available in the iTunes App Store on November 5.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Linda McCartney

As an American photographer who was thrust into the spotlight as a bandmate of husband Paul‘s during his post-Beatles bands, Linda McCartney withstood much criticism, despite being a credentialed artist in her own right. Stories about her — from her family lineage to a particularly damaging tape that supposedly features a truly awful isolated backing vocal — haven’t helped her reputation. When she died in 1998 after a three-year battle with cancer, Linda left behind four children — three with Paul and one from a previous marriage — as well as a thriving company built around her vegetarian lifestyle and a wealth of songs devoted to her. And not all of them, it turns out, are by her legendary songwriting husband, as you’ll see on our list of the 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Linda McCartney.

Paul wasn't the only one to write a song about Linda

Paul McCartney wrote many songs with Linda in mind -- from hits like 'Maybe I'm Amazed' and 'My Love' to album cuts 'We Got Married' and 'Golden Earth Girl.' But he wasn't the only one, or even the first. Jack Lawrence (a client of her entertainment-lawyer father) composed 'Linda' for the future Mrs. McCartney in 1947, when she was just six years old. It was a hit for Buddy Clark, and was later recorded by Jan and Dean and Perry Como

 

 

 

 

 

No matter what you've heard, Linda was not an heiress to the Eastman-Kodak fortune

In one of her first interviews after marrying Paul, the former Linda Eastman said, "I don't know how that mistake came about, except through the name and the fact that I am a photographer." Yet the rumor has persisted. Her father actually changed his name to Lee Eastman, having been born to Jewish Russian immigrants as Leopold Vail Epstein. George Eastman, who founded the Eastman Kodak camera and film company, was not related to anyone in Linda's family

 

 

 

 

 

She had musical passions that went beyond Paul

Having married Paul during the Beatles' 'Abbey Road' period, and then being a full-time member of his various projects after that, Linda is most associated with her husband's music. But here she waxes poetic about another key '60s figure, guitar god Jimi Hendrix: "Seeing and hearing and hanging around Hendrix, oh, I can't even put it into words. That man ... the greatest moments weren't when he was playing a concert. It was more sitting in a hotel room with him, and he'd start to play and just jam all night. Oh, I tell you maybe the best memory of Hendrix was when he was recording 'Electric Ladyland.' Those sessions when he was playing guitar, organ, drums, everything."

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don't have to be a Beatles fan to have seen her photos

A picture taken of Neil Young in 1968 by Linda was used as the cover image four decades later for Young's 2008 album 'Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House.' Over the years, she also shot Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Grace Slick, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, the Animals, Simon and Garfunkel, the Doors, the Who and -- in her first-ever assignment, for Town & Country magazine -- the Rolling Stones.

 

 

 

 

 

She once helped Lisa Simpson through a dilemma

A committed animal-rights activist, Linda founded a vegetarian-food company in the '90s, just before making a memorable appearance on a 1995 episode of 'The Simpsons' titled 'Lisa the Vegetarian.' Lisa, after becoming taken with a lamb at a petting zoo, gives up eating meat and succeeds with the help of a cartoon Linda McCartney.

 

Linda never knew how advanced her cancer had become

As Linda's breast cancer advanced to her liver, Paul elected not to tell her that the end was near. "I talked it over with the doctor," McCartney remembered on the 10th anniversary of his wife's passing, "and he said, 'I don't think she would want to know. She is such a strong, forward-thinking lady and such a positive girl that I don't think it would do any good.'" Linda continued horseback riding until the day before she died in 1998.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She turned down a chance to play with the Smiths

Guitarist Johnny Marr told NME that his indie-rock band the Smiths offered Linda the chance to guest star on their 1986 album 'The Queen is Dead,' and she demurred. Frontman Morrissey had written her, asking if she would take over piano duties on the song 'Frankly, Mr. Shankly' because, Marr said, "we were big fans of hers."

 

 

 

 

 

Linda said she never minded being the butt of jokes over her musical skills

Linda, who admittedly never had plans for a music career before her husband thrust her onstage, was often the subject of fan ridicule. A tape that purported to be Linda singing dreadfully off-key during a performance of 'Hey Jude' even made the rounds. In a 1989 interview, Linda said she took such things in stride: "Does it really matter? If I wasn’t married to Paul, it wouldn’t matter. I think I’m the opposite of what most people think -- basically a kind person. Some of the criticism I get may be jealousy."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then she recorded a curse-laden response song that got banned

Paul oversaw the 1998 release of a posthumous album of previously unheard Linda recordings called 'Wide Prairie' that included a profanity-laced track that he claimed was banned by the BBC. 'The Light Comes From Within,' taken from Linda's final recording sessions, mocks those who had criticized her vegetarian lifestyle, animal-rights activism and, yes, musical talents

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda got the last laugh as co-writer of every No. 1 Wings hit from the '70s

Critics can mock her all they want, but Linda is credited as co-writer on a whopping five chart-topping Wings hits, including 'Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey,' 'My Love,' 'Band on the Run,' 'Listen to What the Man Said' and 'Silly Love Songs.' The James Bond theme 'Live and Let Die,' credited to Linda and Paul, even netted a coveted Oscar nomination. She also co-wrote other Top 10 hits, including 'Another Day' and 'Let 'Em In

Ron Sayer Jr & Charlotte Joyce = Hard to Please

Ron Sayer Jr & Charlotte Joyce, 2 award winning musicians from the UK play seriously funky blues on this collaboration album.

Ron Sayer Jr.:
Ron Sayer Jr. is the consummate ‘Guitarist’s guitarist’. As a trained music teacher having influenced the learning curves of the likes of Oli Brown, Sol Philcox, The Sharps & Mark Howes of Dove & Boweevil he’s now a mainstay on the UK blues circuit. He was nominated for no less than four awards in the British Blues Awards in 2013 in the album ‘Better Side’, band, song ‘Don’t Make Me Stay’ and guitarist categories walking away with runner-up in band of the year, he also co-wrote Oli Brown’s third album ‘Here I Am’. He was voted Guitarist Of The Year by Guitarist Magazine, was voted 4th Best bassist in Blues Matters Magazine and has a degree in music to boot. He has worked with/supported Buddy Guy, John Mayall, Matt Schofield, Nine Below Zero, Ten Years After, Robin Trower & more.

Charlotte Joyce:
Award winning Charlotte Joyce has been a professional singer for all her working life and is vocal coach to many other professional singers. She has won awards for her songwriting & was inaugural winner of the Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year in Guitarist Magazine. Holding the highest qualifications for both singing and keyboard Charlotte has been Ron’s ‘right hand man’ for the last year in the Ron Sayer Band. She provided backing vocals on Better Side in addition to dueting with Ron on ‘My Mother In Law’ from the album. Charlotte has worked with/supported the likes of Paul Jones, Dr. Feelgood, Jo Harman & Joanne Shaw Taylor.

Ron Sayer Jr. & Charlotte Joyce – Hard To Please
The album that Ron & Charlotte have always wanted to produce in their two decades of working together in different musical projects. A collaboration of 12 original songs ‘Hard To Please’ covers a lot of musical ground, always rooted in the Blues, but sailing close to Funk, Rock, Country and Rhythm & Blues at the right moments. With the singing duties shared straight down the middle you get to hear Ron tackling low down and dirty blues on ‘Off The Road’, getting funky on ‘Cold Shoulder To Cry On’ and rocking out on ‘Do You Love Me Like You Love Yourself’ & Charlotte baring her soul on ‘Time For Goodbye’, belting out the groovesome ‘Don’t Mess Around’ and throwing around a classic shuffle on ‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothes. The pair even duet on the title track ‘Hard To Please’ and the country shuffle ‘One Of Your Looks’.

FORUM MUSICAL DE MR Q 21 SEPT 2013 - RETURN TO AUTUMN

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. Riley King ...... Today: B.B. King is 88

The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn’t know how other people would take it.
~B. B. King
I never use that word, retire.
~B. B. King
Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century. His bent notes and staccato picking style have influenced legions of contemporary bluesmen, while his gritty and confident voice — capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric — provides a worthy match for his passionate playing.

 Riley B. King (born September 16, 1925), known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American songwriter, vocalist, and famed blues guitarist.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 6 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. and No. 17 in Gibson’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time. According to Edward M. Komara, King “introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed.” King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is widely considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, because of this he is often nicknamed ‘The King of Blues’. He is also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career appearing at 250-300 concerts per year until his seventies. In 1956 it was noted that he appeared at 342 shows, still at the age of 86 King appears at 100 shows a year.

 

Over a period of 63 years, King has played in excess of 15,000 performances. Over the years, King has developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles. He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string bends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have become indispensable components of rock guitarists’ vocabulary. His economy and phrasing has been a model for thousands of players, from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. King has mixed blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound. In King’s words, “When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.”

Honors & awards:

• In 1977, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music by Yale University
• In 1980, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
  
• In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
  
• In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
  
• In 1991, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA.
  

• King was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995. This is given to recognize “the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nation’s most prestigious artists.”
  
• In 2004, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music awarded him the Polar Music Prize for his “significant contributions to the blues”.
  
• On December 15, 2006, President George W. Bush awarded King the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  
• On May 27, 2007, King was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Brown University.
  
• On May 14, 2008, King was presented with the keys to the city of Utica, New York; and on May 18, 2008, the mayor of Portland, Maine, Edward Suslovic, declared the day “B.B. King Day” in the city. Prior to King’s performance at the Merrill Auditorium, Suslovic presented King with the keys to the city.
  
• In 2009, TIME named B.B. King No.3 on its list of the 10 best electric guitarists of all time.
  
• Each year during the first week in June, a B.B. King Homecoming Festival is held in Indianola, Mississippi.
  
• A Mississippi Blues Trail marker was added for B.B. King, commemorating his birthplace.
  
• On May 29, 2010, Sabrosa Park (at the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he played before 20,000 people.

Paul McCartney Reveals Tracklisting for “New” Album

Paul McCartney has released the complete tracklisting for his forthcoming LP, New!
The album was produced by the iconic George Martin’s son, Giles Martin, as well as Paul Epworth, Mark Ronson and Ethan Johns, and will consist of 12 songs, with the title track having dropped last month on iTunes and Soundcloud.
“It’s funny, when I play people the album they're surprised it's me,” Paul McCartney said of the album in the official press release. “A lot of the tracks are quite varied and not necessarily in a style you'd recognise as mine. I didn't want it to all sound the same. I really enjoyed making this album.  It's always great to get a chance to get into the studio with a bunch of new songs and I was lucky to work with some very cool producers.  We had a lot of fun.”
New, set for release on October 15, marks McCartney’s first album of all original material since 2007’s Memory Almost Full, and can be preordered now on iTunes and Amazon.
Sir Paul will headline this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 21, and has appearances rumored in San Francisco and Los Angeles for this fall. The rocker will also embark on a four-date tour of Japan in November.
Check out the entire tracklisting of New below, and head to PaulMcCartney.com for more details!
New Tracklisting:

1. Save Us (produced by Paul Epworth)
2. Alligator (produced by Mark Ronson)
3. On My Way to Work (produced by Giles Martin)
4. Queenie Eye (produced by Paul Epworth)
5. Early Days (produced by Ethan Johns)
6. New (produced by Mark Ronson)
7. Appreciate (produced by Giles Martin)
8. Everybody Out There (produced by Giles Martin)
9. Hosanna (produced by Ethan Johns)
10. I Can Bet (produced by Giles Martin)
11. Looking At Her (produced by Giles Martin)
12. Road (produced by Giles Martin)