Rough Mix

 

When we were young, we regularly went to a mountain hut in Austria as a football team for a long weekend in autumn. We could rarely decide on a style of music to play during the trip and decided that everyone should make a tape that didn't include punk, jazz or metal. The majority of my tape contained Pete Townshend's latest album. Rough Mix is one of these albums showing two great musicians doing their very own thing not looking for big success. Pete Townshend was the leading figure from The Who and Ronnie Lane bass player by Small Faces/Faces. Townshend asked Lane to produce this album but over time it became more of a joint album combining the influences of both groups. It goes without saying that there are no really bad songs on it. The basic mood is relaxed and many songs sound as if they were recorded around a campfire in the evening. Both artists wrote the best song from the autumn in their career and it ends with a superb version of a Don Williams song. 

Monday's Long Song

 

The recent days I got the news that The Who released Who's Next | Life House as a 10-CD-box after more than 50 years of it's original release. Townshend describes Life House in his introduction to the new editions as a portentous polemic about the coming of a nation beaten down by climate issues an pollution. He then explains how an opportunist and autocratic government enforce a national lock-down in which every person is hooked up to an entertainment grip.. Music itself becomes an inconvenient diversion, a very real distraction to the subjugation of the population in suits. I didn't listen to these songs in that context but now I can see his intention in various songs. Anyway, Who's Next is the last great album they made. Everything else later didn't fit to my musical taste any more, although it wasn't worse. Listening to the demo of Baba O'Riley shows once again Pete's ability of songwriting and I ask myself why I should have to wait for decades to listen to this version. But better late than never.

Rocket Man

 

There are less artists that accompanied me during the last decades and one of them was Reginald Kenneth Dwight better known as Elton John. Today he can celebrate his 75th birthday and looking back on an astonishing career. From the early days when he worked with Marc Bolan and Pete Townshend over his successful collaboration with Bernie Taupin he was always present in my musical education. And yes, I always had hidden fondness to him, his songs and voice.

Happy Birthday Sir.

Another Band That Didn't Got The Success They Denid

 

Pat Fish formed in 1982 one of the best bands from the early 80's. The Jazz Butcher could be described powerful indie-folk band with a massive touch of great arrangements and the ability to create great lyrics to songs full of hooks. They accompanied me during a lot of years and I often came back to their music. So I felt sad when I got the news several weeks ago that Pat Fish died too early, a songwriter right between Ray Davis and Pete Townshend. But they also made great cover versions and with We Love You they made the old Stones song sound like an early Acid House track. During the last months Fire Records released a couple of their albums and a few days ago Dr. Cholmondley Repents a  four CD-Collection of their A-sides, 12-inches and rarities. A good way to enter the universe of The Jazz Butcher and their magnificent sound. 

The Jazz Butcher - Southern Mark Smith (Original 45)

The Jazz Butcher - We Love You (The Great Awakening)

Evolution

Back in 1972 Pete Townshend released his first solo album after years working together with The Who. It was one of the first albums ever I listened to in full time. An older friend of my close friend in school days introduced us to this record. Since then I was impressed by the work of Pete Townshend. Not that I like everything he did after The Who but I always felt that he made his very own music without his bandmates. The songs on this album are totally different to the sound of the mod-like The Who and maybe the reason is that Ronnie Lane guided Pete to another way of sound. These days an anniversary edition was released with some out-takes and other stuff. And on this record he showed us his affection to country/folk inspired music that he couldn't do with his band. But this doesn't matter at all - it is still fun listening to this old songs again.

Pete Townshend - Evolution
Pete Townshend - There's A Heartache Following Me
Pete Townshend - Time Is Passing

Rough mix

George's ICA about The Faces brought back a record to my radar I didn't listen for long time to. It almost 40 years ago I bought Rough Mix the collaboration of Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend. Both legends with their bands The Small Faces and The Who they found together for this superb album. It's dominated on one side by Townshend's remarkable guitar and on the other side the deeply folk inspired music by Mr. Lane. It's similar to the music of The Faces: I don't know which songs I prefer more - the rocking ones or the ballads. Maybe it depends on the mood I'm in. I love the way Pete Townshend plays his guitar but I also love the melodies of Ronnie Lane's country influenced ballads. In addition, as John Prine once said of Jackson Browne. I don't know where Lane gets his melodies. but I'd sure like to go there. Through all songs I can hear this relaxed feeling and I imagine that they had great fun doing this record.

My Baby Gives It Away
Nowhere To Run
Keep Me Turning
'Til The Rivers All Run Dry

Live Music On German Television

Last week I posted the appearance of Jimi Hendirx Experience when German Beat Club went to London to play some bands live at the Marquee Club in London back in 1967. This show would not be complete without the live appearance of The Who.

You might like them or not. But for me they were one of those bands that made the difference to many other bands in these days. One of the most divergent singers in the early 60's, the steady bass of John Entwistle, the extraordinary guitar by Pete Townshend were the trademarks of this band. But for me Keith Moon was the leading figure of The Who. I never heard any drummer before or after playing the drums like he did. He counted with his extremely dynamic, quick play and his exatelted appearance to the most remarkable drummers of his time. Listen to his playing on Live At Leeds and you might understand what I mean. Looking at this footage I have to say: Mod rules.

ronnie lane momorial concert

I can't explain why I feel a lot to Ronnie Lane and his music right now. Maybe because he and his music touched me right from the start. I followed him from the first time I ever saw him live - and this more than 45 years ago. From the bottom of the early Small Faces's days over his solo career and the collaboration with Pete Townshend I was a huge fan of him. Sadly he didn't got the respect in musical history he should have. Listening to his songs (in every version ever) you can get a little touch of his brilliancy.

70 Years Old And Still Making Music

One of my earliest memories when I started getting interested in music was listening to Pete Townshend's first solo record Who Came First at my pals place. From this time on I was a huge fan of him and his music. I read in the news that he released a best of album these days. According to the fabulous series of imaginary compilations over at JC's place I asked myself if this compilation would include the songs I would put on my list. I miss more songs from his best record ever Rough Mix, his fantastic collaboration with the unforgotten Ronnie Lane. I think he didn't made this kind of relaxed songs before and after. Anyway, the best songs of this record and his first one are on the compilation so I can agree with it.

Pete Townshend - Sheraton Gibson
Pete Townshend - My Baby Gives It Away
Pete Townshend -.Hard To Hang Onto
Pete Townshend - Keep Me Turning

On this compilation are two previously unreleased tracks. Guantanamo is a song based on an organ loop, a bass line and and a drum part to be added with acoustic guitar. He's not singing on this song - he shouts out his statements. I miss his guitar so judge this song by yourself.

Pete Townshend - Guantamo

Shaking All Over

One of my earliest records was The Who - Live at Leeds. It was released nearly 45 years ago and the planed live recording of their concert in Hull one day later couldn't record because of technical problems. I loved The Who since I turned into music. There was a great guitar played great riffs and solos as well. Keith Moon was maybe the best/weirdest drummer all times. And John Entwistle played a steady bass. Roger Daltrey was an extraordinary singer. There are so many song on this record that I could hear still. This one is for me one of the best. A cover version that impressed me so much. Especially the drum section by Keith Moon - he was crazy and weird but his work on drums is still awesome.

The Who - Shakin' All Over

Twanging Tuesday # 36

 Richard Monsour aka Dick Dale is an US-American musician and pioneer of the surfing music. Dale was one of the most high-powered guitarists of the early 1960s years. Together with Link Wray he is valid as style-pedagogic for guitarist like Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Eddie van Halen. He uses especially made fender's guitars and fender's amplifiers and experimented with echo effects. Dale is a very expressive guitarist. He always claims to be no good guitarist in the classical sense. With his experimental play technology he developed his quite own, unmistakeable sound. Dales brand name is the quick Staccato poster of the guitar strings (for example, with Misirlou). Besides, he made the excessive use of sound in the instrumental surfing music popularly. His song Misrilou was featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's movie Pulp Fiction.

So enjoy some surf punk at this moment and have a good week all you out there.

Dick Dale and his Deltones - Miserlou

Live At Leeds

Last week I posted on Twanging Tuesday a song from Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and remembered that there exists a great cover version by The Who. So I grabbed out the record the first time after a few years. And I was astonished how clear and fresh the sound was on Live At Leeds. It's probably the best live recording ever. Unbelievable how Keith Moon beats out the drums and Pete Townshend never played a better guitar.

The Who - Shakin' All Over
The Who - Magic Bus