Geno

These days I found the live record of Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band in my collection. After putting the record on my turntable Geno and his music hit me like he did before in decades. It was like he didn't left me during the years. It is still making fun to listen to him and his kind of soul he was able to give to us all. Most of the songs are standards and you've heard them often enough. But I can't get rid of his kind of interpreting this songs. Seldom heard more soul in these songs than he did. He was a giant - and I understand why Kevin Rowland got addicted to him on the first Dexy's. Listen to them in a row and you might understand what I mean.

Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band - Things Getting Better
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band - Who's Fooling Who
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band - I Can't Turn You Loose
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band - Get Down With It
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band - I'm A Roadrunner

If you have time enough you can see him live in the early 60s live in the Marquee Club, Liverpool, together with The Who and Jimi Hendrix.

Enjoy.

Beat Club Classics

I took me a few days off the road and the bars and I had the time to search for some old music. While I was searching the Internet for the old bands of the 60s I got a link to an old series in German television. You might know Top of the Pops and  we tried to make the same thing on our TV. The monthly series was called Beat Club and they had a mixture of chart music but they always tried to go their own way in presenting some new music. What I found was a special they made. They rented the Marquee Club in London, invited some artists and let them play live. It was a very raw sound it it brought me back to the basics of rock music. Listen to this raw and intensive versions of songs by Geno Washington, Clive Bennet, Jimi Hendrix, The Smoke and The Who. For me it was 30 minutes of pleasure. Sadly that they don't do it in this way today.

Enjoy and have a good week folks.

PS: I found some really good episodes of this series that I would like to introduce to you throughout the next weeks. Most of them played live. It's not only a sentimental journey to a time long gone by but it made fun to me to see this series again I grew up with it and what made me open for a lot of music I didn't knew before.