HE'S STILL THE ONE!

LARRY HOPPEN








Monday morning I started my birthday off with a wonderful interview with one of the lead singers for The Band Orleans - LARRY HOPPEN. I had a great chat with Larry, a very nice guy with a lot of musical stuff happening. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of ORLEANS, since first seeing them perform on the Pretender Tour with Jackson Browne in Miami Halloween 1976, and having had Larry's bandmate JOHN HALL perform at our venue Kool Beanz several times.


(cluster graft from BAND TO BAND tracing rock's family tree)

I want to share the interview with you, but I've got good news & bad news...first the bad news - for the interview I was using/experimenting with a new piece of recording equipment (my birthday present from Jen - thanks baby!) and the mouthpiece on my phone was bad & rendered my voice and the recording horrible. The good news is that I salvaged a few minutes to share with you, and Larry gave us a few MP3s of new and rare stuff for you as well! - A New Solo track, a live one by Orleans, and a vintage live recording from 1969 of Dancin' In The Moonlight, by Larry's early band BOFFALONGO. (from Wiki: The song was written by Sherman Kelly in 1968, whose brother, Wells Kelly - King Harvest's drummer in the early 1970s (and later Orleans')- introduced the song to the band. It was originally recorded in 1970 by the American band, Boffalongo).
Hope we get to chat again soon Larry....

So, a little about Larry Hoppen:
Larry is of course, a founding member and 'the voice' of the band Orleans, whose critically acclaimed music and memorable harmonies are loved the world over. People instantly recognize Larry's uplifting tenor from Orleans' timeless classics: Still the One, Dance with Me (both BMI certified, with a combined airplay of over 6 million!) and the self-penned wonderful hits Love Takes Time, Let There Be Music.

A musician's musician, Larry's vocal, keyboards, guitar, bass, Hohner Melodica, and other instrumental talents have been featured on tours and album releases by such artists as Graham Parker, Michael Franks, Lulu, Felix Cavaliere, and Livingston Taylor, Screaming Cheetah Wheelies and Blues Traveler.

In 1996, Larry produced (his side project) The UnHerd's Looking for the Light. With David Sancious, Tony Levin, Terry Silverlight and other world class artists Larry created a wonderful collection of meaningful compositions. All CD sales profits and 100% of Larry's publishing are donated to Sunshine for HIV Kids, which he and wife Patricia, co-founded in 1993. The symbiotic combination of Larry's musical career and charitable efforts is something to which he is deeply committed.

Larry's newest CD as singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist is titled "Handmade", and recently, Larry has been touring the globe with RPM (Rock and Pop Masters) whose members enjoy 25 Gold Albums, 26 Platinum and Multi-Platinum Albums, 57 Top Forty singles, 25 Top Ten singles, and 10 Number One Hits!

Today, Larry is in Woodstock, perparing for a gig with ROBBIE DuPREE at the The Bearsville Theatre on Friday, February 1st.The Time and Tide CD concert will be a special concert because they will preview all the new songs from "Time and Tide", Robbie's Brand New CD (Today!) in the first part of the evening, and in the second half of the show, they will perform favorites and hits, reaching back through his recording history.

"Time and Tide" is Robbie's first studio record in 5 years, and features an awesome band: David Sancious, Larry Hoppen, Leslie Smith, Rick Chudacoff and Peter Bunetta. Together, they've been friends and music partners for more than 30 years.

Larry and I discussing the Rock and Pop Masters

larry-RPM.mp3

Larry and I talking about the new Robbie DuPree project

larry-robbie.mp3

solo Larry

3 Unsettling Down.mp3

ORLEANS

Mission of Mercy.mp3

Boffalongo `69

Dancin' _ BOFF '69.mp3

Check Out The Websites below for Larry, RPM, Robbie and Orleans...this bunch is still kicking out some awesome music!

LARRY HOPPEN

ORLEANS

RPM

ROBBIE DUPREE

Sunshine for HIV Kids

BAND TO BAND

They Say It's Your Birthday....

Well, Happy Birthday to Me!

First off, THANK YOU all very the wonderful response and support during my first two weeks of blogging on SPILL THE BEANZ. I've got lots of kool things coming up, I'm lining exclusive interviews, concert & book reviews, lots of art and more! Please be sure to go to the bottom of the page & click the link that says "subcribre to:"...or email me to be kept up to date with new posts.


Today I'm going to share with you a bunch of January 28th related things. This morning I had a great interview with ORLEANS frontman Larry Hoppen, I'll share some of that with you tomorrow when I get done editing. In the meantime I'll share an MP3 or two that he passed along with you....I'll also share with you a recording of another Orleans frontman, John Hall, singing Happy Birthday to me 7 years ago at Kool Beanz, and some great news.


My 10 year old son (The Florida Gators Fan!) sculpted this replica of (my team) the Miami Hurricane's Mascot "Sebastian" for my birthday today - AWESOME!!









Here are a few other notable
1/28 Birthday celebrants:
1887 Arthur Rubinstein
1909 Lionel KP "Buster" Crabb
1912 Jackson Pollock
1929 Acker Bilk
1936 Alan Alda
1943 Dick Taylor (The Pretty Things)
1950 Barbi Benton
1962 Sam Phillips
1968 Sarah McLachlan
1977 Joey Fatone Jr. ('N Sync)
1980 Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys)
1981 Elijah Wood
...and my Unlce Phil....



TODAY: JIMMY PAGE PRESS CONFERENCE ...LED ZEP REUNION?
More From The Associated Press:

Led Zeppelin Guitarist Wants World Tour
By ERIC TALMADGE – 1/28/08

TOKYO (AP) — Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page said Monday he was ready to take the iconic band on a world tour after burning up the stage at last month's reunion concert in London. But it probably won't be before September.

"The amount of work we put into O2 was what you would normally put into a world tour anyway," Page, 64, said of the intense rehearsing the band did for the Dec. 10 concert at London's O2 Arena.

The band's three surviving members — Page, singer Robert Plant and bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones — were joined at the sold-out benefit show by the late John Bonham's son Jason on drums.

Page, who was in Japan to promote the new Zeppelin release, "Mothership," said the two-hour-plus concert was proof that Led Zeppelin can still perform at its best.

He said the band, which formed in 1968, was ready musically to get back together and take it out on a wider run, but it was not clear when it would go on tour as the singer had other plans.

"Robert Plant has a parallel project and he is busy with that until September," Page said.

Plant and bluegrass star Alison Krauss will begin their world tour with a run of shows in the southern U.S. this spring. The two released an album in October called "Raising Sand" that debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard chart in the U.S. The duo will tour Europe in May before returning for North American shows still to be announced for June and July.

Page said the band set their standards very high before agreeing to do the reunion, their first in 20 years. Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980 after the elder Bonham's death.

Page said they rehearsed for weeks, apprehensive that the cohesion they had in the 1970s when they were at their peak might be hard to rediscover.

"We wanted people who might not have even been alive in 1980 when we finished to understand what we were," he said.

Page said all went well until he broke a finger in three places, forcing the band to postpone the show for several weeks.

"But we did the show, and it was great," he said. "It was instant in terms of chemistry."

ANNOUNCED TODAY:
QTRAX - FREE LEGAL MUSIC DOWNLOADS by Major Artists

from QTrax:

Qtrax is NOT just another P2P network, it provides a complete system for finding and downloading music. The player provides access a web site filled with artist content, including Videos, Ringtones, Lyrics, Album Art, up to the minute artist news! Try finding THAT on any other P2P network. Even better – its FREE AND LEGAL on Qtrax.

One This Day In History.....
January 28th:

1960 - The first photograph bounced off of the moon.
1960 - Zora Neale Hurston died in Fort Pierce, Florida
1964 : Andy Warhol: Andy Warhol starts the Factory, the first works of art were boxes of food
1965 - The Who made their first appearance on the British TV rock show "Ready Steady Go!"
1967 -Rolling Stones release "Let's Spend the Night Together"
1985- the recording took place for 'We Are The World' the US equivalent of Band Aid. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie the all star cast included Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry and Bob Geldof. The proceeds went toward worldwide hunger prevention.
1986 : Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during lift-off Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after lift-off killing all seven astronauts, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe. The cause was later determined as a leaking solid rocket booster.
1986 - Joaquin Phoenix: He made his big-screen debut in "Space Camp"
1988- Eleven years after it was released, The Sex Pistols album 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols' went Gold in the US with sales over 500,000.
1990 - Aaron Neville sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXIV.
1994- Paul and Linda McCartney attended the premiere of Wayne’s World II in London. The couple then went on to Hard Rock Café, where the film star Mike Myers presented them with a check for LIPA (the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) for $42,500 from the sale of Linda’s vegetarian burgers.
1996 - Diana Ross performed as the featured halftime performer at Super Bowl XX.
1999 - Anna Kournikova: Won her first double Grand Slam Title in Australia (with Martina Hingis)
1999 - Pat Boone formed the Gold Records label, which will only sign artists 45 years old and up. The first performer signed was Jack Jones.
2007 - Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture was at No.1 on the US album chart. The musical based on the history of Diana Ross and the Supremes featured Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson.




my portrait of original Beatle drummer Pete Best, signed by Pete on my birthday 1995
















Some USA Number 1 Singles on January 28th

1997 "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton
1993 "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston
1987 "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters
1986 "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne and Friends
1985 "Like a Virgin" by Madonna
1984 "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes
1983 "Down Under" by Men at Work
1981 "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon
1980 "Rock with You" by Michael Jackson
1974 "You're Sixteen" by Ringo Starr
1973 "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
1972 "American Pie" by Don McLean
1971 "Knock Three Times" by Dawn
1970 "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by B. J. Thomas
1969 "I Heard It through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
1968 "Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)" by John Fred and His Playboy Band
1967 "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees
1966 "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel
1965 "Downtown" by Petula Clark
1962 "Peppermint Twist - Part I" by Joey Dee and the Starliters
1960 "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston


Below are some MP3s for your enjoyment. You'll hear from the "Dancin' and We're Still Havin' Fun" DVD and CD by ORLEANS...and a solo track from Larry Hoppen.

"Dancin' In The Moonlight" from the ORLEANS Live DVD/CD

3 Dancin' In The Moonlight.mp3

LARRY HOPPEN solo

10 Love Is Love.mp3

JOHN HALL @ KOOL BEANZ

JavaJohn BirthdayBlues.mp3

ORLEANS

LARRY HOPPEN

JOHN HALL

ROCK & POP MASTERS

(Congressman) JOHN HALL

PETE BEST

LED ZEPPELIN

QTRAX

SUNSHINE FOR HIV KIDS

SPIRIT

WELCOME TO THE ANIMAL ZOO

When it comes to my "first" rock concert....I have a few. In the very early `70's at the Dade County Youth Fair over several years I saw Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, Johnny Nash, The Grass Roots, and even Tanya Tucker (on her first tour, age 13 ). Being that at the time I was around the same age, at all of these shows I was accompanied by family.

Later, in 1975, my first Arena Concert was Alice Cooper with Suzy Quatro opening!

BUT, I've always concidered the first time I saw SPIRIT live to be my first "concert". Novemeber 1974, with opening acts Hammersmith, and Hydra. At the Atlantis Beach Lodge Ballroom in Cocoa Beach.

Probably the main reason I consider it my first real concert is because a) I was allowed to go alone. and b) the place was parting like hell!..contact buzz at the turnstile!

I'll never forget that night, or that band...one of the great underrated L.A. bands of the `60's, by the way. The Doors stole all the thunder, but spirit could hold their own. That night they were down to the one again/off agin trio line-up, featuring Randy California, (his uncle) Ed Cassady, and Larry "Fuzzy" Knight. If I remember correctly, they played all the classic Spirit hits: "I got a line on you", "1984", "Nature's Way", "Fresh Garbage", and the monster "Mr.Skin" with it's extended drum solo (Mr. Cassady was amazing, and had one of the largest drum kits ever!). They were also playing tracks off the (then) soon to be released "Tampa Jam/Electro Jam" album, which included Dylan & Hendrix covers. Randy, once in a band with Jimmy (Jimi James and the Blue Flames), he idolized his bro, and performed the most righteous cover of his songs - ever. Jimi even gave Randy his stage name...he was born Randy Craig Wolfe.

Over the years I ended up seeing Spirit more than any other band...Coca Beach `74, Miami `76 & `78 (two shows), Hialeah early eighties, Ft. Lauderdale `91, Sebastian Beach `94 & `95. There may have been one or two more.

By the last two shows, I was becoming a familiar face, and became friendly with Randy. At the `94 show he asked if I wanted to sell their T-Shirts & CDs, sure! The next year they called me in advance to ask if I could be there for them. After that we talked a few times, telling him in `96 that my wife and I would soon be opening our own venue and would like them to play. We opened in early `98....sadly, Randy never got to play for us at Kool Beanz. On January 2, 1997 he drowned in the while rescuing his twelve-year-old son from a rip current off the shore of Molokai, Hawaii. As he pushed his son Quinn towards the shore a strong undercurrent sadly pulled him away forever. I'm sure he's up there with Jimi again - Heaven Jam/Electro Jam!

We never forgot him at Kool Beanz, and found a prominent postition for my `95 portrait of the band to hang behind the coffee bar.

I just found out that there is a NEW Spirit triple CD with live and studio material from 1974
"SPIRIT- SALVATION...SPIRIT OF '74"...can't wait for that one. E-mail: info@randycaliforniaandspirt.com for info on that one.




my blacklight portrait signed by the band

from the CD live a la paloma

Like A Rolling Stone.mp3

SPIRIT (official)

TENT OF MIRACLES (unofficial)

CSNY: "Deja Vu" FILM

CSNY: Deja Vu FILM to Close Sundance!

from Neil Young's website:
CSNY/DÉJÀ VU TO CLOSE SUNDANCE FESTIVAL
Shakey Pictures and Shangri-la Entertainment were honored to have CSNY/DÉJÀ VU chosen to close the Sundance Film Festival, a gathering place for Independent Films from around the world.
Directed by Bernard Shakey, and produced by L.A. Johnson, executive producers Elliot Rabinowitz and Steve Bing, CSNY/DÉJÀ VU focuses on 2006's "Freedom of Speech" tour. During the tour, the CSNY band traveled with Mike Cerre, an "embedded" correspondent who has been to Iraq and Afghanistan 5 times in the current "War on Terror."
Cerre and his crew captured the reactions of America during the moments before the 2006 elections, just as the nation was beginning to "turn" against the war and the administration that started it. The internal conflict of Americans struggling to come to grips with the reality of the war and the right to speak out against it or in support of it is documented with raw footage of a country at odds with itself and in mid-change.
Can't wait to see this one!

my portrait of CSNY for the amazing 2000 tour
(unfrotunately not autographed!)

live in camden, nj 2006

flags_of_freedom.mp3

CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG

SUNDANCE FILM FEST

NEIL YOUNG NEWS BLOG

"NO NUKES" Vets REUNITE!!

“For What It’s Worth,” No Nukes Reunite After Thirty Years

In a protest against the proposed loan, members of the famed “No Nukes” group, namely Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Graham Nash, have filmed a beautiful and informative video based around the classic Buffalo Springfield hit "For What it's Worth"(see video below).

from Rolling Stone:

Oct. 12, 207 - After almost three decades of near inactivity in the atomic sector, a bill has been sent to the U.S. government to loan $50 billion dollars to the nuclear power industry to kick-start stalled plant plans. In a protest against the proposed loan, members of the famed “No Nukes” group, namely Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Graham Nash, have filmed a YouTube video for the Buffalo Springfield song “For What It’s Worth.” The “No Nukes” group — which once featured Magic man Bruce Springsteen and performed a series of concerts including a famous one at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1979 — now boasts appearances by Ben Harper and Keb’ Mo’.

Since the late-Seventies, and the Three Mile Island incident, the nuke industry has been dormant, but in the wake of global warming and An Inconvenient Truth, the government has been seeking alternative power sources to greenhouse-gas-chewing fossil fuel plants. But Nash claims, “The nuclear power industry is raising its head once more under the guise that it can help global warming. It’s a lot more complex than that. Nothing is ever easy about nuclear power.” Raitt also insists that nuclear plants provide an easy bulls-eye for terrorists when planning a target. Nuclear Energy Institute spokesperson Mitchell Singer, who ironically enough owns and enjoys the No Nukes album, counters that “the upside of nuclear power is so big and so positive that we can deal with these issues.” -Daniel Kreps

CLICK HERE TO SIGN A PETITION AGAINST THE BUILDING OF MORE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

"We can Change The World/Chicago" Live NO NUKES Central Park `82

Crosby Stills & Nash.mp3

CLICK HERE TO SIGN A PETITION AGAINST THE BUILDING OF MORE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

JACKSON BROWNE

BONNIE RAITT

GRAHAM NASH

KEB 'MO

NUKE FREE.ORG

DAVID BOWIE PIN-UPS

Uncovering a Classic.


In 1973 (when I was 13), a friend gave me a copy of David Bowie's Space Oddity, he like the title track, but could not stand the rest of the LP. I, on the other hand became a lifelong Bowie fan.

At about the same time Bowie released this, his 5th major label release, PinUps (the album with the strange cover, that's `60's model extrordinaire Twiggy - the one on the left). I grabbed a copy, and immediately loved it (I've burnt through several LP, cassette, and CD copies over the years). Took me a long time before I realized the impact these songs had on Bowie when he was younger, and the impact his versions and the originals had on my lifelong musical tastes.

The album was the finale for the famed Bowie backup band THE SPIDERS FROM MARS: Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, Trevor Bolder – bass, Aynsley Dunbar – drums (replacing Mick Woodmansey). Bowie recorded "White Light/White Heat" during the sessions, but did not use it, insted donating the backing track to Mick Ronson (one of the great underrated guitarists) for use on his first solo LP Play Don't Worry.

Several years back I had heard that David was recording tracks for a PIN UPS II....but maybe that was just a rumor.

Though I've enjoyed the original versions of these songs for many years, a while back I decided to collect them all together and play them back in the LP's order

Tracks in the order they appear on the 1973 LP

"Rosalyn" – The Pretty Things (1965)
"Here Comes the Night" – Them (1965)
"I Wish You Would" – Billy Boy Arnold (1955)
"See Emily Play" – Pink Floyd (1967)
"Everything's Alright" –The Mojos (1964)
"I Can't Explain" – The Who (1965)
"Friday on My Mind" – The Easybeats (1967)
"Sorrow" – The Merseys (1966)
"Don't Bring Me Down" – The Pretty Things (1965)
"Shapes of Things" – The Yardbirds (1965)
"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" – The Who (1965)
"Where Have All The Good Times Gone" – The Kinks (1965)

The later CD bonus tracks:
"Growin' Up" – Bruce Springsteen (1973)
"Amsterdam" – Jacques Brel (1959)





















my blacklight bowie portrait, 1993
(focus on the dot on his head for 20 seconds,
and tell me if the picture does not go 3D!)

The original tunes that were on this classic album...remember, if you like what you hear, go out and by more material by all these artiast!

ROSAYLN by THE PRETTY THINGS

rosylyn.mp3

HERE COMES THE NIGHT by THEM

here comes the night.mp3

I WISH YOU WOULD by THE YARDBIRDS

I wish you would.mp3

SEE EMILY PLAY by PINK FLOYD

see emily play.mp3

EVERYTHINGS ALRIGHT - THE MOJOS

everything's alright.mp3

I CAN'T EXPLAIN by THE WHO

I can't explain.mp3

FRIDAY ON MY MIND by THE EASYBEATS

friday on my mind.mp3

SORROW by THE MERSEYS

sorrow.mp3

DON'T BRING ME DOWN - PRETTY THINGS

don't bring me down.mp3

SHAPES OF THINGS by THE YARDBIRDS

shapes of things.mp3

ANYWAY ANYWHERE ANYHOW by THE WHO

anyway anywhere anyhow.mp3

WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD TIMES GONE by THE KINKS

where have all the good times gone.mp3

DAVID BOWIE

BOWIE PINUPS

THE WHO

THE KINKS

PINK FLOYD

YARDBIRDS

THEM/VAN MORRISON

THE PRETTY THINGS

RINGO is having a PARTY!

And We're All invited!!

Last week Ringo Starr released his newest, the acclaimed LIVERPOOL 8. Some reports are saying that this is the best Ringo material since the mid `70's. And that's saying something because several of his recent CDs (in the past 15 years) like Vertical Man, Choose Love, and Time Takes Time ALL had some wonderful tunes on them.

In celebration of this new release , Ringo Starr & Dave Stewart will perform a set of Ringo's songs LIVE at an exclusive event - 1pm PST this Friday, January 25 at the L.A. House Of Blues There will ALSO be a LIVE webcast on Ringo's official site!

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME TO THE PARTY:
Amoeba Music in Hollywood and Los Angeles' KLOS 95.5 FM are giving you a chance to 'bypass the line' and guarantee your entry! (See Ringo's Site for Details)...damn, I'd be there if I were on that coast. If anyone goes, please report back!


Another favorite band of mine London's VAN TRAMP, will have their own live webcast the night before Ringo's. This is from their MySpace: "Don't live in London? Can't come to the Borderline gig on Thursday? Well you don't have to miss out on the action as the show is being streamed live over the Internet. See the banner at the top of our MySpace front page for more info and links..."


Ringo Starr: Liverpool 8 Track listing:

1. Liverpool 8
2. Think About You
3. For Love
4. Now That She’s Gone Away
5. Gone Are The Days
6. Give It A Try
7. Tuff Love
8. Harry’s Song
9. Pasodobles
10. If It’s Love That You Want
11. Love Is
12. R U Ready?


BUY LIVERPOOL 8



my portrait signed by ringo!

Ringo performed on the Letterman show tonight, playing the title track from "Liverpool 8" - Classic Ringo!

The first time I saw Ringo live he flew down to Miami Beach (BOAC) with The Beach Boys after their annual concert in Washington D.C. on the afternoon of July 4th, 1984. The Beach Boys decided to do another free concert on the beach that same day! Ringo came out to sing "Back in the USSR", and play drums on "Fun, Fun, Fun" and another tune while the fireworks went off!, whew! Also on hand were the three vocalists from Three Dog Night, and Justin Hayward & John Lodge of the Moody Blues.

On July 9th 2006, my wife and I had the pleasure of bringing (our then 8yr old) son to see Ringo and his All-Starr band in Concert! What a night, Ringo still has it!

Ringo Starr/Beach Boys Miami Beach July 4th-1984

Ringo Starr - Back in the U.S.S.R.mp3

RINGO STARR' OFFICIAL WEBSITE

THE BEATLES

VAN TRAMP's MySpace

guess who's coming back to dinner?

NEW MUSIC BY BACHMAN - CUMMINGS

Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, the two powerhouses behind the phenomenally successful `60's & `70's band THE GUESS WHO are at it again! Thank God!

It's my opinion (and others), that possibly the two the the most underrated, and distinctive voices in the history of Rock n Roll are: a) Ray Davies of of the Kinks, and b) Burton Cummings of The Guess Who....Ray and the boys are starting to be given their historic props - but It's time the world get hip to the legacy and importance of the guys who brought you such hits as: "No Time", "No Sugar Tonight", "These Eyes", "Laughing" and of course "American Woman". Other memorable tracks inclue: "Undone", "Guns Guns Guns", "Albert Flasher", and "Hang onto your life". Even after guitarist extraordinaire Randy left the band to create his other smash band BACHMAN TUNER OVERDRIVE, The Guess Who still kept having hits: "Star Baby", "Clap for the Wolfman", and "Glamour Boy".

In the mid seventies Cummings finally called it quites to pursue a solo career, while various permutations of the band (usually with the other two original members Gary Peterson, and Jim Kale) kept touring the club/fair circuit. I saw this band in the early eighties, not bad, but without a doubt not the real thing.

Over the years there have been several reunions and brief tours, most notably a 1983 show that resulted in a terrific live video & cd, that was followed by a brief tour.

Seems that Jim Kale now owns the rights to the band's name, and that's why since they began touring together again in 2005 (backed Toronto band Carpet Frogs) Randy & Burton go under the name Bachman-Cummings...works for me.

In 2006 the two released two discs: a package that included hits by Guess Who, BTO, and solo Cummings called Songbook...later they released a set of lost demos entitled The Thunderbird Trax.

Then finally in summer 2007 Bachman-Cummings released "Jukebox"...a disc of newly recorded classics songs that inspired them!

Here...take a look at the track listing:

1. Baby Come Back – The Equals
2.Who Do You Love – Bo Diddly/Buddy Holly/The Rolling Stones
3. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You – The Beatles
4. The Walk – Jimmy McCracklin
5. Don't Talk To Him – Cliff Richard & The Shadows
6. Man Of Mystery (INSTRUMENTAL) – The Shadows
7. Ain't That Just Like A Woman – Fats Domino
8. Little Queenie – Chuck Berry/Bobby Rydell
9. Good Times – Sam Cooke/The Rolling Stones
10. Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
11. Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) – John Fred & The Playboy Band
12. Don't You Just Know It - Huey ‘Piano’ Smith & The Clowns
13. Yeh, Yeh – Georgie Fame
14. Agent Double-O Soul – Edwin Starr
15. The Letter – The Box Tops
16. Ain't That Loving You Baby – Elvis
and finally:
17. American Woman 2007 – The Guess Who

I've heard "American Woman 2007" and "Who do you Love", and they both kick ass! Can't wait to get a copy of this one! (you can buy your's here ). I sure hope you gentlemen deceide to take this material on the road...specifically here in Central Florida!



Several years ago, Randy Bachman sent me this signed copy of THIS TIME LONG AGO, a collection of lost/unreleased Guess Who Tracks from between '67-'68 that he lovingly packaged. Recorded between hits "Shakin' All Over" in '65, and "These Eyes" in '69! These tracks were recorded after founder (and "Shakin'" singer) Chad Allen left the band and Cummings joined. The disc charts the band trying to come to grips with all the amazing new things happening in the worl and music those two years. Like on "Jukebox", they even did a handful of covers, and some dead on impersonations! They cover "Light My Fire" twice, both Doors style and Feliciano style! Petty neat. As well as versions of Cream's "White Room"(!), "Summertime Blues, and The Troggs' "Love is All Around"

A few original tracks that really stand out for me are: "Sitar Saga", " Maple Fudge", and "When Friends Fall Out". They also include a demo of their next hit (and first in a long line of many) "These Eyes". Here are a few of the covers, and do yourself a favor...get reaquainted with or discover Canadian Heroes THE GUESS WHO :

White Room2.mp3

Love Is All Around.mp3

BACHMAN CUMMINGS Official Website

Randy Bachman

Burton Cummings

VOYAGES OF DAVID CROSBY

David Crosby's Voyage

I just got a copy of the wonderful DAVID CROSBY VOYAGE from the wonderful folks over at Rhino Records. Wow!

The 3 CD Box Set is a wonderful presentation of the entire career of The Cros. Dressed in a hard cover photo album style with an excellent 130 page book filled with song notes, quotes by friends involved in the recordings, and a ton of photos from many of the era's great talents: Henry Diltz; Linda McCartney; Micheal Ochs ; and Joel Bernstein to name a few.

The first disc kicks off with three tracks by The Byrds that include the rarely heard "Everybody's been burned", then jumps into classic CSN and CSN&Y "Wooden Ships", "Long Time Gone", "Deja Vu". Then we hear from the first solo Crosby, and some Crosby/Nash....I could listen to those two harmonize for hours. And have!

Disc two starts off with tracks from the great 1977 self titled CSN album, "Shadow Captain", and "In My Dreams"....reminds me of the fall of '77, saw my first CSN concert one week, and my first Neil Young show the nest week (more about those in another post). We hear tracks off the 1980's-90's solo CSN, CSNY, and CPR albums ( Crosby, his son James Raymond, and Jeff Pevar...if you don't know about them, follow the link below!), we even get the Phil Collins duet "Hero". And finally disc 2 ends with two tracks from the amazing (and overlooked) 2004 double disc release from David & Graham.

Now, onto disc number three. Whew, kool unreleased material! Demos ("Almost Cut my Hair", "Triad", alternate takes ("Guinnevere", and "Have you seen the Stars tonight" -with Paul Kantner) live recordings ("The Lee Shore", "Dream For Him"), and unreleased material ("Kids and Dogs").

I am a big fan off all the players in all the bands included on this disc. I'm also a huge Neil Young fan...but after listening to this set it's sad that Crosby doesn't get more credit for his, and their huge body of excellent work. But, maybe he does...his name does come first after all!

God bless ya Cros!











my portrait, signed by David & Graham in 1992.

a rare live CSNY recording at Big Sur '69

GuinevereBigSur69.mp3

RHINO RECORDS

DAVID CROSBY

CROSBY & NASH

CROSBY, STILLS & NASH

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG

CPR

BUTTERFLIES AND TURTLES

The Turtles & Bob Lind


Diane, "Java" John, George, and Mark Volman at a Turtles Concert in Orlando' 88.











Bob Lind, and Mark Volman of the Turtles were among my first guests on the Acoustic Record radio show in 2006...Bob in the opening week. Both had very kind words to speak of each other, although Mark thought that Bob went a little soft in the lyric department after The Turtles covered Bob's biting "Down in Suburbia".

We all know of the wild success the Turtles had in the 60's, but to many Bob Lind is a little more obscure...a supposed one hit wonder if you will. Bob's classic "Elusive Butterfly (of love)" made it to #5 in the Billboard in the spring of 1966, but most don't know much more about him.

What folks don't know is that Bob's songs like "Mr. Zero", "Eleanor", and "Drifter's Sunrise" have been covered by hundreds of artists -- including Richie Havens, Eric Clapton, Sonny & Cher, The Blues Project, Hugh Masekela, Bobby Sherman, Keith Relf (Yardbirds), Marianne Faithful Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Hoyt Axton, and Petula Clark to name a few.

Lind took a 30 year break from the music business in 1969. He now lives in Florida continues to write. Bob returned to the music business in recent years, when he began performing again and established an official website. Shortly after he release the wonderful LIVE AT THE LUNA STAR CAFE CD. That CD includes a live version of "Butterfly" and a few other of his popular early tunes, along with some new material including, my favorite: "Sophia's Lullaby"...a touching song he wrote after friends of his surprised him when the adopted a Chinese baby girl.

I hope to chat again soon with Bob, and have a promise to chat with the other Turtle Howard Kaylan real soon. But for now, enjoy "Down in Suburbia", "Sophia's Lullaby"...and a promo spot that I made with Mark Volman's help.

Down in suburbia.mp3

Sophias Lullaby.mp3

Mark Volman Promo.mp3

Turtles on Tour '08
January 26...Elgin IL., Hemmens Cultural Center

February
1...Newark New Jersey - HippieFest

March
29... Schenecady NY - Proctors Theater
Herman's Hermits, Turtles and others

April 4... Aurora IL - Paramount Arts Theater Herman's Hermits and Turtles


TURTLES WEBSITE
buy the Very Best of The Turtles ( a great collection of Turtles hits!)

BOB LIND WEBSITE
in 2007, Ace Records (UK) released Elusive Butterfly: The Complete 1966 Jack Nitzsche Sessions

WE ALL COME TO LOOK FOR AMERICA

AMERICA IN CONCERT
Melbourne, Florida 1/16/08

photos by "Java" John















Tonight I saw the band AMERICA for the 3rd time in 25 years. Took my wife for her birthday (which was in October)...it was her first time seeing the band, and she loved it!

Before the show, I turned and asked "what song do you think will kick off the show"...I don't know she said, do you? I guessed Ventura Highway...wrong. Anyway. the lights went down, and as video rolled I heard Paul Simon singing. Odd, I thought, they most really love Paul. Then I paid attention to the song....."we all come to look for AMERICA" - duh!

So the band (and they do have a great band) ripped through an hour and 40 minute set of classics (of course my favorites "Sandman", "Daisy Jane" and "Sister Golden Hair". Now, I know these are classics because Gerry Beckley pointed out that that when they were in Australia last month he posed the question to the audience - "are the hits oldies or classics?" to which a crowd member shouted back - "they are classics...because your not dead yet!"

The set was also peppered with a few obscure tracks and four or five off their new critically acclaimed album "Here & Now". Most notably of the new material "Chasing the Rainbow", and "Ride On". Both great songs, but they did not play my my fave off the CD "Indian Summer". All in all a very good show by seasoned showmen.


At the end of the show before the last encore, Dewey mentioned that their production manager/sound guy Jeff Worrell was a local talent from Melbourne (to much whoop-whooping!), and that they would like to bring him and his old band from back in the day out to join them on the finale "Horse With No Name"....excellent! And Jeff even got to play the paisley guitar! I recognised one of the guys, Curtis, but if anyone knows who the other guys are please let me know. Classy way to end the show.













My 'portrait' of America (before I knew that Dan Peek had left the band) signed by Dewey Bunnell & Gerry Beckley on the 1994 tour....signed twice by each when they thought the ball point was not dark enough, nor were there enough arrows !






america on german tv in the 70's


AMERICA

DEWEY BUNNELL

JEFF WORRELL

DAN PEEK

TRUCKIN' USA

Beach Boys & Grateful Dead at the Fillmore East in April 1974.

TRUCKIN' USA is song was written by myself and good friend musician Dave Grooms.

I was inspired to write the lyrics were based on two events: the Annual JERRY DAZE Concert that Dave and I produce here locally, and the strange but wonderful meeting of these two bands...not once, but twice. First on the East Coast (at the Fillmore, not the Winterland as I wrote in the song...artistic license you know!), then a few years later on the West Coast. To date the is the only song I've ever had a part in writing.

The two bands also shared the stage at Bill Graham's Day on the Green concert, at the Oakland Coliseum, June 8, 1974. The bill that day was: The Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Commander Cody.

"Grateful" Dave & I also co-illustrated that year's Jerry Daze poster (above), he doing the water color background & portrait of Jerry, myself adding the hand lettering & frills.

Look for JERRY DAZE to return this spring!












TRUCKIN' USA
music by Dave Grooms, lyrics by "Java" John

I got a six-pack of bettys and I'm lookin' for a swell
I'm jackin' up mu Woody 'cause it's flat as hell
And I'm Truckin', Truckin' USA

Cocoa Beach, Laguna, and far and near
I'm eatin' the beach, and I'm smackin' the pier
And I'm Truckin', Truckin', Truckin' USA

It was a wonder at Winterland, oh what a thrill,
The Beach Boys and Dead were on a double bill.
Micro bus cruisin' and I'm surfin' the dial,
KSAN radio to QAM, ah, truckin', truckin' all the while

Truckin', Truckin' USA
Oh...ooooo

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I thought I heard the word,
look at me know I'm the Surfin' Bird.
And I'm Truckin', Truckin' USA

Oh no now I'm old & in the way,
but every bleach blonde has got a touch of grey
And I'm Truckin', Truckin', Truckin' USA

Now I'm looking for my little Surfer Girl-
East Coast, West Coast and every shore.
But all I hear is "don'cha know, Berta don't come around here anymore -
She's Truckin', Truckin' USA

Vibrations are good, strange in a haze,
were gonna follow that Dark Star to another Jerry Daze.
Tell Dennis & Carl, we're Truckin' USA

We're Truckin' USA
Truckin' USA

Truckin'
Truckin' USA

Truckin' USA.mp3

Grateful Dead

Beach Boys

Jerry Daze Website

Jerry Daze MySpace