Tag: The Beatles

The Sex Pistols – “Anarchy In The UK”, “God Save The Queen”, “Pretty Vacant” And “Holidays In The Sun”

The late Seventies were the years of punk rock, and although not the first punk rock band, The Sex Pistols were the epitome of the movement, with songs like “Anarchy In The UK”, “God Save The Queen”, “Pretty Vacant” and “Holidays In The Sun”.

I didn’t actually get a (taped) copy of their only album, “Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols” (1977), until a few years later, when I lived in Germany.

Or maybe I did get it before leaving New Zealand, I just remember playing it in the car of a band I wrote some stuff with in Germany, shortly after I met them in December 1980. The bass player and singer of the ZZ Top/Lynrd Skynyrd type band didn’t like The Beatles, so I played him The Sex Pistols…

This is the studio version of “Anarchy In The UK”:

“God Save The Queen”, also the studio version:

Sex Pistols classic “Pretty Vacant”:

“Holidays In The Sun”:

Having experienced the Berlin Wall on numerous occasions while living in Germany – from both sides – the lines in this song about it took on particular significance for me at least in the 1980s.

Now the Wall is gone and so are The Sex Pistols, though the Berlin Wall actually lasted longer…

Nevertheless, the “cultural” legacy of The Sex Pistols lingered on well after the actual demise of the band.

Whatever one may think of their music, they were a catalyst for many great acts that followed.

Paul
Ringo Starr – “Photograph”, “You’re Sixteen” And “Six O’Clock”

In 1974 while visiting my older brother in Invercargill at the very bottom of New Zealand’s South Island, I bought the Ringo Starr album “Ringo”, featuring the single “Photograph”, which went to No. 1 in America.

Another song from the album, also a Number 1 hit in the USA, was “You’re Sixteen”.

I also rather like “Six O’Clock”, penned by Paul McCartney.

Here is the album version of “Photograph”, which was co-written by another former member of The Beatles, George Harrison, and produced by Richard Perry:

I’m not sure when this live version of “Photograph” was performed, it is Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, featuring John Entwistle of The Who on bass, Billy Preston on keyboards and Ringo’s son Zak Starkey on drums (at least I think it is, I had to change the video, this one is 1995 apparently):

As both John Entwistle and Billy Preston are no longer alive, it must have been a while ago.

And here is “Six O’Clock”, not a hit, but I like it:

I have found an interesting connection with Ringo Starr: a fellow (earlier) graduate of Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, the late Dave Jordan, wrote one of the songs on his 1976 album “Rotogravure”.

Paul
Klaatu – “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”, “Sub Rosa Subway”, “Doctor Marvello”, “California Jam” and “True Life Hero”

I think it must have been about 1976 or 1977 when I bought an album by a Canadian band called Klaatu with, among others, the track “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” (which was covered by The Carpenters soon after it came out).

It was rumoured that this was actually the Beatles in disguise, so to speak.

Parts of the record certainly sounded like the Beatles, but you couldn’t be sure.

Well, now you can. It wasn’t.

The debut album “Klaatu” was actually called “3:47 EST” in Canada, but was changed by the US record label, so I guess I got the US version.

The name Klaatu was taken from an extraterrestial (i.e. outer space person) played by Michael Rennie in the film “The Day The Earth Stood Still”. (I think Michael Rennie is also referred to by Richard O’Brien in the song “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, the title track of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”.)

Whatever, the music makes pleasant listening, Beatles-like or not.

So without further ado, here are some tracks from that first album (there were more).

“Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”:

“Sub Rosa Subway”:

“Doctor Marvello”:

“California Jam”:

“True Life Hero” (sounds a bit like Juke Box Hero”, doesn’t it…):

May the force be with you…

Paul

P.S. Sorry, wromg film. 😉
The Alan Parsons Project – “The Raven”, “(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether”, “I Robot”, “Breakdown”, “I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You”, “Some Other Time”, “Don’t Let It Show”, “Time”, “Eye In The Sky”

When I heard the name Alan Parsons mentioned today, in my mind I was in a student flat in about 1977 in Waldegrave Street, Palmerston North, New Zealand, listening to “The Raven” from the album “Tales Of Mystery And Imagination”, the first from The Alan Parsons Project.

The Alan Parsons Project was founded by its namesake Alan Parsons, a young engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, and Eric Woolfson, who wrote most of the songs and sang on many of them. Woolfson died at the beginning of December last year (2009).

Alan Parsons first came to prominence engineering the Beatles album “Abbey Road”, and was also particularly well known for his work on Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, as well as many works by The Hollies.

He also played a major role in influencing the sound of Al Stewart’s “The Year Of The Cat” and “Time Passages”, which he also produced.

The Alan Parsons Project was really a fluid group of different musicians around these two main protagonists, and produced studio music in the genre some call progressive rock.

“Tales Of Mystery And Imagination”, released in 1976, was a tribute to horror writer Edgar Allen Poe. Here are two tracks from it:

“The Raven” (lead vocals by Leonard Whiting, Alan Parsons lead vocal through a “vocoder”):

“(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether” (vocals John Miles and Jack Harris):

The following year “I Robot” was released. There are a number of tunes from this record I still remember well.

Firstly, of course, the title track, “I Robot”:

“Breakdown” (vocals Allan Clarke):

“I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You” (vocals Lenny Zakatek):

“Some Other Time” (vocals Peter Straker and Jaki Whitren):

“Don’t Let It Show” (vocals Dave Townsend)

Although in the early years there was little live material, later you can find more, and especially recently, although The Alan Parsons Project itself ceased to exist back in 1987 already.

Here is a live version of “Don’t Let It Show”:

In 1980 the musicians released the album “The Turn Of A Friendly Card”.

It featured the song “Time”, with lead vocals by Eric Woolfson:

Finally, from the 1982 album of the same name, “Eye In The Sky”, also sung by Eric Woolfson:

And here’s “Eye In The Sky” live:

Here’s looking at you!

Paul

Tag: The Beatles

The Sex Pistols – “Anarchy In The UK”, “God Save The Queen”, “Pretty Vacant” And “Holidays In The Sun”

Ringo Starr – “Photograph”, “You’re Sixteen” And “Six O’Clock”

Klaatu – “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”, “Sub Rosa Subway”, “Doctor Marvello”, “California Jam” and “True Life Hero”

The Alan Parsons Project – “The Raven”, “(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether”, “I Robot”, “Breakdown”, “I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You”, “Some Other Time”, “Don’t Let It Show”, “Time”, “Eye In The Sky”