Frampton Triumphantly Comes Alive in Pennsylvania

When Peter Frampton said good night to the audience at Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany on November 16, 2022, the music world thought he had just officially ended his touring career. But in April 2023, the English rock guitarist surprised fans with the announcement of the Never Say Never Tour. I knew this would likely be my very last chance to see an artist I’d dug for many years but never caught in concert. On Saturday (July 15), that moment finally arrived and, holy cow, what a great and inspiring performance!

In 2019, Frampton disclosed he had been diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, a progressive autoimmune disease causing muscle inflammation, weakness and wasting (atrophy). Since it sadly is only a matter of time before the condition is likely to have a substantial impact on his ability to play guitar and eventually may make it impossible altogether, Frampton decided to do a farewell tour while still being on top of his game and retire from touring thereafter.

The U.S. leg of the Finale: The Farewell Tour kicked off in June 2019 in Tulsa, Okla. and wrapped up in San Francisco on October 12. A planned 2020 European leg fell victim to COVID, and the dates were rescheduled to 2022. As noted above, that tour ended last November.

Photo: Austin Lord

“At the end of every Finale Tour show I did say, ‘Never Say Never’ and I am always full of hope for the impossible,” Frampton noted in the above announcement. “I’m very pleased to let you know that I am feeling strong and my fingers are still roaming the fretboard. Every note I play now has more meaning and soul. I love playing live and this fighter wants to stay in the ring for as long as he can.” Frampton wasn’t kidding and put some amazing guitar action behind his words!

Before we get to the show, just a tiny bit of background. After gaining initial prominence as a member of rock bands The Herd and Humble Pie, Frampton launched a solo career in 1971, which culminated in Frampton Comes Alive! After 47 years, the iconic 1976 album remains one of the top-selling live records of all time with over 17 million copies sold worldwide. While most of his studio albums didn’t enjoy much chart and commercial success, Frampton still is one of the most recognized guitarists in classic rock history.

Do you feel like I do? I’d say show me the way to some music! At around 8:20 pm EDT, Peter Frampton walked on stage with a cane and sat down on a chair. Those were the only signs of his rare neurological condition. As soon as he plugged in his guitar and started playing and singing, you would never guess he has a serious health condition. On the contrary, Frampton’s hands and fingers seemed to effortlessly move up and down the fretboard, sometimes at incredible speed, and he played with great dynamic and power. His voice sounded strong as well. As far as I can tell, Frampton still was on top of his game!

‘Okay, nuff talk,’ you may think, ‘where’s the damn music?’ Alrighty then. Let’s get started with Shine On, a Humble Pie tune that was the second song in the set. Written by Frampton, it appeared on Rock On, Humble Pie’s fourth studio album released in March 1971, his last with the group before embarking on his solo career.

After I Got My Eyes On You, the opener of Frampton’s Camel, and Lines On My Face (off the same album), a beautiful dedication to John Regan, Frampton’s bassist from 1979-2011, who passed away in April, it was time for the talk box and the first biggie of the night: Show Me the Way. Written by Frampton for his eponymous fourth studio album from March 1975, the tune initially went nowhere when it was released as a single. Things changed when it became the lead single from Frampton Comes Alive! Not only did the tune mark Frampton’s first charting single, but it also ended up becoming one of his biggest hits, climbing to no. 6 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100, no. 2 in Canada, no. 10 in the UK and no. 25 in Australia.

After a few additional tracks, which among others included an excellent instrumental version of Georgia On My Mind and Baby, I Love Your Way, another biggie, it was on to All I Wanna Do (Is By Your Side). Frampton penned and recorded this tune for his solo debut album Wind of Change, which first appeared in the UK in March 1972, followed by the U.S. four months later. Like for various other songs, the tune started with a prelude/guitar solo by Frampton. He also extended some of the songs, and this was one of them.

After three additional tracks, which among others included a scorching instrumental rendition of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun, it was time for the big enchilada and some more talk box. Frampton introduced the tune by grabbing The Phenix, his modified black 1954 Les Paul Custom – the one that’s on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive!, and his main ax during the ’70s – and briefly recalling its story. In late 1980, the guitar seemingly vanished without a trace in a plane wreck in South America, was “lost” for nearly 30 years and was finally returned to him in 2011. He said the first tune he played with it was this one:

Do You Feel Like We Do first appeared in May 1973 on the Frampton’s Camel album but didn’t become popular until September 1976, when it became the last of three singles off Frampton Comes Alive! Not only did Frampton want to make the last song of his regular set count but also used it to introduce his stellar touring band: Adam Lester (guitar), Rob Arthur (keyboards, vocals), Alison Prestwood (bass) and Dan Wojciechowski (drums). BTW, like Frampton, they all were seated to perform. While perhaps a bit unusual for a rock concert, this didn’t bother me at all.

Leading up to the encore, Frampton remarked that in the past he and his band would walk off the stage at this point and come back. For obvious reasons, it didn’t happen this time around. Frampton and the group closed out the night with three covers: Ida Cox tune Four Day Creep; I Don’t Need No Doctor, credited to Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Jo Armstead; as well as The Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Following is the entire line-up of songs.

Setlist
• Lying
• Shine On (Humble Pie song)
• I Got My Eyes on You
• Lines on My Face
• Show Me the Way
• Georgia On My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra cover)
• The Crying Clown
• Prelude/Baby, I Love Your Way
• All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side)
• Can’t Take That Away
• Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
• (I’ll Give You) Money
• Do You Feel Like We Do

Encore
• Four Day Creep (Ida Cox cover)
• I Don’t Need No Doctor (Nickolas Ashford cover)
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles cover)

Frampton ended an amazing night on an emotional note, saying he wants to stay hopeful and see the glass as half full rather than half empty. He also noted the words ‘never say never’, adding that perhaps there’s going to be a Never Say Never Tour – The Sequel. I really hope so for the fans and think it would be compelling, even if he’d “only” perform at 90 percent capacity!

The Never Say Never Tour is currently scheduled to wrap up on August 19 at Sandy Amphitheater in Sandy, UT. Upcoming dates include MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston, Mass. (July 18); The Theater at MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Md. (July 20); and Foxwoods Resort Casino, Premier Theater, Mashantucket, Conn. (July 22). The full schedule is here.

Last but not least, on July 28, Intervention Records will release Frampton@50, a 2,500-copy limited-edition vinyl box set featuring his aforementioned ’70s studio albums Wind of Change, Frampton’s Camel and Frampton. In addition, the Peter Frampton webstore has 250 sets that include an autographed version of the Frampton’s Camel promo poster, with the proceeds benefitting the Peter Frampton Myositis Research Fund.

Sources: Wikipedia; Peter Frampton press materials; Peter Frampton website; Setlist.fm; YouTube

My Top 5 Live Albums Turning 50

Three make a charm. Here’s my third and probably last look for now at 1971. Previously, I mused about my top 5 studio records and my top 5 debut albums that appeared during this remarkable year in music. Now it’s time for my top 5 live albums turning 50 this year.

Similar to debuts, narrowing the universe to live albums substantially reduced the choices compared to studio albums. That being said, I was surprised how many live albums appeared in 1971. For the purposes of my fun exercise, I considered 14 live records. Here are my five favorites. This time, I decided to list them according to their release date.

Elton John/17-11-70

This early Elton John album was new to me. Released on April 1, 1971, it was John’s fifth record overall and his first live release – and, boy, what a great album! It captured a live radio broadcast from November 17, 1970 – hence the title. This was an unplanned album, which was triggered by bootlegs. From a strictly commercial perspective, it turned out it didn’t quite work. A 60-minute bootleg, which included 12 more minutes of John’s music than the officially sanctioned live album, is believed to have impacted sales of the latter. An extended 2-LP edition was released for Record Store Day in 2017. Regardless of the original album’s commercial performance, the music is fantastic. Here’s closer Burn Down the Mission, a tune John initially included on his third studio album Tumbleweed Connection from October 1970. As usual, he composed the music while his long-time partner Bernie Taupin provided the lyrics. This is an extended version that incorporates parts of Arthur Crudup’s My Baby Left Me (starting at around 10:30) and The Beatles’ Get Back (starting at about 14:10). At 18 minutes plus, it can compete with prog rock, but listening to John demonstrating his rock piano chops is a lot of fun! BTW, the guy playing that groovy bass is Dee Murray, who was a longtime member of John’s backing band.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young/4 Way Street

4 Way Street, released on April 7, 1971, is the first live album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It includes footage from gigs at Fillmore East (New York), The Forum (Los Angeles) and Auditorium Theatre (Chicago) recorded during CSNY’s 1970 tour. By the time they played these shows, tension between the members had grown to intense levels, and the band dissolved shortly after the double-LP’s appearance – egos in rock! Sides one and two are acoustic and are primarily focused on the individual members, while sides 3 and 4 are electric, featuring the full band playing together. Here’s Ohio, written by Neil Young, and first released as a single by CSNY in June 1970 to protest the Kent State shooting that had occurred on May 4 of the same year.

The Allman Brothers Band/At Fillmore East

At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band is perhaps the ultimate southern and blues rock album and one of the best live albums ever. Released on July 6, 1971, it features music from three of the band’s concerts at the legendary New York City music venue that occurred in March 1971. The Allman Brothers’ third album overall also marked the band’s commercial breakthrough, climbing to no. 13 on the Billboard 200. As of August 1992, At Fillmore East has reached Platinum status. In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress, deemed to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important” by the National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone ranked the album at no. 49 in their 2003 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In the list’s latest revision from September 2020, it still came in at a respectable no. 105. Here’s Hot ‘Lanta, an instrumental the Allman Brothers debuted on this live album. It is credited to all members of the band at time: Duane Allman (lead guitar, slide guitar), Gregg Allman (organ, piano, vocals), Dickey Betts (lead guitar), Berry Oakley (bass), Jai Johanny Johanson (drums, congas, timbales) and Butch Trucks (drums, tympani). These harmony guitar parts combined with Greg Allman’s Hammond are just out of this world!

Chicago/Chicago at Carnegie Hall

Chicago’s fourth album overall and their first live release, Chicago at Carnegie Hall, released on October 25, 1971, falls into the band’s early period, which is my favorite. As such, it immediately made my list of live albums I considered for my top picks. The 4-LP set was recorded from shows Chicago played at New York’s prominent concert venue for a week in April 1971 during their supporting tour for Chicago III, the band’s third studio album that had come out in January of the same year. “The reason behind the live record for Carnegie Hall is, we were the first rock ‘n’ roll group to sell out a week at Carnegie Hall, and that was worth rolling up the trucks for, putting the mikes up there, and really chronicling what happened in 1971,” co-founding band member Walter Parazaider told William James Ruhlmann, who wrote the liner notes for the 1991 Chicago compilation Group Portrait. Not all members were happy with the outcome. James Pankow, one of three co-founders who remain in the current line-up of Chicago, felt the venue’s acoustics weren’t made for amplified music, comparing the sound of the brass to kazoos. In 2005, a remastered version of the album with improved sound quality appeared. And earlier this month, Rhino Records announced a 50th anniversary 16-CD box set titled Chicago Live At Carnegie Hall Complete. It’s slated for July 16. Meanwhile, here’s the amazing 25 Or 6 To 4. Written by Robert Lamm, the tune first appeared on Chicago’s eponymous second studio album from January 1970 (also known as Chicago II).

George Harrison & Friends/The Concert for Bangladesh

I trust The Concert for Bangladesh doesn’t need much of an introduction. This 3-LP album captured the pioneering music charity event that had been organized by George Harrison to raise money for war-ravaged and disaster-stricken Bangladesh and took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971. The two concerts conducted for UNICEF, which raised from than $243,000 at the time, featured an incredible line-up of artists, who in addition to Harrison included Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Eric Clapton, among others. The event brought Harrison and Starr together on stage for the first time since 1966 when The Beatles had stopped to tour. It also marked Dylan’s first major concert appearance in the U.S. for five years. I recall reading somewhere Harrison literally didn’t know whether Dylan would show up until he walked out on stage. Here’s Harrison’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which was first appeared on The Beatles’ White Album from November 1968.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

When Covers Are Just As Much Fun As Originals

Recently, I remembered a post from July 2017, which featured some of my favorite cover versions of songs I dig. This triggered the idea to put together a second part. Rather than focusing on covers I already knew, this time, I decided to take a slightly different approach. Except for one instance, I picked some of my all-time favorite songs and checked whether they have been covered and, if yes, by whom. Not only did I find some intriguing renditions, but there were also a couple of real surprises.

Ella Fitzgerald/Sunshine of Your Love

Did you know that one of the greatest voices in jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, covered Cream? I had absolutely no idea! Not only did she do so, but she even named a live album after the tune: Sunshine of Your Love, released in 1969. Composed by Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton with lyrics by Pete Brown, the original was included on Cream’s sophomore album Disraeli Gears from November 1967. Fitzgerald’s orchestral version is really cool. Obviously her singing is amazing. Check it out!

Richie Havens/Won’t Get Fooled Again

Richie Havens performing The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again was another unexpected find. He recorded the tune for his final studio album Nobody Left to Crown that appeared in March 2008. The original, written by Pete Townshend, was included on my favorite album by The Who, Who’s Next, their fifth studio release from August 1971. Haven’s acoustic guitar-driven taken is great. I also like the violin. He really made the epic rocker his own.

Townes Van Zandt/Dead Flowers

Townes Van Zandt wrote almost all tunes that are on his 10 studio albums, and many of them have been recorded by the likes of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Gillian Welch. One exception is the live album Roadsongs, a collection of live covers from the mid-’70s through the early ’80s, which was released in 1994. It includes a fantastic take of Dead Flowers, which has become my favorite song by The Rolling Stones, at least on most days! Co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Dead Flowers was included on Sticky Fingers, which also happens to believe is the best Stones album that appeared in April 1971. It’s almost a bit painful to listen to Van Zandt’s version, considering he had struggled with drug addiction for most of his short life.

Noah Guthrie/Whipping Post

Noah Guthrie is a 27-year-old South Carolina-based singer-songwriter. According to his website, he taught himself to play guitar and began writing songs at 14. Here’s a “quarantine” cover version of Whipping Post Guthrie recorded with his band Good Trouble in April 2020. Written by Gregg Allman, Whipping Post appeared on the eponymous debut album of The Allman Brothers Band from November 1969. While this cover stays close to the original, these guys are doing a great job, giving this classic a nice build.

Heart/Stairway to Heaven

This cover of the Led Zeppelin gem is the exception I noted above. In other words, I had known about it. Just the other day, I watched this footage again from the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors, during which Heart with Jon Bonham’s son Jason Bonham on drums honored the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. This is one of the most amazing renditions of Stairway to Heaven, co-written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant (and Randy California of Spirit!), and included on Led Zeppelin IV from November 1971. Messrs. Page, John Paul Jones and Plant were visibly touched. Yes, it’s a bit bombastic but still so good!

Kenny Lattimore/While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Here’s a great soulful version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Kenny Lattimore, an R&B and gospel singer-songwriter who has released seven studio albums to date. This cover of the George Harrison tune – one of his best during his period with The Beatles, IMO – is included on his sophomore album From the Soul of Man that came out in October 1998. While My Guitar Gently Weeps was first recorded for the White Album from November 1968. Thank goodness John Lennon and Paul McCartney didn’t reject all of Harrison’s songs!

Green Day/Like a Rolling Stone

In case you’ve ever asked yourself how Bob Dylan would sound grunge style, here’s one possible answer. Green Day’s eighth studio album 21st Century Breakdown from May 2009 includes this version of Like a Rolling Stone as a bonus track. The maestro first recorded the tune for his sixth studio album Highway 61 Revisited released in August 1965.

Willie Nelson/Have You Ever Seen the Rain (feat. Paula Nelson)

The last cover I’d like to call out is a breathtakingly beautiful rendition of my favorite Creedence Clearwater Revival song: Have You Ever Seen the Rain, written by John Fogerty and included on CCR’s sixth studio album Pendulum from December 1970. Willie Nelson recorded this rendition with his daughter Paula Nelson for his 62nd studio album To All the Girls…, which appeared in October 2013. Nelson, who at age 87 remains active, has a new album coming out on February 26, his 71st! In April 2019, Nelson told Rolling Stone weed had “saved his life,” adding, “I wouldn’t have lived 85 years if I’d have kept drinking and smoking like I was when I was 30, 40 years old.”

Sources: Wikipedia; Noah Guthrie website; Rolling Stone; YouTube

Clips & Pix: Rock & Roll at its Best

It’s safe to assume many folks have watched the above clip, probably more than once – I certainly have. But after having done so yet another time, I simply couldn’t resist reposting it. This just has to be one of the greatest moments in rock & roll live history!

To start, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is one of my favorite George Harrison tunes. I also dig the all-star band that celebrated George and his music back in March 2004 at his posthumous induction as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Tom Petty and fellow Heartbreakers Steve Ferrone (drums) and Scott Thurston (bass), Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, guitarist Marc Mann and George’s son Dhani Harrison – and of course the guy who ended up stealing the show: Prince!

While I had known Prince was a talented multi-instrumentalist, until that moment, I had not fully appreciated what a killer guitarist he was. And I’m not quite sure the other guys who were on stage with him that night had either.

Everything sort is flowing along nicely, with Petty and Lynne doing a beautiful job on vocals and Mann skillfully playing guitar fill-ins and Eric Clapton’s solo – kind of what you’d expect from top-notch musicians. Then, at about 3:29 minutes into the action, Prince who had been in the background steps forward and takes this performance to the next level.

At first, the other guys don’t quite seem to notice. At around 4 minutes, Prince is starting to ramp up. At 4:30 minutes, he’s in full attack mode. At 4:44 minutes, he’s turning around looking at Petty and lets himself slowly fall back into the audience. Petty has a second to briefly smile before he needs to resume singing, while Dhani is in full smile mode. The guy who is catching Prince is pushing him back up on stage. Once back on his feet and in a stable position, Prince continues his scorching solo. Eventually, the song is coming to an end.

While I can’t imagine Prince’s backward dive into the audience hadn’t been carefully planned in advance, to me, this is rock & roll at its best. Undoubtedly, this amazing performance and guitar solo raised the bar forever and won’t be forgotten!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

Another Turkey Day Brings Another Rock & Roll Radio Marathon

I’m not much of a radio guy, not even in the car, where despite having access to Sirius XM, I prefer listening to music from my streaming provider most of the time. An exception for the past few years has been a massive four and a half-day countdown of songs New York classic radio station Q104.3 does around each Thanksgiving. Ingeniously, they call it the Top 1043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time.

To come up with the list, the station asks listeners to submit their top 10 songs in no particular order, which each counting as one vote. They then tally the submissions, determine the 1043 songs with the most votes, and play all of them in one shot, starting with the tune that got the least votes. The only interruption happens at noon on Thanksgiving, when they play Arlo Guthrie classic Alice’s Restaurant in its entire 18 minutes plus. The whole thing lasts from 1:00 pm ET on Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving until sometime on Sunday evening after the holiday!

This year marks the 19th annual annual countdown. Wow, that’s what I call devotion – and smart marketing/audience engagement! Remarkably, each year Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven has been the most popular song. And while the station does not reveal actual vote totals, the hosts have said in the past the tune has always won by many votes.

Don’t get me wrong, I dig Stairway – big time. In fact, if I could only choose one rock song, it probably would be that Zep classic, even though The Beatles generally remain my all-time favorite band. There are other tunes that usually make the top 10, such as Hey Jude and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Again, there’s nothing wrong with these songs and I like them as well.

But the recurrence of the above tracks makes the countdown predictable. To me this means it’s not as much fun as it could be. As I noted before, I think it’s time to shake things up a bit. Following is the set of tunes I submitted. I almost would have forgotten about it and literally did so at 3:00 am this morning when I went to the bathroom and remembered – okay, call me a loony! Here are my choices in no particular order.

Of course, it’s unlikely my selections will change much if anything. On the other hand it’s like elections. If everybody thought they couldn’t impact the outcome, nobody would vote. And that would indeed guarantee that nothing would ever change! So here’s to hoping for a new number one this year. How about Hey Jude?😆

Sources: Q104.3 website; Wikipedia; YouTube

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Is Coming Up…And An Annual Rock & Roll Marathon

When hearing Thanksgiving, it’s safe to assume most folks think of family, friends, turkey and other feasts. To many it also involves travel to spend time together with their loved ones. While there’s nothing wrong with all of that, to me the upcoming holiday first and foremost means it’s time again for classic rock radio station Q104.3’s annual tradition to play the Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs Of All Time, as voted by listeners. I suppose the fact that I care of much about this rock & roll marathon indicates I can be quite nerdy. But when it comes to music, that’s just fine with me!

Playing 1,043 rock songs means many hours of great rock music. And, yes, each is fully played, even Pink Floyd’s epic 23-minute Echoes! In order to accommodate all that music, Q104.3 needs to start the countdown the day before Thanksgiving at 1:00 pm ET and go all the way to Sunday evening – a fantastic listening experience for any rock fan! It’s also a nice break from the 50 or so songs they tend to play all the time – just like most other radio stations do!

One of the things I find remarkable about the list, which is compiled for the 18th time this year and presented in a countdown from no. 1,043 to no. 1,  is that for the past 17 years, Stairway to Heaven has consistently captured the no. 1 spot. While I dig Led Zeppelin and, if given only one choice, may even select the tune myself as the greatest rock song ever, the reality is there are so many other outstanding classic rock tunes. As such, I feel it’s time to shake up the list! While I doubt there will be many changes in the top 10, following are my selections I submitted earlier this morning.

1. Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream (78)

2. Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix Experience (80)

3. Layla – Derek & The Dominoes (4)

4. Tush – ZZ Top (865)

5. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin (1)

6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles (29)

7. Refugee – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (110)

8. Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones (547)

9. Soulshine – The Allman Brothers Band (-)

10. Echoes – Pink Floyd (311)

The numbers in parentheses indicate the ranks of the songs in last year’s countdown. One, Soulshine by The Allman Brothers Band, didn’t make the cut – I told ya, I’m a music nerd! In case you’d like to join the fun, you can enter your submissions here. Happy voting and happy listening!

Sources: Q104.3 website

Clips & Pix: The Beatles/While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Third Version/Take 27)

I know I just posted about the 50th anniversary edition of the White Album. In the meantime, I’ve further explored the massive reissue and simply couldn’t resist to write more about it.

The above clip is a studio take of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, one of my favorite George Harrison songs. In addition to George (vocals, Hammond organ, acoustic guitar), it features John Lennon (electric guitar), Paul McCartney (vocals, piano, bass), Ringo Starr (drums, tambourine, castanets) and Eric Clapton (lead guitar).

Not only have I gained a new appreciation for the incredible variety of music The Beatles wrote for this album (just consider the differences between tracks like Blackbird, Helter Skelter and Revolution 9), but it’s also been an eye-opener how unlike Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, they mostly recorded the White Album as a band playing live in the studio. Based on background chatter, it’s also obvious to me they had a good deal of fun.

You don’t sense any of the tension between them you always read about. I’m not saying it didn’t happen. After all it’s a fact that Ringo walked out at some point, since he couldn’t take it any longer. But it’s also true that John, Paul and George truly wanted him to come back and decorated the entire studio with flowers when he did.

So despite of all the conflict, The Beatles were still able to function as a band, as mind-boggling as that sounds! During a fascinating 90-minute panel discussion about the White Album, which you can still watch on YouTube here, Giles Martin attributed this in part to the fact that John, Paul, George and Ringo really appreciated each other as musicians. At some point, he also appears to doubt that the conflicts between The Beatles were as bad as is commonly thought.

Sources: YouTube

Memorable Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Performances

Last evening’s HBO broadcast of the 2018 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony gave me the idea to take a look at previous inductions and highlight some of the performances there. I’m not getting into the nomination and selection process, the judges, which artists who currently aren’t in should be inducted, etc. – topics that undoubtedly will continue to be discussed. This post is about some of the great music that was performed at the induction festivities over the years.

I’d like to start with the 1999 induction ceremony that featured a great performance of In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett and Bruce Springsteen, one of the inductees that year. They were backed by The E Street Band. Springsteen, a huge fan of Pickett, frequently performs some of the soul legend’s tunes during his shows. Recorded at Stax studios in Memphis, the song was initially released in June 1965 and became Pickett’s first hit for Atlantic Records. He co-wrote the tune with Stax session guitarist Steve Cropper.

In 1993, The Doors were inducted into the Hall. The band’s then-living original members Ray Manzarek (keyboards), Robbie Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums) teamed up with Pearl Jam lead vocalist Eddie Vedder, who did a fine job singing the parts of the charismatic Jim Morrison. Here’s Light My Fire, one of my favorite Doors tunes that appeared on their eponymous debut album from January 1967. Like each of the original songs on the band’s first two records, the tune was credited to all members.

The 1993 inductees also included another legendary band: Cream. Jack Bruce (lead vocals, bass), Eric Clapton (guitar) and Ginger Baker (drums) reunited for the occasion. One of the songs they played was the terrific Sunshine Of Your Love from Cream’s second studio album Disraeli Gears, released in November 1967. The tune was co-written by Bruce, Clapton and Pete Brown. To this day I think Sunshine has one of the coolest guitar riffs in rock.

Among the 2018 inductees were The Moody Blues, a band whose second studio album Days Of Future Passed became one of the first successful concept albums and put them on the map as pioneers of progressive rock. They played the mighty Nights In White Satin from that record, but the first tune they performed was I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock & Roll Band). That song is from their seventh studio album Seventh Sojourn, which appeared in October 1972. It was written by John Lodge (vocals, bass, guitar), who together with Justin Hayward (lead vocals, guitar) and Graeme Edge (drums) is one of the remaining original members who performed at the induction.

Last but not least, here is a clip of what may be the best Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame performance to date: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, played during the induction of George Harrison as a solo artist in 2004. The performance featured Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison and Prince, among others. It will forever be remembered for Prince’s incredible guitar solo. While My Guitar Gently Weeps appeared on the “White Album,” the ninth studio album by The Beatles from November 1968.

Source: Wikipedia, Legacy.com, YouTube

Concert For George Premieres On Big Screen And Vinyl

This Sunday, February 25 George Harrison would have turned 75 years. Sadly, he passed away from cancer on November 29, 2001 at the age of 58 – I can’t believe it’s been more than 16 years! Exactly one year after Harrison’s untimely death, a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London celebrated his life and music. That commemorative event, which had been available on DVD and CD, is now being shown in select movie theaters nationwide and today for the first time appeared as a 4-LP vinyl box reissue. Here’s a nice clip of the unveiling of the box.

The concert was organized by Harrison’s widow Olivia and son Dhani. Longtime friends Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne served as musical directors and performed during the show. Some of the other participating music artists included Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Billy Preston, guitarist Albert Lee, Procul Harum lead vocalist and pianist Gary Brooker, session musican Klaus Voorman and Dhani.

Before the above artists came on stage, Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of Harrison’s mentor Ravi Shankar, opened the event with a special composition by her father, presented together with a 16-piece orchestra of Indian musicians. Afterwards, surviving members of the Monty Python troupe performed comedy skits to acknowledge Harrison’s well-known sense of humor.

Following are a three clips from the concert. The first is a beautiful version of Harrison’s second song that appeared on a record by The Beatles: I Need You from Help!, performed by Petty and Heartbreakers.

The second clip is White Album gem While My Guitar Gently Weeps, featuring Clapton on lead vocals and guitar, backed by McCartney, Starr, Lee, Lynne and Dhani, among others. While it is probably impossible to beat the tune’s rendition and Prince solo performed during the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction show, it’s a pretty solid performance.

I also came across the following clip, showing Billy Preston singing My Sweet Lord, backed by the above other musicians. The tune was Harrison’s first big post-Beatles hit, which appeared on his solo debut album All Things Must Pass. Unfortunately, the quality of the video isn’t great but the audio is decent.

“We will always celebrate George’s birthday and this year we are releasing Concert for George in a very special package in memory of a special man,” Olivia said in a statement.

In addition to the vinyl set, the reissue is available in four other formats: 2-CD + 2-Blu-Rays Combo Pack, 2-CD + 2-DVD Combo Pack, 2-CD Pack and, I suppose for the true die-hard fans, as a limited Deluxe Box Set, including four 180-gram audiophile LPs, 2 CDs, 2 DVDs and 2 Blu-rays, a 12”x12” hard-bound 60-page book, plus a piece from the original hand-painted on-stage tapestry used as the backdrop at the Royal Albert Hall concert. The recording of the concert also premiered on music streaming services today.

The film that captured the concert was directed by David Leland and produced by Ray Cooper, Olivia Harrison and Jon Kamen. All profits from the sale of Concert for George products will go to The Material World Charitable Foundation, founded by George Harrison in 1973.

Sources: Wikipedia, Concert For George official website, Rolling Stone, YouTube