July 21 - 31, 2010
These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!
July 21, 2010
Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens is 62.
Comedian Robin Williams is 59.
Former Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein would have been 56.
On this day in 1979, Robert Palmer released "Bad Case Of Loving You" and The Knack's "My Sharona" entered the charts as "I Want You To Want Me" by Cheap Trick peaked at #7.
On this day in 1980, AC/DC's "Back In Black" album was released.
On this day in 1986, The Police began trying to record an album that they never came close to finishing. When Sting opted for his solo career instead of working with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, the trio released a greatest hits package and called it a day.
Mike's Down (Briefly)
A very scary moment for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers when lead guitarist Mike Campbell collapsed on stage during a show in hot and humid Missouri this weekend. After a break of about 10 minutes, during which Petty said that the guitarist was "seeing a doctor," Campbell came back on stage to finish out the show. Heat exhaustion was later identified as the culprit. Hydration, Mike, hydration!
One Less Black Sabbath Lawsuit
Sure Ozzy Osbourne sued his former Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi over the ownership and use of the band's name last year, and yes they exchanged nasty comments like they were getting divorced. But to no one's surprise, the pair have now "amicably resolved their problems" and "court proceedings... have been discontinued." Their attorneys' mutual statement said, "Both parties are glad to put this behind them and to cooperate together for the future and would like it to be known that the issue was never personal, it was always business." Money, money, money.
E.L.P./High Voltage
Emerson, Lake & Palmer will reunite on stage for the first time in 15 years at this Sunday's High Voltage Festival in London. All three members of the English supergroup — Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer — will perform together in honor of E.L.P.'s 40th anniversary. Other artists playing on the High Voltage main stage include Bachman & Turner, Foreigner, ZZ Top and Heaven & Hell with singer Glenn Hughes in a special tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio.
Doing The Sturgis Monkey Rock
Seems almost poetic that when Guns N' Roses finally booked their first real gig in the U.S.A. in years, it would be at Sturgis' giant biker fest. Axl Rose and his crew will headline the final night (August 13th) of the Monkey Rock's annual "Rock N' Rev Festival" in Sturgis, South Dakota. Gotta wonder how 500,000 bikers will take to someone showing up three hours late for their concert.
It was John Lennon who said: "There's a great woman behind every idiot."
It was Katherine Whitehorn who said: "The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any."
It was Abraham Lincoln who said: "I like to see a man proud of a place in which he lives, and I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."
Hello Walnut!
Sunday July 25th, Noon - 2pm: Uncle Joe and the KLOS Cool Patrol will be hanging at the Kragen O'Reilly Auto Parts at 18724 Amar Road in Walnut. See you there!
KLOS Blood Drive!
Wednesday July 28th, 4pm - 6pm: Join Joe as he'll be meeting folks before donating a pint of his blood at the Glendale Civic Center (1401 North Verdugo in Glendale). Take part in the 29th Annual KLOS Blood Drive — July 27th - 31st — and get a special bitchin' KLOS T-shirt and a ticket to see OzzFest, Meatloaf or Lynyrd Skynyrd (while supplies last) for every pint you donate! Here are a few fotos from last year.
July 22, 2010
Pianist/singer Rick Davies of Supertramp is 66.
Songwriter/singer/drummer/occasional Eagle Don Henley is 63.
On this day in 1967, The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" entered the charts as The Doors hit #1 with "Light My Fire."
On this day in 1972, "Take It Easy" by the Eagles peaked at #12 as "Rock & Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter entered the charts.
On this day in 1978, Bob Seger's "Still The Same" peaked at #4 as Bruce Springsteen's "Prove It All Night" topped out at #33 on the charts.
This weekend, over 90 stations will air OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson featuring the music of Van Halen and conversation with Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar... Stream on!
Mrs. Richards A Survivor
You'd think that just being married to Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards for 27 years would be dangerous enough. But in the latest issue of "Vogue Magazine," Keef's wife Patti Hansen reveals that she was diagnosed with bladder cancer at the end of The Stones' record breaking "Bigger Bang" tour in August 2007. When chemotherapy failed to get rid of the tumor, she was told she had 2 to 3 years left to live. Instead, Patti had her entire bladder removed and doctors created a new one from a portion of her intestine. The former model summed it up by saying, "Cancer is such a friggin' monster... but my new bladder is better than the real thing."
Live Def
Def Leppard may be on hiatus until next year, but you can count on them releasing their first-ever full-length live album before Christmas. As singer Joe Elliott told me, the new disc will contain recordings from last year's tour. He also said, "I think initially we're going to put out a coffee table book... that covers all aspects of our career, from "On Through The Night" through last year, with commentary from the band and the photographer and fans." And don't be surprised if there's an EP of new songs the boys have just recorded that gets released with the live album.
Background On Jovi
Most tour managers for superstar rock bands — like Sam Cutler of The Rolling Stones — need to get away from the madness for 20 or 30 years before they're ready to tell sordid stories or write tell-all books. With that timeframe in mind, it's not surprising that Richard Bozzett, Bon Jovi's first tour manager, is about to release "Sex, Drugs and Bon Jovi." Considering that he was with them from the group's first performances in front of a few hundred people through their becoming Rock Legends (1983 to 1989), his stories about one of the biggest American bands of the Eighties certainly seem to ring true.
Hall DVDs
The three-DVD set of last year's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden will finally be released on September 28th. The package will include the full four-hour, Emmy-nominated HBO special along with unseen bonus performances.
It was Coach John Wooden who said: "It isn't what you do, but how you do it."
It was Steven Wright who said: "24 hours in a day; 24 bottles in a case of beer. Coincidence? I think not."
It was Joseph Conrad who said: "Being a woman is a terribly difficult task since it consists principally in dealing with men."
July 23, 2010
British movie star David "Rock On" Essex is 63.
Guitarist Blair Thornton of Bachman Turner Overdrive is 60.
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash is 45.
On this day in 1977, Foreigner released the song "Cold As Ice" as Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" entered the charts.
On this day in 1977, Led Zeppelin's manager and drummer, Peter Grant and John Bonham, as well as three of their security guards were arrested in Oakland, California for severely beating three of promoter Bill Graham's employees after a concert in that city.
On this day in 1979, keyboard player Keith Godchaux of the Grateful Dead died of complications from head injuries suffered in a car accident two days earlier. Keith and his wife Donna Jean Godchaux (the only female member of the band) had played with the Dead since 1972.
This weekend, over 90 stations will air OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson featuring the music of Van Halen and conversation with Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar... Stream on!
Fogerty To Cooperstown
This is the weekend Creedence Clearwater Revival mastermind John Fogerty and his 1985 hit "Centerfield" will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. John is scheduled to perform the song live during the ceremony, playing on his recently restored baseball bat-shaped guitar that's also headed for the Hall. Over the years "Centerfield" has been played regularly during baseball games throughout the country, and for more than a decade it's been included in the actual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Congrats John!
Gonna Rock In Vegas!
Want to have a bunch of big stars show up at your party? Start out by giving them awards and having the bash in Las Vegas! Thus we have the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards August 22nd at the Las Vegas Hilton. The show will celebrate the magazine's sixth anniversary while honoring both local and legendary rockers. Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister will be recognized with the Lifetime Legend Award, Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider will get the Rock N' Roll Savior Award and drummer James Kottak of the Scorpions will take home the well deserved Rock Group Lifetime Achievement Award for the band. And then it will get loud!
U2 Taking Requests
With Bono's back doing better after that bout of paralysis followed by German micro surgery, U2 are preparing for their upcoming European tour. If you've got a pair of songs you'd like the boys to perform, let 'em know at U2.com!
A Four-Day Party For Jerry
Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia would have been 68 on August 1st, so to celebrate, over 40 bands will perform at the 15th annual Gathering Of The Vibes festival next weekend in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The four-day long festival will feature performances from surviving Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir playing with their Furthur line-up, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart doing a Rhythm Devils set, and singer Donna Jean Godchaux performing with her own band. It will definitely be a BYOTD (Bring Your Own Tie Dye) event!
Thought For The Weekend
No one ever says "It's only a game" when their team is winning.
Hello Walnut!
This Sunday, Noon - 2pm: Uncle Joe and the KLOS Cool Patrol will be hanging and cranking some tunes at the Kragen O'Reilly Auto Parts at 18724 Amar Road in Walnut. See you there!
July 24, 2010
On this day in 1971, "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones peaked at #28 on the charts.
On this day in 1976, "Take The Money And Run" by the Steve Miller Band peaked at #11 as Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town" topped out at #12 on the charts.
On this day in 1982, Fleetwood Mac's "Hold Me" peaked at #4 on the charts.
On this day in 1987, The Grateful Dead's "Touch Of Grey" entered the charts.
July 25, 2010
Drummer Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds is 67.
On this day in 1964, The Beatles' album "A Hard Day's Night hit #1 on the charts.
On this day in 1965, Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival and played a few tunes he had just recorded. Outraged folkies booed him off the stage and accused him of becoming a "sellout." There was so much to be outraged by in 1965.
On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones played their last American concert with founding guitarist Brian Jones. Although Brian didn't really know where he was, San Francisco was the scene.
On this day in 1966, Eric Clapton played the lead guitar on his friend George Harrison's song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The song — a true classic — was eventually released on The Beatles "White Album."
On this day in 1969 at Bill Graham's Fillmore East, Neil Young appeared onstage with Crosby, Stills & Nash for the first time.
On this same day in 1969, Led Zeppelin played in Milwaukee at the cleverly named Midwest Rock Festival. Guitar god Eric Clapton, who performed with Blind Faith the next day, caught the set by fellow former-Yardbird guitarist Jimmy Page's new band. Eric's observation: "They were very loud. I thought it was unnecessarily loud. I liked some of it; I really did like some of it. But a lot of it was just too much. They overemphasized whatever point they were making, I thought." Being a member of Cream, E.C. evidently never saw the original "overemphasized" band.
On this day in 1970, Chicago released the song "25 Or 6 To 4" as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children" peaked at #16 and Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Cinnamon Girl" topped out at #55 on the charts. Neil was a busy guy back in 1970.
On this day in 1981, Stevie Nicks released "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."
July 26, 2010
Bugs Bunny is 70.
Mick Jagger is 67.
Drummer Roger Taylor of Queen is 61.
Van Halen III singer Gary Cherone is 49.
On this day in 1990, Brent Mydland became the third consecutive keyboardist to die while working with the Grateful Dead. He was 37.
Stones Tour Not Last
A slow Summer for the Brit tabloids means it's time for another Rolling Stones farewell tour rumor. For sure The Stones — who formed in 1962 — will begin a two-year world tour in 2011 to mark their 50th anniversary. And granted, what shape singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards (currently 67 and 66 years old) would be in after that adventure is open to speculation. But guitarist Ronnie Wood dismissed the retirement rumors by saying the boys would "rock till we drop... We have all agreed this won't be the last time. Everyone's rocking." Amen!
Why You Buy Insurance
U2 singer Bono's back injury in May — which resulted in temporary paralysis — was quite serious... and expensive. Following his emergency surgery in Germany, all 16 North America concerts of the Summer leg of the U.S. "360° Tour" had to be cancelled. Now we're hearing that those cancelations cost the band's insurer at least $16 million. With the U2 frontman reportedly fully recovered, the quartet will kick off the next European 360° Tour leg on August 6th in Turin, Italy — with larger premiums, we'd guess!
He's Gotta Charge For It
It just got too darn successful. Sammy Hagar will have to start charging for tickets to his annual Birthday Bash at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. No surprise that most of Sammy's fans would rather buy the tickets than stand in line for days to score free ones. So be aware that the soon-to-be 63-year-old Red Rocker has reserved October 8th, 9th, 11th and 13th for this year's party, and you need to buy those tix in advance!
It was Coach John Wooden who said: "Don't confuse activity with achievement."
It was Oscar Wilde who said: "I have the simplest of tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."
It was Jean Kerr who said: "I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want — an adorable pancreas?"
KLOS Blood Drive!
This Wednesday! 4pm - 6pm: Join Joe as he'll be meeting folks before donating a pint of his blood at the Glendale Civic Center (1401 North Verdugo in Glendale). Take part in the 29th Annual KLOS Blood Drive — July 27th - 31st — and get a special bitchin' KLOS T-shirt and a ticket to see OzzFest, Meatloaf or Lynyrd Skynyrd (while supplies last) for every pint you donate! Here are a few fotos from last year.
July 27, 2010
On this day in 1974, Lynyrd Skynyrd released "Sweet Home Alabama," a response to Neil Young's dissing of their home state in the song "Southern Man."
On this day in 1976, after a four-year court battle, John Lennon received his green card and was granted permanent residency status in the States.
On this day in 1977, Led Zeppelin called off the remainder of their '77 North American Tour after Robert Plant's 6-year-old son Karac died of a respiratory ailment.
On this day in 2001, Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson died of heart failure in his Florida home. He was 49.
Cars Reunion?
The Cars, one of the most popular and commercially successful New Wave bands, split up 23 years ago. Never known for their warm interpersonal relationships behind the scenes, any hope of a full-on reunion was wiped out when bassist/singer Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer in 2000. But word is that the surviving members — singer/songwriter Ric Ocasek, keyboardist Greg Hawkes, drummer David Robinson and guitarist Elliot Easton — have recently been doing "something" together in a Boston studio. Hmm...
AC/DC: #2 Still Bucks Up
After eight years off the road, AC/DC just finished performing 168 shows in their two-year "Black Ice" tour. As they played to almost 4.9 million fans, the Aussies pulled in $441.6 million — making "Black Ice" the second-highest grossing tour in history! Only The Rolling Stones' two-year "A Bigger Bang" tour earned more: $558.3 million from 147 shows. It's likely, though, that there will be a new top dog soon. U2 is about to relaunch their "360° Tour," which was interrupted this Spring by singer Bono's back injury. The first half of the Irish band's tour earned over $311 million playing to 3,071,290 in just 44 shows, and the next leg will stretch through next year. Rock & Roll!
Hughes Stays Busy
Former Black Sabbath/Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes is keeping busy — very busy. The highly anticipated Black Country Communion album — which he made with occasional Led Zeppelin drummer Jason Bonham, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and guitarist/singer Joe Bonamassa — is set for release on September 21st. And fresh from his participation in Heaven & Hell's Ronnie James Dio tribute at London's High Voltage Festival on Saturday, Glenn's got two more Dio projects in the works. The first is a tribute album to benefit the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund. The second is a Dio tribute concert targeted for next March somewhere here in the Southland. Let's hope he remembers to take his vitamins!
It was Albert Einstein who said: "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
It was Josh Billings who said: "As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand."
It was Lily Tomlin who said: "The road to success is always under construction."
BBQ For You
Win a private Uncle Joe Backyard Barbeque party for you and 15 friends! KLOS and Kingsford Matchlight Charcoal want to take over your backyard, crank up the grill and have J.B. cook up a feast... and you'll get to keep the grill he cooked it all on! But time is short — enter now to win!
July 28, 2010
Keyboardist Richard Wright of Pink Floyd would have been 67.
Blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield would have been 66.
Drummer Simon Kirke of Bad Company is 61.
Guitar god Steve Morse of Deep Purple is 56.
On this day in 1973, The Grateful Dead, The Band and the Allman Brothers Band played for some 600,000 at the world's largest rock festival at Watkins Glen Raceway in upstate New York. All the mud counteracted the nudity, and in May 1974, the birth rate barely showed an increase. Trust me, this was a good thing.
On this day in 1973, Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" peaked at #4 as "Money" by Pink Floyd topped out at #13 and "Over The Hills And Far Away" by Led Zeppelin reached #51 on the charts. Grand Funk's "We're An American Band" also entered the singles chart, but it took the world a few more weeks to notice.
On this day in 1995, James Al Hendrix, the father of legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix, won back the rights to his son's name, likeness, image and music. In the two decades between Jimi's death and this decision, countless businesses made profits off of Jimi. Now, it's his family that's raking it in.
This weekend, over 90 stations will air OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson featuring the music of The Steve Miller Band as well as Joe's brand new conversation with Steve... Stream on!
Macca/Obama TV Tonight
PBS' "In Performance At The White House" will honor one of the surviving Beatles tonight. "Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song In Performance at the White House" was taped last month in Washington, DC, but debuts on the public television network this evening. The special guests include Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, The White Stripes' Jack White and Sir Paulie himself.
Mega Young Archive Vol.2
Before its release in June 2009, fans had waited almost a decade for Neil Young's extensive "Archive Vol. 1" compilation. Now, the posting of the song list on NeilYoung.com means that "Archive Vol. 2" should be released soon. The second volume will focus on Neil's music from the mid-Seventies to early-Eighties and contain even more unreleased material than the first set — including four unreleased albums that have been built from original tapes. Lots of listening to come!
More Air!
All hail the 2010 U.S. Air Guitar Championship: Romeo Dancecheetah! The Milwaukee rookie barely beat out Denver's Dreamcatcher at last week's Air Guitar Finals in New York City. (First Dreamcatcher shredded the Eagles' "Witchy Woman," then DanceCheetah delivered a new take on Daft Punk's "Robot Rock." Oo-ah!) Next up for Romeo is a fully paid trip to the Air Guitar World Championships in Finland to represent the good old U.S.A. Though Romeo's parents remain confused as to why their son has never had a girlfriend, they must be so proud of his accomplishments!
It was Dorothy Parker who said: "Brevity is the soul of lingerie."
It was Sandy Koufax who said: "Pitching is the art of instilling fear."
It was the famed mime Marcel Marceau who said: "It's good to shut up sometimes."
KLOS Blood Drive!
Today! Today! Today! 4pm - 6pm: Join Joe as he'll be meeting folks before donating a pint of his blood at the Glendale Civic Center (1401 North Verdugo in Glendale). Take part in the 29th Annual KLOS Blood Drive — July 27th - 31st — and get a special bitchin' KLOS T-shirt and a ticket to see OzzFest, Meatloaf or Lynyrd Skynyrd (while supplies last) for every pint you donate! Here are a few fotos from last year.
July 29, 2010
Keyboardist Neil Doughty of REO Speedwagon is 64.
Bassist/singer Geddy Lee of Rush and
Singer Patti Scialfa (Mrs. Springsteen) are both 57.
On this day in 1966, Bob Dylan crashed his motorcycle in Woodstock, NY. The legendary accident (which many still don't think really happened) allowed Dylan to disappear from public life at the height of his popularity. He reportedly suffered a concussion, a broken neck vertebrae, and suffered from paralysis and mild amnesia for the next month. For the record, he was riding a Triumph 55 motorcycle, which in 1966 was one hot machine.
On this day in 1966, The Beatles' second film, "Help," premiered in London. The event created chaos by attracting thousands of excited fans to the location, and even Queen Elizabeth herself was in attendance. No, she didn't stand in line.
On this day in 1966, Cream kicked off their first tour with a concert in Manchester, England.
This weekend, over 90 stations will air OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson featuring the music of The Steve Miller Band as well as Joe's brand new conversation with Steve... Stream on!
OzzFest Wedded Bliss
That darn Ozzy Osbourne is now offering the "OzzFest Unholy Matrimony" package — everything you need for eternal wedded bliss at an economical price. Each package includes 10 general admission pit tickets (there's your wedding party!), an official OzzFest wedding ceremony by ordained minister and OzzFest MC Big Dave, an OzzFest cake and a champagne toast. But wait — there's more! All wedding guests will also get a pre-show backstage tour hosted by Big Dave, access to the Ozzfest VIP lounge, specially designed OzzFest t-shirts, collectible tour posters, earbuds and — brace yourself — official OzzFest guitar picks! Now what we're really all wondering is: What will Gene Simmons of KISS do to top this?
It's The Mick & Marty Show
Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger are working on a Rock & Roll drama for HBO called "History Of Music." The story line follows two friends over their 40 year music industry careers, based on things that really happened. Former "Sopranos" producer/writer Terence Winter will coproduce with Jagger, and Scorsese will direct. Yeah, Scorsese directing sex and drugs and Rock & Roll — oh my!
Fisticuffs Among Rascals
Joe Elliott's side band, Down N' Outz, had their set cut short at the High Voltage Festival in London over the weekend. The group, which performs covers of songs from musicians connected to Mott the Hoople, were joined by Mott singer Ian Hunter at the end of Sunday's set, but when they finished their second song with Ian, their mics and the P.A. were cut. Anger and fisticuffs resulted when it was learned that headliners Emerson, Lake & Palmer's crew allegedly pulled the plug since Down N' Outz went over its allotted time and ELP wanted to take the stage. Oh, those boys!
Ben Keith R.I.P.
Neil Young's longtime steel guitarist Ben Keith has died of a heart attack at the age of 73. He had been staying at Young's ranch in Northern California while working on one's of Neil's projects. Keith played alongside Young for close to 40 years, performing on classics like "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man." Before joining up with Young during the recording of the classic "Harvest" album, Ben was a multi-instrumentalist member of Nashville's 'A-Team' — a collective of the city's top session musicians who performed on country classics sung by the likes of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. Rest in piece guitar man.
It was Ingrid Bergman who said: "Happiness is good health and a bad memory."
It was Doug Larson who said: "If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur."
It was Robert Anthony who said: "The one who loves the least, controls the relationship."
July 30, 2010
Blues legend Buddy Guy is 74.
Jethro Tull bassist Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond is 54.
Eclectic songbird Kate Bush is 52.
On this day in 1966, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs hit #1 as Bob Dylan's "I Want You" peaked at #20 on the charts.
On this day in 1983, Talking Heads' "Burning Down The House" entered the singles chart.
On this day in 2003, Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records and the man credited with discovering Elvis Presley, died of respiratory failure in Memphis. He was 80.
On this day in 2003, the largest paid-admission concert in history came off without a hitch when over 450,000 fans gathered for the Molson Canadian Rocks For Toronto (SARS-stock) concert headlined by The Rolling Stones. The 11-hour show featured 15 acts, including AC/DC, The Guess Who and Rush.
A Lennon Time Capsule
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, in cooperation with Yoko Ono, will be dedicating three time capsules to honor John Lennon at a ceremony on October 8th — the day before what would have been his 70th birthday. The plan is to open the capsules on October 9th, 2040 in a ceremony marking John's 100th birthday. The capsules will contain post-Beatles recordings and contributions from fans around the world. To that end, you can submit birthday wishes, musical performances and personal thoughts about John Lennon at http://BoxOfVision.com/TimeCapsule through September 15th.
Anniversary Party Coming
It may seem like only yesterday, but next year marks the 30th anniversary of REO Speedwagon's biggest-selling album, "Hi Infidelity." Not only was that collection of highly personal songs REO's only #1 charting LP, it was also the top selling Rock release of 1981 (over nine million sold!). To celebrate, the boys will release a deluxe edition of the album, which will include the recently discovered, long lost original demos, and they're seriously considering performing the album in its entirety on next year's tour. Note: Word is you'll hear them play the first side of the "Hi Infidelity" live Saturday night at their show with Pat Benatar at the Greek Theatre.
Konk Can Be Yours
Kinks' frontman Ray Davies has put his historic Konk Studios (where The Kinks extensively recorded throughout their career) up for sale for about $3.1 million. But a city Councillor in Crouch End — where Konk is located — isn't pleased, saying, "I think it's possible that if this had happened in any other country there would have been an enormous campaign to preserve this as some kind of national monument." Either a national monument or a boxing match would honor the Davies brothers' ongoing antagonistic/creative relationship!
Own Jonesy's Bass
Over 20 years ago Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones had famed guitar luthier Hugh Manson make him the custom four-string bass that quickly became Jonesy's main instrument. After years of inquiries, John and Hugh have finally decided to release a short production run of the Manson John Paul Jones E-Bass, featuring a maple neck, ebony fingerboard and specs that reflect exactly the instrument J.P.J. has been using with Them Crooked Vultures. You can learn everything else (and see Muse's custom Mansons) at Mansons.co.uk.
Two Thoughts For The Weekend
Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
July 31, 2010
Singer/guitarist Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac fame is 64.
Drummer Bill Berry of R.E.M. is 52.
On this day in 1965, The Yardbirds released the song "Heart Full of Soul," which featured Jeff Beck's groundbreaking guitar work.
On this day in 1971, James Taylor hit #1 with "You've Got A Friend" as Lee Michaels released "Do You Know What I Mean."
On this day in 1976, Blue Oyster Cult released "Don't Fear The Reaper" as Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive" hit #2 and "You're My Best Friend" by Queen peaked at #16 on the charts.
On this day in 1985, John Mellencamp released his classic "Scarecrow" album.