Lounge ENGLAND/MUSIC/1970-75

I wonder if The Sweet falls into this category....since you did mention the Monkees
A horrible practice in the 60's into the 70's was having an artist put out their hit single....and surrounding it in an album of "filler".
The early Jackson5, Monkees, Sonnyand CHER, the Osmonds., Cowsills...knowing that young kids will eat it up just because of one good song....they didnt even try to put together a complete album.

Was THe Sweet in that category too....or did their albums have alot of good songs.

oh I just thought of bubblegum groups...like the Archies, 1910 fruitgum company, .......Albums with one hit surrounded by crap

 

did he come to dance

 

I would have loved to see Tull at their height....Like I said I memorized the words to Thick as a Brick as a Teen......no small feet....its an entire album ...one song.

I had tix to see Nils at the bottom Line years ago, but snow and Ice said NO.

 

quadrophonic sound, the 8-track, and Betamax.....all the rage at one time

 

Damn would have love that.

Always thought you guys Stateside were so spoilt, always somebody on within close range somewhere, whereas in the UK we'd have to wait months for a big US act to come and pay us a visit. Went into some small bar in the Village to catch a bit of Jazz, place was empty and those in there really couldn't care less, but the level of musicianship to my ears was just incredible.

Never heard a Herbie Hancock song!! The studio release of this is the ultimate for me, here he is performing live in Tokyo surrounded by some quality muso's. ,

 

No...lol

pretty much as you described ala' Monkees, Jackson 5

Just as a side, we were big on compilation albums by unoriginal artist. Dont ask why.

Frighteningly bland covers by frighteningly bland session musicians.

One of the 70's quirks in UK

Try Virginia Plain by (not) Roxy Music



If you can stomach that, try Bohemian Rhapsody

 

Disgusting them, didn't have to pay licensing, more profit for the record companies.

 

When I was 12, and didnt know the ways of the world....I was gaga over the Monkees, via the TV show.....so I go with my parents to Korvettes(a now defunct department store).....and see an album 'Monkee Business" in the record section. I use my allowance money to buy it. It had listed Monkee songs that I recognized......but when I brought it home...I realized its a cover band. I didnt even know the concept of a "cover band" at the time.....but I learned the hard way

 

And I always thought the English had it best. I always assumed that If I went to a club in England to see a local band....it would be more exciting and compelling music. Just when I thought that England was just half the Size of california....and in that relatively tiny sq mile area(compared to USA), produced such aN incredible amount of diverse music both superstars like Tull, Yess, ELP, Elton, and the second tier bands like Slade, 10cc, Squeeze(first formed in the time period of this thread title)..... I had visions that you can walk down the street of any town and hear amazing music. Its the "grass is greener" syndrome.

Yes we are spoiled.....the USA is where the easy money is/was for groups. 50 states to choose from, just fly into one state and go through Customs once.....and you have a choice of dozens of stadiums, 50 or so arenas( some states have 2 or 3) and hundreds of 2000 seat auditoriums.

But you have to admit...on a sq mile to sq mile comparison.......the UK is rather dominant in Rock.....at least in the time period of this thread discussion.
I cant speak about Jazz or Blues.........Maybe the USA has more hotbeds of those tpyes of music......

I know Ray Davies spent a good period of time in New Orleans rather recently....and it wasnt for the Rock influences I am sure. Elvis costello as well.

So maybe as far as Blues and Jazz.....the USA has more to offer and maybe always did.

 

In my neck of the woods and I live in am major city, you could get to see a US or UK chart act say maybe once every 3 months. I know from my time in the US, it was like hey Luther Vandross is doin' a show tonight, and it was no big deal. Whereas Luther doing a show in the UK and people travel 200~300 miles to see him. Same with a lot of big US artists.

Back in the early 70's Rock was definitely not my scene, we'd get say The Manhattens "it hurts" touring with Taveres "heaven must be missing an angle" and they would do provincial dates, whereas say Prince would only do London (not that I would have paid to see Prince). For soul and funk in the early 70's home grown stuff was non-existent, so we always looked to America, in regards to Jazz and Blues, well it originated in the US, personally for many decades covering all Black music genres I never looked outside of the US, because that is where it stemmed from, who needs a pale imitation. Why listen to the Beatles or the Stones do their covers when if you could listen to Little Richard or Muddy Waters, the music was always better at the source.

Incidentally we suffered a lot of dross during this period, due to shit radio-play lists & Top of the Pops, such as Chuck Berry with his sexual innuendo, "I want you to play with my ding-a-ling", I'm pretty sure that went to number 1 twice, awful song, but hey he got paid (hopefully).

 

Both are American originals, as are blue grass and country music.

 

Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino....and a bunch of other early rockers started to "get paid" around that time of My Dinga-ling as they toured with revival shows where usually each artist did 2-3 songs for about 10 minutes total, and Chuck Berry was the featured act and he did maybe 20 minutes. Its a shame that 5 minutes of that 20 was a long sing along version of that idiotic song.( i would bet that that song was recorded at one of those revivals)

I am sure they didnt get paid alot, because tickets costs the usual cost for a concert back then, and there were dozens and dozens of artists and musicians to pay.

I think American graffitti spurred those concerts on and got people re-interested.

Then in the early 80's a similar revival went on for a few years. I saw one with The Monkees, Three dog night, the turtles, Spanky and our Gang, and Gary Pucket and the Union Gap....the 60's revival

Different variations went on with them, just as different variations went on with the early rockers. Some of the revivals of early rockers concentrated on DOO-OP more than rock.

But in the end its the "personal taste " angle. I was into rock and admired the scene in England. And you were into jazz and blues...and america offered that.
I remember seeing George Benson in concert around the time he did the remake of 'on Broadway"....maybe 30 years ago...it was a cross-over hit on the rock charts and played on FM rock radio(plus he had a pretty good instrumental hit that I dont remember the name). I went with a friend who was really into him, and we had great seats. But I just thought it was "ok". My freind raved about it, and the reviews in the paper the next day were amazingly good....but I could take it or leave it. And my friend couldnt understand why I wasnt raving.

Its all very personal. I mean I tried to like it...but it just didnt move me or hit me the right way. Its like flavors of ice cream. Everyone thinks their fave flavor is the best.

I would love to see a 70's-80's revival......just for nostalgia sake.

 

more or less everything came out of the US, Gospel, Soul, Funk, Rap, Hip Hop. I think we started Punk, but wouldn't swear on it, we maybe have broke / exposed it, NY seemed to start every trend back then.

Still goes on doesn't it, Eagles were touring NZ recently, Drifters, Temptations touring club circuits in the UK, not a single original member, just a cover band, which I don#t like, rather they parked the name, but there is too much money in it.

You'd be surprised the acts that pop up down-under, Billy Idol "white wedding" for fucks sakes, how old has he gotta be now (in Vegas at the mo). Couldn't believe it when I saw his name doing a show, Leo Sawyer "raining in my heart" WTF, but I suppose these people still gotta eat. Gary Glitter "leader of the gang" would still be going if he wasn't in jail for molesting kids or wearing a tag. While I'm at it, Elton John whom I saw in Auckland NZ (ditto George Benson) needs to retire. Same applies to one of favourite females vocalists Chaka Khan, shit do I love her stuff, but her voice has gone, it's just a screech now.

Getting back to those revivals, there was a local promoter who used to put on 5 or 6 soul acts on the same show, all has been's, but a great nostalgic trip, prices were on the high side at around £60~80. Alas he recently passed away, so that's now come to an end.

 

Worst performance by a Geezer rocker: Peter Noonan, he of Hermans Hermits fame.

At a tribal casino (where the once famous go to milk out the last bit of their fading popularity).

Looked old, really old.

His voice was completely shot.

An embarrassment.

 

For a company I worked for 20 years ago, there were Managers trade shows once a year, and Vendors that got tens of millions of dollars of business from my company would pay for different things,,somepaid for the food, some paid for the hotel accomidations, and Cocacola paid for entertainment. Sometimes it was good,,,ie..pointer sisters, beach boys.
One year they provided a combo of The Fifth Dimension who were the main act, and almost everyone left before the end of their set..and opening act that we suffered through...Jay and the Americans. By 1995 both those acts expiration date was way past due.

Peter Noone...plays in reno once every year for the past few years .....he is hired by the Grand Sierra to perform a free concert on a stage in their parking lot during a promotional yearly weekend called Hot August Nights(opportunity to see old collectable cars). Didnt catch him any of the times. though. But the fact that he is free says something.

I am at the age(60) where I lose track of some groups. ...and then see them on TV for the first time in 30 years and say....what the fuck...did me and them really get that old. Case in point....Cheap Trick.
You see the members of the Stones, and Beatles age over time, Elton John, Billy Joel.....but to see someof the acts they you havent seen in over 25 years........its jarring.

 

There was a story on 60 minutes(an investigative news show)......years ago..maybe 10 years ago...about a man/agent that has bought the names of various old time groups...and put together the bands with zero original or even later members. And people would go to the shows and not even know the difference.

Yes is touring in my area recently.

I do enjoy seeing performers now who used to play before thousands, do acoustic one man shows in small clubs. Sometimes they even have a meet and greet afterwards .
I met and shook the hand ofSteve Forbert, Graham Parker, Peter Wolf(he wasnt acoustic),and Glenn Tillbrook .....at their height you couldnt get closer than a front row seat in a larger venue if you were lucky.
I am in awe of performers that can just get on stage with a single guitar...and hold an audience for an hour or so.

 

I saw Elton maybe 8 years ago with Billy Joel....a nice combo.,,,very good show. Havent seen him recently.. I did read that he played at Rush Limbaughs wedding maybe 3-4 years ago.

But in the 70's there was great excitement when he came to town(NYC).....i saw him at madison sq garden a few times.

Sometimes you see these groups when they are older and your mind fills in the missed notes etc from memory of the past.

 

I think DEEP PURPLE was one of the best

 

I love Alan Parson's project of 70 -s.