Tag Archives: Led Zeppelin

Today: Jimmy Miller passed away in 1994 – 18 years ago

Jimmy Miller produced “The Rolling Stones” 4 best albums:

  1. Exile on Main St. (1972)
  2. Sticky Fingers (1971)
  3. Let It Bleed (1969)
  4. Beggars Banquet (1968)

He really connected with the band & Keith Richards in particular.

“It was really a gas to work with him. Jimmy Miller could turn the whole band on and make a nondescript number into something.”
~Keith Richards

Miller was a huge Stones fan before he started working with the band..

‘The night Jagger phoned I just knew he was gonna ask me to produce them. I glided over to his house on a cloud.’
~Jimmy Miller

From Wikipedia:

James “Jimmy” Miller (23 March 1942 – 22 October 1994) was a Brooklyn, New York-born record producer and musician who produced dozens of albums between the mid-1960s and early 1990s, including landmark recordings for Blind Faith, Traffic, the Plasmatics, Motorhead, The World Bank and Primal Scream. He was perhaps best known for his lengthy association with the Rolling Stones, for whom he produced a string of singles and albums that all rank among the most critically and financially successful works of the band’s career: Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972) and Goats Head Soup (1973).

Prior to working with the Rolling Stones, Miller rose to fame by producing successful releases for The Spencer Davis Group including their breakthrough hit “Gimme Some Lovin'” and the follow-up smash “I’m A Man,” which Miller co-wrote with the band’s singer-keyboardist, Steve Winwood. In addition to his production work for yet another Winwood band, Traffic, Miller also contributed the lyrics to the Traffic song “Medicated Goo.” Miller produced the only album by the Clapton/Winwood supergroup Blind Faith.

The Spencer Davis Group – Gimme Some Lovin’:

Traffic – Dear Mr. Fantasy:

Blind Faith – Can’t Find My Way Home:

Following his work with Blind Faith, Miller co-produced (with Delaney Bramlett) the hit Delaney & Bonnie album On Tour with Eric Clapton, recorded live at Croydon, United Kingdom, on 7 December 1969. He went on to produce Delaney & Bonnie keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, Kracker, the Plasmatics, Motörhead and the UK band Nirvana.

A drummer himself, Miller was known for the distinctive drum sound that characterized his productions, especially his work with the Rolling Stones, on whose recordings he occasionally played percussion parts such as the famous opening cowbell on “Honky Tonk Women” and the full drum kit on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Happy,” “Tumbling Dice” and “Shine a Light.”

The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet (1968) [full album]:

The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (1969, Remastered) Full Album:

The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1971) (Full Album):

The Rolling Stones – Let It Loose (1972) (No Full album on youtube):

The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street – Shine a Light (1972):

Miller went on to work with Primal Scream on their breakthrough album Screamadelica and William Topley’s band The Blessing (Miller appears on their DVD Sugar Train during the song “Soul Love”). In the 1980s, Miller produced some acts including Johnny Thunders, Matrix and Jo Jo Laine (wife of Denny Lane, on “Moody Blues & Wings”). In 1990 he Co-Produced (along with Phil Greene) “What’s in A Name” for Florida band Walk the Chalk.

Among Miller’s last productions were three tracks on the 1992 Wedding Present project, Hit Parade 2. Jimmy also produced four tracks on The World Banks “In Debt Interview” which featured artists such as Billy Preston and Bobby Keys, a rare musical sideline from author Hunter S. Thompson. Jimmy traveled to Woody Creek, Colorado in 1994 to meet with Hunter S. Thompson for a memorable weekend in May shortly before he passed on. He died in October 1994.

Album of the day – Exile on Main St. (1972):

From allmusic.com – Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

Greeted with decidedly mixed reviews upon its original release, Exile on Main St. has become generally regarded as the Rolling Stones’ finest album. Part of the reason why the record was initially greeted with hesitant reviews is that it takes a while to assimilate. A sprawling, weary double album encompassing rock & roll, blues, soul, and country, Exile doesn’t try anything new on the surface, but the substance is new. Taking the bleakness that underpinned Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers to an extreme, Exile is a weary record, and not just lyrically. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix, and the music is a series of dark, dense jams, with Keith Richards and Mick Taylor spinning off incredible riffs and solos. And the songs continue the breakthroughs of their three previous albums. No longer does their country sound forced or kitschy — it’s lived-in and complex, just like the group’s forays into soul and gospel. While the songs, including the masterpieces “Rocks Off,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Torn and Frayed,” “Happy,” “Let It Loose,” and “Shine a Light,” are all terrific, they blend together, with only certain lyrics and guitar lines emerging from the murk. It’s the kind of record that’s gripping on the very first listen, but each subsequent listen reveals something new. Few other albums, let alone double albums, have been so rich and masterful as Exile on Main St., and it stands not only as one of the Stones’ best records, but sets a remarkably high standard for all of hard rock.
…read more over @ allmusic.com

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Continue reading Today: Jimmy Miller passed away in 1994 – 18 years ago

Today: Brian Johnson is 65

“We’re never going to win any Grammy awards. We’re never gonna win any respect from the squeaky-clean mob and Rolling Stone or everybody like that, because we don’t give any messages out that they think are important.”
~Brian Johnson

” I like AC/DC.”
~Keith Richards

From Wikipedia:

Born 5 October 1947 (age 65)
Dunston, Gateshead, England
Genres Heavy metal, hard rock, rock and roll, blues rock, glam rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1971–present
Labels EMI, Epic, Atlantic
Associated acts AC/DCGeordie

Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and lyricist who has been the lead singer for the rock band AC/DC since 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, along with the other members of the band.

AC/DC lead guitarist and co-founder Angus Young later recalled, “I remember Bon playing me Little Richard, and then telling me the story of when he saw Brian singing.” He says about that night, “There’s this guy up there screaming at the top of his lungs and then the next thing you know he hits the deck. He’s on the floor, rolling around and screaming. I thought it was great, and then to top it off—you couldn’t get a better encore—they came in and wheeled the guy off!'” Johnson was diagnosed with appendicitis later that night, which was the cause of his writhing around on stage. The band agreed immediately that Johnson’s performing style fit AC/DC’s music. Johnson’s first album with AC/DC, Back in Black, became the second best-selling album of all time.

Back in Black – Live:

You Shook Me All Night Long (Original 1980 Music Video)

Since AC/DC is not available on spotify… we need an extra youtube video

Hells Bells:

Led Zeppelin is not on spotify either… “Fly Like an Eagle” it will have to be…..

Album of the day: Steve Miller Band – Fly Like an Eagle (1976):

Other October 05:

Continue reading Today: Brian Johnson is 65

Today: Ryan Adams released ‘Gold’ in 2001 – 11 years ago

“All the songs had to work completely and honestly by themselves on acoustic guitar or on piano. If they didn’t, they weren’t worth putting on the record.”
~Ryan Adams (about ‘Gold’)

“[Gold is] me not buying my own bullshit for two seconds.”
~Ryan Adams

From Wikipedia:

Released September 25, 2001
Recorded The Sound Factory
(Hollywood, California)
Genre Rock, alternative country
Length 70:26
Label Lost Highway
Producer Ethan Johns

Gold is the second studio album by Ryan Adams, released September 25, 2001 on Lost Highway Records. The album remains Adams’ best-selling album, certifying gold in the UK and going on to sell 364,000 copies in the U.S. and 812,000 worldwide. Adams noted that “with Gold, I was trying to prove something to myself. I wanted to invent a modern classic.”

Adams intended for the album to be a double album, but his record label, Lost Highway, condensed the album into a single disc. According to Adams, the label “took the last five songs, made it a bonus disc and put it on the first hundred and fifty thousand copies. Fucking my fans over and making them pay extra for a record I wanted to be a double album. They counted that as one record.” This bonus disc is known as Side Four; the disc’s title reflects the fact that the bonus material makes up the fourth side of the double LP edition of the album.

The album includes “When the Stars Go Blue“, which has been covered by artists such as The Corrs and BonoTyler HiltonBethany Joy Galeotti, and Tim McGraw. “New York, New York” became a notable MTV and VH-1 favorite following the September 11 attacks. “The Rescue Blues” was featured in the end credits of the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines.

Adams’ friend and former roommate Adam Duritz (lead singer of Counting Crows) lends background vocals to several tracks.

Adams received three Grammy Award nominations in 2002: Best Rock Album, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “New York, New York”, and Best Male Country Vocal Performance for “Lovesick Blues”.

Stephen King‘s 2006 book Lisey’s Story includes part of the lyrics to “When the Stars Go Blue”. Also, the song “The Rescue Blues” was featured in an episode of Scrubs. In 2011, “Answering Bell” was featured in the film and on the soundtrack to Bridesmaids.

RollingStone.com – David Fricke:

……
Gold lacks the concise ache of Adams’ indie solo prize from last year, Heartbreaker, but it is stronger on naked truth. In “Harder Now That It’s Over,” a messy tale of jealousy, gunplay and handcuffs co-written with Chris Stills, Adams sings with the straight, clear sorrow of a fool who beat doing hard time but sentenced himself to life alone. “I’m less than nothing now/I’m the one between the bars,” he admits over whispered accordion and a slender stream of steel-guitar tears — an age-old story told be a young singer-songwriter wise enough to let his heart speak for itself.
read more: rollingstone.com

Andrew Gilstrap @ popmatters.com:

……
Overall, though, Gold feels like a record hiding behind masks. Maybe Adams has spent so many years laying his heart out on the line that he’s trying to create a little distance. In some cases, especially on the uptempo numbers, that works just fine. However, the album’s surprisingly minimalist lyrics and derivative arrangements make it stronger on vibe than actual content. Adams recently complained that he’s sick of himself and sick of being deep, and Gold may very well be his respite from that, exercising his inner music geek rather than his soul. Or maybe he’s just trying to say what he needs to say without revealing as much as in the past. Whatever the case, most of Gold lacks the universality and the heart-wrenching beauty of much of Adams’s earlier work.
read more over @ popmatters.som 

Track Listing:

All songs written and composed by Ryan Adams unless otherwise stated.

  1. “New York, New York” 3:46
  2. “Firecracker” 2:51
  3. “Answering Bell” 3:05
  4. “La Cienega Just Smiled” 5:03
  5. “The Rescue Blues” 3:38
  6. “Somehow, Someday” 4:24
  7. “When the Stars Go Blue” 3:31
  8. “Nobody Girl” (Adams/Ethan Johns) 9:40
  9. “Sylvia Plath” (Adams/Richard Causon) 4:10
  10. “Enemy Fire” (Adams/Gillian Welch) 4:09
  11. “Gonna Make You Love Me” 2:36
  12. “Wild Flowers” 4:59
  13. “Harder Now That It’s Over” (Adams/Chris Stills) 4:32
  14. “Touch, Feel and Lose” (Adams/David Rawlings) 4:15
  15. “Tina Toledo’s Street Walkin’ Blues” (Adams/Johns) 6:10
  16. “Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd.” (Adams/Causon) 3:25

Bonus disc: “Side Four”

  1. “Rosalie Come and Go” 3:54
  2. “The Fools We Are As Men” 4:01
  3. “Sweet Black Magic” (Adams/Johns) 2:35
  4. “The Bar Is a Beautiful Place” 5:58
  5. “Cannonball Days”
Personnel:
  • Ryan Adams – Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, piano
  • Bucky Baxter – Steel guitar
  • Andre Carter – Trumpet
  • Richard Causon – Piano
  • Jennifer Condos – Bass
  • Milo De Cruz – Bass
  • Adam Duritz – Choir, background vocals
  • Keith Hunter – Choir
  • Rami Jaffi – Accordion
  • Ethan Johns – Drums, electric guitar, chamberlain strings, lead guitar, hammond B-3, background vocals, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, mando-cello, vibes, string arrangement, guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, bass, electric piano, celeste, harmonium, congas
  • Rob McDonald – Choir
  • Sid Paige – Concert master
  • Julianna Raye – Background vocals, choir
  • Chris Stills – Background vocals, electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar
  • Benmont Tench – Hammond B-3, piano
  • Kamasi Washington – Saxophone
  • C.C. White – Background vocals, choir, solo vocals

Firecracker – live:

When The Stars go blue – Live:

Album of the day – Gold (2001):

Other September 25:

Continue reading Today: Ryan Adams released ‘Gold’ in 2001 – 11 years ago

Today: Robert Plant is 64

From Wikipedia:

Birth name Robert Anthony Plant
Born 20 August 1948 (age 64)
West Bromwich, (then Staffordshire, now West Midlands), England
Origin Kidderminster, Worcestershire,
England
Genres Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, folk rock, world music, country rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments Vocals, harmonica, percussion, guitar,bass guitar
Years active 1966–present
Labels Atlantic, Swan Song, Es Paranza,Sanctuary, Mercury, Universal, Rounder
Associated acts Band of JoyLed ZeppelinThe HoneydrippersPage and PlantStrange SensationAlison KraussThe New Yardbirds

Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Plant is regarded as one of the most significant singers in the history of rock music, and has influenced contemporaries and later singers such as Freddie Mercury and Axl Rose. In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant the “Greatest Metal Vocalist of All Time”. In 2009, Plant was voted “the greatest voice in rock” in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers’ pick placed Plant in first place of the magazine’s “Best Lead Singers of All Time”.

Legacy:

  • In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant No. 1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All-Time, a list which included Rob Halford (2), Steven Tyler (3), Freddie Mercury (6), Geddy Lee (13), and Paul Stanley (18), all of whom were influenced by Plant. 
  • In 2008, Rolling Stone named Plant as number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time. 
  • In 2009, he was voted the “greatest voice in rock” in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. 
  • Plant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his “services to popular music”. 
  • He was included in the Q magazine’s 2009 list of “Artists Of The Century” and was ranked at number 8 in their list of “100 Greatest Singers” in 2007. 
  • In 2009, Plant also won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the Q Awards.
  •  He was placed at no. 3 on SPINs list of “The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen of All Time”.
  • On 20 September 2010 National Public Radio (NPR) named Plant as one of the “50 Great Voices” in the world.

Whole Lotta Love – live 1970:

Black Dog – Live:

No Zeppelin on Spotify.
Album of the day – Raising Sand (Plant/Krauss):

Other August-20:

Continue reading Today: Robert Plant is 64