I am having one of those weeks when I feel the need for a good alternative agnostic power-pop gospel song with some killer guitar. I don’t want to get into a big religious debate in the cave-I just want to say that there are times when we all look for the stuff that got us this far and hope that it still works when we need to get a little farther down the road. This song always hits me this way…like the opposite of R.E.M Losing My Religion.
And I only got seven spots; I don’t have room for a third and better choose carefully!
Here we go:
Sun Studios, Memphis, 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Elvis, Jerry Lee and Johnny- Do I have to go last names?
You can argue that Sam Phillips invented Rock n Roll right here.
Memphis-this is a Rock music town!
And you can visit and take the tour.
I have not been here yet, I need to change that.
English: Abbey Road, London (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Abbey Road Studios, London
Everyone knows the zebra crossing shot of The Beatles. (I need to get in this shot without getting run over!)
The Abbey Road album stands up as an epic swan song by the fab four.
It is also the place where Pink Floyd recorded Dark Side of the Moon.
And London-Another great city of Rock Music!
I have got to start saving those nickels from bottle returns. The Cave guy needs to go on a road trip.
And I am happy to say that the “Wonders” website has been started and I will bring it out when we get all seven.
I wrote my favorite post a few months ago. http://caveoffame.com/2013/02/20/the-devils-music/
And since then I have goggled around and have found no boot tracks to mark the consecrated ground of the “Seven Wonders of Rock”. None have attempted to single these out: from the big guys of Rolling Stone and Spin all the way down to the insignificant little-guy blogger in a cave like me.
“The Crossroads”, where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for mastery of the blues, according to the legend. It is the intersection of U.S. Routes 61 and 49, at Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am starting at The Crossroads-There is a marker at the intersection of U.S. Routes 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi that is the tourist spot to go. This may or may not be the place of legend and it does work …but…I have this idea of a more rural deserted crossroads at midnight with a full moon(devil optional). Robert Johnson made a choice that night and played guitar like he was chased by the hounds of hell for the rest on his days on earth. Rock n Roll was born here! So when I go I will be taking pictures at both places…the one that is marked and the one that I have in my mind as yet unmarked.
It has to be in Mississippi -The crossroads where black and white music mixed to create an American phenomenon that took over the whole world. The devil has been in the details ever since.
My plan is to roll these out one by one until we have all seven- Then create a separate page- and just maybe another site where people can send pictures and opinions because that would be awesome! There is still time to change my mind on these wonders. I will entertain any suggestions and give you full credit if you can convince me of an error.
And lastly I am not enforcing the “be nice” WordPress decorum if you want to leave opinions. These 7 wonders are for all of us and it is more important that I get this right (or close to it) instead of feeling warm and fuzzy all over with tons of like buttons.
As of now I have no actual pictures because I have visited none of these sites, I hope to change that in the near future!
This song has it all!
A simple repeated chord progression that anyone can play:
Too simple? To twist a quote that Mozart used in Amadeus “What notes would you like to add?” This Da, Da, Daa can be understood by anyone and explained to anyone. Rock music comes in so many different flavors that you sometimes need the source to show what it is all about-A lighthouse of a song to let you find your way home through all the complications of haze and confusion. Find me a rock guitarist who has not evoked the great spirit of rock n roll by playing this…it even works if you play it as a joke…you are connecting yourself to the life-force of rock music.
A true story:
It is based on a “stupid with a flare-gun” burning down the place where Deep Purple was set to record.
Name Dropping:
Frank Zappa and the Mothers were at the best place in town…And the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio thingy that they borrowed or rented or stole.
Exotic Location:
Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
The four classical elements:
Fire, Water, Earth and Air
Smoke on the water- fire in the sky. It does three of them in the chorus! And the “stupid” with a flare gun burned the place to the ground. That would take care of earth but they were not done yet and brought in a hero of Funky Claude who saved the day by pulling kids to the ground.
The biblical story of “no room in the inn” – go find another place:
Most of the song is about the struggle to find a location to perpetuate the awesomeness of making rock music. This story has been retold through generations over and over and it probably started when mankind started painting cave walls.
That picture in a picture thing that goes forever:
You know those pictures of somebody looking in a mirror and in that mirror image-you have the mirror image of that dude looking in a mirror in a mirror and on and on to an infinity of the same dude looking in a mirror!!!!
Well this song has that…because it is a song about making a song and writing a song about a true event that is still unfolding and part of creating the song itself…it goes on and on into infinity –just like this song.
Maybe that is why you can’t kill it…Infinity just keeps going and going.
Da…Da…Daa…da, da, dada… Da…Da…Daa..dadada.
Not to mention iconic performances by Ritchie Blackmore on guitar and Ian Gillan on vocals…and didn’t rock stars who followed all try to make up names that sounded as rockstar-ish as this?
I still am not sick of this song and I have heard it at least 8 zillion times!
And I am going to YouTube me up a couple more versions right now!
AWOLNATION.This kids not alright
Finally, something the kids can soak up and enjoy without thinking if they are supposed to like it. Without thinking if it is good or bad…without thinking if it is cool or un-cool…or if all their other peeps and haters are onboard—this is just play it and like it. Yes-this is what rock music is supposed to be.
For Lara, and Rob.
JOHNNY CASH - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2003 American)
I have published over 300 reviews here at mikeladano.com (use the search button on the top right to look up anything you want). Yet, I still hadn't got around to Johnny Cash! That's strange, because Johnny Cash is very special to me.
Everybody "says" they love Johnny Cash.
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Ah, record shops. How we loved record shops and record shopping. Those grey, overcast days in February and March where we were absolutely adamant that we would walk home with a bag containing a CD or two dangling from our wrists as our hands were thrust in the pockets of our overcoats, even if there was nothing there we particularly wanted.
