The Seven Wonders of Rock #2 and #3 The Studios

~ Cave_Guy ~ 7 Comments

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When picking studios I had two criteria that I had to meet:

  1. They must still exist so you can visit them
  2. They must be steeped in the epic-ness of Rock Music

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
Sun Studios, Memphis, 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sun Studio Memphis, Tennessee

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
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.

 

 

The Seven Wonders of Rock n Roll-#1 The Crossroads

~ Cave_Guy ~ 13 Comments

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I wrote my favorite post a few months ago. https://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 Johns...
“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!

Songs that can’t be killed…Smoke on the Water.

~ Cave_Guy ~ 16 Comments

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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

~ Cave_Guy ~ 4 Comments

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.

Movement of Ska people- From Madness to Sublime

~ Cave_Guy ~ 3 Comments

Ska used to be a tonic for the oppressed. Maybe because it has its roots in Jamaica where it seems like economic strife and hardship are permanent fixtures. It found a home in Britain then made its way to America to gain smoothness and swagger. I never think that music loses anything as it gets interpreted by different people in different places. That is part of what makes it so great.

Reggae is the rhythmic offspring of Ska- your body will tell you the difference- Reggae makes you sway and Ska makes you jump.

You know the cave guy loves every kind of music but that does not mean that every kind of music can get this guy moving. So I’m gonna take you on a ride that can be enjoyed no matter what kind of life you have. Beat down by the man or the man himself. Ska will make you move.

I give you three of the English version, including the Clash going back to the start with a cover of Toots and the Maytals .

Step one- Madness.One Step Beyond

Something Special-Specials.Ghost Town

The Clash.Pressure Drop

And two American- One pop music and one west coast swagger.

Mighty Mighty Bosstones.The Impression that I Get

Sublime.Santeria

My apologies to Fishbone who I tried to find a place for in this post but it always felt like you guys didn’t quite fit. Awesome band but we don’t know where to put you…I know –you’re heard that before.

Radiohead.Fake Plastic Trees

~ Cave_Guy ~ 2 Comments

I do have a few Ska songs racked up and ready to go but that post will have to wait as I find myself in the depths of a Radiohead mood. I wouldn’t call it sadness- more like a mixture of isolation mixed with a good dose of reality and extreme tiredness. You shake these ingredients together while some post-apocalyptic vision dances slowly across your brain and it’s time for those creepy boys from Oxfordshire-They are like the patron saints of wallowing self-reflection (wonder if I can get a mini plastic version of them to place on the dash of my beat-up Oldsmobile?) So enjoy and I feel better already.

And thanks to http://dustandsoul.wordpress.com for placing this gem on their manic/depressive playlist and inspiring this post.

The Pixies.Where Is My Mind.

~ Cave_Guy ~ 8 Comments

Funny how a song can haunt you- this song seems to be following me around like a little puppy that wants a walk. I have read much about the cultural low point that was the 1980’s; it wasn’t all Madonna and MTV.

And here is a song about swimming in the Caribbean with little fishes following you around.  But it’s not taken like a scuba diving song. It has that anthem of wasted youth about it- And for those of you that are currently in the wasted youth phase (lucky you)  and may not know about Kurt Cobain trying to make a song that sounded like the Pixies and ending up with a little ditty called “Smells Like Teen Spirit” …well that happened too- so I bring you some substance from the horrible decade that still paddles around pretty good for its age. The Pixies–Where Is My Mind.

The White Stripes.Seven Nation Army

~ Cave_Guy ~ 4 Comments

Wow…sometimes you just got to rock it out…I have said recently that the 0’s were the worst decade of rock music but it was not all bad. In fact, I think rock music started from the beginning and rebooted in that decade (I might write a wordy diatribe about this sometime?) but for now I give you White Stripes– Echoes of Son House and T-bone Walker complete  with a crazy wild man singing and playing while a seriously nice respectable attractive lady bangs the drums….this is tasty stuff.

Accidental Racist- We all agree- It’s just a bad song.

~ Cave_Guy ~ 6 Comments
I had Starbucks coffee on a Friday night
I had Starbucks coffee on a Friday night (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wow…that is one awkward song to listen to. It may be the most uncomfortable filler song that has ever been produced. I get what they are trying to do and I respect them for giving it all they had-but this was doomed to fail for many reasons….Now maybe rich rednecks (like duck dynasty rednecks or country music stars) hit up Starbucks for a mocha cappuccino on the way down to the creek for some bluegill fishing. But I am not thinking that is too typical. And I have a tough time picturing L.L. Cool Jay as a barista. It seems like the Skynyrd shirt is the least of the things that could go wrong with this song.

You have two very rich and famous men trying to relate to the everyday man in this country. It is just too big of a jump to make. Again, I respect them both for taking a running start and doing a big cannonball into this pool of historical anger and guilt that no one else wants any part of.

This is the first time through and like all first times at everything- it is not going to be smooth.

Brad Paisley tends to write cartoony songs about all kinds of subjects and this is no exception to that style. What makes this approach usually work is his strong sense of humor weaving around the quirky guitar lines. LL Cool J tries to offer the clarifying view from the other side but can’t make the mis-written words fit. There is nothing worse than listening to an unfunny joke poorly delivered and this is how this song comes off.

I thank them for breaking the ice and getting the conversation going.

And to all the critics and distracters out there….Go write your own song about healing these wounds and see how it goes.

I for one am glad that representatives from country music and hip hop music have met and are starting talks. This is a complicated issue that cuts through many layers and generations and I hope this bad song starts the writing of some good songs. I would love to live in an America that lets music bring us together instead of driving us apart.

And maybe it is starting to work…because all the different cultures and sub-groups in this country have gotten together with one single voice to declare “This is a bad song”