10 Records that changed the World of Popular Music
There have been many good records, but most did not change the world of music. There have been some that did and here is my top 10. (Please feel free to argue and let me know your top 10. It is all subjective after all.) These either changed the direction of music or were the pinnacle of their genre. each record comes with a brief explanation which I will expand on later posts. 1. Tutti Frutti. (Little Richard) There are many early rock and roll records that could claim to have laid the fundamentals for what was to follow. However Tutti Frutti is my choice for its sheer power and energy. Coupled with with the fact that this was a major hit for a black artist at a time when that was almost unheard of means that Tutti Frutti just has to be on my list. 2. Move It. (Cliff Richard) Sir Cliff. This is widely acknowledged as one of the first rock and roll records made outside of the USA. No matter that S.C.R. was a pale shadow of Elvis, this record told the youth in Britain that we could play real rock and roll and make it ours. there are those that would argue for Rock Island Line by Lonnie Donegan but for my money this record deserves its place in history. 3. Revolver (The Beatles) Revolver is perhaps the most contentious inclusion in this list. There is no Sgt Pepper, no White Album, in this list, this is The Beatles at their best. This is the pinnacle of good, catchy pop songs, never equalled and often copied. It is also the only Beatles album I own…… 4. Trout Mask Replica (Captain Beefheart) Suddenly it was alright to meld Blues and Jazz and shake them both up to produce something not of this world. It was also alright to use free form lyrics, stream of consciousness writing. It was alright to be an artist and to work in rock. With this album rock came of age. 5. Velvet Underground and Nico (VU & N) The cliche is that not many people bought this album but everyone who did started a band. Well, I bought this album when it was released and did not start a band. The list of those that now claim this as a major influence makes the inclusion of this, flawed, magical album inevitable, and deserved. 6. Horses (Patti Smith) 1975 and music is boring. Born of a passion for Hendrix, The Who, and other rock acts from the 60’s Patti Smith launched herself on the album buying public with this stunning debut. the breadth of her vision and the execution of that vision is a sensation. Punk attitude with an artist’s honesty. Simply a must have album. 7. Thriller (Michael Jackson) before Thriller most albums spawned one or two singles. After Thriller albums would be packed with possible singles. For better or worse this album changed the music industry for ever. (Personally, I think it was for the worse, and I hate this album). 8. King of the Delta Blues (Robert Johnson) RJ was not the father of the blues as some claimed in the 60s, but he was a very close relative. The reason that this album has to be included in this list is not that it was unique when the tracks were recorded in 1937. The reason is that this album changed white music forever when it was released as a double album on CBS in 1967. It was the first time that most of us white kids had heard real, traditional blues. That so many of us still listen to it and that the music still speaks to the following generations proves how influential this record was, and is. It led directly to the revival of the fortunes of John Lee Hooker, Muddy waters and the rest. If ever a record changed the world of music it is this one. 9. Apache (The Shadows) Love it or hate it (guess which camp I am in!) This record changed the face of music in the UK. hank Marvin was voted the best guitar player in the NME for years. Strat rock in the UK was born and countless budding guitarists bought Bert Weedon’s ‘Play in a Day’…….. 10. My Favourite Things (John Coltrane) I had not heard this record for years. About 18 months ago I walked into the studio to prepare for my radio show. The proceeding programme was on and this was on. I was stunned at how good this still sounded. There is genius at work here. JC takes a small insignificant and mundane song and turns it into something sublime. This made improvisation not only acceptable it made it fundamental for any musician. If only more musicians were as good at it as JC. Well, that is my list. What is yours?
Commercial Radio Stations, The End of Civilisation?
This is not as stupid a question as it first appears. At least, not if you think that music is important. I believe that music is one of the foundations of society. It predated written communication and probably the spoken word. Rhythm and melody is with us before we are born. Babies in the womb respond to music. They respond to the rhythms of the heartbeat of their mothers. We assimilate basic rhythms as we grow up, music becomes part of us. Our lives are dominated by sounds and music almost as much as they are by light and images. We pay musicians and singers a fortune to use their skills and talents to reflect and sometimes change our lives. Well, some of them get paid a fortune. In history balladeers were feted and valued, and this is how it should be. Music has developed from the streets be it Blues, rock and roll, Punk, Folk etc. In the modern world there is a disease. It is that growing and spreading scourge of all thinking human beings, disposable, irrelevant, musical pap. Bubblegum for the ears has always been around. One of the main culprits responsible for the growth of this rubbish has been the MOR commercial radio stations. These radio stations use music is the filler between inane quizzes and adverts. These stations provide a diet of extended jingles and tell us that it is music. They demand shorter tracks to play, they ignore any music that may make us think (they do not want us to do that). They ignore any music that may make us upset. Their prime requirement is to have a safe platform for their adverts. Music, real music, must challenge and excite. The purpose of music, of all art, is to reflect, challenge and change. The growth and development of civilisation goes hand in hand with questioning. One of the prime sources of that questioning is music. Real music exists but it is under threat from the dumbing down of the broadcast media. That way lies the end of civilisation as we know it. Phil Stutt runs http://www.realrockandblues.com/ a site that celebrates real music. Comments and articles on the subject of real rock and blues welcomed. I am passionate about music that engages, challenges, and is creative. I hate lift music and the aural wallpaper to which we all seem subject to these days. http://www.realrockandblues.com/ is a Celine Dion free site!Remember, music matters, keep it real!
I Will be a Millionaire this Time Next Year……
The Internet is a wonderful place to make lots of money. We all know that. We know that because we have been told so many times it must be true. We have been told that by many people all wiling to share their secrets to a six figure income (OK, so that is six figures in US$ which is ‘only’ a five figure income in £ but that is still not to be sneezed at). It is very kind of them to offer their secrets and always at the knock down cost of $97 (or $47). Sometimes it seems too good to be true or am I being cynical? Making money was not my prime motivation in setting up realrockandblues.com, It would be nice, don’t get me wrong, but it was not and is not my prime motivation. Now that I have been made redundant and had to take a job at a lower wage (some 25% down on basic) it is more important. That said, sales of books, Cd’s and Zippos on EBay and Amazon are covering the shortfall at the present. What I am interested in today is the number of offers that are out there that promise “A Six Figure Income for 2 Hours Work a Day” or “Make Money While You Sleep With My Unique Money Making Strategy”. Being cynical I think that the way to make money on the Internet is to sell the dream to those with no idea and little hope. Having said that I am very willing to be proved wrong. I will be looking at some of the offers that come my way and share my views in the coming weeks and months. I will tell you about those things that seem to be reasonable (there has be some kernel of knowledge in these packages, doesn’t there?) and any tips that I glean. Any comments about your experiences or offers that you have come across would be welcomed, mail@realrockandblues.com. Here’s to a peaceful and profitable future. Let’s all get rich! Phil
What Makes a Good Song?
Some time ago I was going to write a piece for my website (realrockandblues.com) about good songwriters. I abandoned it when I became bogged down trying to define ‘a good song’. The trouble is that a good song can be good in-spite of the lyrics, melody, or any of the fundamentals. Some songs, particularly rock blues, have a basic format which serves them well, making the quality of the lyric writing less important. The lyrics merge into the overall sound and can often be ignored as words. The sound of the singer becomes another instrument in the overall mix. When trying to dissect what makes a good song the quality of the lyric writing is less important than many believe. If you concentrate on the quality of the lyric writing the question quickly becomes is songwriter ‘A’ a better poet than songwriter ‘B’? There is some merit in asking this question but it misses the point about good songs. Why are some people able to create good songs while others produce pap? I have no doubt hat Dylan is a good songwriter (and poet). Some of his lyrics are sublime. ‘You don’t have to be a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows’ is a line that works on more than one level. It has both a political and natural interpretation. His facility with words is, has been, impressive. However, that is not to say that all his songs are good, or even average. Leonard Cohen is a great poet. His songs? Well, when I was 17 and consumed by teenage angst, worrying about some girl, dreaming of things to come, angry at the state of the world, yes, they were great songs. Now, they are just turgid, to me. I am sure that there are some people who still like them, mainly teenagers wracked with angst etc.? Whether a song is good depends as much on the listener as anything else. However, that is another debate. I began writing this on Saturday and today is Sunday. The Sunday Times has a review of an Aimee Mann release that said ‘If the stars were awarded purely for song writing, you would be reading a four star review right now. Aimee Mann’s standards rarely drop. The problem with @#%&*! Smiles, however, is that most of the songs are lost in bland and unchallenging arrangements….’ This is a professional critic confusing the quality of the poetry with the quality of the songs. The lyric is only part of the whole, bland arrangements can destroy potentially good songs. No one would ever accuse the Glimmer Twins, Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Wreckless, T V Smith et al of being great poets. They did all make wonderful and evocative songs that have stood the test of time. Good songs depend on making an emotional connection. They also depend on making a difference to the listener, a lasting difference. That is why blue moon and June songs do not do it for me. I want more. I do not want bland, unchallenging arrangements. If the lyrics are out in front of the mix I do not want humdrum. Neither do I want the sense that I am supposed to be in awe of the songwriter’s word craft. For me Chuck Berry’s ‘Coffee coloured cadillac’ beats all David Grey’s cleverness everytime. What do I want from a song? Melody? Not necessarily. A driving beat? Sometimes. Clever lyrics? Not often. Give me something that grabs my attention. Something that keeps me guessing, starts me thinking, and is honest. I want a song or a piece of music to expand my experience, to change me.
So where is the Blues Podcast?
A couple of people have asked me what has happened to the new blues podcast. That is heartening as I did not know that anyone listened to them. It is also quite depressing as time has obviously been passing me by. So, where is the blues podcast? Basically it is sitting on the stairs in my house, well, the CDs are. What I need to do is to take them into my home studio and to do the do, as they say. However, more important issues are pressing. The main one being that I am to be made redundant. The prospect of no cash coming in as from mid April is scary, both for me and my bank manager, credit card providers, etc. One good thing to come out of this bombshell (and it was a bombshell, no indication that the company may be about to ditch 50% of the Health and Safety team) is that I have started studying for a H & S qualification (NEBOSH General Certificate if you are interested). About time too, I have been avoiding studying to get on with the practical suff, reducing accidents at work, doing risk assessments and generally nagging the middle managers to take H & S seriously. It worked too. Only 1 accident in the last 35 days (best ever result since we began to keep records in 2004). The near misses are now being reported rather than ignored and I have just organised Health Promotion Days for the 400 people who work for the firm. The result? The company is now able to delegate the responsibility for H & S to the same middle managers that I have been nagging for the last 18 months to get their acts together. An own goal if ever there was one. With only 2 weeks left in the business I am tempted to take an afternoon off and to record the show. Trouble is, I feel this responsibility towards the workers and can not just walk away, not until 18th April anyway.
Phil’s British Heart Foundation Donation – you know it makes sense
