View allAll Photos Tagged Mellotron
King Crimson / Islands
Side one:
- "Formentera Lady" - 10:18
- "Sailor's Tale" - 7:29
- "The Letters" - 4:28
Side two:
- "Ladies of the Road" - 5:31
- "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" - 4:14
- "Islands" - 9:15
- Untitled (hidden track, begins one minute after Islands ends) - 1:36
(All songs written by Robert Fripp, all lyrics written by Peter Sinfield.)
Robert Fripp – guitar, mellotron, harmonium, sundry implements, production
Peter Sinfield – lyrics, sounds and visions, cover design and painting, production
Mel Collins – saxophones, flute, bass flute, backing vocals, production
Ian Wallace – drums, percussion, backing vocals, production
Boz – bass, lead vocals, choreography, production
Keith Tippett – piano
Robin Miller – oboe
Mark Charig – cornet
Harry Miller – double bass
Recorded: October 1971 at Command Studios, Piccadilly, London, England
sleeve design: photo of the Trifid Nebula
Label: Alantic Records / 1971
ex Vinyl-Collectin MTP
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islands_(King_Crimson_album)
There Is No PLANet B
POV: Living Room Window, Bern, Switzerland
Sony a6000, ILCE6000 + SEL55210 lewelsch
All Medias: Created / Composes / Remixed by LeWelsch.
Copyright: LeWels©h MultiMediaLab, Bern: Switzerland.
Led Zeppelin / The Song Remains the Same
live soundtrack album of the concert film "The Song Remains the Same"
Robert Plant – vocals
Jimmy Page – guitars, backing vocals, Theremin
John Paul Jones – bass guitar, Fender Rhodes, Mellotron
John Bonham – drums, percussion
Recorded live 27–29 July 1973 at Madison Square Garden, NYC
sleeve design: Hipgnosis, George Hardie
Label: Swan Song Records / 1976
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
1957 was the year of 'Bye Bye Love' by the Everly Brothers and 'All Shock up' by Elvis - hardly dates associated with early electronic music. In 1959 - the year of the music in this lens test - Robert Zimmerman first introduced himself as Bob Dylan, John Coltrane made 'Giant steps' in Jazz, and Mingus was at his most 'Mingus' self - 'Ah um' - again not a year associated with early sequence electronics and proto house music stabs. The first '8 elements in 7 group' version of the Takumar 50mm f1.4 was put on sale 5 years after this track was released - a real crash for the words 'vintage' and 'future'.
The Electrosoniks (Raaijmaker and Dissevelt) were the inhouse musicians/technitians of the Dutch Natlab laboratory - a proto silicon valley that would invent the cassette tape and a disc that paved the way for CDs.
Described as "speculative electronic pop music" by MrSifter63 "...built out of layered oscillator tones and acoustic sound sources". The acoustic sound sources he mentions probably involved sampling adapted noises onto analogue tape; sounds often chosen away from the output of traditional musical instruments, and selected for their potential and capacity to be speeded or slowed into new 'units' for music: the principle of the horn of a boat being slowed down into a qualitatively different rumble, or a tap on a tin-lid speeded into a 'tizz', or an oscillator 'phweeet' phased up and down by changing the ohms and then tape-recording: reversed, spliced, slowed, combined and generally explored for limits and potentials. By careful control of tape speed, an input could be generated for distinct musical notes and then recorded and spliced by hand into rhythmic sequences or melodies. Reversing tape and adding other source noises from electronic oscillations, white noise variants and harmonic distortions were also components in the game of sound that rejoiced in the capacities of magnetic tape. It can be argued that the Mellotron keyboard and the magnetic tape 'echo machine' were the last vestiges from this first age of modern popular electronic music.
Keyboards were present, but were not essential triggers for these sonic assemblages, and the music was a final result of a construction and alignment of spliced tapes turning in syncronised loops as multiple machines were switched on together.
With the technique of cut-up, it is easy to produce an amorphous scape that is neither a "sound effects album" or a film score, and too 'eerie' or 'brittle' to be lifestyle ambient music. The genius of Raaijmaker and Dissevelt was in their attempt to apply the new electrosonic techniques to produce sounds within structured musical forms - thus the term 'popular' - and to create original tracks rather than transcribe existing music into glitzy futurist guise. The armatures of their music could become ornamented with every example of new electronic noise their laboratory could generate (the case of this example) which has led to a fad comparison with Tex Avery music. Created in an age of new plastics, rockets, wavelengths and colours, their shock-of-the-new was of their moment and of their late 1950s sense of 'future-today'.
Specialists can become lost in details, and their music is an example where listening to the sonic solutions within each track is as interesting if not more interesting than listening to the track as a piece.
Their output is diverse and tracks include electronic sequences for base and rhythm that would many years later become the backbone of electronic dance music. Chord stabs of the type seen in House music also made an appearance with the duo, as did the atmospheric drift behind a melody typical of ambient house. They welded melody into the rhythm section producing sound textures would become the protohistory for musical trends as diverse as deep house, techno and ambient.
I spent quite a bit of time processing and reprocessing my analogue footage which originated from my base lens, the Takumar 50mm 1.4. I filmed using multiple apertures.
'Vibration' was composed by Tom Dissevelt and produced by himself and Raaijmakers (Kid Baltan) under the name Electrosoniks. Placing their work in a token chronology might pass through this list:
1952 Herbert Eimert www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTSed3Ybzhg
Early electronic sounds applied to Messiaen-esque forms.
1957 Elecrosoniks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVl2_MSwmSA
1958 Elecrosoniks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlRFwoluP-4&list=RDrlRFwoluP-...
Using electronic sounds for popular rhythms that would unfold with time into much of todays elecronic music.
1963 Delia Derbyshire www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM8uBGANASc
Electronic sounds enter the homes of everyman.
1968 Silver Apples: space race hippy pop - proto Alan Vega and Suicide: www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1xOZyBc2Ck
1968 The Beatles. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKdl-GCsNJ0
The Moog synthesizer pulled together many of the components of electronic experimentation and had been around for around 12 months when 'Abbey Road' by The Beatles was released as one of the first LPs to integrate the sound of a synthesiser, set in the mix within the whole of the sound.
1970 Kraftwerk - today often 'known' as 'pioneers' of electronic music, here clearly showing that progress over time can regress: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNoFHdlMrtI
1993 Bernard Parmegiani whose purist approach to electronic sound exploration spanned decades from the early 1960s to the present day. This extraordinary animation by Piotr Kamler provided a perfect setting for his sonic experimentations:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQYn_cDkpmo
AJM 7.11.19
Press play and then 'L' and even f11. Escape and f11 a second time to return.
Genesis / Seconds Out
Side one:
- "Squonk" - 6:39
- "The Carpet Crawl" - 5:27
- "Robbery, Assault and Battery" - 6:02
- "Afterglow"- 4:29
Side two:
- "Firth of Fifth" - 8:56
- "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" - 8:45
- "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway..."- 4:59
- "...The Musical Box (Closing Section)" - 3:18
Side three:
- "Supper's Ready" - 24:33
Side four:
- "The Cinema Show" - 10:58
- "Dance on a Volcano..." - 5:09
- "...Los Endos" - 6:20
Tony Banks – RMI Electra piano, Hammond T. organ, ARP Pro Soloist, Mellotron 400, Epiphone 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Mike Rutherford – Shergold electric 12-string and bass guitar, 8-string bass guitar, Alvarez 12-string guitar, Moog Taurus bass pedals, backing vocals
Steve Hackett – Gibson Les Paul, Hokada 12-string guitar
Phil Collins – lead vocals, Premier and Gretsch drums
Chester Thompson – Pearl drums, percussio
Bill Bruford – Ludwig and Hayman drums, percussion ("The Cinema Show" only)
Recorded live 23 June 1976 at Pavillon de Paris, Paris ("The Cinema Show")
11–14 June 1977 at Palais des Sports, Paris
sleeve design: Photos by Armando Gallo, Robert Ellis, Graham Wood
Label: Charisma Records / 1977
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
playing live at Le Mellotron for Worldwide FM show
show is available here : worldwidefm.net/show/le-mellotron-anders-and-la-pieuvre-w...
shot with Nikon F80 on expired Kodak Black & White +
XXXX
Focus / Ship of Memories
Compilation Album
Side one:
- "P's March" (Thijs van Leer) - 4:43
- "Can't Believe My Eyes" (Jan Akkerman) - 5:17
- "Focus V" (Thijs van Leer) - 3:02
- "Out of Vesuvius"
(Jan Akkerman, Bert Ruiter, Pierre van der Linden, Thijs van Leer) - 5:50
Side two:
- "Glider" (Jan Akkerman) - 4:38
- "Red Sky at Night" (Jan Akkerman, Thijs van Leer) - 5:50
- "Spoke the Lord Creator" (Thijs van Leer) - 2:32
- "Crackers" (Jan Akkerman) - 2:42
- "Ship of Memories" (Pierre van der Linden) - 1:48
Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, piano, Moog synthesizer, mellotron, electric piano, drum machine (track 5), Moog bass synth (track 6), flute, non-lexical vocables
Jan Akkerman – guitar, electric sitar (track
Bert Ruiter – bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10)
Martin Dresden – bass guitar (track 7)
Pierre van der Linden – drums (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 9)
Hans Cleuver – drums (track 7)
David Kemper – drums (track 6, 8)
Recorded: January 1970 – mid-1975 in various locations
sleeve design: The cover art shows the German World War II heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper" recovering an Arado Ar 196 plane
Label: EMI Records / 1976
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Genesis / Wind & Wuthering
Side one:
- "Eleventh Earl of Mar"
(Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford) - 7:45
- "One for the Vine" (Tony Banks) - 10:00
- "Your Own Special Way" (Mike Rutherford) - 6:19
- "Wot Gorilla?" (Phil Collins, Tony Banks) - 3:21
Side two:
- "All in a Mouse's Night" (Tony Banks) - 6:39
- "Blood on the Rooftops" (Steve Hackett, Phil Collins) - 5:28
- "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers..."
(Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford) - 2:20
- "...In That Quiet Earth" (Hackett, Rutherford, Banks, Collins) - 4:54
- "Afterglow" (Tony Banks) - 4:11
Phil Collins – vocals, drums, cymbals, percussion
Steve Hackett – electric guitars, nylon classical guitar, 12 string guitar, kalimba, autoharp
Mike Rutherford – 4, 6, and 8 string bass guitars, electric and 12 string acoustic guitars, bass pedals
Tony Banks – Steinway grand piano, ARP 2600 synthesizer, ARP Pro Soloist synthesizer, Hammond organ, Mellotron, Roland string synthesizer, Fender Rhodes piano
Recorded: September–October 1976 at Relight Studios, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
sleeve design: Hipgnosis and Colin Elgie
Label: Charisma Records / 1976
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
today our sound class went on a field trip to cantos. a hypnotic (for me) musical museum that also included a whole wack of 'vintage' electronics..
ever wondered what was behind the sounds of 'strawberry fields'?
Genesis / Genesis Live
Side one:
- "Watcher of the Skies" - 8:34
- "Get 'Em Out by Friday" - 9:14
- "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" - 8:14
Side two:
- "The Musical Box" - 10:56
- "The Knife"- 9:47
(All songs by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford, except "The Knife", by Banks, Gabriel, Anthony Phillips and Rutherford. )
Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, flute, tambourine, bass drum
Tony Banks – Hammond organ, Mellotron, Hohner Pianet, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Steve Hackett – lead guitar
Mike Rutherford – bass guitar, Dewtron "Mister Bassman" bass pedal synthesizer, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Phil Collins – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Recorded live 24 February 1973 at Free Trade Hall, Manchester ("Return of the Giant Hogweed") and 25 February 1973 at De Montfort Hall, Leicester
sleeve design: cover photo by Bob Gruen
Label: Charisma Records / 1973
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Passport / Hand Made
Trackliste:
- Abracadabra - 7:20
- The Connexion - 5:33
- Yellow Dream - 4:20
- Proclamation - 2:39
- Hand Made - 9:26
- Puzzle - 4:07
- The Quiet Man - 4:43
( Composed by Klaus Doldinger)
Curt Cress - Drums
Wolfgang Schmid - Guitar, Bass
Frank Roberts - Organ, Electric Piano [Fender Piano]
Klaus Doldinger - Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Synthesizer [Moog], Electric Piano, Mellotron, Producer
sleeve design: Wandrey's Studio
Label: Atlantic Records / 1973
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Cream / The Story of Cream
Compilation Album
Trackliste:
A1 Traintime - 6:52
A2 Toad - 15:53
B1 White Room - 4:56
B2 Sittin' On Top Of The World - 4:56
B3 Strange Brew - 2:47
B4 Tales Of Brave Ulysses - 2:47
B5 Sunshine Of Your Love - 4:11
B6 Take It Back - 3:03
C1 I'm So Glad - 9:11
C2 Politician - 6:19
C3 Spoonful - 6:31
D1 Born Under A Bad Sign - 3:08
D2 Badge - 2:45
D3 Crossroads - 4:13
D4 N.S.U. - 2:40
D5 Passing The Time - 4:31
D6 I Feel Free - 2:48
D7 Mother's Lament - 1:47
Bass – Jack Bruce
Drums – Ginger Baker
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Mellotron, Piano – Felix Pappalardi (tracks: D2)
Rhythm Guitar – L'Angelo Misterioso (tracks: D2)
Vocals – Eric Clapton (tracks: B3, C1, D2, D7), Ginger Baker (tracks: D7), Jack Bruce (tracks: A1, A2, B1 to B6, C1 to C3, D1, D3 to D7
sleeve design: photo
Label: RSO Records / 1978
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Watercolor.. pencil and felt pen.. From the Genesis Live album: www.flickr.com/photos/24910314@N05/4321786569/in/faves-46...
The Rolling Stones / Beggars Banquet
Side one:
- "Sympathy for the Devil" - 6:18
- "No Expectations" - 3:56
- "Dear Doctor" - 3:28
- "Parachute Woman" - 2:20
- "Jigsaw Puzzle"- 6:06
Side two:
- "Street Fighting Man" - 3:16
- "Prodigal Son" - 2:51
- "Stray Cat Blues" - 4:38
- "Factory Girl" - 2:09
- "Salt of the Earth" - 4:48
(All songs written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except "Prodigal Son" by Robert Wilkins.)
Mick Jagger – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals ("Dear Doctor"), harmonica ("Parachute Woman"), maracas ("Street Fighting Man", "Stray Cat Blues")
Keith Richards – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, slide guitar ("Salt of the Earth”, “Jigsaw Puzzle"), bass guitar ("Sympathy for the Devil", "Street Fighting Man", "Stray Cat Blues"), backing vocals ("Sympathy for the Devil", "Dear Doctor", "Salt of the Earth"), opening lead vocals ("Salt of the Earth")
Brian Jones – slide guitar ("No Expectations"), acoustic guitar ("Parachute Woman"), harmonica ("Dear Doctor", "Parachute Woman", "Prodigal Son"), Mellotron ("Jigsaw Puzzle", "Stray Cat Blues"), sitar ("Street Fighting Man"), tambura ("Street Fighting Man"), backing vocals ("Sympathy for the Devil")
Bill Wyman – bass guitar, double bass ("Dear Doctor"), backing vocals ("Sympathy for the Devil"), shekere ("Sympathy for the Devil"), maracas ("Sympathy for the Devil")
Charlie Watts – drums, claves ("No Expectations"), tambourine ("Dear Doctor"), tabla ("Factory Girl")
Nicky Hopkins – piano ("Sympathy for the Devil", "No Expectations", "Dear Doctor", "Jigsaw Puzzle", "Street Fighting Man", "Stray Cat Blues", "Salt of the Earth"), Mellotron ("Factory Girl"), Farfisa organ ("No Expectations")
Rocky Dzidzornu – congas ("Sympathy for the Devil", "Stray Cat Blues", "Factory Girl")
Ric Grech – fiddle ("Factory Girl")
Dave Mason – shehnai ("Street Fighting Man")
Jimmy Miller – backing vocals ("Sympathy for the Devil")
Watts Street Gospel Choir – backing vocals ("Salt of the Earth")
Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull – backing vocals ("Sympathy for the Devil")
Recorded: 17 March – 25 July 1968 at Olympic Sound Studio, London; Sunset Sound Studio, Los Angeles
sleeve design: The album's original cover art, depicting a bathroom wall covered with graffiti, was rejected by the band's record company, and their unsuccessful dispute delayed the album's release for months. The "toilet" cover was later featured on most compact disc reissues.
Label: Decca Records / 1968
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Camel / Camel (Album)
Side one:
- "Slow Yourself Down" (Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward) - 4:47
- "Mystic Queen" (Peter Bardens) - 5:40
- "Six Ate" (Andrew Latimer) - 6:06
- "Separation" (Andrew Latimer) - 3:57
Side two:
- "Never Let Go" (Andrew Latimer) - 6:26
- "Curiosity" (Peter Bardens) - 5:55
- "Arubaluba" (Peter Bardens) - 6:28
Andrew Latimer – guitar; vocals
Peter Bardens – organ, Mellotron, piano, VCS 3 synthesizer; vocals
Doug Ferguson – bass guitar; vocals
Andy Ward – drums, percussion
Recorded: 15–26 August 1972 at Morgan Studios, London
sleeve design: Modula
Label: MCA Records / 1973
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_(album)
50 years to the day Pat Rooney holds The Beatles White Album that he bought the day the album came out on 22nd November 1968.
The Beatles, also known as The White Album, is the ninth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. A double album, its plain white sleeve has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed,[a] which was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's previous LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although no singles were issued from The Beatles in Britain and the United States, the songs "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" originated from the same recording sessions and were issued on a single in August 1968. The album's songs range in style from British blues and ska to tracks influenced by Chuck Berry and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Most of the songs on the album were written during March and April 1968 at a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. The group returned to EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London at the end of May to commence recording sessions that lasted through to mid-October. During these sessions, arguments broke out among the foursome over creative differences. Another divisive element was the constant presence of John Lennon's new partner, Yoko Ono, whose attendance in the studio broke with the Beatles' policy regarding wives and girlfriends not attending recording sessions. After a series of problems, including producer George Martin taking a sudden leave of absence and engineer Geoff Emerick suddenly quitting, Ringo Starr left the band briefly in August. The same tensions continued throughout the following year, leading to the break-up of the band by 1970.
On release, The Beatles received favourable reviews from the majority of music critics, but other commentators found its satirical songs unimportant and apolitical amid the turbulent political and social climate of 1968. The band and Martin later debated whether the group should have released a single album instead. Nonetheless, The Beatles reached No. 1 on the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and has since been viewed by some critics as one of the greatest albums of all time.
By 1968, the Beatles had achieved commercial and critical success. The group's mid-1967 release, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was number one in the UK for 27 weeks, through to the start of February 1968,[1] having sold 250,000 copies in the first week after release.[2] Time magazine declared that Sgt. Pepper's constituted a "historic departure in the progress of music – any music",[3] while the American writer Timothy Leary wrote that the band were "the wisest, holiest, most effective avatars (Divine Incarnate, God Agents) that the human race has ever produced".[4] The band received a negative critical response to their television film Magical Mystery Tour, which aired in Britain in December 1967, but fan reaction was nevertheless positive.[5]
The songs that appear on The Beatles were demoed at George Harrison's home, Kinfauns, in May 1968.
Most of the songs for The Beatles were written during a Transcendental Meditation course with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India, between February and April 1968.[6][7] The retreat involved long periods of meditation, conceived by the band as a spiritual respite from all worldly endeavours – a chance, in John Lennon's words, to "get away from everything".[8] Both Lennon and Paul McCartney quickly re-engaged themselves in songwriting, often meeting "clandestinely in the afternoons in each other's rooms" to review their new work.[9] "Regardless of what I was supposed to be doing," Lennon later recalled, "I did write some of my best songs there."[10] Author Ian MacDonald said Sgt Pepper was "shaped by LSD",[11] but the Beatles took no drugs with them to India aside from marijuana, and their clear minds helped the group with their songwriting.[12] The stay in Rishikesh proved especially fruitful for George Harrison as a songwriter, coinciding with his re-engagement with the guitar after two years studying the sitar.[13] The musicologist Walter Everett likens Harrison's development as a composer in 1968 to that of Lennon and McCartney five years before, although he notes that Harrison became "privately prolific", given his customary junior status in the group.[14]
The Beatles left Rishikesh before the end of the course. Ringo Starr was the first to leave, less than two weeks later, as he said he could not stand the food;[15] McCartney departed in mid-March,[12] while Harrison and Lennon were more interested in Indian religion and remained until April.[12] According to the author Geoffrey Giuliano, Lennon left Rishikesh because he felt personally betrayed after hearing rumours that the Maharishi had behaved inappropriately towards women who accompanied the Beatles to India,[16][17] though McCartney and Harrison later discovered this to be untrue[18] and Lennon's wife Cynthia reported there was "not a shred of evidence or justification".[19][b]
Collectively, the group wrote around 40 new compositions in Rishikesh, 26 of which would be recorded in very rough form at Kinfauns, Harrison's home in Esher, in May 1968. Lennon wrote the bulk of the new material, contributing 14 songs.[12] Lennon and McCartney brought home-recorded demos to the session, and worked on them together. Some home demos and group sessions at Kinfauns were later released on the 1996 compilation Anthology 3,[20] and later on The Beatles' 50th anniversary edition.
The Beatles was recorded between 30 May and 14 October 1968, largely at Abbey Road Studios in London, with some sessions at Trident Studios.[21] The group block-booked time at Abbey Road through to July,[22] and their times at Rishikesh were soon forgotten in the tense atmosphere of the studio, with sessions occurring at irregular hours.[23] The group's self-belief that they could do anything led to the formation of a new multimedia business corporation Apple Corps, an enterprise that drained the group financially with a series of unsuccessful projects.[24] The open-ended studio time led to a new way of working out songs. Instead of tightly rehearsing a backing track, as had happened in previous sessions, the group would simply record all the rehearsals and jamming, then add overdubs to the best take. Harrison's song "Not Guilty" was left off the album despite recording 102 takes.[25]
The sessions for The Beatles marked the first appearance in the studio of Lennon's new domestic and artistic partner, Yoko Ono, who accompanied him to Abbey Road to work on "Revolution 1"[26] and who would thereafter be a more or less constant presence at all Beatles sessions.[27] Ono's presence was highly unorthodox, as prior to that point, the Beatles had generally worked in isolation, rarely inviting wives and girlfriends to recording sessions.[28] McCartney's girlfriend at the time, Francie Schwartz, was also present at some sessions,[29] as were the other two Beatles' wives, Pattie Harrison and Maureen Starkey.[30]
During the sessions, the band upgraded from 4-track recording to 8-track. As work began, Abbey Road Studios possessed, but had yet to install, an 8-track machine that had supposedly been sitting in a storage room for several months. This was in accordance with EMI's policy of testing and customising new gear extensively before putting it into use in the studios. The Beatles recorded "Hey Jude" and "Dear Prudence" at Trident because it had an 8-track console.[31] When they learned that EMI also had one, they insisted on using it, and engineers Ken Scott and Dave Harries took the machine (without authorisation from the studio chiefs) into Abbey Road Studio 2 for the band's use.[32]
The author Mark Lewisohn reports that the Beatles held their first and only 24-hour session at Abbey Road near the end of the sessions for The Beatles, which occurred during the final mixing and sequencing for the album. This session was attended by Lennon, McCartney and producer George Martin. Unlike most LPs, there was no customary three-second gap between tracks, and the master was edited so that songs segued together, via a straight edit, a crossfade, or an incidental piece of music.[33]
The studio efforts on The Beatles captured the work of four increasingly individuated artists who frequently found themselves at odds. Lewisohn notes that several backing tracks do not feature the full group, and overdubs tended to be limited to whomever wrote the song.[35] Sometimes McCartney and Lennon would even record simultaneously in different studios, each using different engineers.[36] Late in the sessions, Martin, whose influence over the band had gradually waned, spontaneously left to go on holiday, leaving Chris Thomas in charge of production.[37] Lennon's devotion to Ono over the other Beatles, and the couple's increasing use of heroin, made working conditions difficult as he became prone to bouts of temper and lethargy.[38]
Recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who had worked with the group since Revolver in 1966, had become disillusioned with the sessions. At one point, while recording "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", Emerick overheard Martin criticising McCartney's lead vocal performance, to which McCartney replied, "Well you come down and sing it".[39] On 16 July, Emerick announced that he was no longer willing to work with the group and immediately left the studio.[39]
Within the band, according to the author Peter Doggett, "the most essential line of communication ... between Lennon and McCartney" had been broken by Ono's presence on the first day of recording.[40] While echoing this view, Beatles biographer Philip Norman comments that, from the start, each of the group's two principal songwriters shared a mutual disregard for the other's new compositions: Lennon found McCartney's songs "cloyingly sweet and bland", while McCartney viewed Lennon's as "harsh, unmelodious and deliberately provocative".[41] In a move that Lewisohn highlights as unprecedented in the Beatles' recording career, Harrison and Starr chose to distance themselves part-way through the project,[35] flying to California on 7 June so that Harrison could film his scenes for the Ravi Shankar documentary Raga.[42] Lennon, McCartney and Harrison's involvement in individual musical projects outside the band during 1968 was further evidence of the group's fragmentation.[43] In Lennon's case, the album cover of his experimental collaboration with Ono, Two Virgins, featured the couple fully naked – a gesture that his bandmates found bewildering and unnecessary.[44]
On 20 August, Lennon and Starr, working on overdubs for "Yer Blues" in Studio 3, visited McCartney in Studio 2, where he was working on "Mother Nature's Son". The positive spirit of the session disappeared immediately, and the engineer Ken Scott later claimed: "you could cut the atmosphere with a knife".[36] On 22 August, during the session for "Back in the U.S.S.R.", Starr abruptly left the studio,[45] feeling that his role in the group was peripheral compared to the other members, and was upset at McCartney's constant criticism of his drumming on the track.[46][47] Abbey Road staff later commented that Starr was usually the first to arrive at the studio and sat waiting in the reception area for the others to turn up.[48] In his absence, McCartney played the drums on "Dear Prudence". For "Back in the U.S.S.R.", the three remaining Beatles each made contributions on bass and drums, with the drum part being a composite of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison's playing.[48]
Lennon, McCartney and Harrison pleaded with Starr to reconsider. He duly returned on 5 September to find his drum kit decorated with flowers,[49] a welcome-back gesture from Harrison.[50] McCartney described the sessions for The Beatles as a turning point for the group, saying "there was a lot of friction during that album. We were just about to break up, and that was tense in itself",[51] while Lennon later said "the break-up of the Beatles can be heard on that album".[52] Of the album's 30 tracks, only 16 have all four band members performing.[c]
The Beatles contains a wide range of musical styles, which the authors Barry Miles and Gillian Gaar each view as the most diverse of any of the group's albums.[67][68] These styles include rock and roll, blues, folk, country, reggae, avant-garde,[69] hard rock[70] and music hall.[71] The production aesthetic ensured that the album's sound was scaled-down and less reliant on studio innovation, relative to all the Beatles' releases since Revolver.[72] The author Nicholas Schaffner viewed this as reflective of a widespread departure from the LSD-inspired psychedelia of 1967, an approach that was initiated by Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys and similarly adopted in 1968 by artists such as the Rolling Stones and the Byrds.[73] Edwin Faust of Stylus Magazine described The Beatles as "foremost an album about musical purity (as the album cover and title suggest). Whereas on prior Beatles albums, the band was getting into the habit of mixing several musical genres into a single song, on The White Album every song is faithful to its selected genre. The rock n' roll tracks are purely rock n' roll; the folk songs are purely folk; the surreal pop numbers are purely surreal pop; and the experimental piece is purely experimental."[74]
The only western instrument available to the group during their Indian visit was the acoustic guitar, and thus many of the songs on The Beatles were written and first performed on that instrument.[75] Some of these songs remained acoustic on The Beatles and were recorded solo, or only by part of the group (including "Wild Honey Pie",[76] "Blackbird",[77] "Julia",[78] "I Will"[79] and "Mother Nature's Son"[80]).
Side one
McCartney wrote "Back in the U.S.S.R." as a parody of Chuck Berry's song "Back in the U.S.A."[76] and the Beach Boys.[81][82] A field recording of a jet aeroplane taking off and landing was used at the start of the track, and intermittently throughout it.[48] The backing vocals were sung by Lennon and Harrison in the style of the Beach Boys,[48] further to Mike Love's suggestion in Rishikesh that McCartney include mention of the "girls" in the USSR.[81] The track became widely bootlegged in the Soviet Union, where the Beatles' music was banned, and became an underground hit.[76][d]
"Dear Prudence" was one of the songs recorded at Trident. The style is typical of the acoustic songs written in Rishikesh, using guitar arpeggios. Lennon wrote the track about Mia Farrow's sister Prudence Farrow, who rarely left her room during the stay in commitment to the meditation.[84]
"Glass Onion" was the first backing track recorded as a full band since Starr's brief departure. MacDonald claimed Lennon deliberately wrote the lyrics to mock fans who claimed to find "hidden messages" in songs, and referenced other songs in the Beatles catalogue – "The Walrus was Paul" refers back to "I Am the Walrus" (which itself refers to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds").[85] McCartney, in turn, overdubbed a recorder part after the line "I told you about the Fool on the Hill", as a deliberate parody of the earlier song.[86] A string section was added to the track in October.[86]
Lennon went straight to the piano and smashed the keys with an almighty amount of volume, twice the speed of how they'd done it before, and said "This is it! Come on!"
Recording engineer Richard Lush on the final take of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"[87]
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" was written by McCartney as a pastiche of ska music. The track took a surprising amount of time to complete, with McCartney demanding perfectionism that annoyed his colleagues.[54] Jimmy Scott, a friend of McCartney, suggested the title and played bongos on the initial take. He demanded a cut of publishing when the song was released, but the song was credited to "Lennon–McCartney".[88] After working for three days on the backing track, the work was scrapped and replaced with a new recording.[87] Lennon hated the song, calling it "granny music shit",[89] while engineer Richard Lush recalled that Starr disliked having to record the same backing track repetitively, and pinpoints this session as a key indication that the Beatles were going to break up.[87] McCartney attempted to remake the backing track for a third time, but this was abandoned after a few takes and the second version was used as the final mix.[87] The group, save for McCartney, had lost interest in the track by the end of recording, and refused to release it as a single. Marmalade recorded a version that became a number one hit.
McCartney recorded "Wild Honey Pie" on 20 August at the end of the session for "Mother Nature's Son". It is typical of the brief snippets of songs he recorded between takes during the album sessions.[76]
"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" was written by Lennon after an American visitor to Rishikesh left for a few weeks to hunt tigers.[66] It was recorded as an audio vérité exercise, featuring vocal performances from almost everyone who happened to be in the studio at the time. Ono sings one line and co-sings another, while Chris Thomas played the mellotron, including improvisations at the end of the track.[90] The opening flamenco guitar flourish was a recording included in the Mellotron's standard tape library.[91]
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was written by Harrison during a visit he made to his parents' home in Cheshire.[92] He first recorded the song as a solo performance, on acoustic guitar, on 25 July – a version that remained unreleased until Anthology 3.[58] He was unhappy with the group's first attempt to record the track, and so invited his friend Eric Clapton to come and play on it. Clapton was unsure about guesting on a Beatles record, but Harrison said the decision was "nothing to do with them. It's my song."[93] Clapton's solo was treated with automatic double tracking to attain the desired effect; he gave Harrison the guitar he used, which Harrison later named "Lucy".[94][e]
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" evolved out of song fragments that Lennon wrote in Rishikesh. According to MacDonald, this working method was inspired by the Incredible String Band's songwriting.[62] The basic backing track ran to 95 takes, due to the irregular time signatures and variations in style throughout the song. The final version consisted of the best half of two takes edited together.[96] Lennon later described the song as one of his favourites,[97] while the rest of the band found the recording rejuvenating, as it forced them to re-hone their skills as a group playing together to get it right.[98] Apple's press officer Derek Taylor made an uncredited contribution to the song's lyrics.[99]
Side two
McCartney got the title of "Martha My Dear" from his sheepdog, but the lyrics are otherwise unrelated.[100] The entire track is played by him backed with session musicians, and features no other Beatles. Martin composed a brass band arrangement for the track.[101]
"I'm So Tired" was written in India when Lennon was having difficulty sleeping.[65] It was recorded at the same session as "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill".[90] The lyrics make reference to Walter Raleigh, calling him a "stupid git" for introducing tobacco to Europe;[f] while the track ends with Lennon mumbling "Monsieur, monsieur, how about another one?"[90] This became part of the Paul is Dead conspiracy theory, when fans claimed that when the track was reversed, they could hear "Paul is dead man, miss him miss him".[49]
"Blackbird" features McCartney solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. According to Lewisohn, the ticking in the background is a metronome,[35] although Emerick recalls capturing the sound via a microphone placed beside McCartney's shoes.[103] The birdsong on the track was taken from the Abbey Road sound effects collection, and was recorded on one of the first EMI portable tape recorders.[35]
Harrison wrote "Piggies" as an attack on greed and materialism in modern society.[104] His mother and Lennon helped him complete the lyrics.[105] Thomas played harpsichord on the track, while Lennon supplied a tape loop of pigs grunting.[106]
"Rocky Raccoon" evolved from a jam session with McCartney, Lennon and Donovan in Rishikesh. The song was taped in a single session, and was one of the tracks that Martin felt was "filler" and only put on because the album was a double.[60]
"Don't Pass Me By" was Starr's first solo composition for the band;[107] he had been toying with the idea of writing a self-reflective song for some time, possibly as far back as 1963.[108] It went by the working titles of "Ringo's Tune" and "This Is Some Friendly". The basic track consisted of Starr drumming while McCartney played piano.[109] Martin composed an orchestral introduction to the song but it was rejected as being "too bizarre" and left off the album.[107] Instead, Jack Fallon played a bluegrass fiddle part.[110]
"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" was written by McCartney in India after he saw two monkeys copulating in the street and wondered why humans were too civilised to do the same.[111] He played all the instruments except drums, which were contributed by Starr. The simple lyric was very much in Lennon's style, and Lennon was annoyed about not being asked to play on it. McCartney suggested it was "tit for tat" as he had not contributed to "Revolution 9".[112]
"I Will" was written and sung by McCartney, with Lennon and Starr accompanying on percussion.[79] In between numerous takes, the three Beatles broke off to busk some other songs. A snippet of a track known as "Can You Take Me Back?" was put between "Cry Baby Cry" and "Revolution 9",[86] while recordings of Cilla Black's hit "Step Inside Love" and a joke number, "Los Paranoias", were released on Anthology 3.[113]
"Julia" was the last track to be recorded for the album and features Lennon on solo acoustic guitar which he played in a style similar to McCartney's on "Blackbird".[78] This is the only Beatles song on which Lennon performs alone[114] and it was a tribute to his mother Julia Lennon, who was killed in 1958 in a road accident while Lennon was only seventeen, and the lyrics deal with the loss of his mother and his relationship with Ono, the "ocean child" referred to in the lyrics.[78] Ono helped with the lyrics, but the song was still credited to Lennon-McCartney as expected.[115]
Side three
According to McCartney, the authorship of "Birthday" was "50–50 John and me, made up on the spot and recorded all on the same evening".[116] He and Lennon were inspired to write the song after seeing the first UK showing of the rock 'n' roll film The Girl Can't Help It on television, and sang the lead vocal in the style of the film's musical star, Little Richard.[61] After the Beatles had taped the track, Ono and Pattie Harrison added backing vocals.[96]
"Yer Blues" was written by Lennon in India. Despite meditating and the tranquil atmosphere, he still felt unhappy, which was reflected in the lyrics.[117] The style was influenced by the British Blues Boom of 1968, which included groups such as Fleetwood Mac, Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jeff Beck and Chicken Shack.[59] The backing track was recorded in a small room next to the Studio 2 control room at Abbey Road. Unusually for a Beatles recording, the four-track source tape was edited directly, resulting in an abrupt cut-off at 3'17" into the start of another take (which ran into the fade out).[118][g]
McCartney wrote "Mother Nature's Son" in India, and worked on it in isolation from the other members of the band. He performed the track solo alongside a Martin-scored brass arrangement.[80]
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" evolved from a jam session and was originally untitled. The final mix was sped up by mixing the tape running at 43 hertz instead of the usual 50.[25] Harrison claimed the title came from one of the Maharishi's sayings (with "and my monkey" added later).[53]
"Sexy Sadie" was written as "Maharishi" by Lennon, shortly after he decided to leave Rishikesh.[57] In a 1980 interview, Lennon acknowledged that the Maharishi was the inspiration for the song: "I just called him 'Sexy Sadie'."[119]
"Helter Skelter" was written by McCartney and was initially recorded in July as a blues number. The initial takes were performed by the band live and included long passages during which they jammed on their instruments.[39] Because these takes were too long to practically fit on an LP, the song was shelved until September, when a new, shorter, version was made. By all accounts, the session was chaotic, but nobody dared suggest to any of the Beatles that they were out of control. Harrison reportedly ran around the studio while holding a flaming ashtray above his head, "doing an Arthur Brown".[120] The stereo version of the LP includes almost an extra minute of music compared to the mono, which culminates in Starr famously shouting "I've got blisters on my fingers!"[120] Charles Manson was unaware that helter skelter is the British name for a spiral slide found on a playground or funfair, and he assumed the track had something to do with hell. This was one of the key tracks that led Manson to believe the album had coded messages referring to apocalyptic war, and led to his movement of the same name.[57]
The final song on side three is Harrison's "Long, Long, Long", part of the chord progression for which he took from Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands".[121] MacDonald describes the song as Harrison's "touching token of exhausted, relieved reconciliation with God" and considered it to be his "finest moment on The Beatles".[65] The recording session for the basic track was one of the longest the Beatles ever undertook, running from the afternoon of 7 October through the night until 7 am the next day. McCartney played Hammond organ on the track, and an "eerie rattling" effect at the end was created by a note causing a wine bottle on top of the organ's Leslie speaker to resonate.[65][122]
Side four
"Revolution 1" was the first track recorded for the album, with sessions for the backing track starting on 30 May.[24] The initial takes were recorded with the aim of it being a possible single, but as the session progressed, the arrangement became slower, with more of a laid-back groove. The group ended the chosen take with a six-minute improvisation that had further overdubs added, before being cut to the length heard on the album. The brass arrangement was added later.[123]
"Honey Pie" was written by McCartney as a pastiche of the flapper dance style from the 1920s. The opening section of the track had the sound of an old 78 RPM record overdubbed[124] while Martin arranged a saxophone and clarinet part in the same style. Lennon played the guitar solo on the track, but later said he hated the song, calling it "beyond redemption".[64]
"Savoy Truffle" was named after one of the types of chocolate found in a box of Mackintosh's Good News, which Clapton enjoyed eating. The track featured a saxophone sextet arranged by Thomas, who also played keyboards.[64] Harrison later said that Derek Taylor helped him finish the lyrics.[125]
Lennon began writing "Cry Baby Cry" in late 1967 and the lyrics were partly derived from a tagline for an old television commercial. Martin played harmonium on the track.[55]
"Revolution 9" evolved from the overdubs from the "Revolution 1" coda. Lennon, Harrison and Ono added further tape collages and spoken word extracts, in the style of Karlheinz Stockhausen. The track opens with an extract from a Royal Schools of Music examination tape, and ends with Ono's infamous comment, "you become naked".[126] Ono was heavily involved in the production, and advised Lennon on what tape loops to use.[127] McCartney did not contribute to the track, and was reportedly unhappy on it being included, though he had led similar tape experiments such as "Carnival of Light" in January 1967.[128] The track has attracted both interest and disapproval from fans and music critics over the years.[129]
"Good Night" was a lullaby written by Lennon for his son Julian, and he specifically wanted Starr to sing it. The early takes featured just Lennon on acoustic guitar and Starr singing.[25] Martin scored an orchestral and choral arrangement that replaced the guitar in the final mix, and also played the celesta.[54]
Singles[edit]
"Hey Jude" was recorded at the end of July 1968 during the sessions for The Beatles but was issued separately as a single nearly three months before the album's release.[130] (It would, however, make its LP debut in the US two years later as the title cut of the compilation album Hey Jude.) The B-side, "Revolution", was a different version of the album's "Revolution 1". Lennon had wanted the original version of "Revolution" to be released as a single, but the other three Beatles objected on the grounds that it was too slow. Instead, the single featured a new, faster version, with heavily distorted guitar and an electric piano solo from Nicky Hopkins.[88] This was the first release on Apple Records and went on to be the band's most successful single, with world sales of over 5 million by the end of 1968 and 7.5 million by October 1972.[131]
The convention in the British music industry at the time was that singles and albums were distinct entities and should not duplicate songs.[132][h] However, though no singles were taken from The Beatles in either Britain or America, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" backed with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was released in other markets. The single was a commercial success in countries such as Australia (where it spent five weeks at number one on the Go-Set chart),[133] Japan,[134] Austria[135] and Switzerland.[136]
Unreleased material
Some songs that the Beatles were working on individually during this period were revisited for inclusion on the group's subsequent albums, while others were eventually released on the band members' solo albums. According to the bootlegged album of the demos made at Kinfauns, the latter of these two categories includes Lennon's "Look at Me"[137] and "Child of Nature" (eventually reworked as "Jealous Guy");[138] McCartney's "Junk";[138] and Harrison's "Not Guilty" and "Circles".[138] In addition, Harrison gave "Sour Milk Sea" to the singer Jackie Lomax, whose recording, produced by Harrison, was released in August 1968 as Lomax's debut single on Apple Records.[139] Lennon's "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" would be used for the medley on Abbey Road the following year.[33]
The Lennon-written "What's the New Mary Jane" was demoed at Kinfauns[140] and recorded formally (by Lennon, Harrison and Ono) during the 1968 album sessions.[60] McCartney taped demos of two compositions at Abbey Road – "Etcetera"[36] and "The Long and Winding Road" – the last of which the Beatles recorded in 1969 for their album Let It Be.[141] The Beatles versions of "Not Guilty" and "What's the New Mary Jane", and a demo of "Junk", were ultimately released on Anthology 3.[142]
"Revolution (Take 20)", a previously uncirculated recording, surfaced in 2009 on a bootleg. This ten-minute take was later edited and overdubbed to create two separate tracks: "Revolution 1" and the avant-garde "Revolution 9".[143]
Release
The Beatles was issued on 22 November 1968 in Britain,[144] with a US release following three days later.[145] The album's working title, A Doll's House, had been changed when the English progressive rock band Family released the similarly titled Music in a Doll's House earlier that year.[115] Schaffner wrote in 1977 of the name that was adopted for the Beatles' double album: "From the day of release, everybody referred to The Beatles as 'the White Album.'"[146]
The Beatles was the third album to be released by Apple Records, following Harrison's Wonderwall Music, and Lennon’s Two Virgins.[148] Martin has said that he was against the idea of a double album at the time and suggested to the group that they reduce the number of songs to form a single album featuring their stronger work, but that the band decided against this.[144] Interviewed for the Beatles Anthology television series in the 1990s, Starr said that he now felt that it should have been released as two separate albums (that he nicknamed "The White Album" and "The Whiter Album").[147] Harrison felt on reflection that some tracks could have been released as B-sides, but "there was a lot of ego in that band."[147] He also supported the idea of the double album, to clear out the backlog of songs that the group had at the time. By contrast, McCartney said that it was fine as it was, adding: "It's the bloody Beatles' White Album. Shut up!"[147]
The Beatles was the last Beatles album to be mixed separately for both stereo and mono,[149] though the mono version was issued only in the UK and a few other countries. All but one track exist in official mono mixes; the exception is "Revolution 9", which was a direct reduction of the stereo master.[36] The Beatles had not been particularly interested in stereo until this album, but after receiving mail from fans stating they bought both stereo and mono mixes of earlier albums, they decided to make the two different.[150] Several mixes have different track lengths; the mono mix/edit of "Helter Skelter" eliminates the fade-in at the end of the song (and Starr's ending scream),[120] and the fade out of "Yer Blues" is 11 seconds longer on the mono mix.[151]
In the US, mono records were already being phased out; the US release of The Beatles was the first Beatles LP to be issued in stereo only.[152] In the UK, the following album, Yellow Submarine, was the last to be shipped in mono.[153] The mono version of The Beatles was made available worldwide on 9 September 2009, as part of The Beatles in Mono CD boxed set.[154] A reissue of the original mono LP was released worldwide in September 2014.[155]
The album's sleeve was designed by pop artist Richard Hamilton,[144] in collaboration with McCartney.[156] Hamilton's design was in stark contrast to Peter Blake's vivid cover art for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and consisted of a plain white sleeve. The band's name, in Helvetica,[157] was crookedly blind embossed slightly below the middle of the album's right side,[158] and the cover also featured a unique stamped serial number, "to create", in Hamilton's words, "the ironic situation of a numbered edition of something like five million copies".[159] In 2008, an original pressing of the album with serial number 0000005 sold for £19,201 on eBay.[160] In 2015, Ringo Starr's personal copy number 0000001 sold for a world record $790,000 at auction.[161]
Later vinyl record releases in the US showed the title in grey printed (rather than embossed) letters. The album included a poster comprising a montage of photographs, with the lyrics of the songs on the back, and a set of four photographic portraits taken by John Kelly[162] during the autumn of 1968 that have themselves become iconic. The photographs for the poster were assembled by Hamilton and McCartney, and sorted them in a variety of ways over several days before arriving at the final result.[163]
Tape versions of the album did not feature a white cover or the numbering system. Instead, cassette and 8-track versions (issued on two cassettes/cartridges in early 1969) contained cover artwork that featured high contrast black and white (with no grey) versions of the four Kelly photographs. These two-tape releases were both contained in black outer cardboard slipcase covers embossed with the words The Beatles and the outline of an apple in gold print.[164] The songs on the cassette version of The Beatles[165] are sequenced differently from the album, in order to equalize the lengths of the tape sides.[166] Two reel-to-reel tape releases of the album were issued, both using the monochrome Kelly artwork. The first, issued by Apple/EMI in early 1969,[167][168] packaged the entire double-LP on a single tape, with the songs in the same running order as on the LPs. The second release, licensed by Ampex from EMI in early 1970 after the latter ceased manufacture of commercial reel-to-reel tapes, was issued as two separate volumes,[169][170] and sequenced the songs in the same manner as on the cassette version. The Ampex reel tape version of The Beatles has become desirable to collectors, as it contains edits on eight tracks not available elsewhere.[i]
A painting of the band by John Byrne was at an earlier point under consideration to be used as the album's cover. The piece was later used for the sleeve of the compilation album The Beatles' Ballads, released in 1980. In 2012 the original artwork was put up for auction.[172]
During 1978 and 1979, for the album's tenth anniversary, EMI reissued the album pressed on limited edition white vinyl in several countries.[173][174] In 1981, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) issued a unique half-speed master variation of the album using the sound from the original master recording. The discs were pressed on high-quality virgin vinyl.[175]
The album was reissued, along with the rest of the Beatles catalogue, on compact disc in 1987.[176] It was the only CD in the Beatles' catalogue to be issued in white jewel cases (as opposed to the usual black), and, like the original vinyl pressings, featured individually stamped numbers on the album's front cover (in this case on the cover of the booklet for the first disc). It was reissued again on CD in 1998 as part of a 30th anniversary series for EMI, featuring a scaled-down replication of the original artwork. This was part of a reissue series from EMI that included albums from other artists such as the Rolling Stones and Roxy Music.[177] It was reissued again in 2009 in a new remastered edition.[178]
On 9 November 2018, remixed and expanded editions of The Beatles were released. These sets feature 50 previously unreleased recordings of songs from the album, in addition to the Esher demos recorded at Harrison's house.[179] The four editions are: a three-CD deluxe set, containing the original double album and one CD of Esher demos; a seven-disc super deluxe edition, which adds three CDs of outtakes and a Blu-ray disc; a two-LP edition, comprising the original release; and a four-LP edition, two discs of which contain Esher demos.[180] Following the announcement of these editions in September, a preview containing three versions of "Back in the U.S.S.R." was released on Spotify[181] and iTunes.[182]
The Great Loo Roll Crisis of 2020 cont.
More vinyl distraction, while you’re waiting…
Mercury Rev, ‘Deserter's Songs’, 1998. The Rev were on the verge of splitting up before recording this album. They retreated to The Catskills Mountains, to get it together in the country, man. They decided to do whatever they wanted, expecting nothing. The album became a big indie hit in the UK and Europe. Who knew? Certainly not the band. In some ways, not least the vocals, it sounds like the Flaming Lips, though not as demented and certainly not as deranged as earlier Rev albums.
‘Holes’ kicks it off, with big drums, strings, horn, melancholy tune. ‘Tonite It Shows’ is gentle pluck and Mellotron and castanets and prettiness. ‘Endlessly’, voices and high pitch saw(?), acoustic guitar, clarinet and just lovely. ’I Collect Coins’ slow, piano, echo, ghosts. ‘Opus 40’ almost like a raggedy ‘Our House’ with Levon ‘The Band’ Helm on drums. Gorgeous. ‘Hudson Line’ brushed drums and saxophone from Garth ‘The Band’ Hudson. ‘The Happy End (The Drunk Room)’ Kurt Weill feel and spacey eeriness. ‘Goddess On A Highway’, the single, with singalong melody and big guitar bursts. Nice. ‘The Funny Bird’ big and bold, with effected vocals and shades of Neil Young. ‘Pick Up If You’re There’ sounds like something off Side 2 of Bowie’s ‘Low’. ‘Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp’ sees us off into the sunset with a happy stomping drum and melody.
Accessible but still wildly off kilter. Great live band too.
Passport and Brian Auger, Johnny Griffin, Alexis Korner, Volker Kriegel, Pete York / Doldinger Jubilee Concert
Trackliste:
- Handmade - 5:42
Drums – Curt Cress
Guitar – Volker Kriegel
Organ – Brian Auger
Percussion – Pete York
Piano, Synthesizer [Moog], Tenor Saxophone – Kristian SchultzeTenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Bass – Wolfgang Schmid
- Freedom Jazz Dance - 6:00
Drums – Curt Cress, Pete York
Organ – Brian Auger
Bass – Wolfgang Schmid
- Schirokko - 9:30
Drums – Curt Cress, Pete York
Electric Piano – Kristian Schultze
Guitar – Volker Kriegel
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Tenor Saxophone – Klaus Doldinger
Bass – Wolfgang Schmid
- Rockport - 9:15
Drums – Curt Cress, Pete York
Electric Piano – Kristian Schultze
Guitar – Alexis Korner, Volker Kriegel
Mellotron – Kristian Schultze
Organ – Brian Auger
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Bass – Wolfgang Schmid
- Rock Me Baby - 4:40
Drums – Pete York
Guitar – Alexis Korner, Volker Kriegel
Organ – Brian Auger
Percussion – Curt Cress
Vocals – Alexis Korner
Bass – Wolfgang Schmid
- Lemuria's Dance - 6:55
Drums – Curt Cress
Electric Piano [Fender] – Kristian Schultze
Guitar – Alexis Korner, Volker Kriegel
Organ – Brian Auger
Percussion – Pete York
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Bass – Wolfgang Schmid
Recorded live October 16, 1973, Düsseldorf (Germany)
sleeve design: Wandrey's Studio
Label: Atlantic Records / 1974
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
www.discogs.com/de/Passport-2-And-Brian-Auger-Johnny-Grif...
1. "Takeover" 7:09
2. "Serein" 4:46
3. "Old Heart Falls" 4:22
4. "Decima" 4:46
5. "Sanction" 5:07
6. "Residual" 6:54
7. "Serac" 7:25
8. "Last Song Before the Fade" 5:01
9. "Shifts" 4:54
10. "The Night Subscriber" 6:10
11. "Pale Flag" 4:23
12. "Passer" 6:25
13. "Vakaren"
Quatre années se sont finalement passées sans que Katatonia offre au public de nouveaux titres à part entière, étant donné que Dethroned And Uncrowned sorti en 2013 se « contentait » de recycler les morceaux de Dead End Kings sous une forme acoustique. Si deux nouveaux éléments et pas des moindres sont venus rejoindre le line-up du groupe, un seul a réellement participé à l’écriture et l’enregistrement de ce nouvel opus, le batteur Daniel Moilanen. Roger Öjersson, le nouveau guitariste soliste remplaçant Per Eriksson n’a lui placé que quelques solos sur ce nouveau The Fall Of Hearts, amalgame entre ambiances ténébreuses et lumières de composition. Si la patte de Katatonia est immédiatement reconnaissable dès les premières notes, l’apport du nouveau batteur et les nouvelles ambitions du groupe à livrer un effort plus complexe voire progressif se ressentent dès l’introducteur « Takeover ».
Katatonia change sans réellement changer, c’est un fait. Les compositions du groupe avaient, depuis une dizaine d’années, fait preuve d’une certaine redondance dans l’écriture, un manque de dynamisme et une linéarité dans le chant qui plaçaient nombre de leurs titres au même niveau dans la mémoire des fans du groupe : assez bas. « Takeover » ou « Old Heart Falls » suffiront presque à raviver la flamme d’un Viva Emptiness (2003) : les rythmes sont enlevés, la mélodie reste enfin mieux dans les esprits, considérant le faible potentiel accrocheur des dernières compositions du groupe. L’exploit n’est pas mince quand on considère que le groupe évolue désormais dans des structures moins traditionnelles et plus alambiquées, où les refrains débarquent quand le moment est le plus approprié (« Sanction »), même si l’univers mélodique et mélancolique à souhait reste le même.
Les Suédois ont cette fois-ci aussi beaucoup varié leur propos pour augmenter l’attractivité de ce The Fall Of Hearts : quand « Shifts » et « Last Song Before The Fade » lorgnent parfois vers le jazz, c’est un univers proche de l’Opeth prog des derniers albums qui se décline de plus en plus, au travers de « Decima » ou « Sanction », par exemple, ou d’éléments comme les parties de mellotron. S’il n’y a pas vraiment d’agressivité à relever dans l’album, certains arrangements franchement metal refont surface pour pimenter les ébats (les riffs finaux de « Residual », le couplet de « Serac », le refrain de « Passer », pour ne citer qu’eux), toujours au service de cette fameuse diversité. Daniel Moilanen n’a pas peur de faire chauffer la double pédale pour accompagner quelques riffs acérés et cela se révèle assez salutaire pour la discographie du groupe.
En effet, bon nombre des compositions de ce onzième album du groupe viennent se placer dans le haut du pavé des titres du groupe (« Old Heart Falls », « Last Song Before The Fade », « Decima »…) et c’est un vrai soulagement de retrouver un Katatonia à ce niveau. Instrumentalement très réussi grâce à des arrangements de haut vol et un jeu de guitare qui se greffe excellemment bien sur le jeu de batterie de Moilanen, les lignes de voix ont aussi gagné en accroche, ce qui permet de mémoriser un peu mieux les lignes des morceaux phares de l’album et ainsi baliser l’itinéraire à travers les titres. Les ambiances éthérées, parfois presque symphoniques (le très beau « The Night Suscriber »), donnent un écrin de volupté autour des parties plus étoffées en saturation.
Album « à tiroirs », The Fall Of Hearts prend du temps à être dévoilé, effeuillé, apprivoisé et adopté, comme tous les bons crus. Les structures plus originales (« Last Song Before The Fade », « Serein ») interpellent, les moments franchement calmes (« Shifts », « Pale Flag ») s’apprécient pour qui prendra le temps de ne faire rien d’autre qu’écouter et décortiquer toutes les subtilités de l’œuvre. Comme ils nous l’ont eux-mêmes confiés récemment, Jonas Renkse et Anders Nyström, les deux « historiques » du groupe ne font pas dans la musique « fast-food », mais dans la qualité et ceci se vérifie à chaque seconde de l’album. Rien n’y est facilement balancé ou achevé, tout est réfléchi dans le plus intime détail : l’ajout d’un piano, le placement d’un coup de double pédale, une note de guitare dans une gamme ou le doublement d’une voix… Sans parler des percussions – vestiges de la tournée acoustique –, disséminées ici et là, qui participent à cette dentelle. Le fait que le groupe s’occupe aussi de la production joue évidemment dans ce sens et chaque aspect semble absolument maîtrisé, contrôlé. C’est un vrai plaisir de relancer le disque plusieurs fois sans être lassé et de se laisser aller à déceler l’orfèvrerie réalisée par les Suédois. Vingt-cinq ans de carrière ne seront finalement pas venus à bout de leur créativité et la richesse de ces morceaux vient, s’il le fallait, en faire la plus belle démonstration.
www.radiometal.com/article/katatonia-the-fall-of-hearts,2...
Jonas Renkse – vocals, guitar, keyboards, production
Anders Nyström – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, production
Roger Öjersson – guitar
Niklas Sandin – bass guitar
Daniel Moilanen – drums
Frustratingly, too, we can also find ourselves able to build vivid memory pictures of events that occurred decades ago, but incapable of remembering what we had for breakfast.
This is because the brain creates very different kinds of memories — and in mid-life some of our memory systems can become weaker than others.
.
.......***** All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ......
.
..............................................................................................................................................................................................
.
.....item 1).... Mail Online ... www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ ... Why your memory IMPROVES with age (Well, up to a point, anyway)
By JOHN NAISH
Last updated at 9:17 AM on 13th January 2012
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2086003/Why-memory-IMP...
Senior moments? Forget them. Now it’s middle-aged muddle we must worry about. Scientists last week declared that our ability to remember everyday things such as names and numbers starts to go at the tender age of 45.
But before you resign yourself to spending the second half of your life as a mental basket-case, there is positive scientific news, too.
For memory is a strange and complex thing, as this guide to the mind makes clear...
.
............................................
img code photo ... Lost your thingamajig: Not to worry...
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-0-0F6FF7870000...
............................................
.
.
----- First the bad news...
Last week’s study of more than 7,000 Whitehall civil servants revealed how our power of recall starts to decline earlier than previously thought. Men and women suffered the same 3.6 per cent loss in memory power between the ages of 45 and 49, revealed the ten-year study published online in the British Medical Journal.
Fears about age-related memory loss are hardly new. Plato wrote that when a man grows old, he ‘can no more learn much than he can run much’. But evidence of problems in mid-life is worrying because these may be the first signs of a condition called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). This is an accelerated loss of memory power that can, in about half of cases, turn out to be the first early sign of Alzheimer’s. Scientists believe that Alzheimer’s can begin in the brain two or three decades before serious symptoms appear.
More...
Just ONE cannabis joint ‘can cause psychiatric episodes similar to schizophrenia’ as well as damaging memory
Vitamin B and folic acid 'boosts memory in pensioners'
Nicotine patches 'can slow mental decline' and improve the memory of elderly people, study shows
Struggle to get out of your chair? Puffed-out on the stairs? Could you be growing old before your time?
I don't believe it! We're NOT a nation of Victor Meldrews... because the older we get the HAPPIER we are, study reveals
Regardless of our Alzheimer’s risk, though, we all seem to suffer some loss of mental capacity from a comparatively young age. Studies show that the processing speed in our brains slows down from our 20s onwards. ‘By mid-life, most of our brains show some fraying around the edges,’ says Barbara Strauch, author of The Secret Life Of The Grown-Up Brain.
‘People’s names are often the first edge to go ragged,’ she adds. ‘But the names are not technically gone. For the most part, it’s a problem of retrieval, not storage.’ This difficulty is not caused by a simple loss of brain cells. Scientists used to think that we lost 30 per cent of our brain cells through ageing. But recent studies show that the loss is much smaller. Instead, advancing years can bring a drop in the levels of chemical messengers in our brain — called neurotransmitters. As a result, memory-power can drop, and we can also find ourselves getting distracted more easily.
Research shows that much of what we learn is not missing; it just gets misplaced. Hence that frustrating sense of ‘it’s in there somewhere,’ when names, facts and figures elude our grasp.
Frustratingly, too, we can also find ourselves able to build vivid memory pictures of events that occurred decades ago, but incapable of remembering what we had for breakfast. This is because the brain creates very different kinds of memories — and in mid-life some of our memory systems can become weaker than others.
.
..............................................
img code photo ... Alamy ...
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-2086003-0F7057...
Wisdom of the ancients: Plato wrote that when a man grows old, he ¿can no more learn much than he can run much¿
..............................................
.
.
----- So how does your memory work?
There are several memory systems at work in the brain. One memory system comes into operation if you try to remember a place name or a phone number. Remembering things that can be expressed in language is called ‘explicit’ memory. Another memory system covers things of which you may not be consciously aware, such as how to ride a bicycle. That is called ‘implicit’ memory.
There is also short-term or ‘working’ memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory would be remembering a phone number for five minutes; long-term involves recalling it in a year’s time.
Such differences in memory types are all too familiar to Joshua Foer, an American writer and international memory champion who has honed his immediate short-term memory so well that he can recall details such as the order of a newly shuffled deck of cards.
But he admits memories that require a little more longevity are more problematic: only a few nights after he won the annual US Memory Championships in 2006, he forgot that he had driven his car into town to eat dinner. He took a train home instead.
.
..............................................
img code photo ... Alamy ...
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-2086003-0D2FCD...
An MRI scan of a human head shows the brain: Short term memories are formed in the hippocampus, scientists say, but where long term memories reside remains a mystery
..............................................
.
.
Short-term and long-term memories are stored in different parts of the brain. A structure in the brain called the hippocampus is key to short-term memory. This area normally grows new brain cells throughout our lives, and is responsible for processing information and retrieving it. It is one of the major areas that are damaged by Alzheimer’s, which is why short-term memory is one of the first casualties of the disease.
Long-term memory involves many disparate parts around the brain, which are called ‘association cortices’. One current theory of memory is that the hippocampus forms short-term memories and then squirrels some of them away for long-term storage in various cupboards — the association cortices. But we don’t yet know how the brain does this.
In fact, scientists remain unsure about many details of how memories are stored and formed. Mystery also surrounds the question of how we can remember events happening in the right sequence. Recent studies have shown, however, that an area of the brain called the medial temporal lobe is crucial to recalling events correctly: people who have suffered damage to this area through strokes have trouble remembering the plots of films or even personal anecdotes in the right order.
----- Senior moment – or something worse?
In normal age-related memory loss, short-term recall is usually most affected. In moderation, this is quite healthy. It is also natural to worry that such mid-life forgetfulness is a harbinger of something more sinister, such as dementia.
The ‘aha!’ test can indicate if you should be concerned. If you forget a word temporarily, but feel that it is on the tip of your tongue, and finally recall it with a sense of ‘Aha! That’s it,’ then your reaction is healthy.
This does not tend to happen with conditions such as Alzheimer’s, where people lose that sense of recognition when a memory is right.
----- It’s not just age that ruins memory
Growing older is not the only reason that our memory power may dwindle. Our ability to remember things can also be afflicted by our lifestyles. One common problem may be stress.
Studies show that quick bursts of stressful excitement can actually benefit our memory — perhaps because our brains evolved to rally their best resources when faced with an immediate threat such as a tiger in the grass. But long-term chronic stress, the sort that can grind into us with the constant demands of busy modern life, can damage our brain’s ability form new memories.
This is because constant high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, can damage the hippocampus. Being soaked in cortisol dramatically reduces the ability of the hippocampus to produce new cells. This is linked to significant problems with concentration and memory, says research by the Stanford University scientist Robert Sapolsky.
Such difficulties can be increased because, ironically, in stressful situations we often depend more on memory for recalling certain things to help guide us through the problem.
----- Does modern life make us forget?
.
................................................
img code photo ... ALEX LENTATI
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-2086003-01EB2E...
'Security protection code overload': The profusion of PINs has many worried that they are losing their memory
................................................
.
.
More and more people are anxiously consulting medical experts about ‘problems’ with their memory, in fear that they have early signs of dementia, according to Michael Saling, a neuropsychologist at Melbourne University. But, he says, they are often just suffering from a problem that psychologists have labelled ‘security protection code overload’.
Put simply, the worried patients feel mentally overwhelmed by all the numbers, codes and operating systems that they have to know in order simply to function in a computer-dominated environment.
That can lead to the common experience of ‘PIN-number amnesia’, where you find yourself standing in front of a cash machine, your mind a fearful blank, with an impatient queue forming behind you.
----- The good news...
Stresses and strains aside, modern life has good news for middle-aged brains. Neuroscientists have recently begun to discover how the mid-life brain, rather than giving up, instead reconfigures itself in order to cope.
As researchers at Duke University, North Carolina, and elsewhere have found, people in middle age begin to use two sides of their brains where previously only one might have been employed on a task.
This is called bilateralisation.
Commenting on this research, Barbara Strauch explains that as we age, the two sides of our brains become more intertwined, letting us see bigger patterns and think more broadly. Science may even have witnessed how ‘middle-aged wisdom’ grows in the brain. It used to be thought that the brain steadily lost myelin with age.
Myelin is the white-matter fatty coating of neurons which makes the connections in the brain work well by enabling electrical signals to travel through the brain quickly and efficiently — rather like the insulation on electronic wires.
When myelin withers, we may forget the names of people we’ve just met, or details of how to get to a new address.
New research shows that in mid-life, most of the myelin loss occurs in parts of the brain responsible for learning new things. The parts responsible for long-term memory show no such loss.
That would account for why we have trouble with new memories as we age, but not with our core knowledge. And something else has been found to happen — the level of myelin around people’s brains can continue to grow late into middle age.
Harvard University scientists who have witnessed this say that it may be a physical sign of the growth of ‘middle-aged wisdom’, where accumulated knowledge is being collated and networked more efficiently by the white matter.
----- How to protect your memory
Fortunately, health researchers believe there are ways in which we can significantly help to preserve our memory in later life.
The key is to stave off the sort of physical decline that can lead to mental decline and dementia. Dr Anne Corbett, of the Alzheimer’s Society, says: ‘Preventing dementia is all about everyday healthy living.
‘We have strong evidence for what medical conditions increase your risk. They are high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol and depression. If you have these in mid-life onwards you are at higher risk of developing dementia.’
The human brain is the most complex piece of thinking equipment that has ever evolved. Your body is the life-support system for this very hungry piece of grey matter.
.
................................................
img code photo ... Alamy ...
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-2086003-0D6CDD...
Brain training: Just a little daily exercise, like this Zumba class, could reduce the risk of the decline of your mental abilities, many studies have shown
................................................
.
.
While your brain constitutes only about 2 per cent of your body’s mass, it uses more than a fifth of its energy production. Efficient supply and maintenance are vital. If your physical health declines, your brain — and its sophisticated systems of memory — are at serious risk of following suit.
Just taking a little more daily exercise could make a huge difference for millions of people. ‘More than 13 studies show that exercise can reduce risk by up to 45 per cent,’ says Corbett. ‘Evidence shows that the exercise does not have to be strenuous to have this benefit: it can involve active walking for around 30 minutes a day, three times a week.
‘The exercise just has to raise the heartbeat by a little, making you feel slightly breathless.’
‘Exercising’ your brain with expensive computerised ‘brain-training games’ will not provide any real benefit, though, says Dr Corbett. Studies show that you may get better at playing the games themselves, but the benefits go no farther, she explains. It is the same with crosswords and Sudoko. They should be enjoyed for themselves, rather than taken as a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
.
.................................................
img code photo ... Alamy ...
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/13/article-2086003-02F4B0...
Ginko biloba: A study of more than 3,000 adults found that it made no difference at all to memory retension
.................................................
.
.
And beware any claim about how any single food can boost your memory, says Corbett. Only last year, an important report in the Journal of the American Medical Association punctured the idea that the herbal supplement ginkgo biloba is a brain-saver. The study of more than 3,000 adults found that it made no difference at all.
Adopting broader healthy-eating habits can, however, significantly reduce the risk of dementia. A range of studies indicates that Mediterranean-style diets work best, as they are low in fat and salt and high in oily fish.
Avoiding junk food can have real benefits, too. A study last month in the respected journal Neurology found people with junk diets high in complex ‘trans-fats’ are more likely to experience the kind of brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s than those who consume less of the artery-damaging fats.
There is another compelling reason why healthy eating can boost your memory: it helps to keep your weight in trim. People who are obese in middle age are 74 per cent more likely to develop dementia compared with those of normal weight, according to a 27-year study of more than 10,000 men and women in the British Medical Journal.
Laboratory studies conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have found that caffeine strengthens brain connections. Drinking two cups of coffee a day appears to boost electrical activity between neurons in the hippocampus. The scientists say stronger connectivity means better learning and memory.
----- Memory plays tricks on us all
No matter how good our powers of memory, they can all be fooled. Because, whatever our age, memory is a slippery thing that can be grossly misleading.
A survey of 1,500 people last August by the University of Illinois found that most of us think that human memory is as reliable as a video camera that records information precisely. Moreover, around half of us think that our memories never change.
But scientific research shows the opposite is true. Even our most closely held recollections can completely change without us noticing.
Researchers who study how people remember momentous events have discovered that although people will swear faithfully that they remember exactly what they were doing when they first heard news of the event, their memory is wrong in about a third of cases.
John Seamon, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, has studied this phenomenon and says that, oddly, it is possible that the more frequently we recall an event, the less accurately we remember it.
His research suggests that when we use our minds to recall a particular memory, we do not go back to the event itself, but rather to the last time we remembered it. Each recollection adds new flaws and reinforces previous flaws. Eventually, we settle on a version that we subsequently consider to be gospel truth.
‘This is not done on a conscious level,’ Seamon believes. ‘But people are figuring out: “Where was I?
What is the story I’m going to tell about this event?”’
After about a year of doing this, he says, the memory — including the false elements — solidifies and becomes the person’s constant ‘truth’.
Share this article:
.
.
.
.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................
.
.....item 2).... youtube video ... THE MOODY BLUES -- In Search of the Lost Chord -- 1968.wmv ...
98:43 minutes
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Ja4u8_RGQ
Esferadevidro
Published on May 29, 2012
THE MOODY BLUES -- In Search of the Lost Chord -- 1968(Deluxe Edition 2006)
Disc 1
In Search Of The Lost Chord 00:01
1-1 Departure
1-2 Ride My See-Saw
1-3 Dr. Livingstone, I Presume
1-4 House Of Four Doors (Part 1)
1-5 Legend Of A Mind
1-6 House Of Four Doors (Part 2)
1-7 Voices In The Sky
1-8 The Best Way To Travel
1-9 Visions Of Paradise
1-10 The Actor
1-11 The Word
1-12 Om
Disc 2
Alternate Versions & Out-Takes 42:17
2-1 Departure (Alternate Mix)
2-2 The Best Way To Travel (Additional Vocal Mix)
2-3 Legend Of A Mind (Alternate Mix)
2-4 Visions Of Paradise (Instrumental Version)
2-5 What Am I Doing Here? (Original Version)2-6 The Word (Mellotron Mix)
2-7 Om (Extended Version)
2-8 A Simple Game (Justin Hayward Vocal Mix) - 1968 Studio Recording
2-9 King And Queen - BBC 'Top Gear' Sessions
2-10 Doctor Livingstone I Presume
2-11 Voices In The Sky
2-12 Thinking Is The Best Way To Travel
2-13 Ride My See Saw - BBC 'Afternoon Pop Show' Session
2-14 Tuesday Afternoon - 1968 Single 'B' Side
2-15 A Simple Game
Category
People & Blogs
License
Standard YouTube License
.
.
............................................................................................................................................................................................
.
.
Axel
1. Axel is born from Gerard N.’s first marriage. Gerard, a famous German photographer and a good-humoured, pleasure-seeking man, has had an affair with Aiden’s adoptive mother. That’s how the boys meet.
2. Axel is Aiden’s only friend. I think he’s in love with him, but doesn’t dare to come out into the open, ’cause Aiden never gave him hope.
3. He feels attracted by women as well, especially by those who don’t pay him attention. He has been for years a devoted admirer and loyal servant of his cousin Sibylle, a beautiful and spoiled upper-class girl.
4. The name Axel means “father of peace” in both Hebrew and Danish, so it’s his karma to be an easygoing guy. It’s almost impossible to quarrel with him.
5. He’s very absent-minded and keeps losing his keys.
6. His clothes are usually simple and cheap, but he makes an effort to be well-dressed when he goes out with Aiden, so as not to embarrass him in front of others.
7. He’s vegetarian. He would like to become vegan, but can’t help eating cheese and eggs.
8. He makes a lot of plans for the future, but never gets anything done, so that nobody takes him seriously anymore. His current dream is to run an organic farm in Tuscany, offering B&B service in a bucolic setting. Another plan of his is to become a riding instructor one day.
9. He’s known as the horse – and cow – whisperer. XD
10. He’s a big fan of the 60s and 70s, misses John Lennon and the Wolkswagen hippie van. He also collect vinyl long playing records and is fascinated by old electronic instruments such as theremin, mellotron, ondes Martenot, etc.
Italiano
1. Axel è figlio di Gerard N. e della sua prima moglie. Gerard, famoso fotografo tedesco, uomo gioviale e dedito ai piaceri della vita, ha avuto una relazione con la madre adottiva di Aiden. È così che i due ragazzi si sono conosciuti.
2. Axel è l’unico amico di Aiden. Penso che un po’ ne sia innamorato, ma che non abbia il coraggio di uscire allo scoperto perché Aiden non gli ha mai dato motivo di sperare.
3. È attratto anche dalle donne, soprattutto da quelle che non lo considerano. Per anni è stato il cavalier servente della cugina Sibylle, una ragazza bellissima e viziata, molto “quartieri alti”.
4. Il nome Axel significa “padre della pace” in ebraico e danese, e quindi era destino che fosse un tipo accomodante. È quasi impossibile litigare con lui.
5. È molto distratto e perde le chiavi di casa di continuo.
6. Il suo abbigliamento in genere è semplice e poco costoso, ma si sforza di vestirsi elegante quando esce con Aiden, per non metterlo in imbarazzo.
7. È vegetariano. Vorrebbe addirittura diventare vegano, ma non riesce a rinunciare al formaggio e alle uova.
8. Fa un sacco di progetti per il futuro, ma non combina mai niente, al punto che nessuno lo prende più sul serio. Il suo sogno più recente è gestire una fattoria biologica in Toscana, offrendo un servizio di bed & breakfast in uno scenario bucolico. Progetta anche di diventare istruttore di equitazione, prima o poi.
9. È soprannominato “l’uomo che sussurra ai cavalli” (e alle mucche). XD
10. È un nostalgico degli anni ’60 e ’70, rimpiange John Lennon e il pulmino degli hippie, il mitico Wolkswagen T1. Inoltre, colleziona dischi in vinile ed è affascinato dai vecchi strumenti elettronici, come theremin, mellotron, onde Martenot ecc.
This was a great show, and rare opportunity. The Surviving members are all here, this is not a "Tribute Band" and it is not nostalgia. THEY ROCK. The Tour is two Bands, the first set is a powerhouse 5 piece, the second set is an 8 piece band in order to play an almost lost Psychedelic Classic, "Odessey and Oracle". If you never heard this album, buy it now, and then buy the new album, "Still Got The Hunger", It would be a crime not to see these guys. . On Rock Royalty, Jim Rockford (Kinks,Animals, Argent, Swigin'BlueJeans) Vocals and Bass Guitar (first set). Incase you think the chap in the foreground is not only too young t0 play in or even listen to the Z's, it's PowerPop Icon Darian Sahanaja (keyboards) on Mellotron, D.S. is known for his work with Brian Wilson! and his own The Wondermints!
Late 1960's Psychedelic/Folk Rock Group from Birmingham, England
Their one and only Album "When Your Dead" was released in 1970 on the Gemini Label
This CD Came out on Mellotron Records...MRCD 1005/2 around 1999
playing live at Le Mellotron for Worldwide FM show
show is available here : worldwidefm.net/show/le-mellotron-anders-and-la-pieuvre-w...
shot with Nikon F80 on expired Kodak Black & White +
XXXX
Spadina Avenue Looking North, Toronto
The Stones are an absolute genius with this tune!! - Mike
*****
"'She's a Rainbow' is a song by the English rock 'n roll band The Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request.
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, 'She's a Rainbow' was recorded on May 18, 1967. It is most famous for its vibrant piano by Nicky Hopkins, Brian Jones' use of the mellotron, and its rich lyricism by Jagger.
John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin, arranged the strings of this song during his session days. Despite rumours, none of The Beatles performs on this track. Backing vocals were by Jagger, Richards, Jones and Bill Wyman.
The lyrics in the chorus were borrowed from the song 'She Comes in Colors' by Love.
The intro of the album version was recorded outside Chichester Magistrates Court. It is the court's PR-man who directed the journalists into their positions just before Mick Jagger and Keith Richards left the building after receiving their sentence in 1967.
It was released as a single in December 1967 and went to #25 in the U.S. It is included on a large number of the Stones' hits compilations that cover this period, including Forty Licks. It was performed occasionally on the 1997-98 Bridges to Babylon Tour.
The song was used as signature tune in the Danish Radio television serial Super Carla in 1968.
The song was used in an 1999 Apple iMac commercial, advertising its availability in several colours.
The song was covered by Bad Brains, World of Twist and German artist, Nena for her album Cover Me.
The song features in the advertisement 'Play-Doh' for Sony BRAVIA showing in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Denmark, France, Russia, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Colombia, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Greece from October 5 2007. In addition, it was first heard in a commercial for Sony's HDNA in the United States during the AFC Championship game between the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots on January 20, 2008.
The song was recently used in an advertisement for the Steven Spielberg-produced Showtime series 'The United States of Tara.'"
She comes in colors ev'rywhere;
when She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
She comes in colors ev'rywhere;
when She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
Have you seen her dressed in blue?
See the sky in front of you
And her face is like a sail
Speck of white so fair and pale
Have you seen a lady fairer?
She comes in colors ev'rywhere;
She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
Have you seen her all in gold?
Like a queen in days of old
She shoots colors all around
Like a sunset going down
Have you seen a lady fairer?
She comes in colors ev'rywhere;
She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
She's like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors
Omega / 200 Years After The Last War
Trackliste:
- Suite - 19:23
- Help To Find Me - 7:41
- 200 Years After The Last War - 5:11
- You Don't Know - 3:25
(all music written by Omega)
Bass, Mellotron, Vocals – Tamás Mihály
Drums, Percussion – Ferenc Debreceni
Organ, Synthesizer, Vocals – László Benkő
Twelve-String Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – György Molnár
Vocals, Percussion – János Kóbor
Vocals – Simon Mihály
Produced by Peter Hauke at Dierks Studios, Germany (1974)
sleeve design: Helmut Wenske concept); Harry O. Morris Jr. (cover art)
Label: Bellaphon/Bacillus Records / 1974
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Rock music is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. Many styles of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, mellotron, and synthesizers. Other instruments sometimes utilized in rock include harmonica, violin, flute, banjo, melodica, and timpani. Also, less common stringed instruments such as mandolin and sitar are used. Rock music usually has a strong back beat, and often revolves around the guitar, either solid electric, hollow electric, or acoustic.
King Crimson / The Compact King Crimson
(compilation album)
Titelliste:
"Discipline" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 5:01
"Thela Hun Ginjeet" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 6:27
"Matte Kudasai" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 3:48
"Three of a Perfect Pair" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 4:13
"Frame by Frame"(Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 5:08
"Sleepless" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 5:24
"Heartbeat" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 3:56
"Elephant Talk" (Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin) 4:36
"21st Century Schizoid Man" (including "Mirrors") (Fripp, Giles, Lake, McDonald, SinfieldIn) 7:20
"I Talk to the Wind" (Fripp, Giles, Lake, McDonald, Sinfield) 6:06
"Epitaph" (including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow") (Fripp, Giles, Lake, McDonald, Sinfield) 8:49
"The Court of the Crimson King" (including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets") (McDonald, SinfieldIn) 9:22
Besetzung:
Robert Fripp – guitars, devices
Adrian Belew – guitar, lead vocals
Bill Bruford – drums, percussion
Tony Levin – Chapman Stick, basses, backing vocals
Michael Giles – drums, percussion, vocals
Greg Lake – lead vocals, basses
Ian McDonald – woodwinds, reeds, keyboards, Mellotron
Cover: Fergus Hall
EG Records 1986
ex CD-Collection MTP
Stereolab, ‘Peng!’, 1992. Felt the need for more riffage inna Velvet Underground, Krautrock, French Pop, Electronica kinda way. Thus, debut album from t’Lab. Rougher, spikier, more freeform than later stuff; more garage band than Brit Popsters. And that’s A Good Thing. I loved the Lab back in the day. Danced like an idiot at their gigs. Clever pop.
‘Super Falling Star’ a slowly unfolding guitar and keyboard with echoey harmonies and aloof French vocal. ‘Orgiastic’ is classic slab of Lab. Big riff, Krautrock metronome drums, dirty keyboards with female voice floating over the top. ‘Peng! 33’ sounds like ‘Freak Scene’ by Dinosaur Jr., a great riff and solid drums. ‘K-stars’ bontempi lo-fi squitty analogue throb and drone with harmonies morphing into noise. ‘Perversion’, funky drummer with gorgeous lazy riff building like the Velvets live in 1969. Taste! ‘You Little Shits’ big drum sound, strumming, slow vocals, pretty melody, Tom Verlaine guitars. Great stuff. ‘The Seeming and the Meaning’ another bounce of a riff and locked rhythm and analogue keyboard keyboards. ‘Mellotron’ is just that with metronome drums and big Keith Emerson chords and guitar licks. ‘Enivrez-vous’ another big lazy riff and strum getting bigger and bigger with French talk and radio static. ‘Stomach Worm’ a big fat relentless happy slab of bounce that gets noisier and noisier, then noisier. Turn it up, quick! “Surrealchemist’ a slow burner with more lovely harmonies and guitars.
There’s something ‘knowing’ but, somehow, beautifully innocent about that band…
Check it out: www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/04/30/476268876/all-t...
2112 Facts About Rush's 2112 To Celebrate Its 42nd Anniversary
By Dave Basner
April Fools! But here are 21 things you might not know about Rush’s epic fourth studio album, 2112, which came out 42 years ago today:
1. After the lackluster sales of their previous album, a concept record called Caress of Steel, Rush’s label urged them not to do another concept album, but the trio ignored them.
2. Drummer Neil Peart wrote all the lyrics on the album except for the song “Tears,” which singer Geddy Lee penned, and “Lessons,” which guitarist Alex Lifeson did the lyrics for.
3. Peart credits “the genius of Ayn Rand” in the liner notes. Her book, Anthem, has many similarities to 2112 and Peart added the credit to avoid any legal issues. However, the association to Rand, an idol of many conservatives, had people labeling rush as right-wing extremists.
4. “Tears” is the first Rush song to feature an outside musician. Keyboardist Hugh Syme, who appears on many of the group’s tracks, was brought in to put a multi-tracked Mellotron string and flute part on the song.
5. Syme also created the cover art for 2112, which includes the first appearance of The Starman, an image the band’s fans have adopted as a logo. Neil Peart once told Creem magazine about the emblem explaining, “All it means is the abstract man against the masses. The red star symbolizes any collectivist mentality.”
6. The song “2112,” which is made up of seven parts, together is 20 minutes and 33 seconds long, making it the band’s longest song.
7. The storyline in 2112 actually begins in the not-too-distant future – the year 2062, when a galaxy-wide war put all planets under the rule of the Red Star of the Solar Federation.
8. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson created the spoken section of “2112” by playing around with a tape recorder.
9. At the end of “Overture,” Alex Lifeson plays a piece of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” 1812, of course, is 300 years before 2112.
10. The only words in “Overture” are “and the meek shall inherit the Earth,” a biblical verse. It’s up for interpretation how that plays into the album's concept, but some believe it symbolizes the rise of the Solar Federation.
11. The sci-fi sounds in the beginning of the “2112” suite were created with an ARP Odyssey synthesizer.
12. The sung lyrics for the song “Discovery” include the line “sounds that build high like a mountain,” but the printed lyrics on the album have the line as “chords that build high like a mountain.”
13. Everything the story's hero has been told has come from The Priests of the Temples of Syrinx, and the second suite is titled “The Temples of Syrinx.” In Greek mythology, Syrinx is a water nymph. A syrinx is also birds’ vocal organs.
14. At the end of "2112," the message “Attention all planets of the Solar Federation” is heard three times, then “We have assumed control” is heard three times. The first phrase has seven words repeated three times, and seven times three is 21. The second phrase has four words said thrice, and four times three is 12, echoing the album title.
15. While the storyline’s ending is ambiguous, Neil Peart meant for it to be a happy one that sees the people of the Solar Federation liberated.
16. “The Twilight Zone” was written and recorded in the same day.
17. In the 2003 movie School of Rock, Jack Black’s character assigns listening to 2112 as homework to one of his students. He suggests the boy plays close attention to Neil’s drumming.
18. 2112 is military time for 9:12. 9/12, or September 12th, is Neal Peart’s birthday.
19. 2112 is how December 21st is written in other countries. That is the day of the winter solstice, which has significant meaning in many cultures.
20. 2112 has been certified three-times platinum for sales over three-million copies.
21. 2112 was the band’s first record in the top 100 of the album charts, peaking at number 61.
Normally, when you buy a 5 CD box of your favourite band you get a good mix of greatest hits, obscure B-sides and a few unreleased rarities. Not here. These are 4 hours of previously unreleased music.
The anthology includes the Trout Masc Replica sessions - instrumental tracks played by the Magic Band before Frank dubbed Don's vocals over them. Which is great, but it's not even the highlight. The highlights are "Tupelo" (recorded in 1966, so it's the John Lee Hooker song not the Nick Cave number) and "Black Snake Moan" (by Blind Lemon Jefferson). These are the 2 songs I play when I want to introduce a newcomer to the Captain's world.
Design and layout by Susan Archie. The front cover is here.
The box includes an illustrated booklet of 112 pages, with John 'Drumbo' French's history of the band, some other stories and many photos, all published for the first time. The whole set was released on John Fahey's Revenant label in 1999. Not cheap: I bought it in 2001 for 219 Deutschmark, about 100 US$ at that time, but worth it. It is out of print now and has become a collectors' item. It was even available on vinyl for a short while.
CD 1: Just Got Back From the City (1965 - 1967)
Obeah Man - 2:47
Just got Back from the City - 1:53
I'm Glad - 3:44
Triple Combination - 2:48
Here I Am I Always Am - 3:15
Here I Am I Always Am - 2:32
Somebody in My Home - 3:03
Tupelo - 4:15
Evil Is Going on - 2:33
Old Folks Boogie - 3:15
Call on Me - 3:04
Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do - 2:11
Yellow Brick Road - 1:45
Plastic Factory - 2:57
CD 2: Electricity (1968)
Electricity - 3:42
Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do - 2:57
Rollin n Tumblin - 11:08
Electricity - 3:54
Yer Gonna Need Somebody on Yer Bond - 6:25
Kandy Korn - 4:21
Korn Ring Finger - 7:23
CD 3: Trout Mask House Sessions (1969)
- 4:59
- 8:18
Hair Pie: Bake 1 - 5:04
Hair Pie: Bake 2 - 2:44
- 1:04
Hobo Chang Ba - 3:08
- 1:57
Hobo Chang Ba - 3:08
Dachau Blues - 2:06
Old Fart at Play - 1:23
- 1:01
Pachuco Cadaver - 4:08
Sugar 'n Spikes - 2:40
- 1:00
Sweet Sweet Bulbs - 2:30
Frownland (Take 1) - 2:51
Frownland - 1:52
- 1:10
Ella Guru - 2:33
- 0:08
She's too Much for My Mirror - 1:30
- 0:35
Steal Softly thru Snow - 2:22
- 1:51
My Human Gets Me Blues - 2:53
- 1:05
When Big Joan Sets up - 4:32
- 0:04
- 0:56
China Pig - 4:14
CD 4: Trout Mask House Sessions (continued) (1969)
This CD also includes some CD-ROM-accessible video/audio footage with live performances of "Electricity", "Sure Nuff" (1968), "Click Clack" (1973), "Big Joan," "Woe Is Me," "Bellerin Plain" (1970/1971), "Too Much For My Mirror" and "Human Gets Me Blues" (1969).
Blimp - 5:09
Herb - 1:06
Septic Tank - 0:51
Overdub - 5:26
CD 5: Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Grow Fins (1969 - 1981)
My Human Gets Me Blues - 3:54
When Big Joan Sets up - 6:12
Woe Is Uh Me Bop - 2:46
Bellerin' Plain - 3:23
Black Snake Moan I - 1:01
Grow Fins - 5:09
Black Snake Moan II - 1:49
Spitball Scalped Uh Baby - 9:12
Harp Boogie I - 1:32
One Red Rose that I Mean - 1:45
Harp Boogie II - 0:53
Natchez Burning - 0:43
Harp Boogie III - 0:50
Click Clack - 2:49
Orange Claw Hammer - 4:36
Odd Jobs - 5:10
Odd Jobs - 5:08
Vampire Suite - 3:46
Mellotron Improv - 1:22
Evening Bell - 0:54
Evening Bell - 2:15
Mellotron Improv - 2:19
Flavor Bud Living - 1:14
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 8 November 1971 on the band's untitled fourth studio album (commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV), by Atlantic Records. Composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page with lyrics written by lead singer Robert Plant, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.[3][4][5][6][7]
The song has three sections, each one progressively increasing in tempo and volume. The song begins in a slow tempo with acoustic instruments (guitar and recorders) before introducing electric instruments. The final section is an uptempo hard rock arrangement, highlighted by Page's guitar solo and Plant's vocals, which ends with the plaintive a cappella line: "And she's buying a stairway to heaven".
"Stairway to Heaven" was voted number three in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the "100 Greatest Rock Songs",[8] in 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Stairway to Heaven" number 31 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[9] It was the most-requested song on FM radio stations in the United States at the time, despite never having been commercially released as a single in the US.[10] In November 2007, through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin's Mothership release, "Stairway to Heaven" reached number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.[11]
Writing and recording
The song originated in 1970 when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were spending time at Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in Wales, following Led Zeppelin's fifth American concert tour. According to Page, he wrote the music "over a long period, the first part coming at Bron-Yr-Aur one night".[12] Page always kept a cassette recorder around, and the idea for "Stairway to Heaven" came together from bits of taped music.[13] The first attempts at lyrics, written by Robert Plant next to an evening log fire at Headley Grange, were partly spontaneously improvised and Page claimed, "a huge percentage of the lyrics were written there and then".[13] Page was strumming the chords, and Plant had a pencil and paper.
Led Zeppelin began recording "Stairway to Heaven" in December 1970 at Island Records' new recording studios on Basing Street in London.[14][15] The song was completed by the addition of lyrics by Plant during the sessions for Led Zeppelin IV at Headley Grange, Hampshire, in 1971.[16] Page then returned to Island Studios to record his guitar solo.[10]
The complete studio recording was released on Led Zeppelin IV in November 1971. The band's record label, Atlantic Records, wanted to issue it as a single, but the band's manager Peter Grant refused requests to do so in both 1972 and 1973. As a result, many people bought the fourth album as if it were the single.[10]
Composition
"Stairway to Heaven"
Duration: 31 seconds.0:31
Three 10-second excerpts demonstrating the different sections of the piece
Problems playing this file? See media help.
"Stairway to Heaven" is described as progressive rock,[17][18] folk rock,[19] and hard rock.[19] The song consists of three distinct sections, beginning with a quiet introduction on a finger-picked, six-string acoustic guitar and four recorders[20] (ending at 2:15) and gradually moving into a slow electric middle section (2:16–5:33), then a long guitar solo (5:34–6:44), before the faster hard rock final section (6:45–7:45), ending with a short vocals-only epilogue. Plant sings the opening, middle, and epilogue sections in his mid-vocal range; he sings the hard rock section in his higher range, which borders on falsetto.
Written in the key of A minor, the song opens with an arpeggiated, finger-picked guitar chord progression with a chromatic descending bassline A-G♯-G-F♯-F. Page used a Harmony Sovereign H1260 acoustic guitar and a Fender Electric XII 12-string electric guitar played directly into the board for the rhythm parts.[21] John Paul Jones contributed overdubbed recorders (probably soprano, alto, tenor, and bass)[22] in the opening section (he used a Mellotron and, later, a Yamaha CP-70B Grand Piano and Yamaha GX1 to synthesise this arrangement in live performances)[23] and a Hohner Electra-Piano electric piano in the middle section.
The sections build with more guitar layers, each complementary to the intro, with the drums entering at 4:18. The extended guitar solo in the song's final section was played for the recording on a 1959 Fender Telecaster given to Page by Jeff Beck (an instrument he used extensively with the Yardbirds)[23] plugged into a Supro amplifier,[24] although in an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine, Page said, "It could have been a Marshall, but I can't remember".[13] Three different improvised solos were recorded, with Page agonising about which to keep. Page later revealed, "I did have the first phrase worked out, and then there was the link phrase. I did check them out beforehand before the tape ran." He has likened the song to an orgasm.[25] The Am–G–F–G chord sequence in the third section of the song, centred on A minor, is typical of a chord progression in the Aeolian mode.[26]
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[1]
Robert Plant – vocals
Jimmy Page – acoustic guitars (six-string and twelve-string), electric guitars
John Paul Jones – bass guitar, electric piano, Mellotron, synth bass
John Bonham – drums
Live performances
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Stairway to Heaven" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
The inaugural public performance of the song took place at Belfast's Ulster Hall on 5 March 1971.[23] Bassist John Paul Jones recalls that the crowd was unimpressed: "They were all bored to tears waiting to hear something they knew."[27]
The world radio premiere of "Stairway to Heaven" was recorded at the Paris Cinema on 1 April 1971, in front of a live studio audience, and broadcast three days later on the BBC.[28] The song was performed at almost every subsequent Led Zeppelin concert, only being omitted on rare occasions when shows were cut short for curfews or technical issues. The band's final performance of the song was in Berlin on 7 July 1980, which was also their last full-length concert until 10 December 2007 at London's O2 Arena; the version was the longest,[citation needed] lasting almost 15 minutes, including a seven-minute guitar solo.
Jimmy Page used a double-necked guitar to perform "Stairway to Heaven" live.
When playing the song live, the band would often extend it to over 10 minutes, with Page playing an extended guitar solo and Plant adding a number of lyrical ad-libs, such as "Does anybody remember laughter?", "And I think you can see that", "wait a minute!" and "I hope so".[citation needed] For performing this song live, Page used a Gibson EDS-1275 double neck guitar so that he would not have to pause when switching from a six to a 12-string guitar, while John Paul Jones used a Mellotron to replicate the sound of the woodwind instruments he used on the studio recording.
By 1975, the band was using the song as its finale in concert. However, after their concert tour of the United States in 1977, Plant began to tire of "Stairway to Heaven": "There's only so many times you can sing it and mean it...It just became sanctimonious."[29]
The song was played again by the surviving members of Led Zeppelin at the Live Aid concert in 1985;[23] at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in 1988, with Jason Bonham on drums;[30] and by Jimmy Page as an instrumental version on his solo tours.
The first few bars were played alone during Page and Plant tours in lieu of the final notes of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", and in November 1994 Page and Plant performed an acoustic version of the song at a Tokyo news station for Japanese television. "Stairway to Heaven" was also performed at Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena, London on 10 December 2007.[31]
Plant cites the most unusual performance of the song ever as being that performed at Live Aid: "with two drummers (Phil Collins and Tony Thompson) while Duran Duran cried at the side of the stage – there was something quite surreal about that."[23]
Sunset Sound mix
A different version of this song by Led Zeppelin is on the remastered deluxe two-CD version of Led Zeppelin IV. Titled "Stairway to Heaven (Sunset Sound Mix)", it was recorded on 5 December 1970, at Island Studio, No. 1, in London with engineer Andy Johns and assistant engineer Diggs. This version runs 8:04, two seconds longer than the original version.[32]
Success and legacy
"Stairway to Heaven" is often rated among the greatest rock songs of all time.[3][4] Music journalist Stephen Davis wrote that the 1971 song ascended to "anthemic" status within two years.[33] Page recalled, "I knew it was good. I didn't know it was going to become like an anthem, but I did know it was the gem of the album, sure."[34]
"Stairway to Heaven" continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, including a 2006 Guitar World readers poll of greatest guitar solos.[35] On the 20th anniversary of the original release of the song, it was announced via US radio sources that the song had logged an estimated 2,874,000 radio plays.[10] As of 2000, the song had been broadcast on radio over three million times.[36] In 1990, a Tampa Bay, Florida, area station (then WKRL) kicked off its all-Led Zeppelin format by playing "Stairway to Heaven" for 24 hours straight.[37] It is also the biggest-selling single piece of sheet music in rock history, with an average of 15,000 copies yearly.[23] In total, over one million copies have been sold.[36]
The band never authorised the song to be edited for single release, despite pressure from Atlantic Records. Page told Rolling Stone in 1975, "We were careful to never release it as a single",[38] which forced buyers to buy the entire album.[39]
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine put it at number 31 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", then number 61 in 2021.[40] On 29 January 2009, Guitar World magazine rated Jimmy Page's guitar solo the best of the publication's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos in Rock and Roll History.[41]
In 2001, the New York City-based classic rock radio station WAXQ conducted a listener survey to create a countdown of 1,043 rock songs (the number corresponding with the station's position on the dial at 104.3 FM). "Stairway to Heaven" garnered the most votes from listeners. WAXQ has conducted the survey annually since then; in each subsequent countdown that has followed, including the most recent in November 2024, "Stairway to Heaven" has been the top-ranked song.[42]
Plant once gave $10,000 to listener-supported radio station KBOO in Portland, Oregon, during a pledge drive after the disc jockey solicited donations by promising the station would never play "Stairway to Heaven". Plant was station-surfing in a rental car he was driving to the Oregon Coast after a solo performance in Portland and was impressed with the non-mainstream music the station presented. When asked later for the reason why, Plant replied that it wasn't that he didn't like the song, but he'd heard it before.[43]
"Stairway to Heaven" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2023, based on its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage."[44][45]
The carillon in the tower of Fürth's historic town hall plays "Stairway to Heaven" daily at 12:04 pm.[46]
Spirit copyright infringement lawsuit
Page's opening acoustic guitar arpeggios bear a resemblance to the 1968 instrumental "Taurus" by the Los Angeles-based rock band Spirit, written by Spirit guitarist Randy California.[12][47] In the liner notes to the 1996 reissue of Spirit's self-titled debut album, California wrote: "People always ask me why 'Stairway to Heaven' sounds exactly like 'Taurus', which was released two years earlier. I know Led Zeppelin also played 'Fresh Garbage' in their live set. They opened up for us on their first American tour."[48][49]
In May 2014, Spirit bassist Mark Andes and a trust acting on behalf of California filed a copyright infringement suit against Led Zeppelin and injunction against the "release of the album containing the song" in an attempt to obtain a writing credit for California, who died in 1997.[50] A lack of resources was cited as one of the reasons that Spirit did not file the suit earlier; according to a friend of California's mother, "Nobody had any money, and they thought the statute of limitations was done ... It will be nice if Randy got the credit." If the Spirit lawsuit had been successful, past earnings due to the song—estimated at more than US$550 million—would not have been part of the settlement, but the publisher and composers might have been entitled to a share of future profits.[51][52]
On 11 April 2016, Los Angeles district judge Gary Klausner ruled that there were enough similarities between the song and the instrumental for a jury to decide the claim, and a trial was scheduled for 10 May. The copyright infringement action was brought by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late guitarist, whose legal name was Randy Wolfe.[53] On 23 June, the jury ruled that the similarities between the songs did not amount to copyright infringement.[54] In July, Skidmore's attorney filed a notice of appeal against the court's decision.[55][56][57] In March 2017, the verdict was appealed, with a main argument being that the jury should have been able to hear a recorded version of "Taurus".[58][59] On 28 September 2018, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit allowed the appeal, vacating in part and remanding to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for a new trial on several evidentiary and procedural issues.[60] On 10 June 2019, the Ninth Circuit granted rehearing en banc, meaning the case would be reheard by a larger panel of eleven judges.[61][62]
A Bloomberg Businessweek article shortly after that decision noted that a Ninth Circuit judge's interpretation of the laws implied that key elements of many classic rock songs, including "Stairway to Heaven", that were recorded prior to 1978 were not protected by copyright to begin with. The panel declared that the scope of copyright for those songs is limited to what was included in the deposit copy of the song's sheet music provided to the Copyright Office; at trial Page had testified that the deposit copy included neither the intro that was under dispute nor his guitar solo. Bloomberg reporter Vernon Silver found that the deposit copies of other classic rock songs from that era, such as "Hotel California", "Born to Run" and "Free Bird", include only the song's basic chords, lyrics and melody, without any solos or other distinctive musical touches. Copyright law experts could not say whether those elements are copyrighted or not; Led Zeppelin's lawyers have argued they are even if not included in the deposit copy. Silver made an electronic mashup of several of these elements from different songs and included it with the article.[63]
On 9 March 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, California, ruled in favour of Led Zeppelin, in that "Stairway to Heaven" does not infringe on the copyright of "Taurus". The full Ninth Circuit used their decision to overturn the controversial "inverse ratio rule" upon which it had relied over the past several decades in past copyright rulings, stating "Because the inverse ratio rule, which is not part of the copyright statute, defies logic, and creates uncertainty for the courts and the parties, we take this opportunity to abrogate the rule in the Ninth Circuit and overrule our prior cases to the contrary."[64][65] This verdict immediately applied to pending cases within the Ninth: a long battle over Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" in which a jury had found against her for US$2.8 million was overturned a week after the Ninth's verdict in "Stairway to Heaven", in part of the Ninth's new finding and that in the case of "Dark Horse", the similarity argument weighed heavily on the inverse ratio rule.[66] On 5 October, the Supreme Court of the United States denied to grant certiorari to Andes and the trust, leaving the Ninth Circuit's ruling in place in favour of Led Zeppelin.[67] The court's decision precludes further appeals, thus ending the copyright dispute.[68]
Claims of backmasking
"Stairway to Heaven" (section)
Duration: 29 seconds.0:29
The claimed backmasked section
"Stairway to Heaven" (section) (reversed)
Duration: 29 seconds.0:29
The same section reversed
Problems playing these files? See media help.
In a January 1982 broadcast of the Trinity Broadcasting Network television program Praise the Lord hosted by Paul Crouch, it was claimed that hidden messages were contained in many popular rock songs through a technique called backmasking. One example of such hidden messages that was prominently cited was in "Stairway to Heaven".[69] The alleged message, which occurs during the middle section of the song ("If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now...") when played backward, was purported to contain the Satanic references: "Here's to my sweet Satan / The one whose little path would make me sad whose power is Satan, / He'll give you, he'll give you 666 / There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan."[70]
Following the claims made in the television program, California assemblyman Phil Wyman proposed a state law that would require warning labels on records containing backmasking. In April 1982, the Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee of the California State Assembly held a hearing on backmasking in popular music, during which "Stairway to Heaven" was played backward and self-described "neuroscientific researcher" William Yarroll claimed that the human brain could decipher backward messages.[71]
The band itself has mostly ignored such claims. Swan Song Records responded to the allegations by stating: "Our turntables only play in one direction—forwards." Led Zeppelin audio engineer Eddie Kramer called the allegations "totally and utterly ridiculous. Why would they want to spend so much studio time doing something so dumb?"[72] Robert Plant expressed frustration with the accusations in a 1983 interview in Musician magazine: "To me it's very sad, because 'Stairway to Heaven' was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making music."[73]
Accolades
Accolades
PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
Rock and Roll Hall of FameUS"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll"[74]1994*
Classic RockUK"Ten of the Best Songs Ever!"[75]19991
VH1US"The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time"[76]20003
RIAAUS"Songs of the Century"[77]200153
Grammy AwardsUS"Grammy Hall of Fame Award"[78]2003*
Rolling StoneUS"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"[79]200431
Rolling StoneUS"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"[40]202161
QUK"100 Songs That Changed the World"[80]200347
Toby CreswellAustralia"1001 Songs: the Great Songs of All Time"[81]2005*
QUK"100 Greatest Songs of All Time"[82]20068
Guitar WorldUS"100 Greatest Guitar Solos"[83]20061
Rolling StoneUS"100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time"[84]20088
(*) designates unordered lists.
Charts
Digital download
Chart (2007–10)Peak
position
Canadian Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart[85]17
EU Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart[86]79
Germany (GfK)[87]15
Irish Singles Chart[88]24
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[89]13
Norwegian Singles Chart[90]5
Portuguese Singles Chart[91]8
Swedish Singles Chart[92]57
Swiss Singles Chart[93]17
UK Singles Chart[94]37
US Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart[95]30
US Billboard Hot Singles Recurrents Chart[96]16
Note: The official UK Singles Chart incorporated legal downloads as of 17 April 2005.
Certifications and sales
RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[97]Platinum90,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[98]
sales since 20092× Platinum100,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[99]4× Platinum120,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[100]Platinum60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[101]
2000 releasePlatinum600,000‡
United States
digital sales—1,700,000[102]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
See also
List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs § Stairway to Heaven
List of Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others
References
Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 260.
Untitled (a.k.a. Led Zeppelin IV) (Album notes). Led Zeppelin. New York City: Atlantic Records. 1971. Side one LP label. SD 7208.
"The Influence Of Led Zeppelin Is So Profound That It's Almost Impossible To Overstate. (However, We Are Still Going To Try)". SPIN. SPIN Media. September 2002. p. 80. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
"Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' Voted the Greatest Rock Song before the year of 2000". Gigwise.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
"500 Greatest Rock Songs". digitaldreamdoor. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
"Top 1000 Classic Rock Songs of All Time". www.rocknrollamerica.net. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
"Top 10 Best Rock Songs of All Time". TheTopTens. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
"VH1 100 Greatest Rock Songs 1–50". rockonnet.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2003. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
"500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-711-93528-9..
"Led Zeppelin score top 40 hit". NME. 18 November 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
Sutcliffe, Phil (April 2000). "Bustle in the Hedgerow". MOJO, p. 62
Tolinski, Brad and di Benedetto, Greg (January 1998). "Light and Shade: A Historic Look at the Entire Led Zeppelin Catalogue Through the Eyes of Guitarist/Producer/Mastermind Jimmy Page". Guitar World, p. 100–104.
Schulps, Dave (October 1977). "Jimmy Page: The Trouser Press Interview". teachrock.org. Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
Welch, Chris. "Classic Interview: Engineer Andy Johns on the secrets behind Led Zeppelin IV". musicradar.com. Future Plc. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
Davis, Stephen (4 July 1985). "Power, Mystery and the Hammer of the Gods: The Rise and Fall of Led Zeppelin". Rolling Stone. No. 451. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
Macan 1997, p. 154.
Colothan, Scott (19 April 2010). "Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven' Voted The Greatest Rock Song". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2016. The prog-rock epic is one of three Led Zep songs to make it into the top ten in a listeners' poll conducted by radio station Absolute Classic Rock.
Cramer 2009, p. 1116.
Rolling Stone. "Stairway to Heaven". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
"What was the Stairway To Heaven guitar?". Killer Guitar Rigs. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
"Tracks: Recording the Recorders on the Original Stairway Project". 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
Llewellyn, Sian (December 1998). "Stairway to Heaven". Total Guitar, p.61-62
Steven Rosen, 1977 Jimmy Page Interview Archived 28 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Modern Guitars, 25 May 2007 (originally published in the July 1977, issue of Guitar Player magazine).
Hann, Michael (22 October 2014). "Stairway to Heaven: The Story of a Song and Its Legacy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020. He's often used sexual imagery to describe the song and it's no different today: 'It's like an orgasm at the end. It's whatever you want it to be.'
Roche 2004, p. 139.
"Sold on Song, Stairway to Heaven". BBC radio 2. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2006.
Pallett, Simon (January 1998). "Radio Dazed". Guitar World, p.122
Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 58.
Welch 2002, p. 231.
Reed, Ryan (10 December 2015). "The Day Led Zeppelin United". ultimateclassicrock.com. Townsquare Media Inc. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
Grow, Kory (22 October 2014). "Hear Led Zeppelin's Hedgerow-Bustling 'Stairway to Heaven' Alternate Mix". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017. "It's always interesting to hear stuff that you know really well and hear it differently, but the same", John Paul Jones tells Rolling Stone.
Davis 2018, pp. 146–147.
Cross & Flannigan 1991, p. 65.
"Stairway to Heaven: Is This the Greatest Song of All Time?". Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Archived 13 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine – Triple J Music Specials – Led Zeppelin (first broadcast 12 July 2000)
"Led Zeppelin Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
"Led Zeppelin Win in 'Stairway to Heaven' Trial". RollingStone.com. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
"Stairway to Heaven: The Song Remains Pretty Similar". Bloomberg.com. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
"Stairway to Heaven ranked #61 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
"50 Greatest Guitar Solos". Guitar World. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
"Q104.3's Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time". Q104.3. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
"World Cafe Looks Back: Robert Plant". World Cafe. Season 20. 14 October 2011. 43:34 minutes in. NPR. WXPN. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016. Finally, we'll revisit a 2002 interview, in which Plant tells one of his funniest stories — it involves pledging to a Portland public radio station so it would never again play "Stairway to Heaven."
"2023 National Recording Registry selections". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
"National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Madonna, Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah, Daddy Yankee". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
Fürth: Glock’n’Roll mit Himmelsleiter. Bayerischer Rundfunk. 15 November 2024.
"Whammy Bar" Guitar World April 1997: 19 "But California's most enduring legacy may well be the fingerpicked acoustic theme of the song "Taurus", which Jimmy Page lifted virtually note for note for the introduction to "Stairway to Heaven".
Sleeve notes, booklet included with CD EPC 485175
"Led Zeppelin: Stairway to a Plagiarism Lawsuit, and Jimmy Page on a possible reunion". 21 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
"Copyright row over Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven". BBC News. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
Vernon Silver (15 May 2014). "Stairway to Heaven: The Song Remains Pretty Similar". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
Nicolas Suzor; Eleanor Angel (26 May 2014). "Borrowing a Stairway to Heaven: did Led Zeppelin rip off a riff?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
"Stairway to Heaven in copyright trial - BBC News". BBC News. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
"Led Zeppelin cleared of plagiarism in Stairway case". BBC News. 23 June 2016.
"Led Zeppelin Copyright Trial, Round 2: Band's Accuser Files for Appeal". TheWrap. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
"Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven verdict appealed". BBC News. 27 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
"Appeal Filed in Copyright Case of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway'". NBC News. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
"Appeal Filed in Led Zeppelin 'Stairway to Heaven' Copyright Trial". Rolling Stone. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
"Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" Copyright Case Gets Appeal". 19 March 2017. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
Pettersson, Edvard; Silver, Vernon (28 September 2018). "Led Zeppelin to Face Retrial Over 'Stairway' Theft Claims". Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
"Court documents" (PDF). cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov. 10 June 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
Reed, Ryan (11 June 2019). "Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven': Appeals Court to Review Lawsuit Decision". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
Silver, Vernon (20 June 2019). "Rock Riff Rip-Off: The Legal Loophole That May Leave Some of Rock's Greatest Riffs Up For Grabs". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
"Court documentsa" (PDF). cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov. 9 March 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
Maddaus, Gene (9 March 2020). "Led Zeppelin Scores Big Win in 'Stairway to Heaven' Copyright Case". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
Maddaus, Gene (17 March 2020). "Katy Perry Wins Reversal of 'Dark Horse' Copyright Verdict". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
Aswad, Jem (5 October 2020). "Led Zeppelin Win 'Stairway to Heaven' Copyright Battle as Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case". Variety. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
"Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' Copyright Battle Is Finally Over". BBC News. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020. The final possible legal challenge to Led Zeppelin's ownership of Stairway To Heaven has been defeated
Denisoff, R. Serge. Inside MTV (1988): 289–290
Arar, Yardena. (AP) "Does Satan Lurk in the Backward Playing of Records?" St. Petersburg Independent 24 May 1982: 3A
Billiter, Bill. "Satanic Messages Played Back for Assembly Panel" Los Angeles Times 28 April 1982: B3
Davis 2018, p. 301.
Considine, J.D. "Interviews". Archived from the original on 25 October 2005. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll – December 1994". Jacobs Media. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
"Ten of the Best Songs Ever! – September 1999". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
"The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time – July 2000". VH1. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
"Songs of the Century". Recording Industry Association of America. 7 March 2001. Archived from the original on 11 December 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
"The Grammy Hall of Fame Award". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time – November 2003". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 21 November 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
"100 Greatest Songs of All Time – January 2003". Q. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
Creswell 2005, p. 516.
"100 Greatest Songs of All Time – October 2006". Q. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
"100 Greatest Guitar Solos – October 2006". Guitar World. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
"100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time – June 2008". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
"Hot Digital Songs – 1 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009. {{cite magazine}}: Check |url= value (help)
"Hot 100 Singles – 1 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009. {{cite magazine}}: Check |url= value (help)
"Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
"Top 50 Singles – 22 November 2007". IRMA. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
"Top 40 Singles – 19 November 2007". RIANZ. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
"Top 20 Singles – 21 November 2007". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
"Top 100 Singles – 29 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009. {{cite magazine}}: Check |url= value (help)
"Top 60 Singles – 3 January 2008". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
"Top 100 Singles – 2 December 2007". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
"Official Singles Chart Top 100", Official Charts Company, archived from the original on 8 March 2021, retrieved 29 March 2021
"Hot 100 Digital Songs – 1 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
"Hot Singles Recurrents – 1 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009. {{cite magazine}}: Check |url= value (help)
"Danish single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
"Italian single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
"New Zealand single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven". Radioscope. Retrieved 16 December 2024. Type Stairway to Heaven in the "Search:" field.
"Spanish single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
"British single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
Keith Caulfield (7 November 2014). "Numbers: Led Zeppelin Zooms Onto the Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
Bibliography
Cramer, Alfred William (2009). Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century. Vol. 4. Salem Press. ISBN 978-1-58765-517-3.
Creswell, Toby (2005). "Stairway to Heaven". 1001 Songs: the Great Songs of All Time (1st ed.). Prahran: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-458-5.
Cross, Charles; Flannigan, Erik (1991). Led Zeppelin: Heaven and Hell, An Illustrated History. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-583089.
Davis, Stephen (2018) [1985]. Hammer of the Gods. London: Pan Books. ISBN 978-1-5098-5252-9.
Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.
Macan, Edward (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-509887-7.
Roche, Eric (2004). The Acoustic Guitar Bible. London: SMT/Bobcat Books. ISBN 1-84492-063-1.
Welch, Chris (2002). Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9195-2.
Further reading
Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
External links
NPR Fresh Air audio interview with Robert Plant (2004), who comments on various covers of the song, the lyrics and writing it.
Jimmy Page: How we wrote Stairway to Heaven (2014) at BBC
Sold on Song, "Stairway to Heaven" at BBC Radio 2
vte
Led Zeppelin songs
vte
Led Zeppelin
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
Categories: 1971 songs1970s balladsAtlantic Records singlesGrammy Hall of Fame Award recipientsLed Zeppelin songsBritish progressive rock songsFolk balladsHard rock balladsHeart (band) songsSong recordings produced by Jimmy PageSongs written by Jimmy PageSongs written by Robert PlantSongs involved in plagiarism controversiesObscenity controversies in musicReligious controversies in musicUnited States National Recording Registry recordingsWorks subject to a lawsuit
No. Title Length
1. "Dispossession" 5:33
2. "Chrome" 5:11
3. "We Must Bury You" 2:48
4. "Teargas" 3:22
5. "I Transpire" 5:54
6. "Tonight's Music" 4:17
7. "Clean Today" 4:22
8. "The Future of Speech" 5:38
9. "Passing Bird" 3:35
10. "Sweet Nurse" 3:53
11. "Don't Tell a Soul" 5:42
Total length:
50:39
[show]2004 reissue bonus tracks
[show]2011 10th anniversary reissue bonus tracks
Band
Jonas Renkse – vocals
Anders Nyström – guitar & mellotron
Fredrik Norrman – guitar
Mattias Norrman – bass
Daniel Liljekvist – drums
Jethro Tull / Living in the Past
(Compilation CD)
Titelliste:
"A Song for Jeffrey "3:20
"Love Story" 3:02
"Christmas Song" 3:05
"Living in the Past" 3:20
"Driving Song" 2:39
"Sweet Dream" 4:02
"Singing All Day" 3:03
"Witch's Promise" 3:49
"Inside" 3:49
"Just Trying to Be" 1:36
"By Kind Permission Of" (live at the Carnegie Hall – John Evan) 10:11
"Dharma for One" (live at the Carnegie Hall – Anderson/Clive Bunker) 9:45
"Wond'ring Again" 4:12
"Locomotive Breath" 4:24
."Life Is a Long Song" 3:18
"Up the 'Pool" 3:10
"Dr. Bogenbroom" 2:59
"From Later" 2:06
"Nursie" 1:38
Besetzung:
Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, mandolin, tin whistle, electric guitar (12 string (on "Sweet Dream"), acoustic guitar (on "Just Trying to Be", "Wond'ring Again", "Life Is a Long Song", "Up the 'Pool" and "Dr. Bogenbroom"), balalaika; Hammond organ (on "Singing All Day"), violin
Mick Abrahams – electric guitar (on "A Song for Jeffrey" and "Love Story")
Martin Barre – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (on "Witch's Promise" and "Life Is a Long Song"), backing vocals and additional percussion (on "Dharma for One")
John Evan – piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, harpsichord, celeste, backing vocals and additional percussion (on "Dharma for One")
Glenn Cornick – bass guitar; Hammond organ (on "Singing All Day")
Jeffrey Hammond (as Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond) – bass guitar (on "Hymn 43", "Locomotive Breath", "Life Is a Long Song", "Up the 'Pool", "Dr. Bogenbroom" and "From Later")
Clive Bunker – drums, percussion, backing vocals (on "Dharma for One")
Barriemore Barlow – drums (on "Life Is a Long Song", "Up the 'Pool", "Dr. Bogenbroom" and "From Later")
Cover: CCS
Chrysalis Records 1972
ex CD-Collection MTP
Jean-Michel Jarre / Oxygène
Side one:
- "Oxygène (Part I)" – 7:39
- "Oxygène (Part II)" – 7:46
- "Oxygène (Part III)" – 3:16
Side two:
- "Oxygène (Part IV)" – 4:14
- "Oxygène (Part V)" – 10:23
- "Oxygène (Part VI)" – 6:20
[All tracks composed by Jean-Michel Jarre.]
Equipment:
ARP 2600
EMS Synthi AKS
EMS VCS3
RMI Harmonic Synthesizer
Farfisa Professional Organ
Eminent 310U
Mellotron
Minipops-7
Recorded: August–November 1976, Paris
sleeve design: cover art by Michel Granger
Label: Disques Dreyfus/ Polydor (1976)
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
King Crimson / Starless and Bible Black
Side one:
- "The Great Deceiver"
(John Wetton, Robert Fripp, Richard Palmer-James) - 4:02
- "Lament" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) - 4:00
- "We'll Let You Know"
(David Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bill Bruford) - 3:46
- "The Night Watch" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) - 4:37
- "Trio" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) - 5:41
- "The Mincer" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Palmer-James) - 4:10
Side two:
- "Starless and Bible Black"
(Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) - 9:11
- "Fracture" (Robert Fripp) - 11:14
Robert Fripp – guitar, Mellotron, devices, Hohner pianet, production
John Wetton – bass, vocals, production
Bill Bruford – drums, percussion, production
David Cross – violin, viola, Mellotron, Hohner pianet, production
Recorded live 23 October, 15 & 23 November 1973 at Apollo Theatre, Glasgow; Volkshaus, Zürich; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
Studio-Aufnahmen: Air Studios, London
sleeve design: Tom Phillips
Label: Island Records / 1974
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Grand Funk Railroad / Shinin' On
Side one:
- "Shinin' On" (Brewer, Farner) - 5:59
- "To Get Back In" (Farner) - 3:56
- "The Loco-Motion" (Goffin, King) - 2:46
- "Carry Me Through" (Brewer, Frost) - 5:34
Side two:
- "Please Me" (Brewer, Farner) - 3:37
- "Mr. Pretty Boy" (Brewer, Farner, Frost) - 3:08
- "Gettin' Over You" (Brewer, Frost) - 3:59
- "Little Johnny Hooker" (Farner) - 4:59
Mark Farner – guitar, guitarrón, harmonica, organ, vocals
Craig Frost – organ, clavinet, moog, piano, mellotron, background vocals
Mel Schacher – bass guitar
Don Brewer – drums, percussion, vocals
Todd Rundgren – guitar, background vocals
Produced by Todd Rundgren
Recorded at The Swamp (1974)
sleeve design: Die-cut cover with pop-out 3-D glasses (inner sleeve > poster in bi-visual 3-D)
Label: Capitol Rcords / 1974
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time by pitchfork
(+ top 100 by deepskyobject).
pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-...
01. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless, 1991
02. Slowdive - Souvlaki, 1993
03. Ride - Nowhere, 1990
04. My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything, 1988
05. Ride - Going Blank Again, 1992
06. The Verve - A Storm in Heaven, 1993
07. Slowdive - Just for a Day, 1991
08. Lush - Gala, 1990
09. Catherine Wheel - Chrome, 1993
10. Swervedriver - Mezcal Head, 1993
11. Swirlies - Blonder Tongue Audio Baton, 1993
12. Slowdive - Pygmalion, 1995
13. Seefeel - Quique, 1993
14. My Bloody Valentine - m b v, 2013
15. Swervedriver - Raise, 1991
16. Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam, 1991
17. Chapterhouse - Whirlpool, 1991
18. Kitchens of Distinction - Strange Free World, 1990
19. Curve - Pubic Fruit, 1992
20. Jesu - Jesu, 2004
21. Pale Saints - The Comforts of Madness, 1990
22. M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, 2003
23. Catherine Wheel - Ferment, 1992
24. Lilys - In the Presence of Nothing, 1992
25. The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps, 1993
26. Flying Saucer Attack - Further, 1994
27. Lush - Spooky, 1992
28. Bardo Pond - Amanita, 1996
29. Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living, 1992
30. Blonde Redhead - 23, 2007
31. Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place, 2003
32. Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde, 2007
33. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone, 1995
34. Pale Saints - In Ribbons, 1992
35. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar, 2009
36. Bowery Electric - Bowery Electric, 1995
37. Asobi Seksu - Citrus, 2006
38. A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers, 2007
39. Windy & Carl - Antarctica (The Bliss Out, Vol. 2), 1997
40. Curve - Doppelgänger, 1992
41. Starflyer 59 - Gold, 1995
42. Adorable - Against Perfection, 1993
43. The Veldt - Afrodisiac, 1994
44. Autolux - Future Perfect, 2004
45. Drop Nineteens - Delaware, 1992
46. lovesliescrushing - Bloweyelashwish, 1994
47. The Telescopes - Taste, 1989
48. Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow, 2016
49. All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors - Turning Into Small, 1998
50. Xinlisupreme - Tomorrow Never Comes, 2002
——————
Увы, но к сожалению у них получился довольно поверхностный список, например есть Ульрих Шнаусс, но нет The Radio Dept (wtf?!), плюс они забыли: Skywave, Pinkshinyultrablast, Pia Fraus, Resplandor, Malory, Air Formation, An April March, Dråpe, Asalto al Parque Zoológico, Flyying Colours, Ringo Deathstarr, и ещё полсотни групп.
Для уравновешивания я составил альтернативный Top 100.
——————
The 100 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time by deepskyobject.
01. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless, 1991
02. Slowdive - Souvlaki, 1993
03. Ride - Nowhere, 1990
04. Lush - Spooky, 1992
05. My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything, 1988
06. The Boo Radleys - Everything's Alright Forever, 1992
07. Pale Saints - The Comforts of Madness, 1990
08. Chapterhouse - Whirlpool, 1991
09. The Radio Dept. - Lesser Matters, 2003
10. My Bloody Valentine - m b v, 2013
11. Skywave - Synthstatic, 2003
12. An April March - Lessons in Vengeance, 1995
13. Grimble Grumble - Grimble Grumble, 1997
14. Airiel - Winks & Kisses, 2004
15. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar, 2009
16. lovesliescrushing - Bloweyelashwish, 1994
17. Air Formation - Ends in Light, 2002
18. Ride - Going Blank Again, 1992
19. Slowdive - Pygmalion, 1995
20. Malory - Not Here, Not Now, 1999
21. Swervedriver - Mezcal Head, 1993
22. Jessica Bailiff - Even in Silence, 1998
23. A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers, 2007
24. An April March - It Goes Without Saying, 1997
25. Slowdive - Just for a Day, 1991
26. Dråpe - Dråpe EP, 2011
27. Bardo Pond - Amanita, 1996
28. Astrobrite - Whitenoise Superstar, 2007
29. Bowery Electric - Bowery Electric, 1995
30. Adorable - Against Perfection, 1993
31. Helen - The Original Faces, 2015
32. Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living, 1992
33. Drop Nineteens - Delaware, 1992
34. The Boo Radleys - Ichabod and I, 1990
35. Swervedriver - Raise, 1991
36. The Charlottes - Love Happy, 1989
37. Ringo Deathstarr - Colour Trip, 2011
38. 93MillionMilesFromTheSun - Northern Sky, 2011
39. Chimera - Lughnasa, 1993
40. Lush - Gala, 1990
41. Mahogany - Connectivity!, 2006
42. Oeil - Urban Twilight EP, 2008
43. The Telescopes - Taste, 1989
44. Curve - Doppelgänger, 1992
45. Asalto al Parque Zoológico - Hexadecimal, 2014
46. Pia Fraus - In Solarium, 2002
47. Spool - Sink You, 2013
48. The Nightblooms - The Nightblooms, 1992
49. Manon Meurt - Manon Meurt, 2014
50. Pinkshinyultrablast - Everything Else Matters, 2015
51. White Poppy - White Poppy, 2013
52. The Fauns - Lights, 2013
53. Flyying Colours - Mindfullness, 2016
54. Savage Sister - Savage Sister, 2013
55. Cattle - Somehow Hear Songs, 2015
56. The Darling Buds - Erotica, 1992
57. Mellonta Tauta - Sun Fell, 1994
58. Lemon's Chair - I Hate I Hope, 2010
59. Pale Saints - In Ribbons, 1992
60. Morella's Forest - Super Deluxe, 1995
61. Black Tambourine - Black Tambourine, 2010
62. Flying Saucer Attack - Flying Saucer Attack, 1993
63. Clams - Clams, 2003
64. Astrobrite - Pinkshinyultrablast, 2005
65. Static Daydream - Static Daydream, 2015
66. The Angelic Process - Coma Waering, 2003
67. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone, 1995
68. Jesu - Jesu, 2004
69. Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde, 2007
70. The Belltower - Popdropper, 1992
71. Sway - Sway, 2000
72. Douglas Heart - Douglas Heart, 2003
73. Singapore Sling - Never Forever, 2011
74. Plastica - The Man I Love, 1996
75. Secret Shine - Untouched, 1993
76. Broken Little Sister - Memories, Violet & Demons, 2010
77. Rollerskate Skinny - Horsedrawn Wishes, 1996
78. Fleeting Joys - Despondent Transponder, 2006
79. Luminous Orange - Drop You Vivid Colours, 2002
80. Burrrn - Blaze Down His Way Like the Space Show, 2011
81. Panda Riot - She Dares All Things, 2007
82. Dead Mellotron - Ghost Light Constellation, 2009
83. Resplandor - Elipse, 2000
84. Bethany Curve - Skies a Crossed Sky, 1996
85. The Veldt - Afrodisiac, 1994
86. Tamaryn - The Waves, 2010
87. The Naked Souls - Shady Ways Anticlockwise, 1995
88. Vaadat Charigim - The World Is Well Lost, 2013
89. Vidulgi Ooyoo - Aero, 2008
90. Weird. - Desert Love for Lonely Graves, 2013
91. Youngteam - Daydreamer, 2011
92. Lilys - In the Presence of Nothing, 1992
93. Screen Vinyl Image - Interceptors, 2009
94. Majesty Crush - Love 15, 1993
95. Coaltar of the Deepers - No Thank You, 2001
96. Bleach - Killing Time, 1992
97. Purple Bloom - Purple Bloom, 2011
98. The Stargazer Lilies - We Are the Dreamers, 2013
99. Maribel - Aesthetics, 2009
100. Joensuu 1685 - Joensuu 1685, 2008
#shoegaze #dreampop #pitchfork #totp #shoegazers #top50 #top100
Eloy / Dawn
Side one:
- "Awakening" – 2:39
- "Between the Times" – 6:07
a) "Between the Times" – 1:50
b) "Memory Flash" – 1:56
c) "Appearance of the Voice" – 1:12
d) "Return of the Voice" – 1:08
- "The Sun-Song" – 4:55
- "The Dance in Doubt and Fear" – 4:27
- "Lost!? (Introduction)" – 5:20
Side two:
- "Lost?? (The Decision)" – 5:01
- "The Midnight-Fight/The Victory of Mental Force" – 8:10
- "Gliding Into Light and Knowledge" – 4:13
- "Le Réveil du Soleil/The Dawn" – 6:49
(All music composed by Eloy. All lyrics by Jürgen Rosenthal.)
Frank Bornemann – guitars, lead vocals
Klaus Peter Matziol – bass, backing vocals
Detlev Schmidtchen – keyboards, backing vocals, synthesizer, Mellotron, mini Moog, Hammond organ, piano, guitars
Jürgen Rosenthal – drums, voices, lyrics, cymbals, glockenspiel, gong, timbales, kettle drum, temple blocks, roto toms
Recorded: August–September 1976 at Nedeltschev Studio, Cologne, Germany
sleeve design: Pepe, Handl
Label: EMI Electrola / 1976
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_(Eloy_album)
ARTIST: Electric Light Orchestra
TITLE: A New World Record
COMPOSERS: Jeff Lynne
YEAR: 1976
LABEL: Epic 90 2198 1
PRODUCER: Jeff Lynne
TIME: 36'20
PHOTO: The ELO logo designed by John Kosh
(based on a 1946 Wurlitzer jukebox speaker model 4008.)
COUNTRY: UK
BOUGHT: 30.10.2008 - Flee Market 6 €
GENRE: pop, art rock, progressive rock, symphonic rock
FORMAT: 30 cm LP
RECORD BEFORE THIS: Sri Chinmoy: Flute Music for Meditation
RECORD AFTER THIS: Armstrong: Mostly Blues
9 tracks:
1. Tightrope (Lynne) 5:03
2. Telephone Line (Lynne) 4:38
3. Rockaria! (Lynne) 3:12
4. Mission (A World Record) (Lynne) 4:25
Side two
5. So Fine 3:54
6. Livin' Thing 3:31
7. Above the Clouds 2:16
8. Do Ya 3:43
9. Shangri-La 5:32
Jeff Lynne vocals, lead, rhythm and slide guitars, percussion, piano
Bev Bevan drums, Minimoog drum, percussion, vocals
Richard Tandy piano, Minimoog, Micromoog, polyphonic keyboard, electric guitars, clavinet, grand piano, Mellotron, percussion, vocals
Kelly Groucutt vocals, bass, percussion, backing vocals
Mik Kaminski violin
Hugh McDowell cello
Melvyn Gale cello
Mary Thomas operatic vocals
Patti Quatro uncredited vocals
Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy and Louis Clark Orchestra and choral arrangements
Louis Clark Orchestra conducted
My 1st experience with ELO - only knew the name of the band,
but never really heard anything from them - and never had any of their records. And finally...
Not so bad... at all.... (thanks to the amazing flee market)
Grand Funk Railroad / Shinin' On
Side one:
- "Shinin' On" (Brewer, Farner) - 5:59
- "To Get Back In" (Farner) - 3:56
- "The Loco-Motion" (Goffin, King) - 2:46
- "Carry Me Through" (Brewer, Frost) - 5:34
Side two:
- "Please Me" (Brewer, Farner) - 3:37
- "Mr. Pretty Boy" (Brewer, Farner, Frost) - 3:08
- "Gettin' Over You" (Brewer, Frost) - 3:59
- "Little Johnny Hooker" (Farner) - 4:59
Mark Farner – guitar, guitarrón, harmonica, organ, vocals
Craig Frost – organ, clavinet, moog, piano, mellotron, background vocals
Mel Schacher – bass guitar
Don Brewer – drums, percussion, vocals
Todd Rundgren – guitar, background vocals
Produced by Todd Rundgren
Recorded at The Swamp (1974)
sleeve design: Die-cut cover with pop-out 3-D glasses (inner sleeve > poster in bi-visual 3-D)
Label: Capitol Rcords / 1974
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
The Moody Blues / A Question of Balance
Side one:
- "Question" (Justin Hayward) - 5:40
- "How Is It (We Are Here)" (Mike Pinder) - 2:48
- "And the Tide Rushes In" (Ray Thomas) - 2:57
- "Don't You Feel Small" (Graeme Edge) - 2:40
- "Tortoise and the Hare" (John Lodge) - 3:23
Side two:
- "It's Up to You" (Justin Hayward) - 3:11
- "Minstrel's Song" (John Lodge) - 4:27
- "Dawning Is the Day" (Justin Hayward) - 4:22
- "Melancholy Man" (Mike Pinder) - 5:49
- "The Balance" (Greame Edge, Ray Thomas) - 3:33
Justin Hayward - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin
John Lodge - vocals, bass
Ray Thomas - vocals, flute, tambourine
Graeme Edge - drums, percussion, whispered vocal on "Don't You Feel Small"
Mike Pinder - vocals, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, piano, harpsichord, maracas, acoustic guitar
Recorded: January – June 1970 at Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London
sleeve design: Phil Travers
Label: Threshold Records / 1970
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Beggars Opera / Waters of Change
Track listing:
- "Time Machine"(Park/Griffiths/Gardiner) - 8:00
- "Lament" (Park/Wilson) - 1:51
- "I've No Idea" (Park/Griffiths) - 7:42
- "Nimbus" (Sellar/Griffiths/Gardiner) - 3:43
- "Festival" (Park/Griffiths/Erskine) - 6:00
- "Silver Peacock / Intro" (Griffiths/Scott) - 0:22
- "Silver Peacock" (Park/Griffiths/Scott) - 6:33
- "Impromptu" (Gardiner/Scott) - 1:14
- "The Fox" (Gardiner/Griffiths/Scott) - 6:52
Ricky Gardiner - lead guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar
Martin Griffiths - lead vocal, Cow Bell
Alan Park - organ, piano
Gordon Sellar - bass and acoustic guitar, vocals
Virginia Scott - Mellotron, vocals
Raymond Wilson - percussion
Marshall Erskine - bass, flute on "Festival"
Recorded at Command Studios and De Lane Lea Studios, London
sleeve design: ?
Label: Vertigo Records / 1971
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Signed publicity photo. Limelight rock band hailed from the Mansfield area of Nottinghamshire. Very popular in the late 70s/early 80s.
Supported Saxon on their Autumn 1980 "Strong Arm of the Law" tour. They had an album out at the time which, unfortunately, suffered from under-production.
Left to right:- Mike Scrimshaw (main vocals, twin-neck guitar - top neck 6-string - bottom neck 4-string bass, also foot-operated bass pedals as found on an organ.
Pat Coleman (drums.)
Glenn Scrimshaw (lead guitar and mellotron.)
Glenn went on to play with the Stumble Brothers in the 90s and more lately with Mercury (Queen tribute band.)
So. Our next-door-neighbour, the ever-charming Mike, is a massive, totally unreconstructed Stackridge fan. He's been pushing us for months to see them live. Our next-door-neighbour-but-one Dave is ditto an unreconstructed, massive fan. Our next-door-neighbour-but-two is in fact the keyboard player in said Stackridge. At some point we would have to go see them. But I'm insanely busy, it wasn't going to be this time round. And I hadn't had time to acquaint myself of any of their material - I like to at least know what to expect.
10 days ago, Dave suddenly found himself unable to attend and melady Corydora was offered his ticket. The pressure was inevitable. We had to both go. £12 plus booking fee was spent, it was on.
Next problem. Neither of us know ANY of the material. Except God Speed the Plough (a mellotron classic).
So. About a week ago, to make sure we were in the zone in time for the show, Mike brought round 2 CDs - the latest studio album, and a double live album from about 2 years before that, with a somewhat different line-up. We stuck on the live album first, assuming it would be representative of the set and the sound. Yikes! I have to be polite about this, but really, it so didn't work at all for us. Strange mix, everything seemed close miked and lifeless, anaemic drum sound, lots of treble, very clear but no balls at all. It was truly limp. Hmmmm. We were sort of worried about Saturday night. The studio CD was *much* better, but of course studio CDs have all sorts of chop and change and reconstruct and remake/remodel opportunities. Heck, even I could sound good on a studio CD.
So we were worried. We so did not want to disappoint the neighbours, I so did not want to disappoint Glenn, aforementioned keyboard player. And I'm a crap liar. If anyone asks 'How was it' and in fact I hated it, it shows in my eyes that very instant and to paraphrase the Sweet no amount of words can disguise the lies in my eyes.
We were worried ...
Support act came on, sensational acoustic guitarist with a long list of ex-wives and ex-girlfriends who had inspired or even written his back catalog. Funny and dextrous.
Then the lights dimmed.
We were still worried .........
Then they came on, and instantly we were no longer worried. In fact, it was clear that a heck of a tight live band, sounding great, populated by immense talents were up there, 10 feet from us, giving it some. James and Andy are in their 60s now, and yet - unlike Paul McCartney, more like Colin Blunstone - their voices have not diminished a jot. There's a teeny bit of stretch for the very high notes, but they get there, with character, and they soar. James plays bloody complex bass lines while singing up a storm, Andy has a great halfway between Lennon and Harrison voice, and has a VERY Harrison left wrist, and a gorgeous Les Paul. I like a bit of dirty wiggle on the G string through a humbucker when it's done well. Glenn - the neighbour - provides excellent backing vocals, cracking piano via his scarlet Nord, comedy trombone, Jethro flute, excellent pseudo-Hammond noises and sadly inaudible mellotron from his M-Tron / Mainstage powered MacBook on stage. TURN THE MELLOTRON UP! The drummer is so laid back and genuinely cool it's quite silly - he barely moved, barely changed expression, yet was tight and solid and metronomic and thundered when necessary. He couldn't be faulted, and he had a great haircut.
But best of all, we have Clare on violin and singing and 'somebody forgot to unmute her channel on the desk' acoustic guitar. In fact somebody forgot to unmute Andy's mic for the first 2 minutes - hilarity and a VERY long intro ensued. But back to Clare - she's magnificent, and despite being a relatively recent addition to the lineup she's the heart and soul of it now. Taller than me, a proper Scottish warrior princess wielding a fiddle, glorious voice - an Alto she told me, hence the sonorous resonance and warmth, that amazing thing that only Scots seem to have, from Eddi Reader to Sharleen and everyone inbetween - epic fiddling, and placed centre stage as frankly the old blokes aren't too good to look at nowadays. And also, they are English children of the 1940s, hence like Jagger, tending to skinny and malnourished. She's big and fierce and epic. She commands attention and is just fabulous. I don't know where they found her, but they'd better not lose her. So the ingredients are excellent, but the resulting cake is utterly delicious.
And it just got better and better. They did the big Korgis hits, they did the silly English stuff - so, so English this lot, they need a fiery and formidable Scot to balance it all up! - and really, despite having virtually zero familiarity with the entire repertoire, it was one of the best nights out I've had for years. The English thing is hard to put your finger on, but there is no mistaking it - as a non-English anthropologist, Cory kept pointing it out through the show, grinning from ear to ear - they are so utterly, unmistakeably English in their melody and harmony. That 60s pop sensibility, coupled with the whole Python 'eccentric' thing - truly, they are the Beatles Dog Doo-Dah Band.
So, onto God Speed the Plough. I could have shed a little tear it was so good. I was only introduced to the track by Mellotron Martin in the last year, but it's got under my skin since then. And it kicked off halfway into the set with the merest of introductions - 'This is a more serious one' - and the piano intro sounded, and it built, and drums were thumped, and the fiddling got ferocious, and apart from them needing MORE MELLOTRON it was bleeding magnificent.
Red Squirrel rocked, Boots and Shoes even more so.
If you get a chance, go see them. It doesn't matter if you don't know any of the songs, you will by the end.
p.s. it was so good I totally forgot to take any photos!