The SUBSIM Music Thread

[fumo30]

^Cool funky theme!


This is from famous Italian 1976 poliziotteschi movie "A Special Cop in Action" starred by badass cop Betti(Maurizio Merli) and as a -of course- villain John Saxon.


Cinema a mano armata - Italia a mano armata (Franco Micalizzi)

[Jimbuna]

[vienna]

The wonders of the Internet, YouTube in particular, never cease to amaze me. Through a long, convoluted thought process (which is the norm for me), I came to remember seeing Joan Jett for the first time. I have mentioned before having worked in a rock club, which was an all ages place. Joan was a regular patron at the club and, from the first time I met her, she was a huge Suzi Quatro fan. Joan used to dress up like Suzi, in all black leather, shades on, even at night, and she carried around a bass guitar, in a case, everywhere she went; she eventually somehow managed to get a very petite young girl (she was barely bigger than the bass case) to follow her around, carrying the bass for her. It was at the club where she met Kim Fowley, who was in the process of forming an all-girl rock band and Joan was just tailor made to fill the role as a band member: she had the look, the attitude, the ambition, and a bit better than rudimentary musical ability. Joan became a founding member of The Runaways and a rock star in her own right...

I would see her, occasionally, at various clubs and other places over the years; one memorable occasion was at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, on the Sunset Strip. it was in the late 70s and Punk had just started to gain attention in LA. A local Punk/Electronica group, the Screamers, were performing and I went to catch the show. The very first act on the bill was a pathetically laughable mess of a band called Baby Blue, fronted by a local celeb named Angelyne who, like the Kardashians a few decades later, had no real talents and was famous just for being famous. Angelyne was no great singer and resorted to wearing an outfit of Frederick's Of Hollywood lingerie and moving about the stage like a second rate stripper; the audience reaction, to be kind, was highly unenthusiastic. Right in the middle of Angelyne's second or third song, I spotted Joan Jett walking in the door. She looked at the stage and froze on the spot. This was followed by a very angry reaction from Joan and an angry, emphatic volley of words I could couln't hear over the loud music, but I assumed the words were not complimentary. A couple of her friends grabbed her and took her to the back of the club where I lost sight of her; a few minutes later, Joan reappeared, holding a drink and still very pissed off at the travesty onstage. She stomped up to the edge of the stage and launched another colorful verbal attack demanding the band get off stage, which had the effect of making Angelyne cringe back; the words were then finally punctuated by Joan throwing the drink at Angelyne who gave a yelp, and tottered off the stage as fast as her stilettos would allow her. Joan was roundly cheered and Baby Blue/Angelyne, never (dis)graced the Whisky stage again...

Joan is the real deal, a full on Rocker. Starting from an admiration of Suzi Quatro, she survived the Runaways and made a name for herself in the music business; a couple of years back, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. This clip is Joan singing a song very much in the style of her idol, Suzi:





Here is Joan's idol Suzi Quatro:





...and now for the wonders of the Internet and YouTube; as part of the long, convoluted process that led me to recall Joan Jett, I got on YT and was browsing for Joan and Suzi vids and came across a surprising nugget -- a video clip of a 1968 performance by an all-girl band called the Pleasure Seekers:





The young lady singing lead, and displaying some 'groovy, boss' dance moves is none other than Suzi Quatro, a few years before moving to the UK and becoming a star. Incidentally, a couple of the other band members are actually Suzi's sisters; the very tall guitar player is the sister Suzi has jokingly referred to a her 'twin' sister...



<O>

[Jimbuna]

[vienna]

One of the great things great musicians do is to give recognition to those who came before them who don't often get the same sort of fame and attention they enjoy. Both the Beatles and the Stones, among others, have recorded songs by this composer/performer/producer; in addition, he was a close friend of and collaborator with Little Richard, penning a few of the Reverend's early hits. If you ever heard Dizzy Miss Lizzy or Bony Maronie, you heard the songwriting of Larry Williams. Although most of the public is unaware of William's talent and contributions, he was respected by fellow musicians. Unfortunately, drugs and a propensity for violent episodes cut short his life and he died in his mid-forties. What he left behind was a musical legacy that inspired a good many of the British Invasion and US groups of the 60s...

A couple of songs covered by the Beatles:







A song covered by the Stones (the Stones version was used in a Chanel TV ad directed by Martin Scorsese a couple of years ago):







<O>

[Jimbuna]

[vienna]

^^Good choice. I didn't really know much about Styles, just that he was a member of some 'boy group' (couldn't tell you the name unless I looked it up) and that the young girls went spare when he left whatever group it was, at least according to some of the entertainment news reports I have a vague memory of seeing/hearing; I don't really keep up with the current pop acts. He appeared on Saturday Night Live performing Sign Of The Times; I usually use the time given over to musical acts on the show to do other things, since I don't usually know who the act is or I'm not really interested in the style of music they play, but when I heard the opening verse of this song, I was impressed since I thought, his being from a 'boy group', his work would be some kind of pop fluff. The song is interesting and shows he has deeper influences than most modern performers. The song sounds a bit like George Harrison and John Lennon wrote a song together with Ringo on drums and with Prince and/or Pink Floyd producing, not a bad set of references to draw from for a first solo project. Unexpected, but interesting to these old ears; just goes to show, if ya live long enough, ya learn things...

Thanks Jimbuna, for the great post...




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[vienna]

Drums!!...







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[fumo30]

Great posts vienna.


los mortiferos - the mad drummer






Paul Revere and the Raiders - Steppin Out

[vienna]

Really liked Los Mortiferos (aka The Deadly Ones); always up for a song with great maniacal laughter...

Two of the greatest drummers ever were Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. Krupa was to drummers what Hendrix was to guitarists. He took the drums from being simple timekeeping to a solid lead instrument. His speed was legendary and his timing impeccable. There is a very famous drum store here in Hollywood directly across from the Musicians Union Local #47 where generations of drummers have gone to buy their kits. There used to be one of Gene Krupa's drum kits mounted on a platform outside the shop, above the front door (a major earthquake some years back forced the store to remove the kit for fear of it falling on someone). A large portrait of Krupa still is on display in the front widow of the store...

Buddy Rich was a true drum prodigy and he would tell you so himself: Johnny Carson once dubbed him "Mr. Humble". Buddy could easily back up the claim; it was common practice for him, when being asked to perform a new number, to not rehearse with the band he would play with until the last minute; he would show up and listen to the band run through the number with a stand-in drummer once or twice, then he would get on the drums and nail it the first time, in his own inimitable style. He was great, he knew it, and, most importantly, he could prove it...

Two great drummers, playing together, with a little help from Sammy Davis, Jr.:






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[fumo30]

^I'm delighted to see this video. The guys are really mastering their instruments and with such a joyous way! The whole show is something you never see these days.


About maniac laughter within songs, I do like it too.

Here's some nutty examles:

Mark IV - Dante's inferno






Maybe more like hysteric?


The Rhythm Tones - Wobble Wickie

[Rockstar]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Eichhörnchen]