1957 Tommy Steele Singing the Blues UK 45 1962 Cliff Richard: The Young Ones UK 45 1986 Pet Shop Boys: West End Girls UK 45
Births
1924 Slim Harpo (blues performer) 1946 Naomi Judd 1949 Denny Greene (Sha Na Na) 1958 Vicky Peterson (Bangles) 1968 Tom Dumont (No Doubt) 1971 Mary J Blige
Deaths
2005 – Spencer Dryden, the drummer for legendary rock band the Jefferson Airplane, dies of cancer at his home in Petaluma, Calif. He was 66.
2005 – Singer/songwriter Jimmy Griffin, best known for his work with 1970s soft rock act Bread, dies at his home near Nashville of complications from cancer. He was 61.
Various Happenings
2004 – Rock wildman Ted Nugent (“Stranglehold”, “Cat Scratch Fever”, “Dog eat Dog”, “Wang dang sweet pun tang”) requires 40 stitches to his leg after wounding himself with a chainsaw.
2003 – The London Star tabloid reports that drummer Alan Whyte has quit Oasis (“Wonderwall”) after coming down with tendinitis.
2000 – Singer Gary Glitter is released from prison in Bristol, England, after serving two months of a four-month sentence for possessing child pornography.
2000 – Chart-topping R&B vocalist Whitney Houston is caught with more than a halfounce of marijuana at Keahole-Kona International Airport in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The drugs are discovered in Houston’s handbag.
1999 – Lena Horne, 81, renews her recording contract with Blue Note Records. Blue Note president Bruce Lundvall announces the renewal at a 60th anniversary celebration for the label.
1999 – At this year’s American Music Awards, Billy Joel receives the Special Award of Merit and Blondie perform “No Exit” with rapping assistance from Coolio.
1995 – Michael Jackson releases a statement saying, “I will no longer stand by and watch reckless members of the media try to destroy my reputation.”
1992 -Paul Simon becomes the first international star to perform in South Africa after the end of the UN cultural boycott.
1987 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood begins what will be its final tour in Manchester, England.
1986 – “Living in America,” the theme song from Rocky IV, reaches #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
1980 - Pretenders release their eponymous debut LP in the UK.
1978 – Funkadelic hits #28 with “One Nation Under a Groove”.
1977 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” Leo Sayer.
1975 – Led Zeppelin play “Kashmir” live for the first time during a gig at the Ahoy in Rotterdam.
1969 – ‘Love Is,’ by Eric Burdon and the Animals, enters the U.S. charts shortly after the band performs a farewell concert in the British city of Newcastle.
1969 – Jethro Tull’s debut album, “This Was,” is released.
1969 – The Rolling Stones go to No. 5 in the American album charts with their new release Beggars Banquet.
1969 – “Heard it thru the Grapevine” is number 1 in the US.
1968 – Jimi Hendrix moves into a London townhouse formerly owned by the Messiah’s composer George Frederick Handel.
1967 – Pink Floyd begin two days of recording with producer Joe Boyd, working on the tracks “Interstellar Overdrive,” “Arnold Layne,” “Let’s Roll Another One” and “Nick’s Boogie.”
1966 - Herman's Hermits receive a gold record for the album "The Best of Herman's Hermits."
1964 – “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash becomes the first country album to top the U.S. pop album chart.
1963 – Sam Cooke’s late show at the Harlem Square Club in Miami, Florida, is recorded by RCA for possible release as a live album.
1963 – The Whisky A-Go-Go, the Hollywood club devoted to the cutting edge of rock, opens. The Doors were discovered there by Elektra boss Jac Holzman when opening for Love.
1960 – Vicki Peterson, guitarist with the Bangles and the Continental Drifters, is born in Los Angeles.
1942 – The big man – Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band – is born in Norfolk, Va.
1935 – Chuck Barksdale, bass vocalist with the R&B group the Dells (“Oh What A Night”), is born in Chicago.
1924 – Venerable blues fellow Slim Harpo is born in Lobdell, La., as James Moore.
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1958 Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire UK 45 1976 C.W. McCall: Convoy US 45 1981 John Lennon: Imagine UK 45 1999 Fatboy Slim : Praise You : UK single
Births
1912 Buddy Johnson (R&B pianist/songwriter) 1917 Jerry Wexler (Atlantic records producer) 1927 Johnny Ray (Cry) 1935 Ronnie Hawkins (Forty Days) 1942 Jim Croce (Time in a Bottle). 1945 Rod Stewart (Maggie May) 1945 Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) 1946 Aynsley Dunbar (John Mayall/Jefferson Starship) 1948 Cyril Neville (Neville Brothers) 1948 Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) 1953 Pat Benatar (Love is a Battlefield) 1955 Michael Schenker (guitarist) 1958 Shawn Colvin 1964 Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) 1965 Nathan Moore (Brother Beyond) 1973 Aerle Taree (Arrested Development) 1979 Chris Smith (Kriss Kross)
Deaths
1976 Howlin' Wolf (blues musician)
1987 With Walk Like an Egyptian at No. 1 in the US for the fourth week, Bangles equal the longest run at the top by a girl group (previous record held by Chiffons, Supremes and Emotions).
1985 – Ted Nugent appears on TV’s “Miami Vice.”
1981 John Lennon's Double Fantasy LP goes platinum.
1978 – The litigation between Beatles, Apple, Allen Klein and ABKCO is declared settled in court.
1978 – Bluesman Howlin’ Wolf dies in a hospital near Chicago following brain surgery. His biggest hit is the 1951 song “How Many More Years,” which featured Ike Turner.
1971 – The reclusive Bob Dylan appears on the banjo picker Earl Scruggs’ Fanfare Show. The duo performs “East Virginia Blues” and “Nashville Skyline Rag.”
1971 – The trial over Paul McCartney’s move to dissolve the Beatles partnership begins today in London’s High Court. Ringo testifies, “Paul behaved like a spoilt child.”
1965 Peter Cook and Dudley Moore begin new TV series, Not Only But Also. Guest on his first show - John Lennon!
1969 – George Harrison announces that he is leaving the Beatles. He later returns.
1964 Georgie Fame makes early TV appearance on Ready, Steady, Go TV show performing his first single, Do the Dog.
1963 Cliff Richard's film Summer Holiday premieres in London
1958 – Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fires” goes to No. 1. — 1958 – Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fires” goes to No. 1.
1956 – Elvis Presley starts his first recording session for RCA. The result includes “Heartbreak Hotel.”
1952 – Pat Benatar (Pat Andrzejewski) is born in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her first six albums all go platinum, selling more than 1 million copies.
1948 – Percussionist Cyril Neville of the Meters is born in New Orleans.
1948 – Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is born in Passaic, N.J.
1946 – Drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who has played with Journey and Jefferson Starship, is born in Liverpool.
1945 – Roderick (Rod) Stewart is born in London. His biggest hit, “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” is No. 1 on Chart Toppers’s Hot 100 for eight weeks.
1943 – Songwriter Jim Croce (“Time in a Bottle”) is born in Philadelphia.
1939 – Actor Sal Mineo is born in New York. As well as starring in The Gene Krupa Story and Rock Pretty Baby.
1939 – Scott McKenzie (Philip Blondheim) is born in Jacksonville, Fla. His biggest hit is the 1967 song “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),”
1935 – Rockabilly performer Ronnie Hawkins, former employer of the Band, is born in Huntsville, Ark.
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1961 Bert Kaempfert: Wonderland by Night :US 45 1965 Beatles : Beatles 65: US LP 1971 Grandad : UK 45
Births
1915 Les Paul (guitarist) 1941 Joan Baez 1944 Scott Walker (Walker Brothers) 1945 Jimmy Page 1948 Paul King 1950 David Johansen (New York Dolls) 1968 Dave Matthews 1978 A J McLean (Backstreet Boys)
1992 – Sting makes a guest appearance on the Fox animated TV comedy series “The Simpsons,” in the episode “Radio Bart.”
1989 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Kokomo’… — 1989 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Kokomo’ written and recorded by ‘The Beach Boys’ is number 1 in the US.
1987 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Walk like an Egyptian’… — 1987 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Walk like an Egyptian’ recorded by ‘The Bangles’ is number 1 in the US
1985 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Like a Virgin’ recorded by Madonna is number 1 in the US and Australia.
1984 – John Lennon releases “Nobody Told Me”
1984 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Say, Say, Say’ written and recored by Paul McCartney and Micheal Jackson is number 1 in the US.
1984 – (Van Halen) is released this day in rock history! Release date: 1984-01-09
1982 – The Human League went back to No.1 on the UK album chart for three weeks with ‘Dare’.
1981 – In a London court, Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers of the Specials (“Ghost Town”) are fined for inciting a riot at one of their concerts in 1980.
1981 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘(Just like) starting over’ written and recorded by John Lennon is number 1 in the US.
1981 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Imagine’ written and recorded by John Lennon is number 1 in the UK.
1981 Phil Collins releases In The Air Tonight in UK
1981 In London, keyboard player Jerry Dammers and singer Terry Hall of the Specials are fined for inciting violence.
1980 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Another brick in the wall’ written and recorded by ‘Pink Floyd’ is number 1 in the UK.
1980 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Video killed the radio star’ recorded by ‘Buggles’ is number 1 in Australia.
1979 A benefit concert called A Gift of Song -- the Music of UNICEF Concert is held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The bill includes Abba, the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Olivia Newton-John, Rita Coolidge,Donna Summer, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson,and Earth, Wind & Fire. The show raises about a half-million dollars.
1979 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘YMCA’ recorded by ‘The Village People’ is number 1 in the UK and Australia.
1977 Peter Frampton releases I'm In You, album follow up to Frampton Comes Alive, blockbuster in US
1976 – Graham Parker of Graham Parker & the Rumour signs his first recording contract.
1976 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ written and recorded by ‘Queen’ is number 1 in the UK.
1975 – The Beatles dissolved the company partnership after many successful years. The matter was handled in a London High Court.
1975 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Lucy in the sky with diamonds’ recorded by ‘Elton John’ is number 1 in the US.
1975 Deep Purple awarded gold disc in US for Stormbringer, their first LP
1973 The Rolling Stones' plans for a Far Eastern tour are disrupted when Mick Jagger is refused a Japanese visa on account of a 1969 drug bust. Jagger is quoted as saying, "I don't take drugs. I don't approve of drugs and I don't approve of people taking drugs, unless they're very careful."
1973 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘You’re so vain’ written and recorded by Carly Simon is number 1 in the US.
1971 – The U.S. Jaycees present an award to Elvis Presley naming him one of 10 outstanding young men in America.
1971 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘My Sweet Lord’ written and recorded by George Harrison is number 1 in the US.
1969 – The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK album chart with the ‘White Album’, The Rolling Stones were at No.2 with ‘Beggars Banquet’
1969 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Heard it thru the Grapevine’ recorded by Marvin Gaye is number 1 in the US.
1968 – In New Delhi, India, the General Secretary for the Movement for the Spiritual Regeneration announces that the Beatles are coming
1968 – No. 1 Chart topper ‘Hello Goodbye’ is Number 1 in the US and the UK. Written and recorded by ‘The Beatles’.
1968 John Mayall's Blues Breakers begin US tour at New York's Cafe A Go-Go
1967 – The Beatles record the flutes, trumpets, piccolos and flugelhorn for “Penny Lane.”
1967 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘I’m a believer’ recorded by ‘The Monkees’ is number 1 in the US.
1966 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Daytripper’ and ‘We can work it out’ recorded by ‘The Beatles’ hit number 1 in the UK and Aulstralia.
1965 – American promoter Sid Bernstein telephones Beatles manager Brian Epstein to propose the Fab Four play Shea Stadium.
1965 – John Lennon makes a guest appearance on the British satirical TV shot Not Only … But Also, opposite comedians Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
1965 Zombies hit chart for second time with Tell Her No
1965 – “Beatles’ ‘65″ album goes #1 and stays #1 for 9 weeks.
1964 – I want to hold your hand is Number 1 in the UK and Aulstralia. Written and recorded by ‘The Beatles’. George Martin Producing.
1964 Ronettes hit chart with Baby I Love You
1963 – drummer Charlie Watts joined The Rolling Stones after leaving Blues Incorporated.
1963 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “Go Away Little Girl,” Steve Lawrence. The song debuts at No. 100 on the Hot 100.
1961 – Bert Kaempfert started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Wonderland By Night’. Kaempfert produced The Beatles first recording session
1950 – David Johansen, the mouth of the New York Dolls and Buster Poindexter’s alter ego, is born in Staten Island, N.Y.
1944 – Guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is born in Heston, England.
1943 – Scott Walker, owner of one of rock’s great baritones and an idiosyncratic songwriter whose series of Scott albums are essential listening
1941 – Joan Baez is born in Staten Island, N.Y. She has three top 10 albums and six gold albums (500,000 copies sold).
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1966 Beatles: We Can Work it Out US 45 1966 Beatles: Rubber Soul US LP 1969 Scaffold: Lily the Pink UK 45 1972 New Seekers: I'd Like to Teach The World To Sing UK 45
Other Charts
1966 Spencer Davis hit UK chart with their first LP. 1972 Dennis Coffey hits #6 with "Scorpio". 1972 King Crimson hits #30 in the UK with 'Island'. 1977 Alice Cooper hits #12 with "I Never Cry". 1977 ELO hits #13 with "Livin' Thing".
Births
1935 Elvis Presley 1937 Shirley Bassey 1941 Bobby Kreiger (Doors) 1943 Lee Jackson (Nice) 1947 David Bowie 1947 Terry Sylvester (Replaced Graham Nash in Hollies) 1964 Peter 'Ped' Gill (Frankie Goes to Hollywood). 1955 Loverboy vocalist Mike Reno is born 1931 Bill Graham was born in Berlin, Germany.
1995 – Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder hosts a national late-night radio show broadcast titled “Self Pollution Radio” from the band’s hometown of Seattle.
1993 – A 29-cent U.S. postage stamp bearing the likeness of a 1950s-era Elvis Presley is issued at a post office near the King’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tenn.
1991 – Steve Clark of Def Leppard is found dead in the living room of his London home by his girlfriend.
1983 Marvin Gay's Sexual Healing becomes first single to log ten weeks at top of Billboard black singles chart since I Can't Stop loving You by Ray Charles.
1979 – The Canadian government names Rush “Official Ambassadors of Music.”
1979 Abba, Bee Gees, Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind and Fire play UNICEF concert in New York.
1977 – Queen went to No.1 on the UK album chart with — 1977 – Queen went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Day At The Races.’
1975 – Tickets for three Led Zeppelin concerts at Madison Square Garden go on sale. The box office has to call on other ticket outlets to help cope with demand.
1974 – Kiss is signed to its first recording contract. KISS drum up some press by performing a “dress rehearsal” shortly after signing to Casablanca Records.
1973 – Watch out. Yoko’s about. Yoko Ono releases Approximately Infinite Universe, a double album whose highlights include songs like “I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass.
1973 – Elvis Presley sues Priscilla Presley for divorce.
1973 Carly Simon awarded gold record for You're So Vain.
1972 – The New Seekers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing, (in Perfect Harmony’).
1969 – Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were both barred from an exclusive hotel for wearing “op art” pants and nothing else. They were both asked to leave the Hotel.
1966 – ABC broadcasts the last ever episode of pop music program Shindig! The Kinks and the Who see off the twice-weekly show in explosive fashion.
1966 – The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Rubber Soul’ the groups seventh US chart topper.
1963 – The Beatles appeared live on Scottish TV’s Round Up, transmitted live from The Theatre Royal, Glasgow. They mimed to ‘Please Please Me.’
1957 – Elvis Presley undergoes an army pre-induction exam in Memphis on his 22nd birthday. He passes.
1957 – Bill Haley & His Comets started the first ever ‘rock & roll tour’ of Australia, playing two sold out nights in Sydney.
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2006 – Gary Glitter was formally charged with committing obscene acts with two girls aged 11 and 12 in Vietnam, the prosecutor in the southern province of Ba Ria Vung.
2004 – Drummer John Guerin died of pneumonia aged 64. Worked with Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Linda Rondstadt, Gram Parson’s, Todd Rundgren.
2004 – Still on the mend from a near-fatal ATV crash, Ozzy Osbourne cancels his forthcoming UK tour, which was due to kick off in February.
2003 – The Beatles Book Monthly closed down after 40 years. Author Sean O’Mahony who set up the magazine in 1963 said there was nothing more to say
2003 – Rock wildman Ozzy Osbourne renews his vows with wife Sharon at the Beverly Hills Hotel. During the ceremony, a $15,000 diamond necklace the couple were due to raffle
1998 – According to the London Times, two brass busts have been stolen from the grounds of George Harrison’s mansion in Oxfordshire, England.
1994 – Oasis started recording their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’, at Monrow studios in South Wales.
1994 – Nirvana plays the Seattle Arena. It is the band’s last U.S. show.
1993 – R.E.M. played a Greenpeace Benefit show at the 40 watt Club, Athens, Georgia, for 500 people. The show was recorded on a solar powered mobile recording studio.
1980 – Hugh Cornwall of The Stranglers was found guilty of possession of heroin, cocaine and cannabis. He was fined £300 ($510) and sentenced to three months in Pentonville prison.
1980 – Early rock ‘n’ roll star Larry Williams is found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in his Los Angeles home.
1978 – Linda Ronstadt holds it down at No. 1 in the album charts with Simple Dreams. Share and Enjoy some Rock-n-Roll History:
1977 – Andy Gibb was at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I Just Want To Be Your Everything’ a song written by his Bee Gee brother Barry.
1976 – Record company executive Kenneth Moss is sentenced to 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of Robbie McIntosh, drummer with the Average White Band.
1975 Jethro Tull hits #11 in the US with "Bungle In The Jungle."
1974 – James Taylor and Carly Simon become the proud parents of their second child, Sarah Martin.
1973 – David Bowie appears live at Newcastle City Hall, England.
1970 – Led Zeppelin kicked off an 8-date UK tour at Birmingham Town Hall.
1969 – The Scaffold were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Lily The Pink.
1969 'Traffic' hits #17 in the US.
1968 – San Francisco’s underground FM station KMPX holds a ballot among its listeners to find out who would be the best candidate on a pro-grass ticket.
1968 David Gilmour is asked to join Pink Floyd, briefly making them a five-piece band.
1967 – The Young Rascals, The Doors and Sopwith Camel play Winterland in San Francisco.
1967 - The Move hits #2 in the UK with "Night of Fear".
1964 – Harmonica player Cyril Davies died of leukaemia at age 32. Davies was a driving force in the early 60’s blues movement forming Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner.
1964 – The Beatles record a session for the BBC Saturday Club program, during which they make their only known recording of the Chuck Berry song “Johnnie B. Goode.”
1963 – Twister-in-chief Chubby Checker is sued by soul singer Gary “U.S.” Bonds, who alleges that Checker’s “Dancin’ Party” is a theft of Bonds’ own song “Quarter to Three.”
1961 – Johnny Tillotson was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Poetry In Motion.’ Share and Enjoy some Rock-n-Roll History:
1959 – The Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine is born.
1955 – ‘Rock Around The Clock’ by Bill Haley and his Comets, entered the UK chart for the first time.
1948 – Eighties soundtrack king Kenny Loggins is born in Everette, Wash. He’s since gone from “Caddyshack” to recording albums for children.
1946 – Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner is born in New York.
1945 – Dave Cousins, leader of the British folk-prog group the Strawbs, is born.
1944 – British novelty act Mike McGear (“Lily the Pink”) – who was really Paul McCartney’s brother – is born.
1943 – Leona Williams, who became Merle Haggard’s duet partner and was married to the country legend for a while, is born in Vienna, Mo.
1938 – Paul Revere of the Raiders is born in Boise, Idaho. Paul Revere and the Raiders is an American rock band that saw enormous mainstream success.
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1987 Eric Clapton started what became an annual event by playing six shows at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Share and Enjoy some Rock-n-Roll History:
1980 Georgeanna Gordon singer with Motown girl group The Marvelettes died aged 46. (1961 US No.1 single ‘Please Mr Postman’).
1979 The Village People scored their only UK No.1 single with ‘Y.M.C.A.’ At its peak the single was selling over 150,000 copies a day.
1979 The Bee Gees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Too Much Heaven’ the groups 7th US No.1.
1977 David Bowie releases 'Low,' the first of a trilogy of more experimental albums that also includes 'Heroes' (1977) and 'Lodger' (1978).
1977 EMI Records dropped The Sex Pistols, giving the band £40,000 ($68,000) to release them from their contract.
1975 A thousand Led Zeppelin fans, who had been waiting for tickets to go on sale at the Boston Gardens for a February show, riot and cause $30,000 worth
1975 Pink Floyd begin recording their album-long tribute to Syd Barrett, Wish You Were Here, on the former front man’s 29th birthday.
1973 The No.1 single in the United States today is Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain.
1971 In Vancouver, Neil Young performs on Canadian soil for the first time since he left his homeland to join Buffalo Springfield in 1965.
1970 Crosby Stills Nash & Young made their UK live debut at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
1968 American Bandstand impresario Dick Clark premieres his new TV show Happening ‘68. Appropriately, the show is cancelled in 1969.
1968 The Beatles sit at No. 1 in the album charts with Magical Mystery Tour.
1967 The Who played their first gig of this year when they appeared at Morecambe, Central Pier in England.
1964 Born on this day, Mark O’Toole, bass, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, (1984 UK No.1 & US No.10 single ‘Relax’ and six other UK Top 40 singles).
1964 The Rolling Stones kick off their first headlining tour in Harrow, England. Support comes from American girl group the Ronettes, Marty Wilde, and the Swinging Blue Jeans.
1962 Elvis Presley had his third UK No.1 album with ‘Blue Hawaii’; it spent a total of 18 weeks at the top of the charts.
1960 Born on this day, Muzz Skillings, bass, Living Colour, (1991 UK No.12 single ‘Love Rears Its Ugly Head’).
1959 Sister Sledge’s lead singer Kathy Sledge is born into the family in Philadelphia.
1958 Gibson guitars launched it’ ‘Flying V’ electric guitar. Origins Gibson first manufactured prototypes of the guitar in 1957.
1946 Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd is born.
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Kraftwerk's robotic, repetitive, all-electronic music influenced virtually every synthesizer band that followed in its wake. In the mid-'70s the German group literally invented the man-machine sound and image. In 1970 Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleben, who had met studying classical music at the Dusseldorf Conservatory, founded Kling-Klang Studio. Their first recorded appearance together is on 1970's Tone Float, the debut by a psychedelic kraut-rock quintet called Organisation. After leaving that group, Hütter and Schneider took the name Kraftwerk ("power plant") and began experimenting with integrating mechanized sounds from everyday life into music. Following numerous lineup changes, during which two members defected to form the influential kraut-rock band Neu!, Kraftwerk was reduced to a duo. After Ralf and Florian (not released in the U.S. until 1975), the pair added Klaus Roeder and Wolfgang Flür.
They found immediate success with their first U.S. release, Autobahn, which went Top 5. The requisite hit was an edited version of the 22-minute minimalist title track about a monotonous journey along the famed German–Austrian superhighway. Kraftwerk’s next two LPs were paeans to such other modern-world wonders as the radio (Radio-Activity) and the train (Trans-Europe Express). David Bowie cited Ralf and Florian as an influence for his Low and “Heroes” albums. (There is some evidence that Bowie’s “V-2 Schneider” is a tribute.) Kraftwerk confirmed its cold, conceptualist image with “Trans-Europe Express” and “Showroom Dummies,” both of which became late-’70s disco hits. In 1977 the group toured the U.S. playing electronic instruments and dressed in mannequin outfits. The members later threatened to tour by sending over robots in lieu of themselves while they rested in their studio.
Thanks to the flood of new techno, ambient, and experimental electronic sounds, in the ’90s a new set of fans embraced Kraftwerk’s catalogue and its ideas. The band headlined the U.K.’s Tribal Gathering concert in 1997 and has played select live dates, festivals, and raves. In 1999 the world exhibition organization Expo 2000 commissioned Kraftwerk to record “Expo 2000,” the event’s theme song. It doubled as a single.
from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
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Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me (Rockpalast 1979)
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s. The band consists of Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar, backing vocals), Tom Petersson (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Bun E. Carlos (drums, percussion).
In 1961, Nielsen began playing locally in Rockford, utilizing an ever-increasing collection of rare and valuable guitars. He formed some local bands with names like The Phaetons, The Boyz, and The Grim Reapers. Finally, Nielsen formed Fuse in 1967 with Petersson, who had played in another local band called The Bo Weevils.
Fuse released a self-titled album for Epic Records in 1968, which was generally ignored. Frustrated by their lack of success, Fuse, which by then included Bun E. Carlos on drums, moved to Philadelphia in 1971. After spending a year in Europe, Nielsen and Petersson returned to Rockford and reunited with Carlos. Randy "Xeno" Hogan was briefly their lead singer, but then was replaced by Beloit, Wisconsin native Robin Zander, as the band was renamed as Cheap Trick.
Cheap Trick played local shows around Rockford, southern Wisconsin, and the Chicago area for a few years while they developed a unique stage show. They then opened shows for The Kinks, Boston, Santana, Kiss, and other headliners, as they toured constantly, playing as many as 250 shows a year. At the same time, the band developed a large fan base in Japan. Epic signed the group in 1976 and released its self-titled album in February 1977. The debut got great reviews but didn't sell. Their next two albums, In Color and Heaven Tonight, were well-received also. Heaven Tonight, with its teen anthem Surrender, is/was considered by many critics and fans as the group's best album.
Not one of Cheap Trick's first three albums made it into the Top 40 in the United States. In Japan, however, all three albums became gold records. When Cheap Trick went to Japan to tour the country for the first time, in 1978, they were received with a frenzy reminiscent of Beatlemania. During this tour, on April 28, 1978, Cheap Trick recorded a live show for their loyal Japanese fans at the Nippon Budokan. When that show was released as a live album titled At Budokan in 1979, their American obscurity changed for good. In Japan, they have remained popular superstars, even to the present day, and in fact, have been often referred to in the Japanese press as the "American Beatles".
At Budokan launched Cheap Trick into international stardom. Initially intended for release in Japan only, the album went triple platinum in the United States and reached #26 on the Swedish music charts. The smash track was the live version of "I Want You to Want Me", a song originally released on In Color. It reached #7, and "Ain't That A Shame" peaked at #35.
One song from At Budokan, "Need Your Love", had already been recorded for the next studio album, Dream Police, which was released later in 1979. The title track of the album was a hit single, as was "Voices," but the work was panned by critics.[5] By 1980, when All Shook Up was released, Cheap Trick was headlining stadiums and arenas. All Shook Up—produced by former Beatles producer George Martin—reached #24 on the charts and was certified gold, but the album's high-class background didn't save it from descriptions like "Led Zeppelin gone psycho." One song from the All Shook Up sessions, "Everything Works If You Let It", appeared on the soundtrack of Roadie, and Carlos and Nielsen participated in sessions for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album Double Fantasy and were recording with Lennon in New York City the evening before he was murdered. They also contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the movie Heavy Metal, "Reach Out" and "I Must Be Dreamin'".
Shortly after the release of All Shook Up, Petersson left the group to record with a short-lived project and one five-song E.P. called "Tom Peterson (sic) and Another Language". Pete Comita initially replaced him, and shortly thereafter Jon Brant became Petersson's steady replacement. The first album recorded with Brant was 1982's One on One, produced by Roy Thomas Baker. The album spawned two minor hits, "If You Want My Love" and "She's Tight." The music videos for both songs received heavy rotation on MTV. The following year, Cheap Trick released Next Position Please with Todd Rundgren as the producer. The first single, a cover of The Motors "Dancing The Night Away," which their record label forced the band to include on the album failed to chart, as well as the second single and fan favorite "I Can't Take It."
In 1984, the band recorded the title track to the Tim Matheson comedy Up The Creek. The song, which Neilsen later called "one of the worst" he'd ever written, is featured playing over the end credits. The film has yet to be released on DVD. The soundtrack has been out of print for many years, making it popular with collectors.
In 1985 they were reunited with Jack Douglas, who had produced their debut album, which resulted in Standing on the Edge. This album was called "(their) best collection of bubblegum bazooka rock in years." The albums first single, "Tonight It's You" reached #44 on the US charts. In 1986, The band recorded "Mighty Wings", the end-title cut for the film Top Gun. They then released The Doctor, which turned out to be the final album with Brant as bassist. Produced by Tony Platt, it is widely considered the bands' worst album. The album's only single, "It's Only Love" failed to chart.
Petersson rejoined the group in 1987 and helped record 1988's Lap of Luxury, on which was the band's first-ever #1 single, "The Flame." The second single, a cover of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel," was also successful. "Busted" was released in 1990, but the single "Can't Stop Falling Into Love" failed to reach as high on the charts as the label expected.
Over the course of the 1990s the band experienced several new lows when Sony Music, the successor to the band's CBS Records contract, put Cheap Trick's name on several budget compilations including Voices, I Want You To Want Me, Don't Be Cruel, and several others without their prior knowledge, consent, or agreement. Zander's eponymous record, produced by Jimmy Iovine, was released in 1993 and quickly cut out.
The group left CBS after the disappointing sales of "Busted" – to sign with Warner Bros. Records, but following the poor performance of 1994's Woke Up With A Monster, Cheap Trick decided it was time to go back to the basics. They concentrated on the strength of their live shows, which were near-legendary, and they decided to release new recordings to independent labels instead of major companies. Over the next few years, Cheap Trick toured with several bands who had been influenced by them, such as the Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam.
In 1997, Cheap Trick signed with indie label/distributor Red Ant/Alliance, and released Cheap Trick. Seven weeks after the release, Red Ant/Alliance declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which caused a furious music retail community to yank the record from stores.
Cheap Trick began to rebuild in 1998 by trying to restore normal relations with Sony and the music retail community. They established their own record company, Cheap Trick Unlimited. They toured behind the re-mastered re-releases of Budokan: The Complete Concert, and their first three records. One of the multi-night stands from this tour resulted in Music for Hangovers, a vibrant live effort. Amid much criticism, Cheap Trick Unlimited sold the CD exclusively on Amazon.com for 8 weeks prior to releasing it in stores. To support the record they headlined, co-billed with Guided By Voices, and also played a concert with Pearl Jam.
In early 2000, Cheap Trick entered into a license with Musicmaker.com to directly download and create custom CDs for over 50 songs. After spending a good part of 2001 writing songs and about six weeks of pre-production, Cheap Trick went into Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York in March 2002, where the band put together their first studio album in six years, Special One.
Cheap trick also toured with the band Cake at the Unlimited Sunshine Tour in 2003.
In May 2003, Cheap Trick brought their record label to Big3 Entertainment. Under the deal, Cheap Trick Unlimited/Big3 Records released Special One.
In 2006, Cheap Trick released Rockford on Cheap Trick Unlimited/Big3 Records. The first single from the album was "Perfect Stranger" (produced by Linda Perry and co-written by Cheap Trick and Perry). The band promoted the album through appearances on the Sirius and XM satellite radio networks and a North American tour. Also in 2006, "Surrender" was featured as a playable track in the hit video game Guitar Hero II.
In 2007, officials of Rockford, Illinois honored Cheap Trick by reproducing the Rockford album cover art on that year's "city sticker" (vehicle registration). On June 19, 2007, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Resolution 255, which designated April 1 of every year as Cheap Trick Day in the State of Illinois.
In August 2007, Cheap Trick honored the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by playing the album in its entirety with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by Edwin Outwater, along with guest vocalists including Joan Osborne and Aimee Mann. Geoff Emerick, who engineered all the sound effects on Sgt. Pepper, engineered the same sounds for the two live concerts.
The Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences honored Cheap Trick at the 2007 Recording Academy Honors event in Chicago on October 11, 2007. Nielsen and Carlos were on hand to receive the award, which was presented to them by Steve Albini.
Many compositions from Cheap Trick have appeared in commercials, video games, movie soundtracks, and television episodes. The version of "Surrender" from At Budokan is on the soundtrack of Detroit Rock City. Cheap Trick wrote and performed the theme song for Comedy Central's The Colbert Report,. Cheap Trick also performed the theme song to the FOX series That '70s Show, "That '70s Song" (a cover of "In the Street" by Big Star) beginning in season 2 of that series. "Surrender" is heard in the 2003 film Daddy Day Care, with Jeff Garlin, it is also used in an episode of Scrubs, called "My Old Man" (episode 18, season 1).
In 2008, Cheap Trick were selected to be featured in the John Varvatos Spring/Summer 2008 clothing ad campaign. The black and white commercial put the group on a boardwalk with bicycles, the filming backdrop was a beach for a very modern look for the band. Their song California Man was used in the advertising promotion.
On April 24, 2008, Cheap Trick played live at the Budokan for the 30th anniversary of the 1978 album Live at Budokan.
Also in 2008, the song "Dream Police" was featured as a playable track in the hit video game Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.
Cheap Trick have lined up in 2008 a busy year touring North America and Australia, as well as another "Sgt. Pepper" show at the Hollywood Bowl.
Bands citing Cheap Trick as an influence include The Datsuns, Terrorvision (who even performed a cover of 'Surrender'), Enuff Z'nuff, Everclear, Extreme, Fountains of Wayne, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, among others.
Kurt Cobain once said about Nirvana: "We sound just like Cheap Trick, only the guitars are louder."
Cheap Trick is known for its use of unusual guitars and basses. Zander plays a Hamer 12-string guitar in addition to a Gibson Firebird, Fender Telecaster, and Rickenbacker 450 Gibson Flying V and Fender Stratocaster. Nielsen is an avid collector who, despite rationalizing his guitar collection, still has over 250 pieces in his possession. He has collaborated with Hamer on trademark 'themed' guitars, some based on Cheap Trick albums such as "Rockford," "The Doctor," and even songs such as "Gonna Raise Hell." Hamer has also made unique five-necked guitars and electric mandocellos for Nielsen.
Petersson (according to www.12stringbass.net) is generally credited for having the initial idea for a 12-string bass. He previously had used a Gibson Thunderbird and a Hagstrom 8-string bass, and asked Jol Dantzig of Hamer Guitars to make a 12-string bass. The company initially made him a 10-string bass. Following the successful trial use of that bass, the prototype 12-string bass, The Hamer 'Quad', was produced. Petersson later used 12-string basses made by Kids (a Japanese guitar maker), Chandler, and signature models from Waterstone as well as an impressive array of 4, 5 and 8 stringed basses from other guitar makers.
Carlos has played with many different commercial drum accessories, including Ludwig and Slingerland Radio King drums, Zildjian cymbals, rare Billy Gladstone snare drums, and Capella drum sticks.He is also an avid collector of vintage drums and buys, sells and trades with a few other Rockford, Illinois traders, mainly Randy Rainwater. Each year Rainwater and Carlos' collection can be seen at several drum shows in the Midwest.
Carlos has also recorded and written songs for many Rockford bands, such as Mark Willer and The Blues Hawks and also put together the short-lived Bun E. Carlos Experience, which also inluded Jon Brandt, who replaced Tom Petersson in the mid '80s, on bass.
Current members
Robin Zander - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (1974-present) Rick Nielsen - lead guitar, backing vocals (1974-present) Tom Petersson - bass guitar, backing vocals (1974-1980, 1987-present) Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion (1974-present)
Former members
Jon Brant - bass guitar, backing vocals (1981-1987, 1999, 2004, 2007) Pete Comita - bass guitar, backing vocals (1980-1981) Randy "Xeno" Hogan - lead vocals (1974)
Discography
Cheap Trick (1977) In Color (1977) Heaven Tonight (1978) Dream Police (1979) All Shook Up (1980) Found All The Parts EP (2 live tracks, 2 studio tracks) (1980) One on One (1982) Next Position Please (1983) Standing on the Edge (1985) The Doctor (1986) Lap of Luxury (1988) Busted (1990) The Greatest Hits (1991) Woke Up With A Monster (1994) Cheap Trick (1997) Special One (2003) Rockford (2006) The Latest (2009)
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The Velvet Underground never sold many records, but, as many have said, it seems like every one of the group's fans went out and started a band. While The Velvet Underground's songs were constructed on the same three chords and 4/4 beat employed by most late-'60s rockers, the Velvets were unique in their intentional crudity, in their sense of beauty in ugliness, and in their lyrics. In the age of flower power they spoke in no uncertain terms of social alienation, sexual deviancy, drug addiction, violence, and hopelessness. Both in their sound and in their words, the songs evoked the exhilaration and destructiveness of modern urban life. The group's music and stance were of seminal importance to David Bowie, the New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Mott the Hoople, Roxy Music, the Sex Pistols, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Luna, and countless others of the protopunk, punk, and postpunk movements.
In 1964 John Cale met Lou Reed in New York City. Both had been classically trained — Cale as a violist and theorist, and Reed as a pianist. By the time of their first meeting Cale was engaging in avant-garde experimentation with La Monte Young and Reed was writing poems about down-and-out streetlife. Cale, Reed, Sterling Morrison, and Angus MacLise (the percussionist in Young's ensemble) formed a group that played under various names — the Warlocks, the Primitives, the Falling Spikes — in galleries and at poetry readings around lower Manhattan. As the Primitives, they recorded a series of singles on Pickwick Records, for which Reed had once worked as house songwriter. In 1965 the quartet became known as the Velvet Underground. MacLise, who frowned upon the idea of playing for money, quit prior to the rechristened combo's first paying performance. (A poet and virtuoso percussionist who spent years living in Asia, he died of malnutrition in Nepal in 1979. Archival CDs of his raga-influenced solo work appeared in 1999 and 2000.) Maureen Tucker was enlisted to take his place on a per-diem basis, which became permanent when she constructed her own drum kit out of tambourines and garbage-can lids.
On November 11, 1965, the group played its first gig as the Velvet Underground, opening for the Myddle Class at a high school dance in Summit, New Jersey. Within a few months, Reed, Morrison, Cale, and Tucker had taken up residency at the Cafe Bizarre in Greenwich Village, where they met pop artist Andy Warhol. When they were fired by the Bizarre's management for performing "Black Angel's Death Song" immediately after being told not to, Warhol invited them to perform at showings of his film series, Cinematique Uptight. He soon employed them as the aural component of his traveling mixed-media show, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. For the latter, he augmented the lineup with singer/actress Nico, to whom he gave equal billing on the Velvets' first album. She sang only three songs on the record, which was recorded in 1966. Two singles — "I'll Be Your Mirror" b/w "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Sunday Morning" b/w "Femme Fatale" — were released. The LP, which included Reed's "Heroin" and "Venus in Furs" (a song about sado-masochism), appeared nearly a year after its completion. It sported a Warhol cover with a peelable illustration of a banana.
The group had a falling-out with Warhol when it performed in Boston without Nico and the rest of the Inevitable troupe, who arrived late. The Velvets then took on Steve Sesnick as their manager. Without Warhol's name and knack for generating publicity, they faded from public attention. Their following was reduced further with the uncompromisingly noisy White Light/White Heat, which they recorded in a single day following a tour of mostly empty theaters. Cale, frequently in a power struggle with Reed, eventually quit. The remaining members enlisted Doug Yule, who had played with a Boston folk-rock Velvets, the Glass Menagerie. The third album, recorded in L.A., was much softer than either of its predecessors. It cost the group all but the most loyal of their following. MGM dropped the band and it was some months before Atlantic became interested.
Upon their return to New York to record in the summer of 1970, the Velvets played a month-long engagement at Max's Kansas City (with Doug's younger brother Billy Yule deputizing for Tucker, who was pregnant). These were the group's first appearances in New York since 1967, and they rekindled some interest. But soon after Loaded was finished, Reed, at odds with Sesnick, left the group and moved to England, where he lived for two years before reemerging as a solo performer. Although he denounced Loaded, claiming it was remixed after his departure (a charge Yule and Morrison denied), the album introduced "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll."
With Doug Yule now on guitar and new bassist Walter Powers, the Velvet Underground toured the East Coast before Morrison dropped out in 1971 to teach English at the University of Texas in Austin. Tucker left following a tour of the U.K. She moved to Phoenix, Arizona, then to southern Georgia, where she raised a family and in 1980 began recording solo efforts. Yule retained the Velvet Underground name until 1973. Minus any of the principal Velvets, he recorded Squeeze, which was released only in Britain.
With the success of Reed's solo career and, to lesser extents, Cale's and Nico's, the Velvet Underground generated more interest in the '70s than it had during its existence. Two live albums were released: 1972's Live at Max's Kansas City, recorded the night of Reed's last appearance with the group, and 1974's The Velvet Underground, recorded in 1969 in Texas and California.
In 1989 Cale and Reed performed a song cycle written in memory of Andy Warhol, who died in 1988; the work was released on the 1990 album Songs for Drella. In June of that year, the best-known lineup of the Velvet Underground (minus Nico, who died in 1988 of head injuries sustained in a cycling accident) reunited onstage at a Warhol tribute in a small town near Paris. Their 10-minute version of the song "Heroin" led to another reunion three years later. With their longstanding differences seemingly resolved (particularly the battling egos of Reed and Cale), the players began rehearsals for several European shows slated for the summer of 1993. Highlights of the tour were documented on a video and album, Live MCMXCIII. That fall, however, the band fell apart once more, reportedly due to a spat between Cale and Reed over who would produce the group's upcoming MTV Unplugged appearance and album. The members again went their separate ways. All save Reed performed in late 1994, improvising music for the screenings of two silent Warhol films at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Reed, Cale, and Tucker resumed their solo careers. Morrison, who occasionally performed with Tucker, died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1995. The following year, the classic lineup was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The five-CD Peel Slowly and See contains the Reed-era albums plus numerous bonus tracks.
from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
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- Retro Rebirth
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The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a film released in 1996 of a December 11, 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The event comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as Eric Clapton, The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. It was originally meant to be aired on the BBC, but the Rolling Stones withheld it because they were unhappy with their performance.
The Stones contended that they withheld the film's release due to their substandard performance, because they had taken the stage early in the morning and were clearly exhausted. Many others believe that the true reason for not releasing the video was that The Who, who were fresh off a concert tour, upstaged the Stones on their own production. The Stones had not toured recently, and were not in top playing condition, as The Who were.
The project was originally conceived by Mick Jagger as a way of branching out from conventional records and concert performances. Jagger approached Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who had directed two promos for Stones songs, to make a full-length TV show for them. According to Lindsay-Hogg, the idea of combining rock music and a circus setting came to him when he was trying to come up with ideas; he drew a circle on a piece of paper and free-associated.
The Stones and their guests performed in a replica of a seedy big top on a British sound stage, in front of an invited audience. The performances began at around 2 p.m. on December 11, 1968, but setting up between acts took longer than planned and the cameras kept breaking down, which meant that the final performances took place at almost 5 o'clock the next morning.
By that time the audience and most of the Stones were exhausted; Jagger's sheer stamina managed to keep them going until the end. Jagger was reportedly so disappointed with his and the band's performance that he canceled the airing of the film, and kept it from public view. This was the last public performance of Brian Jones with The Rolling Stones, and for much of the Stones performance he is inaudible, although his slide guitar on "No Expectations" remains clear.
Some of the footage of the concert was thought to be lost until 1989 when it was found in a trash can in a cellar. A significant segment of footage of The Who from the production was actually shown theatrically in the documentary The Kids Are Alright (1979), the only public viewing of the film until its eventual release. The Stones' film was restored and finally released on CD and video in 1996. Included on the recordings are the introductions for each act, including some entertaining banter between Jagger and Lennon, expressing mutual friendship and admiration.
This concert is the only footage of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi performing as a member of Jethro Tull; he was a member for this show only as a favor to Anderson while they looked for a replacement for Mick Abrahams. The band mimed to the album version of "A Song for Jeffrey" and 'Fat Man' as the Stones told them to cut their time down and it would save time on rehearsing," Fat Man' never made the final release . This footage also included some of Ian Anderson's first attempts of his now famous flute-playing position, with one leg in the air.
In 2004, a remastered DVD was released, with audio remixed into Dolby Surround. The DVD includes footage of the show, along with extra features which include previously "lost" performances, an interview with Pete Townshend, and three audio commentaries. Of particular interest in the Townshend interview is his description of the genesis of the Circus project, which he claims was initially meant to involve the performers travelling across the United States via train. (A concert concept used for a short concert series in Canada that was later documented in the feature film Festival Express). The remastered DVD also includes a special four-camera view of Dirty Mac's performance of The Beatles' "Yer Blues" (showing Ono kneeling on the floor in front of the musicians, completely covered in a black sheet).
According to Bill Wyman's book, the Stones also performed "Confessing the Blues", "Route 66" and an alternate take of "Sympathy for the Devil" with Brian Jones on guitar.
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[Closeup of the rear of the Monkees director's chair bearing Mike's name. The chair's occupant turns about and the camera cuts to Michael Nesmith and Frank Zappa, with a gigantic drum behind them, in each other's guises. Michael is wearing an ersatz Frank Zappa wig, moustache and goatee, and nose (which keeps falling off), and Frank is wearing Michael's wool hat and blue 8-buttoned Monkee shirt.]
Frank: Hello! I'm Mike Nesmith, and I'm one of The Monkees. Tonight, as my guest on this wonderful television program, which has done so much for all of you young people out there, I have, as my special guest, none other than
FRANK ZAPPA (Michael flashes "peace sign".), that world-famous person, participant in, perhaps even leader of none other than The Mothers Of Invention! And here he is, luv ya, Frank Zappa.
Michael: Hi, kids. Hi, Mike.
Frank: Hi!
Michael: It's really...s'really a pleasure to be here. (His fake nose falls off.)
Frank: It is? (Michael picks up the fake nose and places it on his nose again.) We have a lot of zany stuff on this program, don'tcha think?
Well, tell me, Frank...
Michael: Tell you what, Mike...
Frank: No, you're supposed to talk like Frank.This is one of our cute numbers for this show.
Michael: Oh, yeah, that's right. I'm supposed to be you and you're supposed to be me, right? (His fake nose falls off again.)
Frank: You see the way we work this out in advance?
Michael: My nose keeps fallin' off. (He picks up the fake nose and places it on his nose again.) Okay, go ahead. Ask me a question.
Frank: When you first got into the psychedelic music business, was it very difficult?
(Michael's fake nose falls off yet again! Once more, he picks it up and puts it back on his nose.) I know that used to work in Hollywood a lot.
Michael: Well, it was more of a "come on guys, let's go" kind of a situation.
Frank: "Come on, guy"...that's like The Beach Boys.
Michael: A lot of that. We did a lot of that.
Frank: You know that, after I quit the show, I'm gonna join The Byrds, don'tcha?
Michael: (laughs) No, I didn't know that.
Frank: When you quit The Mothers, who are you going to join?
Michael: I may join The Byrds, too. I wanted to get into a very serious area that, of course, appeals to me, as Frank Zappa, sometimes thought of as "creative genius," especially in the area concerning your Monkees music, which, ah, appears to me to be banal and insipid.
Frank: You think that our music, The Monkees' music, is banal and insipid?!
Michael: Well, words like that are hard to read...
Frank: Uh-huh.
Michael: ...especially side-by-side.
Frank: Have you ever tried reading "Mike and Frank"?
Michael: I wanted to know where the soul of your music was; is it on the 1 and the 7, or is it on the 1and the 5?
Frank: The soul of your music is on the 1 and the 7, sometimes on the 3 and the 5. The soul of our music, The Monkees' music, lies somewhere inbetween the 1 1/2 (off-camera chuckling), the 2 1/2, the 3 3/4 and th giant C-major chord on the piano! Which I'll demonstrate for you! We have wonderful music. Match-cut. Here we go, we turn over and we all take our positions in front of the camera (they do so), because this is The Monkees, and we're really tricky. Tell me, Frank Zappa, I've always wanted to have you show me how to conduct, because I heard you were really spiffy at it.
Michael: Well, you follow me then, in front of the tel...
Frank: Come on, you're on television. I'm just one of these unpopular musicians. Teach me.
Michael: No, it's the other way around. You're a popular musician' I'm...dirty gross and ugly.Well, I'll tell you, Mike, before we get too involved with the piano, let's whip over to the car, and I'll teach you...
Frank: "Whip"?!
Michael: ...how to play a car. Watch this! (With a huge hammer, Michael hits the big drum behind them. As The Mother Of Invention's tune "Mother People" plays over the soundtrack, cut to outside the pad, where Michael, in his regular guise, conducts as Frank, in his regular guise, takes a chain to the hood of a car. Then Frank takes off its entire front end and crashes the windows, dents the hood and bangs the motor with a sledgehammer. Sparks and pyrotechics emit from the engine, which Frank snuffs out with a fire extinguisher. A final shot of Frank blowing the extinguisher into the camera and Michael continuously conucting is shown before the cut to black...and the show's opening titles commence.)
You can watch the video of the above transcript below
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