ROCKTOBERFEST 2024 (Or, BIG FULL MOON LIKE A GIANT OYSTER SHELL IN THE DARK BLUE NIGHT!)

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What you have before you is my fourth (a.k.a. 4th) entry in [link> MMQE's 'Rocktoberfest' carnival.

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As mentioned previously, my primary theme in this blogfest is "Underrated", as in songs I feel are underrated, primarily because they're also rather unknown by the masses in these (strange) times we're living fighting through. 

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The songs I'm featuring in this installment are kinda-sorta Halloween themed. Think of Full Moons & Things That Go Bump In The Night.

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It's odd that, with my declining memory, I am still able to recall the tiny details I am about to yak out...

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It was 1977 and I drove to downtown Santa Monica to purchase from the Wherehouse Records store the LP 'Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975' by The Eagles. It just so happened that the employee at the cash register was a guy I'd known from high school ("SAMOHI, dear old SAMOHI, queen of the setting sun..."). We started yakking music and he told me that I had to get the new Blue Oyster Cult (BOC) album 'Spectres'. 

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The only song by BOC that I was familiar with at that point was '(Don't Fear) The Reaper'. Of course, EVERY teenager knew that giant hit. And I had always liked that song, except for the fact that I felt it needed more cowbell. 😉 (Yip, I wrote that.)

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Well, I took that fellow SAMOHI student's word for it and shortly thereafter I bought the 'Spectres' album. Hokey-Smoke!! I fell in love with it and I nearly played the grooves off'n it. What I discovered later, after purchasing every BOC album ever released, was that BOC had really toned down their original heavy metal sound as the years went by; they added all kinds of harmony & melodic hooks, so the early Metal Heads felt that BOC had "sold out". But I LOVED the "sell-out" version of BOC (I saw them live in concert twice). The earlier rackety stuffs was not my mugga beer.

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I have often said that I think Buck Dharma was the most underrated guitarist of the classic Hard Rock era. Whereas so many of the Hard Rock guitarists were playing the same similar lead lines over and over and over and over, Buck Dharma had a unique ability to tailor or stylize his lead guitar licks in accordance with the mood being conveyed in different songs.

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Below are examples of what I mean by that description. These two tunes display the versatility of Buck Dharma's guitar playing and how he added so much atmosphere to the BOC tracks.

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MOON CRAZY  (1979) 

by Blue Oyster Cult 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FTkTnUiK4A

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I LOVE THE NIGHT  (1977) 

by Blue Oyster Cult 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q94EdbBAJEE

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Those two songs came from the albums 'Spectres' (1977) and 'Mirrors' (1979), which were my very favorite BOC albums. I hope they didn't scare you too badly. 

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~ STMcC 

DogGtor of Alcohology & 

King of Inebriation Nation

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POSTSCRIPT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLVazdDvSGo

ROCKTOBERFEST 2024 (Or, HEAVY TRAFFIC; NO LANE CHANGES POSSIBLE)

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What you have before you is my third (a.k.a. 3rd) entry in [link> MMQE's 'Rocktoberfest' carnival.

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Me (chin in hand) in my Rock Poetry class - 1977.

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I was introduced to the band Traffic in the only high school class I ever enjoyed – Rock Poetry. (Well, honestly, I didn’t mind my Debate class in high school, either. But that’s only because I got to sit next to Jean Gonzalez. Ooh! Hot mama!!)

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Jean Gonzalez, bottom right... yeah, bottom... right!

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In Rock Poetry, our final exam consisted of introducing other students to a musical artist whose lyrics you found notably good. You had to bring in a song to be played and lyric sheets for everyone in the class. (It wasn't like chewing gum, where you could bring in just enough for your own self-centered self.) 

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During his final exam, one student turned us all on to Traffic and their 1971 song [link> 'The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys'. I instantly dug that song and went right out and bought the LP. I dug that LP so much that, shortly thereafter, I bought several more albums by Traffic. 

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During the 'Low Spark' period, Traffic consisted of Steve Winwood, Chris Wood, Jim Capaldi, Jim Gordon, Ric Grech, and (one of the most memorable names I've encountered in my 65 years) Rebop Kwaku Baah.

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One of my favorite tracks on the 'Low Spark' album was 'ROCK 'N' ROLL STEW'. Here it is:

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Rock 'N' Roll Stew 

by Traffic 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ubpNmSTAU

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Remember that (song); you'll need it later!

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~ STMcC 

DogGtor of Alcohology & 

King of Inebriation Nation

ROCKTOBERFEST 2024 (Or, BUMPIN' ON SUNSET - BRIAN AUGER)

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What you have before you is my second entry in  [link> MMQE's 'Rocktoberfest' carnival. Mary is exclusively using Rock from the 1980s, but since that is where Rock music lost me, I will be postin' & explainin' my thoughts on underrated Rock from other years.

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When I was a kid, there was Jazz in the house. My Ma loved Count Basie's 'April In Paris' & she owned the Cannonball Adderley LP 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at The Club'. My Pa was a big fan of Louis Prima & had some of his albums, which got played often. As a teenager in the 1970s, I was all about Rock music. But then something happened...

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Early one morning in late 1977 or early '78, I was driving through the heart of Hollywood on my way to a job at either Universal Studios or Warner Brothers Studio (I don't recall which). Back then there was a wild radio station on the AM dial that was the most eclectic station I have ever heard. I can’t remember the call letters, but it was way, way over to the right side — like, maybe 1640 or somewhere in there.

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I happened to tune in that morning at the middle of some song and had no idea who the artist was, but the monstrous electric organ sound was mind-melting! I kept saying aloud – hoping the DJ would hear me – “WHAT is this?! WHO is this?! Please tell me, Mister DJ!” Half the time they didn’t even bother to mention what they had been playing. And I had never before heard anything quite like that song (I was only 18).

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Just as I was about parallel with the Hollywood Bowl (coincidentally having just crossed Sunset Boulevard about a minute earlier), the DJ said that the song had been ‘Bumpin’ On Sunset’ from Brian Auger’s ‘Live Oblivion’ album. SOLD!! Within a day or two, I had the LP, and that was the first step on my way to becoming a Jazz addict.

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'Bumpin' On Sunset' was composed & originally recorded by the great Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. The cover by Brian Auger & The Oblivion Express was a Jazz-Fusion version which is, essentially, a fancy way of saying Jazz-Rock. 

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The first rendition of the song that I encountered (and still my favorite) had been recorded live in 1974 at the Whisky A Go-Go, only a few minutes away from where I was driving at the time I heard it. Some lyrics had been added to Montgomery's original instrumental, and the live recording - which was played at a slightly faster tempo than the studio take - included Steve Ferrone on drums, who became the drummer for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1994. 

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Here's a link to that 1974 recording: BUMPIN' ON SUNSET

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However, for those who would prefer to SEE it being performed live, below is a video from a July 2005 concert at The Baked Potato in North Hollywood. It features Brian's son, Karma, on drums; Brian's daughter, Savannah, singing; and Derek Frank on bass. This was filmed on Brian Auger's 66th birthday:

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BUMPIN' ON SUNSET 

by Brian Auger & Oblivion Express

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAvuFli5NS0

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I hope that got you bumpin' along.

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I'll return with a new old tune in a couple o' days.

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Bless & Be Blessed!! 

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~ Stephen 

DogGtor of Alcohology & 

King of Inebriation Nation

BOTB RESULTS: 2024, OCT. 15 & ROCKTOBERFEST: 2024

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My 10-15-2024 BATTLE OF THE BANDS' Battle Of The Booze  took place HERE, and it was between Bruce Stinkweed's Springsteen's 'Spirit In The Night' and The Eagles' 'On The Border' (or, Wine versus Wine). 

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This Battle weren't no dog! It was indeed a "battle". At one point The Eagles were leading 6 to 3, but when Stinkweed Springsteen scored the final 4 votes (including mine) it sealed the deal. 

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FINAL TALLY: 

Bruce Springsteen = 7 votes 

The Eagles = 6 votes 

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Although I certainly don't dig Springsteen's music like I did in the early '80s, I still own his first two albums, which I think are his best. And the song 'Spirit In The Night' is like an anthem to me, which is entirely entangled with my memories of The League Of Soul Crusaders. So much so that lyrics from the song appeared on the first page of my book manuscript about The League: 

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So, Bruce Stinkweed's song will advance to the eventual playoff rounds, and The Eagles' song will fly away, 'bye-'bye.

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I thank each and ever' one o' youz who participated in my BOTB contest, and I hope all y'all will return for my next one on November 1st. 

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ROCKTOBERFEST 2024 

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Between now and my next BOTB installment, I intend to post two or three entries in [link> MMQE's 'Rocktoberfest' carnival. Mary is exclusively using Rock from the 1980s, but since that is where Rock music lost me, I will be postin' & explainin' my thoughts on Rock from other years. 

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Considering how much I yak on this blog about booze, hooch & sampling the "evidence", it may come as a surprise that the first song I want to feature for 'Rocktoberfest' is a song I've always LOVED which is titled 'STONE COLD SOBER'. (Can you believe it-uh?!) 

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Here's the lowdown on this mostly unknown & therefore ridiculously underrated rocker:

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"Jesus is a Locomotive" ~John Eldredge

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The band FREE came & went before I had started buying albums. So, I never owned any of their LPs. But I always liked their big hit 'All Right Now' and knew that the lead guitarist was named Paul Kossoff. In '77, a 2-LP retrospective album was released titled 'KOSS'. I must have read about it in some music magazine & bought it. I played the "KOSS!" out of that album. Totally fell in love with his guitar tone and style! He just had such a deep 'n' dangerous sound. 

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Kossoff's and David Gilmour's playing have always reminded me a bit of each other. It's not fast & flashy, but has a very distinctive low, raw, guttural sound. To me, it sounds like a house being demolished from the foundation UP, rather than from the top down! 

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After Free broke up, Paul Rodgers formed Bad Company and Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler. When Kossoff died, the band continued under the name Crawler, with a guy named Geoff Whitehorn taking over on lead guitar. It was never a big hit song anywhere, but in L.A. a song by Crawler titled 'Stone Cold Sober' got some airplay on our F.M. stations and I fell head-over-heels in love with that song! Whitehorn had the Kossoff sound nailed down, and then some! 

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I consider it amongst the most underrated Rock songs of all-freakin'-time. Or, well... at least since the mid-1950s, anyway. 😉

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STONE COLD SOBER (1977) 

by Crawler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDyNyEijDc

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy