LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-DEC 1, 2019…BACK ON THIS DATE IN 1977 AEROSMITH CAME OUT WITH THE ALBUM ‘DRAW THE LINE’ . THIS WAS THE GROUP’S FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM AND ALTHOUGH THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR AEROSMITH LISTS THE RELEASE DATE AS DECEMBER 1, THE ACTUAL RECORD WAS RELEASED ON DECEMBER 9,1977. LOOKING BACK AT THIS ALBUM, JOE PERRY SAID THIS RECORD WAS “the beginning of the end” FOR THE GROUP. IN THE BOOK “WALK THIS WAY” PERRY SAID WHEN THE BAND WAS MAKING THIS RECORD “Draw the Line was untogether because we weren’t a cohesive unit anymore, we were drug addicts dabbling in music, rather than musicians dabbling in drugs. Draw the Line was the beginning of the end and the decay of our artistry…” ACCOUNTING FOR STREAMING, DOWNLOADS AND ACTUAL ALBUM SALES ‘DRAW THE LINE’ HAS SOLD THE EQUIVALENT OF 3,250,000 MILLION COPIES. HERE’S A LIVE VERSION OF THE TITLE TRACK FROM A CONCERT IN 1978
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 30, 2018…ON THIS DAY IN 1982 SAMMY HAGAR RELEASED ‘THREE LOCK BOX.’ IT CAME ON THE HEELS OF SAMMY’S FIRST MILLION SELLING ALBUM ‘STANDING HAMPTON’ AND IT TOO, SOLD OVER A MILLION COPIES. TO HEAR SAMMY HAGAR TELL IT, AT FIRST THE RECORD STORES DIDN’T WANT TO STOCK THE LP: “The title was taken completely wrong and I almost had some difficulties with the big store chains thinking it was a sexual thing. But a “Three Lock Box” stands for mind, body, and spirit — it was also a very valuable buried treasure usually belonging to royalty. When traveling at sea, Kings and Queens would have their valuables in a chest that took three keys to open.” THE RECORD ALSO PRODUCED SAMMY’S HIGHEST CHARTING TOP 40 SINGLE ‘YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY.’ HERE’S SAMMY HAGAR CIRCA 1982
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 30, 2019…THIRTY ONE FREAKIN’ YEARS AGO GUNS N’ ROSES UNLEASHED ‘PARADISE CITY’ AS A SINGLE.THIS IS THE FIRST SONG THAT THE ORIGINAL GN’R LINEUP OF SLASH, ADLER, MCKAGAN, ROSE AND ROSE WROTE TOGETHER. ALL FIVE MEMBERS ARE CREDITED AS WRITERS. ACCORDING TO DUFF MCKAGAN THEY STARTED JAMMING ON IT AT ONE OF THE GROUP’S FIRST REHEARSALS AND IT STARTED WITH LYRICS HE PULLED FROM A NOTEBOOK. SLASH ACTUALLY WANTED TO LYRICS TO BE “TAKE ME DOWN TO PARADISE CITY, WHERE THE GIRLS ARE FAT AND THEY GOT BIG TITTIES” BUT THE BAND OVERRULED HIM TO MAKE THE SONG MORE RADIO FRIENDLY.
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 30, 2019…HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROGER GLOVER. GLOVER IS BEST KNOWN AS THE BASS PLAYER FOR DEEP PURPLE ALTHOUGH HE’S PLAYED WITH RAINBOW, ALICE COOPER, WHITESNAKE AND MANY OTHER NOTABLE ROCKERS. HE’S ALSO PRODUCED PROJECTS FOR STATUS QUO, RAINBOW, DREAM THEATRE, NAZARETH AND JUDAS PRIEST. AS A MEMBER OF DEEP PURPLE GLOVER WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME IN 2016. TODAY, ROGER GLOVER TURNS 74. GLOVER WROTE THE GUITAR RIFF FOR THIS SONG THAT APPEARED ON THE ICONIC ALBUM ‘MACHINE HEAD.’ HERE’S A LIVE VERSION OF ‘MAYBE I’M A LEO’ CIRCA 1994 FEATURING JOE SATRIANI ON LEAD GUITAR
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 30, 2019…ON THIS DAY IN 1979 PINK FLOYD RELEASED THE ALBUM ‘THE WALL’
HERE ARE SOME QUICK FACTS SURROUNDING ‘THE WALL’:
-THIS WAS PINK FLOYD’S 11TH STUDIO ALBUM
-ACCOUNTING FOR DOWNLOADS STREAMING AND PHYSICAL SALES ‘THE WALL’ HAS NOW OVER 53 MILLION COPIES
-DESPITE BEING ONE OF THE BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME WITH SALES OVER 53 MILLION COPIES, THIS IS THE GROUP’S SECOND BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM. ‘DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’ HAS SOLD OVER 55 MILLION COPIES.
-ROGER WATERS THOUGHT OF THE ALBUM AS A ROCK OPERA DURING PINK FLOYD’S 1977 ‘IN THE FLESH TOUR.’ DURING THE TOUR HIS FRUSTRATION WITH THE AUDIENCE WAS SO BAD HE SPAT ON THEM.
-‘THE WALL’ LOOKS AT ABANDONMENT AND ISOLATION THAT ARE SYMBOLIZED BY A METAPHORICAL WALL. THE SONGS ARE CREATED ALONG A STORYLINE ABOUT A PERSON CALLED “PINK” WHO’S FATHER WAS KILLED DURING WORLD WAR II
-ROGER WATERS FATHER WAS ALSO KILLED DURING WORLD WAR II
-PINK FEELS OPPRESSED BY HIS OVERPROTECTIVE MOTHER AND TORMENTED AT SCHOOL BY ABUSIVE TEACHERS.
-WHEN THE BAND PERFORMED THE WALL ON TOUR, A 40 FOOT HIGH WALL WAS GRADUALLY BUILT BETWEEN THE BAND AND THE AUDIENCE ( EVENTUALLY TO COME CRASHING DOWN)
-DURING THE TOUR MEMBERS OF THE BAND DIDN’T GET ALONG. FOUR WINNEBAGOS WERE PARKED IN A CIRCLE, WITH THE DOORS FACING AWAY FROM THE CENTER. WATERS REMAINED ISOLATED USING HIS OWN VEHICLE TO ARRIVE AT CONCERTS.
-THE WALL WAS THE LAST ALBUM RELEASE WITH THE LINE UP OF WATERS, GILMOUR, RICK WRIGHT AND NICK MASON. WRIGHT WAS ACTUALLY FIRED FROM THE BAND BY WATERS WHEN THE BAND WAS IN THE STUDIO, BUT HE STAYED ON AS A SALARIED MUSICIAN FOR THE TOUR. AS A RESULT, WRIGHT WAS THE ONLY ONE TO PROFIT FROM THE TOURS. THE STAGE SHOW WAS SO ELABORATE, THE BAND LOST MONEY ON THE TOUR AFTER ALL EXPENSES WERE PAID
-“ROLLING STONE” MAGAZINE PLACED ‘THE WALL’ AT #87 ON IT’S LIST OF “THE 500 GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”
THIS IS FANTASTIC CONCERT FOOTAGE OF PINK FLOYD PERFORMING THE WALL
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 29, 2019…ON THIS DATE IN 2001, GEORGE HARRISON DIED AT THE AGE OF 58. HARRISON WAS A FILM PRODUCER ( HE FOUNDED THE COMPANY BEHIND THE MONTY PYTHON MOVIE “THE LIFE OF BRIAN”), A SUCCESSFUL SOLO ARTIST, AND A CO-FOUNDER OF THE SUPERGROUP ‘THE TRAVELLING WILBURYS.’ BUT HE WILL ALWAYS BE BEST KNOWN AS THE LEAD GUITARIST FOR THE BEATLES. HARRISON WAS RANKED ELEVENTH BY “ROLLING STONE” MAGAZINE ON THEIR LIST OF THE ‘100 GREATEST GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME’. HE IS A TWO-TIME “ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME” INDUCTEE, BOTH AS A MEMBER OF THE BEATLES AND FOR HIS SOLO CAREER. HARRISON DIED FROM LUNG CANCER AT THE AGE OF 58 AT PAUL MCCARTNEY’S PROPERTY IN BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE VERSION OF ‘WHILE GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS’ WITH AN ALL-STAR BAND THAT INCLUDES HARRISON, RINGO STARR, PHIL COLLINS, ELTON JOHN AND ERIC CLAPTON
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 29, 2019…TODAY LET’S REMEMBER THE BAY AREA’S RONNIE MONTROSE. BORN NOVEMBER 29, 1947 TODAY HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 72 YEARS OF AGE. THIS GUY WAS A HELL OF A GUITARIST AND A GREAT GUY. RONNIE MONTROSE FRONTED THE BANDS MONTROSE (1973-1977 & 1987) AND GAMMA (1979-1983 & 2000) AND PERFORMED A TON OF SESSION WORK WITH ARTISTS LIKE BOZ SCAGGS, GARY WRIGHT, EDGAR WINTER, SAMMY HAGAR, JOHNNY WINTER, THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, AND VAN MORRISON. AND LET ME JUST SAY HERE AND NOW THE FIRST MONTROSE RECORD IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED HEAVY METAL ALBUMS IN ROCK HISTORY.
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 28, 2019…IT WAS 2004 AND METALLICA ROCKED THE TANK IN SAN JOSE, WITH THE FINAL CONCERT OF THEIR “MADLY IN ANGER WITH THE WORLD TOUR”. THE WORLD WIDE TOUR CONSISTED OF 6 LEGS AND COVERED 135 SHOWS. METALLICA GROSSED OVER 48 MILLION DOLLARS.
HERE’S THE SET LIST FROM SAN JOSE: The Ecstasy of Gold (taped intro), Blackened, Fuel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, No Leaf Clover, Frantic, The Unforgiven, Disposable Heroes, The God that Failed, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Sad but True, Battery
Encore: Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, Master of Puppets, One, Enter Sandman
Encore 2: The Four Horsemen, Seek & Destroy
HERE’S GREAT AUDIO AND VIDEO FROM AN EARLIER CONCERT ON THE 2004 TOUR. THIS FOOTAGE IS FROM ONE OF THE BAND’S STOPS IN AUSTRALIA.
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOV 28, 2019…FIVE YEARS AGO AC/DC RELEASED THE ALBUM ‘ROCK OR BUST’. THE RECORD WAS THE 15TH INTERNATIONAL ALBUM FOR THE GROUP AND MARKED THE FIRST WITHOUT FOUNDING MEMBER MALCOLM YOUNG. MALCOLM HAD RETIRED IN 2014 AFTER ANNOUNCING HE WAS SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA. MALCOLM DID HOWEVER CO-WRITE EVERY TRACK ON THE RECORD. THE ‘ROCK OR BUST’ TOUR WAS HUGE !! THE CONCERT IN SAN FRANCISCO WAS ONE OF THE LAST SHOWS ON THE TOUR TO FEATURE BRIAN JOHNSON. HE LEFT THE BAND SHORTLY AFTER THE DUE TO HEARING PROBLEMS.
