Lamont

OH SHERRIE FROM STEVE PERRY

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-APRIL 2, 2020…ON THIS DATE 36 YEARS AGO STEVE PERRY, THE FORMER LEAD SINGER OF JOURNEY, RELEASED HIS FIRST SOLO SINGLE ‘OH SHERRIE’. THE SONG WAS ABOUT PERRY’S REAL LIFE GIRLFRIEND SHERRIE SWAFFORD, WHO ALSO APPEARED IN THE VIDEO. SO THE QUESTION IS, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PERRY’S REAL LIFE GIRLFRIEND SHERRIE? SHERRIE AND PERRY’S LOVE DID HOLD ON FOR A WHILE, BUT THEY EVENTUALLY SPLIT. LONG AFTER, PERRY SPOKE WELL OF HER, SAYING THEY WERE “CRAZY IN LOVE” AND THAT DATING A ROCK STAR WAS NO EASY TASK. SHERRIE SWAFFORD HAS KEPT A LOW PROFILE TO KEEP HER PRIVACY. HOWEVER, SHE DID GIVE A BRIEF STATEMENT TO A BLOGGER ABOUT WHAT SHE’S BEEN UP TO: “MTV, VH1 [contacted me and] I did nothing and hoped they thought it was the wrong number! I am an esthetician, teach yoga, never married, no children. Love my animals, planting flowers and life. Cherish my friends (including Steve) and my privacy. It was so different for us! It was just Love, nothing else!”

HERE’S THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR ‘OH SHERRIE’ FROM STEVE PERRY

GUNS N’ ROSES ONE TAKE HIT SONG

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-APRIL 1, 2020…THIRTY ONE YEARS AGO GUNS N’ ROSES RELEASED THE SINGLE ‘PATIENCE.’ THE SONG WAS HUGE FOR GN’R PEAKING AT # 4 ON BILLBOARD’S HOT 100 CHART. IZZY STRADLIN WROTE THE MAJORITY OF THE SONG WITH AXL ADDING TO THE END OF THE SONG. ACCORDING TO SLASH: “ IZZY AND AXL HAD SUCH GREAT CHEMISTRY BECAUSE AXL KNEW HOW TO TAKE ONE OF IZZY’S SIMPLE STRUCTURES INTO A PERFECT, WELL ROUNDED, MELODICALLY, RICH SONG. A GREAT EXAMPLE IS PATIENCE, WHICH ELEVATED IZZY’S SONG INTO SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY”.

‘PATIENCE’ IS PLAYED USING THREE ACOUSTIC GUITARS AND REMARKABLY WAS RECORDED IN A SINGLE SESSION.

THE DAY DLR AND VAN HALEN PARTED WAYS

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-APRIL 1, 2020..Today’s the day in 1985 David Lee Roth committed career suicide and quit Van Halen ! The way the story goes Roth and Eddie Van Halen met to discuss plans for the band after the widely successful 1984 album and tour. Eddie wanted to scale things back a bit and he and Roth disagreed on this strategy. Then Roth had proposed that he wanted to do a movie “Crazy From The Heat” and asked Eddie if he’d score the movie. Eddie said No, and then they started arguing and then decided to part ways. In an interview later on that year in “Rolling Stone” Eddie Van Halen had this to say:

“The band as you know it is over,” he said. “Dave left to be a movie star.” Confirming that Roth had suggested to Eddie that the guitarist should compose music for Crazy From the Heat, Eddie added, “He even had the balls to ask if I’d write the score for him.” Eddie then made clear that he’d moved on. “I’m looking for a new lead singer … it’s weird that it’s over. Twelve years of my life putting up with his bulls–.”

Roth was on his own to embark on a solo career. He released his version of “California Girls”. Roth’s record actually sold slightly better than the original. He then released a couple of moderately successful albums, nothing came close to his VH success. He worked his way back with the band in 2007 for a world tour, and again in 2012. Both drew well, but without Michael Anthony it wasn’t the same. Rumour has it there is a new tour in the works with the original Van Halen line-up for later this year.

Here’s DLR and California Girls

photo thanks- Jimmy O’Sheehan Photography https://www.facebook.com/jimmyosheehan/

PRESENCE

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 31, 2020…ON THIS DATE IN 1976 LED ZEPPELIN RELEASED THE ALBUM ‘PRESENCE.’ WHAT’S AMAZING TO ME IS THE GROUP RECORDED THIS PROJECT WITH ROBERT PLANT IN A WHEELCHAIR, AS PLANT WAS RECOVERING FROM A SERIOUS 1975 CAR ACCIDENT. THIS ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN ONLY 18 DAYS !!UNLIKE OTHER LED ZEPPELIN ALBUMS, THIS RECORD FEATURED NO KEYBOARDS AN LITTLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR. IT MARKED A CHANGE IN DIRECTION FOR THE GROUP AGAIN, TO MORE GUITAR BASED JAMS. ONE GEM FROM THIS ALBUM WAS THE TRACK ‘NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MINE.’ HERE’S ZEP PERFORMING THE SONG AT A CONCERT IN 1979.

ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS !!!!

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 31, 2020…HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY TO AC/DC’S ANGUS YOUNG. ANGUS IS THE GROUP’S LEAD GUITARIST, MAIN SONGWRITER, AND THE ONLY ORIGINAL MEMBER OF AC/DC REMAINING IN THE LINEUP.

HERE’S SOME ANGUS TRIVIA:

-JUST LIKE HIS OLDER BROTHER MALCOLM, ANGUS DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL WHEN HE WAS 14 YEARS AND 9 MONTHS OLD (WHICH WAS THE EARLIEST AGE HE WAS LEGALLY ALLOWED TO DO SO).

-HIS FIRST JOB OUT OF SCHOOL WAS A PRINTER FOR A SOFT PORN MAGAZINE

-ANGUS STARTED PLAYING GUITAR AT THE AGE 11, PLAYING AROUND WITH MALCOLM’S COLLECTION BEFORE HIS MOTHER BOUGHT HIM A CHEAP ACOUSTIC

-HE IS SELF TAUGHT, AND NEVER TOOK GUITAR LESSONS

-ANGUS IS 5’2”

-WHEN PLAYING WITH HIS PRE-AC/DC BAND THINGS WERE GOING BAD AND ANGUS TRIPPED WHILE WALKING ACROSS THE FLOOR, AND COVERED IT UP BY RUNNING AROUND AND FLOPPING ALL OVER WHILE PLAYING THE SOLO. IT WAS THE ONLY APPLAUSE THE GROUP GOT ALL NIGHT. HE INCORPORATED IT INTO HIS ACT

-HIS PATENTED DUCK WALK WAS DEVELOPED AS A HANDY ATTENTION GETTING DEVICE WHILE PLAYING FOR DRUNKEN BARROOM CROWDS.

-ANGUS FORMED AC/DC WITH HIS OLDER BROTHER MALCOLM IN 1973.

HERE’S A VERY YOUNG ANGUS, WITH AC/DC’S OFFICIAL VERSION OF ‘LET THERE BE ROCK’

HERE’S EARLY ANGUS WITH AC/DC PERFORMING BAD BOY BOOGIE IN WHAT LOOKS TO BE A BAR.

photo thanks-Francesco

SLOWHAND’S BIRTHDAY

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 30, 2020…HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY TO ERIC CLAPTON. CLAPTON’S STORY IS FASCINATING. CLAPTON WAS RAISED BY HIS MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, JACK AND ROSE CLAPP, BELIEVING HIS MOTHER WAS HIS SISTER (WHAT WHAT WHAT!). HIS FATHER WAS EDWARD WALTER FRYER, A CANADIAN SOLDIER STATIONED IN ENGLAND FOR WORLD WAR II. HIS MOTHER WAS 16 YEAR OLD PATRICIA MOLLY CLAPP. FRYER RETURNED TO HIS WIFE IN CANADA BEFORE CLAPTON WAS BORN. ERIC’S LAST NAME COMES FROM ROSE’S (GRANDMOTHER) FIRST HUSBAND AND PATRICIA’S BIOLOGICAL FATHER REGINALD CLAPTON.YOU CAN’T TELL THE PLAYER’S WITHOUT A PROGRAM.

CLAPTON’S NICKNAME IS “SLOWHAND” ALTHOUGH HE PLAYS VERY FAST. HIS MANAGER STARTED CALLING HIM THAT WHEN HE STARTED TOURING WITH THE YARDBIRDS IN 1964. CLAPTON WAS FAMOUS FOR BREAKING STRINGS BECAUSE OF HIS RIDICULOUS BENDS. WHEN HE WOULD GO BACKSTAGE TO CHANGE STRINGS THE AUDIENCE WOULD START A SLOW HAND CLAP UNTIL HE RETURNED. “CLAP-MAN” WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATE BUT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO HIS LOVE LIFE

photo thanks-Aaron Warren

FRAMPTON

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 30, 2020…FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO PETER FRAMPTON RELEASED HIS FOURTH ALBUM, THE SELF TITLED ‘PETER FRAMPTON’. THIS ALBUM IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT WAS THE RECORD HE RELEASED JUST BEFORE HE WENT ON TOUR AND RECORDED ‘FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE’. THE ALBUM CONTAINED TWO SONGS SINGLES ‘SHOW ME THE WAY’ AND ‘BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY’ WENT NOWHERE ON THE CHARTS, HOWEVER , WHEN RELEASED AS LIVE TRACKS FROM ‘FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE’, THEY WERE MEGA HITS. NOW, I’VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN, I’M A FREAKIN’ SUCKER FOR ANY SONG WITH A TALK BOX. I REMEMBER SEEING FRAMPTON PERFORMING ON THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL AND SAYING TO MY BROTHER “WTF IS HE PLAYING AND DOING WITH THAT TUBE IN HIS MOUTH, MAKING HIS GUITAR SOUND SO COOL ?!!?!”

HERE’S FRAMPTON FROM 1975 ON “THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL” PERFORMING HIS BIGGEST HIT ‘SHOW ME THE WAY’

FORTY ONE YEARS AGO SUPERTRAMP SERVED UP BREAKFAST

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 29, 2020…OKAY IF YOU CAN GRADE ALBUMS AS MONSTER ALBUMS FOR BANDS, ‘BREAKFAST IN AMERICA’ WOULD BE THE MONSTER ALBUM FOR SUPERTRAMP. RELEASED ON THIS DAY IN 1979, THE RECORD WENT ON TO SELL MORE THAN 9 MILLION COPIES. IT WAS FUELED BY FOUR HIT SINGLES ‘THE LOGICAL SONG’ GOODBYE STRANGER’ ‘TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME’ AND THE TITLE TRACK ‘BREAKFAST IN AMERICA’.

HERE’S SUPERTRAMP IN CONCERT CIRCA 1979 PERFORMING A SONG ABOUT ONE NIGHT STANDS ! HERE’S A LIVE VERSION OF ‘GOODBYE STRANGER’

BLOW BY BLOW

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 29, 2020…IF YOU LIKE INSTRUMENTAL GUITAR WORK, THIS IS YOUR ALBUM. ON THIS DATE IN 1975, JEFF BECK RELEASED THE ALBUM ‘BLOW BY BLOW’. THIS WAS HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM. JEFF BECK MADE HIS NAME PLAYING GUITAR FOR THE YARDBIRDS, REPLACING ERIC CLAPTON. WHEN HE LEFT THE YARDBIRDS, HE WAS (REPLACED BY JIMMY PAGE) HE WENT ON TO FORM THE JEFF BECK GROUP, WHICH INCLUDED ROD STEWART AND RON WOOD. HIS NEXT PROJECT BECK, BOGART, & APPICE FOLLOWED AND AFTER DISBANDING THIS POWER TRIO HE AUDITIONED FOR THE OPEN GUITAR SLOT IN THE ROLLING STONES. REALIZING THAT HE AND THE STONES WERE NOT A GREAT FIT, HE RELEASED ‘BLOW BY BLOW’. TO THIS DAY IT’S HIS HIGHEST CHARTING ALBUM.

FROM ‘BLOW BY BLOW’ HERE’S JEFF BECK WITH A LIVE VERSION OF ‘FREEWAY JAM’

GUITAR HERO:METALLICA

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MARCH 29, 2020…ELEVEN YEARS AGO THE HOTTEST VIDEO GAME ON THE PLANET “GUITAR HERO:METALLICA” WAS RELEASED. THE GAME FEATURED 28 MASTER RECORDINGS SPANNING METALLICA’S CAREER AND AN ADDITIONAL 21 SONGS SELECTED BY MEMBERS OF THE BAND. THE GAME ALSO FEATURED A TON OF ‘EXTRAS’ LIKE BEHIND THE SCENE VIDEOS, TOUR AND CONCERT VIDEOS OF METALLICA, AND POP-UP VIDEO FACTS FOR MANY OF THE SONGS ON THE GAME. HERE’S A 100% SCORE ON ‘ENTER SANDMAN’