Today (October 5, 2023) Elton John's classic album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road turns 50 years old.
I had been working for many years on learning how to play the guitar, write songs, sing, and attain my own identity within that framework. I was living in Hamilton on Locke Street and as I was going to university and didn't have a car at the time, I would take the bus into Toronto and hit the bricks with my demo tape which I had made in my brother's basement.When I did secure a recording contract, it was pretty amazing. The record was rehearsed for a week and then recorded live off the floor for the most part at Thunder Sound in Toronto. David Bird produced the record and the main players were fairly legendary Canadian musicians. Paul Mills on acoustic lead, Terry Clarke on drums and Don Thompson on bass. I played rhythm guitar and sang of course. The album got great reviews, tons of airplay and set the stage for the rest of my career.
Sure Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was in my opinion and probably in all of our opinions one of the greatest albums ever.
It didn’t leave my tape deck for a year. It’s mesmerizing from start to finish: the production is beautiful and warm, it’s lyrically amazing, it’s one of the best album I’ve ever heard to this day.
Personally it inspired me the way I write music the limitless boundaries of creativity: no fences, no genre - phenomenal.
This year (1972), Bittersweet, the incredible album from the unforgettable soul group, The Chairmen of the Board, turns 50 years old. At the time, Hamilton Blues legend, Harrison Kennedy was a member of the popular trio. This Invictus Records release would end up being Harrison's final album with the ensemble.
Harrison had this say about this classic album:
My first blues tune on any COB’s releases was Weary Traveller.
Men are Getting Scarce was in protest of the war.
This release was my favorite because of the Country Blues feel. I played harp on Elmo James.
Video above courtesy of Missing Oldies
Video above courtesy of Anthony Rosano
Video above courtesy of uk70singles
Links: Harrison Kennedy, More Harrison Kennedy Stories, Chairmen of the Board, More Chairmen of the Board Stories, More 50th Anniversary Albums
Deep Purple’s “Machine Head” stands it’s ground as one of the earliest hard rock albums that perfectly meshed high level musicianship with fine-tuned, consistently memorable songs. No wonder it’s one of the most highly-touted albums of Purple’s career…..and of the genre as a whole.
Deep Purple is in my top 4 favorite bands. All their music has a swing beat to it - thanks to their drummer Ian Paice.Side 2 of MACHINE HEAD has 3 of the coolest songs in rock - "Smoke On The Water", "Lazy" and "Space Truckin'".Machine Head is definitely one of my favourite albums!
Ken Wallis (BluesSource Canada)It's a hearty blues stew with remarkable flavors of sound; seasoned with tales of reckless living, rambunctious Cajun grooves, and a 'mouth of steel' charisma that impacts every listener and puts them in the heart of contentful chaos that resolves in grace. A great musical influence gone but not forgotten.
King Biscuit Boy’s album was the only album I ever owned that came wrapped in burlap. I think that was because inside the music was so hot that it needed a sturdy cover to stop the music from leaking out. The album is filled with classic King Biscuit Boy. His harmonica soars into the blues stratosphere. Just listen to Boom Boom Out Goes The Light. It is classic King Biscuit Boy and this was always the last song he’d play to close out a live gig. Hamilton was lucky to have witnessed such a talent.
Bootleg, the explosive debut album from the now-legendary Downchild Blues Band turns 50 this year (2021). Their original lineup included Hamilton bassist Jim Milne.
Details:
Cahoots, the classic album from The Band turns 50 this year (2021). The world-famous group featured members from Norfolk and Six Nations. 'Life Is a Carnival' and 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' were the two major highlights from the incredible recording.
Details:
Cahoots opens with the raucous “Life Is A Carnival” with it’s Allan Toussaint arranged horns it’s quite the party and wasn’t like anything else on the radio in the early 70’s. I was lucky enough to get down to Levon Helm’s Midnight Rambles, three times before he passed and the horn section in his band, on the stage in his barn, was so great to hear live.
It wasn’t until Danny Medakovic’s 2014 release of Jolley Cut, at The Casbah, that I got to see a great live horn section to rival that one! All of the band, except Levon grew up within 100 miles of Hamilton: Robbie Robertson on Six Nations and Toronto, Richard Manuel in Stratford, Garth Hudson in London and Rick Danko near Simcoe. Van Morrison was living in Woodstock (N.Y.) and was a frequent visitor to Big Pink at the time of Cahoots resulting in the song 4% Pantomime which was the other song Van sang in the Last Waltz...everyone remembers Caravan from the film, with him doing high kicks in that polyester onsie.
The other stand out track for me on Cahoots is “When I Paint My Masterpiece”. The Band’s version preceded Dylan’s by a few years and Levon sings “I got me a date with a pretty little girl from Greece” instead of Bob’s lyric “I got me a date with Botticelli’s niece.”
Details:
In Melody Maker, Paul McCartney called "Oh What A Feeling" the "party record of the year". I read it with my own eyes as a young high school student. It made me very proud of my home town.
Corey Lueck (Smoke Wagon Blues Band)
When I first dove into the world of classic rock and album hunting my aunt told me stories of this glorious band that lived and partied together in this old mansion. That sounded like the life to me! I ran out and picked up a used copy at Cactus Records in Oakville which I still own and play today!
I got such a kick out of how fun this band sounded with the cool train imitations on Train Keep Rolling to the hoots, hollering and yodeling on Baby Let's Play House and of course, the iconic shouts on Oh What What a Feeling.
The album was just jammed packed with Blues, Rocking boogies, boogie woogie piano, whaling harp, and screaming guitar! I'd stare at the picture on the center fold of these wild and crazy Canuck hippies out in the snow! This album was a masterpiece that makes you proud to be a Canadian musician
For me it was one of the heaviest sounds I had heard up to that time! It proved that Canadian musicians could hold they're own with the best in the world! And in most cases surpassing!
Links: Crowbar, More Crowbar Stories, Videos above courtesy of UnidiscMusic, More 50th Anniversary Albums
Today (February 10, 2021), Carole King's classic album, Tapestry turns 50 years old.
To celebrate, here are a few videos of Burlington's Suzanne O, who has performed a tribute to Carole on many occasions.
Links: Suzanne O, More Suzanne O Stories, Videos above courtesy of Suzanne O
We asked Suzanne to give her thought about the classic album. Here is what she had to say:
For me, every song on Tapestry is a brilliant display of great song writing that is delivered with simplicity, heart, and the perfect mix of musicians. It is an album that universally touched people’s souls the instant the needle hit the vinyl.
The title track, ‘Tapestry’ is one that can make me cry, so I must be careful in approaching it during live performances. The message of life’s journey is instilled here so aptly, and hits home - more so during these times.
Lou Adler intuitively produced these songs in such a natural surrounding with all musicians together in Studio B at A&M; and that was part of the secret. This album holds the magic that was created not only by the outstanding songs written by Carole King (w/ G Goffin and T Stern), but the ambience of the studio space, and the sign of the times in 1971 when it was recorded.
Each song seems to carry its own vibe and meaning for me, especially playing it live, so I embrace every track on the album with open arms and full heart. I think this recording affects people on such an emotional level that it cannot really be described by most.
My feeling is that it transports them to a place of peace and a feeling of pure joy in hearing musical excellence. I love performing the entire album during our shows, because of the effect it has on the listener. We take a little trip together that seems to make time and space evaporate. That’s the magic!
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Here are a few videos from the lady herself.
Links: Carole King, More Carole King Stories/Covers, Videos above courtesy of Carole King, More 50th Anniversary Albums
Links: Krista Blondin, Video above courtesy of Canal Bank Shuffle
Links: Hailee Rose, More Hailee Rose Stories, Dave Rave, More Dave Rave Stories, Video above courtesy of Elizabeth Cross
Links: Cheryl Lescom, More Cheryl Lescom Stories, Video above courtesy of Dave Sloan
Here are a few songs from the lady herself.
Links: Janis Joplin, More Janis Joplin Stories/Covers, Videos above courtesy of Janis Joplin, More 50th Anniversary Albums
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