Classic Album Review - 02 - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out - The Rolling Stones Live in Concert

"Everything appears to be ready - are you ready?. . . is everybody ready? . . . I think I better fasten up my trousers so they don't fall down - you don't want my trousers to fall down now do ya?. . . . . . paint it black..paint it black....paint it black you Devil. . . . . . Charlie's good tonight innit he? . . . . . . We're gonna do one more, and we gotta go. . . The Greatest Rock n Roll Band in the World -- The Rolling Stones -- The Rolling Stones !"

By the time I was 12 years old, I was a full-on believer in Rock n Roll, and I had my first guitar -- a little acoustic number that my Dad had found for sale somewhere. I don't remember the make or the model - I think it was a fairly no-name type of affair. A school friend of mine had gotten one about the same time, and we started hanging out on the weekends, trying to teach ourselves how to play. He figured out a thing here and showed me, and I figured out a thing there and showed him. We both know older kids who played and we got tips and lessons that way. In retrospect, a lot of what we thought we had "figured out" was way off in terms of melody, but we had a good sense of relative pitch and good rhythm -- I have always had a good sense of rhythm.

Mostly how we learned was to do what most every other self-taught musician does - play along with records. We each had our favorites. He was fond of Black Sabbath as I recall, and I tried to cop a lot of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, the Who, the Beatles, and whatever was on the radio. For a period of about 2 years, the majority of my lessons came from my turntable in the form of "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out - The Rolling Stones in Concert."

Released in the fall of 1970, GYYYO has long been considered one of the best live albums ever - certainly the best live album by the Rolling Stones. It is drenched in Rhythm and Blues, features the excellent lead guitar playing of Mick Taylor, some of Jagger's best singing, and nary a beat is dropped by the duo of Watts and Wyman. This live recording represents the Stones at their absolute peak of potency -- they were coming off the "Beggar's Banquet" and "Let it Bleed" albums, and a few days after these concerts, they entered the studio at Muscle Shoals and put down the first tracks of "Sticky Fingers."

For a kid learning to play guitar, "Ya-Ya's" is a blues-inspired garden of earthly delights. Heavy riffs in the lower registers on Jumpin' Jack Flash and Live With Me. Two shots at working out "that Chuck Berry thing," on Carol and Little Queenie. A very soulful lesson in arpeggiation on the Robert Johnson classic, Love in Vain. Bo Diddley lessons from Keith himself on Sympathy for the Devil, as well as monster chord mashing on Street Fighting Man. And the creme de la creme of rhythm workouts -- the ultimate live version of Midnight Rambler. After the breakdown section in Rambler, the band locks into a 6/8 triplet groove that builds in intensity on a slow grind, until finally busting out -- up-shifting the tempo into the original riff in 4/4 meter. I didn't know how to describe that moment when I was 12, but it knocked my socks off! It still does.

And if you were lucky enough to have had an older kid teach you the magic "blues scale," then GYYYO gave you an entire album to work out your solo technique. Remember - above all else, and throughout all of their various permutations - the Stones have always been about the blues. When I got older, I arrived at the source of this - "discovering" Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and many other blues men. The Rolling Stones got this great music from America, ingested it, made it their own, and then brought it back to us. "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out" bears the finest fruits of that endeavor.

Title: Get Yer Ya Ya's Out - The Rolling Stones in Concert
Release: September, 1970

Track Listing - Side One:
1. Jumpin' Jack Flash (3:13)
2. Carol (3:35)
3. Stray Cat Blues (3:35)
4. Love in Vain (4:50)
5. Midnight Rambler (8:32)

Side Two:
1. Sympathy for the Devil (5:45)
2. Live With Me (2:58)
3. Little Queenie (4:10)
4. Honky Tonk Women (3:00)
5. Street Fighting Man (3:47)

Classic Album Review - 01 - Meet the Beatles

"Meet the Beatles" seems an ideal choice for our first classic album review. My introduction to rock n roll could not have been better if it had been hand-picked by God. Sure, everyone knows who the Beatles are, and everyone loves Sgt. Pepper and the White Album and Revolver. I love all of those albums too. But, MTB never fails to evoke an onrush of nostalgia that makes my big toe shoot right up in my shoe. Everything about this record is so polished. From the dark Bauhaus-ian cover shot to the four young toughs pictured on the back in their matching razor-sharp suits and square-toed, black leather, mod-kicker boots. These are not sensible shoes.

Knowing all of the history that we do, when we look at them now, we know that even though the oldest was only 23 at the time, The Beatles were already seasoned veterans, with years of relentless performing under their belts - at Liverpool's Cavern, and in der Kaiserkeller of Hamburg Germany. They had taught themselves chords and vocal harmony and here was their first album, comprised of 91.6% original material -- they were already accomplished songwriters (the exception being Meredith Wilson's "'Til There was You" - a great vehicle for the smooth croonings of young McCartney)!

Mostly, though, when I listen to this record, the one word that comes to mind is - Testosterone. The vocals are powerful - occasionally breaking into full-on banshee screams. Even the slow numbers seem to have a metronomic tightness and full force vocalization. For me the standout track is I Saw Her Standing There -- it just plain ROCKS! "One Two Three FOW-ER! Play that bass line at that tempo while singing those vocals - go ahead, I dare you. And the harmonies - on this track and the hit single I Wanna Hold Your Hand - nothing in pop music had ever sounded like that. Open fourths and fifths below the main melody - Mean. Exciting. Stimulating. Scores of teenage girls were impregnated just by listening to the thing. Seriously - look it up on Wikipedia.

Also featured is the Ringo-sung, head-pummeling I Wanna Be Your Man, which the lads had earlier given to the Rolling Stones for one of their first singles. The legend is that the two groups were hanging out and the Stones began talking about how they needed a single and they really weren't songwriters yet. So John and Paul sat down on the spot and whipped this little ditty out for Mick and the boys. If you can find the Stones' version, it's worth a listen for a piece of rock n roll history.

A big tip of my hat goes to the Smithereens who put out an album a few years back, entitled "Meet the Smithereens," wherein they cover the entire MTB album track by track. Obviously, MTB had the same effect on them that it did on me, and that makes us related somehow. They do a damn fine job with it too. Some of the fast rockin' tunes lack the same punch and tightness, but overall the Smithereens do a stand-up performance here. Plus, you gotta remember, the members of the Smithereens were probably all over twice as old as the Beatles were when they made the original - so give the old geezers a break!

Kids - do yourselves a favor - if you're not intimately familiar with this album, then go buy a copy today and give it a spin. It'll only take 26 minutes of your time and you won't be sorry. Get a CD or a set of mp3's if you must, but if you can find a vinyl recording in your mom's (or your grandmom's) record collection, then that is definitely the way to go. I can't explain this, but it just isn't the same without audible pops, crackles, and hiss. For maximum pleasure, play it as loud as possible and sing along at the top of your lungs. Maybe even give a banshee scream now and then.

Meet the Beatles
Released: January 1964
Track Listing:

Side One
1. I Want to Hold Your Hand
2. I Saw Her Standing There
3. This Boy
4. It Won't Be Long
5. All I've Got to Do
6. All my Loving

Side Two
1. Don't Bother Me
2. Little Child
3. Till There was You
4. Hold me Tight
5. I Wanna Be Your Man
6. Not a Second Time

This review is dedicated to the memory of my mother who passed away a few years ago. I miss her terribly and thank her for having hung on to a few old records from her youth. Peace.

a seminal moment in the wonder years

we had a hi-fi set when i was growing up. it was one of those all in one units that they used to make - the size of a buffet table, with simulated wood-grain, and a heavy hinged top that opened to reveal a turntable and a receiver dial. i remember the tuner had a big bumpy silver knob and when you turned it a thin orange band went up and down the narrow rows of numbers - AM along one side and FM along another. It looked sort of like a thermometer where you controlled the temperature.

mostly, we listened to the radio. by "we" i mean my two older sisters who were the only people in the house truly interested in current pop music (i was just coming into my own). AM radio was king then - this would be in the years between 1971 and 1975.

i grew up along U.S. 12 in southern Michigan, and we had our choice of Jackson, Lansing, and if the weather was good, Detroit. AM radio puts out a strong clear signal and CKLW was a favorite choice from Detroit and Windsor Ontario.

a lot of my early memories are associated with music - sound always attracted me, especially the human voice. i clearly remember driving my sisters crazy one day requesting a song i wanted to hear. i was probably 6 years old and didn't know the artist or the title - i just knew it was the "water song with the crickets." I expected them to know exactly what i was talking about - they didn't. they thought i was insane. they always thought i was a weird kid, and maybe they were right.

years later, when i was able to piece this memory back together, i realized that the song had been "Uncle Albert /Admiral Halsey" by Paul McCartney. Go ahead - indulge yourself and listen to it - how long has it been? See if you can decipher the cryptic notions of a 6 year old.

Sooner or later i figured out that we had some "big" record albums stashed in a cabinet in my parent's room - the kind of records that have more than one song. i knew this because that's where i was dispatched one Christmas to get some holiday music. my mom had a collection of Christmas albums: Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Burl Ives, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and The Royal Guardsmen who sang "Snoopy and the Red Baron" which was my favorite.

going to fetch these records a few times, i noticed that there were some other albums in there - not Christmas records - something else. these were records that my mom had had since she was a teenager. inevitably i was curious enough to want to hear them, and my mom didn't see any reason why not.

most times, the power inherent in an inanimate product and the power it can have over the imagination of a child is severely underestimated. i was about to experience an awakening i have never recovered from.

Check Out My Formative Experience

Book RE:
Detroit Radio

New Music Review: The Black Crowes -- Warpaint

Alive in Concert Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

The Faces. The Rolling Stones. Jimi Hendrix. Led Zeppelin. The Band. Dr. John.

The Black Crowes have always worn their influences on their chests, and have proven time and again that not only are they fans but, in a musical sense, they understand their heroes. Chris Robinson and Co. are neither a novelty act nor a museum piece. They have produced consistently vital rock and soul music, and their latest effort, "Warpaint" may be the best so far.

On one hand, I sometimes feel guilty comparing musical artists to other musical artists. I mean, the Black Crowes stand on their own without having to make unfair comparisons to the Rolling Stones, right? On the other hand, they DO often sound like the Stones, and what's wrong with that? Would the Crowes really mind if anyone said so?

Besides, I think such comparisons are inevitable and unavoidable. What other way should we talk about music than to show its connectivity to tradition? And certain musical forms are more rooted in generational traditions than others -- like Jazz and Blues, for instances. One really shouldn't discuss the Rolling Stones without mentioning Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters. Laying out such landmarks for reference points gives credit to the source and also lends credence to the artist for proving worthy of being mentioned in the same breath. Ultimately, it allows for a broader commonality of rich musical language that we can all converse in, once sufficiently enlightened.

So, with that out of the way, let's go through this album for my second listen, and put down some random thoughts concerning musical guideposts.

Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution

This playful sense of rhythm - simultaneously loose and tight, sloppy but disciplined - is a 100% nod to The Faces. But the Crowes have now made this sound their own - it is now the "classic" Black Crowes sound. Wonderful slide guitar work.

Walk Believer Walk

Starts with a riff I can only describe as AC/DC, but soon turns into AC/DC heavy gospel dirge. More tasty slide work. I love the bass during the refrain. A little solo vocal chanting, a la Black Dog.

Oh Josephine

Almost everything about this cut sounds like Rolling Stones circa 1973: the opening acoustic sound, the soft wah filter on the lead guitar, the Keith Richards harmonies, the Nicky Hopkins-like piano, and Chris Robinson's lead vocal. If he wanted to embark upon a career as the Mick Jagger Experience, this would be a good demo. Really a beautiful song. Wonderful instrumental ending with a lovely little modal vamp line.

Evergreen

Heavy introduction - sublime dissonant intervals on guitar riff -- strong musty whiffs of Manic Depression -- more perfect organ work - C. Robinson in fine full sonority. Guitar solo = more shades of Hendrix. Who is this drummer? Note: must learn more about the drummer - he is extraordinary.

Wee Who See the Deep

Drum intro: Cripple Creek? Guitar riff: a graft of 25 or 6 to 4 with the turnaround lick from Hey Joe. Glorious and unexpected harmonies on the Chorus. I love the guitar solo, and now want to touch the hem of the drummer's garment. Outro features a breakdown to piano, vocal and slide guitar. Nice.

Locust Street

Mandolin intro - piano entry at chorus is absolutely spot-on gorgeous. I'm wishing they could have gotten hooked up with Emmylou Harris for this one. Beautiful chorus melody like a long lost child of Graham Parsons. This one is pure Americana.

Movin On Down the Line

It's all right sisters, It's all right brothers. Is that a mellotron? (Led Zep - No Quarter) Intro vocal chant build up and build up until it sounds like an outro instead, then the rock kicks in. Turns into some kinda New Orleans / Dr. John funk for a few lines. Main lick sounds like a little piece of Beatles' I Feel Fine riff. Instrumental breakdown section in funky 7/8 time with sweet harmonica soloing. Rhythm section is making me ruin my underpants.

Wounded Bird

Chordal intro -- The Seeker? After the first verse, song enters a beautiful and totally unexpected melody for the chorus -- it's grabbing me hard. Is this my favorite of the album? Could be.

God's Got It

Swamp stomp. Heavy. Think: Buddy Guy's "Sweet Tea" album.

There's Gold in Them Hills

Lyrically, a variation on Bob Dylan's Isis? Musically -- stunning. Just Brilliant. Chris Robinson's full talents as a singer are on display here -- excellent phrasing -- inspired melodies. Also, the Crowe's combined talents as an ENSEMBLE unit shine and shine and shine here. The honky-tonk section of this track is worth the price of the entire album. Random associative thought: the movie, "McCabe and Mrs. Miller."

Whoa Mule

Lyrically and musically, a perfect follow up to the previous track. The B.C.'s show off some folk roots, with this Irish / English-style jig transplanted to American soil. Wistful and innocent, it proves to be an effective way to cap this rootsy and soulful album.

So what else can I say? If you have even the tiniest inkling that you might enjoy this album, then by all means go buy it today. . . Now! I didn't think they made 'em like this anymore, so get it while it's hot.