Reloaded 23/May/2015 - Beehive Candy may at times feel, less a labour of love and more a chore, when it comes to replacing our many lost files. However when we are reminded of fantastic performances such as this one and the musical diversity it adds to this site, it does make the whole replacement thing, seem a far more worthwhile project.
A fine and funky concert complete with the full power house of rhythm is captured here on this recording of Tower Of Power and fit for 'Bumpsters' everywhere!
Recorded with an appreciative audience at Ultrasonic Studios Hempstead, NY, USA back on May 14th, 1974 this is a superb example of the band who continue to impress and perform today.
Some background from Wikipedia here that covers up to the time of this concert - The roots of the band go back to the summer of 1968, when tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo met Stephen "Doc" Kupka, who played baritone sax. Castillo had played in several bands, but it was Castillo's father, who told his son to "hire that guy" after a home audition. Together, they would become the backbone of Tower of Power. Within months, the group, known as the Motowns at the time, would begin playing various "gigs" around Oakland and Berkeley, their soul sound relating to both minority and rebellious listeners. By 1970, the now renamed Tower of Power (including trumpet/arranger Greg Adams, first trumpet Mic Gillette, first saxophone Skip Mesquite, Francis "Rocco" Prestia on bass, Willie Fulton on guitar, and drummer David Garibaldi) signed a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records and released their first album, East Bay Grease. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on this debut album which included the single Sparkling In The Sand, which received airplay on famed Bay Area soul station KDIA.
Augmented by percussionist/conga/bongo player Brent Byars, guitarist Bruce Conte and keyboardist Chester Thompson, Tower of Power moved to Warner Bros. Records. With Rick Stevens now singing lead, 1972's Bump City would give the band its first national exposure. This album included "You're Still a Young Man", which peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Emilio Castillo, who co-wrote and sang lead on "You're Still a Young Man," told Songfacts that the song was based on a true story concerning a former girlfriend who was six years older than him. Though not released as a single, "Down to the Nightclub" received heavy airplay on West Coast FM stations and several AM stations. Both songs still get substantial airplay on oldies radio and remain fan favorites.
Tower of Power, released in the spring of 1973, the third album for the band, now featured Lenny Williams on lead vocals and Lenny Pickett on first saxophone. This was the group's most successful album. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and was RIAA certified as a gold record (for sales in excess of 500,000 copies). The album also spawned their most-successful single "So Very Hard To Go". Although the single peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, it landed in the Top 10 on the surveys of many West Coast Top 40 radio stations, hitting number 1 on many of them. The album also charted two other singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?" The latter is possibly their most enduring song.
1974's Back to Oakland spawned another hit, "Don't Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)", that reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, plus "Time Will Tell", which charted at number 69.
Source: Soundboard (Pre-FM master recording).
Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.
Genre: Soul, funk, R&B, jazz.
Set: Full Set.
Set List:
CD One.
1. Intro
2. Oakland Stroke
3. Squib Cakes
4. This Time It's Real
5. Soul Vaccination
6. You're Still A Young Man
7. Clean Slate
8. So Very Hard To Go
9. Get Your Feet Back On The Ground
CD Two.
1. Time Will Tell
2. Man From The Past
3. Down To The Nightclub
4. Just When We Start Makin' It
5. Knock Yourself Out
6. What Is Hip?
7. Outro
What a way to start this round up of some fine music that has come our way in the last few days. Have you ever listened to a song and half way through your already wanting to listen to it again? Tamara Williamson had that very effect on me this week. I was also puzzled by the fact I had never heard any of her material before, simply because it is just so good! Much as some in the music industry berated the emergence of file sharing and downloading, the reality is artist's like Tamara can be discovered anywhere around the world with just a little exposure. Well Beehive Candy are happy to assist when music this good comes our way.
Tamara had this to say regarding her latest album, 'Sister, Mother, Daughter, Wife' - The importance of this album is paramount for me as it helped me work through some of the tougher ideas I've faced and helped me start living outside of the bubble I had created for myself. Every song on the album explores a different women's story that I felt needed to be heard. The album was first conceptualised when I discovered the story of Victoria while listening to CBC Radio. I'm thankful for the help of Mitchell Girio for producing and Richard G. Benoit for Mastering this collection of songs. Also, Morgan Doctor, Mitchell Girio, Kevin Hearn and Garen Graves for playing on the album. Hope these stories connect with you as they did with me.
Far In The Maples are gearing up for the release on July 14, 2015, of the album Skywork. This was produced by Steve Greenwell (Joss Stone) at Lakehouse Studios in Asbury Park, to 'showcase song-oriented music that’s both honest and contemporary with a classic timelessness, from an infectious new band driven by songbird Regina Conroy and multi-instrumentalist Reshy P'.
We are reliably informed of the following - Turning the celebrated, swingin’ sound of the Jersey Shore inside out, Far In The Maples is poised to cast a new seaside musical legacy built upon the nuances of internal emotion with unexpected soundscapes, unforgettable melodies and the sweetly understated vocals of its alluring lead songstress through its debut album, Skywork (Refrost Records/AWAL).
They could have just said this is a really bright, uplifting, collection of songs, but I guess you have to get noticed anyway you can these days, quoting some more - Regina’s love for great American singer-songwriters like Natalie Merchant, Shawn Colvin, Avril Lavigne, and Michelle Branch, with Reshy’s wide-ranging leanings from punk to electronica, inspired by Billy Talent, Millencolin, Sum 41, Owl City, Paramore, and beyond. It's a very strong debut, so if you love the 'celebrated swingin' sound of Jersey Shore', you will love this! Website HERE.
Now if your a regular visitor to this place you will know that I'm often tempted by the suggestion of well mixed up genres. So tell me that Old House Playground 'is a three piece contemporary blues/alt-rock band with roots in the song writing culture of traditional Greek folk music' and I will be intrigued, particularly as I know nothing much about traditional Greek folk music.
So the story goes - In 2009, Tryfon Lazos (vocals, guitars) and Andreas Venetantes (drums, percussion) together with bass player Conor Loughran moved from Athens to Manchester to experiment with new musical paths and forms of expression. Inspired by the likes of Tom Waits, Django Reinhardt, Nick Cave and Greek artists Psarantonis, and Marcos Vamvakaris together with analog sounds and street musicianship, Old House Playground met producer/musician Chris Evans, with whom they would record their first album God Damn That Gold. A couple of months before the recordings took place, Conor left the band, with Tryfon and Andreas continuing as a duo. The album was released in June 2012 by the independent label Evening Economies/Fat Bob Records and accompanied by an extended UK tour. From working men’s clubs and mainstream pubs to the Dalston hipster playground, the response was overwhelming.
I would struggle to put it better than the following so lets just repeat it - “They've got the deep, gravelly lo-fi blues with a bit of old-time swing and rockabilly on the side - imagine a pared down Bedlam Six fronted by a young hybrid of Jack White and Nick Cave. His lyrics are dark, twisted stories with a certain literary flair” - Cath Aubergine, Manchester Music.
Website HERE. Great song below and more on their web place.
Next up Survival Guide. Taking the short cut to what Survival Guide are all about here's someone elses words - Survival Guide is the compelling artistic endeavor featuring California vocalist and keyboardist Emily Whitehurst. Her music falls somewhere between indie rock and electronic, always with descriptive, storytelling lyrics, strong vocals and a sprinkle of pop. After supporting Joan Jett, performing at First City Festival 2014 (Beck, The National, Phantogram) and recording a freshman full-length album, Survival Guide was named one of the Top 12 Bay Area Bands of 2014 by San Francisco's premier rock radio station, Live 105. The upcoming album (now actually released), entitled "Way to Go", conjures feelings of a dark modern fairytale and showcases Whitehurst's vocal range and talent, following two previously released 7" vinyl singles, "Hot Lather Machine" and "Wildcat", released on San Francisco's Side With Us Records.
A really fine album that matches the expectation aroused by the comments above You can find out more HERE on their website.
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Slightly Stoopid recently began streaming “One Bright Day” from their upcoming album, Meanwhile… Back at the Lab (to be released June 30th through the band’s label, Stoopid Records). This perfect summer jam features band friend and Grammy Award winner Angela Hunte (best known for co-writing “Empire State of Mind,” with Alicia Keys and Jay Z). Slightly Stoopid is McDonald, Miles Doughty (guitar, bass, vocals), Ryan “Rymo” Moran (drums), Oguer “OG” Ocon (percussion), Daniel “Dela” Delacruz (saxophone), Paul Wolstencroft (keyboards), Andy Geib (trumpet, trombone) with special guest and “unofficial 8th member” Karl Denson (The Rolling Stones/Greyboy Allstars) on saxophone.
They asked us if we like to share the song, we listened, we liked, we very nearly danced until my frightening sense of rhythm pinned me back in the chair. Upbeat and so shared as requested.
I am going to shamelessly copy and paste the words of another writer (again) to get across the background to the exceptional Ella Squirrell.
'Ella Squirrell grew up surrounded by creativity in the beautiful town of Bridport in Dorset. She has always felt at one with the natural world, returning to nature as a comfort in her song-writing. She has recently spent six months living and working in London, after discovering it to be a great base for music, and has returned to Dorset with a wealth of experience.
Ella picked up her first instrument aged 10. She copied folk songs on an Irish penny whistle, before moving on to the guitar when she was 11. Her dad is a professional musician, playing mandolin in a trio folk band, and he fully encouraged Ella’s musical growth. He taught Ella the basics before she started teaching herself by taking inspiration from other songs. Ella recalls writing her first successful song aged 15. She started with just 3 lines and the stepped away from it for a while. When she came back to it, the words began to flow, with a little help from her poet mom. She taught Ella to be brave with words, combining senses and placing the listener in the atmosphere and experience of the writer. This gave Ella the confidence to write her own songs. Song-writing is a cathartic process for Ella. She sees it as the best outlet for strong emotions, whether she is feeling down or feeling really happy. Allowing herself to be honest in her song-writing is the key to her creativity. Ella has followed in her dad’s folk footsteps, but with a modern pop twist. She is always learning from other musicians, and believes collective song-writing and collaboration is key for musical growth. She meets musicians at open mic nights and is constantly inspired by their work and attitude. It is no surprise Ella loves collaboration as she grew up partaking in spontaneous jam sessions with family and friends in the creative bubble of Bridport. She gained most of her skills in this way, having never studied music. She doesn’t read or write music; her melodies exist in her head, inspired by what she hears around her, and she teases them out into reality'.
OK edited highlights and I know the town of Bridport in Dorset very well and would concur it does seem to have something in the water that gets the best out of people musically. Also well done whoever wrote the press release for not mentioning a certain Polly Jean Harvey who also of course hails from Bridport, that must have been quite tempting, so there I have. I would add as an aside West Dorset is a beautiful part of England however as this is not a travel guide what about the music? Excellent, absorbing, just listen and enjoy it. Website HERE.
A couple of live dates:
27th May2015
The Jam House, Birmingham
The Launch Pad - a regular showcase of some of artists that the Jam House considers "ones to watch".
4th July 2015
Big Mix Music Festival, Lyme Regis
The Big Mix is Lyme’s own youth music festival by the sea,
Reloaded 20/May/2015 - I just wanted to highlight this concert and of course the band again. Call me slow on picking up on things, but I only recently discovered that they also had a side project 'Chris and Carla' and there is another source of great music to listen too. Superb band I thoroughly recommend checking them out, if you have not yet done so.
I was trying to remember when and how I first came across Seattle's The Walkabouts and after I had just about given up and was going to introduce this concert by saying I could not remember how and when, a little light came on somewhere in the memory as I recalled quite clearly that one of their songs had been included on an Uncut magazine sampler CD, some years ago, (and for the record the promotion worked as I went on to buy many of their albums).
Having formed back in 1984, the band have toured Europe on a good number of occasions. This is a really good quality soundboard recording of the band that has has a little further mixing and editing to a very high standard. Performing live at 013 in Tilburg, Holland back on August 28th 2005, this is The Walkabouts.
Source: Soundboard
Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@224 - 320kbps.
Genre: Indie rock, Alt. country, Country rock.
Set: Full Set.
Set List:
01. F Your Fear
02. Coming Up For Air
03. Devil In The Details
04. Jack Candy
05. Whisper
06. Train to Mercy
07. Acetylene
08. Before This City Wakes
09. Northsea Train
10. Stir the ashes
11. Blue Head Flame
12. Kalashnikov
13. Grand Theft Auto
14. The Light Will Stay On
15. Have You Ever Seen The Morning
16. Snake Mountain Blues
17. The Last Ones
Links: MySpace site HERE. Fan Site HERE. Comments:
Background information on the band from Wikipedia: The Walkabouts are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1984. The core members are vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman. Although the rest of the line-up has changed occasionally, for most of the time the other members have been Michael Wells, Glenn Slater and Terri Moeller.
The band draws inspiration from folk and country music, particularly Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young and Johnny Cash, but also from other types of artists and musical styles such as Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, French chanson and Jacques Brel. Their sound is typically rich, with string arrangements and keyboards in addition to the standard rock instruments. In reviews the band's music is often described as melancholic or mellow, while Eckman's lyrics, concerning such themes as human relations, loneliness and restlessness, are often emphasized as poetic.
The Walkabouts have achieved commercial success and a strong fanbase in Europe, where they have done promotion and extensive touring since early 1990s. They have occasionally even made it high on the record charts in countries such as Greece and Norway.
A new feature on Beehive Candy - 'Quality Not Quantity - A Few Good Ones' is where we let the music do most of the talking (or singing, strumming, playing). This feature will help us provide as many artists whose music we like and have been bought to our attention, a feature on Beehive Candy. You can take it as read, this is in our very, very humble opinion, music worth a serious listen!
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Liz Brennan - Although the songs have been around for a while, we are told that the 'Expecting To Fly' EP is getting another well deserved release through Demented Pop Recordings. Take note!
======================================================================== Milton Star - follow their successful double A side record 'Salvation' and 'Sorryville' with the release of their new single 'Things Fall Apart', which is due out on the 15th June on Stereogram Recordings. This really takes them further as atmospheric story tellers. If you like the previous release featured below, get hold of the new one, it's outstanding. Facebook HERE.
Sasha Siem - A little bit of Bjork and maybe some Joanna Newsom? Plus a massive amount of individual talent, from composing through to singing and performing. Sasha Siem has released an incredible debut album 'Most Of The Boys'. Unique in a special and worthy manner.
Cultfever are a Brooklyn based duo who have been gaining considerable attention for their genre hopping sounds, that are routed in what I can only describe as cinematic indie rock or pop, only to add it's more than that. Confused? Well give them a listen, sometimes it really is easier to let the music do the talking. Website HERE.
The Newcastle four piece Street Party In Soho are most definitely attracting positive attention and plaudits in the UK. Both BBC radio and XFM exposure along with a demand for the band to perform live has raised the bands status. They are annoyingly young and talented, what's going on there then!
Shooze - are a three-piece ska-punk band from Redditch, West Midlands, UK. Members Jon Kings (lead vocals/guitar), Ryan Kings (vocals/bass), and Ricky-Lee Cooper (drums) describe their music a hybrid of seventies' ska, punk & reggae, saying "We're bringing the best raw 70's street vibes back to life with a modern groove. Its all about a raw live sound, back to basics – real band music like it should be heard & experienced live”. That's good enough for a listen surely!
This is Tom Waits performing live at The Civic Centre, Akron, Ohio, back on Sunday, August 13th 2006. I am not certain if the source of this recording is taken directly from an FM broadcast, however it is a probable assumption as the final track ends without a smooth fade suggesting the radio announcer may have been cut off in their prime.
Whatever the recordings history, this is a very fine quality recording of Tom Waits in concert in a tour that showcased some of the songs from the forthcoming November 2006 album release 'Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards', that said this edited recording only featured one song 'Bottom of the World' from that album.
Although the NPR broadcast was only part of the show, I have read elsewhere that the featured tracks were by far the best performed ones at this gig.
At the beginning of 'Tom Trauberts Blues' Tom Waits remarks about a man and a shirt which was apparently a reference to somebody getting on stage and throwing a shirt at Tom or his piano. The crowd were also described by somebody at the concert as 'the worst they had been amongst' with even a fight in the audience at one point. All of which makes sitting at home and listening to the edited version of the performance kinda rewarding in some ways.
Interestingly the tracks broadcast from the whole concert did not all run in order, as performed in the show, actually that's quite a boring point, to much detail, no need to become obsessive, "and now back to the music".
Source: NPR FM Broadcast.
Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps.
Genre: Rock, avant-garde, experimental, folk, blues, jazz.
Set: Edited Broadcast.
Broadcast Set List:
Make It Rain
Shore Leave
Falling Down
Tango Until They're Sore
Tom Traubert's Blues
Eyeball Kid
Murder in the Red Barn
Trampled Rose
Bottom Of The World
Til the Money Runs Out
Get Behind De Mule
Band Line Up:
Tom Waits, Bent Clausen, Duke Robillard, Larry Taylor, Casey Waits
Full Setlist: Make It Rain Hoist That Rag Shore Leave Dead and Lovely God's Away on Business Falling Down Tango Till They're Sore Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen) 'Til the Money Runs Out What's He Building? Eyeball Kid Trampled Rose Murder in the Red Barn Bottom of the World Shake It Encore: Day After Tomorrow Lie to Me Get Behind the Mule Encore 2: Clap Hands Sins of My Father / Wade in the Water
Tom Waits website HERE.
Reloaded 18/May/2015 - Yep, fifteen years ago more or less since Robert Plant toured extensively as Priory Of Brion around the UK. Featured again by request and also as audience matrix recordings go this is very good audio and the unique selection of songs just adds to this little piece of music history.
This is Robert Plant's touring band Priory Of Brion who undertook a good number of gigs between July 23rd 1999 through until Dec 21st 2000. This is the band live at The Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, Wales, back on the 11th February 2000. During this phase of live concerts the venues tended to be smaller in size and as can be heard from this concert recording the atmosphere was warm and included some fine banter with the audience.
Excerpted from ROOTS magazine, Aug/Sep 2000 - Robert Plant explains Priory of Brion
The name of the band incorporates a reference to a society which was an offshoot of the Knight’s Templar called The Priory of Zion and the film The Life of Brian.
An approximate explanation of which might be; A kind of secret society not to be taken too seriously or over revered. He explains that he and Kevyn Gammond, now a college lecturer, have remained ‘best mates’ since they were in The Band of Joy together in the mid-sixties. Discussing how, on the music scene, everything seemed to go back to that era Robert said to Kevyn “We used to do that. Let’s do it again.” Kevyn knew some really good musicians, ex students, who were starting to teach and do mixing and dance music, so they had a rehearsal in a barn and that was the beginning of the Priory of Brion.
Enhancing the air of mystery which surrounded the band in the early days, Robert created alter egos for the musicians by giving them false names and telling brief stories about their new characters. Thus Kevyn Gammond, lead guitarist became Carlisle Egypt. Andy Edwards, drums, was usually known as the man in the pointed hat and crossed sticks - Alistair Crowley. Paul Timothy, keyboards and acoustic guitar, generally referred to as TIm to avoid confusion with Paul Whetton, often became Owyn Glendwr - fresh from some border skirmish local to the current venue. Paul cool, calm and collected Whetton, bass guitar, became the enigmatic Brian without whom the whole adventure would have been impossible. Occasionally names have changed, notably when ‘Brian’ underwent a mystical transformation on a journey up the Norwegian fjords and became the terrifying Eric Bloodaxe. More recently the band have been referred to by their (alleged) ‘real’ names but we have yet to be told who the vocalist is.
Source: Audience matrix.
Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@228kbps (variable to 242kbps).
Genre: Rock, blues rock, folk rock, country rock.
Set: Full Set.
Set List:
01. Intro
02. Season of the Witch
03. A House Is Not a Motel
04. Bummer in the Summer
05. Waiting For My Man
06. Girl From the North Country/If I Were A Carpenter
07. Darkness Darkness
08. Think
09. Early In the Morning
10. Money
11. We're Gonna Groove
12. Baby Please Don't Go
13. As Long As I Have You
14. Gloria
15. No Regrets
16. Trouble In Mind
Reloaded 17/May/2015 - We have added a You Tube soundtrack of another Joan Jett and The Blackhearts gig recorded for broadcast at The Ritz, New York in January 1982. Set lists vary so both are worth a check out and both feature the feisty Joan Jett and on form Blackhearts. The New Jersey gig was originally featured on Beehive Candy in December 2007.
Celebrating their 15th year as a rock radio station Philadelphia's WMMR featured a number of bands live in concert during 1982-83.
WMMR is held in high esteem by its listening audience and by many rock music bands and musicians for its influential role and longevity in American rock radio. It is widely recognised as the leading rock station in one of the nation's largest markets.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were one of those acts involved in the celebrations, and this is them recorded live in Emerald City for WMMR.
Emerald city was the new name given to the old Latin Casino club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA.
The concert was around the time Joan Jett and the Blackhearts recorded their hit album 'I Love Rock N Roll'.
The hit single was a re-recording of the title track, which in the first half of 1982 was number one on the Billboard charts for seven weeks in a row. It is now Billboard’s Number 28 song of all time.
Set list:
1. Bad reputation
2. Don't Abuse me
3. Victim of Circumstance
4. I love Rock and Roll
5. Summertime Blues
6. Too bad on your Birthday
7. You're Too Possessive
8. Wooly Bully
9. Make Believe
10. Black Leather
11. Do you wanna touch me there?
12. Movie star
Source: This is not broken down to individual mp3's and the overall gig length is 43:12. The sound quality is very good FM stereo mixed from the soundboard.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Live at the Ritz, New York, 1982 You Tube audio track.
Tracklist:
01. Bad Reputation 0:00
02. I am gonna Run Away 02:13
03. Wooly Bully 04:52
04. I Love Rock and Roll 07:00
05. Nag 10:45
06. Wait For Me 13:27
07. Black Leather 17:39
08. Crimson & Clover 20:50
09. You Don't Know What You've Got 24:05
10. Victim of Circumstance 27:15
11. I love playin with fire 34:02
12. Do You Wanna Touch 36:40
13. Shout 41:16
14. Rebel Rebel 46:22
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Some excellent Joan Jett and the Blackhearts CD's in store at our Amazon affiliate HERE.
