Saw Santana twice. Once at Wembley, once in Sydney. This is my favourite - Baila Mi Hermana (Dance Sister Dance). This live version is pretty special. It was broadcast by the BBC in 1976 when I was only 16 and it blew me away. Been a fan ever since. Great vocal from Greg Walker: Check Three percussionists belting crap out of stuff: Check Awesome bass line: Check Great keyboard with Tom Coster at the end: Check Jaw-dropping Carlos at his best: Check
55, They were a good band led by Albert Lee. I had the album for quite a while until someone nicked it. It was only years later that I realised that Chas was in it. Or rather I realised who he was. Pity they didn`t really last that long.
That. Plus... one of my pet hates which doesn't seem to have got any better even after all these years is the camera closeup on the guitar player's pick hand Show me what they're actually playing ffs!
One of my first loves was and still is the blues. If I could only own one blues album it would be Muddy Waters' 1977 classic - "Hard Again". Johnny Winter got him into the studio and it's a piece of magic. You can hear and feel the fun they're having. And it rocks hard. Live... Later track (live)...
Another legend gone in 2016: RIP Keith Emerson. Always preferred Yes/ Wakeman but a pioneer in the genre nonetheless. Always liked this, and it's pertinent to the Swans as they still run out to it. "Karn Evil 9" also known as "Welcome back my friends..." Or the breakneck speed of "Hoedown". You have to have bags of ability to pull this off:
Looks like a suicide, shame, another one gone. RIP. Not my cup of tea musically but I appreciate the musicianship.
George Martin 1926 - 2016 Can't let his passing go without a mention. He truly was the "Fifth Beatle" and integral to the magic they created. Here's a track George also played on... From wikipedia - The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge. At that time, Lennon had not decided what instrument to use, but he subsequently asked George Martin to play a piano solo, suggesting "something Baroque-sounding". Martin wrote a Bach-influenced piece that he found he could not play at the song's tempo. On 22 October, the solo was recorded with the tape running at half speed, so when played back at normal pace the piano was twice as fast and an octave higher, solving the performance challenge and also giving the solo a unique timbre, reminiscent of a harpsichord.
I Love Zero 7 - particularly their earlier stuff. The Kings of Downtempo Cool for sure. If you like something a bit different listen to this. This isn't them (more of them to follow) but I think their remix of Lambchop's "Up With People" is outstanding. Fond memories of my sailing days around Majorca here. "We are screwing up our lives today". Still true, sadly.
