N°127 BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS - SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR

Since the previous band released an album by the name of ‘Alligator’ the link was easily made with Bill Haley and his Comets and the song posted. It’s been a while though since I posted a classic song so there’s another good reason for the choice I’ve made.

Bill Haley died at the age of 55 when I was only 4 years old. We’re situating ourselves in 1981 then so you might wonder how I’ve got to know these songs. Well back in third grade I play backed him once with this song. Not a very good play back though but it got me to listen to some real old classics and that love for good old music never left.

It all started when Bill recorded the song Rock Around The Clock in 1954. Rock ‘n Roll was a very popular music and dance style in the fifties and Bill Haley would become one of the trendsetters of that genre. It wasn’t the biggest hit at first but when a dance movie with the same title was shown in all the movie theatres in 1956 his song was on the track list. It spread out around the whole world together with the increasing popularity of rock ‘n roll itself.

 

Bill was born to play music with a banjo playing dad and his mom being a pianist. With this musical influence he started his own band halfway the 1940’s. The band’s name would be Bill Haley’s Saddlemen but they changed the name at the recordings of their first album in 1951 into Bill Haley and the Comets.  At that same time he was known as one of the best yodellers in America and he performed as Silver Yodelling Bill Haley. He also lead a radio station in the 1940’s, all a continuation of his love for music.

With the success of songs such as ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’, ‘Rock Around The Clock’ and ‘See You Later alligator’ came the downside of success. Haley fought a long battle with alcohol and in the 1970’s he’d admit on national radio to be an alcoholic. This would nowadays probably mean the break-up of a band but The Comets kept touring and playing with Bill. While he and his environment coped well with his alcohol abuse it didn’t cause his death. A brain tumour did, diagnosed only weeks before his late 1980’s tour which got cancelled. His drinking problem got worse in the last few years of his life causing family problems.

Although his troubled life he was granted a star on the Hollywood walk Of Fame and he got post mortem ignaurated in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall Of Fame.

The Comets are still touring in their original form tributing Bill Haley and their successful music.

Enjoy the song and see you later alligator!

N°126 THE NATIONAL - ENGLAND

From a poppy boysband to some real indie music with the American band The National. When the success from East 17 dropped from the late nineties on, The National only began to dream about international success since they were founded in 1999.

The base of the band is formed by a double pair of brothers: Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf. The last one plays the drums while the rest of them all play guitar (or bass guitar). The only one who hasn’t got any relatives in the band is songwriter, frontman Matt Berninger. He’s also the only one who doesn’t play any instrument.

It took them quite a while to finally break through with their fourth album Boxer; release in 2007. The big success came even with the follow up album High Violet in 2010. One of the hits on this album is ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ while also ‘Is There A Ghost’ and ‘Terrible Love’ reached the top of the charts.

Before the Boxer album they started with an album in 2001 named after the band. I’ll also mention the other two albums: Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003) which was named by Chicago Tribune as album of the year and Alligator (2005). In between they created the studio EP Cherry Tree and after their first break through in 2007 they released a second EP The Virginia which contained some older work and B-sides. This EP was accompanied by a band documentary shot by Vincent Moon. Touring with Editors after the Alligator album helped their popularity amongst indie music lovers.

Personally I picked them up after their fourth album and I got to know them on their combined tour with Editors. I saw them perform at Pukkelpop festival and loved their work so very much I instantly became a bit of a fan. Good luck for me since East17 is a quarter in London, capital of the UK (England), and England is my favourite The National song.

Enjoy it.

N°119 - 3 DOORS DOWN - KRYPTONITE

A few songs back I went to Mississippi and already I return there when talking about the American rock band 3 Doors Down. They’re a band best known for the single I’ve used in the link which is an obvious link while using having Superman mentioned the song before. Kryptonite is also their first single ever released by them in the year 2000. Many call them a one hit wonder but if so then these critics are countered by the fact that not many one hit wonders produce five full albums in twelve years.

Following the hit single, 3 Doors Down got signed by Republic Records and they were given the chance to produce their first album A Better Life. I’m not a critic or anything and this blog is not made to promote any artist, song or album but I must agree with those who say this is their most decent album. One can still discuss if the 2002 Away From The Sun album is also as good as the primus but everything after I just don’t like for myself. This second album by the way overshadowed the first when it comes to copies sold. 3 Doors Down were a successful rock band.

Formed by drummer and vocalist Brad Arnold, guitar bass player Todd Harrell and lead guitar by Matt Roberts they started as a rock cover band. Over time Brad Arnold stated to write his own songs and these were mainly used for the band’s first album. After a while guitar player Chris Henderson joined the band and the first song Kryptonite saw the light as mentioned above followed by the album ‘A Better Life’. On that same album you’ll also find the song ‘Loser’ which I personally think is also a pretty darn good song.

For the next album a drummer got hired while another one did the tour. While the basis of the band stayed together the drums were manned by different people on different occasions. When I think of two songs on the first album I can only find one single worth mentioning on the second: ‘When I’m Gone’. Yet it was a very successful album to them.

After touring the band hosted their own benefit concert. These benefits would be held on a yearly base from 2003 on. 

Their popularity kept growing and when releasing ‘Seventeen Days’, their third studio album and again they went on tour. This time side by side with the band Lynerd Skynerd both headlining fifty-fifty on a tour around the USA. Again there’s only one song that got stuck in my memory and that’s ‘Landing In London’, a soft ballad like song.

Once more they’d dive into the studios and came out to present us the self-titled album in 2008 with more of the same. Songs like ‘It’s Not My Name’ and ‘Train’ aren’t that bad at all but when listening to it they don’t always live up to my expectations. Sorry for the fans but that’s just my opinion. They managed to record a Christmas song by the end of 2009 and this is actually where I think they went wrong. A true rock band does not, never ever, make a song meant for Christmas. Never !!! Luckily it was released to the world digitally and to my knowledge it doesn’t appear on their latest album.

Time Of My Life was recorded in 2010 and released halfway 2011. The band chose ‘When You’re Young’ to be the first single and ‘Every Time You Go’ as the second. Soft titles and soft songs. That’s what happens when a rock band makes Christmas carols. As always they started touring again but right after the tour around the USA and the UK had finished it was clear that Matt Roberts would leave the band with health issues.

Nowadays it is rumoured they’re working on a greatest hits album for 2013. We’ll see what it’ll bring but I’m sure it will find its way to the true fans.

N°115 - MUDDY WATERS - MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES

McKinley Morganfield is probably an unknown name to most of you but when I say Muddy Waters it should ring a bell amongst blues lovers. Muddy, born in 1913 is an old school, black souled, blues artist. It all started when he was given a blues harp at an early age. He’d later trade it in for an acoustic guitar and from that point on it was clear McKinley was made to play music. His nickname “Muddy” was given to him by his grandmother when he was still a young boy. Later Muddy would become Muddy Waters as his stage name.

His first trip to Chicago in 1940 to make it as a musician turned out to be a disappointment. He had to return to his home town a year later. He started a local café with a little stage he used to perform from time to time. This is where Alan Lomax passed his joint and recorded the first Muddy Blues song. This is also the first Time he believed in his music and to make a career out of it. He received a cheque for this Library of Congress recording and he went back to Chicago to give his music career another shot. At first he combined playing the guitar with a regular job but then Big Bill Broonzy picked him up as his opening act. Muddy switched to an electric guitar and his own career took a flight.

In 1948 he scored the first two hits with songs as ‘I feel Like Going Home’ and ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’ which opened the doors of the biggest blues clubs around Chicago. This lead to his best known song ‘Rollin Stone’. A song later picked up by Mick Jagger and his crew as his band name; also picked up by the world’s leading music magazine Rolling Stone Magazine. In the fifties, Muddy would form his own blues band and the success continued. He performed with the biggest blues musicians in the USA. Just listen to songs as ‘Sugar Boy’ and ‘Forty Days And Forty Nights’.

We’re talking 1958 when Muddy changes direction and tours around England where he discovers he has a huge amount of fans amongst white people who liked the sound of his electric blues combined with his great voice. In the sixties and seventies his music was put away for a while. Yet he kept recording with the biggest blues artists around the world. He even recorded a live session in London in 1972 and although being surrounded by great musicians he thought they couldn’t match his sound stating: “If you change my sound, you’ll change the whole man”.

Late 1970’s he makes a comeback LP named Hard Again, bringing Muddy back to his early Chicago sound. He starts touring again with James Cotton and the album will win a Grammy Award in 1978. That same year he’d bring back together some of his old partners to record another successfully album I’m ready. A year later the live Mississippi album was recorded with his regular band and it is said that only on this album you can hear him play just like he sits right next to you.  More albums followed but also the troubles came. His band asked more money for their contributions but Muddy’s manager didn’t give in. The band split shortly after. 

Muddy being close to his seventies cut back on performing in the nineteen eighties because of a problematic heart disease. He died of a heart failure in 1983 but in his 40 years of playing the blues on a professional level he influenced many music genres and many artists. I already mentioned Mick Jagger but he also helped out Chuck Berry early in his career. Jimi Hendrix also referred to him as his first icon. Other bands and artists would cover some of his songs. His songs also appear in different movies, especially movies situated around that era. He must one of the most influential people in the music business and that’s why he holds a position in the rock and roll hall of fame since 1987.

N°114 MARK LANEGAN BAND - BLEEDING MUDDY WATERS

Mark Lanegan, now touring under his solo career also works a lot with many other artists or performed in various bands such as The Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. I can already tell you neither of these bands will be next into the link but I’ll remember them for the near future maybe. I’ll stick to his solo work and liaisons just for now.

While being the frontman for The Screaming Trees Mark Lanegan started up a first project for a solo ep called The Winding Sheet. He did this together with no less than Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. At first it was supposed to be a bluesy album but it evolved into a more Tom Waits sounding art piece. This first liaison led to more co-working with other grunge bands. We’re talking way back, 1990. On this record there’s appeared a version of ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’, later covered by Nirvana as well.

Whiskey For The Holy Ghost followed four years after in 1994 with the known ‘Beggar’s Blues’ and ‘Riding The Nightingale’. It took mister Lanegan almost three years to create this album since the recording didn’t always satisfy him. This project was succeeded the year after by a guest appearance on a Mad Seasons album. He collaborated on two of the songs. Again we’d have to wait for another solo album: Scraps at Midnight. It was recorded during wintertime and mostly written in the dark of the winter nights, hence the title. This time Mark Lanegan produced an album I’ll Take Care Of You only the year after. Most of the songs on this album were used as B-sides for singles of the previous album. It sounded a little bit more like folk and punk than the fans were used to on the previous recordings.

A little jump into the link. If anyone would say that the Pukkelpop 2012 festival could be the link I can't blame them since both Diablo Blvd. and Mark Lanegan Band were scheduled. (I didn't get to see Mark Lanegan though) but I need this link a few songs from now to make another switch (yes I work a little bit up front for this blog) later on. So once more I found the link in the title: Black Heart BLEED followed by BLEEDing Muddy Waters ties in perfectly). Now back to the performer.

Mark sought help from Soundgarden’s bassist Ben Shepherd and recorded a fifth album in 2001; Field Songs and this would be the first of many collaborations with other artists such as PJ Harvey, Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone age and Greg Dulli from The Afghan Whigs. Also former Guns ‘n Roses members would contribute on his latest and most commercial album called Bubblegum. Probably he also profited from the guest appearance from all these artists and their respective fans. In between both albums Mark Lanegan became a full time member of Queens Of The Stone Age and he appeared on many of the band’s songs in this period. I must say I’ve seen him perform with the Queens back in 2004 and wasn’t really fond of his sound at the time. Did I know much this was Mark Lanegan to be honest? I started to appreciate him better only since a year or so. Sorry.  He left the band in 2005 when it comes to touring but would still perform with them from time to time.

In 2004 he’d help out the UK band Belle & Sebastian with additional vocals on the This Is Just The Same album. He’d also write a few songs for them later on and he’d join them on stage during a couple of concerts. He’d also help out on their Sunday at Devil Dirt album and in 2010 they released the album Hawk together. In that same period he’d also start up a project called The Gutter Twins with ex-The Afghan Whigs vocalist Greg Dulli. Nowadays when they come on stage as The Gutter Twins they usually perform as the setup of Dulli’s new band Twilight Sister but with Mark Lanegan added. Without Mark they perform as simply Twilight Sister.

This year Lanegan managed to produce yet another solo album after eight years of solo silence. It was named Blues Funeral and to me this is his best solo album so far. One of the songs was used for the movie The Hangover part II. Great movie by the way. As you can read he’s been around for ages and you can probably hear him in some kind of way on many, many albums or songs so, as did I in 2004, you probably have heard him already on the radio or so. Now it’s just a matter of appreciating his music so here’s one of his songs: