MLT Club Member Tim Arnold
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
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I had forgotten about Melanie until the Twins released their cover of Look What They’ve Done To My Song. I remember that song and Brand New Key from when I was young. Since the Twins release I have went down the Melanie rabbit hole on YouTube several times. What a talented and uniquely gifted singer and songwriter. It’s hard to describe what makes her special, she is just that, special. And she would have been so fun to hear live.
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Here’s a performance I remember watching on TV the night it aired. The Kennedy Center honoring among others the classic rock band Led Zeppelin. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson from the band Heart were there to play Stairway To Heaven with the US president and first lady in the audience as well as the three living members of Led Zeppelin and deceased member John Bonham’s son Jason playing drums. No pressure at all. Ann Wilson was 62 years old when she delivered this epic performance.
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Here’s a great performance of the band called The Band. Best name for a band ever. I always liked Levon Helm’s singing and he could certainly do it live.
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Yeah she is amazing, she came back a few years later as the headliner and everybody knew who she was. It was a huge crowd and we had the grandstands rocking and it was a great show but something about that first show and being that close to an incredible vocalist singing at the top her lungs, I swear she didn’t need a microphone. I’m sure she wondered why I was just standing there, I was in a trance. Every time her eyes met mine it was like a laser burning into my brain. It was an experience I could never get listening to a record, even a live one.
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Yeah I wasn’t sure of the dates or who was president. I think It had been an annual event to have the Beach Boys there but somebody was trying to cancel it until the fans spoke up.
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Yeah Jung, there isn’t a band that’s more American than the Beach Boys. They pretty much defined the California sound in the 60’s and beyond and set the standard for Rock n Roll harmonies. Yeah, I love seeing Brian on stage and Dennis back there pounding the Drums. I think they really lost something when he passed away. I know first hand you really can’t replace a brother.
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Thanks Jung, What an amazing performance. I couldn’t imagine being in a crowd that big listening to the Beach Boys and singing and bopping along to the music. What a great time. As I recall, initially the White House had cancelled the show saying the Beach Boys weren’t the image of America that they wanted to project. Almost instantly they got so much backlash from the public that they were forced to reschedule it and apologize to both the American public and the band. Geez, if the Beach Boys don’t represent America then you might as well make the Grand Canyon a garbage dump and shoot all the bald eagles. Politicians should keep their noses out of music and sports, sorry about the rant. I’ve never been in a crowd that size at a concert, maybe 10,000 at some of the outdoor concerts on the Ft. McCoy military base. Motley Crue had a big crowd there as well as Brooks & Dunn/ Lynyrd Skynyrd show.
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Hi Nicholas, That’s an interesting way to look at it and it makes a lot of sense. When an artist is recording in the studio they are trying to put their best interpretation of their song on to the tape, and can make changes and try different mixes to see what sounds the best. Maybe that’s why they call the finished disc a record. If I’m listening to music at home or in the car I’d rather listen to studio music. A lot of live records just aren’t that great sound wise. There are a few exceptions of course like the Twins Live at the Cavern Club, and it’s mostly because of the outstanding sound recording by Papa Rudi. When I go see a live show, the sound doesn’t have to be perfect nor do the songs have to be perfect. I go to watch and listen to human beings playing music and I expect mistakes. But there is a connection between me and the artists that I can’t get from a record. It’s hard to explain but I’m sure most music fans can relate to it.
Here’s a live video of The MonaLisa Twins at the Half Moon Putney probably recorded with a phone or laptop. The sound isn’t real good but the feeling is there, along with the obvious talent of the performers. I love the vocals of Mona and James, I love the sound of Jake’s drums and Mona’s harmonica and I love watching Lisa play her guitar, changing tone settings while singing lead. I love hearing Nothing Is In Vain played live. I hope I don’t get in trouble for sharing a MLT video that was made by someone else.
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David that’s pretty awesome, I think everyone in America fell in love with the Osmonds, so much talent. I remember seeing them on just about every variety show on TV. Yeah, these four boys are very young in this clip and to think there were a few more talented siblings to follow including a sister, little Marie.
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That sounds amazing, I never seen him live but I believe you. I’ve watched a lot of Elton’s live performances on You Tube and I do like them more than his studio recordings even though he’s had a lot of great records. Just a major talent. It’s fun to be at a show like that when it’s so good it affects you emotionally. I’ve been at a few that were more than just a band playing on stage, they were events. Willie Nelson and Family played our county fair one year and there about 8,000 people there. Families, kids, teenagers, farmers , bikers and old hippies like me. Everyone singing and little groups dancing together. Everyone just having a great time. It was easy to see Willie and the band was enjoying it too. They were passing a jug around onstage and played for over 2 hours, just so much fun.
John Fogerty played at Freedom Fest in La Crosse one year. It’s an outdoor venue at the airport and part of an annual airshow and raises money for the Freedom Flight program that pays for veterans to fly to D.C. to visit the war memorials. Anyway when John played that night it seemed the whole crowd was singing every word to every song, especially the old CCR songs. Many times he would start a song and never sing a word, the crowd was singing them for him. He just played and smiled and you could tell how proud he was and how moved he was that his songs meant that much to us. One of those special feelings you can only experience at a live show.
My wife was a fan of the country singer Martina McBride. We bought tickets to see her at our county fair opening for Merle Haggard. It so happened Merle had a heart attack and had to cancel. They moved Martina to the top billing and the Bellamy Brothers opened for her. Martina is a tiny lady with a powerful voice and icy blue eyes that can burn a hole in your heart. She only had a couple minor hits at the time but she sang some classic songs everyone knew and sang a few great Merle Haggard tunes in tribute to Merle. Not a real big crowd either as a lot of people turned in there tickets after Merle cancelled. We had great seats but I had a camera and wanted to get closer so ended up in front of the stage standing 10 feet directly in front of her, mesmerized by those gorgeous eyes and that golden voice. I was so in awe I forgot to take any pictures. Here’s a video of a new song she introduced that night. Her signature song Independence Day. Imagine her standing 10 feet in front of you singing this song and looking directly at you. I still get chills thinking about it.
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Yeah, I am real glad they cleaned up their act before that lifestyle destroyed them. I never seen the band with Dennis. I seen Ray twice, once touring under the Dr. Hook name and once just as Ray Sawyer. Ray was a great singer in his own right as well as Bill Francis who was the tall keyboard player. They really had some great harmonies too.
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Thanks Daryl, Dr. Hook is one of my all-time favorites and I like their 80’s pop records too. They even had a disco hit with Sexy Eyes. But there first 3 or 4 albums were the best, I still go back and listen to them now. Ray Sawyer was a cool dude and toured on his own up until he passed away a few years ago. My younger brother has a copy of The Rolling Stone magazine with their picture on the cover that Ray signed for him and dedicated it to my mother who also loved their music. The majority of the songs on those first 3 albums were written by Shel Silverstein who has quite a biography in his own right. There’s some great videos on YouTube of a time the group spent relaxing on Shel’s houseboat. Having a good time and playing some great music. No matter how influenced they were by controlled substances, when they started playing, they were as tight and dedicated as any band I’ve heard or seen. Here’s a sad song from those houseboat sessions that demonstrates their commitment to a song, incredibly done by lead vovalist Dennis Locorriere.
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Chris, I love the Tumbleweed Connection album as well as Honky Chateau. Here’s my favorite from Tumbleweed called Country Comfort. I actually first heard the song on a Rod Stewart album but Rod’s version was missing the last verse. Maybe he didn’t want to sound too “country”. My brother’s band used to play it a lot. Who knew a song by a British rocker would go over so good in the bars in cow country.
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Thanks David, that’s a great performance. Looks like they were having fun too. I don’t know a lot about the Seekers. I only remember Georgie Girl off the top of my head, I think they sang that one. I’m sure I’ve heard others, I definitely remember the name. It would have been fun to be there in the audience. And, it didn’t look like the fly bothered her at all, that’s a pro.
Speaking of distractions while performing. I don’t know if you remember the hit record of Billy Swan called I Can Help. At the end of the recording you can hear people clapping. The story goes that Billy was recording barefoot and his dog was also in the studio. While he was recording the song, his dog kept licking his bare feet and Billy kept trying to brush him away while not missing a beat. The studio musicians were so impressed they gave him a round of applause. Here’s a video of the song which I believe are live vocals layered on top of the original recording. I’ve heard that was common practice for TV and it sounds like the original music with the clapping at the end.
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Thanks for posting that one Chris, Elton is really one of the all time greats and had so many great songs over the years, some of the best in pop/rock history. Crocodile Rock was the first one I remember hearing and I really liked it and a lot of his early stuff like Rocket Man, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Funeral For A Friend is another great song, especially live.