[Tim Arnold]

Thanks Leif for posting the link to that website. I’ve been colorizing old family photos all evening. Only a few more hundred to go. Lol. I like the technology of colorizing old movies and pictures as long as we don’t destroy the originals.

[Tim Arnold]

That’s sad. I seen him play on The Midnight Special a few times and always liked his songs. I love Sundown, Carefree Highway and of course The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Such a haunting tribute. I agree with Chris, seems like a lot of great artists passing away recently. A sad result of growing older I guess.

[Tim Arnold]

This is another of my favorite all time albums and album covers. Great 2 record set with a lot of interesting pictures on the jacket. The Rolling Stones “Exile On Main St.”

[Tim Arnold]

Hi Jurgen, You are right about those album jackets being too nice to be put in a rack. As a teen I used to pin them up on my bedroom wall like posters. The ones by female artists were particularly nice. Heart and Linda Ronstadt were two of my favorites. The best album cover of all (for me) was Moontan by Golden Earring. Radar Love was on this LP. If you don’t know the cover you can look it up. I could post a picture but I don’t want to be scolded by Mona and Lisa. It had a strategically placed label on the shrink wrap and when you took the plastic off it revealed a totally naked showgirl. I never put that one on my wall. My Mom would have burned it. Lol… Wait, Maybe I can post it this way

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by  Tim Arnold.

[Tim Arnold]

David , one of the other independent artists I follow is Reina Del Cid. Her and her friend Toni Lindgren do a lot of the same covers as the Twins and also some originals although I don’t think they have recorded any original albums. I would think their numbers would be a good comparison with the Twins. Samantha Fish may be comparable as she has a few covers with lots of views but also has 7 original albums but is mostly blues orientated. Liliac band may also be comparable. They’re a family band from California that play heavier rock music. They have a couple original albums and covers that include Paranoid by Black Sabbath and Enter Sandman by Metallica. Very talented group of 5 siblings managed by their father. Truth is I don’t listen to these bands as much since I found the Mona Lisa Twins.

[Tim Arnold]

Hi David, aside from the numbers it amazes me that the Beatles songs are still so popular some 60 years since they burst onto the scene. Even though Mona and Lisa have many great original songs and have done many great covers of other bands, the Beatles covers are the top 12 or better on each list. The Beatles were and still are the most popular band of all time and there’s not even a close second. What a band.

[Tim Arnold]

Hi Jung, I like watching these old videos too. Even the black and white ones are interesting. I’m surprised the sound is so good. I think it would be dangerous trying to cross the street on foot. The bicycles looked as fast as the automobiles.

[Tim Arnold]

Arnold Clan. 7 of my sisters, 5 brothers and 1 niece. 3 boys not yet born, including me.

[Tim Arnold]

Picture of my wife when she was very young, around 1962

[Tim Arnold]

I remember Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and always liked seeing them on some of the old TV variety shows. I just didn’t know any of their albums. I checked out the cover of Whipped Cream and it looks “delicious”. Thanks David.

[Tim Arnold]

Hi David, I’m not familiar with the Herb Alpert album Whipped Cream. I’ll have to look it up. Golden Earring was a Dutch band (I believe) that had 2 monster Rock n Roll hits. Radar Love in the 70s was on the Moontan album. In the 80s they had a hit song called The Twilight Zone that was played on MTV a lot. As far as I know they are still playing with their original lineup.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  Tim Arnold.

[Tim Arnold]

Hi Jurgen. I really didn’t know much about the pictures on the cover other than it was a collection of mostly circus and sideshow freaks and performers. The inside and back had pictures of the band and crew in black and white that were shot on one of the backstreets in LA where they finished the album. Photographer Robert Frank took the pictures. I researched it a little and apparently The band wanted pictures that portrayed them as “runaway outlaws using the blues as its weapon against the world”. The cover photo that was used was already published in a book by Robert Frank. I just remember looking at all the odd and somewhat creepy pictures while listening to the album. The two albums with Rock, Blues, Jazz and Country were just as much a collage as the cover photos. I would stack the two LPs on my turntable, throw on my headphones and crawl into bed and drift off to sleep listening to all that great Stones music.

[Tim Arnold]

I agree with you Jacki. It seems even the classic rock and classic country stations only have certain songs they play or maybe are obligated to play. I’ve never looked into it but I would bet some big music corps are controlling the playlists. I think MLT has found a more fulfilling way of doing business. They may not make a million dollars overnight but I think they have made a solid foundation that will sustain them for as long as they want to make music. Plus they have the freedom to choose what music they play and what videos to shoot and they seem to be very happy doing things their way.

[Tim Arnold]

Hi Jung. It looks like you guys have covered this topic in the past. I’m sure it’s even more of an issue in the heavier Rock n Roll bands. Interesting reading Lisa’s explanation. I knew about why they use monitor speakers facing each of the musicians but didn’t know about the spacing of musicians and monitors on the bigger stages. Makes sense. I believe the Beatles may have been the first band to use monitors because they said the first big arena shows the did that they couldn’t hear themselves over the crowd. I see quite a few bands using the ear monitors also now. My brother Tom played in clubs and bars for many years and suffered from hearing loss because of it. He compensated for it by just turning his amp up louder. Obviously not a good solution. Interesting topic. I think I liked AC/DC more in the early days with Bon Scott on vocals. They were more of a raw and raunchy Rock n Roll band. I do like a lot of their stuff with Brian though, Back In Black album and Black Ice album are my favorites. It’s still great Rock n Roll but much louder.

[Tim Arnold]

Thanks for the comment Jung. Yeah, I can’t imagine being exposed to that noise level for 35 years. From what I know Brian thought his career was over and was quite depressed. He was able to get help through some experimental procedures by a Doctor from Denver. Quite an ordeal I guess but was eventually able to rejoin the band. Very cool that you seen them play live. I’ve been a fan for many years but never have seen them live.