Monthly Archives: March 2013

Phil Ramone – Pioneering Record Producer

Record producers and engineers are rarely well known.  Phil Ramone may not be top of mind when you think of important music personalities of the last 50 years, but his influence is revealed in his obituaries that ran today – he passed away on March 30th at age 79.  The range of musicians he contributed his talents to is amazing – spend a few minutes reading through his discography here (Phil Ramone Discography) and rummage around his website to learn more.

Among his recent efforts was producing Amy Winehouse’s last recording, “Body and Soul”, sung with Tony Bennett for his “Duets II” album (the song won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance).  Among his first efforts was the record that started the Bossa Nova jazz craze in America, “Getz/Gilberto”, featuring the iconic “The Girl From Ipanema” (the album won multiple Grammys including Album of the Year in 1965).

In 1978 Ramone produced Billy Joel’s “52nd Street”. Another Album of the Year, this one in 1980, it was the first album commercially released on CD. Remember the CD?

Here’s a video of “Honesty” from “52nd Street”

Buy music:

Happy Birthday, Sir Elton!

March 25th is Elton John’s birthday – he turns 66.  He’s expected to release a new studio album later in 2013, but his most recent efforts involve a collaboration with the Australian electronic dance duo Pnau.  In the 2012 release “Good Morning to the Night – Elton John vs Pnau”, samples from John’s catalog are woven into new electronica tracks.

The first video below is an interview with John, Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes telling the story of how they got together and what they’re up to. The second clip is Pnau’s “Phoenix” that pulls heavily from “Grey Seal”.  Click here (Pnau ) to get to  the Pnau artist page with a link to the title track of the new album.

Elton John shares a birthday with Aretha Franklin (Happy 71st Queen of Soul!), and the two appeared together for a benefit concert / TV special 20 years ago.  Half way through this clip you’ll see a chorus of superstars who sang at the event.

Couldn’t finish this post without including a favorite song from a favorite Elton John album. “Come Down in Time” is a gem from the flawless “Tumbleweed Connection”.

Buy music:

Dave Grohl Documents the History of Sound City

Dave Grohl’s 2013 plunge into documentary filmmaking “Sound City” mines the history of the recently shuttered studio where Nirvana’s “Nevermind” was recorded.  Grohl weaves many story lines together in his film, from the people who built and ran Sound City, to the technology that made the studio famous and the later technology that doomed it, to the string of major artists that passed through its unassuming front door.  He concludes with a strong statement about the virtues of musicians hunkering down in a studio till inspiration and perspiration get it just right, and shows us what he means by releasing “Sound City 606”.

Check out the trailer for “Sound City”, then listen to one of the first songs released from the CD featuring Paul McCartney rocking as hard as he has since “Helter Skelter”.

Here’s a link to page on the Sound City Studio website that lists every album recorded there: Sound City Recordings.  It is an amazing list,  and the very first album ever recorded there was Spirit’s masterpiece “Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus”.  If you’re not familiar with that album or have forgotten what a tour de force it was, listen to “Nature’s Way” and “Mr. Skin”.

Buy music:

Music Websites – Wolfgang’s Vault, Daryl’s House and Tiny Desk Concerts

It’s probably fair to say that the granddaddy of all music websites is Wolfgang’s Vault.  If by any chance you’re not acquainted with it, discover this gold mine. In 2003 rock fan and businessman Bill Sagan bought the archives of legendary rock music promotor Bill Graham’s production company, archives which had collected dust for over a decade following Graham’s death in 1991.  In addition to uncovering an huge collection of mint condition photos, tickets, posters and other memorabilia from three decades of concert promotion, Sagan came upon an amazing treasure trove – thousands of live concert recordings.  Since Wolfgang’s Vault launched, recordings beyond Graham’s collection have been added as well.

You can sample the site for free, but if you check out the “Performers” list on the “Concert Vault” section of the website, you’ll see why a membership is the best money a rock music fan could ever spend.  And by the way, “Wolfgang” refers to Graham’s given name when he was born in Berlin before World War II.

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/

In 2007 Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates launched “Live from Daryl’s House”, a web series of performances featuring Daryl and his band hosting an incredibly broad range of artists.  Among the dozens of episodes, for example, are sessions with Nick Lowe, Cee lo Green, and Neon Trees.  See our earlier post for a link to an episode featuring Allan Stone and Daryl Hall

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

A potpourri of unknown and well-known artists cram into a corner at the offices of National Public Radio for its “Tiny Desk Concert” series.  You can hear stripped-down sets from blues giant Robert Cray, electro-pop favorite Passion Pit, and the late Chuck Brown – Godfather of Go-Go. And do check out the unknowns too.

http://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/

The Avett Brothers and Jackson Browne – Folk Rock Now & Then

Folk rock is getting plenty of attention these days.  With Mumford & Sons taking Best Album honors at the 2013 Grammy Awards, and John Mayer recalling the influences of the Laurel Canyon artists of the late 60’s and 70’s in his 2012 release “Born and Raised” (see our post from January 27 John Mayer), acoustic music and heart-felt songwriting are back.

The Avett Brothers were 2013 Grammy nominees for their sixth album “The Carpenter”, a Rick Rubin production.  We don’t know if the Avetts would claim him as an influence, but Jackson Browne’s 1974 classic album “Late for the Sky” shares some of the moods and breadth of “The Carpenter”, and Browne was among the central figures of that Laurel Canyon era.  Enjoy listening to “Winter in My Heart” from the Avetts and the title track of “Late for the  Sky”.

A nice set of interviews with the Avett Brothers and some unplugged performances appeared on CNN.  Start here:

Buy music: