Eagle Vision’s release of the here-to-fore missing in action Rolling Stones 1974 concert film “Ladies and Gentleman, The Rolling Stones” topped my list for most watched and listened to Blu-Ray DVD’s last year and continues to be in the “close to the Playstation 3” pile. Read why in my review at PiercingMetal.com. Also check out the archived review of the equally good “Stones In Exile” documentary here on SkeletonPete.
Category: Music
My current immersion in the creative recording process with Dance Half Done made the opportunity to see an advance screening of “The Harmony Game”, a new documentary on the making of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album, an all-the-more special treat. When my wife saw that this early public peek would be at one of our favorite venues, City Winery, we jumped at the chance.
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” marked the pinnacle of S & G’s recording career as well as the dissolution of their creative partnership for many years afterward. This film was created specifically to accompany the 40th Anniversary Edition of that 1970 album which is scheduled for release on March 8th, 2011. It will have a limited engagement in theaters throughout the month.
Like The Beatles, as Simon and Garfunkel’s public popularity grew in leaps and bounds, their creativity and imagination in the studio (and the record company’s willingness to indulge it) grew concurrently. The film is an enjoyable mix of anecdotes and archival footage, some culled from the contemporaneous TV special “Songs of America”, of that process. Along with new in-depth interviews with Paul and Artie , the 70 minute chronicle offers talks with co-producer/engineer Roy Halee, “wrecking crew” drummer Hal Blaine, arranger Jimmie Haskell, and others.In particular it is great to see the unsung hero of sixties pop hits, bass player Joe Osborn, finally get some face time on screen. Based on his session-ography he deserves a documentary of his own.
Halee, credited as the sonic architect of the duo’s recorded legacy, relates in some detail the process he used to get the group’s unique vocal sound, and the amount of experimentation – especially with natural ambiance – invested in the project. Blaine tells the legendary elevator story, the “instrument” playing the solo in “The Boxer” is revealed, as is who fingerpicks its beautifully fluid opening run. Unfortunately multi-instrumentalist session player Larry Knechtel passed away in 2009. It is his piano work we hear on the gospel inspired title song; a track that was the culmination of a 3 day session to work out its arpeggios, counterpoints and turnarounds to perfection. There is no mistaking that perfection was the goal, putting that many uber-talented “type A” personalities in one room made for a creative pressure cooker but their talents thankfully went beyond note perfect to soul perfection.
To some extent the film follows the now familiar “classic albums” formula, but leaves us short of what is often the most enjoyable part – a trip through the multi-tracks. As Osborn relates in one segment, a finished track was often a pastiche of the best pieces of several takes and a listen to bits that got left out, experiments that failed, etc. would have been fun. That is not to say that the soundtrack does not include bits of alternate and/or early takes.
For those of us who have already owned the album in any number of formats and remastered versions since it’s first release, it is this documentary that will make the 40th Anniversary Edition worth owning. At a street price likely to be under $15.00 for the whole package it is quite a bargain.
For more information on some of the artists mentioned above visit:
Simon and Garfunkel Website
Roy Halee: An in depth interview circa 2001 in Mix Magazine.
Drummer Hal Blaine and Bassist Joe Osborn. Their session credits are mind-blowing.
James, Georgia and Ira kicked off the 2010 CMJ Marathon at MOG’s Brooklyn Bowl blow out. Only the second bowling alley gig of their career, they played to an audience of appreciative fans while folks on the alleys threw “Jersey-side” strikes in their honor.
They dumped a Farfisa in front of me but I got some nice shots anyhow. Hope you dig them.
I never to miss an opening act. I learned that lesson on my first concert adventure in June of 1971 at The Fillmore East. I attended a show by headliners Bloodrock. Bloodrock you might not remember unless you’re my vintage and even then probably for one radio hit, the dirgy “DOA”. Opening for them was a scraggly batch of Arizonans who were in the process of interpreting bits of the guignol and inventing horror rock. They were called Alice Cooper (as in the band, not the man). You get the point.
Once again – just this week at MOG’s CMJ event – I was blown away by a great opening band, Screaming Females. Screaming Females are in reality one screaming female, Marissa Paternoster, who lets her guitar do most of the screaming. Michael Abbate is on Bass and Jarrett Dougherty is the drummer.
It’s about big chunky distorted riffs you’ll actually remember, sleek not ploddy, punky vox with an interesting vibrato, nimble guitar solos that are integral to their songs melodic structures. Their CMJ set featured a healthy helping of tunes from their newest album. It’s called “Castle Talk” and it was released just weeks ago on Don Giovanni Records. I bought a copy at the merch table and have been enjoying their other albums on MOG the past few days.
Click any image to launch the lightbox gallery.
I’m already a big fan of MOG, so it was a treat to be invited to a special CMJ show sponsored by the music subscription service. The event was held at Brooklyn Bowl and featured The Screaming Females, DOM and much loved Yo La Tengo.
Though MOG began as an online social network to help music fans share their likes and discoveries it has in the past year expanded into a full fledged music delivery system. For the nominal fee of $5.00 a month ($10 to be mobile) you have legal access to the continuously growing ocean of music on their servers These are not 30 second snippets from which you must choose to purchase, this is fully streamed tunes and albums.
As an inveterate collector, people have been surprised to hear me espousing the virtues of a subscription routine as my current source of music. I can only say that though I still have love of the “objects” of music delivery (LP’s, Cassettes, CD’s, 45rpm’s, even 8-Tracks) one issue arises after years of collecting – space. MOG comes along at just the time I have to ask the question “Where would I put the fruits of 50 years of collecting music if the physical collection continues to grow?”
What I find most rewarding about the MOG site is the ability to experiment to my heart’s delight. MOG effectuates its social origins to offer “moggers” playlist building and sharing options, as well as Facebook style friending of those who share similar tastes should they choose to do so. The “radio slider” on its player allows expansion of artists you’re hearing based on ID tags, therefore upping the likelihood you’ll find something new to enjoy.
Most importantly MOG offers the mobile user the ability to download as much music as their device can fit for those instances when connection is impossible or impractical, like when I’m driving through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel on the way to a concert. At this moment in time that is the clincher, the “cake-and-eat-it-too” feature, that makes MOG the best choice of current subscription services.
So thanks to the MOG folks for creating a way for me to continue to feed my ravenous music appetite without welcoming a visit from the producers of “Hoarders”, thanks for turning me on to the Screaming Females (a band I love today which I did not know on Monday) and thanks to Abigail of MMN for the invitation and kind greeting. Yes, we really are considering MOG 6 month starter subscriptions as Christmas presents.