Cotton' picking good - About Albert Lee (from properganda.com)

From: www.properganda.com
Posted on 21 Dec, Albert's Birthday

Contains nothing new, but it's a good read. Also, the video is worth being checked out (link at the bottom).

Cotton pickin' good

‘Have guitar’ will travel’ has long been the motto of Albert Lee, whose glittering fretboard technique has backed up a bewildering array of musical greats in a career that’s now nudging half a century.
On this day 1943:


Albert LeeGuitarist Albert Lee born Leominster, Herefordshire. Relocating to South East London, Albert’s musical upbringing came in several local bands, initially on piano then on acoustic guitar. Switching to electric guitar, his first experience of touring came as the backing band to singers such as Dickie Pride and Sally Kelly.

Supporting himself with a variety of job including paint spraying and working in a laundry, Lee played in the house band at London’s 2Is Coffee Bar and as part of The Nightsounds played in Hamburg as a rival attraction to The Beatles on the Reeperbahn.

Part of a pool of promising guitar players (including Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page) who played in various groups, 1964 saw Albert’s recruitment by Chris Farlowe for his Thunderbirds for a long-term (four year) stint. Commercial success eluded them though and Lee returned to the role of guitar for hire – often with Country Fever, who backed various artists from the USA on their UK dates.

Evolving into Poet & The One Man Band and later Heads Hands & Feet, the latter would see Albert joined by Chas Hodges (later of Chas and Dave fame) and bring forth the first recorded version of his best-known tune “Country Boy” in 1971 – complete with trademark lightning picking.

After that band crumbled, Albert in his own words “bummed around London for a while, doing the odd session…” including a London recording date with Jerry Lee Lewis that also featured guitarists Alvin Lee and Rory Gallagher. Touring with Buddy Holly’s old backing band The Crickets led to work with Don Everly and Joe Cocker before a celebrated collaboration with Emmylou Harris began in 1976 – initially deputising for James Burton.

That lasted for two years (plus later short-term stints) after which Albert completed his solo album, “Hiding” eventually surfacing in 1979 with a dynamite reading of “Country Boy”, aided by contributions from Emmylou and Ricky Skaggs. Next came postings with Eric Clapton and The Everly Brothers plus a pair of instrumental albums “Speechless” 1986 and “Gagged But Not Bound”.

Bringing the story up to date, Albert has toured with his backing band Hogan’s Heroes since the late 1980s and is one of the pool of musicians who contribute to Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, a super-group featuring the likes of Gary Brooker, Andy Fairweather Low, Mike Sanchez and Georgie Fame. Phew.

See Albert knock out “Country Boy” with some well known Londoners – Gertcha!

Posted by Michael Bolam at 11:06 am, 21 Dec 2010

Bill Wyman in Radio 4 interview

Tuesday 21st December 2010

Bill Wyman contributed to this BBC Radio 4 documentary on Billy Preston
 - and you can listen to it until the end of December 2010 on BBC iPlayer.


Listen to Bill Wyman on Radio 4 talking about Billy Preston on iPlayer


Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It
Billy Preston was a musical genius. A child prodigy, he was first seen as a small boy performing live on national TV with Nat King Cole. He was a star of the Hammond Organ, an accomplished dancer and a talented singer-songwriter. He is the only person 'officially' recognised as the fifth Beatle, although that title would turn out to be more of a millstone than a milestone. By the 1970s he'd written three number one singles, toured and recorded with the Rolling Stones and collaborated with some of the biggest names in pop: Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Sly Stone, the Jackson 5 and Aretha Franklin to name just a few. His musical career was out of this world but his personal life was a disaster. He spent much of his life battling with drugs and even ended up in jail.

Fellow keyboard player and fan Rick Wakeman explores his incredible story. With contributions from the likes of Jools Holland, Bill Wyman, Pete Townshend and many more, this documentary also reveals - for the first time - the secret he spent his life suppressing. A secret his former manager Joyce Moore believes fuelled his personal problems.

NO STILETTO SHOES - Gary Brooker's 'andere Band' - 12 Dec 2010

Band Members:
Gary Brooker, p, voc
Andy Fairweather Low, git, voc
Dave Bronze, bass
Frank Mead, sax, harmonica, voc, percussions
Paul Beavis, drums

It's three whole years since Gary Brooker's "other" band, the fab No Stiletto Shoes, has played its Christmas shows, which have a wonderful atmosphere and feature fantastic R&B playing!
No longer able to use the habitual venue* near his home in Surrey (*which was the former Chiddingfold Club), Gary has agreed to play two gigs at the Riga Music Bar in Southend-on-Sea. I was lucky to attend the gig on 12 December 2010.

Fotos und mehr dazu gibt es auch auf der Procol Harum/Beyond the Pale Webseite. Die Webmaster haben freundlicherweise meinen Konzertbericht (in abgespeckter Form) verwendet sowie einige meiner Fotos auf ihrer Seite eingestellt.

Links:    Gudrun Schwartz's illustrated review (1)
Fotos Teil 1      Fotos Teil 2     Fotos Teil 3     Fotos Teil 4

My review (complete):

I added another day to my UK visit and went to see 'No Stiletto Shoes', Gary Brooker's 'other' band in Southend on Sea, The Riga Music Bar. According to the Riga Bar website, this show would certainly sell out, so I queued early for my ticket. All went well, and I was even able to get to the front row. What stroke me first, was the warm welcome by the lovely doorman who wished everybody a great evening. I noticed lots of people who seemed to know each other, certainly a Procol Harum/Gary Brooker 'In-Crowd' from all over the country and abroad.

Before the show started a DJ played good-time music from the Sixties, everybody sang along and was in good mood. Hogan's Heroes had played this venue earlier, and meanwhile the Riga people have installed a new PA system which provided a better sound.

The band was introduced by Mick Brownlee, former drummer with The Paramounts (The Paramounts were an English beat group, based in Southend-on-Sea. They had one hit single with their cover version of "Poison Ivy", which reached #35 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964, but are primarily known as the fore-runner to Procol Harum).

Again, thanks to the BtP people for putting up the setlist - I wouldn't have recalled all the songs without their help. The band played 2 sets with a short interval (where Gary went out for a smoke, others enjoyed a drink). Among the set list were many songs I've heard before by Andy Fairweather Low's band The Low Riders or the Rhythm Kings. It was good to see Frank Mead again, member of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, who was awesome on various instruments and also on vocals! He got much attention and stepped forward to the centre of the stage many times which he obviously enjoyed.

Andy Fairweather Low was in great shape, his excellent guitar work should be mentioned, also good to see Dave Bronze and Paul Beavis again who are members of Andy's Low Riders.

Gary Brooker enjoyed the show, the spark jumped over immediately when they started with TEQUILA - the audience acted as a great vocal section on more than one song and some people even enjoyed a dance. To my pleasure, the first song of the encore was GOOD NIGHT IRENE which is one of my all-time favourites, done by different artists. I had heard it last time by Gary Brooker on the Chiddingfold Show-Down Gig with Albert & HHs some years back.

The last song was of course A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, an absolute MUST, a great tune and a fantastic way to end the show.

Later Gary kindly signed me a CD cover. I also had the opportunity to have a few words with Frank who asked me if I enjoyed the show with these great musicians. Frank will play with the Rhythm Kings in January again so I will see him again before too long. Finally, we exchanged Christmas wishes, I said good night to him and his wife and I made my way back to the hotel.

ps. The ticket fee was 20 pounds and worth every penny for such great musicians!

________________________

Thanks again to the BtP people for putting up the setlist with their comments:

1 Tequila
The arrangements were mostly identical to those heard on Friday night at Ewhurst,  but the effect on this third outing, was more relaxed
2 No Money Down
3 Mary Ann
4 She’s Tough Tremendous again, with Frank's brutal laughter in the oddly-timed rhythm-gaps
5 (Brief guitar instrumental) One round of a well-known sixties instrumental tune, impromptu, guitar and bass
6 Travelling Light ‘The old Cliff Richard classic’
7 Too Much Monkey Business Starting off with the first chords of Apache;  Paul Beavis playing the offbeats  on the rim of the kick drum: very effective
8 Route 66 Andy explains (using a Welsh idiom) how he used to absent himself from school to learn this song. Dave comments that in English that’s called ‘bunking off’. The band debates the difference between a ‘bunk off’ and a ‘bunk up’ and concludes that the one frequently involves the other. The song itself breaks down for a moment when Andy loses his amplification.
9 Unchain My Heart
10 Youngblood
11 Lightning Boogie The Lightning Hopkins instrumental, again introduced as Chelmsford Bridge for cacographic reasons
12 You Got me Running Including two rounds of rhythm-section solo. Andy: ‘It’s the songs that make us sound good’
13 Shotgun - Extraordinarily fine alto solo from Frank Mead, man of the match
14 Sea Cruise
15 I Want to Walk you Hom Segue into next number ...
16 Blueberry Hill ... also by Fats Domino
17 Will the Circle Be Unbroken / Lay My Burden Down Gary’s piano solo mutates amusingly into Bye Bye Blackbird
18 You Can’t Judge a Book …
19 Wide Eyed and Legless
20 Poison Ivy Some debate about the key: GB starts in A, the others in G. When he performed this with The Palers’ Band in Denmark (2006) it was in A, though he then expressed a (mild) preference for G The Chain Just the riff, first on the piano and then (in a different key)  on the bass. Dave describes Paul as ‘a Jim Carrey look-alike’.
BtP has already concluded that he is also a fine Jeremy Hardy look-alike.  Gary describes Andy as, ‘A fine spirit to be close to, even though he’s from Wales’
21 Let it Shine on Me Andy, acoustic guitar; Frank, jaw’s harp, later bones. Segue (after a bit of palaver including a GB piano solo somewhat reminiscent of Mrs Mills, curtailed when Andy challenged him, ‘Aren’t you going to follow the plot?’)  into ...
22 Bring Me Li'l Water, Silvy Leadbelly skiffle feature
23 Old Black Joe
24 Goodnight Irene
25 A Whiter Shade of Pale GB, organ throughout,  starting with the intro from  the 1967 45 rpm arrangement.  Two verses.

Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes, Cranleigh Arts Centre - 11 Dec 2010

Last gig of the year: Cranleigh Arts Centre



Band:
Albert Lee, git, voc, key
Gerry Hogan, steel guitar, git
Peter Baron, drums, voc
Brian Hodgson, bass, backgr voc
Gavin Povey, key, voc

My brief comments:
My first visit there and certainly not the last. It was nice to meet up with Jilly and both of us enjoyed the excellent gig. I didn't write a review, just some photos up, please click on the Albert photo above to get to the album.
As to the setlist: They started with the old Fats Domino tune I'M READY which was the only change in the set list, everything else as usual.

It goes without saying that the boys were brilliant and we also spotted some familar faces in the crowd. Later we enjoyed some chats with Sue and the boys, exchanged Christmas wishes and eventually it was time to say bye-bye for this year. For me, it wasn't quite over as I had another highlight ahead before making my long way home: Sunday night saw me at the Gary Brooker gig with his 'other' band NO STILETTO SHOES at the Riga Bar, Southend.

Set List Cranleigh
Set 1 

I'M READY
RESTLESS
SONG AND DANCE
TRAVELLIN' PRAYER
RUNAWAY TRAIN
GLORY BOUND (Gavin Povey vocals)
I'M COMING HOME
WHEELS
I'LL NEVER GET OVER YOU (PB vocals)

THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE (mainly instrumental, Gav vocals)
RAD GUMBO
HIGHWAYMAN  (Albert on piano)
BREATHLESS  (Albert on piano, Gerry on guitar)

Set 2
BARNYARD BOOGIE
TWO STEP TOO
YOU'RE ONLY LONELY (Gerry & AL acoustic guitars)
LEAVE THE CANDLE (PB vocals, Albert, Brian backgr. voc)
ON THE VERGE
LET IT BE ME  (Albert on piano)
OH DARLING  (PB vocals)
LEAVE MY WOMAN ALONE
TILL I GAIN CONTROL AGAIN (Albert on piano)
COUNTRY BOY

Encore
SKIP ROPE SONG (Albert & Gav on pianos)
TEAR IT UP

 

The Venue's History:

At the eastern end of Cranleigh High Street, is a beautiful old building which began its life as the village school in 1847. For 117 years, the school housed generations of Cranleigh children, providing education for over 200 pupils at any one time. In 1966 it was closed and it wasn’t until 1978 that Waverley Borough Council, who owns the building, leased it to the Arts Centre.

During this time the main hall was used for numerous activities including exhibitions, sports such as badminton and Adult Education classes.

Funding received in the early 1980s was used to develop the performing arts for the community. Originally run by volunteers, the first paid member of staff, an Administrator, was employed in the late 1980s.

1995 saw months of hard work and exciting designs resulting in a Lottery application being submitted to the Arts Council of England. A nail-biting wait of eleven months followed before the fantastic news came that the centre had been awarded an amazing £1.056 million. Additional funding came from the Foundation of Sports and Arts and Cranleigh Arts Centre’s own resources.

The Arts Centre went through major refurbishment and in 1998 reopened its doors to the public as a new and improved, fully accessible site offering a platform for local artists and performers to display their works of art.
 

Eye for the Ordinary: Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes Live at The Tivoli Wimbourne - 10 Dec 2010

The Venue at Wimbourne, photo: gs

Band:
Albert Lee, git, voc, key
Gerry Hogan, steel guitar, git
Peter Baron, drums, voc
Brian Hodgson, bass, backgr voc
Gavin Povey, key, voc



I imported the following illustrated blog as I was at the concert. The gig at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimbourne was recorded for a DVD and photos were not allowed apart from some official ones. Nevertheless I was happy to attend this very special event. The DVD is called  "Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes LIVE AT THE TIVOLI" and was released in March 2011, Label: Heroic Records. Also, on 23.12.2012 (in Germany on 17.02.2012) a corresponding double CD was released named "Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes - "On The Town Tonight", recorded live at The Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, England.

Habe dieses Blog importiert, weil ich dort war und bei der Aufnahme dabeisein durfte. Fotos waren während des Konzerts nicht erlaubt (mit Ausnahme einiger offizieller). Danke für den Artikel und die Fotos.

Eye for the Ordinary: Albert Lee Live:
"Just before Christmas I had the opportunity to photograph guitar legend Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes doing a concert in Wimbourne Minster..." - for more follow the above link.





Setlist
01 Your Boys
02 Restless
03 Song And Dance
04 Travellin' Prayer
05 Runaway Train
06 Glory Bound
07 Wheels
08 I'll Never Get Over You
09 The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
10 Rad Gumbo
11 Highwayman
12 Breathless
13 Barnyard Boogie
14 Two Step Too
15 I'm Coming Home
16 You're Only Lonely
17 Leave The Candle
18 On The Verge
19 Let It Be Me
20 Oh Darling
21 Leave My Woman Alone
22 'Til I Gain Control Again
23 Country Boy
Encore
24 Skip Rope Song
25 Tear It Up

Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes, Boom Boom Club Sutton - 09 Dec 2010

Boom Boom Club Sutton

Band:
Albert Lee, git, voc, key
Gerry Hogan, steel guitar, git
Peter Baron, drums, voc
Brian Hodgson, bass, backgr voc
Gavin Povey, key, voc


2010 back to the Boom Boom Club after missing out last year, however, this time Jilly couldn't make it. Arrived in good time and as always Pete Feenstra gave me a warm welcome, thanks for that. I felt comfortable at this venue and it was nice to meet up with other fellow fans I had seen on earlier HHs gigs. The club got rather busy, all seats were taken and even the bar area got eventually packed with people. The band were awesome, a relaxed atmosphere and I enjoyed talking to my neighbour to the left and his daughter. It turned out that we had been to eaarlier gigs at The Troubadour London and will certainly meet again!

No support this time, they started rather early mainly because of the bad weather conditions and to allow people for last trains. Pete Feenstra spoke some warm welcoming words as every year. As this was Gavin's first gig at the Boom Boom, he was given a special introduction. Glad to see that his songs went down well and got extra cheers! Among the audience was Phil Cranham of the Everly Brothers Band and Albert dedicated the Everly tune LET IT BE ME to him. I spotted Wayne Lee in the crowd but this time he didn't join for the encore. It was over too soon, friends & band enjoyed chatting and taking lots of photos. Luckily, my hotel wasn't too far away, and I left for an early night being dead tired from all the driving.

The only downside: The fire red spotlights made it impossible to take proper shots so just a handful of poor black-and-white photos.

Set List
Set 1
I'M READY
RESTLESS
SONG AND DANCE
TRAVELLIN' PRAYER
RUNAWAY TRAIN
GLORY BOUND (Gavin)
I'M COMING HOME
WHEELS
I'LL NEVER GET OVER YOU (P Baron vocals)
THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE (Gav vocals)
RAD GUMBO
HIGHWAYMAN  (Albert on piano)
BREATHLESS  (Albert on piano, Gerry on guitar)

Set 2
BARNYARD BOOGIE
TWO STEP TOO
YOU'RE ONLY LONELY (Gerry & AL on identical acoustic guitars)
LEAVE THE CANDLE (PB vocals, Albert, Brian backgr. voc)
ON THE VERGE
LET IT BE ME  (Albert on piano)
OH DARLING  (PB vocals)
LEAVE MY WOMAN ALONE
TILL I GAIN CONTROL AGAIN (Albert on piano)
COUNTRY BOY

Encore
SKIP ROPE SONG (Albert & Gav on pianos)
TEAR IT UP

Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes, West End Centre Aldershot - 08 Dec 2010

West End Centre Aldershot

Band:
Albert Lee, git, voc, key
Gerry Hogan, steel guitar, git
Peter Baron, drums, voc
Brian Hodgson, bass, backgr voc
Gavin Povey, key, voc

Aldershot was the first gig of the bands' remaining 4 gigs in 2010, and I decided to see them all. I have mixed memories about this place as I got lost several times on my way to the venue which isn't easy to find ... 

It was nice to meet up with Sue and some people I had met on other gigs. Also nice to see Jane Craxton, we enjoyed the show but as it was so busy we could only find seats some rows back. I had to zoom to the limit to get some decent photos. Sold out as usual, great gig, and Peter made some jokes in his announcements which are always a good laugh. Albert used a different guitar this time, another Ernie Ball signature model in blue colour. The stage is very small, Gerry and Gavin both sat at the far ends almost hidden behind huge speakers. As it was such a cold night, their 'instrumental' THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE got some extra applause!

The band did their usual set without any changes and signed patiently for their fans after the show despite of the draughty foyer where they had to sit. After treating myself with some hot coffee I made my way back through the cold night - this time without getting lost ...


Setlist
01 Your Boys
02 Restless
03 Song And Dance
04 Travellin' Prayer
05 Runaway Train
06 Glory Bound
07 Wheels
08 I'll Never Get Over You
09 The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
10 Rad Gumbo
11 Highwayman
12 Breathless
13 Barnyard Boogie
14 Two Step Too
15 I'm Coming Home
16 You're Only Lonely
17 Leave The Candle
18 On The Verge
19 Let It Be Me
20 Oh Darling
21 Leave My Woman Alone
22 'Til I Gain Control Again
23 Country Boy
Encore
24 Skip Rope Song
25 Tear It Up

Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes at 100Club London - 03 Dec 2010

100Club London - 03 Dec 2010

After the great 'Save the 100 Club gig' feat.Ronnie Wood, Stephen Dale Petit, Chris Barber, Dick Taylor and many others two days earlier, I went to pay the Club a second visit, this time to see Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes.

Line-Up:
Albert Lee, git, voc, keyb.
Gerry Hogan, steel guitar, git
Peter Baron, drums, voc
Brian Hodgson, bass, backgr voc
Gavin Povey, key, voc

About the gig: 3rd Dec 2010
Last gigs for this year, hopefully not the last one at legendary 100Club. forever ... It was so nice meeting up with old and new friends, Karen from London, Sarah & Dave, Anja from Belgium and others from the UK which I hadn't seen for quite some time. There were no changes to the setlist, Albert dedicated the Heads Hands & Feet title SONG AND DANCE to an old friend of his who came to see him after 10 years. Gerry's excellent steel guitar work on RUNAWAY TRAIN was received with extra applause, same goes for Gavin with GLORY BOUND.

Despite of his cold, Peter did an excellent job on I'LL NEVER GET OVER YOU, also his OH DARLING got extra cheers, obviously many Beatles fans among the audience! To quote my friend Babs 'it's hard to get the drummer on a photo' ;-), indeed, I hardly managed to get a proper pic of Peter!

Albert also referred to the threatening closure of the club and said he hopes that this wasn't their last gig at the legendary venue. I thought the club wasn't sold out but there were many latecomers due to the bad weather conditions and eventually it got really packed.

Karen Edlin and I saving the 100Club - or at least trying .. ;-)
(Albert & Hogan's Heroes 100Club gig on 3rd December 2010).

Albert joined the campaign.

Set List London, 100 Club
Set 1
YOUR BOYS (Gerry acoustic guitar)
RESTLESS
SONG AND DANCE
TRAVELIN' PRAYER
RUNAWAY TRAIN
GLORY BOUND (Gavin Povey voc)
I'M COMING HOME
WHEELS
I'LL NEVER GET OVER YOU (Peter Baron voc)
THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE (mainly instrumental, Gav voc)
RAD GUMBO
HIGHWAYMAN  (Albert on piano)
BREATHLESS  (Albert on piano, Gerry on guitar))

Set 2
BARNYARD BOOGIE
TWO STEP TOO
YOU'RE ONLY LONELY (Gerry Hogan & AL acoustic guitars)
LEAVE THE CANDLE (Peter Baron voc)
ON THE VERGE
LET IT BE ME (piano time for Albert)
OH DARLING  (Peter Baron voc)
LEAVE MY WOMAN ALONE
TILL I GAIN CONTROL AGAIN (Albert on piano)
COUNTRY BOY

Encore
SKIP ROPE SONG (Albert & Gav on piano)
TEAR IT UP

SAVE THE 100 CLUB - A Very Special Benefit Gig on 01 Dec 2010

SAVE THE 100 CLUB, Benefit Gig on 01 Dec 2010
featuring Stephen Dale Petit & His Band
Special Guests: Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor, Chris Barber and Dick Taylor
with
Jack Greenwood, drums
Laurenzo Mouflier, harmonica
Damon Wilson, drums
Sam Odiwe, bass

My photos are posted in a Flickr album, just click on the Ronnie photo to the right and you are there !

I added a press review (link below) which says it all, so no further comments needed. It was one of the gigs you don't see every day, full of emotions, fun and excellent music.
Let's all hope for the best, long live the 100 Club.






Preview by MUSIC NEWS:

100 Club campaign

added: 7 Nov 2010 // by: Andy Snipper

 

London's iconic but beleaguered Temple to Music, Oxford Street's 100 Club,continues to receive increasingly high profile pledges of support from the worlds of rock and blues.
New Blues pioneer Stephen Dale Petit has announced the donation of all proceeds from the forthcoming single taken from his new album 'The Crave', the appropriately titled 'Need Your Love So Bad', to the Save The 100 Club campaign. The single, now officially titled 'Need Your Love So Bad (Save The 100 Club)' is released on December 6th and is expected to sell heavily to an enthusiastic, fast-growing and proactive grassroots movement which includes nearly 20,000 Facebook supporters.

This follows Stephen Dale Petit's December 1st 100 Club Benefit gig at the club featuring Special Guests, Rolling Stones' guitarists Ronnie Wood and Mick Taylor and (exclusively confirmed here) a rare live appearance from octogenarian British Blues Boom architect, jazz trombonist Chris Barber.

In the early 1960s, Barber (along with blues trailblazers Alexis Korner and John Mayall) was directly responsible for encouraging young hopeful musicians like Eric Clapton, Peter Green and members of The Rolling Stones and helped to foment the British Blues explosion that in turn resulted in the British Blues Invasion exported back to the US in the mid to late 1960s.

Organizer Petit enthuses 't's fantastic that Chris Barber's coming down to play ' he's the Godfather of modern British music and his connections to the 100 Club are deep and longstanding'.

PRO 7 NEWS WROTE:
Ronnie Wood und Mick Taylor waren gestern Teil einer Rettungsaktion
für den legendären Londoner 100 Club.
Dem Club droht wegen der ständig steigenden Mieten und explodierenden Kosten die Schließung. Mit einer Reihe von Benefizkonzerten wollen inzwischen etablierte Stars helfen, wieder Geld in die Kassen zu spülen. Wood ist schon lange ein Unterstützer des 100 Club und hatte sich laut BBC 6 Music für die Veranstaltung mit Mick Taylor, dem Gitarristen, den er bei den Rolling Stones ersetzt hatte und Jazz-Musiker Chris Barber zusammengetan. Besitzer Jeff Horton wäre gezwungen den Club Weihnachten zu schließen, wenn er keine finanzielle Unterstützung erhält. Angeblich hat Frank Black von den Pixies dem Club inzwischen 150.000 US-Dollar gespendet.
Author WENN

• This review names it:
  The Daily Telegraph - Save the 100 Club, London

  "It was Ronnie Wood's remarkably youthful performance which transformed this benefit gig to save the venue into a rock 'n’ roll concert. Rating: * * * * " (full article under above link)

   

Imelda May & Band, Roadrunner's Paradise Berlin - 22 Nov 2010

Imelda May & Band in Berlin, 22 Nov 2010, ein Album auf Flickr.

The wunderbare Imelda May spielte am 22. November 2010 im Roadrunner's Paradise in Berlin. Wer Imelda May immer noch nicht kennt, sollte schleunigst mal googeln .... u.a. auch bei Jeff Beck.

Good to see her again, amazing as always, hadn't seen the band since Beryl's unforgettable birthday bash in Darlington some years back.

Band members:
Imelda May - Vocals, Guitar, Percussion, Bodhran
Dave Priseman – Trumpet, Flugle Horn, Guitar, Percussion
Darrel Higham – Guitar
Al Gare – Double Bass, Bass Guitar
Steve 'Animal' Rushton – Drums

My brief review:
Imelda and band finally made it to Berlin, Roadrunner's Paradise. A great venue, located in the 3rd backyard of old industrial premises suitable for all our other friends if they ever manage to book a gig there ;-)

I was lucky to bump into Imelda before the show and have a few words with her. She remembered of course Beryl's bash, and I was happy that she almost sold the place out! It got really packed, but eventually I was able to make it to the front row. Imelda looked stunning as always, and her Elvis dress was a killer! The setlist contained many of her new songs but also the fab 'JOHNNY GOT A BOOM BOOM'. The entire band were brilliant, and I hope this wasn't their last visit to Berlin. Wherever you can catch this band, I can only recommend to go and see them play.

Rob Ryan Roadshow, Roadrunner's Paradise Berlin - 22 Nov 2010

Rob Ryan Roadshow in Berlin, Roadrunner's Paradise - 22 Nov 2010
Went to see Imelda May in Berlin on 22 Nov, the support was done by The Rob Ryan Roadshow which turned out be much more than just a support group. Country, rockabilly, rock'n roll, some bluegrass and a lot of fun.

Imelda May und Band spielten im Roadrunner's auf dem Prenzlauer Berg am 22. November. Vorgruppe war The Rob Ryan Roadshow. Anders als bei den meisten Supports, war diese Gruppe einfach super und hatte alles von Country bis Bluegrass im Programm. Wir werden sicher noch mehr von ihnen hören.

 

Band Members:
Rob Ryan (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals)
Alex Anthony Faide (Lead-, Steel-Guitar)
Ralph Summers AKA Ralf Sommers (Double-Bass, E-Bass, Backing Vocals)
Tillmann "The Kid" Richter (Drums, Backing Vocals)

Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 (2 DVDs) - Reviews

DVD Review: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010

Rhino Entertainment
SRP: $29.98 (DVD); $34.98 (Blu-ray)
running time: 240 minutes

UK price (amazon) DVD £9.99, Blu-Ray £13.99
Euro (amazon) DVD: from € 16.91, Blu-Ray from €17.04

Release dates:
USA/Canada 09 Nov  2010, Germany 12 Nov 2010, UK 22 Nov 2010


Review by Glenn McDonald, 09 Nov 2010
Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 begins with a montage of summer cityscape scenes from Chicago. "It's gonna be a hot afternoon," says the man on the radio as the camera pans beneath L-train platforms, past shirtless kids playing basketball and over the burning asphalt streets of the city.
It's a fitting visual tribute for what comes next, as Clapton and his lineup of guitar luminaries deliver 40 tracks worth of fiery electric blues with a historical through-line straight back to the Chicago guitar greats — guys like Muddy Waters, Freddie King and Buddy Guy.

Indeed, after a short intro, Chi-town celebrity ambassador and master of ceremonies Bill Murray shuffles to the microphone at Chicago's Toyota Park. In front of 27,000 cheering fans lucky enough to have attended summer 2010's hottest ticket, he introduces "Chicago's own Eric Clapton."

So begins the third iteration of Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, a benefit concert and gathering-of-the-tribes first held in 2004, and again in 2007. Among the marquee attractions at this year's festival — performances by Clapton, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood, BB King, John Mayer, Jeff Beck, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, James Burton, Robert Cray, Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood and Keb Mo.

As with previous events, the 2010 features a heavenly bill of guitarists and musicians, each invited by Clapton to represent the worldwide brotherhood of the six string. Proceeds from the concerts benefit the Crossroads Centre, the drug treatment center in Antigua founded by Clapton.

+++
Originally released in a two-hour theatrical cut, the 2010 Crossroads hits U.S. shelves today from Rhino Entertainment in a two-disc, four-hour set - in both DVD and Blu-ray. This is much more than a simple concert video. (Although it's that too - and a remarkably good one.) Peppered with short but intriguing backstage interviews, Crossroads comes across as a musical masterclass on the mythology of electric blues guitar.

There's a lot of meaty stuff in these interstitial passages, whether you're a hardcore guitar historian or just a casual fan of popular culture and how it is transmitted through the generations.

One sequence has several younger musicians — among them John Mayer and Doyle Bramhall II — reflecting on how they learned the music from the previous generation, who in turn had picked up from the one before that. Everyone is constantly name-dropping the original blues pioneers, but what's interesting here is how these musicians talk about the handing-down process — how the game keeps changing with each new generation.

A At one point, Mayer reflects on how it was necessary for him to learn the blues guitar from a relative contemporary like Stevie Ray Vaughan. "I don't think I could have been 14 or 15 years old, and listening to Freddie King, and really understanding what it was."

Other segments explore the history of the slide guitar, country music and Texas blues.

+++
It's almost beside the point to comment on the quality of the music itself in a collection like this. Check the track listing below to get a sense of what you're in for. These are some of the top musicians in the world, set loose on some of the greatest guitar-centric songs ever written. What do you think is going to happen?
More relevant, really, are the technical specs and the overall artistic direction. I previewed the DVD version of the two-disc set and was suitably impressed at the top-notch audio and video specs. Audio is available in stereo or surround, and it's really a small miracle what sound professionals can do these days capturing the full range of sounds of a ginormous live performance like this.

Images are crisp and bright throughout, even as the afternoon progresses, gathering clouds dim the Chicago stage, and night gradually falls. Veteran director Martyn Atkins doesn't stray far from established concert doc tropes — crowd shot, band shot, closeup shot, crane shot.

But it's all expertly assembled, and Atkins catches a lot of beautiful details — the sky-blue sheen of Clapton's vintage Fender, the ecstatic dancers in the crowd, the celestial gorgeousness that is Sheryl Crow's smile.

There are also many welcome moments of humor among all the rock earnestness. Particularly funny are the bits of Murray goofing around with the musicians backstage, and then coming onstage dressed as Buddy Holly or Jimi Hendrix. Or introducing ZZ Top as "three guys from Texas who look like Hasidic bankers." ("They never bought into the goatee crap," Murray observes later.)

Overall, Crossroads delivers the musical goods along with a vibe of genuine enthusiasm and joy in performing among all the participants. Both onstage and backstage, the various musicians seem to be having the time of their lives, and their happiness is contagious.

"We get a lot of gigs, and when Eric calls for Crossroads — man, this is the one I get excited about," Crow tells the crowd at one point. "I'm not kidding."

Finally, note that both the DVD and Blu-ray sets have been bundled in various retail packages with additional extras — for instance, with Best Buy you get an exclusive bonus disc with six additional tracks. So maybe research around a bit online before making your purchase.

DVD track listing:
Disc 1
-Bill Murray Introduction with Eric Clapton
01. Sonny Landreth with Eric Clapton - Promised Land
02. Sonny Landreth - Z Rider

-SLIDE GUITAR

03. Robert Randolph and the Family Band - Traveling Shoes
04. Joe Bonamassa & Pino Daniele with Robert Randolph - Going Down
-Bill Murray introduces Robert Cray
05. Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughn & Hubert Sumlin - Killing Floor
06. Jimmie Vaughn, Robert Cray & Hubert Sumlin - Six Stings Down

-TEXAS BLUES

-Bill Murray introduces ZZ Top
07. ZZ Top - Waiting For the Bus
08. ZZ Top - Jesus Just Left Chicago
09. Doyle Bramhall II - Gypsy Blood
10. Doyle Bramhall II - In My Time Of Dying
11. Gary Clark Jr - Bright Lights
12. Sheryl Crow with Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Doyle Bramhall II & Gary Clark Jr - Long Road Home
13. Sheryl Crow with Eric Clapton, Doyle Bramhall II & Gary Clark Jr - Our Love Is Fading
14. Bert Jansch - Blackwaterside
15. Stefan Grossman with Keb Mo - Mississippi Blues
16. Stefan Grossman with Keb Mo - Roll 'N' Tumble

-COUNTRY MUSIC

-Bill Murray introduces Vince Gill
17. Vince Gill, Keb Mo, James Burton, Earl Klugh, Albert Lee - One More Last Chance
18. Vince Gill, James Burton, Albert Lee, Keb Mo, Earl Klugh - Mystery Train
19. Vince Gill, Keb Mo, Albert Lee, James Burton, Earl Klugh & Sheryl Crow - Lay Down Sally
20. Earl Klugh - Angelina
21. Earl Klugh - Vonetta

-Bill Murray introduces John Mayer
22. John Mayer Trio - Who Did You Think I Was
23. John Mayer Trio - Ain't No Sunshine

Disc 2
-Bill Murray introduces Derek Trucks
01. Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band - Midnight In Harlem
02. Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band featuring Warren Haynes - Comin' Home
03. Warren Haynes - Soulshine
04. David Hidalgo and Cesar Rojas featuring Derek Trucks - Don't Keep Me Wondering
05. Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band featuring Warren Haynes, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, Chris Stainton - Space Captain
-Bill Murray introduces Buddy, Jonny & Ronnie
06. Buddy Guy with Jonny Lang & Ronnie Wood - Five Long Years
07. Buddy Guy with Jonny Lang & Ronnie Wood - Miss You
-Bill Murray introduces Jeff Beck
08. Jeff Beck - Hammerhead
09. Jeff Beck - Nessun Dorma
-Bill Murray introduces Eric Clapton
10. Eric Clapton - Crossroads
11. Citizen Cope & Eric Clapton - Hands of the Saints
12. Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff
13. Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck - Shake Your Money Maker
14. Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood - Had To Cry
15. Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood - Voodoo Chile
16. Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood - Dear Mr. Fantasy
-Bill Murray introduces BB King
17. Finale: Eric Clapton, BB King, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughn,
Joe Bonamassa, and others - The Thrill Is Gone


I found some very different reviews by Amazon customers from the US as well as Europe:
Some customer reviews from amazon.com (USA and Canada)

5.0 out of 5 stars
November 9, 2010

By 

Gary Covington "Southern Rocker" (Louisiana, U.S.A.)

This review is from: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 DVD - Super Jewel Case) (DVD)

The Amazon version of this is great, but with the Best Buy Exclusive version, you get the basic 2 dvds, plus a bonus 3rd dvd. The third dvd includes 5 extra performances, plus an interview with Eric Clapton. The 3rd Bonus dvd includes Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood's "Glad", Sheryl Crow's "Everday is a Winding Road", Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band's "Love Has Something Else to Say", Gary Clark Jr.'s "Don't Owe You a Thang", & Citizens Cope's "Son's Gonna Rise".

As far as the basic 2 dvds go, this is "Guitar Heaven". Like Buddy Guy states during one of his performances, "I don't know how you feel, but I feel like I'm in Heaven". I love all of this guitar festival. If you like guitar rock, it doesn't get any better than this. Bill Murray is an excellent host as usual. Plus, the mutual respect and camaraderie amoung the guitarists and musicians is great to see. Plus, there are great commentaries by some of the guitarists themselves. You can tell they are all glad to be there, performing with each other. It's a great atmosphere.

Some of my personal favorites include the performances by Sonny Landreth, from my home state of Louisiana. He plays the guitar in a Louisiana, Cajun/Zydeco style, called "Slydeco". Also, there's Robert Randolph & The Family Band. Robert is awesome on his pedel steel guitar. I like the tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan "Six Strings Down" by Jimmy Vaughan and others. I like Hubert Sumlin, he's a living blues legend, and he's still full of passion for the blues. I like ZZ Top, Doyle Bramhall II, & Gary Clark Jr., all from Texas. I like James Burton from Louisiana, on "Mystery Train" & other songs. James Burton started playing guitar on the Louisiana Hayride Radio Program, when he was 14 years old. He was in Elvis' TCB Band (Taking Care of Business). Also, he was one of the first "sidemen" inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I really enjoyed the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band's performances, this is their first debut on a dvd, as a reorgainized new band. I love Derek's slide guitar playing. He is a master of the slide guitar, plus Susan is great on guitar, and a great vocalist also. I liked all the collaborations of different musicians playing together. I liked Warren Haynes, Sheryl Crow, Robert Cray, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Ron Wood, Johnny Lang, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and all the rest. I really liked Buddy Guy's perfomances, especially the Stone's "Miss You", where he breaks a guitar string, and handles it gracefully, and then is handed another guitar. Plus I loved the grand finale, "The Thrill is Gone", by B.B.King (another living blues legend) & Ensemble.

If you liked the first two EC's Guitar Festival DVD's, then you'll certainly enjoy this one, for sure. These festivals just keep getting better and better. Thanks!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Chock Full of Goodness, November 17, 2010

By 

Barry J. Marcus (Florida USA)
 

This review is from: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 DVD - Super Jewel Case) (DVD)

Clapton's 2010 version of CGF is excellent just based on the number and wide variety of artists that perform. For less than $20, where else are you going to get Robert Cray w/ Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy w/ Ron Wood & Johnny Lang, Derek Trucks & Warren Haymes, Albert Lee & Vince Gil w/ James Burton, Clapton & Winwood, Clapton & Beck, ZZ Top, etc. etc. etc.

If you enjoy screaming guitars, well worth the price of admission.

3.0 out of 5 stars So So, November 15, 2010

By 

Dave

This review is from: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 DVD - Super Jewel Case) (DVD)

I am a long time fan of the blues and of Eric Clapton but I thought the 2010 show was lacking in energy, unlike the previous two shows. Althought some of the acts were good I was not blown away as I was after seeing the 2007 show.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as #2,  November 13, 2010

By 

Clare "Clare" (Connecticut)

This review is from: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 DVD - Super Jewel Case) (DVD)
First of all, I wasn't there and mine is the regular DVD version. This is a real guitar aficionado's DVD. Unfortunately, that's not what I am. I'm a music fan of the Eric Clapton generation. Disc one was kind of a waste of time for me. I didn't know most of the people and never heard of most of the songs. I watched ZZ Top and really liked Vince Gill but that was it. The second disc was much better. Jeff Beck was awesome as usual. You never know what he will come up with but it's always worth listening to. I love Steve Winwood but why sing "Had to Cry Today" and "Dear Mr. Fantasy" again when it's on last year's Crossroad?. He's got lots of hits. Sing something else. The same with Eric singing "I Shot The Sheriff" again, come on. However, his and Eric's version of Voodoo Chile is amazing. They slowed it down and made it bluesy. It was worth the wait. I was kind of disappointed that Eric didn't play a George Harrison song again as a tribute. I thought he was going to do that every year - "Wah-Wah" would have been nice.

As a totally different aside. Eric is beginning to resemble an old man who hangs around playgrounds looking for little girls. He needs to shave and get a damn hair cut. It's scary.



1.0 out of 5 stars Watch first before buying this ... BombNovember 13, 2010

By 

K. D. Shultz "Guitar Player 30 years" (Canada)

This review is from: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2BD)[Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I waited for a year for this Crossroads 2010 blue ray to come out and watched it tonight...whew! what a stinkfest!  At this point Eric owes me $29.95 and 2 hours of my life back.I also must admit that i am a huge blues fan and have the other two crossroads dvd's and this borefest misses the mark completely. 

The only light in this dvd is the VERY small part that John Mayer and Joe Bonnamassa play in this concert.There is not enough hydroponic weed in the world to make the tired sound of Jimmy Vaughan(listen to "six Strings Down" and try not to laugh out loud), Los Lobos and equally bad performances by Buddy Guy and a drunk as ever Ron Wood sound palpable. 

Even Claptons performance was contrived and lacked the laser like intensity that his solos normally have...and why play"I shot the Sheriff" again after playing it so well on the first DVD surely his catalouge is vast enough not to repeat this particular song as well as the other exact tunes he played with Steve Winwood on the 2nd Crossroads DVD.
ZZ Top was about as exciting as watching paint dry.This dvd is simply a re-hash of the other two Much Better crossroads dvd's that have gone before it...and that is a travesty considering what this festival started out as and the talent that could have been chosen to represent guitar and the blues.

This dvd is a pale comparison to the original Crossroads dvd that was filled with excellent artists and musical numbers that were bang on the money...this felt tired and old to the point that even Jeff Becks spot was just ok. And can someone please tell me why Sheryl Crow is still haunting this event? Her contribution was about as good as Bill Murray was funny that day and night...his comedy was non existent as the MC of the concert..oh i get it he's dressed like Jimi Hendrix then stands there and mumbles as the crowd looses their tolerence of his lame act?

Nope... this is not the concert dvd you want to spend hard earned dollars on period ...if i could return this turkey I would do so tomorrow as i will not watch it again...absolute utter disappointment.






Some customer reviews from amazon.de (German only):
Einige unterschiedliche Kundenrezensionen von amazon.de:

5.0 von 5 Sternen Zum 3. Mal ein gigantisches Erlebnis13. November 2010

Von 

Thomas_303 (Siegerland / NRW)

Rezension bezieht sich auf: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 Blu-rays) (Blu-ray)

Bisher habe ich alle Crossroad- Konzert DVDs gekauft und diese neue jetzt als BluRay. Wie immer hat Eric Clapton die Elite des Blues um sich geschart. Das Konzert ist jedes Mal ein grandioses Erlebnis, auch auf dem TV Bildschirm.
Bild, Ton und Schnitt dieses Ereignisses lassen nichts zu wünschen übrig. Extras als solches gibt es nicht, aber warum auch? Das Konzert hat zwischen den Musik-Titeln Interviews mit den Musikern, die auch deutsch untertitelt werden können.

Der DTS Sound ist übrigens sehr klar und wuchtig !

2.0 von 5 Sternen aller guten Dinge sind drei

21. November 2010

Von 

Peter

Rezension bezieht sich auf: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 DVDs in Super Jewel) (DVD)

Aller guten Dinge sind drei (nach 2004 & 2007) dachte ich voller Optimismus, wann bekommt man mal so viele Musikgrössen auf einer bzw. zwei Scheiben zu sehen und zu hören. Leider spielen einige gleich 3 Songs andere wiederum kommen erst gar nicht zum Zuge. Vielleicht hätte man sich einige Kommentare sparen können und den einen oder anderen musikalisch auf die Scheibe zu bannen. Die Kameraführung ist ständig mit Scharfeinstellungen beschäftigt und die Bildwechsel sind einfach zu schnell und unüberlegt. Schade, dass man eine so grosse Veranstaltung selbst auf BluRay nicht besser in Erscheinung bringen kann. Werde beim nächsten Mal erst einige Kommentare abwarten und meine Euphorie zurück halten.

4.0 von 5 Sternen Teils schwere Kost ... teils überraschend
20. November 2010

Von 

Daniel Sobotta

Rezension bezieht sich auf: Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
(2 DVDs in Super Jewel) (DVD)

Wer die DVDs Crossroads 2004 und 2007 hat und sie gut kennt, der wird von 2010 etwas enttäuscht sein, das jedenfalls war mein Eindruck. Wo die 2007 so liebevoll produziert mit vielen Einspielern und Back- und Sidestageaufnahmen bestückt war, reduziert man diese gefühlsmäßig etwas. Nur ein Schuft würde behaupten, dass man damit auf die 20mal teurere Superfan-Version DVD hinweisen möchte. Der Country-Block ist toll. Ein sehr locker wirkender Vince Gill fungiert als dankbares Zugpferd für gleichwertige Musiker verschiedener Stilrichtung. Keine Egos ... keine Eitelkeiten ... Eine Jamsession, die sogar Sheryl Crow animiert, spontan mitzumachen. John Mayer Trio ist ein verwalteter Höhepunkt. Ein weiterer Grund, diese DVD zu erwerben, ist die wahnsinige Eigendynamik von Derek Trucks, seiner Frau Susan und Warren Haynes .....Es führt einen Clapton-Fan zurück in die Zeit von Delaney & Bonnie Layla oder bekannte Allman-Brothers Musik...als Clapton den Spaß am Musikmachen neu entdeckt hat. Sowas findet man auf sonst keiner Sampler- oder Event DVD. Der letzte Teil ist wirklich etwas zu oft durchgekaut, sicher aber kein Grund für einen Nichtkauf. Es ist nicht zu übersehen, dass die ehrenwürdigen Musiker auch alt geworden sind, was in der BB King Ballade "The Thrill has gone" keinen beruhigenden Höhepunkt findet, wie eben auf der 2007 DVD das dortige Finale. Es bleibt doch ein etwas bedrückender Eindruck. Es beschleicht einen, dass dieses der letzte Teil von Crossroads-Festivals war -  "The Thrill has gone"! 

Tony Sheridan Gig & Reading Dates and some comments by musician friends

Außer dem Event in Rosengarten/Klecken hat Tony folgende nicht uninteressante Termine, die ich auf seiner Webseite gefunden habe.
Apart from the GET BACK Event, I found the following dates for Tony Sheridan on his website which is mainly held in German. There is only one UK date (Liverpool 9 Dec) - but I think the content is clear.


20.11.2010
Hamburg, "Beatlemania" Beatles Museum, Reeperbahn: Lesung Tony Sheridan und Thomas Freitag (Autor) aus "Das neue, so merkwürdig...
Anmerkung zu den Lesungen:

Mit dem Autor des neu im Eulenspiegel Verlags erschienenen Buches "Das Neue, so merkwürdig..." geht Tony im November auf kleine Lesereise. Das Buch erzählt eine fiktive Unterhaltung zwischen John Lennon und dem österreichischen Komponisten Hanns Eisler (Komponist der DDR-Hymne). Dr. Thomas Freitag, Autor des Buches, liest den Part des Hanns Eisler, Tony Sheridan liest den Part seines alten Freundes John Lennon. Ein paar Klänge auf der Gitarre werden sicherlich die Lesung begleiten...

21.11.2010 - Hamburg, "50 Jahre Sheridan und Beatles in Hamburg", Kaiserkeller, Große Freiheit: Tony Sheridan and his band, Vorgruppe "The ReBeatles"
Hierzu Angaben vom Venue:
"Auch wenn Hamburg immer etwas schwer "in die Pötte kommt", wie man hier im Norden sagt - das 50. Jubiläum Sheridan, Beatles und Beat im Kaiserkeller kann man sich zum Glück doch nicht entgehen lassen!!
Der Kaiserkeller veranstaltet im Oktober und November eine Eventreihe mit vier außergewöhnlichen Konzerten - authentische Bands am Originalschauplatz! Noch einmal auf dem Kiez rocken, daß der Kaiserkeller bebt!!! 

Mit dabei:
31. Oktober - THE BATS, Vorgruppe The Cavern Boots
07. November - THE BONDS, Vorgruppe Ticket To Ride
14. November - THE BEATTELLS, Voract Olaf Schulte
21. November - TONY SHERIDAN AND BAND, Vorgruppe The ReBeatles

Im Foyer des Kaiserkellers gibt es zudem eine Ausstellung zum Thema "Die musikalischen 60er im Kaiserkeller". Ansager der Bands, wie in alten Tagen, Pico. Es haben sich für den Abend mit Tony auch noch ein paar bekannte Gesichter "von damals" angekündigt, die teils extra aus England anreisen wollen...



blizzardjerry wrote on Oct 12, '10, edited on Oct 12, '10
Dieses Mal wohl wieder besser in Deutsch. : )
Dankeschön, Gudrun, für auch diese für uns norddeutsche "Rock'n'Beat-Oldtimer" besonders interessanten Event-Hinweise. Da zwei meiner alten Kumpel von den GIANTS resp. TRAMPS in Wedel wohnen, werde ich auf unserer Regionalseite wohl besonders auf das Konzert am 29.10. auf der "Batavia" hinweisen.

Mal wieder schmunzeln lässt mich das hier von oben Kopierte: "Die musikalischen 60er im Kaiserkeller". Ansager der Bands, wie in alten Tagen, Pico. Ich müsste mich sehr, sehr irren, wenn Salvatore Martens, genannt Pico, in den 60ern jemals Band-Ansager war. Sein Zuhause war wohl einzig der Star-Club. Dort versuchte er ständig, Bands auf sich aufmerksam zu machen, indem er sich vor der Bühne bemühte, Jerry Lewis zu imitieren und schaurige Grimassen schnitt. (Die bei mir persönlich aber leider nicht das geringste Grinsen bewirkten.)
Aber mit Erfolg machte er auf sich aufmerksam, denn schon von früh an wurde er von vielen Bands losgeschickt, in den benachbarten Imbissen für sie einzukaufen und sonstige Besorgungen zu machen. So kam er dann auch zu einer ganzen Reihe von Bildern, auf denen er gemeinsam mit teils ganz schön populär gewordenen Bands und Solisten zu sehen ist. Er wurde zum "Star-Club-Faktotum", erhielt 1964 sogar eine von Star-Club-Boss Weißleder ausgestellte "Ehrenkarte", die ihn berechtigte, "unser Haus während der Betriebszeiten kostenlos zu betreten". Mit einem kleinen Bild ist er nun auch im gerade herausgegebenen neuen Star-Club-Buch erwähnt worden. Am 25. Mai wurde Pico 65. Ich gönne ihm seinen heutigen Star-Club- und Kaiserkeller-Ruhm.

Hoffentlich habe ich Dich nicht und auch nicht zu viele Deiner Leser mit diesen Erinnerungen und Gedanken gelangweilt.
Schöne Grüße, Jerry

gudrun wrote on Oct 12, '10
Hallo Jerry,
Mich hast du mit deinen Ausführungen keineswegs gelangweilt, im Gegenteil. Diese alten Geschichten sind sicher nicht nur für mich von Interesse. Habe daher diese Beiträge auf "everyone" gesetzt, so dass auch andere mitlesen können. Ich hatte schon überlegt, ob ich mich am 21.11. in den Kaiserkeller aufmache, um wenigstens einmal dringewesen zu sein. Aber auf jeden Fall werde ich zunächst einmal mehr über Tonys Lesung in Berlin herausfinden. Vielen Dank nochmals für deine Beiträge, immer wieder gern gelesen !

minstrelmac wrote on Oct 14, '10
Hallo Ihr lieben Beat-Nostalgiker,
ich hatte 1961 das große Glück, in dem Kult-Laden Kaiserkeller musizieren zu dürfen, und zwar mit Kuddi Mehner (seinerzeit bekannt als Elvis von der Niederelbe) und Pletty (später Beatnics). Der Manager hatte uns in einem Club in Harsefeld (Presse: "Sündenbabel" Harsefeld) gehört und uns engagiert. Zusammen mit uns spielten noch englische Bands, deren Namen ich leider vergessen haben. Vielleicht waren ja auch die Beatles dabei.
Beste Grüße, Mac


blizzardjerry wrote on Oct 16, '10
"minstrelmac said Zusammen mit uns spielten noch englische Bands, deren Namen ich leider vergessen haben. Vielleicht waren ja auch die Beatles dabei."
Ja, Mac, wie soll man das heute noch wissen? Ich war in jenen ersten Jahren, in denen all die Beatmusik noch Twist genannt wurde, nie im Kaiserkeller auf der Gr. Freiheit, aber öfters um die Ecke im Top Ten auf der Reeperbahn. Ich denke auch oft, ich müsste dort eigentlich auch die Beatles gesehen haben, die dort so lange engagiert waren. Und wahrscheinlich weiß ich es deshalb nicht mehr genau, weil die damals (zumindest ohne Tony Sheridan) keinen Ton besser waren als die damaligen guten deutschen Twistbands und somit keinen anhalten Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen haben.

Ich glaube, jeder der dem zuhört, was Kingsize Taylor damals mit seinem Kassettenrecorder von den Beatles 1962 live im Star-Club mitschnitt, kann verstehen, dass ihre Auftritte von 1961/62 auch für uns damalige Jung-Musiker aus der Nähe von Hamburg einfach nicht beeindruckend genug waren, dass man sich hätte daran erinnern müssen. Tja, wer hätte damals geahnt, welche phantastischen Hits von derselben Gruppe ab 1963 kommen würden...


gudrun wrote on Oct 17, '10
Hallo Mac und Jerry, da könnte es ja durchaus möglich gewesen sein, dass ihr damals einen uns wohlbekannten (jetzt grauhaarigen) Gitarristen gesehen habt. Wie er selbst sagt, hat er damals mit einer Gruppe namens The Nightsounds im Top Ten gespielt: "We [The Nightsounds] went to Hamburg for 3 weeks playing the Top Ten Club - the same time as The Beatles were playing The Star Club. It was my first trip abroad... in the day when every musician had to pay his dues in Hamburg - nightly, dusk to dawn...”.

The Nightsounds bestanden aus: ? vocals (Name nicht mehr bekannt)  [Anm.von G.: es war Brian Casser alias Casey Jones, siehe im Text weiter unten]  
Albert Lee (guitar) 
Pat Donaldson (bass) 
Ricky Barnes (sax) 
John Puddy (sax) 
Tony Middleton (drums).

Die Gruppe existierte nur bis November 62. Und außer Albert, Pat Donaldson, Ricky Barnes sagen mir die anderen Namen nicht viel.   [Anm.v.G. damals nicht, heute schon.]


blizzardjerry wrote on Oct 18, '10
Dass Albert Lee damals auch gemeinsam mit Rikki Barnes auftrat, war mir bisher nicht bekannt und ist ja ganz schön interessant, Gudrun. Rikki gehörte von früh an und über Jahre zum Stamm der aus GB gekommenen Musiker und Sänger, die in wechselnden Besetzungen in den heute noch bekannten Clubs auf St. Pauli spielten, die wir damals so oft wie uns möglich besuchten. Ohne jetzt in Unterlagen nachzusehen, meine ich, aus den Angaben von Albert Lee erkennen zu können, dass sein 3-wöchiges Engagement mit den Nightsounds im Top Ten Club im April/Mai 1962 gelegen haben müsste. Denn die Beatles starteten ihre Auftrittsserie im Star-Club am 13.4.1962, Tony Sheridan’s Auftrittsserie dort mit der Star-Combo begann im Mai 1962. Und zu der Star-Combo gehörte von Beginn an und über Jahre eben der von Albert Lee als Mitglied der Nightsounds genannte Saxophonist Rikki Barnes. Letzteren sah ich dann auch, wie er gemeinsam mit u.a. Roy Young im Star-Club verschiedene weltberühmte Rock’n’Roll-Heroes musikalisch begleitete. Ich lasse mich immer wieder gern an die „Hamburg-Szene“ in meinen Teenager- und Twen-Jahren erinnern.
Ein Bild von Rikki Barnes mit Beschreibung befindet sich übrigens unter folgendem Link: http://germanbeat.multiply.com/photos/album/16/Szene_Hamburg_und_weiterer_Norden#photo=33 Grüße, Jerry

Photos (c) gs - Rikki Barnes
at Fliegende Bauten Hamburg

gudrun wrote on Oct 18, '10
Hallo Jerry,
Zunächst einmal danke für die Angaben über Rikki Barnes. Die Schreibweise des Namens habe ich korrigiert; ich hatte ihn einer 'Pat Donaldson Datensammlung' von Geoff Whitehorn entnommen, der es offensichtlich mit der Rechtschreibung nicht so genau nimmt. Ebenfalls nach dessen Angaben sollen Albert und Pat Donaldson die Band 'Nightsounds' erst im September 62 gegründet haben, aufgelöst wurde sie wie gesagt schon im November gleichen Jahres. Letzteres ist sicher; Albert hat sich Ende 62 nämlich Don Adams Band angeschlossen und ging wieder nach Deutschland. Demnach könnte der Auftritt der Nightsounds im Top Ten nur im Sept/Okt/Anfang Nov. gelegen haben. Da die Quelle 'Whitehorn' inoffiziell ist, die Angaben nie belegt u. seit 2002 nicht mehr bearbeitet wurden, gehe ich der Sache nochmals auf den Grund. Danke auch für den Link und das Bild. Und ... Roy Young ist natürlich ein Begriff, er gehört ja auch zu den Veteranen der 2 I's Coffee Bar.
Grüße, Gudrun
PS: Alberts Geschichte habe ich aus verschiedenen Quellen zusammengetragen, ergänzt und korrigiert, wo notwendig. Besonders bei den frühen Angaben musste ich mich auf div. Quellen verlassen; seine eigenen Angaben kann man als korrekt ansehen.
So, da ich heute wider Erwarten zu Hause bleiben muss, habe ich in Alberts Biographie nachgesehen und bin auch fündig geworden. Die Nightsounds spielten im Oktober 62 in Hamburg.

Somit wissen wir nun auch, wer der Sänger der Nightsounds war, nämlich Brian Casser alias CASEY JONES (eben jener), und ich kann meine eigenen Unterlagen auch gleich aktualisieren.
Derek Watts, der Autor von Alberts Buch COUNTRY BOY, den ich kenne, hat sicher nichts dagegen, wenn ich das hier poste (allerdings hat er R. Barnes auch nicht richtig geschrieben, trotz seiner sorgfältigen Recherchen).


blizzardjerry wrote on Oct 18, '10
Hoppla, als ich eben anfing, meine Antwort zu schreiben, war der neue Eintrag darüber noch nicht da. Aber nun ändere ich an meinem Text nichts mehr.
Hallo Gudrun,
Albert Lee spielte also nach den Dir vorliegenden Angaben 1962 zur selben Zeit gemeinsam mit Rikki Barnes im Top Ten, als die Beatles im Star-Club spielten. Die hatten dort ihre drei Auftrittsserien jenes Jahres (und überhaupt) vom 13. April – 31.Mai, 1. – 14. November und 18. – 31. Dezember. Wenn die Nightsounds erst im September 1962 gegründet wurden, käme es schon hin, dass sie zur selben Zeit im Top Ten waren wie die Beatles zum 2. Mal im Star-Club. Aber wie ist das mit Rikki Barnes bei den Nightsounds, der doch zu der Zeit längst Saxophonist der Star Combo war? Die Antwort wäre ja ganz interessant. Aber seit 2001 habe ich nichts genaues Neues mehr über ihn erfahren, ich weiß nicht mal, ob er überhaupt noch lebt...
Beste Grüße, Jerry


gudrun wrote on Oct 18, '10
Habe verschiedene bruchstückhafte Infos über Rikki Barnes/Ricky Barnes gefunden, leider immer ohne Foto und alles nicht aktuell. Er hatte eine Band in Schottland 'Ricky Barnes Allstars', die wohl sehr bekannt war und wo es auch mal Tumulte während der Gigs gab. "1957 Ricky Barnes All Stars play in a seated venue in Scotland. The rock'n'roll energy of the band and the audience leads to a struggle between the management and the crowd who refuse to stay seated. This develops into a riot."

news.scotsman.com/ noch etwas:
Glasgow's leading band, the Ricky Barnes All Stars, consisted largely of jazz refugees, and within weeks they were using elements of the Bellboys' stage routine and sported suits cut without lapels. Barnes's conversion was complete, and he would later front the house band at the Top 10 Club in Hamburg.

http://living.scotsman.com/top20/The-top-20-Scottish-gigs.3352396.jp
Ricky Barnes (& His Rock 'N' Roll Group)
Ricky Barnes was a Scottish tenor saxophonist who featured in several dance bands in Glasgow. He was a member of 'The Beavers' & 'The Wee Band' (Stevie O'Neill - vocals, George Scott Henderson - piano, Jimmy Bell - bass & Jackie Holden - drums). 'Ricky Barnes All Stars' are credited with being Scotland's first ever rock 'n' roll group and I do not yet know if this name was adopted before or after their ballroom appearance as 'Ricky Barnes & His Rock 'N' Roll Group' but it was around that time frame. He would later form 'The Beat Brothers' (Ricky Barnes - saxophone, Roy Young - organ, Colin Milander - guitar and Johnny Watson - drums). They are credited as playing in support of Tony Sheridan on some recordings made in Hamburg in 1962/3 including 'What'd I Say', 'Ya Ya' & 'Let's Dance'. http://www.kinemagigz.com Zum Namen: es gab demnach beide Schreibweisen.



blizzardjerry wrote on Oct 19, '10
... ja, demnach ist es in der Tat so. Ich habe eben mal kurz in ein Regal hinter meinem Schreibplatz gegriffen: Auf meiner 1962 oder 1963 erworbenen LP "Twist im Star-Club Hamburg" heißt er also über einem Bild und in der Besetzungsliste der Star Combo noch Rikki Barnes. Und nun witzig, im Star-Club-Buch von 1980 (Beckmann/Martens) steht unter dem selben Bild "Tony Sheridan und die Star-Combo, am Saxophon Rikki Allen", ja "Allen"...

So will ich mir am besten auch gar nicht weiter den Kopf darüber zerbrechen, wie es wohl angehen kann, dass Rikki/Ricky Barnes/Allen im Herbst 1962 eigentlich genau zur selben Zeit sowohl bei der Star Combo als auch bei den Nightsounds sein Saxophon geblasen haben müsste. Vielleicht machte ja die Star Combo damals eine mehrwöchige Auftrittspause...
Einen sonnigen Tag wünscht Dir Jerry
(und mir auch, denn ich müsste dringend mal wieder in meinem herbstlichen Garten aktiv werden)