Check Out The Official Movie Trailer For Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock”

The much anticipated film debuts in August - one day before the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock - and it’s “inspired by a true story”.  The movie poster seems to be inspired more by Bill Graham/Fillmore concert posters than Woodstock.  Groovy, but those were hard enough to read back in the day. Forty years later?  Far out man.  That might be the distance you need to hold anything you read these days.  And if it’s written in psychedelic script?  Fuggedaboudit.

ORIGINAL WOODSTOCK POSTERS:

      

Gerry Rafferty Is Alive And Well - After Six Months Of Rumors About His Disappearance

However, the song “Baker Street” was found beaten to death by FM Radio in 1978 and then again by Classic Rock Radio in the 90’s and beyond. Truly, a great song the first five thousand times you hear it - not to mention the impact it’s had on saxophone sales over the years. With no disrespect to Gerry or anyone involved with the tune …it seems Baker Street signaled the end of an era.  It was a constant reminder that the art of “free form” radio was becoming a science.

In the late sixties and early seventies you could turn on your FM Rock Radio Station and (most of the time) be pleasantly surprised by what you’d hear… and rarely hear the same song more than once on the same day.  By the late seventies on most FM Rockers you could now pretty much bank on hearing Baker Street, Freebird or Stairway To Heaven …right after Dust In The Wind …within an hour or two from the time you tuned in.   (Still can?  In 2009?)  OK, we’re exaggerating a bit here but, it’s one of those tunes that - even if you haven’t heard it for twenty years, it still seems like that sax solo was just on the radio five minutes ago. Or was that Quarterflash?  

Actually, Harden My Heart seemed to rival Baker Street on the very same stations in the early eighties for “most played tune with a sax solo”.  Another great record but, it seemed to be always on - everywhere - especially on the stations that weren’t “supposed” to play the same songs over - and over.  

So what’s up with Gerry these days?  Contrary to the many rumors that have been circulating about his disappearance - including a possible kidnapping - it turns out he’s alive, well … and writing music in Tuscany.  You can READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.  Naturally, at ClassicRockForever, we have this warped vision of search parties combing the Tuscan countryside - each armed with an Alto Sax and belting out the opening notes of Baker Street.  ”Gerry?  Can you hear us?  Gerrrrrrry?.”  If for some reason the melody escapes you, listen to the links below to have it embedded in your brain for another ten years.   

Note:  Check out the Foo Fighters’ Baker Street cover — one of our favorites.

UPDATED:  Don’t know how forgot this one but, we did:  Al Stewart’s Year Of The Cat (!). Maybe it didn’t get as much airplay in the later years? Lots of solo action in this one including, of course, a Sax solo performed by Alan Parsons - who also produced the record.  Thanks to G-Man for reminding me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YES - It Matters: Jon Anderson In His Own Words

ClassicRockForever Exclusive:  We take it for granted – or maybe forget – but hearing “Roundabout” on the radio in 1972 was a very big deal.  People didn’t quite know what to make of it …especially when it was sandwiched between Donny Osmond’s “Puppy Love” and a Bobby Vinton song.  There was a lot going on with that tune - and it didn’t fit into any particular music box.  After the usual “classical meets rock” observations, chatter seemed to revolve around the same two things – the lyrics (“mountains coming out of the sky?”) and  “that guy’s” voice.

The creative force of Jon Anderson and his distinctive voice was our companion as we moved from AM to FM and our record collections expanded from singles to albums.  I can still hear the shrink-wrap pop and see the needle drop on Close To Edge for the first time in a dorm room filled with 19 year olds.

Fast forward 35 years and we’re all grown up – empty nesters maybe. We’ve been to more concerts in the past year than we’ve been to in the past ten.  Most of the bands that really meant something to us are on tour, and damn it, we’re going to see them this time – because we might never get another chance to see them again.   Bands like YES.  Well, maybe.

The YES 40th Anniversary tour was cancelled this past summer after Jon Anderson was put out of commission and ordered to rest for six months due to a respiratory ailment.  A few weeks later it was announced that there would be a tour after all.  The “In The Present” tour would be kicking off in November –fronted by a singer who hailed from a YES tribute band – and discovered on YouTube.   So we would have our chance to see YES in concert.   Right?

Well, not according to “that voice”.  Soon after the new lineup for the tour was announced, Jon Anderson had an announcement of his own: “This is not YES on tour”.  He checked in with ClassicRockForever this week to help clear up some of the confusion and shed some light on the future.

ClassicRockForever (CRF) It’s been a couple of months since the news about your health – do you have any updates that you’d like to share?

Jon Anderson (JA) As for my health now, I truly feel reborn, it’s gonna take some months before I can do shows, but my dreams are coming true. I have so many blessings, my wonderful Angel Janee, my beautiful kids, friends and family and fans alike. Their words of love and kindness have touched me beyond belief - and I am so thankful to the Stanford Hospital here in Palo Alto for helping me through this part of my life journey and of course Divine Mother for shining Her light always.

(CRF) Here’s a recent quote from Chris Squire to Billboard.com:  “Unfortunately Jon has had these health problems for the last few years, which is why it’s taken such a long time (since 2004) to have any YES shows out there. We’ve had to be very respectful of the fact he’s not been well and he’s been in and out of the hospital having quite a few major procedures. If Jon is well again next year, he’ll be back.”  Do you see things the same way?

(JA) Like most people my age, I’m now 64 this month, the body/mind goes through so many changes.  I feel that my health has always been strong enough for the band …up until 2004. There had been too many tours, too much friction from outside of the band.  This had made it impossible to keep touring the way YES truly should - and with NO new music, a lack of passion for the music and each other, and no real promotion of who YES truly is, etc., things just looked so bleak. That’s why I suggested a break for 6 months, maybe do a progressive acoustic CD, and tour on a different style of touring, semi-acoustic for a while, and less shows per year…just for us to realize who we were. We were not communicating as a band should, both Rick and myself could see it happening, but sadly the others just wanted to keep going down that same touring spiral …that’s why YES hasn’t toured, it happens to the best.

(CRF) In the interim – where do your other passions lead you… to the School Of Rock?

(JA) Just very interesting times these days, musically, I’ve never felt more alive, working this last couple of years with (Paul Green’s) The School Of Rock opened my eyes, these young people- boys and girls, playing YES music ZAPPA music BEATLE music, with so much heart and love of it, so exciting. There will be new music; there will be modern music from these kids and others all over the world.  Music is easy I say, it’s the business that’s tough and dangerous…$$$$$$ all around you…the big hustle to make stars and then what???  I’ve never bought into it…music is all too powerful.

There will always be great songs popping up here and there, and excellent artists to sing and play them…it has always been the case…
but vibrant MUSIC of the spheres, that’s what I need, that’s what I yearn to hear more clearly everyday… and to be part of that experience…thank the musical Gods for the young at heart.

(CRF)  Maybe The School Of Rock could educate me about those mountains coming out of the sky – and just standing there.

(JA) “Roundabout” was written on the way back from a gig; in Northern Scotland, we were heading for Glasgow to do a final show, then home to London, there must have been a dozen or so ’roundabout’s’ on that winding road…. the mountains left and right of the road went vertically up into the sky…with low lying thick clouds…so the mountains just disappeared up into the sky.  So in some ways it was about traveling, doing gigs, getting home, 24 (hours) before my love,  ”I’ll be there with you”…originally 8 minutes long. In those far off days, we just wrote until we finished, checked the time of the song later.

It was a shock when we heard the song on the radio for the first time…that ‘edit’ was so bad, so unmusical, but man, we got radio. Touring in those days was very special, we were young and very reserved, very into music, and I was wondering why me all the time, why? Would YES become famous and have a hit record even? Damn we were so lucky and I always impressed on the band how lucky we were.

(CRF)  Close To The Edge really was a “listening event” in its own right.  Still is. 

(JA) Steve Howe and myself were always writing songs and ideas, we were very close at that time, that’s how the Close To The Edge time came. I was listening to the composer Jean Sibelius a heck of lot on tour, while reading Lord Of The Rings…. so I suggested we try some extended works…. it was a musical breakthrough on so many levels…the CD still sounds great…but to perform Close To The Edge on stage…wow…what a trip…with the staging, dry ice, we created a whole different musical world for us and the people who came to see us.

One of the amazing things about surviving 35/40 years, is you can revisit music written 25/30 years ago, as we did over the last 10 years of our touring, until 2004, just to perform “Gates Of Delirium”, and ”Revealing”, even ”Ritual” and Close To The Edge, sometimes with full orchestra or just the band playing, and realize that this music has a very special place in modern rock music. Call it what you will, but it still is wonderful to perform and worth all the toil, sweat and at times frustration.

YES — Maybe

It seems that sites like YouTube and MySpace are the new temp agencies for legendary bands heading out on tour without a lead vocalist.  First Boston and Journey, now YES.  Rock concerts are once again becoming the perfect entertainment prescription for BabyBoomers. However, when it comes to Classic Rock, a generic doesn’t always “work like its brand name equivalent in dosage, strength and performance.”

Regarding the upcoming YES tour (starting November 4^th), we’ll know how it shakes out soon enough.  And the future? Just ask “that voice” for the definitive answer.

(Jon Anderson) “YES music is and always will be worth performing and listening to, and I feel very proud to have been a part of it.  Hopefully we will get back together and perform in the coming years, I truly hope so, the fans deserve it, and so do we.  As Rumi says, ‘We have fallen into a place where everything is music’.”

Copyright 2008 ClassicRockForever

You Know You Are A BabyBoomer If…

We found a list somewhere online describing about 50 ways to know if you are a Baby Boomer, similar to the Jeff Foxworthy “You Know You’re A Redneck” routine. We’ll include some items below.* Most of the lists we’ve seen tend to have their eras confused… or they’re cuter than a Hallmark Card. Classic Rockers and cute don’t necessarily go together… so we’re going to start a new one and try and come up with an exceptionally witty name for it.   Let’s get started:

 

 

You Know You’re A BabyBoomer Who’s Never Too Old To Rock And Roll If:

-  You can’t remember where you found the first “You Know You’re A Baby Boomer If” list online.

-  You knew that was the Mod Squad photo right away… and you can name all, well some, of them.

-  You’re really tired of reading articles and blogs that begin with “The Problem With The Baby Boomer Generation Is…”

-  You remember when music that was labeled “alternative” really was alternative, and when “alternative comedy” was really funny.*

-  You can’t figure out if it’s Baby Boomer or BabyBoomer.

-  You didn’t necessarily buy the record but you actually dialed 857-5309.

-  You remember the premier of MTV–or worse yet, you remember its predecessor, “Friday Night Videos.”*

-  You’ve rung somebody’s doorbell and yelled “LANDSHARK!” when they opened the door.

-  You remember the NBC Peacock going from black and white to color.

-  You debated between Beta and VHS.

-  You know what Clamdiggers are.

-  You’ve never asked which one is Jethro or which one is Lynyrd.

-  You knew that Paul wasn’t really dead but, you stayed glued to the AM Top 40 Station just in case.

-  You bought an FM Converter so you could hear REAL rock and roll in your car.

-  You considered going quadrophonic.

-  You refuse to age gracefully.

-  You don’t think it’s so wink-wink, snicker-snicker funny when twenty-something journalists use “baby boomer” and “feeling groovy” in headlines.

…more to come

 

 

 

There’s A Riot Goin’ On: Bio Of Sly & The Family Stone Coming This Fall

“I Want To Take You Higher:  The Life and Times Of Sly & The Family Stone” hits the stores on October 15th. Author Jeff Kaliss scored the first face-to-face interview with the secluded Sly & (most of) the Family Stone in over 20 years according to publisher Backbeat Books.  More on what may be the first authorized Sly Stone biography soon.

There Goes Another One - Saying Goodbye To The Mom & Pop CD/Record Store

The local record & CD store was the original social networking site for music fans… an option that is disappearing much too quickly.

READ SAL’S STORY IN NEWSWEEK

James Bond: Quantum Of Solace Movie Trailer

 

The Muscle Car Is Back!

 

Grab some driving music, a C-note for a tank of gas and hit the highway in a new muscle car.  In addition to the revamped/retro Mustang, the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro are back at it again. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years?  From 8-Track to IPod, you’ve got to have the right tunes blasting out over the roar of the engine.

We’ll start the list – and you help us add to it.  Let us know your favorite driving tunes and we’ll road test them. 

 

THE CLASSICROCKFOREVER MUSCLE CAR PLAYLIST

-       Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

-       Takin’ Care Of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive

-       Gimme Some Lovin - Spencer Davis Group

-       Jumpin’ Jack Flash - Rolling Stones

-       Highway Star - Deep Purple

-       Runnin’ Down A Dream - Tom Petty

-        ?

MORE TO COME

“VANISHING POINT” - THE ULTIMATE DODGE CHALLENGER ROAD TRIP

 

WATCH 1970 CAMARO CLOCK ONE MILLION MILES

 

 

 

 

CHECK OUT THE 2010 CAMARO HERE