Favorite 60s group
With all the worship of the Beatles and Stones that goes on here, along with other 60s groups that may or may not be XTC anachronisms, I’ve heard nary a mention of Cream (or The Who for that matter, but we’ll leave that for another time). Last week on the local PBS affiliate, I caught the tail end of a live reunion concert they played back in May. It was a lot of fun, and well-played. I love watching Jack Bruce play fretless and sing. And playing “Politician” and singing, which is really hard. Ginger Baker has a nice, almost jazzy touch, which I never really noticed on the old recordings. That Clapton guy isn’t too bad, either.
December 5th, 2005 at 11:51 am
You beat me to it. I ran accross the DVD on Amazon last week. (dropped a few Christmas hints). Then, the next day, I caught the tail end of the showing on PBS.
I recall Ginger Baker looking about 50 back in the 60’s. Time has not been as kind to Ginger and Jack as it has Eric. But man, they still kick. I agree with you about Jack Bruce & the fretless bass. Vintage wine (Cream, that is.) If I don’t receive for Christmas, will definitely be making a purchase.
December 5th, 2005 at 11:55 am
The Beach Boys don’t get the credit they deserve — they had tons of great releases in the sixties. I love The Who’s sixties stuff (e.g. Sell Out or the earlier stuff like “I Can’t Explain”). The Zombies Odessey and Oracle [sic] is a sixties classic. Also love Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks. The Nuggets II box set is a great collection of mostly-obscure sixties psychedlia. And then there’s Bob Dylan.
December 6th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Let’s don’t forget Traffic.
There was a lot of very good r & b back in those days as well.
I can’t stand Ted Nugent, but that guitar solo he played on Journey To The Center Of
The Mind by The Amboy Dukes still gets me off.
December 6th, 2005 at 5:05 pm
Add to that list Ten Years After, Faces, Badfinger, Alice Cooper, CCR, Fat Mattress, and a long, long list of other classic groups whose songs have stood the test of time, right on up to the master of “Kosmic Debris” – Frank Zappa….. Talk out not getting recognition!…. Zappa put out over 60 albums in his career and personally remixed all of them from analog to digital before his death….. Granted, most of his catalog could not be played on public radio due to content, but he was the man….. I had the honor of seeing him perform live on three occasions – one of them when he had Flo and Eddie (ex-leaders of the group The Turtles)as members of his Mothers of Invention band….. If you haven’t ever checked out the 12 CD box set of “You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore” you don’t know what you’ve missed……
December 7th, 2005 at 10:36 am
Fat Mattress. Wow, I hadn’t heard that name in a while. Used to love their albums.
Badfinger, I agree, highly underrated. My fave Zappa is Overnite Sinsation. Really liked the live album with Flo & Eddie, too. Haven’ts seen the Zappa 12 CD Set. Sounds pretty pricey. I have a bunch of Zappa albums, don’t know if I could listen to 12 in a row, however.
December 7th, 2005 at 4:37 pm
I appreciate the musicianship and his humor, but listening to Zappa’s albums is hard work.
December 9th, 2005 at 12:44 am
It’s time to sit bolt upright in a straight-backed chair, button that top button and get
ready for The Difficult Music Listening Hour. I would agree that it is hard work to listen
to some of Frank’s work, but most of it is just plain fun. I’ve got most of the “You Can’t
Do That On Stage Anymore” series, and it is, as MR said, choice quality stuff. I’m especially
fond of Volume 2 in which Dweezil solos and trades licks with his old man.
I wouldn’t call FZ & The Mothers, Badfinger, Alice Cooper, etc., 60’s groups, though. If you
include artists who’s careers BEGAN in the 60’s, then you have to include Pink Floyd, Yes,
Jethro Tull, and a load of others. But hey, good music is good music no matter when it was made.