portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Friday, May 10, 2019

ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

1960 - The Beatles
The Silver Beetles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) auditioned for promoter Larry Parnes and singer Billy Fury for a job as Fury's backing group. Parnes was also looking for backing groups for his lesser-known acts, and The Silver Beetles were selected as backing group for singer Johnny Gentle's upcoming tour of Scotland. The group had changed its name from 'The Beatals' to 'The Silver Beetles' after Brian Casser (of Cass and the Cassanovas) remarked that the name 'Beatals' was "ridiculous". He suggested they use the name 'Long John and the Silver Beetles', but John Lennon refused to be referred to as 'Long John'.
Where it all began . . . . listen to this version above many (all?) others, the delivery is slow confident and beautifully paced, the harmonica quite unlike any later version


1967 - Mick Jagger and Keith - naughty boys!
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appeared at Chichester Crown Court, Sussex, charged with being in possession of drugs, they elect to go to trial pleading not guilty and were both granted £100 bail.
1969 - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin made their first appearance on the UK album chart when the band's debut album charted at No. 6, going on to spend 71 weeks on the UK chart. It entered the US chart the following week at No. 10. Recorded in around 36 hours, the album is now considered one of the most important debuts in rock, creating an entirely new interpretation of the Rock And Roll genre, with groundbreaking musical styles and recording techniques.
An extraordinary occasion this and there were times some seminal ground breaking albums blew us all away and this debut was one. I still play the first two albums and somehow the song structures, the guitar riffing and Robert's voice always affects me the greatest on the first album. I simply had heard nothing like it before and it seemed otherworldly and stratospheric in its sounds. Robert's vocal otherworldly and as if somehow touched by magic. The bass and drums like nothing we had every heard too! Chilling, tantalising and the thing was we thought much of this was a construct in the studio. No one could play or sing like this live could they?. . . . . . . . check this from Danish TV the year it came out and tell me otherwise!  
Simply extraordinary . . . . . . 

2011 - The Beatles - Nothing is real . . . . 
The ornate iron gates of a children's home which inspired John Lennon's psychedelic Beatles anthem Strawberry Fields Forever were removed after The Salvation Army, which owned the former home, decided to put the red Victorian gates into storage. Beatles fans who passed the Liverpool site on tours would now be met with 10ft (3m) high replicas. The original gates were being taken to a secret location for storage, and would eventually be auctioned off.



2018 - Scott Hutchison
Scottish singer, songwriter, guitarist Scott Hutchison from indie band 'Frightened Rabbit' was found dead near South Queensferry, Scotland. Hutchison was last seen at 1am on the 9th May leaving a hotel in South Queensferry and later tweeted 'Be so good to everyone you love. It's not a given. I'm so annoyed that it’s not. I didn't live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones', followed by 'I'm away now. Thanks' prior to his disappearance. Millenials and their singers and creative artists discover mental health affects us all. Tragic loss and I recall it knocking me for six to read his story. Sadness prevails . . . . . . 
Frightened Rabbit . . . .

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