From time to time, I will post an opinion on a musically related item found in the media or elsewhere. I need to walk cautiously as this is the page that could become very large rather quickly, to the detriment of other parts of the site. We don’t want that to happen, so the intent here is to be mindfully brief and to the point.
Thanks for being.
jazzmanblue
NYC May 7, 2012
Rolling Stone magazine has opened up their entire issue archive to readers with a current subscription. I’m not sure as to when this took place, but this reader was searching the internet for any reference to some of the magazine’s reviews from the early 70’s when the access to said reviews became available through the website. It has been many a year since reading the magazine, but starting in late 1969 and extending through 1971, I used the Records section as a guide of sorts for choosing which LP’s on which to spend my then very limited disposable income. Some of those reviews left a strong impression, and after rereading a good many of them within the last week, noted the majority of those read way back when were written by Lester Bangs, who passed away at the age of 33 to a (what else?) drug overdose. His death occurred in April of 1982, and he was long gone from Rolling Stone by that time, leaving sometime in 1973, according to a number of sources. It was just too common to lose people to some type of drug overdose during the ’70’s, but, common or not, we never got used to it. Reading about his career made me realize that Bangs was in his early 20’s when writing those reviews for Rolling Stone. Many of them were exceptionally well written, and while I disagreed with many of his opinions, including his choice to write negative reviews, he stated his positions well. I was glad to have read them, both then and now.
Some pleasant surprises were found in those old pages. I especially enjoyed the brief overview of the Dreams album in the Feb 4, 1971 issue, which was also written by the aforementioned Mr. Bangs. There were also reviews of other recordings of interest, and it is intriguing for one to go back and see what was said of these records before they became established icons of a genre or era. Layla by Derek and the Dominoes is a case in point; it was reviewed alongside The Allman Brothers Band and their Idlewild South album in one of the December issues of 1970. While this seemed a bit unusual at first glance, the choice to do so made sense, considering that Duane Allman was a key contributor to both recordings. These particular reviews were not written by Mr. Bangs, but they are recommended reading, should you find the music to be of interest.
Going into the RS archive to examine the viewpoint and opinions of the day was a rather good time. Just seeing the old issues and many of the LP advertisements brought back a host of memories. Many of them, for me, were quite pleasant. All this being said, we recommend our readers avoid romanticizing the past. I have a number of friends who occasionally give me pause for concern due to their inordinate focus on the events of the time and our shared memories regarding those events. Whether you were there or not, for all of the things said of those “good old days”, they were not so great that I would choose to go back in time and relive them. Please do whatever research you need done, and just come back to the moment. Most of that longing for the past I witness in others of my generation appears to be connected to fondness or a connection to what was referred to, at the time, as the “counterculture.”
Please do not be deceived. The so called “counterculture” of the ’60’s is at the heart of today’s mainstream of cultural thought, and brings no more to the table, in toto, than ’60’s conservatism did. The country is in need of a new cultural paradigm, and music, as it always does, will lead the way to it. May it happen soon.
Happy Listening!
Jazzmanblue
The Hendrix issue from October of 1970 is posted because it is personally memorable to the author of this site.
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NYC April 18, 2012
I was watching Magic City on the Starz network last night, catching the first two episodes. For those not familiar with the story, an entrepeneur opens a large, swanky hotel in Miami at the end of 1958. As the main character is making his rounds about the place, the opening bars of The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan begin to make their way to the foreground of the soundtrack. Nice touch, but The Sidewinder was recorded on December 21, 1963, five years after the time frame of the film.
Ooops.
Looks like someone in production did not do their research. The story and script are trite and hackneyed to boot, but that is a subject for the movie critics. As for the recording, it is recommended listening, and well represents the Blue Note issues of the early ’60’s.
www.allmusic.com/album/the-sidewinder-r144338
Happy Listening!
Jazzmanblue
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