Tag Archives: YouTube

Rare 8mm Van Halen Concert Film Footage From 1978

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Unseen For 41 Years – Highlights From A Van Halen Concert At Fresno’s Selland Arena, Friday, September 22, 1978

Eddie van Halen & David Lee Roth Live in concert Sept 22, 1978 I hope YouTube doesn’t take this video down.

This story would have to be deleted as well.

While I like Van Halen, I’m not an uberfan. I have all the David Lee Roth era LPs and still listen to Van Halen. But live, I always thought of Roth as a great front-man, rather than a great singer. He might agree. I wish he’d sing the lyrics!

What is the attraction to Van Halen? Besides the virtuosity and innovativeness of Eddie Van Halen, it’s probably because the band built up a huge following through touring, putting on extravaganzas and releasing unique, catchy kick-ass rock albums.

Unfortunately Van Halen has rarely released whatever footage they have of themselves when they were just starting out on their way to becoming superstars.

That is why this is special. 41 years after it occurred, here is Van Halen LIVE in concert only seven months after the release of their first album.

You may not like vocalist David Lee Roth’s showmanship, jumping around with lyrical improvisations and high pitch shrieks. Then maybe you’ll stop watching after a few minutes. Roth, however is hitting more of the notes live as recorded on the album than many of his recorded performances.

Seeing Van Halen as openers for Black Sabbath, trying to win over an audience is unique in itself. Guitarist Eddie Van is blazing on all cylinders. Bassist and harmony singer Michael Anthony is confident and steady. And drummer Alex Van Halen is holding it all together keeping  great time. They’re young and hungry and it shows. Eddie and David were both 23-years-old. According to manager Noel Monk the band was being paid $750 per show – split four ways!

Ticket stub and cassette tape Van Halen concert Fresno September 22, 1978This is what the late 1970s were about. Great music with rock band’s wanting to impress you in concert with their music and energy. Seven dollar tickets, small stage, no pyrotechnics, or giant video screens or back-up dancers.  Everyone is watching and listening to the band.

So thank you FresnoMediaRestoration for putting together audio with this 8mm film footage to come up with 20 minutes of live Van Halen in their prime.

Below the footage I’ve quoted some of the better YouTube comments.

The better YouTube comments:

It’s surprising they ever made it big. I mean, if you were a rock star in the 70s, would you hire them to open your show? – Baba Yaga

This show was the night before their memorable 9/23/78 concert @ Anaheim Stadium where Boston headlined along with Black Sabbath & Sammy Hagar. VH hired 4 skydivers to jump out of a plane. The skydivers landed behind the stage & VH — in parachute gear — jumped out of a van & rushed onto the stage to On Fire. Crowd went crazy. That was also the day that EVH met Sammy Hagar for the first time.– jpr – 030507 Continue reading →

Video: Dove vs. Cat – (It Doesn’t End The Way You Think)

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What Happens When A Dove Visits A Sleeping Cat?

You’ve heard the expression let sleeping dos lie. But what about cats? Well this daring dove is determined to wake up this cat. And the cat will have no part of it. This is not Sylvester and Tweety.

Apparently this dove regularly comes around to annoy this cat. Does the cat even attempt to slaughter it?

This is either the bravest bird or the most laid back cat.

At one minute in, the bird is laughing, at the cat, right?

The questions I have are as follows:

1) Who lets a dove into their house in the first place? Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #83 – “Catwoman” Julie Newmar

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Batman’s Catwoman – Julie Newmar

Julie Newmar with Blonde hair

This undated, uncredited photo shows a young Julie Newmar with blonde hair. Newmar did have a film career before and after her turn as one of the sexiest TV villains ever. This is what she looked like years before appearing on Batman.

Julie Newmar was indisputably the best Catwoman on the Batman TV series. Eartha Kitt also played Catwoman, while Lee Meriwether played the part in the 1966 Batman movie.

The leggy Newmar had wickedly delicious lines she would trade with Adam West (Batman). Catwoman’s best piece of dialogue I believe was this exchange with Batman while he is trying to convince Catwoman to surrender:

Batman: I’ll do everything I can to rehabilitate you.

Catwoman: [overcome by happiness]  Marry me.

Batman: Everything except that. A wife, no matter how beauteous, or affectionate would severely impair my crime-fighting.

Catwoman: But I could help you in your work. As a former criminal, I’d be invaluable. I can reform, honestly I can.

Batman: What about Robin?

Catwoman: [pulls a disgusted face]  Robin? Oh, I’ve got it: we’ll kill him.

Batman: I see you’re not really ready to assume a life in society.

Batman has been off the air over 50 years and it’s hard to believe that Julie Newmar (born Newmayer August 16, 1933) will be 86-years-old this year. Continue reading →

A President Behind Home Plate

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Who Is That Masked Man? A Future President? Ask Chevy Chase.

Future President Gerald Ford plays baseball in 1949

No, It’s not Donald Trump. Trump did play baseball in college. But behind home plate is a career politician who later became President.

Maybe a closer look will help.

Close-up of President Ford 1949 playing catcher in a softball gameWhen catching a ball it usually helps to have your eyes open. We’ll pardon you if you didn’t recognize Chevy Chase’s favorite comedic target when starring on Saturday Night Live,  President Gerald Ford.

The 1949 photograph comes from the UPI archive. We see Michigan Congressman Gerald Ford crouching behind home plate. In the batters box Representative Glenn R. Davis of Wisconsin demonstrates how to execute a bunt improperly by gripping and exposing his right fingers around the bat directly into the path of the ball so he can break his fingers.

Contrary to popular belief, Gerald Ford was very athletic and was not clumsy or simpleminded. In 1934 Ford was named the Most Valuable Player of the University of Michigan’s football team.

Why and when did people begin thinking Ford was awkward?

Probably when President Ford fell down a few steps disembarking Airforce One in Vienna on June 1, 1975. He also stumbled a few more times on the trip. Unfortunately for Ford, network TV was there to capture the airplane moment and show it nationally.

Then, Chevy Chase capitalized on the event and began portraying Gerald Ford in comedic sketches on SNL, as absent-minded, uncoordinated, constantly falling down and being prone to accidents. Though Chase neither looked or sounded like Ford, people began to believe that Chase’s characterization was how Ford was in real life!

For a year, week after week, Chase satirized President Ford on late night TV.

Finally, Ford and Chase met each other at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner on March 25, 1976.

At the dinner in front of 1000 people at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Chase performed his Gerald Ford routine as President Ford sat at the dais and laughed at his impersonator.

Afterwards, Ford got up to speak and said Continue reading →

If You Think Amazon’s Alexa Is Ruining The World, You’ll Love This Song

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Alexa (Can You Hear Me?) – Beans On Toast’s Brilliant Song

Beans on Toast, a British musician came up with what I think is the best song (at least lyrically) in the last year.

Here is the video for Alexa —

In late 2014 a scandal emerged when Samsung’s Smart TV voice command recorded and shared everything within earshot, when the feature was activated. Samsung’s privacy policy (which almost no one read) warned, “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party,”  Some people were outraged.

Yet soon after, millions of people began to voluntarily install a true digital spy in their home, Amazon’s Alexa. It is sheer madness that people are willing to be monitored, quantified and algorithimed, but are not alarmed by the ultimate repercussions of the loss of privacy.

About Beans On Toast

Beans’ real name is Jay McAllister who hails from Braintree, Essex.  Since 2009 McAllister has annually released an album on his birthday, December 1.  Alexa is off of McAllister’s tenth  studio album, 2018’s, “A Bird In The Hand.”  Continue reading →

Why Hip Hop, Rap And Pop Crap Has Replaced Rock ‘N’ Roll

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An Analysis of Fifty Seven Years Of Pop Chart History Shows The Decline Of Rock ‘N’ Roll

A Provoking & Insightful Video By David Bennett

Led Zeppelin on stage stage photographer unknown

Led Zeppelin on stage circa 1970. photographer: unknown

Normally we don’t repeat opinions or commentary of other people or websites. But on a rare occasion we’ll stumble upon an argument made elsewhere that has merit and should be shared with a wider audience.

That is the case with David Bennett, a young musician who analytically examined the decline of rock ‘n’ roll over the last 60 years.

According to Bennett rock music disappeared in 2010 and possibly will never return, at least to the pop charts. The short entertaining video of when and why rock disappeared from the mainstream, is worth a few minutes of any rock fan’s time.

Here is Bennett’s theory.

As pointed out before, David Bennett is an extremely gifted musician, so he’s not just another numbskull spouting an opinion on YouTube. Here is a link to his other videos. If you watch any, I believe you will be impressed.

Barring Greta Van Fleet, Royal Blood and some other youthful lads Continue reading →

The Beatles Leave London To Invade The U.S.A. – February 7, 1964

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It Was 55 Years Ago Today – The Beatles Came to The USA

beatles feb 7 1964

Feb 7, 1964 – The Beatles Leave London For New York – The Beatles singing group is shown at London airport this morning prior to departing for appearances in New York. From left are Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. AP wirephoto via cable from London

Our headline (thank you, Sgt. Pepper) points out that remarkably it has been 55 years, not 20 years ago today that the Beatles left London for New York City. The British Invasion was underway. The world would never be the same, not just musically, but in fashion and pop culture.

If you want to get a sense of what Beatlemania was like when the Fab Four first arrived in New York, there is a forgotten little film Continue reading →

The Brooklyn Home Of Actor Edward Everett Horton (and His Interesting Life)

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Famed Actor Edward Everett Horton Was Born & Bred In Brooklyn

Everett Edward Horton home BrooklynImagine living in a home that is old. Over 150-years-old.

If you’ve ever lived anywhere that has a long past, you’ve probably wondered who previously occupied the space before you. What were the people like who once lived there? What celebrations and heartbreaks happened there?

When passing by, no one would take a second look at the building at 316 Carlton Avenue in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. It’s just another tidy single family, four story brick home in a row of similar 19th century houses. Continue reading →

Will Rush Be Reuniting? Geddy Lee Video Interview December 2018

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Realistically, Rush Will Probably Not Reunite – But Geddy Lee Says Making Music With Alex Lifeson Is On The Horizon

Geddy Lee of Rush Aug 1, 2015 Photo: Rich Fury/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

In a December interview to promote his new book Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book Of Bass, Rush’s lead singer quashed any talk of a Rush reunion. Rush is officially retired as of 2015.

Geddy Lee spoke with New York’s WAXQ-FM Marc Coppola and Shelli Sonstein and put to rest any notion that drummer Neil Peart would record and perform with his bandmates.

Lee told Coppola that, “The idea of seeing Neil, Alex and myself on stage or on record together is not realistic.” Continue reading →

1970s Rock – Foghat Shows What A Great Live Band Could Do

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Foghat Gives An Incredible Live Performance – 1974

Why is it that the 1970s produced dozens of incredibly talented rock bands?

Certainly one reason is creative singer-songwriters proliferated and produced songs that have stood the test of time.

Foghat members Tony Stevens, "Lonesome Dave" Peverett, Rod Price, Roger Earl

Foghat c. 1974 standing: Tony Stevens, front l-r “Lonesome Dave” Peverett, Rod Price, Roger Earl photo: London Features

Foghat was one of the many bands that came from England and triumphed in America. Today it has been forgotten that Foghat was among the top grossing live bands of the 70s. Even with one double platinum and eight gold records, Foghat today have been mostly bypassed in rock history as a novelty boogie rock band.

Throughout the 1970s their albums and live performances won praise from music fans. Foghat was constantly heard on FM stations. Radio staples like Slow Ride and Fool For The City are still played today.

And boy could they put on a live show. Foghat were simply beasts on stage in front of an audience.

In this fantastic 1974 version of the Willie Dixon penned blues classic I Just Want To Make Love To You, Foghat makes eleven minutes go by awfully fast. Foghat looks like they are having the best time ever being in a rock band.

This is one incredible exuberant, fun and blistering performance from Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Unfortunately the narcoleptic audience doesn’t realize what they are seeing regardless of the added applause track.

What constitutes the ingredients of a great live performance? Continue reading →