The cover of Life Magazine by Albert Dodd Blashfield (1860-1920) features this allegorical scene of the old year sitting at a table with the new year. What the symbolism of the pose, wine, smoking, hourglass and table setting boils down to is: out with the old and in with new.
The original Life Magazine (not the 1936 -1972 photo-journal magazine version of Life) featured humor, cartoons and short articles. Continue reading
From the Detroit Publishing Company comes this lightly trafficked view of Fifth Avenue. By 1915 horses were being phased out of daily street life and a large portion of the vehicular traffic is motorized. Continue reading
If you imagine that in the good old days courtship always involved proper etiquette, courtesy and social mores you would be mistaken.
While combing through the archives of the New York Tribune we came across this article Continue reading
LOU GEHRIG’S WIFE MAY BECOME HIS SECRETARY
Larchmont, N.Y. – Wife and secretary is the double role Mrs. Lou Gehrig (above) might assume Jan. 1, 1940, assumes his position on the New York City Municipal Parole Board. Mrs. Gehrig is shown in their Larchmont N.Y., home, Oct. 11, after Mayor F.H. LaGuardia announced appointment of the New York Yankees former first baseman to the board for a ten-year term. Mrs. Gehrig handles all of Lou’s fan mail and other correspondence. Credit: Acme Oct. 11, 1939
After Lou Gehrig stepped down from playing baseball on May 2, 1939 he stayed with the team for the remainder of the year, never playing a major league game again. But once the season was over Gehrig pondered the future.
The parole board job La Guardia offered paid an annual salary of $5,750, quite a cut from Continue reading
Hollywood press hoopla at work here.
This is the improbable news slug originally accompanying this publicity photograph: Continue reading
A frozen moment on a sunny winter day in Times Square.
We are looking north from 46th Street to the west side of Broadway. Before looking at the surroundings, check out the tail fins on the passing 1960 Plymouth Savoy automobile heading east.
You may notice the human scale of what Times Square once was. Continue reading
The band Van Halen share their name with its two founding members. So when speaking of Van Halen sometimes it’s important to distinguish if you are referring to the band or personnel. Frequently it was interchangeable. The band Van Halen or the guitarist Edward Van Halen. Infrequently was the reference to band co-founder Alex Van Halen.
Sitting behind a drum kit for over 50 years made it possible for Alex Van Halen to be in the background rather than the spotlight. Continue reading
This rare postcard view of The Vitagraph Theatre on the east side of Broadway and 44th Street shows the theatre’s marquee with people milling about a horse drawn promotional wagon.
The building opening in 1895 as the Lyric Theatre was part of the Olympia entertainment complex built by Oscar Hammerstein. Continue reading
Ian Gillan, Deep Purple photo: Jan Persson
We will conclude our overview of isolated vocals with a selection of songs from some of the most iconic hard rock and heavy metal bands.
What you may notice in listening to these cuts is that more than other types of rock, heavy metal has people who can sing and others who greatly benefit with the helping hand of compression and echo.
There were many bands to possibly profile and limiting the number of songs to a bakers dozen was a challenge. While we would consider including Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Anthrax, Slayer, Testament and other thrash bands, we left them out this time. Maybe we’ll revisit this subject in the future.
Starting things off is the band that many fans consider the inventors of heavy metal, Black Sabbath with Paranoid (vocals – Ozzy Osbourne)
In music polls, Led Zeppelin is consistently ranked as the one of the greatest bands in rock history. They also influenced practically every hard rock and metal band even if Zeppelin themselves did not call themselves a “heavy metal” band. This is their iconic 1971 song Rock and Roll (vocals- Robert Plant)
Most rock fans can name the song in three notes. If Deep Purple did not Continue reading
Vocalist Paul Di’Anno (left) & bassist Steve Harris (right) of Iron Maiden photo: EMI
Paul Di’Anno the original vocalist on Iron Maiden’s 1980 eponymous debut album and 1981 follow-up Killers, died today at his home in Salisbury, England at the age of 66. Di’Anno was fired (or quit according to Di’Anno) from Iron Maiden in 1981.
Di’Anno had numerous health issues over the past few decades and for the last several years Di’Anno would sing while seated in a wheelchair.
The first two Iron Maiden studio albums plus a 1981 live EP release, Maiden Japan, showcase the prowess of a young hungry band and the unabashed vocals of Paul Di’Anno. The albums represent the punk-metal hybrid that Iron Maiden was originally producing.
Without Di’Anno the band would jettison the punk edges in lieu of a more polished heavy metal sound.
How much and what Di’Anno contributed is difficult to quantify. Four words come to mind to describe early Maiden. Edgy. Raw. Unyielding. Powerful. It’s best to see and hear Di’Anno live.
Post-Di’Anno, Iron Maiden would rise to worldwide fame with their new singer Bruce Dickinson.
During his short time with Iron Maiden, Di’Anno managed to capture a large group of fans who would remain convinced Di’Anno was the not just the preferred vocalist Continue reading
