Tag Archives: 1970s

Book Review – “Brothers” Alex Van Halen

The Quiet Van Halen Speaks Of Family, Music, Life, Love And Loss

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

13 Classic Heavy Metal Songs With The Vocals Only

Isolated Vocals On 13 Songs From Classic Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Motley Crue & Other Bands

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.

Originators

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

A Dozen Rock ‘N’ Roll Hits Like You’ve Never Heard Them Before

Isolated Vocals Means Hearing A Song You’ve Heard Hundreds Of Times In A New Way

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend The Who photo; London Features, Neal Preston

With these versions where all the other instruments have been eliminated but the vocals, you can hear the singer’s voice as an instrument itself. These songs range from 1969 – 1980, all before the invention of pitch correction (aka auto-tune) which many music purists believe ruined music forever. These songs are from an era when singers actually had to be able to sing. Continue reading

National Lampoon’s 1970s Funky Advertisers

In The 1970s, National Lampoon Magazine Took Any & All Advertisers

Model demonstrating the proper facial use of a vibrator. From National Lampoon, January 1977

Matty Simmons the CEO of National Lampoon and author of If You Don’t Buy This Book We’ll Kill This Dog (Barricade Books), describes in his 1994 memoir the challenges of getting traditional advertisers during National Lampoon magazine’s first decade. Continue reading

He Wrote ALL These Pop Rock Hit Songs For Different Artists

“He” Is Mike Chapman, Writer, Producer Extraordinaire

Mike Chapman (wearing sunglasses) in the studio with Blondie photo: GEMS/Redferns

From age 18 to 80 the fact that even novices of melody will recognize many of Mike Chapman’s songs, says a lot about his talent.

Mike Chapman (born in Queensland, Australia, April 13, 1947) is not just a record producer, but also a songwriter of major importance.

He has written and / or produced music with The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, The Knack, Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, Divinyls, Nick Gilder, Scandal, Billy Squier, Agnetha from ABBA, Lita Ford, Smokie and arguably most successfully, Blondie.

But it’s Chapman’s skill at songwriting that will remain his legacy. Continue reading

Classic Hollywood #156 – Mary Pickford & Buddy Rogers Get Engaged

The Engagement Of Mary Pickford & Buddy Rogers – 1936

Mary Pickford Buddy Rogers photo Wide World“America’s Sweetheart” Formally Announces Engagement
Hollywood, Calif – Photo shows: Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart” and Charles “Buddy” Rogers film actor and orchestra leader at the dinner party formally announcing their engagement. They expect to be married in the spring, in Hollywood. He must be in London for a film production January 4. She expects to go abroad, possibly with her niece, and Rogers’ mother in December. photo Wide World Photos 11/21/1936

Here is the Hollywood publicity machine Continue reading

The Politically Incorrect Postage Stamp

U.S. Postage Stamp – “Retarded Children Can Be Helped”

Don’t dare call somebody retarded unless you want scorn heaped upon you.

In the twenty-first century the word retard has been put on a list of verboten words never to be uttered, unless you wish to appall your fellow conversationalist or intend to incur the wrath of the word police. It wasn’t always this way.

The United States Postal Service issued the Retarded Children Can Be Helped stamp October 12, 1974. Over 150 million Continue reading

This AC/DC Demo Turned Into One Of Their Most Iconic Songs

AC/DC Rejected Dirty Eyes, Instead Using The Same Riff For Whole Lotta Rosie

Plus The Only Known Photograph Of The Real Life “Rosie”

AC/DC’s singer / lyricist Bon Scott once described himself not as a poet, but more a bathroom graffiti writer.

Though Bon Scott was self effacing, he could look at his own work honestly to see if there was room for improvement. Scott would frequently write and rewrite lyrics in notebooks and record on portable tape recorder he carried with him.

In one case he took a good rock song and made it a great song by completely changing the lyrics. Continue reading

1970 New Yorker Cartoonist Book Defines What It Is To Be A Boy Or A Girl

New Yorker Cartoonist Whitney Darrow’s 1970 Children’s Book Emphasizes The Differences Between Boys And Girls

Up until the 1960s men were men, women were women and children’s books steadfastly reinforced that boys are boys, and girls are girls. Not just anatomically, but in professions, expectations and capabilities.

“Because he was naughty, dear.”

Whitney Darrow Jr. (August 22, 1909 – August 10, 1999) was Continue reading

Remembering “Satchmo” Louis Armstrong’s Funeral July 9, 1971

Fifty Two Years Ago Today Was The Funeral Of Louis Armstrong

Is “Satchmo” Remembered Today?

Louis Armstrong funeral July 9, 1971 photo: Globe

It is impossible to say who will be remembered by the multitudes years after their passing. I would hope Louis Armstrong will be among those whose name and music goes on for eternity.

Louis Armstrong brought love and joy everywhere he went. And the world universally returned that love.

On July 6, 1971 Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in his home in Corona, Queens. Continue reading