Sharing my favs

bigjohn

Dormant account
Joined
Dec 21, 2012
Location
Northeast Coastal USA
Music is one of my great passions and getting to see it and hear it is a great innovation. I will share some of my favs here and try to tell a little about each one and I will add a couple now and then. I like big complex productions where you might have heard the same song for years and yet every once in a while you hear something you never noticed before. To me, Kansas is the epitome of this. I met these guys when I worked backstage security at Sun Tan Lake in Butler, NJ in the early '90s. Every one of these guys ooze talent, I don't know why they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here is People of the South Wind. Phil Earhart, the drummer has a nice stretch midway through the track.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is one of the best videos on Youtube IMO. Any of you guys across the pond see this live? If you did I am extremely jealous. I believe its from Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee Concert. You got Joe Cocker (much respect), Brian May on guitar and Phil Collins on Drums. With a Litte Help From My Friends. Joe Cocker is a legend that seemed to get better with age until around 2008 or so, he should retire now I think.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
One band, Two vocalists

Styx always brings me back to good old days. This video, Boat On The River, has Tommy Shaw singing. He later went on to play with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra that does the awesome music that goes to some of the crazy Christmas light shows. Styx could rock heavy when they wanted to but they could do softer stuff very well also.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Another softie from Styx. Babe. Dennis DeYoung had the crispest, clearest voice and great annunciation, and he wasn't half bad on the piano. You didn't have to guess the lyrics with him singing. They couldn't go wrong with either vocalist. I believe he started having vision problems and couldn't deal with the bright lights on stage. They also had intellectual disagreements on which way the band should go, DeYoung wanted to go more theatrical and Shaw wanted a more classical type of rock. Pity, a talented group.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Here's a hard rocking tune from Styx. Tommy Shaw again singing Blue Collar Man. This is one of the songs I usually listen to on my way home after a hard day of work.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh yeah, I love Joe Cocker, he's looking good in 2008!

He was never much of a looker, lol. It's interesting to find several versions of this song and see how he changed over the years. He was a pup at Woodstock but he always had the air guitar, air drums, air w/e going strong. Everybody else stayed at least 6 feet away or risk getting slugged!
 
Queen is probably my favorite general purpose band. Freddie Mercury was kinda fruity but had one of the best minds for music and composition. He wrote most of his best stuff with just him and his drummer, Roger Taylor. They would write the entire song imagining in their heads the parts for the other band members. Could you imagine? This is Don't Stop Me Now, another great traveling tune.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Seaside Rendezvous is a fun little ditty from Queen. If you are having a bad day just relax and listen to this, its bound to bring a smile to your face. Its a great stress reliever as was most of their music. There's an Instrumental section in the middle of this tune that sounds like a kazoo and a muted trumpet but these sounds were made by Freddie and the drummer with just their mouths. Freddie was known for his high, falsetto voice but the highest sung notes in this song were actually sung by Roger Taylor.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Now That The Magic has Gone

Here's another from Joe Cocker, this was live in Dortmund in 1992. There are a few videos from this concert on youtube. This looks like it was an awesome show, a lot of energy from all the musicians. Its got to be one of an artist's highlights to share the stage with Joe and these guys all play their hearts out here. Sweet guitar work from John Miles who toured a lot with Tina Turner and produced some of her work.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Unchain My Heart

Another Joe Cocker hit from Dortmund. Joe has got to be one of the most passionate singers ever. Check out the drummer, Dan Hickey, has this guy a gas tank on him or what? I don't how he could maintain that energy through an entire concert. Awesome.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
With One Headlight

Most of my favs are from older groups but this tune caught my ear. This is an example of what I call a "perfect song", there is nothing here that could be changed to improve the piece. This is The Wallflowers and the vocalist is Jakub Dillon, son of Bob Dillon.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Don't Let Go Of The Coat

A really strong vocalist is a rare treat to me and Roger Daltry was one of the strongest. This is kind of a quiet tune for The Who but Rogers voice is as strong as ever. I really admire bands that can do mellow tunes as well as rowdy ones. I saw these guys at the old JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. We took the train from Newark and there were five cars, three of them were just concert people. When the conductor came through he started checking tickets but quickly gave up because everyone was totally partying in those cars! There was over 100,000 people at JFK for this show and was easily the most people I have ever seen in one place.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Susie Q

This is an oldie with a new flavor. John Fogerty has been around forever but what really caught my ear with this piece was the drummer. I did some research and found out his name is Kenny Aronoff. He has played mostly with Melissa Etheridge and John Cougar in the past and is a freelance drummer. You can hire him if you want! This guy has a strong work ethic. He started playing at a very young age, 8 I think, and eventually worked his way up to be a music professor at the prestigious Jilliard Academy. His timing and energy are unmatched IMO. You can see some of his instructional videos and warmup routines if you search "Kenny Aronoff" on youtube. This entire concert can also be viewed there.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Star Spangled Banner

This is Whitney Houston at one of her finest moments, singing our National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV. She certainly had a lot of problems but her voice was undeniably one of greatest. Like the USA, we got a lot of problems but we are also capable of rising to the occasion and I love my Country.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
America the Beautiful

Still feeling a little patriotic so here's another. Ray Charles at 70 years old performing for The Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. Much respect for Ray. I caught this piece a couple of times as the first song of the day at the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas and it always brought a tear to my eye. The music starts a minute and a half in after his little story about the drummer.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have 3 that pop into my head right away...you said "something you never heard before"...In this first one, it's something that is seen, I like the way they look at each other.


 
Last edited by a moderator:
Listen to him KILL IT!!! Even if you don't like them, some found his voice annoying, he is superb here. (my friends and I met them :) )




 
Last edited by a moderator:
And now, the best 2 remakes of songs, not by professionals. (your welcome ladies ;) )



 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks

Thanks for the contributions Boulder and Just Play! Really great vocalists are indeed a treat for me. Stevie nicks definitely has to be high on the list of the all-time greats and the Slayer guy (Tom Araya?) brings images of a somewhat better winded Robert Plant to my mind. Steve Jones I don't know too much about (Sex Pistols?) but a great voice and great passion from all these singers. It's funny some amateurs were shown here because I have one I've been saving....
 
Paparazzi

No, not Gaga, although I do admire her talent and individuality immensely. This is from a sixth-grade talent show and thankfully his mom was there with the camera. This is Greyson Chance. He's gone on to do more but I think this was his best performance, I think he convinced himself that trying harder would produce better results. You gotta be yourself, you can't force greatness. Watch the people in the background. They probably sat through the usual sixth-grade stuff then this kid comes on and really wows them. IMO, one of the all time great Youtube vids.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've seen that Greyson video, he went on and did "Ellen", maybe a few other shows? One of my videos was Mark Slaughter of "Slaughter". :p Not Slayer.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Meister Ratings

Back
Top