40 Year Itch: Rolling Stones Saxman Takes a Bath

On September 30, 1973 The Rolling Stones played two shows at the Festhalle in Frankfurt Germany rounding up the first month of their 1973 European tour. Despite the sexy poster, designed by John Pasche from a photo by David Thorper, this tour wasn't as wild as the '72 American Tour. Billy Preston, a big star in his own right and the opening act for the tour, played keyboards. Keith Richards wasn't always keen on his musicianship as he related in...

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September 1973 : Those We Missed

[Purchase]Eccentric and spotty final album from an eccentric and spotty prog rock band that still couldn't find an American audience despite touring with Elton John and trading in their prog credentials for straight rock and roll.. Weeks after It's Only A Movie came out, Family disbanded at a party in which everybody got thrown into a swimming pool.[Purchase]Vagabonds of the Western World, Thin Lizzy's third album, is so close to the band's classic...

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Rock Scene's Readers Super Group Poll

For their December 1973 issue, Rock Scene Magazine published the results of a readers Super Session poll, a kind of fantasy Super Group featuring All Star team of rock and roll artists for that year. Ryan Richardson has uploaded issues of Rock Scene on his website.LEAD VOCALIST Alice CooperLEAD GUITARIST: Eric ClaptonSECOND LEAD : Mark Farner ( of Grand Funk Railroad)BASS: Jack Bruce ( Cream, West, Bruce and Laing)DRUMS : Neil Smith of  Alice...

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Holly and the Italians: My Top Ten

[Purchase]To promote their 1980 single "Tell That Girl To Shut Up", Holly Beth Vincent of the US band Holly and The Italians made this Top 10 list for Smash Hits magazine. The single would be a modest hit...for Transvision Vamp in 1988 but it did help the band land a contract with Virgin Records.This list, featuring three Cheap Trick tunes and two by The Ramones,  comes courtesy of Brian at  Like Punk Never Happe...

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40 Year Itch : Those Famous Teenage Pictures

Glam Rock is just rock and roll with lipstick on -John Lennon1. Wizzard Angel Fingers[Purchase]Combing Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, the gold lame jackets of the 1950's and the LSD trip gone awry make up of Roy Wood, Wizzard made the most of the UK nostalgia craze of 1973. They celebrated their second #1 single of the year late September. The rest of the UK Top 10 follows:2 Sweet Ballroom Blitz3 David Essex Rock On4 Bobby "Boris" Pickett and...

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40 Year Itch: An Interview With Rock's First Punks

[Purchase]   The Pretty Things were raunchier than their contemporaries, The Rolling Stones, before they embraced psychedelia  ( on Emotions ) rock operas ( on S.F. Sorrow) and Side Two of Abbey Road ( on Parachute). But it was the raunchy tag that stuck, thanks to stories of the band brandishing shotguns and setting fire to a passenger jet in flight. That was the act that got the group a lifetime ban from Australia and New Zealand...

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40 Year Itch: Every Time I See Your Face

On September 24, 1973 Ringo Starr released the future #1 single "Photograph" which he wrote with George Harrison, setting high expectations for the Ringo album that would follow six weeks later. After all, the word was out that all the Beatles played on the album...if not at the same time. The single debuted on the charts at #74 and needed just seven weeks to go Number One. The bittersweet lyrics ( Every time I see your face /It reminds me of...

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40 Year Itch: Shimmy Like A Rattlesnake

[Purchase]It seemed like our audience was teeny boppers and rock critics. The great mass of album buying, trend setting 17-21 year-olds didn't want any part of us. Now we're heroesEric Carmen, 1985If the Cleveland power popsters The Raspberries wore their Beatles influences on their sleeves for their first two albums, on Side 3 they doffed their invisible caps to The Who. Eric Carmen's songs especially. His album closer, "Ecstasy", is like a Who's...

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40 Year Itch: Basketball Jones

Released in September of 1973, the Cheech and Chong single "Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" peaked at #15 on the Billboard charts.  Most surprising is the cast of musicians who showed up at the session: George Harrison and Klaus Voorman has been recording next door (with Ringo I wonder?). Carole King showed up to play electric piano while Nicky Hopkins and Billy Preston added their own keyboard flair. While Jim Karsten played drums,...

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40 Year Itch : 1973 in Krautock

Faust in 1973   1973 was another monster year for Krautrock, though you wouldn't have known it in the United States. I still think the term "Krautrock" is far too vague, encompassing German bands cranking out long 4/4 "motonik" beat numbers like Can and Neu; German ambient fusion jazz groups like Embryo and Ash Ra Tempel; and just purely progressive rock bands who sing in German ( like Message and Agitation Free). We have already discussed...

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40 Year Itch: Never Seems To Be Enough Time

On September 20, 1973, the say before the single "I Got A Name" was released, Jim Croce, the talented guitarist Maury Muehleisen  and four others were killed when their twin engine Beech 18 clipped a tree upon take off and crashed to the ground. The crash was so violent both Croce and pilot Robert Elliot were decapitated.Croce, 30,  had performed earlier that evening At Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He performed...

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40 Year Itch: An Hour of Darkness

At 12:30 AM on September 19, 1973 Gram Parsons was pronounced dead by a doctor in the Yucca Valley emergency ward. The man credited with inventing country rock had spent the night binging on drugs and alcohol at the Joshua Tree Inn in Twentynine Palms,California. He'd fallen unconscious, turned blue, was resuscitated and then died of an overdose of morphine, cocaine and barbiturates. His blood alcohol level was 0.21%. What a waste. Had he been...

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40 Year Itch: Ringo Buys John's House

On September 18, 1973 Ringo Starr bought the 16 room Georgian mansion, Tittenhurst Park, from his former Beatle band mate John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This has been John and Yoko's home for more than four years. It was also the location of the last Beatles photo session together on August 22, 1969. These shots were used for the Hey Jude album coverBoth John and Yoko had recorded albums at Tittenhurst ( Imagine and Fly respectively) But by...

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