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Music et al, Music of the 60s, Peace Love Art and Activism, Today in history

April 16 Music et al

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April 16 Music et al

Bob Dylan

April 16 Music et al

April 16, 1962: Dylan debuted his song “Blowin’ in the Wind” at Gerde’s Folk City in New York.

Broadside magazine published the song for the first time in May 1962 in its sixth issue.  In June 1962, Sing Out published the song. In comments there, Dylan cryptically explained:

There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain’t in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it’s in the wind — and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won’t believe that. I still say it’s in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it’s got to come down some … But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know … and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it’s wrong. I’m only 21 years old and I know that there’s been too many … You people over 21, you’re older and smarter.

Columbia Records released the song as a single and on Dylan’s first album, Bob Dylan, in 1963, but it was Peter, Paul and Mary’s cover that made the song a hit. The single sold a phenomenal 300,000 copies in the first week of release and made the song world-famous. On August 17, 1963, it reached number two on Billboard, with sales exceeding one million copies.(see Apr 25)

April 16 Music et al

Rolling Stones

April 16 Music et al

April 16, 1964:  recorded between January 3 and February 25, 1964 in London’s Regent Studios, Decca Records released the Rolling Stones début album, The Rolling Stones (England’s Newest Hitmakers) in the UK.

The US release came on May 30 on London Records. Only one of the songs was composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (“Tell Me (You’re Coming Back”) Nanker Phelge wrote two: Now I’ve Got a Witness and Little By Little. Phelge was a name invented by the band for a band composition.

As was often the case, the UK release and US release differed in their track listings. The UK release was:

Side one:

  1. Route 66
  2. I Just Want to Make Love to You
  3. Honest I Do
  4. Mona (I Need You Baby)
  5. Now I’ve Got a Witness”
  6. Little By Little
 Side two:

  1. I’m a King Bee
  2. Carol
  3. Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)
  4. Can I Get a Witness
  5. You Can Make It If You Try
  6. Walking the Dog

The US release track listing was:

April 16 Music et al

Side One:

  1.  Not Fade Away
  2. Route 66
  3. I Just Want to Make Love to You
  4. Honest I Do
  5. Now I’ve Got a Witness
  6. Little By Little
 Side Two:

  1. I’m a King Bee
  2. Carol
  3. Tell Me
  4. Can I Get A Witness
  5. You Can Make It if you Try
  6. Walking the Dog

April 16 Music et al

Herb Albert

April 16 – May 20, 1966: Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass’s Going Places album returned to the Billboard #1 album. It was Albert’s fifth album.  The song “Spanish Flea” was often heard on the TV show The Dating Game.

April 16 Music et al
Music et al, Music et al, Music today, New Music, Peace Love Art and Activism

Tash Sultana Already Does

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Tash Sultana Already Does

Tash Sultana Already Does

Tash Sultana Already Does

One of the most common comments I hear while volunteering at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is “How come they don’t make music like that anymore?”

“That” being music like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, or some other dead band or musician of the 1960s.

I have two answers to that question.

  1. On a deeper level, we first experience music at a time and place in our lives that connects those musicians to us in a unique way. Since we can never experience that music again in the same way, it holds a landmark place in our personal history and life view.

As I say, that’s the deeper level answer.

2. On a simpler level, the answer is that “They” already make music like that, but are we are willing to set aside those personal landmarks for a moment?

Tash Sultana Already

Tiny Desk Concerts

NPR’s Tiny Desk series is a gold mine of new music. Host Bob Boilen [retired from NPR on October 2, 2023] described the show as one with “intimate video performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered….”

All Songs Considered is the key phrase. If we are searching for golden music, we must be willing to put in the time to pan through a lot of grit, get uncomfortable, and have patience.

Tash Sultana Already Does

Gold in the Cloud

Gold there is, though, in them there sound clouds.

Tiny Desk featured Sultana on April 7, 2017. I was simply surfing the show’s many offerings, but I stayed with her a bit to watch her build the song “Jungle.”

Here is the link to Sultana’s mesmerizing 25 minute 37 second Tiny Desk performance 

It wasn’t the first time that I’ve seen a single  musician use modern electronics to build sounds into a song. For some, such construction is cheating. The sounds are not “real.” Songs need several musicians, not one. To me, that thinking is weak since any electric music is manipulated sound. And acoustic musicians use all kinds of techniques to change acoustics.

Tash Sultana Already Does

Five days one million

In 2016, Sultana posted this video of herself performing/creating “Jungle” in her living room. It fools you because it looks like there is far too much music to come from just one person.

One cute part of the video is when her mom sticks her head around the hallway corner at 2:23.

In its first five days on YouTube, the video had one million views! As of April 2019?  Nearly 40 million views!!! 

Tash Sultana Already Does

Bandcamp.com

Vein of gold

Tash Sultana Already Does

Tash Sultana associates with the musicians’ site Bandcamp.com.  We don’t listen to music on the radio anymore. We stream music and Bandcamp is a streaming site.

Its difference is that it is also a platform for artist promotion,  particularly independent artists.  Artists can post their music for free and we can listen for free.

The idea is that if you like what you hear you can buy the music.  The idea apparently works since the site recently posted the following:

Fans have paid artists $1.25 billion using Bandcamp, and $194 million in the last year

 

Bandcamp describes Sultana as “…a roots reggae/folk inspired singer/songwriter from Melbourne, Victoria. Since having her hands wrapped around a guitar at the mere age of three, the self taught artist was only destined to expand over the coming years.“

For me, it answers the question…

How Come They Don’t?

Because Tash Sultana does already. And she continues to have an energetic tour schedule to put it mildly!

She has released lots of music, her most recent being her Sugar EP in 2023.

Tash Sultana Already Does
Music et al, Peace Love Art and Activism, Today in history

April 15 Music et al

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April 15 Music et al

Rolling Stones/Aftermath

April 15, 1966: UK release of the Rolling Stones album Aftermath.

From Wikipedia: Aftermath, released…by Decca Records, is the fourth British studio album by the Rolling Stones. It was…the group’s sixth American album. The album is considered an artistic breakthrough for the band: it is the first to consist entirely of Mick Jagger–Keith Richards compositions, while Brian Jones played a variety of instruments not usually associated with their music, including sitar, Appalachian dulcimer, marimbas and Japanese koto, as well as guitar, harmonica and keyboards, though much of the music is still rooted in Chicago electric blues. It was the first Rolling Stones album to be recorded entirely in the US, at the RCA Studios in California, and their first album released in true stereo. It is also one of the earliest rock albums to eclipse the 50-minute mark, and contains one of the earliest rock songs to eclipse the 10-minute mark (“Goin’ Home”). 

The album covers differed and as was often the case, the track listings for the US and UK releases differed. The US release had:

April 15 Music et al

Side One:

  1. Paint It Black
  2. Stupid Girl
  3. Lady Jane
  4. Under My Thumb
  5. Doncha’ Bother Me
  6. Think
 Side Two:

  1. Flight 505
  2. High and Dry
  3. It’s Not Easy
  4. I Am Waiting
  5. Goin’ Home

The album cover and track listing for the UK release was:

April 15 Music et al

Side One:

  1. Mother’s Little Helper
  2. Stupid Girl
  3. Lady Jane
  4. Under My Thumb
  5. Doncha Bother Me
  6. Goin’ Home
 Side Two:

  1. Flight 505
  2. High and Dry
  3. Out of Time
  4. It’s Not Easy
  5. i Am Waiting
  6. Take It or Leave It
  7. Think
  8. What To Do
April 15 Music et al

 Something Stupid

April 15 – May 12, 1967: “Something Stupid” by Frank and Nancy Sinatra #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became the first father-daughter song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart.

April 15 Music et al

Beatles/Let It Be

April 15 Music et al

April 15, 1971: Let It Be movie received an Oscar for “Best Film Music-Oriented Film Score.”  (next Beatles, see June 6)

From The Beatles dot com:

The documentary film “Let It Be” gives an unparalleled insight into the Beatles getting back to basics at Twickenham and at their own recording studios in Savile Row. It spans two weeks of recording of what was to be their final album, Let It Be.

Highlight of the film is their legendary gig on the roof of the Apple Building. The sound of their music attracts hundreds of people in the streets below. The crowd spills over into the streets, blocks traffic, frustrates the police. Windows in nearby buildings pop open as other people strain for sight and sound of their favourite performers. Even rooftops serve as precarious perches for Beatles’ fans.

Let It Be was produced by Neil Aspinall and directed by Michael Lindsey-Hogg. It includes tracks such as Don’t Let Me Down, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Two Of Us, I’ve Got A Feeling, Oh Darling, One After 909, Across The Universe, Dig A Pony, I Me Mine, For You Blue, Besame Mucho, Dig It, Get Back and Let It Be.

April 15 Music et al