Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Reezekeys, this made me smile


Recommended Posts



  • Replies 14
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

That was fun. I didn't know West was such a musicologist, even keeping up on Korean pop.

 

I like the way he says "SCOTland" like it's the least likely place on the planet for a funk band to flourish. Maybe it was? But that's sort of his point . . .

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By what I heard on that video, I'm gonna guess that Joe Rogan has never heard any AWB... maybe not even heard of them at all! Then again he was all of seven years old when Pick Up the Pieces came out, and 15 when the original band broke up.

He's a year older than me, and I've heard some stuff. Maybe if Dr. West sung bits of PUTP he would have recognized it.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Average White Band has definitely stood the test of time with me. I like them now more than ever. They embody the funk concept as well anyone. I"m glad Cornell West agrees.

 

But even back in the day many people who heard Pick Up the Pieces on the radio didn't know what band they were listening to, or that the band had a deep body of equally funky stuff. It was just "that funky song that I have no idea what it's about but every time I hear it I want to drop everything and dance."

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, and I can't tell you how many times we've been confused with Wild Cherry. The next few albums had hits, but I believe they were mainly on the r&b chart, not the pop chart like PUTP - so only aficionados of that style got to hear those. Lucky for me there were quite a few! (Actually, according to Wikipedia the song "Cut The Cake" did OK on the pop chart).

 

BTW I had to look up the song Dr. West did his acapella on - "Why." It was on the "Cut The Cake" album (followup to the "White Album" with PUTP). I don't think it was a single. Yesterday might have been the first time I listened to it in 45 years!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been a fan of AWB forever â For some reason I recall they came into my consciousness after reading a Rolling Stone article about Delaney & Bonnie. Saw them on tour in Canada not long after they broke through and distinctly remember they wouldn't come out for an encore. Back then our audiences were pretty staid, clapping politely after the songs, only rising to cheer and stamp at the end. By then I think the band was so insulted they wouldn't comply. But the concert was brilliant.

 

"If I Ever Lose This Heaven" comes to mind very often these days. Dream gig, Rob. I would play that music till I die.

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been a fan of AWB forever â For some reason I recall they came into my consciousness after reading a Rolling Stone article about Delaney & Bonnie.

 

Three years before PUTP & the White Album, Bonnie Bramlett heard a rehearsal tape of the band (they had just gotten together in London) and flew them to LA to record her debut album, "Sweet Bonnie Bramlett." The whole album is on u-tube and it's killer.

 

Saw them on tour in Canada not long after they broke through and distinctly remember they wouldn't come out for an encore. Back then our audiences were pretty staid, clapping politely after the songs, only rising to cheer and stamp at the end. By then I think the band was so insulted they wouldn't comply. But the concert was brilliant.

 

"If I Ever Lose This Heaven" comes to mind very often these days. Dream gig, Rob. I would play that music till I die.

 

Well I've certainly not seen that kind of behavior since I've been with them! I guess things were different back then. Unfortunately I believe there are some stringent government fees or taxes on "foreign entertainment" that mean we may not make it back to Canada anytime soon (once the present catastrophe is past us, I mean!). I have yet to play a Canadian gig in the seven years I've been with them. And yea, a dream gig for sure! "Heaven" is in our book too, though not in heavy rotation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

American music is probably our greatest contribution to Art.

 

Like our country, it is a melting pot. If you trace the roots of African and European musics, there are lots of influences going back into the depths of history. We've created a special blend here and with modern communications it has spread far and wide with new contributions from other cultures and musics.

 

Would highly recommend Deep Blues and Rock and Roll, an Unruly History - both by Robert Palmer (the author not the pop star).

 

This is a great video, not sure how to embed it. I saw Bill Evans present The Banjo in America in a small, intimate performance space.

 

His hypothesis was that the banjo was a primary conduit for sharing music in early America since anyone could make a banjo. Which has some truth to it, get an animal hide, stretch it over a hoop, add a piece of wood with some way to tighten a couple of cords and you have an instrument. Guitars, pianos etc were not at the same level of availability.

 

A "Diddley Bow" and some vigorous foot stomping while singing will certainly deliver the funk!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...