Friday, May 29, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Interview with Peppy Castro of the Blues Magoos
See PLAYLIST from Show #1 below
PEPPY CASTRO
BLUES MAGOOS INTERVIEW
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Ian Lloyd of Stories, first guest on my reactivated radio show POP EXPLOSION May 13, 2015 Show opened at 1 PM with Alice Cooper's No More Mr. Nice Guy followed by "We Ain't Got Nothing Yet" and "Tobacco Road" by the Blues Magoos, "Wait" by the Beatles, a Jimi Hendrix/Stephen Stills jam, Ian Lloyd @ 1:16 pm "Brother Louie" at 1:26 pm then another 10 minutes of interview, a metal version of "Brother Louie" into Jack Ely and the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" (actually not because of Brother Louie but in tribute to Jack Ely) then a foreign language version of "Sunny" and a few other songs which are on the playlist at the station...
BB KING LIVE IN THE U.K. 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5_j91FjsXM
PEPPY CASTRO
BLUES MAGOOS INTERVIEW
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An Interview with Peppy Castro of the Blues Magoos
Conducted by Joe Viglione
Peppy to be interviewed on http://bostonfreeradio.com 1 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2015.
The Blues Magoos will appear at Johnny D’s
in Somerville on Thursday, May 21, 7 PM
Here are the dates for
Somerville/Boston, Connecticut and New York for this upcoming weekend.
May 21 – Somerville,
MA – Johnny D’s
May 22 – New Haven,
CT – Café Nine
May 23 – New York, NY
– Bowery Electric
Q: When did the idea for Psychedelic Resurrection come to be?
A: Over the years and decades people have always been
suggesting a reunion. It actually took years to put into place. Once it was
decided that we would attempt it, I (Peppy) came up with the CD title. I wanted
to have the word Psychedelic in the title as this has been part of the groups
legacy.
Q:It's fun to see Mark Lindsay with a splashy, colorful CD cover,
as well as current "garage bands" utilizing neo-psychedelia -
perhaps pastel meets psychedelic. Who did your cover art and who came up
with the concept?
A: The Cover was a combination of two friends and myself. Kenn
Lubin who is an iconic Art Director started it off and then Scotty McAloon took
it from there and did the majority of the lay out and design. They both are
with a company called King Displays in New York that do all the signage for the
Broadway Shows among other things.
Q: Do you know what TV show this clip of We Ain't Got Nothing
Yet is from?
A: Sorry I did survive the sixties in tact but haven't a clue
anymore as to where that one was. I want to say a local TV show in Texas?
Q:What was the "Demo That Got The Deal" for the 45 RPM
on Verve Records and/or was it a live performance that got the contract
for"So I'm Wrong and You Are Right" b/w "The People Had No
Faces"
A: Really The Magoos on the streets of New York playing the Nite
Owl Cafe got us the attention but I would say both songs were independently
produced and that secured the Verve Deal.
Q:Were guitarist Dennis LePore and drummer Jon Finnegan onboard
for the Verve single or had they already been replaced by Geoff Daking on drums
and Mike Esposito on guitar?
A: Yes we never went to records with Dennis and John.
Q:What is the current 2015 line-up of Blues Magoos?
A: Ralph Scala (Keys voc Orig) Geoff Daking (Orig drums) Peppy
Castro (Orig Guitar/vox Mike Ciliberto (New Member Guitar
Peter Stuart Kolhman (New member Bass).
Q:What was the Demo that Got The Deal for Mercury Records or was
it a live show?
A: I'd say more based on the group live.
Q:Did you know other Mercury/Philips acts like Spanky & Our
Gang, Bobby Hebb and Buzzy Linhart?
A: We were on the same bills with Spanky and knew them as label
mates and casually at shows. I didn't know Bobby Hebb but was very close with
Buzzy.
Q:Did the Blues Magoos ever play onstage with Jimi Hendrix?
A: Never with a professional gig. He did come in and jam with us
at the Nite Owl.
Q:Ralph and/or Peppy, did you fellows know Jimi Hendrix well?
A: We knew Jimi in passing and hanging out in the same places in
the Village. The Tin Angel etc.
Q:Did you and Buzzy Linhart ever jam together with Hendrix?
A: Not all three. Separately. Again Buzzy was very close to all
of us but I have to say more so with me. We spent a lot of time together.
Q:How does a group in 2015 launch a single in this
climate? Internet radio, YouTube, traditional terrestrial radio?
A: All of the above. Sadly intellectual property and the
sanctity of ones creative recorded works seems to be public domain these
days.
Q:Are there plans for a follow-up to Psychedelic Resurrection?
A: At the moment it is a gargantuan effort to even play out and
gig. The logistics of being a working band is much harder these days. So it is
more a labor of love and reunion. We are taking things one day at a time. The
creative juices are there though.
Q:The Vanilla Fudge play their self-titled hit album in its
entirety on tour, will the Blues Magoos be performing Psychedelic Lollipop
and/or Electric Comic Book on tours?
A: Not in it's entirety. Oddly enough Basic Blues Magoos our 3rd
Lp is a fabulous record and we even do some songs from that as well.
Q:Are you considering a live album from this tour?
A: It hasn't been discussed. I think we are testing the waters.
Q:Do you have live tapes from previous years, and would you
consider a vintage Blues Magoos Live album from tapes made back in the day?
A: We haven't really done that much. One offs here and there. I
don't think recordings exist with any kind of quality. If we keep performing,
that would be an option. The band is very musical live and the more we play out
the tighter we become.
Q:What do you think of the CD vs Vinyl and the new Vinyl craze?
A: Vinyl is always welcomed to the purists. CD's bring in a younger
audience. I think both are pretty obsolete in the big picture because people
just rip off the music and records sales are way off.
In 2011 Sundazed Records reissued Psychedelic Lollipop and Electric Comic Book on limited edition (1000 copies)
vinyl and CD from the first generation Mercury master tapes with greatly
improved sound quality compared to earlier reissues. (from Wikipedia)
A: The people at Sundazed are dedicated Audiophiles and keep the
music alive and much appreciated.
Thanks for your time, Peppy!
My Pleasure Joe. All the best.
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Here are the dates for
Somerville/Boston, Connecticut and New York for this upcoming weekend.
May 21 – Somerville,
MA – Johnny D’s
May 22 – New Haven,
CT – Café Nine
May 23 – New York, NY
– Bowery Electric
PARTIAL PLAYLIST FOR SHOW # 1 Wednesday May 13, 2015
Ian Lloyd of Stories, first guest on my reactivated radio show POP
EXPLOSION May 13, 2015 Show opened at 1 PM with
1)Alice Cooper's No More
Mr. Nice Guy followed by
2)"We Ain't Got Nothing Yet"
3)"Tobacco Road"
by the Blues Magoos,
4)"Wait" by the Beatles,
5)Jimi Hendrix/Stephen
Stills jam,
6)Ian Lloyd
@ 1:16 pm
7)"Brother Louie" at 1:26 pm
8)another 10 minutes of
interview,
9)metal version of "Brother Louie" into
10)Jack Ely and the
Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" (actually not because of Brother Louie but in
tribute to Jack Ely) then a
11)foreign language version of "Sunny" and a
few other songs which are on the playlist at the station...
______________________________________________________
Ian Lloyd of Stories, first guest on my reactivated radio show POP EXPLOSION May 13, 2015 Show opened at 1 PM with Alice Cooper's No More Mr. Nice Guy followed by "We Ain't Got Nothing Yet" and "Tobacco Road" by the Blues Magoos, "Wait" by the Beatles, a Jimi Hendrix/Stephen Stills jam, Ian Lloyd @ 1:16 pm "Brother Louie" at 1:26 pm then another 10 minutes of interview, a metal version of "Brother Louie" into Jack Ely and the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" (actually not because of Brother Louie but in tribute to Jack Ely) then a foreign language version of "Sunny" and a few other songs which are on the playlist at the station...
BB KING LIVE IN THE U.K. 2011
B B King Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2011 1080p HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5_j91FjsXM
Monday, May 11, 2015
Jimi Henddrix Remastered RAINBOW BRIDGE SOUNDTRACK
The power and the beauty of Jimi Hendrix's Rainbow Bridge soundtrack is reconfirmed in its new setting, remastered for a current CD re-release.
a fans review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPQ5nVIg2WI
STAR SPANGLED BANNER - studio album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7OejazBV4E
Hear My Train A Comin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX5phFmbrU8
Dolly Dagger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E2A60WslXg
Hear My Train A Comin' from Rainbow Bridge film, live take
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw-GzuDsDg4
Earth Blues from Rainbow Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5s7pb7edEw
Well, everybody can hear the sound of freedom's beating heart
Sirens flashing with earth, rocks and stones
You better love me like it's gonna be the last time
And tell the child to bury daddy's old clothes
Earth Blues from People, Hell and Angels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsJpqM2_hj8
David Clayton-Thomas SOUL BALLADS review
SOUL BALLADS
by Joe Viglione
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Soul Ballads is this writer's favorite David Clayton-Thomas recording to date, a seasoned performer tenderly caressing the songs that helped shape his style and approach.
Opening with Midnight Train to Georgia, when you hear "L.A." those two letters sound exactly like the voice of Kenny Rogers, then dipping back to traditional DC-T. However the song cries out for some Pips, backing vocalists to embrace the singer's approach from a male's point of view, the girl he loves abandoning her dreams to be a star -and her car - and coming home.
MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4xjQUZyd1w
Producer Lou Pomanti - 80's keyboardist for Blood, Sweat and Tears, builds the drama around his friend's authoritative vocal, but the Gladys Knight rendition of the Jim Weatherly song is so entrenched in the minds of fans, we need to hear those voicings in response!
Taking on Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" treads on sacred ground, and Clayton-Thomas does a fine job of reworking the material to bring it to a new generation. Heck, when Rod Stewart gave us his superb "Twisting The Night Away" it was only a decade or so after the Cooke hit, yet back then it seemed like a millennium. Nowadays, with more than five decades having passed and new generations listening to their parents' and grandparents' music, these striking melodies live again in this responsible - and devoted - embrace of the infinitely compelling composition. Thematically its very much like Laura Nyro's "And When I Die," so perhaps the singer is giving his audience a different spin on borderline existentialism.
The exclamation point is prooducer/arranger Pomanti bringing his swirling keyboards into the album mix, with crystal clear engineering from Jeff Wolpert, recordings tracked at Kick Audio and Desert Fish, Inc. in Toronto, Canada. On the remake of Curtis Mayfield and the Impression's "People Get Ready" we do get the stirring gospel backing vocals, the feeling straight out of "God Bless the Child" which, of course, David Clayton-Thomas performed without backing support on the 2nd B S & T disc.
"If You Don't Know Me By Now' is just perfect for this singer, he gives a reading alongside the strong accompaniment - which sounds like his own voice with others - Rique Franks, Karen LeBlanc and Gavin Hope. On an album where every track is a delight, it is a highlight.
So is Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" as performed here. It's superb, a dangling piano arrangement with deep strings, what Sinatra may have wanted to do as a second version after his own tremendous take on the classic along with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The musicianship is introspective, pairing the songs jazz leanings (it was actually hijacked - in a good way - by the jazz community, the song launching from the pop, country and r & b genres) with its other life as a standard, balancing a nouveau middle-of-the-road with the exquisite production work. The gorgeous strings on this "Sunny" somewhat reflect Nelson Riddle's work with Johnny Mathis - the I'll Buy You a Star album- and Linda Ronstadt, so don't expect the loud brass of Blood, Sweat and Tears to launch out from the speakers. David tilts towards that with "I've Been Loving You Too Long" again dipping into Kenny Rogers' bag more than what we've heard from Clayton-Thomas over his own numerous albums.
"Dock of the Bay" makes it an Otis Redding two-fer, and it is an interesting juxtaposition as we get two different perspectives on Redding compositions. "Dock of the Bay" marches along very nicely, less a ballad on Soul Ballads and more dance/pop, though a lively-to-slow dance. "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" and the aforementioned "If You Don't Know Me By Now" are both tour-de-force here, the singer matching the piano with vocal elements that take the performance to another level. A standout. And then there's the take on one of the all-time great pop/country tunes, Ray Charles' chestnut from writers Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold - "You Don't Know Me." The Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music evolve into three minutes and twenty-one seconds of jazz/pop, no swelling voices behind the singer, and that works to Soul Ballads' advantage. What this group of talents does with Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got a Hold On Me" is almost Modern Sounds in Rhythm and Blues Music, a panther-like walk through the Miracles' classic, almost in the same style as the version of "Dock of the Bay" here but swerving into its own unique form.
It's a terrific outing from the veteran whose voice is on albums and cds in millions and millions of homes. 12 tracks over forty-six minutes and all in the pocket, respectful arrangements of classic music, holding up to repeated spins.
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