James Burton Reflects on Ricky Nelson's Life
Jazzman
ago this week.
The "California sound" mined by The Eagles probably came from Alabama
and Mississippi.
That's where Elvis Presley, Hank Williams and dozens of Delta blues
masters are from.
But, as the 20th anniversary of the death of Rick Nelson nears, you may
hear it started with that youngest sire of TV's quintessential parents,
Ozzie and Harriet.
Nelson family members and Rick's former guitarist, James Burton, will
appear tonight on "Larry King Live" to remind viewers that the
rockabilly, pop and country LPs Nelson made from the late '50s to
mid-'60s spawned the country rock movement The Eagles refined.
"Music USA," A Rough Guide book chronicling all the regional music
making up today's pop, calls Nelson "Los Angeles' first white
superstar."
But Nelson, who was managed and mentored by Palm Springs residents Greg
McDonald and Col. Tom Parker, forged his sound in harmony with Burton.
"Nelson's records sounded authentic because he used some Southern
musicians with a natural feel for the music, most notably James
Burton," says "Music USA." "In this respect, Nelson helped set the mold
for the L.A. studio system, in which a coterie of top pros would
provide the musical backbone for the faces on the record sleeves."
Burton, who was doing studio work when Nelson died in a New Year's Eve
plane crash in 1985 at age 45, still champions Nelson today while also
acknowledging his place in rock history.
"I don't know if you heard the quote Keith Richards made when he
inducted me into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame," Burton said in a
telephone interview from his native Shreveport, La. "He said, 'I didn't
buy Ricky Nelson records. I bought James Burton records.'"
Burton has played or recorded with multi-generational artists,
including Brad Paisley, Elvis Costello, George Harrison, Bob Dylan,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Buck Owens, Nat "King" Cole and Frank Sinatra.
He led Elvis Presley's band from 1969 through the mid-'70s.
It was a 1964 gig with another pioneer of country rock, Johnny Cash,
that eventually led Burton away from Nelson and into his role as a
studio sideman.
"Johnny wanted me to play a slide dobro on this song that he was going
to do on this TV show," Burton said. "Ricky didn't want me playing with
other artists because he told me my sound was his sound.
"I thought about that for a little while and said, 'I'm playing slide
dobro. I'll tell them not to put me on camera and nobody will even know
it's me.'"
It was on that TV show, "Shindig," that Burton was asked to join the
band, and that led to other recording opportunities.
But Burton says his country rock collaboration with Nelson actually
began when he was living in the Ozzie & Harriet household with Rick and
his brother, David.
Burton came to Los Angeles at age 17 in 1957 with country singer Bob
Luman. Nelson heard them rehearse at Imperial Records and invited
Burton and his bass player, James Kirkland, to watch a taping of "Ozzie
& Harriet." They wound up recording for the show and a month later,
Ozzie invited Burton to dinner.
"Ozzie excused himself after dinner - he had to go upstairs and work on
a script," Burton said. "So he said, 'James, Harriett and I and Rick
and Dave would very much like you to be our guests in our home because
we know what it's like being away from home.'
"He thought it would be a great idea for Rick and I to spend time
together and work on our music. I lived with them for the first couple
years."
And, yes, it was an Ozzie & Harriet-type TV lifestyle.
"The whole family was just so wonderful," he said. "Being at home was
just like going to work."
Nelson had already recorded his first hit, Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin',"
and Joe Maphis played lead guitar on Burton's first recording with
Nelson.
But Burton said Nelson adopted the sound Burton had developed in the
South listening to country, blues and gospel music.
"I already had my sound," he said. "The tone of my guitar is the sound
we went for and what I liked and what we basically did on all the
records."
Nelson had a run of eight No. 1 singles in his first nine releases from
1957-59. Burton influenced more middle-of-the-road songs, such as "Poor
Little Fool," "Lonesome Town" and "Travelin' Man," and gained attention
with his distinctive guitar solo on "Break My Chain."
When the hits stopped coming, Nelson recorded two country albums in
1966 and '67 with Burton on dobro and Glen Campbell on lead guitar.
By that time, Burton was going in a similar direction as a studio
guitarist for the Byrds, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. Then he recorded
three albums with Gram Parsons, often called the father of country
rock, and his band, the Flying Burrito Brothers.
"I played with the Byrds on their records and that's when I first met
Gram," Burton said. "He wanted to be a country singer and that was his
main bag. When he got his record deal, he called me and said, 'Man, I'm
in the studio, let's go do it.' So I went in and we cut those records."
Burton has to reflect when asked who he thinks is the father of country
rock. Was it Parsons? Elvis? Cash?
"I don't know," Burton says wearily. "I think Ricky. We started that
many years ago."
Marty
that music especially country rock. Wonder if he ever heard of rockabilly
that preceded him.
Marty
"Jazzman" <mood...@myway.com> wrote in message
news:1135697222.8...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
lola...@webtv.net
Marty
<lola...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:19236-43B...@storefull-3214.bay.webtv.net...
> How involved was the Colonel in Ricky Nelson's career?
The Colonel said he was just a sometime advisors to Ricky's manager
Fitzgerald.
Marty
lola...@webtv.net
DWB
doesn't change the facts. It is generally viewed that Rick in
fact DID begin the country rock era with both of his sixties
country albums (with James Burton on dobro) along with his
later recordings with his Stone Canyon Band. This was a new
sound at the time, and led to a similar sound by groups like
the Byrds, the Eagles and many others.
And to wonder if Rick ever "heard of rockabilly that preceded
him" is, again, not correct. Of course Rick heard of rockabilly.
His early band, with James on lead guitar, is considered the pioneer
of late fifties west coast rockabilly. Those recordings are all
considered rockabilly classics, and hold up today, along with those
by Elvis, Johnny Burnette, Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins, as some of
the greatest rockabilly ever recorded.
In the new DVD there is a discussion of how, when Carl Perkins and
Rick got
together with Roy Orbison and others for the "Class Of '55" album,
Carl pulled Rick aside and told him that "it looks like you and I are
the last two remaining rockabillies". Carl Perkins considered Rick,
and his band, rockabilly pioneers. Rick's fifties band was hand picked,
including James, by himself. He knew what he was doing.
A final note: Elvis' 70's recording of "Fools Rush In" is an EXACT
copy
of Rick's early 60's version, right down to James' guitar solo..note for
note. Elvis obviously considered it a classic version.
You might want to pick up the new DVD that came out this week...it
will
give you a better idea of his influence. Here's a link:
Marty
Marty
"DWB" <dbel...@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:43B28873...@wi.rr.com...
DWB
Marty wrote:
>
> ............. and you have yours.
Along with nearly all major rock music historians
and rock music critics.........
GW
Thanks.
Greg
"Jazzman" <mood...@myway.com> wrote in message
news:1135697222.8...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
Marty
Teacher
Tribute to Ricky Nelson
Aired December 27, 2005
GW
> A final note: Elvis' 70's recording of "Fools Rush In" is an EXACT
> copy
> of Rick's early 60's version, right down to James' guitar solo..note for
> note. Elvis obviously considered it a classic version.
Yeah, Elvis recorded a Ricky Nelson song, which is nice and all, but
consider the following:
-Ricky recorded more than a few Elvis songs, namely "I Got a Woman," "Tryin'
to Get to You," "Mystery Train," "There's Good Rockin' Tonight" and "Milkcow
Blues."
-Ricky's first record was in response to a girlfriend's swooning over Elvis.
-Ricky chose the Jordanaires to back him up vocally.
-Ricky played a leather-covered guitar just like Elvis.
-Ricky's hairstyle early on was obviously inspired by Elvis (minus the
sideburns).
-Ricky posed for several early pictures with an Elvis-style pouty look and /
or with a curled lip.
-Ricky recorded several Gospel songs...and released "Ricky Sings Spirituals"
obviously in response to Elvis's Gospel recordings, as neither Ricky nor
Ozzie Nelson practiced any sort of religion (I read this an a Rick
biography).
-Ricky dressed as Elvis in an episode of "Ozzie & Harriet" (Rick was on his
way to a costume party in the episode).
I'm a Rick Nelson fan, but let's face it: In the grand scheme of things,
Rick is to Elvis as the Monkees are to the Beatles -- a clean-cut,
watered-down, made-for-TV imitation of the real thing.
> You might want to pick up the new DVD that came out this week...it
> will
> give you a better idea of his influence.
I bought it, and two things really stand out: First, one of Rick's twins
says Rick's real hero was Carl Perkins. Baloney. The evidence doesn't
support the theory. Second, Rick's kids say Rick never tried to be like
anybody when he sang. Again, baloney, at least early in Rick's career.
Ricky wanted to be Elvis, as did every other singer at that time.
Again, I will state that I do like much of Rick Nelson's music, but his
overall influence is not as you build it up to be. I can't even say I'm
convinced Rick should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Perhaps he
should be in the Hall based on record sales, but not on musical influence.
-Greg
Devildog
DWB wrote:
>> Along with nearly all major rock music historians
> and rock music critics.........
Riiiiiiight...
michael grasberger
michael
Devildog
michael grasberger wrote:
> ricky was great in "rio bravo"!
> michael
You've got to be kidding. His guest appearance on the Love Boat was
about the same. He couldn't act.
michael grasberger
Devildog schrieb:
i haven't seen "love boat" but i think in "rio bravo" he blended in
perfectly with those other two brilliant non-actors.
michael
Devildog
He was stiff and way out of his league; next to him, Dean Martin looked
like Sir Lawrence Olivier.
Bill
Not only stiff, but woefully miscast. I mean, his character was
supposed to be this hot shot gunslinger with a reputation. Then, you
see him and it's babyfaced Ricky to the rescue. James Caan was much
better in the role in the remake Rio Lobo.
I thought Dean was pretty good in Rio Bravo. Mostly because it was a
pretty good script and he was going up against Wayne, so he took it
seriously, unlike say, the Matt Helm series.
Bill
Rocker
"Devildog" <Devild...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1135885402.1...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Whilst you're dispensing your usual pearls of wisdom and highly valued
opinions Mr Dog, I'm sure you'd love to know, for future reference of
course, that's Laurence with a "U", not a "W". I hope that I've been able to
enable you in some small way.
No, it's OK, don't bother to thank me, it would harm your tough guy image.
John.
Broadway
DWB wrote:
> A final note: Elvis' 70's recording of "Fools Rush In" is an EXACT
> copy
> of Rick's early 60's version, right down to James' guitar solo..note for
> note. Elvis obviously considered it a classic version.
And one of my Elvis favorites.
The real singer's medium treatment is the superior effort.
Broadway
What a brilliant and important contribution.
Devildog
Rocker wrote:
> Whilst you're dispensing your usual pearls of wisdom and highly valued
> opinions Mr Dog, I'm sure you'd love to know, for future reference of
> course, that's Laurence with a "U", not a "W". I hope that I've been able to
> enable you in some small way.
>
> No, it's OK, don't bother to thank me, it would harm your tough guy image.
>
> John.
And I'll bet you know what his smegma tasted like too. Forgive me if I
don't give a shit.
You should see somebody about those passive-aggressive tendencies that
you have.
Devildog
I know you and I have discussed before, but this along with Sylvia,
made Now a favorite of mine.
Rocker
>
> Rocker wrote:
>> Whilst you're dispensing your usual pearls of wisdom and highly valued
>> opinions Mr Dog, I'm sure you'd love to know, for future reference of
>> course, that's Laurence with a "U", not a "W". I hope that I've been able
>> to
>> enable you in some small way.
>>
>> No, it's OK, don't bother to thank me, it would harm your tough guy
>> image.
>>
>> John.
>
>
> And I'll bet you know what his smegma tasted like too. Forgive me if I
> don't give a shit.
One wouldn't expect you to. You don't have the ability.
>
> You should see somebody about those passive-aggressive tendencies that
> you have.
>
Oh really! Passive maybe, never aggressive.
John.
Rocker
"Broadway" <broadw...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1135906897.7...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
John.
Richard Palmer
wrote:
You mean Elvis' incredible recording that appeared on his all time
greatest album, "Elvis Now"?
The one that should have been re-named "Fools Rush In (and wake me up,
I'm nodding off here...)"?
Just checking.
Richard
Broadway
Rocker wrote:
> >> Whilst you're dispensing your usual pearls of wisdom and highly valued
> >> opinions Mr Dog, I'm sure you'd love to know, for future reference of
> >> course, that's Laurence with a "U", not a "W". I hope that I've been able
> >> to
> >> enable you in some small way.
> >>
> >> No, it's OK, don't bother to thank me, it would harm your tough guy
> >> image.
> >>
> >> John.
> >
> >
> > What a brilliant and important contribution.
> >
> Equal to yours!
>
> John.
Lottery numbers should come to me this easy...
Broadway
Richard Palmer wrote:
> On 29 Dec 2005 17:34:18 -0800, "Broadway" <broadw...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >DWB wrote:
> >> A final note: Elvis' 70's recording of "Fools Rush In" is an EXACT
> >> copy
> >> of Rick's early 60's version, right down to James' guitar solo..note for
> >> note. Elvis obviously considered it a classic version.
> >
> >
> >And one of my Elvis favorites.
> >The real singer's medium treatment is the superior effort.
>
> You mean Elvis' incredible recording that appeared on his all time
> greatest album, "Elvis Now"?
Yes, the Elvis fan's '...Only The Lonely'.
It's about time you came around...
>
> The one that should have been re-named "Fools Rush In (and wake me up,
> I'm nodding off here...)"?
The butler must be putting something in the port at night.
I insist you put FRI in your MP3 player or whatever you're currently
listening to and re-evaluate that vocal- I'll do the same.
That's a good record.
>
> Just checking.
>
> Richard
Devildog
Rocker wrote:
> One wouldn't expect you to. You don't have the ability.
Quite correct, I don't know what smegma tastes like. Idiot.
> > You should see somebody about those passive-aggressive tendencies that
> > you have.
> >
>
> Oh really! Passive maybe, never aggressive.
>
Oh, I think you are. Starting arguments with others because you're
being such a nice guy sticking up for idiots. Oh I remember, you are
such a pacifist, and peace loving guy, that you don't argue. You are
just a warm teddy bear with hugs for all.
You phoney fucking bastard.
Rocker
Well, good luck then.
John.
Rocker
I knew it. You can't control yourself at all. I haven't stuck up for anyone
at all and I haven't started any arguments. I just objected to the way you
and your sort respond to people. Show me otherwise.
John.
Devildog
Rocker wrote:
> I knew it. You can't control yourself at all.
Uh, I just responded to you, you are the one that can't control
yourself by starting the dialouge.
I haven't stuck up for anyone
> at all and I haven't started any arguments. I just objected to the way you
> and your sort respond to people. Show me otherwise.
Oh I see, it's always someone else's fault that you get into arguments.
Google for yourself. Phoney fucking bastard.
michael grasberger
> Not only stiff, but woefully miscast. I mean, his character was
> supposed to be this hot shot gunslinger with a reputation. Then, you
> see him and it's babyfaced Ricky to the rescue. James Caan was much
> better in the role in the remake Rio Lobo.
i don't agree. as far as i remember he played a young but unexperienced
hot shot gunslinger without reputation. in the course of the events he
has to proof his manhood, but the main features of his character are
youthfulness, charm and energy and that's exactly what ricky delivers.
in essence some romantic rock'n'roll loner character.
anyway, this discussion is a good excuse to watch that dvd again...
michael
Rocker
Dear Mr Dog,
I haven't had any arguments. Show me. Google them yourself and show me. I
haven't said anything was anyone's fault. Can you not have a rational
discussion without putting words into someone else's mouth? I bet you're a
joy to live with.
In the meantime I hope you get better soon and perhaps you should increase
your medication so that you become less vindictive and more reasonable. If
you're not on medication, you might want to look into getting some treatment
for your offensive manner. Were you interfered with as a child? That might
explain your inability to actually treat people reasonably. Perhaps you're
incapable of modifying your behaviour due to a mental condition in which
case I apologise. Did you take a knock to the brain when you were being a
brave marine? I don't like to mock the afflicted so if I've offended you
thinking that I was dealing with a rational and normal person, I'm sorry.
Strangely Elvis seemed to attract a lot of kooks like you. You weren't that
weirdo in TTWII with the thick glasses, were you?
See if you can respond without using any foul language. Do you have the
intelligence to do so? I don't think so but I'm willing to be proved wrong.
Take care Mr Dog and have a happy new year. Don't choke on your dog meat and
try not to lick your balls too much, it's deteriorating what little brain
you have.
Sarcastically yours,
John.
elp...@yahoo.com
Country Rock evolved out of The Stone Canyon Band. Randy Meisner was
the bass player. And you can go on and on about the people that came
from that including Chris Darrow, David Lindley, Roger Mcguinn, etc
etc.
Rock a Billy was just that, the beginning of Rock n Roll.... Country
and Blues evolving into Rock....
Rick and James were there at the beginning of the era.. Was Rick
inspired by Elvis? Of course.
But did he create and go further, again yes he did. Rick Nelson wrote
his own songs and music.
His Rock a Billy for sure was copies of others.... But take a look at I
believe what you say.
Rock a Billy all the way... An original tune... Not saying he wrote it.
Then listen to it revised years later by the same man. Rock n Roll
all the way.
Todays Country is a combination of Country, Rock n Roll, Blues, Rock a
Billy, Jazz etc... Just like Elvis and Rick.
Yeah entitled to opinions but don't negate the fact that Rick Nelson
was one talented individual.
E.
elp...@yahoo.com
the King.
But maybe the Twins statement was regarding guitar inspiration... Carl
was just one hell of a picker.
But why argue who Carl was inspired by. Elvis was and is the
greatest of all time but even he had people he copied and looked up to.
He was different for sure. But he was not totally original.. His
version of at least one of his early songs is identical to the Ink
Spots. His idols... This does not take away from his own talent nor
does anything you say take away from Ricks.
And this statement who ever made it that Rick is to Elvis as the
Monkees are to the Beatles. Wow what an opinion.
Rick Nelson was not a Rock n Roll star made for TV... Rick was TV...
Every frickin Wednesday night long before Elvis was even known as a
star.
Yes Rick belongs in the RnR Hall of Fame. Not just for record sales
but his not well known or understood contribution to Rock n Roll and
Country Rock in general.
Call it an opinion if you want but you know what they say about
opinions.
Call me that if you want also but whatever the response to this will be
it does NOT change reality.
Folks reality is NOT perception.
E.
elp...@yahoo.com
Gotta say James gave Elvis the edge he needed... Not only did he now
have Patsy Cline's back up group but he had Ricky Nelson's guitar
player.
Yeah opinions... Yada yada yada...
Elvis is King... Rick Rules!
The Beatles are Princes that changed the world.
E.
Bill
elp...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> You are oh so correct.
> Country Rock evolved out of The Stone Canyon Band. Randy Meisner was
> the bass player. And you can go on and on about the people that came
> from that including Chris Darrow, David Lindley, Roger Mcguinn, etc
> etc.
> Rock a Billy was just that, the beginning of Rock n Roll.... Country
> and Blues evolving into Rock....
Country Rock didn't come out of the Stone Canyon Band. Nelson got them
out and about in 1969, a full year after Gram Parson's work with the
Byrds not to mention years after his work with The International
Submarine Band.
Country Rock, Alt Country, Cosmic American Music, whatever you want to
call it was the idea of Gram Parsons who wanted to bring country and
rock fans together to show them that what Hank Williams, George Jones
and Merle Haggard were singing about was the same thing that the Rolling
Stones were singing about. He took the traditional instruments of
country (pedal steel, fiddle, banjo) and adapted them to rock/pop
songs. Then he took country songs and added rock and rnb touches to
them such as fuzztone guitar and a strong backbeat.
He would go into honky tonks and bars in the South with chicken wire in
front of the stage with long hair and lull those rednecks with his
country songs, then he would play them rock songs. He would go into
places like Winterland Ballroom, the Whiskey a Go Go or play rock
festivals such as Altamont and Seattle Pop and play prison songs by
Merle Haggard and love songs by Tammy Wynette to the stoned hippies and
introduce them to that music.
That's where country rock came from, plus he looked way cool in that
Nudie suit.
Bill
GW
news:1135971117.1...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> And this statement who ever made it that Rick is to Elvis as the
> Monkees are to the Beatles.
That would be me. Make no mistake: Rick's Nelson is the original "Monkees."
First, Rick's idea to even become a singer came from Elvis, just like the
Beatles inspired the idea for the Monkees. Second, Rick was obviously
trying to look like Elvis as much as possible. Third, Rick's TV show was
his main outlet for plugging his records, just like the Monkees.
> Rick Nelson was not a Rock n Roll star made for TV... Rick was TV...
> Every frickin Wednesday night long before Elvis was even known as a
> star.
Well, how about that. It just so happens that Elvis was a singer long
before Rick even picked up a guitar. See the connection here? Rick was
most certainly a made-for-TV rock star. Yeah, I like Rick's music, but come
on....he likely wouldn't have taken up music had it not been for Elvis. And
I wonder how far Rick's career would've gone without Ozzie's supervision and
without the TV show?
> Yes Rick belongs in the RnR Hall of Fame. Not just for record sales
> but his not well known or understood contribution to Rock n Roll and
> Country Rock in general.
I don't agree with you on that one....but at the same time I don't disagree.
-Greg
GW
news:1135970469.1...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Rick Nelson wrote his own songs and music.
Travelin' Man (written by Jerry Fuller)
Hello Mary Lou (written by Gene Pitney/Cayet Mangiaracina)
Poor Little Fool (Sharon Sheeley)
Lonesome Town (Baker Knight)
Believe What You Say (Johnny Burnette/Dorsey Burnette)
I'm Walkin' (Domino/Bartholemew)
Waitin' in School (Burnette/Burnette)
Everlovin' (Dave Burgess)
Fools Rush In (Mercer/Bloom)
Teenage Idol (Jack Lewis)
Stood Up (Dickerson/Herrold)
Be-Bop Baby (Lendhurst)
My Bucket's Got a Hole in it (Williams)
It's Late (Burnette)
Never Be Anyone Else But You (Knight)
I Got a Feeling (Knight)
Sweeter Than You (Knight)
Young Emotions (David/Livingston)
A Wonder Like You (Fuller)
Just a Little Too Much (Burnette)
It's Up To You (Fuller)
Young World (Fuller)
I Wanna Be Loved (Knight)
You Are The Only One (Knight)
Garden Party (Nelson)
Source: The liner notes from the new CD "Ricky Nelson - Greatest Hits"
Richard Palmer
wrote:
>> You mean Elvis' incredible recording that appeared on his all time
>> greatest album, "Elvis Now"?
>
>
>Yes, the Elvis fan's '...Only The Lonely'.
>It's about time you came around...
No matter how convinced I am about this album's averageness, you
always make me want to play it again, if only to prove I'm right. So
maybe I will, and maybe this time I'll give in. But don't hold your
breath.
>> The one that should have been re-named "Fools Rush In (and wake me up,
>> I'm nodding off here...)"?
>
>
>The butler must be putting something in the port at night.
>I insist you put FRI in your MP3 player or whatever you're currently
>listening to and re-evaluate that vocal- I'll do the same.
>That's a good record.
I'm going to have to do that. But I can't see me changing a lifetime's
view on this one song.
The album, well I can see where you're coming from because as a
collection of songs it does average out as being a lot better than
many others. If I gave each song a score out of ten, maybe the album
would come out overall as a six. But in amongst those songs there
aren't many eights or nines, and with Elvis' records from the 70s I
think I'm mostly looking for real highlights to lift them up, even
though there maybe a few real dogs in there.
Fools Rush In has always sounded like an excellent song, spoiled by a
very tired vocal. As for the guitar solo, it might well be a note for
note copy of the Ricky Nelson record, but it sounds like elevator
muzak all the same.
Richard
DWB
and had no idea it was such a touchy subject. But just a
couple of observations after reading some of these posts.
Of course Rick didn't write any of his early hits...that
wasn't done or usually allowed by the major labels in the
fifties (same with Elvis' hits and RCA). Where Rick came into
his own as a songwriter was in the later sixties and seventies.
Were his songs hits? Nope. Were they good? Yes.
For those who continued to follow and listen to his music
throughout his career (after his "teen Idol" years), his
evolution as a musician was remarkable. I suggest, as a
quick example, picking up his 1971 LP "Rudy The Fifth". Of the
12 tracks on it, Rick composed and arranged eight of them, and they are
all remarkably strong, especially "Life", still one of my fabvorite
songs from the early seventies.
Was Rick as good as Elvis? Of course not. Not even close. But
he did evolve as a musician and composer during a time that Elvis
decided to begin to stagnate and record (and perform) a lot of
substandard
material. And his work with the Stone Canyon Band was remarkable (as
was
mentioned by someone else) during the early 70's, when he was recording
some
of the best music composed by other musicians he respected (Bob Dylan,
etc).
Listen to his recordings of "She Belongs To Me" and "Love Minus Zero/No
Limit"
and you'll have an idea what I'm refering to.
Finally, of course he was influenced by Elvis when he first started
out...so
was everyone else during those years. That includes John Lennon, Paul
McCartney
and George Harrison. But he went way beyond that as the years went by.
One final note is that in the two years before his death, he decided
to return
to his rockabilly roots and his last tours were strictly rockabilly, and
very
good rockabilly at that. One of his last recordings was "Do You Know
What I Mean?"
again with the Jordanaires backing him up, and it's as strong a
rockabilly song as
he ever recorded in the fifties. Also, there is a live recording from
his final
shows on CD that is terrific, and again shows his ability to put
together a great
backing band. Unfortunately, most of them also died with him in that
plane fire. But he still believed in rockabilly, and returned to it,
which is something
I always wished Elvis had done before he died. Maybe just ONE
rockabilly album, with
James on lead, for old times sake. It would have been a killer.....
Broadway
DWB wrote:
> I've been reading this thread since I posted my first reply,
> and had no idea it was such a touchy subject. > >
I don't know- I don't think it's so touchy.
Rick appears to be getting his 'props', so to speak and rightly so. His
records were terrific and while he was never Mr. Excitement, he was a
guy with a musical vision.
Dylan says some very good things about connecting to RN's music in his
Chronicles book.
I do agree with some of the other guys who're questioning the influence
of the vision and truth be told, I think if there's anything there-
props may have to go to Burton as much as Nelson.
Over the years I've read more than a few non-Elvis related things about
people really hearing the guitar in those RN records- even Elvis, so
James was standing out for people who heard music and when it all
lands, the influence was surely there to some degree even though it may
not be 'all that'.
> > Source: The liner notes from the new CD "Ricky Nelson - Greatest Hits"
I just saw that yesterday (at first glance, it looks like Hitstory')
and almost bought it because of this discussion- but my cheapness got
the better of me and I'll be dl'ing my favorite tracks instead.
Richard Palmer
wrote:
>I just saw that yesterday (at first glance, it looks like Hitstory')
>and almost bought it because of this discussion- but my cheapness got
>the better of me and I'll be dl'ing my favorite tracks instead.
Out of interest - is that downloading legally or illegally?
If it's legally, I wonder whether anybody here thinks that it's a
worthwhile exercise? I downloaded and paid for four songs so far.
Three were tracks that I wanted and didn't want anything else by the
artist in question, and one was to burn to a CD because my son needed
it for a college project.
But if I'd wanted much more than three or four tracks by the same
person, especially greatest hits, I'd have sought out a silver disc
and bought it. Some of the prices you can get on Amazon Used & New
now, often make any kind of downloading pointless, and I have no idea
what kind of a person would pay for and download an entire CD.
Richard
Broadway
I'm paying, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal- it's Russian!
Found this site through a friend a couple of years back (I'm sending it
to you) and it's worked for me in situations like this- album I sort of
want, don't want it all, not enough to pay retail for (but one I did
pay retail for yesterday was S&G's 'Old Friends Live disc).
It's my sick little process.
Marty
"GW" <gw...@charter.net> wrote in message news:_yptf.238$m97...@fe03.lga...
Thank you Greg. I really didn't want to get involved in this thread even
when I saw the post about Ricky writing his own songs.
I remember that time very well and he was always Ricky "I Wanna Be Elvis"
Nelson.
Marty
>
>
elp...@yahoo.com
Would you have taken up music if not for Elvis?
You don't find many real Artists that won't give the credit to Elvis
for that.
The Monkees were created for a TV show. Rick Nelson was not.
Ricky was a heart throb pre teen and teenager before Rock n Roll. It
is not the same comparison. Even John Lennon said before Elvis there
was nothing. That was not a true statement but how most of us feel.
elp...@yahoo.com
Lindley and many others... But you can not discount Ricks contribution
nor the musicians that played with him.
Now was Parson's Nudie Suit a copy of Roy's or did he first start that
too?
Bill
It's not a matter of discounting, it's a matter of putting Nelson's
music into perspective. For someone to claim that McGuinn and the Byrds
went country because of Rick Nelson or that country rock came out of the
Stone Canyon Band is simply wrong.
McGuinn wanted the next Byrds album to be a jazz album when he hired
Parsons to play piano. It was Gram who got them to change to country
with Sweetheart and it was that change that got the long haired rock and
roll band, The Byrds, onto the stage of the Grand Old Opry. Quite an
achievment for 1968, that's for sure.
Nelson may have decided to country up Dylan and Stones songs, but he did
that after Parsons did it first with the Bryds and the Flying Burrito
Brothers.
As far as the Nudie suits, the two most famous suits he created was
Elvis' gold lame suit and Gram's glowing cross suit. In fact, Nudie
always gave credit to Gram for making it hip for rockers to wear his
clothes. After the Burrito Bros. wore them, you had people from ZZ Top
to Sly Stone wearing them. So, he might not have started it, but he
certainly gave Nudie's business a much needed shot in the ass.
Bill
Darren
> I have no idea
> what kind of a person would pay for and download an entire CD.
>
> Richard
That is why I don't download albums.
MP3s still are no good and there is no telling how many glitches the soudn
file will have.
I still get my stuff on CD.
--
Darren Nemeth
dnem...@giant-squid-audio-lab.com
Owner of "Giant Squid Audio Lab" - Specialists in durable, high fidelity
microphones
for discriminating analog and digital recording enthusiasts.
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com
Devildog
Rocker wrote:
> Dear Mr Dog,
>
> I haven't had any arguments. Show me. Google them yourself and show me. I
> haven't said anything was anyone's fault. Can you not have a rational
> discussion without putting words into someone else's mouth? I bet you're a
> joy to live with.
>
> In the meantime I hope you get better soon and perhaps you should increase
> your medication so that you become less vindictive and more reasonable. If
> you're not on medication, you might want to look into getting some treatment
> for your offensive manner. Were you interfered with as a child? That might
> explain your inability to actually treat people reasonably. Perhaps you're
> incapable of modifying your behaviour due to a mental condition in which
> case I apologise. Did you take a knock to the brain when you were being a
> brave marine? I don't like to mock the afflicted so if I've offended you
> thinking that I was dealing with a rational and normal person, I'm sorry.
>
> Strangely Elvis seemed to attract a lot of kooks like you. You weren't that
> weirdo in TTWII with the thick glasses, were you?
>
> See if you can respond without using any foul language. Do you have the
> intelligence to do so? I don't think so but I'm willing to be proved wrong.
>
> Take care Mr Dog and have a happy new year. Don't choke on your dog meat and
> try not to lick your balls too much, it's deteriorating what little brain
> you have.
>
> Sarcastically yours,
>
> John.
Google it yourself, I'm not doing your homework for you.You are classic
in your exhibition of passive-aggressive tendencies. Left handed
compliments, picking fights while trying to appear as the innocent
party or pretending to defend some kook. Not long ago someone said you
were transparent and I couldn't agree with them more. You are phoney.
elp...@yahoo.com
Dec 31, 2:36 pm hide options
Newsgroups: alt.elvis.king
From: Bill <batcave1...@adelphia.net> - Find messages by this author
Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 17:36:13 -0500
Local: Sat, Dec 31 2005 2:36 pm
Subject: Re: James Burton Reflects on Ricky Nelson's Life
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original | Report Abuse
elpr...@yahoo.com wrote:
Sorry, can't seem to get this thing to quote properly.
I believe it was I but may be mistaken that brought up Mcguinn and The
Byrds but I never said that the Byrds went country because of Rick.
Don't take things out of context. Agreed it is very difficult to keep
things in context on AEK for sure. Chris Hillman was sneaking country
songs onto Byrds records before Parsons came along. Parsons gave
Hillman the backup to over rule Mcguinn. My point is music goes around
in circles and so does it's history. Many people involved in the
evolution of country rock for sure. But the term itself wasn't big
until the Eagles evolved in California and Lynard Skynard in Texas. In
reality there has been a love/hate relationship with Country and Rock
since day one. Even the Beatles were playing country music with a rock
influence. But Rick Nelson was in the forefront and on the music scene
with many of these same musicians at the time. During the Mcguinn,
Parsons, Hillman era and involved with them was Chris Darrow of the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Stone Ponies. Chris was also Linda
Rondstadts band leader at the beginning. The guys that became the
Eagles were involved with Linda also. Including Chris' close friend
J.D. Souther. Yes these guys were the original pioneers of the change
of direction and through this evolved The Eagles. Randy Meisner just
so happened to be Ricks bass player and probablly had an influence on
his musical direction at the time. It's just not right for anyone to
say that he had no contribution and that he was not a talented artist.
Talk to anyone of these guys and you will get very different
perspectives of the evolution.
Now about that Nudie Suit. Hank Sr and Roy Rogers wore them long
before Parsons.
Bill
elp...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Now about that Nudie Suit. Hank Sr and Roy Rogers wore them long
> before Parsons.
Sure they did, but did they wear ones with marijuana leaves, poppies,
speed capsules and naked women, topped off by a glowing cross on the
back?
http://flirt.homesleep.it/foto_articoli/gram_parsons_02.jpg
Poor Dale would have had a stroke if Roy had come home in one of those.
Bill
lola...@webtv.net
rock or not! Don't compare him to Elvis. He was head and shoulders above
all the other Elvis clones. He had more talent than Avalon, Fabian,
Bobby Rydel and all those other fakers and he turned out to be a real
musician. He had some good songs and he wrote some good songs. Just
because they weren't hits doesn't mean they weren't good. Big record
sales doesn't nessecarilly equate good music. I have always enjoyed Rick
and that enjoyment in no way impeded my enjoyment of Elvis. It is a
shame he had to die early too. He was indeed returning to his
rock-a-billy roots in the 80's. He came out with a EP with a nice
version of "That's all Right" on it. I saw him with Fats about 3 months
before he died and he put on a real good show. No he didn't have Elvis's
charisma but he was a good entertainer and was serious about his music.
He was very deferential to Fats and seemed to be really honored to
perform with him. I am not a big Ricky Nelson fanatic. I only have about
4 of his albums. I have only seen him once in person. So I am just
responding to this stupid back and forth about who influenced who. He
wasn't Elvis but he wasn't Fabian either.
Rocker
>
>
> Google it yourself, I'm not doing your homework for you.
You said it, you prove it.
You are classic
> in your exhibition of passive-aggressive tendencies.
Show me.You can't, can you?
Left handed
> compliments, picking fights
With whom?
while trying to appear as the innocent
> party or pretending to defend some kook.
Such as who? No one needs to be defended by me. I just object to your
inability to be civil.
Not long ago someone said you
> were transparent and I couldn't agree with them more. You are phoney.
You are incapable of making such a decision being that you are ignorant.
John.
Richard Palmer
wrote:
>snipped....
>> I have no idea
>> what kind of a person would pay for and download an entire CD.
>>
>> Richard
>
>That is why I don't download albums.
>
>MP3s still are no good and there is no telling how many glitches the soudn
>file will have.
>
>I still get my stuff on CD.
I've always preferred CDs, but there are definitely benefits to
downloading.
One example:
My son had to put together a band at college, and give an end of term
performance of a specific song as part of his course. He didn't know
the song, none of the band owned a copy. They had three options.
One, go to the library and hope there was a CD to borrow. Total cost
including bus fares each way - three pounds.
Two, go to town and buy a cheap compilation CD. Total cost, minimum
five pounds.
Both methods also meant a delay of one or two days.
Or there was method three, which was to download the track and burn a
copy to CDR. Cost, less than a pound, and he had the song and could
start learning it five minutes after getting home from college.
Another example - I'm reading a book called "The Dirt" by Motley Crue.
A juicy (in many ways) story, and one which left me thinking that
maybe I ought to hear what the band sounds like. Weird, but true, I've
never heard much more than 30 seconds of The Crue singing Girls,
Girls, Girls, probably via a documentary about "Bad boys of Rock and
Roll" or something.
But do I want to go out and buy an entire CD only to hate them? In the
past I've done that dozens maybe even hundreds of times - bought a CD
"just because...".
Well, now I don't have to. I can download a couple of full tracks. In
fact I just did. Mind you, I didn't pay anything like 79p each for
them, the way I would have had to a couple of days ago. Instead I paid
13 cents, thanks to a link provided by Chris. And there's no glitches,
no problems at all.
The end result of this is not that I'll spend less on CDs. It's that
instead of ending up with boxes of half played crap, I can now be much
more selective.
Richard
elp...@yahoo.com
speed capsules and naked women, topped off by a glowing cross on the
back?
http://flirt.homesleep.it/foto_articoli/gram_parsons_02.jpg
Poor Dale would have had a stroke if Roy had come home in one of those.
Bill
Nah, he could of just told her it was Loco Weed. But he wouldn't have
worn it in public for sure. Would have ruined his image.
elp...@yahoo.com
Dec 31 2005, 10:41 pm show options
Newsgroups: alt.elvis.king
From: lolajo...@webtv.net - Find messages by this author
Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 23:41:37 -0700
Local: Sat, Dec 31 2005 10:41 pm
Subject: Re: James Burton Reflects on Ricky Nelson's Life
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show
original | Report Abuse
Forget who influenced who. Who cares if Ricky Nelson started country
Pretty well said but who the hell was comparing Rick to Elvis?
To that I'd say don't compare Ricks musical talent to Elvis. Sure he
didn't have the charisma, noone ever will. Nor did he have much of a
range to his voice. But he was a better guitar player and he at
least showed his talent to write his own songs. But that being said, I
am now doing what you claimed aren't I. No need to compare any of our
idols really. They all hold a place in each of our hearts albeit good
or bad. Perhaps Fabian had no talent but Rydel was good singer. Bobby
Vee was a Holley clone but did a damned good job.
E.
elp...@yahoo.com
Gotta love this nudie suit. But I read an article that said Parsons
was as cute as Elvis. Ladies?
Mr. T
(...)
> Another example - I'm reading a book called "The Dirt" by Motley Crue.
> A juicy (in many ways) story, and one which left me thinking that
> maybe I ought to hear what the band sounds like. Weird, but true, I've
> never heard much more than 30 seconds of The Crue singing Girls,
> Girls, Girls, probably via a documentary about "Bad boys of Rock and
> Roll" or something.
>
> But do I want to go out and buy an entire CD only to hate them? In the
> past I've done that dozens maybe even hundreds of times - bought a CD
> "just because...".
>
> Well, now I don't have to. I can download a couple of full tracks. In
> fact I just did. Mind you, I didn't pay anything like 79p each for
> them, the way I would have had to a couple of days ago. Instead I paid
> 13 cents, thanks to a link provided by Chris. And there's no glitches,
> no problems at all.
>
> The end result of this is not that I'll spend less on CDs. It's that
> instead of ending up with boxes of half played crap, I can now be much
> more selective.
>
> Richard
Every now and then I download songs to see if it's worth buying. I must
admit that I generally use a file-share software and get it for free, but if
I like it I normally buy the CD or whatever. This file-share thing has made
me buy more music then I would have done without it.
About Motley Crue, I guess "juicy" is the right word when describing "The
Dirt". I can also add that it's a well written book of a great rock'n'roll
band. How did you like the music? I like much of the early stuff (before
Vince Neil left the band for awhile).
--
T.
GW
news:43B69119...@wi.rr.com...
> I've been reading this thread since I posted my first reply,
> and had no idea it was such a touchy subject.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not touchy about the subject. Someone suggested
Rick had a heavy influence on the music industry, and I "sort of" disagree,
that's all. While I like much of Rick's early material, I have to admit he
was mainly a made-for-TV Elvis impersonator in the late 50's - early 60's.
>Where Rick came into
> his own as a songwriter was in the later sixties and seventies.
> Were his songs hits? Nope. Were they good? Yes.
> For those who continued to follow and listen to his music
> throughout his career (after his "teen Idol" years), his
> evolution as a musician was remarkable.....Was Rick as good as Elvis? Of
> course not. Not even close. But
> he did evolve as a musician and composer during a time that Elvis
> decided to begin to stagnate and record (and perform) a lot of
> substandard
> material.
Excellent observation. Damn, I wish I would've said that, especially the
last sentence.....
>And his work with the Stone Canyon Band was remarkable (as
> was
> mentioned by someone else) during the early 70's, when he was recording
> some
> of the best music composed by other musicians he respected (Bob Dylan,
> etc).
> Listen to his recordings of "She Belongs To Me" and "Love Minus Zero/No
> Limit"
> and you'll have an idea what I'm refering to.
I bought Rick's "Garden Party" album on CD years ago. I tried...I mean,
really tried...to like all the material. Instead I found myself saying,
"Poor Rick, he really tried, but just like in the 50's, he just wasn't quite
up to par."
At the same time, songs like "California," "She Belongs to Me," "Easy to be
Free" and of course "Garden Party" are outstanding. True, Rick's voice
wasn't as strong in his later years, and as you said, not all his later
material was great, but your "Rick evolved when Elvis began to decline"
statement really is true.
> Finally, of course he was influenced by Elvis when he first started
> out...so
> was everyone else during those years. That includes John Lennon, Paul
> McCartney
> and George Harrison. But he went way beyond that as the years went by.
> One final note is that in the two years before his death, he decided
> to return
> to his rockabilly roots and his last tours were strictly rockabilly, and
> very
> good rockabilly at that. One of his last recordings was "Do You Know
> What I Mean?"
> again with the Jordanaires backing him up, and it's as strong a
> rockabilly song as
> he ever recorded in the fifties. Also, there is a live recording from
> his final
> shows on CD that is terrific, and again shows his ability to put
> together a great
> backing band. Unfortunately, most of them also died with him in that
> plane fire. But he still believed in rockabilly, and returned to it,
> which is something
> I always wished Elvis had done before he died. Maybe just ONE
> rockabilly album, with
> James on lead, for old times sake. It would have been a killer.....
Another great observation. Do you remember the VHS tape sold on TV just
after Rick's death? It was a concert Rick performed in either '84 or '85.
I have a copy of the tape around the house somewhere. All this talk of Rick
makes me want to dig it out and watch it again.
Greg
Richard Palmer
>Every now and then I download songs to see if it's worth buying. I must
>admit that I generally use a file-share software and get it for free, but if
>I like it I normally buy the CD or whatever. This file-share thing has made
>me buy more music then I would have done without it.
I know the chances are on a par with winning the lottery, but there's
a risk of being busted these days, and I'm not taking it.
>About Motley Crue, I guess "juicy" is the right word when describing "The
>Dirt". I can also add that it's a well written book of a great rock'n'roll
>band. How did you like the music? I like much of the early stuff (before
>Vince Neil left the band for awhile).
Too much like Kiss.
Richard
Mr. T
They look somewhat like Kiss on e.g the cover of "Shout At The Devil", but
the music is fairly different IMHO.
--
T.
Richard Palmer
No, it's not the image, it's the "Heavy Metal Lite" style of the
music. I used to like Kiss, but I came to realise that during their
make-up years they were very much a case of 'Style over content'. They
got better once the make-up came off.
Anyway, Motley Crue seem very much influenced by the band musically,
and there's not a lot of balls in what I'm hearing. It could be that I
need to hear more, but I don't care enough to want to.
Richard
Mr. T
Perhaps you're right, perhaps Motley was influenced musically by Kiss in
some way. I can agree on the jointly "Heavy Metal Lite" style (many band fit
in that sack), but I always saw (heard) the two band as very different.
It's been some time since I read their book, was Kiss mentioned in it?
--
T.
Richard Palmer
>Perhaps you're right, perhaps Motley was influenced musically by Kiss in
>some way. I can agree on the jointly "Heavy Metal Lite" style (many band fit
>in that sack), but I always saw (heard) the two band as very different.
>It's been some time since I read their book, was Kiss mentioned in it?
Yes, they get a few name-checks.
And now that this has been brought up, I've done a bit of digging and
the cross-over between the two bands is quite significant. I'll
probably discover this as I read the book, but if you do a few Google
searches you'll see what I mean.
For example:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/8JGJ6PE39E3S/002-6918246-4886416
Motley Crue have never had that high a profile over here. I knew
almost nothing about them, except that Tommy Lee has a huge cock and
you can see it in action on a couple of videos.
Richard
Mr. T
> On Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:45:48 +0100, "Mr. T" <not@valid> wrote:
>
>
>> Perhaps you're right, perhaps Motley was influenced musically by
>> Kiss in some way. I can agree on the jointly "Heavy Metal Lite"
>> style (many band fit in that sack), but I always saw (heard) the two
>> band as very different. It's been some time since I read their book,
>> was Kiss mentioned in it?
>
> Yes, they get a few name-checks.
>
> And now that this has been brought up, I've done a bit of digging and
> the cross-over between the two bands is quite significant. I'll
> probably discover this as I read the book, but if you do a few Google
> searches you'll see what I mean.
>
> For example:
>
>
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/8JGJ6PE39E3S/002-6918246-4886416
The above link only make reference to their looks as far as I could see, but
I guess your right anyway. I just never couple Kiss with Motley before. Kiss
was never something I'd listen much to, Motley on the other hand I still put
on every now and then. Good rock'n'roll party music. BTW, Motley did a live
version of "Jailhouse Rock" on their "Girls..." album. A bad (much to fast)
version I have to add.
--
T.
Richard Palmer
>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/8JGJ6PE39E3S/002-6918246-4886416
>
>The above link only make reference to their looks as far as I could see, but
>I guess your right anyway. I just never couple Kiss with Motley before. Kiss
>was never something I'd listen much to, Motley on the other hand I still put
>on every now and then. Good rock'n'roll party music. BTW, Motley did a live
>version of "Jailhouse Rock" on their "Girls..." album. A bad (much to fast)
>version I have to add.
The article also mentions that "Paul Stanley even gets Motley Crue the
opening position for KISS on their LICK IT UP tour.".
So there was some crossover.
I used to have to listen to Kiss constantly. I was going out with a
girl for a year, and she was nuts about them - even their solo albums.
We went to the cinema to watch "Kiss meets the phantom of the park",
which was like a bad episode of Scooby Doo. Then I went to see them
twice after the make-up came off, and they were a much better band
when they weren't hiding behind the various characters. Paul Stanley
in particular is immensely irritating when he gets all the gear on.
But the Crue...from what little I've heard, they sound like a bad
imitation of Kiss in places. What the hell, even if I've misjudged
them (and I might have) I'm not going to go out and buy all their
albums. I'm in a bit of a Cocteau Twins period at the moment.
Richard
Devildog
Richard Palmer wrote:
> We went to the cinema to watch "Kiss meets the phantom of the park",
> which was like a bad episode of Scooby Doo.
You actually sat through that dreadful piece of shit? I couldn't do
that for a hand job.
Bill
The best part of the movie was the fight scene where you can that Ace's
stunt man is a black guy.
Bill
Richard Palmer
wrote:
You can tell even behind the make-up?
Fortunately by that time I was comatose.
Richard
Mr. T
> On Thu, 5 Jan 2006 22:47:21 +0100, "Mr. T" <not@valid> wrote:
>
>
>>
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/8JGJ6PE39E3S/002-6918246-4886416
>>
>> The above link only make reference to their looks as far as I could
>> see, but I guess your right anyway. I just never couple Kiss with
>> Motley before. Kiss was never something I'd listen much to, Motley
>> on the other hand I still put on every now and then. Good
>> rock'n'roll party music. BTW, Motley did a live version of
>> "Jailhouse Rock" on their "Girls..." album. A bad (much to fast)
>> version I have to add.
>
> The article also mentions that "Paul Stanley even gets Motley Crue the
> opening position for KISS on their LICK IT UP tour.".
>
> So there was some crossover.
Some crossover allright, but a band opening for another band does not
necessarily means the opening band is musical influenced by the main band.
However, in this case they might have been, and as you say, probably was.
> I used to have to listen to Kiss constantly. I was going out with a
> girl for a year, and she was nuts about them - even their solo albums.
> We went to the cinema to watch "Kiss meets the phantom of the park",
> which was like a bad episode of Scooby Doo. Then I went to see them
> twice after the make-up came off, and they were a much better band
> when they weren't hiding behind the various characters. Paul Stanley
> in particular is immensely irritating when he gets all the gear on.
>
> But the Crue...from what little I've heard, they sound like a bad
> imitation of Kiss in places. What the hell, even if I've misjudged
> them (and I might have) I'm not going to go out and buy all their
> albums. I'm in a bit of a Cocteau Twins period at the moment.
Well, as mentioned before, I was never much into Kiss, but I know that
Motley deserves a better speak of than just being "a bad imitation of Kiss".
But that's just my opinion.
--
T.
Bill
Sure you can tell. First of all, he has typical African-American
features, plus they didn't put makeup on his hands.
Bill