Rock & Roll Historical Perspective

[razorbacker]

I posted a few weeks back the The Rolling Stone was going to issue a DVD version of the magazine covering the first 40 years of publication. Well I got my set from Amazon (they are selling it for $75 & trust me it is well worth the price as it comes with a great coffee table sized book) & I thought maybe some of you older folks would like to take a trip back in time & see what they were reporting on.

The first issue is dated Nov. 9th 1967. It was a small 22 pages & sold for a quarter. Subscriptions were $5 for 6 months or $10 a year.


John Lennon is on the cover dressed as Private Gripweed in How I Won The War.

The first article is about Monterey Pop & how no one knows where the money went. They have just hired a bookkeeper & put her in a room with boxes of paperwork to let her figure it out.

First RS interview ever... Donovan. It’s a 2 parter & this guy was really out there somewhere. He is in the middle of an American tour & this is the only interview he granted.

The Grateful Dead had just been busted for drugs. Now there's a shocker.

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds has just kicked David Crosby out of the group.

Al Kooper leaves the Blues Project to found Blood Sweat & Tears.

Zal Yablonsky has left The Lovin Spoonful for a solo career. Would we ever hear from him again?

Procol Harum beats the Beatles for Top Song in Europe..Whiter Shades of Pale over Strawberry Fields.

The first album they reviewed was Alice’s Restaurant, they liked it.

Here is something I bet they would like to take back though. They take Eric Clapton & Cream to task for being a 3 piece Blues Band yet feeling the need to loop in extra instruments on their recordings, thereby making them a not so 3 piece band. About the only thing they had good to say about the album Fresh Cream was that I’m So Glad is a good song, well constructed.
The same article is also critical of Jimi Hendrix & the Are You Experienced album, saying it’s a good thing he is a good guitar player because he sure isn’t a very good song writer or singer, & they really take him to task for these lyrics:

“Manic depression is a frustrating mess” They just basically say “Why”

But, they did like Purple Haze & thought it was a great start to the album.

Anyway, that’s the first issue. Hope some of you got some good memories from it.

[MRD]

I posted a few weeks back the The Rolling Stone was going to issue a DVD version of the magazine covering the first 40 years of publication. Well I got my set from Amazon (they are selling it for $75 & trust me it is well worth the price as it comes with a great coffee table sized book) & I thought maybe some of you older folks would like to take a trip back in time & see what they were reporting on.

The first issue is dated Nov. 9th 1967. It was a small 22 pages & sold for a quarter. Subscriptions were $5 for 6 months or $10 a year.


John Lennon is on the cover dressed as Private Gripweed in How I Won The War.

The first article is about Monterey Pop & how no one knows where the money went. They have just hired a bookkeeper & put her in a room with boxes of paperwork to let her figure it out.

First RS interview ever... Donovan. It’s a 2 parter & this guy was really out there somewhere. He is in the middle of an American tour & this is the only interview he granted.

The Grateful Dead had just been busted for drugs. Now there's a shocker.

Roger McGuinn of the Byrds has just kicked David Crosby out of the group.

Al Kooper leaves the Blues Project to found Blood Sweat & Tears.

Zal Yablonsky has left The Lovin Spoonful for a solo career. Would we ever hear from him again?

Procol Harum beats the Beatles for Top Song in Europe..Whiter Shades of Pale over Strawberry Fields.

The first album they reviewed was Alice’s Restaurant, they liked it.

Here is something I bet they would like to take back though. They take Eric Clapton & Cream to task for being a 3 piece Blues Band yet feeling the need to loop in extra instruments on their recordings, thereby making them a not so 3 piece band. About the only thing they had good to say about the album Fresh Cream was that I’m So Glad is a good song, well constructed.
The same article is also critical of Jimi Hendrix & the Are You Experienced album, saying it’s a good thing he is a good guitar player because he sure isn’t a very good song writer or singer, & they really take him to task for these lyrics:

“Manic depression is a frustrating mess” They just basically say “Why”

But, they did like Purple Haze & thought it was a great start to the album.

Anyway, that’s the first issue. Hope some of you got some good memories from it.

Oh man, this is going on my Christmas list. I've been a Rolling Stone reader since about 1977 when I was 15. In fact, I have saved a great many issues over the years and now my daughter reads it too.
Thanks for posting this, that was great. Amazing how many years later, their critiques of Cream and Hendrix sound silly.

[Unklescott]

If you're interested, here's a link to it at Amazon.
Amazon.com: Rolling Stone Cover to Cover

[razorbacker]

Oh man, this is going on my Christmas list. I've been a Rolling Stone reader since about 1977 when I was 15. In fact, I have saved a great many issues over the years and now my daughter reads it too.
Thanks for posting this, that was great. Amazing how many years later, their critiques of Cream and Hendrix sound silly.

This set comes on 4 dvd's, but the first one is an installer disc that includes a searchable data base. So if you want to find an article on Black Sabbath all you have to do it type in the name & a list will pop up that shows you every mention that the magazine ever made of the group, in chronological order. It is really pretty sweet.

I'd like to keep updating this thread with some of the highlights from each issue for discussion if anyone is interested.

[MRD]

This set comes on 4 dvd's, but the first one is an installer disc that includes a searchable data base. So if you want to find an article on Black Sabbath all you have to do it type in the name & a list will pop up that shows you every mention that the magazine ever made of the group, in chronological order. It is really pretty sweet.

I'd like to keep updating this thread with some of the highlights from each issue for discussion if anyone is interested.

I am. Keep updating.

[razorbacker]

Rolling Stone Issue 2.

Dated Nov. 23 1967. Tina Turner on the cover

Brian Jones of the Stones is sentenced to 9 months in prison for possession of marijuana.

Jefferson Airplane have just finished their next album, After Bathing at Baxters.

John Gray a detective in Denver makes the decision to crack down on Hippies. He starts by busting Canned Heat in their hotel room& apparently planted all the evidence that was found while searching without having first obtained a warrant .

Joan Baez goes to jail after being arrested blocking the entrance to a draft center & protesting the Viet Nam War.

It appears as though the members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band have given lead guitarist Elvin Bishop a nickname…Pig Boy Crabshaw… Who Knew?

Here is a bit more on Zally leaving the Lovin Spoonful.
Sometime in 1966 he & Steve Boone also of the Spoonful were busted for drugs. In order to avoid prosecution they worked with the San Francisco cops & set up a drug buy, which lead to the dealer getting busted. Obviously this didn’t sit well with many in the rock community & the record buying & concert going public & caused lot’s of strife within the group. Zal is a Canadian & was facing deportation if convicted.
On a personal note, I always loved the LS & thought they were one of the more underrated bands of the time.

Part 2 of the Donovan interview & he is really full of himself. He says “Dylan gives off a bunch of tensions while he, Donovan, gives off peace.” He’s really into the mysticism thing, & looking back at this interview he comes off as very weird, but at the time he was “Groovy” to the max.

Interesting album Reviews this issue.

Strange Days - The Doors
Rolling Stone likes the band, loves the album, but thinks the guys aren’t doing anything really new, they are just doing it better than anyone else, & that they fit together as a whole better than as stand alone musicians. The mag thinks the band is as much theater as anything else & relates how all the guys were drama students at UCLA when they first met & got together.

Earth Music - The Youngbloods
RS likes the vocals by Jessie Colin Young & lead guitarist Jerry Corbett & the production of Felix Pappalardi even though they say it was under produced?

Word from overseas:

Anticipation is building for the film release of Magical Mystery Tour.
Brian Epstein, the former manager of The Beatles has just been lain to rest in England.
Disraeli Gears by Cream has just been released in the UK.
A new group called The Nice lead by Keith Emerson has just made themselves known.

[razorbacker]

Rolling Stone Issue 3

December 14, 1967. The Beatles & the cast of Magical Mystery Tour on the cover

The dismantling of the Byrds continues. Less than a month after Roger McGuinn booted David Crosby, he has asked guitarist Gene Clark to leave. It seems as though Clark is afraid to fly, refused to board a plane on their tour, & McGuinn told him “ To be a Byrd you have to fly.”

Blue Cheer has just signed with Mercury Records & are in the process of recording their first album which will be released early in 1968.

Dick Clark makes an excursion into film making with The Love Children. It’s a story about hippies, starring Susan Strasberg, Dean Stockwell, & Jack Nicholson. Music is by The Strawberry Alarm Clock & The Seeds. It is to be released in Feb. 1968.
Just as an aside, according to IMDB.com this movie was released under the title Psych-Out & also starred Bruce Dern & Garry Marshall.

The Youngbloods have just moved to San Francisco & are working on their 3rd album.

Capitol records has just signed two San Francisco bands to contracts. Both contracts call for the bands to produce 2 albums per year & at least 3 singles (the Industry sure has changed since then). The two bands? Quicksilver Messenger Service & The Steve Miller Band.

The Interview this time around is Part 1 with Bob Dylan: Here is a typical question & Dylan response.

Q: Josh Dunson in his new book implies that you have sold out to the commercial interests & the topical song movement. Do you have any comment sir?
A: Well, no comments, no arguments. I sincerely don’t feel guilty
Q: If you were going to sell out to a commercial interest, which one would you choose?
A: Ladies garments.

Then he gets a shot in at Donovan when he is asked if he thinks Donovan is a good poet, he responds “ Eeh. He’s a nice guy though.”


Jann Wenner writes a column called Rock & Roll Music where he really takes the Beach Boys apart for not being on a par with The Beatles even though Brian Wilson has gotten the big head & is being called a genius. The interesting thing is that the article mentions the new album called Smiley Smile. Well, as we now know, after the release of Sgt. Pepper, Brian pulled Smile from the release schedule & it just saw light of day within the past couple of years.

Album Reviews:

Buffalo Springfield Again- Buffalo Springfield
They say the album sounds more like a bunch of individual styles rather than a band. (And as we would see, this is pretty much what they became. Jim Messina left to join Kenny Loggins, Richie Furay left to form Poco, Neil & Steven would be frienemies for the rest of their respective careers.) They pick on Mr. Soul by Neil Young & say even though it is good, it becomes tiresome at the end. Bluebird by Steven Stills is the best cut.

I Feel Like I’m Fixin To Die - Country Joe & The Fish
Better than the first album by a bunch, but still pretty amateurish feeling.

News from Overseas:
The first album by Traffic is to be called Dear Mr. Fantasy & is scheduled for release Dec. 8th
Mick Jagger’ brother, Chris, & Suzy Creamcheese are arrested while protesting the arrest of Brian Jones.

[razorbacker]

Rolling Stone Issue 4

Dated Jan. 20 1968 Donovan, Jimi Hendrix, & Otis Redding share the cover

Donovan calls on all youth to give up drugs…yeah, like that worked.

Beware the new Hendrix album,“Got That Feeling.” Capitol records issued it but it is actually 3 year old material that has no relevance to what Jimi is doing now. This stuff was recorded when he was playing with a group called Curtis Knight & the Squires.

Otis Redding the “Crown Prince of Soul” has died in a plane crash on his way to a concert in Madison Wisconsin. Also killed were 5 teen age members of the Bar Kays.
Otis would have only 1 Top 40 hit, Sittin on the Dock of the Bay, which was recorded 3 days before his death & hit #1 3 months posthumously.

Jim Morrison is arrested for obscenity at a concert in New Haven Ct. The police used mace to get him off the stage after he resisted being dragged off.

Blood Sweat & Tears is heading to the studio to record their first album. According to founding member & leader Al Kooper the first single will be called House In The Country.
Evidently that either didn’t happen or it wasn’t a hit, their first hit single was You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.

Graham Nash of The Hollies has declared “Flower Power is dead in San Francisco.” The Hollies are currently touring the U.S. supporting their new album Butterfly.

First Stevie Winwood (to form Traffic) & now rhythm guitarist Phil Sawyer has left the Spencer Davis Group.

The Who are touring the US. They just opened a show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco for that headlining mega group, The Association. The Who are taking quite a bit of heat lately for their continual smashing of their equipment at the end of some shows. Some folks even say the act has nothing to do with music, so these guys aren’t real musicians.
They sure were good musicians a few years later when I saw them during the Quadrophenia tour.


Album Reviews:

Disraeli Gears - Cream
It is referred to as a very uneven album. Good songs include Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love, & Tales of Brave Ulysses. Once again they are referred to as better musicians that song writers.

After Bathing at Baxter’s - Jefferson Airplane
This is called the best American Rock album ever recorded. And the group is being lauded as the best American group. Grace Slick is called one of the 3 best non operatic female voices in the world.

News from overseas:
The Moody Blues have just released Days Of Future Passed in the UK
The Beatles Hello Goodbye video clip is being shown in 9 different countries. Yet, due to the Musicians Union, it has been banned in the UK. The union says that Live musicians have to play the music if it is shown live.
Axis Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix has just been released overseas.

[MRD]

Great stuff, keep it coming.

I love the Lovin' Spoonful and did get to see them perform live once. Great concert. And they have some really good music (except for Nashville Cats which puts my teeth on edge).

Funny about Disraeli Gears. I've always considered it to be one of the best rock albums of all time.

Never really got into Donovon, so had to laugh about those parts.

Our local classic rock station has really been playing a lot of The Steve Miller Band lately. What I LOVE about this station is that they play stuff you normally don't hear on Classic rock stations. Back in the day, this station would probably have been called an AOR station.

It's been great reading this stuff about a lot of bands and musicians I love and actually know about. Now days, when I read RS, I don't even know who a lot of the artists are anymore.

Just watched the Who retrospective on VH1 over the weekend and it was kind of funny about the reception they got to the smashing of instruments. Apparantly it wasn't until after they played the Monterry Pop fest, that people really got into them smashing their instruments on stage. And it all started with an accident by Pete Townsend and mushroomed from there into full fledged smashing.

One of my brothers was a HUGE Doors fan and I remember reading a book he had called No One Here Gets Out Alive about Jim Morrison.

Thanks for posting all this. It's been great reading it.

[razorbacker]

^^^ I'm glad someone is enjoying reading this. It sure is fun going back through all this stuff & seeing it as it was at the time.

Disraeli Gears the title, according to the review & Clapton is a play on words. Apparantely they were just cruising around thinking of weird ways to say things & Disraeli Gears came up in reference to racing bicycles having Derailer Gears.