Tag Archives: Rolling Stones

Pigshit! A ROCK AND ROLL REPORT EXCLUSIVE! THE MISSING CHAPTER OF KEITH RICHARDS’ LIFE

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So I wake up and it’s, what, 1972 already? I mean, really. You could’ve flown me higher than First Class from Ocho Rios all the way to a secret Swiss clinic in the middle of the night, baby, and it still wouldn’t have prepared me for this.

Think about it:  I escape Merry Very Olde by the skin of what’s left of my teeth and end up making records in some Nazi-forsaken French basement. There’s Mick Taylor (sometimes), there’s that other Mick (rarely), and of course there’s Charlie and even Gram Parsons whenever my five strings need a chorus. The old lady’s got the kid asleep upstairs, I’m assuming, and downstairs it’s as hot as an ungrounded amp in Sacramento. Nevertheless, the Stones manage to crank out a double album’s worth of material in record time, pun possibly intended, and then it’s time to return to America – the land of nothing’s for free – and mount The Tour To Top All Goddamn Tours. Or so we thought.

“Ladies and gentlemen, The Rolling Stones!” went the announcement for the next two months, seven weeks, and sixteen songs in thirty-one cities over fifty-one shows. Not to mention, while we’re doing numbers here, one hundred and thirty-one arrests – including my own on of all places Rhode Island, perhaps not entirely coincidentally – and probably a hundred Altamont’s worth of injuries and OD’s to top it all.

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Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor and Stephen Dale Petit are joining forces to save The 100 Club

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Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor and Stephen Dale Petit are joining forces to save The 100 Club.

Rolling Stones guitarists Ronnie Wood and Mick Taylor are rumoured to be amongst an increasing list of renowned musicians who will join New Blues guitar pioneer Stephen Dale Petit live onstage on December 1st at London’s famous, under threat, 100 Club.

The 100 Club has the an incredibly unique history and heritage, hosting history-changing appearances from stars like Glenn Miller and Louis Armstrong in the 40′s, Howlin’ Wolf and BB King in the 50′s, The Stones, The Who & The Kinks in the 60′s, The Clash & The Sex Pistols in the 70′s and Oasis and Travis in the 90s. More recently The White Stripes and The Kings Of Leon have used it as their venue of choice for intimate London gigs.

As widely reported here and in recent broadsheet and tabloid press, the 100 Club is threatened with closure. Guitarist Petit, who has strong connections with many of the Guitar World’s greats, is mounting the benefit gig to raise awareness and support for the club.

California-born Petit, who has headlined the prestigious club nearly a dozen times, says ‘The first gig I went to in the UK was Alexis Korner at The 100 Club. There is no other venue like it on earth ‘ when you walk downstairs it’s like entering a magic portal. I always feel honoured to perform there, and this show is going to be extra special’.

Organizers will not be drawn on an increasing list of stellar rock names, rumored to be making an appearance on the night, currently flooding the internet. They will only comment that more guests will be confirmed at www.stephendalepetit.com in the coming days.

Meanwhile Facebook page membership has rocketed from nothing to over 15,000 in a matter of days and a website www.savethe100club.co.uk features thousands of fans comments.

Tickets are £35 advance, £38 on the door.

Online at www.wegottickets.com/event/96517

All profits go to the Save The 100 Club campaign.

PIGSHIT: 10 reasons why The Rolling Stones WERE the world’s greatest rock and roll band

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As what remains of the literary world eagerly celebrates the arrival this month of none other than Keith Richards’ long-awaited autobio “Life,” I thought I’d just keep this particular ball, well, rolling with…..

TEN REASONS WHY THE ROLLING STONES WERE THE WORLD’S GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND

1. BRIAN JONES’ HAIR

Not only the longest and the blondest, but the most distinctive coif to come out of the (first) British Invasion – hence his invariably being positioned as the focal point of the band’s publicity photos, not to mention album covers. “Personally, I always make a point of cleansing my hair after every meal,” a young Brian would defiantly inform the press when asked if the band, as their promo boasted, bathed only during months with an “R” in them. Continue reading →

Electric guitar master Joe Satriani talks about his 14th studio album, shares thoughts on fellow guitar legends and reveals Chickenfoot’s future

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Electric guitar legend Joe Satriani is releasing his 14th studio album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, on October 5. With over 10 million album sales and 15 Grammy nominations to him name, Satriani’s upcoming release is certainly an anticipated one. R&RR’s very own Aaron Kupferberg recently had the chance to talk to Satriani about the new record, everything to do with guitars and Chickenfoot – Satriani’s band with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Van Halen and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Q: I wanted to ask, since we both grew up on Long Island, you went to Carle Place High School, right?

A: Yeah, Carle Place High School.

Q: Do you remember the name of your very first band in high school?

A: Yes, the very first band was called “Mephistopheles”  and it was quickly followed by a band called “Tarsus.”

Q: What type of music did you play?

A: We were doing Black Sabbath, Stones, Zeppelin, The Doors and Spirit. I attended St. Bridget’s Catholic School till they threw me out, [then] I attended Carle Place High School. Continue reading →

CD Review: Big Head Todd & the Monsters “Rocksteady”

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Beloved roots rockers Big Head Todd & the Monsters (BHT) returned July 20 with “Rocksteady,” their eighth studio album. “Rocksteady” was recorded in the band’s home studios in Denver, CO and Chicago, IL over the past year and consists of many tracks that were played and refined during their perpetual touring. After twenty-five remarkable years together, the band sounds more relaxed than ever; comfortable taking on any genre you can throw at them. Like most other BHT records of late, “Rocksteady” is a diverse buffet of musical styles. The listener will sample some soul, funk, and pop while devouring the rock base. Continue reading →

Big Head Todd & the Monsters on 25 years in the business, defining success, and why they’ll continue to put out

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Colorado-based Big Head Todd & the Monsters never imagined they would be considered one of the finest roots rock bands of their generation. Todd Park Mohr and the boys have enjoyed critical and commercial success, most notably with their 1993 breakout record, “Sister Sweetly,” but have been quietly cranking out worthy successors ever since. We were happy to have Todd take a few moments to talk Big Head Todd & the Monsters, as the band celebrated the release of their latest, “Rocksteady”.

Q: It is hard for me to grasp, but Big Head Todd & the Monsters is approaching its 25th year – did you foresee it lasting this long?

A: Of course nobody expects a career in the music business to last twenty-five years! We are very gratified to still be here and making music. Continue reading →

PIGSHIT: Through the past, smartly

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For those who arrived at the party rather late – meaning the first new Stones record you ever bought had a big red tongue splayed across its label – the five years and ninety-nine minutes contained within Chrome Dreams’ fine new Rolling Stones: The Mick Taylor Years DVD will serve as a more than welcome addition to all of your recently-acquired Exile On Main St. collectibles. In fact, should you consider yourself a part of the ever-expanding constituency who swear the Stones’ best work was done during that key half decade between the death of Brian Jones and the arrival of Ronnie Wood, this is one documentary which absolutely deserves your undivided attention. Continue reading →

CD Review: Jeff Beck – Emotion and Commotion

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Jeff Beck – Emotion and Commotion
Atco

Legendary British guitarist Jeff Beck returns with his latest album! Full of the same rock and roll bombast of his past solo albums but with added participation from several up and coming vocalists to balance out the shredding, it is nonetheless Beck’s album. With his mastery of the guitar, how could it not be? While Beck is respected and well-known among musos for his guitar work, his relatively low public profile has long puzzled many fans, who recognize Beck’s vast accomplishments and innovative techniques but puzzle over his career choices.

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Pigshit by Gary Pig Gold: OUT OF EXILE

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For an album that received such a lukewarm-at-best reception upon its initial release (even the almighty Rolling Stone magazine used the words “overdone blues cliché” whilst making snide comparisons to Tommy James), the tenth album produced by Keith Richards and company – “The fact is that Mick spent most of his time away ’cause Bianca was pregnant; you know, royalty is having a baby. So what am I supposed to do?” the human guitar griped in 1979, “I’m supposed to be making an album!” – has certainly enjoyed a critical reappraisal and then some over the ensuing thirty-eight years. Why, even the proud papa Jagger who in ‘72 complained “This new album is fucking mad. It’s very rock and roll. I didn’t want it to be like that. I mean, I’m very bored with rock and roll,” today insists the recording of Exile On Main St. “was a wonderful period; a very creative period.”

And, of course, Rolling Stone now places those very same blues clichés near the tip-top of most every Greatest Album Of All Time list it regularly publishes in between all the sneaker and suntan crème ads. Continue reading →

Pigshit by Gary Pig Gold: UNSEEN JOHN, MICK, KEITH, CHARLIE, BILL, AND EVEN BRIAN

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John Lennon and Mick Jagger back in the day

Now that Generation Boomer is shuffling slowly but surely towards the twilight of its purchasing power, spending far more time on the sofa than in the clubs or under the headphones, the DVD is becoming the preferred delivery system for the sounds – and, you bet, sights – of yesteryear. Of course with the Top Forty having long since gone TiVo, an audio-only package today seems as antiquated as, well, a record album …remember those? Even supposed sure-bets like those recent Beatles remasters, not to mention the Rolling Stones’ deluxe Exile On Main Street repackage, each make damn sure shiny happy li’l documentary films accompany all the aurally enhanced yeah-yeah-yeah’s and tumblin’ digital dice.

So it should really come as no surprise that what remains of once-almighty entertainment conglomerates are now frantically trolling the globe for every still-existing cache of promotional or even newsreel footage with which to slice, dice, then tack onto their latest deep-catalog up-grades. Just as back in the dawn of the CD age itself, the lure of the Bonus Track (ideally of the “previously unreleased” ilk) was employed to tempt us into purchasing Pet Sounds or the Elvis Presley catalog yet again. And again.

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