If you wanna dig
on the 60's again, trip on back on the home page or to the Site
Map .
"If
you remember it, you weren't there."
Man,
do I hate that expression! I remember it well, and I was indeed, there.
Easily, the 70's were most prolific in terms of music and innovative
new sounds. Fashion may have taken a serious turn for the worst, but
to make up for the horror of bell bottoms, the music was by far born
again with a vengeance. Perhaps the 70's were a staging ground, a
field for some type of controlled experiment. Whatever the era was,
it paved the way for yet another British invasion. Good
times and swingin' la-la-la-I-love-you sounds were slowly replaced
by mood, surrealism, stark passages, iconoclastic lyrics, and
downright expert musicianship. A new breed of superhuman had emerged.
Musicians were now warriors with something to say and plenty of time
to say it.
In 1970, I was transformed by a
band named Pink Floyd. The album "UmmaGumma" zapped my head
into new proportions. Curiosity for the slowly emerging "theatre rock"
drove me further and further toward the sublime of new British
invaders. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer were phenominal. So was Yes,
King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and The Moody Blues. This was
"mind" music, floating at times, then soaring, ripping through walls
of iron with satanic talons and fire-breathing fury. Accomplished
musicians bled themselves out on vinyl and each disc was a new adventure
into a more advanced universe. Yet, as passionate the guitar playing,
as thundrous the keyboard and mellotron work, there were other edges
to the music. Spacy echoes, distant chants and extraterrestrial harmonies
were the alter ego of heavy rock. The world was changing, and I wanted
to be there when it did. Thankfully, I was.
John
Lennon's liquid mantra urged a great many of us to turn off our minds
and float. New doors were opening. As magnificent as the new British
invasion was, America was turning out the same talent, pound for pound.
One legendary American disc would be "The Live Adventures of Bloomfield
and Kooper." Other bands like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane,
Quicksilver Messenger Service, It's a Beautiful Day, Country Joe &
the Fish, and Grand Funk Railroad set the world's teeth
on edge. Though the list is much longer, these were just a few
of the groups that stamped their souls into the hearts of young America.
Johnny Winter played guitar like it was on
fire. He ripped through his licks at light speed, thrusting us
into a near asthma attack. The scary looking albino with three feet
of hair was the only artist I knew of that released a two-record set
with only three sides!
One particular band
that truly moved me was Chicago. In thier prime, they were raw and
blasted energy. To a young hard rocker like myself, horns were absolutely
unthinkable. Yet, Chicago turned their rythmn section into a maelstrom
of sweetness. Accompanied by strong guitar and outstanding song
writing ability, they lheld their own against everyone else.
Jimi Hendrix flipped his Fender Strat upside down to play left-handed
in such a way that he would leave his mark on us forever. Once asked
how defined psychedelic music, Jimi responded: "playing all the wrong
notes on purpose." Quite a modest response coming from a musical giant,
for his notes were not wrong. Instead they transported us to his planet,
a fantasy world of electric ladies and midnight lamps; a world full
of wah-wah pedal and guitar scales that redefined the world of rock.
Most of the albums I bought were strictly
upon experiment. The covers attracted me. "Bloodrock Live" was
an interesting album, with some great, memorable tunes. "Castle ofThoughts", and "Breach of Lease" were my favorites. I also liked "D.O.A."Savoy Brown's "Hellbound Train" likewise appealed to me with its comic
book cover art. As it turns out, the album is hot.
One day, my world changed forever. In 1967 I heard a song called "Light
my Fire" which lifted me from the mundane struggles of seventh grade
to an elevated plateau of higher learning. Whatever the Doors did
was gospel. I lived, breathed, ate, slept, and dreamt the Doors.
I listened to, and wore out every Doors album I had. Soon, every scratch,
pop, and hiss became to me a knee-jerk reflex. Jim Morrison slapped
me to consciousness; his rebellion was as plain to see as the nose
on my face. “Peace Frog/Blue Sunday” bring back some seriously strong
memories. Needless to say that "The Doors Absolutely Live" was
a brilliant pressing. "The Celebration of the Lizard" was such a welcome—and
in my opinion, needed performance.
Humble
Pie could have been those guys that your parents warned you about.(Okay, first they warned you about Steppenwolf), After that, it could
have been Humble Pie. These guys were raw and kick ass. They were
the bad Brits on the block. Whereas the Stones were the nastiest,
Humble Pie were the kids waiting around the corner to kick your ass.Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton were in fine form back
then. Their album “Rockin’ the Fillmore” was hot.
Turn off your mind relax, and float downstream...
Other 70's favorites for me were Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,
Cold Blood, Hot Tuna, and of course, the Beatles. Back to the British
imports, I was a tremendous fan of The Who, Led Zeppelin, Cream, andThe Rolling Stones. The Stones would eventually replace the Beatles
as my number one favorite straight rock and roll band. Their latter
recordings from the period of 1970-1976 were my favorite period. Sonic
light speed guitar came to us in the form of Alvin Lee of Ten Years
After. Just watching him play brought the word “methamphetamines”
to mind.
I
used to wear
these "O-Ring"
belts everyday.
I ended up
making my
own.
Black
Lights, tapestries, Incense. The very basics of life.
I wore Levi's
frayed at the ends from having torn the hems loose with my mom's hem
ripper. They were pale blue from soaking in a tub of bleach in an
attempt to fade them. My room was decorated with hippie tapestries,
black light posters, old apple crates, and it smelled of cherry and
vanilla incense. Stereo speakers pulsed the rythmns of Led Zeppelin
and preached the galaxial harmonies of Pink Floyd. In an era of peace
and love, where everything was "far out" and "trippy", the 70's by
far, redefined my entire mode of thinking.
Without even realizing
it, I was living in the epicenter of...The Strobe of Life
My friends and I decided that we were bored. There was a supermarket
about three miles from our houses that had PLAYBOY MAGAZINE mixed
in with the others on the rack. The real challenge was that everyone
was too scared to actually go in and make the purhcase.
So, I decided to be the brave one. I walked in, laid the magazine
down for the checker (thankfully, it was a guy). and dug out my 75
cents. I came out of that store empty-handed. My friends all seemed
disapointed and hollered "I knew you'd chicken out!" I responded
with: "No, I just need another 50 cents." Yep, I had to do the whole
thing over again. I grabbed the magazine, laid down my $1.25, and
came out with it. The guys were completely amazed. We rode our bikes
home like we were on fire. Once we got to my house, we peeled out
in the gravel, laid those bikes where they fell, and rushed into my
secret fort built off the side of the garage. From there it was decided
to store the mag for safe keeping. Needless to say, going in and buying
that magazine garnered me an entirely new reputation as the biggest
dog on the block.
One scorching day in August 1969...
One day I decided to branch out in my artwork and go above and
beyond drawing the Beatles. So, on a large sketch pad, I penciled
a rather striking portrait of
Miss September of 1971. I
was pretty sly, or so I thought, having this one cleverly hidden under
my mattress. I had to hide it; I knew my mom would kill me if she
found it.
I'd won some high school art awards and a teacher came to
our house to invite me to join a student art show. I didn't really
have anything to enter, but he insisted. My mom then said "Why don't
you show him Miss September?"
Okay, I was stunned, mortified,...and
surprisingly still alive. My mom, as it turned out, was so impressed
with it (I gave this one a lot of loving care!), that she urged me
to keep drawing nudes and learn anatomy. Here I was, in high school,
and my mom encouraging me to draw Playboy centerfolds. She was
great.
This
was a great culture of my 70’s. There’s really no way to
describe it except to say that it was like a club that only the most
sophisticated of guys belonged to. Let's face it, we all fancied ourselves
as sophisticados, but the true test was to be Playboy subscriber either
by mail, or over the counter. The magazine catered to men
of quality. There were definite educational and sociological aspects
to the magazine that, to the unreader, would never be comprehended,
nor appreciated. Where else would I learn to tie a necktie? Playboy
had illustrated instructions for the basic Windsor knot. There were
recipes, movie reviews, music lineups, and the most incredible
interviews on the planet. I also learned about people, places,
events, and history that school never taught. I’m talking serious
stuff here, not just the girls. But of course, there were the
girls, and they were truly exceptional. Photographed with artistic
endeavor, taste and flair, they made this magazine a connossieur'sdelight. Playboy was worth every single penny of the $1.50 (1972
prices) counter price. And yes, I did have my favorite fold-outs.
MIss November of 1969, Claudia Jennings remains my all-timefavorite.
The sad piece to Claudia is that she died soon after. I
no longer have any Playboy magazines. They've long since hit
the dusty, used book store trail, but the memories remain.
Another thing I loved about Playboy were the wonderfully
demented
Gahan Wilson cartoons!
My definitive 70's record collection grew to epic proportions. Featured
to the left are some of the most cherished albums of all time
for me. Osibisa an African group reminded me of Santana. Emerson,
Lake, & Palmer were my induction to serious rock music. Trained
classical musicians decided to turn the world upside down with their
particular frenzy of music. I saw them in 1973. It was an exceptional
concert.
A few years later, I decided
to take up guitar, an instrument that I stayed with for many years.
My Fender
Jazzmaster Guitar, circa 1971
My Peavey Classic Amp. This amp could kick ass. 1974
My "Cry Baby"
wah-wah
pedal.
It soothed the savage Jimi in me. It cost me $39.95 in
1975
The 70's brought higher technology to rock music. Above
is Keith Emerson at his Moog synthesizer. To the right is a"Mellotron", the keyboard instrument that added a touch of maturity
to music. It was basically a keyboard with a set of tape loops of
symphony instruments and chorale voices. It could therefore mimic
full orchestral sounds. Sadly, too many technical problems with this
instrument forced its early demise. I loved Mellotrons and miss them
as they added such a great dimension to music.
The
Mellotron 400-D as used by such legendary greats as Yes, Genesis,
King Crimson.
The Sexiest
Guitar Award goes to...
the Fender Stratocaster.
My personal
favorite: Black with white pick guard, The David Gilmour Special.
Dean's World
Roger Dean's
magnificent cover artworks inspired me to be highly proficient with
an airbrush. By the late 80's, I became pretty good with one.
