Category Archives: rock and roll

The Beatles First Appearance on Ed Sullivan

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The Beatles on Ed Sullivan was a defining moment in Rock and Roll Hisotry.

Certainly Elvis, defined the 50’s. His appearance was very controversial.

The Beatles defined the 60’s. American music was never the same. And Ed Sullivan woud forever be linked with showcasing some of the most important musical acts of that decade.

But the Beatles were the first and they started everything that was to follow.

It was Sunday, February 9, 1964. First presentation of the Beatles in the USA. The Beatles were seen by 73 million American viewers. It was the highest rated show on the history at that time and remains one of the largest audience of all time. So that in the documentary The Beatles Antology tells how many streets were deserted and how the crime rate fell during the 60 minutes which ran the program.

You can discover incredible Beatles music, here:

iTunes & App Store
The Beatles. The band that changed everything, now on iTunes!

Or get all their magical music,

The Beatles Stereo Box SetBritish Invasion Rock Music CDs)

 

Summer Savings! $7.49 .com

Stop That Train…

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I’ve been very fortunate to see some of the finest musicians on the planet.

Some of the shows have been memorable and unforgettable.

I was lucky enough to see the The Best of Peter Tosh. He was a fantastic artist.

Watching him give his all in concert was a true joy. He gave his all whenever he toured.

Here is one of my favorite tunes he played:

 

 

 

 

And it was always nice to see Jerry Garcia. You can listen to; The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 2: Let It RockRock Music CDs) to get a true sense of his music. Jerry paid hommage to reggae in many of his shows. Here is a great rendition of "Jerry doing Stop That Train".

 

 

Ah Rock and Roll memories!

 

Greg Allman Interview

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I was fortunate to have seen the Allman Brothers Band early on in their career. The sweet guitas of Duane Allaman and Dickey Betts was something to behold. With Gregg on vocals and a killer rhythm section Allman Brothers Band
rocked.

Over the years I saw the band a number of times. as a matter of fact the first time I saw the Grateful Dead
, the Allman Brothers came out and jammed on the Dead’s 3rd set.

Astounding….in the heart of my soul I can still hear the strains of “Not Fadaway >>> Goin Down the Road Feeling Bad”. What a show.

Here is a great interview with Greg Allman:

Of all the Allman Brother Albums, without a doubt, this is my favorite:

Here is what the the Allman Brothers sounded like in their prime At Fillmore East
:

The Original Original: Tom Waits

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Tom Waits Ol 55I have a soft spot in my heart for Tom Waits . He’s someone who has been there and done that. He lived a life that was a mirrror of his songs. He is truly an american original. His songs speak for themselves. He is a true poet and at times a mystic. He lived on the edges of society and at times came close to falling off (and over). Ol’ 55 is a classic song.

You are probably familiar with it as sung by The Eagles  On the Border .

 But Tom Waits is in a class all by himself. His music has evolved over time. He can be melodic and dreary. His voice always sounds as if he’s had to many whiskeys and cigarettes.

But he is a classic. 

 

 

Probably my favorite albums of all time is Nighthawks at the Diner , which is a verbal montage of songs, stories, bars and bandits. He is a great singer and musician. He is a wonderful story teller. And that’s probably what I love about this album more than anything.

I hope you can take some time to discover Tom Waits and his musical meanderings. Have a listen:

 

A Ripping Guitar, A Hard Beat…I’m Going Home

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There is a lot of incredible music that was born from the sixties…

One of the true unsung heros of that era was Alvin Lee and Ten Years After.

They had an amazing presence. They played their own brand of rock mixed with the blues, jazz and some down home back porch music…

Lee became somewhat of a legend with his performance at Woodstock. It was truly memorable.

Check it out here:

I was fortunate to see Ten Tears After play live. The band was on fire. Headbangers listen up: Alvin Lee was the grandmaster of guitar.

Here’s the Woodstock film:

And some Ten Years After Music:

Here’s another version of I’m Goin’ Home, from the Bill Graham collection:

Respectfully submitted,
albert grande
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Keep on Chooglin’: Creedence Rips It Out

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Sometimes you get a song stuck in your head. It may come from a past memory. A smell could trigger it. You see something on televison. Or maybe conversation is the inspiration.

I just had one of those moments. I kind of felt like Billy Pilgrim; caught in the chrono-synclastic-infundibulum. (My appologies to Kurt Vonnegut).

The song that bubbled up from my memories was “Keep on Chooglin” by Creedence Clearwater Revival..

Imagine my happy surprise when I found a live version on YouTube. So here is a ripping live version:

A sad story of this band was that John Fogerty, sold all of the rights of his songs to his record producer. So he gets zero royalties from any of this music, including his most covered song: Proud Mary. (Think Tina Turner).

Years later, when he released a new album, he was sued by the same producer, because he sounded to much like himself!

He testified with guitar in hand, playing riffs of his songs before a judge.

The entire matter was appealed and ended up in the laps of the Supreme Court. Eventually he ended up winning the lawsuit and recovered all of his court costs. You can read about the lawsuit, here.

Ah, American justice.

I just love this band. They were rough and dirty. They played their own brand of Rock and Roll.
They had lots of in-fighting that ended up disbanding an incredible group of musicians.

Here is my personal pick, which contains their entire catalogue:

Here is another one of my favorite Creedence Jams: Suzie Q The following was recorded live at the Filmore West March 14, 1969. That’s 40 years ago…but who’s counting?

Listen, here:

Respectfully submitted,
Albert Grande
Rock-and-Roller-in-Training

P.S. If you are interested in Internet Marketing,
I have two events you really need to check out.

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Grateful Dead Internet Marketing Lessons, Part 3

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In case you missed Part 1 and Part 2 of this series you can read them here:

Part One: The Grateful Dead’s Niche Marketing Concept

Part Two: The Grateful Dead’s Unique Selling Position (USP)

Now let’s talk about how the Dead were able to form relationships.

One of the best techniques The Grateful Dead used was that they freely gave away their music.

This allowed the Grateful Dead to build a strong relationship with their fans.

They knew how to cultivate relationships. They realized the importance of relationship marketing.

Early on in their career they were involved in a number of free concerts.

At one point, they pulled a flatbed truck into the middle of San Francisco, unannounced. They set up a sound system with all of their instruments, on the back of the truck, and they played a set of music. The entire area was shut down.

They also palyed a number of free concerts in Golden Gate Park.

Grateful Dead Free Concert Golden Gate Park

This was a way for them to share their passion for their music. Their fans loved them.

Early on the Dead had no problem with people recording their music during live shows. As Jerry Garcia explained, to David Letterman, once they were done with the music, “they can have it”.

In spite of allowing fans to record all of their concert and trade tapes, the Grateful Dead, still sold plenty of albums. They sold out huge arenas. toward the end of their touring days, the Dead would play arenas for two and three consecutive nights.

The Grateful Dead were masters of relationship marketing. They built a wildly loyal fan base, by giving of themselves. And by giving away their music.

The lesson here is clear, for all Internet Marketers. Give away something of value. Give part of yourself. Then build a relationship with your customers.

You can listen to some Grateful Dead, here:

Find more Grateful Dead stuff, here.

Wolfgang's Vault - Bargain Bin

Respectfully submitted,
Albert Grande
Junior Dead Head

Grateful Dead Internet Marketing Lessons, Part 2

Internet Marketing, rock and roll, , , , , , , , , ,

For Part 2 of Internet Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, let’s look at their Unique Selling Position.

This is a recording of The Grateful Dead from the Filmore East 4/29/71.

You can hear them doing a version of Uncle John’s Band, right, here:

The Grateful Dead offered their own, USP (Unique selling position).

As promoter Bill Graham said: “They’re not the best at what they do, they’re the only ones who do what they do”.

Like most performers, the Dead did tours of multiple cities, during the Spring and Fall. Most performers will bring the exact same show to each city. That is the same exact song list for each concert. Even the encore is the same.

Not so with the Dead. Each show was different and unique. You can hear the New York crowd go wild after this tune. Even Bill Graham asks: “Is there anyone like the Grateful Dead?”

The Dead’s USP was that they were different from most every other rock band. Their best shows were totally spontaneous. They would not play the same songs night after night, they mixed things up.

Not only were the songs different, each concert was a virtual marathon. Dead shows lasted an average of 4 hours (with a break between sets.)

When you attended a Grateful Dead concert, you knew you were getting you money’s worth.

You were not only going to a concert, you were going to an event.

So much so, that the crowd became a part of the concert. The fans of the Grateful Dead even named themselves Dead Heads. Some fans became so fanatical, they would follow the band from city to city for an entire tour.

The Dead knew this, and realized that this was part of their USP as well. Not that every concert was spectacular, because it wasn’t. With the Dead, sometimes the magic worked and sometimes, it didn’t.

So what’s your USP? Are you trying to define your self as different or are you just like everyone else?

Here’s the encore from the same show:

You can find additional concerts and Grateful Dead information, here:

Wolfgang's Vault - Where live music lives

Any Jimmy Buffet fans?
Jimmy Buffett Live at Record Plant, October 24, 1974 – Available for Download

Respectfully submitted,
Albert Grande
Dead-Head-in-Training

Internet Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead Part 1

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Wolfgang's Vault

The Grateful Dead knew their niche.

The Grateful Dead was a rag-tag bunch of misfits and malcontnets. They weren’t the best musicians. They weren’t slick. They never had a “hit” record. And yet they were (and still are), wildly popular.

They became friends with famous artists such as Salvador Dali. Their fan base consisted of U.S. Senators, lawyers, doctors, professionals, and working people.

They went from giving free concerts to a multi-million dollar organization that employed several hundred staff members.

At one time, the Grateful Dead sold out the largest music venues in the country. Generally for two to three days at a time. Sometimes, twice a year.

The organization still makes a bundle to this very day, and yet they have not released any new music.

Lesson 1: Know your niche.

The Grateful Dead did not try to become all things to all people.

They knew early on, their appeal was very limited. While they released music albums, they got very little commercial radio air play.

They understood their audience and their audience understood them. The Dead’s model was to take their music to the people.

They become known through word of mouth. One person would go to a Grateful Dead concert, and they would tell their friends. Soon, they would tell their friends. And on and on.

Their shows became viral messages, as more and more people attended their concerts.

Through it all, they concentrated on their fans. They never tried to appeal to everyone.

The Grateful Dead understood their niche and put their energies in devloping that niche.

you can listen to a great version of Truckin”, right here. (Song starts after 20 second intro…)

End of Part One: Internet Marketing Lessons from The Graeful Dead.

Discover some other Dead music here:


Have a Jerry Christmas and a Happy New Weir,

albert grande
Pizza for Dead Heads

Wolfgang’s Vault: Musical History

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Wolfgang's Vault

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A little known fact about me, is that I spent a few years as a DJ. I didn’t work at a top 40 station, rather the music that I played had meaning for me in my life. Music was such a part of me I wanted to share the soundtrack with whoever would listen.

And what a soundtrack it was.

My first radio show was broadcast on the Virginia Tech College radio station in Blacksburg, Virginia. I was basically able to play anything I wanted, with few limitations. My experiences there were incredible life lessons that have stayed with me to this very day.

Later, I would get a job on a commercial radio station in Montpelier, Vermont. The station, WNCS, was one of the very few which would broadcast all types of music from reggae to hard rock and everything else in between. This was not your typical radio format.

I had a number of highs and lows while I worked there including the time I accidently shut down the entire station. That was a very low point. But somehow I survived. I never made it to the big time of professional radio, but believe me I had lots of fun in the process.

One of the DJ’s tricks, was to put on a 10-15 minute song so you could make a cup of coffee or do some planning for the rest of the show.

What follows is a live cut from one of my mainstay artists, Neil Young.. This particular recording is from the archives of the great music promoter, Bill Graham. The archives are contained in Wolfgang’s Vault, an incredible music resource.

Hey, go make a cup of coffee or do some planning as you listen to one of my favorite songs of all time. The recording has a real garage band feel to it. That is part of its appeal…

These days a lot of my planning is how to increase the size of my list. I found a great resource for you.

Check it out, here.


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Be well,
albert