Remembering The Lizard King

Remembering the Lizard King Jim Morrison (1943-1971)

Jim Morrison, charismatic lead singer, lyricist and founding member of the
influential rock quartet The Doors which features also keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger and drummer John Densmore selling more than 80 million records worldwide. He was known for his throaty baritone vocals and his onstage stage persona of the Lizard King has been the stuff of legends. He was good looking charismatic and self destructive. He was also a creative force a poet and a shaman who would captivate the audience and had a edge to his rock n' roll persona.

Songs like "Light My Fire", "Break On Through", "Hello I love You", "Strange Days", "LA Woman", "When The Music's Over and "The End" were part of classic rock stations.Jim was both a gentleman and a volatile , he was this man who
had an obsession to writing songs based on reality. He was known for his bad boy
personality who was legendary for his heavy drinking and onstage antics that sometimes captivates the audience or alienates the audiences as he would say "Let's just I was just testing the boundaries" Oh yeah he tested boundaroes alright. Good one Jimbo , he can be such a complete asshole when he was on the bottle.He was very
theatrical

His songs hae been the soundtrack of our lives and has touched alot of people . The Miami concert was the beginning of the end when he was arrested for public drunkeness and the concerts were banned as a result of his actions and was facing six months in prison and a $500 fine. He even published his own poetry book
simply titled "An American Prayer" in 1970. In the last two years he grew a beard and became a mere shadow odf the good looking guy in the rolling stone magazine cover.He even stood up to Ed Sullivan in over the use "higher" in "Light My Fire" he just gave him that fuck you swagger. Dude I liked his style.

"Roadhouse Blues" was a great bluesy song that made them great despite the legal problems of the Miami incident, and it can be heard on the live show. Jimbo left to Paris , France in March 1971 following his final recording of "Riders On The Storm". Three months later, the 27 year old James Douglas Morrison after years of drug and alcohol abuse, died apparently of a heart attack in his bathtub from his Pari Apartment on this day July 3, 1971. It has been 40 years today that the rock world lost this talented man he left us way too soon.His grave at Pere Lachaise Cemetery has been the most visited tourist attraction frokm worldwide fans who pay respects to the Lizard King.REst in Peace Jimbo wherever you are I hope you found peace. We still remember you after all these years.A comet on th sky that had a brief moment and disappeared like magic but his music forever live to eternity.

The Doors "Break On Through" January 1967

The Doors rare live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival August 1970

The Doors "Strange Days" official clip 1967

The Doors singing "Light My Fire" and yes Jim said "Girl you couldn't get much higher" as his way of saying fuck you to Ed Sullivan's objections not say the word "higher"

John Bonham painting

 

John Mayer (comment and review)

Let's begin with superstar folk rocker turned blues guitar hero John Mayer
I have been a fan of his music going back to 2002 when he did
"No Such thing" on VH1 when they featured as a "You Outta Know" artist .
His music was ery rootsy alternative sounds like a young Dave Matthews.
He was known for other songs like "Your Body Is a Wonderland", "why Georgia"
and "Waiting for a World to Change".

But Then on the thord record he came up with his bluesy guitar riffs that is
reminiscent of Eric Clapton and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan including in the song
I posted above "Gravity". I though he played with such intensity and soul and
was so fluid . I saw him in Madison Square Garden in February 2010 when there was that darn snow storm.

He has showcased his musicianship like a true guitar hero though not a technical
guitar player but can play with soul. I am not going to make comparisons to past guitar heroes but he is his own guitar hero. Anyway take a good look at this classic 2009 performance of John Mayer giving his most memorable solo ery spine tingling and expressive.

John Mayer live performance of "Gravity" Beacon Theatre

Alex's new website -art and graphic design

Hi everyone

I am introducing my new website that is operating and it features alot of my artwork
that I have done over the years. I do have plans to sell alot of my artworks and they are ery good quality and I may even publish a book on my artworks that I have done over the years. I hae done different types of works that contains oil , charcoal and acrylics.

I also can be contacted on facebook


http://mmp.bmcc.cuny.edu/agall2917/Alex_Webpages/index.htm

Wednesday Heat

Today is my day off from work
I just woke up at 7AM getting ready for an early morning jog
It was warm as usual.
Then at 12 PM this afternoon its freaking hot.
I just also came to whole foods to shop at the bowery section
I got a good discount there and I also got some new mineral water
for the water I need to drink for this damned weather I detested.
Man this really sucks.

Anyway I am doing chicken stu in french style and fish with butter
(country crock that is).


In tnhe meantime, I have an issue of writer;s block but I am keen to get my creative
juices in me once I figured out what is goj g on with my life.

I am gonna keep writing stuff in my upcoming novel to be out this July or August about this damned weather. This really sucks tomorrow 97 degrees bummer that is life in NYC. Drink plenty of water that is all I have to do to survive.

Comment and Review:Journey Behind the Music

Previously I have posted in my blog on the band Journey
I am going to comment on a documentary done ten years ago on VH1's
Behind The Music. Yes rock's greatest mystery, fronted by the group's
brilliant but reclusive lead singer Steve Perry, who in the series has
been portrayed as controlling , creative but a reluctant rock star.The band was formed in 1973 by two ex Santana members Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon. There you
see the interviews from past and present members of the band including co-founder
and keyboardist Gregg Rolie (1973-1980), drummer Aynsley Dunbar (1973-78), drummer
Steve Smith (1978-1986, 1996-98), keyboardist Jonathan Cain (1981-1986, 1996-present), bassist Ross Valory (1973-85, 1996-to present), and of course group founder and guitarist Neal Schon and of course the voice Steve Perry (1977-1986, 1996-98).

The documentary had never before seen interviews from its band members talking about
the good the bad and the ugly side of fame and fortune, and there their former manager Herbie Herbert talks about discovering the Portguese descndant lead singer
which is the making of a legend that was born in this mercurial band that is a blend of progressive rock and commercial sounds. Since his arrival he began to write songs
with either Neal Schon or with Jonathan Cain who would join the band after Rolie's
departure in 1980.

They even talk about making of "Open Arms" originally written for John Waite for the Babays but later Steve Perry wrote the words . Neal Schon on the other hand hated the song while recording it and when they played it live the attitude has changed even stunned the group's founder that he even said "am that song kicked ass' and Perry looked at Schon was going to kick ass after all the grief he gave him in the studio. There is a heartfelt song "Only the Young" which featured to the young kid who was dying from systic fibrosis asa dedication of the song to that young man,even
Jonathan Cain balled during the interview of the kid's death.Boo Hoo. Gte your kleenex ready

There you will see how they became so huge from a jam band to a corporate AOR prog rock supergroup and was under the genius management of Herbie Herbert.There you see
how they grew pressured from this album tour cycle, and their mercurial lead singer
became more distant from his bandmates. and how they broke up so mysteriously in 1986 and would briefly reformed in 1996 only to be break-up again. The documentary is so dramatic and hard hitting typical rock n' roll shit. Steve even says he doesn't feel like he was part of the band I am like "What the fuck is wrong with you dude?" I mean he was the dominant leader there and was calling the shots on the making of the records. His statements even puzzled his bandmates and even like me questioned it what the hell was he thinking. Was he trying to be a total schmuck? how pathetic that answer is for him to say since he work with them and achieved success at the same time. What a complete waste. But I still think Steve and Neal are the bomb.

Anyway here are videos of the Behind the Music documentary on one of the greatest rock bands of the late 1970's and early 1980's you guys be the judge join the discussion and what do you guys think.

Journey behind the music part 1

The band's genesis with Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon

Journey Behind the Music part 2 , the making of a legend Steve Perry joins
Journey and the making of a rock music history

Journey Behind the music part 3 Gregg Rolie leaves journey, Jon Cain joins and "Escape" was born

Journey Behind The music part 4, Neal Schon hates "Open Arms" which became a classic rock hit and "Frontiers" became another hit in 1983

Journey Behind The music part 5: Steve becomes more isolated from the band and the trppings of fame and Neal and Steve are at odds with each other they do
solo albums, a young dying fan meets the band and feature a classic song, Jon Cain balls in the interview

Journey Behind the Music part 6: Ross and Steve gets fired by Steve and "Raise On Radio" record and tour begin and mysteriously disbands

Journey Behind the Music part 7: Journey is over mysteriously, Neal and Jonathan Cain formed Bad English, Steve Perry becomes a hermit only to briefly do a solo record, Ross Valory filed for bankrupcy, Journey reforms for the first time in 1986

Journey and Steve Perry split again (or should I say they forced him out)
and got a Steve Perry soundalike Steve Augeri , another Steve clone, and there is Steve's answer to "I never felt like I was part of the band" you be the judge

Van Halen

Let's begin to comment and discuss the band from the 1980's
going back to high school and that is Van Halen.
There are two incarnations that have been successful one is from the
David Lee Roth era and the other is the Sammy Hagar era (aka Van Hagar)
Led by the Van halen bros. the Dutch born drummer Alex Van Halen and of course the greatest guitarist in rock history since Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, who is ranked
as the #2 guitarist in rock history based on his skills.

There is also the vocal harmonies of bassist Michael Anthony and thundering
bass lines that provide the rhythm section with Alex Van Halen's powerful drums.
Eddie's finbger tapping technique on the fretboard has been innovative thiugh the
technque was originally pioneered by the likes of Canned Heat's Harvey Mandel,
Chicago's Terry Kath and Genesis' Steve Hackett, his fretboard finger tapping
technique proed to be more effective and more in the classical trained style since
he also was a classically trained pianist himself.

Let'also not forget the showmanship and baritone voice of David Lee Roth, the group's founding vocalist. This line-up produced platinum selling records and singles
and was even an opening act for pioneering heavy rock supergroup Black Sabbath in 1978. During that tour the young band outperfirmed the veteran group who were at the end of their creative edge.Eddie Van Halen's early influences were Eric Clapton during his days with John Mayall's Bluesbreaker and Cream.

Eddie's guitar playing has been influential since Hendrix and he came up with these amazing solos and plays extremely fast like a firecracker. Songs like "Running SWith the Devil", "Ain't Talk Bout Love", "Hot for teacher" ,"Ice Cream Man", "little guitars" and of course the guitar instrumental "Eruption", has been the main crowd pleasing songs on radio and on tour.Eddie's instrumental "Eruption" has been a classical influenced sound with an electirc vibe to it and its like hearing Bach's organ composition.That line-up also produced their only #1 hit single "Jump" which also has Eddie plays keyboards and proved to be a smash. The "1984" album and tour proved to be the beginning of the end of the original line-up.

After the tumultous departure from Roth and the Van Halen group in April 1985, they
hired a better singer who is a veteran singer and a great guitarist name Sammy Hagar.
Yes the Sammy Hagar of "I Can't Drive 55" fame and has been rock's premier heavy rock singer since Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers and scored with hits of #1 albums and tours and singles with "Why Can't This Be Love" "Dreams", "Summer Nights", and "Right Now" to name a few. Their music with Hagar was rocking but it had a commercial appeal and I dig both the Roth and Hagar. They both made gtreat contributions to that legacy.

Sammy's voice was powerful and had brought something to Van Halen's music.
1996 Van Halen split from Sammy Hagar and this story has become abit of drama queen
story. My only problem is Ed's drinking problems it has affacted the band and
his playing that during the 2004 reunion tour with Hagar , he was behaving erratically and even smashed his guitar to bits on stage and was being an asshole onstage. In 2007 Van Halen both incarnations were inducted to the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame.As you know that ex Extreme singer Gary Cherone became the frontman and their last album was a commercial flop and they parted ways with Cehrone. What acomplete disaster.

Now Ed is now clean and sober reunited with old frontman David Lee Roth and produced a great 2007-08 reunion tour. I saw their reunion show at MSG in November 2007 and I had a blast seeing something from the past it wa like going back to HS all over again. Van Halen kicjed ass onstage and represented great good time music without all the messages going down.

Van Halen doing "Running with the Devil" 1978" with Diamond Dave

Van Halen performing "Unchained" during the band's 2007 reunion tour with Roth, man can Eddie can really blow

Check out Eddie doing "Eruption" in 1983

an Halen doing "Right Now" with Sammy Hagar 1995 tour, this son was used in political campaigns believe it or not