Once upon a time in this Country we had a plethora of what was dubbed “Southern Rock”, and while I’m not from the South, (heck the closest I’ve ever been to “the South” was a trip to Dallas decades ago!) a lot of this music really spoke to me. Maybe it’s that Tennessee Rebel blood in my veins, who knows…
Anyhow, it was a good time in music, just good, old fashioned Rock and Roll! Musicians that could actually play their instruments, solid songwriting, some clever lyrics along the way… Good times!
I recently heard a song on the radio – yes, that’s right, I still occasionally listen to <gasp!> “terrestrial” radio – that sparked the idea for this flashback.
I present some of my old favorites from the Southern Boogie days. And just for kicks, and to really get at the heart of the music, I searched out live versions of my favorites. Enjoy!
Last but certainly not least, and sort of an “honorable mention” as most people don’t consider them a Southern Rock act, but Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers originally hail from Gainesville, FL which as I understand it is every bit as Southern as the rest of “the South”, despite the influx of retirees from up North. The Southern charm just oozes outta their music!
As I have mentioned in previous posts, my musical inclination runs more toward ‘alternative’ music, but long before that label was tacked on, we were just called ‘punks’, and if you were part of that clique, listening to the music of the “Top 40” was heresy, much less heavy metal.
That being the case, 80’s metal was sort of my ‘dirty little secret’… I certainly was not a metal head or ‘headbanger’, but I can’t deny a good song, regardless of the genre.
In all honesty, in the case of most metal bands, I like A song of theirs. There are a couple bands that had a few songs that grabbed me. If I had to name one metal band from the era that I actually liked, without question I’d say RATT, was the one. For me, Warren DiMartini was the best lead guitarist in the genre and drummer Bobbi Blotzer was top of the pack too.
Likewise, there were a TON of bands from that era that were simply horrible. Just gawd-awful, cheap imitators, trying to make the record labels some money. And don’t even get me started on “Power Ballads”!!!
Anyhow, here are a few from back in the day that I still get a kick out of. Let your hair down, crank up the speakers to ’11’ and let ‘er rip!
I first heard this song my Freshman year of high school and it resonated with me immediately. It was the era of the Reagan/Bush years, the Cold War, iran-contra, the moral majority, holes in the ozone layer… To say the least, I felt the future was beyond uncertain and my distrust in “the powers that be” – whether gov’t or religion began to take root.
Some 40 years later, those roots have become a mighty tree and the lyrics of this song ring more true than ever. Sadly…
Not that I was ever naive enough to think “rock and roll can change the world, man!” but you’d think if this stuff was so obvious 40 years ago we’d have fixed at least something by now. Alas, we’re still being taken for fools.
Anyhow, I’ve had a dark cloud hanging over me all week and this tune just seemed to fit. My apologies for the gloomy nature. I’m heading to the coast to clear out the sludge.
After a short break on drumming due to *life getting in the way, I’m getting back into the groove (no pun intended) ‘cuz I have an audition coming up next week. More on that later, maybe.
Anyhow, when I practice by myself, I typically pull up one of two playlists on Spotify that I curated specifically to drum to, pop the in-ear monitors on and let ‘er rip.
I’ve got some studio time this weekend to practice prior to the audition and decided it’s time for a new playlist for inspiration.
The band I’m going to play with is a cover band doing old-school R&B, funk, disco…you know, the typical wedding reception band. So in anticipation of that vibe, today’s Flashback Friday is the Reminiscing edition, going back to the tunes I was hearing as a kid on the ol’ AM transistor radio. Enjoy!
To be perfectly honest, as a drummer these are not exactly exciting songs. But strictly as a fan of music, you cannot deny the appeal, and longevity of the old-school groove!
Have a great weekend everybody! And thanks for stopping by!
Now before anyone goes bustin’ my chops, I’m fully aware that none of these bands are from the tropics. The music just evokes that vibe, in me at least. Must be cuz this is what I was listening to on a million trips to the beach over the last 35 years or so… Good times!
Ok, one more for good measure. After all, what fun is a beach trip without a Rock Lobster?!?
I’ll be honest, I’ve had a tremendous love for women in music as early back as I can remember as a child. My mother was a huge fan of Cher back in the 60’s and 70’s, so that’s probably where it started, but as I came into my pre-teen years, glued to the radio, I really found myself drawn to bands with a female vocalist. Not just any female vocalist mind you, but the kick ass, rock & roll women that made you sit up and take notice.
So here we go, some kick ass women, rockin’ out to get your Friday moving in the right direction!
Note that I am only incuding female fronted BANDS, no solo artists. That’s a Flashback for another Friday. In no particular order/decade/genre, just some stuff I love!
Too cool for words. Love this lady and this band!
I was simultaneously infatuated and terrified of this woman. One of a kind!
Johnette, the only artist that ever compelled me to write a fan letter!!
Three Zappa alumni and the wildest Glam Girl of the era!
Patti had a way of making you believe every word she sang.
Still hanging ’round the Paisley Underground, before becoming a household name.
Thanks for listening! Now go out and enjoy your weekend!
Everybody with two brain cells to rub together and even the most rudimentary grasp of history knows San Francisco was THE music mecca of the 60’s. Countless legends broke out of SF in the 60’s and 70’s, but what a lot of people don’t remember are the awesome Bay Area bands in the 80’s and 90’s.
For today’s flashback I’m going to focus on my faves from the SF “scene”. Not all the bands were FROM San Francisco, but they all played there because that is where the vast majority of the venues are in the Bay Area.
And before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I will NOT be including metal or hip-hop in this Flashback. Yes, there were plenty of them around – well, not so much hip-hop as metal, but those scenes were still burgeoning. The Rock/New Wave/Punk bands were getting most of the attention. At least throughout the 80’s. I do like hip-hop and some metal (Def more into hip-hop than metal for sure tho) but there were so many bands back then that I loved, I’m just going to focus on them.
And here we go!
Wire Train. The BEST of the Bay…IMHO
To me, this album was the Pinnacle of SanFran music in the 80’s. I was fortunate enough to see them live a few times and even got to hang out with them backstage at a couple of those shows.
Once while working in downtown San Jose I ran into their drummer Brian and we had lunch together on Market Street. Super nice guys, outstanding records.
Shut up and DANCE! Words to live by!
Ok, this wasn’t their best song maybe, but it sure was fun! Every dance floor I ever witnessed would be PACKED when this song came on. And Pearl could really belt it!
Should have been HUGE…
Eddie and the Tide were born just a little outside the bay, but they made their mark here. This record was produced by Eddie Money (RIP) as I recall and got tons of radio play here on KOME and KSJO, two of San Jose’s biggest stations at the time. This video, or at least parts of it, were filmed in Santa Cruz when I was (practically) living there, so they felt like the Home Team to me.
Back when they were THE rising stars here, there was a contest on KSJO – A “Best of the Bay” thing where local bands would get a song played and the listening audience would call in to vote for the best song. The “prize” was an opening slot for Eddie and Co. at an old club in Campbell called Puma’s. Much to our shock and delight, my band won and we got the opening gig. It was the first time we played with a real “pro” band, not some kids coming out the garage like us, plus radio people at the gig… It was incredibly exciting and terrifying at the same time and by far the biggest crowd we’d played for up until then. Good times. Great memories. I was absolutely certain they were going to be a huge band, but for some reason they just never took off.Pity.
I was maybe 14 when I first heard Romeo Void, and was hooked. They were pretty creepy sounding to me and really captured the gritty sound of the city. Short lived band, but the songs have withstood the test of time. Still sounds creepy and gritty 40 years later. The dissonant guitar still gives me chills.
Last but certainly not least, Translator. You could not get away from this song when came out, it was infectious and everywhere. Surprisingly, these guys beat the “sophomore slump” and put out a brilliant second album. I only got to see them once, as an opening act for someone I can’t recall at the moment.
Ok folks, that is all I got for the day. Don’t fret if I missed your favorite, this is a mighty fertile field. I’ll come back to dig up some more gems from this Era before too long.
The Boring Old Man 