Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted

     Last time many of you heard from me on this forum, we had stopped the radio show and the blog posts had slowed to a trickle. Life had changed our plans, and although we willing accepted the changes in our career plans and our move to Southern Mississippi, the extra responsibilities caused me to rethink some priorities and the radio show AND blog went by the wayside.

     There were attempts on my part to re-ignite the blog by setting up a new site and domain name, but just couldn't get the mojo working again. A friend of mine said to me several years back to do what I was passionate about, and stick with it, not because there would be financial gain (although that would be nice), but because it was what I loved. That has never been far from my mind.

     Circumstances are allowing me again to pick up where I had left off. However this blog will not be an everyday thing, nor will it be in exactly the same format as before. I have an opportunity to resurrect the radio show again, and that will be my major focus. This blog will attempt to expand on some ideas and opinions concerning music which I might not have on a chance to on the radio.

     The show itself will also change. Before it was a mix of rock, pop, soul and r&b. My wheelhouse musically is rock from 1966-1980, in other words, the salad days of FM rock. This is where the base of the show will come from. Many a day (and night) of my childhood was spent listening to KSHE 95.5 in St. Louis, and the personality and vibe from that station molded my philosophy of how a radio show should be conducted.

     There are already three stations lined up to carry the new show. Actually, one of them never stopped airing the old one, and a new station in Oregon picked up repeats of the old broadcast about two months ago. I'm excited to attempt to bring things back to you. The readership of the blog never waned, and almost 65,000 of you have check it out. For this I am eternally grateful. Keep watching on the blog for updates as the day where we broadcast again come near.   

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Focus--Hocus Pocus (1973)

     With it's odd blend of classical, jazz, and avant-garde, progressive rock in the early 70's struck an odd pose compared to much of what was going on around it. Every so often however some of this music broke through to a wider audience. One of those songs was "Hocus Pocus", with it's yodeling, whistling set on top of a hard rock base.
     What is somewhat unfortunate is that a majority of those who remember that song is unaware of the Dutch group's background in improvisational-jazz style progressive rock. The band began with keyboardist/flutist Thijs van Leer, guitarist Jan Akkerman, bassist Martin Dresden and drummer Hans Cleuver. This was the group who recorded the 1970 album, "In and Out of Focus" which wasn't heard much outside The Netherlands. Akkerman left to form his own group with bassist Cyril Havermans and drummer Pierre van der Linden. van Leer soon joined and Bert Ruiter replaced Havermans. This became the classic lineup of the band for much of the 70's.
     The song, "Hocus Pocus" came from the second album.  ("Focus 2" in Europe, "Moving Waves" in the states) It was released stateside in 1973 where it reached the top 10. Although it the only hit they would have on the US charts, several songs were used quite a bit as background music for sports shows ("House of the King", "Sylvia") and their albums sold quite well to the progressive rock crowd during this time. They never received the attention due them, but if you want to dig a bit deeper than the hit, you might find yourself listening to a bit more of this band.

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Rush--Fly By NIght (1975)

    Today Geddy Lee turns 58....

     When any of us talk about the music that we gravitated to in younger days, it usually revolves around a time period and genre. It's a natural occurrence. For me it was Progressive Rock and British Folk of the early 70's....

       Most of the groups from that era never fully got out of the 70's. Oh yeah, there have been countless re-formations and reunions, but after about 1976-78 the bloom was mostly off the rose. But counter to what many music critics had predicted (and hoped), it has held itself together enough through the 80's to have a bit of a renaissance in the 90's with a new generation. 

     The one group that has not only defied those ups and downs, but arguably is more popular now than ever is Rush. Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart have combined to make great music that is full of energy and life over 40 years after their formation. Progressive Rock is a bit of a pretentious style of music by definition, but there are two reasons why I believe they are still getting it done...

      The first is ego. The pretension of progressive rock would many times in those early years bleed over into the lives of those making the music. (Or some would suggest...the other way around). Many of the great groups of that era would either shift personal like crazy (Yes, King Crimson), or would annoy either other to the point of numbness (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer). Watching Rush perform is like watching three guys who have been through it all together and revel in the fact that now in the later stages of their lives and careers they are having more fun now than ever.

      The second reason is they never allowed themselves to be defined by a category. Their first few albums were more straight ahead rock and roll, which made them darlings of the FM music crowd. By the late 70's they were shifting more into progressive territory, but because of the inroads caused by the first few albums, they were never put into the same progressive box as the others. In addition, they have spread out and added other elements into the music. By the early 80's, they were experimenting with new wave and reggae sounds. This ability to incorporate other elements of music is one of the reasons it has remained so fresh over the years.  

      Geddy Lee's distinctive tenor and excellent bass work has defined him as one of the best in rock music. Having said that, I will fully admit that they are an acquired taste, but over the years they have passed by many of their critics (in some cases just plain outlived them), continue to make interesting music and seem to be fully enjoying what they do. The only thing left...in my opinion is their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which at this point is a crime they have not made it already....

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Automatic Man--My Pearl (1977)

     Automatic Man was a progressive/funk/rock/ band from San Fransisco led by former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve beginning in 1975. They came out with two albums, both gaining a bit of notice and one single that scrapped the bottom of the top 100 in 1977. The first album was fairly progressive in sound with some real jazz overtones. Shrieve left after that first album and their second album, "Visitors" went into a more straightforward funk direction. The band folded shortly afterward, but left us with this tasty single....enjoy!

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Kansas--Dust in the Wind (1978)

      Steve Walsh, lead singer/keyboardist for rock group Kansas turns 60 today.....

      Growing up playing the organ (and later piano), looking for the same in my rock heroes was paramount. Except for Billy Joel and Elton, this is probably why I gravitated towards progressive rock. Kansas was a favorite because of Steve Walsh's great keyboard, but also Robby Steinhardt's violin and Kerry Livgren's lyrical abilities. "Dust in the Wind" was their biggest seller, and only top 10 in the winter of 1978.

       The song is actually quite depressing, but very thought provoking, and it wasn't a surprise to me at all when Kerry Livgren announced his conversion to Christianity a year or two later.  In fact in several interviews over the years he points back to songs like "Dust in the Wind" questioning life and fame. Walsh continues to tour with Kansas, Livgren still writes for the group and does a lot of session work with different projects, but doesn't tour any longer......

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Happy Birthday to Steve Howe from Yes!

Today is the 64th birthday for guitarist Steve Howe. He has been in several bands over the years, but his place in the history of rock will be secure from his work as lead guitar player for the group Yes. He is still touring with Yes as well as doing solo work as well. Have a happy Friday y'all...

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Saturday Morning Rock: Argent--Hold Your Head Up (1972)

I do not like to rush blogs, but am going to be busy teaching students all morning, and know many of you have busy Saturdays planned...so wanted to get this out asap. Rod Argent was the keyboard player for The Zombies and left in 70 to form his own band. Along with Russ Ballard, they crafted some very tasty progressive rock. We'll take a closer look at the group down the road, but wanted to share with you the album (and brilliant) version of "Hold Your Head Up".....happy Saturday everyone!!

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