Howdoo you Brummies,
I won't bother going into whys' and wherefores of the virus thingy, suffice to say that Mrs Bob and I have been secluded in our humble abode thanking our lucky stars for what we have had and have enjoyed throughout our life together, being locked down does nothing to dent that because we have been joined at the hip for 48 years and dont need anyone else, and I dont need to go out to make me happy. When the lockdown was announced, I being one who takes notice of Goverment Orders shut the doors straight away "I WILL OBEY AND SO SHOULD EVERYONE ELSE, NO EXCEPTIONS".
If only Mrs Bob had heard that same radio announcement whilst she was in the backyard! She was up to her armpits in raw sewage following a blockage occasioned by too much Guiness over a 3 day period. She had to choose that precise moment of the broadcast to pop her head into the drain cover for a closer look, how could she be expected to have heard it? She couldn't have possibly made it indoors by the time I'd locked up.
After I'd given her a good telling off for not being alert in times of emergencies I passed her my best sleeping bag and a gorilla mask I'd been given by one of The Bobettes for Christmas, out of the window, just in time for her to get out of the cold rain and into the shed. That was 3 weeks ago, I see her now and then, particularly in the dark, creeping around the garden looking for food and hiding from the Police. What really pisses me off though is that the drain is still blocked!! Still, dont worry about me, I've found a large bucket.
THE RAREST GUITAR SOLO?
As I have some time on my hands, gig wise, I started writing out a new set list of songs from my past that I hadn't played before with the band, or in some cases, ever! When I was a sprog I knew all the Shadows tunes mainly because, in those early days I didn't sing and had no desire to either. However, I soon realised that if you sang a romantic song you became more popular with the girls, it spurred me on to open me gob hole more often, so bollocks to guitar solos I thought.
I mastered the art of harmonising and always sang the top harmony on our string of Everly Brothers songs like "Let it be Me". A guaranteed tear jerker for the young girls at The Mermaid, Sparkhill or some youth club in Gornal, my name would be written in lipstick on the van with hearts and kisses.....Let it be ME!!!
I guess the top song for me then, that included some vocals and a guitar solo was the 1958 song "Move it" by Cliff Richards, the best Rock song by a British artist pre "Shakin All Over" a couple of years later So I wrote Move It down on the set list which made think of other Cliff songs, during his early years till I got to1962,
The solo is not really worth mentioning in the context of Rock musicality but I was amazed why not Hank? I still don't know why, perhaps one of you guys could help with he answer to that?
I spent time scouring social media looking for a clip of them playing the song and the only one I found had Hank doing the duties. It's not a world changing event but it is one for the pop quizzers amongst you.
THE BAND documentary.
From the earliest rock and pop to the latter end of the 60's and we arrive at probably the best band of that decade The Band. From Bob Dylans backing group to massive stardom in their own right, "Music from the Big Pink" being idolised by a host of musicians including Eric Clapton who flew to Woodstock with the intention of trying to join the group.
Their second album "The Band Played On" is and was the best release they had and would have been hard to better. It was probably the first themed album based on the
difficult days of rural America and particularly the Southern states. The Bands main songwriter Robbie Robertson was Canadian and had no knowledge of those days but having a sidekick like drummer and main vocalist Levon Helm who had lived through those difficult times, was like an awakening and he shared events that gave ideas, truth and inspiration to the music with which they scored such a massive success. The archetypical Classic Album. There wasn't, in truth, much more to come from the group and their later Albums didn't set the world on fire. They were just individual songs lacking reality.
Well The Band broke up with a farewell concert and documentary "The Last Waltz" where Robertson stated that they couldn't continue because "they were a casualty of being on the road".
Robertson released a solo album and went back out on the road on his own.
Many years of hurt then followed with Levon protesting that all the royalties for that classic album, largely inspired and narrated by Helm, went to Robertson and he got
nothing. Something he had an artistic right to complain about but was never recompensed, sadly Levon, the brightest star of that group passed away a few years ago,
So, now there is another documentary about The Band except it is now called "Once were Brothers" - Robbie Robertson AND The Band. I imagine that Robertson timed this to make his excuses without the worry of being contradicted from the former members that have now passed on with the exception of Garth Hudson. I have no intention of seeing it..
The title in itself is sufficient to show what a cowardly, ego soaked tit, Robertson is.
ROBERT PLANT.
I want to give Robert a thankyou for his personal help in his neighbourhood
during this lockdown. Heros dont need publicity.
As if by magic I just saw that Planty and Co did a version of "It'll be Me". How the wheels turn.....
FINALLY
We will be back on the streets soon enough if we all pull together. Keep Safe
Especially you Brumbeat musicians.
Cheers
Bob
Copyright BullsHeadBob
Contact Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com
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