m e l l o t r o n G
Guest
|
Post by m e l l o t r o n G on Dec 16, 2006 20:32:56 GMT -5
ericalbronda--that's the kind of info I crave...as I mentioned Red Weather is just the kind of album that would be quite hard to duplicate live (unlike Cast of Thousands and the eponymous Silver Meter)...when I came across Leigh's e-mail some seven/eight years ago, I mentioned the fact that a Mellotron was used on the recording, and at the time he recorded it, the transition between Mk2's and M-400's wasn't quite established in stone. He said it wasn't his, but in the studio Red Weather was recorded. It sounds more like a M-400 strings tape set was used, but with the spaciousness/production effect, it's hard to tell! I never quite remembered the answer & I lost his e-mail. Then again, another California band Steve Miller Band recorded the records they used Mellotron on over in England...definitely a Mark2. Mark 2's are big, bulky and expensive, and since only a few dozen were ever made in England in the mid/late 60s, they just never got over to the USA, and were only in a select few recording studios early on.
|
|
|
Post by M e l l O on Dec 16, 2006 20:41:31 GMT -5
I'm guessing that a few labels that reissue things which have bonus tracks is just an attractant to get you to buy THEIR stuff on THEIR label. Just take a look at all the reissues of The Zombies' "Odyssey & Oracle". Zillions of reissues...each one of the damn thing has different extracurricular material. A great way to go flat broke if you're a completist fanatical collector. It'd be nice to know the legit reissues so that hopefully a cut of the sales will go to the band members themselves if they're still alive or haven't given up their copyright to the material. Labels like Reprise and Capitol put out more stuff by Jimi Hendrix after he died than when he was alive more than just about anybody else I can think about off the top of my head, but at least the royalties went to his estate.
|
|
|
Post by bcfreak on Dec 16, 2006 23:13:16 GMT -5
Hey Eric, what were the Insideoutside sessions like, and what is your opinion on the reissues of Leigh's and Blue Cheer stuff, with the bonus tracks?
|
|
|
Post by ericalbronda on Dec 17, 2006 8:28:27 GMT -5
A pier in Sausalito, busted for being to troublsome ---Muir beach, pleasant and sound by the ocean was special--Pier in New York --met Linda Eastman there , Eddie Cramer , Hendrix ---it rained and the speakers got wet ---much equipment onto and off the pier ---Sessions in Record Plant , same tme as Hendrix so we heard the premix of Hendrix as Eddie Cramer was with Hendrix also ---New York Central Park--fabulous way to See New York---recording was easy then----back to California-- Small Studio in San Mateo--Paul Curcio-- former "MOJO MEN" owned it ---Linda Eastman again we sang background vocals on Satisfaction together----Abe Kesh producer taught me a great deal--gave me confidence to produce music---100 + takes for Paul on Satisfaction--burned out by that time recording became difficult because of personal issues. Overall a learning curve for the band ---way different from the set up and record of First LP---reissues , Interesting that Akarma made seperate deals with Dickie , Bruce Stephens , Leigh and all of them kept it secret until pressed to explain the writes given away without necessarily consluting with all vested parties---Any Publicity is good publicity and I really think that is what the benefit is as well as continuing to keep their name alive -- no real opinion on bonus tracks other than more exposure ----I am amazed at the amount of hits the website gets --15,000 per month and am also shocked that world wide they still sell a significant amount of music. Mellotron owned by the Rolling Stones loaned to us by Ian Stewart-- outlawed in England at that time by the Musicians Union--we had to hide it when they came around --Used quite a bit on Beggers Banquet ----
|
|
|
Post by bcfreak on Dec 17, 2006 13:39:35 GMT -5
I agree with you Eric, any publicity for Blue Cheer is good. But some people don't deserve any publicity at all. Like the "rich bitch trio" that made the headlines recently.
|
|
|
Post by mr maltese on Dec 17, 2006 14:38:10 GMT -5
Eric,
do you know who played the piano track on "Feathers from your Tree"? I was told that the piano was never intended to be on that track and that the band didn't hear the piano until after it was mixed already.....also, what songs did they perform live from this album at that time with Leigh besides "Satisfaction"?
Maltese
|
|
|
Post by m e l l O on Dec 17, 2006 19:20:44 GMT -5
Interesting about the Akarma reissues...I had always thought Akarma over there in Italy just pretty much reissued stuff kickstarted by a buzz in the record collectors market and never went through proper channels to make them legit. So how would Akarma get stuff from Philips and go all the way with it? Pretty darn good fildelity pressings if you ask me of the stuff I've heard on Akarma vinyl-wise (usually psyche and prog rarities)--so that implies they either cleaned up the originals real nice, or had access to the masters...
|
|
|
Post by featheredfish on Dec 17, 2006 19:51:27 GMT -5
Only thing they could possibly put on that would be `Saki Zwadoo`, the B-side of the `Red Weather`single, although that sounded more like something that came from the `Cast of Thousands` sessions. There are out-takes from the Silver Metre album that are a hell of a lot better than some of the tracks they put on the final album. Leigh Stephens doing Elton John covers? You have to be joking, surely!!!
|
|
|
Post by 56buzz on Dec 17, 2006 20:43:10 GMT -5
THere's the rub I have with Leigh Stephens, 2 lp's with Blue Cheer... inspired playing and decent songwriting...and then one solo cd with at least an idea of what he was doing going in... then, everything since 1968 has been crap, starting with Cast Of Thousands followed by Silver Metre (Elton John covers...puuullease..) then all these other efforts (Pilot- Enterprise etc...) then Cronic with K (Chronic -ly Ill) and his latest High Strung Low Key...I don't get the guy...on the one hand he almost single-handedly INVENTS a genre and then spends the rest of his career grenading his ground-braking playing style...and denying his fans and everyone who would have listened to a legend the pleasure of enjoying him to this day...I mean WTF??? It's like Hendrix only Leigh didn't die....
|
|
capz
Junior Member
Posts: 60
|
Post by capz on Dec 17, 2006 21:05:46 GMT -5
56Buzz, I do understand your point of view about Leigh, but what do you mean its like Hendrix?
|
|
|
Post by bcfreak on Dec 17, 2006 21:46:05 GMT -5
Leigh's solo stuff isn't the greatest in the world, but it's ok. Randy Holden's solo stuff is much better than Leigh's work. Randy Holden is not even on Rolling Stone's top 100 guitarists of all time list. Leigh is on it at #98. Jimi Hendrix is at #1 www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_timeI have to say that Randy Holden is one of the most under rated guitarist of all time. To bad he only recorded 3 songs with Blue Cheer.
|
|
|
Post by ericalbronda on Dec 17, 2006 21:48:46 GMT -5
Ralph Burns Kellogg aka Ethan James Piano on "Feathers Played live with Leigh;( other than Satisfaction) Babylon, Hunter, Come and get it, Gypsy Ball, Just a little bit. Bruce Stephens was contacted by Akarma thinking he was Leigh Stephens. Bruce signed away the rights without proper permission. He actually just went down and bought BC reissues from Mercury, Phillips , Polygram and sent them to Akarma---I doubt Phillips or Mercury would give Akarma their master tapes-or lease them , they did not have to----just release them themselves when they wanted ---Ian Grant of Track Records together with Dickie stopped Akarma from selling BC material a few years ago when BC Toured England ---------------- Yep, Leigh is a Strange one ----difficult at best---extremely talented and creative ---BC WAS LEIGH, PAUL, And DICKIE Any one of them alone or solo did not have the magic of them all together . Also as an ego stroke to myself ---Without, Gut , Jerry Russell, me , Peter Wagner ,and Doug Tracy they would have not made it as far as they did---A case of the sum total of some extremely gifted individuals. Without Leigh being complimented musically by Paul and Dickie he would not have played the way he did. Unfortunately he did not take advantage of the introductions offered to him nor would he in the smallest way have any one on qual footing around him after BC. Proof to me that without the others Leigh has not risen to the top----- BC to me represented more than any one individual but rather a well directed vision shared by those that were mentioned above.
|
|
|
Post by Festooned Piglips on Dec 17, 2006 22:02:28 GMT -5
BC WAS LEIGH, PAUL, And DICKIE Any one of them alone or solo did not have the magic of them all together. BC to me represented more than any one individual but rather a well directed vision shared by those that were mentioned above. Wow!! I wonder what Randy Holden would say to this?
|
|
|
Post by Festooned Piglips on Dec 17, 2006 22:04:23 GMT -5
Especially when you consider that Blue Cheer WAS Randy's band after all.
|
|
|
Post by bcfreak on Dec 17, 2006 22:06:36 GMT -5
I kind of knew that Ralph Kellogg played piano on Feathers from Your Tree.
It would be kind of nice to have the any of the band members to be on this message board.
|
|