1974. Young man I knew a bit was a college student and paid his way giving guitar lessons. I still recall he said that every boy came to him with a single request: Show me how to play like ZZ Top
Above this rectangle and to the right are two arrows, one pointing up, the other down, next to the words "Oldest first." That must apply to me. No doubt, I'm the oldest of your followers. None of these names means anything to me. I'm of the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul, and Mary generation. That said, I think it's important to recognize people of remarkable talent in any generation. Thanks for bringing these musicians to my attention.
Another point about the 8 track tapes (like those shown on Columbia House ad):
Not only did the track sometimes switch mid-song…but you also had to JAM the tape case hard to get it in the player…and then give a big YANK to remove from said player. A frequently played 8 track would have big scrapes into the plastic on both sides 😉
In the early 2000s Columbia House did something like 10 CDs for $5, but like you said, you had to buy 4 at full price and definitively cancel your subscription. Me and a buddy split the cost, made sure to mail the cancel letter, and got our 14 CDs for the price of 4. Then, we burned copies of the CDs so we didn't have to share. We really felt like we'd gotten away with something.
This week has been frantic, and I somehow missed the news that Dave Marsh had died. I read Born to Run, but my favorite book of his was "Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock Song." I reviewed the book on July 31, 1993, for the Greensboro News & Record, where I was then a staff writer. I won't quote the whole review here, because this is Tommy's page and not mine, but I think it has held up pretty well. Here's the nut graf:
"So why has 'Louie Louie' held a spell over two generations of American teens? What is it about those three cheap chords, those tattered vocals, and that stumbling duh-duh-duh, duh-duh rhythm that captures us somewhere down in the ganglia, where we're barely distinguishable from salamanders? If you have to ask, you'll never know, which is both the point and the key flaw of this book by rock critic Dave Marsh. Marsh argues convincingly that the history of 'Louie Louie' is the history of rock 'n' roll (minus, it must be observed, the plane crashes)."
I am also very sorry to hear of the passing of Frank Beard. I never got to see ZZ Top live, which was a damn shame because I really enjoyed their records. RIP to both these gentlemen.
I guess at a certain point he must have thought there were not any more great singles or to to make a yearly list of best singles. I am a few years older than he is. But like him I grew up with that music. Not a ton of songs from the 50's pn his 1001 list. I saw Litte Eve but didn't see Do the Locomotion. I would assume there is some Jerry Lew Lewis on there. In my very quick scan I didn't see him. Like you some songs I never heard of. I suppose the could have been regional hits. It is probably old age but I think the 50's to the 70's were the best music. This got me looking for the play list with the most songs on Spotify. I don't know if it is still there but someone has a playlist of 10,000 sonngs. No way there are that many good songs. 10,000 is the limit
I’m on my 3rd copy of Fandango, which was always my favorite. Now, I’m going to work on my top 100 singles, and I anticipate getting into huge arguments with myself over the next few weeks, but I’m going to hear some great music!
My husband writes a "song of the day" item for a liberal blog and I shared this edition of your newsletter with him and he enjoyed it immensely. He spends a lot of time researching songs and song writers and your column caused him to dive into the rabbit hole of your past columns -- a pleasant journey. He too appreciated Marsh and your tribute. I told him Gwen was one of your great fans.
RIP Dave Marsh. Thank you for sharing the news of his passing and paying tribute to one of the greatest writers in rock history.
1974. Young man I knew a bit was a college student and paid his way giving guitar lessons. I still recall he said that every boy came to him with a single request: Show me how to play like ZZ Top
Above this rectangle and to the right are two arrows, one pointing up, the other down, next to the words "Oldest first." That must apply to me. No doubt, I'm the oldest of your followers. None of these names means anything to me. I'm of the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul, and Mary generation. That said, I think it's important to recognize people of remarkable talent in any generation. Thanks for bringing these musicians to my attention.
Enjoyed this! Thank you.
Another point about the 8 track tapes (like those shown on Columbia House ad):
Not only did the track sometimes switch mid-song…but you also had to JAM the tape case hard to get it in the player…and then give a big YANK to remove from said player. A frequently played 8 track would have big scrapes into the plastic on both sides 😉
I also used to get music from Columbia House. I think they were albums? Also read Dave Marsh stuff in Rolling Stone.
.Been a loong time since I read a Rolling Stone.
In the early 2000s Columbia House did something like 10 CDs for $5, but like you said, you had to buy 4 at full price and definitively cancel your subscription. Me and a buddy split the cost, made sure to mail the cancel letter, and got our 14 CDs for the price of 4. Then, we burned copies of the CDs so we didn't have to share. We really felt like we'd gotten away with something.
Was your Kansas 8-track example an actual spot you remember it switching?
When I listen to certain songs that I downloaded on Napster (circa 2001) I can still remember where the digital noise and blips would be.
This week has been frantic, and I somehow missed the news that Dave Marsh had died. I read Born to Run, but my favorite book of his was "Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock Song." I reviewed the book on July 31, 1993, for the Greensboro News & Record, where I was then a staff writer. I won't quote the whole review here, because this is Tommy's page and not mine, but I think it has held up pretty well. Here's the nut graf:
"So why has 'Louie Louie' held a spell over two generations of American teens? What is it about those three cheap chords, those tattered vocals, and that stumbling duh-duh-duh, duh-duh rhythm that captures us somewhere down in the ganglia, where we're barely distinguishable from salamanders? If you have to ask, you'll never know, which is both the point and the key flaw of this book by rock critic Dave Marsh. Marsh argues convincingly that the history of 'Louie Louie' is the history of rock 'n' roll (minus, it must be observed, the plane crashes)."
I am also very sorry to hear of the passing of Frank Beard. I never got to see ZZ Top live, which was a damn shame because I really enjoyed their records. RIP to both these gentlemen.
I guess at a certain point he must have thought there were not any more great singles or to to make a yearly list of best singles. I am a few years older than he is. But like him I grew up with that music. Not a ton of songs from the 50's pn his 1001 list. I saw Litte Eve but didn't see Do the Locomotion. I would assume there is some Jerry Lew Lewis on there. In my very quick scan I didn't see him. Like you some songs I never heard of. I suppose the could have been regional hits. It is probably old age but I think the 50's to the 70's were the best music. This got me looking for the play list with the most songs on Spotify. I don't know if it is still there but someone has a playlist of 10,000 sonngs. No way there are that many good songs. 10,000 is the limit
I’m on my 3rd copy of Fandango, which was always my favorite. Now, I’m going to work on my top 100 singles, and I anticipate getting into huge arguments with myself over the next few weeks, but I’m going to hear some great music!
My husband writes a "song of the day" item for a liberal blog and I shared this edition of your newsletter with him and he enjoyed it immensely. He spends a lot of time researching songs and song writers and your column caused him to dive into the rabbit hole of your past columns -- a pleasant journey. He too appreciated Marsh and your tribute. I told him Gwen was one of your great fans.
Thanks for including #1001. I hadn’t heard it until today. Great book. Still remember Dave’s biography Born To Run because Bruce was my guy…still is.