III

Kia Ora

NoticeBoard
Archived years - Link
Think Spotify  
the Stable a playlist of released material to date
ConkRadio current - a playlist peppered with commentary reflecting mentioned artists.



21/06/2021
Big Ears says : C.C.R. Always good for a revisit. Check it.
The only release to be avoided - Mardi Gras.
The band had truly imploded at this stage - Fogerty finally relented and relinquished a lot of
control to his band mates/management , penning only acouple of throw away tunes.He would
later say the point of the exercise was to highlight how the band needed his control.
The forest lost for the trees.
TitBit - Tragic loss to the world when a band falls victim to their own success failing to realise
the sum of the parts is greater than any one part.The vultures left licking their chops. It amuses me
when the army of Seattle grungeheads later sited Neil Young as the influence for the plad shirt uniform
when in actual fact you only ever see Fogerty wearing it to this day.
His brother passed - an aids victim contracted through a tainted blood transfusion during an elective surgery.
The bridges remained truly burned at the time of his death.
All the better to be a bridge builder !
Thankfully his son covinced him the Woodstock performance
was good enough to finally release 50 years later.
They had been promised the Headline on Saturday night.Following an acid induced delayed performance
from the Gratefull Dead that had been marred by gear failure from the heavy rain.
They came on in the early hours of Sunday morning to a tripping mud orge.
Remember CCR were strictly tea totallers.A square peg jamming a round hole ?
That boy Fogerty sure knows how to nawe on a bone.
The price to brilliance ??
Short Doco Link



24/06/2021
BigEars says : Black Crowes rock as it should really be rolled - check it.
TitBit : Unlike the Fogerty brothers of C.C.R. the Robinson brothers would appear to have
mastered the art of bridge building.
 A prolific catalogue that includes the performance at the Greek with Jimmy Page.
No new material since the mid 2000's -  the band imploded in 2013 . live releases abound.
Dig around the obvious chart toppers for the gems.
Keef was asked what he thought of the Crowes and commented that when he first heard one of their
tunes he thought it was a Stones track he'd forgotten about. He ownes that open G. ??
Put down or compliment - ultimately for you to decide.
From a personal perspective ; if I was the turd Keef kicked off his boots I'd be happier than a pig in teko.
Track down birds of a feather just Chris and Rich with nothing but backing vocals
performing at the intimate Roxy in Hollywood.
Chris's gritty vocal captivating and Rich's licks nothing short of mesmerizing.
Tribute to Lowell George a highlight.
If you are fortunate enough to catch a live performance pack some ear protection.
Caught these guys on the companion tour at the Wellington town hall - they were LOUD
Recent interview : Link



20/07/2021
Big I says : Marainne and Leonard - Words of Love 2019 production -Check It.
TitBit : Cohen was always a vaguery to me and nothing really resonated enough to garner much attention.
This doco casts an insight to this beatnik generation.
Illuminating.
Always thought he was parked up in a monestry somewhere and as any guru will tell you
Living every day life in the world with its slings and arrows is the hard road to hoe.
Sooo many woman I know would always mention him as a fav ; met with a blank expression of indifference from me.
Of course I should have delved more into the lyrical content of his work !
I was well aware he regarded himself as a poet first and not a performer.
Melancholy and acid induced creativity exacts a toll.
Self absorbed chick magnet.
That everyone wants a piece of but open up the cupboard door & the pickings are slim.



21/07/2021
the MoLe  pAtRoL :Hear tell the Faces may be reforming for a studio release.
TitBit : Poor cousins to the stones - can the red headed step child step up to the plate??
Rod must be thanking God for auto tune !
Does the gravel pit have the chops - they may have to burn his train set down to truly find out !
{Apart from blondes with legs up to their ears his major hobby}
Keep your ears to the ground for this one.



26/07/2021
BigEars says : Speaking of gravel pits - the genius that is Janis Joplin - check it.
TitBit : In Concert - dusted off the cobb webs on this release & realised a new found respect for the
Lady of Flower Power
An LP I had often heard but never listened to.
She never bathed & partied like a Trojan till the day her flower finally wilted.
Never happy with her batting average balling the stars.
Tribute Grammy performance Joss/Melisa a real gem  link in previuos notice.
Piece of my heart
Television performance

29/07/2021



New Material in the works - Born onthe Bay - 20/08/2021 release to all platforms.



t.L.I.P.
Passing of ZZTops bassist Dusty Hill .
the band infamous for doing a world tour & never leaving the Texas state line.
True powerhouse trio aka slow shuffle in C
Copped a lot of flack for the over use of technology on 83 's eliminator
Dylan had hit a similar speed bump with his fan base when he went electric.
Embracing the MTV wave surfing it all the way to the bank.
Never did eye a pair of fish net stockings the same way again - fool.
Link
Rig rundown  Link



06/08/2021
New Material in post production stages  2Bplant Atree
Look for an early SpRiNg release to all platforms.
September 10th


25/08/2021
t.L.I.P.
Passing of Charlie Watts
Another stone stops rolling.
TitBit : While I'm loathe to pass any further comment ; track down Jamming with Edward.
An overlooked stones release featuring the work of Ry Cooder with the band.
I want to say this is a period of Keefs absence while staring down the barrell of a stretch in a
Canadian big house which initself culminated in the New Barbarians/Expensive Winos ?
I'm not totally certain of which.Constructive justice probably not afforded any of his cell mates.



More new material in post production -Touch
Late Spring release.
October 15th


28/08/2021
BigEars says : The N.Z. silver scroll nominees continue to impress.
My Go To for extending my horizons beyond what I would typically be drawn to.
R.N.Z.
Check out the scroll finalists  - music 101.

30/08/2021
tL.I.P.
Passing of the Scratch - Lee Perry
TitBit : His fingerprints as the strong persuader are everywhere across the Jamaican reggae scene.
As the Go To guy for a lot of artists seeking some sort of crossover & arguably the
Proud Mother of Dub.
Famously burnt his studio to the ground.
I suspect the result of some sort of entangled dispute over the Jamaican custom of Koha.
Something that has put plenty of artists from Elton John to Joe Strummer
on a sticky wicket when they've attempted to lay any tracks down there.
Often resulting in a speedy retreat toward the airport.
Things escalate to violence pretty fast.
My own brush with this interesting custom ( in a previous life as an egg flipper for billionaires )
left me unscathed - with the help from a good set of minders.
My introduction to the big kahuna of the market and the insuing lesson on respect
complete with fist pump to the chest over the heart.
Remain with me



08/09/2021
Big I says : The Good Liar - check it.
TitBit : Ian McKellen and the Blue rinse bombshell weave a captivating tale with stellar
performances.
What is it ?? Has the plain Jane of the silver screen blossomed into full bloom ?
Does director Bill Cordon have a few magical brush strokes up his sleeve ?
Have I changed that much in to the fading stages of my meager existance ?
I'm left pondering these very questions.
I'd be there in a heart beat and I'm not talking polite inconsequential conversation,
tea and  cupcakes .
Mercy !
I speak of Helen Mirin of course.
The stars have aligned with a decent script that draws you in and the whole point
of finding her character so attractive ; that nugget of sory telling
triumph over adversity.
Hell indeed hath no fury like a woman's scorn.
Charade complete.






17/09/2021
BigEars says : Truly LAUDIBLE -  Royale listed @ no 30  in some Rolling Stone magazine list.
TitBit : This seems to have set the cat amongst the pigeons in certain circles.
While not to my own musical taste I would simply say Go You Little Beuty in the realisation that
opinions are only like assholes
everyone has got one.
This rag of course took a huge ding as the bastion of idealism circa 2015 with Sabrina Erdely
and the day the truth was compromised.
My healthy cynicism barks loudly in one ear as one could be forgiven for viewing this as
the final gasps of a fresh catch flopping about on the deck
as it searches for relevance in the new world of click bait
and mis - information commonly known as
gossip which seems to pass for journalism these days.
Check the self produced doco on the magazine P 2017.
Where is Rip It Up ?




21/09/2021

    
Final strokes being attached to a new track
Dytee.
Looking @ an early summer release in November
Thanks Givivng.



26/09/2021
Final offering for the year in post production . Curves
3/12/2021 release to all platforms.






2/10/2021
the  MoLe pAtRoL : In case you've been living under a rock the shooting roses have post poned &
re jigged their upcoming tour dates.Testament to their popularity  making headline mainstream news
and the accompanying talking heads being asked to opine.The band conspicuous by their absence.
Further testament to their God like status.
To me - they turned themselves into nothing more than a cabaret act grooving through the motions.
A debut piece of wax that elevated them through the stratosphere.
Don't forget it was well over a year after it dropped before anyone picked up on it.
Their dillema - how do you follow that ???
November rain , the cover Live and Let Die - please - talk about pissing into the wind .
And yes my little Bogan campadres Knockin' on Heavens Door is a cover too.
The amount of people that congradulate me on my pass at a roses cover
when I play this just pisses me off - especially when my rendition is a mix of
Clapton and Dylan/Dead with a reggae swing.
O.K. I may have a little chip developing there. My brother (huge Slash fan ) soon made
me realise the peacefull path was simply to bite one's lip.
My local GP however had counter counsel.
I thought TooGood skirted the issue wonderfully as you would only expect
from a Chelsea Record Bar graduate
I too hope they perform the entire Appetite for Destruction LP.
TitBit : I haven't had the euphoria of experiencing one of their gigs or the Axle( claytons ) roadshow.
I did see the Texas ( band ) axeman pull off a cover of child that really was impressive.
Track down the Hollywood Vampires -  look past the vocalist and the guitarists
see if you recognise the bass player !

25/11/2021
Giving Thanx
Currently on WalkAbout
& Feelin' Jurassic

  
Summer of 21            

BigEars says :  Hey Negrita by the Stoners - Clip.
TitBit : Looks to me like this has had a bit of a re vamp & upgrade.
Off their answer to punk era Black & Blue & definitely one of my own favourite tracks.
Wood's first outing with them on wax .I could stand corrected but I believe this clip was produced
as a promo to the famous airport hanger show. Featuring Billy Preston on keys & unknown to me
percussionist.Bill Wyman still with the band at this stage on bass.
Link





 

Health , Peace & Prosperity
to one & ALL

12/01/2022
BigI says : Power ofthe Dog check it.
TitBit : First saw this a while ago now without any prior knowledge & assumed I was sitting down to a
run of the mill western .Found it harrowlingly haunting and even disturbing at some level.
Had to watch it again soon after just to fill in the gaps & make sure what I had clocked on the
first viewing rang true.
That powerfull bleak landscape galvinising some really extraordinary performances.
To Dame Jane's credit the piano has never sounded better !
Only remains to be seen whether Cumberbatch will take it further with the Academy than Voight
managed to do in 69's Midnight Cowboy.

26/03/2022
t.L.I.P.
Foos skin man Taylor Hawkins dies on the road.


19/05/2022

      
Goin TrOpO
WhitSundays - Oz

BigEars AsKs : What 60's/70's trio blew Led Zeppelin off the stage  as the opening
act to their Detroit Olympic stadium show in 1970 ?
Grand Funk Railroad
TitBit : Never really shined to them at the time , there just seemed to be too much filler
on their releases .Of course any band Todd Rungren produces is always
going to be worth a second look.
Uncovered this nugget on the Boob Tube -01 June 1974 Live in Los Angeles.
Some bands just don't ignite the same spark in a studio.

 
Link

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