Time of the era

Sorry for the recent lack of posts, but there has been a small matter of a certain football tournament that has taken my attention. I have, however, managed to sit down and get this post sorted.

Okay, now if you have ever seen a Vietnam war film then you are most likely to have heard this song from one of those. The 60s Brit band, The Zombies, formed in 1959 and were big hits in the USA with their tracks "She's not there", "Tell her no" and the song I am posting today "Time of the Season."

Unfortunately for the British band, Time of the season did not chart in their home nation, but it was surprisingly popular in the USA, charting at number 3 in 1969. One can only be surprised as to how this particular song did not do as well in Britain, but it has certainly been remembered in retrospect as a song to define the era it came from.

As soon as I hear this hit I instantly think of the sixties and especially the Vietnam War, which is why I think the title is so eerily effective: the sixties were all about music. The song's make up is pure sixties: from the vocals to the organ; everything about the song oozes that time.

The band have not been remembered as one of the defining bands of the era, but they were an important band of the sixties. The Zombies' album "Odessey and Oracle" was voted within the top 100 of Rolling Stone magazine's top 500, and has to be listened by anyone who believes themself to be a 60s music fan.

The Creation of Making time for recognition

Okay, after posting several great live performances, I now feel the need to return to posting just great songs in general, again. I have, therefore, turned to a band of the original british invasion of the 60s. This video is of The Creation's 'Making time'.
The Creation were a grittier version of the Who. Imagine if vinyl records could reproduce like humans and The Who's 'My generation' were to have a one night stand with the Kink's 'You really got me' and then you would have the Creation's 'Making time'; a true mod classic that definitely deserves more recognition alongside other greats, such as the Who and the Kinks.



This is the band live in Germany in 1966.

Play as 'terribly loud' as you like...

The next video is of the biggest band to have ever come out of my home town, Cambridge: Pink Floyd. Syd Barrett was the front man at the time, when Pink Floyd were in their early stages. Syd appeared to be unaffected by the rock and roll lifestyle at this stage and, more importantly, he seemed to be clean from the copious amounts of LSD. His eyes show a personality full of life, which is a pleasant contrast to the famous images of Syd looking listless and an onlooker on his own life.
However, What I like in particular about this video, aside from the mind- blowing performance, is the presenter's reaction to the band; Quite a distinct reaction of distaste for a band that became one of the biggest in the world.

Don't Let Me Down, from the roof.

Another famous live performance everyone should see is that of the Beatles on top of the Apple building in 1970; their last public performance. The set that the Beatles played was filmed for the film/documentary that they released, 'let it be', and it was a perfect end to a magnificent band.
During the performance the nearby streets of London came to a standstill, in awe (or annoyance) of the Beatle's performance. The streets of London had to endure just over 40 minutes of disruption, which was put to an end by the Police when they ordered the band to stop.
Soon after the performance (30 January 1969)relations within the band began to collapse and almost a year later the band split. The biggest band of all time came to an end after a marvellous showcase performance.

My Generation would never do that.

The next performance is by a band I mentioned in the last post, The Who. Another band, like the Hendrix Experience, who like to smash things as part of their act. Hendrix and the Who were the forerunners in this activity of smashing everything in sight during a set and that is why they are remembered, as well as being great songwriters, as great artists.
This particular performance of the Who's was in 1967 on the 'Smothers Brother Comedy Hour', an American broadcast. The performance was like any other performance, right until the end when, in true Who fashion, they began to destroy their instruments. You may read this and think 'that's what they always do?' And you'd be correct, but add a cheeky Keith Moon with too many explosives contained within his drums and you get an interesting result. I'm sure the now almost fully deaf Pete Townshend would agree.

This sex is definitely on fire.

This has to be THE best live performance and probably the most famous, too. If you're expecting The Kings Of Leon, I apologise, but this is certainly a performance far more entertaining than those whinging bastards could ever muster.
The performance I have selected today is of Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. Wild Thing was the last song to end Hendrix's magnificent set, which should be witnessed by everyone as an example of how to perform a live show.
The show was opened by The Who, as a result of a coinflip between them and Hendrix (as neither wanted to precede the other)and the Who had wanted to end their show in a fashion that would force no one to forget. Unfortunately, the band's antics were nothing compared to those of the wild cat of Seattle.
Hendrix's performance during Wild Thing saw him play his right handed, but strung left handed, Strat behind his back; with his elbows; between his legs; whilst making love to it (if you watch you'll understand) and of course, the ultimate symbolic image of Hendrix, setting the guitar alight and smashing it beyond recognition.
Hendrix's performance of Wild Thing was an audacious performance that shocked the music world and changed the way live shows were performed from then on. In my opinion, Jimi Hendrix was the greatest live performer of all time and deserves his status as the greatest guitarist of all time.