January 20th, 1986: Syd Barrett

Pink Floyd's famous progressive rock album, Wish You Were Here, made its debut in 1975.  It's songs are well known and recognized by everyone- especially Shine On You Crazy Diamond and the title song.  But what most people don't know is the inspiration behind the album, the creator of Pink Floyd, the member that many never know existed- the gifted and strange founder and original frontman Syd Barrett.

Syd Barrett in 1969

Just as many of the other great bands that have come to loved today, Pink Floyd started out as a simple idea that seemed impossible. Syd Barrett joined his lifelong friend Roger Waters in a small, rag-tag cover band called 'The Tea Set' (formerly called 'Meggadeath', 'The Screaming Abdabs', and 'Sigma 6') that he had hastily put together.  After a few months of playing steadily with the band, Barrett devised the name 'The Pink Floyd Sound', creating it from the two musical icons Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.  Eventually, it was just shortened to Pink Floyd, and the band had continued on with the name for the rest of its career. 

In 1967, after much playing in the London Underground and scrounging to pay for food and a place to stay, the band was signed into a record contract at Abbey Road Studios. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released in August 1967, followed by many singles such as See Emily Play that were majorly written by Barrett.  But as the fame and success that the band had dreamed of became a reality, Barrett began to withdraw into himself, seemingly having no interest in the band whatsoever.  His constant breakdowns on stage and refusals to perform, along with a constant use of substances, began to create a huge problem for Pink Floyd.  They had turned desperate enough to have Barrett simply mime the words on stage, and during their first U.S. visit, he refused to do even that and simply stared off into space while the song played around him.  "I found him in the dressing room and he was just so...gone," stated one of workers who was responsible for the band during their trip. "Roger Waters and I got him on his feet, got him out to the stage... The band started to play and Syd just stood there.  He had his guitar around his neck and his arms just hanging down."

It was then suggested that a new member be added, and David Gilmour was added into the equation.  It became a task of tip-toeing around Barrett, claiming that they were going out for "a pack of smokes" and then driving to their gig without him.  Many times, they simply went on their way without him and he did not even notice.

January 20th, 1968 marked the day that Syd would play his last gig with his band.  Barrett seemed "more into the band on that day... he played and had fun like he used to".  It wasn't until April 6th of that year that his leave was officially announced and Waters and Gilmour became the main sources of creation in the group.  Eventually, Pink Floyd grew to be one of the greatest progressive rock groups of all time, and it all began with Syd Barrett. His friend remembers Syd telling him about the early Floyd recordings, and how he "wanted to go much deeper, using music and lyrics as a kay to opening doors."   And anyone can rightfully say that, even though his last performance with the band was 45 years ago, he most definitely did.  

Ravi Shankar: A Tribute

On December 11th, the musical phenomenon Ravi Shankar passed away at the age of 92 after undergoing a heart surgery. Many regard him one of the most talented and important artists, as he was the one who really introduced the musical world to the wonders of the sitar.  As his now famous daughter Nora Jones stated, "My dad's music touched millions of people.  He will be greatly missed by me and music lovers everywhere."  Born in Varanasi, India on April 7th, 1920, Ravi's childhood consisted of dance lessons.  He eventually  toured India and Europe with the dance group led by his older brother.  But at the age of eighteen, he had decided that he had had enough of dancing.  He began to take sitar lessons under a court musician Allauddin Khan. Little by little, his natural talent began to unveil itself and his instructor proposed to idea that Ravi should begin to compose his own music.  And beginning with that, Ravi Shankar began a career that would change the world of music.  

Ravi began touring throughout India, Europe and eventually America.  He played for small audiences and, during his performances, educated them about Indian music.  He released his first set of works in 1956, and LP album entitled Three Ragas. He then became the first Indian musician to record music for non-Indian films, and used a lot of his earnings to help establish the Kinnara School of Music in Mumbai in 1962.  

But one cannot talk about Ravi Shankar's career without bringing up the extraordinary amount of influence he had on western music.  After befriending Richard Bock, the owner of World Pacific Records, during his first US tour, Ravi began recording for the label.  Incidentally, the Byrds recorded at the same studio and heard some of his music while they were waiting for their session to begin.  They were amazed by the sound and decided to incorporate some elements of Ravi's music into their next works such as Eight Miles High.  David Crosby (of the Byrds) later stated, "Any player on any instrument with ears would be deeply moved by Ravi Shankar.  If you love music, it would be impossible not to be."

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar

And across the sea in England, George Harrison of the Beatles sat listening to the Byrd's records, fascinated by the hints of Indian music that they had combined with rock.  He immediately went and bought a sitar.  Figuring out the basics of the instrument, the sitar first appears on the Beatles' repertoire with Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).  In 1966, George met with Ravi Shankar in India for six weeks of sitar lessons.  (See this video of a lesson between the two.)  After this, George and the rest of the Beatles created songs such as Within You Without You, Love You To, Across the Universe and The Inner Light, exposing Indian music to a whole new crowd of people. (George later went on to release the hit solo My Sweet Lord.) Ravi's popularity grew due to the fact that he was so closely connected to the Beatles and some referred to him as "the most famous Indian musician on the planet". 

Years later in 1971, Bangladesh was going through a rough period of floods, famine and war.  Millions of refugees fled to India to hide, and Ravi wanted to raise money for relief funds for the people.  He contacted George Harrison about this.  Immediately, George began preparations for what was to be the first ever relief concert: The Concert for Bangladesh.  That night in Madison Square Garden, the headliners were Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, and of course, George and Ravi.  The concert was a huge success (winning a Grammy) and led to many more concerts of that nature.  

Shankar (center) playing at the Concert for Bangladesh

The music school that Ravi had founded proudly taught many, including Robbie Krieger of The Doors.   There, he intensely studied the sitar and another Indian instrument called the sarod.  When he rejoined the band, he brought with him the knowledge he had gained, just as George Harrison did.  The biggest example of the Indian influence in The Door's music is The End.  The opening of the song features the use of indian scales and intonations that continues to drive the song till its end.

For the rest of his life, Ravi Shankar immersed himself in the art of Indian music.  He taught at many colleges, composed whole shows for the London Symphony Orchestra and was nominated for an Academy Award for having the best original score (the movie Gandhi).  Up till the day he died, he continued to perform and teach, his last concert being with his daughter in Long Beach, California.  When the news of his death arrived, the world knew that it had lost one of its best musicians.  The Prime Minister of India stated that Ravi was "a national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage."  George Harrison, one of Ravi's closest friends, bestowed upon him the title of "the godfather of world music".  His influence on music cannot be overstated, and he will always remain an immensely influential part of the culture that we have grown to love today. 

Also, happy birthday to Pink Floyd's original founder, Syd Barrett!  

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The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Rolling Stone Magazine vs. VH1

Recently, I was cruising through the channels and I saw that VH1 had a five hour long special of it's 100 greatest artists of all time, voted on by a panel of many varied old and modern day artists.  Interested and not really having much else to do that day, I started watching two hours into the program, somewhere around number sixty.  First, I have to say that I liked the set up of the show.  Each band/single artist that was featured was focused on for about three or four minutes, as clips of their songs/performances played while mainly modern day artists shared their thoughts and how they were influenced.  This also reminded me of the Rolling Stone Magazine article (100 Greatest Artists of All Time) that I had looked through countless times.  I couldn't help but notice the differences throughout the program, and here's how the top ten played out:

First things first, The Beatles feature at number one on Rolling Stone and number one on VH1 (the article and video can be viewed in the links).  In my opinion, this makes complete sense.  Though many consider the band to be highly overrated, think about it.  Simply put, the Beatles revolutionized the music world and without them, many great bands we have come to love would not exist. As one of the artists states in the video, "If the Beatles don't come in at number one, there is something wrong with this show and this entire network".  And as Elvis Costello writes in Rolling Stone, "Perhaps I understood in that moment why the Beatles had to stop performing. The songs weren't theirs anymore.  They were everyone's".  The Beatles are so deep in our culture and our music that putting them at the top of the list is a decision no one even has to think about.

The Beatles take both the number one spots

The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix also come in at the same spots at both lists, numbers four and six respectively.   Both spots are well deserved. The Stones are one of the best and earliest rock and roll bands around.  While at first they were bent on bettering/matching the Beatles, once they took their own path they transformed themselves.  Songs like Gimme Shelter, Beast of Burden, and Satisfaction are classics that no one will ever forget.  Jimi Hendrix can arguably be considered as the best guitarist of all time.  In his breakthrough album Are You Experienced?, he created one of the most innovative guitar records of all time.  

The second place slots are where you can really tell the difference of direction between the two lists.  Going with Michael Jackson, VH1 took the approach of pop-culture and influence on modern day artists.  While Michael Jackson might be the single greatest entertainer of all time paired with an amazing voice, there are better artists.  I personally love Michael Jackson, but number two is a little too high.  In Rolling Stone, he is given the thirty-fifth place, which I feel is too low.  Putting him in the top twenty seems reasonable. Bob Dylan comes in at number two in Rolling Stone, as the magazine took the approach of considering the musicianship of the artists and the influence of their music in the past and today.  Although I prefer some other artists over Bob Dylan, I can understand what a big influence he had.  Without him, the Beatles would not have been the Beatles like we remember them today.  He also heavily influenced Jimi Hendrix and many others, and the beauty and messages of his songs are still strong to this day. 

The number two spots, Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan

  

Led Zeppelin comes in at number three on VH1, while it holds fourteenth at Rolling Stone.  Siding with VH1 here, I have to say the fourteenth is a little too low for this legendary band.  Without them, heavy metal and the blues rock movement would basically be non-existent, and they weren't, they would be no where near as good.  Led Zeppelin IV clocks in as number sixty-nine on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and it's a timeless classic.  Black Dog showcases just how much the band could rock, and Stairway to Heaven is, in my opinion, one of the most well put together songs of all time.  It is impossible to overstate the importance and talent of Led Zeppelin.

Elvis has always been a tough subject for me to explain.  Coming in at number three on the Rolling Stone list and number seven on the VH1 list, I'd definitely have to side with VH1 on this.  While I absolutely love Elvis' voice, the fact that he did not write his own music always gets to me.  I have no doubt that he is still of the biggest influences on rock and roll.  The way he sang and the different styles he created had such a big impact on the music of the day.  No one had heard anything like that.  John Lennon once recalled hearing Heartbreak Hotel, and for months afterwards he worked on mimicking the exact style that Elvis sang it in.  And his stage presence was insane, along with his outrageousness and sex appeal.  One of the artists on VH1 states, "He was the one who invented the whole idea of women fainting for rock stars".  But the fact that he did not write his own music has always been a huge pet peeve of mine, and while he deserves a spot, it shouldn't be number three.

Elvis took spots 3 and 7

The Rolling Stone top ten features many of the musicians who created the rock and roll movement- Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little Richard and Ray Charles.  Again, because the magazine takes more of an approach to focus on the influence that these artists had for the other present day artists, this makes sense.  The rock movement in the sixties is all thanks to these guys. Ask any of the big bands from that time, and they'll all say that these four were some of their biggest musical influences.  Aretha Franklin also features at the number nine spot, while on VH1 she holds the 27th. An amazing artist with one of the most unforgettable voices, I think she should be in at least the top twenty.

The rest of the VH1 top ten makes sense- except for Prince.  I may be a little biased here, because I never really enjoyed his music.  Of course, I've heard the album Purple Rain, and who doesn't like When Doves Cry? But to list him as number seven before The Who, Pink Floyd, Little Richard, Ray Charles and a long list of others doesn't make sense to me.  

Other artists and how they ranked:

• The Who: 13 (VH1), 29 (RS)
• Bob Marley: 11 (VH1), 11 (RS)
• David Bowie: 12 (VH1), 39 (RS)
• Pink Floyd: 18 (VH1),  Not on the list (RS) (I have a problem with this)
• Queen: 17 (VH1),  Not on the list (RS) (I also have a problem with this)
• Marvin Gaye: 20 (VH1),  18 (RS)
• Guns n Roses: 33 (VH1),  92 (RS)
• The Doors: 65 (VH1),  41 (RS)
• U2: 19 (VH1), 22 (RS)
• Cream: 61 (VH1), 66 (RS)
• Buddy Holly: Not on the list (VH1), 13 (RS)
• John Lennon (solo): 31 (VH1),  38 (RS)

Of course, any time any one composes lists like this, there is always going to be a huge argument.  In my opinion, I like and dislike things from both of the lists.  What do you think?

If you want to check out the full lists, here's the Rolling Stone list and here's the VH1 list.

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2012: A Few Highlights

The Stones' 50th Anniversary/GRRR! Released

In July 1962, a band played their first gig at the Marquee under the name "The Rollin' Stones".  Their setlist consisted completely of covers from musicians such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. 50 years later, The Rolling Stones have established themselves as one of the most influential, important bands in history.   Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (vocals/guitar), and Charlie Watts (drums) have been in the band since it's conception, and Ronnie Wood (guitarist) joined in 1975 replacing Mick Taylor.  In 1989, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and some call them the greatest band of all time.  Rolling Stone magazine has since ranked them fourth on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.  

The Stones released the album 'GRRR!', a compilation of their ultimate hits throughout the years, and every song is a gem.  It's all about the Stones' music that everyone knows, rather than the more obscure tracks. Two new songs also feature on it, Doom and Gloom and One More Shot (both recorded 2012).  It's very worthwhile to get if you want a broad overview of the band without getting all of their albums.  But if you already have a majority of the Stones' discography, hold off on it.  Chances are you already have most of the songs!  

Watts, Richards, Jagger, Wood

The Stones also launched off their highly anticipated 50th anniversary tour on November 25th in London.  Tickets to all of their concerts sold out in mere minutes.  I attempted to get tickets to one of the two Newark shows, but I made the mistake of getting on to website two minutes after the ticket sales began.  They were joined by many throughout their (ongoing) tour such as Mary J Blige, Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen, the last two appearing in the pay-per-view special where people were able to watch their December 15th concert in Newark in the comfort of their own homes (for a sum of forty-five dollars).

The Plug is Pulled on Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney

When Bruce Springsteen invited Paul McCartney out onto stage at 10:30pm, a whole half an hour after the supposed end of the show time, fans were still whipped into a frenzy.  But after renditions of the Beatles' hits Twist and Shout and I Saw Her Standing There, the organizers of the concert shut the microphones off, forcing the two singers to leave without a good-bye to the audience.

McCartney and Springsteen at Hyde Park

In my opinion (and many others), why not let the two finish?  Although both stated that they understood the reasoning behind the actions, I'm sure everyone in the audience would have enjoyed more songs from the two legends.  But rules are rules, and apparently the Hyde Park council has decided to decrease their amount of concerts in 2013 from thirteen to nine, and restrict the audience to 65,000 (the previous amount being 80,000).


12/12/12 Benefit Concert for Sandy Relief
Personally, this is my favorite event of the year as I was lucky enough to get tickets and floor seats! But more on that later.  This concert might possibly be the last concert on this massive scale.  Let's just go over the list of names featured:

• Bruce Springsteen
• Roger Waters
• Bon Jovi
• Eric Clapton
• Eddie Vedder
• The Who
• The Rolling Stones
• Billy Joel
• A surprise performance by Michael Stipe
• Paul McCartney

Other artists present were Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Chris Martin.  But as Mick Jagger put it, "This has got to be the largest collection of old english musicians assembled in Madison Square Garden."  He couldn't be more right, and those old english musicians created one of the most special nights for an amazing cause.  The entire concert was streamed live over the internet and to televisions all over the world, and it was estimated that about one billion people tuned in.  

Bruce Springsteen opened with a heartfelt Land of Hope and Dreams and got the audience excited when he closed with Born to Run alongside his Jersey friend Bon Jovi.  Personally, I don't listen to a lot of Springsteen, but live he was amazing.  It was an amazing way to kick off the show.  Roger Waters followed soon afterwards keeping the energy of the audience up with the classics In the Flesh, Another Brick in the Wall, Money and Us and Them.  Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam joined him onstage at the end for a rendition of Comfortably Numb, which had the entire audience on their feet singing along.  Being a big Pink Floyd fan, this performance was one of my favorites.  Roger Waters still has the same distinct voice after all these years.

Waters sang many of Pink Floyd's classics

Everyone who listens to Eric Clapton can come to an agreement that he is a god of guitar.  When he took the stage for his opening number Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out, it was just him and his acoustic on a stool on the massive stage.  And he blew everyone away.  While he didn't perform my two favorites, Layla and Sunshine of Your Love (Cream), he sang his famous Crossroads.  And after Clapton was the act that the whole audience had been anxiously waiting for.  When the name of The Rolling Stones was announced, the crowd went absolutely wild.  They took the stage to a energetic You Got Me Rocking, and then brought the energy level even higher with Jumping Jack Flash.  Mick Jagger, now 69, lived up to his reputation as the world's best frontman; he didn't stay in one spot the entire time.  But then as soon as we were ready for more, they were gone.  It was the only disappointment of an otherwise amazing night.

But our sorrow over their short setlist was came to an abrupt end.  The Who took the stage to deliver what was, without a doubt, the best performance.  Who Are You had everyone up on their feet screaming the lyrics.  But then the back to back duo of Pinball Wizard and Baba O'Riley.  It was insanity; the energy had just skyrocketed to entirely new level.  And without me knowing, a photographer nearby took a photo of me singing along to Baba O'Riley.  Right before the final performance of the night, the photographer tapped me on the shoulder and held his iPhone up to me.  On it was the New York Times website, and I was on the cover.  "I took this picture of you during Teenage Wasteland (the name was wrong- but I knew what he was talking about), and it's on the cover of the website right now!"  I couldn't believe it.  And here it is, picture number seven! 

Me featured in the New York Times!

At the end of the night, Paul McCartney came on and it was what I had been waiting for for years.  The Beatles being my favorite band, I had desperately wanted to see Paul in concert.  He came out singing Helter Skelter, transitioning into Let Me Roll It (my favorite McCartney solo song) and playing other timeless classics such as Blackbird, I Got a Feeling, and Live and Let Die.  But most surprisingly, Dave Grohl and the rest of Nirvana joined him onstage and sang a new song!  The reunion of Nirvana was the perfect way to close out a night of epic proportions, and followed by Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind, everyone walked out of MSG amazed with the unforgettable, five and a half hour concert that they had just experienced.

Other Events:

• Death of Whitney Houston (Feb. 11)
• Black Sabbath reunites
• Download 2012

First Post

Hello everyone!  My name is Nandini Singh, and I am a fifteen year old American with an Indian background.  If you can't tell by the nature of this blog, I am in love with music, especially classic rock. Pink Floyd, the Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, U2 and many, many more drive me to insanity with the sheer amazingness of their music.  And of course, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Elvis, Little Richard...the list of musicians and artists that I love could go on forever. 

Being January 1st, 2013, the time to start new things, and being that I'm close to the abyss of the college application process, I've decided that I had to do something useful with my time rather than sitting on Facebook and playing xBox. The blog of someone else who was my age sparked my attention, and with urging from my mother, I decided to create this blog.  For me, this blog will be a way to finally be a full on rock fanatic to anyone who wants to hear, as most of the people I know nowadays would rather discuss The Wanted or One Direction (not that there's anything wrong with that).  Also, I hope this blog can be a way for me to connect with other people who share the same interests and passions as me.  From what I know of the classic rock fandom, there is not a greater, more devoted group of people on the planet!  Whenever I meet someone with the same music taste as me (and trust me, in high school it's pretty rare), the conversation pace immediately picks up and the interest level is peaked. At the New Years Eve party I attended yesterday, one of the older men couldn't believe that I knew all this music, and was so passionate about it. The conversation we had afterwards was one of the most enjoyable of the night.  So I'm hoping that this blog can also bring forth many people and conversations similar to that one.

So, some more things about me.  Some of my other passions are watching great movies (last one I saw was Les Miserables- it was phenomenal!  Please go check it out and bring tissues!), reading, obsessing over Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, and great food (Bobby Flay's Burger Palace- go check that out too!).  My main sports are swimming in the winter and rowing in the spring, and I tried out water polo this fall- but let's just say that wasn't a pleasant experience.

My favorite band by far is the Beatles.  Although my love for many other artists runs extremely deep, the Beatles will always be number one for me.  I can't even remember when I first began to listen to them- growing up every little kid knows Here Comes the Sun or Yellow Submarine.  But in seventh grade, I bought their box set and was exposed to the whole discography.  And to sum it up shortly, my mind was absolutely blown.  I had never even heard music like that.  It seemed almost impossible for songs like A Day in the Life to even exist, when around me Rihanna and Justin Bieber featured on every radio channel.  I fell in love immediately, and have not fallen out of love since.  I'll be the first to say that not all of their songs met the resonance of the Beatles, as every band has their faults.  But the fact that the Beatles achieved everything they did in less than ten years and broke up before they were thirty years old is unbelievable.  Every single album, especially beginning with Rubber Soul, was innovative and changed the world of music.  Although song writing pairs such as Jagger/Richards, Waters/Gilmour, and Page/Plant have established themselves in their own ways, none have been able to match the legacy of Lennon/McCartney (in my opinion).  Discovering the magic of the Beatles was like breathing in a breath of fresh air- and without them, I would never have found Pink Floyd or the Rolling Stones, or any other rock and roll artist.

My favorite song is always a tough decision, but I'd have to say I have a few.  If I had to pick only one,  it would by One by U2.  I have no idea why.  It might be Bono's voice and the way he sings it as if he's almost in pain, or the beautiful guitar intro, but I think it's just the message of the song and the way in which it's put together as a whole.  The lyrics really speak to anyone who listens to it, and over time they haven't lost their magic for me.  Another song that I absolutely love is Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones.  The purely wild feel of it is great, and I love Mick Jagger's voice and the 'ooo, ooo's in the background.  While reading up on it has given me some sort of idea what the song is about, it's still a mystery and I love that.  And that one line, 'every cop is a criminal and all the sinners saints' The best thing about this song, or rather Beggar's Banquet (the album it came from) is that this album was released when the Stones stopped trying to be the Beatles.  They botched that and decided to go their own way, and it turned out to be one of their best albums (and the beginning of the big four).  The last song is featured on the Band on the Run album by Paul McCartney and the Wings, and it's Let Me Roll It.  This song is just so different then everything else Paul put out post-Beatles, from his voice to the words to the amazing guitar riff.  People slammed him for writing that song in too much of a 'Lennon Style', but I think it's just something completely different.

So, a little bit about the set up of this blog.  I put the 'Songs of the Week' section so that I could give everyone a few good songs to listen to.  While this is a blog about mostly classic rock, a few of the songs might just be a good song that I've found that I've been listening to.  Like right now, the song 'Bloodstream' by Stateless definitely isn't classic rock, but I really recommend listening to it!  As for the posts and content in this blog, I have lots of ideas and the posts will probably switch in between personal (like this post) and factual/informative.  If you have any ideas to make this blog better, please let me know!  There'll be a lot more up on this site soon, so stick around!