What Are You Currently Listening To?

[detroitmike]

Yeah, heard that story of Brown and the Stones. I don't think anybody touched him on that show. He was superb.

I guess it difficult to follow a genius especially if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England.

Then you better lump in The Yardbirds, Who, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin etc., with the Stones too. Probably half the "British Invasion" were White guys playing American Blues music.
Truth is, a lot of those Blues guys benefited from the Brits "ripping off" American Blues music, they had late life 2nd careers playing the UK after their popularity fell off in the States...

I'm not knocking them for doing it.

Then my mistake I must have misunderstood, because " if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England" didn't exactly sound like a compliment to me...

Its not. It's just what they do and have done pretty well out of it so fair play.

A lot of Rock n' Roll bands from that era (both US and UK) were doing that, Chuck Berry was basically playing his version of the blues, and how many bands were influenced by him? Even Hendrix was basically a blues player. It was all the blues, in the end.

[Mo]

Not really a fan of the Hollies but this is a great track and a decent clip.

https://youtu.be/C2EI0Jk1FDU

Also covered by Paul and Barry Ryan and the Searchers.

The fact they didn't put that on a 45 is another proof -if needed- that they were as gifted as any of the 60s pop best songwriters; maybe not royalty like Lennon, McCartney or Ray Davies, but up there with Graham Gouldman, Carter/Lewis, Roy Wood or Billy Nichols (to mention just young brilliant British songsmiths). They gave the song instead to the Searchers, who did a good job with it that lacked however the drive of the Hollies original. It's true that Graham Nash was later vindicated by his work with Crosby, Stills & Young (no mean songwriters themselves), but a reappraisal of the Hollies writing trio is still due.

And as performers they were just perfection, to the extent that George Harrison accused them of sounding like session cats in their "If I Needed Someone"'s cover.

The Hollies needed a decent follow up to If I Needed Someone's failure to ignite the charts. Not a huge hit by their usual standards. I Can't Let Go was a good cover and 66 I think was their best year for 45s.
As for their albums, I'd say that Butterfly and Evolution stand out.

[greenstreet]

The Hollies needed a decent follow up to If I Needed Someone's failure to ignite the charts. Not a huge hit by their usual standards. I Can't Let Go was a good cover and 66 I think was their best year for 45s.
As for their albums, I'd say that Butterfly and Evolution stand out.

Their best IMO. Underappreciated albums both, self-written also. Concur with you regarding their '66 45s output (including that classic among classics, "Bus Stop" but also another Clarke/Hicks/Nash gem, "Stop, Stop, Stop"), but 1964 and 1965 weren't mean years for them in that department either ("We're Through", "I'm Alive", "Look Through Any Window", "Here I Go Again"...)

[dazlcfc]

Yeah, heard that story of Brown and the Stones. I don't think anybody touched him on that show. He was superb.

I guess it difficult to follow a genius especially if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England.

Then you better lump in The Yardbirds, Who, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin etc., with the Stones too. Probably half the "British Invasion" were White guys playing American Blues music.
Truth is, a lot of those Blues guys benefited from the Brits "ripping off" American Blues music, they had late life 2nd careers playing the UK after their popularity fell off in the States...

I'm not knocking them for doing it.

Then my mistake I must have misunderstood, because " if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England" didn't exactly sound like a compliment to me...

Its not. It's just what they do and have done pretty well out of it so fair play.

A lot of Rock n' Roll bands from that era (both US and UK) were doing that, Chuck Berry was basically playing his version of the blues, and how many bands were influenced by him? Even Hendrix was basically a blues player. It was all the blues, in the end.

Sure, there's a fine line between influence and appropriation.

[detroitmike]

Yeah, heard that story of Brown and the Stones. I don't think anybody touched him on that show. He was superb.

I guess it difficult to follow a genius especially if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England.

Then you better lump in The Yardbirds, Who, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin etc., with the Stones too. Probably half the "British Invasion" were White guys playing American Blues music.
Truth is, a lot of those Blues guys benefited from the Brits "ripping off" American Blues music, they had late life 2nd careers playing the UK after their popularity fell off in the States...

I'm not knocking them for doing it.

Then my mistake I must have misunderstood, because " if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England" didn't exactly sound like a compliment to me...

Its not. It's just what they do and have done pretty well out of it so fair play.

A lot of Rock n' Roll bands from that era (both US and UK) were doing that, Chuck Berry was basically playing his version of the blues, and how many bands were influenced by him? Even Hendrix was basically a blues player. It was all the blues, in the end.

Sure, there's a fine line between influence and appropriation.

Interesting post on the Stones influences. Quote by Buddy Guy regarding the charge of "appropriation" :" As Chicago blues icon Buddy Guy perhaps said it best, 'They were putting the music where we never had put it before, and they just let the world know who we were' ".
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dan-einav/did-the-rolling-stones-st_b_13432332.html

That is, unless you're not accusing them of "appropriation" , but of merely "influence".

[dazlcfc]

Yeah, heard that story of Brown and the Stones. I don't think anybody touched him on that show. He was superb.

I guess it difficult to follow a genius especially if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England.

Then you better lump in The Yardbirds, Who, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin etc., with the Stones too. Probably half the "British Invasion" were White guys playing American Blues music.
Truth is, a lot of those Blues guys benefited from the Brits "ripping off" American Blues music, they had late life 2nd careers playing the UK after their popularity fell off in the States...

I'm not knocking them for doing it.

Then my mistake I must have misunderstood, because " if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England" didn't exactly sound like a compliment to me...

Its not. It's just what they do and have done pretty well out of it so fair play.

A lot of Rock n' Roll bands from that era (both US and UK) were doing that, Chuck Berry was basically playing his version of the blues, and how many bands were influenced by him? Even Hendrix was basically a blues player. It was all the blues, in the end.

Sure, there's a fine line between influence and appropriation.

Interesting post on the Stones influences. Quote by Buddy Guy regarding the charge of "appropriation" :" As Chicago blues icon Buddy Guy perhaps said it best, 'They were putting the music where we never had put it before, and they just let the world know who we were' ".
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dan-einav/did-the-rolling-stones-st_b_13432332.html

That is, unless you're not accusing them of "appropriation" , but of merely "influence".

I never accused them of anything, merely stating it's a thin line and just because you agree with one article doesn't mean it's right.

[detroitmike]

Yeah, heard that story of Brown and the Stones. I don't think anybody touched him on that show. He was superb.

I guess it difficult to follow a genius especially if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England.

Then you better lump in The Yardbirds, Who, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin etc., with the Stones too. Probably half the "British Invasion" were White guys playing American Blues music.
Truth is, a lot of those Blues guys benefited from the Brits "ripping off" American Blues music, they had late life 2nd careers playing the UK after their popularity fell off in the States...

I'm not knocking them for doing it.

Then my mistake I must have misunderstood, because " if all you have to offer is American Blues music performed by a load of middle class white guys from England" didn't exactly sound like a compliment to me...

Its not. It's just what they do and have done pretty well out of it so fair play.

A lot of Rock n' Roll bands from that era (both US and UK) were doing that, Chuck Berry was basically playing his version of the blues, and how many bands were influenced by him? Even Hendrix was basically a blues player. It was all the blues, in the end.

Sure, there's a fine line between influence and appropriation.

Interesting post on the Stones influences. Quote by Buddy Guy regarding the charge of "appropriation" :" As Chicago blues icon Buddy Guy perhaps said it best, 'They were putting the music where we never had put it before, and they just let the world know who we were' ".
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dan-einav/did-the-rolling-stones-st_b_13432332.html

That is, unless you're not accusing them of "appropriation" , but of merely "influence".

I never accused them of anything, merely stating it's a thin line and just because you agree with one article doesn't mean it's right.

Who says I agree with one article? Unless by "you agree" you're not addressing "me". Merely stating it was an interesting article.

[Mo]

The Hollies needed a decent follow up to If I Needed Someone's failure to ignite the charts. Not a huge hit by their usual standards. I Can't Let Go was a good cover and 66 I think was their best year for 45s.
As for their albums, I'd say that Butterfly and Evolution stand out.

Their best IMO. Underappreciated albums both, self-written also. Concur with you regarding their '66 45s output (including that classic among classics, "Bus Stop" but also another Clarke/Hicks/Nash gem, "Stop, Stop, Stop"), but 1964 and 1965 weren't mean years for them in that department either ("We're Through", "I'm Alive", "Look Through Any Window", "Here I Go Again"...)

Possibly another underrated gem, Nash,'s King Midas in Reverse. Not a huge hit but a interesting track all the same. Perhaps a little pointer to his work with Crosby and Stills.

[greenstreet]

The Hollies needed a decent follow up to If I Needed Someone's failure to ignite the charts. Not a huge hit by their usual standards. I Can't Let Go was a good cover and 66 I think was their best year for 45s.
As for their albums, I'd say that Butterfly and Evolution stand out.

Their best IMO. Underappreciated albums both, self-written also. Concur with you regarding their '66 45s output (including that classic among classics, "Bus Stop" but also another Clarke/Hicks/Nash gem, "Stop, Stop, Stop"), but 1964 and 1965 weren't mean years for them in that department either ("We're Through", "I'm Alive", "Look Through Any Window", "Here I Go Again"...)

Possibly another underrated gem, Nash,'s King Midas in Reverse. Not a huge hit but a interesting track all the same. Perhaps a little pointer to his work with Crosby and Stills.

And with its failure chart-wise, the track that accelerated Graham Nash's departure to California.

[Mo]

The Hollies needed a decent follow up to If I Needed Someone's failure to ignite the charts. Not a huge hit by their usual standards. I Can't Let Go was a good cover and 66 I think was their best year for 45s.
As for their albums, I'd say that Butterfly and Evolution stand out.

Their best IMO. Underappreciated albums both, self-written also. Concur with you regarding their '66 45s output (including that classic among classics, "Bus Stop" but also another Clarke/Hicks/Nash gem, "Stop, Stop, Stop"), but 1964 and 1965 weren't mean years for them in that department either ("We're Through", "I'm Alive", "Look Through Any Window", "Here I Go Again"...)

Possibly another underrated gem, Nash,'s King Midas in Reverse. Not a huge hit but a interesting track all the same. Perhaps a little pointer to his work with Crosby and Stills.

And with its failure chart-wise, the track that accelerated Graham Nash's departure to California.

It certainly did. As did Joni Mitchell, ha ha.