Category Archives: Music

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Category Archives: Music

The Yardbirds on the BBC

British bands in the 1960s knew they made it when they were asked to perform on the BBC. One band consistently asked back were The Yardbirds. They appeared on numerous BBC programs including Saturday Club and Easy Beat. Their performances on the Beeb occurred between March 1965 and March 1968, so this was the post-Eric [...]
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The Who ‘The Last Time’ sheet music

Back in June 1967, a certain Mr. Jagger & Mr. Richards of The Rolling Stones found themselves in trouble with the law. They were busted and jailed on drug charges. To show a bit of solidarity to their fellow British mates, The Who recorded two Jagger & Richards songs: The Last Time and Under My [...]
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The Silkie: You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away

The Silkie were England’s answer to American folk group Peter Paul and Mary and to Australia’s The Seekers. On paper The Silkie certainly had a lot going for them. Afterall, they were signed by The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. John Lennon produced this track. Paul McCartney plays guitar and George Harrison kept time tapping his guitar and playing the [...]
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Elvis Presley album cover

Had he lived, the King of Rock and Roll would be 75 on January 8th. It’s hard to imagine what he’d look like. So instead, let’s look back to when he was a healthy, good-looking 20-year-old. The photo on this Elvis LP was taken on July 31, 1955. The place was the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, [...]
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The Disco Ball

As we dance into a new decade, let’s groove to the past and look into the mirrored disco ball. It’s unclear as to who invented the mirrored ball, but it dates back to at least 1897! The February issue of The Electrical Worker describes a ballroom where the highlight was “a carbon arc lamp flashing [...]
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‘Space Age Santa Claus’ sheet music

Oh, Santa Claus has a rocket sleigh Getting ready to zoom away On his first trip into space In his pressurized suit with the fur along the border And a long white bearded helmet made just to order He’ll take the Christmas spirit every place To learn about this novelty Christmas tune please visit: FaLaLaLaLa.com
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John Coltrane’s ‘My Favorite Things’

While technically not a holiday tune, My Favorite Things gets a lot of airplay this time of year. Here’s a clip of the classic melody as interpeted in 1961 by the late John Coltrane: My Favorite Things was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for their 1959 Broadway musical Sound of Music. Coltrane took the song and [...]
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The Beach Boys: From Stage to Studio

December 1964 was a turning point for The Beach Boys and their leader Brian Wilson. The group was at the top of the charts with their album Beach Boys Concert; their Christmas Album was in the top ten. And yet despite the success, the pressure was too much for Brian Wilson. In the midst [...]
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AKAI Reel to Reel Player

Before MP3s, compact discs, 8-track and cassette tapes there were audio reels. These were played on reel-to-reel tape decks. And you know what? For my money, they sound better than any of the aforementioned audio formats. This particular reel-to-reel tape deck is owned by an audiophile friend of mine (eBay user ID: TechnoRay). I borrowed it [...]
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