On this Off the Beaten Path we’re going to look at different stories and info behind music.
The Tumbleweed Connection
Many people in rock and pop have played lots of Elton John music over the years. Classic rockers probably know “Tumbleweed Connection” by Elton John as the foundation behind a lot of his music. Here’s the “unlikely story” behind that album.
A “Cinderella Music Story”
I can’t say I’ve attentively watched “Ducktales” (a Disney cartoon), but the story behind the theme is fascinating and a sort of “Cinderella Story” that starts with a reel-to-reel recorder in 1986.
Wouldn’t It Be Nice
The Beach Boys were known for their incredible harmony and their “beach sound.” They were the only group to seriously rival and even overtake The Beatles for a brief time in the mid 1960s. Now to avoid an argument here, these aren’t my words but what has been printed by both Rolling Stone, AllMusic.com and other music historians. One thing no one can argue is their incredible harmony! This is an interesting “stripped version” of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” with no music and just their vocal. It really is fascinating to hear and beautiful!
The Evolution of Popular Music (In a Video)
This was an interesting video, and I give a lot of credit to the person who edited all of this today. Here’s a video which looks at the evolution of pop music by year starting in 1890 and ending in 2009 (so it’s just a little out of date), but a good video.
This Day in Music
It’s been years since I’ve been a rock jock (last time was about 2000 at WLVQ/QFM 96 in Columbus, Ohio, and then just part-time), but I can’t imagine how different it would be now in some respects. For instance, without the internet (at least as it is today and with the amount of readily available info), I couldn’t imagine how much easier show prep would be. Here’s one site I like (and probably would have used) called This Day in Music.
Cleveland Rocks!
As someone who grew up in Northeast Ohio, I can attest that Cleveland DOES rock! Of course, other cities also do, but I’d be booted from “The Ohio Club” if I didn’t stand behind “the rock n’ roll capital of the world” meme. Ian Hunter sang it, and plenty of artists have come out of Northeast Ohio.
Alan Freed kicked of the terminology of “Rock’ n Roll” while a Cleveland DJ before heading to NYC. And, of course, the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland, based on its historical connections. I was fortunate to be a “rock jock” at 97.5 WONE in Akron/Cleveland/Canton and helped launch it as a rocker on Jan 1, 1985 (it was formerly WAEZ/Easy 97, a beautiful music station). Even WONE had its ties to rock’n roll as our sister AM was the first radio station for Alan Freed (WAKR 1590)! This web link has some great info and footage to Cleveland’s rock history.
And finally …
From my early days of buying 45s and albums, I’ve seen a few clever and interesting picture sleeves (for 45s) and album covers. Like most who grew up with the appreciation of some interesting album cover (from Humble Pie to Rolling Stones and even the banned ones from groups like The Beatles), I certainly haven’t seen them all. This last link is to some strange (and maybe a few tasteless) album covers from over the years.
If you stumble across a good or unusual website that might be of interest, please don’t hesitate to send me the link and any info you might have about it. My email address is [email protected].
