Desert Island Albums
Jul 21
THE HOT 100 CLASSIC ROCK ALBUMS I’ve compiled a list of the top 100 CLASSIC ROCK albums which some of which have been featured as album of he month on the ROCK-IT With the Artist-Cat radio show – on Sydney’s triplehfm. I play these start to finish ‘unabridged’ and additional plays will be featured as part of specials from time to time. So the criteria here is simply that you can play the album end to end and there isn’t a bad track on it – if you were stuck on a desert island, these would be the albums you’d be happy to play time and time again and still be enjoying them years later. So here goes – here is the HOT 100. Commentary on the list is welcome, but there were strict criteria in compiling this. Firstly, we do have standards, so no punk or disco will be added. Secondly, we have standards, so the musicians have to be able to actually play their instruments and the singers have to be able to sing – no shallow gloss, which probably wipes out anything that appeared on the likes of ‘Idol’ for a start… Finally, we have standards, so anything which is droning and miserable sounding (like Radiohead) will be excluded. With all this in mind here are the “Desert Island Albums” which will be featured on the show. Check out Facebook or the “ROCK IT with the ARTIST-CAT” blog for dates when these will be played. The Hot 100 … (subject to change). 1. The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd [Played]. The ultimate in prog rock. This album stayed on the top 100 billboard albums chart for over 10 years – enough said. If you haven’t heard it – get yourself a record (or DVD audio) player, crank it up and close your eyes. 2. Hotel California – the Eagles [Played]. From the haunting opening riff and guitarist Don Felder’s incredible guitar solo on the title track, through to the beautifully tragic ‘Last Resort’, this masterpiece is the Eagles at their absolute zenith. If you could only buy one Eagles album, this is it …! 3. Déjà vu – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young [Played]. This seminal supergroup only ever produced one studio album together, but as they say – the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. A must have in any serious music...
ROCK-IT, Artist Cat’s Radio Show
Apr 27
This is a page for programming updates for my radio shows, ROCK-IT with the Artist Cat… classic, rare and new rock (with blues)! Tune in to “Triple H FM” at this link here. Buy signed books…! Love the 70s? Take a trip down memory lane with on my books on 70s culture and rock music “The WONG WAY to MARRY” and “TRIPPIN’ the WRIGHT WAY”. Bookmark this page. a third book is in the works – stay tuned!!!! To buy signed books contact the Cat direct on Facebook Sydney shoppers can also buy signed copies at these great outlets: Red Eye Records, York Street, Sydney CBD; Mojo Music, York Street, Sydney CBD. ROCK-IT: ARTIST-CAT WEEKLY PROGRAM UPDATE LATEST NEWS The Cat will be returning to air in 2015 with a new co-host on the ROCK-IT show – 2HHH’s “Neil the Noob” (from Streetbeat fame!) Go to the ROCK IT Facebook Page for latest weekly updates! Every THIRD Wednesday of the month is “Desert Island Album” week – check out the hot 100 here Re-runs: We will repeat the three part special “HISTORY OF THE BLUES” with special guest presenters including Kevin Borich, Billy TK (Jnr) and Phil Jones. Kevin Borich at Triple H 100.1 (Hornsby studio) Recording ‘Blues Power” Link Hagley Park Christchurch NZ – 1974 NEW FEATURES The Musical LINK – including exclusive interviews with All Link members (and ex-cChapta vocalists), featuring Dick Whatson and Dave Kennedy. HISTORY OF THE EAGLES – Pts 1 & 2 Pt1 – On A Dark Desert Highway. From the beginning to life in the fast lane… Pt2 – Checked Out, but you can never leave. Solo years, the Resumption (Hell Freezes Over), the ‘farewells’… ARCHIVES Date: 3 June 2012 Show: The Cats Top 5 Revisited! The inaugural ROCK-IT show will repeat the Cats top 5 special songs as featured on “the Music Almanac” back in August 2011 with Rufus On Fire. Catch music from Led Zep, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, Eagles and local bands Ticket and Space Farm, with an exclusive interview with ‘Link’ front-man Dave Kennedy… Date: 10 June 2012 Show: Ticket to the Show – Ticket’s debut album AWAKE from 1971 is one of the most heavily bootlegged underground albums of the era. Hendrix inspired acid blues to Buddy Miles and Traffic style jazzy funk, this is a classic must have Desert Island Album. Triple H 100.1 FM ...
Ticket NZ Rock Band Reforms
Nov 05Live in the studio 1972
Live in the studio 1972
Archive: The New Zealand show – 5th November 2011 @ the “Powerstation” Auckland, with Dragon and Hello Sailor. Ticket ‘steals’ the show, with rave reviews from the NZ Herald: read the review here. TICKET New Zealand’s ultimate acid blues band dominated the underground music scene from 1971-73 down under. With searing Hendrix inspired guitar from Eddie Hansen, soaring vocals from Trevor Tombleson and a driving rhythm section (Paul Woolwright – Bass & Rick Ball – Drums) they produced two highly sought after LPs, ‘Awake’ and ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ during the original line up. These LPs are collectors items the world over and mint copies sell in excess of $300-400. Ticket MKI parted company in 1973. Eddie Hansen, disillusioned and tired of the music industry struggles and rip-offs, had decided to call it quits. Hansen eventually reformed Ticket temporarily during 74-75; the MkII line-up including ex-Space Farm bass player Billy Williams and drummer Glen Absolum. [For the record there was never a Steve Gunn in the band.] In MkIII Absolum was replaced with Danny Davidson. But no album was released and the band eventually went their separate ways. Trevor Tombleson moved to the UK (with Ticket MKIII members Williams and Davidson). The ex-pats auditioned for Keef Hartley’s former band ‘Dog Solider’. Tombleson was offered a place with the band but turned it down when it transpired his antipodean friends had been rejected. He then toured Europe with a number of bands during the mid 70s (including the Eagles and Chicago) but returned to Sydney when called back by (now) ‘Monsoon’ band members Williams and Ray Goodwin (Dragon-Guitarist & Song writer). At the end of the 70s he left the music industry for 30 years. These days he resides in the Cook Islands. Ricky Ball and Paul Woolwright hooked up with ‘Hello Sailor’ and their various solo acts that followed (Dave McCartney & the Pink Flamingos, Graham Brazier’s Legionnaires and Harry Lyon). For 30 years they remained the top rhythm players in NZ, in constant demand. After the demise of Ticket, Eddie Hansen joined forces temporarily with Link’s Dave Kennedy (in Rock Squad) but that didn’t last and Kennedy moved to the UK. Hansen took a break, but he couldn’t stay away and eventually formed “Living Force” with ex-Space Farm guitarist and good friend Harvey Mann, with drummer Glen Absolum and several others. The band was together during 1978-79. Absolum...
HARVEY MANN – Earth Cry (demo)
Jul 02New music from legendary guitar player Harvey Mann. “Earth Cry” – a short video demonstrating some of his guitar playing. Recorded and mixed at his basement studio 2011. Harvey Mann is best known for his 70s era psychedelic blues playing (in the wake of musicians such as Jesse Harper and Jimi Hendrix). He fronted the last incarnation of the Underdogs in 1970 and went on to form Space Farm (1971-2) and then Living Force (1978-9) – with Ticket’s Eddie Hansen. These days he specialises in 3D art and still plays at local clubs in Australia’s Gold...
Medium, Rare and Well Done – Hard To Find NZ LP’s From The 1970’s and Early 80’s
Jun 15
There are some rare little gems from the shaky isles still on vinyl which have never been re-mastered and released on CD and for years it was assumed that they never would. Sadly, this means that they are as rare as hens teeth and attract ridiculous prices from vinyl scalpers around the world. Case in point are “original presses” of albums like “Ticket – Awake” which up until recently changed hands at prices akin to gold … well not quite, but a 120 gram vinyl record selling for $400 USD has got to be considered gold. There is some call you’d think to reissue these on CD and thus alleviate the pressure on prices. Only the resellers benefit; the bands themselves get no royalties for second hand sales and as for those who simply want to listen to the music it’s just downright hard to get hold of, if you can. OK there are a few “Best Of’s” and various artist compilation albums about – but they are largely eclectic collections that leave you somewhat wanting. Basically, nothing beats getting the original album, with perhaps a few bonus single tracks added. Now back in the 1980s when I started up my archival music collection (I’m still going some 30 odd years later) I tried to track down bands to see if they would be putting out their records on CD. To my dismay I discovered that record labels like CBS had dumped the original masters. But it gets worse… other producers sold the rights off-shore and as to access to the masters, well, who knows … the bands certainly don’t have the rights! Then you get all the label buy outs and the signing away of rights in perpetuity, so that even if the artists want to release their own works 30 years or more after the so called “sound recording mechanical rights” normally expire – it all just becomes ‘too hard’! There is some relief in play though – Ticket have released their classic 1971 album AWAKE on CD, so it’s available to the world again (and hopefully this will take the sting out of second hand record prices). You can now buy this in music stores, on eBay and on websites (like www.gocatalogue.com ) around the world. Wellington band ‘Highway’ have re-release their only self titled album on CD – great, I won’t have to try and...