Friday, March 29, 2024
Friday, August 25, 2023
The Beatles: On The Road 1964 - 1966
Antonio G. Pereira © 2023 Antonio G. Pereira
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The Beatles: On The Road 1964 - 1966 by Harry Benson. Published by Taschen GmbH https://www.taschen.com https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Benson-Beatles-Multilingual/dp/3836557673 Here's another Coffee Table sized book. This one by British Photographer Harry Benson, who photographed The Beatles as they were becoming famous through the year 1964. From the residency at the Paris Olympia, the first U.S. visit (Ed Sullivan, Miami - The Beatles' visit to (then) Heavyweight Contender Cassius Clay's Gym Boxing Practice, during which resident wit, rapid fire mouth Lennon meets his match (soon to be Heavyweight Champion Muhammed Ali), and apparently Harry Benson is not amused), the filming of, 'A Hard Day's Night', the first leg of the European/Australian/New Zealand tour (with Jimmy Nicol sitting in for Ringo - who was in hospital), and finally, during the 1966 American Tour. Strangely, Harry Benson (since he had his own opinion and observation about the circumstances of the 'Beatles more Popular than Jesus Christ' controversy), offers no accompanying narrative to the Memphis Press Conference, which he photographed, other than gratuitously photographically descriptive. There are two incredible photographs of The Beatles walking towards the stage and enormous audience at Suffolk Downs Racetrack in Boston though, among other equally incredible photographs, like the obviously racially mixed audience in Chicago. The text in this book is multilingual, and is in English, German (Taschen, the Book Company, is in Koln) and French. The photographs are printed on top quality paper, so they look really good. Interesting record of a place and time in history. Well done!
Saturday, July 8, 2023
Jimi
Antonio G. Pereira © 2023 Antonio G. Pereira
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Jimi by Janie Hendrix and John McDermott. Official 80th Birthday Edition. Published by Chronicle Chroma. An Imprint of Chronicle Books. https://www.amazon.com/Jimi-Janie-Hendrix/dp/1797220012
This is quite a gorgeous Coffee Table sized book. Beautifully designed and presented. To review, Janie Hendrix is Jimi Hendrix' sister, daughter by marriage (of Al Hendrix to her mother Ayako) and adopted and raised as his own child by Al Hendrix, when Jimi was away in Europe becoming a sensation. Though she was very young when Jimi returned to the United States, and they finally met in 1968, she remembers him very well, with love and fondness throughout this book. John McDermott first came to my attention through the magazine, International Musician and Recording World (a magazine which I became aware of in 1981, when Dan Foster, who worked with Caesar Glebbeek at the original Hendrix Information Centre in Amsterdam, Holland, and helped Glebbeek put together the original Hendrix Information Centre Booklet (of which I have a copy) shared his issue of International Musician and Recording World with me; as an article about Jimi Hendrix was in that particular edition. Later in the mid 1980s, I subscribed to the magazine, and that is where I first saw mention of John McDermott; who at the time was producing Promotional Videos for one of the better Hendrix copyist bands, named Jon Butcher Axis. I remember a big window display for their current album in the Sam Goody's that used to be across the street from Radio City Music Hall, the week they were appearing at The Bottom Line.
This book, along with Chris Welch's book, 'Hendrix', and David Henderson's book, 'Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child of The Aquarian Age', as reference tools, will give you a complete, honest picture of Jimi Hendrix' life. Here, you will find no opportunistic, two bit Drug Counselling Expert Analysis stupidity disguised as Scholarship, or misguided, superimposed onto Hendrix, one dimensional Right Wing Pseudo-Patriotism. Just the facts. With the exception of the openly dishonest and mob connected (in both Britain and America) Michael Jeffrey (as well as the assorted shady characters and ass-kissers that worked for him), and the circumstances of Hendrix' death (still open to question as far as I'm concerned), this is as close to an honest assessment of Jimi Hendrix' life as you're going to get. A heartfelt thanks to all the people who contributed with their time, their thoughts and remembrances, to help put this book together. I think one Jimi Hendrix, would be quite surprised and moved, that so many people cared about him and his legacy of music, all these decades later.
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute - From The Makers of Classic Rock
Antonio G. Pereira © 2023 Antonio G. Pereira
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My, my, my... Here's a new one. A Hendrix magazine called, 'Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute (Third Edition). Y'know, it's stuff like this, that makes me glad Hendrix' father Al Hendrix waited and was smart enough to get a reputable Journalist, and wrote his own autobiography; telling his own family history, himself (My Son Jimi by Al Hendrix with Jas Obrecht - https://amazon.com/My-Son-Jimi-James-Hendrix/dp/0966785711 After taking control of his son's Estate in court https://casetext.com/case/hendrix-v-branton , and removing Alan Douglas, it's surprising that things like 'Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute' (mostly rehashed junk - Apparently, nobody here seems to know how to write a historical piece on a great musician without being gratuitously salacious and juvenile.) still sees the light of day. Strange that in this 'Ultimate Tribute', no mention is made of Mitch Mitchell's story about Hendrix taking him to sit in at his friend Joe Tex' gig at Town Hall, during the Electric Ladyland sessions; that was related by Mitch in his autobiography (with John Platt), 'Inside The Experience' - https://amazon.com/Jimi-Hendrix-Experience-Mitch Mitchell/dp/051757716X (I might also add that the group that Mitchell was in before the Experience was Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, that used to regularly play in the Flamingo. Georgie Fame's group covered just about all of the current Soul and Jazz music being made during the mid-sixties era. So we're talking about everyone from Jimmy Smith to Motown and Stax. The Flamingo was quite a popular London Club, run by the Gunnell Brothers (Rik and Johnny), and was frequented by British West Indian and British enthusiasts; and on the weekends they were joined by Black American Servicemen from a Military Base outside London. So it was packed. Before the Jimi Hendrix Experience debuted playing at this same club, when Mitch took Jimi (with Chas) to see where he used to play, and Jimi no doubt ran into some Servicemen from the Base in the Flamingo, you can imagine the scene. Or can you? Perhaps someone here in 'Hendrix: The Ultimate Tribute' - From The Makers of Classic Rock', will find the time or 'interest', to follow this up and try to find some of the people who were there. My point being, when Mitch told this story in his book about Jimi's friend Joe Tex, Hendrix knew full well what he was doing when he took Mitch with him. Yes the 60's was quite an interesting era, that is, if you look at it that way.) And I guess nobody bothered to interview Lonnie Youngblood (who is very much alive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Youngblood ), an old friend of Hendrix, that he jammed with at Small's Paradise in 1969. A photograph of that jam is on the cover of the LP 'Two Great Experiences Together'. https://amazon.com/Jimi-Hendrix-Lonnie-Youngblood-Experiences/dp/B000LZC34U
Spare me....
https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2014/02/jimi-hendrix-hear-my-train-comin-dvd.html
https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-meditation-on-hendrix-lennon-and.html
https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2013/01/ultimate-hendrix-illustrated.html
https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2014/08/tomorrow-land-1964-65-worlds-fair-and.html
https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2011/04/forever-changes-arthur-lee-and-book-of.html
https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2011/09/let-it-bleed-rolling-stones-altamont.html
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Beatles/Dylan - Intersections '66
Antonio G. Pereira © 2023 Antonio G. Pereira
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Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child
Antonio G. Pereira © 2022 Antonio G. Pereira
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Just as Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child by Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik https://amazon.com/Jimi-Hendrix-Voodoo-Harvey-Kubernik/dp/1454937386 Published by Sterling Books New York, goes to Press (along with other Hendrix 'Experts' before them, like the Ed Chalpin/Curtis Knight tag team, Alan Douglas and Harry Shapiro), the authors had become (what they saw as) these alluring illusive visionaries, whose benign, phony ecumenical practice (done before, as mentioned above) of speaking for Black Power, was at odds with the (what they saw as), disaffected outrage expressed by young African Americans. (They of course, already being very knowledgeable about Black People and Black Lives and Black Concerns). Hmmmm.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKn8IaF1Pjs The authors feel that their message, seeps into the reader's consciousness, with the hypnotic charge of a Snake Charmer. Because they have carefully resisted acknowledging that their political beliefs are questionable at best, and because their reach is obviously overwhelmingly White (and impressionably young), their book will sell to a pre-planned audience that will accept the authors transposing of their personal beliefs onto Jimi Hendrix; concluding with, "those were HIS beliefs". Quite a sweet chalk, snowflake job. Nice collection of photographs though. I wonder.....https://observer1984.blogspot.com/2013/01/ultimate-hendrix-illustrated.html
Friday, July 15, 2022
Blogs I Follow
Blogs I Follow
Antonio G. Pereira © 2022 Antonio G. Pereira
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Good Morning Folks, Folkies, Folkish and Folklike. It's been a while. Thought I'd post this, as the subjects are very accessible. These are blogs I've been following for more than a decade (almost as long as I've been posting).You may enjoy them as much as I have.
(Diet) Coke and Sympathy
https://dietcokeandsympathy.blogspot.com
Albert Ayler Depot
https://albertayler.blogspot.com
E-cookblog
https://bonnitacooking.blogspot.com
Flamenco-world.com BLOG
https://blog-flamenco-world.blogspot.com
From Left To Right; Media & Politics
https://tony-funches.blogspot.com
HealingLotusWellness
https://healinglotuswellness.blogspot.com
In Dangerous Rhythm
https://indangerousrhythm.blogspot.com
Intelligent Tree
https://intelligenttree.blogspot.com
Lee Bey's Soul Closet
https://soulcloset.blogspot.com
Lost In The 60's
Lost Live Dead
https://lostlivedead.blogspot.com
Meet The Beatles For Real
https://meetthebeatlesforreal.blogspot.com
MusicXposed
https://musicxposed.blogspot.com
Pan-African News Wire
https://panafricannews.blogspot.com
Robbin Milne Visual Artist
https://robbinmilne.blogspot.com
Soundboutique
https://soundboutique.blogspot.com
The Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival, Joujouka
https://brianjonesjoujoukafestival.blogspot.com
TODAY IS FOREVER
https://poisgoneforever.blogspot.com
Watching Rainbows: Child of Nature's Beatle Blog
https://childofnaturebeatles.blogspot.com
Forever 5th Dimension
https://forever5thdimension.com
I Was Dreaming Of The Past
https://iwasdreamingofthepast.blogspot.com/2011/06/top-groupies-of-all-time-pamela-des.html
B
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