One JemTunes 23 #7

7 of 12 in a monthly music diatribe from a 64 year old hippy

OneJemTunes is a monthly foray into my world of music. Published monthly throughout 2023, there’s everything here including downloads, gigs I’ve been to, JemJams listings, birthdays and passings and much more.

And as 2023 is the year I can finally sing the line ‘…when I’m 64…’ and be there, the music world is my proverbial oyster (not that it’s not always been of course – because it has). And still is.

OneJemTunes 23 #7 is mostly about June 2023 (although there’s a bit of looking forward to July as well).

I didn’t get to Glastonbury (again). One year though – before I’m too decrepit to manage. Maybe 2024 because my daughters and peers seem quite adept at securing tickets. They went of course (and we ‘dogsat’) and watched snips sent by WhatsApp and on TV. However, we did watch the whole of the Blondie set. Which (in my opinion) was this year’s crowning glory. Debbie Harry’s got 14 years on me but is still absolutely rock n roll. If I can still do half of that at 78…well – nuff said! (Although I very much doubt that I’ll get anywhere near the pyramid stage like she did)!

JemJams (one of my FaceBook pages) is about posting a new jam every 6 days. JemJams has its roots in something called ‘This is my jam.com’; a website/blogsite to which contributors worldwide added a track of their choosing once every 6 days. No words – no dialogue – no comments. Just the music. ‘This is my jam’ went offline in September 2015. But – as it was such a good idea and something which means a lot to me, JemJams has carried on the task (albeit from just one person) ever since. Here are JemJams 428 to 432.

1. 428: The Heavy – Stone Cold Killer (posted on 1st June)
2. 429: The Answer – Bloodbrother (posted on 7th June)
3. 430: The Inspector Cluzo – Rockophobia (posted on 13th June)
4. 431: Underworld – and the colour red (posted on 19th June), and
5. 432: Demob Happy – Loosen it (posted on 25th June)

Jem’s daily music lists of 10 – is something I’ve been doing since around the start of the 2019 pandemic and the first UK lockdown. So grateful those dark days are behind us now – but I took a liking to the idea, so haven’t yet stopped. I’m currently on list No. 1191. Quite simply it’s a list of 10 songs on different themes published daily on my main FaceBook page. During June 2023, those were…

• June songs (1st & 2nd)
• Ed songs (3rd
• Top 10 UK singles on 4th June 1971
• 50 songs about US states (5th to 9th)
• Top 10 UK singles on 10th June 1972
• Songs about countries (11th to 17th)
• Jeremy songs (18th)
• Top 50 singles in w/c 19th June 1974 (19th, 20th & 22nd to 24th)
• Summer Solstice (21st)
• Sunday songs (25th) and
• Top 70 singles in w/c 26th June 1982 (26th to 30th) [c/f to July]

June downloads and other additions:

• Tigerclub – The perfume of decay (2023) [standout track – ‘Until I forget’]
• Rival Sons – Darkfighter (2023) [standout track – ‘Nobody wants to die’]
• Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton – Deathwish Blues [standout track – ‘Down in the mud’]
• Buckcherry – Volume 10 (2023) [Standout track – ‘Good time’]
• Django Django – Off Planet (2023). This is a signed copy of the double album on white vinyl with artwork by my son – Ed Croucher
• Gov’t Mule – Peace like a river (2023) [standout track – ‘Shake our way out’]
• Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman (2023) [standout track – ‘Straight jacket fitting’]
• Jason Charles Miller – Cards on the table (2023) [standout track – ‘Reckless’]
• Jason Charles Miller – Uncountry (2011) [standout track – ‘Still doin time’]
• Pontus Snibb – Loud Feathers (2012) [standout track – ‘Chasing down a dream’]

Comings and goings – a regular feature throughout the year. On the one hand sadly recording those we’ve lost, but on the other – looking forward to birthdays of those we still have.

Those we lost in June included Tony McPhee, the Groundhogs guitarist who passed on 6th June aged 79

Seven birthdays in the 7th month of the year (July) – Missy Elliot (1st and 52), Debbie Harry (1st and 78), Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac guitarist) (4th and 74), Mike Shrieve (Santana drummer) (6th and 73), Ringo Starr (7th and 82), Arlo Guthrie (10th and 75), Kate Bush (30th and 64)

One Jemtunes #8 is due out around 7th August

Classic 21 #253 – Reading Rock

Classic 21: September (Romeo/Sierra) R #10

Classic 21: September (Romeo/Sierra) R #10

The Reading Festival, the older of the two festivals, is the world’s oldest popular music festival still in existence. Many of the biggest bands in the UK and internationally have played at the festival over five decades. The festival has had various musical phases over the years, but since the current two-site format was adopted in 1999, rock, alternative, indie, punk, and metal have been the main genres featured in the line-up. More recently hip hop has comprised an increasing proportion of the lineup, including headline sets by artists including Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone.

The festivals are run by Festival Republic, which was divested from Mean Fiddler Music Group. From 1998 to 2007, they were known as the Carling Weekend: Reading and the Carling Weekend: Leeds for promotional purposes. In November 2007, the sponsored title was abolished after nine years and the Reading Festival reclaimed its original name. In 2011, the capacity of the Reading site was 87,000, and the Leeds site was 75,000, an increase of several thousand on previous years.

Classic 21 #077 – Festivals

Classic 21: March (Echo/Foxtrot) F #6

The Jemtunes 2021 series ‘Classic 21’ is taking you on a Classic Rock musical A-Z mystery tour throughout the year. March features artists, bands and themes covering the letters E and F – Echo/Foxtrot – and continues today with ‘F” – a delve into a little of the history of ‘Festivals’.

The concept of a music festival began in the late 1960s and continued, following in the footsteps of the likes of 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and the first Glastonbury Festival (also in 1970) – the Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival.

In the 21st century the number of festivals has grown significantly, particularly with the emergence of smaller-scale “boutique” festivals. However, in 2011 and 2012, several were cancelled at short notice – some due to weather conditions and some due to poor sales – prompting fears that the festival market was saturated. It was ill founded though as in 2019 the number of UK festivals was approximately 262.

It’s way too wide a subject to cover worldwide though – so Jemtunes Classic 21 is concentrating instead on the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, held between 26 and 31 August at Afton Down on the western side of the island.

It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, greater than the attendance of Woodstock. Although estimates vary, Guinness World Records estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people attended. It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ron and Ray Foulk through their company Fiery Creations Ltd and their brother Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.

The 1970 festival, following Woodstock in the previous year, set out to move one step forward and quickly booked slots from Jimi Hendrix, Cactus, Chicago, the Doors, Lighthouse, the Moody Blues, the Who, Miles Davis, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Free. The event had a magnificent but impractical site, since the prevailing wind blew the sound sideways across the venue, and the sound system had to be augmented by the Who’s own PA. Organizers also faced the logistical problems involved in transporting some 600,000 people onto an island with a population of fewer than 100,000. The Island’s transport services were already stretched by the annual influx of summer holiday-makers at the same time.

Political and logistical difficulties resulted in the organisers eventually realising that the festival would not make a profit and declaring it to be “a free festival”, although the majority of the audience had paid for tickets in advance, and the event was filmed contemporaneously. The commercial failings of the festival ensured it was the last event of its kind on the Isle of Wight for thirty-two years.

Line-up

1. Wednesday 26 August – Judus Jump, Kathy Smith, Rosalie Sorrels, David Bromberg, Kris Kristofferson, Mighty Baby
2. Thursday 27 August – Gary Farr, Supertramp, Andy Roerts’ Everyone, Ray Owen, Howl, Black Widow, The Groundhogs, Terry Reid, Gilberto Gil & Caetano Veloso, Gracious
3. Friday 28 August – Fairfield Parlour, Arrival, Lighthouse, Taste, Tony Joe White, Chicago, Family, Procol Harum, The Voices of East Harlem, Cactus
4. Saturday 29 August – John Sebastian, Shawn Phillips, Lighthouse, Joni Mitchell, Tiny Tim, Miles Davis, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Doors, The Who, Sly & The Family Stone, Melanie
5. Sunday 30 August – Good News, Kris Kristofferson, Ralph McTell, Heaven, Free, Donovan, Pentangle, The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, Ritchie Havens

 

Earth Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland (Starters for Ten #145) 5/10 (15)

Starters for Ten 2019 – #145: Top Ten Boogie tracks: 190525

Earth Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland (1979)

Throughout 2019 Jem of Jemtunes is taking you through 36 top tens and one top five. Tunes for a whole gamut of reasons including genre, mood, time of year or simply time itself. Sometimes there’s be words but mostly it’ll simply be the music. Because music always speaks for itself.

Continuing the 15th – featuring my top ten boogie tracks, and running between 21 and 30 May – here’s Boogie Wonderland released by Earth, Wind & Fire in 1979.

The picture above is the promo for the Love Supreme Festival they headlined in July 2018 and to which we had the privilege of attending.

Ten Years After – Going to try (Starters for Ten #103) 3/10(11)

Starters for Ten 2019 – #103: Top Ten Ten Years After numbers: 190413

Ten Years After – Going to try (1968)

Throughout 2019 Jem of Jemtunes is taking you through 36 top tens and one top five. Tunes for a whole gamut of reasons including genre, mood, time of year or simply time itself. Sometimes there’s be words but mostly it’ll simply be the music. Because music always speaks for itself.

Continuing the 11th, running between 11 and 20 April and featuring my top ten Ten Years After numbers, here’s Going to Try from the 1968 live album ‘Stonehenge’

Jimi Hendrix – Foxy Lady (Starters for Ten #064) 4/10 (7)

Starters for Ten 2019 – 64: Top Ten Live tracks: 190305

Jimi Hendrix – Foxy Lady (1970)

Throughout 2019 Jem of Jemtunes is taking you through 36 top tens and one top five. Tunes for a whole gamut of reasons including genre, mood, time of year or simply time itself. Sometimes there’s be words but mostly it’ll simply be the music. Because music always speaks for itself.

Continuing the 7th, running between 2 and 11 March and featuring my top ten live tracks, here’s Jimi Hendrix performing Foxy Lady at the Isle of Wight festival on 31 August 1970.

Jimi Hendrix – Isle of Wight (Epic 2017 #110)

The Epic 2017 Project #110: 170420

Jimi Hendrix – Isle of Wight (1971)

Isle of Wight is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix, released in November 1971 by Polydor in the UK only. It documents Hendrix’s performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival on 30 August 1970, his last performance in England before his death in September. The album was engineered by Carlos Ohlms (a British-based engineer). The record company did not use a picture from the Isle of Wight concert. The cover photo is from a live concert on 4 September 1970 at Deutschlandhalle, Berlin.

The album spent only two weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 17. But it remains one of my all time favourites

Isle of Wight contains just part of the concert, but this release has a unique mix compared to the 2002 release of the entire performance on the album Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight.

Country Joe & The Fish – the Fish cheer/Feel like I’m fixing to die rag (Leaping Ahead #295)

Leaping Ahead Project 2016 #295: 161021

[A Festival song (5)]

Woodstock – August 1969

John B Sebastian – Rainbows all over your blues (Leaping Ahead #267)

Leaping Ahead Project 2016 #267: 160923

[A festival song (3)]

John B Sebastian was attending Woodstock as part of the crowd but, whilst promoters struggled to get billed performers in to play, he was recruited for an impromptu ‘filler’ performance at 15:30 on Saturday 16 August 1969 between Santana and The Keef Hartley band. Of course, he wasn’t just some random guitar player as Sebastian formed and fronted ‘The Lovin Spoonful’.

Santana – Soul Sacrifice (Leaping Ahead #232)

Leaping Ahead Project 2016 #232: 160819

[A festival song (2)]

“Soul Sacrifice” is an instrumental written and recorded by the American rock group Santana. Identified as one of the highlights of the 1969 Woodstock festival, itfeatures extended guitar solos by Carlos Santana and a stunning drum solo from Michael Shrive. It was one of the band’s earliest compositions. Carlos Santana recalled the group wrote it when bassist David Brown joined and describes it as

a perfect example of the amalgam of old-world guaguanco rhythms and strictly American licks