Underground force...

Hello dare, boys and goils! Another rare sighting of a blog post by the musical entity know as NOTIMEWARP MUSIC! It was about 6 months ago I was preparing funeral arrangements for the radio station, throwing everything out da window and trying one last programming idea; using the force and programming without the benefit of actually being able to listen to the station. Funny thing happened; it's kinda been working! While I'm unsure of the actual number of listeners, it's been enough to keep things going for not only the last six months, it appears at least another coupla months. It remains in VIP mode so that limits the number of people who can listen greatly but someone apparently listens on a fairly regular basis. I guess when I listen, I start throwing in stuff that makes the format just a little too spread out and scares off whoever's been listening. When I started this back in 2004, it was Classic Rock orientated but avoiding most of the songs you hear 26 times a day, and that worked very well. But then I wanted to hear more stuff beyond that and went fairly Freeform with it. I loved it and most of my future ex-listeners gave it the finger and left. Now, it's still kinda varied but a bit closer to the original format. Whatever works, right? I haven't entered too many songs never previously played on the station but, so far, whoever's listening is happy with what's on there. I can dig it. Last check on the broadcaster forums at Live365 has noted some long time broadcasters leaving, finally having enough of the same difficulties that present themselves broadcasting with Live365. Rather than pay money to subject my listeners and myself to that, I think I'll just do what I've been doing, since it doesn't cost me anything, saving myself both time and frustration. So, if you do have a Live365 membership (now available for around $5 a month), come check out the station... You may just like it...

Crawling from the wreckage...

Too early to call it a comeback but, there seems to be some listener activity afoot for NOTIMEWARP RADIO. With a short and sweet playlist coming in at just over three hours, it basically gets to the point, revisiting some of the old flavors served up when the station was a bit more active than it has been the past year. The library did grow somewhat and I've been visiting the site of a service for artists and radio stations to get music out for airplay. Grabbed the new Dr. John record as well as the phenomenal 4 disc (!) set of the complete Rockin' the Fillmore recordings. Some other great stuff too. Yeah, there's some work to be had. So, we'll keep an eye on things and see what happens. Who knows... there could even be (gasp!) expansion! Til next time...

Kaboom kaboom...

With sand gettin' scarce at the top end of the glass, I decided to go ahead and press the red button. Totally wiped out the old 12 1/2 hour playlist and replaced it with a brand new, just shy of 3 1/2 hour one. What the hell? VIP listeners weren't really swarming to the station and telling alla their friends. Hell, people weren't doing it when the station was available for free! So, let's see what happens with a new set of, not exactly scientifically placed, songs on there. As I've said here before, Freeform radio isn't a big draw. It's not that people can't handle a crazy mixed bag o' nuts, they just wanna handle their own nuts. Sure, they may groove on my nuts for a while and even come back for more. But eventually they wanna pick out their own stuff. Hey, that's cool... I've always just wanted to turn people on to something they didn't know about and hope that led them down the path of more good music. So, here ya go. Since there isn't much there, I supposed I'll get in there and change stuff up more often and try and keep it a bit fresher then times past. But, if nobody tunes in, the clock might strike twelve and that'll be all she wrote. Still no change in circumstance to entertain paying for the thing again and opening up to the non-paying music lover. Hafta wait and see what cards are dealt...

The living dead...

Well, hello potential blog reader! Welcome to the official blog of the NOTIMEWARP Music network! Things have changed a bit since I last visited these parts to blab to no one in particular... NOTIMEWARP RADIO somehow continues to live on despite it's VIP only listener status. Wayward listeners drift in and out, staying for minutes to hours at a time. Sometimes on consecutive days, sometimes weeks apart. I now am finally back to having a secure internet connection, at least for the time being (that's good).
 Things aren't secure enough at the moment
to consider reviving the station to all listeners (that's bad). I am able to change the songs currently on the playlist (that's good). Without paying the fee to start it back up, I'm limited to only a few hours of music if I do decide to start changing the music that's on there (that's bad, but the music's always good). So, for now, I'll leave things the way they are until I decide to do an overhaul. Being that it's not costing me anything and basically living on borrowed time anyways, it might be fun to mess with things and throw whatever in there for whoever might happen to stumble by. Crazy as it sounds, I won't be able to listen to it either 'cause I don't have a VIP membership. Kinda like a Beethoven programming approach. Ok, enough for now. Thanks for reading and, if you can or do, listening. By the way, the old notimewarp.com link isn't mine anymore. It goes to some weird ass motivational site or some shit. Anyway, it's got nothing to do with music so don't bother looking for the station there. Click on the widget to the right (or top right when this post starts moving down the page) or just go to the Freeform stations on Live365.com and hunt for it there. 'til next time...

End of an era?

Hello music lovers! Well, it looks like NOTIMEWARP RADIO is getting ready to bite the dust. The score; without any listening hours in the past 30 days, Live365 will rub the station out as inactive. With money being not very damn funny for a while now, there's been no money for the station's operating fee. It also doesn't help not having money for internet either. The station's been in VIP membership only status for about 10 months now and, I must say, I'm impressed it's coasted this long. Now it stands at 10 hours in the past 30 days. It seems like the curtain's gonna come down any time now. Hopefully, I won't be writing the NOTIMEWARP obituary next time out. So, there's still music on there that hasn't been changed in a while but it hasn't gone bad! It's still good! If anyone who has a Live365 VIP membership wants to listen for a while, that'll keep it alive for at least another 30 days anyway. More to come...

State of the groove...

Thanks to a generous donor, NOTIMEWARP RADIO stays available for free to listeners without Live 365 VIP memberships. Being a hobbyist station, I don't make any money offa this gig. I just spend time and effort to put some songs on that people probably don't get to hear all that often, if ever. Without donations, it's completely up to me to pay the fee to broadcast every few months (which I've been doing for 9 years now). Live 365 has been a great option for people who wanna start their own stations. Relatively inexpensive, easy to use, they pay royalties for you... all you hafta do is add music. Unfortunately, the host site has been having regular hardware issues that effect broadcasters and listeners alike. For quite some time now, around the middle of the month, things get funky at Live 365 and web pages can't be reached, listeners can't log in, live broadcasts don't connect, song info doesn't update... It can be disheartening at times when money's tight and you put in alla the effort for what can be for few listeners. I know as a listener, I just wanna hear something good and I wanna hear it now. No hoops, no interruptions, just music. There's so MANY options out there to listen to music for free, you really gotta bring the goods these days. Gotta have great music that people wanna hear, it's gotta be easy for them to find / listen, and be there when they want it. Hopefully, and soon, Live 365 gets it together and puts out a product that can really compete with the big boys and make it easier for listeners to find and listen to alla the great stations they host, like NOTIMEWARP RADIO!

Today the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has their annual induction bash, this year in Los Angeles. With it, brings the legions of whiners who wanna know "Why not this band?" or "How can blah blah blah be in there but not blah?". Yeah, there's some in there I scratch my head at and others I wonder what the hold up is but there is a process to it all. Most people who complain never bother to go to the Rock Hall site and read what the induction process is, most importantly the part that sez "The Foundation's nominating commitee selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 600 artists, historians and members of the music industry. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes - and more than 50 percent of the vote - are inducted". I gotta wonder about these people who whine on the Rock Hall's Facebook posts. Why are you following them if you think they're such a joke? Anyways, I'm most happy to see my favorite Blues player of all time, Albert King, get in there. I'm also happy to see Rush and Heart get in as well. I loved Public Enemy's 'Fear of a Black Planet' from the first second I heard it.I'm looking forward to the airing of the induction ceremony on cable, in a few months I guess. Til next time...

Not again...

Well, not exactly the way I wanted to revive my blog but, got some bad news to pass along. Due to financial circumstances (again), I will be forced to put NOTIMEWARP RADIO on temporary hiatus until further notice as of April 19. The station will only be available to listeners with Live365 VIP memberships (around $24 every 3 months).  HOWEVER, there is a way to keep the station available to non-VIP members; go to  www.notimewarp.com and click on the blue "donate to this station" button. I need to raise $40 by April 18 (next Thursday) to keep the station available for free (for another 3 months anyway; hopefully things will be better by then). In the event I do hafta go VIP only, I WILL still be able to make changes to the playlist so it won't be the same songs playing over and over. Please accept my apologies, as I would like to make this great music available to as many people as possible. Follow NOTIMEWARP RADIO on Facebook for updates. Thanks for listening!

But it's alright now...

Photo by Helmut Newton

The newest Rolling Stones documentary, "Crossfire Hurricane", finally making it's way to the U.S. courtesy of HBO, is a celebration of the Stones 50th anniversary as a band. Based on interviews conducted on the eve of their 50th anniversary date (with no cameras allowed), "Crossfire Hurricane" is an amazing collection of mostly previously unseen footage, presented largely in chronological order. Even a good deal of the familiar footage is offered with alternate views / takes. The film opens with a segment with Dick Cavett and Mick Jagger backstage at Madison Square Garden before a show in 1972, followed by the band onstage launching into "Street Fighting Man". Then it's back to the beginning of the band's history. From interviews to concert performances to television appearances to offstage footage, this is just a dazzling movie for any Stones fan. The band interviews (which include Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor) mesh magnificently with the film. Part of the pre-release hype noted that "no subject is taboo" and, true, not too much goes left unsaid. But the film does stop a little short on the band's history, basically ignoring the last 20 years. Alla the unseen footage makes it an definite must see for any Stones fan worth their salt. For those who've lived in caves or the very young, it also is a great document of one of the greatest bands in rock history. As a fairly serious Stones fan, I absolutely loved this film. "Crossfire Hurricane" is on HBO On Demand until December 17.

Psychedelic dimensions...

I finally got around to hearing the new Neil Young and Aerosmith CD's last week. The Aerosmith CD, "Music from Another Dimension" played out to my suspicions, mentioned here last time. There's a definite split beyond rockers nodding and dipping into the band's rich past, and more of those power ballads that they threw out at us in the '90's. While those ballads were very successful for the band and there's still a decent size audience for them, in my book they're kinda played out. Steven Tyler is said to have a fondness for the style because it allows him to show the range of his voice, which it does. To me, there might be somewhere else they could go with it. It just doesn't seem like they're breaking any new ground with these types of songs. The rockers on the other hand, do open up in a slightly fresher direction and do have that sense of that "old Aerosmith" sound. Strangely enough, the balance between the two types of songs is split almost exactly down the middle. Of the stand out songs, one is one of the bonus tracks. Even the 3 extra tracks kinda leave you a bit mystified. Dunno... maybe it needs to grow on me a bit more but, at the moment, it didn't really have me all that excited. All of the talk leading up to this release usually jumped right over their last release "Honkin' On Bobo" like it never existed. But, ya know what? I think that was a better CD and staying in that vein (not necessarily an all or mostly covers record) woulda been a bit more powerful and woulda showed their teeth a lot more. But as a lot of these great bands of the '60's and '70's start reaching their 60's and '70's, they've earned the right to put out whatever kinda record they feel like making at this point and a lotta them do.

Which leads me to the new Neil Young release, 'Psychedelic Pill'. The great thing about when Neil hitches up with Crazy Horse is they just lock into that sound and groove and just go. A lot of it is familiar territory and you can tell that they could just give a crap. Songs go on for long periods of time ("Driftin' Back" clocks in at a live Allman Brothers like 27+ minutes) and it all sounds like, well, Neil Young and Crazy Horse. The stand out for me is the title track which throws in a 'Le Noise' like flange throughout the song (there's a bonus version without the effect). This CD didn't necessarily excite me too much either but I do like it though. Neil and the Horse are very comfortable with the sound they've been working on for 40 years now and that's cool. If you like your Neil Young grooves without experimentation, you should be happy with this CD.

Be sure to check out tracks from both CD's on NOTIMEWARP RADIO

.

Back in ye saddle...

Just got done watching the stream from this afternoon's Aerosmith concert at 1325 Commonwealth in Boston. This was the apartments they lived at way back in the day when they were just starting out. They decided to return to the scene for a free outdoor gig on the bed of a truck, to celebrate the release of their to-be-released-tomorrow album, 'Music From Another Dimension'. After being presented championship game balls from New England Patriots' Owner Bob Kraft, the band grooved their way through a 9 song, 45 minute set of, surprising mostly older material. Opening with "Walking the Dog", they followed with 2 more from their first album before jumping to "Lover Alot" from the new CD. Other than "Oh Yeah", this was all they did from the new CD. I found it interesting that the whole 80's and 90's ('00's too) were completely left out. No power ballads either. The point seemed to be how well (and how much) the new songs fit in with the early catalog. Even though it's worked out quite well for them, Aerosmith is another band who has a faction of their fan base that wishes they would revert back to their "good old days" and just rock. Of what I've heard from "Music From Another Dimension", they seem to be appeasing both factions of their fan base. It doesn't exactly sound like two different records mashed together but more something for everybody. The show anyway, found Aerosmith in good form. They didn't really let loose until the end on "Train Kept a Rollin'" but it was still worth the wait. Coulda been a little lack of return energy perhaps from the crowd. Large in size, small on noise and feedback (unless you wanna count the Patriots cheerleaders). It's still a good watch and hopefully is just a warm up for the upcoming tour/media blitz. You can also catch some tunes from the CD on NOTIMEWARP RADIO...

                                                                (photo by Matt Stone)

Royal thoughts...

With the anniversary of Elvis Presley's passing this week, it made me do a little thinking back on the ol' King. If you grew up while he was still alive, it was impossible not to know who he was and for him to influence you in some kinda way. I never considered myself a big fan over the years, maybe nodding to his Sun Records stuff. But as I looked back, I guess I was more of a fan than I let on (even to myself). At 14, I decided (with a friend who did the same) to take the plunge and get my 6 albums for a penny (naturally, we blew off the rest of the agreement) from the RCA Record Club. 2 of the records I ordered were Elvis records, including a double greatest hits one. Not long after, Elvis passed away. Bummer but, I wasn't in mourning or anything like that. I was too busy trying to get my musical tastes and hipness on track (success at the time ranging from moderate to really? You bought that?). I did however manage to get my hands on a Elvis memorial issue of Country Music magazine from 1977 (which I still have). The Elvis portion of the record collection stopped there however, becoming an early casualty of my discovery of used record stores and the concept of the trade in (my Metal records of the time went too). Many years passed which I considered Elvis unhip for my tastes, even though respect for his place in history remained. I eventually found myself softening on the subject a bit later in life. How could you deny the stuff he did on Sun Records? Even just the guitar playing of Scotty Moore? When alla the musicians you really admire are pointing to Elvis and his music (and not just the mere image and rebellion factor), it's kinda hard to dismiss him. So, while not everything he did captures my tastes still, there's much more finding it's way into my collection than there use to. Cruising through the Elvis display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they had a screen up that played 'Elvis On Tour' from 1972. We caught part of it the first day and I was flat out mesmerized by this clip of Elvis backstage running through this song with his back up singers;



Two days later, we came back and sat on a hard metal bench for 90 minutes and watched the whole film. Treats like the above clip and seeing James Burton on stage made it worth the back pain...

Sir, please stop bowing in front of the guitar...

The lower level at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is truly worth the trip to Cleveland all by itself. One guide told me it takes about 2 days to see everything that the floor has to offer. We did it in one, albeit in about 7 hours. After coming out of the theater, you are greeted by the first of many listening stations located throughout the museum. These feature info and a sampling of songs by many of the artists featured in the film. Turn the corner and now the real ride begins. In what was the first of many religious experiences for me, another circular display of guitars awaited. But these weren't just any guitars... a 1937 12 string played by Leadbelly, Howlin' Wolf's 1952 Kay K-161, John Lee Hooker's 1965 ES-335, and... Muddy Waters' 1958 red Telecaster! The chills... I spent a while studying the guitar, thinking of all the great songs and sounds that came outta this guitar, not to mention the great man who owned and played it... Here's a sample from 1979;



The rest of the room wasn't messin' around either. The exhibit is divided into individual cases, each devoted to one of rock and roll’s roots: Gospel, Blues, Country/Folk/Bluegrass and R&B. Each section includes a variety of cool stuff and brief bios of many of the artists. Guitars, stage clothes, recording contracts, royalty statements, programs, posters... Well, that's through out the museum. But the people who laid it down for the future rockers are well represented. Leadbelly's white hat, one of the two original photos of Robert Johnson (!), more guitars from Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker, Lightning Hopkins, Pop Staples... even Howlin' Wolf's money case! Yeah, everybody say amen!

This ain't no foolin' around...

Welcome back to the next installment of my trip to the Rock and Roll temple that is the Hall of Fame museum. From the lobby, you go down the escalator to the lower level. This is where the largest collection of items that you're allowed to photograph is assembled. Unless noted (usually for song lyrics or pictures), everything you see is the real deal. Down here is Billy Gibbons' Eliminator car (with a request you take pics for personal use only, no posting or sharing), next to Joan Jett's Jaguar. Next to that is the drum kit Alex Van Halen used on Van Halen's 1980 Invasion tour (which I got to see). Kinda amazing he only used it for the one tour and here I am seeing it in person for the 2nd time in 32 years.

There were also circular displays of various guitars, including a Bobby Womack ESP Acoustic from 1975, Sting's Spector NS-2 bass from 1983, a Rick Danko bass from 1995 and this 2000 Strat that belonged to Link Wray;

From there, you finally went into the museum portion. The first of many films you can watch is your first option, this one called "Mystery Train". It's an excellent 12 minute piece that takes you back to the early 1900's, showing clips from Country, Gospel, and Blues players as well as just regular folk, singing songs of the time. During the course of the film, it slowly brings alla these influences together, giving you an excellent set up of how it all came together to become rock and roll.

As much as I hate to keep breaking this into short, seemingly never ending little bits, I'm gonna save the next portion for next time as this was when I truly started to get the chills and being moved by what I was seeing. See ya next time...

What's that funny looking building over there?

Day 2 of our trip was day one of our visits to the RRHOF. We walked from the hotel, down 9th Street (decorated with even more guitars) until we reached the federal building and our first glimpse of the museum. Nestled next to Lake Erie, the humidity rises quite nicely as does the heat for some reason. It also sits next to a science center and Browns Stadium, with a great view of downtown now behind us. Walking into the building, the excitement and spirit of Rock and Roll begins to really hit you. To the right, is the massive gift shop, fulla shirts, hats, novelties, books, and MUSIC. All genres are mixed together, with the inductees split off into a section of their own. To the left, is yet more of these large guitars, including this one;

Also adorning the joint, is quite a few remnants from U2's ZOOTV tour, possibly to compliment the U23D movie (which we saw twice);

Next, we headed off to the membership booth, where we met one of 2 Meagans we would have the pleasure of talking to for the week. A Duet (for 2 entries) membership was in order, since we'd be there for six days and $44 for six days would be insane for entry.

Tune back in tomorrow for the next installment, the MASSIVE lower level and the few remaining pictures I was allowed to take of the museum. And also don't forget to tune into NOTIMEWARP RADIO for great music that brings some ear vibes to alla these pics and words you see here!

Still groovin'...

Go East, Music Man...

Finally a chance to settle in and talk about my trip the the Temple that is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The museum was a center piece of a revitalization of Cleveland and quite a successful one at that. The city has totally backed the museum, as is evident as soon as you get offa the plane. Before you leave the terminal, you're great by one of MANY large guitars that are painted by a wide variety of artists. Following that, is about 20 or so reproductions of concert posters. Very difficult to try and look at while you hafta go chase down your bag...

We stayed downtown, nearby the museum. Everywhere you went, you were surrounded by these giant guitars. I confess to not doing too much reading of the plaques accompanying the guitars. It was really enough just getting your pictures and heading to the museum. I'll post some more of those pics and some of the pics I got outside and just inside of the museum next post, which won't be too far off into the future...

Still groovin'...

Old school it is...

Remember what I was saying about photo policies at concerts being more relaxed these days? Well, someone forgot to mention that to the peeps at Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler AZ. After asking several of the wrong people the photography policy, I was finally told NO CAMERAS WHATSOEVER. The ticket also throws in "no sound recording devices" for good measure. Los Lobos is a very fan friendly band. They're cool with pics, let people set up recording equipment (ala Grateful Dead, Black Crowes), and they even come out to sign autographs and take pictures after the show. So, I was more than a bit bummed having come out with 2 cameras to find out no pictures. If you get clearance ahead of time, you can get a pass (not sure the particulars or restrictions). I go to my seat and a few minutes later, this guy sits next to me with a camera, with a zoom lens no less! He had talked his way by the people at the front and had his camera and no special pass. He took pics for the first coupla few songs before security came over and told him to knock it off. Meanwhile, others were taking pics here and there with phone and hand held cameras. Security did talk to some of those people but not all. I still wasn't gonna push anything. I didn't buy a ticket to get hassled or thrown out over some pics. Music first! By the time they hit the encore though, I thought it was time to sneak some in. Not having time to properly set my camera settings, the pics were pretty underwhelming. Nothing was tightly focused and some were even blown out in the bright spots. This was the best I could salvage from the show and it leaves a bit to be desired (yes, I was sitting that close);

It's a shame, having the opportunity to take some great stage shots with only one row of people in front of me but, what the hell. The main point, as mentioned earlier, was the show, and it was GREAT! I've never walked away disappointed from a Los Lobos show and this night was no exception. They came out with a coupla semi acoustic numbers and then just rolled the rest of the evening. They were joined onstage for a few numbers by Marcos Reyes from War.

I did end up hanging out to talk to the band and get autographs after the show. It was here I got the best photo of the night:

Still groovin'...

Up on the wall...

A quick little post as I anxiously await seeing Los Lobos perform tonight, for what I believe will be the 6th time, tying them for the most times I've seen any band. Picture taking policies have changed a bunch since my first concert 34 years ago. Now, it's just a matter of what kinda camera I'll be able to bring in to the show.

Speaking of picture taking, I'd say I have about 97% of my posters and music shirts photographed now. There's still some posters in a large box with my memorabilia goodies and some stuffed in record sleeves I had forgotten about. I know of a few shirts I didn't see while photographing the bulk a few weeks back so I suspect there's another bag or box floating around somewheres... Next week is when I REALLY hope to have everything photographed and posted and ready to be offered up for display in exhibitions or museums. I still don't have a lotta leads on where to do this but I need to finish the picture taking and cataloging first. Next week's the goal 'cause the following week will take me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for maximum education, research, and enlightenment, as well as some good ol' entertainment. If all goes well, I may have some leads on how and where to display my goods. So, that's what's happening here. Next up should be some Los Lobos pics. If not, talk to y'all next month!

Back to the old days (sorta)...

After a long, long wait, ZZ Top has finally released some brand new material. The four song EP 'Texicali' was released on itunes today as a sampler to the still un-named full CD release later this year. The buzz around 'Texicali' (as most ZZ Top releases going back to 1989) is that they've gone back to "the ol' ZZ Top 'Tres Hombres' sound". Really, that's never been the case. Now, I don't mean that in a negative way whatsoever. I've been a huge fan for a long time and enjoyed alla their releases. I find it funny how the fans continue to clamour for the old sound and the band keeps saying "here it is". These guys are far too hip to go alla the way back to a sound from 40 years ago. Critics and fans alike have been really missing the boat though, on what the band's been doing since the synth-boogie days of the late 80's. Each release has been more stripped down than it's predecessor, while still staying on toppa what's going on in modern technology. 'Rhythmeen' and 'XXX' were blues-rock masterpieces that nobody really bothered to notice. 'Mescalero' seemed like the band finally said 'screw it' and just went with what they felt like. The four songs on 'Texicali' take us back to the good ol' days of 'Rhythmeen' and 'XXX' in style and sound somewhat too. The mix sounds a little bit more straight ahead (a Rick Rubin trademark) without too much else thrown in. "I Gotsta Get Paid" seems to have a little more originality to it than the others, stretching out a bit more than they have in a while. "Over You" does kinda go back to the early ZZ Top style, reminding me of one of my favorites "Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell". While I don't think "Over You" quite hits that high of a mark, it's still nice to be taken back to that era. This song does have a bit o' strings/synth flavor tucked discreetly in the background. Does 'Texicali' for tell of a great CD to come? Dunno... hard to say. If the other tracks continue in that late 90's vein and the band stretches out on a good 5 or 6 or 7 minute track or two, throw in some serious blues... yeah, we could have something here. I'm just glad to have them back...

http://www.notimewarp.com/

Take it to da Hall...

In my continuing quest to avoid returning to life in a box, I continue to photograph my various memorabilia in hopes to put it on display out there somewhere. I have planned a trip to the one and only Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The idea is to examine what's on display and how it's displayed (ie. casing, framing, etc.). I've got so many cool little items and think it would be beneficial to see how the pros do it. With a no photograph policy at the hall, I will be reduced to Rock and Roll nerd status, pen and notebook in hand. I dunno... maybe I can take a hand held cassette recorder and take verbal notes, looking like the ultra-hip retro music reporter. I'll be out there a week so I can also enjoy the museum as well and not make it an entire research mission. I'll post more here and there as the trip nears, with a report on return as well. I have yet to see the 2012 induction, despite HBO's best efforts for viewing opportunities. It's on the DVR, awaiting viewing and editing. It'll be surreal watching the Beastie Boys induction, with the passing of Adam Yauch. Admittedly, I've really only been a BB fan within the last handful of years. I've had a CD or 2 for a while but those eventually led to me exploring more and more. It's been tough lately with alla these passings. Losing Duck Dunn really hurts too. More to come...

WHO WENT TO CHURCH THIS SUNDAY

WHO WENT TO CHURCH THIS SUNDAY, a photo by NOTIMEWARP MUSIC on Flickr.

Cool to see this entire concert released by Stones archives. Statute of limitations allows me to tell the story of this acquisition;

It was, I think, 1981, and I was a a street fair. Me and a friend went into this used book and record store to look around. Quite naturally, I started with the Stones section. I came across this record and saw in the bottom right corner "watch for part two: 'Charlie Watts and His Fabulous Rolling Stones' ". I had read in a Stones book about this other bootleg and was more interested in that one for the song selection. So, I took the record up to the counter and asked if they had this other record. The clerk told me no and went to help another customer. Alright, cool. Suddenly, in a very uncharacteristic moment, I looked at the clerk, then the door of the shop, back to the clerk, and then whispered to my friend if I should walk out with the record! Now, I've never been the criminal type. Always way too afraid of getting caught and a really terrible liar to boot. But, for whatever reason, I wanted to take this record home free of charge. And, ya know, what the hell, right? Bootlegs are stolen from the artist so if I steal the record, the bootlegger doesn't make anything either. Didn't really think about the fact that the store probably paid for it but, they shouldn't be selling it either, right? I mean, as a fan, I'm kinda glad they do because then you have something only a select number of people have. And it's not like I'm gonna reproduce it for profit. So, out the door I went. After the initial rush subsided, I thought "Well, hell... if I woulda known I was gonna get away with that, I shoulda grabbed the double San Fransisco Stones bootleg instead!"

The concert itself was pretty great. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is just unreal on this record and the version of "Wild Horses" is really unique itself. Check out the Stones Archive site and download the concert or one of the others they have. Great stuff from the Stones!