Showing posts with label Paul Simon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Simon. Show all posts
June 21, 2021
March 25, 2020
On TV 20: Corona Virus ~ #songsofcomfort
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YouTube links:
Around the World ~
Community spirit in coronavirus quarantine: rooftop aerobics
Italy ~ Bella Ciao ~ balcony & garden performance
Bella Ciao ~ balcony sax performance
Firenze, tutta la strada balla sul balcone sulle note del dj
Florence, Italy ~ old man singing Opera from his balcony
Italians Making Music on Balconies Under virus Quarantine
Quarantined Italians Sing Together from Balconies
Spain ~
Barcelona, Spain playing My Heart Will Go On
Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸 covers IMAGINE
Turkey ~
Turkish people sing songs about the coronavirus
UK ~
Quarantined family get a musical performance - BBC London
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, March 25, 2020
screen shot by Styrous®
Around the World ~
Community spirit in coronavirus quarantine: rooftop aerobics
Italy ~ Bella Ciao ~ balcony & garden performance
Bella Ciao ~ balcony sax performance
Firenze, tutta la strada balla sul balcone sulle note del dj
Florence, Italy ~ old man singing Opera from his balcony
Italians Making Music on Balconies Under virus Quarantine
Spain ~
Barcelona, Spain playing My Heart Will Go On
Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸 covers IMAGINE
Turkey ~
Turkish people sing songs about the coronavirus
UK ~
Quarantined family get a musical performance - BBC London
#songsofcomfort
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, March 25, 2020
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February 1, 2020
Paul Simon articles/mentions
Simon & Garfunkel -
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Sounds of Silence
Paul Simon at the Greek Theater
mentions:
Corona Virus ~ #songsofcomfort
USA For Africa ~ We Are The World
Paul Simon - October 20, 2011
Hearst Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
photo by Styrous®
February 18, 2018
August 29, 2017
45 RPMs 19: Leila And The Snakes, Obiko & Kaisik Wong
45 RPM record jacket
cover photo by Eddie Troia
photo of record jacket by Styrous®
Déjà vu has raised it's ubiquitous head and life is coming around full circle for me again. Since the 50's I've always recorded a record I liked on tape so I wouldn't wear out the record. This was the case with this 45 by Leila And The Snakes. I have listened to both songs on it, Rock and Roll Weirdos and Pyramid Power, for decades but did not look at the record jacket after I bought it until I decided to write about it for this blog entry.
As I was reading the cover to gather information, I discovered Lisa Jear did the makeup for the photo on the cover! So what? Jear was the makeup artist for some of the Sandra Sakata (link below) fashion shows for Obiko (link below) I produced from 1980 to 1997 . . .
45 RPM record jacket detail
cover photo by Eddie Troia
detail photo of record jacket by Styrous®
. . . as well as modeling the designs of Kaisik Wong (link below) who was instrumental in getting me the position to produce those shows.
Lisa Jear
Kaisik coat and collar
photo by Kaisik Wong
Jear also did the makeup for Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, a 1985 film directed by Wayne Wang and starring Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor Wong, Ida F.O Chung, Cora Miao, Amy Hill, and Joan Chen.
WOW!
45 RPM record jacket back
photos by Eddie Troia
photo of record jacket by Styrous®
Leila And The Snakes was an American rock group based out of San Francisco in the 1970s and 1980s. The lead singer of the group was Jane Dornacker, who went under the name of Leila. Dornacker had previously toured with the group The Tubes.
Other members of the group were Pamela Wood on the bass and Scott Free
on drums. Wood and Free were later replaced by the brothers Hilary and
John Hanes (Stench). Also featured was guitarist Miles Corbin, who went
on to form the surf instrumental band the Aqua Velvets. The sons of Wood now play in the group, Major Powers & The Lo-Fi Symphony (link below).
Also appearing on the two-song 45 RPM referenced below (which was referred to as "The Album" during subsequent live sets) was Pearl E. Gates. She went on to front Pearl Harbor and the Explosions, marry Paul Simonon of The Clash, and sing backup on Sandinista!. Pearl was featured prominently in the Leila live act. Eventually she resigned from the band.
Dornacker, who had run for Homecoming Queen at San Francisco State as a 6-foot freshman, eventually became a prominent radio
personality in San Francisco. She also played Nurse Murch in the 1983
motion picture "The Right Stuff". In 1985 she migrated to New York, in
order to make it big in show business. In 1986, she died when the
traffic helicopter she was reporting from crashed into the Hudson River
in New York City.
biography insert
photo by Styrous®
Leila And The Snakes released the 45 RPM recording in the late 1970s. It was
produced by Roger Clark of Little Roger & the Goosebumps and
arranged by Dick Bright. Side A features Rock and Roll Weirdos,
copyright Lucky Pork Music, written by Dornacker. Side B features Pyramid Power, copyright Lucky Pork Music, written by Dornacker/Clark.
The band also recorded an album produced by Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers. No final mix was done, however, and it went unreleased.
biography insert detail
detail photo by Styrous®
biography insert detail
detail photo by Styrous®
biography insert detail
detail photo by Styrous®
biography insert detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Leila And The Snakes ~ Rock and Roll Weirdos
45 RPM record, side 1
photo by Styrous®
Leila And The Snakes ~ Pyramid Power
45 RPM record, side 2
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A - Rock And Roll Weirdos, written by Jane Dornacker
Side 2:
B - Pyramid Power, written by Dornacker*, R. Clark*
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Beggs/AZ
Mixed At – Beggs/AZ
Credits:
- Acoustic Bass – Curly Keranen* (tracks: B)
- Arranged By – Dick Bright, Roger Clark (3)
- Backing Vocals – Dick Bright (tracks: B), Little Roger (tracks: B), Pamela Wood (2), Pearl Gates*, Robert Vickers (tracks: B), Scott Free (8) (tracks: B)
- Bass – Pamela Wood (2)
- Drums – Scott Free (8)
- Engineer – Jenny Mosiev, Richard Beggs
- Guitar – T.V. Dunbar*
- Organ – Jane Dornacker (tracks: A), T.V. Dunbar* (tracks: B)
- Piano – Jane Dornacker
- Producer – Dick Bright, Roger Clark (3)
- Violin – Dick Bright (tracks: B)
- Vocals – Jane Dornacker
Notes:
Includes biography insert
Leila And The Snakes – Rock & Roll Weirdos
Label: ASP Records (2) – A0001
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave
Label: ASP Records (2) – A0001
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave
Viewfinder links:
YouTube links:
Leila & The Snakes -
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, August 29, 2017
August 20, 2017
King Crimson articles/mentions
Discipline
In the Court of the Crimson King
King Crimson & "Boz" Burrell ~ Earthbound
King Crimson ~ Discipline
vinyl LP cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
mentions:
Alice Cooper ~ Killer
Captain Beyond ~ Sufficiently Breathless
Peter Gabriel ~ Deutsches Album
February 26, 2016
The Hearst Greek Theater performances
The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, known in the San Francisco Bay Area simply as the Greek Theatre, is an 8,500-seat amphitheater owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, USA. It officially opened on September 24, 1903 with a student production of The Birds by Aristophanes.
The Hearst Greek Theater was built on the site of a rough outdoor bowl already in use as an amphitheater since 1894 known as "Ben Weed's Amphitheater". The project was championed by University of California president Benjamin Ide Wheeler and was the first University building designed by John Galen Howard. Its construction was financed by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, after whom it was named. The design of the theater is based directly on the ancient Greek theater of Epidaurus.
The Hearst Greek Theater was built on the site of a rough outdoor bowl already in use as an amphitheater since 1894 known as "Ben Weed's Amphitheater". The project was championed by University of California president Benjamin Ide Wheeler and was the first University building designed by John Galen Howard. Its construction was financed by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, after whom it was named. The design of the theater is based directly on the ancient Greek theater of Epidaurus.
photo by Sanfranman59
The Greek Theatre hosts The Berkeley Jazz Festival, pop, rock, and world music concerts, UC Berkeley graduation ceremonies, occasional addresses by noted speakers, and other events. Past speakers have been William Randolph Hearst (of course), President Theodore Roosevelt and the Dalai Lama.
The Greek is my very favorite venue for concerts and performances. The acoustics of the theater are astounding! As there are no walls to bounce the sound around and make it reverberate with extraneous echoes, it is pristine. The down sides of the venue is that it is constructed completely of concrete, including the seating. Oy vey! It is of prime importance that a cushion of some kind MUST be brought along to comfortably enjoy the performance. And on a warm autumn night it is absolutely gorgeous; on a not-so-warm night it is absolutely freezing!
My first experience with the Greek was a performance of Aida by Verdi. It was in 1958, a terrific year for me (link below), just after the theater had been remodeled. The production was stunning as it featured a VERY young Leontyne Price. She was just starting out on her career; she was young and gorgeous with the voice of an angel combined with that of a valkyrie. She was the ultimate Aida which no one could possibly replace. The production also featured real, live elephants during the Triumphal March; it was quite a spectacle!
Since 1958 I have had the great fortune to have seen many performers/performances there: Paul Simon (link below), Talking Heads, King Crimson (link below), Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, B-52s, Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond and the list goes on and on.
The Greek is my very favorite venue for concerts and performances. The acoustics of the theater are astounding! As there are no walls to bounce the sound around and make it reverberate with extraneous echoes, it is pristine. The down sides of the venue is that it is constructed completely of concrete, including the seating. Oy vey! It is of prime importance that a cushion of some kind MUST be brought along to comfortably enjoy the performance. And on a warm autumn night it is absolutely gorgeous; on a not-so-warm night it is absolutely freezing!
My first experience with the Greek was a performance of Aida by Verdi. It was in 1958, a terrific year for me (link below), just after the theater had been remodeled. The production was stunning as it featured a VERY young Leontyne Price. She was just starting out on her career; she was young and gorgeous with the voice of an angel combined with that of a valkyrie. She was the ultimate Aida which no one could possibly replace. The production also featured real, live elephants during the Triumphal March; it was quite a spectacle!
Leontyne Price ca 1958
photographer unknown
Since 1958 I have had the great fortune to have seen many performers/performances there: Paul Simon (link below), Talking Heads, King Crimson (link below), Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, B-52s, Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond and the list goes on and on.
I can hardly wait for the next event!
William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre
2001 Gayley Rd
Net links:
Greek Theater website
Harry Belafonte ~ At the Greek Theater
Van Cliburn & Sputnik ~ 1958
Neil Diamond ~ Love at the Greek
Leontyne Price ~ A Christmas Offering
Paul Simon at the Greek Theater
Styrous® ~ Friday, February 26, 2016
October 26, 2013
101 Reel-To-Reel Tapes 13: Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
album cover detail
cover photo by Guy Webster
detail photo by Styrous®
In addition to my vinyl collection I'm selling, I have hundreds of
reel-to-reel, pre-recorded tapes I'm selling. This is an entry about one of them that was for sale on eBay (see link below for others). I have the vinyl LP version as
well. Interested? Contact me by email, please, not by a comment.
reel-to-reel box cover front
cover photo by Guy Webster
photo of box by Styrous®
I remember I was in my mid 20's when I heard the first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., by Simon & Garfunkel. The song I liked the most from that album was, The Sound of Silence. I recall thinking, what an incredible feat to relate such an intensely emotional appraisal of the state of our world at that time, yet still remain quietly beautiful. I was even more delighted by their follow up album, Sounds of Silence, because the title song had been reworked. It was done without the knowledge or consent by neither Simon nor Garfunkel. They had broken up as a duo. When the two found the song was a top 40 hit, they reunited to go on to record three more albums after Silence before breaking up again. Although the new version sounded better than the acoustic version, I still liked the quiet declaration of the acoustic one. Near the bottom of this post there are links to the two versions on
YouTube so you can hear them for yourself, if you'd like.
reel-to-reel box cover back
photo by Styrous®
reel-to-reel box cover back detail
detail photo by Styrous®
reel-to-reel
photo by Styrous®
reel-to-reel label detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
All songs written and composed by Paul Simon except where noted.
Side one
1. The Sound of Silence – 3:08
Recorded: March 10, 1964 and June 15, 1965
2. Leaves That Are Green – 2:23
Recorded: December 13, 1965
3. Blessed – 3:16
Recorded: December 21, 1965
4. Kathy's Song – 3:21
Recorded: December 21, 1965
5. Somewhere They Can't Find Me – 2:37
Recorded: April 5, 1965
6. Anji (Davey Graham) – 2:17
Recorded: December 13, 1965
Side two
1. Richard Cory – 2:57
Recorded: December 14, 1965
2. A Most Peculiar Man – 2:34
Recorded: December 22, 1965
3. April Come She Will – 1:51
Recorded: December 21, 1965
4. We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin' – 2:00
Recorded: April 5, 1965
5. I Am a Rock – 2:50
Recorded: December 14, 1965
Personnel:
Paul Simon: lead vocals, guitar
Art Garfunkel: lead vocals
Fred Carter, Jr.: guitar
Larry Knechtel: keyboards
Joe South: guitar
Hal Blaine: drums
Sounds of Silence was recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, California. It was released in January 1966. The album was produced by Bob Johnston.
Music links:
The Sound of Silence (1964 original version) on YouTube
The Sound of Silence (1966 version) on YouTube
Simon & Garfunkel discography
reel-to-reel listings on eBay
All songs written and composed by Paul Simon except where noted.
Side one
1. The Sound of Silence – 3:08
Recorded: March 10, 1964 and June 15, 1965
2. Leaves That Are Green – 2:23
Recorded: December 13, 1965
3. Blessed – 3:16
Recorded: December 21, 1965
4. Kathy's Song – 3:21
Recorded: December 21, 1965
5. Somewhere They Can't Find Me – 2:37
Recorded: April 5, 1965
6. Anji (Davey Graham) – 2:17
Recorded: December 13, 1965
Side two
1. Richard Cory – 2:57
Recorded: December 14, 1965
2. A Most Peculiar Man – 2:34
Recorded: December 22, 1965
3. April Come She Will – 1:51
Recorded: December 21, 1965
4. We've Got a Groovy Thing Goin' – 2:00
Recorded: April 5, 1965
5. I Am a Rock – 2:50
Recorded: December 14, 1965
Personnel:
Paul Simon: lead vocals, guitar
Art Garfunkel: lead vocals
Fred Carter, Jr.: guitar
Larry Knechtel: keyboards
Joe South: guitar
Hal Blaine: drums
Sounds of Silence was recorded in December 1965 at CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, California. It was released in January 1966. The album was produced by Bob Johnston.
Music links:
The Sound of Silence (1964 original version) on YouTube
The Sound of Silence (1966 version) on YouTube
Simon & Garfunkel discography
reel-to-reel listings on eBay
more reel-to-reel tapes on the Styrous® Viewfinder:
reel-to-reel tape archive
reel-to-reel tape archive
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