Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Charly,

You obviously have studied your subject and are able to speak to the historic details in a very informed manner.

I don't foresee you having to duck from any comments that I might make following a post of yours on the forum.

Well, we can go even further back... According to the popular theory (and i don't know any better), all music developed from tribal dances or/and shamans' chants. People of yesteryears, on having killed a mammoth, gathered around the camp fire, and, waiting for the poor animal to get "al dente", were chanting and celebrating their luck, jumping around and screaming to the world how lucky they were. Going ecstatic, in other words. Or a shaman, high on "special" mushrooms, was praying to the gods, or "auguring", or calling for the rain to come at the will of a relevant god, in that ecstatic, or "changed", state of mind (hmm. Does that make psychedelia one of the oldest genres of music?). So (imho), music/chanting, from its very beginning, was all about going ecstatic, letting out emotions and feelings, and if we take into account the belief that shaman's songs may cause the rain to fall, hope as well. Just a point of view, nothing more.

Charley, who are some gospel blues artists? Surely we're not talking about Mahalia Jackson and the like.

Larry Howard, Darrel Mansfield, Glenn Kaiser, and Mark Farner from Grand Funk has dabbled, to name a few. Check out Mark Farner's Judgement Day Blues for a taste. It is PURE Grand Funk!

If that wasn't clear, Mark is the only GF member.

Charly,

GF was a great band. You brought back some memories for me with your comments about Mark Farner.

Among many other great tunes, the band I played in for a short time in 1970-71 played a few GF songs. "I'm Your Captain(Closer to Home)", "I Don't Have To Sing The Blues" and "Mean Mistreater" They were great tunes IMO.

Besides a world class bass player and drummer our band had two lead guitarists and a singer that played rhythm and lead. We were all very competent singers as well. It was a recipe for disaster. Too many quality musicians/singers in one band = too many egos to leave at the door = early break-up. LOL

Based on my own experience I am sure that's a fairly common event when well seasoned professional musicians come together, albeit with good intentions, with serious intent to succeed.

A few years back I jammed with a guy Dennis, in Flint Michigan who had done some studio work with Mark Farner on a solo album. I can't remember the guy's last name but he was one groovin' cat! I wonder if it was the Judgement Day disc he had played on.

Sheena, yeah, tribal song and dance was also the way people of different languages and dialects would tell stories about their village, the hunt, the environment and such. It's kinda like opera. It's all sung in Italian, but everyone still knows exactly whats going on. LOL.

Brian, I play in a band right now that does "Closer to Home!" Great song with lots of good harmony. The crowd never expects it yet, the song goes over very well every time. Grand Funk was a truly great rock band.

My personal GF fave is Inside Looking Out.

Huh. I never looked at the opera that way, Bob. Thanks for the tip.

Charly - GF trivia - our Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra plays outdoors in the parks in the summer - once and in each neighborhood - anyway, for many years they hired out sound reinforcement and it was the GF PA and sound guys. Once Mark came. Weird hearing Beethoven through speakers that had Grand Funk stenciled on!

More trivia - Flint Mich. is only a couple hours away but the only time I saw them live was 2000 miles away in Tempe AZ outdoors at Big Sur Waterpark at sunset. Great concert.

Cool John, Check out the smoking thread in the confluence area. I just bought 3 more cigars(all different) last night. I will be posting my thoughts when I give 'em a smoke.

My go to cigar is a CAO Anniversary. Good tasting smoke without bite or aftertaste and decent price. Howard's Cuban Montecristo #2 was the best smoke I've ever experienced.

+1 on the Cuban Montecristo! When I was in Prague a few years ago I could buy them for $8. woohoo!!!