Love In Vain Cover

Robert Johnson classic as waltzed up by Mick & Keef and regurgitated by Baghead;

[https://soundcloud.com/baghead-kelly/love-in-vain-cover]

Free VST Plugins

I’m always on the lookout for freebies but feel free to donate to

Daniel aka The Interruptor at The Dub Scrolls website here;

http://www.interruptor.ch/vst_overview.shtml

My Life In Show Business

In some peoples lives music is inconsequential. Take my father for instance, he’s tone deaf and so to him music is mostly about the words and the story. As a child I was always amused at him singing in church in his flat baritone. Even my wife, although she likes music she would much rather engross herself in the latest episode of ‘House’ or some such medical drama. For her, music is something you listen to at parties or in the car. I am the opposite of that. Music to me is what I think about the most. It is kind of my default thought pattern. I have lots of other interests but the passion level is not even in the same ball park or is it conservatorium.

If I were a single man I would think that I would be somewhat hermit like, living in some isolated shack. There wouldn’t be a phone and there wouldn’t be a television. There would just be music all of the time….and beer. I would go out into my garage and teach myself to build guitars out of exotic woods and inlay them with mother of pearl that I scavenged off of faraway beaches. I would paint oil portraits of my favorite musicians all the while listening to more music. These paintings would be so brilliant that I could sell them at exorbitant prices to fund my newly imagined lifestyle. Mmmmmm…I digress.

The music industry would seem to be a perfect match for someone with my passion but not so, or at least not in anyway that I’ve been able to ascertain. Apparently the music industry was worth 24 billion dollars in 2008 so you’d think there would be room for someone like me. Or not, you see at my age I’ve come to the realization that one important pre-requisite for such a career is unfortunately a modicum or talent. Something that I’m a little light on. Now I can bang out a tune or two on the old geetar but like my father I’m somewhat tone deaf. Not as bad mind you but tone deaf none the less.

My attempts to crack into show biz over the years have included several forays into the world of busking. One time with my son, in toe and a belly full of bravery I asked a busker if I could jam with him – he wisely and politely declined. In disgust, I set up camp on the other side of the road in direct competition – me singing on the guitar and young Ben doing the ‘robot’.  As we went through the repertoire Benny would keep a running commentary on when the opposition had pulled a quid. My lad fondly remembers we blitzed him on that night and we made enough money to buy his next video game. Unfortunately as it turns out you need a license to busk and it’s illegal to exploit your children but that’s another story.

When your tone deaf it’s a handicap to sing but there are two methods that I use to keep myself on song. The first is the instrument you accompany yourself with – I know that it’s accurate so I try to follow as closely as I can. The other tell-tale sign that you’re off key is the funny looks that your audience gives to each other. I know that look well and when I see it I refer back to method one. Some nights I sing OK and on others I bomb. It doesn’t really matter much to me because I like music and I like to sing. There is something therapeutic about singing, like your releasing all your frustrations with each breath and each note. It’s good for the soul.

Now I’m never going to be rich from my musical endeavors but I’m told that artistic types have to suffer for their art; they have to pay their dues. I must be on track then and I’ll be content with that.

Ultimate Guitar

The Baghead Signature (concept) model

When you were a kid, did you draw cars and motorbikes all over your school books? Or maybe it was ponies or band names. For me it was surfboards and tubes (boy was that a long time ago). Well anyway this big kid drools over guitars nowadays and Fender have come up with a little app just for people like me. Here before you I present my ultimate pin up girl complete with Floyd Rose bridge and 70’s headstock. Ain’t she a beaut? I might call her ‘Blackie’……nah Eric Clapton has already used that one – he’s also got a ‘Brownie’ and Neil Young’s got an ‘Old Black’. Stevie Ray had ‘Number One’ and of course there is ‘Lucille’ (the most famous reindeer guitar of all). So if your feeling a little frivolous then head on over and design your own masterpiece;

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/community/guitarbuilder/

Pick Of The Punch

Why didn't I think of that

A punch (it looks like a stapler), that you can recycle old credit cards and things into picks. Brilliant 🙂

http://www.pickpunch.com/

Free Backing Tracks

Made in Korea and built like a tank

Guitar Center – King Of The Blues is a guitar competition that has downloadable backing tracks which are absolutely killer. If you haven’t heard about it before then do yourself a favour and head over to their website and check them out. “50’s Rock N’ Roll” is my favourite and reminds me of Ron Wood when he was in the Faces. They are all great tracks to fool around with and if you can find it “Stone Blues” from a previous competition is well worth chasing down too.   Try the link below; 😛

 http://gc.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues/tracks/

I Love The Sixties

Quality of music comes and goes and in my opinion contemporary music is in a bit of a rut. I never agree with the Rolling Stones 500 best albums or NME’s polls either for that matter. Who are these industry pundits that choose anyway, aren’t they listening to the same musical masterpeices that I do?  –  Philistines.  –  Here’s a list of my 50 alltime faves for the perusal of these music industry heavyweights.

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced

2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis Bold As Love

4. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

5. The Beatles – Abbey Road

 6. The Beatles – Let It Be

7. The Beatles – Rubber Soul

8. The Beatles – White Album

9. The Beatles – Revolver

10. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (Let it Bleed/Let It Be? Mmmmm!)

11. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

12.The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.

13. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls

14. The Doors – self titled

15. The Doors – Morrison Hotel

16. The Doors – L.A. Woman

17. The Doors – Strange Days

18. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmos Factory

19. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon

20.  Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

21.  Pink Floyd – The Wall

22. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Deja Vu

23. Crosby, Stills & Nash – self titled

24. Neil Young – Harvest

25. Neil Young – On The Beach

26. Neil Young – Hawks & Doves

27. The Easybeats – Easy

28. The Easybeats – Its 2 Easy

29. The Easybeats – Volume 3

30. Cream – Disraeli Gears

31. Led Zeppelin – 1

32. Led Zeppelin – 2

33. Led Zeppelin – 3

34. Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy

35. Led Zeppelin – Sticks album

36. Inside Deep Note – Music of 1970’s Adult Cinema

37. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti

38. Led Zeppelin – In Through The Outdoor

39. Fleetwood Mac – The Pious Bird Of Good Omen

40. Fleetwood Mac – Mr. Wonderful

41. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

42. Janis Joplin – Cheap Thrills

43. Janis Joplin – Pearl

44. Janis Joplin – 18 Essential Songs

45. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – self titled

46. Joe Cocker – Mad Dogs & Englishmen

47. The Kinks – You Really Got Me

48. Georgie Fame – Get away With

49. Jimi Hendrix – First Rays Of The New Rising Sun

50. Jimi Hendrix – South Saturn Delta

I hope you read this Rolling Stone & NME pundits as I have now done the hard yards for you and I expect your next poll to be suitably enlightened.

Fandom

My favourite peaceniks

I consider myself to be a reasonably rational person but as anyone who knows me well, would tell you; that is just a front. Behind the well honed, facade lurks an hysterical fan of sixties pop. I have often pondered why this might be so as it appears to be quite irrational. I was in nappies when most of my idols ruled the airwaves or at least not far from it. In fact many of my idols are dead and yet the allure of the music and the intrigue of the history is for me eternally fresh. Collecting the catalogues of my favourite musicians is a most enjoyable quest which has long since departed from anything that would be considered normal.

 

No doubt I will persevere until I die and then my wife will have to deal with my hoardings and dismantle my shrines. For my family, my behaviour is normal in an eccentric sort of way and although they don’t share my passion they have learn’t to live with it. Indeed I have somehow drawn them into my delusion as every birthday I receive some sort of offering to my sixties world which is housed in  a special room – my inner sanctum.

 

Although I am an orphan in my real life persuits of all things sixties, online I am but one of a great army – many of whom make me look relatively sane. This for me is both vindication of my behaviour and a great source of nourishment for my hobby.

 

One of my obsessions for many years was collecting photos on the net of Jimi Hendrix and then dating them by what he was wearing or by what guitar he was playing. I would then cross reference them with Johnny Black’s most excellent book “Eyewitness Hendrix”.

 

This brings me to my next point; obsession. Admitting that your behaviour is a tad obsessive suggests a mental condition. Well I’m certainly quite mental and probably somewhat compulsive but I function pretty well in the rest of my life, at least in public. I don’t harm anybody and most importantly, I enjoy myself. I guess I’m the kind of guy who dances on the inside – I would like to let out  my inner freak but he’s probably best left in his “special room”.