Lou Reed

As a teenager Lou Reed was subjected to electro-shock therapy to thwart his homosexual behavior:

They put the thing down your throat so you don't swallow your tongue, and they put electrodes on your head. That's what was recommended in Rockland County to discourage homosexual feelings. The effect is that you lose your memory and become a vegetable. You can't read a book because you get to page seventeen and have to go right back to page one again

After moving to New York City in 1963 Reed went to work as a songwriter for Pickwick Records where his employers soon realized his potential and formed a band called The Primitives around him. The band also included John Cale who has done numerous collaborations with Lou over the years.

Reed and Cale went on to form The Velvet Underground, which although never commercially viable, was eventually recognized as perhaps the most influential band in the underground music movement.

Gritty and topical, Reeds lyrics run the gamut from drug addiction to transvestitism – stories of life on the streets of the city.

Here then is a collection of his works with some collaborations with other artists. Heck there’s even a video of Lou as chicken soup plus an interview with Lou from Amsterdam. (Mostly in English)

Website

Wiki

Direct links to the videos:

A Walk on the Wild Side

What’s Good

Waiting for the Man

Satellite of Love

September Song

Romeo Had Juliette

Sunday Morning

Kill Your Sons

Small Town

Modern Dance

Dirty Blvd. – With David Bowie

Hail Hail Rock and Roll – With Garland Jeffreys

Crazy Mary – With Victoria Williams

Pale Blue Eyes – With Pete Townsend

White Light White Heat – With Pete Townsend

Caroline Says II

Perfect Day – With Dr. John

Heroine

See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Style it Takes

Rock and Roll

Beginning of a Great Adventure

New York City Man

Foot of Pride

Martial Law => Legendary Hearts => There She Goes Again – With Robert Quinn

Tell It To Your Heart

Hooky Wooky

Sweet Jane

The Porcupine Interview:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Simon & Garfunkel

Tonight’s offering is one of my favorite duos from the ‘60s and ‘70s. There style of folk and folk rock music first caught my eye in the late ‘50s when they were still calling themselves Tom & Jerry. Sounding much like the Everly Brothers they later transformed to the folk genre and took on the Simon and Garfunkel name.

Their angst filled songs such as “A Most Peculiar Man” and “Richard Corey” appealed to me at the time. A college friend and I would play their songs at the campus coffee house and wherever anyone would listen. Being very tall and with my hair fairly short and frizzy I had the appearance of Art and my shorter friend looked much like Paul.

It worked so well that one night while visiting my friends parents in far northern Wisconsin we had a bunch of teenage girls at the local hangout convinced we were Simon and Garfunkel. We overheard them talking – thinking we were them - so we just played along. We played them a bunch of songs then went home and had a good laugh.

Well enough about me, here they are:

Simon & Garfunkel Website

Simon & Garfunkel Wiki

Direct Links to the individual Videos:

America

Mrs. Robinson

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Sounds of Silence

Old Friends

Scarborough Fair

Homeward Bound

Kodachrome => Maybellene

59th Street Bridge Song

Overs

The Boxer

A Most Peculiar Man

Richard Cory

He Was My Brother

Leaves That Are Green

For Emily

A Poem On The Underground Wall

Kathy’s Song

A Hazy Shade of Winter

My Little Town

A Heart in New York

April Come She Will

American Tune

Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard

Late in the Evening

Wakeup Little Suzie

Slip Slidin’ Away

I Am A Rock

Cloudy

El Condor Pasa

Willie Nelson

Tonight I bring you a modern rebel, one of the outlaw country western idols.

Willie Nelson has long been know for bucking the system. His life has seen him in trouble for tax evasion and marijuana possession yet he perseveres in his messages of peace and kindness.

An activist in the rescuing of America’s wild horses and anti-war spokesman, he also is one of the founders of the Farm Aid project. Over the years he has brought a series of music festivals featuring a large number of artists to raise money to aid struggling family farmers.

Tonight’s opening song is the one which brought Willie to my attention. It was the guitar playing that did it – simply amazing. I swear Willie will be playing that same guitar even after it has fallen to pieces!

Here then is one fine guitar player and his unique cowboy style solo and joined by his many friends.

Willie Nelson Website ...... Willie Wiki

Links to the videos:

Whiskey River, Always On My Mind, Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain, Funny How Time Slips Away, I Never Cared For You, She’s Gone, Bloody Mary Morning, You Don’t Know Me, Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground, On the Road Again, If I Can Find a Clean Shirt, Pancho and Lefty, She Loves My Automobile, A Song For You, Crazy, Seven Spanish Angels, To All the Girls, Forever and For Always, Nightlife, Ring of Fire, Highway Man, Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer), You Win Again, The Harder They Come, Georgia On My Mind, Sweet Memories, Heartbreak Hotel, Gravedigger, Jimmy’s Road, Blue Skies, Amazing Grace

Willie the Activist:

Wild Horses

On Dennis Kucinich

On Biodiesel

More on Biodiesel

Hemp

On His Commitments

9/11 and the Iraq War

Willie Nelson Peace Project - Video

Willie Nelson Peace Project - Website

Peaceful Solution:

There is a peaceful solution. It’s called a peace revolution.
Now let’s take back America.
There’s a war and we’re in it, but I know we can win it.
So let’s take back America.

It’s a dream, so believe it.
Now get ready to receive it.
And let’s take back America.

And when the war is over and we’ve won it
let’s remember how we done it so we don’t have to do it again.

There is a peaceful solution. It’s called a peace revolution.
Now let’s take back America.
There’s a war and we’re in it, but I know we can win it.
Now let’s take back America.

There was a peace resolution
and a peaceful revolution
and the peaceful solution saved America

Thanks Willie!
.

Manfred Mann

Formed originally as the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers by South African keyboard player Manfred Mann, this group arose amongst the British blues explosion. During the early years numerous well known musicians passed through the band.

With several hit singles in 1964 and 65 they began moving away from their blues roots to more of a pop style which also found them success. Their interpretation of Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go, Go Now” raised a controversy and was banned by a number of radio and TV stations

Disbanding the group in 1969, Manfred went on to form Mandfred Mann Chapter III with Mike Hugg recording two albums of experimental jazz rock music. (I was unable to find anything from this era.)

Then in 1971 he formed Manfred Mann’s Earth Band with its jazz influenced progressive rock style, releasing 14 albums over a 19 year period. The songs often included long jam sessions with Manfred on synthesizers dueling it out with his guitarist.

Since the Earth Band dissolved in 1989, Manfred has continued to record music, releasing 7 new albums. On another front, a number of the original Manfred Mann band members reformed in the 90s performing under the name The Manfreds featuring the old hits.

So here then is Manfred Mann followed by the Earth Band in chronological order of performance from 1964 – 1983. (Some volume adjusting will be required.)



Manfred Mann Earth Band

Manfred Mann Wiki

Earth Band Wiki