Saw Diana Ross do an show and she was amazing. Squeeze are top musicians. James are totally original and supurb live. The clash in there early years were rough but full of energy. I like all music but I do like original singer songwriters. Gordon Lightroom was good. Saw Ian mculloch, singer with echo and the bunnymen, do a solo acoustic set in a tiny York club last year. Brilliant

Can't split my two fave gigs, Primal Scream (made my ears ring for a week) and The Deadweather, both at The Academy. I've been to see Kasabian a few times and always been impressed, but when they played The Academy it was something else. For me it's the best venue in Leeds.

No please don't, you will be scarred for life and will think I'm a right geek for life too.

To get the proper effect you should take a laptop and projector into a sauna but be fully clothed and have a cagoule on too (I bet you don't know what a cagoule is do you), then search YouTube for a live performance of Darts, even a TOTP one will do, and invite one hundred of your mates to cram into the sauna with you while you play the video, they'd have to be very good mates and better still female because some of them will have to snog you while your bouncing up and down to the music and wishing you'd taken your bloody cagoule off first.

You youngsters don't know you're born with your poncy arena's and stadium gigs - you should try cramming millions of you into a university dining hall that has no acoustic qualities whatsoever but which is at least better than cramming millions of you into an old tram shed thats freezing cold and with all the acoustic qualities of a very echoey thing with the echo knob turned up to full.

"Dart Attack" hides somewhere in my cupboard under the stairs.

Duke of Earl is a classic.

A-hem...

*Wheels out his Las Vegas story*

I stayed at The Flamingo Las Vegas in Feb 1974 and right opposite at Ceasers Palace a show featuring Diana Ross except that no-one wanted to see her then because she'd split with The Supremes and had not yet reached the Disco Queen phase of her career.

Appearing at The Flamingo was Mama Cass who was another has-been and just a few months away from her appointment with a stuck-in-the-throat ham sandwich.

But best of all was Elvis at The International - anyone could walk in off the streets to watch him but hardly anyone did, my dad and my uncle did just that and walked out after a few songs because my dad had seen at least three other, better Elvis's at East End Park WMC, to sum up his night his review was "He was bloody rubbish"

How did we find ourselves in Vegas in 1973 when the most exotic holiday you could hope for would be a Danair trip to Torremolinos? A trip with Leeds Rugby League Football Club thats how, but thats a completely different story...

Where was that place in Leeds? The big, old warehouse like place bands used to play. I saw the Jam play there twice (Queen's Hall?).

Saw lots of bands in the uni refectory, also ate my dinner there a lot. I went to Leeds Uni. I went back up to Leeds Uni a while back to do some work in one of the medical research departments and at lunchtime went down the Union for a pint. They had turned most of it into a supermarket. I was devestated.

Yep it was the Queens Hallhad been the council tram depot for decades then was sold to someone who had an idea that a big empty warehouse with lots of steel girders and pylons would make an excellent venue for music, obviously someone who had never been to a music venue in his life, it was on the site just behind where some random office block is now opposite the Hilton (or The Draganora as we mature people call it, I knew the manager there, thats ANOTHER story) and the last time I looked it was an NCP wasteland car park.

I totally agree. My point was that the metal musicians from the 80s until now are superior to those from the early rock n roll days. I wasn't comparing guys like Kirk Hammit with SRV (I much prefer SRV to Metallica), I was comparing guys like Kieth Richards, and Jimi Hendrix to guys like Satriani, and Buckethead. Now I prefer listening to Hendrix and the Stones but I know the latter 2 guys are better guitarists. I agree with you jazz and flamenco players are superb.

Out of interest what would you call Tool and RATM?

2 brilliant drummers there. My 2 personal favourites are Danny Carey and Mike Portnoy, my favourite "old school" drummers are Mike Shrieve and Ian Paice

I saw Paul Rodgers in Sheffield a few years back, he's still one of the best singers in the world IMO.

Just realised I've got a track of his in my *cough* "downloaded" collection - a live recording of Ghost of Tom Joad that he did at a Springsteen gig which is a different interpretation from the original

I may have not picked up on what you were saying there, I get it now and I agree with you. Richards was/is (he is still technically alive although many medical tests would probably conclude he was dead) a riff writer and Hendrix's technique has been thought of as "limited", definitely so compared to SRV IMO. If you want to sound like Keith Richards tune your guitar to open G and play pretty much anything, if you want to sound like Satriani, go away and practice 10 hours a day for 10 years and pray you have some talent as well



I have always thought "heavy metal" really applied to a set of bands and a period in time - particularly in Britain. But I guess what else can you call Metallica or Anthrax etc?
RATM had a lot of funk influence, the rhythm was the thing and HM was never about social comment. I know Tom Morello was also influenced by the likes of Andy Gill, the "non-solo solo" , angular and jagged guitar percussion with the added whammy pedal. Tool are just different, I don't have much of their stuff and most of Maynard's stuff I own is in A Perfect Circle, but Tool are as far away from Judas Priest (definitely HM) as Mozart for me.

Funny you mentioned Ian "pacy" Paice, I was watching a documentary the other night about the Deep Purple line up he was part of.

Ry Cooder is a better & more interesting guitarist than any of the heavy metal brigade.

Personal guitar favourites ?

Fairly predictable

Eric Clapton
Bruce Springsteen
Joe Walsh


Predictable, but you get to be predictable by having a loooo-ooong career, and a successful one, and by complete coincidence I first became aware of each of those three around 1973-ish. yes I was a late starter with Clapton.

Mine are

Carlos Santana
Bill Nelson
Mark Knopfler

All brilliant guitarists but I am probably largely influenced by nostalgia. For the same reason I would probably state Thin Lizzy were my favourite band of all time if it came to the push. The impact they had on me in the old tram shed will live with me forever as one of my strongest memories ( better even than Carl Gibson's try in the Yorkshire Cup Final against Cas ).

One of my biggest regrets is never getting the chance to see Be Bop Deluxe play live.

Duane Allman is the best rock/soul guitarist imo. So good Clapton brought him in to play the tricky bits on Layla. Would also mention Neil Young, Carlos Santana, Dickey Betts, Peter Green.

Of more contemporary guitarists I rate Jack White. There's a very funny video on youtube with White, Jimmy Page and The Edge talking about and playing guitars. The Edge is so far out of his depth it's ridiculous.

If you're into jazz guitarists, George Benson was a *mindblowing* player, before he turned into a MOR soul-lite singer. Others to listen to are Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and the West Riding's own John McLaughlin.

Of the more modern breed I too like Jack White. His solo album is brilliant, but I also have all of the White Stripes and Raconteurs albums ( plus the Dead Weather one )...

Jack White is working with Neil Young on a new album together...should be sublime and a must buy

Finally something I can agree with you about!

nantwichexile wrote:...

Jack White is working with Neil Young on a new album together...should be sublime and a must buy

Printer wrote:
Finally something I can agree with you about!

Me too plus the previous post about Wakefield's finest.
A word too for Gary Moore & the unique sound of Mark Knopfler.

This is too much guys



I love Gary Moore too ...and it was between him and Mark Knopfler for my third of three best choices. I leaned towards Knopfler for his 'sound' as you say and that nostalgic memory element of hearing Sultans of Swing for the very first time ( in 79? ) ..
Music at its best is best for evoking wonderful memories of the time we rushed out to buy black discs as soon as we were able to. No instant gratification of a download ...the time of anticipation of being able to place your hands on the physical medium was always part of the thrill. Those were the days.

Knofler. Or Knophler whatever it is

That is such a cool name. Eddy Knophler. Actually sounds abit gay on second thoughts.

Nobby Knopfler, now THAT would be a name to get on in the world with.

Selling second hand cars, "HI, Nobby Knopfler's the name, this Corsa is a beaut, only done 56,000 miles..."

Financial Advisor, "Good Morning, Nobby M. Knopfler here, I'd really like you in on the ground floor of this investment today..."

Prime Minister, "I, Nobby Mephistopheles Knopfler do swear my allegiance to The Crown..."

That's from the documentary 'It might get loud' I was surprised when I saw Jack White was chosen to be in it, then within 5 minutes if the start he proved me wrong. He pished all over both of them IMO. Incidentally, I'm always amazed by how well regarded Jimmy Page is. Every time I watch him perform I'm always struck by how sloppy he I, and I think he over plays. Richie Blackmore is best guitarist from that 'scene' IMO. I agree with you about Allman. Another whom left us far too soon.

One person that hasn't been mentioned.... Rory Gallagher

Speaking of Keith Richards. Check out a video with him in the studio with Chuck Berry from the 80s. It's like watching Iain Kirke, and Shane Webcke talking to each other about the finer points of prop forward play. Chuck Berry seems a bit of lunatic too


I guess some would say Tool were a little prog, but then again they're nothing like Yes, or King Crimson.

Hahaha. It is a great name for a financial advisor you're right.

I once knew a fella called Martin Hallowfinch. Always thought that is a lawyers name if ever I heard of one.