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IE : Ever since I started cutting classes to write for the college paperback in Indiana , rock journalism was just something I liked doing . And I still don ’ t really think of it as a career . RN : Same as me . My parents were opera singers , and my dad sang with Billy Graham and was on 40 albums on Zondervan or Word records , which was a religious label . And he owned a music store in Rockford . We moved from Elmhurst to Rockford because my uncle — my dad ’ s brother — said , “ You need to do something else besides singing for your supper . There ’ s a music store here in town — do you wanna get involved ?” Because my uncle helped start Muzak , the old wonderful music system . And I used to have to change these huge reels — they were probably three or four feet across , big reel to reel things . So here I was — if I liked a subject or I liked a teacher , and I didn ’ t think I
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Anderson — who went to the same school and ran for president here — and Dr . Timothy Johnson , who was the ABC morning TV doctor — and myself as the three alumni . And I thought , “ What did you get ME here for ? For levity ?” So I spoke to some of the students who were graduating then , gave ‘ em the old pep talk , and at the end , the principal — who I thought was ancient when I went there — he was there ! So he gave a little speech , and I went up to him and said , “ You mentioned everybody except a couple .” And one was the dean of boys ; the other was Bishel . And he said , “ Rick , you were right He was an incompetent , drunken fool who didn ’ t deserve to teach you !” My parents had both passed away , so who could I tell — “ See ? I was right ! I stuck to my guns ; I got in trouble for it , but what I always wanted to do was play music . I didn ’ t know I ’ d be in a rock band at 70 circa years 1977 old But I kept at it . And there were always musicians who were better at what I was trying to do , in a way , but they gave up . I never went to a high school dance or a homecoming or a football game unless I was playing at it . |
trades snarling licks with Wet Willie singer Jimmy Hall ’ s harmonica . “ So it Goes ” is a Lennon & McCartney-esque duet between Nielsen ’ s acoustic guitar and Zander ’ s forlorn vocal , colored by psychedelic “ Strawberry Fields Forever ” -styled mellotron strings . The sublime but bittersweet “ I ’ ll See You Again ” bids farewell to a loved one who is leaving this world for the next . With genuine warmth evident through the tears , it ’ s an opposite reflection with a knowing and gentler perspective than earlier fare like “ Oh Candy ,” “ Auf Wiedersehen ,” or “ Heaven Tonight .” Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones joins Rockford ’ s favorite sons for an impassioned cover of John Lennon ’ s pointed and perennially relevant “ Gimme Some Truth .” ( cheaptrick . com )
– Jeff Elbel
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Ultimately , documentary director Alison Ellwood tells the story of a dysfunctional family that overcomes its troubles to find redemption and mutual support through the power of music . The film ’ s closing scene shows the revitalized group gathered at Hollywood ’ s Whisky-a-Go-Go to work out “ Club Zero ,” its first new song in 21 years .
• Jeff Elbel
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was smarter than them , I did really well .
But the ones who I thought were idiots — and made me feel like an idiot to be in school — I had no respect for these guys . So in seventh grade — and remember that my parents were heavily involved in music in Illinois and all over the place , and with our store — I was the first chair on two instruments . I was first chair on drums and first chair on flute . So I knew music . I knew good notes from bad notes from being around the operas , which I got , but it wasn ’ t what I wanted to do . So I went up to the band director and said , “ Mr . Bishel ? You ’ re an incompetent , drunken fool who doesn ’ t deserve to teach music to me or anyone else .” And Boom ! I was thrown out of the music program for the Rockford school system , For LIFE ! So my parents , of course , were pleased , and I tell people , “ That was the last time I told the truth ,” because I got in trouble for saying what was right . And I got paddled and expelled .
IE : Ah , yes ! Good old corporal punishment and getting whacked ! Kids today have NO idea . RN : Getting whacked ! And they had those holes drilled in the paddle , so it was more aerodynamic . So here 40 years later , the school — and that was Lincoln Junior High School — they had a commemoration for the reopening of the same stained glass window that had been installed there during the Depression , and they had John B .
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IE : There ’ s one interesting footnote about you that most folks don ’ t process — you always wear your own merchandise . RN : Yeah ! It ’ s good stuff ! Like having your ( Kinks ) button . Now I make my own jewelry , and on my website — which I don ’ t work hard enough on — I sell pictures of myself . And people say , “ Rick — how come you ’ re wearing this picture of you ?” And I ’ ve had so many different varieties of stuff , and it ’ s not great art , but it ’ s my art Like my picks — I ’ ve never sold a pick of mine . But if you go on the Internet , I ’ d make way more money selling picks than I do being in a band .
IE : Your mic stand was always studded with picks , so you probably threw 50 or so out to the crowd per show ? RN : Well , more than that . I order 60,000 at a time , which I pay for . And I give out picks all the time , and I got that idea — not for picks , per se — but from both of my grandparents , who were ministers . So I got churched up , and every Sunday , I ’ d have to be there at church . But this one guy who was a member of the congregation , he was a toy salesman . And after the service , we ’ d go out to his car , and he ’ d open his trunk , and he had toys in there . So that was my incentive — I could struggle through the hour of church because I knew there were toys at the end of it . And I just liked that idea . It made you feel good about whatev-
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THE GO-GO ' S The Go-Go ' s ( DVD )
( Polydor )
The oft-told , true tale goes like this : The Go-Go ’ s shattered barriers as the first allfemale rock band to play their own instruments and write their own songs and hit number one on the charts . It seems oddly condescending to even state that fact in today ’ s world of ascending female empowerment , but after 40 years , the feat still hasn ’ t been duplicated . With 1981 ’ s Beauty and the Beat , the Go-Go ’ s shed their roots in the Los Angeles punk scene and rocketed to success as recording artists and concert attraction . The quintet surpassed the juggernaut success of their headlining hosts while on tour as the Police ’ s opening act thanks to the runaway momentum of “ We Got the Beat ,” “ Our Lips are Sealed ,” and the star-making power of MTV . The band inspired girls and boys alike to express themselves through music in the process . The Go-Go ’ s stratospheric climb and sisterhood were disrupted by the influence of drugs and money . The story is told in the words of its principal players , including singer Belinda Carlisle , songwriter / guitarist Charlotte Caffey , guitarist / songwriter Jane Wiedlin , bassist Kathy Valentine , and drummer Gina Schock . Former bandmates and music industry associates including IRS Records honcho Miles Copeland and Police drummer Stewart Copeland add their tributes .
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CREDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL Pendulum 50th Anniversary Mardi Gras LP Reissue
( Craft )
Craft concludes its series of high-quality CCR reissues with two half-speed mastered LPs on heavyweight vinyl . Radiodominating albums Bayou Country , Green River , and Willy and the Poor Boys had all arrived in 1969 , followed by the band ’ s top seller Cosmo ’ s Factory in July 1970 . Pendulum was the band ’ s second release for 1970 , arriving in early December . Possibly due to heavy saturation , Pendulum didn ’ t scale the same heights . However , the album still offers much to love for fans of the band . The shimmering , organ-fueled # 8 chart hit “ Have You Ever Seen the Rain ” stands among John Fogerty ’ s finest CCR singles , even as its imagery of rain on a sunny day paralleled the group ’ s internal friction at a time when they should have been enjoying hard-won success . Notably , older brother Tom Fogerty departed the band soon after Pendulum ’ s release . Heralded by a clarion guitar riff , rowdy double-A side “ Hey Tonight ” became the band ’ s only # 1 song in Germany .
Pendulum saw the band expanding its sound , developing songs in the studio rather than simply capturing well-honed
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26 illinoisentertainer . com april 2021 |