[AJFOne23]

LATEST UPDATE 3/4 Chicago – A Song for Richard and His Friends

GUITAR: nsw1-6

5 LANE KEYS: Bansheeflyer

 

This did not receive much radio airplay, but is a notorious example of Chicago’s political persuasions in the early years of the band. It is a nose-thumbing directed at President Richard Nixon. Nixon was at the apex of his political powers then. Watergate was just around the corner and the notorious burglary that led to his ruin occurred just weeks after the album was released. This was the only new song included on the Chicago At Carnegie Hall album, a 4-disc set comprised of songs recorded during a week of concerts at the venue in April 1971.

[AJFOne23]

 

LATEST UPDATE 3/6 Mastodon Monday – Hand of Stone

 

GUITAR/BASS: spiralshadow123

[AJFOne23]

LATEST UPDATE 3/8 A Stevie Wonder – You’ve Got it Bad Girl

Welcome to Wonder Wednesday where you’ll see a new Stevie Wonder song for the next few months. Enjoy the wonder of Stevie. Wonderful write ups are now courtesy of Funk Meister Freud.

 

5 LANE KEYS: MrBurpler

 

This week’s offering for Wonder Wednesdays serves up a tasty slice of cool jazz goodness from 1972’s iconic “Talking Book”. Co-written with Stevie’s sister in law Yvonne Wright, “You Got It Bad, Girl” invites the listener to indulge on an excursion of exceptionally lush shades & hues of colorfully enticing sounds. Liquid in it’s delivery, this number is truly a testament to Mr. Wonder’s desire to creatively reach beyond his earlier humble beginnings at Motown and explore much more complex musical horizons. Enjoy!

[rcale]

Quality stuff. I had a Stevie session last week, playing through pretty much all of the Wonder Wednesday tracks. It was enriching and super fun. This one will get a going over tomorrow night. ” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_smile.gif” />

[AJFOne23]

LATEST UPDATE 3/10 Frank Zappa – Would You Go All the Way

GUITAR: nsw1-6

The song begins on a light shuffle and ends in full rock regalia, while Flo & Eddie show off their high-pitched comedy vocals. Released as the B-side to the single “Tell Me You Love Me” (Bizarre, 1970), it never attained “favorite” status. It was occasionally played live in 1971 and again briefly in 1976, but no official live recording was released. “Would You Go All the Way?” is an example of the more straight-forward repertoire Zappa built up with Flo & Eddie and abandoned when they left the band. The question in this song’s title is addressed to a girl volunteering for the USO — the United Services Organization, a federal organization which used to provide army troops with entertainment such as Bob Hope shows, dances, and movie presentations. The latter is the setting of this song in which, while watching a monster movie, the volunteer finds her male neighbor’s hands to be inquisitive. Zappa goes further, suspecting the USO to provide more intimate “entertainment” through its female volunteers: “Would you go all the way for the U.S.A.?/Would you go all the way for the USO?/Lift up your dress ‘less the answer is no.”

[AJFOne23]

LATEST UPDATE 3/11 Chicago EPICS WEEK #1 – Poem 58

Video Preview

GUITAR: MrBurpler/Mb1nightmare

5 LANE KEYS: Bansheeflyer

Today begins the countdown to the end of the Chicago Chronicles. There are 6 songs left and they’re all epic musical monsters. Week 1 begins with one hell of an album cut from the debut album. The tight rhythm section—those drums — and, man, that bass. That blonde cat plays some seriously monstrous bass … and it’s all providing a platform for Chicago guitarist Terry Kath to weave a spell and mesmerize the crowd with his incredible skills. Heck, the vocals don’t even start until they are almost 5½ minutes into the song. And the horns … the glorious horns that dance around the vocals and the guitar solos, they set this band apart from their peers. When people scoff in disbelief after being told that Chicago used to open for the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, 1969’s Chicago Transit Authority is the album I pull out, and “Poem 58” is the “go to” song. This is the “penny drop” song that causes people who only think they know Chicago’s music to go, “Oh, I get it now! There’s a lot more to this band than I realized.”

[rezavakili]

You are the man, thank you.

[Funk Meister Freud]

The tight rhythm section—those drums — and, man, that bass. That blonde cat plays some seriously monstrous bass …

Good-gawd-amighty!!!!

You ain’t lyin’……..you can build skyscrapers on a foundation like that.

I’ve always loved these guys……. but through the exposure of these customs you’ve produced……..

I’ve developed a much larger respect and appreciation for Peter Cetera’s musicianship. The man is phenomenal!

 

I can’t wait to try this one on for size…..

Thanks AJFOne23! ” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />

[AJFOne23]

Good-gawd-amighty!!!!

You ain’t lyin’……..you can build skyscrapers on a foundation like that.

I’ve always loved these guys……. but through the exposure of these customs you’ve produced……..

I’ve developed a much larger respect and appreciation for Peter Cetera’s musicianship. The man is phenomenal!

 

I can’t wait to try this one on for size…..

Thanks AJFOne23! ” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />

 

You are the man, thank you.

 

Thanks fellas. Can’t believe it’s been over 2 years but this project is almost done

[AJFOne23]

 

LATEST UPDATE 3/13 Mastodon Monday – Divinations

 

Video Preview

GUITAR: obZen

BASS: MrBurpler

 

ALTERNATE VERSION: The other file is actually an alternate version of the song with some ghost notes removed that I thought were too difficult and fast to include for the casual drummer. Thanks to BearzUnlimited for double checking drums.

 

“Divinations” , a blinding three-and-a-half minute crusher that not only exudes a confidence in its rock-radio readiness (trust me, I mean that in the most positive way possible), but manages to set the pace for the rest of Crack the Skye: How intricate and bold it was going to be, well, we weren’t 100% sure, but we had a good enough idea where to start. The sinister, old-world banjo intro (conjuring visions far more depraved than anything this side of Deliverance) suggests that the vertical drop is imminent, and those brave enough to pry their fingers from the lap bar and throw their arms in the air better do so now. But “Divinations” isn’t only for the true believers: Brent Hinds’ vocals attain an aural dread that feels nearly overwhelming against increasingly proggy progressions, signifying a more complete vision– not necessarily an eagerness to please.

[AJFOne23]

LATEST UPDATE 3/15 Stevie Wonder – Golden Lady

Welcome to Wonder Wednesday where you’ll see a new Stevie Wonder song for the next few months. Enjoy the wonder of Stevie. Wonderful write ups are courtesy of Funk Meister Freud.

 

5 LANE KEYS: MrBurpler

 

Next at bat is another Wonderful cut from 1973’s Grammy Award winning album “Innervisions”, Stevie’s awesome follow up work to his previous masterpiece “Talking Book”. “Innervisions” is a treasure of an album containing monstrous hits that showcase his ability to entertain, educate and inform the everyday man in acknowledging Wonder’s social/political views through his lyrical content. Selections such as “Living for the City” and “Higher Ground” (the latter, covered decades later by the Red Hot Chili Peppers) bear witness to sentiments back then, that still hold weight and are just as relevant today. In contrast to the previously mentioned songs, “Golden Lady” is a beautiful dream captured within a ballad. Resonating with a slightly discernible Latin groove, this cut is romantic in its composition and like many of the songs comprising “Innervisions”, dramatic in its execution.

“Golden Lady” starts with a solitary piano, stark and singular in its subtle expression. The first few measures lead the listener to believe this may be a song of pain and reflection… But nooo… This is Stevie Wonder, man!… Stevie don’t do sad! This ballad is a fine example of why I’m so happy that AJFOne23 decided to pick much of Stevie Wonder’s work from his “Golden Age”.

After the lonely piano introduction, through Wonder’s imaginative, exhilarating musical genius and direction, the bass and percussion navigate to merge with the keys and steadily transform the complexion of the song into one akin to awakening from a deep, long slumber which blossoms into a warm and completely satisfying embrace.

By the time Stevie arrives at the chorus and announces his “Golden Lady”, you’re sure to be caught up in the joyous and uplifting groove he intended you to feel from the ‘git go’. Coming from a brutha’ who lacks our outer physical vision, he effortlessly creates with music and sound, a doorway to our soulful/spiritual “Innervisions”.

[Funk Meister Freud]

Thanks AJFOne23 and MrBurpler for your efforts and sharing these great songs with the C3 community.

It’s very gratifying to see my Stevie Wonder choices grow to where it is now and like The Chicago Chronicles,

both Housequake and I thoroughly enjoy playing them. Stupendous in every way! ” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />

[rcale]

Another great choice. Thanks to all involved.

[AJFOne23]

Thanks AJFOne23 and MrBurpler for your efforts and sharing these great songs with the C3 community.

It’s very gratifying to see my Stevie Wonder choices grow to where it is now and like The Chicago Chronicles,

both Housequake and I thoroughly enjoy playing them. Stupendous in every way! ” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />

 

 

Another great choice. Thanks to all involved.

 

Thanks. This one was a last minute addition but I’m glad I did. The drum part is deceptively tough due to the variations.

[AJFOne23]

LATEST UPDATE 3/17 Chicago EPICS WEEK #2 – Devil’s Sweet

GUITAR: Arcanon

5 LANE KEYS: Bansheeflyer

DRUM ANIMATIONS: MrBurpler

Chicago Chronicles Epic Week 2 is back with “Devil’s Sweet”; an at-times menacing track that goes off on wild tangents throughout its 10-minute runtime. It’s an experimental piece, perhaps the most experimental thing Chicago ever committed to wax, though it mostly winds up being a showcase for Seraphine’s drumming chops. With “Devil’s Sweet”, Seraphine not only gets an extended drum solo, he gets to illustrate a softer side by playing with brushes. In many ways, the first side is a portrait of the band’s percussion-horns axis, and shows a really different take on the band to that point, with influences ranging from Miles Davis to John Coltrane to Santana.

This chart is 2 years in the making. I initially asked Meander to map and chart drums when I first started not having the confidence to do it myself. Since then OscarJ had a run at perfecting the massive amount of drum notes and finally I went in more recently and precision tuned the tempo map and drums. It’s not 100% but damn close. Thanks to those 2 guys for getting the ball rolling. Enjoy!

[Author]

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