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T O P I C    R E V I E W
mikeb Posted - 26/08/2006 : 11:21:52
October issue just dropped through my letterbox. It has 8 pages, expanded version of the Memphis Flyer feature by Andrea Lisle, interview with Rusty Squeezebox and highlights of Arthur's last interview from the forthcoming Love Story documentary. Last paragraph:

Arthur Lee, a complicated man, is gone. What's left is the music of Love. "I'm the last man standing now," says Johnny Echols. "I have to carry on - there's a lot of work left to be done. People still want to hear this music. In one form or another, it will continue."

Love Story premieres at the London Film Festival in October, the programme times will be released September 14th, their website is:
http://www.lff.org.uk/

Further there are tributes to Arthur now on the Mojo website from Robert Plant, Bobby Gillespie, Norman Blake of Teeenage Fan Club and Alan Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands, scroll down the What Goes On section to August 16th:
http://www.mojo4music.com/
15   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
waxburn Posted - 02/10/2006 : 14:32:52
quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburnLooking forward to your 'sky is blue' post. Accentuate the positive.




KD: The Sky is Blue ! The ball's in your court Waxie, GO !



Accentuate the positive.



KD: How abouts this for a "Dream Team" band :

Syd Barrett, Shuggie Otis and Skip Spence all Backing Arthur Lee !

Free the dreams !



Not too shabby.
kdion11 Posted - 29/09/2006 : 23:26:37
quote:
Originally posted by kdion11




KD: How abouts this for a "Dream Team" band :

Syd Barrett, Shuggie Otis and Skip Spence all Backing Arthur Lee !

Free the dreams !
[/quote]

Almost forgot: Either Don Conka or Jim Gordon on Drums ! We
should have a contest to name this new "super" group. My vote
is for "The Positive Accentuators" !
kdion11 Posted - 29/09/2006 : 20:44:07
quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburnLooking forward to your 'sky is blue' post. Accentuate the positive.




KD: The Sky is Blue ! The ball's in your court Waxie, GO !



Accentuate the positive.



KD: How abouts this for a "Dream Team" band :

Syd Barrett, Shuggie Otis and Skip Spence all Backing Arthur Lee !

Free the dreams !
waxburn Posted - 29/09/2006 : 15:00:28
quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburnLooking forward to your 'sky is blue' post. Accentuate the positive.




KD: The Sky is Blue ! The ball's in your court Waxie, GO !



Accentuate the positive.
Merlyn Merlot Posted - 29/09/2006 : 03:51:19

And Now Back to the actual Arthur Mojo topic

Did anyone else notice there were 3 or more Arthur/Love references in the mag???
not including the actual article?

For instance.

When Wolfgang's Vault starts their Video Service next year
one of the entire concerts they will be giving is LOVE Hello!!

dig

Why don't we sing this song altogether

kdion11 Posted - 28/09/2006 : 18:58:01
quote:
Originally posted by waxburnLooking forward to your 'sky is blue' post. Accentuate the positive.




KD: The Sky is Blue ! The ball's in your court Waxie, GO !
waxburn Posted - 28/09/2006 : 17:29:58
quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

Here is another, accentuating the positive.


Just got back from seeing the great Shuggie Otis perform live at the [re-]release party for his classic 1974 album, "Inspiration Information" ......... --David Leifer (DL on the dl: 2001)


KD: Didn't see a date for that concert review there Waxie (and no
"David Leifer DL on the dl: 2001" is NOT the date for the
concert) Anything for an arguement eh Waxie ? I bet if I sent
out a post headed "The Sky is Blue" you'd argue wouldn't you ?
And add a couple of funny faces for good measure too, right ?

Again, I'd like to point out: I haven't heard a Shuggie Otis gig
advertised since that train wreck at the Fillmore in SF. Anyone else ? I thought so.

Free the train wrecks !






The concert was for the re release of the cd, so it had to be in 2001, before or after the Fillmore show, I don't know. Around the same time, tho.
I may be wrong ,but I thought I brought up Shuggie in the first place, making it somewhat difficult for me to have started any argument.
Looking forward to your 'sky is blue' post. Accentuate the positive.
kdion11 Posted - 27/09/2006 : 23:27:57
quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

Here is another, accentuating the positive.


Just got back from seeing the great Shuggie Otis perform live at the [re-]release party for his classic 1974 album, "Inspiration Information" ......... --David Leifer (DL on the dl: 2001)


KD: Didn't see a date for that concert review there Waxie (and no
"David Leifer DL on the dl: 2001" is NOT the date for the
concert) Anything for an arguement eh Waxie ? I bet if I sent
out a post headed "The Sky is Blue" you'd argue wouldn't you ?
And add a couple of funny faces for good measure too, right ?

Again, I'd like to point out: I haven't heard a Shuggie Otis gig
advertised since that train wreck at the Fillmore in SF. Anyone else ? I thought so.

Free the train wrecks !







waxburn Posted - 27/09/2006 : 22:14:07
quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

[quote]Originally posted by waxburn

It would have been great to have Shuggie playing with Arthur too.




KD: Not based on the last series of reviews he got on his last
go around. Several of my friends went to see him at the Fillmore
in SF a couple of years ago and they were UNANAMOUS in saying it was
the biggest trainwreck of a gig ANY of them had ever witnessed. If anyone wants to read a very entertaining and hilarious review I kept from the SF Chronicle let me know ! It's a hoot ! Train wreck city !

Free the wrecks !



Shuggie and AL would have been a lively combo. Something different, and I am sure they would have pulled it together. I know
people who caught Shuggie awhile back and liked the show just fine



KD: Here you go Waxie - I doubt if Shuggie has played since.....
Don't say that I didn't warn you. Once again folks this has got
to be the WORST concert review I've ever seen, and several of my friends were there who all say it was the biggest train wreck they've ever seen. Can't see Arthur playing again with a clown like this.


Here is another, accentuating the positive.



Just got back from seeing the great Shuggie Otis perform live at the [re-]release party for his classic 1974 album, "Inspiration Information"
(Luaka Bop), at Joe's Pub in NYC. Although there had been some concern among the staff at his label as recently as last week as to whether Shuggie would in fact perform tonight, he pulled it off and it was incredible!

Following on the heels of Tuesday night's fine performance of Shuggie's "Strawberry Letter 23" on Conan O'Brien (he will perform on David Letterman's show on Friday night), Shuggie took the stage promptly at 9 p.m. (after a brief introduction by Luaka Bop honcho David Byrne) for a one-hour set of blues and soul classics and a couple of original tunes from the "Inspiration" CD.

Backed by guitarist Jimmy Vivino from the Late Night band (AKA the "Max Weinberg 7"), younger brother Nicky on drums, and a bassist and keyboard player, Shuggie began his set with Freddie King's classic blues instrumental, "Hideaway." This was followed by another 12-bar blues, at which point I began to worry that we might not get to hear any of Shuggie's own brilliant compositions.

This fear was quickly allayed by the next number, a SMOKING version of the aforementioned "Strawberry Letter 23." After a somewhat oblique introduction during which Shuggie attempted to explain the background of the song, they launched into the tune (complete with the famous glockenspiel part played on the keyboard), Shuggie and Jimmy Vivino playing the same guitar lead simultaneously, recreating Shuggie's studio overdubs. This song was the highlight of the set, and had the audience up on their feet and cheering.

"Strawberry Letter 23," probably Shuggie's most famous composition, by virtue of the Brothers Johnson's 1977 hit version, is included on the "Inspiration Information" CD, even though it originally appeared on Shuggie's first album, 1971's "Freedom Flight." Three other songs from that album are also included on the CD, including the mind-blowing title track, a 13-minute guitar opus a la Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain."

It should be noted, with all the rumors about Shuggie's health and low profile for the past 25 years, that he both looks and sounds just great. We spoke for a couple of minutes, and he appeared fit and content in a fashionable dark grey suit, and could easily pass for quite a bit younger than his 48 years. And his guitar playing was as astounding and fluid as ever. This guy's just gearing up for his second career - watch out!

The next number after "Strawberry" was a rousing version of Sly's "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again)," the band occasionally sounding a bit under-rehearsed, but their enthusiasm more than compensating for the rough edges. At several points during the set Shuggie told the audience how happy and grateful he was to be back performing this material, and it was obvious he really WAS pleased to be there, 27 years after "Inspiration Information" was first released. With so few happy endings in the music biz, it was nice to witness one unfolding right in front of our eyes.

After another blues, "I Just Wanna Make Love To You," the band left the stage for a moment, before Shuggie and Nicky returned for a duet version of "Ice Cold Daydream," the only song they performed from the original "Inspiration" album. It was a fine ending to a great night.

When "Inspiration Information" was originally released by Epic in 1974, it quickly slipped off the radar. Shuggie was eventually dropped from the label, and his subsequent disillusionment with record company politics led to a 25-year absence from the spotlight, although he continued to perform with his father, legendary bandleader Johnny Otis. But in recent years "Inspiration Information" has been cited by many influential DJ's and musicians as a "lost classic," leading David Byrne to reissue it in March to universal acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, Vibe, Spin, and countless others. I guess sometimes an artist just has to wait for the world to catch up with his genius. At least in this case we are fortunate that Shuggie is alive and well and enjoying the belated and much-deserved attention.

I only hope that the exposure being afforded Shuggie now as a result of the album's reissue, and the media blitz surrounding it, enables him to both revive his career where he left off in 1974, and to reach an audience far wider than the one which initially greeted this brilliant and singular work.

Special thanks to Bob Davis of Soul Patrol (www.soul-patrol.com) for turning me on to Shuggie and "Inspiration Information," Jonathan Rudnick and Maurice Bernstein of Giant Step for a beautiful job promoting the record and the party, and Jeff Kaye of Luaka Bop for the guest list hookup and gracious response to my queries about Shuggie. Finally thanks to David Byrne for reissuing this gem, and of course to Shuggie Otis for creating it and being so patient!

Way to go Shuggie!

Peace,

--David Leifer (DL on the dl: 2001)






kdion11 Posted - 27/09/2006 : 21:47:48
quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

It would have been great to have Shuggie playing with Arthur too.




KD: Not based on the last series of reviews he got on his last
go around. Several of my friends went to see him at the Fillmore
in SF a couple of years ago and they were UNANAMOUS in saying it was
the biggest trainwreck of a gig ANY of them had ever witnessed. If anyone wants to read a very entertaining and hilarious review I kept from the SF Chronicle let me know ! It's a hoot ! Train wreck city !

Free the wrecks !



Shuggie and AL would have been a lively combo. Something different, and I am sure they would have pulled it together. I know
people who caught Shuggie awhile back and liked the show just fine



KD: Here you go Waxie - I doubt if Shuggie has played since.....
Don't say that I didn't warn you. Once again folks this has got
to be the WORST concert review I've ever seen, and several of my friends were there who all say it was the biggest train wreck they've ever seen. Can't see Arthur playing again with a clown like this.


Shuggie Otis' comeback an out-and-out disaster
R&B guitarist, band seem unprepared, unfocused
Joel Selvin, Chronicle Pop Music Editor

Monday, July 9, 2001

Shuggie Otis stumbled going through the door.

If the reissue of his 27-year-old lost psychedelic soul masterpiece, "Inspiration Information," on rock star David Byrne's label gave the 47 year- old guitarist a second chance, he didn't help the cause with the debacle of a performance he gave Saturday at the Fillmore Auditorium.

Bad enough that a musician missing in action for the better part of a quarter-century should show up for a major headline concert appearance before a near-capacity crowd so obviously unprepared -- he hadn't even bothered to tune his guitar before going onstage and the band clearly didn't know the material -- but by the time he finished his haphazard, inept performance nearly two and a half hours after it started, only a handful of diehards remained in the hall.


FLURRIES OF NOTES
Even his unquestioned skills on guitar, which earned him an invitation to join the Rolling Stones when he was barely out of his teens, were poorly displayed. His solos were never focused or pointed, just flashy flurries of notes and runs up and down the fretboard that reeked of desperation, a man hopelessly flailing in the water while he drowned. It was a sad, discouraging sight.

Otis has lived in near obscurity since the 1974 release of his third solo album, playing as a sideman in bands led by either his father, R&B pioneer Johnny Otis, or his father-in-law, big band jazz arranger Gerald Wilson. He wasn't even working either of those gigs when the CD rerelease hit earlier this year to great critical acclaim and actual sales (the CD has stayed on the best-selling lists, for instance, at the main San Francisco Tower Records store).


BAND HADN'T PRACTICED
His band, which included his younger brother Nicky on drums, obviously hadn't practiced much (if at all). The three-piece horn section clearly didn't know what was coming next and, while they stayed game throughout the evening, playing riffs from other people's records, they wisely backed away from the microphones early in the proceedings unless they were taking solos, and there were plenty of those. The evening was little more than a pointless blues jam --

something that was made abundantly clear early on, when the trombonist took his second solo by the third song -- and not a very good one at that.

Otis switched between guitar and organ, aimlessly, without any strategy. He would just wander over to the organ after laying his guitar down on the stage (since he didn't bring enough stands to hold his three guitars) and noodle to no effect. Sometimes he would change his mind before playing a single note on the keyboard and meander back out front to play guitar. He strapped on an electric bass and, in front of nothing but the other bass and drums, played "lead" bass for about 10 minutes.


FORGOT TO PLUG IN
He even had trouble simply handling his equipment. He started playing one of his guitars before he remembered to plug it in. He caused feedback when he didn't turn his guitar off and screamed at the sound engineer to stop the feedback (something only Otis could do by turning the guitar down). In fact, he worked over the sound man mercilessly throughout the evening. Usually musicians straighten out these technical problems in advance or pretend they are not happening. To call them out over and over again is an embarrassment to all involved.

There wasn't a single moment in the show where Otis seemed on top of his game. Toward the end of the second hour, he suddenly discovered a set list on the back of an amplifier and started consulting it, which may be why he played two songs that he had already performed earlier. If these guys had been auditioning for some low-life dive of a blues bar, they wouldn't have gotten the gig.
waxburn Posted - 27/09/2006 : 15:04:25
quote:
Originally posted by kdion11

quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

It would have been great to have Shuggie playing with Arthur too.




KD: Not based on the last series of reviews he got on his last
go around. Several of my friends went to see him at the Fillmore
in SF a couple of years ago and they were UNANAMOUS in saying it was
the biggest trainwreck of a gig ANY of them had ever witnessed. If anyone wants to read a very entertaining and hilarious review I kept from the SF Chronicle let me know ! It's a hoot ! Train wreck city !

Free the wrecks !



Shuggie and AL would have been a lively combo. Something different, and I am sure they would have pulled it together. I know
people who caught Shuggie awhile back and liked the show just fine
kdion11 Posted - 26/09/2006 : 22:03:58
quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

It would have been great to have Shuggie playing with Arthur too.




KD: Not based on the last series of reviews he got on his last
go around. Several of my friends went to see him at the Fillmore
in SF a couple of years ago and they were UNANAMOUS in saying it was
the biggest trainwreck of a gig ANY of them had ever witnessed. If anyone wants to read a very entertaining and hilarious review I kept from the SF Chronicle let me know ! It's a hoot ! Train wreck city !

Free the wrecks !
waxburn Posted - 26/09/2006 : 16:36:46
quote:
Originally posted by miss mercy

quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

[quote]Originally posted by jazmaan

I'd like to see a link to that article you cite Waxburn. To my knowledge, the Memphis group had never even met Arthur before that publicity photo session and Arthur was hospitalized very soon afterwards. I seriously doubt that they ever rehearsed with him. More likely they rehearsed with Greg Roberson but without Arthur.

The funny thing is that before Arthur was hospitalized, we would talk about his post-Baby Lemonade plans and he ALWAYS planned for Lucky Otis to be his next drummer. This is confirmed by Lucky's mom "Miss Mercy".

Here is the link:

scenestars.net/interviews/Alicja_Trout.htm

"When we played with Arthur once, it was so amazing because his voice is so beautiful. To meet someone in your lifetime that you've listened to their stuff a hundred times over, it's like it doesn't even matter if you ever get to do it in public because it felt so good to just practice with him."


Isn't Lucky Otis in LA? I don't know but there is a photo of AL
with the group sans LO, which I assume that Arthur took of his own accord. LO would have been good too, got nothing but love for
Lucky Otis.

Hi Miss Mercy Here, Lucky would have been most likely in Arthur's Band sooner or later, they were in contact.Lucky was a little put off by arthur, but if time would have a;llowewd it, it would have happened.Lucky can play most anything, cause of dad Shuggie and grandpa Johnny.His main thing now is bass.He is in Amsterdam till Dec. Love miss Mercy






It would have been great to have Shuggie playing with Arthur too.
miss mercy Posted - 25/09/2006 : 22:40:37
quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

[quote]Originally posted by jazmaan

I'd like to see a link to that article you cite Waxburn. To my knowledge, the Memphis group had never even met Arthur before that publicity photo session and Arthur was hospitalized very soon afterwards. I seriously doubt that they ever rehearsed with him. More likely they rehearsed with Greg Roberson but without Arthur.

The funny thing is that before Arthur was hospitalized, we would talk about his post-Baby Lemonade plans and he ALWAYS planned for Lucky Otis to be his next drummer. This is confirmed by Lucky's mom "Miss Mercy".

Here is the link:

scenestars.net/interviews/Alicja_Trout.htm

"When we played with Arthur once, it was so amazing because his voice is so beautiful. To meet someone in your lifetime that you've listened to their stuff a hundred times over, it's like it doesn't even matter if you ever get to do it in public because it felt so good to just practice with him."


Isn't Lucky Otis in LA? I don't know but there is a photo of AL
with the group sans LO, which I assume that Arthur took of his own accord. LO would have been good too, got nothing but love for
Lucky Otis.

Hi Miss Mercy Here, Lucky would have been most likely in Arthur's Band sooner or later, they were in contact.Lucky was a little put off by arthur, but if time would have a;llowewd it, it would have happened.Lucky can play most anything, cause of dad Shuggie and grandpa Johnny.His main thing now is bass.He is in Amsterdam till Dec. Love miss Mercy

miss mercy Posted - 25/09/2006 : 22:37:36
quote:
Originally posted by waxburn

[quote]Originally posted by jazmaan

I'd like to see a link to that article you cite Waxburn. To my knowledge, the Memphis group had never even met Arthur before that publicity photo session and Arthur was hospitalized very soon afterwards. I seriously doubt that they ever rehearsed with him. More likely they rehearsed with Greg Roberson but without Arthur.

The funny thing is that before Arthur was hospitalized, we would talk about his post-Baby Lemonade plans and he ALWAYS planned for Lucky Otis to be his next drummer. This is confirmed by Lucky's mom "Miss Mercy".

Here is the link:

scenestars.net/interviews/Alicja_Trout.htm

"When we played with Arthur once, it was so amazing because his voice is so beautiful. To meet someone in your lifetime that you've listened to their stuff a hundred times over, it's like it doesn't even matter if you ever get to do it in public because it felt so good to just practice with him."


Isn't Lucky Otis in LA? I don't know but there is a photo of AL
with the group sans LO, which I assume that Arthur took of his own accord. LO would have been good too, got nothing but love for
Lucky Otis.




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