People like Jimi Hendrix come along only once every so often. If we’re lucky they enrich our lives with amazing, outstanding art for decades to come, but too often they fizzle out in their prime as Jimi Hendrix did. Although a lot of Hendrix is recalled through is iconic performance at Woodstock, Hendrix also pretty much blew everyone out of their seats in the equally important Monterey Pop concert in 1968. With his ability to take control of the crowd with his smooth words, sultry vocals and extraordinary guitar licks, Hendrix was in a league all his own.
Tag Archives: Classic Rock
Now and Then: the Last Beatles Song (2023)
Oliver Murray’s “Now and Then” is not only a testament to the continued unending popularity of the Beatles, but to the genius that technology is capable of. In a year where AI has officially stirred up a humongous debate among artists, “Now and Then” is a great exploration of how Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr implemented groundbreaking technology to produce one last outing with their dearly departed friend John Lennon.
Five Best “Wayne’s World” Musical Breaks
1992’s “Wayne’s World” is considered a classic and is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite comedies. It’s also one of the very (very) few SNL based movies that took a great skit and turned it in to a great movie. It didn’t just become a movie, but built its own universe around it. One of the more underrated aspects of “Wayne’s World” is how it uses music to tell its story. It implements classic rock and heavy metal to really explore the characters of Wayne and Garth, and how they associate their world with their favorite music.
These are five of my favorite musical breaks in “Wayne’s World.” Do you have any of your own?
Rush: Time Stand Still (2016)
Rush is amazing, and will always be amazing, and how they built their fan base was less around the media and hype and more around traveling. They were there on busses and vans, going through road after road, and showing up for the fans. No matter how tired, or sick, they always came to show fans what they were made of. This is what kind of made Rush feel less like a band, and more like visiting relatives that we loved to be with time and time again. What makes “Time Stand Still” such a bittersweet documentary, however, is that it chronicles the rise of Rush, and their beyond loyal fan base, but it also packs in the daunting realization that they can’t do this forever.
Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who (2007)
From their early days as The Detours, the friendship between Townshend and Daltrey, and their inevitable struggles along the way with Keith Moon, Paul Crowder’s “Amazing Journey” is the fantastic story of The Who and how they were formed into this opposite teaming of talented musicians. Like “The Kids are Alright,” Crowder examines the foursome as a more than human rock band whose music was only half of what made them so incredible on stage.
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973)
There was different energy behind David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust that ensured you were in for a whole other wild experience unlike any before it. Director D.A. Pennebaker keeps the mystique and wild tone of Ziggy Stardust alive from the opening title and then is quick to jump right in to the line outside Ziggy Stardust’s concert zooming in on the type of lovable oddities and weird wonders that worshiped Bowie and his adored his music, bringing us in to the full arena of the kind of minds and hearts David Bowie touched.
Rest in Peace, David Bowie
Thanks for the Music, David. Rock on Ziggy Stardust. May you rest in peace.