Bob,

As one-half of the band on the original Boz Scaggs track "Baby’s Calling Me Home", I thank you for recognizing the veracity of the vibe.  It was recorded late in the evening in the winter of 1967, after the rest of the band had gone back to rented digs on Eaton Place in London, and Boz, Glyn Johns and I were alone at Olympic Studios. The complete story is in my biography ("A Life in the Music") — it was my first recording session, my first time in earphones, actually, with Boz playing 12 string and singing into the dark shadows of the huge studio — but suffice it to say I had John Coltrane on my mind when I played that little harpsichord solo.

Best,

Ben Sidran

_________________________________

Susan Tedeschi Derek Trucks Band – Anyday – June 14, 2011

I know, I know, you’re turned off by the audience recording. But hang in there! It’s not when Derek plays the famous riff, but when he goes slows down and goes mellow that you’ll melt. Proving once again, it’s not about the recording, but the essence.

Meanwhile, individuals make a difference. Anybody can learn to play the guitar, but there was only one Duane Allman.

_________________________________

"Pleasant Valley Sunday" – THE DEMO!

This will jet you right back to the sixties, erase the lines from your face, make you feel good about being a music fan all these years.

I had no idea this album was even released, I was researching Carole King’s autobiography and I saw the link.

That’s how far we’ve come, we don’t even know stuff is out!

"Pleasant Valley Sunday" – THE DEMO!

_________________________________

Rapper charts, thanks to Web fans

"They decided to use a distribution model that emulated other independent artists, like Lil Wayne and Drake, who were online sensations in their early days. But they also strayed from the model, concluding that some artists discouraged downloads by forcing users to register, or jump through other digital hoops.

‘We wanted it to be one step: You click the button, you get the record,’ says George."

People won’t forget you if they like you. Why has everyone become a spammer? I won’t give you my e-mail address, not my real one, because I won’t stop hearing from you and the people you give/sell it to. I don’t need to hear your music that bad, and if I do, I can just go to YouTube.

You want to make it easy. You want to make it painless. You want to establish trust.

Yes, you can give it away for free. Because if it’s good, and very little is, dividends will be paid down the road.

And Hoodie Allen’s start was a hit on the Hype Machine. Then again, did he work that?

He’s certainly working the press now. You don’t get in "Daily Variety" by accident. And who are you impressing, me? I don’t need to hear no white boy college frat rap.

That always cracks me up. You get viral success and you go positively old school. I don’t matter, nobody but your fans does. Unless you want to make a deal with a major label and stop being yourself.

And I’m a bit turned off by all the social networking, responding to every tweet. Unless, once he make it, he stops. Kind of like those classic rock acts doing TV adverts in the sixties and then swearing off commercialism.

In other words, we can smell a rat.

Stats don’t matter, music does.

People will clamor for you if you deliver great music.

Or, you can become a marketing exercise studied by business schools. But when was the last time a business school was a hotbed of musical creativity?

So, I applaud Hoodie for not asking for e-mail addresses, if this is true.

And I applaud him for not reaching out to me personally.

But I’ve been inundated with missives from his minions. Why don’t I write about him?

For the same reason I don’t need a feature in "Time" magazine, it’s an unnecessary victory lap. It’s something you show your mother. No one who cares about you or me reads "Time". Be a king in your own world, that should be enough.

"Baby’s Callin’ Me Home"
Steve Miller Band

But it’s a Boz Scaggs song, with Boz doing lead vocal.

Funny about the blues, they’re timeless. I think you could love hip-hop, jazz, electronic and still dig this. It’s the mood, the vibe, the ethereal vocal.

You know those movies where the protagonist drives down the boulevard deep in thought?

"Baby’s Callin’ Me Home" sounds like that.

You can attempt to create a hit, or you can stretch yourself and deliver something timeless.

That’s what it was like in the classic rock era. The limits were there to be tested. When the artists blow up the paradigm and build upon the foundation of their talent and go exploring, we’re all ears.

The version on Spotify is live from "Fillmore: The Last Days", and it’s worth a listen.

But click this link on YouTube to get the original. The vibe, the feel, is everything.

Baby’s Callin’ Me Home-Steve Miller Band

Bob,

As one-half of the band on the original Boz Scaggs track "Baby’s Calling Me Home", I thank you for recognizing the veracity of the vibe.  It was recorded late in the evening in the winter of 1967, after the rest of the band had gone back to rented digs on Eaton Place in London, and Boz, Glyn Johns and I were alone at Olympic Studios. The complete story is in my biography ("A Life in the Music") — it was my first recording session, my first time in earphones, actually, with Boz playing 12 string and singing into the dark shadows of the huge studio — but suffice it to say I had John Coltrane on my mind when I played that little harpsichord solo.

Best,

Ben Sidran

"Legend Of A Mind"
The Moody Blues

Just ask Howard Stern, the Moodies’ exclusion from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is criminal.

There were two bands. The one with Denny Laine, that did the classic "Go Now", and the one that came after, with "Days Of Future Passed", an album that was unjustly ignored upon release but soon became a classic.

And then came "In Search Of The Lost Chord"…

The Moodies would not have another hit for four albums. "In Search Of The Lost Chord", "To Our Children’s Children’s Children" and "On The Threshold Of A Dream" were for fans only. They were anything but cheap adventures in search of airplay. They were aural adventures that you discovered, purchased and played again and again.

And at this late date, my favorite is "In Search Of The Lost Chord". And this, its longest cut, is the piece de resistance.

At this point, Timothy Leary truly is dead.

But back then, we’d smoke dope, turn out the lights and feel part of a generation that didn’t focus on getting rich, but having experiences.

Set your mind free, listen to this.

"Revival"
Allman Brothers Band

Not the best cut on "Idlewild South", it was the beginning of the adventure, the start of the journey. There was a long instrumental intro before anybody even began to sing, demonstrating the twin drumming and twin leads of the band before they became legendary. Eventually, the side would slip into "Midnight Rider" and the extended closer, "In The Memory Of Elizabeth Reed".

But even though we spent hours nodding our heads somnamublantly to stuff like "Legend Of A Mind", most times we were fully aware. If you went to college thinking about graduate school, you didn’t go with me. We read too much Kerouac, too much Kesey, we didn’t want to become imprisoned by jobs, we wanted to get behind the wheel and have experiences.

"Anyday"
Derek & The Dominos

Air guitar was invented for this.

Classic rock radio ruined albums, it’s manipulating history. "Layla" was not the only track we listened to on "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs". My favorite is the cover of "Little Wing", but I have memories galore of playing "Anyday". Because of the power of the riff, and then the intimacy that comes thereafter. It’s just like life. Bravura cracks open the door, but you seal the deal by going sotto voce.

Music, when done right, is life itself. That’s why we revere musicians. Who oftentimes cannot articulate what they’re feeling in conversation, but when they get behind their instruments, behind the microphone, our vision opens up, we can see truth about ourselves that was hidden before.

Credit the players, credit Tom Dowd, they nailed it here.

"Incident At Neshabur"
Santana

It’s rare that the second album is better than the first. They were great in the Woodstock movie, I liked "Evil Ways", but I did not need to own the album. But I needed to own this, and so do you.

"Incident At Neshabur" is not my favorite cut on "Abraxas", but it’s the one that sets the mood. It’s like going to a club, you can feel the sweat, the heat, the energy, the possibilities. You might be trepidatious, but you want to jump right in.

"Come Down In Time"
Elton John

Not everybody has a date on Saturday night.

And in the seventies if you didn’t, you could drop the needle on a vinyl record and not feel alone, the sound would fill the room and you could while away the hours positively content.

As many kudos as Elton John has gotten, he’s still underrated.

"Burning Of The Midnight Lamp"
Jimi Hendrix

What a riff!

Nothing sounds close to this today. This is sui generis. And it’s why people still listen to Jimi today.

"Cryin’ To Be Heard"
Traffic

The track that got me into the band. A Dave Mason composition, this is what music was like when it was made for the loners instead of everyman.

And in case you didn’t get the memo, we’re all loners.

"Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave"
Dave Mason

"Alone Together" penetrated and became a classic despite being on Blue Thumb.

It’s one of those rare albums that satisfies throughout, every cut is a winner. And it was so good, Dave Mason could never live up to it. But it’s a masterpiece, it’s still here. If you owned it back then, it’s got a special place in your heart.

"Brown Sugar"
Rolling Stones

"Sticky Fingers" was the sound of my generation. The tour coincided with "Exile On Main Street" but it was "Sticky Fingers" that truly cemented the Stones’ reputation as the world’s greatest rock and roll band.

Maybe it’s hard for the younger generation to understand. Going down to the record store the day an album came out, needing to own it to be complete. Touching, smelling, feeling the cover and extracting the record and dropping the needle.

And when you did, this riff emerged.

And that it did, from every dorm room, every jukebox, every stereo in America. In 1971, "Brown Sugar" was not only the sound of a generation, it was the sound of the whole damn country.

And the EQ of the modern remix allows you to understand the words, but forty years ago, this was an impossibility.

We weren’t exactly sure what brown sugar was, but it infected every young person, as soon as this song started to play, we hit the dance floor, we lost our inhibitions, we became our best selves.

Sure, at this distance, "Satisfaction" seems like the classic.

But really it was all about "Brown Sugar".

"Brown Sugar" is not one of those low line drives that barely clears the fence, it’s a Mickey Mantle moon shot, that’s still ascending as it leaves the stadium. It makes our jaws drop and then causes us to leap to our feet, eager to participate in the joy of life.

Music’s there when you’re depressed, when you’re happy, and oftentimes it helps you make the journey between the two.

Until I die, whenever I hear "Brown Sugar", I’ll think of cruising Battelle Hall on Saturday night at Middlebury College, not only hipsters blasting it, but every girl in the dorm.

You see some sounds are undeniable.

"Brown Sugar" is one of them.

Spotify playlist

We’ve been traveling over rocky ground, rocky ground
We’ve been traveling over rocky ground, rocky ground

What kind of crazy fucked up world do we live in where the highlight of a Bruce Springsteen show is not only a new song, but one that features rapping?

We don’t go to the Springsteen show to look forward, but back. To when we were thin, our skin was smooth and our hopes and dreams exceeded our losses, when we still had our optimism.

But decades have taken their toll. It’s not that we don’t smile, it’s just that it didn’t work out how we planned. So we go to the Springsteen show to remember, who we were, when music was the most powerful medium, when we felt we could change the world.

Unlike MTV, the Boss blinked. He wanted to reinvent himself, test boundaries, but the audience wouldn’t let him. MTV is all about going forward, baby boomers are about a preservation of the past. You don’t want to mess with their memories. You need to record albums, you need to play the hits, you’ve got to look thin and better than they do. Because if you got old, that means they did too. And that’s their worst nightmare. You’re their last, best hope.

So Bruce Springsteen brings this almost twenty person troupe on the road to satiate his fans, to help them escape. Unfortunately, he’s a prisoner of their desires. If he played the entire new album, they’d freak, not only go to the bathroom, but change the cries of "Bruce" to boos.

Billy Joel’s got it right. No one wants to hear the new material. Elton knows this too. They don’t live in fantasy land.

But the Boss must. Because if he’s not the icon his fans expect, they’ll collapse, like humans deprived of oxygen on the moon.

There’s white hair, creaky bodies. Looking for another hit of adrenaline, in a world that cares not a whit about Bruce Springsteen or them. The future has passed them by. Rock and roll does not rule the airwaves, people listen to singles, not albums. And musicians whore themselves out to corporations.

But this is not the way it used to be. When the dinosaurs known as rock stars used to walk the earth. When politicians couldn’t hold a candle to musicians, never mind bankers. When the best way to communicate with each other was via a vinyl record spun at a radio station broadcasting its FM signal in a fifty mile radius.

Those days are through.

But for three hours last night, the assembled multitude got to revisit them.

If you could hear Patti Scialfa’s acoustic guitar, you’re a better person than me. Hell, most of the time I couldn’t even hear Nils Lofgren’s electric. But the one person who dominated, the engine, the freight train behind this performance, was Max Weinberg.

He was on his own riser, right behind the Boss. With a tiny kit resembling a bar mitzvah gift. His job was not to dazzle, but to keep time, to anchor this enterprise. Watching him was a thrill. You could see the effort this job required.

And Bruce himself threw off some special leads. After all, even though it is show biz, to do it right, you’ve got to know how to play.

And about ninety minutes in, the mixer turned up Garry Tallent’s bass way too loud. I thought I was experiencing a Jaco Pastorius tribute concert. I could hear every one of his notes, but not those of the guitars…and I had a great seat.

And I’m not nitpicking. I can tolerate a lot. But this was too much.

And they didn’t do "Jungleland". Which I thought was a requirement. I think Jimmy Buffett has got it right, with his "Big 8", if you’re gonna play forever, there are certain numbers you should not leave out.

But they did do "Born To Run".

And the secondary highlight was a version of "Racing In The Street" that made me tingle. With Roy Bittan’s piano and an understated performance by the Boss, it was a tour de force.

And Tom Morello came out and wowed us on the guitar.

And the soul medley was magical.

And when Bruce crowd-surfed from halfway back to the stage we marveled.

But the peak came near the very end. When Bruce brought out Michelle Moore and they performed "Rocky Ground".

We’ve been traveling over rocky ground. We were all in it together. Protesting the Vietnam war, listening to FM radio, going to the stadium shows. And then suddenly there were winners and losers. Rich and poor. And those who pulled themselves up no longer cared about those they left behind. LBJ’s Great Society was passe.

But today, decades of misadventure have come home to roost. If you took the road less traveled, there’s no way to get back to where everybody else now belongs. Social Security is not enough to pay your bills and you’re on your own.

And the deejays who were your best friend have been replaced by greedy nitwits. Yup, we’ve gone from Pete Fornatale to Ryan Seacrest.

And now being a musician is barely different from being a reality TV star. It’s a way for the great unwashed to win a momentary prize, like those victims of misfortune on "Queen For A Day" way back when.

And even if someone told you there was a good new album, you don’t have time to listen to it. You used to be able to kick back and get stoned, now you might do a doobie now and again, but you’re too busy trying to stay afloat to waste any time.

And you no longer get your news from the radio, but the Internet. And it’s all bad.

So you scrape up a hundred bucks and go to see Bruce Springsteen. Who’s like a traveling preacher of old. And despite all the press, most people don’t care. Just you.

And that’s enough. You just want to go to the show and hang with your brethren, whose names you do not know, but whose lives you’re very familiar with. You had the same experiences, you bought "Born To Run", you went to the show, it energized you, made you think of the possibilities.

And for three hours, the Boss did just that.

And I’m not gonna defend a single element of it. Not the songs, the performance or the audience. Either you had to be there, or it was irrelevant.

We no longer live in a rock nation.

We’re a minority.

But at least we’ve got each other.

_____________________________

You use your muscle and your mind and you pray your best
That your best is good enough, the Lord will do the rest
You raise your children and you teach them to walk straight and sure
You pray that hard times, hard times come no more
You try to sleep you toss and turn the bottom’s dropping out
Where you once had faith now there’s only doubt
?You pray for guidance only silence now meets your prayers
The morning breaks, you awake, but no one’s there

Once upon a time Bruce Springsteen was hungry. Dismissed by his peers and abused by his dad, he had something to prove. And that’s why we were drawn to him. He was not doing what was expedient, playing by the rules, but forging his own path. And even if you didn’t play music, you could use this as a beacon. Hell, Steve Jobs loved Dylan and was inspired by him, and so was the Boss.

And it’s hard to cope when you’re the voice of a generation. People have expectations. But on one hand you just want to be left alone, you want to live a normal life.

But Bruce Springsteen is not normal. You can’t make it if you are. You may think he’s your best friend, but he’s not. He can’t be the life of the cocktail party, can’t be a regular guy, this is all he can do, and he’s doing it for you.

And we don’t take care of our own. The Boss blew his chance by releasing a substandard cut that radio wouldn’t play anyway. You lead with your best. Which in this case is "Rocky Ground".

I didn’t see a single African-American face in the audience. But we all embraced Michelle Moore’s rap above.

Because deep inside we know we’re all in it together. And that things have taken a wrong turn. That we’re truly been traveling over rocky ground. And there’s no smooth highway in sight.

Music still has more power than any other artistic medium.

But you’ve got to take your best shot.

Our whole nation is in ruins.

But maybe this could be our new anthem. Maybe we could all sing this together. Black and white and Democrat and Republican. We’re all just people, we all want a good life, we make up society.

Set Bruce Springsteen free. Let him grow old like you and me. Don’t make him play his hits, that’s selfish. But the Boss must adapt to the new world. No albums, just a steady stream of music. We shouldn’t have to discover "Rocky Ground" in concert. Buried deep in the album, most people in attendance last night had never even heard it.

But they needed to.

Because more than "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" or "Bobby Jean" or "Darkness At The Edge Of Town", it gave them hope.

Music is now a live medium. The recording is secondary. The Boss should continue to play to his fans, but it’s time for him to try to convert some new people too, to recapture the power he once had.

It’s time for him to move forward. To take up the challenge.

And it’s time for the rest of us to regain our optimism, to link arms, to try to save our country.

Bruce can’t do it alone.

"Rocky Ground" – YouTube

"Rocky Ground" – Spotify

"When one understands that consumers now spend more time in mobile apps than they do online (http://bit.ly/zrMv4F) Instagram’s value begins to make sense."

Social Networking Ends Games 40 Month Mobile Reign

This statistic utterly astounded me.

This revolution has been underreported, it seems only techies are in the loop.

In other words, we all ready live in a mobile world, it’s just the mainstream doesn’t know it yet!

Forget the Web, concentrate on the smartphone. Focus on ease of use on the small screen. Flash doesn’t work on the iPhone, if you’re still using it, abandon it today!

Furthermore, with every passing month, more and more we live in an iPhone world:

"Apple Q1 U.S. Smartphone Mkt Shr 59%, Vs. 36% Year Earlier"

In other words, all those people trumpeting Android handsets are blowhards against the tide, just like those Microsofties pooh-poohed Apple a decade ago.

I don’t make the news, I only analyze it.

And he who rules the handset wins.