Music Diary – 22nd February

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 22nd February!

Jethro Tull – Dave Pegg, Doane Perry, Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and Don Airey (1987)

On the 22nd February 1989, a huge surprise happened at the „Grammy Awards„: The new category „Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal Or Instrumental“ was included and the big favorite were Metallica (with the album „…And Justice For All„), who also performed live on stage. The other nominees were Iggy Pop with the song „Cold Metal„, Jane’s Addiction’s album „Nothing’s Shocking„, „Blow Up Your Video“ by AC/DC and the Jethro Tull album „Crest of a Knave“ (1987).

But when Alice Cooper, who was accompanied by Lita Ford, said: „And the Grammy goes to …. ‚Crest of a Knave‘ – Jethro Tull“, everybody at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles was completely surprised – and some booing filled the room.

As Metallica were expected to win the award, Jethro Tull’s record label Chrysalis Records decided, that nobody is going to attend the ceremony. Singer Ian Anderson later said, the he was „lucky“ for not attending the ceremony, admitting that there was „no way [he] could have accepted [the award] under those circumstances.“ After thiscontroversy, this advert was issued in some music magazines.

And the Grammy award was renamed after this event and splitted into the new two categories „Best Hard Rock Performance“ and „Best Metal Performance“ to avoid further discussions.

                                             Shop for JETHRO TULL here:
                                                   GERMANY                                            UK                                                USA

Werbung

Music Diary – 30th December

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 30th December!

Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull)

Happy birthday to drummer Clive William Bunker, who was born on the 30th December 1946 in Luton, Bedfordshire (UK). Clive was the original drummer in Jethro Tull and a member from 1968 until 1971. With the band, he recorded the first four classic studio albums „This Was“ (1968), „Stand Up“ (1969), „Benefit“ (1970) and „Aqualung“ (1971).

Clive Bunker began playing in a band called „The Warriors“ in the sixties. Later he formed with guitarist Mick Abrahams the band McGregor’s Engine, before both founded in 1967 with Ian Anderson and Glenn Cornick Jethro Tull. Shortly after the release of the LP „Aqualung“, Clive Bunker decided to leave the band, get married and spend more time with his wife. Barriemore Barlow, a school friend of frontman Ian Anderson, took over his place.

Clive about his decision: „I had always told Ian, ‚If I find the right lady, I’ll be gone,‘ and I did just that. That was just at the start of their world touring in 1972, and I wouldn’t have been back in England for ages at a time. So I thought that I might as well end it then. Besides, Barrie was always in the background anyway, so I knew I wasn’t going to put them in a difficult situation. You must understand that back then, we didn’t have any time off; it was non-stop work, and I wanted to spend time with my wife.“

After his life with Jethro Tull, Clive played with many acts like Blodwyn Pig, Robin Trower, Aviator, Manfred Mann, Jack Bruce, Gordon Giltrap, Uli Jon Roth, Electric Sun, Steve Hillage, Solstice, Glenn Hughes and Jerry Donahue. Finally in 1998, Clive Bunker’s debut solo album „Awakening“ was released feat. contributions by old Tullers Ian Anderson, Martin Barre and longtime friends Andy Glass, Dave Lennox, Jim Rodford, John Batrum, Vikki Clayton and Graham Dee.

Interesting note:
Doane Perry, who became the new Jethro Tull drummer in 1984, was taught one of his first drum lessons ever by Clive Bunker! I did an interview with Doane and he talks about this historic meeting – you can stream the conversation here (the topic starts at appr. 19:10 min)!

Get your Jethro Tull stuff here (for Austrian customer):

                                               Shop for JETHRO TULL here:

                                                   GERMANY                                            UK                                                USA

Music Diary – 17th November

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 17th November!

Martin Barre & John Glascock (Jethro Tull – 1978)

On the 17th November two remarkable things happened, which are connected to the British Rock band Jethro Tull:

In 1946 guitarist Martin Lancelot Barre was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Barre joined Jethro Tull in 1969 after the departing of Mick Abrahams and his first recordings with Ian Anderson & Co. can be heard on the second Tull album „Stand Up“ (1969). Martin Barre was the long time member in the line-up beside singer, flute player and acoustic guitarist Ian Anderson. He left Jethro Tull in 2011 and concentrated on his solo works.

Barre’s signature solo on the 1971 Jethro Tull standard „Aqualung“ is still considered as one of the most outstanding guitar solos. It was voted by the readers of „Guitar Player“ magazine as one of the top rock guitar solos of all time.

And on the 17th November 1979, John Glascock, the bass player for Jethro Tull from 1976 until 1979, died at the age of only 28 years. Glascock suffered a congenital heart valve defect, which was worsened by an infection caused by an abscessed tooth. Before joining Jethro Tull to replace Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond on bass, Glascock was a member of the Blues band Chicken Shack and later of the progressive Rock band Carmen. Ritchie Blackmore mentioned John’s fantastic skills in an interview with „Guitar Player“ in September 1978; „John Glascock is a brilliant bass player, the best in the business in rock.“ John Glascock’s playing can be heard on the Tull albums „Too old to Rock’n’Roll: Too young to die!“ (1976), „Songs from the Wood“ (1977), „Heavy Horses„, the live album „Bursting Out“ (both 1978) and some parts on „Stormwatch“ (1979).

 Get your Jethro Tull stuff here (for Austrian customer):

Shop for JETHRO TULL here:

                       
GERMANY                                          UK                                      USA

Music Diary – 2nd November

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 2nd November!

Dave Pegg (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull)

Happy birthday to Mr. Dave „Peggy“ Pegg, who was born on the 2nd November 1947 in Birmingham, UK. The English mulit-instrumentalist is best known for his playing with the legendary Folk band Fairport Convention and his contribution as a bass player for Jethro Tull from 1979 until 1995.

At the age of 14 years he started to play the guitar and he was also member of the school band at Yardley Grammar School. In the sixties he worked with severeal Birmingham groups like „The Crawdaddys“ and „The Roy Everett Blues Band“. In 1966 he failed to become the guitar player for a band called The Uglys (featuring Steve Gibbons), but he took the chance to be a member as the bass player – so he switched the instruments. One year later Pegg formed the Blues trio „The Exception“ with singer Alan Eastwood and Roger Hill on guitar. During that time Dave also played with Robert Plant and John Bonham, with whom he played in the band „The Way of Life“. In 1967 Dave Pegg joined the Ian Campbell Folk Group, where he also learned to play the mandolin. Two years later he began to play with a group called „The Beast“ (featuring Cozy Powell and Dave Clempson).

Exactly on his 22nd birthday he received a telephone call by Dave Swarbrick from Fairport Convention and was asked if he would like to join the band, because of the departing of Ashley Hutchings, who was going to found the Folk-Rock group Steeleye Span (feat. Maddy Prior). And in July 1970 the first Fairport Convention album feat. Dave Pegg on bass was released: „Full House„. Until the break up in 1979 Dave Pegg recorded nine studio albums with Fairport Convention.

In 1979 David Pegg was asked by Ian Anderson to join Jethro Tull and to replace the ailing John Glascock. His live debut was on the 5th October 1979 for the „Stormwatch“ world tour and took place in Toronto, Canada. So for the next fifteen years Peggy was the bass player and recorded the six classic studio albums „A“ (1980), „The Broadsword and the Beast“ (1982), „Under Wraps“ (1984), „Crest of a Knave“ (1987), „Rock Island“ (1989), „Catfish Rising“ (1991) and three tracks for „Roots to Branches“ (1995). His last live performance with Jethro Tull happened on the 29th May 1994 in Basingstoke, UK.

After his departure from Jethro Tull, David Pegg concentrated more on his work with Fairport Convention again. The reunion of the Folk Rock institution happened already with the album „Gladys‘ Leap“ in 1985.

Shop for Fairport Convention here:                 

 

 

GERMANY/EUROPE                                                                                  USA

Music Diary – 11th September

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 11th September!

Gerry Conway (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, Cat Stevens)

In 1947 drummer Gerald „Gerry“ Conway was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk (UK). In the seventies Conway played for Cat Stevens‚ backing band for six years. In 1981 he joined Jethro Tull for the recordings of „The Broadsword and the Beast“ and also played the tour in Europe.

In 1987 he did some recording sessions with Tull again for the album „Crest of a Knave„. His drumming can be heard on the tracks „Jump Start“, „Said she was a Dancer“, „Budapest“, „The Waking Edge“ and „Part of the Machine“. In 1998 he became the drummer and percussionist for the legendary Folk-Rock band Fairport Convention.

Buy recommendations (Germany/Europe):

 
 

Buy recommendations (USA):

 

 

Music Diary – 7th November

Welcome to my personal music diary – today for the 7th November!

Back in 1999 my long time favorite band Jethro Tull stopped during the „j-tull.com“ tour in Munich at the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle. Beside brand new songs like “Spiral”, “Hunt by Numbers” or “AWOL” Ian Anderson and his band surprised us with some nice tunes like “Jeffrey goes to Leicester Square”, “Hunting Girl” and a special performance with Leslie Mandoki (“Back to Budapest”).

Jethro Tull – Munich (Rudi Sedlmayer Halle)(07.11.1999) Ticket © Alex Melomane

The support was by The Mark Gillespie Band and I can remember that the Tull members Jonathan Noyce and Andrew Giddings joined for some songs on stage.

Cheers,

Alex Melomane

Music Diary – 2nd November

Hey music lovers all around the world – welcome to my personal music diary!

Today on the 2nd November I added some very different styles of music to my collection – so you can see properly that my taste has no boundaries at all 😉

Back in 1992 I was very happy to get my copy of the 3-CD-Box-Set „20 Years Of Jethro Tull„! Before that I had this release „only“ on vinyl (5-LP-Box-Set) and this one features unheard rarities, B-Sides and rare live recordings. So it was a kind of „Holy Grail“ for us Tull fans all around the world.

On the 2nd November 2007 I bought the albums of the German bands Die Ärzte and Einstürzende Neubauten. „Jazz ist anders“ which features a bonus EP comes in a pizza box – typically for Bela B,, Farin Urlaub and Rod. „Alles wieder offen“ is another fantastic release by Blixa Bargeld and his backing band.

And in 2012 I received my signed copy of the Woodbox Gang album called „Glorious Scars„.

Well, now you can see that I am into any kind of music 😉

Cheers,

Alex Melomane

Music Diary – 29th July

Welcome to another page in my music diary – today for the 29th July!

In 1993, when I was still a HUGE Jethro Tull fan (well, as Bob Dylan already knew – „The Times They Are a-Changin’“) I added two nice items to my collection:
Beside the maxi vinyl single of „This is not Love“, which was originally released two years before, I also bought the wonderful picture disc of „Rock Island“ from 1989 and which is a limited edition. What a beauty – look:

Cheers and have a nice day!

Alex Melomane

Music Diary – 2nd July

Welcome again to my personal music diary!

And it’s again a special Jethro Tull day, because on the 2nd July I attended three shows:

The first one took place in Salzburg at the Eishalle in the year 1991! It was planned that Tull play an open air gig at the Kapitelplatz behind the wonderful dome, but unfortunately they changed the place and we had to walk into the Eishalle (an ice hockey hall). Before the show I met Ian Anderson for some pictures and after that the band performed in a perfect way with some nice surprises like an extended version of „Fat Man“!

Two years later I attended a Tull show in Wels, just two days after I saw them in Vienna during their „25th Anniversary“ world tour and in 2010 another remarkable show followed: It was the last time that I saw my long time heroes live on stage and it was also the last time seeing the band performing with guitarist Martin Barre, who left the band after four decades (!) one year later! And this is for me another big reason, why I avoid to attend another Jethro Tull show again. Cheerio, Ian Anderson 😉

All details of the mentioned shows (reviews, pictures, setlists and videos) you can find here:

https://melomaneblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/concerts-july

Cheers and see you tomorrow again 😉

Alex Melomane

Music Diary – 30th June

Welcome again to my personal music diary!

The 30th June is a sort of „Jethro Tull day“ in my diary because of two shows:

In 1993 Tull played during their „25th Anniversary“ tour in Vienna a open air show at the Arena. A very nice setlist feat. all songs from the whole career and also one brandnew track was played – an instrumental titled as „Andy Gidding’s Parrot“ 😉

And in 2012 I finally had the chance to see long Jehtro Tull bass player David Pegg with his legendary Folk band Fairport Convention. At a wonderful location on a lake they played songs from the last 45 years band history.

Pictures, videos, setlists and reviews of these two shows you can find here (just scroll down to 30/06):
https://melomaneblog.wordpress.com/category/concerts-june

Cheers and have a nice day!

Alex Melomane