Music Diary – 3rd February

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 3rd February!

Pearl Jam (1992)

 On the 3rd February 1992, Pearl Jam played their very first gig in Europe in Southend, England!

The show took place at The Esplanade Club and the concert was unannounced and unadvertised. Here’s the setlist of this legendary and secret warm up gig:

Wash
Once
Even Flow
State of Love and Trust
Alive
Black
Why Go
Jeremy
Outshined (Soundgarden)/Leash
Jam (Dirty Frank)
Porch
Release
Breath

300 lucky people witnessed this very special and historic moment in Rock history!

Pearl Jam’s first Europe tour was scheduled from 3rd February until 13th March 1992, by playing in eleven differerent countries (England, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Germany).

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Music Diary – 23rd January

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 23rd January!

Bruce Springsteen & Danny Federici (23rd January 1950 – 17th April 2008)

 Happy birthday to Daniel Paul „Danny“ Federici, who was born on the 23rd January 1950 in Flemington, New Jersey (USA)! Danny was the long time organ, glockenspiel and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen.

At the age of seven, Danny started to play accordion. Beside a classical education, he also began to study Jazz and Blues. During his high school time at Hunterdon Central High School, he started a band called „Child“ with his friend Vini Lopez – and the singer became a guy named Bruce Springsteen! Federici and also Lopez later joined Bruce’s group Steel Mill, which became later Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. And Danny worked with „The Boss“ over 40 years.

In the nineties, when the E Street Band was – more or less – inactive, Danny played with a Country/Americana band called Diamondback and they recorded the album „Ragin Wind“. Danny Federici also recorded four solo LPs. Best known is his release „Flemington“ (1997), which features also bassist Garry Tallent and guitarist Nils Lofgren from the E Street Band. Beside this, Federeici also worked with other artists like Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.

On 21st November 2007, it was officially announced, that Danny Federici would take a break from the E Street Band to pursue treatment for melanoma. Sadly, Danny returned only one time on stage again – on 20th March 2008 in Indianapolis. One month later, on the 17th April 2008 and after three years suffering with melanoma, Danny Federici died at the age of 58 years.

 

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Music Diary – 11th January

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

Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen

Happy birthdy to Mr. Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr., better nown as „The Big Man“ and more better known as the tenor saxophone player of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band from 1972 until his passing in 2011. Clarence was born on the 11th January 1942 in Norfolk County, Virginia (USA).

At the age of nine, his father gave him an alto saxophone as a Christmas present and Clarence received music lessons. Over the years he switched to the baritone and finally to the tenor saxophone. In his youth, Clemons was an excellent football player and due to a serious car accident, his plans becoming a pro were annihilated. His first recording sessions took place in 1960 and one year later he joined his first band called „The Vibratones“ (until 1965). In the meantime Clarence Clemons has moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he also worked as a counselor for emotionally disturbed children at the Jamesburg Training School (from 1962 – 1970).

In September 1971, Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen met the very first time. Listen and watch, what Clarence is talking about this historic meeting:

Bruce Springsteen started in July 1972 to record his debut ebut album „Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.„. During recording breaks he also jammed with Clemons at some occasions and after that, he decided to use a tenor saxophone on the songs  „Blinded by the Light“ and „Spirit in the Night„. This was the start of a long cooperation and a deep friendship which holded on until Clemons‘ passing in 2011.

Clemons‘ final recordings are featured on the Springsteen album „Wrecking Ball„, which was released in 2012. On the 12th June 2011, Carence suffered a stroke and only six days later, on the 18th June, he died of complication from it at the age of 69 years.

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Music Diary – 23rd December

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 23rd December!

Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

Happy birthday to Mr. Edward Louis Severson III, who is better known as Eddie Vedder! Eddie was born on the 23th December 1964 in Evanston (close to Chicago – Illinois) and he became and is still the frontman of the legendary Grunge band Pearl Jam. Beside that, he is doing also some solo stuff and various projects like his fantastic recording of the amazing soundtrack „Into the Wild“ (2007).

In the seventies he moved with his family to San Diego (California) and on his 12th birthday (1976) he received a guitar from his mother. So beside surfing, Eddie started to play music. Dropped out of high school, he moved to Chicago and changed his name into Vedder (his mother’s maiden name). In the eighties Eddie Vedder earned his high school GED and moved back to San Diego (1984). Beside his day jobs he started to record demo tapes. Four years later Eddie became the vocalist of the band Bad Radio. In 1990 Vedder left the band and crossed the paths of drummer Jack Irons, who became a close friend over the years. Irons handed him a demo tape from a group located in Seattle, which was looking for a singer. While listening to the music, Vedder wrote the lyrics for three new songs, recorded his singing and sent the tape back to Seattle. These tracks became later the Pearl Jam classics „Alive„, „Once“ and „Footsteps„.

Eddie Vedder get invited by Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, who were very impressed by his singing. At that time both were working with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell on the band project Temple of the Dog. During the recording sessions for the self-titled album, Eddie and Chris did a duet for the song „Hunger Strike„. After that, the band Mookie Blaylock (featuring Eddie Vedder on vocals, Stone Gossard on guitar, bassist Jeff Ament, Mike McCready on second guitar and drummer Dave Krusen) was founded. On the 22nd October 1990 the first concert happened in Seattle at the Off Romp Café.

Shortly after this, the band changed the name into Pearl Jam and the quintet was signed to Epic Records. In March 1991 the Grunge Rockers started to record the epic debut album “Ten“. This LP was released on the 27th August 1991 and sold over 13 million times in the USA until today and marks the most successful album in Pearl Jam’s history.

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Music Diary – 22nd November

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

On the 22nd November 1993 the third studio album by Pearl Jam was released. „Vitalogy“ hit the stores only as a vinyl edition on this day and the album became the first LP to appear on the US chart since the CD relieved the old music format. The comapct disc edition (and also the MC release) of the new Pearl Jam album was available on the 6th December 1993. The 14 songs were recorded at different studios and finally produced by Brendan O’Brien. With 34,000 sold copies in its first week of release, „Vitalogy“ held the record until Jack White’s  LP „Lazaretto“ (2014) for most vinyl sales in one week.

The „Rolling Stone“ gave „Vitalogy“ four of five stars. Writer Al Weisel described the LP as „a wildly uneven and difficult record, sometimes maddening, sometimes ridiculous, often powerful.“ In „The New York Times“ the album was praised for the diversity compared to the band’s previous records. Editor Jon Pareles judged: „Fast but brutal punk, fuzz-toned psychedelia and judicious folk-rock, all of it sounding more spontaneous than before“.

The first single outtake „Spin the Black Circle“ (featuring „Tremor Christ“ on the flip side) received the band first Grammy Award in1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance. The other two outtakes were the singles „Not for You“ and „Immortality„.

In 2011 the remasterd version of „Vitalogy“ (including the second Pearl Jam studio album „Vs.„) was released. The expanded version includes three bonus tracks and a copy of the concert „Live at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, April 12, 1994“ on DVD.

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Music Diary – 22nd October

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

Mookie Blaylock (Pearl Jam)

On the 22nd October 1990 a band called Mookie Blaylock played their fist concert in Seattle at the Off Romp Café. Eddie Vedder (vocals), Stone Gossard (guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), Mike McCready (guitar) and Dave Krusen (drums) named their new group after the Basketball star Mookie Blaylock.

The young quintet shared the stage that night with the bands Bathtub Gin and Inspector Luv & The Ride Me Babies (who later became Green Apple Quickstep).

When you read Mookie Blaylock’s setlist of that show you will recognise some songs, I do guess:

Release
Alone
Alive
Once
Even Flow
Black
Breath
Just a Girl

Watch and listen to this historic concert here:

Shortly after this, the band renamed into Pearl Jam and signed to Epic Records. In March 1991 the Grunge Rockers started to record the epic debut album „Ten„. This LP was released on the 27th August 1991 and sold over 13 million times in the USA until today and marks the most successful album in Pearl Jam’s history.

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Music Diary – 23rd September

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 23rd September!

Bruce „The Boss“ Springsteen (born 23rd September 1949)

Today in the year 1949 Mr. Bruce  Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. Later nicknamed as „The Boss“, Springsteen started his musical career in the late sixties with the band Earth. After that, Bruce Springsteen was from 1969 until 1971 member of Steel Mill. In this group were also Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin and  Steve Van Zandt – all these people became later musicians of Springsteen’s The E Street Band.

In 1972 Bruce Springsteen signed with Columbia Records and his debut album „Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.“ was released in January 1973. A few months later, the follow up „The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle“ hit the stores in September.

His first breakthrough marked his third LP, called „Born to Run“ (1975), which reached No. 3 on the US charts. Especially the title track became a classic in the Springsteen discography. With the following albums „Darkness on the Edge of Town“ (1978), „The River“ (1980) and „Nebraska“ (1982) the fanbase get bigger and with the legendary record „Born in the U.S.A.“ (1984) Bruce Springsteen topped almost worldwide the album charts. From the twelve songs seven were released as singles and almost all of them went Top Ten all over the world.

Over the last decades Bruce Springsteen released more outstanding albums like „The Ghost of Tom Joad“ (1995), „The Rising“ (2002) and „Devils & Dust“ (2005). Remarkable for „The Boss“ is his open minded musical attitutude: So his last release „High Hopes“ (2014) features Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave) on eight tracks.

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Music Diary – 26th August

Welcome back to my Music Diary – today for the 26th August!

Shirley Manson (Garbage)

On this day back in 1966 Miss Shirley Ann Manson was born in Edinburg, Scotland. In April 1994, Shirley Manson met the musicians Duke Erikson, Steeve Marker and Butch Vig, who were looking for a new line up for a brandnew project. A few months later they founded the band Garbage which charted the charts worldwide with their self titled debut album.

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Music Diary – 15th March

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 15th March!

Bruce Springstten with Clarence Clemons (left) and Steven Van Zandt (right)

On the 15th March 1999, Bruce Springsteen was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bono!

Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band performed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a short set featuring the following songs:

Promised Land
Backstreets
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
In the Midnight Hour (feat. Wilson Pickett)

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Music Diary – 18th June

Hey Musicaddicts all around the world!

Today, on the 18th June, I am remembering two breathtaking performances:

Back in the year 2000 I attended one of the best shows I’ve ever seen: Pearl Jam played an outstanding open air gig in Salzburg at the wonderful Residenzplatz. And when the sun set down the full moon came up and brightened up the old city in a perfect light. Luckily this concert was recorded and released as a 2-CD-Set.

Ten years later me and my friend headbanged in Paris at the Stade de France with AC/DC. Before Angus & Co. gave us an overdose of Rock’n’Roll, Mr. Saul Hudson (better known as Slash), kicked our ass!

Pictures, videos, setlist etc. about the mentioned shows you can find here (just scroll down to the date of 18/06):
https://melomaneblog.wordpress.com/category/concerts-june/

By the way:
Mr. Dizzy Reed, who plays still with Guns n‘ Roses, has his birthday today – happy bday!!! Also all the best to Paul McCartney, who turned 71 today 😉

Cheers,

Alex Melomane