Show #2 Playlist and info

[paul]

Obscurities In The Dark
Hosted by Paul Kurzweil

Show #2
March 14, 2003

(Artist/Song/Album)
(Notes)

Part I

Focus/Anonymous II/Masters From The Vault DVD (circa 1972)
This is the band rehearsing material for the album Focus III.
The original recording is dead mono (even though they claim it
was 'remastered'). This cut was stereoized by me for this broadcast.

Brand X/Kugelblitz/Missing Period (circa 1975/76)
From old tapes John Goodsall's family had saved for him. It's
interesting hearing Brand X in such raw but good form. This is the
original lineup with Phil Collins.

Alanis Morissette/Baba (live) 1999
Bet you didn't know Alanis could actually sing! This was from her Unplugged concert on MTV, but of course they didn't include this on the CD release, so I stripped this recording off the videotape.

Steve Vai's Morning Thunder/Printed Spirit (live) 1979
This was recorded on November 8, 1979 at the Berklee College of Music Performance Center in Boston. The band included Randy Coven on bass, Dave Rosenthal on keyboards, and I'll be damned if I can remember the drummer's name...the master tape of this recording was stolen from the Berklee library 2 weeks after I discovered it there. I'm sure glad I copied it.

Daryll Dobson/Babylon/The Mind Electric 1984
Featuring L. Shankar on violin. Daryll is a good friend of mine, and told me he was scared stiff to play with a monster player like Shankar, but it turned out Shankar was the most easy going guy you'd ever want to meet. This album is available through amazon.com.

Jane Siberry/The Walking (and Constantly) 1986
This is the original full version. Why they edited out the bridge for the U.S. release I'll never know.

Bill Nelson/The October Man/The Love That Whirls 1982
If you're into using the E-Bow like I am, this is the track that'll show you how beautiful it can sound.

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Part 2

Paul Kantner & Jefferson Starship/Blows Against The Empire (Side 2) 1970
The lineup for this album is vast...Jerry Garcia, Jack Casady, David Crosby, Graham Nash (who mixed the entire side), plus Nicky Hopkins on piano. This album was nominated for the Science Fiction Hugo Award.

Kevin Eubanks/Shades of Black/Opening Night 1985
I remember Kevin walked into one of my classes at Berklee. He happened to know the teacher and stopped by to say hello. The teacher turned to the class and asked "Everyone knows who this is, right?" I was the only person in the room who recognized him! Of course he's now the band leader for the Tonight Show. Incidentally, Kevin does not use a pick at all as far as I know, just his thumb.

Bill Frisell/Before We Were Born 1989
This album features a track produced and arranged by John Zorn, which will give you an example of what was to come from Zorn's project Naked City. This album also features Arto Lindsay on guitar and vocals.

Rain Tree Crow/A Pocketful of Change 1991
The band consists of David Sylvian, Steve Jansen (David's brother), Mick Karn, and Richard Barbieri. In other words...Japan!

The Golden Palominos/Angels
This is drummer Anton Fier's band. They have done all sorts of diverse material from modern jazz to pop. This track features singer Syd Straw.

Bill Nelson/Glow World/Chimera 1984
More work from the master, this one featuring Mick Karn on bass.

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PK's random anecdote for the week:

I had the honor of working for Pink Floyd during their 1994 tour of the USA, running the satellite audio uplink to MTV Europe. Here are some things that stick in my mind:

When I first met the 2nd keyboardist (whose name totally eludes me, sorry) he was programming his Kurzweil to trigger all the cash register and coin sounds for 'Money' by mapping them to a C major scale. After he discovered my last name, we had lots to talk about!

The gigantic pigs on either side of the stage never seemed to inflate on cue or at the same time.

The rehearsals always sounded better than the show.

The catering was very British. I had never had pheasant before.

David Gilmour is a very large man. You don't want to mess with him! I remember he must have had the band rehearse Astronomy Domine 50 times in a row. He had these massive wood wardrobe-type things for all his guitars, as well as 4 pedal steels. It was great being able to examine his collection up close. I don't think I've seen so many Strats in one place!

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Obscurities In The Dark is produced by Paul Kurzweil
Original content ©2003 Mutant Music Co, administered by Kurzweil Music Publishing, BMI

Send your thoughts to obscurities@kurzweil.net

[Avian(Admin)]

Cool stuff! Did you stay in Boston at all after your stay at Berklee?

(I lived there for 5 years - Aural Moon started there).

Avian

[paul]

I was at Berkleee from Sept. 1984 to May 1988. I actually graduated...imagine that! I left Boston after that and went out to L.A.

The Dream Theatre cats lived on the same floor in the dorms. Also drummer Will Calhoun (Living Colour) was there...he had a jazz band called Dark Sarcasm.

[Extended Play]

Originally posted by paul
When I first met the 2nd keyboardist (whose name totally eludes me, sorry) he was programming his Kurzweil to trigger all the cash register and coin sounds for 'Money' by mapping them to a C major scale. After he discovered my last name, we had lots to talk about!
[/b]

That would be Jon Carin!

Yes, what is your relation to Ray Kurtzweil? Can you get me a good deal? (heh)

Same floor as Dream Theater?! Paul, I need to hear your stories!

Tommy

[paul]

Originally posted by Extended Play

That would be Jon Carin!

Yes, what is your relation to Ray Kurtzweil? Can you get me a good deal? (heh)

Same floor as Dream Theater?! Paul, I need to hear your stories!

Hah! Thanks for jogging my brain cells about that keyboardist, Tommy. Actually, the name is Kurzweil, not Kurtzweil. Don't let any snobs tell you different! We pronounce it 'KURZ-while.' If vee ver in Austria or Germany, den it vood be pronounced 'KURTZ-vile.' According to dear old Dad, in German it literally means 'a short period of time,' but it has a much more interesting colloquial meaning...'a form of entertainment.'

Ray Kurzweil is my dad's cousin, which I think makes him my 1st cousin once removed. My Grandpa had some outrageous number of brothers, and Ray is one of their kids. I did get to play quite a bit with the K-250 early on. I had instructors who were on the development team at the original Kurzweil Music Systems. I'll never forget how realistic sounding it was, as well as being quite noisy, and so heavy you needed 2 people to lift it! At ten grand a pop I didn't know many keyboardists back then who could afford one. Since Ray sold it, I think Young Chang Akki has done very well with the company.

Yeah, the Berklee dorms...what a zoo...I was there 3 out of the 4 years. I distinctly remember jamming with the super long-haired asian bass player...those guys had their prog rock clique, and me and my friends had ours, but we all mingled musically at one time or another. The proggers were definitlely a minority next to the jazzers.

[Extended Play]

Originally posted by paul


Hah! Thanks for jogging my brain cells about that keyboardist, Tommy. Actually, the name is Kurzweil, not Kurtzweil.

D'oh, it's not like you didn't write the correct spelling on your post . . .

And yes, I'm weighed down with an inordinate amount of Pink Floyd trivia. I guess that's just a side effect of all the "intense listening" (read: intense geeking).

You jammed with John Myung, Dream Theater's own "Silent Man"? Yes, you can tell a Prog-Metal geek by whether or not their eyes light up at such a mention.

Oh, and I see your Vai mention on your show and raise you Sex & Religion on my show next week. We'll have to talk offline about a copy of that show you've got.

Tommy - Extended Playa

Quote: Focus/Anonymous II/Masters From The Vault DVD (circa 1972)
This is the band rehearsing material for the album Focus III.
_________________________________________________

Paul,

It looks to me like an out take from a 70s-80s TV Rock show called "The Old Grey Whistle Test". It was hosted by "Whispering Bob Harris" and introduced TONS of music to the masses.

They had sets from everyone who was anyone during their years on the air and in fact introduced Focus to the watching public-although that master DJ, John Peel, had played Hocus Pocus a while earlier much to everyones amazement. I mean a Yodelling, Flute playing rock star.............Far Out Man!

I LOVE Focus' music. Their improvisations are just amazing and they never, EVER played a song the same twice. Or was that just me floating along in a smokey trance.......who knows, who cares. Just magic!!!

[paul]

Keith, this is a mystery. The tune played by the Philip Catherine lineup is from The Old Grey Whistle Test for sure. You can see the backdrop clearly when they pan out. But when they do Anonymous II? It seemed to me it was part of those same sessions recorded at that castle. Did it really seem like Akkerman was playing to an audience? He was being VERY lazy about some of the lines, almost like they were being worked out. Then it goes into Hocus Pocus and Akkerman screws up and they all stop dead. Although, that "shave and a haircut' ending of Hocus Pocus is certainly one of their concert trademarks.

Then again, I'm a mere mortal who's never seen any of this footage before. I should take the ol' Brit's word for it!

More Bill Nelson, anyone?

Most odd!!!

I will have to watch the DVD over again. I was sure that the Anonymous II bit from the 1973 Medley section was from Whistle Test.

"Then again, I'm a mere mortal who's never seen any of this footage before. I should take the ol' Brit's word for it!"- Don't ever take my word for anything!!!!!! I still get Flashbacks where I think I'm Jim Morrison.