Willie G. Moseley

My bar band in the mid-'70s went Kustom across the board---bass player had a black head w/ two cabs, PA was black, I had a turquoise piggyback with a horn and 15" spker in the cab. All of 'em had big purple power indicator lights. Hartley Peavey has a hilarious recollection about how his early stuff used to smoke Kustoms---he describes the sound of a Kustom being turned on as 'KA-POOK! Sssssssss..." Our rig paled in comparison to the Bushmen, an Atlanta quartet: All red Kustom gear: PA, amps, and one of those naugahyde organs. Guitarist and bassist played a red ES-335/345/355 (don't remember which; it was 40 years ago) and an EB-2, respectively. Not surprisingly, they wore matching outfits. Talk about aesthetically encaustic...

"Control it at the amplifier."---Merle Travis, ca. 1958. He was referencing his preference for as few knobs as possible on a guitar (if he was to custom-order it).

Shame on y'all for not citing Jack Bruce. While McCartney is highly underrated, and Entwistle and Squire would probably be on the top three w/ Bruce, the feisty Scot was every bit as innovative as them other Englishters, if not more so. He may have languished in his post-Cream career but Cream took rock music to places where it had never been, and music will probably never return there, either. But I'd hate to have to choose between Bruce, Entwistle and Squire........

One good key to a DVD concert is how it sounds if you dub the audio to a CD or cassette; does it still impress you without visuals? Such a notion might rule out Pink Floyd's P.U.L.S.E. video because even though it is visually stunning, the song selections and music's not particularly distinguished from MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON, but P.U.L.S.E. has slightly better fidelity, IMO. Also check out: 'SYMPHONIC YES' DIRE STRAITS: ON THE NIGHT THE STEVE MORRIS BAND: LIVE IN BADEN-BADEN 1990 JUDAS PRIEST: 'PRIEST LIVE' (has "Green Manalishi", which ain't on the album) STYX LIVE W/ THE CONTEMPORARY YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF CLEVELAND: 'ONE WITH EVERYTHING' KING CRIMSON: 'NEAL AND JACK AND ME' (live in Japan '84 and Frejus '82) MOTORHEAD: 25 & ALIVE/BONESHAKER RUSH: R30 IAN HUNTER: STRINGS ATTACHED WISHBONE ASH: ALMIGHTY BLUES/LIVE AND BEYOND A lot of the LIVE AT MONTREAUX series is worth checking out (Dixie Dregs, Rory Gallagher, etc.) As to 'why', they're all professional performed w/ great audio; the Yes, Styx and Ian Hunter efforts are with orchestras, therefore unique. The Steve Morris effort has Dave Larue on bass, IIRC. King Crimson's early '80s incarnation was innovative, and in recent times it was back to the same foursome (the Japan '84 concert was on MTV back then).

Twilight Zone Trivia: 2112 is the score of yesterday's Patriots-Chargers game.

In sympathy---lost my mother in '91, and miss her. My step-mom is a good lady,and she and my father are happy together (and are good for each other) but she's not my mom.

It's been promulgated that eventually the only two shows left will be Dallas in the spring and Arlington in the fall, and the notion seems somewhat valid, as they're somewhat centrally-located in the lower 48. I call 'em the Super Bowl and the World Series of guitar shows on accounta they're the biggest but still distinctive (Arlington's got an older---therefore theoretically more-mature---age demographic, and it's also quieter). Arlington instituted some anti-sharking policies this year that supposedly worked well. Some promoters are still doing things right for certain regional shows, however. I think central Florida's promoter's been doing his thing (as well as a couple of shows in the Carolinas) for a number of years, and the Amigos have diversified to the point where the California shows are still valid, and I understand they're gonna try Nashville. On the other hand, since I first started going to shows in 1989, the nearest one on a fairly regular basis was Atlanta...but "regular basis" is a relative term, because a total of FIVE different promoters couldn't make a go of it; the "regular" term reflects when somebody gave up, somebody else would try. The magazine for which I write doesn't have a presence at as many shows as we used to; we get more subscriptions on the internet. I personally like going to and working at shows for the social contact (I schmooze real good), chances to find something to write about, and the fact that I get to check out instruments before purchasing is a plus.

No self-aggrandizement intended, but I got the info on accounta I interviewed Batiz, and it was one of the more interesting interviews I've ever done---and the gain on the phone line from Mexico City was actually better than most of the domestic interviews I've recorded. Batiz still lives in Tijuana in the house where he was born, amid brutal poverty, but is known nationally (he sent me a lotta newspaper clippings, etc.). Carlos gave him a PRS. Other Mexican-born players like Marco Mendoza are Batiz fans.

I don't know that Santana invented a new genre, but the approach of the original lineup was innovative in its time---diverse lineup w/ music that had diverse sources...and I'm an individual who detests the "feel-goodism" of the way the term "diversity" is batted around nowadays. On the other hand, it isn't out of line to opine that Carlos practically invented an enduring guitar tone ("The Cry") although he was influenced in that sound by Javier Batiz of Tijuana. Can't say that Mayer has come up with a new tone, either, based on what I've heard...although Bonamassa has occasionally pulled off some interesting-if-slightly-derivative sounds, IMO. Saw the original incarnation of Santana in October '69 in Atlanta w/ Joe Cocker & the Grease Band and Chicago. I think one of the reasons the original Santana went over so well in concert was Chepito Areas and Michael Carabello both flailing away on side-by-side congas (although Chepito played timbales on occasion). Something like that hadn't been seen or heard in a rock band context before. Carlos had his SG Special.

I'm presently reading the Clapton autobio (not bad at all, particularly if he didn't use a ghoster...but some of them English terms will be a bit awkward to a Yank reader), and the mention of Mayer and Clapton in a post RE the EVH fit got me to thinking what the big deal is about Mayer? Admittedly, I haven't heard him much, but everytime I have, I've been seriously underwhelmed. Izzit supposed to be his chops? Singing? Songwriting? Any particular (so-called) "retro" appeal? His facial contortions? I'm totally serious here;not being cynical.

Proclaiming that an instrument is "mint for its age" is like proclaiming that an overweight person is "wide for his/her height"

Last time Kiz went to the optometrist, the optometrist pointed to the letters on the chart on the wall and HE called 'em out to Kizanski, saying "True or false?"

IMO most people don't look at instruments that close-up....but PRSs ain't average instruments. I think that the guitar would be "Very Good", max, primarily because of the dings....but don't get me involved. If Elderly got cited and there is no appraisal from that company, they might have some kind of legal recourse against the customer. As for why I wouldn't want it known that I think it's VG, I was involved in a similar incident regarding an instrument's condition around 2000. A non-player/non-collector about 90 miles from my office had a late 50s LP Special that would have fit in a book I was working on with a photographer, and he wouldn't let me "temporarily purchase" it from his business with a credit card, hold the bill, and tear it up when I returned it. Other businesses had done such but he didn't; not really a big deal and I didn't fume. What went wrong was that he made two appointments to have it photographed at the photo studio in Montgomery, AL when he was going to be in the area...and didn't show up both times. A couple of years later, a music store got a letter from him asking if they were interested in it, and his missive included "The man who writes for the Vintage Guitars magazine told me this was the nicest Les Paul Special he has ever seen." The dealer got in touch w/ me, and I'd said no such thing (and I'd seen nicer Specials). And the guy 90 miles from me quickly learned the meaning of the phrase "cease and desist", if he didn't already know.

RE: Lester Bangs---HUGE influence on my music writing, as was almost everybody else who wrote for CREEM in the late '70s and early '80s, because of the irreverence more than anything else. Jim DeRogatis wrote a good Bangs bio called LET IT BLURT, which I still have in my office library. Lester's anthology, CARBURETOR DUNG, was okay but rambled at times (consider the source), and included the recounting of his famous duel with Lou Reed. Lester wanted to be a rock star, but was upfront, whimsical and sarcastic about his quest. The schmucks I can't stand are, as noted on some other thread a while back, know-it-alls whose condescending attitudes are the size of the Louisiana Purchase, simply because they went to journalism school. The line of thinking applies to national news journalists (electronic and print) more than anyone else, IMO. I think writers can have influences just like musicians can. My non-musical writing influences include former CHICAGO TRIBUNE columnist Bob Greene, as well as Pete Hamill, Harry Stein, and to a lesser extent, Lewis Grizzard.

RE: "writing nerds" and "musician nerds"---could be worse; could be writers (or even cartoonists) that wanna be musicians/rock stars (Dave Berry, Gary Larson spring to mind), or even worse (as I've groused about before), journalists who act like they're rock stars themselves (music journalists and otherwise). Don't ask me to name names; I'll get indigestion just thinkin' about them malevolent, sanctimonious putzes.

Maybe the "can Page actually play" remark has to do with the general consensus that he stunk at both Live Aid as well as the Atlantic 40th anniversary three years later... that would be my opinion, and Page admitted that alcohol affected the Atlantic gig, IIRC, but those performances were 22 and 19 years ago, and I didn't see Plant/Page live.

Protoid capsules!

The difference in the 4001s and 4003s is the truss rod system. The 4001's truss rod system dated from the '50s, and the 4003's truss rod system was specifically designed to accomodate round-wound strings and the tension such strings produce (Forrest White said he was involved with its development during his short tenure at Rickenbacker). That being said, Lemmy once told me (in a comment that didn't end up in print) "I'll go to me grave swearin' the '1s' are better than the '3s'." The necks on 4001s do feel different to me---I've been thru several of 'em, and never had any neck problems. I bought a new 4003 in '88 and it held up fine, too, structurally, but was one of two new Rick instruments that developed finish problems.

I know of one guitar manufacturer whose artist relations guy included "At the present time, we are not accepting any new endorsers" on his outgoing voice mail message. RE: Tom Dumont...who? RE: Shakira...who? The discussion of MTV, CMT, et. al. is fascinating since those entertainment outlets emphasize the visual facets, not the sonic aspects, of what the artists are proffering.

This thread jogged my mind about another concept that's appeared on this board before---that of the indispensable complete sides of albums, back when they were on licorice pizza or cassette. Side Two of ABBEY ROAD always gets cited (for good reason!) and I've always gone ga-ga over Side One of Quicksilver Messenger Service's HAPPY TRAILS. Think I'll add Side One of QUEEN II to my own personal list.

Will do. Been there, done that w/ my father, who's now 85 and doing well w/ a pacemaker. In fact, he went with me today when I spoke about old guitars at the Montgomery (Alabama) civic club he used to be a member of. At that age, the opportunities for parent-child one-on-ones are few and far between (including distance factors) so I value such occasions, and he does too.

A 2001 left achromionectomy really changed my perspective on playing bass---since then, has to be a wide strap and lightweight, body-"heavy" instrument, balance-wise. I seem to have settled in with mahogany body G & L L-1000s and original style '82-'83 SB-1s. Cold/damp weather still makes it ache, but the surgery was pre-emptive; waiting would've meant rotator cuff surgery.

Well, this could take two different tacks: historical and present-day, and I could only make observations on the historical facet, and to some extent, it involves having heard performances rather than albums: 1. Touch: A '68 band that had what could arguably be considered one of the earliest progressive rock albums ever (the Vanilla Fudge not considered, since they specialized in unique covers). The cover of Touch's album had 'em appearing to be floating in space and there was a great song thereon called "Miss Teach". Seems like I recall they might've been from Seattle. 2. Potliquor: Ca. 1970 Louisiana swamp rock at its finest. "Cheer" got a tiny bit of airplay 3. The Guild: A great bar band I heard in Champaign-Urbana in 1970; unsure what they ever recorded but they did a terrific cover of Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air". 4. Snow: Another pro bar band that performed THE WALL dead-on, completely thru. Jeezus. 5. The Twangbangers: Recent players' supergroup that included Bill Kirchen and Redd Volkaert, as well as singer Dallas Wayne. Hope this fits the format...may think of some others later.

What I find intriguing---if not bizarre---is a back cover ad for "The EVH Frankenstein Replica Guitar" on the back cover of the October issue of VINTAGE GUITAR (Robben Ford on the cover), and the word "Fender" appears NOWHERE in the ad. It's for a particular Chicago dealer, but the closest nod Fender gets is a couple of trademark "FMIC" registrations, alongside some " E.L.V.H. Inc." registrations.

Dunno about amps and other gear, but among guitars, 90% of the new ones sold in the US are imported, and it's been that way for over a decade, at least. I think any generation is gonna be attracted to the guitars that were in vogue when said generation came of age; said instruments are time-warp machines. I identify more w/ a Silvertone/Danelectro amp-in-the-case than something like an Ibanez Rocket Roll or Peavey T-60. Most prime front-line instruments from almost any era will be assimilated by the very very rich. When I retire in less than a decade, I'm considering selling my autographed instruments to the Hard Rock...and my wife, not a player nor much of a music fan, likes their food more than I do...