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On Cat Stevens’ Conversion
For nearly all of the 1970s, singer-songwriter Cat Stevens made some of the most successful and influential pop records of the era. Along with his contemporaries (Elton John, James Taylor, Carole King, CSNY, and Joni Mitchell), Stevens was in good company at the top of the folk-rock pantheon. Songs like “Wild World”, “Where Do the Children Play?”, “Father and Son”, “Morning Has Broken”, and “Peace Train” topped the charts in the mid-‘70s, while Stevens—an unassuming musical poet—filled arenas and dominated the playlists of both adult contemporary and FM radio programmers.
And then, suddenly one day in 1978, Cat Stevens vanished.
After the release of 1978’s Back to Earth, his ninth album in less than eight years, Stevens laid down his acoustic guitar, retired his backup band, and simply stopped it all.
Holland Dozier Holland
Unquestionably, the American counterpart to Britain’s Lennon and McCartney is the trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland: Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Edward Holland, Jr. Not only were they the greatest modern pop songwriting team to emerge from this country, they were also among the most successful record producers of all time—a fact that few music fans know.
The list of artists they wrote for and produced is also monumental, including the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, Eddie Kendricks, Freda Payne, Chairmen of the Board, and many others.
The list of songs the three soft-spoken men have written is staggering. “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave”, “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love”, “I Can’t Help Myself”, “Stop! In the Name Of Love”, “Nowhere to Run”, “Can I Get a Witness”, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”, “Baby Don’t You Do It”, “Standing In the Shadows of Love”, “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)”, and on and on and on…
Lynyrd Skynyrd Survive
Next to the original Allman Brothers Band, the most important icon of the Southern rock movement is Lynyrd Skynyrd. In a matter of four years the band went from being a working-class, Florida-based bar band, to being one of the most popular acts to fill arenas in both America and Europe. Then, it all came crashing down—literally.
Through a simple twist of fate, the band that helped define what we now call classic rock would be fighting for its survival in a Mississippi swamp, the victims of a tragic plane crash. Here is the story behind the fall of the “free bird.”
Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1966 (they took their name from a strict high school gym instructor, named Leonard Skinner), the band endured seven years of bar gigs and desperation before landing a record deal—they were signed by Who manager Bill Curbishley. At the same time the band landed a deal with MCA Records. Its debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, was an instant smash that yielded the anthemic FM classic “Free Bird.”
Crosby, Stills and Nash See the Changes
What happened with the formation of the world’s first industry-labeled “super group” and what label passed on them after they performed a private live audition? It was a twist of fate, and here is the story…
June, 1967. The world of music has been turned upside down with The Monterey Pop Festival. It would be the first time the world would be introduced to the power-drenched blues of Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company; the destructive fury of the Who; and the amazing artistry and showmanship of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The period of Monterey would also be one of the last times an audience would see the original Byrds with David Crosby; and the Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills (and Neil Young). Both bands were going through turmoil, as was the British pop band, the Hollies, whose main writer and musician was Graham Nash.
The Twist? Got Such a Supple Wrist
What timeless, multi-platinum rock ‘n’ roll work began as a gag medley of songs to be performed at a birthday party for a band’s manager?
It was a twist of fate, and here is the story…
It was late 1966, and Swingin’ London was just kicking into high gear. The music scene in the U.K. was making its transition from the pop-music-singles sound of the British Invasion, to the more serious album-oriented era, ushered in with the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pet Sounds.
Led Zeppelin: What Is and What Should Never Be
by: Bruce Pilato
On December 10th, 2007 the Mothership finally landed inside London’s O2 arena and 20,000 of us got on it for the reunion ride of a lifetime. The long-awaited “official” reunion of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones (the surviving members of Led Zeppelin) finally took place. Performing with them was Jason Bonham, son of the late John Bonham, the band’s original drummer.
At 8:59 pm, the lights dimmed and the Mighty Zeppelin took to the stage for what was an unforgettable two-hour performance that featured 16 songs from seven of the band’s nine studio albums.
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by: Bruce Pilato
published: December 19, 2007
in column: Feature Story
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