Tom Petty Dead

SkyDog58 said:
My dad died at 87 and my mom at 89. Not stellar numbers but pretty darn good. Their siblings and parents had similar lifespans. So I'm just hoping that genetics does outweigh lifestyle.
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My dad just died on May 22 at 94 and he'd still be alive if he wasn't aspirating and kept getting aspirational pneumonia. He did plumbing until about 88. After he quit work he started getting dementia. My mother is 89 and still in good health.
 
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Refugee was alright, but I was never a big Tom Petty fan. Nothing against him personally, his music just wasn't my flavor. For some people I guess it's like me not understanding why some people don't like coffee.

Except this morning I caught End of The Line, by Traveling Wilbury's and it must have hit just right. I pulled the group up on wiki and read the back story. I was never a big fan of any of the members individually. But I've listened to several of their songs today and together they really put together some great music.

I don't know, maybe it's that they put the group together as a lark, just friends having fun playing together.

I caught part of an interview with McCartney recently when he was talking about the Beatles' early days, touring on a bus. Orbison was with them and in the back with his guitar, "pretty lady...no..." and McCartney said something he'll remember the rest of his life is being there as one of the best songs ever made (his words, not mine), Pretty Woman, was created.

So when Orbison passed, the others in TW were unanimous in the decision to honor his friendship by not replacing him.

It's odd that knowing the back story to Traveling Wilburys has me appreciating Tom Petty and his music so much more now.
 
Funny, even though I am not a huge country music fan, I loved the Traveling Wilburys.
 
I wouldn't describe the Wilbury's as country at all. In my opinion they were folk rock / light rock. Either way, I thought they were great. Of course, I liked all of them for their previous and latter works as well.
 
I wouldn't call them country....folk rock, sure, but country? Ummmm...I can't call it that...

dammit...beat me by 1.5 seconds! ;)
 
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Funny how this thread popped up again - I was waiting for a table the other night when we went out, "End Of The Line" was playing and I was humming along.

It's interesting to see Roy Orbison's guitar in the rocking chair - they need to add 2 more:

 
In any genre of music, the average song is, well, average.

Some country music is way below average. But the best can tell a story in quite a succinct and telling manner. Thinking of “Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis, “The Good Stuff” by Kenny Chesney, “Stay” by Sugarland, that sort of thing.

“Bless The Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts strikes a chord with me and Karen, and is one of “our songs”.

Again, a lot of country music is tripe, but some is quite sublimely beautiful.
 
Tom Petty singing Hank William's "Lonesome Hwy", now that's country!

 
Matthew said:
One of the things about Country, you generally have to listen to the story that's being told
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^This. Here's a great little number from Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley. IMO, it's one of the better whiskey drinkin'/double suicide songs out there. Krauss has a voice that's simply angelic.

 
And don't forget the perfect country verse (sung by David Allan Coe):

Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got run over by a damned old train
 
Not sure why, or how, but I grew up on rock starting back in the mid/late 60's.

I think my first recollection of country was Johnny Cash, and the original version of "Uneasy Rider" by Charlie Daniels.

Wasn't ever into the "pop" country, like Elvis, though.
 
Gerhardt said:
Refugee was alright, but I was never a big Tom Petty fan. Nothing against him personally, his music just wasn't my flavor. For some people I guess it's like me not understanding why some people don't like coffee.

Except this morning I caught End of The Line, by Traveling Wilbury's and it must have hit just right. I pulled the group up on wiki and read the back story. I was never a big fan of any of the members individually. But I've listened to several of their songs today and together they really put together some great music.

I don't know, maybe it's that they put the group together as a lark, just friends having fun playing together.

I caught part of an interview with McCartney recently when he was talking about the Beatles' early days, touring on a bus. Orbison was with them and in the back with his guitar, "pretty lady...no..." and McCartney said something he'll remember the rest of his life is being there as one of the best songs ever made (his words, not mine), Pretty Woman, was created.

So when Orbison passed, the others in TW were unanimous in the decision to honor his friendship by not replacing him.

It's odd that knowing the back story to Traveling Wilburys has me appreciating Tom Petty and his music so much more now.
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I liked the backstory too. I heard an interview with George Harrison talking about the Wilburys. He said he liked being part of a group again and collaborating and not having to sing lead on every song. It was pretty cool listing to how they rebuilt Dylan’s studio to get him to join in.
 
Jim_CAK said:
I liked the backstory too. I heard an interview with George Harrison talking about the Wilburys. He said he liked being part of a group again and collaborating and not having to sing lead on every song. It was pretty cool listing to how they rebuilt Dylan’s studio to get him to join in.
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And they how even formed the group! Two of them, maybe Harrison and Lynn, decided to go over to Petty's house to borrow a guitar and he ends up in. Something like that. Dylan even sounds better w/the Wilburys, one tune I really like "Tweeter and Monkey Man".

 
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SoCal RV Flyer said:
^This. Here's a great little number from Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley. IMO, it's one of the better whiskey drinkin'/double suicide songs out there. Krauss has a voice that's simply angelic.

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Wait a minute!! How many whiskey drinking, double suicide songs are there???!! I hope not too many.

I'm a recent fan to new country as my roots are solidly rock and roll and I'm enjoying hearing new stuff, but I like the more upbeat rocking numbers and the positive side of life country can bring rather then the poor, boo hoo, whoa is me, crying my eyes out stuff. Unfortunately, country music, new or old is still largely bound by tried and true formulas and market expectations rather than innovation, or experimentation.
 
@Dav8or check out Montgomery Gentry. Unfortunately Troy Gentry was in a helo crash last year but they're still touring,
 
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Dav8or said:
Unfortunately, country music, new or old is still largely bound by tried and true formulas and market expectations rather than innovation, or experimentation.
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And that's different from post 1974 rock how? Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds in the mid 60's because the producers were pushing them to create more mainstream marketable music. Clapton told them that would stifle creativity and left. 60s and early 70s rock was still about the music. It was about the art...about the soul...of the music.

Then came Journey, Foreigner, Boston, et.al. Can you imagine Steve Perry saying "no, I won't create simplistic, poppy, teeny-bopper music just to make money. That would stifle my creativity."

Har, that's a funny thought.

And I'm a product of that era (graduated high school in '78) but can't stand the music of that time...it was simply about the money by then. Give me the stuff from the 60's and early 70's any day. That music had SOUL. The music of my era had absolutely NONE.

Country music similarly sold out during that same period (late 70's, early 80's) The Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama and all that type of garbage. Give me the true country and western music of the earlier era. I don't have much need for the teeny-bopper pop music sang with a twang.

It was a very sad time for music.
 
My first radio was a small AM, I was in 1st grade in Brooklyn, NY in 1967. Back in my day... I can remember listening to everything from such a wide variety of things that now are really segmented by genre and demographics. Stations played what sold, and it was common to hear everything from the Beatles, to the Stones, to Roy Orbison, to the Monkees, Simon & Garfunkel, the Byrds, the Kinks, Elvis, and any number of things from Motown, all on the same station.
 
Matthew said:
My first radio was a small AM, I was in 1st grade in Brooklyn, NY in 1967. Back in my day... I can remember listening to everything from such a wide variety of things that now are really segmented by genre and demographics. Stations played what sold, and it was common to hear everything from the Beatles, to the Stones, to Roy Orbison, to the Monkees, Simon & Garfunkel, the Byrds, the Kinks, Elvis, and any number of things from Motown, all on the same station.
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That sounds a lot like what K-SHE 95 played back in the late 60s/early 70s. They always made the top 5 in the Rolling Stone's "best progressive rock stations" back then. Progressive rock was a very loose term.

Today they're just another freakin' classic rock station playing only tunes that saw the top 40 or top 100 on the outside.

But, K-SHE's founders have a website: http://stlouisclassicrock.com

There are 6 distinct streams. My favs are SLCR1 and Randy Bailey's Planet Radio.

(I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this here before so sorry for the repeat.)
 
Was telling my son about Bob Seeger and The Silver Bullet Band (somewhat sad/somber/nostalgic lyrics) then we listened to a few songs, then migrated to Allman Bros, then Lynrd Skynrd...funny how one song can carry you over to another. Would be cool to have a montage that would connect music extremes with everything in between.
 
another one...

I LIKE Neil Young. But I never understood Crazy Horse.

It was like Neil said "let me surround myself with the worst freakin' musicians I can find on the face of the planet, make some really crappy music, and see if I can still sell albums."

Jeeezus that chit is bad (with very rare exception).
 
timwinters said:
And I'm a product of that era (graduated high school in '78) but can't stand the music of that time...it was simply about the money by then. Give me the stuff from the 60's and early 70's any day. That music had SOUL. The music of my era had absolutely NONE.
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Every decade has had its share of commercial music. Think the Monkees were all about 'their art' at first? Alvin & The Chipmunks? As for the late 70's, that brought us (ok, maybe it's just me) Social Distortion, The Sex Pistols, Devo, The Descendents, Killing Joke, and about a million other bands that learned that you didn't have to be pretty or sound slick to get your message across. Whatever you like, in terms of rock and roll, at least, there's decent music in just about every decade since the '50's. You used to have to trade 45s or tapes or go to some pretty nasty clubs to find it, but it's been there. Still is. Pandora and Spotify and all the other streaming services make it easier but it's still fun to go to a dive every once in a while and be the old dude with earplugs standing in the back. :stirpot:

Nauga,
who thinks 'arena rock' should share a grave with disco
 
nauga said:
Every decade has had its share of commercial music. Think the Monkees were all about 'their art' at first? Alvin & The Chipmunks? As for the late 70's, that brought us (ok, maybe it's just me) Social Distortion, The Sex Pistols, Devo, The Descendents, Killing Joke, and about a million other bands that learned that you didn't have to be pretty or sound slick to get your message across. Whatever you like, in terms of rock and roll, at least, there's decent music in just about every decade since the '50's. You used to have to trade 45s or tapes or go to some pretty nasty clubs to find it, but it's been there. Still is. Pandora and Spotify and all the other streaming services make it easier but it's still fun to go to a dive every once in a while and be the old dude with earplugs standing in the back. :stirpot:

Nauga,
who thinks 'arena rock' should share a grave with disco
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OMG!! I so agree. I think rock actually expanded and found new paths after 1974! I don't care what era, what genre it is, if it's a well crafted pop song I love it. I have everything from the 40s to today on my playlist as long as it's got great hooks, a cool beat, nice textures, sounds and ell structured. I have most all the bands you listed (listened to Devo and Social Distortion today) as well as the Monkees and Johnny Cash. I try to collect them all if they make me want to move, start drumming, play air guitar, want to sing (I love Karaoke) or just plain amuse me. Everything from Glenn Miller to Pink. Hell I rediscovered the genius that is ABBA recently and I was belting out Green Day and Boston today with my wife (she also likes to sing and I love doing harmonies). I'm now really interested in New Country. Something I wasn't exposed to before moving to the country. I really like some of it, but not all of it.

but it's still fun to go to a dive every once in a while and be the old dude with earplugs standing in the back. :stirpot:
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I hear you. I have not just listened to music, I used to make it too. For about a decade and a half I was in bands and writing and performing original songs myself. I finally quit for the basic reason that I promised myself I would not be that pathetic, creepy old dude, playing in bands at local clubs where the people in the audience could be my kids, or grandkids. I am pleased with what we did as a band and I gave it my shot. Now I just listen.
 
nauga said:
Nauga,
who thinks 'arena rock' should share a grave with disco
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Disco sucks! OK that's outa the way. I agree about arena rock, never have wanted anything to do with that. Small concert hall w/ great acoustics is what I prefer. Last band I saw at a small venue was Brian Wilson a last year and what a show of professionals.

Dav8or said:
I hear you. I have not just listened to music, I used to make it too. For about a decade and a half I was in bands and writing and performing original songs myself. I finally quit for the basic reason that I promised myself I would not be that pathetic, creepy old dude, playing in bands at local clubs where the people in the audience could be my kids, or grandkids. I am pleased with what we did as a band and I gave it my shot. Now I just listen.
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I dunno man, I see a lot of local bands that are cats my age playing some awesome music. If they can play and sing in tune age makes no difference in my book. Hell look at the "classic rock" bands that tour and still sound amazing if not better than they did back in 60s-70s. There's an old blues juke joint that some old black man operate here that's a blues club, Gip's Place. Very small, in his back yard in a not good side of town. It isn't unusual for a known artist to pop in and lay down a couple tunes, like Joe Bonamassa for instance.

https://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136497027/gips-place-a-blues-lovers-dream
 
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