1969 'Summer of Love'

[firko]

Alvin Lee is fantastic - almost forgotten these days unless you live in europe.That Goin home track is one of the best live recordings ever.(Alvin Lee and Ten Years After still tour but not together)

Apparently the original lineup Ten Years Later are reforming for a 40 year Woodstock reunion in August. Alvin would have to be one of the best guitarists 'nobody' has heard of. I saw TYA in 1975 in a small 500 seat bar/concert hall, the long gone Golden Bear in Huntington Beach where they virtually blew the old shingle roof off. My wife cried she was so blown away. Before that gig hard rock to her was an evil 'guy thing' but after a dose of Alvins brilliance she was hooked for life. At the age of 60 she goes to every Alvin Lee or TYA gig whenever he or they visit California.

Monterey was also in 67 ya know

That's right and so indeed was the 'Summer of Love'. The memory is way eaten up by sixties 'indulgence'.

[motomaniac]

Alvin Lee is fantastic - almost forgotten these days unless you live in europe.That Goin home track is one of the best live recordings ever.(Alvin Lee and Ten Years After still tour but not together)

Apparently the original lineup Ten Years Later are reforming for a 40 year Woodstock reunion in August. Alvin would have to be one of the best guitarists 'nobody' has heard of. I saw TYA in 1975 in a small 500 seat bar/concert hall, the long gone Golden Bear in Huntington Beach where they virtually blew the old shingle roof off. My wife cried she was so blown away. Before that gig hard rock to her was an evil 'guy thing' but after a dose of Alvins brilliance she was hooked for life. At the age of 60 she goes to every Alvin Lee or TYA gig whenever he or they visit California.

Monterey was also in 67 ya know

That's right and so indeed was the 'Summer of Love'. The memory is way eaten up by sixties 'indulgence'.
[/quote
Hard too imagine Alivin getting back with the group , still feuding as far as I know, still if it happens would be awesome.
I kived in HB for a bit never heard of the golden bear though.

[firko]

I kived in HB for a bit never heard of the golden bear though

When did you live in HB? I lived further up PCH in Belmont Shore, near Long Beach.
The Golden Bear was on the corner of Huntington Blvd and PCH, directly accross the road from the Huntington Beach Pier. It closed in January '86 after it failed fire inspection once too often. I saw The Grateful Dead, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, Tom Waits, TYA, Asleep at the Wheel, Weather Report, Muddy Waters, BB King, Leon Russell, Warren Zevon, Spooky Tooth, Procul Harum, Motorhead, John Mayall (about 5 times), Johnny Winter and quite a few more that I can't think of right now. It was an amazing place with atmosphere that oozed through the walls. http://www.goldenbearbook.com/
               
Below: A rare shot from the final gig..Robin Trower and Gary Brooker from Procul Harum...It kinda gives you an idea of the vibe of the place. It's my alltime favourite music venue.

[motomaniac]

So I missed it by 4 years as I was there in 1990.I lived a 421 8th street which was a privately run hostel.It was sort of a half way house for Aussie's and others foreigners.It was a great time HB was still small and freindly ,they just started developing the shopping mall stuff on one sideat the end.Apparently its all develpoed now.I had the best time there.
Some place that I remember where "the sugar shack" for breakfast or brunch , "TaxiTaxi" second hand jeans shop and I think it was Sams where we played pool.We also went to " Mutt Lynch's" in Newport Beach on ocassion.I didnt see any bands but I got a part in "The Doors Movie" which was fun.
Hey where were "The doors" in the 69 list?

[motomaniac]

It would be great to convince AJ and the boys to do some TYA covers for the next CD.

[firko]

That must have been just prior to the New Yardbirds who morphed into a group called Led Zeppalin, who I heard had one or two good songs 

And let's not forget that a reasonably early version of the Yardbirds reformed as 'A Box of Frogs' in 1984 and had a minor hit with 'Back Where I Started From" and a brilliant album. They were ready to hit the bigtime when incredibly, original Yardbirds Samwell-Smith, Dreja, and McCarty refused to go on tour, much to singer John Fiddler's (who replaced original singer Keith Relf who'd died from electrocution in the early 70's) dismay and Jeff Beck's disgust (that's him on lead guitar - not in the video, he'd quit in disgust by then). The experience broke John Fiddler's heart and he wasn't seen much after that, pity he's a great singer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzIyOTBGVIg

[ozktm151]

FFS how can any over 50 yo person talk about the music of 69 without reference to the greatest rock guitarist ever. Check out the last half of Hendrix at Woodstock and if that isn't the defining moment of rock music not sure what is. Kind of like leaving out the first Penton in a list of defining dirt bikes. On lesser known axemen should check out Rory Gallagher or Jorma Kaukonen.

Biased Billy

[firko]

As good as Jimi Hendrix is, I'll go against popular opinion and claim that Hendrix was a tad over rated, a bit of a one trick pony. If he hadn't died so young I wonder if he would be so revered and if his music would have progressed much further?Would he have settled into playing the same old licks for the rest of his life, just as most other 'great' guitarists have? We'll never know.
Jorma Kaukonen was great with the Jefferson Airplane but achieved minor greatness with Hot Tuna...very underrated. Rory Gallagher was one of my favourites. A great blues player, much better than blokes who achieved higher stardom (Clapton especially). Just my humble opinion.

[TooFastTim]

I particularly enjoyed Hendrix's later works where it sounded he was going up a solid blues road. Whilst I enjoy his earlier work it can, IMO, be a little err.. noisy.

Mayalls my man. Lot's of stuff on CD. Pity about the vinyl.

[oldskool]

YEH CANT GO PAST LED ZEP HAVE THERE BOX SET STILL LIKE BRAND NEW.ALSO CANT FORGET THE REMIX OF MY WAY AROUND MID SEVENTIES BY SID VICOUS.CHEERS GARY

[oldskool]

Hi all probably a bi of the subject but i used to do a lot of rodie work around sydney mid to late 90,s.most were tribute bands such as gold zepplin purple last stand[cold chisel] cliche[zz top show].also did some for party boys wich had members from angels john swan singer and i think a guitarest from status quo.there was also another band called mother load wich was masters apprentices but had a female singer.all were quite good bands and surprising to see how many members from some big name bands went back to playing pubs in sydney and loved it cheers all gary

[firko]

I lived a 421 8th street

Motomaniac.....Ever since you posted the above address it's been bothering me as to why it was so familiar. Over the weekend I found an old address book and discovered that some friends at the time, Karen and Jay Quinn lived in that very building during the 1975-1978 period and I recall going there a few times to party. Back then it was a fairly run down old boarding house but it had lots of soul. Lots of hippy surfer dude types lived there at the time and the sweet smell of the 'herb superb' wafted through the old hallways! I vaguely remember an Aussie named Gavin from Cronulla living there until he was busted for pot and I suspect, deported. Since then the old building seems to have become a backpacker hostel (when you were there) and now apears to be a 'boutique hotel' and for sale. Hows that for one of those "it's a small world" occurences?

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1279542.php
http://www.calcoasthomes.com/evangeline.html

[motomaniac]

Firko you are a ledgend ! Thanks alot for the links.That place is sacred.Its had a very varied and colorfull history.That picture used to hang on the reception wall .It was a boarding house long ago ,then a hospital,knock shop etc etc before the backpackers came.I knew that it had closed , it was sold a while ago and closed its doors for backpackers .Its been vacant and for sale for a while.
I posted one of your links on facebook .Theres is a page for people who stayed there- The Colonial Inn.

[pancho]

  hey mark your original list was ok i s'pose but all a bit modern for me, plus where was willie nelson? by the way as far as radio is concerned i listen almost exclusively to community FM these days, they play good aussie country independents and don't annoy s**t out of me telling me i should invest in there latest nasal spray or horney sheep weed!   cheers wally.

[oldyzman]

I was born in 1969 - cannot remember a bloody thing, whats that saying about remembering the 60's
OLDYZMAN