[Tomás F. Calvo]

Thank you Mona, that is great insight. I guess 12 strings tend to have those issues. I appreciate your answer because I have a Martin J12-16GT  and I’ve been itching for something else, though it sounds heavenly and it’s always in tune. It is a bit hard to play for a lengthy period of time. It’s very rich in tone, even if it’s mahogany and I’m quite partial to rosewood. I have to say though that I love Martin guitars.

I’m doing well, sorry for being absent for a while, August has been a butt-kicker! Always know that even if I’m quiet, I’m always around. 🙂 Haven’t been going to sleep before the sun comes up. There is something about being productive while everybody else sleeps. I used to think it’s because the city was noisy, but now I live in the forest and the owls are just as loud as the other birds during the day ? so that’s not it! I guess that’s my biorhythm. My mum used to complain that as toddlers my brother (one year older) would go to sleep early and get up early and I would be up all night and sleep in the morning, so between the two of us she got no sleep!

Anyway, I’m trying to catch up with all the threads, there’s much to read and much going on. Bought a 70’s 12 string Takamine F-400 that I couldn’t pass up. I’ll post more when I get it, Angelo. There’s more guitar news…

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Yes Jung! I second that (e)motion!

I’d love to see a Duo Session of Nowhere Man, even if there’s some ghost 3rd vocal added in post. That would be such a treat! ??

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Well Howard, I’m no good at faces, I’m much better at guitars. I can identify those and their differences easily. Faces not so much ? I know Charlie is on the drums, so I can always pick him out!

Speaking of Groucho Marx, did you know that he gave Alice Cooper his famous big round bed, then Alice went to Paul’s house in St John’s Wood and saw the geo-dome with the hydraulic lift in the back garden. He went back to Groucho and both of them gifted the bed to Paul with a nice little plaque. Apparently Paul had trouble convincing his kids that it was for meditating. The bed is still there.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Thanks Jacki! Here’s another of Steve and Colin Hay

They had fun all night.

Jung, that’s a great concert I would have LOVED to attend. The closest was a few years ago I was hired to work on one of Mike Love’s version of the Beach Boys shows in LA. It was a private show and I was amazed in sound check at how they sounded just like the record, they were amazing even after all this time. I also had the chance to have a little chat with Bruce Johnston, he was kind enough to come to our “video village” and sit with me for a bit.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Here’s another picture with Steve Lukather. He did the TOTO hits, and Gregg Rolie did some Santana hits. Colin Hay was great as well as Hamish Stuart. They all did their hits and we were there for over 2 hours. What really amazed me is not only how tight they were as a band, but how much fun they had, which translated over to the audience. They are all in their 60’s and 70’s and they play without holding back. It was such a breath of fresh air to see these top class musicians showing the purpose of music. No frills, just really good -fantastic- music.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Yes, Billboard nowadays is a shame. No indication of good music or people’s tastes. The biggest influence on the charts now is streaming and the streaming companies are owned by the studios, so there’s no true independent accounting. They can make up the numbers as they wish, and pay themselves however they want, with sales and artists having little say in the process. I think in the 60’s the labels worked hard to put their acts at the top, but sometime in the 70’s it started going downhill. That Imagine or Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t make it to No.1 in the US shows the manipulations by the labels. In the US the labels did everything they could to block Bohemian Rhapsody, which initially it only made it no No.9 on Billboard 100. Imagine couldn’t make it past Cher’s Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves and Isaac Hayes’s Theme from Shaft. (November 1971).

Speaking of Gypsies, Ron Wood was born into a family of Gypsies, but I thought he kinda looks like Keith Richards… sometimes in videos it’s hard to tell who’s who. Never met any of them, but I get the impression that Ron is the nicest of the bunch.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Some of you know that I’m from Argentina.

Yes, that’s Ronnie Wood. I do like the Stones, they are a superb band. Songs like Angie, Ruby Tuesday, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Satisfaction, Miss You, Paint it Black, are fantastic. I think the stones have set the standard of what touring can be (once the Beatles quit, that is 🙂 ). They are the kings of the road. That being said, Beyonce’s tour has out performed the Stone’s tour in attendance and income (not taking into account that this is 50 years after the Stones heyday, and Beyonce is in her heyday). Paul certainly fills stadiums in the USA. I have been lucky to attend a few of them, and they sell out in about 10 minutes, again I know from personal experience. As to why he chooses to do mostly arenas vs stadiums, I think there may be other reasons for that. Same for Beyonce, Swift, and the new crop. U2 and AC/DC are still doing amazing in touring. The record for a tour, just got set by Ed Sheeran, of all people. Given, all those stats are relative to many factors and are really anecdotal.

Hats off to Mick for getting back on stage after heart surgery.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Hi Howard, thanks for pointing the Lennon quote info. Led me to another online search and I found the original audio of Jasper Carrott on the BBC saying the phrase in 1981, and not attributing it to John. That was later news outlets adding the “John Lennon famously said…”

Please be aware that the phrase “you’re being too sensitive”, at least here in America, is seen as a put-down and shutdown. Personally I have no problem with it, as I always try to be sensitive and don’t think there’s such a thing as being too sensitive. I’m not offended either, I love talking about The Beatles and don’t think they need defending. I have a bit of a knack to spot people who use words in manipulative ways. This “David Steward” puts as his tag line, a sentence to summarize who he is, as “A lifetime Beatles Fan”. You may think I read too much into it, but some Beatles fans, like myself, don’t remember a time when we were not Beatles fans. My earliest memory is being told that The Beatles had broken up, and I was devastated. I was 2. Point is that for some of us (millions?) The Beatles are more than music, and when someone says they are a “Lifetime” fan, that carries a weight and opens a trust from an unspoken understanding. He then proceeds to state that he likes the Stones more than The Beatles. If you define yourself like he did, then it’s a contradiction, you could call it a lie. He could have his tag line as “A Rock fan” or “I like The Beatles”. He didn’t. I’m pointing this out in Black and White, not an opinion. Unfortunately, I’ve seen this many times, and while I would like to think that they are doing it with good intentions, they are almost always not. Usually when you point out their deception, they go into a tirade on how you can’t talk to Beatles fans, to deflect from their ways. I don’t mind somebody saying they like NSYNC more if it’s genuine. My experiences shape who I am and what I like, and they are uniquely mine, as it is for everybody. I just don’t like it when people lie, especially if the only purpose is to put somebody down. That’s what prompt me to speak up.

Now, on the discussion of Beatles vs. Stones, it was also a “thing” when I was in school in my teens (80’s). I think the Stones were trying to ride their friends coattails and Brian Epstein went along with it because he was trying to create that clean image for them. Remember he got them out of the leather outfits and put them in suits.

In my opinion, The Beatles on stage blow everybody out of the water, not only Stones, but Bowie, Pink Floyd, Dylan, even Elvis. See those raw performances from the early 60’s and they are on fire, nobody wanted to go after them. The Stones were a great band, but I’d much rather have Paul or John as front man, than Mick.  On songwriting, is a slam dunk, as is influence over other musicians. Longevity may be used in different ways, but today there’s more Beatles music being played than Stones music, even without counting solo work. Ringo is the best drummer in the world. Proof is that in 1968 he left The Beatles and they could have had any drummer they wanted, including Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, but they didn’t, they filled the studio with flowers and told him in no uncertain words that he was the greatest drummer. The Beatles were the greatest band and no other drummer could have done a better job. Now that’s my opinion, which happens to be John, Paul and George’s opinion. Paul even voiced it again this July 7. Biased? Maybe, but it carries a weight.

I share a birthday with Keith Richards and I’d love to see him play up close. Would like to hang out an afternoon with Ron Wood or Mick, but nothing would compare to spending a moment of time with Paul or Ringo. Or sitting in the Cavern with Mona and Lisa. ?

[Tomás F. Calvo]

I’m a big Bowie fan, and know this song very well. The video is amazing and perfectly shot, love the setting, the drone shots, the camp light and the interactions between the twins (and spotting Rudolf in the rock outcrops, my kinda thing to do 🙂 ). Still, listening with good headphones in the dark lets me appreciate the full extent of the song. I’m always amazed at the fantastic use of strings in MLT songs. Nothing short of brilliant. I love it and I think this version stands just as tall as the original.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Angelo, how did you ever find a “Golden Ton” guitar??? ???

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Don’t get me wrong, I think The Rolling Stones are an amazing band with Amazing songs. Everyone has their personal preference, but like Jung said, arguing that the Beatles are not the best band is really disingenuous, whether you like them or not.

My intention was to point out a deceptive writer (not you Howard!) who veils his poison with a purported educated opinion.

That being said, if I find myself at a music festival and the Stones are playing on one stage and at the same time the MonaLisa Twins are playing on another stage, you’ll find me at the Orange stage, no doubt. ?

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Howard,

I think it’s good that you bring this up, as it prompts me to point something out. The essay you mention is nothing but a hit piece. First, the writer is not the David Stewart that has worked with Ringo and former member of Eurithmics. It’s some random guy on Quora, a place where a lot of … hmm … crap is posted. Secondly, I disagree with everything said in that post.

I have noticed there’s a tactic to discredit someone or something is by saying “I’m a fan of X” and then trashing X in every way. For some reason I have seen this happen to The Beatles over and over again. Whether it’s for shock value or simply to trash them. Quotes like “I’m the biggest fan of John Lennon, but he was a bad person” are obviously a lie, and prompts me to think that whoever is stating that is saying that they are a fan of bad people. It’s a way of perpetuating a lie, giving themselves an authority that they do not have and to put themselves above one of the greatest examples of Peace and Love we have ever seen.

Saying that the Stones have more musical ability than The Beatles is not only devious, but absolutely inaccurate. To produce the music that they did, it doesn’t come from thin air, they are masters with their instruments. Clearly the musical impact of The Beatles dwarfs everything the Stones ever did. Yet, the writer slithers his way to trash the individual members starting with Ringo. There’s a lie being perpetuated that John Lennon said that “Ringo isn’t the Best drummer in The Beatles”. He never said that, and he regarded Ringo as the best drummer. That quote came from a comedian in the 80’s making a pun on Pete Best’s name, yet they’ve attributed it to John and spread it regularly.

I don’t know how somebody can say with a straight face that the songwriting of Lennon and McCartney is equal to that of Jagger and Richards. I guess he was writing, so… he could have been giggling and we wouldn’t know.

I’ve learned long ago not to engage online with those posts as they are usually trolls trying to pick a fight.

In this safe space I wanted to point out that I have seen this pattern out there and it has ill intentions.

Tomás

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Thank you Lisa for taking the time to look that up! I’ve been listening to John and paying close attention to his finger picking style, as well as others like Chet Atkins. It is not easy 🙂 and John is certainly a master at it. It has made me try to expand my handful of basic patterns.

Thank you!

BTW: I would LOVE to see those videos, should we be so lucky. Those honest human moments are priceless.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

This might be another tough one. The closest I got was by searching “guitar nylon blue sunburst” in EU sites. There are some branded and some unbranded. Theirs seems to not have a brand on the headstock, but it does seem to have a sticker in the sound hole. I did not find a matching rosette though. They have at least two, which they used on the Wide Wide Land video as well, and there’s a picture of them hanging on the wall in the Austrian studio during the move.

Happy hunting!

[Tomás F. Calvo]

This is a tough one. I’ve been looking around and couldn’t find anything close. Looks like a ES 355 copy. The trapezoid inlays are unusual for a semi hollow. I thought it could be an Eastman, because of the shape of the logo, but the headstock doesn’t match. Also the shape of the horns and white pickguard is unusual. ?