Philip Glass - Branka Parlic

The Protocols of the LaSt NaMe LeFt

Early Prince - Live

Amazed to find this on YouTube, Prince usually removes the least thing of his from the net. Twat.

I think he's rubbish now, and has been since Sign O The Times. But the early stuff is still very good, especially live. Prince really is an amazing live performer: I went to see him in London, August 1986 - his first shows in UK for 10 years or so. It blew me away, he was simply amazing. And tiny, of course.

Here's Controversy from 1981, Houston. He's already pretty much the finished article, though his dancing improved from this point, hehe. I love his ease with his guitar (spot his volume adjustments?) and these early shows have a raw quality totally lost in his later work. Guitar always dominates his live shows, and that's been lost on the records over the years too.



Next up, Dirty Mind from 1983: the dancing is better ;) and he's pretty much the finished article here. The microphone juggling stuff is in now. I think this video, though fairly poor quality gives a pretty good sense of how he can rock a joint. It's amazing to be in a place rocking like that - it's 2 hours of genuine magic.



Computer Blue, 1st Avenue, 1983 (!) Shame about the quality again, but it's good and raw. Interesting that the main solo is clearly still unfinished in this version, few notes missing. Important ones too. Shame the vid misses afew seconds of the solo near the end too.



AUTOMATIC from 83, again. No guitar, but it's still edgey and somehow quite subversive. I don't know how, but it seems it. What a performer..... Nearly 30 years ago. Christ, I'm getting old. Prince is 50 now? Shit........



I only got into Prince because I had bought my first LP but hadn't liked it and I'd taken it back to exchange for Purple Rain. (That's something you can't do now!) Here's a great track from the then new album I;d taken back, because I didn't like it! I can't believe I didn't like it. Still, Purple Rain really got me into Prince so I really can't complain. Win some, lose some.



Actually, I imagine that's when I first ever heard of MLK - I loved that single, Pride. Crikey. 25 years ago? Shit......

It must be 15 years since I went to one of Prince's famed after-gig shows in London somewhere in some tiny little plafce setup for a gig. I was about 10-20 feet away from him, hobknobbing with the stars apparently (I didn't know nor care). It was getting light by the time we left. I felt very lucky.

Bob Marley family loses copyright fight

An attempt by the family of singer Bob Marley to obtain the copyrights to some of his best-known recordings has been thwarted by a judge in New York.

Judge Denise Cote ruled Universal Music Group (UMG) owned the copyright to five albums the late star recorded between 1973 and 1977 for Island Records.

Marley's widow and children had sought millions in damages for UMG's alleged attempts to "exploit" his recordings.

Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36.

The albums in question - Catch a Fire, Burnin', Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibrations and Exodus - were recorded by Marley with his band The Wailers.

They include some of his best-known songs, including I Shot the Sheriff, One Love and No Woman, No Cry.

Marley's family had accused UMG of intentionally withholding royalties from their Fifty-Six Hope Road Music company.

They also claimed UMG had failed to consult with them on key licensing decisions, among them the use of Marley's music on ringtones.

On Friday, however, Judge Cote ruled that Marley's recordings were "works made for hire" as defined under US copyright law.

This, she said, entitled UMG to be designated the owner of those recordings as the parent company of Island Records.

Robert Nesta Marley was born in Jamaica in 1945 and died in the US in 1981.

His greatest hits compilation, Legend, is the biggest-selling reggae album of all time.

BBC
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I don't suppose he would have been surprised. Ya nah razz wid me mon, ya man claat!

How to play like Keef

Great riff. Nice to see how it is played. I am trying on accoustic, but it's very hard to give it the zing Keef does. What a riff - one of my absolute favourites.

Deconstructing songs as required to learn to play them can really demystify music: I used to have real concerns about it when I first started playing guitar. "Is that all it is?", I'd be thinking.

I'd love to get this riff down pat though. I can do a fair pass at Wish You Were Here, Marley's Redemption Song, Karma Police.....

I'm trying to learn this on guitar atm - sounds very nice, though I'd prefer it on pianoooo:

A friend's Welsh Holiday - with a great soundtrack......haha