Owning Up To It

@waytoomuchstuff: I just saw/heard NRBQ live, and Terry Adams remains an amazing keyboardist. He is a very physical player, pounding the keys (electric piano and clavichord, organ) like Little Richard and/or Jerry Lee Lewis, but with the influences of Thelonius Monk and Sun Ra. His sense of humour and fun is very rare in the world of modern Rock music, which takes itself SO seriously (too much Steely Dan, not enough Rubinoos ;-).

NRBQ's current drummer (the replacement for longtime drummer Tom Ardolino, who died about a decade back) and Terry play off one another, trading bars of straight-vs-swing feel between themselves (piano playing straight time against the drums swinging for one bar, the drums playing straight time against swinging piano the next), a thing common in Jazz but rarely heard in Rock 'n' Roll. All four players also understand how to create tension-and-release, a trademark ability amongst the best ensemble bands.

And the pace of their 2-hour long set was amazing! No long pauses between songs, just one song blasting off as the last was ending. Not a dull moment the entire set! Great lyrics too, also alive with a sense of humour. I'll bet Terry Adams is great company! 

How about unforgettable moment? ;-)

In late 1968 I went to see Jeff Beck during his first solo U.S.A. tour (he’d already been over with The Yardbirds), after the release of his great Truth album, which I loved. I also loved his band on that album, who were also his road band at that time. I finally got to hear Nicky Hopkins live, whose piano playing I had long admired (especially on the early Kinks albums). I also really liked the drumming of Micky Waller, whose looks reminded me of actor Wally Cox (you youngins may not be familiar with the name). Playing a Telecaster bass (or was it one of those rare 1950’s very-early P-basses?) was some guy with a goofy hairdo and a huge nose (I’m sure you know it was Ronnie Wood), who was passable (I already had fairly high standards, my idea of a great bassist being Englishmen Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, and Jack Bruce, and Americans Bob Mosley, Jack Casady, and Phil Lesh. That was before I "got" the playing of James Jamerson, Rick Danko, Duck Dunn, and David Hood ;-) .

But this story involves the singer, who like the bassist had one of those Woody Woodpecker hairdos (what is it with British Rock stars and their ridiculous hair?). Part way into the set, the band played a song with an extended guitar solo. With nothing to do, the singer wandered back to the guitar rack, picked up and strapped on one of them, and started strumming chords.

Jeff, seeing this, stopped playing, just staring at the singer with the most intense look of contempt I have ever seen. He slowly sauntered over to his mic and said: "The f*cking thing isn’t even plugged in. Bloody wanker". The singer sheepishly removed the guitar and returned it to the rack. Hilarious!

The singer was, of course, Rod Stewart. Never cared for him myself.