Redbeard’s Blog
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ZZ TOP- Eliminator- Billy Gibbons, the late Frank Beard & Dusty Hill

And yes, the series of clever, campy videos on the upstart MTV video channel in America undoubtedly had much to do with that staggering (15 million just in US) level of popularity for "Eliminator" (truly ironic, since manager Bill Ham had steadfastly kept ZZ Top off of U.S. television until then). But the songwriting, musicianship, modern arranging, and state-of-the-art recording on "Eliminator" which I heard that day was truly extraordinary. Billy Gibbons, Frank Bread, & the late Dusty Hill are my guests In the Studio.

ZZ Top- Sharp Dressed Man- Los Angeles

ZZ Top with the incredibly durable original tres hombres of the late bass player Dusty Hill, drummer Frank Beard, and squankmaster Billy Gibbons taking a turn on the Hollywood red carpet with "Sharp Dressed Man" in concert in the City of Angels.
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Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon- David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters

To illustrate how seriously many of the post-British Invasion bands were approaching the rock idiom by early 1973, you need look no further than Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" to see how this progressive rock movement had matured,  with spectacular results both artistically and commercially, confirmed in this fiftieth anniversary classic rock interview by my guests, musical lunar explorers David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Nick Mason.
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U2- War- Bono,The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen jr

With the rousing martial rhythms from Larry Mullen jr’s drums on the opening to “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, the tortured passion evident in Bono’s voice over The Edge’s stiletto guitar stabs on “New Year’s Day”, and Adam Clayton’s rolling bass on “Surrender” as well as “Two Heats Beat as One”, War  by U2 was a musical proclamation of a serious contender on the unfolding Eighties rock vista. Hear the fortieth anniversary classic rock interview In the Studio.

Pink Floyd- Money- Knebworth 6-30-90

By the time a soggy Pink Floyd wrapped up  1990's Knebworth Festival, we listened to Pink Floyd performing "Money" live on the London radio, including a spirited extended sax solo by leggy Candy Dulfer.
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Doobie Brothers- The Captain and Me- Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons

In the Studio classic rock interview with the Doobie Brothers The Captain and Me , released March 1973.

John Fogerty- Proud Mary- Burbank rehearsal 5-97

Here is a kick*ss performance of "Proud Mary" from a 1997 rehearsal, one of the essential songs of the last half of the 20th century, sung and played by the composer John Fogerty  and made internationally popular when he led Creedence Clearwater Revival.
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Van Halen- Alex, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, the late Eddie Van Halen

The interviewsof the earliest years of Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s emigration from The Netherlands to Southern California, meeting Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, playing Pasadena backyard parties to the Sunset Strip, and recording their January 1978 debut.

Def Leppard- Rock On- Abbey Road Studios London 2008

When Pink Floyd were putting the finishing touches on "Dark Side of the Moon" at Abbey Road Studios, a very young and impressionable Joe Elliott and Ric Savage would have been all ears in the northern industrial city of Manchester hearing  the delicious, otherworldly song "Rock On" by David Essex on BBC Radio One. Check out Def Leppard's impressive 21st century live-in-the-studio version.

Mick Jagger- Wandering Spirit 30th anniversary

Mick Jagger joins me from the In the Studio archive on the thirtieth anniversary of his third (and easily best) solo effort,"Wandering Spirit". Jagger is in fine voice throughout and surrounded by crack studio musicians who bring their "A" game because, well hey, it's Mick bleedin' Jagger, okay?