Mozz the Elder - Random Rune 3

You got to be careful if you 

don't know where you're going,

because you might not get there.

Yogi Berra

Classic Song 28 - Max Webster "Lily"

Let's talk about a classic, yet highly underrated band.

Toronto's Max Webster, to be exact.

Formed in 1973 by guitarist/vocalist/composer, Kim Mitchell,

'Max' was an awesomely talented assemblage of musicians,

dedicated not only to the creation of timeless music, but 

also to its league of diehard, battle hardened fans 

who followed Kim and his merry cohorts 

anywhere...... and everywhere.

I know. I, myself was one of those fanatic fans.

I had the pleasure of seeing the initial Max Webster lineup,

including Mitchell, bassist Mike Tilka, gifted keyboardist,

Terry Watkinson and future bandmate, Paul Kersey on

drums. Having arrived in Toronto just after Max's

formation, and being perpetually out of work,

I tried to catch as many of their shows as

possible. Whether they were at Larry's 

Hideaway, The Gasworks, The Knob 

Hill or The Piccadilly Tube (all long

since shut down and relegated to

the dust of my memory banks),

Max Webster truly were a

fearless and fearsome 

band to behold.

Especially for a twenty year old kid from Castlegar.

Here's "Lily", a scintillating standout track from their 

debut album. Featuring words by band lyricist, 

Pye Dubois, "Lily" still sounds to me like a 

ballad that's been mashed up with a 

progressive rock rhythm section, 

yielding a sound that is at 

once pervasive, evasive 

and - iconically -

'Max Webster'.

Prior to playing the song, have a gander at a late 70s 

photo I found of Kim, pointing the way....

Mozz the Elder

www.vapormusic.com

Classic Song 27 - King Crimson "Prince Rupert Awakes"

Let's talk about a classic musical collaboration.

One of the most significant, for me, is the pairing up
of King Crimson (Mark II) with Jon Anderson of Yes.

Almost two years before I finally 'got' Yes, my pantheon
of musical influences had already broadened outward
from The Beatles-led British invasion and its
American imitators to a secondary wave
of international and Canadian
artists - all determined to
push the boundaries
of popular music and
challenge both themselves
and their listeners, old and new.

By the dawn of 1970, I was now firmly caught
in the imaginary grip of acts like The Moody Blues,
The Band, Sly and The Family Stone, Moby Grape,
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin,
and The Doors, as well as a host of other
visionaries. like Jimi Hendrix, The
Mothers of Invention, Chicago
Transit Authority and Simon
and Garfunkel. The Beatles
were beginning their slow,
but sure disintegration,
and I was scrambling
to find something or
someone new that
would push my
mind further,
into exciting,
uncharted
musical
waters.

Enter 'Lizard', the third album by King Crimson.

Featuring Robert Fripp, Mel Collins and lyricist
Peter Sinfield, and augmented by a new cast
of band members, including precision
drummer, Andy McCulloch and
vocalist/bassist, Gordon Haskell,
Lizard's five tracks signalled a
sea change in King Crimson's
overall direction, as they began
exploring new musical vistas and
incorporated powerful jazz elements
into their ouevre, courtesy of eclectic
pianist, Keith Tippet, Nick Evans on the
trombone, Mark Charig on cornet and the
true 'master of the cor anglais', Robin Miller.

But it was the inspired inclusion of Jon Anderson
as lead vocalist on the album's opening track on
side two, "Prince Rupert Awakes", that totally
awoke my still-slumbering sensibilities, and
in doing so, created a new and significant
musical milestone for 15 year old me.

"Prince..." also set the stage for my soon-to-be,
full initiation into the still-nascent, prog
rock army, once I'd matured a little,
and had occasion to review and
revel in all things YES.

Here's the definitive "Prince Rupert Awakes",
immediately following a snapshot of me in 1970
(taken by my brother Ken, the meditator in the
photograph accompanying Classic Song 23).

Mozz the Elder

www.vapormusic.com

Classic Song 26 - Seals and Crofts "Hummingbird"

Let's talk about a timeless, classic pop single.

The first time I heard Seals and Crofts was in 1970, 

when my brother Rod bought and played their 

earthy sophomore album, Down Home. 

Produced by John Simon, 

whose credits read like the who's

who of mid 60s - mid 70s recording artists,

Down Home catapulted me into the very complex

vocal and instrumental duality of Jimmy Seals 

(guitarist, vocalist and main composer) and 

Dash Crofts (mandolinist and vocalist).

I became a devoted fanatic of their music,

and searched high and low for any news

or new songs from the dynamic duo.

I soon found out that they were

followers of the Baha'i faith,

and re-read Seals' lyrics with a

slightly more contextual sense of

their import and meaning, both within

and without the song structures they were

married to. When their third album, Year of 

Sunday was released, I dove headlong into 

the new songs with a determined desire

to both memorize and - hopefully - 

understand their original

reasons for being.

Time passed...

The next thing I knew, 'twas the summer of '72.

Seals and Crofts released their fourth album, 

featuring the truly stunning lead-off single, 

"Summer Breeze". But it was the album's

first song on side one (and second single)

that totally knocked me off my big feet. 

Here's "Hummingbird" in two versions:

the first video features the single itself

(as well as the album cover artwork),

while the second blurry video shows

Seals and Crofts playing "Hummingbird"

for themselves and a small studio audience.

First, let's have a look at Peter Pigeon,

feathered native of Kinsale, Ireland 

(and master mason, apparently).

Mozz the Elder

www.vapormusic.com

Update from Mozz the Elder - My pictures

Good morning.

The pictures I post on LTACM are from my vast collection,

assembled over the past twelve+ years. Most of my photos

have been taken on digital cameras (I've had four so far),

however some of my pix have recently been digitized.

From their original, weathered and scratched form,

I've transformed these mostly ancient, analog, 

visual documents into slightly skewed new 

digital masters, by re-photographing 

them and loading, fixing and 

storing them in my iPhoto.

Their presence on LTACM is my way of trying to balance

my passion for music with my passion for photography,

 which is my sure-fire antidote to the often overbearing, 

creative pressure that I feel, when confronted daily 

with new musical conundra, whose solutions

require complete focus and dogged ethic.

So have a gander at the picture in each LTACM post.

If you want to have a closer look at a photo, simply

click or double-click on its thumbnail and voila!

Mozz the Elder

www.vapormusic.com

Mozz the Elder - Random Rune 2

Music is the mediator

between the spiritual

and the sensual life.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Mozz the Elder - Random Rune 1

All that we are is the result of what we have 

thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil 

thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks 

or acts with a pure thought, happiness 

follows him, like a shadow that 

never leaves him.

Buddha