Category: Music

Happy Birthday to Prue!

Prue’s birthday isn’t until the 24th, but I’d better take advantage of this brief video while it’s available. Unfortunately, the BBC iPlayer doesn’t work in America.

Prue recently appeared on The One Show, talking about her old boss and chum Mary Quant, as a preview of an exhibition about the fashion designer at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, aka the V&A. I’ll have to ask Prue who the woman is speaking, standing next to her. Prue was clearly looking for an opportunity to speak up, but without more video there’s no way to see if she succeeded.

This is a preview video for the exhibit.

https://youtu.be/e_6oZoFDd48

A Hard Brexit’s Gonna Fall

The Zombies — Rod Argent (center), Colin Blunstone (rear), then clockwise the late Paul Atkinson, Hugh Grundy, Chris White

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-47747351

“A band who secured success in the United States… was only a one-hit-wonder in the UK.”

Talk about damning with faint praise! I just don’t get what Britain doesn’t get about the Zombies. For that, the UK deserves the painful hard Brexit that now seems to be inevitable! The very reasonably priced “Zombie Heaven” is the collection to get. I love LP, but CD is still the best audio format.

The Beat Stops Here

Hal Blaine, 1929-2019

Hal Blaine, the keeper of the beat at the heart of the Wrecking Crew of studio musicians, has passed away. Hailing from Holyoke, Massachusetts, the irrepressible Blaine’s drumming can be heard on an uncountable number of recordings, including these favorites.

All three records were produced at the now-defunct Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. There it is, the glamorous home of the enormous Wall of Sound, around the corner on the left.

Gold Star Studios, 6252 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles