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One of my favorite bands, one that many have never heard.

 

Let’s remedy that right now. Here’s NRBQ on TV performing their version of the Rockabilly song "I’ve Got A Rocket In My Pocket), recorded by Jimmy Lloyd Logsdon (think he’s from the South?smiley) in 1958:

 

https://youtu.be/-d5Hdqyjj5o?si=3iELCJIsqyBfdAJc

 

By the way, bassist/singer/songwriter Joey Spampinato is Keith Richards’ favorite bassist. He offered him the job of replacing Bill Wyman when Bill quit The Stones, and Joey turned him down! He DID accept the job of playing in the band Keith assembled to back Chuck Berry in the live performance seen in the movie he made about him.

Pianist/singer/songwriter Terry Adams is obviously no "normal" keyboard player. Along with all the Rock ’n’ Roll guys, his influences also include the likes of Sun Ra and Thelonious Monk. A great live peformer!

 

And here’s the studio recording of the song by one of my favorite singers, Lou Ann Barton:

 

https://youtu.be/6r0cXbFGi_U?si=AGnz4fVf03y0oRex

 

bdp24
bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
10,277 posts
 

 

You guys on the East Coat make me green with envy! NRBQ came out to the West Coast infrequently.

 

Here they are on some TV show, being introduced by David Sanborn, who sometimes performed with them live:

 

https://youtu.be/p-6qGgL7kyk?si=hsHDaGtehM4DbC0u

 

While the band and it’s member took songwriting, singing, and musicianship seriously, they also possessed something missing from many bands: a sense of humour.

 

Al Anderson has made a number of mighty fine solo albums (as has Terry Adams). Here is a video of him performing live:

 

https://youtu.be/mBdQNL1sdeg?si=rP_r_HRvFSYVrxrQ

 

 

wharfy's avatar
wharfy
433 posts
 

@bdp24 

Thanks for starting this thread, and the videos.

This may be the closest NRBQ got to making it bigtime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFxpFm1u26k

winoguy17
1,231 posts
 

wharfy , what venue in Rosendale ?  The Well?  The Astoria ?...

ezwind's avatar
ezwind
142 posts
 

Big Al Anderson got his start back in the mid-60s with a local Hartford band The Wildweeds. They had a huge following in the area and I saw them several times back in my teenage years. The closest thing they had to a breakout hit song was "No Good to Cry".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdeKoamDXU

 

bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
10,277 posts
 

 

@ezwind: I’ve been meaning to get myself a copy of the lone 1970 Wildweeds album for some time now. It is on Vanguard Records, and all but one song on the album were written by Al Anderson.

I have Al’s 1972 debut solo album (on LP and CD), also on Vanguard. Players on the album include Terry Adams and Tom Staley (drummer in the original NRBQ line up), as well as Terry’s brother Donn (on trombone).

I also have Al’s next three album (Party Favors, Pay Before You Pump, After Hours) on CD. I need to get his last one, Pawn Shop Guitars from 2007.

 

Terry Adams also has quite a few solo albums, on LP and CD. I have them all, of course.smiley They’re very different from Al’s, reflecting his Jazz influences.

 

NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino was a well known record collector with a massive collection. He was instrumental in getting the legendary album by The Shaggs reissued on LP in 1980. Their lone album Philosophy Of The World was considered to be "the worst record of all time", a Garage Band classic. The Shaggs were a trio of three sisters (Dorothy, Betty, and Helen Wiggin), all absolutely untalented and incompetent. Frank Zappa was known to love the album, in a perverse way.

 

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