Talk Cancer

Question:

* Mick Ronson: dead.

Never knew that, he was undoubtedly Bowie’s best guitar player, and Bowie picked his players well, ala Robert Fripp on Scary Monsters, Lodger. *David Bowie: still, against all the odds, David Bowie.

Of all the over 50 rockers still going I think Bowie’s appearance belies his years. His stuff twith Trent Reznor was pretty good , and maybe that’s where glam rock progressed to in a way, through punk – John Lydon is on record as saying his favourite genre was the Glam era – to the goths and industrial music who all liked to dress up. I guess there was the heavy metal hair band branch to all that, notably gene Simmons claims to have discovered Van Halen.

Response:

Of all the over 50 rockers still going I think Bowie’s appearance belies his years.

He looks better now than he did then. I’m an Alice Cooper fan myself but never considered them Glam. branch to all that, notably gene Simmons claims to have discovered Van Halen.

Gene financed their first demo. Casablanca passed on them but Warner Bros. offered them a contract upon first hearing (in a club). Man, what a great album. Gene was also hoping to get Eddie to replace Ace Frehley when he quit KISS but that never went through. Both are two of my influences though (as they are to probably any boy that grew up in the 70’s).

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* Mick Ronson: dead. Never knew that, he was undoubtedly Bowie’s best guitar player, and Bowie picked his players well, ala Robert Fripp on Scary Monsters, Lodger. *David Bowie: still, against all the odds, David Bowie. Of all the over 50 rockers still going I think Bowie’s appearance belies his years.

Botox.

Response:

Yep, Brit ’70s glam was fun, but it certainly took its toll on a lot of human lives. Here’s a quick  where-are-they-now: * Mick Ronson: dead.

He died of liver cancer – I don’t think playing in glam bands had anything to do with that. From what I’ve read, he didn’t live a particularly wild lifestyle. He was one of my early favorites, and his playing still thrills me today.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – * Mick Ronson: dead. Never knew that, he was undoubtedly Bowie’s best guitar player, and Bowie picked his players well, ala Robert Fripp on Scary Monsters, Lodger. *David Bowie: still, against all the odds, David Bowie. Of all the over 50 rockers still going I think Bowie’s appearance belies his years. His stuff twith Trent Reznor was pretty good , and maybe that’s where glam rock progressed to in a way, through punk – John Lydon is on record as saying his favourite genre was the Glam era – to the goths and industrial music who all liked to dress up. I guess there was the heavy metal hair band branch to all that, notably gene Simmons claims to have discovered Van Halen.

Ronson was a heavy, heavy drinker – and it eventually took its toll.   Whenever I see pictures of Ronson with his natural Les Paul (like mine!!) I’m reminded of how great of a rocker he was.  A few of my fondest memories were of hanging out with him in New York talking about Bowie and guitars. He was really down to earth – loved to talk gear – and swore he just used a MXR Distortion + for all of his work with Bowie and Ian Hunter.  He is GREATLY missed….

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* Mick Ronson: dead. Never knew that, he was undoubtedly Bowie’s best guitar player, and Bowie picked his players well, ala Robert Fripp on Scary Monsters, Lodger. *David Bowie: still, against all the odds, David Bowie. Of all the over 50 rockers still going I think Bowie’s appearance belies his years.

My theory that I always joke about with my friends…. Bowie sold his soul to the Devil to look that good. After all his years of drinking, pills, and Heroin, there’s no other logical answer.  It’s not like there was a period where he dropped out, then came back looking good – as a long-time Bowie fanatic, he’s just looked good and young all the time.  I remember seeing him on A&E’s Live By Request – closeups, no editing, and no flattery – he looked, sounded, and moved amazing….

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There is very little on the net about The Sweet. Does anyone know who in this band did the seering top harmony, was it Brian double tracked ?

They used the Eventide Harmonizer (new back then in the mid-70s) on many of their tracks to get those over-the-top chorus vocals, especially on the album "Give Us A Wink."   http://www.gary-hendershot.com/ Houston, Tejas, Estados Unidos

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There is very little on the net about The Sweet. Does anyone know who in this band did the seering top harmony, was it Brian double tracked ?

Response:

There is very little on the net about The Sweet. Does anyone know who in this band did the seering top harmony, was it Brian double tracked ?

I think most of the top harmonies were by Steve Priest, the bass player. — Ross Howard

Response:

There is very little on the net about The Sweet. Does anyone know who in this band did the seering top harmony, was it Brian double tracked ? I think most of the top harmonies were by Steve Priest, the bass player.

They are just impossible to reach. Amazing. I can’t get them, I can usually nail Robert Plant’s even at my age. But not this band. and their vocals are as tight as the rest of the music was tight and fast. What a great band ! ! ! Pity their management had them doing half the crap they did.

Response:

They are just impossible to reach. Amazing. I can’t get them, I can usually nail Robert Plant’s even at my age. But not this band. and their vocals are as tight as the rest of the music was tight and fast. What a great band ! ! ! Pity their management had them doing half the crap they did. You’re right about this. I heard them in Tivoli back then in the

seventies, funny funny. No playback no tricks, they played live and it was real tight, and real talented. For me they demonstrated the essence of sounding well on stage, timing, timing and timing again. Though many may disagree I still have to thank Chinn and Chapmann for writing pop tunes for this incredible band, for even if those were easy pop- earhangers, I’m sure that no band could have performed them better, more professional than Sweet did.They were not a constructed pop band, they were already fully adequate musicians that just needed hits to breake through. The explanation is, that no matter how good a musician you are, you need a good song, (and follow ups) to get your career going, nobody wants to dance to- or listen to- scales a whole friday night!

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are just impossible to reach. Amazing. I can’t get them, I can usually nail Robert Plant’s even at my age. But not this band. and their vocals are as tight as the rest of the music was tight and fast. What a great band ! ! ! Pity their management had them doing half the crap they did. You’re right about this. I heard them in Tivoli back then in the seventies, funny funny. No playback no tricks, they played live and it was real tight, and real talented. For me they demonstrated the essence of sounding well on stage, timing, timing and timing again. Though many may disagree I still have to thank Chinn and Chapmann for writing pop tunes for this incredible band, for even if those were easy pop- earhangers, I’m sure that no band could have performed them better, more professional than Sweet did.They were not a constructed pop band, they were already fully adequate musicians that just needed hits to breake through.

I think they were discovered — like Mud (who were also impressively tight live) — by Mickey Most (ex Animals). Yep, Brit ’70s glam was fun, but it certainly took its toll on a lot of human lives. Here’s a quick  where-are-they-now: * Sweet’s singer Brian Connolly: dead. (So is the drummer.) * Mud’s singer Les Gray: dead.   * Marc Bolan: dead. * Mickey Finn: dead. * Mick Ronson: dead. * Gary Glitter: convicted pedophile, last reported living in Thailand. * Alvin Stardust (AKA Shane Fenton), Suzi Quatro & Roy Wood: still working the scampi-in-a-basket retro circuit. * Mud’s guitarist Rob Brown (the curly-haired one in the evening gown, remember?) : reinvented himself, against all the odds, as a highly successful producer of Ibiza club anthems. *David Bowie: still, against all the odds, David Bowie. — Ross Howard

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