We start with the best band ever, the Beatles.  John Lennon the band’s leader, played rhythm guitar.  His job was to keep the song moving along while the rest of the guys were playing different leads and melodies.  John was half of the great songwriting team of Lennon/McCartney and sung a bit more than half of the groups songs.  George Harrison ,the quite beatle, played Lead guitar.  Handling all the solos that you hear on the records, except for a handful that were played by either Paul or John.  The strengths of both John and George were not their guitar playing ability, it layed more in their songwriting craftmanship.  With the band Led Zeppelin, the story is completely different.  Jimmy Page frequently listed as one of the greatest guitarists ever,  played guitar like someone picking a berry of a bush.  Effortlessly and smooth, Page has laid down some of the most famous guitar solos ever heard on record.  Just listen to the album Presence and you will hear why Jimmy Page is a master guitarist.  Next we have once again not only a really great guitarist but, one hell of a song writer.  The Who’s Pete Townsend.  Pete brought the guitar to new levels both sonically and talent wise. His play is highlighted by his ability to trash out a guitar on stage while putting on an outragious, energetic rock performance. Simply amazing.  Pete is also known for bringing in an acoustic guitar and making it a viable rock and roll instrument.  Something only folk and soft rock artists would use.  Townsend is an amazing songwriter his guitar writing skills are best heard on the album Tommy, where Pete uses a guitar and an instrument from an orchestra.  Lastly we have my favorite british guitarist.  Pink Floyd’s David Gilmore.  A super talented, lead guitar virtuoso.  David as well has played on some of the most famous rock solos ever heard on a record.  When Pink Floyd were playing The Wall live, the construction of an all white cardboard wall would be built up around the band, between them and the audience.  When the show would get to “Comfortably Numb” the “wall” would be complete.  At that moment David would get on the very top and perform the guitar solo heard on the record, note perfect and simply awesome.  His best work can be heard nearly on every Pink Floyd record, just listen to the guitar tracks and you will know. 

In this battle i must lean with the British side, they simply  have way too much talent and guitar prowess, that the American side just can not keep up with.

Starting with the American rock guitarists, we have the Doors’ Robbie Krieger.  One of the best rock guitarist behind the masters, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Not only was Robbie a first class guitarist, he was also a great songwriter.  He wrote the Doors hits, “Light My Fire”, “Touch Me”, and “Love Me Two Times”.  His style was wide and vivid.  He could play nearly any style of guitar including Flamingo; which can be heard on the amazing track “Spanish Caravan”.  Next we have the one and only Jerry “Berry” Garica from the Grateful Dead.  Not only a very capable guitarist, Jerry was also the heart and soul of one of America’s greatest bands, the Grateful Dead.  Jerry not only wrote a ton of songs for the Dead, he also was one of the main singers as well.  The rock world lost Jerry on August 9, 1995.  Like before most of these bands guitarists also were the lead vocalists and main songwriters of their respective groups.  For C.C.R. it is no difference, for they have the master of the south, John Fogerty.  Outstanding guitarist and an even better songwriter, Fogerty wrote most to all of the songs for Creedence, and song all the lead vocals in his original swamp/rock voice.  John’s older brother Tom, played lead guitar for the band, laying down all the solos you hear on the records.  When Tom died in September 6, 1990, the band C.C.R. was no more.  Last we have the other brother band, the Beach Boys, and once again it is a Wilson brother who play guitar, Carl.  Carl Wilson was the youngest and most skillful instrumentalist of the three Wilson brothers.  He helped to create the now classic surf rock sound with a very clean, high-treble guitar played very fast.  Carl didn’t write much material however he did sing about two-thirds the songs; the rest being sung either by his older brother Dennis or cousin Mike Love.  Sadly Carl also died and left the greatest american band behind on February 6, 1998.

            The Musical Revolutionary War is the name of my Blog started for my Writing andMedia class at Rutgers.  It also happens to be my very first blog I have ever created.  At firstwhen the idea was proposed that we as a class would be making and creating our very ownblog sites I thought I would be lost.  I can say that I’m still not one hundred percent skilled in all the facets of writing and keeping up with a blog site, however I am finding it an enjoyable experience. 

            My blog The Musical Revolutionary War is a compare and contrast blog that incorporates the top four rock bands from Britain and the top four rock bands from America.  

Between the two countries I realized that there are countless bands that could join the list of the greatest of all time, however I decided that since I am the blog master for this site I get the chance to pick them.  In trying to decide who to choose I wanted to blog about bands that I not only feel are the greatest from their country, but also bands that I knew a great deal of information about.  I took into consideration their fame and record sales, as well as other different aspects like radio play and durability of their music over time.  It was not an easy task to complete, however that is part of the fun in it.  I wanted to convey the enjoyment that I receive from these bands on my blog site.  How their music has shaped not only my life but countless others.  At first I thought up as many different topics that I could come up with to discuss in a blog format.  I realized that as I progressed from the beginning of my blog odyssey, that I kept coming up with new topics to discuss that I hadn’t thought of before, thanks in part to the input from other students reading my blog posts.  Even though I found the topic very interesting, I knew that keeping a blog site would not be as easy as I originally thought.  That being said, I feel it has been a growing experience that I do truly enjoy. 

            Returning back to the point of my blog, the decision was finally made and all eight bands were chosen.  From the British ranks I choose the Beatles, the Who, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd.  All of whom were the most outstanding groups in rock music, at least in my eyes.  Some bands that I had though of originally but didn’t make the final cut were groups such as the Rolling Stones, Cream, and Queen.  All of who made some really fantastic music in their own right, however not quite on the same level as the four bands picked.  Across the ocean from America I choose the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Beach Boys.  Once again these four bands I feel are the tops when compared to all other American rock bands from the sixties on.  Like before there were plenty of really outstanding bands that didn’t make the cut.  Bands such as the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, and the Byrds just to name a few, weren’t fortunate enough to make the list.  

            Most of my entries dealt with the main theme of compare and contrast between the eight bands.  One post in particular, dealt with taking one song from each group and comparing it with the other groups chosen one song.  The blog post was titled Just one song, and I found that blog to be not only the hardest to write, but also the most rewarding.  It was difficult because I was attempting to single out one song from hundreds and hundreds of really great songs, then do the justice of describing why they are the best or even why the were chosen.  The set up for the blog post was as follows, “For today’s theme consider this…   if you were stuck on a remote island with nothing but an iPod that could contain only one song from these eight bands which songs would they be??  For this matchup we will take a look at the single greatest song from each band.  A song that exemplifies the greatness and artistry of each of the eight bands”.

             This post was the most rewarding for me because it not only received the most comments, five, it was a chance for me to discuss something that I really never discussed before.  This is what I feel is one of the best parts of writing a blog site.  It gives a platform for anyone who wants to share their ideas no matter the importance or insignificance, to anyone who will listen, in this case read.  

            With in the past two weeks I have started a multi-part blog post that incorporates the most important aspect of these eight groups, the musicians playing in each group.  The first post dealt with the drummers and the impact they had, not only in their respective groups, but also compared to their counterparts in the other bands.  In this blog post I had the chance to dive in a little deeper into each band I was discussing.  Being a musician myself I felt this was a topic that needed to be discussed since I’m dealing with bands that have similar set-ups.  The next post deals with the bass guitarists in each group, and how their impacts were felt both then and now.  The whole idea of delving into each instrument played by all these bands came to me while I was working on this blog site.  This I would have to say was an idea that I would never have come up with had I not started to write a blog.  I feel that alone has made this whole experience worthwhile and very enjoyable. 

             As a writer I can say that this experience has changed my view of what a writer can accomplish.  The act of writing is highly enjoyable to me no matter what the topic is.  Whether writing an assignment for school or one for a work related paper, writing can feel like a burden task.  A very difficult subject to be one hundred percent into doing; however with a blog it becomes different.  With a blog a writer gets the chance to discuss anything they wish to discuss no matter the length or subject or even audience.  When a writer can feel free to discuss what ever they feel at virtually anytime of the day, the end result can be magical.  It is what every writer strives for, and with the new media of blog posting, writers have that chance. 

             Even though this blog site is something that was set up for a class project, I feel I would like to carry it on even after this semester is complete.  I find that writing a blog has encouraged me to continue to write in this media style.  At first I was skeptical about keeping a blog, thinking that it may be too much work, or that it would be a glorified diary that wouldn’t really keep my interest; however the complete opposite I feel has happened.  Even if I choose to do another topic apart from music, I would still like to write for a blog no matter what subject.  That being said I feel the reason why I enjoy keeping a blog is because of the topic that I’m writing about.  That is one of the strongest reasons why I like to blog and why many other people do as well.  As a writer whenever you get the chance to write about something that you either truly love or understand, you never want to stop discussing it.  In a blog format you never have to.  A blog can go on forever so long as there is a writer who can keep it going, whether or not that is a good thing is still yet to be decided.

From the get go i knew that the British side of Bass players would win this little competition, america tried to put up a fight, but simply can not keep up with the true masters.

Starting this time with the great American rock bands we first look towards the Grateful Dead and their awesome bassist.  Phil Lesh has played with the Dead for their entire 30 year career.  In fact he is one of the 4 founding members who have played in all 2,300 live performances.  Lesh didn’t write many songs for the band.  He did write a song called “Box of Rain” which is a real classic and a fan favorite.  His style helped to form the classic genre of Jam-band, which is considered a bass guitar that takes the place of lead instrument in a rock band performance.  In Creedence Clearwater Revival they had Stu Cook.  A very ept bass player that could keep a C.C.R. rock song grooving, Cook played a smooth Jazz style of bass.  He wasn’t to flashy or funky in his approach to the instrument, but he played as well as the band needed him to play.  Next we have the probable the greatest of the bunch, the Beach Boys leader, main songwriter, and oldest brother, Brian Wilson.  Not only was Brian the lead singer in the band he was also the main song writer.  Brian would often say that he felt it was easier to write songs for him because he played the bass.  Working first with a bass line, makes a song flow a lot easier in the creative process of writing a tune.  Brian could also play the piano quite well, many Beach Boy classics were written on the piano by Brian like “Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows”.  He has also said that his main rival when it came to the bass guitar was Paul McCartney of the Beatles.  Our last American band bassist, didn’t even have a bass player in their line-up, the Doors.  When ever the band played onstage live their keyboardist Ray Manzarek would play the bass lines to a song with his left hand.  For all of the Doors studio albums they would have a hired musician play the bass lines, usually written by Ray. 

At this point the American bands would need some kind of a handicap going into this battle of the basses mainly because there are only three representatives from their side.  All of the four rock bands from Britain have or had a bass player in their starting line-ups.  Still we must move forward and see how the British rock band bassists compare with the American counterparts.

All in all the American drummers had enough skill to keep their bands rocking for many years.  Laying down the beats to countless great American rock songs.  Though many of them have interesting stories, these four bands from America weren’t really known for their drummers.  In the next few posts we will see what sets them apart from their British counterparts. 

So there you have it, I belive it quite clear who wins the battle between drumming supremacy.  Next we will look at the bass guitar, the righteous vibe that keeps a rock band grooving.

British drummers.

I feel i must begin with the best, and the best is(was) Keith Moon “the Loon” from the Who.  No drummer since or after can quite match the skills that Moon had.  Shear power and reckless abandonment sums him up the best.  Moon played the drums the way he lived his life, hard and fast.  His love of pure R&B music mixed with the mid-60′s surf rock , made-up his awesome sound.  One gig the Who played in Texas during 1973, Moon the Loon took horse tranquilizers  in order to be properly high for that nights performance.  Before the first song was done, Moon passed out and could no longer play the drums for the rest of the show.  That was Keith Moon.  Second to the master was a fellow rock drummer who was actually a good friend.  Led Zeppilens’ John “Bonzo” Bodham.  Bonzo had a very similar style to Moon, hard, fast, and ferocious.  Bonzo may not have hit as many toms that Moon could, however Bonzo could beat the drum kit a lot harder than Moon.  In the world of rock drumming, that is a must-have skill to master, and Bonzo was the best.  The sad fact about both these drummers is that they died at the age of 32, way to young in life, but legends in the rock world.  Next we have Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd.  A very good drummer that knew how to play well and technically sound.  Mason was the opposite of Moon and Bonzo, he was not flashy, he didn’t even have a nick name.  When the Floyd played live however, he never skipped a beat.  Mason is the only member of Pink Floyd to be incorporated into every lineup the band ever had.  From the early years till today.  Lastly for the British side we have the one and only Ringo Starr, from the Beatles.  Ringo was cool before anyone even knew what that word meant.  He was the first drummer to have a cool nick name(his real name is Richard Starkey).  He was the first to have a prominent part in his group, outside of drumming.  He wrote songs for his band and he sang songs for his band.  He was the first drummer to use a double kick drum pedal.  His offspring, Zac Starkey, now drums for the Who.  A very worthy replacement for Moon.  Ringo has done it all. 

These 4 men have played on hundreds and hundreds of classic rock records for nearly the past 50 years.  In the next post we will see if the 4 American drummers can keep up with the British.

the Beatles released With the Beatles on  November 22, 1963, the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  Needless to say there was bigger news to be heard on that day than a relatively obscure band from England.  It did become however the 2nd album to sell a million copies in the United Kingdom, the first was the soundtrack to the film South Pacific.  Containing half original material and half Motown/R&B cover songs the original All My Loving and the Smokey Robinson cover You Really Got A Hold on Me are regarded as the top songs from the LP.   The Who released A Quick One on December 9, 1966 the most famous song on the album is the title track “A Quick One While He’s Away” which was the first mini rock opera themed song written.  It has been used a few times in recent movies.  Another interesting note about this album was that the producers wanted all four members of the group to write at least 2 songs in order to showcase each of them as talented musicians.  Pink Floyd released Saucerful of Secrets on June 29, 1968.  It was the last album their leader and main writer, Syd Barrett would do with the band.  This LP also is the only Pink Floyd album to feature all five Pink Floyd members.  A rather short and obscure album, not known to many listeners outside heavy Pink Floyd fans.  Lastly we have Britain’s greatest representative for this post, Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II.  Released on October 22, 1969 Led Zep II has become one of the greatest rock albums ever made.  Most of the songs are staples for rock radio stations including the opening track “Whole Lotta Love”.  Many musicians and rock critics site this album as one of the first Heavy Metal albums, even though it was many years before that phrase was coined.

Across the pond to America we start with the Beach Boys second album Surfin’ USA, released on March 25, 1963.  The album is known for its fresh, original surf-music sound with rich vocal harmonies and classic instrumentals done by the band.  This album propelled the band to new heights of stardom as well as put the Beach Boys on the map, largely with the help of LP’s  title track, “Surfin’ USA”.     Creedence Clearwater Revival released their second effort Bayou Country on January 5, 1969 to considerable success.  Much like the Beach Boys 2nd LP, CCR’s second album made them stars, with the help of the super famous song “Proud Mary”, which was later covered by hundreds of other artists including Tina Turner.  The Grateful Dead released Anthem of the Sun on July 18, 1968.  Similar to Pink Floyds’ 2nd album, the Dead were still changing its line up while making this album.  It was the first to feature 2 drummers in the lineup, something that stayed with them for the rest of their studio and touring lives.  The album again much like Floyd’s 2nd, is a rather obscure album with no famous songs to be known, except to Dead Heads.  Lastly we come to the Doors super masterpiece Strange Days.  Even the members of the Doors recognized that this was one of their best, with great tunes such as “Moonlight Drive”, “Love Me Two Times’, ‘People are Strange”, and the closing epic “When the Music’s Over”.  Strange Days was an effort to compete with the material the Beatles were releasing at the time, and even though the record sales don’t prove it, this album from the Doors definitely competes with the best of them. 

So who wins???

It may be a draw, maybe a slight edge to America.

if you were stuck on a remote island with nothing but an iPod that could contain only one song from these eight bands which songs would they be??  For this matchup we will take a look at the single greatest song from each band.  A song that exemplifies the greatness and artistry of the band.  I’ll start with the British bands first.  The Beatles song would be Hey, Jude, their single biggest selling record they ever had, also the longest, clocking in class=”mceItemHidden”> at 7min 20sec.  Released in august of 1968 it spent nine weeks at the top of the charts.  For the Who the song is Won’t Get Fooled Again.  A rocking classic from 1971, that shows off not only the power the Who had as rock performers but also how well of a song writer Pete Townsend really was.  For the band Pink Floyd the winner is Money.  The bands greatest song ever written with its unmistakable opening sequence of coins falling, cash registers clicking and receipts being ripped.  This was also the encore song for many of Pink Floyds’ live shows, and yes it would bring the house down.  Finally we have Led Zeppelin, with their song Stairway to Heaven.  An eight minute long rock anthem that has it all, a slow intro which slowly build up to the verses, then concludes with an all out rock jam complete with a classic Jimmy Page guitar solo.  This song has the distinction of being the most requested song on the radio of all time, and is noted as being one of the greatest rock n roll songs ever written. 

Ahh but what about America??  first we have the Beach Boys all time classic Good Vibrations.  A Sixties surf, and psychadlic rock masterpiece, that has been acknowledged by many other  musicaians and artists favorite song of all time.  the record is huge with its rich harmonies and way out sounds that it took over 20 musicians to record.  Next we have CCR’s Have You Ever Seen the Rain? their classic anthem about the Vietnam war.  Many saw this song as the perfect combination to rock music success with a strong message about the live and times of the late sixties and early seventies.   For the Grateful Dead there is a song titled Truckin’.  The song became so famous it was recognized by the United States Library of Congress in 1997 as a national treasure.  It’s climactic refrain, “What a long, strange trip it’s been,” has been quoted nearly as many times a bible passages.  Lastly we have the Doors Light My Fire.  A seven minute long rock epic with its unshakable organ riff and super long extended solo, this song exemplifies the awesome power and mystic of the Doors. 

So who wins this battle? you tell me.

Great Britian- the Beatles, the Who, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin

United States- the Beach Boys, the Doors, Credence Clearwater Revival, and the Grateful Dead

Much, much more to come, tune in next time when I’ll take a look at each bands’ biggest song.