Rarebird's Rock and Roll Nest

Before Billy Joel was signed to Columbia Records and recorded his well-known 1973 Piano Man album, he issued his debut solo recording titled Cold Spring Harbor on the Family Productions label in late 1971. This album did not sell well, falling just short of making it to the Billboard Top 200 album chart. The album's failure was blamed on the Family label owner Artie Ripp, who produced the album and mixed it at the wrong speed, giving Joel's now-famous voice an unnaturally high-pitched effect. Joel disowned the album, and tried (for a long time unsuccessfully) to get out of his recording contract with Ripp. Ten years later, Joel recorded live versions of two of the album's songs for his 1981 live release Songs In The Attic , namely "She's Got A Way" and "Everybody Loves You Now", and the former became a Top 40 hit. The Cold Spring Harbor album was then remixed by Ripp and Larry Elliot, and the remixed version of the album was issued by Columbia in...

Terry Reid passed away earlier this month at the age of 75, after being treated for cancer. Ironically, the late British singer and guitarist was best known for what he did not do: he turned down an invitation by Jimmy Page to be the lead singer for Led Zeppelin -- and, in fact, Reid was the one who recommended Robert Plant for the job. Reid also was invited by Ritchie Blackmore to front Deep Purple in 1969, but also turned that offer down, before Ian Gillan got the job as that band's second -- and most famous -- frontman. Reid began his career as a late-period member of Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers. The Yardbirds were one of several high-profile British bands whom the Jaywalkers toured with. If you listen to the 2-CD U.K. Reid compilation Super Lungs from 2004 (not to be confused with the less satisfying 1-CD U.S. compilation Superlungs from 2005), you will understand why Page wanted Reid to join the New Yardbirds. On those early recordings, Reid's high tenor vocals show...

The recent passing of Mick Ralphs, the founding guitarist of Bad Company and Mott The Hoople, has brought my attention to a 1972 single by a band called Hackensack. This band was from England, not from New Jersey, and their sound was an early form of heavy metal. Their '72 single was "Moving On", the Ralphs composition which would later be recorded by Bad Company as "Movin' On". The lead guitarist for Hackensack was Ray Smith, later known as Ray Major, who would later become a member of a post-Ralphs, post-Ian Hunter lineup of Mott. Hackensack's lead vocalist was Nicky Moore, who would go on to replace Bruce Dickinson in Samson a decade later. Hackensack had toured with Mott The Hoople during that band's 1972 Rock 'n' Roll Circus tour, which is presumably how they came to record "Moving On" before Bad Company was formed. Ralphs had written the song -- about the pressures of touring -- for Mott, and that band did record the song in...