Sky Saxon Appreciation Thread

[DBoon]

Let us not forget another great entertainer who has just passed away, Sky Saxon of the '60s garage/protopunk band The Seeds:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfJ3F0BxJ43QilwHe11waMsP_JEQD991VAJG1

[el_bryanto]

1. I liked Pushing Too Hard

Bryant

[taterguy]

2. Are we here to appreciate Saxon or celebrate our own great taste in obscure music?

Could you pick him out of a line-up?

Tell the truth

[DBoon]

3. Obscure?

He had a big hit in the '60s!

Get off my lawn, kid!

[taterguy]

6. Admit it, you only heard of them because they're on Nuggets

I could be wrong

But I doubt it

[Howardx]

7. stupid comment

perhaps if we were celebrating the life of mouse from "mouse and the traps" you could say that but the seeds get played regularly on oldies radio, not too mention some users are old enough to remember them from the first time around.

[JuniperLea]

10. They were in heavy rotation in LA... the Boss Jocks spun their records...

And they even made guest appearances on TV shows, like The Mothers in Law. I always suspected that The Mosquitoes, of Gilligan's Island fame, were a take on Sky, et al.

[lame54]

11. Ah yes - The Nuggets - I love them...

http://www.thenuggets.moonfruit.com/#/home/4514447586

[JuniperLea]

23. Some of us were around when those nuggets were first created...

It's sorta nice to arrive at this stage of life where I have personal recollection of history:)

[DBoon]

25. No, I'm actually old enough to remember them

"Pushing Too Hard" was a hot song in my 5th grade class

That and "Wild Thing"

One more time, off my lawn before I whack you with my walker!

[shadowknows69]

5. I couldn't pick the Dave Clark Five out of a lineup but love their shit.

Some of the best were the ones who just made music and didn't worry about the whole face recognition thing. Granted the prettier ones become stars quicker and bigger sometimes, but that is the consumer's deficiency and not the artist's IMO.

[JuniperLea]

9. Obscure?

Surely you jest! Sky Saxon is a 60's icon! Who are you, Lester Bangs?

[taterguy]

12. If an average person hasn't heard of someone the person in question is obscure

Lester Bangs is borderline obscure.

Most of his notoriety is from that movie where Goldie Hawn's daughter took her shirt off.

[JuniperLea]

13. Define average...

The average friend of mine knows all about Sky Saxon, and The Seeds. Perhaps you are of a different generation... my daughter once asked me who The Beatles were. She has since been schooled on the subject. She is now well versed in Joan Baez and Janis Joplin as well, two singers who, along with The Beatles, were once considered "obscure" by my then teenage daughter.

Perspective is everything.

[taterguy]

14. You can't define average. You know it when you see it

Were the Seeds ever on the cover of Rolling Stone?

I think that's a reasonable benchmark for a musician's level of obscurity.

[JuniperLea]

17. Not probable...

Since The Seeds reached their zenith of popularity several years prior to the first issue of Rolling Stone... wanna try again? :eyes:

In fact, The Seeds broke up the year RS was established, 1967.

[JuniperLea]

24. chirp... chirp... chirp...

[taterguy]

28. The Doors were on the cover of Rolling Stone over 10 years after they broke up

And I'm sure the Beatles were too

[ContinentalOp]

34. The Doors! LOL

Where do you think they got their organ-based sound?

THE SEEDS!

[taterguy]

36. A musician can be influential and and obscure at the same time

How many people know who Lowman Pauling is?

A large percentage of the people that are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame know who he is.

The general public, not so much.

[Dr Fate]

37. What is your point in all of this? That people who like good Rock & Roll are elitists or snobs?

Or do you just want to argue?

LOL!

You either like The Seeds or you dont- I love 'em.

[JuniperLea]

44. Because he isn't familiar...

The Seeds are "obscure" and we shouldn't waste our breath:)

The fine arts must seem obscure to a lot of people too. Just saying.

[JuniperLea]

43. Now you want to mix apples and oranges...

There are few groups like The Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc., that continue to sell millions of records a year. Now, are we talking a popular, well known band? Or a mega, iconic band?

[Howardx]

15. another stupid comment

bangs notoriety comes from creem magazine, which you probably know nothing about and will consider that "obscure" too.

[taterguy]

16. How many people read Creem vs how many people saw Almost Famous

If Bangs had received "notoriety" from Creem he would have been a lot richer.

Actually I think most of his notoriety stems from the publication of Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, and some timely product placement in an REM song.

[JuniperLea]

20. Oh, what bullshit...

In my family, we all know and have read Creem... and not one of us has seen Almost Famous.

Dude, admit it, you are a youngster with no depth of knowledge whatsoever.

[taterguy]

27. Almost Famous grossed $42,000,000

And God knows how many people have watched it on DVD or TV.

What were the circulation figures of Creem Magazine?

If you don't know then you really can't accuse me of spewing "Bullshit"

Show off your depth of knowledge. I look forward to it.

[JuniperLea]

42. There's huge difference between great cinema...

And great box office. Quality does not equal quantity; never has, never will. In fact, it's very, very rare for any truly meaningful, well written, well acted, and well directed film to garner top box office. Only 2% of the population has an IQ over 130.

At it's height, Creem had over 100,000 readers a month. Rolling Stone hasn't hit the top 100 consumer magazines list in years.

RIP probably didn't reach you, or others like you, but that doesn't mean that Lonn Friend isn't an incredible rock writer who deserves mass kudos for his works.

[taterguy]

47. 4,000,000 is more than 100,000

I wasn't arguing about subjective things like quality.

I was merely stating the fact that more people became familiar with Lester Bangs because of a movie than because of a magazine.

[JuniperLea]

48. You have never proved your "fact"

Familiar from one character in one movie? Not even a play within a play could do that.

Bangs wrote for Creem, Rolling Stone, Playboy, The Village Voice, and Penthouse, among others, and garnered readership all along the way. In fact, I currently work with a past edior of The Village Voice... I'll ask him in passing next week how obscure he thinks Lester Bangs or The Seeds are.

Obscure to one is likely mainstream to another, since we don't all float in the same stream.

I have to go... I don't do the InterTubes after five o'clock Pacific on Fridays... I'm 'Tube free until Monday! Ciao, Grasshopper.

[taterguy]

50. You only do the InterTubes on company time?

Rock on

[JuniperLea]

51. No, little dude...

I started work at 7 this morning... I'm on my own time... I don't turn on the home 'puter at all over the weekend if I can help it.

[JuniperLea]

18. And Bangs dissed Sky Saxon's voice in said magazine too... eom

[DBoon]

26. Anyone who listened to AM top 40 in the 60s has heard of them

Admittedly, we geezers are a declining share of the population, but we still cherish our fond memories of younger days.

You kids just don't appreciate the great songs of yesteryear.

I bet you've never even heard of the Electric Prunes.

Go away, its time for my nap

[abq e streeter]

35. I don't necessarily "cherish" memories of difficult teenage years,but thank god/goddess

that at least there was so much incredibly good rock and roll to make those rough years almost bearable. Both the Seeds and The Electric Prunes may have each only had one huge hit ( and moderately successful followups---, out of curiosity,do you remember the Prunes' followup to Too Much to Dream?), but each hit was a powerhouse rocker which still sound fresh to my aging ears. Psychedelic, yet both with a decidedly punk sound and feel to em.

[DBoon]

40. I actually remember their Mass

I went to a Catholic school, and just the thought of a group called the "Electric Prunes" doing a version of the Latin mass was completely hilarious.

Of course, Kyrie Eleison was later featured in "Easy Rider"

[abq e streeter]

41. Was it Mass in F Minor? my rapidly deteriorating memory seems to sort of remember that

trivia time, aging DUer rockers---Prunes' followup semi-hit after Too Much to Dream.......p.s. ,I assume your DU name is from D. Boon of the Minutemen(?) Just so it doesn't seem like I'm too stuck in the 60's, I actually saw The Minutemen; can't remember exactly when but I think it wasn't too long before he was killed in that tragic accident.

[DBoon]

55. yes, Mass in F minor

yes I saw the Minutemen many times - first time opening for Blood on the Saddle

[abq e streeter]

56. oops--shoulda noticed your Minutemen avatar

but at least I correctly remembered the F minor part---who'd a thunk it?

[GReedDiamond]

49. Time for your nap?

Don't have "too much to dream," OK?

[abq e streeter]

29. My ears sure as hell could pick him out vs. ANYONE else on the radio at the same time

maybe a national # 1 record during an era where it was competing against The Beatles, Stones, Beachboys, Motown etc is obscure to you. Not to me...I have the entire album ( on an old cassette tape,and including the brilliant top 20 followup, Can't Seem to Make You Mine) and still listen to it on occasion. The Seeds were cool and ahead of their time ( or maybe right exactly on time).

[taterguy]

31. Tell me what you know about Peter Holsapple

Just testing your theory

[abq e streeter]

38. I have no idea what my alleged theory is, but used to listen to the dB's

from time to time, and thought they were a pretty interesting band. I was much more into Springsteen ,The Clash and The Replacements at the time ,so didn't listen to the dB's a lot though, but was certainly aware of he and Stamey and that they were talented guys . At that time,I certainly could have identified a dB's song as being by them even if I hadn't heard it (i.e. ,picking it out of a "lineup"), but since I haven't kept listening to them,and never did all that much, probably couldn't anymore.

[taterguy]

46. My interpretation of your theory was that being on a #1 record meant a musician wasn't obscure

Holsapple was on a #1 record but most people haven't heard of him (You might be the exception that proves the rule).

ps: Have you ever heard his song "That's Why I hate The Replacements"?

[abq e streeter]

52. Sky Saxon formed and fronted The Seeds, and wrote and sang their #1 hit

Holsapple played some acoustic guitar on someone else's #1 song ( which I liked very much, by the way; neglected to mention REM as a band I listened to quite a bit in the 80's). If The dB's had had a major hit song ( and not saying they didn't deserve one; they did some good stuff), you couldn't call them obscure either. Many people who hardly anyone's ever heard of play on hit records; hell, I know people who've played on # 1 songs ( including one of Michael Jackson's), and I bet not one in maybe a thousand people, if that, have ever heard of em... And again, Saxon reached #1 with amazing odds against him, being that his competition included The Beatles The Stones, Motown etc etc. REM's competition for # 1 in '91? The top 5 billboard songs that year were by Bryan Adams, Color Me Badd, C and C Music Factory, Paula Abdul and Timmy T. p.s. never heard that song, but sounds like it'd be pretty funny; I'm always up for a good ribbing of bands I like. I'm a huge Beachboys fan, but remember hearing a song ( The Bobs?) called I Hate The Beachboys, and thought it was pretty clever and amusing. I'll look for that song ( ...Hate The Replacements) hopefully it'll be on you tube. I'm guessing I'll enjoy hearing it. Well ,I'm outta here for awhile---special on chile rellenos on Friday nights at Garcia's. Have a good evening taterdude... its a silly inconsequential disagreement, but we're both on the same side where it counts---trying to make sure republicans stay as marginalized as humanly possible for all eternity.

[abq e streeter]

57. couldn't find that song on you tube, but just listened to both some dB's and Scoundrels Auxiliary

real good stuff; thanks for reminding me of them, shoulda listened to em more than I did, and they probably should have been bigger than they were too...:headbang:

[Dr Fate]

33. Obscure if you don't get into Rock & Roll, I guess.

Rock & Roll, not "Rock."

[JuniperLea]

45. Exactly...

I'm finding this thread an illustration of argument without reason, and a rebel without a cause... games without frontiers-war without tears:)

[PlanetBev]

4. Weighing in from the Left Coast

I'm pretty sure they got their start in a garage in the San Fernando Valley, where I'm from.

I've loved them since I was in high school in '66. By the way, I've never seen that album cover with the weed in the foreground. Explains a lot about Mr. Farmer.

So long, Sky...smoke a fatty for me in the hereafter.

[yorgatron]

8. K&R

:kick:

[Gold Metal Flake]

19. Hey, too bad some jagoff had to rub his dick on your thread.

[Tikki]

21. I named my oldest after Sky Saxon....

and my youngest after another rocker who died..in December...Delaney Bramlett.


Tikki
RIP Sky

[JuniperLea]

22. Delaney, Bonnie & Friends

Awesome! The Neverending Song of Love is running through my head right now! Thanks for the most pleasant earworm, Tikki!

[ContinentalOp]

30. It's so weird, I thought he died years ago in a hang gliding accident.

But I guess that was Father Yod.

[Dr Fate]

32. A GREAT hero of mine. He STILL inspires kids to start self contained Rock & Roll bands...

Go to his or The Seeds myspace page- he has fans born in the 1980's who are now in their own bands.

Not to mention his influence of 70's punk & 80's & 90's Indy Rock, plus the current Detroit scene...

RIP Sky- a true legend & true original.

[patrick t. cakes]

39. damn right.

rip sky.

[omega minimo]

53. Absodamlutely

:yourock:

[nashville_brook]

54. knr

[omega minimo]

58. found in the Wayback Machine on MJ Day: Ventures with Max Weinberg on Drums: Hawaii 5-0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQSPivbWwuY

The doc with Neil Young is excellent, talking about listening to The Ventures and Link Wray when he started out in Canada.

Links to that in Music Appreciation forum.

Same era.