[Randy Yates[_2_]]

I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

I was reading his bibliography today here

http://www.larryknechtel.com/larry-k...biography.html

and the part about the LA music scene changing drastically in the 80s.
I'm curious what the old-timers here think about this.

Personally, I think it was the beginning of the end of good commercial
music.
--
Randy Yates
Digital Signal Labs
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Randy Yates[_2_]]

Randy Yates writes:

I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

PS: Larry played piano on this.
--
Randy Yates
Digital Signal Labs
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Randy Yates[_2_]]

Randy Yates writes:

I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

PS: I should add that he seems to have been at the crossroads and focal
point of several groups / albums / sessions / writers that made the
(rock/folk) music of the era great. E.g., Jimmy Webb, Fifth Dimension,
Johnny Rivers (I've been wondering who played piano on his remake of
"Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" for decades), Beach Boys,
Grass Roots, etc., etc., etc.

Wow. Just wow.
--
Randy Yates
Digital Signal Labs
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Randy Yates wrote:
I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

I was reading his bibliography today here

http://www.larryknechtel.com/larry-k...biography.html

and the part about the LA music scene changing drastically in the 80s.

See "The Wrecking Crew". It's on Netflix. They do Hal Blaine's story,
which parallels this.

Bonus: you get Tommy Tedesco inna tutu.

I'm curious what the old-timers here think about this.

Personally, I think it was the beginning of the end of good commercial
music.


Yeah.

--
Les Cargill

[Randy Yates[_2_]]

Les Cargill writes:

Randy Yates wrote:
I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

I was reading his bibliography today here

http://www.larryknechtel.com/larry-k...biography.html

and the part about the LA music scene changing drastically in the 80s.

See "The Wrecking Crew". It's on Netflix. They do Hal Blaine's story,
which parallels this.

On it! Thanks for that, Les!


Bonus: you get Tommy Tedesco inna tutu.

I'm curious what the old-timers here think about this.

Personally, I think it was the beginning of the end of good commercial
music.


Yeah.

Right.
--
Randy Yates
Digital Signal Labs
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Randy Yates wrote:
Randy Yates writes:

I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

PS: I should add that he seems to have been at the crossroads and focal
point of several groups / albums / sessions / writers that made the
(rock/folk) music of the era great. E.g., Jimmy Webb, Fifth Dimension,
Johnny Rivers (I've been wondering who played piano on his remake of
"Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" for decades), Beach Boys,
Grass Roots, etc., etc., etc.

Wow. Just wow.


Between "The Wrecking Crew", "Muscle Shoals" and "Standing in the
Shadows of Motown" it's very clear that the number of people who
made music that made me want to make music is very small.

This was pushed out by people who sang, wrote and played their
own material - sort of the Bob Dylan/Beatles model. For a view
of how that worked, see "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" about Kansas.

That could have been sustainable but the death of radio was really
the killing thing.

What's weirder is: especially for Muscle Shoals, they were
just guys, not as much schooled at all.

--
Les Cargill

[Randy Yates[_2_]]

Les Cargill writes:

This was pushed out by people who sang, wrote and played their
own material - sort of the Bob Dylan/Beatles model. For a view
of how that worked, see "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" about Kansas.

Kansas being one of my top 5 bands of all time, of course I know the
song, but it seems you may be referring to something else. A movie?

That could have been sustainable but the death of radio was really
the killing thing.

What's weirder is: especially for Muscle Shoals, they were
just guys, not as much schooled at all.

Thanks again, Les. I go ape over this sort of information/discussion!
Maybe I'm just getting old.

By the way, the thing that motivated me to take another look at the
whole music scene of the era was watching Glen Campbell's new movie,
"I'll Be Me" last night.

I give the movie a C. I loved Glen and the scenes of the concerts and
music making, and the interviews with various musicians (e.g., Bruce
Springsteen) but I felt it was too much of a plug to support Alzbheimers
research, ESPECIALLY the parts with Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi and
legislation. I wished it had been more about his life from the git-go.
--
Randy Yates
Digital Signal Labs
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[JackA]

On Monday, September 7, 2015 at 2:37:37 PM UTC-4, Les Cargill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:
I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

I was reading his bibliography today here

http://www.larryknechtel.com/larry-k...biography.html

and the part about the LA music scene changing drastically in the 80s.

See "The Wrecking Crew". It's on Netflix. They do Hal Blaine's story,
which parallels this.

Bonus: you get Tommy Tedesco inna tutu.

I'm with Carol Kaye, bass guitar player, all this hoopla just to absorb as much $$$ as possible on a Wrecking Crew, more or less Hal Blaine's and Glen Campbell's creation. You find more of the honest story on bootleg CDs.

Jack

I'm curious what the old-timers here think about this.

Personally, I think it was the beginning of the end of good commercial
music.


Yeah.

--
Les Cargill

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Randy Yates wrote:
Les Cargill writes:

This was pushed out by people who sang, wrote and played their
own material - sort of the Bob Dylan/Beatles model. For a view
of how that worked, see "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" about Kansas.

Kansas being one of my top 5 bands of all time, of course I know the
song, but it seems you may be referring to something else. A movie?


Yes. A Nice one, too. Quite well done.

That could have been sustainable but the death of radio was really
the killing thing.

What's weirder is: especially for Muscle Shoals, they were
just guys, not as much schooled at all.

Thanks again, Les. I go ape over this sort of information/discussion!
Maybe I'm just getting old.


My youngest has bought for me musician bios since 20 years ago. These
are books about Hank Williams, Brian Wilson, Johnny Cash , others.

Basically, all the books that "Walk Hard" was derived from. I don't
know how you'd have liked that movie without having read all those.

By the way, the thing that motivated me to take another look at the
whole music scene of the era was watching Glen Campbell's new movie,
"I'll Be Me" last night.


I did not watch all of that. That was painful.

I give the movie a C. I loved Glen and the scenes of the concerts and
music making, and the interviews with various musicians (e.g., Bruce
Springsteen) but I felt it was too much of a plug to support Alzbheimers
research, ESPECIALLY the parts with Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi and
legislation. I wished it had been more about his life from the git-go.


Yep. Well, maybe. Campbell led an ... interesting life.

--
Les Cargill

[Randy Yates[_2_]]

Les Cargill writes:

Randy Yates wrote:
Les Cargill writes:

This was pushed out by people who sang, wrote and played their
own material - sort of the Bob Dylan/Beatles model. For a view
of how that worked, see "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" about Kansas.

Kansas being one of my top 5 bands of all time, of course I know the
song, but it seems you may be referring to something else. A movie?


Yes. A Nice one, too. Quite well done.

Hi Les,

Did you have something to do with it? I watched it a couple of days ago.
It sounded very professional - top notch, to my tin ears at least.

The content was perfect for a person of my knowledge of the band - lots
of things I didn't know. Anyone except the most snobbish Kansas expert
should enjoy it immensely - I sure did! Thanks again for the referral,
Les.
--
Randy Yates
Digital Signal Labs
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

Randy Yates wrote:
Les Cargill writes:

Randy Yates wrote:
Les Cargill writes:

This was pushed out by people who sang, wrote and played their
own material - sort of the Bob Dylan/Beatles model. For a view
of how that worked, see "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" about Kansas.

Kansas being one of my top 5 bands of all time, of course I know the
song, but it seems you may be referring to something else. A movie?


Yes. A Nice one, too. Quite well done.

Hi Les,

Did you have something to do with it?

No. It just drifted by on cable. That's way above my pay grade

I watched it a couple of days ago.
It sounded very professional - top notch, to my tin ears at least.

The content was perfect for a person of my knowledge of the band - lots
of things I didn't know. Anyone except the most snobbish Kansas expert
should enjoy it immensely - I sure did! Thanks again for the referral,
Les.


--
Les Cargill

[mcp6453[_2_]]

On 9/7/2015 2:06 PM, Randy Yates wrote:
I've been living in ignorance of a great musician and pianist for many
decades, Larry Knechtel. I finally put 2+2 together today when chasing
down one of Jimmy Web's creations, "All I Know" (on Art Garfunkel's
album "Angel Clare" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBjY-zm0sI).

I was reading his bibliography today here

http://www.larryknechtel.com/larry-k...biography.html

and the part about the LA music scene changing drastically in the 80s.
I'm curious what the old-timers here think about this.

Personally, I think it was the beginning of the end of good commercial
music.

I've been a big fan of Larry Knechtel for many years. Be sure to thoroughly research his career. You will be stunned. My
hope was to one day meet him. It didn't happen. When he passed away, he had been reduced to playing on the road with The
Dixie Chicks. I asked someone who knew him how someone of his stature could fall so far. The answer he gave me was that
he needed the money.