"Less Talk, More Rock"
Listen to Benjy Mudie every Thursday night between 8 and 12pm on Radio 2000.
Radio 2000
(97.2 to 100.2FM)
Click here for the frequency in your area.
This website is part of the South African Rock Encyclopedia
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Benjy says...
Dear Rock of Ages fans, listeners and classic rock addicts,
Neil Young
Wasn't the Neil Young special something else, with his tremendous back catalogue of stunning songs we could gone on for another hour (at least) .... must do a Part 2 in the near future to fit in all your phoned-in suggestions ...
Next Week - Savoy Brown
Next week's special will be Savoy Brown. Founded by guitarist Kim Simmonds in 1965, they were originally called The Savoy Brown Blues Band and were one of the mainstays of the then British blues explosion as typified by the early "Blue Matter" and "Looking in" albums. However it was in America that the band achieved their greatest success with regular headlining shows at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco. At the height of their success the band were rocked by the defection of bassist Tone Stevens, drummer Roger Earle and guitarist 'Lonesome' Dave Peverett who jumped ship to form Foghat (themselves a huge band in the States) .... this left Kim Simmonds as the only member!
Whilst this would have made most musicians give up Simmonds quickly regrouped, bringing in Paul Raymond, Dave Bidwell and Andy Silvester from Chicken Shack and vocalist Dave Walker to form a new version of Savoy Brown. This line-up went on to even more success with albums like "Street corner talking" and "Hell bound train", which only goes to prove that you can keep a great bluesman down. And so it went on over the next 2 decades, members would join, leave, rejoin or be replaced but the Savoy Brown train kept a rollin'. Kim Simmonds continues to front and record with Savoy Brown - 40 years of some of the best blues rock around.For more info go to www.savoybrown.com.
Rolling Stones win-a-fridge competition
This is your last chance to win the custom Rolling Stones fridge complete with the legendary 'tongue' logo ..... go to the Rock of Ages website at www.rock.co.za/rockofages and enter on-line. The competition closes on Nov 3rd and the lucky winner of the fridge and 10 runners up will be announced on next weeks show .... Cream Reunion - Starting next week is our Cream reunion competition, you stand a chance to win 1 of 5 double cd/double DVD packs, courtesy of Gallo Music - again all you have to do is go to the Rock of Ages website at www.rock.co.za/rockofages and enter on-line.
Rock of Ages's recommendations
Focus
It's sad that such a talented band like Focus have forever been pigeonholed as a 'one hit wonder' with "Hocus Pocus". They were an incredible progressive rock band who stood head and shoulders above nearly every other band of the time with their fusion of classical, ,jazz and rock influences. The interesting thing is that the band themselves never considered "Hocus Pocus" as a 'commercial' track, it was merely a jam session that developed into a track and vocalist/flautist did the yodelling bit as a bit of a joke! Focus burned brightly for most of the 70's and whilst "Moving waves" seems to get all the critic's kudos, for me it is "Focus 3" that showcases the band at the height of their creative flow .... newly remastered but sadly with no bonus tracks, "Focus 3" highlights the the phenomenal interplay between Thijs van Leer's swirling Hammond and flute extravaganzas with the stinging, intricate guitar work of Jan Akkerman ... Get it!
Joe Bonamassa
As you know I have been singing the praises of blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa on the show and when Richard Filmer mailed to tell me that the live album had come back into stock ... well I couldn't resist popping into CDW to get it ... and what an album! "A new day yesterday Live" is one of the best live records I've heard for years, full of blistering, searing guitar from arguably the finest exponent of the genre in the world today -guitar 'shredders', bow your head in honour of Joe Bonamassa! ........ Finally fans of late 60's/70's psych prog folk-rock (now there's a category for ya!) should check out the newly released "Abstract Truth " reissue. Both of the band's legendary "Silver Trees" and "Totum" albums have been combined onto one CD (minus 2 tracks for space sake). It hasn't been off my car player for weeks with its gentle folk rock fused with jazz, Indian and blues influences ... check it out at www.rock.co.za/abstracttruth
Catch you on Thursday 8-midnight as usual.
Benjy
Rock of Ages is brought to you by CD Wherehouse
- where the obsessed unite.
Contact Rock of Ages
Email: click here
Snail mail:
PO Box 782022, Sandton 2146
Studio phone: 089-1102003
Richard Filmer @ CDW
Disclaimer:
The views, opinions, rants, raves and ramblings expressed on this website are the author's own and in no way reflect the views of Radio 2000 or the SABC.
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Latest Playlist
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Win a custom made Rolling Stones fridge courtesy of EMI Music South Africa - exclusive to Rock Of Ages.
This Rolling Stones fridge is custom made to hold a six pack of beer and is the only one of it's kind in SA.
Click here to enter.
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News from the
World of Rock |
VAN HALEN: NO SINGER SEARCH
The Van Halen trio of Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony have strongly denied reports that they're about to launch the search for a new singer and that this search is to be filmed for a reality TV series.
THE TEA PARTY SPLIT
Jeff Martin, singer & guitarist for one of Canada's premier bands The Tea Party, has left the band to pursue a solo career.
The band will not be continuing without him.
UK HALL OF FAME
The United Kingdom's equivalent of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the U.S. will induct The Who, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan in ceremonies November 16. Inductees are selected by a panel of artists, broadcasters, journalists and music industry executives. Among the scheduled performances is a tribute by a group led by Slash (former Guns n' Roses guitarist) to Hendrix. Among the UK Hall of Fame's first inductees, named last year, were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, U2, and Cliff Richard & The Shadows.
Nugent Vs Osbournes
According to Contactmusic.com, outspoken rocker Ted Nugent
is defending controversial comments he made about reality TV family "The
Osbournes," insisting Sharon Osbourne should be held accountable for
celebrating domestic chaos. He touched a nerve when he slammed The
Osbournes for presenting the worst of family life on TV. But, despite
criticism and comeback from Osbourne herself, Nugent is refusing to back
down.
He says, "I was condemning the celebration of chaos, the celebration of
anti-parenting. I think it's absolutely an indictment to the soullessness
of our society when we can find humour or something entertaining about a
family that has no discipline, that celebrates crime and smoking dope and
getting drunk. I think it's absolutely putrid." "I don't think she's on top of squat
except the bank account for her husband, that she takes advantage of.
I think she oughta be slapped silly... She should be put in her place."
Dio Sabbath
Blabbermouth reports: Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio has
revealed during an interview with BBC Radio 2's "Masters of Rock" program
that he will once again be collaborating with BLACK SABBATH guitarist
Tony Iommi.
"At this particular point - if all doesn't fall through, and I doubt that
it will - Tony Iommi and I are going to write a couple of tracks together
for a project that I think is called 'Black Sabbath - The Dio Years',"
Dio said. "So that'll be two unreleased tracks which I'm sure will be
interesting to old SABBATH fans, and maybe [even] the new SABBATH
fans."
HAUNTED ROCK 'N ROLL STORIES Courtesy of Dave White at Classic Rock
The Haunted Cave
Billy Bob Thornton has a recording studio in his basement. Warren Zevon, The Ventures, and Slash, among others, have recorded there.
"Yes, it's haunted,” says Thornton on his BillyBobalooza website. The Cave used to be a speakeasy during the Roaring '20s. Now, it's a cozy recording studio, built originally by Slash of Velvet Revolver when he, Mrs. Slash, and several snakes lived in the house.”
Specifically, says Thornton, it is Zevon's spirit that dwells in The Cave, the studio in which the late singer recorded his version of Bob Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door.
ELVIS IS IN THE HOUSE
A rambling old building just off of Nashville's Music Row housed the corporate headquarters and recording studios of RCA in the 1950s .It was in a
small studio on the first floor of that building that Elvis Presley recorded his breakthrough 1956 single, Heartbreak Hotel.
After RCA moved to other quarters, the building became a TV production facility, housing studios which were used primarily to produce music-related programs. An audio booth and studio lighting panel occupied the space in which Elvis recorded.
Studio crew members swore that every time Elvis' name was mentioned during a show production, something strange would happen: a light would blow out, a ladder would fall, some unexplained noise would suddenly be heard through the sound system.
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| Live Gigs |
No gig info at the moment
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| CLASSIC ROCK BIRTHDAYS |
November 1
Keith Emerson (Emerson Lake and Palmer) - (1944)
Rick Grech (Blind Faith, Traffic) - (1945 - 1990)
Dan Peek (America ) - (1950)
November 2
Dave Pegg (Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention) - (1947)
J.D. Souther (Souther Hillman Furay Band) - (1946)
November 3
Adam Ant - (1954)
Nick Simper (Deep Purple) - (1945)
November 5
Ike Turner - (1931)
Donnie McDougall (The Guess Who) - (1948)
Gram Parsons - (1946 - 1973)
November 6
Glenn Frey (Eagles) - (1948)
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| "Benjy says..." Archive |
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Stay tuned every Thursday 8-12pm for the best in classic rock on RADIO 2000.
Your Host
| Benjy Mudie |
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| Then |
Now |
Benjy Mudie was inducted into the South African Rock Hall Of Fame on 14th August 2002. Of Scottish origin, Mudie started out in the music industry working in record shops. He later became the A&R man for WEA records, signing such luminaries as Lesley Rae Dowling, Baxtop and Falling Mirror. He has ventured briefly into the realms of songwriting, getting co-writing credit for Little Sister's song 'You Got My Heart', but it is mainly for his running of record labels, notably Tusk and more recently Fresh and Retro Fresh that he is honoured. With these labels he has tirelessly dedicated himself to putting South African music out there, showing an unshaking belief in the quality of SA music.
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