Rockers On Trial: Defense Attorney Paul Biegler Makes a Case For Rock History's Greatest Screams!

Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

Rock music screamers have been getting a bad rep
and a bad rap, and today they are on trial here in this
courtroom. Submitted for your approval...or disapproval
as the case may be - Exhibit A - Maria Brink and her
rock/metal band In This Moment. Click at the
3:11 mark of the video and listen for
17 seconds... until 3:28.

"Her Kiss" - In This Moment

from Sept. 2008 album The Dream)

 (START PLAYING AT 3:11 MARK
AND LISTEN TO 3:28)

People who judge "Her Kiss" solely on the basis of the
crunching guitars and screaming vocals in that portion
of the song are getting a distorted impression
of the recording and the artist. Those who
listen from start to finish enjoy quite
a beautiful love song.

Now I'm just a humble country lawyer trying to
do the best I can against this brilliant prosecutor
from the big city of Lansing, but I intend to prove
beyond a shadow of a doubt that screaming
in popular music is nothing new.

You see, as a lawyer, I've had to learn that rock
isn't just good or just bad. Rock is many things.

Oh... now... now it's true that the kids listen to it
and play it too loud and it gives us old folks a
headache and so forth... but... but...

...well, if it please the court, I would like to submit
Exhibit B. Click at the 4:36 mark of the following

video and you will experience Janis Joplin, a
Screaming Mimi whose shouting vocal style

made her The First Lady of Rock - loved
by millions - 40 years before Maria
Brink appeared on the scene.

"Ball 'n' Chain" - Janis Joplin

(Live at Monterey Pop, June 1967)

(START PLAYING AT 4:36 MARK!)

Listen now to Exhibit C - "Won't Get Fooled Again,"

a hit by The Who that made Rolling Stone's list

of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Click at the 7:45 point on the video

and you'll hear one of the greatest

primal screams in rock history!

"Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who

(Summer season 1971)

(START PLAYING AT 7:45 MARK!)

Exhibit D is "Whole Lotta Love" by the much loved
British blues rock/heavy metal band Led Zeppelin.

Listen at the 4:19 point of the song and you
will hear another epic rock scream!

"Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin 

(November 1969)

(START PLAYING AT 4:19 MARK!)

Now here's Exhibit E, something the younger generation

calls a mash-up. It combines "Whole Lotta Love"

with another classic rock song, "Helter Skelter,"

by the Beatles, the world's most popular band.

The Beatles often shouted and screamed their

vocals and I never heard anybody complain

about them... except my mommy!

"Whole Lotta Helter Skelter"
Soundog Mix - The Beatles vs. Led Zeppelin

(November 1968/November 1969)

Now listen, this is a cross examination in a rock music

discrimination case, not a high-school debate!

What are you and Dancer trying to do, railroad
Miss Brink into the Clink? Hey, that rhymes!

Your honor, the prostitution prosecution would have us
believe that screaming in modern rock is more dark,
dangerous and evil than it was in the 1960s.

Well that's like trying to take the core from an apple
without breaking the skin. (Did that argument make
any sense at all?) I beg the court... I beg the court
to let me cut into the apple... because we've
been at this all morning and I'm hungry.

Exhibit F is "Lost Someone" by the Godfather of Soul,
James Brown. An early 60s ballad, "Lost Someone" is
nevertheless peppered with passionate screams from
Mr. Brown and from the audience. Please click at the
55 second mark of the song for indisputable proof!

"Lost Someone" - James Brown

(Live at the Apollo, October 1962)

(START PLAYING AT 55 SEC. MARK!)

In summation, screaming has been an integral part of
popular music for more than 60 years. Think about it.
Nobody raised a fuss when mainstream superstars
like The Beatles and James Brown screamed.

It is our contention that all screamers are created equal.
Moreover we believe it is a crime to condemn modern
rockers who practice the same age old technique that
their beloved predecessors used. The defense rests
with one last assertion, your honor. At its best,
rock is a scream and we ask...we, we beseech
the good citizens of the blogging community

to give it a fair chance.

I tend to agree, Mr. Biegler.

There's no reason to make

a federal case out of it.

Happy anniversary to

one of my favorite movies...

...Otto Preminger's

 ANATOMY OF A MURDER 

released in the U.S.

 60 YEARS AGO TODAY! 

Have a Shady day!

That Was Then - This Is Now, Volume 3: The Jarring Juxtaposition of Female Vocalists Past and Present!

 You've come a long way, baby... 

 and these jarring juxtapositions 

 offer indisputable proof! 

Welcome to Vol. 3 of my series

Jarring Juxtapositions:

That Was Then - This Is Now!

It is not my intention to pass judgement. (That's your job. :) This series
merely invites you to compare apples and oranges. Hard as it might
be for you to believe, I enjoy all of the female recording artists
you are about to see and hear. Join me on this jarring journey
back and forth through time as we compare the look,
the sound and the attitude of female singers

then... and now!

THAT WAS THEN

ANNETTE

She was our favorite

Mousketeer. Her name

was Annette Funicello,

but everyone knew

her as Annette.

After hanging up

her mouse ears...

Annette co-starred

with teen idol

Frankie Avalon
in a series of

beach movies.

Remember that

time long, long

ago, when songs encouraged boys

and girls to treat

each other - nicely?

"Treat Him Nicely" - Annette

(from Aug. 1963 film Beach Party)

THIS IS NOW

 DRAGONETTE 

In stark contrast to America's sweetheart - sweet, shy girl next door
Annette, listen now to brash and sassy Martina Sorbara, lead zinger
of the Canadian electropop, new wave synthpop band Dragonette.
The song starts out innocently enough - "Merry Xmas (Says Your
Text Message)" - but OMG! - it soon takes a very nasty turn!

"Merry Xmas (Says Your Text Message)" - Dragonette
(2012 promotional single)

THAT WAS THEN

GALE GARNETT

In 1964, New Zealand born Canadian singer Gale Garnett gained fame
with a recording of a pop/folk song she wrote entitled "We'll Sing
in the Sunshine." Gale's single reached the top 5 on the Hot 100,
went all the way to #1 on Cash Box, crossed over to the
easy listening and country charts and
won a Grammy award.

"We'll Sing In The Sunshine" - Gale Garnett
 (Oct. 1964, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100, #1 Cash Box,
#1 Easy Listening, from 1964 album My Kind of Folk Songs)

THIS IS NOW

 MILEY CYRUS 

Miley Ray Cyrus could have stuck with her actual birth name
Destiny Hope Cyrus and still had a cool stage name with which
to ply her trade as a singer, songwriter and actress. (Wonder when
we'll see "Destiny's child.") Over the last few years, Miley Cyrus
has mellowed somewhat but, there for a while, she thrived on
the controversy surrounding her provocative image and wild
behavior. Submitted for your approval (or disapproval) -
Exhibit A: Miley's 2013 hit single/video "We Cant Stop."

"We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
(July/Aug. 2013, highest chart pos. #2,
from Oct. 2013 album Bangerz)

THAT WAS THEN

LINDA RONSTADT

As the story goes, Capitol records was reluctant to allow Linda Ronstadt to
record country songs. Linda persisted and in March 1970, the poignant
ballad "Long, Long Time" found its way onto her second solo studio
album Silk Purse. Linda's instincts were spot-on. "Long, Long Time"
became her first charting single, a top 30 hit, and she earned her
first Grammy nomination. I regard this appearance by Linda
on The Johnny Cash Show as her best live performance of
the song. In fact, I consider it to be one of the greatest
live performances ever. Watch and listen as this
national treasure, Linda Ronstadt, literally
suffers through the song, conveying
raw emotion in a subtle, restrained
manner - sheer brilliance! 

"Long, Long Time" - Linda Ronstadt

(Sept. 1970, highest chart pos. #25, from Mar. 1970

album Silk Purse, live perf. on The Johnny Cash Show)

THIS IS NOW

 IN THIS MOMENT 

Last but not least, here is a first for my #1 ranked music act of the millennium.
It's my singing sweetie, Maria Brink, and her LA based metal band In This Moment
with their first song w/o any "clean" vocals. In other words, folks, it's all screaming.
(There's a good chance this fierce band will stamp out clean vocals in our lifetime.)
In their 2013 Blood at the Orpheum show in Madison, Wisconsin, that resulted
in the release of a live album and DVD, the beauty and her beasts stoked the
crowd with an incendiary performance of a song from their acclaimed album
A Star-Crossed Wasteland. Tap your toes as Maria sings-- "The Gun Show!"

"The Gun Show" - In This Moment
(promo single from July 2010 album A Star-Crossed Wasteland,
live perf. May 2013 at Blood at the Orpheum show, Madison, WI)

And life's full of flaws

Who knows the cause?

Living in the memory

of a love that never was

I've done everything I know

to try and change your mind

and I think I'm gonna miss you

for a long, long time

Have a Shady day!