It Might Get Loud: Jimmy Page, Edge & Jack White

Hailed as “a documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three rock legends,” It Might Get Loud examines how the instrument has influenced three generations of musicians. These are represented in the upcoming film by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, The Edge (trend-setting U2 guitarist) and Jack White of the White Stripes.

Sony Pictures Classics' website states, "Filmed through the eyes of three virtuosos from three different generations, audiences get up close and personal, discovering how... each used the electric guitar to develop [his] unique sound and rise to the pantheon of superstar. Rare discussions are provoked as we travel with Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White..."

Directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) and produced by Thomas Tull (Dark Knight), the film is both an intimate look of the careers and styles of the three guitarists. In relation to Page, it's also a rare view given his reticence with the press.

You could find other guitarists [who] were virtuosos,
and [others who] are legends, but you may not find
three [who] are all searchers. Each...is still searching and
still trying to figure out what it means to make music.

Director Davis Guggenheim

It Might Get Loud officially debuts Aug. 14 in New York and Los Angeles, with showings in additional cities to follow.

"Broadcast" Media From PC To Stereo and TV

Wirelessly Transmit Streaming Media
Through Your House—On the Cheap!

Problem: Your PC is in one room and the entertainment center in another. Your aging stereo receiver isn't Internet-ready and your budget doesn't include a replacement any time soon. For the same reason, purchasing a dedicated hardware component is out of the question, even if there is room in the entertainment center for another box.

And yet you would really like to be able to stream Internet radio, rockumentaries, and other media sources from your PC to your entertainment center.

Solution: Several companies offer an inexpensive transmitter/receiver package that can "broadcast" both video and a stereo audio signal between rooms. These are easy to install and generally work very well—easily pushing the signal through walls. Although there are several from which to choose, one such system is the AVS-5811 from RF Link (pictured), which is under $120. Savvy eBayers might pay much less.

Such transmitter/receiver sets deliver the A/V signals using radio frequencies (RF differs from infrared, the latter requiring an unobstructed line of site and offering limited distance). The RF Link AVS-5811 operates in the 5.8 GHz range, where wireless phones and microwave ovens won't cause interference. It also has four channels from which to select in the event that something else in your home causes interference. (Whichever channel you use, make sure that both the transmitter and receiver are set to the same one.) And although a clear line-of-site is not required, the RF Link AVS-5811 boasts a 300 foot transmission distance in such installations.

Audio: You'll need to purchase of some inexpensive adapters to hook up the transmitter to your PC. The red and white audio leads require a single female stereo RCA-to-male 1/8" mini-plug adapter, about $2. Connect the male end to the audio out jack on your PC's sound card, usually located at the rear of the PC chasis and color-coded light green on recent-vintage computers. Match up the red and white female RCA leads of the adapter with the corresponding male cables on the RF transmitter.

Now connect the red and white male RCA leads from the RF receiver to an unused set of RCA inputs on the back of your stereo receiver (except those marked Turntable). The inputs marked Tape 2 Record would be a good choice.

To listen to Internet radio, first access the audio source on your PC. You'll want to control the final volume level from your stereo receiver, not your PC, so set the PC volume to be sufficiently loud. Now select the Tape 2 Monitor input source (often labeled "Mode") on your stereo receiver. You should now be hearing your Internet audio source and, if this is all you want to do, you're all set. See the summary below.

Video: Transmitting video from your PC to TV is a bit more involved. First, it's best if your TV is of recent vintage and includes auxiliary inputs either on the front or rear of the set. These provide a better quality picture. If your TV is not so-equipped, purchase a simple RCA-to-coax adapter for a few dollars. It is to be connected between the yellow video cable of the RF receiver and the coax antenna input on the TV. (The picture quality may or may not be to your liking in this scenario.)

Continued...
On the PC side of this setup, we're going to assume your PC video subsystem doesn't presently offer an S-video output on the rear of the computer chasis (if it does, skip to the next paragraph). If this assumption is true, the least expensive way to convert your PC video is to replace the present video subsystem with an adapter card that includes an S-video port. There are many, but a quick Internet search turned up a PNY GeForce FX 5200 256MB VGA card for under $50.

A few more dollars gets you a male S-video to female RCA adapter, which you'll need to connect the RF transmitter's yellow cable to the PC's S-video output. On the RF receiver side, simply plug its yellow composite video cable into the matching colored RCA receptacle on your TV. Here you will most likely have to select a video input mode on the TV, similar to when you watch a DVD or VHS video tape.

Summary: None of this is rocket science, with the possible exception of replacing your PC video subsystem. Get a knowledgeable friend to help. Beyond this portion of the project, your local electronics retailer (Radio Shack, Best Buy, et al.) can help you. Cables To Go is also an excellent source for online chat help as well as for purchasing most of the requisite adapters.

Streaming media aside, we should also mention that RF transmitter/receiver sets such as the RF Link AVS-5811 can be used for other applications when not being used to transmit streaming media. A common example is in the simultaneous viewing of video programs on a second TV/monitor without use of any wires. Another is the ability to relay any indoor audio source to a set of self-amplified speakers positioned outdoors.

Soundstage Presents Steve Winwood

From 1974 to 1985, we were avid viewers of PBS's Soundstage, the show having presented such artists as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, and the Doobie Brothers. Thankfully, Soundstage was reborn in 2001 and now features performances in state-of-the-art HD video and Dolby 5.1 audio.

Not knowing this show background, and with the publicity surrounding the current Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood tour, we rented Soundstage: Steve Winwood from Netflix. As the concert opens, we had no idea as to the pedigree of the sidemen and, being lifelong fans of anything with which Winwood has been involved, were skeptical at first. We needn't have worried, however, for his choices soon made it clear that Winwood's support team had been around the block. Consider who's played with whom:

• Randall Bramblett (flute, saxes, organ, vocals): Sea Level, Chuck Leavell. Greg Allman, Levon Helm, Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Traffic, Bonnie Raitt, Elvin Bishop, Robbie Robertson, Grateful Dead.
  
• Walfredo Reyes, Jr. (drums, percussion): Carlos Santana, Traffic, Jackson Browne, Gloria Estefan, David Lindley, Ricki Lee Jones, Sergio Mendes, Smokey Robinson, Robbie Robertson, Joe Sample, Boz Scaggs.


• Jose Neto (check out his signature Paradis guitar): Flora Purim, Harry Belafonte (20 years).
  
• Edson "Cafe" da Silva (percussion): Larry Coryell, Gato Barbieri, Harry Belafonte, Eliane Elias, Sergio Mendes, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. Also appeared on Randy Brecker’s Grammy winning album, Into the Sun.

Tracks on this DVD include Can't Find My Way Home, Empty Pages, Glad, Back In the High Life, Freedom Rider and several others. The band is so exceptional, as is the Soundstage audio recording, that they manage to make even a mediocre track like Bully thoroughly convincing in this context. And unlike a very old Blind Faith video we investigated earlier, Winwood's singing was on target. (We attribute this in part to the superior, miniaturized stage monitoring gear that is used by most major acts today, recalling that—as loud as both were playing—neither Eric Clapton nor Jack Bruce could hear one another when Cream got going on an extended jam.)

Listen to Winwood wind it out on Dear Mr. Fantasy

We do have a quibble with the DVD menu. Bonus tracks are usually clearly labeled as such at the top level menu, but not on this offering. The viewer has to select The Songs menu item, and even then is unaware that three bonus tracks exist unless Next is selected. So it was that we almost missed a soaring rendition of Rainmaker.

Although there was little to nothing in the way of stage theatrics, the periodic look of absolute delight on Winwood's face is infectuous. We look forward to seeing additional Soundstage offerings, being blown away by both the audio and video quality of this disk. And looking into this PBS series a little further, here is what we learned from their website:

The lights are one of the most important ingredients of the show. In order to cover the 90-foot wide stage, the lighting grid is over 500 feet. Over 96 house dimmers are utilized to create any desireable effect during the show. Soundstage utilizes 12 cameras for every production. 1080p HD cameras are used in various placements throughout the studio to maximize the best shots possible. [Digital] audio tracks are taken to post production for editing, mixing and 5.1 surround mixing. Soundstage's audio mixes are as entertaining as the artists themselves.

The majority of the concerts are filmed before intimate studio audiences at WTTW’s Grainger Studio in Chicago, but Soundstage occasionally hits the road. Since 2001, performers have included Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Lucinda Williams, Mark Knopler and Emmylou Harris, Chris Isaak, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Wilco, Sonic Youth, KT Tunstall, John Fogerty and countless more of today’s premiere artists.

Rocking At the Red Dog: Psychedelic Age Begins

Planting the Seed(s) of the Psychedelic Age

We've been doing a lot of research as of late, using the '67 Summer of Love as a focal point. Arriving late to the party, what George Harrison saw disturbed him as he played street minstrel to thousands. His first-hand summation was amplified by PBS's American Experience worthy retrospective presented 40 years later (view it online for free). All of the sour grapes makes Floydian Slips glad we didn't accept Dr. Tim's admonition to tune out—not completely, anyway. (Tuning in and turning on were suggestions more easily accepted.)

The Beats aside, what's not well-known is the real backstory to the burgeoning Haight-Ashbury scene before the tour buses put the district on a freak show site-seeing route. It starts two years earlier, with the opening of the Red Dog Saloon in the unlikely location of Virginia City, NV.

The story gets two pages in I Want To Take You Higher—The Psychedelic Era 1965-1969, a magnificent coffee table volume issued by the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. As worthwhile as this volume is for any collector's library, the complete story is best told in Rockin' At the Red Dog—The Dawn of Psychedelic Rock. The expose that Life magazine missed, this comprehensive video includes rare photos, original footage of a pre-Janis Joplin Big Brother and the Holding Company, and interviews with many of those who were an integral part of the scene.

The best documentary on the ‘60s
ever made. Red Dog Saloon rocks!

Michael Simmons—Rolling Stone, L.A. Weekly, High Times, BAM

The Charlatans get a lot of attention for reasons best told by the video, an obvious labor of love for Director Mary Works (Assistant Editor, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan). Other groups included in the piece are Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane, although the viewer should not expect them to be a focal point. Rather, Rockin' At the Red Dog is really the story of how a handful of people began a cultural revolution that spread across America in a few short years. Interesting sidenotes include noted poster artist Anton Kelly on the advent of rock posters, and a look at Bill Ham's development of the de rigeur psychedelic light show.

It should be noted that, without the Red Dog's pioneering trailblazers, there very well may never have been an Avalon, a Fillmore, a Winterland, a Grande Ballroom, a Boston Tea Party, a Monterey Pop Festival, or a Woodstock. Netflix subscribers may instantly view this entertaining documentary; others may stream it over the 'Net using Amazon's Video On Demand service for a nominal fee.

Use PC To Stream Concerts & Films To Your TV

Regular Floydians know that we are avid fans of concert videos and documentaries about aspects of the music industry. Sometimes you can even find great offerings in on-demand streaming video format, as was the case with the fabulous PBS series, Ken Burns' Jazz, and Festival Express we recently viewed (again) from Netflix. (I also note that you can stream the excellent Tom Dowd and the Language of Music from Netflix until July 1.)

Listening to All Things Considered on National Public Radio during my commute home yesterday, I heard a piece about streaming video programs from various Internet sites to one's home TV. Content sources include the aforementioned Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and a cool new site I just discovered named The Auteurs. In the report, the better half of a home theater-owning couple described their electronic components in a cursory manner, then expounded on the trevails they experienced while attempting to view City of God.

My feeling was that many listeners wouldn't even try streaming video after hearing Yuki Noguchi's story. I also believe that many potential viewers mistakenly think that a specialized electronics device is required to view streaming video. This simply isn't so. In fact, all you need are the following:

• Television with some type of auxiliary input connection (see illustration below)
• Reliable broadband Internet connection
• Personal computer, preferably located within 25' of your TV
• Ethernet cable connecting the computer to the Internet
• Method of payment (Netflix, Amazon, The Auteurs only; Hulu is free)

Do not try to use a wireless Internet connection for the data transmission rate will be insufficient. Next, the illustration(click to enlarge) lists several types of computer-to-TV connections, in order of video signal quality. Check which type of connection(s) your TV provides, then match it up with your the video output on your computer.

With the exception of HDMI to HDMI, all of the connection types require a separate audio connection between your computer and your TV. This is also very easy to do, using your computer's headphone jack as the output source. You'll need a common 1/8" stereo mini plug–to–RCA adapter cable to do this hookup. Optionally, connect the RCA plugs to your stereo system for better sound quality—important when watching concert videos!

If a cable adapter and/or video extension cable is required, J & R Music World, Cables To Go and Cyberguys are all excellent places to shop online, or try locally at Best Buy, Fry's Electronics or Radio Shack. In many cases, you may even be able to use a low-cost RF transmitter/receiver set to "broadcast" the program from your computer to your TV location if they're separated by more than 25 feet. There are even ways to relay the video signal from your computer to the vicinity of the TV by way of a CAT5e Ethernet cable, so don't hesitate to explain what you need to a knowledgeable salesperson at one of the aforementioned retailers.

And here's a troubleshooting tip—if at first you don't succeed, try, try again! After rechecking cable connections, we find that rebooting the computer will often solve a problem with a poor data stream. Especially for those with a DSL hookup, sometimes you just have to try another time due to user congestion. The NPR story aside, however, making the connection and enjoying streaming video programs really is as simple as spelled out here!

There Is No Dark Side of the Moon, Really

Mo' Background

Last week I received a bluesky e-mail from a fellow who was trying to track down a former flame—one Kay Seeburg, she of the jukebox family. He had Googled her name and, lo' and behold, up came a post I had made on Radio Paradise in reference to Pink Floyd's Remember A Day. The track is from their second LP, A Saucerful of Secrets, which she thought was the funniest LP title ever. Don't ask me why.

The title of this blog comes by way of the Floyds. Being a HUGE fan of theirs from that LP forward (save for the Animals atrocity), it always amazes me to find listeners—like you, perhaps—who have no inkling of what transpired prior to their epic DSOM (Dark Side of the Moon, for the uninitiated). Sure, that seminal LP sat on Billboard's charts for-freakin'-ever and, though I haven't checked, I'm pretty certain it set Guinness Book records (humor, ar-ar).

So if you have an incination, in addition to the aforementioned Saucerful, may I suggest for your listening pleasure the following: Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, and More. The latter is a very obscure soundtrack the Floyd did for a highly-forgettable movie, though their contribution is outstanding. (The Floyds also recorded another soundtrack, Obscured By Clouds, but only overzealous Floyd freaks need track this one down.)

Some of my running buddies also like Meddle, as do I, though I can only listen to the version of Echoes that I edited using Sony Sound Forge. (I understand the track that appears on their Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd CD by this name is essentially the same as my edited version.)

And for you Netflixers, see if you can spot one pre-Lennonesque Yoko Ono in Pink Floyd: London 1966-1967. This rare footage features the band with founder Syd Barrett, performing a pre-Piper At the Gates of Dawn version of Astronomy Domine, as I recall. Maybe it was Interstellar Overdrive, I dunno. Watch the DVD: you'll enjoy seeing what the mid-60s Carnaby Street crowd was up to after hours.

So if you only know of Pink Floyd by way of DSOM and The Wall, you've got a LOT of terrific listening ahead of you. And David Gilmour's On An Island is also highly recommended!

Wish(ing) You Were Here