Frank
2966 posts
Oct 08, 2013
6:53 PM
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John on Chris 'The only dick I've ever met in rock and roll'
Chris on John 'I don't like his band...I don't like him'
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1847
1183 posts
Oct 08, 2013
7:42 PM
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don't you have to be an idiot
to go on the howard stern show?
isn't that a prerequisite ?
he also has big boobs... he fits right in lol
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Lyle
34 posts
Oct 09, 2013
12:24 AM
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Love or hate Chris Robinson, he does make a valid point about BT being a novelty. Let's be honest, if John Popper didn't play the harmonica, and especially in the style he uses, it's not likely that BT would have been as successful as they were. John's vocals alone, nor the musicianship of the other band members would have been enough to make them stand out. Chris calls them a sub-par band, and I would have to agree, especially when comparing them to some of the other great pop/rock bands through the years. I wouldn't go as far as to call them a circus act. The real circus act is Howard Stern.
I'm not a Popper fan, but I would agree that he's done more to popularize the harmonica over the last couple of decades that any other harp player I know. Most people on the street have never heard of the great harp players we all love and idolize in the harp community, but they are familiar with BT. Sad... cause they are missing out on some much better harp playing in my opinion.
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Stevelegh
858 posts
Oct 09, 2013
2:18 AM
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@Lyle:
Brace yourself for the wrath of Harp Ninja!
Just kidding...
I think Blues Traveler's appeal was mid 1990's along with bands like The Spin Doctors. Even without harp, But Anyway and Runaround stand as great pop tunes and Popper's vocals are very fine indeed.
I don't think BT would have lasted any longer. In that respect Popper's harp playing has maintained the band's popularity.
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Frank
2971 posts
Oct 09, 2013
5:32 AM
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I think a giveaway that those guys were fu@#ing around to make "good sensational" radio... was when Chris states that those guys and bands have been gigging together for decades - plus Johns humor is so nonchalant - you don't feel or hear any hate from his demeanor nor Chris's... they are both having fun so as not to come off as BORING PRUDES....It was all show business and they were very funny I must admit :)
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Honkin On Bobo
1161 posts
Oct 09, 2013
10:16 AM
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Great find Frank,
LOVE the Black Crowes, well, Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (ie. when they were more straight ahead rock and less Jam Band-y), if it were possible I'd a worn those two CDs out. Don't really care for Popper so I guess that will color how I feel about the clip.
I'm glad the poster put the BC side of the feud in the clip too, because up 'till then CR did sound like a dick. I'm gonna disagree that they were f____ing around for show bizz reasons. The vitriol was WAY TOO personal for that. Pretty funny nonetheless.
I'm sure as this is a harp site the consensus here will favor Popper, but I'd take the Crowes over Blues Traveller any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Last Edited by Honkin On Bobo on Oct 09, 2013 11:15 AM
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Lyle
35 posts
Oct 09, 2013
11:02 AM
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@Stevelegh:
I'm not too worried about HarpNinja. He's a nice guy and a good player, and though we have disagreed about Popper in the past, I hope he won't interpret my post as an attack on Popper. For the record, I like a lot of what Popper does, though I am not a fan. He is a good player and has popularized the instrument. I just think there are better players out there whom I wish the general public knew more about, and I'm not talking about strictly blues players.
There are a million bands that could have played or performed as well as BT, but I think we all agree that John Popper was the magic of the band, especially his harp playing. Take away the harmonica and there isn't as much there to make them unique. So, in that regard, I would agree that they were somewhat of a novelty, which is not a bad thing. The harmonica itself alone is regarded by many as a novelty instrument, which again, is not necessarily a bad thing either.
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Stevelegh
859 posts
Oct 09, 2013
12:35 PM
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Hey Lyle,
Apologies. I wasn't aware of any disagreements between you and Mike Fugazzi. I was more pointing him out as our Popper aficionado.
I think they would have scored a few hits back in the day, early / mid 90's, but that's about the strength of the band minus Popper's harp. The harp did great things as you mentioned.
There was a thread a few days ago about Popper and Clapton. Some interesting comments.
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Lyle
36 posts
Oct 09, 2013
1:20 PM
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Stevelegh... No problem. As far as I'm concerned, any disagreements between HarpNinja and I were very amicable, and had to do more with Popper's note choices. I am not aware of, nor do I have any issues or hard feelings toward HarpNinja.... and yes, I realize that he is a Popper fan.
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nacoran
7217 posts
Oct 09, 2013
2:09 PM
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Lyle, isn't that like saying Van Halen is a novelty act and wouldn't be that famous if it wasn't for Eddie Van Halen's guitar riffs? (Well, and David Lee Roth's stage charisma.)
There are lots of solid bands out there who have one performer who lifts them to the next level. (More, maybe, well you have at least 2 guys with the it factor.)
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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TheoBurke
486 posts
Oct 09, 2013
8:00 PM
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I am not a big fan of BT or John Popper's harmonica playing, but they have a sound that is identifiably their own and that yes, the band's songwriting comes together perfectly with Popper's vocals and singular style of harp work. They write songs with great hooks. Popper's harmonica playing isn't the greatest thing in my book, but it is at times very effective and powerful and he gets much kudos for standing apart from the majority of other diatonic players for individual style. All this makes them a better listen by far than the Black Crows who cannot seem to move beyond the Stones/(Small) Faces/Humble Pie/early Kinks approach to Black American rhythm and blues ; it was a brilliant combination when these bands were coming up in the Sixties, but the clashing guitar chords and Chris Robinson's callow attempts to simulate the glorious rasps and wails of Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott are wearisome and , I believe, incompetent. If I had to choose who plays next on my Ipod, make mine BT.
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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Lyle
37 posts
Oct 09, 2013
11:47 PM
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I understand what you mean, nacoran, but I'm simply trying to look at it in the same context in which Chris Robinson is speaking. In a rock 'n' roll world which is dominated primarily by guitars, a harmonica player is already somewhat of a novelty... then add to that a 400 pound man with a bandolier of harps around his neck (back in the day), playing rapid, high-register licks, and you have something that stands out not only in the rock world, but even in the harmonica world. Again, not a bad thing at all... after all, it worked, didn't it?
Van Halen doesn't necessarily stand out among rock bands because of the instrument that Eddie Van Halen plays, but because of his playing style.
Last Edited by Lyle on Oct 09, 2013 11:48 PM
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Frank
2973 posts
Oct 10, 2013
6:12 AM
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Black Crowes with John Popper and Wilco - Willin"
I think John would of song that song better then Chris :)
Chris plays an extended harp solo in this tune at the 6:45 mark ...
Last Edited by Frank on Oct 10, 2013 6:18 AM
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Goldbrick
271 posts
Oct 10, 2013
11:35 AM
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Willin is one of my alltime favorite tunes.
This version is weak from singing to timing to harp-sounds unrehearsed( not in a good way )
Great voice here ( and nice harp)
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tomaxe
36 posts
Oct 10, 2013
1:50 PM
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I agree 100% with TheoBurke and could not have said it better. Also not a huge BT fan but they deserve much respect and are infinitely better than the flaccid half-baked Faces thing that The Blacke Crowes do. And I LOVE The Faces. Also to even entertain the idea that the harmonica is a "novelty" or a "circus" when you've been shamefully and poorly mining an American Music tradition that includes said instrument in a large portion of it's canon proves that Robinson listened to a lot more bad imitators of the blues tradition than he did Muddy Waters.
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