Backtracking Forward: Humble Beginnings

posted in: Features

For the countless number of bands that have formed, performed and faded away over time, only a small fraction of musicians have gone on to achieve greater notoriety with another band or solo career. With “Humble Beginnings,” I will explore the early years of various groups that fostered the talent of a musician who went on to become a household name. Initial recordings are sometimes swept under the rug  of obscurity while others are embraced  and re-released. Though times have changed and the music industry is remarkably different, it doesn’t change the fact that everyone needs to get their start somewhere. Today we look at the first long players by Billy Joel and Max Weinberg.

THE HASSLES

Admit it. You know all the words to Billy Joel’s extensive catalog. Deny it if you must, but one can’t help hum the tune or sing the lyrics to Uptown Girl, For the Longest Time or the dozens of other Joel classics. As a child, I had a cassette of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits album and listened to it constantly, forever cementing the songs into my brain. But what about the often overlooked I Can Tell? Or the riveting instrumental Warming Up? These songs, composed by Billy Joel, comprised some of the 1967 debut LP by The Hassles on United Artists Records. Prior to making a name for himself as the most famous piano crooner of the 70s and 80s, Billy Joel’s  humble beginnings started with a garage rock/pop outfit in Long Island, NY.

Similar to many debut albums from youngsters breaking into the industry in the 1960s (The Hassles ranged in age from 18-21 years old,) their first LP featured many covers of popular songs. There were only three originals on the album and were all penned by Joel. The single from the LP, a solid cover of Sam & Dave’s You Got Me Hummin, made a small blip on the charts but it’s the rest of the vinyl grooves (a raucous set of rock and soul numbers in The Hassles’ own metropolitan style) that really showcase this group of tight musicians. Listening to the recordings of Fever and I Can Tell,  it’s nice to hear the youthful exuberance in Joel’s vocals during his formative years. His jumping between piano and organ throughout the album is unblemished as well, a record he continued to maintain all through his career.

An often overlooked second LP, all original cuts, followed close behind The Hassles’ debut but the band broke up thereafter. Billy Joel and fellow bandmate Jon Small left the group to experiment with other projects (the obscure and atrocious effort titled Attila on Epic Records) and eventually, the piano man struck out on his own. Musically, the Hassles would have been a prime contender for an extended stay on the music scene. Then again, I wouldn’t be sitting here humming You May Be Right over and over again (whether I like it or not.)

BLACKSTONE

We’re going to give the drummer some well-deserved attention today. With credits including Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell, Springsteen’s Born in the USA, and Late Night With Conan O’Brien, drummer Max Weinberg has not only performed all over the world to sold-out audiences but is watched by millions on the television every weekday night. Before the fame and recognition, Weinberg got his start in a New Jersey garage playing with the progressive rock outfit Blackstone.

Blackstone epitomized your classic ragtag group of musicians laying down dirty rock and roll from the confines of the Jersey suburbs. Heaping amounts of killer instrumentation, coupled with long hair, beards and leather jackets are all prominent on their 1972 Epic Records debut. Weinberg takes on percussion duties throughout the tracks showing that even in his early years, the man was a drummer to contend with. It’s no wonder Bruce hand selected him to join the E-Street Band in 1975. The single, Love, Love, Love opens up the LP and throws down a boost of raw adrenaline mixed with a scorching Weinberg drum solo in the middle. Tom Flynn’s sometimes high-pitched and energetic vocals project vehemently on this cut as well the rest of the album, making tracks like Time and K.C. Funk stand out in a Led Zep/Robert Plant kind of groove. The only downfall on the album is the sluggish ballad Moondog which pauses the energy that was generated with the opening numbers. The rest of the songs maintain a consistent tempo and pace that, all said and done, make for an enjoyable first offering.

Had the group stuck together after their debut, and nurtured the promising talent heard from Dave Des Rochers’ exemplary guitar playing and song writing, Blackstone may have continued on their journey of fame by leaving the garages of New Jersey for stadiums across the country. Instead, they disbanded and left Max Weinberg eligible to become one of the most proficient drummers available on the New Jersey scene. A fateful meeting with the Boss led to a gig and the rest is history.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the formula for getting noticed, cutting a record and touring was drastically different than the struggle experienced by today’s musician. Regardless of that formula, one thing has always been clear: Talent, persistence and patience can pay off for any aspiring musician or group whose sights are focused on achieving recognition and success.

Keep Digging!
-Gregorious-