Heads You Lose - The Basement Tapes Early
days of Heads You Lose - Fire on the Mountain with Mickey Hart Heads
You Lose
teaches Roger Daltrey Crossroads This video is unique among Heads You Lose footage in that is focuses primarily on the Muscle Shoals groomed rhythm section within the band. The future impact of Gary Burr becomes noticeable when later footage of the band playing Crossroads is compared to this version. The immediate question to cross most viewer's minds is, "What the hell song is Will playing in this video?" True aficionados will also notice that at this point Will has ditched his beloved flying V. This footage is also notable for the sustained airtime it gibves to half of the dynamic drum section - Brother Alex is seen throughout the video coolly keeping the band in reign. This video also marks Tippy's first emergence into superstardom - no doubt driven by the fine Super Champion Steeler jersey. Unfortunately the available footage of Andrew remains scarce - although his legions of avid fans will cling to his brief appearances in the last 30 seconds of this clip. Lastly, the coolness of Jeff can never again be questioned. While the rest of the band is grinning from ear to ear, Jeff stoically grinds on with his driving guitar.
Behind
the scenes Other than the be hind the scenes look at the production mastery of Gary Burr, this tape is notable for several other reasons. It marks the first known footage of Asha Mevlana as lead singer. While initially rumored to be Asha's ode to Bun E. Carlos, I Want You to Want Me was later discovered to be Robin Zander's ode to Asha. The other performer taking front and center in this video is the guitar legend George Giatzis. This footage provides a rare glimpse of George's extraordinary sound in the rehearsal studios, as well as his fastidious search for the perfect sound from his array of amplifieres. True fans of Heads You Lose will also appreciate this footage for the extraordinary and sustained view it provides of the drumming process of Bill Von Behren - simply spectacular. Also Jeff Gelband s hows his versatility on guitar, ably performing in a supporting role throughout the song. As for the airtight rhythm section of David, Tippy, Alex and Will - they lay down a strong groove throughout, but are seen only in the background.
Spreadin' The Word “The Heads We Lose Basement Tapes contain the first known public
performance of their chart-busting single Spreadin’ the Word. Few
songs in rock history have inspired such controversy and conjecture. Finally
the truth is emerging behind the mysterious missing guitar lick at
the end of the band’s live performances of Spreadin’ the
Word. The true controversy surrounding the song did not occur until the post-production mixing sessions. In a subtle jab at the pop music world, Aaron is rumored to have altered George’s epic closing guitar riff. While not noticeable to the naked ear, when played backwards on the CD, George’s riff is rumored to sound very much like “I buried Kelly Clarkson”. George, a large Kelly Clarkson fan, became incensed at the band hi-jinx, and refused to ever play the closing riff again – much to the chagrin of the legions of Heads We Lose fans. Beyond the mysteries of the fabled song, the video is among the most famous in rock history due to the production talents of world famous cinematographer Fred Gortner (the co-genius along with Martin Scorsese behind the Last Waltz). Fred begins the footage as though filming a behind the scenes documentary of the planet’s most famous band. However as the t rue power of the band becomes evident towards the end of the song, Fred brilliantly adjusts the camera angle to below stage level. This subtle movement of the angle adds to the viewer’s sense of looking up at rock deities. The video shows the band in its full glory, clearly aware of their place at the top of rock’s hierarchy and enjoying every minute of it (except for Jeff who has never been known to smile on camera). In fact this may be the last known video footage of band members bouncing on stage. The supernatural alignment of Alex and Bill is a marvel to behold, as is the clear leadership Tippy provides the rhythm section throughout. More than any other Heads song, Spreadin’ the Word displays the devastating one-two vocal punch of Aaron and Asha. The palpable tension between t he two throughout the song, coupled with George’s well-placed guitar runs, really brings home the brutality of the lyrics. And of course, this reviewer has saved the best for last. This video finally provides Hurricane Andrew’s millions of fans a long dose of the reclusive keyboardist. Andrew is seen throughout the video powering the band with his driving organ. His true talent can also be seen in how he is able to keep differing beats with his head and foot – a true rock legend. "I
Want You to Want Me" Heads You Lose performance of "I Want You to Want Me" at the House of Blues is the last known footage of the band. Unless (until?) further footage of the band is uncovered, this performance will serve as a fitting epitaph for the band. The grainy video and rough sound quality of the performance only enhance the energy level of this once in a lifetime performance. Heads fans finally get to see the performance that has gone down as arguably the greatest live performance of this generation. An atmosphere already full of electricity reaches a nearly unsustainable level with the entrance of two of Heads You Lose biggest admirers, Robin Zander and Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick. Before the show, rumors spread about the presence of the two C heap Trick superstars. Their presence at a Heads concert was not unusual, given the significant influence Heads has had on Cheap Trick's career. In fact, in the video Rick Nielson is shown crediting Heads road crew member Heime Dylan as being the driving force behind the writing of " I Want You to Want Me". But the real reason
for Cheap
Trick's visit
to the House of Blues that evening came as a shock to even the most
ardent Heads fans. The purpose of Cheap Trick's visit becomes
evident at the beginning of this video as Robin Zander drops to his
knees and proposes to Heads superstar Asha. Even more amazingly, midway
through the song (after Robin has left the stage without an answer
from Asha), Rick Nielson also proposes
to Asha. Later developments in the Robin/Asha/Rick relationship have been chronicled extensively in other publications, but this video provides the first glimpses as to where it all started. While the video would be notable solely for the aforementioned events, there is so much more here for the viewer to enjoy. Rick Nielson is seen widely grinning as he fulfills his lifelong dream of playing between Tippy and Will. Tippy also seems to foreshadow the band's demise as he blows a goodbye kiss to the crowd before this there final song. The band has never been more animated on stage. From Andrew's infectious head bobbing, to David's silent nodding of approval at the tightness of the band, to Jeff (Noodle) Gelband's legendary scowl, the band would be entertaining to watch even with the volume turned off. Fortunately for
rock fans around the world, the volume was very much on. Drummers
Brother Alex and Bill were never tighter. While buried deep
in the recesses of the stage, Alex and Bill's drumsticks can be seen
flailing away together at the end of the video. Even with the poor
audio quality, careful listeners will be able to make out George's
legendary guitar runs that are a hallmark of the band. Is there any
doubt that George is the coolest As the song winds
down and the crowd builds to a frenzy, Aaron's primal scream provides
a fitting end point for the band.
Few bands in rock history have
had such an impact on the music industry in such a short period of
time. Heads fans have been left craving more, but going out on top
only adds to the Heads' mystique. So until new tapes are discovered
(or the
band reunites), Noodle's final wave to the crowd serves as an appropriate
send Heads
You Lose wins the Battle of the Bands
The following article recently appeared in the back pages of Mojo Magazine (the British equivalent of Rolling Stone?) Is
Newly Discovered "Tippy Tape" Authentic? As Heads You Lose rhythm guitarist Tippy recalled in a recent isssue of Archaeology Magazine, "In that tape, Roger does appear bewildered, confused, and nearly senile. I'm not sure if it was the weirdness of the band, the power of the song itself, or the acid I put in his coffee about an hour before the rehearsal". But fellow Brits don't despair! There is hope for Commander Daltrey as a new video has recently surfaced on the internet. It was reportedly stolen by an avid fan that broke into the secluded mansion of the reclusive Tippy, who lives as a hermit in a remote part of America called "P-E-N-N-S-Y-L-V-A-N-I-A." Known only as "The Tippy Tape", it reportedly contains hours of grainy footage of the guitarist in erotic encounters with an endless stream of the band's female groupies. But embedded in this madness is a brief 1:51 minute clip of what appears to be Roger Daltrey admirably pl aying harmonica during the same rehearsal session seen on Garrett's video #2. Did Garrett maliciously edit out Daltrey's best to make him appear paltry next to the Yanks? This conspiracy theory appears to be gaining momentum among Heads You Lose bloggers. The Tippy Tape, which was apparently recorded by Tippy himself while attempting to play guitar, shows Daltrey more than holding his own with the band. In fact he bloody well owns them! At one point, Tippy appears to pass the camera to childhood friend Will Garrett so he could appear in the video. Other band members are also featured prominently in the video, a favorable trait that Garrett's tapes seem to avoid. Is the Tippy Tape authentic? No one k nows for sure at this point, but it is being analyzed by a team of scientists at The Hague. When asked about the tape, Tippy would hardly comment due to the pending lawsuit regarding the theft of the video. However, he was heard to mutter, "It's all a blur, man, it's all a blur...My only regret is that I didn't buy a better video camera for those groupie orgies..." |