The Vinyl Dialogues Blog

Stories behind memorable albums of the 1970s as told by the artists

Tag: Peter Beckett

Whoa-oh-oh, listen to the music: The best concerts of 2019

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On December 29, 2019

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

Generally, there’s no such thing as a bad concert, and 2019 was no exception. While my criteria for what’s constitutes a good concert experience changes a bit from show to show — the location of my seat, the ticket price, whether I got to go to the meet-and-greet, the quality of the photos I get — I can usually find a lot of things I like about a show. 

I couldn’t limit the list to the Top 10 shows of 2019, so I made it Top 11 this year. Really, all the concerts were very good, it’s just that these were just a little bit better.

11. Steely Dan — The Met/Philly (Nov. 9) — There was a lot right and a few things wrong for me at this show. First and foremost, the music was brilliant, Donald Fagen can still deliver the goods, and his band is nothing short … Read more

‘Stairway to Heaven’ is nowhere near the greatest makeout song ever

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On August 25, 2019

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

I do not like the music of Led Zeppelin. I never have. 

It all goes back to when I was a teenager in the 1970s. I had a girlfriend who liked to make out to Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” I was 16 years old, just starting to car date, and was dealing with raging hormones that many of us were experiencing at that age. I liked making out with her. I just didn’t like making out to “Stairway to Heaven.”

I had no interest in Zeppelin’s music then, and that’s the way it is now, some 40-plus years later. Sure, I know a couple of their tunes, and can probably sing a couple of verses to some of their songs. But I do not have any Zeppelin in my vinyl or CD collections and don’t plan on adding any.

But the discussion over whether “Stairway to Heaven” is the … Read more

Rock the Yacht 2015 review: All the hits . . . and hearty handshakes, too

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On August 2, 2015

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

The next time I see Robbie Dupree, I’m going to have to apologize to him. You see, I may have been a little overly aggressive in our initial meeting.

Dupree is part of this year’s Rock the Yacht 2015 tour. Joining him on the show is Stephen Bishop, Player, Ambrosia and Little River Band.

I had the opportunity to see the first concert of the tour recently at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, N.J. My friend Patti Myers, who serves as official webmistress for Player, hooked me up with a ticket and backstage access. An interview with Player’s Peter Beckett talking about the making of the band’s 1977 self-titled debut album appeared in The Vinyl Dialogues.

The night of the show, Patti was taking a friend of hers and me backstage to meet Beckett and Ronn Moss of Player. We went up on stage through a side door, … Read more

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