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hey Dick - nice guitar work and writing.... noticed you live out in the Scottsdale area...? Does Alice still live nearby? Or does he live ON one of the golf courses...haha...rock on! Love to see you and Alice on stage again...?? MSL
Thanks, Mario... Enjoyed your great (and musical) review of Bulldog Blues!
Mario, Just listened to Lovin You is Killin' Me, and I've got to say, your talent is extraordinary. I love the sound of your voice and whoever is playing that guitar commands my respect and admiration. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Its an original by me, I did all the inst, other then drums, thats my good friend Pete Kruse, and Norman D is singing,He sings all the "Sofakat" tunes for me, Thanks so muh for the kind words, They really mean a lot to me ,,coming from someone I have admired and respected for years, If I can ever be of service to you here in Chicagoland area, please just drop me a note, I would love to play music with you,, Mario www.mariomassi.com
I just reviewed one of your tunes. I remember the dueling leads from the Lou Reed live album quite well. That was stellar work.
Thanks for your note and for reviewing "You're The Girl For Me" by Dick Wagner & the Bossmen. I'm Suzy Michelson, Dick's biz partner... This song was a hit single in 1966 in the Midwestern states, so you nailed it when you said it sounds like 1963. It is not a new recording. We posted it primarily because we submitted the song for a film. Thanks for reading about Dick's background. His early bands, The Bossmen and The Frost, were huge in the midwest and led him to national exposure with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Aerosmith, etc.... He's a great talent and wonderful person. I will share with Dick. He is immersed in writing now, but one day soon he will sign on personally to say hi to his Broadjam friends.
No surprise for your recognition!!! Your solo from the Lou Reed Brooklyn Acad. performance is the benchmark for me. One Thing's for Certain is actually a one take performance. I was frustrated with it as an acoustic folk tune and when they threw the faders up I let it rip...and got into it. I didn't want to touch it stylistically b/c it had a life of its own. Probably could be tempered in spots for sure...but it rings perpetually as it is:-) Nice to have you on BROADJAM!!!!
Hey Dick - nice Les Paul - cherry sunburst? Hey is Alice still living out there near you in Scottsdale? Wondering if you ever jammed with David Gilmour? Rock on!! Mark S Ludes (MSL)
Thanks. That's my '68 Les Paul Standard, a beautiful guitar, great sound. No you can't have it. :-)) Never jammed with David Gilmour, but that would be great. Maybe some day. Thanks for writing. PS Yes, Alice is my neighbor.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. One last thing, were you the 1st or 2nd gtr solo part on Lou Reed Sweet jane tune? Great playin'!!!! Go play some golf with Cooper
This is Dick's business partner, Suzy Michelson... Dick probably won't get online for a few days. But that is Steve on the first solo and Dick on the second. Also, as you know, they play together in tandem throughout the tune. Their harmonies and playing together are instinctive and brilliant. I had to put Sweet Jane on my cellphone... :-)) Thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks Suzy....what, is Dick out on the golf course already??? hahahaha. Tell him I'll trade my early 60's ish 'Silvertone' guitar with built in amp, for that '68 Paul' of his. Ok, I'll throw in anew set of strings too...hehehe
First of all, love your blues... Tight and musical! Thanks for your review of These Days, Michael. I am Dick Wagner's business partner, Suzy Michelson. This song was written and recorded by Dick alone very late one night at Long View Farm Studios, a residential studio in the farmlands of Massachusetts. Dick sat at the piano, and the engineer captured him. Perhaps you will enjoy reading Dick's bio and hearing more of his music. Also, I will share your cool music with Dick, who will love your work. He's a blues man from the heart. If you were nearby, you could jam together.
Thanks for your detailed review of Darkest Hour, written and performed by Dick Wagner. I am Dick's business partner, Suzy Michelson. This song was recorded entirely by Dick alone -- on vocals, guitars, bass and synth drums. In the mid 1960's, when Dick was around 22 yrs old, he wrote Darkest Hour for his Michigan based band, The Frost. About 40 years later, he revisited the song and recorded this solo version. He's a wonderful player with extraordinary touch and chops. Perhaps you will enjoy reading his bio, as he has had a very interesting musical career as both songwriter and lead guitar player. Thanks again, Robert!!
Hi Suzy. After I'd completed that anonymous review, and checked who I'd reviewed, I thought: Oh great, I've just told Martin Scorcese how to do film directing. Coincidentally, after butting into your comments with Todd yesterday after he had reviewed "Heartbreak Saloon" I listened to that tune. Really enjoyed it. Thought it was brilliant in every respect. Loved the vocals as well as the playing. The staccato effect on that synth B3, along with the phrasing and attitude, was very cool. Another truly great song.
LOL had to laugh at your Scorsese comment... Just read your comments to Dick on the phone, who also laughed. He also enjoyed hearing your comments on Heartbreak Saloon. Be interested in your thoughts on the other songs -- a variety of genres. "These Days" features Dick only on piano and vocals. Great song. Then there are the big rockers. Dick is a diverse talent, and I agree, brilliant in every respect. The extraordinary musicians who play with us call him "Maestro" rather than Dick. :-))
Yes Suzy, I did listen to "These Days" and agree that it is a great song; really beautiful. It touches on what my earlier review mentioned; it's very difficult to make a song that poignant without risking being maudlin, and that tune does it perfectly. Very compelling, especially with all the great imagery that pretty much has to come from a personal place, yet is universal enough to bring any listener deeply into the mood and theme. Enjoyed that very much. Will check out more of Dick's material. Thanks for the tip on that song.
Very well said, Robert. You so well express the delicate balance in writing a tune that touches the heart. Dick recorded "These Days" very late one night at Long View Farm Studios, a residential studio in the farmlands of Massachusetts. Dick sat down at the piano, and the studio owner, Gil Markle, captured him singing his new song. On another evening, Keith Richard sat at the very same piano, and Gil recorded him singing Hoagey Carmichael tunes. In fact, you may find Gil Markle's website fascinating: www.studiowner.com.... BTW, another ravishing ballad that we posted is Dick's song, AFTER YOU, featuring Wensday on vocals - the same singer as on Heartbreak Saloon. But I think you will also enjoy the rockers.
Thanks Suzy. I love this kind of story behind the song stuff, and especially fascinating attached to "These Days" that I'd just listened to. Sort of adds another dimension. And... Keith Richards at the piano doing Hoagy Carmichael songs - How great; a lot more interesting than whatever Stones record (not disparaging Stones albums.) You were right. I did go to Gil Markle's site and it was more than fascinating. It was a 5-megaton blast (and I've barely scratched the surface there). Aside from the content; this guy writes like Raymond Chandler!!! Add the fascinating content, from Gil's perspective, and yes... pure fascination. So far I read the "Publicist's Handbook" and the piece on Larry Coryell (saw him back when he was playing with Alphonse Mouzon, and he floored me with his technical ability). What a great piece Gil wrote on the experience with him. I'm going to be spending A LOT of sublime time devouring the rest of the material on that site. Thank for that great tip as well. I did listen to "After You" as well. Another great tune. Wensday has such a wonderful voice, with those bell-like tones and great modulation. Really liked the pedal steel guitar on there; unusual on a song like that but it really worked. Great dynamic in the middle, gave me a shiver. And... I listened to more of Dick's rockers as well (of course I'm very familiar with his legendary stuff from yesteryear). Aside from the ballad like and thoughtful lyric material, he's really good at combining the melodic with the great guitar licks and going from subtle to blistering. Great tone and sophisticated phrasing, as always. Inspiration and influence for guitarists like me, as well as "how to" about song structure, which I'm working on. Thanks again, Suzy, for the great tips and info.
Robert, I passed along your thoughtful comments to Gil Markle. He was taken with your comments, and would be happy to talk to you about his website and studio. He suggested that I give you his email address: gsm@passports.com. Gil is a super cool guy with a great mind.... and the recipient of two PHDs. I know you will enjoy a dialogue with him. Best, Suzy
On another note.... you mentioned the unusual and super cool pedal steel sound. Dick loves to include pedal steel, and his favorite player is Randy Reinhard -- who was recently inducted into the Pedal Steel Hall of Fame. Dick has photos of Randy, Dick, me, and a lot of Dick's "regulars" (musicians) on his Facebook pages. The band is featured on an album called San Antonio, where we often record.
Very kind of you, Suzy. Thank you so much. I have been devouring Gil's writing on the site, and I will write to him and tell him how much I've enjoyed that. Funny thing about the pedal steel. Long ago and far away (what seems like = early sixties), I can point to two things in my childhood that began my love of music and wanting to make music. One was a 78 record of "Stardust" that my parents had. I played that record over and over until they were sick of it. The other was the pedal steel guitar on a weekly tv show that featured country music. I wasn't into the country sound, but I was fascinated by that "Hawaiian" pedal steel and would watch every week just for that. Mercifully, pedal steel wasn't featured on the "Polka Parade" show that followed. It's such a cool smooth sound though; surprising it's not featured in more music today. I'll check out Randy Reinhard and Dick's Facebook page.
Yes, Dick loves to add the texture and character of the pedal steel to all kinds of music. We've got pedal steel on Heartbreak Saloon and most of the other tunes... I have just uploaded a cool song, BULLDOG BLUES. There are great solos featuring all of these players -- Dick Wagner (guitar), Fred Mandel (keys, B3), Randy Reinhard (pedal Steel), Jim Kalson (Bass), and Bobby Flores (guitar). That is Dick rockin' on the quirky intro and outro too.
Listened to "Bulldog Blues." Excellent tune. Great guitar tone (I mean really great tone), with just enough drive go give those notes that bluesy snap. Balances out the overall feel, which I thought had a 40's style vibe to it, with Wensday's voice (which really contributed to that great vibe) and the vocal harmony echo coming back. Very cool. Horns made that style even better, and the pedal steel had that almost vocal phrasing. A lot of fascinating elements there.
Dear Robert, This is really Dick Wagner writing personally to you.... I thank you for your kind words and introspective comments on my music. I'm happy you took the time to not only listen to the songs, but also to the production values and musical message I was attempting to convey. Your thoughts are very much appreciated. Sincerely, Dick Wagner
My pleasure, Dick. Truly ...a pleasure. Quite a coincidence. Just last night I was reminiscing with an old friend about the first time I heard "Intro to Sweet Jane." Aside from that older legendary stuff, it was great to hear the your newer material that Suzy was kind enough to suggest. Especially enjoyed the use of pedal steel and Wensday's voice, as mentioned above, as well as your ever excellent phrasing and tone.
Thank you for your review of Another Twist of the Knife. I am Dick Wagner's partner in Desert Dreams. I hope you will enjoy listening to Dick's other songs and reading his cool bio. Not sure why the volume was a little low on the recording, as it was recorded at a top LA studio with great players -- Fred Mandel on keys/ B3 (Alice Cooper, Elton John, Queen, Pink Floyd); Greg Bissonnette on drums (Santana - Supernatural, Don Henley etc); Matt Bissonnette on Bass (Boz Scaggs, Ringo Starr, Steve Perry...); Dick Wagner on guitars and vocals (Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Lou Reed...) The song was written by Dick Wagner with John Wetton (Asia). Thanks again, Suzy Michelson
Thanks for your positive and kind words about Darkest Hour. I am Dick Wagner's business partner, Suzy Michelson. The song was performed entirely by Dick Wagner -- on vocals, guitars, bass and synth drums. In the mid 1960's, when Dick was around 22 yrs old, he wrote Darkest Hour for his band, The Frost. He revisited the song more than 40 years later to record it solo. He's a wonderful player with extraordinary touch and chops. Thank you again.
Arnoux...Thanks for the thoughtful review of Heartbreak Saloon! The singer is Wensday www.wensdaymusic.com.
Thanks for your comment about the genre for Only Women Bleed. I'm Dick Wagner's biz partner, writing on Dick's Broadjam page. Dick Wagner wrote the original song with Alice Cooper in 1975, and it became one of Alice's biggest hit records. 35 yrs later, Dick produced this new recording for singer, Wensday. I struggled with how to categorize the song; and as we had gospel singers on the track (a group from a local Gospel church), I thought it might fit. As a result of your comment, I've changed the genre to Blues-Rock! Thank you. That said, the song itself was written to call attention to the world wide problem of abuse of women. We produced a video to go along with the music. Perhaps you will find this video to be of interest. We researched world wide data to include in the video, and we worked closely with the women residents of a transitional women and children's shelter. I hope you will find it powerful and meaningful. Again, thank you for your thoughts. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKaZ1Smgmlo
Many thanks for your extensive note to me explaining the background of Dick's song. This certainly puts a completely different light on the song's meaning. I drive a city bus, and am continually in contact with troubled people from a wide variety of circumstances. I feel desperately bad for so many who are in real difficult straits! I appreciate your taking my suggestion to heart about the song's genre, and for the link to the video you described. Thanks, once again.
Thanks, RZDS, for your positive comments on my song, "You Fed Me To The Wolves!"
Hi Dick, Thanks for your review of "Ghost in the city", grateful for your comments and suggestions. Only just uploaded this tune so it is likely to need a little tweeking, Tommy
Yo dick, Thanks for your review of "Traveling Salesman Blues" Danny did a fine job on that one. I was trying for a sort of rat-pack/Sinatra vocal on that one. Lot o' fun. I am honored and pleased that someone with your credentials and just flat out talent enjoyed one of my tunes. Your work has been very influencial on me but I didn't know it was you. Go figure. Thanks for all the great licks and tones. Later, JD Carroll
Dick, thanks for your review of ''Oh Mama'' nice surprise to see you on B/Jam, your guitar work on W.T.M.N is legendary, still one of the best rock guitar tones I've heard all the best to you Earl
Hi Roy, This is Suzy Michelson (my business partner is Dick Wagner.) We've met at NAMM -- we were introduced by my dear friend Sperry Gruppetta.... Probably we share many more industry friends in common... Sending hugs, Suzy
Suzy, Great to hear from you. Please say hello to Sperry and Dick. We'll all have to get together at NAMM 2011. See ya then.....Roy