A just received a recording of an opera that I wrote with some friends back in 1977. It was on the verge of going to the stage with a big name producer but it never flew. Who knows, maybe its time is NOW! It was a musical bridge between Arena rock and Punk with some disco and more than its share of bombastic overwrought overtures.

My thanks to Darlena Goetz who found the tapes, and transferred it to CD.

Thank-you to Tommy Goetz for having such a great idea for an Opera.

Tommy Goetz received numerous industry awards in his illustrious career as Art Director; He designed the hit show “Taxi” and many others. I met him when he was doing the amazing set for Wolfman Jack’s Shock n Rock Review at Knott’s Berry Farm at Halloween in 1977. I played percussion. John Herron was the musical director. The graveyard set caught on fire. It was wild.

Thanks to John Herron for being such a great musical influence.

John Herron, my musical collaborator played keyboards with Wolfman Jack’s review, Johnny Rivers, Hoyt Axton, Flo & Eddie, and others.  I first played with John Herron with Tim Buckley.

Peter Brown, the producer was with Apple records,  producing the Beatles, Eric Clapton and others.

Thank-you to Peter Ivers for lending me his Teac 4 track and playing harmonica on Jimmy the Geek.

Imagine yourselves in Hollywood in 1977….

Ladies and Gentlemen presenting…

The Last Rock n Roll Show
A puppet theater is the main scene for the Opera. The puppet master is a leather masked woman. The main puppet, a tall good looking blond Bowie type wants to break free and become a human being, specifically, a rock star. He must overcome her control, answer her riddle and become his own master. He succeeds but then finds out that he does not like what he has become. The audience gets to tear him to pieces at the end.

Full size puppets were built by the Rosebowl float designers in Pasadena, CA. The studio recordings were done in Hollywood at Sunset Sound.

Music and libretto written, produced by Russell Buddy Helm

Concept by Tommy Goetz

01 Zanzibar.m4a

I actually wrote this in Key West in 1971. But it sets the mood for a decadent production in a puppet theater in the heart of the biggest city. My favorite lyric in this song is:

“They’re selling dreams and falling stars here in the streets of Zanzibar.”

02 Im the Master.m4a

This is the theme song for the Puppet Master

03 Is It Possible.m4a

Sung by the puppet who wants to be free

04 Out in the Night.m4a

“Out in the night, No One to connect to, You came along, I knew it was right”

The dance production number where the dancers have tailights on their arms, blinking,  as if they are cars cruising the Strip.

05 Wanna Be the Master puppets dream.m4a

The confrontation between the puppet and the puppet master

06 Black Snake Dont Moan for Me.m4a

The magical, Frankenstien transformation from puppet to human performed by the cast and crew of the puppet Theater.

07 Jimmy the Geek.m4a

The first  song by the newly form human from the puppet. Thank-you to Peter Ivers for playing great harmonica.

08 Ready to play the Master Game.m4a and “Feeling so fine”

A pompous, goofy tribute to every Wagnerian rip off plus a full on Disco classic “Im Feelin So Fine”

09 Escort me to the Symphony.m4a

The former puppet/new human soon discovers that being a human can be decadent and cynical.

“Escort me to the symphony of pleasure, love and pain.”

10 National Breakout.m4a

The puppet turned rock star hits his peak. Gigantic rock n Roll production number. I had some great players and singers on this session. All I remember is that Jeff Eyrich was playing bass. John Herron on keyboards, I played drums and guitar.

11 Time for a change.m4a

Here the rock star is getting too big for his britches. He starts tossing his new found weight around in an egotistical swagger.

12 Time for a change part 2.m4a

But the crew of the puppet theater confides with the audience about how crude he is. They plan on bringing him down and offer to the audience that they can come and take a piece of him home with them.

13 Master Clash.m4a

Pompous confrontation where the puppet defeats the master and becomes the new ruler of the show.

14 The Riddle is You.m4a

The old Master plays her last card and demands the riddle be answered before surrendering her place as puppet master. He figures out the existential answer.

15 No I didnt Know.m4a

The heartbreaking realization by the puppet turned human that being the master is not anything like he wnated it to be. He is very disillusioned.

16 The Last Rock n Roll Song.m4a

The last huge production number where the rock star knows that his fate is to be sacrificed to the audience. He goes willingly and lets them tear him apart as if he were still a puppet while he sings the last Rock n Roll song

All Songs Helmtone BMI

contact

All Angels contact:

buddy@buddyhelm.com

]]> http://www.buddyhelm.com/uncategorized/the-last-rock-n-roll-show-unearthed/feed 0 http://www.buddyhelm.com/uncategorized/tim-buckleys-honeyman-album-live-1973 http://www.buddyhelm.com/uncategorized/tim-buckleys-honeyman-album-live-1973#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:48:05 +0000 admin http://www.buddyhelm.com/?p=82 Just in case anyone is interested. Here are mp3s of a live Tim Buckley album concert from New York City. We played at Max’s Kansas City in the 70’s The CD was originally released in about 1995.

Something from the dusty ditty bins….enjoy!

01 Dolphins.mp3

02 Buzzin’ Fly.mp3

03 Get On Top.mp3

04 Devil Eyes.mp3

05 Pleasant Street.mp3

06 Sally Go Round The Roses.mp3

07 Stone in Love.mp3

08 Honey Man.mp3

09 Sweet Surrender.mp3

Buddy Helm drumming a house blessing in Clearwater, Florida 2008 I found a way to still play the drums- forty years later. I am very lucky, God has blessed me. This is for all the people who have helped me and played music with me. You know who you are. Thank-you very much.

We were in Key West playing at the Great Escape Lounge at the Key West Airport

Key West…part #1

Key West.. Part #2

Zanzibar….part #1

Zanzibar…part #2

Woodstock(instrumental)

Kenny Dixon(Bass), Charlie Dechant(sax, flute, guitar, piano, vocals), Christian Gandhi(electric piano, Alto flute,), David Tasse(sax), Sherry?? (vocal) Buddy Helm(Drums), and Roger Cruz(vocals, congas, alto sax)

We left Coconut Grove under a new name. Bethlehem Asylum no longer existed. Christian put this band together and so we called it the Christian Gandhi Syndrome as a joke, but it stuck.

The Great Escape lounge was a place of strange people and situations. The Key West Airport closed at Sunset back then. The chairs were put up on the tables and everyone went home in the airport.

That’s when Dieter and his wife, Maris came to open the funky dive of a nightclub. Dieter was from West Germany, Maris was a princess from Miami beach. They had a strange symbiotic relationship that was loving yet bizarre.

We played for the odd assortment of people that passed through Key West, but did not want to go down to Duval street where the regular military and college joes hung out. The Great Escape lounge was out at the edge of town, and you had to know how to get there.

There were spies, and bikinied beauties dancing and drinking with off duty soldiers from Belfast still wearing their kilts.

Once we were playing an instrumental version of “Woodstock” when….I glance back over my shoulder, I was sitting at the drumset up on stage in front of a huge plate glass window that stretched up and out in classic 50’s architecture. The landing strip was dark-no landing lights. The jungle hung close by the little tarmac strip. A small Piper cub dropped down out of the dark new moon night sky and lightly touched down on the landing strip, completely unaided by modern flight equipment. This was a tree top flier. Then out of the shadows came a long low Chevy station wagon, also without running lights. They met in the faint moonlight like two animals hunting for love. They exchanged whatever mysterious cargo and payment was required and the plane lifted up and silently flew away into the moist night. The station wagon also cruised away into the Key West shadows. We finished the song and everyone had another beer on the House. Dieter was a consummate host.

more music:

Blues Walk

Boogie