I saw Nils and Grin when I was a junior in HS in a very small rock club in Baltimore named the Blusette. This was before his 1st record contract. He was great then and in 1969, his whole career was yet to come.
As an aside, ‘Cry Tough’ is still one of my all time favourite albums, and I have broad and eclectic tastes. It’s good on so many levels, and quite unlike anything else.
The Drummer in this video is Mr. Mike Zak and was Washington, DC'S premier drummers in the 60's. Mike was the drummer in a group named Lawrence and the Arabians which was the #1 dance bands in the mid 60's. Mike went on to be the drummer in his group Puzzle. The group recorded an album on ABC Dunhill which is now out of print. Now residing in Western Maryland and is last I heard from Tommy Lofgren several years back was not in the best of health.
I just heard this week that Mike Zack passed away of Pancreatic Cancer So, now both Larry Kidwell and Mike Zack are gone. Two musical heroes from my youth,
He’s a fantastic drummer to watch. That’s why I’m searching RUclips for videos of Nils when Mike was playing. The first one I saw was “goin’ back” , also on the Whistle test, where Mike is an absolute powerhouse in a relatively gentle tune. He’s like Keith Moon - drummer I could sit and watch all day.
nils had it all on reflection; great guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, plus he had charm also. he was also pretty good on the trampolin at one gig I recall. must say that some springsteen stuff was amazing , he just got caught up in the whole stadium rock thing.
I was very fortunate to have seen him and his band play in a small beach club in RI in 1976 or 77. He had that little trampoline he would use to do some crazy tricks. He was young and so was I. It was a great time. Thanks so much.
*Brandon Evans* ___InfuckingDEED.......the bloody nerve and disrespect to pan away four seconds to another musician in this four minutes guitar solo.....💩👍🏿
I didn't know until recently that Nils was part of the Topanga Canyon band of musicians that Neil Young jammed with and later turned into Crazy Horse. There's a doc on YT that has Neil talking about a part that Nils contributed on piano to one of the songs on "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". It also shared that he was an accordion prodigy as a kid. From Frankie Yankovic to So Cal guitar god. Nice trajectory.
There's a brief banner telling about Nils at 1:30 that calls him a Chicagoan. He was born there, true, but he grew up and got his start in Washington DC. He's a proud Washingtonian!
he actually grew up in a suburb of DC in Bethesda MD. I went to jr & sr high school with him and we all knew he would make something of himself. now a member the R&R hall of fame as guitarist for Springsteen!
@ Peter Cocky. It's about Keith Richards. It even mentions 'The Glimmer Twins' on the actual label. Also, it explains it all. Those banners across the screen that pop up...Read them.
This version is missing some epic parts of his solo where he does a call and response with himself on keyboard. IT IS SO GOOD. GO FIND IT AND CHECK IT OUT.
Check out the subtitle which goes with this "(Ode to the Glimmer twin)" - Jagger and Richards were known as the Glimmer Twins. Still a great track mor than 30 years later.
I remember hearing this on WRNW in NY and had no idea who it was, waited for the jock to tell me/us and of course the DJ never said who it was. Once I found out I ran to Sam Goody and bought the fatso album. A few years later after seeing Nils live I became an even bigger fan. Cry Tough was the next album and it was a good one too...Now Nils plays w/ that overrated folkie bore, Springsteen.
That's when the BBC really were the 'Gold standard for programming content' can you believe some ashwipe in archives destroyed some of these performances?
I think it hit me (besides age!) why Nils and Grin stopped writing those edgy top 40 hook filled beauts. IT WAS THE VIDEO SHOT OF THE SUBURBAN KID WHO HAD TWO EDGES- If HE COULD NEVER BE CALLED POSER- tHE SHOT OF nILS WITH HIS BENT LEGS POINTING AT EACH OTHER ABOUT three inches off the ground. Short of James Brown, who else had a 22 year old "in your face- I can out write you, I can out play you, I can out flip you"!! And my boys "back me up"Oh he had street cred, because Neil Young had his head bent out of the window of his hearst in CA wanting to see this kid. NOW THIS IS SPECULATIVE: In an interview 60 or so years old he tells the reporter he always wanted a real power band- I know it gets to a lot of us- A BAND LIKE Springsteen's . I had not known that his alcohol receptors became flooded as he dealt with issues.....YET I AM GOING TO GUESS THE CATALYST. intense pain from the trampolines of his youth. Someone HAS to do a study about edgy rockers/blues types who find relief from that moonshine, and we know the rest. Not drugs- alcohol. At some point, friends have to risk kidnapping charges to save the likes of Gary Moore, who looked like he had a week left....forget the star circle, easy for me to say, and rescue. Nils was in physical pain, i wager. We have no idea what he feels when he puts on a "Grin" show...which is probably why he loved unplugged with a chair...Thx for 40 years of "quality" and we all know hoow pathetically you have been overlooked...It is better to have a Nils fan NILS! than a Springsteen fan. dg Cheers to your loyal really ovelooked brother, your closeness showed at 22 and it still shines. Andy on drums and your Sly "period" was my favorite, great bassist too- special package.
@@DrTomoculus he's doing harmonics, notice the last note he bends without his fretting hand touching the neck? That's because he's placing his index finger exactly an octave up and using his thumb to strike the string. He learned this from Roy Buchanan.
@@Rightsideup How he's achieving those harmonics, is tapping his finger against the strings. Unless you can't see that. I mean your point is to really stress he's getting harmonics. Despite the fact you see him tapping his finger against the strings to achieve it. Not plucking. Not picking. Not strumming. TAPPING. Jeez. Is it Christmas already? This keeps on giving.
I never understood why he opted to become a sideman in Springsteen’s band. I saw him many times back in the day and thought he had what it took. I guess he got frustrated.
............well- I guess if people see Nils ISN'T playing, they may put together that I AM. (Nils plays w/ a pick, peeps- he's great) I wonder why, w/ all the coverage, a sign doesn't come up when I'm shown that says "Bobby is noot actually known for anything in 1976" :>)
i dont think it was jagger n richerds that were caed the glimmer twins wasnt that those two gugs fron arowsmith, nils was also good on they only crazy hourse lp .
Lofgren is such a weird performer. Weird look, weird voice, weird demeanor. He’s lucky to have his Springsteen gig. With that, obviously a lot of talent. Just too weird to be a feature guy.
It's the performance!! Nils gave us all a circus loaded with more hooks in each song- easy bait for this young fish back then- yet i still want to take a bite of his shiny lure, 40 years later. If a song makes you "turn it up" this one did back on my FM converter tuned to WAMU American U in my 1967 Mercury Caliente Convertible with the 390 GT package. One day in 75 I heard a loud BANG! I looked out of my 1st floor Anderson hall window only to see what I thought was a Frat prank sofa on fire. A pair of kids (lol my peers) were pushing it away from their VW BUG. Hard to see though, as it was foggy. Turns out that "sofa" was part of a wing in flames from a 6 seater Cessna which had hit that WAMU Antanaee- 5 businessmen and pilot dead as the fuselage continued for a few hundred yards.
One of the best un sung guitar hero's.
I saw Nils and Grin when I was a junior in HS in a very small rock club in Baltimore named the Blusette. This was before his 1st record contract. He was great then and in 1969, his whole career was yet to come.
I still wonder how Keith has reacted to this. What a tribute!!!
As an aside, ‘Cry Tough’ is still one of my all time favourite albums, and I have broad and eclectic tastes. It’s good on so many levels, and quite unlike anything else.
The Drummer in this video is Mr. Mike Zak and was Washington, DC'S premier drummers in the 60's. Mike was the drummer in a group named Lawrence and the Arabians which was the #1 dance bands in the mid 60's. Mike went on to be the drummer in his group Puzzle. The group recorded an album on ABC Dunhill which is now out of print. Now residing in Western Maryland and is last I heard from Tommy Lofgren several years back was not in the best of health.
I just heard this week that Mike Zack passed away of Pancreatic Cancer
So, now both Larry Kidwell and Mike Zack are gone. Two musical heroes from my youth,
Rest in peace, Mike Zack.
He's driving the ~33 off this tune...swingin his knackers off... love it.
He passed in 2018; ruclips.net/video/yLOhN3xQMDk/видео.html
He’s a fantastic drummer to watch. That’s why I’m searching RUclips for videos of Nils when Mike was playing. The first one I saw was “goin’ back” , also on the Whistle test, where Mike is an absolute powerhouse in a relatively gentle tune. He’s like Keith Moon - drummer I could sit and watch all day.
Great performance - loved the whistle test back then
Terry - How could anyone be so underrated? Nils is a master of the guitar.
@@rogertycholiz2218 complete master👍
nils had it all on reflection; great guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, plus he had charm also. he was also pretty good on the trampolin at one gig I recall. must say that some springsteen stuff was amazing , he just got caught up in the whole stadium rock thing.
I was very fortunate to have seen him and his band play in a small beach club in RI in 1976 or 77. He had that little trampoline he would use to do some crazy tricks. He was young and so was I. It was a great time. Thanks so much.
Glad we got the shot of the drummer's face at 2:25 instead of Nils playing that gnarly lick.
*Brandon Evans* ___InfuckingDEED.......the bloody nerve and disrespect to pan away four seconds to another musician in this four minutes guitar solo.....💩👍🏿
would have loved to see it, the drummer seems like hes wired to the mains supply,lol.
the more things change.....
R.I.P. DC's own Mike Zak.
@@70hemigtx He's absolutely fantastic in this video. R.I.P.
What a great tune, played so well! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You should hear it uncut.
I remember how powerful this song was in 77
It still is...
I've always been into this kind of music, didn't know anything about them until yesterday ! Glad I've found them though
I didn't know until recently that Nils was part of the Topanga Canyon band of musicians that Neil Young jammed with and later turned into Crazy Horse. There's a doc on YT that has Neil talking about a part that Nils contributed on piano to one of the songs on "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere". It also shared that he was an accordion prodigy as a kid. From Frankie Yankovic to So Cal guitar god. Nice trajectory.
Most underrated artist in history of Rock n Roll
This and "Back it Up" are my two favorite Nils Lofgren tunes.
There's a brief banner telling about Nils at 1:30 that calls him a Chicagoan. He was born there, true, but he grew up and got his start in Washington DC. He's a proud Washingtonian!
he actually grew up in a suburb of DC in Bethesda MD. I went to jr & sr high school with him and we all knew he would make something of himself. now a member the R&R hall of fame as guitarist for Springsteen!
Me too.
@@brianswartz6515 What,if anything,is the story behind Keith don't go? Any ideas?
it's about Keith Richards of the Stones
Lived in Baltimore as well.
love this tune , from start to finish.good rockin, homage to keef.
@ Peter Cocky. It's about Keith Richards. It even mentions 'The Glimmer Twins' on the actual label. Also, it explains it all. Those banners across the screen that pop up...Read them.
This version is missing some epic parts of his solo where he does a call and response with himself on keyboard. IT IS SO GOOD. GO FIND IT AND CHECK IT OUT.
You're right....
Seen him play this in a small bar on the RI coast in 77 great show
My favorite Nils song!
This video cuts off a major duel solo he does on keys and guitar, check out the longer like 8and a half minute version it's sublime.
this'll take you right there; ruclips.net/video/0Uu-TdvhNb8/видео.html
I had forgotten how good he was.
how could u forget? i hate springsteen, but could never forget my nils 8-track tape ~WINK~
Wow as Neil young I should have know more about nils but happy to be finding out!! Sweet riff man
For a minute I thought it was Nigel Tufnel on drums.
LMAO OMG you are so right
Try watching his acoustic guitar tutorial on this song. Stunning.
Check out the subtitle which goes with this "(Ode to the Glimmer twin)" - Jagger and Richards were known as the Glimmer Twins. Still a great track mor than 30 years later.
Fantastic!Nils is my all time favourite along with Steve Hunter and the late Dick Wagner.Bobby Manriquez is a great player as well.
4:00 that harmonics solo, holy fuck!
I remember hearing this on WRNW in NY and had no idea who it was, waited for the jock to tell me/us and of course the DJ never said who it was. Once I found out I ran to Sam Goody and bought the fatso album. A few years later after seeing Nils live I became an even bigger fan. Cry Tough was the next album and it was a good one too...Now Nils plays w/ that overrated folkie bore, Springsteen.
Surely the most under-rated guitarist of the last 40 years. Why he wastes his time playing with Springsteen defeats me!
Frank Marino utterly destroys him.
Pays well I expect
Lets not forget how young this bloke was here.
@@SLB4523I guess he was 25 then.
Usually I hate the “ underrated” disease on YT.
But I think in this case the qualification is justified.
Ah, the halcyon days of TV before fear-porn. I'd pay my license fee if there were still shows like this.
That's when the BBC really were the 'Gold standard for programming content' can you believe some ashwipe in archives destroyed some of these performances?
Love the drummer
Totally ROCKIN is nutz off...
Pure GROOVY !!!!!!
Love this song and video so much
Where would Keith go?? Wouldn't worry about it. He's been here for a long time and time to come
Almost jail for Keith~Do Your Research, not hard & at the time a Very relevent song for Keith.
best live performance ever
Love the bass player. Wouldn't it have been nice if Nils had replaced Mick Taylor?
I think it hit me (besides age!) why Nils and Grin stopped writing those edgy top 40 hook filled beauts. IT WAS THE VIDEO SHOT OF THE SUBURBAN KID WHO HAD TWO EDGES- If HE COULD NEVER BE CALLED POSER- tHE SHOT OF nILS WITH HIS BENT LEGS POINTING AT EACH OTHER ABOUT three inches off the ground. Short of James Brown, who else had a 22 year old "in your face- I can out write you, I can out play you, I can out flip you"!! And my boys "back me up"Oh he had street cred, because Neil Young had his head bent out of the window of his hearst in CA wanting to see this kid. NOW THIS IS SPECULATIVE: In an interview 60 or so years old he tells the reporter he always wanted a real power band- I know it gets to a lot of us- A BAND LIKE Springsteen's . I had not known that his alcohol receptors became flooded as he dealt with issues.....YET I AM GOING TO GUESS THE CATALYST. intense pain from the trampolines of his youth. Someone HAS to do a study about edgy rockers/blues types
who find relief from that moonshine, and we know the rest. Not drugs- alcohol. At some point,
friends have to risk kidnapping charges to save the likes of Gary Moore, who looked like he had a week left....forget the star circle, easy for me to say, and rescue. Nils was in physical pain, i wager. We have no idea what he feels when he puts on a "Grin" show...which is probably why he loved unplugged with a chair...Thx for 40 years of "quality" and we all know hoow pathetically you have been overlooked...It is better to have a Nils fan NILS! than a Springsteen fan. dg Cheers to your loyal really ovelooked brother, your closeness showed at 22 and it still shines. Andy on drums and your Sly "period" was my favorite, great bassist too- special package.
God, I love being a Keith..... Not sure about Harris though...
I actually remember this being recorded
Me too...
Jagger and Richards were the glimmer twins, which is why the guys in Aerosmith became known as the toxic twins.
Whether it's 1976 or 1977, Nils is tapping 4:00
Actually he's doing harmonics. He learned from Roy Buchanan
@@Rightsideup I'll ignore his finger tapping on the fretboard then. 4:15
@@DrTomoculus he's doing harmonics, notice the last note he bends without his fretting hand touching the neck? That's because he's placing his index finger exactly an octave up and using his thumb to strike the string. He learned this from Roy Buchanan.
@@Rightsideup How he's achieving those harmonics, is tapping his finger against the strings. Unless you can't see that. I mean your point is to really stress he's getting harmonics. Despite the fact you see him tapping his finger against the strings to achieve it. Not plucking. Not picking. Not strumming.
TAPPING.
Jeez. Is it Christmas already? This keeps on giving.
funny after all the rolling stones hype...love them , i come back to this.he wrote this cos KR went back home. wow. wasn't there but can still enjoy.
I never understood why he opted to become a sideman in Springsteen’s band. I saw him many times back in the day and thought he had what it took. I guess he got frustrated.
............well- I guess if people see Nils ISN'T playing, they may put together that I AM. (Nils plays w/ a pick, peeps- he's great) I wonder why, w/ all the coverage, a sign doesn't come up when I'm shown that says "Bobby is noot actually known for anything in 1976" :>)
Bobby...lol....You're in this band man...That's pretty frikken cool...but you should have your own sign...i agree..
Nils was begging Keith to "clean up", and not die before his time, like so many others... Maybe Keith heard him... :)
MrGrateful - He didn't want Keith to get busted in Toronto with his supply of horse.
Ohhh .... Yeah ! HD !
Born in Chicago yeah, but raised in D.C.
It's about me....
Dang....I thought it was about me !!
best version right here
Didn’t realise how good Ben was at playing guitar....
They're all great players. I love the way that the humbuckers and single coils blend on this tune...
underrated
Love it.
he owns that tune!
High quality at 480 p you got to be kidding.......................
also known as ode to the glimmer twins, well i am shure glad keith stayed with the stone's
I bet Dire Straits sat round the tele glued to this
Completely different guitar stylings however I often described them as being similar in the day .
♥️😁🇬🇧 defines coruscating.
Grin were great as was the solo album form which this is taken.
I thought that was Paul Simon on drums for a second 😅
Dana Carvey on drums?
I miss thias version
I can kinda see Johnny Marr take on Nils...maybe not actual licks but his overall moves and stance plus Nils wasn't really mainstream at that time.
@timtimminz I take that back, I was talking out of my arse.
What happened to the mike zak
To me the drummer just looks funny haha!
Yep! He is good! :D by Tinja&Markku
Can someone tell me who the guitarist is with the black curly hair playing the Strat' with the white scratchplate, he plays the solo at 1.10-1.25.
piskeylowe
Bobby Manriquez.
Thanks matey, pretty good player !! will look him up.
Scroll down to 7 years ago, and you can see a comment Bobby Manriquez made on this post himself..
This is 77 not 76
Thanks! I thought so.
Who is the other lead guitar player with the strat ?
Its Bobby Manriquez
Todd Rundgren on drums!
Ha ha... not quite.
grgoldner
Hah! Give that man a cigar.
Something doesn't gel on this... I think it's the bass drum.
Top Drawer
@SuperGmcs Yep.
nils letter to keef
i dont think it was jagger n richerds that were caed the glimmer twins wasnt that those two gugs fron arowsmith, nils was also good on they only crazy hourse lp .
Always thought the lyrics were embarrassing
Mike Zak
Nils makes the blind girls see, and the mute girls speak.
Go ed.
What's the drummer's name?
Mike Zak.
Fking diabolical...
Why this castrated version again?
Lofgren is such a weird performer. Weird look, weird voice, weird demeanor. He’s lucky to have his Springsteen gig. With that, obviously a lot of talent. Just too weird to be a feature guy.
The contender for the worst ever lyric
Well written, well played, yet still a pretty boring song.
It's the performance!! Nils gave us all a circus loaded with more hooks in each song- easy bait for this young fish back then- yet i still want to take a bite of his shiny lure, 40 years later. If a song makes you "turn it up" this one did back on my FM converter tuned to WAMU American U in my 1967 Mercury Caliente Convertible with the 390 GT package. One day in 75 I heard a loud BANG! I looked out of my 1st floor Anderson hall window only to see what I thought was a Frat prank sofa on fire. A pair of kids (lol my peers) were pushing it away from their VW BUG. Hard to see though, as it was foggy. Turns out that "sofa" was part of a wing in flames from a 6 seater Cessna which had hit that WAMU Antanaee- 5 businessmen and pilot dead as the fuselage continued for a few hundred yards.
I think this is one of the worst performances by Neil. This is like listening to a fourteen trying...😒