Guns N’ Roses set lists. Another collecting obsession, thanks in part to Marc Canter.

I must admit after collecting RNR memorabilia for almost 15 years, I really had no deep interest in collecting set lists.

I assumed most were all copies, there were dozens and dozens made for each show, and they had no real value.

That was until I bought Reckless Road by Marc Canter.

http://www.recklessroad.com/

When I saw Marc’s incredible collection of early GNR set lists and flyers, I quickly changed my tune. I found them fascinating. The different styles of writing, the various notes on them and the condition they were found in. These crumpled, torn, taped, beer and sweat stained, handwritten and copied concert gems often duck taped to the stage by guitar techs, were pieces I had to add to my collection.

Slash appears to have written most, if not all of the GNR set lists. His handwriting style or printing is very distinctive and he has a very specific style to certain letters. Check out the G’s. They are usually all written the same way. He approached writing the way an artist would. And he IS an accomplished artist.

In the early days Slash was the driving force behind the design of the band’s gig flyers. Often creating the original art and handwriting for them. He has an incredible ability to create intricate and interesting hand lettering.

*Check out Marc’s book to see early examples of his handiwork for his own bands, Tidus Sloan and Roadcrew.

The “Welcome To The Jungle” video set list. As verified by Marc and Slash through Matt Sorum. This is THE original written in black marker by Slash himself. My only original, and not a bad one to have.

http://garyrocks.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/yup-its-the-welcome-to-the-jungle-video-set-list-and-the-mystery-is-finally-uncovered/

Also in Slash’s hand this set list from the 1988 show at the Celebrity Theatre. A cool little drawing by Slash on the bottom. He liked this little guy. You can find him wearing a shirt with this face on it in many early GNR photos. Here’s the shirt on the front of Kerrang! magazine in 1988. I imagine the shirt came first, then the drawing.

The Paradise Club Boston set list, Oct 27, 1987.

Here’s the original.

The Orpheum Theatre Boston set list, May 11, 1988.

Tickets to the shows the set lists come from are also cool to collect. Makes a nice grouping to frame up together.

Here’s the stub from the show with the Boston Globe review.

Rare Love You Live record store display. Only two known to exist.

I have been fortunate to have just picked up this rarity. To the best of my knowledge, I am aware of only two that exist. And it took a bite out of my wallet.

Ok, enough with the bad puns….

This record store display promotes the Stones 1977 live album, “Love You Live.” Artwork by the famed pop artist Andy Warhol. Stones collectors are more than familiar with this album and the promotional items produced for it. They are some of the most sought after collectibles ever produced by the Stones. They also have a strong cross over interest to Warhol and pop art collectors as well.

It is well know Warhol was less than pleased with how Mick and the Stones used his art in designing the materials to promote the album.

He in fact has stated publicly he hates Mick’s handwritten treatment of “Love You Live” that appears as the typography on the cover design. As he puts it, ruining the beautiful image and art he created.

This display holds an actual album that sits and is help supported by Mick’s teeth. The “biting” was a theme that was used in all the materials Warhol designed.

Here are a few other items that shows Andy’s obsession with teeth…

Andy and Mick hanging out at the release party for the album at Trax in NYC in 1977. The album Mick is holding is my signed album from the Art Collins collection. Art is standing in the background patiently waiting for the photographer to snap the picture, so he can get his album back.

The album.

Happy Hunting.

Gary Rocks.

“Chicks In Chains,” yup, another politically incorrect, incredibly offensive, yet very typical Slash t-shirt.

Here’s another Slash t-shirt from the Julien’s auction back in March of 2011.

This shirt graced the inside cover of the Julien’s auction catalog, as well as being prominently featured in a Japanese magazine, called Player in 1998.

Slash is photographed in his studio by Rick Gould/ICP wearing the shirt.

A little more info on the band…..

Slash’s Snakepit were an American rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed by then-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in 1993. Though often described as a solo or side project, Slash stated that Snakepit was a band, with equal contributions by all members. The first lineup of the band consisted of Slash, two of his Guns N’ Roses band mates—drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Gilby Clarke—as well as Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez and former Jellyfish live guitarist Eric Dover on lead vocals.

Their debut album, It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, was released in 1995. For the supporting tour, Slash enlisted James LoMenzo and Brian Tichy, of Pride and Glory, in place of Inez and Sorum who had other commitments. They played shows in the US, Europe, Japan and Australia before Geffen Records pulled their financial support for the tour, with Slash returning to Guns N’ Roses and Slash’s Snakepit disbanding.

Following his departure from Guns N’ Roses in 1996, Slash formed the cover band Slash’s Blues Ball. After a tour in 1997, Slash approached Blues Ball bassist Johnny Griparic about forming a new lineup of Slash’s Snakepit. The new lineup consisted of Slash, Griparic, singer Rod Jackson, guitarist Ryan Roxie and drummer Matt Laug (Roxie and Laug were both former members of Alice Cooper‘s solo band). They recorded and released their second album entitled Ain’t Life Grand in 2000, which was preceded by a tour supporting AC/DC and followed by their own headlining tour. For the tour, Keri Kelli joined the group in place of Ryan Roxie, who departed following the completion of the album. However, after the final show, Slash disbanded Slash’s Snakepit due to a lack of commitment from his band members.

Rare original art produced for a billboard promoting The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed found.

The Rolling Stones are certainly not strangers when it comes to the art of self promotion.

They rule. Plain and simple.

There has been no other band in the history of rock n’ roll that knows how to stir up controversy and buzz over what they are doing or about to do, better than Mick and company.

And Sunset Blvd in LA is where we saw a lot of their ideas come to life.

Shown here are several examples of billboard advertising, an all but dying medium these days, where the Stones strutted their stuff.

Usually the Stones used billboard advertising to promote a new album.

The LA scene is where you can find about every artist during the 70′s and 80′s using this larger than life opportunity to deliver their message.

And as we know the Stones didn’t shy away from imagery that would infuriate and disturb anyone who looked at it. The infamous “Black and Blue” board whose image of a bound and beaten woman eventually had to be pulled down.

Even in announcing their upcoming “50 And Counting” tour, the Stones took to the streets to create anticipation and buzz around the announcement.

The above original art was recently found looks to be created to promote the Stones new London album “Let It Bleed.” It is unknown if in fact the art was ever used or made it’s way to a billboard. This is first major introduction of Mick Taylor as well.

As you can see from the recognizable clothing, Mick is his iconic omega shirt and scarf, this is clearly from the 1969 Ya Ya’s period.

I’m thrilled to now own this incredible never before seen rarity, coming from my good friend Jeff Gold of Recordmecca.

Thanks Jeff.

This one is a keeper.

Happy Hunting.

Gary Rocks

….Off we go to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame for the “Rolling Stones: 50 Years Of Satisfaction” exhibit.

Suffice to say when THE Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame called me and asked if I’d be interested in putting some of my collection on loan for the upcoming “Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction” exhibit, I was freakin’ blown away.

Let me think about it….Aaaaaah, YES! YES! YES!

So, off I went to pack up and say goodbye to my babies for the next two years. I mean seriously, how do you say no to this???

Sniff, sniff….separation anxiety is beginning to set in.

“Bye, bye kids….Call me every once in awhile and let me know you’re okay.”

“Okay?”

Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction will be the Museum’s first ever major exhibition capturing the band’s legendary career spanning more than 50 years.  It will include personal items and extraordinary collections that have never been seen before by the public. The exhibit will be open till March 2014.

“The Rolling Stones are the epitome of rock and roll,” said Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “This first-ever exhibit gives us an opportunity to tell the story of one of the definitive rock and roll bands. The experience should be on every music fan’s destination list this summer.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presents Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction will be a comprehensive retrospective exhibit that chronicles the band from the mid-1960s until today.  The exhibit, which takes up two-and-a-half floors of the Museum, will celebrate the Rolling Stones’ incredible contribution to popular music from their earliest days playing small clubs, to their era-defining recordings such as “Gimme Shelter,” “Paint It Black,” “Jumping Jack Flash,” “Tumbling Dice,” “It’s Only Rock And Roll” and sold-out global tours. Through the use of artifacts, film, text and interactive technology, generations of music fans will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with rare items from nearly every aspect of the Stones’ astonishing five decades at the top.

Throughout the exhibition’s run, the Museum will host a range of free public programs that explore the significance and legacy of the Rolling Stones, including interviews, films, and special lectures.

http://rockhall.com/exhibits/rolling-stones-50-years-of-satisfaction/

These are the hand picked pieces from my collection the Hall Of Fame chose to exhibit and that will be traveling around the country.

Mick’s handwritten marketing notes for “Tattoo You.”

Keith’s Bobby Lee guitar strap used during The 1975 “Tour Of The Americas.”

Keith’s linen pirate shirt worn on tour during the mid 70′s and in the “Respectable” video.

Keith’s leopard lined leather jacket from the 70′s.

Cockroaches t-shirt and stub from the Stones secret gig at Sir Morgan’s Cove in 1981.

Mick’s handwritten selections for singles from “Tattoo You.”

Mick’s handwritten rehearsal set list for the Sir Morgan’s Cove show.

and the letter back….. pretty cool.

The Rolling Stones autographs. The “real deals” are there, you just have to do your homework.

Probably the one question I’m asked constantly by those who know I collect or have seen my collection is, “How do you know it’s real?”
My answer is usually, “I just know.”
As easy as that sounds, it’s not that easy.
But with a little work you will know, and you can protect yourself and your collection.

Start with the simple notion that 95% of autographs sold on eBay and through memorabilia sites are fakes.
Yup, 95%.
Why is that?
Easy.
These alleged reputable dealers are looking for people who don’t know what they’re are looking at.
People that want to believe at that price, it’s too good to be true.
Want to believe that the dealer is reputable.
And to borrow a quote, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Check out this link to find out who really said this.

http://www.historybuff.com/library/refbarnum.html

So how do you know if a set of signatures you’re buying is fake?
If there’s a certificate of authenticity offered, it’s fake.

Any a-hole can print up a impressive looking “certificate”, sign it, offer a lifetime guarantee, and sell pretty much anything.
People think this is their protection.
Sorry, it don’t mean shit.
You need to know your stuff. Buy from the right people. Get knowledgeable.
Read up.
Study.
It’s work.
But like anything else, you want to make good decisions, you do your homework.
I own many signed Stones items.
Frankly it’s easier to buy a legit set of vintage autographs from the Brian Jones era, than a set from today.

Begin at the beginning.
Familiarize yourself with the earliest signatures of the band.
What did they sign like in the 60′s say. Gather images you find online and through eBay and compare them.
Try to think of the circumstances in which they might have signed these items, how much time they had, what they were signing. A card, paper, magazine.
All bands in the 60′s signed in ballpoint pen.
There were no sharpies.
Study how their styles changed throughout the years.
Usually over the years, not unlike us all, our signatures deteriorate and get sloppy.
We get lazy.
No different for rock stars.
Look at Charlie Watts today, barely understandable or readable.
A large C and B.
Stands for “Charlie Boy”, the way he used to originally sign his name back in the 60′s.
A signature reduced to letters.

I found on eBay a year or so ago a signed album.
It was a “Get your Ya Ya’s Out,” signed by all the original Stones, including Brian Jones.
The album as recorded in 1969 and released in September of 1970.
See where I’m going with this?
How could this be signed by Brian Jones if he died in July of 69 and the album was released in 1970?
This is the kind of crap that goes on all the time.

Of course it came with a certificate of authenticity.

Buy from reputable dealers. If you do your homework and ask around you can find them.
I buy from Recordmecca in LA, and Tracks in the UK.
These guys know their shit.
They give a lifetime guarantee and it means something.

Some examples I own are shown here. Bought from the dealers listed above.

Beautiful exmaple from Recordmecca

Finally….after many years I’ve added some Who to what I’ve been collecting..

The photos here are from a recent purchase that came from Ken White. He was given the above items from Alan Smith who received them from Mick Bratby, member of the Who’s crew during the 1976 tour of US and Canada.

The Who Tour 1976 was The Who‘s second concert tour for their The Who By Numbers album.

After spending most of the last three months of 1975 supporting The Who By Numbers, the group again embarked on a series of tours in 1976, with two stints in North America and several shows in the United Kingdom and Europe. The group added “Slip Kid” to the act in February-March, playing to a backing tape recording much like with “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again“, but it was dropped from the act after eight shows; otherwise “Squeeze Box“, and “Dreaming from the Waist” were the only songs the band played from the new album, while they continued to do a lengthy Tommy selection as in 1975.

“The Who By Numbers” tour poster for the 1976 tour.

1976 was also drummer Keith Moon’s final year touring with the band, as the London performances on 15 December, 1977 at Kilburn and 25 May, 1978 at Shepperton Studios weren’t actually part of any tours, but rather were special shows filmed specifically for inclusion in The Kids Are Alright film.

The first show of the group’s first North American tour of the year in Boston began disastrously, (figures, my home town) with Moon collapsing on stage after only two numbers, forcing a makeup performance three weeks later. Lead singer Roger Daltrey explained that Moon was very ill, adding “Why do our tours always start like this,” obviously referring to the incident at the Cow Palace during the first show of their 1973 North American tour, when Moon also collapsed.

I had friends that went to this show and are still pissed off.

The band’s second North American trip featured Moon’s final U.S. concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum in Seattle, Washington on 14 October, as well as his final concert before a paying crowd at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on 21 October. The group would not perform at all between the Toronto and Kilburn shows, the only band activity during that time being early sessions for Who Are You.

A crew jacket bearing the Indian logo for the tour.

So…Slash comes to Boston, what does he wear? An Aerosmith t-shirt of course.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Slash and Velvet Revolver roll into town to play at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA for their Libertad Tour. They had entered Aerosmith country. And Slash knew it. So he paid homage to his “Guitar Hero” Joe Perry by wearing an Aerosmith Bootleg Live t-shirt.

And now I’m happy to say, I own it.

Another gem from Slash’s Julien’s Auction in 2011. This was sold in a lot of three shirts. Two Aerosmith shirts and one Megadeth. Funny story about the Aerosmith shirt. The guy I bought the shirt from was at a meet and greet at that show and a fan was actually wearing the shirt. Slash liked it so much that he asked him if he would give him the shirt for a VR shirt. The guy said the only way he would do the deal is if he wore the shirt that night onstage. Of course, he did. So Slash right?

I was able to find some incredible photos from this show. Check these out…

Please note…I will NOT be wearing this, as tempting as it may be.

1966 The Rolling Stones Tour of Britain. And another great signed program.

The Rolling Stones‘ 1966 British Tour was a concert tour by the band. The tour commenced on September 23 and concluded on October 9, 1966.

I’ve been fortunate to have been able to pick up my second signed program from the 1966 tour, the first being the American tour seen below.

The newest is from the 1966 British tour with a beautiful clean set of signatures on the “A Biography By Charlie Watts” page inside the program. Artwork by of course, Charlie Watts.

I usually end up buying another program to frame up with the one I have signed. I was attracted to this set and example because of the page they decided to sign on. The signatures are large and super clean.

It’s hard to find items from the early days signed on white background, lighter paper or album. Most of the Stones early album covers were all pretty much dark and black making it difficult for them to sign in pen on the covers. It was also hard to sign over the dark photos.

So most of the early signed Stones albums you see are usually signed on the back.

Depending on much text was on the reverse of the album, usually a lot, will often effects how appealing the signatures are and how clean they appear to be. This can also be a huge factor in determining value. It’s why signed albums are the most rare of all signed items. Really great ones are just super hard to find.

Remember, there were no sharpies in the 60′s.

Peace and happy hunting.

Gary Rocks

Right now, Slash is probably wearing a t-shirt that’s going to piss someone off.

There’s is actually a blog dedicated to Slash’s fine collection of vintage offensive t-shirts.

http://fuckyeahslashshirts.tumblr.com/

Check it out. Pretty funny….

I have always been interested in collecting artist and stage worn clothing. Recently I was fortunate to be able to buy two of Slash’s t-shirts. Both were part of the sale of his incredible personal collection that went up for auction at Julien’s in Los Angeles back in 2011.

http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2011/slash/index.html

There were literally hundreds of t-shirts in this auction. Not sure where I was, or what I was into at the time, but I missed this amazing opportunity.

Luckily, I found someone who was there and bought plenty.

The t-shirt pictured above is one of my recent buys. It has solid photo reference from the “Use Your Illusion” tour book, shot by tour and well known GNR photographer and historian, Robert John. It’s also signed by Slash.

This next shirt has plenty of photo reference, as well as being one of Slash’s favorite bands, Metallica. He owned several Metallica shirts that can all be seen in the auction catalog. This one got plenty of stage time. It has faded from a dark black to a soft, well worn grey.

Their logo as well as the line “Metal Up Your Ass” is sprawled across the chest of this now infamous shirt. Slash liked cutting the collar and sleeves off his  t’s.

I was able to track down rock icon photographer Paul Natkin, who shot this show and had tons of photos for me to choose from. It was The Monsters Of Rock show I believe.

It doesn’t hurt when the photos are published as well. This shirt was seen on the cover of Revolver Magazine’s Legends issue. These early shots by Paul have been seen in various music and metal magazines as pin ups and posters as well.

A picture of slash wearing his “High On Life And Glue!” shirt before he hacked the crap out of it.

In the first photo Slash can be seen in the studio wearing his “Chicks In Chains” t-shirt. This photo was the inside spread of the Julien’s auction catalog. The second photo spread is from a Japanese music magazine.

So remember, a picture is worth a thousand…..dollars.

Maybe more.

Peace.

Gary Rocks