#metrockandroll

[queensboro]

Joe Strummer’s guitar!!!!!

[lookwhatcolmanfound]

Antique synthesis #synthesizer #arp2600 #playitloud #metropolitanmuseumofart #metrockandroll #synth #musicalinstrument (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3lZx19gWjF/?igshid=gpif98nrrlvr

[wtfworldtv]

My most recent visit to the @metmuseum which includes #metrockandroll exhibit that I’d really liked, but I am planning to go back once again since I did miss a few things from exhibit because of some distractions. Overall, always a great experience visiting #metropolitanmuseumofart #TheMet #metropolitanmuseumofartnyc #museum #nyc #nelsontorres #art #Prince #TheBeatles #BuddyHolly #metmuseum (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KWmReA92p/?igshid=1h2hzah5fozld

[librariankate7578]

Setups for the Beatles and Metallica, plus Lady Gaga’s art piano. #metrockandroll (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzlmxPApfiI/?igshid=djxpmv3zbdvq

[shar1129]

#metrockandroll2019 #metrockandroll (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzknHpWh-kP/?igshid=w7w3nu9lksr4

[econtenttv]

Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll #metrockandroll #metropolitanmuseumofart @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwsIgDdhinXq1fNUYaY3Bv7IDUP1FkIRikcc640/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vx3t39ikjq76

[betterbetsny]

The ARTPOP piano was used by Lady Gaga for a performance on The Jimmy Fallon Show in 2014. It has an acrylic case and internal LED lighting. From the exhibition, Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll at the Met Museum. #MetRockandRoll #music #ladygaga #jimmyfallon #ladygagafans #museum #rockmusic #rockandroll #themet #instagram #instafollow #instagood #newyorkcity #nyc #nyny #manhattan #musician #piano #artpop (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art) https://www.instagram.com/betterbets/p/Bv4gemElwGJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13k64xqjz5rt7

[annabouchard]

The original #metrockandroll. . . . . . #shoegazing #shoegaze #dreampop #postpunk #nowave #artgaze #themet #beauty #art #interiors #settecento #baroque #italian #venetian #stazio #tencalla #momentsofmine #visitmuseums #artrocks https://www.instagram.com/p/BvueFBVh8TN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h5qg2sncz0fs

[ashtonsunshine]

It's "summer" in the Museum! ☀️🎶 So great to have @5SOS at The Met to explore "Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll." Thanks for visiting! #MetRockandRoll

📸: Dusty Kessler

- The Met

[imbleedingme]

I get to see it tomorrow ❤️❤️❤️❤️ @papa_het_ @metallica @metmuseum #metallica #jameshetfield #papahet #metrockandroll #metallicaatthemet http://bit.ly/2D6E3tw

[queensboro]

Top = guitar used by Muddy Waters

Middle = guitar used by Bo Diddley

Bottom = guitar used by Buddy Holly

[nytcap]

Press preview for Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll by j- No Via Flickr: The Metropolitan Museum of Art April 1, 2019

A groundbreaking exhibition presenting a spectacular array of iconic instruments of rock and roll - "one of the most influential artistic movements of the 20th century and the objects that made the music possible" - go on view at The Met on April 8, through September.

“Rarely Seen Guitars, Bass, Drum Kits, Keys, and Horns from More than 80 Renowned Musicians Celebrate the Unique Role of Instruments in Rock.” Christie's and Sotheby's must be kicking themselves for missing out on what surely would have netted them millions in auctioneer's commissions, if placed on the market instead of donated to a museum.

On April 1, the press was treated to a preview of the show, teased with what many of us thought to be an April Fool joke: appearances by musicians Jimmy Page, Steve Miller, Tina Weymouth, and others.  Nope, it wasn't a joke. Towering over the packed hall were Greco-Roman statues of (appropriately) shamelessly full-frontal nude men and ladies, lit by sunlight streaming through the skylight and floor-to ceiling window.  

Typically, for rock & roll, the start was delayed, but eventually out strode those very rock stars. Remarks about the year-long labor of putting together such a monumental exhibition were made by museum staff and a rep from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who sponsored the exhibit.  Following brief, anecdotal remarks from the Led Zep guitar god, the original Space Cowboy, Steve Miller, gave a long walk-through about putting the show together, as well as much technical tidbits that no doubt flew way over the heads of all who are not guitarists themselves. He also promised that he would be working with the Met to improve their music-hostile acoustics.  Talking Head and Tom-Tom Clubber Tina Weymouth read from a very long essay by a Catholic priest about, basically, the importance of finding your own rhythm.  The audience perked up from nodding off completely, when she worked in a quote of the title of TTC's "Happiness Can't Buy Money", which, given the head-nodding, hardly anyone present was familiar with, despite it being one of her biggest hits.

After the formalities, there was a completely unexpected solo performance by Don Felder on his truly iconic (sorry for the overuse of this adjective, but it's true) double 12- and 6-string white guitar used on just about every performance of  "Hotel California" the Eagles ever gave. video links: https://flic.kr/p/2fpobAn https://flic.kr/p/2eiqZpW

Room after room featured worshipful displays of performance setups, surrounded by walls completely covered - like my teenage bedroom - with concert posters from back in the day when those were actually serious works of art (not to mention when rock stars were accomplished serious musicians and composers, unlike the majority of today’s autotuned stars who can’t play anything, drone over lifeless iMac-generated beats, and require an entire village to compose and score their songs).

As a strictly Ibanez person myself, I was disappointed to see the only representative of my (let's face it, budget-minded) brand, was one donated by Joni Mitchell.  I can only hope that it was used on the two or three songs of her's that I like.

The exhibition begins with Chuck Berry's  ES-350T (1957) electric guitar, which was used to record "Johnny B. Goode"; followed by Lady Gaga's custom-designed piano; Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood" composite Stratocaster "Number One"; the guitar that Keith Richards is known to have used when the Rolling Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966;  Flea's "punk" bass used throughout RHCP's career, and Jimmy Page's dragon-embroidered costume, which he wore during Led Zeppelin's live performances from 1975 to 1977.

In addition to Prince's iconic gold 'love symbol' guitar, included in the exhibit is the Purple One's 1980s "cherub" suit, and the famous "disappearing" Tele-style H.S. Anderson Mad Cat guitar he played on his 2004 show-stopping, jaw-dropping solo during the all-star tribute performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” for the induction of George Harrison into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  A performance which provides a perfect bookend to Hendrix's "flaming" finale, opening for The Who.  OK, blue-eyed soulsters, lemme see ya top this! Boom. https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y 

The remains of Kurt Cobain's Fender used on Nirvana's In Utero tour are on display, which he destroyed upon spotting Eddie Van Halen (another renowned guitar killer) in the audience.

Wall cards accompanying many of the instruments testify to the comradery among musicians in that so many classic instruments were passed from one to another out of respect for their craft and contributions, as well as collaborations that led to technological advances, e.g. Keith Emerson and Robert Moog, Les Paul with Gibson guitars, and Todd Rundgren's restorations for Eric Clapton and others.

*view many more photos at https://flic.kr/s/aHskTsXCvJ 

And no history of electric guitars would be complete without the reverse-strung Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" on at Woodstock, as well as at the Monterey Pops festival, AND the shard that is left of the Strat that he incinerated at Monterey Pops.  

A bit of trivia that was new to me was that the reason so many early guitars had hideous pale yellow finishes was because it looked better on television in the days of black & white.  Many musicians had theirs repainted after color tv came in in the mid-to-late 1960s.

Axes from other rock stars of note include The White Stripes' Jack White, Gerry Garcia's singular "Wolf" Irwin, Bo Diddley's candy apple red hambonin' "Twang Machine" self-modified box Gretch, Cheap Trickster Rick Nielsen's insane 4-bodied Hamer, many from Eric "God" Clapton, Ravi Shankar's sitar, Muddy Waters' "The Hoss" blood red Telecaster, the original and hugely influential erotic gospel axe-shredder Sister Rosetta "rock me" Tharpe (whose modified light Les Paul Gibson was later copied for Jimi Hendrix, The Who, AC/DC, and the Allman Brothers), and of course, the Beatles.

All together now: in one photo, appearing for the first time, the signature guitar used by Elvis Presley, flanked by those of George Harrison, and 50s rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson.

Drums and bass take a back seat (beat?) in the show, as do keyboards and brass, but still, respect is given with displays from notable kits from Keith Moon, Patti Smith's clarinet, the Mellontron used by the Stones on "2000 Light Years from Home" (which, for you youngsters, was an analog keyboard-operated instrument that played acetate taped notes recorded from any source, including human voices, used heavily by late psychedelic bands like Tangerine Dream and Genesis, and even a band that I was in [dating myself]), Louis Jordan's alto sax, Ray Manzarek's organ used on the Door's ""Light My Fire", Keith Emerson's knife-embedded "raped" Hammond organ and massive Moog synth, B-52 Kate Pierson's Farfisa organ (I stupidly sold mine for a mere $50, to buy drugs, of course) and a gold Steck grand piano used by pioneering rock pals Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

The exhibit's promo postcard features Joan Jett's guitar "Melody Maker" girl power guitar, which remains an important part of her onstage (& offstage LGBT) identity.

Creators and innovators of amps, pedals, and effects like feedback, distortions, fuzz, wah-wah and sequencing, were almost totally absent, despite their overwhelming influence on the development of rock.  No Ike Turner, Link Wray, Dick Dale, or any surf guitar innovators whatsoever. No Frippertronics or Enosification. Then again, the absence of any mention of sex and drugs in a show about rock stars is pretty glaring, also.

Contemporary rock is mostly absent, as is most post-80s, save Cobain and White and an obviously egregious curatorial plug for St. Vincent, who seems to be way out of her league surrounded by Clapton, Townsend, Beck, Hendirx, and Page.  And aside from Joe Strummer's Telecaster, with it's duct-taped strap and Jett’s Melody Maker, punk is not represented here at all, either because it was not deemed part of rock and roll (Johnny Rotten famously declared that punk was meant to be the death of rock and roll, but admitted that it failed by actually reviving it) or deemed unworthy. Or maybe they simply could’t afford to give up their instruments. But being enshrined in the Metropolitan Museum, though, would not be very punk, now would it?

#MetRockandRoll #guitar #rock #rockandroll #musician #musicalinstruments

[spunkymunkey]

Tweeted

. @metmuseum #MetRockandRoll why aren’t the Kinks part of the exhibition? pic.twitter.com/n6NDrSUXo4

— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) April 2, 2019

[librariankate7578]

Some miscellaneous guitars from #metrockandroll: Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain, Buddy Holly, and Bob Dylan. (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzlmZTVpaIj/?igshid=14ori4yap6sul

[shar1129]

#metrockandroll #jimihendrix #rockandroll #metmusicalinstruments (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzkmrr8BSFS/?igshid=fpw5dql6wjp4

[econtenttv]

Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll #metrockandroll #metropolitanmuseumofart (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwo8QGgB_Ua1YXJtEnUCNAgJoyvKOzgj7tgIz80/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xw1k0ydhqvh1