NRBQ perform "I Got a Rocket in my Pocket"

[100proofboogie]

Great music from a great band on a great show.I watched Night Music religiously, great to see it here on YT.

[2refinish]

God bless you, Tommy.

[slicknipper]

COOL OLD SOUND WITH NEW RYTHM AND BLUES HENCE THE NAME WAY TO GO AL AND THE BOYS GREAT STUFF THE PIANO SOUNDS LIKE THE KILLER DONT IT

[Anglynn74]

r.i.p. tom you are sorely missed in the music industry

[GermFreeAdolescents2]

RIP Tom Ardolino, the former drummer for the beloved cult band NRBQ, has died at age 56.

[atonofblues]

This is one of the best examples of the Q's controlled chaos that I've seen on YouTube. With this line-up they were by far, IMHO, the most exciting live act anywhere. Tommy was my hero.

[jahmbie]

RIP, Tommy. One of the last rock n' roll drummers who could really swing.

[dr003bigbear]

high school - still get an A+ - doesn't everyone?

[MrPeeweep]

Once again, NRBQ blowin the shit off the doors! All hail NRBQ!

[snatchsour]

Happy Birthday Terry!!!

[7and7iz]

havoth; Thanks for the info. I have S.F. & the Midwest Creole Ensemble cd" Jack Salmon & Derby Sauce". I used to have Hoopy Feguson & the Wild Dogs 45 " You Snooze, You Lose ". That was a find among radio station promo copies.I always enjoyed Steve's playing style & his enthusiasm.

[61SG]

These guys are unbelievable! I love a band who can take a simple song and just make it rock. The bass playing is fantastic and probably makes the song. These guys can groove. And I like the fact that they're partly insane....

[60viking]

piano,What!!! I think Billy Preston would love this. I mean 'Thats the way God planned it.'

[beyondalohas]

tooo cool for cool

[woodbell67]

Joe was slumming when he played with Keith and Eric.

[JustAintthatWay]

i remember seeing this as my intro to q

beautiful insanity

t/y for the flashback

[7and7iz]

@montalbens: Thanks for the info on Steve F.I'm saddened by the news.How did he die?

[havoth]

@7and7iz - Steve passed away from cance at age 60 in Louisville KY. He and Terry went to Butler HS in Lou Ky and started out as the MersyBeats...then they went to Miami, where they met Joey S et al.

[Barnekkid]

Big Al is the coolest.

[morganfjp]

Wanna thank you AGAIN for posting this! Made me forget the shit happening in Tokyo right now where I am. This vid should be watched again and again, each time focussing on one member and see what commitment is all about. YES!!! PLAY LOUD!!!!!!!

[searcherboy]

These guys deconstructed Rock 'n Roll, bolted it back together like Frankenstein's monster and reanimated it with funk, anarchy and wit.

Saw them live one cherished time at a joint in Vancouver, BC years ago. The drummer laid down a great, loosey-goosey, LOUD beat. They just kicked it, all of them.

[7and7iz]

Been diggin' the 'Q' since '69 when Steve Ferguson was lead guit.Anybody seen the likes of him of late?

[montalbans]

@7and7iz Steve Ferguson passed away in October of 2009.

[ttfozgreen]

does anyone realise whats comin out of joey's hands is just spellbindingly unbelievable, i know the whole band is great, but that bass playing is unique and its a cut above any bass player doin uprite bass lines on an electric bass, bravo, encore encore, fozzy , wow

[SconeMason]

what an amazing thing of beauty this band was.

[CRAIGARRR]

What a Bar Band!!

I wish they were around longer so I could have seen them in Connecticut more when I was of age! There aint no partyin' in a bar like when NRBQ was up on stage rockin the house!!

[georgeworthmore]

one of my favorite bands of all time. I love these guys. i did a show at a party with them back in the 80's. What a trip. They rock.

[BigDaddyKevin]

I saw this when it aired. I was 16 at the time. Far too young to understand how great it actually was and still is. This is what rock n roll is about. Total wild abandon from the beginning to end. I also have to say that Tom Ardolino is really unsung as a drummer. Very few drummers can hold it down like this and keep that greasy feel. Long Live The Q. The Fuse it Lit Y'all

[rhabarberkompott]

rock'n'roll from mars!

[joesmithrealname]

Terry is a f@#$%^ genius.

I shook his hand once, and his fingers are eight feet long.

[sherriffofhongkong]

I surenuff miss the Q........

[elrobertoreal]

Really fantastic Rock'n'Roll from a band which never played in Austria or Germany, when I am correct informed. But they are as live band probably better then 95 % of all bands who ever played live in Germany and Austria the last 40 years!

[ox092]

This band is so underrated. The greatest jazzrock band ever. Big Al and Joey Spampinato are the man.

[loneone01]

smithers... there's a rocket in my pocket :P

[DrewBludd]

This is a Jimmy Lloyd song! Aces!

[zazeify]

Jerry Lee meets Chico Marx on piano there.

[zazeify]

only slightly less out of control than your average Alex Chilton session.

[zazeify]

Jerry Lee Lewis just wet herself.

[Ducktowners]

Let there be Q

[vastridgerunner]

Nothing better than tripping to the "Q". Miss these guys!

[seltzermovies]

If the object of this exercise was for a bunch of retards to fuck up a great song, then I say "mission accomplished"

[smithcreekmandolin]

Thanks for sharing, I don't think I've laughed in quite the same way since the last time I saw Terry and the boys. Hilarious and mind blowing at the same time.

[scmm42]

@PlasterPirate Thanks for the typo correction. I never noticed this in over three years!

[RustyBurns1]

Brilliant and perfect in the chaos of control.

[ttfozgreen]

@RustyBurns1 what an excellent choice of words to describe this rockin band, 10 out of 10

[mly01810]

@RustyBurns1 Get back together, guys.We need you !

[Edmontonlad]

Big Al is on fire in this clip!!

[wantsomecoffee]

best band i've ever seen live! nothing like it before or since.

[sixstrings2650]

I believe most of these guys are from the Hyde Park, NY area. I grew up there in the '70s and they were always around. I used to see them in local bars. They put on a hell of a show. Terry Adams is an insane piano player.

[asaltysalute]

One of the best bands of all time! As to where they're originally from...

Terry - Louisville, KY

Big Al - Windsor, CT

Joey - Bronx, NY

Tom - Springfield, MA

They got they're start in Miami in the late 60s. Terry and Joey are the only band members from that original lineup.

RIP Captain Lou Albano.

[tyroliantony]

@asaltysalute

RIP too to Steve Ferguson, one great guitar picker and very nice human being.

Dunno what became of Tom Ardolino. Going by the name though, he may be back on Arthur Avenue tossing pizzas.

[Barnekkid]

@asaltysalute RIP Captain Beefheart.

[danz4440]

@asaltysalute Theyactually got their start in Hartford, Ct as the Wildweeds.

[asaltysalute]

@danz4440

yeah that was Big Al's band before he joined up with the Q

[digitscd]

jrt... nice reverse snobbery. You are cool to the root(s). Anyone with ears knows these guys can throw it down. You don't need to be a musical genius to spot it.

[SometimeAngel]

He must have "heared" it wrong!

[jt123egypte]

Indeed I bought the Lp with Carl Perkins too, but when I heared the original Sunrecordings I throw the NRBQrubbish in the dustbin.

[DavidSlapsHisBass]

I didn't know that John Candy played guitar!

[crisfierro]

oh no no no. Originally belongs to jimmy Lloyd back to the 30´s !!

[xrcjpx]

Yeah Al came from a Connecticut band I used to see live in the late 60's called the "Wildweeds"...ohhhh good!

[xrcjpx]

yeah, Al came from a Connecticut band called the "Wildweeds" back in '68 or '69...

[edanger6]

My computer isn't loud enough to do this justice

[NickRatnieks]

The first two albums I ever bought-NRBQ with Carl Perkins- Boppin' the Blues and Screaming Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends- bought in a sale at Woolworths in Jan 1973. I was stupid and gave away the Sutch album, but I still play Boppin' the Blues. NRBQ are the best, no ifs or buts.

[smokeemonkee]

@NickRatnieks Woolworth's cut-outs were the best...classic stuff for 49 cents...I scored big time at Woolworth's as a teen during 70-73!

My Boppin' The Blues story: I'd been thinking about buying for a while and one day it was down to that or MC5's Back In The U.S.A. LP...I went with the MC5 that day. But I bought Boppin' The Blues a few months later.

[NickRatnieks]

@smokeemonkee By acquiring Boppin' The Blues you were irreversibly Q'd!

[socrates1818]

The pianoo man is brilliant, the real deal ala Jeff and Jimi

[pablobiogeo]

crazy pianist! :D

[golfjunki]

Please Tour again, Please. I have seen this band many many times, still can't get enough. This is what Rock' n Roll is all about, a feeling.. that they don't teach in music school.

[mradelard]

I cut my teeth on the Q. Terry was one of my early piano influences.

We were fortunate to open up for them a couple times in the late 70s.

Amazing amount of talent on one stage.

[snafunewhaven]

big als the greatest

[mrtvsmith]

gone - like "lord of the flies" gone

[pretorious700]

I used to love this show.

[mickyhikes]

When I was in Hartt College of Music back in the 70s we would get away whenever we could to catch these guys doing it so well. They would take over a place like nobody else ever! Remember the "whole wheat horns" that also moved the equipment? They kept things simple when everybody else was so "progressive" that even us music majors couldn't stomach it.

[mickyhikes]

Yes Yes Yes! When Big Al left the Wildweeds here in CT and joined these guys they shot through the roof with some of the best "simple but oh so complex" R&R on the planet ... and most of them are still doing it.

[pretorious700]

Glastonbury?

[lonelywan]

You said, "weeds". Hehe.

[VisionaryCompanion]

I can't get past that angry chimp/Erroneous Thelonious approach to piano-playing. It drives me up the wall.

[morganfjp]

the snare drum - how come no-one mentioned The Snare Drum!?!?!? takes me right back to Sun Studios!

Re. Spect.

[jt123egypte]

A bunch of amateurs without any talent!

[Ohm51]

jt123egypte ... You have proven that you don't even understand what you are hearing ... "amateurs without talent' ... I've ben playing drums for over 30 years and all of the absolute very best musicians, the cream of the crop ... they all love NRBQ. Care to tell us what qualifies you over their expert opinion? Better to remain silent and merely suspected a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[DraggDaddy]

Bad Ass Keys!

[heatherhombre12]

When and where was Night Music filmed? Saw big Al play in Nashville in the fall. He was rocking.

[scmm42]

New York City, 1989.

[heatherhombre12]

Is this NRBQ on Saturday Night Live?

[scmm42]

>> Is this NRBQ on Saturday Night Live?

No. Check out the info on this clip.

[ericgroundhog]

I have been a fan of this band and used to be a friend of 3 of it's members since it was a quintet. Steve Ferguson/Frankie Gadler were great guitarist/singer and Tom "the time bomb" (or "rock baby rock") was/is a far superior drummer to Ardolino. Terry's amazing and has the greatest collection of records I've ever seen. Terry and Kaye used to have a dog named Bobby Brown and my dog's name was Betty Beige. They were friends. I used to see the boys at the Country Carousel in Standfordville, NY

[Cutters79]

Whoa. Appreciate your two cents, but, in my book, no drummer in the history of recorded music comes close to Tommy Ardolino. He will be forever King of The Thwack Pack!

[Ohm51]

Agreed Cutters79 ... I've been playing drums for 30 years and trying to match Tommy Ardolino's playing is near impossible ... emulate maybe, but match never. The dude is just too canonfire loose (but with precision) and everything about his playing is completely unique ... watching him live ... he utilizes this really wierd grip where the stick rests between his middle and ring finger ... and thats when he's really laying in and thwacking em hard ,,, never saw anyone else use that grip.

[mewiththedoves]

the band swings like MAD - Mr. Ardolino must have a lot to do with it .... I remember seeing them and just grooving on how he would take his snare hand and then WHACK the drum on the backbeat ... it looks so easy - no one sounds like Tom and Joey.

[musolinilampost]

Where is RC Cola And A Moon Pie?

[Cooleemee43]

I'm obsessed with this video; I just can't watch it enough to get my fill. Sometimes I have to watch the first 30 seconds alone several times before I can proceed forward to the rest of the song. I got it bad..Dr.Dr. give me the news, I got a bad case of the NRBQ's! Diagnosis: Some obsessive compulsives have to wash their hands over and over and over, some need to touch things with both hands...ME? I gotta watch NRBQ's "Rocket In My Pocket"..OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER AGAIN.

[1112212222222]

Me too. Its riveting and clever beyond compare. Screw deritative, these cats can play.

[drumminman58]

The Q are in a category all their own!

[montiques]

One of the times I say The Boys, they played The Night Club in ATL, early seventies. Springsteen's original E Street Band, who were just getting famous, shared the bill.

We knew the Q was in transition, but when they came on stage, Fergie AND Big Al were with them!

The Springsteen set paled in comparison.

[chowderhead]

Why aren't they in the R & R Hall of Fame? They should rename it the "NRBQ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" and be done with it. If this ain't what it's all about, I don't know what is.

[44hzdonut]

A real Rock'n'Roll band.. Beauty..

[wilburevans]

GREAT Video of an awesome band! thanks for sharing!

[UrinationNation]

I really wanted the guitarist to be John Candy, is that wrong?

[willcate]

Big Al was really big, back then. He's trimmed down a bit since.

[mayonaise33]

no,it's not wrong

[Wacokid48]

whoa...been along time rocker and never listened to these guys...butter !!

[chrook]

killer

[ffej980]

joey stampamato...always had a stand-up bass quality to his electric bass...

[kennykiller22]

i can play piano better than him

[Smudgefizz]

From the beginning of this song, I thought it was a StSanders overdub!

[Smudgefizz]

Heard of these guys, but this is first time actually listening to them - wow! I was actually looking for a video of the original of this song, but stumbled across this NRBQ version. Piano player is hilarious! The bass player was recruited by Keith Richards to play in Chuck Berry's backup band for the video "Hail Hail Rock & Roll", & I remember reading somewhere that Paul MacCartney is a fan of this band.

[dragonfoe]

Yes, but it's just not the same without the horn section :-(

[PaulfromPasadena]

the Whole Wheat Horns!

[uptighthippie]

wow!!!!!! brings me way back. Are these guys still around ct.? would love to see them again.

[willcate]

God bless NRBQ. Just saw Big Al last night in Nashville, w/ Delbert McClinton. Only 3 songs, but he was still awesome.

[normloman]

The song itself is kinda predictable, but the stage presence and solo construction make up for it. I never got why people liked this band so much, but now I'm beggining to see why.

Great abstract intro too.

[Digitalimager]

very funky: have been told I must listen to their version of 'Alone Again'-can anyone post this for me?

[cannabisresin]

My sister saw these cats a lot in Hartford...Bucking Frilliant!!!

[Torihope]

indeed. Big Al was in Windsor last night to perform for the town's 375 anniversay. He still rocks. I think he sort of 'made' the band--but then I'm a little biased.

[cannabisresin]

Far out!how cool is that?:)Kinda jealous..lol...sorta grew up in Hartford on Franklin Ave.I remember those tornadoes and happy to know the town's still cookin'!!!With Big Al et. al.:)

It seemed my sis and friends would disappear when the Q came to town..hehe:)

[deblm65]

These guys were SO much fun to go see at bars. you cant see shows like this anymore. i dont think they exist. it was the most fun ive ever had.

deblm65

[rwg22]

i am from argentina and love them why dont they paly rock a little more?

[tsmmem]

NRBQ Live at The Chicken Box, 30 Acres or The Muse oh the Nantucket memories!!!! Me and the Marcellus Boys--- T-Bub

[gadjoboy]

if you don't love the Q you have a hole in your soul....

[mattcarolan]

brilliant - but a rather tepid response from the audience - perhaps they didn't know what to make of it :-)

[dieselpsd1]

The Best damn bar band ever. The Rusty Nail in Northampton, and Katrina's used to be packed whenever the Q would arrive.

[funeguy2]

I'm just so glad i was there to see it happen live.Jump around ,be amased at the talent in front of me..so exciting and fun.

I feel now like it was a place in time.and i can't explain it to anyone.Glad i was there.

[Margaux0814]

See, this is what REAL rock'n'roll is about. The best band in the world

[misfit59]

5 stars for NRBQ here..Nuff said

[danbob2001]

In 1970, I was playing with a Florida band called Power. I quit school 6 weeks before the end of my senior year of high-school to go to NYC and play a gig at Manhattan Center with NRBQ, back when the Q stood for Quintet. They had a great singer/front-man named Steve Ferguson. They were great then and always. Also on the bill was a band called Dreams, which had the Brecker Brothers and David Sanborn on horns, Will Lee on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums. They were astounding.

[funeguy2]

I love the Q , and I play music.But I can,t get my Guy,s to see the brillance of this.The presentation...My God the talent...

I just want to cover some of their playable songs "u Du" Me and the BOYS"...thats like "born to be wild" to me..But alot more FUN! so sad you don't hear them on the radio.I'm in Buffalo and we have a good station The Lake.But never do you hear "Driving in my Car"or better..You hear Nick Lowe..lol Also Great..

[mansonjono]

the BEST band EVER

[thevidiotkid]

Monk meets Chico Marx-THEY have a threesome with Jerry Lee. Seven months later, Adams is their bastard love monkey boy. Absolutely wack........

Big A out of control on the break and Terry needing no provocation whatsoever to maintain the status quo.

[fiddlerfart]

well said

[Rosenkvist90]

that piano just took an assbeating of a lifetime ^^,

NRBQ rocks!

[dickhertzalot]

Great to see the boys! Can someone please post more NRBQ videos? I would love to see "It Comes to Me Naturally" and other tunes. Great live group.

[BuickMaCoy]

NRBQ is one of America's best bands. And they're nice guys to hang out with too. And it's spelled Spampinato. LOL

[littlejimmydickens]

Boosh!

[misterdecibel]

I'm so glad I got to see those guys live a few times during that time period.

[lazur1]

Terry Adams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Thelonious Monk.

[tbzeee]

crazy stuff! no wonder terry adams gave himself tendinitis. blink and youll miss him in robert altmans short cuts playing piano behind annie ross. saw them live at a block party in chicago in the 80s.

[starkmachete]

I'm hanging out with AL Andersen all this weekend in Santa Barbara for a songwriters expo. Really nice guy. He still fuckin RIPS!

[roon41]

Starkmachete,He sure does Rip and I miss him with the Q.

I hope you had a good time with him at the convention

[Eric13938]

friend of mine just introduced me its definitly some sweet shit in its own way

[jaymusseato]

and then GOD created the Q !!!!

[UTubeMeTubeWeTube]

Great song. What a fun jam typical of NRBQ. No doubt this one was inspired by The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. The piano playing and the whole groove is very Jerry Lee Lewis. The guitar licks are ala Chuck Berry. You could put this on the radio in the 50s and it would fit right in!

[Leraas14]

What kind of bass is Joey playing?

[NoOneReceiving]

Danelectro made for Silvertone I believe. Saw the Q many times and he always played Danelectros of one sort or another. GREAT video!

[jpatt2]

Joey has the best voice.

[teds76court]

this is sweeetttt!!!

[QuickNine]

Yes it is supposed to be FUN and I do remember. I saw these guys many times back in the day around northeast CT / central MA. Mostly in places that look just like the set in the video. Mostly didn't know where I was or how I got there. Having a blast but nowhere near the fun that Al and Joey, Terry and Tom were having.

[Nur100etc]

Great stuff!

[leftchicago]

Proving Joe Spampinato is a genius... how else would he know where the hell the one was after the guitar solo?!

[drumblast]

Maybe because it is a basic blues progression and there is nothing hard about it. Or cause everyone else in the band played the one after the guitar solo as well.

[leftchicago]

Boy, you are soooooo smart....

[drumblast]

No, I am a genius, just like Joe Spampinato.

[leftchicago]

Alright already! It was joke! ;)

[drumblast]

I've been laughing the whole time. LOL

[dogmatic65]

Wow! What can you say.

[kingunderwave]

BEST. BAND. EVER.

[funeguy2]

So nice to here all these nice comments..But I,ve rocked to these Guys, live, many times in the day!I havn"t rocked so much since.... jOYOUS lAKE ..WOODSTOCK N.Y...LONG TIME AGO...

[tfantasia]

ME TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! That was one hell of a show. DAMN I miss these guys.

[thepipedog]

jOYOUS lAKE! Then go see them the next night at JB Scotts... The only thing missing from this definitive four and a half minutes is a clock on a wall reading 3 am.

[UltraWalla]

lol, slap piano

[Huzzab]

Before I ever heard these guys, I read two reviews. One was "Good music to get drunk to." The other was "NRBQ doesn't let their exceptional musical ability get in the way of their playing". They certainly didn't let me down! Terry Adams is the devil incarnate. Never got to hear Al live though. I love these guys! Wish they were touring. *crosses fingers*

[seantgould]

best American rock and roll band EVER...u can't name any band with keyboard and guitar solos as cool as the Q...sorry, just my opinion

[guerinw]

Blistering. That's the word for it.

[chalkdavid]

Outstanding. Al and Terry solo their asses off and Joey and Tommy are about the most inventive rhythm section around.

[misfit59]

I've seen NRBQ about 6 times and every time is a blast. They rock, they roll, they entertain the soul.

[jonnda]

Great band, the guitarist with da les paul looks like louie anderson.

[searcherboy]

I saw these guys once live about 8 years ago and I treasure the experience. The redefine the words loose, funky and rockin'. What. A. Band. Love them.

[dannod1]

great memories of drunken nights at the old Red Creek in Rochester, NY...and it still sounds fantastic!

[Barnekkid]

Alan G. Anderson really rips up that Goldtop. Great vid, great band.

[CheddarCutie66]

This band rocks!!!! XD