Corona-chles III

Working in the basement:

I'm an inessential worker in an essential industry, so, unlike many people, I've been busy lately. 


Monday, March 22: My second official day working from home. It was a hell of a lot better than the first day, where I sat in the basement hunched over a laptop all day.

Our boiler has this great feature where, when you put on some music, it automatically fires up. Like an older version of GPS instructions timed to obliterate the BEST PART of the song that's on. I understand most boilers work based on the actual temperature, but there you go.

Humanity I:

Tuesday, March 30: I found out John Prine was gravely ill with COVID-19.

Does Music Help?

Musically, I kept with the vinyl James gave me, and dipped into Pet Sounds, which is now a double album! So I have to get up every ten minutes to flip it over. That beats sitting on my ass for ten hours straight, though. 

You wouldn't think the Beach Boys would be a smooth segue from old Neil but overall, it sounded pretty apt for the situation, Especially "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times".

Then there was music from Twin Peaks: The Return, which was surprisingly pretty.

Then I got an idea - I'm in the basement anyway, why not just do what I used to always do? Which is look through the shelves - which are in alphabetical order - and play whatever strikes my fancy? In the first floor living room, that would mean CDs or mp3s. In the basement, it's vinyl. By definition, that means stuff I haven't played in a long while.

And let's face it. This is no time for new music. This is not a time I want to flash back on years from now by innocently putting on an album that's been imprinted by this era. (Or is the era imprinted by the music? Usually, it is, but not this time.) But of course, this would never happen. At that point in the future, when I'm perusing the CD shelf or mp3 player, I would pass over that album like it was kryptonite. So why bother with it at all?

No, this is the time for old music. 

And I won't allow myself "comfort" music. I don't think it works, to tell the truth. I will allow music I've not heard in a long while, and music that didn't quite connect with me the first time around. 


The ABCs of Music on Vinyl: 

Eric Anderson: Blue River

Sad, beautiful but a tad less powerful than when I first got it as a (very) sensitive teenager.
"Blue River" 
A-

Laurie Anderson: Big Science

Strange as ever, with some silliness, but some great moments.
"O Superman"
B+

King Sunny Ade: Juju Music

The laid back vibe - which was a little too laid back for me in 1982 - was pretty soothing in the dark days as we prepared for the worst. 
"Ja Funmi" 
B+

Burning Spear: Harder Than the Best

Amazing what sounds great in a dank basement. Not very cheerful but often mesmerizing.
"The Ghost" 

 B+

Captain Beefheart: (I did say I was in the basement...)

Trout Mask Replica:

I played the whole 2-LP set all the way through, which is almost as bad an idea as playing all nine Beethoven's symphonies back to back. After a while, it all just blends together. But I decided I'd just slice off a side per day to make sure I'm really hearing it. And I kind of did.

And the world seems a more all right place when I see that he's filed right next to the Carpenters.
"Moonlight On Vermont" 
A-

Shiny Best/Bat Chain Puller:
Still jagged but somehow more "accessible".
"Tropical Hot Dog Night"  The Captain wins on titles alone.

A-

Doc at the Radar Station:
The very clear and immediate sound of a tense and jittery racket. Still out there, still powerful regardless. But enough was enough.

"Ashtray Heart" 

A-

Clearly, I belong in the basement.

Chicago: II

Despite his early popularity, after World War II nobody in Germany admitted to liking Hitler. Same with Chicago. They sold bajillion records, but everyone now considers them uncool. How did that happen? 
Many of us did questionable things in the 70s. And just because in the case of this band those things were recorded, that just means there's evidence. So let's not hold it against these guys, shall we?
So I'll start by admitting this is Not Terrible. Well, sides one and four are pretty terrible, but two and three are very good. So it could've been a good single album, but like I said it was the seventies.
"Wake Up Sunshine"
B-

Clash: Combat Rock

Not as bad as I feared but I still skip "Should I Stay" and "Rock the Casbah". (Wow, the 80s could ruin anything.)
"Straight to Hell"

B

Ry Cooder: Ry Cooder

This is a really good record. It just took 45 years of me hearing the folk music and blues he was emulating to truly enjoy this now.

A-

"Police Dog Blues"

Into the Purple Valley: 

Perfectly good but unnecessary. 
"Teardrops Will Fall"
B

Elvis Costello:

Trust 
This one holds up very well indeed. Possibly his best?
"White Knuckles" 
A

Imperial Bedroom: 
Bloated, with precious singing and forces melodies, but with several great songs. Frustrating as hell.
"You Little Fool"
B+

Spike: 
Unlike the too-much-but-who-cares Get Happy!!, this one never quite takes off. A lot of honorable work here, but after x number of records - like Dylan - who wants to hear that voice again? 
"...This Town..."  
B

Country Joe and the Fish: Together

Just not worth the trouble. 

"Rock and Soul Music"  
C+

Creedence:

Green River

Very much worth the trouble.
"Wrote a Song for Everyone"

A-

Cosmo's Factory
CCR cresting, Fogerty at the top of his game. Did they know they were running out of time?
My favorite by them.
"Ramble Tamble"  
A

Ornette Coleman: Of Human Feelings

Listening to this is like listening to Giant Steps for the first time. Except that by now - only after 30 years - I've absorbed Giant Steps. After nearly forty years I still haven't absorbed this. 
"Jump Street"  
B+

Health (Physical)

I checked my weight yesterday and didn't like what I saw. I haven't been getting out like I'm used to and so will have to work in a long walk somehow.

So working from home should give me some time to do this. But it doesn't

Humanity II:

Wednesday, April 1: Adam Schlesinger is dead.

Health (Mental):

And it was beginning to seem like the music doesn't matter anymore. There's just too much suffering.  I continued to listen, but until now I couldn't bring myself to think about it or tell you about it.