Twelfth Annual Jaybee-bies: Journey Through the Past

Executive Summary:

Musically and politically, better than 2021. Personally stressful.

Abstract:

Slightly fewer fascists than expected in the Senate, but alas, they're in charge of it.

An excellent year in music. Women continue to damn near dominate. Few Masterpieces (frankly, they're usually overrated anyway). Just lotsa good rekkids.

Best Humans:

• Volodymyr Zelensky
• Jacinda Ardern
• Greta Thunberg

Worst Humans:

• Vladimir Putin
• Ron DeSantis
• MTG
• Lauren Boebert
• Alex Jones
• Matt Gaetz
• George Santos

Best Books:

• All the Marvels by Douglas Wolk: Having loved Marvel comics from 1965-1975 this was like manna from heaven. A celebration of great storytelling. 
• Orwell on Truth by George Orwell: Alleged stoolie tells you exactly what he thinks. Lucky for us he can see straight.
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: You have got to read the 1,300-page unabridged version, with a translation by Robin Buss. I'm a notoriously slow reader and yet I polished this off in three weeks. Rife with ludicrous plot twists and fantastical coincidences, this was an absolute delight to read.

Best Movies:

• The Banshees of Inisherin
• The Batman
• Glass Onion

This might just be a list of what movies I saw. What can I say? I don't get out much.

Best TV:

• Better Call Saul
• Barry
• The White Lotus

What can I say? I don't stay in much, either. (I spend a lot of time in the vestibule.)

Best Concerts:

• None

Maybe I'm spending too much time in the vestibule.

Music Awards:

Most Work (But Worth it): 

• Schubert Leider: Sure, it will never be in my top 10, but I'm glad I've heard it.

Most Work (And Possibly Not Worth It): 

• Arnold Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht is the single piece of music I listened to the most this year, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not. Save it for a World History Project post, I say!

Most Surprising (and Not Necessarily in a Good Way): 

• Elizabeth and the Catapult: Taller Children - An excellent singer and band saying the obvious very expertly. They relentlessly pursue their goal of music utterly at odds with whatever I happen to like.

Most Disappointing: 

No music. Some humans, though...

Best Nostalgia:

10cc: Still as funny as when I first heard it and tuneful enough to keep me coming back.

Best Artist: 

Judee Sill, mainly because of neglect over the last 50 years.

The Best of My Year:

1. Wet Leg: Wet Leg (2022): Funny deadpan girls, Serious rock n' roll band.
2. Judee Sill: Abracadabra: The Asylum Years: Stunning melody - courtesy of God, it seems - gets me every time.
3. Yo La Tengo: Fade (2013) Modest and lofi to a fault. But by the end, they've convinced you it was worth it.
4. Spring Heel Jack: Busy, Curious, Thirsty (1997) Relentlessly invention electronica from beginning to end.
5. Ben Webster: King of the Tenors (1956) So simple and straightforward you couldn't be blamed for underestimating it. I know I did. Indelible.
6. Japanese Breakfast: Jubilee (2021): Somebody MUST have already come up with these melodies already, right?
7. Bob Marley: Burnin' (1973): A bit laid back but the songs just modestly pile up one after the other.
8. Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg (2021): The guitar is the star here. The "vocals" add a bit of clove.
9. Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks (2004): Not quite as haunting as Intra but damn close.
10. Lou Reed and John Cale: Songs for Drella (1990): Nice to hear a bunch of songs from these guys. A highlight for both of them.

Honorable Mentions/Also-Rans/Tieds for Tenth: 

• Sonny Sharrock: High Life 
• Thelonious Monk: Monk's Dream 
• Haim: Women in Music, Part III 
• Amyl and the Sniffers: Comfort to Me 

And a lot more not far behind! Another year with a bunch of also-rans. A good sign!

Some of the best songs I heard this year can be found here.

Conclusions:

A stressful year. Some drink more or smoke more. I listen more, which resulted in a lot of new records, plenty of which I haven't even mentioned. I hope I'll have a chance to. 

The musical present seems pretty good but there's so much of it, I'm finding it necessary to wait it out a bit to let the wheat separate from the hype. Hence, I've been spending more and more time delving into the past, where that separation has already occurred.

Oh, and it's nice to still have a democracy.

World History Project: Two Scoops of Schubert

A Lack of Perspective:

After having tackled Ludwig van Beethoven (hey, that sounds funny, but he did get into a street fight with his brother over money, so...) last year, I figure it's time for another edition of WHP.

I wasn't sure who to dig into next so I started reading about some of the composers who followed after LVB. It turns out there was this guy who actually served as one of his pallbearers. Last name Schubert... 

And it caused a reaction usually reserved for the Susquehanna Hat Company. Why you might ask? Well, after months of intensive therapy, a memory was unearthed.

Sometime after The White Album came out, I read a critic's quote, stating that Lennon and McCartney were the greatest composers since Schubert. Now, a normal person would have appreciated this affirmation of the value of pop music in general and the Beatles in particular.

But, my eleven-year-old brain's reactions were:

1. Okay, he's in the ballpark, but... 
2. No, they are the greatest composers OF ALL TIME.
3. And who the f*ck is this guy Schubert, anyway??

At that age, we all had our lists of greatest whatever of all time. Here's mine (sorry, Kanye!):

• Band: Beatles
• Guitar: Eric Clapton
• Bass: Jack Bruce
• Drums: Ginger Baker (Hey, those guys should form a band!)
• Keyboards: Nobody cares.

Some Perspective:

It all sprang from a defensiveness about rock music built up over a childhood full of adults telling me how bad it was.  My reaction - borne of my "how can I be more of an asshole?" adolescence was to strike back with the brilliant riposte: Oh yeah? MY music is not only GOOD. It's THE ALL- TIME GREATEST and YOUR music (with everyone wearing suits in black and white movies and not a guitar in sight) SUCKS, and so forth.

It hadn't yet occurred to me that my time on Earth made up an exceedingly small part of "all-time", so some stuff actually happened before I was, you know, born.

So how the hell would I know?  Plus, that Schubert guy did write "Ave Maria"...

And legend had it there were other songwriters, too. Names like Ellington, Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, and a few others kept popping up.

I knew the time would come when I'd have to, uh, face the music. (Sorry.) Which I did for a lot of those names. 

Now it was time to give Franz a chance.

Piano Guy: 

Schubert played and wrote for the piano. If you went to a party with him and there was a piano in the room, god help you. He'd sit down and just start making things up as he went.

Advice: Always sit near the door.

Schubert: Piano Sonata in B Flat and Fantasia in C, Alfred Brendel, Piano

But his stuff was Pretty, Pretty Good.

Fantasia is quite nice with a lot of flourishes of melody and movement, but the real find here is the Sonata. 

Now, concertos and symphonies are great, but they also have lots of other instruments and it all can get rather busy. I'm a small combo guy, so I prefer sonatas, which are typically just one instrument. How do I remember which is which, you ask? With the following mnemonic device: S'not a lotta that extra bullshit.

And this one doesn't disappoint. While it's got the usual fussy parts, it also stretches out into some quiet, soulful territory, which is my sweet spot. Highly recommended.

A-

"Piano Sonata in B Flat"

Lieder of the Pack

But since this whole thing started as a comparison of songwriters, I knew I'd have to listen to, you know, actual songs. Or as Schubert insisted on calling them, lieder.

And given the way he cranked them about - about 600 - I didn't know where to start. And then the good old internet came through with an article on where to start.

But even that was too much, so I put on my consumer cap and looked for how to get the biggest bang for the buck. 

Schubert: Three Song Cycles: Die Schone Mullerin, Winterreise, Scshwanengesang - Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Gerald Moore

And it's quite the bang. Fifty-eight songs and nearly three hours worth. I really could have only gotten one but by getting all three I'm actually saving money.  What was I supposed to do, not get it?

While I waited for it to arrive, I tried to not keep a picture of sound in my head regarding what to expect. The main thing I wanted was some sweet melody and relaxed singing. Not some stuffed shirt huffing and puffing like he was ordering panzers into Poland.

And for the most part, that's what I got. Sure, it takes a bit of getting used to and there are moments when things get awfully...formal - I feel I have to change out of my pajamas before putting it on - but overall it's about the beauty. And there's a lot of it. There are parts that aren't great but at least I can hear what Franz is going for.

Of the three, I give Winterreise the edge.

A-

"Gute Nacht"

More Perspective:

And through the wonders of the internet - which has done so much to bring us all together by spreading accurate information - I found the following in a Wikipedia article about the White Album:

In The Observer, Tony Palmer wrote that "if there is still any doubt that Lennon and McCartney are the greatest songwriters since Schubert", the album "should surely see the last vestiges of cultural snobbery and bourgeois prejudice swept away in a deluge of joyful music-making".

Wow, that Tony Palmer really knew his shit.

The Notorious LVB: 1809-27

1809 - 1811: Me and LVB Take a Break From Each Other, Part One:

We last left off in 1808, and since all I've got left in my collection are the remaining symphonies - which don't pick up again until 1812 - I'd hate for you to think LVB or the world are taking it easy. So here are some chronologies to pore over: one for him and one for us.

But if you can't be bothered, I'll sum it up below:

1809: 

Us: Oh, not much. War is declared against France, so the French army invades Vienna

Him: Teaches music to Archduke Rudolphe and composes a string quartet, a few piano sonatas,  and a bunch of songs for various luminaries.

1810:

Us: France (thanks Napolean!) continues to invade everyone and their moms. The Germans respond by declaring the first-ever Octoberfest. (All agree they should have just stopped right there for the next two hundred years.)

Him: Presents 'The Letter for Elise' to Thérèse Malfatti, for whom he's got the hots. Having addressed his frontal area, he moves on to covering his posterior by continuing to writing tunes for big shots. 

1811:

Us: The King of England goes mad.

Him: He begins writing the seventh symphony

1812: The Seventh Symphony

So while the rest of the world is blowing up, LVB is writing another symphony. This time, he's back to four movements, probably because he realized that having five parts last time was a real a*hole move, even for him.

The first movement starts off with a Blam! I love the opening chord progression. Maybe it appeals to the plebes like me too much but that's okay. LVB's a plebe at heart. Just one who reached for the stars. 

Then two minutes in he's about to up the ante but then pulls back. Sly dog. But he's only setting us up because at five minutes he comes at us even stronger. And he keeps up the bobbing and weaving and boppity-bop rhythm for nine more minutes! Pastoral Schmastoral! LVB's back, baby!  

Is the second movement a funeral march? Not quite - it's got sort of a "Climb Every Mountain" vibe, but with horns instead of nuns - a switch that would have dramatically improved my childhood. 

In the third LVB cheers up, picks up the pace, and adds a rather snappy rhythm. 

In the fourth, he takes it up another notch but keeps things from getting too crazy. He must be on his meds. Ah, but then towards the end they wear off and he's his old crazy self as if to say it's the summer of Ludvig!! 

He conducts it the following year to celebrate the Brits kicking Nappy's ass.

A

"Lenny Number Seven"

1813: The Eighth Symphony:

Having proved he was no sissy last time, he's a little less of a dick now, but still thrashing when necessary. 

In the first movement, he tries to sound "stately" as if he owns a thousand acres, which he kind of does by now. But it still moves. 

The second is short and mellow. I can see putting this on for dinner guests.

The third gets regal, like he thinks he's the king. He was smart enough to not tell the actual king,  though.

The four is customarily fast - the typical Beethoven charge at the gates - nice but nothing amazing. 

And before you know it, it's over.  It's his shortest.  All in all, it feels like this one is made up of the parts that didn't make the last symphony. 

B+

"Lenny Number Eight"

1814 - 1823: Me and LVB Take a Break From Each Other, Part Two:

Then the man drops out for a while, taking a break from Symphonies and lots of other things.

Was it a Clapton break, involving substance abuse followed by long years of mediocre music? Nah. More like a Dylan motorcycle accident break where he (eventually) does the basement tapes once he gets better. 

But what was going on? Oh, let's see: his brother dies, he gets into a custody battle over his nephew and becomes very ill.

By 1820 he's finally composing more, including three piano sonatas, and he's already started on the Ninth Symphony.

1824: The Ninth Symphony 

He just HAD to go back to five movements.  Not only that, each one is loooooonnnnng. The whole thing runs about SIXTY-FIVE Minutes - at least half again as long as anything before it. 

We're in double album territory. Not The Beatles, mind you, which was over 90 minutes long. More like London Calling or Exile on Main Street. You know - double albums that come up a bit short time-wise but are great nonetheless. (Speaking of London Calling, what if LVB - instead of having that 5th movement - just had a hidden track at the end?)

And speaking of the Stones, do you find it as odd as I do that he finishes this with a chorus, kind of like "You Can't Always Get What You Want"? Typical of the Stones to take something meant to be so positive and shitting all over it just before heading on out to Altamont.

Two seconds in and it already feels bigger! (now, there's a sentence I never expected to write...) It moves - rhythmically, melodically, and dynamically - all over the place, and yet it holds together. It reminds me of "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" in the sense that it takes its time to make its point and expects you to sit there and wait.

It's like listening to a drunk guy in a bar who you think might take a slug at you. He's had a tough life and he's got to take it out on somebody.

The second movement opens with a theme everyone would recognize. Again the insistent rhythm, and, as usual, the rhythm and melody match perfectly. The drunk is angry and might strike out at any moment. By the end of it, I feel like I've done a few rounds with Ali. Float float float float float STING!! You get the idea. 

You finally get to rest in the third movement. The drunk has calmed down and LVB is taking his time. And after years of personal turmoil, he's got a lot to say. Who? Both of them.

The fourth grabs you again. You thought he'd mellowed out, didn't ya? No, he's still drunk and still knocking shit over. And still upset. But then he finally hits that happy stage and loves the world. 

And in the fifth, not only has he started singing, he wants the whole bar to sing with him, too. And they do!

I've gotta admit the singers are really wailing by the end of this one. And the orchestra keeps up with them. The ending combines the orchestral and vocal into what must have been an overwhelming climax. But that's also how I feel about "You Can't Always Get What You Want" which I'll admit I still prefer. 

He conducted it at the premiere, even though he was totally deaf.  When it was over, one of the singers had to turn him around so that he could at least see the audience going nuts.

And well, there it is. One of the "great albums" - snob that I am - that I never quite got comfortable with. I guess I liked his early stuff better before he became a big star and everyone else liked him.

But it's really really good.

"Lenny Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine..."

A-

1825 - 27: "...the love you take/make, etc..."

He continues to compose, even starting a tenth symphony. But he's getting ill again and family issues are taking their toll. 

When he passes away the funeral attracts 30,000, and among the pallbearers was that suck-up Franz Schubert. (We'll get to him eventually.)

So after all of this, I must REALLY LOVE Beethoven, right? Not exactly. 

I still a fan of rock 'n roll and pop music. I dip into classical music like I dip into reggae or the blues. I need a change, stay for a while and then go home.

I still love the Beatles, the Stones, and the Who more than any of the Big Three Bs of Classical Music - Beethoven, Bach, Mozart.  Why Mozart you say? 'cuz he's such a little Bitch.

Jk, it's really because it's Brahms, and despite having his Requiem, I can't say I'm up to him yet. (Remember the Jaybee motto: don't let facts/reality stand in the way.)

So I hope this exercise hasn't been a complete waste of time for you. I'm glad I did it because it forced me to listen to it all more closely, and I'm really glad I did.

So rock/pop will always be first, but if someone puts on any of the LVB music I've covered here, I'm going to really enjoy it.

Anyway, let's finish with this small piece you might know as "Schroder's Theme".  

RIP LVB.