Containing, among other things, my humble effort to bring my fellow sixty(ish) year olds up to date on some current, and frankly, not so current, pop music.
It was around late March or April before I decided that it was okay to listen to music again.
But the Musical Heritage Society wouldn’t wait – they just can’t help but send you a CD now and then, and around February, I got Mozart ’s “Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat Major/Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra in D Major” (I’m too out of breath to tell you who plays on it.)It’s a little more cheery than the classical music that I usually listen to.Party animal Wolfgang Amadeus just isn’t going to let you slit your wrists in the tub, even if you feel like it.
Right around then, one crisis was passing.But instead of feeling relief, I was tired.Another crisis was on its way, and I must have felt it coming.Life can wear you down, and although music can help, you can’t expect it to fix everything.Sometimes all it can do is slow down the process.
Even though, I’d actively searched out the Wrens “The Meadowlands”, after getting it I had a bout of buyer’s remorse, and decided to not expect much from it.When I heard the chiming guitars usually I love, I told myself Oh it’s just those chiming guitars you love. Big deal.The less-than-obvious lyrics promised to reveal more over time.But the print on the cover is just too small to read.Then there was the dynamic sound and overall energy.Well, okay.I guess that’s good, too.To this day, I’ll put this CD on and notice a song I barely listened to before, because it was near the end of the CD, and realize how good it is.The sheer generosity of the thing promised enjoyment for years to come.Ho hum. ---------------- Now playing: The Wrens - This Boy is Exhaustedvia FoxyTunes
A friend lent me a CD by the Beautiful South – the one with the wonderful “36D” and “Old Blue Eyes Is Back”, but since I tend to go to the source, I bought their first record, Welcome to The Beautiful South.Thisis another one of those pleasant sounding records with venomous lyrics.These guys love to barb their pretty tunes with lyrics about politics and murder.But you do hum along.
---------------- Now playing: The Beautiful South - Old Red Eyes is Backvia FoxyTunes
In the USA, Youssou N’Dour is known as ”that guy who sings real nice at the end of Peter Gabriel’s ‘In Your Eyes’”.(At least that was how I explained who he was, when someone asked me what CDs I got lately.Maybe it’s my fault.)To the rest of the world, he’s merely a superstar, so I figured it was time to try him out.“Nothing’s in Vain” is a pop record that just happened to be recorded in Africa.I normally pass on crossover attempts, but after several years, this still holds up quite well thank you very much.And it’s an ideal introduction to African music. ---------------- Now playing: Youssou N'Dour - Africa Dream Againvia FoxyTunes
You bought “Buena Vista Social Club”, so I wouldn’t have to.That freed me up to get a record by the bass player, Orlando Cachaito Lopez.It always surprises to me when bass players make great records.(I obviously know nothing about bass playing.)If you put a gun to my head, I’d guess it’s Cuban music, but I hear jazz and hip hop, too.It also falls into the “great night music” category.Whatever its genre, “Cachaito” is great music period. ---------------- Now playing: Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez - Redencionvia FoxyTunes
If I ever hoped to get a clue about African music, I knew I’d have to get something by Fela Kuti, who’s made, oh, about fifty albums.Another superstar virtually unknown in America (although now I see there’s an off-Broadway show about him), he’s made so much music, that it’s hard to figure out where to start.He’s even got a bunch of best-ofs.This one – “The Best Best of Fela Kuti” - solves the problem.This is hard-core African music – outspoken, political and brooding.Fela’s edited tracks run at least ten minutes apiece.This 2 CD set spans several decades.It is definitely not for your tea and crumpets crowd.(Maybe your burn down the house with the tea and crumpets people inside crowd, though.)
If CDs were priced by quality, Fountains of Wayne’s “Welcome Interstate Managers” - (link) one of the great albums of the decade – wouldn’t have been going for $2.99 at BMG.The guitar based pop and rock and roll goes down real easy, because the melodies stick, and the words are consistently smart and funny.It definitely cheered me up, and was one of the high points of that summer.The theme is white-collar working life.I can relate.Maybe you can too.Go ahead, treat yourself. ---------------- Now playing: Fountains of Wayne - All Kinds of Time via FoxyTunes
The election that year did nothing for my mood, so by the holidays, I went back into the past and got Benny Goodman’s “The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert”.It’s been on my lift of must buys for a while, and the scene in Phillip Roth’s The Human Stain where the narrator is listening to this record finally pushed me to the store. It’s obvious why this album is treasured by many, but I also realize that I’m not a big band fan, so I’m still waiting for this one to hit home.
And finally, for Christmas, Brian Wilson’s “Smile”, which wasa lot to ask of me, but just what I needed. This is just about the only record I can think of that could pull me out of the funk I was in.It’s got to be one of the most melodic records ever made.Are you a little hesitant to get a record that’s a bit off the Beach Boys-beaten path?Don’t want to be told to eat your vegetables?Think you’ve hear this before?Don’t let that stop you.Jump in.The water’s fine. ---------------- Now playing: Brian Wilson - Wind Chimesvia FoxyTunes
Loved:
Brian Wilson
Fountains of Wayne
The Wrens
Liked:
Youssou N’Dour
The Beautiful South
Orlando Lopez
I hadn’t remembered 2004 as a great year in music - I practically crawled to the end of the year.Now I can see that I just wasn’t responding to the good music I was hearing.
While the country was deciding to go to war again, I was too confused and overwhelmed to know what to think.Maybe everything I thought was wrong.
So I retreated into my first vice.But pop music wasn’t going to cut it, so I tried a different time and place - jazz and world music.
Although I usually need a few listens to get a grip on a new jazz record, I liked “The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume One” right away.Bud played piano during the advent of bebop, but rather than feel challenged by his music, I felt welcomed.So my first reaction was enjoyment, then wonder at how the hell he did it.I prefer this order of events to what usually happens with virtuosos – you appreciate them first and forget to get around to liking them.I’m usually cautious about recommending jazz, but this one if great, even for a non-enthusiast.
----------------Now playing: Bud Powell - Bouncing with Budvia FoxyTunes
On the same trip to the store, I picked up “Specialists in All Styles” by Orchestra Baobab.I know even less about world music than I do about world history, so when I heard the term Afro-Cuban music, I can only imagine an island in the middle of the Atlantic where these guys meet to play.These guys were stars in Senegal, broke up for twenty odd years, and then picked right up where they left off.The sharp guitar playing helps me get past the words I don’t understand.And again, it didn’t require any time to “get”.
----------------Now playing: Orchestra Baobab - Bul Ma Miinvia FoxyTunes
Now deluded into thinking I’d mastered these two genres, I overreached into classical.The Musical Heritage Society - having forgotten what a lousy customer I was in the eighties - wanted me back.The offer was so good I didn’t make them beg.I grabbed the buy-six-for-a-buck-a-piece offer and ran.
The first two discs were Elvis Costello-recommended requiems by Brahms and Mozart.Not party music, they’re both perfect for early mornings when it’s miserable out and your conscience is bothering you.Listening to them is like being locked in a church where the choir has taken over.And not the rollicking African American gospel type choir either.The solemn life sucks type, which was right up my alley.I still can’t tell one from the other, but I kind of like it that way.If they could wait hundreds of years for me to listen, I can give them a few spins.
Two more discs were comprised of Yo Yo Ma doing “Six Suites For Unaccompanied Cello by J.S. Bach” (link), or for you MASH fans, Ahhh Bach.Morning music.Solitude music.Sanctuary music.It’s functionally similar to the requiems, except that you’ve done nothing wrong.I rarely play it all the way through, but for whatever length of time you have it on, it’s like unplugging from this all too plugged-in world.I’m still trying to decide whether to file it under Y, M or B.
And finally, the last two were the Complete Rags of Scott Joplin.There is a – joy is too strong a word - serenity to this music that makes it irresistible.It functions in a similar way to the Bach Cello music.The former can bring you peace and the latter can point you to happiness.
----------------Now playing: Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf ragvia FoxyTunes
Gifts:
One of the downsides of family life is that one of those family members is bound to ask for a CD for Mother’s Day that you’d rather not have to listen to.Such was Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head”.In other words, not my idea.But my wife asked for it, and so she’s going to get it, right?Even if I think it’s going to pollute the record collection.(Hey, my records are carefully researched choices.)So I didn’t want to like it.But, you know, it wore me down.It was just different enough to entice me.The chord changes were less than obvious, and the textures varied enough to keep my interest.The vocals, not too wimpy (unlike too many of their later songs), and the words, ignorable.Even I’ve bought worse records.
----------------Now playing: Coldplay - God Put a Smile on Your Facevia FoxyTunes
Another would-be present was Shakira’s “Donde Estan los Ladrones?” which I thought was Spanish for “Laundry Service”, which is the other CD my wife asked for.Niente.This one came out before Shakira became a major crossover artist.Although it’s too commercial and generic, I admire how she drops in a rock and roll guitar here and there.
Ultimate Yardbirds was a Father’s Day present, and it was going to be my attempt at resolving my Eric Clapton/Jimmy Page/Jeff Beck issues, and finally get into a band that I just kept missing.And there’s no doubt that the band’s got it going on.Check out the live blues covers, like Smokestack Lightnin’, but the singer’s just not there. Your assignment: Compare and contrast:
----------------Now playing: The Yardbirds - Smokestack Lightnin'via FoxyTunes
It’s hard to believe it now, but while the world was going to hell, my immediate surroundings were becoming more pleasant.There’s nothing like a terrorist attack to make you appreciate the little things.
My memories of that summer are bittersweet, and The Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” represents it perfectly. (link).Instead of just being pretty, it’s also haunting and eerie.Wayne Coyne’s eerie voice singing "Everyone you know someday must die" seemed like a forewarning.And it was.
----------------Now playing: The Flaming Lips - Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell via FoxyTunes
The Drive-By Truckers are the first “southern rock” band I’ve had the slightest interest in for over thirty years.They emphasize songwriting over guitar histrionics.“Decoration Day” mixes Rolling Stones type guitar-crunch rock and roll with hard-edged country music.The songs are about disreputable people, and you get to hear their side of it.“My Sweet Annette”, about an elopement and a betrayal, is brilliant
---------------- Now playing: Drive-By Truckers - My Sweet Annette via FoxyTunes
Miles Smiles because he’s making a fool of me – this time by pushing his music in places I may never be.Check in with me in ten years, which is when I may have caught up with him.Sure.
Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” had won many Best Album awards the year before.I really liked their collaboration with Billy Brag on “Mermaid Avenue”, so I decided to try my first Wilco album.I found it weird, vague and pretensciouss - exactly what I normally like, but this time I wasn’t buying it.They were going for Big Star’s “Third” album vibe, but without enough hooks.And I prefer Alex Chilton’s voice to Jeff Tweedy’s.“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” is a great lead-off track, but it takes half the album before they reach that level again.So I put it aside for a while.A year later, during a very dark period, it was virtually the only thing I could listen to. ---------------- Now playing: Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart via FoxyTunes
Fall:
By my next trip to the record store I still hadn’t learned my lesson about balancing experimentation with enjoyment.
Arthur Blythe’s “Lenox Avenue Breakdown” is probably the best of the bunch.
This jazz record has a nice balance of accessibility and experimentation.The cuts are long and easy to get right away.The solos are sharp and never commonplace.
The Moldy Peaches take precociousness to new depths.You alternately want to hum along and then smack them.They’re very, very raw, talented and not interested in letting it go down easy.They force you into their little world, so it’s not for every occasion.Definitely pre-9/11 music, so I just don’t have the patience for it now.
James Carter’s “Conversin’ with the Elders” has a young saxophonist interpreting tunes from the masters.Not that I’m all that familiar with the originals, mind you.Although I have no reason to do so, I’m always surprised and disappointed when a jazz album doesn’t hit me right away.But here I was doing it again.But after several years, I think I can finally hear it.
For those of you who think Iggy Pop makes the end of western civilization official, I must admit that I agreed with you at one time.Having finally sampled his best-of “Nude and Rude” about ten years ago, and enjoyed it, I’ve since taken two dives into the deep end.The first, a few years back with “Fun House”, his second record with the Stooges, and this time with his third, “Raw Power”, which was produced by David Bowie.My version is remixed by Mr. Pop himself.The opener, “Search and Destroy”, is one of the most ferocious rock songs ever, and I can’t say anything else comes close to it.The primitive lead guitar playing seems detached from the context (ie, whatever tune is being played at the moment).This irritates some people.And let’s face it - we still wouldn’t introduce Iggy to our wives or daughters.But if you can get past all that, there’s a real primal joy to be had here.Followed, perhaps, by some hot monkey-love.
---------------- Now playing: Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroyvia FoxyTunes
One of the big disappointments of the trip was Chris Bell’s “I Am the Cosmos”.Chris was the co-founder of Big Star, who died a few years after he left the band.This posthumously released solo album was getting good press, so it seemed a natural.The main problem is Chris’s high voice, and the strain shows more than once.To be fair, there are some gems, like “Speed of Sound” and “You and Your Sister”, with Alex Chilton singing harmony.Talk about your warm Hollywood-type reunion-before-tragic–accident-moment.
---------------- Now playing: Chris Bell - You and Your Sister via FoxyTunes
Bad Moon Rising:
My wife further eroded the record collection with Enya’s “A Day without Rain”.One of the deeper mysteries of marriage is how I somehow conveyed to her to not play this CD around me.Yes, I am aware that many humans find this music to be good, and I accept that.But just look at that cover!She’s got a tail, for God’s sake!It merely proves what I’ve always suspected: she’s actually Ursula from the Little Mermaid.And her music is just the anesthetizing poison she sprays you with BEFORE SHE EATS YOU!!..........I’ve been told to stop it.Okay, I will, but no, I will NOT apologize to a fish.Or ever go near water again.I admit that some of this is pretty, but I refuse to be coerced into liking it.It works well in those Lord of the Rings-type movies, though.
She also got Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising”.There are at most four songs here that do anything for me at all.Bruce has his heart in the right place, but the subject is just too big for him, and the music is dated.
Some nice person got me “Johnny Cash: The Heart of a Legend”, one of those knock off best-ofs you find in your local big box store.It’s a shame that I already had almost every song on it.I’d give it away if it weren’t so damned good.
Crash:
And then - nothing.It all goes black.Sometimes things happen that even music can’t fix, even if you wanted to hear some.Besides, why poison the memory of the music with what was going on around it?
And that kind of busted up the year for me.I loved nothing unconditionally.
To most people, comfort music is what you already know and love, and you use it to make yourself feel better.For me, ideally, it’s something new, but easy to get into - a new, safe place to be.
And why not?If it isn’t the world going to hell, it’s stuff immediately around you.It was a year for either finding peace or going numb.Some people use drugs, I use music. So, what what's my poison, you ask?
Not the Strokes “Is This It?”, as good as it is.It’s just a little too…professional for me.Too much calculation and not enough joy.It’s good party music, but I only party every once in a while.
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Now playing: The Strokes - Soma via FoxyTunes
And not quite the White Stripes “White Blood Cells”, either, though it’s a better record.Like the Strokes, the Stripes play loud rock and roll, but it’s in a more raw and crazed way.Maybe a bit too much so for me at that time. ----------------
Now playing: The White Stripes - Now Mary via FoxyTunes
Neither record could help me through my post 9/11 winter blues.
Spring/Summer:
So I tried the dbs twofer “Stands for Decibels” and “Percussion”, which was very tuneful, but a little too light and cute.
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Now playing: The dB's - Neverland via FoxyTunes
Better was Sebadoh’s “Bake Sale”.Loud, lofi and rough – everything you should avoid during the summer.And yet, it was exactly what I needed.Pained, angry and finally resigned.Perfect.
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Now playing: Sebadoh - Together or Alone via FoxyTunes
Meanwhile, my wife tried out the “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack, which I find hilarious since she runs out of the house screaming whenever I play stuff like this.But, hey, it’s a good record.I like putting it on when she’s not looking, so when she gives me that “please take this sh-t off” look, I tell her it’s her record.It’s a wonder I haven’t been killed in my sleep by now.If you don’t hear from me, you know what happened.
I also got her Morrisey’s “Bona Drag” – a collection of his singles - since who can keep up with him since he left the Smiths anyway?And it’s good, too, but in that limited, Morrisey kind of way.I recommend 1991’s “Your Arsenal”.
Fall:
I decide to hedge my bets this year, so instead of the typical birthday splurge, I pick up a couple of more or less known quantities from BMG.First, there’s Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft” which I don’t love quite as much as “Time Out of Mind”.Only now do I actively enjoy it.
Luckily I hit paydirt with Old ‘97s “Satellite Rides”.This one restored my faith in music’s ability to bring post-9/11 joy.Granted, it was recorded before that blot on our memories, but it’s smart and tough enough to keep you from feeling guilty about loving it.
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Now playing: Old 97's - King of All the World via FoxyTunes
I also took the plunge into hip-hop with Run DMC’s “Raisin’ Hell”.This 1985 Rick Rubin produced record is Chuck D’s all time favorite, and is definitely old school.The following year, Rubin would produce the Beastie Boy’s very similar “Licensed to Ill”, which I prefer because of its many rock and roll samples.But Hell’s got “Walk This Way”.
And let’s not forget Lisa Simpson’s all time favorite: Miles Davis “Birth of the Cool”.Mine is an extended version, with additional live versions of several songs.Miles is taking it a little slower here - Charlie Parker damn near wore him out – but it still challenging to ears like mine.I find it preferable to some of his later records where he trots out the same four or five riffs every few minutes.
So off to the record store I go, and I get Black Supermarket Clash, which is a CD expanded version of their generous-enough-as-it-was EP ”Black Market Clash” from late 1980.You know, between double album “London Calling” and triple album “Sandinista!” that same year.I guess they had some extra time on their hands.BSMC now runs almost a full 80 minutes, and contains great early stuff like “Capital Radio Two”, “Jail Guitar Doors” “Gates of the West” and “Groovy Times”.It kind of drags a bit towards the end with the Sandanista out-takes, but it’s clear from this that they were titans.
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Now playing: The Clash - Groovy Times via FoxyTunes
I also finally broke down and got Nick Drake’s “Five Leaves Left”.When you get an early 70s folk record, you’re really taking your chances.You never know if the guy is going to be too whimsical, or too sensitive-in-order-to-get-laid.And this guy had all the usual buzz that I’d normally associate with lame actual music.Well it turns out that he’s every bit as good as I’d hoped.
And of course, I can’t seem to leave the record store anymore without picking up jazz.This time it was Sonny Rollins’ “Saxophone Collosus”, the title of which might imply the muscular, almost physical playing of a John Coltrane.Not so.Sonny’s touch here is lighter - too light for me to even hear for a few years.For easy listening fans who want, for once, to be cool.
Thanksgiving:
Another trip to the used CD store, and this time I found Elliot Smith’s “XO” and Old 97s “Fight Songs”.
You remember Elliot from the Oscars, don’t you?He was up for Best Song for “Miss Misery” from Good Will Hunting.It was a real kick seeing him sharing the stage, and looking like a homeless person, with Celine Dion.I’m surprised they didn’t call security on him.A cursory listen to “XO” reveals some very pretty music, but you might want to take a look at those lyrics. Pretty poison, but with all those Beatle references, very pretty.
“Fight Songs” came out before “Satellite Rides”, and it’s almost as good.It’s may even be more tuneful.It’s just not as consistent or energetic.It’s pretty rare these days when I double dip on a band so quickly, but that’s how much I like “Satellite Rides”. ----------------
Now playing: Old 97's - Busted Afternoon via FoxyTunes
Not bad accompaniment for the holidays.
Christmas:
It was time for more exploration, and again the past seemed the best place to be.
The first disc of "The Essential Johnny Cash" set is easily the best – minimal instrumentation, deep voice.“I Still Miss Someone” is one of the most beautiful songs of lost love we’ll ever hear. “Where You There When They Crucified My Lord?” had me checking my Blackberry to make sure I wasn’t.Disc two is quite good, but more standard commercial country music.The third disc has some covers, like the Stones’ “No Expectations” and Springsteen’s “State Trooper”.All in all, a great compilation.
Elvis Costello recommended the complete works of Duke Ellingtion because it’s a good thing to have around, just like the complete works of that Shakespeare guy. But who has the time or the money? Not me, so I settled for the "Highlights from the Duke Ellington Centennial Edition", which is only three discs. Like most great jazz artists, the Duke is a bit beyond me. And also like those greats, he keeps growing on me. And he’s great to drop into your random playlist, too.
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Now playing: Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Mood Indigo via FoxyTunes
The Best:
Satellite Rides – Old ‘97s
Hour of Bewilderbeast
The Almost Best:
Five Leaves Left
XO
Sebadoh
Thank god, I’ve finally gotten a couple of great ones from this decade.Things were finally looking up (musically and otherwise).At the beginning of the year – and a few times during it - I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to hear anything again.
In the cold January of 2001, what does one do with the balance left on his record store gift certificate?If you’re me, you get obscure depression era folk music – to cheer yourself up.
Okay, so maybe it's not party music, but I found great comfort in Harry Smith’sAnthology of Folk Music.Thissix CD set covers the odd - sometimes very odd - folk songs that floated around this great country of ours during the twenties and thirties.It kicks off with a singer who makes Grandpa Jones sound like Tom Jones.Of course, it’s about the perfidy of wimmin.From there, we get to thwarted love, misunderstood outlaws, murder and fiddles, in various combinations.The cast of characters includes Stagerlee, Frankie and Johnny, President Roosevelt (the second one), John Henry, King Kong and God.How do you feel about old people singing?I ask because everyone here sounds old.But I'll bet none of them were over twenty five at the time.And every once in a while, there’s the odd lyric you could swear you’ve heard before.And you did, because Bob Dylan “borrowed” it.
Valentine’s Day:
I somehow rated a present that year, and got Ken Burns’s Jazz – Charlie Parker.It’s easy to go wrong when trying to get a good compilation of a major jazz artist, butthissingle CDsounds fine to me.Parker was a brilliant improviser, with major chops, who, along with Dizzy Gillespie, revolutionized jazz.How did they even think of songs like “Koko” and “Salt Peanuts”, let alone play them? ----------------
Now playing: Charlie Parker - Salt Peanuts via FoxyTunes
Take This Job and Shove It:
Around this time I changed jobs, and decided to stamp this major life event with new music.(I did something similar when I tried my first slice of anchovie pizza, and got Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies.)
Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew had beencalling out to me since it came out in 1970.I held off because I suspected that it would be one of those albums whose reputation was greater than the actual music.Overrated, for short.I can’t possibly appreciate it for what it represents in the evolution of jazz.It’s kind of like trying to appreciate sound pictures when you didn’t live through the silent era.So, yes, to my ears it’s overrated, and you can get a shorter, sharper sampling of similar music on the great A Tribute to Jack Johnson.
Then there was the Fugees’ The Score, which was a bit out of my reach at the time.Stressful times call out for soothing, familiar music.The Fugees were neither, and so I put it aside.Now, eight years later I’m hearing it more, but neither cover (“No Woman No Cry”, “Killing Me Softly”) sounds different enough from the originals for me to care much.Good, not great.
Earth Wind and Fire’s Greatest Hits - If you asked me what type of music I didn’t like in the 70s, this would be it.Rhythm, horns, a male vocalist singing in a high register, style, commercial appeal, etc. - all no-nos for an awkward teenager like me.But this isn’t bad at all, their version of “Got To Get You Into My Life” notwithstanding.“September” is simply undeniable.If you don’t like it, check your pulse.And the rest is much better than I ever realized.
Father’s Day:
I invoked the rule “have someone else buy something for you that you may never get around to getting on your own”.This resulted in Nirvana’s “Unplugged”, whichis a good record with some great moments, but only “On a Plane” offers something different from the original version.“Where Did You Sleep?” is the grim highlight at the end.Miss you, Kurt.
The Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers”held up very well, even if I didn’t need to hear “Brown Sugar” or “Bitch” ever again.“Sway” and “Dead Flowers” are great, “Moonlight Mile” is a classic, and “Wild Horses” just never seems to tire out.
The Calm at Labor Day:
So there I am in my favorite downtown record store, only up to the B’s when a bunch of firemen burst in.Oh no, I’m thinking, how hot and smoky would it have to get before I aborted?It turned out to be a smoke condition down the block, so I got back to my obsession.
Two weeks later, these very same firemen would get a call that would be anything but routine.Did even one of them make it out alive, I wonder?But in the meantime, I, not knowing what was about to come, really enjoyed playing the CDs I got.
Like the gentle folk and noisy guitar extremes of Yo La Tengo’s “Electro Pura”, which is almost as good as their masterpiece “I Hear the Heart Beat As One”. ----------------
Now playing: Yo La Tengo - Tom Courtenay via FoxyTunes
Then there was David Bowie’s “Hunky Dory” (link) a pop record from before his stateside fame.
Van Morrison’s “Bang Masters” is okay, but it’s really just an awkward stepping stone between Them and “Astral Weeks” (which I’m still waiting to be remastered).
And although I don’t think you can ever have too much noisy guitar, Archer’s of Loafs’s “Vee Vee” and Sleater Kinney’s “Dig Me Out” made me rethink my position.While both are good, neither could quite win me over.The latter was a particular disappointment since I’m a big fan of their previous one “Call the Doctor”.
Massive Attack’s “Protection” opens with the fantastic title song, but the rest of the record just can’t keep up.It averages out to pretty good, but the strings bug me. Better was Tricky’s subsequent soundscape “Maxinquay”, which offers no hint of salvation.
Thelonius Monk’s “Brilliant Corners” is considered the one to get by him.It’s very good, but I have several others records by him that I like even more.(Misterioso!)
But the one that got me through the time after those first two weeks was the wonderful, spacey voice and chimy guitars of Luna’s “Penthouse”.(link)What was pretty before 9/11, also seemed regretful and resigned after it.Perfect for 9/12.And I wouldn’t be able to listen to anything else for a while.(Hell, I heard a guy blasting Enya out of his car that week.Even I couldn’t blame him.)
It took a pre 9/11 BMG order, arriving in late September for me to finally get a CD that came out this decade – Outkast’s “Stankonia”, which is a perfect example of music that isn’t in my favorite genre (hip hop) but that even I can tell is great.This fast, funny, wordy and often thoughtful CD is what I put on when I’m in the mood to take on a difficult book. (link BOB, Ms. Jackson)
My wife had to console herself with Andrea Bocelli, and if you have to as well, please get Sogno, and not that power ballad collection disguised as Euro-sophistication Romanza.Christ.
Thanksgiving:
John Coltrane’s Blue Train was a disappointment at first because the title track turned out to not be that amazing song I heard on the radio twenty years ago (which I’m still trying to track down).But I’m past it now, and this is a very good record - as good a place to start getting into Coltrane as “My Favorite Things” which I got at the end of the year.Some day I’ll find that song…
Then there was Iris Dement’s “My Life”, which my family can’t stand because of Iris’s country vibrato and the traditional-type melodies that scare off the city folk.Otherwise, it’spractically flawless.But it takes an effort, and I’ve got enough to do around the holidays. But if you're feeling like you don't matter in this world, listen to the title song.
Christmas:
So I retreated to comfort music, and replaced some vinyl, by getting the Velvet Underground’s “Peel Slowly and See” and CitizenSteely Dan for Christmas.
The surprising thing is that I gravitated to Steely Dan, instead of the Velvets.Considering that the former set had virtually no new music on it, you'd think I would have tired of it quickly.But it was the latter, with the extra, and often unnecessary, new stuff that put me off.And how could they leave off the official live double album, and "She's My Best Friend", one of their greatest songs?And did we really need a whole CD of demos of five songs?On the other hand, the remainder is some of the greatest rock and roll ever made.
I guess I was priding myself that my black-as-ink outlook would enable me to handle the infamous subject matter of both bands.Not so.Steely Dan was practically sweet in comparison.And as much as I wouldn’t admit it, I needed sweet.
The Best:
Anthology of Folk Music
Luna - Penthouse
Yo La Tengo-Electro Pura
Charlie Parker
Two years into Our Decade and I’ve only gotten one record – Outkast - actually released in it.And I admire that record more than I love it.I guess there were worse things at the time, like the f’ing world coming to an end.
For some reason, I just wasn’t getting any new music for the first few months of 2000.This was probably due to and end of decade record buying binge that then caused me to swear off of them for a while.It wasn’t until the Memorial Day that I felt like picking anything up.Mmm, where to start?How about a couple of Village Voice Pazz and Jop winners for 1999?
Belatedly starting the musical decade off with a bang, The Magnetic Fields three disc set “69 Love Songs” completely monopolized my CD player for the entire month of June.And not just because there was a lot of it.It was so good I had no desire to hear anything else. ----------------
Now playing: The Magnetic Fields - All My Little Words via FoxyTunes
Poor Moby, who’s “Play” just wasn’t for that month.And yet, by the time I got around to it, I found it to be, if anything, even more remarkably consistent than 69.You’ve definitely heard some of this, even if only on commercials.
Around the same time, my wife wanted to play her students an example of scat singing.So, what would be better than Ella Fitzgerald’s “75th Birthday Celebration”?That lesson lasted one day but we’ve still got this wonderful two disc set.It’s not for every occasion, but it is just exotic enough to pull you out of an otherwise ordinary day.
Summer:
Later that summer, we caught Blue Man Group, and picked up their first record, “Audio”.If you haven’t seen BMG yet, you should check them out.They’re a lot of fun, and the record stands quite well on its own.
Then came my annual birthday run, which is kind of like an orgy, except that instead of women, there are CDs.(Hey, the first step is knowing you have a problem.)This time around, I got a little too ambitious.
I figured Hole’s “Live Through This” would be my ace in the hole, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations.It turned out to be a typical “record that everyone liked, and even you liked what you heard on the radio, but once you bought it you thought it was really not such a big deal”.It’s quite good, just not great.Courtney can scream really great, though.
Then there was jazz, like Cecil Taylor’s “Unit Structures” which is the type of record I buy when I’m in the grip of one of my “I can listen to any kind of music no matter what” delusions.It is surely one of the wildest records I’ve ever gotten. It’s like being locked in a room with a band that happens to be high, and mad as hell.I put it on when I feel that my soul has been crushed and I need something that will scatter all the pieces, or on beautiful summer days when I’m just not with the program.Another “put it on to get rid of the company” record.
When trying to decide on which Charles Mingus record to start with, I choose “MingusAh Um” - the one with the pretty cover. At first, it was just a bit out of reach at the time – despite the so infectious I can’t believe I’m hearing it “Better Get Hit in Your Soul” - but over the years, it’s grown on me, and is now one of my favorite jazz records. ----------------
Now playing: Charles Mingus - Better Get Hit in Your Soul via FoxyTunes
Aphex Twin’s, ambient, well “Selected Ambient Works, Volume II” was the polar opposite of Cecil Taylor, and as such is the type of record that – when company is over – is likely to elicit remarks like “one of your speakers must be out”.It’s similar to one of my all time favorite records – Eno’s “Another Green World”, but way drier.For devotees of sensory deprivation, which is what I must have needed in 2005, because I played it a lot at the time.
Somewhat similar (but boy does that somewhat make a difference!) is Kraftwerk’s “Trans Europe Express”.Leave it to the Germans to come up with something robotic, yet catchy.
And how could I leave out world music?I traveled to Africa (well, that section of the record store, anyway) for Mzaki Mbili’s “Resistance is Defense”.There’s a great sounding guitar throughout the album, but that’s part of the problem.The whole album sounds like one catchy song.Good, but too repetitive.
Next time I have to remember to balance things out a bit more. But, hey, I figured that I had the law of averages working for me.
Thanksgiving:
Leave it to my Thanksgiving run to save the day.I had been flirting with the local used CD store for a while, but feared that I’d get burned.But this time I took the plunge and came up with one great, and one worthwhile, record.
First, there was Randy Newman’s brilliant, hilarious, dark, profane “Faust”.Musically, it was perfect for the holiday season.Thematically, it couldn’t have been more perverse.This is the only context where I can accept James Taylor as God.Randy’s the devil, of course.Bonnie Raitt does the great “Feels Like Home” and Linda Ronstadt doesn’t annoy me. ----------------
Now playing: Bonnie Raitt - Feels Like Home via FoxyTunes
I remember putting Robin Holcomb’s first record on repeat one late night at work. It played about six times before I left.It’s quiet, slow and jazzy, and maybe a little too much of all of these things.But good to listen to when miserable, which I am from time to time.
Christmas:
And finally, when I got a gift certification to my favorite record store I thought I died and went to heaven.It was time for a major plunge into something new (by which I mean old), and this time I chose Louis Armstrong.I found his “Complete Hot Fives and Sevens” and the more wide ranging “Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man”.Both are 4 CD box sets.I went deep with the former, because the box was smaller!This music is now 80 years old, and I still can only wonder what it sounded like to people at the time.It must have been comparable to heavy metal in its shear size.I love to just take one of the CDs at random and plop it into the player.I’ll probably never get to the bottom of it all.
Okay, summer’s kinda over.Time for me to get off my ass and take a look at this musical decade.You know, to avoid the Christmas rush.
Be a stickler if you like, and tell me it won’t be over until the end of 2010, but I’m not buying it. For me, it’s 2000 through 2009, so if you disagree, let’s just agree that you’re wrong.Hey, I need the extra time, since I’m, almost by definition, at least a year behind, and many dollars short.
I guess there’ll be a My Decade aspect to this, which covers the CDs I got this decade, regardless of when they came out, and an Our Decade, which is limited to what was released this decade, at least the miniscule portion I heard.Who cares, you ask?Good question.It would be miraculous if either My or Ours bore any relation to Yours.
Now if you have no life and take an unwarranted interest in my opinion, please don’t write me an outraged email about how I’m a socialist because I didn’t mention your favorite album.I probably didn’t even hear it.And if I did, and just didn’t get it, who cares?
But if you want to tell me about a great album that I missed, fine.I’m showing you mine - you might as well show me yours.I can always add it to my amazon.com wish list, and my wife’ll get it for me for Christmas.(Because it’s all about me, you see.)But keep in mind what kinds of music I seem to like (to your right) and not like.Metal, for instance.I don’t get metal.I don’t like metal.Unless it’s a quintessential “metal album that non-metal heads will love”, don’t bother.
By the way, if you have a suggestion about what to call this decade, I’m all ears.I still don’t know.(The Aughts?The Oughts?)
And the more I look at it, I may in fact be at least a decade, and perhaps a century, behind, since I seemed to have spent the earlier part of this one catching up with the latter part of the last one.I suspect I’ll continue along this way, catching up with the last century whenever possible.Which pretty much means jazz, which ended in 1965 by the way.(Just kidding.)I had been getting into classical music but I kept getting beat up by the other kids.Now that I’m bigger, I’ll try again.
