Discography - Week 49

Cyndi and I have made it back, safe and sound and reasonably sane, from our latest adventure.  I snapped this picture of her strolling on the beach in Mumbai, which allowed her to add another entry to her 50 for 50 project (although she still refuses to include it all in a blog), in this case dipping her feet into the Indian Ocean.  She didn't actually swim, because, well, it's the ocean off of Mumbai and it's a cesspool, but you get the idea.

And we've reached our final (at least for this round) Thematic Week.  For sometime we've been talking about a Thematic Week when we would revisit one or more of our fellow plenipotentiaries' songs and commentaries.  We're commenting on a noted musicologist's earlier musings, either refuting their opinions or championing their musical acumen or just talking about how much they love/hate the song.

Gary Beatrice

The Clash/Vince Taylor and the Playboys, Brand New Cadillac:

In week 37 Dave Kelley wrote eloquently about the Clash's cover of Brand New Cadillac from London Calling (which is, in my humble opinion, the greatest album ever). I agree with everything Dave said and I couldn't have said it any better than he did. But I want to add a couple points.

First of all, as Dave and I commented previously, one of the wonderful ironies of the song, made especially clear in Joe Strummer's shout "Jesus Christ! Where did you get that Cadillac?", is that the car means more to singer and girlfriend than their relationship ever did.

But the second point I want to make is that this: like the Clash's earlier brilliant cover of "I Fought The Law", this is a cover of a rockabilly song. Listen to the original, which is damn good. I've never heard it discussed but somebody in the Clash was a roots rock fan. I don't know if young Clash fans went back and discovered country music through their covers, as young Stones fans discovered the blues through Stones covers, but given how many alt country and Americana fans claim the Clash as an influence, it is possible. At the very least this English punk band helped to make country music safe for future rockers, which is yet another testament to this band's brilliance.

Dave Wallace

The Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin' Stone

To finish up soul month, I'm picking a song that Dave Kelley previously chose (and did an excellent job writing about).  The Temptations are arguably the greatest soul group of all-time and its most enduring.  As the group transitioned into the 70's, their vocal mainstays (David Ruffin, Eddie Kendrick) had left the group, and their music became more socially conscious, reflecting the current trends.  This approach peaked with Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, in which the sons gather around the deathbed of their father and deliver an unforgiving assessment of his life.  While there are a number of different versions, I've linked to the original 12-minute version (which may be more Papa than some people want!).  There are so many fantastic things about this song - the ominous bassline, the use of strings, the different lead vocal performances, the handclaps!

Kathy Seiler

I wasn't going to do a post this week because I have absolutely no business judging anyone's else's take on music, at least in my own mind. But then tragedy happened and a previous post came to mind. The post I comment on is that of my own beloved, copied below:

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Phillip Seiler, Week 37 (New Year's Eve)

It seems like a good year for contemplation and reflection and what better way to experience that then through music. There was a tremendous amount of great music this last year (and has there ever been a year with two exceptional albums from artists in the year of their death like this one?) But the album that most infected me this year was Darlingside's "Birds Say". Darlingside is an all string band from the Boston area with layered, harmonic vocals. The album is beautiful and my favorite track is the finale, "Good For You" but that is not the song I am writing about today. 

Instead, I am reminded, as I search around youtube, that a great song can be made even better by a great video.

Darlingside, God of Loss

I love this song. It has a beautiful, simple message and the vocals are perfect as is the tempo. But the video takes it to an entirely different level. Perfect in its simplicity. Perfect in its story. Great art transcends. Just watch and enjoy...or weep as I did.

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So first, I can't say that 2016 was a particularly awesome music year in my world. The most memorable music from 2016 for me was discovering the Hamilton soundtrack, which is quite an ear worm. It's MixTape followup was not nearly as good. 

I just stole Darlingside's "Birds Say" album from Phil's music library a month ago or so. It's got a folky vibe to it, with vocals that I would call more "airy" than anything else. Reminds me a little of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" vocally and generally the songs on the album all sound too much alike to make me love it. But it's good background music for me.

There is something oddly compelling about the God of Loss song, and the video Phil linked to absolutely WRECKED me the first time I watched it. I sobbed, literally for almost an hour, feeling the woes of the previous year (of which there were more than I care to admit) break open the emotional dam holding them back. I looked up the lyrics and couldn't figure out what they actually meant. I will note that Phil didn't say what he thought they meant either. So of course I went to the great oracle Google to see if it could enlighten me. It didn't help much, but referred me to the fact that the song was inspired by the book "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy, which sounds like it might have too many descriptive words for someone like me.

But then this week happened. A close friend of my 18 year old son (also 18 years old) died extremely suddenly. There have been many conflicting stories on what actually happened, which bothers me immensely. I know that as a result of his sudden death, he was an organ donor. This kid was smart, charming, full of potential, and made some bad decisions at times like many young men do. He spent many days and nights at our house over the years and would make fun of how many different kinds of cheeses we had in our refrigerator, which immediately endeared him to me.  I constantly told him he'd better go to college because he was going to get a scholarship and he was motivated. And I'm pretty sure I threatened to kick his ass if he didn't. He promised me he would. I found out this week he'd interviewed at Dartmouth and was awaiting their decision.

I found out Monday night that he had passed away that afternoon. The universe, in its wisdom, made the God of Loss song come on during my drive to work on Tuesday morning. And of course, I barely made it into work through the tears. And as much as the video made me weep the first time, the words alone made me weep this time. 

I'll be no outlaw

No renegade

Just your faithful

God of Loss

This tragic death brought home these words not for their beauty but for their truth. Loss just...is. You can rely on it. There's nothing really all that dramatic about it, but it's the thing we know we don't like, that we pretend isn't there. So we feel like it jumped us in an alley when it happens.

So while Phil might not have told me what the words meant, and the song did not bring me comfort this week, I am grateful for being made aware of it. It made me remember that feeling deep hurt and pain is what it is to be alive. And that loss reminds us how precious and painfully short life can be.

Phillip Seiler

This was a difficult assignment our host presented us. As I dug back through the blog I was reminded of so many great songs that people posted on. This song and post deserve amplification though.

In week 28, Miranda posted on Tracey Chapman's song Fast Car. Her post started: 

"Tracy Chapman, Fast Car

As a kid I loved this song. I liked the idea of riding in a fast car and feeling liked I belonged. I paid little attention to the verses, despite knowing all of the words and singing along. The music is simple yet rich, and it resonates. It is a great song, musically - catchy and moving at the same time. You don't have to study it to enjoy it. "

I remember when this song came out and I am fairly certain I rushed to buy the album after first hearing it, struck by the same feelings Miranda describes. (Most likely, I saw it first as MTV was still a source for music that might not get airplay elsewhere.) And the whole post just gets better and better examining this little pearl of a song. 

What I really like about the commentary is the examination of the roll of fiction in confusing our perceptions as humans. Miranda rightly points out that the turning points in literature, movies, and even songs are rarely as obvious as portrayed. We except this as necessary for dramatic effect, of course. "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out" quipped Hitchcock but hidden there is also the realization that turning points come and go on a regular basis. Yet even if they are not enacted upon, others often do come. But how we feel in those moments, both when we act and when we do not. Oh, that is the real stuff. 

This has all been buzzing around my brain over the last few months in observing our current political situation. I am sure I am not the first to realize this but the remarkable thing about preventing the next holocaust is you will almost certainly have no idea that you did prevent it since it will not have happened. And worse, many people will think you a crank for ever suggesting things were going to be that bad. So even if you do recognize that this moment is literally that leave or live and die this way moment, no one else may ever believe you. How lonely is that? 

Dave Kelley

Return with me now to the halcyon days of the Spring of 2016.  We had a sane president, the Cubs had not yet had a World Series title since 1908, and every day did not bring another attack on the moral underpinnings of our great country.  A tremendous music blog was introduced into the ether, and the domestication of cats and dogs continued unabated.  A youthful idealist from Indiana made his first post...........

"Lookout Mountain"  Drive By Truckers

The Truckers sing about class in a way that virtually no one else does.  All three of their songwriters at the time they released "The Dirty South" very much come from a Southern progressive background, and the characters that populate their songs are very specific to the region.  It is ironic that, much like Springsteen's working class Jersey protagonists, many of the folks The Truckers sing about probably would vote for Republicans in general and Trump in particular.  The modern economy has left many behind, and many of those white working class folks feel angry and marginalized.  Sadly they sometimes fall for the siren song of the conservative Republicans and vote against their own economic interests.  If "What's the Matter With Kansas" were written today it would be entitled  "What the Fuck is Wrong With America!"

"Lookout Mountain" is just a great, powerful, angry guitar song.  At times DBT reminds me a great deal of Crazy Horse, and I would cite this song as a prime example of that.  Typically I focus on the music to this song more than the lyrics.  I am not usually contemplative when playing air guitar, air drums, or both at the same time.  (I am that crazy talented!!!)  When thinking about what to do this week I scrolled back through all of the songs everyone has posted.  I blasted this one at top volume a few times in my car and found myself listening to the lyrics in the context of a world gone Trump.  Sadly, I think the character singing the song may have a "Make America Great Again" hat on top of his head.  The duality of "The Southern Thing." 

Going back through the prior posts reminded me again of how great this blog has been.  I know we are nearing the end of our year and hope that we resume at some point after taking a well deserved break.  The blog has introduced me to some great music I did not know, made me think about familiar songs in a new way, and surprisingly served as a form of therapy during very difficult times for our country.  The only downside is that I may forever be linked to "Wildfire" in the mind of some friends.  Oh magical horse, carry me away to a world without Trump!!!    :)

Gary Scudder

On Week 43 the esteemed Dave Kelley wrote the following:

"Oh the good old days of the 1990's when our biggest worry about shenanigans in The White House was illicit blowjobs.

Dwight Yoakam, A Thousand Miles from Nowhere

My choice this week is "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere" by Dwight Yoakam.  An heir to the Bakersfield sound, Dwight made some great music in the 90's.  There is nothing much to say about this song other than it is fantastic.  His voice is excellent, and I love the guitar sound.  It was also featured in "Red Rocks West" which was a great movie."

I don't know if I have anything profound to say in opposition to Dave's points, although I would like to take the opportunity to propose that whoever convinced Lara Flynn Boyle to undergo plastic surgery should be tried for war crimes.  My only criticism of Dave's posting is that I think he damned the song by faint praise.

However, and more importantly, Dwight Yoakam's A Thousand Miles from Nowhere is easily one of my top ten favorite all-time songs.  America is about many things, but it's also about space and isolation.  Over a century ago the historian Frederick Jackson Turner spelled out his frontier thesis, which essentially stated that what made America America was not the east coast or the Puritans or Jamestown or the tie to England but rather it was the frontier, because it inculcated in folks true independence and freedom and democracy.  Turner's point then was that the most recent US survey had shown that the frontier was complete, which also allowed him to ask the question of what would this mean for the American sense of self.  It's a theory that's often disputed, although I still think there's a grain of truth in it, and it explains why we were still adding state in the 1950s and going to the moon in the 1960s and why we tend to love governmental programs with names like the New Frontier - and it also explains why Trump's isolationist policies are not only foolish but also, I would suggest, un-American in the purest sense of the word. And although Hamlet might have proposed that he could be bound in a nutshell and count himself a king of infinite space were it not that he had bad dreams, we as Americans can't stand to be bounded at all (which makes the gated community such an abhorrent concept).  I think it's why John Ford's use of silhouette shots from inside doorways works so well at the beginning and end of The Searchers, because it juxtaposes so brilliantly against wide open space (warning: film whore alert).   Anyway, I would argue that few songs speak to the sense of space and isolation, both geographic and emotional, than Yoakam's A Thousand Miles from Nowhere. 

She was brilliantly cast in Red Rock West, especially coming on the heels of playing such a nice girl on Twin Peaks.  OK, this has nothing at all to do with our Discography discussion, but I've always liked this picture.  Oh, and you can always tell if someone's Mom was reading or watching Doctor Zhivago when they were pregnant if they choose Lara over Laura.