Yes, we've moved into December, and that means we've entered into Dave Wallace All-Christmas All-the-Time Mode (for those of you new to the blog be prepared, we start celebrating early in these parts). Miranda and Kathy will be soon to follow, and then peer pressure will impact the rest of us.
And speaking of Christmas, I'm going to go ahead and announce the next thematic week, which will be Week 15. Both Cyndi and Alice have submitted great thematic proposals, but I'm using my near unlimited power as Discography Commissioner to push them off a month (although they are both better options than this one). In Week 15 we're having our first Secret Santa week. You have to choose a song for another member of our crew. I actually drew names out of a hat in true Secret Santa fashion (much like I practice drawing names out of a hat for our fantasy football league draft, at least until I get the first pick) but the match-ups were clunky (essentially, people who barely knew each other were responsible for swapping songs) so instead I'm going to leave it free form. Just pick another Discography participant and send them a song (well, send it to me, but you know what I mean). It's doesn't have to be a holiday song, but that's up to you. Yes, I know this means that some people (like me) will end up with a rock (no songs), but we're all adults (well, except for Alice) and we'll survive.
Oh, and while I'm discussing blog info, I have to make another seemingly gentle but actually annoying request. I'll be out of the country from 30 December through 14 January, so as we get later in the month it would help if you folks would send along a couple weeks early. Essentially, it's Weeks 18 and 19 that are impacted (and potentially Week 17, although we're not leaving to head off to the airport at Boston until noon).
I always enjoyed talking to Dave's father, Tom Wallace. Tom
treated me and Dave's other friends as his friends. We talked about things like
music. I love my parents without question, but I'd never talk much to my
parents about music. But Tom took rock seriously, much like he and Dave's
friends did. And we discussed music "issues" that I wouldn't think to
discuss with other adults.
For example Tom and Dave debated what the two greatest back to back songs on an album were. If I remember accurately Dave argued in favor of Springsteen's "Born To Run"/"She's The One" while Tom preferred The Who's "BaBa O'Reilly"/ "Bargain". I'd have argued for the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane"/"Rock'N'Roll" had I been cool enough to hear those songs when I was 20.
But the point is Tom treated us as adults and treated our interests, popular music for example, as a subject worth discussing.
And not only is the Velvet's Rock'N'Roll one of the greatest back to back songs on an album (in my much cooler grown up opinion) but it remains the greatest song ever about rock 'n'roll.
Although
MJB’s lyrics are more directed at relationship drama, the video is more
general. The intro music on this song being from a soap opera theme is nothing
short of brilliant. I love the crescendo of singing at the end – almost
frantic, screaming, just pure raw emotion. And there’s something about the rant
that brings the control back.
Scott is a tremendous writer and guitar player that should be
much more well known than he is.
Marvin Gaye, God Is Love
Long before I was a person of faith (although I suspect I always fell into the classic American category of "spiritual but not religious") I loved this song. It's a very simple celebration of faith, with the reminder that all God (he/she/it/they) wants is for us to love each other. Plus, Marvin Gaye was simply the coolest fucking singer in the world. I suspect I'm also thinking about this song because I dragged my junior Dar al-Islam: Yemen class to the Islamic Society of Vermont, our local mosque, yesterday. Happily, a couple of them brought friends, and four of my first year students came along just because they thought it sounded like an interesting experience (I always try to inspire my students, especially the first year ones, to go to every film and speaker on campus). They all had a good time, and actually seemed to enjoy the experience. One of my juniors proposed that it was "disarmingly ordinary," which is not a bad revelation. Even if all my students drew from the experience was that Islam is just another dumb religion I'll take that as a win in our increasingly Islamophobic country.
And speaking of Christmas, I'm going to go ahead and announce the next thematic week, which will be Week 15. Both Cyndi and Alice have submitted great thematic proposals, but I'm using my near unlimited power as Discography Commissioner to push them off a month (although they are both better options than this one). In Week 15 we're having our first Secret Santa week. You have to choose a song for another member of our crew. I actually drew names out of a hat in true Secret Santa fashion (much like I practice drawing names out of a hat for our fantasy football league draft, at least until I get the first pick) but the match-ups were clunky (essentially, people who barely knew each other were responsible for swapping songs) so instead I'm going to leave it free form. Just pick another Discography participant and send them a song (well, send it to me, but you know what I mean). It's doesn't have to be a holiday song, but that's up to you. Yes, I know this means that some people (like me) will end up with a rock (no songs), but we're all adults (well, except for Alice) and we'll survive.
Oh, and while I'm discussing blog info, I have to make another seemingly gentle but actually annoying request. I'll be out of the country from 30 December through 14 January, so as we get later in the month it would help if you folks would send along a couple weeks early. Essentially, it's Weeks 18 and 19 that are impacted (and potentially Week 17, although we're not leaving to head off to the airport at Boston until noon).
Gary Beatrice
Velvet Underground, Rock and Roll
For example Tom and Dave debated what the two greatest back to back songs on an album were. If I remember accurately Dave argued in favor of Springsteen's "Born To Run"/"She's The One" while Tom preferred The Who's "BaBa O'Reilly"/ "Bargain". I'd have argued for the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane"/"Rock'N'Roll" had I been cool enough to hear those songs when I was 20.
But the point is Tom treated us as adults and treated our interests, popular music for example, as a subject worth discussing.
And not only is the Velvet's Rock'N'Roll one of the greatest back to back songs on an album (in my much cooler grown up opinion) but it remains the greatest song ever about rock 'n'roll.
Dave Wallace
Brian
Setzer Orchestra - Hey Santa!
For
those of you who participated in the blog last year, you may remember that I
love Christmas music, but I have strict rules for listening to it. I play
Christmas music only between Thanksgiving and Christmas and, during that time,
I only listen to Christmas music. So, with those ground rules, this is
the start of a month's worth of Christmas songs for the blog. I'll begin
with Brian Setzer, who has found a second (third, fourth?) career as a big band
leader that has some rock overtones. With his big band orchestra, Setzer
has recorded three Christmas albums, all of which are pretty great if you like
that sort of thing (which I do). I had the pleasure of seeing Setzer roll
through Cincinnati with his big band for a holiday show a couple of weeks, and it
was the most flat out fun that I've had at a concert in quite a while. He
obviously was having a great time, his band was huge and fantastic, and they
did a variety of holiday and non-holiday numbers. I highly recommend
checking out his show if you get a chance. I've chosen Hey Santa from
Setzer, one of his most up-tempo holiday songs.
Kevin Andrews
Jon
Hendricks passed away on November 22, he was 96. Jon was a master of vocalese,
a singing style that mimicked a jazz horn solo, and all around Swinging Cat. He
was the swinging-est of the Swinging Cats. He and his partners Dave Lambert and
Anne Ross comprised Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. They recorded in the late ‘50s
and early ‘60s. There are some excellent stories in two of his Obits
here, NYT, WaPo if you’re
interested. Here’s a look at some of the original songs they adapted, their
adaptation, and their influences.
Centerpiece was originally named Keester Parade recorded by
CyTouff in 1956. The LH&R version is based on a solo by Harry
“Sweets” Edison. Here he is performing with Colman
Hawkins in 1964. His solo adapted with lyrics by LH&R is here.
Twisted was written by Anne in 1952 and originally performed
with King Pleasure who is widely acknowledged as one of the first vocalese
artists. It’s based on a solo by Wardell Grey recorded with the Count
Basie Orchestra in 1949. The LH&R version was released in
1960. I love how, at the end of the verse, when Anne sings “they thought I was
crazy but I’m not” Jon and Dave come in with, Oh no!, Oh no?
Astute
readers may know these songs from the covers by Joni Mitchell who claims to
have sung all of their songs as a young girl. Al Jarreau and Mahattan Transfer
also credit the swinging cats as influences.
If
you read the Post Obit, it refers to Cottontail which also swings
and can be found here.
Alice Neiley
I love cover songs,
but as a general rule, strongly believe that certain artists are near
impossible to cover well. One of those artists is Joni Mitchell (the only truly
amazing covers I’ve heard of her music are those done by kd Lang), another is
The Jackson 5. Not Michael Jackson, though I’ve adored his music
since…well…forever, Esperanza Spalding does an excellent cover of "I Can’t
Help It", https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Cheryl Casey
Artist:
Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
In
plain fact, the choice of song this week is somewhat random. This Bing Crosby
and Andrews Sisters gem is simply the song playing as I begin the post. As some
of you already know (and I apologize for the repetition of the story - but it’s
important context and quite relevant!), my mother recently uncovered an old
record collection belonging mostly to my great-grandmother, but also including
records belong to her and to my grandmother. The collection has 78s, 45s, and
LPs - mostly the former two. Time span: 1930s - 1960s. The content ranges from
Frank Sinatra, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, and Mitch Miller to the
music of Cinderella and children’s “books on record” to the Supremes, Mamas and
the Papas, and the Yardbirds.
The
collection isn’t organized, and most of the records are without jacket covers.
My sense of the overall content is so far the result only of brief perusal that
feels like cutting a deck of cards - only the “deck” is a pile of 45s or 78s
(into which the occaisonal LP has been mixed). There is yet so much to explore,
but I begin here with Bing Crosby, my love of old media and media history, and
my limited memories of my Nana.
This
record collection is just the latest item from my Nana’s life to become a fixture
in my own everyday life. From the diamond in my engagement ring, to the
embroidered chair at my home desk (and all of the other needlework items
scattered about the house), to my fancy china, to her photograph at age four in
my dining room, her life surrounds me. The funny thing is, I barely know
anything about her. Sure, I could give you her entire biographical sketch, but
I couldn’t tell you anything about her - what she was like as
a person.
Nana
died in 1990, at the age of 90, after spending 11 years in a nursing home
following a stroke that left her unable to speak and unable to care for
herself. I was 13 when she passed away, and hadn’t seen her in a long time.
Although my parents have shown me plenty of photos of she and I from before her
stroke, I was only a toddler at the time. I have no memory of her pre-stroke. I
do, however, have vivid memories of visiting her with my dad or my grandmother
in the nursing home - memories based primarily in the quintessential nursing
home smell. I remember her shoulder-length, scraggly gray hair, the blankets
and bathrobes, the drool, and the unintelligible mumbles as I timidly responded
to my dad’s prompts to tell her what I was learning about in school.
And
now, with so much of her life surrounding me, I have (at least some portion of)
her record collection. And these records somehow feel like the closest thing I
now have to knowing my Nana as a living person - not the woman in the
photographs or the woman in the wheelchair. I have a lot of listening to do.
Cyndi Brandenburg
Here is my late entry, as usual:
I
woke up today feeling strangely let down by what turned out to
be "one of those weeks." You know the kind- a whirlwind of
stuff to do, places to be, and people to please or piss off, depending,
peppered with earnest conversations about future hopes and dreams, but
also about the end of the world. Some of it sucked (especially the
news cycle), but most of it was fine, and even though it was hard to
figure out how to get everything I wanted or needed, I managed to find
enough space to take what joy I could get when given the chance. I
am generally good with life rolling along like that, so I knew I
just needed a little morning attitude check.
This NPR Tiny Desk Concert provided it: http://youtu.be/VNMms_zGbnI I have listened to Ben Folds before, but today is the day I looked a little closer and fell in love. It's hard not to appreciate a guy who is smart and talented andplayful, even in the very moments during which he is screwing up. I'm pretty sure I could hang out with him lots and never get bored. So thanks for making me happy--I am good and grounded and will keep rolling along with it all the best I can until the impending apocalypse actually occurs. (And if you have specific ideas about when that might be, you might want to consider joining the office apocalypse pool...)
This NPR Tiny Desk Concert provided it: http://youtu.be/VNMms_zGbnI I have listened to Ben Folds before, but today is the day I looked a little closer and fell in love. It's hard not to appreciate a guy who is smart and talented andplayful, even in the very moments during which he is screwing up. I'm pretty sure I could hang out with him lots and never get bored. So thanks for making me happy--I am good and grounded and will keep rolling along with it all the best I can until the impending apocalypse actually occurs. (And if you have specific ideas about when that might be, you might want to consider joining the office apocalypse pool...)
Phillip Seiler
Freelance Whales
I
just need a sweet, sad song this week to balance the rage and chaos I seem to
be experiencing every hour in this Black Mirror hellscape we call reality. The
Freelance Whales are a Queens based band that busked their way to, if not fame,
at least marginal recognition? They are an indie folk pop unit with an eclectic
assortment of instruments and good harmonies. I got to see them live once and
they are surprisingly rocking in person. Sadly, this was right before band member
Doris Cellar left in what I surmise was not a pleasant split.
The
lyrics for most of their work come from dream journals and childhood memories
so take them for all the pretension they deserve. Still, lead man Judah Dadone
paints his pictures in vibrant colors of sound and word. Just put the
headphones on and enjoy this one.
Kathy Seiler
Mary J. Blige – No More Drama
I
am a pretty big fan of Mary J. Blige although I haven’t posted any of her songs
yet. Maybe I’ll post some of my other favorites of hers later this year, but
this song came to mind as I was walking into my office, thinking about my world
these days. It’s been a very drama-filled week at work for me, the national and
global landscape is some new horror every 12 hours or so, and if I’m honest
about it, the last two years of my life have been a bit drama-filled in other
areas. I’m okay with it (“I’ll be fine”), but for most of the drama, I feel
pretty helpless. Life just feels… heavy sometimes.
Dave Kelley
"Just a deck of cards and a jug of wine
And a woman's lies makes a life like mine
On the day we met, I went astray
I started rolling down that lost highway"
"Lost Highway" Hank Williams
As Gary B stated a few weeks ago, if you don't like country music,
you have probably been listening to the wrong kind. I believe that
although he only lived to be 29 years old, Williams easily makes the Mount
Rushmore of great 20th century American musical artists. He was beset by
personal demons and prone to abusing drugs and alcohol. All of which led
to his early death in the back seat of a car being driven down the lost highway
to another show. Unlike many of his other great songs, Williams did not
write this one. I like to think Townes Van Zandt travelled back in time
to write "Lost Highway" for Hank under an assumed
name.
I just finished an excellent biography of Jerry Lee Lewis
who may be one of the most confident and egotistical musicians ever. (And
that is a fucking accomplishment sort of like being the fattest sumo wrestler
ever.!) Jerry Lee views himself as superior to about any musician that
ever walked the earth. That being said, he stated that one of the
great disappointments of his life was never getting to meet Williams or see him
play. In the interviews which form a large part of the biography, he
refers to Hank only as Mr. Williams. He stated that he spent most of his
life wondering what Mr. Williams would have thought of his songs. He
also hopes that the two of them make it to heaven so they can play
together. Jerry Lee suspects they will both end up in hell because of
their drinking, hell raising, and womanizing. I suppose if they have
whiskey, loose women, and guitars in hell, that might work out OK
too.
I am going to kind of cheat and throw in another song by the great
Darrell Scott which refers specifically to Hank Williams and the tradition of
musicians abusing themselves and those that love them in pursuit of their muse.
"We hurt the ones we love the most
And blame it on Hank Williams ghost"
"Hank Williams Ghost" Darrell Scott.
Gary Scudder
Marvin Gaye, God Is Love
Long before I was a person of faith (although I suspect I always fell into the classic American category of "spiritual but not religious") I loved this song. It's a very simple celebration of faith, with the reminder that all God (he/she/it/they) wants is for us to love each other. Plus, Marvin Gaye was simply the coolest fucking singer in the world. I suspect I'm also thinking about this song because I dragged my junior Dar al-Islam: Yemen class to the Islamic Society of Vermont, our local mosque, yesterday. Happily, a couple of them brought friends, and four of my first year students came along just because they thought it sounded like an interesting experience (I always try to inspire my students, especially the first year ones, to go to every film and speaker on campus). They all had a good time, and actually seemed to enjoy the experience. One of my juniors proposed that it was "disarmingly ordinary," which is not a bad revelation. Even if all my students drew from the experience was that Islam is just another dumb religion I'll take that as a win in our increasingly Islamophobic country.
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