The year is flying by and rapidly drawing to a close. Yesterday was the last regular class day of the semester and finals week is fast approaching. For the benighted souls who struggle in the Core division that means preparing for the Convivium. We do have the school holiday party coming up, with our sad allotment of two drink tickets. Well, at least we as a country have a great president and a compassionate congress to look after our needs. Yes, 2017 has sucked hard, and we will not lament its passing. However, there are some very notable exceptions to the general melancholy that sits like a dense fog over your lives, and chief among them are the great friends who make up this Discography. I will repeat what I say to you in every email: thank you for being my friends.
Also, let me throw out a couple quick reminders: 1) next week is a thematic week, our first Secret Santa week; send along a song to one or more members of our Discography family, and 2) I'll be out of the country from 30 December through 14 January, so, if possible, please send along some songs early so that I can program them into the system for our nano-overlords to release when I'm in Africa.
Escovedo has had a brilliant and varied career.
Whether playing in the west coast punk band The Nuns, playing with the
Fauntleroys, or pursuing a solo career ranging from rock to Americana to
traditional Mexican music, he is always brilliant. Jack, G, Dave Wallace
and I saw him put on an epic show years ago with his backing band The Sensitive
Boys.
Neil Young, Campaigner
Yes, Neil Young's other song about Richard Nixon. In many ways it's difficult to reconcile this song with Young's more famous song about Nixon, Ohio. I've often opined that Ohio is the greatest single of all time, not simply because of the enormity of the event that it captures but also because it was turned around in a couple days after Young's famous walk in the woods after he heard about Kent State. He returned with the song in mind and it was recorded immediately (with David Crosby crying at the end) and it was released within a couple days. It may be the first song, at least in popular culture, that called an American president out by name (although I'll have to do research on that). However, both Gary Beatrice and Dave Wallace decried my suggestion (I think they coined the term "classic assclownery") and since I respect their opinions on music much more than my own, I will assume that I overstated my case, and was guilty, for the only time in my life, of hyperbole (as all right thinking individuals know to be true). Having said all that, I think I like Campaigner more. It was written in 1976 but never made it onto an album until Young's classic compilation Decade. It was written by Young in response to seeing the by then disgraced ex-president on TV at a hospital crying after his wife had a stroke. Young realized that Nixon was a deeply-flawed individual, but also still a still a human, and in many ways a tragic one. It's a very simple song, and like so much of Young's best work, is moody and evocative. I've been thinking about it lately because I downloaded his latest entry from the NY Archives collection, Hitchhiker, which is just a tape of songs that he had just written and which he plays straight through. It's starts off with him saying, "You ready, Briggs?," which is a reference to David Briggs, who produced many of Young's best albums. The title is sort of an inside joke because early in his time in California Young was picked up hitchhiking by David Briggs and then, in perfectly illogical Young logic, Briggs became his producer. It's got some lovely stripped-down versions of some great Young songs, especially Powderfinger. This is the recording of Campaigner which sat around unnoticed until Decade.
Also, let me throw out a couple quick reminders: 1) next week is a thematic week, our first Secret Santa week; send along a song to one or more members of our Discography family, and 2) I'll be out of the country from 30 December through 14 January, so, if possible, please send along some songs early so that I can program them into the system for our nano-overlords to release when I'm in Africa.
Gary Beatrice
The Who, A Quick One, While He’s Away
And my favorite Who song is the rock opera....
No, my favorite Who song is not a rock opera, and the Daves most certainly remember my relentless criticism of the Who revolving around Tommy, that monstrous double album presented by the band as that most hideous of things, a rock opera. All of which makes it ironic that while "A Quick One" is not my favorite Who songs it is one of my favorite Who songs.
"A Quick One" is one of the few sixties Who's classics that wasn't overplayed on late seventies and early eighties album oriented rock. If you spent any time in Cincinnati in the fall you recognize its last line "You're All Forgiven" as one of the final lyric of countless Labor Day Firework Soundtracks. But most importantly, the song works.
I don't care if "A Quick One" was originally a bunch of songs that the band attached together or not, it sounds like a bunch of rollicking 20 second riffs that are only very loosely tied together lyrically, and, unlike Tommy, it just doesn't take itself too seriously.
No, my favorite Who song is not a rock opera, and the Daves most certainly remember my relentless criticism of the Who revolving around Tommy, that monstrous double album presented by the band as that most hideous of things, a rock opera. All of which makes it ironic that while "A Quick One" is not my favorite Who songs it is one of my favorite Who songs.
"A Quick One" is one of the few sixties Who's classics that wasn't overplayed on late seventies and early eighties album oriented rock. If you spent any time in Cincinnati in the fall you recognize its last line "You're All Forgiven" as one of the final lyric of countless Labor Day Firework Soundtracks. But most importantly, the song works.
I don't care if "A Quick One" was originally a bunch of songs that the band attached together or not, it sounds like a bunch of rollicking 20 second riffs that are only very loosely tied together lyrically, and, unlike Tommy, it just doesn't take itself too seriously.
Dave Wallace
Sufjan Stevens - Christmas Unicorn
In addition to his regular recorded
output, Sufjan Stevens has made a series of Christmas EPs, which are beautiful
and bizarre. Mixing originals with non-traditional versions of
traditional songs, the EPs (which are now collected in two box sets) feel like
the perfect Christmas albums for the 21st century. Christmas
Unicorn captures the sound and sensibility of Steven's other Xmas
recordings. It even quotes "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy
Division!
Both
parties know the score but they play their parts in the dance. As sometimes we
all must.
Kevin Andrews
My
favorite Christmas album is by three sisters from deepest New Jersey who spell
their last name Roche. As a trio of vocalists The Roches always seemed to have
a genetic advantage in harmony. They grew up singing these songs together and
it’s apparent they enjoy it very much. In this clip, which I’ve never seen
before today, Maggie, Teri, and Suzzy sing a few songs from We Three Kings.
In
this most excellent clip they sing about the birthday boy Himself, Christlike. Lyrics are here if you’d like
to sing along.
Alice Neiley
Hard
Candy Christmas--Dolly Parton
Now,
as some of you know, I am a huge, unironic lover of the holiday season.
However, I'm also nostalgic and broody on a regular basis, and there's almost
nothing I like more than a wistful tune with some semi-sad lyrics (and a
fabulous dramatic key change in the middle. Cue: Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly
Parton.
I
first heard this song when my younger brother James came home for the holidays
2 years ago, plopped down at the piano as he always does, and played/sang it.
My dad joined in with the harmonica. It happened at least 3 more times over the
days all five of us were together, my two younger brothers, George and James,
me, and our parents.
We
aren't a family who talks about sadness, or difficulty at all, really. We
definitely don't show it much around each other. But we all "contain
multitudes", as Whitman says, and this song has become a bit of an
unspoken family anthem ever since that first moment. A stand in, perhaps, for
what we want to say, what we want each other to recognize, see.
Kathy Seiler
John Lee Hooker – Sugar Mama
As it’s the last week of classes, I haven’t had much time to think about
what my Discography post should be this week. So today (Friday), in a highly
uncharacteristic move for me, I told Siri to “shuffle music” on my drive into
work. It’s a joke among my family members that I’m such a control freak that I
can’t even listen to all my music on shuffle, and I’ve been known to scoff at
Siri’s complete lack of ability to do a proper mix of music. However, this
morning, I took a chance on Siri and she didn’t disappoint.
She started off with Christmas music – Count Basie Orchestras’s Silent Night, then went to Sugar
Mama. And I instantly knew what my post would be this week, but that it
wouldn’t be long.
In my perfect technological world, where I had the ability to assign
myself a ringtone (that’s right, kiddos, I assign my ringtone to myself, you
don’t get to assign it to me in my perfect world), Sugar Mama would
be it.
Phillip Seiler
Dervish
I'm
not much of a Dylan fan. I recognize his many talents but I guess I could never
get past his voice. But Kevin's post of the documentary on the evolution of
music recordings a few weeks back helped me appreciate his innovations and I
can get behind a good cover of his music.
Dervish
is a traditional Irish band from Sligo. They rather famously finished dead last
in the 2007 Eurovision song contest which is a pity because a) they didn't
write the song and b) they are a fantastic band and a joy to see live. Mostly they
do more traditional Irish music or new compositions in the traditional vein but
I love what they have done with Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather."
The song seems tailor made for a Celtic re-imagining. The song is
brilliantly constructed, a call and response between two lovers with the one
leaving but unable to honestly say they have no intention of coming back. And
our singer is the one staying behind, turning down the offer of any gifts from
across the sea. All they want is their lover to stay. I break a little when
Dervish front woman Cathy Jordan sings:
"But
if I had the stars from the darkest nights
Or
the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I'd
foresake them all for your sweet kiss
For
it's all I'm wishing to be owning"
Dave Kelley
"Chelsea Hotel 78" Alejandro Escovedo
This is an ode to his life in the Chelsea Hotel in New
York in the late 70's. Other residents included Sid Vicious and his
doomed lover Nancy. Turn it up!
Gary Scudder
Neil Young, Campaigner
Yes, Neil Young's other song about Richard Nixon. In many ways it's difficult to reconcile this song with Young's more famous song about Nixon, Ohio. I've often opined that Ohio is the greatest single of all time, not simply because of the enormity of the event that it captures but also because it was turned around in a couple days after Young's famous walk in the woods after he heard about Kent State. He returned with the song in mind and it was recorded immediately (with David Crosby crying at the end) and it was released within a couple days. It may be the first song, at least in popular culture, that called an American president out by name (although I'll have to do research on that). However, both Gary Beatrice and Dave Wallace decried my suggestion (I think they coined the term "classic assclownery") and since I respect their opinions on music much more than my own, I will assume that I overstated my case, and was guilty, for the only time in my life, of hyperbole (as all right thinking individuals know to be true). Having said all that, I think I like Campaigner more. It was written in 1976 but never made it onto an album until Young's classic compilation Decade. It was written by Young in response to seeing the by then disgraced ex-president on TV at a hospital crying after his wife had a stroke. Young realized that Nixon was a deeply-flawed individual, but also still a still a human, and in many ways a tragic one. It's a very simple song, and like so much of Young's best work, is moody and evocative. I've been thinking about it lately because I downloaded his latest entry from the NY Archives collection, Hitchhiker, which is just a tape of songs that he had just written and which he plays straight through. It's starts off with him saying, "You ready, Briggs?," which is a reference to David Briggs, who produced many of Young's best albums. The title is sort of an inside joke because early in his time in California Young was picked up hitchhiking by David Briggs and then, in perfectly illogical Young logic, Briggs became his producer. It's got some lovely stripped-down versions of some great Young songs, especially Powderfinger. This is the recording of Campaigner which sat around unnoticed until Decade.
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