Journey Through the Past: South Africa

I know that this is the age of selfies, but I try and avoid posting many pictures of myself.  The most obvious reason is that I was never good looking even when I was good looking, but especially now with the ravages of time I've reached the point of being decidedly horrific looking.  Nevertheless, an occasional interesting shot pops up.  I've been looking at pictures a lot lately - not only as an attempt to organize the thousands of pictures I have floating around, but also to organize my life - and I came across this one.  It was snapped by my South African friend Zanetta, although I'd have to go back and look at my journal or this blog to figure out the year.  2010 or 2011? Or something like that.  It's one of the few pictures that exist of me without a beard.  I wasn't exactly a beardless youth, but I was at least beardless.  It's funny how much of my life has passed through Africa over the last decade or so, and it definitely makes you think about roads not taken.

I think we were at the Cradle of Humanity, and you can provide your own metaphor.  It was a lovely time.

Holi After a Fashion

As I've stated, one of my big chores this year is to get caught up on the travel part of my travel blog.  And, yes, I know I say that year after year, but this time I'm sincere (and I know I also say that year after year).  Sometimes when I'm cleaning up my computer or the gallery on my phone, I'll just be stunned how many hundred blog posts are waiting to be written.  It's a daunting task, but, as the old saying goes, if all else fails move a pawn, so I'll just get started. 

When I'm asked my favorite overseas locations I inevitably say that it's a tie between Jordan and India.  That's an odd answer because both of them are criminally under-represented on this blog.  There's all sorts of reasons that my explain that anomaly, but maybe the most accurate is that they are both alive in my heart all the time.  Sometimes you capture images and memories of places that you assume you'll never go back to, whereas there are other places where it is inconceivable that you won't return, and which are so present in your day to day life, that you get lazy in regards to capturing them.  Or maybe, perversely, you don't actually want to share them with anyone else. Or I'll just be on my own overpowering sloth and incompetence.

On our trip to India last year it managed to fall during the festival of Holi (and more on that later).  The students, of course, desperately wanted to into the great mosh pit of Holi madness, but Inder and Rohit, I suspect wisely, kept them at a distance.  Rohit did, magically, manage to get some dye for the students to spread around, which they did over lunch as we prepared to head into the sacred caves at Ellora.

The students, much to their chagrin, were forced to watch much of Holi through the bus windows as we sped towards Ellora.  Part of it was a tight schedule, and part of it was, as I said above, for safety reasons.  Seeing everyone, doused in color, passing by made the students more than a bit crazy to join them.

It is truly a crime that Cyndi and I are not returning to India next March.  She's abandoning me to lead her own trip to the Galapagos with Kathy Seiler, which is a worthy, although hardly equal, trade off.  I'm not certain who is taking her place.  Steve is a natural choice, but he has family obligations that week.  I'm thinking of some kind of competition for the Junior Faculty. Hmmmm.

Hattie and Caroleanne certainly enjoyed their little corner of Holi.

In the end, apparently the main attraction of Holi for the students was painting their beloved and beleaguered Professor.  Taylor Post is certainly enjoying herself (it was her second overseas trip with me, having gone on the first Jordan trip, so I'm sure she owed me revenge for something).

I know I've posted this picture before, but I love it so I'm using it again.  In the midst of the Holi chaos, the esteemed Inder Singh sat happily eating his soup, oblivious of the distractions. He and I are already planning next year's return trip.

A Fish Called Dave

As is all too often for the last few years my time is being dominated by several travel courses at the same time (which I can't truly complain about since I'm inevitably the driving force in creating all of them; in a Marxist sense, I'm complicit in my own oppression).  Steve and I are still trying to get all the receipts and paperwork in to Finances for our trip to Zanzibar in January.  I've been swapping emails with my friend Inder in India about next spring's return trip to India.  We're in the middle of interviewing prospective students for next January's return-return-return trip to Zanzibar.  Oh, yeah, and I'm leaving for Jordan in four days.  Yikes.  Still, as oppression goes, that's not too bad.  Anyway, as part of the prep for leaving the country again (now, where is my Passport again?) I'm also carving off time for the mundane tasks such as clearing the 1500 pictures off my phone.  This, happily, and necessarily, forces me to think about doing something with said pictures, and so be prepared for a ton of travel posts, which is what I figured would happen to the blog this year anyway as I got caught up (and as we've passed into the post-Proustian universe; this is a big deal because I find the Proustian universe much more interesting than the Marvel or DC universes). 

As part of the Zanzibar interviews we often find ourselves showing  next picture as something akin to a litmus test for prospective students.  The top picture is typical lunch fare at the Sea View Hotel where we stay in Pemba.  When we're in Dar Es Salaam or Stone Town it's possible to get a wider variety of food, but on a quieter, agricultural island like Pemba you get what they serve (which is fine, because it's always good).  Whatever they serve for lunch or dinner, there will doubtless be a small mountain of fish.  You can certainly be a vegetarian and go on the trip, although it's a bit of a challenge.  It's a great life lesson for the students because they are forced to consider how something as seemingly simple and personal as deciding to become a vegetarian is also a choose based on a certain degree of privilege.  It's not really a choice, or a category, naturally understood on Pemba: why would you willingly turn down protein?

Happily the students quickly, usually anyways, adapt, and even start eating the fish with their hands; well, hand, the right hand, and the lefties learn to sit on their left hands and relearn the fine art of eating.

I knew that Genevieve would have no trouble, since she's traveled more than me.  She did catch me off guard when she named her fish Dave.  There was no explanation given, but the popular theory was that Dave was an ex-boyfriend.  There is no official confirmation on that theory.

Discography Year Two - Week 26

Yes, we are now officially through the second year of our Discography music discussion, as difficult to  believe as that is.  This week is typically good, and typically eclectic.  Dave Kelley's choice inspired a wonderful side conversation the other day between DK, JS and yours truly about the first concert the Jack and I attended, and the decidedly non-scholarly, non-adult beverages which were consumed.  It was a blissful memory, until I later realized that when we were having that reasonably adult moment Alice Neiley wasn't born yet.  That was tough to handle, but, as AS proposes, she does look 16 (I would have guessed 14).  The jarring moment was when I realized that when we were enjoying (not enjoying) Robin Hood Creme Ale on the way to the Boz Skaggs concert Mike Kelly wasn't born either.

As we've discussed, the esteemed Cyndi Brandenburg and I will be, inshallah, in Jordan soon with some number of students (one managed to break his leg the other day so his presence is still being sorted out by various and sundry medical professionals; it's always something).  So, if you don't mind sending along a couple songs by Wednesday I'll enter them into the system and instruct (well, ask politely) the nano-overlords to release them on time.  Special thanks to the excellent Dave Wallace who, as is his wont, is way ahead (and may have lapped us and started Year Three).  I do appreciate you folks sending the songs/commentaries early because it does mess up the rhythm.  As we've discussed, my song in any particular week did not start out as the song for that week, and was probably shuffled back and forth three times depending upon my mood.

Dave Wallace

Moby Grape - Hey Grandma & Omaha

In a more-just world, Moby Grape would have been one of the biggest acts of the '60s.  Coming out of the same San Francisco scene as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, the Grape was absurdly-talented; all five members could sing lead and harmony, and each was a good-to-great songwriter.  Unfortunately, bad management, label difficulties, interpersonal conflicts, and mental health issues for some of the band members effectively derailed them from any sustained success.  Their first album is a semi-lost classic and, shockingly, it's no longer available, not even in digital form (although I think you can find most, if not all, of its songs on compilations).  For the blog, I've chosen two of the best things from that album - lead track, Hey Grandma, and the guitar rave-up, Omaha.

Kevin Andrews

I was planning to continue to write about guitarists for the next 4 or 5 weeks but I thought I’d save them for the when blog overlords come and use something (sort of) new. That way I won’t look as old as the people in the Spotify statistics.

I’d heard about Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs, and Courtney Barnett for some time but, as I do, I choose to ignore them. I remember thinking Kurt Vile, is he still alive? Turns out, Kurt Weill of Three Penny Opera fame died in 1950 so I was sort of right. I should pay more attention. Kurt is from Landsdowne, PA which is practically my home town. He, like me, got out young.

Kurt left WoD after their first album and set out on his own. While touring, he’d run Courtney at festivals and when he played in Australia, he would visit. Seeing them together it’s no surprise they would eventually record an album together. They have very similar mannerisms, they’re guitar playing is similar and they act like goofy teenagers. Their music defies categorization, sort of punk, sort of country. Despite their seemingly casual attitude while playing they’re both pretty solid instrumentalists and writers. They’ve grown on me quite a bit over the last few months. This video is from their album, Lotta Sea Lice. Here is their KEXP performance if you’d like to hear more. 

Phillip Seiler

The Untouchables

Free Yourself

I thought discography could use a ska track and the Untouchables sprung to mind immediately. Credited with being the US's first ska band, the Untouchables started in LA in the early 80s. They never really had big success in the states but they did have some singles do well in Britain which always seemed to embrace ska more than us new worlders. 

Free Yourself was their most successful track and it's not hard to see why. It's full throttle fun from the first drum roll to the last trumpet note. Couple that dancey goodness with the message that you are the only thing that can set yourself free and you have a track right up my alley. Apparently the band appeared in a bunch of movies including being a scooter gang in Repo Man which makes me want to rewatch that right now. But that would inevitably lead to falling down a hole of early 80s punk and sadly I have responsibilities and no time for that. 80s me would be very disappointed in 2010's me. (80s me was also a Republican so his judgement is completely suspect.)

Kathy Seiler

Keyon Harrold – Wayfaring Traveler

I heard this song this past summer as I allowed Spotify to play me some new music. It’s jazzy, with some funk thrown in the lyrics. Harrold is a jazz trumpeter and this song is of the album called “The Mugician.” He’s performed as trumpet for many hip-hop artists on their songs as well. You can see him backing up Common at a White House Tiny Desk Concert during Obama’s last months in office (https://www.npr.org/2016/10/03/496433228/common-tiny-desk-concert-at-the-white-house). Those were the days when the White House was a good place… but I digress. I really like the vibe of the song, and seeing as two people I adore are shortly heading to Jordan with a bunch of college students, I thought the title was particularly relevant this week.

Alice Neiley

Fasten your seat belts, everyone. Since last week, my rabbit hole has grown immeasurably larger, and immeasurably more dated…by which I mean…it betrays my actual age. This is somewhat unusual for me (musically speaking, because yes, I know I look 16), as much of my favorite music was popular long before I was born – save for the singer songwriter genre. I blame my father. There’s one exception to that ‘rule’, though: the 90s.

During the pool game at the Four Sport Triathlon last weekend, I unsurprisingly tanked $15 on yet another jukebox, and given the late hour (really late, oh my god), I found myself cranking 90s hip hop.  This got me thinking about 90s music in general, and the discography, and how if the 90s was to be represented on this blog (at least from a “I grew up with this music’ perspective), I was the only one with the appropriate credentials.  Mike Kelly might be next in line for this generationally determined role, but when some of these tunes were ACTUALLY popular, he was likely just that much older, cooler, and thus too ‘alternative’ in taste to truly enjoy them/have all the lyrics, trying-to-be-badass guitar solos, and hip hop ‘breakdowns” memorized. So here I am to save the day, your resident 32-year-old, born in 1985, most susceptible to musical influence in the 90s, during my middle/high school years (according to an article on Slate http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/08/musical_nostalgia_the_psychology_and_neuroscience_for_song_preference_and.html)).

I’m so far down this rabbit hole already that I’ve begun a Spotify playlist called “I’m Lovin’ It: Songs You Can’t Resist”, implying that songs of the 90s occasionally have the same effect as McDonalds fries or nuggets – not exactly good, but…so good.

But first, partially in the spirit of the BLM walkout at Champlain, let’s start with the exactly good. After all, everyone knows hip-hop’s golden age was mid-90s. Here are the four top hip hop tunes in my book, from most hip-hop à r&b infused. (The runners up, as well as a few others, will be included on the upcoming Spotify playlist).

1. Changes – Tupac (2pac): 1998 

You can’t get through the 90s as a teenager without falling in love with at least one 2pac song, even as a white, blonde girl from the Midwest…or perhaps especially as? “Changes” is my fave, and played at parties I was never invited to, but also occasionally on random radio stations…which of course I recorded onto mix cassette tapes. The most interesting thing about this tune is the juxtaposition of the lines ‘things will never be the same’ and ‘some things will never change’. I have my own thoughts about the space between those ideas…but I’ll leave you to yours. I also LOVE the piano riff.

2. Mo money Mo problems – Notorious B.I.G.: 1997
There’s such a great pull between the instrumentation indicative of 80s pop hits (in this case an actual pop hit) and solid, classic hip-hop verse – you can hardly imagine something like this even happening anymore. I mean, who would take a pop style from the 90s or early 2000s and layer hip hop on top in with such balance these days? I can’t think of anyone, partly because the sharp simplicity of hip hop beats has largely gone by the wayside, regardless of what the instrumental backing happens to be.

3. Ready or Not – The Fugees:  1996  

The world is officially introduced to the goddess that is Lauryn Hill.  More on her later. Just enjoy. The 11 / 12 year old Alice fell in love immediately. (Can’t-help-myself-sidenote: can you BEAT Hill’s harmony with herself?!? The answer is no. No, you can’t beat that).

4. Shoop – Salt N Pepa: 1994 

I know every word to this song. Every. Word. And even after not hearing it for years and years, the words still come back without effort. This tune, in my opinion, truly begins the crossover from hiphop into r&b and pop – the beat is hip hop rooted, but the background melody is so catchy, complete with both vocal harmonies and unison, you almost don’t realize how much these girl-rappers are KILLIN’ it. I mean, seriously. The rhymes are crazy awesome. This isn’t even the ‘sickest’ rhyme, but it was my favorite way back when:  “Gimme some of that yum yum chocolate chip /honey dip/ lemme get a scoop/ baby take a ride in my coop / you make me wanna shoop.”

Runners up:

Don’t Wanna Be a Playa: Big Pun 1998

California Love:2Pac/Dr. Dre 1996

Used to Love Her: Common 1994

Hard Knock Life: Jay Z 1998

The Rain: Missy Elliott 1997

Can't Resist: Missy Elliott 1997

Dave Kelley

I careen back and forth between choosing songs that allow me to vent my spleen about all of the meanness and stupidity taking place in our country and ones that reflect whatever random thoughts have gathered in my small smooth brain over the preceding week.  Today's post is one of the latter.

"Lowdown"  Boz Scaggs

I made a huge mistake while visiting Florida last week.  I did not start a land war in Asia, nor did I get into a battle to the death with a Sicilian.  My error was far worse.  I tried to keep up with our mostly silent esteemed musicologist Jack when it came to drinking bourbon.  Specifically Knob Creek Bourbon.   My only defense is that I had already consumed far too many beers when I dove head first into Knob Creek without a life preserver.  I have never been up on Cripple Creek, but I have sure as shit been down in Knob Creek.

The context is that I went to Florida to visit my friend from 1st grade  Alan who moved there a few years ago.  We spent the weekend in Ft. Lauderdale with his most excellent girlfriend Clare who by happenstance lives less than ten minutes away from Jack and his better half Julie.  Claire's mother is from Thailand, and Claire threw a dinner party with mounds and mounds of amazing Thai food.  She was gracious enough to include Jack and Julie on the guest list.  Eventually all of this resulted in rivers of Knob Creek Bourbon being consumed.

At this point, a reasonable person might ask, "what in the flying fuck does this have to do with Boz Scaggs or "Lowdown".  Only if you drink enough bourbon will this mystery of life be revealed to you oh grasshoppers.   

I have no idea what Boz is singing about in this song and could not possibly care less.  I have never made an effort to learn or understand the lyrics and have no plans on doing so.  What matters is that it sounds great and makes you feel happy.  Especially when you are surrounded by great friends old and new, stupefying amounts of Thai food, and every type of alcohol known to mankind.  When "Lowdown" came on the stereo that evening literally everyone in the room started swaying along with the killer bass line.  The night was just perfect in so many ways, and for the four or five minutes that "Lowdown" was blasting, it became something even more perfect.  Music can do many things on so many levels.  On that night it took me higher to paraphrase Sly Stone.  Perfection is rare and never sustainable so of course it must be treasured.  It was so awesome to see dear friends, Alan, Jack, and Julie.  I was really happy to meet Clare and her friends and neighbors.  I am always as happy as a butcher's dog to eat and drink copious amounts.   Despite the bourbon , I will long remember last Saturday and one of my memories was having "Lowdown" show up on the play list. 

Thanks Boz and whoever the hell played bass. 

Gary Scudder

Uncle Tupelo, Chickamauga

Years and years ago during a debate about whether or not Uncle Tupelo or the Drive-By Truckers were/are the greatest American band (every right thinking individual knows that these are the only two choices) Mike Kelly pointed out that that vast majority of Uncle Tupelo songs I love are Jay Farrar songs.  This was so long ago that Mike, in his general and unquestioned excellence, made me a Jay Farrar mix CD before I went to live in Abu Dhabi.  As I've pointed out before, a pox on both the Farrar and Tweedy houses for being assholes and destroying what was essentially a perfect band.  I like some Farrar stuff since the breakup - and have never warmed to Wilco at all - but I think even the best stuff pales in comparison to what they produced when the band was together (no matter how much they hated each other).  I say this by way of explaining why I chose Chickamauga, which is usually seen as presaging the end of the band.  It's from Anodyne, their swan song, and truly a great album. Referencing Chickamauga, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, is an apt and powerful metaphor.  At the same time, I suppose you do reach a point where you're tired of fighting battles.  Over dinner the other night my friend Alfonso Capone (and, yes, Champlain folks will testify that this is a real person) opined that I'm a nicer person now (I think he actually said that I've softened, which I guess I could have used since we're not doing phrasing any more).  It's hard to say whether this is wisdom or faith or just plain exhaustion, but AC's observation is probably accurate.  In my Yemen class this week we were talking about the classic designations inside the Islamic world: Dar al-Islam (the Abode of Islam, where you have a majority Muslim population), the Dar al-Harb (the Abode of War, where you can't practice your faith) and the Dar al-Sulh (the Abode of Peace, where it is not majority Muslim but where you can still practice your faith - despite the complicated relationship between the US and Islam, the US would fall into this category). As a Muslim you're instructed to follow the laws of the country where you live, but if you can't reconcile those laws and practice your own faith then you're directed to leave and go someplace where you can.  I think this works on the macro level, but it's also true on the micro level.  One of the biggest block to our own serenity is the environment in which we, usually quite willingly, live, and sometimes we need to leave.  In the end maybe it's enough that we've found our personal Dar al-Sulh; even if it's not everything it could be, isn't peace enough?  I mean, life is too short, or as Uncle Tupelo opined, "I don''t want to ever taste these tears again."  So, in the end, maybe I should give Farrar and Tweedy some slack.

Discography Year Two - Week 25

Today in Vermont many of the members of this Discography discussion will be participating in the annual Richard M. Nixon Winter Four Sport Triathlon (not to be confused with the annual Richard M. Nixon Summer Four Sport Triathlon).  It is a combination of miniature golf, bowling, dart and pool.  It is, according to our beloved Sanford Zale, a celebration of America, but, more importantly, a celebration of friendship.  Consequently, I'll be publishing the blog early today (because I still need to get to the gym before the competition).  As always, just send along any songs/commentaries and I'll slide them into the blog tonight.

It's shaping up as a great week.  Dave Wallace went eclectic (as is his wont), Kevin Andrews went Old School, Kathy Seiler went spiritual (not unusual for a person whose hobby is Buddhism), Phillip Seiler went gangsta, Dave Kelley went missing, and I went down a rabbit hole.

Oh, and a quick reminder: the esteemed (even if she is suddenly bereft of songs) Cyndi Brandenburg are heading off to Jordan on 8 March (it will be an epic trip, including an eight hour camel ride through the Wadi Rum; the students are already whining about it).  This will impact Weeks 27 and 28.  Week 26 will not be sullied by our travel as we'll still be in this #YankeeHellhole.  So, if you don't mind, by 6 March could you send me a couple songs/commentaries early so that I can instruct the nano-overlords to release the posts on time.

Dave Wallace

Ty Segall - And, Goodnight

Returning to Ty Segall's new album, Freedom's Goblin, for another song this week, I've selected album closer, And, Goodnight.  An extended jam, the song strikes me as one of the closest things that I've ever heard to Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Danny Whitten-era.  

Dave Kelley

"You can get killed just for living in your American skin."

Bruce Springsteen.  "American Skin."

I could go on a rant about guns, violence, the NRA etc., but I don't need to convince you all of anything.  "We are baptized in these waters, and in each other's blood."

Kathy Seiler

Everything Comes From You, Big Blue Ball (multiple artists) 

This is sort of an odd post for someone who no longer believes in God, but I’ve always liked this song on the Peter Gabriel Big Blue Ball album (which I’ve mentioned before), where Gabriel brought music and artists together from all over the world. I highly recommend the album if you like world music.

The melody of this song is simple and repetitive, and it builds in intensity as prayers often do from those who are suffering. This week we had white supremacist flyers found on our campus and has left many people feeling very raw and unsafe. Trump wants to arm educators when an armed security guard ran away from a school shooting. Young girls in Syria documented the terror of their world on social media. Yemen continues to suffer and be ignored. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

This song has that same sort of raw character to it that many are feeling as a result of so many horrors in our world lately. It begins with counting and integrates the counting again… Something that has a strangely calming effect for the hidden OCD in me.  The simple ask, “I appeal to you, Lord, to stop war. Stop terror.” The lyrics are delivered by Sinead O’Connor, whose vocal quality is so perfect for the pleading. She simply but perfectly showcases how it feels to be powerless and desperate to feel better. How many times have we pleaded to our God, appealed to humanity, or asked the universe to stop the horrors of our own species?

Phillip Seiler

Living Colour

Who Shot Ya

One of the best things about Twitter is the ability to interact with people whom you wouldn't normally in life. I have had brief back and forth with national journalists, cartoonists, authors, and musicians. Vernon Reid, the guitarist and leader of Living Colour, is a great follow on Twitter as he is willing to engage and converse about all kinds of topics. I think I started following him after he had a back and forth with another about Todd Rundgren's music. Truth be told, I have slept on the music of Living Colour since their hit Cult of Personality (still an amazing tune) back in the 80s and it was only through his tweets that I learned they were still going and making new music. I really regret not paying more attention to the band as they are willing to explore musical styles and pull from various traditions.

Who Shot Ya is from their 2017 release, Shade, and is a cover of a Notorious B.I.G. track. I prefer the cover version. Biggie's track is widely believed to be a diss track aimed squarely at 2Pac although there is some disagreement because of the timing. Regardless, it did inspire 2Pac to release "Hit 'Em Up" in response further enflaming the East Coast / West Coast feud of the 90s. 

Ironically, Living Colour turns the song into a metal anthem and the use of more aggressive music behind the lyrics helps change the meaning of the song from a straightforward diss track to a wider statement on our society and its violence. I especially love how after the words have faded, the music goes on. 

Kevin Andrews

Jeff Beck has always been one of my favorite guitarists. In 1975 he released an album of instrumental tracks, Blow by Blow, which included the song Cause We've Ended as Lovers which was written by Stevie Wonder for his then wife, and apparently soon to be ex-wife, Syreeta Wright. Stevie also plays on the track uncredited.

The track is a master class in the Stratocaster. JB pulls an amazing range of tones out of it. The opening few notes are played on a single fret with the pitch changing from a combination of bending the string and tremolo (wammy) bar. He uses this technique throughout along with changing combinations of the three pickups and tone and gets an emotional, vocal quality from the instrument. It plays slow and fast, clean and distorted. It’s the closest I’ve heard a guitar come to singing. He’s a master.

Alice Neiley

First of all, I haven't read the posts for this week, nor have I read this email thread. I couldn't enjoy anyone's reverie before I submitted my post, as I've already been reprimanded for my blog negligence last week, and my lateness this week. The thing is, I HAVE AN EXCUSE. It's not a good one, but IT'S AN EXCUSE NEVERTHELESS. I fell down a Joni Mitchell rabbit hole. I'm notorious for insisting there are very few covers of Joni that are worthy of her genius, talent, and emotional bandwidth, and last Thursday I got into an argument with an old friend over the phone about this. I decided then and there that my post for last week would be a most excellent Joni song (Case of You), and two (gasp!) most excellent covers of said song (Prince's cover and Diana Krall's). Then...YouTube happened. Thursday passed, Friday passed, and Saturday passed, and all the 

while I looked like this: 

So, I shall attempt to make up for my astounding lack of self control and time management by sharing what I discovered on my rabbit hole journey. 

There are  (in my personal, extremely correct opinion), two Joni albums that rise above the others as whole, cohesive experiences with no 'skipable' songs -- that is, no songs you would EVER skip in your right mind while listening to said albums:

1. Blue

2. Court and Spark 

As I said, all the songs on each are entirely perfect in and of themselves, but even more perfect in the context of their respective albums. I shall now choose a few songs from each of these albums of excellence to briefly discuss. The songs I choose will each have a bearable cover version, which I will also share. These songs do NOT all have good covers (though some are amazing), they're just the songs that have covers I rate above abysmal. Thus ultimately proving myself right in the phone argument I had with my friend. 

·  Blue Album (in order of cover-amazingness, NOT original song amazingness): 

Case of You:  This is up there in my top 10 favorite Joni songs, and it has nothing to do with the 'map of Canada'. I didn't even really understand that lyric when I first heard the tune in high school. My favorite lines then were "I am a lonely painter/I live in a box of paints", and now they're tied with the lines from the rest of that verse. That whole verse is magical. Coincidentally, this tune also has the best cover versions of any tune on the Blue album. Prince's cover of this tune keeps its tentativeness, its stumbly beauty, but adds breath, reverence (he loved Joni), and a focus on art and identity (he starts with my favorite verse, rather than at the beginning), while Diana Krall's feels more sure footed, adding a deeper sadness, an even more reflective tone than the original. 

Joni Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YuaZcylk_o

Prince Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d-_gjpzJdw

Diana Krall Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vEds2ULiAg

River: Possibly the saddest song in the universe, as it combines sharp loneliness with the images of holiday spirit, not to mention the jingle bells intro in a minor key. I mean my god. It's also just beautiful with the heartbreaking melody backed only by piano. Anyway, this was another high school favorite (I guess I wasn't all that happy? ;)), and until my rabbit hole weekend, I wasn't even able to IMAGINE a cover worthy of this song...but...I found one. A brilliant one. The unique vocal inflections of Peyroux and lang, and their random upward modulations of the melody make this cover just different enough from the original to not feel like a (inevitably) subpar imitation, and Angus Stone's arrangement, full of new instrumentation (no piano!?) and bluegrassy timbre is an interesting, if not quite as powerful, cover. It deserves at least a spot on the list. 

Joni Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAK9Pj5-QXY

Madeleine Peyroux ft. kd lang Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2d7GCVNQw

Angus Stone Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIqi_1sJlzs

All I Want: This tune feels classic for summer road trips, and one of the rare 'lighter' tracks on Blue, including "California" and "Carey", though the lyrics for all three are debatable in the 'light' department :). It's a perfect opener for the album, though, as it signifies #relationshipgoals (all I really really want our love to do / is to bring out the best in me and in you) as well as the occasional loneliness one experiences while constantly on the way to this goal, both in a relationship and not. That's the duality of the album and of partnership, the joy and pain, the loneliness and connection, the balance of and the movement from one to the other. Jay Brannan's cover is good. Not great, but decent. Sweet. Nothing special, but not horrific (as almost every cover of the excellent Blue songs I didn't mention in this post was). 

Joni Verson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq2jhs19_V8

Jay Brannan Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZiQWL9Sux0

·  Court and Spark Album (in order of cover-amazingness, NOT original song amazingness)

Help Me: What an incredibly fun song. Seriously, how can you beat those chords/that vocal slide at the beginning--it's so energizing and knee-weakening at the same time. Joni's perfectly pure, high register voice adds some whimsy that kd lang's version doesn't have, but lang makes up for it with more blues/rock instrument choices (adds some edginess), her depth of vocal timbre, and again, her typical vocal inflection upward, a trait that's trademark to most of her songs, covers and originals--it adds a different character to the song, somewhat jazzier and therefore 'tougher'?  

Joni Mitchell Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sasdHZXNagI

kd lang Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7diMj4os0Go

Free Man in Paris: This song demonstrates Joni's typical use of weird instruments for folk/pop (woodwinds!), arranged in a fairly wild sounding relationship to each other (exemplifying freedom, perhaps) and AMAZING vocal harmonies. In fact, this whole album has some of the best use of vocal harmonies of any Joni album -- this particular song features David Crosby and Graham Nash. Sufjan Stevens' cover of this tune is...wait for it...ALMOST better than the original. I'd say it's very solidly tied. Some days it is indeed better, depending on my mood. That is a BIG THING for me to say. VERY BIG. It's just...in his usual brilliance, he's recreated the instrumental innovation of this tune with his OWN instrumental/arranging innovation (trumpets!!). Rather than just changing one teensy thing to make it his own, he changes a lot, but manages to keep the 'unfettered' feeling of the song, and the high vocal register :). 

Joni Mitchell Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiKrk2Jcx8U

Sufjan Stevens Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p53DuXJHHs 

Court and Spark: I love this song with my whole heart, it's another one of my top favorite 10 Joni songs of all time, and if anyone finds a decent cover I would love to test it. I was only able to find a Herbie Hancock/Nora Jones version, which I won't include here because it didn't make the cut. While a good try and kind of cool, it's far too jazzy and weird and ultimately takes away almost all of the melodic prowess of the original. Not cool, people. 

Joni Mitchell Version (aka. THE ONLY WORTHY VERSION): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4enC_DzK6U

Phew. Done. While I am not at all saying the above covers are the ONLY good covers of ANY Joni song, nor am I suggesting the two (comprehensively best) albums (Blue and Court and Spark) hold ALL the best Joni songs, I am saying the discussed tunes above are the only tunes on the two (comprehensively best) albums, Blue and Court and Spark, that have decent-->>good cover versions. 

The end. (Are you happy now, Scudder?) 

Gary Scudder

Neil Young, Only Love Can Break Your Heart

OK, this is only partially about this Neil Young song off of After the Gold Rush (and album which, as all right-thinking individuals know, features the best album cover of all time).  It's a song I've always liked a hell of a lot, although I don't know if I've ever loved it.  I was having a discussion with the truly excellent (and impartial) Alice Neiley the other day and we both agreed that we actually like the Kathleen Edwards cover better than the original; for me it's because it's simply a more stripped down version and I just like the pacing better.  Anyway, I was thinking about the Edwards cover today and whether or not I should use it this week as my selection, when I started wondering about other covers, and this led me, as these things so often do, down the YouTube rabbit hole.  In this case I had just finished working out at the gym when I had this thought, and, instead of just going home and doing research, I immediately had to check it out.  I have many, uh, idiosyncrasies, and one of my least annoying, and even occasionally useful, one is my fixation on a particular task.  My current SO describes me as, uh, "task oriented," which I don't think is meant as an insult, and Dave Kelley has spoken, gently, of my, uh, "methodical," nature (it's somewhat like my other charming habits such as whenever I bump one leg I have to immediately turn around and bump the other leg in the same place - or if there are three clean glasses in the cabinet and I put in a fourth one I have to move one of the three up so that the new clean one isn't left alone - which is sort of like the time when I almost threw a brick through a shop window in downtown Omaha, Nebraska to free an old suitcase which was left alone and I just felt sorry that it had ended its life's adventures by itself in a dilapidated shop in Omaha and that just seemed sad; these, as we know, are just normal human habits, unlike one being, uh, "methodical)).  Naturally, an hour later I was still sitting in the locker room in my underwear listening to various covers of Only Love Can Break Your Heart. As it turns out there are over forty covers of that song (and that's not counting the live versions).  Some are from artists that you might suspect, such as Nils Lofgren on his album The Loner, which is nothing but covers of NY songs.  Of course, this is completely cool because Lofgren did play on the seminal album Tonight's the Night (". . . alright, Nils, alright . . .). In much the same way, Stephen Stills covered the song.    Not surprisingly Rickie Lee Jones contributes an ethereal version on her album The Devil You Know.  The Corrs have an OK version which was featured in the eminently forgettable Amy Adams movie Leap Year.  Obviously, I'm  not going to walk us through all forty of them.  Some of surprisingly good, and others are, if not necessarily terrible, are more challenging fits.  Florence + the Machine recorded an almost painfully faithful, although lovely, version.  Jackie DeShannon of all people recorded a version which has a more country feel, but also goes off the rails a bit half-way through.  Even more unexpectedly, Natalie Imbruglia produced a pretty solid version.  Psychic TV produced an oddly nice cover on one of The Bridge albums; it's like you ran NY through a 90s English band blender. Interested in a late disco cover?  Well, me neither, but check out Elkie Brooks.  A techno version?  Unclubbed 2. Yes, it just goes on and on. There are a ton of live covers, including this one featuring NY and Paul McCartney. Finally, circling back to where we started, the Kathleen Edwards cover.  Now, the interesting question is why of all NY songs is this the one which is covered so much (I suppose I should do some more research on the popularity of other NY songs, but that's a rabbit hole for another day)?

Discography Year Two - Week 24

Inexplicably, we're almost half-way through year two of the Discography.  It's a light week this week as all of us are buried or sick or have disappeared into the Canadian wilderness.  In three weeks the esteemed Cyndi Brandenburg and I will have disappeared into the Jordanian desert, so next week I'll make that annoying official request for folks to send along songs a couple of weeks early (I'm apologizing in advance).  I like the songs this week (it's one of my favorite weeks), and we've definitely headed off in unique directions.

Dave Wallace

Ty Segall - 5 Ft. Tall

Ty Segall is an insanely prolific garage rocker; he's released 11 albums in 10 years, plus he's been involved in numerous side projects during that time.  I've enjoyed much of the music that he's released but, not surprisingly when you consider the sheer quantity of material, it tends to be a bit spotty.  Great stuff tends to be surrounded by some things that probably would have been better left on the shelf.  His newest album, Freedom's Goblin, follows this pattern, but it's noticeably more hit, than miss.  Even at 74 minutes long with 19 songs, the album only contains a handful of throwaways and I find it more consistent than most of his previous work.  For the next two weeks, I'm going to highlight two of my favorite songs from the album.  First is 5 Ft. Tall, which reminds me of a power-pop version of the Who.

Dave Kelley

"Turn off the tv

Turn off the news

Nothing to see here

They're serving the blues"

"Call to Arms"  Sturgill Simpson

GB was always a bigger Sturgill Simpson fan than I, although I have always respected his music.  On his last record, Simpson added the horn section from the amazing Dap Kings and went away from his more country roots.  (The DAP Kings played with Sharon Jones and also served as the backing band on Amy Winehouse's "Back in Black" record.)  The result was a fantastic release that I would encourage anyone to pick up and enjoy.  I would concur with Simpson's suggestion in the liner notes to play it LOUD!

This is an anti-war anthem that is obviously so timely right now.  The real attractions here though are the horn section, Simpson's passionate delivery of the vocals, and just a kick ass performance from the entire band.  The attached video is a must watch in my humble opinion.  This live performance from his appearance on SNL is nothing short of fucking amazing in my book.

Plus, Sturgill is a native Kentuckian, so there's that.

Kevin Andrews

This week several of us were treated to a reading of a novel in progress by our friend and associate Erik Esckilsen. As he talked about how he treated the characters and place I was reminded of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology and the song inspired by it, Spoon River.

Masters tells the story of a small town in poems, one for each of the dead in its cemetery. 212 of them. The book was quite popular in its time but not in the actual town that the book was based on, Lewistown, Illinois. They were not pleased as ELM left many names recognizable if not unchanged and their stories were not flattering. Just like real life.

I first heard this performed by the aforementioned Steve Goodman around 1976. This version was recorded by Claudia Schmidt in 1979 and is my favorite. It’s one of those records that I bought on vinyl when it first came out and later on CD after I put my turntable away.

Phillip Seiler

XTC

Melt The Guns

 I am taking a break from posting black artists for Black History Month and will steal a week in March as repayment. But circumstances as they are, this is the song I have been thinking about this week. The latest preventable gun tragedy hit me harder than most (and the others have hit me very hard.) As I was getting ready to leave for work on Thursday, I watched the beginning of the CBS News, which for a morning show on a major network is better than most. They had identified the first teenage victim and the picture they showed of her was in front of a street art mural in Miami. It just so happens that this piece of art was created by an old friend and high school classmate, Maya Hayuk. There is even a publicity shot of Maya standing in the same exact spot as the student. As a species, I think we underestimate the importance of art in its ability to forge connections within ourselves whether it be emotions or memory or even logic. Why does an abstract mural suddenly make the senseless deaths of children all the more real to me? No idea. But it did. And I am going to do whatever I can to help those that can prevent the next massacre from happening.

I haven't listened to the older catalogue of XTC music in a very long time. But I hear this song in my head every time another mass murder via gun happens in this country. And this bit is just too real:

I'm speaking to the Justice League of America

The US of A

Hey you

Yes you in particular

When it comes to the judgement day, and you're standing at the gates in your weaponry

You dead go down on one knee, clasp your hands in prayer and start quoting me

'Cause we say

'Cause we say

Our father we've managed to contain the epidemic in one place, now

Let's hope they shoot themselves instead of others, help civilize the race now

we've trapped the cause of the plague in the land of the free and the home of the brave

And If we listen quietly you can hear them shooting from grave to grave

This was from 1982. 35 years later and it's just getting worse. The song closes with the rat-a-tat-tat of rimshots fading into nothingness. When will we stop it? 

Gary Scudder

Lanterns on the Lake, I Love You, Sleepyhead

Here's another odd choice for me.  I guess you guys are rubbing off on me (or I watch too many episodes of the British series Skins).  Lanterns on the Lake is an indie British band who have three or four albums out, but I'm just starting to sort them out.  I like this song because it's very stripped down, but also because I'm not quite certain what's happening in it.  It's either a love song or a break-up song, or that moment in every relationship where you're pretty certain that you're going to break-up and then you change your mind.  I've traditionally always had that moment in the morning (as you know, I'm a notorious early riser). You convince yourself that it's time to walk, but then she climbs out of bed wearing one of your old shirt, and you decide that maybe things aren't actually that great by yourself anyway.