After the excesses of yesterday's blog we have the reality of thinking very carefully about all the tracks that weren't put on to the CD. I must admit that whilst cooking this evening, Christine Collister came on along with several other rather good "female singer" tracks. Hmmm . . . okay, I guess that further volumes are required. Perhaps that won't be permissable. I think the next imaginary CD may be based on 1) duets 2) colours or 3) cover versions. Time for a thinking hat.
In the meantime, here's a picture of an interesting tree from Sunday's stroll (D of E). Perhaps
The Witches Elm from The Albion Band's "Lark Rise To Candleford" would have been useful here.
Okay, so what are your favourite tracks? Answers please in the comment box . . .
Oh, by the way - it's my birthday.
10 comments:
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear David,
Happy birthday to you.
Got your welder's mask for the birthday candles?
Oh well thank you for building up my confidence!
Let's focus on the music, eh? Not my increasing age . . .
How about a link to you singing "Spancil Hill"? Not that I'd be that cruel, of course.
Happy Birthday, Dave! As it happens, it's my birthday today, so happy birthday to me, too. Here's my 56th birthday favourites mix:
Track-wise, if we're in folk mode, then I have great regard for the Martin Carthy / Dave Swarbrick collaborations -- "Prince Heathen" was one of the first albums I bought, and "Arthur McBride" is a cracker. And when I'm feeling down and blue, and need to give a little whistle, Steeleye Span's "False Knight on the Road" comes to my rescue.
Stretching out a little, I'm very fond of "Shenandoah" on the album "Good Dog Happy Man" by Bill Frisell, and "Capman Bootman" on "Shine Eyed Mr. Zen" by Kelly Joe Phelps.
And lately, I've been grooving on "Family Affair" by Sly Stone and "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton and "I can't stand the Rain" by Ann Peebles ... Classic!
And talking of classic, I'm entranced by Angela Hewitt's recording of Bach's "Italian Concerto" and Purcell's "Fantasia upon One Note" (Jordi Savall's recording) and heading back in the other direction I take a guilty pleasure in Jacques Loussier's version of Bach's "Air on the G String" (Hamlet cigars!).
Then there's "jazz"... "Blue in Green" from "Kind of Blue", "Black Market" from the Weather Report album of the same name, and "Little Boy with the Sad Eyes" from Dave Douglas's "A Thousand Evenings".
Oh God, singer songwriters... Let's stick with Jackson Browne "Jamaica Say You Will" (or maybe "For Everyman"), Joni Mitchell "Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire" (or maybe "A Case of You").
And must have some straight down the line rockers! Little Feat "Dixie Chicken", Steely Dan "Boddhisatva", Stones "Midnight Rambler" (live version -- "Charlie's good tonite, innee?"), Springsteen "E Street Shuffle", and to finish off in a party mood Los Lobos doing "La Bamba" ("No soy marinero, soy capitan!") and Howlin' Wolf "Smokestack Lightning".
Enough!
Mike
A nice eclectic bunch there, Mike. Happy birthday! I didn't realize your birthday was so close to mine.
Back to the lists - yes, it is all a bit Nick Hornby, isn't it? But it is way of keeping ourselves sane at work. Interestingly, loads of teachers are coming up with their top 12 female singers albums, it seems to have caught the collective imagination.
I must admit I still struggle with jazz, I really don't get it. I think it's grown up music, really, and as I seem to have some sort of Peter Pan syndrome, I can't see me "getting it" for quite a while yet.
Perhaps when I do I'll have finally grown up. Still, no hurry.
I think it's OK to not "get" whole genres (I don't get most electronica), but "jazz" is pretty broad -- much broader than "rock", for example. I'm not going to recommend you a list, though, you'll be glad to hear. If seeing pictures of Thelonious Monk doesn't make you need to like his music, there's no hope.
Damn, I left off "world music" (what other sort is there?), country, Handelian opera, early music ("Spem in alium" by Tallis has to be on any favourites list), 60s minimalism ("Shaker Loops" -- not a breakfast cereal), etc. Oh, and 1950s rock'n'roll classics ("Shakin' All Over").
It's no wonder I have bloody tinnitus.
Mike
My iPod has a 120 Gig Memory (which is far better than mine. But then I guess the iPod doesn't drink) and at present has such a huge and bizarre range of music including the Islamic Call to Prayer and tons of Greek Rebetika music amongst all the things I write about (and many I should probably be embarrassed about). I'm sure there is very little real jazz - Keith Tippet is certainly featured on at least two tracks, though. Mrs Dave likes Billie Holiday.
Is "Shaker Loops" anything to do with Shaker hymns? I've got a CD/book of those.
A current World fave is the wonderful desert blues of Tinariwen. Ah music . . . so much choice, so little time. I'm beginning to understand why John Peel kept moving on to new things all the time.
No, Shaker Loops is a "minimalist" piece by John Adams, from 1978. If you're in the right mood, it's mesmeric and mood-altering. If you're not, it's bloody infuriating. I've always been fond of minimalist music since listening to Terry Riley's "Rainbow in Curved Air" endlessly as a student.
A bit like Arvo Part, it's the acceptable face of "modern" music for those of us who don't understand or like squeaky crunchy serial music, etc., and it crops up all over the place in films, adverts, etc. (rather like the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, you'd probably find you already knew it without realising it).
But, as you say, so little time...
Mike
Yes, certain music can be both exhilarating and bloody infuriating at the same time. I remember thinking that I didn't mind Radiohead at one point but they gave me a really bad headache whilst decorating. Well, on second thoughts, perhaps that's probably not the best way to listen to them. I find them difficult to listen to now.
I must admit, I always liked Riley. Not a complete heathen, then. By the way (you may be disturbed by this) a certain acquaintance of ours (peer of yours, recently discussed) is still enamoured of Jackson Browne.
I must admit to being a more recent convert to all things JB, but I adore "Jamaica Say You Will" (including The Byrd's version).
Gosh, Mike, after all these years we've discovered that we have quite a lot more in common than we ever realised.
Happy belated birthday!
Thank you, May! It already seems like a long time ago.
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