Not long ago I saw a wonderful piece of wisdom online somewhere, and we all know the internet is the true source of all wisdom, don't we?
It was a quote something to the effect of "Never complain about growing old because so many people never have the chance." Deep, profound, or far out, as my generation once said. And I agree, except not today, Sorry, today is my day to piss and moan and bitch to high heaven because this isn't just any birthday, Nope, this one really bites because I've turned another decade. Trust me, the last one was a walk in the park compared to this one. It's not pretty and there's nothing good about it as far as I can tell, except that I'm still actually here.
Today I am 60. Sixty. 6-fucking-0. Two years away from Social Security eligibility. A whole bunch of years away from middle-age.
I had a conversation with the Drum Mama a week or so ago about whether to actually mention how old I was in my birthday post. This is important to both of us because as I have mentioned before, she is three months younger than I am, so her time is soon gonna come. In the end we both agreed, fuck it. If you don't own it now, you never will.
So here's what I think about turning sixty. Are they any great things about it? Hell no.
But being alive for this long means I have seen and experienced some wild and crazy stuff. Not all good and not all bad. I'm still having a blast and doing things I never thought would be possible. I also see friends and family leave the table at an alarming rate. And this is why we drink.
Technology has been astounding. Music has definitely gone downhill.
The music. Yes. I was seventeen when I saw my first live show. So for the musical portion of this post let's go back to that first show. February 5, 1972 at The Capitol Theatre in Passaic NJ. Brewer and Shipley of "One Toke Over The Line" fame, opened up for The Byrds. Cost of the ticket: $5.50. Experience: Priceless.
I'll thank Mr. Dylan for the song and remember that "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."
It’s always sad to say goodbye, and this week it’s not only
the theme of Tuesday’s Twisted MIxTape, it’s also a for real goodbye, at least
for a while. Because she has finally come to her senses, Jen has decided to
take some time off from hosting this weekly blog hop. It’s the old adage of ‘be
careful what you wish for,’ because she built it and we all came. It’s time for
a break. So this is the last MixTape at her party for a while.
So, let’s say goodbye in good fashion. I didn’t want to
overthink this, just did a few songs that jumped into my head… and yes, that is
a strange place to be.
First up is a Dylan song, though I’m not featuring his
version but the more well-known cover by Joan Baez. I love the version by John
Mellencamp, but apparently it is not anywhere on the web. It is worth checking out on the Rough Harvest album.
“Farewell Angelina”
A very long time ago, there was a band called The Moody Blues. They created some of the most beautiful songs of their time, as well as albums that took you on a musical journey. And guess what, they're still around making good music. This is one of their earliest songs.
"Go Now"
An equally long time ago, an English duo by the name of Chad and Jeremy had several hits. This was one of those summer romance ending songs.
" A Summer Song"
I don't know why I thought of this song, but why not? It's beautiful, poignant, fits the theme and is by Steve Winwood. Good enough for me.
"My Love's Leaving"
And sadly now we say goodbye. Who better to say goodbye than... Groucho.
"I'll stay a week or two, I'll stay the summer through
But I am telling you, I must be going"
"Hello, I Must Be Going"
Sniff, sniff... thanks for the memories, Jen. It's been a blast. Hope to see you back in the fall.
In what has become a recurring theme in my life, I am behind on everything I need to do, but have allowed myself to be distracted once again. It is what it is.
I've neglected all my online friends prompts of fun and games for the past few weeks, and I was expecting to do so for the foreseeable future. Then Jen reminded me of the theme for this week's Twisted MixTape and here I am. How can I not join in when the theme is: These Lyrics Are Genius. Seriously, how many posts have I devoted to great lyrics, how many times have I said the lyrics are what I first focus on in a song, how many times have I cried over lyrics. Yeah, too damn many. So here I am. Now I've already used a lot of my favorite songs in other posts, so I'll try to use other genius lyrics by some of my favorite composers.
While Simon & Garfunkel, were probably my true and first lyrical influence, I can remember clear as day, hearing the opening verse to this song and thinking 'how does someone write something so beautiful and with so much imagery in so few words.'
Sung by The Eagles but written by a friend of Glenn Frey by the name of Jack Tempchin. Click on his name to learn a little more about him.
"I like the way your sparkling earrings lay,
Against your skin so brown.
And I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight
With a billion stars all around"
We all know that Bruce had to be in the mix, but I've already discussed the lyrics of "Tunnel Of Love," "The River," and I think "Brilliant Disguise." All deserving to be included in this list. So are "Thunder Road," "Drive All Night," "If I Should Fall Behind," and oh I could go on. Hard as it is for me to choose one verse to highlight, let's go with this.
"So you've been broken and you've been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
Yeah, I know I ain't nobody's bargain
But, hey, a little touch up and a little paint.
You might need something to hold on to
When all the answers, they don't amount to much
Somebody that you could just to talk to
And a little of that human touch"
Simon & Garfunkel. To choose one song? I've already written about "The Boxer," "America," and a few more. Paul Simon is a genius, so anything he writes carries weight in my world. One song, or actually two, but they run together on the album and I've always looked at them as a whole, makes me cry... every time. I cannot pull out one verse, it is in the whole where you feel the message, so here are the entire lyrics.
"Old Friends"
"Old friends, Old friends
Sat on their park bench like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
On the high shoes
Of the old friends
Old friends
Winter companions
The old men
Lost in their overcoats
Waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city
Sifting through trees
Settle like dust
On the shoulders
Of the old friends
Can you imagine us
Years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange
To be seventy
Old friends
Memory brushes the same years
Silently sharing the same fear"
Chillingly descriptive, especially paired with "Bookends"
"Time it was,
And what a time it was
It was . . .
A time of innocence
A time of confidences
Long ago . . . it must be . . .
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you"
So how do you not include Dylan in this list, and again, which song? One of the first songs I remember as Dylan having written, but with another band having the hit was "My Back Pages." It took a while to figure out the lyrics (there was no internet with lyrics sites in those days) and even longer to try and figure out what he was trying to say. Even if the interpretation I had was not quite his vision, it is still powerful today.
"In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My existence led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now"
How do you describe your country in a way that encompasses its beauty and its assets, while still acknowledging her faults. If you're Pete Seeger, you did it as a matter of course.
"As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me"
It seems I have no Beatles song in the list. Unacceptable. And while not a group song, will anyone complain about this being included. I know I've used it before in the MixTape, many of us have. Not only are the lyrics brilliant, but so is the thought of it. John.
"You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one"
It seems so sad to stop here... I could go on all day, but you know I never stray too far from the words. As always all rights of these songs belong to the artists mentioned. So don't go suing my ass for telling the world how beautiful they are.
Starting off a Monday morning by listening to some new releases, the first four albums became unlistenable after hearing barely ten minutes of each. As I looked down the list of recent releases, a cover photo got my attention because of its simplicity: a man and his piano. A quick look at the genre told me it was indie rock, and so I thought I would give this one last album a shot. All I really wanted at this point was something a little easier on the ears. What I heard, was so much more.
You Should Be So Lucky (Blue Note) is the first solo album by veteran keyboardist, and founding member of The Heartbreakers (as in Tom Petty and), Benmont Tench. A man known for his fingers, but not his vocals, this debut album is a fine example of waiting until you have something to say, and saying it without pretense or pushing too hard.
In music sometimes less is more, and that principle applies completely to You Should Be So Lucky. Conjure up a sound with equal parts of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello, then add a dusting of Dylan like the powdered sugar on a New Orleans beignet, and you get the overall feel of Lucky.
To read the rest of this review, please click on the link below to view it on the earthhertz.com website.
In 1964 Bob Dylan released his fourth studio album Another Side of Bob Dylan. As he began to explore using his music in different ways, it became clear that he could write biting lyrics about relationships. Today's song is one of his earliest examples. "It Ain't Me Babe"
Covers of this song include everyone from Johnny Cash/June Carter to Joan Baez, The Turtles, The Byrds, Davy Jones, Bryan Ferry, Earl Scruggs and Nancy Sinatra... to name a few.
While most people have heard the name and many are familiar with his iconic set at Woodstock, where his ad lib performance of "Freedom" became one of the enduring portraits of the festival, Richie Havens was so much more.
Over his career he cut a bunch of records, but Richie Havens was a live performer. A singer mostly known for covering other songwriters, he was also an actor and environmentalist. About a year ago, after undergoing kidney surgery, Havens called it quits on the touring portion of his career. Tonight, a heart attack became his final curtain call.
Let's taste a few covers, including my favorite. I don't think anyone does this song better than Richie Havens. Written by Bob Dylan, Havens was born to sing it.
Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Today is also the day we hold the second inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama, the first black President of the United States. Bob Dylan would call it a "simple twist of fate." I would call it "just desserts."
Today, I'm re-posting my blog from Martin Luther King Day 2012. Take the day to enjoy your civil rights and celebrate your government.
The Civil Rights Movement: The Times Were A Changin'
“You are not only responsible for what you say,
but also for what you do not say.
...Martin Luther King Jr.
The time of the civil rights movement was also the time of Vietnam war protests. A lot of the music from that time was interchangeable between the two, in the ideas put forth.
In "Blowin' in the Wind," Bob Dylan wrote "How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free. How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see." The song also contains the line "How many times must the cannonballs fly, before they're forever banned."
A song that was sung on the steps of the Washington Monument along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., perhaps one of the greatest songs ever written...listen to "Blowin' in the Wind" performed by Peter, Paul & Mary.
This week was consumed by dealing with Hurricane Sandy. Though my life was inconvenienced by loss of power only, living through everything else has taken a toll both physically and emotionally. There were many things to take care of, many people to check on. While I've been writing on the Life blog, the Music blog had been put on the back-burner. Next week, things should be back to normal.
Today will be another quickie. This is another round of the 100-word song challenge on Lance's myblogcanbeatupyourblog. As a nod to the Hurricane and all of us dealing with the aftermath, young Lance has chosen wisely. "Shelter From The Storm," by Bob Dylan.
Here's my entry:
"As the blackened flood water rose inside her home, Lila never once thought about why she had stayed. In her mind, whether she drowned like the rat stuck in her deck railing, or swallowed the lethal cocktail she had prepared, it really didn't matter. The rat thing did make her uneasy though. Drowning would make her death less complicated. Choosing to ride out the storm would be looked at as a bad decision, nothing more. For once in her life, her timing was impeccable. With the icy water rushing over her, Lila smiled; hopeful she had finally found her sanctuary."
A little dark perhaps, but it's been that kind of week.
In this election year, as in so many others when times were
less than ideal, many look for a change. And just as many hope the experience of the past four
years will provide a clearer path for our future. 1972 was one of those years. Viet Nam, the
Civil Rights movement...the country was tired of conflict of every type. The
presidency of Richard Nixon, while improving international relationships, did
little to quell the unrest here in the States.
The hope that year was a young Senator from South Dakota...George
McGovern. A dove in a time of war, McGovern represented the change the country
so badly needed.
George McGovern died today. The promise of his presidency never
achieved. In his memory, today we offer another song from the 60's as relevant
today as the day it was written. Released in 1964 as the title track of his
album, this Bob Dylan song also showed the promise of an incredible songwriter.
Levon Helm was the man with the recognizable voice.
Born in Arkansas, his southern roots showed throughout his career. Starting out with the Ronnie Hawkins Band, Helm was most notably a member of The Band. With the ability to play several musical instruments, Levon Helm along with the other members of the band, would rotate between drums, guitar, mandolin, bass, banjo and harmonica.
The Band hit it big in 1968 with the album "Music from Big Pink." Included on Big Pink was one of their most famous songs "The Weight" along with Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released." Their relationship with Dylan continued over the years both touring and recording together. After The Band broke up, Helm continued his career, playing solo and along with a host of different musicians. In his later years, at his home in Woodstock NY, Helm held musical get-togethers known as the Midnight Ramble. These rambles featured a never ending assortment of musicians and the shows were open to the public so funds could be raised for Helm's ever mounting medical bills.
Tastes for today include some of my favorites from The Band.
