Filling the afternoon
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 03:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caddymanI am so bored that I have decided to list the next five random plays from my Network Walkman. I’ve done this before and it can be quite fun to try and say something about the songs as they appear.
That said, I have a policy of just dropping entire albums onto the player, so the fact that the first song that has popped up is Grazed Knees by Snow Patrol, is a puzzle. It is from their breakout album, "Final Straw" and pleasant enough, but not memorable. Maybe this wasn’t such a hot idea after all.
Second up: Puppets by Curved Air. Now this is more like it; less for the song itself, which is an acceptable if average offering from the band, but it allows me to daydream about Sonja Kristina and recall the fact that an early posting on LJ involving a photo of same taught me about compressing pictures for display on web pages!
The third random pick: Clean by Robbie Williams. A dark, dark secret: I like Robbie. Since Val Doonigan fell off his rocker, Robbie and his energetically routine pop has given me the aural equivalent of those little chewy cola sweets you get in lucky bags.
Number four on the random playlist, pop-pickers. My Walkman is clearly trying to undermine the little credibility my music tastes have and has offered up California by Belinda Carlisle. A fine, if lightweight foot-tapper from a largely forgettable artiste. It has a surprisingly good guitar break half way through. The secret is in the lyric – chardonnay music for disposable people. Myself I have no idea where I was when River Phoenix died.
Fifth offering: Ah, thank you, Karma Pixies. I Don’t Mind by the Buzzcocks. This takes me straight back to college discos in the late 70s and early 80s, trying to get served cheap but warm beer during the interval in the students’ union, hoping that your trainers wouldn’t adhere too much to the sticky floor and freeze you in place. Nostalgia in three minutes!
In the meantime,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jfs has responded to my plea for a meme letter, and so
1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs you like that start with that letter
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.
Mr Scott assigned Yours Truly an "I", which has caused me some thought:
1 “In The Court Of The Crimson King” by King Crimson. The title track of their first album and as pretentiously overblown as prog rock can possibly get. Lyrical references to the King in Yellow, jazz fusion overlays, complicated time signatures, the whole nine yards. Somewhat out of favour with the MTV generation who think that a rock track should last no more than three minutes, this is a classic of its kind from the grand daddies of the genre.
2 “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”: Marvin Gaye. I know that Motown in the sixties was a production line where the songwriters churned out tunes which were then recorded by all and sundry until the best performance was decided upon and issued as a single. That said, this is a soul classic and Motown’s best seller of the sixties. You should try and find a copy of Gladys Knight’s version which preceded it and the extended version released in 1970 by Creedence Clearwater Revival to see what you can do to a song. A classic for all time.
3 “I Am The Walrus”: Spooky Tooth. Hah! Fooled you. Everyone knows the original by the Beatles and mighty fine it is too, but I actually prefer the cover by Spooky Tooth. This is a rawer, blues/rock rendition of the song. The words remain psychedelic, but the band kicks out a menacing, dark and (for the time) heavy interpretation. This sends shivers down my back every time I listen to it.
4 “I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself”: Dusty Springfield. Written by Bacharach and David, this has been covered a number of times, but Dusty’s interpretation remains the definitive one. Aretha Franklin did a great job with the song, the White Stripes, ruined it. Listen to Dusty’s version, sung as blue-eyed soul and fail to be moved. I dare you.
5 ”In The Land Of Grey And Pink”: Caravan. More prog with jazz influences, this time with the overlay of the so-called ‘Canterbury Sound’ - a very original concoction of styles including jazz, classical and traditional English influences that produced the Soft Machine, Matching Mole and Gong among others. Inventive orchestral/melodic prog, very much the pinnacle of Caravan’s recorded output, it has been on the catalogue since its release on the album of the same name in 1971, which is something of a feat for a band who most people won’t have heard of if you stop them and ask. Marvellous.
That was harder than it looks.
That said, I have a policy of just dropping entire albums onto the player, so the fact that the first song that has popped up is Grazed Knees by Snow Patrol, is a puzzle. It is from their breakout album, "Final Straw" and pleasant enough, but not memorable. Maybe this wasn’t such a hot idea after all.
Second up: Puppets by Curved Air. Now this is more like it; less for the song itself, which is an acceptable if average offering from the band, but it allows me to daydream about Sonja Kristina and recall the fact that an early posting on LJ involving a photo of same taught me about compressing pictures for display on web pages!
The third random pick: Clean by Robbie Williams. A dark, dark secret: I like Robbie. Since Val Doonigan fell off his rocker, Robbie and his energetically routine pop has given me the aural equivalent of those little chewy cola sweets you get in lucky bags.
Number four on the random playlist, pop-pickers. My Walkman is clearly trying to undermine the little credibility my music tastes have and has offered up California by Belinda Carlisle. A fine, if lightweight foot-tapper from a largely forgettable artiste. It has a surprisingly good guitar break half way through. The secret is in the lyric – chardonnay music for disposable people. Myself I have no idea where I was when River Phoenix died.
Fifth offering: Ah, thank you, Karma Pixies. I Don’t Mind by the Buzzcocks. This takes me straight back to college discos in the late 70s and early 80s, trying to get served cheap but warm beer during the interval in the students’ union, hoping that your trainers wouldn’t adhere too much to the sticky floor and freeze you in place. Nostalgia in three minutes!
In the meantime,
jfs has responded to my plea for a meme letter, and so 1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs you like that start with that letter
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.
Mr Scott assigned Yours Truly an "I", which has caused me some thought:
1 “In The Court Of The Crimson King” by King Crimson. The title track of their first album and as pretentiously overblown as prog rock can possibly get. Lyrical references to the King in Yellow, jazz fusion overlays, complicated time signatures, the whole nine yards. Somewhat out of favour with the MTV generation who think that a rock track should last no more than three minutes, this is a classic of its kind from the grand daddies of the genre.
2 “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”: Marvin Gaye. I know that Motown in the sixties was a production line where the songwriters churned out tunes which were then recorded by all and sundry until the best performance was decided upon and issued as a single. That said, this is a soul classic and Motown’s best seller of the sixties. You should try and find a copy of Gladys Knight’s version which preceded it and the extended version released in 1970 by Creedence Clearwater Revival to see what you can do to a song. A classic for all time.
3 “I Am The Walrus”: Spooky Tooth. Hah! Fooled you. Everyone knows the original by the Beatles and mighty fine it is too, but I actually prefer the cover by Spooky Tooth. This is a rawer, blues/rock rendition of the song. The words remain psychedelic, but the band kicks out a menacing, dark and (for the time) heavy interpretation. This sends shivers down my back every time I listen to it.
4 “I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself”: Dusty Springfield. Written by Bacharach and David, this has been covered a number of times, but Dusty’s interpretation remains the definitive one. Aretha Franklin did a great job with the song, the White Stripes, ruined it. Listen to Dusty’s version, sung as blue-eyed soul and fail to be moved. I dare you.
5 ”In The Land Of Grey And Pink”: Caravan. More prog with jazz influences, this time with the overlay of the so-called ‘Canterbury Sound’ - a very original concoction of styles including jazz, classical and traditional English influences that produced the Soft Machine, Matching Mole and Gong among others. Inventive orchestral/melodic prog, very much the pinnacle of Caravan’s recorded output, it has been on the catalogue since its release on the album of the same name in 1971, which is something of a feat for a band who most people won’t have heard of if you stop them and ask. Marvellous.
That was harder than it looks.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-03 02:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-03 02:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-03 03:00 pm (UTC)What say you thing around the letter "R"?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-03 03:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-03 04:14 pm (UTC)R it is.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-03 04:26 pm (UTC)Turkmenistan National Anthem
Dear Prudence - Siouxsie and the Banshees
God is A DJ (Monster Mix) - Faithless
Broadsword - Jethro Tull
God Gave Rock And Roll To Us - Argent
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-04 12:26 am (UTC)It's a small world.