The Music Thread
- Thread starter TheOriginalHappyGoat
- Start date
So time for some Warren Z. Just saw these 2 youngsters compile their respective list of Top 10,and I was pleasantly surprised to see many of my personal favorites on their respective lists...
Carmelita ranked high with both and I concur...As an aside, one dude mentioned that he had read that Poor Poor Pitiful Me was sort of a tongue in cheek jab at his buddy Jackson. I have never heard that, but lyrically I can see where it makes sense...
As for Carmelita, Glenn Frey sings backing vocals on the record, but this compilation features JB. And some amazing pics, including a rare shot of Asbury Park-era Bruce sitting on a couch between Jackson and David Lindley...
Next up is Hasten Down the Wind, which Linda R did a beautiful cover of and included it on an album of the same name... A beautifully written song...
And I was very pleasantly surprised to see both of these guys (who look to be roughly the same age I was when I discovered Warren), list a personal fave- The French Inhaler... Vocally Warren takes you on an incredible journey and the backing vocals from pals Henley and Frey are impeccable...
These are all from the debut album, and with Warren I really loved early stuff more. Later on for me was more hit and miss...
Don't know about anybody else, but I'm really fascinated by the backstories behind some classic songs and how they often revolve around real people. I was going thru my list of "recommended" videos and this solo performance of Joni playing dulcimer on California from a 1970 BBC performance popped up. It's from the Blue album and mainly discusses her homesickness and urge to return to all of the folks back in Laurel Canyon while travelling thru Europe. Most of the album deals with breakups with people like Leonard Cohen and esp Graham Nash...
As I listened I was intrigued by the lyrics in the 2nd verse, and thought about the backstory, which I didn't discover until many years later...
"I met a redneck on a Grecian isle
Who did the goat dance very well
He gave me back my smile
But he kept my camera to sell
Oh, the rogue, the red, red rogue
He cooked good omelets and stews
And I might have stayed on with him there
But my heart cried out for you, California
Oh, California, I'm coming home"
I always envisioned this was likely a mythical older Greek like you'd see in one of those 1960s picturesque movies, driving around the coast in a convertible European sports car, romancing the younger American tourist. Anthony Quinn comes to mind...
But the reality is actually much more intriguing, as the "redneck" was a young American tourist that Joni met in Matala, Crete whose name was Cary Raditz. Cary actually came forward and revealed his story back in 2021, in a New Statesman exclusive...
"The wall of limestone caves along the cliff in the Cretan fishing village of Matala is now a protected site. In Roman times the caves were used as burial crypts, but when the hippies arrived in the late 1960s, they became free bunkhouses. Joni Mitchell, fresh from Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and newly separated from the singer-songwriter Graham Nash, lived in one of these caves for two months between March and May 1970. It was during this period that she wrote songs for her 1971 album Blue, and here that she first performed one of her best-loved songs, “Carey”, dedicated to the man with whom she shared that cave"
Now from the beginning Carey was one of my favorite songs off of Blue, and a good friend of mine from high school used to perform it with other friends who covered a lot of CSNY, James Taylor etc, and used to play at various Noble Romans around Indy on Fri and Sat nights. Anybody remember the old Noble Roman's at 86th and Ditch back in the early 70s?...
But I never heard this particular recording and this particular explanation from Joni until literally an hour or so ago when I started googling and trying to dig up a local Carolina station's news report on Cary Raditz from a few years back. And now I can finally make sense of places like the Mermaid Cafe and find out what the Hell a "Matala Moon" is...
Seriously how cool would it be to have an icon create and name one of her most beloved songs about you? And two songs referencing you on what is widely considered a Top 100 album of all time? Wonder if Cary ever got a better birthday present than the song Joni wrote for his birthday so long ago?
And here's a pretty cool video from someone who travelled to Matala, that shows all of the Joni memorials they've set up there...Looks like an awesome place...
From 1969, the last of 12 straight # 1 hits for the Supremes with Diana Ross. If interested I suggest clicking on the "more info" tab from Cal Vid (the video uploader) who reveals a litany of great info about Motown in general and the Supremes in particular...
On Saturday, June 23, 2018, Maxine Waters was quoted as saying, seen on video saying, and admitted saying:
"If you see anybody from that [Trump] Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”
Yeah, she "walked it back." Yeah, the left rationalized it. Yeah, the right touted it as a call to violence.
I view it as a vote whore polarizing everyone, probably by unthinking accident ("you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere") with no regard for or understanding of the consequences - at best.
A few days later, an article was published that I read and bookmarked for later consumption. Now is the time. (I have a friend who is now being threatened by righties about abortion.)
I won't name the publication - to deny the Coolerites the usual response of refusing to consider "the idea" by simply bashing the source. Those who want to can google and try and find it - to see if they can/should not oppose/support the ideas, while irony hovers everywhere.
The article asked how exactly did Waters think her comments would work out? (My answer - she didn't think at all.). Would righties follows suit and get aggressive in public toward lefties? Would security and/or law enforcement end up causing both sides unintended/unanticipated harms? Would use of aggressive public confrontations change minds or policies on either side?
I did an independent study in undergrad on "mob violence" - mostly because of Kent State. It was from a psychology perspective, but any study of mob violence necessarily confronts politics and social issues - its where "mobs" are born for most instances. It suffices to say that - for the most part - humans become the lowest common behavior denominator when a mob goes violent. They commit harms. - even to their own side - out of panic, out of rage, out of unintended consequences. ("We thought we might get a medal for picking up the garbage, or get yelled at. Instead we were arrested.")
The author discussed a LOT of then-recent individual events.
Protesters showing up at Trump campaign stops, and Trump saying "if they disrupt us, just beat the crap out them" (paraphrasing.)
Lefties getting hurt in a melee when righties were being protested.
The guy shooting up the GOP softball practice.
A black guy in a MAGA hat getting rousted in a restaurant.
Joe Wilson shouting "you lie" at Obama.
Airplane incidents.
Disrupted Broadway shows.
In general, the author opined that - for the most part -angry mobs and angry individuals are not really all that good historically at deterring a particular unwanted behavior. Instead, the purpose and/or effect is instilling fear and giving a lot of other people an excuse to act out = all of them all the time justifying their acts with claims that (paraphrasing) “I’m not harassing or assaulting another human being, I’m standing up for good causes! human rights! doing the "right" thing.”
Generally, the author stated that harassment of public figures on the right would only lead to harassment of public figures on the left. Biblically, "An eye for an eye = a blind world."
The question was posed whether we still settle our differences through debate/discourse/the ballot box/the courtroom — or by stirring up an angry crowd and implying (or maybe more than implying) a threat of physical violence against the political opposition.
As typical nowadays, the article linked another, which was discussing media and movies, and said:
"For all the problems I have with modern journalism, journalism itself is incredibly important. Or at least it should be. And you won’t find many people who love movies more than I do or are a bigger supporter of the pursuit of truth. That last part, the pursuit of truth, permeates everything else. Without it, nothing has meaning, nothing matters. If the truth is Play-Doh, it can be molded and bastardized to fit whatever the holder of it wants it to. . . .
The United States, or any other free people, needs access to accurate, truthful information. Without it we’re serfs making decisions based on lies told by those in power. When you make decisions based on lies, you are under the control of those feeding you the lies. . . .
The American people have never been more misinformed by the media, but they’ve also never had more access to more information. The house of cards that is the mainstream media will either fall or be forced to change completely. Until that happens, it’s up to you not only be informed but to inform others."
So non-violence and love-speech and truth ...
If you could go back and lovingly slap some sense into Maxine - would ya?
Should Trump have toned it down?
Should we?
Pondering in the heat ...
So in a little over a week we'll be coming up on the 53rd anniversary of Woodstock. I didn't go, and full disclosure I was only 14 so I doubt I even knew what was happening. But during my soph year at IU I had occasion to attend my own version of a mini-Woodstock, some 25 yrs after the original...
I conned my high school buddy into driving to Cleveland with me for what was billed as the World Series of Rock. It was outdoors at the Old Cleveland Stadium and the field alone was a sea of humanity. My friend left our spot to go to the john or get food, and that was the last I saw of him until we met up after the concert about 8 hrs later. Spoiler alert- no cellphones and it was probably his car. So the idea of being lost among 100,000 or so fans wasn't particularly appealing, and I had tickets for Eagles and Beach Boys at IU the next night, so finding him was a relief...
So the headliners were CSNY, in one of their first "reunion tours". Included were such "openers" as Santana and The Band, and it was roughly a year or two prior to the Last Waltz shows. Of course all 3 of the headliners were veterans of Woodstock although only CSN (not Y) and Santana were included in the movie...The Band, CCR, Neil and the Dead were all performers who for whatever reason refused to allow their performances to be included in the movie...
Now the man who opened the show that day had been invited along with his bandmates to attend, but travel logistics cost them an appearance, similar to what happened to Joni. They had a monster hit that Richie Havens covered as part of his set, but their version is still identified with Woodstock lore, and a lot of people still believe they were there. Here's why that is...
That of course is Jesse Colin Young and his band The Youngbloods, and he was an aspiring solo artist when he opened the show that day. Everyone knows that song, and to be honest that's the only song I had ever heard that beautiful voice sing before then. But I bought a couple of his albums over the years, where he sang about the beauty and serenity that was part of his life living on a ridge top in rural Marin County. These are particularly tasty...
I've only seen Eagles one time, the day after I saw the CSNY festival in Cleveland. It was the Desperado tour, which despite all of their later success is still my favorite Eagles album...I'm a sucker for a good concept album. Especially one this melodic...
The opening set up as the Brothers head out to rob banks. And play Rock N Roll...
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Awesome mandolin accompanying Henley's vocal...
Sat Night
I've always loved the reprise... Henley's plaintive vocals, the soaring harmonies and the way it all comes together and ties up all the loose ends...Just so melodic...
reprise
Speaking of melodic one of my favorite Eagle covers and another great Tom Waits composition.
Ol 55
I looked up Bonham playing Moby Dick, and I have a hard time believing anyone could replicate a drum solo like this. 1/3 of the time he's playing without sticks. And in terms of his base drum, people always marvel at how great he was. In this solo, it's like he has three feet. 2 on the base and one on the high hat. Now I understand why he's the legend he is.
My guess is they'll play at Thalia Hall in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. It's a great venue! If you have an interest, let me know and I'll try scoring some tix.
This is where my handle comes from - Neil.
It just occurred to me this thread is almost 900 posts long, and I don't remember any Wilburys. Did I just miss it, or did we really not do it yet?
Agree and that stage has some serious talent on it... Thile a MacArthur fellowship winner may have the least.
The first instrument I learned to play was not a recorder like most true-blooded Hoosiers. Rather, my grandfather built me a lap dulcimer in his workshop, and that was my first instrument. I still have a soft spot for it.
I've went through it a couple times just to refresh myself on what I posted and see if I missed any gems.. and don't remember any.
More blues, this time Jimi on a 12 tuned down two steps to C. No pick, like a real blues player. Come on Jimi .. lol
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My girl is currently learning dulcimer, she got a handmade one from Georgia. I tried it, it's so flimsy, I'm too used to guitar and mando with the stiffness in stringing. The touch required on both fretting (and plucking strumming) reminds me of slide, but less forgiving .. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate listening to someone learn an instrument.
My first instrument was a piano, and to this day I hate piano*, my mom made me take lessons and it was between violin and piano, I took the easier.. if given another choice I'd take violin. Piano taught in the traditional method, is torture for a child.
fwiw - cello is by far my favorite instrument, the tone to me is just immaculate - my ear loves the mids - and it's far more dynamic than a bass, viola or violin.
*unless it's played with tempo and swing like boogie woogie. I hate the sparkle fairy stuff the most.
