Add Some Music to Your Day

Got some new music lately. Finally listened to it the three times required by Roger’s Rules of Listening to Music.

Paul Simon- Surprise. I found a surprising number of people online who indicated that they didn’t like the album. I’ve enjoyed it thus far, especially the first song, which was so atypical Simon, probably the Brian Eno influence, that I though I had put in the wrong album. “How can you live in the Northeast? How can you live in the South? How can you build on the banks of a river When the flood water pours from the mouth?” A conversation I’ve had with others since the flooding on the Mississippi in the last decade.

Lesley Gore – Ever Since. Gorgeous. Great reinterpretation of “You Don’t Own Me”.

George Harrison. This is an album of rarities a friend sent me. My favorite tune so far is a song that starts out with My Sweet Lord musically, but lyrically is a pirate song.

Jesse James appears in both the Mark Knofler/Emmylou Harris disc, and the Springsteen disc. I found Mark and Emmylou’s disc quite enjoyable.

The new Springsteen album, The Seeger Sessions, which I got from one of my sisters from Father’s Day, it felt like I’ve know for years. It’s like what Carole King once said about her early performances; she felt that she went on the stage “pre-loved”, because her friend James Taylor would introduce her by asking the audience, “Do you know (these songs)? This lady wrote them!” That’s how I feel about this album – loved practically before I heard a note.
Springsteen’s version of “We Shall Overcome” I had already owned from this Seeger tribute compilation that I bought in 2002 at an Old Songs festival. “Overcome” and “Eyes on the Prize” were on the Seeger “We Shall Overcome” album I’ve owned for 40 years. “Froggie Went a-Courtin’ ” and “Erie Canal” I knew from my childhood – all upstate New York children of a certain age knew “from Albany to Buffalo”. And the gospel and folk songs were also largely familiar.

Lefty made an album for Eddie, and sent me a copy, too. My enthusiasm practically matches Eddie’s.

And speaking of Eddie – it’s always about you, Eddie – he and I were the grand winners of the Blog This Pal 2nd Blogiversary Giveaway. We were also the ONLY entrants in the Blog This Pal 2nd Blogiversary Giveaway. One prize was a book called Fun with Milk and Cheese, which is…fun. Dairy products with attitude is always fun. It was one of the last things I was reading when I went cold turkey on comics back in the early 1990s, so it was great to get.
Then there was the music. Gordon starts with a Star Trek cut called which you would recognize, Amok Time. Then the Beatles’ Revolution. Then Ernie from Sesame Street singing “Rubber Duckie”? A brave man, that Gordon. My favorite track, though, is the next one, Harry Belafonte’s Mama Look A Bobo, with the line, “Shut your mout’ Go away Mama, look at bobo dey”, which I hadn’t heard since I was about four years old. It’s a dumb song, but it brought pleasant memories. There were other good songs, too.
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Now, of COURSE it would be inappropriate to ask for you folks to burn music for me. But I DID own these, and they got lost in the office move.
One was the first disc of a 2-disc Ella Fitzgerald 75th Birthday Celebration on the Decca Jazz label.
One was the first disc of the 4-disc Steve Winwood box set.
One was the soundtrack for Toy Story 2.
Now if you happen to have any of these items, and are willing to…share, please let me know.

Summer Solstice: Ask Roger Anything

Your Blog Should Be Blue

Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.
You tend to avoid conflict – you’re more likely to share than rant.
From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

Song in my head: What Kind of Fool Am I.

In celebration of summer, here’s your chance once again to Ask Roger Anything. And he has to answer! The answers might even be true! E-mail me or leave it in the reply space.

The other day, Chris Black asked “Are you following the World Cup?” Well, I haven’t actually SEEN any of it, though I read the write-ups in the paper (and see a very occasional ESPN SportsCenter) enough to fear the Brazilians. I think it’s because I don’t find soccer (or futbol) to be a great TV sport; it’s MUCH better live, when you can see the whole field, and the strategies the players employ. (Whereas football, American-style, is a great TV sport, because the action is more limited.)
I’ve also discovered that, for me, hockey is better live than on TV, pretty much for the same reason; TV hockey feels like “follow the puck.” Oh, congratulations, ‘Canes.

So, Roger, what new acronym do we need to adopt? IYT. The acronym already has a couple definitions, but needs another: An “Inapplicable ‘You, Too’ ” as described in the 5/23 edition of Pearls Before Swine

It is SO true. Sunday, my wife said to two of our male neighbors, “Happy Fathers Day.” They replied in unison, “You, too.” Then they grinned sheepishly.

Add IYT to the lexicon!

Oh, and look at yesterday’s (6/20) Pearls for wisdom about blogging.

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

You may have read this wire story about the surviving Beach Boys getting together on the roof of the Capitol Records building to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pet Sounds album.

I thought I’d list, not so much my favorite Beach Boys songs, but the ones that have affected me the most. Truth is, I could probably pick seven songs from Pet Sounds for the Top Ten, but what fun would THAT be?

1. Sail On Sailor – from my freshman year in college; the first time I really listened to post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys.
2. God Only Knows – damn, this is so beautiful, I could practically cry.
3. Our Prayer – ditto.
4. I Get Around- the first Beach Boys song I ever owned. The instrument-only version from the box set merely enhances my enjoyment.
5. Help Me Rhonda – the BAW BAW BAW BAW version with the “Help me Rhonda, yeah” in harmony, not the other, inferior version.
6. Don’t Talk – “Listen. Listen, listen, listen.”
7. In My Room – beautiful, but sad.
8. ‘Til I Die – beautiful, but REALLY sad. “I’m a cork on the ocean.”
9. Darlin’ – just because.
10. Feel Flows – from my college days, reinforced by Cameron Crowe.
11. Wouldn’t It Be Nice – a specific personal reference.
12. When I Grow Up – I was a sucker for the years going by: “14, 15, 16, 17”.
13. All Summer Long – from American Graffiti. Always thought the instrumental bridge was out of tune.
14. You Still Believe In Me – another Pet Sounds track.
15. Barbara Ann – great sing-a-long song.
16. Caroline, No – the single listed as by Brian Wilson.
17. Don’t Worry, Baby – the other first song in my collection.
18. Be True to Your School – another song with multiple versions; I like the one without the female background singers. A JEOPARDY reference.
19. I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times – sometimes, I could relate to the title.
20. Transcendental Mediation – I loved the irony: a relaxed title with fairly raucous music.
21. Break Away – it was a VERY minor hit in 1969 (#63); I didn’t hear it until the mid-1970s.
22. Good Vibrations – probably would have ranked higher except that it was savagely overplayed.
23. Surf’s Up – I have no idea what most of the lyrics mean, but it has that classic BB vocalese ending.
24. Let’s Go Away for Awhile – instrumental from Pet Sounds.
25. Surfer Girl

And, Friends, if I were to Do It Again, under the Warmth of the Sun, I might have picked a dozen other songs and rearrange the order.

Anyway, happy 64th birthday to Brian Wilson, who, with the release of SMiLE last year and the related tour, seems to be in a very good place.
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School budget vote in Albany today. Budget is $500 LESS than the contingency budget, but the contingency budget would be more restrictive. Vote YES., 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Need, feed

I’ve always loved the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Not that I was there; I’m not THAT old. But its impact was quite fascinating, especially as it related to what people thought the World of tomorrow would look like.

When George Orwell wrote 1984 back in 1949, I imagine it seemed that 1984 would reflect a none too distant future for this New Society to take hold. Of course, a version of Newspeak has been around ever since the first euphemism was devised.
(I think the degree to which it took hold in that title decade was epitomized by the lyrics from Tracy Chapman’s 1987 Why?
Why, when there’s so many of us are there people still alone?
Why are the missiles called peacekeepers, when they’re aimed to kill?…
Love is hate, war is peace, no is yes,
We’re all free…but, somebody’s gonna have to answer, the time is coming soon.
Amidst all these questions and contradictions there’re some who seek the truth.
)

Science fiction has long sought to reflect on the future, possibly most notably in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Prince’s 1999 may have seen out of reach in 1983, or maybe it was just the apocalyptic nature of the penultimate year of the 20th Century that was so attractive to the songwriter.

So when Paul McCartney wrote, when he was a teenager, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me,” I imagine it was with that time was so very, very far into the future.” I’m guessing that that he couldn’t envision his life nearly decades on, so he needed a somewhat campy, vaudevilian tune (perhaps the music of his father) to create an emotional distance from that far off time. (Ain’t that far off anymore.) And I’m sure others have noted the irony that in his 64th year, his second wife presumably doesn’t need him, won’t be around to feed him. As a Beatles fan, as a Paul fan, that makes me sad. Paul as supermarket tabloid fodder: “Paul to Heather, ‘Give me our baby!’ ” Heather’s sister to her defense. Sir Paul, who turned 64 yesterday (or “Yesterday” -appropriate lyrics there), deserves better.
***
Johnny B with his birthday greetings, bottle of wine for Macca.
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Bloggers: ever see something that just BEGS for comment, and then just forget? Last week’s Supreme Court no-knock warrant ruling, which seemed terribly stupid and terribly dangerous, falls in that category. Fortunately, ME remembered.

Father’s Day 2006

Lydia’s illness of over 10 days has made her very mommycentric. Seems like the same thing was happening LAST Father’s Day. Still, she DOES let me hang with her when Mommy’s not around, when we read, play with her blocks, and eat and even change her diaper. But when I try to change her when mommy’s around, she screams and thrashes about violently.

I can’t help remembering (again) how I wish MY dad could have met Lydia. Interestingly, both of my sisters send me Father’s Day cards. It surprises me, but maybe it’s a function of me being the alpha male in the family. (Heck, except for my niece’s husband of a year and a quarter, the ONLY male in the Green line.) Certainly, I seldom (or maybe never) sent THEM Mother’s Day cards, but then our Mom is still around. My friend Mark called me last night (his daughter is 10) to wish me a Happy Father’s Day. What really surprised me is that my friend Sarah Kim sent me a Father’s Day card, handmade.

I should note that my father-in-law Richard has been great. His 70th birthday was last month, and we had a surprise birthday party for him yesterday, with his kids converging in Oneonta from Albany, Catskill, and southeast Pennsylvania, along with a few dozen of his friends and relatives. He’s coming up to Albany, so he and I can go to the season opener of the New York-Penn League game Tuesday between his Oneonta Tigers and my Tri-City Valley Cats (a Houston Astros farm team). He’ll feature in the Tales of Lydia a week or so hence.

Still, there’s some fatigue-driven melancholy – I finally fall asleep around 4 a.m. yesterday morning, only to be awakened by my favorite daughter 30 minutes later, so even though I slept last night, I’m still running on fumes – and I’ve found there is only one cure for me: listening to music. Which will be a post unto itself soon. Amazon, do you still have my credit card on file? (Answer, at least at work, no, because we have a new IP address.)

But one couplet from the new Paul Simon album, seems appropriate here:
“There could never be a father
Who loves his daughter more than I love you”
Fathers of daughters everywhere, INCLUDING HERE, will claim the same.
***
I haven’t had time to listen to this three minute audio (and I don’t have sound on my computer at home, but friend Sarah recommends it for Fathers Day, and that’s good enough for me.
***
I’m feeling for my buddy Eddie, whose father died last year just before Father’s Day.
***
Ooh, it’s Paul McCartney’s 64th birthday today. I’m SURE Mr. Hembeck will have something, ESPECIALLY since I reminded him. I’ll get to my thoughts, soon.

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