As much as I LOVE Elvis Costello & the Attractions‘ “Radio Radio,” I’ve always been bugged by that odd sound that comes in during the choruses — during “cleaning up the nation,” etc. It’s always sounded like a turkey baster or something. What the hell is that? And are there any other songs out there that make you scratch your head at the out-of-left-field sound that comes in. I’m not talking Pere Ubu, where odd sounds were de rigueur.
A few weeks ago I stumbled on a wealth of videos of artists performing some song called “Mamy Blue.” I don’t recall ever hearing this song before. The first performance I decided to watch featured a catalog of Rock’s Unfulfilled Fashion Ideas.
I did not like the song one bit, but with all the covers I thought I’d try another.
You know those artists whose albums you’ve seen sitting in used bins as long as you’ve been a music lover, bands like Bloodwyn Pig, The Strawbs, and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel? Well, Cockney Rebel just came up in the Freddie Mercury biography I’m reading, and I thought it was time I check them out. This is the first clip I tried:
Not what I expected! I need Happiness Stan and our long, lost friend tonyola to put their heads together and explain this band. I know we’ve got some other Brits and maybe even some closet-prog fans (if, indeed, this is a genre in which this band was loosely categorized) on board. Maybe they can help me. Let’s try another song by these guys:
Please explain: Where’s this clip been all my years of poking around YouTube for holy grails, and what version of Pink Floyd is this anyhow?
I know these questions may expose me as a real rock dummy, but I’ve never seen this before. There’s at least one Syd Barrett-era song, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a coherent live performance by Barrett or the early Barrett-less Floyd playing anything but their proto-space jams. That’s not Barrett on guitar is it, but rather David Gilmour with Syd hair? Maybe what I’m actually getting at at is that I never knew Gilmour wore his hair that way.
Oh, life in the Halls would be so much easier if only our old friend tonyola resurfaced! Here’s looking at you, kid.
I am becoming increasingly comfortable with my middle age-self. My ears don’t work as well as they used to (ie, years of loud music has taken a toll on my hearing) and my body aches more before, during, and after exercise. I like to go to bed on the early side. I listen regularly to NPR. I’ve also come to realize that I am part of the target demographic for Hear Music and have been enjoying a recent release (purchased at Starbucks, natch) called Just Tell Me What You Want: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac.
I also like to cook and bake, and as I’ve aged, I’ve been swapping out my crappy baking pans for items that are a little nicer. Which led me, last week, to the flagship Williams-Sonoma store, in Union Square, San Francisco. This place is four floors of culinary and gastronomic heaven. I get weak in the knees as I cross the threshold. And as I was floating around the pots, pans, utensils, stemware, dishtowels, fragranced dish soap, and table clothes, I realized that the store soundtrack for my reverie was…
The Scorpions. Followed by Def Leppard.
WTF???
Could someone please explain this? What was the manager thinking? Do I represent a new shift in the target audience for W-S? Was this an errant stock boy on a hair metal lark?
Before leaving for work this morning I watched about 45 minutes of some Scott Walker documentary, 30th Century Man. It took a lot of concentration to stick with it for as long as I did, but I was doing it for you, especially those of you who profess to like the solo recordings by Scott Walker. (You’re welcome.)
I caught the following Daryl Hall performance on Conan last night. It was a re-run.
I don’t have what’s called a “good ear.” In band practices, for instance, I’m often the last to know that someone’s singing off-key. It’s probably because of my limited vocal abilities that I treat vocal pitch like horseshoes and hand grenades.
As soon as this performance got underway, however, I suspected that Hall was singing way off key. He is, right? Please confirm that this is not just a matter of the song sucking.
Bring back Oates—and his ‘stache. And the blond beard’s still not working, Daryl.
