Make up your mind, elements!
A "full church" day today, with both Sophie and me playing in the worship team.
We had about 10 musicians up there on stage today - 4 in the wind section.
There was one song where Graeme ceased on keyboard and the wind and I kept going, providing a more than adequate harmonic cushion for the congregation - good fun!
Andrew's friends from Hawkes Bay - Peggy, Harry and Johannes - came for lunch.
Harry particularly keen on early synthesiser music and, like me, keen on PG-era Genesis.
At last I had an excuse for playing Messiaen to a total stranger (the ondes- martenot in the Turangalila Symphony)!
Have been listening a lot to my recent purchases - PG - "Blue Ball", Youssou N'Dour "Nothing is in Vain", Nick Cave "Murder Ballads" and Billy Joel "Piano Man" (the studio album, NOT the compilation).
The Nick Cave album is astounding (though his version of Stagger Lee is an absolute foulmouthed rant, and best not played to children, aunties or nuns)...
Virtually all the songs are Cave originals, done in styles that evoke the earlier genres of murder ballads (e.g. Johnny Cash, Loovin Brothers, Irish folk songs, Appalachian Mountain songs)...
I shied away from getting this record for many years, thinking it would be just a tad TOO dark and depressing - I should have remembered just how great Cave and his band, The Bad Seeds, are at arranging their music - the album is dark, but SUBLIMELY so.
And then, to cap it all off, Cave launches into a version of Bob Dylan's "Death is Not the End" (originally from Dylan's allegedly "abysmal" 25th studio album from 1988, "Down in the Groove").
After all the darkness, a little ray of golden sunshine lights our way.
Well, this post started as a journal entry and ended as a semi-review of Nick Cave...more profiles spring to mind, but if you'd rather not read profiles of my favourite music, let me know!
I once had a dream of doing a very in-depth analysis of early Bowie albums as a PhD (amongst other possible PhD projects), but needless to say those sort of plans are on hold at the moment...let's see what eventuates.
Profiles could be a sort of consolation prize (and certainly more accessible than an academic squeeze on Ziggy/Aladdin/Diamond Dog).
Till tomorrow (this PG album has, amongst others, my beloved Sinead O'C and also Tim Finn).
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just built a new shelving unit for records and deck, and CDs above - which occupy a wall and a bit. It's great to have them in the same place. Been playing some vinyl and TAPES! (I have about 30 or so)
ReplyDeleteThe thing is that an LP is truly just right - you get a nice period of music and then turn it over if you want more. So much better than a whole hour or more of someone + the bonus tracks which aren't always such a bonus. I'm not really a luddite, but LPs had a lot to commend them.
This comment has just reminded me that I was going to sort out some vinyl for a colleague - some music by NZ composer Douglas Lilburn.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Neil Young is an ardent vinyl fan - where is it all going??