It's a rainy day up north so I'm mucking around inside, pretending to be busy every time The Old Girl comes out of the study (her office). I doubt that I'll go to tennis today.
I've been watching some YouTube videos and this one is outstanding. I'm familiar with Led Zeppelin's song but hadn't seen this clip before.
I wish I could dance like Stu (although I get some of the bits right - like lying down on the floor).
I have my favourites like Louis Armstrong (I met him when I was a kid), Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Richard Prowse (we had a memorable personal performance from him years ago), Terence Blanchard, Dizzie Gillespie plus others including Mark Isham.
Who? You might ask when I mention Mark Isham but most likely, of all the small selection of greats I referenced above it's likely that Mark Isham's playing is what you've heard and enjoyed the most without knowing:
Who was playing?
What instrument was played?
What 'band' it was?
And, afterwards, what was the context?
I'm not being unfair here but Mark Isham has, for such a huge talent, kept in the shadows.
I 'discovered' him through Wyndham Hill Music in the 1990s and recognised his playing style from films I'd seen.
The guy is prolific with an easy-on-the-ear style that just slips through like a nice Central Otago pinot noir .... sorry about that but it's what I'm drinking and has inspired this post.
What of course really inspired the post was when trawling through YouTube on the TV this evening (The Old Girl is away) I found this:
Yes, summertime with warmer weather and, generally, a relaxed mood emanating from everyone before the realities, stresses and strains of the coming year take over in a couple of months.
The holiday period - and by that I'm not endorsing that stupid Americanism of a few years ago 'Happy Holidays' as a weasel way of not committing to any particular religion's belief or custom - God (Robert's god), Americans are a pain in the arse. The holiday period I refer to encompasses Christmas and New Year and is the nicest in the year and I like to enjoy it most with summer drinks, summer activities and summer music.
Music, like food and wine can be seasonal. Roast dinners, red wines and vintage port match well with colder weather and being indoors with a cozy fire. Summer allows us to live alfresco, enjoying summer fruits and salads, sparkling wines and rose wine and - cruisy music.
Who doesn't like The Rascals singing Groovin' ?
Over the years - look away music experts now - I've bought 'cruisy' compilation albums that are suitable to 'Sunday afternoon and Summer al fresco living. I do have a reasonably comprehensive music collection which I listen to often but, on cruisy Sunday or holiday afternoons it's good not to break 'the rhythm' to change albums or CDs or, when guests are involved, not to subject them all to my own choices on a random selection (the CD player accommodates 6 CDs). A couple of the compilation albums set to play sequentially suffices.
I haven't bought any of these recently - please indulge an old fella here - and these ones below I just grabbed from the CD 'bookcase' ...
... are years old from the 90s I think.
They are:
Verve Remixed
Verve Remixed 2
Sunshine - The Cool Sound of a Hot Summer
Divaria and,
Nature's Best (NZ's top 30 songs of all time.
Divaria (as the name might suggest) mixes up some great opera diva arias with electronic dance music. Sounds naff? Maybe to purists but, believe me, as a sound backdrop to afternoon conviviality it works.
Verve Remixed also takes 'classical recordings, usually Jazz and blends them with electronic dance music. The result is 'cruisy' - way better than the electronic dance music stuff which I've never really had time for except perhaps for some Herbie Hancock albums. "Naff" you might say but, hey! Mixes like these have the advantage of introducing listeners to the classics and, maybe sometimes, something sticks. Here's a Verve Remixed version of Nina Simone's 'Feelin' Good':
Good eh? Well, that's because Nina Simone was just so bloody good but, if a 'disco' recording can bring her to a new audience what's wrong with that?
I have mentioned - but no doubt you've forgotten, that I am a fan of opera. The Old Girl and I take opportunities to see productions whenever we can and have done so at home and around the world. I 'discovered' opera from watching a French film Diva in the 1980s see: DIVA
The Cool Sounds of a Hot Summer features great tracks from Ramsay Lewis, George Benson, Georgie Fame and, let's face it, many of the greats but it introduced me to some new performers like Diana Krall who went on to record some stunning albums. Here's the introductory song I heard from her, 'Peel Me A Grape'.
I still drag these albums out and play them, particularly at this time of the year.
Here's another compilation album I dug out : Nature's Best (NZ's top 30 songs of all time.
There are no prizes for guessing which track from this, and the music that for me, defines my 'Sound Of Summer'.
Did you play that at high volume? Good as it needs to be loud to get the best of the pounding beat. The punk style reminds me of The Sex Pistols from a generation earlier. Its manic and apocalyptic video set in a dingy and claustrophobic bedroom adds to the brain-numbing intensity of drums and screaming lyrics. All good stuff.
'Breathe' by The Prodigy was first released in 1996. That's almost thirty years ago! When it first came out it seemed as if society was doomed and that it was the end with the singer screaming out:
"Breathe with me Breathe the pressure Come play my game, I'll test ya Psychosomatic, addict, insane Breathe the pressure."
Well, it wasn't. Believe me there's much worse to come.
Your Music Curmudgeon has been keeping his ear close to the ground and has discovered that a once famous in Wellington folk circles band The Prowse Brothers has got together to practise, which might indicate some future public performances.
The Prowse Brothers
This is exciting news for generally entertainment strapped New Zealanders post COVID with still restricted travel and performance limitations for some bands ...... hold up! I've just been informed that the picture our research department provided above is actually of brothers David Prowse and Bob Prowse who are actors. Sorry about that. Here's a picture of the musician Prowse Brothers.
The Prowse Brothers
The second one helpfully has "The Prowse Brothers" written on it so the bloody research department couldn't cock things up again. Sheesh!
The boys might need to get another studio shot done though as they've all aged quite a bit since this vanity photograph was taken.
Maybe this Uriah Heep album cover can give them some ideas.
Anyway, I for one am looking forward to some new concerts with maybe some new songs.
Here are some suggestions for song titles:
When I Was Sixty-Four
I Remember it (I think)
The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena) is now my wife
Arthritis Blues
Can't Find My Way Home
The Thrill's Long Gone
I'd Rather Not Go Blind
Now That You've Gone
Three Times A Night (I'm talkin' about peeing)
Sore Bones Blues
No Sugar Blues
Trouble In Mind
Pants on Backwards Blues
You Can Say That Again (really, say it again I can't hear you)
Robert the apathetic sanctimonious sinner, toilet cleaner, threatener of eternal damnation, music snob and whatever (the title was too long to copy and paste from his blog) posted about Madonna With The Big Boobies ...... sorry, that was from 'Allo 'Allo! I think ..... I meant Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (which also sounds a bit salacious) in his latest post. The 'statement' from his Lady rang some bells with me as it sounded like song lyrics I've heard.
I did a Google search and yes, I had heard a song with similar lyrics. It's Wannabe by the odious Spice Girls. You can make your mind up here in the video playing the song and displaying the lyrics and showing the Spice Girls to be vacuous and irresponsible bimbos (see how they treat the beggar on the street and the family in the car).
Here's an outtake of their lyrics:
If you want my future, forget my past If you wanna get with me, better make it fast Now don't go wasting my precious time ......
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is Oh, what do you think about that? Now you know how I feel Say you can handle my love, are you for real?
Now, with Robert's, or Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal's lyrics - they could be stretched out into a song to the music of 'Wannabe'.
If you want me to be your mother And if you want to become my son
Ask to see a Catholic priest
And then my job is done
Ha ha ha ha ha Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want (So tell me what you want, what you really, really want) I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want (So tell me what you want, what you really, really want) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna really, really, really wanna convert you ah
I appreciate that Richard the blogger of fewer titles than Robert will consider this post a 'filler'. All I will say to that is:
I've mentioned before how we are all guilty of mishearing song titles or lyrics and blithely going on singing the error to ourselves or others. Some examples for me are:
"Goodbye groovy Tuesday" instead of Goodbye Ruby Tuesday.
"Loosely in the sky with Simon" instead of Lucy in the sky with diamonds.
"These ants are my friends, they’re blowin’ in the wind" instead of The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind.
" I skipped the light then dangled" instead of we skipped the light fandango.
"Excuse me while I kiss this guy" instead of Scuse me while I kiss the sky.
On Saturday night we had a family gathering at my sister's holiday place a few bays away. It was the birthday celebration of one of my nieces and all three were there with their parents, their spouses and friends so a good evening was had.
Thanks to modern technology Spotify was used to access music from the internet and various favourites were called for. One niece professed a liking for Led Zeppelin and Robert Plant's songs. We obviously discussed the two excellent albums that he and Alison Krauss collaborated on. Hey! I just happen to have a link to a post I wrote on this: TINY DESK
Anyway I then asked her if she was familiar with the excellent Robert Plant song Big Log. This brought guffaws from everyone referring to the scatological connection of that. I wound them up by saying that American freeways are very long with few stops so having "a big log by the freeway" isn't an unusual thing.
I sung to them:
I love a big log by the freeway You have to while the cars fly by And the tail lights dissolve in the coming of night Because there are no rest-stops for your plight.
The real lyrics, as you musical cognoscenti know are:
My love is in league with the freeway Its passion will rise as the cities fly by And the tail lights dissolve in the coming of night And the questions and thousands take flight
We didn't access the song to play so I couldn't prove either my adaptation or the real lyrics. My brother in law was adamant that the title of the song was Big Leg which the others all thought was more likely and I was relegated to the position of 'silly old uncle' which I guess comes with the territory of old age.
I did get some satisfaction on Sunday morning though - early as I was up watching the Rugby World Cup match - of finding Big Log, copying the link and texting it to all and sundry. Result! Big Log, not 'Big Leg'!