A few good times in my life
October continues with an eclectic selection of chart singles, forgotten and remarkable songs that were released this week years ago.
1967: Jefferson Airplane
1973: David Essex
1968: Desmond Dekker & the Aces
1971: Isaac Hayes
1982: Marvin Gaye
1974: Harry Chapin
1988: Tracy Chapman
1969: Shocking Blue
1970: T. Rex
1977: Richard Hell & The Voidoids
1987: George Harrison
1963: Gerry and The Pacemakers (Apologies to everyone who can't stand LFC)
A few days ago I got aware of a The New Eves, an all girl quartet from Brighton and their first album. I have to admit, that I was surprised of their sound, a mixture of early British folk music, Velvet Underground (especially when they play the cello that reminds me on John Cale's viola), Patti Smith and The Fall. Alright it is namedroping but this album is so complex with all its influences, yet still something entirely unique.
Lyrically, they evoke old myths and stories from the past century, albeit somewhat cryptically, as we have come to expect from Patti Smith. But still with plenty of punk energy an lots of rough edges.
It was 1998 and Belle and Sebastian worked on their third album. I got aware of them by her second album If You're Feeling Sinister, an album that shows their ability to write songs far away from mainstream.
Stuart Murdoch wrote the most of their songs and he said once that he needed their lyrics to communicate with the world, because he can't do it with spoken words. Consequently, Belle and Sebastian's first four albums are not only magnificent records featuring tender, melancholic pop songs in the spirit of songwriting genius Nick Drake.
During this time B&S released three EP's and today's track is one of them and a good example for Glaswegian songwriting at the end of the century.
Belle and Sebastian - This Is Just A Modern Rock Song
This is the first time I feature the same artist twice in this series. The reason is simple: I've just loved RAYE's voice ever since I saw her live this summer. A friend of mine kept pestering me until I finally agreed to get tickets for a double concert with Jacob Collier. Although it's not really my kind of music, the concert was a highlight.
RAYE is perhaps the last artist who can so skillfully combine jazzy elements with soul pop, always with her powerful voice at the forefront. With this song, she delves deep into the soul of the 2000's. Beyoncé would have given a lot to be able to sing this song.
Today, Shel Silverstein would have turned 95 years old had he not passed away in 1999. I think it's the right time to remember an ever-active contemporary. Many will know his songs, which became famous through other performers. Few are likely to know that, in addition to being a songwriter and composer, he was also a cartoonist and children's book author.
During the Korea war in the early 50's he worked there as correspondent and cartoonist for an American magazine until Hugh Hefner hired him for Playboy. In addition to his work as a cartoonist, Playboy sent him on trips around the world, which he commented on in his own style. Alongside Hunter S. Thompson, he wrote some of the most exciting stories, some of which were published in the German magazine Sounds in the early 1970's.
From 1964/65 onward, he wrote A Boy Named Sue, a song that became a huge hit for Johnny Cash. Silverstein's sarcasm is rarely better expressed than in 25 Minutes To Go, which deals with the last 25 minutes in the life of a delinquent before his execution.
In 1971 he co-wrote The Taker together with Kris Kristofferson, one of the many highlights from his second album and forced his collaboration with Bobby Bare
This week's musical journey takes us mainly to the seventies and some great songs.
1967: Procol Harum
1973: Albert Hammond
1973: Jim Croce
1977: David Bowie
1977: The Clash
1977: The Commodores
1986: Billy Idol
1967: Smokey Robinson
1965: Fontella Bass
1972: Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
1969: The Byrds
1977: Billy Joel
1972: The Temptations
In September 1985 Tom Waits released Rain Dogs, an album that marked a turning point in his music. He started his career as another folk singer who was inspired by the beat generation. It was a mixture mixture of Delta Blues, jazz and funk dominated by a voice seemed like be ruined by too many bars and cigarettes. The next years he turned more and more to rock music and great songs that were covered by many artists.
His musical style turned in 1984 when he released Swordfishtrombones, when he left classical instruments behind and replaced them with marimbas for example. It was a great album and got many critical acclaim but with Rain Dogs he made his masterpiece.
'Rain Dogs is a term I coined for those poor devils who sleep in doorways without a home. Dogs in the rain lose their sense of direction because the water mercilessly washes away all their markings and scent trails. After heavy rain, you see these stranded creatures everywhere on the streets, turning their heads towards you, their pleading eyes begging you to show them the way home. It's hopeless. Just like them, all the people sung about on this album are connected to each other. Sewn together by a thread of pain and hardship.' Waits once said this lovingly and warmly about his milestone. These words run through all the songs on this album.
Anyone who listens to this record will find a colorful bundle of addictive melodies and lyrics that stand completely naked before the listener, without a safety net or double soundboard. Lyrically, he is as adventurous as Kerouac and as hopeless as Steinbeck. Musically, it sounds like a session between Howlin' Wolf and Kurt Weill. With so many good songs, the quality wasn't compromised by Keith Richards being allowed to play along and Marc Ribot having some of his finest moments.
In the early 1970's, Swedish photographer Anders Petterson hung out on Hamburg's Reeperbahn and photographed the guests of the legendary Cafe Lehmitz. This photograph perfectly captures the mood of the entire album.
Tom Waits - Singaphore
Tom Waits - Clap Hands
Tom Waits - Time
