Last Words For This Year

 

 

Only 12 hours and the year 2014 is history. All in all it was a very good year and I wish all of you out there a big party to start into 2015. All the best to you all - see you next year at the same place.

Flatlining

Many people tell me that Rock Music is dead, no new good music is around. When I tell them they are wrong and ask me for some examples I try to tell them go out in the internet and start searching you'll find a lot of new fantastic music out there. The Amazing Snakeheads were recommended by Drew.
It's one of these bands that are really worth to give a listen to. The title of the album is their statement: Amphetamine Ballads. Hyper nervous and songs with good guitars and a singer that shouts out agressiv. The perfect music when you cruise through the city early in the morning.

 

Drop The Pilot

 

Found this little pop gem these days. Truely 80s by Joan Armatrading who was big in these days in Germany. Nothing special but I like this song and this video.

Merry Christmas

 

I moved away from all this Christmas business to relax miles away. What does not mean that I know, why this day is celebrated. I wish all of you, your families and friend a wonderful time throghout the Christmas time. May you all enjoy this time with peace, love and happiness.

Joe Cocker 1944 - 2014

While I was writing the post about Udo Jürgens the breaking news arrived that Joe Cocker died last night. When I have read this I was stunned at first and shaken. I remember ver well that 40 years ago I was in the flat of an older friend of mine checking out his records and found Joe's first record. I put the vinyl on the record player and what I heard hit me like a titan wave. Never listened to a voice like this. So broken, true and mighty. After I listened to the whole record I played it once more and finally grabbed my whole mney to buy this. This voice that sounds like he gargled with glass shards led me into Soul Music - first of all into Ray Charles to explore the whole sound of the black America in these decade. His story is well known : after success he turned into drugs and alcohol and was a wreck. Down and out. On his way back to an 'ordinary' life he spent some time in Jamaika, where he recorded together with Sly and Robbie on drum and bass one of the best white reggae songs in these times. For me a hero's gone and I miss him.

R.I.P. Joe and sing for the angels now.

Bye bye blackbird (with the young Jimmy Page on guitar):

 

He always interpreted songs from other artists in his very own way, like Randy Newman's Guilty

 

or Nillson's 'Don't forget me'

 

This one's are from his record 'Sheffied Steele'

 

The Foreign Corresondent Returns - Stories About German (Rock) Music # 45

 

Back with internet access after a few days travelling the east coast of Sri Lanka. When I was checking the daily news I heard that Udo Jürgens died at the age of 80. Not that he was a rock musician at all or that I'm a huge fan of him but he and his music accopanied many ofpeople from my generation. He started singing his own songs in the tradition of the great French and Belgium singer/songwriter what they called in this times chansons. As far as I know he was the first Austrian who won the Grand Prix de la chanson (waht now sadly knows as the European song contest). Starting his career with some beautiful love songs he turned into Schlager (some kind of easy listening songs without any intelektual lyrics) to show up in the late 70s/early 80s with some songs that had a social-critically meaning. He sung some songs agaist drugs and copmlaceny. Afterwords he had some hits about singing how homesick some Greece workers feel in Germany and about your own personal freedom to do what you want. That this songs have become neglected to hyms by drunken people yelling them at Carneval makes me sad.

R.I.P. Udo Jürgens

In this block of flats we live for one year and are well-known here
However, fancy what I just found under uour front door
It is a letter of our neighbours, stands in it, we have to go out!
They mean you and I we do not fit, in this honourable house

Because we live together as a pair and are still without marriage certificate
If one has met yesterday here and one has voted
And now the community of all tenants writes to us: "You get away from here!"
(hey, hey, hey)
Since a wild marriage, this does not fit in this honourable house

Everybody has signed it; look sometimes the long list:
The woman next door who can never keep her lies for herself
And those of the ground floor, spies out daily them everybody
Also this guy who hits his daughter speaks for this honourable house

And then the thickness which spoils the dog, however, her own child forgets
The old person who always explains to us what is forbidden here in the house
And that of the first floor, he looks all the time to the window out
(hey, hey, hey)
and he indicates everybody which parks sometimes wrong, before this honourable house

The grey Don Juan, that stares at you every time in the lift shamelessly
The widow who has prevented that here a black einziehn is able
Also it from above if the gasman comes takes off them the dressing gown
They all are ashamed for us, because this is an honourable house

If you ask me, I stand this hypocrisy no longer
We pack uns're seven things and zieh'n away from this honourable house!

Viva la Viv

I just finishd reading 'Clothes, clothes, clothes, music, music, music, boys, boys, boys' by Viv Albertine and enjoyed it very much. It brought back memories to a time long gone by but still worth to remember because it was one of the best ones in our life. But it was not only the fact that I was reminded to these times I like to book becaus her direct way to articulate and telling the stories of her life from her very own side.Especially the way se discribes her relationship to -the Clash's Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.  I was always a huge fan of The Slits and I bought her first record without ever heared any note of it (I think you'll know the reason). After The Slits disbanded she was still present on records by New Age Steppers and Flying Lizards. By the way: two weeks ago she turned into 60 and I don't know many women that look still quite cute.

And Mick Jones' answer to Typical Girls