Today's post is number 3,000 in a blog that has been running since I started it in September 2012. Inspired by other blogs, I thought that I could do the same and that someone might be interested in what I have to say. Over the years, I've joined a community that now means a lot to me. One of the highlights was certainly the meeting of several bloggers in Glasgow a few years ago and hopefully it will be the same in Bristol in June.
I thought long and hard about what to post today and went for the beginning. The name of the blog is borrowed from a song by the Fellow Travellers. The Fellow Travellers and their singer Jey Loy Nichols appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the year and didn't let us go for a summer.
They brought us a previously unheard-of combination of folk, country, reggae and dub that had never been seen before or since. The music exudes serenity and in the best moments everything is reduced to wishes for a few good times. Jeb Loy's voice certainly takes some getting used to, but it suits these songs like no other. The music was written about at the time: The Fellow Travellers' songs are folk and country songs in dub. They speak of loneliness, loss and sadness, of melancholy states, pleasurable and on the verge of cheerfulness. They hit that sweet spot more precisely than any other music I've heard so far. There is nothing more to add.
This is post number 1.000 and almost 200.000 visitors today. A couple of years ago I searched and visited a lot of music blogs and some day the idea grown up to do like that on my own. Before I opened this blog I was a little afraid I someone will understand what I was posting and if my English will be good enough to communicate with someone. After the first 50 posts I get rid of this fears and walked the way you might know. Retrospective I have to say that it was a very good decision to start this blog. Sometimes it was hard to continue but all your comments are keeping me going keeping on. And not least I found some mates who are addicted to music like I am. Not every day on the same common you all inspired me a lot. I won't miss you in further days. Thank you all for visiting this site and I hope we will go on with this fucking crazy communication.
Have a good time.
These were my first words back in September 2012:
Hi there,
these are my first steps as a blogger. Please have some indulgence, that some things will not grammatically perfectly reproduced. After a busy week I relax with the creation of this blog. The name of the blog is inspired by Jeb Loy Nichols former Band the Fellow Travellers. It was there second record published in 1992. I still remember their gig in Stuttgart on an incredible hot Sunday evening. There were only two dozen people watching the concert but the band did a very good job. I can't remember any other concert being that peaceful and relaxed.
Life is always in progress - and mine also. I have stood several years in the direct customer contact and sold bank products. In the course of the time it was heavy to do this from full conviction. Selling products that I didn't want to buy was not my business any more. That's why I have accessed when my employer has offered to me a place as an internal audit. This decision has stamped my future occupational way with lasting effect. Away from the counter I found the job that fitted to me like a perfect suit. Not only doing the same things day by day over the year I found out that the audit was varied and diverse. They also sent me continuing educations. Never thought that I will go to education at my age. Of course I have not known whether I can fulfil the expectations. But I tried it and I won. This new job made me more and more relaxed. Also in my private life changes stand out. Living with Kerstin in my now overfilled barchelor flat we decided to look for something bigger to live in. One evening she told me that she found the perfect one and urged me to look at it immediately. So we took a little walk and then I saw it: An old ramshackle house which must be entirely renovated. I told to her that she should be aware that absolutely my craft abilities themselves are limited to a minimum. She answered to me that this things doesn't matter and that she knows a lot of people helping the renovation. So we discussed for a several days and finally bought the house. From now on I spent a lot of time and weekends on the building site.
Although I was busy I took the time to listen to music. These records were published this year and are still worth listening to:
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head: The return to their punk rock roots
Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray: Great record to drive by
Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Month & 2 Days In The Life Of: The best alternative to gansta rap in these days
House of Pain - Fine Malt Lyrics: Not only black people can rap. Starting of the white attitude in rap
Sugar - Copper Blue: Bob Mould surprises me with his debut. Great songs, especially 'The Slim'
Annie Lennox - Diva: Maybe her best record after leaving the Eurythmics
Spiritualized - Lazer Guided Meldodies: Debut of the best British space rock band
Morrissey - Your Arsenal: Surprising debut with more influence of Rockabilly
Lucious Jackson - In search of Manny: Still nice alternative album
Pat Metheny - Secret story: Very fine combination of Jazz, Rock and World Music
This is what we watched in the movies - and some of them I would like to see again soon:
Basic Instinct: The whole world talked about one scene - but a good movie
A Few Good Men: Showed us how American justice works
Bram Stoker's Dracula: Fantastic - especially Gary Oldham
Wayne's World: Excellent, Baby
Unforgiven: My favorite western movie ever
Far And Away: Once again Tom Cruise - made fun to watch it
Scent Of AWoman: The great 'blind' Al Pacino
The Crying Game: Great British drama
Indochine: Epic movie of a time long gone by
Malcom X: Biopic about the muslim leader and human rights activist
Reservoir Dogs: This movie set a higher level to crime movies
Reading this list again, I think they made more remarkable movies these days than now.
As said, we lived in our own small world but it doesn't mean that we didn't watched what's happened in the world:
George H.W. Bush is falling violently ill at a state dinner in Japan, vomiting into the lap of Prime Minister Miyazawa and fainting // The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia begins to break up - war and slaughter ahead // Hugo Chavez tries the first time to get President of Venezuela - this time unsuccessful // The Maastricht Treaty was signed, founding the European Union // Mike Tyson is found guilty of raping a 18 year old girl // UN Security Council sends a peacekeeping force to former Yugoslavia // John Major gets Prime Minister // Los Angeles riots after the acquittal of the for police officers in the Rodney King beating trial for six days // Bosnia War and the UN peacekeepers withdraw from Sarajewo // Denmark wins the UEFA Championship against Germany 2:0 as a substitute team // Bill Clinten was elected to the President of the USA // Drug lord Pablo Escobar escapes from his luxury prison // Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona // mass rally in Rostock, Germany to protest neo-nazi attacks on refugees and immigrants
A Fellow Traveller is an American phrase from the 1940s/50s for a sympathizer of Communism or particular Communist States and no card-carrying member of a Communist Party. Jeb Loy Nichols has consciously decided to give this name to his band. I was barely alone listening to this record. Most of my mates couldn't agree to it. Some said there ain't no groove in it, others said it is too much country music in it or this reggae sucks. Maybe everyone is right but just these Ingredients makes this record so good. Grown up with C&W he came in touch with punk rock and moved to NYC and later to London. In London he lived together with Ari Up, Neneh Cherry and Adrian Sherwood. I fell in love to this sound: a mixture of sountrystyle music, accustic instruments, Jeb Loy's nasal voice and the combination of dubelements and a very good trombone. For me one of the best records ever (and one song from the Fellow Travellers inspired the name of the blog).
these are my first steps as a blogger. Please have some indulgence, that some things will not grammatically perfectly reproduced. After a busy week I relaxe with the creation of this blog. The name of the blog is inspired by Jeb Loy Nichols former Band the Fellow Travellers. It was there second record published in 1992. I still remember their gig in Stuttgart on an incredible hot sunday evening. There were only two dozen people watching the concert but the band did a very good job. I can't remember any other concert being that peaceful and relaxed.
