Tim Hardin was an American folk and blues songwriter and mostly known as the composer of hits other people had. His first albums from 1966 to 1969 contained so many classic songs like no other songwriter released in these days. His records were critically acclaimed and he reached his climate when he played at Woodstock festival. Like many others of this era he turned into drugs, got rid of them and fall back again and died in December 1980 on an overdose Heroin in Los Angeles. His legacy were a lot of songs about love and hope with intensive lyrics and melodies other would kill for. I played his record The Homecoming Concert the other days again and thought I should give him a place at this little place in the internet.
You can listen to his last album in full length and see that he was in a good condition for singing his songs live for the last time.
Sometimes it happens a song appears on random play from my mobile phone and I can't get him out of my mind. The last song that came to me this way is the new song from Glasgow's indie-rock band Glasvegas. Released a few weeks ago as an appetizer to their upcoming album it is a song I can't get out of my mind. It may be James Allan's baritone that reminds me to Scott Walker or just the sound borrowed by Phil Spector, JAMJ and the Beach Boys that fascinated me. Anyway just a great song for a Sunday morning.
Just heard the news that Scott Walker died at the age of 76. The most of you might know him from the songs he made with the Walker Brothers,especially The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore. He was an artist that searched his whole life for the perfect song and a lot of his output doesn't fit to my taste. But I still like his first solo album with the English version of Belgian singer Jacques Brel that we had to translate in my early school days. His voice fits exactly to the songs of Brel and I still listen to them from time to time. The rest of his output is mostly too sophisticated to my taste and I often tried to get connection to it but still failed. But some songs are still worth to be listened from time to time.
Back after a few weeks relaxing recharging my batteries I started working life two days ago. Everything went fine until riots started. It didn't touch me really but the things were discussed by a lot of natives. It began at the beginning of last week with a traffic accident in the district Kandy, famous for his tea plantations and in the middle of Sri Lanka conveniently. A truck driver wanted to allow to not overtake four youngsters apparently. The apparently drunk boys got revenge brutally and killed the man. The culprits were Muslims who define themselves in Sri Lanka as an independent group. The victim belonged to the majority of the Singhalas. As a result set out of mob. Local residents in Kandy and in other places speak of organised groups. They lighted shops, private houses of Muslims and a mosque. The government closed down all social mediums and still there is no contact to my friends there available.
Anyway, this blog will continue as before.
Have a good time people.
In the last days I listened a lot to Scott Walker and his music he released during the last decades. It is not often that I play his music but when I grab out his records I enjoy his music and his voice. Far away from everything that is popular or offer you many selling records he is one these artists that releases the songs only he wants to release without looking on public believe. Here's a song originally sung by Jacques Brel a Belgian singer/songwriter in two versions. First by Scott Walker with his deep voice. It still makes me shiver listen to this music. Next is a version by Alex Harvey a maybe forgotten band from the 70s. Sadly I've never seen them live but this song (and many others) are still a step back in memory and quality.
Scott Walker - Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Next
This is the original by Jacques Brel from a early 60s footage.
Alexander Harvey, not to be mistaken by the Scottish singer, released in the early 70s a song that was covered by a many artists. It is just a simple ballad of a of a woman that could be loved when she was able to. It is a classic of the age when country rock was getting to our ears. Not the simple, suffering singers that tells us about love gone by or got wasted. It was in these days this kind of music came to us and was accepted by artists like Kris Kristofferson, Poco, Flying Burrito Brothers and The Band. I'm not the expert in this genre but there are so many singers that have a remarkable voice that make refines every song.
When I look back to this year I see the horrible pictures of the thousand dead Bosnian who was slaughtered in the Srebrenica massacre. Compared to my personal life I have to say that I stay in paradise. All is well an peaceful: I live in a comfortable house, have two young kids and a wife I love and no need to cry about lost or killed persons I used to life with. So this was a year in my life that was very quiet. Just doing my regular job and watching the kids getting older. I spent the most of the time with my kids or we went to visit my parents in law near Cologne and I have to say that it was just a good year.
Records that impressed me much in 1995:
Goldie - Timeless: My entrance into Drum and Bass
Tricky - Maxinquaye: Trip Hop at it's best
Neil Young - Mirrorball: The old man together with Pearl Jam
Pulp - Different Class: This album is the reason why I listen to them for ages
Scott Walker - Tilt: Great songs in a bleak, forlon and funereal mood
Leftfield - Leftism: House music at it's best
Black Grape - It's great when you're straight .... yeah!: Underrated record
Some movies that I saw in these days:
Seven:
Braveheart:
Outbreak:
Smoke:
The Usual Suspects:
Desperado:
Get Shorty:
12 Monkeys:
Dead Men Walking:
What happened in the rest of the world:
A UN tribunal on human rights violations in the Balkans charges 21 Bosnian Serbcommanders with genocide and crime against humanity // Three far-right National Front activists kill an 17 year old Comorian kid living in France // Barings bank collapses after broke Nick Leeson loses 1.4 billion USD by speculating on the Tokyo Stock Exchange // Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system // Oklahoma city bombing kills 169 people including kids // Jacques Chirac gets elected president in France // Srebrenica massacre: Units of the Army of the Republika Srpska under the command of general Ratko Mladic enter Srebrenica with little resistance from Dutch peacekeepers of the UN Protection Force, going to kill thousands of Bosniak men and boys and rape many women // Miguel Indurain wins the Tour de France for the fifth time.
A year with very good records and new sounds and it's hard to pick out one record. I decided to choose Long Fin Killies first record Houdini. I am liking this odd gem of a record. I seldom have heard something like this before. If you can imagine A.R. Kane, Cockteau Twins, Slowdive and early Krautrock on one record - than try this one. Long Fin Killie was a Scottish experimental rock / post-rock band and released three records on Too Pure label. The first thing that came to my mind was: 'Damn, this drummer is a genius' The band is amazing - so amazing that I kind of wish, there were no vocals. Sunderland bubbles on like Morrissey. The odd thin, though, is that the vocals are pretty sporatic and there are noc choruses as a majority of other songs in post-rock style. All in all it's a distinct sound with emphasizing the bass and using offbeat percussion and violins as a garnish. There are hypnotic passages where guitars, percussion and violin circle like spray around the rhythmic booming waves of the booming waves of the ball. One of the highlights was posted last year - it's the brilliant moment when on The head of Dead Surfers,Mark E. Smith (a label mate of the band) joins the vocals.
