Tricky Dick And The Man In Black

Yesterday I watched on Netflix a documentary about Richard Nixon when he invited Johnny Cash for a concert in the White House. Nixon knew that Cash was popular at these days and some kind of peoples voice and he wanted to exploit him for his campaign to conquer the so called silent majority of the south. There was a lot of people telling something about these times and the date Cash met Nixon. That they had different kind of views of the political direction is known. But I didn't knew until now that the man in black stood the political authority of Nixon because he wanted him to play A Boy Named Sue and Okie from Muskogee. He played instead What Is Truth as a clear message to the President the he should consider carefully how he treats those who disagree with his views. That is one thing that made Johnny Cash great and unforgettable.

Johnny Cash - What's The Truth

Harvester

The Swede introduced me to Beak>, a Bristol based band by Geoff Barrow of Portishead. It is a side project of musicians that came together to check out what happens when they try to combine Krautrock with cosmic guitars. The result is >>> a very unique mixture of 60's influenced sound somewhere between Can, Neu! and Guru Guru. Essential stuff if you're familiar with those bands.

More Blood

During the last weekend I explored Bob Dylan's six CD-box of different versions, demos and outtakes of the sessions producing Blood On The Tracks, an album that made the peak of Dylan's later outputs. I really enjoyed how he gambled with the song and finally made them in a solution for the album version. Listening to different versions of the song made me think that this song reached the peak of his releases. A way between the past and longing for his further releases. And still an album I will listen further.

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Shelter From The Storm

Monday's Long Song#

A few months ago Austin  based experimental collective Thousand Foot Whale Claw released their last album Black Hole Party. Bands that could named experimental are very seldom and hard to find. I think it is not popular or the basis for a big career if you don't write song that are compatible to radio stations. TFWC are more a band that is working on a sound than looking for charts. Their songs are seldom shorter than five minutes and you can't fix them on any theme. Sometimes they go the electronic alley and sometimes like in Genesis Effect the start with an acoustic guitar as a basis for electric guitar excursions. A band a record I often played at my house.

Thousand Foot Whale Claw - Genesis Effect

Disgraceful Defeat

Last night I was a witness like a football team everything has forgotten what they were able to do a few month ago still. Stuttgart lost at home 0:3 against Frankfurt and will be on the bottom of the table for the next week. They are far ahead of their football abilities and now most of the supporters will recognize that we will play against relegation. This will be the last time I see them live this year and I hope that I will see a better game when I am up in Glasgow at the end of the month. So I will investigate for the new Bob Dylan box-set this weekend. It is about one of my favourite Dylan records Blood On The Tracks and it shows how the songs develop form the first take. Songs only the man and his acoustic guitar and then with bass and sometimes with organ.

The Gypsy Faerie Queen

Marianne Faithful is back with a new album Negative Capability. It is a sign of the now 71 year old chanteuse while her body is wrecked with a debilitating arthritis. Bad Seed Warren Ellis produced an album with songs that fit close to her cracking voice. The songs are dominated by a piano and mostly played in a slow tempo. On The Gypsy Faerie Queen Nick Cave appears on backing vocals what makes this song more than average. I didn't hear much more than just two songs but I think it is a peak of her career.

Half Light

Tracey Thorn and George FitzGerald released a few days ago a remix from Half Light (Night Version) a contemporary version of a song a lot of us will know. Still based on the used rhythm and added with bubbling house sounds and the voice of Tracey makes this one the sound of the last days. Optimistic and ear-catching.