Got a Jools Holland CD from my girlfriends British family for Christmas. They got to know the sort of music I love when they were here last July. Her brothers Mother and Father-in-law are both rockers from way back, and we had lots of fun listening to Led Zeppelin and Hendrix and Pink Floyd, and other Bluesy guitar stuff, LOUD in my car when I drove them around Central Texas for a week or so. I loved it.
They thought I'd like Holland, and I do. It's sort of light blues/jazz/big band boogy woogy, if you know what I mean. I finally got 'round to tossin' it in the player earlier last week and loved it. That got me looking on YouTube for video, and it turns out he's got a TV show in England and there's LOTS of video of him and others on the site. Among other things, I found this little number. See if you can relate.
God, that's fuckin' brilliant! Looks familiar but can't place it. Hell, Mushy probably posted it on one of his old Friday posts, but I've forgotten. Anyway, That's Nick Cave and Grinderman on Holland's TV show. I always thought Cave was a bit weird, but liked him none the less. He was always hard to quantify and categorize, which is what a lot of folks do to decide if they like something or not. If it doesn't fit neatly into the category of music they like they reject it. Profiling, I guess. Perfectly normal human stuff, but effectively eliminating all sorts of quirky but interesting sounds from most folks experience.
I did that for years, until I guess my ear started to mature a bit. Once you get that genie out of the bottle it's hard to get it to sit still and listen to the same old shit all the time. The world is a wide place, full of interesting sounds and stories. As I think about it now, I guess there's really three categories of folks when it comes to music.
The first bunch are fixated on the music from a certain time in their life, usually their youth, back when things like the length of your hair and style of your music identified you as being ether kickers, rockers, stoners, or whatever. They're still livin' in that time in their mind and won't think of listening to anything else. They don't want to let the side down. My sister is like that. I try to turn her on to stuff all the time and she almost goes into a rage. What can you do?
They thought I'd like Holland, and I do. It's sort of light blues/jazz/big band boogy woogy, if you know what I mean. I finally got 'round to tossin' it in the player earlier last week and loved it. That got me looking on YouTube for video, and it turns out he's got a TV show in England and there's LOTS of video of him and others on the site. Among other things, I found this little number. See if you can relate.
God, that's fuckin' brilliant! Looks familiar but can't place it. Hell, Mushy probably posted it on one of his old Friday posts, but I've forgotten. Anyway, That's Nick Cave and Grinderman on Holland's TV show. I always thought Cave was a bit weird, but liked him none the less. He was always hard to quantify and categorize, which is what a lot of folks do to decide if they like something or not. If it doesn't fit neatly into the category of music they like they reject it. Profiling, I guess. Perfectly normal human stuff, but effectively eliminating all sorts of quirky but interesting sounds from most folks experience.
I did that for years, until I guess my ear started to mature a bit. Once you get that genie out of the bottle it's hard to get it to sit still and listen to the same old shit all the time. The world is a wide place, full of interesting sounds and stories. As I think about it now, I guess there's really three categories of folks when it comes to music.
The first bunch are fixated on the music from a certain time in their life, usually their youth, back when things like the length of your hair and style of your music identified you as being ether kickers, rockers, stoners, or whatever. They're still livin' in that time in their mind and won't think of listening to anything else. They don't want to let the side down. My sister is like that. I try to turn her on to stuff all the time and she almost goes into a rage. What can you do?
Then there's the folks who've heard everything and basically have an open mind, but they know what they like and don't want to waste time with anything else. They can develop an amazing depth of knowledge about a certain kind of music, like a scholar who can tell you anything you want to know about the Italian Renaissance. Ask them about something else and their knowledge and interest is limited.
Then there's folks like me. I guess I'm a dabbler. I was introduced to too many things as a kid and I like to listen to LOTS of different kinds of music at one time or another, but I have my favorites. I guess as I get older I'm probably going to evolve into one of the folks in the second category. Maybe that's natural.
As an example of some weird shit that I would've changed the channel on back in the day, here's Cave's rendition of "Hey Joe", from an old TV show from the late '80s called Night Music, hosted by Jools Holland (ironically) and David Sanborn. Used to love that show, but it wasn't on long. I guess they played too much stuff like this for the teenagers who are up watching TV on the weekends.
That harmonica player is Toots Thielemans, who was a famous French jazz player. Listening to it now I love the weirdness of it, but it ain't for everyone. That's cool. No pressure.
Anyway, I also got a CD from Denise. Jimi Hendrix live at Monterey. It kicks ass on a totally different level of ass kickin'. Here's a taste. Love the hell out of this.
You know how you can get on YouTube and surf all day and find wonderful shit to watch and listen to? I've spend whole weekends immersed in it. You click from one thing to another and it all runs together somehow in a trail of logic. I looked for Jules Holland and found Nick Cave. Then I found Cave doing "Hey Joe", then Deep Purple doing "Hey Joe" (I'm gonna try to find and download that), then Hendrix at Monterey, and I'm ending it all with this. Back to the Blues and the golden age of Rock in the end. This wall always be my time in music. There's ultimately nothing better. There I go. Enjoy.
Then there's folks like me. I guess I'm a dabbler. I was introduced to too many things as a kid and I like to listen to LOTS of different kinds of music at one time or another, but I have my favorites. I guess as I get older I'm probably going to evolve into one of the folks in the second category. Maybe that's natural.
As an example of some weird shit that I would've changed the channel on back in the day, here's Cave's rendition of "Hey Joe", from an old TV show from the late '80s called Night Music, hosted by Jools Holland (ironically) and David Sanborn. Used to love that show, but it wasn't on long. I guess they played too much stuff like this for the teenagers who are up watching TV on the weekends.
That harmonica player is Toots Thielemans, who was a famous French jazz player. Listening to it now I love the weirdness of it, but it ain't for everyone. That's cool. No pressure.
Anyway, I also got a CD from Denise. Jimi Hendrix live at Monterey. It kicks ass on a totally different level of ass kickin'. Here's a taste. Love the hell out of this.
You know how you can get on YouTube and surf all day and find wonderful shit to watch and listen to? I've spend whole weekends immersed in it. You click from one thing to another and it all runs together somehow in a trail of logic. I looked for Jules Holland and found Nick Cave. Then I found Cave doing "Hey Joe", then Deep Purple doing "Hey Joe" (I'm gonna try to find and download that), then Hendrix at Monterey, and I'm ending it all with this. Back to the Blues and the golden age of Rock in the end. This wall always be my time in music. There's ultimately nothing better. There I go. Enjoy.
5 comments:
I think I've matured into a similar music groove as yourself. I like big band, blues, swing, metal, acid rock and even blue grass.
I've got an old album from 1966 with Johnny rivers singing Hey Joe and Jimi Hendrix on bass. Weird stuff but I like it all the same.
Thanks for the exposure to those youtube videos I'll have to go look for some more.
On your DV question I got some 256 disk books at Target for about $29 each. They are made of sturdy black leather. Most of my DVDs were laser etched so I just threw away everything else. Some old disks only had tiny writing on the inside edge I cut out the front picture and slid it in with the disk. The new setup works great and I've got a lot more room to work with.
I have an open ear, and love a wide variety of music, and believe I have kept up with some of the changes in music today. I like the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, and a lot of today's music, as long as it ain't rap...rap is noise and bad poetry!
However, music, regardless of what it is, has to move me in some way...Cave is no Tom Waits!
While the second had held me the longest, the first had no recognizable notes and looked and sounded like it took no talent whatsoever!
Now, what kind of friend would I be if I just said I liked everything you do?
That Hendrix song does nothing for me either, but it don't mean I don't like him. Hell, I like Seger, but I hate "Old Time Rock & Roll!"
But John Lennon doing blues is great!
There are some groups that just good for riffs...Deep Purple being one in my mind. "Smoke on the Water" has a classic and wonderful riff and beginning, but truthfully, once the song gets going, it loses me. Most of their songs are the same way...great starts or potential, then the reverb and singing starts!
To me there has to be some spark of creativity, something very special and unique to a song or a performance before it rocks or rolls my musical soul.
Do you hate? Well, like my momma says, if Mushy don't like something he'll tell'ya!
Hammar - Yea, it sounds like we share a lot of things there. That versions sounds hilarious. I'll have to look for it. And YouTube is amazing. I'll look for those books at Target.
Mushy - Oh hell man, it's all good. I didn't mean that post as a dig. You know I respect your wealth of knowledge on the subject, and your openness to new things. Hell, you listen to some stuff that makes me crazy. I just never can guess what you're gonna like or dislike. Drives me nuts, but that's what makes us individuals.
I think the lyrics in that first one are brilliant, even if the sound is jarring, but I think that's the point of it all. And this recent Deep Purple Live CD I've been listening to is amazing! I LOVE the way the guitar and keyboard play off one another, but the squealin' does get too me. Those were the days.
Anyway, to each his own. Maybe this will move you into goin' back and doin' another music post? I miss the regular Friday night tutorials.
I've always wondered (and wondered seriously) how and why folks get "stuck" in or with a particular musical time period or genre. I've been less charitable than you, Jeff, in my ultimate opinion... in that I don't think these types actually LIKE music, it's just a life-style accessory, for lack of a better term. It's also familiar and comfortable, too, so there's no challenge involved. Lord knows some folks don't wanna think.
Ever the cynic...
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