Shining, just like gold.
What’s in your queue?
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUC2EQvdzmY
I’ve been on a Zevon tear lately.
Zevon was one of the greats, we miss him.
The version of Mohammed’s Radio from the Stand In The Fire live album isn’t on youtube, but IMO justifies buying the CD.
—-
New national anthem?
Though the May 77 shows are still in heavy rotation here.
I’ll start the argument. They were the greatest American Rock band, and it’s not even close.
American?
Oh. You mean the Dead. Sorry.
No disagreement from me.
Leaving aside their musical importance, the Dead were culturally significant in a way few bands achieve. Which is summed up well in this line from the 4/29/1971 show:
“The Grateful Dead aren’t just music, they’re an environment” – Bill Graham (quoting unnamed worker).
Honestly I’ve never really warmed to the Dead. No point arguing about taste, I know they have many hardcore fans that love them dearly, but they bore me to death.
Me neither. Never liked their albums. Friend told me “you have to see them live, man.” Went to a show in the very late 80’s or very early 90’s. Regretted it the minute I sat down.
It took me forever to actually appreciate that Smokestack.
At first, it was unfamiliar and so very slow. I didn’t have the patience for it.
But I forgot about it and didn’t listen to it for 20 years or so.
In the meantime, I discovered and pretty much exhausted all the old time blues players, including Howlin’ Wolf. I have so much appreciation for him. And I have the patience for him that I didn’t have as a teenager listening to music.
So, the other day this Smokestack came on the radio and I was just completely blown away and immediately wrote down the date and location of the show.
Then I was astonished to realize that it was the same version I’d had for years on the Bear’s Choice album.
I was like, “How did I not get how amazing this was?”
But first I had to go through a process so I could hear it.
It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard.
The 10-yr-old is working her way through the Moana soundtrack a capella but I will spare you all that.
Two weeks ago I heard this playing on the speakers in a great secondhand store in Reno, and I thought, “Oh yeah, I always liked this one!”
Happy Friday, everyone. Keep on making those calls and visits to Senators so we can beat back the “health” bill! Anybody going to a public event for a Congressmember anytime soon?
Updated version:
This is what I wake up to most days. Since I’m old as dirt, it takes me a while to get up and around.
The Queen of Memphis — Confederate Railroad
Yer so Bad — Tom Petty
Summer of ’69 — Bryan Adams
I still Believe — Tim Cappello
Copperhead Road — Stevie Earle
Bubba shot the Jukebox — Mark Chesnutt
Lawrence, Kansas — Josh Ritter
The Reason — Hoobastank
You and Me — Lifehouse
Turn the Page — Bob Seger
Deja Voodoo — Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde — Travis Tritt
Shine — Riverside
Borrowed Time — Confederate Railroad
It Doesn’t Matter — Allison Krause
Sweat — Poppa Chubby
Tweeter and the Monkey Man — Travelling Willburys
I wish it would Rain — Collins and Clapton
Tubthumping — Chumbawamba
RunAround — Blues Traveler
The Mountains Win Again — Blues Traveler
Californication — Red Hot Chilli Peppers
You Remind Me — Nickelback
Someone like you — Adele
A very long time ago, in the dark ages of popular music when radio was still a thing, I was on a vacation in Spain. We were driving down the highway listening to some godawful Spanish pop station. Every song for about an hour was en espanol.
There was a popular movement to change the station. “Literally the only song on the radio in the US right now is that Chumbawumba song”, said I. “I’m not saying this is good but it’s much more tolerable. Let’s give it some time.”
The terrible Spanish pop song ended. The radio emitted an unintelligible (to me) rapid-fire stream of Spanish ending in:
“me gusta mucho Chumbawumba!!!”
I get knocked down, and I get up again…
Finally hammered this song out the other night on my guitar. I could never have enough Prine songs in my repertoire. This guys’s music just speaks to me like no other.
Try it on a French Horn
Seriously, no offense, but not the Dead.
Maybe Sparks.
…by the way, if you enjoy jazz, check out http://jazz-on-line.com. Pretty much every early recording, for free download or your streaming pleasure.
My musical tastes are pretty eclectic. I’ve fine-tuned a bunch of my own Pandora “stations”, with the ones that I listen to most frequently being:
Acoustic blues (but give me Eric Clapton doing his tribute to Robert Johnson and electric blues are just fine)
“Gypsy” jazz
Fado (a Portuguese style I love, although I speak no Portuguese)
The Grateful Dead in small doses are OK. I saw them in concert once, in San Francisco in 1977 or 1978, and quite honestly the endless jams didn’t thrill me. In recorded form, they thrill me even less.