these past few days most nations played two games and qualifying is now past the half way mark... i don't follow it as closely as i could but spain is looking vulnerable right now.. france tied with israel!.. england is heading straight to the cup....
in the case of the US the loss to mexico over the weekend was a bummer but the US side turned it all around by beating guatemala yesterday 2-0... this victory is huge as the US side is battling with guatemala for one of the spots in the concacaf...
when it comes to south america...: argentina beat bolivia 2-0 in the high altitude locale of la paz... argentina had not won here since 1973 when it won with the so called "ghost team".. a team of local many somewhat unknown argentine players who were sent to la paz for one month to get used to the altitude.. i don't remember for sure but if i am right that victory was instrumental in getting argentina into the 1974 world cup... argentina had not qualified for 70.. since 74 argentina has been in every cup and i think some credit goes to those largely unknown men.. in any case, on this occassion argentina coach pekerman tried a new strategy.. he selected all local players and flew in to la paz an hour or two before the game!... this was an attempt to limit the effects of the altitude.. if you've ever been in a place like la paz or say quito ecuador trust me. you begin to feel like shit after a day....lethargic.... in any case, the gambit worked and argentina picked up a very valuable 3 points.. by all accounts playing far better than the locals.. then for the game against colombia in buenos aires last night pekerman picked almost all foreign based players! in other words he used two different teams for the two matches! the largely foreign based team eked out a rather paltry 1-0 win over colombia... i suppose the important thing is that with these two victories argentina is pretty much in the world cup... one more victory, i think, is all we need out of the final 5 group matches... brazil meanwhile was held to a 1-1 draw against uruguay in montevideo.. its interesting that brazil has never managed to beat uruguay in uruguay!...i think the level of play in south america is very weak which is why argentina can't take any comfort from leading the group by four points.... it looks like the south american nations that will make the world cup will be once again: argentina, brazil, uruguay, paraguay and perhaps ecuador.. just as in the last world cup...
incidentally pekerman's strategy with argentina right now seems to be to try out new players. this is alienating some of the veterans that during the bielsa coached period had a fixed place in the roster ... i say tough shit... thats what this qualifying phase should be about: testing out new players, tactics, strategies, sneakers.. whatever....
in addition, i think its clear that argentina's results so far are confirming the problem that has faced argentina during the past decade or so: an inability to play creatively enough to facilitate goalscoring.. argentina's defense is rock solid game after game but the team has trouble scoring....what can i say? we need a new maradona!..
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Chuck Berry
yesterday i got in the mail my original copy of chuck's first lp "After school session!...
if anyone can take more of the credit for rock'n'roll its chuck berry.... more than little richard..yes, more than elvis....its impossible to say that if chuck had not come along there would be no rock'n'roll..but its hard to envision it having turned out quite the way it did... his influence on the british invasion is incalculable and it took the british invasion to restart rock'n'roll in the US after the tragic events of the late 1950s which threatened to kill rock'n'roll: little richard retiring from music to become a minister, chuck berry's career inevitably stalling as he went to jail, jerry lee lewis fading into ignominy after running off with his young cousin, elvis going to the army and coming back as a movie star with hardly a trace of his rock'n'roll self, and of course the day the music died when a plane crash took buddy holly (and big bopper and i think richie valens went too)...all these events plus an almost visceral reaction by society against the rebellion that rock'n'roll was believed to represent came close to extinguishing its flame before it even began!...but in the early 1960s the beatles and stones tapped into the music of the fathers of rock.. none more so than chuck and with that conquered america.. the beatles on the ed sullivan show wasn't about the beatles.. it was the triumph of rock'n'roll.....
no lesser man than john lennon said that rock'n'roll might as well have been called "chuck berry music"; lennon's "here comes old flat top" lyric from "come together" is taken from "you can't catch me".. lennon never disputed this fact and settled out of court with the owner of the publishing who unfortunately was not berry.. and the beatles were performing berry songs at least as early as may 1960 years before they had received a record contract.. the rolling stones meanwhile, even more so than the beatles, made a career of covering and recycling chuck berry riffs; the stones version of "little queenie" from the live lp "get yer ya-ya's out" is sex supreme!.....a young bruce springsteen in "hail hail rock and roll" tells a story - with the biggest grin i have ever seen- how one night him and some others got a call to come to a club (apparently this show was in college park, maryland) and back up chuck who played with pick up bands so as to maximize his take..of course bruce had never met chuck berry..probably never even seen a chuck berry show.... chuck was quite late and when he showed up a nervous bruce- excited, scared and above all overwhelmed at the idea of backing berry- asks "what are we going to play?".. chuck berry answers: "son , we're going to play some chuck berry songs"....i think there's a lot in those words: chuck berry very simply was saying they were going to play some rock'n'roll... bands like ac dc have chuck berry running through their blood...
its not just that the guitar licks chuck invented are the essence of rock'n'roll..yes, for example that lick from "johnny b goode"... its more than that... he gave rock'n'roll its attitude and language and vocabulary..its culture... he wrote songs about rock'n'roll... about being a teenager listening to rock'n'roll..about going to a rock'n'roll show...and above all about fun and about being excited about being alive... all this was new when chuck berry was writing about it in the mid 1950s.. there was no rock'n roll scene at the time.... chuck gave the emerging genre- soon to displace and eclipse jazz in popularity- its identity..look at some of the lyrics from "sweet little rock and roller" :
Should've seen her eyes when the band began to play
And the famous singers sang and barred away
When the stars performed, she screamed and yelled "Hooray!"
Ten thousand eyes were watching them leave the floor
Five thousand tongues were screaming "More! More!"
About 1500 waitin' outside the door
or "school days":
Soon as three o'clock rolls around
You finally lay your burden down
Close up your books, get out of your seat
Down the halls and into the street
Up to the corner and 'round the bend
Right to the juke joint you go in
*Drop the coin right into the slot
You gotta hear something that's really hot
With the one you love you're makin' romance
All day long you been
Wantin' to dance
Feelin' the music from head to toe
'Round and 'round and 'round you go
(*Repeat)
Hail, hail rock'n'roll
Deliver me from the days of old
Long live rock'n'roll
The beat of the drum is loud and bold
Rock rock rock'n'roll
The feelin' is there body and soul
chuck berry helped link rock'n'roll to youth culture in the 1950s..lines like the "hail hail rock'n'roll deliver me from the days of old" (quoted above) explicitly make clear the distinction chuck is forcing between rock'n'roll/youth and everything that came before it.. in an increasingly developed economy teenagers- for the first time a generation with part time jobs and more importantly disposable income- became the driving force for the ascendancy of rock'n'roll which eventually became synonymous with american culture....he did this by mutating essentially rockabilly blues riffs and adding a whole world- largely of his creation- of lyrics about youth culture (cars for example: see "no money down") to come up with rock'n'roll....
joe perry - aerosmith's guitarist- wrote a nice piece about chuck berry in a special issue of rolling stone released last year focusing on the 50 greatest rock'n'roll artists... its not important who came in first or second.. but i think joe perry while clearly not a writer largely hits the nail on the head when he tries to convey what it is that chuck berry means... i recommend this article which can be found at the link here
and lest it seem like i am speaking about a dead man let me make clear.. chuck berry is still rock'n'rollin it up... he usually plays once a month at the duck room at blueberry hill in st louis...go check him out.. i know i should..link is here
he is of course, and so appropriately, the first inductee into the rock and roll hall of fame...a few years ago he received the kennedy center lifetime achievement award- the highest honor this country bestows for contributions to american culture- of which he is highly highly deserving.. he is a national treasure.
if anyone can take more of the credit for rock'n'roll its chuck berry.... more than little richard..yes, more than elvis....its impossible to say that if chuck had not come along there would be no rock'n'roll..but its hard to envision it having turned out quite the way it did... his influence on the british invasion is incalculable and it took the british invasion to restart rock'n'roll in the US after the tragic events of the late 1950s which threatened to kill rock'n'roll: little richard retiring from music to become a minister, chuck berry's career inevitably stalling as he went to jail, jerry lee lewis fading into ignominy after running off with his young cousin, elvis going to the army and coming back as a movie star with hardly a trace of his rock'n'roll self, and of course the day the music died when a plane crash took buddy holly (and big bopper and i think richie valens went too)...all these events plus an almost visceral reaction by society against the rebellion that rock'n'roll was believed to represent came close to extinguishing its flame before it even began!...but in the early 1960s the beatles and stones tapped into the music of the fathers of rock.. none more so than chuck and with that conquered america.. the beatles on the ed sullivan show wasn't about the beatles.. it was the triumph of rock'n'roll.....
no lesser man than john lennon said that rock'n'roll might as well have been called "chuck berry music"; lennon's "here comes old flat top" lyric from "come together" is taken from "you can't catch me".. lennon never disputed this fact and settled out of court with the owner of the publishing who unfortunately was not berry.. and the beatles were performing berry songs at least as early as may 1960 years before they had received a record contract.. the rolling stones meanwhile, even more so than the beatles, made a career of covering and recycling chuck berry riffs; the stones version of "little queenie" from the live lp "get yer ya-ya's out" is sex supreme!.....a young bruce springsteen in "hail hail rock and roll" tells a story - with the biggest grin i have ever seen- how one night him and some others got a call to come to a club (apparently this show was in college park, maryland) and back up chuck who played with pick up bands so as to maximize his take..of course bruce had never met chuck berry..probably never even seen a chuck berry show.... chuck was quite late and when he showed up a nervous bruce- excited, scared and above all overwhelmed at the idea of backing berry- asks "what are we going to play?".. chuck berry answers: "son , we're going to play some chuck berry songs"....i think there's a lot in those words: chuck berry very simply was saying they were going to play some rock'n'roll... bands like ac dc have chuck berry running through their blood...
its not just that the guitar licks chuck invented are the essence of rock'n'roll..yes, for example that lick from "johnny b goode"... its more than that... he gave rock'n'roll its attitude and language and vocabulary..its culture... he wrote songs about rock'n'roll... about being a teenager listening to rock'n'roll..about going to a rock'n'roll show...and above all about fun and about being excited about being alive... all this was new when chuck berry was writing about it in the mid 1950s.. there was no rock'n roll scene at the time.... chuck gave the emerging genre- soon to displace and eclipse jazz in popularity- its identity..look at some of the lyrics from "sweet little rock and roller" :
Should've seen her eyes when the band began to play
And the famous singers sang and barred away
When the stars performed, she screamed and yelled "Hooray!"
Ten thousand eyes were watching them leave the floor
Five thousand tongues were screaming "More! More!"
About 1500 waitin' outside the door
or "school days":
Soon as three o'clock rolls around
You finally lay your burden down
Close up your books, get out of your seat
Down the halls and into the street
Up to the corner and 'round the bend
Right to the juke joint you go in
*Drop the coin right into the slot
You gotta hear something that's really hot
With the one you love you're makin' romance
All day long you been
Wantin' to dance
Feelin' the music from head to toe
'Round and 'round and 'round you go
(*Repeat)
Hail, hail rock'n'roll
Deliver me from the days of old
Long live rock'n'roll
The beat of the drum is loud and bold
Rock rock rock'n'roll
The feelin' is there body and soul
chuck berry helped link rock'n'roll to youth culture in the 1950s..lines like the "hail hail rock'n'roll deliver me from the days of old" (quoted above) explicitly make clear the distinction chuck is forcing between rock'n'roll/youth and everything that came before it.. in an increasingly developed economy teenagers- for the first time a generation with part time jobs and more importantly disposable income- became the driving force for the ascendancy of rock'n'roll which eventually became synonymous with american culture....he did this by mutating essentially rockabilly blues riffs and adding a whole world- largely of his creation- of lyrics about youth culture (cars for example: see "no money down") to come up with rock'n'roll....
joe perry - aerosmith's guitarist- wrote a nice piece about chuck berry in a special issue of rolling stone released last year focusing on the 50 greatest rock'n'roll artists... its not important who came in first or second.. but i think joe perry while clearly not a writer largely hits the nail on the head when he tries to convey what it is that chuck berry means... i recommend this article which can be found at the link here
and lest it seem like i am speaking about a dead man let me make clear.. chuck berry is still rock'n'rollin it up... he usually plays once a month at the duck room at blueberry hill in st louis...go check him out.. i know i should..link is here
he is of course, and so appropriately, the first inductee into the rock and roll hall of fame...a few years ago he received the kennedy center lifetime achievement award- the highest honor this country bestows for contributions to american culture- of which he is highly highly deserving.. he is a national treasure.
dear diary
i am having issues with the picasa photohosting program (and now the blogger program.. this is my 3rd attempt to post this).. its refusing to send my picture of chuck berry, little richard, and bo diddley with some unidentified white dude...i'd like to know who this white dude is...
but it has been a few days since my last post.. far too long... i won't bore you with the details as to why..
friday night i went to hr57 here in dc to check out the live jazz.. never drink five beers before quaffing two bottles of wine...its not smart politics... the antonio parker quintet was playing.... this version of the quintet was a bit more strident than the one i saw last time but had the added plus of having a madman named benito (soon to be local legend) on the keys... his piano styling can be compared to sonny (aka santino) beating the shit out of his sister's husband in the godfather.... some guest musicians resembling the peanuts gang appeared midway during the antonio parker quintet set and played some comparatively soothing easier on the ears material incluiding a nice version- with vocals- of "night and day".. i think its in sinatra's "the song is you" bio by will fridewald that i read that this really is the consummate frankie baby song.... anyways, i think we all had a good time at hr57 and i look forward to hitting it again in about a month..
saturday night, predictably (see above), i was not in my peak party form... after the mandatory stop at asylum - as of late home of the blaring poseur metal (late period motley crue, billy idol) whats up wid dat anyways? what happened to the days of the rage against the machine "they do what they told you" or what have you?- and some very enjoyable beers.. as i was telling a friend.. i just enjoy beer more when i don't have to leave my shirt behind....and after visiting the sopranoesque reef where a friend was celebrating life...and after heading to the saloon on U..we eventually made it to our destination where the funk soul brother check it out now was scheduled to spin... unfortunately for me five hours sleep the two previous nights meant i ran out of gas a little past the halfway point....the show was pretty enjoyable although dj shiny pants tells me fatboy was missing cues left and right... perhaps even resorting to blaming equipment failure for some sloppy work on the tables... i don't know..it wouldn't surprise me.. still he brought his oversized personality to the 930 club .. and that more than made up of for everything but the unusually large contingent of buffoons in the crowd.. you know the type... the fratfuck as i like to call them.. those that like to get wasted and then get agressive....shoving people.. one guy dumped a full beer on a friend of mine..and i'm almost sure he did it intentionally...i nearly got into two fights and had to tell at least three people to get the fuck out of my face and that has got to tell you something about the crowd....too much red bull i don't know....for a while i thought i was dancing next to jenna bush but it turned out- fortunately for the woman in question- that i was wrong.. as for the music fatboy did mix in some of his own songs (per mark meyerson's review of his san francisco show earlier this year) including right here right now and the "fatboy slim is fucking in heaven" bit which he kept using.. i think fatboy's music was far less breakbeat or big beat or whatever it is that is the sound that was once associated with him.. to me it sounded like there were elements of progressive house which i love but don't generally associate with him.... it was nice to see him in the middle of the club so that we could get a good view of him in action (including yelling about one of his turntables being down- he was freaking)....i think the constant asking the crowd to clap and yell is a bit passee.. never go for that shit but whatever.. what you going to do.... all in all a good show save for the lunkheads present and also i do wish i had managed to pick myself up for the last quarter but i refused to resort to the red bull....oh he was playing the same videos over and over again on a big screen and that too was rather blah.. if you only have five videos just play those and be done with it..almost forgot to say i had seen him in argentina a few years back and was more impressed by this show... but that may have had something to do with the venue..
but it has been a few days since my last post.. far too long... i won't bore you with the details as to why..
friday night i went to hr57 here in dc to check out the live jazz.. never drink five beers before quaffing two bottles of wine...its not smart politics... the antonio parker quintet was playing.... this version of the quintet was a bit more strident than the one i saw last time but had the added plus of having a madman named benito (soon to be local legend) on the keys... his piano styling can be compared to sonny (aka santino) beating the shit out of his sister's husband in the godfather.... some guest musicians resembling the peanuts gang appeared midway during the antonio parker quintet set and played some comparatively soothing easier on the ears material incluiding a nice version- with vocals- of "night and day".. i think its in sinatra's "the song is you" bio by will fridewald that i read that this really is the consummate frankie baby song.... anyways, i think we all had a good time at hr57 and i look forward to hitting it again in about a month..
saturday night, predictably (see above), i was not in my peak party form... after the mandatory stop at asylum - as of late home of the blaring poseur metal (late period motley crue, billy idol) whats up wid dat anyways? what happened to the days of the rage against the machine "they do what they told you" or what have you?- and some very enjoyable beers.. as i was telling a friend.. i just enjoy beer more when i don't have to leave my shirt behind....and after visiting the sopranoesque reef where a friend was celebrating life...and after heading to the saloon on U..we eventually made it to our destination where the funk soul brother check it out now was scheduled to spin... unfortunately for me five hours sleep the two previous nights meant i ran out of gas a little past the halfway point....the show was pretty enjoyable although dj shiny pants tells me fatboy was missing cues left and right... perhaps even resorting to blaming equipment failure for some sloppy work on the tables... i don't know..it wouldn't surprise me.. still he brought his oversized personality to the 930 club .. and that more than made up of for everything but the unusually large contingent of buffoons in the crowd.. you know the type... the fratfuck as i like to call them.. those that like to get wasted and then get agressive....shoving people.. one guy dumped a full beer on a friend of mine..and i'm almost sure he did it intentionally...i nearly got into two fights and had to tell at least three people to get the fuck out of my face and that has got to tell you something about the crowd....too much red bull i don't know....for a while i thought i was dancing next to jenna bush but it turned out- fortunately for the woman in question- that i was wrong.. as for the music fatboy did mix in some of his own songs (per mark meyerson's review of his san francisco show earlier this year) including right here right now and the "fatboy slim is fucking in heaven" bit which he kept using.. i think fatboy's music was far less breakbeat or big beat or whatever it is that is the sound that was once associated with him.. to me it sounded like there were elements of progressive house which i love but don't generally associate with him.... it was nice to see him in the middle of the club so that we could get a good view of him in action (including yelling about one of his turntables being down- he was freaking)....i think the constant asking the crowd to clap and yell is a bit passee.. never go for that shit but whatever.. what you going to do.... all in all a good show save for the lunkheads present and also i do wish i had managed to pick myself up for the last quarter but i refused to resort to the red bull....oh he was playing the same videos over and over again on a big screen and that too was rather blah.. if you only have five videos just play those and be done with it..almost forgot to say i had seen him in argentina a few years back and was more impressed by this show... but that may have had something to do with the venue..
Thursday, March 24, 2005
and another belle and sebastian uber-opus-master work
and these are the lyrics of "my wandering days are over" from their first lp "tigermilk".. another song that just hits me real deep... i love the use of the characters of belle and sebastian in some of their early songs.. this is a device they eliminated by the time "if you're feeling sinister" came out... the name belle and sebastian by the way comes from a french children's book series i believe..i know this song so well..its in my skin.. that i can assure you the last line of these lyrics taken from the belle and sebastian official site is wrong.. it should read "you said you were in hell"!..
My Wandering Days Are Over - Lyrics
You know my wandering days are over
Does that mean that I'm getting boring?
You tell me
I'm tired of listening to myself now
I'm tired of fixing things for Michael and the rest of them
You know my bip-bopping days are over
I hung my boots up and then retired from the disco floor
Now the centre of my so called being is
The space between your bed and wardrobe with the louvre doors
I said "My celibate days are over"
You put me straight on the finer points of my speech rehearsed
In the mirror of my steamy bathroom
Where the lino tells a sorry story in a monologue
Six months on, the winter's gone
The disenchanted pony
Left the town with the circus boy
The circus boy got lonely
It's summer, and it's sister song's
Been written for the lonely
The circus boy is feeling melancholy
It's got to be fate that's doing it
A spooky witch in a sexy dress has been bugging me
With the story of the way it should be
With the story of Sebastian and Belle the singer
I said "My one man band is over"
I hit the drum for the final time and I walked away
I sew you in Japanese restaurant
You were doing it for business men on the piano, Belle
You said it was a living Hell
You said that it was Hell
My Wandering Days Are Over - Lyrics
You know my wandering days are over
Does that mean that I'm getting boring?
You tell me
I'm tired of listening to myself now
I'm tired of fixing things for Michael and the rest of them
You know my bip-bopping days are over
I hung my boots up and then retired from the disco floor
Now the centre of my so called being is
The space between your bed and wardrobe with the louvre doors
I said "My celibate days are over"
You put me straight on the finer points of my speech rehearsed
In the mirror of my steamy bathroom
Where the lino tells a sorry story in a monologue
Six months on, the winter's gone
The disenchanted pony
Left the town with the circus boy
The circus boy got lonely
It's summer, and it's sister song's
Been written for the lonely
The circus boy is feeling melancholy
It's got to be fate that's doing it
A spooky witch in a sexy dress has been bugging me
With the story of the way it should be
With the story of Sebastian and Belle the singer
I said "My one man band is over"
I hit the drum for the final time and I walked away
I sew you in Japanese restaurant
You were doing it for business men on the piano, Belle
You said it was a living Hell
You said that it was Hell
the lyrics to string bean jean...warning may induce goosebumpage
courtesy of belle and sebastian (i know they are finicky about their rights..)...this is an absolutely gorgeous song which encapsulates all the best of this fine band...its original and only release to date is on the "dog on wheels" cd single ep...look for it on the upcoming 2 cd compilation..
String Bean Jean - Lyrics
I got my fingers dirty at the school of rock
Yeah I got my fingers dirty so I took a walk
I went up to the country park and hung around till after dark
Till the girls got home
Till the girls got home
Did I tell you 'bout the one I know, she's on the rag
She spent the summer day inside her sleeping bag
Yeah she spent the summer day inside until it's time to work
And she works all night
Cause the girl's all right
The girls have got a house that's like a caravan
And it's like your holidays whenever you go round
And we always have a laugh and then we all get in the bath
To save on the leccy bill
Me & Jo & Phil'
I had to leave them in the morning
I left the keys around the way
I had to catch a bus
I had to leave them in the morning
I left the keys down in the caf'
I had to go to work
And when Jo was short of cash I had to give her some
But I didn't really mind cause I was fit for once
So she paid the leccy bill and got the shopping and she still had
Some for the cinema
So we all went out
She asked me "Do I need to lose a bit of weight?"
And I told her "Don't be stupid 'cause you're looking great"
And I call her String Bean Jean because the label on her jeans says
Seven to eight years old - well that's pretty small
Seven to eight years old - that's pretty small
Seven to eight years old - that's pretty small
Seven to eight years old
String Bean Jean - Lyrics
I got my fingers dirty at the school of rock
Yeah I got my fingers dirty so I took a walk
I went up to the country park and hung around till after dark
Till the girls got home
Till the girls got home
Did I tell you 'bout the one I know, she's on the rag
She spent the summer day inside her sleeping bag
Yeah she spent the summer day inside until it's time to work
And she works all night
Cause the girl's all right
The girls have got a house that's like a caravan
And it's like your holidays whenever you go round
And we always have a laugh and then we all get in the bath
To save on the leccy bill
Me & Jo & Phil'
I had to leave them in the morning
I left the keys around the way
I had to catch a bus
I had to leave them in the morning
I left the keys down in the caf'
I had to go to work
And when Jo was short of cash I had to give her some
But I didn't really mind cause I was fit for once
So she paid the leccy bill and got the shopping and she still had
Some for the cinema
So we all went out
She asked me "Do I need to lose a bit of weight?"
And I told her "Don't be stupid 'cause you're looking great"
And I call her String Bean Jean because the label on her jeans says
Seven to eight years old - well that's pretty small
Seven to eight years old - that's pretty small
Seven to eight years old - that's pretty small
Seven to eight years old
Belle and Sebastian
News of a two cd compilation of singles and b-sides otherwise largely unavailable made me think once again about this strange band.... around 1997 i started reading about belle and sebastian left and right.. a buzz began to build and they made some end of year best of lists.. based on this info i went out and bought "if you're feeling sinister" and was bowled over...if you've heard the album you know what i'm talking about and if you haven't i don't really know what to say!..great catchy melodic pop/folk songs with incisive highly introspective lyrics.. the anti- ac/dc band if there ever was one.. stuart murdoch's lyrics are highly personal and honest and not the work of an alpha male... belle and sebastian, lyrically, had something in common with morrissey and nick drake...(at the time i was looking for these types of penetrating lyrics whereas now feel this twee/fey introspection is killing rock and roll.. i will admit to a contradiction i have yet to resolve.. it does not invalidate this post but raises questions...)
when i went and hunted down their three cd singles - each with three b-sides- i found them to be just as good if not better!... "string bean jean" in particular to this day remains one of my favorite songs and gives me goosebumps... i've always been a sucker for b-sides and respected bands that put out quality b sides (the smiths and the cure come to mind)... a fourth cd single to be released a year later contained "this is just a modern rock song" which also tore me apart but pretty much every early song (cd 1 of this upcoming 2 cd compilation) stands out...
then i had to get my hands on the at this point out of print (the 1000 original lp copies were commanding incredible prices on ebay) "tigermilk".. their first album and reason for the genesis of the band.. apparently the university of glasgow or some scottish institution of higher learning had a contest and stuart murdoch put some people together and submitted tigermilk as an art project...well i found someone through the internet who happened to have the tape and we did an exchange.. she happened to work at dc city paper right next to where i lived at the time..how is that for coincidence?... well, tigermilk is every bit as good as "if you're not feeling sinister" .. and features another of my favorite songs of all time "my wandering days are over" but they are all pretty much aces.... by this point i was catatonic!.. i mean here was a band that had released about 30 songs and every single one hit the mark!... every single one had something to offer!....and they did it all with class...withan independent streatk...even the sleeves or covers had a clear consistent belle and sebastian imprint/identity.. they reminded me 100% of the smiths..their way of doing things was very similar..
in addition, a very nice thing was going on.. i was in my late 20s.. having fun as pretty much seemed everyone else.....anyone i would turn on to belle and sebastian would end up loving them too and they would turn on people who in turn..yah you guessed it..i'll stop.... for some reason belle was able to tap into some zeitgeist or something during the late 1990s that really led it to become a shared enjoyable touchstone for most of my circle...all this added a feeling of community to the whole thing.. its hard to describe it but trust me it was there.. we would have a party and end up playing and singing "get me away from here i'm dying" at 2 am...it happened...we had a lot of fun back then..
if this was a movie... we would be at about the midpoint..hooping it up...but some ominous signs- foreshadowing- would be appearing..perhaps an exchange of heated words between stuart murdoch and some other far inferior band member?. the fun ride would be over... the audience would get a sense that problems were ahead (curiously enough some of the band's problems eventually were reflected in my circle).... but things would still be going allright so we'd repress our doubts
however, when "boy with the arab strap" was released, and i know some if not most people will disagree with me.. some people hold this to be their masterwork and fair enough...its a very very good album (a four out of five star album..nothing shabby)...but i was a bit dissapointed- for the first time by belle (other than their reluctance to tour)- some of the lesser talents in the band were being allowed to sing and write songs...i'm thinking of stuart something or other and i can't remember the name of some other band member- stevie jackson there it is- and isobel campbell who i know some of my friends absolutely idolized.. but i found her singing generally insipid... she's just not a great singer.. she's a whisperer!..of course its very cool to have a chick in the band.. no disputing that...anyways songs like "seymour stein" really drag the album (plus its a silly thing to write a song about: so they rebuffed sire boss seymour stein's overtures to sign the band.. so what?)... and although most of the album is stellar - to my eyes- they were no longer batting 100%.... when you have a few songs in an album that are crap it dooms the whole thing...the aura of invincibility around this band.. the "they can do no wrong" was melting away..
and this is the point in the movie where things start going down the drain.. if you've seen oliver stone's film the doors you know what i'm talking bout... this is the point where we start seeing scenes with a ranting bleary eyed fat drunk jim morrison....
the next album "fold your hands child you look like a peasant" featured even more contributions from other band members!..this album, save for a song here or there ("i fought in a war" is vintage VINTAGE belle), was abysmal.. . to my eyes belle went from the stuart murdoch project to a collective.. the collective served to limit stuart murdoch.. they never recovered even with isobel leaving and stuart taking charge again (now he's ripping off cliff richards songs..for fuck's sake)... its been sad following them the past few years.. i used to run to the store to buy whatever they put out... they could do no wrong.. nowadays when i see a new belle single i don't even buy it.. so has my faith been shaken with some real lame singles like "legal man" and "stuart david"....
if i was making the movie the ending would go back to the magical period and relive it.. maybe as the credits were rolling...
for the 1996-1999 period i believe belle was the most wonderful magical thing going!.. and i am forever grateful to them... when you taste the glory..when you feel that ecstasy you just assume it can go on forever... this compilation of course will highlight exactly what i'm talking about.. the first cd is gold.. it does not get any better.. the second disc is largely crap...however if stuart murdoch wanted to take the band in a different direction that was his prerogative...i always prefer an artist to be true to his vision than mine... thank you stuart murdoch from the bottom of my musical heart for all the great tunes....they came in very handy..
below the story from the NME and for the official belle and sebastian bio go here
BELLE & SEBASTIAN are to release a double album of every track from every EP and single released during their time with JEEPSTER.
‘Push Barman To Open Old Wounds’ is released on May 23 and compiles the songs as they were released in chronological order.
The tracklisting runs:
‘Dog On Wheels’
‘The State I Am In’
‘String Bean Jean’
‘Belle & Sebastian’
‘Lazy Line Painter Jane’
‘You Made Me Forget My Dreams’
‘A Century Of Elvis’
‘Photo Jenny’
‘A Century of Fakers’
‘Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie’
‘Beautiful’
‘Put The Book Back On the Shelf’
‘This Is Just A Modern Rock Song’
‘I Know Where The Summer Goes’
‘The Gate’
‘Slow Graffiti’
‘Legal Man’
‘Judy Is A Dickslap’
‘Winter Wooskie’
‘Jonathan David’
‘Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It’
‘The Loneliness of the Middle Distance Runner’
‘I’m Waking Up To Us’
‘I Love My Car’
‘Marx And Engels’
when i went and hunted down their three cd singles - each with three b-sides- i found them to be just as good if not better!... "string bean jean" in particular to this day remains one of my favorite songs and gives me goosebumps... i've always been a sucker for b-sides and respected bands that put out quality b sides (the smiths and the cure come to mind)... a fourth cd single to be released a year later contained "this is just a modern rock song" which also tore me apart but pretty much every early song (cd 1 of this upcoming 2 cd compilation) stands out...
then i had to get my hands on the at this point out of print (the 1000 original lp copies were commanding incredible prices on ebay) "tigermilk".. their first album and reason for the genesis of the band.. apparently the university of glasgow or some scottish institution of higher learning had a contest and stuart murdoch put some people together and submitted tigermilk as an art project...well i found someone through the internet who happened to have the tape and we did an exchange.. she happened to work at dc city paper right next to where i lived at the time..how is that for coincidence?... well, tigermilk is every bit as good as "if you're not feeling sinister" .. and features another of my favorite songs of all time "my wandering days are over" but they are all pretty much aces.... by this point i was catatonic!.. i mean here was a band that had released about 30 songs and every single one hit the mark!... every single one had something to offer!....and they did it all with class...withan independent streatk...even the sleeves or covers had a clear consistent belle and sebastian imprint/identity.. they reminded me 100% of the smiths..their way of doing things was very similar..
in addition, a very nice thing was going on.. i was in my late 20s.. having fun as pretty much seemed everyone else.....anyone i would turn on to belle and sebastian would end up loving them too and they would turn on people who in turn..yah you guessed it..i'll stop.... for some reason belle was able to tap into some zeitgeist or something during the late 1990s that really led it to become a shared enjoyable touchstone for most of my circle...all this added a feeling of community to the whole thing.. its hard to describe it but trust me it was there.. we would have a party and end up playing and singing "get me away from here i'm dying" at 2 am...it happened...we had a lot of fun back then..
if this was a movie... we would be at about the midpoint..hooping it up...but some ominous signs- foreshadowing- would be appearing..perhaps an exchange of heated words between stuart murdoch and some other far inferior band member?. the fun ride would be over... the audience would get a sense that problems were ahead (curiously enough some of the band's problems eventually were reflected in my circle).... but things would still be going allright so we'd repress our doubts
however, when "boy with the arab strap" was released, and i know some if not most people will disagree with me.. some people hold this to be their masterwork and fair enough...its a very very good album (a four out of five star album..nothing shabby)...but i was a bit dissapointed- for the first time by belle (other than their reluctance to tour)- some of the lesser talents in the band were being allowed to sing and write songs...i'm thinking of stuart something or other and i can't remember the name of some other band member- stevie jackson there it is- and isobel campbell who i know some of my friends absolutely idolized.. but i found her singing generally insipid... she's just not a great singer.. she's a whisperer!..of course its very cool to have a chick in the band.. no disputing that...anyways songs like "seymour stein" really drag the album (plus its a silly thing to write a song about: so they rebuffed sire boss seymour stein's overtures to sign the band.. so what?)... and although most of the album is stellar - to my eyes- they were no longer batting 100%.... when you have a few songs in an album that are crap it dooms the whole thing...the aura of invincibility around this band.. the "they can do no wrong" was melting away..
and this is the point in the movie where things start going down the drain.. if you've seen oliver stone's film the doors you know what i'm talking bout... this is the point where we start seeing scenes with a ranting bleary eyed fat drunk jim morrison....
the next album "fold your hands child you look like a peasant" featured even more contributions from other band members!..this album, save for a song here or there ("i fought in a war" is vintage VINTAGE belle), was abysmal.. . to my eyes belle went from the stuart murdoch project to a collective.. the collective served to limit stuart murdoch.. they never recovered even with isobel leaving and stuart taking charge again (now he's ripping off cliff richards songs..for fuck's sake)... its been sad following them the past few years.. i used to run to the store to buy whatever they put out... they could do no wrong.. nowadays when i see a new belle single i don't even buy it.. so has my faith been shaken with some real lame singles like "legal man" and "stuart david"....
if i was making the movie the ending would go back to the magical period and relive it.. maybe as the credits were rolling...
for the 1996-1999 period i believe belle was the most wonderful magical thing going!.. and i am forever grateful to them... when you taste the glory..when you feel that ecstasy you just assume it can go on forever... this compilation of course will highlight exactly what i'm talking about.. the first cd is gold.. it does not get any better.. the second disc is largely crap...however if stuart murdoch wanted to take the band in a different direction that was his prerogative...i always prefer an artist to be true to his vision than mine... thank you stuart murdoch from the bottom of my musical heart for all the great tunes....they came in very handy..
below the story from the NME and for the official belle and sebastian bio go here
BELLE & SEBASTIAN are to release a double album of every track from every EP and single released during their time with JEEPSTER.
‘Push Barman To Open Old Wounds’ is released on May 23 and compiles the songs as they were released in chronological order.
The tracklisting runs:
‘Dog On Wheels’
‘The State I Am In’
‘String Bean Jean’
‘Belle & Sebastian’
‘Lazy Line Painter Jane’
‘You Made Me Forget My Dreams’
‘A Century Of Elvis’
‘Photo Jenny’
‘A Century of Fakers’
‘Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie’
‘Beautiful’
‘Put The Book Back On the Shelf’
‘This Is Just A Modern Rock Song’
‘I Know Where The Summer Goes’
‘The Gate’
‘Slow Graffiti’
‘Legal Man’
‘Judy Is A Dickslap’
‘Winter Wooskie’
‘Jonathan David’
‘Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It’
‘The Loneliness of the Middle Distance Runner’
‘I’m Waking Up To Us’
‘I Love My Car’
‘Marx And Engels’
the return of stevie wonder
he's got a new single titled "so what the fuss" (features prince on guitar).. its the first single from an upcoming new album... it ain't "superstition"- then again few things are- but its got more potential than anything stevie's come up with in over 20 years.....and its always welcome to hear his voice..
check it out at his site with media player here
i'm going to keep my eye out for a stevie wonder tour.. i think that would be a great show..
check it out at his site with media player here
i'm going to keep my eye out for a stevie wonder tour.. i think that would be a great show..
Tom Delay contacts God to ascertain his purpose.
Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay: "One thing that God has brought to us is Terri Schiavo to elevate the visibility of what's going on in America,"
classy!
classy!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
White Stripes finish new album!
boy the white stripes are one of the few modern bands i really respect.. to go in the studio and finish an album in 2 weeks- in this day and age of overdubs and retakes- is impressive...the album is apparently expected out this summer!
for the full story look here
for the full story look here
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
"Rummie" south of the border..
(US Secretary of Defense was in Argentina earlier this morning for a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Jose Pampuro as part of his regional tour.)
Rumsfeld emphasized the "common challenges facing the United States and Argentina."
Both Pampuro and Rumsfeld confirmed they spoke about radars the defense department is trying to peddle, regional security, UN peace missions and joint military exercises.
Rumsfeld stated that "the relationship continues to strengthen. There is a long standing friendship between both countries which also bases itself on common challenges." Journalists were not allowed questions.
The meeting lasting a little more than an hour focused on analyzing the threats to hemispheric security, recently shaken by the Bolivian crisis, and the purchase of arms and military weaponry by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
In addition, and strictly on the bilateral front, the resumption of joint military exercises was discussed as was the plan for radarization of Argentina.
With respect to joint exercuses, Pampuro remarked that the exercies are "absolutely necessary training exercises. We anlyzed the agenda and studied different options for moving forward, always respecting the laws of each country."
Apparently Argentina, in the past, rejected awarding complete immunity to US troops, arguing for the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, of which it is a signatory but the US does not recognize. (This has been holding up carrying out joint exercises in Argentina.)
Another of the subjects touched upon was the situation of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti. Rumsfeld recognized the actions of Argentine troops involved as part of the peacekeeping force: "Argentina is having a vital role in the UN operations in Haiti. We saw photographs depicting the floods that have affected Haiti and it was impressive how the Argentine troops, after losing their own belongings, were able to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people."
This is the first visit of the Pentagon chief who in a few hours will continue his tour to Brazil and Guatemala.
In any case, in spite of the mutual praises, there was no definition on one of the more touchy subjects: if Argentina will accept or not to immediately mondernize three 3D radars (capable of detecting three vectors: object, hight, velocity, and special to detect illegal flights) of the US company Northrop Grumman.
The Argentine defense deparment insists its fundamental to carry out a "ultra-transparent" bidding process and clearly define if the modernization is such.
(this is a translation I have made of a report on Argentina's clarin newspaper web site- argentine newspaper to be found here)
Rumsfeld emphasized the "common challenges facing the United States and Argentina."
Both Pampuro and Rumsfeld confirmed they spoke about radars the defense department is trying to peddle, regional security, UN peace missions and joint military exercises.
Rumsfeld stated that "the relationship continues to strengthen. There is a long standing friendship between both countries which also bases itself on common challenges." Journalists were not allowed questions.
The meeting lasting a little more than an hour focused on analyzing the threats to hemispheric security, recently shaken by the Bolivian crisis, and the purchase of arms and military weaponry by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
In addition, and strictly on the bilateral front, the resumption of joint military exercises was discussed as was the plan for radarization of Argentina.
With respect to joint exercuses, Pampuro remarked that the exercies are "absolutely necessary training exercises. We anlyzed the agenda and studied different options for moving forward, always respecting the laws of each country."
Apparently Argentina, in the past, rejected awarding complete immunity to US troops, arguing for the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, of which it is a signatory but the US does not recognize. (This has been holding up carrying out joint exercises in Argentina.)
Another of the subjects touched upon was the situation of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti. Rumsfeld recognized the actions of Argentine troops involved as part of the peacekeeping force: "Argentina is having a vital role in the UN operations in Haiti. We saw photographs depicting the floods that have affected Haiti and it was impressive how the Argentine troops, after losing their own belongings, were able to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people."
This is the first visit of the Pentagon chief who in a few hours will continue his tour to Brazil and Guatemala.
In any case, in spite of the mutual praises, there was no definition on one of the more touchy subjects: if Argentina will accept or not to immediately mondernize three 3D radars (capable of detecting three vectors: object, hight, velocity, and special to detect illegal flights) of the US company Northrop Grumman.
The Argentine defense deparment insists its fundamental to carry out a "ultra-transparent" bidding process and clearly define if the modernization is such.
(this is a translation I have made of a report on Argentina's clarin newspaper web site- argentine newspaper to be found here)
Monday, March 21, 2005
media fails once again
segments of the media once again do not know how to do their job!.. today on yahoo there are pictures of people outside schiavo's hospital or wherever she is who want the feeding tube stuck back in and they are described in the captions as "supporters of terry schiavo".. what does that make her husband? a killer? not a supporter at least!
you'd think with all the intelligence in this country- the most powerful on earth- that the media wouldn't stoop to consistently framing the issue!.. and one can't even be sure if they are not framing the issue out of sheer ignorance for what must be the basic tenets of journalism.. anyone with two brain cells know they way to refer to these people is "people who believe terry schiavo should not be allowed to die" and not as her "supporters"...because obviously if they are branded her "supporters" then the public opinion will swing in favor of their ideology and against the husband who after all claims she told him she would not want to remain in a vegetative state...wouldn't he therefore be her "supporter"?
you'd think with all the intelligence in this country- the most powerful on earth- that the media wouldn't stoop to consistently framing the issue!.. and one can't even be sure if they are not framing the issue out of sheer ignorance for what must be the basic tenets of journalism.. anyone with two brain cells know they way to refer to these people is "people who believe terry schiavo should not be allowed to die" and not as her "supporters"...because obviously if they are branded her "supporters" then the public opinion will swing in favor of their ideology and against the husband who after all claims she told him she would not want to remain in a vegetative state...wouldn't he therefore be her "supporter"?
time to see bob dylan again!!!!!!!!
ok its been something like 2 years since i last saw bob and i've got the bug...for a while i was a bit bored... but now he's got a new band- although still anchored by incomparable bassist tony garnier- and apparently new sound (less rock more country) and he's playing some real interesting set lists with some emphasis on two criminally underrated/underappreciated albums he never plays from which i love: "new morning" and "john wesley harding"....the post motorcycle accident/post basement tapes 1968-1970 dylan period is chock full of winners...
here's a review by someone that just caught his show in reno to spark your interest..
here's a review by someone that just caught his show in reno to spark your interest..
Tom Waits 20 most cherished albums..
some great stuff.. some stuff i got to get.. and some stuff i'm not sure what to think of.. here
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