The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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Ralph McTell

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I see he’s coming to Sydney in May. Solo, and billed as something of a “raconteur”

I saw him in London in 1973-74, his current album then was “Easy”, which I loved. Since then I’m afraid I’ve just lost touch – well – lost interest tbh.

Anyone seen him lately? It’s a big deal for musicians and performers to come to this part of the world. It’s billed as a “farewell tour” and I guess he’s topping up his super – and deservedly

Thoughts?

Destinations and how to get there

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This came up on FB and I posted it to the AW page there and a couple of people made the usual witty contributions.

So let’s try it here

Georgia – Midnight Train Clarksville – Last Train The Gulf of Mexico – Straight Down the Mississippi River

etc etc

PSA George Martin : The Scores

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George Martin would have been 100 this year and Curvebender Publishing (great name) are putting out a book of his scores. Including, rather thrillingly, sketches and rejected arrangements. For me this is more exciting and hopefully eye-opening than any number of extra Anthology tracks. Not cheap at $400AUS. The extra $280 for postage to Australia hurt a bit but hey, it’s my birthday coming up.

https://www.curvebenderpublishing.com

Bondi, and have you been affected by “terrorist” shootings?

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No doubt everyone is aware of the shootings at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday night AEST.

I’ve lived in Bondi for over 35 years. I walk down by the beach 3-4 mornings a week and I’m very familiar with the area where it all took place – the bridge where the shooters were etc. Once a week I go down there to present a community radio show from the Eastside Radio studio at the Bondi Pavilion.

My family are all safe. However my eldest daughter is a teacher at a nearby primary school with mainly Jewish students, and so she has been dealing with not only relatives of some of them being affected by the shooting but also having to answer her Year 2 students’ questions, which she says mainly start with “is it true that…”

I’m just wondering if anyone here has been closely affected by these kind of events?

Anthology

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I watched the first 3 episodes last night. First time I’ve watched it since I bought the dvd box set when it came out. So that’s almost 30 years I think. At the time I suppose it was something of a revelation but now, with so much more information out there, I found myself mentally filling in the gaps.

Also – John George and Ringo seem upfront and straightforward but McCartney just can’t help being self conscious and aware of the camera. Even in the early footage you can see him not really knowing where to look. John was half blind and probably singing into a blur and George was kind of serious but having a good time. Ringo was just having a good time.

I suppose I should really wait until I’ve watched every episode at least once, let alone six times, but I thought it a good idea to share a couple of initial thoughts

And finally, for now, I really like the Anthology 4 CD. I’ve read a lot of criticism (Apple scraping the bottom of the barrel etc) but really it’s great to hear them making mistakes and laughing and being lads.

Making the best burgers they could

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I just listened to the 500 Songs episode about Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Andrew Hickey made the point that the band never fitted in to any of the “scenes” of the late sixties – they weren’t part of the San Francisco Dead/Airplane/Grape scene cos they weren’t psychedelic, nor were they political (except for Fortunate Son), nor were they folk/rock, or heavy rock, or bubblegum.

Basically they were a band that everyone liked, the way everyone likes a burger.

Andrew reads this quote –

“The formulation the band members themselves came up with was “Creedence is like burgers”. Other bands might be foie gras or caviar or some exotic cuisine, but everyone enjoys a good burger, and there are times when it’s just the thing to hit the spot. And their job was to make the very best burgers they could”

Any other band/cuisine match ups?

So who’s using Chat GPT?

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I’m not. But it seems everybody else is, including members of my family – Mrs M, usually suspicious of (and unable to comprehend) any new tech, uses it to re-write/re-word/re-configure her own writings for her PhD. My son uses it for everything from helping me write a letter to the local council to sussing out details of his car insurance policy.

My only encounter with it was a few years ago when I asked to for a biography of me. It listed a whole bunch of non-existent musical compositions. I realise that’s not how you’re supposed to use it, and that it has evolved since then.

Still – I don’t think I have any need of it atm, but maybe I’m wrong…

Anyone else?

The Afterword Offspring Survey

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Reading The Boys are Back in Town thread about Oasis took me back to the mid-nineties. Even though I’d just turned 40 I was still curious about pop, and thought maybe this BritPop stuff resurrecting the sound of the sixties might be worth a listen. On that basis I bought Morning Glory. The sound of it was a bit too noisy for me but I could appreciate clever Noel. Making a singalong pop anthem out of the title of a George Harrison electronic film soundtrack? Genius of a kind.

But I digress. I would have bought the album in early 1996, at which point my children were aged 6, 4 and 2. The then six year old, now aged 35, LOVED Wonderwall!

I now have grandchildren aged 6 and 3. The current six year old has recently discovered The Presidents Of The United States of America’s song “Peaches” and screams it out with ear-splitting commitment and energy

But I digress again. In the past we have asked the question “how old are you?’ and “what’s your job?” and so on.

If you have kids and further down-the-line little ones, how old are they.

In this format

Children – 3 (aged » Continue Reading.

What are you good at?

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That’s all. What are you good at?

I had this conversation, on a professional level, with a couple of close friends a few years ago and I often think of it. Those friends were all, like me, musicians, and we talked about music-related things.

But I don’t want this post to be job specific.

Can you describe what you are good at doing, without going into details, about your work?

How about ONE easy-to-understand work-related thing, and a couple of others, domestic, personal, whatever.

Here are mine…

I’m good at…

Arranging music, and organising people for recording sessions.

Doing the washing (looking out for the best days to actually put the washing on and know that there’s fine weather for drying)

Making dinner out of whatever’s in the fridge.

Go go go!!!!

Slade – Don Powell interview

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The rather wonderful “Strange Brew” podcast has long been a favourite – interviews with mainly 60s/70s musicians, and not just the famous ones. One of the more ridiculously memorable was an interview with the bass player from the Troggs who has of course written a book. Essential reading…

Anyway the latest is with the drummer from Slade, Don Powell. It brought back memories for me of my time living in London in 1973-74 when Slade were on TOTP just about every week, and with a new single every couple of months.

I’ll put a link to the YT version in the comments but I recommend subscribing to the audio podcast

I also see that there were several interviews with Salde’s bass player and great songwriter Jim Lea

What do I get my youngest daughter for her 30th birthday?

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Daughter No 2 (there’s a son in between) celebrates her 30th in a few weeks. She LOVES birthdays, especially hers. Mrs M and I asked her what she wanted last night and, unusually, she couldn’t actually think of anything.

I’ll list a few non-starters –

CDs, records etc. She loves music, plays it constantly, but she’s a total digital native so everything is online

Kitchen stuff – she says she’s got all she needs, plus, although she really wants a good quality lettuce spinner thing, she doesn’t think that’s a suitable present for a milestone birthday, which Mrs M and I totally get. (Although I suspect Mrs M will buy her one anyway).

Books – Again Mrs M will inevitably buy her a book, cos that’s what she does for everyone whether they want it or not. Thank God she bought me Earth To Moon for my last birthday because while I’m not a reader, I did say I would like to read it.

Skin care/beauty stuff – she’s obsessed with this and buys her own from social media people

Any ideas gratefully received

Bringing It All Back Home – Sixty Years On

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Released on 22 May 1965, my bobdylan.com email tells me

I was 9 years old so I kind of missed it, although I’m pretty sure The Byrds’ Mr Tambourine Man was on the radio. I remember we’d be waiting in line at the tennis court to have a turn and kids would start singing it, but they’d sing one of the harmonies as the melody. I’ve often noticed that, how people’s ears hear different melody lines more prominently. But I digress

I would have bought the album in my student days, 1971-72. Remarkably I still have it. I did a big catchup with all the early albums around that time. I listened to it again the other day after seeing A Complete Unknown. Apart from a couple of duff tracks it’s still quite brilliant. Bob was 23, it was his fourth album or something.

Anyone got anything more intelligent to say?

What was the last 7″ vinyl single you bought?

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Mine was Bowie’s “This Is Not America”, in 1985. I heard it on the radio in the morning and went out and bought it later that day. It was a relief to hear a good new Bowie song! I loved the chord progression, Bowie’s vocal of course and just the whole atmosphere if it. It was from a film “The Falcon and the Snowman” which I’ve never seen.

The collaboration with Pat Metheney seemed, and still seems incongruous, but it was one of those one-off collaborations that just worked. (See also “Under Pressure” and probably a million others I can’t think of immediately)

This from Wikipedia – “Despite Metheny being known as a jazz musician, the song was described by Bowie biographer Chris O’Leary as “hardly a jazz piece”, as Metheny plays a simple rhythm guitar throughout the song, with no solos or improvisations.[5] Metheny later noted that Bowie’s lyrics were “profound and meaningful—and absolutely perfect for the film.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYkPtYw82f8

2025 by the numbers

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Here’s some interesting mathematical stuff for those of us who are so inclined.

This was published yesterday in the Sydney Morning Herald’s “Column 8” which is a kind of repository for Believe-It-Or-Not type trivia

Our next calendar year 2025 is a mathematical wonder

1) 2025, itself is a square, 45 x 45 = 2025.

2) it is also a product of two squares, 9² x 5² = 2025.

3) it is also the sum of three squares, 40²+ 20²+5²= 2025.

4) and remarkably it is also the sum of the cubes, of all the single digits, from 1 to 9, 1³ + 2³ + 3³ + 4³ + 5³ + 6³ + 7³ + 8³ + 9³= 2025.”

Hit songs with incorrect pronunciation

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The other day Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken” came on the car radio. What a lovely song! Rick W’s exquisite baroque piano, Cat’s warm vocal, his and Alun Davies’ beautifully recorded acoustic guitars. But then –

SHOCK HORROR! THE THIRD VERSE!

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning Born of the one light, Eden saw play Praise with elation, praise every morning God’s recreation of the new day

“God’s recreation”. No Cat, it’s not God’s pastime, (ie “recreation” with a short e) it’s God’s “re-creation” ie he’s doing it again.

Bugs me every time. I wonder if anyone ever told him? Does he sing it that way in concert (sorry, can’t be bothered to do the YT search)

I can forgive him because it’s such a nice song.

No such forgiveness however for our Rod’s execrable “You’re In My Heart”

My love for you is immeasurable My respect for you immense You’re ageless, timeless, lace and fineness You’re beauty and elegance

Rhyming “immense” with “elegance”. Nah