Musings on the byways of popular culture
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Twang finally finds the key to the pod and virtually gathers with Tiggerlion, Dave Amitri and special guest Hilary to discuss the 80s, a decade beloved and reviled by equal numbers of people. Perhaps, the team muse, a decade with plenty to feel down about in the world needed frothy, fun, happy and irreverent music to provide some respite. Unless, Twang sighs, you were a miserable git anyway.
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/theafterwordpodcast/80scast.mp3
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I need an example of easy rocking, cajun tinged accordian. A swinging, sightly funky groove with some tasty driving accordian maybe. Any ideas? I have some running round my head but can’t think of the songs. Suggestions welcome!
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What does it sound like?:
By all accounts the original recording was a victim of a fairly wasted organisational team at the gig meaning a fair amount of digital magic had to go into this reissue to get it up to scratch. Whilst I’ve heard better sounding live albums it’s not bad. Apparently the drums suffered from terrible wind noise in the mics so Mitch Mitchell recreated his performance in the studio afterwards which is going some. It’s fair to say it’s rather thin sounding, truth be told.
Anyone who is familiar with Jimi and especially live Jimi will know what’s in store here, sensational guitar playing with the odd side order of duff notes and out of tune riffage, such being the cost of breaking all the rules. I think it sounds bloody great actually. I especially like the fact that there are live versions of tracks which turned up on “The cry of love”, the much maligned album pieced together after Jimi’s death but which I’ve always liked a lot.
Jimi chats quite a bit and it’s always good to hear that stoned slurred sounding hippy stuff coming from him.
What does it all *mean*?
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As it’s Friday, time for a handy natter abiut your favourite funny films. At Twang Towers we have (well, Jr and I) decided the top five are:
Animal House
Blazing Saddles
Airplane
Spinal Tap
The Blues Brothers.
Opinion hasn’t settled on a ranking but I think it’s between House and Saddles with House possibly edging it.
Yours?
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I’ve just finished a delicious bottle of Scala – The Orcadian which Mrs. T gave me for my birthday which was about perfect – single malt with a touch of peat but didn’t leave residue on your tongue, its only problem was you always want a drop more. Anyway, I can’t have one as it’s all gone now. So, recommendations please. Quite interested in some of the new interesting ones if anyone has experience? I had a nice bottle of Welsh single malt my (Welsh) mum bought me. Norfolk whisky? But what’s your favourite tipple?
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My mum is approaching being bed ridden so I want to get her a small TV for the bedroom – 22″ maybe. Also there’s no antenna in there but she has good WiFi. Any advice on models, solutions? I haven’t tried to run, say, Freeview over wi-fi. Is it even possible? Smart TV etc?
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I do like a glossy TV series, especially politics, intrigue, lots of idealistic people doing clever things and against the odds coming out on top. Loved Designated Survivor, Madam Secretary and of course Borgen. But I never saw The West Wing. I’m sure I’d love it but is it too old now? I mean, I’m re-watching the Sopranos again but that’s the greatest show ever. Is it too late to watch The West Wing?
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I’ve been listening to a lot of JJ Cale recently, who seems to suit my mood, and started writing songs which, if not like him (no one is like him) caught some of his mood. So I recorded them in a little EP I present here for your pleasure. There’s a cracking guitartastic track with old pal David called Brand New Blues where “licks” are “traded”, and elsewhere Twang Jr makes his recording debut on lead guitar and alto saxophone. It’s bluesy, tuneful, fun and a bit melancholy. My basic mood at the moment.
As the song goes…
“In these troubled times I wanna chose The gentle rocking sound of JJ playing the blues”
Link thingy here:
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I love a bass singer. All that power. Here’s a great example by Jimmy Ricks. When he sings … “one fist of iron, the other of steel if the right don’t get you then the left one will”
,,,you’re glad he’s not talking to you. And those notes at the end!
Any others?
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Any other headlines you want to see?
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What does it sound like?:
Surely redundant, isn’t this question? If you don’t already know you’re probably not interested in the first place. Richard and Linda at their superb peak, in demo, remastered and various guest roles over the duration of their career. Richard proves again that he is one of our finest singers and guitarists, Linda that she is surely the greatest female vocalist of that era – yes it’s touch and go vs. her friend Sandy Denny, but there’s something extra in Linda’s voice – she can infuse a mood above the pure tunefulness. At one minute cold, another bawdy, another soft and vulnerable, then rocking out. There’s a live version of “The Great Valerio” I played 5 times straight. Sensational. And a version of “I’m a dreamer” which out Sandy’s Sandy. It sounds fabulous, is what.
What does it all *mean*?
Hmm, this is a good question. Surely most people have all this stuff, and those who haven’t can probably make do with the various compilations already out there. Yes there are unreleased tracks on here, but, whisper it, they’re not really indispensable other than to the most incurable completist. Interesting nonetheless. All that said, if » Continue Reading.
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Just realised “Sir Henry at Rawlinson End” is on Spotify. Cheers me up enormously.
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A friend of mine posted the following on F*book. Interesting idea.
I just realised a thing. Is there some kind of law that says that the 4th studio album a band makes will be their best work? (For ‘best’, read ‘my personal favourite‘!) I give you the following evidence: Queen – Night at the Opera Bowie – Hunky Dory Dire Straits – Love over Gold Led Zeppelin – IV Yes – Fragile Marillion – Clutching at Straws (although actually I think Misplaced Childhood is even better, so it breaks down here) Exception to the rule would be Pink Floyd, where I think their best work is albums 8 and 9.
What do we think?
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I can’t think of many bands where the singer was successfully replaced. Sabbath? No. Even though Ronnie James Dio is a great singer, just, no. Genesis? Hmm. Tougher – Phil did a good job but it wasn’t the same. AC/DC – well producing one of the most successful albums of all time with Brian tends to make a strong case but really, Bon was the man, wasn’t he? In answer to my own question I think there’s only one case I can think of where it worked. Gillen to Coverdale. IG was great but DC was even better (yes, different, but I go to the DC albums most).
Are there any other examples where the lead singer was successfully replaced?
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I need a decent laptop for around the house use, Zoom etc. Anyone know a reliable source for a second hand one?
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The boy, age 16 and bang on cue, expresses an interest in becoming veggie. Actually I suspect this will be slightly selective – the Papa John’s Meat Feast is hard to give up. But I’m not opposed to a bit of veggie though I know almost no simple, quick recipes. Ideas welcome! Spicy flavours especially appreciated, and I do enjoy my pulses.
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Ian Anderson, 73 today. Still working away, still active in many areas, always proudly Marmite. Raise a glass to one of our finest!
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I’m off for two weeks hols in rural France on Thursday. Please recommend one album each for me to download from Spotify. You must know my thing by now. Tip – currently loving Bonnie Young Horsemen.
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The lovely Folk By The Oak festival one day festival is, of course, cancelled along with everything else but is running as a free event on Sunday evening with voluntary contributions to a charity for financially challenged musicians. Some great names playing including Jim Moray, Mary Chain Carpenter, Kris Drever and Sir Richard Thompson. I went to the real thing with absent friend Phil Pirrip a few years ago so I’ll be at the Speckled Hen bar at 7.30, pewter tankard in hand. See you there.
This is rather lovely which came out a few months ago. RT just released a lockdown album too which I bought, again on Bandcamp, though haven’t sampled yet.
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I’ve had it with the extenders. Where do I start with a meshed WiFi setup?
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Interesting blog from No Depression making the case that 1973 was the greatest year for roots music in terms of crossover, future major artists appearing and even some commercial success. Something of a niche topic and tumbleweed might fit the landscape but some here will find it interesting….
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We do this every year and I see no reason not to now. Post something your Dad liked. Mine was more of a Sinatra/Ella/big band guy but he did like a bit of Santana, especially this one.
HFD Dad I miss you every day.
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On to more important topics, I woke up this morning not knowing hedgehogs have or need houses. I have now discovered three of my friends have them of varying degrees of sophistication from converted wooden crates through to built from plan bespoke. They all have boho funky backwoods chic. @robc could be meditating in the corner if he was hedgehog size. So now I have to build one. I feel like my garden is a Brexit voting unfriendly environment to visiting hogs. Tomorrow I will ransack the handy bits of wood collection and anodised nail tin and get building. In fairness I did save a hog who had fallen in the abandoned water feature and saved him whilst making it hog safe, but clearly I need to do more.
As you were.
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One of the little joys of the past few grim months have been the videos by Toyah and hubby Robert Fripp where they dance, sing and muck about in their kitchen and garden. Here’s a particularly quirky one.
