Popular Music

[lulu]

Jacobs:

I just heard a wonderful, wonderful singer named Priscilla Herdman and I just have to have her albums.  I assume you have heard of her (since you are always ahead of me).  She sang "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and it was one of the most powerful anti-war songs I have ever heard.

What a beautiful voice; one of the loveliest since a young Judy Collins came along.

[Dzimas]

I certainly won't hold your feelings regarding Odetta against you, cincy.  So many other artists to discuss in this forum.  I have to say, I've become hooked on all the news surrounding Amy Winehouse, who I think is wonderful young talent.  This battle between fathers is really something, apparently nearly reaching blows when ever they appear together in the same venue.  It is hard to imagine that Amy is solely responsible for dragging her husband into the world of sex, drugs and rock and roll, but it seems that's the way Blake's father reads it.  Of course, the music industry has had its share of drug abusers, but that shouldn't exclude these artists from being recognized by the industry, which is what Amy's father-in-law would like the music industry to do.  If that was the case, we may never have heard little more than a peep out of Janis Joplin.  It is a shame that heroin has reared its ugly head again in the biz.  I really don't understand the appeal of the drug, but then I guess that's because I never tried it.

[madupont]

DON'T.  It causes a very short life span that the user was not figuring on. They may have felt down about life to start with --that is the appeal to the user when heroin makes you feel so much better about life; it becomes a little zombiesque after a time because you aren't really doing any living just keeping your habit together. Most of the time,the user is asleep, nodding; I'd have to guess that is comparable to the life stage of a very elderly person.

Users simply don't realize the reality of usage; just think they do. By the time that a somewhat talented person figures out how to clean  up, there is no more cleaning up. They adjust their level if they are really creative and appear to have an astounding creative period (which they could have had earlier); now, when their fans(I'm discussing music, here)expect to hear great things out of them, while their colleagues and peers who have been there/done that,and know better are not surprised, and those who were always wary just nod their heads, and shrug their shoulders to let you know they always knew what would happen, that's it, their life suddenly comes to an end because they didn't realize that there is an average twenty  year span before your health gives way suddenly and you're dead.

It's not like any of this is new.  Very old musicians can tell you because they were around when even "older" important figures had the habit.

I only learned to appreciate Joplin's style, by which I mean Janis and not Scott, when I realized they had  a time period of musicality in common; you may not think Janis sounds anything like ragtime but she does come out of the era(musically, again I'm speaking of when the style was around)when, with a slight adjustment of tempo, it was alright for a blatant screacher to express herself in a repetition which sometimes sounded like church on a bad Sunday. Of course, Janis being Janis, I don't know that she wasn't a Holy Roller, but I have to use this quote because it so perfectly expresses a couple of things,"pioneered an entirely new range of expression for white women".

That about says it. Something that was very common on the dark side of segregation, seemed to have gone through a synthesizer incorporating a few other influences and came out into an era when the above quote meant to say that white men were not used to the idea of the musicianship of women and whether or not they really wanted them around. San Francisco may have been an unusual area where this could come together equitably.  On the other hand, black men were not too keen on her sound which they seemed to imply  had been handled "better" before the "new Rock age"? 

For instance, the person I am actually describing in my opening paragraphs simply abhored being asked to play Rock, in the way that hired radio,tv,studio musicians were expected to play, or that some entrepreneur cobbled together an entertainment, when the musician himself wanted to be a creative musician per se and whose habit followed close upon revering everything that Charlie Parker laid down.

Why am I not surprised that Janis got into speed before smack, since it would seem to have an influence on her style. Heroin was probably no more than the "medicine" necessary to adjust her level of strain keeping up with her stylistic choice.

[Dzimas]

I don't plan on trying heroin, maddie, so not to worry.  I remember Clapton railing against some rock group for glamorizing heroin in one of their songs a few years ago.  I see he has made a number of redresses since breaking his addiction back in the 70s, including opening up Crossroads Centre at Antigua,

http://crossroadsantigua.org/website/index.html

Reading his bio, the guy has gone through hell and back several times with his drug addictions and alcoholism, not to mention the loss of his son back in '91.

[Dzimas]

Speaking of Clapton, I've really been enjoying The Road to Escondido,

[ponderosa]

heroin is just a hideout for some.

when the road to hell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=060hM-JVClg

finds you in a hellhole

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b_wdRsnoog

run like hell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYd6mCAcQw8

and dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4

[ponderosa]

or get lost in the celluloidal

the good,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKlxyoPNaFI

the bad,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzX2VuL2JnI

and the oboe,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRb8KKyenSY

[sgrobin]

not to mention the loss of his son back in '91.

I can't believe it has been that long. Very sad.

[cincy--man]

lulu--hope have not heard of Patricia Herdman, but will check her out. As to the other singer, we will have to agree to disagree...no point wasting any more time on this.

I have been involved in an interesting project, providing music lists for a fashion photographer who shoots  for high toned mags such as Cosmo and Vogue. It is really a lot of fun creating lists of uptempo but good music that energizes the models, the photographer and set. So far the feedback has been postive. There are too many names  to mention, but one sure-fire winner is Tina Turner!!

[ponderosa]

Just as my daughter was heading off to her oboe lesson, ponderosa passed on some inspiration!  Thanks very much, indeed.

oboy!

do you have a son that's taking guitar?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjJ2xOHQNMg

[ponderosa]

awwww, indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74xpualjuhk

[Dzimas]

Jesus, I hadn't heard Bread in a long time.  Thanks for sharing that one, ponderosa.  The Waits video was good too.

[Dzimas]

Speaking of Ruthie Foster, cincy-man, have you listened to "The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster" yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMP8MuVx_Rg&mode=related&search=

http://www.amazon.com/Phenomenal-Ruthie-Foster/dp/B000M06K6Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-5791205-4542015?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1189144777&sr=1-1

[ponderosa]

dzimas -- been on a bit of a nostalgia trend of late. the waits video partly inspired by a viewing of jarmusch's 'down by law' last night.

[cincy--man]

dzmas--Not only have I heared the latest Ruthie, but I own it...she is quite wonderful!

Here is a song to get you up and going--Faith Hill doing some kick-ass gospel:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=r-_uOIFyf4w&mode=related&search=