About the only reason why I still bother to watch awards shows is to catch the sequence of people who have died since the last show (and of late successive shows have contrived to fuck that up by going for “artistic” camera angles which don’t hep the TV viewer in identifying dead people). Here is my In Memoriam section, with mix-tapes, for 2009, including only musicians, in three parts. The second will run next week, and the third early in the new year to accommodate late entries. so please don’t shout at me for having failed to pick up that the little singer of the Jackson 5 has died; he’ll feature in the second instalment. Feel free, however, to shout at the Grammys for omitting many of the departed musicians I will highlight

The order of musicians does not run in the chronology of death, but is dictated randomly by the requirements of mix-tape sequencing — and the total aptness of leading with the Jim Carroll song as the theme of the mix. The songs featured on the mix should remind us what a debt we owe to those who have gone, and in some cases how much we are going to miss them, or cause us regret that we did not get to know them better.

Rest in Peace, y’all.

*  *  *

Jim Carroll, 60, post-punk musician and writer of The Basketball Diaries, on September 11.
The Jim Carroll Band – People Who Died (1980)

Willy DeVille, 58, punk musician, on August 6
Mink DeVille – Just To Walk That Little Girl Home (1980)

Al Martino, 82, crooner and actor (Johnny Fontane in The Godfather), on October 13
Al Martino – To The Door Of The Sun (1974)

Ellie Greenwich, 68, Brill Building songwriter and occasional singer, on August 26
Ellie Greenwich – I Can Hear Music (1973)

Rusty Wier, 65, country singer and songwriter, on October 9
Rusty Wier – High Road, Low Road (1976)

John Martyn, 60, singer-songwriter, on January 29
John Martyn – Ways To Cry (1973)

Jay Bennett, 45, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, ex-Wilco member, on May 25
Jay Bennett & Edward Burch – Forgiven (2002)

Taylor Mitchell, 19, Canadian singer-songwriter, killed by coyotes on October 28
Taylor Mitchell – Don’t Know How I Got Here (2009)

Mary Travers, 72, folk singer and a third of Peter, Paul & Mary, on September 16
Mary Travers – Five Hundred Miles (1973)

Gordon Waller, 64, half of ’60s duo Peter & Gordon (represented here with a Lennon/McCartney composition), on July 17
Peter & Gordon – I Don’t Want To See You Again (1964)

Estelle Bennett, 67, member of The Ronettes and sister of Ronnie Spector, on February 11
The Ronettes – Silhouettes (1962)

Dewey Martin, 68, Buffalo Springfield drummer, on January 31
Buffalo Springfield – Sit Down, I Think I Love You (1966)

Billy Lee Riley, 75, rockabilly singer on Sun Records (sometimes backed by Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, as on this song), on August 2
Billy Riley – Pearly Lee (1957)

Gale Storm, 87, actress and singer born Josephine Owaissa Cottle, on June 27
Gale Storm – Dark Moon (1957)

Huey Long, 105, last surviving member of the Ink Spots (whom he joined in 1944), on June 10
Ink Spots – To Each His Own (1946)

Chris Connor, 81, jazz singer born Mary Coutsenhizer, on August 29
Chris Connor – They All Laughed (1957)

Kenny Rankin, 69, pop and jazz singer, on June 7
Kenny Rankin – Sunday Kind Of Love (1975)

Koko Taylor, 80, blues singer, on June 3
Koko Taylor – I Don’t Care No More (1985)

Johnny Carter, 75, R&B singer with The Flamingos and The Dells, on August 21
The Dells – The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind) (1971)

Leroy Smith, 56, funder and keyboardist of UK soul group Sweet Sensation, on January 15
Sweet Sensation – Sad Sweet Dreamer (1975)

Viola Wills, 69, soul singer who made a comeback as disco diva, on May 6
Viola Wills – Gonna Get Along Without You Now (1979)

Eddie Bo, 79, funky blues legend, on March 18
Eddie Bo – We’re Doing It (The Thang Pt1) (1970)

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Download In Memoriam Vol. 1

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One of my top favorites from Buffalo Springfield. Unfortunately, I don’t have any deep thoughts about Buffalo Springfield or Neil Young or what’s his name the other guy. When I have deep thoughts abut people you tend to see them crop up a lot. Neil Young is just not stimulating the insights. Maybe some other time.

Berkeley Place Report:

Click here to go to BP to check Bettye Lavette’s cover of Neil Young “Heart of Gold”, Uncle Tupelo cover “Mr. Soul”, Drive By Truckers cover “Rockin’ In The Free World”, and more

 Enjoy!  Prepare yourself for the worse!

No, honestly..I am currently working on multiple projects.  Adding this one shouldn’t be too difficult.  I just thought this was a great way to address some of those opinions without lecturing others of all the stuff floating in my head.  Not only that, but I received emails from people asking what happenned with my posts?  Would you believe that?

So above is a classic and says it all…as I said before…prepare for the worse!

~Best Regards~ 

Slip on your kaftans and tie-dye t-shirts. Adorn yourself with flowers and beads. We’re going to light-up some joss-sticks, “ban the bomb” and “make love not war!” This week’s theme is dedicated to that period in 1967 that saw as many as 100,000 people converge on the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco,  creating what was to become known as the counterculture movement.  The melting pot of music, psychedelic drugs, sexual freedom, creative expression and politics became a defining moment of the 60’s and forever more will be known as THE SUMMER OF LOVE.

It’s easy to reject songs that seem to have been around forever, but consider the context of these songs’ origins and you’ll realize that what many of these musicians were doing hadn’t been done before and, in many cases, would never be done again. So respect to the hippies and the funk soul sisters & brothers and the year 1967 – a time of exploration and finding new ways of expression.

We opened the show with the THE ACID COMMERCIAL from Country Joe & The Fish and then it was the Beatles with ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE. Arguably the greatest band in the world at the top of their powers, Lennon’s anthem to love may not be his strongest but it’s definitely his catchiest. The Beatles made a worldwide television broadcast of the song, in between sessions of transcendental meditation, and it became a #1 hit in both the US & UK. Check out the clip from this transmission and see if you can see Mick Jagger in the audience.

A song that summed up the mood of those flocking to Haight-Ashbury in that Summer of 67 is, of course, Scott McKenzie’s IF YOU’RE GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO, (be sure to wear flowers in your hair). Written by John Phillips of the Mamas & The Papas, it was originally created to promote the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, which is regarded as being the beginning of the Summer of Love.

FOR WHAT ITS WORTH, by Buffalo Springfield,  is about the closing of the Pandora’s Box Club on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and the clash that followed between the police and kids. But the song quickly took on a larger meaning, symbolizing the generational friction happening all across the country as the hippies and flower children freaked out the authorities from coast to coast. Here’s a great clip from the Monterey Festival:

When you listen to PURPLE HAZE, from Jimi Hendrix’s  ‘Are You Experienced?’ album, you can’t help but imagine the rush of a million wanna-be guitarists running into music stores hoping to be just like Jimi.  Check out this video from 1967 with Jimi Hendrix on Guitar, Noel Redding on Bass and Mitch Mitchell on Drums:

In the early sixties The Beach Boys were synonymous with surfing and Californian youth culture. By the mid-sixties, however, their musical style had become a little more complex. A 1967 example of this new sophisticated sound was HEROES AND VILLAINS. We followed  with a song that had the distinction of being the first track to be played on BBC Radio One when it launched in 1967, FLOWERS IN THE RAIN by The Move.  And, to round out the triple play, The Turtles with HAPPY TOGETHER. This track can lift anyone’s mood. While their vocal harmonies verged on sugar-sweet, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like this song.

I’M A BELIEVER, the Monkees’ hit, was written by none other than Neil Diamond. The song stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks and was the biggest selling single of 1967. That’s right, they even outsold the Beatles and the Stones, and while Neil Diamond, continued to write and perform, he never really needed to work another day in his life after this song took off.  The Mamas & Papas hit, DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE, was originally a hit for the Shirelles in 1961. Here are the Mamas & The Papas with their ‘67 version:

Three more classics of the period: Cream’s I FEEL FREE, the Byrds’  SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK N ROLL STAR and  Jefferson Airplane’s  SOMEBODY TO LOVE. And then it was Procol Harum with WHITER SHADE OF PALE. This track contains perhaps the most recognizable Hammond B-3 organ rock line ever, snatched from Bach and perhaps a soul player or two. The vague lyrics, however, aren’t very memorable, making the organ bit seem even more imposing and significant than it probably deserves. But hey, what do I know? Here they are on Top of the Pops 1967. Make up your own mind.

Three more songs from that magical time in 1967 referred to as THE SUMMER OF LOVE include I’M A MAN from The Spencer Davis Group, written by Steve Winwood, SAN FRANCISCO NIGHTS from Eric Burdon & the Animals and GET TOGETHER from the Youngbloods.

But the band that epitomised the musical creativity of the sixties is The Beatles. A DAY IN THE LIFE, from their Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, utilised a 40 piece orchestra taking 24 bars to go from the lowest note on their instruments to the highest and six people banging on three pianos at the same time in order to produce one huge power chord. The song obliterated every rule that ever existed for what a pop song should sound like and how it should be made, simple as that. Check it out:

One of the most instantly recognizable riffs in rock history is SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE, from Cream. And one of the most representative of the period is the Small Faces tune ITCHYCOO PARK. For me, though, when it comes to this period, I can’t overlook Janis Joplin. So an essential track from 1967 has to be Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin singing DOWN ON ME.

Jimi Hendrix also deserved another play and this time it was FOXEY LADY. It’s probably worth mentioning here that up until this point Blues guitarists would never have done what Hendrix does on this track. The rule was that the guitar sound should be clean and pure. Jimi however, never got that memo and thank goodness for that.

As well as a time that was marked by anti-Vietnam demonstartions, 1967, unfortunately,  was also a time of race riots, which also fed into the peace movement and hippie revolution with its ideals of compassion, awareness and love. So, in deference to our soul brothers and sisters, it was time for some R&B with I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE by Gladys Knight and the Pips. This song became a #2 hit in 1967 and Marvin Gay’s renditon hit #1 the following year.  But sticking to the plan, we listened to The Pips version and followed with the one and only Jackie Wilson with his landmark single, HIGHER AND HIGHER.

Although they were a white band, the  Young Rascals GROOVIN’ was pure soul  with its memorable Afro-Cuban mood and mid-tempo groove. Timeless song. Check out the clip of them performing live.

The next track was a bit of a cheat, since it wasn’t released until 1969, after the band had broken up. But TIME OF THE SEASON by The Zombies was written and recorded in August 1967 and the vibe is pure SUMMER OF LOVE, baby.  And then it was the Who with I CAN SEE FOR MILES, the only real hit from their crazy concept album The Who Sell Out and SHE’S A RAINBOW from the Rolling Stones. We’ll overlook the Stones vain attempt of trying to one-up the Beatles and just concentrate on those first seven piano notes, which have been likened to the musical equivalent of heroin.

We closed the show with STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER from the Beatles. The band recorded a version by themselves in one key and then they did a version with an orchestra in a different key. The version you know and love is BOTH versions mixed together, speeding the band version up and the orchestral version down. Magic. This promotional video was filmed in January 1967 and was directed by Peter Goldmann, at the time a Swedish TV director.

Now next week’s show is going to be hotter than hot. As a tribute to the upcoming Summer holiday season the theme will be HEAT. Put your thinking caps on and get in touch!

Here’s this week’s complete playlist:

Next week: HEAT

Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 2-4pm, Sydney time.

Also streaming on http://www.bayfm.org

Hey hey hey friendies,

How’s everyone doing out there in the winter season?  We went from -4 to -30 in 2 days up here in Saskatoon.  Not sure how that happened but wowsers it’s cold outside!

Us ArmsUp Boys are in busy mode for sure. We play Edmonton this Friday (Dec 11) At Brixx Bar (details are on the Myspace), we’re gearing up to record a holliday 3p which we will hopefully have done by the holliday, and we’re working on writing as many new songs as we possibly can in the small amount of time left over.

Stay warm ya’ll

Peace,Love&GoodVibes
SnowDove,ArmsUp

p.s. I’m glad I got those new mitts

Dinosaur Jr—Farm
Jagjaguwar, 2009

Maybe Dinosaur Jr are simply repeating their own history. Since reforming, they have released one pretty good record (2007’s Beyond), one stellar record (this one), and there are already rumors floating around about tensions resurfacing within the band on tour. Think about it—DJ’s first album, 1985’s Dinosaur, was pretty good; their next album, 1987’s You’re Living All Over Me, was stellar; and by that time, they had already started throwing guitars at each other onstage. If this pattern continues, we can expect one more classic record from this lineup (per 1988’s Bug), and then perhaps a couple albums of J Mascis playing all the instruments, which may or may not be winners (though 1991’s Green Mind is a classic). If Dinosaur Jr implode before any of this, at least they will have left Farm in their wake. They may all hate each other, and they may all be old as hell, but this is the glorious sound of seasoned rockers refusing to go out whimpering. As a songwriter, Mascis has developed a formula he does not stray from too often, but even that 90’s slacker persona he has cultivated and perfected over the years can’t hide how committed he is to this batch of songs. He even sounds invested in Lou Barlow’s songs, perhaps because Mascis realized they would be two of the album’s best. Here’s hoping that made him guffaw a little.

Neil Young—Silver and Gold
Reprise, 2000

Though it usually gets lumped in with Neil Young’s uninspired later work (specifically the two lackluster albums that surround it, Broken Arrow and Are You Passionate?), that is so, so not fair. After a decade, Silver & Gold remains Young’s last great record. Granted, much of the material is decades old—for example, there is a live recording of “Razor Love” that dates back to 1976, and the title track (which might be the album’s best song) was written in the early eighties. This is not something to scoff at—many artists have been known to keep songs in the “work-in-progress” stages for quite some time before sending them to print. Bob Dylan does it all the time, and there’s no way he could make an album as good as Silver & Gold today. The best thing about Young is his stubbornness to prove people can peak several times in their lives or careers, not just once. He playfully acknowledges his initial stardom in “Buffalo Springfield Again”, but seems to fully embrace growing older on songs like “The Great Divide” and “Good to See You”. There is a sparse, whispery tone to this record, and at times the arrangements seem skeletal. But unlike Young’s later albums where it just sounds lazy, this feel gives Silver & Gold the perfect glow.

The Raconteurs—Broken Boy Soldiers
V2, 2006

2008’s Consolers of the Lonely may be favored by many Raconteurs fans now, but it feels more like a White Stripes album in that there is too much material, and much of it is bloated and forgettable. Broken Boy Soldiers presents The Raconteurs as an entity all their own, and at a concise 10 songs, it leaves little room for filler. Though not a perfect record, it does boast quite a smorgasbord of killer tunes, like the overplayed-for-a-reason anthem “Steady as She Goes”, the Zeppelin-esque title track, and the creepy and nonsensical “Intimate Secretary”. The interplay between old school Detroit homies Brendan Benson and Jack White feels quite organic, even though most of the songs originated from either Benson or White Stripes outtakes. This is more apparent on some songs than others (like the Stripes-y, organ-driven “Store Bought Bones”), but it always feels like a cohesive statement rather than the lumping together of random ideas. In the end, the classic pop style of Benson meshes quite well with Jack White’s carnie bluesman shtick, and most of Broken Boy Soldiers makes for memorable rock.

Yesterday I heard on the news that 15 Million people in Canada have had their H1N1 shot. Which, seeing as how the 2006 census counted around 32 million people, is quite close to half.  Well I know Handy isn’t jumping on this flu shot train, and I’m not either.  Never had one, not quite sure why we’re all so freaked out at the moment.

How do we stay healthy?  Well the mustache eats loads of raw onions and garlic (no joke at all) which makes him even more attractive (now that was a joke).  I on the other hand try to maintain a well balanced regimen of sleep.  It makes more sense to miss half a day of work so that you can sleep in, than missing weeks of work and then having to catch up.  But then, the biggest joke might be me talking about work.

Stay healthy my friends!

Peace,Love&GoodVibes
SnowDove,ArmsUp

p.s. the census isn’t all that easy to understand and I have a pretty good education.

Buffalo Springfield always was at its best when Neil Young provided the material. There’s a reason why Neil Young is a huge star and everybody else has sank into semi-anonymity. This is really a very cutting edge and experimental song. Using found sounds, samples, jazz influenced instrumentation, seemingly unrelated couplets and a calliope, this one was way ahead of the curve in 1967.

Stephen Stills had already attracted considerable attention to his songwriting and musicianship skills before his first solo album was released on November 16, 1972. As a founding member of Buffalo Springfield, Stills was a central figure in the highly-regarded and influential late 60s folk-rock and country-rock pioneers. He authored several of their important songs, including the hit “For What It’s Worth, “Blue Bird” and “Rock & Roll Woman.” Following the break-up of the band in 1968, Stills teamed up with Al Kooper (of Blood, Sweat & Tears) and Mike Bloomfield (Electric Flag and top session man) in a one-off project, Super Session (highly recommended album, buy here) in June 1968. Stills then joined with David Crosby (The Byrds) and Graham Nash (The Hollies) to form the folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose 1969 debut LP (with the Stills-penned “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”) and its follow-up, 1970’s Déjà Vu (with Neil Young on the team) were instant and lasting classics.

Stephen Stills was Stills’ debut in the solo limelight. It’s a blend of different genres (all songs were his originals) with backing vocals by Crosby, Nash, Cass Elliott and others, plus guitar work from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix (to whom the album’s dedicated). Interestingly, it’s the only album in history on which Clapton and Hendrix appear simultaneously, although on different tracks. It also features the #14 pop-rock hit, “Love The One You’re With” and the #37 single “Sit Yourself Down.” Stephen Stills briefly hit the Billboard Top 5 in December 1970 and is available as download tracks from iTunes (click here) and as a CD from Amazon (click here).

Aquí os dejo a Neil Young cantando “Buffalo Springfield”. Lo mismo no os dice nada pero a mí estas canciones me gustan bastante y me hacen reflexionar. ¡La vida es bonita! Disfrutadla.

Hello DC! Just posted what’s probably have the most decent podcast thus far. Trust me — you’d be missing out if you didn’t jive on these jams. Good mix here, including DC’s fave jam from Phish’s Exile on Main Street cover at Festival 8. We also got some swamp rock, bone-in funk, and some more subtle numbers that totally seal the deal.

Click here to listen to and download the Decent Community Podcast.

The Community would also appreciate any feedback on these larries. Maybe some suggestions, or some jams you’re dying for other people to hear. Just give us a holler – DecentCommunity@gmail.com. We’d love to hear about what you’re listening to, ways to improve to the podcast, etc. Really hope you enjoy the podcast.

Dos artistes amb un mateix leitmotif: el més important és fer allò que vols fer, sense permetre que res t’aturi. Dues personalitats tan diferents com semblants, tant Jack Kerouac com Neil Young volien ser ells mateixos les 24 hores del dia. Sense “jefes”, sense ordres, sense horaris. Només ells i la seva sensibilitat, la seva emoció. Dos artistes que han seguit el camí que s’havien marcat, evitant que la maleïda fama els pervertís. Dues forces de la naturalesa, dues formes d’entendre l’art d’una mateixa manera: emotiva, càlida, emocional i directament des de l’ànima. Dos artistes autèntics, dues persones lliures. Ni els diners, ni la societat ni res els condicionava. Feien el que els hi donava la real gana: escriure, en el cas del rei dels beatniks; fer música, en el cas de Neil Young; i viure sense aguantar tonteries, en ambdós casos. I tot, amb humiltat, sense fanfarronades.

Algú es pot imaginar a Kerouac o a Young currant a una empresa o a una oficina, obeïnt al “jefecillo” estirat de torn?

ONE FAST MOVE OR I’M GONE: KEROUAC’S BIG SUR, de Curt Worden
El documental és un viatge retrospectiu sobre la vida de Kerouac durant la seva estància a la cabana de Lawrence Ferlinghetti a Bixby Canyon. Kerouac va decidir fugir de la ciutat, de la fama, del rebombori que s’havia muntat cap els beatnicks. A l’any 60 ser beatnik no era una manera de ser espontània, com ho va ser per Kerouac i per Ginsberg; va passar a ser una moda devorada per l’ambient cosmopolita, un ambient ja anestesiat, on els més activistes penjaven cartells amb el lema Where is the rage?. El de Massachussets no volia saber res de tot això; després de l’èxit de A la Carretera, éxit que va néixer d’una excel·lent crítica del New York Times, la vida li va canviar d’un dia per l’altre. Cal tenir en compte que Kerouac va insistir durant 5 anys perquè li publiquessin el llibre. La fama li arribà de cop i de forma totalment inesperada, ja amb Los Subterráneos i Los Vagabundos del Dharma publicats. Rebia milers de cartes, els mitjans van trobar un nou esquer; Kerouac va agafar quatre coses i se’n va anar a la cabana de Ferlinghetti, en un paratge verge de Bixby Canyon, als límits de Califòrnia. Penya-segats, natura, aire pur…Kerouac deixava enrere la ciutat, però no del tot. Regava els dies i les nits amb alcohol, i començà a escriure Big Sur en un dels seus famosos rotllos de paper; l’acabà en 10 dies, en un rotllo de 18 metres. La paranoia alcohòlica, la capacitat per arribar als racons més amagats de la psique humana, la tendència a donar-li voltes a l’existència, el kickwriting, és a dir, una prosa espontània, amb tota la força i emotivitat, la recerca del dolor d’una manera honesta i directa; res de barroquismes, dolor i exsitencialisme expressat amb una contundència i rudesa admirables. Profund i punyent, Kerouac té moments de claridividència que despulla les misèries de la vida per arribar a descobrir la serenor i el benestar que suposa superar els fantasmes, les paranoies i l’angoixa que tot cervell pot contemplar rumia. La seva lucidesa li va permetre adonar-se que la vida també té el seu costat lluminós, i d’aquesta manera va tancar el llibre Big Sur: amb un final lúcid i realment optimista.

Com comentava el presentador del docuemental, Javier Pérez Andújar, autor de Los Príncipes Valientes i gran coneixedor de l’obra de Kerouac, aquest va deixar la ciutat, San Francisco, quan les botigues, la policia, els turistes i les marujas es van apropiar dels carrers, “com succeeix a Barcelona, sense anar més lluny”, és a dir, un ambient anti-cultura i anti-art.

La BSO, obra de Benjamin Gibbard de Death Cab For Cutie i Jay Farrar de Son Volt, acompanya perfectament un documental de carretera i intens com el protagonista del mateix: l’escriptor nòmada Jack Kerouac.

NEIL YOUNG. DON’T BE DENIED, de Ben Whalley
Un gaudi total. Intens, sincer i ple de força, com el motiu del documental, el gran canadenc, l’incomparable Neil Young. La pel·lícula comença amb una declaració d’intencions del mateix Neil Young: “A mi, la única cosa que m’importa és la música”. Stephen Stills, David Crosby i Graham Nash ho confirmen. Neil Young ho deixava tot per continuar el seu camí, per seguir fidel a la seva musa musical. Com tots diuen, el temps li ha donat la raó.

El documental fa un curt però metòdic repàs a la carrera de Neil Young, des dels temps de The Squires. Un jove Neil Young es va embarcar en un cotxe de difunts per guanyar-se la vida amb les seves cançons. Acompanyat dels Squires, se n’adonà que el seu so era cada cop més convincent. A base d’hores, influenciat pel primer grunge, com ell l’anomena, Link Wray, Neil Young va anar pulint i/o embrutant, segons es miri, el seu so. Primer eren temes instrumentals; però va fer cas al que diu Bob Dylan, qui comenta que no canta bé, però que vol cantar els seus temes, per tant, canta i punt. Neil Young en un concert començà a cantar, a allargar acords de la guitarra, a sonar com només sona Neil Young. Va abandonar The Squires, es va ajuntar amb els Buffalo Springfield de Stephen Stills, amb qui va tenir el primer èxit gràcies a For what it’s worth. Neil Young abandonà Buffalo Springfield per gravar en solitari. Des del primer disc, Neil Young,a l’últim, Fork in the Road, la seva discografia és magnífica, amb els alts i baixos que se li suposen a una obra tan extensa com la del canadenc. Els millors moments, potser els que va compartir amb els Crazy Horse, banda que s’anomenava The Rockets quan els va conèxier: la força de Neil Young més el rock primitiu i visceral dels Crazy Horse van formar una banda única.

És curiós com aborda la seva etapa 80’s, quan va coquetejar amb els ordinadors i les bases techno. Com ell afirma, ell no tanca la porta a res i volia experimentar; la realitat és que els disc dels 80’s són prescindibles. No obstant, indicar que Hey Hey, My My va sortir d’una jam session amb Devo. Per acabar-ho d’adobar, la disputa que va tenir amb Geffen. Aquests li exigien que fés un disc de rock n’ roll. Dit i fet. Neil Young va publicar un disc de rockabilly, amb un look 50’s: Everybody’s Rockin’. La recuperació absoluta va arribar amb Freedom, Rust Never Sleeps i Ragged Glory.

El documental arriba fins el combatiu Living With War, del 2006, on demanava que es denunciés a Bush i a la seva tropa per crims de guerra a Irak, i on exigia que la classe políticia actués com a tal. Neil Young. Don’t Be Denied servirà per gaudir i entendre una mica més l’obra i vida del músic canadenc, o per enamorar-se d’ell i introduïr-se en el seu món per qui no el conegui. Una bona mostra de la seva genialitat va ser el darrer concert a Barcelona: amb 64 anys i encara amb la canya i la ràbia a punt. Honestedat màxima…Rock ‘n’ roll will never die, tu ru ru tu ru ru…

Buffalo Springfield, ‘For What It’s Worth’, 1966

If ever a song — or even a couple of opening bars — has come to signify an era, it’s Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” is it not? You can’t hear that vibrato guitar, and those hushed vocals, without thinking of the turbulent late 1960s, can you?

Although perhaps, if you are a child of the mid 1970s, you think instead of this:

I certainly do. I didn’t hear the original til years later, and still can’t hear it without thinking of possums.

Once, when I lived in Virginia, I took the dog out late at night and found a huge-ass possum staring at me in the backyard. Ugly little critters, aren’t they? Even as I dragged the dog away, I heard the vibrato guitars, and shivered.

This week I’m staying in S. Agata, on the coast about an hour south of Naples, and today I’m off to see for the first time Pompeii, so buried stuff is on my mind. It’s in the nature of a blog that stuff gets buried – this post is me resurrecting 4 of my favourite posts from this blog:

1 Starless and Bible Black

on titles, jazz, Dylan Thomas and Joyce’s Ulysses

2 What Is It Worth?

on Buffalo Springfield, Belsen and what’s of true value

3 Fear & Sex

a survey of the Daily Mail, anxiety and sex

4 In the beginning of the End (serpent mix)

a remix of The Doors’ The End and the first chapter of Genesis (the bible book not the band)

And on the subject of great songs, the soundtrack for today (fortunately it’s on the ol’ iPod) must be Siouxsie & the Banshees’ Cities in Dust – after all these years it’s going to come into its own:

“Water was running, children were running
We found you hiding, we found you lying
Your city lies in dust
Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend

Hot and burning in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes

Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Ohh oh your city lies in dust, my friend”

Na een nieuwe bezichtiging van de kelder, is de conclusie: het heeft er alle schijn van dat de zombies er plannen aan het beramen zijn. Snode plannen. En dat ze zich daarbij bedienen van technologische verworvenheden, zoals een lift.

En een bandrecorder. Jeffrey vond audiotapes. Toen hij er een paar afspeelde, hoorde hij niet Buffalo Springfield die zingt: “There’s something happening here. What it is, ain’t exactly clear.”

Wat hij wel hoorde, vond hij verontrustend. Hij hoorde mensen die leken te bellen met hun ouders, maar de ouders waren onhoorbaar. En het zonderlinge  was, vertelde Jeffrey, dat alle stemmen eerst hun ouders heel vriendelijk begroetten en zich daarna bekendmaakten met voor én achternaam.

The great thing about revisiting albums years later – especially ones that not everyone is talking about – is that you hear them differently and pick up new wavelengths. It’s almost ten years since Beachwood Sparks released their eponymous album, and while I still enjoy it I’m able to discover other subtleties in the music beyond the major touchstones I identified the first time around. From legacy bands like the Grateful Dead to more recent purveyors Apples In Stereo, it’s all about texture.

Here’s what I wrote for Cosmik Debris back in 2000…

Gram Parsons described his style as “Cosmic American Music”, and I suppose that if he were around to hear Beachwood Sparks, he’d let the quartet on his bus without a second thought.

A quick look at the graphics and titles would have you trot out Buffalo Springfield or The Flying Burrito Brothers as a touchstone, but the production and arrangements owe as much to inventive popmeisters like Brian Wilson and Mitch Easter. In fact, I imagine that if Easter or master knob-twiddler Brad Jones were sent back in time to produce Parsons, this would be the result. Except “Something I Don’t Recognize”, where he would need the Nesmith-led Monkees. Or “Old Sea Miner”, where only XTC would do.

Aw hell, Parsons would have gotten around, he was that kind of guy. And the fact that Beachwood Sparks pulls all of this off without painting themselves into a corner is a hell of a compliment.

The overall sound is psychedelic, dreamy introspection, with interludes like “Singing Butterfly” leading into more uptempo Byrds/Poco moments like “Sister Rose”. Of course, just when you’re safely in that mood, they toss in an aggressive fuzzbox guitar solo over a go-go beat just to throw you for a loop. “See On Three” recalls Wilco’s experimentation, but the dizzying signature changes are probably even outside of Tweedy’s methods.

“This Is What It Feels Like” is another time-travel song, sounding like a pop track that somehow leaked into the future from 1967 California. “The Reminder” eerily and beautifully recalls the innocence of Neil Young’s first records with its delicate guitar and lilting vocals. Individually, these are wonderfully realized moments; as an album, it’s a mental watercolor painting that will dance with your imagination.

I had mixed feelings about their follow-up album, but I love the debut as much today as I did ten years ago. So if you haven’t savored this one yet, please do. And keep your eyes open – supposedly they will release a new album soon (it’s been an eight year drought!)

Beachwood Sparks on Amazon.

Beachwood Sparks on MySpace