My daughters received Sony ‘Dreammachines’ for Xmas this past year; the radios haven’t changed much from when I got for Christmas, in 1983 or so.

They were just as thrilled as I was; your own radio! They were excited at the marker of maturity – to have what mommy and daddy have on their nightstand (roughly – we don’t have Dream Machines!). When I got one, it was more about playing music sitting in my bed – the sound down low, and the privacy that came with that tinny enveloping.

My dad came into my room shortly after I received mine, and Men At Work were on the radio. I liked them a lot back then, and even listened to the second side of their hit record. With obscure Men At Work, and the non-hits from the J. Geils Band equally successful record (“Centerfold,” “Rage in the Cage”) I was developing a little bit of (bad) taste, and heading off the beaten track.

He asked me who was on the radio, I think, and when I told him he said, “no one will remember them in 20 years.”

A father has such an ability to pass judgment. A son is always looking for approval, probably even when he’s planning revolution or patricide. That moment of focus, of welcoming the son into the father-level, is a lost goal.

The hit show Modern Family picked up on the same sensibility recently. The rich elder statesman father figure, played by Al Bundy, asked his gay, red-headed son to help him with a legal matter. It was the first time the father had dealt with the son as a peer. But it quickly became obvious that the ‘legal matter’ was a babysitting job, and the son was being played. It’s happened to me, repeatedly: father inviting me to a wedding, which is flattering, all while saying how much he’s looking forward to spending time together. And at the wedding? You’re shunted off to the side to entertain some social reject of a friend while the father enjoys his real friends, with whom he enjoys his time. Played.

So I remember my father’s finality, and like many fathers, he was pretty much correct. I still enjoy Colin Hays – he’s got some great solo pieces, particularly “On A Clear Day.” You can get a sense of Colin’s humor and singular voice on NPR’s Mountain Stage. For a better set, listen to a recent NPR interview.

Colin quickly agreed with my father, I think, with his typical Scottish sensibility – never a group to build their confidence on faith – when he described the Best New Artist Grammy from back in Business as Usual days as the kiss of death. And now the negative side of fame has hit them again, with accusations of plagiarism over their hit song “Down Under.”

It does sound like the Kookaburra song, but surely that’s the coincidence of growing up in Australia and breathing in that children’s song. So Men At Work have lasted more than 20 years, but not in any sort of positive way…and probably my father would feel even more vindicated. I hope Colin doesn’t let this get to him, or his wallet, and continues to feel that it’s a beautiful world.

Hello.

Men at Work.  Australian Juno-award winning and Grammy-award winning band from the 1980s.  Colin Hay and Ron Strykert.  Growing up in a small northeastern Alberta town, they were one of the first bands I saw in concert in the big city of Edmonton.

Down Under, a huge success for Men at Work, was like a second Australian anthem.  Having lived in Australia for a year as a child, the lyrics brought a smile to my face as I thought about vegemite sandwiches.  Who would have thought a song with the words vegemite sandwich would become so famous?

Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree.  A children’s song about a native Australian bird.  It was written by a teacher, Marion Sinclair, 70 years ago.  Having seen and heard kookaburras while living in Australia, the song has a lot of merit.  Marion died in 1988.

I doubt Marion ever met Ron and Colin.

Larrikin Music now owns the rights to Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree.

Larrikin Music claims Men at Work is guilty of copyright infringement for use of a flute riff from Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree in their chart-topping song Down Under.  An Australian judge agrees.

Really?

If anyone should really care whether copyright infringement occurred, it would be Marion Sinclair.  Since she did not pursue copyright infringement litigation during her life, Larrikin Music could be taking advantage of a questionable situation.  It could be called opportunistic.  Larrikin Music is seeking up 60% of the earnings from Down Under.  It is unfortunate an Australian judge gave them their 15 minutes of fame and potentially millions of dollars.

Until next time, have fun and be well.

Kevin

I like Men at Work. Overkill is one of my all time favourite tracks. They’re a Luxembourg group – something I listened to under the covers with my ear pressed against the transistor radio listening to the Airplay chart on Radio Luxembourg. Husband and I still play their albums regularly (they’re on the iPods) and we’ve got some Colin Hay solo albums too. So it was interesting to hear that they’ve been sued for breach of copyright of “Kookabura sits in the old gum tree” (which I sang regularly as a round at Guides) on “Down Under” (the group’s multi-multi-multi selling single which was no 1 in the UK in 1983).

Cobblers, but interesting.

More interesting was what the copyright holders are asking for: 40-60% of the song’s earnings since it was recorded.

Yup, 40-60%

In the interests of being fair to the money-grabbing barstewards I listened to Down Under again, and there seems to be a flute reference of sorts to a couple of bars of the song. Colin Hay has even commented that he used to sing along part of the words to Kookabura when playing live. Husband points out that PRS would have ensured that the song’s copyright holder would be paid for this.

But there’s only a couple of bars and not even an exact match at that. OK, even a passing reference has to be paid for I suppose, but 40-60%? I wonder how much George Harrison was forced to pay up for My Sweet Lord or Vanilla Ice for Ice Ice Baby? OK, I’d be happy if all of the money from the latter “song” had had to be given to charity, but that’s a quality issue.

No doubt, expect the group to be sued by Vegemite and the cities of Brussels and Bombay.

Don’t you understand? I already have a plan. I’m waiting for my real life to begin.

In “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin,” Colin Hay sings of the restless ambition that lies in the quest for rediscovery. There’s a sense of anticipation, of looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead. The past year has been a momentous time of change and rediscovery for a number of my friends and colleagues as they navigate their respective careers. While some started a new journey of their own volition, others were forced to trek down a new path. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate doubled to 10 percent between December of 2007 and the same period in 2009.

Statistics aside, the recent economic twists and turns have presented not just difficult challenges but new opportunities, not the least of which is the chance to define (or in some cases, redefine) a personal brand. In the traditional sense a brand is a unique identity that distinguishes a product or service in its market space. However, business professionals strive to leave the same type of indelible impression in their competitive career markets, so parallel decisions and questions come to mind. “Are there ways to repackage myself? “Can I position myself in a new space?” “Are there new channels through which to market my skills?”

This last question is the most compelling in a landscape where social networking and new media increasingly have come to define the way in which companies are doing business. According to Jonah Berger, marketing professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, using social networking sites or communicating through new media channels, such as blogs, can be especially useful for professionals who want to reshape their career profile. “People will begin to see you in that role,” Berger notes. “By creating these links, you can change your meaning to [others].”

Although the value of traditional networking remains significant, career planning experts point to the game-changing influence over the last five years of Internet-based social networking sites. Such sites enable like-minded professionals to forge connections, not just across the conference room or lunch table, but across the country or even overseas, leading to unprecedented opportunities to expand contact lists, generate business leads, or even develop a new career.

Millions of business professionals have joined sites such as LinkedIn, a business-oriented networking site that helps connect its 55 million users into self-defined networks and groups. Likewise, Facebook and Twitter have become a nearly de facto standard for the real-time exchange of information and ideas. Each provides a unique way to develop a personal brand and market skills that previously were the exclusive domain of the resume and interview process.

Social networking provides a whole new plan for defining a new life through a personal brand. The crux of this plan is patience. Just as product branding rarely has dramatic short-term results, building a personal brand is a long-term investment in helping a new life to begin.

Neena Needel is founder and Principal of Point2Point Group (www.point2pointgroup.com). If you would like to continue the conversation, post a comment or send a message to neena@point2pointgroup.com.

Written by Colin Hay and Thom Mooney, “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” was originally released in 1994 and was re-released in 2000 on Going Somewhere. A veteran of the music industry, Mr. Hay made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work. “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” is one in a series of beautiful songs on this album. Click the album image to link to an audio version.

Did I say December for updating my blog?  I must have meant January.  Better blogging is on my resolution’s list.  A list filled with concepts like: set business plan to paper, develop a concrete marketing plan and check into rudimentary ballast.    Or something like that.

Seriously though, big plans for the blog this year.  This month will mark the first installment of GuestSlaw, a series of interviews throughout the year delving into the techniques and thoughts of several well-known photographers.  We may even discover a few hamsters in their closets while we’re at it.  Anything goes, it’s wild and crazy over here at the ’slaw factory.

As the first blog of the year, I wanted to reflect back on 5 pictures I learn from in the last year. Probably shot around 10,000 frames in 2009, but these are a few of the ones that have a message I’ll remember.

1. His shirt was pressed so crisply it could have stood up proudly on it’s own and ordered a pulled pork sandwich.  His smile belied a firm handshake.  His name was Marvin and he was a Clarksdale, MS contractor.   He’s a big believer in people having dreams and following them…. living in a constant state of moving forward.  Marvin reminded me of why I take pictures.  To meet people like him.

2. I’ve never met a bayou that I didn’t want to photograph.   I’m never going to meet a bayou I want to swim in.

3. As much as it pains me to note, every once in a while a picture belongs in color.

4. The straight picture is never as interesting to me as the ambiguous one.

5.   I wish they sold those blinders they put on donkeys for human use.  You know the ones that keep ‘em from getting spooked. I shot this picture on a day when I was frustrated with my photography and it reminded me that you never know when your next favorite might come along.  That this job comes with a lot of distractions, but in the end, sometimes it’s just as easy as keeping your eyes faced forward and pushing a button.

As Colin Hay sings, “I watch the sun as it comes up, I watch it as it sets.  Yeah, this is as good as it gets.  My, my, my it’s a beautiful world.”

Ahem.

Here’s to 20-10….

I seem to have a different song and/or melody stuck in my head on a daily basis. I will try to post them here as often as possible.

Blame it on the cycles, be it moon, weather, or hormone-based – the nature of this song is hitting me upside the head, knowing so much but wanting more.

Colin Hay – “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin”

I actually first discovered this song from a “Scrubs” episode. The early years – ahhh, yes:

Paste Magazine has a great website with a listen and watch section hosting audio and video for some very talented musicians.

Check out Colin Hay at their studios: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2009/10/watch-colin-hay-live-at-paste.html

Colin Hay is mostly infamous for the band he once was part of: Men At Work.

After the band went defunct, however, Hay continued on the solo path, releasing several well-received albums. His music has been featured in films and tv, but arguably one of my favorite songs and appearances of his was when he sang his song “overkill” in an early season of Scrubs:

His song ” I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you” was featured on the Garden State Soundtrack:

This wonderful track from former Men at Work front man Colin Hay comes courtesy of my blogpal Ken Fitlike

The title is that great one line conversation ice breaker often used in Scottish pubs.

Are you lookin’ at me pal?

Before we move to my Top 10 albums of 2003 — a purely subjective choice of albums from that year which I enjoy, rather than an attempt at a best-of list — let me apologise for the confusion created by wrong links in last week’s two posts, and thank the kind people who alerted me to them. It was a little negligent of me not to test the links first. I have worked out what the trouble was: on Mediafire’s infuriatingly redesigned site, the “copy link” button is seriously wonky; instead of copying the link for the requested file, it copies the link of the first file in the upload folder (in last week’s instance the Iron & Wine song). So, here’s an urgent message to Mediafire, Facebook and all other services: please don’t innovate yourselves into oblivion. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

* * *

Josh Rouse – 1972

To mark his 30th birthday, Josh Rouse decided to record a concept album intended to evoke the year of his birth. I’ve written about the cover before here. In that post, I wrote the following about the album itself. 1972 might easily have turned out as a pastiche of the worst clichés. Happily, it didn’t: the sound is contemporary. Rouse evokes rather than recreates what he imagines were the sounds of 1972. Imagine the concept as the subtle but essential spice in a delicious meal. The album borrows its influences wisely: James, a song about alcoholism which appears on the first Any Major Flute mix, is a psychedelic soul workout, with Jim Hoke’s excellent jazz flute and Rouse’s falsetto positioning the song closest to 1972. Elsewhere, swirling strings and saxophone (also by Hoke), handclaps and Latin percussions serve as a marker for the ’70s influence being filtered through Rouse’s sound.
Josh Rouse – Rise.mp3
Josh Rouse – Love Vibration.mp3

.

Lloyd Cole – Music In A Foreign Language

Lloyd Cole used to get such a bad rap back in the day. I could never understand the charges of Cole being pretentious. Even Easy Pieces, the second Lloyd Cole & the Commotions album which Cole has virtually disowned (on account of having been rushed by the record company to prematurely complete it), has many great and not particularly pretentious moments. Having broken up the Commotions after three albums, Cole’s solo career didn’t really take off. That is a shame. On Music In A Foreign Language, Cole continued on the acoustic trip he began on the previous album. Here it’s just him, his guitar and minimal backing music, with Lloyd singing his melancholy, beautiful songs straight on to his computer. The whole exercise is so intimate, listeners may be forgiven if they feel like they are intruding on a private moment. Lyrically he is on introspective top form. I don’t listen to this album nearly often enough.
Lloyd Cole – Music In A Foreign Language.mp3

.

Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism

This is the album where Death Cab for Cutie crossed the line from oddly-named Indie group to serious rock band. Transatlanticism is something of a rock symphony; it’s not rewarding to pluck out its songs in isolation, except perhaps the excellent opener, The New Year, and the acoustic coda, A Lack Of Color. It’s the kind of lush album one must hear in full, preferably with headphones while in a kicked back mood, being immersed in the sound. Lyrically it has its moment, such as the story of the protagonist in Title And Registration who finds a forgotten photo of an ex-girlfriend after being pulled over by a cop (it also features the annoying line: “The glove compartment is accurately named”; thanks for pointing that out, Gibbard).
Death Cab for Cutie – A Lack of Color.mp3

.

Colin Hay – Man @ Work

The title of the album is an obvious reference to the Australian band with which Scottish-born Colin Hay had some chart success in the early ’80s. Here Hay revisits some of his best songs from his solo repertoire as well as the Men At Work catalogue. None of these re-recordings do their originals injustice. The acoustic versions of the three big Men At Work hits — Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and Overkill — are strikingly remade and worth the price of the CD alone, especially the far superior interpretation of Overkill. There is also a more faithful reworking of Down Under, with brass replacing the flute; and fine remakes of Men At Work’s Be Good Johnny and It’s A Mistake.

Hay fans will have their own views on which versions here eclipse the original. Looking For Jack is vastly improved here, but I prefer the less dreamy version of Beautiful World on Going Somewhere to that reproduced here from 2002’s Company Of Strangers. Hay does recycle enthusiastically; the recording of Waiting For My Real Life To Begin here is the same as that on Going Somewhere; he recorded a rockier, inferior version for 2005’s Topanga, named after the California town where he now lives.
Colin Hay – Overkill (acoustic).mp3

.

The Minus 5 – Down With Wilco

The title of The Minus 5’s fifth album notes the involvement of Tweedy and pals in its production, not an antipathy towards Chicago’s finest (and the group was doubtless aware of the title’s gag). A project of songwriter Scott McCaughey, leader of The Young Fresh Fellows and touring bassist for Robyn Hitchcock, this incarnation of Minus 5 also includes long-time collaborator Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies. The sound borrows heavily from White Album period Beatles, early Byrds and the Hollies (Life Left Him There sounds more than a bit like Jennifer Eccles), filtered through an ambient alt.country colander. Wilco’s mark is evident but not overbearing, and Tweedy’s voice is welcome when it pops up. There is a joy in the sound which suggests that the collaborators had great fun recording it. This is an upbeat album that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Minus 5 – Where Will You Go.mp3

.

Richard Hawley – Lowedges

All of Richard Hawley’s five full albums will feature in my Top 10s of the ’00s. All of five of them are superb; all are beautifully orchestrated with Hawley’s attractive baritone giving life to his fine, often melancholy lyrics. So when I declare that Lowedges is my least favourite Hawley album, I am being somewhat unfair to what is a fine album. The songs on Lowedges are as affecting as any; one wants to live inside them. Don’t Miss Your Water, On The Ledge, The Nights Are Made For Us or the dramatic Run For Me are as good as almost any Hawley songs. Lowedge’s The Motorcycle Song probably is my least favourite Hawley song; and even that is not terrible.
Richard Hawley – The Nights Are Made For Us.mp3

.

Damien Rice – O

O, but Damien was one overwrought lad. You fear for him in what must be a terribly fragile state. But, goodness, there are some beautiful songs on this album, and some heartwrenching lyrics. Rice is not a very good singer, so all the happier the moments when Lisa Hannigan supports him (although, typically, only to make poor Damien even more heartbroken). There are no clunkers on this set, and a bunch of quite brilliant songs, particularly The Blower’s Daughter, Volcano, Eskimo (with the operatic interlude), and Delicate. And Cannonball, which eclipses all of them. The album’s inclusion in this post is something of an anomaly. O was released in Ireland in 2002; after slow-burning success which eventually took the album into the UK top 10, it was released internationally in 2003.
Damien Rice – Eskimo.mp3

.

Rosie Thomas – Only With Laughter Can You Win

Of Rosie Thomas’ four albums (excluding last year’s Christmas effort), this is the one on which she is most explicit about her Christian faith. That is good news, of course, for the believer, but should not put off the religious sceptic, for her brand of Christianity — like that of her frequent collaborators Damien Jurado and Sufjan Stevens —bashes no Bible and does not glorify or moralise. Mostly, she is asking God how the hell she is supposed to live this life. Indeed, the evangelical fundamentalists might well call Rosie a Maoist Osama Nazi, as is their objectionable wont, should they encounter lyrics like this, on Tell Me Now: “How am I to tell them if they never follow Christ that heaven doesn’t hold a place for them…when I’m no better than them.” Christ is periodically present; and He should be: the album was recorded in Detroit’s 19th century St John’s church.

The music, as on all Rosie’s albums (which is another way of saying predictably), is intimate, delicate and entirely gorgeous — but there isn’t much by way of the victory-aiding laughter in the title. Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam makes an appearance on Red Rover, alas the weakest track on this album, which is also the weakest of in the Rosie Thomas catalogue — though here I hasten to invoke the Hawley doctrine.
Rosie Thomas – I Play Music.mp3

.

The Darkness – Permission To Land

Was it all a glorious piss-take, lending heavy rock all the camp that Queen fans so routinely denied in their group because the band’s name provided absolutely no clue? The cover of Permission To Land even aped the sexism we occasionally encountered in Queen (remember the Fat Bottomed Girls poster that came with the Jazz album?). The debut, unlike the follow-up, borrowed its influences more broadly than merely Queen, of course. The Darkness swigged copiously from the vats of hair metal, Van Halenesque CocRock, and AC/DC. Singer Justin Hawkins camped it up in striped spandex trousers, while bassist Frankie Pullain played the straight man. It was all a bit Spinal Tap, and if not quite a spoof or wind-up, then certainly rock music performed with a wink and a nod. And yet, the Darkness was not a novelty act; they took their music seriously and wanted the listener to have fun with it. They even gave us a damn good power ballad, featured here.
The Darkness – Love Is Only A Feeling.mp3

.

eastmountainsouth – eastmountainsouth

Before there were The Weepies, there were the shift- and space-bar boycotting eastmountainsouth. Discovered by Robbie Robertson, the folk-pop duo released only this one album, before Kat Maslich Bode and Peter Bradley Adams went their own way. That’s a pity; the album is lovely. It does not spring surprises on the listener; indeed, played in the wrong mood, it could be considered boring. The songs don’t go beyond mid-tempo, and they don’t always engage as immediately as those of fellow folkie Rosie Thomas. But the harmonies are exquisite, the vibe is warm. This is an album to savour on a lazy, preferably rainy weekend over a cup of coffee.
eastmountainsouth – Ghost.mp3

.

More Albums of the Year

A cover of Beautiful World by Colin Hay. My friend John introduced me to this song, and so I decided to cover it in hopes that he’ll sing it with me one of these days!

<center>

As noted before, I’m a huge Men At Work fan. I found out the day of this show that Colin was playing at the tiny little Cactus Cafe on the campus of UT.  This place is typically a first come, first served so I got there early.  Being the dork that I am, I brought my CD covers (previously signed by Greg Hamm) for the only 3 Men At Work albums.  I used to have some of Colin’s solo CDs but his solo work never did much for me.

I was one of the first few people there and ended up meeting a guy who had also just found out about the show.  Super nice guy, screenwriter.  We talked for quite a while before they let us in and then sat together.  The cactus only holds about 50 people and this show didn’t sell out.  Criminal!!!

Colin got on stage and instantly just started telling stories, very funny stories.  Intermingled with his storytelling he also played some music.  Truthfully I think he may have only played 8 or 9 songs, but it didn’t matter.  His stories were very engaging and absolutely hilarious, even if a bit embellished here and there.

The only Men At Work songs that he played were Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and the closer Overkill.  I admit to getting a little choked up when he played that song.  It’s always been one of those songs from one of those eras, ya know?  I would like to have heard a few others that I think would have done well acoustically, but hey, it’s not my show.

He played practically flawlessly and his voice was still powerful and stayed crisp the whole night.  He’s a solid player on guitar.  I was impressed.

After the show he said he’d come out and do a quick meet and greet.  Of course I stuck around (groupie!).  Only about 10-15 people stuck around to say hi and I just waited at the end of the line.  When he got to me, he looked at my stack of CD covers and I think it was pretty blatant that I wasn’t a fan of his almost 10 albums of solo works.  He asked who had previously signed them  and I told him about the show in Virginia Beach in 1999.  He recalled the show as “Upstairs venue?  Hot as hell?”  He nailed it.  He was very amiable and I just thanked him and told him how much those 3 albums meant to me as a kid and even now as an adult.  He thanked me, shook my hand and looked at my shirt and said, “Black Sabbath, eh?  Good on ya, mate.”  We snapped a quick foto and I shook his hand one mroe time and left.

It was very special for me.  I’d certainly go see him again.  His comedy routine is worth the price alone.  Add in his music and it’s a double bonus night!

Waiting For My Real Life To Begin – Colin Hay

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I’ll keep checking the horizon
I’ll stand on the bow, feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down, down, down, on me

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
But don’t you understand
I already have a plan
I’m waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams, I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path, and up this cobbled lane
I’m walking in my old footsteps, once again
And you say, just be here now
Forget about the past, your mask is wearing thin
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I’m waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I’ll keep checking the horizon
And I’ll check my machine, there’s sure to be that call
It’s gonna happen soon, soon, oh so very soon
It’s just that times are lean

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart, let the light shine in
Don’t you understand
I already have a plan
I’m waiting for my real life to begin

Perusing the calendar, I was shocked to realise that the current decade — what some people call the “Noughties” — is almost over; that we’re about to start the 2010s. And here I am still getting used to the idea of the new millennium. So, with this decade coming to an end soon, it seems right to review my top 10 albums of this period. I’ll try to avoid joining the critical consensus (which probably agrees on albums I either never heard of or don’t like), and obviously I can’t list albums I don’t have. So, no Kid A here.

* * *

1. Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary Man

It’s not necessarily the best album in Cash’s American series, but probably the only one that’ll top one of my annual charts. It certainly is a fine album, with an astute song selection (no peculiar choices such as Personal Jesus, which appeared on the follow-up). Cash had previously taken a Sting song, Hung My Head, and entirely appropriated it, leaving Sting’s original sound like a pale, inadequate and ill-advised cover version by an inferior hack. Here Cash repeats the trick with One, lending gravitas to a song that in Bono’s hands sounds overwrought (Bono really meant it, man). But it is what Cash and producer Rick Rubin do with Nick Cave’s The Mercy Seat that blows me away. For this album, Rubin roped in a few heavy-hitters, including Tom Petty and Will Oldham. I’m not sure it was necessary to do so.
Johnny Cash – One.mp3
Johnny Cash – The Mercy Seat.mp3

.

2. D’Angelo – Voodoo

After 2000, I began falling off Planet Soul. Voodoo was the genre’s last high-water mark, even if the likes of india.arie, Erykah Badu and (to some extent) Alicia Keys proceeded to release decent albums (and I suppose John Legend isn’t bad either, even though I own nothing by the man). Before too long, it became a law that soul singers must have uniformly nasal, almost pre-pubescent voices and sing about sex a lot without projecting any confidence that they really know what to do in the sack. D’Angelo, on the other hand, left us in no doubt that he knew exactly how to create a concerto of orgasms.

In terms of soul, D’Angelo fused all that came before, plus a strong dose of hip hop and a shot of Hendrix in one album, creating a whole new, exciting and intensely sexual sound. It had taken him five years to follow up the gorgeous Brown Sugar, and I believe a new album is imminent. Whatever happened before or will happen, Voodoo is Michael Archer’s masterpiece. Had Marvin Gaye lived, this is what he’d have sounded like.
D’Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel).mp3

.

3. Elliot Smith – Figure 8

Smith’s final album in his lifetime — he died three years later — may not be his best, but even then, it is lovely and affecting. It could have done with some trimming, and the cover is unattractive. You don’t pick up an Elliot Smith album to cheer you up, but the charge of miserablism often levelled against seems unfair to me. There is beauty in Smith’s sadness — made all the more poignant by his apparent suicide (there are theories that Smith didn’t actually kill himself). We owe Smith a huge voter of thanks for his part in inspiring so many of the great acoustic artists that emerged in (and, perhaps, from) his wake.
Elliott Smith – Somebody That I Used To Know.mp3

.

4. Colin Hay – Going Somewhere

The solo albums of the former Men At Work frontman tend to be frustrating; amid the near-perfect gems there is so much indifferent filler material. Best, really, to put together one’s own compilation. But then one would not find that some of the mediocre stuff is actually pretty good, but required a few more listens. Going Somewhere does not suffer from this. It is one of two albums on which Hay re-recorded his better songs and a couple of new ones, here mostly acoustically. And it works wonderfully. Highlights include opener Beautiful World (which features the brilliant line “where a man can still be free — or a woman if you are one”), I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You, Looking For Jack (about an encounter with Mr Nicholson), Waiting For My Real Life To Begin and Lifeline.
Colin Hay – Lifeline.mp3

.

5. Jill Sobule – Pink Pearl

Sobule kissed a girl and liked it long before Katy Perry did so — and Sobule meant it. Sobule is an engaging lyricist dealing with often unexpected subject matter, ranging from anorexia to the case of a teacher who had sex with her pupil. In turn she can be insightful, funny, ironic, cute, tender and daring. Her music is neither particularly challenging nor bland, and some of the tracks on Pink Pearl are excellent, especially the Bacharach-via-Spektor-sounding Rainy Day Parade. But it’s for the lyrics that I return to it. This, from the also outstanding One Of These Days, always makes me laugh: “One of these days I’m gonna touch the sky. Like that awful song ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, [pause for effect] I believe I can fly.” Download free Jill Sobule tracks from her website
Jill Sobule – Rainy Day Parade.mp3

.

6. Lewis Taylor – Lewis II

I’ve read that Lewis Taylor has retired from the music business because his albums didn’t sell. That is a pity. Lewis II (which, you will have worked out, was his sophomore album, following the more psychedelic self-titled debut) is a likeable soulful and funky effort. When white soulsters arrive on the scene, they tend to be matched with their likely influences, invariably from the ’60s and ’70s (usually Curtis Mayfield with a bit of Motown). London-born Taylor escaped such labelling, or at least its accurate application. He drew from the treasury of soul through the ages and created his own unique sound. The album features a fine cover of Jeff Buckley’s Everybody Here Wants You.
Lewis Taylor – The Way You Done Me.mp3

.

7. K’s Choice – Almost Happy

In my view, Almost Happy is the Belgian brother-and-sister act’s best album. The title track and Another Year are most affecting, beautiful songs dipped in sadness but not despondency. Both of these, and other K’s Choice songs, find an echo in the music of the wonderful Weepies (another female/male singing and songwriting combo). The stand-out track is the almost gothic (though not goth) Shadowman, a song about depression.
K’s Choice – Shadowman.mp3

.

8. Ben Kweller – Freak Out…It’s Ben Kweller

I know, EPs aren’t albums. But I’m not going to list my favourite EPs of the decade (hmmm, or maybe I should), so Ben Kweller’s debut on disc gets in. And what a debut it was. The stand-out track here is In Other Words, which features a few duff lines (including references to passive-aggressive butterflies) but has a tune and, especially, an arrangement that one might not expect from an 18-year-old. The piano and banjo interplay in the song’s climax is exquisite. Kweller later re-recorded In Other Words, as well as the brief How It Should Be (Sha Sha), for his first full album, 2002’s Sha Sha. Both songs are superior on this eight-song EP.
Ben Kweller – In Other Words.mp3

.

9. Richard Ashcroft – Alone With Everybody

I’d include this for Brave New World alone. And I‘ll cheerfully admit that I don’t really like about half of this album. But the other half is better than most music he created with the Verve. From his former group, we knew Ashcroft was rather given to kitchen-sink productions, and there’s little here that could be described as sparse (quite in contrast to Elliott Smith). At times the onslaught of instrumentation is sumptuous, at other times one yearns for some respite. Not a great album, but one with great moments. I’d recommend You On My Mind In My Sleep, A Song For Lovers and On A Beach; and strongly advise against Money To Burn, which I think was the lead single.
Richard Ashcroft – Brave New World.mp3

10. Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of The Bewilderbeest

The album title merely hints at the punnery Damon Gough engages in here. I like the wordplay in Badly Drawn Boy’s lyrics, even if I find them unnecessary in songtitles (Everybody’s Stalking!). Like almost any studio double album (and how audacious to release a double album on debut), there is a lot of unnecessary music here, and the brief interludes are annoying. But in the day of WinAmp, one can happily re-sequence an album according to one’s tastes. And doing so with this set is a very rewarding experience.
Badly Drawn Boy – The Shining.mp3

Bei Daytrotter gibt es heute ein kleines Set von Colin Hay zu hören.

Hay hatte mit seiner ehemaligen Band Men At Work in den 80ern ein paar Hits, darunter Down Under und Overkill. Größere Bekanntheit erlangte er international durch seine Gastauftritte und Soundtrackstücke bei Scrubs. Zach Braff bat Colin Hay persönlich darum einige Titel beizutragen, wenig verwunderlich, dass Hay auch auf dem Soundtrack von Braffs Regiedebut Garden State vertreten ist. Bei Scrubs wurden meines Wissens nach insgesamt vier Songs von Colin Hay verwendet, auf dem offiziellen Soundtrack finden sich zwei der Schönsten: Beautiful World und eine überarbeitete Akkustik Version von Overkill. Zu letzterem hat Hay auch seinen Gastauftritt bei Scrubs (2.Staffel, 1.Folge):

Download:

Colin Hay Daytrotter Session

I expected it. After a day as busy as yesterday and as emotionally excited as I was, a crash was expected. I’m not feeling tortured or anything, just still really struggling with the allergies (I might actually have a virus, since I have a fever that comes and goes), and really, really tired and sore from doing so much activity.

Seeing Colin Hay was such a wonderful and timely experience for me last night. It just really underlined something that I’ve been dwelling on lately; I do not want to live in Charlotte anymore. I can’t stand it here. It’s full of stuck-up douche-bags, gang-bangers, and other types of people who annoy me. The thing is, I knew that when I moved here, but I knew I was supposed to be here all the same. The people didn’t change here, I did. I think I have grown immeasurably as a person here, and I don’t regret moving here, any of the things I’ve experienced, or any of the relationships I’ve had, no matter how horrible they may have turned out.

It’s just… I feel like my soul is being sucked out through a straw by staying here. I think part of the reason my mental illness and physical illnesses have been so aggravated the past few years is that I have wanted to move away for almost four years now. I have detested living here for quite some time. I’ve been restless since 2002, but was never really motivated to go anywhere. Not really. I wanted to have my gastric bypass, graduate, and then go. I did have the bypass in 2003, but I didn’t graduate; I quit school and got “real” jobs instead. I was so burned out by the fall of 2004 I just couldn’t take the stress anymore. I wasn’t ready to graduate and move forward in that part of my life yet. I took off 5 years to party, have boyfriends, finally have sex, and basically finally let the “bad girl” out to realize she was never that bad to begin with.

In 2006 I had a vision (literally) of the man I hope to marry, and of where I should go. Call it crazy, I don’t care. I saw it, plain as day. In two different dreams/visions. And then I fell in love with someone else, had my heart broken, and accidentally became a drug addict for a year and a half. I spent most of 2008 recovering from addiction and major surgery. This year was spent agonizing with stomach problems. It’s no wonder my mental illness is full-blown. I have literally had no time to heal. I have been in a coma for three years. I don’t think I lost the time… I just got lost on the way.

And now that I’m awake again I cannot get away from the feeling that I do not want to be here anymore. I feel despair about this because I feel like my finances are so shit that there’s no way I can leave. I wanted to graduate before I leave. I hate the university I was going to, but I only have 3 classes left before I get my degree from them. And yet… I feel like the longer I stay here, the crazier I might become.

I can get out West if I want to; there is nothing I own that can’t be given away or sold. My car can be fixed up enough to stay running for a few more years. I can pay off my school bill and do online classes whenever to finish my degree. I don’t have to stay here. The depression tells me I have to stay here. The voices of my parents telling me I never finish anything are telling me to “stick it out” and finish what I’ve started.

But I am done. I want to be gone within six months.

Ever since I’ve re-connected (once again) with my biological family in California, I’ve been thinking that I’d love to go spend some time with them for a few months, and then move to Portland. In 2006, I actually had it planned out that I was going to finish school by May of 2007, go to Cali for the summer, and be in Portland by October of that year. I actually already had a place to live in both places. I was going to stay with Anna for the summer, and friends of hers had a room for rent in Portland come that fall. And then the heart ache and addiction happened.

And now… I’ve got this huge family that is crazy for me to come out there and spend time with them, get to know them. I cannot deny that this is something my heart has greatly desired, but yet again, I am terrified. I am afraid it will all go wrong, that it will be the same horrible brain-crushing, heart-rending experience I’ve had with family so far, and that I’ll be even more devastated than ever. I’m afraid that when I get to Portland I will fail miserably and have to move in with relatives again because I’m not able to make it on my own.

I’m afraid of these things because I’ve experienced them before, and it was so traumatic I’ve spent the last ten years trying desperately to separate myself from anything that might cause those events again.

Seeing it all written out it makes much more sense. I see the pattern. I know that I need to get stable before I take off somewhere, and that’s my goal. I’ve had many more successes than failures in the ten years since my breakdown. I know I’m capable of handling a lot and making things work financially somehow. I have an income for the next six months, possibly even the next year, if I do stay here that long. I’m just terrified of the past repeating itself.

Last night Colin opened up with his song, “Oh, California,” and it’s about his love for the state. I’ve been asking for signs. Every day I’ve been asking for a sign for what I should do. And then he played the song I wanted to hear him sing to me – “Waiting For My Real Life To Begin.” I cried through the whole thing. It’s been my theme song for the past couple of years.

I’m beginning to see a light of how I can get to where I want to go. It’s just that the voices that tell me I will fail are being really, really loud right now. I hate them, but I am frightened that they are right. After all, what have I accomplished that I’ve really wanted to by this time in my life? Maybe it’s not true in reality, but I haven’t done one thing I’ve really wanted to do. I’ve been too afraid my ENTIRE life.

I’m really tired of being scared and waiting for my real life to begin. I want to leave Charlotte and live the life I want right now, broke, broken or not.

So, es wird Zeit, eine Lanze zu brechen für eine derjenigen Bands, denen ihr großer Hit zum Verhängnis wurde und die, käme sie nicht von down under (und wäre sie nicht, so möchte ich glauben, viel zu cool), heutzutage durch blöde Sendungen wie “Hits von anno dunnemal” auf RTL oder einer anderen televisuellen Pest tingeln und immer wieder und endlos akustische Vegemite Sandwiches fressen würde.

Die Rede ist von den Australiern Men At Work um den Sänger Colin Hay, die die Querflöte nach Jethro Tull wieder für die Popmusik urbar gemacht und sie dummerweise viel zu catchy auf ihrem viel zu großen Hit “Down Under” verwendet haben.

Bands wie die wunderbaren Men At Work gibt es wohl wie Sand am Meer: Auf einem Album voller schöner Lieder ist eines, das raussticht, weil es das exaltierteste, das albernste oder einfach das blödeste ist, und alle Welt fährt darauf ab, und plötzlich sind Midnight Oil nur noch “die mit Beds Are Burning”, oder Black nur noch “der mit Wonderful Life”, Fischer-Z die mit “Berlin” und “Marliese”, und Blur waren doch die mit diesem bescheuerten “Boys And Girls” (ach, halt, die hatten danach noch das Glück, berühmt zu werden). Und Men At Work sind eben die mit diesem albernen “Down Under”.

Das stimmt wohl, das sind sie, und tatsächlich ist “Down Under” ihr Trademark-Stück (und, so verrät uns das Internet, die inoffizielle Nationalhymne Australiens), und das nicht nur, weil es eben das bekannteste ist. Hört man etwas genauer hin, dann ist das Lied gar nicht so albern, wie es klingt. Der Text erzählt vom Einsamsein in der weiten Welt und dem Vaterland im Herzen, das das Eis zwischen den Figuren schmelzen läßt. Aber halt: Was wie eine patriotische Liebeserklärung an Australien klingt, ist eine Warnung: “You better run, you better take cover”, und zwar vor den plündernden und kotzenden Männern dort, und dem Donnern, irgendwo las ich dereinst, es handle sich dabei um die Angst vor irgendeinem Krieg oder so ähnlich. Und außerdem ist das Lied viel melancholischer, als der typische Ü30-Diskobesucher wahrhaben will – völlig fertig in der Ferne in einer Ecke zu liegen ist nunmal kein Zuckerschlecken.

Und außerdem, deshalb habe ich die Platte hier überhaupt erst ausgepackt, ist “Down Under” wahrlich nicht das beste Lied auf  “Business As Usual”. Allein schon der Opener “Who Can It Be Now?”, auch ein mittelgroßer Hit, schlägt den Song um Längen. Ein klassisches 80’s-Saxophon bläst eine unvergessliche Hookline, und Colin Hay singt mit heiserer Stimme eine Geschichte Pop gewordener Paranoia, gerade noch im Zaum gehalten von dieser wunderbaren Melancholie, die auch die verhaltenen Gitarren tragen. Und immer wieder wird diese Paranoia, wahrscheinlich typisch für die 80er Jahre, im Verlauf der Platte ihr Haupt heben, ob in “Helpless Automaton” oder, mit der Liebe ringend, in “Catch A Star”.

Weniger paranoid, aber nicht minder melancholisch ist dann “I Can See It In Your Eyes”, ein Liebeslied von einem Erzähler, der zurückgelassen wurde, und dessen Traurigkeit über das Scheitern der Liebe sich nun vermischt mit den alten Erinnerungen an die weit zurückliegende, für immer vergangene Schulzeit. Fast schon naiv ist das kleine Gitarrenintro, lieblich die Melodie, ein ganz kleines Lied über die ganz großen Gefühle.

Überhaupt ist das die große Stärke der Men At Work: Es gelingt ihnen immer wieder, eben jene großen Gefühle wie Einsamkeit, Angst oder Liebe in kleine, bescheidene Lieder zu stecken und damit viele Klischees zu umschiffen. Und sogar ein Zitat wie “Be Good Johnny”, das sich fast ein bißchen zu sehr im Pop suhlt, bleibt sympathisch, auch in seiner Haltung zu besagtem Johnny im Lied.

Dabei streifen sie auch durch die urbane Nacht, mit einem hektischeren Beat wie in “Underground” oder in “Helpless Automaton”, mit einem bißchen sozialkritischer Haltung in “Touching The Untouchables” oder schlagen sich einfach mit den üblichen zwischenmenschlichen Kommunikationsschwierigkeiten herum, wie im romantischen (oder vielleicht doch etwas seichten)  “People Just Love To Play With Words”. Ein bisserl düsterer New Wave-Reggae plötzlich in “Catch A Star”, bevor das Vinyl elegisch mit “Down By The Sea” endet (die CD hat offenbar noch Bonustracks).

Gut, “Business As Usual” klingt heutzutage ziemlich dated, ist eine typische 80’s-Platte, und man wird immer wieder über “Down Under” stolpern. Und freilich erreicht nicht jedes Lied diese traurige Paranoia von “Who Can It Be Now?” oder dieses wunderbar Naive von “I Can See It In Your Eyes”, aber dennoch bleibt diese Platte eine besondere. Das mag an ihren feinen Melodien liegen, an Colin Hays unverkennbarer Stimme, vielleicht auch an diesem (Achtung, Klischee!) ungreifbar Australischen, dieser Weite in der Musik, oder aber dem Humor der Band – die Men At Work auf “Down Under” zu reduzieren ist jedenfalls ähnlich dumm, wie die Beatles nur noch als “die mit Yellow Submarine” zu bezeichnen, und vielleicht hören diejenigen, die bei den Ü30-Parties bei der notorischen Querflöte von Greg Ham nur noch die Augen verdrehen, einfach mal genauer hin oder besser noch bei Gelegenheit in das gesamte Album rein.

www.myspace.com/menatwork
www.colinhay.com
www.columbiarecords.com

This is my last Top 10 before I’m done with my paper.  ’m meeting with Anne this afternoon to go over my spankin’ new Introduction v2.0.  I’ll work the changes from Intro 2.0 into the rest of the paper over the weekend, then meet with Micheál on Monday for any last minute ideas.  I should have it back from the printers on Wednesday to turn in.  Then off to Prague at the crack of dawn on Thursday.  Look for a download on Wednesday night for those who want to read my paper.  Once it’s turned in I can share with everyone.  Music after the jump.

1. Blue October – “18th Floor Balcony/It’s Just Me” Foiled
2. Shinedown – “Lacerated” Leave A Whisper
3. Foo Fighters – “Last Song” In Your Honor
4. Colin Hay – “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” Garden State Soundtrack
5. John Mellencamp – “Crumblin’ Down” The Best That I Could Do
6. Explosions in the Sky – “Catastrophy and The Cure” All Of A Sudden  I Miss Everyone
7. Jimmy Eat World – “The World You Love” Futures
8. Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue” Ocean Avenue
9. Explosions in the Sky – “A Poor Man’s Memory” Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever
10. The Nadas – “The Worst Place I’ve Been” Listen Through The Static
11. Steve Miller Band – “Fly Like An Eagle” Young Hearts

This week’s list is some pretty weak sauce.   Yellowcard is the latest to fall victim to the Great iTunes Purge of 2009.  Once I’m back from Prague, the hunt is on in full force.

This spectacular song is one of the best songs ever made in my opinion. It’s by Colin Hay, previously the voice of Men at Work, nowadays having his own band called Man @ Work. The song can be found by both bands, although I only have it on the acoustic solo version. I found it through Scrubs; it is featured in full length in the episode My Overkill (season 2, episode 1), performed by Colin Hay himself in the episode.

Enjoy!

I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know will be alright
Perhaps it's just imagination

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
It's time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation

At least there's pretty lights
And though there's little variation
It nullifies  the night
From overkill

I can't get to sleep
I think about  the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situation
I know will be alright
It's just overkill

Interview: Colin Hay

Topics: Back from Summer Vacay, Innis & Gunn Beer, Netflix: Mac to TV, Future of Album Cover Art?, Cracker Jack and Miracle Whip Stink, Classic Sports and Game Shows, Russ Introduces Food-based Shout Outs… Orange Marmalade!

Playlist: No Age, A Lull, Colin Hay, Daniel Johnston and The Very Best.

Preview: “Budweiser, it tastes like a beer burp.”

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast65.mp3

iTunes: Listen

Related Links:

• Innis & Gunn – Oak Aged Beer
• Dogfish Dash
• Netflix
• Brooklyn Vegan
• 75 or Less
• ESPN Classics
• Game Show Network
• Let’s Make a Deal
• J-Stache
• Jens Lekman
• Garfunkel & Oates
• Trader Joe’s Opera Cake