Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
28 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: donovan, mellow yellow
Hearing Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow” recently in a department store, it occurred to me that had he not showed a measure of discretion and a degree of ambiguity in the lyric…
…if indeed he’d spelled it all out in the 2nd verse like he later did in live performances…
…the song would probably be cancelled by now.
Quite rightly!
28 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: descend from the heavens, l’ensemble choral du bout du monde
…is an ancient sacred carol from Brittany (Celtic northern France). The language is Breton, not French, although the beauty of the music transcends language. The refrain translates as:
Descend from the Heavens, joyful spirits/Come once again to sing praise to Jesus/Proclaim his goodness in hymns of glory/Peace has just arrived on earth
I don’t know anything more about the song or the recording, and I don’t want to know. I don’t want to watch a YouTube video to see what the singers look like.
This song carved out and occupies an inviolate niche in my mind, a place of almost unreal beauty. It stirs me in a way no other recording does, and any further information I could learn about it would only break the spell.
I can find five minutes of perfect joy inside this song.
24 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: john lennon
by Carl Schultz
Abandoned by his parents at an early age, John Lennon was raised by his strict, austere, sharpminded aunt, Margaret Smith, whom he referred to as his Aunt Mimi.
Despite Aunt Mimi’s well-known, well-intentioned early advice to her strong-spirited, artistically-inclined nephew (“The guitar’s okay, John, but you’ll never earn a living with it”), John loved his aunt dearly, and throughout his life remained steadfast in his loyalty, respect, and devotion.
As John became successful—and very, very rich—he bought Mimi a well-appointed home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean (“If you don’t take it, I will,” he told her), and supported her for the rest of his life.
Lennon took Aunt Mimi along on at least one of The Beatles’ overseas tours—to Australia and New Zealand, where Mimi visited with some distant, long-lost family. And even at the end of his life, when John was living in New York City, he’d phone his Aunt Mimi at least weekly to check up on her, seek her advice on everyday matters—and just to talk.
John Lennon was looking forward to a trip back home to England, London, Liverpool, and a visit with his Aunt Mimi when he was murdered in front of his apartment on December 8, 1980.
15 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: unreleased albums
(via AudioPhix) by Danilo Castro
We’re living in an increasingly singles-driven market thanks to streaming playlists and platforms like TikTok. In many ways, we’ve reverted back to the 1950s model, where albums were compilations of filler songs with a few big singles. That said, the album is still viewed by many as the true marker of musical artistry.
A classic album is a necessary calling card to be considered a great artist, and there are numerous stories about albums that changed artists’ lives that were nearly scrapped, or made under the stress of record label expectations. The success stories are fun, but we’re here to discuss the albums that never quite made it across the finish line.
The ones that did get scrapped, and would have altered the course of their artists’ careers had they actually seen the light of day. For better, or for worse. Albums are being scrapped every other day, but these are the ones we felt were the most notable in terms of what “could have been.”
Human Highway (1973) – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Human Highway was meant to be a comeback after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young spent the first half of the decade putting out solo material. Nash even snapped a photo of the four mercurial members on a beach. Unsurprisingly, egos, drugs and debates over which songs made the album led to it being scrapped, and songs being scattered amongst subsequent solo releases.
Crosby, Stills & Nash had a triumphant comeback with their self-titled (and Young-less) album in 1977, but they’d already aged out of their prime by then. Human Highway could have been another folk rock classic, solidifying their classic lineup and perhaps even resulting in more CSNY material…
30 Nov 2024 Leave a comment
in General Posts, Wedding related
(Via BuzzFeed) by Dannica Ramirez
Whether you’ve attended several weddings, have planned a wedding, or just like to scroll through aesthetically pleasing wedding photos and decor, I’m almost certain you’ve come across something and thought, absolutely not. Recently, I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community what their wedding icks are, and some of them are hot takes. Here are the things people really don’t like to see at a wedding:
1. “Please, for goodness sake, stop shoving cake in your partner’s face. It’s tacky and just disrespectful when they take it too far.”
2. “I hate the confusing dress codes — from Italian chic to dressy casual to cocktail wear (‘but cowboy boots are welcome!’). I also think asking people to conform to a dress code that likely requires them to buy a new outfit, in addition to accommodations and gifts, is too much. People have no idea how much this can impact their guests!”
3. “The dollar dance. It’s tacky and demeaning.”
Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/dannicaramirez/wedding-icks-people-have
Every Moment Has A Song 