While the rest of the country Xperiences Spring, here in the Great Northwest it's mostly rainy & in the low 40s. We had 1 nice day, this past Mon, when it was sunny & actually hit 60 degrees -- & I "celebrated" by mowing the lawn 4 the 2nd time this "spring."
I'm bored, & Winter seems 2 B dragging on Ndlessly, as usual here. Maybe y'all Out There R bored 2 -- there seemta B fewer of you these days. Awhile back almost every post seemdta get around 25 to 30 looks -- now I'm lucky 2 get 10. I hope wherever you R, the weather's a LOT better than here, & hopefully you have Better Things To Do.
As 4 me, in an effort 2 shake things up, I MTed out my overnite bag of cassettes I'd bn taking 2 work, & took a whole mostly-new batch of tunes in starting 2nite. Tho I'd had some people ask about Fairport Convention & Aaron Copland over the past week, I figured I couldn't keep playing the same Five Man Electrical Band and Poco songs over&over, so....
2nite at work I went a little weird & folks got 2 hear:
David Sancious and Tone -- Transformation (The Speed of Love).
Mike Oldfield -- Incantations (Part One), Arrival.
Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays -- As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls.
Fleetwood Mac -- Oh Well.
Happy the Man -- Service With a Smile, Wind-Up Doll Day Wind, Open Book.
Group 87 -- Future of the City, Magnificent Clockworks, One Night Away from Day.
Scarlet Rivera -- Day of the Unicorn.
Synergy -- S-Scape.
Pretenders -- Precious, Up the Neck, Tattooed Love Boys, Space Invaders, Stop Your Sobbing, Kid, Lovers of Today, Mystery Achievement, Talk of the Town, Message of Love, Back on the Chain Gang, Pack it Up, Time the Avenger, My City Was Gone, 2000 Miles.
...I even tried some silence 4 awhile, & that sounded pretty good 2.
More at-work musical weirdness coming soon....
Been trying my best with Neville Judd's AL STEWART: THE TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES OF A FOLK-ROCK TROUBADOUR (2005), Bcos I was/am a pretty big Al fan & wanted 2 know where some of his Xcellent historical songs come from.
If you're looking 4 a practically-minute-by-minute recap of Al's career, his many tours, his legal problems with Janus/GRT & Arista, & why he sorta floated away in the early '80s, you might Njoy this book.
My feeling is that Judd had a TON of info & unprecedented access 2 his subject -- & then had trouble giving much shape 2 all his data. It's not the smoothest-written rock bio ever....
I haven't learned much that I didn't already know or that I couldn't have figured out on my own. I also think Judd gave a bit 2 much room 2 Al's early career & weaker songs -- while Al's time in the limelite coulda bn Xpanded a bit. But if you want tour info, legal complications & band members' data, Judd's got it wired.
Judd thinks a lot more of TIME PASSAGES and PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE than I do, & a lot less of 24 CARROTS than I do. 1 of Al's best later songs from his classic period, "Rocks in the Ocean," is barely mentioned -- & the fact that Al's old folkie buddy Robin Williamson of the Incredible String Band plays fiddle on it isn't mentioned at all.
About MODERN TIMES and YEAR OF THE CAT we seem 2 agree. As 4 the later stuff, well, I've got 1/2 a CD of Al's later stuff that I haven't gotten 2 yet....
However, Judd's book HAS got me looking 4 a CD full of Al's demos & vault songs, IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME, so maybe this long, data-filled, densely-packed trip was worth it.
There R some good quotes from Al, lotsa lyrics, lyrics from demo-songs nobody's ever heard, & some other good stuff -- but not enuf. I want 2 know where summa these songs CAME from. There's plenty, 4 instance, on "Apple Cider Reconstitution" & "The Dark and Rolling Sea," but only a paragraph or 2 on "Modern Times" -- the book doesn't even tell me if that little drama really happened. Disappointing.
Coming soon: Sandy Denny's LIKE AN OLD-FASHIONED WALTZ. & eventually, some new stuff....
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