“I Burn but I am not Consumed” composed and performed by Karine Polwart with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for Celtic Connections, Thursday 19 January 2017 [61] and subsequently included on her “Laws of Motion” album. “I Burn But I am Not Consumed” is the motto for the Scottish MacLeod clan. My family tree includes Tarbert, Scotland, as an origin, on the Isle of Lewis and Harris. Lewis and Harris is Scotland’s largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands.
“I Burn but I am not Consumed” was composed and performed by Karine Polwart with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for Celtic Connections on Thursday, 19 January 2017 and subsequently included on her “Laws of Motion” album.
Todd Rundgren – “Tin Foil Hat” by Todd Rundgren featuring Donald Fagen
I have been listening to Rundgren since the mid-1970s. Something/Anything was the first album I got from his deep discography. This has his trademark sound, with new bits and pieces here and there to keep it fresh and interesting, not just a rehashing of earlier work.
Fiona Apple – “Tiny Hands”
This song brings a smile to my face every time I play it. Thanks, Donald, for inspiring these lyrics.
Maraaya – Diamond Duck
“KITTY KITTY” by De Staat (2018): Various lyrics alluding to Trump and his campaign policies (such as “Big deal maker, orange entertainer, swamp it up, ‘gator” and “Make the new
news faker”). The song’s music video depicts two crowds of people charging towards each other in slow motion, with the two groups coloured blue (to represent the Democratic Party) and red (representing the Republican Party).
Demi Lovato – Commander in Chief
This is somewhere near the top of my imaginary list of favourite political songs.
Ben Comeau – “Donald Trump is a Wanker” is a four-voice fugue based on a theme from The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”
This song is about as subtle as a flying mallet.
Tom Morello – World Wide Rebel Song
This list of songs dedicated to Donald Trump is by no means comprehensive, but it does give a hint about how people in the musical world see the Great Orange One. This list is longer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_in_music.
This week has been full of audio adventures, the highlight would probalby be the new CSN&Y album. There is only one surprise on this list and that is “bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit. If the music isn’t your cup of tea you can probably agree that the bands name and the album name are interesting.
King Crimson – Islands
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Live At Fillmore East, 1969
Federale – Reverb & Seduction
Librarians With Hickeys – How To Make Friends By Telephone
bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit – the great guitar of universal compassion
Peter, Paul, & Mary – The Very Best of Peter, Paul & Mary
The Orb & David Gilmour – Metallic Spheres In Colour
King Crimson – Islands
From Wikipedia:
“Islands is the fourth studio album by King Crimson, released on 3 December 1971 on the record label Island. Islands is the only studio album to feature the 1971–1972 touring line-up of Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace. This would be the last album before an entirely new group (except for Fripp) would record the trilogy of Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red between 1973 and 1974. This is also the last album to feature the lyrics of co-founding member Peter Sinfield.
Musically, the album expands on the improvisational jazz leanings of King Crimson’s previous album, Lizard. It received a mixed response from critics and fans.” Norman also gives it a mixed response. I have tried to like this album, but it remains lukewarm and elusive.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Live At Fillmore East, 1969
Four Way Street is already on my deserted island playlist, and Déjà Vu is close behind, making ranking this album difficult. This was recorded shortly before Déjà Vu was released, and Four Way Street came the following year. The trio appears in this order: Live At Fillmore East in 1969, Déjà Vu in 1970 and Four Way Street in 1971.
I learned about Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSN&Y) in 1970 during a chance encounter in Montreal, Canada. I had a lengthy layover between flights, so I grabbed a cab to a nearby mall I knew had a record store. Déjà Vu was on the turntable, and I knew I had to buy that album. Fifty-four years later, I am still digging their music.
After just one listen, a highlight of Live At Fillmore East, 1969 is the 16 minutes of Down By The River. It’s incredible to hear these four musicians jam on four electric guitars. The closing song which follows Down By The River is Find The Cost of Freedom, and we hear four voices harmonizing. I am giving the album its second listen as I write this, and I love every second of it; these guys are next level.
I had my second go at Live At Fillmore East, 1969, and I must confess that it didn’t engage me like Four Way Street did. I’ve filed it in the library and will no doubt listen to it again. However, I didn’t have the rush of blood to my head that Déjà Vu or Four Way Street did. I remain hopefully optimistic until then.
Just for the record, I do not dislike Live At Fillmore East, 1969; it is a good album. It’s just not as good as Four Way Street. Live albums are a crap shoot at best. Everyone has an opinion on what the best live albums are. ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’ makes everyone’s best live albums list. Deep Purple ‘Made in Japan’ also shows up frequently; I think a lot is due to one song, Smoke On The Water. The Talking Heads’ amazing show, ‘Stop Making Sense,’ makes my list at number one, and Rolling Stone magazine puts it at eleven on their list. The Who, ‘Live at Leeds’ is a frequent flyer on these lists. Sunday at the Village Vanguard by Bill Evans would be on my list.
A few venues pop up on most lists of best live albums. Apollo Theater was in the Harlem district of New York City; it has been a significant venue for African American popular music. The list of musicians that graced its stage is enough to fill a book; several are written. Another important New York venue was The Fillmore East, dubbed the church of rock and roll due to the many great artists and penultimate shows it has hosted. Royal Albert Hall in England is a frequently used venue; it is a favourite of mine because I was privileged to see King Crimson play there. Budokan is a venue in Japan that has hosted some great live performances, including Bob Dylan and Cheap Trick. Birdland is the place to be if you want live jazz.
Live venues for Country and Western music usually default to The Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman or shows pulled from live radio performances, where The Opry and numerous stars got their start. The Carter Family and Hank Williams are just two highlights who started on the radio. According to the internet, Country and Western music seem to have one great live album, Waylon Jennings- Waylon Live! It shows up on list after list. Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison is usually a distant second place.
The list of great live performances and their venue could go on and on. There are numerous web pages with their best live performance lists, which could be a list of the best lists. Ultimate Classic Rock is a decent list, and Rolling Stone has covered the rock and roll world quite well. There are too many lists for live jazz albums because jazz seems to come alive when played outside the studio. I could get lost on Reddit reading everyone’s opinion of the best live performances. I suggest listening to live performances and recordings of live performances and making your own list; that is what I did.
Federale – Reverb & Seduction
These guys have a sound that sucked my right in and held me for the entire length of this album. That’s all, folks; I just thought I would mention them because I listened to this album and liked it. Thank you, Shauna.
Librarians With Hickeys – How To Make Friends By Telephone
Dang it all! Double dang it! I listened to this album over and over, and twice yesterday. I was working on a little modelling project and had this album on repeat, and I listened to it with intention. I liked it but still have difficulty putting a label on the Librarians With Hickeys. They bring back a warm fuzzy feeling of the heady days of summer as teenagers in the sixties and listening to pop music on the radio as we cruised town. They have good lyrics with lots of the usual suspects: love found, love enjoyed, and love lost and telephones. True to the album name, How To Make Friends By Telephone, there are plenty of references to telephones that naturally brought to mind some songs that I know with telephone as either the title or subject matter of songs. And so off I went, first from memory and then assisted by the Discogs search engine, limited to my music collection. Undoubtedly, the list would be endless outside of this search.
The Carter Family – No Telephone In Heaven
Tom Waits – Telephone Call From Istanbul
ELO -Telephone Line
Jim Croce – Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)
Bob Dylan & The Band – Long Distance Operator
Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show – Sylvia’s Mother
Arcade Fire – Cars and Telephones
Back to the Librarians after that rabbit hole, I have enjoyed listening to their music and feel very strongly that I may return to them.
bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit – the great guitar of universal compassion
This album is new to me. I was strolling around the internet one night when inspecting the insides of my eyelids, and it wasn’t inducing sleep. I started scrolling through Apple Music for music to fall asleep with and found bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit. They are not the best band to fall asleep listening to, but I was glad to find them. I knew absolutely nothing about bodies… so I turned my sleeplessness into a quest for knowledge about them. I found a bit of info on Bandcamp: https://b-odies.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-guitar-of-universal-compassion
And a bit more on
I found out on that sleepless night that bodies… have a significant back catalogue that I will have to spend some time exploring. For the moment, I will limit my time to their newest adventure, the great guitar of universal compassion.
This is an exciting album from bodies… It travels through the realms of improv, but they don’t sound like a jam band. They also have a psychedelic feel, but I would not call them a psychedelic band. Discogs label their album “all the songs i know about fire” as rock. bodies… bodies are experimental and use musique concrète elements, whether from sample sources outside of the use of musical instruments or through the manipulation of those instruments sounds by various means, including the pedal board.
This is not music for everyone, but it has been excellent music for me. They didn’t put me to sleep but sent me on a quest to listen to more of their music. It has been a grand quest rewarded by hours of exciting music that pushed my music boundaries into new pathways.
Here’s an affectionate attempt at ranking their records with the understanding that placing things you love in a rigid hierarchy is objectively insane ~ Elizabeth Nelson
Bee Gees – Best Of The Bee Gees
This is the first album that I bought, it was in 1968, I think. I darn near wore the grooves out playing it over and over. We lived in a remote location, so there was no access to a store to get more albums, so this was my favourite and still makes my top album list.
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
This is not the first Beatles album that I owned. That was The Beatles ’65. Buying this record meant that The Bee Gees were now played only 50% of the time. There is something magical about Sgt. Pepper that never seems to fade away.
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon
My first purchase of this album was by mistake. I was looking for another record but could not find it. I have long since forgotten what that lost record was, but I didn’t care because I fell head over heels once I heard Pink Floyd. I have all their other album, but The Dark Side of the Moon is still my favourite.
Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out
I was a late bloomer when it came to jazz music. I purchased a Thelodius Monk record in the mid-70s but didn’t get hooked on jazz until we entered the 2000s. Since then, I have listened to more jazz and occasionally bought a record, but most of my jazz listening is from streaming.
Bill Evans Trio – Live at the Village Vanguard
This one is not streamed; I have the vinyl, and this album is one of the best live albums in my collection.
CSN&Y – 4 Way Street
In 1970, in a record store in Montreal, I was introduced to CSN&Y. The album was Déjà Vu, and I bought into the band big time. As good as Déjà Vu is, I still prefer Four Way Street, with their new release Live at The Fillmore East, 1969, a very close second place.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part
This is an artist that I didn’t know about until recently. I can’t keep track of every album/artist out there. I have since purchased several other releases by Nick Cave, but No More Shall We Part is the one that gets the most airtime.
Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul
I was so happy when I scored this record in my favourite record store, https://www.recordcollectorsparadise.ca. I don’t have much soul music, but this one is a keeper.
Talking Heads – Fear Of Music
I first purchased this album on cassette, and I wore that tape out fast. I got a vinyl, a CD, and another that is in better condition than the first one. And I think I have even streamed it. I will have to keep my eye out for another cassette.
This has to be a record for the smallest amount of albums that I listened to in a week. I even listened to more than this the week my hip was replaced. They are good records, and all four received more than one listen. I am slowly making progress on the King Crimson stack of wax.
King Crimson – Lizard
Lizard is the third album by King Crimson, and much like their previous album, In The Wake Of Poseidon, we have a band in transition and turmoil. It was the second consecutive King Crimson album recorded by transitional lineups of the group that did not perform live, following In the Wake of Poseidon. This is the last of two albums by the band to feature Gordon Haskell (and the only one where he was both the lead singer and the bass guitarist, as he only sang one song on the previous album) and the band’s only album to feature drummer Andy McCulloch.
When released, the album received mixed reviews, and listeners still have inconsistent responses. Robert Fripp has been very critical of the album, calling it “unlistenable” and lovers of it as “very strange.” However, he revised his opinion upon listening to Steven Wilson’s surround-sound mix of the album for the 40th anniversary reissue, proclaiming, “For the first time I have heard the Music in the music.”
I regret that my quad music system was stolen, but I will set up a 5.1 system using a DVD to hopefully recreate some of the magic Mr. Fripp is alluding to. Listening to the original recording on either CD or LP, I enjoyed the record. I must admit that I am a lifelong King Crimson fan, and I can’t say that I don’t like any of their material. I also enjoy listening to jazz, and Lizard has plenty of jazz influence. I rate Lizard with a 4-star rating.
Magilla Funk Conduit – Just Dance
Recorded by the omnipresent Nik Kozub, aided and abetted by bassist Thom Golub, trumpet player Bob Tildesley, rapper Cadence Weapon, and singer/songwriter/saxophonist Brett Miles. Brett Miles is the son of legendary football player “Rollie” Miles.” This is a local band; I live in Edmonton and had trouble finding anything about Magilla Funk Conduit online. I know they were active in the early 00s playing live at the Sidetrack Cafe; I miss that venue. They released two albums besides Just Dance, which I found on Discogs. Just Dance isn’t in Discogs. I may have to do an entry for it.
This record was fun to listen to. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for the two albums that I do not have. It is funky and quality, and I enjoyed listening to it.
Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks – Where’s The Money?
Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks are a band that I have been listening to for a very long time. Their albums are not all top-shelf quality, but this one is perfect. Where’s The Money? has all of the traits that make Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks one of my long-time listeners. Last Train To Hicksville is probably the album I like the most, but Where’s The Money? is a close second.
Leslie Phillips – The Turning
The Turning is a pivotal point in Leslie Phillips’s career. Although this is considered a contemporary Christian album, The Turning moves her away from that image and into the career of Sam Phillips.
Courtesy of Wikipedia:
“This album marks the first time Phillips worked with producer T Bone Burnett. The two married soon after the release of this album, and Burnett would go on to produce more albums for the singer. The Turning stands out as a turning point in Phillips’ career as a singer and songwriter; on one side, the cheerful, upbeat pop-rock albums that she recorded in the early 1980s, and, on the other, the quirky 60’s music influenced rock and folk albums, with a much darker and more poetic tone lyrically.”
I like this album. Its rhythm and “feel” run through it, setting the stage for each song and making the cohesive album an enjoyable half hour. Plus, I love the music of T Bone Burnett.
That, all folks. A grand total of four albums this week. Four enjoyable albums that all received more than one listen. Next week, we will feature more King Crimson and some music from the fine people who send me new music to listen to. Who those fine people are will be revealed next Monday; until then, happy listening to my friends.
Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby present to you my listening fixes from the past week. Explosions In The Sky was a highlight live, and The Armoires had the most spins. Check them out, you may just find it as entertaining and enjoyable as I did.
Explosions In The Sky – Live at Midway
We have every album EITS (Explosions In The Sky) released, so we were excited to hear them live. They did not disappoint us. The show was excellent in every way. The venue was a good choice for them; it was not so large that they were playing in a half-empty room and not so small that we were packed like sardines in a tin. We had a good view straight in line with the middle of the stage and on the rail overlooking the standing-room floor. The volume was perfect; so many shows have the volume cranked to a level that must damage the speakers and have way too much bass. EITS had none of that. The stage lights were great as well. They didn’t use the front-of-stage lights; they are an instrumental band, so they don’t need to highlight the lead vocalist. Most of their music is collaborative, so there is no need to spotlight the soloist because they don’t usually have one. Their performance style, which is a testament to their collaborative nature, was a sight to behold. They employed plenty of back-of-house lighting to create a similar effect to shadow puppets.
The music, ah, yes, the music, it kept me enthralled for the entire show. EITS is a five-man band: a drummer, a keyboard player who also plays guitar, both bass and six-string, two electric guitar players and a bass/six-string player who often swaps guitars mid-song. They had moments when the music exploded from the stage to engulf us. EITS are experts at building tension in the music that gradually rises until the stage can’t hold it any longer, and it washes over us in a tsunami of sound.
Having Joel treat me to this concert as a gift for my seventieth birthday was beautiful. What a grand way to celebrate starting a new decade. Thank you, Joel.
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
This album is a frequent spinner on my turntable. It is not my favourite Dylan album; that title belongs to Desire, but Highway 61 Revisited is still a good album.
The Armoires – Octoberland
Big Stir Records
THE ARMOIRES – the Burbank, California-based band led by Christina Bulbenko (vocals, keys) and Rex Broome (vocals, guitar), also known as the founders of Big Stir Records – have exuded equal parts brash confidence and sophisticated mystery. There’s been the swirling psych-pop manifesto “We Absolutely Mean It,” the sweetly comforting “Music & Animals,” the dramatic strings-driven “Here Comes The Song,” and, up next, the giddy postpunk pulsebeat of “Ridley & Me After The Apocalypse.” All of them display the band revelling in their unique sound: the ambiguously androgynous harmonies of Broome and Bulbenko, the intricate instrumental interplay between Larysa Bulbenko’s endlessly versatile viola and the electric 12-strings, sweeping synths and delicate piano of the band leaders, and the unerringly empathetic rhythms of John M. Borack (drums) and Clifford Ulrich (bass).
Octoberland is easy to listen to, but I would not call it easy listening. It is playful but not childish. It is profound but not abysmal. It is joyous without being mawkish. It is sweet without being syrupy. In my own words, it is a damn good album.
Various – Cheapskates Vol. 4
This is not a good road trip listener. It does have some good tunes, just not enough for the road noise.
Various – At the Foot of the Cross
Valerie liked this one a lot. I used to like it a lot, but that has slipped, and I’m just liking it now. It is high quality in every aspect; if you are into Christian music, this should be on your playlist.
Various – Country Greats
It is a mixed bag of county and Western music, mainly from the sixties. This recording has no flow, and even the mix level is crazy. One song was so low we had to turn the volume up, and the next one blared at us to turn the volume down. The bass was too heavy on some songs, and the vocals were buried in the mix of instruments on other tracks. The songs didn’t have a chronological flow or have like-minded songs grouped.
They had a version of Jambalaya by George Jones, a good recording artist, no doubt, but this song belongs to Hank Williams. Daddy Sang Bass was by Carl Perkins on this CD, and it should be Johnny Cash. The list goes on. There are too many errors accumulated in these three CDs for an enjoyable listen; there are some great songs on here, but not enough, and not enough by the right artists or in the correct place on the tracklist.
An interesting twist on this album is the Queen of Soul, Tina Turner, singing three songs taken from her C/W album Good Hearted Woman. This isn’t her first C/W album either; Ike Turner had her record the album Tina Turns the Country On! in an attempt to expose her to a wider audience. I actually like her take on these songs; they are probably my favourite songs on a sketchy album.
The Moody Blues – Greatest Hits
I’m not a big fan of The Moody Blues, but I appreciate their music in general and a few songs in particular. Tuesday Afternoon, Nights In White Satin, & I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) are all three good tunes; I remember them from being big hits on the radio way back when. Once upon a time, I had these on vinyl. Now I just have this on CD.
Phil Keaggy – Play Thru Me
Continuing my trip thru the alphabet we are still in K, and Phil Keaggy, who we started listening to last week. Play Thru Me is another good example of his guitar playing. This album has excellent notes on the inner sleeve that tell us which guitars he played on each song and a bit of history on how he wrote them. I wish more albums had inner sleeves this good; thanks, Phil.
Weathered Music 