I don't know ... is this a stupid post? I listen to quite a lot of youtube (it's easier than anything else and it opens a world for discovery) and it occurred to me tonight that when youtube do that thing of playing 'your playlist' or whatever it's called (I really don't want to understand) I realise that the music comes from all times and from all over the world.
Without holding back, two bereavements of loved ones in less than ten years lends the playlist a melancholy air, but since days of 1960's youth, I have veered towards the contemplative side of music rather than the exuberant (with notable exceptions).
I have no one to share with and I don't think it does my mental health much good to continually immerse myself in art that draws out the sadness that humans experience with just a glass of something, late at night. So, what to do?
My friend Deeanna has recently started a blog and has written down the music she and her wife have on during the week. It occurred to me that it might be theraputic for me to do something similar to, perhaps, break through that youtube playlist. How?
My musical taste is global. So, whether it works or not, I'm going global with posting links to youtube.
My first is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtmmlOQnTXM as it's something I've known for a while and it came up as I was looking for a tune I know from Angola (OK it's Gambian, but there's a whole world out there and I shall be returning to more Kora music!)
Listening to that and knowing this may be read by one or two people has already lifted me and I'm going to finish with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-PM_4aeE4 for tonight ...
Anyone reading this - please feel free to pop in a tune or two.
But don't be surprised if I remove this in a day or so... I'm a very private person.
Day #1 of the new regime! So far, no difficulties in bypassing old favourites. I enjoyed Beethoven's Pastoral (possibly the first classical music I was exposed to, but no doubt later memories will correct that!) and I've played a lot more Sona Jobareth ... just annoyed that I missed her appearing in London recently! She reminds me of Rokia Traoré from Mali who I came across years ago when I was expanding my interest in music which 'might have' links to Cabo Verde (I adore Fado expressed through Saudade and its CV variety Morna ... but that's all music about longing and I can't be playing that until I've rebalanced my playlist). I know what will come later tonight if I'm too awake/bored to go to bed ... I'm off to Crete as someone has been posting photos of where I used to go in happier times. It's not about longing, but going home; and I might just touch upon Van Morrison (he's tricky - the last concert Pauline and I went to was his in Brighton) for a tune that takes me back to waking up in my camper van at a beautiful sunrise on the Col de Vars, ready for a first day of alpine botanising back in '84.
On hold now while I avoid Eurovision by indulging in movies. Back later. And now, later, as Pagliacci's finished on 'The Untouchables' (bye bye Sean Connery) a film that I fondly remember for de Niro's acknowledgement to Rod Steiger (On The Waterfront) and, of course, the recreation of the station stairs lifted from Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin' (and there will be others that I don't instantly recognize), it's time ... no late night tonight, but when I linked to Nikos Xylouris - Venetia, another set came up - so it's a twofer, first Nikos, with a mad conducter, singing about leaving Venice (aka Europe) for home, Crete ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7og0wA_PlUY and then his relatives carrying on that wonderful tradition of song ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sT_iUaa1lI. But's that's not enough for tonight (well, it is actually, now I'm here, but I did mention Van the Man ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_AH5q3-vJg.
Tuesday 20/05 - Catching Up: thanks, Deeanna for your comments, unfortunately this blogger set-up seems unable to allow direct responses by me, so I'm adding them in as part of the blog. Firstly, thanks for your comments regarding being wary of too much melancholia. That fits perfectly with why I think this particular blog is important for me - music is very powerful and just as it can lift one up, it can pull one down and sometimes being down is a drug in itself. Having a naturally sombre playlist doesn't help me!
I know a couple of girls from Dundalk, I'll see what they make of the Mary Wallopers - I found their music fun, lively and interesting, so thanks for the link! There will be much music that I don't know and age plays a role in what I can appreciate as so much of modern music is associated with 'its time' ...my last real contact with UK music was in '77 with The Stranglers and the 'If It Ain't Stiff It Ain't Worth a Fxxk, tour by Stiff Records. I did even have the infamous t-shirt for a while. On that note, time to stop prattling and find something from that time ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZLpGVSn3fY with Ian Dury standing outside Axfords, a shop I knew quite well! At this time I had just moved to Germany with Pauline and we were seeing musicians over there - Hall and Oates were the first, I recall, ...
//Interruption from next evening - I always 'play down' Hall and Oates, but they were superb in the concert, it's just a genre that didn't electrify me - this was a time of American soft rock that a friend who lived in the States for several years had brought across to the UK - so here's H&O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVXIUyshng//
... but then along many others including Lou Reed (twice), culminating in 1979 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16OBckEhwUM ... Yes, we were at that concert! ...
// Another interruption ... I only got to '79 with Lou Reed, but we saw plenty of other people either in Offenbach, where we lived, or down the road in Frankfurt, including David Bowie on the Low / Heroes Tour and the best performance I have ever experienced - Bruce Springsteen in 1981 on The River tour ... 3 solid hours of energy ...//
But back to the present ... I now have BBC Radio 3 on day and night and that introduced me to several people, the latest being the Danish String Quartet who seem to be as comfortable playing Nordic/Celtic folk as classical ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSVVOHHux1U&list=PLE7iwYprcDgz3GtSb1LjZY51w1FoTg1y_ . That's it for tonight! (and the following evening!)
I found that music can be difficult to listen to during the early stages of loss. Memories can be too painful to bear. I found it does bring comfort and a reconnection with someone who has gone ahead, once we have moved through the painful passage of grieving. I am always careful with the music I listen to, if my mood is low. Sometimes it's quite cathartic to listen to something a little melancholic when in such a mood. But pick the wrong music and it can herald the arrival of the black dog.
ReplyDeleteGiven your taste in African music, may I recommend a 5 track mini album by a group called Yannis & The Yaw. Yannis Philippakis is an Anglo Greek musician, best known for being the front man of the Oxford based alternative rock band, Foals. Foals often feature African influenced chords and sounds in their music. As a result of this, Yannis was invited to work with legendary Afro-beat drummer Tony Allen, who drummer for Nigerian music legendary, Fela Kuti. Yannis and Tony hit it off so well they had partially recorded 5 songs and decided to create an album together. Both had other commitments so decided to pick up where they left off in a couple of years time. Sadly Tony died before this happened. Which left Yannis to finish off the 5 partially recorded songs and release them as the mini album, 'Lagos, Paris, London' . It's definitely a good listen with a combination of Western and East African musical influences.
I enjoyed your post on music, and I hope you leave it up, and when you feel in the mood add some more posts in a similar vein.
I've just visited the links you provided and enjoyed Sona Jobareth immensely. East African music is so beautiful. I also enjoyed Steve Earle having a love of Irish folk music, thanks to my Grandmother, who was Irish in her heart and loved a rebel song or two. If you want to hear a rather raucous but fun Irish band, then I can thoroughly recommend Dundalk's finest, the Mary Wallopers. Named after a small boat in Dundalk harbour, which was in turn, named after an infamous lady of the night, in old Dundalk town. My dear old Nanny Beatty would have loved them.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/R_aklI502R8?feature=shared
Thanks for your comments, Deeanna. I had to reset my browser tracking rules to allow me to reply here by which time I'd already inserted a reply in my text.
ReplyDeleteI quite liked Hall And Oates. A lot of American soft rock was quite bland, but Hall And Oates were always interesting and 'Your Kiss Is On My List' is just sublime.
ReplyDeleteAh, the wonderful Lord Upminster himself, Mr Ian Dury. Back in 1978 when the 'New Boots And Panties' LP came out, I could only afford to buy singles, but had an arrangement with a friend that if I gave him the price of a single, which was 99 pence (albums were £4.99 or £9.99 for a double album), and a C60 cassette, he would tape it for me. As I write this I have the image of the 'Cassette & Crossbones ' logo and the slogan HOME TAPING IS KILLING MUSIC ' in my mind. That Ian Dury album was one of the ones acquired by such a fiscal arrangement. It remains one of my favourite albums. Move on a year later and my pocket money situation had improved enough to allow me to purchase albums for myself. And the first to be purchased was 'Do It Yourself' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. I can still remember spending ages in the record shop choosing which one of the four wallpaper covered options I wanted, the album coming in 4 garish wallpaper patterned covers. Since then I have bought many albums by Ian and the Blockheads and seen them live many times until Ian passed away in 2000.
On the cover of 'New Boots And Panties' as well as Ian standing in front of the rather wonderful emporium, Axford's, there is also his son Baxter, who is a rather wonderful musician himself.
I love Lou Reed and I'm also a big David Bowie fan, so I'm very jealous you've seen them both. I did see Bruce Springsteen live at Wembley Stadium on the Born In The USA tour in 1985 and he played for over 3 hours then as well. One amazing fact about Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, is that they can play any song they have ever played on demand. Even if they only played it once, decades ago. They don't need to relearn it or rehearse it. They just get on and play it.