Transmit (TRNSMT ) festival this year is such an MOR / ARE YOU A DA AND DO YOU LIKE OASIS fest that I struggled to find much beyond my beloved JEW. I did see Ash mentioned tho and it's left me back on the Ash bullshit bandwagon.
Flaming Lips are INCREDIBLE live. Saw them twice some years back. Once in Vicar St in Dublin and it was the best concert I'd ever been to at the time (until I saw Prince in Belgium a few years later).
"Given how long it's taken for me to reconcile my nature, I can't figure I'd forgo it on your account."
Billie Eilish on the ukulele in the Cordon carpool singalong. Fuck, her voice is such a good fit for acoustic solo songstress stuff. She comes across as very likeable in general.
Now listening to my big old Bob Dylan playlist. Currently on Billy 4, a wonderful song that Bob wrote for the Sam Peckinpah Western, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. "So hang on to your woman, if you got one. Remember in El Paso once you shot one? Up in Santa Fe, you bought one. Billy you've been running for so long..."
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts is from Bob's 1975 album, Blood on the Tracks, AKA my pick for greatest work by Dylan. This recording was from the original New York version of the album. It is clearly better to my ears, quiet, unassuming and ridiculously beautiful. Perhaps the best story that Bob has ever told. The best reason to get More Blood, More Tracks is undoubtedly this song.
"The hanging judge come in unnoticed
and was being wined and dined.
The drilling in the wall kept up
But no-one seemed to pay it any mind.
It was known all around that Lily had Big Jim's ring
And nothing would ever come between Lily and the King
No, nothing ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts..."
"Given how long it's taken for me to reconcile my nature, I can't figure I'd forgo it on your account."
Workingman's Blues #2 is probably my favourite song on the album Modern Times. The album is notable for being one of Bob's best examinations of the inevitabilty of death. "Sleep is like a temporary death." Bob's career from the mid to late 90s to the 2020s has seen his growing into his status as an elder statesman and legend, who embraced the changes that were happening to his voice by making music that fitted his new growl in a way that his early optimistic, change is coming material suited his youthful voice.
Delia, from the album World Gone Wrong, is a sad and beautiful song. World Gone Wrong was the second solo acoustic album of traditional/folk covers that Dylan released in the 1990s. They served to get his career back on track after the miserable artistic reception of the really quite bad album, Under the Red Sky. Dylan reminded us here, and himself it seems, why he is one of the greatest artists of the last hundred years, through playing the songs that shaped his taste and art. Whenever people discount his interpretation/cover albums, I kindly remind them that this song and album are up there with his best albums of original material.
Originally recorded during the Time Out of Mind sessions, Mississippi is arguably Bob's best song of the last two decades. The lyrics are among Dylan's very best, insightful, emotional and witty. The production is Jack Frost no-nonsense clean and straight ahead, in contrast to the oceans of echo and atmosphere that often defines the work of Daniel Lanois (who I still love btw).
Well, the devil’s in the alley, mule’s in the stall
Say anything you wanna, I have heard it all
I was thinkin’ about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie’s bed
Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you’re sorry, I’m sorry too
Some people will offer you their hand and some won’t
Last night I knew you, tonight I don’t
I need somethin’ strong to distract my mind
I’m gonna look at you ‘til my eyes go blind
Well I got here following the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
I'm yet to delve into Billie Eilish but I reckon I'll like her, I love a good female voice (big fan of Adele here, go fuck yourselves if that's a problem), BUT!! I just can't get over those long, long fingernails, like, how does that work in everyday life? How does she tap out a WhatsApp? How does she wipe her arse? I think all those long fingernails on anyone look really fucking urrrrgh. I don't get it.
Well, according to one of her interviews she has really clean, solid poops, so that helps? Can't help you with the whatsapp question, I never have long nails like that.
I've listened to a lot of Billie Eilish the last weeks after dismissing her the first time. Really like her now, hope she can stay on track.
Adele is responsible for one of the top ten Dylan covers imo. Would link to a live Make You Feel My Love where she says 'fank you very much!' at the end but I'm on my phone. Love it, the switch from angelic voice to popping to the garage in a onesie for 20 Superkings voice is amazing.
Supercute was released on the 2004 album, The Chocolate Invasion. It is to my ears one of the greatest hits that never was. Just a gorgeous production with an incredibly seductive chorus. A superb album all around, much better than its sequel, The Slaughterhouse. Well worth a listen, especially seeing as it is now available on Spotify.
Stare, from Prince's very last album, Hit N Run Phase Two, is a sign of how The Artist was breaking away form the restrictive nature of the Jehovah's Witnesses late in the day. Yes, he wasn't swearing like he did in the early 90s, but this is a gloriously sexual and sensual song, with references to two of Prince's best songs - Kiss, from Parade, and Sexy Dancer from his self-titled second LP. Rather good bass line, love the shout out to going on stage in their underwear...