Archive | September, 2010

It’s time to “Get it On”

13 Sep

Football is back. Those three words are just so sweet for fans. Putting on that lightweight mesh material with your team’s logo on the front and a player’s name and number on the back is just invigorating. You know you will be in for a season of getting Queso dip on that jersey and tossing the jersey when your team plays poorly. As consistent readers of the blog may be able to tell you, I am a New York Jets Fan. Yes, the over-hyped team of the off-season. Well, as Jets fans can tell you, it does not matter how much hype is on this team, they are still our poor Jets, our “Same ol’ Jets” until they can prove something different. This may be the year that they do just that.

It’s Monday, and while most football crowded CBS and Fox yesterday, the Jets and Baltimore Ravens face off tonight on Monday Night. But, instead of doing the obvious and picking some Hank Williams Jr. for the blog post today, I thought I would try to be clever. Instead, in honor of our sexy coach, here is T-Rex performing “Get it On,” something I hope comes sooner rather than later, because I am getting impatient.

Now, this is a great song minus the weird British club dancers in the background. Released in 1971, “Get it On” was written by glam-rocker Marc Bolan. Bolan was an exceptional talent, a true visionary who was taken from the world at only 30 years old. It saw tremendous success in the UK (#1) and is certainly the group’s best known song. It hit #10 on the charts in the U.S.

This performance is from Top of the Pops (a British music chart television program). And, yes, that is Elton John playing with them as a guest musicians. Interesting story though, not about Elton John. On the record, the piano glissando (a glide from one pitch to another) was performed by Rick Wakeman. Wakeman, best known as YES’s keyboardist, was desperate for work at the time and needed to pay his rent. He bumped into Bolan on the street and Bolan offered him the session. “Wakeman pointed out to Tony Visconti that the record didn’t actually need a piano player. Visconti suggested that he could add a gliss, Wakeman said that Visconti could do that to which Bolan replied “you want your rent, don’t you?”” (credit: Wikipedia). Funny story. Bolan took the job and made some cash.

So, enjoy the music and, as always, J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

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Chris Clark – Herr Bar

12 Sep

I wish everybody had a happy Labor day and Rosh Hashanah vacation! It feels like summer vacation is just ending, and that first week of school was a week-long vacation from summer vacation. I mean that is what syllabus week is anyway.

So considering that Tomorrow will be the first day of school, I have a song that will get everybody pumped to educate. I heard it right before syllabus vacation and my ears exploded. Listening to it on the way to school made sitting in class and listening to professors explain their grading policies, mildly amusing. I mean this is the type of music that could make anything seem fun.

And that type of music naturally is jazz. But lo! It is not just simply jazz, but an unholy combination of jazz and IDM. For all of you that didn’t google IDM after reading my first post, it stands for intelligent dance music. In actuality, dancing to this type of music would be impossible without breaking a few joints.

Typically IDM is electronic music characterized by extreme speeds and tons of experimentation. I always notice that it tends to use every single rhythm know to man in a span of about 15 seconds. You be the judge.

And the IDM song I have in mind is by a Brit named Chris Clark. He sometimes shortens his artist name to just Clark, as is the case with this particular song. Its name is Herr Bar and it is off the album Body Riddle. This is the only album on which I have heard IDM-jazz experimentation, and let me tell you. It is an experience.

Although this particular bass and the chiming piano are seen in much new age IDM, this particular combination simply screams jazz. Like as if jazz was lying dormant waiting for someone to do this. However, it quickly reminds you that it is IDM, since it flies off into every single tangent it can find. I’ll bet you 5$ that you can’t find any parts which repeat.

Since IDM is technically the cutting edge of electronic music, it is a showcase of many new styles. My favorite, as seen in Herr Bar, is the simultaneous decaying and bending of notes which gives the synth such a dreary yet beautiful sound.

The second half of this song switches into a sort of psychedelic extended ending, losing the jazz but maintaining the level of experimentation. If you are into this song, I definitely recommend the entire album. It is definitely something to have, myself buying it as soon as money finds me.

…I’ll bet you 5$ that you will listen to this song at least 10 times within the next 24 hours. &)

-oko

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The King of Soul: Still Sittin’ on the Dock

10 Sep

James Brown is considered the Godfather of soul. Aretha Franklin is certainly soul’s distinguished Queen. But, who holds the position of male royalty. Who is the King of soul? The answer is Otis Redding, and, if our quixotic, spinning world did not take him too soon, he would have been 69 years old yesterday.

1967 marked a phenomenal year for music. The Beatles released a little album called Sgt. Peppers, the “Summer of Love” brought a peaceful swarm of long-haired humans to San Francisco, Jethro Tull and Procul Harum were founded, The Doors released their first album and the Monterey Pop Festival became the first heavily attended rock festival, promoting a three-day musical exploration from June 16-18. At that festival was Mr. Otis Redding himself. And, after famously saying “So this is the love crowd,” he gave an excellent show to the grand, and probably stoned audience. Six months later Redding was dead at 26.

1967, Chicago, Illinois, USA --- Otis Redding --- Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

On December 9, 1967, after Redding and his Bar-Kays were in Cleveland, Ohio to appear on a local television show and perform at a small venue club called Leo’s Casino. On the afternoon of the 10th, Redding, four members of the Bar-Kays, his manager and his pilot died when the Beechcraft 18 airplane they were in crashed into Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin.

Three days before the crash, Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” was recorded, and Redding’s unfinished masterpiece – the whistled verse was going to have lyrics put to it – became the first posthumous number one single in U.S. chart history. There was actually so much recorded material from Redding that another three studio albums and a few successful singles were released after his death. The first, The Immortal Otis Redding, released in 1968, was correct in its title. Redding’s brand of soul music is as relevant today than it was back at the time of his death. Search “The Dock of the Bay” on Youtube and you will see numerous covers of the song done by known, modern musicians. He still garners tremendous respect and I believe “The Dock of the Bay,” with its smooth, ocean sound and even the eerie concluding whistle, supports the claim that Redding was, and still is, the very best soul voice to ever grace our radios. Just listen to his effortless croon and his remarkable command.

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The Rest of the Night

8 Sep

Yesterday, it was the seven-year anniversary of Warren Zevon’s death. The sardonic and ebullient musician whose hilarious, but sometimes abstruse lyrical gifts still grace classic rock stations and my iPod alike, died September 7, 2003 at the age of 56. Zevon’s brand of hard piano-rock and his active playing and performance style combined to mold a wonderful musician. One, who was taken from the world a little too early.

I have always been a big fan of his final album The Wind. I love this album for two reasons. First, the music is just great. Look at the cast of musicians who contributed. Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Don Henley, David Lindley, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty…the list continues. Seriously, where else can you find a collaboration like this. But, underneath the track listing is the reason why all of these artists came to the studio to record with Zevon. A goodbye. The solemn undertone that marks the farewell album (the album was recorded early 2003 and released only two weeks before his death) is quaint. Yes, it is quite apparent in the conclusion of the album, “Keep me in Your Heart,” an acoustic tear-jerker that emits a beautiful austerity and is carried by Zevon’s known, raspy and crispy croon. But, for the focus of this post, I would like to explore “The Rest of the Night,” track eight on the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUnJvMd5qTQ

Enjoy the video above? Zevon adds Tom Petty as a backing vocalist and their combination begets this magical piece with a well-done guitar riff and excellent, germane lyrics. Because, even in the face of his illness, Zevon stayed true to his being. This album allowed him to toss out the conventions of how to act in the face of death. Instead of using his mortality as a sobbing crutch, he focused his attention on music and partying on this album with his friends. This is a valiant album and Zevon portrayed the true dogged, indomitable sonofabitch he is. Keep on partying, Warren.

And, to all my Jewish bretheren, a very happy and healthy new year!

The Finest Worksong

6 Sep

Yes…the absolutely perfect Labor Day song title from R.E.M. was just too tempting not to put as the title of this post. R.E.M., be proud, you created a fine work song that gets the most plays on a day devoted to workers. Labor Day always confused me. So, we celebrate laborers by giving everyone a day off from work. On Labor Day shouldn’t we work twice as much? Um…no nevermind, forget I said anything. Yes, Francis Griffin would be proud.

Well, my Labor Day was spent with family. Tomorrow, I am taking the Graduate Record Exam. Nervous? Ah, not really. I have never been one to worry about tests. You go in and do the best you can do at that particular point of time and that is all. Plus, I never much got the point of standardized testing. Well, tomorrow I will get the brain juices flowing and see if I can regurgitate some old mathematics all over the computer test.

For anyone who is roaming around the internet at this hour, bored, and too tired to move your body into your bed, here is a work-related, Labor Day influenced song quiz. See if you can name that fine work song.

http://totalyellow.com/blog1.php/2010/09/06/finest-worksongs-a-musical-labor-day-quiz

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