Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Let's be Musical

 


Here is my cutie, Wallace, sleeping away with his tongue out. I had to post this because he always seems to diss my brother. My brother has tried, all these years, to have Wallace come to him but...nope, my mentally challenged dog still has a roadblock when it comes to my brother. Why am I mentioning my brother? Well, he is a dynamo when it comes to most music and has an extensive record, yes, record collection. He  has a true love of blues but also classic Rock, Jazz etc... He is not into Classical and Broadway/Musical pieces like me but he has an appreciation for them.  I asked him which 3 songs truly resonated with him when he was a teen and he gave me his 3...

1. STILL RAINING, STILL DREAMING BY JIMI HENDRIX-1968


Back, many moons ago, when my brother got his driver's license, I could ride with him to our high school (which I hated-that school was horrible for all the bullying). He would drive, I think it was his 1976 Astre (which I later inherited) to Welland, pick up his friend, before we headed to that school. All this ABBA loving gal remembered was listening to Jimi Hendrix whether it be Foxy Lady, Joe or his version of the National Anthem. I tried to think up songs from musicals, ABBA, ELO or classical but Jimi drowned it out. I have to say, I now have a deep appreciation for Hendrix and his music and enjoy listening to some of his songs. My brother said this is a song that deeply resonated with him. 

2. IN THE HALL OF THE CRIMSON KING BY KING CRIMSON-1969


This is one song and album that I loved listening to from the get go because you can hear the influence of classical plus it sounds dream like, not unlike the Moody Blues..to me that is. My brother mentioned this song first to me which was surprising because I thought it would be Jimi. I remember him showing the album cover to my parents and my mom giving the shocked "Aghh" sound. He also showed the album to our Uncle Harry and Tante Marlene who were snobs, living in the Ann Arbor Hills and only loving Classical. I just recall my Aunt looking at the album giving  "Mmms" alot but don't recall much else. I wondered why he showed this to them since I knew they would not like it at all, shock value I am guessing. Their loss.

3. HOW COULD SHE LEAVE ME BY THE SON SEALS BLUES BAND-1973


I never heard of this song but my brother did, of course, and early making quite a mark on him. Now the words and music resonate even more since we all have lived a lifetime. 


I hope my brother reads this and can add to what I have written because i know he can add so much more. 

18 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    I can tell by reading your brother's comments here at BB Creations that he is not only cool but knowledgeable. Clearly he knows a lot about rock history. It doesn't surprise me that he amassed a large collection of vinyl records, as did I. My eclectic taste allows me to love your ABBA as much as I love his Hendrix. (I am also absolutely thrilled that you liked the "pretty in punk" girl group I introduced at Shady's - The Regrettes.) Thanks for sharing memories of riding in the car with your brother to "Mean Girl High." I can imagine the Jarring Juxtaposition as you tried to play ABBA in your mind whilst your brother played "Hey Joe" and other rock anthems in the car.

    I remember Greg Lake's Kind Crimson and enjoyed listening to "The Court of the Crimson King." You might want to change the title of that segment because you wrote "Hall," possibly thinking of "Hall Of The Mountain King" by one of my favorite bands, Savatage - local guys from down here in Central Florida that I got to know when I worked at that MTV station. Savatage band members used to hang around our studio. I'm not worthy! As a lover of prog rock, I'll bet your brother remembers Savatage.

    I used to show my mother the cover of my Savoy Brown's "Looking In" album just to see the look of horror and revulsion on her face. :)

    https://www.pattayamail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1315-c-Mott-Dog-1.jpg

    I also enjoyed the number by Son Seals Blues Band. When it comes to great music, it's plain to see that your brother is the real deal, tuned in to the good stuff.

    As for Wallace the dog, I have had the same thing happen. I am a dog lover and most canines sense that and gravitate to me. However, every once in a while, I encounter a dog owned by someone in the family that shies away from me and won't let me pet it. One such animal kept up this "social distancing" for years until it finally came around and bonded with me. That was a big win.

    I hope your brother reads this great post dedicated to him and contributes memories and songs of his own to the discussion.

    Have a wonderful Wednesday, dear friend BB!

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    1. Thank you, Shady. I have a feeling we could get into some real deep conversations about music, movies, and pop culture in general. And I'm not familiar with Savatage. Thanks for the tip, I'll be checking them out! Love the artwork on that Savoy Brown album cover... gotta' love any Savoy Brown reference, one of the great "lost" bands. I think Kim Simmonds is still touring. I caught them at a blues club one night in Toronto nearly 20 years ago.

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    2. You both know your stuff! I checked out that disturbing album cover...it’s not something I would hang up on my wall but it is expertly done! Excellent artwork. I have to change the name because I keep thinking of In The Hall of the Mountain King which is a classical piece by Edvard Grieg.

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  2. Three good ones here! Never got to see Son Seals...

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  3. Hi Birgit - always good to see your recommendations - wonderful shot of Wallace - fun photo. Take care and cheers Hilary

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  5. Wallace is such a cutie! ♥ Your brother's taste in music is similar to mine. Like you, I love King Crimson's sound and yes, reminiscent of the Moody Blues. They are both considered prog rock bands. The third song was new to me. Love it!

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    1. I don’t even know what prog rock is..lol. I must love it though..hahahaa. I knew you and my brother have similar tastes.

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  6. Wallace is a real cutie Birgit. Don't know any of these pieces of music, when in my youth I was a Stones and Cream fan, but my real love is classical music. Hope you are still improving and getting stronger, Kate x

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    1. My love is also classical but I do like rock. I am getting better every day a little.

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  7. So, does that mean that Wallace has good taste? ;)

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  8. Hi sis! It's an honour to have my selections featured here, thank you! There's so much great music out there, how can one narrow any category down to a mere three songs?

    As for Hendrix, you know he was one of my first musical loves, and it was organic because I discovered his music on my own once I was old enough to explore and appreciate beyond what we were hearing on the radio at the time. All his big hits are timeless but anyone who knows me knows that I always like to dig a bit deeper, hence my choice of "Still Raining, Still Dreaming." I love everything about this song. The "talking guitar" intro, the interplay between Jimi's guitar and the keyboards... almost a call-and-response routine. The driving beat, the build-ups and the drops, it still gives me chills. Bit of trivia, many people think Steve Winwood is on keyboards here but it's actually a guy named Mike Finnigan who happened to be in the New York studio with his band (I think they were from Kansas) when Jimi came in to record. Jimi liked what he heard while watching Finnigan and his band and invited Finnigan to jam... with amazing results.

    The King Crimson song... I remember hearing it for the first time on the radio and being blown away. Only problem was the DJ never identified who it was. I literally sang parts of the song and recited a few lyrics to any friend who would listen hoping they would recognize it and tell me who it was... but none of my friends were sophisticated enough to go beyond The Knack or The Cars at the time. I finally heard the song on the radio again after about two years and immediately bought the album, the second album I ever bought with my own money. Oh, and I remember the conversation with mom about the album cover. I called it art and she insisted it was too vulgar to be referred to as art. Let's just say we agreed to disagree.

    As for Son Seals, that was the first hard-core blues album I ever bought. I ended up seeing him live on five separate occasions and he was awesome every single time. His first album has a raw authenticity to it, something rare to find in an electric blues album. It grabbed me hard and has never really let go... definitely a significant stepping stone in my lifelong musical expedition.

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    1. You are most welcome! I. Glad to showcase these and it is informative too. You would play a cassette tape of Jimi, I thought. I remember mom and you debating about this...I forgot until you wrote it here. I always thought it was an excellent piece of art even though I would not hang it on my wall, I can appreciate the artistry in it and use of colours, if mom didn’t like something, she would say it wasn’t this or wasn’t good, I never heard of son seals but it was really good to listen to this song. Thanks a mil.

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  9. I went to see King Crimson back in the day...wow what a mad night it was....just watching a programme on Frank Zappa...who I didnt like in mt youth but appreciate more now...take care and dont overdo it! xxx

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    1. You saw King Crimson.? Wow!, I was never a fan of Zappa either but I saw him being interviewed and appreciated him more afterward. I promise not to overdo it.

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