10 Albums That Rocked My World – #2
10 Albums That Rocked My World – #1
My esteemed brother has just started a challenge on his Facebook page in which he is going to post, daily for the next ten days, an image of the cover of an album that he regards as seminal in the development of his musical tastes. No comment, no elaboration, just the cover. My daughter has…
Song Lyric Sunday: Jewelry – ‘Diamonds Made From Rain’
This week, Jim offers us a range of precious stones as prompts for Song Lyric Sunday: diamond, emerald, sapphire and so on. Unsurprisingly, my first thought was Leonard Cohen’s ‘Diamonds In The Mine’, but I’ve already used that a few years ago for a different prompt. This, however, is a more than acceptable substitute –…
Song Lyric Sunday: Celebration – ‘Unhappy Birthday’
Jim’s key words for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday are celebratory: things to lift the spirits in these difficult times, such as ‘birthday’, ‘party’, ‘gift’ and ‘cake’. Nice try Jim. But here’s The Smiths, Manchester’s mordant miserabilists: I’ve come to wish you an unhappy birthday I’ve come to wish you an unhappy birthday Cause you’re…
Song Lyric Sunday: Touch/Feel – ‘Like A Rolling Stone’
“How does it feel? How does it feel?” Jim goes touch feely with his prompts for Song Lyric Sunday this week. I know it’s only three weeks from my previous Dylan offering, but how could you ever tire of this? And besides, it was the first song that came to mind when I saw the…
Song Lyric Sunday: Attestations – ‘The Promise’
Vows, oaths, promises…all different types of attestation and the key words for Jim’s Song Lyric Sunday challenge this week. I confess I was surprised to see how many songs there are out there called simply ‘(The) Promise’. However, I know my lovely daughter in particular will enjoy this. It’s really rather good… How time will…
Song Lyric Sunday: Give & Take – ‘Get It On’
Well now…something of a guilty pleasure in response to Jim’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt this week, although almost fifty years on, I guess the Statute of Limitations has kicked in by now. The early-seventies Glam Rock phenomenon presented a bit of a challenge for us long-haired hippy types. It was decidedly uncool to admit to…
Song Lyric Sunday: Compass Points – ‘Girl From The North Country’
Jim’s looking for a sense of direction this week, with his key words being the cardinal points of the compass, This is another example of me using the first song that came into my head, from the 1963 album ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’. Yes of course I had a copy. If you’re traveling the north…
Song Lyric Sunday: Speaking and Listening – ‘Hear My Train A Comin’
The elements of dialogue form the key words for Jim’s Song Lyric Sunday this week: talk and hear; speak and listen. I had originally intended to use Dylan’s ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’ for this prompt, until I remembered that I’d already deployed it for the theme of ‘Books’ about a year ago. Still, Jimi…
Song Lyric Sunday: Extremities – ‘Crazy Fingers’
It’s all about bodily extremities for Jim’s Song Lyric Sunday challenge this week, so let’s go with fingers and the Grateful Dead’s ‘Crazy Fingers’, one of my favourite songs in the canon. Robert Hunter’s lyrics are sheer poetry and if you have the time (and inclination) listen to the magic starting from 4:45 in this…
the only deadhead in the hameau 