Today I listened to the album ‘Medusa’ by Clan of Xymox.
I don’t know what I was expecting from Dutch Dark Wave music but it wasn’t what I got.
This was a sort of half-instrumental, half-weird, lo-fi music.
I didn’t like any of this album and it made me sleepy but not in a good way!
I do like the band name ‘Clan of Xymox’ though.
Today I listened to the album ‘Repossessed’ by Kris Kristofferson.
I’ve heard of Kris Kristofferson because everyone’s heard of that name right? I don’t think I’ve listened to any of his music before.
I didn’t know that Kris Kristofferson was in a country super band with Johnny Cash! (mentioned here and here on the blog) and Willie Nelson! (Listened to here and here on the blog) and Waylon Jennings (no need for brackets here)…I don’t know who Waylon Jennings is but I felt bad not including him in the list of famous country music people forming a super band.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting to like this album but I did. It’s 10 tracks, just over half an hour and it feels too short. I would have liked a lot more of this.
I liked the mixture of political songs – mostly about how once a soldier leaves the army, they’re not ok – and Christian imagery songs.
The songs ‘They Killed Him‘ and ‘What About Me?‘ are, IMO, two of the standout tracks on the album.
‘They Killed Him’ is both political and Christian imagery…. which is how it should be! If your faith isn’t political then what’s the point of it?
Today I listened to the album ‘No. 10, Upping Street’ by Big Audio Dynamite.
In some ways, this is a perfect album…because it’s 12 tracks and 59 minutes long.
It’s a shame, I didn’t like any of the songs.
‘Ticket’ is almost a political song. I very much approve of a song which discusses being on the dole and how England are losing at cricket. Is it 1986 or 2023?
Today I listened to the 1986 album ‘London 0 Hull 4’ by the Housemartins.
This is their debut album.
When the Housemartins split up, they became the Beautiful South and Fatboy Slim. I have listened to Beautiful South before on the playlist here, although they weren’t calling themselves Beautiful South but using their names.
I can understand the link between the Housemartins and the Beautiful South but the link between the Housemartins and Fatboy Slim? Wild!
This album had the excellent song ‘Happy Hour’. This video would go on my best video list if I were making a list. Also! The use of plastacine models reminds me a bit of the Sledgehammer video. And look how young Fatboy Slim looks? Awww!
In other news! I have successfully created a Christmas Song! It’s more Carol than Song to be honest. I noticed that the tune for God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman is public domain so I was not going to reinvent the carol here…I’m already a year late in creating this!
Can you believe Dolly Parton is back in the charts? Her album ‘Rockstar’ is currently number 5 in the chart. I very much enjoyed Dolly Parton’s 2001 album here and here. I loved me some 2001 Dolly Parton.
This 2023 album is 141 minutes long…. over 2 hours long! It’s too long. 2 hours is too long!
But it’s Dolly Parton and she’s excellent. She’s charming and she’s excellent.
This is a sort of cover version, a collaborative album. When she covers a song, she mostly does it with the original artists such as Sting, Miley Cyrus and Stevie Nicks.
I love the backstory to this album. Dolly Parton was nominated for entrance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and declined because she didn’t feel she was rock and roll enough. So she recorded a rock and roll album…and she made it a million hours long. This one album is her rock and roll legacy.
And so, let it be 2 hours long. Is there ever too much Dolly?
Can you believe that while listened to albums from 1986, I end up listening to a Madness album from 2023? No only am I listening to a new album from Madness in 2023 but I’m listening to Madness’ first number one album…in 2023.
‘Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est la Vie’ does not contain any songs that make you think of Madness. This is not the crazy, funny, silly Madness who sing about condoms in such a way that no one knows that they’re singing about condoms.
Firstly, Suggs’ voice has changed. I don’t think it’s as good as it was in the early 80s…. or the late 90s when he hosted that Karaoke game show on Channel 5 – apparently called Night Fever.
Secondly, Madness have always been political but not the political is less fun… that’s what a stupid number of years of Tory will do. They were formed in Tory days, then saw some happiness and now return to the Tory days. How depressing!
Anyways, I didn’t like it.
Today I listened to ‘Greetings from Timbuk3’ by Timbuk3.
This is Timbuk3’s debut album and features their best-known song. I always feel it’s sad when the first thing you make is the best thing you make.
Sometimes practice makes perfect, other times you get hit with inspiration just the one time.
One of the young people I work with is doing a project about talent. Is it inherent or can it be learned? My view was that it was a mixture of both. Some people have a natural aptitude for sports or music or art or whatever, but if you don’t practice, that talent won’t get anywhere. The young person is telling me it’s all about exposure and practice.
Which I guess makes some sense. You may have a talent for harp playing but if you’ve never seen a harp you won’t become a talented harp player. And maybe, there is no talent unless you practice something.
I wrote a short story about this concept once! About a girl who invented the concept of Star Trek but was born before television, and writing and concepts about space travel. She had an inherent talent but did not have the opportunity to demonstrate her talents.
Anyway, I didn’t even like Timbuk3’s best song. Just bland pop.
Today I listen to ‘Fame and Fortune’ by Bad Company.
I say ‘listen’, I mean, I noticed it was there but didn’t care about it.
At one point, I thought I was interested because a lot of the tracks were 2 word titles. However, that wasn’t true at all. Only 4 out of the 10 tracks were 2 word titles.
Bad Company are a super group… this doesn’t mean that they’re good, it just means the band is made up of members of other bands who have had success…in this situation, it includes Mott the Hoople. I’m very pro-Mott the Hoople.
Two things to discuss not linked to this okish album.
One, I listened to Falling in Reverse’s version of ‘Last Resort’. As I have recently mentioned, I love this song and I love Papa Roach who created this song. Some of the reaction videos are saying this is a genius cover. Let me be clear, Falling in Reverse have just slowed the song down and I have demonstrated comprehensively on this blog that any song slowed down is more emotional. It’s an easy way to get emotion. You know what is genius? A fast paced song that makes you cry….you know, like the original. Write your own song, don’t just slow down someone else’s song.
Which leads me to point two…at the beginning of 2022 I said I would write a Christmas song and here I am, pretty much a month before Christmas 2023 with no Christmas song. Will I be able to write a Christmas song before Christmas this year? Who knows?! I’ve never done it before. I think it’s because I’m not super motivated. It’s not like Hear’say ever released a Christmas song….and you know they’re my only motivation.
Today I listened to the 1986 album ‘Can’t Hold Back’ by Eddie Money.
I do not know Eddie Money and I didn’t know any of the songs from this album.
It was a very 80s pop album. I can’t find any information which says any songs featured on Miami Vice but it feels like it should have been.
Today I remain in 1986 and listened to ‘Trilogy’ by Yngwie Malmsteen.
Google tells me that you pronounce his name ‘Ing Vay’ and that he’s Swedish.
People enjoyed this album, I think, more for the guitar playing rather than the lyrics and musically. It’s very good guitar playing.
I wasn’t really into it to be honest. I’ve heard more interesting guitar playing in my life, on this blog probably.
Rubik Cube of Mim 