Back in 1974 Al Green recorded Take Me To The River a classic downtempo soul song. Some people recognized this one as a good song and played it like many others of Al Green. In 1978 Talking Heads made this cover on their second record More Songs About Buildings And Fruit. It was one those songs for me that combined classic soul music with intelligent pop music and some NY-based punk influences. David Byrne once wrote about this song: "Coincidence or conspiracy? There were at least four cover versions of this song out at the same time: Foghat, Bryan Ferry, Levon Helm, and us. More money for Mr Green's full gospel tabernacle church, I suppose. A song that combines teenage lust with baptism. Not equates, you understand, but throws them in the same stew, at least. A potent blend. All praise the mighty spurtin' Jesus."
Another cover version that is better than the original.
This was a dismal weekend for football fans in our region. First our team in the second league was slaughtered in Dresden 5:0 and even this result was correct. No inspiration or compact playing on this early Saturday game left us disappointed looking forward to the next game on Friday evening. On Sunday I took a longer walk because it was another warm and sunny day and I passed our stadium. I forgot that there was a local derby in a very low league. So I decided shortly to watch the team I played in my very younger times. I didn't saw them but also follow their results on the Monday's papers. It was a good game for this league and as all thought it was tie our team made an own goal for the final result for 2:3. All in all not the best weekend for my team but anyway worth to support them in the future.
I don't know why but after these games I watched it bound me to a music I didn't listen often in the last month. A few days ago I recognized that Maid Of Ace released a new record called Maid In England (what a name for a record in these days). Maid Of Ace is another English punk influenced band, living the true spirit of punk and independent music. The best thing about them is, that they don't see them as a tit 'n' ass chick band or forcing the feminist way of the Rrrrt grls. They play hard, fast and dirty. No big messages - just a bit of rebellion, living right now and having fun. I really like these ladies - hope you enjoy as well.
Sometimes I am surprised where a musical education leads artists to. I typed Regina Spektor as a singer/songwriter based on folk music. Knowing that she plays the piano well and made some songs that are really good. She always tried to spread her sound into indie and piano-pop. So I was surprised watching the video of her new songs in which she turns to Hip-Hop. Added with a massive orchestra sound she created a song that is too good for mainstream stations. Chapeau Mrs. Spektor.
It is a very small ridge between poetry, rap and protest song and one the only one I know is Kate Tempest. I saw her early this summer on a festival promoting her new book and was astonished about rapping about social drawbacks in the UK. These days she released her new record called Let Them Eat Chaos. It's a title that might be program. She's one of the few that have something to say without uplifting trigger finger. She's able to give you some impressions of our world today. I don't agree in any word she raps but it makes me think about some things in a different way.
Listen to her poem and think about it (just if you want it). I didn't heard words that are more concrete than hers for months.
Europe is lost, America lost, London is lost,
Still we are clamouring victory.
All that is meaningless rules,
And we have learned nothing from history.
People are dead in their lifetimes,
Dazed in the shine of the streets.
But look how the traffic keeps moving.
The system’s too slick to stop working.
Business is good. And there’s bands every night in the pubs,
And there’s two for one drinks in the clubs.
We scrubbed up well
We washed off the work and the stress
Now all we want’s some excess
Better yet; A night to remember that we’ll soon forget.
All of the blood that was shed for these cities to grow,
All of the bodies that fell.
The roots that were dug from the ground
So these games could be played
I see it tonight in the stains on my hands.
The buildings are screaming
I cant ask for help though, nobody knows me,
Hostile and worried and lonely.
We move in our packs and these are the rites we were born to
Working and working so we can be all that we want
Then dancing the drudgery off
But even the drugs have got boring.
Well, sex is still good when you get it.
To sleep, to dream, to keep the dream in reach
To each a dream,
Don’t weep, don’t scream,
Just keep it in,
Keep sleeping in
What am I gonna do to wake up?
I feel the cost of it pushing my body
Like I push my hands into pockets
And softly I walk and I see it, it’s all we deserve
The wrongs of our past have resurfaced
Despite all we did to vanquish the traces
My very language is tainted
With all that we stole to replace it with this,
I am quiet,
Feeling the onset of riot.
But riots are tiny though,
Systems are huge,
The traffic keeps moving, proving there’s nothing to do.
It’s big business baby and its smile is hideous.
Top down violence, structural viciousness.
Your kids are doped up on medical sedatives.
But don’t worry bout that. Worry bout terrorists.
The water levels rising! The water levels rising!
The animals, the polarbears, the elephants are dying!
Stop crying. Start buying.
But what about the oil spill?
Shh. No one likes a party pooping spoil sport.
Massacres massacres massacres/new shoes
Ghettoised children murdered in broad daylight by those employed to protect them.
Live porn streamed to your pre-teens bedrooms.
Glass ceiling, no headroom. Half a generation live beneath the breadline.
Oh but it’s happy hour on the high street,
Friday night at last lads, my treat!
All went fine till that kid got glassed in the last bar,
Place went nuts, you can ask our Lou,
It was madness, the road ran red, pure claret.
And about them immigrants? I cant stand them.
Mostly, I mind my own business.
But they’re only coming over here to get rich.
It’s a sickness.
England! England!
Patriotism!
And you wonder why kids want to die for religion?
Work all your life for a pittance,
Maybe you’ll make it to manager,
Pray for a raise
Cross the beige days off on your beach babe calendar.
Anarchists desperate for something to smash
Scandalous pictures of glamorous rappers in fashionable magazines
Who’s dating who?
Politico cash in an envelope
Caught sniffing lines off a prostitutes prosthetic tits,
And it’s back to the house of lords with slapped wrists
They abduct kids and fuck the heads of dead pigs
But him in a hoodie with a couple of spliffs –
Jail him, he’s the criminal
It’s the BoredOfItAll generation
The product of product placement and manipulation,
Shoot em up, brutal, duty of care,
Come on, new shoes.
Beautiful hair.
Bullshit saccharine ballads
And selfies
And selfies
And selfies
And here’s me outside the palace of ME!
Construct a self and psyhcosis
And meanwhile the people are dead in their droves
But nobody noticed,
Well actually, some of them noticed,
You could tell by the emoji they posted.
Sleep like a gloved hand covers our eyes
The lights are so nice and bright and lets dream
But some of us are stuck like stones in a slipstream
What am I gonna do wake up?
We are lost
We are lost
We are lost
And still nothing
Will stop
Nothing pauses
We have ambitions and friends and our courtships to think of
Our beloved bass-man released a few days ago a retrospective of his dub works during the last decades. I think that I don't have to say much about him and his musical history. He was one of the few that made a lot of records better than the average when he played the bass. He absorbed many influences - punk, world and jazz in his very unique sound. I listened to this record a lot during the last days. Not every songs is close to me but all in all it shows the continues spectrum of his musical education.
Neo Rodeo is another German band based in the tradition of indie-rock with folk influences based deep down in Southern Germany in Freiburg. Handmade music with a touch of country and probably a band that is live better than on records. Anyway, a band that is much better than the average of other German bands. Have a listen and enjoy.
Today in the series two songs that are almost 50 years old and which was recorded when most of us played football with the kids next door on the street. Bob Dylan was always an artist whose songs were covered during the last decades. But Jimi Hendrix' version of All Along The Watchtower I've first recognized when I was at the cinema. In the 70's it was usual to show us some supporting movies before the main movie started. Most of them were very arty and we sat there waiting until the movie started. Some were inspiring others not. But I remember one afternoon when me and my mates went to see the latest Bruce Lee move and we sat down in our chairs and then no supporting movie started. Instead then they showed us a live version of this song with Jimi at the guitar. For me it was an epiphany to listen to this rough, clear and inspired sound. The movie was out of date and I felt for this sound. The next day I went to my local record shop to get me the first records. I still listen from time to time to his music. And I think that this version is much better than Bob Dylan's original.
As I told you some month ago I recognized Kris Kristofferson by his first movie Cisco Kid in the late 70's and from this time I was addicted to country-sized singer/songwriters. Me and Bobby McGee was a hymn to my generation and freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose was the slogan for us. For sure it is a song from the hippies but this could be also the slogan for every punk in the late 70's/early 80's.
