"Time, time, time, see what's become of me..."; a great lyric and fitting really as the run to the end of term has been more and more hectic. But we've all made it there one way or another. That is with the exception of my very good mate H who has been struck down with a lurgy. Here's a song to raise his spirits and hopefully break his fever.
With daylight saving ending here in Canberra I've still needed my bike lights in the morning but it is light by the time I get home. There's something truly awesome about riding alone through the fog as the sun creeps out making the back roads feel like part of an eerie science fiction film. You know that bit in Star Wars where the mist clears and Han Solo works out that they're not really parked on an asteroid? Well that's how it was (minus the Wookie) the other morning. And then there's the magnificent view over Canberra from the top of the Arboretum climb as the city emerges from the foggy blanket. I'm still averaging just over 300km a week and with holidays here I'm planning on enjoying a sleep in and some riding in the sun!
Ages ago Angus saved up and bought a new iPod. He wanted one that did more and I was proud that he was able to organise to save. But what this meant was that his old one needed a home. So, a while later I deleted the million and one games from it and loaded it up with a huge selection of great tunes. Then I stuck it in the car and left it on shuffle. Quite often this means pure gold in terms of what comes around to listen to. It's random and there's a lot of tunes on there so you never get bored. This one came up yesterday and I was pretty chuffed that Zoe knew all the words! And there I was thinking that she was totally addicted to Glee, One Direction and Taylor Swift!
I first heard that song on an excellent Johnny Cash compilation called "Murder". You guessed it...all the songs are about murder. There are other volumes too ("God" and "Love") but "Murder" is the bomb.
The other song that really made me tap my foot (which isn't great if you're driving I guess) was this one. What a hoot!
The whole Spin Doctors album is a real treat if you're a fan of tasty guitar work. I wonder what happened to those guys...
So, Margaret Thatcher passed away. My personal view is that death is a time to show some respect or at the least to pass no comment no matter who it is. There were quite a few distasteful displays from a range of people online and in the media. Putting an interesting spin on the event was Billy Bragg who had, in the past spoken and been involved in opposing Thatcher. I watched an interview with Billy Bragg who related that Maggie made him a Socialist. You can watch the whole thing here if you like – it's quite interesting. There's no doubt that Thatcher is an important person in both the history of Britain and of the World but personally I'm glad that we had emigrated before she took power. If you look back you'll see that in the end her own party didn't want her and her policies.
What were Thatcher's legacies? Well I could go on about it but this probably isn't the place. Here's a link to a collection of good articles collected by The Guardian.
Billy Bragg – Thatcherites - http://youtu.be/IlkXQm7tSCY
The Young Ones – Cash - http://youtu.be/GNLwHWFpPsI
It almost wouldn't be an episode of Song of the Week without a reference to cheesy heavy metal. This one is in from DJ McG...a teutonic mix of AC/DC, Judas Priest and the Blue Oyster Bar fashion club...and it's awesome!!
Accept – Balls To The Wall - http://youtu.be/B_3TlrZLpQ0
Heavy Metal has always had a bad rap. Whether it was Tipper Gore raging against the hedonism of Motley Crue or legions of parents cringing as Marilyn Manson took shock rock to extremes it has never been easy for the fans. DJ DJ alerted me to this article which asks, among other things, that if murder, disembowelment and blood are verboten in metal then why is the same standard not applied to opera? Of course, the other issue which gets me is that it is easier to decipher Tom Araya's (from Slayer) singing than a lot of operatic works!
I think if I had to choose a few lines to relate how I feel at this point in time then much of this next song is just perfect. In my case I drive the hard bargain with myself. Don't worry though, I'm working on sorting that out. Anyway, this is a truly beautiful song; the voice, the guitars, the melody and the shuffle of the percussion is exquisite.
Ron Sexsmith – Hard Bargain - http://youtu.be/WK0qyDespPc
And to finish off...let's go back to the start.
The Bangles – Hazy Shade of Winter (live 2011) - http://youtu.be/kfjoxkhp-vE
Later,
DJ Rob
(don't forget to keep an eye out here on the blog – with holidays I usually have more to say and music to play!)
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