This week's episode is loud. Perhaps all of the tunes aren't loud in the sense of being recorded or requiring extreme volume, but they're loud to me.
Some weeks I just want to lose myself in music for even 5 minutes to drown out the outside world. To allow the sound of a wall of guitars to knock me over and then caress me lovingly with velvet fingers. To let the kick drum's punch get me right between the ribs; you feel it invading your chest cavity rather than hearing the sound. And for the singer to weave his or her way into my consciousness with lyrics that matter and delivery that is genuine and sincere. Do you feel it brothers and sisters?
Neil Young - Throw Your Hatred Down (live 1998) - http://youtu.be/fdOztNIYybE
There's probably something perverse about me writing about my love of a wall of guitars and then playing an acoustic track. But those machines have been killing fascists for a long time now.
Woody Guthrie - All You Fascists Bound To Lose - http://youtu.be/VwcKwGS7OSQ
BB King says in the film "Rattle & Hum" that Bono "writes mighty heavy lyrics for one so young". You can feel free to argue whether or not Bono thinks he is God but there's no doubting that this was a cracker of a song. Gifting it to BB King was inspired; he's the man who makes this track almost perfect.
U2 & BB King - When Love Comes To Town (live 1989 Australia) - http://youtu.be/eT3rXNPGFOM
If anyone has a lazy $4,000 I can have just click on this link and buy me one of BB's guitars. Beautiful, classic and totally cool.
James Osterberg Jr. has popped up on radio here in Australia (did you see what I did there?!) playing tunes and talking about them. For a man with a relatively light singing voice he surely has a deep drawling speaking voice. I guess he sings down low in "Candy" though. That's a great tune but it doesn't fit my theme this week. His shows are worth checking out online if you can access them. Try the Double J website as a starting point. Or just Google his John Peel lecture.
KISS - I Love It Loud - http://youtu.be/LMcDg2HwOnM
Often when people have a discussion with me about Heavy Metal music they start off with bands like Motorhead, Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. They're the big ones. Metallica too I guess. But these bands aren't really all that heavy. Sure, they're loud, but they're more an extension of rock 'n' roll with more volume and at times a faster tempo. Metal is splintered into any number of sub-genres and the heaviness is relative. Are de-tuned guitars, bass that'll make your insides gurgle and guttural vocals any heavier than Alice Cooper strutting his shock rock shtick covered in fake blood and wearing a straitjacket? Or are the primal rhythms of Sepultura heavier than the insanely dark metal that comes out of Scandanavia? It's all about perception. The dark metal from the North usually just makes me laugh, Alice is a hoot and the de-tuned gurgling wears thin after about one or two songs. Sepultura however mix a lot of it up in a blend of music that is heavy in more ways than one. See what you think...
Sepultura - Rattamahatta (live) - http://youtu.be/6jGiSyH1EeU
There are two shows I'll be checking out in the coming weeks. First is "The Church" here in Canberra next Friday and then not long after that I'm in Sydney with DJ DJ to see "The Mark of Cain". Both different, only one heavy.
The Mark of Cain - Lockdown - http://youtu.be/iJVVm9OsiwU
Steve Earle sings really, really heavy tunes. "Jerusalem" and "Rich Man's War" almost always stop me dead in my tracks. He was heavily influenced by this next artist. I was in a record shop last wekend (one with records...real ones) and this was playing on the turntable...wow!
Townes Van Zandt - Cocaine Blues - http://youtu.be/hjJePtPVquM
That's the end this week. This music fan needs some sleep after a rather huge week. Kisses to you hop-along!
DJ Rob
"I'm a loadin', loadin' my war machine
I'm contributing to the system, the break down schemeI'm a shuttin' down, I'm shuttin' down your greed for green baby" - Kyuss - Green Machine
No comments:
Post a Comment