World Wide Woozle episode #452

Woops! I've just found last week's episode still in draft and unpublished. Sorry. As a result you can all strap yourselves in for a longer missive this time around.

Part 1:

My Dad visited recently. He likes a good tune as much as the next person, perhaps more. We were talking about songs and he remarked that what speaks the most to him is folk music. One of the main reasons for this is that it generally tells a story. The instrumentation is important but the lyrics and meaning are paramount. That seems fair to me. So, here we go with a few of my favourite artists who are excellent at storytelling though their music. This is just scratching the surface...

Nick Barker continues to write, record and play great music with his band The Heartache State. This song, from 1994, is from an album that I regard as essential listening. It's called, "Happy Man". Here's one of the few songs I've sung live to an audience as the main vocalist. Great story in the lyrics.

Nick Barker - Time Bomb - https://youtu.be/troz3IhG-3k

Archie Roach must be a national treasure. He's an amazing singer and lyricist. I could've chosen any number of his songs but this one resonates as much today as it did on release in '93.

Archie Roach - Walking Into Doors - https://youtu.be/b-OwOfUFamI

There should be no-one out there surprised that I have included Jason Isbell. Some of his tunes are deceptively simple but cutting lyrics like these make his work very meaningful. Being able to express such raw emotion in a song is pure art.

Jason Isbell - Elephant (live/acoustic) - https://youtu.be/ClugMhMbrRg

Hearing the next song when I was at school, it was as if it was written for young people from where I grew up. The reality is that Bruce Springsteen is able to connect with so many people as a result of his deep understanding of the human experience. The delivery of this live version shows why he is so successful; he connects with his audience in a way that few others can.

Bruce Springsteen - The River (live, 1980) - https://youtu.be/lc6F47Z6PI4

The next track actually is about where I grew up in country Victoria. Yallourn was a town that was simply taken away on the back of trucks to allow for open cut coal mining. Mick Thomas from Weddings, Parties, Anything has the knack of writing songs about everyday places and making them sound fantastic. Any attempts I've made at writing similar songs just sound naff. Why is that Mick can write a great track about Taylor Square but I can't write about Garema Place? Talent is the answer!

Weddings, Parties, Anything - Industrial Town - https://youtu.be/nfBkR8a9gPE

I've left a ton of good artists out of this list but I'll finish with Mia Dyson. She's an Australian guitarist, singer and writer. Mia's music is fairly much in the blues and roots genre but she puts her own stamp on things. The story about this song is that a woman approached Mia to ask her to write about having her child taken from her when it was born. Powerful stuff.

Mia Dyson - Jesse - https://youtu.be/cLHOp_ts2uQ

Part 2:

A couple of weeks I played two tracks from the new Proclaimers album. The long player has now been released and I really like it. The influence of soul music is very clear and Craig and Charlie Reid's voices are as strong as ever. This video wasn't available last time so give it a whirl. Great views of Edinburgh.

The Proclaimers - Streets of Edinburgh - https://youtu.be/7qTbLoyQ23g

I love a good cover....and even better, a good medley. Check out these guys; I think they are fantastic! All the way from India paying tribute to Malcolm Young of AC/DC. If you've got some time then have a listen to some of their other tracks. They are great musicians and the singer....man, he can wail!

GATC - Malcolm Young-AC/DC tribute - https://youtu.be/mgG3jiZg7e4

This is one that I left out of Part 1. Paul Kelly could have a whole list of tracks all to himself when it comes to storytelling. It's hard to choose just one for you so here's two!

Paul Kelly - If I Could Start Today Again - https://youtu.be/tb9nrAvGPaI

Paul Kelly - When I First Met Your Ma (live) - https://youtu.be/FxfLCqV3wes

Today I stumbled across a whole heap of fantastic live footage shot in Melbourne for a big concert in 1988. "Laneway Music" have put it up on their YouTube channel and it includes artists such as Jimmy Barnes, Shane Howard and Men At Work. Classic Aussie stuff. Here'a taster...some of you will spend quite a while following this one down a YouTube rabbit hole no doubt!

Shirley Strachan - Living in the 70's (live 1988 soundcheck) - https://youtu.be/smqfBecoi6Y

Remember the band Weezer covering Toto's song "Africa"? Well, Toto have returned the favour with their version of a song that Rivers Cuomo says is about an "insane, homosexual, transvestite prostitute". Right then....here we go!

Toto - Hash Pipe - https://youtu.be/NNnESfsyYG0

Finally, AC/DC rumours abound! Phil Rudd (drums) and Brian Johnson (vocals) have been sighted in Vancouver at a studio reportedly in the company of Stevie and Angus Young. Could this mean a new album? Who knows. If there is then I bet Chris Slade (also drums) will be a bit disappointed.

Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy - Old School - https://youtu.be/dx_e8YaQpS0

Happy Birthday Brownie!

Have a great weekend folks,

Rob

"When the lights go down in the California town,
People are in for the evening.
I jump into my car and I throw in my guitar,
My heartbeat in time with my breathing.." - Gold, John Stewart, 1979

World Wide Woozle episode #451

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to join me on this never ending musical journey.

I rather enjoyed the challenge of last week's five songs with no mess and no fuss so I'm going to have another crack at it. All killer and no filler...

Track 1 - Cinderella. A rollicking mix of blues, slide guitar and hair metal. If Muddy Waters and Motley Crue had a baby this'd be close to the result. "Tipper led the war against the record industry, said she saw the Devil on the MTV..." Good, honest rock and roll for you here folks.

Cinderella - Shelter Me (live) - https://youtu.be/jqk2u86ZWeA

Track 2 - Led Zeppelin. Not my favourite band but I do like their quieter stuff. My advice is to give the FM radio classics a wide berth for a while. 

Led Zeppelin - Bron-y-aur Stomp (live) - https://youtu.be/_PFmGicOEeY

Track 3 - First Aid Kit. A band that all of the "Idol" singers trying to wail all over the place should listen to. This is how you make an impact; great voices, soaring harmonies and songs from the heart. There's a version of this where First Aid Kit move Emmylou Harris to tears.

First Aid Kit - Emmylou (live) - https://youtu.be/reU2NG_faM4

Track 4 - The Pogues. Punk rock meets traditional Irish music. Toothless, drunken, rowdy tunes.

The Pogues - Sally Maclennane (live) - https://youtu.be/GzHGTIPl310

Track 5 - Weird Al Yankovic. Al's parodies might cause some to underestimate the quality of musicianship. That'd be a big mistake. If I'm feeling blue a few tracks from Weird Al always makes me smile. This track isn't a parody...it's a pastiche!

Weird Al Yankovic - CNR (live) - https://youtu.be/XDg2sa1BDko

That's it. Rock on folks!

Rob

"And I marched and I fought and I bled and I died,
And I never did get any older,
But I knew at the time that a year in the line,
Was a long enough life for a soldier..." - 1916, Motörhead , released 1991.

World Wide Woozle episode #450

This episode is quick. Five songs only and brief explanations. It's the blogging equivalent of a good punk record. Short, sharp and to the point.

Track 1. Green Day. Pop-punk at its best. The longevity of the band is in no small part due to the fact that they can write a great hook, include punchy and topical lyrics and from day one have cared not a dot for what anyone else thinks.

Green Day - Burnout (live) - https://youtu.be/C_xghkxEd60?t=31s

Track 2. Steve Earle. In many ways I wish I'd been aware of Steve Earle a lot earlier. He's one of my favourite songwriters and his life story is amazing. I came to this song via The Proclaimers but it's Steve's. This track always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Always.

Steve Earle - My Old Friend The Blues (live) - https://youtu.be/VGkHnMtp_MU

Track 3. Armoured Angel. Top shelf Australian Heavy Metal. You might not hear it in my playing all the time but Matt Green's approach to rhythm guitar is as important to me as that of AC/DC's Malcolm Young.

Armoured Angel - Madame Guillotine - https://youtu.be/cA2vjNt_WBU

Track 4. Kylie Minogue. For me, Kylie came of age musically with the 1997 release, Impossible Princess. The following tour was televised here and seeing the former "singing budgie" play with a full band was fantastic. Probably the best album she's ever made.

Kylie Minogue - Some Kind of Bliss (live) - https://youtu.be/qXW-nqafI1E

Track 5. Nena. I was playing the guitar recently with someone who had never heard of this song. Given that it's the only tune I can sing in another language I was a bit disappointed. The German lyrics are infinitely better than the English ones. It's about the war machine and impending armageddon.

Nena - 99 Luftballons (live) - https://youtu.be/4rBDQfUhdH4

Be kind to each other....and yourselves.

Rob

" They make the laws to chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven or they damn us into hell
We will not worship the God they serve
The God of greed who feeds the rich while poor men starve" - The World Turned Upside Down, Billy Bragg, 1985 (written by Leon Rosselson)

World Wide Woozle episode #449

Well, well, well....here we are again. This episode was delayed slightly so that I could report back from the gig I attended last night. Let's start there.

Months ago, DJ CherryP asked me if I was interested in going to see The Preatures. I didn't know anything of the band other than having heard them a couple of times on the radio. Regardless, I agreed to go and I am very, very glad that I did. DJ SAB joined us at the last moment when someone pulled out and good grief did they miss out on a fantastic live show. Ali Barter was on first. She might be a really good performer but you'd never know with the sound mix she got. There were only three people on stage (drums, guitar and bass/vox) but the bass was so loud that we couldn't really hear much else. Also, given the sound that she goes for on her recordings it seems unnecessary to turn up to a live gig and bash the hell out of every instrument. The performance was almost totally lacking in dynamics which is a shame.

Ali Barter - Please Stay - https://youtu.be/4FfTgZkXeY0

After the guitar finally getting into the mix for the final song (which made a huge difference) Ali was off and The Preatures hit the stage. This was a sold out gig and the crowd were very enthusiastic and appreciative. The band seemed to feed off this and the results were great. The Preatures are an interesting mix of electro-pop, 90s indie music and straight ahead Aussie rock...and it works. They understand the need for space in their music. Kudos to their sound engineer as well who had the mix very well suited to the room and not at ear bleeding volume. The Preatures did themselves proud with their original material, totally rocked a cover of The Angels classic, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (complete with Chrissie Amphlett references at the end) and then finished with a song that includes lyrics written in one of the Aboriginal languages indigenous to the Sydney area. It was an awesome show and I am a convert to the band.

The Preatures - Yanada - https://youtu.be/wO4tW5GqzGA (this track really reminds me of Jenny Morris)

The Preatures - Girlhood - https://youtu.be/kiv661bl6yA

Last night, DJ DJ alerted me to the fact that Stryper are heading to Australia! They'll be here in a couple of weeks for shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane only. I haven't spent much time with their most recent album (God Damn Evil - April 2018) but it's certainly the band staying faithful to the sound that made them huge in the late 80s. I don't know if I'll manage to get to their Sydney show but if you are a metal fan at all then do whatever you can to see Stryper play.

Stryper - Sorry - https://youtu.be/ByWWzDl_xrw

The musical style of both bands at last night's show meant that we had some discussion about various groups from the 80s and 90s. This one came up and DJ CherryP, being a relatively recent arrival in Australia, hadn't heard of them. This song wouldn't have been out of place last night. I do remember going to see Ratcat play live with DJ Al-ee-sunshine and my little brother at the ANU in 1992 or 1993.

Ratcat - Don't Go Now - https://youtu.be/cqneM0kcRAc

After last week's episode I can confirm that I now know what a "turnpike" is. Thank you everyone.

Steve Earle - State Trooper (live) - https://youtu.be/zhqTtbypYTw

I just couldn't resist throwing in some early Steve Earle. That live concert is a real gem.

While I'm stuck on my favourite bands...The Proclaimers have a new album coming out in a few days. I'll have to get it....it's called, "Angry Cyclist"! They've released two singles so far it seems so here they are...quite different.

The Proclaimers - Angry Cyclist - https://youtu.be/6ttRD_JuPng

The Proclaimers - Streets of Edinburgh - https://youtu.be/MpZ2cvLD_JI

I've said before that I like The Proclaimers because they are unashamedly Scots. They sing about Scotland and they do it in their own accents. Lots of their songs mention different parts of Scotland. And if Simon and Garfunkel put Saginaw on my visiting bucket list then The Proclaimers put Leith, Stranraer, Edinburgh, Bathgate and Lochaber on there too.

I did something radical this week just gone by...I didn't ride my bike at all. My legs and my brain needed a break and even though it was a struggle, I left the trusty Cervelo in the garage. Of course we ended up having a couple of beautiful days but I remained strong and gave myself a well earned break. In my quest for 13,000km this year I am almost 1,500km ahead of schedule. The sun is out though so today (Saturday) I'll get back to it. A whole week of once a year isn't too much is it?!

Let's finish with something completely different. Genesis. But wait, this is not their later bland stuff or some of their rather polarising early stuff. This is the band live in 1981 putting it all together for a great performance. I'm certainly encouraged to explore Genesis further after seeing and hearing this.

Genesis - Abacab (live) - https://youtu.be/EOK1Y4GJnMc

Rock on brothers and sisters,

Rob

"Broke off from my work the other day,

I spent the evening thinking about,

All the blood that flowed away.

Across the ocean to the second chance,

I wonder how it got on when it reached the promised land?" - Letter from America, The Proclaimers, 1987