Hi everyone and welcome back. I've got loads of music to share and a tale or two to tell as well.
First of all - the virus. I've just turned off the news as it's all too much just now. I get it, it's serious so I'm staying at home as much as I can and I don't think I've ever washed my hands this much. Sit tight folks, ignore all the sensationalist news and do what you can to make things better for those around you even if that is staying away. Angus has returned from Canada. He lost his job when the ski resort shut its doors as a result of the pandemic. Currently he's in 14 days of isolation at Alison's place along with Sooky and Sparky. It's certainly not what anyone would want to do but can you imagine being the person that disregarded the advice and passed the illness on to others? I'll get a hug from him in just over 11 days. Meanwhile, in London, Zoe is working as hard as ever as a paramedic. The rest of the place is in lockdown so she can go to work and to the supermarket and that's it. What a baptism of fire! She certainly manages to get herself into interesting situations. 5 years ago we were in the midst of her being unaccounted for following Tropical Cyclone Pam.
Let's get to some music. Domestically there are two releases I'd like to tell you about and encourage you to listen to. Firstly, from Sydney, melodic heavy metal band Darker Half have released an album. You might remember that I saw them in support of the Geoff Tate show back in January. Anyway, it's well worth a listen if you like metal with vocals well sung and intelligible!
Darker Half - Falling - https://youtu.be/Bs5IKLVp6Vs
I've written about The Chats before and they've released a long player called High Risk Behaviour. If you like punk music such as Frenzal Rhomb then this is going to be for you. It's crude, it's rough but it has a distinctly Australian flavour and it's a lot of fun. 14 songs and it comes in at less than 30 minutes!
The Chats - Drunk n Disorderly - https://youtu.be/vJtuS4JwMRE
Of course the Billy Bragg shows that my brother and I were due to attend in New Zealand in late May have been postponed. For a year. Will we be going anywhere in twelve months - who knows? The other day, to ease the pain of not seeing Billy, I worked my way through two of his boxsets and it was a treat. There's a reason that he remains one of my favourite performers. A man, a guitar and a big sound all by himself. This song seems appropriate.
Billy Bragg - Between The Wars (live) - https://youtu.be/xjUA3RU4B8E
Work has been interesting recently. Like a lot of people I have been stood down indefinitely. The War Memorial closed its doors to visitors almost a week ago in response to the pandemic. As a casual employee that of course leaves many of us high and dry. We did get a fortnight's pay based on our roster which was unexpected and very welcome. Hopefully I'll have some positive employment news to share with you next time...but nothing moves quickly especially given the current climate.
Uncanny X Men - Work - https://youtu.be/2XYo5zaPw-4
There are plenty of artists that I don't really like listening to. Years ago I tried an Alicia Keys album and it was pretty quickly relegated to the, "only if I have to" pile. Well, well, well...I heard the next tune on the radio during the week and it had me nodding and tapping along. Then the DJ back-announced it as being by Alicia. So, here it is...I'm yet to listen to the album that it's from but this is a mighty fine track. Do you reckon Bob Dylan has tracked her down yet?
Alicia Keys - Underdog - https://youtu.be/izyZLKIWGiA
Still on the radio...the national youth broadcaster, Triple J, plays a live show at least weekly as part of their Live At The Wireless series. They've been doing it long enough that I have cassettes recorded from their broadcasts of gigs by The Ramones, silverchair, AC/DC, Baby Animals and The Living End. The show that I heard was going really well with almost rockabilly guitars, strong vocals and a punky metal edge. It was the band called My Chemical Romance. Goodness me...I'd always thought that they were some kind of screamo wannabe Goth band. Seems I was wrong. It's more Good Charlotte meets The Ramones with some Green Day and Oasis thrown in.
My Chemical Romance - Teenagers - https://youtu.be/k6EQAOmJrbw
DJ Doc along with DJ HongKongRollins alerted me to the new ZZ Top documentary on Netflix. For anyone who's a fan it's great viewing. If you don't know much about the band then give it a whirl. There's plenty of archival footage, great songs and in depth stuff from all three band members. Music docos can be a little tedious but this one has been made with a good sense of humour. My only gripe is that there is a lot more to ZZ Top AFTER the Eliminator album in 1983.
ZZ Top - Chartreuse - https://youtu.be/uTjgZEapJb8
ZZ Top - I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide - https://youtu.be/gWttL4gs078
I read a really interesting article from the BBC this week that was all about Simon and Garfunkel and their song, Bridge Over Troubled Water. It was a fascinating insight into the background of what became a hugely popular song at a time when the group was all but finished. Read it here and you might get a whole new appreciation for the tune.
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (live 1980) - https://youtu.be/WrcwRt6J32o
We're almost at the end folks. You can do it....hang on! Next up is Mel C who you may remember from a cool duet with Bryan Adams or her time in a little band called The Spice Girls.
Mel has a new single out now and I listened to it, I'll admit, out of curiosity more than anything else. What I discovered was a catchy electro-pop tune with a great video and some poignant lyrics. It's not what I expected but it's cool. If she releases an album I'd definitely listen to it.
Melanie C - That's Who I Am - https://youtu.be/Fzk44YbqOz0
Last up this week are Def Leppard. They've just released an early years boxset which includes remastered versions (at last) of their first two albums along with a book, a couple of live shows, demos, b-sides and probably the kitchen sink too. From the track listing and early reviews this is a well put together compilation. The tracks are out there on Spotify already and a physical copy will be winging its way to HQ Woozle before too long. What's evident from the early live recordings is how well the band sang live. Plenty of groups sound good on record but at a gig you wonder what's gone wrong. That's not the case here.
Def Leppard - Hello America (live, 1979) - https://youtu.be/tiZCEsBnr1I
That's it for this time folks. Stay at home and wash your hands. And if you're not sure how social distancing works then check out this very cool video from Vanuatu's "Won Smolbag" Theatre group. They use theatre all over the country to help get various messages across. They are speaking in Bislama which is the Pidgin language used in Vanuatu; that's the language that Zoe and I speak to our families there.
Keep smiling,
Rob
"Nobody told me there'd be days like these....most peculiar Mama..."
Nobody Told Me, John Lennon, recorded 1980, released 1984.
