World Wide Woozle episode #590

Here we are again folks. Thanks for playing along at home.

Last week I got out to see Goanna play at the Canberra Theatre. It was a gig that had been rescheduled a couple of times and, as a result, it clashed with the Crowded House show at Stage 88. Not the greatest feat of organisation really. Goanna were celebrating 40 years since the release of their classic long player, Spirit of Place. The support act, a young woman called Alinta Barlow, was a great start to the evening. She sang heartfelt and touching songs, at times in the Ngunnawal language. Backed up by a solitary guitar, Alinta held the crowd very well and I'd happily pay money to see her play again. Goanna was next. I didn't enjoy the show all that much. Whilst Shane's voice remains iconic and stronger than I imagined it would be but I felt that the whole thing was a bit flat. It was a show that held a lot of promise for me and then never really made it out of second gear. The extended jam session at the end was sleep inducing. I do, however, know others who were at the show who really enjoyed it. I don't regret going in the slightest, but I do think that something was missing on the night.

Goanna – Cheatin' Man - https://youtu.be/l2Qo_EaoSt8

In total contrast, on Wednesday this week I saw Colin Hay perform a solo show at The Playhouse. DJ Hamertime and I thoroughly enjoyed what turned out to be two solid hours of stories, songs and laughs. Most of you will know Colin Hay from his days fronting Men At Work. He's released many albums since then and is also a regular member of Ringo Starr's All Star Band. I enjoyed his stories of coming from Scotland to live in Australia as well as hearing about Paul McCartney doing the dishes at Colin's house! He has a great voice and is an excellent guitar player as well. His explanation of using a different guitar tuning for a couple of Men At Work songs made them, and the sax lines, make total sense. Now I'll have to try that myself. Colin is a very funny man and puts on a great show. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

Colin Hay – Agatha Bell (acoustic) - https://youtu.be/3QqIh-Ae9ns

Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Get Over You - https://youtu.be/3Pvi4uKuawk

According to The Guardian, 80s hair and glam metal was "deeply unfashionable". Maybe that explains a lot about my teenage years! Being the deeply unfashionable man that I am, I read the article in The Guardian which turned out not to be about codpieces, but about a compilation album and book. It's called Bound for Hell on the Sunset Strip and is about metal bands, most of whom almost made it big. I've already had a listen to the album online and Landspeed Records here in Canberra have ordered a copy for me. It's pretty interesting to hear some really good songs and wonder why the bands went nowhere in the end. I can speculate of course but the book will surely reveal all.

Black 'n Blue - Give 'Em The Old 1, 2, 3 - https://youtu.be/muYCmOl3LiA

On a related note, KISS have released the 103 track, 5hr 23min long anniversary edition of Creatures of The Night. The title track and I Love It Loud may be the hits that you know from this one. Say what you like about KISS but they know how to put out a deluxe edition. This one is chock full of demo versions, different takes of songs in progress, tour sound effects and alternate mixes. If you pony up and buy the whole thing then there's a heap of swag to go along with it including an 80 page book, posters, trading cards, tour programme and the list goes on. Brace yourselves though as it's about AU$500 depending on where you can get it from. That's a big chunk of change. And remember that whilst Ace is on the cover, he's not playing on the album. What you're hearing, for the most part, is Vinnie Vincent who would join the band a little later on.

KISS – Creatures Of The Night – https://youtu.be/CSqKw32B320

The Black Crowes have released an EP called 1972. You can work out why I'm sure by looking at the tracklist. It's a fun romp through some great tracks and what stands out for me is the obvious love that the band has for these songs. A rock and roll band having a lot of fun...there should be more of it! Here's the song that really stands out to me. Everyone is playing their heart out but there's room for everyone.

The Black Crowes - Papa Was A Rolling Stone - https://youtu.be/NISGWjeRoH8

Rehearsals for the new bands that I'm involved with are progressing nicely. You might even see some live performances before too long. It's great to be back playing music and although we're playing cover versions for the moment, getting together with a couple of people and bashing out some of your favourite songs is heaps of fun. Turning the next track into a version for one acoustic guitar and two singers is fun. I've chosen this particular version as it's what led me to think of playing it. Haters gonna hate.

Miley Cyrus - Heart of Glass (live) - https://youtu.be/3YIlierZzGk

The latest news here at HQ Woozle is that I've managed to get a full time, permanent job. It's within the agency I'm working for but in another area which sounds really, really good. I haven't had a permanent job for almost five years so this is a seriously big deal for me. When I found out I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders. I've been pretty emotional on and off for a couple of weeks and it isn't rocket science to suggest that it's as a result of the whole process and other stuff that has been going on over the last little while. Kudos to my dentist who reacted well after I got a bit upset when he asked why I'd been stressed (grinding your teeth is a dead giveaway folks)!

John Mellencamp & Bruce Springsteen - Wasted Days - https://youtu.be/hHLGZxlBpLA

We'll finish this week with the Dili All Stars. I heard an amazing podcast today all about Paulie Stewart who is the singer for the All Stars as well as for Painters & Dockers. If you're at all interested in Australian music, politics, East Timor and perhaps the power of nuns then have a listen here. It's the most interesting story I've heard all year. Paulie has a book out as well which I will certainly purchase

Dili All Start - Nothing Tastes Better Than The Neighbour's Chicken - https://youtu.be/8nyjgPDQz9s

Rock on everyone,

The Woozle

"They came in the evening,

Looking for a fight.
The foreign militia
Stole away our rights..."

The Living End, Revolution Regained, 2000.

World Wide Woozle episode #589

Welcome back to the blog that rocks, the blog that never stops. And where I throw in lines, lyrics and other bits and pieces from random songs to see if anyone notices. That one was easy! 

The Muppets - We Built This City - https://youtu.be/KE-wJJW7p1I

Do you have favourite albums? And I don't just mean ABBA's Greatest Hits Volume 2, I mean a full album where you know every word? Lots of us who were around before streaming will remember that albums were expensive and so you simply didn't have that many. I remember having about twenty cassettes that were almost my most prized possessions. Among them were a couple that I can still remember almost every word. Redgum's live album, Caught In The Act (1983) is seventy minutes long and I must admit that I could probably not only sing along to all but one of the songs, but I can also recite all of the in-between song talking. As well as listening to it non-stop for years, it was one of only a couple of cassettes we had on a trip across the Simpson Desert back in 2000. So, watch out for obvious, and not so obvious quotes from this and elsewhere because I can't help my super fab and groovy self.

Redgum - The Last Frontier (live) - https://youtu.be/5STCeEkJYC4

DJ SAB, DJ RealRodStewart and I went to Sydney last weekend to see The Sisters of Mercy. It was a ripper of a gig and an awesome weekend away. I needed it for sure. There's a review of the show that I wrote here. The support band, Elko Fields, were too cool as well. Check them out through the link in the review. The next gig I'll get to see is Goanna later in the week.

The Sisters of Mercy - First And Last And Always - https://youtu.be/JYjvxnTl5Yw

I've been subscribing to what feels like a million emails a week from the Pitchfork website for a while now. They generally publish well thought out and informed reviews of a wide range of music. I do take issue with one particular email that they send with the best 10 new albums or something like that. Most of the one paragraph reviews give you no idea whatsoever about what type of music they are talking about and that's annoying. Pitchfork did point me to the next band though and that's unusual because their hard rock and metal offerings are thin on the ground. Worm are a band from Florida somewhere and their music is both brutal and beautiful. I liked this newly released EP so much that I have just ordered it on CD. It's coming from Portugal of all places. From what I've heard so far I know that this isn't going to appeal to everyone and that's just fine. But if you like your heavy metal to be very heavy, slow and sludgy but with guitar solos that are beautiful and a soundscape that is almost astral then spin this.

Worm - Bluenothing - https://youtu.be/4RNe3V--y2E

I've had conversations with a few people recently about how I had the impression that lots of Bruce Springsteen songs are written on a piano. The chords, structure and the way they are put together just aren't the way that a lot of guitar players would naturally play. It's not a bad thing at all. This week I caught this version of Bruce playing a classic but also talking about the way that most of the Born To Run LP was written on his Grandmother's piano. For once, I got something right!

Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road and interview (Howard Stern show) - https://youtu.be/uZi79ulSp4E

Scottish band Del Amitri will be in Australia next year. They're playing in Sydney on the 28th of February at The Enmore. I think that they are a great band and have so much more to offer than the couple of hit singles that lots of people remember. There's some seriously cool guitar work going on in loads of their songs and Justin's voice is as strong as it always was. Does anyone else out there like them? I'm considering going to the show but the truth is I'd really rather not go alone. Check this track out for the smooth vocals, tasty electric piano and fat bass all wrapped up in guitars that move and twist.

Del Amitri - Just Like A Man - https://youtu.be/eDmf5aW9ypo

I saw a post on Instagram this week that said, "I wish I could go back 6 years and sort my life out". That hit me hard. And along with some other comments that I received during the week I ended up in a bit of a funk. I really needed to process this and so I did it in the best way I know. I rode my bike up some hills, did some yoga and went for a long walk in the bush. That was pretty good. But I also spoke about it with a couple of people about it, both directly and indirectly. Sometimes I feel as if this recovery journey is never ending, and maybe that's true. But I've gone from having a few good days here and there, to having more good days than bad, to being generally pretty happy and that's cool. Last night I was dog sitting Fitz and Gertie and they both hogged the bed but I felt the love for sure. Although I rarely have trouble with sleep, having two pooches snuggled up to me meant that I had the deepest sleep I've had in such a long time. 

Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - https://youtu.be/Soa3gO7tL-c

Finally, did you all see that Taylor Swift has all ten songs at the moment in the US Billboard Charts? That's a pretty amazing effort. Her new album, Midnights, is well worth a listen. It's easy, and lazy, to lump Taylor in with a whole lot of other pop stars. Have a look at how much of her music is written and performed by her and not a corporate machine. 

Taylor Swift - Bejeweled - https://youtu.be/b7QlX3yR2xs

That's it. I've got dogs here needing more love!

The Woozle

"...out of the night and into the light"

Saxon, Back On The Streets, 1985.