Right now I am listening to ...

[jls001]

The one Joan Osborne track I have heard is completely blasphemous. Not even subtle.

Addendum: I saw the above post. Yeah, we're talking about the same song.

 

[olly42]

America - Horse with no name

 

[jls001]

America - Horse with no name

I truly love You Can Do Magic. Also, Ventura Highway. They had a very tight rhythm and great harmonies, though their lyrics are mostly inane, barring the ocassional flashes of brilliance.

 

[metalmickey]

@musiclava-i was into hard rock/metal back then!but now touching 30 am mellowed down a bit!now it is just jazz!

 

[christian paul]

@musiklava79
Jazzmatazz was one of the early 90s hybrid jazz-hip hop music - this particular album was the forerunner to several albums recorded by MC Guru evoking similar moods! Though Im not into rap, I really enjoy this kind of fusion music. Many contemporary jazz artists have experimented with similar style of music and have recorded acclaimed albums! Even Jazzmatazz boosts of collaborations with artists like Branford Marsalis, Roy Ayres, Donald Byrd, Courtney Pine, etc. on several tracks! Sadly Guru passed away in 2010!

Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 Full Album - YouTube

The OST of Get Shorty too is a hybrid jazz music album - kind of soul/acid jazz music. This album contains couple of tracks contributed by Morphine - Morphine was a three-piece band (Bass-guitar & Sax as lead along with Drums) needless to say I just love music recorded by Mark Sandman & Co.! Sandman usually played two-stringed bass guitar as lead instrument - I dont think anyone else has successfully adopted this approach of Morphine - Sandman was supposed to have used one-stringed bass guitar during the recording of Morphines debut album!!! Too bad Sandman died young!!!

Some of the tracks from Get Shorty

Morphine - I Had My Chance - YouTube

Morphine - Bos Veranda - YouTube

Stink by John Lurie - YouTube Stink (full version) by John Lurie


Some of Morphines popular tracks -

Morphine "Buena" - YouTube

Morphine - Cure for Pain - YouTube

 

[afj]

 

[afj]

It isn't that this music wasn't appreciated in the U.S. Singles from their first three albums were well received and had also topped the charts there. Sometimes a band loses out due to poor marketing strategies of the recording company. This has happened before, too. Independent imports raise the prices of the albums and hence receive a poor response....



Beg to differ there. You'll find a majority of Brit singers/musicians and bands have dominated the U.S. music industry over the years. Similarly scores of artistes from across the border, Canada have become an integral part of American music. Here is a representative list to give you an idea...

1) Paul Anka
2) Leonard Cohen
3) Joni Mitchell
4) Anne Murray
5) Gordon Lightfoot
6) Denny Doherty (The Mamas & The Papas)
7) David Clayton-Turner (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
8) Bruce Cockburn
9) Neil Young
10) Bryan Adams
11) Rush
12) Nickelback
13) Bachman-Turner Overdrive
14) Avril Lavigne
15) Nelly Furtado
16) Diana Krall
17) Sarah Mclachlan
18) Celine Dion
19) Alanis Morissette
20) Shania Twain

...... and many, many more!

well they generally do listen to them only if the artist goes and markets themselves and does shows in america. america has lost out on a lot of good music because they dont look further than whats in front of them. but they can afford to also because they have enough good music

 

[musiklava79]

The one Joan Osborne track I have heard is completely blasphemous. Not even subtle.

Addendum: I saw the above post. Yeah, we're talking about the same song.

I had anticipated some degree of antipathy towards "One of Us", which is why I had posted a comment beforehand about the song in my review. But I was taken aback when you called this song "...completely blasphemous. Not even subtle". I read the full lyrics several times but could not find any blatant example of blasphemy.

blasphemy -> noun 1. a speaking about God or sacred matters in a disrespectful or rude way 2. an action, word or sign that intentionally insults God, or something held sacred, in such a way. [Chambers 21st Century Dictionary]

There are many examples of blasphemy or insult to religious sentiments in the music world by mainstream or other artistes and bands either overt, covert or in thinly veiled references. Sometimes these people get violently abusive even while performing live on stage. Then there is the controversial incident of Sinead OConnor in SNL which was broadcasting live at that time. I do not condone any of these acts and all deserve to be roundly condemned.

But in this case, I feel certain facts merit attention before we form any opinion of the song in question.

Joan Osborne was born in Kentucky, which is known as the Bluegrass Country. It is the birth-place of this sub-genre of country music. It is also a part of the Gospel Music circuit of the Central and Southern states of U.S.A. Kentucky abuts Tennessee, the capital of Country, Soul, Jazz and Blues music. Nashville is the Capital and the city where the Grand Ole Opry is also located. It is in the heart of the God-fearing and devout Southern States where Gospel music rules the roost. If there had been even a whiff of controversy in Joan Osbornes song, she could not have won a Grammy nomination. Nor would she have been invited to perform in the Grand Ole Opry in 2007. In fact, she would not have survived in the music circles there at all.

Joan Osborne was only the singer of One of Us. The songwriter was Eric Bazilian. Here is what Eric Bazilian stated in an interview. I quote verbatim from Wiki

The song deals with various aspects of belief in God by asking questions inviting the listener to consider how they might relate to God, such as "Would you call [God's name] to his face?" or "Would you want to see [God's face] if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets?" The title of the song comes from religious statement, "What if God was one of us?"

The album version starts off with four lines from a Gospel music song "The Heavenly Airplane": (Italics and stress mine - ML)

Oh, one of these nights at about twelve o'clock
This whole earth is gonna reel and rock
Saints will tremble and cry for pain
For the Lord's gonna come in his heaven airplane.

So you can see that there is no case of blasphemy here at all. The opening lines were quoted from a Gospel Song. The song is a tongue in cheek reference to God from the viewpoint of commoners like us. Havent many of us been confronted by the same dilemma at some point of life or the other?
Its a fun song and should be treated as such. What do you say?

I find Joan Osbornes vocals perfectly suited to the lyrics and love listening to this song just for this! hyeah:

 

[musiklava79]

America - Horse with no name

A good choice, but did you mean the song or the album? :sad:

I love their song "Sandman" and its one of my favourites from America.

 

[musiklava79]

@musiclava-i was into hard rock/metal back then!but now touching 30 am mellowed down a bit!now it is just jazz!

No wonder! I'd noticed that you were not posting much music in the recent past and I was rather surprised when I saw that post on Emeli Sande. It was an abrupt departure from your regular listening!!

Well, at least you are a hop, step and long jump ahead of me in the Jazz stakes! This is one genre I never really understood, no matter how hard I tried. :sad:

So keep posting your new found interest so that we can pick up a few tips.

P.S. - Perhaps the gentleman whose post is below yours will be able to help and guide..... He's been posting regularly on this genre!

 

[musiklava79]

@musiklava79
Jazzmatazz was one of the early 90s hybrid jazz-hip hop music - this particular album was the forerunner to several albums recorded by MC Guru evoking similar moods! Though Im not into rap, I really enjoy this kind of fusion music. Many contemporary jazz artists have experimented with similar style of music and have recorded acclaimed albums! Even Jazzmatazz boosts of collaborations with artists like Branford Marsalis, Roy Ayres, Donald Byrd, Courtney Pine, etc. on several tracks! Sadly Guru passed away in 2010!

Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 Full Album - YouTube

The OST of Get Shorty too is a hybrid jazz music album - kind of soul/acid jazz music. This album contains couple of tracks contributed by Morphine - Morphine was a three-piece band (Bass-guitar & Sax as lead along with Drums) needless to say I just love music recorded by Mark Sandman & Co.! Sandman usually played two-stringed bass guitar as lead instrument - I dont think anyone else has successfully adopted this approach of Morphine - Sandman was supposed to have used one-stringed bass guitar during the recording of Morphines debut album!!! Too bad Sandman died young!!!

Some of the tracks from Get Shorty

Morphine - I Had My Chance - YouTube

Morphine - Bos Veranda - YouTube

Stink by John Lurie - YouTube Stink (full version) by John Lurie


Some of Morphines popular tracks -

Morphine "Buena" - YouTube

Morphine - Cure for Pain - YouTube

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and for suggesting the samplers! As I wasn't in a mood for forumming last evening, I took the opportunity to catch up on all the suggested listening, including yours!

I can tell you, by the time I nearly finished my head was reeling from a cocktail of Genres!!! hyeah:

As I'd explained to metalmickey whose post was ahead of yours, it will be very helpful to all of us if you can give us your advice and guidance in listening to Jazz. Many of us are interested but don't know where to begin. I've tried but ... Even joined AllaboutJazz. Now the farthest I go is listen to the occasional smooth jazz pieces (mostly avoid Kenny G, though, ).

So please keep posting your comments.

 

[musiklava79]

WHOA!!! That's going way back in the past! Does anyone listen to them any more?

It's like I posted a few days ago, I'd already dropped out of the School of Hard Rock! hyeah:

Reminds me. In the old days when REO was spelt R.E.O. I always read RED SPEEDWAGON. That was going back even further to my primary and pre-primary school days when the little red wagon was a part of our story books..... I guess the thought suggestion sub-consciously remained in my mind!! hyeah:

 

[musiklava79]

well they generally do listen to them only if the artist goes and markets themselves and does shows in america. america has lost out on a lot of good music because they dont look further than whats in front of them. but they can afford to also because they have enough good music

But isn't that what the U.S. is all about? Take away the full stops and its US - not them, not you not me!!!

Its about themselves, and hard-nosed commerce, crass consumerism and use-and-throw mentality!!! Nothing else matters .... :sad:

 

[olly42]

A good choice, but did you mean the song or the album? :sad:

I love their song "Sandman" and its one of my favourites from America.

I meant Song and Album

 

[olly42]

Pet Shop Boys Ultimate collection - Excellent Album again one of my best

 

[musiklava79]

JIM CROCE BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN AND OTHER FAVOURITES





Why is the music world replete with reports of the most promising musicians meeting premature and untimely deaths? Some more tragically so than the others?

Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Bob Marley,Karen Carpenter, Members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Duane Allman (Allman Brothers) to name a few from the past and in more recent times, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mindy Mccready.....
And finally Jim Croce, tragically taken away from us at the age of only 30 years!

Imagine the loss to all music lovers and fans who adored his music. In a career spanning only 7 years Jim Croce released 5 studio albums (one posthumously).

This compilation album contains 4 of his hit numbers -

Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels) - 1972
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - 1973
Time in a Bottle - 1973 (Posthumous)
I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song - 1974 (Posthumous)

One more track wothy of mention -Photographs and Memories.

Of all these songs, "Time in a Bottle" impresses me the most because of the wistful yearning that is conveyed through the words and the melody while Jim Croce's voice adds just the right touch to the sense of poignancy. It's my favourite Jim Croce track. I never tire of listening to this one song!!

Listen to it

TIME IN A BOTTLE JIM CROCE WITH LYRICS - YouTube
​

 

[denom]

Thanks Musiklava79 for the Time in a bottle link. Listened to it & liked it a lot. Another friend of mine had posted me about Jim Croce recently & your post today made me listen to Jim Croce for 1st time tonight

Listening to Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits by Jim Croce at the moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO1rMeYnOmM

 

[jls001]

Please also YouTube Time in a Bottle by Babyface. This singer-guitarist plays serious acoustic guitar in the best latin tradition.

I don't have Jim Croce on CD but I do have a couple of his LPs.

Other great tracks: I'll have to Say I Love You In a Song, and Lover's Cross.

 

[jls001]

Add Jeff Buckley to those who died young. His Grace album is a must-listen. His rendtion of Lilac Wine is even spookier than Barb Jungr's rendition. And his rendition of Hallelujah is probably one of the very best ever.

 

[jls001]

Having lugged home tons of CDs from the Landmark sale, I'm spinning the first CD - Tom Petty's Wildflowers. Excellent sonics. Of course it features the excellent track You Don't Know How It Feels. This guy sounds uncannily like Mellencamp.