Two years ago on this day the blues-rock band Eagles of Death Metal were in the midst of performing their song "Kiss the Devil" at a sold-out show at Le Bataclan in Paris, France, when the venue is attacked by terrorists armed with automatic rifles, grenades and explosive suicide vests - one of many attacks throughout the city. RIP all the victims of these tragic events...
It's my birthday today, so that event is firmly in my mind. As you say RIP all those innocent victims
Listening to some obscure South Coast radio station today and they did a little wax lyrical on Level 42 and put up Children Say of the Running in the Family album. It comes to something when you completely forget how much you liked a track on an album you actually own. I really ought to play more of my 1980's music. Looking back on it, if you cherry picked like crazy, there was a lot of great stuff. This is the single:
And I'm going to add yet another single from the Running in the Family album [it was packed to the gunwales with them] To Be With You Again. The lads from the Isle of Wight were really into their stride by this album. They were incapable of writing a bad, non-catchy song during this period. Sorry this is so 'ringing' but this is digital at pretty much near its worst. My vinyl version, recorded digitally, as it happens, is nothing like as edgy sounding as this. Nevertheless, a great pop song:
Yet more Level 42. This one is possibly the best remembered single and it started the band's meteoric rise. With the album, World Machine, everybody at the time began to recognise their music. This is Something About You:
And another. The Isle of Wight lads back catalogue is really deep in quality and popularity. This is the other single from World Machine. Leaving Me Now:
From World Machine, this is actually an album filler track [yes, not everything they wrote was a catchy single] and this one harks a little back to previous jazz funk albums. A sound they were starting to leave behind in search for a bit more recognition. I Sleep On My Heart:
That's it, someone else can post Lessons of Love, I've decided to go all AOR and link a Bachman-Turner Overdrive filler track from the album, Not Fragile. The driving and riding epic that never was because hardly anyone [apart from BTO followers] knows about it because it was never released as a single. Roll On Down The Highway. Play this very loud indeed: I did used to play this in the car in my younger days, and so did my friends, and I think the New Forest 40 mph limit might have something to do with us.
I believe that Gary Husband performed with Level 42 at some point as their drummer. He also works as a keyboard player and I am sure I have seen him both with his own group and with John McLaughlin at some point. I was always intrigued by the bass guitarist in this band who was considered something of a virtuoso and had his fingers insured at some point. It is interesting that there should be so much attention of bass guitar playing at precisely the point the instrument was rejected in favour of an acoustic double bass in jazz. I suppose that Jaco Pastorious seems to be "The man" on this instrument but I have always preferred more subtle players like Steve Swallow. If you want something funkier, then you cant get better than Marcus Miller;-
Another BTO filler track off Not Fragile. This is Second Hand. In all honesty, I think the whole of Not Fragile might be a crazy driving/riding album:
On this day in 1983 Michael Jackson's 14-minute film Thriller debuts at the Metro Crest Theater in Los Angeles. Directed by John Landis, the short film became the most popular video in MTV history when the network began airing it in December. Many of Jackson's famous friends showed up at the premiere, including Diana Ross, Eddie Murphy and Warren Beatty. The film got a standing ovation and the crowd demanded an encore, which was granted. Here it is in full...
