Wonderful stuff Godders. I do like a bit of Sacred Harp, and the other one was pretty fab too. Was that Zimbabwean or South African, or neither?
American with South African influence. Dollar Brand was of course Abdullah Ibrahim. Strong South African Saxophone influence.
If nobody minds, I'll pick something that's just about an antidote to music. Laurie Anderson. Always has been one of favourite artists for just doing something that is simply different. The humility and humour comes through in most of her work, but here she's even more unusually out on a limb:
Oh, by the way, I've just remembered that today (23 October) is the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. For he today who sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother, be he ne'er so vile. There.
Here's a little bit of fun. Album shorts. Songs that lasted hardly more than a minute or even no more than a few seconds. The great era of these came from the 1970's when albums ruled and artists did as they fancied. It led to some great rock music that you either got ['relate to' was the term. I think to 'dig' something was well out the door by then] or you didn't. I've got at least four I can think of off the top of my head, Here's two: Note that I never thought I'd live to be a hundred and I never thought I'd get to be a million are two separate songs [they're on either side of the particular Moody Blues album from 1969] brought together in the above video.
Jethro Tull was always great at these short songs as well. Here's Cheap Day Return from the superb Aqualung album: Ian Anderson's music just makes me smile. One more before I give out the challenge to find short songs. Remember, they have to be short. None of that 2 minute pop single length stuff. Way less than that. Anyway, here's Tull again with Only Solitaire:
What is good though? Something technically proficient (for me, boring), something you recognise as good, something that challenges you, something you need to take time to appreciate, something that creates an emotional response, something that immediately makes you want to dance? There's no real right or wrong. There's just appeciation and acceptance of a form that may, or may not, be for you. What's important is the respect to allow all of these things to exist. What kills any of the art is the constriction of it by theft. That leaves you with a hideous, tedious construct which is where we are now. Coffee (costs 60p to make) - bought for £3.00 - lasts five minutes. Music (costs at least £1,000 to make that'll touch public consciousness) - costs .79p. Lasts forever. Really, please. Just think about that for a second.
I'm not into music now...enjoyed stuff in the past when young....but always appreciated lyrics more than music....perhaps reflecting my love of words. I have Sky Sports or such running all the time, but cannot bear background music....friends now turn their radios off when I arrive as I always ask them to turn it down...just a bit, just a bit more, little bit more....until they get the picture. My loss as others enjoy it so much.
Many years ago I visited a chief executive of a large organisation to discuss a business opportunity only to be shown into his office where he was sat at a piano playing merrily away. He stopped playing and sat at his desk and opened our conversation by talking about the music that had been playing while the test card was on the TV and he was eating his lunch that day. He asked if I had heard it. I had just driven over 100 miles so obviously hadn't but this mans life was all music, music, music but that wasn't how he made his money. I enjoy listening to music but like Fran I can't stand it as background noise.
