Rolling over into a new year means a lot of things to a lot people, but for me it means buying a new calendar so I can keep track of my many social engagements and important dates. My blogging friend Nick just posted about a neat calendar he received that is all about one of the best things on earth: Bacon. According to Nick, who received the Bacon Love 2011 Calendar as a holiday stocking stuffer: “Each day, bacon lovers will enjoy bacon trivia, recipes and even quotes by bacon connoisseurs such as Thomas Jefferson and Homer Simpson!
As the past is reinvented to serve present needs, modern pop music continues to suffer from an absence of historical revisionism dating back farther than last Tuesday. It’s not such a mystery why anyone over the age of 17 (wait, make that ‘anyone with taste,’ which is not always a given) would probably rather listen to music from 20, 30 or even 40 years ago than anything currently stagnating on “the charts” – which haven’t been interesting or relevant since you were an egg.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to be able to moderate my regular listening sessions of Love’s Forever Changes and Mania, the lone album by Australia’s The Lucy Show (remember them?) with liberal doses of New Jersey’s best, not-well-known-enough band, The Grip Weeds.
On This Date, September 15th, in 1981: Thomas Dolby released his second solo single, “Europa And The Pirate Twins,” from his debut album, The Golden Age Of Wireless. The single reached the #48 spot on the U.K. singles chart and the #67 spot on the U.S. singles chart. In “Europa And The Pirate Twins” Dolby makes use of a fantastic word economy to tell the story of a man who pines for a long-lost adolescent friendship with a woman who has grown up to become a famous starlet. For my money, it is one of the most gorgeous and painfully sentimental songs every written.
Love in 1967: Lee is Second from the Right (Photo By Gail)
Yesterday (August 3rd, 2006) I heard of the sad passing of Love front man Arthur Lee, one of the greatest rock visionaries of the ’60s or any other time. In college, I was greatly blessed to discover Love’s third release, Forever Changes, and I can honestly say the music on this phenomenal album brought about a monumental shift in perception for me. I’m listening to the CD right now as a matter of fact, and the timelessness of songs like “The Red Telephone” and “Alone Again Or” (covered by everyone from UFO to The Damned) still blows my mind.
A Must Own Album
Thanks for the music Arthur. Say Hi to Syd for me.
