(0850) Morning all … bright sunshine out there, through the Gates poison-cloud across the land. Lots of moolah for the medicos. (0955)

 

11. On sexually sicko extremists

10. Evil muvvers, yes … crims

9. It’s never too late to start all over again

8. The globo-psycho, Wokerati

… environnmento-destructo loons again:

7. If, with my admin hat on

… I’m simply not going to run music alien to my upbringing, for example Slade, Sweet, Strawbs, pop, techno, disco were never mine … things from the late 70s, early 80s, on the grounds that they were gauche, naff, twee, never got into them … nor Queen, nor Oasis, nor that Ozzie someone (hubby of Sharon, whom I like) …

… but against that, at the same time, on most other topics, I’m trying to draw examples from all sorts of sources and am encouraging readers to as well … then I can hardly run bands here any more such as Can, Jane, other “krautrock” (from my radio DJ days) although I did run Woodsy 42’s Radio Caroline for historical reasons (or was it Microdave or Torquaymada, can’t recall). Much of ZZ Top or Lynyrd Skynyrd to me was ho hum … some tracks were good … just didn’t get into bands other guys did … don’t forget my age.

Nazareth were a bit of a mixed bag … so many great tracks, very Brit/Scottish of that day … they’re almost playable to our very diverse (in the real meaning of the word, the good meaning) readership. I won’t play the Kinks because of Lola (you know why) but will play Waterloo Sunset. And so on.

There are two bands below highly regarded in their day … very loud, very heavy sound … one krautrock and as a commenter noted, Jane sounded quite like Steppenwolf, the Canadian band, in some ways. They were thinking bands, as Paul Simon would wish … the first link is to Jane’s Hangman … which is loud, wild, quite fitting the graphics of anguish, loud and discordant lead guitar, melodic but loud rhythm section … on that topic, it’s quite fitting … a long track, much jamming throughout.

In such a song about a man waking early morn on the day of his execution … when I wake up in the morning, it’s the end of the day … title should be “man to hang” rather than “hangman” perhaps. In such a song, crooning singing would not fit, nor Clash type singing … on the other hand, the keyboardist, with his two speed stop and go playing … fits perfectly.

Steppenwolf’s It’s Never Too Late, unlike the “to be hanged” man, is a song of always possible remorse and redemption, even after you’ve done such bad things. I can’t listen to it, personally, not because it’s a bad song … quite the opposite in fact … but because it’s too close to the bone for me, things I’d rather not be reminded of. As I eternally say here … I’m a (usually) reformed sinner, not a saint.

In that song, the vocals MUST be raspy, anguished … anything less would not match the mood of the rhythm section. Yes, I know Tom Waits does the anguished thing too but imho … for a different, self-inflicted reason … staying down in the sewer, rather than climbing out.

Only my opinion, mind. Nuff for now.