Raul Malo 1965 - 2025

My favorite thing of his/theirs. And maybe the best version of the song ever, IMHO.

Have I mentioned that this death shit...oh hell, you know the rest.

Hey -- I Thought It Was 4000 Holes in Blackburn, Not Blackpool!!!

Okay, I hadn't seen this before last weekend; apologies to the hardcore Beatles fans amongst our readers for whom it may be old news.

In any case, that's pretty fab, no? Like, one of the best Beatles live performances ever committed to film?

Incidentally, the guys who introduce the lads are beloved Brit comic duo (Eric) Morecambe and (Ernie) Wise, who the great critic Kenneth Tynan once noted "had a unique dynamic -- Ernie was a comedian who wasn't funny, while Eric was a straight man who was." 😎

[h/t Capt. Al]

Songs I'd Forgotten Existed, Let Alone Loved (An Occasional Series): Special "The World is My Mollusk" Edition

From their 1992 album Deserters, please enjoy Irish folk-rockers Oysterband and their gloriously anthemic ode to existential disillusionment "All That Way For This."

As I said when I first posted about these guys in 2010 (yipes!):

What we wanted was chain lightning
What we wanted was 8 miles high
What we wanted was free fallin' and our turn to fly

What we wanted was more fireworks
Everlasting 4th of July
What we wanted was more stars in a bluer sky

All we wanted was something worth it
Worth the labour, worth the wait
Then they take you up to the mountain
And you see too late...

In the middle of a good time
Truth gave me her icy kiss
Look around, you must be joking
All that way, all that way for this?

That's about as close to actual poetry as pop music gets or should get; certainly, it sums up the whole cosmic dilemma of life thing as well as any song I can remember off the top of my head. Not to mention the band absolutely kills in a Celtic modal rave-up sort of way.

I'll stand by that description, although I must add in sadness that when I decided to revisit the song the other day, I (as today's youngs put it) did the research. And found that, while they remain active, Oysterband officially retired from touring just last August. A pretty good run by any standards, obviously.

In any case, you can hear more of their music, and keep abreast of their post-retirement musical activities, over at their official website HERE.

Tá fáilte mhór romhat. That's Irish for "you're welcome very much," in case you were wondering. 😎

La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "Everybody Needs an Editor" Edition

So speaking, as we were on Wednesday just passed, of Lou Reed's classic "Sweet Jane"...

As you are doubtless aware, the song's original recorded incarnation -- on the Velvet Underground's (for me life-changing album) Loaded, in November of 1970 -- was edited down from a longer version. Somebody -- Lou himself, perhaps, or maybe somebody at the record company (this has been lost in the primordial mists of time and in any case has been much argued) decided to excise the song's bridge, which was finally restored for the 1995 Velvets box set Peel Slowly and See.

In case you haven't heard it in a while, here it is -- usually referred to by fans as that "Heavenly wine and roses thing" -- for your audio delectation.

Which leads us, inexorably, to the subject of the weekend's business. To wit:

Does the inclusion of the "Heavenly Wine and Roses" bridge hurt or help "Sweet Jane" as a song?

Discuss.

Ahem. So as I suspect no one will be surprised to learn, my feeling is it hurts. Big time. IMHO what's particularly great about the familiar version of SJ is the sheer simple perfection of the four greatest chords in the history of rock; anything that interferes with that is like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa, i.e. nothing short of blasphemy.

But that's just me. What do YOU guys think?

And don't hold back -- you won't be bruising my fee fees, I promise you that. 😎

And in the meantime -- have a great weekend, everybody!!!

Okay, I Couldn't Resist

A gentleman named Jamie Williams put together this great seasonal tribute to the Motörhead bass legend.

Ice Ice Lemmy, maybe? 😎

In any case, an absolutely thought provoking Weekend Essay Question arrives on the morrow -- scout's honor.

Cover Version of the Week (An Occasional Series): Special "Somebody's in Their Corset Again" Edition

Wow. Seriously. Just wow.

Man, does that suit her voice/vocal range or what?

I hadn't heard that before I stumbled across it on YouTube the other day, and I have to say it blew my tiny mind. Apparently, it was done in 2016 for the soundtrack of the final season of The Good Wife, the highly acclaimed political thriller serial (on CBS) that I somehow managed to miss as well.

In any event, that may be the best "Sweet Jane" cover ever, and I say that as a) somebody who used to sing the song live with my old garage band chums The Weasels and b) has sworn by Mott the Hoople's Bowie-produced version for several decades now.

May I say again -- wow? 😎

Tuesday's Cartoon (and Photo) Chuckles

Okay, I don't know who was responsible for that last one -- it wasn't me, honest -- but I think it's kind of on the money anyway. 😎

My New Favorite Band (An Occasional Series): Special "It Came From Sydney" Edition

From just a few minutes ago in 2025, please enjoy drop dead great Australian retro powerpop-sters Large Mirage and their infectious and hilarious ode to a gal who can't quite make up her mind -- "Miss Okay."

Man, those kids really have the Revolver guitars and vocal harmonies down, don't they?

Can't seem to find a detailed bio of them anywhere online so I'm not sure how long they've been doing this sort of thing, although they're apparently highly regarded as a live act in the land Down Under. That said, you can dig more of their music, and find out a little more about them, over at their official website HERE.

G'day, mates!

[h/t Michael Conroy]

La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "I Can't Take the Way He Sings But I Love to Hear Him Talk" Edition

Okay, I can't recall if I've ever posted this before, but in any event it cracks me up.

A HISTORY OF MUSIC TIMELINE

Early Music -- chants, grunts, banging
Greco-Roman -- flutes, harps, shepherds
Medieval -- monks singing in unison, some broad named Hildegarde
Renaissance -- lutes, high tenor voices
Baroque/Classical -- opera, Masterpiece Theater
Romantic -- Strings, tuneful, Lincoln Center
Modern/Contemporary -- chants, grunts, banging

I don't know who wrote that, BTW, but apart from it being very droll, I am also of the opinion that it's basically accurate.

Especially the "chants, grunts, banging" part. 😎

Which brings us, inexorably, to the subject of the weekend's business. To wit:

George Harrison famously told John Lennon to listen to Bob Dylan's lyrics. Lennon responded "I don't listen to the words."

IMHO, the greatest pop records ever made are almost mostly all about the music. They sound like what the lyrics say, to the point you don't need to actually listen to the words; lyrics are merely the icing on the cake. For example, if you don't speak English, and can't understand what Jagger is actually carrying on about in "Satisfaction," the record will still mean the same thing to you as if you could. Because the sound of what the band is playing behind Jagger speaks perfectly clearly to the song's meaning.

So -- that being the case, what is a post-Elvis rock/soul/country/folk record with perhaps not particularly good, trite or overtly asinine/nonsensical lyrics (or merely chants, grunts and banging) that you love to death anyway???

Discuss.

In case you were wondering, my fave -- hands down -- is...

I mean, that doesn't even HAVE lyrics -- just a lot of non-linguistic yelling.

And yet, you know exactly what it's about, don't you. 😎😎

Alrighty then -- what would YOUR favorites be?

And have a great post-Thanksgiving weekend, everybody!!!

It's Turkey Day: Special "B. J. Wilson is God" Edition

From 1971, here's Procol Harum Mark II...

.....and their utterly gorgeous live version of original organist Matthew Fisher's "Pilgrim's Progress." With Gary Brooker singing Matthew's part from the studio version.

Pilgrim -- get it? It's not rocket science, kids. 😎

As long-time readers may recall, this song is something of a Thanksgiving tradition around here by now, but I thought I'd try to do it a little differently this year. Hence my delight earlier this week when I discovered the above clip, which I had not seen previously.

Meanwhile, for now, enjoy the cranberry sauce and stuffing, everybody!!!

And get ready for a way cool Weekend Essay Question on the morrow!!!