Mart 49 music compilation

Here’s the last year’s favourite music that fits on a cd (there were a number of others reluctantly dumped off the list!) – it is not necessarily new music, but songs I have enjoyed the most at different times during the year. Here is the list in order of what sounds good on a compilation rather than order of preference:

#1 I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight – U2 Artificial Horizon 2010. I dislike the original track of this song from No Line On The Horizon, it seems like the track out of place in the album – an echo of past styles – so when I secured Artificial Horizon I was well-pleased to hear this upbeat dance track live mix – the little surprise on the U2 360 tour.

#2 Beyond here lies nothing – Bob Dylan Together Through Life 2009. Dylan’s new album is a mixed bag but in this opening track he is at his lively crusty best.

#3 Little Favours – KT Tunstall Drastic Fantastic 2007. While KT could name her albums better, I enjoy the uncomplicated rawness of her songs – she is especially good to watch live (well on DVDs if the truth be known). Her being part of Neil Finn’s Seven World’s Collide project was what put me on to her).

#4 Loveblind – The Church Sometime Anywhere 1994. The Church have become a firm favourite in the last month or two – choosing two songs for this compilation over others has been a real challenge. My brother Dave has sent different songs over from Melbourne over the years but it has taken me a while to catch on. I love the completeness of this song – an interesting story and lovely music to bring it to life.

#5 Moment of Surrender – U2 No Line On The Horizon 2009. This is the second successive year this song has made the list. I rate it among U2’s best two or three songs – sublimely simple.

#6 Up to you now – Ben Harper & Relentless 7 White Lies For Dark Times 2009. The musicianship of this whole album is quite stunning – the Relentless 7 guys can really play – the guitarist, bassist and drummer are each individually brilliant yet bring it all together to make it a whole.

#7 Little suitcase – Luluc Dear Hamlyn 2008. Dave also sent over with these gentle soulful songs from this folk duo from Melbourne, Zoe Randell and Steve Hassett.

#8 I and I – Bob Dylan Infidels. I first heard this album in the year it was released but didn’t realise its value until recently. I would rate Infidels as my favourite Dylan album.

#9 Blessed one – Steve Kilbey Dabble 2001. It was this song from The Church leader that got me back into their music.

#10 Could you be loved – Bob Marley Uprising 1980. A little bit retro here! I got a copy of the CD after having had the LP when it was first released.

#11 Forever man – Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood Live From Madison Square Garden 2009. What a song, what a concert!

#12 In my secret life – Leonard Cohen Live In London 2009. There is a lot warmth, grace and humility of Cohen’s concert, as well as great musicianship – it was hard to choose a track for this compilation.

#13 Black silk ribbon – Bic Runga & KT Tunstall in the 7 Worlds Collide CD The Sun Came Out 2009. This was my introduction to KT and a nice blend of voices with NZ’s Bic Runga. Interestingly both artists have a part-Chinese heritage.

#14 Cortez the killer – The Church A Box Of Birds 1999. The original Neil Young & Crazy Horse song made it on last year’s list – here is a cover version that is arguably an equal, which is a big ask. The mood set by the band with the excellent guitar work and vocal power is a real delight – it is a long track and my pick for the best track on this compilation.

old and new music in my life!

The last few weeks have had a little influx of good music to listen to...

Paul Simon's Hearts & Bones released in 1983 has long been a favourite, but I only had it in LP format, thus it was only listened to every four years or so. I imported a CD last month - it is great to have it back as a familiar friend. The outstanding tracks (in my opinion) are: 'Hearts & Bones' and 'Train in the Distance' but most of the tracks are likable. Al di Meola's guitar solo on Allergies is wonderful. Three of the session musicians Paul Simon uses appeared on Simon & Garfunkel's Concert in the Park - Steve Gadd (drummer extraordinaire), Richard Tee (keyboards) and Anthony Jackson (bass) - they also happen to play with Al di Meola in his excellent Elegant Gypsy album.

Next has been Bob Dylan's Together Through Life - in some ways a mixed bag, but with some absolutely wonderful songs in the mix - bluesy, folky, rough, & humorous (My Wife's Home Town is delightfully wicked). The outstanding tracks in addition to My wife's..., are the opening track Beyond Here Lies Nothin', Forgetful Heart and It's All Good. The older Bob gets the better he sounds!

Ben Harper's new album (with Relentless 7) White Lies for Dark Times is a lively rock album. I am not a great fan of Harper (the exception being his excellent work with the Blind Boys From Alabama), and I only listened to the album in the shop because I had a bit of time. Well what a surprise it is! The band are a bunch of very able musicians who let loose on some memorable songs in a strong album. There are a few slower songs that work well to balance the hard rock of the opening tracks. It is a gem. The standout tracks are many - track 2, Up To You Now is amazing - especially the way it sounds after the opening track.

Last but not least is The Decemberists' The Hazards of Love. This Oregon-based folk-rock group are a sensation. They are eccentric - they produce sounds and songs that are certainly nor mainstream. This concept album needs to be played sequentially - it is a story in 17 parts. The music ranges from light acoustic to moments of hard rock - the singing is unusual - the new female singer in the band sounds kind of off-key at first - but her style suits the band's style quite wonderfully. I loved their first album on a mainstream label, The Crane Wife, and this follow-up album is every bit as good.

I've been spoilt rotten this month just some weeks after lamenting that I hadn't listened to much new music in the last year that had left a lasting impression.

Mart 48

Yep, that day is fast coming when people officially mark the fact that I have got older. I like the presents, but why the cards that rub it in, why the 'there, there' pats on the head from my children, why the fuss? And to top it off, the mother of my first grandson is in labour! I am too young to be 48, and too young to be a grandfather!

Anyway, as is my custom, I have put together my CD collection of the songs I have enjoyed the most over the last year. They are not ranked, rather, they are mixed. They either flow nicely into each other or provide startling contrasts, though the first track is rather sublime and deserves the first place.

On the whole the songs are mellow - maybe that is the aging thing - and there are some songs from the 1970's by The Moody Blues & Supertramp, and even a track from the 1960's from The Beatles. It has been a year of collecting Beatles, Supertramp and Moody Blues Cd's - I have loved these bands for a long time but had stuff on tapes and LPs. My favourite albums by each band are: Abbey Road (though A Hard Day's Night is a close second), Crisis? What Crisis? and A Question of Balance. However, the Beatles track I have chosen is off Magical Mystery Tour, and the other Supertramp song was originally on Even in the Quietest Moments. I haven't found a copy of Rodriguez's Coming From Reality CD yet, otherwise I would have had his fabulous To Whom It May Concern on the list.

I also want to express a word of lament - it is harder to get Cd's in this country. This love affair with downloading is undermining the CD industry - I (probably operating from a getting old perspective) love handling the CD - I love browsing the sleeve - I love the tactile placement of the CD into the machine. I love being able to put a collection of Cd's together in the machine and pushing 'random play', and I love removing one of the Cd's if it doesn't quite fit. I love these things in the way I loved LP's.

A few songs didn't make the cut because they didn't fit onto the CD - one of them, Isn't it Amazing by Hothouse Flowers has been on a past compilation and it should be on here as well - and Falling Slowly & Motherland were also on last year. That is a tribute to the quality of their music as I have listened to those tracks many many times and still love them.

Of course, this is a U2 year with the release of No Line on the Horizon. There are four songs that could also have made the cut - they do make it hard!

Where possible, a sample of the song is included.

Mart 48
#1 moment of surrender - U2 [from No Line on the Horizon]
The Edge has created one of the most beautiful and simple guitar solos on a track with Bono in fine voice and a signature U2 theme well-explored. The best track since With or Without You? - I think so but my son Josh thinks I'm nuts - he likes Get On Your Boots - of course!
#2 magic - bruce springsteen [from Magic] http://www.last.fm/music/Bruce+Springsteen/Magic/Magic
I love this album - I'm a relatively recent Springsteen fan - it seemed that the Trade Towers needed to come down before I was ready for him.
#3 falling slowly - glen hansard & marketa irglova [from The Swell Season] http://www.last.fm/music/Glen+Hansard+and+Marketa+Irglova/_/Falling+Slowly
#4 live with me - massive attack [from Collected] http://www.last.fm/music/Massive+Attack/_/Live+With+Me
This man's voice is stunning - a moving love song.
#5 unknown caller - U2 [from No Line on the Horizon]
An unusual song - a nice surprise on the album. I wonder if it is a sign of where music might go in the future.
#6 question - the moody blues [from A Question of Balance] http://www.last.fm/music/The+Moody+Blues/_/Question
There are many songs I could have chosen - I'm a pre-1972 Moodies fan.
#7 sandrevan lullaby - sixto rodriguez [from At His Best] http://www.last.fm/music/Rodriguez/_/Sandrevan+Lullaby check him out at http://www.sugarman.org/index.html
I was introduced to Rodriguez (who only produced two studio albums) in 1982. He comes from the social comment school of songwriters. He has quite big following in South Africa but never really made it in his native US.
#8 motherland - natalie merchant [from Motherland] http://www.last.fm/music/Natalie+Merchant/_/Motherland
Great social comment about the spread of concrete - Josh the skater likes concrete but I don't.
#9 two of us - supertramp [from Crisis? What Crisis?] http://www.last.fm/music/Supertramp/_/Two+of+Us
I found Crisis... in the excellent Penny Lane second hand CD store here in Christchurch (http://www.pennylanerecords.co.nz/) - it is probably the least valued of the wonderful series of 1970's Supertramp albums, but one I love to listen to as a whole.
#10 cash - the panics [from Acoustic - various]
I don't know anything about this band, but this track, accidentally ripped onto my songs list, has become a favourite.
#11 cortez the killer - neil young [from Live Rust] http://www.last.fm/music/Neil+Young/_/Cortez+the+Killer
The track on my collection is a live one - Will Jensen (late of Sunset Cinema http://www.myspace.com/sunsetcinemanz and now in the rather unusual Brains http://www.myspace.com/brainsmorebrains) had this track playing a lot over the summer. And to his delight, Neil Young played it at Big Day Out.
#12 hearts and bones - paul simon [from Concert in the Park]
I have had the original track on the Hearts & Bones LP since it came out in 1982, and now have the CD on order. Sublime!
#13 breathe - U2 [from No Line on the Horizon]
Brian Eno rates this and Moment... as two of the best U2 tracks he has been involved with. That's quite a statement from the co-producer of The Joshua Tree and Acthung Baby!
#14 i am the walrus - the beatles [from Magical Mystery Tour]
John Lennon at his wicked best. My recent access to this song has been though the movie Across the Universe, Bono's excellent version of I Am The Walrus from the movie nearly made it instead of the original.
#15 from now on - supertramp [from Anthology] http://www.last.fm/music/Supertramp/_/From+Now+On

No Line on the Horizon has arrived

I’ve been enjoying the first few listens to No Line on the Horizon and it has been fun. I managed to secure the poster and Griff the dog seems to at least like the poster!
As I expected, U2 have gone to another frontier with their music. Yes it is still them but they have kept growing. They number among the few bands/musicians who keep offering something refreshingly new each album. Others that come to mind are/were The Beatles and David Bowie. Some like Bruce Springsteen (and please understand, I am not complaining!) have taken lyric writing to new heights and at times matched them with new sounds, but basically, there is a well-trod style of music on offer. And others like The Rolling Stones have never moved on musically from their better days in the 60’s and very early 70’s. But U2 they just keep on getting better. Remember to listen to this music up loud!
The collaboration with producers Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois has also made it to a number of song-writing credits, and these number among the best tracks.
Here are my initial impressions song by song :
No Line on the Horizon: A welcome return to some of the Euro-style sounds of the brilliant Zooropa. I always thought that that sound was something special and it is great to see its return in many of these songs. Here’s an interesting thought and theological challenge – is Bono suggesting that the girl is the Spirit and that the Spirit puts no lines on the horizon – no distinctions, and changes everyday for us? I’ve always struggled with the line that God never changes if it means that we try to be prescriptive about how God can or cannot act. I admire God’s ability to meet me up close or far away, being there believing in me when I’m doing what I should and when I’m wallowing in what I shouldn’t.
Magnificent: Bono and Edge’s lyrics exploring the theological theme of love/God leaving a mark, even a scar, is a great reflection on the call on us to be faithful despite the inevitable wounds we will get if we are getting following Jesus right. Best line: “This foolishness [the cross?] can leave a heart black and blue, only love…can leave such a mark, but only love…can heal such a scar.”
Moment of Surrender: A mellow beat with more theological richness: “It’s not if I believe in love, but if love believes in me.” This a great antidote to the evangelical overemphasis on us having to do something to be right with God. Surrender is a great U2 theme from their earliest days and well-explored here in one of the album's best tracks.
Unknown Caller: “Cease to speak that I may speak, shush now.” My initial favourite song – beautiful guitar, great singing and something very special in the ending... Turn it up loud, follow the words, hear the call to ‘shush’ and let God speak, and then… an organ warming up to Edge’s distinctive simple guitar playing…a recognition perhaps that that’s what we’ve been getting over the years, God speaking through the distinctive U2 sound.
I’ll go crazy if I don’t do crazy tonight: I haven’t found my way into this song yet. It has too much of the sound of All that you can’t leave behind in it, or Crumbs from your table.

Get On Your Boots: lovely Edge guitar and vocals. The first single, a wonderful video and the catchy song of the album serving to open the doors to a new audience just like The Fly, Discotheque, Elevation & Vertigo. Actually I think that if you put all of these songs together they kind of work out to be the same. A nice point though: that men stuff up the world (submarines and gasoline) and the greed and war escalates, and its time for the women to take over – get on your sexy boots!
Stand up Comedy: A grand Led Zeppelin-style opening, great music and a wonderful call to get in the frame and do something about standing up for love – of the faith hope and love Jesus variety. The line "God is love, and love is evolutions best day" is a thoughtful no-lines-need-to-divide contribution to the endless and mindless creation vs evolution debate that seems to absorb modernism. Bono’s self-depreciating line: “Josephine be careful of small men with big ideas.” is a bit of fun, but also a truism - Napoleon was short, Bono is short, come to think of it, so am I! But I like the call Bono makes to soul rockin’ people to come on stand up (say Yes) and then sit down (lay down) for God’s love.
Fez-Being Born – named after the city where the early recordings of the album were made starts calmly with the distant cry ‘Let me in the Sound’ and then follows with some more of that lively Euro-style beat reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s great Autobahn, with a hint of U2’s New Year’s Day, before turning into something quite new – the voices together and birth. I wonder if this should have been the first track – it reminds me of the impact Zoo Station had when I first listened to Achtung Baby – a new sound – the stretch out into something almost out of reach like a high note Bono has to be in the right mood to hit. This reaching out for what seems ungraspable is part of U2's genius - musically they go there but so too they do with their lyrics. There is a poetic simplicity to the words of Fez, and this song is for me the albums highlight.
White as Snow: an unusual song from U2 – commandeering an old folk melody and finding new words. It is quite special – faith, doubt and the realisation of the ‘lamb as white as snow.’
Breathe: Musically still to grow on me, but I love the line: “I’ve found grace inside a sound, I found grace it’s all that I found, and I can breathe, breathe now.”
Cedars of Lebanon: moody, thoughtful, and the boys sing well together again.
No Line on the Horizon 2: ends as it starts.

'no line on the horizon' pre-review

Neil McCormick - very long-time U2 friend, writer of 'U2 by U2' and "I was Bono's Doppelganger' and rock writer for The Telegraph has penned a very good pre-review of the new U2 album due for release in 10 days (I'm counting)... here's an excerpt...

"...what a place for a band to be, in orbit around their own myth, making music that bounces off the inside of a listeners skull, charged with ideas and emotions, groovy enough to want to dance to, melodic enough to make you sing along, soulful enough to cherish, philosophical enough to inspire, and with so many killer tracks it might as well be a latterday greatest hits. It is, at the very least, an album to speak of in the same breath as their best and what other band of their longevity can boast of that?"

I can't wait!

Read the full thing by hitting http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/neil_mccormick/blog/2009/02/16/u2_no_line_on_the_horizon__full_review_plus_what_bono_really_thinks

Get on your boots

"The future needs a big kiss…"

That’s the opening phrase on U2’s new single… yeah - that's got to be the hope for people who pray 'Your kingdom come'! And of course, the future is a big kiss!
Listen to it at: http://www.last.fm/music/U2/_/Get+On+Your+Boots

U2's new album No line on the Horizon comes out in early March

Anotherland

Dave Dobbyn - one of NZ's finest musicians has released his new CD, Anotherland. I wondered how he would move on from his acclaimed Available Light album, but he has - this time with some blues-style horns and deep dug spirituality. I'm loving the album more and more as I listen to it.

You can check Dave out for yourself on his website: http://www.davedobbyn.co.nz/anotherland.html

Across the Universe

Ahh... finally - my pick for film of the year (even though it was released in 2007).

This week we went to Across the Universe, directed by Julie Taymor. It was brilliant!

The music - all Beatles songs (33 I believe) well sung by the cast with very groovy arrangements, that fitted into the clever story... the costumes, choreography and sets were excellent... even Bono made a cameo as Dr Robert. If you haven't seen this movie and you like the Beatles or lived a bit in the 60's (or wished that you did!) then watch it. It is out on DVD in the Northern Hemisphere but on at the Academy theatre in Christchurch, NZ.

I bought the CD today (deluxe version as it has more songs)... truly wonderful!

The Moody Blues

I've been in a Moody Blues phase of late... purchased a few CDs and pulled out others. Along with my brothers, I prefer the pre 1972 albums, up to the time they went into a four year recess and Mike Pinder left (Mike is my favourite 'Moody')

The albums I have brought are A Question of Balance, Days of Future Past, and In Search of the Lost Chord. Probably the only songs known by most people are off the 1967 Days... album (Forever) Tuesday Afternoon and Nights In White Satin. The sleeve notes of these remixed CDs add to the experience.

My favourite Moody songs are: Ray Thomas' For my lady, & Legend of a Mind and Mike Pinder's When we are freemen & Melancholy Man.

The album of that era I find the most inaccessible is Threshold of a Dream - mainly, I suspect, because I didn't ever listen to it when my older brother sent me Moody's tapes in my later teenage years in the late-70's.

The only Moody's LP I ever purchased for myself was 1981's Long Distance Voyager - I love the opening track Justin Hayward's The Voice and his Forever Autumn song on Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds musical is a long-standing favourite song.

Is anyone 'out there' a Moody's fan?

Mart hits 47 years with his favourite music from last year

Another birthday has passed… as I have done for the last three years, I compiled the group of songs that I have enjoyed the most this last year. The list is not in order of preference, but in order of what I think makes a good mix. I don’t listen to the radio to find new music – it is much more hit and miss than that, thus the collection comes entirely from cds at home… I don’t know why I put this list up on the blog… musical taste is so subjective, why would anyone want to listen to what I listen to? Before you run off and buy anything I’ve listed, do ask yourself that question!

#1 The Decemberists The Crane Wife Pt 3 (from The Crane Wife) My daughter Hana introduced this – for Anne, Sam, Josh & I it is a Gold Coast, Australia song – we hired a car, we had one CD, this was the opening track.
#2 Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Falling Slowly (from The Swell Season & the movie Once). This just qualified – Anne and I watched Once just three weeks before my birthday.
#3 Cowboy Junkies December Skies (from Early 20th Century Blues) The album is made up mostly of covers – it is my favourite Junkies album… this song starts with references to September 11 – sadness and lament for humanity as the 21st century gets underway.
#4 Crowded House Pour le Monde (from Time On Earth). Crowded House are back – we saw them in concert and they didn’t play this song! What confidence to leave the best track out from the play list. What a problem having so many good songs to choose from!
#5 David Gilmour On An Island (the title track from On An Island) We have watched the live DVD more than listened to the CD and had to include something from the maestro.
#6 Liam Finn Second Chance (from I’ll Be Lightening). Liam Finn’s quirky debut solo album is a masterpiece. He goes into strange territory with his rhythms and excels.
#7 Natalie Merchant Motherland (the title track from Motherland) Her participation in the Junkies Trinity Revisited led us to seek out this album.
#8 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Into My Arms (from The Best of…) A moving love song.
#9 The Decemberists Summersong (see above)
#10 Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova When your mind’s made up (see above)
#11 Cowboy Junkies Misguided Angel (from Trinity Revisited) This album is a musical and visual feast… 20 years on the Junkies revisit their second album and the church it was recorded in and do the same set with several other musicians in attendance, including Natalie Merchant and Ryan Adams. The DVD has been watched over and over again.
#12 Crowded House English Trees (see above)
#13 Eric Clapton & Billy Preston Isn’t It a Pity (from Concert for George) A year after George Harrison died a band of friends got together and gave a concert… wonderful stuff! The Junkies covered this song on Early 20th Century Blues and I was torn over which version to include.
#14 Liam Finn I’ll Be Lightening (see above) This song is verse, verse, verse & chorus… strange and brilliant with Neil Finn on bass.
#15 Eric Clapton with Paul McCartney While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from Concert for George) Eric bleeds for his friend – one of my all-time favourite songs.

Split Enz in Christchurch

And a few days ago we took my old school friends Tony and Carolyn Bunting to see Split Enz in the Westpac Centre in Christchurch. What a night! The band were in great form - playing all those songs that we grew up with as if they were still 25 years younger! I had all of their records from the True Colours/Frenzy era onwards but had never seen them live. We were dazzled by the set, lighting and costumes (thanks to Noel Crombie's brilliance) but the musicianship was the highlight... brilliant keyboards, guitar, bass and drumming and then the Finn's singing. It was good to see Neil Finn playing in the band that formed him - he and Tim Finn were a great tandem act - in Split Enz they both offered as much as each other, whereas since then Neil's light has shone brightest.

It was also fun being in an audience of people predominantly my age and older! The opening band was The Phoenix Foundation a rising star in the NZ music scene who I hadn't really heard before.

How spoilt we are - Crowded House in November and Split Enz in March - awesome!

A lot of music at the moment

Anne and I have just had an influx of new cds and dvds that we are loving after a few months of the decemberists, crowded house and the cowboy junkies new album

Here is what has pushed the buttons for us...

Bruce Springsteen's Magic (some of the old magic that got us hooked with his The Rising album) Liam Finn's I'll be lightening, (which has some startling rhythms - the title track stands out so far and has Neil Finn demonstrating his genius on bass), David Gilmour's Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD is a classic - especially enhanced by having Crosby and Nash singing, and the Cowboy Junkies Trinity Revisited - it is a CD and DVD where they go back to the Holy Trinity Church in downtown Toronto and do the same tracks as the original The Trinity Sessions album of 20 years ago with a few other musicians in tow. We watched the DVD for the first time last night and it was quite brilliant. The cinematography is fantastic and adds to the wonderful sound. It was recorded in a day just like the original. Ryan Adams, Vic Chesnutt and especially Natalie Merchant, add ouitstanding vocals to Margo Timmins' (pictured) uncomplicated sonic genius.

If people are new to the Junkies then I have suggested they start with The Trinity Sessions, but now, they need to start with Revisited.

We are also in the process of purchasing tickets to the Split Enz concert in Christchurch next March - yeah!

Crowded House Concert

Well, it was great!

Pluto had the hard graft of being first up - they had a few good sounds in their set but the mix was wrong and we worried that this would be the problem of the venue...

But Supergroove settled that with their Blues Brothers style and sound - they were wonderfully energetic and the sound was great. Che Fu was stunning. I hadn't seen them live before and I was most impressed.

But the night belonged to Neil Finn and his team. The lift professionally was amazing from band to band, and with Crowded House, we entered the stratosphere. I was pleasantly surprised with the choice of songs - many from Together Alone and a few of the more obscure songs from their debut album and only three from Woodface (Fall at your Feet, Weather With You & Four Seasons).

The new songs came across really well although I found Transit Lounge didn't come across as well as I hoped ('though the reviewer in The Press seemed to like it the most - actually it was a poor review - he seemed to be trying to provide an intellectual analysis of the three bands aside from the reality of it being a live concert - and his claim that half of the House set was from the new album was quite a stretch given that in the two hours there were only five or six songs off Time on Earth - actually I was amazed how little of the new album they used and wished they had done my favourites Pour Le Monde & English Trees).

What that reviewer also missed was mentioning the brilliant set. The unusual images, the light and the blend of effects was very artistic and kind of theatrical - after U2 and all their stunning computer-generated effects I couldn't imagine that there cound be a visual equivalent offered by another band - but there was here.

The three encores was much-appreciated as well... a great night thanks!

Crowded House Day

Tonight Anne and I are off to see Crowded House play in Christchurch with Supergroove & Pluto! Yay!

Two great albums in the CD player...

The latest music I'm listening to and loving are Crowded House's latest: Time on Earth, and Cowboy Junkies latest At the End of Paths Taken...

Neil Finn has been a long-time favourite of mine and it is neat that Crowded House have found a new life despite the tragic death of Paul Hester. The melody lines Neil comes up with in the songs are some of the richest I have heard... Pour Le Monde & English Trees... sublime!

As for Cowboy Junkies - this album has a 'heavier' style to it [but hey, this is folk rock so not too heavy!]... stronger guitar than usual and some great use of orchestral backing (a first as far as I recall).

If you are looking for great new music to listen to, these albums are the best I have heard this year!

Here's someone elses Junkies review... [read it by scrolling down until you see the album image]... http://images.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://weeklyvolcano.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/13/cowboyjunkies.jpg&imgrefurl=http://weeklyvolcano.typepad.com/spew/concert_alert/index.html&h=500&w=500&sz=24&hl=en&start=40&tbnid=M8NWSlltmTem0M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcowboy%2Bjunkies%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

A Concert for George

Anne and I have been enjoying watching the Concert for George Harrison DVD, borrowed from our neighbours. What a fantastic concert... a remarkable collection of songs from the often under the radar maestro, brilliant musicianship - Eric Clapton in charge with Jeff Lynne. Dhani Harrison, Billy Preston on keyboards, Ringo and Paul... and Anoushka Shankar (Ravi's daughter & Norah Jones' half-sister) on sitar... and the sense of being part of a community grieving the loss of their friend.

My favourite song was the moving 'While my guitar gently weeps' - Eric Clapton was inspirational and clearly grieving as a camera caught him in a private moment looking away from the audience as the song ended... the version of 'Something' was also delightful.

The concert was in 2002, why does it take me five years to catch up?

Best song of all time

I had a wee yarn with Jim Mora on National Radio this afternoon which was a hoot. He has a 'what's the best song of all time?' slot each day after the 1pm news... I got in with U2's With or Without You from the Joshua Tree album.

So what's your choice of best song of all time??? Hit the comment button below and put in your choice! As long as you don't choose anything by Celine Dion I will make the list of replies into a blog in the next while!

I am working with a group of colleagues on a Sunday evening 'service' on the 7th October where we will use the music of U2 in the context of a communion service. One of our working titles is Sunday Bloody Sunday - "Yeah I'd drink bread and wine if there was a church I could receive in." - the title is from a U2 song - the sub-text is a line from their song 'Acrobat'. Keep on the lookout for the big event!!! I will have more details on this blog once they are firmed up!

- Mart the Rev

CD compilation on my birthday

Here's my cd of songs I've enjoyed through the last year... the list is in order of making it a good mix more than actual preferences although #1 and #2 are tops with me.
Explanation for some of the choices included...
city of blinding lights - U2 opening track at the U2 concert we went to in Melbourne... alluding to the new jerusalem???
isn't it amazing - hothouse flowers used it at a memorable church service & went to concert last year and they sung it!
lungs - cowboy junkies part of an extra group of covers on the one soul now album '04
my black heart - the ghost who walks this is neil mccormick, rock critic and author of the brilliant I was Bono's Doppelganger & U2 by U2 - I imported this from the UK and love it. He also released a song after the London bombings - you can see it on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DECobDuX_YQ Neil is in the middle of the clip holding his child.
wired - mephymology this Dunedin NZ band are finding their way - a great bunch who stayed on their way north to tour in the summer. Check them out at http://www.mephymology.co.nz/ They have some tracks on their my space site from a great concert last year.
window in the skies - U2 used this at church after Easter... great lines esp in opening verse
accustomed to the light - dave dobbyn Dave is one of NZ's heros he played this one evening in ChCh this summer with band & orchestra - profound! As was his version of Cohen's Hallelujah.
map of the problematique - muse me and my boys love these guys, i love this following dave's song
magic bracelets - hothouse flowers from the latest flowers album - full of optimism.
fade into you - mazzy star a song on my brother's compilation that struck a chord, one of my daughter's favourites as well
not ready to make nice - dixie chicks the most 'pop' of the songs on this list... i like the anger but hope they find a way to move on from their stand re George Bush and the stuff that came at them because of it!
nothing wrong with me - the audreys also on the compilation... they won the best blues & roots album in Australia 2006 check them at http://www.theaudreys.com.au/
thunder road - cowboy junkies springsteen's song in junkies style also from the one soul now extra cd
red right hand - nick cave & the bad seeds a close competition with their song do you love me?
angel - massive attack enjoyed this played on The West Wing end of series 4
forever young - bob dylan i honestly hadn't really heard this song until this year!

On the Move - Bono

I've just ordered a copy of Bono's little book On the Move - his speech to a White House Prayer Breakfast and photos he took when he and Ali first went to Ethiopia in 1986. I have a copy of the speech and it is great - and I probably don't need the book (just as I don't really need every CD by U2, a dozen U2 books, pretty much every CD single since 1993 and a pile of rock magazines with articles on U2) but if having it in any way supports his mountain-moving work in Africa, then I'm in!

Favourite Albums

It is a year or so since I started this blog - I began and then stopped for months... shifted cities etc etc.

Two years ago on my birthday I burned a compilation CD of songs I enjoyed the most through the year. The songs didn't need to be new - just enjoyed. I'm about to do that this year and I'll include the list here when it is done.

In the meantime I got thinking about what were my favourite albums. This is more complicated because for me the criteria of what makes a great album means assessing the collection of songs as a whole rather than saying it is great because of a few songs. Thus for me, U2's Joshua Tree has some of their best songs but the B-side (One Tree Hill aside) just hasn't got under my skin. Anne and I have similar enough tastes in music and the question of what are our favourite albums has been a topic I have raised as we have walked in the mornings (not always appreciated when we have just woken up!).

Here's the list so far in order of my preferences...

#1 Achtung Baby - U2 1991

#2 Songs From The Rain - Hothouse Flowers 1993

#3 The Trinity Sessions - Cowboy Junkies 1988

#4 Abbey Road - The Beatles 1969

#5 Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits 1985

#6 All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2 2000

#7 Into Your Heart - Hothouse Flowers 2004

#8 Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd 1973

#9Coming From Reality - Rodriguez 1971
#10 Together Alone - Crowded House 1993

#11 The Rising - Bruce Springsteen 2002

#12 Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd 1975

#13 The Globe Sessions - Sheryl Crow 1998

Anne would want to add Time After Time - Eva Cassidy 2000, I'm not so sure it ranks with the above ones.

Closing in though is the 2006 debut album of the Australian group The Audreys - Between Last Night & Us.

I want to add a compilation my brother put together featuring The Audreys, Nick Cave, Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies & Chris Isaak... it is quite fantastic but it doesn't fit the criteria.

What albums would you rate as your favourites?