Some things Old, some things from the News, some things Borrowed, and some Blues: `(Take 4)
Friday is fun, because it's all about music - and there's links and playlists. Today, another dive into the occasional featurette where I ramble about all sorts of things under a loose thread or two..
So, first things first, a reminder of the format. Here’s the first time I tried this and here’s take two. And here’s take three. You are reading the fourth take. Just a chance to share some links and playlists and chat about a few music-related topics, news, bits and bites…So, let’s go:
Some things Old
I got all nostalgic yesterday about Steve Vai coming back to town. I’m not sure I can afford it (having been away recently on holiday), I’ve left my run late on getting a ticket, I even entered the Under The Radar competition for tickets (fingers crossed!). I’ve seen Steve Vai live twice, both times brilliant. Especially the first time, as part of the G3 tour: unreal!
The whole shred thing is largely dead to me, but when I was a teenager it was the very real deal, a chance for me, and my newfound guitar enthusiasm to step up and out from the shadow of all the music my folks loved and still endorsed. Look, I think anyone that’s ever read a handful of pieces I’ve written knows I’m unapologetically uncool when it comes to music - always have been. And I loved all the big, obvious guitar heroes from the 60s British Blues Boom. But the shredders that arrived on the back of Eddie Van Halen’s heavy lifting created a chance for me to feel like I had my own music too. Specifically Satriani with Surfing With The Alien and Flying In A Blue Dream - and Vai with his appearance in the movie Crossroads and the album Passion and Warfare.
Yesterday, I made a playlist of Vai’s likely setlist. To get in the zone for if I go, and to already start commiserating the fact that I probably won’t. But a few songs in, and I will return to it, I just decided to play Passion and Warfare. It’s a perfect blast of bombast. Still. I can’t listen to it with any objectivity. And I don’t have to. (I’m not supposed to). It’s not 47yo me listening to it at all. It’s 14yo and 15yo me listening to it - the red Sony Walkman, my basketball boots, walking to school, walking home from the video store, shooting hoops (badly) in the back yard, listening to Vai as ‘hype’ music while I practiced hockey. That album is its own story for me. And though there are other great moments from Vai - and I was lucky to interview him some years ago and he was brilliant to chat with, and what a great bunch of session higlights (PiL, Frank Zappa, Whitesnake), it will always be about Passion and Warfare first and foremost for me. So it was nice to have that reminder.
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Tracy Chapman. That first album. Wow. Right? I think everyone knows this. Even people that claim to not care about this album know that it holds a special magic. I’ve loved this album my whole life, or close to it. Certainly since I first heard it. I wrote about Tracy Chapman early in the life of this Substack.
This time last week, well it was Friday afternoon, the start of the long weekend, I finished work for the day and put on that first Tracy Chapman album on CD. I bought it a while back for $1 and decided I had to have it again, despite being able to dial it up whenever on YouTube or Spotify, despite still owning it on vinyl.
What happened next was interesting though. I just sat there. For the 35 or so minutes of playing time. I was almost paralysed. I had intended to read my book, but no chance, I just sat there, absolutely transfixed. I got all dopey and wrote this just published/shared poem. Two days later, we went to a friend’s house for brunch. On vinyl, he was playing Nick Cave’s Boatman’s Call and the soundtrack to The Singing Detective and all sorts of nice and fun things. But as we sat down to eat, he played Tracy Chapman’s debut. We all agreed that every single song is perfect, is magical, is the very best!
Some things from the News
Well, it’s Jazz Festival time in Wellington. The other night I went to GoGo Penguin (review coming soon). This was a wonderful show, it reminded me of seeing The Necks, and Dawn of Midi, and The Bad Plus, all acts I’ve been lucky to see throughout the years at either the Jazz Festival or the Arts Festival - so all under that same NZ Festival umbrella.
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Tonight, I’m going to the Rodger Fox Big Band featuring King Kapisi. A collaboration that is intriguing enough that I really hope it works. In fact, I’m sure it might be quite special indeed. I probably won’t get to anything else at the festival. No one from the organisation was in touch to offer up any review tickets or anything - because things change, and 20 years of supporting the hell out of that festival and turning up for nearly everything probably doesn’t mean a whole lot to the latest people doing publicity eh. Not when they can get social media to just do it all for them. (Reviewing is dead anyway, I’m sure I was one of the first to know and experience this).
That got pathetic and nearly ranty quickly. Sorry. What am I, Chris Schulz?! If you haven’t heard GoGo Penguin, you should. That’s the takeway here. Here!
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I decided to buy - and read - Britney Spears’ memoir. I’m not sure I needed to do that. But a heads up, you might hear more from me about this on Wednesday. (You’ve been sufficiently warned).
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Am I allowed to like the new Doja Cat album?
Because I do. It possibly shouldn’t be my thing. But it is. And I can’t stop listening to it. No shame. No Shame!
Some things Borrowed
I’ve gone nuts this week at the Wellington Public Libraries branch in the middle of Wellington City, I tell ya! CDs galore. Too many too highlight, but I’ve just gone all in on borrowing things and giving them a good spin at home. Ahmad Jamal, David Bowie, Ella Fitzgerald, Dexys, Pat Metheny. Classical, film scores, reggae, dub, jazz, ambient. The works, the very works!
Boxsets too. I’m all nostalgic for the idea of boxsets. In reality, they were (and are) a pain. They don’t fit in with the filing/shelving system, they now mix the media too (a 7” record, a blu ray and a CD in one set - what am I meant to do with that?!) But boxsets were so important to me as a teenager devouring music. They were the statement that you were an actual fan. They were the book and the music all in one. Your all-purpose entertainment and education system! I always wanted the boxset of Derek and The Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. An issue of Guitar World told me about it, said that some of the jamming and outtakes got a bit boring but all up it was magical. And the original album retained its glory. That was enough for me. Extra guitar solos on an album that featured Duane Allman and Eric Clapton at the peak of their powers. Yes please!
Well, some 30 years on from when it might actually have mattered, and only on a temporary loan, I have that music and booklet at my house right now. And just having it here is giving a comfort!
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Another highlight of the week was finding this compilation. Soul Jazz Records is a great label, making so many excellent compilations, but Disco Reggae Rockers was so much fun. I returned it straight away so others can enjoy it - and I’ll probably buy it I think. But meanwhile, here’s an extended playlist version someone else made on Spotify. Fill your Friday with this!
And some Blues.
Well, for this, I’m going right back to the library and the Some things Borrowed section, and the previous chat about boxsets. The week’s biggest revelation has been the discovery of the boxset Playing For The Man at the Door. Field recordings to rival Alan Lomax and Harry Smith. I found this by fluke of browsing and I’m so glad I did. I know that subconsciously it was all my listening to the Killers of the Flower Moon OST that took me to the library searching for some blues and American music from earlier times…
But wow - this boxset brings back everything I said about collecting up boxsets, the booklet, the photos, the history lesson as you listen.
And it directly inspired today’s A Little Something For The Weekend playlist.
Happy listening! And thanks, as always for reading. See or hear anything here new (or very old) to you that you like? And what are your picks for listening this weekend?
