Big Plans For Everybody

[hijeremy]

"You can't start a fire, worried about your little world falling apart..."

Sorry, I haven't been keeping up with things here for a bit. Lots of to-do's to get done and a bucket full of good intentions. Story of my life. Crossing a county line this afternoon (3 counties intersect in our neighborhood, so this is not a rare experience), I started singing "Darlington County," by Bruce Springsteen and The E St. Band. And you know what I haven't listened to in at least 3 years? Born in The USA. WARNING: Major digression ahead: Growing up when I grew up ('70s/'80s), where I grew up (Atlanta > Athens, GA), how I grew up (oddball?), my love of Springsteen made no sense to my peers then, and makes only slightly more sense now. I was lucky enough to have the world's greatest uncle. He made sure we had Born to Run (among many, many others) once my brother, sister and I were given our first communal hi-fi system in the late '70s. 7 or 8 years later, he introduced me to The River (which was old news by then, but it was monumental to me), buying me a copy at Schoolkids in Chapel Hill. That was the same week he taught me how to juggle. About 6 months later, I saw my first E Street (Born in The USA) show at Atlanta's OMNI. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. They have a pretty big catalog. You probably know that already. Darkness on The Edge of Town has been my toppermost of the poppermost for awhile now. Honestly, I love 'em all. That said, I probably spend more time tracking down live tracks for pre-Western Stars material than I listening to full albums other than Darkness... and Tunnel of Love.

Thanks, digression concluded. Mostly. And so, revisiting Born in The USA... The easy take is that after The River, Springsteen decided to split the depressing songs (Nebraska) from the uplifting ones (Born in The USA). The reality is that he split the slow, depressing songs (Nebraska) from the rocking, depressing ones (Born in The USA). What's interesting about Born in The USA now is how, following Nebraska's solo vibe, attempting make a true, collaborative E Street album resulted in a lean, dynamic set of tunes. It sounds like the world's greatest bar band was given an hour of studio time.

[hijeremy]

Sure, let’s say 88 Songs about 52 Years [2022]: Act of Love

I didn’t post yesterday, due to my inability to work through all the 1972 stuff... And then, this morning, I realized nobody cares about how fraught I am about anything, least of all music in 1972. Ergo, I’m going to cover 1970-2022 in non-sequential order. I know: Game. Changer. All self-deprecating humor aside, this new Simple Minds track is too good not to share ASAP. This is one of the first songs they wrote and performed in 1978, but hadn’t recorded. Is it a classic? Maybe not. It’s a testament to the persistence of Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr that they recorded this and released it this week. And I cannot urge you enough to listen to 1981′s Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (it’s a double album, but they were later broken up into separate albums) by Simple Minds.

[hijeremy]

Re. “Amazing Grace”

As it turned out, 1971′s version of “Amazing Grace,” as performed by Judy Collins, led me well off the beaten path as a young person...and now, as a not-so-young person. In addition to all the Laurel Canyon luminaries, Kate Bush and The Cocteau Twins, if it wasn’t for Judy Collins, I probably would’ve overlooked The Golden Gate Quartet (a non-Bay Area vocal group founded in Norfolk, VA in 1934):

[hijeremy]

88-ish Songs about 52 Years [1971]: Amazing Grace

When I was growing up, the music of Judy Collins was one of the few things my parents could agree on. I must have heard her impeccable version of “Amazing Grace” (among many, many others) through walls, doors and floors hundreds of times over the years. Some very intelligent person at Elektra Records figured this would be a hit in 1971. Of course, it seems like a no-brainer now, right? How would I know? I was a 1yo when they released it. It was, in fact, pretty successful, commercially and critically. Here’s a good place to get more info from actual, reliable sources: https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/AmazingGrace.pdf Anyway, this version of this song has been imprinted on my being for decades:

[hijeremy]

Re. “You Can Get It...”

“...listen, Rome was not built in a day...”

You were expecting maybe Sam Cooke? I love Sam Cooke, but I gotta go with the next track on Ain’t That Good News...”Another Saturday Night,” which features my great-uncle Cliff on bass:

[hijeremy]

88 Songs (or more) about 52 Years [1970]: You Can Get It If You Really Want

In a matter of weeks, I’ll be turning 52. My goal is to post one of my favorite tunes (and related favorites) from 1970 to 2022 over the next month and a half. Got it? Cool. The late Desmond Dekker was already a Jamaican legend -- and had discovered Bob Marley -- when he recorded and released “You Can Get It If You Really Want”...which was a Jimmy Cliff cover. Dekker’s version reached #2 on the UK charts. 2 years later, Cliff included the song on the soundtrack to the film The Harder They Come, which starred...Jimmy Cliff! Anyway, I could go on and on on this topic. Instead, here’s Desmond Dekker’s “You Can Get It If You Really Want” (1970):

[hijeremy]

I was 13, mad about basketball, going to 2 high school games a week, and every time I heard Sugar Hill Gang’s “Apache” during warmups...wow. Then someone introduced me to Whodini. Double wow. And then my friends Scott and Zeia put me on to the b-side of Run-DMC’s “It’s Like That”...

[hijeremy]

What’s missing

Last night, I took part in a Longbow Archery Class with our 14yo. It was not as weird as I’d expected, and he liked it, and we’ll probably be back soon. When I was 14, I was practically peeing my pants with laughter and gasping for air alongside my best friend while watching John Belushi channeling Joe Cocker, Ray Charles and Bruce Jenner, among others. Our older son is 17. When I was his age, I was following the sage words of Spinal Tap’s Viv Savage: Have a good time...all the time. We’ve been through so much over the past year. Staying safe and healthy is always going to take precedence over everything else. I can still feel sad for what my kids are missing.

[hijeremy]

I was discussing the Netflix series Jessica Jones w/someone yesterday, and I had to admit I’ve never watched it. It definitely seems like something I’d be interested in, but I just can’t. Because The Clash.

[hijeremy]

Let’s. Active.

If you’re reading this, chances are we know each other. You probably have some idea of what to expect. And you may be in the ballpark of what to expect.