Song for the day

[Stephynbouby]

When I first chanced on this forum, I wasn't sure whether anyone was still posting/reading. As it happened, I flipped a coin in my head, it came up heads, I decided to stay and post.

I don't want that to happen to any other visitors that chance this way in the future and am therefore going to try and post every day so that future visitors know that the board is still active.

I have posted horse tips.

Now I'm going to post a song for the day.

I'm going to post a link to the song and the reason that I've chosen it. Please feel free to join in.

As my first song, I choose Traffic's Paper Sun. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cp_3NEWTzU

Traffic was formed in 1967 in Birmingham as a psychedelic rock band by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. Prior to Traffic, most band names were preceded with 'The'. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles were typical band names of the time. Traffic were one of the first not to use the word 'The' in their name and were simply known as Traffic. Their unique sound resulted from a blend of Mellotron, Harpsichord, Sitar and various reed instruments. In Paper Sun, their first hit, Traffic produced something unique.

Enjoy.

[bob_32_116]

I always liked this song. Annoyingly, when it was played on radio, it was always edited, removing a large part of the "bridge". This was of course in the days when three minutes was considered about the longest permissible running time for a song on the radio. (We seem to have returned to that situation, but one could probably fill a whole thread with discussions why this is so, and drift off topic,)

Their follow-up single, "Hole in My Shoe", was a bigger hit if I recall, but I didn't like it as much, it seemed psychedelic in a gimmicky kind of way. They produced some interesting stuff on later albums, but while I liked what I heard I was never really blown away by it.

Steve Winwood, of course, went very synth-poppy later on during the early 1980's. Didn't just about everybody?

[Stephynbouby]

Nice link to Visage's Fade to Grey Bob. Here's the Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMPC8QJF6sI.

Yes, it was Synth/Pop and I wasn't keen - but this I did like. I especially liked the melding of English and French in the lyrics.

Visage were formed in 1978 by founder members Steve Strange, who, sadly, is no longer with us, and Rusty Egan. In 1979, they released their first single, Tar. It failed miserably. In late 1980, now signed to Polydor, the band released Fade To Grey. By early 1981, it was a major hit, not only in the UK, but in several European countries.

The issue with Visage is that there were six chiefs all wanting an equal say without putting in an equal amount of work. When success came, jealousy and nastiness crept in. Line-up changes were frequent. Midge Ure was even in the original line up but, by 1982, even he'd left. Pity.

[bob_32_116]

If we are talking about the 80's, I think by and large it was a pretty awful decade musically - but there were a few gems.

It was however a bit of a golden age for Australian rock, which seemed to really come of age around that time, producing acts that were genuinely original instead of bands that recorded covers of UK or US hits. This is one: Solid Rock, by Goanna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjzCDNOBicw

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P.S. I'm not sure I'll be posting one song per day. However I do appreciate having a bit of discussion of a variety of music.

[Stephynbouby]

If we are talking about the 80's, I think by and large it was a pretty awful decade musically - but there were a few gems.

It was however a bit of a golden age for Australian rock, which seemed to really come of age around that time, producing acts that were genuinely original instead of bands that recorded covers of UK or US hits. This is one: Solid Rock, by Goanna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjzCDNOBicw

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P.S. I'm not sure I'll be posting one song per day. However I do appreciate having a bit of discussion of a variety of music.

Nice track you posted. Was that Walkabout I espied? Jenny Agutter - AKA sex on legs.

I don't agree that the 80s was pretty awful musically. To be referred to as 'pretty awful' there would have had to have been a major improvement.

Hopefully, others may join in this thread?

[Stephynbouby]

Here’s a quirky little number from Readymade FC featuring Yael Naim. Yael is an Israeli-French singer with somewhat of a unique voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCZk9ZexIg

I hope you like it.

[bob_32_116]

^^ When the opening notes played, I thought I was going to get the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus"!

[Stephynbouby]

^^ When the opening notes played, I thought I was going to get the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus"!

I had to play both mais oui, je connais. Et maintenant:

In 1992, along came Deep Forest – a group that originally consisted of two French musicians – Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez. The unique sound that they created was referred to, by some, as Ethnic Electronica.

The best of their music has to be Sweet Lullaby. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqPK88PA8aE

Hope that you enjoy.

[bob_32_116]

I have those first two Deep Forest albums! Got them in a "2 for 1" package.

I actually like the second album, Boheme, better, though they are both excellent. I don't think anybody did a better job of merging "world music" - African on the first album, eastern European on the second - with electronica.

[Stephynbouby]

In 1972, I got the chance to see Curved Air live. They were one of the few bands to feature a violin (electric & played by Darryl Way, who went on to form Wolf). Their music was a blend of classical, electric folk and rock and produced a rather unique sound. Their first album, Air Conditioning, was a revelation and the first picture disk – given that the sleeve was printed on the record. Here’s their first single, Back Street Luv.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUnjMI81vAA

For those who have never heard of Curved Air, sit back, relax, turn up the sound to max and absorb.

[bob_32_116]

Wasn't one of the members of the Police involved with Curved Air?

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OK, here's a song for you: this is the band that basically rekindled my interest in contemporary rock music when I discovered them in 2009, after having become very jaded with popular music of the 90's and 00's.

Porcupine Tree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mENmbZ5Ikto

[Stephynbouby]

Bob – you are correct. Stewart Copeland replaced Florian Pilkington-Miksa as Curved Air's drummer in late 1974. He stayed with them until late 1976 when they disbanded for the second time. In 1977, Copeland was sought out by Sting, who he met in Newcastle in 1976 whilst playing with the Air, and Police were born.

In 1965 undoubtedly the second best war protest song was penned – the Vietnam Song by Country Joe and the Fish. It reportedly was written within the space of 20 minutes by Country Joe for an anti-Vietnam War play. He played it at Woodstock. The best ever protest song (IMHO) comes tomorrow. Guesses anyone?

Here’s the link to Country Joe : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk68D91hTXw

[bob_32_116]

The best ever protest song (IMHO) comes tomorrow. Guesses anyone?

There are heaps. If you are allowing protest songs that are not specifically anti-war, Bob Marley wrote many, of which one, "Get Up, Stand Up" was used for a period by Amnesty international as their unofficial theme song. Or you could be thinking of Donovan's "The Universal Soldier".

My guess, however, is Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone".

[bob_32_116]

Incidentally, Mondrian, when are you going to get yourself an avatar? It should be dead easy to find one that suits your name, or even to construct one yourself.

[Stephynbouby]

Bob – Avatar loaded. Painted by my own fair hand. Hangs on my office wall. Full of sarcasm – the painting that is – not the office.

Porcupine Tree – excellent.

The best protest song ever written? Donovan? No. Pete Seeger? No. Bob Marley? No.

I went to a Bob Marley concert in 1973. He’d just released his Catch A Fire album although, personally, I think it escaped. The University hall was designed to hold a large number of people. 6 people turned up to watch Bob Marley that night. Neither he nor reggae were popular with early 1970s university students. Reggae, The Jackson 5 and The Osmonds were put into the same pot and referred to as bubble-gum music and thought fit only for townies and young girls. I spoke to the Ents officer at the Uni during the event. He said that he had a responsibility to cater for all kinds of tastes, not just head-banging heavy metal. I looked at the empty hall and then at him.

The only reason that I went to the concert was because the girl I was with at the time wanted to go. I still can’t abide Reggae. We broke up not long after. Yes, I accept that Bob Marley was talented but it doesn’t mean that I have to like his music.

1967 saw the release of Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie. It is the best war protest song ever written IMHO. Arlo Guthrie, by the way, is Woody Guthrie’s son. The song was based on an actual event experienced by Arlo. It became the sound track to the film of the same name.

Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM

Be warned, the song occupies the whole side of a LP so come sit here next to me, on the Group W bench, while we wait for the song to come around on the guitar so that’s what we’ll do. We’ll wait for the song to come around on the guitar, look at the 27 8” by 10” colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and then we’ll sing along to Alice’s Restaurant masacree with 4-part harmony and full orchestration.