Thursday, July 31, 2008
MY DREAM DATE TURNS 50
No, not Chuck Sigars (happy birthday, by the way).
Kate Bush turned 50 yesterday. Happy Birthday, Kate!
I have had a love affair with KB since the first time I saw her on Saturday Night Live in 1978. Eric Idle brought her over as musical guest on a night when he hosted and I was instantly hooked. She sang two songs, "The Man with the Child in his Eyes" (sitting in a flesh-colored, glittery body suit on Paul Shaffer's piano) and "Them Heavy People," dressed like a gumshoe.
Unfortunately, her records were NOT easily available in the US until 1981, when I bought them all.
Which was fairly easy, since there were only four at the time. She's only released four more in the ensuing 27 years. 1985's "Hounds of Love" is a masterpiece and should be required listening for all human beings. It's one of my top 10 favorite albums.
The English press gave Kate a lot of ink yesterday, as I figured they would. Over here, where nobody knows or cares who she is, all she could muster was getting her name in the list of celebrity birthdays.
There are about 80 bazillion videos of KB on youtube. Go watch one.
------
Speaking of my top 10 favorite albums, they are, in no particular order:
Revolver -- The Beatles. The best album ever released by anybody, ever. Please don't argue with me. The song "And Your Bird Can Sing" -- hell, the guitar riff ALONE from this song -- is already 4,000 times better than anything you or I will ever think of.
One Size Fits All -- Zappa and the Mothers. Frank called this group "The band that could play anything." And they do.
Hounds of Love -- Kate Bush
Tango: Zero Hour -- Astor Piazzola (when I bought this album several years ago I found myself playing it incessantly for about six months. I still play it five or six times a year.)
The Lion and the Cobra -- Sinead O'Connor (maybe the best debut album ever)
Closing Time -- Tom Waits (or maybe THIS was the best debut album ever)
Freak Out -- Mothers (or maybe THIS was...well, you get the idea)
Blood on the Tracks -- Bob Dylan
Santana -- Santana. I think this is the first album I ever bought with my own money, back in 1970.
Gorilla -- The Bonzo Dog Band. "And looking very relaxed, Adolph Hitler on vibes!"
What are yours?
TT (Oh, and I'll take Haydn over Mozart any day of the week)
No, not Chuck Sigars (happy birthday, by the way).
Kate Bush turned 50 yesterday. Happy Birthday, Kate!
I have had a love affair with KB since the first time I saw her on Saturday Night Live in 1978. Eric Idle brought her over as musical guest on a night when he hosted and I was instantly hooked. She sang two songs, "The Man with the Child in his Eyes" (sitting in a flesh-colored, glittery body suit on Paul Shaffer's piano) and "Them Heavy People," dressed like a gumshoe.
Unfortunately, her records were NOT easily available in the US until 1981, when I bought them all.
Which was fairly easy, since there were only four at the time. She's only released four more in the ensuing 27 years. 1985's "Hounds of Love" is a masterpiece and should be required listening for all human beings. It's one of my top 10 favorite albums.
The English press gave Kate a lot of ink yesterday, as I figured they would. Over here, where nobody knows or cares who she is, all she could muster was getting her name in the list of celebrity birthdays.
There are about 80 bazillion videos of KB on youtube. Go watch one.
------
Speaking of my top 10 favorite albums, they are, in no particular order:
Revolver -- The Beatles. The best album ever released by anybody, ever. Please don't argue with me. The song "And Your Bird Can Sing" -- hell, the guitar riff ALONE from this song -- is already 4,000 times better than anything you or I will ever think of.
One Size Fits All -- Zappa and the Mothers. Frank called this group "The band that could play anything." And they do.
Hounds of Love -- Kate Bush
Tango: Zero Hour -- Astor Piazzola (when I bought this album several years ago I found myself playing it incessantly for about six months. I still play it five or six times a year.)
The Lion and the Cobra -- Sinead O'Connor (maybe the best debut album ever)
Closing Time -- Tom Waits (or maybe THIS was the best debut album ever)
Freak Out -- Mothers (or maybe THIS was...well, you get the idea)
Blood on the Tracks -- Bob Dylan
Santana -- Santana. I think this is the first album I ever bought with my own money, back in 1970.
Gorilla -- The Bonzo Dog Band. "And looking very relaxed, Adolph Hitler on vibes!"
What are yours?
TT (Oh, and I'll take Haydn over Mozart any day of the week)
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