MANFRED MANN’s EARTHBAND’s JOYBRINGER IS IN MY HEAD BUT NOT ON MY IPOD
Because…what joya this morning brings in brighton I be with the 18 month sweetheart of my pal Jenny on my lap as I start this blog. Arent kids like this just sainted angels? An oasis of calm loveliness and deep wisdom. Aah Joya’s been taken away now.. by Julia and I think of all these J’s the Judes the Judiths, the Jennys, the Jens and the Jennifers - all the Jays that I know The Blue Jays. And the D Js. Bob’s a DJ too now of course his shows to be spun out many times in the months to come. And a joyful quartet on my ipod also brings joy this morning It is this Rollin’ And Tumblin’ R L Burnside A Bothered Mind 1998 The ipod has no composer credit but unlike Bob Burnside didn’t write into song didn’t make it his own with new words. Though of course the caustic edge of the guitar of the great bluesman stokes the inner flame keeps the spirits and ghosts a tumbling a rising up up up and out of their tombs to to meet their fate and destiny…rising up for Bob to take it on… And R L Burnside was born in the racist lynchmob south, the coming through slaughter south.. In 1928, the year that Herbert Hoover became President and lied thus : “We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us.” Funny the more money America makes the more poverty it seems to geenrate. maybe bono will get the editorial on Forbes Mag to write something about it. Nice to see Graham Norton having a pop at the U2 frontman in the mirror not so long ago too!! Five Days A Week Merle Haggard 1964/1966 Merle’s Working man blues are many and varied - its like my good pal Mark said to me when we saw him over in Seattle and Portland last year 5 nights supporting Bob (“an honour to be supporting my idol Bob Dylan” said Merle, can you imagine how thrilled Bob was to hear that?) - never seen a man take to the stage so naturally, so effortlessly. Just A little Lovin Dusty Springfield Dusty In Memphis Ken Emerson’s marvellous book Always magic In the Air is great on this album, a mature masterpiece not just for Dusty but for the Goffin King songwriting partnership too. We Didn’t See A Thing George Jones and Ray Charles Ipod’s random function always seems so unrandom, circling in on the same few tunes time and time again. I have a completly unsubstantiated theory that it works in an ever widening circle method and so you’d have to keep it playing constantly to gradually incorporate those unplayed outer reaches of planet download. Still George and Ray merry ole tune always brings a smile to my mush so I’m smiling…for once
