Thank you, Mark, for reminding us that there can be beauty in the world. Those were golden years in my own personal history, and I was moved to tears listening to these. Please know that I'm grateful for your vivid sense of both art and justice. Thank you for all that you do.
Despite the greatness of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo, it was George Harrison who arguable wrote the best and most beautiful of The Beatles songs.
That world is definitely gone, but the few of us keep it alive in our hearts. I like what Kurt Vonnegut said in A Man Without A Country "No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions become, the music will still be wonderful."
Yesterday I was listening to Castles in the Air by Don McLean, recorded in 1981, and heard the words of someone wanting to escape the madness, even back then. It brought a tear or two...
I see that folks here view Joni Mitchell as some sort of leftist liberal and negate her abilities and talents as an artist.[It's important to separate the politics of an artist in deference to their talent and legacy] I'd like to add that Joni collaborated with jazz artists before Sting ever had a record deal. Her partnership with Jaco Pastorious and John Guerin and Tom Scott resulted in some pretty damned great instrumental tracks! Her albums "Hejira" and "Mingus" feature Jaco's stellar bass playing--and he takes the music to a whole different level. And what about the amazing "Jungle LIne" on the Hissing of Summer Lawns?... that was produced long before Peter Gabriel was experimenting with the earthy world beat artists he incorporated within a pop framework. I may presume that those who criticize Joni based on her early work are clueless about the amount of talent and effort required to maintain a 40 year career!
I was *just* thinking that. Videos of her performance at 2022 Newport Jazz Fest are a good reminder of the talent that woman is blessed with. A telling of the story (true? IDK) of how that performance came to be can be found online Rolling Stone. If true, remarkable. Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, and so many more jazz greats performed with her. And her paintings...she oozes creativity. I may not agree with her pronouncements but her talent is undeniable.
Yes indeed! I didn't mention every iota of Joni's incredible list of collaborators for sake of brevity. In terms of her earlier work I still hear a special artist when I listen to the songs: "Songs of Aging Children", and "Ladies of the Canyon." I also wish to acknowledge your contributions to the academic realm Mr. Miller, for teaching a course on Propaganda! How timely! Yesterday I pondered the censorship of this time in terms of Joni's friends, Neil Young and David Crosby and how they initially stated that were removing their music from Spotify unless Joe Rogan was removed. Then they reconsidered this decision due to the profits they would lose. I'm not very happy seeing how favorite artists seem to align with the dictates of the corporate-government, it devalues the message from their 1960's/1970's music. In a word: Hypocrisy. Pax [incidentally, Joni's paintings are the work of an original artist as well. Suffice to say, she's a real painter and her work shouldn't be confused with Hunter B's amateurish finger painting!]
I was wondering what had become of Van. Has he been “neutered”? Has he been “dealt with”? Well his new album is called “What’s It Gonna Take?” And the track listing is as follows:
I'll take CSNY's version over that any day. Never liked her. Only song of hers I like is "Both Sides Now' mostly because it's a good song. Her voice grates on my nerves. lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrWNTqbLFFE
Thanks, Mark. I share your appreciation of these great artists. They have all inspired me as a musician for many decades. I also share your anger and pain witnessing the sell-outs the last couple years. Keep up the great reporting.
Thank you, Mark. Listening to these two beautiful versions of JT's "Close Your Eyes" I thought to myself: In the midst of the contemporary chaos & horror, as you so aptly put it, there is a balm in Gilead.
Here is the most recent version I've seen: lump in the throat time -- James sings it with his son Henry in 2021. This is particularly poignant after reading comments from so many men who said they sang this as a lullaby to their children decades ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymd2QqQiyqk
And I had not realized JT had written this gorgeous song for Joni Mitchell, who was his girlfriend at the time.
Stumbled upon this wonderful video of Joni at the Newport Folk Festival just last week. She's 78, walks unsteadily with a cane, sings in a much lower register, and must perform sitting down after many years of poor health. But ever the great artist, Joni is grooving as she sings harmony to her old tune "Carey", and she is clearly embraced in the love & honour of everyone at Newport: singers, musicians and audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiloeONLq6k&list=PL0BeklUKtNetLNqVKUlkYlG4dj0iOfOcj&index=2
Thank you so much for setting our feet on so many journeys down memory lane with these beautiful artists & works of art.
Wow. No kidding. Took me down a 2-hour rabbit hole! Thank you, Mark! And Debra - I found that duet as well. Beautiful. And an interview with Carly Simon that revealed some things about my own life that I had not understood before. The lyrics and music were beautiful back then.
These songs are who we are. Use them going forward. Our songs tell us about ourselves and who we really are. No fear. Embrace the real, the grounded, the authentic.
Time to find the real America now. Because for 40 years we've been living in what we thought was America, but was not. Evil was infiltrating while we played. We are probably the last ones that
Absolutely. It has been written and we are the inheritors. Celebrate this. It was all done for the unalienable rights of we the people. The whole point is we must be we the people to keep it. It was never free and easy.
I love all of these songs and the performances. I do go back and listen to the songs from the 60s and 70s, and all kinds of music from the past. It does help me remember happier times. Protest songs were extremely important to us too.
He does have a point. Drugs, sex, and rock 'n roll. It's not love. Love is never free. But there were some very good songs and lyrics back then. Crazy times. And some of my favorite songwriters. Thank you for the look back.
Dave McGowan's Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon and Martin Lee's Acid Dreams both showed up how these musical movements were monitored, manipulated and, in some cases, pre-empted by the intelligence forces.
My own feeling is that rock 'n roll was a product of a consumer culture where the young had, for the first time ever, spending power. And being naturally impressionable, these young were also hugely exploitable. None of this detracts from the talent and sincerity of most of the musicians - although they were more easily used than e.g. the "staid" orchestra members of the big bands who had families to feed and would study the small print.
So basically what became known as "rock music" was a commercial proposition which could also be used to manipulate. I think the capitalist system has always shown a genius for killing as many birds as possible with as few stones.
Yep, great book and I'm sure they death weaponed Dave McGowan to an early grave for his expose on all of it. But still, there was a lot of great music that stands the test of time especially compared to the crap they push out today. I still would take that time machine back to that era :)
Oh great music galore back then. And I feel more admiration for at least one of the old squad - the marvellously cantakerous Van the Man. Neil Young on the other hand ....
I'd characterise the "Young" sound as an eerie whine and, to be fair, some utterly fantastic songs. It's just a shame about his utterly ludicrous "brave" stance on the vax where, typically, he gets to pose as "The Great Rebel" by ... agreeing with the mainstream media! Yeah right on, Neil!
I think you speak much truth. I still love some of the music. But they were full of themselves just like celebrities today. I think the rawness of the Allman brothers and others of the early 70s as well as the music from the Church and then the Grunge movement was more real.
I guess my real point is that the youth of that time were also being bamboozled.
I have no doubt that free love and protests and protest culture were more top-down influenced and/or implemented than they were grass-roots—all one big pseudo-event. (Too bad Daniel Boorstin never updated after 1962—probably was afraid to.)
So all the relevant songs and the albums stemming from that period feel so phony to me now—and maybe even poisonous, if I may go so far, because it was a time of the diminution of the Western Male, and maybe even the Western Female (even though the latter shift is less obvious).
Anyway, once upon a time my mood would have been ‘If Not for You.’
Mark Crispin Miller, what do we know about the reasons for so many artists' silence regarding the facts and data surrounding vaxx "adverse reactions?" Are they cowering due to a fear of losing fans? Or is it the money? Or is it the threat of the music industry who might stop distributing their wares? Eric Clapton has been damaged and speaks openly about this. Joe Strummer wouldn't be silent if he was still alive!
Thank you, Mark, for reminding us that there can be beauty in the world. Those were golden years in my own personal history, and I was moved to tears listening to these. Please know that I'm grateful for your vivid sense of both art and justice. Thank you for all that you do.
Despite the greatness of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo, it was George Harrison who arguable wrote the best and most beautiful of The Beatles songs.
That world is definitely gone, but the few of us keep it alive in our hearts. I like what Kurt Vonnegut said in A Man Without A Country "No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions become, the music will still be wonderful."
Sweet....😢
Yesterday I was listening to Castles in the Air by Don McLean, recorded in 1981, and heard the words of someone wanting to escape the madness, even back then. It brought a tear or two...
I see that folks here view Joni Mitchell as some sort of leftist liberal and negate her abilities and talents as an artist.[It's important to separate the politics of an artist in deference to their talent and legacy] I'd like to add that Joni collaborated with jazz artists before Sting ever had a record deal. Her partnership with Jaco Pastorious and John Guerin and Tom Scott resulted in some pretty damned great instrumental tracks! Her albums "Hejira" and "Mingus" feature Jaco's stellar bass playing--and he takes the music to a whole different level. And what about the amazing "Jungle LIne" on the Hissing of Summer Lawns?... that was produced long before Peter Gabriel was experimenting with the earthy world beat artists he incorporated within a pop framework. I may presume that those who criticize Joni based on her early work are clueless about the amount of talent and effort required to maintain a 40 year career!
I was *just* thinking that. Videos of her performance at 2022 Newport Jazz Fest are a good reminder of the talent that woman is blessed with. A telling of the story (true? IDK) of how that performance came to be can be found online Rolling Stone. If true, remarkable. Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, and so many more jazz greats performed with her. And her paintings...she oozes creativity. I may not agree with her pronouncements but her talent is undeniable.
Yes indeed! I didn't mention every iota of Joni's incredible list of collaborators for sake of brevity. In terms of her earlier work I still hear a special artist when I listen to the songs: "Songs of Aging Children", and "Ladies of the Canyon." I also wish to acknowledge your contributions to the academic realm Mr. Miller, for teaching a course on Propaganda! How timely! Yesterday I pondered the censorship of this time in terms of Joni's friends, Neil Young and David Crosby and how they initially stated that were removing their music from Spotify unless Joe Rogan was removed. Then they reconsidered this decision due to the profits they would lose. I'm not very happy seeing how favorite artists seem to align with the dictates of the corporate-government, it devalues the message from their 1960's/1970's music. In a word: Hypocrisy. Pax [incidentally, Joni's paintings are the work of an original artist as well. Suffice to say, she's a real painter and her work shouldn't be confused with Hunter B's amateurish finger painting!]
I was wondering what had become of Van. Has he been “neutered”? Has he been “dealt with”? Well his new album is called “What’s It Gonna Take?” And the track listing is as follows:
1. Dangerous
2. What’s It Gonna Take?
3. Fighting Back Is The New Normal
4. Fodder For The Masses
5. Can’t Go On This Way
6. Sometimes It’s Just Blah Blah Blah
7. Money From America
8. Not Seeking Approval
9. Damage And Recovery
10. Nervous Breakdown
11. Absolutely Positively The Most
12. I Ain’t No Celebrity
13. Stage Name
14. Fear And Self-Loathing In Las Vegas
15. Pretending
And look at that cover:
https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/vanmorrisoncom/images/news/Whats-It-Gonna-Take.png?mtime=20220407163149
Rave on, Van, rave on!
Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" is fricking unreal.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgrl83
What an extraordinary woman.
I love it. Back to the Garden.
You know you are pretty special if you influence Led Zeppelin. 😎
I'll take CSNY's version over that any day. Never liked her. Only song of hers I like is "Both Sides Now' mostly because it's a good song. Her voice grates on my nerves. lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrWNTqbLFFE
Thanks, Mark. I share your appreciation of these great artists. They have all inspired me as a musician for many decades. I also share your anger and pain witnessing the sell-outs the last couple years. Keep up the great reporting.
Thank you, Mark. Listening to these two beautiful versions of JT's "Close Your Eyes" I thought to myself: In the midst of the contemporary chaos & horror, as you so aptly put it, there is a balm in Gilead.
Here is the most recent version I've seen: lump in the throat time -- James sings it with his son Henry in 2021. This is particularly poignant after reading comments from so many men who said they sang this as a lullaby to their children decades ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymd2QqQiyqk
And I had not realized JT had written this gorgeous song for Joni Mitchell, who was his girlfriend at the time.
Stumbled upon this wonderful video of Joni at the Newport Folk Festival just last week. She's 78, walks unsteadily with a cane, sings in a much lower register, and must perform sitting down after many years of poor health. But ever the great artist, Joni is grooving as she sings harmony to her old tune "Carey", and she is clearly embraced in the love & honour of everyone at Newport: singers, musicians and audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiloeONLq6k&list=PL0BeklUKtNetLNqVKUlkYlG4dj0iOfOcj&index=2
Thank you so much for setting our feet on so many journeys down memory lane with these beautiful artists & works of art.
Wow. No kidding. Took me down a 2-hour rabbit hole! Thank you, Mark! And Debra - I found that duet as well. Beautiful. And an interview with Carly Simon that revealed some things about my own life that I had not understood before. The lyrics and music were beautiful back then.
Debra thank you for the meaningful contribution to the discussion.
These songs are who we are. Use them going forward. Our songs tell us about ourselves and who we really are. No fear. Embrace the real, the grounded, the authentic.
https://youtu.be/hIoi8EXJaBI
Time to find the real America now. Because for 40 years we've been living in what we thought was America, but was not. Evil was infiltrating while we played. We are probably the last ones that
remember how it was supposed to be.
Let's all come together and look for America.
Absolutely. It has been written and we are the inheritors. Celebrate this. It was all done for the unalienable rights of we the people. The whole point is we must be we the people to keep it. It was never free and easy.
No, our founders made that very clear. "If you can keep it".
And we have not been very good stewards, myself included.
Seems most of us have a great deal of re-examination of how to be good stewards. Our founding ancestors left some hints behind.
I love all of these songs and the performances. I do go back and listen to the songs from the 60s and 70s, and all kinds of music from the past. It does help me remember happier times. Protest songs were extremely important to us too.
Thanks Mark, some of my favorites. They can’t take our feelings and memories. God Bless
Fun fact: "Something" was the only Beatles song Sinatra sang... and he declared it Lennon and McCartney's finest! What an arsehole!
Yeah. No.
These songs were from a fake time, when people thought they were free and thinking and loving freely.
Eh eh.
Rock and roll was bullish*t.
You're a lot of fun.
He does have a point. Drugs, sex, and rock 'n roll. It's not love. Love is never free. But there were some very good songs and lyrics back then. Crazy times. And some of my favorite songwriters. Thank you for the look back.
Yes..makes me sad to see them old...and I am old. Who knows where the time goes....
I am disappointed so many are on the cra cra covid train now....
I am! 😊
Dave McGowan's Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon and Martin Lee's Acid Dreams both showed up how these musical movements were monitored, manipulated and, in some cases, pre-empted by the intelligence forces.
My own feeling is that rock 'n roll was a product of a consumer culture where the young had, for the first time ever, spending power. And being naturally impressionable, these young were also hugely exploitable. None of this detracts from the talent and sincerity of most of the musicians - although they were more easily used than e.g. the "staid" orchestra members of the big bands who had families to feed and would study the small print.
So basically what became known as "rock music" was a commercial proposition which could also be used to manipulate. I think the capitalist system has always shown a genius for killing as many birds as possible with as few stones.
Yep, great book and I'm sure they death weaponed Dave McGowan to an early grave for his expose on all of it. But still, there was a lot of great music that stands the test of time especially compared to the crap they push out today. I still would take that time machine back to that era :)
Oh great music galore back then. And I feel more admiration for at least one of the old squad - the marvellously cantakerous Van the Man. Neil Young on the other hand ....
.Neil Young with that nail on a chalkboard voice, ya mean? I hear ya!
I'd characterise the "Young" sound as an eerie whine and, to be fair, some utterly fantastic songs. It's just a shame about his utterly ludicrous "brave" stance on the vax where, typically, he gets to pose as "The Great Rebel" by ... agreeing with the mainstream media! Yeah right on, Neil!
He and Joni can ride into hell together on a pale horse :)
Makes sense. Thanks for the book recs!
I think you speak much truth. I still love some of the music. But they were full of themselves just like celebrities today. I think the rawness of the Allman brothers and others of the early 70s as well as the music from the Church and then the Grunge movement was more real.
Thanks.
I guess my real point is that the youth of that time were also being bamboozled.
I have no doubt that free love and protests and protest culture were more top-down influenced and/or implemented than they were grass-roots—all one big pseudo-event. (Too bad Daniel Boorstin never updated after 1962—probably was afraid to.)
So all the relevant songs and the albums stemming from that period feel so phony to me now—and maybe even poisonous, if I may go so far, because it was a time of the diminution of the Western Male, and maybe even the Western Female (even though the latter shift is less obvious).
Anyway, once upon a time my mood would have been ‘If Not for You.’
Current Mood: (This is Not a) Love Song
Wow these brought me back. I miss those times.
Mark Crispin Miller, what do we know about the reasons for so many artists' silence regarding the facts and data surrounding vaxx "adverse reactions?" Are they cowering due to a fear of losing fans? Or is it the money? Or is it the threat of the music industry who might stop distributing their wares? Eric Clapton has been damaged and speaks openly about this. Joe Strummer wouldn't be silent if he was still alive!