Random Music #3

Sting reading Dowland for a minute of pretension from his recent album of Renaissance music which is actually pretty good. Should I delete all the short non-musical vocal tracks or are they welcome variations. Today, the latter.

Chet Atkins & Les Paul doing Caravan, as good as it gets, guitar heaven, simple backbeat to two guitars speaking a whole other language, I could listen to it all day, crystal clear discussion between two musicians at the height of their skills, clearly improvised, part of a whole library of music from the two of them, major, masterpiece, essential.

Tony Bennett is inescapable. Like him or not, you should have him shoved down your throat every once in a while, Cold Cold Heart with Tim McGraw. Night music. Late at night, even into morning music. Try to say something bad about Tony Bennett, I dare you. Whatever this is, it's perfectly what it is.

Paul Simon, Cecilia, you're breaking my heart, I'm down on my knees, I'm begging you please to come home, jungle drums, is that an accordion, strangely Cajun, stomping, back woods, primal, you're shaking my confidence, baby, rattles, congas, old slack string guitar, hand claps, a crowd pleaser, great for singing round the fire, killer hooks a plenty.

Heat from Hamell on Trial's Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs, who me?, heat, burning it back, exposing the nerve, drums, guitar, harmonica, rap beat with melting layers, shades of Lou Reed, who do you serve, I'm not accepting defeat, if this weren't random, perfect companion piece to Peter Gabriel's Heat, absolute keeper.

The Who, Tea & Theater from their latest, we did it all, didn't we, jumped over wall, slow fingerpicking, acoustic, brushes, heartfelt vocal, sounds great, a dream derailed, one of us gone, one of us mad, one of us meek, all of us sad. Lean on my shoulder, the story is done, we're older now, all of us sad, will you have some tea? Very nice, gentle, melodic, a beautiful return to form.

Neil Young, It's a Dream, I try not to read all the news, I hold you if you have a bad dream, it's only a dream, plaintive, violins, just a memory, wait a minute, violins?, has this been run through the schmaltz machine? Okay, redeemed by steel string guitar, full of visuals, subtle, fading now, fading away, just a memory without any way to stay, an old man walks along on the sidewalk, the same old man who took a look at my life?, could be, you investigate and get back to me, at 6:32, too long, too many repeats, a drag, goes nowhere and did I mention not fast?

Longer boats are coming to win us, major classic, hold onto the shore, mandatory, melodic, poetic, they'll be taking the key from the door, Cat Stevens at his best, I don't want no blood on my lawn, just a flower I can help along, the soul of nobody knows how a flower grows or where the parson goes, searching, seductive, perfect double tracked vocals, short, precise, come and gone.

Beck, Devil's Haircut, good transition, from angel to devil, nasty guitar, maracas, synthodoodles, basic drums and what are those off key squawks, coming to town with the big case blues, in my mind, full of dynamics, changing from one sound to another, suddenly his voice coming from faraway victrola, adventurous, experimental, driving rock, future feedback, a keeper.

Solo piano, what is this?, you better watch out, I'm telling you why, it's nighttime in the big city, a department store Santa sneaks a sip of gin, mistletoe makes an old man sad, eight reindeer land on the roof of the Abernathy Building, it's theme time radio hour with your host Bob Dylan, the best DJ on earth, taking a theme and running with it through the decades. special yuletide extravaganza, leave the driving to me and Rudolph, some funky old jazz version of dashing through the snow, swinging for Christmas, Ledbelly singing his way out of jail, serving time in Angola, singing for children, Christmas is a coming, and it's a jumpin', chicken crows at midnight, stir-up Sunday, his recipe for figgy pudding, lord nelson, party for Santa Claus, why hasn't Ry Cooder recorded this song, fabulous cha cha, merengue horns and bongos.

Song I want to hear: Carmen Miranda doing the Carmina Burana. Weird Al, would you please get on it?

Suddenly, Bob Seger does a passable James Brown in Sock it To Me Santa, Santa's got a brand new bag.

Debadoh doing Beautiful Friend, my voice is all shot, alone on guitar, he lied, his voice isn't shot, great song, I still have a lot to learn about me, no one's sure if we should be together, she opened up her heart and let me in, half is enough, plaintive wailing, skipping ahead.

Dinosaur Jr. say they can Feel the Pain but I don't think so. Only I can feel the pain.

Thom Yorke, The Clock, just discovered the guy, techno-funk-folk, beautiful voice, lotta chicka chickas, driving, changing sounds, like Beck, unpredictable, good soundtrack music, can't make out the lyrics, might as well be in Latin, like a chase sequence through an Arab landscape but something mysterious is about to happen, a beam of light, the camels all fall down. Christmas is as over as this column.