I didn’t realise it had been a week since I’d posted. Ever since I wrote my letter to Clare I’ve been a little distracted but I’m feeling better now; the emotion that it brought up is starting to settle down and I’m feeling more like myself again.
I’m working on a couple of new posts but for now I thought I’d post some of my favourite songs… some old gems a few people might have forgotten about. I enjoy new music (love Coldplay) but I’ve found myself listening to a lot of old favourites recently. I love the period leading up to the late 70s, particularly for the songwriting… it shows that a good song is timeless.
I stumbled across these videos earlier and hadn’t seen most of them before. What’s amazing is they’re still good quality; most are well over 30 years old and the audio quality in particular is very good. They’re also a wonderful throwback to their time; the hair, the clothes… it’s like looking at a piece of history.
By far my favourite is this video of Jimi Hendrix performing Purple Haze in Atlanta. The video is incredible but not as good quality as the others, so if you don’t mind that, click over to have a look. I hope you enjoy the others. I wonder what some of your old favourites are?
My favourite Fleetwood Mac song is Rhiannon and this is a great version; Stevie Nicks is almost possessed. I also found a live performance of I’m So Afraid; the video quality isn’t as good but it’s well worth watching if you’re a Mac fan.
I think this is from 1970 although I’m not sure which concert. Both Sides Now is a lovely song; it has such beautiful, simple lyrics.
Layla would make any list of my favourite songs. This version is from the ARMS Charity Concert in 1983 and has Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck with Clapton.
I blame MQ for Stairway to Heaven; she’s been a Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page fan for years, I inherited it. I love the song and this is a great live version.
And just to confirm, yes, I am 23. But I feel much older. 🙂
when it comes to music there really is no age gap. : )
CJ: Thanks for stopping by, WR. You’re right, a good song is always a good song… except I know most of my friends wouldn’t think any of these would be their kind of music. Is that an age gap or just musical taste?
At least they’re still on the radio, though. A good song never dies, eh? 😉
I accept full responsibility for the genetic component but you never heard me play any Led Zeppelin music as was and still am more into complete silence for my own relaxation these days. So it was interesting for me to see you discover and enjoy so many of the true greats from the seventies and even more interesting is that we have similar tastes in today’s musicians…of course apart from Jack White there are not many who can hope to come anywhere near the genius of Jimmy Page.
Was pleased to see that Jimmy Page is so involved in charities these days and children’s charities too. Wonder though that he is so unapologetic about his supposed prior drug use…he must be one of the few who insist that it helped him achieve certain goals. What cost his ultimate health and happiness I wonder? Seemed to be par for the course though …it was the seventies and I am no saint in that respect myself…thanks for the memories son!
CJ: So you didn’t play much Led Zeppelin? I thought you did when I was younger; maybe that was more when they used to replay some of the concerts on TV? I tend to like bands and rock more than pop music, so I suppose it’s natural I’d find my way to Cream and Fleetwood Mac and others. It’s funny that we do have similar tastes in music, though.
As far as Jimmy Page goes, I’ve never really understood why he needed drugs to spark his creativity either. I know it’s true of many artists, that heavy drug use helped them, but when you look at all they’ve lost as well you wonder how much it really helped them. But it was a different world.
Glad you enjoyed the flashback! Let’s hope there are some good ones in another 30 years to look back on too, eh? 🙂
I like some of yours (Both Sides and Stairway). It’s always nice to revisit old favorites. I like old songs better than most new ones, although there are ones now and then I enjoy. This one’s really old 🙂 Dear, if you Change. Check out the lyrics, whew! The whole album is nice. There are two by Sir Paul et al that get to me: Maybe I’m Amazed; and (even better) Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey. I admit to being a clandestine John Denver fan, but if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it. I also like this guy, This one of his makes me tear up to this day. And, finally, there’s this: Bridge Over Trouble Waters. (anything by S&G, really, but this one is the most emotionally significant to me.) I prefer the original version, with just Artie singing it, but I love this one as well as Paul gets to sing his own song, and it’s recent. And the pianist is awesome. I think Mr. Joel and Mr. Simon are both great philosophers as well as songwriters.
CJ: Thanks for sharing some of your favourites. Dear, If You Change takes me back. I think I heard it for the first time in school; great lyrics and still relevant 400 years on. I guess human nature never changes. If we’re going back a bit I’ve always loved folk songs like Danny Boy and Young Hunting… Nick Cave did a great modern version of Young Hunting.
I love Piano Man and We Didn’t Start the Fire. Haven’t heard Lullabye before; I’ll have to have a proper listen. And Bridge Over Troubled Water is nice too. Sometimes I’m a little put off by it as so many Idol singers have massacred it recently but the words are always beautiful to listen to.
Glad to hear you’re feeling better.
That was a great selection, all familiar songs, but not familiar performances. Thank you for sharing them! Jimi Hendrix was a genius, probably well ahead of his time.
I like a mixture of old and new songs; Camel’s The Snow Goose has always been a favourite of mine, particularly “Rhayader Goes to Town” and “La Princesse Perdue”, as has Deep Purple’s Machine Head. And the Beatles, of course, are excellent.
CJ: Thanks, Bobby. Glad you enjoyed the songs. Jimi Hendrix was an amazing artist; I’ve seen footage of his performance at Woodstock and it’s unbelievable to watch. We lost a genius when he died, no question… who knows just how good he might have become?
I’ll have to listen to more of Camel; I’m more familiar with their conceptual ideas than their music itself, but Lady Fantasy is a favourite of mine. Great piece of music. I like the Beatles too, and then there’s the Stones. And David Bowie! Hm, maybe I should have done a playlist instead. 😉
Oh we are so connected when it comes to music. I love all of these songs. Thanks for some great tunes:)
CJ: Glad you liked the songs, Maribeth! It was actually your Friday Song posts that inspired this. It’s amazing how musical tastes can be so similar, isn’t it? I almost posted one of Carly Simon’s as well; I know you’ve posted a few of her songs too. 😉
Layla will probably be in everyone’s list, I guess. I also love “Hey Hey” by Clapton.
The 60s & 70s were great decades for music. I grew up listening to ABBA & Boney-M – “I’m a Marionette” & “Daddy Cool” are my eternal favorites.
Some of the numbers I couldn’t get enough of were “Happy Together” by “Turtles”; “Walk Don’t Run” by “The Ventures”; The “Come September Theme” by Bobby Darin; “All Across the Universe” by the Beatles. Its a long list.
What list is complete without “The Monkees” 😉 How about “I’m a Believer”?
And embarrassingly enough, I’m guilty of OD-ing on “Sugar Sugar” by the “Archies” 🙂
CJ: They were great decades, weren’t they? Some of the songs from the 60s and 70s are truly timeless and the songwriting was so strong. I like the early 80s as well but much of the creativity just seemed to go out of the industry after that.
Some great songs you listed too. I forgot about The Monkees! I’m a Believer is a fun song and then there’s Neil Diamond as well. I used to love Happy Together but then my music teacher made us sing it every day for four months. Now it just makes me want to run from the room!
And it’s been a long time since I heard Sugar Sugar. I’ll have to try and get it out of my head again now. 😉
Priya I loved Happy Together also! Ah the memories!
CJ: I think they just used it in ad for Smith’s Chips, by the way…
MQ – Yep, a great song, isn’t it? “Happy Together” is also a much-plagiarized song in India (where I live) 😐
I also love the vocal genre – Dean Martin, Mel Torme & Ella Fitzgerald. Cesaria Evora is pretty darn good too – her rendition of “Besame Mucho” is the best I’ve heard so far:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Esdl_3kKSBk
Middle Eastern music is pretty vibrant. When I was a kid, the Algerian singer Khaled was all the rage. These days, I listen to Hisham Abbas, an Egyptian pop singer. Here is his “Ahla Mafiki”, another much-plagiarized song in India 🙂
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=35LoB7zZGa4
CJ: I love that version of Besame Mucho. Very haunting. It’s not really my genre but I’ve heard a couple of versions of it now; there’s one by Andrea Bocelli which is great too. But then Bocelli can sing anything. 🙂
Okay Jimmy Page has still got it…did everyone see him on that double decker bus in Beijing?
CJ: It was great seeing Jimmy Page again, wasn’t it? Interesting choice to pair him with Leona Lewis but it worked! I’m looking forward to the 2012 ceremonies now. At least with Page involved you know the music will be good. 🙂