Almanac Music: ’33 1/3 Reasons Why’ – Holiday Listening
I read a series of articles over the holiday period on the subject of overwhelm. The message being that modern life is so demanding that it can lead us to feel drained, and lead to burnout. Overwhelm can be an issue in both our work and personal lives.
We are constantly presented with so many choices, options, challenges, and threats.
We are targeted by advertisers and algorithms.
(Buy this, schedule that, watch this, listen to that, specialise, diversify, switch off but stay engaged with us …)
There is the fear of missing out.
When these demands exceed our capacity, overwhelm becomes an issue.
It was time to get back to basics.
Four albums.
Four bands that I knew and loved.
All acquired in person from the ‘bricks and mortar’ store Clarity Records on Pulteney Street.
Music to silence the overwhelming noise.
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
I already own albums three, four, and five and needed this album along with their debut to round out my collection of five of the best heavy metal albums ever.
The debut remains on the shelf for another day.
The opener ‘War Pigs’ is as good a ‘side one track one’ as any going around.
(‘Search and Destroy’ by Iggy and the Stooges and ‘Gimme Shelter’ by the Stones are right in the mix as well.)
I recall being at a Judas Priest gig a few years back, and as they do, they are playing music over the PA while the crew are clearing out the (clearly forgettable) support act’s gear and setting up for the headliners. The song that elicited the biggest response from the crowd was when ‘War Pigs’ from Sabbath blasted out of the PA. The evening peaked when the crowd as one hit the line ‘Oh lord, yeah!’ and Judas Priest were still 20 minutes away from taking the stage. In hindsight I could have gone home then. (Priest should have too …)
The title track is an absolute belter.
A great cry out loud (or trigger?) for those of us whose minds can sink into darkness from time to time.
Cue up this track at your next karaoke night, it’ll scare the shit out of everyone!
Strange Days – The Doors
Our New Year’s Eve was spent watching ‘The Wrecking Crew’ documentary about the legendary collection of LA session musicians (they play exceptionally well but don’t have the looks of the Beach Boys or Monkees) followed with When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors.
That, coupled with the news that the Morrison Hotel in downtown LA had been destroyed in a fire, led me to delve back into The Doors.
Strange Days was front of mind.
I was well across Morrison Hotel and LA Women.
Their debut was considered.
It really came down to a decision on the epic closing tracks, ‘When the Music’s Over’ versus ‘The End’.
‘When the Music’s Over’ is by no means an uplifting track, but I just wasn’t in the mood for ‘The End’, no matter how good that track is.
(Had I just listened to it too many times? Or was it because it pushes me into Captain Willard mode where I want to do martial arts in my underwear and slay demigods? Though we could really use a Willard about now …)
I went with Strange Days and am happy with my choice.
Combat Rock – The Clash
The world around us is going to shit.
‘London Calling’ was playing on the radio on Friday morning.
Then ‘London Calling’ and ‘Rock the Casbah’ appeared on Rage the following Saturday morning.
It was a sign that I needed more of The Clash in my life.
I went with ‘Combat Rock’ on the back of the ‘Rock the Casbah’ video.
Could anyone make a video like that today?
I also need to get myself a beret.
Bayou Country – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence are a great singles band, but I still dig a lot of their album tracks.
Particularly those that let me stretch their legs and lean towards jam band territory.
The album bookends ‘Born on the Bayou’ and ‘Keep on Chooglin’ are two of my favourite Creedence tracks.
Creedence are a good band for when you need to clear your mind and get back to basics.
The songs are straightforward, yet they take you away to another place.
Your troubles are forgotten, and you are just sitting on the porch in a checked shirt.
Tap your feet, sing along, do what you want.
Just keep on chooglin’.
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Wonderful choices Greg