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Hi Diane,

Glad you enjoyed the concert. I thought you would. -- Saw the group on Youtube. Btw, what I thought
was Del Boy on the radio, wasn't. -- It must have been a similar name.

Oh not Del Boy after all Steven: there's hope yet then:-) K: TR: nice to read notes about Guadalupe (yes still catching up). (Ipod on random ealy today, one of Mrs Bruce's songs, Spanish Dancer, followed that song, which seemed somewhat fitting.)

I've just heard that Bruce has played the whole of the "Born To Run" album in the States. There's a great report of the show by Tom Tobben (currently a few posts down) on: http://www.brianwilson.com/community/index.html Things move fast on this board, so it won't be there for long.

All good things, John E

Hi John,

Nice to see your presence in this thread. Thanks for the link. Good photo of Brian Wilson on that site.
With the Brian Wilson connected link, this thought comes to me: what if Brian Wilson had been the
one to produce Death Of A Ladies Man? I know that the creatively good side of Spector was an
influence/motivator to Wilson. Had Wilson been the producer, we'd have been left with a
really good product, without the wall of unsound work, that, i.m.o., Spector inflicted upon
DOALM.

Yes, good to see you in this thread, John. I enjoyed the review from the Brian Wilson site, thanks. The writer goes some way towards expressing the power and excitement of a Springsteen concert. You can't convey it in words really, but it's always nice when someone tries. Yes I have noticed that he's doing whole album concerts in the States; not just Born to Run but Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born in the USA. Any of those would be excellent, but Darkness would be my first choice. I heard half the tracks on that album live this summer (including Racin in the Street) but t'would be great to hear the lesser-playeds too, esp. Factory and Streets of Fire.

I just you-tubed Brian Wilson and clicked on the first 'playlist' that came up. Heard some old Beach Boys tracks and some from Smile. The sound is too smooth and light for my taste. But I was struck by the title of a Beach Boys song that I had never heard: You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone. I was intrigued enough to look up the lyrics. Nice one.

Kush I have reached an hiatus with Blood and Candle Smoke. TR is starting to sound too bleak and earnest. I also don't think I 'get' him fully. Still, I want to keep him on rotation for a while yet. Gone back to Africa for now though.

Steven,

Interesting idea of "what if Brian had Produced Leonard..." Unfortunately that was the time that Brian was just starting to re-emerge from his darkest years.

Diane,

I think "You Need a Mess of Help..." is a Carl Wilson song. Here's a more recent video of Brian singing "Midnight's Another Day" from "That Lucky Old Sun".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zE03KXg3FQ

Hi Diane,

Actually, was not familiar with the Billy Joel / Ray Charles duet. Thanks for linking to it. I seem to
remember Billy Joel, at the one concert I saw him at (many years ago at Madison Square
Garden in New York), doing the jumping on the piano thing. Saw Ray Charles once. He was
the opening headline act at a major venue that had its inaugural concert. Didn't have much
of an appreciation for Ray Charles then, but do now.

Diane Steven John E - Enjoyed the youtube clips very much. Billy Joel/ Ray Charles reminded me of some of Willie Nelson/Ray Charles clips. Also really liked the Clerks/Qudduson (is that right???) clips. If they would just arrange some musical instruments around it that would be perfect. I can't listen to a capella for very long although I do appreciate it.

Did not listen to much music this weekend as I'd planned, mostly spent it with friends. But I did try to listen to some more of Camara/ Adams and my ears say I like it but not like crazy about it. I really enjoy contemporary African sounds (what is generally known as Afropop) and Juldeh Camara is a little too traditional for my ears. I think I;d enjoy him more live or in a film documentary but its harder for me to get into it in a CD. But I am enjoying the CD but havent really gotten into it to the point where I can say I am addicted to it.

John E - I'd look forward to a live recording of Born To Run.

well....I shall leave you with a hilarious clip from Miami Twice (havent yet gotten the DVDs but found it on youtube) - now I know I will have to get the DVD set for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-DltN2nqjc

Hi Kush,

I did see the first ever UK Bruce concert at Hammersmith, at the time of "Born to Run" (not the better second show, which is on the DVD).

If Bruce continues to do three hour shows, he could include "Born to Run", "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Born in the USA" in one show, and still have time for "Rosalita"!

All the best, John E

Cheers John. I like very much the simplicity of the words in Midnight's Another Day.

Steven, cool that you saw Billy J live. I saw him (and his distinctive New York way of talkin) in the 80's when he was bouncing on pianos (he still needed a back-up singer to do the high part in Innocent Man though), and also in 2005 or 6, when he was still very lively. He does a magnificent show. The Ray Charles duet is from The Bridge, which has a number of great tracks, musically and lyrically.

Qudduson was captivating enough, live, not to require musical accompaniment, which would have spoilt it. From the notes about the project:

the primary impulse behind Qudduson is...a fascination with two different sound worlds which are linked by a fundamental ambition to worship through the medium of the voice. . .(and) to create an aural analogy to the sound-world of many Middle Eastern cities, but in particular Damascus and Aleppo, where the Call to Prayer might receive an unwitting harmonisation from the pealing of Christian bells. Each musical tradition has its own discrete, proud identity and Qudduson is not intended as a reductive fusion of these distinct elements, nor of the faith traditions that inspire them; but rather as a celebration of the diverse and transcendent qualities of the human voice.

It sounded like that to me. In fact it was so engrossing, I'd go again if it played somewhere local. I don't expect it to translate too well onto a cd, but I could be wrong. The sound of the voice rather than the meaning of the words hits me first when I listen to music, and I suppose in that way the voice can be an instrument.

"the Call to Prayer might receive an unwitting harmonisation from the pealing of Christian bells" - Speaking of the merging of east and west, that reminds me of that marvellous (Indian/American jazz) Kinsmen album you got me into, K (a couple of the tracks on there still set my teeth on edge mind you, but not most of them), and the first track, where a gentle 'tolling bell' sound calls you into the album, just as an actual bell calls you to the meditation hall in Buddhist settings and which no doubt is a tradition inherited from the use of bells in Hindu temples. A bell's sound is the equivalent of the word 'om', where at the strike of the bell the sound comes into being, then it sustains, then it dies away: a-u-m. The second track on the album is named after the Hindu God Ganesha (one of the edgy-teeth tracks), with whom 'om' is associated. The "bell' is just one aspect of the marvellous construction of that cd. I like bells. If I were the sort of person who collected things, I would collect them. Would also like a hindu god.

Kush I thought of you at the weekend, when I saw this heartening piece in the paper about how Ecuador have a positive initiative going, to leave the oil where it is and preserve the rainforest and the tribes in exchange for cash from rich nations:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environmen ... 12289.html

You may not be addicted to Juldeh Camara, but I am addicted to this thread and its endless tangents, and I must go into read only mode for a while to get my work done this week. So please nobody say anything to which I feel I just have to respond;-)

ps only just saw the Miami Twice clip. Yeah one of the best ever Fools n Horses - def. get it! But the dvd specials mightn't be possible to get for US region, I don't know...

If Bruce continues to do three hour shows, he could include "Born to Run", "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Born in the USA" in one show, and still have time for "Rosalita"!

Hi John,

I do believe his shows have become a little shorter these days. All that piano hopping and stage sliding takes a toll on the knees I bet. On one of the recent shows Clarence Clemons (oldest in the band) played the entire show sitting down I believe. But I mentioned re a recording of Born To Run live because their sound has changed quite a bit (or in subtle ways depending on one's familiarity I guess) live since those days and it would be interesting.

Diane - actually a vocal East - West collaboration (as in Clerks/Qudduson) is quite unique I think. I do know that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was supposed to do a recording with Pavarotti but he died before it came to fruition (and of course Pavarotti is now gone too). Instrumental collaborations are more common and I have 6 or 7 of those. The earliest one that I know of is the very well known 'West meets East' recording between Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin in the late 60s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4HXvB5nxok (they play together about halfway through)

and Anoushka Shankar with Joshua Bell (the younger generation carries forth the torch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgCpkduEQ7U

will read the environmental article soon.
hmm...not a good idea being addicted to anything at all.....in China they'd send you to a rehabilitation center for internet addiction .
Be back when I am back.....

Kush I'll retain my addiction for now but will put my response in another thread later, as I'm getting conscious of how far off-topic we are getting. After 26 pages maybe we should discuss Working on a Dream. Or at least after another 26.

Re. Big Man Clarence, I have seen on a vid clip of a recent concert Bruce kissing Clarence on the cheek after helping him to his on-stage position, and also read a review that said Bruce helped Clarence down from the stage in an elevator (blimey I'm starting to talk American) after a concert and again kissed him. That's nice. Clarence must be suffering in some way though, to require assistance and to receive this attention. Hope he's doin OK.

yes I can be quite distractible when I am supposed to be getting on with things...

Speaking of addictions I am quite addicted to Blood and Candle Smoke. Been a while since I have been so into a singer-songwriter album. There are outstanding songs that come out in good and OK albums but a consistently strong album all the way through is rare. The last time I was into such a consistently outstanding album (IMHO of course) by a songwriter was I think LCs Ten New Songs and TRs own Borderland both of which came out in 2001??.
Just saw TR is playing at a club for $ 23 per person. My kinda concert

I have seen on a vid clip of a recent concert Bruce kissing Clarence on the cheek after helping him to his on-stage position,

Well hope Clarence is doing OK. But we can do with a little less of that....

Hi Steven -- you went all silent.

If Steven falls behind we will wait for him:-)

You make me want to get back to TR, K. I was starting to really like that album until I got frustrated actually when I was trying hard over a few days to read the lyrics, printed in white on a bright red background in the cd booklet. I have some traits of dyslexia. I can read the words just like normal, but not get the meaning no matter how many times I read. Strange but true. I normally find it a cosy ritual, to sit down with the liner notes of a new cd but next time I listen I will have to look them up online (some are in this thread I know).

Speaking of TNS, I played your interview again recently Steven, and Sharon was talking about how Boogie Street is about having to get on with one's life and work (and mindless eating?), in spite of spiritual teaching. Who ever said it better than LC in that song.

Kush wrote:

I have seen on a vid clip of a recent concert Bruce kissing Clarence on the cheek after helping him to his on-stage position,

Well hope Clarence is doing OK. But we can do with a little less of that....

Do you not feel like expressing affection towards your male friends at times? Hmm yes I guess (hetero) men would normally hug each other, kiss not usually. Bruce don't care though.

Does an album still qualify as new when Fopp are selling the CD + DVD for seven quid?!