On the one hand, Sir Paul is still out there doing it on his terms, at almost 83 years old!
On the other … yeesh …
Wynton on Beethoven
YouTube’s algorithm has presented me with another opportunity to highbrow troll this blargh. Here’s Wynton Marsalis on his transition from reverse snobbery to Beethoven fan. If you want to explore the nine symphonies, there are many great recordings and as many boring ones. To make it simple, check out George Szell’s cycle with the Cleveland Orchestra. No weak links, and should be available for streaming everywhere. It’s been in print since the 60’s, and for good reason.
Completely Warbling Time
I’m enjoying these musicians and their collective Hendrix WTF takes.
A “Modern Spiritual”
No comment, just putting it out there.
Clever
Marshall Crenshaw kind of fell off my radar during the past decade or two, then I ran across some cheap and decent copies of his first two lps in a store last week. I’d forgotten how strong those albums are. I’ve always liked how this song bridges the double verses with a false start of the chorus. A clever tactic. I’m sure other songs have done it, but for some reason I’m drawing a blank trying to think of one.
A.V. Undercover Is Back!
And so is GWAR. They’ve done Undercover eight times now, which must be a record. Below is my favorite AVU performance of theirs, Kansas’s “Carry On My Wayward Son.”
A.V. Undercover archives are up now too. Right here.
Are The Beatles “Classical?”
An interesting perspective from an excellent classical music critic.
Who Can’t Relate To This Song?
And should you want to learn how to play it …
So This Is Cool
Learned this past weekend on a trip visiting my 81-year-old aunt that my grandmother’s cousin (my first cousin, twice removed) was a songwriter in California. And that I’m named for him, by way of my dad. (Fucked up spelling and all.) Here’s one of his tunes that Bing Crosby recorded.
And here’s another that could be fun to work up as a rocker.
Spacewoman
From The Breeders 2018 album All Nerve, of which I was completely unaware. Good stuff! Video directed by Richard Ayoade.
By the way, this album was recorded with the reunited lineup that includes Jim MacPherson and Josephine Wiggs.