DEWEY'S RECORD PARTY!

[ChiO]

Mom and Dad are celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary today.
Given that there was no band, no DJ, and no dancing -- dirty or
otherwise -- in our Baptist church's reception hall, this is a make-up
call.

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[ChiO]

Another Chicago Blues Giant is gone.

Magic Slim died yesterday at the age of 75.

R.I.P.

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[ChiO]

Cleotha Staples, oldest child of Pops and sister to Pervis, Mavis and
Yvonne, who together were Chicago's legendary STAPLE SINGERS,
inspiration to millions, died on Wednesday.

R.I.P.

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[JackFavell]

Aggggggh. This is sad news. The Staples were my introduction to music that was different from my parents' showtunes and pop/jazz. I loved and still love them so much. I'd never heard anything like them before. They are as distinctive and special as can be. To me they are the epitome of gospel, soul, and maybe a little bit of funk all wrapped up in one package - the breathtaking sound of God's gifts on earth, expressing such longing for freedom, harmony and tolerance. God bless her, I'm sure she's in the heavenly choir

[ChiO]

And another...Kevin Ayers. Soft Machine. Co-conspirator.

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[JackFavell]

Oh my god, he's wonderful! It's a shame to only discover him now he's gone. A big big loss. Huge.

I've never heard of SOFT MACHINE or Kevin Ayers before, there are huge gaps in my musical knowledge. It seems he played with or inspired lots of musicians that I know, but he seems to have wanted to slip through the cracks.

The second song you posted has an unbelievably beautiful instrumentation. Just when you think you have him pegged, playing YES style prog rock, he switches to jazz or folk or something else, all the while retaining something indefinable. His voice is superb, the tone is something like Eric Burdon's, but I think he has far more range and soul, like what I would have liked Burdon to have become. I want to hear more and more of him.

It's funny, my record store friend and I were just talking about Eno yesterday, and about some other musicians, Terry Riley and La Monte Young, who were classically trained and played around with sound.

[ChiO]

I have my musician college roommate to thank for introducing me
to Soft Machine and Terry Riley circa 1969-71. I've
always had a particular affection for Soft Machine's pop tune,
"Moon in June" (how banal is that!), post-Kevin Ayers. Robert
Wyatt's voice and drums do it for me.

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[JackFavell]

Well, this shows me that I really like Soft Machine, no matter what the make up of the band. I liked the ethereal organ and Wyatt's voice, which for some reason reminded me of Pete Townshend (whose voice I actually prefer to Roger Daltrey's even if it is a bit thin). There is something plaintive in that high arching sound.

[JackFavell]

for the birthday boy.

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[ChiO]

Thank you so much, JF. Nothing like listening to the World's Greatest and Hippest and Coolest Band. Truly the Only Band That Matters.

I wanted to say "Fall in love"/I want to say "Fall in love with me"/I wanted to say "Fall in love"/It'll be all right. Indeed.

To avoid moving hundreds of CDs, just before the move I loaded a few favorite tunes from across all genres onto the good ol' Mac.

Thirty-seven of the tunes were by The Mekons.

[JackFavell]

Whew! Thank goodness for computers! You can do without all sorts of other things, but being without music is torture.

[ChiO]

Over 40 years ago, I saw Cactus open for one of the darlings of
WOODSTOCK -- Ten Years After. Lead guitarist and focal point
for Ten Years After, Alvin Lee, has gone home. R.I.P.

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[ChiO]

March 28, 1983. It was a dark, but not stormy (yet), night. Durkin's Bar.
Diversey & Halsted. Gal-pal in tow. DePaul NIT game on big-screen.
Loads of friends. Plenty of cover for Yenta Judy's quarterly attempt
to find me a woman. "Hi. Judy's told me a lot about you." "Yeah."
Beers...many beers. Soundly win, several times, at Ms. Pac-Man.
Soundly lose, several times, at Pinball Bowling. But a date was made.

And from the Billboard Top Ten that Fateful Night thirty years ago:

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[JackFavell]

Wow! A blast from the past and and romance in the air. How nice to know that something good can last.

[ChiO]

Being at a Green Day concert last night as a belated birthday present
from the younger daughter, and hearing one particular song, made me
think of the end of Spring Break.

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