Sonny Sharrock – ‘Kate’ (variations on a theme by Kate Bush)
The guitar in this doesn’t come in until just a bit after the two-minute mark, but when it does, it’s pure bliss. Sonny was, in my opinion, one of the most powerfully expressive guitarists ever to walk the earth, and this song proves it. I wish it didn’t fade out when it does- I could listen to him go on like this for hours.
Lungfish – ‘Armageddon’ live 12 May 1998
To put Arbouretum in its proper full context both historically and stylistically, one needs to have at least a passing awareness of Lungfish, one of the greatest bands that ever did exist. I had the benefit of being from the same city as them, which made for some really intense experiences being indelibly etched into my consciousness. There was and still is nothing quite like seeing Lungfish live, and
this video goes a long way toward explaining why.
Grateful Dead – ‘Terrapin Station’ live 31 December 1978
The crown jewel of Grateful Dead songs, from one of my favorite periods of their career. Jerry just oozed soul and wrote kickass songs, which is why the Dead will always be better than Phish, The String Cheese Incident, or any of those other jam bands whose names had their origins in upper-middle class stoner kids’ experiences with food whilst tripping on acid at their parents’ houses.
Erik Satie – ‘Messe des Pauvres, I-IV’
A lot of people know Erik Satie for his languid, moody piano pieces like ‘Gympnopedie 1’, which is probably one of the best ever pieces of music for driving through the French countryside in the rain. Few know of his more darker, more challenging work like this though. I mean, just listen to it – the guy was pretty out there. I don’t even know how it makes sense musically – the chords seem to follow no particular direction and frequently have notes clashing with each other, but somehow it all works in this strangely beautiful way. So, so good.
Down Home Radio with Jeron "Blind Boy" Paxton
He starts playing at around 1:40. This guy is amazing. No one plays like this these days. Even if they want to, they can’t. My buddy knows him; he’s a young guy from North Carolina who I believe lives in Brooklyn, NY now.
Tartit – Ichichila
Ok it’s getting seriously late here and I’m still up watching videos and writing about them. No more long descriptions kids: deal with it. I’m going to stop being so particular about punctuation too. Anyway, this song rules- an excellent example of Malian music by one of its lesser-known bands.
Patrick Snijers rally driving, 1988
DWIb_oAlright, enough music for a minute. Watch this guy drive, it’s nuts. "A breathtaking display of forceful driving"…haha, yep.
Demonstration by Ven Lama Dondrup Dorje from 1996
Chi is real. I’m not going to even pretend to agree with any of you materialist atheist skeptic people on this, because if I did, we’d both be wrong.
Gordon Lightfoot – ‘Early Morning Rain’, live in Chicago – 1979
Gord is the best. My friend Bill was going on about him once, like "he’s this guy who can sing these really touching love songs, but he’s this rugged Canadian who can totally kick your ass". For my part, I started listening to him when I was about five, and still do.
My Bloody Valentine – ‘Only Tomorrow’
Man, I was excited when this came out a couple weeks ago. It was snowing and I was pretty much stuck in the apartment when I read on twitter that this had just been released minutes before. I was blown away by this song and it remains my favorite on the record. The end part is so huge – it’s like My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Terrapin Station’, if you want to think about it that way. Then the next night Baltimore won the Superbowl… it was a pretty good weekend.
For info on tickets on Abouretum’s Corsica Studios gig, go here
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