Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
Jefferson Airfloof (floofinition) – San Francisco-based floof-rock (flock) band who had multiple platinum albums, well known for their early floofedelic musical style.
In use: “Jefferson Airfloof eventually became Jefferson Starfloof, and then morphed into Starfloof, but many associate the name with their early hits, “Floof Rabbit” and “Somebody to Bite”, both written by Floof Slick.”
Came across this song last night as I drifted the net. I’m a Nirvana, Grohl, Foo Fighters, AC/DC fan. This Foo Fighters cover of “Let There Be Rock” by AC/DC fills those squares.
The song itself, released back in 1977, with lyrics about the birth of rock, is sillier than I enjoy, but works well for nostalgia and thoughts of back in the day. The Foo Fighters (like always, it seems) does a fine cover. Lovely heavy bass line. I could use more of Chris on lead but the band’s intensity is mesmerizing.
While I’m on about nostalgia, we had a short net outage yesterday, reminding me of what it’s like without the web to offer news, opinion, entertainment, and diversion.
Cheers
Pearl Jam broke into the morning’s mental music stream (M3S, patent pending) with “Even Flow” (1992), a song about a homeless man. It’s one of the songs that was on my commuting play tape when I was stationed at Onizuka and living in the SF-SJ Bay Area.
The lyrics that started my stream aren’t at the beginning, but the first refrain.
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don’t know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he’ll begin his life again
Life again, life again…
Kneelin’, looking through the paper though he doesn’t know to read, ooh yeah
Oh, prayin’, now to something that has never showed him anything
Oh, feelin’, understands the weather of the winters on its way
Oh, ceilings, few and far between all the legal halls of shame, yeah
h/t AZLyrics.com
I enjoy this live version. They’re pretty faithful to the song but the band’s energy is on full display.
Thinking about a big coming out party, someday, after the crises is resolved. (A.C.: After COVID-19. We’ll start a new reference system – “In 2 AC, the first normal baseball game was played.”) Maybe the theme should be dancing in the streets.
The song, “Dancing in the Street”, and its many versions jumped into the stream. I do enjoy the Mick and David version. But I don’t want to show favoritism, so here’s a few offerings. Looking at them, I’m surprised that it has sprung up as a new cover by some one, like, I don’t know, Kelly Clarkson.
David Bowie and Mick Jagger, 1985. Boy, the disco era is really displayed in their clothing style. Fitting for responding to a global problem, as this collaboration was done to raise money and awareness for “Live Aid” famine relief.
Martha and the Vandelllas, 1964 – the original, to me.
Van Halen, 1982 – oh, yeah, lots of synthesizer.
Mama and the Papas, 1966 – a very mellow version.
Tons of time songs were going through my head this morning. “Time Won’t Let Me”, “Too Much Time On My Hands”, “Does Anyone Know What Time It Is”, “Love Me Two Times”, ” “Time After Time”, “Time” (one by Alan Parsons and another one by Pink Floyd), “Time Is On My Side”, “Time In A Bottle”…you get the gist.
Then, weirdly, an old Oasis song (well, from 1994), “Live Forever” broke through. That, I decided, is today’s theme music. Most of us aren’t going to live forever. Oh, sure, there are probably some among who secretly live very long lives, like thousands of years, but that’s not forever, is it? And the machines among us, along with the angels and aliens, also live decently long, but even they don’t make it to ‘forever’ (which begs the questions, just how long is forever?) (which also prompts songs about forever into my music stream).
Despite our knowledge we’re going to die, most of us fight like hell to stay alive. That’s why we’re willing to practice distancing. I’m a fatalistic person toward death, myself, but I’m not interested in the pain and discomfort that I read that many endure with COVID-19.
So, here’s the music. That is all.
The Talking Heads crashed my music stream with their 1986 song, “Wild Wild Life”.
Sounds right for now, cause it’s a wild, wild life, being locked up, entertaining ourselves via digital connections, wondering when we’ll be able to comfortably socialize with others as we used to do, driving our pets and family members by our constant presence.
Yeah, it’s so boring, it’s a wild, wild life.
Today’s music was released in 1966. I was ten years old. Neighborhood kids had this song (and about ten zillion others) on a forty-five. We gathered in their basement in Wilkinsburg, PA, and had dance parties, with the records being played on a little portable record-player.
“Kicks” by Paul Revere and the Raiders, was about drug use, getting sucked into that world, and how it can happen without warning. That’s true about so many things; changes occur under our noses. Our bodies shift. Bad habits led to poor under-lying conditions but we’re oblivious to them until a medical emergency erupts. Same thing can happen to romantic and sexual relationships, friendships, finances, houses, and cars. Those little, sneaking changes are noticed but not noted until they combine into one big fucking change that explodes in your face.
Anyway, “Kicks” came into my musical stream this morning as I was reflecting on last night dreams. There’s one line in the song that says, “You’ll never run away from you, and if you keep on running, you’ll have to pay the price.”
Yeah, you can’t run away from you. It’s a distance too far.
Lock downs, quarantine, self-distancing, isolation, and every other way you can think of saying “We’re staying inside” is still in effect in many places. Restlessness is grabbing people. They’re suffering urges to hit the road, get their nails done, go bowling, or just stroll the streets and have a drink with friends. Some of them are thinking of escape.
Which brought to mind, “Gimme Three Steps” by Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1973. Bet that’s more than a few out there, thinking, gimme three steps, and I’ll be out the door ‘fore you know it.
Here’s some music for your thoughts.
Just a simple song from my youth, sparked by random thoughts, “Gee, a road trip would be nice today. Maybe head to the coast, smell the air, listen and watch the waves, experience life as it was, when that was all taken for granted.”
Like a proper theme song, Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” (1969) began.
For now I smell the rain, and with it pain, and it’s headed my way
Ah, sometimes I grow so tired
But I know I’ve got one thing I got to do
Ramble on, and now’s the time, the time is now
To sing my song, I’m going ’round the world, I gotta find my girl
On my way, I’ve been this way ten years to the day
Ramble on, gotta find the queen of all my dreams
h/t to Genius.com
Think I’ll ramble on into the kitchen for a cuppa coffee.
Had a doughnut, thought about having another. The little devil on my shoulder started singing, “Go ahead and do it, do it, do it till you’re satisfied.” Now the 1974 B.T. Express song, “Do It ‘Til You’re Satisfied”, is stuck in my mental stream, distracting me from my writing and pushing me toward eating a second doughnut.
The doughnut does complement the coffee, though…
