All the Dylan!

My big birthday present this year was The Complete Album Collection, Vol. One from Bob Dylan. I was lucky enough to have it procured by my lovely wife and her family. We saw him perform at the Riverside Theatre, PCEC in August last year, and ever since I saw an advert for the box set in the back of the concert program, I wanted it! It reminded me of the time I was 12, and asked mum and dad July for The Beatles box set on cassette for Christmas, in July! Such wantee! Such waitee! He he he...

Well, it was difficult to track down in Perth, but Rhona managed to order it online. I didn't have it on my birthday, but that just added nicely to the anticip...ation! The beautiful box came to our door last Monday and I've been very slowly working my way through it.

The box set includes all of Dylan's official albums from 1962 to 2012; from Bob Dylan to Tempest, and includes the live albums as well. It also has a supplementary double disc compilation of songs that weren't included on any official releases. So, that's 41 albums, and a total of 47 CDs. 

I already have several Dylan albums, but I have lots of gaps. I'm pretty familiar with his output in the sixties, and anything post Time Out Of Mind (1997). I'm looking forward to listening to them in the order they were released, filling in the blind spots as I go. I'm three albums in and so far most of the songs have consisted of just Dylan's voice, guitar and occasional harmonica. There are only a few tracks that feature other musicians. The last of his first three albums, The Times They Are A-Changin', starts to close the door on his protest and folk period. By the time the album was released in January 1964, he'd already started to move on to ballads and more introspective work. It wouldn't be long until he went electric! And would play with a band!

I've wiped my iPod clean of nearly all Dylan, except for his Greatest Hits, Vol. II, which ain't going nowhere! As listen to each album (minimum of twice all the way through), I look through the replicated liner notes and scan through Wikipedia and Allmusic to get info and trivial tidbits. Then I add the album to my iPod...he he he, ready for the general population! I've gotten into a bad habit of ripping CDs and putting them on my iPod without listening to them. I just hope that the odd track will turn up in a shuffle or something. Pretty lazy really. No more! I need to make the effort to listen to albums in their entirety. I'll still shuffle-y it up, but all things in moderation, huh?

So far, here's where I'm at:

1. BOB DYLAN (1962) - 18/2
I'd not heard his debut before, except for Song To Woody, which was included on the wonderful 3CD compilation Masterpieces. I was quite struck by how growly and shouty he got on some tracks and also enjoyed his arrangements of traditional folk numbers like The House Of The Rising Sun, In My Time Of Dying and Man Of Constant Sorrow. Aside from Song To Woody, the only other Dylan original is Talkin' New York, which chronicles his first experiences in NYC. I hold that as one of the highlights.

2. THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN (1963) - 19/2
I've owned this album for a few years now, and it's one of my favourites. It contains quite a few classic tracks including A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, Girl From The North Country, Blowin' In The Wind, and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. I really like his treatment of Corrina, Corrina (hey, a band!) and his update of Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance is great as well. Unlike his debut, almost the entire album is made up of original material. Dylan was starting to have a major impact throughout the world with songs like Masters Of War echoing the protests of many. It was this album that earned him the title of the "spokesman of his generation". The cover artwork featuring Dylan walking down the street with his then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo is now quite iconic. 

3. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' (1964) - 24/2
Again, I've been familiar with this album for a while too, but I'm not as fond of as his sophomore. It has some excellent material, the title track still as relevant today as it ever was, but it's a fairly bleak affair. One music critic at the time referred to the record as Masters Of War turned into a concept album. The instrumentation is fairly basic again, but songs like With God On Our Side, When The Ship Comes In and One Too Many Mornings make for engaging listening. Even Boots Of Spanish Leather (which utilises the melody of Girl From The Northern Country almost exactly, which was itself also borrowed from an old folk tune) remains captivating too.

Okay, onto Another Side Of Bob Dylan, which was his first album to seriously veer away from social commentary. 

Stung and A-Paul'd

We saw Paul Simon and Sting play together at Sir James Mitchell Park in South Perth over the weekend, and it was a fabulous show. Rhona's quite a fan of Sting and was very excited about seeing him live. I'd not seen either of them perform before, and I was really looking forward to what they were going to play. Both artists have a huge repertoire of material and it was anybody's guess what would make the list.

I was under the impression that they would both be onstage together for the entire concert, as the tagline suggested. They played three songs at the start (two of Sting's and one of Paul's) before they introduced each other; Paul cheekily referring Sting as "Mister Gordon Sumner". There is quite a size difference between the two musicians, and as Sting put his arm around Paul I half expected him to launch into a Tony Montana impersonation: "Say 'hello' to my little friend!" Paul then announced that he was going to leave us in the hands of Sting for a bit and come back later.*

Although I was initially disappointed that they didn't perform as a duo all night, I think it actually worked really well. They took turns in playing mini-sets on their own before the other came out to join in on a song, and then they'd swap over. It was the best of the both worlds, really. We got searing versions of Driven To Tears and Walking On The Moon from Sting, but then he did a lovely cover of Simon & Garfunkel's wonderful ballad America. Although Sting provided the exquisite guitar part, we got to hear Paul Simon cover the haunting protest song Fragile, before leading the band through fabulous renditions of Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard and That Was Your Mother. 

I love hearing how different artists interpret the music of others, so I got a big kick out of hearing them share verses when they sang together. They opened the show with Sting's Brand New Day, and Paul's vocal style was quite a contrast, but it worked. When they sang together, their voices blended surprisingly well too. One of the things I love about watching Bob Dylan live is that his songs are always changing. He can't sing like he used to, so he's changed keys, tempos and even moods of some of his older tracks. When you have two artists merging their repertoires, you get a little taste of that reinterpretation without the whole song changing too much. It's kinda cool.

The songs that they sang together best were the old Simon & Garfunkel numbers, in my opinion. Particularly Bridge Over Troubled Water, one of the concert's final performances, which saw them take a verse each, before blending in glorious harmony for the third one. I really liked the way they shared vocals on Every Breath You Take too.

My favourite moments were the surprises; those songs you didn't really expect to be performed. I've already mentioned Paul's That Was Your Mother from the Graceland album, and he rolled it out after a fantastic performance of Still Crazy After All These Years, another big favourite of mine. When the latter finished and the former kicked off, I had the biggest grin on my face. I was also stoked to hear The Boy In The Bubble and The Obvious Child. There were a couple of Paul's songs that I was unfamiliar with, but still enjoyed them immensely; namely Dazzling Blue and Hearts And Bones.

When Paul left the stage after the show's opening three songs, Sting launched into The Police's So Lonely, which I also didn't plan on hearing. The added novelty of a 'punk' tuba solo only enhanced the enjoyment of that number. When he introduced Vinnie Colaiuta on the drums as he was doing "what is referred to as a press roll", I knew the The Hounds Of Winter was coming. I wasn't hugely enamoured by the backing vocalist's shrill scat moments during the instrumental sections, but it was still pretty great. I don't think anyone doubted that Message In A Bottle would get a guernsey, but it was the way it came up that was the surprise. Sting had just finished his mostly-solo take on America, when a blast a guitar feedback drowned out the last notes. As it got louder, the opening riff from Message In A Bottle started up, so Sting tossed away his acoustic and grabbed his bass. Great moment.

Apparently Sting and Paul Simon are old friends, and both live in New York. There was a mutual respect between them, which became more obvious as the show went on. No doubt, there's a lot of love there too. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves, with Sting sporting a fairly lengthy beard and a physique that belied his sixty three years on the planet. Paul rocked his trademark trilby with a quiet grace reserved for musicians over the age of seventy, but with the enthusiasm of a twentysomething.

This was one of the best concerts that I've been to. They kicked off at 7:30pm and went well past 10pm, without a break. All the musicians in both bands were fantastic and both Paul and Sting were in exceptional vocal form. I don't think I'll see another show like this for some time. A master class from two classy masters of their craft.

* For a setlist of the evening, click here.

"Woke up this morning, found a love light in the storm..."

After all the Kanye/Grammys/Beck business, I've gone back to Morning Phase and have given it a fair few spins. Not that I really give a toss about the Grammys, but I was happy about the wins the album received. I've liked a lot of Beck's music over the years, and Morning Phase was my favourite long player from last year. Not that I listen to a whole heap of modern music these days.

One of the first comments I heard about Beck's newie was that it sounded like psychedelic Dylan. I became very interested once I learnt that it was offered up as a companion piece to 2002's Sea Change, one of my favourite albums of all time. I loved the prominently acoustic arrangements on that record, and I had been hoping that Beck would return to those sounds and moods again.

I didn't get into Sea Change immediately. It was one of those albums that I bought at a CD clearance sale in the old Burswood Dome. I think I bought because it got a pretty favourable review in Rolling Stone, and someone around me quite liked the track Paper Tiger. It was a "yeah, nah, why not?" purchase. 

Even after buying it, I think it took me a few years to really listen to it. I quite liked the opening track, The Golden Age, but I only became aware of the song after The Flaming Lips released a cover version on their Fight Test EP. As time has gone by, it's become one of my go-to songs when I want to chill out or relax, or just feel good. I love those first couple of strums of the acoustic guitar before that soothing piano line comes in; yes, soothing. It soothes me. Musical perfection and transcendence. It's one of my favourite driving tracks as well, when I'm in absolutely no hurry. Possibly as much as ten years after its release, I really started to appreciate how fantastic Sea Change really is.

Firstly, it's a break-up record. Any kind of emotional turmoil can really get the creative juices of an artist flowing. Particularly those who use their art as a form of catharsis. Anyone who's ended a relationship, or instigated the break-up (and that's most people, I guess), can relate to a lot of the lyrics here. It's not all doom-and-gloom though. There are songs that wallow in self-pity briefly, of course, but then there are contrasting ones about just getting over it and continuing forward. Apart from the first song, my other favourite tracks include Guess I'm Doing Fine, It's All In Your Mind, Lost Cause and Sunday Sun. 

The latter features a very Beck-esque outro of a squelchy, electric cacophony that almost threatens to become unlistenable before mercifully reaching its end. I think it's a nice touch. The album is more Mutations than Odelay!, but it's certainly a lot mellower, and I think it may be one of Beck's more accessible efforts.

Morning Phase doesn't the have the angst of a failed relationship hanging over it, so the subject matter isn't as brooding or downbeat. The second song Morning is wonderfully melodic and even a little uplifting. Easily my favourite track, it has a very similar musical motif throughout that reminds me of The Golden Age, which I think was deliberate. Even the instrumentation is the same, which only confirms the link back to Sea Change. I find the album suits a lazy Sunday morning down to the ground, bar a couple of the more downbeat tunes.

My other highlights on this record are Blackbird Chain, Blue Moon and Heart Is A Drum. The two short instrumental tracks, Phase and Cycle, add to the overall feel of the album nicely, without seeming pretentious or wasteful.

Anyway, if you're only familiar with the sample-heavy, rap/rock stylings of Beck, I thoroughly recommend these two albums. I'm considering taking the best tracks from both to create Morning Change...or Sea Phase. 

CLAY'S eleven

I was asked by a good friend of mine to make him a CD. He asked me to pick eleven songs that mean something to me. He also told me not to over think it, and just do it. 

I did probably give this task too much thought, but I like to do these little things. This felt quite similar to the Essential20 idea that Justin floated through us a couple of years back. Only this time, I didn't have to rely on Spotify. I knew I would have everything I wanted.

Of course, I tried to include my BIG FIVE, and I got three out of the five. I had a bit of an epiphany a little while ago where five musical artists revealed themselves to be my absolute favourites:

1. Neil Young
2. Bob Dylan
3. Frank Zappa
4. Paul Kelly
5. David Bowie

For whatever reason, these five musicians are the ones where I've tried the hardest to listen to their entire body of work. I haven't quite got there with all five yet, but I'm certainly making headway.

Anyway, I decided to distance myself from my favourite bands and songs and stuff and hone in on music that provoked an emotional response of some kind from me. As someone else would be listening to it, I also thought it best to keep the length of the tracks fairly short too; no twenty six minute prog rock epics here! The longest song goes for six and half minutes, but they tend to be between three and four.

I think I've come up with a fairly indicative list, but as is always the case with these things, I've missed a few songs. I'm not going to dwell on those missed choices though. For whatever reason, I feel that these eleven tracks were the ones I was meant to pick.

Anyway, here they are:

1. Desperados Under The Eaves by Warren Zevon (Warren Zevon, 1976)

I went through a pretty big Warren Zevon phase a few years back after a fellow who worked at Rosie O'Grady's lent me the A Quiet Normal Life compilation. This was a track that constantly grabbed me whenever it played. I seemed to be drawn in by it, and as the song builds towards it end, I would feel a little teary for some reason. It's not a sad song or anything, but the arrangement is pretty stirring. I have been lucky to play it live a handful of times, and it has some of my favourite lyrics that Zevon ever wrote. I was always pretty bummed that I didn't really get into his music until after he died.

2. Don't Let It Bring You Down by Neil Young (After The Gold Rush, 1970)

Of course there had to be a Neil Young song in here, and I landed on this one. Not only my favourite song from my favourite Neil Young album, but it has a lyric that I found myself quoting a lot over the years:

"Don't let it bring you down/

It's only castles burning..."

I don't really know what it means, but I find it strangely comforting. I feel it expresses a desire to rise above whatever situation who find yourself in. I might be wrong, but that's the great thing about music, isn't it?

3. The Lighthouse Song by Josh Pyke (Chimney's Afire, 2008)

Rhona and I both love Josh Pyke and we've seen him live about seven or eight times. His music speaks to both of us, and we even have lyrics from one of his songs on our bedroom wall. I chose this track because it always reminds of me of Rhona. When things get a little tough, and the world seems to be closing in around us, this songs almost becomes something of a mantra. We're about to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary and I think our relationship is stronger than it's ever been. I cherish our marriage dearly, and I don't take it for granted. This song feels like it's about us, in a weird way.

4. Pink Moon by Nick Drake (Pink Moon, 1972)

I had to listen to Nick Drake's Pink Moon as part of my blogging adventures for afyccim, and it was my first ever experience with the man. I was struck by the song's simplicity and beauty. That piano in the middle of the track is just wondrous. It just does something to me. It centres and clams me. I love it. 

5. The Mission: Unexplainable Stories by Cloud Cult (Light Chasers, 2010)

From the first time I heard this song, I loved it. The opening brass lines grabbed me and I was hooked within ten seconds. It wouldn't surprise you to know that this song is from a concept album, and this is the start of the story, but it works quite well on its own. I absolutely love how the musical layers stack up throughout the track. It's stunning.

6. (Nice Dream) by Radiohead (The Bends, 1995)

For a long time, I held this album to be my favourite of all time, and it's still up there. I chose this song because I think everything great about Radiohead is in this one track. Lovely melodic vocals, lush arrangements, screaming guitars and beautiful counter melodies. Its the latter than really grab here. When they start up in the middle choruses, I just get taken away. He he he...and then the guitars shake me out of it.

7. God by John Lennon (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, 1970)

I've spent a large portion of my life as fan of The Beatles, and I still am one. John has always been my favourite Beatle, and I gravitate towards the songs he wrote. When I chose my ten essential Beatles tracks recently, seven of them were John's. This album is a very strong contender for my all time favourite too. Such raw honesty and emotion. This track in particular strips away the idea that John clings to any ideal, religion or figure. All that matters is his relationship with Yoko, and again that's something I relate to me and Rhona. I also love this song for Ringo's drumming; every fill on the "I don't believe in..." lines is different. 

8. The Golden Age by Beck (Sea Change, 2002)

Another one of those songs that just takes me away. I love listening to this one while I'm driving, as the lyrics describe being in the car. Again, it's a fairly simple song, but the arrangement and the vocal layering elevate it well above the average track. This is another song that seems to calm or soothe me.

9. Not Dark Yet by Bob Dylan (Time Out Of Mind, 1997)

This hypnotic, almost dirge-like track is the longest one in this list. It's slow, it's fairly simple, but I love the lyrics and the repeated guitar riff. It feels like the musical equivalent of an ocean wave; the song just washes over you. This album was the beginning of one of my favourite Dylan eras, and it always reminds me of the road he went down. 

10. Little Aches And Pains by Paul Kelly (Spring And Fall, 2012)

I love Paul Kelly, and if there's any songwriter I wish I could emulate, he's it. His observational style and storytelling skills paint such vivid images. This track is a little different, but it still evokes a picture of sorts. As the song's narrator talks about getting older and how he always feels little aches and pains, Kelly knocks out some of my favourite lyrics:

"Disabled we're born, disabled we die/

Is that a cliche? I'll make it one/

Hope it doesn't get too creaky..."

I also hold this track as something special because the first time I heard was live. Rhona and I went to see the Paul Kelly documentary Stories Of Me at the Astor Theatre and Kelly came out at the end of the film to play a few songs. This was one of them, and I loved it immediately. We were lucky enough to score front row tickets too, so he was directly in front of us. Magic moment.

11. It's A Motherfucker by Eels (Daisies Of The Galaxy, 2000)

Despite the profanity, this is a beautiful song. Those strings are just amazing, and I think it's one of the most perfect arrangements I've ever heard. It's a nice way to the end of the list too. I think this was the song that started me down the Eels' rabbit hole as well. I haven't listened to the last three or four albums, but I should get onto that.

So, there you have it. I might try to do this again in a little while, as an experiment, and see what I choose then.

A Murderous Anniversary

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released Murder Ballads on this day in 1996, and while it's not my favourite album of theirs, it does hold a special place in my heart. I had never really gotten into Nick Cave up until the time that the Where The Wild Roses Grow single with Kylie Minogue came out in late 1995. I quite liked the song, and I still like it, and it brought the band a lot of attention and gave Kylie some much needed street cred at the time. 

Shortly after the single's release I heard about the forthcoming album that would be made up entirely of songs about death and murder. Being a 19 year old fellow, I was quite morbidly curious about this idea. Having been vaguely familiar with Cave's work, I certainly didn't expect the Tell Laura I Love Her and Leader Of The Pack style of death anthem. 

The only Cave songs I really knew back then were The Ship Song and Do You Love Me? as they had been included on the first two Triple J Hottest 100 CDs. I'd seen snippets of clips of his time in The Birthday Party and some earlier clips with the Bad Seeds, but it didn't really blow my skirt up. But there something about Cave that was enticing to me. That deep voice, that menacing form and that dark, forbidding quality. 

Anyway, long story short, I bought Murder Ballads when it came out, and it was my first Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album. As I listen to it now, my impressions of it are still pretty quite similar to how I felt nineteen years ago. The concept is fantastic, and the moods created on all the tracks are suitably eerie. However, some of the songs just aren't engaging. I think the weakest tracks are the ones that don't present their story very clearly, namely Lovely Creature, Crow Jane and The Kindness Of Strangers. So, I find it a little hit-and-miss, pardon the pun. 

When they DO get it right though, it's downright unsettling. I think the album opener, Song Of Joy, does the best job of giving you chills, and Cave's performance is suitably unhinged. You feel as though he's talking directly to you through the speakers and the line between the song's narrator and murderer are nicely blurred.

The upbeat tempo and almost cartoon-like imagery of The Curse Of Millhaven is a big highlight for me too, and possibly my favourite track on the album. The repeated "La la la la/La la la lie" by the specially assembled group of backing vocalists (dubbed the Moron Tabernacle Choir) adds a fantastical element as well. 

Although it's a long listen at fourteen and a half minutes, O'Malley's Bar is great too, and probably the most graphic track, detailing the massacre of the patrons and staff at a tavern. Again, it's Cave's performance that lifts these songs out of the reach of the average singer because of his gothic theatricality. The Bad Seeds know how to create a sonic landscape that he can lay the words onto, and I couldn't think of another group to tackle such a concept. I have read in my travels this week, that the band tailored this album around O'Malley's Bar, because it was the only way the song could exist. I believe that to be true.

I love that Murder Ballads closes with Dylan's dirge-like Death Is Not The End, and that the guest vocalists and musicians contribute vocals to each verse. It strikes me as a whimsical epilogue that washes away the savagery of the previous tracks, and reminds you that it was all a musical dream. 

Getting back to why this LP is important to me, if I had not taken the plunge and bought it, I doubt I would have delved more into Cave's work. Aside from 2003's Nocturama, I have all the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds albums from Murder Ballads to 2013's excellent Push The Sky Away. I also have The Best Of compilation that was released in 1998. I am not much of a fan of their eighties material, but I love Deanna. I much prefer the live renditions of The Mercy Seat and From Her To Eternity that Cave performed in Fremantle last November too. I find tracks like Tupelo and The Carny quite menacing and difficult to enjoy. 

So, while I don't love Murder Ballads to death (badoom-tish!), I am grateful for its exist and the path it slowly lead me down. Without it, I may not have Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus in my favourite albums of all time list. 

#CLAYcentric5 - January Report

This year I've started a little project that I've dubbed #CLAYcentric5. The basic concept is that each day I log five songs that I have listened to, or will listen to, for whatever reason. Sometimes a song will make my daily quintet purely by coincidence, for instance it could have been playing at the supermarket, or randomly came up while my iPod shuffled along. Sometimes I might've just woken up with a particular track in my head that stayed for most of the day. If it's a musician's birthday or an anniversary of an album release that can influence my tune selection as well. For shits and giggles, I'm tweeting my picks every day too, hence the hashtag. Also a bit of a failsafe, in case I lose my list somehow. 

I don't only listen to five songs a day, by the way. Let's make that clear. I just choose five that are memorable, or important to the date for whatever reason. I'm also not going to have any duplicates, either of the exact same song, or a remix or live version.

My goal is have a grand total of 2015 songs by the end of 2015. What a way to commemorate the year, huh? I'll have a nice little flash drive (or two) chock full of the songs that I listened to. Because 365 multiplied by five doesn't equal 2015, some days I have an AM set of five songs and a PM selection. By the end of January I had a list of 170 songs. I'm well on target.

I'm hoping that when I listen back to the songs next year, or whenever, they'll trigger some memories of moments that I might have otherwise forgotten. For instance, Josh Pyke's fabulous cover of Kenny Loggins' House At Pooh Corner came on my iPod as we drove into our holiday house in the Porongurups. It was early January, and the last night we were going to spend there. We'd been out all day, driving and exploring. Our day ended with a top meal at the Plantagenet Hotel in Mount Barker, capping off a wonderful slice of family time. I hope those songs from that day help me to remember the trip. Who knows what memories these songs will keep.

So, anyway, here's a few stats. 

JANUARY (170 SONGS):

4 SONGS
David Bowie

3 SONGS
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Pink Floyd

2 SONGS
The Bangles
Jackson Browne
The Flaming Lips
New Order
Josh Pyke
The Rolling Stones

AUSTRALIAN TRACKS: 27

SONGS RELEASED AFTER 2010: 2

SONGS FROM THE 1970's: 37

SONGS WITH 'YOU' IN THE TITLE: 19 (including You by Marcia Hines)

SONGS WITH 'ME' IN THE TITLE: 9

SONGS WITH BOTH 'YOU' AND 'ME' IN THE TITLE: 2 (perfect opportunity for You and Me by Alice Cooper, but it wasn't on the list)

LIVE VERSIONS: 7

SONGS WITH 'LOVE' IN THE TITLE: 9

Well, there you go... 

Here's the full list:

JAN 1

1. New Year's Day (live) U2

2. Happy To Hang Around TRAVIS

3. One Day Like This ELBOW

4. The Sound of Silence SIMON & GARFUNKEL

5. To The End BLUR

JAN 2

6. Wintersong BOB EVANS

7. No Milk Today HERMAN'S HERMITS

8. King of the Road ROGER MILLER

9. Photograph WEEZER

10. Ego Tripping (Self-Admiration With Blow-Up Mix) THE FLAMING LIPS

JAN 3 (AM)

11. Young Pilgrims THE SHINS

12. Sweet Thing DAVID BOWIE

13. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes CROSBY, STILLS & NASH

14. Digital Love DAFT PUNK

15. Love You SYD BARRETT

JAN 3 (PM)

16. Mary's In India DIDO

17. I Am The Walrus THE BEATLES

18. Across The Night SILVERCHAIR

19. She's a Rainbow ROLLING STONES

20. True Colours CYNDI LAUPER

JAN 4

21. Temptation NEW ORDER

22. Sweetness Follows R.E.M.

23. Glory Box PORTISHEAD

24. Hearts a Mess GOTYE

25. Goldfinger ASH

JAN 5

26. Total Eclipse Of The Heart BONNIE TYLER

27. Many's The Time (In Dublin) TIM FINN

28. Jungle Boogie KOOL & THE GANG

29. I've Loved These Days (live) BILLY JOEL

30. Sunday Girl BLONDIE

JAN 6

31. Come All Ye FAIRPORT CONVENTION

32. Bedshaped KEANE

33. The Hustle VAN McCOY

34. Hold On ALABAMA SHAKES

35. Come On (Let The Good Times Roll) JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE

JAN 7

36. Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley ROBERT PALMER

37. Our Lips Are Sealed THE GO-GO'S

38. Living Forever GENESIS

39. Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts1-5 PINK FLOYD

40. House At Pooh Corner JOSH PYKE

JAN 8

41. Time To Move On TOM PETTY

42. Kooks DAVID BOWIE

43. The Ghost Song THE DOORS

44. Suspicious Minds ELVIS PRESLEY

45. There Goes God (live) CROWDED HOUSE

JAN 9

46. White & Nerdy "WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC

47. The Space Between DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

48. The Ocean LED ZEPPELIN

49. Somebody To Love JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

50. With God On Our Side BOB DYLAN

JAN 10

51. Babylon Sisters STEELY DAN

52. Stay With Me THE FACES

53. We Belong PAT BENATAR

54. Billy the Mountain (live) FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS

55. Running Up That Hill KATE BUSH

JAN 11

56. Let Forever Be THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS

57. Ceremony NEW ORDER

58. Manic Monday THE BANGLES

59. You're A Friend Of Mine CLARENCE CLEMONS & JACKSON BROWNE

60. I'll Be Gone SPECTRUM

JAN 12

61. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ELTON JOHN

62. You and Your Sister CHRIS BELL

63. The Sorrowful Wife NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

64. Guerilla Radio RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

65. Good Times Bad Times LED ZEPPELIN

JAN 13

66. My City Of Ruins BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

67. Brainville THE FLAMING LIPS

68. Driving In My Car MADNESS

69. I Don't Want To Be With Nobody But You ABSENT FRIENDS

70. Won't You Come Around? PAUL KELLY

JAN 14

71. Young Love MYSTERY JETS feat. LAURA MARLING

72. Yes We Can Can HARRY CONNICK, JR.

73. Breaking Glass (live) DAVID BOWIE

74. The Pretender FOO FIGHTERS

75. Gets Me Through OZZY OSBOURNE

JAN 15 (AM)

76. Looking For Clues ROBERT PALMER

77. Never Make You Cry ERIC CLAPTON

78. Don't Tell Me The Time MARTHA DAVIS

79. Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles CAPTAIN BEEFHEART

80. Ain't Too Proud To Beg THE TEMPTATIONS

JAN 15 (PM)

81. We Gathered In Spring MIDLAKE

82. Owner Of A Lonely Heart YES

83. #1 Crush GARBAGE

84. Growing Up (Tom Lord-Alge mix) PETER GABRIEL

85. The Grudge TOOL

JAN 16

86. Walk, Don't Run THE VENTURES

87. Nothing From Nothing BILLY PRESTON

88. Your Love Is King SADE

89. It's A Long Way There LITTLE RIVER BAND

90. I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You ALAN PARSONS PROJECT

JAN 17

91. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) PAUL YOUNG

92. Respectable Dive RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

93. If She Knew What She Wants THE BANGLES

94. Bouncing Off Clouds TORI AMOS

95. Can't You Hear Me Knocking ROLLING STONES

JAN 18

96. 6 Weeks JAMES MORRISON

97. Hold Me Now THOMPSON TWINS

98. Freak On A Leash KORN

99. Time Bomb RANCID

100. Hey Dude KULA SHAKER

JAN 19

101. Let There Be Love OASIS

102. The Special Two MISSY HIGGINS

103. You Can Do Magic AMERICA

104. Clovis' Sons JOSH PYKE

105. Piece of My Heart BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY

JAN 20

106. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next MANIC STREET PREACHERS

107. Cool Your Heels ATLAS STRINGS

108. Just a Little Lovin' DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

109. Do You Love Me? KISS

110. Phoenix DAFT PUNK

JAN 21

111. Sing It Again BECK

112. They Can't Take That Away From Me FRANK SINATRA

113. Dizzy VIC REEVES & WONDER STUFF

114. Landslide of Love TRANSVISION VAMP

115. Call It A Day THE RACONTEURS

JAN 22

116. Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll THE KILLERS

117. Underneath It All NO DOUBT feat LADY SAW

118. Mean Old World SAM COOKE

119. Listen Like Thieves INXS

120. Mr Brownstone GUNS N' ROSES

JAN 23

121. Marlene On The Wall SUZANNE VEGA

122. Well...All Right BLIND FAITH

123. Dogs PINK FLOYD

124. I Was Alive THE WHITLAMS

125. Wild Is The Wind (2010 Harry Maslin mix) DAVID BOWIE

JAN 24

126. Walk Away Renee BILLY BRAGG

127. Instant Crush DAFT PUNK feat JULIAN CASABLANCAS

128. Save A Prayer DURAN DURAN

129. Desperados Under The Eaves WARREN ZEVON

130. Running On Empty JACKSON BROWNE

JAN 25

131. You MARCIA HINES

132. Check It Out JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP

133. The Unguarded Moment THE CHURCH

134. She Drives Me Crazy FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS

135. Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down ALICIA KEYS

JAN 25 AM

136. She Will Survive THINGS OF STONE & WOOD

137. Blush THE HUMMINGBIRDS

138. In My Command CROWDED HOUSE

139. Someone's Singing New York New York GHOSTWRITERS

140. It's Nice To Be Alive BALL PARK MUSIC

JAN 26 PM

141. The Ship Song (live) NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

142. Lonely FRENTE!

143. Solid Rock GOANNA

144. Back To The Wall DIVINYLS

145. From Little Things Big Things Grow PAUL KELLY

JAN 27

146. Louder Than Words PINK FLOYD

147. Straight On (acoustic) HEART

148. Death or Glory THE CLASH

149. By All Means Necessary ROBBIE WILLIAMS

150. Ashes to Ashes FAITH NO MORE

JAN 28

151. White Winter Hymnal FLEET FOXES

152. Possession SARAH McLACHLAN

153. The Drinking Song MOXY FRÜVOUS

154. Baby Blue BADFINGER

155. Evening Kitchen BAND OF HORSES

JAN 29

156. 99.9F° SUZANNE VEGA

157. Jesus of Suburbia GREEN DAY

158. Grindstone HUNTERS & COLLECTORS

159. Big Time NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE

160. Somewhere In My Heart AZTEC CAMERA

JAN 30

161. Hand In Hand PHIL COLLINS

162. God JOHN LENNON

163. Volunteers JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

164. Straight To You NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

165. Tin Soldier SMALL FACES

JAN 31

166. No Language In Our Lungs XTC

167. Mambo Sun T. REX

168. Make Me Smile CHICAGO

169. Get Down Tonight KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND

170. Whirlwind ROXY MUSIC

Ring

I thought I might actually try one of the topics suggested by BLAM for this blog post. The suggested subject was simply 'ring', so why not?

"It's crazy but I'm frightened by the sound of the telephone, oh yeah..."

- Robert Palmer (Looking For Clues)

The first thing that pops into my mind is the ring of a telephone, possibly because my attitude towards them has changed over the years. When I was a kid, a ringing phone was an exciting event. I would race my sister to see who would get there first and answer the call. The possibilities of who the caller might be was seemingly endless! 
Because of the age of the mobile phone, our home landline rarely rings. When it does, we usually ignore it. Unfortunately, that's because nine times out of ten it's a telemarketer or someone else selling something and/or asking for money. The biggest advantage of the mobile phone is seeing who is ringing you. I rarely answer a call that has no caller ID. Again, because it usually means someone wants to put their hand in my pocket. I figure that if it's important, the caller will leave a message and I will call them back.

But even then, I'm not all that good on the phone. I get very nervous in social situations at the best of times, and a telephone conversation can be quite awkward. It's a weird thing, because sometimes I can be super smooth and relaxed, but in another situation I'm stuttering and anxious. A simple back and forth with the person operating the cash register at Coles is so easy one day, and then so challenging the next.

This weird duality of mine gets even weirder when I'm with friends. People that I look forward to seeing and like spending time with, and then when I'm there I just clam up. Or my conversational offerings are fairly nonsensical or trite. It makes all those times where interaction is effortless and easy all the more frustrating. 

There is an interesting third level here, which I've only just really discovered fairly recently. At some social gatherings I've been more of a spectator than a participant, but it doesn't bother me. Rather than getting flustered and telling myself to say something, I just sit back and take everything in. I listen to the conversations and enjoy everybody's interactions. I laugh at the jokes and the funny stories, but I don't offer up anything. When I'm the right mood, I find this quite pleasurable. Kind of weirdly voyeuristic and lazy, I guess, but still being social.

The mind is a strange thing. I find it bizarre that your mood can dictate how you handle yourself in certain situations. Ahhhh, the mysteries of life...