Our Little Star

Wednesday, Sep 2nd

At the time of starting this post, Rhona and I had known for two weeks that our daughter Alyssa will be one of the Telethon kids this year. As I write this, she still doesn't know herself yet, and won't for another two weeks. While we have told a few family members and some people in our circle that need to know for work reasons, we have been almost bursting holding on to this. We are so proud of our daughter and we can't wait to yell the news from the rooftops, or Facebook. Whatever. We're also very excited to have a spotlight shone on autism for a weekend. They've never had a child with autism as a Telethon kid before, and we're so stoked that our little girl will be the first one.

It's going to be quite a wild ride. We're about five weeks away from Telethon and we have three publicity sessions to attend in the next eleven days. The first of these is a photo shoot for The Sunday Times, which will be done tomorrow afternoon. Alyssa will be teamed up with a boy called Jayton who is from Cunderdin and has cystic fibrosis. Every year they use one child from the city and another from the country. Jayton already knows that he will be a Telethon kid, and has shot a lot of his promo material already. Alyssa will be spending a bit of time in front of the camera to get her introduction piece together. It's going to be quite a ride.

Thursday, Sep 3rd

Alyssa had her photo shoot for the Sunday Times today. We met Jayton and his mum at PMH this afternoon and the photographer snapped away at both kids. There was a mix of solo shots and the two of them together; some were taken in the hospital lobby, some in a park down the road. 

It's a little tricky telling Alyssa what's going on with these things. We just keep sticking to the party line that she's in the top five spots for the kids who have been nominated for Telethon, and these event are like tests, or auditions. I think she may start putting the pieces together, but hopefully we can save the surprise for her. 

She did so well today too, as did Jayton. They look great together and I think they will enjoy their experience as Telethon's Little Stars. Alyssa rose to the occasion and pulled pose after pose and smile after smile. There was a little help from us behind the camera to get those smiles though! Jayton's cheeks were getting quite sore by the end of the shoot. He he he...we noticed him moving his mouth and rubbing his face a bit. 

Tomorrow morning we're all off to the Channel 7 studios. Not really sure what we're in for yet. It shall be an interesting experience at any rate.

Friday, Sep 4th

Well, we finally got to tell Alyssa the big news today. It was a huge morning full of photo shoots, interviews, Fat Cat and nosing around the studio. Jayton and Alyssa got to read out the weather in front of the green screen and sit behind the news desk too! One of the Channel 7 reporters, Blake Johnson, was going to be interviewing them, and he said that he wanted to ask what it was like to be the little stars of Telethon. The promo people realised that it was going to be too difficult to keep it a secret any longer, and so Rhona let Alyssa know. She was very excited and it sparked her right up. The idea had been to announce the news at Alyssa's school and record her reaction, but that's the way it went down. 

As you can imagine, standing still and smiling can get quite monotonous and challenging for any kid, let alone one with autism. The first task for the kids was posing for some video footage of the kids to use for Telethon promos. Alyssa needed a fair few movement breaks and a lot of help to stay focused on the camera. If someone walked nearby or said something loud she would turn in their direction. She found it difficult to follow some of the instructions of the crew too, but got through everything in the end.

When the time came for Alyssa to do her interview with Blake, she went through on her own. They were quite happy with how she did, and said that she was quite the chatterbox. It's going to be edited together for a news item on the day that she is announced by The Sunday Times as the CBD Telethon kid. Can't wait to see it, he he he...

I think that Alyssa's highlight of the day was meeting Fat Cat. She also enjoyed using the 'God button' in the control room when Jayton had his turn reading the weather. They both had fun messing around with Blake and the newsroom camera too. After a brief interview for the West Australian there were more photos to be taken, this time with Fat Cat as well! 

We arrived at the studio at 8:45am that morning we didn't leave until half past midday. What a busy start to the day! As an extra special treat, we let Alyssa pick out some new Lego on her way home. She grabbed a few Simpsons mini-figures and was stoked to get all new ones; no double ups! She was particularly stoked to get Bartman!

Anyway, we probably won't have anything more to do for Telethon until the 14th, when we'll be heading back to studio. Some of the Channel 7 crew may come out to our house or one of her therapy sessions in the meantime. We shall see. On September 20th, Alyssa's announcement will appear in the Sunday Times as well as an article on the Channel 7 news. Exciting stuff, huh?


Wednesday, Sep 9th
We've had a little reprieve from any Telethon duties since last week. Today is going to be a pretty big day though. There's a camera crew coming to the kids' speech therapy session this afternoon to film a little footage. After that they're coming back to the house to do some interviews with Alyssa and get a bit of what her day-to-day life is like on film. They'll also film Rhona and me, so Rhones is rushing home after she finishes at work. I hope everything goes well. 

While we all were in the car yesterday, Rhona got a call from a journalist at The Sunday Times. After interviewing her for a few minutes, she asked to speak to Alyssa. Rhona warned the reporter that she'd been sick for a bit and might only give one or two word answers, but she ended up being quite chatty. Considering Alyssa was basically non-verbal until the age of five, this was an amazing moment for Rhona and me. Both of us welled up a little, full of pride for our little girl as she talked about her favourite things. She's come so far. 


Thursday, Sep 10th
Yesterday was a pretty packed day! Once I picked up Alyssa from school, we rushed home to have lunch and then hit the road. Lachlan and Alyssa have speech therapy every second Wednesday at Sensory Connections and that particular session was being filmed by Channel 7 in preparation for Alyssa's Telethon promo package. It all went pretty smoothly, and was actually one of the best sessions the kids have had with their therapist, Sarah. It was weird having a camera and boom mic follow everything, but it didn't phase the kids. Lachlan was quite interested in the equipment and seemed to enjoy being involved. They interviewed Sarah afterwards too, and she told them what our goals in speech therapy were and how she was helping us. The great thing about Sarah is that she lets the kids direct the session and guides where she needs to. It's a style of therapy called Floortime, that Rhona and I just love. The room at Sensory Connections is fitted with roof swings, gym mats and foam blocks for lots of physical activity. We tend to act out various scenarios using role-playing, but the communication between us all is paramount to everyone knowing what their part is. The kids have come a long way since they began these sessions together at the start of the year.

After that was done, the camera crew met us at home where they filmed the kids playing on the trampoline and running around the backyard. We even played in our not-quite-completed therapy studio for a bit too. They got some footage of Alyssa building Lego in her bedroom, and tried to interview her a little at the same time. Unfortunately, she got pretty focused on the Lego and wasn't very responsive. We tried to capture her singing Roar by Katy Perry (which she loves), but that was a little hit-and-miss too. There was a great moment when Zappa ran and sat next to her while she sang, which I hope they use. Rhones got home from work just as they started to set up our lounge room for the parent interviews. Again, Lachlan was fascinated by the lights and recording equipment. He loved looking at himself being recorded on the little portable monitor, and was in awe of how bright the lights were. 


They interviewed Rhona and I separately, asking questions about autism and Alyssa's early years. I felt like I was a bit of stammering mess at the start, but found my groove as the recording went on. Rhona felt similarly afterwards, fearing that she'd waffled on a bit too much. Time will tell, I guess! As the crew packed everything away, Lachlan watched on enthusiastically. He has since become very keen to be as involved in the Telethon journey as much as he can. Well, the next thing on our schedule now is Monday morning at Channel 7, where Alyssa and Jayton will film promo spots for Telethon.




Tuesday, Sep 15th
Yesterday morning Alyssa had a big session of shoots at the Channel 7 studios. There were little moments of her blowing fake confetti to the camera (which will be CGI'd in later), catching said fake confetti, saying the Telethon phone number and thanking WA. She recorded some shots by herself and some with Jayton. Both kids had to address the camera on their own, say their name and talk briefly about themselves. We got to the studio at 8:30am and by around 10:30am or so, the kids were done. Alyssa had worked really hard and was in much better form than the previous Friday shoot. She had taken medicine to help her throat infection, and it seemed to have done the trick! The praise she was getting from the crew, the staff and Rhona and me was going to her head a little bit. After one break, she swanned back into the studio and announced that "your superstar is back!" He he he...cheeky little thing. The novelty of seeing herself on TV was also something she enjoyed, and at one point, the cameraman (Mike) played back some of the footage they'd shot earlier. 

While Jayton was finishing up some shots on his own, Alyssa and I went back into the dressing room and relaxed. Monika Kos from Today Tonight happened to be walking through and stopped to introduce herself. She was really lovely, and told Alyssa that after being on Telethon she'll be an expert at TV appearances and film/photo shoots. 

After the kids were done, it was time for the adults to be interviewed, which meant the mums, and a medical expert for both families. We had arranged for Prof. Andrew Whitehouse from the Telethon Institute to speak about autism for us. He heads the research team for autism at the TI and is just a fantastic guy. We've met him several times in our travels and getting him to appear on camera as part of our team was very exciting. Jayton's family had asked a nurse from PMH to talk about Jayton and CF. She'd known them for years and was lovely enough to come into the studio on her day off in full uniform, croaky throat and all. 

Alyssa and Jayton sat in the dressing room and flicked through the TV channels while all this went on. They got to talk to each other a bit too, discussing their various interests and TV shows. It was nice for them to have a little down time together. No doubt they will be seeing a lot of each other during the next few weeks. Once all the adult interviews wrapped up, Alyssa was asked to go back in to do some more shots. She was pretty over it by that point, but they managed to get a few more things in the can. It would have been around midday and everyone's tummies were rumbling too! 

We left knowing that there would be a bit of a break before any more Telethon duties popped up, which we were thankful for. This Sunday, Alyssa's announcement story will run in The Sunday Times and be on the Channel 7 news! She should also be in Monday's West Australian too! We'll finally be able to tell everybody that our little girl is one of this year's Telethon kids!


Friday, Sep 18th
Yesterday afternoon we were contacted by Today Tonight, who were looking to film a "happy family" for a story they were putting together on parenting author and educator Maggie Dent. Unfortunately, Rhona was going to be attending an interschool sports carnival that the school she teaches for was competing in, so she couldn't be part of it. They wanted to come over at 2pm, so we needed to get Alyssa home early. Coincidentally, her school was having their own sports carnival, so Lachlan and I went over to watch the proceedings.

We left the carnival early and got home a little after 12pm with enough time to feed ourselves, tidy the house and wind down a bit. Just as well too, because the camera crew and reporter arrived at 1:40pm. They wanted to interview me first, so once again, our lounge room was set up and cleared. Both kids took their iPads down to the bedrooms and Zappa stayed with Lachlan. They just wanted to talk about autism, the diagnosis process and what we believe helps make kids happy. I was even asked about Alyssa's experience being the Telethon kid so far, and how we all felt as a family. Syan, the reporter was quite surprised to learn that Alyssa would be the first Telethon child to have autism. After a few hiccups involving noise from the kids, we wrapped the interview and headed outside to film Alyssa and Lachlan playing together. 


They both turned on the charm and hit maximum energy level, while Gail the camera operator run around them. She even climbed onto the trampoline while they bounced away. Alyssa offered to show them our little (incomplete) studio/therapy room. Lachlan got down to swinging on the indoor swing and Alyssa played with the fishing game. Then they hit the swings! The last thing the crew wanted to film was both kids running up and hugging me. They were quite enthusiastic about this, but I suspect they just wanted to knock me over, especially Lachlan. Even Zappa tried to get in the action. He became quite popular with the crew too, with sound guy throwing the ball around a few time for him. It was a pretty hectic day for the kids, but they both coped beautifully. Once the camera crew left, they could really relax and wind down. So proud of the way they're coping with these sessions. Not sure what's next for the Bolgies at this stage, but we can't wait until Sunday!



Sunday, Sep 20th
Today was the day that we have been hanging out for! The Sunday Times announced Alyssa as this year's Perth metro Telethon Little Star! I managed to grab a copy of the paper after my gig last night. I snapped a photo of the article and sent to Rhones, who immediately began bombarding social media. We're so proud of our little girl and so relieved that we can actually share this amazing news with all of our family and friends. Since last night we have gotten so many wonderful messages of love and support for Alyssa and our family. We are very excited about the Telethon weekend, and can't wait to experience it, all the while educating WA about autism and epilepsy. 

We have no doubt that the next few weeks will be very busy for us, but we're up for it. We're also going to slip in a coupla days down south to meet our newest family additions as well. The school holidays start next week. What perfect timing! Time to hold tight and enjoy the ride. 

Cooking With Dylan III

Right, well, let's get on with the third installment of my Dylan adventures. After a bit of a gap (about three months), I have renewed my mission to listen to every album of The Complete Album Collection Vol. One CD box set. I also managed to sneak in an entry from his Official Bootleg series; the fourth volume, to be precise. It was suggested to me by another Dylan enthusiast that the Royal Albert Hall Concert from 1966 would make for a fab companion piece after revisiting Highway 61 Revisited on its 50th anniversary. 

It sure did. 

The first side is just Dylan solo, which was simply transcendent. There were only seven songs, but they were all killer picks. The real revelation is listening to the audience during the electric second side. I don't think I appreciated just how vitriolic his folk fans were. Such a melodramatic sense of betrayal and dismay at the fact Dylan was playing with a full band and sporting an electric guitar. When that guy yells out "Judas!" it's a validation of the myth. It almost feels just like an urban legend, until you realise that it actually happened. The response of the then-25-year-old Dylan is quite jarring too, as he is clearly taken aback: "I don't believe you! You're a liar!" The musicality is great though, and all the songs have that ramshackle bounce you'd expect of that era. I hope that the promise of a second Dylan box set comprising of all the Official Bootleg albums comes off. I'd really like to dive through them once I'm done with all the actual records. But, I digress!

Let's just jump right in here...

8. JOHN WESLEY HARDING (1967) - 20/8
This was my first listen of this album, and I had only heard two of the songs before. After the galloping rock of Highway 61 Revisited and majesty of Blonde On Blonde, this is quite a mellow affair. It was released nearly a year and half after BOB, as Dylan had injured himself in a motorcycle accident during July 1966. While convalescing, he recorded a lot of songs with members of The Hawks (who would go on to become The Band) at his house in Woodstock, New York. These sessions would be extensively bootlegged until 1975, when a selection were officially released as The Basement Tapes. None of those recordings would make it onto JWH, but Dylan arrived in Nashville to put down some tracks of a similar pithy vein. This album is mostly acoustic, and probably one of the earliest releases of the burgeoning country rock genre that would be taken to the next level by The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. All Along The Watchtower and I'll Be Your Baby Tonight are the songs that everybody knows, but I was just as enamoured with tracks like I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine and As I Went Out One Morning. I don't really get the story, but The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest was another big highlight for me. This album pleasantly surprised me, as I liked it much more than I expected to.

9. NASHVILLE SKYLINE (1968) - 23/8
Apologies to fans of Johnny Cash, but I think this album's opening track is a bit horrendous. I don't know what possessed Dylan to re-record Girl From The North Country with Cash, but it strikes me as hugely unnecessary, and more of a vanity project. It also seems to go on for longer than it needs to. Ugh, give me the original from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan any day. The next track is an instrumental, Nashville Skyline Rag, which is okay. At this point, I was a little worried about what the rest of the album might entail, but happily, it all turned around from there. Singing in what some call his "country croon", Dylan continued where he left off with JWH, but added a little more bounce. Songs like To Be Alone With You and the excellent closer Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You are so breezy and fun that you almost forget that you're listening to Dylan; particularly when he's using THAT voice. Home to the classic track, Lay, Lady, Lay as well, I really enjoyed this album, for the most part. 

10. SELF PORTRAIT (1970) - 5/9
Unfairly branded as being one of the worst albums in rock history, Dylan's second double album is a mix of folk & contemporary covers,  live tunes and instrumentals. There are also a handful of original tracks on offer. It must have baffled fans on its release, particular after a stellar run of records. Even forty five years later, it is still a little puzzling, but by no means unpleasant. According to some interviews I've read, Dylan's intention was to well and truly shake the "spokesmen for a generation" label that he'd been stuck with. He was hoping to put out an album that would disappoint those who were waiting for his next big statement, figuring that they'd just get bored with him and move on. The backlash he got was fierce, and many music critics piled on the scorn. Rolling Stone magazine's Griel Marcus famously started his review with "What is this shit?". I think if he had whittled it down, there would be a really good album here. The live versions seem unnecessary as well, but they add to that "aural scrapbook" kind of vibe. Bits of pieces of what he was doing or feeling, perhaps? The covers were probably meant to reveal his influences, but I don't know why he picked Paul Simon's The Boxer. The way he harmonises with himself seems like he's making fun of Simon & Garfunkel's intertwining voices. There are some great cuts here though, my highlights being Copper Kettle, Days of '49, Early Morning Rain and the strangely haunting instrumental Wigwam, which is one of the few original songs. 


11. NEW MORNING (1970) - 10/9

Released only a few months after Self Portrait, this short and laidback album makes for pleasant listening. It's perfect for a Sunday morning. The songs are all Dylan originals this time around, and it's very similar in production and feel as his three previous offerings. The most famous song in here is probably the lovely ballad If Not For You, which has been covered by George Harrison and Olivia Newton-John, among others. If you're a big fan of The Big Lebowksi (a Coen brothers movie), like I am, then you'll probably also know the excellent deep cut The Man In Me. Other highlights for me included the title track, If Dogs Run Free and Time Passes Slowly.


When I pick this up again, I'll be looking at Dylan's first (and only? - I'm unsure) soundtrack. 

Back II Dylan

Yeah, so I've been a bit slack with my Dylan listening and blogging. Since my last post in February, I've only managed to get through another six more albums, three of which I was already pretty familiar with. He also released a new record, Shadows In The Night, which I nabbed a copy of in April. I was going to leave it until I had listened to the entire box set, but I was too impatient. It's a fascinating album of covers, all of which were performed by Frank Sinatra. Unlike anything else he's done, I think it was a remarkably brave move to make. But hey, Dylan will do what Dylan wants. 

Okay, I'll do my best to catch up in one fell blog post right here and now! Although, I might cut in half. I might not. Hey, let's just see where this takes us, yes?

4. ANOTHER SIDE OF BOB DYLAN (1964) - 6/3
Shedding his protest venom in favour of love songs and ballads, the title of this album certainly delivers. Again, we have Dylan exclusively performing solo on guitar and harmonica, except for Black Crow Blues which he hits piano on. Aside from a handful of Dylan classics like All I Really Want To Do, It Ain't Me Babe and Chimes of Freedom, I feel that it's a bit of a filler record. Not to say that it's a bad album, it's just hard to listen to yet another group of solo Dylan tracks, particularly when his first Holy Trinity of albums are just around the corner. While this also includes the excellent My Back Pages, his rendition of it seems somewhat unenthusiastic. 

5. BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME (1965) - 15/5
The first of a trio of quintessential Dylan records, this is overflowing with classic tracks. It's almost like a mini best-of album, boasting such gems as Love Minus Zero/No Limit, Subterranean Homesick Blues, It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding, Gates of Eden, She Belongs to Me and Mr Tambourine Man. The first side of the record features songs that all have full band arrangements, even the slower numbers. By comparison, the four tracks that make up the second side are predominately Dylan solo; the exception being the brilliant album closer It's All Over Now, Baby Blue which features some bass work from William E. Lee. Although there's one or two tracks which haven't really revealed themselves to me, this is an absolute corker.

6. HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (1965) - 15/5
Recently coming in at No.2 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time poll, this is one of Dylan's most enduring albums, and some would say it is his best. This also marked the start of his collaborations with producer Bob Johnston. From the opening snare of Like A Rolling Stone to the final harmonica notes on the stunning Desolation Row, this is a killer collection of songs. I've listened to this album a lot of over the years, and I'm still picking up new things to love. I can't get over the fact that it came out just five months after BIABH. The title track's opening line: "God said to Abraham, 'Kill me a son'" is one of my favourite moments and I love its use of the siren whistle in place of Dylan's trademark harmonica. The eerie Ballad Of A Thin Man, with its saloon-like piano (played by Dylan himself), is possibly my favourite track on the album. Other highlights for me include Queen Jane Approximately and Tombstone Blues. On August 30, this record celebrated its 50th anniversary. I couldn't resist blasting it through our lounge room last Sunday morning, much to the chagrin of our kids. He he he...education by force!

7. BLONDE ON BLONDE (1966) - 16/5
Yes, I listened to these three albums in two days. I found it very hard to stop once I'd started. To have three absolute blinders in a row is a rare feat for any artist, but Dylan manages to repeat this success again later in his career. If push came to shove, I'd name BOB as my pick of the three. Being one of the first double albums ever released there's more music on it, for a start. It's positively overflowing with fantastic tracks: Visions of Johanna, One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later), 4th Time Around and the raucous opener Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 to name a few. Like any good double album, there are a variety of moods and styles. You can be stomping your feet to infectious groove of Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine one moment, and then be soaking up the melancholy shuffle of the exquisite Just Like A Woman the next. Incredibly, the iconic cover featuring a blurry Dylan does not feature his name or the album's title. The Beatles left their name off the cover of Rubber Soul in 1965; I wonder if that influenced that decision at all.

Well, I might wrap this up here. There was quite a big gap between listening to these albums and getting back on the horse again. So, there it is. When I continue, we shall start with John Wesley Harding. 

Mulder and Scully Revisited

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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.