Memory is unreliable. I’m trying to remember the first time I heard The Dreaming by Kate Bush. It comes out in 1982. I’m eighteen. But I have a sense it was years laterwhen I was 21 or 22 years old, after years of only a vague notionabout who she was, a foggy understanding that sheContinue reading “#637: B is for Bush, Kate”
Category Archives: Poetry
#636: B is for Brubeck, Dave
The first pure jazz album in my collection, the first completely instrumental album, the oldest recording so far in thislistening extravaganza, 1959, one of the most popular jazz albums ever, or at least, with “Take 5,” one of the most famous and recognizable,or at least, the first jazz album ever to sell one million copies.VinceContinue reading “#636: B is for Brubeck, Dave”
#635: B is for Bright Eyes
In the fine tradition of great bad singers, here is Conor Oberst, otherwise known as the band leader of Bright Eyes. His singing is imprecise, full of vibrato, a tentativetenor, except for when he’s screaming, which he does sometimes, even in quiet songs. He often soundslike he’s on the verge of crying or throwing aContinue reading “#635: B is for Bright Eyes”
#634: B is for Bread
First of all, “Baby I’m-A Want You”is an objectively funny name for an album. You would think, evenin the early seventies it would be funny, but you would probably be wrong about that. After all, ironyhadn’t been invented yet, so everysappy and sentimental thing was taken as absolutely sincere and earnest. Purveyors of the earlysoftContinue reading “#634: B is for Bread”
#633: B is for Bowie’s “Blackstar”
After a string of fabulous studio albumsin the new centurywhich included a mightyten year gap between Reality and his penultimatestudio album, The Next Day, David Bowie announcesa new record called Blackstar.I bought that recordon release day, a Friday, listened to it straight through three or four times that weekend, and then Monday morning the newsofContinue reading “#633: B is for Bowie’s “Blackstar””
#632: B is for Bowie (“Brilliant Adventure,” The Box)
I I could read more, I suppose, to be more learned (“LUR-ned”)on the subject, but sometimesit’s just fun to imagine. Five yearspassed between albums, a totalmystery for a guy who had beenso prolific now for two full decades. He may have just been resting(entirely unlikely, I think). Or doing other stuff. Didn’t the first TinContinue reading “#632: B is for Bowie (“Brilliant Adventure,” The Box)”
#631: B is for Bowie (“Loving the Alien,” The Box)
I It will be forever and a single daybefore I get to the M section of thealphabet, so, even though I won’t write about them, I will from timeto time listen to an album from artistsin other parts of the alphabet. And the only reason I mention thisis because I listened to Magdalena Baythis morning,Continue reading “#631: B is for Bowie (“Loving the Alien,” The Box)”
#630: B is for Bowie (“A New Career in a New Town,” The Box)
I “You’re such a wonderful person, but you got problems.”The second tune on Low, all one minute and 52 secondsof it, contains this gem of a lyric. It’s 1977 and records are beginning to sound reallygood, although people at thetime didn’t think so. Tony Visconti has a newtoy called a Harmonizer andit makes the drumsContinue reading “#630: B is for Bowie (“A New Career in a New Town,” The Box)”
#629: B is for Bowie (“Who Can I Be Now?” The Box)
I didn’t rememberliking Diamond Dogsall that much at the firstlisten, but today it’s freshand weird and good.I’d have to study the lyricspretty carefully to understand the Orwell references beyond the titles, “We Are The Dead,”“1984,” and “Big Brother,” but I’m not going to do that; I rather just letthe record wash behindme as I toolContinue reading “#629: B is for Bowie (“Who Can I Be Now?” The Box)”
#628: B is for Bowie (“Five Years,” The Box)
I “Ground Control to Major Tom,”are likely the first words any of usever heard from David Bowie. Maybe I was five, and for yearsI would hear that distinctive voiceon the radio and knew the hits, but my older siblings, the arbitersof new music into the householdnever brought home a Bowie album. I didn’t start buyingContinue reading “#628: B is for Bowie (“Five Years,” The Box)”
michael jarmer 